Primus.

Primus is a rock band formed in California in the mid-1980s by two ex-members of thrash metal band Blind Illusion, Les Claypool and Larry Lalonde. Les (vocals and bass guitar) has been the only constant member. They have had two guitar players (although Larry has held onto the role for the past 16 years) and many different drummers (although Tim Alexander and Bryan Mantia were the only ones who recorded with the band, and Jay Lane was the only other one who had creative impact) in the past.

Their music has proven difficult to define; while usually considered by critics to be funk-metal or alternative metal, Primus has been called everything from "thrash funk" (as the band blends funk-style bass technique with thrash influenced guitar riffs and songs tempos), to "alternative rock" to "the Freak Brothers set to music." Les Claypool himself once described their music as "psychedelic polka." Thanks to the diversity of their sound they have been able to gain fans from nearly all rock subgenres. Primus is the only band to have their own ID3 genre tag in Winamp. They are characterized by their irreverent approach to music — they release their records on Claypool's Prawn Song Records label, a parody of Led Zeppelin's Swan Song, and their catchphrase was, for several years, "Primus Sucks!". In 2003 the band dropped that catchphrase, as well as Tim Alexander's nickname "Herb".

Early Days (1984–1991)

Primus began as Primate in the mid-1980s with Claypool and guitarist Todd Huth. Drummer Peter Libby was added in later, although the band would go through many other drummers throughout their early history. They formed in El Sobrante, California, United States. After rising to local music scene stardom with their brand of funk/metal fusion, Huth and current drummer Jay Lane left in 1989 to pursue other projects. Claypool recruited death metal guitarist and one time Joe Satriani student Larry LaLonde (usually referred to as "Ler" later) and eclectic drummer Tim "Herb" Alexander. Primus gained even greater popularity and soon released their first album, Suck on This, a live recording culled from two of their Berkeley concerts. The album was financed by Les' father.

In their early days, Primus were heavily associated with the Bay Area Thrash scene. Opening for bands such as Testament and Exodus they picked up a following of fans who were involved in the scene as a result. Today, Primus is one of few "alt-metal" bands commonly enjoyed by "true metal" fans, perhaps as a result of this.

It is an infamous fact that after the death of their bassist Cliff Burton in 1986, Metallica strongly considered Les Claypool (a close friend of the band) to be Cliff's replacement. After much deliberation, James Hetfield decided that Claypool was "too funky for Metallica", and Jason Newsted was chosen instead. The rest, for both Metallica and Primus, is history.

Primus played a number of early shows at Barrington Hall, a notoriously free-wheeling Berkeley student housing co-operative. Barrington Hall is often referenced in the band's music: the song "Frizzle Fry" refers to a Barrington party, and the album Tales from the Punchbowl refers to the LSD-spiked punch that was frequently served at Barrington social events.

In 1990 the band released their first studio album, Frizzle Fry also on Prawn Song and released singles for "John the Fisherman" and "Too Many Puppies." With a music video — featuring Kirk Hammett — a studio album, and a tour with Jane's Addiction, Primus's popularity grew to the point where they attracted attention from Interscope Records, who signed them in 1990.

Peak Years (1991–1996)

Primus' major label debut was Sailing the Seas of Cheese supported by singles "Jerry Was a Race Car Driver," and "Tommy the Cat (featuring Tom Waits)," which both appeared on MTV (a third single "Those Damned Blue-Collar Tweekers" was also released but did not feature a video). The band also appeared in Bill and Ted's Bogus Journey and made music for Beavis & Butthead. With a major label behind them, Sailing the Seas of Cheese went gold and the band toured in support of Rush, U2, Anthrax, and Public Enemy. Today, Sailing the Seas of Cheese is considered an alternative rock classic by many critics.

After the release of Sailing the Seas of Cheese, in 1992 Primus released a cover song EP Miscellaneous Debris, with their version of XTC's "Making Plans for Nigel" managing to break airwaves.

In 1993, Primus released Pork Soda, which managed to debut at #7 on the Billboard Top 10. The album was darker than previous Primus efforts, dealing with murder, suicide, and alienation. The band has commented that prior to recording, they had been touring for nearly two solid years and were thus in a somber mood. "My Name Is Mud", "DMV", and "Mr. Krinkle" were hits, the latter inspiring a video featuring Claypool in a pig suit and tuxedo playing upright bass in an abandoned warehouse as a carnival of oddities parades behind him, including Claypool's wife and her twin sister. The band reportedly put their heart and soul into the video, but it received next to no airtime on MTV.

Pork Soda also carries the distinction of being the first full length album recorded at Claypool's house. The band would subsequently record all of their albums in his home studio.

In 1993, Primus headlined the alternative rock festival Lollapalooza. They also made an appearance at the Woodstock '94 Music Festival where they performed "My Name is Mud" with predictable results (Claypool claims to still have mud in his speakers). It was clear that Primus-mania was growing, and the band was churning out material frequently. In the previous four years they had released three albums, an EP, six music videos, and a home video. To top that all off, they toured with Rush, who they consider to be one of their biggest influences.

During a lull in 1994, the original Primus lineup consisting of Claypool, Huth, and Lane reunited to record Riddles are Abound Tonight under the band name Sausage. Among the pre-Primus songs they recorded were "Temporary Phase", "Prelude to Fear", and "Shattering Song." The video to "Riddles Are Abound Tonight" featured the band in blue leotards performing on stationary bicycles.

In 1995, Primus released their fifth album, Tales from the Punchbowl. It was very well received and contained Primus's most successful single to date, the Grammy-nominated "Wynona's Big Brown Beaver." The ubiquitous song was accompanied by an equally ubiquitous video with the band members dressed up in cartoonish plastic cowboy costume (similar to the suits worn in the then current Duracell battery commercials). So great was their popularity that the band was invited to perform on David Letterman and Conan O'Brien's shows. Two other less successful singles, "Mrs. Blaileen" and "Southbound Pachyderm" (the latter of which featured a claymation video that apparently only got played on MTV a small number of times) were also released.

Many falsely believed "Wynona" was about actress Winona Ryder. Claypool has acknowledged several times that the song is not about Ryder, indicating that the song's name is spelled and pronounced differently. While this placated Ryder, her then boyfriend Soul Asylum vocalist David Pirner took offense and renamed one of his songs "Les Claypool's a Big Fucking Asshole" in concert. Claypool was apparently not even aware of this at the time, although this did cause tension between fans of Primus and Soul Asylum for a brief period.

Mantia Era & Hiatus (1997–2002)

Disturbed by their sudden fame, Primus gradually began to disown "Wynona." It would not be long before Claypool stated that they would stop playing it altogether. Nonetheless, Alexander left the band in 1996 due to creative differences. Rumored replacements for Alexander included Mike Bordin of Faith No More, but in the end he was replaced by Bryan "Brain" Mantia of Limbomaniacs and Praxis. Mantia was one of the many drummers Claypool auditioned for the original line-up of Primus before settling with Alexander — Mantia bowed out beforehand due to a foot injury.

With Mantia aboard, Primus was asked in 1997 to compose the theme song to South Park after the show's creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone professed to be big fans. (Les Claypool was an early supporter of their Spirit of Christmas video postcard/demo.) Primus also contributed to the South Park "Chef Aid" album with the song "Mephisto and Kevin", telling the story of Gopherboy. By this time, bands that were influenced by Primus's bottom-heavy rock — such as Tool, KoЯn, and Limp Bizkit— were starting to gain a growing audience in the alternative metal genre which Primus had helped to promote.

1997's Brown Album was a departure from previous Primus leaving the majority of fans disappointed. Critically, it was Primus's least successful album, having received, for the most part, adverse reviews. Commercially it did not do as well as previous efforts. Both singles "Shake Hands With Beef" and "Over the Falls" flopped. The band would later distance itself from the album. Claypool would go so far as to comment in concert, "does anyone want to hear anything from the Brown Album? Me neither."

Antipop was released in 1999, and was the first album to feature heavy input from outside musicians and producers. The album was seen as a 'return to form' by most long term Primus fans, featuring harder edge song-writing fans had been craving as well as greatly improved production over the previous album. The band toured with Ozzfest and released a video for "Lacquerhead" that was banned from MTV because of its drug content, even though it was an anti-drug song.

In 2000, Primus performed a cover of the Black Sabbath classic "N.I.B." with Ozzy Osbourne on vocals. This track appeared originally on the album "Nativity in Black, Vol. 2: A Tribute to Black Sabbath". The single hit number 2 on the Billboard Modern Rock tracks, the band's highest charting single in nearly a decade. The track would later be released on Ozzy's Prince of Darkness box-set in 2005.

After touring to promote Antipop throughout 2000, citing studio mismanagement and general dissatisfaction, Primus went on indefinite hiatus in 2001.

During the hiatus, Alexander released two albums with the band Laundry and performed with Blue Man Group, A Perfect Circle, and Born Naked, among others. Claypool explored the jam band scene with Oysterhead (featuring his friend Trey Anastasio of Phish as well as Stewart Copeland) and his own Colonel Les Claypool's Fearless Flying Frog Brigade. He also collaborated with Mantia in Colonel Claypool's Bucket of Bernie Brains. LaLonde joined Mantia to produce two experimental No Forcefield records, and tried unsuccessfully to start a recording studio.

Reformation (2003–Present)

In late 2003, Claypool reunited with LaLonde and, in a surprise move, Tim Alexander to record a DVD/EP called Animals Should Not Try to Act Like People, which Claypool described as the first DVD with supplementary music, as opposed to the contrary. The band staged a two month tour in which they performed two sets per show, the second consisting of their 1991 release Sailing the Seas of Cheese in its entirety. 2004 saw them continue touring, and even performing their 1990 release Frizzle Fry in its entirety. For these two tours, the band sold recordings directly recorded from the sound-board online, following an example of other bands such as Phish. The performance in Chicago was video taped as well, and was released on the 'Hallucino-Genetics' Live DVD. The band's style as of their last EP was based on the jam band style with extended soloing from band members and less focus on lyrics. This follows the musical evolution of Les Claypool's work during the Primus hiatus, it is unknown whether this style was simply temporary or if the band has permanently switched over to it.

On July 19, 2005, it was announced that Primus was going to release a new full-length album by spring of 2006 with an international tour following shortly thereafter. The release would have been the first full-length Primus album since 1999's Antipop, and the first full-length album with Alexander on drums since 1995's Tales From the Punchbowl.

Later that year, the band performed at Lollapalooza in July and Vegoose in October while still spending time recording new songs; no new tracks were performed at these festivals.

As spring of 2006 came and went, Primus' reported new album did not materialize. The band has been tight-lipped about the album's progress, although an update on Tim Alexander's website stated that he was still working on new Primus material at the time.

Primus performed at the 1st Annual Hedgpeth Festival in Twin Lakes, Wisconsin that year in July. No new tracks were performed, and no word was given by any of the members regarding the new album.

October 17th saw the release of the band's first ever greatest hits compilation album They Can't All Be Zingers on Interscope Records as well as a DVD released on Prawn Song Records called Blame It on the Fish: An Abstract Look at the 2003 Primus Tour De Fromage. The DVD contained live footage from the band's 2003 reunion tour, interview segments, behind the scenes footage, and other assorted material including a 30 minute mockumentary about the band in 2065.

In November 2006, the band commenced the month-long Primus: The Beat a Dead Horse Tour 2006. During the tour, Primus began performing "Wynona's Big Brown Beaver" for the first time in 7 years. The music video game Guitar Hero 2 for the Playstation 2 was also released in November and featured the Primus song "John the Fisherman." The game would later be released for the Xbox 360 in April 2007.

In 2008, Primus continued their post-hiatus trend of performing at large outdoor festivals when they played the Rothbury Music Festival over the July 4th weekend in Rothbury, Michigan and the Outside Lands Festival during late-August in San Fransisco, California.

Side Projects

Since reuniting in 2003, the band members have balanced their Primus duties with a number of various other projects. Les Claypool continues to tour and record with his "Fancy" band. They have released one full-length album, Of Whales and Woes (2006), and a live DVD, Fancy (2007). Claypool has also tried his hand at cinema, writing and directing the jam band spoof Electric Apricot: Quest for Festeroo (2006), and playing the role of a preacher in James Isaac's indie horror film Pig Hunt (2008). He also published his first novel, South of the Pumphouse (2006), and even started his own wine company, Claypool Cellars.

Tim Alexander released the debut album titled This Is a Dream from his project Fata Morgana, which was written, produced, and almost entirely performed by Alexander. He is also playing shows and recording material with his other group Into The Presence consisting of Nicki Tedesco and Luis Carlos Maldonado. Both albums feature a number of guest performers, many of whom Alexander has worked with at one time or another throughout his career.

Larry LaLonde joined the touring band for System of a Down vocalist and multi-instrumentalist Serj Tankian in 2007 in support of Serj's debut solo album, Elect the Dead, which also subsequentally features several appearances by former Primus drummer Bryan "Brain" Mantia.

Sisters Of Mercy

The Sisters of Mercy (formed in 1977) is an English gothic rock and post-punk rock band who rose to prominence in the 1980s following their debut, hailing from Leeds, West Yorkshire, England.

Animals As Leaders

Sometimes, a band’s music registers just as seismically on an emotional wavelength as it does on a sonic spectrum. Animals As leaders—Tosin Abasi [guitar], Javier Reyes [guitar], and Matt Garstka [drums]—reimagine, reinterpret, and refresh instrumental prog, experimental metal, modern jazz, alternative, and even world music to a point where the reaction becomes primal on their fourth full-length album, The Madness of Many [Sumerian Records]. “What you’re hearing is the madness of the band, what happens in our heads, and what it sounds like when you put it all together,” exclaims Javier. “For us, that’s the sound of the new album. It’s simply the madness of these three individuals. We’re trying to create something that only we can do.” That’s why Animals As Leaders have risen to celebrated heroes of their respective instruments since first emerging in 2007. Most recently, 2014’s The Joy of Motion bowed at #24 on the Billboard Top 200, moving 13,000 copies first-week. Along the way, the trio has earned acclaim from the likes of Consequence of Sound, Revolver, Ultimate Guitar, and Rolling Stone who extolled them, “as satisfying in their visceral kick as they are in dazzling displays of dexterity.” Tosin would grace the cover of Guitar World twice, while Matt covered Modern Drummer. Consistently delivering a captivating show, they’ve toured alongside Deftones, Between The Buried And Me, Periphery, and many others in addition to Tosin joining Joe Satriani at the G4 Experience and Steve Vai and Nuno Bettencourt for the Generation Axe Tour. Matt remains a sought-after talent, performing on Late Night With Seth Meyers and at drum clinics and festivals worldwide, and Javier’s solo project Mestis stands out as a fan favorite. When it came time to begin working on new music in late 2015, the musicians possessed a clear vision for their next evolution. “Instead of enlisting a producer, we ended up doing everything ourselves for the first time,” says Javier. “We were really influencing each other, and it’s the most collaborative effort so far.” The band opened up the writing process like never before since Matt joining in 2012. Ideas were flowing freely, and his contributions added another dimension to the group’s signature style. Another first, Tosin and Javier actually wrote guitar to the drums of six-minute album opener “Arithmophobia.” It’s polyrhythmic percussive palette provided the perfect backdrop for distinct dexterous riffing and a hypnotic hummable lead. “That was something I sent the guys, and I sat down and explained it,” reveals Matt. “It turned into a very cool track.” “Eventually, it didn’t seem so foreign,” chuckles Javier. “It challenged us to create a new style while still persevering who we are.” “Most people would expect a heavy song,” he goes on. “It moves like a dance, ballet, or something very theatrical. That’s where the title came from. It’s literally a journey in your head.” Ultimately, The Madness of Many will impact listeners like only Animals As Leaders can. Javier leaves off, “I just want to blow people’s minds and leave them speechless, so they want to share the record.”

Cradle of Filth

Belched from Hell’s depths into the rustic charms of the Witch County, Suffolk thirty long and disturbing years ago, CRADLE OF FILTH are undisputed giants of the heavy metal realm. Imperious purveyors of a perennially unique strain of dark, dastardly and wilfully extreme metal, with deep roots in the worlds of gothic horror and occult curiosity, the band led by Dani Filth has weathered three decades of tumult and trial, earning a formidable reputation as both a singular creative force and one of the most riotously entertaining live bands the metal world has ever produced.

From primitive early works like 1992 debut 'The Principle Of Evil Made Flesh' to more expansive and theatrical classics like 'Cruelty And The Beast' and 'Midian', CRADLE OF FILTH defied trends and constructed their own idiosyncratic world of foul grandeur, becoming one of the UK’s most notable metal bands in the process. Since then, they have traversed the world countless times, hoovering up plaudits and praise from an ever-expanding international fan base. Resolutely prolific, the band’s catalogue has grown in depth and stature all the while, irrespective of line-up changes or the whims of the faithful.

In more recent times, CRADLE OF FILTH have hit an unmistakable hot streak of creativity and urgency. As a new line-up coalesced around the creation of 2015’s 'Hammer Of The Witches', fresh impetus propelled the band to new heights, as the revitalised crew became more in demand around the world than ever before. 2017’s 'Cryptoriana - The Seductiveness Of Decay' repeated the trick with even more explosive flamboyance. Until a global pandemic brought the music industry to a jarring halt, CRADLE OF FILTH were almost permanently on the road and absolutely fucking flying. As a result, it should surprise no one that the band’s brand new album, 'Existence Is Futile', is yet another monumental and electrifying journey through the dark.

Periphery

Periphery V: Djent Is Not A Genre out now.

https://lnk.to/djentisnotagenre

The Ghost Inside

New album ‘Searching For Solace’ out now on @epitaphrecords Fall Tour Tickets Now on Sale at theghostinside.com

Deafheaven

DEAFHEAVEN.COM

Katatonia

‘Stagnation’ is not a word in the Katatonia dictionary. Since breaking through as masters of death/doom, Stockholm’s freethinkers have transcended genre, consolidating goth, shoegaze and prog into bleak, melodic songs. Now, after three decades of invention and reinvention, Nightmares as Extensions of the Waking State marks another bold leap – not to mention singer, founder and lead songwriter Jonas Renkse’s most personal effort to date.

Following the immediate anthem-making of City Burials (2020) and Sky Void of Stars (2023), Katatonia’s 13th album gets more experimental and more metal without holding back on catchiness. The dark hooks and tender vocals remain, yet the band also drive in unpredictable directions while delivering their hardest riffs in years. It’s an indelible introduction to new guitarists Nico Elgstrand and Sebastian Svalland, who replace longtime member Roger Öjersson and co-founder Anders Nyström.

“Nightmares… is a very riff-based and very guitar-heavy album,” says Jonas. “When I was writing it, I knew that we would have a couple of new guitar players coming in. And, if you have two guitarists joining, you don’t want to present them with songs that are 60 percent keyboards. Maybe I subconsciously felt that I had to come up with some cool riffs so that they’d still want to join the band!”

The force and fearlessness throughout Nightmares… is clear from the start of the very first track, ‘Thrice’. Thunderous chords give way to an ambient verse, before the music builds back up to a wall of open-string chugs. On ‘The Light Which I Bleed’, Nico and Sebastian lead a loose, proggy jam that ratchets into a hard-hitting doom riff. ‘Wind of No Change’ even bridges the present and Katatonia’s earliest past, bassist Niklas Sandin and drummer Daniel Moilanen laying down a goth pulse while Jonas croons “Hail Satan” in a throwback to the band’s extreme metal roots.

“I just had this riff going, and I thought it had a bit of a heavy metal feel to it, or even a Slayer vibe,” the frontman explains. “And then I thought, maybe I should write something Satanic, because I haven’t really touched that with Katatonia since we did our first demo.”

In the lengthy Katatonia tradition of keeping listeners on their toes, Nightmares… also packs songs which rebel against the rest of the album. The verses of ‘Departure Trails’ de-emphasise the six-string, with the ballad stacking layers of keyboards and synths to near-symphonic levels. Meanwhile, ‘Warden’ boasts one of the most pop-friendly choruses in their catalogue.

Jonas calls his band’s ongoing rejection of musical rules “subconscious”. He adds, “Touring is great, but it gets tedious if you play the same old style of songs all the time. You want to change it up in some way, and I think it’s the same with the records.”

In October 2024, Katatonia holed up in a converted church in rural Sweden owned by Tore Stjerna (Mayhem, Watain, Tribulation) to track drums, then recorded the rest of the instruments in their own studio in Stockholm. All the while, Jonas was getting closer and closer to his 50th birthday and found himself in a reflective mood. “I’ve been like that for the last couple of years, especially last year,” he admits. “50, it’s a big number, and I’ve been doing this for so long now.”

That introspection manifests across this new set of songs. After coming up with the album’s title, Jonas penned ‘In the Event Of’: the climactic finale narrates a nightmare he had more than 10 years ago, with a soundtrack of ominous synths and sorrowful chords. The artwork of Nightmares… is a direct illustration of those lyrics.

“It was supposed to be day, but it was super dark,” Jonas remembers of his haunting dream. “Looking at the sky, you could see flashes of fire behind dark clouds. And there were chains coming from the sky. The last line of the song is, ‘Mothers waiting in rows for the shadows of their children.’ I could see fences, a place where you would keep people captured, and mothers standing there, waiting for their children to come back.”

Just as soul-bearing, if not more so, is lead single ‘Lilac’, which voices a desire to forget painful memories. Jonas also sings in his own language for just the second time ever during ambient piece ‘Efter Solen’, which he co-wrote with Joakim Karlsson, a close friend and collaborator in synth-rock project Korda.

He reveals, “It’s the first song we ever worked on together, and it wasn’t done. While I was writing this album, Joakim was on to me, saying, ‘We should finish that song! I want it finished because it’s so good.’ I said, ‘Yeah, but maybe we should use it on the new Katatonia album.’ When I was finishing the song, I was so used to hearing it in Swedish that I had to write the rest of the lyrics like that.”

Now more than a dozen albums deep into a 30-year-plus career, Katatonia’s well of inspiration still hasn’t run dry. If anything, Nightmares… is one of the bravest and most vulnerable releases to bear their name. And, going forward, the band’s confidence will only continue to grow, thanks to the new blood in their ranks.

“This is a great place to be in,” Jonas says of the Katatonia of 2025. “Inspiration-wise, it’s so good to be surrounded with people that come in with energy and ideas and a strong will to take part, to take the band further. I want people to feel at home in this band and feel like we’re making a difference together.”

– Matt Mills, March 2025

Municipal Waste

Tango & Thrash out via Nuclear Blast
https://municipalwaste.bfan.link/tango-thrash.fbi

Wardruna

www.wardruna.com

Alcest

This is the official Alcest Facebook profile.

Perturbator

http://perturbator.com

Imminence

Alternative metalcore band, making music from the heart since 2010. From Sweden with love

Ill Nino

Body Count

Body Count is a two time nominated, one time Grammy Award winning American metal band from Los Angeles, California. The group is fronted by Ice-T, who co-founded the group with lead guitarist Ernie-C. Their controversial self-titled debut album was released on Sire Records in 1992. Body Count released their latest studio album "Carnivore" on March 6, 2020 on Century Media Records. The Los Angeles based band is currently mixing their new album entitled "Merciless due" due out in 2024. Catch them on their European tour starting in June, 2024

Deicide

Deicide are a death metal band from Florida, U.S. who have been wreaking havoc and stirring controversy since inception in 1987.

Amorphis

Amorphis is a Finnish metal band founded in 1990. Initially, the band was a death metal act, but on later albums they evolved into playing other genres, including progressive metal with folk music influences. They frequently use the Kalevala, the epic poem of Finland, as a source for their lyrics. Band members are: Esa Holopainen, Tomi Joutsen, Santeri Kallio, Tomi Koivusaari, Olli-Pekka Laine and Jan Rechberger.

Fourteenth Amorphis album, "Halo", is out on February 11th, 2022 via Atomic Fire Records.

Protest the Hero

Protest the Hero is a Canadian progressive-metal band originally from Whitby, Ontario consisting of Rody Walker, Tim Millar, Luke Hoskin and Mike Leradi.

Paleface Swiss

Switzerland's Finest Cheese Factory.

Buy Merch and CDs at www.palefaceswiss.com

PALEFACE is:

Marc (Zelli) - Vocals

Yannick - Guitar

Tommy - Bass

Cassi - Drums

Death Angel

Death Angel is a thrash metal band from Concord, California formed in 1982 and currently consists of Rob Cavestany, Mark Osegueda, Ted Aguilar, Will Carroll and Damien Sisson.

The Casualties

Punk revivalists, The Casualties, hail from New York City, US, harking back to punk’s heyday in the late 70s and 80s, complete with their mohawks, leather and piercings.

Terror

Deez Nuts is the rap/hardcore solo project of JJ Peters, ex-I Killed The Prom Queen drummer.

Vader

DE PROFUNDIS, now available for the first time on vinyl and for streaming via Nuclear Blast Records! http://nblast.de/Vader-DeProfundis

Elder

Elder is a genre-pushing rock band that melds heavy psychedelic sounds with progressive elements and evocative soundscapes. Formed in a small coastal town in Massachusetts in the mid aughts, the band has reinvented their sound over the course of five albums to grow from a stalwart of the stoner/doom scene into one of the most unique voices in the rock underground. Their long-scale compositions unfold as journeys, running the gamut of styles from the 70’s to the present within a single song with a penchant for “sheer gatefold-era grandeur” (Rolling Stone).

H2o

Hailing from New York, US, H2O are a popular punk rock act, who cut their teeth alongside the likes of Sick of It All, Misfits and The Mighty Mighty Bosstones.

Marduk

Official Marduk Facebook

Cryptopsy

Cryptopsy is an influential extreme metal band from Montreal, Quebec, Canada. For over 30 years, they have sculpted and pushed the boundaries of their metal genre.

Management: Extreme Management Group: Joann Gullo – EMG.Joann@gmail.com

Amenra

Amenra is a progressive/sludge/post-metal band formed 2003 in Belgium (Kortrijk, West-Flanders).

Amenra delivers dark, heavy and sludgy post-hardcore in the vein of Cult of Luna, Isis and Neurosis. Intense, noisy and gloomy almost spheric at times. Rich and Textured riffs. Thunderous low tones. High impact percussion and cutthroat vocals splattered with a healthy dose of religious iconography. Coalesce into a beautiful pitch black collection of staggering proportion.

Discography:

Mass I: Prayer I - VI Full-length, 2003

Prayer 8 : Offerande (split with VUUR) Split album, 2004

Prayers 9 + 10 EP, 2004

Gameness/Amen Ra/Gantz/Vuur 4-way split Split album, 2004

Mass II: Sermons EP, 2005

Mass III Full-length, 2005

Amenra & Hitch Split Split album, 2007

Mass IIII Full-length, 2008

Septic Flesh

OFFICIAL WEBSTORE !!!

http://shop.septicflesh.com/

Vended

Iowa band looking to destroy and dominate this world.

Signs of the Swarm

Deathcore was once dismissed as a trend, so it’s ironic that it now has trends within itself. Downtempo, slamming and now blackened variants of the style have dominated its scene at various points, with many bands jumping ship.

Pittsburgh’s Signs of the Swarm aren’t just any band, though. They’re a once-a-generation beacon that radiates the sounds that surrounded them, preserving history by reframing it. On fourth LP Absolvere, they’re bleak without being blackened, smashing without being slam, and downtempo as a choice rather than a stylistic confine. And as many of their deathcore peers experiment with adding singing, often gruff in tone, they add a more ethereal style that soothes on “Dreaming Desecration” and “Death Whistle.”

The band contrasts that with some of the most brutal moments in their eight-year career, with riffs more punishing than pensive and a rhythm section that frames them in creatively cacophonic ways. Above it all, they’re utilizing vocalist David Simonich monstrous range in a much fuller capacity than on his debut, 2019’s Vital Deprivation.

That transitional album found the band experimenting to re-find their footing, which here lands on solid ground through the addition of guitarist Jeff Russo, a former bandmate of Simonich’s fin Improvidence. The proof is in the placing, with Absolvere landing at #15 on “Current Hard Music Albums,” #21 on “Top New Artist Albums” and #139 on “Heatseekers.”

Behind the cohesive crusher is drummer-turned-bassist-turned-drummer Bobby Crow, who acted as de facto producer, arranging the riffs written across Skype to make the songs more than the sum of their parts.

This gave Simonich a lofty platform from which to roar about the real (loved ones struggling with addiction, submitting one’s self wholly to art despite negativity swirling about) and the surreal; he or his characters beg for the release of death only to be denied. “Nameless” centers around a character collecting souls marked by death to receive its blessing, while “Blood Seal” follows a ritual to summon it. “Dreaming Desecration” and “Hollow Prison” are two sides of the same coin. When one finds themselves trapped in a meaningless existence, they can either attempt to escape through murderous hallucinations or succumb to the grave, respectively.

“Death Whistle” is the penultimate song, closing the album and the writing sessions for Absolvere with a tale concluding in sweet release. The piercing screech of the titular whistle contrasts with a subtle serenade.

Indeed, sometimes contrast can be a perfect complement, but more often that effect is achieved when paired with something more in-line. So it is when Ben Duerr (Shadow of Intent) and Alex Erian (Despised Icon) join the band for growls and shouts, where Signs of the Swarm filter their guests’ bands through their own sound. Instead of taking away from their identity, it expands it.

They’re steadily expanding their global reach, too. In the few short months since Absolvere’s release, Signs of the Swarm have toured with the likes of Fit for an Autopsy, Born of Osiris and Shadow of Intent. Forthcoming domination campaigns of Europe and Australia will be added to their tenure with Aborted, Lorna Shore, Brand of Sacrifice and more. Forget the signs, the swarm is already here, and it’s growing larger and louder every day.

Clawfinger

Concieved in 1990, and realized in 1993 with the album "Deaf Dumb Blind". ~30 years and 7 albums later they're still going strong. Peace and Love!

Sanguisugabogg

CENTURY MEDIA

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Ced Davis

Cody Davidson

Drew Arnold

Devin Swank

Guilt Trip

Guilt Trip is a UK Metal/Hardcore Crossover band.

Draconian

Fallujah

Hocico

200 Stab Wounds

Rise of the Northstar

Grave

http://www.primordialweb.com/index2.htm

primordial
since 91

no compromise over 3 decades
- year zero was 1987!

long and hard is the road to redemption

We call to the shadowed kind,
To men of myth, etched in stone,
Whose songs are heard no more

Arthur Brown

MASTER BOOT RECORD

I am a 486DX-33MHz-64MB processing avant-garde chiptune, synthesized heavy metal & classical symphonic music. 100% Synthesized, 100% Dehumanized.

Coroner

Allt

Triptykon

Old Man's Child

RATOS DE PORÃO

Thy Catafalque

Saor

Caledonian Metal from Scotland.

saormusic.com

Slope

Move n´Groove since 2014!

Booking: hc@contrapromotion.com

Management: slope@450-agency.com

Aura Noir

Internal Bleeding

Crippling Alcoholism

DESERTED FEAR

DEATH METAL

Wyatt E.

Antiquity Doom / Music for Gods of the Ancient World / Exile to Babylon.

Left to Die

Unearth

UNEARTH are nothing short of standard-bearers and keepers of the faith for True American Metalcore. They were the band born in the breakdown who never wavered from their love for European death metal melodicism, supercharged by American thrash and hardcore. Now, nearly 25 years into a career that’s seen the Massachusetts mob play innumerable gigs and massive festivals on six continents, sell hundreds of thousands of records, and inspire some of the most important bands in extreme metal today, they remain a force to contend with.

Their new song 'The Wretched; The Ruinous' topped the SiriusXM Liquid Metal 'Devils Dozen' countdown and is catching fire on all streaming platforms.

See Unearth on the road this spring, summer and beyond as they tour on music new and songs from all of their past albums.

Nadja

Octopoulpe

8 tentacles 1 man band KR/FR/MX Geek-Core / Math-Core with interactive lights and videos

Septicflesh

Mortal Sin

Mortal Sin is an Australian thrash metal band that formed in 1985.

As arguably the first band in Australia to play purely thrash metal, Mortal Sin quickly developed a solid following and only seven months after their first live show the band recorded an album-length demo in a mere three days in July 1986. The eight track recording was eventually released in late 1986 as Mayhemic Destruction and released as an album on the band's own label Mega Metal Productions. Reaction to the album was immediate and the band was snapped up for an international album deal by Phonogram Records UK, who then re-released Mayhemic Destruction worldwide in 1987.

Mortal Sin spent much of 1988 recording a second album with producer Randy Burns, who had previously worked with Kreator and Megadeth. The release of Face of Despair was held over until early 1989; shortly afterward the band gained further prominence with an Australian tour with Metallica in May. In January 1990, Mortal Sin toured Europe and the UK then played some shows in the US but after their final show there Maurer quit the band.

On their return to Australia, the band split, only to reform a short time later with Steve Sly replacing Maurer, however by the end of the year Hughes, Burke and Carwana had also been replaced. The line-up of Eftichiou and Sly plus Alex Hardy (guitar), Dave DeFrancesco (guitar, ex-Enticer) and drummer Nash Hall toured briefly and recorded a third album entitled Every Dog Has Its Day (released as Rebellious Youth in some markets) that showcased a more traditional metal style than previously but the new combination and sound ultimately failed and by late 1991 Mortal Sin split up.

The band had a brief resurgence in 1996, when original members Campbell, Eftichiou and Maurer reformed Mortal Sin. They released an EP - Revolution of the Mind independently and launched the first full-scale Australian tour that Mortal Sin had ever undertaken. Eventually the band split up in 1998.

In February 2004, Mortal Sin reunited once more, this time as Campbell, Maurer, Eftichou and former Addictive guitarists Joe Buttigieg and Mick Sultana. A year later, Mortal Sin was inducted into the Hall of Fame at the inaugural Australian Heavy Metal Music Awards but within a month the line-up changed again when Campbell and Buttigieg were replaced by Luke Cook and Nathan Shea. In April 2005, Mortal Sin toured Australia with Anthrax and on February 4, 2006, the band played a show in Sydney that featured them performing the Mayhemic Destruction album live in its entirety for the first time.

In August 2006, the band returned to European stages to play some shows in Germany, firstly with Rock over Hamburg alongside Michael Schenker Group, Rose Tattoo, Metal Church, Victory, Gorilla Monsoon and Tourettes Syndrome. The band also performed at the Wacken Open Air Festival. Mortal Sin's fourth full-length album An Absence of Faith was recorded in February 2007 at The Basement Studios in Sydney with producer Phil McKellar.

In 2011, Psychology of Death was released through NoiseArt Records/Riot Entertainment followed by extensive touring throughout Australia and Europe. Due to various reasons, the band split once more.

In late 2025, Mortal Sin announced their return to the stage in 2026 to celebrate 40 years of Mayhemic Destruction. While the band has had many challenges and triumphs throughout the years their passion and dedication to performing live has never wavered - earning them a title of thrash metal legends in Australia.

Mortal Sin will see the return of original members Mat Maurer (vocals) and Andy Eftichiou (bass), with Nathan Shea (guitar) and Ryan Huthnance (guitar) returning to the line-up. Mortal Sin are excited to welcome Sydney drummer George Delinicolis of LIVEWIRE and Bastardizer to join them on tour.

Mortal Sin’s first show back was at Adelaide’s Froth & Fury Festival in January 2026 - playing classics from their full catalogue. The band has an upcoming Australian tour with additional dates in Europe in April at Germany’s Keep it True Festival and at club shows and festivals throughout August 2026.

Brutal Assault 2026 @ Pevnov Josefov / Josefov Fortress

Brutal Assault 2026 @ Pevnov Josefov / Josefov Fortress

Performers