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MINSK: Midwest Atmospheric Metal Conjurors Unveil New Tune; The Crash & The Draw To See Release In April

Saturday, February 28th, 2015

Scattered between the sleepy city of Peoria and metropolis of Chicago and drawing inspiration from a remote Belarusian city that has been burned to the ground only to be rebuilt like a phoenix rising from its own ashes, MINSK has been cultivating sonic exploration and alchemical outpourings since 2002. Rooted in the post-metal landscape that brought forth visionaries like Neurosis and Isis, with their latest opus, The Crash & The Draw, MINSK step out of the shadows of the giants of their genre to create a psychedelic blend of tuneful, trance-inducing heaviness.

Set to drop via Relapse Records this Spring, The Crash & The Draw follows the eclectic collective’s six-year hiatus and boasts eleven arresting psalms that transcend far beyond the boundaries of post-metal, sludge and psychedelia. An instant contender for one of the most forward-thinking metal records of the year, each cascading movement is a crucial sonic passage through dark and light. At once crushing, hallucinatory and at times, spiritually illuminating, tracks ebb and flow with a pastoral elegance and tangible urgency.

Reflects co-founding member Timothy Mead (vocals, keyboards) of the recording: “So much attention and care have gone into this process, this renewal.  We knew in order to really move MINSK forward in a meaningful way we would need to raise the bar all over again.  This realization lit a fire within us to transcend what was. Lots of changes, to be sure, and yet the results are unmistakably MINSK.”

Adds co-founder Christopher Bennett (guitars, vocals): “This new album will present inroads to some of the musical archetypes we initially discussed when starting this band, but ones we have not yet touched on in the macrocosmic sense. It embodies the furtherance and expansion of MINSK in ways desired in the past, but not realized until these songs began to show themselves to us.  The aggregate elements combining into a solid form.  We hope to reveal this process to any and all who have the ears to hear.”

“We are very pleased to finally be able to share an actual piece of the record,” Mead continues of “To The Garish Remembrance of Failure,” available for the first time today for public consumption. “As always with MINSK, it’s incredibly difficult to lift out one piece of the narrative and imply that it is fully representative of the whole, but I think that ‘To the Garish Remembrance of Failure’ is a fitting first taste, something succinct, and something that feels really good to turn up loud. The phrase alone, to the garish remembrance of failure, is exceptionally meaningful to us, and we are proud to share a first glimpse of some of what is ahead. Raise a glass, feel and know the vivid memory of what has gone wrong and what must change… to the garish remembrance of failure.”

Sample “To The Garish Remembrance of Failure” via YouTube HERE or SoundCloud HERE.

Recorded almost exclusively in The Prairie State, The Crash & The Draw was captured by the band alongside Sanford Parker (Twilight, Voivod, Eyehategod, Yob etc.) at Earth Analog in Tolono, mixed by Parker and MINSK at Hypercube in Chicago and mastered by Collin Jordan (Eyehategod, Indian, Wovenhand, Voivod etc.) at The Boiler Room in Chicago with additional vocal tracking by Scott Evans (Kowloon Walled City. Old Man Gloom, Floor etc.) at Antisleep Audio in Oakland, California and further tracking, editing, and mixing by Kevin Rendleman at Trash Rocket Audio and Aaron Austin at We Know Who You Are, both in Peoria. The record includes the striking cover creation of Orion Landau (Yob, Inter Arma, Red Fang etc.), a reinterpretation of original artwork by contributing artist, Corinne Reid.

MINSK’s The Crash & The Draw will be released via Relapse Records in North America on April 7th, 2015, April 3rd, 2015 in Germany, Benelux and Finland and April 6th, 2015 in the UK and rest of the world and come available on CD, double LP and digitally. Preorder your copy today at THIS LOCATION. For digital orders, go HERE.

http://www.facebook.com/Minsk
http://www.thesoundofminsk.com
http://www.relapse.com
http://www.facebook.com/relapserecords

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PYRRHON: New York Experimental Death Metal Strategists Announce European Tour

Wednesday, February 25th, 2015

New York experimental death metal strategists, PYRRHON, have announced their first ever European tour. Featuring support from French grinders Department Of Correction, the trek will commence on April 10th in Paris, France and runs through April 25th in Plymouth, United Kingdom.

The band will be touring in support of their sophomore full-length and Relapse debut, The Mother Of Virtues. Released in early 2014, PYRRHON’s The Mother Of Virtues take its listeners on a traumatic sonic voyage into the darkest portals of musical severity with a mind-altering synthesis of clanging death, dark jazz rhythms, twisted storytelling and subtle shades of otherworldly psychedelia. Heavy Blog Is Heavy calls the record, “delightfully off-kilter and forever twisting,” Pitchfork dubs it, “…interesting and audacious…” while Noisey elaborates, “NYC’s PYRRHON sits alone in the fold between a pair of local giants, Unsane and Suffocation. The band clearly leans on its nerdier than thou technical death metal approach to provide the backbone of what they do, but for some of the breakdowns and parts that surround the fretboard wizardry is a devotion to the noisy, misanthropy found on records by Today Is The Day and most of the early Am-Rep roster. It’s a mix of intelligent hatred that could only come from the five boroughs…”

PYRRHON also recently unveiled an official music video for the track “Sleeper Agent.” The seizure-inducing clip was directed by David Hall (Brutal Truth, Fuck The Facts) and can be viewed HERE.

PYRRHON w/ Department Of Correction:
4/10/2015 Cirque Electrique – Paris, FR
4/11/2015 TBA – Poitiers, FR
4/12/2015 Canadian Café – Tours, FR
4/13/2015 Pavillons Sauvages – Toulouse, FR
4/14/2015 Secret Place – Montpellier, FR
4/15/2015 Raymond Bar – Clermont Ferrand, FR
4/16/2015 L’Assomoir – Saint Etienne, FR
4/17/2015 La Tannerie – Bourg En Bresse, FR
4/18/2015 Caffette – Bern, CH
4/19/2015 Epplehaus – Tubingen, DE
4/20/2015 Péniche Inside Out – Liege, BE
4/21/2015 Unicorn – London, UK
4/22/2015 Temples of Boom – Leeds, UK
4/23/2015 Northumberland Arms – Newcastle, UK
4/24/2015 Alma Inn – Bolton, UK
4/25/2015 Tiki Pub – Plymouth, UK

Stream The Mother Of Virtues in full via BandCamp HERE and pick up the album via Relapse HERE and iTunes HERE.



http://www.facebook.com/pyrrhonband
http://www.relapse.com

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IN THE COMPANY OF SERPENTS: Denver’s Doomiest To Kick Off US Tour Next Week; Additional Dates Confirmed

Wednesday, February 25th, 2015

Denver doom duo, IN THE COMPANY OF SERPENTS, will kick off their US live takeover next week. Set to embark on March 6th in Salt Lake City with additional dates added since the initial announcement, the band will bring their lead-footed tidings to fourteen cities down the West Coast and into the Southwest, with the tour coming to a halt on March 21st in Wichita. IN THE COMPANY OF SERPENTS will be joined a host of ear-bleeders throughout the journey including Top Dead Celebrity, Ladybird, Gale and more. Comments the band, “Let the waves of fuzz roll over you, empty your mind, and worship at the throne of Ohms.”

IN THE COMPANY OF SERPENTS will be scouring ears with hymns from their Merging In Light EP, unleashed at the close of 2014. Produced, mixed and mastered by Dave Otero (Cephalic Carnage, Catheter, Nightbringer, Primitive Man etc.) at Flatline Audio in Denver, Colorado, Merging In Light boasts over twenty chest-heaving minutes of bottom-heavy, riff-sodden, fuzzed out cheerlessness. The Sludgelord champions the offering calling it, “perfect and depressing in its sound… a thunderous and downtuned beast. How this duo can make such a thunderous, epic, filthy, sludgy sound is bewildering.” Echoes And Dust crowns IN THE COMPANY OF SERPENTS, “…one of the most exciting bands around in the doom genre,” furthering of the EP, “ It’s a no frills affair with one eye on the old school and the other on a more contemporary affair and given time surely they must reap the dividends.” No Clean Singing elaborates, “The music is tank-like in the roll of its mechanics, the guitar and bass chords so distorted and sludgy that it seems like an experiment in the most efficient means of sonic spinal compression, the drum strikes so powerful that they come down like a pile-driver on concrete. The effect is near-cataclysmic. But oh man, the groove is so dominant — these are neck-grabbing songs that will bend your head up and down to their will,” while Heathen Harvest adds, “IN THE COMPANY OF SERPENTS have, yet again, succeeded in crafting a collection of tunes that are malicious and ugly, while still possessing an irrefutable catchiness. While the band seems to be embracing and exploiting their time in the studio for the occasional overdub or sound effect, it should be noted that they are not doing so at the expense of their live sound. Merging In Light is easily one of the year’s best… Perhaps not as spacey or as sprawling as Yob, IN THE COMPANY OF SERPENTS channels the same degree of unbridled anger, but without the occasional glimpse of hope or transcendence that is often intimated by Mike Scheidt and co.”

IN THE COMPANY OF SERPENTS:
3/06/2015 Bar Deluxe – Salt Lake City, UT w/ Oxcross, Top Dead Celebrity
3/07/2015 Crazy Horse – Boise, ID w/ Oxcross, Top Dead Celebrity, Swamp Shrine
3/09/2015 Highline – Seattle, WA w/ UN, Breag Naofa
3/10/2015 Tonic Lounge  – Portland, OR / Burials, Satanarchist, Dispossessed
3/11/2015 Eli’s Mile High Club – Oakland, CA w/ Devoid
3/12/2015 Complex – Los Angeles, CA /Teeth
3/13/2015 The First Universalist Church Of San Diego – San Diego, CA w/ Old Man Wizard, Garth Algar, Deep Sea Thunder Beast
3/14/2015 51 West – Phoenix, AZ w/ Twin Giant, Ladybird, Gale
3/15/2015 Launchpad – Albuquerque, NM w/ End to End, Iceolus, Echoes Of Fallen
3/17/2015 Billiards Back Room – Abilene, TX w/ Adrenal Asphyxia
3/18/2015 The Badlands – Austin, TX w/ Mountain Of Smoke, Destroyer of Light + more for the Austin Heavy Music Vol.2 Showcase
3/19/2015 The Double Wide – Dallas, TX w/ Terminator 2, The Spectacle
3/20/2015 The Blue Note  – Oklahoma City, OK w/ Idre
3/21/2015 The Crows Nest – Wichita, KS w/ The Serpent Overlord, Idre

Featuring artwork by renowned illustrator Sam Turner, (Sleep, Speedwolf et al) the EP was released independently on limited 12″ colored vinyl and is currently available via the IN THE COMPANY OF SERPENTS BandCamp page HERE.

http://www.facebook.com/InTheCompanyOfSerpents
http://www.inthecompanyofserpentsdoom.bandcamp.com

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LIGHTNING BOLT: Long-Running Noise Duo Prepares For US Live Takeover; Fantasy Empire Release Day Draws Near

Wednesday, February 25th, 2015

Long-running Rhode Island noise duo, LIGHTNING BOLT, will kick off a mammoth US tour this Spring. Set to commence on April 15th in Buffalo, the pair will trounce twenty-eight cities on a cross country live takeover, with the final show to take place on May 16th in New York City. LIGHTNING BOLT will be joined by Canadian noise rock unit METZ, as well as New York black metal collective, Liturgy, on select dates.

The tour comes in conjunction with the release of LIGHTNING BOLT’s long-anticipated Fantasy Empire full-length. Set for release next month, the band’s sixth album — and first in six years — is a fresh take from a band intent on pushing themselves musically and sonically while maintaining the aesthetic that has defined not only them, but an entire generation of noisemakers. It marks many firsts, most notably their first recordings made using hi-fi recording equipment at the famed Machines With Magnets, and their first album for Thrill Jockey. More than any previous album, Fantasy Empire sounds like drummer Brian Chippendale and bassist Brian Gibson are playing just a few feet away, using the clarity afforded by the studio to amplify the intensity they project. Every frantic drum hit, every fuzzed-out riff, sounds more present and tangible than ever before.

Issues Pitchfork of the recording, “The live feel of previous albums remains, but is as if they converted that vibe to 3D. The hi-res detail, especially in the fiery repetitions of Gibson’s bass, is as bracing as a face-slap. And the duo’s energy is so tangible you can practically see their sweat dripping. Even Chippendale’s trademark cover art has been made over, with his previous neon pastiches replaced by a darker swirl.” Adds Rolling Stone, “First taste, album opener ‘The Metal East,’ represents the band’s cleaner though no less pummeling sound, with quick blasts of Line 6 loops added to their signature bludgeon.”

Initially premiered via Rolling Stone, “The Metal East,” is currently available for public ingestion below.

LIGHTNING BOLT:
4/15/2015 Mohawk Place – Buffalo, NY w/ METZ
4/16/2015 Double Happiness – Columbus, OH w/ METZ
4/17/2015 Beachland Ballroom – Cleveland, OH w/ METZ
4/18/2015 The Loving Touch – Ferndale, MI w/ METZ
4/19/2015 Empty Bottle – Chicago, IL
4/20/2015 Turf Club – Saint Paul, MN
4/21/2015 The Luminary Center for the Arts – St. Louis, MO
4/22/2015 Jackpot Music Hall – Lawrence, KS
4/24/2015 GLOB – Denver, CO
4/25/2015 Kilby Court – Salt Lake City, UT
4/27/2015 The Shredder – Boise, ID
4/28/2015 Neumos – Seattle, WA w/ Liturgy
4/29/2015 Dantes – Portland, OR w/ Liturgy
5/01/2015 The Chapel – San Francisco , CA w/ Liturgy
5/02/2015 Leo’s – Oakland, CA w/ Liturgy
5/03/2015 Echoplex – Los Angeles, CA w/ Liturgy
5/04/2015 Constellation Room – Santa Ana, CA w/ Liturgy
5/05/2015 Casbah – San Diego, CA w/ Liturgy
5/06/2015 Valley Bar – Phoenix, AZ
5/08/2015 Austin Psych Fest – Austin, TX
5/09/2015 Siberia – New Orleans, LA
5/10/2015 Mammal Gallery – Atlanta, GA
5/11/2015 Kings – Raleigh, NC
5/12/2015 Rock & Roll Hotel – Washington, DC
5/13/2015 Floristree – Baltimore, MD
5/14/2015 Johnny Brenda’s – Philadelphia, PA
5/15/2015 The Wick – Brooklyn, NY
5/16/2015 Le Poisson Rouge – New York, NY

Over the course of its two-decade existence, noise duo LIGHTNING BOLT has revolutionized underground rock in immeasurable ways. The pair broke the barrier between stage and audience by setting themselves up on the floor in the midst of the crowd. Their momentous live performances and the mania they inspired paved the way for similar tactics used by Dan Deacon and literally hundreds of others. Similarly, the band’s recordings have always been chaotic, roaring, blown out documents that sound like they could destroy even the toughest set of speakers.

Fantasy Empire is ferocious, consuming, and is a more accurate translation of LIGHTNING BOLT’s live experience. It also shows the two embracing new ways to make their music even stranger. More than any previous record, Chippendale and Gibson make use of live loops and complete separation of the instruments during recording to maximize the sonic pandemonium and power. Gibson worked with Machines very carefully to get a clear yet still distorted and intense bass sound, allowing listeners to truly absorb the detail and dynamic range he displays, from the heaviest thud to the subtle melodic embellishments. Some of these songs have been in the band’s live repertoire since as early as 2010, and have been refined in front of audiences for maximum impact. This is heavy, turbulent music, but it is executed with the precision of musicians that have spent years learning how to create impactful noise through the use of dynamics, melody, and rhythm.

Fantasy Empire will be released March 24th, 2015 via Thrill Jockey. In addition to standard formats, Thrill Jockey is offering a limited pressing of 300 deluxe double LP versions on black-and-white swirl vinyl. Preorder packages are available at THIS LOCATION.

LIGHTNING BOLT on Facebook
http://www.facebook.com/ThrillJockey
http://www.thrilljockey.com

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KEEP OF KALESSIN: New Hymn From Norwegian Black Metal Faction Streaming At Cryptic Rock; Epistemology Out TODAY In North America Via Indie Recordings

Tuesday, February 24th, 2015

Two-time Norwegian Grammy nominees, KEEP OF KALESSIN, today unleashes their long-anticipated new full-length in North America via Indie Recordings. Titled Epistemology, the eight-track offering, and first KEEP OF KALESSIN studio output in five years, finds the acclaimed black metal unit now conjuring their sonic wrath as a trio. Make no mistake, however. The indisputable power of these three musical craftsmen translates perfectly on the band’s most diverse recording to date.

In an 8.5/10 review, Metal Wani crowns the release “flawless,” further elaborating, “KEEP OF KALESSIN have definitely experimented a little with their sound and stepped out of their comfort zone in this album. It shows their ability to maintain that classic black metal vibe interwoven with melodic riffs and more airy yet dark elements. …their ability to bring in more subtle and even non-metal elements into a track and make them work extremely well, to the extent that they don’t seem too out of place…” Metal Hammer issues, “Epic and extreme, Epistemology could be an apt score to a bloodthirsty Tolkien-esque battle and the symphonic ‘Introspection’ in particular would be ideal for some post-skirmish tankard-smashing. Obsidian’s guitar-playing throughout the Norwegian’s sixth full-length opus is simply magical. Equal parts brutal (‘Universal Core’) and beautiful (‘Epistemology’), his stunning blues and classic rock-steeped solo during the title track is so good Dave Gilmore would sell his inflatable pig for it.” Adds Ultimate Guitar in an 8/10 score, “The musicianship is formidable, the mixing/engineering is good, and the ideas are interesting.”

Witness the delightful destruction of third cut, “Dark Divinity,” courtesy of Cryptic Rock, at THIS LOCATION.

Thematically based around the investigation of what distinguishes justified belief from opinion, KEEP OF KALESSIN’s Epistemology is as grandiose as a Peter Jackson battle scene bedecked with fire-breathing dragons and treacherous mountains draped in guitars and drums of doom. The record highlights the true guitar virtuosity of vocalist/guitarist Obsidian C. From bone-scraping riffs and sweeping solos, to smooth, melodic passages swathed in warm, poignant tones backed by the military precision of bassist Wizziac and drummer Vyl, KEEP OF KALESSIN anno 2015 is heading out for greatness!

Epistemology is out TODAY in North America via Indie Recordings. Order yours at THIS LOCATION. For digital orders, go HERE.


http://www.facebook.com/keepofkalessin
http://www.indierecordings.no
http://www.merchnow.com/catalogs/indie-recordings

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GRISTNAM: Cvlt Nation Hosts Two New Traumatic Tunes From Louisiana Sludge Grind Assassins; Even Less Out Now Via Housecore Records

Monday, February 23rd, 2015

Even Less is the latest full-length from Louisiana sludge grind assassins, GRISTNAM.

Featuring former members of haarp and Omean, GRISTNAM lives by the grind-groove-repeat ethos spewing out billowing odes of revulsion, disease and chronic disenchantment. Out now on Housecore Records, Even Less is a duel bruiser that features five tracks from their 2013-issued Release 1 EP and six new violent requiems.

In commemoration of its release, today Cvlt Nation is hosting streams of “Guilt Runs Red,” and “Copperhead” gushing, “Some music just does not have that feel good factor, but instead has the make you feel sick to your bones feeling! This is the case with New Orlean’s GRISTNAM – they are not trying to make friends with their brand of head-lock-of-death kind of sludge… this band sets out to punish the listener from the getgo. GRISTNAM succeeds in creating an album that is full scathing hate for all that is fucked up in this world… Pick up this diseased piece of sludge.”

Feel the wrath, courtesy of Cvlt Nation, at THIS LOCATION.

The cumulative sound of a society gone rotten, The Sludgelord likens Even Less to, “an uppercut wrapped in barbed wire to the unsuspecting jaw, mixing together Superjoint Ritual, Eyehategod, and as much whisky and pills as they could find on the nearest truck stop bathroom floor,” further observing, “The album smacks of anger and pissiness, grinding like early Eyehategod, with a sound that just pumps the blood up… a perfect balance between sludge and grind, with a deep, nasty tone, and a speed that isn’t thrash, but a headlong rush of metal to the side of the head.” Said Skulls ‘N’ Bones, “with roots in hardcore and grind, not to mention the expected sludge, GRISTNAM trudge through Even Less with reckless intensity… the music wallows in ugly anger, and each composition gnaws like an electric knife hitting bone. By the time frontman Shaun Emmons bellows, ‘Mark my words, a funeral is coming!,” on the album-opening ‘Etch And Burn,’ it is clear that these guys mean business.” Zero Signal Magazine calls Even Less, “a beast of an album,” noting bluntly, “GRISTNAM will tear you from ass to front,” while Thisisbooksmusic.com opines: “These guys sound like the New Orleans metal bastards they are, taking in the kind of crunch and dirges that come from some of the best metal bands out of the south, but also adding in a thick hardcore punk spirit that results in songs with a number of different texture and tempo changes. They remind of bands like Bone Dance, The Dillinger Escape Plan, and Retox, but with their own richness that will help keep them low and high at the same time.”

Even Less is currently available on orange wax (limited to 300 copies) and cassette (limited to 100 copies) via Housecore Records at THIS LOCATION.


http://www.facebook.com/gristnam
http://www.thehousecorerecords.com
http://www.thehousecorestore.com

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DORO: Reigning Queen Of Metal To Kick Off US Tour Next Week!

Monday, February 23rd, 2015

Reigning queen of metal, DORO PESCH, is readying to kick off another stretch of US tour dates next week. Slated to embark in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on March 3rd, DORO will rumble stages through Virginia, Georgia, Texas, Colorado, Arizona, Nevada and California with the eleven-date run coming to a close at the legendary Whiskey a Go Go in Los Angeles.  Support will be provided by Santa Cruz hard rock/heavy metal unit, Archer.  The trek follow’s DORO’s East Coast run last Fall.

Said DORO of her return to the US, “I’m so excited to start the second leg of the US tour! I can’t wait to see all our diehard fans and our new fans on this run. We will rock like there’s no tomorrow and it will be only the best of the best songs in our setlist and a totally awesome show. I feel we’re stronger than ever and since the fans are the most important thing in our lives, we can’t wait to kill on this tour and blow everybody’s minds. I’m so looking forward to rocking everyone’s world. We will play lots of Warlock tunes, songs from our latest record Raise Your Fist and more! Hope to see everyone!”

DORO w/ Archer:
3/03/2015 The Legendary Dobbs – Philadelphia, PA
3/04/2015 Empire – Springfield, VA
3/05/2015 The Masquerade – Atlanta, GA
3/08/2015 Scout Bar – Houston, TX
3/09/2015 Trees – Dallas. TX
3/11/2015 Bluebird Theater – Denver, CO
3/13/2015 Club Red – Tempe, AZ
3/14/2015 City National Groove – Anaheim, CA
3/15/2015 Ramona Main Stage – Ramona, CA
3/17/2015 LVCS – Las Vegas, NV
3/18/2015 Whiskey a Go Go – Los Angeles, CA

DORO will be touring in support of her Raise Your Fist full-length, released worldwide via Nuclear Blast in 2012. Dubbed, “50 minutes of expertly crafted Teutonic metal,” by Outburn who crowned DORO, “…the classiest lady in metal,” Raise Your Fist boasts guest appearances by Motörhead’s Lemmy Kilmister and Ozzy/Firewind guitarist Gus G, and artwork by British artist and longtime DORO collaborator Geoffrey Gillespie. An import version of DORO’s Raise Your Fist – 30 Years Anniversary Edition is currently available via the Nuclear Blast Webshop and includes new and rare tracks plus a bonus CD entitled Powerful Passionate Favorites comprised of cover versions of Dio, Led Zeppelin, Metallica, and Kiss songs.

DORO’s latest bout of live dates continues a worldwide trek marking an astounding thirty years since the release of DORO’s first record — Warlock’s Burning The Witches. Beginning with a mammoth headlining set at 2013’s Wacken Open Air, which boasted a record-breaking attendance of over 95K, DORO has since played two special anniversary shows in her hometown of Düesseldorf as well as countless festival appearances and performances throughout Europe, the UK, and Latin America and will make her mark again Stateside!

“DORO PESCH knows what her fans expect from her and Raise Your Fist ushers everything that’s part and parcel to her Teutonic-kissed heavy rock: true as steel metal anthems, supple power ballads and a couple of double-kicked skullcrushers.” – Blabbermouth

“Raise Your Fist is a confident, well crafted, classic metal album, which offers a slab of horn-throwing anthems, with just the right amount of sentiment. DORO heads into a new decade with another load of rock and roll ammunition in her arsenal.” – MetalHolic

“The rhythmic diversity and multiple dynamics on this album, along with great songwriting, makes Raise Your Fist, the 30th Anniversary reissue Edition, a masterpiece.” – Cryptic Rock

“From heavy rocker thrash fests to metal to power ballads DORO’s Rise Your Fist has it all and is a must have in any true rocker’s music collection.” – Rock Revolt

http://www.DORO.de
http://www.facebook.com/DOROOFFICIAL
https://www.facebook.com/archernation

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SOLEFALD: New Hymn From Norwegian Avant Norse Folk Duo Streaming At Revolver; World Metal. Kosmopolis Sud To See Release In North America Tomorrow!

Monday, February 23rd, 2015

Tomorrow, Indie Recordings will unleash World Metal. Kosmopolis Sud from Norway’s prized Avant Norse folk duo, SOLEFALD, upon North American ears.

Their first new studio full-length in over four years, the eight-track World Metal. Kosmopolis Sud was captured in Norway and Tanzania, mixed and mastered by Jaime Gomez Arellano (Ghost, Cathedral, Angelwitch, Grave Miasma) at Orgone Studio in London and features guest appearances from drummer Baard Kolstad (Borknagar, ICS Vortex), bassist Alexander Bøe (In Vain), guitarist Petter Hallaråker (Rendezvous Point) and keyboardist Sindre Nedland (In Vain, Funeral) as well as renowned world music player Anania Ngoliga of Zanzibar on the kalimba and guitar.

In a near-perfect 9.5/10 review, Soundscape Magazine dubs World Metal. Kosmopolis Sud, “another engaging offering from the outfit; an adventurous piece that truly is a rewarding listen,” while Metal Storm elaborates in an 8/10 rating, “The record is enthused and all-consumed by engaging percussion in tribal-like beats and consistent rhythmic playfulness and tempo changes that make for a thoroughly infectious and generously track distinguishable affair. World Metal. Kosmopolis Sud burgeons with an odd metal made equivalence to world music, with something of an avant-garde metal constructed hint at ethnic fusion within its varied scope. It’s trvly trve kvlt konfvsion… SOLEFALD further extend a discography of idiosyncrasy that pushes enthusiastically beyond the boundaries of black metal, if not metal in general.”

In celebration of tomorrow’s release, today Revolver offers up second track, “The Germanic Entity,” for public ingestion. Check it out at THIS LOCATION.

And if you missed it, sample the “Bububu Bad Beuys,” currently streaming at THIS LOCATION.

With World Metal. Kosmopolis Sud, SOLEFALD returns to 1999’s postmodern offering, Neonism, both musically and thematically. At the center of World Metal lies the idea of the “Kosmopolis,” or the “World City.” In antiquity, Athens and then Rome were seen as the capitals of the world; in modern times, cities such as Paris, London and Berlin have all competed to be the “Kosmopolis.” Musically, the curious pair continues to challenge their listeners with a complex musical diversity that is at once stunning and startling, their unique compositions serving more as cerebral adventures than mere songs to listen to. Merging raw Norwegian metal and Dutch techno with Norse and African folk rhythms, SOLEFALD has again manifested an out-of-the-ordinary sound. World music with blackened edges; a true celebration of global culture.

World Metal. Kosmopolis Sud will be released in North America tomorrow, February 24th, 2015, via Indie Recordings. Order your copy today at THIS LOCATION. For digital orders go HERE.

http://www.facebook.com/solefald
http://www.indierecordings.no
http://www.merchnow.com/catalogs/indie-recordings

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EARSPLIT PR: Roundup From The Compound – February 23rd, 2015

Monday, February 23rd, 2015

WARHORSE: Vice Magazine Levies The Heavy With A Stream Of “I Am Dying;” Reissue To See Release Tuesday Via Southern Lord Recordings – With its official reissue now just days away, today Vice Magazine levies the heavy with a stream of “I Am Dying” from legendary Massachusetts doom weavers, WARHORSE. [More…]

BROTHERS OF THE SONIC CLOTH Unleashes New Hymn Via NPR; Self-Titled Debut Out TODAY On Neurot Recordings – Following teasers from Decibel Magazine and Classic Rock, today NPR hurls forth the asphyxiating heaviness of “Unnamed” from Seattle doom bringers, BROTHERS OF THE SONIC CLOTH. [More…]

THE BODY Confirms Extensive Spring Tour Assault With Full Of Hell – Portland, Oregon-based doomsday cult, THE BODY, had declared an extensive itinerary of upcoming live actions in support of their end-time message, including a major Spring offensive with Full Of Hell. [More…]

IMPERIAL TRIUMPHANT: NYC Experimental Black Metal Heathens Unveil New Tune Featuring – Bloody Panda’s Yoshiko Ohara At No Clean Singing; Abyssal Gods Preorders Available

Abyssal Gods is the imminent new long player from New York City experimental black metal heathens, IMPERIAL TRIUMPHANT. [More…]

PISS VORTEX: Cvlt Nation Unleashes “Devouring Intent” Video From Copenhagen Grind/Hardcore Unit; New Tour Dates Announced – With the subtlety and auditory comparison of a chainsaw to the base of your spine, Denmark-based PISS VORTEX unloads their first official video, hailing from their self-titled debut LP. [More…]

FUZZ EVIL Confirms April Headlining Southwestern US Tour; Debut Album To See 2015 Release Via Battleground Records – Southern Arizona stoner rock outfit, FUZZ EVIL, will record their debut full-length album in the coming weeks for release via their cohorts at Battleground Records, and have already begun booking their tour schedule for the year with a headlining run of dates through their Southwestern stomping grounds in April. [More…]

PRIMITIVE MAN: New EP From Blackened Doom Nihilists Out NOW + Streaming In Full At MetalSucks – Today, Denver’s favorite blackened doom nihilists drop the decaying sounds of their Home Is Where The Hatred Is EP upon innocent masses. [More…]

EYEHATEGOD Issues Statement Regarding Cancellation Of Tour Dates In Australia And Mexico – On the heels of the recent cancellation of their Australian tour, EYEHATEGOD was regrettably forced to postpone their three-day run through Mexico as well. [More…]

EXHUMED: Original Gore Metal Bassist/Vocalist Ross Sewage To Perform Five Special Shows - California gore strategists, EXHUMED, are currently dispersing their disease throughout North America supporting co-headliners Napalm Death and Voivod. [More…]

CHILD BITE: Detroit Punk/Metal/Noise Rock Misfits To Record New Full-Length With Philip H. Anselmo; Band To Appear On Celtic Frost Tribute Record – Detroit punk/metal/noise rock misfits, CHILD BITE, have been holed up in their den of iniquity penning new tunes for their as-yet-untitled new full-length, to be recorded by Philip H. Anselmo at his famed Nodferatu’s Lair. [More…]

FASHION WEEK: Invisible Oranges Gives Up The Whole New LP From NYC Grunge Metal Weirdos Early – Get chic with a premier scuzz-induction courtesy of NYC’s FASHION WEEK, as Invisible Oranges lines the carpet with plastic in advance of the clique’s Prêt-à-Porter debut via France’s Solar Flare Records next week. [More…]

LAGO: Phoenix Death Metal Horde Books Tyranny West Coast Tour; Vinyl Edition Of Debut Album Due – Phoenix, Arizona death metal horde, LAGO, has booked a tour of the West Coast of the country this Spring, supporting their debut LP, Tyranny. [More…]

UFOMAMMUT: First North American Tour Announced Including Support From Usnea; Fourth Ecate Making-Of Episode Released – With the details of their upcoming seventh studio full-length album, Ecate, having been recently unveiled, Italian mystical doom trio, UFOMAMMUT, finally announces their official first-ever tour of North America today, something diehard fans of this colossal outfit have been awaiting anxiously for years. [More…]

GRUESOME: Death Metal Faction Featuring Members Of Exhumed, Possessed, Malevolent Creation And Derketa To Release Debut This April Via Relapse Records; Trailer Posted + Preorders Available – GRUESOME is a debilitating death metal faction featuring members of Exhumed, Possessed, Malevolent Creation and Derketa. [More…]

EPHEMEROS: Oregon Death Doom Collective Releases All Hail Corrosion On Limited Edition Vinyl Via Parasitic Records – Portland death doom collective, EPHEMEROS, is pleased to announce the wax edition of their critically-fawned upon, frown-maker, All Hail Corrosion. [More…]

SUBURBAN SCUM: Closed Casket Activities To Release Will Putney-Produced Debut LP From New Jersey Hardcore Outfit – New Jersey hardcore squad, SUBURBAN SCUM, is proud to announce the upcoming release of the band’s recently completed debut LP, now confirmed for Summer release through their allies at Closed Casket Activities. [More…]

OCCULTATION: 20 Buck Spin Releases Vinyl Edition Of Silence In The Ancestral House For North America – The apparition known in physical form as OCCULTATION materializes with its second full-length LP, Silence In The Ancestral House, expanding on the twisting, malformed post-punk and cast-iron dark doom first revealed through its Three & Seven debut. [More…]

BEHEMOTH: Revolver Magazine Unveils Exclusive Excerpts From Forthcoming Biography; North American Live Takeover Continues – Next week, Metal Blade Records will unleash Behemoth: Devil’s Conquistadors. [More…]

SWEET COBRA: Chicago Outfit Signs With Magic Bullet Records For Anxiously Awaited Earth LP This Spring Featuring Matt Talbot Of Hum And Kurt Ballou Of Converge – Magic Bullet Records is ecstatic to announce the signing of Chicago-based SWEET COBRA for the release of their anxiously awaited new studio album, Earth, late this Spring. [More…]

ABYSS: Decibel Magazine Premieres First Single From Vicious Debut LP Pending Release Via 20 Buck Spin – Decibel Magazine is now exclusively streaming “The Atonement,” the first single culled from Toronto-based death cult, ABYSS’s Heretical Anatomy debut, impending release through 20 Buck Spin mid-April. [More…]

HALSHUG: Invisible Oranges Releases Track From Danish Raw Punk Outfit; Blodets Bånd LP Out On Southern Lord Next Week – Just days from its worldwide release via Southern Lord is Blodets Bånd, the debut album from Copenhagen, Denmark’s brutal raw punk outfit, HALSHUG, and in preparation, Invisible Oranges has unloaded the record’s fourth track, “Knæl.” [More…]

TAKEN BY THE SUN: Chicago Progressive Post-Metal Doom Misfits Premiere New Track At Cvlt Nation; Record Release Show Confirmed + Debut To Drop Tuesday – With the release of their self-titled full-length now less than a week away, today the warlords at Cvlt Nation offer up an exclusive taste of “Fuse” from Chicago progressive post-metal doom enthusiasts, TAKEN BY THE SUN. [More…]

CONTINUUM: Bay Area Death Metal Unit To Release New Full-Length Via Unique Leader Records; Artwork + Track Listing Revealed – Bay Area death metal henchmen and recent Unique Leader signees, CONTINUUM, are readying to unleash their debut full-length, The Hypothesis, this Spring. [More…]

LIFELESS Debuts Opening Track To Second LP Through Revolver Magazine; Preorders For Dream Now Available – Revolver Magazine has released the first single and opening track to Dream, the sophomore LP from pummeling New Jersey metallic hardcore outfit, LIFELESS. [More…]

ENSIFERUM: Finnish Folk Metal Titans Announce North American Tour With Korpiklaani; One Man Army Full-Length To Drop Tuesday – Finnish folk metal titans, ENSIFERUM, will return to North America this Spring on a co-headlining tour with country-mates, Korpiklaani. [More…]

DISGRACE Confirms East Coast Tour Dates In Support Of Debut LP True Enemy – As their True Enemy debut LP is being prepared for release in just over a month, Southern California hardcore heathens, DISGRACE, have slated a short but brutal East Coast US tour for mid-April. [More…]

Contact liz@earsplitcompound.com, dave@earsplitcompound.com or pr@earsplitcompound.com for interviews with the above artists, or bands listed below with current and/or pending tour dates; keep up to date on all Earsplit-related tour offensives at our Live Actions page HERE.

EARSPLIT ARTISTS ON TOUR:
ABSTRACTER - AEON - APEX FEST VI - ARMORED SAINT – ARTILLERY  - BEHEMOTH  - BETWEEN THE BURIED AND ME – THE BODY – BROTHERS OF THE SONIC CLOTH -  CANCER BATS – CANNIBAL CORPSE  – CDC – CLASSHOLE - COWARDS - THE DRIP – DISCOURSE – DISGRACE – DORO -  DRAGONFORCE – DREADLORDS - THE DRIP – EARTH – ENSIFERUM – EXHUMED – EYEHATEGOD – FASHION WEEK -  FUCKING INVINCIBLE – GNAW THEIR TONGUES – GOATSNAKE – GOATWHORE – HALSHUG – HOD – IDES OF GEMINI – IMPERIAL TRIUMPHANT -  IN THE COMPANY OF SERPENTS - INANIMATE EXISTENCE - IN DEFENCE  -  THE INSPECTOR CLUZO – KING PARROT – LAGO – LIFELESS – LIGHTNING BOLT – LO-PAN - NEUROSIS – OBLITERATIONS -  OCCULTATION – PISS VORTEX –  POISON IDEA -  POWER TRIP – POWERED WIG MACHINE – PRIMITIVE MAN - PRIMORDIAL – REVOCATION – STOP BREATHING – SUBURBAN SCUM – SWEET COBRA – TAKEN BY THE SUN – THEOLOGIAN -  UFOMAMMUT – VIOLENT REACTION – WHITECHAPPEL - WOLVHAMMER - WRVTH - XIBALBA – YOB - ZEX

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ENSIFERUM: Finnish Folk Metal Titans Announce North American Tour With Korpiklaani; One Man Army Full-Length To Drop Next Tuesday

Friday, February 20th, 2015

Finnish folk metal titans, ENSIFERUM, will return to North America this Spring on a co-headlining tour with country-mates, Korpiklaani. Scheduled to commence on May 6th in Los Angeles, the band will level nearly two dozen cities with the trek coming to a close on May 29th in New York City. Additional support will be provided by Trollfest. The tour follows the band’s European march alongside Insomnium and Omnium Gatherum next month. Tickets are on sale today. See all confirmed dates below.

ENSIFERUM will be touring in support of their One Many Army full-length, set to drop in North America this Tuesday via Metal Blade Records. Crowned “warlike and fiery” by MetalSucks, ENSIFERUM’s predominantly analog-recorded One Man Army wields eleven stunning tracks of the band’s signature synthesis of Viking, folk and power metal swathed in fantastical themes of Scandinavian lore, captured by award-winning producer Anssi Kippo (Children Of Bodom, Impaled Nazarene, Entwine etc.) at Astia-Studios in Lappeenranta, Finland,

In anticipation of its release, the band recently partnered with Spotfiy to bring fans a stream of the record in its entirety. Hosted by Decibel Magazine, each day Spotify added an additional One Man Army track  to their player leading up to the record’s final descent. Listen to One Man Army, now streaming in its entirety, at THIS LOCATION.

ENSIFERUM w/ Frosttide:
2/27/2015 Pakkahuone – Tampere, FI
2/28/2015 Rytmikorjaamo – Seianajoki, FI
3/06/2015 Lutakko – Jyvaskyla, FI
3/07/2015 Nosturi – Helsinki, FI
w/ Craving:
3/10/2015 Schlachthof – Lingen, DE (“Fan Appreciation Show” by EMP)
w/ Insomnium, Omnium Gatherum:
3/11/2015 Zeche – Bochum, DE
3/12/2015 Rockfabrik – Ludwigsburg, DE
3/13/2015 Backstage – München, DE
3/14/2015 Masters of Rock Café – Zlin, CZ
3/15/2015 Club 202 – Budapest, HU
3/16/2015 Szene – Wien, AT
3/18/2015 Live Club – Milan, IT
3/19/2015 Les Docks – Lausanne, CH
3/20/2015 La Laiterie – Strasbourg, FR
3/21/2015 Z7 – Pratteln, CH
3/22/2015 Ninkasi Kao – Lyon, FR
3/23/2015 Le Bataclan – Paris, FR
3/24/2015 O2 Academy Islington-  London, UK
3/25/2015 Patronaat – Haarlem, NL
3/26/2015 Hedon – Zwolle, NL
3/27/2015 Biebob – Vosselaar, BE
3/28/2015 Tivoli – Bremen, DE
3/29/2015 Grünspan – Hamburg, DE
3/30/2015 Vega – Copenhagen, DK
3/31/2015 Göta Källare – Stockholm, SE
4/01/2015 Sticky Fingers – Gothenburg, SE
4/02/2015 Inferno Metal Festival – Oslo, NO
w/ Korpiklaani, Trollfest:
5/06/2015 House of Blues – Los Angeles, CA [tickets]
5/07/2015 Slim’s – San Francisco, CA [tickets]
5/08/2015 Hawthorne Theater – Portland, OR [tickets[E1] ]
5/09/2015 El Corazon – Seattle, WA [tickets]
5/10/2015 Rickshaw Theatre Vancouver, BC [tickets]
5/12/2015 Republik – Calgary, AB [tickets]
5/13/2015 Union Hall – Edmonton, AB [tickets]
5/15/2015 Summit Music Hall – Denver, CO [tickets]
5/16/2015 Bourbon Theater – Lincoln, NE [tickets]
5/17/2015 Mill City Nights – Minneapolis, MN [tickets]
5/18/2015 Bottom Lounge – Chicago, IL [tickets]
5/19/2015 Agora Theater – Cleveland, OH [tickets]
5/20/2015 Opera House – Toronto, ON [tickets]
5/21/2015 Mavericks – Ottawa, ON [tickets]
5/22/2015 Club Soda – Montreal, QC [tickets]
5/23/2015 Imperial de Quebec – Quebec City, QC [tickets]
5/24/2015 Brighton Music Hall – Boston, MA [tickets]
5/26/2015 Mr. Small’s Theater – Pittsburgh, PA [tickets]
5/27/2015 Baltimore Soundstage – Baltimore, MD [tickets]
5/28/2015 Theatre of Living Arts – Philadelphia, PA [tickets]
5/29/2015 Irving Plaza – New York, NY [tickets]
2015 Summer Festivals:
8/13/2015 Rockstadt Extremefest – Rasnov, DE
6/19-21/2015 Hellfest – Clisson, FR
7/30-8/1/2015 Wacken Open Air – Wacken, DE
8/06-08/2015 Party San Open Air – Schlotheim, DE
8/08/2015 IntoThe Grave Festival – Leeuwarden, NL
8/09/2015 Bloodstock Open Air – Walton-On-Trent, GB
8/13-15/2015 Summer Breeze – Dinkelsbühl, DE

Forged in 1995 as a trio by guitarist/vocalist Markus Toivonen, and presently featuring current and former members of October Falls, Rapture, Norther, Barathrum and Sinergy, ENSIFERUM has been flying the flag of epic, folk-infused death metal high and proud for two decades. The band’s One Man Army full-length will be released in North America via Metal Blade Records on February 24th, 2015 and includes an accompanying four-track bonus CD. Preorder bundles for One Man Army are currently available at metalblade.com/ensiferum where you’ll also find the band’s recently debuted “One Man Army” video and companion making-of footage. For iTunes preorders, point your browser to itunes.apple.com/album/id956849251.

“Finland’s ENSIFERUM have long traded in their designation as a ‘folk metal’ group, but on the band’s sixth studio album the metal side of that label is decidedly dominant. And it’s epic metal at that: ‘One Man Army’ blasts forth with symphonic guitar orchestrations, double-time drum gallops, quick-changing dynamics and operatic vocal chorales that would make 19th century homeboys Pacius and Sibelius proud.” — Revolver

“ENSIFERUM have produced their most polished album to date; one that bulges with bombast and rages with frostbitten grit… these northern sword-wielders are close to finding the perfect recipe for taking folk into the mainstream of metal – all without losing a shred of authenticity.” – Metal Hammer

“…warlike and fiery…a perfect example of the band’s standout sound: it’s definitely a genre piece, but it’s the best of its kind.” – MetalSucks

“One Man Army is ENSIFERUM at their finest. The three years between releases worked to the band’s benefit as their execution and adventurous songwriting finds them with a renewed passion and energy.” – About.com

““Like a powerful drink, after twenty years, ENSIFERUM keeps the strength intact and adds a bit of a sweet scent in this new release.” – Against Magazine

“ENSIFERUM has become one of folk metal’s finest acts…ENSIFERUM’s music awakens one’s inner warrior… it’s a pity fighting to the death with swords and battle axes is illegal nowadays.” — Loudwire


http://www.facebook.com/Ensiferum
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http://www.metalblade.com/ensiferum

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