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The legendary Dragon Fire scours through the Earth once more, unearthing the latest campfire tales.
The Black Hounds – All Kingdoms Fall
Kicking off this roundup, we’ve got All Kingdoms Fall, from Wolverhampton metallists, The Black Hounds. Also serving as the title track to their recent album, this is a sure-fire starter, with chunky riffing, and vocals switching between crushing rasps and old school melodics. It’s heavy while still being fairly accessible. I might even make it my festival alarm tune. I could think of far worse ways to start a full day of metal. Following suit, the rest of the album is a really good spin, too.
Founding member and drummer, Joe Cleaver comments “The album is about facing life’s hardships. It’s tackling the realities of traumatic experiences but also being able to build yourself back up afterwards, overcoming adversity and acceptance.”
Get All Kingdoms Fall here.
Strychnos – Winds Warming The Final Storm
Dark and brutal as hell! This is Winds Warming The Final Storm by Strychnos. Deathly black metal with a doom pace, I could have listened to this one for way more than 4 minutes 39. It’s just as well there’s an album on the way (Armageddon Patronage, since you asked – Dark Descent Records, May 17th). This is definitely not a sound where I’d expect a guest appearances from Volbeat vocalist, Michael Poulsen, but hey, apparently it’s in there. It would be a fair guess to say the full-length is going to get plenty of attention in the extreme metal world.
“This release will showcase a natural continuation of what A Mother’s Curse began,” reflects bassist/vocalist Martin Leth Andersen. “The band seeks to refine and push further key elements from the debut – in ways of both aggressiveness and the more atmospheric parts. This follow-up also showcases an array of new details like alternative instrumentation, vocal variations, intros, outros, and a couple of noticeable guest appearances.”
Pre-order the album here.
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Nassau – Sobriety Is Overrated
It feels like we’ve been waiting a million years for new music from Edinburgh based prog/death/other metallers, Nassau. Now that the first taste has arrived, it doesn’t disappoint! While not their weirdest moment (and they do have some – kazoo solos anyone?), it is still a jangling entanglement of riffs and drums, with Sin‘s vocals hitting harder than ever. Slap in a bizarrely happy, double virtuoso guitar solo, and you’ve got one heck of a tune. The self-titled album is out May 03rd.
The band describe the song as “A narrative told from 3 perspectives that is intended to describe a story or setting that may drive one towards a crutch or vice (ie, to see sobriety as overrated). The lyrics are open to interpretation and encourages the reader to apply their own meaning.“
Pre-order Nassau here.
Medusa Touch – President’s Men
Fellow Edinburgers, Medusa Touch have also landed their first new music in a while with President’s Men. An original, 1980s NWOBHM band, these guys have an undeniably true old school sound. Apparently, this track was also written in 83/84, so you can’t get much more into the guts of it than that! Here’s hoping there’s more of that sort of thing to come from these powerhouse veterans.
The band comment on the song “It was written in 1985 (ish) when President Ronald Reagan was at his peak. He was all over the news for being involved in something we didn’t understand at the time. As usual a news story was usually a new song for MT and the song was written around the goings on around that time. We had to change a line in the lyrics tho as it doesn’t translate well these day. The original chorus line was “The nights they get colder, YOUR NAME’S IN A FOLDER”. Most people under 40 these days only know a Folder as something on a computer rather than a paper file. So that was changed to “A hand on your shoulder”. Everything else is the same. Just like back then we love a bit of guitar harmonies.“
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Dååth – Hex Unending
It’s been a hell of a long time since we caught anything from progressive death metallers, Dååth. Watching this video has thrown up a hazy memory in a Glasgow venue many moons ago, maybe supporting Dillinger Escape Plan..? If this track is anything on which to judge their upcoming album, The Deceivers (Metal Blade Records), I say bring it on. It’s meaty and majestic, and I’m looking forward to hearing more of the same!
“Now Dååth is more orchestrated, more over the top. We have more melodies and they’re beautiful,” says band founder/guitarist Eyal Levi. Jesse Zuretti (orchestration/guitar) further elaborates, “Hex Unending is a track that combines all of the many eras of metal music at its peak — there‘s catchiness, groove, power, virtuosity, and uncommon creativity coursing through its veins. It‘s the sound of 2024 — it‘s perfectly polished yet organic, it‘s modern arrangement and composition leads you on unexpected paths — if we were to bet, this track will propel true metal back into the forefront of heavy music.”
Pre-order The Deceivers here.
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Goodhuman – Afflictions
Back to Scotland we go for this next one, with Afflictions from Goodhuman. Recently signed to Reaction Management this track makes the band’s current mission clear; to be the North East’s hardest export since granite. It is a standalone single, but it sounds like plans are afoot for an “as yet un-named” full-length planned for later this year. Keep an eye out for it ’cause these lads are set to do some damage.
Bassist, Scotty Lodge, offers: “This track offers a profound narrative, navigating the turbulent seas of mental health battles with unyielding determination and hope. In a musical landscape where vulnerability meets strength, Afflictions confronts the stigmas surrounding mental health, urging listeners to embrace their struggles as stepping stones toward triumph. Drawing from personal experiences and universal truths, Afflictions is more than just a song; it’s a testament to the resilience of the human spirit and the power of music to heal.”
Stream Afflictions on Spotify here.
Hideous Divinity – More Then Many, Never One
Closing out this session is an absolute beast of a track in Hideous Divinity‘s latest video, More Then Many, Never One. Blackened progressive death metal is in full flow for this number, from their Century Media Records album, Unextinct, which just landed on March 22nd. If this one hits your sour spot, it’s definitely worth checking out previous singles, The Numinous One, Mysterium Tremendum, and Against The Sovereignty Of Mankind; every one a brutal banger!
The band comment on the album “Unextinct sets a new milestone for Hideous Divinity, another step towards musical unspoken terror and frenzy. Every song has become a world with its own dissonances and rules made to be broken. The soundtrack of a shipwreck with the best sound production we’ve ever had: our brother Stefano “Saul” Morabito at 16th Cellar Studios really outdid himself.”
Get Unextinct here.
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Dragon Fire: 25||03|24
