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DARK EMPIRE- New Single Available on iTunes

Posted in All Metal, Artist Watch, New Music, News, Releases with tags , , , , , , on February 29, 2012 by Randy

New Jersey’s DARK EMPIRE return to the scene with their third release, this March entitled From Refuge to Ruin. Fusing elements of extreme and classic metal, 70’s prog rock, and poetic, meaningful lyrics, DARK EMPIRE bring forth a tremendously successful amalgam that is refreshingly unique as well as raw and aggressive.

Today sees the first official digital single release from the new release From Refuge to Ruin. The track entitled “A Plague in the Throne Room” is available exclusively on iTunes. The single features special artwork designed by acclaimed artist Gustavo Sazez known for his work with Arch Enemy, God Forbid and Morbid Angel amongst others. Purchase your copy of the digital single HERE.

Heavy Metal and Hard Rock hub Noisecreep is hosting an exclusive premiere of a track from DARK EMPIRE‘s new album. The song entitled “The Crimson Portrait” can be heard HERE.

DARK EMPIRE have released a track off of From Refuge to Ruin on their official Facebook Page HERE.

Dominating through the intricate songwriting are powerful new vocalist Brian Larkin (who replaces Jens Carlsson of Persuader and Savage Circus fame) and the commanding riffs of lead guitarist/main songwriter Matt Moliti, who also lends a chilling death vocal counterpoint to Larkin’s leather-throated melodic lines. In addition to Moliti’s elaborate guitar work and Larkin’s attention- grabbing vocals, DARK EMPIRE features the deep resonance of bassist Randy Knecht and the “Dave Lombardo-meets-Gavin Harrison” drumming of session player Matt Graff.

Not being ones to repeat themselves, DARK EMPIRE has injected fresh new influences into their follow up to their 2008 release “Humanity Dethroned”. Taking a cue from 70’s prog masters such as Genesis and King Crimson, Dark Empire inventively utilize vintage Mellotron and Hammond Organ samples throughout the album, as well as delicate 12-string acoustic interludes and haunting, atmospheric melodies (coming to full fruition in the powerfully epic title track). This is not to undermine the push DARK EMPIRE has also made in the heavier end of the dynamic spectrum, now utilizing seven-string guitars, crushing doom metal moments, and blistering death metal-inspired riffs. For older fans, these new elements serve to compliment, not overshadow, the band’s thrashy progressive metal roots, and the 13-minute-plus dark and doomy album closer “The Cleansing Fires” serves as a musical culmination of the broadened range of styles found throughout.

With pristine and powerful production from Jeremy Krull and artwork by Gustavo Sazes (Arch Enemy, Firewind, Morbid Angel) along with fresh creative input and exceptional talent, DARK EMPIRE will surely become the new cross-over favorite for any metal fan.

Tracklisting

1. A Plague in the Throne Room

2. Dreaming in Vengeance

3. The Crimson Portrait

4. Dark Seeds of Depravity

5. From Refuge to Ruin

6. Lest Ye Be Judged

7. What Men Call Hatred

8. Black Hearts Demise

9. The Cleansing Fires

For More Info Visit:

http://www.facebook.com/darkempireband

http://www.nightmarerecords.com

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Metalocalypse Co-Creator Announces New Side Project: BRENDON SMALL’s GALAKTIKON

Posted in All Metal, Artist Watch, New Music, News, Releases with tags , , , , , , , , , , , on February 21, 2012 by Randy

BRENDON SMALL is the co-creator/ writer/ actor/ director/ producer/ of ADULT SWIM’S METALOCALYPSE television series. Brendon Small is also responsible for writing and performing all of the show’s music and DETHKLOK: THE DETHALBUM and DETHALBUM II, the latter now known as the fastest-selling death metal album to date.

Now, Brendon has written and produced BRENDON SMALL‘s GALAKTIKON: “A High Stakes Intergalactic Extreme Rock album”, his long-awaited side project set to release in April 2012. The album release will coincide with the Season 4 premiere of METALOCALYPSE.

Coming off of the second DETHKLOK album which was heavier and darker than the first, BRENDON SMALL’s  GALAKTIKON searches for melody (in the vocal) and finds inspirations in modern black metal, Queen, Foo Fighters, Soundgarden, Smashing Pumpkins and Weezer. No influence is unwelcome on this project. Brendon Small paired with DETHKLOK drummer (legendary metal drummer) Gene Hoglan (Dethklok, Strapping Young Lad, Testament, Fear Factory) and DETHKLOK bassist Bryan Beller (Dethklok, Steve Vai, Mike Keneally band) and DETHKLOK engineer and mixer Ulrich Wild.

“This album should be thought of as an audio comic book, an over acted chamber drama, a ridiculous premise that takes itself way too seriously all the way to the end,” states Brendon Small.

BRENDON SMALL’s GALAKTIKON comes as a follow up to Brendon’s work on the chart-topping DETHKLOK albums based on METALOCALYPSE and released by Williams Street Records. DETHKLOK: THE DETHALBUM debuted at #21 on the Billboard Top 200 with over 30,000 copies sold in the first week and held the “fastest-selling death metal album to date” position originally until the follow-up, DETHALBUM II, surpassed it to break the aforementioned record with a #15 debut on the Billboard Top 200. DETHKLOK has performed on several US tours and headlined the Los Angeles kick-off date of the 2011 Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival.

For all up-to-date information and to purchase BRENDON SMALL’s GALAKTIKON, please visit www.brendonsmall.com: your one-stop-shop for everything involving this new project. You can also catch more intermittent updates on Facebook at www.facebook.com/brendonsmallgalaktikon and follow Brendon Small on Twitter at www.twitter.com/_brendonsmall.

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KILLSWITCH ENGAGE ANNOUNCE NEW SINGER: JESSE LEACH – HE SERVED AS BAND’S ORIGINAL SINGER ON LANDMARK ALBUM ALIVE OR JUST BREATHING

Posted in All Metal, Artist Watch, News, Releases with tags , , , , , , , on February 8, 2012 by Randy

(New York, NY): Killswitch Engage are pleased to announce that they have filled the singer vacancy in the band and they have done so with a familiar face: original vocalist Jesse Leach.

Leach sang on the band’s first self-titled album, which came out in 2000, and on their landmark 2002 Roadrunner debut Alive or Just Breathing. Leach left the band in 2002 and was replaced by Howard Jones, but his work on Alive or Just Breathing has always been revered by diehard, longtime KsE fans. Things have come full circle a decade later, and Leach and the band couldn’t be more pleased about this reunion.

The band revealed that Leach auditioned for the job he once held and pretty much blew everyone away and then some. The band stated, “After much deliberation and careful consideration, we are pleased to announce that Jesse Leach has rejoined Killswitch Engage. Our job was to find the best person to fill Howard’s shoes: a decision based on talent and not familiarity.”

The band further said, “Truth be told, Jesse blew us away in auditions. The room seemed charged with electricity. He commanded both new and old material, and proved, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that he wanted to do this. The choice became very clear and apparent.”

The band also is psyched to share the news with fans, saying, “This change is very exciting. We know you’re going to love it. This is truly a new era in KsE history  and it is ready to shred your face off. So, please help us in welcoming Jesse back into the KsE family; he is a rare and great talent, a fact that older KsE fans have known for years. Here is to a killer new record and a bright future. The five of us cannot wait to write this record and play shows together and bring that feeling to our fans. It’s been far too long.”

The “new” guy himself also commented on his return to the band after a decade-long absence, saying, “It is a great honor to rejoin my brothers after all of these years. After some discussion and much reflection, it was obvious to me this was the path I was meant to take. We got together and jammed on the ‘Howard-era songs,’ as well as some Alive or Just Breathing-era songs and we all felt the synergy.”

He continued, “I look forward to writing the new record, since the demos sound absolutely amazing,  as well as breathing new life and getting comfortable with the soulful songs Howard has written. It is a new chapter of my life filled with new and exciting challenges. I will give all that I can to honor the position I have been given and take nothing for granted. I will sing every note with all of my soul. I am very blessed and very thankful to be back in the KsE family! All things happen in their due time and now is the time for this reunion and new direction.”

KsE remain hard at work on their latest album, which follows 2009’s second self-titled album.

The band will perform at the New England Metal and Hardcore Fest on April 22, 2012. Leach last performed with KsE in March 2010 in New York City, Clifford Park, NY, and Wallingford CT.

Tour dates are as follows:

4/22 Worcester, MA @ Palladium (New England Metal and Hardcore Festival)

6/1-6/3 Rock Am Ring/Rock Im Park

6/8 Nickelsdorf, Austria @ Pannonia Fields II (Nova Rock)

6/15 Copenhagen, Denmark (Copenhell)

6/16 Gothenburg, Sweden (Metaltown)

6/22 Milan, Italy @ Arena Fiera Milano (Gods Of Metal)

6/24 Dessel, Belgium @ Festival Park ‘Stenehel’ (Grasspop)

 

More tour dates will be announced shortly.

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OPETH + MASTODON TO TOUR THIS SPRING CO-HEADLINING “HERITAGE HUNTER TOUR” TO BEGIN IN APRIL AND RUN THROUGH MAY WITH GHOST TO SUPPORT

Posted in All Metal, Artist Watch, News, Releases with tags , , , , , , , , on January 31, 2012 by Randy

New York, NY: This is one tour that rock fans will be talking about for years to come and if you miss it, you’ll be terribly sorry. Opeth and Mastodon will be embarking on a co-headline tour this spring, which kicks off April 4 in Portland, Maine and runs through May 12 in Atlanta, Georgia. It’s the first time these two titans of progressive and forward-thinking hard rock have hit the road together and it’s going to be one for the ages. Ghost will serve as the opener of the tour, which has been christened the “Heritage Hunter.”

About the tour, Opeth frontman Mikael Åkerfeldt, in his trademark deadpan wit, stated, “We’re touring North America together with Mastodon soon. Nice! One of the very few metal bands of today that I genuinely like. Good people too!  Ghost are coming with us as well, and they are one of the hottest new bands to come out of Sweden in recent years, and I dig them too. I sound like an old fart, don’t I? Well, I am.”

He continued, “Yet, am I right in thinking that this tour, this line up, is pretty decent? Would you all agree? Not complete s—, is it? Hope to see y’all out there! What are we playing? Not sure yet, but considering the company, maybe we’ll have to pull out the big guns from time to time. In order to keep up, I mean.”

Opeth released Heritage in September 2011, garnering critical acclaim from Rolling Stone (“a career record that reimagines prog as actual rock ‘n’ roll”), Pitchfork (“a pretty, well thought out collection”), AV Club (“wholly absorbing”), Decibel (which featured the band on the cover, in somewhat of a tradition for the band and the magazine), PopMatters (“Opeth still continues to make especially phenomenal music”) and more.

Dates for this momentous trek are as follows. Pre-sale ticketing begins on February 1, with public on sales to follow on February 3.  Go here to purchase tickets.

April 4 – State Theater – Portland, ME

April 5 – Orpheum Theater – Boston, MA *

April 6 – Metropolis – Montreal, QC *

April 7 – Sony Centre – Toronto, ON *

April 9 – Electric Factory – Philadelphia, PA

April 10 – The Dome – Wallingford, CT

April 11 – Roseland – New York, NY

April 13 – Riviera Theater – Chicago

April 14 – Intersection – Grand Rapids, MI

April 15 – Stage AE – Pittsburgh, PA

April 16 – TN Theater – Knoxville, TN *

April 18 – Diamond Ballroom  – Oklahoma City, OK

April 19 –Palladium – Dallas, TX *

April 20 – Backstage Live – San Antonio, TX *

April 21 – Concrete Street – Corpus Christi, TX *

April 23 – Fillmore – Denver, CO *

April 25 – House of Blues – Las Vegas, NV

April 26 – Gibson – Hollywood, CA *

April 27 – Fox Theatre – Oakland, CA *
April 28 – Grand Sierra Resort – Reno, NV

April 30 – Paramount Theater – Seattle, WA *

May 1 – Orpheum – Vancouver, BC *

May 3 – Edmonton Events Centre – Edmonton,AB *

May 4 – MacEwan Hall – Calgary, AB

May 5 – The Odeon – Saskatoon, SK

May 6 – Burton Cummings – Winnipeg, MB *

May 9 – The Fillmore – Washington, DC *

May 10 – The Fillmore – Charlotte, NC

May 11 – House of Blues – Myrtle Beach, SC *

May 12 – Masquerade Music Park – Atlanta, GA

 

*Denotes Opeth close the show

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