My eternally ringing ears are clangalanging a little louder than usual today, thanks to a couple of killer gigs this week. And I’ve got more in store tonight and tomorrow, so I should be in full air-raid siren mode by Sunday. Thankfully, these new singles and videos are more than loud enough to cut through the din. Crank ’em up and let ’er rip — but first, can somebody please turn off that car alarm?
Zig Zags | Brainded Warrior
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “I had written a ton of stuff since our last album but I had shelved most of it,” says Zig Zags singer-guitarist Jed Maheu. “I was trying too hard, basically. Eventually (we) said, ‘Fuck it, let’s make a fake live record,’ like Kiss or Slayer did. John Dwyer from Osees was opening his new studio Discount Mirrors and it seemed like the perfect place to record it. We settled on re-recording a bunch of old stuff while simultaneously demoing our new material, as the three of us were now starting to really get in the groove. The result is Strange Masters Vol. 1. These are not new songs. These are Zig Zags classics re-recorded with a ripping-ass band that’s old and angry and just wants to get on with it. We are already on to recording the next album of new songs. That one is coming soon, but in the meantime, enjoy this one… while you still can!”
Vesseles | I Am A Demon
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Vesseles, the brainchild of esteemed West Coast metal veteran Valira Pietrangelo (Legion of Grandeur, Among the Torrent, Arcane Existence), make their thunderous debut with the EP I Am A Demon. Blending the raw intensity of symphonic black metal with a deeply personal exploration of identity dysphoria, Vesseles take the genre in a new direction. “It goes through the transformation of my identity,” Pietrangelo says of the EP. “It flows from self-hatred, to release, ritual, and thus transformation, closing on the disconnect between soul and body. Musically there are elements of decay illustrated by a gradual increase in dissonance and unexpected change alongside more typical black metal tropes. It starts with self-hatred on Suffocating Flesh, goes to confidence in I Am A Demon, and leads into needing a release with Cathartic Cruelty… The song concepts range from self-hatred to transformation to lashing out. In the end, there is transformation but the EP closes out with a very expressive piece about identity dysphoria and having to cope with that until the end.”
Frogg | Double Vision Roll
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Frogg, the avant-garde experimental technical metal sensation from New York, are is back with another fun and unique single, Double Vision Roll. With a mission to redefine modern heavy music while infusing it with originality and complexity, Frogg are at times silly, and over the top, but always engaging. They comment on their new single: “Double Vision Roll is a simple song. It’s about having a mental breakdown, a midlife crisis of sorts. Experiencing a shitstorm of a day and it snowballs into worse and worse things. It gets so bad that you start hallucinating, hyperventilating and literally seeing double.”
Nate Silva | The Chase (ft. Dino Soares)
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Canadian singer-songwriter Nate Silva is releasing his debut rock album The Chase, in which he revisits some of his earlier musical inspirations including 1990s alternative post-grunge and dance rock vibes and acoustic, folky melodies. At the same time, he is releasing a video for the title track. He comments: “Lyrically, it’s a very personal album. I went through a tough breakup before writing this — probably the hardest breakup in my life — so I was healing from that when writing the lyrics, and it shows. The act of writing these lyrics and putting them into songs was also part of the healing process for me – to get those feelings out and express it through song was therapeutic in itself.”
Sunmancer | Chasm Darkly
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Metallic hardcore heavy hitters Sunmancer are poised to shake the foundations of the metalcore scene with their latest video single Chasm Darkly. Known for their relentless energy and unyielding heaviness, Sunmacer are also hitting the road with August Burns Red and Fuming Mouth in May. “Compared to our other songs, Chasm Darkly came together relatively quickly,” they say. “This song was written in a span of a few hours, and only very minor tweaks were made after the demo was recorded. Everyone in the band really enjoys the vibe of the song, and it’s the first one that Ramon, our drummer, was able to sing on. The lyrical content is purposely left open to interpretation so that the listener can glean their own meaning. We are extremely proud of this song, and feel that it represents the musical direction we are moving in as a band.”
Paradise In Flames | I Feel The Plague
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Paradise In Flames, the extreme philosophical symphonic protester metal outfit from Brazil, release their latest single I Feel the Plague. The single is off their seventh album, a concept record called Blindness which comes out on June 14. With a history rooted in challenging pre-established ideas and pushing musical boundaries, Paradise In Flames continue to captivate audiences with their unique blend of Brazilian bossa nova, death metal, and black metal influences. The band comments on the theme behind the album and single: “The album tells part of the story of a philosophical work that portrays religion as a psychological illness, illustrating how men become blind in the pursuit of power. I Feel The Plague, along with the song The Cure is the most death/black on the album, presenting a blend of speed and melody. The lyrics introduce new characters and a crucial point in the plot.”
Cetragore | Changer Of Ways
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Cetragore have been creating an extreme blend of Nerd Metal since their inception in 2019. Following the success of their debut EP Chancellors of Death and the critically acclaimed LP Plagued by Birth, they now have a new track Changer of Ways that mixes black, death, and sludge metal with deathcore and themes from Warhammer. The band comment: “Changer of Ways was the first piece we wrote as a true three-piece. It stands for the shifts and twists we took as a unit when we started writing as three, but we love the results. It tells the tale of someone caught up in webs they are not equipped for, woven by one who relishes in your indecision causing you to believe his twisted plan. This is the second song in a cycle loosely based on certain demon lords from the Warhammer universe.”
