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Category: EPKs

0 EPK – Turbo – Broke & Ugly (2024)

  • June 11, 2024
  • by Asher
  • · EPKs · Turbo

Turbo – Broke & Ugly (2024)

Publicist – Jon Asher – jon[@]ashermediarelations[.]com

“We’re comin’ in fast, hot and greasy with our second dose of Nitro Rock, “Broke and Ugly”. It’s faster, grittier, meaner, sleazier, and louder than the first dose we gave you, and it’ll have you tapping your arm frantically to find a good vein. We’ve been called “Halifax’s answer to Motorhead” by The East Magazine in 2020 with our first album, and with this release, we’ve taken that reputation VERY seriously. 

Get yourself a grimy slab of Thrash, add a good pinch of NWOBHM catchiness and throw it on the burner. Mix some spicy glam metal and sleaze rock into a bowl with a large helping of punk rock and hardcore. Drizzle that over what you got on the burner, and garnish with a singer determined to turn his voice into sand who’s lifestyle and world-view will make you worry for him, and you have the recipe for Turbo’s distinct flavor. It’s an absolute slaughter in 7-tracks, sure to scratch an old-school itch you didn’t realize was there. Like your disheveled uncle on Christmas morning, Turbo is STILL trashed, pissed off, and sick of your shit.”

For fans of Motorhead, W.A.S.P., Kill Cheerleader, ZZ Top, Black Sabbath

Album Title: Broke & Ugly
Release Date: July 12, 2024
Label: Self-Release
Distribution: Distrokid

Facebook.com/TURBOFAF | Instagram.com/turboasfvck

Turboasfvck.bandcamp.com | Spotify

#9 Turbo – !earshot – The National Loud Chart – For the Week Ending: Tuesday, July 30, 2024 
https://earshot-online.com/charts/index.cfm?intChartTypeID=106&dWeekOfID=2024-07-30

“The cartoon-ish cover art with toxic green/red colors could bring more smiles to the fold – Turbo executing a great crossover sound that stands on the edge of thrash, punk and NWOBHM/heavy metal. Broke & Ugly could be your soundtrack when needing an ideal wind down from your back breaking, seemingly never over work week. 8.5/10″ – Dead Rhetoric

“This rocks a lot. The vocalist’s gritty approach delivers surprisingly catchy and memorable vocal melodies, and the occasional backing vocals are often reminiscent of mid-80s “party” metal, very upbeat and singalong-inducing. The guitar work has everything people like in old heavy metal, a rather raw style filled with cool solos and riffs that stick in your head long after they’re over. You’d tell me this was released more than 40 years ago and I would believe you. A fun time from beginning to end. 4/5″ – The Metal Crypt

“”Broke & Ugly” may have been a little tight in terms of playing time, but with the incredible hit rate of one hundred percent, you can forgive that. When punk and thrash still spoke a language, the whole thing sounded like this album. The fact that a band would ever come close to OVERKILL in terms of sound technology says more than enough! Yes! Noisy thrash, melodic punk, classic setup – what a great record! 9/10.” – Power-Metal.de 

“entertaining, refreshingly lively, dynamic, far too good to be bad. Massively punching Kick Ass- Heavy Metal n’ Rock n’ Roll on all sides, which hits the eye in a straight line, brutally, snotty, until it hits the chest, where it hurts. Snots, tubes, rocks and rolls straight to the limit! 8/10” – FFM-Rock

“the band is insanely tight, with Frizzle and fellow six stringer Lindsey Dicks really giving it some violence riff wise and soloing like their lives depended on it. Similarly, the rhythm section of Sylvain Coderre (d) and Henry MacDonald take no prisoners and submit to no-one in their ability to hold things together at high velocity. Very impressive. As we get deeper into the twenty first century, bands are running out of ways to repackage, remake and remodel, so the freshness with which Turbo approach the task in hand has to be applauded. This is fun to listen to – and it certainly sounds like the band had fun getting the album down, and sometimes a bit of joie de vivre is all any of us need. But when you are able to mix that in with a killer technique and a sharp ear for a metal tune well, good times await!” – Sentinel Daily

“Canada’s Turbo label their music Nitro-Rock; On the evidence of the submitted album, Broke & Ugly, it would seem that Nitro rock is in fact an almighty mashup of styles, all rendered at high speed and with little regard for personal danger (in my day we used to call that Crossover-Ed). If that description excites you, then the album is going to send you into paroxysms of joy…” – Sentinel Daily

“Turbo’s second full length album is the equivalent of getting into a newly juiced up hotrod, the roof reeled back in, as you’re flooring it down the highway until your smoke trails combust. From start to finish, Turbo live up to their name in droves and then some with energy that cannot be denied and a plethora of tracks that offer much to be remembered. Though boasting a full nine tracks, Broke & Ugly doesn’t even eclipse a full half hour and therefore opens itself up for numerous relistens. It starts up, gets you in the mood to kick some butt, yet doesn’t attempt to overstay its welcome to any degree. For me personally, this style of speed metal can be a vast hit or miss but I thoroughly enjoyed my time with this record, and during its duration I was brought on board with Turbo’s infectious power. Furthermore, I’d wish to visit their first record, and am excited to see what they do for a third, prospective release; I merely hope it’s not another four years because this is really good, fun material that anyone can get behind. A refreshing break from crushing, defeating extreme metal is sometimes needed, and Turbo are one fine cocktail.” – The Razor’s Edge

“Turbo is a band that gives me associations to two very different bands and the earlier stages of both of those bands output, and that is Turbonegro and Iron Maiden respectively. If you can imagine the early death punk of the former combined with certain  aspects of the Di’Anno era of the latter combined into a whole, you probably won’t be too far off from the kind of landscapes explored by Canadians Turbo. And chances are good that you’ll find this tight and uptempo album to be a rewarding experience if that description comes across as tantalizing.” – The Viking in the Wilderness

“this album is just the perfect encapsulation of a fun” – Brutally Delicious

“in “Broke & Ugly” everything is assault and everything is thrash, with scream and you chant to give that imprint punk and Warrior Soul which makes the offer of the four Canadians even more pleasant and captivating.” – Metallus.it 

“if you want to have fun while frantically shaking your head and listening to a collection of compositions full of nods to NWOBHM, be sure to give “Broke & Ugly” a listen.” – Rockeando

“TURBO is Halifax’s answer to Motorhead…” – The East Mag

“It is a thrash metal rollercoaster of a musical ride that grabs you by the dick and doesn’t let go until bust a riff-inspired ear nut.” – Slickster Magazine 

Band: TURBO
Genre: NWOTHM / THRASH
Album Title: Broke & Ugly

Track Listing:
1. Ruthless Forever
2. Ignite the Night
3. No Savior
4. Scorpio Garbage Fire
5. PissJugs and Rattlesnakes
6. Nothing to Nowhere
7. Broke & Ugly
8. Down in Mexico
Total Length: 29:12
Album Credits:
Recorded at Nova Scotia, Canada
Mixed by Lindsey Dicks
Mastered by Jamie King Audio

Lineup:
Evan Frizzle: Vox, Lead & Rhythm Guitar
Lindsey Dicks: Lead & Rhythm Guitar
Henry MacDonald: Bass Guitar
Sylvian Coderre: Drums

Discography:
Fast as Fvck: 2020
Broke & Ugly: 2024

=======================================================

About The Album Artwork:
 
The artwork for “Broke and Ugly” was done by our primary artist and good friend, Tim Murray. It depicts a dive-bar nightmare bathroom that has been – to put it diplomatically – well-loved haha. It has a few little Easter-eggs from other songs of ours peppered through it, and a green hand grabbing for some shit-tickets from a busted-ass urinal that belongs to the velociraptor featured in the album art from the first album, “Fast as Fvck”.

About The Album:

“Broke and Ugly” is our second testament to the ups and downs of the rock-and-roll lifestyle, and it comes in swingin’ HARD. The music is raw, greasy and mean; but it’s also tight, coordinated, and flashy. The lyrics are defiant and visceral, painting a real picture of where Evan’s mind was at during the writing
process of the album. Themes go from party-anthems, to drugs, to women of flings-past, to life on the road, and back again. It’s edgy, it’s real, and it’s undeniably Turbo.

Track By Track:

The opening track – Ruthless Forever – has some of the heaviest riffs in the entire album. It also features one of Evan’s favorite guitar solos in the middle of it; he gets to demonstrate some of his jazz-knowledge through that solo. He had just successfully quit a nasty habit with crank before writing the song, and the lyrics are predominantly about his triumphant return thereafter.

2. IGNITE THE NIGHT – Ignite the Night is a straight-ahead party anthem. No ice, no chaser, no bullshit. The lyric “yeah, you’ve got problems, and I know how we’ll solve ‘em” pretty much spells it out. It features some flashy work with guitar-harmonies and a wicked main riff and structure to it. Have a beer or two cracked when you blast this one.

3. NO SAVIOR – While writing this one, both Sylvain and Evan were each going through some somewhat nasty breakups. The lyrics talk about that, and issue a warning of sorts to future ladyfriends: “I ain’t no savior, I’ll burn here forever”. Definitely one of the album’s standout anthems.

4. SCORPIO GARBAGE FIRE – Written to be more accessible and radio-friendly, while still keeping the trademark Turbo snarl intact, Scorpio Garbage Fire is a bouncy ripper with a palpable punk-rock edge to it. The lyrics are about a hippy-raver girl Evan used to have chemsex flings with many years ago.

5. PISSJUGS AND RATTLESNAKES – Pissjugs is a perfect example of a song that was written with the name coming first, lyrics coming second. It’s loosely written about a crew of strippers Evan used to hang out with and their lifestyles at the time. Lindsey came up with the opening lead, and we were immediately off to the races writing this one. The song’s main riff might be the greasiest riff on the album. Drink every time we yell “pissjugs”!

6. NOTHING TO NOWHERE – We don’t write ballads in Turbo. Our sound just doesn’t translate well to an actual “ballad” by any strict definition. But we DO feel that every good album needs at least one good reprieve from the balls-to-the-wall blasters standard of any good metal band, and a demonstration of how a band can push it’s sound in a different direction to explore a different kind of emotion. Nothing to Nowhere is our offering with that sentiment in mind. The lyrics talk about life on the road – something we’ve become extremely acquainted with.

7. BROKE AND UGLY – The title track of the album was written in a period of hard-times, financially-speaking. Since this is more or less the general state of being for Evan in particular, who else would be better suited to lyrically immortalize this mindset. It’s catchy, it’s boppy, it’s snarky, and it has our favorite chorus on the album: “Got no money, and STILL fuckin’ ugly”! An anthem we hope at least SOMEBODY out there will relate to.

8. DOWN IN MEXICO – Our bassist Henry wrote the main riff of this song, and it punched us in the gut so hard that we don’t deviate too far from it at any point through this song. It’s a real thresh, start to finish. We wrote it right before leaving for our tour through Mexico in the hopes that we could play the Mexican fans a ditty written JUST for them. Their response was unreal, show after show. We’re proud to have this one closing out the album with an absolute bang!

========================================

Fun Facts – Story Angles
1. Both of Turbo’s albums – “Fast as Fvck” and “Broke and Ugly” were almost entirely recorded and produced by guitarist Lindsey Dicks and the rest of the band themselves right in their rehearsal space, with minimal
outside-help.

2. Turbo played 53 shows in one year in 2023. They were on the road almost every weekend to achieve that.

3. In the fall of 2023, Turbo went on a two-week
tour through Mexico, and each member has a strange story about pooping from that trip.

4. Both the band’s singer/guitarist Evan Frizzle and drummer Sylvain Coderre instruct students on how to play their respective instruments.

5. Bassist Henry MacDonald is broke and sexy, currently trying his hand at an
amature-modeling career.

Like your disheveled uncle on Christmas morning, Turbo is trashed, pissed off, and sick of your shit. The members of Turbo, who were all in separate bands at the time, came together with the motivation to create something bigger and badder.

Something that was gonna grab things right by the cojones and give them a good shake. Evan Frizzle (vocalist/guitarist) and Sylvain Coderre (drums) were looking to start up a project, and when they met Lindsey Dicks (guitar) the juices started flowing. Todd Stanley (bass) held the same “Take No Prisoners” vision and immediately joined the fray. The musical influences cited by the band span across the heavy music spectrum, which results in an original, aggressive and varied listening experience.

With 100% collaborative effort, the themes that fuel Turbo lyrics revolve around personal experiences or things that just come up while they’re writing the music to a particular piece. The focus is that all the bandmates are able to relate to topics they sing about. It’s real, edgy, and visceral.

The highly potent debut album “Fast as Fvck” was relinquished upon the masses in 2020; metal enough for the heshers, punk enough for the threshers, and rocking enough to satiate the haughtiest of purests; welcome to Turbo’s patented “Nitro-Rock”.

Shortly after the release of their first album, Todd Stanley left the band. With no delay and extreme fervor, Henry MacDonald took up the helm on bass-duties, and Turbo have been touring and writing nonstop ever since, never slowing down for a second. This full-speed-ahead attitude is translated into their newest release, “Broke and Ugly” – faster, louder, and rawer than their first release.

0 EPK – Onchocerciasis Esophagogastroduodenoscopy – The Fall Lament (2024) (Gore House Productions)

  • June 11, 2024
  • by Asher
  • · EPKs · Onchocerciasis Esophagogastroduodenoscopy (2024) (Gore House Productions)

EPK – Onchocerciasis Esophagogastroduodenoscopy – The Fall Lament (2024) (Gore House Productions)

Publicist – Jon Asher – gorehouse[@]ashermediarelations[.]com

“There’s a saying in regards to music “Evolve; don’t change”. With every release, we push creative boundaries both in the writing and recording process. We never want to make a drastic change that feels forced and alienating to our day-one supporters, but we strive to evolve in ways that feel natural for the growth of the band; not just musically, but as people, too.

“We want this album to be something that you can either sit with at home, with a nice pair of headphones, and marvel at the complexity and immensity of the music. And also be able to just switch your brain off and use these songs to push through a workout at the gym.” – Jesse Agiomamitis – Vocals – Onchocerciasis Esophagogastroduodenoscopy

For fans of Deathspell Omega, Defeated Sanity, Ulcerate, Disentomb, Enmity

Gorehouseproductions.com | Facebook.com/GoreHouseProductionsOfficial | Instagram.com/gorehouseproductions | Twitter.com/GoreHouse

Tiktok.com/@gorehouseproductions | Youtube.com/c/Gorehouseproductions-Official | Spotify | Gorehouseproductions.bandcamp.com

Facebook.com/OnchoOfficial | Instagram.com/onchocerciasis_official | Youtube Music

Spotify | Officialonchocerciasis.bandcamp.com | Apple Music

Album order – https://orcd.co/the-fallen-lament

“It’s brutal as fuck, but it’s also explores the entire bouquet of sick creativity extreme music has to offer. The Fallen Lament is fun. It’s violent and it loves to blur boundaries between already scummy, disgusting genres.” – Vox & Hops Metal Podcast

“This EP is definitely for the lovers of the extreme – fans of Deathspell Omega, Defeated Sanity, and Ulcerate will dig the fuck out of this record. So will fans of Dehumanizing Itatrian Worship, whose Kiryu Zhang contributes vocals on the last track of the EP, ‘Facial Gutting’. 9/10” – Ever Metal

“
The tracks revolve around blast beats and slams with some truly impressive breakdowns on display. Lyrics are themed around many different influences including mental health issues that have plagued the bands members, anime and video games making for an interesting read. In essence this EP provides a really promising preview of things to come for this band, who have the potential based on this evidence of creating something special.” – The Razor’s Edge

“OxE are a different beast, very heavy and extreme but different to most bands of this ilk. The best way to describe them would be like Mortician, but with slam riffs! They have that downtuned bass that trawls the depths of hell with its tone and razor-sharp guitars, frantic programmed drums and some seriously deranged vocals. The tracks are short and sweet, the whole EP only goes on for ten minutes twenty one secs but in that time, you feel so bludgeoned and battered listening to it that it feels much longer, almost like you are succumbing to some exquisite torture!| – The Razor’s Edge

“primal and brutal variety of dramatic and booming extreme metal ” – The Viking in the Wilderness

“Brutal gore death grind metal with pig squeally vox” – 89.9 WORT FM – The Moshpit (Madison, WI)

“Have you ever been sat at home on a quiet evening and thought; “you know what would be really good right now? A migraine”? Well, if the answer to that is yes, then the boys in ONCHOCERCIASIS ESOPHAGOGASTRODUODENOSCOPY have got you covered. In this, their twenty-five minute, nine-track offering that is akin to standing in a bucket of water and attaching yourself to a car battery, The Rotted Plinth of Sachiel is a full-on assault on your senses that is sure to test the endurance of even the most seasoned veteran of fringe, extreme metal sub-genres.” – Distorted Sound Mag (2021 – The Rotted Plinth Of Sachiel)

“They may come across as a novelty act trying to be extreme for the sake of extremity, but OEGD are here to subjugate you. Give them five minutes, and they’ll bludgeon you into submission. Whether you like it or not is a different matter.” – Scream Blast Repeat (2021 – The Rotted Plinth Of Sachiel)

[Download EP Cover | Download EP Lyrics]

EP Title – The Fallent Lament
Release Date: Digital – July 19th, CD – August 9th, 2024
Label: Gore House Productions

Track Listing:
1. The Fallent Lament; Paralytikus Ascends
(1:21)
2. Warmth of the Womb (3:31)
3. Stult Carnality (2:29)
4. Facial Gutting (feat. Kiryu Zhang) (2:59)
EP Length: 10:21

EP Credits:
All songs performed by Onchocerciasis Esophagogastroduodenoscopy
All songs written by Onchocerciasis Esophagogastroduodenoscopy
– Produced by The Popuko
– Mixed by The Popuko
– Mastered by The Popuko
– Album Artwork by The Popuko

Line Up:
Alice Simard – Guitars, Drums
Jesse Agiomamitis – Vocals
The Popuko – Guitars, Drums, Bass, Backing Vocals

=======================================

About The EP Artwork:
For the EP, I chose one of my personal illustrations that I thought fit the vibe. “The Fallen Lament, Paralytikus Ascends” – I was always kind of fascinated by the concept of a newborn calamity, brought forth by stranger machinations unbeknownst to us. It’s a cosmic horror kinda vibe, and fits well into the concept of the full length album to come.

About the EP:
J: Start-to-finish, the album is dissonant, punishing, and disorientating. Many of the lyrical subjects are larger than life and the songs tell a story of a single entity, a “godslayer”, essentially, on a God of War-esque rampage through the universe, all veiled in obscurity. This character and his actions mirror the overall feeling of the album: cold, calculated, and violent.

P: Musically, the LP is definitely the most experimental OxEx to date. Inbetween the utter carnage of the main instrumentals are layers synths and organic instrumentation that have gone through various level of sonic destruction to give the overall soundscape an alien feel. I was highly inspired by “Nithing – Agonal Hymns” of 2023 and the classic record “Dripping – Disintegration of Thought Patterns During A Synthetic Mind Traveling Bliss”.

=======================================

FUN FACTS – STORY ANGLES

1. Onchocerciasis Esophagogastroduodenoscopy (shorthand: OxE) was originally a solo project by Alice, who released a split record with a friend before bringing Jesse aboard in early 2019.

2. The majority of the lyrics for OxE tracks pertain, in some way, to mental health
struggles that I and people around me have dealt with throughout life, but with a cryptic flair to it so as to not make everything too on-the-nose and revealing. It’s a nice way to express inner feelings while keeping matters private. And thankfully due to the nature of our music, the listener can’t really understand
what’s being said anyway.

3. OxE members hail from various countries. Popu is German, Alice is Canadian, and Jesse is Australian.

4. When it comes to the artistic and lyrical thematics, OxE is inspired by various forms of media. We love incorporating ideas from video games (Dark Souls, NieR, etc.), anime (Berserk, Evangelion, Angel’s Egg), and many areas of real world mythology and folklore into our music.

5. The Popu has been a fan of the band since the first EP, but has never gotten into contact with Alice or Jesse until two years later, when – by sheer coincidence – Alice and Popu bonded online through the obscure interest of the Danmaku Game “Touhou Project”. Inseparable since then.

L-R – The Popuko (Guitar, Drums, Bass) | Alice Simard (Guitar, Drums) | Jesse Agiomamitis (Vocals)

Photo Credit: Onchocerciasis Esophagogastroduodenoscopy

Onchocerciasis Esophagogastroduodenoscopy (OxE), a riveting slam from Quebec City, Canada are proud to share the first single “The Fallen Lament; Paralytikus Ascends” from their brutal upcoming EP “The Fallen Lament” which will be unleashed digitally on July 19th and CD on August 9th from Stillbirth Records / Gore House Productions (SBR is a GHP sublabel). The band comments on the incoming auditory assault:

“The single was one of the first few songs we wrote when recording the new LP, which is why it has a familiar feel to the songs from our ‘Adoration of Decaying Innocence’ EP and ‘Rotted Plinth of Sachiel’ LP. We wanted to couple this track with some of our older songs because it gives the fans something new, literally and metaphorically.”

The band continues to explain that the track has some hallmarks of their evolution going into their latest LP, without showing their entire hand and spoiling the fun. It’s a blister of a track that they think was naturally a good choice for first on the list.

The EP “The Fallen Lament” combines unnerving, chaotic, and apocalyptic sounds with meticulous calculation. The lyrics are predominantly penned by vocalist Jesse Agiomamitis, who draws inspiration from a myriad of sources, including video games, anime, movies, and personal experiences written in a cryptic fashion so that they can imprint in a unique way on each listener. The band is heavily influenced by the likes of Last Days of Humanity, Disentomb, and Dehumanizing Itatrian Worship, whose Kiryu Zhang does guest vocals on track 4. “Facial Gutting”.

Listen to “The Fallen Lament; Paralytikus Ascends” – https://youtu.be/BltoQMnk8YY​

Recommended for fans of Deathspell Omega, Defeated Sanity, and Ulcerate, “The Fallen Lament” is available for pre-order at https://orcd.co/the-fallen-lament

Discography:
2024 – The Fall Lament – EP
2021 – The Rotted Plinth of Sachiel – LP
2019 – Adoration of Decaying Innocence – EP
2018 – Interspecies Defloration – EP

0 EPK – World On Alert – Self-Titled (EP) (2024)

  • June 6, 2024
  • by Asher
  • · EPKs · World On Alert

EPK – World On Alert – Self-Titled (EP) (2024)

Publicist – Jon Asher – jon[@]ashermediarelations[.]com

“I’m trying to give everyone a little taste of many different sounds and feelings. I think people will enjoy it. There is a bit for everyone on it. This was a long time coming. And I am very lucky to be able to work with so many talented musicians.” – Gino LaPosta – World On Alert

For fans of Dream Theater, Rush, Tool, Fates Warning, Metallica

Instagram.com/world.on.alert | Facebook.com/profile.php?id=61555752466553 | Youtube.com/@WorldOnAlert | Twitter.com/WorldOnAlertMtl

Worldonalert.bandcamp.com | Spotify

“World On Alert is a brand new progressive/ thrash metal project created by CroMagnum and Void Within bassist Gino LaPosta. There are several fellow musicians who lent their talents to this album including John Vincelli, Nick Amalfi, Justyn Wynn, Alex Walsh, Costa Skoulikas, Armen Apekian, and Max Rex. The five tracks herein are thrashy with progressive elements. This will seem strange but if, say, Exodus and Dream Theater jammed together they would quite likely sound like World On Alert. Needless to say, I wouldn’t classify these guys in the same league as Portnoy, LaBrie, Petrucci, Holt, etc. Few are. There are, nonetheless, some similarities. ‘Freedom In Disguise’ opens the EP and is musically very good, especially Walsh’s blazing solo. Rex’s harsh vocals, however, are hard on the ears. ‘Insecurities’ is a cool number that commences with LaPosta’s nimble bass riffing. Walsh and Vynn made this a very special song with their excellent riffing/leads. Walsh and Mutank’s Skoulikas spar throughout on the lengthy and epic ‘They Came From The Pleiades’; easily the best cut on offer. It has plenty of off chords and neat tempo changes. ‘Alone With My Thoughts’ is a beautiful ballad with, again, some wonderful leads from Vynn and Walsh. ‘The War Inside’, conversely, leans heavily on thrash. Like Rex, Vincelli’s singing grates on the nerves. Thankfully, Skoulikas, Walsh, and Apekian’s riffs/leads are spot on. Sporadic shoddy vocals aside, LaPosta should be proud of this project. 9/10″ – Powerplay Magazine UK
​
​“those with a curiosity for a dirtier variety of progressive metal that is a little bit rough around the edges, incorporate thrash metal into the landscapes explored and shies away from coming across as overtly technical might want to give this album a bit of attention.” – Progressor.net

“This is a five song self-titled ep of doom and gloom metal crossing over into thrash. At times WORLD ON ALERT harnesses Black Sabbath vibes. At other times, they kick it up and thrash it out. Thematically, these songs deal with overcoming oppression, whether it’s dealing with outside forces, self imposed, or illness. “Freedom in Disguise” is a very heavy doom and gloom feel that reminds me of an amped up Sabbath. This song hits the right notes to be heavy without being super fast, but at the same time, not being too slow and doomy.” – Metal Temple

[Download EP Cover | Download EP Lyrics]

Band: World On Alert
Album Title: World On Alert
Release Date: June 28, 2024
Label: Disguised Freedom Records                
 

Track Listing:
1. Freedom In Disguise ft. Max Rex (CroMagnum), Nick Amalfi, Alex Walsh (6:10)
2. Insecurities ft. Justyn Vynn (Orchad), Alex Walsh (6:00)
3. They Came From the Pleiades ft. Costa Skoulikas (Mutank), Alex Walsh (8:34)
4. Alone With My Thoughts ft. Justyn Vynn (Orchad), Alex Walsh (4:32)
5. The War Inside ft. John Vincelli (Void Within), Costa Skoulikas (Mutank), Armen Apekian (Ashes Of Eden), Alex Walsh (5:38)
EP Length: 30:54

EP Recording Credits:
• All songs performed by: World On Alert
• All songs written by: Gino LaPosta
• Produced by: Gino LaPosta
• Mixed by: Alain Londero
• Mastered by: Alain Londero
• Album Artwork by: Max Rex
• Member of SOCAN
• Canadian Content (MAPL)

Album Recording Band Line Up:
Gino LaPosta – Bass, Keys, Programmed Drums
Alex Walsh – All Rhythm and Lead Guitars, Guitar Solo on Freedom In Disguise
Guests:
John Vincelli – Vocals on War Inside
Justyn Vynn – Vocals and Guitar Solos on Insecurities and Alone with My Thoughts
Max Rex – Vocals on Freedom In Disguise
Costa Skoulikas – Guitar Solos on They Came From the Pleiades and The War Inside
Armen Apekian – Guitar Solo on The War Inside
Nick Amalfi – Guitar Solo on Freedom In Disguise

=======================================

About The EP Artwork

I wanted something that had a world on fire. Of course, Max Rex, who is not only an awesome musician but also a fantastic artist, came up with that design based on the world on fire idea. (Gino LaPosta)

The EP as a whole (LYRICALLY & MUSICALLY)

Musically, it is avery diverse album with many different styles from prog to thrash to pop rock.

Lyrically, the theme seems to be about standing up for yourself and fighting for what’s right whether it is an illness or just internal demons.  (Gino LaPosta)

Track by Track (LYRICALLY & MUSICALLY):

Freedom in Disguise: Musically, this one is a heavy track with a soft middle that builds up to the heavy end again. You can hear some proggy Rush/Dream Theater/Tool vibes in there. Lyrically it is about standing up to the elites trying to control our lives and disguising it in freedom.

Insecurities: Musically, this one has a darker tone. Also progressive, with a thrashier ending. You have a hint of Tool or Fates Warning, and it leads to Slipknot. Lyrically, this is about my struggles with shyness which stopped me from completing many life experiences. But then breaking out of that shyness to finally be who I am.

They Came From The Pleiades: This is a heavy instrumental that ranges from Exodus sounding riffs, to proggy Tool and Dream Theater themes

Alone With My Thoughts: Musically, this has more of a pop rock feel to it, but some riffs still have a Chuck Schuldiner feel (even though it is not death metal). Lyrically, this is another track with the same theme as Insecurities

The War Inside: This is probably the heaviest track on the EP. Musically it is very thrashy with a huge Death influence as well. Also has an awesome guitar solo tradeoff between Costa Skoulikas and Armen Apekian. Lyrically, this one is about my mom’s second battle with breast cancer. And how she beat it again. Amazing story. Very proud of her

=======================================

STORY ANGLES – FUN FACTS

1. I (Gino LaPosta) shared the stage with Glen Drover (ex-Megadeth) at one of his clinics. Played 2 covers (Neon Knights by Sabbath, and I Don’t Know by Ozzy)

2. I have worked with many of the guest musicians in past projects. John Vincelli in Void Within. Max Rex in CroMagnum. And Costa Skoulikas (Mutank) in a project that we never got around to complete.

3. I am a huge fan of the Ancient Astronaut Theory, and the show Ancient Aliens. In fact, The band name World on Alert, and the song title They Came From the Pleiades are both Ancient Alien episode names

Top L-R: John Vincelli (Vocals on War Inside) | Nick Amalfi (Guitar Solo on Freedom In Disguise) | Justyn Vynn (Vocals and Guitar Solos on Insecurities and Alone with My Thoughts) | Alex Walsh (All Rhythm and Lead Guitars, Guitar Solo on Freedom In Disguise)

Bottom L-R: Costa Skoulikas (Guitar Solos on They Came From the Pleiades and The War Inside) | Gino LaPosta (Bass, Keys, Programmed Drums) | Max Rex (Vocals on Freedom In Disguise)

Missing: Armen Apekian (Guitar Solo on The War Inside)

Photo Credit: Jonathan Senecal

Montreal, Canada’s World On Alert is thrilled to announce the release of their progressive and thrashy self-titled debut EP. This highly anticipated project features a unique blend of personal introspection and diverse musical influences, crafted by Gino LaPosta with the collaboration of several talented guest musicians. 

The lead single  “Insecurities” dives deep into LaPosta’s personal battles with introversion and self-assertion, themes also explored in “Alone With My Thoughts”. Justyn Vynn’s evocative vocals and guitar work bring an added layer of intensity to the track. The accompanying music video visually captures the raw emotion and transformative journey detailed in the song.

During the pandemic, when live performances were halted, Gino LaPosta took the opportunity to focus on creating music in his studio. This EP is a testament to his ability to draw from personal experiences and collaborate with a network of talented friends and family. This debut offering is recommended for fans of Dream Theater, Rush, and Tool.

Due out on June 28, 2024, World on Alert’s self-titled EP is available for pre-order at https://worldonalert.bandcamp.com.

0 EPK – MRSA – Crystal Lake (single) (2024)

  • June 5, 2024
  • by Asher
  • · EPKs · MRSA

EPK – MRSA – Crystal Lake (single) (2024)

Publicist – Jon Asher – jon[@]ashermediarealtions[.]com

“We believe the fans will devour our hook-filled songs with glee. Every song we write is a tribute to not only the films they represent but to the fans of these flicks that framed our minds. We are trying to immerse the listener into the film and settings itself! Trying to make them experience the horror in a fun way that will them into the victim or killer!” – MRSA

For fans of Cannibal Corpse, Obituary, Gwar, Mortician, Deicide

Mrsaband.com | Facebook.com/MRSAtheBand | Youtube.com/@mrsatheband8064 | Instagram.com/mrsa_the_band | Tiktok.com/@mrsatheband

Spotify | https://linktr.ee/mrsatheband

“This is a reworked version of said song from our last  EP. We felt that this song is the perfect embodiment of what we as a band love to do! This track represents the hooks and brutal in-your-face music that we want to be known for. Along with the video we want to represent some of what we do live as  well. As much fun as you are having to watch this, we want to give the same energy live!” – MRSA

Single Title: Crystal Lake
Off Forthcoming Album “Horrifier” Out On CDN Records

Song: Crystal Lake (2:10)

Performed By: MRSA
Written By: MRSA
Produced By: MRSA
Mixed By: Johnny Honeycutt
Mastered By: Johnny Honeycutt
Artwork Single: Dean Piekara
Artwork Album: Michael Pucciarelli
http://www.poochisland.com
ASCAP MEMBER

The line up is the same for both recording and live:
Johnny Honeycutt (Bass)
Cory Bickford (Guitar)
Brett Ackling (Drums)
Dean Piekara (Vocals
Joe Dwyer (Guitar)

===================================================

About The Album Artwork

The Artwork encompasses the true horrors of the mortal coil! The beast that lives within and inside us all emerging to extract it’s terror.

About the album as a whole (LYRICALLY &  MUSICALLY)

A refreshing take on an old-school sound. Bringing old influences into a newer sound. Every song represents a classic horror film. Taking you into the void of extremeness!

About the single “Crystal Lake”:

Crystal Lake explores the campgrounds of the malevolent spirit of Jason Voorhees. Will you survive his wrath or succumb to his maniacal whims!!

===================================================

Fun Facts – Story Angles

1. All of the band’s material being about horror movies provides us with an instant connection to our audience. Some people might not like the aggressive style of music, but it’s much easier to get into it when the lyrics are based on a movie you love.

2. Guitars were recorded 3 different times for this album. We had a personnel change after the first one, a technical issue after the second and the third is finally solid.

3. MRSA got its name from the infection. The original bass player had it and that’s why we chose the name. Nobody in the current lineup has had MRSA.

4. We showed up to play a show on Halloween at a Halloween party at a bar. We were excited because it was our first opportunity to play on Halloween. We were told they had a full PA to use and didn’t need to bring anything. We showed up, they did have a  huge PA. But the bar owner locked up everything, and I mean everything down to the last cable in the place before he left town on vacation and wouldn’t answer his phone.  The promoter, who didn’t confirm with the owner that we needed the sound system,  couldn’t get into the room with everything so we couldn’t play. Just watched other people do Karaoke.


L-R – Johnny Honeycutt (Bass), Cory Bickford (Guitar), Brett Ackling (Drums), Dean Piekara (Vocals), Joe Dwyer (Guitar)

Ripped from the bowels of Hell!!! MRSA takes you into the sickening dark world of horror films. Exposing you to the terrors that lie within the human condition.  They know what scares you. Curated by your host  (singer) Dean Corpse. The wretched undead serial killer vomiting his obsession with fright flicks. MRSA brings the horror experience to life. Death  Metal has never had a full horror theatrical experience like this! Each song is performed to the particular theme of a selection of films. The performances sometimes include scare actors, full effects, and props.

The band began in its early stages in 2013. Though certain incarnations existed beforehand the band released their first real EP in 2019 known as “The  Biography of Madness”! The mini album consisted of  5 hook-filled death metal classics. The acclaimed EP  gained the band a bit of a following and allowed them to open for such acts as MAC SABBATH and OKILLY DOKILLY!  

The band was not satisfied with these successes. They wanted more! So, they decided to worship  Satan. In doing so, they resurrected a new lead singer, (actually by screwing up the incantation), and they brought forth former serial killer, now undead DEAN  CORPSE to front the band! With the new line-up complete, they released another EP known as  “HEAVIER”!! The mini album was again produced by  the band and mastered by Terrence Hobbs of  SUFFOCATION. The 5 song EP was released at the first show in October 2021 to a sold-out crowd! This was also the first show with the full theatrical performance intact!!  

Since the release of “HEAVIER” MRSA has been blazing a trail of the dead in their wake! With two more sold-out performances on their own, did a mini tour with NECRONEMESIS and CORRUPTED  SAINT also opening for the likes of POWERGLOVE!  The band makes an impression anywhere they play and the crowds can’t help but get infected. MRSA is currently going to record a new 10-song album to release in 2024.

Discography:
2024 – Horrifier – LP – CDN Records
2024 – Crystal Lake (single)
2019 – Biography of madness EP
2021 – Heavier EP

Shared Stage with: Obituary, PowerGlove, Mac Sabbath, Macabre, Mortician, Ripper, Bodybox Intoxicated, Soulfly,  MRSA also backed Chuck Billy of Testament for a  song at Spooky Tattoo Fest in 2023

Tours and Festivals:
2023 – Milwaukee Metal Fest
2024 – Fort Pierce Heavy Metal Flea Market – Port  Saint Lucie
2024 – Slamdakota – South Dakota

0 EPK – Spread Thin – World Of Snakes (2024)

  • May 31, 2024
  • by Asher
  • · EPKs · Spread Thin

EPK – Spread Thin – World Of Snakes (2024)

Publicist – Jon Asher – jon[@]ashermediarelations[.]com

“We are extremely proud of this record. The songwriting, production and overall flow is what we wanted for this debut full length and we feel that previous fans so the band will hear and appreciate the evolution, as well as new fans discovering us for the first time.” – Spread Thin

Band: Spread Thin
Album Title: World Of Snakes
Release Date: July 26, 2024
Label: Self-Release

For fans of Weekend Nachos, Gel, Spy, Rotting Out, Magrudergrind

Facebook.com/spreadthin608 | Instagram.com/spreadthin608 | Tiktok.com/@spreadthin608 |  Youtube.com/@spreadthin8134

Linktr.ee/spreadthin608 | Spotify | Apple Music | Spreadthin608.bandcamp.com

“Spread Thin: Wisconsin Hardcore Unit Gets to the Point on “Unjustified”” – NoEcho (World Of Snakes – 2024)

“the Wisconsin-based hardcore quartet has crafted an opus that is as unapologetic as it is indignant, drawing influences from power violence, grind, and sludge.” – Metal Devastation Radio (World Of Snakes – 2024)

““World Of Snakes” is like a precise and short shot from a gun with eighteen minutes full of intensity! Spread Thin look immense playing live, but with a very clear sound coming from them. I immediately imagined how insane it must be on stage, and I hope they soon return with more material!9/10″ – Ever-Metal (World Of Snakes – 2024)

“Spread Thin are adept at leading you into the fire before offering an olive branch of thrashing guitar rhythms to resist the heat. Whether we call it powerviolence, hardcore or grind, it delivers on all levels.8/10” – Scream Blast Repeat

“This is kind of a scream core/hardcore thing from right here in Wisconsin (LaCrosse)!” – 89.9 WORT FM – The Moshpit (Madison, WI) (World Of Snakes – 2024)

” from the very start of opening track “So Much Hate” the record sounds like it was recorded live on the floor with a bass heavy mix and ferocious vocals giving it an urgent Hardcore Punk energy. Deml wears his heart of his sleeve with his personal lyrics which will resonate with anyone who has suffered from anxiety or depression as lines like “I can’t take any criticism, I take it straight to the heart” float around the brain like a bullet ricochet. That furious cathartic vent continues into “Factory Job” which will resonate equally with anyone who has reached the point with their job that sanity is hard to maintain. A Grind inspired opening salvo is followed up by bouncy basslines that inject a real sense of fun so it’s not all fire and brimstone. Wells absolutely destroys the ear drums with his percussive battery on “Gaslit“, arguably his finest of the album and influences from Rotting Out and Weekend Nachos bleed through the sonic abrasions nicely. 8/10″ – Metal Noise (World Of Snakes – 2024)

“Short and to the point, Spread Thin have a sour outlook and plenty to say, but keep the focus sharp with an album that barely passes the eighteen-minute mark in length but features nine tracks. With all but one of the tracks sitting around the two-minute mark, it’s really no surprise that this is a violent and virulent expulsion of hardcore punk and metal intensity.” – Games, Brrraaains & A Head-Banging Life (World Of Snakes – 2024)

“From the moment So Much Hate arrives, Spread Thin are swinging hard with their unflinching heavy sound. One that alternates impressively between garish speed and methodical strength. The latter part of this track is killer. Although delivering knockout blows is par for the course with Spread Thin. Factory Job, a manic venting session for everyone who has had to experience the back-breaking work of such a job, Gaslit, a track that is brutally honest and brutally harsh, and Know What’s Bullshit?, a straight up barrage of heavy hardcore fury demanding you wake up to the depressing reality of routine.” – Games, Brrraaains & A Head-Banging Life (World Of Snakes – 2024)

“World Of Snakes in fact, there is a raw energy combined with a furious madness brought by a vocalist full of banter, uttering sharp cries (, sometimes alternated by powerviolence-style groans Spazz). Snarling vocals that are nevertheless often understandable, he is also capable of sending punchlines that make you smile (mention to « I’ve stopped believe in fairytales when I was fucking five! » during « Nailed »). With its in-house ( production signed by the bassist and mixed/mastered by Will Hirst, who takes care of the sound of Restraining Order), World Of Snakes sounds almost like a live take from the group, combining a lot of dynamism with its ultra tense and « side which scratches » ( guitar and bass sounding on the scrap metal side). Highly recommended for those who like their very angry hardcore punk.” – Eklektik Rock (World Of Snakes – 2024)

“Undergirded with dark and heavy currents of storming sound, “IDGAF” comes as a fierce, crushing, and relentless assault on your eardrums and leaves you craving for more!” – Idioteq (2022)

Band: Spread Thin
Album Title: World Of Snakes
Release Date: July 26, 2024
Label: Self-Release

Track Listing:
1 – So Much Hate (2:00)
2 – Factory Job (2:00)
3 – Gaslit (1:52)
4 – Know What’s Bullshit? (2:17)
5 – Unjustified (1:01)
6 – Friendly Deception (3:17)
7 – Nailed (2:05)
8 – Moodswings (1:29)
9 – Listen Up! (2:23)
Album Length (18:17)

Album Recording Credits:
• All songs performed by: Spread Thin
• All songs written by: Spread Thin
• Produced by: Bryan W. Fleming
• Mixed by: Will Hirst (https://www.willhirst.com)
• Mastered by: Will Hirst (https://www.willhirst.com)
• Album Artwork by: Alyssa Servizzi (www.instagram.com/servizzi_art)

LINE UP – Live and Album:
Ben Deml – Vocals
Bryan W. Fleming – Bass, Vocals
Alex Dewall – Guitar
Tristan Wells – Drums

==============================================

About The Album Artwork:

The album artwork was created by Alyssa Servizzi after we reached out to ask for artwork based upon the album name “World Of Snakes”. Alyssa absolutely nailed the mood and imagery we were looking for and we feel that it best describes the album visually. The album title comes from the lyrics of the song “Friendly Deception”.
About the album as a whole (LYRICALLY & MUSICALLY)

Lyrically:
Angry, unpleasant, honest with memorable lines that the listener can relate to.

Musically:
Equally fast and slow, aggressive and harsh with no filler.

Track by track (LYRICALLY )

ANSWERED BY BEN DEML (VOCALIST)

So Much Hate – people are quick to dislike or hate someone who might have been close to them.  It might be a political difference, religion, but rather than talking through it and trying to understand different points of views they jump to hate.

Factory Job – Working in a factory sucks.  It’s very straining on your body, tedious, downright cruel sometimes.  You may end up working one for years and years until boom one day you get to retire.  By that point your body will more than likely be so worn out you don’t get to enjoy life at that point.  This song is just a venting session for anyone out there who has had it, and damn near at the point where sanity is getting hard to maintain.

Gaslit – Nothing is more frustrating than watching someone you love struggle and when you try to help, it blows up in your face every time.  They will constantly blame things wrong with them on everyone else and eventually you just reach this point where you really start to believe you might be the problem. Cycle repeats.

Know what’s bullshit? – Routines suck, and most of the population gets locked in one and just repeats every day.  

Unjustified – Life is short, we don’t need to make it worse for ourselves and everyone else.  Don’t be a bitch.

Friendly Deception – When you’ve had someone close to you, who you trusted completely, ever fuck you over.  This one’s for you.

Nailed – This one was written after the overturn of Roe V. Wade.  I’ve been pretty dormant on the way I feel about religion for some time now.  That however, set me off.  This song is mostly about Christianity, but definitely is centered around all religion.  How religion is the cause behind most upset in the world, not politics.  

Moodswings – Whether you are anxious, depressed, stressed out, and you can no longer even find the strength to engage in conversation.  Lashing out in anger at those who don’t deserve it, feeling like nothing is getting better.  It’s hard for me to convey in words how I feel most of the time, so I tried to sum it up with Mood Swings.

Listen up! – Our elders blaming us and younger generations for things they have caused is insane.  Unfortunately, it’s up to us to turn things around and try to truly make things better for us and future generations.

==============================================

STORY ANGLES – FUN FACTS

1. Spread Thin is four best friends from several different bands who came together to write music for fun since we all were hanging out together already.

2. Ben and Bryan played together in a band over a decade ago.

3. Bryan tours the country in RIG TIME! (www.rigtimeband.com) but is also in four other bands with Tristan (Yellowfin, Getting Over, Dare To Be, Caught One).

4. Alex hosts an active podcast called “The Things We’ve Scene” ( https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/alex-dewall/episodes/Exposing-Ourselves-Klay-Edition-e2dnqct )

5. Bryan is a massive fan of professional wrestling and specialty coffee. He hosts a podcast about coffee, hardcore and straight edge called Sip & Destroy (https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/jared-dennison)

6. Three members of Spread Thin are straight edge.

7. Ben is a massive fan of Halo.

Spread Thin is a Wisconsin hardcore quartet fusing power violence, grind, and sludge into a hostile and indignant opus of aggression for fans of Weekend Nachos, Gel, Spy, and Rotting Out.

Demonstrating earnest lyrics with fervent delivery, vocalist Ben Deml thrashes through raucous, scraping guitars wielded by guitarist Alex Dewall. An acute focus on syncopation of the rhythm section is executed by the chaotic, strategic percussion of drummer Tristan Wells and the garish, lively bass arrangements of bassist Bryan W. Fleming.

Unapologetic and impassioned, Spread Thin defines a volition of candor in their songwriting and live performances with forthright emotion and presentation.

0 EPK- Traumatomy – Triumph Of Enslavement (2024)

  • May 29, 2024
  • by Asher
  • · EPKs · Traumatomy (Gore House Productions)

EPK- Traumatomy – Triumph Of Enslavement (2024)

Publicist – Jon Asher – gorehouse[@]ashermediarelations[.]com

Band: Tramatomy
EP Title: Triumph Of Enslavement
Release Date: July 5, 2024
Label: Gore House Production

“We are very happy that the new EP«Triumph Of Enslavement»  will be released soon, we have been working on it for 2 years. We believe that this EP will be loved by fans for a long time. Mychal Soto from PeelingFlesh brought a special sound to this album. The sound is raw but at the same time sharp and brutal. The album cover by Jon Zig captured our vision and atmosphere. SLAM IS THE ONLY WAY” – Traumatomy

For fans of Gorevent, Cerebral Incubation, PeelingFlesh, Epicardiectomy, Cephalotripsy

Gorehouseproductions.com | Facebook.com/GoreHouseProductionsOfficial | Instagram.com/gorehouseproductions | Twitter.com/GoreHouse

Tiktok.com/@gorehouseproductions | Youtube.com/c/Gorehouseproductions-Official | Spotify | Gorehouseproductions.bandcamp.com

Facebook.com/traumatomy | Instagram.com/traumatomy.slam

Spotify | Apple Music | Traumatomyslam.bandcamp.com

All Digital Platforms (Bandcamp, Apple Music) – https://orcd.co/triumph-of-enslavement

«There is a consistent groove throughout each song which either features slow, dragging parts where the focus is on the slams, or faster parts in which the riffs and drumming get a lot more technical and intense» – Angelusmortem

«Musically, Traumatomy’s style is very similar to Abominable Putridity, Visceral Disgorge, Party Cannon and Epicardiectomy since the songs have that groovy aesthetic but this time, they’ve bring more depth in their sound since every song doesn’t feel the same as it keeps the melodics, tempos, arrangements and style feel its welcomed and for that, I truly feel this is the best Traumatomy album they’ve done to date»  – Metalpurgatorymedia

«You want absolute bestial brutality? You’ve got it!» – bloodynews.ro

[Download EP Cover | Download EP Lyrics]

Band: Tramatomy
EP Title: Triumph Of Enslavement
Release Date: July 5, 2024
Label: Gore House Production

Track Listing:
1. Ingress To Horridness (1:34)
2. Triumph Of Enslavement (3:38)
3. Consumed Into Nothing (3:15)
4. Womb Of The Desecrated (3:11)
5. Acknowledge The Inevitable End (3:38)

EP Credits:
All songs performed by Traumatomy
All songs written by Constantine Chevardin
Produced by Constantine Chevardin
Mixed by Mychal Soto
Mastered by Mychal Soto
EP artwork by Jon Zig

EP band line-up:
Constantine – Guitars
Ivan – Drums
Bogdan – Bass
Haruka – Vocals
Kirill – Vocals

Live band line-up:
Constantine – Guitars
Ivan – Drums
Bogdan – Bass
Kirill – Vocals

=================================================

About the EP as a whole (LYRICALLY & MUSICALLY)

The new EP sounds faster, more brutal and more raw. Lyrically it is the same as others.

Track by Track (LYRICALLY & MUSICALLY)

1. It`s just intro, nothing special. Our intros are different from other bands, because we actually play tracks instead of just using samples.

2. It`s main track of this EP. The track represents the entire EP, as the lyrics and title are related to the album cover.

3. This is the fastest track on the album. It has the most blast beats.

4. It`s our drummer`s favourite track. The most balanced track.

5.  It has the perfect structure for the end of the album.

=================================================

STORY ANGLES – FUN FACTS

1. A former band member once vomited and shitted at the same time after the last show of our European tour. He drank a lot of the national Czech drink slivovitz.

2.  Our bass player was smoking weed, thinking he was smoking cigarettes. Then he fell in the bathroom and hit his head. :)))
It was slammy!!!!

3. When we were on tour in Russia, in the city of Astrakhan, our bus was broken into and our merch was stolen.

The next day we noticed that local alcoholics were wearing our T-shirts.

4. One day we were invited to an open air event in Cheboksary. We didn’t know what awaited us since it was our first time working with this show manager. When we arrived, there was an open field, forest and pits in front of us. There was no equipment or stage, just bare ground.

When we approached this manager with a question, he replied that all his bands performed like this and did not see any problem. He invited us to play and then spend the night on the bare ground with him. (Even without beer)

5. The former live vocalist performed with us at the festival in Germany “Death Fest open air”, after our return to Russia a local newspaper wrote about him, the headline was: “The retail worker of a local alcohol store was carried on fans arms in Germany” lol

Traumatomy – international band formed in 2012 by Constantine Chevardin (Disfigurement Of Flesh) and Haruka Kamiyama (ex-Gorevent/Medic Vomiting Pus). Initially, the band was planned as an online-project without live shows. In 2013, the debut full-length album  “Transcendental Evisceration of Necrogenetic Beasts” and was well received in the global brutal underground community. Second full-length albums and three EP were released between 2012 and 2018. Since our bassist and drummer joined us in 2018, the band began touring activity.

Discography:
2021 – Extirpation Paradigms – LP
2017 – Embodiment of Excruciation – EP
2017 – Hysteric Decapitation Demo
2015 – Monolith of Absolute Suffering – LP
2014 – Beneficial Amputation of Excessive Limbs – EP
2014 – Promo
2013 – Transcendental Evisceration of Necrogenetic Beasts – LP
2012 – Promo

Shared Stage with: Cerebral Incubation, Epicardiectomy, Waking the Cadaver, Guttural Secrete, Pyrexia, Pathology, Within Destruction

TOURS:
2024 – Unsparing Cruelty Tour w/ Cephalic Impurity
2023 – Slam Violence Tour w/ Cerebral incubation, Epicardiectomy, 357 Homicide
2023 – Slam Them All Tour w/ Visceral Disorder
2022 – United In Brutality Tour w/ Decomposition Of Entrails
2022 – Tyranny Over Russia Tour w/ Insect Inside
2022 – Summer Brutality Tour w/ Cold Blooded Murder
2019 – Desolation Europe Tour w/ Disfigurement Of Flesh and Paediatrician
2019 – Asia Tour w/ Within Destruction
2018 – Kill. Crush. Destroy Tour w/ Inopexia

0 EPK – The Aphelion – Nascence (2024)

  • May 28, 2024
  • by Asher
  • · EPKs · The Aphelion

EPK – The Aphelion – Nascence (2024)

Publicist – Jon Asher – jon[@]ashermediarelations[.]com

“The Aphelion is an outlet for each member to push their technical abilities to the max, while also telling album-spanning stories and composing complex, engaging, creative pieces of music. While the ultimate goal is purely artistic, the hope is that the results bring a challenging but overall satisfying listening experience to fans.

The objective with Nascence, the first of two album, which will be followed by Senescence was to create a cohesive multi-album spanning story while still having each album contain its own unique musical aesthetics and complete listening experience. In a way, Nascence musically has always been the calm before the storm, and while the songs are almost always rooted in metal, the album grows from a more classical-influenced, beautiful prog-rock flavoured sound to a fast, angry, teeth-gnashing finale.” – Evan Haydon-Selkirk – Lead Vocals, Bass – The Aphelion

Band: The Aphelion
Album Title: Nascence
Release Date: August 9th, 2024
Label: Self-Release

For fans of Haken, Leprous, Opeth, Between the Buried and Me, Devin Townsend

Theaphelionband.com | Facebook.com/TheAphelionOfficial | Youtube.com/@theaphelionband | Instagram.com/theaphelionband

Theaphelionofficial.bandcamp.com | Spotify | Apple Music

“The name may be kind of similar to a Leprous album from 2021 but The Aphelion are a Canadian prog metal quartet who are about to release their new concept album Nascence on August 9. The upcoming album tells the story of a man’s descent into madness and his mind in response to the mundanity and repetitiveness of the world around him. “Musically, this song takes influence from the 70s prog rock era,” the band state. “It features guest appearances by Brian Asselin on saxophone and Eric Littlewood on trumpet. At this point in the story, the protagonist meets the love of his life, and while their new love is beautiful and for a time he is fulfilled and happy, eventually the relationship sours as he becomes afraid of her hurting him, and grows distrustful and controlling.” – Prog Magazine – Tracks of The Week – August 9th  – The Seed of Doubt

“The sonic goal is one of innovation, dramatic flair, and emotional gravity, with unexpected shifts in genre to create contrast and bring levity. With upcoming double album “Nascence” and “Senescence”, The Aphelion are once again telling an album-spanning story inspired by philosophy and the human condition; a tradition that began with their 2018 release “The Labour Division”.” – The ProgSpace

“This song is masterfully handled musically, with soaring vocals and string melodies, all tackled in a minor key, that oozes melancholic hopelessness. It’s a crazy juxtapose of beauty within the instrumentation, and utter painful madness lyrically. Heavy riffs, growls, thunderous drums, and cyclical riffs in crazy time signatures create the soundtrack of sheer madness and terror by the end of the track, along with multi-layered vocals, like voices in the head of the protagonist. A very clever track indeed. 9/5/10″ – Ever Metal

“This Canadian quartet combine a range of styles into a progressive metallic stew where at one end of the spectrum classical and orchestral elements cross swords with aggressive death metal and thrash at the extreme end…. ‘Flight’ sees The Aphelion persevere with an intense passage: almost seven minutes of furious and breakneck release with a suitably harsh vocal, with barely a pause for thought, and perhaps the reason for an intricate passage offered by ‘The Interloper’ where the intensity is provided by an impassioned vocal and impressively complex interplay. The musical climax of ‘Deserter’ is suitably grandiose yet leaves the expectation that the story will find its natural conclusion.” – Powerplay Magazine UK

“For me it’s the Prog record of the year, which is never too cerebral or tiring, but carries you through the entire album. That’s why it’s mine 9 out of 10 Hellfire points worth it, because I’m already really looking forward to it if I can hold the second part of the saga in my hands.” – Hellfire-Magazin

““Fragility!” It’s a wild track that really highlights the bands composing ability, and heavy, yet soulful side.” – Ghost Cult Mag

“The Aphelion’s phenomenal vocal range and enticing clashing of instrumentals will prove to be nothing short of intoxicating.” – Canadian Beats

“What strikes me most about the album is how well the themes fit into the music, as well as the level of care they put into their craft. The music has this thread of tension that runs through it in nearly every song, and the musicianship is outstanding. It can go from calm to on fire in a second, and it keeps the listener actively engaged in both the music and the tale. Bravo. 9/10″ – Metal-Temple

“An album to seek out by those fond of an expressive and expansive take on the progressive metal tradition.” – The Progressor

““The Seed Of Doubt,” breathes into the liminal testing of time. A song that shimmers and shivers into bright sparks.” – The Median Man

“The Aphelion are very different and refreshingly intriguing. The musicianship is complex as you would expect with prog-metal, but that’s where their genre similarities end. The vocals are wonderfully unique and the tracks from their new album “Nascence” (dropping Aug. 9th) are also full of unique metal passages to take you on a conceptual journey. Tune in & catch The Aphelion on your Home for the Best New Rock…” – WJOE – Findlay’s Home for Rock & Roll

“In this single – which I highly recommend – THE APHELION wanted to capture the essence of the vulnerability we all experience. “Fragility” is a testament to the beauty and strength found in our moments of weakness. For them, it is a piece that resonates on a deeply personal level, both musically and lyrically.” – Plus PROG de Vous

“… a really interesting album, filled to the brim with technical skill and fantastic storytelling. Having that almost conceptual essence helps to drive home the album as a whole. I really enjoy the inclusion of unclean vocals alongside the clean in both “The Heavy Mist” and “Flight”, and those two tracks in particular are standout moments for me… I cannot wait to see how the 2nd album in the series differs from this one. I’m hoping for more of the same, but tweaked.” – Fox Reviews Rock 

“Un album limite extrême prog percutant, fabuleux dans le genre. Un son à part, fort, énergique, métal mais progressiste et fabuleux, rien d’autre, c’est excellent 9/10″
“An album bordering on extreme prog, hard-hitting, fabulous in its genre. A sound apart, strong, energetic, metal but progressive and fabulous, nothing else, it’s excellent.9/10” – Profil Prog

“I love the melodic prog metal sound they’re going for, and I’ll be following their career from the sidelines to see how they develop. They’re one of the few groups for which I can say that I’ve been covering them since the beginning, and they’ll always have a special place in my heart because of that.” – The Progressive Subway

[Download Album Cover | Download Album Lyrics]

Band: The Aphelion
Album Title: Nascence
Release Date: August 9th, 2024
Label: Self-Release

Track Listing:
1. Prenascent (2:38)
2. Nascence (6:55)
3. The Seed of Doubt (5:26)
4. Fragility (5:49)
5. The Heavy Mist (5:31)
6. Flight (6:48)
7. The Interloper (6:36)
8. Deserter (7:45)
Album Length (47:28)

Album Recording Credits:
• All songs performed by: The Aphelion
• All songs written by: The Aphelion
• Lyrics written by: Evan Haydon-Selkirk
• Produced by Evan Haydon-Selkirk and Mike Bond
• Mixed by: Evan Haydon-Selkirk
• Mastered by: Tony Lindgren at Fascination Street
• Album Artwork by: Alyssa Kusik
Violin on tracks 1, 2, and 4 performed by Erik Johnson-Scherger
Cello on tracks 1 and 2 performed by Emma Grant-Zypchen
Saxophone on tracks 2, 3, and 4 performed by Brian Asselin
Trumpet and flugelhorn on tracks 2, 3, and 4 performed by Eric Littlewood
• Member of SOCAN
• Canadian Content (MAPL)

Album and Live Band Lineup:
James Cabral – Keyboard, Guitar
Tyler Davis – Guitar, Vocals
Evan Haydon-Selkirk – Lead Vocals, Bass
Nathanael Livingstone – Drums, Percussion

Live Band Lineup:
James Cabral – Keyboard, Guitar, and Backing Vocals
Tyler Davis – Guitar and Backing Vocals
Evan Haydon-Selkirk – Lead Vocals, Bass, and Keyboard
Nathanael Livingstone – Drums

==============================================

About The Album Artwork:

All of the pieces for each single and album cover are done by the incredibly talented Thunder Bay artist Alyssa Kusik (@salsafish.art on Instagram). Each piece is oil painted on canvas with mixed media elements such as yarn poked through the canvas, as well as digital layering applied in the final process. Her works were all inspired heavily by the album concept as well as the lyrics, and she worked closely with Evan to create as strong of a visual representation of the story and emotionality as possible.

About the album as a whole (LYRICALLY & MUSICALLY):
EVAN SAYS:

Lyrically Nascence tells the story of a man’s descent into madness and his own mind in response to the mundanity and repetitiveness of the world around him.

As our protagonist loses his grip, he begins to allow his relationships with those he cares about to deteriorate, and becomes increasingly paranoid; at first suspecting that those who love him are hurting him, being unfaithful, and eventually that they’re merely actors who are staging his life. As he stalks his wife one day, he is confronted by a homeless man who tells him not to trust his reality and that everyone around him is not what they seem. In response, he snaps completely and begins to run from his life. What happens next? You’ll have to wait until Senescence to find out.

While the album is not autobiographical, I made a point of drawing from life experience where I could in order to emotionally charge my writing and performances, as well as to create authenticity while still telling a fictional story.

JAMES SAYS:

Musically, the album begins with a more accessible, prog-rock-influenced sound. Songs towards the beginning of the album (Nascence, The Seed of Doubt) are calmer and catchier, and feature lots of grand pianos, violin, and horns. As the album goes on, the sound slowly becomes more dissonant, heavy, and layered with organs, strings, distorted guitars, and synthesizers. These shifts in genre match progressions in the story told by the lyrics, and the growing dissonance and chaos represent the protagonist losing his mind as the story unfolds.

Track by track (LYRICALLY & MUSICALLY):

PRENASCENT – Prenascent is an instrumental overture made up of passages from the other songs on the album. It introduces all of the main musical motifs and sets the tone for what’s to come. While it has no lyrics, Prenascent could be considered the birth of our protagonist.

NASCENCE – Nascence is the title track of the album and lyrically represents the beginning of the story and the mental state we find our protagonist in. He is afraid of dying and even more than that, he is afraid of having lived an unremarkable life. Musically, it begins with a beautiful orchestral passage of grand piano, horns, and strings, with soft, somber vocals and jazzy solo passages. However, the song takes a turn for the darker, weaving through extremely intense and technical instrumental passages before arriving at a grandiose operatic chorus and a sweeping guitar masterclass before going out with heavy riffs, blast beats, and a stunning piano finale.

THE SEED OF DOUBT – Musically, this song takes influences from the 70s prog rock era. It features an organ solo and guest appearances from Brian Asselin and Eric Littlewood on saxophone and trumpet. At this point in the story, the protagonist meets the love of his life, and while their new love is beautiful and for a time he is fulfilled and happy, eventually the relationship sours as he becomes afraid of her hurting him, and grows distrustful and controlling.

FRAGILITY – Fragility is where the first real cracks in the protagonist’s psyche begin to form. At first he suspects, and then accuses his wife of cheating, telling her that she is the reason he’s so unhappy and the root of his mental illness. The man awakens the next morning remembering nothing but violence, and yet his wife lays sleeping peacefully next to him and nothing is out of place. He begins to wonder if he has had a vision of death, and whether it was his death or hers that he saw, and fears that the worst has yet to come. Musically, the song is a blend of classical orchestration, art rock sensibilities, and heavy riffs.

THE HEAVY MIST – At this point, the protagonist’s paranoia has begun expanding to his mother and his friends, and he begins to realize he has no memories of his upbringing or much of his past. Musically, this song is of two halves – it begins with a rocky alternating meter riff before soothing the listener into a false sense of security with beautiful chord progressions and vocal layering. From there it brings the energy back up into a more straight-ahead hard rock sound and eventually a death metal reprise of the first verse, setting the stage for Flight.

FLIGHT – Flight is by far the heaviest song on the album, an homage to thrash metal and prog death giants such as Gojira. It moves at a near break-neck pace across its nearly seven-minute track time across blistering solos, thrashy riffs, and pummeling breakdowns. Lyrically, the protagonist has been shaken into fight or flight and tries to escape his life and loved ones. He is chased out onto the street, believing he is being chased by everyone in the neighbourhood. He is tackled to the ground, and forced back inside, where he laments that he is now alone.

THE INTERLOPER – This track is one of the more musically intricate songs on the album. It has tons of keyboard layers, polyrhythms, and time signature changes. At this point in the story he has been left alone and escapes again, but this time decides to stalk his wife and prove that she is unfaithful and plotting against him. Just as he believes he’s got her, he is accosted by a homeless man who starts to tell him detailed things about his past that he had long forgotten.

DESERTER – Deserter is a culmination of all of the sounds across this album and features indulgent non-linear songwriting tied together with catchy choruses. The song pushes each member to their limit at one point or another across its runtime and features complex polymeters and incredibly fast passages. It is the finale of the album, but a cliffhanger of sorts lyrically, as it tells the perspective of our protagonist’s response to a total stranger telling him details about his life and not to trust anything. The protagonist has more questions, but the homeless man disappears before he can answer, which causes the protagonist to snap and begin to run for the forest.

What happens next remains to be seen in the second half, Senescence.

==============================================

STORY ANGLES – FUN FACTS:

1. The band’s debut album, The Labour Division was recorded in its entirety in a single weekend. All members of the band worked around the clock recording their parts from the time they arrived at the studio on Friday evening to Sunday late at night taking small breaks to sleep on the studio floor.

2. A long-time staple of the Aphelion’s performances has been their infamous “polka wall of death” which involved the band separating the crowd and preparing them for a wall of death and then surprising them by playing the polka-inspired passage at the end of “Conflict Theory” instead of the heavy breakdown the crowd was expecting.

3. A yellow honey bear accompanies the band on stage at every performance. Location varies.

4. The band once serenaded the crowd with a Napalm Death inspired performance of Happy Birthday upon request from bar staff at a gig in Pembroke. The gig took place at a restaurant and much of the audience was enjoying a quiet dinner with family unaware that they were going to be treated to a metal show.

5. Evan, Tyler, and James have known each other since high school, and the lineup has been steady since 2016. James and Evan have been in bands together since 2013. All four members are incredibly close, creating not just a band, but a close-knit group of friends.

L- R – James Cabral (Guitar/Keyboard), Tyler Davis (Guitar/Backing Vocals), Evan Haydon-Selkirk (Vocals/Bass/Secondary Keyboard), Nathanael Livingstone (Drums)

Photo Credit – Dark Moon Productions

The Aphelion is a hard-hitting progressive metal band from Ottawa, Ontario who have been active since 2015. Members, Evan Haydon-Selkirk (lead vocals, bass guitar, keyboard), James Cabral (guitar, keyboard), Tyler Davis (guitar, backing vocals), and Nathanael Livingstone (drums, percussion) have crafted an image, sound, and musical bond on Canadian stages through nearly a decade of collaboration.

​The sonic goal is one of innovation, dramatic flair, and emotional gravity, with unexpected shifts in the genre to create contrast and bring levity. With the upcoming double album Nascence and Senescence, The Aphelion is once again telling an album-spanning story inspired by philosophy and the human condition; a tradition that began with their 2018 release the Labour Division.

​On the live stage, The Aphelion brings the drama and bombast of their material to life with energetic and emotional live shows focusing on audience participation and feats of musical gymnastics. Truly a single unit, the members interact, spotlight each other for solo sections, and support one another from the first note to the last. Afterwards, the members can be found at the merch booth, or in the pit supporting their fellow locals and headliners.

​The Aphelion have opened for bands such as Protest the Hero, Intervals, Mandroid Echostar, Ne Obliviscaris, Alestorm, and Powerglove, and have begun expanding their reach throughout the galaxy.

Discography:
2024 – Nascence (LP)
2020 – A Grave Mistake (Single)
2018 – The Labour Division (LP)

Shared Stage with: Protest The Hero, Alestorm, Intervals, Ne Obliviscaris, CKY, Allegaeon, Powerglove, Mandroid Echostar, Aephanemer, Falset, Lycanthro, Salem Trials, Pyramid Theorem

0 EPK – Victoria Lies – Trial By Fire (2024)

  • May 20, 2024
  • by Asher
  • · EPKs · Victoria Lies

EPK – Victoria Lies – Trial By Fire (2024)

Publicist – Jon Asher – jon[@]ashermediarelations[.]com

“We’re trying to take listeners on a journey and sprinkling in some lore about who Victoria is along the way” – Victoria Lies

For fans of Northlane, Bad Omens, Of Mice and Men, August Burns Red, In Flames

Victorialies.com | Facebook.com/victorialiesband | Instagram.com/victorialiesband | Tiktok.com/@victoria.lies | Youtube.com/@VictoriaLies

[Download Single Cover | Download Single Lyrics]

Band: Victoria Lies
Single Title: Trial By Fire
Release Date: May 22, 2024
Label: Self-Release
Distribution: Distrokid

Single Credits:
All performances by Victoria Lies
Single written by Victoria Lies
Produced by Scott Bennet of Interim Studios
Mixed by Scott Bennett
Mastered by Scott Bennett
Single Artwork by Chris Koehler

Single/live Band lineup:
Rory Fitzsimmons (Guitars)
Chris Koehler (Guitars)
Brett Hetherington (Vocals)
Jay Powell (Bass)
Nick Shyrokov (Drums)

=============================================

FUN FACTS

The introduction piece to the album was inspired by a movie trailer that had cut up and used the music from the opera Carmen. Our piece has a sinister vibes from the outset as we introduce The world to Victoria

Victoria Lies is made of band members from across the globe, Rory (Edinburgh, Scotland), Nick  (Ukraine), Jay (Jacksonville, Florida), Chris (Lethbridge, Alberta) and Brett (Airdrie, Alberta)

Rory once played guitar for Jon Mikl Thor on the release tour for his Netflix documentary IAMTHOR

=================================================

L-R – Nick Shyrokov (Drums), Chris Kohler (Guitars), Brett Hetherington (vocals), Jay Powell (Bass), Rory Fitzsimmons (Guitars)

Photo credit Heather Kim

Victoria Lies, the electrifying new Canadian metalcore band emerging from the remains of From the Flame, is now releasing their latest video single “Trial By Fire”. This release marks the debut of the band’s invigorated lineup, featuring Brett Hetherington on vocals, Nick Shyrokov on drums, Chris Kohler and Rory Fitzsimmons on guitars, and Jay Powell on bass. They comment on the single:

“This one came together so beautifully, there was no resistance from the song at all. It just kept coming and coming. It started with Jay and I (Rory) in the studio trying to come up with anything to help move the album writing along. The start was the hardest part because you’re starting with a completely blank canvas and zero direction on where to go. Eventually, Jay dug up an old riff he had from his days in Florida, he gave the riff to me, I put my spin on it and we finally had our start! From that moment we were off to the races.”

The artwork for “Trial By Fire” is as provocative as the music itself. Based on the striking opening line of the song, “Who brings a fucking gun to a wedding?”, the artwork is a close-up of a distressed bride, hinting at a larger, dramatic narrative that unfolds in the accompanying lyric video that can be viewed via its premiere on TheCirclePit – https://youtu.be/2pTq-498WJ0​

Spotify – https://distrokid.com/hyperfollow/victorialies/trial-by-fire​

Victoria Lies is poised to surprise and challenge listeners with their innovative approach. By integrating unexpected genre elements and focusing on what serves the song rather than individual egos, they aim to deliver a fresh and compelling sound. They are recommended for fans of Northlane, Bad Omens, and Of Mice and Men.

0 EPK – Eternal Drak – Imprisoned Souls (2024)

  • May 17, 2024
  • by Asher
  • · EPKs · Eternal Drak

EPK – Eternal Drak – Imprisoned Souls (2024)

Publicist – Jon Asher – jon[@]ashermediarelations[.]com

“Expectations are always high with each release, and we hope this album reflects a new stage that allows us to reach a new, more demanding audience. “Imprisoned Souls” is a whole story concept, a horror story accompanied by music according to each story, we want the listener to feel a little of the fear, anger and pain that is in the album.” – Eternal Drak

Band: Eternal Drak
Title: Imprisoned Souls
Release Date: July 17th, 2024
Label: FirstWave Canada

For fans of Watain – Kreator – Motorhead

Eternaldrak.com | Facebook.com/EternalDrak | Instagram.com/eternaldrak | Spotify | Youtube.com/@eternaldrak1684

“”Drak Metal” is an excellent album, a deserving addition to any metalhead’s collection. With a few specific focuses here and there, the combination of Black and Thrash and Groove metals is done with near perfect balance, so there should be a wide appeal. ” – Metal Temple

“the album comes with a sharp and grim expression set to an appropriately dark mood and mode, and in terms of mood and atmosphere this album did remind me ever so slightly of Celtic Frost, even if the music itself is rather different. That being said, I would imagine that quite a few thrash metal fans that also enjoy a little bit extreme metal as well as a band like aforementioned Celtic Frost would feel right at home with the landscapes explored on this production.” – The Viking in the Wilderness

[Download Album Cover | Download Album Lyrics]

Band: Eternal Drak
Title: Imprisoned Souls
Release Date: July 17th, 2024
Label: FirstWave Canada

Track Listing:
1. Soul Of Hate – 4:00
2. Circle Of Black Flames – 4:20
3. She Is A Magnet – 4:17
4. Haunting Place – 4:43
5. Oda A La Luna (Re Recorded) – 4:20
6. Take No Prisoners – 5:49
7. The Woman In Sandals – 4:04
8. The Mist – 3:26
9. Feasting The Anguish – 3:40
10. Bound By Ambition – 4:10
Album Length: 42:49

Album Recording Credits:
• All songs performed by: Eternal Drak
• All songs written by: Andres Martinez
• Produced by: Andres Martinez
• Mixed by: Andres Martinez
• Mastered by: Andres Martinez
• Album Artwork by: Disturbing Grace Design
• SOCAN member
• Canadian Content (MAPL)

Album and Live Band Line Up:
Eternal Drak Line Up 2024
Andres Martinez (Drakar) – Vocals, Guitar
Francisco Avella (XenX) – Drums

=========================================================

About The Album Artwork

The central scene is taken by a 19th century Latin American style country house and on top of it is the dragon. The house is the place where all the paranormal stories and activities occurred and the dragon that witnesses and bears witness to all these stories. In art there are little things that represent each of the songs, things like a woman in sandals, the Bolivar sword, the fallen soldiers in the battle for independence.

About the album as a whole (LYRICALLY & MUSICALLY)

The album describes a horror story between thrash, black and death, from how the spirits were trapped, through several of the anecdotes that the residents of this enchanted place experienced but also possible points of view of the spirits that are trapped.

Track by Track (LYRICALLY & MUSICALLY)

1. Soul Of Hate
Theme that marks the beginning of the album with some fast thrash drums and guitars. The song describes a type of souls that are condemned for being full of anger towards whatever it is, this anger does not allow them to leave this plane.

2. Circle Of Black Flames
black theme with touches of doom that talks about that transition that souls have when they are condemned, they do not see an intense light but a black ring of flames that transports them through their condemnation

3. She Is A Magnet
A song that mostly belongs to the old and classic metal of the Venom style, but its rhythmic beats and the shape of the voice make it fall into Motor Head-style hard rock. The song tells the story of a woman who all her life has attracted condemned souls to her and how the souls perceive her as a light among the darkness.

4. Haunting Place
Catchy track with very Groovy drums and a touch of thrash. The song describes the place where the vast majority of the anecdotes occur, a 19th century house where many beings were trapped and the living are tormented.

5. Oda A La Luna (Re Recorded)
This song is a re-recording of a song originally recorded in 2000 and that belongs to the band’s first EP “La Resurreccion De La Orden Guerrera”. This song belongs to the black metal of the 90s and is an ode to the moon and to some ancestral beings who, after their battle with God, were banished to our world and transmitted a large part of their knowledge to us.

6. Take No Prisoners
Theme with a lot of more modern black metal style with some forays into thrash. The song tells the story of a battle for independence in the 19th century where an ambush created too many losses and deaths that were taken to the house where the paranormal acts currently occur.

7. The Woman In Sandals
Black metal song a little doom and a little rock & roll. It is a story of a woman who, after the battle, dedicated herself to taking the very wounded officers inside the house to give them care. This woman, after she died, continued repeating this action, trapped by her desire to help.

8. The Mist
Theme with a great presence of Thrash metal that tells how on the nights when the fog descends from the mountains, the living beings that live in that house group together to be able to better cope with the events that they know will occur.

9. Feasting The Anguish
Classic thrash black metal theme. The theme describes an evil entity in charge of keeping condemned souls in their state of desperation and constant search for communication with the living.

10. Bound By Ambition
Black metal theme that tells the story of some officers who at the time of death only thought about preserving their material assets and that ambition condemns them to remain trapped in that desire and ambition.

=========================================================

STORY ANGLES / FUN FACTS ABOUT THE BAND

1. “Oda A La Luna” is the only song in Spanish on the album because it comes from the band’s first EP in 2002.

2. “She Is A Magnet” is a song based on one of the relatives of Drakar the composer, she was actually the focus of several paranormal experiences because somehow you attract them.

3. Live performances are in a waiting period because the band’s guitarist/vocalist has been adapting to his visually impaired condition. We hope that presentations can now be made with this new album.

4. The multiple changes and modifications requested by the band’s followers when listening to the song “Soul Of Hate” generated strong conflicts between its two members, reaching an agreement took time and efforts to understand the recommendations.

5. The sound of the guitars was recorded like a wall, 6 tracks of each guitar panned using the legendary and hated/loved Metal Zone as a base in 2 of them. The other 4 tracks used the Boss Gt-100, an excellent and very versatile pedalboard.

Eternal Drak current line up – Left, Francisco Avella “Xenx” (Drum) – Right, Andres Martinez “Drakar”(Vocal/Guitar). Photo credit: Sebastien Mira

In 1997, the Martínez brothers, Drakar and Warhammer, aged 17 and 15 respectively, began the foundations of “Eternal Drak”.

In 1998, rhythm guitarist Oscar Layton (Reijav) joins the band.

At the beginning of the 21st century “Eternal Drak” won the City TV network award for best Metal video, with the song Eternal Drak,

In 2002, “Eternal Drak” published its first album (EP) “La Resurreccion De La Orden Guerrera”

In 2005, they recorded their second album in the “Cero Decibeles” studio of their leader Drakar, but its official release was in 2018, an album mastered in a studio in Québec, Canada and published by the Living Metal label in Bogotá.

In 2007, “Eternal Drak” disbanded.

In 2020, the band moved to Quebec Canada and Drakar, Warmessiah and Reijav came together to create the album “The Past is Gone, A New One is Coming”. In memory of his brother and friend, co-founder and eternal drummer of “Eternal Drak”, Eduardo Martínez, Warhammer.

That second album was recorded, mixed, produced and mastered by the band’s leader, Drakar, at the Firstwave Studio facilities in Quebec, Canada.

In 2021 the band’s third Long Play is released, “Drak Metal”, an album with 12 unreleased songs and 1 Cover.

That same year, the band’s line-up was reorganized with the addition of Juan Francisco Avella on drums and a contract was signed with the Italian label Wormhole Death to physically release the album Drak Metal.

In 2022, the 4th studio album, “Shadow Storm”, is released, and along with it the video clip HIDE YOUR MADNESS recorded on the Orleans Island in Quebec Canada.

Currently Eternal Drak is still more alive than ever and is determined to live up to its name to continue distorting its strings, hitting its drums, strumming its voice, with more Metal, melody and harmony than ever.

The perspectives predict that its vibrations starting from North America, crossing the entire American continent, with a resonance so strong that the waves of the Pacific and the Atlantic will make them travel to the other continents.

Discography
2023 – Interdimensional War Of Satan – Ep
2022 – Shadow Storm – Lp
2021 – Drak Metal – Lp
2021 –  My God Is The Sun – Single
2020 – Lets Get Rude – Single
2020 – The True Meaning Of Life – Single
2020 – The Past Is Gone, A New One Is Coming – Lp
2012 – Eternal Drak – Lp
2002 – La Resurreccion De La Orden Guerrera – Ep

0 EPK – Thirteen Goats – Capricorn Rising (Exitus Stratagem Records) (2024)

  • May 16, 2024
  • by Asher
  • · EPKs · Thirteen Goats

EPK – Thirteen Goats – Capricorn Rising (Exitus Stratagem Records) (2024)

Publicist – Jon Asher – jon[@]ashermediarelations[.]com

Band: Thirteen Goats
Album Title: Capricorn Rising
Release Date: July 12th, 2024
Label: Exitus Stratagem Records (ExSR)

“I think fans are going to get everything they loved about our first record, only more of it—and more focused. We’re exploring the same themes on this album, but we’ve connected them by weaving a cohesive story throughout these nine tracks that lends context to the musical and tonal shifts so that they feel more seamless. And just like on the last record, we haven’t been afraid to break the rules. You’ll find some curveballs, and I think that’s going to make this a really unique listen for old and new audiences alike.” – Graham Miles – Thirteen Goats

For fans of Carcass, Lamb of God, System of a Down, Megadeth, Cannibal Corpse

Exsrmusic.com | Facebook.com/ExSRecords | Instagram.com/exsrmusic | Twitter.com/exsrm | Youtube.com/@Exitusstratagemrecords9577

ThirteenGoats.com | Facebook.com/THIRTEEN.GOATS |  Twitter.com/THIRTEENGOATS | Youtube.com/@thirteengoats3405 | Instagram.com/thirteen.goats

Thirteengoats.bandcamp.com | Spotify | Apple Music

 

“It’s really strong. GREAT musicians, great production, as well as a very progressive aspect without losing the darkness.” – Kelly Shaefer from Atheist

“take a spin around the room with Thirteen Goats’ “high-concept narrative” and take on modern metal stylized by everything from Mastodon and Carcass to Cannibal Corpse and Lamb of God.” – Decibel Magazine

“Tinnitist Album of The Week! Thirteen Goats ‘Capricorn Rising’ – Exitus Stratagem Records – https://tinnitist.com/2024/07/11/albums-of-the-week-thirteen-goats-capricorn-rising/

“All in all, on “Capricorn Rising” the gentlemen from the West Coast combine the universal power of North American thrash metal into a versatile, interesting and, above all, powerful record.8/10″ – Power-Metal.de

“What makes this turbocharged song (Sign of The Goat) so damned much diabolical fun is the band’s melding of viscerally compulsive grooves, head-spinning instrumental pyrotechnics, and rapid-fire vocal assaults — and doing so in a way that makes the track highly infectious too. The song vividly intersects with the tech-death sphere through flurries of quickly darting, swirling, and swarming riffage, deliriously cavorting arpeggios, and a multitude of percussive fusillades. As displayed in the video, fingers and limbs fly like the wind, and the guttural barks and hair-raising screams in the vocal department rhythmically eject the violent words just as fast and just as furiously. But, as forecast, the song is also a viscerally groovesome beast. It’s almost relentlessly hard-slugging, but what really stands out are brutish, muscle-galvanizing jackhammer-bursts, the first of which comes only 25 seconds into the track. Another one of those episodes sets itself up as the backdrop for crazed guitar soloing that sounds like the ecstasies of fiends. And we did warn you — this thing is also immediately catchy and enduringly addictive. It comes recommended for fans of Bolt Thrower, Archspire, and Lamb of God.” – NoCleanSinging

“To get some idea of Thirteen Goats’ approach to heavy music, consider that the Straight’s own Mike Usinger once asked readers to imagine “Vulgar Display of Power-era Pantera in a cage match with Cannibal Corpse and Ministry.” That’s a great start, but it doesn’t account for tracks like “Beheading Zoo”, which tops neck-snapping thrash with enough throat-shredding black-metal screams to please even the most discerning Mayhem fan. Or “Murder Lives in the Heart”, which throws a soaring refrain of heaven-sent clean vocals (courtesy of Carly Ellen Jones) into the mix… Capricorn Rising is that rarest of things in today’s world: a true album, with a set of songs designed to be listened to in sequence. Those songs tell the tale of Shepherd, a man so distraught over the state of the world—endless wars, environmental devastation, and other human-made disasters—that he sells his soul for the power to communicate with non-human creatures… Capricorn Rising is a saga replete with scorched-earth mayhem and mass slaughter—something you can bang your head to while pondering your own complicity in the global capitalist exploitation of ecosystems and peoples alike. In other words, it’s basically the perfect LP for our profoundly fucked-up epoch.” – Georgia Straight (Vancouver Weekly)

“they turn on the thrusters for “Beheading Zoo” and “Permission To Die,” closer “Animal Kingdom” is a quasi-ballad with a ferocious second half. ” – Heavy Music Headquarters

“their music gets the blood pumping. Sounding something like Archspire mixed with Blackening-era Machine Head, the tracks on Capricorn Rising are direct and violent. ” – Metal Utopia

“I’d say this is melodic death, some brutal death stuff, melodic music, black metal vox, growns and clean vox too.” – 89.9 WORT FM – The Moshpit (Madison, WI)

“Canadian band Thirteen Goats are out with the album “Capricorn Rising”, and metal is the style explored on this production. It is a striking variety of extreme metal we get in this case, where it appears that a speciality of the band is to seamlessly switch between as well as blend different aspects of thrash metal and extreme metal into a uniform whole and totality. We get chugging riff cascades as well as impact style riff and rhythm effects in both forms, and while groove patterns are mainly established when thrashing out we get more challenging escapades of a technical nature too in both moods and modes of the band here. With a little bit of a side step into a power  metal inspired galloping mode of execution now and then to boot. A probably even more defining feature of this particular album are the vocals however, with a handful or so of different distorted and clean vocals used throughout, which does expand the boundaries of the landscapes explored quite a bit. That we also get some very occasional gentler and atmospheric laden moments also document a band that can be more expressive when they feel the need to be so. If you generally enjoy bands that switch back and forth between thrash metal and extreme metal as well as combining these two traditions, then this is an album that merits a check.” – The Viking in the Wilderness
​​​​​

“Next up we have 13 goats with Capricorn Rising and this BC band basically
created a death metal rock opera not unlike something that you might hear from something like Dethklok but done in their own particular style. You’ll hear death, thrash, heavy metal, hard rock, progressive, alternative, and some other moments that go hand in and with this kind of stuff, it is a very out-there album if you’re not already initiated to it. But if this sounds like something that could be for you, it very well could be. We don’t get enough death metal rock operas, so why not give this one a shot.” – Heavy Debriefings

“Musically, the Canadians offer pleasing death metal that is sometimes more technical and sometimes more thrashy. The quartet from Vancouver occasionally surprises with unexpected song structures (“A Wolf in Shepherd’s Clothing”) ARCHSPIRE-moderate pressure and vocals (“Sign of the Goat”)…. the album is definitely exciting, so to speak. Probably also because it always has a lot of grooves and knows how to present fine riffs, like at “Beheading Zoo” or in terms of speed dynamics (“Beating the Disease”). – Vampster Magazin

“unsurprisingly, this is another awesome release! It’s packed full of awesome, heavy riffs, and some incredible clean and harsh vocals, all of which have pretty catch, melodic moments to shine through. ‘Sign of the Goat’ is an incredibly strong album opener, but honestly there isn’t a bad track on the album, with plenty of other highlights, including ‘A Wolf in Shepherd’s Clothing’ and ‘Permission to Die’. They also have a pretty cool image and theme, leaning fully into the pagan/satanic stereotypes of the genre. It’s 42-minutes of a brutal, heavy assault, and is massively enjoyable. It’s not going to be for everyone, but for those into the heavy end, I’d certainly recommend checking it out! And, while I would say it is better than their debut, it’s also a testament to how heavy this site has made me, that I love this now! 8/10, great stuff!” – Overtone Magazine

 

What the press said about 2022 album “Servants of the Outer Dark”:

#14 on Top 20 – Loud – Canadain College Radio – August 2022 (Earshot)

“An alchemical style reminiscent of Cannibal Corpse, Misery Index, classic Megadeth, melodic Swe-death, and all eras of Death and Carcass.” – Decibel

“Rips, we’re here for it.” – MetalSucks

“Perfectly marries old school death metal, blackened tendencies, and heavy metal choruses.” – Metal Injection

“THIRTEEN GOATS unapologetically raise the deathcore flag for the new decade and absolutely don’t care what people think.” – Exclaim!

“Think Vulgar Display of Power-era Pantera in a cage match with Cannibal Corpse and Ministry.” – The Georgia Straight

“A gut-punching and head-hooking offering of death metal that borrows liberally from many of the genre’s subsets, as well as bringing in elements of thrash, black metal, and grindcore.” – No Clean Singing

“With a name like THIRTEEN GOATS, it’s gonna be evil. It’s cool, thrashy, blackened groove metal, a little like a Lamb of God sound with a bit more heavy brutality going on and a dash of black metal evilness. Great stuff!” – The Mosh Pit on WORT 89.9 FM (Madison, WI)

“THIRTEEN GOATS make seriously good music and sound like they have a lot of fun doing it. They write great upbeat thrash songs with strong melodies that appropriately sway from sinister to camp and pull it off tremendously. For some classic charcuterie of extreme metal mixed with a bit of tongue in cheek, you’re well looked after here.” – Heavy Mag

“THIRTEEN GOATS is a new strength in the extreme scene.” – Metal Temple

“The starting point of Thirteen Goats and their debut album Servants Of The Outer Dark is death metal, but it doesn’t remain tied to it. They explore all types, including tech death and melodic death metal, and even genres outside of that like thrash, groove, and doom metal. Each song brings out a unique side to the band, whether it’s the politically charged ‘Prisoner’s Anthem’ or the body horror of ‘Sub-Being.’” – Heavy Music Headquarters

“Canada’s THIRTEEN GOATS are incredibly fun to listen to and at multiple points subtly humorous—and, as such, make themselves easily a breath of fresh air within the technical scene. That sense of fun is backed up with very proficient playing and dizzying creativity, far beyond what you would expect from a debuting act’s first full length… Servants of the Outer Dark is an excellent debut full-length from these guys and I can’t wait to hear more!” [9/10] – Metal Observer

“All you need is love? No. All you need is THIRTEEN GOATS. Their debut album has everything your heart could desire in a Metal record, it’s a metaphorical pizza with all the toppings and a better thrill ride of a first crack we defy you to find!” [8.5/10] – Metal Noise

“These guys have the ability and the chops to succeed, whilst channeling bands like Lamb Of God into their output.” – Man of Much Metal

“This is so good.” – Stephen Quinn, The Early Edition (CBC Radio One)

[Download Album Cover | Download Album Lyrics]

Band: Thirteen Goats
Album Title: Capricorn Rising
Release Date: July 12th, 2024
Label: Exitus Stratagem Records (ExSR)

Track Listing:
1. Sign of the Goat (4:53)
2. Murder Lives in the Heart (5:30)
3. A Wolf in Shepherd’s Clothing (4:10)
4. Global Fuckup (3:57)
5. Beheading Zoo (3:44)
6. Permission to Die (3:48)
7. Beating the Disease (4:24)
8. Goats of War (5:25)
9. Animal Kingdom (6:19)

Album Credits:
• All songs performed by: Thirteen Goats
• All songs written by:
Lyrics and vocal arrangements for all songs written by Graham K. Miles except for Goats of War (lyrics by Graham K. Miles & Leonid Verman)
Music written by:
Sign of the Goat – Rob Fitz-Gerald
Murder Lives in the Heart – Graham K. Miles
A Wolf in Shepherd’s Clothing – Rob Fitz-Gerald
Global Fuckup – Leonid Verman
Beheading Zoo – Graham K. Miles
Permission to Die – Rob Fitz-Gerald
Beating the Disease – Graham K. Miles
Goats of War – Leonid Verman
Animal Kingdom – Leonid Verman
• Produced by: Thirteen Goats & Matt Roach
• Mixed by: Diego Fernandez-Trujilo
• Mastered by: Diego Fernandez-Trujilo
• Album Artwork by: Tom Davis (Dark Transmissions)
•  Member of SOCAN
• Canadian Content (MAPL)

Album Band Line Up:
Graham K. Miles – Lead Vocals, Lead & Rhythm Guitars
Rob Fitz-Gerald – Lead & Rhythm Guitars, Backing Vocals
Cody Lewichew –  Bass, Gang Vocals
Leonid Verman – Drums, Gang Vocals
ADDITIONAL MUSICIANS:
Carly Ellen Jones – Guest Vocals on Track #2 (Murder Lives in the Heart) and Track #9 (Animal Kingdom”)

Live Band Line Up:
Graham K. Miles – Lead Vocals, Lead & Rhythm Guitars
Rob Fitz-Gerald – Lead & Rhythm Guitars, Backing Vocals
Cody Lewichew –  Bass, Backing Vocals
Leonid Verman – Drums

=========================================================

About The Album Artwork:

The cover for the record is being designed by Tom Davis. It features Shepherd and the 12 demon goats charging headlong towards a city on the front, and then on the back you see the city in ruins. Tom has an incredibly unique style, so the image has a pretty simple idea behind it but the way he’s doing it is going to be absolutely iconic.

About the album as a whole (LYRICALLY & MUSICALLY):

Death metal brutality and frenzied fretwork abruptly give way to huge, unexpected hooks and theatrical choruses. The vocals jump between ragged gutturals and powerful cleans without warning.

Track by Track (LYRICALLY & MUSICALLY):

1. Sign of the Goat
Lyrics:
This song is kind of a prelude to the album as a whole—a summary of the overall story and themes. It’s written from the PoV of Shepherd and the 12 demon goats as they conquer the earth, while urging the survivors to give up their humanity and join them or perish.

Music:
This is kind of a blend between big, fat grooves and rapid-fire tech death passages. Think Bolt Thrower with just a hint of Archspire.

2. Murder Lives in the Heart
Lyrics:
This is the start of Shepherd’s journey—where he decides to sell his soul and renounce humanity so that he can become The Antichrist. We also hear him blame humanity for the pain they’ve caused him and vow to show them the error of their ways:

“So let me open up your eyes / come see this hell you made on earth / it’s far too late to run and hide / it’s time to get what you deserve”

At the end, you can hear a female voice echoing his sentiments—is it a lost love, the voice of his conscience, the voice of Mother Earth, or something else?

Music:
We start off in a kind of waltz after a short intro, with some eerie trem picking slightly behind each verse—then break out into a short passage of clean vocals and guitars before the chorus slams in with the album’s biggest vocal hook. After that, there’s a major tonal shift where the time signature changes to 4/4 and the band just goes full tilt all the way to the final chorus, where the female vocals and an ambient guitar are layered in to create a crescendo leading into the next song.

3. A Wolf in Shepherd’s Clothing
Lyrics:
This is the song where Shepherd begins appealing to the other animals of Earth to join his army and rise up against humanity. It’s a recruitment anthem aimed at anyone who’s ever felt mistreated or abused, and a call to arms. It’s also a reminder that the people we overlook are often the most dangerous:

“Sacrifice of blood and bone / to satisfy my loathing / not the dog they thought I was / but a wolf in shepherd’s clothing”

Music:
This is an all-out thrasher with some rhythmic curveballs and Lamb-of-God-like grooves in the verses. It also features a short clean vocal hook in the choruses, followed immediately by contrasting gutturals. Leo tops it all off with some of his most frenetic drumming on the whole album. We hadn’t originally planned for this one to be a single, but we changed our minds once we heard the finished version. We actually made it the lead single from the record, because we think it encapsulates a lot of different elements of our sound in a very cohesive way. We also think it’s a bonafide banger.

4. Global Fuckup
Lyrics:
This is the song where Shepherd and his animal army make themselves known to humanity and issue their ultimatum—leave your way of life behind and join us, or die. It also has what I think are some of the funniest lyrics on the record, like:

“Lab rats revolt / gnaw out their throats / death at the zoo / children get chewed”

Music:
This is one of the most musically aggressive tracks on the album. The guitars pummel in 5/4 time throughout most of it, but there’s also a huge breakaway section in the middle where the lead guitar goes off on this crazy Robert-Fripp-meets-Primus kind of solo. Everyone hated this idea at first—it felt insane until we had finished recording it, and then I think we all realized it actually gave the song exactly what it had been missing. Everyone we’ve shown it to since says it’s a standout moment on the record.

5. Beheading Zoo
Lyrics:
The lyrics in this one are about Shepherd’s army meeting humanity on the battlefield for the first time and the bloodbath that ensues. It’s extremely straightforward:

“We’re coming / hell’s legions / it’s time to meet your demons”
“Prepare for bloodletting / this zoo is not for petting”

Music:
Thrash with hints of melodic death metal here. Think High on Fire meets Children of Bodom (but without the keyboards).

6. Permission to Die
Lyrics:
In this song, Shepherd expresses his disgust with humanity and declares that their complacency has doomed them:

“Die for masters / or save yourselves / should be easy / but servitude still sells”
“But if you cannot live without a boot upon your neck / then you must meet the end beneath a cloven hoof instead”

If you go beyond the story of the album, this song is also about the frustration we feel with humanity’s collective inaction in the face of imminent disaster. It’s about the choice between standing up for ourselves or laying down and dying for our overlords, and how we always seem to do the latter when we should be doing the former.

Music:
This song features the absolute gnarliest and most kinetic riffs Rob has ever written. It’s actually a real pain in the ass to play, but it’s 100% worth it because it goes hard as hell. A real wrecking ball.

7. Beating the Disease
Lyrics:
Now on the cusp of victory, Shepherd appeals to the forces of hell one last time to turn the earth against the remaining humans and grant him their most powerful black magic:

“I travel down the ley lines / speaking to the spirits / grant me unholy force / and let this world hear it”

This spell requires him to drink lava from an active volcano, then allow the animals of his army to drink the blood from his veins:

“Volcanoes vomit bile from the guts of hell / Satanic ichor the elixir for my spell / my veins the medium to mix this vile brew / as it has altered me, so must it alter you”

“Take my communion / let it lift you off your knees / rise up and raise your fists / we’re beating the disease”

He also characterizes humanity as a disease that must be cleansed from the earth, and his army as the cure. In a broader sense, this song is also about the extreme lengths people will go to for power, and how doing so can turn them into complete zealots.

Music:
We kick off with the guitars doing a little call-and-response before locking into a fairly unconventional thrash riff, and then descending into a groove on the verses. Then there’s a kind of Cryptopsy-inspired pre-chorus riff, followed by a sort of mini-breakdown in the chorus. The middle of the song gets kind of spacy, with the guitars doing another call-and-response sequence under some mild phaser—then harmonizing for a little while before suddenly exploding into what is probably the fastest and most challenging solo on the album.

8. Goats of War
Lyrics:
Leo started the first draft of these lyrics, then turned them over to me so I could finish them and make them consistent with the rest of the record. This is the part of the story where Shepherd and the Goats wipe out the last few stragglers and knock down all of humanity’s remaining monuments. It’s about the perverse thrill of dancing on the graves of your enemies.

“We are the goats of war / braying the hymns of death / pastoral scenes restored / by mankind’s dying breath”

“Old world once more supplanting the new / how does it feel when the livestock is you?”

Music:
A mid-tempo march with some unsettling time signature changes and probably the most “black metal” feel of anything on the record. It feels a little in line with the kind of thing VLTIMAS might do—there’s even a hint of a David Vincent-style vocal delivery near the end.

9. Animal Kingdom
Lyrics:
The final moments of the record find Shepherd singing to the surviving animals of Earth, including the humans who have joined him, and congratulating himself for their victory. But over the chorus of the song, he becomes haunted by the realization that he has become the thing he once despised—a dictator and a tyrant who has made the planet an uninhabitable husk.

He also confronts his fear that perhaps the one part of being human we can never completely renounce is our tendency to seek power and destroy in the name of ideology:

“And as I stare into my soul / I see what I can never purge / this thirst for power and control / the same disgusting human urge”

As he’s coming to this realization, we hear the female voice from the start of the record return and utter the same lines as before—but now they seem to be mocking him:

“So let me open up your eyes / come see this hell you made on earth / it’s far too late to run and hide” it’s time to get what you deserve”

Now on the brink of insanity, Shepherd and the 12 goats decide to abandon the planet and travel through the cosmos looking for another world to conquer. The cycle repeats itself—and evil never truly dies.

Music:
We close the record with both the longest song and the biggest musical risk on the whole album. It starts off almost like a ballad, before a chorus of eerie clean vocals join in for the verses over a wall of cascading guitar melodies. Then the chorus breaks in with harsh screaming over a wall of distortion—before the clean picking returns underneath an ambient and otherworldly solo. After a buildup, the song falls into an ominous groove that carries it forward until the climax—where dissonant open chords ring behind tortured howls and an angular riff that terminates in a single bass note like an atomic bomb going off. A fitting conclusion to the record—and a sign of how the band’s sound will likely continue to evolve on future releases.

=========================================================

STORY ANGLES – FUN FACTS:
1. The new record is a concept album and a “death metal rock opera”. It’s about a disillusioned everyman who sells his soul for demonic powers so he can raise an army of animals to take back the earth from humanity.

2. I finished writing the lyrics for the album while I was traveling in New Zealand. I was hiking the Tongariro Alpine Crossing, which was the location for Mordor and Mount Doom in the Lord of the Rings movies, and I was literally standing on the edge of an active volcano—looking right down into the crater. The clay had been dyed blood red from previous volcanic activity, and it just hit me all at once how beautiful and powerful nature was. We act like we’re the masters of this planet, but we’re not. That’s where the line “Volcanoes vomit bile from the guts of hell/Satanic ichor the elixir for my spell” comes from in Beating the Disease—it’s about Shepherd channeling the awesome power of nature to cleanse the earth.

3. Rob had to go to the ER while we were recording the album, for what turned out to be a stomach ulcer, I think. The weird thing about that is that we’ve had a member of the band end up in the hospital on every record we’ve made so far (I had a motorcycle accident while we were recording album #1). Granted, that’s only two for two at this point—so we’re not saying it’s a curse or anything. But it is kind of strange that it happened twice.

4. All members of Thirteen Goats have roots in the former Soviet Union. Leonid is from Russia, Cody’s got Russian heritage, Rob’s family is Armenian, and I’m Ukrainian. We didn’t write explicitly about that on this record, but it definitely informs the themes we’re exploring on the album—humanity’s capacity for violence, how power corrupts, how noble ideas can become twisted and evil, etc. A lot of those things show up in the history of that part of the world, and they’ve definitely had a ripple effect that’s touched all of our lives to varying degrees.

5. Kelly Schaefer from Atheist watched our whole set when we opened for them, and invited us to hang out with him afterwards on their tour bus. We had a great conversation about how metal music has just as much power as any other genre to tell meaningful stories and elicit genuine emotions, and he gave us some advice that really helped with the way we approached songwriting on this record. We owe him a debt of gratitude, and really hope our paths cross again on the road someday—thank you, Kelly!

L-R: Thirteen Goats Current Lineup | Rob Fitz-Gerald (Lead & Rhythm Guitars, Backing Vocals) | Graham K. Miles (Lead Vocals, Lead & Rhythm Guitars) | Cody Lewichew (Bass, Gang Vocals) | Leonid Verman (Drums, Gang Vocals) – Photo Credit: Kevyn Lilith Hoskin

Is it thrash? Death? Groove? THIRTEEN GOATS don’t care, and neither should you. This Vancouver four-piece tramples all over subgenre conventions to create an alchemical style of infernal riffs, huge hooks, and uniquely theatrical songwriting. The band’s new album, Capricorn Rising, is a death metal rock opera that tells the story of their mascot, Shepherd: a goat-skull wearing Antichrist accompanied by 12 demon goats who help him raise an army of animals to liberate the earth from humanity’s wars and greed. It’s a tongue-in-cheek tale of the anger we all feel at the world we live in, and the dangers of letting it turn you into a monster—delivered as a fitting soundtrack for the apocalypse.

Discography:
2024 – Capricorn Rising (LP)
2022 – Servants of the Outer Dark (LP)
2021 – Servant of the Outer Dark (Single)

Shared Stage with:
Cynic, Atheist, Expain, MVLGRAVE, Liminal Shroud, SVNEATER, Paramnesia
Blackwater Burial, Tribunal, Hyperia, Iron Kingdom, Detherous, Hem, Netjer, Shattered Throne, Futile Mutations, Nameless King, Thousand Arrows
Kayas, Anarcheon, Demon Cleaver, Death Preacher, Augur, Hunting Giants, Our Last Crusade, Blood of the Phoenix, Repugnant Scum, Repulse Reprise, Pridelands, Reduced to Rubble, Exit Wound, Medevil, Deathbound, No. 1 Special, Horse Funeral, Donna G

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