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• WACKEN METAL BATTLE USA Open Band Submissions For 2025 Battles - One Band To Conquer Them All & Play Wacken Open Air

  Oct 11, 2024 Fistoffreedom 0 Comments

   

  Spotify - 2024 WMBU National Finalists Playlist - https://spoti.fi/4cbAEb8​

  One Band To Conquer Them All! Wacken Metal Battle USA is proud to announce its return for 2025 battles nationwide for one independent band to be crowned champion and perform at one of the world's most prestigious and largest already sold-out metal festivals Wacken Open Air (July 30th – August 2nd) (Attendance of over 80,000 people in Wacken, Germany for over 30 years).

  Unsigned bands ONLY can apply. Please fill out your information at the following link (please select USA and then the City that your band would like to perform in) - https://www.metal-battle.com​

  (Band Submissions open from October 11th - December 15th, 2024)

  ​

  The 2025 WMBU champion will receive the following:
  - A slot at the 2025 Wacken Open Air Festival.
  - Full professional backline provided.
  - $1,000 USD towards flights to Germany.
  - VIP camping at the festival.

  2025 battles will be taking place in the following cities:

  (National Final on June 21st in Clifton, NJ at Dingbatz)

  New York, NY
  Clifton, NJ
  Baltimore, MD
  Tampa, FL
  Portland, OR
  Seattle, WA
  Bay Area, CA
  Los Angeles, CA
  Orange County, CA
  Sacramento, CA
  San Diego, CA
  Austin, TX
  Dallas, TX
  Corpus Christi, TX
  Houston, TX
  San Antonio, TX

  The 2024 WMBU national final was held in San Diego at Brick By Brick with regional winners Cascade Effect (San Diego), WarTroll (NorCal), Versipul (PNW), Prime Prophecy (East Coast), and Father Wolf (Texas).

  Judged by an industry panel that included Rod Kukla (Silver Lining Music), Craig Goldy (Dio), Derek Engemann (Scour, Phil Anselmo and the Illegals, ex-Cattle Decapitation), and Patrick Stone (Adler's Appetite, Budderside), the band that reigned the stage and proved themselves worthy of gracing the holy land of metal at Wacken Open Air in Germany was crowned 2024 champion, San Diego's Cascade Effect.

  As the 2024 crowned USA champion, Cascade Effect went on to perform as the only independent American band at the International Battle at Wacken Open Air 2024 (July 31st – August 3rd).​

  List of previous WMBU national winners, Cascade Effect (2024 - San Diego), Fadrait (2023 - San Diego) Mythraeum (2022 - San Diego), Monarch (2019 - San Diego), Voices of Ruin (2018 - Anaheim) and Corpse Hoarder (2017 - Philadelphia).

  2024 battles were hosted in the following cities: New York, NY, Clifton, NJ, Philadelphia, PA, Portland, OR, Seattle, WA, Bay Area, CA, Los Angeles, CA, Orange County, CA, Sacramento, CA, San Diego, CA, Austin, TX, Dallas, TX, El Paso, TX, Houston, TX, San Antonio, TX.

  For the last 6 years of battles (2017-2019, 2022, 2023, 2024), Wacken Metal Battle USA has hosted battles across the country to send one independent metal band to perform at the world’s largest metal festival Wacken Open Air in Wacken, Germany. 2019 saw the festival celebrate its 30th anniversary, but due to Covid, the 2020 and 2021 editions were both canceled. As the metal community regains its strength, Wacken Open Air 2025 will be the 34th edition of the festival and will be held from July 30th – August 2nd. The 2025 event is already sold out with a line-up that includes Machine Head, Saltatio Mortis, Papa Roach, Gojira, Apocalyptica, Saxon, Within Temptation, Dimmu Borgir, Ministry, and many more. Details here.

  Wacken Metal Battle USA is part of an international competition that sees bands from across the country battle each other for the chance to win their spot among 30 other countries’ champions, and represent the USA in an international battle of the bands at the world’s largest outdoor metal festival: Wacken Open Air. The battles have been hosted at the festival for over a decade and give independent bands the opportunity to showcase their talents to an international audience along with the chance to win multiple prizes.

  How it works:​
  ​Participating cities will host qualifying rounds plus a city final organized by a local city concert promoter where one band will move forward to the American national final (date and city to be determined). The winner of the national final will move on to perform at the Wacken Open Air 2024 and compete against the winners of 30 other countries in a final global battle. All bands will be judged during battle rounds by respected local music industry representatives.

  Links:​
  ​Metal-Battle.com​
  ​MetalBattleUSA.com​
  ​Facebook.com/metalbattleusa​.official​
  ​Twitter.com/MetalBattleUSA​
  ​Instagram.com/metalbattleusa.official

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• SANDVEISS Unleashes Fiery New Heavy, Melodic Stoner Prog Rock Album “Standing In The Fire”

  Oct 11, 2024 Fistoffreedom 0 Comments

   

  Heavy rock titans Sandveiss, from Quebec City, Canada, are proud to announce the release of their highly anticipated new album “Standing in the Fire”, which comes out on October 11th, 2024. This new release returns with their most ambitious and diverse album to date, it features eight powerful tracks that showcase the band's evolution and musical prowess. The band comments on the album:

  “Five years after the release of our sophomore album “Saboteur”, we are stoked to finally present our new offering, “Standing in the Fire”. Musically, it showcases diversity but also, we hope, homogeneity and coherence. We draw from a wide range of influences, from metal to stoner rock, from prog to punk rock. While some are more apparent than others, they all play a key role in shaping our sound.”

  The production of “Standing in the Fire” has a modern feel while still incorporating vintage sounds and instruments, and the mix by Karl Daniel Lidén (Greenleaf, Dozer, The Ocean Collective) adds depth, texture, and power to the album. Lyrically, the songs were mostly written in response to, or sometimes as a grim reflection on, human and social issues, including politics and environmental problems.

  The band cites that they've pushed their boundaries on all sides. The heavy is heavier, the prog is proggier, and the catchy is catchier. They've allowed themselves to explore new territories while staying true to their core sound. They are recommended for fans of The Sword, Dozer, and Baroness.

  Due out on October 11th, 2024 from Folivora Records, the album “Stand in the Fire” is available for pre-order (Digital and Vinyl) at https://sandveiss.bandcamp.com/album/standing-in-the-fire​

  Spotify - https://spoti.fi/3XnzDIq​

  Track Listing:​
  1. I'll Be Rising - 5:03
  2. Standing In The Fire - 3:51
  3. Wait And See - 3:26
  4. No Love Here - 7:26
  5. Fade (Into The Night) - 3:48
  6. Gone Away - 4:53
  7. These Cold Hands - 4:57
  8. Bleed Me Dry - 5:42

  More info: https://folivora.ca/ | https://www.facebook.com/Sandveiss | https://www.instagram.com/sandveissband

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• SODOM at The Brooklyn Monarch 10/09/24

  Oct 11, 2024 ArmyOfOneTV 0 Comments

  18 years took for the legendary German thrash band, Sodom to comeback to NYC and they did not disappoint.

   

  By far the best show of the year as some of the concert goers said after the event.

   

  Performing classics such as ‘Jabba the hut’, the Cripple, ‘The saw is the law’, ‘Nuclear Winter’, ‘Outbreak of evil’,  ‘Agent Orange’, and much more, Original members Frank ‘Blackfire’ and Tom ‘Angel Ripper’ provided along with their two new companions a metal night for the ages.

   

  In a personal mote, it took me 32 years to see Blackfire on stage again and 38 years to see Sodom live. Oh well, “All the good things will come to those who wait.”

   

  Hope they are back sooner than 18 years the next time around, maybe a full album tour or something. they are currently promoting the 30 years anniversary of the album ‘Tapping the vein’.

   

  Long life to Sodom!

   

   

  

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• FREYA Drummer Ethan Henry Unveils His Horror Movie SEVERANCE MOUNTAIN Just in Time For Halloween Binge Watching!

  Oct 9, 2024 Fistoffreedom 0 Comments

  NEWS RELEASE

  Montreal, QC - October 9, 2024

  FREYA Drummer Ethan Henry Unveils His Horror Movie SEVERANCE MOUNTAIN Just in Time For Halloween Binge Watching!

  "The Scariest Monsters Are The Human Kind"

  Hailing from Syracuse, NY, veteran hardcore/metal band FREYA's drummer Ethan Henry is unleashing his inner horror fan by inviting fans to view his haunting independent movie "Severance Mountain", which he directed, wrote, produced, edited, and composed music for with his team at Ignorant Tourist Productions.

  In the movie's premise, deep in the Adirondack Mountains of Northern New York, Sarah (Nicole Morgan) and Toby (Cade Guillory) plan to reconnect on a remote camping trip following the tragic loss of Toby's girlfriend. It doesn't take long for Sarah to realize something is off and her long-awaited getaway turns into a vacation from hell. Meanwhile, Local police Sergeant "Sarge" (Kim Scharff Snyder) discovers a potential threat to all who enter the parks and Desperately pleads to her superiors to take action and warn the public of this "threat". Meanwhile, With each step she takes deeper into the forest, Sarah finds herself in the ultimate struggle to survive against the threats of SEVERANCE MOUNTAIN.

  Ethan Henry comments:

  "SEVERANCE MOUNTAIN came to life shortly after the pandemic. With all the restrictions and difficulties trying to make a film during that time, we wanted to get back at it but needed to keep our budget small and keep our cast and crew down to a minimum. Thanks to John Sovi II at Sovs Media for sparking the idea, I developed the concept for Severance Mountain with our restrictions in mind. I ended up rewriting the working script with Melissa Godin Hunt and started planning to film our independent, ultra-low-budget horror film. Even though our budget was small and it seemed near impossible to make at times, our determination to complete the film and make something we thought would be gross, familiar, and entertaining finally came to be. If you like indie horror, gore, and practical effects, then SEVERANCE MOUNTAIN is for you."

  SEVERANCE MOUNTAIN was released on September 13, 2024, and is available for streaming and download on Amazon, iTunes, Apple TV, Google Play, YouTube, and ROKU.

  More info:

  ​https://ignoranttouristproductions.com/severance-mountain​

  ​https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61562018042591​

  ​https://www.instagram.com/severancemountainmovie​

  ​https://www.tiktok.com/@severancemountain​

  ​========================================================

  FREYA recently dropped their newest single “Blood Thirst”. This powerful track showcases the band's unique blend of hardcore intensity and thrash metal fury, which they have been perfecting for over two decades. The single is a straightforward banger. Drawing inspiration from the hard-hitting, old-school hardcore vibe of bands like Biohazard, the song opens with a memorable riff that immediately grabs the listener's attention. As the track progresses, Freya seamlessly shifts into a thrash metal assault reminiscent of Slayer, showcasing the band's ability to blend genres with precision and intensity.

  “Blood Thirst” was released on August 23rd, 2024 via Upstate Records and will appeal to both hardcore and metal fans alike, especially those interested in Earth Crisis, Terror, and Hatebreed.

  Listen to “Blood Thirst” at the following links:

  Digital - https://bfan.link/blood-thirst

  More Info: Upstaterecordsny.com/freya | https://linktr.ee/freyaband315​
  ​

  -30-

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• DARK TRANQUILITY at The Gramercy Theatre (10/06/24)

  Oct 9, 2024 ArmyOfOneTV 0 Comments

   

  

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