Metal 486 Items

With their mind-melting eighth epos, Cult Of Luna & Julie Christmas bring you to the outer rim of the ever expanding boundaries of the cosmos, where the rules of man are not applicable and the cold, dark nothing envelops the harsh realities of the universe.

Since their beginnings in 1998, Cult Of Luna has released seven albums, been awarded the top rock/metal award at the Swedish National Radio Awards and cemented their status as one of the true progressors of the metal genre, known to most metal aficionados. In 2013, the Swedes teamed up with Indie Recordings for the release of perhaps their most successful work to date in the shape of “Vertikal I” and "Vertikal II".
These cohesive pieces of work received worldwide appraisal and only pillared Cult Of Luna to even greater heights.

For their eight effort, the post-metal pioneers join forces with the talented Julie Christmas from Brooklyn, bringing an even larger depth to Cult Of Lunas sound. Her haunting voice has fronted vital bands such as Made Out of Babies and Battle of Mice, and is one of significance in the underground sludge and post-metal scene. Furthermore, she has released two solo albums and features on tracks by bands like Mouth of the Architect and String of Consciousness. Her prowess as a vocalist is powerfully on display on “Mariner”.

Cursed to ride forever on this mortal plane after partaking in a satanic drug ritual, THE Death Wheelers pledge allegiance to the god of hell and fire. However, in order to prove themselves to their newly anointed leader and for the spell to take effect, the band will need to engage in a series of lewd acts of sex and violence across the country. Immortality comes at a price and the listener is about to pay for it… The beating heart of The Death Wheelers is a rumbling engine. Since their self-titled debut in 2015 and in 2020’s cinematic-storytelling breakout, Divine Filth, the Canadian outfit have tapped into wind-through-hair freedom and careened down open roads of groove, not a cop in sight. Their third record, Chaos And The Art of Motorcycle Madness, more than lives up to its name on all fronts. With songs like “Morbid Bails” and “Lucifer’s Bend,” the in-the-know references abound, and The Death Wheelers draw from classic underground metal, scummer heavy rock and cast themselves into a cauldron of cultish biker devil worship, reveling in any and all post-apocalyptic dystopias with genuine glee at having just seen the world eat itself. One might hear some surf guitar. Crazy things can happen.

Heavy music’s evolution has always been a murky swamp of sub-genres. So, combining Thin Lizzy’s glistening twin guitar harmonies with Melvins-grade sludge and a hearty dose of proto-metal psych probably shouldn’t sound so revolutionary as it does in the hands of L.A. quartet Deathchant. But theirs is a special, transcendent sound. Waste, the band’s sophomore album and first for Riding Easy Records, is anything but. The thirty three-minute, seven-song blast flows seamlessly from song to song, aided by droning segues, while simultaneously slithering between genres and moods. Rumbling noise, chiming guitar melodies, bluesy boogie, Nwobhm thrash, COC grunge and punk fury all rear their head at times, sometimes all at once. Though one wouldn’t be able to tell by the concise structures and well-crafted songs, a lot of Deathchant’s music is improvised, both in the studio and live. That’s not to suggest their songs are jammy— they’re very tightly organized compositions. But the four musicians have that special musical telepathy that allows them to keep the song structures open-ended. “Improv is a huge things for us and always has been,” singer / guitarist T.J. Lemieux says. “The musical freedom to look at the other dudes in the band and be able to take things wherever we want to go is magical. I like the feel of flying off the hinges.” Likewise, the band itself is similarly amorphous in its membership. “We run the band with an open door. No lineup is definitive,” Lemieux explains. On Waste, the lineup is: Lemieux, George Camacho on bass, Colin Fahrner on drums, and John Belino on second guitar. Waste was recorded live in a rented cabin in the mountains of Big Bear, CA. “We packed a big-ass van and set up in the living room and kitchen,” Lemieux says. “Tracked it live, with overdubs after.” The whole album was recorded over two separate weekends, engineered by Steve Schroeder, who also recorded the band’s 2019 self-titled debut album. “I’d say it has sort of a DIY LA punk aesthetic,” he adds. “Very ironically going hand in hand with a classic metal vibe: Thin Lizzy, Judas Priest, classic Deep Purple, Uriah Heep and other melodic heavy rock bands.”

An Endless Feast For Hyenas is the Decasia debut album.A creative turning point is gradually taken, looking for more heavy psych and krautrock touches. The first trials of this debut album AN Endless Feast FOR Hyenas are directly tested on stage to feel their live impact. This album is a complete and deep dive into the Decasia’s universe : a wide, eclectic and powerful effort. The trio drags us quickly with a psychedelic rock sound nuanced with stoner and almost narrative instrumental passages. Taking the path of improvisations to write and compose, the album is recorded in the middle of the countryside in Auvergne (France). The house is transformed into a studio with instruments installed in the barn and the control room in the living room. Recorded & mixed by Thomas de Fraguier. Mastered by Erwan Le Mao. Artwork by Decasia, pictures taken by Mariette Briand.

Modern day Amsterdam is a bit of an oxymoron. On the one hand, the city proudly brandishes its reputation for alternative and sub cultures, pushing back against lawmakers and their incoherent policies to adopt approaches that are more realistic and levelheaded. On the other, its a place of such rampant commercial development the local government actively discourages visitors and new hotel developments. Look closely, though, and you can still feel the spirit of what, during the latter half of the 20th Century, made this place so special. Paradiso is one of those spots. A waterside cultural venue with a history first as a church, then an illegal squat, before becoming what it is today, the walls themselves seem to pervade a sense of brave, adventurous heritage. An ideal place to catch one of the most defining bands of the 1980s in their heyday, then, here Depeche Mode deliver an astounding set in a space with the atmosphere to match.

Founded 1988 in Stockholm/Sweden, Dismember were among those responsible for Death Metal's big break through. The debut album, Like An Ever Flowing Stream from 1991, clearly showed that Dismember are an uncompromising band which resulted in their rise to cult status and within a short period of time the album took the scene by storm. Extensive touring with bands like Death, Morbid Angel and Cannibal Corpse showed that Dismember are a live force to be reckoned with and the number of fans grew steadily. The band then released the 5-track EP, "Pieces", and went out on tour again with Napalm Death and Obituary. They played for thousands of fans throughout Europe thus reinforcing their status as one of the best live bands on earth. Dismember set a new path and in 2004, they released their sixth studio album titled Where Ironcrosses Grow which sounds close to Hate Campaign and is heavily inspired by Iron Maiden and Autopsy. Their seventh album The God That Never Was followed in 2006, continuing in the style of its predecessor.

M-Theory Audio is proud to announce the first-ever vinyl releases of the two acclaimed albums by metal supergroup Divine Heresy, featuring members of Fear Factory, Morbid Angel, Bad Wolves and Nile! After temporarily parting ways with Fear Factory – the influential, gold-certified industrial metal band he co-founded – in 2002, guitarist and extreme metal pioneer Dino Cazares (also of Brujeria and Asesino) began laying the foundation for a new project that would combine metallic aggression, muscular precision, and melodic accessibility. Upon joining forces with acclaimed drummer Tim Yeung (Morbid Angel, Vital Remains, Hate Eternal), and vocalist Tommy Vext (Bad Wolves, Snot), Cazares’ vision was realized, and Divine Heresy was born. The group’s 2007 debut, “Bleed The Fifth” – produced by former Machine Head/Soulfly guitarist Logan Mader (Gojira, Devildriver), and released in North America via Century Media Records and via Fear Factory’s longtime home, Roadrunner Records, in Europe – received rave reviews from the global metal press. Metal Hammer called Divine Heresy “a quintessential 21st Century American metal band,” while Kerrang! raved that the album “couldn’t be more metal if it hung a massive V around the neck of the Eiffel Tower while gargling liquid mercury.” After adding bassist Joe Payne (Nile), the band supported the album’s release by touring extensively alongside the likes of Killswitch Engage, All That Remains, Static-X, Arch Enemy, Dark Tranquillity, Shadows Fall and Chimaira. Unfortunately, Divine Heresy’s initial lineup splintered in 2008 when Vext left the band, but Cazares, Yeung and Payne quickly rebounded with new vocalist Travis Neal (Dirge Within, The Bloodline) and released their second album, “Bringer of Plagues,” in 2009. Again, produced by Mader, the album – which cracked the Billboard Top 200 upon its release – was heavier than its predecessor, with AllMusic describing it as “a head-down, hair-pinwheeling metal album” and Kerrang! praising its “thunderous, jaw-dropping intensity.” Again, the band hit the road with gusto, touring with the likes of Moonspell, Gigan, After The Burial and 36 Crazyfists, but soon after Cazares re-joined a new-look Fear Factory, Divine Heresy went on hiatus. After more than a decade in hibernation, the time has finally come to shine a fresh light on Divine Heresy via the first-ever vinyl releases of “Bleed The Fifth” and “Bringer of Plagues.” “Bleed The Fifth” will be released on white vinyl, while “Bringer of Plagues” will be offered on clear wax.