Andy LaPlegua (Combichrist) has unveiled his new solo project, LAPLEGUA, in which he reveals that emotionality can be an incredible strength. LAPLEGUA marries dark angular elements that emotionally transport the listener to the heyday of the goth / post-punk genre, and leaves existence behind.

Today he has launched new single 'I Will Heal', listen here: https://laplegua.lnk.to/IWillHeal

Andy LaPlegua comments on the project and debut single: “LAPLEGUA is my most personal musical project to date. It gives me the freedom to write exactly what I want, and express exactly how I feel. ‘I Will Heal’ sits very close to home. We all have gone through massive amounts of problems over the last year, and this song is one of many stories of my own personal mental health.”

The release of 'I Will Heal' recalls his origins in Icon of Coil, but less electronic, and creates a spectacular hybrid between alternative new wave post-punk and eighties goth-rock.

Andy continues: “I personally chose to call the music of LAPLEGUA “alternative” music, because that’s exactly what it is, and alternative to everything else I do, and an alternative to everything else out there. With inspirations from 80s goth rock, to Nick Cave and Tom Waits, I just let the beast in me completely free in the studio.”

Andy concludes: “’I Will Heal’ might be the first you hear of my new music, but there will be a lot more in the time to come.”

LAPLEGUA online:
https://istagram.com/andylapleguaofficial

Out Of Line online:
https://www.outofline.de/
https://www.facebook.com/outoflinelabel
https://www.instagram.com/outoflinemusic1995/
https://twitter.com/outofline

Danish technical metalcore quartet Ghost Iris have released their new single / video 'cold sweat', the third track released from their new album, Comatose, out 7th May via Long Branch Records.

Watch the video to 'cold sweat' here: https://youtu.be/-MtbnVU8T6E

Pre-order Comatose and listen to 'cold sweat' here: https://smarturl.it/ghostiris_comatose

Ghost Iris comment on 'desert dread': "Mankind can be devious. Sinners all, no one is perfect. But does judgment await, or does existence simply cease to exist, once the light switch is set to “off”? 'desert dread' is a song that explores the darkness present in us all, and what we must do to fight it. Life is cold and it’s a slippery slope."

Watch the video to previous single 'desert dread', featuring Mark Hunter of Chimaira, here: https://youtu.be/mnkYZmgsYtI

Ghost Iris have also announced a UK tour supporting InVisions. Catch them on the following dates:

10.12.21 – Leeds, The Key Club         
11.12.21 – Glasgow, The Garage Attic         
12.12.21 – Newcastle, Think Tank         
13.12.21 – Nottingham, The Old Salutation         
14.12.21 – Swansea, Sin City         
15.12.21 – Bristol, Rough Trade         
17.12.21 – London, Boston Music Room         
18.12.21 – Manchester, The Star & Garter         
19.12.21 – Birmingham, Mama Roux's  
      
Since the release of their critically acclaimed album, Apple of Discord, the band have made a name for themselves with relentless touring throughout Europe, the UK and Japan - touring with the likes of Dream Theater, Jinjer, After The Burial and Soen, and playing renowned festivals such as Copenhell, Rockstadt Extreme Fest and Euroblast. Winning over new fans every night with their intense and energetic performance, audiences around the world are hungry for the band’s return.

Gearing up for the release of their awaited fourth full length album, Comatose, Ghost Iris are building upon the sound explored on their previous album. Pulverising instrumentals, bleak lyrics, catchy and hard-hitting - Comatose is no exception to these descriptors, being their most visceral material yet. 

Ghost Iris are:
Jesper Vicencio Gün - Vocals
Nicklas Grønlund Thomsen - Guitar
Daniel Leszkowicz - Guitar
Sebastian Linnet - Drums

For more information:
https://www.instagram.com/ghostirisdk
https://www.facebook.com/GHOSTIRIS

Tracklisting:

01. (3815935)
02. desert dread feat. Mark Hunter
03. paper tiger
04. cult
05. former self
06. coda
07. ebb//flow
08. cold sweat
09. coma
10. power schism

Japanese folk metal pioneers Gyze celebrate their tenth anniversary with a new single /video 'Oriental Symphony', out now via Out Of Line Music.

Watch 'Oriental Symphony' here: https://youtu.be/dz62hGl8CI0

Stream 'Oriental Symphony' here: https://gyze.lnk.to/OrientalSymphony

'Oriental Symphony' is the third single in a series Gyze have released to celebrate 10 years as a band. On this single, the band combine the aggression of death metal, the energy and speed of power metal and the traditional melodicism of their native traditional music, into a nine minute epic.

Vocalist / guitarist Ryoji commented: "'Oriental Symphony' is 100% Gyze metal written by me! We used Gagaku instruments (ancient Japanese music), Erhu (Chinese strings) and this new song is a modern mix with a symphonic orchestra, far eastern folk and cinematic music,". On the lyrics he adds: "it's poetically old Japanese. We used many onomatope, like "KIRAKIRA", "YURA YURA", "HIRA HIRA", "SHIN SHIN", etc." He concludes: "We had to record this song in 430 khz because of the Gagaku Orchestra. Make sure to listen loud!"

Gyze combine traditional Japanese music with powerful metal to create their very own sound. Neck-breaking high-speed riffs, melodic guitar riffs and crazy solos are complemented by epic orchestral arrangements, Japanese instruments and a traditional folkloric style.

Gyze have earned their cult status through global festival appearances, a joint tour with Battle Beast and the release of three albums (including a Japan Top 10), various EPs and singles. Highly praised by the Japanese media, the band were recently the cover stars of BURRN! Magazine.

2021 will see Gyze push their metallic power and speed further than ever before, whist continuing to sharpen their exotic twists. Expect to see a lot more of Gyze very soon.

You can stream Gyze's album Asian Chaos and the previous singles here:

Asian Chaos: https://Gyze.lnk.to/AsianChaos
'Oriental Symphony': https://gyze.lnk.to/OrientalSymphony
'Voyage Of The Future': https://gyze.lnk.to/VoyageoftheFuture
'Samurai Metal': https://gyze.lnk.to/SamuraiMetal

Gyze online
https://www.facebook.com/gyzejp
https://www.instagram.com/gyze_official/
https://twitter.com/OFFICIAL_GYZE
https://www.gyze.jp/

Out Of Line Music online:
https://www.outofline.de/
https://www.facebook.com/outoflinelabel
https://twitter.com/outofline
https://www.instagram.com/outoflinemusic1995/
https://www.youtube.com/user/outofline1995

German prog outfit The Hirsch Effekt have released a music video for the title-track of their new EP Gregær, which is out today via Long Branch Records.

Watch the video to Gregær here: https://youtu.be/aBDrQ0B4SUw
Add to Spotify playlists here: https://spoti.fi/3rnq2On
Order Gregær EP here: https://smarturl.it/the_gregaer

"We wrote Gregær together as a three piece last year before our 'Corona-Tour' in Germany," says guitarist and singer Nils Wittrock. "Preliminary the writing process, we already chose to lay a fundament that would serve well and leave enough space for the upcoming orchestral arrangements of Anthony Williams. Lyrically, the song thematizes areas of conflict. On the one hand the personal resentment and frustration due to the Covid-19 pandemic and on the other hand the resentment and frustration over those forming in the anti-government 'Querdenker'-movement in Germany - a movement that either denies the existence of the virus or rejects the government measurements taken against it."

Bass player Ilja John Lappin comments on the new video: "The two chess players - who are the one and same person - symbolise the various parts of our society, that are trying to play off against each other. They gather together to play the game, knowing that in the end only one side will win. The video was realised by young filmmaker Fabian Schmidt, who had been keen on working with the band already in previous times. Fabian's wish was also to include the band, yet in a different way than in the classical 'full band performance'. In this regard he chose to merely film the two singers of the song in a huge, dark room - thus including them into the story of the video. The minimalistic art of the video and the steady camera work form a counterpole to the hectically driving nature of the music."

The experimental trio present a completely new perspective of their musical work with the Gregær EP. Together with 17 young classical musicians from Hannover, Germany, the band recorded orchestral versions of their songs ‘Natans’, ‘Domstol’ and ‘Kollaps’, as well as the brand-new song ‘Gregær’. All tracks have been newly arranged for this project by composer Anthony Williams. These four recordings come together in the form of the Gregær EP, which will be available as a strictly limited LP version as well as stream and download.

The Hirsch Effekt are:

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

For more information:
http://www.thehirscheffekt.de/
https://www.facebook.com/thehirscheffekt
https://www.instagram.com/thehirscheffekt
https://www.youtube.com/thehirscheffekt

Tracklisting:

1 Natans - orchestral version
2 Domstol - orchestral version
3 Kollaps - orchestral version
4 Gregær - orchestral version

Photo Credit: David Muir

Tijuana Bibles have announced their highly anticipated debut album Free Milk, due for release on 3rd September 2021 via 7 West Music. The band have also released their new single 'Human Touch', which was Jack Saunders' 'Next Wave' on BBC Radio 1's Indie Show last night.

Check out the video for 'Human Touch' here: https://youtu.be/v7sccCsO-ko

Tijuana Bibles are a lit match in an otherwise dark world, their hellacious single 'Stateless' (released in November 2020) igniting a spark against despondency. Now, Tijuana Bibles return to a much darker state of affairs in the United Kingdom with new single 'Human Touch'.

Taken from their upcoming debut album, Free Milk, 'Human Touch' is the sound of sheer gut feeling put to tape. It encapsulates our collective mass deprivation of each other. It is visceral, unfiltered and above all things, human.

Speaking of the new single and the announcement of Free Milk, vocalist Tony Costello says:

"Human Touch is about being disengaged from myself and others. Standing on a travelator, passing through all the fuzz and white noise of the city, and coming out the other side without noticing. It was written just as lockdown came in, probably from an anxious vantage point - heightened and dramatised lyrically - but as the year unfolds, it has become true to life.

"From the gutter, to the highest skyscrapers of our imagination, through the pounding noise of dystopian Britain, swimming in subconscious, displaced memories, in a life fragmented - all roads lead back to the human condition. Everything we do has a propulsive energy, 'momentum' was our mantra in the studio. We want the album to be transportive, we want you to lose yourself and come out the other side feeling different in some way."

Signing to 7 West Music in late 2020, previous single 'Stateless' was the first piece of new material from Tijuana Bibles since 2017’s 'Pariah', which landed in IBERO 909 - Mexico’s biggest rock radio station - top 5 tracks of the year. 'Stateless' continued to impress, with support from Jack Saunders (BBC Radio 1), Alex Baker (Kerrang! Radio), John Kennedy (Radio X) and Amazing Radio, where the single hit the Number 1 spot on the station's Chart Show.

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/

Unique Leader has announced the signing of American Blackened-Death band Worm Shepherd. Their debut album In The Wake Ov Sòl is available to stream now, with physical release on CD and Vinyl coming June 4th. 

Pre-order and save here - https://orcd.co/inthewakeovsol

The band have also revealed their first single from the record, 'Chasm Dweller'.

Watch the visualiser for 'Chasm Dweller' here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5KpQG92N-xk 
Add to your Spotify playlists here: https://spoti.fi/3rk6aMd

Worm Shepherd commented: "We are extremely excited and proud to be a part of the Unique Leader roster.  A huge thank you to Jamie Graham and his team at the label for giving us this opportunity. We have all admired Unique Leader's lineup for a while now and to included in such an amazing group of bands and people is unbelievable. We look forward to working with them all and putting out the best music that we can."

Hailing from Massachusetts, USA, Worm Shepherd have a resolute affinity for all things oppressive and atmospheric. Packed within the ten tracks of their debut album In The Wake Ov Sòl is a blend of relentless black metal unearthly howls of pain painted against a backdrop of tech-death and slam interludes, haunting symphonic elements, incendiary blasts and primal growls that could summon the dead from the gates of Hades. It's a potent and bold mix.

From the outset Worm Shepherd align themselves with the heavy hitters of the genre, with guest spots on the album including Alex Koehler of Chelsea Grin, David Simonich of Signs of the Swarm and Adam Mercer of A Wake in Providence.

Worm Shepherd are:
Vocals | Devin Duarte
Guitars | Brandon Cooper
Guitars | Ryan Ibarra
Guitars | Tre Purdue
Drums | Leo Worrell McClain

For more Worm Shepherd info:
Facebook || Bandcamp || Spotify || Instagram || Youtube

In The Wake Ov Sòl Tracklist:

1: Accursed (feat. Alex Koehler of Chelsea Grin)
2: In the Wake Ov Sòl
3: Ragnarok
4: Wretchedness Upon the Gates (feat. David Simonich of Signs of the Swarm)
5: The Emptiness Between Stars
6: The Frozen Lake
7: Aether
8: Loathe
9: The Crimson Moon Unwithered (feat. Adam Mercer of A Wake in Providence)
10: Chasm Dweller

Rock quartet CEVILAIN have released a lyric video for their new single 'Wars', featuring Adam Gontier (Saint Asonia, ex-Three Days Grace). Taken from the band's upcoming debut album VERSUS, 'Wars' sees CEVILAIN at their finest and sows the seeds for them to take their place on the world stage.

Check out the lyric video for 'Wars' here: https://youtu.be/cqx4BFT1kxQ

Much like a storm, CEVILAIN has swept onto the scene and left a poignant and lasting impression. Inspired by titans of the genre - Breaking Benjamin, Chevelle and Thrice - CEVILAIN channel their creative energies into captivating tracks, the impact of which is only surpassed by the band's energetic live performance and their ability to engage their audience. Members Cliff Menzies (vocals/guitar), Joel Lefebvre (lead guitar), Eddy Fox (bass) and Andrew Parmelee (drums) give every ounce of themselves night in and night out, which has previously secured them slots supporting Palaye Royale, Adam Gontier (Saint Asonia, ex-Three Days Grace), Jeff Martin (The Tea Party), Crown Lands, One Bad Son, Ritchie Kotzen (Mr. Big), Bif Naked and more.

The band's creative energy is no more evident than on their 2020 release, On Death & Dying, a concept EP based on the Kübler-Ross model, better known as the 'Five Stages of Grief', with each track highlighting one of the stages (Denial, Anger, Bargaining, Depression, and Acceptance). Since its release in March 2020, On Death & Dying has garnered over 500,000 streams, with multiple tracks receiving airplay across rock radio and featuring on official Spotify and Apple Music playlists. The EP also features 'How It Ends', CEVILAIN's most successful single to date with over 300,000 streams.

2021 looks to be an incredible follow-up year for CEVILAIN. In January, the band released 'Cure', the first single from their upcoming debut album VERSUS, which quickly gained attention from the band's heavily invested fanbase. Now, CEVILAIN continue to build that momentum with the hard-hitting 'Wars'.

For more information:
https://www.cevilain.com
https://www.instagram.com/cevilaintheband
https://www.facebook.com/cevilain
https://www.youtube.com/c/CeVILAINBand/videos

UK grime-metal quintet Hacktivist have announced their eagerly anticipated new album, Hyperdialect, due for release on 18th June 2021 via UNFD. The band have also released a video for their brand new single 'Planet Zero'.

Check out the video for 'Planet Zero' here: https://youtu.be/zcjxxoJ8BHU

Stream 'Planet Zero' and pre-order Hyperdialect here: https://unfd.lnk.to/hyperdialect

Co-vocalist J. Hurley comments: "Look at the state of the planet at the moment and people are still ignoring it. It doesn’t make sense. There are all these homeless people on the streets, but there’s all this land and enough food to go around for everyone.”

Co-vocalist Jot Maxi adds: "There are so many things wrong with the way humanity is. We’re self-destructive and everybody knows it. It’s in a lot of films, especially in science fiction. But that dark future is no longer fiction and it’s very clear that we’re on a downwards path. If I buy a bottle of something to drink, it’s going to be sold in plastic and I’m going to feel guilt about that. Take a look at any city around the world – there’s so much opulence and grandeur on show, but look closely enough and you’ll find people living on the streets, homeless. Where is this going? There are islands of plastic bottles in the sea now, but we only have this one planet. It’s mad. It’s all tilting downwards, and into the mouth's of the rich."

The news of Hyperdialect follows Hacktivist's exhilarating return in 2020 with their single 'Armoured Core', featuring rising artist Kid Bookie, which saw support from Radio 1's Future Artists with Jack Saunders, the Radio 1 Rock Show, Kerrang! Radio and more.

Check out 'Armoured Core' featuring Kid Bookie here: https://youtu.be/kuN7AbgZzao

Hacktivist will bring Hyperdialect to life on stage later this year, having been confirmed to appear at RADAR Festival in July, Bloodstock in August and Slam Dunk Festival in September, with more dates to follow.

Question everything. Consider your sources. Be wary of ulterior motives, insidious media narratives and even your own unconscious bias. Trust sparingly and try to make smart, informed choices. As the world slides further into ruin at the behest of old, rich white men ruling with catastrophic, zero-sum thinking, it’s more important than ever to be vigilant and fight back against the forces that be who seem hell-bent on creating a dystopian future for us all.

Luckily, Hacktivist are back to help cut through the noise and bullshit, tooled-up and ready to attack with renewed vigour and reinforced ranks; with Jot Maxi and J. Hurley now sharing the vocal and lyrical load, drummer Rich Hawking and bassist Josh Gurner bringing the beats and rhythms, and guitarist and production don James Hewitt fleshing out the group’s genre-fluid muscle. With a brand new album in the works, scheduled for release in 2021, Hewitt played a very active role in Hacktivist's writing and recording process, bringing a new and compelling dynamic to the table.

In 2016, when Hacktivist initially set sights on their enemies with debut album Outside The Box, the world wasn’t fully equipped to heed their warnings and pay attention to its timely rallying cries. They return into a very different one, however – a world that’s sadly now all-too-finely-attuned to the horrors they first forecasted four years ago. In the wake of a global pandemic that has sharpened collective senses and exposed the systematic flaws across society, these should be times primed and ready for the truth-bombs that Hacktivist are about to drop. But recent hardships only amplify the band’s messages – these dispatches from the edge were written way before a virus brought humanity to its knees.

If all of that sounds grim and miserable, fear not, because Hacktivist aren’t here for unhelpful told-you-so's or sensationalist scaremongering. What use would holding a mirror up to all of this ugliness be if there weren’t some lessons to learned from the reflection, or at least to offer even the faintest glimmers of hope? "It’s becoming clear that we are on the brink of some type of revolution," says Jot Maxi, with no small dose of conviction or optimism. "Hacktivist are here to bring truth and positivity – the silver lining of a society clouded in poisonous fear. Hacktivist also represents a voice that isn’t afraid of saying what needs to be said. We’re already living in the future. We have the choice to either be shaped by it or to stand up and shape it ourselves. Which path will you take?”

It was with those battle lines clearly drawn and ambitions duly set that Hacktivist entered into the creation of Hyperdialect. Starting almost two years ago and developing on the acerbic sonic filth introduced by 2019 singles 'Reprogram' and 'Dogs Of War', the five-piece felt fired up by their new working dynamic and the collective process involved, with each member actively encouraged to contribute ideas until the best outcome was reached. Unusually, for such a group of bloody-minded insurrectionists, this democratic approach worked wonders – a testament to how much they were all on the same page on these 12 tracks. Aside from guest spots from rapper Kid Bookie on the monstrous Armoured Core and Betraying The Martyrs’ Aaron Matts lending his vocal talents to the title-track, this was all Hacktivist: no filter, no frills, and no holding back.

For more information:
https://www.hacktivist.uk.com
https://www.facebook.com/Hacktivistband/
https://twitter.com/hacktivistuk
https://www.instagram.com/hacktivistuk

Hyperdialect tracklisting:

1. Anti-Emcees
2. Luminosity
3. Lifeform
4. Armoured Core (feat. Kid Bookie)
5. Turning Tables
6. Currency
7. Hyperdialect (feat. Aaron Matts)
8. Dogs Of War
9. Ultima Dies
10. Planet Zero
11. How Dare You Exist
12. Reprogram

Northern England's most ferocious metal band, Osiah, return with their long-awaited new LP.

Loss will be released 7th May via Unique Leader and can be pre-ordered here: https://orcd.co/loss

The band are also streaming their monstrous new single 'The Eye of The Swarm', featuring Shadow of Intent's Ben Duerr.

Listen here: https://youtu.be/kzNXGY21VFA

Osiah comment:

"Loss is Osiah’s darkest record to date, combining the monolithic misery of our debut record Terror Firma, with a more matured technicality first showcased in our sophomore; Kingdom of Lies.

"This record is the truest representation of Osiah to date, unhindered by linear concepts and wrote from a place of emotion instead.

"Featuring a new line up; Loss will cater to those familiar with our aggression, and also allow new listeners to be shown a raw unfiltered version of who we are, before they have an opportunity to witness our previous efforts.

"Osiah is stronger, faster, and more punishing than ever before, and we’ve called in our good friends Ben Duerr (Shadow of Intent) and Jason Evans (Ingested) to ensure the gears constantly step up throughout the album, not a single second of this record went to waste and we are excited to finally unleash this conduit of brutality."

Hailing from the extreme music melting pot that is the North East of England, Osiah have made a name for themselves transcending the deathcore label with their trademark hideous, grisly, torturous barrage of filth.

Recognising that 2021 has not yet been punishing enough, the band have returned with their sickeningly heavy new record, Loss.

Crushingly intense breakdowns and acerbic deathly chops are classic Osiah, with jarringly downtuned guitars, surprising tempo changes and unearthly vocals all bringing to the fore one of the UK’s heaviest sounds on record. It is this commendably mature approach that elevate Osiah to the realm of heavyweight, alongside genre-pushing greats Fit For An Autopsy and Enterprise Earth. Special guest features from Jason Evans (Ingested vocalist) and Ben Duerr (Shadow of Intent vocalist) only serve to highlight the band’s status further.

Having toured with Cattle Decapitation, The Faceless, and Distant, and cutting their teeth on the underground circuit, Osiah will only continue to make a name themselves – fully matched with their home on Unique Leader Records, the world’s heaviest label.

Osiah are:

Ricky Lee Roper - Vocals
Andy Mallaby - Guitar
Chris Keepin - Guitar
Carl Dunn - Bass
Noah Plant - Drums

Links:
https://www.facebook.com/osiahuk
https://www.osiah.uk/
https://uniqueleader.com/

Tracklisting
1. Realm of Misery
2. The Second Law
3. Paracusia
4. Queen of Sorrow
5. Temporal Punishment
6. Loss (feat. Jason Evans)
7. Terracide Compulsion
8. The Eye of the Swarm (feat. Ben Duerr)
9. War Within Our Walls
10. The Ominous Mind (Jaded Inside)
11. Celer et Audax
12. Echoes
13. Already Lived