Heavy Metal Radio

Sunflowers, Wallflowers? Nope it's Moonflowers

Finnish death doom veterans Swallow The Sun have announced their new album, Moonflowers. The album, which has already been recorded and mixed, is set for release on 19th November through Century Media Records.

Swallow The Sun will also release a bonus album featuring instrumental versions of all the new album's tracks. The instrumental album has been composed for strings and was recorded at Sipoo Church in Finland. The strings were performed by a Finnish group called Trio NOX. Each instrumental will be accompanied by an animated video, all created by Dronicon Films.

Goatwhore Doing Rather Well

Goatwhore‘s latest album, Vengeful Ascension which was released back end of June via Metal Blade Records has done rather well. Climbing various charts upon its first week of release and earning the No.4 spot on Billboard’s Heatseeker albums chart.

As well as the above said album reached No.6 on the Hard Rock Album Sales chart, No.16 on the Hard Rock Albums chart, No.11 on the Independent Albums chart, No.18 on the Rock Album Sales chart, No.49 on the Top 200 Current Albums chart and No.59 on the Top 200 Albums chart, making it the band’s highest charting album to-date.

In Canada, the record was met with equal accolades, debuting at No.19 on the Hard Music chart and No.145 on the Top Albums chart.

No figures as yet for the European side of the pond but top bananas none the less.

Enslaved Breaking Out With New Album

Fans of Enslaved will be pleased to learn the band have completed recording of their as yet untitled 14th studio album.

This is a follow up to their last 2015 release ‘In Times’.

The new album will feature new keyboard player Hakon Vinje.

The release is scheduled for autumn and in the mean time Enslaved will be promoting album material when touring as supporting act with Opeth.

Cryptic COF

Cryptoriana - The Seductiveness of Decay is the title of Cradle of Filth’s 12th studio album scheduled for release this coming September.

As per the norm, a concept album themed on Victorian gothic horror with a smidgen of the supernatural centred around self-annihilation.

Sounds like a riveting read from a penny dreadful.

Swallow the Sun Still Shining

The melancholy death/doom masters ‘Swallow The Sun’ will bring us a bold, adventurous and characteristically dark triple full-length album entitled "Songs from the North” due out 13th November 2015 via Century Media Records.

Incorporating dark menace and gradations of death, black and funeral doom, each of the three albums of embodies the band's unofficial band motto, "Gloom, Beauty & Despair."

Main songwriter and guitarist Juha Raivio comments on the triple album concept:

"Making a triple album in this godforsaken digital and modern day and age... Many will say it's madness. I say it is to bring worth, heart and respect back into the music and to the album format where it belongs. This should never turn into a shallow fast food industry where music is only downloaded one song at a time. These albums hold life, death, gloom, beauty and despair in their deepest levels and forms. The three chapters are different but connected, one long journey through these songs written up here in the North. Music is holy, albums are holy. See you on the other side friends."

"I"
1. With You Cam e the Whole of the World's Tears
2. 10 Silver Bullets
3. Rooms and Shadows
4. Heartstrings Shattering
5. Silhouettes
6. The Memory of Light
7. Lost & Catatonic
8. From Happiness to Dust
Total playing time: 59:20

"II"
1. The Womb of Winter
2. The Heart of a Cold White Land
3. Away
4. Pray for the Winds to Come
5. Songs from the North
6. 66°50´N,28°40´E
7. Autumn Fire
8. Before the Summer Dies
Total playing time: 42:33

"III"
1. The Gathering of Black Moths
2. 7 Hours Late
3. Empires of Loneliness
4. Abandoned by the Light
5. The Clouds Prepare for Battle
Total playing time: 51:57

Thanks MU

Darkyra Black new single & video 'Tears by Candlelight'

heartborne tells us:

Darkyra Black, the musical vision of one woman, a vision made reality with the completion of some of europe's best musicians. For those not familiar with Darkyra Black, she takes the best parts of female fronted symphonic metal and bends it to her will with her beautiful soaring melodies. Upon first listen you may liken it to industry greats such as Within Temptation or even Tarja (ex-Nightwish) but in doing so you wouldn't even come close. Very few women in the industry are able to weave music in such as way as Darkyra and make music her own muse.
Latest video clip "Tears By Candlelight" proved just that when it took over Youtube with over 30000 views in less than a week. Unfortunately, resulting in an A-typical corporate response to flag it and remove the video. Still, the video has been reintroduced to demonstrate the untapped talent that Darkyra demonstrates and melodies that she bends to her own style.
The single will feature on the upcoming 'Dragon Tears' concept album.

Youtuve video : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CztMYyebSVA

VARGA RETURN WITH PROG-METAL TOUR DE FORCE, 'ENTER THE METAL'

Nuendo tells us:
TORONTO - Hamilton, Ontario-based progressive metal band, VARGA, has just unleashed their 3rd full-length studio recording, 'Enter the Metal,' via the band's own label, Vargantuan Music. Currently available digitally on iTunes and Amazon.com, there are several formats of hi-resolution downloads available for purchase from the band's own vargahq[dot]com website. CD’s will begin shipping and in stores November 14th, but can be pre ordered from vargahq[dot]com until then.

Comprised of members Joe Varga (bass & vocals), Adam Alex (guitar), Sean Williamson (guitar), and Dan Fila (drums), the veteran band (originally formed in 1989) has built a large and loyal following of heavy metal fans, particular in their home country, on the strength of such popular releases as 1994's 'Prototype' (released via the Zoo label), which spawned the hits "Freeze Don't Move" and "Greed," earning the band a thumbs up on the then-popular 'Beavis and Butthead' program on MTV. After over a decade apart, Varga reunited in 2011, and issued their awesome reunion effort, 'Enter the Metal' (their first new studio album in 17 years).

The album was produced by long time friend and producer/engineer, Julius “Juice” Butty (Alexisonfire, Protest the Hero), and recorded at both Six Nations’ Jukasa Studio, and Butty’s own Silo Studios. As the band's leader, Joe Varga, states, “In this collection of music, you’ll hear a return to our metal and progressive roots with songs laden with heavy licks, crazy time changes and insane vocals.”

As heard throughout 'Enter the Metal,' the long delay between releases has not dulled Varga's penchant for penning inspired and challenging heavy metal in the slightest. Welcome back, lads!

TRACK LIST

1) Beginning Of The End (6:19)

2) Gamera (7:52)

3) Mad Scientist (5:37)

4) Plane Crash (8:01)

5) No More Clean Air (4:59)

6) Shark Attack (6:59)

And the Murder Mystery Continues

Children of Bodom's eighth studio album, Halo of Blood, will be released on 11th June in North America via Nuclear Blast Records. The cover art was created by Sami Saramäki, who was responsible for the artwork on previous Children of Bodom albums Follow The Reaper, Are You Dead Yet? and Hate Crew Deathroll. Children of Bodom's new CD was recorded at Danger Johnny Studios in Helsinki. For the recording of the LP, Children of Bodom has teamed up with recording engineer Mikko Karmila, who worked with the band on their fan-favorite albums Hatebreeder, Follow The Reaper and Hate Crew Deathroll, as well as Swedish producer Peter Tägtgren (Marduk, Amon Amarth), who oversaw production of both vocals and keyboards on the record. The album was mixed at Finnvox Studios in Helsinki.

Cathedral In Upbeat Mood As Ever

Cathedral will release their last ever album on 29th April, The Last Spire, via Rise Above Records. The track listing is:

Entrance To Hell

Pallbearer

Cathedral Of The Damned

Tower Of Silence

Infestation Of Grey Death

An Observation

The Last Laugh

This Body, Thy Tomb

The official press release reads as follows: "And lo, Lee Dorrian, mouthpiece of Cathedral for 23 years, doth solemnly intone the death rites of this mighty British metal Titan. Born in the dying days of Thatcher's Britain, bonding over then-unfashionable, obscure names like Saint Vitus, Pentagram, Trouble and Dream Death.

Cathedral's sole ambition was to record a demo tape. In fact they revolutionised doom metal, first pushing their influences into new avenues of grinding extremity, then pioneering groovier forms of '70s-indebted stoner doom."

Speedfest

blacksnow tells us:
Comin up this Sunday December 8, from 13:00 hours to about 02:00 or 03:00 in the night Dutch time there is the seventh edition of Speedfest in Eindhoven.
With 23 speedmetal etc. groups on four stages: Trasher- Wrecker- Demolition and Thunderbolt-stage.
The whole thing organised by Dutch sweat and beer speedmetals Peter Pan Speedrock and their management.