WOLFHEART Releases Official Music Video For New Track “The Hammer”, BEYOND THE BLACK Releases New Single and Lyric Video for Golden Pariahs, VILLAGERS OF IOANNINA CITY Release New Lyric Video “Age Of Aquarius”.
Finnish heavy melodic death metal unit WOLFHEART recently announced the upcoming release of their new full-length Winter War epic, Wolves Of Karelia, out April 10, 2020 via Napalm Records.
Today, WOLFHEART has revealed the unrelenting, heavy-hitting single “The Hammer”. A windmill-worthy intro is accented by sinister synth and marching percussion as the song switches effortlessly between black metal-inspired segments and melodic death metal riffage, closing with a somber acoustic passage. The video shows the band during the Wolves Of Karelia recording sessions with producer Saku Moilanen, giving fans an insider’s look at behind-the-scenes studio footage. The video was filmed by Valtteri Hirvonen and edited by Winternotes Production.
WOLFHEART frontman Tuomas Saukkonen says about the track and video:
“‘The Hammer’ is the best song to describe the Finnish perseverance and willpower. ‘Never surrender, Never retreat, The last defender, The hammer of the north’. Those lines really underline the fact that no matter what the conditions were, the enemy had to be stopped. Nature was the anvil and you had to become a hammer, and between those two, no invading army could survive.
With the video we wanted to reflect the brotherhood in the band and the crew in contrast to the wrath of the lyrics.”
Just as wildlife itself maintains harmony with a violent clash of beauty and unpredictability, Wolves Of Karelia explores the band’s previously coined genre of “winter metal” – smoothly bridging a traditional approach of extreme genres while maintaining atmospheric and acoustic elements.
The album’s lyrical and musical content is inspired by the Winter War waged between Russia and the band’s native country, Finland, which took place during the winter of November 1939-March 1940. Finland ultimately managed to stop the Russian troops from invading their country. WOLFHEART mastermind and frontman Tuomas Saukkonen was inspired by the personal stories of local veterans, conveying the tales of what they experienced and survived from their perspectives. Somber, frostbitten and heroic, Wolves Of Karelia portrays these tales with stunning musical precision.
Hørizøns ascends to an energetic, spell-binding melodic manifesto!
Today symphonic metal outfit BEYOND THE BLACK presents their new single, “Golden Pariahs”, off their upcoming album, Hørizøns, to be released via Napalm Records on June 19.
An echoing symbiosis of brutal drums and major electronic influences inflames the quintessence of “Golden Pariahs”: Their new epos explodes in an intoxicating fusion of Jennifer Haben’s striking, exceptional vocals, highly-clocked drums and another facet of the quintet’s multifarious spectra.
BEYOND THE BLACK rises with sonorous, energetic severity and bittersweet elements. The vigorous soundscape is coupled with the song’s strong message and sets the characteristic sign to fight, even in dark times. BEYOND THE BLACK prove their versatile musical identity once again and that the modern blend of melodic rock and metal is flowing through their veins.
“Golden Pariahs” is a high voltage stunner and a melodic hymn for all the erroneously underdogs to defeat their inner demons. Pull us under, hear the thunder!
Jennifer Haben on the new album: “With 2019 having been the biggest year in our career as a band so far, we were thrilled and anxious to get back to the studio and start writing again – not just to make up to the fast and amazing development that has happened in the band since our last album, but to pin this development down also musically for everyone to hear and see. Hørizøns is unmistakably a BEYOND THE BLACK album, but with so many new facets and personality adding up to the classic BEYOND THE BLACK ID that make it a true band-album. For us this has definitely been a walk on the tightrope and we feel to have it accomplished to its fullest. Without beating around the bush, we can say that we’re extremely proud and confident that Hørizøns is the best BEYOND THE BLACK album to date.“
The female fronted quintet unbolts their unequalled, differentiated spectra of symphonic and melodic rock spiced with sonorous melodious metal soundscapes in 13 manifold songs. The album kicks off with its heavy, yet atmospheric title track, spanning the range of intumescent soundscapes and Jennifer Haben’s crystal clear, striking vocals. Beautiful yet strong harmonies, emotional storytelling and powerful vocal lines weave throughout “Wounded Healer” (feat. Elize Rhyde off Amaranthe) and will light your way in gloomy times. Dark subliminal grooves coalesce with harmonizing guitar lines and form the prevailing nexus of “Human” and it’s unmistakably catchy chorus. Another facet rises with “You Are Not Alone”, which is dominated by electronic influences as well as symphonic sounding violins. Hørizøns’ atmospherically dark harshness creates the stylistic bow over the distinctive melodic rock meets pop sound in symbiosis with fragile yet strong fragments. The charismatic outfit persuades with a rousing, emotional clout and their strong, confident message off self-assertion.
Experimental rock standouts VILLAGERS OF IOANNINA CITY’s intense wall of sound manifests itself once again with their newest atmospheric audiovisual for “Age of Aquarius“, fresh off their same-titled album, which was physically released last Friday, April 3rd, via Napalm Records.
“Age of Aquarius’” pulsating and picturesque expressiveness envelops the listener and engulfs them in a furious cabinet of psychedelic soundscapes. Alex’ echoing voice, swelling riffs and thundering drums float through the sophistication of the underlying composition, creating a deeply hypnotizing magnetic field. VILLAGERS OF IOANNINA CITY play themselves into a veritable frenzy – long, intense instrumental passages unfold their entirety in the listener’s head. The myth-inspired rebirth in a harmonizing twinning with the deep natural connection closes the circle off Age of Aquarius.
VILLAGERS OF IOANNINA CITY prove that psychedelic heavy rock is one of the most versatile genres of modern times and radiate with their unique blend of post, kraut, stoner rock spiced with a palpable dose of folk elements. Turning back time, to bring back the sun: A psychedelic mantra for the new age!
The region of Epirus is famous for its landscape of mammoth mountains and holy rivers – and now experimental heavy rock. VILLAGERS OF IOANNINA CITY are deeply influenced by Greek nature and cosmic phenomena and infuse their unique brand of heavy psychedelic rock with folk instruments such as bagpipes, flutes and didgeridoos. Their second album, Age of Aquarius – originally released in September 2019 – will now be reissued by Napalm Records. Epirus may become the unlikely epicentre of the heavy rock universe: A mantra for the new age!
Providing more proof of the budding Greek rock scene is this year’s music documentary, “Greek Rock Revolution”. VILLAGERS OF IOANNINA CITY and six other bands discuss their music and the eternal inspiration for the Greek musical movement – an unstable social situation boosting artistic expression.
