BELTFED WEAPON RELEASE "DARKENED DEMISE EP"

 

PRESS RELEASE:

Release Date: June 25th, 2023

FFO: Iced Earth, Morbid Angel, Exodus

Location: Seattle, WA

Featuring an all star cast of musicians:

Frank Hetzel (guitar, songwriter)

Jeff Loomis - ( Arch Enemy ) (lead guitar)

Kragen Lum ( Exodus / Heathen ) (lead guitar)

Tim Aymar ( Control Denied / Pharaoh ) (vocals)

Steve Tucker ( Morbid Angel ) (vocals)

J.D. DeServio ( Black Label Society ) (bass)

Jason Viebrooks ( Exhorder ) (bass)

Dagna Silesia (bass)

Bryan Newberry ( Into Eternity ) (drums)

After releasing their third EP, the highly acclaimed Raining Plague, in 2015, Seattle metal band Beltfed Weapon had a rough time locking down dedicated musicians. So, band founder and guitarist Frank Hetzel took matters into his own hands. Instead of wasting time auditioning new musicians, he wrote a batch of songs on his own and then recruited an all-star lineup to work with for the new EP, Darkened Demise.

A two-decade music business veteran, Hetzel has met and befriended some of the greatest artists from various subgenres of metal over the years. And once they heard the new Beltfed Weapon songs, members from bands as diverse as Morbid Angel, Exhorder, Into Eternity, Arch Enemy, Black Label Society, Testament, and Heathen were excited to help. Working with talented guest musicians wasn’t a completely novel concept for Hetzel, who played with Testament bassist Steve DiGiorgio, former Marduk drummer Fredrik Widigs, and Arch Enemy guitarist Jeff Loomis when he needed-some in-studio help for Raining Plague. But for Darkened Demise, Hetzel knew what he wanted from the start, and who he wanted to work with, and couldn’t be happier with the five new songs. “It’s definitely the best thing I’ve ever done,” he says.

The first Beltfed Weapon track in five years, “Headfirst Into Hell,” is a multidimensional assault that features clean vocals by Tim Aymar of Control Denied (the last band to include Death founder Chuck Schuldiner). The song is both rousing and roiling, rife with thrash riffs, double- bass drumming, and prog/power metal rhythms; Loomis and Heathen’s Kragen Lum added guitar solos.

Loomis also played on the piledriving “Accept Your Insanity,” which is rounded out by Black Label Society bassist J.D. DeServio, and Into Eternity drummer Bryan Newberry. The title track of the EP is an apocalyptic thrash-death number that features Morbid Angel’s Steve Tucker, whose feral growls contrast with Aymar’s more melodic singing (Tucker performs on two of the five songs and Aymar commands the other three).

Darkened Demise is both skull-crushing and musically diverse. More than that, it’s a labor of love – a project Hetzel pursued by himself with a bunch of friends and guests he invited along for the ride.

“It has been a long process, but it has been very therapeutic and rewarding,” he concludes. “To have all these people on it that I’ve been listening to for decades is incredible. If we sell records, great, but I feel great just knowing how it all came together and how well it came out.”

Check out the new video for 'Eternal Fire' that premiered on Decibel ! 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V_4GnPYstNQ

Beltfed Weapon Eternal Fire Official Lyric Video

Follow them on Spotify and add them to your playlists!

https://open.spotify.com/artist/29UmL3qkm2Evn8gOZmC8kc

Support the band on Bandcamp!

https://beltfedweapon.bandcamp.com/track/eternail-fire

Follow the band at these links:

https://www.facebook.com/beltfedweapon/

beltfedweapon.bandcamp.com

https://open.spotify.com/artist/29UmL3qkm2Evn8gOZmC8kc

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCTHXH8qSCYmPVVqQK2oXxFA

https://beltfedweapon.net/

SNORLAX RELEASE "THE NECROTROPHIC ABYSS"

 

PRESS RELEASE:

Snorlax

The Necrotrophic Abyss

Label: Unorthodox Emanations / Avantgarde Music

Release date: June 23, 2023

Formats: CD / LP / Digital

Country: Australia

Genre: blackened death metal

Snorlax was born in unexpected circumstances during an experimental recording session in mid-2017 at Black Blood Audio in Brisbane, Australia. Recording engineer Brendan Auld stumbled upon the sound and found the voice of Snorlax while trialing new recording techniques. Following the stream of ideas and sounds that ensued, the result was what later became the unmastered release of 'The Splintering Demo'. Having only played drums for a few short years at that point, Brendan's expectations were low, yet the release grabbed the attention of many black metal enthusiasts including Caligari Records, Jef Whitehead of Leviathan and even made #2 on a 2017 Decibel Magazine list of 'Must Listen Underground Demos' compiled by the late Trevor Strnard of The Black Dahlia Murder.

Honing in on the Snorlax sound even further in 2020 with the release of 'II' via Brilliant Emperor Records, more death metal-inspired elements began creeping into the foreground and soon the label 'blackened death' was attached to project.

Jumping forward to 2023, Snorlax is set to release its third composition, mysteriously titled 'The Necrotrophic Abyss'. Much like II, this full-length release clocks in at just under 30 minutes, delivering a concise, ruthless display of sonic violence and despair. This album is presented as a concept, with an overarching story that flows throughout, each song a chapter depicting a world so vile its own death is forced by the hands of nature. In the second half of the record Brendan introduces some new voices and layers of collaboration as the planet is laid to waste for eons resulting in a desolate baron abyss only creatures of the undead have a chance of surviving. The album closes with a slight glimpse of hope as the story eludes to an unlikely rebirth of evolution and a potentially inhabitable future after all. This dark narrative is painted only by the lyrics, the music never loosening its grip, staying trve to the perpetual paralysis proclaimed on track 1 of the Snorlax first release.

Avantgarde Music's death metal division Unorthodox Emanations will release 'The Necrotrophic Abyss' on CD and LP on June 23, 2023. Find digital preorders at Bandcamp HERE.

TRACKLIST

1. Reawaken 

2. The Repudiation Ov Disharmony

3. Fortification

4. Book Ov Serpents 

5. Eternal Decrepitude

6. The Necrotrophic Abyss

7. Regenesis Arrival

8. The Bastard Seed Ov Terraformation

LINKS

https://www.facebook.com/snorlaxbm

https://www.instagram.com/snorlax_death

https://snorlaxbm.bandcamp.com

CONTRARIAN RELEASE "DEMOS & ODDITIES: 1995-1999"

 

PRESS RELEASE:

After a genre-bending, musically encirching journey consisting of debut EP, Predestined, in 2014 and the subsequent release of five full-length albums on Willowtip Records, Progressive Death Metal masters CONTRARIAN dug right down to the roots in compiling the songs that would become Demos & Oddities: 1995-1999. The band will release the album independently via CD Baby on July 28, as well as offering it for free on all streaming platforms.

Stream opening track "Loss of Phase" at: youtu.be/W0ZXEFxKAvU

Guitarist Jim Tasikas had this to say about the album:

"As with many other progressive death metal bands in the 90’s such as Death, Pestilence, Atheist, and Cynic; Contrarian also experienced disruptions in continuity from lack of support in the fledgling scene and lack of capable musicians within an innovating genre. Being able to record music during that time was more difficult. Bands commonly recorded demos under different names. Mantas (Death), R.A.V.A.G.E. (Atheist), Portal (Cynic). The same went for Contrarian during these times (Manic). Upon many requests from fans, we have gathered some of these demos in a collection. The 1990s were an amazing time for metal in Rochester, NY as well. It was this time period that spawned bands such as Disgorged(Withered Earth), Buried Beneath(Night Conquers Day), Lethargy(Sulaco/Mastodon) and so many more. Most of these bands recording in the infamous Watchmen Studios in Lockport, NY with Doug White. It was an amazing time, and we hope you enjoy these vintage raw demos with a 'live feel' from around 1995-1999."

Track Listing:

1. Loss of Phase

2. Sine Wave Trails

3. Equilibrium

4. Mosfet Tapestry

5. EMI

6.Infinite Derivatives

7. Analytic Doctrines 

Mixed and mastered by Doug White at Watchmen Studios, Lockport, NY.

CONTRARIAN's last studio album, Sage of Shekhinah, was released earlier this year on Willowtip Records. Stream/purchase at:

contrarianmetal.bandcamp.com/album/sage-of-shekhinah

Line-up:

Jim Tasikas- Guitars

Ed Paulsen - Bass

Brian Platino - Drums

linktr.ee/ContrarianOfficial

facebook.com/contrarianmetal

instagram.com/contrarianofficial

twitter.com/contrarianband

UNFAIR FATE RELEASE VISUALIZER VIDEO FOR "SEALED IN DARKNESS"

 

PRESS RELEASE:

Swedish thrash/death metal rising force Unfair Fate is thrilled to present the visualizer video for the track, "Sealed in Darkness." The song is a standout piece from the album, "Into the Abyss," which is now available worldwide through Wormholedeath.

Watch "Sealed in Darkness": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-bCqOqCG4-Q

"Sealed in Darkness" encapsulates the intense and raw energy that Unfair Fate is known for, taking listeners on a sonic journey through the depths of darkness and despair. The track delves into the profound sense of being lost and trapped in a dark and abstract reality, where the inner urges and longing for release are palpable. It serves as an honest portrayal of surrendering to the darkness while simultaneously expressing a plea for the grip of fear to be released, ultimately yearning for an end to the suffering.

The band's latest album features a variety of fast and aggressive tracks, as well as slower, heavier ones. The lyrics touch on themes of substance addiction, nuclear war, and letting loose the darkness within oneself. Fans of Thrash and Death Metal are sure to find something to love on Into the Abyss.

To purchase or stream "Into the Abyss," please visit https://orcd.co/intotheabyss

For more information about Unfair Fate, please visit their Facebook page, Instagram, YouTube channel, Bandcamp, or Soundcloud:

www.facebook.com/theofficialunfairfate

www.instagram.com/unfairfate

www.youtube.com/@unfairfate7507

unfairfate.bandcamp.com

soundcloud.com/unfair-fate-official

MENTAL CRUELTY RELEASE "ZWIELICHT"

 

PRESS RELEASE:

Mental Cruelty

Zwielicht

Century Media

23 June 2023

MENTAL CRUELTY has become standard-bearers for the sound of European extreme metal. Zwielicht, the latest full-length album from blackened deathcore outfit MENTAL CRUELTY, will be made available via Century Media Records on June 23. 

The band comments on the release: “Let us embrace a new era of darkness by bringing the “black” into blackened heavy music. Join us on the way down to infernal gates of hell to be rebirthed back to life. The album will contain the most mind-bending variety of different heavy musical influences and sounds. Epic symphonic orchestras accompanied by slam breakdowns; this will have it all. Inspired from metaphors written by nature, death, and inner demons.  

We can´t put into words the level of excitement we feel by announcing this album to you. We hope you feel the same way! Thank you for being with us and stay tuned for upcoming news!”

Throughout four releases, beginning with 2016’s Pereat Mundus EP, the German quintet has woven together a violent tapestry of sounds informed by Black Metal, Death Metal, Deathcore, and a madness of their very own. With 2021’s landmark LP, A Hill To Die Upon (Unique Leader), MENTAL CRUELTY set a new standard for not merely themselves, but the genre as a whole. Said No Clean Singing: “The production is huge; the symphonic sound grand and provide much of the melodic work as the vocal work between their main guy and the rest of the band is intense and the music just moves from one bludgeoning hammer to another.”

Armed with new vocalist Lukas, MENTAL CRUELTY usher in a new epoch of unlight and grim determination that’s at the heart of their upcoming album, Zwielicht (translated in English as “Twilight”). Once again working with producer and mixer Josh Schroeder (Lorna Shore, The Browning), they’ve pushed their sound to new blacker intensities forged in emotional riffing, heavy “back to the roots” breakdowns, and epic orchestral arrangements that surpass the already elite standards that have become synonymous with their name. 

Rising from the ashes of personal and professional chaos, MENTAL CRUELTY (rounded out by guitarists Nahuel Lozano and Marvin Kessler, bassist Viktor Dick and drummer Danny Straßer) spent the first half of 2021 seeking out a voice to continue to cement them an as uncompromising force in the German metal scene. After locking in Lukas they’ve reemerged bloodied but unbowed, ready to continue spreading themselves into an international force. Zwielicht is coming. MENTAL CRUELTY’s reign of darkness is just getting started.

Mental Cruelty line-up:

Lukas Nicolai - Vocals

Nahuel Lozano – Guitars 

Marvin Kessler - Guitars

Viktor Dick - Bass 

Danny Straßer - Drums

Mental Cruelty online:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mental_cruelty/

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/2iE1NqruxoSxTvOpTCLkE9

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@mentalcrueltyofficial

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@mentalcrueltyofficial

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MentalCruelty/

Website: https://www.mentalcrueltyofficial.com/

FURZE RELEASE NEW SINGLE "FORESEE HIS INFERNAL RITES"

 

PRESS RELEASE:

Release Date: 16/6/2023

FFO: 1st & early 2nd wave Black Metal, Hard Psych Rock and Doom.

Location: NORWAY

Short Bio: Created by one man from the its earliest incarnations in 1992 (under many names) and shifting to FURZE in 1998. BLACK PSYCH METAL has always been the main path way for FURZE. Perhaps needless say - FURZE stands against the increasing commercialism which the metal scene in general has dulled itself into thru recent decades of stereotypical releases/productions... Encompassing a groovy, gloom of horror at both fast, fluid, slow or mid paced velocity. FURZE seems to be immortal at creating atmospheres of catchy obscurity and trance like unholiness . The purpose is also to dig into the psych and release the best possible creations of the ultimate eerie magic. Reaper’s own Analog REEL MAZECKRA recording studio provide DIY spirit per see and is constantly being upgraded and victim of vile experimentation. The code to understand the kind of metal music which FURZE creates is that it is unique, old school and balances ultimately within the psych between the necromania and progression. If you consider yourself to possess an internal magnet to the above mentioned explained atmospheres - and thereof the music to bang your head to: Look no further - you might have found a dark well of (more material than) 8 full length dark psych metal albums to dig into...

The band has released 8 albums (and more) on Agonia, Candlelight, Apocalyptic Empire, Fysisk Format, Fresh Tea and Reaper's own label Polytriad Fingerprints which also have licensed out all albums since their 4th onwards. FURZE have only played live 3 times during 25 years of existence, then with members from DEATHHAMMER, OBLITERATION/AURA NOIR and KOLDBRANN/DJEVEL. Woe J Reaper then handled all guitars. Now focus is on albums again...

Check them out on YouTube!

https://youtu.be/46XNhs1pWT8

FURZE - BLACK PSYCH TORMENTOR official video 2021

 Follow them on Spotify and add to your playlists!

https://open.spotify.com/artist/3fpN43PXA892b3Vklgt28d

Support them on Bandcamp!

https://furze.bandcamp.com/

Follow the artist at these links:

https://www.facebook.com/Furzebook/

https://furze.bandcamp.com/album/black-psych-tormentor

https://www.instagram.com/furzeofficial/

GODTHRYMM RELEASE "DISTORTIONS"

 

PRESS RELEASE:

British epic doom metallers GODTHRYMM -- featuring members once involved in such luminaries as My Dying Bride, Anathema, Vallenfyre, and Solstice -- return with their new album, Distortions, set for release on August 18th via Profound Lore Records.

The follow-up to 2020’s widely lauded Reflections shows the Halifax-based quartet of Hamish Glencross (guitars, vocals), Catherine Glencross (keyboards, vocals), “Sasquatch” Bob Crolla (bass), and Shaun “Winter” Taylor-Steels (drums) elegantly expanding upon their sound and vision. With tracks like “Follow Me,” featuring former My Dying Bride compatriot Aaron Stainthorpe, “Echoes,” and “Devils,” Distortions advances GODTHRYMM into the hallowed halls of the genre they adore to death.

“I absolutely wanted to create a much more layered and complex arrangement in the sound,” notes Glencross. “Totally amping up the contrasts to the extreme — the light shines brighter, and the darker depths are vast trenches. There is a lot more harmony and melancholy for much of it, but also some slab-heavy riffing, too. We wanted a total progression in the production and more class and clarity in the sound, as opposed to Reflections, which could get quite dense in tone.”

Distortions is the second part of Glencross’ Visions trilogy — the third part, Projections, is already in the works. Throughout its seven-track, hour-long expanse, GODTHRYMM’s sophomore effort delves deeper into the despondent march of post-pandemic singles “Chasm” and “In Perpetuum,” the latter released exclusively on Decibel Magazine’s Decibel Flexi Series in 2022. Glencross’ emotionally-charged vocals pair perfectly with his towering riffs and thoughtful, crestfallen harmonies. The rhythmic foundation of Crolla and Taylor-Steels is absolutely critical to Glencross’ woebegone éclat. With Catherine Glencross’ angelic vocals and atmospheric keyboards stitched into the monumental “As Titans,” the granite-hard “Obsess And Regress,” and the stirring “Pictures Remain,” Distortions has it all.

 

“The songwriting for Distortions began during the first lockdown,” Glencross says. “That inspired me to start writing and recording at home, and that structure helped define how we would ultimately write the album. It was very much isolated for the most part, though. I would write and record the first arrangement of a song and then send it through to the others, who would record their parts and send them back. Then, it would be a case of refining and rewriting as inspired by the contributions of everyone. Only one song, ‘Devils,’ was written in the rehearsal room before the rest of the album.”

 

For an album centered lyrically on grief, loss, regret, resolve, love, and determination, it’s hard to imagine something inexplicably heavy yet remarkably beautiful. Producer Andy Hawkins (Hark, Grave Lines) was the perfect man for the job. Spread across The Nave Studio in Leeds and Sasquatch Music Studio in Huddersfield, he captured GODTHRYMM at their most menacing (“Unseen Unheard”) and vulnerable (“Follow Me”). The tones he extracted from Glencross, Crolla, and Taylor-Steels absolutely crush, while the brighter moments (like Catherine Glencross’ spell-binding vocals on “Obsess and Regress”) splinter GODTHRYMM’s disheartened darkness in two. Distortions was mastered by Mark Midgley (Doom, Hellkrusher) for Northern Mastering Co.

In advance of the record’s release, today the band unveils first single, “Echoes.” Notes Glencross, “This last couple of years brought challenge and heartache to too many of us. ‘Echoes’ is our ode to loss and grief. We lost people very dear to us, and this song came from that. Love and loss is universal, and I hope we may share and connect through our music.”

GODTHRYMM - Echoes (official audio)

Stream GODTHRYMM’s “Echoes” at THIS LOCATION. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OqLJpSXSYbg

 

Distortions will be released on CD, LP, cassette, and digital formats. Find preorders at THIS LOCATION: https://linktr.ee/godthrymm

 

Distortions Track Listing:

1. As Titans

2. Devils

3. Echoes

4. Obsess And Regress

5. Unseen Unheard

6. Follow Me

7. Pictures Remain

 

For a band that formed in 2017, GODTHRYMM are on an impressive run. Not only have they proven to be a formidable live act—invites to Bloodstock Open Air, In Flammen Open Air, and Tomorrow’s Ghost Festival are but the beginning—but the group’s prolific output of three EPs, two singles, and two full-length albums have also repositioned England as the epicenter of high-quality, epic-sounding doom metal. The cover art by Andy Green (My Dying Bride) is simply a force multiplier. All eyes are on Godthrymm with Distortions.

 

“I hope we continue to evolve and progress,” Glencross says. “The sound is decidedly more complete [on Distortions] than the previous incarnations, which are quite primitive. I hope people connect with the passion and love we have put in. The themes are universal and eternal. I’m very grateful and touched any time anyone appreciates our work.”

http://www.godthrymm.com

http://www.facebook.com/godthrymm

http://www.instagram.com/godthrymm

http://www.profoundlorerecords.com

http://www.facebook.com/profoundlorerecords

http://www.twitter.com/profoundlore

http://www.instagram.com/profoundlorerecords

http://www.profoundlorerecords.bandcamp.com

NECROTION RELEASE NEW SINGLE "SON OF DOG"

 

PRESS RELEASE:

Release Date: 06/23

FFO: Slayer, Morbid Angel, Autopsy

Location: Philadelphia,PA USA

Short bio: A long time ago in the deepest pit of hell was forged the morbid entity known as NECROTION. Comprised of: John Litchko - GUITAR/VOCALS (Symphony of Grief, Perverseraph, Goreaphobia) Joseph Young - GUITAR (Executioner,PA, (Decay) Mike Trush - BASS (Deteriorate, Perverseraph, Existence) David Latraverse - DRUMS (Ritual Sacrifice, Dark Lord).

Check out the video!

https://youtu.be/5VnAc7w-Ei8

Son of Dog

Follow the band at these links:

https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100063589726100

https://www.metal-archives.com/bands/Necrotion/14064

https://open.spotify.com/artist/71eNHdbczoba5fXWLHmBhy