Photo credit: Phoën Noir 

Experimental French vocalist / composer RÏCÏNN (Laure Le Prunenec) will host a YouTube listening party to stream new album Nereïd ahead of its release, and will be online to chat with fans, tonight (22nd October) at 3pm EDT / 8pm BST / 21:00 CEST. 

Join the party or set a reminder here: https://youtu.be/YY6BFFR3r5s

RÏCÏNN comments "I am very pleased to invite you to Nereïd's listening party! We will listen to the album in its entirety together, I'll be in the chat section hanging out with you and answering your questions. There might be some cool guests on the chat as well that night. See you soon online!"

RÏCÏNN has so far only unveiled two tracks from the album: 'Psamatae' and  'Doris', which features guest vocals from Travis Ryan of Cattle Decapitation.

Nereïd  will be released on 23rd October via Blood Music, pre-order here: http://www.blood-music.com/store

In a world of appearances, RÏCÏNN was born from the desire to remain true to her instrument, the voice.

As a child, she cooked remedies, formulas, and prayers to serve them to the world. An expression of 'The Now'. Fire & water, whales & birds, sounds emanating from the mist, blown by the windy shore, spitting the scrambling wreckage of a damaged arch, vestige from an ancient and forgotten civilisation, flooded into the oversights of time.

RÏCÏNN appears as the lonely survivor of a pre-post apocalyptic universe, a new world in which she bereaves the loss of her unknown culture.

Nereïd is a concoction of many cultures, assimilated and included with her own language. The experience of an incarnation in the material world, falling into the living, as the nymphs of Poseidon move the ocean, making choices, harmonising the rhythms of nature.

Known for her work as female vocalist for breakcore outfit Igorrr, experimental gothic funeral metal band Öxxö Xööx, and experimental trip-hop unit Corpo-Mente; RÏCÏNN's beautiful, solo work lies in the realm of funeral opera - with nearly all composition, instrumentation, and imagery created by the artist herself.

The result is a celestial dance, moving into unexpected explosions of terror, each sacred in their own right.

For fans of Diamanda Galás, Chelsea Wolfe, Klaus Nomi and Bjork.

For more information:
https://www.facebook.com/LAPAGERICINN
https://www.instagram.com/oooricinnooo/
https://ricinn.bandcamp.com

Artwork credit: Svarta Photography

Track- listing:

1. Zéro
2. Doris (featuring Travis Ryan)
3. Nereïd
4. Missäe
5. Artäe
6. Ëön
7. Psamatäe
8. J-C
9. Thaliäe
10. Ele
11. Söre
12. Erani

Photo Credit: Wyatt Clough

Torchbearers of progressive, instrumental rock, INTERVALS, have shared 'Lock & Key', the latest single from the band’s highly anticipated full-length, Circadian, due out 13th November.

Watch the play-through video to 'Lock & Key' here: https://youtu.be/0GdXNaMos_w

On 'Lock & Key', INTERVALS continue to push the genre’s boundaries, as well as their own - mixing Aaron Marshall’s command of technical intricacies and meticulous compositions with earworm hooks that are as memorable as they are dizzying. 'Lock & Key' finds Marshall collaborating with fellow guitarist, Josh De La Victoria, creating an impressive synergy between the duelling guitar leads. This unbelievable creative chemistry serves as the inspiration for the track title, as the two pieces fit perfectly like a jigsaw puzzle. 

Aaron Marshall comments: "'Lock & Key' is one of my favourite tunes from the new record and I'm so happy to feature my pal and extremely talented artist, Joshua De La Victoria. When this track started to take shape, I knew right away that I wanted to feature Josh. Initially, the idea was just to trade solos and have a sort of "guitar duel", which you typically see more in a live environment, so I was really into the idea of capturing this on record. Once we started to work through various ideas, I realized that there was a little more room for Josh to contribute and round out the composition. I wound up asking him to respond to my initial call in the verses, and bringing in the bridge section before the solo unfolds. The response to '5-HTP' over the past few weeks has been incredible, and I'm so excited to show everyone more of this record!"

'Lock & Key' follows the widely praised lead single '5-HTP' that was first revealed in the short documentary about the making of the album, available to watch here. 

Circadian was co-produced by Marshall and fellow Torontonian, Sam Guaiana (Silverstein, Obey The Brave, Like Pacific) - marking the first time the esteemed producer had ever worked on an instrumental record. It was also the first time that most of the work on an INTERVALS record was done locally in Toronto. As a result, Marshall had the opportunity to be more involved in the production and mixing process than ever before.

Circadian is meant to be viewed as a singular piece, with obsessive attention paid to the flow of the record. It’s full of motifs, cadences, and themes that are revisited throughout the record and even recalled from previous releases. Circadian intentionally clocks in at eight songs and roughly 40 minutes, as Marshall gave considerable thought to where the sweet spot between listener satisfaction and desire to immediately play it back was. Every minute detail surrounding the record has purpose, and builds towards an all encompassing experience. 

Pre-order Circadian here: https://www.sheethappenspublishing.com/artists/intervals

More info:

https://www.facebook.com/intervalsmusic
http://www.intervalsmusic.net/
https://www.instagram.com/aaronintervals/

Track listing:

1. 5-HTP
2. Vantablack
3. Luna[r]tic
4. Lock & Key
5. Signal Hill
6. String Theory
7. D.O.S.E 
8. Earthing

More information on INTERVALS:

Through the progressive, instrumental rock project, INTERVALS, Aaron Marshall has long been considered an innovator. He’s built a career on trusting his instincts, even when that intuition has led him down a road that is decidedly less travelled. That may mean tearing down genre norms, finding creative ways to interact with fans, or a commitment to self-releasing music even when label opportunities are readily available to him. Marshall has bet on himself continuously, and backed that gamble up with hard work, unparalleled creativity, and an uncompromising desire to make each INTERVALS release a pivotal moment in the lineage of instrumental rock. On INTERVALS’ latest record, Circadian, Marshall continues to push the limit at every turn, resulting in arguably the most dynamic record in the band’s highly-revered catalogue. 

Renowned Egyptian-American artist, director, and death metal musician NADER SADEK has unleashed the single / video 'The Serapeum: Polluted Waters,' taken from his four-track The Serapeum Extended Single, to be released 20th November. The offering serves as his first output since 2014’s critically-lauded The Malefic: Chapter III EP and a taste of his impending full-length, set to be released during the first half of 2021.

Premiered via Decibel, watch the video here: https://youtu.be/-gQsx04wEmQ

Stream / purchase here: www.nadersadekartist.bandcamp.com
 
The Serapeum features principal members Karl Sanders (Nile), Derek Roddy (Serpents Rise), and Mahumud Gecekusu (Perversion), who visited Egypt in 2017 at the invitation of SADEK and Cairometal.net, alongside a host of equally notable guests. Marking Sanders’ and Roddy’s first ever visit to the ancient land, the EP is monikered after an ancient Egyptian subterranean burial chamber and reflects the collective’s deep inspiration by the grounds explored.
 
'The Serapeum: Polluted Waters' features Sanders’ signature tone on rhythm guitar yet offers a different angle of experimentation, with the inclusion of eastern harmonies and drones provided by Alex Zubair (Nephelium), and instead of chants, Nancy Mounir, one of Egypt’s top musical talents, adds the ever haunting theremin to the mix. Dominic “Forest” Lapointe plays the low end, and Mahumud Gecukusu performs the guitar solo. The track also features Roddy's staggering drum work along with SADEK’s ferocious vocal delivery. To complete this musical encounter with the archaeological wonders of Egypt, SADEK recorded the vocals inside the inner chamber of Giza’s “Red Pyramid.” 
 
Thematically, NADER SADEK’s The Serapeum draws inspiration from the contrast between the wondrous mystery of the Serapeum and its undervalued status today as simply a tomb for bulls. As an underground complex of twenty-four eighty-ton sarcophagi, many archaeologists consider it a stranger and more complicated legacy than the pyramids.

SADEK comments: “By recording in the Serapeum and the Red Pyramid, not only did we want to take advantage of the amazing acoustic effects of these ancient structures, we wanted to explore how the powers that be arrogantly dismiss that which they don’t understand.”

SADEK explores this theme and draws parallels in the lyrics like, “Bull tomb uncovered, fallacy discovered / The reign of lambs begotten," and, "Dead Serapis' decay, sands triggered, shall pay / Serapeum! Rise! and confront us with the truth's majesty." These lyrics symbolically portray the relationship of modern to ancient Egypt, once the greatest civilization, now a cesspool of poverty and dilapidation. The Serapeum, like the musical performances on this single, will find its admirers in those who reject the shallow and superficial comforts of the familiar.

NADER SADEK online:
www.nadersadekartist.bandcamp.com
fb.com/naderflesh
instagram.com/nadersadekofficial

Photo Credit : Andrew Bastion

US slamming deathcore group SIGNS OF THE SWARM have released new single / video 'Pernicious', the first new music heard form the band since the release of 2019's Vital Deprivation.

Premiered via Metal Injection, watch the video here: https://youtu.be/eyTzpi9jgGA

The band comment on the themes of the single: "Lyrically the song touches on the subject of manipulation and control. Many of us experience this in some form or another. From our individual lives to the people around us. These situations can take control of us and affect us in very harmful ways, the idea of the puppet on strings is a metaphor for this"

Now three albums in, SIGNS OF THE SWARM have found their crushing formula, and 'Pernicious' is a strong indicator of great things to come from the quartet.

The band continue: "Pernicious, as a whole, we feel encompasses everything that SIGNS OF THE SWARM is and has been as a band. Meshing older core elements of the band with our desire to push ourselves creatively and musically, we are excited to deliver to the fans what we feel is our best song to date."

Combining various styles such as death metal, slam, and hardcore, each song SIGNS OF THE SWARM conjure is sure to maim and crush. With their catchy riffs, raunchy breakdowns, maniacal vocals and off-the-rails, unapologetically heavy brand of sonic deviance, SIGNS OF THE SWARM are set to be one of the most important heavy forces of the 2020s.

SIGNS OF THE SWARM are currently working on their fourth album, which is planned for 2021 via Unique Leader.

For more information:
https://www.facebook.com/signsoftheswarm/
https://www.instagram.com/signsoftheswarm/
https://twitter.com/signsoftheswarm
https://www.facebook.com/UniqueLeaderRecords/
https://uniqueleader.com

HOLDING ABSENCE have announced their second album, The Greatest Mistake Of My Life, due for release on 16th April 2021 via SharpTone Records. Today (21st October 2020) the band have released 'Beyond Belief', the first single from the record. 

Check out the video for 'Beyond Belief' here: https://youtu.be/BoFUI1Xv4Dw

Stream/purchase 'Beyond Belief' here: http://Shrptn.co/holdingabsence

Impassioned frontman Lucas Woodland comments on the new single: 

"We are ecstatic to finally unveil 'Beyond Belief' to the world! Just as jumping from black and white into colour is a huge change for our band, we believe the transition into 'Beyond Belief', and subsequently The Greatest Mistake Of My Life, is similarly significant. 'Beyond Belief' sees our band embracing the 80’s indie-shoegaze era with both arms, while still gripping firmly onto all the sounds that have made us who we are up until now. A song about love, and the fear of permanence - this really is HOLDING ABSENCE, like you’ve never heard us before."

In the band's own words: “This album is about telling stories that are presented through the lens of hindsight, regret and looking back. There are songs that celebrate life when faced with death, and others that speak to the choices we make about how we live our lives. The fear of love, newfound respect for life and the covering up of depression are all subjects that rear their head. The Greatest Mistake Of My Life exercises emotion in many ways, and that was an important thing for us to do, because emotion isn’t rigid – it’s not just love or joy or sadness – it’s a lot of things.”

HOLDING ABSENCE is:
Lucas Woodland - Vocals 
Scott Carey - Guitar
James Joseph - Bass
Ashley Green - Drums

For more information: 
http://holdingabsence.com/
http://facebook.com/HoldingAbsence
http://twitter.com/HoldingAbsence
http://instagram.com/HoldingAbsence
http://sharptonerecords.co/

Photo Credit: Chad Dao

Australian progressive solo artist, PLINI, has released a playthrough for current single 'I'll Tell You Someday', taken from his long-awaited sophomore record, Impulse Voices, out 27th November.

Voted as one the greatest musicians of all time by Prog magazine readers, watch PLINI show off his talent in this stunning video: https://youtu.be/p8cGceHp9lU

Pre-order Impulse Voices here: https://www.plini.co/impulse-voices

PLINI comments on 'I'll Tell You Someday': "I picked this as the first “single” because I wanted to provide the listener with a big, warm, instrumental hug, in a time when I feel everyone could use one. I think it gives a friendly first impression of the album, in terms of sound and energy, though may also provide a false sense of security for some of the stranger territory the rest of the album ventures into…" 

New album Impulse Voices was mixed and co-produced by Simon Grove, with artwork designed by long-time collaborator Alex Pryle. The album features Chris Allison on drums, Simon Grove on bass, with guest contributions from Dave Mackay on piano & synthesizer, John Waugh on saxophone, Amy Turk on electro-acoustic harp, and additional production from Devesh Dayal & Aleksandra Djelmash. 

PLINI comments on Impulse Voices: "The early demos for these songs range from a few months to a few years old, but the majority of the work that went into the album was during the first half of this year. With all travel plans cancelled until further notice, I slowed my lifestyle way down and spent almost every day from March til August wandering around Sydney, listening to podcasts and music, and then coming home and chipping away at these songs.

"It was an extremely fun, rewarding and explorative process – the closest I’ve felt to the free-spiritedness I had when I first started writing music (way before ever releasing it), but informed by everything I’ve learnt and experienced in the last few years of tours and travel. To make an analogy, I feel like I designed a pretty cool house for the listener to inhabit with these songs, but it was made truly special by the masterfully-crafted furnishings and decorations added by Chris, Simon and the rest of the musicians involved."

PLINI online:
https://www.facebook.com/Plini
https://www.instagram.com/plini/
https://www.youtube.com/plinimusic
https://twitter.com/plinirh

Track listing:

01. I’ll Tell You Someday
02. Papelillo
03. Perfume
04. Last Call
05. Impulse Voices
06. Pan
07. Ona / 1154
08. The Glass Bead Game

More information on PLINI:
 

PLINI composes, plays guitar, records, produces and manages his unique brand of instrumental progressive rock all from a bedroom studio.

His critically-acclaimed debut album Handmade Cities was voted #5 in Guitar World Magazine’s “20 best guitar albums of the decade,” and hailed by Steve Vai as “one of the finest, forward thinking, melodic, rhythmically and harmonically deep, evolution of rock/metal instrumental guitar records I have ever heard.” Routinely mentioned in “best guitarist” lists, PLINI was named #4 in the “Top 10 best prog guitarists in the world today” by Music Radar in early 2020. PLINI also made Prog mag (UK)'s top 100 musicians of all time list.

Over the last few years, PLINI has toured the world supporting bands like Animals As Leaders, Periphery, Tesseract and Intervals, as well as playing festivals and headlining his own tours all over North America, Europe, Australia, Asia and India. In 2018, PLINI was the first instrumental act ever to play the legendary Download Festival in the UK.

PLINI was a special guest instructor at “Vai Academy” in 2019, alongside Steve Vai, Joe Satriani and Devin Townsend, and despite being entirely self-taught, he has been invited to give masterclasses at some of the most prestigious contemporary music colleges in the world, including Berklee College of Music, Musician’s Institute (USA), BIMM (UK), and JMC Academy (Australia).

PLINI has a signature guitar with Strandberg Guitars, signature guitar amp software with Neural DSP, and endorsement deals with Yahama Music, Dunlop, D’Addario and Fractal Audio.

MARISA AND THE MOTHS release their long-awaited new video 'Tied Up', culminating their debut LP cycle which has seen their online fanbase more than triple during 2020's COVID-19 pandemic.

Watch 'Tied Up' here: https://youtu.be/Qn1UkTTYM8g

Follow the band here: https://linktr.ee/marisaandthemothsband

MARISA AND THE MOTHS have also been handpicked to perform at Adobe's prestigious Creativity Conference, alongside the likes of Conan O'Brien, Zendaya, and Tyler, the Creator. They will be performing on Wednesday 21st October at 2pm, and you can register interest here: max.adobe.com.

The new video follows the release of the band's deluxe vinyl edition of their debut LP, with special acoustic versions of 'Skin', 'Choke' and 'Slave'.

Watch 'Skin': https://youtu.be/YbpOGE4A6kw
'Choke (Stripped)': https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZA7gtX1gP3U
and 'Slave (Stripped)': https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WWRwdxQYgpQ

Follow the band on Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3bUzFMP

Purchase Marisa And The Moths LP here: https://marisaandthemoths.bandcamp.com/

MARISA AND THE MOTHS' recent successes highlight the band as one of the hottest unsigned rock acts in the UK currently. Their initial debut self-titled LP release hit #66 in the Official Downloads Chart and has amassed hundreds of thousands of streams globally, a fitting introducing to a band with bags of potential.

MARISA AND THE MOTHS are a group who bring to mind the best hard rock and grunge bands of the 90s, all while adding their own modern twist. Led the by brilliantly mercurial and charismatic frontwoman Marisa Rodriguez, and ably supported by Liam Barnes, bass, the band have gathered a small army of supporters, even at this early DIY stage.

For fans of Halestorm, Foo Fighters, Audioslave, MARISA AND THE MOTHS deliver a deeply personal sound, detailing Marisa’s struggles with anxiety and everyday sexism amongst other themes. The music is the perfect vehicle for Marisa’s voice, soulful and compelling, and her devastatingly powerful lyrics.

For more info:

https://www.marisaandthemoths.com/
https://www.facebook.com/marisaandthemoths/
https://twitter.com/Marisa_Moths
https://www.instagram.com/marisaandthemoths/

Tracklisting:

1 Needy
2 How Did You Get So Weak?
3 Skin
4 Choke
5 Tied Up
6 Turn Off
7 Human
8 Slave
9 Baby Goodnight
10 69
11 Easy Target
12 Look What You’ve Done
13 Everything Is Going Swimmingly

Swedish symphonic metal quartet TUNGSTEN have streamed their beautiful single 'Life And The Ocean', taken from their forthcoming second album, Tundra (20th November, released via Arising Empire).

Watch the video here: https://youtu.be/Q9jOf5BpwEI
Stream here: https://Tungsten.lnk.to/lifeandtheocean

Pre-order Tundra here: https://Tungsten.lnk.to/tundra

Following the success of their debut LP We Will Rise (September 2019), TUNGSTEN continue their fine vein of form with Tundra – epic, catchy, dark metal.

The band were formed in 2016 by famed ex-HAMMERFALL, MANOWAR, YNGWIE MALMSTEEN’S RISING FORCE drummer Anders Johansson with his sons Karl and Nick Johansson. Soon after Mike Andersson was added as vocalist and the band began recording We Will Rise.

Now on to Tundra, which, in the words of Karl demonstrates that: “The diversity is still definitely there just like on the first album. But this time around to quote my dad’s boss from the 80s ‘MORE IS MORE’!”

The lyrics on Tundra are predominantly about time, and centred on the stories of Volfram, the guardian of time and balance, and the character who adorns the album cover. Volfram travels from a past world, filled with the glory of castles, fairies and knights, to a future desolate city, where he ends up in the middle of an icy tundra, alone.

The recording of Tundra started in late 2019 with drums at Der Bunker followed by bass, guitar, growls and keyboard recordings at Harm Studios. Final vocal recordings were completed in February 2020.

TUNGSTEN enlisted famed keyboard player, and drummer Anders’ brother, Jens Johansson (Rainbow, Stratovarius) to record a solo on the track ‘Here Comes the Fall’. This marks the first time where Anders, Jens, Nick, and Karl Johansson have all appeared on a record together.

TUNGSTEN have already been confirmed for Sabaton Open Air 2021.

TUNGSTEN are:
Mike Andersson | Vocals
Karl Johansson | Bass & Screams
Nick Johansson | Guitar
Anders Johansson | Drums

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More info:
www.tungstenofficial.com
www.facebook.com/tungstenband
www.instagram.com/tungsten_online
https://.twitter.com/onlinetungsten

Track-listing:

1 Lock and Load
2 Volfram’s Song
3 Time
4 Divided Generations
5 King Of Shadows
6 Tundra
7 Paranormal
8 Life and the Ocean
9 I See Fury
10 This is War
11 Here Comes the Fall

Vicious Swedish metal queen SCARLET has released 'Love Heroin', the fourth single taken from her forthcoming debut album, Obey The Queen, out 13th November via Arising Empire.

Watch the music video for 'Love Heroin' here: https://youtu.be/4bLnWMhDhjA
stream / purchase the song here: https://SCARLET.lnk.to/loveheroin

SCARLET commented: “'We love, we die'. Love is nothing but pain and survival. Once you have had the taste of love you will never again settle for anything less. That is an unresolved equation. You will live your life knowing that the taste of happiness is an illusion created by fools.” 

Pre-order SCARLET's debut album Obey The Queen here: https://SCARLET.lnk.to/ObeyTheQueen

Obey The Queen flawlessly exemplifies the complexity and duality of SCARLET's being. Her outer beauty and her inner chaos. Her kindness and her evil. Her forgiveness and her taste for blood. A gorgeous creature that personifies the darkest, ugliest corners of the human mind and is never who you think she is.

“Making this album I had to go deep deep down to the darkest, most painful place inside me. Dig
through memories hidden behind walls of thorns. Unbury years of tormented rage. It almost killed me. Through survival comes greatness. I want this record to inspire people to be themselves. To live free. Obey The Queen is a mark in history. A world domination. It's a new world now.”
 
Every song on the album portrays a time or situation of change in SCARLET's life. She writes mostly alone in her mansion up in the cold north but for some of the songs like ‘#bossbitch’ and ‘Beauty & Beast’ she has teamed up with some of Sweden's most famous song writers in the genre.

ICYM:
Watch the music video for '#bossbitch' here: https://youtu.be/OMExAMLFIQ8
Get the song here: https://SCARLET.lnk.to/bossbitch
Watch the music video for 'Beauty & Beast' here: https://youtu.be/RsqVSCMto0M
Get the song here: https://SCARLET.lnk.to/beautyandbeast

SCARLET is:
Scarlet | Vocals

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More info:
https://SCARLET.lnk.to/spotify
https://www.facebook.com/scarlethunts
https://www.instagram.com/scarlethunts
https://twitter.com/scarlethunts0
https://www.scarlethunts.com