NOCTUM Reveal Album Artwork and Track Listing for New Full-Length Album Final Sacrifice

Available October 29th on Metal Blade Records Swedish rockers NOCTUM have confirmed an October 29th release date for their Metal Blade Records debut Final Sacrifice.  Today the artwork and track listing have been revealed. The cover art was painted by Timo Ketola (Sunn o))), Arktau Eos) and fits perfectly with the album's raw, natural sound. In the town of Uppsala, Sweden in the year 2009 a band called Séance was formed.  Moving at breakneck speed the band formed in September, recorded a two-song demo after adding guitarist Per Wikström to the lineup in October, and by November had changed their name to NOCTUM. Within those three months, the band signed an LP deal with High-Roller Records, and a CD deal with Stormspell Records. NOCTUM's debut album, The Séance, was released in September 2010 via High-Roller and in December by Stormspell. The band finally embarked on their first European tour in July of 2011, and followed that up with a new EP, The Fiddler. By August of 2011, NOCTUM created enough buzz in the underground to gain the attention of Metal Blade Records, which led to a new worldwide record deal. With a new record deal in place with a global label, NOCTUM spent the majority of 2012 refining their sound and writing new songs. Their search for original and interesting material led them to a heavier and darker sound. The progression came very naturally for the band and differs from the typical 70's vibe. The new material successfully evokes a heaviness and emotion one might not expect from a "retro" sounding band. Noctum toured Europe again in 2012, and then welcomed the addition of drummer Fredrik Jansson after Gustaf's departure. Jansson, who spent time in Witchcraft, Count Raven, and Abramis Brama, was added to the lineup in time to record Final Sacrifice in April 2013. Final Sacrifice is a fictional horror story where each song communicates a portion of the overall narrative. The "final sacrifice" is like a red thread that ties the songs together and is the concept behind the art. Final Sacrifice is an analog piece of art in both audio and visual aspects. The track "Liberty in Death" can be previewed HERE. Final Sacrifice Track Listing: 1. Conflagration 2. Liberty in Death 3. Resurrected in Evil 4. Deadly Connection 5. Void of Emptiness 6. The Revisit 7. A Burning Will 8. Temple of the Living Dead 9. Azoth Noctum Lineup: David Indelöf - Guitar/Vocals Daniel Johansson - Guitar Tobias Rosén - Bass Fredrik Jansson - Drums For More Info Visit: http://www.noctumofficial.com https://www.facebook.com/Noctumofficial http://www.metalblade.com

HALCYON WAY Announce World Premiere of video at ProgPower USA

Atlanta Metallers HALCYON WAY are currently in the final stages of mixing for their new album.  The band recently completed work on a video for the song "Web Of Lies".  The video will receive its exclusive premiere on Saturday September 27th at 7:45 PM at ProgPower USA XIV in Atlanta, GA. HALCYON WAY will be hitting the road this September and October alongside Saxon and Fozzy.  The tour kicks off September 12th in Patchouge, NY and runs through October 19th in Vancouver, BC.  A complete list of dates can be found below. Guitarist Jon Bodan gave some insight on the new album: "Thanks to the support of the many fans that contributed to our IndieGoGo campaign, we are in the final stages of editing our first 'proper' music video, for a track called "Web Of Lies" off our upcoming new record.  The video is coming out amazing, and the song is killer - it's heavy, technical yet accessible, and it has the giant hook that defines the HW sound."    "We're naming the new album "Conquer" as a result of the adversity that we have faced as a band since we released our last couple of albums.  We've been through many ups and downs over the last few years, and they would have destroyed many other bands.  We've overcome life-threatening illnesses, lineup changes, and all sorts of gutpunches, but we persevere.  We are extremely proud of this new record, and we think that it will help to inspire people going through similar hard times." The album was produced by Jon Bodan & Lasse Lammert (Alestorm, Gloryhammer) with additional vocal production by Seth Von Paulus (Linda Perry, Alicia Keys, Crash Kings, Smashing Pumpkins).  Art will again be handled by the legendary Travis Smith at Seempieces."    Known for their explosive live shows, instantly catchy melodies, precise vocal harmonies, incendiary guitar work, intricate yet pounding drums, and great showmanship, they dominate the live scene.     Aurally combining the heaviness of bands like Testament, the technical prowess of Dream Theater, the power metallic attitude of Evergrey and soaring vocal melodies, HALCYON WAY will leave you awestricken by their punishing riffs and unforgettable hooks. Visit the HALCYON WAY webshop at: http://www.halcyonway.com/webshop  HALCYON WAY With Saxon and Fozzy: 9/12: Patchouge, NY @ The Emporium 9/13: New York, NY @ BB Kings 9/14: Montreal, QUE @ Corona Theater 9/15: Toronto, ON @ Phoenix 9/17: Reading, PA @ Reverb 9/18: Cleveland, OH @ Peabody's 9/19: Dayton, OH @ McGuffys 9/20: Flint, MI @ The Machine Shop 9/21: Joliet, IL @ Mojoes 9/22: Milwaukee, WI @ The Rave Basement 9/24: Waterloo, IA @ Reverb Rock Garden 9/26: Dallas, TX @ House of Blues 9/27: San Antonio, TX @ Backstage Live 9/28: Houston, TX @ House of Blues 9/29: Oklahoma City, OK @ Chameleon Club 10/1: Tempe, AZ @ Club Red 10/2: Las Vegas, NV @ Count's Vamp'd 10/3: Ramona, CA @ Ramona Main Stage 10/4: Los Angeles, CA @ House of Blues 10/5: Corona, CA @ M15 10/6: San Francisco, CA @ DNA Lounge 10/8: Seattle, WA @ Studio Seven 10/9: Portland, OR @ Alhambra Theater 10/10: Vancouver, BC @ The Venue DISCOGRAPHY: 2011 - INDOCTRINATION - Nightmare Records 2010 - BUILDING THE TOWERS - Nightmare Records 2008 - A MANIFESTO FOR DOMINATION - Nightmare Records HALCYON WAY: http://www.halcyonway.com (Official Website) http://www.twitter.com/halcyonway (Twitter) http://www.facebook.com/halcyonway (Facebook)

SUPERSUCKERS to deliver new album to Acetate Records, distributed by MVD Entertainment Group

Acetate Records announces the addition of legendary Seattle band Supersuckers to their roster. The as of yet untitled album will be recorded at Willie Nelson's famous Arlyn Studio, in Austin, TX.  It will be the band's ninth studio record and their first since 2008's Get It Together, released on the band's own Mid-Fi Recordings label.   Check out ChiIL Live Shows live Super Sucker Show Shots. "The band is really firing on all cylinders here lately and we're super stoked to get into the very same studio where we recorded Sacrilicious (SubPop, 1995) and create this rock-n-roll juggernaut," writes frontman Eddie Spaghetti. "We're also excited that we'll be releasing the record through Acetate Records, a new home for us and we're all in the honeymoon stages of the relationship now, so things are rosy and looking up." To celebrate this union of rock, Acetate Records and Supersuckers are offering fans a FREE E.P. entitled "50,000 Middle Fingers Can?t Be Wrong," featuring selections from their past catalog.   The EP is available at http://www.acetate.com. "It's been a rough few years for us, but that means more angry rock for you to enjoy! So batten down the hatches, lock up your wives and trim the hedges! The Supersuckers are fucking BACK!!!," concluded Spaghetti. The new album will be released at the end of 2013.

Mavis Staples releases “One True Vine” TODAY & Plays Hideout Block Party/AV Fest

Mavis Staples ONLY Chicago performance of 2013 will be at the Hideout Block Party/AV Fest!

Get your tickets NOW!

Mavis Staples has been a guiding light for all of us our entire lives.  It was overwhelming to us when she decided to record her 2008 live album the Hideout.  "Hope at the Hideout” was released it on election night, November 4, 2008.  Jeff Tweedy and Wilco were in the audience that magical night.  That night at the Hideout, Jeff and Mavis decided to record some songs together.  This amazing relationship, led to the Grammy winning “You Are Not Alone”, and now to today’s release of “One True Vine”.   And the reviews are amazing!

Jon Pareles in the New York Times says:  “Far Celestial Shores,” written for Ms. Staples by Nick Lowe, envisions heaven not only as a realm of abundance and joy, but also as “a place I know for certain I will someday see.” …determinedly celebratory…as a whole, “One True Vine” is as introspective and diffident as a gospel album can be. Bravely and intimately, it leaves room for doubt.

Rolling Stone says: “One True Vine shows there isn't much the ex-Staple Singer can't make gorgeous...”

NPR says: “the album blooms into something more celebratory — as Staples begins to find salvation and comfort — the joy in One True Vine peeks through like slivers of sunshine.”

The Guardian UK says: “We think it's great”

Mavis Staples has had a 60 year career where she marched with Martin Luther King and helped change America and the world.  She has become the vine that ties generations, races and genders together.

She has decided to make the Hideout her home. We are beyond honored!

For the next week you can enter a raffle to win a pair of tickets to the party!  Donations will benefit the Betty Hemmert Memorial Music Scholarship Fund at Rock For Kids

The new album is available for purchase here.

Mavis Staples will perform her ONLY Chicago performance of 2013 at the Hideout Block Party/ AV Fest!

Get your tickets NOW!

Kut U Up "Worse Than Wolves" July 2nd #indierock

To Be Released Digitally and on Limited Edition Swirl Vinyl, July 2 Record Release show on 7/2 - The Saloon - Encinitas, CA syndicated at StageIt.com Kut U Up has returned to form with the band's first newly recorded material in more than a decade. They entered Double Time studios on El Cajon California, under the masterful ears of Jeff Forrest, recording six tracks-some unheard, some live show mainstays. The Worse Than Wolves EP will be available July 2 digitally and on limited edition vinyl (black and clear swirl, limited to 500, image below) through MVD Entertainment Group. It can be pre-ordered at Aggronautix.com or at See of Sound. The band's record release show at The Saloon in Encinitas, CA on July 2 will also be syndicated online at StageIt.com for fans across the globe.  Kut U Up's first release, 2002's Pulled Over: Your Eyes Are Telling Me Different Son... , and the band's star-turn in the cult-classic, rock-doc, Riding In Vans' With Boys have helped the band garner a loyal, rabid, and very patient fan base around the world. Fortunately for the fans, the wait for new Kut U Up material is over... "It's crazy that it took us so long to go back in to the studio," says Kut U Up founding member, Chris Cote. "We never 'broke up', and we've been playing live here and there for the last ten or so years, but it became evident through fan interaction and the response we've been getting at shows that we really needed to record some new material. The fans deserve it, and we feel like our legacy does too-we don't want to just be remembered as, 'the band that was all f-ked up in that one movie with Blink and Green Day'-we feel the new songs will speak for themselves. The fans that have stuck with us will love the new jams, and hopefully we'll open the eyes and ears of a whole new generation of Kut U Up fans as well! We're very excited to start this new chapter of the Kut U Up saga." The band's lineup remains strongly bonded, with Chris Cote on Bass and vocals, Brandon Parkhurst on guitar and vocals, Brendan Raasch on drums, and the most recent addition, Matt Amador on guitar. Listen to "Make It Out Alive". For more information go to: http://kutuupmusic.com/ https://www.facebook.com/KutUup Track Listing:  1.Trust 2. Shut It Down 3. Worse Than Wolves 4. Last Time 5. Give A Shit 6. Trap's Set  About KUT U UP Kut U Up is an indie-rock band from San Diego, California. The four piece has been together since sometime in the middle of 1996. If memory serves, the band was formed on the basis of making loud music for partygoers. In the last decade, the band has taken it's signature sound and refined it, adding melody, intricate guitar work, rotating vocals, pounding drums, all while keeping the loose attitude and high volume rawness Kut U Up has become known for. Kut U Up's live shows are better than ever with classic Kut U Up tracks shining alongside new material. Rock and Roll will never die, and neither will Kut U Up.

SPIRALARMS Sign with Steamhammer/SPV #musicvideo #heavyrockers

Steamhammer / SPV is proud to announce that East Bay Heavy Rockers SpiralArms just inked a worldwide deal with Steamhammer / SPV. Their second album "Freedom" is scheduled for an October 2013 release. SpiralArms rose from the ashes of millennial bands Systematic, Forbidden and Man Made God. This sextet has one mission. That mission is to save today's music scene by bringing true heavy melodic rock to the forefront. Tim Narducci (SpiralArms) comments: "We're very proud to be a part of the SPV/Steamhammer records! SPV is the perfect home for us to grow into the band that we had envisioned when we started. Their belief in SpiralArms has only inspired us to rock harder then ever! We always felt like we just needed a crack in the door so we can kick it all the way open with our brand of heaviness." Georg Schröder (A+R Steamhammer/SPV) ads: "This band rocks hard! Their debut album 'Highest Society' which was released in 2010 already showed that these guys are really able to deliver some true, honest and super heavy melodic Rock. The upcoming album 'Freedom' goes one step further and just blew us away. The songs recall on the times of the really big rock songs of the past but the band managed it to sound amazingly fresh and modern. We can't wait to release this Rock Monster in October!" Check out "Dropping Like Flies" The first Video from the upcoming album "Freedom" here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=FT8MmiJC43U SpiralArms are: Tim Narducci - Vocals/Guitar Craig Locicero - Guitar Anthony Traslavina - Guitar Cornbread - Bass/Vocal Brad Barth - Keyboards Ron Redeen - Drums www.spiralarms.com

Hear the first single from Dent May's forthcoming album Warm Blanket out Aug. 27 on Paw Tracks

Photo by Aaron Beasley 

STREAM: Dent May - "Born Too Late"  Dent May previously shared a teaser video for this upcoming new album, Warm Blanket. Now, you can hear the first single from the album, "Born Too Late," over at The FADER.  About Dent May: Warm Blanket is the third album from Mississippi songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and producer Dent May. Recorded in solitude in a reportedly haunted Victorian house by the bay in St. Augustine, Florida, the album arrives just barely a year after the release of his previous LP, Do Things. Dent's most ambitious undertaking yet, Warm Blanket is another kaleidoscopic odyssey through the restless musical mind of a DIY pop auteur. He played almost all of the instruments on the album, making use of the house's antique grand piano and recruiting Florida locals to fill in on horns, strings, and pedal steel guitar. The result is an album of existential pop, psychedelic funk, and melancholy soul with soaring arrangements ripped from the pages of classic American songwriting. Lyrically, Dent investigates life's timeless mysteries, touching on youth, mortality, alienation, and unrequited love with startling honesty and humor. A delightful mix of organic textures, analog synth squiggles, inventive vocal melodies, and sincere wordplay, Warm Blanket is a bold step forward for an artist who shows no signs of slowing down.    DENT MAY    06/24 - Fargo, ND - The Aquarium  06/25 - Iowa City, IA - The Mill +  06/26 - Columbus, OH - Ace of Cups +    + = w/ Dead Gaze Dent May  Warm Blanket (Paw Tracks) Street Date: August 27, 2013 Formats: CD / LP / Digital     1. Turn Up The Speakers 2. Let Them Talk 3. Born Too Late 4. Yazoo 5. Corner Piece 6. Do I Cross Your Mind? 7. It Takes A Long Time 8. I'm Ready To Be Old 9. Endlessly 10. Found A Friend 11. Summer Is Over  DENT MAY LINKS: Official Site - www.dentmay.com     Facebook - www.facebook.com/dentmay  Twitter - https://twitter.com/dentmay Label - http://www.paw-tracks.com

Spin Premieres Alela Diane's 'About Farewell' Video About Farewell Out June 25th (Digitally) And July 30th (Physical) On Rusted Blue Records

'About Farewell' Track Listing: 1. Colorado Blue 2. About Farewell 3. The Way We Fall 4. Nothing I Can Do 5. Lost Land 6. I Thought I Knew 7. Before The Leaving 8. Hazel Street 9. Black Sheep 10. Rose & Thorn Praise For Alela Diane: "Diane’s work here is hauntingly honest, strongly suggesting that the emotional wallop of About Farewell won’t be easy to shake off" --Pitchfork "Diane unspools such gorgeous melody that you can't help but experience what she's feeling" --Spin "Diane's warm alto provides an ideal vehicle for her minor-key meditations on matters existential and elemental. With a lyrical style that tends more toward dreamlike imagery than straightforward narrative, she creates music with timeless character."-- NPR "Alela Diane's songs are campfire pipe dreams filled with picket fences, desert sands and paths leading back to you." -- The Guardian [UK] "Her sincere, timeless voice and songwriting earning her country-flecked brand of folk comparisons to 70′s folk godmothers Karen Dalton and Vashti Bunyan." -- Consequence Of Sound Links: Alela Diane Website Alela Diane Facebook Watch 'About Farewell' Video At Spin! Pre-Order About Farewell on iTunes  "I heard somebody say that 'the brightest lights cast the biggest shadows,' so honey, I've got to let you go, I've got to let you go". ...So croons the elegant folkstress Alela Diane on the title number from her forthcoming record, About Farewell. Over the last year, Alela has finished recording and mixing this new album, to be self-released in the summer via her own label, Rusted Blue Records. It serves as an eloquent goodbye to lovers from years past, coupled with some poignant last walks down memory lane. While the lyrics deal most directly with her recent divorce, the album explores her entire last decade of relationships with tremendous honesty and nuanced insight. To call the experience "cathartic" would almost be an understatement - for Alela, this was a record which direly needed to be made. In the writing process, she was able to lucidly articulate her emotions about her marriage, a process which led her to realize the necessity of ending one chapter of her life in order to begin a new one. Her art helped to guide her, as ever, along the proper path. The process of writing and recording About Farewell cemented her intention to say a firm goodbye. Yet in releasing it - surrendering it to the world - this songbird can find new levity with that weight off her wings. She's flying towards what the French call l'avenir - the "yet to come." These songs are somber and achingly truthful, yet always glimmering with her exquisite poetry. In these new songs, Alela's staggering voice is able to take center stage, as she's turned away from the full band that she last employed with Alela Diane & Wild Divine. The entirety of About Farewell was built around her voice and simple guitar arrangements. With an unprecedented level of creative control, Alela could explore her own ideas for harmonies and melodies and create a wholly unique piece of self-expression. While the record is a step forward for her in this way, it also represents a return to her roots as a songwriter. Hailing from Nevada City, CA, the homespun charms of her origin place have never left her. Alela's first record, The Pirate's Gospel, featured hand-drawn and hand-sewn sleeves. It is this handcrafted DIY aesthetic which is revisited anew, both in her decision to self-release the album, and in her self-possessed approach to recording Alela laid much of About Farewell to tape with John Askew at Flora Recording Studios in her current home of Portland, Or, in late 2011 and early 2012. Over the course of 2012 she enlisted the help of some very talented friends to flesh out the sound: Heather Broderick (Horse Feathers, Efterklang, Loch Lomond) arranging and playing piano and flute, Holcombe Waller arranging strings, and Neal Morgan (Joanna Newsom, Bill Callahan touring bands) playing drums. In early 2013, she finished mixing the album with John Askew at Scenic Burrows and Mix Foundry. We find these stripped-down folk songs to be a perfect vehicle for Alela's impressive emotional range. She's able to convey heartrending vulnerability at one moment, then bold wisdom and unflinching directness at the next. Nowhere is this palette so rich as in the live shows, an intimate treat for audiences lucky enough to catch her this year.  In the season of spring, the heart has thawed and we turn to the promise of budding possibilities. A once-heartsick Alela has said her farewells, and now is the time to meet the new, more fully actualized woman.

Majical Cloudz FREE streaming Impersonator in its entirety #freestreaming

Did you catch Majical Cloudz at Chicago's Metro last night?! Devon Welsh of MAJICAL CLOUDZ Photo Credit: Denis Nazarov In anticipation of the release of their Matador debut next Tuesday, May 21st, Majical Cloudz are streaming Impersonator in it's entirety on Pitchfork Advance. Click Here To Stream Impersonator  Comprised of Devon Welsh and Matthew Otto, Majical Cloudz have been receiving praise for their intense, vocally driven songs and their intimate, powerful live show.  New single "Bugs Don't Buzz" garnered a Best New Track from Pitchfork, who write how it's, "defined by its directness--that Devon Welsh is singing to you, or, if you present this song to a loved one, it's you singing to them. It's indeed a love song that feels like a confession of a devotion that one wouldn't feel comfortable sharing with more than one person."  Click Here To Download "Bugs Don't Buzz" In a recent interview with the duo, Stereogum write, "it’s hard to imagine that anyone will release an album this year as lovely - or as harrowingly intimate - as Majical Cloudz’s soon-to-be-released debut, Impersonator." SPIN compare the pair as a cross between James Blake and Antony Hegarty, calling "Bugs Don't Buzz" "incredibly intense." NYC Peeps Click Here For Glasslands Record Release Show Ticket Link Currently finishing a national tour with Youth Lagoon, Majical Cloudz will be playing a record release show at Brooklyn's Glasslands on May 21st with support from Gobby and unannounced surprise guests, a special live set after the duo's two sold out New York dates last week. They will also be playing select dates with Grizzly Bear this summer, as well as sets at Montreal's Osheaga Festival and later at Hopscotch Music Festival, with all dates below.  Remaining Summer Tour Dates / 5/16: Majestic Theater, Madison, WI * 5/17: Fine Line, Minneapolis, MN * 5/20: Other Music (8 PM - Free,) New York, NY 5/21: Glasslands, Brooklyn, NY # 6/18: The Fillmore at Jackie Gleason, Miami Beach, FL @ 6/19: The Ritz Ybor, Tampa, FL @ 8/02: Osheaga Festival, Montreal, QC 9/07: Hopscotch Music Festival, Raleigh, NC   * with Youth Lagoon # with Gobby and Special Guests @ with Grizzly bear Quotes / "A patient, minimal sound that avoids the pitfalls of style or genre by subscribing to none at all. It's something many artists strive for but few achieve. 'Childhood's End' is one of the most compelling and singular attempts at it I've heard in some time-- calmly expressive, charged and moving."  Pitchfork "It's hard to imagine that anyone will release an album this year as lovely - or as harrowingly intimate - as Majical Cloudz' soon-to-be-released debut, Impersonator." Stereogum "James Blake meets Antony Hegarty" SPIN "The gritty lyrics fill every corner of the song, and those who weren't aware of Welsh's commanding presence soon will be."  Billboard "The track relies on little more than some methodical strings, the low rumble of percussion, and Welsh’s voice. But in the all-but-barren soundscape, Welsh’s baritone is rich with the ache of forlorn, eschewing words in some sections to transcend into pure, unfettered emotion." Consequence of Sound "Haunting debut...clear, even, rich and utterly transfixing" Village Voice "The ten torchy, moody songs on the upcoming follow-up, Impersonator, embed Welsh’s Michael Hutchence-esque tenor voice in arrangements that smooth out II’s rough, busy edges and replace them with a mannered but warm electronic minimalism. The album is sure to amplify the buzz surrounding the group by several notches at least." Chicago Reader "It's pleasing in the most elemental way possible, luxuriating in deep emotional focus as he trains his voice on melody lines that are catchy for the very reason that they're smartly simple." FADER "Welsh's deep, charismatic voice over simple, catchy and melancholic melodies makes Majical Cloudz a band worth getting excited about." Interview Magazine Impersonator Tracklisting / 01. Impersonator 02. This Is Magic 03. Childhood's End 04. I Do Sing For You 05. Mister 06. Turns Turns Turns 07. Silver Rings 08. Illusion 09. Bugs Don't Buzz 10. Notebook Press  Pitchfork Best New Track for "Bugs Don't Buzz" Majical Cloudz Video for "Childhood's End" Stereogum Interview with Majical Cloudz Pitchfork Best New Track for "Childhood's End" Spinner Feature Interview with Majical Cloudz Majical Cloudz Performs "Turns, Turns, Turns" For Yours Truly Exclusive Mixtape & Interview For FADER Interview Feature with Dazed & Confused Majical Cloudz Interview On Dummy Mag Interview Magazine Feature on Majical Cloudz Noisey Interview Feature on Majical Cloudz Live Majical Cloudz SXSW Review on Pitchfork Click Here for Majical Cloudz Biography Links / Majical Cloudz on Facebook Follow Majical Cloudz on Twitter Majical Cloudz Official Soundcloud Majical Cloudz Tumblr Matador Records Impersonator Pre-Order Link

ARTIZAN New Album Ancestral Energy Streaming in Full #melodicmetal

ARTIZAN New Album Ancestral Energy Streaming in Full on GuitarWorld.com   New Album Ancestral Energy Available May 10th on Pure Steel Records

Jacksonville Florida's melodic metal quartet ARTIZAN will release theier sophomore effort Ancestral Energy May 10^th via Pure Steel Records.Founded in 2008 by drummer Ty Tammeus, ARTIZAN have established themselves as one of the premier acts in their genre. 

Today the band has teamed up with GuitarWorld.com the online home of Guitar World Magazine for an exclusive full album stream of Ancestral Energy.  Check out the album in its entirety HERE.

Although they have created a truly unique sound for themselves, many comparisons to classic Iron Maiden, Queensryche and Fates Warning have been made. Clean, multi-octave vocals, classic riffing, spirited melodies and a touch of progressive elements are woven into the seven tracks on the new album. Matt Barlow (Ex-Iced Earth) is a special guest on the epic 10 minute title track. The album illustration was created by Berlin based artist Eliran Kantor (Testament,Evile,Hatebreed,Atheist,Sigh)

Ancestral Energy will be released on May 10th via Pure Steel Records.

Pre-order in North America here: http://artizanmetal.com/store.html

European orders are availble here: http://www.puresteel-shop.com/ARTIZAN-Ancestral-Energy_1

Ancestral Energy Tracklisting:

1. I Am the Storm

2. The Raven Queen

3. The Guardian

4. The Death of Me

5. Deep Ocean Dreams

6. You Can't Take the Metal

7. Ancestral Energy

TESSERACT "Of Matter - Proxy" Streaming Exclusively on Spotify #freestreaming #progressiverock

UK's progressive rock band TESSERACT is gearing up for the release of their upcoming album and European tour.  Starting today  "Of Matter - Proxy", is streaming exclusively on Spotify.  Get a first listen HERE.

The band has been rehearsing nonstop and recently recorded footage of them in their practice space jamming on the track "Singularity". You can view the footage here: http://youtu.be/cGsK1M9O_EI

Video production has begun "Singularity".  The video will be produced by Horsie In The Hedge / Pari Passu Films and featuring the Emmy Award winning director of photography, Mark Wolf as well as the practical effects team that worked on Sky Fall and Prometheus, the video is sure to be as cinematically stunning as the music itself.

'Altered State' which will be released on May 28, 2013 in North America via Century Media Records.  Divided into four movements: Of Matter, Of Mind, Of Reality and Of Energy, 'Altered State' represents the transformations that TESSERACT has gone through over the past few years.  The Law of Conservation of Energy states that: In a closed system energy is conserved, nothing is lost. It merely changes from one state to another.

TESSERACT has released a series of trailers as well. They can be viewed below.

The band's first trailer release can be view here: http://youtu.be/RIysXnFSEdo
Their second trailer here: http://youtu.be/jxE0SZK5y3A
Their third trailer here:http://youtu.be/z-QmAdI7YDk
Their final trailer here http://youtu.be/7QDQWhusH88

'Altered State' was produced, mixed, mastered and engineered by TESSERACT guitarist, Acle Kahney, assisted by bassist, Amos Williams at Acle's 4D Sounds studio, and marks the first full release with new vocalist, Ashe O'Hara.

The band is set to head out with longtime friends, PERIPHERY, throughout mainland Europe and then headline dates throughout the UK just prior to album release.  Worldwide touring will follow throughout the year.

'Altered State'
Track List:
01. Of Matter - Proxy
02. Of Matter - Retrospect
03. Of Matter - Resist
04. Of Mind - Nocturne
05. Of Mind - Exile
06. Of Reality - Eclipse
07. Of Reality - Palingenesis
08. Of Reality - Calabi-Yau
09. Of Energy - Singularity
10. Of Energy - Embers

www.facebook.com/tesseractband
www.twitter.com/tesseractband
www.centurymedia.com

TOUR DATES

MAY
WITH PERIPHERY
01   LE NOUVEAU CASINO, PARIS - FR*
02   DOORNROOSJE, NIJMEGEN - NL*
04   MATRIX, BOCHUM - DE*
05   RÄUCHERKAMMER, WIESBADEN - DE*
06   MAGNET, BERLIN - DE*
07   LOGO, HAMBURG - DE*
08   LUXOR, COLOGNE - DE*
09   P60, AMSTELVEN - NL*
11   TAKEDOWN | TWENTY THIRTEEN, SOUTHAMPTON UNI, SOUTHAMPTON - UK

HEADLINE DATES WITH THE ALGORITHM AND ENOCHIAN THEORY
12   CORPORATION, SHEFFIELD - UK**
13   IVORY BLACKS, GLASGOW - UK**
14   ROADHOUSE, MANCHESTER - UK**
15   THE FLEECE, BRISTOL - UK**
16   ISLINGTON ACADEMY, LONDON - UK**

A PALE HORSE NAMED DEATH Debut New Song on Noisecreep #metal #freestreaming

Lay My Soul to Waste Available May 21st on Steamhammer/SPV

Chill Live Shows got a press preview of the whole album and our initial gut reaction was great.  Several of the track are out now, so check it out and see what you think.   We've been DIY busting out plaster & lathe and drywalling a room, and this was an excellent sonic assault to accompany the work.  We need to spend a bit more time with the new material to be objective, and we'll have a full review up shortly.  

A PALE HORSE NAMED DEATH will release their sophomore album Lay My Soul to Waste May 21st in North America on Steamhammer/SPV. Once again the artwork was commissioned by Sam Shearon, who is also responsible for artwork on the band's first release And Hell Will Follow Me.

Today the band has teamed up with Noisecreep to debut another track from from Lay My Soul to Waste entitled "Killer By Night". Get a first listen to the song HERE.

Revolver Magazine is streaming the track "Shallow Grave" HERE.

On the surface, A PALE HORSE NAMED DEATH are impressive. But you'll want to dig deeper and immerse yourself in all the sonic and lyrical layers, because the band isn't afraid to plume the depths of darkness that humanity is capable of. It's murky stuff, but someone has to do it.

Sal Abruscato and Matt Brown have followed 2011's incredible introduction And Hell Will Follow Me with Lay My Soul to Waste, which keeps the band's patented signature formula of slow, deliberate sludge and head-down doom intact and as flawlessly executed as ever.
Think Alice in Chains, only harder, angrier and with a more perverse view of the world, as if they were reared in a row house in Bensonhurst, as opposed to the rainy landscape of Seattle, all the while feasting on a steady diet of Black Sabbath records.

A PALE HORSE NAMED DEATH arrived with And Hell Will Follow Me. They have firmly implanted their roots in the metal scene with Lay My Soul to Waste. It's a metal album that headbangers who enjoy a walk on the darker side of life will end up revering and responding to.

Lay My Soul to Waste can be pre-ordered on Amazon on both CD and LP.

Lay My Soul to Waste Tracklisting:
1) Lay My Soul to Waste
2) Shallow Grave
3) The Needle in You
4) In the Sleeping Death
5) Killer by Night
6) Growing Old
7) Dead of Winter
8) Devil Came With a Smile
9) Day of the Storm
10) DMSLT
11) Cold Dark Mourning

For More Info Please Visit:
http://apalehorsenameddeath.com/
http://www.facebook.com/APHND
https://twitter.com/APHND
http://www.spv.de 

NEW RELEASE: Sermon For No One by Safe Haven #blues #bluegrass #folk #rock

Chicago’s Safe Haven (featuring members of The Hue and Falldown) just released Sermon For No One. 

Photo from Safe Haven's FB Page

We've been diggin' what we've heard from Safe Haven.   Their tunes put me 

in the mood for summer festivals and back yard BBQs.   They've melded traditional blues, rock, alt country and other styles into something completely compelling and new, yet comfortably familiar.  

These locals are certainly worth a listen!

Safe Haven is a four piece band that can cover multiple genres in a single show. From blues based electric guitars riffs to mandolins and pedal steel this is a band that’s forging their own sound. True original song writing with elements of Blues, Folk, Rock, and Bluegrass separating them from the typical sound of a Chicago based band.

Check out their main site here for more tunes off Sermon for No One, video clips and more.

INCOMING: My Gold Mask Playing Schubas 3/9

New LP 'Leave Me Midnight' Is Released February 19th!!  Tour Dates: March 2nd -  Milwaukee, WI - Mad Planet March 9th -  Chicago, IL - Schubas March 16th - Austin, TX -  SXSW (Hickory Street) March 19th -  Hot Springs, AR - Low Key Arts April 13th -  Cincinnati, OH -  MOTR April 26th -  Des Moines, IA - Vaudeville Mews Praise For My Gold Mask "My Gold Mask gets mega sounds and emotion out of two instruments, their tense guitar whorls and crackling warbles perfect for this rainy morning" - Fader "...the Chicago duo's ominous brand of rock 'n' roll...concentrates heavily on drummer Gretta Rochelle's smoky, tribal howl and Jack Armondo's guttery electric guitar." - Magnet "...two of the most talented individuals we've discovered in the past year" - Sheena Beaston "Gretta Rochelle's soaring vocals bring a refreshing grunge sound ala Courtney Love to a very current sound.  Jack Armondo, brings an element to each song with great guitars to match her roaring vocals." - Off the Radar "Like a perfect steak dinner, your favorite jeans, or an old flame's kiss, My Gold Mask infuses some heart into the mundane, and makes it beautiful." - Pretty Much Amazing  Links Artist Website Artist Facebook Artist Twitter Check Out 'Burn Like The Sun' At Bullett!!! What began as a collaboration between longtime musical partners Gretta Rochelle and Jack Armondo (guitar), became less a means to an end, than the end itself. A deep wellspring of personal and musical experiences shaped their direction, and Chicago's My Gold Mask is a culmination, a fulfillment, of a long artistic road, that has lead them to their newest effort, Leave Me Midnight. Their new LP will be released February 19th, while the vinyl version is out March 12th on Highweel Records.  Informed by cinema (particularly Italian Giallo) and galvanized by the dimly-lit warehouse district where their rehearsal space lies, the two thrive in a radiant wash of reverb with a metallic-like symphony mainly comprised of just a nylon string guitar and drums. Tinged with thunderous melodies, theirs is a sound of vision – a recondite vision to be sure, but such is the essence of My Gold Mask. My Gold Mask began in 2009 with a well received self-titled nine-song debut. While still a band finding itself through experimentation, tracks like “Bitches” and “Your Coo Ka Choo” brought about comparisons to Siouxsie And The Banshees and inspired Big Stereo to say My Gold Mask “create songs that are a delicate balance between 90′s alternative rock gestures and futuristic gypsy tribe shit. But the real magic happens with the versatility of Gretta Rochelle’s vocals...” In 2010 the band saw the release of two intriguing EPs: A Thousand Voices and A Million Miles (From Where We Were Last) on their own Goldy Tapes label. Lush, aphotic songs like “Violet Eyes” and “Ghost In Your Bed” quickly made their way around the blogosphere leading Pitchfork to pronounce that "...the bottled lightning of ‘Violet Eyes’ makes My Gold Mask a band to watch." Pretty Much Amazing noted that the band "infuses some heart into the mundane, and makes it beautiful" and The Fader called their unique sound "goth-garage." Fashion designer Phillip Lim used music from both EPs in his 2010 Fashion Week fashion show and hosted an in-store performance by the band at his Phillip Lim 3.1 SoHo location for his Fashion’s Night Out event. Vogue dubbed it one of “The Ten Best Music Shows on Fashion’s Night Out.” In late 2011/early 2012 "Violet Eyes," "Ghost In Your Bed," and “All Up In The Air,” were all separately featured in episodes of the CW network’s uber-popular series, Gossip Girl.  2012 has been spent writing, recording and mixing Leave Me Midnight. Taking a "wall of sound" approach to recording, longtime collaborator and engineer Balthazar de Ley manned the board while My Gold Mask experimented with electronic drums and new sounds, creating a dense, exciting, and occasionally spooky place for their songs to live. They invited well-seasoned producer and engineer Sanford Parker (Nachtmystium, Pelican) to mix the record. This past season also brought to light a new live show lineup for the band. Gretta has stepped out from her full-time duties behind the drumkit to enjoy the role of front woman, making room for dynamic drummer, James Andrew, to take the stage with My Gold Mask. Andrew also played drums on four of the new album’s tracks. Meanwhile Jack continues to explore new ways of making guitars sound otherworldly: “Guitar is usually associated with rock music, but in writing this album I thought a lot about synth-based sounds, like on Black Celebration by Depeche Mode. I’m not really concerned with my guitar sounding like a guitar, per se. I’m constantly tweaking its sound,” says Armondo. This type of sonic experimentation gives My Gold Mask a unique approach to pop music that can be hard to pin down, but this adaptability came in handy when asked to collaborate with The Hood Internet on "Do You Give Up Now?" a track featured on their latest album FEAT released in 2012. With a sound that has crossed so many musical spectrums and their ability to deliver a powerful and engaging live show, My Gold Mask have shared the stage with such varied acts as Twin Shadow, Wavves, The New Pornographers, Japandroids, The Rapture, Blonde Redhead and Zambri, to name a few. Eager to continue the artistic evolution of the band; Jack and Gretta are back to writing before they head out on tour in support of Leave Me Midnight. Copyright © 2011 Tell All Your Friends.