Folk Metal and Classic Rock Collide w/ THEIGNS & THRALLS New Single “The Harrowing” Off Upcoming Album “The Keep And The Spire” Out Sept 2024

Theigns and Thralls, known for their distinctive blend of folk-metal and classic rock, are excited to announce the release of their new video visualizer for “The Harrowing”. This track is part of their forthcoming album “The Keep & The Spire”, which showcases the band’s evolution with a heavier and darker tone, devoid of acoustic tracks.

Historically, “The Harrowing” takes place at the end of the Viking era when, in the winter of 1069, William 1 (“The Conqueror”) ruthlessly put down a rebellion in the North of England. Slaughtering the population and despoiling the land. Unfortunately, we are all too aware of the North-South divide that still exists.

Listen to the new single at the following links:

Visualizer – https://youtu.be/WgxVlm_xsOs

Digital – https://lnk.to/xTXUDl

The brainchild of Skyclad vocalist and songwriter Kevin Ridley, Theigns & Thralls features Cruachan and Waylander band members.

“The Keep & The Spire” is the second album from the band, but it is the first album to be recorded as a band – though there are a few guest musicians on it. The title is taken from the song ’Theigns & Thralls’ and refers to the keep and the spire being considered as the twin towers of control (i.e. the state and religion).

Kevin Ridley started writing new material for this album as soon as the first album was released and had a few tracks together when he was contacted by Per Ablinsson (the Swedish lyricist) about the possibility of working together. This was something different for him because, while he has worked with lots of different musicians, he normally writes the lyrics. But he thought it was an interesting idea and decided to give it a go. This changed the shape and feel of the album, in that (after some discussion). Per quickly, came up with some lyrics that had strong Anglo-Saxon or Viking themes. Ridley then had the idea of combining some of these lyrics to form a ‘suite of tracks’ (something he had never done before), so that these songs would take up the whole side of an album. Those songs became ‘The Maldon Suite’, and the album could be viewed as ‘The Maldon Suite’ and other songs.

A lot of the other album tracks are based on poems and ideas that Ridley had for a while, like ‘The Harrowing’ and ‘Interrogativa Cantilena’ (which he did with Korpiklaani). And, as they didn’t want to make the whole album dark and serious, they added a few more up-tempo and fun tracks like ‘the Seeker’, ‘The Mermaid Tavern’ and ‘The Grape And The Grain’.

Pushing the boundaries of their sound, Theigns & Thralls cements their position in the global music scene. The new album not only reflects their artistic growth but also offers fans a deeper and more immersive experience.

The new album “The Keep And The Spire” is due out on September 20th, 2024, and will be available on CD / VINYL (Black and Orange/Marble editions) from Rockshots Records.

PRE-ORDER VINYL – https://bit.ly/46dJeEd

PRE-ORDER CD – https://bit.ly/3WvOFeF

Music Video – The Grape And The Grain – https://youtu.be/QMdnpT9_kpI

CD Track Listing
The Battle of Maldon Suite
1. Overture
2. A Single Beam
3. Fight And Lay Your Bones
4. The Battle of Maldon
5. Aftermath
6. Pagan Song
7. The Harrowing
8. The Seeker
9. Now My Life Is Done
10. The Grape And The Grain
11. Interrogativa Cantilena
12. The Mermaid Tavern

Vinyl Album Track Listing
Side 1
The Battle of Maldon Suite
1. Overture
2. A Single Beam
3. Fight And Lay Your Bones
4. The Battle of Maldon
5. Aftermath
6. Pagan Song

Side 2
7. The Harrowing
8. The Seeker
9. Now My Life Is Done
10. The Grape And The Grain
11. Interrogativa Cantilena
12. The Mermaid Tavern

For more info:

Rockshots.eu
Theignsandthralls.com
Facebook.com/theignsandthralls
Instagram.com/theignsandthralls

French metal / hardcore / post-HxC Echoes Of Hate release debut album ‘Negative Thoughts’.

French metal / hardcore / post-HxC five-piece Echoes Of Hate release debut album ‘Negative Thoughts’.

4 years after its inception, French metal/hardcore/post-HxC five-piecereleased its debut full-length album called ‘Negative Hate’ on CD & Digital through all legal platforms.
In addition to the official release-news, the band also shared the whole effort for FREE STREAMING over over Bandcamp.

Founded in 2020 in the area of Valence in France, Echoes Of Hate is a metal/hardcore/post quintet with musicians coming from various local bands (Deadside, Over The Reason etc.).
Driven by influences from the English and American metalcore / post-hardcore scene, EoH quickly decided to start working on a real album before to release it in total autoproduction.
‘Negative Thoughts’ is the result of a hard work of more than 2 years where each one of the members knew how to exceed its limits to offer a complete and sincere record : a music tailored for live performances where the five guys are eager to meet their audience.

 

Sonata Arctica video interview

Finnish band Sonata Arctica is an iconic name in the metal scene that has been working continuously for over 20 years, musically the band has experimented over the years starting with power metal and then moving on to more progressive and soft sounds, including two acoustic albums and then returning to their power metal roots with their latest full-length album “Clear Cold Beyond”, released last March. Fresh from Waken and ready to play at Porispere, frontman Tony Kakko granted us an interview where we had the opportunity to ask him more about the latest album, the tour, the writing process and much more.

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Huora video interview

Punk rock band Huora released their fourth album “Neljä Huolenaika” via Sakara Records last March and are currently touring across Finland. The band describes their latest album as basic Huora but different. Huora’s previous album, 2022’s “Älä luovuta”, topped the official Finnish album charts and was nominated for two Emma awards. We had the chance to talk with singer Anni Lötjönen and find out more about their latest album, the tours and more.

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Lost Society video interview

Lost Society have been bringing energy and quality music since the beginning of their career in 2010, musically the band has gone from thrash metal to more modern and nu metal sounds while maintaining their trademark. They are currently working on new music, in fact they have been recording in the studio for a few weeks now. In the meantime they continue to play at festivals and clubs always giving great energetic performances.
After 5 years since the last time, we finally had the chance to sit down and have a chat with the band’s frontman Samy Elbanna after their show at Porispere and talk about tours, music and much more.

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Porispere 2-3.8.2024, Pori(Finland)

Porispere was held in Kirjurinluoto Pori during the first weekend of August. As every year the lineup was varied to please everyone and for metal lovers there was Cradle of Filth, Sonata Arctica, Royal Republic, Battle Beast, Lost Society, Stam1na to name the most famous.
The audience also had the privilege of celebrating the music of Kingston Wall, the legendary cult progressive rock band from the 90s that ended with the death of Petri Walli in 1995, thanks to the project Jylli & Kuoppis – Music of Kingston Wall presented by bassist Jukka Jylli and drummer Sami Kuoppamäki accompanied by Jesper Anastasiadis, Juhani Grönroos, Esa Holopainen and Mikko Von Hertzen.
Another historic Finnish rock band Don Huonot, who celebrate their 35th anniversary in 2024, graced the stage at Porispere after their recent comeback.
A historic moment also for Lauri Tähka, one of the most esteemed and passionate Finnish artists of recent years, who seems to conclude his career in 2024 with some shows, including the one in Porispere. Also Kwan, a Finnish band that saw a boom in the early 2000s and had many famous names as guests on their albums such as Siiri Nordin (Killer), Jyrki 69 (The 69 eyes) and Lauri Ylönen (The Rasmus), returned to the stage with its original lineup this summer.
Closing the festival on Friday was the dj Windows95man, who represented Finland at the last edition of Eurovision with the song “No rules!”
Our reporters Cristina Gregori and Miika Riikonen were on location to take some photos which you can see in the gallery below.

https://www.porispere.fi/

Split Iris video interview

Split Iris is a Finnish progressive metalcore band that combines elements of djent, deathcore, thall and many other styles of modern metal, resulting in a mix as unique and fresh as their signature sound. Formed in 2020, the band signed with Seek & Strike earlier this year and released their debut album “Bloodred Dusk” on June 28th to great reviews. Our reporter Cristina had the chance to sit down with the band before their album release show in Pori and talk about “Bloodred Dusk”, the music videos and much more.

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Enemies Everywhere video interview

Hailing from the Finnish capital area, Enemies Everywhere offer a unique and fresh take on Finnish deathcore. Enemies Everywhere have a mission to use the best elements of hard deathcore, while bringing their own mix of rhythmic breakdowns, huge choirs and symphonic arrangements.
The band formed in 2022 and quickly made a name for themselves in the Finnish metal scene, in January this year they signed with Ranka Kustannus and the following month they played their debut show in Jyväskylä. Their first EP release is scheduled for the fall, in the meantime they are writing new music and collecting concerts.
Our reporter Cristina had the opportunity to sit down with the band before their show in Pori and get to know the band, talk about their music and more.

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St. Aurora video interview

Finnish alternative rock/metal band St. Aurora released their first EP “They All Remember” in 2021, followed by two more singles in 2022 and two more in 2023, and they continue to work on new music.
The band members are video-game’s lovers and managed to get their song “Going to Heaven” chosen as the soundtrack for the multi-million dollar game “Cyberpunk 2077” out of thousands of applicants. Their music is a mix of alternative rock, post-hardcore, raucous theatricality and the whims of childish imagination into a powerful and undoubtedly unique sound.
Our reporter Cristina had the chance to chat with Tuomas “Nile” Nilsson and Valtter “Vallu” Kousa after their show at Tuska and talk about music, video games and more.

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VOLA video interview

Danish band VOLA have been getting much-deserved attention in metal and prog circles for years. The band creates catchy and wonderfully melodic choruses to accompany interesting riffs and rhythms, creating a unique and captivating sound. Their new album “Friend of Phantom” is due out in November and will be supported by a tour around Europe. Our reporter Cristina had the chance to meet bassist Nicolai Mogensen after their show at Tuska and talk about the upcoming album, tour life and more.

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