Polish metalcore quintet DOWN WITH THE KINGS have released a video for their new single 'Out Of Control', featuring Attila's Chris 'Fronz' Fronzak. Mixed and mastered by Roman Kharyukov (Wildways, Shrezzers), 'Out Of Control' is the band's second single and marks their bold return, following their 2017 debut release 'Selfish Game'.

The video for 'Out Of Control' was directed by Pavel Trebukhin, check it out here: https://youtu.be/VNcXW7QnsiA

Bassist Criss Wieckowski explains the meaning behind 'Out Of Control':

"'Out Of Control' is about standing up against the system and defending your true self. When you've realised all your dreams and all your values have been taken away by the system, you can either give up and live within the barriers created for you or stand up, fight for your dreams and follow what lies deep in your heart. It's all about what you've got and what they cannot take."

Guitarist/vocalist Alan Zuber adds:

"It’s crazy! Attila is a band that we've listened to and looked up to for years, so to work with Fronz was amazing! He's a faultless example of living by your own code, so considering the message that we want to deliver, he was the perfect fit for this song. The work itself went smoothly. Fronz doesn’t shy away from expressing his opinions as well as providing his insight during the song creation. All in all, we couldn't be happier with how it came out. Hopefully, one day we could hit the stage together!"

Formed in the summer of 2014, Alan Zuber and Criss Wieckowski went on to create what would become DOWN WITH THE KINGS. 2017 saw the release of the band’s debut single 'Selfish Game', which was recorded with the help of Simon Yildirim (To The Rats And Wolves) and was met with high praise.

After surviving numerous line-up changes, the quintet have honed in on what has now become their signature sound. For fans of Blessthefall, Coldrain, Asking Alexandria, Crown The Empire and Atilla, DOWN WITH THE KINGS drew on these inspirations, as well as some tough and emotional personal experiences, to produce their hardest hitting track to date.

For more information:
https://dwtk.band/
https://www.facebook.com/DWTK.official/
https://twitter.com/dwtkofficial/
https://www.instagram.com/dwtk.official/

Scottish quintet TO KILL ACHILLES have announced their sophomore album, Something To Remember Me By, due for release on 5th February 2021 via Arising Empire.

The band have also released a video for their new single 'fourpercent', which expresses the heavy and personal nature of their upcoming album.

Check out the video here: https://youtu.be/nMdWmlSMP3I

Stream 'fourpercent' here: https://ToKillAchilles.lnk.to/fourpercent

Pre-order Something To Remember Me By here: https://ToKillAchilles.lnk.to/somethingtoremembermeby

The band comment:

“This record is the story of a man who wakes up on his twenty-fifth birthday and the events that happen throughout the course of a year that lead him to take his own life, exactly one year on to the date. Each song represents a month in his life (with the exception of two moments of reflection). In each of the songs we tell a story that a member of the band has been through over the last few years. Every song is real and is a portrayal of how we felt in that moment.

"The message of the record is to highlight that these events can happen, that people can be dealing with things without anyone else being aware. In our lives, we were lucky because we have the support network of our incredible friends and families, but in the case of our character, he does not. The record is a statement which shows that without support, even the strongest of people can be driven to contemplate taking their own lives.

"It’s so important to talk, it’s so important to find the people in life that you can share your lowest moments with, because no one can be expected to go through that alone. Our character deals with alcoholism, a lack of direction or passion in life, the fear of growing older and losing yourself, the isolation felt by following a creative career, the idea that when you die no one will remember you, the onset of anxiety and the shame you feel about trying to tell people you’re not okay. The pressure you put on a partner when you’re not in the right headspace, the fear of showing your emotions as a male incase you’re seen as weak, the fear of death, the moment that suicide enters your mind as an escape and the loss of a parent. A lot of these things will happen in our lifetime and it’s important to know that if they do, there’s people out there who will help you through it.

"Something To Remember Me By is our character's suicide note, explaining why he felt he must walk that path, in a way it’s all of ours too as we all went through these things, we just had the people there to stop it from being our eventuality. The message we try to promote is that these things are normal, these feelings are normal and if you recognise any behaviour we speak of in anyone close to you, then it’s your responsibility to be the first to speak up. A conversation can save a life, don’t let anyone end up the way our character does. In a way this record is also the solution to the problems that we speak about, we poured our emotions into this, and after we’re gone, it’ll still be there, reminding people that we once existed and that we once felt as strongly as we do. It’s just something to leave behind, a memento, a token, or just something to remember me by.”

TO KILL ACHILLES have extensively toured across the UK, the majority of Europe, and Russia with We Came As Romans, Counterparts, While She Sleeps, I Killed The Prom Queen, Betraying The Martyrs and more.

Check out the band's previous singles:

'Oh God, I've Never Felt This Low' video: https://youtu.be/7vhJYZaCN4A
Stream/purchase 'Oh God, I've Never Felt This Low': https://ToKillAchilles.lnk.to/ohgodiveneverfeltthislow

'21:36' video: https://youtu.be/scaX810JXlg
Stream/purchase '21:36' here: https://ToKillAchilles.lnk.to/2136

'Beautiful Mourning' video: https://youtu.be/pcYPk_5e3Ek
Stream/purchase 'Beautiful Mourning': https://ToKillAchilles.lnk.to/beautifulmourning

'Venom' video: https://youtu.be/rt9R10Yzau4
Stream/purchase 'Venom' here: https://ToKillAchilles.lnk.to/venom

TO KILL ACHILLES are:
Tindal | Vocals
Larry | Guitar
Sharpie | Guitar
Tippett | Bass
Baz | Drums

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

01. fourpercent
02. In Vain
03. Luna et Altum
04. Oh God, I've Never Felt This Low
05. Black Marble
06. When You Live With Ghosts, You Don't See The Dead
07. Agnostic
08. On My Mind
09. There's No Right Way To Say This...
10. venom
11. We Only Exist When We Exist Together
12. 21:36
13. Beautiful Mourning
14. Something To Remember Me By

Photo Credit: Benjamin Pohle

German metalcore quartet ANNISOKAY have released 'The Tragedy', the fifth single from their upcoming album Aurora, due for release on 29th January 2021 via Arising Empire.

Watch the visualiser for 'The Tragedy' here: https://youtu.be/ClIjLWupcZ0

Stream / purchase here: https://Annisokay.lnk.to/thetragedy

'The Tragedy' follows previous singles 'Bonfire Of The Millennials', 'STFU', 'Like A Parasite' and 'Face The Facts', which have been streamed collectively over five million times on Spotify.

Aurora will be released in digital, CD and vinyl formats, as well as a special limited edition fan box. Pre-order the album here: https://Annisokay.lnk.to/Aurora

Aurora sees ANNISOKAY reinventing themselves, welcoming new frontman and heavy vocalist Rudi Schwarzer - a long-time friend of the band - who stepped into the role in late 2019. Once again guitarist/clean vocalist Christoph Wieczorek oversaw production duties on the album, which is full of heavy riffs, driving percussion, melodic, goosebump-inducing cleans and aggressive shouts.

Formed in 2007, ANNISOKAY are at the forefront of German metal with their cutting edge sound, which has earned them huge success at home and has seen them breakthrough internationally. The four-piece have embarked on successful tours throughout Europe, the UK, Japan and the USA, including several headline shows in Belarus, Russia and Ukraine, a US run with I Set My Friends On Fire, two sold-out shows in Russia supporting Parkway Drive, and, more recently, the Xmas Bash Tour with Emil Bulls, which marked Schwarzer's first tour with the band.

ANNISOKAY’s first three studio albums were released through Long Branch Records/SPV, all of which charted in the Top 100 Official German Album Charts. In 2018, the band signed to Arising Empire to release their fourth studio album Arms, which reached #26 and marked their highest chart entry to date.

ANNISOKAY will embark on a European headline tour in 2021, with support from Future Palace and Set Your Sails.

Dates:

13.03.21 Göttingen - Exil
22.04.21 Prag - Rock Cafe
23.04.21 Cham - L.A. Eventhalle
24.04.21 Wien - Chelsea
28.04.21 Zürich - Dynamo, Werk 21
29.04.21 Wiesbaden - Schlachthof
30.04.21 München - Backstage
01.05.21 Schweinfurt - Stattbahnhof
05.05.21 Hannover - Musikzentrum
06.05.21 Hamburg - Gruenspan
07.05.21 Essen - Turock
08.05.21 Osnabrück - Bastard Club
14.05.21 Jena - F-Haus
26.05.21 Stuttgart - Universum
27.05.21 Nürnberg - Z-Bau
28.05.21 Berlin - Hole44
29.05.21 Köln - Helios37

Tickets are on sale here: https://tourlink.to/annisokay

ANNISOKAY are:
Rudi Schwarzer | Vocals
Christoph Wieczorek | Vocals / Guitar
Norbert Kayo | Bass
Nico Vaeen | Drums

For more information:
www.annisokay.com
www.facebook.com/annisokay
www.instagram.com/annisokay
www.twitter.com/annisokay

Aurora tracklisting:

01. Like A Parasite
02. STFU
03. The Tragedy
04. Face The Facts
05. Overload
06. Bonfire Of The Millennials
07. The Cocaines Got Your Tongue
08. Under Your Tattoos
09. The Blame Game
10. I Saw What You Did
11. Standing Still
12. Friend Or Enemy
13. Terminal Velocity

Photo Credit: David Muir

Post-punk hypnotists TIJUANA BIBLES have made a surprise return with new single 'Stateless'. Recently signing to 7 West Music, 'Stateless' is the first new material from TIJUANA BIBLES since 2017’s 'Pariah'.

The single is accompanied by a scathing live-action animated video, which premiered on XS Noise. Check it out here: https://youtu.be/VmbhHA0UQ9A

Stream/purchase 'Stateless' here: https://awal.ffm.to/stateless

[Please contact hannah@holdtight.co for an MP3 or WAV download of the track for airplay]

To celebrate, the Coatbridge rock titans have announced a livestream show, taking place on Friday 18th December, which will be hosted over at TIJUANA BIBLES' YouTube Channel in aid of Shelter Scotland.

Urgent. Agitated. Hellacious. “It seems like we’re at the mercy of the so-called Captains Of Industry who steer the ship as we shovel coal into the engine, keeping it going in a direction none of us want to go in…” says vocalist/guitarist Tony Costello. "'Stateless' is about denouncing their pompous triumphalism and flag-waving, it’s a show of defiance but above all else, this is a celebration of our - the ordinary - collective power.”

Speaking on the video: "'Stateless' is a collaboration between two of our favourite artists; animator & filmmaker Chay Milne, who we met at our show in his home city of Aberdeen. We clicked and shared a lot of creative visions and kept in touch when he moved to London. It was nice to hear that Chay was a fan of our band and when we received a mail with a link to his animations the feeling was more than mutual! And David Muir, who is a long-term friend and collaborator, having previously toured with the band, capturing photographs of ‘real tour life’ and collating film footage from countless live shows, which have featured in some of our previous music videos. We shot the film for this particular video in under half an hour, after a bit of a hectic one, but I think it suits the chaos of the song and the black and white visuals make the yellow lyrics and animation pop and burn!”

TIJUANA BIBLES, brothers Tony (vocals/guitar) and Danny Costello (bass), James Brannigan (guitar) and Mikey Dornan (drums), mainline alluring all-killer hooks and chaotic dissonance, festering with discontent. Their masterful songwriting has soundtracked supermodel and style icon Kate Moss’ collaboration with French designer label Equipment, high speed car chases on Amazon Prime’s Grand Tour and Sky Sports Formula 1, and mammoth sporting events such as UEFA Champions League.

Fascinated with life beyond their hometown of Coatbridge, TIJUANA BIBLES' unique alchemy and prescribing charisma has charmed audiences around the world, making for an impressive touring history. Holding their own on support slots with Twin Atlantic and Clutch, their two-night residency at Glasgow’s King Tuts Wah Wah Hut became infamous and soon, the four-piece were welcome faces in the dark basements venues of Berlin, Paris and Poznan. Festival appearances, punctuated by guerrilla gigs on the streets of their travels, include Reading & Leeds, Isle Of Wight, Spain’s Kutxa Kultur, Germany’s Reeperbahn and Austin, Texas’ SXSW.

Receiving rave reviews from the likes of NME, BBC, and Clash, TIJUANA BIBLES have captivated global airwaves with radio plays from BBC Radio 1 (UK), Radio 3 (Spain), NPR member stations including KEXP and KCRW (US) and Mexico’s biggest rock radio station IBERO 909.

For more information:
https://www.facebook.com/tijuanabiblesofficial/
https://twitter.com/tijuana_bibles/
https://www.instagram.com/tijuanabibles/
https://www.youtube.com/c/tijuanabibles/

Earlier this year, the legendary CRO-MAGS released their first album in twenty years with the critically-acclaimed In The Beginning. To close out this year of international turmoil and disease, the band have announced their new 6-song EP, titled 2020, available worldwide digitally on 11th December via Arising Empire.

CRO-MAGS have also streamed the eponymous single '2020', venting all their frustration and rage at the unprecedented chaos of this year.

Pre-order the new EP digitally: https://Cro-Mags.lnk.to/2020
Stream / purchase the title-track '2020' here: https://Cro-Mags.lnk.to/2020single

The record itself is unintentionally 20 minutes and 20 seconds, and plays as a time-capsule look into the burning dumpster fire of this year.

CRO-MAGS founder Harley Flanagan explains, “Just by coincidence we recorded 20 minutes and 16 seconds of music, so we simply added a few seconds of real-world chaos. The album cover is meant to look like a calendar - seven squares across, with one picture from 2020 per day. Inside the booklet there are 12 pictures, one for each month of 2020; and the back is a shot of something I have never seen before in my life - a totally empty New York City. Coronavirus, quarantine, empty streets, brutality, burning buildings, violence and destruction: 2020 is a year none of us will ever forget.”

Filmed on 15th March, CRO-MAGS were one of the first musical acts to deliver a full live-stream set just as a nationwide lockdown fell upon the United States, now known as the infamous “The Quarantine Show.”

2020 tracklist:
1 - Age Of Quarantine
2 - 2020
3 - Life On Earth
4 - Violence and Destruction
5 - Chaos In The Streets
6 - Cro-Fusion

“Fast punk and thrashy breakdowns” - DECIBEL
“The founding band of hardcore punk” - ROLLING STONE
“Fast-paced, raw, blazing and blistering” - CONSEQUENCE OF SOUND
“This one’s gonna snap a few bones and blacken an eye” - NEW NOISE
“A two-stepping salute to four-chord classic hardcore” - METAL HAMMER
“Heavy grooves, impressive depth and really powerful” - DOWN FOR LIFE
“A hybrid of ‘80s and ‘90s anthemic hardcore full of underlying anger” - BLABBERMOUTH


CRO-MAGS are:
Harley Flanagan | bass/vocals
Gabby Abularach | guitars
Rocky George | guitars
Garry “G-Man” Sullivan | drums
--
More info:
https://www.facebook.com/realcromags
https://twitter.com/realcromags
https://www.instagram.com/realcromags

Photo Credit: Daniel Ackerley - Lightning Bolt Photography

Cambridge alt-rockers STANDING LIKE STATUES have released a video for 'Confidence', taken from their recently released sophomore EP, Reality Checkpoint. 'Confidence' has already been added to Spotify's 'New Punk Tracks' and 'The Scene' playlists and follows the band's highly praised single 'Stupid Love', which received support from Kerrang! Radio's Johnny Doom and BBC Music Introducing in Cambridgeshire.

Check out the video for 'Confidence' here: https://youtu.be/5KmdRbgjnks

The band comment on the new single:

“If you’ve ever felt like giving up, this song is for you. It’s about hitting that point of defeat and being filled with self-doubt, then managing to stumble your way through it alive. Learning all the while just how important self-care and love is and how you should never take anything for granted. When you stop apologising for being yourself, things become so much easier!”

Stream/purchase the band's Reality Checkpoint EP here: https://statues.fanlink.to/realitycheckpoint

Formed in 2015, STANDING LIKE STATUES have supported We Are The Ocean, Decade, Fort Hope and Courage My Love, as well as being featured on BBC Look East and, more recently, BBC Introducing Cambridge.

Inspired by the likes of Taking Back Sunday, 30 Seconds To Mars and Biffy Clyro, STANDING LIKE STATUES draw from the greats of alternative rock to combine anthemic energy with soul-searching lyrics.

STANDING LIKE STATUES worked with renowned producer Romesh Dodangoda on the new EP, which has forced the band to dig deep and harness the power to commit themselves to authenticity; rising above the blur of memes, trends, concepts and false personas which dominate modern life. Having learned to laugh in the face of adversity, there are no barriers to fight through and lots of love to give.

For more information:
https://www.standinglikestatues.com/
https://www.facebook.com/standinglikestatuesuk/
https://twitter.com/statuesband
https://www.instagram.com/standinglikestatues/
https://www.youtube.com/user/likestatuesuk

New UK metal group HERIOT are proud to unveil their storming new single 'Cleansed Existence'.

Premiering on Rock Sound, who said "it's one of the most violent and volatile statements of intent you're going to hear this year", you can watch the video for 'Cleansed Existence' here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=weofUP67QH4

Pre-save the track here: http://smarturl.it/qajriu
And stream: https://heriotmetal.bandcamp.com/music

With the single, the group introduce new guitarist/vocalist Debbie Gough, expanding to a ferocious-sounding fourpiece. Elements of Employed To Serve, Jesus Piece, Nails, Full of Hell and Venom Prison coalesce to terrifying effect in a two-minute barrage of intent.

In the words of HERIOT: "'Cleansed Existence' is the track that has most accurately captured the evolution of our identity and how we want to project the band. Since becoming a four piece with the addition of Deb on guitar and vocals, sonically and lyrically the aggression of HERIOT has been amplified as we’ve explored even grittier topics than before. It’s been important to us all to make meaningful as well as heavy music."

"Although HERIOT has always been a channel for us to confront tribulation, with newer material we’ve tried to focus our attention on more specific topics. 'Cleansed Existence' conveys how social issues are so complex and the domino effect of abusive attitudes in modern culture will always lead to a tragic demise."

'Cleansed Existence' is a rebirth for HERIOT, their first new music since their 2016 EP World Collapse. This is the first in a series of singles with renowned producer George Lever (Sleep Token, Loathe, Holding Absence). HERIOT are a name to remember, and won't let you forget.

HERIOT are:

Jake Packer - Vocals/Bass
Debbie Gough - Vocals/Guitar
Erhan Alman - Guitar
Julian Gage - Drums

For more information:

https://heriotmetal.bandcamp.com/music
https://www.facebook.com/heriotmetal
https://www.instagram.com/heriotmetal
https://twitter.com/heriotmetal

Greece’s leading prog band NEED have streamed their new single 'Beckethead', ahead of their long-awaited fifth album, Norchestrion: a song for the end (to be released 12th January, 2021, via Ikaros Records).

You can stream 'Beckethead' here: https://youtu.be/FllS9TbmGsA
And pre-save on Spotify here: http://smarturl.it/needbeckethead

Pre-order Norchestrion: a song for the end, here: https://needband.bandcamp.com

Norchestrion will be released on digipack CD, double vinyl LP (with a limited edition of golden vinyl), a limited edition boxset, and on all digital platforms.

Norchestrion follows NEED’s critically acclaimed LP Hegaiamas: a song for freedom, and is by far the band’s most ambitious and adventurous album to date.

Throughout Norchestrion’s 66-minute run-time, fans will see NEED experiment with new elements, whilst maintaining the characteristics that have – in their fifteen years of existence – made them one of Greece’s most fêted rock groups.

The touring cycle of Hegaiamas resulted in an impressive 72 shows worldwide, including a 24-date run across the USA and Canada, and then a 22-date EU run, both with Sweden's Evergrey. NEED also performed at the 20th Anniversary Edition of ProgPower Europe (Netherlands) and SoundArt Fest (Romania). The band also supported Fates Warning, Pain of Salvation, and Coroner in Greece, and undertook multiple headline tours across their home country and throughout Eastern Europe – including headlining Prog Over Athens in late 2017.

Elements of the best of modern melodic prog and powerful symphonic metal combine to create a thrilling and highly rewarding listen in Norchestrion: a song for the end. Elements of Dream Theater, Pain of Salvation, and Nevermore can be heard, all while remaining uniquely NEED.

Cover art was created by Dimitris Tsoutsas, who is also responsible for the artwork of Orvam: a song for home and The Wisdom Machine. The album's mix and master was handled by Hector D at hd factory.

NEED are:

Jon Voyager - vocals
George Ravaya - guitar, vocals
Anthony Hadjee - keyboards, vocals
Stelios Paschalis - drums
Viktor Kouloubis - bass

https://www.needband.net/
https://www.facebook.com/needband
https://www.instagram.com/need__band/
https://needband.bandcamp.com/

Track-listing
1. Avia
2. Beckethead
3. Nemmortal
4. Bloodlux
5. V.a.d.i.s.
6. Norchestrion
7. Circadian
8. Ananke
9. Kinwind

Renowned Egyptian-American artist, director, and death metal musician NADER SADEK has released the official video for 'The Serapeum: Black Osiris'. The video comes by way of SADEK’s The Serapeum EP which was self-released on November 20th. 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 No Clean Singing, watch the video here: https://youtu.be/vfiMD3mEa9s

ViewNADER SADEK’s previously released video for 'The Serapeum: Polluted Waters' here and the EP trailer here.

Stream / purchase the EP here: www.nadersadekartist.bandcamp.com

'The Serapeum: Black Osiris' adapts the style to which followers of SADEK have grown accustomed: savage death metal featuring guitar harmonies and black metal-inspired avant-garde melodies. It also contains choral chanting by Morean (Dark Fortress, Alkaloid) while Shaun LaCanne (Putrid Pile) backs SADEK up on the chorus. Bass duties are handled by Benoit Clause(Gorod). Gecekusu plays all rhythm, while Sanders adds a guitar solo.

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.

TheEPfeatures 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. SADEK himself recorded the vocals inside the Pyramid of Snefru.

Notes SADEK, “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 such as, “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 civilisations, 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.

Mixed and mastered by engineers Mahmud Gecekusu, Mendel Bij De Leij, and Ahdy Khairat, respectively, The Serapeum EP is available on CD (limited to 500 copies) viaNuclear Blast here and digitally via Bandcamp.

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