Break Me Down present the single that closes the Three Queens cycle: ‘The Other Life’. Veronica, frontwoman of the band, says: “In the song ‘The Other Life,’ the protagonist is Grimilde, the evil queen of Snow White who, in the song, looking in the mirror wonders what her life would have been like if instead of being an evil character she was a normal person… despite the doubts, however, she realizes that being bad is the only way to be herself. In the video, Grimilde is a narcissistic, sadistic woman who lives in darkness. After the initial awakening, she confronts her mirror, and aware of her evil nature she decides to have fun imprisoning his victims in this limbo suspended between life and death. The Queen plays, weakening her prey with man’s greatest fear: darkness, what is unknown, what we fear most. And right in the dark, she drags her intended victims, into an oblivion made of darkness… the very world she comes from”.
Brooklyn, NY-based Medieval Fantasy Doom Metal band Castle Rat (est. October 2019) share a brand new single, ‘Feed The Dream,’ the first in a series of new tracks set to come out in the next few months. ‘Feed The Dream’ was recorded in a 150-year-old abandoned church at a secret location in Philadelphia, PA. The single was produced and engineered by Davis M. Shubs (Grave Bathers) with Thomas Johnsen (Thantophobe). The mixing process was entrusted to the wise and wizardly hands of Rafferty Jennings Swink (Evolfo) in Brooklyn, NY, and mastered by JJ Golden of Golden Mastering in Ventura, CA. As Riley Pinkerton (lead vocals, rhythm guitar) wrote of their newest single: “‘Feed The Dream’ was written in isolation. It’s the longing for the closeness of a creature that does not exist in the physical realm. It’s the act of turning a fantasy over and over in one’s mind until its very existence becomes a lustrous pearl of questions that need not be answered.”
Former Alice Cooper and current Demi Lovato guitarist Nita Strauss has dropped brand new single and accompanying music video, ‘The Wolf You Feed’. The epic, headbanger of a track features huge, chunky, metallic riffs and the insane vocal talent of Alissa White-Gluz. Nita comments: “If you look back at old interviews from the last ten years, any time I was asked about collaborating with a vocalist in the future, Alissa White-Gluz was always the first name out of my mouth. She is truly one of my favorite vocalists and performers in the industry and creating this track together was everything I hoped it would be. I’m very proud to release this track, especially now with everything else that’s going on. This time in history, whether in politics, music, social media, or our personal lives, has been an eye-opening look into the two wolves of a lot of people out there, and maybe this song will be a reminder that we all have the ability to choose how we respond to things.” The lyrics of this song were inspired by The Story Of The Two Wolves, a legend widely attributed to Native American storytellers. An old grandfather was teaching his grandson about life: “A fight is going on inside me,” he said to the boy. “It is a terrible fight and it is between two wolves. One is evil — he is anger, envy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego.” He continued: “The other is good — he is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion, and faith. The same fight is going on inside you–and inside every other person, too.” The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather: “Which wolf will win?” The grandfather simply replied: “The one you feed.” Alissa adds: “Nita and I finally got to collaborate — something we have both wanted to do for years! ‘The Wolf You Feed’ is a kickass, catchy metal track with a really cool vibe. I kept the ‘two wolves’ analogy as a foundation throughout the song while playing up the dichotomy of the two sides of the tug of war we all have inside us. I recorded my parts in my home studio and it was an absolute pleasure to build this song with Nita. I am honored to be a part of it! Can’t wait to do this again!” [via Blabbermouth]
Hard Rock band Eternal Frequency has released the final chapter of their “Matrix- esque” trilogy titled War. The perfect wrap up to their commanding, hard hitting story about a girl who is struggling to be who she wants to be while battling with what the world wants her to be. Will she become just someone that belongs on an assembly line or will she break free from the inner chains that bind and become who she is destined to be, free and basking in her own originality. The band say: “‘War’ is the wrap up of our epic 3 part trilogy. Starting with ‘Step Up’, then ‘A.I.’, and now this single. The song is about finding yourself in an internal struggle where you can look at yourself in the mirror and you’re still unsure about which side of you is actually pulling the strings.” [via Insane Blog]
Earlier this fall, Cleveland’s Frayle released their excellent second album, Skin & Sorrow, and to kick off November, the occult-doom band will be supporting the LP with shows over in Europe. Ahead of the tour, the group — led by enigmatic singer Gwyn Strang — teamed with Revolver to premiere the new music video for Skin & Sorrow standout ‘All The Things I Was.’ As is their way, it’s a bloody, skin-crawling affair perfect for the Halloween season. “This song is a reminiscence of the things I was and the regrets I had,” Strang tells Revolver. “The video shows how any rebirth or transformation can be painful and often times isn’t pretty or comfortable, but results in a more learned and wise self.” [via Revolver]
In 2020, metalcore outfit Conquer Divide resurfaced after an extended hiatus, and now the quintet have continued their second chapter with an emotional new single, ‘Paralyzed.’ As guitarist Kristen Sturgis explained, the song is about “battling with mental illness and depression — especially during the pandemic — and feeling like you are too mentally paralyzed to move forward.” Specifically, it was inspired by her harrowing experiences on the front lines as a critical care nurse. ‘Paralyzed’ arrived along with a dark, twisted music video that brings to life the inner struggles addressed in the song. “I was in a dark place because, as some people may or may not know, I am a critical care nurse when I am not touring,” Sturgis commented. “I was traveling around the country to all these hot spots to help out with COVID, and I saw dozens of people lose their lives. And I still really have not fully processed it.” She added, “But if you do not disconnect, you can’t do your job effectively. So, it is the kind of depression where you don’t feel anything at all, and you turn your emotions off. There was a point where they had psychologists visiting us on the unit to talk about our feelings. But it was like, ‘I don’t have time for this right now. I need to hang the next bag of x/y/z medication and keep this person alive. Get back to me in a year after this is all over.’ I think a lot of health care workers are also going to have PTSD or depression from what we went through. I hit a bit of writer’s block as a result of my mental state, and this song was a bit cathartic for me.” [via Revolver]
