Photo Credit: Kate Demina

Progressive dark folk artist Marjana Semkina has announced the release her second solo LP - Sirin - on 31st May 2024 along with a Kickstarter campaign. She has also unveiled the first single 'We Are The Ocean' along with a stunning lyric video.

Watch the lyric video for 'We Are The Ocean' here: https://youtu.be/hR90R1oKC2c

Pre-order Sirin here: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/marjanasemkina/sirin

Known for her work as the vocalist of prog duo Iamthemorning, self-exiled Russian Marjana has forged a successful solo career with two critically acclaimed solo releases: her 2020 debut solo album Sleepwalking, and 2021 follow-up EP Disillusioned. Like its predecessors, Sirin is a journey of dark stories and fairy tales, told with Marjana’s uniquely captivating voice, on a foundation of detailed musical arrangements. However there is a prevailing darkness and grief, inspired by of Russian invasion of Ukraine, with the first single about by the protests.

On new single 'We Are The Ocean' Marjana comments: "This song was inspired by all of my Russian friends coming out to protest against the war when it started, despite the fact that there was a very good chance they’d get arrested for doing so – a lot did in the end. I wrote lyrics to this song on a train to one of those protests in London, Trafalgar Square in early March 2022."

On the album Sirin, she continues: "Sirin is a mythical creature from ancient Slavic mythology, half-bird half-woman, she's a harbinger of bad luck and death, and it's believed that if you meet Sirin a big catastrophe will happen - except in case with the events surrounding this album it's already happened. Sirin cries and mourns for humankind, and nothing can be more appropriate in this day and age. Sirin is one of very few creatures that can travel between worlds - a world of gods of light, a world of dark deities (in some versions an alternative to the underworld) and a world of mortals. This felt appropriate because the album is quite diverse in sound and some might think parts of it sound happy, but the subject matter is almost always quite morbid, which creates a contrast that I enjoy.

"I was never very political and I always tried to keep my art within the realms of lore, literature and imagination. But when events like the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine happen, it is impossible - and I'd even say, unforgivable - to stay silent and do nothing. Thankfully being based in the UK I feel rather safe speaking out against the current regime and I do have a platform that I can use to try and show the world that Russians disagree with the actions of the Russian government, and there are so many of us that only wish for this to be over. I'm just trying to show it in the most artistic way I can muster."

Now permanently based in the UK, Marjana has been an active campaigner against the Russian occupation in Ukraine and has raised thousands of pounds via her activities to support the victims of war. She will continue her work, including selling a number of a limited run of handwritten lyrics from Sirin, with the money going to Ukrainian charities. Acts punishable by 15 years imprisonment should she return home.
 
Marjana is joined by an array of world class musicians (detailed below), which includes two very special guest vocal performances from Jim Grey (Caligula’s Horse) and Mick Moss (Antimatter).
 
Marjana has previously collaborated with many incredible artists, including The Flower Kings, Jordan Rudess, Blackbriar, as well as Anna Murphy with their Maer project. Combined with her work in Iamthemorning, her experiences have enabled her to become one of the most unique and exciting solo artists in the progressive world today. 
 
Recording musicians:
Grigoriy Losenkov - piano, bass guitar, synths, drum programming
Vlad Avy - electric guitar, synths, drum programming
Keli Guðjónsson (Agent Fresco) - drums 
Charlie Cawood (Medieval baebes, Knifeworld) - acoustic guitar, bouzouki, glockenspiel, hammered dulcimer, luiqin, guzheng
Liam McLaughlin (Sithu aye, IATM) - electric guitar
Margarita Chernyshevskaya - 1st Violin 
Petr Chepelev  - 2nd Violin 
Julia Uliashcenkova - Viola 
Julia Romashko - Cello 
 

Marjana Semkina online:
https://www.patreon.com/marjanasemkina
https://marjanasemkina.bandcamp.com

https://www.instagram.com/marjanasemkina
https://twitter.com/marjanasemkina

Sirin track list:

01 We Are The Ocean 
02 Lost But At Peace   
03 Anything But Sleep (feat. Jim Grey)           
04 Pygmalion  
05 Angel Street           
06 Gone           
07 Death And The Maiden (feat. Mick Moss)  
08 The Storm  
09 Swan Song  
10 This Silence This Dreaming

The monolithically heavy, uniquely mercurial UK quartet Sugar Horse are proud to announce their new album Grand Scheme Of Things, to be released 4th October via Pelagic Records.

In celebration, Sugar Horse have unveiled their new single 'New Dead Elvis' (Pelagic Records).

Stream the single and pre-order the record here: https://orcd.co/sugarhorse
Watch the video here: https://youtu.be/F4O-G5dEps8

In the words of Sugar Horse: "This song is about reflecting on celebrity culture around death and its glorification, immediately following the death of my father. There is a romanticisation of “the tortured artist” or “the biblical hedonist” that follows celebrity and music culture around that I find pretty appalling. It’s something that I believe is responsible for the deaths of a large number of some of the most profoundly talented people that have ever graced this miserable planet and it should be prevented as soon as possible…

"Alas, the mob want their blood and I fear it shall persist until the sun swallows us."

On Grand Scheme Of Things, Sugar Horse comment: "This album was intended to be a sideways step. A move away from the kind of thing that is expected of us… if anything is at all. What I mean by that, is the songs are more direct. They take a much shorter amount of time to “get to the point”. We also wanted to make this one noticeably “less Metal”. While we love being a bit boneheaded and confrontational, we definitely wanted to explore the more melodic, song-based side of the band’s sound. Normally you’d see shortened song structures and more singing and think “Oh these guys are going for gold….they wanna get on the radio and make millions of bloodstained pounds.” Well…you’re very much entitled to think that if you wish, but it felt like more of a songwriting challenge than anything else to be honest. We’ve done the whole drawn out, endless Space Rock thing a good few times now and it would’ve been easy to rest on those laurels. Do something we’re comfortable with. Alas, that is not really the point of this band. We’d much prefer to make it difficult and take the long route."

The new single and album news follow Sugar Horse's titanic split 7'' with new labelmates LLNN, and previous EP Truth Or Consequences, New Mexico.

Stream and purchase the 7'' here: https://orcd.co/llnn-sugarhorse
Order and stream Truth Or Consequences, New Mexico here: https://li.sten.to/Consequences

An epic and ambitious achievement, Truth... is, in signature Sugar Horse style, one single long song: a meditation and exploration of everything the note A has to offer.

Sugar Horse have recently toured with LLNN, and previously with post-rock luminaries 65daysofstatic across Europe, as well as dates with Pianos Become The Teeth, Liturgy, Chat Pile and an appearance at ArcTanGent festival.

A lot of people take the name Sugar Horse to be a drug reference - perhaps fitting for a band that sound like the last moments of a three-day binge. Darting wildly between dark/light, pain/bliss, sacred/profane, Sugar Horse are unpredictable and unrestrained.

Formed in what is now considered to be the utopian dreamscape of 2015, the band grew slowly at first. Far from fully formed, but steadily gaining limbs, heads and vital organs. Finally, 2019’s DRUJ followed swiftly by 2020’s DRUGS saw them hit on a relentless stride of eclectic releases that simultaneously confused and entranced audiences.

2021 saw the band encamp in a former Lutheran church to record their debut album, The Live Long After, releasing it via Brighton’s own Small Pond Records. Publications such as The Quietus describing the record as “shift[ing] dispositions fluidly, taking elements of extreme aggression alongside floaty Post-Metal” and Echoes & Dust calling it “a monumental achievement”. The album took every disparate element that Sugar Horse previously employed and amplified them, while juxtaposing each next to each other, with genuinely unpredictable and exciting consequences.

2022 saw no relent from the band’s fast paced release schedule, as they put out an anthemic shoegaze single in 'Pictures Of Dogs Having Sex', followed swiftly by their collaborative Waterloo Teeth EP. A release that paired Sugar Horse’s terrifying eclecticism with guest appearances from twelve other artists in just four short(ish) songs. Each artist coming from a different area of the modern British music scene, whether that be world conquering post-punk bass lines from IDLES’ Adam Devonshire, heavy titans Conjurer and Pupil Slicer’s throat crippling wails, or a shredding guitar solo from Biffy Clyro/Oceansize axe wielder Mike Vennart. The EP packs in an album’s worth of genre mutilating twists and turns into just 25 minutes of music.

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

Croydon’s self-professed DIY “dirtbag boyband”, Bears in Trees, have released their upbeat new single 'I Wanna Feel Calm'. The track is the third glimpse into their upcoming album How to Build an Ocean: Instructions, due for release on 26th April via I Sure Hope It Does. 

Check out the video for 'I Wanna Feel Calm' here: https://youtu.be/79YFVp2sogA

Stream 'I Wanna Feel Calm' here: https://orcd.co/iwannafeelcalm

Pre-order/pre-save How to Build and Ocean: Instructions here: https://orcd.co/howtobuildanocean-instructions

The feel-good tune follows on from gritty and urgent indie-punk ‘Hot Chocolate’, animated earworm ‘Things That Look Like Mistakes’, and the declaration of a co-headline tour with New Jersey indie rockers, The Happy Fits in spring.

“I want to cherish every insignificance” vocalist Iain Gillespie declares in the deceptively chirpy tune. Dedicated to the loved ones that pulled Iain out of the deep pits of being burned out, ‘I Wanna Feel Calm’ is a warm reminder to lean on your support networks, and that suffering in silence will be to your own detriment.

“I wrote this when I felt burnt out from self-improvement,” they say, “In the process of being ‘better’, I started to only see the parts of me that weren’t ‘good enough’. It became too much, and the guilt made me want to return to an earlier, more chaotic version of myself. As I reconnected with people I let go, I started to let myself be. Getting out of my head and being around people I loved brought me out of that headspace.” 

Bears in Trees will embark on a UK/European co-headline tour with New Jersey indie rockers The Happy Fits in April/May. Support for the UK dates comes from indie darling Lexie Carroll.

UK dates are as follows:

Apr 23: Birmingham XOYO 
Apr 24: Newcastle Riverside 
Apr 26: Glasgow Garage 
Apr 27: Manchester Club Academy 
Apr 28: Leeds Stylus 
Apr 29: Bristol The Fleece
May 01: London KOKO

Tickets are on sale here: https://bearsintrees.com/pages/live

The upcoming album, How to Build an Ocean: Instructions, is a project doused in personal conflict, but simultaneously a love letter to the normal and how beauty can be found in just being. Charged with references to literature, philosophy and film, as well as first hand experiences, the band explore thoughts of what it means to find purpose when everything feels purposeless, all whilst ultimately instructing themselves to find “small joys in the face of cosmic indifference.” Produced by George Perks (Enter Shikari, The Doves, You Me At Six), How to Build an Ocean: Instructions marks an exciting new development for Bears in Trees, being the first album they’ve recorded with the help of consultants outside of the band themselves, having previously relied on drummer George’s expertise, who outside of the band, works as an engineer at Subfrantic Studios. 

Tenderness, triumph, and a totally unashamed feeling of enjoying the ride whilst they're on it, How to Build an Ocean: Instructions is their definitive statement. Though no matter how far this record takes them, the most important thing is that they are together and doing what they love. Because when all is said and done, that's the connection that will last a lifetime. "We started the band because we loved hanging out with our friends and wanted to make stupid music together," Iain concludes. "That's always been the reason, and it hasn't changed. All we want to do is make what we do as honest and authentic as possible. That's what it means to be in the Bears in Trees business."

Connoisseurs of the digital age, the band built their reputation themselves from scratch, foregoing the traditional media routes and climbing the social media ropes. They obtained millions of likes on TikTok and engaged with their fanbase proactively on Discord and Patreon, before ever dipping their toes in the music industry support pool. This impressive knowledge of navigating internet culture, paired with their vivacious, comedic charm, and easy listening and bright bops have earned them a passionate and loyal following of  ‘sandboxes’ (the allocated fanbase name), saw them sell out London’s Electric Ballroom and play alongside artists such as Pale Waves, NOAHFINNCE, Waterparks, The Maine and Lovejoy, as well as scoring festival slots at Slam Dunk, 2000trees, Community and many more.

Bears in Trees are:

Callum Litchfield – vocals, ukulele, piano (he/him)
Iain Gillespie – vocals, bass guitar (they/them)
Nick Peters – guitar (he/him)
George Berry – drums (he/him)

For more information:
https://bearsintrees.com
https://www.tiktok.com/@bearsintrees
https://www.facebook.com/bearsintrees
https://twitter.com/bearsintrees
https://www.instagram.com/bearsintrees
https://www.youtube.com/c/BearsinTrees
https://discord.com/invite/thesandbox
https://bearsintreesofficial.bandcamp.com

How to Build an Ocean: Instructions tracklist: 

1. Your Favourite Coat
2. Things That Look Like Mistakes
3. Injured Crow
4. I Don’t See Anything I Don’t Like About You
5. All You Get Is Confetti
6. Tai Chi With My Dad
7. I Wanna Feel Calm
8. Henry Says
9. Hot Chocolate
10. Nothing Cures Melancholy Like Looking at Maps
11. We Don’t Speak Anymore
12 I Don’t Wanna Be Angry

The world’s most prominent bass driven instrumental rock act, Australia’s The Omnific, return with their second album, The Law Of Augmenting Returns, an audacious and magnificent triumph - to be released on 7th June 2024 via Wild Thing Records. 

Pre-Order/Pre-Save: ffm.to/lawofaugmentingreturns

The Omnific are also celebrating the release of their latest single and album lead - the nostalgic and heroic adventure of ‘Base Camp’, and newly minted EU/UK Tour for July & August 2024.

'Base Camp' - Music Video: youtu.be/ltupPV5cX2s

The Law Of Augmenting Returns explores the notion that the more effort you invest in your artistry, the greater the rewards you reap. This powerful trinity of bass and drums pushed their creative boundaries to unprecedented heights; a tremendous body of work transpired, traversing the intense, the emotionally charged, and the humorous, appealing to a wide range of musical palates. 

Bassist Matt Fack explains, “The Law Of Augmenting Returns is the culmination of the experience and knowledge learnt and embodied in the 8 years of our existence as a band. With our creative mindset to incorporate new ideas adhered to the core principle of bass, this album paints the story of the band’s past, present, and beyond.”

The production team of critically acclaimed debut record Escapades (2021) reassembled for the release, including Adam Bentley (mixing, Arch Echo), Ermin Hamidovic (mastering, Periphery), and Josh Saunders (artwork); with the majority of programming handled by the band’s own Matt Fack. 

The origin of ‘Base Camp’ began with an emotional piano motif (the track’s first line heard), later to be adapted for two bass guitars. Bassist Matt Fack was inspired by the heroism of heroes, the adventures they partake, and their inevitable return to ‘Base Camp’. Fack proclaims, “In what could be described, as the defining song of a new era of musical possibilities to come from us, ‘Base Camp’ takes you on a journey to the top of the mountain, and back.” The music video was captured by acclaimed directors Jamie McVicker & Declan Blackall (Plini, The Omnific - ‘Phat Mackerel’), and filmed in Jervis Bay, south of Sydney. Co-director McVicker recollects, “We felt a particular feeling of homecoming as an emotional through-line to the song. The hero returns from their travels, to see a world renewed by the change in consciousness brought on by the adventure”, akin to the story of The Omnific. 

The Omnific will be trailblazing their way through Europe & the UK, heading on their first ever summer festival run, alongside their most extensive array of headline shows in Europe to date. They’ll be making highly anticipated debut appearances at festivals; RADAR (UK), Vagos (PT), Brutal Assault (CZ), Arctangent (UK), and Fekete Zaj (HU). Led by their two other-worldly intertwining bassists, Matt Fack & Toby Peterson-Stewart, and backed by flamboyant drummer Jerome Lematua, The Bass Boys will be bringing a full tank of charisma, showmanship, and unbelievable technical performances from down under. 

Tour Dates:
28-Jul - United Kingdom - Manchester - Radar Festival
30-Jul - Germany - Oberhausen - Druckluft 
01-Aug - Spain - Barcelona - Razzmatazz 3
02-Aug - Spain - Madrid - Wurlitzer 
03-Aug - Portugal - Vagos - Vagos Metal Fest
04-Aug - Spain - Portugalete - Groove
06-Aug - Italy - Milan - Slaughter Club
08-Aug - Slovakia - Bratislava - Pink Whale
09-Aug - Czech Republic - Josefov - Brutal Assault Festival
10-Aug - Poland - Warsaw - Chmury
12-Aug - Germany - Hamburg - Hafenklang
14-Aug - Netherlands - Nijmegen - Merleyn 
16-Aug - United Kingdom - Bristol - Arctangent Festival
18-Aug - Hungary - Gyöngyös - Fekete Zaj Festival

Tickets On Sale Now - theomnific.com

About - The Omnific:

The Omnific are a breathtaking progressive instrumental trio, hailing from Melbourne, Australia. 

Following the release of three groundbreaking EPs - Sonorous (2016), Kismet (2017), The Minds Eye (2019) - the band attracted interest, and fans from all corners of the globe. Their 2021 debut album Escapades achieved international critical acclaim - landing #3 on the Australian AIR Independent Album Charts, and cementing their status as torchbearers of the next generation of progressive rock and metal. Clay Gober of Polyphia featured on the single ‘Antecedent’, exceeding a combined 1 million plays on YouTube & Spotify. In 2023, the group went from strength to strength; supporting Polyphia in Australia, and Ne Obliviscaris in Europe and North America, capping off with a landmark 46-date world tour in support of single ‘Phat Mackerel’ - including festivals Euroblast (DE), Reeperbahn (DE), and Bigsound (AU). The group kickstarted 2024 with Mongolia’s The HU in Australia, profiling their outrageous musical versatility - which dives through prog, metal, djent, funk, synth-driven soundscapes, and more. The Omnific have also toured with renowned artists such as Between The Buried And Me, Intervals, Galactic Empire, Twelve Foot Ninja, and Cog. 

“a bright future for the instrumental outfit” - Metal Hammer (UK)
“a veritable masterclass in the art of the bass player” - Prog Magazine (UK)
“The Omnific never cease to entice, excite and amaze” - The Music (AU)

FollowThe Omnific:
Facebook | Instagram | Bandcamp |YouTube|Twitter|Spotify
 
FollowWild Thing Records:
Web | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Spotify | YouTube

01.    The Omnific ≈ Bass (Feat. Tim Waurick and Luke Taylor of Heartline)
02.    The Law Of Augmenting Returns (Feat. Charles Berthoud and Kai Den Hertog)
03.    Matrices
04.    Base Camp
05.    Will-O’-The-Wisp
06.    Phat Mackerel
07.    Butterfingers
08.    Double Malt Ditty (Feat. Rohan Sharma)

Photo Credit: Henrik Mill

Get ready to embark on a journey through time as rising 80s rock purveyors NESTOR announce their electrifying, long-awaited new album, Teenage Rebel, via Napalm Records, out 31st May 2024. Hailing from the vibrant music scene in Sweden, NESTOR take you straight back to the golden age of rock music, wearing influences ranging from Bon Jovi and Aerosmith to Journey and Foreigner on their denim sleeves. 

NESTOR return in full force with their newest single 'Victorious' - an anthemic masterpiece combining powerful vocals with dynamic instrumentals, promising to creep into the listener’s head and lead as a fan favourite at their energetic live shows. The track is accompanied by one of the band’s trademark high-quality official videos, which occurs as a cinematic short film of incredible production value – so crank up the volume to pure nostalgia levels.

Watch 'Victorious' here: https://youtu.be/8rmvICJFFFE

Pre-order Teenage Rebel here: https://lnk.to/NESTOR-TeenageRebel/napalmrecords

NESTOR comment: “’Victorious’ is about following your heart and refusing to give up! This device has been a guideline since we started back in the late 80’s and it feels great to sum it up in a song like ‘Victorious’.”

NESTOR turn back time and reigns supreme as one of the hottest newcomers of modern rock music, with millions of streams on Spotify and hundreds of thousands of views on YouTube to boot. They’ve shared stages with the almighty Alice Cooper, greats like Def Leppard or Europe and were even supporting the legendary KISS in Stockholm on their 2022 stadium tour.

Having formed in 1989 only to fall into hibernation over three long decades, NESTOR emerged stronger than ever in 2021 with their debut album, Kids in a Ghost Town, marking the band's triumphant return to the spotlight and captivating fans with their timeless sound and unmatched energy.

The new album, Teenage Rebel, sets off with a captivating intro-monologue spoken by Danish voice actress Freya Miller, creating a retro, rebellious atmosphere that sets the mood for the album and prepares the stage for the opening track 'We Come Alive' - a true blast of an opener. Rhythmic guitars create an exciting backdrop for the gripping vocals of frontman Tobias Gustavsson, leading towards an incredible guitar solo by guitar hero Jonny Wemmenstedt. The album's title track, 'Teenage Rebel', convinces with tight riffing and an anthem-like chorus honoring the tradition of 80s hard rock. '21' is a wild ride celebrating the ease of youth. NESTOR also prove their ability to shift from big stadium anthems to their emotional side on tracks like 'Caroline', convincing with catchy melody and passionate vocals, while Wemmenstedt demonstrates his insane skills once again as he tops the song with another stunning solo. Touching ballads like 'Last To Know', “Daughter” and 'The One That Got Away' present an even more vulnerable facet, reaching straight for the listener’s heart with yearning lyrics, while tracks like 'Addicted To Your Love' and 'Unchain My Heart' celebrate love, youth and the joy of being naïve. 

NESTOR on their new masterpiece: “The album Teenage Rebel takes place in the glory days when we were young, confident and the future was filled with endless possibilities but also how we reflect on these days today. In many ways it’s the sequel to Kids in a Ghost Town and we can’t wait for you to hear it.”

“NESTOR have surpassed themselves with Teenage Rebel!” - Rock It, DE

“Teenage Rebel is your hard rock elixir of youth!” - Metalized, DK

NESTOR are:
Tobias Gustavsson - vocals
Jonny Wemmenstedt - guitar
Mattias Carlsson - drums
Marcus Åblad - bass
Martin Frejinger - keyboards

NESTOR online: 
Website
Facebook
Instagram
Napalm Records

Teenage Rebel tracklist:

01. The Law Of Jante (featuring Freya Miller)
02. We Come Alive
03 Teenage Rebel
04. Last To Know
05. Victorious
06. Caroline
07. The One That Got Away
08. Addicted To Your Love
09. 21
10. Unchain My Heart
11. Daughter

Photo Credit: Zachary Jones

American grindcore outfit Full of Hell will release their brand new full-length Coagulated Bliss on 26th April via Closed Casket Activities - and today they up the ante by revealing another devastating single, 'Gasping Dust'.

The track's viciousness might scan as misanthropy - "humanity to blame," vocalist Dylan Walker concludes after running through the ways the earth is "riddled with sores" - but it comes from a place of disappointment that’s driven by a deep love for people and life and the world. 

The track features a guest vocal appearance by Ross Dolan of Immolation, who comments: "It was a huge honor to contribute some vocals to the new Full of Hell song 'Gasping Dust'.  When Dylan and the gang reached out to me for this, I was so psyched to participate and be part of their new album since I am a huge fan and consider them one of the younger bands leading the way to bring extreme music to the next generation of fans of this genre.  Immolation have been close friends and huge fans of Full of Hell since we first met and toured together in 2017, so needless to say I jumped at the opportunity to participate. The song is a short burst of controlled chaos and fury with lyrics that are dark and very relevant. I love the song and can't wait for the rest of the world to hear it!"

Watch the video here: https://youtu.be/sVsa1HTMoqo
Stream here: https://orcd.co/coagulatedbliss

Pre-orders for Coagulated Bliss are available here: https://closedcasketactivities.com/collections/full-of-hell

Full of Hell burst forth with incredible force from the small, dagger-shaped city of Ocean City, Maryland, 15 years ago. Over five full-lengths, five collaborative full-lengths, and countless splits, EPs, singles, and noise compilations, they’ve evolved at extraordinary speed, their music becoming more complicated and technical without ever slowing down or losing its soul. Everything on a Full of Hell album feels like a blur: smears of guitar, harsh noise shaken like gravel in a bag, singer Dylan Walker’s snarl and bite carrying him into outer space or into the core of the earth. They’re coiled, interlocking, impossible to penetrate, and they move with alarming speed. 

They have now reached terminal velocity. Having created their own context, they’re now able to walk around within it, to survey its terrain, to visit far corners and see who’s nearby. Their forthcoming album, Coagulated Bliss, sounds like Full of Hell, but it’s nothing like any Full of Hell record that’s come before it. These songs are trimmer, less freighted with anxiety, more interested in opening up than speeding away. Its bile is sometimes funnelled into traditional song structures. It never shies away from the extreme harsh noise, unrelenting spirit, and pitch-black sadness of previous Full of Hell records; if anything, the leanness of these songs makes them feel even heavier. Nevertheless, there are tracks here you might find yourself whistling hours after listening. It’s an extraordinary and unexpected evolution in sound for a band who made their name on rapid metamorphosis, and it’s the logical endpoint of everything Full of Hell has covered so far. “I wanted to try to take every aspect of what we’ve done from previous releases and integrate it into this one,” guitarist Spencer Hazard says.

These songs feel huge, totemic, groundshaking. Take the album's first single, 'Doors to Mental Agony'— which premieres today alongside a music video directed by Erich Richter— which sets up a circle pit, then blasts it apart with a grindcore chorus, and slides away on a slanted riff. 

Coagulated Bliss was written and recorded shortly after Full of Hell completed When No Birds Sang, their collaborative album with Nothing. Working with the Philadelphia shoegazers gave Full of Hell new insight into the emotional and artistic power of classic pop songwriting, and to the importance of following a song where it wants to go. “That was a good experience of learning how to find what actually services a song,” Hazard says. “Even with Roots of Earth Are Consuming My Home, even when we’ve had an extreme grindcore influence, I still wanted it to be catchy.” Walker also cites the band’s work with The Body for helping him to “recognize that there was value in pop music.” Accordingly, Coagulated Bliss features some of Full of Hell’s strongest songwriting: Gone is the frenetic flailing of Garden of Burning Apparitions and Weeping Choir; in its stead is a richer, thicker sound, one that’s considerably less ornamented—and somehow heavier than ever.

While the focus on songwriting already makes Coagulated Bliss the most grounded album in Full of Hell’s catalogue, it’s also the first Full of Hell record that tries in earnest to reflect the world around it—not in some broad, monotony-of-evil way, but the everyday horrors of life in small town America. Three of the four members of the band were raised in Ocean City. Hazard and Bland still live there, while Walker is located in central Pennsylvania and bassist Samuel DiGristine relocated to Philadelphia. “The American dream is small towns,” Hazard says. “But anyone that’s grown up in a small town realizes it’s just as f*cked up in a small town as it is in a big city—if not more, because it’s more condensed.” 

Walker’s lyrics have always framed their suffering with what he calls “fantastical, metaphorical sh*t,” but on Coagulated Bliss his writing is clear and direct. The album’s title is meant partly to reflect the idea of the over-pursuit of happiness leading to misery—whether in addiction, greed, or anything else. “Your happiness is just out of reach and you don’t know why,” he says. “Too much of this bliss, you think you’ve found your endpoint, but it’s really just this small, tiny, little thing that’s going to ruin your f*cking life. And that could be anything."  The album’s viciousness and Walker’s clear reading of the world around him might scan as misanthropy, but it comes from a place of disappointment that’s driven by a deep love for people and life and the world. “There’s not a lot of anger, to be honest,” he says. “I’ve never felt anger when we’re playing, ever. It feels like electricity that’s built up in my body that has to get out. But I feel more profoundly sorrowful than I ever do anger.” 

The world may be in a constant state of bitter flux, but Full of Hell have never sounded more at home in it. “We’ve shed any kind of ‘do we belong in this space, what do people expect of us,’” Walker says. “The joy is in the pursuit.” The loosening of their grip on the direction of their music has made it feel paradoxically closer to the bone. “People tend to burrow themselves so deeply into things they love,” Walker says. “It’s too much of a good thing, and it almost cheapens it.” By paring back their sound, Full of Hell aren’t just finding a new way forward: They’re proving that a little bit less of a good thing can add up to so much more.

See Full of Hell on the road in April and May across North America with Dying Fetus.

Coagulated Bliss was recorded at Developing Nations in Baltimore by Kevin Bernstein, mixed by Taylor Young at The Pit Recording Studio in Van Nuys California and mastered by Nick Townsend of Infrasonic Sound in Los Angeles California. Full of Hell is Spencer Hazard (guitar/electronics), David Bland (drums/vocals), Samuel DiGristine (bass/sax/vocals), and Dylan Walker (vocals/electronics/lyrics), with new guitarist Gabriel Solomon joining following the album’s completion.

For more:
https://www.facebook.com/fullofhell
https://www.instagram.com/fullofhell
https://www.fullofhell.com

1. Half Life of Changelings
2. Doors to Mental Agony
3. Transmuting Chemical Burns
4. Fractures Bonds to Mecca
5. Coagulated Bliss
6. Bleeding Horizon
7. Vomiting Glass
8. Schizoid Rupture
9. Vacuous Dose
10. Gasping Dust
11. Gelding of Men
12. Malformed Ligature

Photo Credit: Toddi Babu

US deathcore heavyweights Bodysnatcher have released their new single 'Murder8', featuring Jamey Jasta, ahead of their UK tour supporting Spite.

Watch the video for 'Murder8' here: https://youtu.be/_jIqBvvWTps
Stream 'Murder8' here: https://bodysnatcher.ffm.to/murder8

Through the haunting, visceral storytelling in the accompanying official music video, 'Murder8' serves as an urgent and poignant reminder of the devastating impact of drug overdose.

Speaking on the inspiration behind today's release, Bodysnatcher drummer Chris Whited commented: "'Murder8' is a street name for fentanyl. I lost my older brother in 2022 to fentanyl and then I lost my younger sister just one year later in 2023 to fentanyl as well. Opioids have been prescribed at alarming rates since the early 2000’s and have affected millions of families across the world, especially the United States. If you have lost someone due to overdose this song goes out to you."

Bodysnatcher will perform the following dates with Spite:

Apr 07: London, O2 Academy Islington
Apr 08: Manchester, Rebellion
Apr 09: Glasgow, Slay Glasgow 
Apr 10: Nottingham, Rescue Rooms 
Apr 11: Bristol, The Fleece
Apr 12: Brighton, Club Revenge 

In protest of venues' merch cuts, Bodysnatcher will sell merch for their London date (7th April) at their takeover at BrewDog Shoreditch, from 12pm. BrewDog will be serving an exclusive beer (BLAST BEATS, a 7+% West Coast IPA) and will take no cut of any merch. 

BrewDog comment: "The metal scene is and always will be my home, so running my own bar means that I want to incorporate my love of rock & metal into it as much as possible. 

"Venue merch cuts really rub me up the wrong way, so I'm more than happy to offer our space to Bodysnatcher. I'm all about craft beer and heavy riffs and the fact Bodysnatcher were playing close by meant I had to reach out and ask the question!

"We are going to have an exclusive beer for the event brewed by fellow metalhead Paul Walker up in our Manchester Micro Brewery, heavy tunes to boot and a great space for fans to come meet the band, hang and have a beer ahead of the show. 

"The endgame is for other acts to catch wind of what we have to offer. So if you're reading and coming overseas and want to make the most of it, drop us a line, we'll make something work for sure."

Bodysnatcher comment: "In the US, bands are expected to purchase their own merchandise, table to display their merch, lights for their table, change in smaller bills, and run their own table for the entirety of the show. 

Then, at the end of the night, the venues request 20-25% of EACH artist's TOTAL sales to be paid to them in cash, after doing absolutely nothing to accommodate the artist. 

Traveling overseas costs the band a ton. Often over $10,000 one way! And now Europe and the UK are practicing merch cuts in the same manner as the US, it won’t be worth it for a lot of artists to make the journey over!!"

The new single continues Bodysnatcher's rise as one of the most exciting new bands in deathcore. Recently they've toured across the US, as headliners (with support from Angelmaker, Paleface, and Distant), and supporting Lorna Shore and Shadow of Intent.

Purchase Bodysnatcher's most recent LP Bleed-Abide here: https://www.bleed-abide.com

Watch Bodysnatcher’s previously released videos for 'Wired For Destruction', 'Absolved Of The Strings And Stone', 'E.D.A.', and 'Behind The Crowd' at the band’s official YouTube page HERE.

An epically unashamed demonstration of aggression, Bodysnatcher's music is dark, furious, and threatening. It’s a sound born from the burden of struggle and an unwavering commitment to continued survival against all obstacles.

Bodysnatcher put the 'core' back in deathcore. Bleed-Abide, the Florida band's third album, crackles with rage and power. Unquestionably their darkest offering to date, Bleed-Abide burns with an intensity derived from a further focus on sonic pummeling and truth-telling narratives.

About Bodysnatcher:

Kyle Medina (vocals), Kyle Carter (guitar), Kyle Shope (bass), and Chris Whited (drums) embody the hardcore spirit and cut their teeth in their tight-knit Florida community, home of death metal and pioneering punk, hardcore, and power-violence bands. Bodysnatcher are monikered after the nickname of one of history’s most notorious serial killers, Ed Gein, and represented by a triangular symbol steeped in alchemy and the occult. But Bodysnatcher lyrics owe more to the horrors of domestic strife than the gore of their Florida-based forebearers in Cannibal Corpse.

The inception point came with the purest of intentions. “I was around seventeen,” Medina explains. “We were just going to be a band that was basically a ‘breakdown band’ for my friends to mosh to.” Eventually stabilisng with a line-up that overlapped at various points with beloved groups like King Conquer and Dealey Plaza, Bodysnatcher released a quick succession of albums and EPs, most notably Abandonment (2015), Death Of Me (2017), and the utterly crushing This Heavy Void (2020). Combined with a blistering live show, this led to a deal with the MNRK Heavy label.

Bleed-Abide is the darkest offering yet from Bodysnatcher, burning with an intensity derived from a further focus on sonic pummeling and truth-telling narratives. “Even as a pissed-off teenager, the first songs I wrote were about personal experiences and people who did me wrong,” Medina says. “The musicianship is more mature; there are still a lot of breakdowns but done in a much smarter way. It’s definitely still Bodysnatcher. It’s like Bodysnatcher on steroids.”

All of the guys contribute to the lyrics, resulting in multiple points of view and diverse insights anchored by common themes of catharsis and resistance. 'Absolved Of The Strings And Stone' is a battle cry against the gaslighting and emotional abuse of toxic people. 'Hollow Shell' delves into strained familial dynamics, where some family members live as virtual prisoners to others. 'Wired For Destruction' confronts death anxiety. “It’s about the fear of the unknown, how all of us will move on,” says Medina. “Are we just going to return to dust? Are we just forgotten?” Even amidst the uncertainty and darkness, there’s an underlying positivity to be mined within. 'Value Through Suffering' takes a proactive stance on hardship, a way to rebuild from the wreckage. Too many bands resist genre classification in an aloof effort to distinguish themselves from every other band, inadvertently consigning themselves to talking points that sound like everyone else. Bodysnatcher is, without apology, a deathcore band. There is no compromise in the cards. “Deathcore kicks ass. A lot of bands shy away from labels they don’t deem ‘cool’ enough. But we don’t give a f*ck,” Medina says proudly. “We like what we like, and we play what we play. We all love hardcore and metal, so we’re going to play hardcore, play metal, and play breakdowns. And that’s how the band is going to be, forever.”

Bodysnatcher:
Kyle Medina – vocals
Kyle Carter – guitar
Kyle Shope – bass
Chris Whited – drums

http://www.facebook.com/BODYSNATCHERfl
http://twitter.com/BODYSNATCHERfl
http://www.instagram.com/BODYSNATCHERfl

http://www.mnrkheavy.com
http://www.facebook.com/MNRKHeavy
http://www.twitter.com/MNRKHeavy
http://www.instagram.com/MNRK_heavy

Seattle quartet The Home Team are back with the latest slice of what they like to call "heavy pop" - new single 'hell', out now via Thriller Records. Accompanied by an animated music video, 'hell' is the follow-up to recent singles ‘Brag’ and ‘Loud’.

The music video showcases hints of nostalgia, highlighting video games such as Guitar Hero and glimpses of the underworld, honing in on the overall theme of the track.

Check out the video for 'hell' here: https://youtu.be/ornVc40RhOQ

Stream 'hell' here: https://orcd.co/ththell

Lead vocalist Brian Butcher comments:

“'hell' is a big ‘ol’ whopping leap into songwriting territory that we’re very familiar with, but in a completely new package. This is one of those songs that we didn’t really set out to make, but just came together in a great way. We had plenty of “Aha!” moments during the process, and we ended up with a song that we’ve got a lot of faith in. We’re anticipating that this will satiate our heavy music listeners pretty well.” 

The Home Team have also announced a UK headline tour, set to take place in December. 

Butcher adds: "Last December we got to meet so many long time fans of ours from across the pond when opened up for The Used, and got the chance to make a whole bunch of new fans as well. We can’t wait to come back and give them a much better example of what we can do in a live show. We had such a great time and we know this time around it’ll be just as fun."

Dates are as follows:

Dec 07: Glasgow Cathouse 
Dec 08: Leeds The Key Club
Dec 10: Manchester Rebellion
Dec 11: Birmingham O2 Institute 2 
Dec 12: Bristol Thekla 
Dec 13: London The Underworld 

Tickets and VIP will be on sale at 10am GMT on Thursday 28th March.

Melding pop-punk and metal influences with stylings of R&B, pop and funk into their heavy-pop sound has rewarded The Home Team with an ever-growing dedicated and passionate fanbase. The four-piece have already shared stages with bands such as Don Broco, The Used, Real Friends and Honey Revenge.

For more information:
https://instagram.com/thehometeam
https://tiktok.com/@thehometeam_
https://facebook.com/thehometeamnw 
https://twitter.com/thehometeamnw

Perpetua are a burgeoning metallic force from Scotland that have cultivated a dynamic and unique sound that will quickly catch the attention of the metal community. Their much-anticipated new, full-length album, Resurgence, is released today via Seek And Strike, and the band are celebrating with the crushing new video for 'Resolve'. 

Watch the 'Resolve' official video here: https://youtu.be/4WZeWVm5ONU

Perpetua state: "This track speaks about the pressures and challenges we face in our darkest times, whilst delivering an ounce of hope as the song breaks through into the chorus/bridge sections. The song itself is a favourite of ours, as musically and technically it ticks all the boxes. It also has some light to shine through on a very dark album, and we believed this would be a great single for that very reason.

"The video for ‘Resolve' is meant to show the intricacies of self reflection by using the effect of double exposure, seeing yourself within yourself. In a sense it is a visual exploration of knowing how the pieces fit while we are at odds with ourselves trying to move forward from the times before. The broken pieces of us are on display.

"This album is the culmination of all our efforts to create something special. It’s a fresh take on classic metal formulas with a modern twist. We felt that the aggressiveness and depth of the songs really stood out how we imagined. The layered choruses, the fast technical guitars, and the ferocious groove all blended together perfectly. We strived for a more technical and melodic approach in contrast to our previous work. The song structures are now more in-depth and progressively changing. Like the lyrical content, we feel the instrumental aspect of the song itself is very dark and moving.

"We were heavily focused on creating a combination of blistering fast riffs, death metal vocals and soaring chorus hooks. We wanted to write an album as technical and aggressively heavy as we could, and we feel that we reached that. We spent a lot of time digging into song structures, rearranging and making sure we were content with the final outcome of every song. We knew how important our first full-length album was and for that reason it had to be perfect. We hope you enjoy it and thanks for your support."

Forming in 2013, Perpetua released their debut EP Resistance in 2016, and second EP To Suffer in 2018, supported by two successful headline UK tours. Supporting as wide a variety of artists as Skindred, Crossfaith, Hacktivist, Perpetua also won Best Metal Act at the Scottish Alternative Music Awards.

Perpetua online:

https://www.facebook.com/PerpetuaUK
https://www.instagram.com/perpetuaband
https://linktr.ee/perpetuaband

1 Resurgence (Intro)
2 Resolve
3 The Hell It Brings
4 Tethered
5 Overcome
6 Human
7 Trapped Mind
8 This Is Retribution
9 Forsaken
10 Alone In The Static