I am a zombie. Not because I have been fatally bitten by an undead walker and risen from the grave with an insatiable craving for juicy pink brains — which might actually be kind of awesome — but because I am in the deathly grip of a seemingly endless bout of insomnia. So I spend my nights tossing, turning and watching TV in the dark, and spend my days fighting off sleep. Thankfully, I have some help in the latter regard: The constant full-metal racket of new videos and singles from the noisemakers who frequent The Grindhouse. Wakey-wakey, brains and bakey:
The Mourning | The Mountain
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Florida’s progressive metal powerhouse The Mourning just released their captivating video for The Mountain, a visually stunning exploration of tranquility, spiritual connection, and personal transformation from their latest album Hush. “The single was written while overlooking the Appalachian Mountains in North Carolina, capturing the serene experience of escaping the city’s hustle and bustle,” they say. “This song reflects how such tranquility can bring a closer connection to one’s inner divine.” The track starts with a soft, beautiful melody that mirrors the peace of the mountains, gradually evolving into a powerful prog-metal anthem. This transition symbolizes the awakening of deeper spiritual consciousness. As the song progresses, intricate instrumental layers and complex rhythms emerge. The soaring vocals deliver emotional intensity, with lyrics infused with themes of nature and spirituality. The climax features catchy cadences and commanding guitar riffs, blending technical prowess with melodic sensibility.”
Mad Parish | Bishop’s Tomb
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Montreal, Mad Parish continue to build anticipation for their forthcoming concept album The Dust Of Forever with their second single Bishop’s Tomb. This track further explores the rich narrative and musical landscape of the album, set to drop in January. Bishop’s Tomb showcases Mad Parish’s ability to blend metal intensity with intricate storytelling. The song is a crucial piece of the album’s overarching narrative, offering listeners another glimpse into the band’s most ambitious project. “During the recording process, we discovered that we needed another song to fill out the track listing,” they recall. “Using the story of how Paranoid by Black Sabbath was recorded, we got together one afternoon for a few hours and came up with riffs and chords, and did it very quickly, without much thought. To our surprise, it turned out to be one of the strongest songs on the album, possibly because of its simplicity. A steady chugging verse, followed by a Rush-style bridge, then a classic chorus that opens up wide with a soaring vocal melody featuring long sustained notes. A fun song to write, and even more fun to play.”
Shores Of Null | Darkness Won’t Take Me (Live At Hellfest 2024)
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Last summer, Italian melodic death-doom force Shores Of Null performed a somber and poetic set at one of Europe’s largest metal festivals, Hellfest Open Air in France. Today, they unveil their final clip from the performance: Darkness Won’t Take Me, a song from their latest and fourth record The Loss of Beauty, released in 2023. Vocalist Davide Straccione adds: “This is the third and last excerpt… from one of the coolest experiences we had as a band so far. Hellfest was a blast, and we’re happy to relive those moments sharing them with our fans.”
Abolishment Of Flesh | Words Defy Truth
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Texas metal powerhouse Abolishment Of Flesh just released the intense lyric video for Words Defy Truth, taken from their 2023 EP Resurrecting Misanthropy. The video offers fans a visceral visual accompaniment to the band’s uncompromising sonic assault, which blurs the lines between black, thrash, and death metal. Multi-instrumentalist Ramon Cazares comments: “Words Defy Truth was written almost 10 years ago. I’m a big melody and somewhat tech fan, so this has been both challenging and fun to write and perform. This song is about some of the stuff that I saw and experienced when I was involved in church. It seemed like the deeper I got involved, the darker things got. It wasn’t necessarily nefarious but the manipulation, control, fear, and empty hope and promises were enough for me to walk away from religion.”
Mutank | Channel Change
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Rattling moshpits worldwide with their new album Think Before You Think, Montreal’s Mutank offer a slab of new mind-blowing speed thrash with their latest video Channel Change. It’s a song about media melting your brain and your choice to either form something new from it yourself or let them do it for you. Mutank made a big impression in 2014 with their debut EP M.E.C.H METAL. That year, they were also declared champions of the Wacken Metal Battle Canada, which garnered them a performance at Wacken Open Air. By 2017, the band hit the road to tour Canada in support of their highly praised EP W.H.A.T.S.T.H.A.T. After a short hiatus, Mutank have exploded on the scene again with their new album Think Before You Think. It features a rampage of 10 thrash-happy track, including fan favourites such as Running Reds, Abortron and Thrash Primordial.”
Marko Bojkovic | Find Your Flame (ft. Johnny Ray, Gabe Vermund and Chris Thomas)
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Prog guitarist Marko Bojkovic will release his ninth album Powercore in January. With just over a month to go until the LP release, he’s unveiling his second single Find Your Flame, a cover of the song from the video game Sonic Frontiers. Bojkovic explains: “Find Your Flame plays when you fight the Titan Knight on Chaos Island. For several years, It Doesn’t Matter was my favorite Sonic song, but Find Your Flame dethroned it due to its djent riff, amazing chorus, stellar guitar solo, and beautiful clean outro. When I first heard the song, I thought to myself ‘I NEED to learn this song on guitar.’ I covered it on YouTube along with the other Titans’ songs (I’ll admit I played it incorrectly, but you live and learn!). The power metal-style vocals that the Mourning’s Johnny Ray did add to the power metal feel of my version, enabling it to keep with the progressive power core feel of my album! I hope you all are ready to feel like you’re fighting Knight and headbang at supersonic speed!”
Nekomata | De Priapi Dilemma
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Italian powercore innovators Nekomata unleash the single De Priapi Dilemma from their forthcoming sophomore album Euphoria, out Jan, 24. Diving into darker, more intricate territory, De Priapi Dilemma blends power metal, metalcore and death metal into a relentless and cinematic masterpiece. It’s a complex arrangement that the band enjoys performing live. The band explain: “De Priapi Dilemma takes a critical look at the ‘real man’ concept, exposing the hypocrisy of self-proclaimed saviors who are merely trying to sell a product. These so-called gurus exploit the insecurities of men searching for an identity that promises happiness, profiting from their vulnerabilities. This manipulation distorts what it means to be a man in today’s world, creating exaggerated and often harmful stereotypes. Despite the ongoing pressure to conform to these distorted views, the song encourages embracing one’s true self and rejecting the notion that who you are isn’t enough.”
