ALESTORM Announce Official New Album Title, Curse of the Crystal Coconut, HAMMERFALL Releases Official Video For New Single “Second to One”, BLACK MIRRORS Releases Unplugged Single and Video “Günther Kimmich”.
The Crystal Coconut definitely granted ALESTORM fans their wish: the visionary world travelers have officially entered the recording studio and will return with their upcoming album, Curse of the Crystal Coconut, to be released via Napalm Records in mid 2020. This release will mark the band’s sixth studio album, and promises new anthems bursting with the chaotic energy ALESTORM fans have come to love. Prepare yourself for a level of epic symphonic folk metal insanity that no other band on the high seas could ever aim to touch!
ALESTORM’s latest album, No Grave But the Sea, was a worldwide success – reaching #1 on the US Heatseekers album charts, #14 on the German album charts and other top 20 placements in Austria, New Zealand, Switzerland and Belgium. Grab your best rum, take a swig and hold tight – further album details will be revealed soon (but let’s hope King K. Rool doesn’t steal the demos first).
ALESTORM on Curse of the Crystal Coconut: “Oh wow, humans of planet Earth! We’re super excited to announce that today we have entered Krabi Road Studios in Thailand to begin the recording of the 6th ALESTORM album, which will be called Curse of the Crystal Coconut! We may or may not have stolen that title from Donkey Kong. Anyway, we’ll be here for the next 3 weeks recording 13-ish songs, some of which will be so absolutely terrible that they’ll never see the light of day. The ones that somehow turn out alright will be released on Napalm Records sometime in the early summer! LOTS OF UPDATES COMING SOON, stay tuned and we’ll tell you all about it.”
Catch ALESTORM in Australia this March at the Download Festival!
March 20 – Melbourne
March 21 – Sydney
HAMMERFALL has revealed a new version of their beautiful, energetic ballad, “Second to One”, featuring Noora Louhimo of Battle Beast.
The original track was featured on HAMMERFALL’s chart-breaking album Dominion, which was released in August 2019 via Napalm Records.
Noora Louhimo’s bittersweet vocals compliment Joacim Cans’ equally multifaceted performance, making this duet a true musical highlight of the new year.
Beautiful harmonies, emotional storytelling and powerful vocal lines weave throughout the song and will light your way in dark times. The song preaches themes of trusting your instincts and following your own heart, as well as taking time for yourself.
Watch The Emotional Video For “Second to One” NOW!
Guitarist Oscar Dronjak on “Second to One”: “It all started with Joacim suggesting we should try to write a song together with our long time producer James Michael. We went over to Los Angeles for a weekend, not knowing what to expect. Within the first 30 minutes, I played an idea I had for James. He immediately responded with some chords and melodies, and we took it from there. Together, we wrote the music in just a couple of hours and met the next day to just finalize all the details. That’s how fast it can go sometimes when you get a feeling for something and the snowball just starts rolling, and it’s the greatest feeling in the world! The ‘hit-or-miss’ weekend in this case definitely turned out as a hit!”
Singer Joacim Cans on the duet: “Already during the writing process I had the feeling this song would be perfect as a duet – a sort of modern ‘Ozzy & Lita Ford’. I have had my eye on Battle Beast and Noora Louhimo for quite some time and was blown away by her vocal skills and stage presence. I had a feeling our voices would be a perfect match. When we decided to make the duet idea reality, I just picked up the phone and called Noora who instantly said ‘Hell Yeah!’ Working with Noora was nothing but awesome and we bonded the second we met. Not only is she an extremely talented vocalist, she is also a fantastic human being. The great connection between Noora and I really shows in the video clip for the song.”
Noora Louhimo on the duet and the video shooting: “I was contacted by Joacim and asked if I wanted to do a duet with him on “Second to One”. My first thought was ‘what an honor’ and that I needed to listen to this song to make my final decision. Once I heard it, I knew it was going to be something special and agreed on the collaboration. I flew to Gothenburg for the sessions and even though I hadn’t met Joacim or the others from Hammerfall before, it felt very natural and easy to work with them. I also agree with Joacim that we hit it off right away and you can see that in the music video how comfortable things were between us. I am so excited to be part of this and to go on tour with them with Battle Beast in the end of January.”]
The marvelous audiovisual was directed by Patric Ullaeus, who has worked as a director for almost thirty years and has collaborated with numerous bands like In Flames, Europe and Within Temptation over the years.
The Belgian rock excellence BLACK MIRRORS have released their high voltage unplugged version of “Günther Kimmich”, along with a music video, today via Napalm Records.
Since the release of their debut album, Look Into The Black Mirror, in September 2018, the Belgian rockers have played over 120 shows in 16 European countries, and on top of that, the band won the prestigious D6cibels Music Award in the category “Rock & Alternative”. Following these exceptional months, it is no surprise that in addition, the famous Eurosonic showcase festival in Groningen sent a special invitation. Now, BLACK MIRRORS have revealed a new facet.
The original first single from their hypnotizing debut is now available in its purest form – an intimate acoustic version that will send shivers down your spine. The band offers the perfect equilibrium between modern blues rock and a glimmer of swampy tinted stoner rock.
The black and white audiovisual creates a rich atmosphere and draws you right into their heavenly delights: an emotional perception accompanied by the captivating power of Marcella’s vocals.
Marcella (singer) & Pierre (guitarist) on the new video and unplugged song: “As kids of the 90’s, we grew up with bands like Nirvana and Alice in Chains playing their songs unplugged. We loved to see how faster Rock songs changed into something slow with a very intense and deeper feel to it. With ‘Günther Kimmich Unplugged’ we turned a fast, straightforward Rock song with heavy riffs into something very intimate and melodic. We often make acoustic versions of our own songs during breaks in between tours and we’re happy to share it with our fans now!”
Order their latest album Look Into The Black Mirror HERE!
