SIX FEET UNDER Reveal Details For New Album, ‘Nightmares Of The Decomposed’, VIO-LENCE Launch Video For A cover version of the Dead Kennedys classic, SURMA Reveal Details For Full-length Debut, ‘The Light Within’.
On October 2, Six Feet Under will release their seventeenth full-length, Nightmares Of The Decomposed, via Metal Blade Records.
The first single and album pre-order will be launched on September 1, but in the meantime, fans can already watch a studio video teaser for Nightmares Of The Decomposed now.
Chris Barnes (vocals) comments: “Working again after 25 years writing an album with my old band mate from Cannibal Corpse, Jack Owen, was like coming home…To a room full of dead bodies. Jack’s writing and riff work on this album gave me the fuel to write some disturbing lyrics and really set my creative mind on fire.”
Comprised of twelve tracks, Nightmares Of The Decomposed is a defining statement, making it very clear that more than twenty-five years into their career, Six Feet Under remain at the forefront of the genre. Dynamic, heavy as hell, catchy, and uncompromising, it is everything that the band’s longtime faithful have come to expect from the deadly unit, and is clearly the product of a lot of hard work by vocalist Chris Barnes, guitarists Jack Owen and Ray Suhy, bassist Jeff Hughell and drummer Marco Pitruzzella.
Tracked at various studios including Criteria Studios in Miami, Florida, which over the years has played host to the likes of AC/DC, Black Sabbath, and Aerosmith amongst others, it was produced, engineered and mixed by Chris Carroll, who has given it a full and chunky feel. The album’s mastering was handled by Chaz Najjar at Badlands Recording in Denver, Colorado. The finished product comes packaged in artwork by Luke Hunter and is packed with songs that will sound great live, and will sit comfortably alongside the classics already filling out their set lists, helping to drive the band ever closer to their fourth decade of existence.
Vio-Lence have released a new single: “California Uber Alles” – a cover version of the Dead Kennedys classic!
The band also recently filmed a video (directed by Scott Kirkeeng) for the track. Watch it here.
Vio-Lence comments: “Being musicians in the Bay Area Thrash Metal scene, Vio-Lence believes it is important to acknowledge the music that had a huge influence on thrash metal – which was Bay Area punk rock. With that in mind, Vio-Lence looked to one of the most influential bands of that scene – The Dead Kennedys – and their iconic song ‘California Uber Alles’ to perform.
‘California Uber Alles’ is a song Vio-Lence has been wanting to perform live for some time. We decided that since we weren’t going to be able to do that this year, and since fans haven’t heard any recordings from Vio-Lence since 1994, that now was a good time to bring it to our fans. We recorded it in our rehearsal studio with our new line-up of Phil Demmel, Perry Strickland, Christian Olde Wolbers, Bobby Gustafson, and Sean Killian. So we hooked up the recording equipment and got to work. On a good day, it was about 95 deg. F, which was a motivator to nail our takes to minimize the time we had to sweat. Once the song was recorded, Christian headed home to Venice and got to work mixing and mastering the recording. We all agree that he did a great job, giving the song excellent sound without losing the raw rehearsal studio sound that we wanted to keep.
Once recorded, the band moved onto the task of filming a video for the song. We met with Scott Kirkeeng, Senior Producer with East Peak Media, to discuss ideas. With Scott heading the production, Dan Brown editing, and Tatiana Peavy working the music playback, the video shoot began. We spent the day filming at The Back Lounge, a bar owned by Phil and Marta Demmel. The location must keep be confidential for fear of the California Secret Police locking us up for life. The band invited 10 friends, including Chris Collins (the guy wearing the helmet camera in the ‘World in a World’ video) and family members (including Sean’s son, Seamus), to join in the fun as masked zombie metal maniacs. Nurse Marta ‘Demmon’ showed up to give the band a shot of ‘OBEE-D-ENCE’, which was emphatically rejected. We had a great time recording and filming the video and song, and we hope you enjoy the Vio-Lence version of ‘California Uber Alles’.”
An important part of the SF Bay-Area Thrash Metal scene was, and still is, the quintet known as Vio-Lence. Formed in 1985, they entered that scene with the intentions of being the most aggressive band that scene had to offer, always delivering a devastating live show complete with vicious mosh pits and constant stage diving by their faithful following, and a nonstop dose of adrenaline delivered by the band. Even though they had not performed since 2003, their frantic style of thrash metal still appeals to metal-heads around the world. Now they’re reformed and back with their intense live performance and their frantic music. Joining original members Perry Strickland (Drums), Sean Killian (Vocals) and Phil Demmel (Guitars) are legendary artists Bobby Gustafson (Guitars) and Christian Olde Wolbers (Bass), creating a formidable five-some ready to take the world by the throat. Currently writing their most brutal material to-date as a 2021 release for Metal Blade Records, Vio- are preparing to cover as much global ground as possible. Be ready, Violence is coming…
On November 6, Surma will release their full-length debut, The Light Within, via Metal Blade Records.
For a first preview of the album, a lyric video for the new single, “Reveal The Light Within”, can be viewed HERE. Pre Order here at metalblade.com/surma.
Soaring, dramatic and moving, The Light Withinintroduces Surma as one of the most riveting symphonic metal bands on the contemporary scene. Spread out across 13 tracks in 47 minutes, there is not a moment wasted as they weave their epic stories of optimism around music that is suitably gigantic but compressed into relatively short songs. “I think the real message of the album is to give hope to everyone, no matter what they are struggling with,” states vocalist Viktorie Surmøvá, best known for her work with Bohemian Metal Rhapsody.
Teaming up with guitarist/vocalist Heri Joensen of Týr, the band began in 2018 and spent most of 2019 writing, arranging and recording the music that would comprise their debut. Starting from vocal melodies and building the songs up around them, all are very dense, rich with orchestrations and searing guitar and propelled by driving rhythms. Alongside the core duo, the record features performances by Rens Bourgondiën on bass, drummer Andrey Ischenko (ex-Arkona), and Lars Vinther arranged most of the orchestrations with Joensen contributing a little to this side of recording too. Maintaining overall control over proceedings, Surmøvá and Joensen produced the record themselves in the guitarist’s home studio with the drums tracked in Moscow. With touring commitments with Týr and other interruptions, the recording process was broken up, but Joensen asserts it was a “walk in the park”, again confirming the chemistry that comes when the two work together. Looking ahead, the general positivity that exists around them is once more pushed to the fore. States Surmøvá: “I believe we can make something good in this world, and we can help people through hard times and inspire them to have hope in the future, and generally inspire a better mood and a better feeling in those who listen to our music.”
