Photo Credit: Defocus

German metalcore quartet Defocus have announced their debut album In The Eye Of Death We Are All The Same, due for release on 2nd July 2021 via Arising Empire. The band have also revealed a video for their new single 'Common Grave'.

Check out the video for 'Common Grave' here: https://youtu.be/IUA8BF73dSk

In The Eye Of Death We Are All The Same is available to pre-order here: https://defocus.lnk.to/intheeyeofdeath

Founded by Simon Müller, Jeffrey Uhlmann, Jonas Mahler and Marcel "Bambam" Heberling, Defocus spent time making music together before coming to light in early 2019, instantly proving their worth in the scene with their energetic live shows.

Faced with the global COVID-19 pandemic, Defocus got to work on their upcoming record through extensive late-night online sessions, allowing every member to contribute their individual ideas and emotions.

Guitarist Jeffrey Uhlmann comments:

"I remember that when we started to write all this material, everyone was on the same page from the beginning and we knew exactly which direction we wanted to go, but at the same time everyone took inspiration from different sources. Seeing all this material finally come together in the end makes me super happy, because the writing process and everything around it really defined who we are as a band and resulted in a pure milestone everyone in the band can 100% identify with."

The quartet recorded the tracks remotely from home, before they were mixed and mastered by Christoph Wieczorek (Annisokay) from Sawdust Recordings, who truly captured their crushing and impulsive take on modern metalcore.

Now, Defocus enter the metal scene with a record full of heavy, low-tuned guitars and driving rhythms, paired with dark and ambient melodies, creating a melancholic atmosphere for their thrilling sound. A deep-dive into the world we are living in and how we are all affected by it, In The Eye Of Death We Are All The Same is a punishing album deserving of your attention.

Defocus are:

Simon Müller | Vocals
Jeffrey Uhlmann | Guitar
Marcel "Bambam" Heberling | Bass
Jonas Mahler | Drums

For more information:
http://defocusband.com/
https://www.facebook.com/defocus/
https://www.instagram.com/defocus.band/

In The Eye Of Death We Are All The Same tracklisting:

1. Thought of a Vision
2. In Our Heads
3. Immerse Me
4. Common Grave
5. Tides (Interlude)
6. Diverge (Feat. Tom Brümmer)
7. Can You See Me?
8. Disease
9. Shelter

Sydney, AUS deathcore quintet TO THE GRAVE have released powerful new single/video 'Terrorist Threat', taken from their upcoming album, Epilogue, out 16th April via Unique Leader Records.

Watch the video for 'Terrorist Threat' here: https://youtu.be/TbNXPEG7A6w

Pre-order Epilogue here: https://orcd.co/epilogue

The band comment: "'Terrorist Threat' is the accumulation of frustration shared amongst those standing up for animal rights, pursuing undercover investigations/rescues and advocating for liberation. With the Australian government labelling activists as "Domestic Terrorists", punishing whistleblowers and doing whatever they can to divert attention away from the what goes on behind closed doors in farms and slaughterhouses, the public is kept in the dark from these industries and cruel practices continue in secrecy. Those perpetuating, defending and keeping a tight lid on cruelty to animals continues to show us who the real monsters are."

TO THE GRAVE's objective has always been to create sonically and thematically heavy music, charged with a grim, confronting message. Featuring their entire self-released debut album Global Warning, plus seven new songs, Epilogue is a huge 19 tracks of intense brutality.

After releasing the No Lives Matter extended play and touring Australia relentlessly with the likes of Alpha Wolf, Justice For The Damned and Gravemind, TO THE GRAVE put themselves firmly on the global metal map in 2019 with Global Warning. Closing 2019 as main support for Vulvodynia on their Australian run and opening a show for Cattle Decapitation elevated them further, earning them sold out headline shows in Melbourne and Sydney.

2021 is the year TO THE GRAVE take to the global stage. Be ready.

TO THE GRAVE online:
https://www.facebook.com/tothegraveau
https://twitter.com/tothegraveau
https://www.instagram.com/tothegraveau
https://tothegraveau.bandcamp.com

Track-listing:

01 Holocaustralia : Global Warning
02 Ecocide
03 Pest Control
04 Hell Hole
05 Slaughter Forever
06 Gristle Blower
07 The Devil in Sheepskin
08 Wastage
09 Skin Like Pigs
10 Lips & Assholes
11 Seven Billion Reasons Why
12 Hear Evil, See Evil (The Haunting of 2624 Dog Trap Rd)
13 Miserable Summer
14 [•REC]
15 Terrorist Threat
16 Kill Shelter
17 Deat By A Thousand Cuts
18 Recoil in Horror (活き締め)

The legendary Cro-Mags have released their new music video for 'Life On Earth', taken from their recently released EP 2020.

Watch 'Life On Earth' now: https://youtu.be/_hjCr7P3S8I

2020 is available worldwide digitally and will be released physically on 9th April 2021 via Arising Empire.

The soundtrack to one of the most turbulent years on record, 2020 will be available as a limited special coloured 3-piece 7’’ vinyl boxset, as well as limited coloured 10’’ vinyl and CD.

Stream, purchase, and save your vinyl/CD copies here: https://Cro-Mags.lnk.to/2020

Cro-Mags were scheduled to go on tour in support of their previous album In The Beginning in the summer of 2020, booked solid throughout Europe, UK, Japan and South America. All was set to kick-off with a show at Webster Hall (NYC) with Body Count on 15th March - when suddenly the Coronavirus quarantine went into effect, and the year of madness began. In response, Cro-Mags pivoted, performing one of the very first live stream shows, “The Quarantine Show”, from the historic (and now defunct) SIR Studios in Manhattan's Chelsea neighbourhood.

As Flanagan recounts, “(Drummer) G-Man was stuck in New York for seven months because of the travel ban, so we started writing songs, and as soon as we were able to get into the studio we started tracking.” Recorded at Steve Zing's (Sam Hain, Danzig) newly launched Trick or Treat Studio, they brought back Arthur Rizk who produced In The Beginning.

Rocky George managed to get out of NYC before the lockdown in March and tracked his guitars in Los Angeles. Guitarist Gabby Abularach remained in Guatemala during the travel ban and decided that both personally and professionally he was in need of a change and to move in ‘a different direction.’

Aware of the quarantine and travel ban, Cro-Mags asked long-time friend Joseph Affe (M.O.D, Maximum Penalty, Harley's War) to play "The Quarantine Show". Joe had just toured Europe and the UK with CRO-MAGS in late 2019 when Rocky couldn't make the trip. Harley had played with Joe on and off since 2003 in different projects and it was a perfect fit, so Cro-Mags brought Affe on to do the EP. After all the years, playing the entire catalogue and having so recently filled in for both Rocky and Gabby, it was seamless.

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

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

Nu-metalcore quintet Seeker have released a video for their new single 'Bite Your Tongue', their heaviest and most aggressive track to date. 'Bite Your Tongue' offers a glimpse into the band's upcoming EP, Call It A Hatred, due for release on 7th May 2021.

For fans of After The Burial, Northlane, Wage War and Alpha Wolf, 'Bite Your Tongue' is an exhilarating blend of heavy, groovy, technical metal that cements them as ones to watch.

Check out the video for 'Bite Your Tongue' here: https://youtu.be/i2O1R-yvZEE

Hailing from Surrey, Seeker is comprised of two sets of brothers and one close friend. Formed in 2019, the band began their steady rise in June 2020 with the release of their debut single 'Deranged', gaining momentum with over 25,000 collective streams.

Before the COVID-19 pandemic hit, Seeker built their live reputation through shows across the UK, including a support slot with Heart Of A Coward.

Now the quintet are putting their feet firmly on the pedal, offering a thrilling taste of things to come with their new single 'Bite Your Tongue'.

For more information:
https://www.facebook.com/seekercult/
https://www.instagram.com/seekercult/

Atmospheric rock collective SOM – comprised of current and former members of Constants, Junius, and recent Grammy nominees Caspian – have released a remix of 'Awake // Sedate' by Holy Fawn.

Taken from their new EP, Awake, due out 12th March via Pelagic Records, watch the video for 'Awake // Sedate (Holy Fawn remix)' here: https://youtu.be/1ZzblNlQyfs

Notes Holy Fawn’s Ryan Osterman of the track: “We met when we got to tour with SOM on the O’Brother tour and just instantly hit it off. We were enamored with their kindness and with how utterly massive these guys were able to sound live. When I got the opportunity to remix one of the new songs, I instantly wanted to jump on it. I heard ‘Awake // Sedate’ and immediately had gears turning with how I might approach the song in a way that (hopefully) honored it, while giving it some sort of Holy Fawn gloom or what have you. I felt this kind of emotional paralysis / Cotard’s Syndrome when [vocalist/guitarist] Will [Benoit] was singing and just wanted to create something to capture that isolation.”

Watch their previous videos here:
'Youth // Decay' - https://youtu.be/jK2krbI6Uj8
'Awake // Sedate' - https://youtu.be/RcwyLCipWdc

Combining two exclusive originals with remixes by beloved collaborators Holy Fawn, Hisself (Johnny Dang of O’Brother), U Dye (Marshall Gallagher of Teenage Wrist), and Giuseppe Capolupo (The Devil Wears Prada), the short collection is a triumph of self-described “heavy dream pop.” Its concise compositions balance the gritty riffs of Deftones with airy, Tame Impala-esque vocal lines, just as primed for rock radio success as they are for shoegaze-loving connoisseurs. “Our past projects were very exploratory,” explains drummer Duncan Rich. “With SOM, it’s a lot more focused. Creating in a pandemic has imposed limits – it’s a test of working within boundaries. How do we make something expansive, yet digestible and impactful?” The tracks are part of SOM’s ongoing mission to “leave this place better than we found it.”

Pre-order Awake here: https://somtheband.bandcamp.com/

SOM Online:

http://www.som.band
http://www.facebook.com/somtheband
http://twitter.com/somtheband
http://www.instagram.com/somtheband

More information on SOM:

Duncan Rich co-founded SOM with frontman and former Constants colleague Will Benoit, as well as Adai founder and now-Caspian drummer Justin Forrest. While touring on The Fall in 2019, the band added guitarists Mike Repasch-Nieves and Joel M. Reynolds, both formerly of Junius and Driftoff. “We’ve always been a musical family,” Rich adds.

Repasch-Nieves continues, “Will and I started a label, Radar Recordings, in Boston during the early 2000s, which was an amazing time and place for music. It was very much a collective of like-minded artists, which grew as we all toured around the world together in the years to follow.” The alluring Awake is far from the five longtime friends’ only endeavour to create a better world around them. Despite being recorded in quarantine, the EP was mixed by Benoit at his own Radar Studio in Connecticut – New England’s first solar-powered recording facility. Repasch-Nieves and Reynolds, meanwhile, spent 2020 sustaining an urban farm in New York City, while Forrest distributed vegan food to Black Lives Matter activists in Denver through the Summer. Equally philanthropic is Rich, who now uses his production experience to host emotional fluency events for men. While many musicians lumbered in inactivity, SOM used the darkness of recent times to create and heal. Awake’s bliss is an insight not only into the kind of harmony the quintet seeks to cultivate in all facets of life, but also the exciting second full-length that looms on the horizon.

“SOM play the kind of somber, glimmering music that exudes a heavy fog of emotion and introspection around it.” – Kerrang!

“Perfect for laying in a pile of leaves while quietly pondering everywhere you went wrong in life.” – MetalSucks

SOM are:

Will Benoit – vocals, guitars
Justin Forrest – bass
Mike Repasch-Nieves – guitars
Joel M. Reynolds – guitars
Duncan Rich – drums

Track listing:

1. Awake // Sedate
2. Youth // Decay
3. Awake // Sedate (Holy Fawn Remix)
4. Youth // Decay (hisself Remix)
5. Open Wounds (U DYE Remix)
6. Prayers (Giuseppe Capolupo Remix)

Emotional hardcore/rock quartet Being As An Ocean have announced their worldwide signing to Out Of Line Music. After two years away from the scene, the band are back with a video for their new single 'Catch The Wind', a deep and intense track that sees them return to their post-hardcore roots.

Check out the video for 'Catch The Wind' here: https://youtu.be/Kw_XZAAKjiQ

Frontman Joel Quartuccio comments:

"'Catch The Wind' is about the pivot, finding the silver linings in life’s circumstances, and leaning into the winds of change that sweep unexpectedly into our lives."

Stream/purchase 'Catch The Wind' here: https://beingasanocean.lnk.to/CatchtheWind

Being As An Ocean first emerged from the mountainous areas of San Diego County and have since fashioned an immersive experience with every performance, wrenching catharsis from their post-hardcore punch and ambient excursions. It’s an approach that commands a crowd from the massive festival stages to co-headlining with Counterparts, and headlining Europe’s Impericon Never Say Die! tour.

With a steadily building catalogue of moody anthems and textured epics that have earned them millions of global streams, Being As An Ocean are that rare heavy entity that offers a full experience for the head and the heart. Embracing vibe and spirit over precision and safety, Being As An Ocean stoke the embers that first drove them to make music into a raging inferno of sound and emotion.

Being As An Ocean are:

Joel Quartuccio | Vocals
Tyler Ross | Guitar
Michael McGough | Guitar
Ralph Sica | Bass

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

https://www.outofline.de
https://www.facebook.com/outoflinelabel
https://twitter.com/outofline
https://www.instagram.com/outoflinemusic1995
https://www.youtube.com/user/outofline1995

Photo Credit: Venera Red

German modern metal outfit Venues have released their new single 'Rite Of Passage'. The band have also announced their new album Solace, due for release on 27th August via Arising Empire.

Watch the video to 'Rite Of Passage' here: https://youtu.be/tiPFQNDrGRs

Stream / purchase 'Rite Of Passage' here: https://Venues.lnk.to/riteofpassage

Pre-order Solace here: https://Venues.lnk.to/solace

The thumping and monumental ‘Rite of Passage’ is a very personal song, exploring the relationship with one’s father, erupting into a chorus made for arenas.

From the depths of their deepest crisis, Venues emerge victoriously, welcoming two new members - clean vocalist Lela and guitarist Valentin. When former vocalist Nyves quit the band mid-tour, following the release of their pivotal debut Aspire (2019), the modern metal juggernaut was shaken to the bone.

Despite this, the remaining members refused to give up and tirelessly searched for new talent. Following guitarist Constantin witnessing a performance of Lela at (of all places) at a Steel Panther show, the band found their new clean vocalist.

Venues went into the studio with producer Christoph Wieczorek (Annisokay) to record Solace, who coated their massive sound with a metallic alloy of remarkable precision.

“We wanted to be more metal,” Robin comments.“There were some pop sensibilities of Aspire we wanted to replace with rather the opposite.”

Melody and punch-drunk heaviness, metal and alternative rock, zeitgeist and authenticity, barbed choruses and unleashed creativity: with their soaring sophomore release, Venues fulfil every single promise they gave on Aspire.

“2020 showed all of us how much the band is helping us keep our sanity,” guitarist Robin muses. “Almost the whole band went through minor or medium crises since the release of our debut. Relationships went sour, things were ended and begun. In times like these, our second album was the light at the end of the tunnel. Something we all could look forward to. Our music held our heads above water.”

It’s a big leap, going from Aspire to Solace, and it’s a logical one, too. Ten songs, ten exorcisms of negative energy, ten lifesavers.

Venues are:
Lela | clean vocals
Robin | shouts
Constantin | guitar
Valentin | guitar
Dennis | drums

Venues online:
www.facebook.com/venuesofficial
www.instagram.com/venuesofficial
https://twitter.com/venuesofficial
https://venues.bigcartel.com/

Track listing:

1. Razorblade Teeth
2. Whydah Gally
3. Rite of Passage
4. Uncaged Birds
5. Into the Fire
6. Down Below
7. Shifting Colors
8. Our Destiny
9. Deceptive Faces
10. Mountains

Melodic post-hardcore sextet As Everything Unfolds have released a video their new single 'On The Inside'. The track is the sixth single from their forthcoming debut album, Within Each Lies The Other, set for release on 26th March 2021 via Long Branch Records.

Premiered via Knotfest.com, check out the video for 'On The Inside' here: https://youtu.be/ZIR9QXRmzAY

Vocalist Charlie Rolfe comments on the single:

"Have you ever felt dragged down by those who seem to adore you? Have you ever felt like you’re being lied to and dragged along for the pleasure of someone else? This song is a story about the thoughts and feelings of being in that scenario, holding onto a thought of a day out of that life."

'On The Inside' follows the band's previous singles 'Grayscale', 'Wallow', 'Take Me There', 'Hiding From Myself' and 'Stranger In The Mirror', which have collectively garnered over two million streams.

Stream 'On The Inside' and pre-order Within Each Lies The Other here: https://smarturl.it/aeu_welto

Since the release of their Closure EP in late 2018 As Everything Unfolds have gone from strength to strength, touring heavily across the UK & Europe, including performing alongside the likes of Dream State, ADEPT, Our Hollow, Our Home and more.

The success of Closure caught the attention of the esteemed Long Branch Records, who signed an international deal with the six-piece this year. Alongside their dedicated fanbase and hard-working ethos, the future is strong for the band, the future is As Everything Unfolds.

As Everything Unfolds are:

Charlie Rolfe - Vocals
Adam Kerr - Guitar
Owen Hill - Guitar
George Hunt - Bass
Jon Cassidy - Synth
Jamie Gowers - Drums

For more information:
https://www.facebook.com/AsEverythingUnfolds
https://twitter.com/aeuofficial
https://www.instagram.com/aeuofficial/
https://www.musicglue.com/aseverythingunfolds/

Within Each Lies The Other tracklisting:

1. On The Inside
2. Take Me There
3. Wallow
4. Stranger In The Mirror
5. I'm Not The Only One
6. Grayscale
7. Stay
8. Let Me Go
9. Hiding From Myself
10. One Last Time
11. Wither

London metal trio Urne have unveiled new single 'Desolate Heart' and announced debut album Serpent & Spirit, set for release on 25th June via Candlelight Records.

Stream 'Desolate Heart' and pre-order Serpent & Spirit here: https://URNE.lnk.to/SerpentandSpiritPR

Listen to 'Desolate Heart' on YouTube here: https://youtu.be/wQYNDhCYKSk

There is no single way that Urne describe their sound, it all comes back to one thing: heavy. There are shades of Metallica, Mastodon, Alice In Chains in there, hopping between sludge, tech-metal, doom, hardcore and anything else with a weighty heart.

Formed by ex-Hang The Bastard bassist Joe Nally and guitarist Angus Neyra after their former band called it quits, the pair already had a reputation for big, heavy riffs. Getting drummer Richard Harris on board in 2018, they gilded their new outfit with debut EP The Mountain Of Gold, which immediately marked Urne out as a formidable new metallic force.

Now, they return with debut album Serpent & Spirit. Heavier, wider and with an even higher ratio of killer riffs than the EP, it also comes with a weighty concept based around the central character’s struggle as he’s pulled between good and evil, darkness and light.

“I had a bit of a bad patch for a few months,” explains Joe, revealing the inspiration for the album’s lyrics. “I’m absolutely fine now, but I drew on those two months where I just wasn’t feeling great. I took that and wrote a story based about that. The actual track-listing is done like that film Memento, where it’s all in a different order. Maybe one day someone will listen to the lyrics and work out which order the story goes in.

“The album is called Serpent & Spirit. The spirit is the human experience, the serpent is the evil that tricks your mind. It’s about getting pulled apart and trying to find yourself within all of that. So it’s almost good and evil, and throughout the album it’s about a person getting pulled from the light to the dark.”

Due to COVID, the final parts of the album were written over Skype, before being recorded by Chris Fielding (Conan, Electric Wizard, Primordial) at Foel Studios in deepest Wales during lockdown. It was then sent to acclaimed producer Jens Bogren who handled the mastering of Serpent & Spirit.

Urne have announced a UK tour in support of Serpent & Spirit. Catch them on the following dates:

Wed 7th July - Bournemouth - Anvil
Thu 8th July - London - The Black Heart
Fri 9th July - Birmingham - Dead Wax
Sat 10th July - Manchester - Star & Garter

Urne online:

https://www.facebook.com/urneband
https://www.twitter.com/urneband
https://www.instagram.com/urneband

Track listing:

1 Serpent & Spirit
2 The Palace of Devils & Wolves
3 Memorial
4 Moon & Sky
5 Desolate Heart
6 Envy The Dead
7 Memorial - Sing Me To Rest
8 A Tomb So Frail