The Press Release:
Rock and metal music have always been a haven for those who have bigger stories to tell; who have grander emotions to convey. For more than thirty years, Finnish figureheads AMORPHIS have done their best to carve their very own niche in heartfelt yet aggressive, melancholic yet soothing tunes. On Halo, their staggering fourteenth studio effort, the Finns underline their trailblazing status as one of the most original, culturally relevant, and rewarding acts ever to emerge from the land of the thousand lakes.
Halo will be released on February 11th, 2022 on Atomic Fire Records.
Continue reading Amorphis Announces New Album “Halo” On Atomic Fire Records →
Let’s face it. Nowadays the words “cancelled”, postponed” and “rescheduled” are an almost hourly part of the discussion with many artists and entertainment prospects forced to use them. This brings me to the latest information from the mighty Nightwish who have moved some European dates a little farther ahead than was originally planned.
The Statement:
Some of you already saw this coming but due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic we are forced to move our European tour dates to late 2021. Previously purchased tickets will remain valid for all rescheduled dates. On top of this, we were able to announce a new date in Dublin, Ireland! 🇮🇪 This will be the second time in Nightwish history that we will play here! AMORPHIS will be our Special Guests on this tour with support by TURMION KÄTILÖT.
Continue reading Nightwish Reveals Updated 2021 European Tour Dates →
Artist: Barren Earth
Title: “Our Twilight”
Label: Peaceville Records
Release Date:
Genre: Doom Metal
Rating: 4.5/5
Fans of the bands Swallow The Sun, Moonsorrow, Amorphis and Kreator have something new to be excited about and that is the collaboration of six musicians who’ve all honed their skills in those bands for years and now let those influences take new life in a crushing new band called Barren Earth. Before I get deeper into this infectious EP they call “Our Twilight” let me tell you who is in the group. It begins with vocalist Mikko Kotamaki (Swallow The Sun) who is joined by two former members of Amophis in Olli-Pekka Laine (bass) and Kasper Martenson (keyboards). Guitars are adeptly handled by Janne Perttila (Rytmihaino) and Sami Ylisimio (Kreator) with Marko Tarvonen on the drums. It’s quite a lineup but one that you fear might will sound “too much like” their previous or existing bands but this is not the case at all. There are some similarities which we find as the opening tune “Our Twilight” begins, but it’s a similarity of how one might see the band Amorphis and Swallow The Sun coming off if the two had merged into one unit. Crushing groove at the onset which leads into warm and almost ghostly clean vocals. This adventures even further by bringing an Opethian level of Prog-Death Metal to the mix and in the end tie all of these feels together. The second tune is “Jewel” and it begins with warm piano and crushing riff working together as if they were always meant to do so. Mikko wins me over with the deep resonance of his clean vocal in this one more than the growls and what was incredibly impressive was how the turn takes a very Tull meets Renaissance Progressive Rock turn with its middle section. You might be surprised at the reference of the Classical Art Rock band, but listen to a couple of their extended jams and tell me you disagree with me. Whew was all I could muster as this interlude blasted through my speakers. Needless to say I was hooked from the beginning with this one.
Continue reading “Our Twilight” by Barren Earth →
Where Heavy Music & Pop Culture Collide
