Entertainment Earth

6/27/2021

Witch Vomit- Abhorrent Rapture (EP Review)

Musicians: Witch Vomit
EP Title: Abhorrent Rapture
Genre/ Subgenre: Death Metal
Label: 20 Buck Spin
Release Date: Digital Download: June 18, 2021, CD and Cassette: July 2, 2021, and Vinyl: September 10, 2021

Fans, like myself, have been clamoring for a new release from Witch Vomit following their brutal 2019 sophomore record Buried Deep in a Bottomless Grave. To stratify us and sedate our hunger, the Oregon death metal band have given us, Abhorrent Rapture, a four song EP of gore-drenched viciousness.

The first track is "Purulent Burial Mound". It starts off with a sample of haunting horror sounds and music and goes right into its blistering and thundering riff. The sound is all encompassing and brutal, leading right into a mix of killer groove and slaughtering blast-beats. Next up is"Funeral Purgation" which begins with a lightning fast assuallt that suddenly slows down to a dark and deliciously evil sounding breakdown. This is actually one of my favorite parts in the entire album. "Necrometamorphosis" is a merciless and uncompromising song, with a driving, unrelenting tempo and a breakdown that evokes a nightmare or particularly creepy horror movie. The lead break that follows is like Slayer on super-speed. This all amounts to my favorite song on the album. The fourth and final track is the title song. It erupts from its start with some head pounding blast-beats. It is a full blown attack of speed and galloping brutality, slowing down only to elicit imagines of terror in your mind. You can picture the legions of the dead rising and jumping into a brutal mosh pit of the undead.

The production on the album sounds dark and menacing with thick sounds and an aural landscape of living dead evil. I especially like how vocalist and guitarist Tempter's vocals sound unhuman and wonderfully monstrous, adding to the nightmarish feel.

With four tracks of brutality and heaviness, Witch Vomit continue to deliver the evil goods on Abhorrent Rapture. Mixing atmosphere and unstoppable savagery, this is death metal at its best. With a combination of old school American death metal and a heavy influence of Entombed-styled Euro death metal that barfs up some evil, death metal goodness.

 



6/22/2021

Melodic Death Metal Unit HIRAES Drops Third Single, “Eyes Over Black” + Official Video

[photo credit: Lisa Ulferts]

Melodic Death Metal Unit HIRAES (ex-Dawn Of Disease) Drops Third Single and Official Video for “Eyes Over Black”

Watch HERE!

Debut Album, Solitary, out this Friday, June 25 via Napalm Records

Pre-Order NOW

German based melodic death metal unit HIRAES will finally unleash their highly anticipated sonic monster with ultimate strength and drop their debut album, Solitary, this Friday, June 25 via Napalm Records!

Today, to stir the anticipation even more, the powerhouse combining the full force of all four instrumentalists formerly of Dawn Of Disease (Lukas Kerk, Oliver Kirchner, Christian Wösten and Mathias Blässe) with the powerful vocals of Britta Görtz (Critical Mess, Ex-Cripper) sets free its third exciting melodic death emergence with razor-sharp single, “Eyes Over Black”HIRAES' explosive new offering smashes in with catchy hooklines and immediately marks a sonic reminiscence of late In Flames. The song comes along with a powerful music video, shot in a crushing live set-up to demonstrate the inexorable strength of the band even more and gives a glimpse of what fans can expect when HIRAES are finally be able to smash stages worldwide!

HIRAES on “Eyes Over Black”:
“Aren't we all starving for live concerts during this pandemic? With our brand new video for 'Eyes Over Black' we want to capture this feeling of being on stage again as well as giving you an insight of the energy and intensity that our future live shows will bring to the audience. We cannot wait to finally get back on stage and present our powerful, catchy and monumental songs from our debut album "Solitary". Until the time finally comes again, enjoy "Eyes Over Black" and hope with us that we will see each other on the road pretty soon!”

Get in the mood for some blazing live vibes and watch the video for
“Eyes Over Black” HERE


HIRAES already established its own remarkable identity built upon a smashing femme vocal attack, intense melodies and charging guitars, led by guitarist Lukas Kerk as main songwriter. An atmospheric, instrumental intro introduces the album opener “Shadows Break'', whilst showcasing the impressive vocal onslaught of seasoned frontwoman Britta Görtz shortly after. “Grain Of Sand” sets the next exclamation mark while delivering an unrelenting attack of smashing riffs along with an inexorable vocal performance, followed by standouts such as brutal “1000 Lights” and fast-twitching title-track “Solitary”, proving that HIRAES don’t decelerate for a second.

This massive melodic death metal assault leaves no scope for weakness and serves an exciting take on the genre with hymnlike melodies, enthralling drums and guitar riffing as well as breathtaking hooklines. Topped with the distinctive and versatile performance of Britta Görtz, this powerful new formation and its debut, Solitary, is a must have for fans of bands like InsomniumAt The Gates, Arch Enemy and Amon Amarth.

HIRAES say about the album:
“Our debut album Solitary is the result of the collaboration of five musicians who burn with passion for melodic death metal. With its incredible emotional energy, it will captivate fans of the genre in no time. Hymn-like melodies and catchy riffing meet versatile drumming and the very varied growls of our singer Britta. The result is a unique blend of the best that melodic death metal has to offer. Rounded off by stunning sound, refined at Fascination Street Studios under the direction of Jens Bogren, and strong artwork by Costin Chioreanu, we are really more than satisfied with our first album. We can't wait to finally present Solitary to the metal community on June 25, 2021!”

Order the hard-hitting debut album Solitary NOW!


Solitary Tracklisting:
1. Shadows Break
2. Under Fire
3. Grain Of Sand
4. 1000 Lights
5. Eyes Over Black
6. Outshine
7. Solitary
8. Strangers
9. Running Out Of Time

Solitary will be available in the following formats:
- 1 LP Gatefold SILVER
- 1 LP Gatefold BLACK
- 1 CD Jewel Case
- Digital Album

[1 LP Gatefold SILVER]

HIRAES are:
Britta Görtz - vocals
Lukas Kerk - guitars
Oliver Kirchner - guitars
Christian Wösten - bass
Mathias Blässe - drums

HIRAES SOCIAL MEDIA:
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Shadows Fall Reunion Show Set For 12/18


SHADOWS FALL ANNOUNCE REUNION SHOW

BAND TO TAKE THE STAGE AT THE PALLADIUM IN WORCESTER, MASSACHUSETTS ON SATURDAY, DECEMBER 18

UNEARTH, DARKEST HOUR, WITHIN THE RUINS, SWORN ENEMY, + CARNIVORA TO APPEAR

The mighty SHADOWS FALL, who were at the forefront of the New Wave of American Metal scene that dominated the '00s, will reunite to play a one-off show at The Palladium in Worcester in their native Massachusetts. The show is set for Saturday, December 18, 2021.

Unearth, Darkest Hour, Within the Ruins, Sworn Enemy, and Carnivora are also set to appear. Watch the show trailer here.

"As the wise prophet D.L.R. once said, 'I HEARD YA MISSED US, WE'RE BACK,'" says singer Brian Fair. "I couldn't be more excited to be getting back onstage with my brothers in Shadows Fall and there is no room I would rather do it in than The Palladium in Worcester. It has been six years since we last played a show and we are ready to unleash the fury like Yngwie."

He continues, "We have been trying to find a way to jam together and play live for a little while now and the planets have finally aligned, schedules worked out, and with the help of a ton of our good friends, we were able to pull it off. This is the only show we have planned so shine up your dancing shoes, stretch out your neck, crack a brew, and get your ass to Massachusetts!"

Fair finishes, "[Guitarists] Matt [Bachand] and Jon [Donais] started this band 25 years ago and it still amazes me that the music we made allowed us to travel the world, share the stage with legends, and put out a ton of records that I will always be proud of. This show is a way for us to celebrate the music and thank all of the people that supported us through the years and helped us live the dream. I can't wait to rage through songs from our entire catalog with a bunch of metalhead Massholes maniacs! I've said it before and i'll say it again — there ain't no party like a Shadows Fall party."

Fans can expect a sweaty, high energy, full-on metallic throttle from start to finish.

SoundRink VIP tickets go on sale on Wednesday, June 23 at 10am local time. The local pre-sale is set for Thursday, June 24 at 10am with the promo code "WEEEE." The regular on-sale is set for Friday, June 25 at 10am local time.

Go here for tickets.

SHADOWS FALL ONLINE:
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Spotify

6/21/2021

Anette Olzon Announces New Solo Album "STRONG" Coming September 10, 2021 Via Frontiers Music SRL


 ANETTE OLZON ANNOUNCES NEW SOLO ALBUM "STRONG"


COMING SEPTEMBER 10, 2021 VIA FRONTIERS MUSIC SRL

FIRST SINGLE & VIDEO, 'PARASITE' OUT TODAY

Current The Dark Element (and ex-Nightwish) vocalist Anette Olzon is set to release her new solo album, "Strong" via Frontiers Music Srl on September 10, 2021. Today, fans can get their first listen to new music with the release of the single and video for the track 'Parasite'. Watch the video HEREhttps://youtu.be/eEbQWMOPBO0


Pre-order/save "Strong" on CD/LP/Digital HEREhttps://orcd.co/anettestrong

“'Parasite' is a song about those who create disaster in this world with their lies, their schemes, their greed and hate. Hiding their intentions behind a respectable facade,” says Anette Olzon of the albums' first single. “Living in a world of a bit of chaos with a pandemic, crazy politics, violence, social media behavior and people venting their opinions upon others all the time is the foundation behind the idea of the lyrics for the album. Musically, I wanted a much heavier album, yet with strong melodies and took my inspiration from bands I like such as Dimmu Borgir and In Flames,” she continues.

This will be Anette's second solo album, following 2014's "Shine," and offers a harder, faster musical offering compared to the debut. More importantly, "Strong" stakes a claim for Anette’s well-deserved standing as one of the world's top female metal vocalists.
 
The music for "Strong" was written and composed together with acclaimed Swedish guitarist and producer Magnus Karlsson. Together, Anette and Magnus managed to create an outstanding collection of songs which showcase Anette’s enormous vocal range alongside Karlsson’s incendiary riffs. The songs are heavy, but still quite melodic and contemporary in their approach to the genre style. Additionally, "Strong" is mixed by Jacob Hansen (Pretty Maids, Volbeat, The Dark Element, etc.).
 
All in all, “Strong” is an album that masters the borders between heaviness and hookiness, all while showing an artist who doesn't rest on her laurels, but heads boldly into the future.


Tracklist:
1.  Bye Bye Bye
2.  Sick Of You
3.  I Need To Stay
4.  Strong
5.  Parasite
6.  Sad Lullaby
7.  Fantastic Fanatic
8.  Who Can Save Them
9.  Catcher Of My Dreams
10. Hear Them Roar
11. Roll The Dice
 
LINE-UP:
Anette Olzon - Vocals
Magnus Karlsson - Guitars
Anders Köllerfors - Drums
Johan Husgafvel – Bass

ANETTE OLZON SOCIAL MEDIA:
Facebook ‌ Instagram ‌

About Frontiers Music Srl:
Originally founded in Naples, Italy in 1996 by Serafino Perugino and his father Fernando as a distribution company, Frontiers has developed into one of the premiere independent rock labels in the world. Synonymous with quality music from across a broad spectrum of rock genres, the label has worked with multiple genre heavyweights and fan favorites. Aside from providing a home for classic artists from the '70s and '80s, the label has also become home to a wealth of young, up and coming talent that, with a savvy and forward thinking A&R and marketing approach, will be developed into the future of rock and metal. With a deep commitment to and passion for THE MUSIC and the artists who create it and massive global distribution, sales, marketing, and publicity channels, Frontiers is the premiere home for established and emerging rock artists. Head Office: Naples, IT | U.S. Office: Philadelphia, PA

Halestorm Announce Fall 2021 Headline Tour Dates


HALESTORM ANNOUNCE ADDITIONAL FALL 2021 HEADLINE TOUR DATES

BAND ALSO TOURING ARENAS WITH EVANESCENCE THIS FALL

Grammy-winning rock powerhouse HALESTORM have announced a slate of headline tour dates and a handful of rescheduled shows to take place this fall. The band is also touring arenas this November and December on a co-headline run with Evanescence, in addition to appearing at several key festivals. All upcoming Halestorm tour dates are below. Mongolian folk rock sensation The HU appear on several dates, which is particularly exciting since singer/guitarist Lzzy Hale guests on The HU's "Song of Women."

Pre-sale tickets (save for the Nashville and Joliet dates, which are already on sale) will be available tomorrow, Tuesday, June 22 at 10am local time. The regular on-sale is slated for Friday, June 25 at 10am local time. Get tickets here

Halestorm are currently holed up at Rock Falcon Studios, working diligently on their upcoming fifth album (and follow up to 2018's Vicious) with Nick Raskulinecz. The band recently released their rendition of The Who's "Long Live Rock" in conjunction with the documentary of the same name. Hale just completed filming of the inaugural season of Hit Parader's new music competition show NO COVER, appearing as a celebrity judge alongside Alice Cooper, Bishop Briggs, Gavin Rossdale, and Tosin Abasi. Recent Halestorm press highlights include Forbes, Psychology Today, Refinery 29, Alternative Press, Good Day New York, KTLA, and more. 

NEW HALESTORM HEADLINE + FESTIVAL DATES: 
7/30 — York, PA — York State Fair^
8/14 — Council Bluffs, IA — KIWR River Riot^
8/31 — Syracuse, NY — NY State Fair^
9/1 — Buffalo, NY — Art Park@        
9/3 — Kansas City, MO — Azura Amphitheater@
9/4 — Camdenton, MO — Ozarks Amphitheater@
9/5 — Pryor, OK — Rocklahoma^
9/8 — Asheville, NC — Thomas Wolfe Auditorium~
9/9 — Danville, VA — Blue Ridge Rock Festival^
9/11 — Nashville, IN — Brown County Music Center*#
9/12 — Mansfield, OH — Inkcarceration^
11/4 — Boise, ID — Revolution Center%
11/17 — Salt Lake City, UT — The Union&
12/8 — Joliet, IL — Rialto Square Theatre*+
*Rescheduled Date
^Festival/Fair
@With The HU + Cory Marks
~With The HU
#With Crobot
%With Rival Sons + Dorothy
&With Plush
+With Lillith Czar

EVANESCENCE + HALESTORM TOUR DATES:
11/5 — Portland, OR — Veterans Memorial Coliseum
11/7 — Seattle, WA — Climate Pledge Arena
11/9 — San Jose, CA — SAP Center at San Jose
11/12 — Las Vegas, NV — The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas - The Chelsea
11/13 — San Diego, CA — San Diego State University - Viejas Arena
11/15 — Phoenix, AZ — Arizona Federal Theatre
11/20 — Fort Worth, TX — Dickies Arena
12/2 — Duluth, GA — Gas South Arena
12/5 — Saint Louis, MO — Saint Louis University - Chaifetz Arena
12/11 — Detroit, MI — Little Caesars Arena
12/12 — Cincinnati, OH — Heritage Bank Center
12/14 — Pittsburgh, PA — University of Pittsburgh - Petersen Events Center
12/15 — Newark, NJ — Prudential Center
12/17 — Camden, NJ — BB&T Pavilion
12/18 — Worcester, MA — DCU Center

ABOUT HALESTORM:
Halestorm is comprised of Lzzy Hale [vocals + guitar], Arejay Hale [drums], Joe Hottinger [guitar], and Josh Smith [bass]. Together they have toured extensively clocking a staggering 2,500 live performances to date with a diverse variety of artists including: Eric Church, Joan Jett, Avenged Sevenfold, Alice Cooper, ZZ Top and Evanescence. Most recently, the band scored a 2019 Grammy nomination for "Best Rock Performance" for their song  "Uncomfortable," marking their second nomination after their 2013 win for "Best Hard Rock/Metal Performance." Loudwire named Lzzy their "2018 Rock Artist of the Year," and two years prior, she was named the "Dimebag Darrell Shredder of the Year" at the Metal Hammer Golden Gods Awards. Both Halestorm and their 2012 LP The Strange Case of… were certified Gold, further evidencing Halestorm's massively supportive fanbase. Halestorm have also made history with "Love Bites (So Do I)," the hit single from The Strange Case of… which ascended to No. 1 at Active Rock radio in the U.S., making Halestorm the first-ever group with a female vocalist to earn the top spot on the format. The band's latest album Vicious is out now.

HALESTORM ONLINE:
Facebook
Website
Twitter
YouTube
Instagram
Spotify

6/14/2021

Superdeep (Review)

Director: Arseny Syuhin
Writers: Samuel Stewart Hunter (English adaptation), Arseny Syuhin
Cast: Milena Radulovic, Sergey Ivanyuk, Nikolay Kovbas, Vadim Demchog, Kirill Kovbas
Year: 2020
Min: 113

Anya (Milena Radulovic), a Russian expert on infectious diseases, is called to help with a deep, underground, and massive Soviet research facility, named Kola Superdeep. She goes in with a team to find out what has happened there, since they haven't heard from the stationed team. What they discover is a deadly and contagious, fungal organism that infects the body and spreads all over it, mutating the host's body into hideous and grotesque forms. And, if it ever got out would ravage the world.

Superdeep is a Russian sci-fi/ horror movie from director, co-writer Arseny Syuhin that is very loosely based on the real life Soviet Kola Superdeep Borehole. This body horror and contingent flick is in English, which should help to please those that hate reading subtitles. The movie is also a monster film and takes in elements from Alien, Aliens, and The Thing. Unfortunately, it never reaches the quality of any those movies.

To its advantage, it is a very good looking movie. The cinematography by Hayk Kirakosyan is gorgeous. Particularly beautiful are the cinematic shots of the snow covered environment outside of Superdeep. The film, overall, has some good production values helping to enhance the visual appeal of the film. 

The acting is decent enough. Though, it is the absolutely gorgeous Milena Radulovic who is given the most to do. As lead character, Anya, she provides us with a strong and likable performance, and, at the very least, we care what happens to her. Unfortunately, the other characters are somewhat thinly written and harder for us to give a flying fuck what occurs to them.

The gore is definitely alright. But, it is the body horror aspect that gives the movie its most horrific visuals. The FX are good, and while it takes an hour and a half for us to see the monster, it does look cool. At least as much as we are able to see of it, hanging a nightmarish appearance to it that pleased this creature lover.

The movie's biggest problem is its pacing. And, at an hour and fifty-three minutes it feels terribly overlong. It stretches the thin plot to its maximum capacity. A simple story in a film like this isn't inherently bad, witness similarly themed flicks. But, when stretched out in the manner that it is here, it does the movie no favors.

There is a really cool concept here. One that even if not the freshest, was enough to keep me intrigued, at least at the start of the film. But, the flick ultimately drags. I kept thinking something exciting would happen, but it never really does. One of the movie's most potentially thrilling scenes, involving Anya and extreme heat, is dragged out so much that it takes away any of the nail-biting power it should have had. The movie simply never takes full advantage of its own premise and doesn't give us the suspense, intensity, action, or horror that this story should have. 

Superdeep is, from a purely technical aspect, competently made. The film has good production values and solid FX. The acting is mostly just OK, though lead Radulovic is quite good. The idea of this infectious and deadly contingent is an interesting one and feels quite relevant to today's world. Unfortunately, it never reaches its full potential. The movie is dragged out and way too long, for its own good. It also lacks any real tension or suspense. Superdeep will begin streaming exclusively on Shudder this Thursday, June, 17, 2021.



6/07/2021

Tomorrow Night: Live Watch & Virtual Panel for Shudder's Premiere of George A. Romero's "The Amusement Park"!



New York, NY – June 7, 2021 – To celebrate the premiere of the George A. Romero’s “lost” and restored film, The Amusement Park, Shudder is hosting a live watch followed by a virtual panel on the film and its place within the pioneering independent filmmaker’s influential body of work.

The screening will be available to Shudder members via the Shudder TV feed in the U.S. and Canada on Tuesday at 8:05pm ET, as well as on demand to Shudder members worldwide. Immediately following at 9pm ET on Shudder TV and on Shudder’s YouTube channel, the panel “Reviving Romero’s The Amusement Park” will feature a conversation between Suzanne Desrocher Romero, founder and president of the George A. Romero Foundation; award-winning horror author and educator Tananarive Due (Horror Noire); author Daniel Kraus, who completed Romero’s posthumous novel, The Living Dead; Fangoria editor-in-chief Phil Nobile Jr.; and Sandra Schulberg, president and executive director of IndieCollect who supervised the film’s 4K restoration. The panel will be moderated by Shudder curator Samuel Zimmerman. Fans are encouraged to join the conversation with @Shudder during the film and panel using the hashtag #TheAmusementPark.

Recently discovered and restored 46 years after its completion, The Amusement Park stars Martin’s Lincoln Maazel as an elderly man who finds himself disoriented and increasingly isolated as the pains, tragedies and humiliations of aging in America are manifested through roller coasters and chaotic crowds. Commissioned by the Lutheran Society, the film is perhaps George A. Romero’s wildest and most imaginative movie, an allegory about the nightmarish realities of growing older, and is an alluring snapshot of the filmmaker’s early artistic capacity and style and would go on to inform his ensuing filmography.

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