MASCHINE announce release of second studio album through INSIDE OUT

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Young British progressive rockers MASCHINE have announced the release of their second studio album ‘Naturalis’ for the 18th November 2016 on InsideOutMusic. The follow-up to the band’s debut ‘Rubidium’, this is the first to feature drummer James Stewart ( Vader) & keyboardist/vocalist Marie-Eve de Gaultier.

The album will be released as a special edition digipak CD & digital download, both featuring two bonus tracks recorded live in 2015 at Veruno Prog Festival in Italy. The full track-list can be found below:

1. Resistance (11:52)
2. Night And Day (5:08)
3. Make Believe (7:10)
4. Hidden In Plain Sight (7:01)
5. A New Reality (8:45)
6. Megacyma (11:46)
Bonus Tracks
7. Eyes Pt.2 (Live in Veruno) (8:55)
8. Rubidium (Live in Veruno) (8:47)

Forever Still – Sign to Nuclear Blast and release debut “Tied Down” on October 21st Check out music video for ‘Miss Madness’ and pre-order now!

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A new spark of hope has started glowing in the darkness of the rock music scene and with their untamed female lead vocals and haunting melodies the new wildfire namedFOREVER STILL is starting to spread from Denmark. Hailing from the same musical shores as LACUNA COIL, FLYLEAF, HALESTORM or BRING ME THE HORIZON, the band has been building a solid fan base since 2013 and toured tirelessly throughout Europe. Now they are ready to unleash their fresh debut record entitled Tied Down on October 21st.

“People who have followed the band for a while know that we’re very self-sufficient and haven’t been in a rush signing with a label”, singer Maja Shining states. “If we were to sign, we wanted to find someone who believed as much in the band as we do, without wanting to change us and who wants to work hard together with us to push it to the top. We believe we’ve found that in Nuclear Blast and we’re very excited to start working with them and reach new heights with the band.”

While many young rock bands with a charming frontwoman are often labeled as ‘industry products’ or ‘engineered’, nothing is artificial or marionette-like aboutFOREVER STILL – writing their own songs is obvious for Maja and multi-instrumentalist Mikkel Haastrup, but the band also put their heart and soul into every other aspect affiliated with their music. Over the years they have booked their own tours, shot their band photos and music videos themselves, produced and mixed their new songs and have consequently climbed their self-constructed ladder to success.

Something that instantly impressed Nuclear Blast CEO Markus Staiger:
“With FOREVER STILL it was love at first sight! The Metal Hammer article in which they had been named ‘Band Of The Month’ immediately caught my attention and after checking out their music via their homepage, I was overwhelmed! This band is young, ambitious, sounds fresh and has a massive amount of potential hits! Their modern and melodic metal is breathtaking and with singer Maja, FOREVER STILL has the perfect frontwoman! We loved the DIY-Status of the band and their high ambitions and it’s an honour to welcome them to the Nuclear Blast family!”

Their first album Tied Down is a journey through emotional devastation, hope and recovery, it mixes passionate clean vocals with raging screams from singer Maja and contains rock hymns that instantly capture the listener.

Here’s the tracklist of the new release that will also contain a special DVD:
01. Scars
02. Once Upon A Nightmare
03. Miss Madness
04. Awake The Fire
05. Breathe In
06. Save Me
07. Your Light
08. Alone
09. Break The Glass
10. Tied Down
Bonus Tracks:
11. Scars (Acoustic)
12. Save Me (Acoustic)
13. Miss Madness (Acoustic)

DVD:
01. Miss Madness (Video Clip)
02. Scars (Video Clip)
03. Awake The Fire (Video Clip)
04. Break The Glass (Video Clip)
05. Once Upon a Nightmare (Lyric Video)
06. Miss Madness (Lyric Video)
07. Scars (Lyric Video)

Forever Still have also just unleashed a new video for single ‘Miss Madness’

“The clip for ‘Miss Madness’ was shot at the oldest amusement park in the world over the course of 6 months. Half of it in the summer time and the other in the winter time to portray the contrast filled dream and the brutal reality for ‘Miss Madness’ herself”,singer Maja Shining remembers.
But shooting the video in the middle of the crowded amusement park ‘Bakken’ was of course not particularly easy – you have to let yourself go, ignore the staring people andMaja laughs when she’s thinking back to the scenery: “…haha, it was exactly as horrible as you can imagine!”

And since the madness is just about to begin, FOREVER STILL‘s debut album Tied Down is now available for pre-order. The physical copy will be a special CD+DVD digipack:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Tied-Down-Forever-Still/dp/B01LZT5JHP/ref=sr_1_1?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1474448064&sr=1-1&keywords=forever+still

If you prefer to get a digital version:
https://itunes.apple.com/gb/album/tied-down/id1151437769

Check out their music video to the album opening track ‘Scars’ here:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KUG0c05iK-Q

More info:
www.foreverstill.dk
www.facebook.com/foreverstill

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Kadavar Announce Belfast and Cardiff headline shows

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Berlin-based trio KADAVAR have announced they will play two UK headline shows alongside their Autumn tour supporting label-mates Blues Pills.

Both shows are on sale now – ticket links available below:

Nov 3rd – Belfast, Voodoo
https://www.voodoobelfast.com/events.php?&actID=438

Nov 7th – Cardiff, Clwb Ifor Bach
http://www.seetickets.com/event/kadavar/clwb-ifor-bach/992117

Kadavar released their latest album ‘Berlin’ last year, a compelling fusion of psychedelic rock and heavy fuzz that was acclaimed world-wide. This year together with long-time friend and collaborator Nathini van der Meer (http://nathinivandermeer.com), who has created artwork and videos for them in the past, the band have been working on their first “Visual Album”- 12 short films accompanying each of the albums’ songs, to be released once a month throughout the entirety of the year.

The band recently released the fourth video for the Berlin visual album concept. Watch‘Reich der Träume’ here: https://youtu.be/dGdcXgqWcGM
The third video, ‘Lord Of The Sky’, is available here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rPqR5k0C_u4
The second video, ‘Filthy Illusion’, can be watched here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8at3OCtiqxM
The first video, ‘Pale Blue Eyes’, can be watched here: http://smarturl.it/PaleBlueEyes

KADAVAR‘s Berlin can be ordered in various formats from the Nuclear Blast store: 
http://bit.ly/NBUKKADAVAR
Pick up a signed copy of the album from Recordstore.co.uk:http://bit.ly/KADAVARSIGNED
Alternatively, order a digital copy from iTunes: http://bit.ly/BerliniTunes

blues-pills-kadavar

Lady In Gold UK & IRL Tour 2016 w/ KADAVAR
Tickets on sale now, available from the links below: 
1st November – Wolverhampton – Slade Rooms
http://www.livenation.co.uk/artist/blues-pills-tickets
2nd November – Classic Grand – Glasgow
http://t-s.co/blu00
4th November – Voodoo Lounge – Dublin
www.ticketmaster.ie
5th November – Club Academy – Manchester
http://www.livenation.co.uk/artist/blues-pills-tickets
6th November – London – Koko
http://www.livenation.co.uk/artist/blues-pills-tickets
8th November – Bristol – Marble Factory
http://www.livenation.co.uk/artist/blues-pills-tickets

IN FLAMES PREMIERE ‘THE END’ MUSIC VIDEO

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Swedish metal visionaries IN FLAMES premiere the music video for their first single ‘The End’. Directed byPatric Ullaeus, the video is infused with pure adrenaline, stepping inside a first-person shooter game and bringing the viewer front and centre of exhilarating action and suspense.

Premiering last month via Decibel Magazine, ‘The End‘ is the first offering from IN FLAMES’ 12th studio album,Battles, out November 11th via Nuclear Blast.

Download the new singles ‘The Truth’ and ‘The End’ here.

The band will embark on a UK-wide tour with AVENGED SEVENFOLD and DISTURBED in January:
JANUARY 2017
Tuesday 10th – GLASGOW, HYDRO
Thursday 12th – NEWCASTLE, METRO RADIO ARENA
Friday 13th – BIRMINGHAM, GENTING
Sunday 15th – SHEFFIELD, ARENA
Monday 16th – MANCHESTER, ARENA
Wednesday 18th – NOTTINGHAM, MOTORPOINT ARENA
Thursday 19th – CARDIFF, MOTORPOINT ARENA
Saturday 21st – LONDON, 02 ARENA
Sunday 22nd – LONDON, 02 ARENA

Tickets here!

More on ‘Battles‘:
Listen to ‘The Truth’: https://youtu.be/FkHJ2JY1rzI
Listen to ‘The End’: https://youtu.be/yafxUluB6DA
If you want to know more about the title choice and the artwork, check out the band’s first webisode:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O8xmDX1eLOs
The second webisode where they talk about the double-single:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bLnZMbZagak
Watch the third webisode where the band talk about their work with renowned producer Howard Benson:https://youtu.be/WYRR0SU2K9s
In Flames present new drummer, Joe Rickard: https://youtu.be/UxglQezGoX0

IN FLAMES are:
Anders Fridén | vocals
Björn Gelotte | guitars
Peter Iwers | bass
Niclas Engelin | guitars
Joe Rickard | drums

More info:
http://www.inflames.com
https://www.facebook.com/inflames
https://twitter.com/InFlames_SWE
https://www.instagram.com/inflames

TDW launches new EP, trailer and Pre-orders for new album!

After giving hints and build-up through the social media channels, TDW now unveils the pre-order for the brand new TDW album that is planned for early 2017!

The following trailer explains everything:

The new album will be entitled ‘The Antithetic Affiliation’ and will become a two disc musical experience. One CD of this package will become an intense, metallic and dark disc and the other CD will hold a lighter, open and more melodic atmosphere. This album will also include a bonus DVD with the ‘Making of’ the album, interviews about everything TDW related and live performance material from the debut performance of Dreamwalkers Inc at ProgPower Europe 2016!

To make this pre-order more interesting, a host of special merchandise has been created to accompany it. A new EP has been released entitled ‘The Aphrodisia EP’. This EP features four songs that will come out on the new album as well, but in specially produced versions for this EP. The song ‘Anthem’ (which was released earlier this year) is also included on this EP.

The EP features this tracklist:

1: Aphrodisia
2: Dirge
3: Anthem
4: Lovesong

Next to the aforementioned EP, a special T-shirt design has been launched to accompany the pre-order. This shirt design will only be made during this pre-order run, so get one fast or miss out! Shirts are available in sizes S-XXL in Green or Sand color with a front and back print.

tdw-tshirt

Both the EP and shirts can only be ordered with one of the pre-order packages. Check the Layered Reality Webstore link belowto see which packages are available:

https://www.layered-reality.com/product-category/tdw/

The gig will take place on the 29th of September at Castle de Berckt in Baarlo (NL). Attendance to this concert will be free of charge and this will be the first time that Dreamwalkers Inc will perform live. The band will then perform an acoustic set of old and new TDW material and this is proving to become a diverse show!

ProgPower Europe, the leading progressive rock and metal festival, since 1999.

 

 

Review – Marillion – F.E.A.R – by Kevin Thompson

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Let’s get this out of the way first, I have been a Marillion fan, since ‘Market Square Heroes’, not as fanatical as some but have every album from both eras and solo projects. I have seen them many times live and they have seen me through the highs and lows of my adult life, always there to bring wonder, amazement and comfort. I refuse to choose which era I prefer as both are in their own right part of a greater whole that make this band not only one of the greats of Progressive music, but one of the best bands I have ever heard. Pioneers of crowd-funding they created a whole new ecosystem in which to survive and prosper, where others fell to the whims of the press when the genre stumbled to the fickle fancies of the general great unwashed.

If we are to believe that life is one big cycle, everything must come around again, as in fashion and also the popularity of music. The quality of Marillion’s output and personal symbiosis with their adoring fans have carried them over a 38 year career and eighteen albums, quite often against all odds, and shown the way for others to follow. Free from the shackles of large labels and self sufficient it has enabled them to create under their own rules a beautiful distinctive sound. They have never really ‘gone away’ or ‘made a comeback’, producing consistently strong material. It is to be expected then that a band who have always been able to make social comment, (‘Easter’, ‘Season’s End’, ‘Brave’….) and are not afraid to tackle uncomfortable subjects, should go all out on the new album to try and prick the conscience of the human race and open our eyes to the mess we are making of this wonderful planet on which we have the privilege to be born.

Why is it we, who consider ourselves the ‘superior’ race continually attempt to waste all before us with greed and want, when in reality there would be plenty for all if only we would look after the world we live in and work with and not against the planet and everyone on it. Such is the constitution of man, but there is no fantasy in the fact we are pushing ourselves to destruction and there will be no happy ending if we do not change our ways, Mother Nature will have her revenge on the pretentious, foolish notions that we can control her.

live

Can the New Kings save us from ourselves through the message of music, it would be naïvely sweet to think so and the intention is sincere. Whether it does depends on you dear listener, but for myself the lyrics may serve to open my eyes, but the music opens my heart. Listening to Marillion makes me feel I want to be a better person and fills me with a warm glow. Previews and internet gossip may, erroneously lead you to believe this is decidedly different from previous albums, it’s not. What you will hear is the culmination of personal experience spread over four decades, condensed and poured like liquid gold into your ears, on what many may feel are some of the best tunes the band have ever written. All brought together on an album that dares to try and topple ‘Afraid of Sunlight’ from my ‘favourite’ spot.

Let me try and convince you a little further, are you sitting comfortably? Then I will begin….

Our first story warns of  an impending dramatic change in the five piece El Dorado. The album title sung so sweet a chorus, you could almost be forgiven for mistaking the impact it aims to create. This is not flippant or irreverent comment meant to shock, rather to indicate the evil that men and women do and what it generates in humanitarian, ecological and financial terms. Ignorantly disregarding the warnings of disaster we are bringing on ourselves, the analogy of a devastating, approaching storm illustrating our shame exquisitely. What future are we creating and what legacy will we leave our children and future generations?

The next tale urges us to seek an end to wars and work to universal peace, no longer to be Living in Fear. You could be forgiven for thinking the band were trying to create a ‘Hippy’ utopia with the 60’s echoed sentiments, but in a world that that has grown increasingly bitter and violent, maybe those with flower power had something greater to offer us after all. Mocked, before their time, and over-dramatic with portents of an all too scary real life in which we now live. Who are we now to cast aspersions, seeing them as just a quirky trend in the past only makes fools of us now. An infectious chorus will dig into your consciousness, lodging there and carrying the new day message of hope, should we ignore it or join hands across the world in harmony?

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Almost an antithesis to Thankyou Whoever You Are from the album ‘Somewhere Else’, as a pentagonal prosopography, The Leavers is the narrative of a band and crew’s life from a behind the scenes perspective. The constraints of a life on the road, showing a more personal tale of the strain on all involved. Constantly on the move, setting up/packing up and repetitive routines. Hardly ever home and when you are, restless, never fully settled whilst something tugs at you, drawing you back to the nomadic world you have become accustomed to. The testing of relationships as you struggle to fit into the family dynamic and their daily rituals, the feeling of being an intruder. Each section of this extensive song segues into the next as the band smoothly slide between passages.

Steve Hogarth’s heartfelt vocals perfectly catch the requisite emotion for the rest of the band to feed from, creating layers of luscious strings at the fingers of Messrs Pete Trewavas  rhythmic bass and Steve Rothery’s soaring guitars, intertwining with the percussive symmetry of Ian Moseley’s drums, all laid on a quilted bed of  Mark Kelly’s delicious keys. The coherence of the the band’s music on this album has never been more tangible and a further fitting analogy as to what we could all achieve if we worked in harmony together for the common goal, in their case this beautiful thought provoking album.

The delicate piano and wistful vocals illustrate our ageing, which can creep up on us as the realisation dawns we can no longer mentally or physically do all we could or would like to. We all too soon become observers of The White Paper on which we have painted our lives. Visiting our past whilst we innocuously watch the world pass by. Bitter-sweet, verging on regretful reflection of what we lose, as the music builds  for the yearning of youth when everything was fresh and colourful, rapidly resigned to greyer shades of obscurity. Could we, should we have done more whilst we were capable?

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What have we not unearthed in dark depth from our tales so far? Ah, yes, greed and corruption. There is no ‘need’ for some but a ‘want’ to own, take control, hold dominion over those below and less fortunate at any cost. There is always someone whose avarice will override their common sense of decency in a corrupt corporate society where power matters to The New Kings above all else. Revelling in others’ misfortunes whilst building empty steel and glass castles to their vacuous domains, in which the echoes of the titled chorus ring. Any assumed pleasantries in previous tracks are disregarded on this epitaph of the evil that men do, dispensing with the subtleties to expose the core of this world’s impropriety.

This album resonates on every level of my senses, be it my own advancing years that force me into the realisation that in my humanity I too have been guilty, on however a small scale, to some of the above at some stages in my life. Before I put my soapbox away I would like to end on this. It is not someone else to blame, it is not someone else’s fault. We are all accountable. Wake up and smell the roses, whilst they still grow. Stand up and be counted. Do not live in F.E.A.R.

 Released 23rd September 2016

Order from Marillion.com

 

Review – Aisles – Hawaii – by Craig E. Bacon

aisles-hawaii-album-cover

With their new album, ‘Hawaii,” Aisles have released their version of the obligatory conceptual prog double album. As such, it hits many of the prog checklist items: longer tracks, extended instrumental sections, some experimental choices, a loose concept that can be a little hard to follow at times, and gorgeous cover art that tells a story in its own right. However, ‘Hawaii’ never comes across as perfunctory, and the band’s eclectic mix of musical styles–leaning more heavily on jazz-fusion and world rhythms than on ‘classic prog’ or hard rock–brings some fresh air to the project.

The first LP opens with a two part reflection on The Poet whose art and message had gone largely unheard. This pair of tracks serve well as an opener, expressing both the lyrical themes (a warning about the destruction of the earth/loss of uniquely human experiences) and the musical pallette (big band drums and jazzy lead guitar that moves into Welcome to the Machine-esque sinister moodiness, then continues through several stylistic changes). The rest of this first disc continues with premonitions of coming tragedy. Upside Down is a highlight of the album, and one of the more condensed musical and thematic statements here. There are two opposing forces at work in the world–destruction and creation–both with their power to to turn the world upside down in their own ways. “Some only take and some just destroy, and others they create/Some give their hearts and some are so bold/That they can turn any world upside down.”

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The second LP focuses more on lament and longing for the good things that have passed away. The album’s many references to sun, rivers, walks, etc. develop the thought that the greatest loss in the earth’s destruction was not cultural or technological–these human inventions seem to have carried on in the settlement of the solar system–but in the destruction of the non-human beauty of the natural world that provides the conditions for fully a human experience. This is expressed in the mournful Terra and on the title track, Club Hawaii, which features a spoken intro explaining that the club’s five floors each contain wonders to tantalize all five senses, every floor more intense than the last. The patron’s question, “what’s on the top floor?” reveals the album’s theme of longing for the deepest, most thorough experience of human sensuality, especially in relation to the beauty of the natural world and humanity’s own natural, physical existence. Thus, we hear the club’s visitor implore “Turn my soul into flesh and soil/And blood, and waves and sand and rocks/And cliffs and sex and dogs/And apes and frogs and dirt and rust/And screams and lava, lava, lava, lava, lava.”

Throughout the album, there are nods to classic progressive music: some of the keys/synths are reminiscent of late 70’s Rush or mid-70’s Pink Floyd, while the jazzier leanings share some commonality with Caravan, but Aisles are clearly not interested in the more nostalgic-leaning approach to prog. The influences are there, but they remain influences rather than templates.

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Hawaii’ is a cohesive, moody incorporation of emotional rock vocals, jazz fusion instrumental sections, and jazzy world-music accents, especially in the rhythm section. There are a few shorter songs that act as segues (Nostalgia) or postludes to the preceding track (Year Zero, Falling, which is a nice hint at the kind of mournful ballad that Freddie Mercury sang so masterfully), but the narrative tends to be moved forward by longer, sprawling tracks. These avoid the prog-rock epic approach to composition, instead opening with quieter guitars and slowly unfolding. The album  is, on the whole, much more about the ‘progressive’ rather than the ‘rock’ as it is usually practiced in the contemporary milieu. That’s not to say the album doesn’t get loud or intense, but the mood suits contemplation more than consternation. This is an album for a late night, sitting alone in low lighting, with a favourite and suitably complex beverage in hand. And have some refills at the ready, because ‘Hawaii’ rewards repeated listens. The composition is too sprawling and the theme too subtle (as a nice counterpoint to some overbearing narrative albums) to be grasped immediately. It requires some commitment from the listener up front, before it will reveal the intricacies of its emotional core. With some careful attention, however, its beauty will shine through.

Released 29th July 2016

Buy ‘Hawaii’ direct from the band HERE

 

 

ESBEN AND THE WITCH SHARE LATEST TRACK ‘THE WOLF’S SUN’ FROM UPCOMING ALBUM

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ESBEN AND THE WITCH are now streaming the next track taken from their forthcoming album ‘Older Terrors’. The dark atmospheric rockers will release their new full-length on November 4th.
The amazing song “The Wolf’s Sun can be listened to here.
ESBEN AND THE WITCH comment on “The Wolf’s Sun”: “An ode to Luna, a blazing white rock. We find ourselves drawn to and driven by a night lust as old as the firmament itself. The first chapter marks the laden swagger of the satellite, a pendulous, ominous beacon. Switching to the second movement, the maniacal march of its wide-eyed disciples, entranced by its heady glow. Rampaging with hearts as swollen as the moon itself – ‘Light it is blooming, A madness consuming, Inside your head, Inside your hands. In love! I’m raptured! – …”
 
Furthermore, the band already stated on the album: “Our forthcoming album ‘Older Terrors’ was written and recorded over the course of a year in Berlin, our adopted home. We’ve spent eight years getting here, sweating on stages, holed up in studios and exploring all that which inspires awe and terror. The album features four tracks. In this digital age of music we wanted to create a collection that worked together but could also be separated, each track standing alone, carving its own path and telling its own tale. This record is dedicated to the sublime. To Edward Young’s Night Thoughts, John Martin’s apocalyptic visions, Caspar David Friedrich’s forays into the forest and to the sparks of light that glimmer in times of utter darkness.
 
Something ancient and primordial stalks the four tracks on the fourth full-length of ESBEN AND THE WITCH. The haunting voice of Rachel Davies weaves arcane spells through hypnotic patterns. Interlaced in these invocations is the emotive string sorcery provided by guitarist Thomas Fisher, while Daniel Copeman evokes a state of trance with his shamanic drumming and wide sonic landscapes painted by electronic synthesizer magic.
 
ESBEN AND THE WITCH were formed in Brighton, a windswept English seaside resort, when Daniel Copeman hooked up with Thomas Fisher in 2008. After a number of failed auditions for a vocalist, Fisher had a chance meeting with longtime friend Rachel Davies, who proved to be the perfect fit as singer for the newly created three-piece. A band name was found in the foreboding Danish fairytale “Esben and the Witch”.
 
The self-released ’33 EP’ (2009) and a 7″ single entitled ‘Lucia, at the Precipice’ (2010) caused a vibrant buzz that led to a first record deal. With the single ‘Marching Song’ (2010), ESBEN AND THE WITCH heralded their debut full-length ‘Violet Cries’, a Gothic post-rock nightmare that hit the stores in January 2011. The album was immediately picked up by critics and fans alike, managing to climb to #13 in the UK Indie Chart. Two singles, ‘Warpath’ and ‘Chorea’ and the ‘Hexagons’ digital EP followed in the same year.
 
2012 saw the trio commence work on their sophomore album ‘Wash the Sins Not Only the Face’ which was released in early 2013 and again scored critical praise. ESBEN AND THE WITCH decided to take matters into their own hands and published the third full-length ‘A New Nature’ (2014) on their own imprint, ‘Nostromo Records’. The band travelled to Chicago to record with Steve Albini and the result was an intense, sprawling creation inspired by the trio’s increasingly heavy live show.
 
Having established themselves as a highly individual act and an excellent reputation as an outstanding live force, ESBEN AND THE WITCH have honed their songwriting skills to the sharp crystalline edge that now manifests itself clearly on ‘Older Terrors’. Beauty, emotion, and musical depth celebrate a glorious wedding on these tracks. You are herewith invited to join this aural feast.
 
Line-up
Rachel Davies: vocals, bass
Thomas Fisher: guitar
Daniel Copeman: drums, synths

OPETH RELEASE EIGHTH STUDIO BLOG VIDEO FOR ‘SORCERESS’

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Swedish experimental heavy-rock pioneers OPETH have released the eighth instalment, “Studio Report – Episode 8,” of their in-depth, behind the scenes series on the making of their 12th studio album, ‘Sorceress’. In this new trailer, keyboardist Joakim Svalberg talks about the recordings for ‘Sorceress’ and his love for vintage instruments. The highly-anticipated record is out on September 30th via the band’s imprint labelModerbolaget Records with Nuclear Blast Entertainment.

Catch up on the previous episodes here:
Mikael leads you through the Rockfield Studios
Mikael speaks about the guitar recordings
Axe speaks about the drum recordings
Martin speaks about the bass recordings
Mikael speaks about the songwriting
Fredrik speaks about the guitar recordings
Mikael talks about the lyrical concept

OPETH also released a lyric video to ‘Will O The Wisp‘ last week. Listen to the melancholic, Jethro-Tull-like single now:

The record will be available in an array of formats and editions including CD, 2CD Digipak, 2LP Vinyl (in various colours at 180 gram) from the Nuclear Blast Store: http://nblast.de/OpethSorceressNB and Recordstore.co.uk (orders come with signed inserts – whilst stocks last): http://nblast.de/OpethSorceressRS

Pre-order ‘Sorceress‘ digitally and receive both “Will O the Wisp” and the band’s previously released title track, “Sorceress”: http://nblast.de/OpethSorceressIT

OPETH will return to the UK for a headline show at Wembley Arena on Saturday 19th November.  Tickets are on sale now from www.livenation.co.uk.

Full tour dates as follows:
05.11.  S         Stockholm – Annexet
06.11.  N         Oslo – Konserthus
07.11.  DK       Copenhagen – DR Koncerthuset, Koncertsalen
08.11.  D         Hamburg – Docks
10.11.  A          Vienna – Arena
11.11.  D         Stuttgart – LKA Longhorn
12.11.  D         Munich – Theaterfabrik
13.11.  CH       Zurich – Volkshaus
14.11.  I           Milan – Alcatraz
16.11.  D         Cologne – E-Werk
17.11.  B          Brussels – AB
18.11.  NL        Tilburg – 013
19.11.  UK       London – SSE Arena Wembley
21.11.  F          Paris – Le Trianon
23.11.  LUX      Luxemburg – Den Atelier
24.11.  D         Berlin – Astra Kulturhaus

OPETH North American Tour:
24.09.  USA      San Bernardino, CA – Ozzfest
29.09.  USA     Pittsburgh, PA – Stage AE
30.09.  USA     Silver Spring, MD – The Fillmore
01.10.  USA     New York, NY – Radio City Music Hall
02.10.  USA     Boston, MA – House Of Blues
04.10.  CDN     Montreal, QC – Metropolis
05.10.  CDN     Toronto, ON – Massey Hall
07.10.  USA     Detroit, MI – The Fillmore
08.10.  USA     Akron, OH – Good Year Theater @ East End
09.10.  USA     Chicago, IL – Riviera Theater
10.10.  USA     Minneapolis, MN – First Avenue
12.10.  USA     Oklahoma City, OK – Diamond Ballroom
13.10.  USA     Houston, TX – Warehouse Live
14.10.  USA     Austin, TX – Emo‘s
15.10.  USA     Dallas, TX – Gas Monkey Live!
18.10.  USA     Las Vegas, NV – Brooklyn Bowl
19.10.  USA     Tempe, AZ – The Marquee
21.10.  USA     Sacramento, CA – Ace Of Spades
22.10.  USA     San Francisco, CA – The Warfield
24.10.  USA     Portland, OR – Roseland Theater
25.10.  USA     Seattle, WA – The Moore
26.10.  CDN     Vancouver, BC – Orpheum

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Review – Birdeatsbaby – Tanta Furia – by Emma Roebuck

tanta-furia-cover

Much is being said about the fact that music isn’t progressing or progressive anymore, with a few notable exceptions. The audiences that buy the music are more likely to buy a 5.1 remix of a 1974 re-release over a new and unknown band. It makes me sad when I can come across so much new and exciting stuff to be discovered and that leads me on to this jewel.

‘Tanta Furia’ is the fourth album by Birdeatsbaby, a band new to me, and, to be honest, after hearing this I shall be visiting the back catalogue post haste. The music is dark, chaotic, manically varied and caustic but, most of all, it’s brilliant fun. Its genre busting, you won’t box this in anywhere. I was sent this by the band’s PR Company and I should really thank them. Mishkin Fitzgerald (Lead Vocal, Piano) Forbes Coleman (Drums), Gary Mitchell (Guitar, Bass Double Bass) & Hana Maria (Violin) are the four fine components that make up this excellent band.

The album bounces from some very solid pop/rock, Scars (in the mould of Kate Bush gone Goth), to the insane sounds of In Spite of You that is anthemic and maniacal, reflecting the post-abusive-relationship ‘screw you’ message. The beauty and poetry of Bones of God is aching plaintive and emotionally striking… Its sleazy dirty and pure all rolled into one delightful album.

tracklisting

This record is not for everyone, it’s marmite in the same way that Knifeworld are but also a musical universe away, it would make for an amazing double header though. The band are obviously an eclectic bunch with no fear of writing music that they enjoy, drawing influences from as far afield as Lana Del Rey to Evanescence and from Muse to Ella FitzgeraldBirdeatsbaby are creating something that stands out head and shoulders above much of what is being recorded in the mainstream today. I am reminded in many ways of We Are Kin and their last album ‘…and i know…’

This quartet tell stories in music and words and they plunder a style to suit the song theme rather than make the theme fit one style.  I think it may be too late for the Prog scene to claim these but they are definitely Progressive with a capital P and their fans, or “The Flock”, are in for a treat when they get their hands on this gem!

Released 7th November 2016

‘Tanta Furia’ will be available to order from the official band shop

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