Villagers Of Ioannina City - For The Innocent

VILLAGERS OF IOANNINA CITY, one of the leading Greek heavy rock bands, comes from the mountains of Epirus. Their are deeply influenced by Greek nature and cosmic phenomena and infuse their unique brand of heavy psychedelic rock with folk instruments such as bagpipes, flutes and, didgeridoo.

With their inspired mixture between BLACK SABBATH and TOOL with the traditional instruments and scales from the Greek rich musical past, they created a blend meant to strike an impression both locally and internationally.

Since their debut album "Riza" in 2014 they toured all over Greece and brought their music out to many European cities (Berlin, Amsterdam, Barcelona, London, among others). Throughout the last years performed in carefully selected shows in Greece, featuring a vast production with an impressive light show and grandiose stage settings, which highlights their open-air sold-out shows in Athens 2015 and 2019 with more than 6000 attendance each.

In the meantime, the foundations for the "Age Of Aquarius" were laid in absolute secrecy. 5 years in the making is not an easy feat to stay hidden, but VIC did manage to keep it under wraps until the autumn of 2019 when all preparations were completed.

The new album "Age Of Aquarius" is exactly what the title implies, a whole new era of creation and experimentation, sonically and lyrically, setting up a journey through space and time.

"Age Of Aquarius" was released September 20, 2019. Produced by VIC and Asteris Partalios Recorded by Asteris Partalios at Magnanimous Studio, Thessaloniki, GR. Mixed by Keith Armstrong at Pietown Sound, Los Angeles, CA. Mastered by Justin Shturtz at Sterling Sound, Nashville TN. Cover art by Fotis Varthis. Cover editing by Graphic no Jutsu.

Today's tune "For The Innocent" is taken from the new album "Age Of Aquarius", enjoy!



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Official Villagers Of Ioannina City Facebook

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Pearl Jam - Gigaton

Monday, new week, time to introduce "Record Of The Week".

The Seattle-based grunge band PEARL JAM (PJ) has finally released a follow-up to 2013’s "Lightning Bolt", the latest and 11th studio album, "Gigaton" dropped in on March 23 through both Republic Records and PJ's own independent label, Monkeywrench. The album was produced by music engineer Josh Evans (SOUNDGARDEN). The cover artwork was produced by photographer Paul Nicklen.

"Gigaton" is a great album to celebrate their own 30 years birthday this year.

PJ never disappoints even if they now are passing 50 years and getting old and grumpy. "Gigaton" has a little old man feeling but they have 30 years of experience in the creation of great songs with meaning and Eddie Vedder has something to say that touches both political and personal levels and this time he targets Trump and global catastrophe and offers the listener a sense of solace in times of crisis that seems especially relevant in the midst of the COVID-19. The album is very solid from start to finish. It has a great balance musically, it's strong and well made with a punch.

"Gigaton" has a run time of 57-minutes consisting of twelve tunes and the first three singles, the excellent "Dance of the Clairvoyants", the catchy rocker "Superblood Wolfmoon" and the jammy apocalyptic rocker "Quick Escape". The other nine tunes include a few more standout tracks like the rockers "Never Destination" and "Take The Long Way" to the more slower tunes like "Alright" and the emotional piece "Comes Then Goes" that could be a tribute to Chris Cornell, ""Seven O'Clock" is a true masterpiece in a classic PJ spirit, or the acoustic guitar-led numbers "Retrograde" and "Buckle Up", both are brilliant tunes where the latter is written by Stone Gossard. The closing tune "River Cross" is a real beauty with a 1850s-era pump organ as the main instrument. PJ has given us an unexpected album of hope that needs a few spins before you realize how special it is, get it now.

PJ consists of longstanding members:

Vocalist Eddie Vedder,

Guitarists Stone Gossard and Mike McCready,

Bassist Jeff Ament and Drummer Matt Cameron.

Sum: Welcome back PJ

Today's tune "Quick Escape" taken from "Gigaton", enjoy!



More info @

Official Pearl Jam Web

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Candlemass - Bewitched

Sunday, time for a classic.

"Bewitched" is a tune by the Swedish doom metal band CANDLEMASS. It's taken from the second studio album "Nightfall", released on 9 November 1987 through Axis Records. After being dropped from the label Black Dragon Records, CANDLEMASS were the first band signed to Axis. The group had a new line-up from their previous album including vocalist Messiah Marcolin, whose decisions became instrumental during the production and release stages of the album.

Two singles were released from "Nightfall": "Samarithan" and "At the Gallows End". A music video was directed for the song "Bewitched" by Jonas Åkerlund. The album has been re-released in various formats and was followed up by "Ancient Dreams" in 1988.

"Bewitched" was the first music video by Åkerlund, who was previously a member of the Swedish black metal group BATHORY. Åkerlund would go on to make music videos for other Swedish bands like Whale and ROXETTE, as well as international musicians such as METALLICA, U2 and Lady Gaga. The music video also featured future MAYHEM vocalist Pelle "Dead" Ohlin.

Enjoy today's classic.



More info @

Official Candlemass Web

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Paradise Lost - Fall From Grace

"Fall From Grace" is the first taste and single from the new and upcoming sixteenth album "Obsidian" with  PARADISE LOST, set to be released on May 15th via Nuclear Blast!

Formed in Halifax, West Yorkshire, in 1988, PARADISE LOST were unlikely candidates for metal glory when they slithered from the shadows and infiltrated the UK underground. But not content with spawning an entire subgenre with early death/doom masterpiece Gothic nor with conquering the metal mainstream with the balls-out power of 1995’s "Draconian Times", they have subsequently traversed multiple genre boundaries with skill and grace, evolving through the pitch-black alt-rock mastery of ‘90s classics One Second and Host to the muscular but ornate grandeur of 2009’s "Faith Divides Us – Death Unites Us" and "Tragic Idol" (2012), with the nonchalant finesse of grandmasters. The band’s last two albums - "The Plague Within" (2015) and "Medusa" (2017) – saw a much-celebrated return to brutal, old school thinking, via two crushing monoliths to slow-motion death and spiritual defeat. Consistently hailed as one of metal’s most charismatic live bands, PARADISE LOST arrive in this new decade as veterans, legends and revered figureheads for several generations of gloomy metalheads.

Get the album:
Nuclear Blast: https://nblast.de/ParadiseLostObsidian
iTunes: https://nblast.de/ParadiseLostObsidianIT
Apple Music: https://nblast.de/ParadiseLostObsidianAM
Amazon: https://nblast.de/PL-ObsidianAMZ
Google Play: https://nblast.de/ParadiseLostObsidianGP

Nick Holmes states: "This is a song about struggling through difficult times, and a point-blank refusal to accept that the end is within range."

Guitarist Greg Mackintosh adds: "The first song was written for 'Obsidian' so probably one of the closest in style to the previous album 'Medusa'. It has quite a few different elements to it but is essentially a classic PL song. Doom laden, but hopefully heartfelt and subtle in places."

As they march through their fourth decade as a band, PARADISE LOST sounds more potent or unified in their determination to bring the darkness to life.

Today's tune "Fall From Grace" taken from the upcoming album "Obsidian", enjoy!



More info @

Official Paradise Lost Web

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Bonfire - Rock'n'Roll Survivors

German hard rock icons, BONFIRE, will release their brand new album, "Fistful Of Fire" on April 3 via AFM Records.

It’s been exactly two years since BONFIRE, following the outstanding debut of their current vocalist Alexx Stahl on "Byte The Bullet" (2017), were unanimously celebrated for their successor album "Temple Of Lies" (2018). Two years which saw the band rock countless stages at home and abroad before going on to set the bar even higher with their latest offering "Fistful Of Fire".

 "Fistful Of Fire" will be one of their hardest albums so far, and the title track makes this clear.

“This development already became apparent the last time around,” explains guitarist and founder member Hans Ziller. “However, this time our approach was even more focused and consistent. I’ve always been the tough guy in BONFIRE but haven’t always been able to implement my ideas the way I wanted. But since our tour with JUDAS PRIEST, we’ve known that toughness in combination with great melodies suits Bonfire perfectly.”

“Unlike previous BONFIRE vocalists, Alexx oozes so much energy that you may occasionally have to hold him back rather than motivate him. We’ve been a hard rock band from the very beginning, but that has never been more apparent than in 2020.”

"Fistful Of Fire", was recorded in collaboration with sound engineer Tom Müller at Ingolstadt’s Flatliners Recording Studios.

The charismatic vocals, the catchy riffs and hooks courtesy of guitarists Ziller and Frank Pané, the rich bass sound provided by their American colleague Ronnie Parkes and the driving grooves contributed by new addition André Hilgers (ex-Rage, Axxis), who has complemented the line-up for a number of months. “This team delivers without mercy and has turned into a really tight unit,” Ziller enthuses.

Release date: April 3, 2020 Order & Stream: https://fanlink.to/FistfulOfFire

Line-up

Alexx Stahl (ex-RAGE, AXXIS)(lv)

Hans Ziller (g, bv)

Frank Pané (g, bv)

Ronnie Parkes (b, bv)

André Hilgers (d)

Today's tune "Rock ‘N’ Roll Survivors" where the music video just have been released. The video features two female boxers: multiple world and European champion Tina Schüßler and her colleague Stephanie Posch at a boxing club in Augsburg, Germany. The tune is taken from the new album "Fistful Of Fire", enjoy!



The upcoming tour is sadly CANCELLED.
"Fistful Of Fire" Tour 2020
13.03. (UK) Great Yarmouth - Hard Rock Hell AOR
02.04. (DE) Bad Friedrichshall - Lemmy's
03.04. (CH) Aarburg - Musigburg
04.04. (DE) Reichenbach - Die Halle
05.04. (DE) Obermarchtal - Kreuz
06.04. (DE) München - Backstage
07.04. (DE) Konstanz - Kulturladen
08.04. (CH) Martigny - Sunset Bar
12.04. (DE) Bebra - Lokschuppen
13.04. (DE) Köln - Helios 37
14.04. (DE) Gersthofen/Augsburg - Sound Factory
15.04. (DE) Nürnberg - Hirsch
16.04. (DE) Hamburg - Logo
17.04. (DE) Kiel - Max Nachttheater
18.04. (DE) Arnsberg - Festhalle
22.04. (BE) Ittre - Zik Zak
23.04. (DE) Oberhausen - Kulttempel
24.04. (DE) Mannheim - 7er Club
25.04. (DE) Kulmbach - Motorrad-Sternfahrt
26.04. (DE) Ingolstadt - Kulturzentrum Neun
16.05. (DE) Hagen - Saal Stock
21.05. (DE) Marxheim - Metalheadz Open Air
22.05. (DE) Illertissen - End of Silence Festival
13.06. (DE) Losheim am See - BeeRock
16.07. (DE) Fritzlar - Rock Am Stück
18.07. (DE) Baierbrunn - Waldgasthof Buchenhain
01.08. (CZ) Bakovnad Jizerou - Fryyfest
19.09. (DE) Altenbergen - Rock 'n Revel Festival

More info @

Official Bonfire Facebook

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Testament - Powerslave

Thursday, time for a cover.

Today's tune "Powerslave" is the title song from the fifth studio album by the English heavy metal band IRON MAIDEN, released on 3 September 1984 on EMI in Europe and its sister label Capitol Records in North America. It was re-released by Sanctuary/Columbia Records in the United States in 2002.

The album's cover artwork is notable for its Ancient Egypt theme. That theme, taken from the title track, was carried over to the album's supporting tour, the World Slavery Tour. This began in Warsaw, Poland on 9 August 1984; it is widely regarded as being the band's longest and most arduous tour to date, and led to the live album "Live After Death".

"Powerslave" is about an arrogant Pharaoh in his dying hours. Because he's been raised to think he's a god, he can't understand why he's about to die and fights it in vain. He also feels overwhelmed by the power of death, and thinks sardonically about his heir. Just before he dies, he promises to return as a mummy. The album cover shows a pyramid with a giant statue of the Pharaoh (reminiscent of the Sphinx), with the bands mascot Eddie as the Pharaoh. The artwork inside the album also carried this theme.

Lead singer Bruce Dickinson wrote this. He claims this is a sequel, or somehow linked to his previous song "Revelations." The back of the album "Somewhere In Time" shows pyramids behind the city in a reference to this.

Cover art designer Derek Riggs once again slipped his logo into his artwork. His logo is a unique symbol which depicts his initials, a mirrored D and an R on the right hand side. In this case, it's right above the "entrance" to the pyramid (Eddie's crotch).

All those years jamming the Maiden, you never realized Tom Cruise was the one who killed the Powerslave. That bastard.

Anyway, today's cover is made by the American thrash metal band TESTAMENT, the tune is taken from the eleventh studio album "Dark Roots Of Earth", enjoy!



More info @

Official Testament Web

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Biff Byford - Scarborough Fair

"School Of Hard Knocks", is the first solo album of legendary SAXON's frontman Biff Byford, the album was released in February this year. Biff has released a video for the tune "Scarborough Fair" taken from his debut solo album, see it below. The tune is a bit odd, not the common thing that you have heard, so check it out.

"School of Hard Knocks" is available to buy now at: http://hyperurl.co/SchoolOfHardKnocks

The English North is everything you saw in Game of Thrones and more. It is the true heart of England, the region where its soul resides, and Biff Byford has earned the right to be considered its true heavy metal bard.

In his first-ever solo album, Biff takes on not just tales and stories from his heart and soul, but also investigates the Middle Ages and Medieval history amongst other subjects.

"School Of Hard Knocks" was produced by Biff Byford, recorded by Jacky Lehmann at Brighton Electric Studios in Brighton (UK) and mixed at Queen Street Studios in Stockholm (Sweden) by Mats Valentin. The album also features guest appearances by Phil Campbell (MOTÖRHEAD/Phil Campbell & The Bastard Sons), Alex Holzwarth (RHAPSODY OF FIRE, TURILLI / LIONE RHAPSODY), Nick Barker (VOICES), Dave Kemp (WAYWARD SONS) and Nibbs Carter (SAXON).

On "School Of Hard Knocks", Byford worked with Fredrik Åkesson (OPETH) on guitars, Christian Lundqvist on drums and Gus Macricostas on bass (Biff himself played a spot of four-string thunder too!).

Enjoy today's tune!



More info @

Official Biff Byford Facebook
Official Saxon Web

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Deep Purple - Throw My Bones

"Throw My Bones" is the first single from DEEP PURPLEs highly anticipated studio album "Whoosh!"

The single was released on March 20th. "Throw My Bones" is a song to remember; a powerful insight into the band's 21st studio album.

The single is accompanied by a music video that pushes the boundaries of time and place. It is an invitation to take a step back and see the bigger picture, a call for action and an invitation to observe the planet and the current situation on earth.

DEEP PURPLEs brand-new studio album “Whoosh!” follows their worldwide chart-topping albums “inFinite” (2017) and “NOW What?!” (2013). For the third time, DEEP PURPLE joins forces with producer Bob Ezrin, and together they created the most versatile album in their collaboration, “stretching out in all directions” without any limitation, letting their creativity go.

“DEEP PURPLE is putting the Deep back into Purple” was the half-joking motto in the studio after the first songs made it clear that Ezrin and Purple were on a path to creating an album pushing the boundaries of time, while voicing their resentment about the current situation of the world and addressing all generations.

“Whoosh is an onomatopoeic word that, when viewed through one end of a radio-telescope, describes the transient nature of humanity on Earth; and, through the other end from a closer perspective, illustrates the career of DEEP PURPLE".

“Whoosh!” will be available as Limited CD+DVD Mediabook (incl. the 1h feature “Roger Glover and Bob Ezrin in conversation” and, for the first time, the full live performance at Hellfest 2017 as video), 2LP+DVD Edition, Limited Boxset and Digital on June 12th, 2020 on earMUSIC.

Already the content of the Limited Box Set has been revealed yesterday. It will contain the 2LP Gatefold, the CD+DVD Mediabook, three 10” vinyls containing previously unreleased live recordings from DeDEEP PURPLEs performance in Rio 2017 “The inFinite Live Recordings, Vol. 2”, an exclusive Deep Purple Collector’s T-Shirt as well as three Art Prints.

You can pre-order the album here: https://deeppurple.lnk.to/WhooshPR

Coinciding with the release of the new album, Deep Purple will also embark on a full European tour starting in summer 2020. See the dates below.

Enjoy today's tune!



Upcoming Tourdates:
05/31/20 MOSCOW
06/03/20 ISTANBUL
06/06/20 ATHENS
06/20/20 CLISSON
06/21/20 DESSEL
06/24/20 HAMBURG
06/25/20 AALBORG
06/27/20 OSLO
06/30/20 PARIS (BOULOGNE BILLANCOURT)
07/01/20 NIMES
07/03/20 KLAM
07/04/20 EISENSTADT
07/06/20 BOLOGNA
07/08/20 SION
07/10/20 BONN
07/11/20 ROSENHEIM
07/14/20 HALLE (SAALE)
07/15/20 MAINZ
07/17/20 ST JULIEN EN GENEVOIS
07/18/20 BROMBACH
07/20/20 CARCASSONE
07/22/20 LÖRRACH
07/24/20 COLMAR
09/26/20 STOCKHOLM
09/27/20 GOTHENBURG

More info @

Official Deep Purple Web

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Lucifer - Lucifer III

Monday, new week, time to introduce "Record Of The Week".

"III" is the return of the Swedish hard rockers LUCIFER. A band that has really grown for every release and now with the 3rd release it sounds like they finally reached the point where they were aiming for. It's music straight from the seventies that is well executed on all layers.

It's occult hard rock with doom, horror and gothic darkness where they pull the best from hard rock influences without losing themselves into the unknown, they have created an album that is well thought true, the beautiful vocals from Johanna Sadonis adepts into the musical flow like a water stream, intertwines with the guitars take part in excellent soaring vocals and guitar harmonies and tremendous retro vibes. The guitar work here is particularly memorable, the riffing and the solos is very clever and smart without being strained. The bass lines are thick and smooth and the drums are tasteful. The lyrics cover the occult, death and the devil. The music is catchy and really fun to play, get you into a good mood on uncertain times like this.

From the down-tuned opener "Ghosts" that kickstarts this album in a tastefully old school way of riffing with a catchy melody to switch over to "Midnight Phantom" that shows some magic vocals and heavy infectious guitar riffs. The beauty of the guitars opens up the bleak softness of "Leather Demon", a half paced ballad that accelerates a few in the chouses and sums everything up with neat and tremendous guitar solo. Thick opening of excellent "Lucifer", cleaver riffing and solos with marvelous vocals from Sadonis. Crafty guitar hook and some tasty solos in the dark and gloomy "Pacific Blues" to the smokier and gothic tune "Coffin Fever". Some high-octane thrills in "Flanked By Snakes" to the somber closer "Cemetery Eyes". "Lucifer III" is a combination of the band’s prior works, that they have overthrown a bit, it's an absolute flourishing occult rock release from front to back, well-done guys.

The legendary horror poster artist Graham Humphreys hand-painted "Lucifer III"'s cover. The album was released on March 20th, 2020.

LUCIFER is:

Johanna Sadonis (vocals)

Nicke Andersson (drums)

Harald Göthblad (bass)

Martin Nordin (guitar)

Linus Björklund (guitar)

Sum: "Lucifer III" is one of the most fun albums you will hear this year and works perfectly in times like this, get it NOW!

Today's tune "Midnight Phantom" taken from "Lucifer III", enjoy!

The upcoming tour, if it's not going to cancel as 

everything else gets when Coronavirus is spreading over our planet.

The Third Commandment – Europe 2020 – Part I
w/special guests: YEAR OF THE GOAT

April 23 – Tampere, FIN – Klubi
April 24 – Helsinki, FIN – DesertHel Festival, On The Rocks*
May 7 – Hamburg DE, Knust
May 8 – Essen DE, Turock
May 9 – Köln DE, Helios 37
May 10 – Den Bosch NL, Willem Twee
May 12 – London UK, Underworld
May 13 – Paris FR, Petit Bain
May 14 – Strasbourg FR, La Laiterie
May 15 – Kaiserslautern DE, Kammgarn
May 16 – Nürnberg DE, Hirsch
May 17 – Praha CZ, Nová Chmelnice
May 19 – Poznan PL, U Bazyla
May 20 – Dresden DE, Scheune
May 21 – Berlin DE, Lido
May 22 – Hannover DE, Bei Chez Heinz
May 23 – Odense DK, Posten
May 29 – Stockholm SWE, Debaser Strand
May 30 – Göteborg SWE, Pustervik
July 3 – Ballenstedt DE, Rock Harz Open Air*
July 31 – Wacken, DE – Wacken Open Air*
August 1 – Soria, ES – Motorbeach Festival*
October 16 – St. Petersburg, RU – MOD
October 17 – Moscow, RU – Aglomerat
November 7 – Great Yarmouth, UK – Hard Rock Hell
*festival dates

More info @

Official Lucifer Facebook

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Nick Cave & Current 93 - All The Pretty Little Horses

Sunday, time for a classic.

"All The Pretty Little Horses" (also known as "Hush-a-bye") is a traditional lullaby from the United States. It has inspired dozens of recordings and adaptations, as well as the title of Cormac McCarthy's 1992 novel "All The Pretty Horses".

Today's version is made by the British experimental music group CURRENT 93, a band that has been working since the early 1980s in folk-based musical forms. The band was founded in 1982 by David Tibet some time prior to forming the group).

CURRENT 93 made two versions as "All The Pretty Little Horses", for their 1996 album of the same name, one sung by Nick Cave the other one by CURRENT 93. There's also a third version, sung by Shirley Collins, on the compilation Calling for Vanished Faces

The version we pick today is with Nick Cave on vocals, enjoy this lullaby.



More info @

Official Current 93 Facebook

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Darkwood - Fliegergedicht

The German resident Henryk Vogel aka DARKWOOD, a neofolk band from Dresden.

DARKWOOD consists of Henryk Vogel and cellist Nadja Stahlbaum. Since "Notwendfeuer" (2006), DARKWOOD has been supplemented by Manuela Zankl (accordion, accompanying vocals) and Valentin (violin). In addition, various guest musicians contributed to individual pieces.

DARKWOOD has been performing in front of a live audience since 1997. In the past, Andreas Ritter (Forseti) or Markus Wolff (Waldteufel) helped in addition to the normal line-up.

The band has was never been afraid of controversial themes and with the album "Schicksalsfahrt" ("Fateful Ride") he invites the listener to join him on an extremely dangerous mission. An album based on the novel "Night Flight" by Antoine de Saint-Exupery.

Today's tune "Fliegergedicht" (Aviator Poem) presents mainly acoustic guitar-driven halfpace melody full of sadness. The tune is taken from the album "Schicksalsfahrt" (2013), the tune is in German native language, enjoy!



More info @

Official Darkwood Web

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Kiss The Anus Of A Black Cat - Argonaut And Magneto

The solo project of Stef Heeren caught my attention in a random playlist at work.

KISS THE ANUS OF A BLACK CAT is a Belgian band that was formed in Gent, the band plays neofolk on the first albums, often using drones. The later albums, in addition to neo-folk, dark folk also contain new wave influences. The band has to have one of the most absurd band names ever.

The band started as a solo project by Stef Irritant (pseudonym of Stef Heeren), who received a degree in instrument building at the Ghent Conservatory.

Today's tune "Argonaut And Magneto" is a dark folk tune inspired by religious and shamanistic music and rituals. The name comes from a medieval witchcraft ritual. The tune is taken from the album "Hewers Of Wood And Drawers Of Water" released October 15, 2010, by Zealrecords, enjoy!


Here is a live clip from Ekko Utrecht 14-1-2011


More info @

Official Kiss The Anus Of A Black Cat Web

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Hexvessel - Billion Year Old Being

Psychedelic forest folk-rockers HEXVESSEL will release their new nature-mystic 5th opus, "Kindred", via Svart Records.

The singles that have been released so far show that they are taking a darker and more esoteric path, "Kindred" sees HEXVESSEL re-forge their eclectic melting cauldron or “vessel” of sound into a potent “hex” of spell-binding songcraft.

Blues-laden psych-rock and progressive structures harken back to KING CRIMSON, giving way to dark earthen balladry reminiscent of early Nick Cave and the doom-laden atmospheres of DEAD CAN DANCE. The band returned to their original studio in Tampere, Finland, where they recorded their cult classic "No Holier Temple", which fused HEXVESSELs folk roots with an occult undercurrent, with the new album mastered by John Davis (THE KILLERS / GORILLAZ / LED ZEPPELIN / Lana Del Rey) in the UK.

"Kindred" is adorned by cover artwork by artists Thomas Hooper (who has worked for NEUROSIS, CONVERGE and DOOMRIDERS) and Richey Beckett (who has created work for Metallica, Foo Fighters, Robert Plant), Kindred is an album which calls you on a journey, both intimate and richly enlightening.

"Kindred" is HEXVESSELs 5th album, and a return to Svart Records, where they released their debut album Dawnbearer to critical and cult acclaim 10 years ago. HEXVESSEL was formed by English/Irish singer/songwriter Mat McNerney in 2009 after he moved to Finland. Also known for his work with BEASTMILK (now known as GRAVE PLEASURES), THE DEATHTRIP, guest spots with CARPENTER BRUT and ME & THAT MAN and his earlier work with Norwegian Black Metal bands CODE & DØDHEIMSGARD, McNerney is a both highly eclectic and critically acclaimed musical artist. Across the years, it is McNerney’s work with HEXVESSEL which has been his most brave, exploratory, honest and impossible to categorize, unique and idiosyncratic in a world all of their own.

Pre-order the album now: http://smarturl.it/hexvesselkindred

Today's tune "Billion Year Old Being", taken from the album "Kindred", out April the 17th, 2020. “For us there’s only one temple. Be All and End All. There’s only one religion and one spirit that takes on many forms, and that is the planet earth. This is a deep-earth rock spell, telling your reality-tunnel to go fuck itself. Listen, descend, dissolve.”



More info @

Official Hexvessel Web

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Witchcraft - Elegantly Expressed Depression

Magnus Pelander’s WITCHCRAFT have existed at the forefront of occult tinged classic rock ever since their formation in the year 2000, when Magnus decided to form the band so that he could record a tribute to his idols Roky Erickson and PENTAGRAMs Bobby Liebling. The track in question "No Angel Or Demon" was released in 2002 and was the spark that ignited WITCHCRAFTs now illustrious career from their self-titled debut in 2004 through to the wondrous "Nucleus" in 2016.

The band’s first new album in four years, titled "Black Metal", is an entirely acoustic affair. Listen to a first tune below, taken from "Black Metal", the haunting "Elegantly Expressed Depression".

The album will be released on Vinyl, CD and in Digital formats on May 1st 2020 via Nuclear Blast.

Pre-Order: https://nblast.de/WitchcraftBlackMetal
Pre-Save: https://nblast.de/WitchcraftPreSave

WITCHCRAFT has also announced to play a few selected shows this year, such as at Desertfest Berlin and London.

From the press release:

Now, Magnus takes WITCHCRAFT in a brave new direction, setting forth into entirely new territory. Exhibiting the pure emotion that has always lived at the core of the band’s work, by moving forward alone. The band’s first new album in four years, "Black Metal", is an entirely acoustic release. From the opener, and first single, "Elegantly Expressed Depression", it’s clear that this new facet of the band’s sound allows the rawness and fragility to shine in an entirely new light.

The minimalism of Bill Callaghan, the tenderness of Elliot Smithand the air of slight discomfort that could only be WITCHCRAFT combine to make this record a truly unique spectacle, not only in the band’s catalogue, but in the world of guitar music as it stands in 2020.

Today's tune "Elegantly Expressed Depression" taken from the upcoming album "Black Metal", enjoy!



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Of The Wand & The Moon - Tear It Apart

:OF THE WAND & THE MOON: is the neofolk/experimental project of Danish musician Kim Larsen and various guest contributors.

After irreconcilable differences with his previous musical project, the doom metal-band SATURNUS, Larsen began writing music of a different vein, similar in style to his neofolk influences.

After a 6-year silence, a fourth album, "The Lone Descent", was released in 2011. It features more contemporary influences and richer production. The album was received with great critical acclaim and is considered a neofolk masterpiece.

Today's tune "Tear It Apart" from the album "The Lone Descent", enjoy!



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Jonathan Hultén - Chants From Another Place

Monday, a new week and it's time for the annual "Record Of The Week".

"Chants From Another Place" is a tale of spiritual death and rebirth, it will thematically take you through landscapes of ecstasy, passing mountains of death and rebirth, sailing seas of adventure, traversing wastelands of despair and forests of myth. It is an inward journey and only time can tell which places will be visited under its duration.

Jonathan Hultén’s inspiration is drawn from a capella folk and church choir compositions, where classic artists such as Nick Drake, Simon & Garfunkel, Bert Jansch, and John Martyn is by his side in mind and is something that seeps through the landscape he has created.

The album was recorded solely by Hultén in his studio in Stockholm, Sweden, and was mixed by Ola Ersfjord from Cuervo Recording Service in Madrid, Spain. That he only has one guest artist (percussionist Nacho Montero) on the tune "Outskirts" shows that he mastered his creation in an absolutely magnificent way, that he then does everything entirely himself where the result becomes absolutely brilliant is simply world-class.

The cover art is a self-penned portrait, reflecting the melancholy found within the songs on the album and insight into Hultén’s unique persona. He has also designed amazing beer bottle labels in collaboration with Macken Brewery. Check out Hultén’s gallery on his website.

Jonathan Hultén is also known as the guitarist in blackened-death metal vampires TRIBULATION.

"Chants From Another Place" is a really lovely cozy, incredibly stylish and well-made album which touches deeply and provides a calm that I did not think existed in these times, simply loves what I hear. Hultén has clearly put everything on this, blood sweat and tears from the bottom of his heart that echoes his most personal intimate thoughts.

Tunes like "A Dance In The Road", "The Mountain", "Where Devils Weep", "The Call To Adventure", "Wasteland" follows the acoustic folkish way where the hypnotic vocal harmonies reflecting the melancholy in his lyrics. Tunes where the chanting vocal harmonies are the dominant instrument, like "Holy Woods" and "Ostbjorka Brudlat", that shows another side of Hultén's mastermind. The same way goes for the tune "The Roses", a truly lovely piece with hymns and a clean powerful vocal that flows out in a chanting vocal harmony. The two instrumental tunes "The Fleeting World" a piano-driven piece and "Outskirts" with Nacho on percussion are two real beauty's that breaks up the ordinary playlist in an excellent way. "Deep Night" closes the album with an atmospheric monastic vocal in the best possible way. The final result is completely stunning. A real masterpiece that floors me totally, am I getting old?

Sum: "Chants From Another Place" is a folkish masterpiece.

Hultén was going to join Chelsea Wolfe on tour, opening for her "Birth Of Violence" acoustic tour in the UK & Europe in March 2020. But sadly the all shows got canceled due to the COVID-19 situation, venues closing, and new travel bans.

Today's tune "The Mountain", is one of the singles from the album. It is a potent yet minimalistic ode to loss and hope. Telling a tale of soul in distress, goes forth on a journey and faces death, transformation and rebirth is accompanied by a stunningly emotive animated video, created by Jonathan Hultén himself, taking visual influence from the likes of Tolkien, Tove Jansson and art nouveau illustrator Aubrey Beardsley.



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The Highwayman - Highwayman

Sunday, time for a classic.

Since we have stayed at Americana Roots and Singer-songwriter Country all week, I thought we should end it all with something a little extra.

THE HIGHWAYMEN was an American country music supergroup, composed of four of country music's biggest artists, who pioneered the outlaw country subgenre: Johnny Cash, Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson, and Kris Kristofferson. Between 1985 and 1995, the group recorded three major label albums as THE HIGHWAYMEN: two on Columbia Records and one for Liberty Records. Their Columbia works produced three chart singles, including the number one "Highwayman" in 1985.

Between 1996 and 1999, Nelson, Kristofferson, Cash, and Jennings provided the voice and dramatization for the Louis L'Amour Collection, a four-CD box set of seven Louis L'Amour stories published by the HighBridge Company, although the four were not credited as THE HIGHWAYMEN in this work.

Besides the four formal members of the group, one other vocal artist appeared on a Highwaymen recording: Johnny Rodriguez, who provided Spanish vocal on "Deportee", a Woody Guthrie composition, from the album "Highwayman".

The four-starred in one movie together: the 1986 film Stagecoach.

Today's tune "Highwayman" is a song written by American singer-songwriter Jimmy Webb, about a soul with incarnations in four different places in time and history: as a highwayman, a sailor, a construction worker on the Hoover Dam, and finally as a captain of a starship.

The song was influenced by the real-life hanged highwayman Jonathan Wild. The dam builder verse alludes to the deaths of over one hundred men during the construction of Hoover Dam near Boulder City, Nevada, although none of those deaths resulted in a person being encased in concrete. Webb first recorded the song on his album "El Mirage", released in May 1977. The following year, Glen Campbell recorded his version, which was released on his 1979 album Highwayman. In 1985, the song became the inspiration for the naming of the supergroup THE HIGHWAYMEN, which featured Johnny Cash, Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson, and Kris Kristofferson. Their first album, "Highwayman", became a number one platinum-selling album, and their version of the song went to number one on the Hot Country Songs Billboard chart in a 20 week run. Their version earned Webb a Grammy Award for Best Country Song in 1986. The song has since been recorded by other artists. Webb himself included a different version on his 1996 album Ten Easy Pieces, a live version on his 2007 album Live and at Large, and a duet version with Mark Knopfler on the 2010 album Just Across the River.

In THE HIGHWAYMENs version of the song, each of the four verses was sung by a different performer: first Nelson as the highwayman, then Kristofferson as the sailor, then Jennings as the dam builder, and finally Cash as the starship captain. Webb later observed, "I don't know how they decided who would take which verse, but having Johnny last was like having God singing your song (laughs)."[2] Rosanne Cash has said her father did not realize the song was about reincarnation until she explained it to him. A black-and-white music video was released, which used actors to re-enact the song's lyrics, including the deaths of the first three characters. Each of the performers is seen briefly in the sky singing a few lines, as their segment of the song concludes

Here is a live clip where THE HIGHWAYMEN performing "Highwayman" from American Outlaws: Live at Nassau Coliseum, 1990



The official video.



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