Every day is Halloween for some people. Especially people who spend their lives singing about Satan while sporting black leather and ghoulish makeup. Go figure. Welcome to their nightmares:
Gravemass | Spitting Hell
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Just in time for your Halloween scares! Canada’s newest black / death metal demons GraveMass (ft. members from Zimmers Hole, West of Hell, The Golers, Punch Drunk, 3 Inches of Blood, Revocation) are unleashing their next single and video Spitting Hell, from their forthcoming debut album. The full-length, written by Mayan Hate and with lyrics by Lorde Heathen, promises to be a masterclass in Canadian metal. Emerging from the depths of the West Coast scene, GraveMass are set to redefine extreme death metal and black metal with their fierce and unrelenting sound. Embodying the essence of sonic brutality with their sinister riffs, bone-crushing rhythms, and unholy vocals. Drawing inspiration from legends like Slayer, Venom, Morbid Angel, Watain and Napalm Death, GraveMass are a relentless onslaught of evil, guaranteed to leave a lasting impact. With decades of experience, they have united to create a sound that is both devastating and true to the roots of black metal.”
Red Cain | Demons II
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Power prog storytellers Red Cain have unleashed a reimagined goth-rock version of their track Demons from the 2020 album Kindred: Act II. The track has been djentified, revocalized, injected with bigger drums and metalized. Vocalist Evgeniy Zayarny elaborates: “Stand with your demons and own them. A lethal and heavy encounter with your demons awaits you in the succinctly titled Demons II — Red Cain’s reimagining of their goth-rock hit. With all-new, heavier, djentier guitars, revised drums, and vocal performance to die for, this is a quintessential Halloween headbanger. We are all defined by our battles with our demons — each of us fighting our own private war every day to remain ourselves and wrest control of this sense of self from the things that afflict us, drag us down, attempt to change us, and bring us into discomfort and malcontent. This lurid tale of a deadly dance with your demons captures that struggle, yet ultimately carries a message of acceptance and control of one’s own flaws and imperfections, and an elevation of these into pure strength.”
Gnarwhal | The War / Nothing More
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “From the far reaches of the Northwest Territories, Yellowknife’s award-winning Gnarwhal unleashed their doomy stoner/sludge sound to the masses with their EP Altered States in May. Today, the quartet present the video for The War / Nothing More. The video depicts the real-life chaos of wildfires and evacuations that the band experienced first-hand last year in Yellowknife creating this unsettling strangeness in real time. “It was a messy, scary, disturbing, wild, incomprehensible, maddening, dangerous, and disorienting experience for an entire territory,” they say. “We wanted to represent a fever dream version of our new reality as an act of personal catharsis that speaks to our reality that wildfires act as nature’s regenerative agent and bring forth rebirth. Sometimes, only through brutality and pain does life start new.”
Liva | Samson & Dalila I
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Liva, the pioneering Canadian metal band known for their unique fusion of classical and heavy metal, have released a captivating video for Samson & Dalila I, from their latest album Ecce Mundus. The band’s fourth full-length marks a triumphant return to roots, featuring medieval poetry and Latin texts set against a backdrop of majestic orchestral metal. The album explores timeless themes from antiquity, including the glory of Rome, the tale of Samson & Delilah, and enduring human flaws such as greed, corruption, and hypocrisy. Singer-guitarist Pier Carlo Liva adds: “This is the flagship song of the album. This song has all the elements that are to be found in the Liva style.”
Chüzo | Brand New Cell
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Emerging from Montreal, Chüzo will hit the scene (and beyond) with the EP M.T.M.D. (Maximum Threshold, Minimum Decay). Featuring three tour de force tracks produced by Kevin Jardine (Slaves On Dope), the EP is a full audio assault upon all the senses, from the heavy riffs to the soaring vocals of Brazilian transplant and new vocalist Mischa M. She is joined by local first-generation Chilean-Canadian and mastermind Cristian S. along with Carlos G. from Venezuela and Alex S. from Russia. They all call Montreal home — and the home of their self-described Aggro Metal: Grindcore mixed with Swedish death metal, a touch of thrash and hardcore punk. “The sound of the band evolved from, initially, grindcore, to hardcore, to now Aggro Metal,” says Christian. “The evolution had to be this way because of the influence of certain early members that were pulling the sound of the band into a musical lane that was not the initial idea. Nonetheless, after the latest band member changes, this current lineup is focused on making the sound that we have developed on M.T.M.D.”
Dying Awkward Angel | The Magical World Of The Dead
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Dying Awkward Angel are back to shake up the metal scene with their latest single, The Magical World of the Dead. This intense and dark track dives into the boundary between life and death, taking listeners on a sonic journey filled with haunting melodies and powerful riffs — a true homage to Swedish melodic death metal. Featuring a dramatic dialogue between a man and death, Dying Awkward Angel create a dark, contemplative atmosphere that captures the beauty and tension of humanity’s inevitable fate.”
Victoria K | Humanity XXIV
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Humanity XXIV is a re-recorded fan-favorite track from Victoria K’s debut album Essentia. This version captures a refreshed intensity, featuring new vocals from Victoria Knight herself — a powerful leap from the original recording. This release is part of Victoria K’s journey of both reflection and evolution as they work toward a third album in 2025. Known for pushing the boundaries of their sound, Victoria K’s last album Kore embraced a conceptual approach inspired by Greek mythology. But with Humanity XXIV (and the upcoming Lacuna XXIV), Victoria K pays tribute to their origins, infusing these tracks with matured skill and spirit.”
