Deicide and Entombed A.D. to kick off the “Metal Alliance Tour” this month

deicideentombedtour

 

Floridian death metal masters Deicide will be back on the road again this month, this time as headliners of the “Metal Alliance Tour”! Joining them on the run is Swedish death metal legends Entombed A.D., along with Hate Eternal, Black Crown Initiate, Lorna Shore, and Svart Crown – making this one bill not to miss!

Ddeicide’s Glen Benton (bass/vocals) comments:

It’s with great pleasure to announce our involvement in this year’s Metal Alliance Tour 2015. We look forward to bringing our style of extreme…satanic death metal to all who attend and seeing old friends and making new ones as we travel the highways and byways of this great country of ours…As always we can’t wait to get out there and do what we do best…Crush…HAIL!

Entombed A.D.’s L-G Petrov (vocals) adds:

It’s going to be really good to tour the States again after a long absence overseas– and doing it with The Metal Alliance Tour is a great comeback! We are looking forward to sharing the stage with all the bands on the bill. Expect total headbang!!!

See below for all upcoming dates!

Metal Alliance Tour” dates feat. DEICIDE, ENTOMBED A.D., HATE ETERNAL, BLACK CROWN INITIATE, LORNA SHORE, SVART CROWN
May 26 – Montreal, QC @ Theatre Corona
May 28 – Columbus, OH @ Alrosa Villa
May 30 – Indianapolis, IN @ Emerson Theater
May 31 – Chicago, IL @ Metro
June 1 – St. Paul, MN @ Amsterdam
June 2 – Kansas City, MO @ Riot Room*
Des Moines, IA @ Vaudeville Mews**
June 3 – Denver, CO @ Summit Music Hall
June 5 – Spokane, WA @ The Pin!
June 6 – Seattle, WA @ Studio Seven
June 7 – Portland, OR @ Tonic Lounge
June 8 – Oakland, CA @ Metro Opera House
June 9 – Los Angeles, CA @ The Regent Theater
June 11 – Las Vegas, NV @ LVCS
June 12 – Mesa, AZ @ Club Red
June 13 – El Paso, TX @ Mesa Music Hall
June 14 – Lubbock, TX @ Depot “O” Bar Live*
Houston, TX @ TBC**
June 15 – Austin, TX @ Empire Garage
June 16 – Dallas, TX @ Gas Monkey Live!
June 18 – New York, NY @ Gramercy Theater
June 19 – Baltimore, MD @ Ottobar
June 20 – Charlotte, NC @ Tremont Music Hall
June 21 – Atlanta, GA @ The Earl**
June 22 – Tampa, FL @ The Orpheum**

* = DEICIDE, HATE ETERNAL, BLACK CROWN INITIATE, LORNA SHORE
** = ENTOMBED A.D., SVART CROWN

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Nex Carnis – Obscure Visions of Dark

nexcarnis_obscurevisionsofdark

Iranian band Nex Carnis plays death metal in the old school vein with flashes of what they describe as experimentation. The actual state of affairs is a little different. The old school differences are pretty clear as one can hear the spirit of Morbid Angel and Sinister in the music.  But there is also a tendency towards phrasings and sound paintings that would be completely at home with more surreptitiously mainstream acts like Sylosis or Goatwhore. Regarding the descriptive term experimental there is much to be said.

To begin with, every time the word experimental is used to describe any album, it causes cautious eyebrows to be raised. Here is a wiki-description of what is  experimental music:

Elements of experimental music include indeterminate music in which the composer introduces the elements of chance or unpredictability with regard to either the composition or its performance. There are many ideas broadly utilized by experimental musicians which are not, however, strictly experimental music concepts, having seen significant application prior to the advent of experimental music, particularly by the avant garde. Examples include: extended techniques (Instrumental or vocal performance techniques that step outside (often far outside) conventional performance techniques) and graphic notation (music which is written in the form of diagrams or drawings. Other elements include “Prepared” instruments—ordinary instruments modified in their tuning or sound-producing characteristics; using instruments, tunings, rhythms or scales from non-Western musical traditions; using sound sources other than conventional musical instruments, such as trash cans, telephone ringers, or doors slamming; creating experimental musical instruments for enhancing the timbre of compositions and exploring new techniques or possibilities; using a tape loop to create a tape phase; and removing perceived barriers of traditional concert settings by putting performers scattered among the audience.

In other words, mostly gimmicky music. Music that intends to attract through the use of unconventional techniques. The very nature of experimental music, it has huge pitfalls, a dangerous land which only the most visionary and steadfast artists tread safely. One of these treks was successfully undertaken by the Candian band Gorguts and  the result was Obscura. Incredibly aware and well-constructed, but also conventional and even orthodox death metal which could only be described as experimental in regards to the guitar techniques, pitches and noises they used in their improvisation-born riffs.

Obscure Visions of Dark, however, are more in line with the experimentation as exemplified by Deathspell Omega. Although not going to the extreme that band went to, Nex Carnis’ music is characterized by digressions and branch-outs from the main ideas in the songs. These often take the form of atmospheric interludes. Nex Carnis will appeal to Deathspell Omega fans looking for something slightly more conventional and inconspicuous.

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Morbid Spawn Recording Full-Length Album

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Morbid Spawn, a death metal band influenced by Asphyx, Suffocation and Deicide are releasing their first full-length album later this year. At a first glance, the band shows a middle and later period Suffocation influence with a secondary of the Asphyx sound.

You can follow Morbid Spawn through their facebook page:https://www.facebook.com/pages/Morbid-Spawn/330641050464141?pnref=lhc

 

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Reissue of Vulcano’s Bloody Vengeance coming on May 18

vulcano

Greyhaze Records is set to unearth Bloody Vengeance, the 1986 full-length debut from Brazilian death metal pioneers Vulcano. Formed in 1980, Vulcano is thought to be the first band from Brazil, and possibly South America, to play extreme metal. An early influence for the likes of Sepultura and Sarcófago, Vulcano’s primal blend of black, thrash and death metal sparked a flame that quickly spread across the mid-80s underground metal community.

Bloody Vengeance is being reintroduced to a new generation of metalheads. Fully remastered and restored, the album is accompanied by a DVD that features a live performance from the 1986 Festival Da Morte. Greyhaze Records will reissue this cult classic as a six-panel digipak CD/DVD on May 18.

Vulcano will celebrate the reissue at this year’s Maryland Deathfest. The MDF set will be the band’s first-ever live performance on American soil. With no other U.S. dates in the works, MDF XIII looks to be the only chance to experience the madness that is Vulcano north of the equator.

Bloody Vengeance is available at store.greyhazerecords.com.
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War Iron – Procession of the Equinoxes

war iron

War Iron released their first album in 2010 with the explicit intention of making pulverizing heavy music and creating bone-crushing riffs. If they accomplish the first of these is up to each particular listener to decide, the second is true by the very nature of slow-tempo, duple-time patterns played in de-tuned guitars with incredibly fat but clear distortion. But music with a profound and long-lasting repercussions, that is, with depth, relies on its concrete and intrinsic (rather than an external argument for possible) multiple levels of appreciation, which go beyond attributes of heaviness.

As the sharp observer of metal artwork covers may notice, the colors and penmanship of Procession of the Equinoxes are a fair warning of what this music is and what it is not. The lyrical topics are a cartoonish and theatrical representation of topics deemed occult and dark in popular culture. It is then no surprise that the music is consistent with these as well. Sludge (a slow counterpart to the vacuous Stoner) riffs march in procession. One by one they march. They do not talk to each other, they do not communicate anything. They do groove though. And they groove heavily. And then the album is over.

Fans of intense and heavy riffing, slow trudging music and a cool, and dark atmosphere that feels like the music accompanying a recitation of Evil Dead‘s Necronomicon will love this for its uncompromising devotion to heaviness.

 

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Psycroptic To Headline “Bloodletting North America’ Tour

BLOODLETTING NORTH AMERICATOUR

Australian tech-death act to return to the U.S. this summer in support of new self-titled album. During their first North American tour since supporting Nile in 2010, Psycroptic will blast tunes from their brand new self-titled album — which reached #59 on the Australian pop charts and is one of the best-reviewed metal records of the year to date — along with favorites from their five previous releases over the past 10 years. The new album was produced, engineered and mixed by guitarist Joe Haley while being mastered by Alan Douches (Converge, Baroness).

Prior to their venture to the States, Psycroptic will travel to Japan for two headlining gigs before returning to Australia to join The Black Dahlia Murder on tour throughout June. Dates can be found below, and for tickets or further event details, please visit www.facebook.com/psycroptic.
6/7 Osaka, JP – Nanba Rockets
6/8 Tokyo, JP – Duo Music Exchange
6/19 Adelaide, AU – Fowlers #
6/20 Melbourne, AU – Northcote Social Club #
6/21 Melbourne, AU  – Northcote Social Club # (All Ages, Afternoon Show)
6/21 Melbourne, AU  – Northcote Social Club # (18+ Only, Evening Show)
6/25 Newcastle, AU – The Cambridge #
6/26 Canberra, AU – The Basement #
6/27 Sydney, AU – The Factory #
# with The Black Dahlia Murder & Colossvs
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Destruktor set Release Date for Long-Awaited Comeback Album

destruktor

Hells Headbangers sets July 24th as the international release date for Destruktor‘s highly anticipated second album, Opprobrium. The band’s first full-length in six years, Opprobrium follows the warring black/death path laid out on their critically acclaim debut album, Nailed. Since 1997, these Aussie tyrants have been patiently honing a sound that seethes with the war-metalled fire their homeland’s world renowned for, yet over the years finessed with an acute attention to propulsive, immediately memorable songcraft. Nowhere is this more pronounced than on Opprobrium. Across seven swift songs in a lean ‘n’ mean 34 minutes, Destruktor quickly whip up a fury that walks the fine line between chaos and control – neither too blackened, nor too deathly – maintaining the teeth-gnashing gnarliness of their early work whilst exhibiting a startling sense of clarity. That clear-yet crushing production amplifies Destruktor‘s scabrous assault tenfold here, every track a heat-seeking missile until the penultimate closer, “Forever the Blood Shall Flow.” Indeed it shall, as you prepare for the force of Opprobrium

A statement from founding vocalist/guitarist Glenn Destruktor reads: “We believe we have shown once again why Rome wasn’t built in a day. Opprobrium stems from many years of dedication, and was recorded with our longest-standing and strongest lineup to date. The small circle that has been subjected to our Opprobrium believe it a step up from anything we have done before, and it would be very hard for us to disagree. Clearly a Destruktor release, Opprobrium sticks to the formula of the past with total aggression, darkness, heaviness, and riff after riff of extreme metal that clearly sticks to the traditions of those long before. Opprobrium is finally ready for release, and we are looking forward to smashing cunts live, and on your stereo with our new hymns of desecration!”

Tracklisting for Destruktor’s Opprobrium
1. Priestality
2. Besieged
3. Tyrants Condemnation
4. Immaculate Deception
5. Blood Poison
6. Eradication
7. Forever the Blood Shall Flow
MORE INFO:

 

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Bathsheba to Release The Sleepless Gods

bathsheba

Doom Metal band Bathsheba will release The Sleepless Gods on May 15th through Svart Records. Bathsheba play a rehashed 1970s “witchy” doom metal that appeals readily to a mainstream audience looking for a moderate and palatable dose of the mainstream and casual “occult” . Women’s vocals accentuate the late 1960s and 1970s horror movie concept of the witch’s covenant celebrating a bloody black sabbath. For fans of average retro music.

Tracklisting for Bathsheba’s The Sleepless Gods:

  1. The Sleepless Gods
  2. Daughter of the Oath

More Info:

www.facebook.com/bathshebakills

www.bathshebakills.bandcamp.com

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Obliterations Expands North American Tour

obliterations

Punk/hardcore band, Obliterations, have announced additional dates to their previously-announced impending Eastern North American tour with While Lung, including a set at this year’s ultra massive NXNE Festival. Additional Obliterations shows are being added to the routing to be announced as the tour begins, at which time the band will also release their next official video from Poison Everything, being finalized for the track Scapegoat.

Obliterations Tour Dates:

6/06/2015 The Studio At Webster Hall – New York, NY

6/08/2015 DC9 – Washington DC w/ White Lung

6/09/2015 Rumba Café – Columbus, OH w/ White Lung

6/10/2015 The Demo – St. Louis, MO w/ White Lung

6/11/2015 7th Street Entry – Minneapolis, MN w/ White Lung

6/12/2015 Underground Lounge – Chicago, IL

6/13/2015 PJ’s Lager House – Detroit, MI w/ White Lung

6/14/2015 Beachland Ballroom – Cleveland, OH w/ White Lung

6/15/2015 Mohawk Place – Buffalo, NY w/ White Lung

6/16/2015 Great Scott – Allston, MA w/ White Lung

6/17/2015 Bar Le Ritz PDB – Montreal, QC w/ White Lung

6/18/2015 Ottawa Explosion Weekend – Ottawa, ON w/ White Lung

6/20/2015 Lee’s Place – Toronto, ON @ NXNE w/ Girl Band, Mission Of Burma, California X, Grooms [info]

Obliterations released Poison Everything through Southern Lord in October 2014.

Stream and purchase Poison Everything HERE, and scope their video for “Mind Ain’t Right” at THIS LOCATION.

http://www.facebook.com/Obliterations

http://obliterations.bandcamp.com

http://twitter.com/obliterations_

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Sydney Slayer Day 2015

BOBS

Any metal fan should hang their head in shame for missing out on Promotorheads ”Slayer Day”. Pissing down rain, a two hour train ride, followed by a 20 minute bus trip, set the afternoon in motion (no pun intended).

Arriving at the Bald Faced stag for my first time, I must say it wasn’t as pretty as I’d imagined it to be, BUT Damn, what an AWESOME $10 lunch. 3.30pm usually my time to be getting washing off the line, feed our mini zoo, and hear all about the days events in the primary school yard .

First to grace the stage was Billabong of Blood. Their mixture of soft/hard vocals had some boots stomping.

Next was War of Attrition, and holy shit did they have my camera shaking. Vocals to make your ears bleed, and have any good Christian running for their crucifix. I must admit my favourite of the night, and still have me rambling on .

What was to follow, could not be described by mere words. My pen surely is not mightier than the sword. I still can’t believe it myself, the sheer talent, out of this world sound and the stage presence. You’d be thinking “why the hell aren’t we in some big arena worthy of such a musical encounter?” However, looking at the crowd, seeing patch work denim, black leather jackets and more hair than all of Dolly Parton’s wigs put together, made me proud to be a metal head from the 80’s.

Strangers lined the front of the stage, arms over shoulders of strangers banging heads, timing to perfection. As the line moved, knocking an older head banger to the ground, everyone stopped & offered assistance, picked him up and then returned to their original position. Proving yet again, never Judge a book by their tattoos ,long hair or the strange clothes they wear.

Of course no Slayer Day would ever be complete without some actual Slayer being played. That my friends, was where Murder-World would have left Gordon Ramsey speechless. You’d be hard pressed to find any more “”metal horns”” raised by a whole room full of people. Two fingers have never meant so much, nor held so high, as they were during one of the most outstanding kick in the guts covers of Slayer, I’ve ever seen, let alone heard .

Now, no review would ever be complete without a word or two about the Promoter, Promotorhead Bookings . Firstly, Trudy, your knowledge of metal, your way with words, passion, hard work and dedication, holds you at the top of your field. Slayer Day has set the bar so high, others will need a javelin stick just to see what you did. Forget inviting bands to play at your next gig I’m sure they are already calling you.

 

A short clip of Murder World at the show can be watched here.

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