Headbanger's Wall
Death Metal icons INCANTATION prepare the masses for their new album, Unholy Deification, via Relapse Records. Edified over three-plus decades of experience, Unholy Deification is the group's 13th full-length album. Validated by peers seasoned and new, INCANTATION are more vital than ever - the lineup, featuring founding guitarist/vocalist John McEntee, drummer Kyle Severn, bassist Chuck Sherwood, and guitarist Luke Shively, displays death metal know-how and the power of determination. "I'm not interested in playing it safe," McEntee asserts. "I think other people feel that there are limits to what we do. However, I don't see it that way. If it feels right, then it's Incantation. The songs we write are an honest expression of ourselves. 'Sect of Vile Divinities' was a stressful recording for me and the band. We felt fed up and were just happy to be done with it. When people hear the new album, I hope they think, 'Why are these guys so pissed off?!' Rage gives focus, which is why this album turned out the way it did." Lyrically, Unholy Deification originates with Sherwood. An avid reader and occult logician, the INCANTATION bassist wanted to capture a fully-realized concept of evolution through enlightenment. Expect thought-provoking, historically-derived intellection. That the mortal-to-deity narrative interacts with the merciless musical conflagration of hard-hitting tracks such as "Concordat (The Pact) I," "Homunculus (Spirit Made Flesh) IX," and "Invocation (Chthonic Merge) X". Make no mistake - the ferocious new album, featuring guests Jeff Beccera (Possessed), Henry Veggian (ex-Revenant), and Dan Vadim Von (Morbid Angel), is pure Death Metal. INCANTATION's sepulchral pandemonium is visually enhanced by award-winning artist and longstanding collaborator Eliran Kantor (Immolation, Bloodbath). The end result is an interpretation of Italian Renaissance masters, but thrust into INCANTATION's cauldron of chromatic malice.
Since No Good Left to Give debuted at #3 on the Alternative chart in 2020, their streams have doubled with over 200M total streams in the US alone. The bands third full-length RUCKUS! sees the quartet taking their sound to expansive and sometimes unexpected places. Produced by longtime collaborator Will Yip (Turnstile), the album fuses post-hardcore and punk influences with a healthy dose of pop song-craft to create an album that defies scene conventions in favor of something wholly unique.
As Australian metal juggernauts Parkway Drive gear up for a world tour to commemorate their 20th anniversary as a band, Epitaph Records announces therelease of the bands debut EP from 2004, for the first time on vinyl. This expanded version of Dont Close Your Eyes includes the original 8 tracks fromthe bands first EP , with the addition of bonus tracks included from both their split album with I Killed the Prom Queen and from the compilation albumsWhat Weve Built and True Till Death, Volume I.
Hailing from the beachfront town of Byron Bay, Australia, Parkway Drive blasted out of their serene surroundings touting a volatile blend of intricate metalriffing, punishing breakdowns, and hardcores emotional tension. The band caught fire regionally with the chart-topping Horizons (2007) and Deep Blue(2010), then broke into the international market in 2012 with the arrival of Atlas. 2015s Ire saw the group introduce clean singing into their oeuvre, and theycontinued to move toward a more melodic, though no less aggressive metal style on 2018s Reverence and 2022s Darker Still.
Parkway Drive continue to be a force of nature, 20 years in and still one of the top headliners in the Hard Music scene. Dont Close Your Eyes revisits thebands beginnings and their completest fans will be excited to finally have this album available on Vinyl.
After 12 years with DragonForce, vocalist Marc Hudson presents his first solo album, entitled Starbound Stories, set for release via Napalm Records on August 25, 2023! Starbound Stories is a sparkling, anime-inspired power metal ride, heavily influenced by both Japanese music and video game soundtracks, and featuring a horde of notable guests. Instrumental album opener As The Twilight Met The Sea acts as an introduction to the soundscapes of the album and features samurai metal master Ryoji Shinomoto (RYUJIN, previously known as Gyze) on traditional Japanese instruments. Shinomoto also lends his vocals on the following track, Freedom Heart, which also features a solo by guitar virtuoso Syu (Galneryus). Explosive power metal anthem Dracula X features a guitar solo by Jacky Vincent (ex-Falling in Reverse, ex-Cry Venom) and guest vocals by Adrienne Cowan (Seven Spires). Beautifully emotional successor Stars features classically trained violinist Mia Asano on electric violin. Energetic The Siren is led by a tingling melody and ballad-like vocals, while Astralive lures with an undeniably catchy chorus whilst also featuring fast drum patterns, spellbinding guitarwork and keys, and skillful power metal vocals that reach for the skies. Swansong starts off with a beautiful keyboard intro that could be pulled from a movie soundtrack. Sentimental vocals approach before the song progresses into a full-blown power metal ballad, with high screams and plenty of effects that further enhance the magical atmosphere while backing up the guitars and drums. Steve Terreberry, known on YouTube as Stevie T. (3.32M subscribers), performs a guitar solo on Call Of The Martyrs and is joined by prog guitarist Galen Stapley (Azure). Stapley also provides a solo on the following title track, Starbound Stories. One More Sight Of The Sun With You is sung in Japanese, staying true to the main themes of the album and closing the entire offering on an uplifting note. Marc Hudsons debut solo album is an outstanding musical adventure balanced between power metal, video game soundtracks, Japanese music and even pop influences, showcasing virtuosity throughout all of its grand instrumentation.
"Death has been an up close and personal part of my life since I was a young child. When I began writing Ghost at the Gallows, the specter of death hung as constant as ever. This album navigates a world where ghosts are real, and they haunt us in the form of grief, trauma, and loss. Despite the subject matter, the songs arent just downtrodden dirges. The music is diverse and dynamic, ranging from mournful, southern-tinged acoustic passages all the way to aggressive speed metal assaults and everything in between. And like every entry in the Spirit Adrift catalog, the deepest aim of the lyrics is to find good in the bad, strength in weakness, and hope in darkness. It wasnt until I finished the record that I realized all the stages of grief are present on this album. Maybe these songs were my subconscious attempt at facilitating my own grieving process. Either way, this record helps me, and I hope it helps whoever else needs it." - Nate Garrett
