Photo Credit: Patric Ullaeus

Dark melodic metal masters EVERGREY have revealed their new animated music video for 'Save Us', taken from their thirteenth album A Heartless Portrait (The Orphean Testament), released earlier this year via Napalm Records.

Demonstrating once again that their musical force and sophistication knows no limits, and unifying heavy prog, melancholic beauty and astounding visual storytelling, you can view 'Save Us' here: https://youtu.be/9t0xZh46_SY

EVERGREY frontman Tom S. Englund on 'Save Us': "'Save Us' is about us. It’s about you and I. It’s about how I see our minds becoming hostages in a world where painting optimal portraits of ourselves is more important than being who we really are. It’s about my observation of watching people around me who are feeling that they’re not good enough for the world, or for themselves. I’m afraid we’re lost, and I think we need to help each other to find our way back to what is important, to rediscover a true sense of self. As we, as artists, also contribute to content and social media as a livelihood, it’s about the paradox of being caught in a world which is hard to free yourself from. I can only wish that our music brings some balance to that equation."

In celebration of their latest album, EVERGREY will embark on an extensive tour throughout Europe this month, sharing their technical riffs, dramatic synths and vocal intensity live on the stages of the biggest European metropolises.

EVERGREY add: "We are FINALLY going on tour again! Finally coming to see all of our listeners and friends across Europe and the UK! Thanks so much for sticking by us through these last couple of years! You have proven that you are as eager to see us as we are to see you as the ticket sales are great! So for those of you who didn’t get your tickets yet, it’s time! Don’t be left standing on the outside!

See you very soon!

Tom, Jonas, Rik, Henrik & Johan!"

Dates:

EVERGREY - European Tour 2022
+ special guest: Fractal Universe
+ Virtual Symmetry

17.09.22 GB – London / 229 venue
18.09.22 GB – Nottingham / Rescue Rooms
19.09.22 GB – Bristol / Thekla
20.09.22 GB – Manchester / Academy 3
21.09.22 IE – Dublin / Voodoo Lounge
22.09.22 GB – Glasgow / Cathouse
23.09.22 GB – Newcastle / St Dom’s Social Club
24.09.22 GB – Birmingham / The Asylum

Purchase A Heartless Portrait (The Orphean Testament) here: https://lnk.to/AHP-TOT/napalmrecords

EVERGREY, led by founder, singer and guitarist Tom S. Englund, are known for wandering the realms of progressive and heavy melodic metal and painting sonic renderings with their 12 studio records released as of today. A Heartless Portrait (The Orphean Testament), the follow-up to the unit’s highly successful 2021 full-length, Escape of the Phoenix (which landed at numerous chart positions worldwide), reveals a 10 track mélange of which every note, every riff and every word seeps pure poetry – creating a ceaseless intensity that mesmerizes from the very first second.

The new album was recorded at Top Floor Studios Gothenburg, engineered by Jakob Herrman and produced by Tom S. Englund and Jonas Ekdahl, with mixing and mastering by Jacob Hansen at Hansen Studios (Volbeat, Destruction, Epica and many more), whereas the hauntingly beautiful album artwork was conjured by Giannis Nakos at Remedy Art Design. Nakos is known for creating artworks for acts like Oceans Of Slumber, Amaranthe, The Agonist and The Crown as well as merchandise for Morbid Angel, Suffocation or Cryptopsy – just to name a few.

A Heartless Portrait (The Orphean Testament) tracklisting:

1. Save Us
2. Midwinter Calls
3. Ominous
4. Call Out the Dark
5. The Orphean Testament
6. Reawakening
7. The Great Unwashed
8. Heartless
9. Blindfolded
10. Wildfires

A Heartless Portrait (The Orphean Testament) impresses with flawless, meticulous production that deftly depicts both heartfelt honesty and scorching metallic intensity, while its instrumental force of furious, technically driven riffs, skyrocketing solos and dramatic synths merges with the expert, brooding vocal performance of Englund – one of the most distinctive vocalists in metal. He skilfully balances harsh and heavy tones with an inarguably soulful approach, all topped by melancholic, thought-provoking lyricism that digs deeper with every spin, leaving a long-lasting impact. Songs like 'Midwinter Calls', which also contains fan participation with atmospheric audience recordings from the band’s latest tour through Sweden, and 'The Great Unwashed', draw the listener in with grooving, glistering instrumentation, flowing between boisterous dynamics and a next level vocal performance, while emotive 'Wildfires' turns the volume down as a goosebump-worthy ballad that hurts and heals all at once. 'Call Out The Dark' begins atmospherically with accented keys, suddenly evolving into an intense opus of symphonic and power metal attributes in the blink of an eye, whereas the record’s longest track, 'The Orphean Testament', impresses by revealing its heaviest facet. A sensitive introduction lures the listener into 'Heartless', and offers one of the album’s most engaging verses, followed by a hauntingly beautiful chorus and variety in pace to create a magnificent listening experience.

EVERGREY are:
Tom S. Englund - Vocals, Guitar
Henrik Danhage - Guitar
Rikard Zander - Keyboard
Jonas Ekdahl - Drums
Johan Niemann - Bass

EVERGREY online:
Website
Facebook
Instagram
Napalm Records

A Heartless Portrait (The Orphean Testament) will be available in the following formats:
• Deluxe Box (incl. Canvas, Pendant, Liner Notes on Pergament Paper) – limited to 500 copies
worldwide
• 2LP Gatefold “Die Hard” Marbled Red/Black (incl. Slipmat + 7inch (black) w/ 2 exclusive
Bonus Tracks) – limited to 500 copies worldwide
• 2LP Gatefold Glow in the Dark – limited to 500 copies worldwide
• 2LP Gatefold Black
• 2LP Gatefold Gold – Band exclusive, limited to 300 copies worldwide
• CD Digisleeve
• Digital Album

UK progressive metal juggernauts, Exist Immortal, have streamed a guitar play-through of current single 'Flare', performed live at Jackson Guitars. The track is taken from the quintet's upcoming full-length, self-titled album due 14th October via Seek and Strike.
 

Watch Mikey Gee and Kurt Valencia's impressive guitar wizardry in the 'Flare' play-through here: https://youtu.be/FCeHXWUujg8

Stream here: https://tinyurl.com/EXIMspotify 

Exist Immortal is a huge leap forward for the ever-evolving prog metallers, showcasing their inventive approach to song writing and world-class technical skill. The album also features some very special guests; vocalists: Joe Rosser (Sikth), Dilan Alves (Harbinger), Luke Griffin (Acrania, Human Error and more), as well as guitar virtuoso Moray Pringle.

On the upcoming full-length album, the band comment: 

"We are very excited to present our latest, self-titled, full length album. For us this is a culmination of a lot of work, building and evolving. We bring back a lot of the heavier elements from our older releases while keeping a lot of the aesthetics and layers from Triptych. As musicians we have always struggled with where to place ourselves amongst our peers and always written music we wanted to make over intentionally fitting into existing trends. We feel that this album is by far our most accomplished and self-assured record to date, reincorporating harsh vocals while exploring new territory on the guitar side of things."

The band have have also unveiled the album track-listing and cover art:

Track-listing:

1. Behind the Eyes (Ft. Joe Rosser)
2. Signal Fire (Ft. Moray Pringle)
3. Flare
4. Shelter
5. White Noise
6. Yours to Define
7. All the Same
8. On the Wire ft. (Dilan Alves)
9. Trapped Inside
10. Emerge
11. Casting Eyes (Ft. Luke Griffin)

Watch the previously released music video 'Flare' here: https://youtu.be/NkYaM85u8fg

Exist Immortal will be embarking on a string of UK-based tour dates, including a headline set in Camden's intimate Black Heart on release day.

Full tour dates below:
14.10 - London, Black Heart
26.10 - Bristol, Crofters Rights
27.10 - Sheffield, Corporation
28.10 - Newcastle, Head Of Steam
29.10 - Birmingham, Scruffy Murphy’s
30.10 - Southampton, Suburbia

Hailing from the Southeast of England, Exist Immortal combine metalcore and technical metal with pop influences. Having spent the last few years touring across the UK and Europe developing their sound and growing their fanbase, they’ve left a lasting impact on their audiences with their powerful live shows. Fresh off their recent headline performance at UK Tech Fest (UK) and other appearances at the likes of Metaldays (SLOV), Euroblast (GER), Maximum Rock (ROM) and tours with high profile acts such as Sikth, Textures and Landmvrks, Exist Immortal are ready to release their follow up to 2021’s three-part release Triptych. Released on Seek and Strike Records, Triptych received much critical acclaim including parts two and three being nominated for Progspace EP of the Year 2021, cementing the band as one of the hottest acts in the progressive metal/metalcore scene.

Exist Immortal are:
Meyrick de la Fuente - vocals
Mikey Gee - guitars
Kurt Valencia - guitars
David Billote - bass
Charlie Bines - drums

Exist Immortal online:
https://ex-im.co.uk/
https://www.facebook.com/existimmortal
https://twitter.com/ExistImmortal
https://www.instagram.com/existimmortal

The ever-mercurial, boundary-pushing UK rock quartet Sugar Horse have released their new video for 'Disco Loadout', the first single from their thrilling new collaborative EP Waterloo Teeth.

Featuring members of Heriot and Mclusky/St Pierre Snake Invasion, you can now watch 'Disco Loadout' here: https://youtu.be/Q1PfkWMbf40

Waterloo Teeth will be released 28th October via Small Pond, and features members of Heriot, Conjurer, IDLES, Biffy Clyro, and many more. In celebration of the news, Sugar Horse have released the first single from the EP, the aptly-titled 'Disco Loadout'.

Pre-order Waterloo Teeth here: http://listen.smallpondrec.com/disco-loadout

Of 'Disco Loadout', the band comment: "This song is more of a comedic idea, than it is actual music. This song is all about rhythm, so the guitar and bass parts are either playing all open strings at once, or muting every string at once. On top of that all strings were tuned to entirely random notes, so it’s just complete dissonance. The title comes from playing a show just before a club-night is about to begin and how quickly you have to remove all your gear from the stage."

Heriot's Debbie Gough comments: "Sugar Horse are a band I’ve always enjoyed going to watch after having first played with them in 2017! I’m very honoured to be on their track ‘Disco Loadout’ from this EP and it’s fantastic to see lots of other friends on the track list too!"

Mclusky/St Pierre Snake Invasion's Damien Sayell comments: "Sugar Horse are heavy metal for people who don't watch wrestling."

Full tracklisting:

1. Disco Loadout (ft. Debbie Gough, Heriot, vocals; Damien Sayell, Mclusky, vocals; Matt Loveridge, MXLX, cello)
2. Waterloo Teeth (ft. Dave Larkin, Black Peaks, bass; Will Gardner, Black Peaks, saxophone; Paul Tierney, Lonely Tourist, vocals)
3. Gutted (ft. Kate Davies, Pupil Slicer, vocals; Dan Nightingale, Conjurer, vocals/guitar; Brady Deeprose, Conjurer, vocals/guitar; Conor Marshall, Conjurer, vocals/guitar; Nuala Honan, vocals)
4. Super Army Soldiers (ft. Adam Devonshire, IDLES, bass; Mike Vennart, Oceansize/Biffy Clyro/Vennart, guitar; Connie Matthews, Wych Elm, vocals)

Waterloo Teeth is true demonstration of Sugar Horse's refusal to conform or sit still. A community-building, genre-hopping release, the EP sees Sugar Horse letting the good times roll. Recorded during the Christmas break at Small Pond studios, sleeping among the amps, the four-track record is the Bristol group's excuse to work with some of the coolest musicians on the planet.

Sugar Horse's most out-there music yet, Waterloo Teeth turns ideas on their head. Opening track and first single 'Disco Loadout' is anti-Sugar Horse - a band previously known for long, melodic songs, this song instead is as short and atonal as possible. In contrast track three, 'Gutted' is the everything everywhere at once song, from Shellac-style noise, to Sleep-esque doom, to Cocteau Twins melody and back.

It is apt that Waterloo Teeth is a celebration of the limitations of art. Humans are compelled to create, creation drowns out the madness arounds us as keeps us alive. Where there is release, there is constraint; where there is constraint, there is creativity. It is this circle of life that Sugar Horse thrive in - Waterloo Teeth is a beguiling and irresistible invitation to join the circle.

It's not for nothing that Sugar Horse have become known as a nonconformist band. Their previous EPs Druj and Drugs were acclaimed amalgams of doom, hardcore, stoner and punk, continued by acclaimed debut LP The Live Long After. A band who were due to tour with Black Peaks before the inevitable Covid disruption, and who have toured with Vennart and played ArcTanGent, Sugar Horse have received praise from Upset Magazine, Metal Hammer, Revolver and Kerrang!, among others.

Forming in 2015 as a trio in a flat in Bristol, Sugar Horse fully came into being in 2019 with the addition of Jake Healy on baritone guitar and keyboards. Seeking to break away from emerging trends in their scene, the band's emphasis on simplicity and down-tempo heft belies an impressive sense of self-awareness and maturity. In their own words: "I think the best art is formed when it's creators enforce rigid rules on themselves. Mondrian had geometry, Mark E Smith had his hatred for cigarette taxation and we have a complete disregard for urgency."

Stream the new album, The Live Long After, here: https://sugarhorse.bandcamp.com/album/the-live-long-after

Watch Sugar Horse live:

17th August 2022 – ArcTanGent Festival, Bristol
30th October 2022 – w/ Conjurer, Brighton
31st October 2022 – w/ Conjurer, Bristol
1st November 2022 – w/ Conjurer, Manchester
2nd November 2022 – w/ Conjurer, Glasgow
3rd November 2022 – w/ Conjurer, Leeds
4th November 2022 – w/ Conjurer, London
11th November 2022 – w/ Godflesh, Dublin
12th November 2022 – w/ Godflesh, Belfast

Sugar Horse are:

Ashley Tubb (Vocals/Guitar)
Jake Healy (Baritone Guitar, Keyboards)
Chris Howarth (Bass)
Martin Savage (Drums)

For more information:
https://www.facebook.com/sugarhorseruinedmybirthday
https://www.instagram.com/sugarhorse.are.awful
https://twitter.com/sugarhorse666

Tracklisting:

1. Disco Loadout (ft. Debbie Gough, Heriot, vocals; Damien Sayell, Mclusky, vocals; Matt Loveridge, MXLX, cello)
2. Waterloo Teeth (ft. Dave Larkin, Black Peaks, bass; Will Gardner, Black Peaks, saxophone; Paul Tierney, Lonely Tourist, vocals)
3. Gutted (ft. Kate Davies, Pupil Slicer, vocals; Dan Nightingale, Conjurer, vocals/guitar; Brady Deeprose, Conjurer, vocals/guitar; Conor Marshall, Conjurer, vocals/guitar; Nuala Honan, vocals)
4. Super Army Soldiers (ft. Adam Devonshire, IDLES, bass; Mike Vennart, Oceansize/Biffy Clyro/Vennart, guitar; Connie Matthews, Wych Elm, vocals)

Photo Credit: Joseph Varley / Dark Spirit Photography

Tech-death titans Xenobiotic have released their storming new EP Hate Monolith today, 2nd September, via Unique Leader.

The band have also streamed their new video for 'The Wretched Strive' here: https://youtu.be/1wbwMgZ8cc4

Order Hate Monolith here: http://orcd.co/hatemonolith

The band comment: "'The Wretched Strive' was written to depict the inevitable end state of the human world, the contempt and disgust for our rampant anthropocentric nature, the corrupt and hateful spiritual cancer that continues to consume our species, and the impending future of an unloved world."

Xenobiotic are a five-piece progressive death metal outfit from Perth, Western Australia. As the follow up to their critically acclaimed debut full length, Prometheus, Xenobiotic returned with their earth shatteringly destructive sophomore album Mordrake, unleashed globally through Unique Leader Records.

Mordrake found the group delving further into the band's unrelentingly crushing technical intensity combined with sickening, ruinous atmospherics that has garnered them attention across the world. The new album was a calamitous, almost uncomfortably bleak listen. With Mordrake, Xenobiotic have proven that they are a limitlessly extreme band and not for the feint of heart.

The group said of Mordrake: 

“This album is more than just an arrangement of music. It is our darkest secrets, our worst fears and our most vivid nightmares. It is everything that casts a shadow over us all."

The 11 track album was recorded and mixed by Matthew Templeman (Make Them Suffer, Voyager) with mastering by Simon Struthers at Forensic Audio. Artwork for the effort was done by Mariusz Lewandowski (Psycroptic, Bell Witch, Fuming Mouth).

Following the release of Mordrake, March 2020, Xenobiotic faced the most unfortunate of circumstance for a band, releasing an album at the start of the COVID pandemic. 

While it was a time where the band could not continue on its journey of devastating audiences around the world through touring, Xenobiotic did however sign a partnership with New York based leading international heavy music agency, Extreme Management Group, joining a roster alongside other icons of brutality Suffocation, Cattle Decapitation, Cryptopsy, Origin and more. 

During this time the band would not be stopped, continuing to write and record which has led to the band’s new EP, Hate Monolith. Mixed and mastered by renowned Cryptopsy guitarist and producer, Christian Donaldson (Ingested, Beyond Creation, The Agonist) with art by Giannis Nakos at Remedy Design (Suffocation, Evergrey, The Agonist) the EP continues to see Xenobiotic tear open ears with maniacal, emotive and progressive death metal brutality and expansive, darkened soundscapes. 

Xenobiotic ARE: 
 
Nish Raghavan – guitars
TJ Sinclair – vocals
David Finlay – guitars 
Toby Thomas – bass

For more information:

https://www.facebook.com/xenobioticau 
https://www.instagram.com/xenobioticau

TRACKLISTING:
1 Autophagia
2 The Wretched Strive
3 Nether
4 Pathos
5 Sever the Ties

Grunge rockers Marisa And The Moths have released their stunning new single 'If You Knew', the first in a new series of singles and first glimpse of their forthcoming second album.

Stream here: https://linktr.ee/marisaandthemoths

Watch the band live:

30/09 The Queen's Hall, Nuneaton
17/11 Half Moon, London

Marisa And The Moths (pronounced Muh-rees-ah) are one of the hottest unsigned rock acts in the UK right now. Their debut self-titled LP hit #66 in the Official Downloads Chart and has amassed hundreds of thousands of streams globally. One of the first bands to create high quality live streams at the start of the pandemic, the band have more than tripled their social media audience with their stunning performances.

Marisa And The Moths are a group who bring to mind the best hard rock and grunge bands of the 90s, all while adding their own modern twist. Led by the brilliantly mercurial and charismatic frontwoman Marisa Rodriguez, and ably supported by Liam Barnes, bass, the band have gathered a small army of supporters, even at this early DIY stage.

Since their debut in 2019 with 'Skin' they've rapidly garnered a following which continues to grow at pace. The band have been championed by Planet Rock and BBC Radio 2 Rock Show, Kerrang! Radio and Classic Rock Magazine; after completing two UK headline tours, Marisa And The Moths are heading out on their third tour this Winter 2021. Their second album is scheduled for release in early 2022, and is predominantly funded by their devoted fanbase.

For fans of Halestorm, Foo Fighters, Audioslave, Marisa And The Moths deliver a deeply personal sound, detailing Marisa’s struggles with anxiety and everyday sexism amongst other themes. The music is the perfect vehicle for Marisa’s voice, soulful and compelling, and her devastatingly powerful lyrics.

Watch previous videos here:
'Tied Up': https://youtu.be/Qn1UkTTYM8g
'Skin': https://youtu.be/YbpOGE4A6kw
'Needy' https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h8M1SQUM5pk
'Choke (Stripped)': https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZA7gtX1gP3U
'Slave (Stripped)': https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WWRwdxQYgpQ

Follow the band on Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3bUzFMP

See more: https://linktr.ee/marisaandthemothsband

Purchase Marisa And The Moths LP here: https://www.marisaandthemoths.com/

Marisa And The Moths are:

Marisa Rodriguez / Vocals, Guitar, Piano, Songwriter,
Liam James Barnes / Bass, BVs
Alex Ribchester / Drums
Alez D'Elia / Lead Guitar

Photo Credit: Tom Green

Post-hardcore quartet Polar have released their new single 'Gods & Heathens', out now via Arising Empire. The track follows the band's previous singles 'Everywhere, Everything' and 'Dissolve Me', which marked their return earlier this year.

Check out the video for 'Gods & Heathens' here: https://youtu.be/2PvJV-_xRIU

Stream/purchase 'Gods & Heathens' here: https://arisingempire.com/godsandheathens

Vocalist Adam Woodford comments on the single:

"'Gods and Heathens’ is about the abuse of power in the world we live in and how constant mistrust has turned us callous and cold.”

At the beginning of 2020, the music world came to an abrupt stop. For Polar, that meant a conclusive end to their unfinished tour alongside After The Burial, Spiritbox and Make Them Suffer, following their 2019 acclaimed album Nova.

Filled with a sense of uncertainty in a world turned upside down, Polar (Adam Woodford, Fabian Lomas, Gav Thane and Noah See) took to work on brand new material, with lyrics that delve deep within the self and a sound that treads new, experimental grounds.

Now armed with their hard-hitting new material, Polar are raring to take to the stage, after years of musical and personal growth behind the scenes.

Expect the unexpected.

Polar are:

Adam Woodford | vocals
Fabian Lomas | guitar
Gav Thane | bass
Noah See | drums

For more information:

https://www.instagram.com/polaruk
https://www.facebook.com/polaruk
https://www.tiktok.com/@polaruk
https://twitter.com/polaruk
https://www.polaruk.co

Chicago-based technical rock/metal quartet The Untold have released their brand new EP Thunder and Water: Act One. To celebrate the band have also shared a music video for their new single, 'Red Horizons'. 

Check out the video for 'Red Horizons' here: https://youtu.be/7bWsFvKDnZQ

Stream 'Red Horizons' and Thunder and Water: Act One here: https://linktr.ee/theuntoldband

The Untold comment on their new EP:

"Mental health, fear, hope and healing; these are the main themes of Thunder and Water. Each song tackles a different trial of resilience, with an emphasis on connecting with those that feel lost or alone under the weight of the human experience. No matter how alone we feel, there are always people that we can bond with through similar experience, or simply through compassion. It is these connections that help us disperse the weight that no one should need to carry it by themselves. The Untold aims to make those connections by sharing the experience of as many people as possible. Everyone has a story to tell that will help someone else get through theirs. Understanding and compassion is how we connect. For anyone wanting to have their story heard go to www.theuntoldband.com to submit."

It’s hard to pin the exact genre of Chicago four piece, The Untold. Falling under the gigantic umbrella of rock and metal, they aren’t afraid to blur lines and go wherever their music takes them. With heavy riffs, soaring choruses, symphonic layers and thoughtful songwriting, their music takes you on a rollercoaster of emotion and power. There is a rawness and a realness to the lyrics of The Untold. They sing about the brutality and the beauty of life, through the unique yet incredibly similar experiences of individuals. The Untold aim to bring a feeling of connection by making people feel both seen and heard.
 
Formed between the autumn of 2017 and spring of 2018, The Untold released their first single and continued to record their first demo EP, Stories of Life and Death. From 2018 to 2022 the band continued to write and develop a sound that took influence from each band member’s unique musical taste. From classic metal to tech death, hard rock to metalcore and prog, The Untold created a new sound of epic proportions. Released in November of 2020, 'The Abandoned' was the band’s first single since the release of their demo EP. As they finally started to gain some local traction in the city of Chicago, like so many other artists, COVID-19 halted their progress. That halt would not diminish their spirits though. Throughout 2020 and 2021, The Untold took the time to develop and write together as a unit for the first time, creating their best work yet. The Untold's new EP is ambitious, and will be released in two acts over the course of 2022 and 2023. 

The Untold are:
Luke Dupuis - vocals / guitars
Cole Dillow - guitars
Rob Runnels - bass
Alex Kennedy - drums

The Untold online:
https://www.theuntoldband.com/
https://www.facebook.com/theuntoldband/
https://www.instagram.com/theuntoldband/
https://twitter.com/theuntoldchi

Irish indie-punk five-piece New Pagans return with their new single 'Better People', a stunning blast of positivity - and the first glimpse of the band's stellar new era.

Stream 'Better People' here: https://orcd.co/betterpeople

As the music industry fights to return from the brink, New Pagans abandon chaos for a brief moment, in search of hope. 'Better People' celebrates our ability as humans to pull together, create communities, and look after one another - the band's attempt to write a song that uplifts, gives hope, and just says you can be better.

Written during the grip of socially isolated lockdown, 'Better People' began with singer and lyricist Lyndsey Mcdougall celebrating the joy of music with her children. Realising the playlist they'd created had an inter-generational hopeful appeal, Lyndsey and New Pagans set to writing their own new uplifting anthem.

'Better People' is the result - recorded in the Glens of Antrim in Ireland by the band and self-produced, New Pagans continue to expand their DIY position. A glorious listen, recalling elements of The Xcerts, The Menzingers, and Muncie Girls, it's a strong statement of intent from the five-piece - given that extra heft with a mix by Sam Petts Davis (Radiohead, Warpaint, Frank Ocean).

Following their European tour with Skunk Anansie earlier this year, New Pagans will bring their notoriously electrifying and explosive live show back to Europe to celebrate the new release, and will join English folk-punk heroes Frank Turner and the Sleeping Souls on four dates across Germany. New Pagans will also be playing Glasgow's Poetry Club on 8th September and London's Courtyard Theatre on 9th September.

'Better People' follows a stellar two years for New Pagans, following their globally-critically acclaimed debut The Seed, The Vessel, The Roots and All. Strong support from Stereogum, Kerrang!, The Independent, NPR and more helped mark the Irish group as a band to sit up and notice.

More information to be revealed shortly.

New Pagans are:

Lyndsey McDougall - Vocals
Cahir O’Doherty - Guitar and vocals
Claire Miskimmin - Bass guitar
Allan McGreevy - Guitar
Conor McAuley - Drums

For more:
https://www.newpagans.com/
https://twitter.com/NewPagansBand
https://www.instagram.com/newpagans/
https://www.facebook.com/newpagansband

The ever-mercurial, boundary-pushing UK rock quartet Sugar Horse have announced their thrilling new collaborative EP Waterloo Teeth.

Waterloo Teeth will be released 28th October via Small Pond, and features members of Heriot, Conjurer, IDLES, Biffy Clyro, and many more. In celebration of the news, Sugar Horse have released the first single from the EP, the aptly-titled 'Disco Loadout'.

Stream 'Disco Loadout' and pre-order Waterloo Teeth here: http://listen.smallpondrec.com/disco-loadout

Of 'Disco Loadout' band comment: "This song is more of a comedic idea, than it is actual music. This song is all about rhythm, so the guitar and bass parts are either playing all open strings at once, or muting every string at once. On top of that all strings were tuned to entirely random notes, so it’s just complete dissonance. The title comes from playing a show just before a club-night is about to begin and how quickly you have to remove all your gear from the stage."

Heriot's Debbie Gough comments: "Sugar Horse are a band I’ve always enjoyed going to watch after having first played with them in 2017! I’m very honoured to be on their track ‘Disco Loadout’ from this EP and it’s fantastic to see lots of other friends on the track list too!"

Mclusky/St Pierre Snake Invasion's Damien Sayell comments: "Sugar Horse are heavy metal for people who don't watch wrestling."

Full tracklisting:

1. Disco Loadout (ft. Debbie Gough, Heriot, vocals; Damien Sayell, Mclusky, vocals; Matt Loveridge, MXLX, cello)
2. Waterloo Teeth (ft. Dave Larkin, Black Peaks, bass; Will Gardner, Black Peaks, saxophone; Paul Tierney, Lonely Tourist, vocals)
3. Gutted (ft. Kate Davies, Pupil Slicer, vocals; Dan Nightingale, Conjurer, vocals/guitar; Brady Deeprose, Conjurer, vocals/guitar; Conor Marshall, Conjurer, vocals/guitar; Nuala Honan, vocals)
4. Super Army Soldiers (ft. Adam Devonshire, IDLES, bass; Mike Vennart, Oceansize/Biffy Clyro/Vennart, guitar; Connie Matthews, Wych Elm, vocals)

Waterloo Teeth is true demonstration of Sugar Horse's refusal to conform or sit still. A community-building, genre-hopping release, the EP sees Sugar Horse letting the good times roll. Recorded during the Christmas break at Small Pond studios, sleeping among the amps, the four-track record is the Bristol group's excuse to work with some of the coolest musicians on the planet.

Sugar Horse's most out-there music yet, Waterloo Teeth turns ideas on their head. Opening track and first single 'Disco Loadout' is anti-Sugar Horse - a band previously known for long, melodic songs, this song instead is as short and atonal as possible. In contrast track three, 'Gutted' is the everything everywhere at once song, from Shellac-style noise, to Sleep-esque doom, to Cocteau Twins melody and back.

It is apt that Waterloo Teeth is a celebration of the limitations of art. Humans are compelled to create, creation drowns out the madness arounds us as keeps us alive. Where there is release, there is constraint; where there is constraint, there is creativity. It is this circle of life that Sugar Horse thrive in - Waterloo Teeth is a beguiling and irresistible invitation to join the circle.

It's not for nothing that Sugar Horse have become known as a nonconformist band. Their previous EPs Druj and Drugs were acclaimed amalgams of doom, hardcore, stoner and punk, continued by acclaimed debut LP The Live Long After. A band who were due to tour with Black Peaks before the inevitable Covid disruption, and who have toured with Vennart and played ArcTanGent, Sugar Horse have received praise from Upset Magazine, Metal Hammer, Revolver and Kerrang!, among others.

Forming in 2015 as a trio in a flat in Bristol, Sugar Horse fully came into being in 2019 with the addition of Jake Healy on baritone guitar and keyboards. Seeking to break away from emerging trends in their scene, the band's emphasis on simplicity and down-tempo heft belies an impressive sense of self-awareness and maturity. In their own words: "I think the best art is formed when it's creators enforce rigid rules on themselves. Mondrian had geometry, Mark E Smith had his hatred for cigarette taxation and we have a complete disregard for urgency."

Stream the new album, The Live Long After, here: https://sugarhorse.bandcamp.com/album/the-live-long-after

Watch Sugar Horse live:

17th August 2022 – ArcTanGent Festival, Bristol
30th October 2022 – w/ Conjurer, Brighton
31st October 2022 – w/ Conjurer, Bristol
1st November 2022 – w/ Conjurer, Manchester
2nd November 2022 – w/ Conjurer, Glasgow
3rd November 2022 – w/ Conjurer, Leeds
4th November 2022 – w/ Conjurer, London
11th November 2022 – w/ Godflesh, Dublin
12th November 2022 – w/ Godflesh, Belfast

Sugar Horse are:

Ashley Tubb (Vocals/Guitar)
Jake Healy (Baritone Guitar, Keyboards)
Chris Howarth (Bass)
Martin Savage (Drums)

For more information:
https://www.facebook.com/sugarhorseruinedmybirthday
https://www.instagram.com/sugarhorse.are.awful
https://twitter.com/sugarhorse666

Tracklisting:

1. Disco Loadout (ft. Debbie Gough, Heriot, vocals; Damien Sayell, Mclusky, vocals; Matt Loveridge, MXLX, cello)
2. Waterloo Teeth (ft. Dave Larkin, Black Peaks, bass; Will Gardner, Black Peaks, saxophone; Paul Tierney, Lonely Tourist, vocals)
3. Gutted (ft. Kate Davies, Pupil Slicer, vocals; Dan Nightingale, Conjurer, vocals/guitar; Brady Deeprose, Conjurer, vocals/guitar; Conor Marshall, Conjurer, vocals/guitar; Nuala Honan, vocals)
4. Super Army Soldiers (ft. Adam Devonshire, IDLES, bass; Mike Vennart, Oceansize/Biffy Clyro/Vennart, guitar; Connie Matthews, Wych Elm, vocals)