Swedish death/thrash gods, DARKANE, are set to release album number six, The Sinister Supremacy, this summer. Massacre Records will release it on June 28th in Europe with Prosthetic Records releasing it on July 2nd in North America. The album, which marks the band’s first new music in five years, will feature the return of vocalist Lawrence Mackrory back in the DARKANE fold for the first time since the group’s 1999 masterful debut Rusted Angel.
We are saddened to learn that SLAYER guitarist and founding member, Jeff Hanneman, has passed away. He was 49. Here is a statement from the band:
“SLAYER is devastated to inform that their bandmate and brother, Jeff Hanneman, passed away at about 11AM this morning near his Southern California home. Hanneman was in an area hospital when he suffered liver failure. He is survived by his wife Kathy, his sister Kathy and his brothers Michael and Larry, and will be sorely missed.
“Our Brother Jeff Hanneman, May He Rest In Peace (1964 – 2013)”
For those of us unable to see SOLSTAFIR live, videos are the next best thing. Check out this awesome live performance of “Aera” filmed live in the band’s home country of Iceland last year.
Following the overwhelming response to the initial announcement of just four tour dates, BLACK SABBATH have now confirmed a full 20-city North American trek. Launching July 25 in Houston, TX, the tour will include shows in Philadelphia, Boston, Tinley Park (Chicago), San Francisco and other major markets, along with the previously announced stops in Holmdel, NJ (NY-area), Los Angeles, Seattle and Toronto, ON.
Tickets for the newly announced dates will go on sale starting Friday, May 3 at LiveNation.com and Ticketmaster.com.
BLACK SABBATH launched their world tour on April 20 with two shows in Auckland, NZ. They are now in Australia before heading to Tokyo for the first-ever Ozzfest in Japan on May 12.
Also, check out the brand new song, “God is Dead?,” from their upcoming album, 13.
Members of KVELERTAK and NETTLECARRIER have teamed up once again for another DJEVEL album entitled Besatt av Maane og Natt. The album comes out on May 31, 2013 on Aftermath Music.
Check out the song, “Stjernesluker.” It’s straight up, traditional Norwegian black metal.
Fans of IN THE WOODS…, FIELDS OF THE NEPHILIM, SENTENCED, and European dark metal will be most pleased with Iceland’s KONTINUUM. The band specialize in creating morose and lonely atmospheres that exude passion and emotion.
Vocals (both male and female) are used only sparely through out Earth Blood Magic as KONTINUUM regularly embark on long instrumental sections. The band let their instruments do much of the talking. Clean and distorted guitars are used throughout and there is a great interplay between rhythm and lead guitars.
The masterful use of dynamics in their songs is where KONTINUUM succeed. Strong phrases are used, and the momentum is always in perpetual motion. The action is not always sublime as the band can whip up a whirlwind of heaviness as heard on “City.” Indeed, crescendos of volcanic proportions can be felt all over Earth Blood Magic. The riffing is charismatic and varied with sweeping chords, sweet melodies, and intense playing all fitting together.
If KONTINUUM‘s debut is this good, imagine what’s to come. (Candlelight Records)
Century Media Records has announced that they have signed Swedish metal legend, Dan Swanö (EDGE OF SANITY, INFESTDEAD, NIGHTINGALE, BLOODBATH).
Dan Swanö comments about the signing:
“It’s been 23 years since I signed my first ever record-deal, but never before have I been this excited…I have now signed with Century Media Records!
“I bought the first release from Century Media back in 1989, and it is amazing to see how much the label has grown over the years.
“After working with CM for a few compilation CDs and for two and a half albums with BLOODBATH, I knew it would be the perfect home for me whenever I felt like returning to the recording-industry as a performer again.
“And now…I am back! With a vengeance!!!”
The first release will be his newly founded metal outfit WITHERSCAPE, which sees Dan teaming with another talented multi-instrumentalist, Ragnar Widerberg.
Swanö comments about the upcoming WITHERSCAPE album:
“I have just completed the final mixes of the first album from my new project WITHERSCAPE.
Fans of my ‘Moontower‘ album and the catchier parts of EDGE OF SANITY won’t be disappointed!
I sing, both clean and growl, play drums and keyboards. Ragnar Widerberg plays all guitars & bass and has co-written almost all the tracks with me.”
After being totally immersed in music for a decade or two (or three), it’s easy to grow desensitized to the untainted joy and fresh excitement that music can bring. Thankfully, there is Norway’s KVELERTAK that easily remind us all why we became music freaks in the first place. With their second album, Meir, the band easily meet the lofty expectations set by their explosive debut.
KVELERTAK have matured as songwriters and have taken their fun and exciting hybrid of Norwegian black metal, rock ‘n roll, and punk to fresh places. The trademarks of the 8th note downstroked riffing, blast beats, bluesy solos, and gang vocals are still intact. The band effectively use melodic guitar leads, acoustic guitars, and soulful rock ‘n roll riffing with their black metal dimension. Meir can sound equally happy and fun as well as ugly, mean, and black. Arguably, the highlight of the album is the blazing “Nekrokosmos.” The song starts off in a fairly standard way before it ends with a long instrumental bridge that is beautifully reminiscent of EMPEROR‘s “With Strength I Burn” and “The Wanderer.”
CONVERGE guitarist Kurt Ballou has done a perfect job with the production side of the album. Meir is perfectly balanced, warm, and has natural tones.
Meir generates the kind of emotions that excite a person to (re)dedicate their lives to music. Fresh, fun, exciting, and just so fucking good. Buy or die. (Roadrunner Records)
SHINING (Norway) have released a video for “I Won’t Forget“, the first single off their forthcoming album, One One One. Their avant-jazz roots continue to shed in favor of a more industrial-tinged rock sound, though with progressive tendencies and saxophone-enhanced instrumentation still intact. The futuristic, sci-fi themed music video fittingly reflects this evolution. Check it out:
One One One drops digitally via Prosthetic Records on April 23rd in North America with physical releases on CD and gatefold LP to follow. Pre-order One One One here: http://www.indiemerch.com/prostheticrecords/band/shining
A389 Recordings have posted their free Digital Mixtape MMXIII, which includes 40 tracks of new and unreleased music. The list of artists include EYEHATEGOD, IRON REAGAN, RINGWORM plus new music from INTEGRITY, FULL OF HATE, and NOISEM. What more can you ask for?
Download Digital Mixtape MMXIII.