THE HIRSCH EFFEKT share their new single / video 'Torka', the third track from the band's 5th studio album Kollaps, out 8th May 2020 via Long Branch Records. 

Listen / watch 'Torka' here: https://youtu.be/mpWbunZ4wm4

THE HIRSCH EFFEKT comment: "'Torka' is another composition that was written by Ilja solely. Except for the drums and one guitar double part, all instruments were played by Ilja. The song's root can be found in the Industrial-like electronic bass figure that is first introduced in the intro and later picked up by the bass guitar and even later by the guitars and drums. The ending is nothing less than a reprise of the interlude 'Moment', just as a band (instead of a strings) arrangement. The lyrics of the song tell a fictional story that is settled on the Easter Island and deals with the extinction of its inhabitants. The same story is later continued on the album's title track 'Kollaps'. 'Torka' is one of the more melancholic songs on the album."

Kollaps follows the highly successful Eskapist album, which charted at #21 in Germany. Kollaps encounters everyday madness with elaborate counterpoints and ludicrous lyric lines. The band tackle current social issues with a focus on the debate around the "Fridays For Future" movement.

'Torka and previous single s 'Bilen' and 'Noja' are now available to stream and download on all digital platforms.

Kollaps will be available as Box-Set, CD/LP+T-Shirt Bundle, CD, 2LP, stream and download. Pre-order the album here thehirscheffekt.lnk.to/kollaps

After their last album Eskapist (2017), which charted #21 on the German album charts, and formidable show-offs at Wacken Open Air, Full Force Festival and as recent headliners at the renowned Euroblast Festival, THE HIRSCH EFFEKT have now spawned their new ogre. Musically, the trio from Hanover, Germany, has once again settled in the microcosm of progressive metal and enhanced their songs with their typical trademark of – at first glance totally out of the line – genre-hopping.

Similar as on previous records, it happens again by Hirsch-style chopping of parts and beats, that first off felt safe and usual. In between chorals resound, helping to find one's way back to a necessary recollection. On the one side it's a euphonious, on the other side a hurting listening experience that leads to a heightened perception of the exposure of the human disorientation, and serves as a call to the solitary consciousness of courageous individuals - to gather together at concerts.

Live, this symbolic demise is celebrated purification. This can be celebrated together with the fans at upcoming shows, by the way of indulging unison and clamor, questioning oneself whether their own heart and thoughts have gone prone to egoism or still are in line with the harmony of hope, that is hidden within Kollaps.

THE HIRSCH EFFEKT are:

Moritz Schmidt (Drums)
Nils Wittrock (Guitar, Vocals)
Ilja John Lappin (Bass, Vocals)

More info:
http://www.thehirscheffekt.de/
https://www.facebook.com/thehirscheffekt
https://www.instagram.com/thehirscheffekt
https://www.youtube.com/thehirscheffekt

Newcastle metalcore quintet OCTOBER ENDS have released a video for their brand new single 'Iridescent 兎'. Combining hard-hitting electro-rock with crushing breakdowns and an anthemic chorus, 'Iridescent 兎' is taken from the band's forthcoming album Zodiac. With song names featuring Japanese characters from the Zodiac, the album is due in late 2020.

“'Iridescent 兎' is one of the hardest hitting tracks from the Zodiac album," the band comments. "It’s about getting back up after each fall and being able to move forward. Even though we go through a lot in life, it only makes us stronger when we’re able to pick ourselves back up."

Check out the video for 'Iridescent 兎' here: https://youtu.be/ifcgnyPvZzc

Distinguished by their heavy sound, catchy choruses and high octane live performances, OCTOBER ENDS found success early in their career. The band's debut EP, A New Path, sits at 2+ million streams and counting, after gaining the attention of thousands of loyal fans across the globe. 

Previous single “Lost 蛇,” cemented OCTOBER ENDS' prominence within the industry, with strong support from Spotify who have featured them numerous times on their official New Core, New Metal Tracks and Metal UK playlists. In addition to this, Apple Music featured OCTOBER ENDS on New Metal Friday in three different countries in anticipation of their upcoming album Zodiac, which is expected to be released in late 2020. 

For more information:
https://www.facebook.com/octoberendsuk/
https://twitter.com/octoberendsuk
https://www.instagram.com/octoberendsuk/

British Black Metal pioneers WINTERFYLLETH have announced 'The Autumn Equinox' European tour in September and October with Panopticon and Alda. The tour will follow the release of WINTERFYLLETH's long-awaited new album The Reckoning Dawn on May 8th via Candlelight Records/Spinefarm Records.

Tour Dates:
30th September - The Rescue Rooms, Nottingham, UK
1st October - Metropole, Enschede, NL
2nd October - Beta, Copenhagen, DK
3rd October - Kassablanca, Jena, DE
4th October - Bambi Galore, Hamburg, DE

The band, who recently had to cancel their headline 'The Reckoning of Europe' tour in May with MORK due to the Covid-19 global crisis, are set to release their first full length metal album since 2014’s The Divination of Antiquity.  The Reckoning Dawn will be released on May 8th and finds the band returning at the absolute top of their game, across an expansive journey of an album. Eight brand new songs of blistering, atmospheric and emotive black metal adorn the records near 60 minute running length and serves to highlight the strength and depth of material in the WINTERFYLLETH canon, resulting in one of the darkest and most powerful records of 2020.

Recorded and produced once again by the legendary Chris Fielding (Primordial, Napalm Death, Conan, Electric Wizard, Fen) at Foel Studios in Wales, The Reckoning Dawn shows the band at their strongest. 

The Reckoning Dawn will be released via Candlelight Records/Spinefarm Records on 8th May. Preorder now: https://winterfylleth.lnk.to/TheReckoningDawn

WINTERFYLLETH online:

Facebook | Bandcamp | Candlelight

Las Vegas brutal death metal masters CORDYCEPS have released a guitar / bass playthrough of the track 'Parasitic Degenerate', taken from the group's vicious debut full length, Betrayal, out now via Unique Leader.  

Watch it here: https://youtu.be/7M2QhCPewok

Called "the new sound of terror" and "one of brutal death's most exciting new forces" by Black Dahlia Murder vocalist Trevor Strnad in his Obituarist column, CORDYCEPS have upped their devastating slamming heaviness and masterful technicality with their new effort. The 10 track album was recorded by Kirk Moll at The Alamo Recording Studio in Las Vegas, NV as well as Ryan Wechta at Alchemy Lab Studio. Betrayal was mastered by Troy McCosker (Ne Obliviscaris) with artwork being provided by Santiago Francisco Jaramillo. 

Purchase Betrayal here: https://www.indiemerch.com/uniqueleader

Check out previous single 'Parasitic Degenerate' here: https://youtu.be/QvL0FcfldpY

Formed in Las Vegas, Nevada in 2014 with a vision of pure death metal extremity, CORDYCEPS spent their first two years in existence perfecting their sound, with the long hours of writing and methodical practice honing the group into a mature, cohesive unit before they entered the national stage. Their patience yielded the group’s debut EP Black Blood Butchery – an unmercifully devastating and relentlessly technical slab of audible violence, which was released on New Standard Elite Records in 2017.
 
The EP quickly garnered attention with Black Dahlia Murder vocalist Trevor Strnad writing in his Obituarist column “Black Blood Butchery is a veritable festival of blazing technicality and musical prowess. This is thinking man’s brutal death metal in every way.” With momentum quickly building CORDYCEPS embarked on a busy touring schedule which saw them perform at Chicago Domination Fest, Los Angeles Extinction Fest, Violent and Defiant Fest, and a successful tour alongside Cerebral Incubation.
 
The group caught the attention of Unique Leader in 2018 and began working on their debut full-length. After a line-up change and long, emotionally intense writing process the group is ready to unleash their finest work yet: Betrayal. With Betrayal, CORDYCEPS have elevated themselves into the pantheon of brutal death metal.

More info:

https://www.facebook.com/Cordycepslv/
https://www.instagram.com/cordycepslv/?hl=en
https://www.facebook.com/UniqueLeaderRecords/
https://uniqueleader.com

BEACH COMBER, a lo-fi indie project masterminded by film composer and guitarist Rory Friers (And So I Watch You From Afar), has unveiled debut single 'Two Set Sail' and announced the release of the album Parting Cuts this Friday, 24th April.

Watch the video to 'Two Set Sail' here: https://youtu.be/WJFqIl6ozZ8

A very personal project that was never intended for release, Rory found new relevance in Parting Cuts in these times of lockdown, and has decided to put it out to the world.

Rory commented: "This record was never really meant to be heard by a lot of people, it was made in a little make shift studio near the beach on the north coast of Antrim and it was made with only two people in mind. It was about that soreness you get in your belly when you’re missing the people you love most in the world and the pride in seeing the best in human spirit come out when it's most needed. I’d been feeling those things more than ever right now so decided it was the right time to put them out"

Rory spends most of his time between scoring films and touring the world with instrumental rockers And So I Watch You From Afar, but during some time off a few years ago he set to work on what would become BEACH COMER and Parting Cuts.

He moved into a small attic room in a remote farmhouse above the cliffs of north Antrim (Northern Ireland) to make an album as a gift to his sister Ciara and her husband Dara on their wedding day. The room contained little more than a bed, a chair and a desk; he brought little more than his guitar and a microphone, his laptop and a few of boxes of stuff to shake and bang.

He spent the next two weeks writing and recording a collection of songs inspired by a beautiful yet heart breaking year travelling the world that Ciara and Dara had just returned home from. It was to be a year of happiness and sadness, love and loss, seeing new lands, tragically losing people they loved, holding hope, battling through, keeping on.

Rory based these songs on their experiences, he wrote songs for each turn, each step of the journey. He has woven music to tell the story. He wrote, recorded, performed, mixed and mastered these in just a couple weeks; a snap shot of a very special time. This is a love story in many ways, a collection of thoughtfully constructed songs full of themes of family, of separation, of loss and ultimately of reuniting, themes that seemed pertinent enough right now to be the catalyst to release this very personal record in this moment we’re all enduring.

Pre-save Parting Cuts here: https://show.co/iYDpBEJhttps://show.co/iYDpBEJ

Pay what you want for Parting Cuts (from Friday) here: https://roryfriers.bandcamp.com/

For more information:
https://roryfriers.bandcamp.com/

AUGUST BURNS RED have shared a cover of NOFX's classic 'Linoleum', featuring Shane Told of Silverstein.

Watch and listen: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=juXK6C1OqT8

"ABR covered 'Linoleum' by NOFX on a 7" we did in 2009," says guitarist JB Brubaker. "We busted it out on tour periodically over the years. This past summer, while touring with Silverstein, we played it semi-regularly with Shane Told handling the vocals. While we were all stuck at home in isolation, we thought it would be fun to put together a quarantine version of 'Linoleum' that featured Shane. We each recorded our own parts at home and our sound engineer Chris Pollock mixed the audio together. Then, we had our touring photographer, Ray Duker, edit all the videos together. This was a fun project for us to put together, and we hope you enjoy it."

August Burns Red's latest full-length, Guardians, is out now through Fearless Records. The album debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Hard Music Albums chart, the Rock Albums chart, and the Vinyl Albums chart upon release; Guardians also peaked at #13 in the UK Rock & Metal Chart.

Purchase Guardians here: http://found.ee/guardians 

The two-time GRAMMY Award-nominated Pennsylvania quintet have been upholding the artistic pillars of technical proficiency, airtight grooves, and thoughtful lyricism in the hard rock world for 17 years now, and return with their most cohesive and collaborative album to date, receiving plaudits from Metal Hammer, Kerrang!, Rock Sound, BBC Radio 1 and plenty more.

Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | YouTube | Spotify | Website

About AUGUST BURNS RED

Following the seminal Messengers [2007] and Constellations [2009], August
Burns Red infiltrated the mainstream via 2015's Found In Far Away Places. The
latter stood out as their second straight #9 bow on the Billboard Top 200, in
addition to garnering the group its first GRAMMY® Award nomination in the
category of " Best Metal Performance" for "Identity." The momentum increased
with the arrival of Phantom Anthem in 2017. Marking the group's fourth Top 20
debut on the Billboard Top 200, it paved the way for their second "Best Metal
Performance" GRAMMY® nod for "Invisible Enemy." The record ushered their
career streams past the 100 million-mark as it earned four-out-of-five stars
from the likes of Alternative Press and Kerrang! Between sold-out shows
worldwide, ABR continued a 15-year tradition of holiday shows by launching
the Christmas Burns Red Festival. Now, their 2020 eighth full-length, Guardians
[Fearless Records], sees them not only preserve but perfect their DNA-distinct
and definitive sound.

Crushing down-tempo/deathcore masters DISTANT have released new single 'Argent Debt', which features five special guest vocalists, via Unique Leader.

Check out 'Argent Debt' here: https://youtu.be/RmYmFF0D3OI

Not to be thwarted by the restrictions of Covid-19, DISTANT have created this crushing track in lockdown, with the help of five killer vocalists: David Simmonich of Signs Of The Swarm, Adam Mercer of A Wake In Providence, Dane Evans of To The Grave, Taylor Barber of Left To Suffer and Erik Gladic of Abyss Above.

The band commented: “This our new single 'Argent Debt': approaching world's destruction with five breathtaking featured vocalists: David Simmonich, Adam Mercer, Dane Evans, Taylor Barber and Erik Gladic. With this line-up and with the instrumentals written by the band’s very own Nouri Yetgin together with Keir Campbell (ex-Bound In Fear), this song brings the anger, devastation and sheer heaviness to the surface. 'Argent Debt' is compiling everything brutal in the genre!"

DISTANT online:
https://www.facebook.com/DistantOfficial
https://www.instagram.com/distantofficial
https://twitter.com/DistantNL

Unique Leader Records online:
https://uniqueleader.com
https://www.facebook.com/UniqueLeaderRecords
https://twitter.com/UniqueLeaderRec

By Matt Benton, Hold Tight! PR and Dave Owen, Label Manager, Big Scary Monsters

Needless to say, Coronavirus is infecting and affecting every aspect, every cog of the music industry. From promotion, to distribution, press, and the obvious sad loss of any form of live music, these are completely unprecedented times. 

In consequence, there is no rulebook at play here – everyone is approaching the situation in their own way. Today we look at release schedules, and how to approach releasing new music in the time of Coronavirus. 

The inspiration for this piece came about in two ways – firstly through personal experience, having seen a number of artists decide to postpone their album release dates by either a matter of weeks or some months.

Secondly, on Twitter (where I spend far too much time) I saw an engaging conversation involving among others, Mike Hemsley of Kartel Music Group, and Dave Owen, label manager of Big Scary Monsters. The topic in play was – basically speaking – should releases be postponed? Are people craving music now, in lockdown, as a captive audience? Or is it better to wait?

I decided to pick Dave’s brain on what he thinks of our new musical landscape… 

Dave Owens, Label Manager, Big Scary Monsters Tw: @copperandstars Tw: @bsmrocks

On a completely practical level, there are several elements - key pillars if you will - that for many bands and albums are essential at a certain level. I would say that two of these are live music and retail. The thought would go (if you were postponing) that if you can't play gigs to promote the record and you can't sell physical copies in record shops then why would you release a record you can't promote/sell?

This is where I think that if you're not of a certain size, or wedded to those ideas (for practical reasons) you can definitely still release music successfully during this period.

 Digitally, it's my understanding everything is still running smoothly in that world - so crack on. Keep your DSP profiles up to date (latest bio, photo, whack a playlist or two up there - keep it ticking over!). Make sure you're letting DSPs know your song is coming out (thinking the Spotify for Artists submission tool here!). When it's out - have you got a good mailing list? An incredible amount of Facebook page followers? Twitter/Instagram reach? Get the streaming links out there - get your own hustle on.

Do you shift a lot of physical music? Do you have the Bandcamp/Webstore etc to handle physical sales at the moment? Again get your hustle on and use your marketing channels to let your fans know it's all there!

---

From a press point-of-view, I agree with Dave here. Fans still exist, and are still listening to music – if the channels still exist that mean that you can reach these fans, then they are still worth exploiting. We’re advising plenty of our clients to look at every digital marketing option possible, whether it’s mailing lists, social media advertising, online press, video content on Youtube… if the mechanism exists whereby fans can stream new music, then there’s no need to postpone. We’ve noticed since the covid-19 outbreak an increased uptake in our digital marketing services for clients as they look to strategise in other ways and you can find out more about that here or contact darren@holdtightpr.com for info.

 As Dave says: 

If you haven't got physical records yet, you can split digital and physical release dates too. Be creative and adaptable but most of all keep your fans updated. If they know when and what's coming, they'll get involved! Also again - get creative outside just your music too - one of our artists, for example, has just done a photo journal featuring pics from previous tours and sold them out! Get that run of tees out - companies like Awesome Merch and VinoSangre are still up and running and busting to help you.

I personally believe that if your band is a certain size with a captive audience - why wait? Get your DIY hat on, and get it out there and use all the tools at your disposal to shout about it. With uncertainty surrounding when all of this might end, if you keep postponing etc, you might end up releasing your music in a bottleneck where everyone is doing the same.”

---

This for me is the key point. I’ve noticed a significant proportion of artists postponing releases (and tours) ‘til September. There are a variety of outcomes here: either the whole virus situation has died down, everything returns to normality but as a result we have an overly-squeezed, hyper-competitive month; we are still in lockdown and releases will have to be postponed again; or we are in lockdown, you decide not to postpone a second time and then are playing catch-up, developing strategies that others are developing now as they adapt to this virtual, digital-led life. For me it seems a risk not necessarily worth taking.

Fortunately though – as we are all in this together – there are plenty of organisations out there offering assistance.

 Dave continues: 

“If you’re looking for financial help - there's some great support out there from a variety of sources - check out PRS (if you're a member), Help For Musicians amongst others. 

There is no such thing as an ideal release strategy generally, just what is right for that band and that particular release! Fans still want music. Ask for advice - labels, managers, PRs, booking agents etc - all out there - and the majority are always happy to answer any questions (of which there is no such thing as a stupid question!).

Finally, and most importantly – hopefully this blog will be fully redundant in a few months. Remember, this thing ain't forever and hopefully will see you all in a sweaty gig venue soon xxx “

---

If you have any questions or need any advice on the above: our door is always open, for chats, tea and biscuits, or to discuss what to do with your stunning new video or song. Email me at: matt@holdtightpr.com

About the author: Matt is based in London but likes to escape every so often, although not lately. When not distracting the rest of the HTPR office with (awful?) puns, he focuses on print and online PR in heavy, progressive, and alternative music. With extensive experience in the world of music PR, Matt also has a degree in music from Cambridge, gained at the expense of an overly verbose vocabulary. Passionate about all things ahead of the curve, art, history, hiking and anything edible. 

Norwegian high-octane alt-metal quartet FIGHT THE FIGHT will stream their first ever livestream gig on 21st April, 19:00 UK time via their Facebook page.

Join the event here: https://www.facebook.com/events/2595913117334833/

The band will perform songs from their forthcoming LP Deliverance (18th September, Indie Recordings / Metal Blade) and all proceeds will be donated to Redd Barna and Redd Barna i Moria (Norwegian Save The Child).

Redd Barna i Moria specifically is a rescue organisation centred on the refugee camp of Moria in Lesbos, Greece.

The band comment: “We would like to donate the money being raised during our livestream to some of the people who need it the most. Poor, innocent children being trapped in overfilled refugee camps in circumstances most of us can’t imagine. As Covid-19 spreads and people are dying, many of these are left alone with no family, care or help. If we can contribute by playing a rock 'n' roll show... This is what we’re going to do.”

The band have recently streamed their Coronavirus-effected video for new single 'Pacemaker'. Filmed on near-deserted, quarantined streets of Oslo, the rousing video can be seen here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eq9vCE3Nf2k

FIGHT THE FIGHT are the perfect example of a band growing out of friendship. With their 2017 debut, the band already demonstrated their probing of musical boundaries, aiming for a diverse, experimental sound.

Led by frontman Lars Vegas, FIGHT THE FIGHT are a band with a huge amount of heart. With over three million streams, and previously supporting Avenged Sevenfold, Ministry, Devin Townsend Project, August Burns Red and more, FIGHT THE FIGHT are on the cusp of something special with LP 2, Deliverance.

Deliverance will deliver FIGHT THE FIGHT into ever-more-advanced musical territories. Elements of groove, black metal, technical metalcore and new nu-metal combine to huge effect. Think of the power of Slipknot, the rhythms of Lamb of God, the approach of Devin Townsend, and the all-round bombast of Rammstein, and you have in FIGHT THE FIGHT one of the freshest and most innovative, accessible young metal bands around.

For more information:

https://www.facebook.com/Fightthefightband/
https://www.instagram.com/fightthefightband/