Metal Mix Tape 13
Let there be metal! Have a look to see who made Metal Mix Tape Volume 13:
Melbourne metalcore outfit Windwaker have dropped new single Get Out, off their new album HYPERVIOLENCE, which arrives July 12 via Cooking Vinyl Australia & Fearless Records.
It’s a melancholic alt rock jam, sprinkled with phonk samples and Memphis/Southern hip-hop influenced electronic passages. The chorus is anthemic in nature, with less focus on technical guitar parts and more emphasis on playful rhythms. Watch the video here.
“‘Get Out’ is about wanting someone (or something) out of your life and conscious thought,” the band offers. “It explores the discomfort of something negative returning to the present, and the consequences of staying in a relationship for longer than you should.”
Melbourne metal outfit HEAVENSGATE share new single RATKING and prepare to launch it live across the East Coast this weekend, and will join The Amity Affliction on a national tour this November. RATKING is out now via Greyscale Records in partnership with 1126 Records.
Off the back of last years single VIOLENT JOY, HEAVENSGATE return to deliver the sonic onslaught that is RATKING. The single has already been coined the bands most crushing track yet, written by the band, produced with Erik Bickerstaffe of Loathe and Cullen Forbes of Fallweather, with a mix and master by Lance Prenc (Polaris, Alpha Wolf).
RATKING is described by the band as “a personal love letter”, as they encourage listeners to find their own journey with it. The track delivers blow after violent blow in its tidy three minute runtime, keeping listeners on their toes with constant shifts in tempo, refusing to let up in energy and intensity.
THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA have shared a new version of Reasons, the collab track they released with electronic artists Excision and Wooli back in April 2023. The new version features LØLØ.
“When we made Reasons with Excision and Wooli, we knew we had to play it live because the energy was just so high,” the band explains. “We revamped the song to work in a TDWP set, and it went off so well that we decided to hit the studio and capture this new live version of the song.”
They continue, “Bringing in the amazingly talented LØLØ as a feature has breathed even more life into the song, resulting in a song that defies genre and captures the spirit of how the song feels in a full room going absolutely nuts. We know that our fans will enjoy this version of ‘Reasons’ as much as we love playing it every night.”
Still, Finnish Symphonic metal legends NIGHTWISH filled this word with life, when they announced their tenth studio album. Yesterwynde will be available in a number of different vinyl variants, as a jewelcase, digipak, earbook and as part of a deluxe vinyl boxset.
To celebrate the news, NIGHTWISH have opened the door to their newly-built universe a tiny bit and allowed their fans a first glimpse of Yesterwynde. The band shares their first single Perfume Of The Timeless, a beautiful song that provides a taste of the grandeur, drama and heaviness the new album has to offer.
Tuomas Holopainen shares his thoughts about Perfume Of The Timeless:
”You are the result of an unbroken chain of millions of ancestors and their loves. Perfume Of The Timeless reminds us all of this amazing fact. And if you’re not amazed, listen to it again, because it’s important.”
Finnish Folk Metal Superstars KORPIKLAANI have released a video for the song Harhainen höyhen from their latest album, Rankarumpu.
KORPIKLAANI’s twelfth studio album Rankarumpu is classic folk metal – fast, energetic and dynamic, showing once again they are the leaders in this genre.
The closing song Harhainen höyhen is slightly different in tone from the rest of the album as it leans more towards a melancholic side, which is not only being reflected in the song’s lyrics dealing with mental health issues, but also noticeable in the atmospheric new music video directed by Miika Hakala that’s out today.
KORPIKLAANI commented:
“‘Harhainen höyhen’ is a song that deals with mental health problems and how a person can think they are weak and be susceptible to problems, as the weakest and poorest feather. Then you can hear bad things in your head which at worst can lead to committing suicide. I myself have been in a situation where I heard a voice in my head that said that my clock had rung a long time ago and that I could leave this world. But then I realized that my time wasn’t even remotely over yet … anyway this song is for all of us out there with mental health issues and about how wrong it is to harm yourself.” – Jonne
Finnish masters of melancholic brutality, WOLFHEART, are gearing up for the release of their forthcoming seventh studio album Draconian Darkness which is due out on September 6, 2024 via Reigning Phoenix Music (RPM). After recently launching pre-orders for the record, the band now also break the silence even further by launching the official music video for the first digital single, Grave. Mellow piano tunes introduce the track before it transforms into a hefty banger. Blending vicious riffing with icy atmosphere and impactful melodies: This song lifts WOLFHEART’s trademark sound to new heights and makes Grave nothing but a must for the band’s future set lists; their current live itinerary can be found below!
Mastermind Tuomas Saukkonen comments, “‘Grave’ was the first song that was written for the album and became the beacon that was leading the whole production of the album. Push the dark elements even further from the light to give maximum contrast to the melodies and huge choruses. From every album we have clear favourites for live songs and ‘Grave’ stands on the podium unchallenged!”
Continuing the thematic journey established in the first single Deathlike Silence, When The Fire Dies serves as a poignant exploration of the darker realms within Finnish-Australian metal quartet THE ETERNAL’s sonic landscape. Graced by the stellar performances of Dutch cellist Elianne Anemaat (CELESTIAL SEASON) and Russian vocalist Emily Saaen, a long-time collaborator of the group, this third single delves deeper into the doom aspects of their sound, crafting a slow-burning and emotionally charged narrative. The poetic storytelling of the track is accompanied by a band video of haunting beauty, scripting the transformation and renewal amidst the ashes of fading flames.
Drummer Jan Rechberger (AMORPHIS) notes, “Imbued with an ethereal quality, Mark’s vocals serve as a beacon of hope amidst the dense and atmospheric soundscape. His haunting delivery adds layers of complexity, evoking a sense of vulnerability and introspection.”
“Lyrically, ‘When The Fire Dies’ confronts the profound emotions of loss and confusion that accompany the gradual drift between two individuals. The song serves as a cathartic expression of grief, delving into the raw and tumultuous journey of acceptance and letting go,” adds mastermind Mark Kelson.
Danish deathcore maniacs CABAL are back with their new masterpiece Sort Sommer. For the new song they teamed up the Danish band FABRÄK and the song is written in Danish. It´s probably not the sound you have in mind when you think about CABAL but the guys show once again their boundless creativity and impress with new sounds.
Singer Andreas Bjulver about the new song:
“Sort Sommer is a very special track to us as it’s done completely in our native tongue (Danish) and is a track made in collaboration with our good friends in FABRÄK and it sounds very different from what most people would expect from a CABAL track. It’s a track that while exploring some heavy subjects is build around friends having fun and pushing boundaries for their respective genre in the studio.”
Southern California post-hardcore band MOVEMENTS — Patrick Miranda, vocals; Ira George, guitar; Spencer York, drums; and Austin Cressey, bass — dropped the brand new single Afraid to Die. It’s the first taste of new music since the band’s latest album RUCKUS!, which arrived in summer 2023 via Fearless Records. Get the album, produced by Will Yip.
Movements’ push and pull style of post-hardcore, defined by dissonant, tension and release guitar work, thunderclap percussion, and frontman Patrick Miranda’s heartfelt lyrics and vocals, is perfectly executed on Afraid to Die. The anthemic track is full of frantic energy with an ever-so-subtle ’80s influence threaded through the song.
“With Afraid to Die, we were able to take the energy that was in RUCKUS!, and fine-tune it by exploring different realms of what this band can be and what our music can sound like, and I think we did a good job of that with this song,” says Miranda. “Sonically, it’s so different than anything we’ve ever done, and yet I think it still pulls on the heart strings as a lot of our older music does. This song is energetic and bouncy, and I can see it being a really fun song to play live and I can’t wait to start doing that!”
Japanese rockers Crossfaith have shared another track from their incredible new album AЯK, which is out now via UNFD and Warner Music Japan, and marks the band’s first album in six years. The band has shared the My Own Salvation visualizer.
“This track represents a strong message that salvation cannot be provided by someone else, but salvation can only be achieved by oneself. It incorporates didgeridoo (an aboriginal Australian wind instrument) and primitive rhythmic parts,” the band says.
AЯK is a welcome return for the band — after adjusting the global pandemic and a band hiatus, as well a membership change — and serves as quite a milestone. The album’s title AЯK is a message of saying goodbye to the past and hello to a new beginning, and their fresh sound and perspective is reflected in the new material.
Foreign Hands makes chaotic and melodic music with passionate devotion. Acolytes of the early 2000s metalcore sound, the Delaware-and-Pennsylvania-bred band injects the style with fresh innovation. The band has released What’s Left Unsaid, their long-awaited, first full-length album, out now through SharpTone Records. Working with producer Will Putney (Knocked Loose, END), Foreign Hands have crafted ten songs of creative chaos that build off emotion. To accompany the release, the band has created an intense music video for Shapeless In The Dark, one of the most distinct tracks on the record.
The band divulges: “Shapeless in the Dark is the amalgamation of our farther reaching influences. This track carries a more ‘theatric’ pace and was the result of a very experimental writing process. It carries some borrowed essences all the way from Crosses to Failure, who happened to be two artists we had on repeat at the time. We all poured lots of hard work into making this song a fully-realized entity through our own lens, and are pleased to offer it as our final single in tandem with the release of our debut LP, What’s Left Unsaid.
‘I have always found my awareness of suffering more painful than the suffering itself’ is a quote at the end of the song by Fernando Pessoa, and it explains the lyrics of Shapeless in the Dark perfectly. It’s an existential crisis turned inside out. It’s the sum of the crippling anxiety that occurs when you’re too self-aware of your existence and surroundings. Personally, this has been an internal battle for as long as I can remember. The lyrics are purposefully dry and poetic, contradictory and consistent. It takes everything you may or may not be aware of and forces you to uncomfortably sit with it.”
CAVALERA has become synonymous with extreme metal music, a name that to this day still holds the highest regard, a family legacy built upon decades of musical aggression. In 2023, Max and Iggor Cavalera achieved what some would say was an impossible feat; they revisited their earliest releases, Morbid Visions, and Bestial Devastation, and re-recorded them with bone-breaking intensity. A risk that few would dare to even attempt, yet they artfully and prolifically attained their trademark raw sound by means that could only be described as magic or time travel.
The band releases the final chapter of their early-days trilogy, Schizophrenia. The iconic album in terms of early thrash and death metal, is a household name for those of us invested in extreme metal. It was the point where the Cavaleras refined their dark, dingy, speed-influenced songs, into something a bit more mature, developed, and technical.
In celebration of the release, the band offer fans a fresh new single , Nightmares Of Delirium. The song is a bonus to the landmark 1987 album and features lyrics from Max’s son Igor Amadeus Cavalera.
Max Cavalera states, “Schizophrenia has been locked away in a mental asylum for nearly 37 years. I’m very proud to bring it into the future with a modern sound without losing its old-school mentality. Complete with a new bonus track, ‘Nightmares of Delirium’, created especially for this album. Thrash till death!”
Iggor Cavalera comments, “Hello head bangers… can’t wait for you all to hear our re-recorded version of Schizophrenia. It’s a labor of sweat and love… see you in the pit”
Australian melodic technical death metal act Snake Mountain has just released their new track Extinction Through Fire exclusively on YouTube, with the full release of their debut EP, Villainous 1: Reverence, landing on July 5 through all major streaming platforms. To top things off, they have also announced a string of shows along the east coast in June, July, and August in support of the EP.
It seems Snake Mountain is on a hot streak at the moment. In fact, it would be more accurately described as a friggin’ tear! Having recently toured with the first single, Everliving (from their forthcoming EP), opening for Fleshgod Apocalypse (Italy) and Wolfheart (Finland) in Brisbane, as well as teaming up with industrial metal band Witchgrinder for their QLD dates, it is becoming quickly apparent that Snake Mountain means business and is out to take the Australian (and global) metal scene head-on.
Now, with the release of their debut EP in sight, the band has released the visualiser for the second single and opening track Extinction Through Fire, the follow-up to their previous single and video for Everliving.
Extinction Through Fire is one of Snake Mountain’s oldest songs, from their early writing days. Layered with pure death savagery and blast beats but with underlying groove patterns, dropped-down brutal guitar tones, and the monstrous guttural vocals by frontman Nev Pearce, it’s about the alien invasion in the movie Independence Day and the destruction caused on a global scale. It also poses a few questions around the subject of UFO disclosure and if something like this were to happen, would we survive it as a species? Some freaky stuff, huh!
WAGE WAR – Briton Bond [lead vocals], Cody Quistad [rhythm guitar, clean vocals], Seth Blake [lead guitar], Chris Gaylord [bass], and Stephen Kluesener [drums] — have entered their world domination era. Last month, the Florida band has released its fifth album STIGMA via Fearless Records, while the physical version will land in stores on September 6.
The band has shared TOMBSTONE.
“Metal riffs meet country western tropes in our new track TOMBSTONE,” the band explains. “A final showdown with an enemy. One fight. Two dogs unleashed.”
From its ominous, tension-building opening seconds through the deadly breakdowns, Wage War go hard on TOMBSTONE. It’s got vocals that sound like screamer Briton Bond gargled with a razor blade cocktail, thick and groovy riffs that’’ll have you nodding your head, and battering ram percussion. TOMBSTONE finds Wage War unleashing a hellacious anthem that brings the heavy artillery from start to stomp to finish.
MAJESTICA are back with their first new music of 2024! The Swedish power metal quartet proudly presents their latest single A New Beginning, which is the band’s first release since 2021. Therefore, the song name not only fits in relation to this, but also speaks about a new beginning and letting things come to an end. Paired with musical elements reminiscent of the 80s, MAJESTICA unleashes a new catchy tune upon their fans that puts the band back on the radar.
As if the release of this brand new single wasn’t enough, MAJESTICA have also delivered a brand new music video for their single.
Tommy Johansson comments:
“When Majestica finally returns with a new song it couldn’t have been a better one than ‘A New Beginning’. Not only is it a heavy power metal song with a catchy sing-along chorus, it’s also very melodic in the style of Stratovarius, 80’s rock and Helloween with some hints of Gary Moore. The song reflects on (as the title says) to start over, but also of something that comes to an end. But the end isn’t always a bad thing. It feels great to finally release some new music with Majestica again and to show that we’re back – back with a new beginning.”
Last year, POST PROFIT — Matt Jackson [vocals, guitar], Nick Hawner [guitar +vocals], Zach Hicks [drums + vocals], and Charles Horin [bass + vocals] — released their six-song EP, Self Defeater.
And thus, the buzz on the band began.
Now, Post Profit have shared the official video for the single Two Toxic.
The video was directed by David Brodsky of MyGoodEye. It was shot at the historic Lynnewood Hall, a 110-room Gilded Age mansion in the Philadelphia suburb of Elkins Park, Pennsylvania, which originally opened all the way back in 1899. Learn more about this majestic location here.
“With this video, we wanted to do something we’ve never done before,” the band states. “Lynnewood Hall’s aesthetic felt like we were able to really depict the song to its truest form. Thanks to the amazing team of Dave Brodsky and Allie Woest at MyGoodEye for securing this incredible shoot location and making it all happen. We are very excited with how it came out and we hope you all feel the same.”
Pittsburgh heavy-hitters 156/SILENCE are making their highly anticipated return with the impending release of their new album, People Watching, on September 13th from SharpTone Records. Produced by Jonathan Dolese (D.R.U.G.S, Attack, Attack!), the band’s fourth album is an alternative metal behemoth, featuring 14 tracks of chaos and fury that are chock full of massive riffs and pummeling breakdowns.
Commenting on the record the band states:
“People Watching is the culmination of the last 9 years of 156. From the very beginning of the band we set the goal to push ourselves and make sure no two records we put out ever sound the same. I’m incredibly proud of what we’ve created, this album has been a long time coming. Welcome to the new era of 156.”
With the album’s announcement comes the mesmerizing, blistering new single, Better Written Villain, that’s accompanied by a live footage music video.
Adding about the new song, the band says:
“Better Written Villain is a song that underwent heavy rewrites in the studio but we’re incredibly happy with how it turned out. This song takes you on a journey through almost every element of our sound and I believe it’s a good representation of what you can expect from the album as a whole. The chorus as well as the ending went through a bunch of revisions because Jimmy and I (this is jack) couldn’t agree on a melody until the very last second. But I think that’s what makes it one of if not my favorite songs on the record. A song that thematically was inspired by from George Orwell’s ‘Animal Farm’. Specifically Napoleon.”
Australian death metal trio WEREWOLVES formed in 2019 with the express purpose of releasing ten albums in ten years and they are now proud to present not only their fifth album Die For Us, but also the usual catastrophic global event that always seems to accompany our releases.
The band states: “Think we’re bullshitting? From album to album, we’ve had Australian bushfires where half the country burnt down, a global pandemic followed swiftly by global insanity, a US coup attempt plus the Ukraine war getting into full swing, then more fires AND floods everywhere.
Now we’ve released (online July 12th) ‘Die For Us’ which was followed a day later by an attempted US political assassination and the world’s most hysterical country going even more bananas. To make matters worse, this release is split into two parts: Bandcamp on Friday 12th, and everything else Friday 19th July…streaming, physicals, the lot. So no doubt something else equally mental will happen by the end of the week. Sorry.
The good news is we’re halfway to our ten album goal, so everything should calm down again by 2029. Until then, the world’s going to hell in a handbasket. Death, war, terror, evil, hate. Buy our album.”
SOLID STATE RECORDS is thrilled to announce it has signed Ohio metalcore favorites MISS MAY I to its global roster.
The band will release the 15th anniversary edition of their classic, beloved album APOLOGIES ARE FOR THE WEAK (RE-RECORDED 15TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION). The album arrives August 23.
The anniversary edition has been entirely re-recorded and features cameos on every single song, ranging from Jake Luhrs of August Burns Red, Brandan Schieppati of Bleeding Through, Scott Lewis of Carnifex, and many others.
The band has shared the anniversary version of album closer Forgive and Forget, featuring singer Ryan Kirby and bassist Ryan “Tuck” O’Leary from Fit for a King.
“When it came to choosing which song went best with each one of our friends, this match up was the first one that came to mind,” the band shares. “We have became brothers with Fit for a King over the years and having not only Kirby, but also Tuck, as well, made this track such a celebration of the song. Their dynamic, alongside of Ryan and I in Forgive and Forget was meant to be.”
Adelaide alternative metal quartet Heartline announce upcoming EP, Pink Lemonade, out Friday August 16 and share genre-bending title track. Watch the video here!
The fresh new single is the second to be pulled from the upcoming EP after Lovers dropped in May ahead of Australian tours with Banks Arcade and Windwaker respectively. The single Pink Lemonade is ultimately about the realisation that opportunity follows hard work and dedication. “It’s about throwing all sense of entitlement to the wind and realising that it doesn’t matter what we feel we deserve, it’s down to us to work hard and make it happen,” explains vocalist Luke Taylor.
“I was so inspired after our first tour, I just wanted more and more of it and I came to the realisation that offers aren’t just going to get thrown our way – we can’t just sit and wait for things to fall in our lap. If you want something bad enough, you have to go out and make it happen.”
Cursive shared their new single Botch Job, the propulsive opener of their forthcoming album, Devourer. An ear-quaking, catchy banger that rips through its 2:47 runtime, the song is accompanied by a video from director Travis Stevens (A Wounded Fawn, Jakob’s Wife, Girl On The Third Floor); it’s the second in the band’s series of horror-themed clips following lead single Up and Away, directed by Brea Grant (12 Hour Shift, Torn Hearts).
“‘Botch Job’ is a rumination on what one has done with this life and those unfulfilling feelings that may accompany such thoughts. At this point, I don’t care to know what damage my body has incurred from years of abuse,” explains singer/guitarist Tim Kasher. “It’s those anxiety-fueled gremlins keeping you restless in the dead of night, but put to song”.
HAMMERFALL will release their 13th studio album Avenge The Fallen on August 9th via Nuclaer Blast.
When it comes to the main focus of the album, frontman Joacim Cans mentions ‘freedom’ and the urge to let anyone be who they want to be. It’s represented in the albums cover, where the bands faithful warrior Hector choses to walk his own path, despite what others tell him to do. Much like HAMMERFALL have and always will do.
As the third single from their highly anticipated album Avenge The Fallen, Freedom promises to deliver the high-octane energy and epic storytelling fans crave.
This true HAMMERFALL anthem boasts dark, thunderous backing vocals and an epic guitar solo that will send shivers down your spine.
German heavy metal legends BLIND GUARDIAN are pleased to unveil Ashes To Ashes (Revisited), another single from the re-recorded version of their immortal 1992 breakthrough album Somewhere Far Beyond.
Somewhere Far Beyond Revisited, which was recorded in 2022 und 2023, is a refreshing and powerful tribute to one of the most influential albums in German metal history. It paved the way for BLIND GUARDIAN’s international career that is still going strong today and this re-recording impresses with all the class and quality these pioneers have been known and respected for since forming as Lucifer’s Heritage three decades ago.
Somewhere Far Beyond Revisited will be released on August 2nd, 2024 coinciding with BLIND GUARDIAN’s triumphant return to this year’s edition of Wacken Festival, and a wide selection of physical variants is available!
“Open your eyes. Look to the skies. This is the day that your innocence dies.”
Combustive and ravenously raw, the brand new single The Flood (ǝɔᴉʇsnɾ) from Australian metalcore band In Hearts Wake merges real-life devastation with vivid sonic dexterity. Releasing via UNFD, The Flood (ǝɔᴉʇsnɾ) also features Parkway Drive’s Winston McCall on guest vocal duties.
Another piercing cut from In Hearts Wake’s forthcoming sixth studio album Incarnation, due out this Friday July 12, The Flood (ǝɔᴉʇsnɾ) snapshots the band’s experiences during the 2022 floods that ravaged Northern NSW, with the addition of fellow Byron Bay native McCall adding ferocious gravitas.
Balancing pummeling arrangements with fleeting moments of austere atmospherics, The Flood (ǝɔᴉʇsnɾ) ultimately channels genuine fear and tragedy into a hulking and cathartic metalcore masterpiece. And, as vocalist Jake Taylor reveals, the return of McCall on guest vocal duties following his feature on the 2012 In Hearts Wake track Departure (Death) organically transpired during the aftermath of the 2022 floods.
“The Flood. Where to start,” shares Taylor. “It was February 2022 and torrential rains hit our home region in Northern Rivers NSW. Entire towns swallowed two stories underwater. Homes and lives were lost. The floods were biblical. My step-dad narrowly escaped out of a second story window by jumping onto a floating mattress.”
“In the weeks that followed, I was out in Lismore NSW delivering emergency supplies with the rest of the band and I bumped into Winston (vocalist of Parkway Drive) who was helping out on a food run. We couldn’t believe the destruction we were seeing, and yet at the same time, the resilience and strength of the people. 12 years since Winston’s last feature on Divination and it felt right to reconnect and collaborate on such an important event that happened to our community.”
The Australian Capital Territory has produced its fair share of world class metal over the last few decades and Immorium are poised to wear that crown next.
Australian Melodic Death Metal at its finest, incorporating the likes of Dark Tranquility, At The Gates, and Insomnium into their sophisticated sound, Immorium are set to release their third album, Rose Water Black, on July 21.
The release will be followed up but their first ever Australian tour this August.
Forming in 2011 and with an EP and two previous albums to their credit, Immorium have established themselves as one of the leading lights of progressive and melodic death metal. Not afraid to wear their hearts on their sleeves, the band emanates an emotional rawness via skyscraper harmonies and enormous musical roller coasters that are further encapsulated in their lyrics.
Rose Water Black is their most adventurous and intimate release to date. An emotional journey through illness, loss, heartache and love. It’s dark, brooding melodic death metal that demands the listeners attention from the moment they hit play.
The first taste of Rose Water Black comes via the track, Withering which delves deeply into a personal health which has directly impacted the band. As they comment “Lung disease led to this song coming together. Having no control over ones internal collapse and being in the backseat of your own life.”
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