Category: EPKs

0 EPK – Hog Meets Frog – humANIMALization (Echotunes)

January 27, 2023
by Asher
· EPKs · Hog Meets Frog (Echotunes)

EPK – Hog Meets Frog – humANIMALization (Echotunes)

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

“The EP is a non-conceptual concept record under the motto of the title: ‘humANIMALization’.

And, as it happens, when the animal in the human awakens, then, for example, one turns into a bigot monkey and the other becomes an insecure piggy, one becomes a peeping control bear and the other becomes a greedy stock market bull.

Just this behavior – sometimes silly, monkey, or also clumsy, bearish – is told in the lyrics, as well as through the wide range of sound worlds and riffs. There it goes from the cheerful, funky ‘I’m about to pee’ slap sound to the broad, massive, ‘the world is so evil’ New Metal sound to fuzzy-bassy and distorted-guitary sound with a sip of kick-ass drums.

You can call it progressive if you want or metal funky or whatever you want… in the end it’s nothing less than HOG MEETS FROGs SQUEAQUACKmusic!!

I think that most people will first notice the cheerful, funny, sick side of HOG MEETS FROG. But a few will remove the mask and then let themselves fall into the deepest depths of the music and lyrics and see what thoughts lie dormant there: Stories that life writes.” – Peter ‘PETZ’ Schwabl – Hog Meets Frog

For fans of Primus, RHCP, System of a Down, TOOL, Frank Zappa

Band: Hog Meets Frog
EP Title: humANIMALization
Release Date: February 24, 2023
Label: Echotunes

Sales Links: Hogmeetsfrog.bandcamp.com | Spotify | Apple Music

“The quirkily name Hog Meets Frog are an Australian funk prog metal trio who released their third EP, humANIMALization, in February, and from which the equally odd Of Snakes ‘n’ Moles ‘n’ Bulls ‘n’ Dough, is taken. We’re getting strong Primus vibes here, and the band also admit to a Tool influence.” – Prog (Great new prog music in our Tracks of The Week – April 28, 2023)

“If you are a fan of the jerky, spiky, awkward sounds of Primus you’ll love this. I daresay if you enjoy a bit of early Red Hot Chili Peppers you may also dig this – certain parts of the record do have a sneak peek toward Frank Zappa and The Mothers Of Invention and The Crazy World Of Arthur Brown – not too obviously, but those sly, sideways little looks are there.” – Ever- Metal UK

“‘Does humor belong in music?’ was once a question that the late/great Frank Zappa asked – and Austrian funk-prog metallists apparently agree wholeheartedly, as evidenced within the video for their new tune, “Peeping-Bear’s Exegesis of Not Peeping,” – Bravewords

“Many hard rockers like when it is funky. Then this cool act must not be overlooked! This unit is a tight bunch of players and they have catchy tunes, for sure… Well worth checking out for fans of crazy funky hard rock.” – Melodic.net

“There’s an element of uniqueness to how each of these songs are written, although you can’t deny the clear influence of say the Primus bass lines or Zappa-esc experimentation, yet it is within the niche, thematic storytelling that gives Hog Meets Frog a real musical identity. The way they can tell a story with humour yet allow you to consider the real and often times scary true circumstances behind where these stories originate is what gives this band their staple. Certainly one to look out for in the future, long live Sqeekquackmusic!” – Metal Epidemic

“On their latest EP, this Austrian band presents offbeat funk-metal with semi-spoken vocals that tell absurd stories about weird characters. There are all sorts of slap-happy bass parts you could imagine Les Claypool coming up with, insanely busy and leading the band. That’s Peter Schwabl on the bass, and he handles the “storytelling” vocals as well… HumANIMALization is 23 minutes of big fun” – Exposé Online

“If I had to draw a comparison for this band… it’d be Primus, heavy catchy, quirky and big bass guitar. Great stuff!” – Mosh Pit Radio 89.9 FM (Madison, WI)

“One of the most creative and interesting bands I’ve heard in some time comes in the form of Austria’s Hog Meets Frog. The trio is extremely talented and unique.” – Transcending The Mundane

“They’re from Austria. One of the greatest song titles (Peeping-Bear’s Exegesis of Not Peeping) I’ve ever heard. That’s all you’re getting. Press play and share the adventure” – Metallum Sub Terra

“If you love listening to the whimsical funky excursions of Les Claypool, and wouldn’t mind exploring similar landscapes that also include a bit more of a progressive metal approach and attitude, this EP will just about guarantee you an enjoyable experience.” – Progressor

“If the song titles like Apes don’t smoke cigars, just pipes are very funny, the musical aspects are of very high quality and definitely not “suitable for a headband”. Sure, funk isn’t a run-of-the-mill genre to sing along to, but sophisticated music at the highest level. So to speak, jazz music of the metal species. One can clearly register the inspiration of Red Hot Chilli Peppers, Primus and Co. on this record, whereby the songs transport positive energy.” – Rock Magazine

“Overall – As chaotic as claimed, with quirky features, throughout, it’s fair to say that you never know where this is going to go, next. Trippy, outlandish and bizarre, it’s a wacky wonderland, all of its own… ‘HumANIMALIZATION’ can never be accused of being boring or predictable. Spicy and novel, in equal measure, it may appeal more to niche audiences. Hard to summarise easily, it’s a case of suck it and see.” – Rock Queen Reviews

“with all the wild antics they pull off in tracks with titles like snakes ‘n’ moles ‘n’ bulls ‘n’ dough, apes don’t smoke cigars – just pipes and ZIGGY the unpigcorn, it all remains surprisingly easy to follow. Even the lyrics, which are all kind of inverted fables, with humans and the animalistic traits in their personalities. Weird? Absolutely. Wild? Certainly. But never just a gimmick, never a mess, in short, just a damn good album. Does Humor Belong In Music? Zappa once asked. Well, if the music is SQUEAQUACKmusic it is.” – Rock Portaal

[Download EP Cover | Download EP Lyrics]

Band: Hog Meets Frog

EP Title: humANIMALization
Release Date: February 24, 2023
Label: Echotunes

Track Listing:
1. Of Snakes ‘n’ Moles ‘n’ Bulls ‘n’ Dough (4:32)
2. Peeping-Bear’s Exegesis of Not Peeping (5:10)
3. Apes Don’t Smoke Cigars – Just Pipes (4:47)
4. Stuff(ed), Cage(d) & Enslave(d) (3:25)
5. ZIGGY The Unpigcorn (3:46)
EP Length: 21:42

(ghost track to find – number 23. It is called ‘the rabbit’s cry’)

EP Recording Credits:
• All songs performed by: HOG MEETS FROG
• All songs written by: HOG MEETS FROG
• Produced by: Peter ‘PETZ’ Schwabl & Lukas Wiltschko
• Mixed by: Lukas Wiltschko (lwsonics.com)
• Mastered by: Lukas Wiltschko
• EP Artwork by: Attila Zsolt Tornyi (LaMañana, lamanana.net)

EP Band Lineup:
Ivo Matuš – Drums (peeping-bear’s exegesis of not peeping || apes don’t smoke cigars – just pipes)
Christoph ‘fizl’ Hehn – Drums (of snakes ‘n’ moles ‘n’ bulls ‘n’ dough || stuff(ed), cage(d) & enslave(d) || ZIGGY the unpigcorn)
ARIYAN Rezaei Jahromi – Guitar
Peter ’PETZ‘ Schwabl – Bass, Storytelling

Live Band Lineup:
Christoph ‘fizl’ Hehn – Drums
ARIYAN Rezaei Jahromi – Guitar
Peter ‘PETZ‘ Schwabl – Bass, Storytelling

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The EP as a whole (LYRICALLY & MUSICALLY):

The EP is a non-conceptual concept album under the motto of the title: ‘humANIMALization’.

You can call it progressive if you want or metalfunky or whatever you want… in the end it’s nothing less than HOG MEETS FROGs SQUEAQUACKmusic!!The best approach to serious topics is fun.

Track by Track (LYRICALLY & MUSICALLY):

1. Of Snakes ‘n’ Moles ‘n’ Bulls ‘n’ Dough (4:32)

The text tells of a friendship between a snake and a mole and a greedy bull who is addicted to the madness of money-making and wants to break up the friends to get more money himself. In the end, of course, friendship wins.

Starting with a stonerous riff the music then slides into a dry, narrative stomping and further into a spherical reverberant sound delirium, to finally once again – as already at the beginning of the song – get the stones and rocks rolling.

2. Peeping-Bear’s Exegesis of Not Peeping (5:10)

The reason for writing the story of the peeping bear was the intelligence services and control freaks of this world, starting with the NSA scandal up to the possibilities of digitally utilized psychometric tools used for influencing elections by corporations or rich power-hungry people and warmongers.

This and much more we have packed into the sleeve of the sympathetic voyeur bear, who on top of that smilingly believes that he is spying, spying, and eavesdropping on everyone with good reason and only with the best of intentions.

From the left, from the right, from above and underneath, there comes this funky oriental punch right in your ears that represents the toe-dancing voyeur-bear, who sympathetically elated but unerringly sneaks into your mind and makes you join in. This absurdly groovy riff – in all its variations – opens a brief window in the middle of the song to a ponderous 7/8 schizophrenia that provides a prime breeding ground for a guitar solo. When the window closes, the slap bass hand in hand with the drums and the guitar do their fat oriental play again, until the song takes freaky punky forms to finally end in a massive slow groove.

3. Apes Don’t Smoke Cigars – Just Pipes (4:47)

Let me explain the tendencies to write the text for ‘apes don’t smoke cigars – just pipes’ as follows: If the natural sciences are to be believed, the average commonality of human DNA and chimpanzee DNA is 98.5% – in some cases, it is as high as 99.4% congruent. So many a man has more in common with a chimpanzee at the DNA level than with a human woman.

Thus it has lent itself to transferring the behavior and attitude of some humans to monkeys. In this sense, bigotry and hubris fit our DNA relatives with the operating thumb like a glove. If I may quote myself at this point: ‘the pride of gods creation, the candle in the dark, above reproach superior, enlightened by the spark. admired by all livings, the sun but out of sight, infallible, benignant, a special kind of weight.’

4. Stuff(ed), Cage(d) & Enslave(d) (3:25)

“stuff(ed), cage(d) & enslave(d)” describes just three scenarios on which a part of humanity perpetuates itself in history.

Does it make sense? No! Would there be other ways? Yes!

Panda girls being caged in boxes, dolphin teenagers being stuffed into tuna cans, human children being enslaved on cocoa plantages and all this just to guarantee fun, tradition, and pleasure for a few people on this earth – and they never ever give a damn about where it comes from.

Does it make sense? No! Would there be other ways? Yes!

guided by a funky, slappy bass beaten off by the drums and licked by a weirdo guitar the voice tells the story in a sick way until the ‘three-nstruments’ in the back suddenly – just for a moment – jump forward and punch a distorted brute hole in the sound to immediately retreat right away again next to the voice, clear and distinct. But then, after some time, everything crosses over to a biohazard chorus – something that tells the listener what not to do what has been done very often for much with his mind too long while listening to it: “stuffed, caged & enslaved!”

5. ZIGGY The Unpigcorn (3:46)

Lyrically seen ‘ZIGGY the unpigcorn’ addresses a topic that many know, but very few are aware of the abysses that can open up: the beauty industry. First of all, I should say that I personally am not a fan of cosmetic surgery – except for medically necessary ones. Even though I realize that most of us have been the piggy at some point that doesn’t think of ourselves as beautiful or doesn’t have much confidence in ourselves. Body modification and cosmetic surgery are for some – often on an unconscious level – the obvious way to salvation, pushed by a billion-dollar industry and a society that has taught itself that appearance should have an enormously high status. I don’t want to overdramatize this, but I think that in the sense of making money, there is far too little education about what psychological trauma interventions like this can have. Many are then not even aware of where the new problems come from, because they seem to have fulfilled a dream. But well… we all know these dreams, from which one wakes up drenched in sweat and is glad that it was just a dream. After having surgery you can’t wake up anymore. This is probably the least homogeneous song on the record. Because at first it bounces seductively slap sound happily back and forth in front of the listener until it suddenly jumps uncompromisingly aggressively into one face, sucks itself there, and slaps and trashes and slaps and trashes and slaps and trashes, to then shortly after crawling through the ears into the skull and hit there from the inside with a new metal hammer against the skullcap until it goes through the ceiling… and this with a playful surprise every now and then and always with a little smile.

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BAND STORY ANGLES / FUN FACTS:

1. HOG MEETS FROG play their music in honor of the holy spirit SQUEAUQACK. He created everything with just one fart and then fell into a deep sleep, on the edge of infinity. Maybe one day he will come back and – hand in hand with Kthulu (the misunderstood savior), the flying spaghetti monster, and some characters of the HOG MEETS FROG family – make the world a place of love, peace, and joy.

2. After a show, PETZ was asked by some fans if he wanted to drink liquor or whiskey with them or smoke a joint. PETZ thankfully declined, saying that he doesn’t drink or smoke, whereupon he was asked, “Really? And how do you get ideas like that without alcohol or drugs?”

3. HOG MEETS FROG seems to be funny… but it isn’t.

4. HOG MEETS FROGs music was defined as ‘avant-garde funk’.

Bottom L-R: : | ARIYAN Rezaei Jahromi (guitar) | Ivo Matuš (drums)
Top: | Peter ’PETZ’ Schwabl (bass, storytelling)
Photo Credit Vicky vanSane

Hog Meets Frog is nothing short of humorous and entertaining with its diverse, wacky music. They have a new EP “humANIMALization” coming out in February. A non-conceptual concept record, it explores offbeat stories about several intriguing animals including a bigot monkey, an insecure piggy, a peeping control bear, and a greedy stock market bull. Their high jinks are detailed through storytelling and interesting music that is cheerful, funky, fuzzy, and progressive. The band explains further:“Every person has his or her own world of experience, which we do not want to give a framework. Everyone should see in the album what he or she sees in it. It is always a nice compliment when people tell us that they had fun listening to our music. Because we also want to convey fun. We are also happy when people not only see the music or the obvious sides of the stories, but also go through the looking glass to look for the deeper meaning behind it, which can be found in almost every number. In any case, interpretations are not only allowed but encouraged. For those who want to know what we were thinking, we are happy to talk about it.”“humANIMALization” is the third EP from Hog Meets Frog, two of the tracks including this single were released previously, but itching to have another physical offering, they gathered five cohesive songs that offer metaphors into current events and provide commentary on social systems in place, in this case, the NSA scandal.

Influenced by a range of genres including progressive metal, death metal, funk, and world music, Hog Meets Frog is only defined by itself and is unexpectedly contagious. They are recommended for fans of Primus, Red Hot Chili Peppers, and System of a Down.

“humANIMALization” is due out on February 24, 2023, and available for pre-order – Hogmeetsfrog.bandcamp.com

Live Band Lineup:
Christoph ‘fizl’ Hehn – Drums
ARIYAN Rezaei Jahromi – Guitar
Peter ‘PETZ‘ Schwabl – Bass, Storytelling

Discography:
2023 – humANIMALization (EP)
2019 – apes don’t smoke cigars – just pipes (single)
2018 – peeping-bear’s exegesis of not peeping (single)
2012 – holy spirit SQUEAQUACK (LP)
2006 – RUN tha FREAKS (multimedia single)
2004 – FREAKY RITES (EP)
2003 – infernal promotion (EP)

0 EPK – Chasm of Discord – Admonishing the Dawn of Reverence (2022) (Blood Blast Distribution)

January 20, 2023
by Asher
· Chasm of Discord · EPKs

EPK – Chasm of Discord – Admonishing the Dawn of Reverence (2022) (Blood Blast Distribution)

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

For fans of Necrophagist, Cannibal Corpse, Hypocrisy, The Faceless, Into Eternity

Album Title: Admonishing the Dawn of Reverence
Release Date: November 4, 2022
Label: Self-Release
Distribution: Blood Blast Distribution

“We hope the listeners can grasp the sense of urgency and headbanging stomp of the tracks. Death metal can still be brutal, technical, and catchy at the same time.” – Chasm

Shreded1.wixsite.com/chasm-of-discord | Facebook.com/people/Chasm-of-Discord/100076383739368/ | YouTube | Instagram.com/chasmofdiscordband

Spotify | Apple Music | Amazon| Chasmofdiscord.bandcamp.com

Album Title: Admonishing the Dawn of Reverence
Release Date: November 4, 2022
Label: Self-Release
Distribution: Blood Blast Distribution

Track Listing:
1. Feeding the Machine (3:02)
2. Monolith of Deceit (3:18)
3. Cremation (3:35)
4. Deny the Light (4:08)
5. Identified Singularity (3:40)
6. Living Envy the Dead (5:19)
7. Disparaging Revelations (3:54)
8. Insidious (4:35)
9. Anatomic Abomination (4:06)
10. Where the Body Lies (3:25)
11. Formless Being (5:21)
Album Length 44:30

Album Credits:
• All songs performed by: Chasm of Discord
• All songs written by: Matt Miller
• Produced by: Matt Miller
• Mixed by: Matt Miller and Tony Reviere
• Mastered by: Jamie King
• Album Artwork by: Handrot Art

Line Up:
Marco “Lord Marco” Pitruzzella (Drums)
Tony Reviere (Vocals)
Matt Miller (All Guitars and Bass)

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The album as a whole:

Darkness and violence are the main themes of Admonishing the Dawn of Reverence. Not unlike a horror movie that is filled with psychological terror.

Track by Track:

1. Feeding the Machine
Feeding the Machine lyrically matches the musical assault of the instruments. We chose it as a single because it was relentless and made a bold statement. The lyrical content is about a mindset of crushing your enemies.

2. Monolith of Deceit
The lyrics are about the Devil’s Tower in Wyoming and how for centuries it has been the center of many conspiracy theories from aliens to gods. Musically the song has a crushing rhythmical feel while also having a very melodic and somewhat uplifting guitar melody.

3. Cremation
Cremation is straight to the point. It is about the internment of human remains after death. Truly from ashes to ashes. The song has melodic parts coupled with scorching drums and face melting guitar solo.

4. Deny the Light
Written about multiple personalities fighting for control. The music has a frantic feel with sections that play like a monologue between the personalities.

5. Identified Singularity
The lyrics represent the need for humans to find a new planet to inhabit as we are currently destroying the planet we live on. The lyrics are about traveling through a black hole. Musically the song has a strong neoclassical influence.

6. Living Envy the Dead
Lyrically this song is about getting revenge. In gruesome and glorious detail. Musically the song is telling a story. The drum intro sets the tone that this song is going to take you somewhere.

7. Disparaging Revelations
The lyrical content is about enhanced interrogation techniques and the psychological effects on all parties involved. Musically the song has an air of desperation about it.

8. Insidious
The initial idea for Insidious came from a trip to the hospital to visit a family member who had brain surgery to stop an aggressive form of cancer. The lyrics are a fist hand account of the tribulation of such a disease. The music equally represents the brutality that is cancer.

9. Anatomic Abomination
This song is about a genetically altered human that decides it has had enough of living and is now unleashing its hate upon the world. Similar to the Frankenstein monster. Musically the song is disjointed just like a monster. Almost like 2 different songs in one when the violin break starts playing.

10. Where the Body Lies
This song is about vigilante justice. There are many people who feel that the law does not do enough to punish criminals. Musically this song is full of technical playing while still retaining hooks.

11. Formless Being
This song’s lyrical content is truly about nothing and the message is how the fear unknown has such an influence over our lives. The end of the song has a very operatic and symphonic quality to it. Full of hooks as well as call and response between the guitar and vocal.

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

Fun Facts – Story Angles

1. Many songs had been demoed for a few years and some were initially considered to be recorded as instrumentals.

2. The album was recorded in a living room during the peak of the Covid pandemic. Most of the critical listening was done in the kitchen.

3. The album was going to be released under a different band name. The name Chasm of Discord came from the Simpsons’ character Reverend Lovejoy. Who is named after a street in Portland Oregon not too far from where the band lives.

4. Tony and Matt had worked on the OSDM cover album Reekomposer before tracking the vocals for Admonishing the Dawn of Reverence.

5. A different engineer was supposed to master the album but fortunately Jamie King was available.

6. Marco “Lord Marco” Pitruzzella has recorded over 500 songs with various artists.

7. Matt Miller also releases instrumental music.

8. Tony Reviere is a competitive bicyclist winning and qualifying for many Mountain Bike races.

L-R – Marco “Lord Marco” Pitruzzella (Drums), Tony Reviere (Vocals), Matt Miller (All Guitars and Bass)
Photo by Anthony Reviere

Hailing from the depths of the Pacific Northwest Chasm of Discord was formed in 2021 when metal shred guitarist Matt Miller was looking for members to help with a new death metal project he had been working on. After recording guitars, and bass, and programming the drums for the full-length album he felt that the drums were not going to do justice to the project and that’s when he recruited Marco “Lord Marco” Pitruzzella who has been featured on countless records including records from Vornagar, Six Feet Under, Rings of Saturn, and Sleep Terror just to name a few to fill the percussion duties. All that was left was to find the right vocals for the album, and that’s when vocalist Tony Reviere from the Portland, Oregon death metal act Spawn stepped in with his brutal OSDM style of vocals to complete the lineup. Tony was also featured on Matt Miller’s death metal cover album “Reekomposer”. With the lineup complete, Chasm of Discord finished the final touches on their debut album “Admonisihg the Dawn of Reverence”, and have plans to release the record sometime in 2022. Chasm of Discord’s new album is a masterclass in extreme metal. A perfect mix of old-school death metal with a touch of tech-death and melodic passages sure to melt the ears.

Discography:
2022 – Admonishing the Dawn of Reverence

Artist Endorsements:
EMG Pickups, GHS Strings, Kahler Tremolos, Rocktron, Stevens Cables and Effects Pedals, Paiste Cymbals, Vic Firth Drumsticks, Vratum Shoes, Green Gizmo

0 EPK – Apollo – A Divine Comedy (2023)

January 12, 2023
by Asher
· Apollo · EPKs

EPK – Apollo – A Divine Comedy (2023)

Publicist – Jon[@]ashermediarelations[.]com

“This EP has been in the works for a long time, and I could not be happier with the result. I ended up collaborating with a few new friends, and together, we achieved an impressive piece of work that really feels like art. I’m satisfied we told the story I set out to tell, and it’s expressive not only Dante’s journey, but the journey we all find ourselves on at one time or another; having to fight like Hell and make it out the other side. This EP is for those who have ever doubted themselves, have fallen apart to the demons in their head, felt like giving up, and needed guidance. Don’t give up. Keep fighting. Keep climbing. Trust the ones who stick by your side. Eventually, you’ll find your path.” – Kyle

“I think Kyle has had this EP in the works for the past 8 years, if I’m not mistaken, bringing me on to write lyrics as long as 3 years ago. The more I wrote, the more attached I grew to the vocals that would eventually be put down on this EP. The level of quality and the tones these tracks demanded forced me far outside my comfort zone, having to learn entirely new vocal techniques to do it justice. In the end, this EP is a comprehensive death metal opera, an epic that will hopefully give the listener the same growth and cathartic experience we had while writing it. Every single choice, every note, and vocal take was absolutely deliberate and meant to evoke a specific response. Throughout the journey, the listener will be presented with soaring melodic solos, sombre but beautiful keys that guide the self to introspection, crushingly heavy 8-string guitars, pounding drums, and vocals that dance with the music like a soliloquy to an audience of one”. – Adrian

For fans of Slice the Cake, Between the Buried and Me, The Contortionist, Spiritbox, Rivers of Nihil

Band Name: Apollo
EP Title: A Divine Comedy
Release Date: January 27th, 2023
Label: Self-Release

Apexaudio.ca | Facebook.com/ApolloMusicCanada | Instagram.com/apollomusiccanada | YouTube | Spotify

Track Listing:
I: Dark Woods – 3:59
II: Abandon All Hope – 6:19
III: Interlude – 1:19
IV: Deeper, Darker – 6:22
V: Ascendance – 6:56
EP Length: 24:56

EP Recording Credits:
• All songs performed by: Kyle Prusky, Adrian Parcioaga
• All songs written by: Kyle Prusky, Adrian Parcioaga
• Produced by: Kyle Prusky, Adrian Parcioaga
• Mixed by: Kyle Prusky
• Mastered by: Kyle Prusky
• EP Artwork by: Adrian Parcioaga

EP Band Lineup:
Kyle Prusky – Guitars, Bass
Adrian Parcioaga – Vocals
Alex Rudinger – Programmed Drums
Layne Murdoch – Solo Guitar (tracks 1, 2, 3, 4)
Lucas de la Rosa – Keys (tracks 1, 2, 3, 4)

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The EP as a whole (LYRICALLY & MUSICALLY):

MUSICALLY – I would describe this EP as a journey that has its ups and downs. You feel the weight of what Dante is going through; the aggression, uncertainty, unknown, and mystery. Don’t forget an unrelenting progression that crescendos into epic highs, straight down to epic lows. – Kyle

LYRICALLY – Like several other concept records I’ve had the honour of taking part in, I tried to take a story (in this case an existing one), build out a journey, and infuse it with personal reflection in the process. It’s almost impossible to write agnostically, that is to say without letting your own ideals spill over into the material. As a result, the chronicles of Dante and the obstacles he faces should end up feeling more relatable, even with all the elevated language mimicking the original prose throughout. Here is a man who has lost and seeks to regain, but in the process he must dive further and further into madness, fear, grotesque dread, and the suffering of mankind others may be (or choose to be) blind to, and at the end, he must come out a changed person. This is the basis of any good character development and a process we undertake invisibly most of the time in our lives. Dante descends into Hell on a quest to bring back his late beloved along with his guide, Virgil. Along the way, he learns he must travel through all the rings of Hell and face the original evil in Lucifer himself. He bears witness to tragedies beyond comprehension and must consistently turn his head from the horrors or sheds tears for the doomed souls within. There are several stages at which he feels hopeless, that he is unable to continue and must turn back, but comes to the realization that the only way out is through. So he ventures on through the darkest depths and faces the terrors within and without before he is allowed to ascend into the light. – Adrian

Track by track (LYRICALLY & MUSICALLY):

MUSICALLY – I: Dark Woods. Begins with Dante waking up in the woods, not sure how he got there or where to go. I wanted to start the EP just as innocently and slowly as his journey started, adding one more element to the tapestry at a time. The track then transitions into their descent into hell, appropriately titled II: Abandon All Hope. This track is where things start to kick off. Dante is experiencing life in Limbo and the first few rings of Hell. I wanted this track to sound just as overwhelming, daunting at times, and chaotic so that people can feel the effects of the journey ahead. III: Interlude is a brief pause as Dante leans on the safety of his guide Virgil, still aware that there is a long journey ahead. Listeners should anticipate that the Interlude is but a short reprieve until we get back into the swing of things. It’s a track both beautiful, and unnerving. IV: Deeper, Darker is where we start to get into the harsh realities of this journey through Hell and all the stress endured. We start off with a symphony of guitars that make up the voices of demons and suddenly enter into a jarringly heavy passage. Up and down we go all track long, finding short moments of clarity in an otherwise surreal journey. V: Ascendance. This track is heavy riff, after heavy riff, after heavy riff. I wanted to feel Dante’s struggle to stay the course and make it out of Hell. I’ve always joked that this song is “riff city” – Kyle

LYRICALLY –

I: Dark Woods: Dante wakes in a dark forest, confused. The lyrics in this song aim to address the paranoia and uncertainty he feels confronted with this new and terrible quest laid out for him. He is unsure of his path, uncomfortable of his surroundings, and slowly thrust into a whirlwind of hellish visions. The language used is very direct and statement oriented, it is taking stock of the environment and path ahead and gives us a direct insight into Dante’s state of mind. He describes very deliberately his emotions, hopes, and fears. He yearns for the light which he has been exiled from, the sweet ecstasy of the world he has departed, and begins a descent into despair. It is only a taste of the things to come, and serves as a sort of monologue like one would find at the beginning of a play.

II: Abandon All Hope: Here, the journey begins in earnest, Dante is urged to turn back or abandon all hope if he enters Hell itself. The lyrics try to communicate a feeling of disgust and horror at these initial rings of Hell, closely following Dante’s own reactions. The heroes venture on through rings of screaming corpses whose voices get swept up by the wind and echo endlessly, toiling in agony forever, and reach the river Styx which serves as a passage for the damned further in. The legendary Charon ferries them across to a land of men who worshipped false idols, on which I provide some commentary that time had betrayed them since some had come before it was determined Christianity was to be the true religion, and as such, they are punished for sins unknown and unwillingly committed. Across the various next chapters, Dante and Virgil come across lustful lovers, adulterers, and those who wasted their lives, each ring offering carefully curated and increasingly torturous punishments.

Interlude – no lyrics

IV: Deeper; Darker: The initial shock of Hell has worn off somewhat by this point and we focus on Dante’s condemnation of the sinners within throughout this song and an increased panic that sets in as the heroes are chased further down to the very center of Hell. First, they come upon another set of dark and twisted trees, where screams of anguish once again appear to sit upon the very air surrounding them, only to learn these sinners have been turned into the living trees they walk amongst, blood seeping from broken branches and Harpies sent to feast upon them a la Prometheus’ famous punishment. Further on, another river, where souls that profaned divinity are set to burn tantalizingly out of reach of the water that would end their misery. Another circle down, ten pits of frauds and cheaters writhing in excrement and filth, constantly whipped, as well a blackened pit where souls desperately climb the walls only to be cut by waiting demons and cast down into the fires below. Dante muses on the sufferings he sees, gazing and judging through philosophical eyes, accepting what some souls have done and lamenting what others have wrought. At the end, they reach the climax of their descent, the very center of Hell.

V: Ascendance: For the final track, I wanted to invoke a sense of awe and admiration amidst the fear and dread. It is the most egregious and terrible sight that Dante has ever witnessed, the most loathsome of visions, the true form of Lucifer himself towering over his domain, inspiring nightmares of terrible proportions and bending the minds of the weak to madness. In this incomprehensible horror, however, I believe there is an admiration for the pure scale of it all in Dante. How can one gaze at something so profoundly terrifying and not be amazed at it in spite of one’s fear? As a result, the lyrics tend towards statements and descriptions that beggar belief, inspiring incredulity, and demanding worship. As the heroes climb up on the very back of the multi-headed beast that is the Lord of Darkness, they finally make their ascent out of Hell and, once reaching the surface, gaze up at the stars with fresh eyes and newfound appreciation. – Adrian

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

BAND STORY ANGLES / FUN FACTS:

1. I had surgery on my chest a while back. I had this EP 100% written and planned out, and then suddenly I couldn’t play guitar for months to recover! When I finally felt able… recording this EP become a part of my physical therapy. It meant a lot to me to finally be able to play guitar well enough to get this thing done. – Kyle

2. Adrian and I have been working together for many years now, in multiple projects and multiple bands. I actually don’t know what I would do without him. He has become an integral part of my creative process and it’s awesome to have a brother in music! – Kyle

3. Almost every single song I have done with Kyle for Apollo preceding this EP had an entirely different tone and vibe, and this EP ended up being more varied than ever before! I’d never done most of these vocal techniques prior to tracking this work and Kyle is always very open to my experimentation, which I cannot thank him for enough. The trust we share is something very dear to me and allows me to grow as a musician in every way possible, I wouldn’t be who I am without him. – Adrian

4. The vocals on this EP were re-tracked probably 7 or 8 times per song over the course of 2 years, it was an absolute product of love, passion, and hard work. – Adrian

L-R – Kyle Prusky (Guitars, Bass), Adrian Parcioaga (Vocals)

Apollo features a clever combination of beautiful melodies and earth-shattering dissonance that culminates into a powerful and unique display of metal.

Apollo is the solo side project of one Kyle Prusky who brought in the expertise of Adrian Parcioaga to create an enthusiastic, heavy, and memorable concept EP revolving around the classic story of Dante and his descent into hell. “A Divine Comedy” takes the listener on a cathartic journey through breakdowns, growls, and aggressive riffs. Prusky shares his thoughts on the release:

“This EP has been in the works for a long time, and I could not be happier with the result. This EP is for those who have ever doubted themselves, have fallen apart to the demons in their head, felt like giving up, and needed guidance. Don’t give up. Keep fighting. Keep climbing. Trust the ones who stick by your side. Eventually, you’ll find your path. Every single choice, every note, and vocal take was absolutely deliberate and meant to evoke a specific response. Throughout the journey, the listener will be presented with soaring melodic solos, somber but beautiful keys that guide the self to introspection, crushingly heavy 8-string guitars, pounding drums, and vocals that dance with the music like a soliloquy to an audience of one.”

The concept record contains 5 tracks, each one a chapter following Dante’s descent into hell. It is a journey that has its ups and downs; you feel the weight of what Dante is going through; the aggression, uncertainty, unknown, and mystery. Don’t forget an unrelenting progression that crescendos into epic highs, straight down to epic lows.

According to Parcioaga “A Divine Comedy” is a progressive death metal opera, unabashedly dynamic and ever-shifting; and Apollo is an expression and extension of whatever comes to Kyle Prusky’s brilliant mind, regardless of genre. The EP was produced, mixed, and mastered by Prusky, with assistance from Parcioaga who also did the cover artwork. It is recommended for fans of Between the Buried and Me, The Contortionist, and Spiritbox.

“A Divine Comedy” is due out on January 27, 2023.

Discography:
2022 – Sundowning (single)
2022 – Clarity (single)
2021 – Self-Indulgence (single)
2021 – pitygang (single)
2020 – Murderous (single)
2020 – Swarm (single)
2020 – WMD (single)
2020 – Blunt Force Trauma (single)
2015 – Peace & Quiet EP

0 EPK – Medevil – Mirror in the Darkness (2023)

January 11, 2023
by Asher
· EPKs · Medevil

EPK – Medevil – Mirror in the Darkness (2023)

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

“‘Mirror in the Darkness’ is our boldest step into different musical stylings than ever before. It is a very dark sounding album mood-wise, and can be described as ‘progressive power metal’ in most areas. Each song throughout sounds completely unique from each other, bringing out a new metal flavour unheard from the previous tracks. We also experimented with Drop-C tuning here on a couple songs, adding to the dark sound. While it is not a concept album, the lyrics throughout have consistent themes about heavy personal issues such as depression and negativity you feel in life.” – Medevil

For Fans of Metallica, Mastodon, Metal Church, Accept, Baroness

Band Name: Medevil
Album Title: Mirror in the Darkness
Releases: April 7th, 2023
Label: Self-Release
Distribution: CD Baby

Facebook.com/medevilband | Twitter.com/MedevilMusic | YouTube | Instagram.com/medevilofficial

Medevil.bandcamp.com | Apple Music | Spotify | Amazon Music

Album of the Year 2023 – Prog Power Metal Category – Metal Pedia

“At fifty six minutes in length, some listeners may be daunted by the sheer amount of Medevil they are being asked to absorb, but I can quite honestly say that there is not one second wasted here as the band deliver one of the most compelling, absorbing albums I’ve heard in quite some while. Congratulations to all involved.” – Sentinel Daily

#13 on The Top 20 of 2023 So Far: Readers Choice – Sentinel Daily

“Medevil – Pray For Me – Six great new prog tracks you really must listen to!” – Prog Mag (March 6, 2023)

“a heavy onslaught of aggressive and menacing metal with moments of progressive diversion and musical exploration.” – Metal Roos

“The band has expanded their approach from their debut, writing songs that are more complex and progressive. Tracks like “Dead Before Birth” are intense and bombastic, while songs such as “Pray For Me” are mellower and more expansive. There are a few shorter numbers, but Medevil prefer extended compositions, with several tracks in the 6 to 9 minute range. The Udo Dirkschneider-esque vocals may be polarizing, but the songs are engaging and the musicianship impressive.” – Heavy Music Headquarters

“There are more twists that catch you off guard here (Dead Before Birth), and is the perfect way to kick off “Mirror in the Darkness”. It’s probably their most complicated song rhythmically, and while they didn’t originally write this thinking it should be complex, it seemed to happen naturally with the riffs they were coming up with at the time. Somehow despite that complexity, it’s also extremely catchy.” – First Angel Media

“The sequel doesn’t disappoint in any way. The listening pleasure increases with every single track. Nothing is veiled (“Veiled”) here, the bandwidth of musical ability is lived out openly. Who or what to emphasize here is up to you. I recommend “Pray for Me”, “Weight of the Crown” and “Veiled” as check out tips. With the mirror of darkness you can see the direction: it’s going forward!! My rating is a full 10 Hellfire points.” – Hellfire Magazin

“Medevil has put their thinking caps on for this because there are some really interesting songs on this. There’s something for everyone on this so it will appeal universally to metalheads everywhere. Something is happening in Canada because this is about the tenth release I’ve reviewed, and they are all of high quality and pretty diverse. The question is – what will Medevil do next? They’re going to have to go some to top this. Score: 9/10” – My Global Mind

“Medevil’s overall sound is often interesting, like a weird mash-up of Metal Church and 90s prog-metal acts like Wicked Maraya. Cool ideas populate nearly every song and there are a collection of killer moments that hook the ear ” – Angry Metal Guy

“Overall, a heavy onslaught of aggressive and menacing metal with moments of progressive diversion and musical exploration.” – Metal Gods Tv

“Medevil have broadened their musical range on their second album. Mirror in the Darkness is ostensibly Progressive Metal, but if you take a closer look it offers an amazing musical depth. The album is recommended for friends of the hard riff as well as connoisseurs. 8.5/10” – Sound Magnet

“”Mirror In The Darkness” due to its catchy chorus was my favorite song from the start. It’s also great how skilfully the keyboards are used here. In general, the band put a lot of effort into the arrangements.” – PowerMetal.de

“”Medevil signs here a varied record. ‘Mirror In The Darkness’ starts from a thrash base to open up to progressive influences, and the result is very convincing.” ” – Music Waves

“The Canadian metallers MEDEVIL come up with an extravagant, independent style mix, which can be described as Power Prog Thrash or simply Progressive Power Metal, and present their second studio work “Mirror In The Darkness”. We can expect a balanced, varied mix of styles from Nevermore meets Dream Theater, from which strong songs such as the opener ‘Dead Before Birth’ and the great ‘Among Thieves’ emerge and to which the characteristic, Dirkschneider-esque vocals of front voice Liam Collingwood are added.” – Obliveon

““Dead Before Birth,” hits hard, a song that weaves through the contraptions of time and cascades into something more than being. A powerful turn of the screw.” – Median Man

“On the Canadian west coast, MEDEVIL gives its version of Heavy Metal by injecting a lot of modernity, while respecting a certain tradition that sounds very European. In a rather dark atmosphere, the combo reconnects with sounds reminiscent of Accept or Metal Church with a serious boost and some progressive elements. “Mirror Of The Darkness” is a deliberate, hard-hitting and well-conducted achievement… “Mirror In The Darkness” is vigorous, sometimes epic and above all full of surprises (“The Signal”).” – Rock n Force

“for those who appreciate epic heavy metal just as much as thrash metal and progressive metal, this album may come across as quite the nice little gem.” – Progressor

“The band deliver on every track, the album is brilliant. Do add it to your metal collection.” – Project Metal Music

“Perfectly situated to please fans of classic heavy metal, Conductor Of Storms is very strong debut from the young Medevil.” – The Monolith (2016)

“Rejoice metalheads! Chiliwackian power thrashers, Medevil, has created a top-notch debut full-length album entitled Conductor Of Storms”. – Bravewords (2016)

“Play it loud, play it fast as heavy metal world has found another new soldier to carry on the flag in the form of “Medevil”” – Planet Caravan (2016)

“Conductor of Storms is one of the most complete, fully-formed and damn near perfect debut albums I’ve ever heard from a young heavy metal band. Tracks like Escape – a blustering, no-holds-barred mashup of Metal Church, Megadeth and Overkill – are just so mature, so faultlessly executed and so, well, heavy metal, it beggars belief that they are not being delivered by a band that’s been in the game for thirty years.” – Sentinel Daily (2016)

“Riding out of the cold wastes of western Canada on warhorses of steel comes Medevil with their amazing, self-released debut album Conductor of Storms. Bruising Traditional Heavy Metal is what these guys play and they play it well. Monstrous riffs and pounding, organic drums underscore the powerful vocals and intricate solos. The band has a taste for things epic, so no love songs or cliché odes to the Metal lifestyle here.” – Metal Crypt (2016)

Band Name: Medevil
Album Title: Mirror in the Darkness
Releases: April 7th, 2023
Label: Self-Release
Distribution: CD Baby

Track Listing:
1. Dead Before Birth (6:18)
2. Among Thieves (5:00)
3. Pray for Me (6:35)
4. The Signal (7:22)
5. Smoke and Mirrors (1:48)
6. Weight of the Crown (4:18)
7. Mirror in the Darkness (8:31)
8. Gateways (2:41)
9. Veiled (3:56)
10. No Peace in Rest (9:23)
Album Length: 55:58

Album Credits:
All songs performed by Medevil
All songs written by Medevil, except:
The Signal, Mirror in the Darkness & No Peace in Rest written by Medevil & Ken Schellenberg
Smoke and Mirrors written by Ken Schellenberg
Orchestra on Tracks 4, 5, 7 & 10 Arranged and Recorded by Ken Schellenberg
Produced & Mixed by Brett Gibbs & Eric Wesa
Mastered by Jeff Black (Blacknote Music)
http://www.jeffblackmusic.com
Guitars Engineered by Brett Gibbs & Jeff Black (Blacknote Music)
Drums Recorded and Engineered by Larry Anschell (Turtle Recording Studios)
http://www.turtlerecording.com
Vocals for Track 2 – 8 Recorded and Engineered by Brett Gibbs
Vocals for Track 1 & 10 Recorded and Engineered by Tim Neuhaus (Ear Art Music Studios)
http://www.earartmusicstudios.com
Album Cover Art by Ivona Vasileva
Members of SOCAN
Music is Canadian Content (MAPL)

Album Recording Lineup:
Liam Collingwood – Vocals
Gary Cordsen – Lead Guitar
Brett Gibbs – Rhythm Guitar, Lead Guitar & Backup Vocals
Eric Wesa – Bass & Backup Vocals
Chris Malcolmson – Drums

Live Lineup:
Gary Cordsen – Lead Guitar
Brett Gibbs – Rhythm Guitar, Lead Guitar & Backup Vocals
Eric Wesa – Bass & Backup Vocals
(Temporary/rotating drummer)
(Temporary/rotating singer)

Discography:
2023 – Mirror in the Darkness LP
2016 – Conductor of Storms LP

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

The album as a whole:
‘Mirror in the Darkness’ is our boldest step into different musical stylings than ever before. It is a very dark-sounding album mood-wise and can be described as ‘progressive power metal’ in most areas. Each song throughout sounds completely unique from each others, bringing out a new metal flavour unheard from the previous tracks. We also experimented with Drop-C tuning here on a couple songs, adding to the dark sound. While it is not a concept album, the lyrics throughout have consistent themes about heavy personal issues such as depression and the negativity you feel in life.

Track By Track:

1. Dead Before Birth – Kicking things off is Dead Before Birth, a hard-hitting opening track that begins with a drum-only intro. Featuring complex arrangements, precise timings, and vicious guitar riffs. Between the many different time signatures, dense guitar layers, and menacing chorus, Dead Before Birth’s goal is to be catchy while also challenging the listener. The lyrics are kept abstract, dealing in a metaphorical sense with the feelings of depression.

2. Among Thieves – Continuing directly from the first song is Among Thieves, with a sharp snap of the snare. A straight-shooting thrashy metal song – with some interesting twists – that bridges the gap sonically between Conductor of Storms and Mirror in the Darkness. Fans of the first album should appreciate this song. A triplet feels with unrelenting riffs, catchy bass lines, that is brought to life through Liam’s vocals and lyrical themes relating to greed, and stealing time (whether your own or someone else’s).

3. Pray for Me – A slower paced, moodier song with a dense atmosphere, and spacious chord progressions that give Liam room to shine on the vocals. The lyrics portray a person who is building walls around them, keeping others out and not wanting to deal with the world. Pray for Me is one of the more accessible tracks on the album, with a driving groove and lush production. Featuring dual guitar solos and biting vocal harmonies over a soaring chorus section that will definitely get stuck in your head.

4. The Signal – The fourth track on the album, The Signal is another venture into more progressive territory. This is the first song we could consider being an ‘epic’ on the album. This is also the first song to feature Ken Schellenberg’s orchestral elements. The Signal is a dynamic blend of heavy emotion and a delicate atmosphere. The lyrics are about looking for signs of issues or problems in your life, with themes of hospitals and life/death.

5. Smoke and Mirrors – An extension of The Signal, and the only instrumental on the album that acts somewhat like an intermission, cleansing the audio palette for the listener.

6. Weight of the Crown – Weight of the crown is the sixth track on the album. The lyrics are about power, responsibility, and the negativity that comes with that. Heavy is the head that wears the crown is taken from Shakespeare. Musically, the song explores a darker and heavier side of the band. A sinister opening, dynamic verses that grow in intensity, and escalating guitar and bass riffs give the listener a sense of overwhelming doom.

7. Mirror in the Darkness – The title track of the album. The lyrics explore the themes of not being comfortable with yourself, disliking what you see in the reflection, and trying to break through that mirror of darkness. This song is epic in length and has a more classic heavy metal styling inspired by power metal riffage. It also features orchestral elements throughout.

8. Gateways – Short and to the point, Gateways features an understated bass solo tucked beneath Liam’s vocal melodies and sprawling guitar chords. The song quickly elevates in intensity and pace, taking the listener somewhere they might not expect the first time around. The lyrics use digital media as a way to describe the negative escapism, where you become too addicted to the point where it affects the real life. The song ends almost as soon as it begins, abruptly leading directly into the next track.

9. Veiled – A progressive song written with a pop structure in mind, this song is a departure from our usual style. With heavy emphasis on atmosphere and groove, Veiled is mostly focused on the drums and bass, with flavours of keys and guitars used throughout. The song is our first to feature a synth solo. The lyrics are about someone who is struggling to change or accept change, yet still trying anyway, through different viewpoints. Climbing a hill, only to fall back down again.

10. No Peace in Rest – This track is the album closer, and the longest song. No Peace in Rest journeys through many different musical ideas and soundscapes with ruthless vocals, orchestral elements, dueling guitar solos, and clean passages. It encompasses many of the themes of the album, with the music tying back to the first song in the finale, creating a cycle. The song’s lyrics are independent from Dead Before Birth, but contain similar metaphors through Medusa rebuilding the earth of stone (watch them turn to stone). The perspective is from someone who is going through a journey through hell and climbing out of it to be reborn and start back again in the birth afterlife.

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

Story Angles – Fun Facts:

1. Ken Schellenberg, who recorded the orchestra elements on the album, was also our drummer for a period at various live shows while we were looking for a new drummer after Ross left. His drum set came on wheels, and had a full lightshow and smoke machine built in!

2. While the drums were recorded in studio at Turtle Recording Studios in Vancouver, the rest of the album was recorded fully at home. Guitars, Bass, and vocals were all recorded by Brett at his house using Ableton Live.

3. Our first show we ever played was at a Church in Abbotsford, all the way back in 2014.

4. We performed in the Wacken Metal Battle Canada, placing in the Top 6 across Canada as a National Finalist. As a result, we opened up for Sepultura on their 30th Anniversary Tour show in Vancouver.

5. Eric Wesa was originally the guitarist, and Liam Collingwood was both bass and vocals back before the group was fully formed. After getting two answers from a Craigslist ad looking for a new guitarist from both Brett Gibbs and Gary Cordsen back-to-back, Eric decided to take over bass. This stroke of Craigslist luck forever defined the unique blend of guitar styles that make up our sound.

L-R – Brett Gibbs (Guitar) | Eric Wesa (Bass) | Liam Collingwood (Vocals) | Chris Malcolmson (Drums) | Gary Cordsen (Guitar)

Photo Credit: Matthew Collingwood

Medevil is a highly energetic, fast-paced metal band known for its tight songwriting, intense stage presence, and roaring vocals. They are one of the few metal bands coming out of Chilliwack BC and hold that title proud as they have earned much praise and respect since their inception in 2014. As one of the 6 national finalists of the 2015 Wacken Metal Battle Canada, they are becoming more and more renowned throughout the country; their fame attaining them a following in their local town and across through to Vancouver.

Their music could be described as “power thrash” with half of their set being chorus-driven, and the other half focusing on blistering fast riffs. Influences for the band include Iron Maiden, Megadeth, and Metal Church. Their fast but catchy songs keep the crowd chanting throughout the set, and leave them wanting more. Liam Collingwood, the band’s singer, keeps the band image in theme with the songs while on stage and will wear thematic outfits when the mood demands it.

The band was founded on January 13, 2014, by Eric Wesa (bass), as well as brothers Liam (vocals) and Ross Collingwood (drums). It only took two months after the band’s inception before the boys found the ultimate guitar duo they were looking for, Gary Cordsen and Brett Gibbs. Once the lineup was solidified, they wasted no time performing shows and begin their musical journey. As a band, Medevil has two common goals; to explore their musical talents, and continue performing live for their fast-growing fanbase.

Now in 2023, Medevil is gearing up to release their second album “Mirror in the Darkness” in April and they couldn’t be more pleased to show off their updated sound. This album is also bittersweet as it is dedicated to drummer Chris Malcolmson who, since recording, has passed away.

According to the band, this album is a big step up from their previous album, with a more progressive and ambitious direction than before. Overall, the songs have much more variety and a lot more to offer, which should accommodate a wider array of musical tastes from metal fans or fans of music in general. Confident that fans of the first album will enjoy this one, they share their excitement:

“We can’t believe we made it to the finish line, what felt like forever since our debut! “Mirror in the Darkness” for us has been a long time coming, honestly mostly due to our ambitions being much higher this time around. Our goal was to create something better on all fronts compared to the last album, and we really feel like we succeeded. There’s much more to offer here in terms of styles, musicality, and maturity. There are a couple songs here as well that we took a stab at creating something more accessible, which fans of us as well as fans of non-metal music could all enjoy. Despite that, the album as a whole is fittingly a lot darker than “Conductor of Storms” in both lyrics and soundscape.”

“Mirror in the Darkness” is Medevil’s boldest step into different musical stylings than ever before. It is a very dark-sounding album mood-wise and can be described as ‘progressive power metal’ in most areas. It has a lot more inspiration pulled from progressive bands, a lot more focus, and the soundscapes have a lot more depth than they’ve had in the past.

Recommended for fans of Metallica, Mastodon, and Metal Church, “Mirror in the Darkness” comes out on April 7, 2023.

Discography:
2023 – Mirror in the Darkness LP
2016 – Conductor of Storms LP

Shared Stage with:
Sepultura, Hammerfall, Flotsam and Jetsam, Unleash the Archers

Tours and Festivals:
2018 – Thunderfest – Mission, BC
2018 – Hammerfall ReBuilt to Tour – Vancouver, BC
2018 – Hyperspace Metal Fest – Vancouver, BC
2016 – Conductor of Storms Western Canada Tour – BC/Alberta
2016 – Special Guest for Wacken Metal Battle 2016 Final – Vancouver, BC
2015 – Wacken Metal Battle 2015 (National Finalist – Top 6) – Toronto, ON
2015 – Sepultura 30th Anniversary Tour – Vancouver, BC

0 EPK – Dusk – Spectrums (2023)

January 7, 2023
by Asher
· DUSK · EPKs

EPK – Dusk – Spectrums (2023)

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

Album Title: Spectrums
Release Date: February 17th, 2023
Label: Self Release
Distribution: Distrokid

For fans of Currents, Born of Osiris, Polaris, Future Palace, Novelists, Deftones

“This album is a statement of its own, from working with local artists like Khalid C from the melodic death band Entropia, and Abdulrahman Elghazali (Featured in a previous EP To Where I Belong) “Fear Is The Thing They Desire” to collaborating with international artists and adding vocals such as “Aron Harris from the Death Metal NewYork based band “Solemn Vision” and the great “Jaani Peuhu” previously from the highly recognized band “Swallow The Sun” and his band “lanai”

The album “SPECTRUMS” is a total of 12 songs with some twists in the vocals featuring other languages like German, Finnish, And Arabic.

With a complete theme idea behind the album, it aims to do the first half of the album or (side A), aggressively sounding, and more guitar-focused and adding more aggression to each track while the listener moves forward.

The second half (Side B) aims for a new sound from DUSK infusing more of the electric/EDM-ish sound where it’s more focused and digitized sounding and widely more appealing to the non-metal listener, all while keeping the same aggression level building up with each track.

With the name comes the main idea which is giving the music and letting everyone I wanted to work with, put their creative input and point of view, discussing real topics and relatable stories so that the average listener feels the connection and experiences a full emotional journey throughout the whole album.

“Something To make all people from different aspects of life can relate to”.

As things developed with time, I decided to infuse different languages and different styles, genres, and sounds, I wanted to bring more to the table and make this album a possible gateway to new audiences and perhaps fans from both sides, the metal heads & the non-metal listeners.” – DUSK

OfficialDusk.com | Facebook.com/Officialdusk94 | Instagram.com/official__dusk | Twitter.com/Official__Dusk

Dusk94.bandcamp.com | Spotify | Apple Music | Soundcloud | Anghami.com/artist/7640038

Album Title: Spectrums
Release Date: February 17th, 2023
Label: Self Release
Distribution: Distrokid

Track Listing:
1. The World We Used To Know Ft. Abzy & Khalid C – 5:42
2. Digging Deeper Ft. Alex Hamilton – 4:05
3. Breath In, Breath Out Ft. Adnan – 4:20
4. Hatred Ft. Alex Hamilton – 3:12
5. Lethal Perspectives Ft. Aron Harris – 3:02
6. Agnes Of Rome Ft. Abzy – 5:00
7. Burning In My Mind Ft. Moe Steiger – 3:31
8. Karma Will Find You Ft. Moe Steiger – 4:19
9. Someone To Trust Ft. Jon Thomas – 3:38
10. Only You Ft. Jaani Peuhu – 5:39
11. Celestials Ft. Iman Ahmed & Abudlrahman Elghazali – 4:37
12. Absence Of Full – 2:18
Album Length: 50:00

Album Credits: All recordings were done by DUSK
• All songs performed by: DUSK
All songs were written by: The features + Mohammed AlKudwah for the song Hatred Ft. Alex Hamilton
• Produced by: DUSK
• Mixed by: Tom Haberland
• Mastered by: Tom Haberland
• Album Artwork by: Giannis Nakos (Remedy Art Designs)

Album Band Line-Up:
DUSK – One man band

Live Band Line Up:
Band members will be different with each region or country. The Constant member is DUSK himself.

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

The album as a whole (LYRICALLY & MUSICALLY):

This album is a statement of its own, from working with local artists like Khalid C from the melodic death band Entropia, and Abdulrahman Elghazali (Featured in a previous EP To Where I Belong) “Fear Is The Thing They Desire” to collaborating with international artists and adding vocals such as “Aron Harris from the Death Metal NewYork based band “Solemn Vision” and the great “Jaani Peuhu” previously from the highly recognized band “Swallow The Sun” and his band “lanai”

The Album “SPECTRUMS” is a total of 12 songs with some twists in the vocals featuring other languages like German, Finnish, And Arabic.

“Something To make all people from different aspects of life can relate to”.

Track by track (LYRICALLY & MUSICALLY):

Side A:

1- The World We Used To Know Ft. Abzy & Khalid C (Talks about how things could or did change and are taken for granted.).

2- Digging Deeper Ft. Alex Hamilton (Talks about betrayal and the behavior of being stabbed in the back by a loved one).

3- Breath In, Breath Out Ft. Adnan (Talks about waking up from all the toxic environment and people and becoming above it to see it clearly).

4- Hatred Ft. Alex Hamilton (Talks about the powerful politician abusing their power and corrupting the future of the children).

5- Lethal Perspectives Ft. Aron Harris (Talks about someone with a Megalomania and or someone that thinks highly of himself and reminds him that he is not god).

6- Agnes Of Rome Ft. Abzy (Talks about a real ancient Rome story that happened (c. 291 – c. 304) about a girl that was going to be a saint and preserved herself for marriage when someone tried to drag and rape her but couldn’t, and after that, the people accused her of witchcraft and took her life unfairly).

Side B:

7- Burning In My Mind Ft. Moe Steiger (Talks about when someone has a consistent tick in his mind and can’t get rid of it and the longer this idea or the thing that keeps spinning in his mind the more of a burning feeling he feels).

8- Karma Will Find You Ft. Moe Steiger (Talks about someone in the metal scene in Saudi that thinks he controls everything in the music aspect).

9- Someone To Trust Ft. Jon Thomas (Talks about giving that last hope of trust to someone to find that it was worth giving it to this right person).

10- Only You Ft. Jaani Peuhu (Talks about the person that can cure my evil thoughts and dark past with her love and touch).

11- Celestials Ft. Iman Ahmed & Abdulrahman Elghazali (Talks about love and wanting the person to stay with me and go on a journey just for the two of us).

12- Absences Of Full (Album Outro Instrumental) (The end of it all, the instrumental outro is just a closure for all these feelings and with it. it puts the album into the end of a phase of my music projects).

Photo Credit: John Abutas

Dusk is a lead electric guitar player with experience of nearly 10 years in the music field, working in various music genres such as Metal, Rock, Hip-hop, Jazz, Soul, R&B, and EDM. Some of his musical influences are of the likes of Currents, Erra, Volumes, Led Zeppelin, Andy James, Buckethead, and many more.

Since 2020, he has been releasing his solo projects in metal subgenres like metalcore, djent, melodic metal, and progressive metal. Since its inception, Dusk has released two EPs “To Where I Belong” (2021) featuring guests Madani Zakri and Abdulrahman Elghazali and “Ascension” (2020) along with multiple singles.

In 2023, DUSk releases the first full length, an labrum featuring 12 tracks with many guests such as like Khalid C from local Saudi melodic death band Entropia, and Abdulrahman Elghazali (Featured in a previous EP To Where I Belong – “Fear Is The Thing They Desire”) to collaborating with international artists such as Aron Harris from the New York Death Metal based band Solemn Vision and the great “Jaani Peuhu” previously from the highly recognized band “Swallow The Sun” and his band “Lanai”. Vocals are also sung in many other languages like German, Finnish, and Arabic.

The debut album “Spectrums” is due out on February 17th, 2022.

Discography:
2020 – Ascension – EP
2020 – Enrapture – Single
2021 – Particles Of Shapes – Single
2021 – Rotten Roots – Single
2021 – To Where I Belong- EP
2022 – Origin Ft. Brett Anspach – Single
2022 – Spectrums – LP

BAND STORY ANGLES / FUN FACTS:

1. Fun fact, Dusk is the nickname/stage name I choose to go with when deciding on this genre and type of music, a lot of people think at first that it’s a band name but it actually just me and the reason for that is because my background was very melodic and mostly instrumentals, I wanted to give presence to my previous style in music, so that’s why DUSK, the minutes between day and night as in my music for it being between the dark and melodic breaks and the pure connection in these dynamics

2. Fun Fact: I used to be a DJ in my college days in the UAE, and my music career started right then and there, that was in 2013.

3. Fun Fact: I’m a self-taught musician and producer, I never took a class although I’ve been wanting to for almost half of my career but being too lazy about and hoping for one day to get this done and over with.

0 EPK – Visitant – Dematerialization (single) (2022)

December 30, 2022
by Asher
· EPKs · Visitant

EPK – Visitant – Dematerialization (single) (2022)

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

For fans of Naglfar, Gojira, Goatwhore, Enslaved, Opeth

“Dematerialization – Earthy black metal with a bit of groove. Lyrically ..one of my friends described it as “I feel like it’s an appropriate description of going through the pain and acceptance of death and the dichotomy of the onlookers’ feelings..one and the same but of different perspective” “Themes of “hauntology, and how we curse ourselves with burdens of our own creation until we suffocate under them”” – Visitant

Band: Visitant
Song Title: Dematerialization
Release Date: December 30, 2022
Label: Self-Release

Facebook.com/visitantband | Instagram.com/Visitantband | Tiktok.com/@_visitant_

Digital (Spotify, Apple Music) – https://distrokid.com/hyperfollow/visitant1/dematerialization

Band: Visitant
Song Title: Dematerialization
Release Date: December 30, 2022
Label: Self-Release

Track Listing – Dematerialization – 6:11

Single Credits:
• All songs performed by: Visitant
• All songs written by: Visitant
• Produced by: Visitant
• Mixed by: Mike Low
• Mastered by: Mike Low
• Album Artwork by: Chelsea Strickland
Logo by: Maxwell Aston

Single Recording and Live Band Lineup:
Taylor Tidwell – Guitar
Matthew Brown – Guitar
Anthony Lusk-Simone – Drums
Terran Fernandez – Bass
Chelsea Strickland – Vocals

Top L-R Matthew Brown (Guitar) | Taylor Tidwell (Guitar) | Chelsea Strickland (Vocals) | Anthony Lusk-Simone (Drums) | Terran Fernandez (Bass)

Seasoned vets in their respected local scenes across various American states, blackened death metallers Visitant converged in Nashville, TN earlier this year and are now prepared to make their debut to the metal world with the single “Dematerialization” accompanied by a music video.

Visitant was formed by Matthew Brown (Demon King, ex-Enfold Darkness), Taylor Tidwell, and Chelsea Strickland (voice actor at Monster Factory), with the later addition of Terran Fernandez (ex-Mindscar) and Anthony Lusk-Simone (Abiotic).

Vocalist Chelsea Strickland explains their introduction to the extreme metal community and music video:

“Right before the idea of Visitant, I was binging all of The Haunting of Hill House and The Haunting of Bly Manor and became infatuated. I really grew an attachment to them because the emotions were relatable. My grandfather became terminally ill around the same time. My mother also became dangerously ill around the same time. I associated the series with them… The feelings I had while watching that. Were comparable to real-life events. Anyway, I was in love with how beautifully those series were written and shot. The cinematography was so superb. I was hooked… and when I moved to Nashville from Pensacola, I started Visitant with Matt. The name is another word for an apparition. I wanted to embody the intense yet heart-wrenching vibes it carried. So I felt the name was fitting. I’ve always loved ghost stories since I was a kid. Discussing the ideas and concepts of Visitant with Matt and Taylor came easily. We wanted to create a project where we could feel free to write what we wanted without it being too complicated or forced. To make it as dark and spine-tingling as we wanted it to be.”

Vicious, feral, and meshing Victorian mourning vibes with black metal, this is the path Visitant will be exploring in their sound as they plan to deliver a forthcoming EP in 2023. Even though they write from a distance, with today’s easy access to communications, they have been able to create and write from state to state.

“I think our single Dematerialization and more to follow will be well received. I honestly feel our sound is unique. We have really rad guitar lines and melodies. We just want the audience to experience the music with all senses eventually. Audibly, we just hope it makes you feel something.”

“Dematerialization” was the culmination of several months of collaboration between all members of a newly formed band. During this time they were writing other songs for the project in an attempt to create an original sound, but it wasn’t until this track’s completion that they had a firm idea as to what they would become.

Visitant is recommended for fans of Naglfar, Gojira, Goatwhore, Enslaved, and Opeth.

Single Recording and Live Band Lineup:
Taylor Tidwell – Guitar
Matthew Brown – Guitar
Anthony Lusk-Simone – Drums
Terran Fernandez – Bass
Chelsea Strickland – Vocals

0 EPK – A Flock Named Murder – Garden of Embers (single) (2022)

December 24, 2022
by Asher
· A Flock Named Muder · EPKs

EPK – A Flock Named Murder – Garden of Embers (single) (2022)

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

For fans of Agalloch, Neurosis, Cult Of Luna, The Ruins Of Beverast, Emperor

Single Title: Garden of Embers
Release Date: November 30, 2022
Label: Self-Release

““Garden Of Embers” is as musically elaborate as it is emotionally dramatic. It weaves and balances complex counterpoint melodies and shifting instrumental dynamics with moments of heaviness, grit, and ferocity. It is somber and then uplifting, before concluding as a story of tragedy. It’s both ethereal and crushing; exuberant in its delivery while powerful in its presentation. It’s a song that will pull you in, and won’t let you go until it decides it’s done – and when that happens, you won’t forget what it did to you.”” – A Flock Named Murder

Facebook.com/AmongTheFlock | Instagram.com/aflocknamedmurder | YouTube

Aflocknamedmurder.bandcamp.com | Apple Music | Spotify

““Garden of Embers” is a long song, allowing significant room for A Flock Named Murder to create an experience that is indeed elaborate and powerful, descending into emotional valleys and rising to peaks of intensity while not losing the thread of the song’s harrowing and often punishing narrative. The almost mystical ring of the guitar makes the music seem wistful, musing, and mesmerizing at first, but like embers given air, the song slowly begins to ignite. The heaviness of the bass rears its head and the drums tumble, the guitars begin to seethe and seem more yearning and then distraught, and the screamed vocals are shattering. The fevers and turbulence in the music crest in striking fashion. The mercurial maneuvers of the guitars and bass seize attention, but there’s a rippling and writhing riff that burrows deeper into the head as it comes, goes, and returns. The experience becomes sweeping in its panoramic scale, but confusion and anguish come through in the wailing of the guitar and the wild cries of the vocals as well, feelings that hit hard even as the rhythm section put on an electrifying show. Indeed, the whole song is electrifying, and completely immersive. There’s an extended guitar solo near the end that’s somehow both heart-breaking and spectacular, a magnificent and ultimately inspiring passage that provides the track’s true crescendo before its softer, sadder, but still beguiling conclusion. And so “Garden of Embers” isn’t just a way to fill a silence for fans of AFNM, but a significant accomplishment standing alone and a striking reminder of how easy it is to get lost in what they’re capable of doing.” – No Clean Singing

“Every now and then, we’re given a record that manages to take metal and spin it right on its head as the band in question really changes things up. It’s because of acts like YOB, Tchornobog, and the aforementioned Inter Arma that we’re able to still get unique morsels of art like this one in these times, and I’m more than happy to put A Flock Named Murder in that small yet very capable company of top-tier bands. “An Appointed Time” is a record that’s still getting my blood pressure to rise just by listening to it, and I can see it growing on me even more to become one of my favorites of the year.” – HEAD-BANGER REVIEWS

“A band that can do so much in just five tracks is just the sort of band that many of us simply flock towards. It’s thanks to acts like Tchornobog that we’re always on the lookout for bands that really toss out the idea of genre boundaries to create something unique, and A Flock Named Murder did just that with their debut. To say that “An Appointed Time” is an expansive record that feels as though it’s always reinventing itself with each track to become something bigger than a mere debut, and it couldn’t have been done better.” – HEAD-BANGER REVIEWS

“The music builds an increasingly ominous and unnerving mood and then boils over in an effusion of battering drumwork, febrile bass notes, and writhing riffery, only then to segue into vibrant strummed guitar, a gloriously spiraling solo, and a dose of big, head-moving rhythms and anthemic chords. Tumbling drums and desolate guitar reverberations draw the trip to a downcast close.” – NO CLEAN SINGING

“Fantastic blackened sludge/doom. Heavy, mesmerising, progressive. Sad. Painful. Stabbing. Yes, the record has similar artwork made by Adam Burke, to Lurk’s glorious epos from this year (artwork by the same artist) and explore similar genre. AFNM’s album is definitely among the finest releases this year. Seems to be that the blackened sludge with post- elements is getting speed.” – BLESSED ALTAR ZINE

“Nor is this a gimmick band; there’s plenty else to draw you to An Appointed Time. There are down-right groove metal influenced sections on that first track, which make us think of Gojira of all things. Elsewhere, the blackened moniker takes over, creating blistering, acidic tracks that double down on the already present grandiosity with tremolo-fast riffs and blast-beats. But what will echo through your ears as the album ends is that very specific, very hard to create feeling of classic metal; everything on display here just blends into this feeling that you only get when listening to really well made and passionate metal. Can that be a genre? It is now and A Flock Named Murder pull it off to a fascinating degree.” – HEAVY BLOG IS HEAVY

#21 out of Top 35 of 2018 at HEAD-BANGER REVIEWS

#11 out of Top 11 of 2018 from KALYMAH at METAL.IT

#29 out of Top 50 of 2018 from Count Vlad at BLESSED ALTAR ZINE

#9 out of Top 30 of 2018 from KMaN at BLESSED ALTAR ZINE

Top 50 of 2018 at ChaliceOfBlood.net

#21 out of Top 50 from West Maddox at BLACK METAL DAILY

[Download Single Cover | Download Single Lyrics]

Single Title: Garden of Embers
Release Date: November 30, 2022
Label: Self-Release

Track Listing:
1. Garden of Embers – 14:17

Single Recording Credits:
All songs performed by: A Flock Named Murder
All songs written by: A Flock Named Murder
Produced by: Roland Rodas at Cavern Of Echoes Studios
Mixed by: Roland Rodas at Cavern Of Echoes Studios
Mastered by: Roland Rodas at Cavern Of Echoes Studios
Album Artwork by: Ilyse Krivel and Bryan Bray

Recording Band Lineup:
Ryan Mueller – Guitars, Voice
Mike Wandy – Bass, Voice
Cam Mueller – Drums, Lyrics

Live Band Lineup:
Ryan Mueller – Guitars, Voice
Mike Wandy – Bass, Voice
Cam Mueller – Drums, Lyrics
Mike Binns – Guitars

Canada’s A Flock Named Murder is a driving pummeling force that weaves themes of existentialism, inner struggles, and personal conviction together with ethereal and crushing black metal. They have a new single ready for the world, the complex and powerful “Garden of Embers”. This single is a small offering for listeners to ferment on as they embark on producing their next full-length album. It’s one of the many journeys that will be embarked on throughout the album showcasing emotional peaks and valleys and its fair share of dynamic composition – instrumentally, vocally, and structurally. The band explains the single:

Lyrically, “Garden of Embers” is a post-apocalyptic tragedy exploring themes of personal desolation. It embodies a stark reflection of physical death in things we hold dear, giving way to death of the self, but as more of a dissolution than a rebirth.

The next full-length album will begin its production in the very near future, and there are plenty more ideas at varying levels of completion beyond that. Diverse, sprawling, and melodic, A Flock Named Murder is recommended for fans of Agalloch, Emperor, and Cult Of Luna.

Discography:

2018 – An Appointed Time (full length album)
2016 – Ephemeral – EP (under the moniker Sovereign)

SHARED STAGE WITH:
Oranssi, Pazuzu, Rosetta, Falls Of Rauros, Imperial Triumphant, Miserere, Luminis, Hexis, Panzerfaust, Immortal, Bird Insect, Ark, Ashbringer, Nesseria, Erimha, USA Out Of Vietnam, Uhtcearu, Drofnosura, Ischemic, Idol Of Fear, Arbor

BAND STORY ANGLES / FUN FACTS:

1. Ryan and Cameron are brothers who have been very close all their lives. Aside from playing music together, they’ve also trained in martial arts, and have both worked in woodworking and carpentry.

2. Mike joined the band when he and Ryan were driving back from a metal festival in Montreal, and Ryan played him the early mixes of An Appointed Time. A Flock Named Murder needed a bassist after Sean left the band shortly after recording, and it just so happened that Mike was a bass player.

3. The earliest incarnation of the band was known as Goliath, before going under the moniker Sovereign for many years. Personal feelings toward the name Sovereign (as well as numerous other bands sharing it) led to the band renaming themselves to A Flock Named Murder, which was originally a title for a yet-unfinished song.

0 EPK – eOn – Kalash Blood & Bones Pt.1 (2022) (Tentacles Industries)

December 21, 2022
by Asher
· eOn (Tentacles Industries) · EPKs

EPK – eOn – Kalash Blood & Bones Pt.1 (tentacles Industries)

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

“For the writing of this record, we felt free to break the codes, we wanted to show that violence has several faces in this world through the lyrics: push the cursor to the extreme while keeping the sense of the melody.” – eOn

Album Title: Kalash Blood & Bones Pt. 1
Release Date: October 13, 2022
Label: Innercore Prod
Distribution: Tentacles Industries, Season of Mist

Elementofnoise.com | Facebook.com/eOn.official.page | Instagram.com/eon_element_of_noise_official | Tiktok.com/@eon_element_of_noise

Eon-official.bandcamp.com, Spotify, Apple Music

Tentaclesindustries.bigcartel.com | Facebook.com/tentaclesindustries | Instagram.com/tentaclesindustries

Twitter.com/tentaclesindus | Youtube.com/@tentaclesindustries | Tentaclesindustries.bandcamp.com

[Download Album Cover | Download Album Lyrics]

Album Title: Kalash Blood & Bones Pt. 1
Release Date: October 13, 2022
Label: Innercore Prod
Distribution: Tentacles Industries, Season of Mist

Track Listing:
1. Come Down (3:15)
2. Welcome To The Pyramid ( 3:23)
3. Highlanders (3:49)
4. Kalash (1:47)
5. Locked In Hell (3:24)
6. Fragging (4:18)
7. Heads On Pikes (3:34)
Album Length: 23:32

Album Recording Credits:
• All songs performed by: eOn
• All songs written by: eOn
• Produced by: Nicolas “Ranko” Muller – Studio du pénitent
• Mixed by: Nicolas “Ranko” Muller – Studio du pénitent
• Mastered by: Nicolas “Ranko” Muller – Studio du pénitent
• Album Artwork by: Florent Molinier

Album Band Lineup:
Flo (Vocals)
Ranko (Drums)
Kad (Guitar)
Enzo (Guitar)
Romain (Bass)

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

The album as a whole (LYRICALLY & MUSICALLY):

Music made for the energy of the live in the pit as a whole, and there are some moments of melodic breaths. Lyrically, it is uncompromising even if it may seem very violent or politically incorrect.

Track by track (LYRICALLY & MUSICALLY):

The first track “Come Down” is musically a mix of thrash and power metal in the sense of groove, with spices such as death and hardcore, in terms of lyrics there is a set of questions and answers with the bassists who occasionally provide a second hardcore typed voice while the singer remains in a death metal or black metal register. The song begins with a wild solo guitar.

The second track “Welcome to the Pyramid”, musically it is anchored in 90s metal (riffs like Slayer, Pantera and Carcass ) with a modern sound, at the level of singing it is Thrash with modern screaming parts, and a chorus almost sung clear. There’s a melodic speed solo guitar part.

The third track “Highlanders” musically begins with guitars harmonized in the style of Carcass then it goes on with modern metal and hardcore, there is melodic guitar solo and a black metal passage. The singing style adapts to each part.

For the fourth track “Kalash” musically it’s Suicidal tendencies on steroids

The fifth track “Locked in Hell” musically it’s a mix of thrash punk hardcore and rock n roll.

The sixth track “Fraggin” is a crossover between black metal and neo metal.

The bonus track “Heads On pike” is a hard core song.

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

BAND STORY ANGLES / FUN FACTS:

1. The guitarist makes his own deli

2. The other guitarist has a YouTube channel dedicated to electronics and chemistry.

3. It is the least physically imposing in the band who have the biggest voice.

eOn ass destroyer since 1999. Born in the fury of the dying 90s, eOn has never been a prisoner of style. A perfect mix of punk anger, the precision of thrash, and the violence of death metal, the band’s music go further to the extreme, but the hardcore Roots still lives on. Since the band hired Nicolas Muller as their drummer (ex Svart Crown), with more and more cutting guitar riffs, eOn melts a solid technique with a wide metal culture. It’s terrifying, yet clever music, allied with really impressive live performances that push the band to a high standard level.

Album Band Lineup:
Flo (Vocals)
Ranko (Drums)
Kad (Guitar)
Enzo (Guitar)
Romain (Bass)

Discography:
2022 – Kalash Blood & Bones Pt. 1 – EP
2017 – Purgatory Inherited – LP
2013 – Chaos Behind Us – EP
2009 – Unscared – LP
2004 – Brutal Awakening – EP
1999 – eOn self-titled – EP

SHARED STAGE WITH:
Sepultura, Hatebreed, Black Bomb A, Dagoba, Betraying the Martyrs, Eths,

TOUR AND FESTIVALS:
2022 – France – Marseille – Opening for Sepultura
2018 – France – La Garde – Opening for Black Bomb A
2017 – France – Marseille – Opening for Dagoba and Betraying the martyrs
2015 – France – La Valette – Opening for Hatebreed

0 EPK – Atomic Trip – Strike #3 (2022) (Tentacles Industries)

December 21, 2022
by Asher
· Atomic Trip (Tentacles Industries) · EPKs

EPK – Atomic Trip – Strike #3 (2022) (Tentacles Industries)

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

For fans of Conan, Bongripper, Electric Wizard, Toner Low

“We are so proud of our third album. We think that we have pushed all barriers to keep our motto: less is more. With a few riffs, we have made a progressive psychedelic doom masterpiece. Here the most simple becomes the most complex and every single note weighs a ton. A ton of harmonics, of resonance, of feedback. When we first played those tracks live, we were not confident and hesitant, but people reacted so well! From dark basements to the bigger stages at metal festivals, it has always been a total blast, from the top to the final drum hit. To describe Strike #3 in one sentence: like it or loathe it, you cannot ignore it.”

Band: Atomic Trip
Album Title: STRIKE #3
Release Date: Digital = Oct 27th, 2022 – Vinyl = March 24, 2023
Label: Doom & Doomer Records, Tentacles Industries

Vinyl pre-order via Tentacles Industries – https://tentaclesindustries.bigcartel.com/artist/atomic-trip

Atomictrip.bandcamp.com | Facebook.com/atomictripdoom | Instagram.com/atomictripdoom | YouTube | Spotify

Tentaclesindustries.bigcartel.com | Facebook.com/tentaclesindustries | Instagram.com/tentaclesindustries

Twitter.com/tentaclesindus | Youtube.com/@tentaclesindustries | Tentaclesindustries.bandcamp.com

“These DOOM warlords have created the Instrumental Doom album of the year entitled Strike #1. Over the course of 40 minutes, this band proves that they can’t be fucked with when it comes to creating riffs that kill on contact. What I love about this record is how they are able to manifest such dynamic songs without using vocals. ATOMIC TRIP’s tunes are the perfect soundscape for your mind to run wild in a HEAVY NEVER-NEVER-LAND!” – CVLT NATION – Instrumental Doom album of 2017

“Each resonating chord is literally hammered out and left ringing over a bed of resonating bass and this is a pure and simple celebration of the utter power of the riff.” – MORE FUZZ

“These gargantuan sized riffs from Atomic Trip will hit you with hypnotic waves of radiation haze, while burying you in a mushroom cloud of fallout and smoke.” – SUPER DANK METAL JAMS

“Each, drawn out chord, is encapsulated with a veil of heaving discordance as hypnotic as it is painful, self flagellation by sledgehammer. Worship at the Sepulchre of doom!” – THE SHRIEKS FROM BELOW

“Atomic Trip creates soundscapes that are heavy and powerful as mountain massifs. It is a sense of desolation and at the same time magnificent and warm. Then Atomic Trip opens up completely new audio worlds far beyond the reality. The music is bigger than everything.” – SLAVESTATE

“Atomic Trip does not go below 8 on the Richter scale. Even with the earplugs, I thought my ears would fall like two pieces of plaster.” – FEEDBACK MUSIC

“Here is a raw, cryptic, deviant doom, where everything is played on the atmosphere. This is the secret little corner, where everything is only vibration, introspection, where the notes haunt the depths of the soul.” – THE DARK LODGE

Band: Atomic Trip
Album Title: STRIKE #3
Release Date: Digital = Oct 27th, 2022 – Vinyl = March 24, 2023
Label: Doom & Doomer Records, Tentacles Industries

Track Listing:
1. Bomb #5 – 24:12
2. Bomb #6 – Length 20:47
Album Length: 45:00

Album Recording Credits:
• All songs performed by: ATOMIC TRIP
• All songs written by: ATOMIC TRIP
• Produced by: ATOMIC TRIP
• Mixed by: Alexandre Borel
• Mastered by: Alexandre Borel
• Album Artwork by: Jean-Luc Navette

Album and Live Band Lineup:
Gary McDoom (Guitar)
Jean-Claude VanDoom (Guitar)
Grom Tattooer (Drums)

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

The album as a whole (LYRICALLY & MUSICALLY):

You have been stunned by the first Strike and the two heavy bombs that dropped on your body and in your soul.

You have been knocked out by the second Strike and two more bombs that bombed your dizzy brain.

Get ready to get destroyed by the third Strike! Darker, louder, longer, and still more devastating.

The guitars will crush your head piece by piece, the drums will slowly smash your mind out of your body, the strident choruses will cause your death in a long, painful and unstoppable tinnitus.

Death.

That’s your only option.

Drink more booze than ever, smoke more weed than ever and wait. Wait for the end of your torment.

Track by track (LYRICALLY & MUSICALLY):

– Bomb #5 starts with a pretense, an introduction that makes you wonder if your turntable is working properly. But without warning, the tone rises, rises, rises imperceptibly. The 3 riffs follow each other and bring each their share of finesse and heaviness. And it ends in a fuzz apocalypse, which gives way to an almost tribal drumming, made of toms rolls, which conclude with a final bludgeoning of toms. In short, a play in 3 acts, but it does not end.

– Bomb #6 follows with penetrating feedback and toms rolls, before a brutal silence and the entrance of the absolute anvil, its main riff which is the summit, and the summary of the whole universe of the band. The more it goes on, the more the psychedelic heaviness sets in. And the end is just as definitive, with two last leaden minutes that twist your brain, concluded by leaking feedback and a final absolutely definitive drum hit.

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

BAND STORY ANGLES / FUN FACTS:

1. Doing long tracks is really a pain in the ass, because of the vinyl’s maximum length. On one side, you can barely put in more than 20 minutes of music and for us, it’s not an option to cut our tracks. That’s why we always have to edit the song to make it fit on a 12” LP. For Strike #3, the LP version of Bomb #5 is far shorter than the CD/cassette and digital versions

2. JC hasn’t played the guitar before doing it in Atomic Trip. Basically, the first few notes he played were the first riff of Bomb #1. As he is a high-level singer and artist, it came naturally to him to play an instrument. Gary was supposed to play the bass in Atomic Trip at first, but as JC needed some guitar landmarks, Gary played guitar as well and the band went on like that.

3. Grom didn’t know anything about doom, sludge, or stoner before entering the band. He had to work hard to strike slowly as his background was fast rock and punk rock.

4. For the first album, we gave Jean-Luc Navette (international tattoo artist and illustrator) a carte blanche to draw the artwork. He did something incredible while listening to it and we instantly loved the outcome. So now, we just reproduce the same process. He listens to what we have recorded and creates imagery based on his inner feelings.

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

L-R: Jean-Claude VanDoom (Guitar) | Gary McDoom (Guitar) | Grom Tattooer (Drums)
Photo Credit – Alispictures

The dope factory has exploded, inhale the smoke and prepare to trip. First, the violent blast of fuzz hits you in the face, then you board for a journey into blurry and muzzy dreams. Plug your darkest fuzz, light your joint, uncap your booze and feel the raw power of doom. We’re all atomic zombies trippin’ on slow riffs.

Album and Live Band Lineup:
Gary McDoom (Guitar)
Jean-Claude VanDoom (Guitar)
Grom Tattooer (Drums)

Discography:
2022 – STRIKE #3
2019 – STRIKE #2
2017 – STRIKE #1

0 EPK – Odinfist – Remade In Steel (2023)

December 19, 2022
by Asher
· EPKs · Odinfist

EPK – Odinfist – Remade In Steel (2023)

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

“Over the course of our musical careers, we’ve always prioritized making music that we enjoy and want to listen to first. Each album is a snapshot of where we were mentally, creatively, and socially– but we always wanted to explore new spaces within the genre and try to push into places we hadn’t been before. Remade in Steel is true to Odinfist’s roots in Traditional Heavy Metal, offers its listeners the same energy and sound that they’ve come to expect from the band, but still shows off the band’s love for discovery.” – Odinfist

For fans of Savatage, Riot City, Eternal Champion, Cauldron, Anvil

Album Title: Remade In Steel
Release Date: March 10, 2023
Label: Self-Release
Distribution: N/A

Odinfist.bandcamp.com | Facebook.com/Odinfist | Instagram.com/odinfist.official

Spotify | YouTube.com/user/odinfistofficial | Apple Music | Deezer

“Old-school metal is in vogue and on the rise and Odinfist delivers on all fronts with this anthem-filled good-time, moshing composition of heavenly Heavy Metal!” The Metal Gods Meltdown

“there’s some cool stuff here, so Odinfist is definitely a band to keep an eye on if you can’t get enough traditional heavy metal.” – The Metal Crypt

“Odinfist not caring who knows what bands influence their sound – a sound that wouldn’t even be here if it weren’t for the likes of Iron Maiden, Saxon, Angel Witch, and every other band who helped create the iconic and much loved sound of traditional heavy metal… Overall, six songs of infectious and head bang-able traditional heavy metal featuring the classic foot on the monitor gallop.” – Metal Gods TV

“‘Remade In Steel’ will have mosh pits jumping for joy and raising their clenched fists high in the air. Odinfist are remaining firmly and squarely in the heavy metal genre, delivering the kinda metal I grew up listening to – and I listened to a lot!” – Frenzy Fire

““Riffmaster,” gets the bluesy inclinations going strong. It hits the heights and moves with a fierce grit, turning through the shriek and bringing the goods. “Metalmancer,” turns through, hitting the triumphs and the growing bounds of time. “Remade In Steel,” hits the hammer hard, turning the growing sounds of the thunder forward.” – The Median Man

“Make no mistake, Odinfist is unashamedly old school sounding, carrying off a sound that was prevalent during the decade for metal evolution, the glorious eighties. Just take album opener ‘Riffmaster’ as a prime example – I can almost smell the eighties! And I know exactly what the eighties smelled like, for I was a teenager during the decade of not just metal evolution, but evolution for fashion and technology too! ‘Riffmaster’ is a galloping “foot on the monitor”, head bang-able slab of traditional heavy metal – and all from a band over three and a half thousand miles away from where it all started! But then, one of Canada’s greatest metal exports is Anvil, so Odinfist has a great legacy to live up to. And along with bands such as Skull Fist, Iron Kingdom, and Striker – the legacy is safe.” – Metal-Roos

“Heavy Metal in the Old Vain, the followers of extremely heavy Heavy Metal cult bands in pure steel culture like CAULDRON, RIOT CITY, SAVATAGE, ETERNAL CHAMPION, IRON MAIDEN, JUDAS PRIEST as well as the True Metal faction lets water run on the mill wheel by the liter . – A mighty Hail… – to the Odinfist! 8/10” – FFM-Rock

“‘Metalmancer’ dives super catchy into the pool of grooves, immediately getting into the blood ensnared by powerful JUDAS PRIEST/METAL CHURCH epic anthem material convinces his fan clientele, to which the reviewer of these lines belongs, after the proclaimer of the truth has expressed his opinion melodic, powerful, anthemic and heavy,” – FFM-Rock

“Odinfist play true heavy metal at its finest… Remade In Steel is pleasing from the first to the last note,” – Soundmagnet Magazin

“Don that favorite denim or leather jacket, strap on that bullet belt, and savor this effort that keeps heavy metal alive.” – Dead Rhetoric

““Remade In Steel” is a thoroughly old-school Metal disc that can definitely get you in the mood if you have a heart for this style.” – Hellfire Magazin

“Something new in Okanagan metal band’s seventh album” – Kelowna Daily Courier

“Remade In Steel screams Saxon, vintage Leppard and Priest… what they’ve made here is a sub-40 minute romp through trad, doom, thrash and more that ticks just about every metal box in the Sabbath-inspired book. Think Maiden have gone soft? Hark back to Metallica’s Ride The Lightning era? Know every word of Screaming For Vengeance? Then Remade In Steel is made for you.” – Rush On Rock

“”Remade in Steel” offers a unique musical experience. The end result is a complete album that has a bit for everyone and a sense of accomplishment at the very end. Saucy, melodic and barbaric. Get ready for a roller coaster ride through the twists and turns of traditional heavy metal. Odinfist recommended for fans of Savatage, Riot City and Eternal Champion.” – W-Mgnieniu-Rocka

“”…Remade In Steel” is a good and entertaining metal” – Power Metal

“‘”Remade In Steel” is a record that will not leave you indifferent for any reason. It is a heavy metal creation, full of “live” compositions and epic atmosphere, which aims to convey to you the madness for heavy metal.'” – Soundcheck

“”Remade in Steel” stays true to Odinfist’s roots in traditional heavy metal, offering listeners the same energy and sound they’ve come to expect from the band, while still showing the band’s love of discovery.” – Amplified Mag

“…pure and hard Heavy Metal, from the old school, in the purest style of IRON MAIDEN, JUDAS PRIEST, and other bands of the well-known NWOBHM…” – Necromance Magazine

“this is heavy duty old school metal. The simplicity of the title track stands out for me and the opening “Riffmaster” cranks along pretty well, with lots of lead axework. ODINFIST is drawing inspiration from the right places” – Wormwood Chronicles

“Odinfist has a damn good grasp on the metal jugular without ruining the authenticity of the medium.” – Metalpsalter

“They capture the old school sound better than most of the competition, without a doubt” – Foul Feast Webzine

[Download Album Cover | Download Album Lyrics]

Album Title: Remade In Steel
Release Date: March 10, 2023
Label: Self-Release
Distribution: N/A

Track Listing:
1. Riffmaster – 6:28
2. Metalmancer – 4:36
3. Remade in Steel – 5:16
4. Allfather – 6:52
5. Deadline – 5:16
6. Masquerade – 8:34
Album Length: 37:02

Album Recording Credits:
• All songs performed by: Odinfist
• All songs written by: Odinfist
• Produced by: Shane Bouthillier
• Mixed by: Shane Bouthillier
• Mastered by: Shane Bouthillier
• Album Artwork by: Art of Grimmuza
• Canadian Content (MAPL)

Album and Live Band Line Up:
Tyler Anderson – Lead Vocals and Guitar
Bradley Caulien – Drums
Justin Ketterer – Guitar and Backing Vocals
Jesse Valstar – Bass

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The album as a whole (LYRICALLY & MUSICALLY):

A roller coaster ride taking the listener through the twists and turns of traditional heavy metal.

Track by track (LYRICALLY & MUSICALLY):

Riffmaster – Epic speed metal. Deep Purple vibes. Very guitar-driven track. The lyrics are about a badass wizard dude who brings true metal to the people of Earth and passes judgment on the enemies of metal.

Metalmancer – Classic 80s metal riffs. Some hair metal influences in the verses. The lyrics describe a protagonist as they’re being exposed to new ideas and how they can forge a new path in life. The guitar solos are fucking sick, boys. Remade in Steel – Michael Akerfeldt would say “It’s going to be evil.” This one definitely has some Savatage riffage. Gets super heavy and then breaks into a psychedelic solo section. Very unconventional song structure. The protagonist of the song seeks help from Monks in a mountain monastery, but they have to break them down and reforge them out of metal because the damage is too extreme.

Allfather – This song is about Odin Allfather, from Marvel’s Thor films, played by Anthony Hopkins. The song is pretty much Dance of Death by Iron Maiden.

Deadline – This is the Metallica song. It is also the Megadeth song. It goes from doomy to thrashy, with lots of chromatic riffage. The lyrics are about trying to survive under pressure, crushing anxiety, and running out of time.

Masquerade – This is the long, epic song of the album. Space aliens like to wear masks at fancy parties, and attempt to exterminate the human race, and then humans are forced to flee to space in order to avoid extinction.

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BAND STORY ANGLES / FUN FACTS:

1. Odinfist headlined the first two Armstrong Metalfests, back when it was just a backyard party on our old drummer’s parents’ farm.

2. The band has had the same members now for just about 16 years, which makes it very easy to work together because of how familiar we are with each other’s playing styles. We’ve all been friends since high school.

3. This album was written during the Covid 19 lock down years. Lots of ideas that didn’t quite make it got forgotten or scrapped along the way.

4. Jesse Wrote the lyrics to Remade in steel while binge watching the latest season of the Mandolorian.

5. The song “Masquerade” has been an idea for over 10 years and went through several revisions. At one time, around 2011, it was a finished song, with a very different structure, but it got shelved and then revisited multiple times before it became what it is today.

Odinfist has been bringing heavy metal to the Okanagan Valley for sixteen years and has participated in a variety of major shows and festivals across Western Canada. They have played with a variety of other bands such as Kataklysm, Thor, 3 Inches of Blood, etc. Members of Odinfist are also very involved with the Okanagan Metal scene. The band is all about fun, melodic heavy metal that you mosh, party, or just have a good time to, with a relentlessly energetic and entertaining live show.

Album and Live Band Line Up:
Tyler Anderson – Lead Vocals and Guitar
Bradley Caulien – Drums
Justin Ketterer – Guitar and Backing Vocals
Jesse Valstar – Bass

Discography:
2009 – Thrash and Pillage
2009 – Fields of Flesh EP
2010 – We Are Gods
2011 – Come to the Walls EP
2012 – Rest in Glory
2016 – The Old Lighthouse
2019 – Let the Gods Decide
2023 – Remade in Steel

SHARED STAGE WITH:
3 inches of blood, Kataklysm, Skull Fist, Thor, Into Eternity, Holy Grail, Aggression, Diamond Head, Grim Reaper, Unleash the Archers, Iron Kingdom, Greyhawk, Protest The Hero, Devin Townsend Project

Tours and Festivals:
2022 Armstrong Metalfest – Armstrong, BC
(2009-2012, 2014-2021) Armstrong Metalfest
2019 Hyperspace Metalfest – Vancouver, BC
2018 Loud as Hell – Drumheller, Alberta
2017 Decimate Metalfest – Calgary, Alberta
2016 Hellraiser Fest – Kelowna, BC
2016 Metallion – Vanderhoof, BC
2016 Loud as Hell – Drumheller, Alberta
2015 Farmageddon – Edmonton, Alberta
2014 Calgary Metalfest – Calgary, Alberta

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