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]

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The Sacramento-based quintet Graveshadow – who deftly mixes symphonic/gothic metal with elements of doom, thrash and epic progressive power metal – have unveiled ‘The Swordsman,’ the latest single from their forthcoming album, The Uncertain Hour. The band’s third album will be released July 15. ‘The Swordsman’ is also special as it features guest vocals from Chelsea Murphy (Dawn of Ouroboros, Cailleach Calling, Tegmentum). “I’m really excited to release ‘The Swordsman’ which has kind of snuck up on me as another favorite off the record, explains vocalist Rachl “Raxx” Quinn. “The interplay of the clean and harsh vocals was something I was thrilled with the outcome on. The way they support each other really adds a great dynamic to the song. As a band it was great to have Chelsea guest on the track, her performance is absolutely incredible!”

WARGASM announce their debut mixtape Explicit coming soon via slowplay/Republic Records. To celebrate the project’s announcement, Wargasm share the lead single ‘D.R.I.L.D.O’. with accompanying music video. The new track flitters between electronic and heavy metal as WARGASM give us a taste of what’s to come next. ‘D.R.I.L.D.O’ features a nocturnal bassline as Milkie leads us into a false sense of sultry security before Sam counters with his signature vocals and a fiery guitar riff to match. Speaking on the track “It’s a good bridge between the two elements of Wargasm, which are super fun, sexy, and electronic and also fresh and metal,” Sam continues. “You can clearly hear the both of us. We want there to be two characters in the music. You should have a favourite.”

Eternal Frequency has released a music video for their song ‘A.I.’. The clip is the second installment in the band’s Matrix-esque video series that kicked off with ‘Step Up’. They had this to say about the new video, “Drawing inspiration from cult classic films such as The Matrix, Blade Runner, and The Fifth Element, ‘AI’ offers a chaotic cinematic viewing experience and a look into the future, creating a high-intensity, action-packed visual.” Frontwoman Emelle shared, “‘A.I’ is the second installment of our epic trilogy and this picks up where ‘Step Up’ left off. ‘A.I.’ brings up the unavoidable challenge that every artist will eventually face and that is someone who is not part of your camp telling you what they think is best for you. It is about not conforming to anyone’s preconceived notion about you and refusing to be controlled by the system. This is our message to be who you are in your image alone.” [via Anti Music]

Conquer Divide have released the official music video for the band’s lead single from their upcoming new studio album. The song, ‘Atonement,’ was premiered by Sirius XM’s “Octane”. Guitarist Kristen Sturgis shares, “The song touches on feelings of regret, which we tried to convey in the video. You can see one of our other music videos in the reflection of the eye, for example. They’re watching the time tick by wondering what their life could have been like if they would have toughed it out and put the work in. The hardest things in life are the most rewarding, and life is short. So, if you’re not ready to meet us on our level, then get out of the way.” Drummer Sam Landa adds, “The word atonement is about making reparations; about seeking forgiveness; about feeling sorry for something you’ve done and hoping to make things right. In the context of this song, it’s too late for that – the damage has already been done and there’s no going back. The song tries to capture the feelings of betrayal, of being left high and dry by people who wanted to take the easy way out. The emotions really explode in the breakdown, and the progression mirrors how situations like this can build up in real life. There’s a kind of calm before the storm, and then another sense of calm after. ‘We don’t know who you are’, and we’ve accepted that – just don’t try to come back and beg for forgiveness when you’ve exhausted all of your chances.” [via All About the Rock]

We’re still a couple months out from Arch Enemy releasing their new album, Deceivers, but the Swedish melodeath troupe are back to tide us over with a crushing new single titled ‘Sunset Over the Empire.’ Compared to the Judas Priest-esque ‘Handshake With Hell’ and the galloping ‘House of Mirrors,’ this track is more in-line with the band’s death-metal origins — no clean vocals, no moody experimentation, just skull-crushing riffs and demonic vocals from frontwoman Alissa White-Gluz. “This is a faster song with some manic riffs and a relentless beat that I can envision becoming a ‘hit in the pit,'” said songwriter Michael Ammott. “Lyrically, it’s sadly one of those that seems to ring more true with each and every passing day nowadays…’Words turned to war, brother fighting brother, another false truce, as the people die.'” [via Revolver]

Blackwater Drowning is now streaming ‘Aberrant Leaves’ off their new album Sonder//Satori. If you’re in the mood for a song that’ll kick you right in the teeth and then never stop (think somewhere between Behemoth and Jinjer), and then this one is for you. “This song is about corruption in places of power, and the dichotomy that lies there,” said the band. “An entity that’s supposed to protect and serve you, using you for their own ends to further their own narrative. We worked with the fabulously creative Garrett Barefoot for this video, as he was also a major part of the recording process of this entire album and really understood what our mindset for this track is. We wrote the chorus in the studio with Jon Berrier, our amazing producer, hopped up on energy drinks at about 2am one night, and it’s one of our favorites on the album! We are incredibly proud of this finished product and hope it resonates with this current world climate as much as it does with us when we wrote it.” [via Metal Injection]

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