ESOTERIC
"A PYRRHIC EXISTENCE"
Funeral Doom
Year:08.11.2019
(SEASON OF MIST)

- Brand-new seventh album by ESOTERIC made of 98 minutes of aural mayhem. Recorded, mixed and mastered at Priory Recording Studios (FEN, WODENSTHRONE, MOURNING BELOVETH). Cover art by Lisa Schubert alias Vinsterwân (KALETOD, KRATER, WOLVES DEN).For nearly thirty years ESOTERIC have been pushing the limits of sonic intensity. From the mind-bending darkness of their 90’s double albums to the expansive epics found on their recent opuses, they have never compromised their initial aim; to unleash aural mayhem on unsuspecting listeners. Late 2019 sees the release of their most accomplished work to date, ‘A Pyrrhic Existence’. It is 98 minutes of new material, detailed and layered compositions and a high level of musicianship, foreboding pro...

EDENBRIDGE
"DYNAMIND"
Symphonic Melodic Female Metal
Year:25.10.2019
(SPV)

As we all know, music is at its best when it addresses its listeners at a number of levels. And that’s precisely what Edenbridge do: the Austrian melodic metal act’s material always features – along with its symphonic qualities – an important emotional-spiritual side. This applies not only to the band’s thirteen recordings to date, but also to their latest album Dynamind, scheduled for release on Steamhammer/SPV on 25 October 2019. The atmospherically dense compositions, directed once again mainly by creative mastermind/multi-instrumentalist Lanvall and vocalist Sabine Edelsbacher, combine melodies and grooves, toughness and sensitivity, emotions and intellect, spirit and the subconscious mind. Which better way to document this talent than with a programmat...

JOE BONAMASSA
"LIVE AT THE SYDNEY OPERA HOUSE"
Blues/ Classic Rock
Year:25.10.2019
(MASCOT LABEL GROUP)

- Joe Bonamassa has sold well over 3 million records worldwide and has fifteen #1 Billboard Blues Albums!!! - His most recent studio album, Blues of Desperation, released in March of 2016, marks his 16th #1 Blues album on the Billboard charts, more than any other artist, and landed at #5 on the Billboard Top Album Sales, his highest charting yet in the US. In Europe it charted in 15 countries. - His latest collaborative album with vocal ”powerhouse” Beth Hart called ‘Black Coffee’ debuted at #1 in the Dutch album charts. Other chart positions include a #4 in Germany and #7 in the UK. - Joe Bonamassa has been featured on the cover of virtually every guitar magazine multiple...

NILE
"VILE NILOTIC RITES"
Death Metal
Year:01.11.2019
(NUCLEAR BLAST)

There’s death metal and then there’s NILE. For »Vile Nilotic Rites,« the mantra was: if it’s not right for the song, it gets cut. Nothing superfluous or idiosyncratic were allowed to persist on and live through NILE’s new team-based songwriting process. If a part was savage but didn’t fit, out the door it went. But if it was merciless and fit into the overall design of the song, it was kept and curated. The end result of NILE’s extreme musical vetting was 11 songs, sharp as obsidian blades, heavy as nine Nubian pyramids. Songs like 'Oxford Handbook Of Savage Genocidal Warfare,' 'That Which Is Forbidden,' 'Revel In Their Suffering,' and the title track exhibit the self-made qualities of editorial perfection wit...

ALCEST
"SPIRITUAL INSTINCT"
Progressive Post Black Metal
Year:25.10.2019
(NUCLEAR BLAST)

For principal songwriter and frontman Neige, ALCEST has always been a gateway to the otherworldly, a means of exploring his spirituality. An elemental two-piece, completed by long-serving drummer and creative confidante Winterhalter, their forthcoming sixth album »Spiritual Instinct« finds Neige at his most personal. “This time I had something urgent to put on the table,” he explains. “It is a very cathartic record - something needed to get out of me. It’s darker than usual, and heavier.”Written in bursts both during and after a prolonged period of touring in support of 2016’s hugely successful »Kodama«, the sense of urgency Neige speaks of manifests in a record full of spontaneity, of immediate impact – be th...

CROBOT
"MOTHERBRAIN"
Hard Rock
Year:23.08.2019
(MASCOT LABEL GROUP)

Like food of the gods, rock ‘n’ roll nourishes the soul. Offering holy communion, Crobot proudly personify a trinity of “meat, strings, and emotion” within their music and during the raucous gigs they’re known for. Striking a delicate balance between hard-charging riffs, ass-shaking funk, and out-of-this-world reflective stage attire, the Pennsylvania quartet - Brandon Yeagley (lead vocals, harmonica), Chris Bishop (guitar, vocals), and Dan Ryan (drums), satisfies starvation for sonic sustenance on their fourth full-length and 2019 debut for Mascot Records, Motherbrain.Since emerging in 2011, the group has quietly cemented themselves among the rising rock vanguard. Following their 2012 debut Legend of the Spaceborne Killer and 2014’s Somet...

BLACK STONE CHERRY
"BLACK TO BLUES VOL. 2"
Rock/ Blues
Year:18.10.2019
(MASCOT LABEL GROUP)

- The first ‘Black To Blues’ EP debuted #1 on the Billboard Blues Chart and reached the Top 30 UK album chart. BSC’s last five full-length albums hit No. 1 on the UK rock & metal charts, with their most recent album, ‘Family Tree’ debuting at #11 (highest ever) in Germany!Following the reaction to the release Black Stone Cherry guitarist/vocalist, Chris Robertson, said; “We could have never dreamed of the reaction we got from “Black to Blues”. It was amazing to have such a positive reaction to our take on some of our biggest influences in music. We can’t wait for everyone to hear and feel how much fun we had recording this project.” Produced by the band themselves at Monocle Studios in Sulphur Well, ...

JAN AKKERMAN
"CLOSE BEAUTY"
Jazz/ Progressive Rock
Year:25.10.2019
(MASCOT LABEL GROUP)

- Jan Akkerman’s work has been featured on 59 albums throughout his career. Founding member of Focus, Brainbox, and Finch. Best Guitarist in the World by UK magazine, Melody Maker!! As a session musician, Akkerman has worked with an eclectic list of artists including B.B. King, Alan Price, Peter Banks, Jack Bruce, Charlie Byrd, Ice –T and Phil Collins [!]On 25th October 2019, Jan Akkerman will release his first studio album since 2011 and it marks his debut on the Mascot Label Group.  ‘Close Beauty’ is the return of the distinctive ‘Akkerman-sound’, which runs like a thread through twelve compositions; acoustic, electric, solo performing and accompanied by his own band, Marijn van den Berg (drums), David de Mare...

AMBERIAN DAWN
"LOOKING FOR YOU"
Symphonic Melodic Female Metal
Year:31.01.2020
(NAPALM RECORDS)

Amberian Dawn are reaching an ultimate career high with their eighth studio album, Looking for You. Refined and immaculate songwriting full of catchy melodies and epic keyboard passages sends shivers down your spine on their first single, “United”. Singer Capri Virkkunen enchants in a duet with Fabio Lione (ex-Rhapsody of Fire) in the breathtaking symphonic metal summit “Symphony No.1 Part 3 – Awakening”! The diverse and emotional lyrics provide a suitable background for soaring guitars and elegant classical interludes. Looking for You is a highly addictive cocktail topped off by a cover version of ABBA’s “Lay All Your Love on Me”!TRACKLIST CD/ LP:01 - United (A)02 - Eternal Fire Burning (A)03 - Looking ...

MAGNUM
"THE SERPENT RINGS"
Hard Rock/ AOR
Year:17.01.2020
(SPV)

Magnum guitarist Tony Clarkin is a man who seems to never stop working. He is responsible for writing all the material released by the band, and on top of that he produces their albums from the very first demo to the final mix. “As soon as an album is finished, I start to collect new ideas,” he explains. “That’s how I’ve worked since the early seventies, for me that’s the ideal method.” On their latest album The Serpent Rings (available on Steamhammer/SPV from 17 January 2020 on CD, double vinyl LP, limited box set and for digital download), Clarkin and Magnum’s other original member, vocalist Bob Catley, prove all over again just how perfectly this established system works. The new album, The Serpent Rings, presents Magnum the...

PHIL CAMPBELL
"OLD LIONS STILL ROAR"
Hard Rock
Year:25.10.2019
(NUCLEAR BLAST)

Some people just don‘t need no introduction. And this fine gentleman is high on top of that list: Phil Campbell, Welsh rock titan, MOTÖRHEAD guitarist for more than 30 years until the bitter end, father of that hard rocking spawn called BASTARD SONS, rock and roll luminary. In short: the stuff six string legends are made of. Slowly but steadily nearing his sixties, Phil Campbell still hasn‘t lost his hunger for the noise. After a highly successful record as PHIL CAMPBELL AND THE BASTARD SONS (the family rock act he pulled off with his own three sons) and a feverish run of live dates with the likes of GUNS’N’ROSES, he‘s about to shed his skin once again – only to reveal his own true self this time around.The title of his first solo rec...

RAGE
"WINGS OF RAGE"
Power Heavy Metal
Year:10.01.2020
(SPV)

Wings Of Rage, the latest offering by the three-piece, consists of all this and much more. Peavy and his colleagues Marcos Rodriguez (guitar) and Vassilios Maniatopoulos (drums) have succeeded in summarising the diversity and experience of almost 37 years of band history in twelve topical songs, starting a new chapter at the same time. “The material on Wings Of Rage is as colourful as Rage’s history,” confirms Peavy, “Although it’s always connected with the distinct evolvement of our strengths, in other words: with a contemporary style of playing and an ultramodern sound.” Wings Of Rage will be available from 10 January 2020 on Steamhammer/SPV on Digipak CD and double vinyl LP, in a limited box set and as digital stream/download. 18 October 2019 will ...

SATYRICON
"REBEL EXTRAVAGANZA"
Black Metal
Year:13.12.2019
(NAPALM RECORDS)

Satyricon’s groundbreaking Black Metal milestone Rebel Extravaganza, remastered and reissued on 2LP Gatefold Vinyl and Digipack!It was the dawn of a new millennium – and even more so for black metal pioneers Satyricon – who were poised for possibly the most groundbreaking evolution in their career. After the release of genre milestone, Nemesis Divina (1996), Satyr and Frost retreated for three years, only to return in the fall of 1999 in absolutely mindbending shape. Rebel Extravaganza proved to be more than aptly titled and tore down any and all genre boundaries with progressive ten-minute opener ‘Tied in Bronze Chains‘. Backed by stunning guest appearances by genre luminaries like Fenriz (Darkthrone) and Snorre Ruch (Thorns), ...

EDGUY
"THEATER OF SALAVATION ANNIV. EDIT."
Melodic Power Heavy Metal
Year:06.12.2019
(AFM RECORDS)

The successor to Edguy’s breakthrough album was released in 1999 underthe title “Theater Of Salvation” and again met with critical acclaim by criticsand fans alike. It cemented their breakthrough and paved the way for their international career. Some 20 years after the release finally a new version is made available – as Digipak (incl. bonus CD) and for the first time ever on Vinyl (in different colors). In the meantime, Edguy have made their way to being one of the leading European melodic metal bands and mastermind Tobias Sammet also created Avantasia, which has grown to be much more than a project, selling millions of albums and doing sold out world tours.Tracklist CD:1. The Healing Vision2. Babylon3. The Headless Game...

CRYSTAL VIPER
"TALES OF FIRE AND ICE"
Epic/ Pagan/ Power Metal
Year:22.11.2019
(AFM RECORDS)

- 7th studio album is heavier, more intense and more melodic than predecessors. Cover photo by Tim Tronckoe (Nightwish, Arch Enemy, Epica, Slayer, Disturbed, etc.) [!]CRYSTAL VIPER is a female fronted heavy metal act from Poland, founded by the singer, guitarist and composer, Marta Gabriel. Regular touring and festival appearances in more than 15 countries, 6 studio albums, and bunch of singles and EP releases the band did since 2007, established their position, and made them known as one of the most hard working and most determined bands of their generation. While the band is often labeled as an NWOTHM act (new wave of traditional heavy metal), their new album, 'Tales Of Fire And Ice', presents a bit different approach. New era begins for CRYSTAL VIPER - heavier, ...