[Photo Credit: Piotr Kwasnik]

The wait is over – international metal stars Alien Weaponry have returned with a vengeance, announcing the release of their fervid upcoming sophomore release, Tangaroa, out 17th September 2021 via Napalm Records.

Pre-order: https://smarturl.it/Tangaroa-NPR

The band have released their first taste of the mighty record with the album's colossal title track, 'Tangaroa'. Accompanied by a gripping music video, the track details the pressing theme of climate change and illegal fishing practices. Through raising this awareness, Alien Weaponry hope to support the important work and efforts of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society.

Watch the video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hcaRzDIg3KM

Lead vocalist and guitarist Lewis de Jong says about the track:
“We decided to write this song about how the ocean is being suffocated by humans and their waste. The ocean is an important part of my life, and it's important to protect it.”

Drummer Henry de Jong adds:
“‘Tangaroa’ is a heavy and angry message about how we are destroying the ocean with pollution and overfishing. The video ties in with this message, with us drowning in plastic conveying the struggle of ocean life.”

Since releasing their acclaimed debut Tū (2018), the New Zealanders’ kinetic presence and sound – combining elements of thrash and groove metal with lyrics in the native indigenous language, te reo Māori — has attracted throngs of fans and media supporters across the globe. As with their 2018 single 'Kai Tangata' – which has amassed more than 10 million views on YouTube and claimed the number-one spot on SiriusXM Liquid Metal’s “Devil’s Dozen” for 13 consecutive weeks – much of Tangaroa is immersed in the historical stories and cultural heritage of the Māori people.

In addition, Tangaroa details stories of personal struggle and growth, as well as crucial environmentalism topics.

Having achieved past and present tours and festivals with the likes of Slayer, Black Label Society and Gojira, and being hailed the “future of metal” by esteemed magazine Metal Hammer (UK) and voted by Revolver Magazine (US) fans as “one of the bands most likely to break out in 2021”, Alien Weaponry are poised to dominate with Tangaroa. The album coalesces Alien Weaponry's growing maturation with an undisturbed songwriting process, resulting in their most inspired, honest and informed material yet.

In addition to lyrics written in te reo Māori, many tracks feature traditional instruments, called taonga puoro, providing the tracks their own warrior-like attitude. Rhythmic, dynamic album opener 'Titokowaru' begins with determined rowing chants and depicts the tale of a famous war chief that challenged the colonial government in New Zealand and led a rebel army, backed by quick riffage and driving drums. Following standout 'Hatupatu', inspired by the harrowing, legendary tale of a de Jong ancestor facing off with a witch, is carried by frenzied guitars, spirited chanting and tribal-like percussion. While Alien Weaponry sourced inspiration from their culture and environmental surroundings while writing most of Tangaroa, the band also looked inward – drawing vision for other portions of the album from within. The album dives into some of their most effecting personal experiences, with English-language songs like the pensive 'Unforgiving' about facing self-loathing and insecurity, and the swirling, charging 'Buried Underground' detailing the aftershocks of drug abuse.

Accented by personal touches like its entrancing album art originally conceptualized from drawings by Lewis de Jong, Tangaroa is a massive next step for a band on the rise, encompassing all of the elements that make Alien Weaponry heavy metal’s most authentic rising stars.

Henry de Jong says about Tangaroa:
“The album is tied together with the message of ‘Tangaroa’ - the whole album is more a snapshot of the band’s brains during the writing process. We have also written songs that are about some of our first tūpuna (ancestors) who were here in Āotearoa (New Zealand). Hatupatu, who is very famous in Māori history, as well as Īhenga, who named a number of places in Āotearoa during his travels.”

Lewis de Jong adds about the album’s artwork and thematic details:
“The album is named after the track ‘Tangaroa’, and we went with this theme on the artwork. The album is drawn from some new experiences we've had as well as some ancient Māori tales. I think we have stepped things up from the last album.”

Bassist Tūranga Morgan-Edmonds also adds:
"This album's use of even more traditional Māori sounds and styles is a very exciting step forward for us."

Alien Weaponry on Tangaroa are:
Henry Te Reiwhati de Jong - Drums, Backing vocals
Lewis Raharuhi de Jong - Guitars, Lead vocals
Ethan Trembath - Bass guitars, backing vocals & lead vocals on 'Dad'
Tūranga Porowini Morgan-Edmonds - Backing vocals & guitar on 'Unforgiving'

Alien Weaponry online:
WEBSITE
FACEBOOK
INSTAGRAM
NAPALM RECORDS

Tangaroa tracklisting:
1. Titokowaru
2. Hatupatu
3. Ahi Kā
4. Tangaroa
5. Unforgiving
6. Blinded
7. Kai Whatu
8. Crooked Monsters
9. Buried Underground
10. Dad
11. Īhenga
12. Down The Rabbit Hole

One of New Jersey's most blistering metal exports, Cognitive, have released their eviscerating second single ‘To Feed The Worms’ ahead of their fourth album Malevolent Thoughts of a Hastened Extinction, on 16th July via Unique Leader.

Premiered via Decibel Magazine, you can now watch 'To Feed The Worms' here: https://youtu.be/Zz_XLSu4vTk

Pre-order Malevolent Thoughts of a Hastened Extinction here: https://orcd.co/Malevolent

Fusing together the best elements of death metal - groove, speed, brutality, technical prowess with forward thinking songwriting Cognitive have returned firing on all cylinders with their career-defining explosive fourth album Malevolent Thoughts of a Hastened Extinction.

Formed in New Jersey more than a decade ago in 2011, the technical death metal five-piece have earned a flawless reputation for their obliterating live shows and have toured worldwide with relentless fervour. Supporting the likes of Fit for an Autopsy, Rivers of Nihil, Through the Eyes of the Dead, Waking the Cadaver, Vulvodynia, Kraanium, Abiotic, Lorna Shore, Wormed, Artificial Brain and more. Critically acclaimed appearances at Maryland Deathfest followed by a full European tour including Deathfeast Open Air, trudging across Iceland, meandering through Puerto Rico led the band to truly become a touring juggernaut with one goal in mind, keep moving forward.

It’s this refusal to stand still that led the band to create their new album, the ungodly sounding Malevolent Thoughts of a Hastened Extinction. Ten tracks of pure visceral energy are exemplified by the monstrous raw emotion and aggression of vocalist Shane Jost, the fret-burning blistering lunacy and soulful solos of Harry Lannon and Rob Wharton, Tyler Capone-Vitale's thick basslines and the thunderous bludgeoning savagery of drum work from AJ Viana. This is the product of true heavyweights intent on emitting a vast wall of sound and determined to climb to the very top of the tech-death metal pile.

Recorded and mixed by Cognitive's drummer AJ Viana and mastered by the Grammy award-winning mastering engineer Alan Douches at West West Side Music (Converge, Dillinger Escape Plan, Chelsea Wolfe, Mastodon) the aim for the album was a clean but organic sound that slammed harder than ever.

The stunning and intricate album artwork was produced by Pedro Sena at Lordigan Art. The band sent Pedro the music and album title and gave him free reign to interpret the music into cover art. The result, a horrifying skull tornado filled with dying souls (zoom in or take a closer look here).

Now with the forthcoming release of their devastating new album Malevolent Thoughts of a Hastened Extinction, the band display more diversity and compelling songwriting mastery in their realm of extreme metal than ever before, proving yet again they are not scared to explore new concepts musically or explore new territory. The results demonstrate a band not f*ck*ng around, with an absorbing display of precision musicianship, outright savagery and cataclysmic ferocity.

Cognitive are:
Vocals - Shane Jost
Lead guitar - Harry Lannon
Guitar - Rob Wharton
Bass - Tyler Capone-Vitale
Drums - AJ Viana

More Cognitive info: Facebook || Twitter || Instagram || Spotify || Bandcamp

Track-listing:

01 - Eniac
02 - The Maw
03 - Arterial Red
04 - From the Depths
05 - Oroborous
06 - To Feed the Worms
07 - Malevolent Thoughts
08 - Tearing Tendon From Bone
09 - Destitute
10 - Of a Hastened Extinction

New French extreme metal powerhouse Naraka have launched with debut single / lyric video 'Cursed' and announced debut album, In Tenebris, out 8th October via Blood Blast Distribution.

Watch the lyric video to 'Cursed' here: https://youtu.be/EDNEcbHj3YA

Stream 'Cursed' here: https://backl.ink/147084089

Pre-order In Tenebris here: https://backl.ink/146972942

Guitarist Jean-Philippe Porteux (JP) commented on the single and launch of the band: "Today is the release of our first single 'Cursed' taken from our upcoming album In Tenebris, we hope you'll like it! 'Cursed' is fast and aggressive song, which is the perfect introduction to our band. Naraka is mix of many metal styles that will appeal to a wide spectrum of metalheads. Make sure to follow us to discover our music and universe; we have music videos many more surprises to come."

Featuring well seasoned players from the French scene, including ex-Dagoba drummer Franky Costanza, Nakara mix modern, death, thrash and black metal with symphonic flourishes. Mixed by Logan Mader (ex-Machine Head), debut album In Tenebris features vocalist Veronica Bordachinni on the track 'Of Blood and Tears' and Lindsay Schoolcraft (Cradle of Filth, Antiqva) on 'Mother of Shadows'. Artwork was created by Seth Siro Anton from Septicflesh.

Naraka will hit the ground running on the live front, with a debut tour confirmed with Fleshgod Apocalypse, dates to be announced soon.

Nakara are:
Théodore Rondeau- Vocals
Jean-Philippe Porteux Guitar
Pierre-André Krauzer - Bass
Franky Costanza - Drums

Nakara online:
www.narakaofficial.com
www.facebook.com/officialnaraka
www.instagram.com/naraka.official
www.twitter.com/naraka_official

Track-listing:
01-In Tenebris,
02-Cursed,
03-The Black
04- Of Blood And Tears
05-Dream And Wait
06- Antra Daemonium
07-Darkbringer
08-Mother Of Shadows
09-Sleeping In Silence
10- The Great Darkness
11- Compendium Maleficarum

Out Of Line Music are pleased to announce their signing of alternative pop-rock band True North. To celebrate, the band have released their brand new single 'Your Confession' featuring Sleeping With Sirens vocalist Kellin Quinn, marking their label debut.

Check out the video for 'Your Confession' here: https://youtu.be/475pRV2EXAo

Stream/purchase 'Your Confession' here: https://truenorth.lnk.to/YourConfession

Commenting on the signing announcement, True North state: "What drives us more than anything now is the desire to write and release music that is undeniably catchy and unique – music that we believe in and that we'd like to hear more of – and we believe that Out Of Line understands and supports this vision. We're beyond excited to be teaming up with a label that shares our drive and vision and, along with us, is eager to make a strong impact in the modern rock scene."

True North bridge the gap between rock, pop and electronic, combining their array of influences to create their unique and captivating sound. The band are building a solid fanbase through their honest approach to songwriting, resonating with music fans across the globe.

The band discuss their collaboration with Kellin Quinn: "Kellin was a blast to work with! We were happy to hear that he loved the demo and we couldn't be happier with his contributions to the song. He called me out of the blue after we first sent him the song because he had a bunch of really great ideas that he wanted to run by us, and he also wanted to make sure that he and Tim (our singer) could work together on some parts. That resulted in Kellin crafting a verse and a performance that we all really love and are excited about.

"Considering that a lot of our music is heavily influenced by artists like Sleeping With Sirens and other rock and post-hardcore bands that were very impactful on us growing up, it was really a no-brainer for us to ask Kellin Quinn for a feature. His voice is instantly recognizable, and we thought it would be a great fit for the song, while also paying homage to our influences as a band. What we didn't necessarily expect was for Kellin to contribute so heavily to the writing of the final lyrics and melodies that really helped craft the song into what you hear now. Simply put, 'Your Confession' wouldn't exist as it is right now without Kellin Quinn."

The band conclude: "We have been lucky enough to collaborate with some of our favorite artists and work with some amazing producers and engineers, and we're so excited with how these new songs are turning out. We can't wait to show the world what we've been working on, and given that the pandemic is starting to turn the corner, we plan on continuing this new chapter for the band by playing live and touring as much as possible."

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

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 trio Consvmer have released their new single 'In meinem Himmel' (In my Heaven), out now via Out Of Line Music.

Watch the video to 'In meinem Himmel' here: https://youtu.be/ro_UnJvb3Zg

Stream the single here: https://consvmer.lnk.to/InmeinemHimmel

Consvmer again tackle socio-critical topics in their second single, liberating themselves from musical boundaries, delivering a mix of progressive metal, beatdown, and metalcore.

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 their latest single:

"The song 'In meinem Himmel' (In my heaven) describes how the contemptuous view of our society can affect and change the human mind. Such as by looking at the being or character traits, cataloging the people, and excluding them from the wider community. As a result, mental illnesses can occur or some kind of obsession whereby humans feel a strong negative enthusiasm and an obsession for the killing of living beings."

The new Consvmer album Obsession will be released worldwide via Out Of Line Music in 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/

Resolve have released a video for their brand new single 'Beautiful Hell', out today (11th June 2021) via Arising Empire. While previous single 'Seasick Sailor' illustrated a different side to Resolve, 'Beautiful Hell' sees them return to their heavier roots.

'Beautiful Hell' continues to highlight Resolve's strengths, as crushing verses build to explosive, anthemic choruses, once again proving them ones to watch.

Check out the video for 'Beautiful Hell' here: https://youtu.be/PJiarX5Xt18

Stream/purchase 'Beautiful Hell' here: https://Resolve.lnk.to/beautifullhell

Resolve are a band that have been savouring every second of their journey so far and biding their time - observing, learning, building - and making sure that every single aspect of how they’ve wanted the band to function was fully realised before delivering it to the world.

Starting their journey back in 2016 after their previous projects parted ways and their intentions set on this being their forever band, vocalist Anthony Diliberto, bassist Robin Mariat and drummer Nathan Mariat have spent the last half a decade tinkering with the formula that feels the most suited to them. Making their first mark in 2017 with debut EP Reverie, before following with standalone single ‘Carmela’ in 2018, it wasn’t until 2019 that they felt truly at home in their sound.

That was in the form of Pendulum, a collection of three songs that not only represented the beautifully bludgeoning and densely expansive sound that was resting in the back of their heads, but also found them appearing on Spotify’s New Core, New Metal Tracks and Kickass Metal playlists.

Now is their time to show you what they have been working on - and it is quite the spectacle.

Resolve will support LANDMVRKS on their upcoming UK/European tour, joined by Glassbone.

The three bands took part in a live stream event earlier this month, check it out here: https://youtu.be/G9h3r-HtrFg?t=850

Tour dates:

11.10.21 UK Birmingham Asylum
12.10.21 UK Glasgow Garage Attic
13.10.21 UK Manchester Star & Garter
14.10.21 UK London 229
15.10.21 NL Arnheim Willemeen KZ
16.10.21 BE Aarschot JC De Klinker
18.10.21 DE Köln MTC
19.10.21 DE Leipzig Naumanns
20.10.21 DE Hamburg Logo
21.10.21 PL Warsaw Poglos
22.10.21 DE Berlin Cassiopeia
23.10.21 DE Essen Crowdsalat Festival *Landmvrks only
24.10.21 CZ Republic Prague Futurum
25.10.21 SK Bratislava Kulturak Klub
26.10.21 DE München Backstage
27.10.21 DE Stuttgart Club Cann
29.10.21 DE Trier Miez
30.10.21 DE Schweinfurt Alter Stattbahnhof
31.10.21 DE Göttingen Freihafen
01.11.21 DE Wiesbaden Schlachthof
02.11.21 CH Aarau Kiff
03.11.21 IT Modena La Tenda
04.11.21 IT Milan Legend Club
05.11.21 IT Verona The Factory
06.11.21 CH Martigny Sunset Bar

Tickets are on sale here: http://www.landmvrks.com/

Resolve are:
Anthony Diliberto | Vocals
Robin Mariat | Bass
Nathan Mariat | Drums

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

Russian celestial blackgaze trio TRNA have released their new single 'Shining (ft. Gaerea)', and announced their stunning new album Istok, released 3rd September via the fabled Candlelight Records.

Pre-order Istok and stream 'Shining' here: https://TRNA.lnk.to/IstokPR

TRNA want to take you on a journey. Not to their Russian homeland, but beyond that, to a place not on any map, where the trio’s dreamy “celestial blackgaze” can properly get beneath your skin and into your mind. With their fourth album, Istok, their first for Candlelight Records, they’re pushing even further into the unknown.

The band formed in 2013 in Saint Petersburg, following the breakup of similarly blissful-minded outfit, Princ Persii. Though not wanting to limit themselves to a genre, the tag of “celestial blackgaze” fit so well that it stuck – descriptive enough to catch their vibe, loose enough to have no walls. The band list artists like Wolves In The Throne Room, Panopticon, Amenra, Godflesh and shoegaze pioneers Slowdive as influences, but TRNA exist very much in their own otherworldly space.

Istok impresses with its vastness, its depth and its message. Recorded at Dobrolet Studios in Saint Petersburg and, in part, in their rehearsal space, TRNA wanted Istok to meditate on the importance of nature, and in finding an inner peace from which to get a viewpoint on life and the world.

“What is Istok? Istok is the place where all begins, where you go when you feel that you can’t bear your everyday life,” the band explain. “It’s the great nothingness where you find peace. It’s the salvation and relief. But to get there is a whole journey and it’s different for everyone."

“TRNA is always about nature,” they continue. “Of course we would like our music to speak for us and reading what people say about how they feel listening to it makes us believe that we manage to somehow get the message across.”

Across Istok, this takes many forms, from a more gentle serenity to cascading eruptions of black metal. The opening title-track bursts with glory and wonder, while 'Echoes of the Past' is a blastbeat-led rager, and the 13-minute instrumental 'Shining' is the euphoria after a storm. It all stems from the same purpose, and beautifully locks together to create an intense emotional journey.

https://www.facebook.com/trnaband

Istok Track Listing:

1. Istok
2. Echoes Of The Past
3. Shining (ft. Gaerea)
4. Burning Bridges, Shattered Dreams
5. Hearts Turn To Stone
6. Rebirth
7. Shining (Instrumental)

Distant have released an optic massacre of a video for the title track to their new album Aeons Of Oblivion, which is scheduled for release via Unique Leader Records on 11th June. The track also features the vocal savagery of Adam Warren from Oceano.

Check out the new video here: https://youtu.be/LqwTu014pMQ

Pre-orders: https://orcd.co/aeonsofoblivion

Ahead of tomorrow's album release the band are also streaming their new album in full via Metal Injection, listen here: https://metalinjection.net/av/full-album-stream/distants-new-album-aeons-of-oblivion-will-destroy-everything-around-you

The Dutch slam-hybrid deathcore six-piece comment: "'Aeons Of Oblivion', the title track to the album, is an important track for us. Bringing a beast out from hiding and into the light, we hold this track very close with Adam Warren on board. This song, 'Aeons Of Oblivion', captures the final conquest of Tyrannt Taglaroth, as written in our book The Rise Of Tyrannotophia. With the relentless assault of Adam's vocal feature and the punishing music to match - 'Aeons Of Oblivion' is sure to make your ear drums scream for help, help that will only come once you finish the album."

New album Aeons Of Oblivion wraps up the story of Tyrannotophia, the realm of the doomed and the sound of the world's damnation. This draws to a conclusion the final pieces of the fable which the band's previous releases Dawn Of Corruption (2020) and Dusk Of Anguish (2021) laid out. Distant's full-length album totals over one hour of tormenting hymns that deal with Tyrannt’s conquest and hunger for revenge. Featuring five new songs with guest spots including Adam Warren of Oceano and Kyle Anderson of Brand of Sacrifice, the result is a cacophony of carnage that unfolds throughout the whole record.

The new album is also accompanied by a stunning limited edition hardback novel: 'The Rise of Tyrannotophia' which has been co-written by the band's vocalist, Alan Grnja and bass player, Elmer Maurits.

Hailing from Rotterdam, The Netherlands and Bratislava, Slovakia, Distant have produced some of their most ferocious work to date with the announcement of their fourth release for Unique Leader. Featuring cover artwork by Calean Stokkermans (The Acacia Strain, Lorna Shore, Misery Index), Distant perform the dark hymns of the fallen kingdom for listeners to experience the atmospheric despair and the grotesque void to come. Since 2014 the band have bludgeoned their way across Europe, with the release of their first two EPs Slither (2015) and Tsukuyomi (2017). Recently joining forces with Unique Leader to release their debut full-length album Tyrannotophia (June 2019), Dawn of Corruption EP (2020) and Dusk Of Anguish (2021).

For more Distant info:
Facebook || Twitter || Website || Instagram || Youtube || Bandcamp || Spotify

Tracklisting
1. Pandemonium
2. Hellmouth
3. Temple Of Taglaroth ft. Mendel bij de Leij of ex-ABORTED
4. Aeons Of Oblivion ft. Adam Warren of OCEANO*
5. Graveborn
6. The Offering
7. Oedipism
8. Dawn Of Corruption ft. Jason Evans of INGESTED
9. Cryogenesis ft. Lochie Keogh of ALPHA WOLF
10. The Void
11. The Eternal Lament
12. Dusk Of Anguish ft. John Robert C. of THE LAST TEN SECONDS OF LIFE
13. Ritual I: Cyklus
14. Ritual II: Rakva
15. Ritual III: Vermilion Rivers
16. Ritual IV: Hull Of Crows
17. The Tyrannt’s Covenant ft. Kyle Anderson of BRAND OF SACRIFICE
18. Maledictus

Photo Credit: Stewart Baxter

UK five-piece and recent Entertainment One (eOne) signees Mastiff will release their ferocious new album Leave Me The Ashes Of The Earth on 10th September. 

Forged in 2014, Mastiff's unique combination of blackened sludge, grindcore, and powerviolence creates a bleak and chaotic atmosphere, sounding as if the spawn of Crowbar, This Is Hell, and Napalm Death composed an album inside the Lake Of Fire. The unrelenting, brutish curmudgeon aura of Mastiff can be deceptive however, as bright sparks of nuance and jarring adventurousness lurk behind every riff, rumble, and anguished, painstaking bellow stitching together a soundtrack suitable for betrayal, depression, self-loathing, and total despair, with winking, devilish glee. The bulldozing din of Mastiff is akin to the catharsis in setting something aflame just to watch it burn. 

Crafted in just five days at No Studio with producer Joe Clayton (Pijn, Wren, Leeched), the band’s third full-length, Leave Me The Ashes Of The Earth, is a misanthropic masterpiece. The sorrow-filled souls of every miserable cretin it reaches will stir in basements, hovels, pubs, and darkened alleyways. Conceived during a pandemic-enforced longest stretch between Mastiff records, the record paints on the band’s familiar canvas, but with a far larger palette than ever before. 

In advance of the record’s release, Mastiff offers up the record’s savage first single and video, 'Endless', now playing at Decibel Magazine, you can also watch the new video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UhwZTIUDaKY

Comments the band on the union with eOne and video premiere, “It still feels like some kind of fever-dream that we’re working with eOne on our new record. Collectively, some of our favourite bands of all time have been part of this label, so it’s absolutely mind-blowing that we might be spoken of in the same breath as them. Since conversations first began with the team, they’ve been so supportive and enthusiastic about our grotty little band and the album we’ve made. We felt pretty sure that we’d made something quite special this time around and knowing that people with long and illustrious histories in the metal industry felt the same way - not to mention people who’ve worked with some of the genre’s biggest and best - it’s a pretty spectacular vote of confidence for five miserable miscreants from Hull.

“‘Endless’ is one of the earlier songs we wrote for the new record. It feels in a way like a microcosm of the whole album, in that it’s all over the place sonically yet somehow hangs together coherently. It goes from this shockingly anthemic -- if not quite melodic -- blackened opening, through a sinister chuggy bridge, and then ends in a chaotic, ‘90s-Converge-breakdown. Lyrically, it’s a bit of a meditation on the helplessness that comes when a human being becomes an emotional bargaining chip in a broken-down relationship. Typical jolly Mastiff fare, really. We’re so disgustingly happy with how the video turned out too. Our old mate and Hull native Stew Baxter helped us put together a grimy, raw promo that feels in part a direct homage to some of the early-‘00s metalcore videos that inspired us so much back in the day, and part like a CCTV feed catching a crime against music on tape.” 

Leave Me The Ashes Of The Earth will be released on CD, LP, and digital formats. Pre-orders available now. 

Mastiff will bring their odes of antipathy to stages this autumn on a short UK run with Calligram. See all confirmed dates below:  

Mastiff w/ Calligram:

10/26/2021 The Anvil – Bournemouth, UK
10/27/2021 Black Heart – London, UK
10/28/2021 Satan’s Hollow – Manchester, UK
10/29/2021 Opium – Edinburgh, UK
10/30/2021 SOAR – Nottingham, UK
10/31/2021 Record Junkee – Sheffield, UK

About Mastiff: 

A miserable band from a miserable town. Mastiff hails from a tiny port city called Kingston Upon Hull, founded by 12th-century monks, and bombed to the brink of obliteration during World War II. Over the years, spiraling social depravity, poor education, and crushing economic collapse pummeled the English town, rendering it dreary and inhospitable. Hull is the end of the road for many, literally and figuratively, as its geographical location ensures that it’s not quite on the way to anywhere. It’s a specific type of human-made hell in which some folks seem destined to die without ever having left. It’s also the kind of place capable of grotesque beauty where suffocated artists might thrive.

Thank heavens for Hull, then, because Mastiff churns out delightfully depressing missives of misanthropy. Determinedly swaying between harrowing bleakness and hateful immorality, Mastiff weaponises their world-weariness and wit with brutal sludge and volatile, raw, hardcore grind. If a festival featuring Napalm Death, Nails, Converge, and Tragedy somehow survived a “Hull Blitz” of the nuclear variety to emerge as a post-apocalyptic, five-headed beast? Its name would be Mastiff.

A pair of early EP outbursts summoned a furious fuzzed-out thunder, reminiscent of the sludgy bar room brawl rock favored in New Orleans, with shades of the darkness cloaking fellow English bands of the doomier variety. Wrank (2016) and the Bork EP (2017) furthered the despair and paranoia.

And then sophomore album Plague blew the damn doors down. Recorded live-in-the-studio in just two days, Plague demonstrated Mastiff's seamless shapeshifting from harsh noise to blackened hardcore and back again. The sludge still seeped from the foundations, like a foul stench from under the floorboards. Despite the raw recording setting, Mastiff somehow sounded more polished and less restrained at the same time. A slew of stark raving reviews from sometimes disgust-adverse tastemakers like Kerrang!, Metal Hammer, and Metal Injection symbolised Mastiff's momentum.

Mastiff put their open-wound sound and spirit on display at shows with Crowbar, Biohazard, Conjurer, Cult Leader, and Iron Monkey, among others. They’ve proved adept and capable at delivering devastating performances with a diverse cross-section of heavy acts and their respective audiences. Festival appearances propelled the band’s miserable might, deepening a nascent cult status.

Mastiff are:  

Jim Hodge – vocals
James Andrew Lee – guitar
Phil Johnson – guitar
Dan Dolby – bass
Michael Shepherd – drums

Mastiff online:
Website || Facebook || Twitter || Bandcamp || Instagram || Spotify

Leave Me The Ashes Of The Earth Track Listing:

1. The Hiss
2. Fail
3. Repulse
4. Midnight Creeper
5. Beige Sabbath
6. Futile
7. Endless
8. Scalped And Salted
9. Lung Rust