UPCOMING RELEASE DATES
26.04.10 ARMA GATHAS-’Dead To This World’ (ltd. Digi CD)
26.04.10 SKYFORGER-’Kurbads’ (ltd. Digi CD)
10.05.10 AS I LAY DYING-‚The Powerless Rise’ (ltd. Digi CD)
10.05.10 BRAIN DRILL-‚Quantum Catastrophe’ (CD)
24.05.10 AEON-‚Path Of Fire’ (CD)
24.05.10 DEW-SCENTED-‚Invocation’ (ltd. Digi CD w/bonus)
24.05.10 DIABULUS IN MUSICA-‚Secrets’ (ltd. Digi CD)
24.05.10 LIGHTNING SWORDS OF DEATH-’The Extra Dimensional Wound’ (CD)
07.06.10 FATAL EMBRACE-’The Empires Of Inhumanity’ (CD)
07.06.10 ISTAPP-’Blekinge’ (CD)
07.06.10 WHITECHAPEL-’A New Era Of Corruption’ (CD)
Metal Blade acts nominated for METAL HAMMER Awards 2010!
German Metal Hammer has announced the nominees for this years’ METAL HAMMER Awards 2010! Surf over to www.metal-hammer.de/awards to see the full listing!
Of course there are also Metal Blade bands among the nominees. Please make sure to vote for the right bands. Here’s a little help.
Best International Band
As I Lay Dying
Amon Amarth
Best Live Act
Amon Amarth
As I Lay Dying
Metal Anthem 2010
Powerwolf – Raise Your Fist, Evangelist
The awards will be presented at this years Wacken Open Air!
ARMA GATHAS release ‘Dead To This World’ worldwide! First live dates confirmed!
The eminent metal outfit ARMA GATHAS has finally released its debut album Dead To This World worldwide! Available as a limited Digipack.
Dead To This World consists of 13 songs, ranging from bludgeoning aggression and frustration in its purest form to atmospheric interludes and music pieces.
ARMA GATHAS is former CATARACT guitarist Simon Fülleman, ex-BORN FROM PAIN singer Ché Snelting, MACHINEMADE GOD and ex-CORNELIUS guitarist Marc Niedersberg, ex- DISLOYAL drummer and talented drum student Max van Winkelhof and Alex Härtel on bass. They recorded their debut album Dead To This World in November 2009 at the Barracs studios together with Sky Hoff as a producer, who worked with Caliban in the past. Mastering was done by the legendary Alan Douches at the West West Side Studio in New York together with Simon in early December.
ARMA GATHAS have confirmed the first live dates, more to come. Spread the word!
ARMA GATHAS
22/06/10 – DE – Köln – Underground w/Bleeding Through
27/06/10 – NL – Amsterdam – Panama
10/09/10 – CH – Aarau – Kiff
25/09/10 – NL – Hoofddrop – Cilinderfest w/Hail Of Bullets a.o.
www.armagathas.com
www.myspace.com/armagathas
AS I LAY DYING post studio videos 3 and 4 for The Powerless Rise! European festival and club shows confirmed!
San Diego Metal Champions AS I LAY DYING have posted two more studio videos in the making of the new album The Powerless Rise! Surf over to www.metalblade.tv to check them out!
The Powerless Rise marks the follow-up to the band’s critically acclaimed fourth album An Ocean Between Us (Metal Blade) which debuted at #8 on the Billboard Top 200 and #1 on the Rock Chart, earning the group a Grammy nomination for “Best Metal Performance” alongside metal heavyweights Slayer and King Diamond. For the new album, the group re-teamed with producer Adam Dutkiewicz of Killswitch Engage and mixer Colin Richardson who they’d previously worked with on An Ocean Between Us.
AS I LAY DYING have confirmed a couple of more festival and club shows. Please check the complete list here:
AS I LAY DYING
04-06/06/10 – DE – Nürnberg – Rock im Park Festival
04-06/06/10 – DE – Nürburg – Rock am Ring Festival
13/06/10 – AT – Nickelsdorf – Nova Rock Festival
18/06/10 – CH – Jonschwil – Sonisphere Festival
19/06/10 – FR – Clisson – Hellfest
25/06/10 – IT – Torino – Gods Of Metal Festival
27/06/10 – BE – Dessel - Graspop
28/06/10 – DE – Bochum – Matrix (support: Atreyu)
29/06/10 – DE – Hamburg – Grosse Freiheit 36 (support : Atreyu)
01/07/10 – NO – Tromov – Hove Festival
02/07/10 – SE – Borlänge – Peace & Love Festival
04/07/10 – DE – Rojtzschjora – With Full Force Festival
AS I LAY DYING’s The Powerless Rise will be released as a limited Digipak on May 7/10 via Metal Blade Records in Europe!
http://www.asilaydying.com
http://www.myspace.com/asilaydying
First music video off BRAIN DRILL’S upcoming album, Quantum Catastrophe, now live on Bloody Disgusting!
Head over to premier horror movie site Bloody Disgusting to check out technical death metalers BRAIN DRILL’s brand new music video for the track Beyond Bludgeoned off the band’s upcoming sophomore release Quantum Catastrophe. The video for Beyond Bludgeoned was filmed back in February out in the San Joaquin Delta/Rio Vista, CA area and was directed by Nikko DeLuna and shot by Justin Potter.
BRAIN DRILL will once again take fans on a mind-melting voyage through the boundaries of exactly how incredible technical death metal can be. Quantum Catastrophe continues to push the band to their physical limits while somehow still exhibiting their trademark and infectious hook-laden riffs. Fan should expect an exponentially more technical and brutal release than they got with the band’s Metal Blade debut Apocalyptic Feasting. The song structures are way more over the top than before and the riffs catchier than before, which was a natural progression for the band as BRAIN DRILL’s goal is to push the limits of what they can do musically and technically. With Quantum Catastrophe, BRAIN DRILL truly does push themselves to the limits.
Quantum Catastrophe was recorded at Castle Ultimate Studios in Oakland, CA with Zach Ohren, who handled engineering mastering and produced the album along with the band. Bassist Ivan Munguia got to show off his guitar skills on the tracks “Mercy to None” and “Awaiting Imminent Destruction” which he wrote and recorded.
Vocalist Steve Rathjen explains the concept behind Quantum Catastrophe; “Universal decimation (black holes, galactic cosmic radiation), pandemic disease and zombie re-awakenings - mankind is entering an age of mass speculation as foreseen by numerous ancient cultures. Space to all humanity still primarily remains a mystery even in our days of immense technological advancements. We know this void is filled with infinite extremities which could occur at any instant; easily decimating all habitations. We also know our planet has fulfilled these mass extinctions time and again centuries in the past. The question which remains, are we due for another apocalyptic transition?”
Guitarist Dylan Ruskin adds some insight into the musical process; “The album was definitely a huge accomplishment in the chronicling of the drill. The musical dynamics and skill level of everyone in the band have improved much more than the previous album. The songs are more technical and musically diverse but are also well balanced and catchy.”
Quantum Catastrophe again features cover art by Par Olofsson. The over the top cover art perfectly complements the nearly unbelievable musicianship present on the record.
To date BRAIN DRILL has shared the stage with bands such as: Cannibal Corpse, Dying Fetus, The Black Dahlia Murder, Necrophagist, Job for a Cowboy, Unmerciful, All Shall Perish, Decrepit Birth, and many other extreme metal bands. In addition BRAIN DRILL has also managed to land the #1 spot on the MySpace grindcore band charts and #7 on the MySpace death metal charts.
http://www.myspace.com/braindrill
ISTAPP unleashes cover art and track listing for upcoming release “Blekinge” out June 4/7 via Metal Blade Records!
Hailing from Blekinge, Sweden, one of the traditional provinces of Sweden situated in the south of the country bordering Smaland, Scania and the Baltic Sea, are the three warlords that form ISTAPP; Mordechai von Renvaktar, C. Ashuck von Renvaktar and Fjalar. Setting out on a campaign to destroy the sun and all of its followers, ISTAPP is currently preparing to unleash the band’s Metal Blade Records debut Blekinge on June 4/7 in Europe and June 8th in the US and Canada.
Blekinge comes from the adjective bleke that corresponds to the nautical term for “dead calm,” but ISTAPP’s forthcoming album is anything but.
“We are confident that the piece of deadly art about to strike down on you all will be the first really true metal-album ever to be released to this world” comments the band on its upcoming release Blekinge, a dark and unrelenting black metal beast of an album set to devour the world this summer.
Cover art was handled by none other than C. Ashuck von Renvaktar.
“Out of his memories Lord Ashuck himself created a picture of Blekinge and its oak, fore-saying the inevitable path this world must wander. It will certainly hurt the eyes of many a sun-worshiper who dare to look upon it.”
http://www.istappofficial.com
http://www.myspace.com/istapp
LIGHTNING SWORDS OF DEATH releases artwork and track listing for ‘The Extra Dimensional Wound’
LA underground black metal act, LIGHTNING SWORDS OF DEATH are pleased to release the track listing and cover art for the band’s upcoming Metal Blade debut The Extra Dimensional Wound, out May 21/24 in Europe!
The Extra Dimensional Wound was recorded in Corona, CA at Trench Studios with Roskva from the band producing and John Haddad handling engineering duties, and was mixed and mastered by Sverker “Necro” Widgren at Necromorbus Studios in Stockholm Sweden.
It began seven years ago when a pact was made within a dilapidated house hidden in Southern California. It was here that Autarch, Roskva and Menno found themselves in agreement that should the occult sciences be applied to music, the results would prove extremely dangerous to their sanity, yet yield spectacular results. LIGHTNING SWORDS OF DEATH, as they would name it, would be in itself a meticulously designed hyper-sigil constructed to direct and antagonize the limitless dark energy that lurks within the less navigable chasms of the human mind and the space between spaces.
Enter 2009; LIGHTNING SWORDS OF DEATH signed a worldwide deal with Metal Blade Records and continued to push their brand of brazen black metal through their DYI attitude, getting multiple tracks on the PSP game UNDEAD KNIGHTS as well as a track featured on the soundtrack for the horror/thriller movie Stepfather (October 2009). LIGHTNING SWORDS OF DEATH budding reputation as a relentless and must see black metal act also earned the band a coveted spot on the Evangelia Amerika Tour, headlined by Behemoth and joined by Septicflesh of Greece, which kicked off in January 2010. In anticipation of the release of the band’s debut Metal Blade album The Extra Dimensional Wound the band toured the western and southern US during March 2010 with none other than Kreator, Kataklysm, Evile and Lazarus A.D. LIGHTNING SWORDS OF DEATH even landed a highly sought after spot opening up the Los Angeles show for legendary black metalers Immortal!
http://www.myspace.com/lightningswordsofdeath
