Blackened power metal band EXILED HOPE has unveiled the haunting new single ‘The Summoning’. Opening with an ethereal piano driven introduction, orchestral strings gently emerge along with Sofia’s ghostly vocals. Soon exploding into an onslaught of high-speed guitar riffs, gothic backing and demonic harsh, ‘The Summoning’ sees the light and the dark entwine and collide. Sofia says, “’The Summoning’ was the first song I recorded for Apocrypha almost exactly 2 years ago. It introduces the protagonist’s struggle to reclaim his identity and find meaning in a world full of monsters (literal and metaphorical) tempting him to sacrifice his humanity for power. But to conquer his demons, he must first call them forth and confront them. Though the upcoming album has its lighter and softer moments, its defining quality is a much deeper dive into doom and black metal. It has a more gothic, ethereal feel, since much of the album deals with the world that bridges the living and the dead.”
Swiss electro-metal powerhouse, Rage Of Light, has dropped their highly anticipated new single, ‘Touch And Destroy.’ The explosive track pushes the boundaries of genre, seamlessly fusing the raw intensity of metal with the pulsating energy of electronic music, creating a sensory spectacle that is both groundbreaking and adrenaline-fuelling. Martyna Halas, the band’s lead vocalist, shared her excitement about the release. “Not all that glitters is gold… or is it?” she teased. “We always love a video challenge, and this time, our own Simon Burri took the lead behind the lens. The result couldn’t be complete without the incredible talent of Andy Straubhaar, who is probably still finding golden glitter everywhere! Lyrically and sonically, ‘Touch And Destroy’ is dark and twisted, setting a relentless pace from the very beginning. We hope listeners will enjoy the wild ride!”
Ragana signed with The Flenser in late 2022 and now announce their forthcoming debut LP for the label, Desolation’s Flower, incoming October 27. Written over the past few tumultuous years, Desolation’s Flower is the band’s most devastating effort to date, containing seven incantations of loss, rage, pain and hope. Expertly engineered by the masterful Nicholas Wilbur at the Unknown Studio in Anacortes, Washington (Planning For Burial, drowse, Divide and Dissolve, Have a Nice Life), the album serves as the culmination of the past decade+ of the band’s ethos and execution. The album’s eponymous album opener sets the theme for the record and embodies the spirit of Ragana: “a hymn of gratitude for queer and trans ancestors, known or unknown, by blood or affinity, whose joy and survival make our lives possible, and whose memory inspires and helps us resist the tide of increasingly visible hatred and oppression,” the band explains. Pain mourns and celebrates a childhood best friend lost to an overdose, excavating beneath shame and sadness, to stand in the pain and the joy together.
Vukovi have signed to SharpTone Records and released a new single. ‘CREEP HEAT’ marks the band’s first new music since the release of their album NULA in October last year, and arrives ahead of a trio of UK shows with Babymetal later this year. Speaking about their new signing, Janine says: “We have both been fans of Sharptone throughout the existence of VUKOVI. Our paths finally meeting is a real pinch me moment” Of the single and self-directed video, she adds: “I want this to be a catalyst for more women to start believing they are more than capable of directing; the industry and future generations need us. I’m always learning and growing as I go, there is never a right time to start other than now. I’m very grateful to be so well supported and believed in by Hamish and our team. I feel seen.” [via Dork]
Crypta is back with the third single from their coming new record Shades Of Sorrow, and it’s a doomier one. Crypta is now streaming the slower-paced new song ‘The Other Side of Anger’ alongside a full-band performance video. “With the third single we wanted to show one more side of the album!” said Crypta bassist and vocalist Fernanda Lira. “‘Lord of Ruins’ brought the melodies that permeate the whole record, ‘Trial of Traitors’ has the aggressiveness and a fast pace and with ‘The Other Side of Anger’, we wanted to show the more gloomy, slow paced side of the record!” [via Metal Injection]
After a shake up in their lineup earlier this year, Nervosa have announced their fifth studio album, Jailbreak. Jailbreak is all about the kind of thrash-death metal that Nervosa’s known to bring. This will be the first album to feature the band’s vocalist and guitarist Prika Amaral, following the departure of Dita Satanica. Looking forward to the new record, Amaral said she was excited that the addition of a second guitarist to the band will help fill out the album’s sound. The band have released the album’s first single ‘Seed of Death,’ which you can check out below. And despite its somewhat mellow opening, the song definitely picks up to be more along the lines of what we’d expect from the band. [via Metal Sucks]
Hard rock juggernauts of BAND-MAID come back swinging in digital single ‘Shambles,’ their first new track in six months. Whereas the previous tune ‘Memorable’ offered a sentimental retrospective on US TOUR 2022, ‘Shambles’ readies fans for the next phase of world domination, with its release coinciding with the maidens’ appearance at Lollapalooza 2023 in Chicago. The fiery music videos shows BAND-MAID getting down in a derelict warehouse, surrounded by sections of mangled chainlink fence. As bassist MISA digs into her interlude and lead guitarist KANAMI shreds out her solo, a deluge of flames lick at their skin. [via J Rock News]
American heavy rock band Kaleido, consisting of Christina Chriss (vocals), Joey Fava (drums), Cody Morales (bass) and Drew Johnston (guitar), released their first single of 2023 called ‘MISERY’. The track was written by Christina Chriss, Joey Fava, Cody Morales and Drew Johnston. Produced by K Thrash. The band lead singer Christina Chriss shared on social media, “And first, I’m going to start by telling you guys that I’ve been in Michigan for the past month. And I had such a nice time Michigan in the summer. Is my favorite place Ever. I was born and raised there and I never knew how much I would really miss it until I moved away And let me tell you something, I know how much I freaking miss it now. So I went back for a month. I went for my birthday, I went for the fourth of July and I went to record three new songs.” She continued, “I’m so stoked. And the one of the coolest things right now. It’s definitely the most cinematic exciting music video that we have ever shot. And we shot it when it was like 120 degrees outside and I don’t know if it could have been any more perfect for a song called Misery, because we’re all pretty miserable when we were shooting it. And it just all came together, we worked with an amazing team from top to bottom on this one from writing the song, and producing it with Kevin Thrasher. To the homies that shot the music video for us, the whole thing goes crazy. I just can’t wait.” [via pmstudio]
We Are PIGS — the self-described “nu-metal revival” project spearheaded by South African–born producer, songwriter and artist Esjay Jones — are back with a new single, the biting ‘Private Skool,’ written by Jones and guitarist Christian Rivera. Blast it below via its high-octane music video. “‘Private Skool’ is intended to be chaotic to disrupt our thoughts and get us questioning roles and places in society,” Jones tells Revolver of the new song. “I was having a conversation with a friend about nepotism and It got me thinking: Why are some people born into great poverty when others are born into great riches? Why do some people seem to have life so easy, while others have it so hard and endure great suffering? Is it fate? Are our lives pre-destined? Is it god? If there is a god, then how does he ‘choose’ and how could he be so cruel? Is there some kind of universal order that we are not aware of?” She concludes: “It seems that the powers that be have weaved an unfair loom and the playing field is not equal.” [via Revolver]
Blood Command have released a new single. ‘The Plague On Both Your Houses’ is from the band’s recently-announced new album. World Domination will be released on September 29 via Hassle and Loyal Blood Records, and has already been teased by recent singles ‘Decades’ and ‘Losing Faith’, plus the title-track. The band comment: “Like various underground religious groups throughout history, Blood Command’s ever growing following, The Awaketeam, is rising around the globe, and we are not stopping until World Domination. So keep your eyes peeled for purple shrouds, three stripes and black and white sneakers.” [via Upset]
