UK rock trio Black Orchid Empire have released a live session video for 'Motorcade', celebrating the release of their live EP, Live In The Studio, out today (16th April 2021) via Long Branch Records.

Check out the video for 'Motorcade (Live In The Studio)' here: https://youtu.be/tkDQNR3l_Co

Live In The Studio features one song from each of the band's critically acclaimed full-length albums. These ferocious performances showcase Black Orchid Empire's huge sound and machine-like tightness, as the three-piece thrive in their natural environment - the recording and rehearsal space that gave birth to so many of their monstrous riffs.

Guitarist/vocalist Paul Visser comments:

"Playing live in front of an audience is always an incredible experience, but much of our music was created in a more personal and isolated place. Filming three of our favourite songs in the room in which so many of them were written, thrashed out and recorded was an amazing experience which we we can't wait to share!"

Stream/purchase Live In The Studio here: https://orcd.co/boe_liveinthestudio

Black Orchid Empire create huge, memorable rock music that combines heavy-hitting savagery with intense melodic beauty. Their technical, fearlessly complex grooves and gigantic sing-along choruses have already earned them a widespread fanbase.

A ferociously tight live band, Black Orchid Empire have toured Europe and the UK extensively, most recently supporting Skunk Anansie on their sold out 25th anniversary shows, including Brixton Academy. These appearances, as well as previous tours with HED p.e, INME, Black Map and Ravenface, combined with festival slots at Download Festival, Standon Calling, Planet Rockstock, Camden Rocks and Taubertal, have sealed the band's reputation as a force to be reckoned with.

Black Orchid Empire are:

Paul Visser - Vocals, Guitar
David Ferguson - Bass, Vocals
Billy Freedom - Drums

Live In The Studio tracklisting:

01. Pray To The Creature
02. Come In
03. Motorcade

German trio Consvmer have announced signing to Out Of Line Music and have released their first single on the label, 'Für eure Tyrannen'.

Watch the video to 'Für eure Tyrannen' here: https://youtu.be/UiR0OmJzCpM

Stream 'Für eure Tyrannen' here: https://Consvmer.lnk.to/FuerEureTyrannen

Lyrically Consvmer tackle the darkest topics of our society in a socio-critical way. Musically, the band deliver a mix of progressive metal, beatdown, and metalcore, liberating themselves from any categorical boundaries.

Talking about their all unique style and approach, the band state: "We are a band that dishes out social criticism and thus create our own kind of music as well as our music videos, artwork, and merchandise. It is very important for us to remain artistically independent in everything we create. We are very proud to be a part of the Out Of Line Music Family!"

Consvmer comment on upcoming album Obsession: "The song 'Für Eure Tyrannen' (For Your Tyrants) is meant to make listeners more aware of the issue of tyranny, which is often practiced by power-mongering autocrats and manipulatively influences their followers. But we also want to convey to listeners in this way that the suffering of oppression, affects not only the victims but also the followers, and that the people who support such tyrants, in particular, are responsible for their own downfall."

The new Consvmer album Obsession will be released worldwide via Out Of Line Music late summer 2021.

Consvmer are:
Dennis Ackermann - vocals
Daniel Fischer - bass & guitar
Dennis Fischer - drums

Consvmer online:
https://www.consvmer.de/
https://www.facebook.com/ConsvmerOfficial/
https://www.instagram.com/consvmer_official/

Danish technical metalcore quartet Ghost Iris have released their new single 'cult', the fourth track released from their new album, Comatose, out 7th May via Long Branch Records.

Watch the visualiser for 'cult' here: https://youtu.be/3ZJuY2Nzc8Q

Pre-order Comatose and listen to 'cult' (from midnight) here: https://smarturl.it/ghostiris_comatose

Ghost Iris comment on 'cult': "There once were a number of people that laid themselves to rest, in order to 'graduate' to the next level. What happens when human beings blindly follow one other human being? It’s a song that dives into the dangers of not questioning everything and the fact that no one is above scrutiny, not even kings or queens. In a post-factual society, this is even more evident."

Watch the videos to previous singles:

 'cold sweat': https://youtu.be/-MtbnVU8T6E
 'desert dread' (featuring Mark Hunter of Chimaira): https://youtu.be/mnkYZmgsYtI
 'paper tiger': https://youtu.be/e8ZkOcG36bc

Ghost Iris have 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

German surf death metal sextet Stillbirth have announced a livestream concert on 7th May, which will see the band performing at Turock Club, Essen, Germany.

Performing tracks from their new album, Revive The Throne, which is out now via Unique Leader, tickets cost 4.20E (+fees), and can be purchased here: https://rockifi.com/stillbirth-unleash-the-mutation-live-slam

Watch the video to album title-track 'Revive The Throne' here: https://youtu.be/d2qs7RsCkCE

Stillbirth from Hagen / Germany were founded in 1999 by former guitarist (now vocalist) Lukas Swiaczny, and play a mix of death metal, grindcore and deathcore.

Revive the Throne features 11 songs and is the heaviest material in the band's history. You can expect razor sharp guitar riffs, pounding drums, a superb vocal arrangement and the first Stillbirth recording with two basses for maximum brutality.

Purchase Revive The Throne here:

https://www.indiemerch.com/uniqueleader (US)
https://www.impericon.com/en/unique-leader-records.html (Europe)

Stillbirth are:

Lukas Swiaczny - Vocals
Simon Stürmlinger - Guitar
Jens Strack - Guitar
Dominik König - Bass Guitar
Lukas Kaminski - Bass Guitar
Martin Grupe - Drums

More info:
http://www.stillbirthparty.de
https://www.facebook.com/StillbirthParty/
https://instagram.com/stillbirthparty
https://uniqueleader.com
https://www.facebook.com/UniqueLeaderRecords/

While the worldwide pandemic pretty much wiped out the music industry over the past year with its large gathering restrictions, Brooklyn, NY’s Life of Agony have been using their downtime to put the finishing touches on their upcoming full-length documentary The Sound of Scars. 

Watch the trailer here: https://vimeo.com/497610025
 
The project began two years ago by UK-based director Leigh Brooks and was filmed across several countries while Life of Agony were on and off the road. “This isn't a typical music documentary. It’s as personal as it gets.” explains Brooks. “I first saw the band live at the London Astoria in 1996. Since then, LOA has become an absolute go-to when I felt alone and insecure about myself. This film is an intimate portrait that sheds light on the real life stories that makes their music so vital and relevant.”
 
The Sound of Scars utilises personal archive footage, rare photographs and lost interviews, along with new, never-before-seen conversations with the band and their family members that tells the story of how three friends overcame domestic violence, substance abuse and depression to form one of the most influential bands in its genre. Through the success of their groundbreaking 1993 debut River Runs Red, hailed by Rolling Stone as “One of the Greatest Metal Albums of All Time”, they channelled their cumulative life stories into a soundtrack for a broken generation. At the time, that newfound fame allowed them to escape the tragedies of their pasts, but in the wake of their accomplishments, unforeseen obstacles arose. “We've completely ripped our deepest selves open for this film,” says guitarist Joey Zampella “The audience and our fan base will completely understand the mold we were broken from, and what this journey means to us."

The 90-minute film also takes a deep dive into lead vocalist Mina Caputo’s gender transition. “We’ve never avoided tough conversations and we don’t pretend to have all the answers,” says Caputo. “But, this film is a roadmap with many great lessons. It shows a ton of vulnerability... moments of falling downward and others where we rise strong. Enjoy this gift of imperfection. May you find the tools to be braver with this film."

Starting Friday 16th April, for a limited two-week window, Life of Agony fans will get the opportunity to stream a virtual screening of The Sound of Scars Director’s Cut along with other bonus material, including a Q&A discussion with the band and director on the making of the film, moderated by SiriusXM’s Liquid Metal host Shawn The Butcher. Tickets are available now for pre-order and part of the proceeds go to benefit two charity organizations: National Suicide Prevention Lifeline and All Out.

Visit https://www.soundofscars.com/ more details and tickets.

Premiere showtimes:
7pm EDT (4/16/21)
12am BST (4/17/21)

“When we first started LOA over 30 years ago, I don’t think any of us could have predicted the impact that this band would have on so many people around the world,” says Alan Robert, bassist for Life of Agony. “We got together as a way of saving ourselves, but ultimately, through the music and the brutal honesty of the lyrics, we ended up saving so many others along the way.”

Life of Agony’s most recent studio album, also titled The Sound of Scars, was released in 2019 to critical acclaim. It was named “Album of the Year” by The Aquarian Weekly and took the #1 spot on Metal Hammer’s (Germany) Best of 2019 List (Alt-rock/Punk).

Life of Agony online:
soundofscars.com
https://www.facebook.com/lifeofagonyfamiglia
https://www.instagram.com/lifeofagonyofficial

UK grime-metal quintet Hacktivist have announced a special one-off headline show to celebrate the release of their eagerly anticipated album, Hyperdialect. Set to take place on 29th July 2021 at London's Signature Brew, support will come from rising artist Kid Bookie who features on the band's single 'Armoured Core'.

Tickets for the show will be on sale from Wednesday 14th April at 10am BST, available here: https://www.hacktivist.uk.com/shows

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

Watch the video for recent single 'Planet Zero' here: https://youtu.be/zcjxxoJ8BHU

Hyperdialect will be released on 18th June 2021 via UNFD, and is available to pre-order here: https://unfd.lnk.to/hyperdialect

Hacktivist will also bring Hyperdialect to life on festival stages later this year, having been confirmed to appear at RADAR Festival, Bloodstock and Slam Dunk Festival.

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. 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

Photo Credit: Bjørn Tore Moen

2021 marks 30 years since the formation of extreme metal pioneers, Emperor. 

Formed in 1991, their game-changing debut In The Nightside Eclipse (1995) set the template for symphonic, bombastic, melodic black metal, whilst their follow-up record, Anthems To The Welkin At Dusk (1997) became an instant hit.

Emperor were a force to be reckoned with as underground, experimental and extreme forms of music twisted expectations throughout the end of the 20th Century. 

2001 saw the end of Emperor with their fourth album, the ambitious and labyrinthine Prometheus: The Discipline Of Fire & Demise. 

Scheduled plans for a celebratory concert have changed shape to suit to times; instead there will be an exclusive livestream event, aptly performed in the Notodden Theatre of their hometown, Telemark. 

The setlist will feature tracks from the entire catalogue, as well as very special guest appearances from original bass player Mortiis, who appeared on the Wrath of the Tyrant demo, As the Shadows Rise EP and Emperor mini album, and ex-drummer Faust, who appeared on the As the Shadows Rise EP, Emperor mini album, as well as the landmark album In the Nightside Eclipse.

Emperor frontman, Ihsahn, says; “2021 marks 30 years since the formation of Emperor. With the current state of the world, it’s been impossible to go ahead with scheduled plans. We now welcome you to join us in an exclusive streaming event. The show will take place at Notodden Theatre, 23rd of May.” 

Hosted by Munin Live, you can get your livestream tickets here: www.munin.live

‘A Night of Emperial Wrath 2021’ will take place on May 23rd 2021 @ 7pm GMT (8pm CET). 

EMPEROR online:

Emperor Official Website | Candlelight || Emperor Vinyl

New death / industrial / all-round brutal metal band ten56. have unveiled their debut single 'diazepam', along with music video, out now via Out Of Line Music. Fronted by Aaron Matts, the former vocalist for Betraying the Martyrs who announced his departure last week, ten56. deliver a new level of uncomfortably heavy.

Watch the video to 'diazepam' here: https://youtu.be/MJO76xE6qqE

Stream 'diazepam' here: https://ten56.lnk.to/Diazepam

Aaron has joined forces with members of Novelists FR, Uneven Structure and Kadinja to unleash their gut-wrenching sound that is sure to leave listeners in a state of despair. This is filth like you've never heard before.

Aaron comments on 'diazepam': "As is the case for all of the tracks on the record, it's been a true battle putting the thoughts I have into words on paper; the song's true meanings are there to be found inside the lyrics, and given the nature of the subject matters I don't feel super comfortable going too deeply into the gritty details. I've done my best to put it all out there in these tracks so I feel there's nothing left to say, plus therapists are expensive, hence the birth of ten56.."

On the formation of ten56. and upcoming plans, Aaron continues: "We've been working on this silently for over a year and have a lot of surprises all backed up and ready to go; I can confidently say that no matter what people's first impressions of our first single may be, they should not be hasty to form an opinion until they have heard the whole upcoming record, each single is going to a shock to the system, that I am sure of!

"As for the guys in the band, it's been a help being in the game for over ten years, it started with Arnaud, then together we hand picked from our close friends who we knew would be the perfect fit, and f*ck me we lucked out, everyone is so sick."

On the making of the 'diazepam' video, Aaron concludes: "S*it, hanging about in metal hangar until 5am in the winter time is as awful as it sounds haha, luckily the crew and company were real legends and the video turned out just how i'd imagined it, super gassed about it, stay tuned for the next one!"

"Cheers for giving us the time of day, if you're just finding out about us now; or if you've been following us individually for any amount of time then we owe you a huge amount of gratitude, thanks everyone."

ten56. are:
Aaron Matts – Vocals
Quentin Godet – Guitar
Luka Garotin – Guitar
Nicolas Delestrade – Bass
Arnaud Verrier – Drums

ten56. online:
instagram.com/ten56hq
facebook.com/ten56hq
twitter.com/ten56hq

Highly-rated German alt-rock quartet The Intersphere have streamed two new singles, 'Vagabonds' and 'Doublespeak', bridging the gap ahead of their long-awaited new album.

The 2-track single is two B-sides, taken from the band's acclaimed 2014 LP Relations in the Unseen.

Stream: https://orcd.co/theintersphere_bonustracks

'Vagabonds' is a self-deprecating look at the financial reality of being in a band, surrounded by infectious acoustic guitars and unusually positive melodies. The 2014 track now takes on an almost clairvoyant interpretation: what it means to make a living in a band like The Intersphere now has a completely new meaning in the context of Covid.

'Doublespeak', on the other hand, is an experiment for the band. Producer and friend MALKY provided the basis of the song in the form of an R’n’B beat, which The Intersphere made their own. Head voices, jazz chords and programmed drums show how far this brilliant alternative band thinks outside the proverbial box.

For more information:

https://www.theintersphere.com/
https://www.facebook.com/theintersphere/
https://theintersphere.bandcamp.com/