Enforced drop the bomb, SystemHouse 33 are awash in sorrow, Aziola Cry are too scared to speak, Horndal take refuge, Rapid Strike raise the roof — and the midpoint of another Weekend Roundup is just coming over the horizon. Enjoy the view:
41 | Enforced | UXO
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Virginia crossover maniacs Enforced release the video for UXO. “This song is lyrically self-explanatory,” says singer Knox Colby. “It’s about the cluster bombing of Laos during the Vietnam War. The main focus of the lyrics are about the cultural impact that the unexploded ordnance (abbreviated UXO) has had over the last 50 years. Over 20,000 people have died accidentally from stepping on these bombs that are the size of a softball and scattered over the entire country, which is predominantly covered in dense jungle (last I checked, 35% of the country is still contaminated with UXO). It’s an issue the United States has only recently owned up to, but the government won’t apologize for; it’s shameful.”
42 | SystemHouse33 | Lake of Sorrow
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Indian heavy metal band SystemHouse33 have released the video for Lake of Sorrow from the End of Days album. The video pays homage to the pre-covid era. Frontman Samron Jude comments: “ This past year has disrupted the very thread of our existence with most of us spending months locked within the confines of borders and homes, even though we’re at the heights of technological advancement, this has affected us in different ways leaving us with memories of better times and hanging on to survival mode. When we wrote this song in 2019, little did we realize that we would be in a loop of uncertainty, suffering and frustration; this is the Lake of Sorrow!”
43 | Aziola Cry | And Cowards
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Chicago instrumental metal trio Aziola Cry’s video for And Cowards was created for the opening track from the band’s blistering third album The Ironic Divide, set for release at the end of March. The band’s Jason Blake reveals, “The first two albums started with soundscapes, so I intentionally wanted this one to begin differently. I like the contrast of my solo with the rest of the song. This very minimal Warr Guitar-and-drums section creates a sonic break that helps the song to build up to its climax. For the video, I once again worked with Micka Klauck and Jeremy Bessoff to create the visuals for the music. For the band portion, we rented out an old, dilapidated department store and spent most of the night filming with Eric James Walsh in the freezing Chicago weather.”
44 | Horndal | Horndal’s Blodbad
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Horndal unveil a video for their latest single Horndal’s Blodbad. It’s the second cut to be taken from their upcoming second album Lake Drinker, and is another piece of the album’s narrative puzzle. Set in the eponymous town of Horndal, the track’s carefully crafted music video explores the town through the eyes of two Iranian refugees, siblings and dissident journalists Nina and Mitra.”
45 | Rapid Strike | Shout It Out
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Shout it Out is the second single from Rapid Strike’s upcoming self-titled album due on March 26. Hrvoje Madiraca comments: “We all experience challenges in life. Obstacles to overcome, fear of the unknown, loss of a loved ones, a multitude of misfortunes … It can get overhelming. In a nutshell: Life can be tough, but when it gets tough you need to toughen up yourself and overcome! There is a beauty in it! That´s the message of this particular song, and it is very much our hope that it will inspire you.”
46 | Novelists FR | Terrorist
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “By now, Novelists FR should be known to anyone who shows even the slightest interest in metal and hasn’t spent the last years living under a rock. The four-piece, founded in France, have been producing their very own interpretation of metal for more than seven years. They cannot be pigeonholed into any conventional category and breaks with dull genre boundaries. Novelists FR hit hard with a new series of singles , including their latest offering Terrorist.”
47 | Arion | I Love To Be Your Enemy
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “I Love To Be Your Enemy is likely Arion’s heaviest song to date. It will be on the band’s upcoming album Vultures Die Alone, out April 9. After skyrocketing out of nowhere to the public eye as teenagers with their impressive debut EP and subsequent album Last Of Us in 2014, Finnish melodic metal stalwarts Arion took their operation to next level with the sophomore long player Life Is Not Beautiful in 2018. Famous for their majestic melodies, lush arrangements and nonpareil musical chops, Arion are now gearing up for their next evolutionary leap with Vultures Die Alone.”
48 | Sanguisugabogg | Gored In The Chest
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Ohio’s notorious, boundary-pushing, and bloodsucking death metal outfit Sanguisugabogg have shared the NSFW video for Gored in the Chest. The video was directed by Seby Martinez and Troma. Sanguisugabogg will release their albm Tortured Whole on March 26. They craft uncompromising, in-your-face, and not-for-the-weak death metal that siphons inspiration from the ’80s and ’90s traditions of acts like Cannibal Corpse, Mortician and GWAR.”
49 | Bloodbound | Creatures Of The Dark Realm
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Bloodbound release their new single Creatures Of The Dark Realm, the title track from upcoming new album due on May 28. Creatures Of The Dark Realm comes scarcely two years since Rise Of The Dragon Empire was unleashed. The three-headed songwriting team of keyboardist Fredrik Bergh, guitarist Tomas Olsson and vocalist Patrik Selleby started from scratch, compiling song ideas they collected individually and finally ending up with 11 solid in-your-face tracks kicked off by a deceptive acoustic intro. Creatures Of The Dark Real” satisfies all the requirements of what makes a power metal band, but the listening experience is one of epic proportions.”
50 | Corners Of Sanctuary | We All Shall Fall
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Philadelphia metal band Corners of Sanctuary roll out the new EP Blood and Steel: Volume One, a followup to their album Heroes Never Die. Blood and Steel: Volume One offers a new take on the band’s signature sound and style. Maintaining their traditionally inspired riffing and arrangements, this release delivers an ongoing battery of classically fueled thump and drive from the collective efforts of members: Bassist James Pera, drummer Mad T, guitarist Mick Michaels and vocalist Frankie Cross.”
51 | Francisco del Pino | El Campo
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Decir (due May 14) is the debut seven-piece song cycle from Francisco del Pino, an award-winning Argentine composer who explores the seams between classical and vernacular traditions. Conceived as the staging of a long poem, the work was scored for voice, electric guitar, viola, and percussion, with lyrics by Argentine poet Victoria Cóccaro. Decir — “to say” — is an abstract exercise in transforming words into worlds (and vice versa). Throughout the work, many bodies, many mediums, host many voices. Decir has much to say. We need only be ready to listen. The first single El Campo is out today.”
52 | Illusory | Crimson Wreath
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Set to release their third full-length Crimson Wreath on May 21, Greek prog power band Illusory are sharing the record’s next single and title track. “The eponymous title of the album is a very complex song. It starts with some clean guitars and a beautiful piano theme and by the end of it, everything changes! There is a strong bridge in the middle, with some really big-sounding guitars and a tribal drumming part, which leads into a twin-guitar melody followed by keyboards and a great vocal bridge! Crimson Wreath is about a land invasion nowadays and it describes the emotions of the people who woke up under attack.”
53 | Wayne Krantz | Music Room 1985
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Few musicians invest so much in the moment as guitarist Wayne Krantz, whose career has been defined by a fearless embrace of risk and a willingness to charge headlong into uncharted terrain. Whether experienced on record or in concert, Krantz’s singular style, immaculate technique, and improvisational daring — combined with a subversive pop sensibility rarely evidenced in improvised music circles — have established him amongst the foremost postmodern guitar renegades of our era. His album Music Room 1985 is out now, accompanied by a video for the title track.”
54 | Caribou | Home (Toro y Moi Remix)
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Twelve months after the release of the album Suddenly — which was followed by a flurry of remixes — Dan Snaith aka Caribou has released Suddenly Remixes. The album is comprised of 12 tracks with three unreleased remixes, including this version of Home by Toro y Moi. Along with the release Snaith commissioned his long time friend Richard Kenworthy (Shynola) to animate a visual to accompany the Toro y Moi remix. Snaith says: “Chaz is an incredible musician fluent in seemingly every musical vocabulary but with a sensibility all his own. His remix is like an Alexander Calder mobile or a Kandinsky painting where the musical geometries of the original song circle each other in space.”
55 | Sedibus | Toi 13338b
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Sedibus’s The Heavens, due May 28, is a collaboration between Orb founder Alex Paterson and original member Andy Falconer, who engineered/co-wrote the ambient sides of the Ultraworld album back in 1991. 30 years have passed since that seminal release when the two were last in the studio together. An original deep space mission, The Heavens imbues 30 years of experience, skill and insight. Says Andy: “Organic in feel and clearly referencing our shared roots, The Heavens is an immersive journey of ambient electronica which not only references a source, but the distance travelled from that point of origin to something new.”
56 | Ade | Havin’ Fun With Pharaoh
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Ade released Havin’ Fun With Pharaoh, the first single from his upcoming debut album Midnight Pizza. Painted with a palette of technicolor sounds; from the jetstream sonics that usher the track into earshot, to the breezy calypso piano loop and acid-trippin’ guitar breaks that inflate its uncontainable sense of optimism, Havin’ Fun With Pharaoh drops like a pure holiday for the head. Ade says: “Havin’ Fun with Pharaoh was an instrumental track that had been kicking around for a while. When it finally came time to figure out what I might want to say over it, I was going through my voice notes in search of some inspo (as one does) and ended up all the way back at the original recording of myself sitting at the piano and playing the main riff for the first time some years ago, featuring some of my friends’ voices in the background.”
57 | Brandon Sea | Poison
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “New Jersey based hip-hop artist Brandon Sea released his latest single Poison. On Poison, Brandon talks about a time when he lost control due to a toxic lifestyle. He states, “I wrote Poison during a period of my life where I was just indulging too much. I was heartbroken from a previous relationship and searching for an outlet to ease that pain. Unfortunately, I found myself in a negative reward system. I was drinking a lot and diving into some pretty illicit stuff. It’s a song that I wrote as a milestone in my life. The day where I finally stop.”
58 | Pupil Slicer | Husk
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Pupil Slicer have just released their debut album Mirrors. The London trio’s snarling blend of mathcore, grindcore, death metal and more will undoubtedly go down as one of 2021’s most essential listens. Accompanying the album release, the band have shared a visualizer for the track Husk.”
59 | Kataan | Processor
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “New Hampshire modern death metal duo Kataan’s debut self-titled EP is due for release on May 7, and serves as an introduction to the band’s potent brand of melancholically uplifting extremity. Kataan have released the first single from the four track EP, titled Processor, along with a visualizer.”
60 | Zeit | Merke Dir
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Do you know the cause and solution to all problems? With Merke Dir, Zeit celebrate a deep rooted passion for their beloved hometown brewery Sternburg. Merke Dir is the second teaser from the band upcoming EP Betonkrebs, which will be released on March 26.”
