New Music Friday Rock and Metal New Album Releases 6-16-2023


 

Check out our preview of the new Rock and Metal albums coming out this week!

Continue reading


PREVIEW: New Music Friday Rock and Metal New Album Releases 6-16-23


 

Check out our preview of the new Rock and Metal albums coming out this week!

Continue reading


Arche -Undercurrents


 

Arche -Undercurrents thrid i rex ghostcultmag

Finnish Doom has a habit of eliciting serious emotion, whether it be down to the plaintive melodies and atmospheres or the downright trudging pace. Arche have all of these characteristics in spades and, on this label reissue of their début EP Undercurrents (Third-I Rex), their heartbreaking Funeral dirge is presented to devastating effect.

Occasionally implosive, often brittle, the guitar work of opener ‘Plains of Lethe’ has acoustic and melancholic moments, the lead melodies slow, meaningful and occasionally evoking the wistful pattern of Swallow The Sun and Saturnus. The only voice here, however, is that of Profetus guitarist Eppe Kuismin, and it begins as a barely audible, whispered growl before its guttural roar introduces the final third in terrifying, solitary fashion. It’s here that the crushing weight of huge yet emotive riffs add a mighty chapter, despite the billowing atmospherics and subtle yet striking keys.

Those airs swirl around the depressive tumult of ‘Funereal Folds’, again graced by titanic riffs and reaching the edge of crescendo when that agonised, expiring roar enters the fray, yet retaining its stirring power with deliberate leadwork and wonderfully dictatorial drums. At times the monster rests, Bell Witch-like, appearing shattered and spent in its fight against fate yet unwilling to cede quietly, its power still resonating in the fulminating roar and beautiful chords. The drop to the coda is devastating, the acoustic tones tearing every heartstring asunder, and sparse yet hulking bass kicks reinforcing that Bell Witch comparison.

Quite simply this is a beautiful, staggering piece of work. Some feel that the mewling of pained leadwork has no place in a genre where to crush uncompromisingly is the aim; and in some acts it can often lose meaning. Arche, however, hit near alchemy and this morose, gorgeous, lonely behemoth deserves serious attention this time around.

8.5/10.0

PAUL QUINN


Eye of Solitude Recording Darken the Moon VI Festival Set


Eye-Of-Solitude_Photo_2015

As part of the forthcoming March of Solitude Tour with Saturnus, UK dark metallers Eye of Solitude will record their set at the Darken the Moon VI Festival in Brussels, Belgium for release as a live album, out via Kaotoxin Records. No word on when the album will drop.

Eye-Of-Solitude_2015-tour-poster

Mar 12: Black Heart – London (UK)
Mar 13: Helvete – Oberhausen (DE)
Mar 14: Magasin 4 – Bruxelles (BE) (Darken the Moon VI Festival)
Mar 15: Baroeg – Rotterdam (NL)


Watain, At The Gates, Satyricon Confirmed For Blastfest 2015


blastfest 2015 poster

Blastfest will be held 18-21st February 2015 in Bergen, Norway and in case you missed this lineup announcement, here it is again:

Alfahanne
Aspherium
Asphyx
At The Gates
Baptism
Blood Red Throne
Bolzer
Bömbers
Borknagar
Byfrost
Craft
Crib45
Cryptopsy
Dark Funeral
Dark Tranquility
Dead To This World
Decapitated
Demilich
Den Saakaldte
Djevelkult
Destroyer 666
Destruction
Endstille
Esoteric
Falloch
Finntroll
Gehenna
Hecate Enthroned
Impaled Nazarene
Kall
Melechesh
Moonsorrow
Morgoth
Naer Mataron
Orange Goblin
Paradise Lost
Primordial
Purple Hill Witch
Rotting Christ
Samael
Sarke
Sarkom
Satan
Saturnus
Satyricon
The Sickening
The 3rd Attempt
Tortorum
Tsjuder
Vallenfyre
Winterfylleth
Wyruz
+ more yet to be announced.

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Blastfest 2015 Adds Four more Bands


Blastfest 2014 Poster

 

Norways Blastfest is expanding to a four-day festival with over 60 bands due to perform. The festival, located in Bergen will run from the 18th to the 21st February and will feature performances from the likes of At The Gates, Paradise Lost and Primordial.



Press Release:
Blastfest Is Expanding!

Blastfest has accepted the challenge and has delivered! It is official, Blastfest will be even bigger! With very positive results and excitement of a recent poll, the Bergen, Norway festival have decided 3 days of metal madness wasn’t enough and have expanded the festival into a 4 day event with a total of 60 bands! That’s 4 days, 4 venues, and 60 bands! Yes. 60 BANDS! The festival is now running from Wednesday February 18th to Saturday February 21st.

And that’s not just the only announcement the festival will make today because just like the recent state of updates the festival are keeping form and have just confirmed another 4 bands to the already exploding poster! So without further adieu, we are pleased to report the addition of true Norwegian black metal veterans Gehenna, British symphonic black metallers Hecate Enthroned, Norwegian death metal titans Blood Red Throne and death thrashers Wyruz!

Gehenna
Gehenna
All of our grenade prayers have been answered; the word became flesh! It’s with a shivering voice of the utmost excitement that Blastfest welcome Norwegian black metallersGehenna to the lineup of 2015! These purveyors of the dark arts have long been regarded as one of the most important acts to come out of the Norwegian black metal scene in the 90’s. It’s therefore with great delight that the festival welcome them back to Bergen for their first ever Blastfest performance.

Hecate Enthroned
Hecate Enthroned
Back in the 90’s a band made its way to the forefront of the symphonic black metal scene alongside bands like Cradle of Filth and Dimmu Borgir, receiving praise for their ability to be both extreme in their expression as well as incorporating symphonic elements. We are of course talking about UK act Hecate Enthroned. As of today the band is still going strong, if not turning towards an ever heavier expression with their now death metal-infused take on the black arts. Blastfest are very pleased to have them cross the North Sea to perform live in Bergen for the very first time ever, as part of the festival!

Blood Red Throne
Blood Red Throne
If you were asked to name a Norwegian death metal band, chances are that the first name to enter into your mind would be that of Blood Red Throne. Ever since the release of their first four-track demo back in 2000, they have been a household name in death metal circles. It’s therefore with great pride that Blastfest welcome the ravenous war machine, the primitive killing machine that is Blood Red Throne into the fold. Be prepared for blood spatter and arterial lust!

Wyruz
Wyruz
Some say Blastfest needed to add more thrash metal to the lineup, so they have decided to include prime death/thrash act Wyruz! These guys have been going strong for over a decade now, and are dead set on destroying everything at Blastfest 2015.

Lineup
Alfahanne | Asphyx | At The Gates | Baptism | Blood Red Throne | Bolzer | Borknagar | Byfrost | Craft | Crib45 | Cryptopsy | Dark Funeral | Dark Tranquility | Dead To This World | Decapitated | Demilich | Den Saakaldte | Djevelkult | Destroyer 666 | Destruction | Endstille | Esoteric | Finntroll | Gehenna | Hecate Enthroned | Impaled Nazarene | Melechesh | Moonsorrow | Morgoth | Paradise Lost | Primordial | Rotting Christ | Samael | Sarke | Sarkom | Satan | Saturnus | The Sickening | Tortorum | Tsjuder | Vallenfyre | Wyruz + more yet to be announced.

Blastfest will be held 18-21st February 2015 in Bergen, Norway.

4 Days | 4 Venues | 60 Bands | Exhibitions | Clinics | Stand Up Comedy | Tattoo Convention | Theme DJ’s

Tickets on sale now: http://blastfest.no/?page_id=60

www.blastfest.no
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