Firebrand After Dark Issue 16 - October by Firebrand's Rock&Metal Express

Issue 16â&#x20AC;&#x201C; October 2014

PLUS Studfaust Anaal Nathrakh Nachtblut Xerath Posthum Active Heed Bella Morte

04 09 11 24 40 44

14 - ssSHEENSss 20 - Studfaust

29 - Nachtblut 30 - Xerath - Bella Morte 31 - Posthum 32 - Active Heed 33 - Varathron 34 - The Birthday Massacre 35 - Inquisitor

- News - Top 5 Videos - Top 5 Album Covers - Games Dungeon - Top 20 Chart - Gig Listing

36 - White Empress - Tarnkappe 39 - Anaal Narthrakh - Psycostick

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Meet The Team! Editor In Chief Rick Palin

And so another issue of Firebrand After Dark is upon us once again. Sadly this month is marred by my co companion in mischief Stoodge McNulty leaving the FAD team to concentrate on the Tassel Lord fashion label ;) Being one of the founding people behind FAD Stoodge will be missed and we wish him all the best with his future endeavourâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s where ever that might lead him.

Senior Media Consultant Rachel Whiston Editor Lee Walker Reviews Team Aaron Price Anthony Clegg Gavin Griffiths Graham Pritchard Joey Lowebins Phil Kane Rob Birtley Stephen Brophy

Download Content Team Rick Palin Judith Fisher Content Download sales@firebrandrr.co.uk Advertising Enquiries sales@firebrandrr.co.uk Review/Interview Requests afterdark@firebrandrr.co.uk

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Contact Telephone +44(0)207 0978556

NEWS

metal circles. It’s therefore with great pride that Blastfest welcome the ravenous war machine, the Blastfest has accepted the challenge and has primitive killing machine that is Blood Red Throne delivered! It is official, Blastfest will be even bigger! into the fold. Be prepared for blood spatter and With very positive results and excitement of a recent arterial lust! poll, the Bergen, Norway festival have decided 3 days of metal madness wasn’t enough and have expanded Wyruz Some say Blastfest needed to add more thrash the festival into a 4 day event with a total of 60 bands! That’s 4 days, 4 venues, and 60 bands! Yes. metal to the lineup, so they have decided to include prime death/thrash act Wyruz! These guys have 60 BANDS! The festival is now running from been going strong for over a decade now, and are Wednesday February 18th to Saturday February dead set on destroying everything at Blastfest 21st. And that’s not just the only announcement the 2015. festival will make today because just like the recent spate of updates the festival are keeping form and have just confirmed another 4 bands to the already Turbowolf on tour with Royal Blood Return exploding poster! So without further adieu, we are pleased to report the addition of true Norwegian With Two Uk Tours black metal veterans Gehenna, British symphonic black metallers Hecate Enthroned, Norwegian death Royal Blood (special guests) Download Freezes Over metal titans Blood Red Throne and death thrashers (headline) Bristol-based alt-rockers – Turbowolf – return Wyruz! this autumn in a blaze of glory. After a short burst of Gehenna headline shows in April and a glorious series of All of our grenade prayers have been answered; the summer performances including Hyde Park Rocks word became flesh! It’s with a shivering voice of the and Download Festival, the four-piece head out on utmost excitement that Blastfest welcome the road again later this month as special guests to Norwegian black metallers Gehenna to the lineup of the red-hot Royal Blood, who follow their No.1 UK 2015! These purveyors of the dark arts have long album with a fully sold out tour. been regarded as one of the most important acts to Preceding the Royal Blood dates, Turbowolf are come out of the Norwegian black metal scene in the appearing at the Simple Things Festival in Bristol on 90’s. It’s therefore with great delight that the festival Sat Oct 25th, with headliners Mogwai and Death welcome them back to Bergen for their first ever From Above 1979. They finish the year with their Blastfest performance. own headline run of dates, as part of the Download Freezes Over series of tours, finishing up in the Hecate Enthroned capital at Camden’s Dingwalls. Back in the 90’s a band made its way to the With the announcement of some very exciting forefront of the symphonic black metal scene news coming later this month, Turbowolf are alongside bands like Cradle of Filth and Dimmu standing on the cusp of great things, ready to spread Borgir, receiving praise for their ability to be both their wings and fly! extreme in their expression as well as incorporating Strap down your senses and prepare symphonic elements. We are of course talking about yourselves for a sonic rocket trip beyond your wildest UK act Hecate Enthroned. As of today the band is expectations. Turbowolf are back – stronger, still going strong, if not turning towards an ever weirder and more wonderful than ever! heavier expression with their now death metal-infused take on the black arts. Blastfest are very pleased to have them cross the North Sea to Collisions Spring Tour 2015 perform live in Bergen for the very first time ever, as part of the festival! Collisions spring 2015 tour dates with Cypher 16, RSJ and Seething Akira “Collisions’ crushing, Blood Red Throne If you were asked to name a Norwegian death metal trademark cocktail of breakneck-paced Metal, Punk band, chances are that the first name to enter into and Drum ‘n’ Bass instantly ingnited their native brighton.........Collisions cement their reputation with a your mind would be that of Blood Red Throne. Ever since the release of their first four-track demo back must-see live show, frequently talked about in the in 2000, they have been a household name in death same breath as Slipknot, Pendulum and

Blastfest Is Expanding!

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Skindred" Big Cheese. 2015 is going to be a big year for the blistering Brighton high energy rockers Collisions, with the spring release of their hugely anticipated debut album 'The Cause And The Catalyst'. The band will be promoting the album with tour dates across the UK and are looking at rattling a few festival stages with their storming live set over the summer. The spring tour dates are guaranteed to be absolutely blistering shows as alongside Collisions will be the fabulous Cyphew 16, RSJ and Seething Akira. A case of get yourself down there, light the touchpaper then stand back and watch the explosion of sound that follows!! Since forming in 2011, the Brighton four-piece have been filling dance-floors across their home town with a refreshingly unique, high-octane fusion of metal, punk, dubstep and drum & bass. Support slots with the legendary Senser, Hed PE, The Algorithm, Hacktivist Spindle Sect and a slot at the Breakout Festival, requested by Skindred themselves, has firmly established Collisions as a must see band. They are an impaction of rapid pulse-raising noise, crafted and layered to achieve something truly fresh. The crossing of distorted guitars, dance rhythms and synthetic sounds has led many to liken Collisions to a hybrid of Skindred and Pendulum. The precisely crafted instrumentation is complemented by the charismatic tones of front-man Olly Simmons, whose infectious hooks burn themselves into the subconscious of all who listen. Expect a full on, no holds barred show with ambient synthesiser breakdowns, machine gun vocals and heavy grooves that lead into melody-driven choruses that will burn themselves onto the back of you brain. http://collisionsband.com/ https://www.facebook.com/CollisionsUk http://soundcloud.com/collisionsuk http://www.youtube.com/collisionsuk http://www.twitter.com/collisionsuk

2004's "The Pulse of Decay", and the band had recently announced that they had renewed their contract with Dark Essence Records and were working on their next release. In a statement issued by Jorn and Remi, both emphasised that this most definitely does not signify the end of a band, whose ability to convey the real darkness that lies within human passion had placed them in the forefront of the Black Metal genre, but rather a new beginning: "Janto, The lead singer/bass player of Hades Almighty, has, after 22 years by our side, decided to leave the band permanently! There is no bad blood between us, as we still are best of friends, and will continue being friends. This is a decision he made completely by himself. Janto has been, and still is, a brilliant musician, bass player and composer, both musically and lyrically! It has been 22 years of great times, many, many inspirations in many ways. We salute you our brother in arms! More than two decades of dedication in The Horde of Hades is something to be proud of, and we salute the raven of war and crimes in music and friendship! HAIL! We will continue working on the new album as planned and it is due to be finished in 2015. The EP, which was due to be released at the end of 2014 will suffer some delay because of this matter, but nothing significant! All shows are hereby cancelled, but we will of course return as soon as we have the opportunity! This means that Hades Almighty is entering a new era, starting from this day forward! We would like to reach out to our followers, FANS, promoters, record label, booking agencies, and crew, for a little understanding that our already booked shows, and future plans, will be delayed! We are honestly sorry for that, and we are already in the process of finding a replacement for Janto, but that alone is a long process, and surely not an easy one!! Best regards from Hades Almighty JĂ¸rn & Remi" Regarding his reasons for departure Janto had this to say: "It has not been an easy decision, but it has been made. 22 years have passed and it has been a bumpy Legendary Norwegians Hades Almighty ride, but... a great one. I would like to thank all our fans and supporters throughout the years. You have Lose Frontman been loyal and fantastic. In a statement that caught fans of the legendary I would also like to thank JĂ¸rn and Remi for all Norwegian band by surprise, Hades Almighty the good times in the rehearsal studio, on the road frontman and bassist Janto has announced that and on stage. I wish you all the best in your future after 22 years he will be leaving the band. Both work with Hades. Janto and the remaining members have reassured You are my best friends. My band days are fans that his reasons for leaving are purely personal, over but our brotherhood remains ! and that relations between everyone are still as Best wishes: strong as they ever were. Janto Formed in 1992 by guitarist Jorn (Dominanz, More information about Hades Almighty can ex-Old Funeral, ex-Immortal, ex-Amputation), and be found at https://www.facebook.com/ drummer Remi, Hades Almighty's last album was HADESHORDEN

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Sylvia Lancaster, mother of murder victim Brutai to support on the Retro Gamer tour Sophie, founded the Sophie Lancaster Foundation in with in Centiment in December Gamer metallers in Centiment (which includes 3 members of the band InMe), are taking Brutai on tour with them in December in the UK. These shows are going to be efficacious, electric and energetic. Centiment are going to have a gaming station set up at their merch table with a multiplayer megadrive. The Retro Gamer tour is ALL about the gaming, and all about the metal. Brutai have a new lyric video out for 'Relapse' out now. "There are plenty of bands operating in the tech-metal realm that dazzle with impressive levels of musicianship and compositional complexity, but few of the genre's current protagonists can match Brutai when it comes to matching that technical prowess with refined songwriting skills. This London-based crew have been widely tipped to outgrow their chosen niche for some time, and it's songs like blazing new single Relapse that will enable them to live up to those high expectations. Precise, ornate and never less than monstrously heavy, Brutai's sound may tick a lot of the usual tech boxes, but it's the size of their hooks and melodies that make them such an enticing proposition."- Metal Hammer Brutai have released a brand new killer track from their forthcoming album. The new lyric video single, 'Relapse', features new members Alex Lorimer (keys and backing vox) and Mathieu Bauer 'Le Duc' (Drums).

order to honor her memory, provide education and raise awareness, and to challenge prejudice and intolerance towards people from alternative subcultures. “To say that everyone at The Sophie Lancaster Foundation is extremely excited about this track is an understatement. We all feel that seven years is an appropriate milestone to celebrate the strength and courage Sophie’s death has given us to slowly but surely change the world. The proceeds and awareness from this charity single will help us continue our crucial work”. - Sylvia Lancaster Bad Pollyanna's 'Invincible Girl' is available to purchase on digital download and will be released on collectable, limited-edition 12 inch vinyl – in Sophie’s favorite hue, purple. Buy Bad Pollyanna's 'Invincible Girl' in CD & Digital formats at www.badpollyanna.com, iTunes, and Amazon MP3. For more information on The Sophie Lancaster Foundation: Sophie Lancaster Foundation Official Site Facebook | Twitter For more information on Illamasqua: Illamasqua Official Site Facebook | Twitter

Bad Pollyanna & Sophie Lancaster Foundation Launch 'Invincible Girl' Marking 7th Anniversary Of Tragic Murder Alternative Rock Band Bad Pollyannahave joined forces with The Sophie Lancaster Foundation and cult makeup brand Illamasqua for their poignant charity song 'Invincible Girl' commemorating the seventh anniversary of the brutal murder of Sophie Lancaster.

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Metal vids to sink your teeth into

1 2 3 4 5

Sanctuary Exitium https://www.youtube.com/watch? v=tI07kqOoLLA&feature=youtu.be

God Damn Horus https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DY3qrFgajDU

Winger Queen Babylon https://www.youtube.com/watch? v=0PAMyrZur9Q#t=75

Voodoo Vegas No More https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t3gu5lhRm68

Hanzel Und Gretyl Black Forest Metal https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rTsWSegb4r4

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One of the things that we at Firebrand After Dark have noticed is that we donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t always give credit where it is due to the artwork which accompanies the albums. We would like to address by bringin to you, what the team feel are the best 5 covers of the material which we have reviewed this month. If you have any comments about them please feel free to tweet us @fbadmag, comment on Facebook /FirebrandAfterDark or email us at afterdark@firebrandrr.co.uk

Psychostick Revenge Of The Vegeance Varathron

Untrodden Corridors Of Hades

Inquisitor

Walpurgisâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;Sabbath Of Lust

Tarnkappe Tussen Hun En De Zon

Xerath III Firebrand After Dark

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Our man Phil Kane got speaking to the guys behind latest Soulseller Records commodity ssSHEENss. The Finnish rockers have an album out on 3rd October, and you can read our thoughts on that over on the reviews section of issue 15.

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What’s with the band name? Harri: We started the band with Sheens, less S's. There were some other bands going on with the same kind of name around the world. Shieet! We went to use more S's. I had drawn a logo way back where there's a snake hissing ssSHEENSss in a speak bubble. ssSHEENSss looks cool. We are ssSHEENSss. Eetu: Originally the name addresses to the Estevez family, Ramón and his sons Carlos and Emilio. Or better known as Martin Sheen, Charlie Sheen and Emilio Estevez. Teemu our guitar player came with this idea using his imagination. How about a quick run through of the band’s history? Harri: First time we all got together to play in 2011. Three guitars, vocalist, bass man and the drummer. It was great summer of 2011. Summer holidays matched. We just got wasted and played through the nights. It sounded and felt good. Eetu: We went to record 10 songs for the debut album in beginning of 2012 and started playing live shows. We got Billy Anderson to mix our debut. It was awesome. Debut album was released in 2013. We kept writing new material and recorded Strapping Stallions in the beginning of 2014. SoulSeller Records is releasing it now October 2014. The band have been in existence since 2011, making Strapping Stallions the second album in less than four years. You’ve been busy. Eetu: Yeah, there's six more or less productive guys in the band so new stuff pops up almost every time we have rehearsals together. We like to instigate each other, toy around with different "genre clichés" and that way songs just take shape. Harri: All of us write music so we have lots of riffs and ideas.We make it happen, for real.

play as a part of the group. That naturally has an effect on the songwriting. Harri and Juho recorded the most of the basic guitar and drum tracks together in the same room, so that gives a nice live vibe on the record. The fact that there's three guitars in the band is definitely a prominent feature in our sound. Everyone has found his own place in the mix and the riff trident has a new depth and detail to it. All three of our guitar players have a distinct playing style and on Strapping Stallions we've arranged the songs the way that everyones strengths shine. Harri: We've tuned a bit lower now than on the first album. It's very enjoyable to play together. The sound is evolving and living it's own life. It's good. How did you manage to get Tomas Skogsberg and Brad Boatright to mix and master the album for you? Who produced? Eetu: We've had albums of ssSHEENSss members' other bands mixed by Tomas and another mastered by Brad earlier, so the line was already open and it was easy to get things done. Both Tomas and Brad are true gentlemen and professionals who are easy to work with. Basically, sending an email asking if they want to do the record and how much they ask for it is a good start... While recording Strapping Stallions Harri put on the producers pants to get our tracks down the way we wanted them. Harri: Yeah I had done stuff with Tomas before and Eetu had previous album history with Brad. It is always a great pleasure to get mixes from both of them.

The new album has a raw, grizzly live-around-a-mic feel to it. How hard was that to achieve? Or was each band member recorded separately. Is ssSHEENSss a democratic unit or does one of you take the helm? Eetu: Most of the stuff begun with Harri and Juho recording basic guitar and drum tracks in the same Strapping Stallions’ began to emerge in early 2014. You don’t waste a lot of time in the studio. room, from which the "live feel" comes from. They kept things raw enough, so it was quite easy then to Nope! We recorded the guitars, drums and bass record the other tracks separately over it and retain during January. It was a hectic and intense month the live feel. Guitar-sound-wise we wanted to keep and included a lot of heads banging to the walls, things suitably gritty, a bit over the top like in a true swearing and getting shit done. Not a cool breeze but we managed to get it done. Overall we recorded live or rehearsal situation. Harri: Yeah as soon as we got all the stuff set up we 17 songs in the studio, but I guess that the tight deadline made us work harder. started to record the basic tracks with Juho. Recording engineer Kaitsu was thumps up in the We recorded a lot of material this time. Nine songs are on the Strapping Stallions album. We did control room. On some songs we had Eetu on bass and we did all the basic tracks live. On some songs basic recordings live. Drums, one guitar and bass. we took several takes and made the song structures How has the overall sound developed, in your view, in studio. Some songs we had played live for a long time so those we did mostly on one take. We play between this and the debut? raw and grizzly rock. ssSHEENSss is a democratic Eetu: We've played a lot more together before this record than the first one, obviously. We've played live unit. Great minds think a like. shows and that has given us a clue what kind of stuff works in live situations and how each of us tends to

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Who is the business brains behind the operation? Eetu: None of us are the singular driving force behind the band, we do stuff collectively. Some of us are audiovisual gurus and they plan our music videos, promo shoots etc. Basically all of us try to book shows and do other stuff if the possibility to get things forward with the band arises. We also got a nice network of friends and colleagues around us who help us with different things. Harri: Everyone have their own strengths in ssSHEENSss. I think Eetu and I have been recording the most of us in the studio, so we have our history with that. Eetu has deep knowledge of the music gear, Antti is a great cook and so on. And the song writing, who does that? Harri: All of us write riffs. Arrangements will find their basic structures at the rehearsal space. I may tend to have manic ear for little nuances in song structures in the end.

we didn't mean to record those at all since they didn't have any vocals on them, but then we thought "fuck that" and nailed those down also. We sent the bounces Mikko and when he sent the first vocal demos back to us we realized that damn, we had golden classics in our hands. Now we consider those two the key tracks to the album. Harri: We recorded a lot of songs this time and picked nine for the album. There are variations in moods. It's a bit so that the A side of the album, the first five songs, are more up tempo and in your face rock. The B side is more doomier and darker side. Such songs as Shadow Animals, the Joy Division cover, Let's Explode and Saigon are the heavier side of ssSHEENSss. Or, are you happy to keep things as they are? Eetu: We're quite happy. Things seem to go nice for us at the moment. We just like to play around with different styles. Harri: I'm happy. Our stuff is great.

Given Scandinavia’s surge in all genres of rock these days and your three line guitar attack, has there ever been the temptation to try something away from the sound you have? If yes, what? (I ask only because the three guitars offer quite a lot of possibilities and some of the greatest bands have had three guitarists, i.e. Maiden, Skynyrd, Hatchet…). Eetu: We like doing the stuff we do so much that there haven't been any plans to alter our sound too much. Of course it develops and evolves over time but it comes naturally. We're open to different kinds of stuff, but whatever we do as a band, ultimately it starts to sound like ssSHEENSss. Also many of us have other bands or musical projects so there's plenty of outlets for creative energy. Harri: Yeah I think we'll take this ssSHEENSss sound further withing the frame. We have the possibility to do lots of stuff with three guitars. Sound, rhythm and harmony wise. It's fruitful garden.

In fact, ‘Strapping Stallions’ has had quite a few categorizations thrown at it, dessert session blues, punk, garage, classic, psychedelic and even prog, Goth and death metal. You must be very proud of the achievement, especially as the album keeps its groove, but what would you describe it as? What were you trying to ultimately achieve and, in your opinion, did you succeed? Eetu: It's all those things, and it all comes from six of us being quite broadminded about music. Rather than any specific genre or style, we wanted to capture the fun and the spirit of ssSHEENSss that we have when we're playing live shows or rehearsing. We're really happy with the result, it's a fun album to listen to. Makes you wanna headbang and have a good time. Harri: To me it's intensive music. It's fun to play and create. It's rock'n roll, it's metal, it's punk, it's all that. To me our latest song is always the best. ssSHEENSss have achieved a lot more I think anyone ‘Strapping Stallions’ is subtly eclectic, almost as if of us ever thought. When we recorded the guitars the band is trying on other styles to see what fits for the first album, Antti our guitar player spoke to himself in a trans like state: "It's a miracle that were or mixes best. Would you agree? And if you do, at this point, we've come so far". Anyway the what styles would the band like to try? recordings of the first album were really hazy times. Eetu: Actually, we didn't give too much of a thought to what kind of songs or genre we wanted to do. Usually it goes like, if someone brings a tasty riff You included two covers on the new album, ‘Concrete and Steel’ and ‘Love Will Tear Us Apart’. or a song skeleton into rehearsals, we just jam it Which one would you say most accurately points along and try to get the feel of it. Sometimes some riffs or melodies just have a special vibe to them, we to the ssSHEENSss of the future? Eetu: Well, the ZZ Top cover is a forward-going and might think that "hey, this part could be on some Beatles record" and work around with that, although really fun song to play and the LWTUA represents a different, more brooding side of our stuff. They both the rest of the song could be very different. Good ideas develop into songs almost instantly and other show the direction to which ssSHEENSss is evolving, I believe that in the future the extremities audible in usually come up later with a different kind of approach to it. our music may move even further away from each The latter is how we ended up to record tracks other. like "Wolf Street Blues" and "Adios, Fucker!". At first Harri: ZZ Top is a more close to our own sound and

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basic groove. When we really get the ssSHEENSss engine going we're rocking with uptempo beat with heavy hand riffs. About the future ssSHEENSss I think elements from both covers can be found. Obviously, your audience is going to be the rockers, but who else do you think would find the band interesting? Eetu: We have some heavier elements there, too, so metalheads might also find something they like. Our live shows have lately been a blast and full-on party

time and they've gotten people of all ages and genres dancing and having a good time. Harri: I hope guitar players and music enthusiasts in general will enjoy our stuff. Our singer Mikko is a very talented and versatile with his voice so anyone into good music will find ssSHEENss interesting.

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Their latest EP is 'Where The Underdogs Bark', and it's available now through Soulseller Records. No better time then, for Stoodge to catch up with unit's commander Stud Bronson to discuss the record. Firebrand After Dark 20

Hey guys! Your new mini LP 'Where The Underdogs Bark' has been out for a month or so now. How has the record been received? Allright ! The reaction has been very good indeed. Great reviews all over and it has become an underground buzz about it which is good of course. We are very pleased with the welcome it has gotten.

Emperor anniversary gigs.

Can you tell us about the tracks included on the release? It is 7 tracks of pure toughness. Half Human Half Dynamite is about being a total motherfucking badass oldschool style. Where The Underdogs Bark is about, as the title suggests, being an underdog and proud of it, and protest against every thing modern. Hell Is Full is a cover of the old underground band Medieval. It was released originally in 1986. It's a forgotten underground diamond, and nobody makes music like that anymore. Street Judges Gavel is about the unwritten laws of the street. Erection Of The Egoist is about being horny in an evil way and only think about oneself. The Devil Of Mine is about the demons in a hunted individualistic mind, ..and liking it! 1980's Ladies is a tribute to how women looked in the 80's which was much better than today. They liked good bands back then and dressed accordingly and sexy. It was originally recorded by a band called Circus Circus in 1980. It consisted of Blackie Lawless from WASP 3 years before he started Wasp. It was only recorded as a demo back then. I changed the lyrics, but kept the refrasin. So its more a remake than a cover as we punked it up a bit too.

What's your honest opinion on the current music scene in Oslo? It is very healthy and very much alive. Tons of gigs all the time and lots of rock, punk and metal events.

Is the Studfaust project something that could snowball in the future and become a priority, or do you feel you already spend adequate time on the venture? I am open for anything. I just wanna ROCK! Personally I would like to make more music.

'Where The Underdogs Bark' is of course available via Soulseller Records. How supportive has Jorn and the rest of the crew over there been to you guys? Jorn is a very reliable guy and I am glad we worked with him. The actual release was a smooth affair. I'd work with him again without hesitation. Time for a hypothetical question now. As your music is heavily fueled by Motorhead, which facet, part or organ of Lemmy's body would you love to inherit? There's so damn many to choose from. His brain and his warts. ha ha ha ! Nobody writes better lyrics than Lemmy. Shakespeare go home!

Was there much time spent on the record prior to recording it? About 1 year I suppose. Studfaust is indeed a side-project. Can you tell about your other involvements within the scene? I play in BĂśmbers which is a Motorhead tribute I have had for 18 years with Abbath from Immortal and our old mate Pez who is an old punk drummer. In addition to that we have revived our old band The Batallion. Other than that I do guest appearances here and there. BĂĽrd Faust just finished the

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Sword Art Online: Hollow Fragment - New 12 bonus Battlefield 4 Gold Battlepacks Battlefield 4 is an action-packed blockbuster patch with massive content available now! After a successful launch across Europe, Middle-East and Australasia, Sword Art Online: Hollow Fragment benefits from a huge free update bringing tons of content and features to fans! To pursue Kirito’s adventure further, the level cap has been increased from level 200 to 250, along with this massive improvement; a new area is accessible to gain more experience and explore the game broader than ever! `This new odyssey will feature 10 new weapons and tons of updated weapons for the player’s characters. What is the use of new swords/knives without new monsters to slay?! The above list of improvements and new content are just the tip of the iceberg for new features offered in this massive free update! The excitement and good news doesn’t stop here: a DLC Special Costume Pack is still available to download for free until November 19th!

Battlefield 4 Premium Edition Coming This October Get ready to own more and be more with the Battlefield 4 Premium Edition. Packed with content, the Battlefield 4 Premium Edition includes an intense single-player campaign as well as the award-winning multiplayer experience found in Battlefield 4 that lets players experience the rush of all-out-warfare on land, air and sea. The Battlefield 4 Premium Edition also delivers fans a Battlefield 4 Premium membership* which provides access to five themed digital expansion packs with tons of multiplayer content including 20 maps, game modes, a variety of weapons and vehicles and more. The Battlefield 4 Premium Edition will be available on Origin for PC starting October 21 priced at £39.99. From October 24, it will be available in the UK via Digital Download on PlayStation 4, Xbox One (both priced at £54.99) and PlayStation 3 (priced at £39.99). The Battlefield 4 Premium Edition includes all of the following: Engage in all-out warfare with award-winning multiplayer, and intense single-player missions delivered in Battlefield 4 5 expansion packs featuring multiplayer maps and in-game content: Battlefield 4 Second Assault Battlefield 4 China Rising Battlefield 4 Naval Strike Battlefield 4 Dragon’s Teeth Battlefield 4 Final Stand coming Fall 2014 Exclusive personalization options including camos, paints, emblems, dog tags and more Priority position in server queues

with unrivaled team-based multiplayer, dynamic destructible environments and epic vehicular combat. Featuring best-in-class multiplayer and first-person shooter action, theBattlefield 4 Premium Edition lets players experience deep, rich content ranging from the majestic landscape in Battlefield 4 China Rising amphibious action in Battlefield 4 Naval Strike to urban combat in Battlefield 4 Dragon's Teeth to the experimental high-tech warfare in the arctic landscape of Battlefield 4 Final Stand.

Deep Dungeons of Doom is pretty rad and now on Steam Bossa Studios invites you into the Deep Dungeons of Doom, available now on Steam! Developed in partnership with MiniBoss Studios in Brazil, Deep Dungeons of Doom is an old-school 8-bit adventure that is sure to reignite glorious gaming memories of dungeon days gone by. Deceptively simple to play yet devilishly difficult to master, this Rogue-like Dungeon Crawler is not for the faint-hearted. Step into the boots of the Crusader, robes of the Witch or hood of the Mercenary and take on multitudes of monsters that will require all of your cunning, skills and tactics to defeat! The reward for your endeavours? The Deepest Dungeon of Doom. Never before has evil existed on such a massive scale! With animation from Glauber Kotaki (Rogue Legacy) and art by Pedro Medeiros & Amora Bettany (Towerfall) Deep Dungeons of Doom also features the kind of retro soundtrack that will have you gaming like it's 1985! Cassettes may not be available (sadly) but you can download the whole thing right here: http:// bossastudios.bandcamp.com/album/deepdungeons-of-doom-original-soundtrack Deep Dungeon of Doom is available now on Steam, priced £3.99/$4.99/€4.99: http://store.steampowered.com/app/325090/ Previously available as a free-to-play mobile game, Deep Dungeons of Doom will soon re-launch as a newly re-balanced premium app on iOS and Android devices, removing all in-app purchases, priced £2.99/$4.99/€4.49 Owners of the original iOS version will be able to download the new game for free!

WildStar: State of the Game Blog Post from Product Director Mike Donatelli Hi everyone, To build upon our last update on the state of WildStar, we wanted to share some more details on

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what exactly you can expect from our next big content update. I know you’ve all been waiting for this one, and probably wondering what we’re putting in it after all this time. Well the short answer is, more than we’ve put into any update so far. New Content WildStar is a big game, and it’s about to get bigger. With our next content update, you’ll be exploring the next two chapters of content, “Mystery of the Genesis Prime” and “Journey to OMNIcore-1”. “Mystery” introduces a new zone for level 50 players, The Defile. Battling against The Strain, you’ll finally discover the secrets of Drusera, The Entity, the Eldan and how they’re all related to Planet Nexus, secrets that you’ve been slowly uncovering from the start of WildStar. But don’t pat yourself on the back too soon, that mystery you’ve just solved opens up an even more epic story as Journey to OMNICore-1 introduces you into the galaxy-spanning Nexus Saga. We’ve added content for players of all stripes, from lore-filled immersive solo content, to fast and furious 5-player quests and massive 20-player public events. New Lore As you make your way through these new zones, you’re going to unearth a lot of lore through the form of new datacubes, quests, collectibles and places to discover. You’ll put some old secrets to rest and discover new mysteries along the way. Best of all, you’ll be experiencing this new lore in an entirely new fashion. Starting with Journey to OMNICore-1, NPCs will be fully voiced, making the story easier to digest and more immersive. Our top-notch cinematics team has been hard at work providing even more great video content in this update, making the story come alive with some of our best cinematic scenes to date. And you’ll have multiple ways to experience the story, with branching paths and choices along the way that yield different loot, datacubes and information depending on what paths you take. You’ll want to play through this update multiple times (did we mention it’s repeatable) to experience all there is to see. And of course, new loot for all the hoarders out there. New Features and Improvements Our fans matter most, and the devs at Carbine are always listening. We’ve heard you and made some key improvements in areas you’ve requested. · With this new update, you can now skip the tutorial in case you’re rolling alts but don’t want to sit through stuff you’re already familiar with. · We’re making edits to lower levels (6 – 14) like adding rental mount vendors for low level zones and adding more runecrafting stations and lesser runes to increase player power and decrease levelling time during the early hours. · We’re also adjusting ELO matching, decreasing the amount of rating you and your party loses after being defeated. · We’re updating the rune system by giving the ability to unlock and reroll slots, and making some

tweaks to the randomness of drops. · We’re reducing dye costs as well, meaning that players will get more opportunities to utilize the dye system and customize their character. · More gold will be rewarded for activities at the lower levels, giving players more currency to play with, buying new housing items, gear and other fancy doodads. · Housing will also be getting a great new feature, as now players will be able to not only remodel their home but also the music that plays on their housing plots. And in addition to all the above (yes there’s more, we told you this drop was HUGE) we are improving combat balance across all classes, making revisions to ability and support powers and (drumroll please), we’re adding more client optimization tweaks meaning that you’ll see the glorious sights of Nexus in more frames per second than ever before. Bug Fixes and Tweaks Also coming in this next update, there are plenty of big fixes for issues that fans have been asking for. We’re doing some major housecleaning to areas like UI, balancing, game performance, tradeskills, housing, adventures and much more. Bugs tied to items, like the Protection item special that used to break a Stalker out of Stealth, are being patched. Bugs from boss fights are also being fixed, so the Vulcarrion Healer in the Scorchwing World Boss fight will now properly decrement Interrupt Armor when interrupts are used, for example. Some players felt the world was too big to travel around quickly, so we’re making a few adjustments there as well. In addition to the rental mount vendors mentioned earlier, Capital City Transmat spells (Transmat to Thayd and Transmat to Illium) have had their cooldown times reduced from 24 hours to 30 minutes. If you want to know everything about what’s being changed in WildStar with this next update, here is the link to the upcoming patch notes - all 100+ pages of it. Unfortunately, due to time requirements, we have to put these notes out in English only for the time being. We wanted to get these out to you ASAP, so FR and DE versions will follow as soon as our hardworking localization team has finished them. And There’s More to Come All of what we’ve just covered is coming up in the next WildStar update, but there’s so much more on the horizon. As we look ahead to the end of this year and into the next, we have even more exciting plans to share. Some of these you’ll be hearing about in our next State of the Game update in the coming weeks. Just like you’ve shown your dedication to WildStar, we’re in it for the long haul too. Together, we will continue working tirelessly to make this the best experience for our fans and make Nexus your home for years to come.

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Until next time, see you on Nexus! http://www.wildstar-online.com/uk/news/201410-10-state-of-the-game

Jagged Alliance: Flashback Gets Last Major Update Ahead of Jagged Alliance: Flashback’s October 21st launch, Full Control has today released the last major content update before launch. In addition to unlocking the Angetta and Secret Sectors, making the game now content complete, Full Control has implemented an Energy System, a Morale System, new weapons and a strategic map overhaul. Players can download the Early Access version of Jagged Alliance: Flashback already at its final retail price of $29.99, £24.99, €29.99: http:// store.steampowered.com/app/256010/ New Jagged Alliance: Flashback Update Features: · Energy System: The energy system aims to create the feeling of exhaustion or vigoration at appropriate times. A unit will run low on energy after sprinting for several consecutive turns, simulating being out of breath, exhaustion or even unconsciousness. · Morale System: Every mercenary has their own morale rating. If a unit is shot the morale is reduced. This can cause both the enemy and the player to panic, run away or make deadly mistakes. · Drop & Loot system: has been substantially revised, containers are now accessible throughout the game. · New enemy spawn system: provides enemies with more varied equipment according to specific experience level and assigns them to unique squads. · Improved enemy AI: enemies will now go into cover, move or change stance and use their equipment to the best of their ability · 15 new iconic weapons: New handguns, SMGs, assault- and sniper rifles · All Sectors unlocked: All Sectors from the final game can now be accessed and explored! · Strategic Map UI Overhaul

serves as a collector’s item for both FINAL FANTASY fans and MMORPG players. The “Game of the Year” edition comes in a high quality, printed “Book of Diamonds” Grimoire box, contains 5 exclusive art cards and includes 30 days of playtime, as well as a digital timecard for an additional 60 free days of adventure in the realms of Eorzea, In total, 90 days of playtime to experience all of the high level content this MMO offers. With this limited special edition, players will have access to the main game as well as the content of all the updates “A Realm Awoken”, “Through the Maelstrom”, “Defenders of Eorzea”, and the latest update “Dreams of Ice”, scheduled for release later this month. With these updates the game offers not only a rich, epic and expanding story but also a multitude of new in-game features: two action-packed PvP modes, numerous unique races and classes, a multi-layered crafting system, housing, chocobo raising, monster hunting, and countless dungeons, monsters, raids and challenging boss fights in the fascinating world of Final Fantasy! If you haven’t played Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn yet, check out the free trial version for PC which you can download here: www.ffxivfreetrial.com. This version comes with 14 days free playtime and allows for character development until level 20. Related Links Official Website: http://eu.finalfantasyxiv.com/ lodestone/ Free Trail Version: http://ffxiv-freetrial.com Official Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ FinalFantasyXIV Official YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/user/ FINALFANTASYXIV Official Twitter: @FF_XIV_EN

Limited “Game Of The Year” Edition Of Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn To Be Released 14th November Comes with exclusive “Book of Diamonds” box and includes 90 days of playtime, access to all updates and 5 art cards LONDON (13th October, 2014) – Square Enix Ltd., today announced a limited “Game of the Year” edition of FINAL FANTASY® XIV: A Realm Reborn™ for PC will be available from 14th November 2014. Packed with bonus content, this edition

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For any review requests please contact the Firebrand After Dark team at afterdark@firebrandrr.co.uk

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Nachtblut - Chimonas Label: Napalm Records Reviewer: Stephen Brophy Website: http://www.nachtblut.com/

As their name may indicate Nachtblut are a German band that play a melodic mix of Death/Black Metal and a bit more besides, who in places definitely remind me of Cradle Of Filth and throw in a little bit of Rammstein when they add some anthemic sections to a couple of the tracks here. Chimonas is their fifth studio album and again coming out on the Napalm Records label, this is an interesting mix of styles and delivery which leads to a slightly less dark composition than maybe many would like, but it's bloody good. Let me get one thing out of the way right from the start, Nachtblut are a German band and they sing in their own language, I know some people will have issues with this, personally I've never understood that stance, since I was a kid I've listened to bands from all over the world making the same styles of music and hearing vocals in a bands native language doesn't have to detract from the end result, in fact there are some bands that if they sang in English I think the music would loose some of it's power, and it's the same here, even if you don't know what all of the lyrics mean it doesn't mean that you can't feel the power and the passion of the music, the emotion that is delivered from the vocals, it's still all there.

Released: 3 October 2014 Highlight: Schwarz

a cross between a fairground and cabaret/dance hall, and the spoken word beginning almost adds something extra to this before we add more power and aggression, it builds anticipation as it develops and you can feel and want more to come, but they keep the lid tight at a certain level, which is pretty cool. "Schwarz" holds true to it's name and is dark and aggressive, definitely one of the albums heavier tracks, and it's five minutes of power again pierced with a couple of moments of clarity and pace changes that keeps it all interesting and holds the listeners attention.

Maybe every track doesn't need to have an into but the band have clearly worked hard on the theme of this album and "Dort Wo Die KrĂ¤hen Im Kreise Fliegen" focuses a little more on the vocal leaving a little of the power in the music in the background and again fits in well breaking things up a little, "MĂ¤rchen" for me definitely has a bit of a vibe of Rammstein from it, not necessarily with the industrial feel, but more with the vocal delivery and accentuations , still it's a bloody good song, "TĂśte Mich" keeps the whole thing going and at this point I'm starting Anyway, back to the to hope this isn't the album, we kick off with penultimate track on the track "Gotteskrieger" which is a powerhouse right the album, but it is, and although I don't want to harp on out of the gates, it's straight up melodic blackened about this, I really think the music and vocal would marry Death Metal, every instrument is clear and crisp and as well and work as well together has this have been this is a great way to start an album. Next up is "Wien sung in English. The album finishes off with the title track 1683" about the Siege of Vienna in 1683 and the track "Chimonas" and there's no peaceful into here, it's right begins with an almost Folk Metal intro, which is pretty in your face with a skull crushing riff right out of the cool and somehow leads perfectly into the song itself. gate, for me this is the darkest track on the album, and "Wie Got Sein" starts with a peaceful piano into that it doesn't let up at all. soon folds into a grinding, brooding mix where at times the backing vocals are very reminiscent of Cradle of If Nachtblut are a band you don't know much about or Filth, at least to my ears, but that's not to say that it haven't heard before then do yourself a huge favour and detracts from the music in any way, the track that folget your ears wrapped around this little beauty, the mix lows "Kalt Wie Ein Grab" follows along the same vein, and in some ways just doesn't work here as perhaps a they generate is a main part of their appeal, a different sounding band clearly with a lot of talent, I'm off to check change in pace would have added a little to the vibe. out some of their earlier albums. Have to say a lot of the song intros on this album are very different and quite interesting and almost fun, "Und Immer Wenn Die Nacht Anbricht" for example is almost

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Xerath - III Label: Candlelight Records Reviewer: Joey Lowebins Website: https://www.facebook.com/xerathuk

2014’s most anticipated album for tech metal fans see’s Basingstoke’s Xerath release the follow up to II with album III (surprisingly enough). Seventy odd minutes and 14 tracks see the band pick up where they left off, and some.

Released: 16 September 2014 Highlight: Death Defiant

Clean’. Make no mistake about it, the quartet really take this album up a notch. ‘Death Defiant’ has that early Fear Factory style feel to it, crunching riffs, pounding double bass with the added bonus of snarling vocals.

Producer Jacob Hansen’s (Volbeat & Epica) effort on this album makes it sparkle. Musically, with new Expect this album to smash through the metal charts, it guitarist Conor McGouran, the four piece have created, is that damn good. quite frankly, a masterpiece. This album will appeal to all metal heads, especially From the grand opening of ‘I Hold Dominion’ to the two those into the Djent/Prog/Tech scene. part closing of ‘Veil’, every track is brutal yet beautiful thanks to the string quartet which add to the Hats off to Xerath for what is one of the highlights of experience, most notably on the epic ‘Bleed This Body 2014 in metal, and quite possibly the album of the year.

Bella Morte - Exorcisms Label: Metropolis Records Reviewer: Gavin Griffiths Website: http://bellamorte.com/

Back last year, Charlottesville’s Bella Morte released the ‘best of’ compilation, ‘1996 – 2013’, which saw them mark seventeen years (an awkward number at best) as not just a band, but a melodic, alternative goth band, which in any case is impressive given the cult-like existence of the genre, however the collection wasn’t a farewell or, the final nail in their coffin; on the contrary… it’s acted as a milestone in the bands career as they continue to write and create new music, which leads us to 2014, and the brand new album; “Exorcisms”. What are they trying to vanquish?

Released: 28 October 2014 Highlight: Water Through Sand

include ‘The Dark’, a beautifully sullen, synth-driven number, and, the cheeky cover of Depeche Mose’s 1987 hit ‘Never Let Me Down Again’ which has been more than respectfully done. The rest of the album consists of generally mournful tracks as somewhat expected from the genre, but nothing unpleasant.

For a band seemingly intent on wiping the slate clean and starting afresh, they haven’t really altered a great deal, to be honest the casual fan might suggest there is no change at all, but let’s remember the style in which they play is the style in which they are renowned, a shift We start off with the title track, and straight away we in can see that musically, there’s nothing really new going direction doesn’t necessarily work for everyone. The on here; the band have retained their ambient, sorrowful change has come from within, from the heart of the tone, but lyrically you can clearly hear the ideology of new band and the way they approach writing, something’s beginnings. Lines such as ‘light this fire and burn what spurned a new lease of life, and if it means more albums has been, leave it behind…’ indicating a new attitude and in the future, cast out your demons of doubt and a fresh start. embrace it; this is a solid album. ‘Water Through Sand’, whilst keeping in line with the atmospheric feel of the album, turns up the guitars just enough to deliver an edgier rock ballad, with vocalist Andy Deane’s deeper notes reminiscent of the likes of CHARON, an album highlight. Elsewhere, other highlights

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Posthum - The Black Northern Ritual Label: Indie Records Released: 17 October 2014 Reviewer: Stephen Brohpy Highlight: Into The Pits Website: https://www.facebook.com/posthumofficial

Posthum are a Norwegian Black Metal band that sit around the modern side of the genre rather than the straight forward old school. On their 10th anniversary as a band they release their third full length studio album The Black Northern Ritual, which once again mixes the old with the new, to me it's generally in the intros and breaks in tracks that the band break out and introduce some of their more complex and varied work. The Black Northern Ritual appears to be on the surface more of an out and out Black Metal album than it's predecessor Lights Out was, and I honestly don't think that is a bad thing at all. As a three piece Posthum have the ability talent to create good quality work and you can pick out some excellent guitar and vocals throughout, but at the same time there is nothing new about anything they are creating here, and at times the tracks wander on a little bit to much in segments that become a little repetitious, for example some of you may find it odd in the middle of an album of seven tracks there is an instrumental that's a bit one paced as "Vinter" is.

bit, the vocals become a bit more sporadic, and maybe the track is just a bit over long, plus there's just not enough of variance from the tried and tested formula. This is followed by the instrumental "Vinter" that just does nothing for me at all, leaves me cold and I just can't see where it's adding any value to the album, it doesn't really link anything together not does it provide a break from anything, and in itself it's very one paced and drudging, more of a doom or sludge effort.

"A Disappearing Sun" brings us back to normality and again is a decent track but nothing mind blowing, I'm just not feeling that there's enough changes or differences here to take it to another level, it's just good without being great. This track doesn't really mark itself out from being a standard black metal track, and at the end of the day that's probably the main criticism of the album as a whole. The last track is an almost eleven minute monster, and does move about a bit and have changes in it, but again I think they've gone a bit to far with it, this piece could easily have had a few minutes chopped off it "Demon Black Skies" opens affairs and is a model and kept the attention a bit more, I know I'm sounding modern Black Metal track, and is a really good start to very negative here, but there is plenty to like about this the album, everything is built around a central riff and band, but can certainly play and know what they are that slightly thin drum sound, with Jon's raking vocals doing in their style, but maybe some more attention to laid on top of them. The promising start is continued with the smaller points and they would be stretching out from "Condemned" and "Into The Pit", it's not anything life where they are and releasing a top quality album, for me altering, but it's really good, and both tracks keep the The Black Northern Ritual just doesn't quite get there, listener bound to the music right to the end of the tracks but the next album might. as they tail off into darkness. Sadly for me the title track "The Black Northern Ritual" starts to loose me behind a

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Active Heed - Higher Dimensions Label: Self Release Released: 30 June 2014 Reviewer: Rob Birtley Highlight: Crop Squares Website: https://www.facebook.com/ActiveHeed

Active Heed is the brain child of Umberto Pagnini from Milan Italy who is a big fan of progressive rock, writes the lyrics and the music, without being involved himself in the performance so this album is unusual in more ways than one.

Floyd track then shifting focus into the vibe of Saga do have to say this track sounds more original than most on this album but it’s still obviously derivative. The vocal though is to far distant and is a tad muted. ’Crop Squares’ is firmly back in the realms of the early four member Genesis line-up and works best of all the ‘Higher Dimensions’ is Active Heed’s second out homages in this album. I could go on and on track by carrying on from the 2013 realise ‘Vision from Realities’ track but I see little point in repeating myself. the only current member of the line-up from this album being singer Per Fredrik Åsly, aka PelleK, the rest the OK so all the Classic Prog ingredients are present. band is as follows Cristiano Roversi (Moongarden, Vintage Keyboard flourishes with plenty of Hammond Mangalla Vallis) on keyboards and bass, but also in thrown in, good Acoustic Guitar, that laid back upper charge of arrangements, Gian Maria Roveda class English Vocal if a bit distant and dry, they have the (Moongarden, Mangalla Vallis) on drums and Mirco tempo changes down to a tee but what this release Ravenoldi (Catafalchi del Cyber) on guitar. What are you lacks is individuality. I know I’m old but I’ve heard and going to hear on this album well think of mid period seen this all done before with greater panache and Genesis, shades of Gentle Giant, muted Pendragon with more originality. What is missing is the emotional a touch of Marillion in places in fact a little bit of most attachment of a band doing their own thing you do get Prog bands including the heavier grooves of Dream the distinct feeling this is just a well-tuned bunch of hired Theatre and Porcupine Tree I did say this guy was a big guns playing with little conviction to another’s tune and I Prog fan. think that describes Active Heed in a nutshell. It is definitely the product of a mind that has on tap all the The work begins with ‘The War of Tempos’ has a touch classic parts of a certain 70’s/80’s Prog and I know a of Metal going on especially in its opening. Parts remind lot of Prog Fans will dig this tribute to what has gone of Steven Wilson’s band and it has the same wistful before. I find well you may have the knowledge and all the quality. ‘Far Scape’ opens up almost note for note like best ingredients but that doesn’t guarantee a Great ‘Eleventh Earl of Mar’. It has the same vintage keyboard Cake you need a little bit more than that. Listening to sound and intricate acoustic guitar playing but none of this album a number of times in a row as I have to do the emotional charged angst of the Phil Collins vocal. ‘A during the course of reviewing I keep thinking ‘This line is Little Bit Expired’ is and apt name for the third track. It from that song’ and after a while it gets a little annoying. sounds like early Hogarth era Marillion that’s just a bit past its sell-by date. ‘Gaps in Time’ is back in the Genesis sphere this time bringing ‘The Giant Hogweed’ to mind in its quieter moments. ‘Multiple Replies’ opens like a Pink

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Varathron - Untrodden Corridors Of Hades Label: Agonia Records Released: 25 November 2014 Reviewer: Stephen Brophy Highlight: Delve Into The Past Website: https://www.facebook.com/VarathronOfficial

Certainly not newcomers to the scene and one of the best known Greek Black Metal bands, Varathron have been around since the very late 1980's, but strangely enough this is only their fifth studio album release, but the quality of what's gone before will still leave me eager to see what is being offered on Untrodden Corridors Of Hades. Being Greek it's not that much of a surprise that they had such close affiliations with Rotting Christ, sharing members at times in the earliest incarnations of the band. Although only retaining one original member of the band, Necroabyssious, but they have had a very settled lineup over the last six or seven years and they have always held close to their sound and they are still a very powerful force. If you are looking for something trendy or gimmicky you have come to the wrong place, this is proper classic sounding Black Metal album which generates atmosphere and still manages to deliver some very different sounding tracks.

line that runs perfectly along with the guitar work, and a crushing vocal, one of my favourite tracks on the album, I'm not sure why but Greek bands seem to have the ability to blend dark music with melodies so easily.

"Arcane Conjuring" follows along similar lines, with a slightly slower delivery, but again a really well crafted track that could possibly help them reach outside of the extreme genres as there is an almost Prog feel to it at times. Even in the quieter moments there's a certain power generated that pushes everything along. Both "Leprocious Lord" and "The Bright Trapezium" keep everything ticking along very nicely, with the former being grim, dark and finishing with a flurry in a hail of guitar and drums, while the former is one of the faster paced tracks, it just keeps pushing you the aggression cut through with small breaks help to elevate the track above normal standards of an average Black Metal song. The penultimate track is "Death Chant" which The album starts off in fine style with the rather epic stays above the bar they have raised here, musically "Kabalistic Inovcation Of Solomon" which builds on an there's a flow to everything, there's no stop start here, introduction of chants through ever darkening no weirdness that doesn't fit with what they are trying to segments and vocals dragged from the depths, the create. For me the standout track on the album is the music is built in layers, it's no blast beat marathon, when closer "Delve Into The Past" this is a gripping, almost speed is needed and where it suits the song it's there in mix of Black and Death Metal in places, the vocals of spades, but only where there's a purpose for it. There Necroabyssious are like all through the album excellent, may only be seven tracks on offer, but presenting over while being ably assisted by a very strong musical fifty minutes of music with a sinister edge, classic but background that has made this one of the best Black not old and boring is becoming more and more difficult Metal albums of the year for me, having not been lucky as time goes on, but they have certainly managed to do enough to have caught them live year I really hope I do it here. Next up is "Realm Of Obscure" which manages soon, this is excellent work and should be well received to maintain an almost melodic riff throughout while by fans of the band and the genre alike. being surrounded by powerful blast beats and a bass

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The Birthday Massacre - Superstition Label: Metropolis Records Reviewer: Gavin Griffiths Website:

Music is a funny old thing. On one hand, you get bands who feel they have a constant sense of responsibility to strive to evolve, try new things…and on the other hand, you get some bands that, when they have found their niche, they stick to it like glue because it works so well, and their fans lap up it u without question. One of these bands is The Birthday Massacre. The Canadian synthpop outfit pretty much started as they meant to go on, releasing their debut album ‘Nothing And Nowhere’ and never looking back. Over the past decade they’ve had a consistent stream of albums and EP’s, never really changing, just getting better at what they do over time, which aptly leads us to their newest album; ‘Superstition’. Let’s blow out the candles on this cake and get stuck in…

Released: 11 November 2014 Highlight: Surrender

musically but having more of an 80’s feel to the track, which is far from a bad thing given that was the decade this genre was pioneered. Whereas the Canadian’s never truly get heavy, there are moments of welcome darkness sprinkled within the album, on tracks such as ‘Destroyer’ and ‘The Other Side’ where the guitars play a more prominent role, but it’s on tracks like ‘Surrender’ and ‘Oceania’ where they shine in all their synthesized glory.

Bruce Lee once famously said; ‘I fear not the man who has practised 10,000 kicks once, but I fear the man who has practised one kick 10,000 times’…this analogy applies to ‘Superstition’…it sounds a great deal like all the albums that have come before it, but it’s damn well Opening track ‘Divide’ is classic Birthday Massacre; soft, rehearsed and you’ll be pushed to find a band that does pulsing electronica, Chibi’s vocals delicate for the most what The Birthday Massacre do, better than The part, lulling and sweet drawing you into the record; it’s a Birthday Massacre do; a great album. quaint start. ‘Diaries’ is just as easy on the ears, with the melodic notes of keyboard player Owen layered over the simple foundations set down by drummer Rhim allowing for some very light listening. The title track has more of a retro vibe about it, retaining the same characteristics

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Inquisitor - Walpurgis - Sabbath Of Lust Label: Hammerheart Records Released: 24 November 2014 Reviewer: Stephen Brophy Highlight: Damnation For The Holy Website: http://members.chello.nl/~wep.vandervalk/Wim%20Inquisitor%20main.htm

Inquisitor were a Death/Thrash band in the 80's hailing from the Netherlands and upon splitting their drummer Wim Van Der Valk went onto become one of the original members of the legandary Dutch Death Metal band Centurian. Forming in 1992 Inquisitor only released one album Walpurgis - Sabbath Of Lust in 1996 after three Demo's in 1992-93. Now the album is being re-released by Hammerheart Records, and it's pretty cool to see some of the older and more difficult to find material being re-released and given a new lease of life.

every track stamps it's own mark on your head, which isn't easy to do with a collection this fast and powerful, "Trial Of Denial" and "Chaos Of Eden" keep slamming away at your brain, eating into your skull, and this album should always be mentioned as one of the classics of it's era, had this been released late 80's I think Inquisitor would have been a much more widely known name. There are breaks from the norm every now and then, the brief into to "Jehovas Downfall" for example may lead us to believe something different is to follow to break up the crazy speed roller coaster we are on, but no, not a Right from the opening bars of "Damnation For The Holy" chance, this is consistently aggressive and in your face. there are no illusions here, this album is going to beat There really isn't anything terribly sophisticated here, just you into submission and run over your corpse like a a band as tight as you would want them to be playing at freight train, this doesn't sound like a band from eighteen the top of their game, "Crypt Of Confession" years ago, this is fresh and so on the nail aggressive and demonstrates, while "Unholy Seeds" allows us to hear beyond the level of what most bands try to produce some nice bass these days, it may lines from Hans not be full of the Pos, everyone in most intricate the band has a and complex hand on the work there's ever finished product been, but four here, and it's a minutes in I'm still great job done. A trying to pick up short an not my face off the sweet in the least floor. The vocals track is "Cry Of of Alex Wesdjik The Christians" are the perfect which again just mix with Eric pummels you into Sprooten submission. The (Ancient Rites) slightly odd into guitar work. With to "Fallen eleven tracks on Missionary" is soon replaced by whirling guitar and show the pace doesn't let up at all. "Consuming Christ" blasting drums, really shredding stuff here again. The continues the theme here, Wim's drumming to the fore album ends with an eight and a half minute dark and on this track, This really is the type of album you can grim track named after the band themselves, "Inquisitor" stick on when times aren't great and you thing the world explodes into life and brings us nothing short of what we around you is falling to crap and it will give you the kick are now expecting, deep hate filled backing vocals are a up the ass to move on and remember there's more nice addition on this one. going on than your own crap, it will definitely clear out the cobwebs, it's great to listen to an album without To me there is no doubt that this album should be very pretensions and allow it to be what it is, extreme in the much in the collection of any heay Thrash or Death extreme, it's an almost perfect mix of Thrash and Death, metal fan, and the fact that if can be re-released now and it's mixed styles within songs, a perfect example and still automatically have the same effect on you being "Condemned Saints", when it relents it's a more means it's already lasted the test of time, if you don't Thrash track and when it's gone to another place it's have this album then get it and if you do have it dig it out Death aggression is just excellent. of the collection tonight and give it a spin, if you can And this kind of thing runs through the whole album, it's not just one thing or another, with the exception perhaps of the lyrical content which is very much anti-Christianity,

afford to have your face melted again. Brilliant stuff.

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White Empress - Rise Of The Empress Label: Peaceville Records Reviewer: Lee Walker Website: http://www.whiteempress.com/

Unless you have been living under a rock or in a remote cave for the past year or so you would have heard of White Empress. Formed by former Cradle Of Filth guitar master Paul Allender WE soon gathered momentum and thanks to a hugely successful Pledge Music campaign ‘Rise of The Empress’ is now unveiled to the world curtesy of Peaceville Records.

Released: 29 September 2014 Highlight: Erased And Rewritten

them being done by Mary Zimmer from Luna Mortis seamlessly changing between death metal howling and operatic set pieces in the blink of an eye as the story of ‘Rise of The Empress’ unfolds.

As albums go ‘Rise of The Empress’ puts on the good solid show that you would expect and is guaranteed to annoy the Hell out of your neighbour’s but I suspect White Empress was always going to have Cradle that it’s the live arena where these guys really will make comparisons due to Paul’s COF background and true to their mark where I will be surprised if White Empress do form ‘Rise of The Empress’ not only sounds similar to not overtake COF. COF with its multi layered style and haunting vocals, it is also released as a concept album. Vocals are the expected male/female split with most of

Tarnkappe - Tussen Hun En De Zon Label: Hammerheart Records Released: 13 October 2014 Reviewer: Joey Lowebins Highlight: To Wade In The Blood Website: https://www.facebook.com/tarnkappeblackmetal

What a year this is turning out to be for underground soon enough. With them due to do some touring too Black Metal. Numerous releases that have been this is a band I would definitely try and take in. reviewed in this magazine by your truly and this one, this one may be the best yet. And this next set of BM pioneers come from Holland, not usually a country renowned for BM but these guys have created something special. On the first play of this album it literally gave me goose bumps, the production of the album creates this incredible atmosphere that sucks you in from start to finish. There is a Darkthrone vibe on this album for sure but they also add their own stamp on it which makes it that even more haunting. The vocals are hellish (sung in three languages), the guitars down tuned, what more could you want from a BM album? The riffs are simple as are the drums, nothing over complicated on here. With influences of Burzum clearly heard throughout the band really have a firm grip on how to create a fine piece of BM. The band have already claimed that album number two is complete, and off the back of this one it can’t come

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Anaal Narthrakh - Desideratum Label: Metal Blade Records Released: 24 October 2014 Reviewer: Joey Lowebins Highlight: Idol Website: https://www.facebook.com/Anaalnathrakhofficial

Metal Blade Records have, in Metal terms a pretty impressive roster of bands signed up, and their newest recruits Anaal Nathrakh slot right in amongst them perfectly.

The band hit the road for five live dates in the UK in October and finish in Norway in November. And that Norway date is a sign of how big the band have become, as we all know Norway like there BM and off the back of this new album they will love them more.

The British Black Metal/Industrial/Grindcore duo have released album number eight. The beauty of this band is the fact that is in just two of them creating this outstanding music, Irrumator (Mick Kenney) handling all instruments (bass, drums, drum programming and guitars) and V.I.T.R.I.O.L on vocals. Opening track Acheronta Movebimus is a brutal instrumental introduction and a sign of things to come on the rest of the album. Metal as it should be, fast, brutal, relentless and heavy as f**k! Down tuned guitars and vocals ranging from screeching howls, to melodic choruses all which can be found on the track ‘Idol’.

Psychostick - IV: Revenge Of The Vengeance Label: Rock Ridge Music Reviewer: Lee Walker Website: http://www.psychostick.com/

Released: 4 November 2014 Highlight: Obey The Beard

Chicago based beard wielding nutjobs Psychostick return with their forth album (yes somehow those crazy guys have managed to release more music upon the world ~ personally I blame the beards). In ‘IV: Revenge of The Vengeance’ you have more craziness and beard than ever before, weighing in at a whopping twenty one beard bending tracks of strictly tongue in cheek craziness and general insanity with song titles ranging from ‘NSFW’, ‘Quack Kills’, ‘Loathe Thy Neighbor’ and the previously unleashed ‘Dogs Like Socks’ and ‘Obey The Beard’ as well as a cover of Kenny Loggins ‘Danger Zone’. Add a couple of cameos from by Bill Manspeaker, the founder of Green Jello and you can imagine the types of craziness that is unleashed once play is pressed. Simply put ‘IV: Revenge of The Vengeance’ is beardtastic and in the words of Psychostick ‘Obey The Beard’.

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Airbourne October 26 The SSE Hydro 27 Sheffield Motorpoint Arena 28 Cardiff Motorpoint Arena 30 Birmingham LG Arena 31 Manchester Phones 4U Arena Alestorm October 17 Belfast Mandela Hall 18 Aberdeen The Garage 19 Glasgow The Arches 21 Manchester Academy 2 24 London Electric Ballroom 26 Cardiff Globe Arch Enemy December 16 Birmingham The Institute 18 London The Forum Behemoth December 09 London The Forum 10 Glasgow O2 ABC 11 Cublin The Cademy 12 Birmingham O2 Academy 13 Manchester Academy Black Star Riders March 2015 05 Glasgow O2 ABC 06 Glasgow O2 ABC 07 Newcastle O2 Academy 10 Nottingham Rock City 11 Cambridge Corn Exchange 14 Wolverhampton Civic Hall Blackwolf November 10 Bristol The Exchange 11 Birmingham The Oobleck 12 Manchester Academy 3 14 Milton Keynes The Crawford Arms 15 Pwllheli Hard Rock Hell 16 Glasgow Audio 18 London The Dome Centiment December 01 Newcastle Think Tank 02 Glasgow Audio 03 York Fibbers 04 Chester The Compass

05 Birmingham Alfie Birds Collisions March 2015 26 Manchester Sound Control 27 Newcastle The Globe 28 York Fibbers April 2015 03 Worthing Pangalactic Festival 04 Brighton The Green Store 05 Bournemouth The Anvil 06 Plymouth Tiki Bar 07 Southampton Joiners 08 London O2 Academy 2 Islington 10 Essex The Square Counting Crows November 01 Birmingham O2 Academy 02 Glasgow O2 Academy 04 Newcastle O2 Academy 05 Leeds O2 Academy 07 Manchester O2 Apollo 08 Leicester De Montfort Hall 10 London Roundhouse Deathstars November 02 Bristol Thekla 03 Manchester Academy 3 04 Glasgow Cathouse 06 Wolverhampton Slade Rooms 07 London The Garage Fish December 19 Liverpool O2 Academy 20 Sheffield City Hall Genesis October 21 Ipswich Regent Theatre 22 Brighton Centre 24 Nottingham Royal Concert Hall 25 Glasgow Clyde Auditorium 26 York Barbican 28 Southend Cliffs Pavilion 29 Southampton02 Guildhall 30 Cardiff St Davidâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Hall November 01 London Eventim Apollo 02 Salford The Lowry 03 Guildford Glive 04 Birmingham Symphony Hall

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Hard Rock Hell 13-16 November Diamond Head, Electric Mary, Vardis, Bonafide and many more Goatwhore November 17 Brighton Audio 18 Cardiff Clwb Ifor Bach 19 Glasgow Cathouse 20 Dublin Voodoo Lounge 21 Manchester Sound Control 22 Wolverhampton Slade Rooms 23 London Garage I AM I November 20 Nottingham Rock City 21 Grimsby Yardbirds 22 Doncaster Diamond Live Lounge 23 Sheffield Corporation 24 Bolton Railway Kamelot March 2015 13 Pwllheli Hammerfest VII Kerrang! Tour 2015 February 06 Norwich Nick Rayns LCR UEA 07 Leeds O2 Academy 09 Southampton O2 Guildhall 10 BristolO2 Academy 13 Cardiff University Students Union 14 Manchester Academy 15 Newcastle O2 Academy 16 Glasgow O2 Academy 18 Liverpool O2 Academy 19 Birmingham O2 Academy

Machine Head December 06 London Roundhouse 07 London Roundhouse 09 Portsmouth Guildhall 10 Bristol O2 Academy 11 Plymouth Pavilions 13 Glasgow O2 Academy 14 Leeds O2 Academy 16 Manchester O2 Apollo 17 Nottingham Rock City Madness December 04 Nottingham Capital FM Arena 05 Cardiff Motorpoint Arena 06 Brighton The Brighton Centre 08 Plymouth Pavillions 09 Bournemouth International Centre 11 Leeds First Direct Arena Mostly Autumn October 17 Great Yarmouth Legends Of Rock Festival December 04 Norwich Arts Centre 05 Manchester Academy 3 06 Bilston Robin 2 07 Glasgow Renfrew Ferry 12 Hull Fruit 13 Rotherham Montgomery Hall 14 Milton Keynes The Stables 15 Southampton The Brook Mr Big October 17 London Koko Motorhead November 04 Manchester O2 Apollo 06 Birmingham NIA 08 London SSE Arena Orange Goblin October 30 Dublin The Button Factory 31 Belfast The Limelight 2 Ranger October 17 London The Dome Richie Ramone December 10 Hull Fruit 11 Leamington Spa Zephyr Lounge 12 Guildford Boileroom 13 London Barfly 14 Aberdeen Moorings Bar 15 Glasgow Audio 16 Swansea Static

17 Bristol Fleece 18 Coventry Kasbah 19 York The Basement

21 London The Forum December 02 Glasgow Venue TBC

Rival Sons December 08 Portsmouth Pyramid Centre 09 Wolverhampton Wulfrun Hall 10 London The Forum 11 Manchester The Ritz 13 Sheffield Leadmill 14 Glasgow O2 ABC 15 Newcastle O2 Academy 16 Norwich UEA

Turbogeist December 03 Exeter Cavern 04 London The Garage 05 Bristol Thekla 06 Sheffield Winter Rock Fest 07 Manchester Academy 3 08 Glasgow Cathouse

Sabaton December 06 Dublin The Academy 07 Belfast The Limelight 08 Manchester The Ritz 09 Wolverhampton Slade Rooms January 12 London The Forum Saxon November 30 Bristol Academy December 01 Bournemouth Academy 02 Nottingham Rock City 04 Manchester Ritz 05 Dublin Academy 06 Belfast Limelight/ Mandela Hall 07 Glasgow ABC 09 Newcastle Academy 10 Leeds Academy 11 Wolverhampton Wulfrun Hall 12 Oxford Academy 13 London Shepherd's Bush Empire Seether November 16 Birmingham Institute 18 Glasgow 02 ABC 19 Manchester Ritz 20 London Forum

Turbowolf October 25 Bristol Simple Things Festival 27 Dublin The Academy 28 Newcastle Riverside 30 Glasgow O2 ABC 31 Sheffield Leadmill November 02 Manchester The Ritz 03 Liverpool O2 Academy 04 Birmingham The Institiute 06 London Electric Ballroom 07 London Electric Ballroom 08 Cambridge The Junction 10 Portsmouth Pyramid 11 Oxford O2 Academy 12 Bristol The Bierkeller December 01 Nottingham Recue Rooms 02 Manchester Deaf Institute 04 Cardiff Clwb Ifor Bach 05 Bournemouth Sound Circus 06 Birmingham Institute Temple 08 Norwish Waterfront Studio 09 London Dingwalls Vallenfyre October 20 Wolverhampton Slade Rooms 21 London The Dome

Skid Row October 20 Edinburgh Liquid Room 25 Buckley Tivoli Status Quo December 06 Liverpool Exho Arena 16 Cardiff Motorpoint Arena The Temperance Movement November 16 Bristol O2 Academy 17 Manchester The Ritz 20 Birmingham The Institute

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