Tag: guitar

0 Tech-Metal FROGG Share The Shred On “Ancient Rain” Guitar Playthrough; Debut EP “A Reptilian Dystopia” Out Jan 17, 2020

December 23, 2019
by Asher
· FROGG · Music News

(contact info below)

NEWS RELEASE

Montreal, QC – December 23, 2019

For fans of Obscura, Arsis, Born of Osiris, Kalmah, The Zenith Passage

Tech-Metal FROGG Share The Shred On “Ancient Rain” Guitar Playthrough

Debut EP “A Reptilian Dystopia” Out Jan 17, 2020

Fresh out of Stamford, Connecticut, USA, comes FROGG, a creative and modern blend of metal that is both dark and melodic. Set to release their debut EP “A Reptilian Dystopia” on January 17, 2020, the band is sharing their wicked video of shred in the guitar playthrough for their first single ‘Ancient Rain’ unleashed earlier this December. The track is fast, technical and powerful with brutal riffs and malicious gutturals. One of the 4 punchy tracks that are just the beginning of what FROGG has to offer.

Watch the playthrough (without vocals) for “Ancient Rain” on YouTube or Facebook.

Song stream for the full track on YouTube HERE and Spotify.

FROGG has been in the works for years in the mind of Sky Moon Clark and over the years he has been inoculating a stash of riffs, licks, and raw emotion, which will now be poured out into the world. As the band puts it, “it’s a fiery punch to the gut”.

Clark adds:

“Our EP is kind of our raw sound put on a plate without much refinement, but it’s still the basic punch and flavor FROGG has to offer. Just think of the EP as our base, while our in-the-works Album I (expected 2021/2022) will be a more fleshed-out form of FROGG with an emphasized focus on the overall songs start to finish.”

Metal fans looking for something new and creative, especially fans of Obscura, Arsis and Born of Osiris will be able to appreciate FROGG and “A Reptilian Dystopia”.

EP Pre-order here.

Track Listing:
1. Ancient Rain (3:23)
2. Nuclear Storm (2:05)
3. DNA (7:29)
4. Ranidaphobia (3:47)
EP Length: 16:45

For more info:
Facebook.com/Froggband
Instagram @ Froggband
Twitter @OfficialFrogg
EPK

About:

FROGG is a modern technical metal band located in Stamford, USA with influences stemming from Obscura, Arsis, and Born of Osiris.

The concept behind FROGG is simple: create modern heavy music while striving to show off some originality in an often, over-processed genre. FROGG’s main ambition is to hit the live circuit in NYC and its surroundings with a perfected performance and bolstered line-up.

FROGG started as your typical high school band with founder Sky Moon Clark and co-founder at the time, Ryan Panny blasting off primarily Children of Bodom covers for fun. FROGG was later revitalized by Clark, during his time at Berklee College of Music.

Through his time at Berklee, Clark experimented with different projects while continuing to funnel different guitar-centric song ideas and riffs into the archives that would later come to fruition with the next reincarnation of FROGG.

In 2019, the overstocked stash of riffs, licks, and raw emotion was ready to be poured out into the world what was a one-man project bloomed with the addition of Siebe Sol Sijpkens (bass); Anthony Barrone (drums) and Liam Zintz-Kunkel (rhythm guitars) to record the first EP.

With performance in mind, FROGG delivers an authentic live sound with no backup tracks, just raw, practiced musicianship. The dark and melodic band promises something hot, original and intense and the debut album “A Reptilian Dystopia” is slated for release in 2020.

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0 Canadian Guitar Prog PYRAMIDS ON MARS Premieres Full Stream of Third Album “Edge of The Black” via Bravewords

December 19, 2019
by Asher
· Music News · Pyramids On Mars

(contact info below)

NEWS RELEASE

Montreal, QC – December 19, 2019

For fans of Joe Satriani, Rush, Yngwie J Malmsteen, Steve Vai

Canadian Guitar Prog PYRAMIDS ON MARS Premieres Full Stream of Third Album “Edge of The Black”

Guitarist Kevin Estrella’s project Pyramids On Mars has a new album being released on December 21, 2019, entitled “Edge of the Black”. This third full length from Pyramids On Mars offers up an aural palette of intense instrumental progressive shredding rock that’s emotional, provocative and 4-dimensional.

Teaming up with Bravewords, Pyramids On Mars is premiering the album’s full stream before it officially drops HERE.

Estrella adds:

“On ‘Edge of The Black’, I wanted to put emphasis on songwriting and telling a story. The emphasis is not just on the lead guitar melody, but on the band as a whole. Harmonic variations on repeating themes are strongly utilized; like rhyming phrases in spoken language that allows easier accurate retelling of the original story. This idea of repeating music phrases/themes so the audience can easily recall it and hum it all the way home.

Many people would think that being an instrumental guitarist that I must listen to a lot of guitar players. On the contrary, I do not. Yes, I was originally influenced by guitar players like Joe Satriani and Yngwie Malmsteen and spent many years learning their style. But my own sense of identity has come from the music I am most passionate about, which is Baroque Classical Music. I am a huge Yngwie Malmsteen fan. I spent two years, in fact, listening to nothing, but Malmsteen and studied his style. But I did not want to become another Malmsteen clone. I realized that in order to play like him, I had to listen to his influences. My life changed when I started listening to Bach, Vivaldi, and Paganini. It was like hearing music for the very first time. I listen to mostly classical music these days.

When you listen to Edge of the Black, most of the guitar melodies are actually violin melodies. And many of them are found in my online instructional guitar lessons. There are a few other people who inspired Edge of the Black. You will hear Iron Maiden, Rammstein and Queen influences. Some of the bass parts are inspired by Steve Harris (Iron Maiden) and John Deacon (Queen).

Personally ‘Edge of The Black’ sounds like if Joe Satriani and Yngwie Malmsteen joined Rush.”

“Edge of the Black” follows Pyramids On Mars‘ two previous albums and was written, composed and performed solely by Kevin Estrella who cites influences from musical greats including J.S Bach and Antonio Vivaldi along with today’s guitar virtuosos Yngwie Malmsteen and Joe Satriani. “Edge of the Black” pays homage to these artists while still maintaining Estrella’s own creative flair. Estrella shares his thoughts on the album

“Edge of The Black” pre-order available on Bandcamp.

Track Listing:
1. Blood Moon 5:42
2. Nacht Waffen 6:56
3. Song of Light 5:44
4. F-22 Raptor 5:53
5. The Ambassador 4:57
6. Mercury Magnetar 4:58
7. Arcturian Rain 4:38
8. Time to Believe 4:40
9. Arioso Lullaby 4:39
10. Whale Song 4:28
Album Length: 52:40

For more info:
PyramidsOnMars.com
Facebook
Instagram

About:

Every once in a while there comes along a band that is so different or unique, you would think they were dropped on Earth from another planet. Pyramids On Mars is one of those bands. What first catches you, is that they are an instrumental band. A combination of elements such as hard rock, industrial, metal and psychedelic rock: and then the lead guitar comes soaring in. Well crafted, beautiful, melodic phrases so catchy and memorable they will be stuck in your head for the rest of the day.

Pyramids On Mars is the solo project of guitarist Kevin Estrella. He wanted to do something musically different that would stand out from the crowd. Estrella’s musical style is very similar to world-renowned rock guitarist Joe Satriani, so much so that Estrella has nicknamed himself the “Satriani of the North.”

“Of course Satriani has had a huge influence on me,” he says “But he (Satriani) does more of a bluesy thing whereas I am more influenced by classical music. I absolutely love the Baroque classical composers J.S Bach and Antonio Vivaldi who are my biggest musical influences.

Estrella recorded, produced, engineered and mastered his debut album, self-titled “Pyramids On Mars” in 2013. Since then, he has been capturing music industry attention-getting international radio airplay in the U.S, Canada, South America, and Europe. He is a regular guest on Brian ‘the hammer’ Jackson radio (Los Angeles) to over 4 million listeners and a weekly speaker on Real Rock Radio (Chicago).

– 30 –

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0 TALES OF THE TOMB Shreds Tech Death Metal In Guitar Playthrough ‘Nine Eleven’; New EP “Volume Two: Mendacium” Out Now!

December 13, 2019
by Asher
· Music News · Tales of The Tomb

(contact info below)

NEWS RELEASE

Montreal, QC – December 13, 2019

For fans of Macabre, At The Gates, Cannibal Corpse, Dying Fetus, Psychological Horror Metal / Death Metal / Murder Metal

TALES OF THE TOMB Shreds Tech Death Metal In Guitar Playthrough ‘Nine Eleven’

New EP “Volume Two: Mendacium” Out Now!

Tales Of The Tomb (L-R): Trez Thomas (Guitar and Vocals), Corey Skerlak (Guitar and Vocals)

Photo Credit – Kylee Thompson Photography

Unleashing their latest EP “Volume Two: Mendicium” this past September, Edmonton death metal duo Tales of Tomb are sharing with fans and technical guitar shredders their new playthrough video for the track ‘Nine Eleven’ via its premiere on TechnicalMusicReview HERE.

The band explains the story behind the track:

“Very few people (if any) are unaware of the tragic events that unfolded on Sept 11. 2001. We originally wrote this song for the last show of another Edmonton local band called Villainizer. When starting to plan out the second EP we wanted to have a concept like our first one. With songs like Nine Eleven and Faul wrote this point. We look common factors were in the songs and came to the conspiracy/lies concept. This EP is an important installment that embodies the fundamentals of the band — the reality is more horrifying than fiction. This is a concept EP based on the Latin word Mendacium — meaning untruth and or to be lied to. The first single Nine Eleven is just that — presenting a version of tragic historical events from various angles and the alleged truths that were presented. The intention of each song is to unmask the deception forced upon the masses pushing them to challenge their own perception of reality.”

Painting their canvas of extreme music with inspirations of real-life stories of murder, conspiracy, supernatural horror, and terror, Tales of The Tomb‘s new EP “Volume Two: Mendicium” is a vicious bite of grinding blast beats, technical shredding accompanied by venomous guttural lows. Inspired by true events, the duo offer up gore-filled lyrics with a quivering soundscape. The EP was mixed and mastered by Cryptopsy guitarist and head engineer/owner at The Grid Studios Christian Donaldson along with featuring artwork by Tony Midi of Tonymidi Artworks.

“Volume Two: Mendicium” is available on Bandcamp, Spotify, Apple Music.

Previous Videos:
‘The Sinful Messiah’ here.
‘The Nightmare Hall’ here.
‘Nine Eleven’ here.
‘Dyatlov Pass’ here.
‘Mermaid In A Manhole’ here.

Track Listing:
1. The Nightmare Hall (4:05)
2. Faul (3:02)
3. The Sinful Messiah (4:14)
4. Dyatlov Pass Incident (3:52)
5. Nine Eleven (4:46)
6. Mermaid In A Manhole (3:33)
EP Length: 23:44

More info:
Facebook
Instagram
EPK

About:

Unified by the desire to have the grotesque power of 90’s era death and murder metal, Tales of The Tomb started as a thought that grew into an insatiable need to make extreme music. Tales Of The Tomb was created in October 2013 from founder Corey Skerlak (guitar, vocals) out of inspiration from the original murder metal band Macabre.

Much of their inspiration is drawn from the hideous crimes and conspiracies of the world. Retelling stories of the dark hidden secrets and victims from such crimes. This was the inspiration for the name Tales of The Tomb.

– 30 –

“RIYL: Serial killers and death metal. Now, many of you may think the two already go hand in hand, but new dimensions of depravity are opened when you take the murderous criminals Macabre and Church of Misery have been glorifying forever and backdrop it with noise more akin to Cannibal Corpse Fist-****ing At The Gates. Or Vice Versa.” – Decibel Magazine

“It’s got a European death metal feel to it, and while it’s definitely heavy, it’s centerpiece is a melodic guitar solo. If the rest of the EP, out on November 27th, is anything like the first taste of it, signals Tales of the Tomb as a band we’ll be hearing more – Metal Insider

“Grooves entwine and work their way under the skin like toxic vines, whilst the body of the song strolls with a deceitful calm as much hued in more classic metal essences as it is in death metal voracity.” – RingMaster Review

“Volume One: Morpras stands as a melodic treat fans of cold sounding death metal, melodic or otherwise, will definitely get a kick out of.” – Apochs Metal Review

Prairie Finalist for Wacken Metal Battle Canada 2016

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0 Canadian Guitar Prog PYRAMIDS ON MARS Next Single ‘The Ambassador’ Off Upcoming Album Out Dec 21st

December 13, 2019
by Asher
· Music News · Pyramids On Mars

(contact info below)

NEWS RELEASE

Montreal, QC – December 12, 2019

For fans of Joe Satriani, Rush, Yngwie J Malmsteen, Steve Vai

Canadian Guitar Prog PYRAMIDS ON MARS Next Single ‘The Ambassador’ Off Upcoming Album Out Dec 21st

Guitarist Kevin Estrella’s project Pyramids On Mars has a new album being released on December 21, 2019, entitled “Edge of the Black”. The full length offers up an aural palette of intense instrumental progressive shredding rock that’s emotional, provocative and 4-dimensional.

Teaming up with MusicLegends.ca, Pyramids On Mars is premiering the next single ‘The Ambassador’ here.

Estrella explains the track in further detail:

“The idea for The Ambassador was actually sparked from the guitar it was played on. It is played on a Signature ‘Aurora’ Guitar. Built by the Signature Guitar Company sometime around 1987. Alex Lifeson of Rush made the guitar famous playing it exclusively for the albums “Hold Your Fire” and “Show of Hands”. Alex designed the guitar, along with Russ Heinl. What makes it unique is the balance of Basswood (from a rare variety found only in Quebec) and has the three active single-coil pickups, giving the guitar a very unique: clear, bright yet warm distinctive sound. No guitar sounds like it. It was meant to be the ultimate Superstrat. It’s almost like an acoustic guitar on hyperdrive. Only 500 Signatures were ever made. My Signature Aurora is quite unique. The original owner purchased it from Steve’s Music Store in Toronto back in the late eighties. It was a floor model. It doesn’t even have a serial number. It is quite the collector’s item.

The Ambassador was written by-that-guitar. I didn’t write the song, the Signature guitar did.

Speaking of Rush, the song is heavily influenced by Rush’s early works from the eighties. The concert video Show of Hands comes to mind was a huge influence on the Edge of the Black sound, particularly in the songs The Ambassador and Arcturian Rain.

The theme of the song is about an Ambassador who has been selected from Earth, chosen to be a spokesperson for the people of Earth. Scientists found a way to open a portal to another galaxy and he was chosen to go through it and hopefully meet some Extraterrestrial nation on the other side.

Some other interesting things come to mind in the song. The guitar solo is doing some interesting combinations of two-note per string sweep picking, combined with string skipping arpeggios a-la Paul Gilbert style. The solo ends in a nice diatonic extension arpeggio legato phrasing. These and other techniques I teach on my online instructional guitar lessons https://pyramidsonmarsguitarlessons.pivotshare.com/“

Following Pyramids On Mars’ two previous albums, “Edge of the Black” was written, composed and performed solely by Kevin Estrella who cites influences from musical greats including J.S Bach and Antonio Vivaldi along with today’s guitar virtuosos Yngwie Malmsteen and Joe Satriani. “Edge of the Black” pays homage to these artists while still maintaining Estrella’s own creative flair. Estrella shares his thoughts on the album:

“On Edge of The Black, I wanted to put emphasis on songwriting and telling a story. The emphasis is not just on the lead guitar melody, but on the band as a whole. Harmonic variations on repeating themes are strongly utilized; like rhyming phrases in spoken language that allows easier accurate retelling of the original story. This idea of repeating music phrases/themes so the audience can easily recall it and hum it all the way home.”

“Edge of The Black” pre-order available on Bandcamp.

Singles:
‘F-22 Raptor’ here.
‘Song of Light’ here.
‘Nacht Waffen’ here.

For more info:
PyramidsOnMars.com
Facebook
Instagram

About:

Every once in awhile there comes along a band that is so different or unique, you would think they were dropped on Earth from another planet. Pyramids On Mars is one of those bands. What first catches you, is that they are an instrumental band. A combination of elements such as hard rock, industrial, metal and psychedelic rock: and then the lead guitar comes soaring in. Well crafted, beautiful, melodic phrases so catchy and memorable they will be stuck in your head for the rest of the day.

– 30 –

—

ASHER MEDIA RELATIONS

Jon Asher – Music Publicist
#.514.581.5780
asher[@]ashermediarelations[.]com
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0 Canadian Guitar Prog PYRAMIDS ON MARS Shreds ‘Nacht Waffen’ Off Upcoming Album Out Dec 21st

December 5, 2019
by Asher
· Music News · Pyramids On Mars

(contact info below)

NEWS RELEASE

Montreal, QC – December 5, 2019

For fans of Joe Satriani, Rush, Yngwie J Malmsteen, Steve Vai

Canadian Guitar Prog PYRAMIDS ON MARS Shreds ‘Nacht Waffen’ Off Upcoming Album Out Dec 21st

Teaming up with MetalRules.com, Pyramids On Mars is premiering the next single ‘Nacht Waffen’, a track influenced by Estrella’s love for the band Rammstein and fascination for Germany’s Secret Space Program as he explains further.

“There are a lot of interesting things going on with Nacht Waffen. First being, the song is heavily influenced by Rammstein. I am a huge Rammstein fan. The title Nacht Waffen is about the Secret Space Program (SSP). Nacht Waffen (Dark Fleet in German) is the breakaway society that evolved after WWII when Germany lost the war. The Nazi’s had already reverse engineered UFO’s from extraterrestrial technology and built their own fleet of flying saucers called Haunebu II. Because of my deep connection in the UFO community, I have been pulled into the SSP world. I am friends with many veterans like Penny Bradley who are outspoken about the program.

But there are other interesting things going on in the song. Its an instrumental song, but the verse is actually speaking in a tonal language. It is saying “DO YOU HEAR ME.” How is this possible? You will need to visit www.pyramidsonmars.com and listen to the radio interviews about my ongoing extraterrestrial contact and how they downloaded me with the Tonal Language of the Whales.

Truth is stranger than fiction.”

Listen to ‘Nacht Waffen’ HERE.

“Edge of The Black” pre-order available on Bandcamp.

Singles:
‘F-22 Raptor’ here.
‘Song of Light’ here.

For more info:
PyramidsOnMars.com
Facebook
Instagram

About:

Every once in awhile there comes along a band that is so different or unique, you would think they were dropped on Earth from another planet. Pyramids on Mars is one of those bands. What first catches you, is that they are an instrumental band. A combination of elements such as hard rock, industrial, metal and psychedelic rock: and then the lead guitar comes soaring in. Well crafted, beautiful, melodic phrases so catchy and memorable they will be stuck in your head for the rest of the day.

Pyramids on Mars is the solo project of guitarist Kevin Estrella. He wanted to do something musically different that would stand out from the crowd. Estrella’s musical style is very similar to world-renowned rock guitarist Joe Satriani, so much so that Estrella has nicknamed himself the “Satriani of the North.”

Estrella recorded, produced, engineered and mastered his debut album, self-titled “Pyramids on Mars” in 2013. Since then, he has been capturing music industry attention-getting international radio airplay in the U.S, Canada, South America, and Europe. He is a regular guest on Brian ‘the hammer’ Jackson radio (Los Angeles) to over 4 million listeners and a weekly speaker on Real Rock Radio (Chicago).

– 30 –

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ASHER MEDIA RELATIONS

Jon Asher – Music Publicist
#.514.581.5780
asher[@]ashermediarelations[.]com
Facebook @AsherMediaRelations
Instagram @AsherMedia
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0 Vancouver Prog KOSM Shred “The Esoteric Order” In New Guitar Playthrough via GearGods

January 7, 2019
by Asher
· KOSM · Music News

(contact info below)

NEWS RELEASE

Montreal, QC – January 7, 2019

For fans of Tool, Mastodon, Gojira, The Agonist, Periphery, A Perfect Circle

Vancouver Prog KOSM Shred “The Esoteric Order” In New Guitar Playthrough via GearGods

Out Now! H.P. Lovecraft Inspired Album “Cosmonaut”

L-R – Jessie Grace – Vocals, Mike Slater – Guitar, Erik Leonhard – Guitar, Michael ‘Pastrami’ Mastracci – Bass, Sterling Paterson – Drums

Photo credit – Justin Forster

Vancouver progressive metal band KOSM is sharing their latest guitar playthrough for their track “The Esoteric Order”. The playthrough showcases the dual shredding of KOSM‘s guitarist Erik Leonoard and Mike Slater who play Kiesel and PRS guitars respectively, along with using a blend of Mesa/Boogie Triple Rectifiers and Scuffham Digital Amps. The ambient sounds heard at the end of the track are created with a combination of the El Capistan dTape Delay pedal by Strymon and the Afterneath Reverb pedal by Earthquaker Devices.

Watch the shredding via GearGods.net at http://geargods.net/playthrough/kosm-esoteric-order-playthrough/

The track is third single off of KOSM‘s debut full length “Cosmonaut” released this past November and is influenced from the cosmic-horror of H.P. Lovecraft and classic science-fiction of others; the album and song tell the story of a cosmonaut’s transformative journey through time and space.

The band adds:

“Cosmonaut is a concept album loosely based on the weird-fiction of HP Lovecraft, and borrowing concepts from the science-fiction of Frank Herbert, and Roger Zelazny. The album follows a cosmonaut on a cosmic journey through time and space; from the earthly confines of mortal life, to ascendancy as an immaterial and omnipotent being. The cosmonaut’s journey is essentially symbolic, serving as a commentary on the human experience: a journey from confusion and anger, to transcendence and self-understanding.”

“Cosmonaut” is available on all major digital platforms Bandcamp, iTunes, Spotify, Amazon, Google Play.

Lyric Video – “The Esoteric Order” – https://youtu.be/Q03AbR7tY_A

Music Video “Ancient Heart” – https://youtu.be/6G8arglKdxc

“Ocean Planet” (Gojira Vover) – https://youtu.be/NK1YVys22YE

Track Listing:
1. Space Mead (6:07)
2. Cosmonaut (5:27)
3. Colossus (6:38)
4. Wolves Upon The Throne (5:46)
5. The Esoteric Order (6:23)
6. Farseer (6:40)
7. Ancient Heart (5:23)
8. Fiefdom In The Sky (2:15)
9. Omnipresence (4:36)
10. Monarch (7:16)
11. Umbrakinesis (5:23)
12. Wza – Y’ei (4:20)
Album Length: 1:06:21

KOSM is:
Erik Leonhard – Guitar
Mike Slater – Guitar
Jessie Grace – Vocals
Sterling Paterson – Drums
Michael Mastracci – Bass

For more info:
https://kosmband.com
https://www.facebook.com/kosmofficialband
https://twitter.com/officialkosm
https://www.instagram.com/kosmofficial
EPK – https://wp.me/pciNW-bus

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“Vancouver’s KOSM kick the door in with Cosmonaut, their monstrous full-length debut. Brace yourself for a satisfying trip through an exciting mountain range of cascading, meaty riffs, swelling rises and heady drops, all led by the powerful, soaring vocals of the dynamic Jessie Grace. ” – Beatroute BC

“KOSM cite Tool, Gojira and Mastodon as three of their main influences, and all three can be heard loud and clear on their new album, Cosmonaut. The technical, progressive musicianship of Tool meets the crushing grooves and rhythmic vocals of Gojira, and Mastodon’s ear for riffy, thunderous prog are all present on Cosmonaut, which features some of the most technical metal I’ve heard this year outside of, you know, technical death metal. ” – Decibel Magazine

“The song (Ancient Heart) itself, which swings between some appetizingly heavy progressive riffs and aggressive growls and more melodic moments (with clean singing behind them). A tough band to place in that regard, but one certainly worth seeking out as they continue to expand their sound.” – DeadRhetoric

“KOSM does a solid job of mixing technicality, mood and groove. They have all sorts of dual guitar sections, and very psychedelic and moody parts on “Cosmonaut” as well. They’re a well versed band with all kinds of moods and changes engaging your ears every split second. ” – Technical Music Review

“KOSM definitely show enough potential with this release to be a band that should be on your scopes.” – Noizze UK

” Kosm’s Cosmonaut isn’t bland: it’s the pleasing sound of a band following their own inner vision.” 9/10 – Hellbound

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0 EPK – KOSM – Cosmonaut (LP) (2018)

February 12, 2018
by Asher
· EPKs · KOSM

KOSM – Cosmonaut (LP) (2018)

For fans of Tool, Mastodon, Gojira, The Agonist, Jinjer

Release Date: November 16, 2018

Distribution: Distro Kid

“KOSM delivers the goods while touching bases in the same ballpark as TOOL, MASTODON and PERIPHERY, (they’ve previously covered Mastodons “Blood and Thunder”) with an emphasis on plenty of space rock intermissions” – Powerplay Magazine

“Remember when Mastodon were special, circa Leviathan, Blood Mountain and Crack The Skye, before that vision was lost? […] Well, Kosm are like Mastodon in those days.” – Hellbound.ca

“KOSM does a solid job of mixing technicality, mood and groove. […] They’re a well versed band with all kinds of moods and changes engaging your ears every split second.” – Technical Music Review

“Lovecraftian progressive metal is on the table for Kosm’s debut. While bands like Mastodon and Tool come to mind in the way that the guitars are maneuvering around, limiting the band in that manner downplays what they are trying to do. There are so many different textures and flavors along the way it is really hard to get a grasp on what best defines them. But that’s perfectly okay, and keeps Cosmonaut interesting for its 66-minute runtime. The concept to it all keeps it on the rails while exploring a variety of emotions and levels of heaviness (including some that aren’t so heavy). There’s loads of potential here for the band to experiment with in future offerings. ” – Dead Rhetoric

“KOSM definitely show enough potential with this release to be a band that should be on your scopes.” – Noizze UK

KOSM – Cosmonaut (2018)

[Download Album Cover]
[Download Album Lyrics]

Track Listing:
1. Space Mead (6:07)
2. Cosmonaut (5:27)
3. Colossus (6:38)
4. Wolves Upon The Throne (5:46)
5. The Esoteric Order (6:23)
6. Farseer (6:40)
7. Ancient Heart (5:23)
8. Fiefdom In The Sky (2:15)
9. Omnipresence (4:36)
10. Monarch (7:16)
11. Umbrakinesis (5:23)
12. Wza – Y’ei (4:20)
Album Length: 1:06:21

Album Credits:

– All songs performed by Jessie Grace, Mike Slater, Michael Mastracci, Erik Leonhard, Sterling Paterson
– All songs written by Jessie Grace, Mike Slater, Michael Mastracci, Erik Leonhard, Sterling Paterson
– Produced, mixed, and mastered by Mike Slater
– Album Artwork by Jessie Grace

Available on: iTunes, Bandcamp, Spotify, Google Play, Amazon Music, Tidal, Deezer

Album & Live Line Up:

Jessie Grace (Vocals)

Mike Slater (Guitar)

Michael Mastracci (Bass),

Erik Leonhard (Guitar)

Sterling Paterson (Drums)

L-R – Jessie Grace – Vocals, Mike Slater – Guitar, Erik Leonhard – Guitar, Michael ‘Pastrami’ Mastracci – Bass, Sterling Paterson – Drums

Photo credit – Justin Forster

KOSM is a progressive metal band hailing from Vancouver BC, Canada. Combining influences from Mastodon, Tool and Gojira; their sound is dynamic and unquestionably lethal. Since their induction in 2016, they have been making their mark in Vancouver’s metal scene as an absolute force to be reckoned with.

The origin of the band starts with Mike Slater (guitars) and Erik Leonhard (guitars) as a casual project, and they were quickly joined by Jessie Grace (vocals), Sterling Paterson (drums) and Michael Mastracci (bass) for some jolly cooperation. Swiftly, like hunters, they took off from there and released two singles; including the well received “Ancient Heart” music video. Familiar to members of the progressive metal covenant, and playing with themes from the H.P. Lovecraft and Bloodborne universes; KOSM is quite unique and authentically its own being. Their next release “Cosmonaut” is an LP loosely based on the Lovecraftian myth of Cthulhu and each song is meant to walk the listener through a story from beginning to end.

With even more material in the world and future albums planned, KOSM summons you to join them on this journey full of experimental and progressive metal.

Shared Stage w/:
Sirenia, Threat Signal, Ninjaspy, Anarcheon, Obsidian, Giants Arise, Gross Misconduct

Tour and Festivals
2018 – Wacken Metal Battle Canada (round 1) – Vancouver BC
2018 – Metalocalypstick Festival – Lone Butte, BC
2018 – Metallion Festival – Vanderhoof, BC
2018 – Rickshaw – Vancouver, BC w/ Sirenia

0 EPK – Protosequence – Biophagous (EP) (2017)

May 18, 2017
by Asher
· Protosequence

Protosequence – Biophagous (EP)

For Fans of Abiotic, early- Fallujah, The Faceless

Release Date: August 18, 2017

Contacts: Manager – Cara Ashbey – cara@odessamusicmgmt.com

Publicist – Jon Asher – ashermedia(@)gmail.com

Download Band Press Photo | Download EP Cover | Download EP Lyrics

“Edmonton’s Protosequence perform an agile balancing act on the new song “Shepherd” we’re bringing you from their forthcoming EP, Biophagus, a high-wire performance that deftly straddles a stylistic divide without ever losing their path forward.” No Clean Singing

“In the vein of bands like All Shall Perish & Born of Osiris, Protosequence kick proceedings off with the furiously tech riffing of Parasitic, a wild & untamed slab of death metal. That is until a surprising tempo change that brings in some keyboards & more classic metal sounding guitar solo. It’s a damn strong start, one that leaves you wondering just what more Biophagous has to offer.” – Games, Braaaiiins And A Headbanging Life

“Protosequence is an act of quality over quantity. I get seriously lost in their music, be it through a spine-damaging headbanging session (“DFL”) or stretch of melodic introspection (“Shepherd”). Biophagous offers up another nice showcase of the band’s skill across a variety of substyles and paces.” – Metal Trenches

“Biophagus is of another caliber, every aspect of it is flawless, and will not only be in my playlist but should be in everyone else’s as well. Whatever you do, do not sleep on this band. Make sure you pick up Biophagus when it releases August 18th! ” – Blood Rock Media

“Incorporating elements from deathcore, technical death metal, and, yes, even djent, Protosequence manages to maintain the listener’s interest while developing an identity that is not only unique to Canada, but to the world. ” – It Djents

“Traversing between djent and technical progressive metal” – Somberlane

“You can compare Protosequence to as many modern metal bands as you want but they’re deserve being called more than “just another scene band”. “Schizophrene’ is more than solid and the new EP will be worth the wait on this showing. Cracking modern tech-death.” – This Noise Is Ours

“This EP is bursting with technical hooks and ripping solos that take more than a few cues from the technical death metal camp. In fact, if we consider a spectrum between these genres, I would say that Schizophrene falls closer to groups like The Zenith Passage than Whitechapel. Also, mad props for the seemless shifts between melodic and harsh riffs while maintaining aggression in the vocals.” – Metal Trenches (EP Review Schizophrene)

“Musically speaking, they share as much in common with Periphery as they do with Lost Soul. While there will be some who are turned off by the noise gates and the disparity of the chunky lows and the sharp highs, I think it’s one of the band’s biggest strengths. It represents the merging of two very technical subgenres and presents each of them in the context of the other. It’s kind of a hard thing to explain without listening; check out “Guardian” and follow it up with “Darkness Weeps” for the best illustration of this dichotomy.” – Toilet ov Hell (EP Review Schizophrene)

Biophagous EP
Release Date: August 18, 2017

[Download EP Cover]
[Download EP Lyrics]

Track Listing:
1. Parasitic (4:42)
2. DFL (3:42)
3. Shepherd (5:02)
4. The Hate Subsides (4:08)
EP Length: 17:35

EP Credits:
– Guitars tracked by Tylor Dory
– Pre-production drums with Peter Zawalski
– Piano on ‘Parasitic’ written and recorded by Tylor Dory
– Guest Vocals on ‘DFL’ by Diaro Irvine
– Bass written by Ryan Schaffler
– Vocals and drums recorded by Greg Wright at Hillbilly Wizard Sound
– Editing, Mixing and Mastering by Chris Foster at First Strike Recordings
– Artwork and CD layout design by Erskine Designs
– Band Photo by Ryan Wiesner at Trivium Photography

EP Line Up:
Ryan Schaffler (Bass)
Kyle Hunter (Guitar)
Joseph McKee (Vocals)
Logan Vars (Drums)
Dylan Parker (Guitar and Vocals)

Live Band Line Up:
Dylan Parker – Guitar Vocals
Logan Vars Drums
Josh Hahn – Vocals
Jacob Teeple – Bass

Discography:
2016 – Schizophrene (EP)

Shared Stage with:
Protest The Hero, Kataklysm, Ne Obliviscaris, Black Crown Initiate, Archspire, The Schoenberg Automaton, Our Last Crusade, Death Toll Rising, Tylor Dory Trio, The Noumenon, Plaguebringer, Tides of Kharon, W.M.D., Apollyon, The Faceless, Angelmaker

Festivals:
2017 – Metallion
2015 – Breakdown For Break-fest 2015

L-R: Dylan Parker – Guitar, Vocals, Logan Vars – Drums, Josh Hahn – Vocals, Jacob Teeple – Bass

Photo-credit: Ryan Wiesner @ Trivium Photography

Protosequence was formed in the spring of 2014 by 5 guys who shared the same goal: create an array of songs that reflected each of them personally. As autumn approached that year, the band started to play in Edmonton, as well as Central and Southern Alberta. Releasing their debut 4 song EP “Schizophrene” in January of 2016, they quickly established a name for themselves in the Edmonton and area metal scene. Bassist Ryan Schaffler left the band in early 2017, with Jacob Teeple filling the vacancy seamlessly. After taking to the road, completing a 10 day tour of Western Canada in June, they hit the studio and released their sophomore 4 song EP “Biophagous” in August of 2017. 2018 saw Protosequence solidify and expand their following around Western Canada. Playing Armstrong and Metallion Festival, touring through BC, as well as sharing the stage with touring acts like The Faceless, Angelmaker, Ingested, Signs of the Swarm, Bodysnatcher, and others. In August, vocalist Joe McKee announced his retirement from Protosequence, with guitarist Kyle Hunter following suit a few weeks later. Protosequence quickly added Josh Hahn to the mix on vocals after seeing him perform with his previous band, Seraphic Nihilist. Shortly after Metallion Festival, the band convinced him to move from Prince George, BC, to the motherland: Edmonton, Alberta. With no luck finding a replacement guitarist, the band pressed on into writing mode.

0 NEWS: SCYTHIA Reveal New Play-Through Video For ‘Lineage’ via Gear Gods

July 8, 2016
by Asher
· Music News · Scythia

(contact info below)

NEWS RELEASE

Montreal, QC – July 8, 2016

Album Promo Request here.

For fans of Turisas, Ale Storm, Ensiferum, Korpiklaani, Eluveitie

Scythia.ca | Facebook | Twitter | Youtube

CD Baby | iTunes | Bandcamp

Canadian Metal Minstrels SCYTHIA Reveal New Play-Through Video For ‘Lineage’ via Gear Gods

Album Stream – Lineage – Listen here.

Canadian progressive/power folklore metallers SCYTHIA recently released their newest full-length offering, Lineage. You can order your digital or physical copy of Lineage now via the band’s Bandcamp page. These minstrels of metal are back today with a play-through video of the album’s title track, “Lineage”, which you can view now exclusively via Gear Gods: http://geargods.net/playthrough/scythia-shred-tastic-new-guitar-playthrough-for-lineage/

SCYTHIA guitarist and vocalist Dave Khan states, “We’re stoked to have our playthrough of “Lineage” up with Gear Gods! We use some really unusual gear. I play a custom-made Warrior Black Knight with X2N active pick-ups into an ENGL raider 1 x 12, and AJ plays a Ibanez RG premium through a Blackstar HT Stage 100.”

Although the band primarily self-produced the album, Lineage features engineering from Nino Laurenne (Firewind, Finntroll, Wintersun, Ensiferum) and Lasse Lammert (Alestorm, Gloryhammer, Powerwolf), and mastering from Svante Forsback (Rammstein, Volbeat, Firewind, Apocalyptica). Nino Laurenne is also responsible for mixing duties on the album. Lineage was recorded at LSD Studios in Lubeck, Germany and Sonic Pump Studios in Helsinki, Finland.

SCYTHIA are gearing up to perform at two more events this summer before heading out on a tour this fall (details coming soon). See below for all currently confirmed performance dates.

Upcoming Dates:

Aug 19 – Edmonton, AB @ DV8 – info
Aug 25-28 – Valemount, BC – Metalocalypstick Festival – info

1. Eternal Oath (3:37)
2. Laugh of the Tsar (5:41) [Beatroute]
3. Barbarian (4:53)
4. Soldier’s Lament (5:22) [MetalInjection]
5. Loremaster Pt. I (7:33)
6. Loremaster Pt. II (6:49)
7. The Sacrifice (5:43)
8. Lineage (3:15)
Album Length: 42:56

For more info, please visit: www.Scythia.ca.

About:

Like a charging bear Scythia have been playing progressive power metal with a twist of folklore since 2008. Scythia has coined their own sound while drawing influences from different genres such as celtic/gypsy folk music, power metal, death metal and progressive rock. Scythia’s albums and performances feature rich, poetic storytelling and grand tales that vividly captures the imagination of their listeners. Because of this, they have taken the independent scene by storm as they gather more and more fans both domestically and internationally. Scythia acquired its name from vocalist/guitarist Dave Khan’s infatuation with ancient Slavic imagery and melodies inspired from Balkan music. The name is fitting for a grandiose sound as Scythia is also an ancient empire spanning from the Caucasus through Russia, and even into eastern Scandinavia.

Scythia delivered their first album “Of War” in 2010 where the band’s distinctive sound was forged, which carried on to their next release “Of Exile” in 2011. These albums featured sound effects, narration and classical instrumentation to help drive home their story through the medium of concept albums. Touring and press associated with these albums garnered recognition for the band as they were nominated for the Best Metal Group/Duo for Canada’s Sirius XM Indies – Independent Music Awards. Other nominees include Bison B.C, Derelict, Devin Townsend Project and Mares Of Thrace. This is a great honor for the band to be included as nominees for these awards since they represents the Canadian independent music scene.

In February 2014, Scythia had its sights set on new and larger horizons. They released their 3rd full length album “Of Conquest”, which was engineered/produced by Lasse Lammert (Alestorm, Gloryhammer, Halcyon Way, Svarsot) at LSD Studios in Lubeck, Germany. Co-produced by Shaun Thingvold (Strapping Young Lad, Lamb of God, Fear Factory), Mixed by Nino Laurenne (Ensiferum, Wintersun, Kiuas, Firewind) at Sonic Pump Studios in Helsinki, Finland, and Mastered by Svante Forsback (Rammstein, Firewind, Korpiklaani,Apocalyptica) at Chartmakers in Helsinki, Finland. “Of Conquest” let to an overwhlemingly popular response and saw the band co-headline a major festival in Brazil and other festivals in the southeast USA in 2015.

“Of Conquest” sonically paved the way for their 4th full-length release “Lineage”, which was recorded using the same production team. 2016 sees Scythia getting ready for more touring in Canada and the US, and setting sail across the seas to international venues.

– 30 –

—

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0 NEWS: Gear Gods Premiere WITHOUT MERCY Guitar Playthrough ‘Burn’ + Canadian Tour (AB/MB/SK/ON/QC); New EP ‘Mouichido’ Out Now!

June 2, 2016
by Asher
· Music News · Without Mercy

(contact info below)

NEWS RELEASE

Montreal, QC – June 2, 2016

EP Promo Request here.

For fans of Lamb of God, Pantera, Gojira, Decapitated, Cannibal Corpse

WithoutMercyBand.com | Facebook | Twitter @WithoutMercy | Youtube | Bandcamp

Download Press Photo | Download EP Cover | Download EP Lyrics

Gear Gods Premiere WITHOUT MERCY Guitar Playthrough ‘Burn’ + Canadian Tour (AB/MB/SK/ON/QC)

New EP ‘Mouichido’ Out Now!

Photo Credit: Shimon Karmel

Unleashing their new EP ‘Mouichido’ last week on May 27th, Vancouver, BC’sWITHOUT MERCY have teamed up with GearGods.net for the premiere of their guitar playthrough by DJ Temple for their track ‘Burn’, which can be viewed at the following link: http://geargods.net/playthrough/without-mercy-burn-on-this-savage-guitar-playthrough/

‘Mouichido’ is a rebirth for the band as it’s a re-release of re-recorded material from their 2014 EP ‘Reborn’. ‘Mouichido’ is the Japanese word for “Repeat” or “to do one more time” and is perfectly titled for the EP to signify its re-release of previously recorded versions that now feature new vocalist Alex Friis and bass tracks recorded by Tristan Martin plus live performance being done by Ryan Loewen along with a guest appearance by vocalist Mark Hunter of Chimaira on track ‘In Waves’.

A full stream of ‘Mouichido’ can be heard at the following links below along with Canadian tour dates:
Bandcamp
Decibel Magazine

Music Video – Burn – NCS | Youtube

Video – Worthless – Youtube

1. Worthless (3:48)

2. In Waves (Ft. Mark Hunter of Chimaira) (4:06)

3. Burn (4:27)

4. Morphine (5:56)

EP Length: 18:19

Tour Dates:

June 3 – Red Deer, AB – The Vat – info

June 4 – Calgary, AB – Distortion – info

June 6 – Grand Prairie, AB – Better Than Fred’s – info

June 7 – Edmonton, AB – The Mercury Room

June 8 – Lethbridge, AB – Attainable Records

June 10 – Winnipeg, MB – The Windsor – info

June 11 – Brandon, MB – North Hill Inn – info

June 16 – Thunder Bay, ON – Black Pirate’s Pub

June 17 – Sudbury, ON – The Asylum – info

June 18 – Oshawa, ON – The Diezel Room – info

June 19 – Woodstock, ON – Illusions Night Club – info

June 20 – Toronto, ON – Coalition T.O.

June 21 – Montreal, QC – Piranha Bar

June 22 – Sherbrooke, QC – Le Murdoch – info

June 25 – Timmins, ON – TBA

June 28 – Portage la Prairie, MB – Masonic Hall

June 29 – Regina, SK – TBA

June 30 – Medicine Hat, AB – TBA
July 1 – Prince George, BC – The Art Place
July 2 – Burns Lake, BC – The Dungeon

Jul 23 – SBC Restaurant – Vancouver, BC

For more info, please visit: www.WithoutMercyBand.com.

About:

Tenacity, work ethic and originality. There’s no excuses anymore.

Vancouver-based Without Mercy certainly stays true to its name. Ruthless and menacing, these Canadian metal titans have cultivated and redefined the phrase, “Fuck Pussy Metal”.

Founded in 2004, Without Mercy has gone from strength to strength over the years. They released their first EP “All Else Fails” in 2007 completely independently and used its humble beginnings to start the catapulting of performances, internet presence and radio play. In 2009, Without Mercy went on to record their self-titled full length album using the same team that worked on records by Devin Townsend, Mudvayne, and Marilyn Manson. Without Mercy rode the attention wave of their self-titled debut, using the escalation to begin a relentless performance schedule that would lead them far from their hometown and include over 200 live performances. No stranger to tenacity, in only a few short years Without Mercy have achieved; being the only indie metal band in Western Canada to have two tracks available on Rock Band 3, being featured in Tattoo Savage Magazine, and pioneering the phrases, ‘You Smell Like A Bitch’ and ‘Fuck Pussy Metal’ – which have now become synonymous with the band.

In 2014, Without Mercy unleashed third studio release, “Reborn”. Another massive evolution for the band, Without Mercy sought to bring back the organic metal sound and combine it with a high production standard. Fast forward to 2016, some line up changes with a new vocalist and bassist, the band is ready to share with fans re-recorded material from ‘Reborn’ on their new EP ‘Mouichido’ that even features Chimaira vocalist Mark Hunter on their track ‘In Waves’. The EP is set to be unleashed on May 27th, 2016 and will be supported with a steady rotation of touring and appearances across Canada and the USA. All of course, independently.

– 30 –

—

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#.514.581.5780 | ashermedia@gmail.com
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