Today marks the worldwide release of Jon Harris' (The Host of The Rock Metal Podcast) highly anticipated debut album, Parallel Heart, out now via Epictronic Records!
Jon Harris, an instrumental rock guitarist and producer from Edmonton, delivers a unique blend of bluesy hard rock and funky synth-pop in "Parallel Heart". Written, recorded, and produced entirely by Jon in his home studio, the album features his multi-instrumental talents across guitar, bass, drums, and piano. Drawing inspiration from relationships and life’s delicate balance, Parallel Heart takes listeners on an unforgettable musical journey.
The album offers an eclecticmix of genres, from the 80s-inspired synth-pop vibes of 97BPM to the hard-hitting rock intensity of 'Togetherness' and 'Wasted Entertainment'. The track 'Mehnoynoy' also features a personal touch, with drum contributions from Jon’s son, Gabriel.
"Parallel Heart" is a fusion of infectious grooves and powerful riffs—imagine if Prince and Jeff Beck jammed together in the studio. This is Jon Harris' musical vision at its finest, showcasing his passion for instrumental rock with every note.
Track Listing: 1. If You Wouldn't 2. Wasted Entertainment 3. Entitled 4. Mustard N Ketchup 5. Parallel Heart 6. Mehnoynoy 7. 97BPM 8. My Little Lady 9. Togetherness 10. Humpty Dumpty
From out of the shadows once more, Mörk Gryning have returned with a newly blackened opus.
These cultishly beloved lords of the Swedish black metal scene have been a blazing force in the underground since the early '90s. On their new album, Mörk Gryning refuse to yield to trends, honoring their feral countrymen by carving out raw, apocalyptic symphonies. Fasornas Tid is scrawled in the same sacred and bloody ink as their seminal debut, yet remains drenched in the visceral immediacy of the present.
Fasornas Tidcomes out December 13th on Season of Mist, but you can hear all 12 savage songs today by listening to the full album stream on the Season of Mist YouTube channel.
Formed in the chilling embrace of '90s black metal, Mörk Gryning has always carved their own path, paying homage to their forebears while relentlessly pushing forward. Fasornas Tid - which in English means "The Time of Horrors" - dive bombs into a void inner turmoil, full of the insatiable hunger for self-destruction. "Tornet" storms ahead with unbridled fury, featuring the savage vocals of C from AVSLUT, while the title track marks a return to the band's melodic roots in its relentless harmonies and breakneck tempos.
Both haunting and ferocious, Fasornas Tid paints a dystopian symphony reminiscent of Mörk Gryning's iconic debut Tusen år har gått…, yet is still unmistakably a product of the now. Mörk Gryning was founded in Stockholm, Sweden in 1993 by Goth Gorgon and Draakh Kimera. Two years later they released their debut album “Tusen År Har Gått” (1995), recorded and mixed at Unisound Studios, by legendary producer Dan Swanö and released by No Fashion. The album is one of the milestones of the ‘90s Swedish Black Metal scene.
The group returned to action in November 1996, working at Sunlight Studios together with Tomas Skogsberg and Dismember’s Fred Estby to craft the “Return Fire” album. Over the following years, three more albums were released, for example “Maelstrom Chaos” with new guitarist Avathar, a scene veteran, recorded at the legendary Grieghallen Studios Bergen, Norway.
Ever since the debut album, “Tusen år har gått…”, Mörk Gryning has refused to follow in the footsteps of others and walked their own paths – something which is made very clear on the 2003 release “Pieces of Primal Expressionism”, an experimental and heavy progressive release recorded at Dug Out, produced by Daniel Bergstrand. After a couple of years of touring and festival performances, the band was put on hold.
Returning to the scene again in 2017, the band performed an exclusive live show in Stockholm playing all the songs from the debut album and some other songs from the back catalogue. This ended in releasing the 4-song live record called “Live at Kraken”. During the pandemic the comeback album “Hinsides Vrede” was released to much critical acclaim with many of the songs today being the backbone of their live shows. A new album is scheduled for release in 2024 and the band is more active than ever.
Line-up: DRAAKH KIMERA – Lead Vocals, Guitar GOTH GORGON – Bass, Backing vocals, Lead Vocals on “Det Svarta” S-L – Lead Guitar, Backing Vocals C-G – Drums AEON – Keyboards, Backing Vocals
Recording Studio: Wing Studios, Stockholm, Sweden
Production Credits: Produced by Sverker Widgren & Mörk Gryning Mixed & Mastered at Wing Studios, Stockholm by Sverker Widgren
Guest Musician: C of AVSLUT on "Tornet" & "An Ancient Ancestor Of The Autumn Moon"
Once again, The Old Dead Tree are springing back to life. The French goths are back with more soul-stirring progressive metal on their first full album since 2007. Second Thoughts is an unflinching descent into love, loss and the burning desire to overcome the shadows that hunt us all.
Second Thoughts comes out tomorrow, Friday, December 6, but you can hear all thirteen bright and brooding songs today by listen to the full album stream on the Season of Mist YouTube channel.
Grinding against the struggles of the past, The Old Dead Tree's journey to this point has been far from smooth. Separation and silence almost dimmed their light, but the band's unbreakable spirit has ignited a comeback. With Second Thoughts, they plunge deep into life's paradoxes—a raw, unfiltered exploration of anguish and fleeting joy.
Lead single "Unpredictable" dives into the chaotic maelstrom of life's twists and turns. "Solastalgia" channels collective anxiety over the fate of the planet into a gorgeous and gloomy chorus. "I don't know, my god I don't know what to do now ". With a nod back to their doom and death metal roots, "The Lightest Straw" envelops you in a brutal yet beautifully orchestrated soundscape, layering 40 vocal tracks into an intense, haunting blend. Line-up:
Manuel Munoz - Vocals Nicolas Chevrollier - Guitars & Backing Vocals Nicolas Cornolo - Guitars & Countings Gilles Moinet - Bass Guitar Raphaël Antheaume - Drums
Recording Studio: Drums Recorded at Vamacara Studio, France Bass Guitar, Guitars & Vocals at home T.C. Vocals at 8Gods Studio, France Ludovic Loez vocals at S.H. Studio, France
Production Credits: Drums produced & engineered by HK Manuel Munoz & Nicolas Chevrollier vocals produced & engineered by The Old Dead Tree Bass & guitars produced & engineered by The Old Dead Tree T.C Vocals produced & engineered by Philippe Tulleau Ludovic Loez vocals produced & engineered by Fabrice Loez Mixed & mastered by HK at Vamacara Studio, France
Guest Musicians: T.C. (Regarde Les Hommes Tomber) - Vocals Ludovic Loez (S.U.P.) - Vocals Raphaël Verguin (Psygnosis) - Cello
Montreal, Canada's CHÜZO is ready to take on the metal world with the introduction of their self-described Aggro-Metal and new EP entitled "M.T.M.D (Maximum Threshold, Minimum Decay)".The three-track recordmarks the next chapter and true representation of what their sound is meant to be with the fresh new lineup who are hungry to showcase what this forthcoming EP will spark.
Produced by Kevin Jardine (Slaves On Dope), the EP is a full audio assault upon all the senses from the heavy riffs to the soaring vocals of Brazilian transplant and new vocalist Mischa M. She is joined by local first-generation Chilean Canadian and mastermind Cristian S. along with Carlos G from Venezuela and Alex S from Russia whom all have found Montreal, Canada to be home to breed their 'Aggro Metal', a blender of grindcore, Swedish death metal and a touch of thrash metal crossed over with hardcore punk.
"The sound of the band evolved from, initially, grindcore, to hardcore, to now Aggro Metal. This is finally what CHÜZO was meant to sound like after many years and many ex-band members. This mark III version of the band is the final evolution in the sound of CHÜZO." adds Cristian S.
The EP's lyrics are driven by self-reflection and daily struggles. The inspiration for writing comes from life experiences and trying to live past them, especially the traumatic ones. Using all bad energy from bad experiences to create something positive for yourself and the world. This EP speaksof vengeance and the bad side of dedicating your life to achieving your desired revenge despite your own life and sanity. Brutal Social Justice.
For fans of Sepultura (Cavalera Bros era 84-96), At the Gates, Napalm Death, Slipknot, and Fuck the Facts, "M.T.M.D (Maximum Threshold, Minimum Decay)" is due out on November 15, 2024, and can be heard in full before it officially drops via its stream premiere on Decibel Magazine HERE.
EP pre-order/digital per-save is available at the following links:
SUPER MONSTER PARTY (SMP) Offering way more than the average metal band, SUPER MONSTER PARTY's new album "Rage Quit" is out now on all streaming platforms at https://links.supermonsterparty.com/ragequit.
These highly motivated and talented guys aren’t just playing music and video games – thanks to their creative efforts, we are provided with an immersive multimedia metal experience, as it has never been seen before, picking us up and taking us in completely.
"Rage Quit" is more than just a music album – with narrational interludes between the tracks, the band creates a bond between the most beloved video games of their childhood and their music, providing a mesmerizing adventurous experience for the listeners. If you listen to the track listing of "Rage Quit" chronologically, it’s like listening to an audiobook in the form of kickass metal music sprinkled with unconventional storytelling. On this video game-inspired record, the South Floridian band takes us on a journey through the realm of ‘Permadeath’ – a colorful blend of classic 16-bit video game world replicas, which you as “The Champion” have to conquer. The extensive album features six new tracks, six reenvisioned tracks, and an alternate narrative path for the Permadeath series. In SMP’s pixelated nostalgia-inspired universe, we’re jumping and running through the spheres of old-school video game bangers like Mortal Kombat, Doom, Sonic the Hedgehog, Dance Dance Revolution, Castlevania, The Legend of Zelda, Super Mario Bros, and Final Fantasy. But Permadeath isn’t just the setting for the album tracks, it is also the name of SMP’s captivating, free-to-play 2D platform game, featuring a soundtrack consisting of their instrumental tracks. As a special easter egg, the band invites us to dive even deeper into their sound and join the performance: Experience the full SUPER MONSTER PARTY adventure, get the album tracks as Clone Hero downloads, and start rocking!
For "Rage Quits" release day, SUPER MONSTER PARTY dropped their new Super Mario-inspired lyric video "Another Castle". After encountering video games and embarking on legendary quests in Permadeath, you as the listener now find yourself put into Mario’s perspective. As you close the door of Doom behind you, with one last life remaining, the gate of another castle opens – but “your princess is not here, she’s in another castle”, and so you begin your search, fighting through lava, silly turtles, and walking shrooms. This vivid storytelling is musically accompanied by an electrifying, tasteful blend of punk rock, power metal, and retro video game themes.
SUPER MONSTER PARTY is a band for all video game nerds, jump’n’run enthusiasts, metalheads, 90s kids, weirdos, and everyone in between – a metal band that’s all about video games, singing from the heroes or villains introspective point of view. Rocking together since 2020, SUPER MONSTER PARTY have already gathered a lot of XP, having a bunch of achievements under their belt, such as four released albums: Permadeath (2020), SideQuest (2021), Game Genie (2023), and Up, Up, Down, Die (2023). The band is the concept of Singer/Songwriter Rei Sega, and features notable members Emilio Martinez (Yngwie Malmsteen) on bass, Fern Lemus (Lions at the Gate) on the drums, Andy Alvarez (Irras One) on rhythm guitar, and Oleh Andrievsky as lead guitarist.
Their intense, melodic, catchy, and heavy sound shows influences of The Misfits, Rhapsody, Slipknot, NOFX, and Van Halen. The variety of different influences and genres, worshiped by the band, means that they are able to find the right metal sound for all game themes – each video game universe is authentically set to music, while the skills of the masterful musical chameleon that is SUPER MONSTER PARTY cannot be pinned down to one genre. No two songs sound the same, but one thing is for sure – they all rock hard.
