Füneral Rain Press Cörps

Genre: Progressive Metal
Label: Season of Mist

This happy little EP is coming out on transparent blue 10″ vinyl and CD. And by happy I mean boner-inducing prog metal happy.
Sing-along choruses are put to real effective use on Carbon-Based Anatomy, especially in my favorite track, “Box Up My Bones”, while crunchy heavy riffs are under the leads that soar and spin with grace, beauty, and perfection. The lush sounds, amazing solos, and beautiful singing that Cynic fans have come to enjoy ever since Focus are even more omnipresent here. Synths bubble and churn, with precise drumming that has a real human hand attached to it, and both are still done by Sean Reinert. The bass work is, as usual, amazing, taken care of by Sean Malone, who is no longer in the band.
There is a real sense of wonder with Carbon-Based Anatomy, a feeling of freedom and exploration heretofore only really glimpsed at with Focus and Traced in Air. It is as if the guys picked up their instruments and said “Play. No matter what comes out, if it’s pushing the Cynic envelope, it’s good to go. No limits, no compromise.” It’s inspiring to say the least, and I can’t wait for my record to arrive.
9 out of 10.

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The Death Holy Death Tour 2011 lays waste to Europe beginning tomorrow, beginning in Germany and ending in the Netherlands. The tour features the insanity of Watain, Shining, and Aosoth, and is pretty much guaranteed to kick some serious ass.

The Death Holy Death Tour 2011:
25.02.2011 DE – Adelsheim, Eventhall
26.02.2011 CH – Lausanne, Docks
27.02.2011 FR – Montpellier, Secret Place
28.02.2011 ES – Barcelona, Mephisto
01.03.2011 ES – Madrid, Caracol
02.03.2011 PT – Lisboa, Cine-teatro Corroios
03.03.2011 PT – Porto, Hard Club
04.03.2011 FR – Angouleme, Nef
05.03.2011 FR – Savigny le temple, Empreinte
06.03.2011 UK – London, Relentless Garage
07.03.2011 UK – Reading, Sub 89
08.03.2011 UK – Glasgow, Ivory Blacks
09.03.2011 UK – Liverpool, Masque
10.03.2011 UK – Birmingham, Library
11.03.2011 FR – Notre Dame de Gravenchon, Arcade
12.03.2011 BE – Vosselaar, Biebob
13.03.2011 NL – Zaandam, De Kade

Omnium Gatherum have revealed an album teaser for their album New World Shadows to be released via Lifeforce Records on February 7th in Europe and March 1st in North America.

Record Release Tour Dates in Finland:
09.02. Jyväskylä, Lutakko
10.02. Kuopio, Henry’s Pub
11.02. Oulu, Nuclear Nightclub
12.02. Karhula, Sam’s Pub
23.02. Helsinki, Tavastia
10.03. Jyväskylä, Lutakko
11.03. Oulu, Club Teatria
12.03. Helsinki, Nosturi
18.03. Kouvola, Rytmikatti
25.03. Turku, S-Osis
09.04. Hamina, Jack Up

Tour with Rotting Christ:
28.04. Zabrze @ Wiatrak, Poland
29.04. Brno @ Melodka, Czech Republic
30.04. Kosice @ Colloseum, Slovakia
01.05. Budapest @ Club 202, Hungary
02.05. Cluj Napoca @ Gambrinus, Romania
03.05. Iasi @ Dublin, Romania
04.05. Bucarest @ Silverchurch, Romania
05.05. Sofia @ RBF Club, Bulgaria
06.05. Sarajevo @ Cinemas Sloga, Bosnia and Herzegovina
07.05. Osijek @ MMC Slavija, Croatia
08.05. Ljubljana @ Gaia Haia, Slovenia
09.05. Wien @ Escape, Austria
10.05. Wörgl @ Kulturfabrik Kufstein, Austria
11.05. Gorizia @ Pieffe Factory, Italy
12.05. Parma @ Archi Onirica, Italy
13.05. Zug @ Industrie 45, Switzerland
14.05. Novara @ RNR Arena, Italy
15.05. Roma @ Init Club, Italy

“Reaping Death” the latest single from Swedish black metal battalion Watain, was certified gold in Sweden for sales in excess of 10,000 copies. Earlier this week, the band was awarded their gold record in Stockholm in the presence of press and various guests. Said frontman Erik Danielsson at the presentation: “‘Reaping Death’ is a song written as a tribute to the first murderer and Satanist, Cain. Through the murder of his brother Abel, he was the first to break the shackles of creation and went against the will of God. Therefore, he was pushed away and found his way to his true father, the serpent in the Garden of Eden, also known as Satan. To openly praise Cain, his origin, his works and his offspring is something that never would have been possible, say 300 years ago. 300 years ago they tied people such as us up and burned them alive. Now we are awarded gold discs and praise in the media. This is an encouraging proof that this road is leading to hell.

“Through black metal,” he continued, “we now have a forum, in which we, without being persecuted and tortured, can celebrate the ancient ruin forces, revolutions and the gods of total liberation, and thus give them additional force. This gold disc is proof that the genre as such is one to be reckoned with, and with fire, fanaticism and passion as the driving force, we intend to take it even further, deep down in still unexplored abysses.We also would like to thank Sound Pollution, Season of Mist, Sweden Rock and ‘Boss’ at Black Mark.”

“Reaping Death” comes off Watain‘s Lawless Darkness full-length released via Season Of Mist this past June. Lawless Darkness was recorded at Necromorbus Studio (Deathspell Omega, Funeral Mist, Ondskapt, Nominon, Unanimated et al) in Alvik, Sweden and features cover art by Zbigniew M. Bielak.

Genres: Progressive Metal, Technical Death Metal
Label: Season of Mist

Metalgasm! Straight up, pure, unadulterated, and unfuckwithable eargasmic metal right here. I can’t stop listening to Traced in Air, an album I bought because I heard Cynic were pretty damn good and the tag on the album was Technical Death Metal. I thought I was buying an Origin- or Cryptopsy-like CD, but what came out was definitely not like either of those bands.
Instead, it reminded me right off the bat as Tool, but then the second listen brought in Deftones and Coheed and Cambria. And once I heard the Coheed-like elements, the Rush comparison was instant. And King Crimson. This is a wonderful, perfect album, a little on the short side (all of the best CDs are too damn short, aren’t they?) but still perfect.
It takes you on a mood swing ride, but unlike most death metal, it’s not all minor keys. Happy sounding major keys and beautiful melodies take you away on a cloud and drop you into a headbang session, then pick you back up again, just to smash your mind against the rocks of what you thought proggy tech-death could be.
If you don’t own this album, you are missing out on something so wonderful. Please, go to a store and pick this CD up.
10 out of 10.

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