ATLAS have released the third and final part of their single trilogy called 'Uni'.

The track also includes a video which concludes the story told by previous singles 'Veli' and 'Aika'. Watch it here: https://youtu.be/vjH-qKggLDg

’Uni’ pummels the listener with violent riffs, mechanical percussion, soaring melodies and luscious soundscapes. The song explores the duality between the primitive and modern aspects of humans and culture. The music video continues the story of Veli' and 'Aika' with introspective visuals that enhance the theme of duality throughout the song. All three releases have Finnish names: ’Veli’ (brother), ’Aika’ (time) and ’Uni’ (dream), and they tie together both lyrically and thematically.

Like all ATLAS music videos, ‘Uni’ is self-produced by the band from writing and shooting to VFX and editing.

‘Uni’ is the final release from ATLAS in 2019 via Long Branch Records, a label at the cutting edge of modern metal. 

Guitarist Tuomas Kurikka commented: ‘’This is one of the heaviest but also the most pop-influenced songs we’ve ever written and there’s a real feeling of tension and danger from the first snare hit to the last note. Writing this song and making the video was a pleasure and it’s a great way to end this trilogy.’’

ATLAS are a five-piece modern metalcore band from Nokia, Finland labelling themselves as 'Northcore'. The quintet bring together influences of deathcore, nu-metal, and traditional Finnish music, mixing hard-hitting riffs with catchy melodies and immersive soundscapes that draw inspiration from the gloom of the north. Their releases include 2016 EP Northern Lights, 2018 singles 'Birthright' and 'The Catalyst' and 2018 debut full-length Primitive.

The band have played throughout Europe with the likes of Monuments, Miss May I, Vola, Kadinja, Adept, Eskimo Callboy, One Morning Left and We Butter The Bread With Butter. Debut album Primitive climbed the Finnish album charts to number six and came to life on a European tour with Monuments, receiving praise from fans and critics alike.
 
ATLAS are:

Patrik Nuorteva - Vocals
Leevi Luoto - Vocals & Bass
Tuomas Kurikka - Guitars
Aleksi Viinikka - Guitars
Aku Karjalainen - Drums

Emerging from the nihilistic quagmire of London, four-piece BEGGAR propound a kind of sludge-meets-extreme-metal carnival of tar thick riffs, blasts, emotional discharge and anguish.

Today the band have released standalone track and video ‘Nine Atmospheres’ which showcases the band at their most raw and misanthropic point. Recorded with Wayne Adams (responsible for recent works by Green Lung, 11Paranoias and Terminal Cheesecake) at Bear Bites Horse, London and mastered by the master of noise himself, James Plotkin (Sunn O))), ISIS, Pelican and Earth), the track comes ahead of their debut album Compelled To Repeat which is scheduled for release in April 2020 via APF Records. 

Check out 'Nine Atmospheres' here: https://youtu.be/QwwBHbF8XFw
Stream/buy the single here: Spotify || iTunes 

Commenting on the track vocalist Charlie Davis says: "The track 'Nine Atmospheres' is about pressure, anxiety, the corporate world and the environment. It’s about the banality and the aggression of the contemporary world and the struggle to reconcile yourself to social and economic norms and to the destruction of nature. However, in a larger way, it’s also about the moments in which you can see straight through that world to something a bit older and darker (‘liquid magma lakes’, blistering lava’, etc.) The title ‘Nine Atmospheres’ refers to the amount of pressure measured in atmospheres that the human body can withstand underwater before it begins to rupture (like the track begins to rupture towards the end)." 

Originally founded in Bristol in 2011 as a means of melding big stoner grooves with a blackened outlook and mode of expression, BEGGAR have honed their bubbling hatred over a series of EPs (culminating in 2017’s Chainscraper EP) into something that might defy categorisation altogether.

Impossible to fit within the stoner bracket, their sound nonetheless nods to the huge monoliths of tone that such a tag implies. More multi-faceted than the death metal or hardcore genres would allow, BEGGAR still use the sheer brutality and visceral dynamics of those styles as their primary means of propulsion.

Comprised of Charlie Davis (vocals/bass), Abraham Whitworth (guitars), Jake Leyland (guitars/vocals) and Bertrand Sautier (drums, formerly of French deathgrind outfit Sedative), BEGGAR have shared stages with the likes of Eyehategod, Slabdragger, Elephant Tree and The Obsessed.

Catch the band live at The Dev, London on 21st November and then at The Sophie Lancaster Festival (Sophie Fest) in Manchester on 23rd November.

BEGGAR will release their debut album, Compelled to Repeat, in early 2020 on APF Records with more information to follow in the new year.

Find out more about the band
Facebook || Bandcamp || Instagram || APF Records

Maverick electro/math/post-rock duo AIMING FOR ENRIKE have announced a lengthy 34-date tour supporting their forthcoming aptly-named Music For Working Out LP due 10th January via Pekula Records.

Pre-order: https://pekula.tigernet.no/artist/15063--aiming-for-enrike

Dates:

22.01 Trondheim Tyven (Norway)
23.01 Røros Ungdommens Hus (Norway)
24.01 Oslo Youngs (Norway)
25.01 Halden Vannvogna (Norway)
30.01 Sortland NyMusikk Nordland (Norway)
31.01 Moss House Of Foundation (Norway)
01.02 Fredrikstad St. Croix (Norway)
06.02  Glasgow UK Broadcast
07.02  Leeds UK Wharf Chambers
08.02  London UK The Victoria
09.02  Paris FR Le Cirque Electrique
11.02  Luxembourg LU Rotondes
12.02  Diez DE Gasthaus Schmidt
13.02  Mainz DE Schon Schön
15.02  Ljubljana SL Gala Hala
16.02  Zagreb CR KSET
19.02  Budapest HUN Dürer Kert
20.02  Salzburg AUS Rockhouse Salzburg
21.02  Pilsen CZ Pod Lampou
22.02  Prague CZ Underdogs
23.02  Wroclaw PO D.K. Luskus
25.02  Dresden DE  Scheune
26.02  Leipzig DE Kulturlounge
27.02  Tilburg HO Hall of Fame
28.02  Cologne DE TBC
29.02  Haarlem NL Patronaat
01.03  Liege BE La Zone
04.03 Bryne Mellombels (Norway)
05.03 Stavanger Tou (Norway)
06.03 Kristiansand Vaktbua (Norway)
07.03 Horten Artilleriverkstedet (Norway)
12.03 Haugesund Festiviteten (Norway)
13.03 Bergen Kvarteret (Norway)
14.03 Porsgrunn Rockeklubben i Porsgrunn (Norway)

It’s safe to say that AIMING FOR ENRIKE’s fame is mostly thanks to their frenetic, wild and engaging live shows – having toured extensively in USA, India, Japan, Czech Republic, Norway, England and Germany for several years. This year's travels saw the band tour the UK (including the esteemed ArcTanGent Festival), Japan, Europe and the USA, where AIMING FOR ENRIKE played an Audiotree session (https://audiotree.tv/session/aiming-for-enrike).

The duo are known for experimenting with noisy musical transformations and frenetic sonic attacks, but increasingly are shifting their focus towards the club and dancefloor. The result - more futuristic, funky and increasingly communal music.

Imagine a combination of Battles, Talking Heads, Jon Hopkins, Three Trapped Tigers, The Algorithm and you'll come close to the sounds created by AIMING FOR ENRIKE.

Energy and explosiveness have always been key musical factors for AIMING FOR ENRIKE, and there’s no doubt that the band live entirely in their own universe, where everything revolves around their insane instrumental chemistry and sparks flying between drummer Tobias Ørnes Andersen and guitarist Simen Følstad Nilsen.

Watch their previous singles:

'Infinity Rider' live: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JYbzAUD6PTU
'Don't Hassle The Hoff': https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c8OgmZTtuXk
'Hard Dance Brainia': https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qHKD7hkGNto

More info:
https://www.facebook.com/aimingforenrike/
https://aimingforenrike.bandcamp.com/
http://www.pekula.no/

EARTH MOVES (formed of members from We Never Learned To Live, Grappler, and Cloud Boat) have streamed their new single 'Catatonic', taken from their stunning second LP Human Intricacy, released 15th November via Through Love Records & Truthseeker Music.

The band have also released a live performance video of 'Catatonic' filmed at London's sold-out show supporting CONJURER, and features Dan Nightingale from CONJURER.

Premiered via Distorted Sound Magazine, you can watch the video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BSFog5ZvY2o

In the band's words: “'Catatonic' is a track we’ve been excited about playing live for a while, and it’s quickly become one of our favourite parts of our set. It was an honour to invite Dan (CONJURER) out for guest vocals and the audience reactions were killer!”

Pre-order Human Intricacy: http://bit.ly/human-intricacy-truthseeker

A combination of post-metal, screamo, sludgy shoegaze and black metal, EARTH MOVES boast an abundance of musical influences, including Deftones, Amenra, Slowdive, and Wolves in the Throne Room. It's fair to say that EARTH MOVES are a band with a mountain of experience and interest to draw on - not least because guitarist Sam Ricketts (Grappler, Cloud Boat) studied music at University, naming the band after an aria in Benjamin Britten’s opera Peter Grimes. 

In their history, EARTH MOVES have played with The Tidal Sleep, We Never Learned To Live, Venom Prison, Employed To Serve, Svalbard and more. To support Human Intricacy's release, the band were picked to support CONJURER on their EU and sold-out UK tour.

Human Intricacy is a deeply personal second release, which weaves intimate themes of love and lineage with purely fantasy creations to deliver a record that hovers on the edges of reality and fiction.

EARTH MOVES are:

Jordan Hills - vocals
Sam Ricketts - guitar
Mark Portnoi - bass
Gary Marsden - drums

For more information:
https://www.facebook.com/whereearthmoves/
https://twitter.com/whereearthmoves
https://www.instagram.com/whereearthmoves/
https://earthmoves.bandcamp.com/

Italian progressive metalcore quintet PROSPECTIVE have released new single and title-track 'All We Have' from their upcoming album.

Listen to 'All We Have' here: https://youtu.be/WWthMQ7JYUs

All We Have will be released on 17th January 2020 via Long Branch Records, and is now available for pre-order as exclusive bundles, CD in digipack and as download.

Pre-order here: https://prospective.lnk.to/AllWeHave

All We Have is 10 tracks of emotionally entrancing brutality from one of the hardest working bands in Italy today. The quintet – Pietro Serratore [Vocals], Luca Zini [Lead Guitar, Vocals], Davide Ruggeri [Guitar], Stefano Baldanza [Bass] and Flavio Cacciari [Drummer] – dug deep into themselves to deliver an album that is not only technically adept but also emotionally charged.

All We Have is the result of countless nights spent shaping their unique sound, trying to achieve the perfect combination of melody, tones, attitude and feel. The songs are straightforward and hard-hitting with no remorse, combining abrasive guitar tones, heavy riffs, gnarly breakdowns, catchy choruses and unexpected melodies. The album is completed with a mix finished to perfection by Buster Odeholm and mastering engineer Ermin Hamidovic.

The loss of someone, anger towards people around you, pollution and war, are some of the main themes on All We Have. An intricate mix of anger and love, the lyrics dive deeply into the feelings conjured by these topics. The theme of war, either inside yourself or on the battlefield, is explored in great detail.

Following on from the more technical and less emotionally driven sophomore album Unreal, All We Have is new chapter for PROSPECTIVE, and a chance to explore the deepest and strongest experiences and traumas that have inspired the album. There is a clear evolution in heaviness, with more thoughtful choruses but with more attention to song structures. This is a band packed with passion and a lot to say, and all the riffs and breakdowns to back it up.

More info:
http://prospectiveband.com
https://www.facebook.com/prospectiveband
https://www.instagram.com/prospectiveband

He’s a man VICE calls “an institution” with a voice recognized by Rolling Stone as the sound of resilience. Now, Kirk Windstein, the highly respected sludge metal pioneer and unmistakable earth-moving bellow of Crowbar, stomps forward as a solo artist for the very first time.

On January 24, 2020, Entertainment One (eOne) will proudly release Dream in Motion, Windstein's singular debut and a recording that sees the Dark Lord of the Southern Riff stretch his creative wings and strengthen his indelible legacy.

A taste of Kirk's solo debut can now be experienced with the release of the first single and title-track. Directed by Justin Reich (Black Label Society, Royal Thunder), watch the video here: https://youtu.be/a-ItzmWYqPo

Recorded in Windstein's native Louisiana over a period of two years between tours and over holidays, Dream in Motion is a powerfully moving recording that pulls from every corner of the riff king's three-decade-plus career. The LP owns a lyrical depth, emotional weight, and musical muscle forged from the fires of thousands of worldwide live shows, a well-earned reputation for creating the melancholic melody that has become synonymous with New Orleans heavy metal, and a reflection on a life well-lived. Windstein’s solo foray is a heartfelt throwback to album-oriented-rock supremacy, eschewing the predictable acoustic record route for a more straight-ahead guitars approach, albeit one that’s no less soulful or meditative than Crowbar fans expect. Kirk handled all vocal duties, guitars, and bass on the album, with drums and effects by longtime producing partner and collaborator, Duane Simoneaux (Crowbar, Down, Exhorder).

"The idea to record a solo album started out as, 'I’m going to do an acoustic record,' but that’s just so cliché, you know?" says Windstein. "Nothing against that, but It’s been done a million times. But I had been thinking about doing something a little more mellow for some time. It’s something I wanted to do, I needed to do. It’s another side of my songwriting, my personality. It’s another side of me. It’s something I did for myself. It’s not even that this isn’t heavy, because there are bits and pieces that are very heavy. But even the heaviest riff on this is something I couldn’t really do in Crowbar. If some Crowbar fans don’t like it, I’ll understand. But I hope people dig it."

The end result is simply stunning. Single note guitar work, simple power chords, clean tones, thundering five-string bass guitar, and standard tuning with nary a “drop” to be heard. 'Dream in Motion', which opens the record, is a barn-burning, rock n’ roll song with just a taste of aggressive attitude. 'Hollow Dying Man' is all vibe, with huge melodies and a hardscrabble blue-collar authenticity. The record closes with a faithful rendition of one of Windstein’s most enduring favorites: 'Aqualung,' the title track of Jethro Tull’s 1971 conceptual masterpiece.

Windstein and friends will celebrate the impending release of Dream in Motion with a special hometown listening party, set for 28th December at Riffer Madness in Jefferson, LA.

Pre-order here: https://eoneheavy.ffm.to/dreaminmotion

More information:

http://www.crowbarnola.com
https://www.facebook.com/crowbarmusic/
https://www.instagram.com/crowbarmusic/
https://twitter.com/crowbarrules

Öxxö Xööx, the unique French avant-garde / experimental doom metal unit, have released new single 'Döld', the second track taken from their upcoming album, Ÿ, which will be released on 29th November via Blood Music.

Premiered via Heavy Blog Is Heavy, listen to 'Döld' here: https://youtu.be/msuwbzStqbQ

Featuring the songwriting, instrumentation and vocals of the titular Öxxö Xööx (Laurent Lunoir, ex-Whourkr), the operatic treasure Rïcïnn [Laure Le Prunenec of Corpo-Mente and Igorrr], and live drummer Isarnos (Thomas Jacquelin), Ÿ also sees guest synth guitar processing by cyber metal star Master Boot Record.

Ÿ opens with the solemn dirge of what sounds like a funeral. Dripping with beauty and melancholic doom, it gives way to bell-like organs before plodding drums build to a gothic assault. The album continues to shift rapidly from gorgeous, haunting laments to utter desperation and unhinged mania as the 78 minute journey spirals deeper and deeper into the maze of its own machinations and enigmas.

Laurent comments, "Ÿ is a very symbolic album. There are several meanings regarding its name: First of all, the umlauts symbolise the duality of our material universe. Ÿ is a two-headed "I", having two directions. It's the symbol of the choice between the path of light and the path of darkness, between vice and virtue. By its tree-like shape, it reflects human growth, whose branches rise to heavens. Ÿ symbolises the three-dimensional space (the orthonormal coordinate system x, y, z). It also depicts the corner of a cube (symbol of the earth, the stability, the hardness of the material world). "Y" can also depict the bifid tongue of the snake; the crossroad; the "Y" generation; the simplified shape of the female internal genital tract, as well as the Y chromosome in the male; the Christ (Y) on the cross (T).”

The brainchild of Laurent Lunoir, Öxxö Xööx acts as a personal artistic project outside of Igorrr where he can realise his dreams entirely unrestricted. In doing so, he attempts to raise his “being”; a kind of inner "holy war" to find what religions call "God" (and which he refers to as “Light”) in a personal way, without adhering to any religious practice. This expresses what he feels toward the material reality in which we must live. To achieve this he enlisted the help of artists who share a similar creative outlook, those whom Laurent feels a “connection” to the Light, such as Rïcïnn (Laure Le Prunenec) and Isarnos (Thomas Jacquelin). The possibility remains open for other collaborations in the future which will allow the Öxxö Xööx universe to grow even further.

Ÿ comes out on 29th November via Blood Music and can be pre-ordered here.

Find out more about Öxxö Xööx:
Facebook || Twitter || Instagram

German alternative three-piece KOJ share their new single and video 'Home', the first single taken from their upcoming album and the result of an intense songwriting and recording process.

Watch the video to 'Home' here: https://youtu.be/Y0D2FA0Po1Y

'Home' explores the idea of belonging and finding a home in yourself that truly feels authentic. It’s about all the confusion and uncertainty that goes along with the search for meaning and purpose in life.

Stream the song here: koj.lnk.to/home

KOJ comment on new single 'Home': "Writing and recording 'Home' has been one hell of a journey for us! The song existed in about five different versions already, but we just never seemed to get it to a state where it really felt right. The song is super important to us, as it explores the idea of belonging and what it really means to feel at home with yourself, so we dove deep into songwriting once again in early 2019 and finally recorded the version of 'Home' that we had envisioned in our minds. 'Home' was recorded entirely in our home studio in a very intimate setting. In that way we were able to bring out the essence of the song whilst working with a minimalistic set up to be able to hone in on the underlying emotions of the song."

KOJ comment on making the video:
"Making the music video for 'Home' was an exciting and creative process, since we did everything ourselves. Parts of the video were shot floating on a river in the middle of the rain, in other parts we were literally dragging our singer through marshy woods and then you have the scenes where we’re dancing in a studio set up... so I guess you could say that we’ve been through a lot in this video! We tried to be bold with the visuals and create two opposite worlds, one which is dark and haunting and another with lots of warmth and movement. The video depicts two opposite worlds. There’s the dark and haunting world where people are controlled by external forces, where they feel powerless and out of control over their own bodies. Then there’s the opposite world where the characters are free in their expression, where they are taking ownership of their own movement, of their bodies. In a way you could say that they are taking that which is working against them and letting it work in their favour. It’s a dance with the impossible. 'Home' was shot entirely in our hometown. Makes sense, right?"

KOJ live:

13.11. DE, Hamburg - Hafenklang /w Kochkraft durch KMA
14.11. DE, Hannover - Lux /w Kochkraft durch KMA
15.11. DE, Köln - Subway /w Kochkraft durch KMA
16.11. DE, Göttingen - Nörgelbuff /w Kochkraft durch KMA
17.11. DE, Bremen - Tower /w Kochkraft durch KMA
30.04. UK, London - O2 Islington Academy 2 /w Demons Of Ruby Mae

Line Up:
Alina von der Gathen (Guitar, Vocals)
Simon von der Gathen (Keys)
Nils von der Gathen (Drums)

Three musicians. Two brothers. One married couple. This is KOJ. Together they give life to a sound that is full of contrasts, sometimes roaring, untamed and raw, as the ocean that inspires them, other times delicate, fragile and minimal.

Hotly-tipped trio EXPLORING BIRDSONG have released their stunning new single and video for 'The Downpour', another glimpse of their anticipated debut EP The Thing With Feathers, released 29th November via Long Branch Records.

Stream and download the track, and pre-order the EP here: https://exploringbirdsong.lnk.to/thethingwithfeathers

Watch the video here: https://youtu.be/goy88FK28dg

The band comment: "'The Downpour' has always has been a special song for us. Written more or less in the space of a night, the song focuses directly on loss, and the emotional turmoil that can come with it. With this is mind, our intention was to leave it open to interpretation lyrically - due to the emotional nature of the lyrical content, we felt it important that the listener is able to make the song as personal to them as it is us."

Rarely are new groups as exciting, talented or unique as EXPLORING BIRDSONG, the piano-led trio from Liverpool. Straddling the progressive pop and rock worlds, EXPLORING BIRDSONG are a band with limitless potential who deliver with their debut EP The Thing With Feathers.

Rarely too do you hear voices as captivating as frontwoman Lynsey Ward’s. Powerful, controlled, and spine-chillingly tender, Lynsey’s vocals help mark EXPLORING BIRDSONG as a prospect to watch, not least in the staggering ‘The Downpour’, described by the band as “our Great Gig In The Sky”. Also playing keyboards, she is backed by the jawdropping talents of Matt Harrison on drums/percussion and Jonny Knight on bass/second keyboards (sometimes performing both simultaneously).

The Thing With Feathers is broadly speaking a concept release, centred on the Seamus Heaney poem ‘Bye Child’ and the story of Kevin Halfpenny, one of the most bizarre cases of child cruelty ever recorded. This is mirrored in the EP title and cover art with broken backbones becoming broken wings. The title itself also references Emily Dickinson’s “’Hope’ is the thing with feathers” poem, which itself is a call-back to the music found within:

“Hope” is the thing with feathers -
That perches in the soul -
And sings the tune without the words -
And never stops - at all -

Having recently graduated from Liverpool’s Institute of Performing Arts, the young group have already caught the eyes of Prog Magazine, Kerrang! Magazine, Kerrang! Radio and Classic Rock Magazine, as well as achieved two Progressive Music Awards nominations in 2019. Having only released two singles up to now, EXPLORING BIRDSONG had been hand-picked to support Sleep Token, toured with proggers Godsticks, caught the attention of Florence and the Machine, and performed at HRH Prog. Unplaceable for the most part, the band bring to mind elements of Steven Wilson, Kate Bush, Rush, Sleep Token, and Agent Fresco.

http://www.facebook.com/exploringbirdsong
www.instagram.com/exploringbirdsong