NOTHGARD release video for 2nd single, “Epitaph”, BYZANTINE launch new video for “The Cicada Tree”, REVOCATION Launch New Track Blood Atonement
Epic melodic death metallers Nothgard have just finished working on their 2nd video clip in support of their upcoming new album, Malady X – due out October 26th via Metal Blade Records.
Check out the video for “Epitaph“!
Bandleader Dom R. Crey comments about “Epitaph”: “The first single ‘Malady X’ is out for three weeks now and we are super happy about all the amazing feedback. The time has come to unleash the second single and music video, this time in 4k quality! ‘Epitaph’ is a very special song for me. Based on the concept of constant struggle in a world where all of us need to find their places. Sometimes this can be tough and very often some of us have the feeling of not being part of this world – or do not even want to be part. Song-wise ‘Epitaph’ is one of my favorite tracks on this album. But before I tell too much I would rather recommend you to check out the video and song.”
Nothgard has recorded Malady X at Def-Creation and & Southern Deathcult studios and called the renowned Jens Bogren (Amon Amarth, Arch Enemy, Kreator, Opeth, etc.) for mastering duties. The result is an album full of epic melodic death metal anthems!
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After releasing their latest album, The Cicada Tree, last year to critical acclaim, Byzantine is now launching a new video for the record’s title track! Directed by Holly Mollohan / Screaming Butterfly Entertainment, the clip for “The Cicada Tree”
Vocalist/Guitarist Chris “OJ” Ojeda comments:
“Over the course of our last few albums, we have really been trying to stretch our songwriting abilities and push past any limitations set upon ourselves. The title track, ‘The Cicada Tree’, is a great representation of our band at this point in our discography. We try to always write from the heart and with purpose. This song has one of the deeper meanings on our last album, symbolizing our 17 years as a band and our slow but steady evolution as an underground artist.”
To state that The Cicada Tree is “classic Byzantine” in no way implies that this is an album solely rooted in the band’s past. Certainly, all of the hallmarks that have made their sound so compelling for close to two decades are present and correct: muscular yet lithe riffs and fluid leads play against gripping, dynamic and at times unpredictable rhythms, while rich melodies and lyrics that are both involved and intelligent wind their way through every track. But, once more, the groove metal unit has continued their steady evolution – the interplay between their members organic and natural, imbuing the record’s sixty-two-minute running time with a freshness and urgency. Founding member Chris “OJ” Ojeda states, “The first few albums, you’re trying to find your sound, and sometimes you tend to not see the forest for the trees. Now, on album number six, it seems a calmness took hold during the songwriting process, possibly from just having more confidence in our sound. At this point, our fans expect us to experiment and push our boundaries, which is an extremely liberating feeling.”
To preview and purchase The Cicada Tree, please visit:metalblade.com/byzantine
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This Friday (September 28th), Revocation will release their new album, The Outer Ones, via Metal Blade Records.
For a preview of The Outer Ones, the new single, “Blood Atonement”, can be streamed now HERE.
For another preview of The Outer Ones, the previous singles – “Of Unworldly Origin” and “The Outer Ones” – can be heard now at: metalblade.com/revocation where the record can also be pre-ordered in the following formats (with new vinyl variations, due to some editions now being sold-out!):
Produced by Zeuss (Rob Zombie, Queensryche, Whitechapel, etc.), The Outer Ones sees Revocation pushing both the death metal and progressive elements of their signature sound harder than ever. “I knew that I wanted to go in a darker direction, and this is our most death metal album to date,” states vocalist/guitarist Dave Davidson. “Sometimes when death metal bands go down the prog route they lose some of that edge, but we wanted to keep the aggression at the forefront of what we do while still pushing our boundaries.” Moving away from the societal and historical themes that informed 2016’s Great is Our Sin, this time Davidson has immersed himself in the fantastic, evoking one of the great writers of the sci-fi/horror genre. “The title is my ode to H.P. Lovecraft and the entities of pure cosmic horror that rule that universe he created. Since the new music we were writing was so evil and spacey in sections it seemed to be the right title to fit the overall vibe. But while the lyrical content is largely influenced by such writings, in every allegory there is of course some reflection of the real world, so I enjoy writing in a way that could have one overlaying meaning and then another deeper, symbolic meaning as well.”
