ALKALOID
"NUMEN" Technical Death Metal
Year:15.09.2023 (SEASON OF MIST)
Numen is ALKALOID’s third album and it’s got some of the band’s most intricate, thought-provoking and batshit insane ideas yet. The album is narrated from the god-like perspective of an ancient alien, who can reshape the entire galaxy with its demonic grunts. ALKALOID are still bonded together by their love of death metal. After all, this is a supergroup assembled from foundational members of OBSCURA, DARK FORTRESS and SPAWN OF POSESSION. The fiery, finger-tapped solo that squiggles loose about halfway through “Clusterfuck” is crushed like an ant beneath a Drop D mallet storm. But Numen finds the Bavarian band playing around with all kinds of genre experiments. “The Cambrian Explosion” flips tech-death on its horned head with seductive flurries of ...
SILENT SKIES
"DORMANT" Progressive Metal
Year:01.09.2023 (NAPALM RECORDS)
"Whenever EVERGREY’s Tom S. Englund and acclaimed US-based pianist/composer Vikram Shankar (Redemption, Lux Terminus) come together to merge their creativity, the result is magic. Now arrives the next product of this fateful encounter, as the Swedish-American cinematic-pop duo releases its third album, Dormant, on September 1, 2023 via Napalm Records. Continuing on the atmospheric path of Scandinavian melancholy charted on their previous full-lengths, Nectar (2022) and Satellites (2020), the brainchild of Englund and Shankar features stunning piano melodies, atmospheric keyboards, lush and expansive soundscapes, and hauntingly beautiful and intense vocals on 10 original compositions, accompanied by bonus tracks, covers of well-known classics by Iron Maiden, Linkin Park, and more, dre...
MARC HUDSON
"STARBOUND STORIES" Power Heavy Metal
Year:25.08.2023 (NAPALM RECORDS)
"After 12 years with DragonForce, vocalist Marc Hudson presents his first solo album, entitled Starbound Stories, set for release via Napalm Records on August 25, 2023! Starbound Stories is a sparkling, anime-inspired power metal ride, heavily influenced by both Japanese music and video game soundtracks, and featuring a horde of notable guests. Instrumental album opener “As The Twilight Met The Sea” acts as an introduction to the soundscapes of the album and features samurai metal master Ryoji Shinomoto (RYUJIN, previously known as Gyze) on traditional Japanese instruments. Shinomoto also lends his vocals on the following track, “Freedom Heart”, which also features a solo by guitar virtuoso Syu (Galneryus). Explosive power metal anthem “Dracula X&rd...
HOLDING ABSCENCE
"THE NOBLE ART OF SELF DESTRUCTION" Progressive Metal/ Doom
Year:25.08.2023 (NUCLEAR BLAST)
HOLDING ABSENCE’s new album is a testament to how our life’s story is never fully told, with opportunities for change and growth found in every moment, from the depths of despair to the euphoria of our greatest loves. Whether adding flourishes of colour to an already picturesque painting, or chiselling away at the marble to reveal the beauty within, "The Noble Art of Self Destruction" – the final act in a trilogy of records encompassing the first chapter of HOLDING ABSENCE’s career – speaks to how we are each an unfinished work of art with new meanings and qualities waiting to be discovered.
CD/ LP:
1. Head Prison Blues 2. A Crooked Melody 3. False Dawn 4. Scissors 5. Honey Moon
6. Death, Nonetheless 7. Her Wings 8. These New Dreams 9. Liminal 10. The Angel In The Marble
OF MICE & MEN
"TETHER" Heavy Metal
Year:06.10.2023 (NUCLEAR BLAST)
Few hard rock albums are as intimate as the modern output from OF MICE & MEN. While their songs pack the kind of rhythmic punch and anthemic bombast that thrills festival crowds, the confessional lyrics, and haunting melodies are the heart of what they do. Taking all creative matters into their own hands, the Southern California quartet self-produced and engineered all of the songs on „Tether“, their astonishing eighth album. Frontman Aaron Pauley mixed and mastered the album while Drummer Valentino Arteaga designed and painted the album's artwork. As a legion of devoted listeners worldwide has come to expect, guitarists Phil Manansala and Alan Ashby, Aaron, and Tino poured their hearts and souls into every note, creating another sonic document of their live...
After reigning in the metal scene for almost 15 years, Viking metal giants SKÁLMÖLD will unveil their highly anticipated sixth studio album, Ýdalir, on August 18, 2023 via Napalm Records. With their first record in five years, the Icelandic six-piece are bound to exceed all expectations – inspired by several Icelandic sagas and Norse mythology, such as the poem Grímnismál.Starting off with soothing opener “Ýr“, gentle acoustic guitar and organs are the calm before the storm. Catapulted to a dwelling owned by the god Ullur, the unsettled “Ýdalir“ builds with its hypnotizing guitar rhythms and galloping drum sounds, building a solid ground for ominous and dark growls. Carried by a breathtaking guitar solo, strident ...
FIREWIND
"STILL RAGING - 20TH ANNIVERSARY SHOW" Power Heavy Metal
Year:01.09.2023 (AFM RECORDS)
The Greek power metal legends, FIREWIND led by ex-Ozzy Osbourne guitarist Gus G. and vocalist Herbie Langhans (Avantasia), returning with an incredible live album „Still Raging - 20th anniversary show“! The show was recorded at Principal Club Theater in Greece, in 2022 and will be released as BluRay including double CD disc digipak. Raise your fist for 106 minutes (20 tracks) of finest power metal live performance!For Fans Of: Primal Fear, Helloween, Dream Evil, Brainstorm ...CD1:1. Welcome to the Empire (20th Anniversary Show)2. I am the Anger (20th Anniversary Show)3. Head Up High (20th Anniversary Show)4. Devour (20th Anniversary Show)5. Destination Forever (20th Anniversary Show)6. Orbitual Sunrise (20th Anniversary Show)7. World on Fire (20th Anniversary Show)8. Drum ...
OBLIVION PROTOCOL
"THE FALL OF THE SHIRES" Progressive Metal
Year:18.08.2023 (ATOMIC FIRE)
Six years after Threshold’s "Legends of the Shires", prog mastermind Richard West returns to these shores to deliver a long-awaited sequel with a brand new supergroup: OBLIVION PROTOCOL"The fall of the shires" is available as limited CD in a lush digipak.At its best, prog can be a safe haven from the storm outside, a soothing experience with healing and escapist qualities. Genuine musicianship, pure emotion and a penchant for supreme melody make this music a journey, an experience for which records and headphones were invented in the first place. At the forefront of prog music stands Richard West, renowned keyboard wizard and songwriter for British prog metal pioneers Threshold for over 30 years. Six years after their epic masterpiece "Legends of the Shires", West returns to these sh...
KNIFE
"HEAVEN INTO DUST" Thrash/ Speed Metal
Year:25.08.2023 (NAPALM RECORDS)
Fast, wild and unstoppable – German upstarts KNIFE deliver the sharpest speed metal!There’s a new metal kid in town! Exciting uprising German outfit KNIFE reveals a blend of modern extreme, speed and first wave black metal sprinkled with punk elements on their new album and Napalm Records debut, Heaven Into Dust, set for release on August 25, 2023! Formed in 2019, the band defied the pandemic - quickly establishing their standing in the scene with their acclaimed self-titled debut record, Knife (2021). German Metal Hammer predicted KNIFE would hit like a torpedo, giving the album an impressive 6/7 rating. Now, the quartet delivers the sharpest blade, obeying the authentic sound of raw extreme metal!CD/ LP:1 Hawks of Hades2 Night Vision3 Heaven Into Du...
EXMORTUS
"NECROPHONY" Progressive/ Neo Classical Metal
Year:25.08.2023 (NUCLEAR BLAST)
Nuclear Blast recording artists EXMORTUS mark their much - anticipated return on new album, "Necrophony" . The Los Angeles - based neo - classical metallers are fiercer than ever, with singles “Oathbreaker,” “Mind of Metal” and “Storm of Strings” forging metal might with Viennese (think: Beethoven) sophistication.
CD:
1. Masquerade 2. Mask Of Red Death 3. Oathbreaker 4. Mind Of Metal 5. Storm Of Strings 6. Test Of Time 7. Darkest Of Knights 8. Prophecy 9. Children Of The Night 10. Beyond The Grave 11. Overture 12. Necrophony
KATAKLYSM
"GOLIATH" Death Metal
Year:11.08.2023 (NUCLEAR BLAST)
For almost 3 decades, the US/French-Canadian based melodic death metal syndicate KATAKLYSM has delivered unapologetic waves of powerful sound across the entire globe. On August 11th, the band’s 15th full-length studio album GOLIATH will be unleashed unto the masses via Nuclear Blast Records.GOLIATH was recorded at JFD Studios in Dallas, TX and Studio City, CA as well as The Cabin in Orlando, FL by J-F Dagenais, who also produced and engineered the album. For the mixing and mastering, the band returned to Chris Clancy with assistance from Colin Richardson. The cover artwork required an image that captured the iconic battle of David versus Goliath theme that is echoed throughout the album while matching the power of the music. The band handed the reigns to renown Berlin metal illustrat...
CRYPTA
"SHADES OF SORROW" Death Metal
Year:04.08.2023 (NAPALM RECORDS)
"Brazilian death metal outfit CRYPTA are preparing to unleash their second beast of an album, Shades of Sorrow, on August 4, 2023 via Napalm Records! Formed in 2019 by former NERVOSA members Luana Dametto (drums) and Fernanda Lira (vocals), and now featuring guitarists Tainá Bergamaschi and Jessica di Falchi, CRYPTA broke the charts with their critically acclaimed debut album, Echoes of the Soul, in 2021 (including landing at #55 on the Official German Album Charts and debuting at #15 on both the US Hard Music Albums and Top New Artist Albums charts). On Shades of Sorrow, the band stays true to their unique sound that was introduced on the first full-length, blending classic and modern death metal with significant extreme and black metal elements.It is clear that the tale...
EVILE
"THE UNKNOWN" Thrash Metal
Year:14.07.2023 (NAPALM RECORDS)
"Since their formation in 2004, British thrash masters EVILE have been turning heads and taking names, delivering pure thrash offerings blended with an uncompromising death metal assault. This summer, following their latest, critically acclaimed album, Hell Unleashed (2021), July 14, 2023 sees the four-piece strike again with their sixth full-length offering, entitled The Unknown, via Napalm Records!This time, EVILE prove that they are more than just a thrash band, churning out slower tempos with a heavier approach. In addition, melodic vocals meet serious, in-depth lyrical topics – ranging from depression, overcoming loss and recurring nightmares, self-esteem and image, to more personal themes like living with dementia, struggling through the music industry and even the c...
DESTROYER 666
"TO THE DEVIL HIS DIE" Blackened Thrash Metal
Year:25.08.2023 (SEASON OF MIST)
'To The Devil His Due' collects four long out-of-print seven-inch EP's from the one, and only, DESTRÖYER 666. Spanning from 1998 - 2010, this collection is satanic speed metal savagery. While they burn with maximum fury, these songs only hint at the venom that came spewing from these bare-knuckle brawlers.
1. Satanic Speed Metal (3:50) 2. The Sirens Call (3:57) 3. King Of Kings (4:01) 4. Lord Of The Wild (5:44) 5. Ghost Dance (4:10) 6. Taste The Poison (3:01) 7. Levens Bloed (2:27) 8. Through The Broken Pentagram (4:48) 9. See You In Hell (4:13)
1914
"ESCHATOLOGY OF WAR" Black Metal
Year:04.08.2023 (NAPALM RECORDS)
Since their formation in 2014, Ukrainian blackened death/doom metal visionaries 1914 have told the gruesome tales of World War I, charting this inexorable path through history with their debut album, Eschatology of War (2015). After a digital re-release in April 2021, the album will now appear via various exciting fan editions this year, including 2LP gatefold marbled crystal clear silver & black and 2LP splatter gold & black editions, out August 4, 2023. Inspired by the madness of war, Eschatology of War faces various events from the past, such as the Battles of Gallipoli and Verdun, the gas attack at Ypres, the Brusilovsky breakthrough, the Christmas truce and the bombing of London, just to name a few. Eschatology of War starts with the genuine intro “War In&rdqu...