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  • Invocation – To Release Split EP With Embrace Of Thorns

    Black/death metal groups, Invocation and Embrace Of Thorns, will join forces for a brand new split EP release titled Invoking The Noumenon / Crushing The Feeble Messianic Embrace. Comprised of 6 new tracks, it will be set free on October 30th via Iron Bonehead Productions.
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  • ABYSMAL DAWN Release Drum Playthrough for Latest Single “Cradle of Affliction”

    After more than two decades, Abysmal Dawn remain one of death metal’s most consistently crushing creative forces. While the Los Angeles natives are working on their upcoming fifth album, next month, the band are hitting the road with Obscura, Thulcandra, and Orion Rise on their first-ever tour of Mexico.

    During this 8-day trek, Abysmal Dawn will perform songs from across their critically-acclaimed discography, including their latest single “Cradle of Affliction”.

    As Abysmal Dawn gears up for next month’s Mexico tour, today, drummer James Coppolino is releasing an official playthrough video of “Cradle of Affliction”. With its bone-crushing groove, blinding fills and steady pounding of double bass, the band’s latest single proves why they have such unholy staying power.

    Abysmal Dawn’s latest album Phylogenesis and their most-recent EP Nightmare Frontier are both now available through Season of Mist. They can be order here.

    The post ABYSMAL DAWN Release Drum Playthrough for Latest Single “Cradle of Affliction” appeared first on Sonic Perspectives.

  • Lugubrious Garment – New Track Streaming Online

    In wake of the upcoming debut LP release In The Wide Vale Of Uncreated Night, Italian black/death metal one-man act Lugubrious Garment offer in listening a new track in preview called “Transient Wounds, Spiritual Wilt”.
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  • FROST Announce UK Tour in Spring 2027 Celebrating Anniversaries Of “Milliontown” & “Falling Satellites”

    UK prog rebels Frost will return to the stage for six UK shows in Spring 2027 to celebrate a multitude of milestones as 2026 marks the 20th anniversary of Milliontown as well as the 10th anniversary of Falling Satellites.

    The band will reunite onstage for the first time in five years to play a full two-hour set showcasing songs from all five Frost albums, including the long-awaited live debut of the most recent award-winning and hugely acclaimed album Life In The Wires.

    To further commemorate the anniversaries of Milliontown and Falling Satellites, the band are working on a re-recorded version of Milliontown featuring the now-considered classic lineup of Jem Godfrey, John Mitchell, Nathan King and Craig Blundell as well as an updated recording of Falling Satellites for later release.

    “It’s going to be the longest set we’ve ever played at 2 hours and we hope to cram as much in as we can from the entire back catalogue. That said, we also need to give Life In The Wires a bit of a spin too don’t we? Nice problem to have really.” – Jem Godfrey

    Tickets on sale Friday October 2nd, 10 am UK time here.

    The post FROST Announce UK Tour in Spring 2027 Celebrating Anniversaries Of “Milliontown” & “Falling Satellites” appeared first on Sonic Perspectives.

  • GWAR Post Moving Tribute to Late Co-Founder Chuck Varga

    GWAR share that Varga was 'an unforgettable presence' and credit him with helping to establish their identity in the early years. Continue reading…
  • The Ocean – Solaris Review

    Sady, it’s been a while since we’ve really heard an incredible The Ocean record. While 2023’s Holocene wasn’t shit by any means, it was nothing like the run the band has had since 2013’s Pelagial. I’ve never been so captivated by a selection of consequential albums—only recently with the Green Carnation trilogy.1 Drifting away from the epochs, The Ocean sets off to the stars with this year’s Solaris. Not only are we heading up instead of staying below, but many of the band’s recent lineup has also moved on to their next stars and adventures. In particular, LoĂŻc Rossetti’s voice is no longer with us, replaced by the duo Enrico Tiberi and Lane Shi. Along with spacey effects and instrumental vibes, these two bring a completely new dynamic to the band’s sound. If one were to assume Solaris marks the beginning of a new era, how will it fare compared to previous ones? Or does “51°28′30″ S, 73°6′11″ W” really represent the “Last Hope”?

    Based on Stanisław Lem’s book of the same title, this new record is a mindfuck of emotion and unexplainable contradictions, much like the heartbreaking story that takes us to a research station above the surface of the water planet Solaris. Its black waters are assumed sentient, but what the crew experiences from this ocean sends them into a tailspin of fear and mental breakdown. The key work and atmosphere of Solaris work perfectly, thanks in large part to the contributions of the legendary Thorsten Quaeschning (Tangerine Dream). But where this psychological thriller takes us, one can only guess.

    Smack dab in the middle of Berlin at Hansa Studios, “52°30’11” N, 13°26’12” E” begins our journey with gentle vibraphone, acoustic guitars, and our introduction to Tiberi. Then, the course is set in “Departure Song,” as our hero sets off to help the broken crew. The vibraphone and bass bleed into its introduction before distortion hits and the male/female combo soars. As it progresses through aggressive passages and impressive, forceful wailing from Shi, its cherry on top is the shared vocal structures of another classic The Ocean chorus. While this track is one of the best on the album, the follow-up, “Light Pollution,” is the weirdness that permeates through the scratching needle from here until the end. Female swoons haunt the track as the spacey effects drown out the stars and blot the sun. Harsh male vocals surface as we near the angry planet, while swirling transitions promise the uncertainty ahead. When it all crumbles, a nasty, sludgy trot rises to the surface to end it all.

    As the album progresses, the intensity does as well—much like Pelagial all those years ago. As the unexplainable figures appear above and below, the frustration and confusion (for our characters and ourselves) increase until it erupts in “Belligerence.” It unleashes absolute chaos. Up to now, Tiberi’s vox were the only ones to rasp and scream, but now, Shi returns the favor. Trapped in the metallic confines that protect one from the frozen expanse, Tiberi and Shi do battle, dragging knuckles, nails, and teeth down every corridor. When the triplet attack arrives, the necks of any longtime The Ocean fan awaken. “Ultima Esperanza” pushes this concept to its breaking point, with moments of recollection, understanding, and hopelessness. As we near the emotional climax of overwhelm, loss, and pain, there’s really nothing to do but wave and fall.

    While the book’s concept flows throughout with its unique The Ocean interpretation, some things plague Solaris. “Simulacra,” “Belligerence,” and “Ultima Esperanza” represent forty of the album’s seventy minutes—which is a lot. The seventeen-minute “Simulacra” is the biggest culprit, which is a shame because it showcases a lot of great, classic The Ocean vibes and its haunting importance to the concept. The two closing numbers match the story’s theme well,2 but their exclusive industrial approach stands out mightily. Many will complain about the vocals. They are so different from what fans are used to that it’s impossible to ignore. But their stellar performances cannot be dismissed. It’s just completely different than what we’re used to with the band. After numerous spins, I finally understand this album, and it gives the score a slight nudge. It’s different, but fans will find something to enjoy here.


    Rating: 3.0/5.0
    DR: 7 | Format Reviewed: 320 kb/s mp3
    Label: Pelagic Records
    Websites: theocean.bandcamp.com | facebook.com/theoceancollective
    Releases Worldwide: September 25th, 2026

    The post The Ocean – Solaris Review appeared first on Angry Metal Guy.

  • Beaten to Death Name 10 Songs That Influenced Their New Album, Vntrve

    I’ve had Vntrve, the seventh album from Norwegian grindcore weirdos Beaten to Death, for a couple months now and I’m no closer to understanding it than when the promo first landed in my inbox. Over the course of 13 songs, Beaten to Death trudge through blast beats, razor-sharp riffs, breakdowns, party samples and a general sense of extreme irreverence.

    Naturally, Decibel had to get the scoop on what makes the band tick, so Beaten to Death’s Anti-Climax and Tommy Hjelm filled us in on 10 songs that influenced Vntrve, out on October 23 via Mas-Kina Recordings.

    Slayer – “Disciple”  

    Tommy: We’d built this major tip of the hat for the opening of Slayer’s Disciple on ‘Slosspit.’ But  when Joddski, one of the granddads of Norwegian hip-hop, put his vocals on top, all of that just  drowned, and it was too good to change. If you listen carefully though, you can hear some fairly  unapologetic references to “Disciple” both in the start and in the end of that song.  

    Mahavishnu Orchestra – “The Dance of Maya”

    Tommy: I came across this song on a documentary on Billy Cobham. That opening riff. Wow. And  then the drums come in. Wow. And then they turn it into this boogie theme. Yuck. Then they  transition back into the opening riff again. Wow. The second riff of “Slosspit” had a ring to it that  reminded me of this song. The riff after that sounded like a run-of-the-mill Testament riff. That’s  why the work title for “Slosspit” was “Mahavishnu Testament.”

    Death – “Spiritual Healing”

    Tommy: If you managed to listen to Vntrve and not spot this reference, then you hate Chuck  Schuldiner and you hate death metal. And then you can go fuck yourself! Obviously we’re not  shy to show off our heroes. I love this reference, it’s so blatant. And yet, we’ve managed to make it even more death than Death. What do I mean? You find out.  

    Pantera – “Walk “

    Tommy: Under normal circumstances, I would never put this up as an inspiration, mostly  because it’s so obvious and there are few things that annoy me more than all these Dimebag  wannabes lamenting his death, while shooting Jack Daniels, putting “Walk” on 11 on the speakers  and screaming RE! SPECT! As it turns out “Scroll On, Homeboy” is brimful of Pantera references,  discussing what would happen if Phil Anselmo grew up during the social media era. There wouldn’t be no “Walk” then, I’ll tell ya.  

    KPop Demon Hunters – “Soda Pop “

    Tommy: Should we put up “Soda Pop” or should we put up “Satan Spawn, The Caco Daemon” by  Deicide? Let’s put up the less obvious one. Guess what was our inspiration for “Satan Spawn, The KPop Daemon?” Fun fact: two of our children wrote the lyrics for this song. We are so meta, it hurts.  

    My Dying Bride – “The Whore, The Cook and the Mother”

    Tommy: Controversial statement: 34.788%… Complete is MDB’s best album! Yeah, I know Turn  Loose The Swans is more trve, but I think they captured something quite angsty and  uncomfortable on 34 that fit MDB perfectly. Sales indicated not, and soon enough they were  back in the middle ages. 

    Immortal – “Grim and Frostbitten Kingdoms”

    Anti-Climax: Finally, my party trick from the mid-90s of imitating Abbath Doom Occultas vocals  on “Grim and Frostbitten Kingdoms” came to use in a song. When we wrote the tune “Sunburnt  Satanist,” the voice of our Nördic, translucent-skinned black metal anti-hero, Jonas needed my  old party antics. 

    “Sunburnt Satanist” chronicles the duality of trve kvlt black metal life; how do  you both adhere to the ways of winter demons and at the same time respond to the holiday call of the flesh-licking, satanic summer sun? You might think we are taking the piss here, but no,  the vocals are a heartfelt tribute to Immortal. In particular it’s a tip of the hat to Battles In The  North, which is a metal masterpiece, in my eyes. Their songwriting on this album is impeccable  and Abbath’s drumming is completely bonkers. It sounds like he is just rolling downhill with his  drum kit, but I wouldn’t want it any other way. This album is so punk! And I LOVE the lyrics to  “Grim and Frostbitten Kingdoms.” After Battles In The North, they got a proper drummer and  started sounding more like a normal band, so I kinda lost interest.  

    Exodus – “Bonded by Blood”

    Anti-Climax: As Tommy already mentioned, we keep blatantly referencing our heroes in our  songs. “Bonded by Blood” shows up in a song about trying to suppress your battle vest  personality in your salary man daily life. This is never a good idea. The battle vest will prevail.  

    Thrash metal was one of my first loves in heavy music, and as I grow older I spend more time  thinking of the long-gone days of youthful headbanging to, among others, Exodus. This has led  me to spice up our last couple of albums with more thrash metal and crossover-leaning vocals. I  have to admit that Paul Baloff never was a favorite vocalist of mine though. Still, the mediocrity  of his vocals doesn’t matter, as the riffs and the chorus of “Bonded by Blood” stand strong no  matter what. 

    MURDER IN THE FRONT ROW! CROWD BEGINS TO BANG! AND THERE’S BLOOD  UPON THE STAGE! BANG YOUR HEAD AGAINST THE STAGE! AND METAL TAKES IT’S PRICE!  BONDED BY BLOOD!  

    Brutal Truth – “Denial Of Existence”

    Anti-Climax: I would not be a grindcore vocalist if it wasn’t for Brutal Truth and Kevin Sharp. He is my spirit animal. His low-pitch/high-pitch screaming combo has stood the test of time. I think we have used it to some extent on every Beaten To Death album. On Vntrve, this is very obvious in the song “Fear Of Being Included.” When it’s time to record vocals, I always summon the powers of Kevin Sharp in the ‘90s.  

    Opus – “Live is Life” 

    Anti-Climax: Opus was an Austrian ‘80s one hit wonder. This earworm of a song has snuck its  way into the subconscious of most people on this planet. At least if you’ve attained unc status 

    like we have. The misinterpretation of the title and chorus as “life is life” is a perfect quote for  the passivity and fatalism that strikes most of us at times when being soaked in the constant  downpour of pure evil and enshittification of reality. So, when we set out to create the song “The  Tolerator,” which is meant to be an embodiment of our collective favorite meme, the “this is fine” dog, we just had to add the misinterpreted Opus chorus to the outro. Life sucks, Opus fucks. 

    The post Beaten to Death Name 10 Songs That Influenced Their New Album, <i>Vntrve</i> appeared first on Decibel Magazine.