Metal Mix Tape Volume 11
Let there be metal! Have a look to see who made Metal Mix Tape Volume 11:
Architects have shared a brand-new single entitled Seeing Red, along with an accompanying video, out now via Epitaph Records.
In under 4-minutes, Dan Searle, Sam Carter, Alex Dean and Adam Christianson pack in an album’s worth of riffs and seering hooks. “We’re so happy to release Seeing Red and to announce our US tour,” shares Carter, “This marks another very important and exciting time for our band and we can’t wait to have rooms of people enjoy this song with us.”
The track is their first new music since the release of last year’s critically acclaimed the classic symptoms of a broken spirit, which kicked off another meteoric year for the band, with sold-out shows across the globe and a coveted support slot with the mighty Metallica. Alongside the new single, the band have announced a 2024 North America tour, which will precede another EU run with Metallica.
After the release of their very successful self-titled album Beyond The Black, which was released in January 2023 the band now release a deluxe edition of their album. Beyond The Black stunned Australian crowds on the recent Lagerfest and at Froth and Fury Festival. The deluxe edition features three bonus tracks I Remember Dying (Stranger Reprise), Wide Awake (Piano Version) and Raise Your Head (String Version). Now the band also release their brand-new video for Raise Your Head (String Version). Their highly-anticipated Dancing In The Dark tour starts in April 2024.
Jennifer Haben comments about the deluxe edition:
“How quickly time flies. It’s been a year since the release of our 5th studio album “BEYOND THE BLACK“. We are very pleased that we can now give our fans a special gift for its anniversary with the digital deluxe edition including 3 exceptional bonus tracks.”
Jennifer Haben states about ‘Raise Your Head (String Version)’:
“From the bottom of my heart, in my opinion this bonus “String Version” is one of – if not THE best bonus song we’ve ever released. „Raise Your Head” is a call to everyone who feels trapped in their lives and is looking for a way out. It’s a reminder that we are all capable of breaking free from societal expectations and forging our own path, if only we have the courage to look behind the illusions and “raise our heads“.”
Swedish progressive psychedelic rock band GAUPA has released a video for their digital single, Sömnen & Febersvan – Live At Monkey Moon Studios, a live rendition of two contrasting songs culminating in a captivating psychedelic experience.
It’s the second excerpt from an intimate studio session the band played in late May 2023. Following their much-lauded appearances at both Desertfest London and Desertfest Berlin, GAUPA went to Monkey Moon Recordings in Dortmund, Germany and recorded three songs live over the course of an afternoon, Moloken from their critically acclaimed most recent album Myriad as well as a breathtakingly intense 11-minute joint version of their songs Sömnen and Febersvan, the former also from Myriad, the latter taken off of GAUPA’s self-titled first EP.
PROFILER have released a video for their new single ANIMO, the second track to be revealed from their upcoming debut album, A Digital Nowhere, that will be released on February 16th through SharpTone Records.
Vocalist and guitarist Mike Evans comments: “ANIMO is almost a continuation of Delay. It was written in the winter months while in a relationship during the lockdowns of Covid 19. This was a pretty dark time for a lot of people where the light seemed to fade due to the mass trauma of the pandemic. It is based around the importance of having people in your life to reach out to while you are going through tough times. It is about making mistakes and becoming reckless when all hope seems lost but learning from these experiences to transmute into self-guidance for future reference.”
A new chapter in the While She Sleeps story is firmly underway. After introducing a subversive new twist on their sound with the single SELF HELL (also the title track to their new album which follows on March 29th and supported with Radio 1 plays from Daniel P Carter, Jack Saunders and Nels Hylton, plus a playlist at Kerrang! Radio), the band powered through shows across Australia and New Zealand surrounding their Good Things Festival appearances.
Now While She Sleeps share the new single DOWN, which features Alex Taylor of fellow Sheffield band Malevolence. The track is accompanied by an exceptional video, which the band made DIY-style as a labour of love project.
While DOWN is informed by the band’s desire to bring a whirlwind of fresh sonic influences to the fore, it nonetheless maintains the fierce aggression that typified the band’s roots. The track opens with an ominous blare of an MS-20 synth, before grinding heavyweight riffs, industrial-tinged beats and a soaring melodic hook heighten its intensity. Completed by a ferocious verse from Alex Taylor, DOWN is indicative of where While She Sleeps are going in 2024: a maximalist, anything-goes attitude powered by swagger and self-belief.
Guitarist Sean Long says, “‘Down’ has been a central pillar in the new album throughout the writing process of ‘Self Hell’. Loz was completely on fire and it gave a reminiscent early Sleeps style to the track. The working title for this song was ‘Film-Riffs’ simply because it sounded like it could be in an action movie. And it will. That’s exactly what it is. A high-intensity new sound that you can’t not bang your head to. It was one of the first demos that we knew would be an integral part of the album, it houses all elements of the last 10+ years, yet we have also taken steps to excite ourselves in new areas and introduced new sounds to our advantage. The unmistakable MS20 has made its footprint on the new sound of Sleeps and gives the song an instant identity as soon as it starts.
The song is about our deepest desire to feel free from the grips of our own compulsions; trauma, past, society, and everything in between. While we all face this journey in life there are always obstacles that hinder our progress on the path. More often than not these manifests in the form of people who simply get in the way of your freedom and bring you down.”
VUKOVI have released a huge new single titled MERCY KILL, with a brilliant video directed by vocalist Janine Shilstone and Zac Pinchin. The single was given its world premiere on the Radio 1 Rock Show with Daniel P Carter, and you can listen back to the whole show.
From Janine: “I wanted to depict the devotion towards addiction, whether it be towards a substance or another human. You know it’s dangerous but find yourself submitting to the high again and again.”
The band recently announced they have signed to SharpTone Records and released the single and video CREEP HEAT, which had its first play on BBC Radio 1’s Introducing Rock with Alyx Holcombe and was the band’s first new music since the release of their album NULA in October last year.
Canadian deathcore wrecking crew, BRAND OF SACRIFICE, are ending 2023 with a gargantuan bang as they announce their signing to legendary record label, Nuclear Blast Records. To celebrate this iconic new partnership, the band have released phenomenally heavy new single, Purge. The glorious new serving of brutality comes accompanied by a stunning, cinematic music video, the caliber of which has become somewhat for a calling card for the band.
Speaking on the brand-new track, BRAND OF SACRIFICE frontman, Kyle Anderson shares:
“‘Purge,’ powerfully delves into the complexities of addiction, weaving a narrative of struggle, but also resilience. It is an ode to personal transformation, showcasing the journey towards becoming one’s best self amidst life’s challenges.”
FIT FOR A KING have shared the video for the brand new single Keeping Secrets.
The track is the perfect storm of FFAK old and new, as it finds the band taking some creative risks where explosive breakdowns collide with furious screams and heightened melodic vocals. The lyrics also explore a deeply personal subject for the band.
“Keeping Secrets is a song that not only showcases some new elements for the band,” says singer Ryan Kirby. “It goes back to some of the more popular elements of our older work. The song’s theme of questioning if people can truly love you, if you don’t open up and let them know the real you, is something my adopted daughter has struggled with greatly, and is the inspiration for the song.”
Sydney melodic hardcore outfit Bloom share the third single, You & I, from their anticipated debut album, Maybe In Another Life, out Friday February 16 via Pure Noise & Greyscale Records.
Encapsulating the bittersweet nostalgia of love, You & I represents a moment of clarity and reflection, being the only song on the full-length that doesn’t feature screamed vocals. Sweepingly sweet guitar melodies wash over poignant vocals to introduce the heartbreaking realities of change.
“You & I intends to leave listeners with a sense of both melancholy and optimism, reflecting on the complexities of human relationships and the reality that sometimes we must choose to grow and evolve, even if it means parting ways,” explains the band.
Sonically taking inspiration from emo rock acts like Movements, You & I experiments with a new sound and direction, becoming a focal point on the record. While exploring new musical territory, Bloom remain tied to their roots as they subtly throw back to their earliest work for their most dedicated and passionate fans: “As an homage to our previous works, hardcore fans may notice the main lead in the chorus is from the title track of our first EP ‘Past Tense’.”
Joining forces with long time collaborator Christopher Vernon (Better Half, Belle Haven), You & I is the third single to tease the new album, following on from last years singles Maybe In Another Life and Bound To Your Whispers, which both explored anxiety and the internal struggle between the voice of reason and the seeds of doubt. Maybe In Another Life touched on the protagonists methods of distracting through fantasy with lyrics that contrast the experience of a sordid existence and the indulgence of what could have been.
Told as a story in ten parts, Bloom’s forthcoming album examines longing, self-indulgence, fantasy, manipulation and despair through the eyes of a character that is constantly challenged by their reality. “Maybe in Another Life contains our heaviest moments and most memorable choruses to date, and brandishes the full range of the sound we have been crafting since we began as a group,” tells vocalist Jono Hawkey.
It has been an exciting year for DORO. The metal queen has been celebrating her 40-years anniversary with two big and unforgettable shows, as headliner at WACKEN OPEN AIR and in the sold out Mitsubishi Electric Halle in her former hometown of Düsseldorf.
And the new album Conqueress – Forever Strong and Proud has been released and hit the German charts on position 5.
DORO wants to thank all her fans with the digital release of True Metal Maniacs, an exceptional song that tells about the deep connection with her fans. It comes along with a very special video with live footage from WACKEN OPEN AIR, the MONSTERS OF ROCK festival in Brazil and her anniversary show in Düsseldorf.
DORO comments: “‘True Metal Maniacs’ is a very special anthem for my fans. The song expresses the strong unity and shared love of music and tells of a deep bond. ‘True Metal Maniacs’ brings back fond memories and at the same time makes me look forward to a great metal year 2024!”
Heavy rock megalith LUCIFER are kicking off the new year in style with a brand new single called Maculate Heart, which is yet another preview to be released before their magnificent new album, Lucifer V, drops on January 26th, 2024.
Consisting of nine unholy hymns, LUCIFER’s fifth offering can easily be regarded as their magnum opus and sees the band channelling all their strengths known from previous records into one monumental mass of electrifying heavy rock and roll.
Infectious and hook-heavy stunner Maculate Heart might be the most accessible song LUCIFER have ever recorded and it’s being released today as a slightly trimmed radio edit for your listening pleasure. Bring it on!
Two weeks into the new year, AMARANTHE, one of Sweden’s most influential modern metal bands, kicks off 2024 with the crushing pop metal song Re-Vision. With its electronic pulse, powerful riffs and irresistibly lethal hooks in the chorus, the song demonstrates why AMARANTHE are one of the most unique acts in modern metal.
AMARANTHE’s Olof Mörck states:
“It is time for the fourth single from The Catalyst, ‘Re-Vision’, and this time we went all in. Ponderous cyberpunk and synthwave rhythms clash with AMARANTHE’s signature sound in an equally thrilling and memorable blend, sure to act as a permanent cybernetic implant into your brain. The prodigious video, once again actualised by long-time collaborator Patric Ullaeus, serves as the perfect counterpoint to ‘Re-Vision’, more ambitious and explosive than any AMARANTHE video to date! As predictions from the 80’s Artificial Intelligence seem to become truer every day, we are ready to serve you a cataclysmic yet captivating foresight into the future of AMARANTHE: Re-Visioned.”
Greek thrashers SUICIDAL ANGELS release their brand-new track Purified By Fire, which is part of their highly anticipated new album Profane Prayer. Profane Prayer will be released on the 1st March 2024 via Nuclear Blast Records.
Singer Nick comments about the new song Purified By Fire: “Against all good and evil, forged in to the flames, second single of our upcoming album, pure thrash, straight in your face, purified by fire! Let’s start this fuckin’ moshpit!”
He adds about the new album Profane Prayer: “The time has come! Finally, almost after 4 years, the 8th studio album of Suicidal Angels is true and ready to unleash itself in to the market, bringing you some new tunes to satisfy the needs and the appetites of the toughest audience! March the 1st of 2024, this beast will be out, in digital and physical form in all of Nuclear Blast’s channels. We have returned and it will be killer!!!”
One year ago, Norway’s trailblazing cosmic voyagers, Enslaved, released their latest avant-garde creation titled Heimdal. To commemorate the studio album’s first year of existence, the band are proud to announce the Heimdal (Deluxe) digital album, set to be released on March 1st 2024 via Nuclear Blast Records.
Heimdal (Deluxe) will include the studio album in full, as well as bonus track Gangandi, alternative versions of two album tracks Congelia and Forest Dweller, both featuring sublime performances from renowned cellist Jo Quail, plus the entirety of The Otherworldly Big Band Experience – Enslaved’s stunning 2022 streaming event featuring fellow psychedelic Norwegian prog band Shaman Elephant.
The band have released their deeply mesmerising track Gangandi as a preview to the deluxe digital album, which is accompanied by a visualizer.
Vocalist/bassist Grutle Kjellson commented,
“Gangandi was the last song we made before the recording sessions for Heimdal took place. I remember Ivar driving down to my place from Bergen on a Friday night to play a demo for a new song for me, and I went like, “Daaaaamn, this is something else!” I absolutely loved it, but at the same time, I sensed that it was a little bit to the left of the rest of the material. When I started to figure out what to sing over it, I ended up writing a poem in cross rhyme in archaic western Norwegian, which even separated the whole effort even further away from the rest of the material.
So, ultimately, we ended up not including it on the album, other than as a bonus track on the most “exclusive” and limited vinyl versions.
That said, that doesn’t mean that we don’t enjoy the song! Quite the contrary! We love this odd little hybrid of folk rock, early Mayhem, and King Crimson! It just ended up being the weird cousin of the rest of the songs. Kind of like Enslaved itself as a matter of fact.”
Since its inception, Louisville’s GATES TO HELL has fused the finest elements from both metal and hardcore, highlighting fast metal riffs with heavy hardcore and deathcore breakdowns written in a manner unexplored within the Kentucky music scene. The last year saw the band playing nearly 150 shows in 11 different countries supporting the likes of DYING FETUS, THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER, THE ACACIA STRAIN, DESPISED ICON, SANGUISUGABOGG, BODYSNATCHER, KRUELTY, and DYING WISH on various tours across the US, Canada and Europe.
GATES TO HELL’s guitarist Seth Lewis states, “I was a kid who loved metal from a very young age and I was constantly buying CDs of my favorite bands. Over time, I saw how many of those bands’ CDs had the Nuclear Blast logo on the back. It’s a very unreal feeling to be working with them now with Gates to Hell. Very excited for what the future holds.”
The band’s newest offering comes in the single, fittingly entitled Resurrected. The song is a perfect example of their hybrid sound mixing modern death metal with the hardcore spirit. The song was engineered and mixed by Andy Nelson at Bricktop Studios while mastering was completed by Brad Boatwright at Audioseige Mastering.
“Our new track ‘Resurrected’ just dropped through Nuclear Blast” comments Seth Lewis. “It’s my favorite Gates to Hell song released to date. After touring and practicing as much as we have the last couple of years, we’ve all really meshed together so much better as musicians. Trying to stick to our roots of the death metal/hardcore sound our music has always had, but being more collaborative and creative with some elements.”
Danish deathcore mob CABAL start off 2024 strong. After kicking off their ‘The Great Decay European Tour’ a few days ago, the band from Copenhagen have dropped Plague Bringer (INHUMAN Rework) today. Taken from the band’s last album, the highly lauded Magno Interitus, German producer INHUMAN has reshaped this crushing cut and added his own distinctive touch to Plague Bringer.
Singer Andreas Bjulver states:
“If there is something we’ve always loved in CABAL, it’s collaboration and experimentation, so we decided to embrace both of those two things with this rework of Plague Bringer by dark electronic wizard Inhuman. We are super excited that Inhuman managed to create a fresh and new take on our sound, and that we now get to share it with you all.”
“My family’s always been in meat” – since its release in 1974, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre has been slashing itself into the hearts of a loyal fanbase. The death metal miscreants ABORTED pay their very own tribute to this classic by releasing their new single Death Cult – a track of intense brutality, characterized by lightning-fast guitar riffs, intricate, pummeling drum patterns and monstrous vocals. Joined by DESPISED ICON’s Alex Erian, the band offers their fans a breathtaking ride through the abyss – paired with a cinematic interpretation of the horror classic.
NOLA thrash and groove trailblazers EXHORDER have revealed details and plans for the release of their eagerly anticipated 4th full-length record, Defectum Omnium, that’s due out March 8th from Nuclear Blast Records. Featuring 12 crushing tracks and ominous cover artwork by Travis Smith (Katatonia, Opeth), the album follows the band’s critically revered 2019 release Mourn The Southern Skies. Fans can pre-order Defectum Omnium now!
Commenting on the impending album, vocalist/guitarist Kyle Thomas states:
“It’s been quite a journey for Exhorder since the 2019 release of ‘Mourn the Southern Skies’. Lineup changes as well as the 2020-2021 pandemic and lockdown presented hurdles that weren’t easy to overcome. But we persevered, kept our heads down and went to work with intense focus and real goals. One of those goals was to bring our fourth full length album to our fan base. ‘Defectum Omnium’ is a collaborative effort in songwriting, much as it was in the early days of Exhorder. We produced it ourselves, as we felt no need or desire to bring in anyone from the outside based upon our shared vision. It was also important to us not only to continue the natural progression this band has been in since the early 90’s, but to put a foot back into our roots. The influence punk and hardcore had on this band from getting our start in the New Orleans punk rock scene has a strong presence. We’ve also made sure to keep plenty of our thrash roots as well in our songwriting process.
But we have also managed to keep our doom roots alive, which first surfaced on the song ‘(Cadence of) the Dirge’ back in 1992. In fact, on one new song we have guest appearances by Rick Wartell and Bruce Franklin from Trouble, and they absolutely killed it!
From the time that we began pre-production until the actual release date, we can promise you that every bit of ‘Defectum Omnium’ was crafted with great care, and we are really excited about it! Our goal was to make an album that WE loved and gives the experience of a journey, or maybe even a rollercoaster ride effect. We can’t wait to share it with the world!”
SYLOSIS have released a video for the track Absent, taken from their most recent album, A Sign Of Things To Come. The introspective cut displays a new side of SYLOSIS, as they showcase their masterful understanding of dynamics through post-industrial atmospherics set against their trademark brand of visceral modern metal.
Josh Middleton comments on Absent and its accompanying video:
“Despite having always included darker and quieter songs in our discography, ‘Absent’ represents uncharted territory for Sylosis, while staying true to our commitment to melody and emotion in our music. The video also breaks away from our usual style, and we’re grateful for director Daniel Grey’s efforts in creating something out of our comfort zone. We’re excited to have invited our new friends, Zetra, to bring a fresh perspective to the track with their reimagined remix. Their dark synth influence really adds a new dimension to the song, which we love!”
In regards to the song’s lyrics, Josh continues:
“This is a more personal song and I wanted to push myself to try a different direction lyrically as well as with the music video. The song is about being so wrapped up in your own troubles that you neglect to see or appreciate that other people around you may be hurting or in a far worse place than yourself.”
Spring is the first page in the next chapter from Melbourne blackened post-metalcore band RUN.
Out now, Spring is a blast of bright-yet-brooding energy featuring guest vocals from Joel Birch of global titans and current RUN tourmates The Amity Affliction.
Currently on the road supporting The Amity Affliction on a regional adventure with Alpha Wolf and Terminal Sleep, this moment marks the start of a triumphant new era for RUN whose early days were marred by not only the pandemic, but vocalist and band leader Lochlan Watt being diagnosed with brain cancer midway through the recording of 2020 debut EP For You Will Never Find Peace Within Your Quiet.
“Spring is all about new beginnings,” shares vocalist Lochlan Watt. “Being alive can be pretty brutal, but over and over again, it proves to me to be worth pushing through the muck, and with that in mind I tried to write a song that champions perseverance while embracing the cosmic mysteries and darkness of existence. After guesting on an Amity track in 2008, it was a really nice full circle moment to get Joel on board for this. Musically I think it’s really fun too – shout out to RUN’s first-ever guitar solo.”
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