Legendary rockers, Aerosmith, recently announced their retirement from touring, canceling their Peace Out Farewell Tour. The band released a statement stating 76-year-old singer Steven Tyler is unable to fully recover from a vocal injury.
The band’s statement reads: “It was 1970 when a spark of inspiration became Aerosmith. Thanks to you, our Blue Army, that spark caught flame and has been burning for over five decades. Some of you have been with us since the beginning and all of you are the reason we made rock ‘n’ roll history. It has been the honor of our lives to have our music become part of yours. In every club, on every massive tour and at moments grand and private you have given us a place in the soundtrack of your lives.
“We’ve always wanted to blow your mind when performing. As you know, Steven’s voice is an instrument like no other. He has spent months tirelessly working on getting his voice to where it was before his injury. We’ve seen him struggling despite having the best medical team by his side. Sadly, it is clear, that a full recovery from his vocal injury is not possible. We have made a heartbreaking and difficult, but necessary, decision – as a band of brothers – to retire from the touring stage.
“We are grateful beyond words for everyone who was pumped to get on the road with us one last time. Grateful to our expert crew, our incredible team and the thousands of talented people who’ve made our historic runs possible. A final thank you to you – the best fans on planet Earth. Play our music loud, now and always. Dream On. You’ve made our dreams come true.”
Queen guitarist, Brian May, took to social media after hearing Aerosmith’s news, revealing that the band’s statement left him emotional.
Says May: “This has brought a tear to my eye. Aerosmith have been a huge part of my life, as they have been for millions of other rock fans. Steve Tyler stands as one the greatest vocalists and front men of all time – and it’s heartbreaking that his extraordinary voice has been so damaged. We all send our love and prayers for your recovery, Steve. It’s also typical of the pure class of the band that they have made and broadcast this bold decision in such style. The career of Aerosmith is truly something to celebrate forever. All things must pass – but the inspiring work of Aerosmith will live on – along with the memories of truly one of the most awesome bands to ever hit a stage.” – Bri
Internationally acclaimed heavy metallers, Sabaton, have released the video below, along with the following message in regards to bassist Pär Sundström’s new project:
“A while back we revealed Pär’s plans to release an epic videogame called Lord Of Metal! Well today, our trusty bassist answers your questions: What is Lord of Metal and what can you expect from the game? Watch this video and reserve your copy of the game today! By doing so, you get an exclusive early bird discount and in-game items. Sign up here.
Internationally acclaimed heavy metallers, Sabaton, are celebrating their 25-year milestone in the music industry. They have shared a new livestream video along with the following message:
“Metalheads! Round up the Sabaton troops and join us for our 8th listening party! We’ll be listening to The Last Stand on full blast and looking back at awesome times in the studio and on tour. There were so many memories connected to this album, it was hard to know where to start! Did you know that when writing the music for this song, Joakim asked for Pär’s input, and when he heard what Joakim had written, Pär immediately said ‘Guys, I’m not hearing a metal song. I’m hearing the soundtrack to the movie 300!’ – and that’s how the topic was selected! Find out about this and more by joining us. We hope you enjoy it as much as we did!”
The Last Stand is Sabaton’s eighth studio album. It was produced by Peter Tägtgren at Abyss Studios in Sweden and released on August 19, 2016. Like Sabaton’s previous album, Heroes, The Last Stand is a concept album and takes inspiration from “last stand” military battles.
Loudwire has shared another compilation video, this time highlighting late AC/DC vocalist Bon Scott and ten unforgettable moments in his career.
According to Australia’s News.com, iconic AC/DC frontman Bon Scott has been immortalised on a new collectable coin.
Four decades on from Scott’s death, the Perth Mint has paid tribute to the Australian rock legend, with the reproduction of his image on a 1oz 99.99 per cent silver proof coin.
The image on the coin – designed by Wade Robinson – is of the rock star shirtless, wearing a denim jacket and cut-off sleeves, and with a microphone in his hand. Scott’s name is inscribed on the coin with the Lion Rampant overlaying it, which the Perth Mint said was an ode to his Scottish heritage.
The Perth Mint’s general manager of minted products Neil Vance said it was an honour to produce a Bon Scott coin, especially because the star spent much of his early life growing up in Perth and Fremantle.
“He was a pioneering figure in the Aussie music scene, and we feel very privileged to have the support of the Scott family in maintaining his legacy here at the Perth Mint.”
Only 5,000 coins are available for purchase. Go to the Perth Mint shop here.
In late 2023, Bon Scott was commemorated with two new official tartans.
The Bon Scott Heritage And Touring Tartans mark 50 years since Scott joined the band in 1974. Gordon Nicolson Kiltmakers in Edinburgh were commissioned by Scott’s family in Australia to produce the designs, which “commemorate the life of Ronald Belford ‘Bon’ Scott.”
Scott was born in Kirriemuir, in Angus, in 1946, but moved to Australia as a child. He performed on the rock icons’ first seven albums but died in 1980 aged just 33. The commemorative tartans use colours reflecting Scott’s life including, in The Bon Scott Heritage, blue and white to reflect his Scots heritage and love of denim.
The designs have both now been lodged in the official Scottish Register of Tartans in Edinburgh, ahead of official launch events next year.
Read the complete report from The Edinburgh Reporter here.
(Image credit: WOA Festival GMBH/ KK’s Priest: Kristina Malzahn/ Blues Pills: Olaf Malzahn/Korn: Fabian Reichenbach/Feuerschwanz: Patrick Schneiderwind/Spiritbox: Patrick Schneiderwind)
With a full capacity of around 85,000 people and a festival site that stretches over 240 hectares, as well as links to nearby villages (including the one that the festival takes its name from), Wacken’s proclamation to be the world’s biggest heavy metal festival has an undeniable truth to it. Add in line-ups that cover rock and metal in all of its diverse glory, and you’re looking at one of the finest weekends any metalhead could hope for, helpfully set up in a field in Germany each August.
With 2024’s headliners including Scorpions, Korn and Amon Amarth, as well as a stacked line-up featuring everyone from Testament to Cradle Of Filth, Opeth to Accept, this year’s edition was truly a bumper event for the books. But which bands ruled the fields? These are the 10 bands who utterly conquered the masses at Wacken 2024.
Die Habinichtse
A medieval folk band singing entirely in German (as far as we could tell, at least). Alright, granted, it’s hardly Mayhem (or any of the other spectacular underground bands on the 2024 line-up), but if you’re looking for something that defines the weird and wonderful charm of Wacken, it’d be Die Habinichtse.
Playing amidst Wacken’s own Middle Ages themed village Wackinger – where you can buy necklaces, ocarinas and miscellaneous other nick-nacks, grab a glass of mead or participate in games like hammering nails with axes, knocking each other off logs with straw pillows – the band sell a level of authenticity and fun that shows just how different Wacken is to every other festival, cementing a sense of quiet German pride that can be felt everywhere from the official Wacken merch stand at Hamburg Airport to the signs that say “WELCOME METALHEADS” as you arrive on-site. Truly, communal spirit.
KK’s Priest
It’s been a little over a year since K.K. Downing made his live debut with KK’s Priest, proving there’s more to the heavy metal legend than just bleating about past glories. With frontman Tim “Ripper” Owens and a flame-chucking stageshow that leans more towards the Maiden school of stagecraft than Priest, KK and co. have refined their set into a truly formidable trad metal force. You know you’re onto a winner when, on the hottest day of the festival, the beer sellers in the crowd are struggling to get any attention as thousands of metalheads sing along to Breaking The Law.
Accept
With a line-up including Sweet, Armored Saint, KK’s Priest, Axel Rudi Pell, Rage and Scorpions, its fair to say trad metal ruled the roost on the Thursday. But for Teutonic titans Accept, it must’ve felt like an extra special homecoming. Clearly invigorated by the success of latest album Humanoid, there’s an almost thrashy sensibility to that album’s title-track, while unsurprisingly the massive anthem Balls To The Wall has the whole field erupting in a mass sing-along, the band even bringing out KK’s Priest howler Ripper for the track.
Accept feat. Tim Ripper Owens – Balls to the Wall LIVE at Wacken Open Air 2024 – YouTube
Lovable champions of the New Wave Of Classic Rock, you could have forgiven Massive Wagons if their set had been met with a lukewarm reception. Playing at midday well into the festival – the music had started on Wednesday in earnest, but some fans had arrived as early as the previous Sunday – it turned out that hangovers and festival fatigue can’t compete with fired up Lancashiremen, frontman Baz Mills leading the crowd like a rock’n’roll R. Lee Ermey.
Sign up below to get the latest from Metal Hammer, plus exclusive special offers, direct to your inbox!
It doesn’t hurt the band have some of the catchiest, canniest britrock songs this side of The Wildhearts, the likes of Fuck The Haters, House Of Noise and Bangin In Your Stereo quickly seeing the crowd balloon on a Saturday morning.
(Image credit: WOA Festival GMBH/Tim Näve)
Blues Pills
When it comes down to it, aren’t festivals made for riffs and sunshine? Swedish psychedelic rockers Blues Pills were well and truly in their element then, strutting forth with the kind of self-assured confidence that comes from knowing you’ve got some absolute bangers in the tank. Vocalist Elin Larsson beamed with a cocksure grin and magnetic stage presence that demands this band become absolute stars.
Spiritbox
Having already played their first UK show – at Download – and first UK headline shows, it’s easy to forget sometimes just how new Spiritbox are – and how many ‘firsts’ they still have to complete. The band made their Wacken debut with a show of force however, feeling less like aspirant newcomers and more like hungry contenders, songs like Rotoscope, Circle With Me and Holy Roller undeniably iconic even at this early stage.
Feuerschwanz
Flamethrowers, flutes and chainmail, oh my! Germany’s Feuerschwanz have been knocking around for almost 20 years now, but since 2020’s signing to Napalm the band have experienced a serious nitro-boost to both their sound and profile. Folk metal with all the trimmings, their show feels like a collision between Amon Amarth, Manowar and Korpiklaani, utterly joyous with massive choruses for days and stage props that include full flamethrowers and witchy pagan druids banging cauldrons. It has to be seen to be fully explained, and even then you leave feeling like you’ve no idea what the hell just happened.
(Image credit: WOA Festival GMBH/Patrick Schneiderwind)
Korn
How has it taken this long to see Korn top festival bills in Europe? The nu metal godfathers are certainly no strangers to the fields of Europe, but it feels like we’ve spent an eternity watching them fill Special Guest and sub-headline spots when the plain truth is they’ve always had it in them to rule the roost. Wacken well and truly proved that, their Friday night headline set packed with the kinds of anthems festival-goers are desperate for, transcending language barriers to get the whole crowd roaring along to everything from Coming Undone and Falling Away From Me to Y’All Want A Single and Freak On A Leash. The failing is entirely ours, lads.
Bury Tomorrow
Architects might have been the closers of Wacken’s Main Stage on Saturday, but it was fellow British metalcore heroes Bury Tomorrow who seemed to enjoy one of the biggest surprise successes of the weekend. A massive, fire-blasting stage show helped show just how much the band have come on since releasing last year’s excellent The Seventh Sun and that album’s beefy ragers dominated the set, while new single Villain Arc added extra fuel to the bonfire. The result was an absolute triumph, BT pulling a massive crowd that showed Britain is still producing world-class talent.
Mayhem
How do you follow up the most epic Amon Amarth set of all time? By watching black metal’s most notorious band playing until the appropriately infernal time of midnight, of course. Mayhem kicked things off with the demonic spirituals of Malum from 2019’s Daemon before steadily clawing their way back through 40 years of black metal filth.
It’s telling that the earlier part of the set is notably more theatrical and grandiose, costume changes and demonic imagery beamed onto the screens behind the band lending a sense of the passage of time right up to their most notorious years, around the release of De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas, where much of their most iconic imagery is beamed up in grainy, found-footage horror style vignettes. Joined by original drummer Manheim and vocalist Messiah for a closing run of Deathcrush, Necrolust and Pure Fucking Armageddon, it feels like an appropriately apocalyptic close to a massive weekend of heavy metal.
Staff writer for Metal Hammer, Rich has never met a feature he didn’t fancy, which is just as well when it comes to covering everything rock, punk and metal for both print and online, be it legendary events like Rock In Rio or Clash Of The Titans or seeking out exciting new bands like Nine Treasures, Jinjer and Sleep Token.
This December’s camp will take place December 5-8, 2024 in Los Angeles and feature guitarists Nancy Wilson, Lita Ford, Nita Strauss (Alice Cooper), with percussionist Sheila E. (Prince) and bass player Rhonda Smith (Jeff Beck).
Attendees at the camp are placed in a band and coached by an all-star, all-female cohort of counselors, and for this camp, they include Roxy Petrucci (Vixen), Eva Gardner (P!nk), Jennie Vee (Eagles of Death Metal), Julia Lage (Vixen), Jennifer Oberle (Sarah McLachlan), Britt Lightning (Vixen, Musical Director Rock n’ Roll Fantasy Camp, Vixen) and more.
Rock ’n’ Roll Fantasy Camp has been running since 1997, has been featured in The Simpsons, and is the subject of Rock Camp The Movie, a documentary streaming free on Amazon Prime.
This women-only camp is open to female instrumentalists and vocalists of all ages and playing levels. Over four days of camp, attendees are thrown into band rehearsals, jam sessions, masterclasses with rockstar counselors, Q&A sessions and cap off the experience by performing live at The Viper Room on the Sunset Strip.
Sponsored by Billboard, the camp will feature a panel of music executives led by Melinda Newman, Billboard’s Executive Editor.
With their cover versions of Jethro Tull, Focus and Beckett, it should come as no surprise that Iron Maiden’s founder Steve Harris is a prog head. Covers aside, prog’ has been permeating Maiden’s music since the late 80s. Below are 10 of the band’s proggiest moments – and they weren’t all written by Harris. But as the bassist says: “Prog taught me to do whatever the hell you wanted to do and go in any direction you want to”. Amen to that.
Cross-Eyed Mary (The Trooper – 1983)
This cover of the 1971 Jethro Tull song from Aqualung was the b-side to The Trooper single, and the first indication for many fans that there was some love for prog rock within Maiden’s ranks. Unlike Bruce Dickinson – who has performed with Tull main-man Ian Anderson – Harris tells Prog: “I’ve never met Ian Anderson. I sort of don’t want to, because I love his music so much.”
Rainbow’s Gold (2 Minutes To Midnight – 1984)
Nestled away on the b-side to 1984 single 2 Minutes To Midnight is this cover of a song by 70s UK prog rockers Beckett, whose main claim to fame was singer Terry Wilson-Slesser, later the vocalist for Backstreet Crawler and Geordie, as well as being linked with AC/DC after Bon Scott‘s death. He also unsuccessfully auditioned for Maiden after Paul Di’Anno left. Band manager Rod Smallwood had been an agent for Beckett and a young Harris had seen the band play live.
Rime Of The Ancient Mariner (Powerslave – 1984)
The epic closing track for 1984’s Powerslave album was the first Maiden-penned tune to offer a glimpse of the band’s proggy proclivities. It’s based on Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s 1798 epic poem (Rush had previously based Xanadu on Coledridge’s Kubla Khan). “It might be significant that my two favourite pieces of music of all time are Supper’s Ready and Thick As A Brick,” says Harris of lengthy compositions.
Iron Maiden – Rime of the Ancient Mariner [Flight 666 DVD] HD – YouTube
Seventh Son Of A Seventh Son (Seventh Son Of A Seventh Son – 1988)
It was all-out prog rock in 1988, with keyboards introduced into the Maiden sound for the first time. The title track of the band’s seventh album – their first ever concept record – was the proggiest of the lot . “A lot of thought went into it,” says Harris. “It was a good change for us and I think it worked really well.”
Iron Maiden-Seventh Son of a Seventh Son with Lyrics – YouTube
For their first album after Dickinson had left and had been replaced by Blaze Bayley, Maiden didn’t go for the easy option. Instead they opened The X Factor with this 11-minute epic and its moody intro of chanting monks, building the suspense until it explodes in emphatic style.
07. Iron Maiden – Rock In Rio III – The Sign Of The Cross – YouTube
The band’s passion for prog really came to the fore when Dickinson returned for 2000’s Brave New World – especially this 9-minute workout. “I don’t really know the reason for it,” says Harris of Maiden’s increased progginess since then. “It was the way it naturally evolved.”
Sign up below to get the latest from Prog, plus exclusive special offers, direct to your inbox!
Paschendale (Dance Of Death – 2003)
Although he normally writes shorter, more commercially minded material, guitarist Adrian Smith got his prog on with this epic about the Battle Of Paschendale from WWI on the Dance Of Death album. Did you know the infantryman’s outfit donned by Dickinson when the band performed this song live was in fact Hungarian, and not British, as many thought? Take that to your next pub quiz with you.
Iron Maiden – Paschendale (Death On the Road) HD – YouTube
When The Wild Wind Blows (The Final Frontier – 2010)
Another epic album closer from 2010’s The Final Frontier, this time clocking in at almost 11 minutes and as complex as you get with Maiden. Penned by Harris alone, it soon proved to be a live favourite in the band’s set.
Empire Of The Clouds (The Book Of Souls – 2015)
With Dickinson’s laid-back piano intro, the final track on 2015’s The Book Of Souls remains the longest song on any Maiden album. Penned not by Harris, but by fellow prog lover Dickinson, the song tells the story of the British R101 airship, which crashed in northern France on 5 October 1930 during its maiden voyage. “I just had to say to him, ‘You’ve outdone me, you bugger!’” laughs Harris.
Death Of The Celts (Senjutsu, 2020)
You could take any of the final three tracks – all penned by Harris – from 2020’s Senjutsu, and make a case for them being some of Maiden’s proggiest. Indeed, on the vinyl version, the last disc almost makes for its own Maiden prog album! We’ve gone for Death Of The Celts, a stridently uplifting tale of days of yore. A bit Spinal Tap? Never…
Iron Maiden – Death Of The Celts (Official Audio) – YouTube
German metal legends Blind Guardian have shared a new video along with the following message:
“Wacken Open Air! We had a blast! Your enthusiasm and support turned the show into an epic celebration of metal. Thank you for an incredible night at the holy ground! Here’s the recap video produced by PixelEye Industries, with additional footage by Damir Palic of Burning Tiger.”
Right on time with their show at 2024’s edition of Wacken Open Air, Blind Guardian, proudly present Somewhere Far Beyond Revisited, which includes a complete re-recording of this classic as well as a live celebration of 1992’s Somewhere Far Beyond, a landmark record in the history of the band.
Somewhere Far Beyond Revisited, which was recorded in 2022 and 2023, is a refreshing and powerful tribute to one of the most influential albums in German metal history. It paved the way for Blind Guardian’s international career that is still going strong today and this re-recording impresses with all the class and quality these pioneers have been known and respected for since forming as Lucifer’s Heritage three decades ago.
Watch a live video for the revisited version of their most popular track, “The Bard’s Song – In The Forest”:
Somewhere Far Beyond Revisited is out today and can be listened to in full at any streaming service or purchased in physical form. Get it here
Tracklisting:
“Time What is Time” (Revisited) “Journey Through the Dark” (Revisited) “Black Chamber” (Revisited) “Theatre of Pain” (Revisited) “The Quest for Tanelorn” (Revisited) “Ashes to Ashes” (Revisited) “The Bard’s Song – In the Forest” (Revisited) “The Bard’s Song – The Hobbit” (Revisited) “The Piper’s Calling” (Revisited) “Somewhere Far Beyond” (Revisited)
“The Quest for Tanelorn” (Revisited) video:
“Ashes To Ashes” live at Hellfest 2022 video:
About Somewhere Far Beyond Revisited:
Right on time with their show at 2024’s edition of Wacken Open Air, Blind Guardian proudly announce the release of Somewhere Far Beyond Revisited on August 2 which includes a complete re-recording of this classic as well as a live celebration of 1992’s Somewhere Far Beyond, a landmark record for Germany’s heavy metal titans. After three albums on No Remorse Records, it was the band’s major label debut via Virgin Records and opened the doors to the Japanese market resulting in a wider availability and presence on the global metal scene. After finding the right balance of speed, heaviness, melodies, drama, and irresistible choruses on 1990’s Tales From The Twilight World, Somewhere Far Beyond honed this approach to perfection, evolving further on a conceptual level and increasing Blind Guardian’s sonic range. On Somewhere Far Beyond the band experimented with keyboards, orchestrations, and folk elements, the latter manifesting in the group’s best-known song and live staple, “The Bard’s Song (In The Forest)”, whereas other tracks like “Ashes to Ashes”, the rapid “Journey Through The Dark” or “The Quest For Tanelorn” connected well with previous mostly fast-paced albums yet offered an additional push in dynamics.
Fast forward 30 years! Prior to releasing the much lauded opus The God Machine in September 2022, Blind Guardian had been performing Somewhere Far Beyond in its entirety at Rock Hard Festival and Hellfest in Summer 2022 in front of tens of thousands of fans singing along to each track. Both shows were filmed and recorded professionally and aired via WDR and ARTE. For the limited triple-disc-edition of Somewhere Far Beyond Revisited the Hellfest material was newly edited by the band’s long-time videographer Dirk Behlau using additional multi-cam footage.
The idea of re-recording the album originated from the rehearsals for these shows as Hansi Kürsch explains in the detailed liner notes: “The original idea wasn’t to do a re-recording. When rehearsing for the anniversary gigs, corona hit and we couldn’t be certain that those shows would take place. We still wanted to celebrate the anniversary of the album and if we wouldn’t be able to include a live version, we initially thought we could at least record the rehearsals.”
Not 100% satisfied with those rough versions, Blind Guardian decided to go all in, knowing the risk of being frowned upon by fans who consider re-recordings utter blasphemy. “We tried to recapture what we did in 1992 but compensate youth with skillful experience, though in a hungry way. We never discussed any major changes but with over 30 years of experience, and our current line-up, those ingredients already add a new flavor to it.” With the basic tracks recorded in a live setting, Somewhere Far Beyond Revisited is leaner and more focused on impact in terms of guitar arrangements yet retains all the harmonies and melodies essential to the original. “We finally ended up with this cool hybrid version”, André adds. “We combined how we play the songs today, but at the same time, really tried to retain that speed metal spirit of the early 90s!”
Tour dates:
August 9 – Leyendas del Rock – Villena (Alicante), Spain 17 – Reload Festival – Sulingen, Germany 18 – Burg Open Air – Illingen, Germany
Belgian classic rock band, Beyond The Labyrinth, have released their new single, “Fear’s The Killer”, with new vocalist, Johan Lotigiers. The single is available on all streaming platforms. Listen below.
Johan Lotigiers made his debut with Beyond The Labyrinth on July 6 during the Coq Rock festival in De Haan. With his energetic performance, he managed to enchant the audience and his joining the band was received with great enthusiasm.
Every year, radio station Classic 21 pays attention to Belgian hard rock and metal bands in a special broadcast in their “100% Belge” special. Beyond The Labyrinth wanted to sign up, but it was short notice and they didn’t have any recordings with Johan yet. So things moved quickly and Johan chose a song from the large repertoire that Beyond The Labyrinth has released since 1996. For this new recording of “Fear’s The Killer”, Beyond The Labyrinth worked with Bram Van Den Berghe, who did the recording and mixing. The mastering was done by Pieter De Wagter (Equus).
The single “Fear’s The Killer” is a re-recording of a Beyond The Labyrinth classic from 2011, with the new version offering a fresh and updated interpretation of the original song.
True Norwegian black metal horde, 1349, will be releasing their eighth full-length, The Wolf And The King, on October 4 via Season of Mist. The Norwegian horde is now unleashing the third offering from the record, “The God Devourer”, along with a music video. The clip was directed by Claudio Marino and produced by Artax Film; it can be found below.
1349 frontman Ravn comments, “’The God Devourer.’ Opening track of The Wolf And The King. It tears a hole in the universe and set the atmosphere for the album as a whole. It strangely also resonates perfectly with the ominous apocalyptic mood of the world today.”
The forthcoming offering was mastered by Jarrett Prichard and produced and mixed by Prichard & 1349 frontman Ravn at New Constellation R.M.P.
Pre-order The Wolf And The King here. The cover artwork was created by Jordan Barlow and can be found below, along with the tracklisting.
The Wolf And The King tracklisting:
“The God Devourer” “Ash Of Ages” “Shadow Point” “Inferior Pathways” “Inner Portal” “The Vessel And The Storm” “Obscura” “Fatalist”
“Shadow Point” video:
“Ash Of Ages”:
1349 is not like other bands. It’s not a group of friends who decided to make music together. 1349 is a band formed with a unified vision and specific purpose: To maintain the legacy of black metal.
“I didn’t like the direction that black metal took in the mid part of the ’90s,” 1349 vocalist and mastermind Ravn recalls. “It started losing everything that I liked about black metal—the grimness, the eeriness, the primal emotions that captivated me and brought me into that sphere. You had all these synthesizer-based bands dressing up in pirate shirts and looking like goths. It ruined something that I truly hold close to my heart.”
In 1997, Ravn formed 1349 and recruited bassist Seidemann and, now former, guitarist Tjalve to help him pursue the vision of recapturing the original spirit of black metal. The longstanding lineup of Ravn, Seidemann, guitarist Archaon, and drummer Frost (also of Satyricon) has been in place since 2001. “I found people that felt the same way as me,” Ravn says of his bandmates. “We wanted to bring back the trademark of Norwegian black metal, as it was presented in the early 90s. Every time we release an album, that’s the inspiration and the backdrop.”
The Wolf And The King is the latest sortie in that crusade.1349’s eighth album sees the Oslo-based band harnessing the primordial energy of black metal’s decade-defining second wave and channeling it through ancient mysteries and the relentless global chaos of the 2020s.
The album title comes from a classic alchemical allegory: A wolf devours a king. Then the wolf is devoured by flames, and a new king rises from the ashes. “When I first heard about alchemy when I was young, it was people turning metal into gold,” Ravn says. “Further down the road, through various literatures and magical practices, I realized that what you’re turning into gold is metaphorical. It’s about personal development, basically. You want to be the best you can be, and that’s what we try to do as well. We try to top ourselves, to kill our egos in order to grow as persons. If you don’t do that, you will die. You will not rise from the ashes.”
Lead single “Ash of Ages” combines thrash with extreme metal flourishes and a proper doomsday theme. “The song is based on a story I read about a layer of ash that covered the Earth 12,000 years ago,” Ravn explains. “This layer of ash comes from a meteorite that struck the Earth during the Ice Age. It melted a lot of the ice, which is where the Great Flood came from. The Great Flood is in the Bible, but it was written about in every ancient culture. The theory is that it washed away a lot of other ancient cultures that held a higher intelligence level than those that were found after the flood. So, it possibly set human civilization back many thousands of years.”
Released as a one-sided maxi-12” with a flipside etching by Jordan Barlow—who did all the artwork for The Wolf And The King (as well as the band’s 2019 album, The Infernal Pathway)—“Ash of Ages” is also a warning to check your ego. “To think that you’re important, that you’re anything but an ant down there, is futile,” Ravn points out. “In the end, everything will be washed away, and nothing will be left.”
“Shadow Point” comes complete with a video and revisits the sonic domain of The Infernal Pathway with a classic headbanger groove. “This one references the Star of Algol, or ‘the Demon Star,’” Ravn offers. “It’s actually two stars that revolve around each other, and the small one is devouring the big one. Human beings have seen this star from early ages, and it has had many names over the years. It’s a known part of the magical world, so I wanted to include it in a song.”
Shot through with menace and a snaky groove, album opener “The God Devourer” will also have a video. “The lyrics are based on the alchemical principle of devouring all that you feel is in your way of becoming a better human,” Ravn says. “It sets the ominous tone for the whole album.”
Recorded at Amper Tone in Oslo, Norway, and New Constellation R.M.P. in Orlando, Florida, The Wolf And The King was produced and mixed by Ravn and Jarrett Pritchard (Eulogy, Pulchra Morte), the band’s long-standing sonic wizard who also worked on their previous two albums. The lyrics were written by the band’s longtime wordsmith, Svartalv, who has been working with 1349 for twenty years.
Jordan Barlow’s elaborate artwork for The Wolf And The King reflects the album’s chronological position in 1349’s discography. “This is our eighth album, and the artwork and lyrics are filled with references to this number of infinity,” Ravn explains. “You can basically go on a quest finding references to the number in the artwork.”
All told, The Wolf And The King is the exalted output of the joint force that is 1349. “We all work together to make the best black metal possible every time we release an album,” Ravn says. “This is our common goal. We’re a band on a mission.”
“Mammoth’s Hand” is the latest single from The Black Dahlia Murder. The track comes by way of the band’s upcoming tenth studio album, Servitude, set for release on September 27 via Metal Blade Records.
“Mammoth’s Hand” is partly inspired by a scene from Don Coscarelli’s 1982 swords ‘n’ sorcery epic, The Beastmaster. “We usually like to give some idea of what kind of diversity is gonna be on the album with the first two tracks we release,” vocalist Brian Eschbach offers. “[guitarist] Ryan Knight wrote the music for this, and the slow rhythm made me think of these barbaric warriors riding mammoths out in the snow or that scene from The Beastmaster when the Jun horde takes the village.”
Eschbach further elaborates, “‘Mammoth’s Hand’ is a romp through a fictitious frozen tundra in which a clan of nomadic mammoth riding cannibals conquer villages in a time devoid of technology. The slow groove of this song is a vibe not often implemented by the group but immediately inspired a vision in my mind of a slow moving yet gigantic and powerful beast of antagonistic nature.”
Watch The Black Dahlia Murder’s video for “Mammoth’s Hand,” created by Marco Pavone:
The guitars, bass and vocals for Servitude were recorded at guitarist Brandon Ellis’ home studio in New Jersey. The drums were recorded by Mark Lewis in Nashville, Tennessee where the album was also mixed. Servitude was mastered by Ted Jensen.
Servitude will be released on digipak CD, cassette, and digital formats as well as vinyl in the following color variants and special editions:
– Electromagnetic (US) – Rising Smoke (US) – Transcosmic Blue (US) – Endless Tide (US) – Utopian Black (US) – Cursed Creation (US – Exclusive Band Tour Variant) – Limited Edition Box Set *(with Ephemeral vinyl variant and a bonus LP that Includes 3 Live Tracks (US – Ltd. 400 / EU – Ltd. 600) – 180g Black (EU) – Bloody Pulp (EU – Ltd. 1000) – Nature’s Grain (Impericon Exclusive – Ltd. 300) – Blood Spray (EMP Exclusive – Ltd. 200) – Stone Cold (EU – Ltd. 200) – Lost Nobility (UK – Ltd. 300)
August 6 – Lifestyle Café – Cham, DE 7 – Brutal Assault – Jaromer, CZ 8 – Party San Open Air – Schlotheim, DE 9 – Szene – Wien, AT 10 – Menza Pri Koritu – Ljubljana, SI 11 – Slaughter Club – Milano, IT 13 – Rockhouse – Salzburg, AT 14 – Kiff – Aarau, CH 15 – Summer Breeze – Dinkelsbuhl, DE 16 – Reload Festival – Sulingen, DE 17 – Chinasstraat – Gent, BE (with Decapitated) 18 – Motocultor – Carhaix, FR
The Black Dahlia Murder will join Dying Fetus for a North American co-headlining tour this fall. See all confirmed dates below:
October 3 – Agora Ballroom – Cleveland, OH 4 – Egyptian Room – Indianapolis, IN 5 – The Rave – Milwaukee, WI 6 – Fillmore – Minneapolis, MN 8 – Summit Music Hall – Denver, CO 10 – The Depot – Salt Lake City, UT 11 – Knitting Factory – Boise, ID 13 – Neptune – Seattle, WA ^ 14 – Rickshaw – Vancouver, BC ^ 15 – Roseland Ballroom – Portland, OR 17 – UC Theatre – Berkeley, CA 18 – The Catalyst – Santa Cruz, CA 19 – Observatory North Park – San Diego, CA * 20 – The Novo – Los Angeles, CA * 21 – The Marquee – Tempe, AZ 23 – The Factory at Deep Ellum – Dallas, TX 24 – Vibes Event Center – San Antonio, TX 25 – Warehouse Live Midtown – Houston, TX 27 – The Ritz Ybor – Tampa, FL 28 – Buckhead Theatre – Atlanta, GA 30 – The Fillmore – Charlotte, NC 31 – Fillmore Silver Spring – Silver Spring, MD
November 1 – Fillmore – Philadelphia, PA 2 – Palladium – Worcester, MA 3 – Irving Plaza – New York, NY 5 – M-Telus – Montreal, QC 6 – The Phoenix Concert Theatre – Toronto, ON 9 – Royal Oak Music Hall – Detroit, MI 10 – Concord Music Hall – Chicago, IL
^ no AngelMaker * no Spite
The Black Dahlia Murder:
Brian Eschbach – lead vocals Max Lavelle – bass Alan Cassidy – drums Brandon Ellis – lead guitar, backing vocals Ryan Knight – rhythm guitar, backing vocals