EUROBLAST TOUR: Jeff Loomis / Monuments / Vildhjarta / Stealing Axion – Europe 2012
Wednesday 19th September, 2012
Jeff Loomis, Monuments, Vildhjarta and Stealing Axion come together this October for the first ever Euroblast tour, presented by the organizers of Europe’s biggest progressive metal festival.
Since its inception in 2008, Euroblast Festival in Cologne, Germany, has grown exponentially to become the most important event in the progressive and technical metal calendar, and the EB team have called upon the very best the scene to showcase progressive metal across the rest of Europe. The festival has always boasted an international lineup and this tour is no different, bringing together bands from the USA, UK and Sweden, for what is set to be the mind melting tour of the autumn.
Northwest America’s Stealing Axion open the show with their melodic and expansive sound, followed by the djenty poundings of Sweden’s Vildhjarta and UK’s technical power goove masters Monuments rotating direct support. The night will be closed by one of the most technically accomplished players in modern metal, Jeff Loomis, whose ability to push so many different boundaries of what’s humanly possible on six strings, makes him the perfect headliner.
The Euroblast tour hits the UK on the following dates:
Oct 21 - Audio - Brighton, UK
Oct 22 - Sub 89 - Reading, UK
Oct 23 - O2 Academy - Liverpool, UK
Oct 24 - Cathouse - Glasgow, UK
Oct 25 - The Village - Dublin, Ireland
Oct 26 - The Well - Leeds, UK
Oct 27 - O2 Academy - Birmingham, UK
Oct 28 - Underworld - London, UK
Plains of Oblivion (Jeff Loomis), Gnosis (Monuments), Måsstaden (Vildhjarta) and Moments (Stealing Axion) are all out now via Century Media and Inside Out Music.
THE ELIJAH release documentary looking into their unique approach to music and announce dates across Europe
Friday 14th September, 2012
Following a year of relentless touring and the release of their head turning debut album, “I Loved I Hated I Destroyed I Created”, THE ELIJAH have taken time out to put together a documentary giving an insight into their world.
THE ELIJAH sound like no other band on the UK scene, and as expected their inner workings are as equally unique. From discussing their musical evolution to recording their debut album in a mansion to capture its natural reverb sounds, as well as making their own bespoke to order fan merch, this short film about the band’s creative and inventive approach is a fascinating watch.
Ever hungry to try something new, THE ELIJAH are set to perform a truly special live set; for one night only they will be joined by the Niche London String Quartet to perform “I Loved I Hated I Destroyed I Created” in its entirety, and are sure to take their highly acclaimed euphoric live experience to unprecedented levels. This show at the Camden Underworld on the 16th November will be unmissable, get tickets here: The Underworld website.
The band are touring Europe throughout October, check them out on the following dates:
15 Sept - Butserfest, Petersfield, UK
16 Sept - Deafbo Festival, Mansfield, UK
17 Sept - The Peel, Kingston (w/ Devil Sold His Soul)
03 Oct - Hasselt, Belgium
04 Oct - Centrum, Netherlands
05 Oct - Ludenscheid, Germany
06 Oct - Oberhausen, Germany
07 Oct - Nurnberg, Germany
08 Oct - Dessau, Germany
09 Oct - Berlin, Germany
10 Oct - Lods, Poland
12 Oct - Prague, Czech Republic
13 Oct - Budapest, Hungary
14 Oct - Vienna, Austria
15 Oct - Dornbirn, Austria
16 Oct - Bologna, Italy
17 Oct - Rome, Italy
18 Oct - Milano, Italy
19 Oct - Lyon, France
20 Oct - Paris, France
UK metallers THE HAARP MACHINE (Sumerian) stream new single ‘Pleiadian Keys’ and will release their ground breaking debut album on 15 October
Thursday 13th September, 2012
The UK's newest extreme progressive metal juggernaut THE HAARP MACHINE created a huge buzz earlier this year upon announcing their worldwide signing to Sumerian Records and are set to release their incredible debut record ‘Disclosure’ on 15 October.
A stream of new single ‘Pleiadian Keys’ was released late last night and has already received a staggering 15k views!
Taking influence from a plethora of musical and life influences, THE HAARP MACHINE’s diverse sound encompasses death metal brutality, tech metal virtuosity, progressive sensibilities and ethnic instrumentation. High precision heavy guitars and pounding rhythms are lusciously complemented with piano, strings, sitar, santoor, erhu, koto, gongs, tablas and many more instruments creating a wall of sound as unique as it is fresh and exciting. THE HAARP MACHINE’s sound is completed with vocals ranging from heavenly melodic to hellishly abrasive and are delivered with massive hooks and stunning execution.
Musically forward-thinking and highly attuned to the socioeconomic issues that plague today's society, THE HAARP MACHINE’s message is as important as its musical innovation. Guitarist Al Mu'min explains:
“Our debut album is an amalgamation of many influences across the spectrum and lyrically addresses many of the socioeconomic and political issues in our society today. We hope it will open doors for listeners and broaden their musical horizons as well as spark an interest in areas that dictate our lives, but are swept under the rug to maintain the status quo and keep the populace aloof to the sick capitalist venture of the big money cartels. We feel very fortunate to be in this position and wish to use this opportunity to spread the word on social change via the application of the scientific method for the betterment of humankind. There IS an alternative to the un-sane society we live in and it is our duty to this planet and all its inhabitants to awaken the sleepers. We can no longer ignore the writings on the wall. The time for change is now.”
With a killer album and soon to be announced tours across the USA and Europe, the boundaries of extreme progressive music are about to be pushed to unprecedented territories, coupled with a strong message for political and social change. Get ready for THE HAARP MACHINE.
Track listing:
1) Esoteric Agenda
2) Lower The Populace
3) Pleiadian Keys
4) From Vanity To Utility
5) Disclosure
6) The Escapist Notion
7) Extension To One
8) Machine Over
Canadian progressive metallers THE AFTERIMAGE stream new single and announce EP release via Ghost Music
Wednesday 12th September, 2012
Fresh out of Barrie, Ontario, THE AFTERIMAGE stormed the Canadian metal scene earlier this year and are set to release their debut EP ‘Formless’ in Europe via Ghost Music on 28 October.
THE AFTERIMAGE serve up progressive metal with hardcore attitude and the ‘Formless EP’ is an addictive taster of the exciting things to come from this young band. Intertwining guitar lines, tight riffage, scatty rhythms and big breakdowns lay the foundation for the guttural growls and technical leads taking centre stage, and combined with euphoric melodies and atmospheric synths, they create a ferocious and stimulating barrage of sound.
The band's new single 'Reverie', can be heard here:
Following upcoming tours in Canada, the band hope to come to Europe mid-2013 to support their as yet unreleased debut album.
Australian Death Metallers Eternal Rest Sign to Deepsend Records
Friday 31st August, 2012
Australian extreme metallers ETERNAL REST have announced their signing to Deepsend Records. The label will release the band's forthcoming debut album, Prophetic, in early 2013. The album was recorded and mixed by Joe Haley (Psycroptic).
Hailing from Brisbane, Australia, the band's exhilarating brand of death metal demonstrates a ruthlessly crafted heaviness and fans can expect a mix of Immolation, Psycroptic and Martyr from a relentlessly ferocious album that never softens its blows.
Guitarist Jake Kaiser comments: “It has been a long journey since the start of our album recording, finding/auditioning new members, recording in many different locations and rehearsing constantly, but we’re pleased to say that our debut album "Prophetic" is finally finished. The material on this album is a big step up from anything we have previously recorded, with the addition of new members adding their skills and working with an amazing engineer (Joe Haley - Psycroptic) we could not be any more excited to get this album out for you all to hear.”
Eternal Rest have racked up some impressive credentials, sharing the stage with many national and international artists including; The Black Dahlia Murder, Ulcerate, Sybreed, and Alchemist. After honing their skills on the live circuit, the band then quickly hooked up with Joe Haley from Australian metal band Psycroptic to record their blistering debut album 'Prophetic'.
ETERNAL REST have released a teaser track entitled ‘Preaching The Decimation Of Spheres’from their forthcoming debut album, which is a mercilessly dark and blistering all out death assault, showcasing what to expect from the rest of the album. Check out the track here.
