Metal Underground.com

Lenore S. Fingers Signs With My Kingdom Music

My Kingdom Music has issued the following statement about inking a deal with Lenore S. Fingers:

"It is with great honour that we announce the signing of the next Italian big thing into decadent and melancholic sonorities for the next two albums: Lenore S. Fingers!

"Comin' from the southernmost region of Italy, Lenore S. Fingers is ready to debut on February 24th, 2014 with 'Inner Tales,' a 9 track album standing at the deep heart of each listener with the alienating and decadent young Federica Lenore's voice who explains the never-ending solitude of a girl, lost between tragic memories of her past and the most unconfortable fears for the future.

"The whole is surrounded by a rock solid wall of distorted guitar riffs and an intense groundbreaking work made by the rhythmic section in the great tradition of bands like Katatonia, Anathema, Type O Negative, Antimatter and The Gathering."

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Therion Comments On Upcoming Rock Opera

After releasing the "Les Fleurs Du Mal" album (reviewed here), Therion's Christofer Johnsson revealed in an interview with us that the band's next project would be a rock opera.

Christofer now issues the following statement about the project:

"The coming rock opera will be about the rise and fall of Antichrist and is inspired by and partly (not to be confused with 'entirely') based on Vladimir Soloviev's 'A Short Story of the Anti-Christ.'

"I have been attempting to write a regular opera for some years following the same theme (which is now being therionized to fit in with what we are writing for this rock opera). We don't have a name for it yet, but for the time being we could humorously give it the working title Antichrist Superstar.

"We will be performing beta versions of the overture and 4 excerpts from the opera. An excerpt is a part of something (not to be confused with the concept of a song;) you might consider it torn-out pieces from a puzzle. Here is a list of what we will be performing:

"1. Overture: It contains the main theme of the opera and simply has to be played. It's the beta version 0.8 and still has some potential to expand further, but the parts that are already there will likely sound something in the vein of this version.

"2. End of The dynasty / Military March of the United States of Europe: In the book there is an Asian rule over Europe for 50 years after China and Japan have successfully invaded and occupied the continent. In the end, Europe manages to fight back and drives the occupants back east. "End of the dynasty" is the swan song of the last Asian emperor of this dynasty. The orchestration needs to be worked on a bit more, but the basic idea is there. Musically, it's band and orchestra playing all the time in a very therionish type of manner.

"The military march is played while the European army marches back. It has not been orchestrated yet, so we will just be performing it in a guitar-based form. But I actually have become quite fond of it this way, so maybe we'll partly keep it like that and just add on some piccolo flute and maybe some brass typical for military orchestras.

"3. Who's your God? Here Antichrist is being interrogated by some prominent religious people. He is at the time a world leader and by far the most beloved leader of all times. Musically, this is an example of a part where the guitars have a smaller role and the focus is very vocally oriented and mostly backed up by orchestra, bass and drums. There's still work to be done on it; there is a need for chorus to perform it live like the composer intended. But you will get a good sense of it. More...

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Power Trip Gearing Up For Tour Dates

After the release of "Manifest Decimation" and following a North American tour with Terror, Texas crossover squad Power Trip will headline Houston's annual Fallcore Fest alongside Die Young, Will To Live, Ivy League and a pile of others this Saturday, December 7th.

Just a week later Power Trip heads out to Colorado for the first Denver Black Sky gathering on December 14th, joining the pulverizing lineup of Dying Fetus, Ghoul, Exhumed, Skinless, Mammoth Grinder, Weekend Nachos, Iron Reagan, Primitive Man and others at the all-day barrage.

From there Power Trip plows through the Southeastern states with new shows in Oklahoma, Texas, Louisiana, Florida, Georgia and Alabama through December 23rd, touring with Mammoth Grinder, Iron Reagan and Windhand throughout the trek. Catch the band live:

12/07/2013 Walter's - Houston, TX @ Fallcore Festival
12/14/2013 Gothic Theater - Denver, CO @ Denver Black Sky Festival
12/15/2013 The Conservatory - Oklahoma City, OK w/ Mammoth Grinder, Iron Reagan, Windhand
12/16/2013 Club Dada - Dallas, TX w/ Mammoth Grinder, Iron Reagan, Windhand
12/17/2013 Red 7 - Austin, TX w/ Mammoth Grinder, Iron Reagan, Windhand
12/18/2013 Siberia - New Orleans, LA w/ Mammoth Grinder, Iron Reagan
12/19/2013 Epic Problem - Tampa, FL w/ Mammoth Grinder, Iron Reagan
12/20/2013 Talent Farm - Pembroke Pines, FL w/ Mammoth Grinder, Iron Reagan
12/21/2013 The Atlantic - Gainesville, FL w/ Mammoth Grinder, Iron Reagan
12/22/2013 Drunken Unicorn - Atlanta, GA w/ Mammoth Grinder
12/23/2013 The Forge - Birmingham, AL w/ Mammoth Grinder
1/15/2014 Saint Vitus Bar - Brooklyn, NY
1/16/2014 The Waterfront Tavern - Holyoke, MA
1/17/2014 Kung Fu Necktie - Philadelphia, PA
1/18/2014 Baltimore Sound Stage - Baltimore, MD @ A389 X Bash

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Glittertind Discusses New Album

Geirmund Simonsen, producer and band member in Glittertind, talks about what it takes to produce an album on your own in a new video clip available below. He also talks about the challenges with the new album "Djevelsvart" on the song "Nymåne" ("New Moon"). Check it out below.

The new album was recently released in Europe through Indie Recordings, and the track listing isa s follows:

1. Inngang
2. Djevelsvart
3. Sundriven
4. Sprekk for sol
5. Kvilelaus
6. Trollbunden
7. Nymåne
8. Tåketanker
9. Stjerneslør
10. Utgang

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Iskald Streaming New Single

Iskald today releases first single "Nidingsdåd" from the upcoming "Nedom og Nord" album. You can stream the single below, or preorder the new album at this location. The track listing is as follows:

1. A Fading Horizon
2. Underworldly
3. Iskald
4. The Silence
5. Nidingsdåd
6. Nedom og Nord More...

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Century Media To Re-Issue Dawn Catalog

Century Media Records has signed a worldwide deal to license the entire discography of Sweden's Dawn. The label comments:

"Formed in 1990, Dawn quickly evolved from the pure death metal found on their first demos into a more complex, melodic, epic and atmospheric style that culminated in the masterpiece, 'Slaughtersun - Crown Of The Triarchy' (1998).

"Along with Dissection, Unanimated, and Eucharist, Dawn is considered to be one of the most underrated acts that merged death and black metal during the mid 90's.

"In the first half of 2014, the band's catalog will finally be made available again on CD and--for the first time ever--on vinyl. Carefully re-mastered by Dan Swanö, these re-issues feature re-worked artwork and more (all done in full cooperation with the band).

"The planned Dawn releases are:

- Demos 1991-1993 (title TBA) on CD/LP
- Nær Sólen Gar Niþer For Evogher (originally released in 1994) on CD/LP
- Sorgh På Svarte Vingar Fløgh (originally released in 1996) on MCD/MLP
- Slaughtersun - Crown Of The Triarchy (originally released in 1998) on CD/2LP

"Stay tuned for more news about these definitive editions of classic Swedish blackened death metal coming soon!"

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The Browning Announces Tour With Chelsea Grin

The Browning is currently on a headlining tour of Europe in support of new album, "Hypernova," and will be returning in March for a three-week trek with Chelsea Grin, More Than A Thousand, and Silent Screams.

Tickets for the tour are due to go on sale this coming Monday, December 9th. The Browning guitarist Collin Woroniak comments:

"Hi everyone, so excited to be heading out as direct support for our friends in Chelsea Grin. We have toured with their singer and drummer in Hearts and Hands, and we can't wait to hit the road in Europe with them. Come out to a show and hang out, it is sure to be a great time."

Catch the band live:

Dec. 06 - Calenzano, Italy - Cycle Club
Dec. 07 - Egna/Neumarkt, Italy - Point
Dec. 08 - Vienna, Austria - Arena
Dec. 09 - Munich, Germany - Backstage
Dec. 10 - Budapest, Hungary - Dürer Kert
Dec. 11 - Schweinfurt, Germany - Stattbahnhof More...

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Axel Rudi Pell Posts New Album Snippet

Axel Rudi Pell will release his new studio album January 21st, 2014 in North America via Steamhammer/SPV.

Today Axel Rudi Pell has given fans the chance to check out another sample from "Into the Storm." A snippet of the song "Burning Chains" can be heard below. The previously posted snippet from "Long Way to Go" can also be heard right here.

The album's track listing is as follows:

1. The Inquisitorial Procedure
2. Tower Of Lies
3. Long Way To Go
4. Burning Chains
5. When Truth Hurts
6. Changing Times
7. Touching Heaven
8. High Above
9. Hey Hey My My
10. Into The Storm
11. White Cats (opus #6 Scivolare) (Bonus Track)
12. Way To Mandalay (Bonus Track) More...

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Butcher Babies Gearing Up For Tour Dates

Butcher Babies is gearing up to make 2014 even bigger than the breakout 2013, opening the new year as direct support for In This Moment on The Hellpop II tour.

Hellpop II is set to launch January 2nd in Portland, OR, and the the 16-city tour wraps January 25th in Cape Coral, Florida. Butcher Babies and In This Moment will be joined on the road by support acts Devour the Day and All Hail the Yeti.

Following Hellpop, Butcher Babies and In This Moment will embark on the sold-out Shiprocked cruise from January 26th - 30th, which sets sail out of Miami, FL, to Great Stirrup Cay, Bahamas. For more information, visit this location.

After returning to dry land, Butcher Babies will join fellow Shiprockers Sevendust for a handful of dates in Florida. The band's full listing of upcoming tour dates are as follows: More...

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Stoneburner Signs With Neurot

The Neurot Recordings family is pleased to welcome the audio devastation that is Portland's Stoneburner to their expanding roster of music. The following press release was issued about the band:

"Featuring four members with a compelling musical ancestry that winds through Buried At Sea, Buried Blood, Heathen Shrine and more, Stoneburner -- named after a subterranean weapon from the novel Dune -- spews forth a groin-churning orchestration of crust-strewn, hypnotic, sludge metal, their torrid odes glazed with pain and distress.

"The band will unleash the follow-up to their 2012 debut full-length, Sickness Will Pass, which The Sludgelord fittingly crowned, 'an ugly, visceral and truly terrifying beast of an album,' via Neurot Recordings this Spring. Titled Life Drawing, the offering promises to take their sonic crush to entirely new levels of heaviness."

Notes the Stoneburner collective on this union with Neurot: "We've been working on the material for this album for a long time now and couldn't feel better about how it's come together. We're humbled and honored that Neurot have asked to be involved. Since the band formed, we've always done our best to work with people we respect and know personally, signing to Neurot is an extension of that...another step in combining our personal and musical lives and bringing it all full circle."

Stoneburner is:

Elijah Boland - guitar
Jason Depew - guitar
Damon Kelly - bass/vocals
Jesse McKinnon drums/vocals

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Iced Earth Posts "Plagues Of Babylon" Trailer

With the release of new studio album "Plagues of Babylon" approaching, metal titans Iced Earth have launched a video teaser to preview the album and the upcoming Worldwide Plagues headlining tour. Check it out below.

"Plagues of Babylon" is set for a January 21st, 2014 release in North America (January 6th worldwide) on Century Media Records. The band will bring Sabaton and Revamp for a tour starting April 4th, with full details available here.

"This is a seriously heavy album with a seriously brutal album cover," says Jon Schaffer. "I'm sure it will go down as a classic in the epic Iced Earth catalog. We feel that the package with Sabaton and Revamp is very strong and we are very excited to tour the U.S. and Canada again and kick some major ass!" More...

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Born Of Ruin Posts Lyric Video

U.K. outfit Born of Ruin has unleashed a new lyric video for the track "Xenomechanoid," which will appear on an upcoming EP recorded, produced, and mixed by Martyn "Ginge' Ford and Matt Bond. Check it out below. Born of Ruin is:

Billy Vandross - Vocals
Johnny Asshole - Guitar
Albert Hummenstein - Guitar
Pablo Chavez - Bass
Richard Lavender Noir III - Drums

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Carcass, Gorguts To Play Decibel Magazine Tour

With two triumphant star-studded national tours under its bullet belt, Decibel Magazine is raising the (bloody) stakes for the upcoming third cross-country domination.

This spring, Decibel Magazine is proud to bring you the reanimation of death metal demigods Carcass alongside melodeath powerhouse the Black Dahlia Murder, technical death metal heroes Gorguts, and emerging death/thrash squad Noisem. Dates are available below.

Carcass will be touring in support of comeback album "Surgical Steel" (reviewed here), while Gorguts is out now with latest full-length "Colored Sands" (reviewed here). More...

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Inner Sanctum Posts Tour Video

Earlier this year Indian outfit Inner Sanctum embarked on the band's biggest venture yet, an 8 city tour of Europe, seeking to conquer new stages and win over new legions of fans across the globe.

The band was joined by European booker, Julian of JLF Promotion and friend Philipp Mertens from The Euroblast Collective.

Inner Sanctum has also released a series of tour blog episodes with footage from the tour, which includes all the craziness that went down in Europe. Check out episode 3 below, or you can find the previously posted video clip in the series at this location.

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Hecate Enthroned Streaming Full New Album

British black metal forefathers Hecate Enthroned have released new album "Virulent Rapture," and now the band has teamed up with Terrorizer.com to stream all 11 tracks online.

Give the entire album a listen below, and let us know what you think of the band's return to the metal arena in the comments sections. Our own review of the album will be coming shortly.

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Fragarak Releases "Cryptic Convulsion" Playthrough

India-based death metal band Fragarak has released a video of the band playing along to the track "Cryptic Convulsion" taken from the new record "Crypts of Dissimulation."

Check out the playthrough video below, or you can stream all of the "Crypts of Dissimulation" album at this location.

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August Streaming Demo Track "Help Me"

Hollywood progressive/power metal act August is streaming the demo track "Help Me," which was originally released in 1990. The demos will be re-issued as part of a self-titled release "August," which is set to drop on December 16th via Arkyen Streel Records as a limited CD (1000 Hand numbered copies).

All tracks are digitally remastered and the packaging contains with lyrics, unpublished pics and a band bio. It will appeal to fans of Queensryche, Heir Apparent and Lethal.

Check out "Help Me" here:

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Saxon Releases New Music Video

Saxon released a new music video for the acoustic version of the classic debut album track "Frozen Rainbow" (originally released in 1979). The song appears on the latest release "Unplugged And Strung Up," the compilation of unplugged and orchestrated versions of previously released tracks, which is available now via UDR Music.

Check out "Frozen Rainbow" here:

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Distant Past Details New Album "Utopian Void"

Swiss melodic progressive metal act Distant Past, featuring ex-Emerald members Jvo Julmy (vocals),
Andy Bächler (drums) and Adriano Troiano (bass), has announced the band's forth studio release "Utopian Void" will be issued on January 17th via Pure Steel Records.

According to the press release: "Apart from the Megadeth-like 'On the Edge,' most Songs are in the melodic Power Metal Vein, which suits Jvo so well. 'Kingdom of Shadows' maintains a very Madien-esque Bass and Guitar Groove; 'The Illusion,' 'Helpless' and 'A Day of Darkness' showcase the band in full 80’s Mode, while 'Breath – The Spell' and 'Faces' show a softer side of the band, but only in parts…. The final track 'The Hell of Verdun' is a journey into World War One. It takes the listerner through the stages of the most horrendous fights in human history.

"Due to popular demand, the first issue of 'Utopian Void' includes 2 Bonus Tracks, previously available online: 'Touched by the Gods' is a Sabbath-Style Song, written by A. Troiano in memory of the great Ronnie James Dio and 'Sings of the End,' a very catchy song, that [was] featured on the Heavy Metal Nation CD Sampler, [which] presents the best Swiss Bands every year."

1. A Day Of Darkness
2. Sceptre
3. On The Edge
4. Faces
5. Kingdom Of Shadows
6. Helpless
7. Guided By The Stars
8. Breath – The Spell
9. The Illusion
10. The Hell Of Verdun
11. Signs Of The End (Bonus Track)
12. Touched By the Gods (Bonus Track) More...

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Helldorados Releases "Changes" Music Video

German sleaze metal act Helldorados released the third video for the band's debut self-titled album, which was released in July of 2012 via Massacre Records. This video is for the track "Changes." Check out previous videos for "You Live, You Learn, You Die" and "Never Gonna Stop".

"Changes" can be viewed in the player here:

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Circle's Line Streaming New Track "A Heroic Tune"

Greek metal act Circle's Line, featuring Elwig/Nemesis vocalist Tasos Karapapazoglou (ex-Windfall) and Nemesis drummer Nikos Tsilikoudis, is streaming the new track "A Heroic Tune." The song appears on the upcoming debut self-titled album, which is set for release on December 16th via Steel Gallery Records.

Check out "A Heroic Tune" here:

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Suicidal Angels Releases New Lyric Video

Greek thrashers Suicidal Angels released a lyric video for the new track "Marching Over Blood." The song is taken from the upcoming new album "Divide & Conquer," which drops on January 10th (EU) and January 14th (North America) via NoiseArt Records.

The album marks the first studio release for new guitarist Chris Tsitsis, who replaced the outgoing Panos Spanos, who left in 2012, as well as new bassist Aggelos Lelikakis.

The track list for "Divide & Conquer" is:

1. Marching Over Blood
2. Seed Of Evil
3. Divide And Conquer
4. Control The Twisted Mind
5. In The Grave
6. Terror Is My Scream
7. Pit Of Snakes
8. Kneel To The Gun
9. Lost Dignity
10. White Wizard

Check out "Marching Over Blood" here: More...

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Interview

Impending Empire: Czar Discusses Second Album

“There are a lot of abusive relationship themes in here, many of them fictionalized accounts of people going to desperate, violent measures to gain affection, sex, or even love.” Jason Novak of Chicago-based Czar considers the band’s recently-released sophomore album title, ‘No One Is Alone If No One Is Alive,’ to be a fitting summation of the tone of the album, which succeeds and surpasses their like-minded debut release, ‘Vertical Mass Grave,’ in most ways -- and we gave that album a 4 out of 5 rating! Determined to outdo themselves with each release, the guys of Czar draw heavily from uncommon guitar harmonies and chord changes coupled with tastefully destructive drum patterns to define their sound. With that combination, it's no surprise that Fear Factory's Burton C. Bell was seen wearing a Czar shirt at a show or that Czar has already made two "Best Of 2013" lists in the press.

The last time we checked in with the guys of Czar, they filled us in on their first album and their history as musicians. This time around, the band gives us more insight into the construction of their songs, as well as discusses the controversial album art that they’re known for. ‘No One Is Alone If No One Is Alive’ amplifies what was done well on the first album and adds an exciting chapter to the story of the rise of Czar’s impending empire. Here’s what they had to say about it. More...

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