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Category: EPKs

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

  • January 11, 2023
  • by Asher
  • · EPKs · Medevil

EPK – Medevil – Mirror in the Darkness (2023)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Track By Track:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Story Angles – Fun Facts:

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

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

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

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

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

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

Photo Credit: Matthew Collingwood

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.

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.

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:

““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.”

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

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

Discography:

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

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

BAND STORY ANGLES / FUN FACTS:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

[Download Album Cover | Download Album Lyrics]

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

Track Listing:​
1. Come Down (3:15)
2. Welcome To The Pyramid ( 3:23)
3. Highlanders (3:49)
4. Kalash (1:47)
5. Locked In Hell (3:24)
6. Fragging (4:18)
7. Heads On Pikes (3:34)
Album Length: 23:32
​
​Album Recording Credits:​
• All songs performed by: eOn
• All songs written by: eOn
• Produced by: Nicolas “Ranko” Muller – Studio du pénitent
• Mixed by: Nicolas “Ranko” Muller – Studio du pénitent
• Mastered by: Nicolas “Ranko” Muller – Studio du pénitent
• Album Artwork by: Florent Molinier

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

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

The album as a whole (LYRICALLY & MUSICALLY):

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

Track by track (LYRICALLY & MUSICALLY):

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

BAND STORY ANGLES / FUN FACTS:

1. The guitarist makes his own deli

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The album as a whole (LYRICALLY & MUSICALLY):

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

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

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

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

Death.

That’s your only option.

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

Track by track (LYRICALLY & MUSICALLY):

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

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

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

BAND STORY ANGLES / FUN FACTS:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

0 EPK – Odinfist – Remade In Steel (2023)

  • December 19, 2022
  • by Asher
  • · EPKs · Odinfist

EPK – Odinfist – Remade In Steel (2023)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

[Download Album Cover | Download Album Lyrics]

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

Track Listing:
1. Riffmaster – 6:28
2. Metalmancer – 4:36
3. Remade in Steel – 5:16
4. Allfather – 6:52
5. Deadline – 5:16
6. Masquerade – 8:34
Album Length: 37:02
 
Album Recording Credits:
• All songs performed by: Odinfist
• All songs written by: Odinfist
• Produced by: Shane Bouthillier
• Mixed by: Shane Bouthillier
• Mastered by: Shane Bouthillier
• Album Artwork by: Art of Grimmuza
• Canadian Content (MAPL)

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

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

The album as a whole (LYRICALLY & MUSICALLY):

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

Track by track (LYRICALLY & MUSICALLY):

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

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

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

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

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

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

BAND STORY ANGLES / FUN FACTS:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

0 EPK – Matt Miller – Decrepit Shed (Remastered) (2023)

  • December 19, 2022
  • by Asher
  • · EPKs · Matt Miller

EPK – Matt Miller – Decrepit Shed (Remastered) (2023)

Band: Matt Miller
Album Title: Decrepit Shed (remastered)
Release Date: February 3, 2023
Distribution: Blood Blast Distribution (powered by Nuclear Blast & Believe Digital)

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

Manager – Extreme Management Group – Mark Kloeppel – emg.markkloeppel[@]gmail[.]com

“The original release of Decrepit Shed was extremely ambitious while still full of nuance and depth. Like standing back and viewing a painting to see the bigger picture I felt that the smallest details which gave Decrepit Shed its foundation were somewhat obscured. The remastered version brings all these small but crucial pieces into focus and takes an already exciting listening experience to another level. The remastered version of Decrepit Shed takes an extremely strong 2-dimensional album and brings it into a 3-dimensional world.” says Miller.

Distribution: Blood Blast Distribution (powered by Nuclear Blast & Believe Digital)

Mattmillerhhakmusi.wixsite.com/mattm | YouTube | Facebook | Instagram.com/mattmiller630 

Spotify | Apple | Mattmiller2.bandcamp.com | Amazon | Deezer

“Decrepit Shed” (remastered) digital pre-save – https://bfan.link/decrepit-shed-remastered

“Creating Emotive Responses” – Prog-Sphere

Band: Matt Miller
Album Title: Decrepit Shed (remastered)
Release Date: February 3, 2023
Distribution: Blood Blast Distribution (powered by Nuclear Blast & Believe Digital)

Track Listing:​
1. Through the Doorway (1:38)
2. Step into the Light (2:55)
3. Smoldering Ruin (2:33)
4. Skynet Sonata (4:32)
5. Downward and Onward (3:39)
6. Noise Shaping (4:44)
7. Meddling of Wizards (3:07)
8. Tension and Release (4:31)
Album Length: 26:04
​
​Album Credits:​
All music written by Matt Miller
Recorded, Mixed, Mastered, and Produced by Matt Miller at The Kill Box 2021 Album art by Hand Rot Art
Guitar, Bass, Keyboards, and Programming by Matt Miller
Remastered 2022 by Matt Miller at the Kill Box

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

Describe the album as a whole:

Monument of Velocity takes you on a journey and makes a bold statement. I like to think of the songs on the album as scenes from a movie.

Track by track:

Track 1 Through the Doorway is like stepping into a memory..

Track 2 Step into the Light is full of emotion and is like a whirlwind.

Track 3 Smoldering Ruin is frenetic and is lighting the shed on fire.

Track 4 Skynet Sonata is relentless in its simplicity. It never stops.

Track 5 Downward and Onward is a cry from the depths.

Track 6 Noise Shaping is an epic journey that is full of twists and turns.

Track 7 Meddling of Wizards would be a perfect background music for a magical showdown.

Track 8 Tension and Release is just what it says it is. An epic track that is also extremely aggressive. Foreshadowing my next instrumental LP Monument of Velocity

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

Story Angles and Fun Facts:
1. Some of these songs originally were planned to have vocals.
2. Decrepit Shed was recorded at the peak of Covid 19 lockdowns.
3. Some of the tracks had been written for years.
4. The album only took 2 months to record.
5. The title came from a dilapidated shed that was the home of a goat who liked to lounge on the roof and watch traffic.

Akademia-Award-winning producer, engineer, and songwriting shredder Matt Miller released his latest instrumental album “Monument of Velocity” earlier this year, which also took him on the CYBER SHRED TOUR with Rings of Saturn, Extortionist, Distinguisher, and Voraath.

Containing eight tracks full of technical and progressive metal eliciting feelings of suspense, and tension while being fun, melodic, and brutally heavy, “Monument of Velocity” was well received by fans, especially those into bands such as Jeff Loomis, Necrophagist, Dragon Force and Obscura.

As Matt Miller continues creating and writing his next follow-up, he is sharing with fans a remastered version of his first full-length of originals entitled “Decrepit Shed”, which was recorded at the peak of Covid 19 lockdowns and released during February 2021.

Two years almost to the day, on February 3, 2023, via Blood Blast Distribution (powered by Nuclear Blast & Believe Digital), “Decrepit Shed” will be released, freshly remastered by Matt Miller himself.

“The original release of Decrepit Shed was extremely ambitious while still full of nuance and depth. Like standing back and viewing a painting to see the bigger picture I felt that the smallest details which gave Decrepit Shed its foundation were somewhat obscured. The remastered version brings all these small but crucial pieces into focus and takes an already exciting listening experience to another level. The remastered version of Decrepit Shed takes an extremely strong 2-dimensional album and brings it into a 3-dimensional world.” says Miller.

“Decrepit Shred” was originally going to have vocals, but Miller decided to keep it all guitar.

“It was an ambitious undertaking trying to create interesting guitar lines that still had a vocal quality to them. The track Downward and Onward especially has a strong vocal quality in the lead guitar melodies… I think on some of the tracks the listeners are probably able to hear which songs those were.”

Soaring, crushing, ferocious, emotive, and relentless, are words that strongly describe “Decrepit Shed”. The album has a lot to offer from various metal sub-genres and encompasses the best elements of technical guitar playing while still having well-written songs.

Matt Miller also released another cover album “Only What the Light Allows” earlier this year that features tracks by Children of Bodom, Cannibal Corpse, Deicide, Aeon, Sodom, Megadeth, Old Man’s Child, Judas Priest, Testament, Dimmu Borgir, and Slayer. Miller has also unleashed a tech death album with his new project Chasm of Discord. Both releases are currently available through Blood Blast Distribution.

Endorsements:
Kahler USA
EMG Pickups
GHS Strings
Stevens Cables and Effects Pedals

Discography:
Decrepit Shed Remastered 2/3/2023
MMXVII Re-Recorded 10/28/2022
Only What the Light Allows LP Released (8/5/2022)
Monument of Velocity LP Released (7/19/2022)
Reekomposer LP Released (7/5/2021)
8E’s EP Released (6/21/2021)
Decrepit Shed LP Released (2/2/2021)
Decomposer LP Released (1/13/2021)
MMXVII EP Released (11/12/2020)

Tours / Shared the Stage With (as a solo artist):
CYBER SHRED TOUR 2022 Rings of Saturn, Extortionist, Distinguisher, Voraath, Matt Miller

0 EPK – Shores of Null – The Loss of Beauty (2023)

  • December 15, 2022
  • by Asher
  • · EPKs · Shores of Null (Spikerot Records)

EPK – Shores of Null – The Loss of Beauty (2023)

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

For fans of Amorphs, Enslaved, Paradise Lost

Band: Shores of Null
Album Title: The Loss of Beauty
Release Date: March 24, 2023
Label: Spikerot Records

Spikerot.com/ | Shoresofnull.com | Facebook.com/shoresofnull | Instagram.com/shoresofnull | Twitter.com/shoresofnull

Youtube.com/user/shoresofnull | Youtube.com/user/ShoresOfNullVEVO

Shoresofnull.bandcamp.com | Spotify | Amazon

“The Loss of Beauty” is Shores Of Null’s fourth album and follows the acclaimed “Beyond The Shores (On Death And Dying)”, unanimously considered by fans and critics as one of the Doom Metal gems of recent years. Both albums were recorded between 2019 and early 2020, and although “The Loss of Beauty” was initially conceived as the band’s third album, ‘Beyond The Shores’ took its place as it better reflected the doom and gloom sentiment of the ‘annus horribilis’ 2020.

Across 11 tracks (plus two bonus tracks), Shores Of Null once again submerges listeners with tempestuous and turbulent riffs. The band continues to hone its sound and take its melancholic dark metal to new heights by mastering an assorted palette of genres with inbred poignancy. The lyrics celebrate beauty in imperfection and transience and are meant to be an invitation to seek beauty in little things, especially those unexpected and ephemeral.

The quintet of Shores of Null will be releasing singles over the following months to entice listeners further and have plans for a European tour to support the release. “The Loss of Beauty” has been shielded from the outside world until today, and it will finally see the light of day on March 24, 2023 via Spikerot Records.

“The Loss of Beauty” is dark and heavy, tinged with feelings of despair and melancholy. It is recommended for fans of Amorphs, Enslaved, and Paradise Lost.

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

About: Shores of Null stand out from their contemporaries with their ability to blend seemingly disparate elements into their sound, overwhelmingly heavy and soothing at the same time: blackened aggression stands alongside gothic-doom sections without either sounding out of place. Their music can be both melancholic yet majestic, made of chorale-like guitar textures across the instrument’s entire range, sustained by a powerful rhythmic section and punctuated by a refined mixture of clean and growled vocals, along with extensive use of pleasing vocal harmonies which have become the band’s trademark through the years.

The Rome-based metal band has been an unwavering presence within the metal underground since their musical outset in 2013, churning out three impressive records: the melodic and somber  “Quiescence” (Candlelight, 2014), the darker and more complex “Black Drapes For Tomorrow” (Candlelight/Spinefarm, 2017), and finally their most ambitious work to date “Beyond The Shores (On Death And Dying)” (Spikerot Records, 2020), a 38-minute long opus which continues to prove the band’s willingness to go off the beaten path while creating their ultimate doom manifesto.

The work, inspired by the five stages of grief formulated by the Swiss-American psychiatrist Elisabeth Kübler-Ross, has created quite a buzz in the underground, followed by the multi-award winning full-track video by Sanda Movies, an unprecedented output that has taken the heavy music hemisphere by storm.

The album sees guest appearances of the doom-titans Mikko Kotamäki (Swallow The Sun) and Thomas A.G. Jensen (Saturnus), along with the angelic voice of Elisabetta Marchetti (Inno). The band is able to present an even more diverse and eclectic sound on the album thanks to the addition of classical instruments like piano and violin, along with the return of the talented Marco “Cinghio” Mastrobuono (Hour Of Penance, Fleshgod Apocalypse) behind the production desk.

The band’s fourth album “The Loss Of Beauty”, recorded during the same sessions of “Beyond The Shores” is to be released on March 24, 2023.

Shores Of Null is:
Davide Straccione – Vocals
Gabriele Giaccari – Guitars
Raffaele Colace – Guitars
Matteo Capozucca – Bass
Emiliano Cantiano – Drums

Track Listing:
1. Transitory – 1:20
2. Destination Woe – 4:52
3. The Last Flower – 4:59
4. Darkness Won’t Take Me – 4:14
5. Nothing Left To Burn – 4:55
6. Old Scars – 4:23
7. The First Son – 2:17
8. A Nature In Disguise – 6:26
9. My Darkest Years – 4:56
10. Fading As One – 5:19
11. A New Death Is Born – 4:54
Album Length: 48:40
Bonus Tracks (CD and digital only)
12. Underwater Oddity – 4:18
13. Blazing Sunlight – 1:57

Album Credits:
Produced by Shores Of Null and Marco “Cinghio” Mastrobuono.
Recorded at Kick Recording Studio and Bloom Recording Studio, Rome, Italy, by Marco “Cinghio” Mastrobuono between July 2019 and February 2020.
Mixed and Mastered at Kick Recording Studio by Marco “Cinghio” Mastrobuono between September 2019 and February 2020.
Mic supervisor at Bloom Recording Studio: Fabrizio Ludovici.
Videos and scripts by Martina L. McLean and Sanda Movies
All music written by Raffaele Colace and Gabriele Giaccari.
All songs arranged by Shores Of Null.
All lyrics written by Davide Straccione.
All photos by Sabrina Caramanico
Design by Jukuki
Featured Guests:
Selvans: screams on “A Nature In Disguise”
Paolo Campitelli: piano on “The First Son” and “Blazing Sunlight”

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

What the press is saying:

“Take a solid 40-minutes and give Beyond the Shores your full attention. It’s a special thing to get a lengthy track like this so well-executed and dripping with emotion. The heavy moments are gripping, and the sorrow-fueled moments feel serene. It all leads up to an impressive conclusion with just enough uplift and acceptance that’ll leave you quite impressed, and most importantly, want to take the journey for another listen. Longingly beautiful from start to finish.” – DeadRhetoric

“Shores of Null continues to impress and expand upon their doomy sound. An epic-length track worthy to sit amongst the best of these ventures (Edge of Sanity, Insomnium). Emotionally fulfilling and musically satisfying all at once.” – Dead Rhetoric (Best-of 2020)

“this album definitely is one of the best Doom Metal pieces I had the pleasure to look at in 2020. Once you plunge into its astonishing flow, there will be no escape from that majestic march through soaring soundscapes to those tear-drenched horizons.” – Rock Music Raider (Best of 2020)

“While the song / album is fairly slow for the most part, with a primary focus on the instrumentals, the musicianship delves into other genres along the way. Featuring some passages that are akin to that of more progressive metal, some sections even fall back into more hard rock. All this, before dropping back into some of the slowest doom metal I’ve encountered this year.” – Metal Injection

“it’s certainly ambitious (video for “Beyond the Shores (On Death and Dying)”), but if you have the time, it’s worth the watch. Steeped in quality and excellent videography, it definitely deserves the attention for the amount of effort used.” – Metal Injection

“Shores of Null rolled the dice with Beyond the Shores (On Death and Dying) and delivered in a big fucking way… Shores of Null have crafted something special; a heart-wrenchingly emotive and beautiful journey of sorrow, anguish, pain, and acceptance. Beyond the Shores (On Death and Dying) is a splendidly sombre, brilliantly written opus of commanding death-doom that demands attention.” – Teeth of The Divine

“With all that said, Shores of Null gambled heavily on this album, and in my eyes, it most certainly paid off handsomely. To make a one-song album that’s stretching near the 40-minute mark requires a hefty amount of guts to pull off, but in doing so, they’ve made something that takes the potential found on Quiescence, and adds a heaping amount of maturity and songwriting growth to the formula. The result is a fantastic album that sees Shores of Null standing tall among their doom and funeral doom contemporaries,2 as well as a guaranteed spot on my year-end list.” – Angry Metal Guy

“this album is phenomenal, both in terms of concept and its monumental delivery… with this magnum opus [Shores Of Null] have proved their position front and centre as depressed doom-titans…” – The Sleeping Shaman

“The greatest danger of a single track album is that such a lengthy and expansive piece of music can be difficult to maintain momentum and interest throughout. Shores of Null have definitely avoided this, and the album is not only interesting throughout, but thoroughly engrossing. This is music to lose yourself in, so that forty minutes seems to pass in the blink of an eye. I’m not sure if the band plans to play this album live, but if so, and if they have the chance to do so, it will be a phenomenal spectacle. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m off to play it again….” – The Progressive Aspect

“This album is incredibly dramatic and engrossing from start to finish, with the guest appearances, in particular, the female vocals and excellent violins, helping to elevate and oftentimes complement the music on this record quite significantly, turning what was already a great album into one of the musical highlights of 2020. In a year that has already seen a variety of great releases by bands with a more gothic sound and style, this is perhaps one of the more impressive and enduring ones, and easily stands as the best thing SHORES OF NULL have accomplished to date.” – Distorted Sound Mag

“Beyond The Shores (On Death and Dying)” is a near perfect, monumental achievement of doom.  I can’t imagine any fan of the style not finding something here to enjoy.” – Metal Temple

“An enchanting, gloomy opus.” – Moshville Times

“A single track of incredibly well-realised melodic doom metal, layered with all sorts of treats and nuanced delivery.” – Wonderbox Metal

“A piece of delicious despair, delivered on a platter of storm-ridden and excellently executed Doom Metal. A record that left anybody else in the genre in 2020 quaking in their wake.” – Rock Music Raider

“their most intricate and brooding work to date… grandiose emotional impact.” – Metal Storm

“Every element plays a powerful role across this well thought out and constructed release. From the haunting piano and violins, the spoken elements, cleans and growls, all the way through to the crushing Doom rich segments, this takes you on a convoluted listening journey that, although at times painfully emotive for the listener, is at the same time an utterly superb listen that you want to tear yourself away from, yet can’t. Produced by Marco “Cinghio” Mastrobuono (Hour Of Penance, Fleshgod Apocalypse) ‘Beyond the Shores (On Death and Dying) is a magnificently powerful and moving release. Recommended for any and all Doom fans, especially fans of My Dying Bride, Paradise Lost, Swallow the Sun and Amorphis.” – Metal Talk

“Shores of Null stand out from their contemporaries in their ability to blend seemingly disparate elements and to sound overwhelmingly heavy and soothing at the same time. Blackened aggression stands alongside gothic-doom sections without either sounding out of place. A powerful monument to the medium of depressive doom (recommended especially fans of My Dying Bride, Paradise Lost, and Amorphis)”- Doomed and Stoned

“Beyond the Shores (On Death and Dying) might just be a single track but it is as epic and exhausting as a ten-track album. The lone track, nearly 40 minutes long and broken into segments that bury the mind under mountains of gloom and doom.” – Games, Brrraaains & A Head-Banging Life  

“You are about to live an unique experience created by Shores of Null. It is complex to describe such an experience with words. If the song has to be listened in a single take, it develops different and complementary ambiences. The band’s melancholic and heavy basis permanently stays, and guests add their specific touch, beginning with Mikko Kotamäki and Thomas A G Jensen’s howlings, that enrich the group’s intense rhythmic with this melodic oppression… Shores of Null took a huge risk with this new album. However, Beyond the Shores (on Death and Dying) is an unusually pure treasure, of which sparkle will shine for years on the band’s career, which seems to be at its peak. 9.5/10” – Acta Infernalis

“This album is a giant step, as they haven’t released a track over 10 minutes up to this point in their career. The concept is strong, based on psychiatrist Elisabeth Kubler-Ross’ five stages of grief (denial, anger, bargaining, depression, acceptance). Torment echoes through the whole song, as the main character struggles with loss. The journey builds with an unrushed pace, giving the listener time to sink into its darkness. Shores Of Null are daring with this new effort, and those with the patience for a song this long should be satisfied.” – Heavy Music Headquarters

0 EPK – Nomad – The Mountain (2023)

  • December 15, 2022
  • by Asher
  • · EPKs · Nomad

EPK – Nomad – The Mountain (2023)

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

For fans of Gojira, Lamb of God, Pantera, Sepultura, Devildriver

Band: Nomad
Album Title: The Mountain
Release Date: March 3, 2023
Label: Self-Release
Distribution: (Distrokid)

“This has been a long time coming. After so many external factors holding us back we are so happy to finally get this out to the world, and start crushing audiences again. We’re hoping that it fills the need for a little groove in the metal scene. We’ve spoken to many people in the audience after playing a show that say there are not enough bands like Nomad out there that like to slow it down and catch you with a good hook once in a while. We feel that many emotions and influences can be felt throughout this album and are sure to keep the listeners engaged and entertained with heavy riffs, blasting beats, and dynamic vocals.” – Nomad

Facebook.com/nomadmetal | Instagram.com/nomadbandbc | Nomadbc.bandcamp.com | Spotify

““Revolution” takes no time at all to seize attention. The drums clatter and boom with immediately thrilling effect, and around those convulsive strikes the guitars slowly meander and ring in a beguiling harmony. The vocals have their own interesting harmony but flare into rabid, throat-cutting growls. That slithering opening melody, warmed by the bass, reappears and becomes a swelling ear-worm — but with a pause the song transforms into a hulking and jolting brute. The guitars jitter and whine, and the vocals change into goblin-like snarls, creating a feeling of sinister menace, which becomes even more sinister thanks to an exotically swaying and swirling guitar solo whose piercing tones are somehow inviting as well as increasingly crazed. Maniac howls, ugly gurgling expulsions, and berserk screams vent the lyrics with their own groove, while the band as a whole continue on with their nasty but highly headbangable beating.” – No Clean Singing

“The Mountain is a smorgasbord of ideas delivered with unrelenting energy and creativity. It’s not the kind of metal that questions the very foundation of the genre like a Zeal & Ardor would, but it’s really questioning the notion of how many influences a band can integrate into its core identity. This record challenged me and tested my boundaries as a metal fan. This was not exactly my comfort zone as I’m usually more of an atmospheric guy at heart, but it’s not meant to make you feel comfortable. The Mountain is meant to explore the gaps between the past and the present, the harsh and the melodic and the catchy and the complex. New ideas are never easy and they should never be.” – Vox & Hops

“Nomad clearly have a higher purpose musically than just severing eardrums, and the album is an evolution in real-time. While the album has no concrete, overarching story to tell, each song is placed in the order that it was written. The time between opener “Burning Alive” and closer “Choke” puts the wide distance the group has creatively gone through in perspective. While The Mountain starts and ends in a rage, it does so in a different manner. Early on, the groove is strong, but by the latter third of the album, a more technical front is taken. In-between that, the trio of vocalists in the band employ everything from raspy wails to low grunts to melodic singing.” – Heavy Music Headquarters

“Listeners can expect diversity in approach with a meld of groovy death meets modern and semi-progressive influences in terms of hooks and heaviness across these nine tracks – a balancing act that has mixed results… Almost clocking in at an hour, The Mountain has certain appeal for those who love the aggression of modern, progressive groove-oriented metal” – Dead Rhetoric

“what is undeniable is that  NOMAD  plays the card of singularity, and with a disarming naturalness.” – MetalNews.fr

“for a brand new band coming from a fairly remote area, NOMAD has really hooked my interest and in the future, this might become an extremely potent band.” – Wormwood Chronicles

“they’re really a great band, as shown on songs as “Burning Alive” (where a classic Death/Thrash Metal appeal is clear, with many contrasts between grunts and shrieks, and many hooking parts), “Haunted” (a surprising song, filled with excellent arrangements and surprising elements, as the excellent and technical bass playing and clean chords parts, and tribal percussive moments), “Revolution” (a true and Progressive, with shifts between aggressive and introspective moments with clean vocals), “A Lonely Wanderer” (this one is more aggressive than experimental, abusing of the weight due a very good and technical playing of the drums, and what lovely Progressive melodies can be heard), “Blood Moon” (this one is essentially a Progressive Death Metal song based on a fine technical appeal and some melancholic touches, but always being brutal and aggressive, with excellent guitar parts and themes), and “Choke”. The others ones are equally excellent, so dive into this album without fears (and the lyrics are excellent, staying away from the usual themes based on ‘gore’ and ‘satan’ for some fictional characters, historical events, science fiction, and even Astrophysics)” – Metal Temple

Band: Nomad
Album Title: The Mountain
Release Date: March 3, 2023
Label: Self-Release
Distribution: (Distrokid)

Track Listing:
1. Burning Alive (4:30)
2. Haunted (6:00)
3. Revolution (6:05)
4. Relentless (6:09)
5. A Lonely Wanderer (5:08)
6. Blood Moon (9:40)
7. Rise in the Fall (6:20)
8. Processor (6:56)
9. Choke (8:52)
Album Length: 59:38

Album Credits:
– All songs written and performed by Nomad.
– Additional writing contribution by past members:
Kasey Klassen
Lorne Valliers
Dylan Heska
Justin Kleinsasser
– Mixed by Bretton Melanson
– Mastered by Christian Donaldson
– Album Artwork by: Angela Grimmuza/ Art Of Grimmuza
– MAPL – Canadian Content

Album and Live lineup:
Bretton Melanson: Drums/Vocals
Matt Johnstone: Guitar/Vocals
Jeff Mabb: Guitar/Vocals
Josh MacDonald: Bass

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

The album as a whole (LYRICALLY & MUSICALLY):

Catchy. Groove Factory & Krank

Note, the tracks on the album are presented in the order they were written. It wasn’t written as a concept album so there isn’t a lot tying one track to the next lyrically.

Track by track (LYRICALLY & MUSICALLY):

1. Burning Alive
In the first song we wrote together, Matt had the riffs and brought them to our first practice, which took place at Bretton’s parent’s house, in the attic above their shop, with no air conditioning, in August. It was HOT. The title came from how ridiculously hot we were, and from there the lyrics came to surround the topic of forest fires and is intended as a call-out to any idiot that throws their cigarette butts out their car window.

2. Haunted
An exploration of building on one idea, can we use the same riff for the quiet section as well as the loud. The lyrics follow a man haunted and tormented by demons/hell/the supernatural.

3. Revolution
The first half is our “ballad” clean vocal spot #1. and the second half is rocking out to one hell of a sludge/groove riff, start light, go heavy, it’s kind of our “one” (Metallica). The lyrics call for a revolution, or societal change, redistribution of wealth, symbiosis with nature, and stop messing up the damn planet so our kids have a decent world to live in. The album title comes from the final line of the song (like how Slayer used “God hates us all” from disciple). The “Fuck you” is directed at those that put profits over the preservation of our planet.

4. Relentless
The verses of this song let us have fun with starting a riff slow and speeding it up over the course of the section. Also, drum solo #1 of the album. Lyrically the song portrays the mental struggle of dealing with anxiety induced by the duality of man. An acknowledgment that no matter how much good there is in the world there will always be a dark side to the mind of humankind  

5. A Lonely Wanderer
This one starts with some Mongolian Throat singing performed by Jeff and is also based around two main riffs, that we push and pull to bring ups and downs. It tells the story of a Man who’s fed up with society and leaves to live as a recluse, Wandering the wilderness, being a Nomad. This is the guy on the album cover, and on the inside of the CD case.

6. Blood Moon
This is our epic, it’s a long journey through a few different sections. Clean vocal spot #2 in the middle. It tells the story of a werewolf hunter who was bitten while hunting a werewolf and is becoming one himself.

7. Rise in the Fall
The title came first here, and I thought “gee, that sounds like the Russian revolution” one regime rising while the previous one falls, and it happens in the fall… not that deep of a double meaning, but it is one nonetheless. Wish I had written this in high school, would have upped my mark in history class, and I probably would have got a top mark in the school (darn second place). Yes, I am a huge nerd.

8. Processor
This one’s our most Tech death track. Got some really fast double kick bursts, using my low voice a lot for the vocals. The lyrics are about an artificial Intelligence designed to save humankind, who sees that humans are destroying the planet they need to live on, so the best way to preserve humankind is to preserve everyone digitally, and get rid of their bodies, so it’s trying to find every last person, “process” them, and incinerate the bodies, so there’s no further need to consume earth’s resources. The last line of the song says “destroyer of man” in one ear, and “protector of man” in the other

9. Choke
Another pretty long one, hitting different dynamic levels as we go. I looked for other meanings of the word “Choke”, which is the chorus section, Matt took the reins on a number of other sections and went with a cosmic theme, the birth, and death of the universe. We married those different themes together and this is the result.

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

BAND STORY ANGLES / FUN FACTS:

1. The original form of the band formed after Matt approached Bretton at Armstrong Metalfest in 2015 to get the last required member to start a band. Originally a one-guitar band, the rest eventually decided to get a second and Bretton had been jamming with Jeff just before.

2. Went through 4 different lead singers (well, 3 but one guy came twice, it went Kasey – Justin – Kasey – Dylan) before deciding, screw it, let’s “Mastodon” it, and just share vocals. Bretton took the initiative on lead vocals learning the songs during the pandemic

3. Drums were tracked when we still had singer #1. Really slows down recording when you keep having to start from square one with a new singer.

4. Nomad was together for about a year with only one guitar before getting Jeff in the band. The addition of another guitar really fleshed out the sound and brought new techniques and influences into the band.

5. Djeff’s first jam with the band was right after Matt had moved to a house right beside the baseball fields in Enderby, I remember setting up, hitting my snare drum once, and seeing about a hundred baseball players all turn their heads at once to see what the heck that noise was. We didn’t jam there again.

6. Matt and Jeff have both played with broken ankles.

7. Matt was in the hospital with a blood clot in his brain and almost died, had to leave the hospital early to get to our gig on time.

L-R – Josh MacDonald (Bass), Matt Johnstone (Guitar/Vocals), Bretton Melanson, (Drums/Vocals), Jeff Mabb (Guitar/Vocals)

Photo Credit – Chris Geistlinger

Nomad is a dynamic, progressive death metal band from the Okanagan Valley in British Columbia, Canada and consists of drummer/vocalist Bretton Melanson; guitarist/vocalist Matt Johnstone; guitarist/vocalist Jeff Mabb; plus bassist Josh MacDonald. Kickstarted by Johnstone who was looking for an outlet, he approached Melanson and since the material felt right and with their previous history playing together, the ball was rolling. Over a few years, there was a lineup flux, with each additional leaving their mark on the material. Ultimately, they then recruited Mabb as a second guitarist and MacDonald on bass, and working collaboratively, they weave their melodic, groovy death metal.

Looking to avoid going too crazy on the violence and gore tropes that are quite prominent in metal music, they tend to tell stories based on fictional characters, historical events, science fiction, and astrophysics. Each member adds their own flair to the songs, imprinting their distinct influences.

When they hit the stage, the audience is greeted by multiple vocalists that deliver a massive wall of layered sound, integrated sound effects, and a well-thought-out visual element. They played Canada’s prominent Armstrong Metalfest in 2016-2019 and performed alongside bands such as Kataklysm, Origin, Soulfly, and Alestorm. They are releasing their debut album “The Mountain” on March 3, 2023.

Tours and Festivals:  
Armstrong Metalfest 2016-2017-2018-2019

Shared Stage with: Alestorm, Origin, Nekrogoblikon, Wake, Within Destruction, Kataklysm,Archspire, Neck of the Woods, The Kennedy Veil, Sarah Longfield,
Revocation, Beyond Creation, Dayglo Abortions, Unleash the Archers, Rivers of Nihil, The Zenith Passage, Soulfly, Today is the Day, Pound, West of Hell

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