SACRED REICH Releases Highly Anticipated New Album, ‘Awakening’ Launches Video For “Divide And Conquer”, SYBERIA Launches Video For New Single, “Empire Of Oppression”, ANGEL WITCH reveals details for new album, ‘Angel of Light’.
The 23 year wait is over! Awakening, the brand new album from Thrash legends Sacred Reich, has dropped on Metal Blade Records. Accompanying the release of their first new album in over 2 decades is the third video for track “Divide and Conquer”, watch here.
Awakening has already been met with unanimous praise from the media with Metal Hammer calling it “a steady campaign of mouth-watering riffs and shout-out choruses”, Revolver claiming Sacred Reich “prove they’re just as heavy and furious as ever” with “a gritty, sludgy take that pushes the confines of thrash itself for a highly unique and fist-pounding experience.” and Kerrang! stating “while some contemporary maniacs might roll their eyes at the concept of Buddhist thrash, one listen to ‘Awakening’s burly, old-school sound will have them along for the ride”.
Speaking on the highly anticipated release of Awakening, front-man and bassist Phil Rind says: “We are so excited to share ‘Awakening’ with everyone! We had an incredible time making the record. It was such a fun and positive experience. We hope you can feel it when you listen to the album.
To the fans who have supported Sacred Reich for all these years, we thank you from the bottom of our hearts. None of this would be possible without you. We hope you enjoy the record as much as we did making it. See you out on the road!
Peace and love…Sacred Reich”
On October 4th, Barcelona’s Syberia will release their third album, Seeds Of Change, via Blacklight Media / Metal Blade Records.
Syberia craft intricate and involving instrumental rock opuses, and they have never sounded more assured than on Seeds Of Change. Following in the footsteps of Caspian, Mogwai and Russian Circles, their instrumental works are complex yet instantly accessible, weighty, gorgeously melodic, and always deeply moving.
For a first preview of Seeds Of Change, the video for the new single, “Empire Of Oppression”, can be viewed at: http://www.blacklightmediarecords.com/syberia
Broadening the spectrum of emotion demonstrated on 2016’s Resiliency, Seeds Of Change is triumphant, edgy, soothing, urgent, haunting, aggressive, nostalgic and so much more – every song featuring a diverse array of tones and moods, and all of them flowing seamlessly together. “We have always liked combining elements like darkness, fragility and strength. The contrasts they create are a core part of our lives and they become very apparent in our music. If we had to describe it, we’d say this is a dark, delicate and powerful record. However, it’s full of smoother passages which make it dynamic.” Pick any track and these shifting elements are apparent.
Though lacking lyrics, Seeds Of Change tells a story regardless, which is encapsulated in the title, its narrative centered on an individual trying to escape from the masses and the dark side of society. “He is someone who is struggling to maintain his individuality, perhaps to protect his imagination in this grey reality we live in. So we pictured this person as trying to keep his colorful inner world alive, but he is chased by a group of faceless people with a beehive mentality who aim to turn him into one of their own – a black and white, dull copy of a human being. We imagined our hero as the last remaining seed for a change for the better in the world – somebody that will fight until his last breath to change the establishment in one way or another. While there is one seed out there, there is hope that something beautiful can still grow.” With song titles selected based on the feelings they individually evoke these too contribute to the story, as does the record’s artwork, though the band are happy that nothing is overly explained, giving the listener space to interpret the music as they see fit.
On November 1st, Angel Witch will release their fifth full-length, Angel of Light, via Metal Blade Records.
Angel Witch’s 1980 eponymous debut on Bronze records created shockwaves that would resonate throughout the nascent realm of thrash, doom and death metal. Now, nearly four decades later, the band remain custodians of a style that transcends era and archetype.
For a preview of their upcoming record, Angel of Light, the first single, “Don’t Turn Your Back”, can be heard at: metalblade.com/angelwitch
Angel Witch’s current line-up is comprised of Kevin Heybourne (vocals, lead guitar), Jimmy Martin (rhythm guitar), Will Palmer (bass), Fredrik Jansson Punkka (drums) – the nucleus of which (Heybourne & Palmer) first formed eleven years ago, delivering 2012’s critically acclaimed album, As Above, So Below. This time around, the band went to the Stationhouse in Leeds (UK) to record Angel of Light with producer James Atkinson (Gentleman’s Pistols/Voorhees). The result is a revelation; Angel Witch is reborn and more powerful than ever, retaining every iota of the melodious finesse and metaphysical intrigue that elevated them above their contemporaries from day one.
Angel Witch comments: “It’s hard to believe it’s been almost a decade since we recorded our last album and it is so exciting for us, personally, to have another record fully finished and in the bag which reflects the passion and chemistry of the line-up we have enjoyed over the last two and a half years.”
