Metal fans everywhere will have to mark their calendars for July 14, 2023 for the highly anticipated release of London, UK based band, Deitus who is set to release their new album Irreversible via Spinefarm/Candlelight Records. This is their third album following their 2018 release Via Deloroso and 2016 Acta Non Verba. This band is known for their rabid live performances pushing the boundaries of their dark artistry. Their sound can be described as a mix of doom, death and melodic metal but it really is a metal soundscape matching strong, dark vocals with superior musicianship. This album is more of an “experience”, leading, not following musical expectations and trends.
The album is just over thirty nine minutes with six songs and starts with the instrumental track “Incursion” that leads off eerily slow and than picks up preparing you for the onslaught that is about to begin. This heads into “Straight For Your Throat” which grabs a hold of it and doesn’t let go. Being the longest track on the album just over sixteen minutes, normally you would be thinking that’s long but when you hear this it feels like a typical song length of three to five minutes. The low vocals really bring a sense of the horror awaiting, showcasing the strong guitar work and pounding drum beat. There is a great melodic sound throughout it pushing a tribal feel. The next track “A Scar of Serenity” is one of my two favourite songs on this album. This is a heavy pounding song and is super fast. I love the repeated lyric “Let Me In”. This song is catchy and I find myself humming it afterwards. This will be a great track live with huge audience participation, it also has a thrash feel to it in parts. The title track “Irreversible ” is next which pushes great vocals and a massive drum beat that sends this song into flight. My other favourite track “Voyeur “ and this track is fantastic. This actually could be one of my favourite songs of 2023, I like it that much. Guest vocalist Toni Coe-Brooker has an amazing voice that just makes this so dramatic and dreamy. This song is about the terror of sleep paralysis and the video is a work of art. Coe-Brooker did all the underwater scenes herself which is impressive. This is the first time Deitus has done a collaboration and it’s a home run. The last track on the album “As Long as They Fear” has a blackened trash vibe to it and positively book ends this album on a high. This is a great song and the catchy guitar riffs make this another song that would be awesome live.
The albums artwork by Santiago Caruso is totally captivating, adding to the extreme expectations.
This whole album is superb, really showcasing a sound experience or even being genre defining. I love the rawness of this album and like the longer songs versus many songs, it makes it special. The track “Voyeur“ will bring more attention to this album propelling exposure to metal fans not only in Europe but all over the world. The video runs parallel to the song and is perfect giving that visualization to tell the story.
I recommend this album to fans looking for a deeper metal experience.
Track Listing
01. Incursion 02. Straight For Your Throat 03. A Scar For Serenity 04. Irreversible 05. Voyeur (feat. Toni Coe-Brooker) 06. As Long as They Fear
Danish extreme metal band The Arcane Order released their fourth album, Distortions from Cosmogony June 9, 2023 via Black Lion Records to fans worldwide.
I like this band’s ability to meld extreme, black, death, doom, topping off a melodic metal sound. If you are a fan of any one of these genres than you are in for a real treat. The songs showcase what I love about metal, great melody, extreme sound that is quite catchy, really delivering a metal experience that is all it’s own. It’s great that in 2023 we have bands like this who create such groundbreaking albums bringing something new to the listener.
The album starts with a quick intro ripping into the first track and single released “Cry Of Olympus” which is like a punch to the face, getting your attention. It sets the pace of what this album is all about and is one of my favourite tracks. Vocalist Kim Song Sternkoph sounds fantastic on this track. Next song “A Blinding Trust in Chosen Kings” starts with a massive drum beat, strong bass and duelling guitars and again those low growling vocals really suit this song. It slows about halfway through then the vocals run high creating a melodic interlude and finishing brutally strong. Both tracks “Starvations For Elysium” and “Flavours For Significant“ have a strong bass and drum beat that pound the listener into submission. We hit a musical interlude with “Empedocles Dream” and then smash into “The First Deceiver” where the vocals just launch this song into the stratosphere. “Ideals of Wretched Kingdoms” has my favourite lyric in it with “Of what is true or right or real, But forced to qualify or so I feel.,Or well, it does seem so: someone must know”. This is my other favourite on the album. The next track “Children of the Erebos” has more of a heavy melodic feel to it, the vocals going from low to high make this song actually catchy and has a great flow it it. The last track “Wings of Duality” finishes the album off in style. The lighter doom sound with the pounding of the bass and drums sound awesome turned up on my system. I really like the low vocals then punching them high on the pounding drum parts. This song has great flow and would be awesome live.
The albums artwork by Ars Moriendee is absolutely stunning keeping in line with the theme of the album looking inward and challenging one’s self.
At fifty eight minutes this album has something for all metal fans. It’s extreme, fast, technical and well written. The musicianship and vocals keep true to their identity and this is where they shine. I am hoping many new fans check this out as it will only enhance your play lists. I recommend picking this up.
Kim Song Sternkoph vocals Fleming C. Lund. Guitar Kasper Kierkegaard Guitar Anders Frodo S. Mikkelsen Bass Bastion Thusgaard Drums
Interview with RED CAIN
Georgina talks with Alberta, Canada’s RED CAIN. This prog power band released their new album NAE’BLIS on June 2nd. Born out of the vast prairies and snowy peaks of Alberta, Canada, RED CAIN is a modern progressive metal project with Eastern European roots. With intricate songwriting, powerful vocals, eerie soundscapes and strong electronic-backed groove.
THE METAL PIT: (Georgina) How did you choose your band name and what is the story behind it if any?
RED CAIN: It was a name chosen to evoke strong visual imagery with the colour red, and connect to our interest in storytelling – with one of the most well-known stories told, that of Cain and Abel. With time, the name embodied our brand and became more pragmatic as something easy to remember and capturing the high-level essence of the band. Makes for a great logo as well.
How long has your current band lineup been together?
In totality, just for this release. Sam Ridout and Kalie Yan joined for just under a year ago, and have been integral parts of the band since.
What’s the story behind your latest album and new release NAE BLISS?
It’s a play on the term “Nae’blis”, which in the Wheel of Time lore, is the title of the Champion of the Great Lord of the Dark, the antagonist of the series. The umlauts are a nod to Swedish metal, which inspired some of the work on this album, including most recently bands such as Vildhjarta and Humanity’s Last Breath, as well as mainstay influences Opeth and Meshuggah.
In terms of the concept, it follows four of the Forsaken, the antagonists of the Wheel of Time series, and their motivations and struggle against the Light and its champion, the Dragon Reborn – framed as a struggle against stagnation and the status quo that the cyclical nature of the Wheel of Time universe represents. They are agents of Chaos, revolutionaries fighting for freedom from the shackles of the Wheel.
Are there any plans for touring in support of your latest release?
We are working on this, and would love to do a European tour and meet our most vocal and involved fans there – as well as make some new ones.
What genre of music would you say your band falls under?
Many – we’ve made it our mission to have multiple influences that reflect our own interests as musicians in each release. We’re firmly rooted in power metal, of course, but we’ve always had strong gothrock, prog, and now even death metal influences in our albums, especially the latest release. Frankly, we prefer it this way, and it is interesting both for us as musicians and our fans.
Where is your hometown and can you tell us a little about the place?
Calgary, Alberta! We’re famous for the yearly Calgary Stampede celebration, beautiful mountain scenery, and an underachieving hockey team.
Who are some of the band’s influences?
We frankly have a massive list, but the core ones are Kamelot, Symphony X, Tesseract, and more recently, Meshuggah and Opeth. We’ve also aimed for a modern electronic-backed sound similar to bands like Periphery, Amaranthe, etc. And we always love to include some gothrock influence from bands such as Charon, 69 Eyes, Lacrimas Profundere.
I absolutely love the band’s diversity. Can you introduce us to each band member and where they are from and what they do in the band?
Thank you! Evgeniy is originally from Russia, where he went through music school and received a classical education with a focus on piano. He came to Canada when he was a teenager and switched focus to rock and metal after embracing the local music scene and falling in love with the genres. Red Cain is a product of his musical vision.
Sam is a talented and extremely technical guitarist who made his name through playing jazz in various local open mic nights and perfecting his technique at the grassroots level. Red Cain is his first step into professional musicianship, and he has already had a massive influence on the band’s sound, sharing songwriting duties with Evgeniy on “NAE’BLISS”.
Taylor is a long-time Red Cain member and a stable, consistent, rock-solid presence on the back end. His true love is thrash metal, with bands like Artillery, Megadeth, and the more aggressive releases of Devin Townsend.
Kalie is a talented multi-disciplinary musician who has a presence in the Chinese market in the hip-hop genre, and is an extremely versatile vocalist, contributing growls to the latest Red Cain album, as well as playing live bass. She is a great asset to the band.
Andrei is a virtuoso guitarist who perfected his skills and pursues a career as a guitar teacher as well as his musical work. His neoclassical style is an homage to his idols Yngwie Malmsteen, Buckethead, and Steve Vai, and he brings another facet of Eastern European musical tradition to the band, hailing from Romania.
Do you have any other albums out? If so, what are they called and where can they be found?
We have three other albums: a self-titled EP, and two concept albums, Kindred: Act I, and Kindred: Act II. All are available anywhere music is sold or streamed, or directly from us at redcain.bandcamp.com
Do you have any upcoming shows or tours?
We have recently played some local shows and are in the process of planning a larger touring presence.
Do you have any funny or interesting stories from being on the road that you can share with us?
Not yet – but we plan to soon!
What are some of your favorite songs to play live?
Our Eastern European anthem “Hiraeth” from our debut EP won us the YYC Best Metal Recording of the Year music award, and is still a fan favourite that we love to play live.
What do you hope people take away from your music?
Part of the vision of the band was to capture pagan Slavic musical tradition where songs and stories were used as a unifying force that paid homage to Slavic gods who stood shoulder to shoulder with the common people, and passed on timeless stories listeners. Likewise, we love to tell stories and transport listeners to a different setting. Listening to a Red Cain track is meant to be an encompassing, full experience, and there is always something new to be discovered through multiple listens. We hope that every fan can shape their own interpretation, visual and aural, from the music that we release, and that we can take them with us on the wild ride to whatever world is vividly portrayed in our songs.
Who are some of your favorite tour partners or collaborators that you’ve worked with so far?
We really enjoyed working with Kobra Paige of Kobra and The Lotus on our track “Wing of the Crow” where she featured as a guest vocalist. She put up a brilliant performance that completed our vision, and was an absolute professional and lovely to work with.
What are some of the band’s upcoming projects?
We are already thinking about upgrading our live show for our fans, and working on the vision for our next release!
How can fans stay up-to-date with the band’s activities?
Our Instagram and Facebook are the best ways to do so.
What merchandise does the band sell, and where can it be purchased?
We primarily sell our music as digital tracks, but we do release shirts and physical CDs based on certain releases.
Is there anything you would like to tell your current fans and new ones while they read this interview?
We’d love to hear from you about our latest release, or anything at all! Fans are a huge reason for why we make music, and we love to keep a dialogue with you wonderful people. Check out the album, and listen to more Canadian music – we have plenty of massively talented artists in the great white North. Thank you for listening!
Thank you for this interview.
Thank you for sharing and taking the time for this interview…
RED CAIN ARE:
Evgeniy Zayarny: Vocals Samuel Ridout: Guitars Andrei Buldan: Guitars Kalie Yan: Bass/Vocals Taylor Gibson: Drums
***Interview by Georgina Strilakos
Album Review: CREEPING DEATH
Boundless Domain
Reviewed by: Anthony Prugo
Rating: 7.5
Well here is my first review for The Metal Pit and what a doozie it is. I had to listen to Creeping Death‘s Boundless Domain several times before I could tackle it. So rather than give an in-depth review on each song I thought it best to break it down as whole from two different perspectives. Perspective 1 is me (who considers Slayer‘s Reign In Blood classic metal), and Perspective 2 is the same me who is just getting into Death Metal.
Perspective 1
Wow this is pretty good. Sounds like Grave, Morgoth, Gorguts, Cannibal Corpse (which, of note, George Corpsegrinder is a guest vocalist on the track two of Boundless Domain), Obituary, and at one point My Dying Bride. Speaking of Cannibal Corpse, you will most certainly hear Evisceration Plague here.
Pretty much everything on here brings back memories of when death metal was in its glory days. While there is no copying, the influences are right in your face. And that’s not a bad thing at all. Boundless Domain brought back a lot of nostalgia. A great introduction to the band, and a scorching release that sees more brilliance to come.
Track #2 sees George Corpsegrinder Fischer (Cannibal Corpse vocalist) take on some vocal duties. You would never know it, though, as his vocals sound a bit buried.
Closer to the end of the album we can hear that things are slowing down a bit. Either they were getting more melancholic or perhaps were running short on ideas. Regardless, the songs hold their own and make the final turnout of the album into some great tracks. I suggest giving this whole album at least one full listen. It will grow on you.
Perspective 2
“Hey guys you, have you downloaded the latest Creeping Death? It is freaking brutal!” Yes, to the younger death metal fans just starting to get into the genre this is a fabulous gateway album and hopefully it encourages them to explore the roots of the genre.
Overall, this a great album for young and old. For fans that like the mid-tempo crushing chugging style this is a real treat. There are only a couple of blast beats, but that is not what this album is about.
With more time, good things will continue to creep up
