At The Gates Release “Heroes and Tombs” Video, Upcoming Tour Dates

Posted on November 24, 2014 by newsteam

At The Gates have released their new Costin Chioreanu/Twilight 13 Media created video for “Heroes And Tombs,” off their At War With Reality CD, which can be viewed below:

Vocalist and lyricist Tomas Lindberg comments:

“I am very proud to be able to present the second video from ‘AWWR’, ‘Heroes And Tombs’. To have Costin work on one of our songs this way has been very rewarding. It’s like the next step of the album artwork, and basically more than I could have ever hoped for. Costin paints up a fevered and dark nightmare world that complements the lyrics and music up to the point of perfection. Now I just have to go convince him to do a full length movie for the whole album… ;-)”

Watch their Patric Ullaeus directed “Death And The Labyrinth” video here.

The band has also announced an extensive list of upcoming shows, which is posted below.

AT THE GATES + ROTTEN SOUND:
Nov. 20, 2014 – Tampere (Finland) – Klubi
Nov. 21, 2014 – Jyväskylä (Finland) – Lutako
Nov. 22, 2014 – Helsinki (Finland) – Nosturi

AT THE GATES, GRAVE, MORBUS CHRON:
Nov. 27, 2014 – Göteborg (Sweden) – Trägårn
Nov. 28, 2014 – Stockholm (Sweden) – Arenan
Nov. 29, 2014 – Malmö (Sweden) – KB

AT THE GATES, TRIPTYKON, MORBUS CHRON:
Presented by Visions, Metal Hammer, Metal.de in Germany and by Rock Tribune in the BeNeLux
Dec. 4, 2014 – London (UK) – Forum *
Dec. 5, 2014 – Manchester (UK) – Academy 2 *
Dec. 6, 2014 – Glasgow (UK) – Garage
Dec. 7, 2014 – Birmingham (UK) – The Oobleck *
Dec. 8, 2014 – Cardiff (UK) – The Globe *
Dec. 10, 2014 – Essen (Germany) – Turock
Dec. 11, 2014 – Hamburg (Germany) – Markthalle
Dec. 12, 2014 – Eindhoven (The Netherlands) – Eindhoven Metal Meeting
Dec. 13, 2014 – Leipzig (Germany) – Conne Island
Dec. 14, 2014 – Wien (Austria) – Arena
Dec. 16, 2014 – Aarau (Switzerland) – Kiff
Dec. 17, 2014 – Munich (Germany – Backstage Werk
Dec. 18, 2014 – Antwerpen (Belgium) – Trix
Dec. 19, 2014 – Cologne (Germany) – Essigfabrik
Dec. 20, 2014 – Berlin (Germany) – Postbahnhof
*=with CODE ORANGE

AT THE GATES – live 2015:
Jan. 8, 2015 – Istanbul (Turkey) – Garajistanbul
Jan. 9, 2015 – Athens (Greece) – Fuzz Music Club
Jan. 10, 2015 – Thessaloniki (Greece) – Principal Club
Jan. 16, 2015 – Bologna (Italy) – Estragon + HOUR OF PENANCE
Jan. 17, 2015 – Rome (Italy) – Orion + HOUR OF PENANCE
Jan. 18, 2015 – Trezzo Sull’Adda / Milano (Italy) – Live Club + HOUR OF PENANCE
Jan. 31, 2015 – Dublin (Ireland) – Academy
Feb. 9, 2015 – Tokyo (Japan) – Liquid Room
Feb. 10, 2015 – Nagoya (Japan) – Club Quattro
Feb. 12, 2015 – Osaka (Japan) – Akaso
Feb. 21, 2015 – Bergen (Norway) – Blastfest
Feb. 26, 2015 – Oslo (Norway) – Vulkan Arena
Feb. 27, 2015 – Karlstad (Sweden) – Nöjesfabriken
Feb. 28, 2015 – Umeå (Sweden) – House Of Metal
Mar. 6, 2015 – Madrid (Spain) – Penelope
Mar. 7, 2015 – Bilbao (Spain) – Sala Santana
Mar. 8, 2015 – Barcelona (Spain) – Sala Razzmatazz

2015 Decibel Magazine Tour dates with AT THE GATES, CONVERGE, VALLENFYRE
Mar. 27, 2015 – Los Angeles, CA – The Wiltern
Mar. 28, 2015 – San Francisco, CA – The Regency Ballroom
Mar. 29, 2015 – Portland, OR – Roseland Theater
Mar. 30, 2015 – Vancouver, BC – Commodore Ballroom
Mar. 31, 2015 – Seattle, WA – Showbox at the Market
Apr. 2, 2015 – Salt Lake City, UT – The Complex
Apr. 3, 2015 – Denver, CO – Summit Music Hall
Apr. 4, 2015 – Lincoln, NE – Bourbon Street
Apr. 5, 2015 – Minneapolis, MN – Mill City Nights
Apr. 6, 2015 – Chicago, IL – House of Blues
Apr. 8, 2015 – Toronto, ON – The Phoenix
Apr. 9, 2015 – Montreal, QC – Metropolis
Apr. 10, 2015 – Boston, MA – Royale
Apr. 11, 2015 – Philadelphia, PA – Union Transfer
Apr. 12, 2015 – New York, NY – Webster Hall

AT THE GATES – live 2015:
May 1, 2015 – Örebro (Sweden) – Ritz
May 2, 2015 – Sundsvall (Sweden) – Pipeline
May 22, 2015 – Warszawa (Poland) – Progresja
May 23, 2015 – Kraków (Poland) – Studio
May 29, 2015 – Johannesburg (South Africa) – Carfax
May 30, 2015 – Johannesburg (South Africa) – Carfax
June 21, 2015 – Clisson (France) – Hellfest
Aug. 8, 2015 – Jaromer (Czech Republic) – Brutal Assault Festival
Aug. 15, 2015 – Cetatea Rasnov (Romania) – Rockstadt Extreme Fest

AT THE GATES online:
At The Gates Official Site
At The Gates on Facebook
At The Gates on Twitter
http://www.youtube.com/atthegatesofficial

Triptykon Streaming “Tree Of Suffocating Souls” Video, Announce Upcoming Euro Dates

Posted on November 24, 2014 by newsteam

Triptykon have released a Philipp Hirsh directed video for “Tree Of Suffocating Souls,” off their second album Melana Chasmata. Watch it here, here or here.

Triptykon singer/guitarist Tom Gabriel Warrior:

“In producing this footage, we have elected to once again work in partnership with long-standing Triptykon collaborator and director, Philipp Hirsch, in Leipzig, Germany. As intensely minimalist as Triptykon’s approach and music are, as perfect and passionate was Philipp in creating images which combine such minimalism with the required darkness. The night during which most of these images were created was, for many reasons, a truly extraordinary night none of us shall ever forget.”

Triptykon has also announced an extensive list of upcoming tour dates across the UK and Europe supporting At The Gates.

Nov 22: Saint Ghetto Festival – Bern (Switzerland)
Dec 04: Forum – London (UK) + At The Gates, Morbus Chron & Code Orange
Dec 05: Academy 2 – Manchester (UK) + At The Gates, Morbus Chron & Code Orange
Dec 06: Garage – Glasgow (UK) + At The Gates & Morbus Chron
Dec 07: The Oobleck – Birmingham (UK) + At The Gates, Morbus Chron & Code Orange
Dec 08: The Globe – Cardiff (UK) + At The Gates, Morbus Chron & Code Orange
Dec 10: Turock – (Germany) + At The Gates & Morbus Chron
Dec 11: Markthalle – Hamburg (Germany) + At The Gates & Morbus Chron
Dec 12: EMM – Eindhoven (The Netherlands) /
Dec 13: Conne Island – Leipzig (Germany) + At The Gates & Morbus Chron
Dec 14: Arena – Wien (Austria) + At The Gates & Morbus Chron
Dec 16: Kiff – Aarau (Switzerland) + At The Gates & Morbus Chron
Dec 17: Backstage Werk – Munich (Germany) + At The Gates & Morbus Chron
Dec 18: Trix – Antwerpen (Belgium) + At The Gates & Morbus Chron
Dec 19: Essigfabrik – Cologne (Germany) + At The Gates & Morbus Chron
Dec 20: Postbahnhof – Berlin (Germany) At The Gates & Morbus Chron
May 23: Maryland Deathfest – Baltimore (US)
May 30: Temples Fest – Bristol (UK) /
Jun 13: Metalhead Meeting – Bucharest (Romania)
Jun 19: Hellfest – Clisson (France) /
Aug 05.-08: Brutal Assault Open Air – Jaromer (Czech Republic) /

Triptykon Official Site
Triptykon on Facebook

Eindhoven Metal Meeting 2014 Preview

Posted on November 10, 2014 by News Team

Eindhoven Metal Meeting a festival in the “burgundy south” of the Netherlands. Here the weathergods do not tell when it becomes winter, no, it is only winter when EMM is over. EMM, a.k.a. the Eindhoven Metal Meeting is a very established festival that celebrates in an extreme way. They don’t call themselves an extreme metal festival, but I guess 75% of the bands that will play at the 2014 edition you can definitely describe as Extreme Metal bands. Get your warpaint on, search for your battlejacket and dust off your army boots, EMM is not for the weak. Continue reading →

Origins of the Devil(ment): Part 1 – Daniel Finch of Devilment

Posted on November 6, 2014 by Steve Tovey

East Anglian Gothic Groovecore Metallers Devilment have just released their debut album The Great & Secret Show on Nuclear Blast. Before heading out on their maiden touring voyage around Europe, in part 1 of a 2 part feature, guitarist Daniel Finch caught Ghost Cult up on the band’s back story.

The story of Devilment is the story of a guy from a whole other band. It is the story of a guy who sang about vampires. It is the story of a guy called Dani. No, not that one, though we’ll get to him later. The story of Devilment is the story of one Daniel Finch, former guitarist and vocalist of cult Goth Metal band 13 Candles, who, perhaps to avoid too much confusion has reverted to his full name of Daniel. Two Dani’s in the same establishment, and it not being a hair and booty salon in Essex, would have been too much… even if the band is from Suffolk (or Suffuck as the latest range of merchandise announces), which borders TOWIE-land.

It is a story that covers apathy, heartbreak, years in the wilderness and a serendipitous return to the cradle of youthful ambitions before finally finding the devil that was ment (sic) to fulfil the musical destiny of our humble protagonist. “It was 1998 and it was not long after 13 Candles second album. It was just a weird time, musically, then” begins the gregarious and verbose guitarist, referring to the last time our paths crossed and also to the period that saw all but the kvlt-est of labels follow Roadrunner’s suit after the US giants ditched all their non-“trendy” bands (sellers or not), the game played out by the major labels five years previously when grunge turned the rock world on its head repeated in the underground.

Death Metal was dead, Black Metal dying, Grind extinct, Goth/ic metal was the millipede that had lost 998 legs and the innovation and fertile creativity of 90’s underground metal had exhausted itself. It was a scene where labels like Earache had been left bereft of all their Death Metal talent following an exodus that Moses would have been proud of leading, and sought to fill the void with the pop-punk of Janus Stark, the nu-metal of Pulkas, the gabbacore of Beserker and, um Mortiis. “It’s the same old story, I guess. Record labels were interested, but nobody wanted to actually go out and sign Candles after we’d been dropped from Cacophonous, and after a while people (in the band) wanted to do other things. So, it got to the point where it was ‘Is there rehearsal next week?’ ‘No, can’t be bothered’, and, do you know what? We just didn’t rehearse again.”

Fast-forward an ominous 13 (!) years, through a pile-up of failed bands, blow-outs and a relocation, to one serendipitous evening… “The first time I’d met Dan (Dani Filth) was at an At The Gates gig, around ’95. And he’s there, sitting in a chair, but right at the front of the stage, his wife stood next to him, and I’ve thought ‘Who the fuck is that tosser?!’ And then I realised, ‘Ah, it’s that guy from Cradle of Filth’, so I went up and was all ‘I like your band’ and he just fucking ignored me!

Quite a few of the other Cradle guys were there, and my mate, randomly, had this pair of plastic vampire teeth, so he ran up to the Cradle guys going ‘Look at me! I’m a vampire!’ They weren’t happy and it almost turned into a big bar brawl! Then a couple of years later I bumped into Dani again at a festival and said hello, and he just walked past me, and I thought ‘Wanker’ (laughs).”

It seems fate, dark forces, or just pure bad luck on Mr Filth’s part, had decreed that at some point the two Dani’s would unite to take on the universe with their heavy metal. They say good things come to those who wait, and while it’s probably rare for Daniel Finch to be called virtuous, his patience paid off. These stars were meant to align. “I bought the first Cradle album twenty years ago, and I auditioned for them way back then, around the second album. Well… I didn’t actually get to audition, I sent a demo tape in, but nothing ever came back. I bet Dan’s still got it in his loft!”

But providence was to intervene and give Finch the opportunity to take a step forward in his music career and had that particular circle completed by having Dani Filth ask to join his band. “It was 2011 when Devilment became a band” orates the be-dreaded East Anglian, before revealing the twisted nails of faith and fate that brought the two leading men together. “I was just about to get married and I had a massive, massive argument with my wife about the wedding, as you do. So, my best man took me out for a drink. I was there, all ‘I don’t want to get married’, as you do, and Dan walked in.

“So I went up, said I used to be in 13 Candles, but he wasn’t interested, just blanked me and walked off. But later on he came up, bought a beer, and we got chatting. From that, we started hanging out and I mentioned I was doing this new band and asked if he knew anyone that was a good singer, but I wasn’t sure what type of vocals I was looking for.

“He said to send him over the stuff and he got back and said he wouldn’t mind giving it a go, so I thought ‘Alright then…’ Then, next thing, he was in the studio demoing on the stuff I’d done, and I remember thinking ‘We’ve got something, here!’

“Next thing, Nuclear Blast are putting the album out!”

There will be many who begrudge the success of the band and assign a large proportion of it to the status within the scene of their frontman. While Devilment is clearly more than something for Dani to do when he’s not doing Cradle of Filth, the scepticism of the general punters, be they Cradle fans or not, seems to be a prevailing cloud on the horizon. As is always the way for bands that are even slightly successful, rather than being pleased people pour forth their negativity and look for ways to criticise. “Look, we are lucky, we have got Dan in the band and it definitely helps; how many local bands do you see that are awesome that don’t get this opportunity? But you don’t get signed (to Nuclear Blast) without having good music” reasons Finch.

However, having Dani, who is a rather divisive figure in the UK metal community and beyond, a person who people love to hate, in the band, there are cons to go with the pros… “I guess it’s always going to be a thing, because Dan is marmite. People love him, or they fucking hate him. But then, I saw a review where the guy was saying ‘I hate Dani Filth, and I hate Cradle of Filth, and I always have, but this I like’.”

The good news for Messrs Finch and Filth is that it appears to be that there are many more people than the vocal minority out there, plenty of whom are looking for a little Devilment in their lives…

Part 2 of our feature on Devilment follows soon

The Great & Secret Show is out now via Nuclear Blast

Devilment on Facebook

Words by STEVE TOVEY

Obituary – Inked in Blood

Posted on November 4, 2014 by Steve Tovey

Death Metal legends Obituary are back with their first album in five years. Times may change and the band might have embraced the crowdfunding model for funding, but the music is still firmly in the bloody grave of the 1980s. Inked In Blood (Relapse) is the ninth album from the Florida five-piece, currently made up of John Tardy (vocals), Donald Tardy (drums), Kenny Andrews (lead guitar), Trevor Peres (rhythm guitar) and Terry Butler (bass). Andrews and Butler make their studio debut after the departure of Ralph Santolla and long-time bassist Frank Watkins.

That the new album was funded through crowdfunding site Kickstarter and raised six times its original goal of $10,000 shows the band are still in high demand, even after 25-odd years. And with that $60,000 Obituary have delivered a decent slab of classic, straightforward death metal.

Opener ‘Centuries of Lies’ storms straight for the jugular, full of aggression and power. ‘Violent By Nature’ is a sinister mid-tempo slasher, while ‘Violence’ is a classic brutal thrashers. The riffs and downtuned and mean with squealing solos, the double-kick drums rarely let up, and John Tardy’s vocals are as evil as ever.

New guitarist Andrews does a good job of replacing Santolla and delivers simple, straight the point chainsaw riffs. Much of the album sounds like a lost relic from the late 80s or early 90s, which is no terrible thing, but does sound somewhat dated. The slower sings get bogged down and rarely pique the interest; the likes of ‘Back on Top,’ ‘Deny You,’ ‘Out for Blood’ and the title track kill off much of the momentum gathered by the early thrashers. Unfortunately from there on, despite some strong songs, the urgency is lost.

The likes of Carcass and At The Gates have shown age is nothing but a number when it comes to staying relevant in an overcrowded scene. Sadly Obituary arena’ up to the same standard. Inked in Blood is another decent, if uninspiring release from the Florida legends. There’s plenty of enjoyable moments, but little we’ve not heard before and can at times all get a bit pedestrian.

7.0/10

Obituary on Facebook

DAN SWINHOE

Antropomorphia – Rites ov Perversion

Posted on October 29, 2014 by Steve Tovey

The shock factor no longer makes an impact in Death Metal. It has been nigh on two decades since Desecration’s Gore and Perversion (Anoxic) was banned, and more than that since Cannibal Corpse first ripped entrails from the front bottom of a lady yet to engage in encounters of a sexual nature – indeed, it’s been fifteen years since AntropomorphiA displayed a tattooed, um, fanny – I’m using the UK version of the word – on the cover of their debut Pure (D.M.). Desensitization kicks in and kicks in hard, and while there is a certain childish glee from titles like ‘Nekrovaginal Secretions’, these hardened (!) Dutch perverts have been around long enough to know that in order to cut the corpse they need a lot more about them than some titillating words.

But any reservations are dispelled within seconds by the hurtling early Slayerisms of opener ‘Temphioth Workings’ as Antropormorphia are no pony, one-trick or otherwise. With a sound that owes much to Bolt Thrower, early Amon Amarth and the underground Death Metal of the mid 90’s that wasn’t afraid to groove, change tempo or to have melodic inflections (while eschewing an overly lead based approach), Rites ov Perversion (Metal Blade), the band’s second album since reforming and third overall, is gratifying and grinding in equal measures.

As the album progresses, AntropormorphiA show they have a knack for hitting an uptempo groove, ‘Morbid Rites’ is Canestan for the itch A Canorous Quintet never came close to scratching (I always had a soft spot for ACQ – The Only Pure Hate (No Fashion) is a decent album, I’ll have you know), ‘Gospel ov Perversion’ references At The Gates and Morbid Angel, while the neck muscle workout of the excellent hate machine that is ‘Inanimatus Absqui Anima’ is pure The Karelian Isthmus (Relapse) era Amorphis. Elsewhere, there are flashes of Dismember, Autopsy and Carcass, as well as the ubiquitous Bolt Thrower.

While AntropomorphiA haven’t created anything innovative, or issued a challenge to the order of khaos, they have released a very enjoyable album that showcases and pays tribute to many of the immortals while still sitting within a consistent and identifiable sound of their own. A worthwhile listen.

7.5/10

AntropomorphiA on Facebook

STEVE TOVEY

At The Gates – At War With Reality

Posted on October 27, 2014 by Steve Tovey

Few bands have the kind of legacy At The Gates managed to create in their relatively brief run in the 90s. That one album has had such an impact on modern metal is nothing short of amazing. But legacies can be double-edged. There’ll be many who say new album At War With Reality (Century Media) is the album of the year solely because it’s At The Gates, and they’ll be just as many saying it’s failure because it’s not an exact replica of their seminal 1995 record Slaughter of the Soul (Earache).

For the few who have actually waited to listen before they pass judgement, At War With Reality is a genuinely worthwhile listen and worth the 19 year wait. It still sounds like At The Gates, not the razor-focused Slayer-worship of Slaughter of the Soul, although those moments are still present, but an all-encompassing At The Gates that draws from the band’s entire back catalogue.

The riffs are still there; the guitar work of Anders Björler & Martin Larsson is as fast, furious and intricate as ever. The title track, ‘Death and the Labyrinth,’ and ‘The Conspiracy of the Blind’ all recall the band’s thrash-fuelled energy of Slaughter. Tomas Lindberg’s vocals are still savage, but they’ve aged into a deeper, more pained howl. But as well as the speed and the aggression, the album has its fair share of slower moments and dark atmospherics that recall earlier albums such as Terminal Spirit Disease or 1993’s With Fear I Kiss the Burning Darkness (both Peaceville).

The crisp production just adds extra weight to those crunching yet addictive guitar lines. The slow burning ‘Order from Chaos’ and ‘Heroes and Tombs,’ both brood over irresistibly catchy guitar lines, while the epic ‘Book of Sand (The Abomination)’ mixes relentless aggression with squealing melodic solos and breakdowns. While fans of ATG or melo-death will feel at home straight away, there are few dull or predictable moments.

The return of Carcass last year showed reunion albums didn’t have to hackneyed rehashes, and history has repeated itself in the best way possible. At The Gates have shown the world that they’re still the most powerful force in melodic death metal. At War With Reality does more than just prop up the band’s legacy, it enhances it.

9.0/10

At The Gates on Facebook

DAN SWINHOE

At The Gates, Converge and Vallefyre To Headline The Decibel Tour 2015

Posted on October 20, 2014 by News Team

Over the weekend it was announced that reactivated melodic death metal legends At The Gates will headline the fourth annual Decibel Tour. They will be joined by Converge and Vallenfyre in what promises to be one of the most fierce tours of 2015. More bands will be announced.

Official Press Release:

The Decibel Magazine Tour has established itself as the extreme music destination of the spring, bringing metalheads a thoughtfully curated lineup that celebrates the genre’s proud and diverse global legacy. The fourth installment is no different, as Swedish melodeath legends At The Gates join forces with U.S. hardcore heroes Converge and U.K. death/doom supergroup Vallenfyre, with yet one more very special opener to be announced this December.

Last year, Decibel brought you Carcass’ first sustained domestic tour in five years, as the reanimated death metal legends introduced North America to long-awaited comeback album Surgical Steel. In 2015, we’re stoking fans’ salivary glands again, offering the first live taste of death metal icons AT THE GATES’ incredible 19-years-in-the-making At War With Reality. Presented by Century Media, IndieMerchstore.com, Nuclear Blast Mailorder, Handshake Inc., Lace Music, Deathwish Inc and Profound Lore, the 2015 Decibel Magazine Tour will slaughter the souls of North American concertgoers for 15 unforgettable dates, offering a bounty of extreme trailblazers making their best music right now.

“Super-stoked at finally getting to be part of the Decibel tour!”enthuses At The Gates frontman Tomas Lindberg. “A great mag, with great people behind it! And finally being able to rip out new stuff in front of a U.S. club audience? Sweet! The bill looks amazing, too! The most relevant hardcore band on the planet and the fiercest old-school death metal band on the same night as us? Excited!”

Four-time Decibel cover stars Converge continue to not just push, but outright obliterate the boundaries of extreme music, most recently with 2012’s All We Love We Leave Behind. “We are excited to be part of this fantastic and diverse tour,” says frontman Jacob Bannon, who designed the tour logo and art. “For me, AT THE GATES are one of the most important bands in contemporary heavy music. It will be an honor to tour the country with them.”

Boasting present and past members of Paradise Lost, My Dying Bride and At The Gates, old-school death-dealing supergroup Vallenfyre can’t wait to debut songs from 2014’s critically acclaimed sophomore stunner, Splinters. “This will be Vallenfyre’s first U.S. tour, and what a tour,” beams frontman Gregor Mackintosh. “I think this is the most diverse and exciting bill of any metal tour I have seen this year. Great to be a part of it. We will be injecting some British filth into your unsuspecting American ears. Cheers.”

We know you can’t wait to GO to war with this lineup either, so here’s your chance to score a great deal and avoid standing in line. There will be a number of VIP premium packages available in each market, providing you with a limited edition T-shirt, 18 x 24 tour poster, “Skip the Line” pass, exclusive digital tour issue of Decibel Magazine, a coupon for 15% off a purchase on Indie Merch’s webstore, and free digital sampler from Century Media. The price of this package is less than you would spend on a ticket and a tour shirt at the show! More details, including ticket info, are available atwww.decibelmagazinetour.com

2015 Decibel Magazine Tour dates with AT THE GATES, CONVERGE, VALLENFYRE
Mar. 27–Los Angeles, CA–The Wiltern
Mar. 28–San Francisco, CA–The Regency Ballroom
Mar. 29–Portland, OR–Roseland Theater
Mar. 30–Vancouver, BC–Commodore Ballroom
Mar. 31–Seattle, WA–Showbox at the Market
Apr. 2–Salt Lake City, UT–The Complex
Apr. 3–Denver, CO–Summit Music Hall
Apr. 4–Lincoln, NE–Bourbon Street
Apr. 5–Minneapolis, MN–Mill City Nights
Apr. 6–Chicago, IL–House of Blues
Apr. 8–Toronto, ON–The Phoenix
Apr. 9–Montreal, QC–Metropolis
Apr. 10–Boston, MA–Royale
Apr. 11–Philadelphia, PA–Union Transfer
Apr. 12–New York, NY–Webster Hall

Blastfest 2015 Adds Four more Bands

Posted on October 13, 2014 by News Team

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

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

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

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

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.

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

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

www.blastfest.no
Blastfest On Facebook

In Flames – Siren Charms

Posted on October 1, 2014 by Steve Tovey

Whatever your personal journey with In Flames, they rank as one of metals most influential bands of the last twenty years. Along with peers At The Gates and Dark Tranquillity they spearheaded the Scandinavian Melodic Death Metal attack of the Nineties and by 1999, you couldn’t move without being stabbed in the ears by jester clones. Ten years later, despite some inconsistent outputs of their own, they had proven to be a lead influence in the most popular development in the heavy metal sound of the new millennium – metalcore.

The seminal, early, albums of In Flames were all about jagged riffing and scything twin-guitars jostling with folk influences. Clayman and Reroute To Remain were about taking that step into the mainstream, adding chug and progressing their sound. Come Clarity was the ace that defined what they had become. Eleventh album Siren Charms (Sony) is all about the songs.

While In Flames started out as a guitar band, the role of vocals has become more prevalent in their sound throughout their twenty-one year evolution; from throaty roars, to a husky half-sing, to Siren Charms being Anders Friden’s album. Come clarity and come confidence of voice, reminiscent of Brandon Flowers at times, predominantly clean he leads this album in the way a frontman and vocalist should, bridging and building interesting and, at times, vulnerable verses into anthemic choruses. The dual/duel guitars are still there, just used more cerebrally, sparingly, but available to provide the bands’ trademark.

At first listen ‘In Plain View’ is an underwhelming opener, electronica seguing into a rolling riff, stripping down then pushing off, but repeated plays bring out its qualities, before ‘Everything’s Gone’ barrels in, the most aggressive track on the album, a combination of punches provided by chromatic chords leading to a Slipknot meets Marilyn Manson chugged verse and strong chorus, before the real tone of the album is opened up with a hat-trick of great dark pop metal songs (‘Paralysed’, ‘Through Oblivion’, ‘With Eyes Wide Open’), between them referencing Clayman, Killswitch Engage, Katatonia, The Killers and 30 Seconds To Mars (A Beautiful Lie / This Is War era) in a joyous gamut of aggressive modern rock music. ‘When The World Explodes’ spits out metalcore 101 before a left at the traffic lights swerve turns it into a gothic metal classic with vocals of opera singer Emilia Feldt.

Continuing strongly, the band hit a salvo of ‘Rusted Nail’ with its bouncing guitars, electronica, and build via traditional In Flames guitar harmony to an anthemic chorus and ‘Dead Eyes’, which starts slower before hitting a hands in the air refrain. ‘Monsters In The Ballroom’ unfurls into a beautiful, sprawled chorus of its own via some tighter, thrashier guitaring, while, last up, ‘Filtered Truth’ flips from a casual AC/DC riff to a metalcore rhythmic verse, into a strong chorus with the twin leads dancing in and out behind, before spiralling away to close the album.

With Reroute To Remain In Flames showed they would not spend their career rehashing their earlier albums. They left that to countless others. Instead they’ve refined and developed their approach to songwriting, working on creating a set of excellent dark pop metal songs to the point where they can add Siren Charms, and its collection of anthems, to The Jester Race, Clayman, Reroute To Remain and Come Clarity – each distinctive from the other yet all obviously “In Flames” – in the list of classics under their belt.

8.5/10

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