Category: EPKs

0 EPK – Category VI – Firecry (2023) (Moribund Records)

January 30, 2023
by Asher
· Category VI (Moribund Records) · EPKs

EPK – Category VI – Firecry (2023) (Moribund Records)

For fans of Iron Maiden, Metallica, Judas Priest, Dio, Mercyful Fate

Band: Category VI
Album Title: Firecry
Release Date: March 24, 2023
Label: Moribund Records
Distribution: Moribund Records

Facebook.com/CategoryVI | Instagram.com/categoryviofficial | Youtube.com/CategoryVImetal

Spotify | Categoryvi.bandcamp.com/

Follow Moribund Records: Facebook | YouTube | Instagram | Spotify

“a promising band worth watching.” – Rock Hard (DE)

“the band, with their sound rooted firmly in the early 80s, play with real charisma.” – The Independent Voice

“a really nice slab of metal that should please fans of the old and new heavy and power metal genres.” – Metal Crypt –

“If you dig acts like Seven Kingdoms, Mindmaze, or Helion Prime, then I’d call this a no brainer although Category VI do separate themselves from their contemporaries with a more pugilistic edge, and a lethal injection of classic metal attitude which would call to mind Judas Priest or Mercyful Fate. Overall a solid record. You could do far worse than check this out. “ – The MetalCrypt

“So if you like your metal aggressive yet smooth, soulful while never failing to thrash, and resonating without sacrificing in that certain visceral punch, War is Hell is a must – an album that will appeal to the diehard fans of a forgotten generation of thrashers and headbangers, while bringing sufficient juice and sizzle to lure wayward fringe fans of the millennium and beyond. “ – Metalheads Forever

“This album, their second full length, is a power metal tour de force. Although I don’t think they sound like either band per say, they do give off a classic metal vibe like JUDAS PRIEST or MERCYFUL FATE. “ – Metal Temple

“Musically, Category VI are a storming True Metal band with no pretentions and no excuses made….Unlike the trend-driven sub-genres, the sound of Category VI is timeless and WAR IS HELL has already shown that they are ready to take it to the international stage.“ – Metal-Rules

Band: Category VI
Album Title: Firecry
Release Date: March 24, 2023
Label: Moribund Records
Distribution: Moribund Records

Track Listing:
1. Firecry – 6:10
2. Valkyrie – 6:05
3. The Vultures Never Came – 4:10
4. She Runs With Wolves – 4:12
5. Heavy is the Crown – 3:47
6. Coven – 4:52
7. The Cradle Will Fall – 4:53
8. Burning Bridges – 3:49
9. Barracuda (Heart) – 4:21
Album Length: 42:18

Album Credits:
• All songs performed by: Category VI
• All songs written by: Category VI
• Produced by: Category VI
• Mixed by: Category VI / Keith Jackman
• Mastered by: Keith Jackman
• Album Artwork by: Cover art by Ivan Radnic
• Member of SOCAN
• Canadian Content (MAPL)

Album Band Line Up:
Amanda Marie Jackman: vocals
Geoff Waye: guitar
Keith Jackman: bass
Brian Downton: Additional drums
Jason Williams: session drums

Live Band Line Up:
Amanda Marie Jackman: vocals
Geoff Waye: guitar
Keith Jackman: bass
Brian Downton: drums

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Describe the album as a whole:

Amanda: at its core, unapologetic. The concept of this album is about the burning of witches historically, but also, how we are still being “burned” after all of these years.

Describe each song track by track:

Amanda:
Firecry- The title track of the album, a fucking battle hymn. This song is about witch burnings, but conceptually, it’s about how being “different” is still causing us to be “burned” all of these years later.

Valkyrie- Is about sexism and misogyny and my own personal experiences with this. Being told to shut up my whole life backfired. LOL 🙂 It’s about sisterhood and banding together like a bunch of powerful Valkyries against the assholes in the world!

The Vultures never came- This song was written in memory of my friend, Jill Janus from the powerhouse band, Huntress. Jill sadly passed on a few years back, and I was lucky enough to get to know her before she died. I just really looked up to her, and was honoured that she was thinking about collabing with us on a track, but sadly this did not come into fruition. This song is an homage to her strength, mental illness is no joke and has taken so many bright souls. She deserved a good send off, and I think we delivered.

She Runs With Wolves- This song is about a woman who was beaten down so badly by society, she fled into the deep woods. One night she gets abducted by aliens and they befriend her by giving her shapeshifting powers: by turning into a man eating wolf!

Heavy Is the Crown: Persistence and resilience in the face of adversity to emerge as a leader. “Heavy is the crown but she wears it like a feather.”

Coven- Bassist Keith Jackman wrote this song, and is his first lyrical contribution 🙂 This song is about our band seducing people into our witch lair and all of a sudden it turns into an oven, we essentially want to eat you up!

Cradle Will Fall- This song is about a child witnessing their mother being abused and sadly their mother turns into their abuser. It’s also about the sad realization that this child is on their own, to fend for themselves, and having to grow up at a young age.

Burning Bridges- The term, “Burning Bridges” often has a negative connotation, however, sometimes we actually NEED to burn them the fuck down. Some friends don’t deserve access to us anymore, so I wrote this song about how I unapologetically stopped talking to certain female friends that turned out to be bullies.

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Story Angles – Fun Facts:

1. The band name explained…. The Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale is a 1 to 5 rating based on a hurricane’s sustained wind speed. There is (currently) no 6 in the scale, so we named it “Category VI” and envisioned that next level would be a huge firecane destroying everything in its path.

2. Bassist Kieth Jackman plays in an AC/DC tribute band in the role of Malcolm Young.

3. Guitarist Geoff Waye has two side projects: Triskelyon (melodic thrash) and Artach (epic black metal).

4. Vocalist Amanda Marie runs her own business – a Spa!

5. Geoff created “Metal Rules”…’nuff said!

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Hailing from the misty shores of the northeast Avalon, Category VI formed in early 2010. The band brings something new to the local Newfoundland metal scene as they are the only female-fronted melodic metal band in the province! Category VI has performed live in St. John’s actively since 2010 with other local hard rock and metal bands as well as with touring bands Including NAIL and ANVIL and to date has released two full-length albums.

The band self-released their first full album “Fireborn“ in January 2014. The album received plenty of praise and great reviews on both the local and international levels. Two music videos (“Reborn“ and “Silence befalls the crowd“) were produced for the album. “Silence befalls the crowd“ has been released 4/28/2017 on the DVD “Kill For Metal Vol. I“, a compilation of videos of label-mates on the KILLER METAL RECORDS label. The band has performed regularly for over 7 years at many venues.

Not long after the release of “Fireborn“, CATEGORY VI signed to Killer Metal Records. The band spent most of 2015 writing and perfecting material for their second album “War is Hell”. Recordings for the album took place throughout 2016 and wrapped up in June 2016 at Redhouse Recording in St. John’s, NL. Album mixing was done in the summer/fall of 2016 and mastering was completed in early January 2017 by Lacquer Channel Mastering in Toronto, Ontario. “War is hell” has been released globally as of June 9, 2017. The album was nominated for hard album of the year for Music NL and was favourably reviewed by several press outlets.

The band played several shows in 2017-2018 until pausing to write the 3rd album. Then, without a permanent drummer, and with the pandemic, the band was in hibernation. The band has now emerged from the shadows with a new drummer and with the third album FIRECRY ready to be released in 2023 via Moribund Records.

Discography:
2014 – Fireborn
2017 – War is Hell
2023 – Firecry

Shared Stage with:
Anvil, Nail, Manacle, Emblem, Devastator, Winterhearth

0 EPK – Feed After Midnite – The Hunger (2023) (Feed On This Records)

January 28, 2023
by Asher
· EPKs · Feed After Midnite

EPK – Feed After Midnite – The Hunger (2023)

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

For fans of Deftones, Avenged Sevenfold, In Flames, KillSwitch Engage, Metallica

“We hope that listeners will appreciate our attention to groove and melody while still maintaining a level of heaviness. We create music that we enjoy so it’s validating when other people can relate to what we are doing musically. Each song stands on its own but leaves you with a hunger for more.” – Feed After Midnite

Feedaftermidnite.com | Facebook.com/FeedAfterMidnite | Instagram.com/feedaftermidniteband | Youtube.com/@feedaftermidnite/

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

Band: Feed After Midnite
EP Title: “The Hunger”
Release Date: November 25, 2022
Label: Feed On This Records
Distribution: DistroKid

Track Listing:
1. Shadows of the Night – 1:13
2. False Awakening – 4:02
3. Red Dead – 4:20
4. Ascending the Flames – 5:00
5. Book of the Fallen – 5:28
EP Length: 20:04

EP Credits:
• All songs performed by: Feed After Midnite
• All songs written by: Feed After Midnite
• Produced by: Feed After Midnite and Joe Lyko
• Mixed by: Joe Lyko
• Mastered by: Joe Lyko (Dark Moon Productions)
• EP Artwork by: Marc Bastien
• Member of SOCAN
• Canadian Content (MAPL)

EP Band Line Up:
Marc Bastien – Guitar/keys
Denis Bastien – Guitar
Sean Bolster – Drums
Dylan DeRepentigny – Bass
Yvon Gauthier – Vocals/keys

Live Band Line Up:
Marc Bastien – Guitar/keys
Denis Bastien – Guitar
Sean Bolster – Drums
Yvon Gauthier – Vocals/keys

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

The EP as a whole:

Lyrically the songs on the EP don’t really connect to each other. “The Hunger” is a collection of different stories. Each song from tracks 2-5 can stand on its own as a single. Musically, we knew that we wanted an acoustic type intro thing to lead it in, like a horror or sci-fi movie then we move on to the business of groovy metal. Book of the Fallen was chosen to be the last track because of the fade out at the end of it. Overall the EP has a nice flow to it.

Track By Track:

Shadows of the Night:
This is an instrumental intro. This track features an eerie almost haunting acoustic guitar line which slowly builds into an epic almost cinematic sounding theme. The track finishes with a cymbal swell that leads nicely into the second track for a cool effect.

False Awakening:
Is based on the films The Matrix and John Carpenter’s They Live. It’s how life and society is ruled by the media and government and their narrative and we the people are tired of being controlled and lied to.

Musically “False Awakening” is the fastest most aggressive song on the EP. It starts off sounding old school Slayeresque but quickly shifts into a headbang inducing double bass groove.Just when you think you have heard the heaviest the song can get the breakdown kicks in mid song and takes it to another level. The song finishes off with the breakdown commanding us all to “disobey, it’s time to f*ck the system!”

Red Dead:
It’s about the choices we make in life and the outcome of choosing our paths. Not letting revenge take control sort a good and evil thing

Musically, this one starts off sounding like doom metal but quickly transforms into a catchy groove metal tune. The breakdown mid song goes back to the doom metal style then we get another dose of the catchy chorus before we are led out with a cool variation of the doomy riff.

Ascending the Flames:
Is all about your trip to hell and meeting the big red guy. There’s no escape from your life/crime/tyranny on the good people of earth

Musically, this one is all built on a catchy drum beat that persists throughout the tune. The chorus kicks in with a heavy lurching halftime feel that commands you to bob your head! The breakdown on this one mid song is pure metalcore gold, pounding double bass, tasty guitar work to match and it all climaxes in a beautifully executed drum fill to bring us back to the chorus one last time.

Book of the Fallen:
Influenced by the movies Dawn of the Dead/Evil Dead. Being fans of retro horror movies it was more of a fun song about controlling the undead/ But also that it’s not because something is written that it means its the truth

Musically, this one starts off with the sounds of the undead before a tasty halftime groove kicks in. This one takes you for a ride with unexpected stops, catchy verses and an even catchier chorus! The breakdown that comes mid-song is so tasty. Just as the song seems like it’s climaxing, it stops and you think it’s done but it comes back to the original groove but this time the deluxe version with zombies and piano and tasty stuff going on everywhere it is so damn satisfying you have to listen to it multiple times to soak it all in, we promise!

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Story Angles – Fun Facts

1. We had our first show booked but didn’t have a band name yet and the promoter needed a name by the next day. During a break from practice, the band was trying to come up with a name with no luck, looking for inspiration, we looked through books on Marc’s bookshelf when we found a novel for the movie Gremlins, someone said “don’t feed them after midnight” and we all looked at each other, someone said what about the opposite, Feed after Midnight, we all agreed but decided to change it up a bit with the spelling of Midnite.

2. Marc, Denis and Yvon have been playing music together since 1998 and have played in different incarnations of the band until becoming Feed After Midnite.

3. In 2009, Marc, Denis and Yvon, produced an independent short horror film called Holyshit Zombies 2. The film was made on a shoestring budget and was filmed in the Ottawa/Gatineau area.

4. Guitarist Denis Bastien has a Gizmo figurine from his childhood that has always made its way on the top of his amp for every Feed After Midnite show.

L- R: Denis Bastien (Guitar), Sean Bolster (Drums), Yvon Gauthier (Vocals), Marc Bastien (Guitar)
Photo Credit – Feed After Midnite

Based in Ottawa, Ontario, Feed after Midnite was formed in March 2018. Longtime friends and band members Marc, Denis, and Yvon decided to submit a demo they did for a local Battle of the Bands contest and were chosen to play one of the shows. The problem was the guys didn’t really have a band, the song they submitted was only the 3 of them doing all the instruments and vocals. They recruited the singer from their previous band, Gunfighter Pedestrian, to be the vocalist and recruited Dylan DeRepentigny to be on Bass. The show was supposed to be a one-off, but the guys had such a blast doing it that they just said “let’s start a band”. Yvon(vocals) at the time was the band’s drummer and became the new vocalist as the other vocalist didn’t really fit the style and direction the band wanted to go. The band recruited Dominic Chaumont to be the new drummer.

They played their first show as Feed after Midnite in July 2018. From 2018 to late 2019, the band played a few shows in Ottawa and opened up for Buckcherry in July 2019. For a few months after, the band was mostly inactive, nothing was really going on. In late 2019, Marc, Denis, and Yvon began writing some new material when it was decided that it would be best to amicably part ways with Dominic. In January, the band placed an ad looking for a new drummer, and Sean Bolster answered the ad. Instantly the guys felt that Sean was a great fit and asked him to join the band that very first practice. Everything was going great, the band was set to enter the studio in April 2020, when the pandemic hit. The band decided to take the “time off” and really polish the new songs some more.

In the summer of 2020, the band entered the studio for the very first time, to record the songs Out of Time and Running Man. In the fall of 2020, both songs were released and received a positive reaction. Out of Time was picked up by Ottawa’s Rebel radio station and was on regular rotation for almost 2 years. The next single, Sweet Embrace, was released in late 2021. In March 2022, the band entered the studio to record their first EP. The recording was completed in late Summer of 2022 and was released on November 25 of that year. In August 2022, bassist Dylan decided to part ways with the band to go on to do some other project.

Feed After Midnite is:

EP Band Line Up:
Marc Bastien – Guitar/keys
Denis Bastien – Guitar
Sean Bolster – Drums
Dylan DeRepentigny – Bass
Yvon Gauthier – Vocals/keys

Live Band Line Up:
Marc Bastien – Guitar/keys
Denis Bastien – Guitar
Sean Bolster – Drums
Yvon Gauthier – Vocals/keys

Discography:
2022 – The Hunger – EP
2021 – Sweet Embrace – Single
2020 – Running Man – Single
2020 – Out of Time – Single

Shared Stage with:
Buckcherry, Beasto Blanco, Eve of Uprise, Sinful Ways, Black Absinthe, Danny Van Sceney, As We Suffer, Vortex, Aeternam, Infrared, Rockin’ Engine, Echos from Beyond, Boxcar Cadavers, Wasting Time, This Disaster, Hempress, Cynical Sons

0 EPK – Lunar – The Illusionist (2023) (Saibot Reigns Records)

January 28, 2023
by Asher
· EPKs · Lunar

EPK – Lunar – The Illusionist (2023)

ft. members from Witherfall, Helion Prime, Planeswalker, Novareign, Mokili Wa, Nordic Frost, Outloud, Double Vision

Album Guests Jørgen Munkeby (Shining), Christian Münzner (Obscura), Andy Gillion (Mors Principium Est),
Taylor Washington (Paladin), Sam Vallen (Caligula’s Horse), Ben Karas (Thank You Scientist), Gleb Kanasevich, Patrick Corona

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

For fans of Opeth, Katatonia, Haken, Caligula’s Horse, Devin Townsend

Album title: “The Illusionist”
Release Date: March 3, 2023
Label: Saibot Reigns Records

“We are so excited to finally be able to present our new album, “The Illusionist,” to the world! This album has taken so many twists and turns for us. We started the process of writing and recording everything for this album in 2020 during lockdowns. Now, 3 years later, after so many different issues, it’s finally finished and released! Despite how difficult it was for us to finish this album, we couldn’t be more proud of it! This album has the best songwriting and production of any Lunar album to date. There is such a wide variety of sounds and influences, but also the album flows seamlessly from one song to another. And, once again, there is a huge list of amazing guest appearances from members of Obscura, Caligula’s Horse, Paladin, Emperor, Thank You Scientist and more!” – Alex Bosson – Lunar

Facebook.com/lunarbandofficial | Instagram.com/lunarbandofficial | Twitter.com/LunarBandOffcl | YouTube.com/@lunarbandofficial

Lunarbandofficial.bandcamp.com | Spotify | Apple Music

“It’s really well done technically by a band that clearly cares about their music and can play.” – Rock The Joint Mag (The Illusionist 2023)

“If I had one word to describe this album, it would be this one: whirlwind… “The Illusionist” is an album that is living. From its jazzy highs to its heavy metal lows, this album is constantly on its toes, never repeating itself and never, ever growing complacent. A wonderful whirlwind indeed. 9/10” – Ever Metal

“I feel like Lunar has captured the balance between accessibility and technicality very well. I hear many of the same elements in their sound that, when employed well, make bands like Dream Theater, King Crimson, Voïvod and even Sigh so engaging. I love when an album comes out of nowhere (for me, anyway) and makes this much of an impression.” – The Metal Crypt

“As I said at the start, when I heard this album I was immediately grabbed by it. The story works nicely, it is very character based and features plenty of emotions which as a listener I certainly could relate to. The music is terrific with all the players putting in excellent performances and the instrumentation used in a clever way to match all that is going on with the lead character. There are moments of heavy prog as well as metal, but melody runs through the heart of it. The fact that some of the people in the band have never met or even been in the same room together is remarkable as it sounds like everyone was on the same hymn sheet and it doesn’t sound pieced together. That is a great credit to the writing, arranging as well as all the musicians doing their parts to the benefit of the whole piece. An absolutely delightful as well as enjoyable album.” – CGCM Rock Radio

“The concept is that there are songs that are angry, songs that are confused, songs that are depressed, and everywhere in between. Styles on the album run the gambit from Progressive Metal with melodic vocals, to moments of Jazz, to cookie monster Thrash…. The musicianship is solid on all of the parts, with some excellent performances, notably vocalist Chandler Mogel… it does warrant checking out for Prog-Metal fans that like a mix of growler and melodic vocals.” – Metal Express Radio

“The Illusionist again is at the highest level of the progsphere, Bosson’s continuation of the Lunar name, honouring his co-founder and friend, through the medium of progressive metal, is an advantageous endeavour. 9/10” – Musipedia of Metal

“The disc is well produced and played very well, so anyone who wants to dive into tempo changes and virtuosity will find what they are looking for.” – Metal Shock

“It is a dynamic and inclusive variety of the form we get here, where gentle atmospheric laden sequences and vibrant, guitar driven passages with regular as well as a more alternative variety of progressive metal coexist quite nicely, with occasional flirts towards extreme metal as a part of the experience. The compositions are further fleshed out by the use of world music elements inside of a metal context, as a standalone feature, as elements of more dreamladen ambient tinged interludes as well as combined with passages with a bit more of a jazz orientation. The latter which is present also in a more standalone and elegant manner. Occasional use of orchestral textures is a part of the totality too, and the band aren’t afraid to hit a more energetic power metal run when needed either. The vocals are clean and melodic, with occasional use of growls but more for dramatic effect and less as a defining feature. A production to seek out, inclusive and dynamic progressive metal is a type of music you tend to enjoy.” – Progressor

“LUNAR present an impressive show with „The Illusionist“. In contrast to the album title, however, there are no illusions, but quite real musical art. Thereby LUNAR conjure all kinds of things out of the hat. Their magic consists of a collection of high-quality multi-faceted songs. Thereby they go mainly a hard way. But many fine passages, which are refined with classical instruments of all kinds, provide great experiences. Furthermore, exotic sounds additionally provide for an atmospherically deep and exciting work. Personally, I also noticed especially the excellent guitar work, which conjures up fantastic moments again and again. In its entirety, it is a work of art of all the musicians involved, who have created something magical here. I can’t see any weaknesses here.” – Metal-Heads.de

“This is a record that everyone must own. Every generation and every country should adore an album like this, as one like Theogony rarely makes itself known. If you like music and consider it art, this is a must.” – Prog-Sphere on “Theogony” #23 Best Albums of 2017

“The sophomore album from this Cali band is showing the band expanding their horizons in sound. The heavy parts are heavier, the lighter parts are even lighter and the proggier parts are even more insanely proggy *plus on the song, Surrender, there is a very cool nod to the final lasting riff in Opeth’s Deliverance to close out the track…don’t think I didn’t catch that!* With all of the guest appearances, fantastic production and just masterful songwriting, this is one of the strongest prog albums you will hear all year. Trust me!” – Heavy Debriefings on “Eidolon” #39 Best Albums of 2019

“Inspired by a tragedy that befell the project in the way of losing guitarist Ryan Erwin, drummer and songwriter Alex Bosson has put his emotions towards honing a release that is as beautiful as angry. Helping him in his vision are guest contributions from members of Haken, Leprous, Thank You Scientist, Fallujah, etc.” – Prog-Sphere on “Eidolon” #19 Best Albums of 2019

“The word “classic” gets tossed around a lot, but I honestly can’t think of a better word for Eidolon. From front to back and top to bottom, this album is both firmly rooted in death metal with a progressive bend while standing alone atop the mountain. It’s equally headbanging heavy and enthralling, music to get in the mosh pit and simply sit in awe of. This is required listening because there’s nothing else quite like it.” – Progarchy on “Eidolon”

“Like Theogony, Eidolon is another very impressive showcase of modern progressive metal. It’s technical, emotional, melodic, and aggressive and is just very well put-together overall.” – wimpsandposers.com

Best of AOTY:
Prog-Sphere: “Theogony” #23 best of 2017
Prog-Sphere: “Eidolon” #19 best of 2019
Heavy Debriefings: “Eidolon” #39 best of 2019
Wimpsandposers: “Eidolon” #20 best of 2019
2019 SAMMIES (Sacramento Area Music Awards) Nominee “Best Metal Band”

[Download Album Cover | Download Album Lyrics]

Album Title: “The Illusionist”
Release Date: March 3, 2023
Label: Saibot Reigns Records

Track Listing:
1. Prestidigitation – 6:16
2. The Illusionist – 10:04
3. Showtime – 3:45
4. Worship The Sun – 5:23
5. Turn Off The World – 7:14
6. Disassembled – 5:53
7. Juggling Chainsaws – 7:30
8. For My Next Trick – 3:57
9 . Now You See Me – 8:39
Album Length: 58:46

Album Credits:
– Album Produced by: Alex Bosson
– Album Mixed by: Linus Coreliusson
– Album Mastered by: Jens Bogren
– Album artwork by: Travis Smith
– Album layout / design by: Brian Lewis
– Member of ASCAP

Recording Lineup:
Drums & Percussion – Alex Bosson
(Music – Track 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 8,9) (Lyrics – Track 2, 3, 5, 6,9)
Guitars – Balmore Lemus
(Music – Track 4) (Lyrics – Track 4, 7
Bass – Ryan Price (Music – Track 8)
Keyboards & Synthesizers – Alex Nasla
Lead Vocals – Chandler Mogel
Growl Vocals – Brian Lewis
Clarinet – Gleb Kanasevich (Track 1)
Saxophone – Patrick Corona (Track 2)
Flute & Saxophone – Jørgen Munkeby (Track 6)
Violin & Viola – Ben Karas (Track 9)
Additional Guitar Solo – Andy Gillion (Track 2)
Additional Guitar Solo – Taylor Washington (Track 3)
Additional Guitar Solo – Sam Vallen (Track 5)
Additional Guitar Solo – Christian Münzner (Track 7)

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The album as a whole:
Lyrically this album tells the story of a magician that questions his entire life’s work. He’s spent his entire life devoting himself to his craft and now he questions if it was worth it. I think this is a concept many people can relate to, especially those of us that have careers in some kind of artistic field. We often question what we’re doing in life to pursue our dreams. Musically the album goes through many stages as the character does on this journey of himself. There are songs that are angry, songs that are confused, songs that are depressed, and everywhere in between.

Track by Track:

1. “Prestidigitation” – this song is the most intense instrumental the band has ever done. It’s meant to set the stage for the variety of feelings you’re going to have throughout the show to come.

2. “The Illusionist” – the title track is meant to really introduce the character and tell us about who he is and what he does. Musically I think this helps us experience some of the constant changes of feelings about who he is and questioning himself.

3. “Showtime” – this song is the hype of him about to go out and perform, even when he doesn’t want to and what he has to do to make that happen. Musically I wanted something high-energy, so it’s a bit more power metal inspired.

4. “Worship The Sun” – this track has our title character questioning why people worship or look up to him, or any performer for what they do. Questioning not only himself but his fanbase. This song is very Egyptian sounding musically. This one was written by Balmore.

5. “Turn Off The World” – this song starts the character’s feelings of depression, just wanting the world to “turn off” and shut it all down. Musically I feel like this one is the most “accessible” to people as it has some more of the pop vibes throughout the progressive metal song. Definitely has a catchy chorus, in my opinion.

6. “Disassembled” – another song really diving into the depression feeling. Feeling life is falling apart, questioning every decision he’s ever made and why people have supported him in what he’s done. This song has some electronic kind of vibes. Very inspired by Lunatic Soul for this one.

7. “Juggling Chainsaws” – this song brings the character into feeling as if he’s completely lost control. Constantly trying to juggle the chainsaws of life and keep them all in the air without something terrible happening. It’s very chaotic, technical, and probably the proggiest and heaviest song of the album (maybe even the craziest song we’ve ever done). You can definitely hear the Dream Theater and Haken influence in this song.

8. “For My Next Trick” – another instrumental song. This one is very serene. Very centered around bass as a lot of this one was written by Ryan Price. A calm before and after the storm. After his mind has calmed down he has an idea for one last epic trick to pull and finally feels a sense of peace.

9. ”Now You See Me…” – the closing track to the album brings forward the idea of the previous track; our main character’s final trick. An epic show where he disappears forever. Did he perform this successfully or did he epically fail? Was he meant to disappear forever? Is he even still alive? Was he a master of his craft and this was his plan to disappear and know peace? Do we mourn him or celebrate him? The world may never know.

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Story Angles – Fun Facts

1. The album “Eidolon” was written by Alex about the grieving process of losing his friend and Lunar co-founder, Ryan Erwin.

2. The album cover art for “Theogony” and “Eidolon” were both painted by Alex’s father, Ed Bosson, along with the art used for the “Turn Off The World” lyric video.

3. On top of all the drums, percussion, and much of the songwriting, Alex played synth on one track on “Eidolon” and also played bass on one song from the debut “Provenance” EP.

4. Despite the fact that many of the members of Lunar have been with the band for years and have released multiple albums together, the core members have never all been in the same room together at the same time and many of them have never even met each other in person!

5. Once, during the days when “Theogony” was still being written, Alex and Ryan met Mikael Akerfeldt (from Opeth) and told him that they had kind of ripped him off with something they had written and his response was “that’s cool.”

Top – L- R – Ryan Price – Bass, Alex Nasla – Keyboards & Synthesizers, Chandler Mogel – Lead Vocals
Bottom – L – R – Alex Bosson – Drums & Percussion, Brian Lewis – Growl Vocals, Balmore Lemus – Guitars

Based out of Sacramento, CA, LUNAR is a progressive metal band formed in 2013 when longtime friends Alex Bosson (drums/percussion) and Ryan Erwin (guitar/vocals) decided to get together and write the style of music that was always in their hearts: genre-defiant and free of restrictive influence. After securing Danny Stevenson on Keyboards, the search continued for a full lineup… but to no avail. Rather than delay their progress, the trio decided to record and self-release their debut EP, PROVENANCE, in the Winter of 2014.

Shortly after the release of PROVENANCE, Danny parted ways with the group, while Bosson and Erwin began work on LUNAR’s debut full-length, THEOGONY – a concept album based on the nine Muses of Greek mythology. While reading about Melpomene, the Greek Muse of tragedy, Alex realized that the concepts that these nine Muses represent – subjects such as history, tragedy, music, love, etc. – are the backbone for most creative output in this world. In keeping with the progressive element of the band, he had the idea to spread the musical and lyrical diversity of these themes across an entire album: each of the nine tracks named after one of the Muses, the music and lyrics based around the theme that each specific Muse represents.

Once more unable to flesh out a suitably complete lineup as the writing progressed, Alex and Ryan decided to enlist contributions from other professional musicians around the world – initially a handful of guests laying down additional guitar solos. With the eventual additions of Ryan Price on bass and Chandler Mogel on vocals, a proper lineup for THEOGONY was set: and by the end of the recording process, 17 different musicians had participated – including members of Hatriot, Angel Vivaldi, Helion Prime, Berried Alive, and many more.

In the Summer of 2017, LUNAR signed on with Divebomb Records and in November of 2017, THEOGONY was released on CD. A logical step forward from PROVENANCE, the dynamically atmospheric hour-long journey of THEOGONY is sure to please fans of Porcupine Tree, Opeth, and Tool – to name but a few – with its lushly textured contrasts of beauty and aggression.

THEOGONY received numerous raving reviews even being called a “masterpiece” and “A record everyone must own. Every generation and every country should adore an album like this.” And even made #23 on Prog-Sphere’s Top albums of 2017.

In the Spring of 2018, Ryan Erwin unexpectedly passed away, leaving Alex unsure of what to do. After some time passed, he decided to persevere through the tragedy and continue on with LUNAR. Using the tragedy as inspiration, he began writing the next album, EIDOLON – another concept album based around the cycle of life and death and the stages of grief that the ones left behind feel. After writing all the music for the album, Alex enlisted their friend Balmore Lemus (NOVAREIGN) to handle tracking guitars for this album. And with Ryan Price and Chandler Mogel both returning again, the lineup for EIDOLON was set.

In keeping with the diversity that the guests brought to THEOGONY, Alex decided to continue with that idea. By the end of the recording, a total of 18 musicians contributed to EIDOLON – this time including members of Haken, Thank You Scientist, Fallujah, Leprous & Caligula’s Horse, to name a few.

EIDOLON is another journey of progressive metal at its finest, spanning 7 tracks and nearly an hour of material. Once again being released through Divebomb Records, EIDOLON is available as of November of 2019.

LUNAR are currently working on the follow-up to EIDOLON entitled THE ILLUSIONIST which is due out in early 2023.

Discography:
2023 – “The Illusionist”
2019 – “Eidolon”
2017 – “Theogony”
2014 – “Provenance” – EP

Alex Bosson – Endorses: Scorpion Sticks, Groove Juice Cleaners
Balmore Lemus – Endorses: Engl Amps

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

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

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.

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

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)

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

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

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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

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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.

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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.

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