Hard Hitting Trio Signs with Tee Pee Records to Release Sophomore LP

Venice, CA LOUD rock band THE SHRINE has signed to Tee Pee Records.  The band’s hotly anticipated new album Primitive Blast will be released on July 10.  Boasting a BIG sound the trio has dubbed “Psychedelic Violence“, THE SHRINE — who Thrasherhas called “a hard-hitting three-piece, combining the hooks and tones of classic rock with the energy and stage presence of a thrash band,” has been making waves in Los Angeles for the past few years, touring and sharing the stage with the likes of Kyuss Lives!, Pentagram, Graveyard, Fu Manchu, Howlin’ Rain, Holy Grail and The Sword.  Primitive Blast is the highly anticipated follow up to THE SHRINE‘s 2010 self-titled debut which was produced by Black Flag’s Chuck Dukowski.

“It’s like crash landing our spaceship on some awesome planet where everyone is raging and headbangin’ and anyone who doesn’t like it can bless off,” said guitarist / vocalist Josh Landau of THE SHRINE‘s signing to Tee Pee Records. “We are most epicly stoked to present Tee Pee with “Primitive Blast”, our first true offering of psychedelic violence rock and roll.”

THE SHRINE are a pool-skating, acid-eating, rip-roaring trio whose ”Psychedelic Violence Rock and Roll” will melt your face off!  The bitchin’ band’s bad-ass new record Primitive Blast fuses “the wilder riffs of your Dad’s Thin Lizzy and Black Sabbath LPs” with “the fury of a punk show getting busted by the cops” and is so wild-eyed and surly that it has to be heard to be believed!!  Primitive Blast delivers a crossover bitch slap of gargantuan proportions that instantaneously announces THE SHRINE as the most devil-may-care gang of brothers to soil the streets of LA since DLR and EVH played The Troubadour.  The band trancends labels like “hard rock”, “punk” and “heavy metal” and renders those tems obsolete!  Recorded on vintage gear and reel-to-reel tape through mountainous Marshall stacks, Primitive Blast is the perfect soundtrack to cracking your skull skating your neighbor’s empty pool (or to any other debaucherous gathering of longhairs), delivering nine blasts of searing guitar, spazzed-out drums and shook up bass lines that seriously signal THE SHRINE as a ticking time bomb that’s about to EXPLODE. Come get some!!

THE SHRINE is Josh Landau on guitar / vocals, Courtland Murphy on bass and Jeff Murray on Drums.  Dig It.

     ”A great rock band.  I think they have the potential to have a real impact on the rock scene.” – Brant Bjork (Kyuss Lives!)

     ”If you haven’t seen THE SHRINE, you should check them out now before they explode. Actually, you don’t “see” THE SHRINE so much as you feel them…a bit like what thrash metal would be if it had evolved straight from Thin Lizzy and bypassed Judas Priest entirely.”- LA RECORD

     ”Rock ‘n Roll at its purest, in every sense of the term.” – METAL ASSAULT

           ”THE RATTLES AND SHAKES that have been waking LA in the wee hours of the night are supposedly tremors in the earth’s surface, but those who know THE SHRINE know better. From Los Angeles comes a hard-hitting three-piece, combining the hooks and tones of classic rock with the energy and stage presence of a thrash band. Artwork vibrated on the paper-thin walls of a 75-person capacity room as it crammed 150-plus people through the doors to see THE SHRINE.  By the end of the night, the venue’s floor (and anyone within five yards of the band) was covered in sweat, blood, and beer. All signs of yet another successful show by THE SHRINE.” - THRASHER

Posted in: New Albums, new label signings, TEE PEE RECORDS on Wednesday, May 16th, 2012

Hard rock, stoner rock, doom and psychedelic cosmonauts, prepare to celebrate with wild delight!

Fast rising Berlin rock band KADAVAR will release its self titled debut Kadavar in North America on July 10 via Tee Pee Records. Boasting an absolutely killer sound that will find immediate appeal with fans of Black Sabbath, Pentagram, Sir Lord Baltimore, Witchcraft and Graveyard, KADAVAR‘s thunderous gloom sounds as if it was “dug out and dusted off” and is the absolute apotheosis of the “Sabbath sound”. You might want to rock a monk’s robe or a space suit for this one!

KADAVAR is a big black shape with eyes of fire with an immediate sound that induces “chill and numbs from head to toe”.  Cathedrals in fog emerge from the speakers as KADAVAR‘s heavy blues-rock, awesomely loud minor-key dirges and Geezer Butler-esque pressure roll bass lines create a paean to the dark mesmerizing power of the distorted Blues.  Howled vocals full of ominous messages expressing mental anguish and macabre fantasies fly over a seemingly endless supply of monster riffs and rhythm-section chug (including very subtle Ward-like jazz qualities!) that slowly envelope the listener in a hallucinatory haze. Handpicked by both SLEEP and PENTAGRAM as support on each of the Gods of Doom’s respective European tours this summer, KADAVAR‘s strutting style and warm, analog tones are sure to transport audiences to proto-metal oblivion.  Heaven’s golden chorus sings, Hell’s angels flap their wings!

The track listing for Kadavar is as follows:
1. All Our Thoughts (4:38)
2. Black Sun (6:17)
3. Forgotten Past (5:41)
4. Goddess of Dawn (4:17)
5. Creature of the Demon (4:54)
6. Purple Sage (8:13)
KADAVAR features Wolf Lindemann (vocals, guitar), Mammut (Rivoli bass) and Tiger (drums).

Posted in: Featured, New Albums, new label signings, TEE PEE RECORDS on Saturday, May 12th, 2012

Blurt calls new NAAM “far out” and heavy-soothing stoner-psych”; New EP “The Ballad of the Starchild” from NY quartet in stores today!

Celebrated Brooklyn psychedelic rock band NAAM releases an EP of brand new material titled The Ballad of the Starchild today via Tee Pee Records. Recorded in BKLYN’s Galuminum Foil Studios and mastered at NYC’s world famous Masterdisk (Miles Davis, Nirvana, etc.), The Ballad of the Starchild showcases NAAM‘s most forward-thinking material to date and is the follow up to the group’s 2009 full length “Naam“, which has been called “hypnotic” by The Village Voice, “excellent” by Stereogum and “psychedelic” by CMJ.  In celebration of the record’s release, NAAM unveils a new song; the nearly eleven minute conceptual cut “The Starchild“.  Presented by Blurt, who calls the song “epic”, “blissful” and “just beggin’ to play through your headphones”, NAAM’s “The Starchild” can be absorbed today at this location!

Additionally, rock blog The Obelisk presents the world premiere of the new NAAM track “Lands Unknown“, while calling the band’s new release “A 26-minute journey into the recesses of psychedelic groove and mystifying ambience”. Check out NAAM‘s “Lands Unknown” at THIS location!

     Check out an extraterrestrial The Ballad of the Starchild “album teaser” created by Zev Deans (Liturgy, Chelsea Wolfe) now at THIS location!  NAAM has announced a hometown EP release show set for Saturday, May 12 at Brooklyn’s Glasslands Gallery.  Presented by PopGun, the show will feature support from Rainbows and Hull.  Tickets and additional information on the celebratory gig can be found HERE.

There are very few bands in the known universe that can draw upon such varied influences as The Stooges, Hawkwind and Can, but NAAM certainly fits the bill. With The Ballad of the Starchild, NAAM creates spacey, spacious, garage-bluesy kraut-psych with an epic scope and altered state intergalactic musings about time, space and the future.  A vintage-sounding offering that manages to include elements of trance rock, acid-blues and psychedelic star-gazing, The Ballad of the Starchild is the perfect accompaniment for “exploring inner space and imagining outer space.”  Over the course of the EP’s 25 minutes of brain damage, NAAM aim to hold infinity in the palm of their hand, and eternity in a half hour.  The sonic equivalent of a sheet of blotter LSD layered over hypnotically rhythmic bass lines, The Ballad of the Starchild is a far-out journey where riffs fall from the sky and float off to planets yet undiscovered by science!

The track listing for NAAM‘s The Ballad of the Starchild is as follows:

1.) Sentry of Skies
2.) Lands Unknown
3.) History’s Son
4.) The Starchild
5.) Exit Theme

Posted in: Featured, song premieres, TEE PEE RECORDS on Tuesday, May 8th, 2012

Brooklyn’s Best Psych-Rock Band to Release New EP “The Ballad of the Starchild” on May 8; Shoots for the Stars on Highly Anticipated New Release

 Celebrated Brooklyn psychedelic rock band NAAM will release an EP of brand new material titled The Ballad of the Starchild on May 8 via Tee Pee Records. Recorded in BKLYN’s Galuminum Foil Studios and mastered at NYC’s world famous Masterdisk (Miles Davis, Nirvana, etc.), The Ballad of the Starchild showcases NAAM‘s most forward-thinking material to date and is the follow up to the group’s 2009 full length “Naam“, which has been called “hypnotic” by The Village Voice, “excellent” by Stereogum and “psychedelic” by CMJ.  Today, hotly tipped rock blog The Obelisk presents the world premiere of the new NAAM track “Lands Unknown“, while calling the band’s new release “A 26-minute journey into the recesses of psychedelic groove and mystifying ambience”. Check out the first listen of NAAM‘s “Lands Unknown” now at THIS location!

      NAAM‘s The Ballad of the Starchild is available at a very special pre-order price via iTunes.  Check out an extraterrestrial “album teaser” created by Zev Deans (Liturgy, Chelsea Wolfe) now at THIS location!

There are very few bands in the known universe that can draw upon such varied influences as The Stooges, Hawkwind and Can, but NAAM certainly fits the bill. With The Ballad of the Starchild, NAAM creates spacey, spacious, garage-bluesy kraut-psych with an epic scope and altered state intergalactic musings about time, space and the future.  A vintage-sounding offering that manages to include elements of trance rock, acid-blues and psychedelic star-gazing, The Ballad of the Starchild is the perfect accompaniment for “exploring inner space and imagining outer space.”  Over the course of the EP’s 25 minutes of brain damage, NAAM aim to hold infinity in the palm of their hand, and eternity in a half hour.  The sonic equivalent of a sheet of blotter LSD layered over hypnotically rhythmic bass lines, The Ballad of the Starchild is a far-out journey where riffs fall from the sky and float off to planets yet undiscovered by science!

     NAAM has announced a hometown EP release show set for Saturday, May 12 at Brooklyn’s Glasslands Gallery.  Presented by PopGun, the show will feature support from Rainbows and Hull.  Tickets and additional information on the celebratory gig can be found HERE.   

The track listing for NAAM‘s The Ballad of the Starchild is as follows:

1.) Sentry of Skies
2.) Lands Unknown
3.) History’s Son
4.) The Starchild
5.) Exit Theme

     NAAM‘s The Ballad of the Starchild is available at a very special pre-order price via iTunes.  Check out an extraterrestrial “album teaser” created by Zev Deans (Liturgy, Chelsea Wolfe) now at THIS location!

     ”bottom-heavy dark-boogie” - TIME OUT NEW YORK

     ”Virtuosic bass crunge, ripped jeans, long hair, extended krautrock blissouts…Yes!” - ROLLING STONE

     ”Whatever the level of high, the heavy psychedelic trio drift regularly into echoed and sometimes Crimsoned-out excursions without losing momentum or their excellent vintage stoner doom groove.” - STEREOGUM

     ”NAAM take the trippiest part of your favorite Hawkwind song and stretch it like space-taffy into hypnotic, riff-driven mush…a sucking black hole of reverb and space dust” – VILLAGE VOICE

      “Having already established themselves as heavyweight psych-rock contenders, Brooklyn’s Naam are about to release their new EP “The Ballad of the Starchild” with an ambitious scope that further enhances their claim to the “Psych-est Band in NYC” title.” – THE DELI NYC

Posted in: song premieres, TEE PEE RECORDS on Thursday, May 3rd, 2012

AWARD WINNING FINNISH BAND TO CELEBRATE “A DECADE AND A HALF OF MODERN HEAVY METAL” WITH RELEASE OF CD+DVD COMPILATION “HOLIDAY AT LAKE BODOM (15 YEARS OF WASTED YOUTH)”

On May 22, world famous Finnish metal superstars CHILDREN OF BODOM will release Holiday at Lake Bodom (15 Years of Wasted Youth), a very special CD+DVD career retrospective in celebration of the band’s 15th Anniversary.  In advance of Holiday at Lake Bodom‘s release, CHILDREN OF BODOM today premieres the never before seen music video for “Shovel Knockout“, which adeptly chronicles “what happens from the time a live show ends through to the next gig in a new city” (i.e. lots of drinking and flipping the bird!).  Directed by Jussi Hyttinen for FLC415 (MTV3, The Finnish National Lottery), “Shovel Knockout” can be viewed now at this location.  The song itself appears on COB‘s 2011 studio album Relentless Reckless Forever.

     Holiday at Lake Bodom (15 Years of Wasted Youth) will spotlight specially selected songs from every one of CHILDREN OF BODOM‘s critically acclaimed albums (1997′s Something Wild, 1999′s Hatebreeder, 2000′s Follow the Reaper, 2003′s Hate Crew Deathroll, 2005′s Are You Dead Yet?, 2008′s Blooddrunk and Relentless Reckless Forever) plus newly recorded (and undeniably fun) bonus tracks and detailed liner notes penned by the members of COB themselves. The DVD portion of the package will include “candid touring and backstage footage from around the world” plus the “Shovel Knockout” video.

The final, handpicked track listing for CHILDREN OF BODOM‘s Holiday at Lake Bodom (15 Years of Wasted Youth) is as follows:

1.) Hate Crew Deathroll

2.) Shovel Knockout

3.) Hate Me

4.) Everytime I Die

5.) Needled 24/7

6.) I’m Shipping Up to Boston (* Dropkick Murphys cover; previously unreleased)

7.) Sixpounder

8.) Warheart

9.) Roundtrip to Hell and Back

10.) Trashed, Lost & Strungout

11.) Living Dead Beat

12.) Deadnight Warrior

13.) Blooddrunk

14.) Follow The Reaper

15.) Are You Dead Yet?

16.) Silent Night, Bodom Night

17.) Jessie’s Girl (* Rick Springfield cover; previously unreleased)

18.) In Your Face

19.) Angels Don’t Kill

20.) Downfall

The release of Holiday at Lake Bodom (15 Years of Wasted Youth) continues CHILDREN OF BODOM‘s year-long anniversary celebration which kicked off with the band’s highly successful “15th Anniversary” headlining tour of North America, which met to rave review. The Onion called COB “unique and unmatched” and a band who “never fails to impress.” Additional accolades came from outlets such as The Las Vegas Review-Journal who praised the quintet for its “over-the-top, mouth agape shredding”, The Cleveland Scene, who applauded the band for being ”looser and more playful than many of their peers” and The Arizona Republic, who hailed the band’s most recent release Relentless Reckless Forever as “one of 2011′s most compelling metal albums.” The Montreal Mirror recently published a longform story on COB titled “Metal majesty: Finland’s Children of Bodom celebrate 15 years of relentless touring and ass-kicking tunes.”

On the heels of the stateside portion of the band’s worldwide celebration, CHILDREN OF BODOM has announced a slew of European live performances and summer festival appearances alongside rock royalty such as Guns ‘N’ Roses, Motley Crue, Ozzy Osbourne and more. The band’s summer touring schedule is shaping up as follows:

CHILDREN OF BODOM tour dates:
May 26        Madrid (SPA)           Sonisphere (w/ Metallica, Slayer, Kyuss Lives!, etc.)
June 15       Amsterdam (NL)     Melkweg
June 17       Clisson (FRA)          Hellfest (w/ Guns ‘N’ Roses, Motley Crue, Ozzy Osbourne, etc.)
June 19       Barcelona (SPA)      Razzmatazz 2 (w/ Cannibal Corpse)
June 20       St Etienne (FRA)      Le Fil (w/ Cannibal Corpse)
June 21       Milan (ITA)                 Gods of Metal (w/ Guns ‘N’ Roses, Motley Crue, Ozzy Osbourne, etc.)
June 23       Basel (CH)                 Earshakerdays (w/ Lamb of God, Black Label Society, etc.)
June 24       Dessel (BE)               Graspop Metal Meeting (w/ Guns ‘N’ Roses, Ozzy Osbourne, Motörhead, etc.)
June 26       Cracow (PL)               Klub Studio (w/ Cannibal Corpse)
June 27       Sopron (HUN)            Volt Festival (w/ Iggy & The Stooges, Snow Patrol, Skrillex, etc.)
June 29       Spalene Porici (CZ)   Basinfirefest (w/ Cannibal Corpse, Lacuna Coil, etc.)
June 30       Dischingen (GER)     Rock am Härtsfeldsee (w/ Blind Guardian, Sodom, etc.)
July 1           Roitzschjora (GER)    With Full Force Festival (w/ Lamb of God, Soulfly, Pennywise, etc.)
July 3           Oslo (NOR)                 Rockefeller
July 4           Malmö (SWE) KB       Kulturbolaget
July 7           Turku (FIN)                  Ruisrock (w/ Refused, Explosions in the Sky, etc.)
July 15        Joensuu (FIN)              Ilosaarirock (w/ Modeselektor, Nasum, Against Me!, etc.)

Posted in: video premieres on Wednesday, May 2nd, 2012

Legendary Hard Rocking Metal Vocalist Explores “A Variety of Musical Landscapes” on Highly Anticipated New LP

Norwegian powerhouse vocalist Jorn Lande‘s (MASTERPLAN, AVANTASIA) JORN will release its long awaited new album Bring Heavy Rock To The Land in North America on June 5 via Frontiers Records.  Produced by Tommy Hansen (Helloween, Steeler) at Denmark’s Jailhouse Studios, the album delivers 11 tracks of seriously strong heavy music “guaranteed to get your adrenaline going,” with a riveting sound that has solid roots in classic hard rock / heavy metal music, such as Dio, Black Sabbath, Rainbow and Whitesnake.

The record’s title track “Bring Heavy Rock to the Land” will be released as a single worldwide on May 14.  A video for the song is in the works and will be directed by Thomas Tjader (In Flames).  ”The title track was a natural choice for the lead track,” JORN explains. “Sometimes a song’s got the magic and you just know it.  ”Bring Heavy Rock To The Land” is such a song and regardless of how the whole album is evaluated by critics, I feel that this song will live on and become an essential Jorn classic!”  The album also contains an invigorating cover of the Christopher Cross classic “Ride Like the Wind“, reworked in electric JORN fashion.  ”I thought “Ride Like The Wind” would be a good song to do Jorn style,” the vocalist continues.  ”Saxon also released a version of this song in the 80′s, and the arrangement we made ended up beeing a mix between the original version and Saxon’s.  It’s just a fun song to sing and play”.

Jorn Lande‘s strong and diverse voice and monster songwriting skills have now become legendary in the Heavy Metal and Hard Rock world.  In a career spanning nearly 20 years and with over two million albums sold, Lande has been the featured voice on over 30 releases as frontman for Millennium, Ark and Masterplan and was recently featured on spectacular projects such as Tobias Sammet’s “Avantasia” and Ayreon.  In May, 2010 an original JORN song and music video honoring legendary heavy metal singer Ronnie James Dio (who had died of stomach cancer just five days before) called “Song for Ronnie James” was released in tribute. Soon after, it was announced that Jørn (along with former Deep Purple vocalist Glenn Hughes) would join Black Sabbath / Heaven & Hell members Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler and Vinny Appice to perform a final Heaven & Hell set in tribute to Dio at the High Voltage Festival on July 24, 2010 (see footage HERE).  All of the proceeds from the event went towards the Ronnie James Dio Stand Up and Shout Cancer Fund.

The track listing for JORN‘s Bring Heavy Rock To The Land is as follows:

1.) My Road

2.) Bring Heavy Rock To The Land

3.) A Thousand Cuts

4.) Ride Like The Wind

5.) Chains Around You

6.) The World I See

7.) Time To Be King

8.) Ride To The Guns

9.) Black Morning

10.) I Came To Rock

11.) Live And Let Fly (bonus track)
In addition to vocalist Jorn Lande, JORN also features Nic Angileri (bass), Willy Bendiksen (drums) and guitarists Jimmy Iversen and Tore Moren.
     JORN is available to speak with interested media now. To chat with the artist / request a review copy of Bring Heavy Rock To The Land, simply contact Carl Schultz @ ACTION! PR via any of the means listed below.

 ”If you’ve never heard Jorn’s vocals, he sounds a lot like David Coverdale. His voice is powerful yet expressive, and he is a top-notch singer.” – ABOUT.com

      “Jorn is the solo venture of journeyman Norwegian singer Jørn Lande (ex-Hydra, Vagabond, The Snakes, Ark, etc.), whose remarkable talent allows him to excel at everything from bluesy hard rock to power metal to pop. So much so that Lande continues to hire out his services to a number of projects even while releasing excellent solo albums” – ALL MUSIC GUIDE

     ”For those of you who don’t know the man named Jorn Lande, he is considered one of Scandinavia’s, if not the one of worlds, top hard rock vocalists. He hails from the country of Norway, and he is a brilliant musician and vocalist, who has contributed to over 20 recordings, in cooperation with Yngwie Malmsteen, TnT, Masterplan and Ark, and quite lately, a project with Symphony X vocalist Russell Allen, just to name a few. Jorn Lande is truly one of the top vocalists today.” – ULTIMATE GUITAR

Posted in: New Albums on Tuesday, May 1st, 2012

Five Years in the Making, New LP From Oslo’s Technical Masters is “An Absolute Tour de Force” of Forward-Thinking Metal Music

World famous prog-metal pioneers CIRCUS MAXIMUS will release their highly anticipated new album Nine in North America on June 5 via Frontiers Records.  The long awaited follow up to 2007′s critically admired concept album “Isolate”, Nine delivers ten monolithic tracks of advanced metal featuring layers of gargantuan guitars, supercharged synths, soaring vocals and heavyweight hooks that will surely find appeal with fans of Opeth, Dream Theater, Symphony X, Queensryche, Fates Warning and more.

“The majority of the material on the new record was written by (guitarist) Mats Haugen and he has taken the music to a kind of simpler and more accessible approach, yet kept the progressive elements and the “nerve” that is Circus Maximus” says drummer Truls Haugen.  ”We’re actually both heavier and more melodic on this new record than we’ve ever been.  After all this time we are ready to unleash our new monster!”

The track listing for CIRCUS MAXIMUS‘ Nine is as follows:

1.) Forging
2.) Architect Of Fortune
3.) Namaste
4.) Game Of Life
5.) Reach Within
6.) I Am
7.) Used
8.) The One
9.) Burn After Reading
10.) Last Goodbye

The new song ‘Reach Within‘ will be released as a single worldwide on April 27 and a video for the song is also in the works and is expected to premiere soon. CIRCUS MAXIMUS will perform selected live shows this summer before launching a full scale world tour in support of the new album later this year.

“We will definitely represent this album live to the whole world”, concludes Haugen. “We will do more live shows and more touring than ever and we really cant wait to get back on the road!”

In addition to Truls Haugen, CIRCUS MAXIMUS features Michael Eriksen (vocals), Lasse Finbråten (keyboards), Mats Haugen (guitars) and Glen Cato Møllen (bass).

 ”top caliber musicians…jaw-dropping playing…impressive” – ULTIMATE GUITAR

     ”soaring vocals, heroic guitars, aggressive synthesizers, and a busy rhythm section merely begin to paint the full picture. There’s much more here than initially meets the ears” – ALL MUSIC

     ”Circus Maximus know exactly where to put the accessible such that the complex can eventually become just as clear to an attentive listener. For every polyrhythm, there’s a bass drum run; for each keyboard shot, there’s a crushing riff; and for each high note, there’s a lower note. Balance is the key here: it’s easy to see that Circus Maximus have mastered this art” – METAL ARCHIVES

Posted in: New Albums on Monday, April 23rd, 2012

Award-Winning Oakland Trio’s Latest Record Sees the Highest Debut of Band’s Storied Career

 World renowned hard rock band HIGH ON FIRE‘s new album De Vermis Mysteriis lands at #61 on the Billboard Top 200 this week.  The charting position represents the highest of the band’s 14 year career.  The record also placed at #5 on the Billboard Hard Music chart and at #6 on Billboard’s Independent Albums chart.  De Vermis Mysteriis was released on April 3 via eOne Music.

Critical acclaim for the new HIGH ON FIRE album continues to pour in at an accelerated rate; SPIN — who named HIGH ON FIRE as one of it’s “Best of SXSW 2012” artists — described the band’s new music as ”perfect,” while Pitchfork calls the sound “immediately invigorating“.  NPR said that HIGH ON FIRE ”sounds rejuvenated, as if it’s conquering the world all over again.”  De Vermis Mysteriis is available for purchase now via iTunes.

     De Vermis Mysteriis (or “Mysteries of the Worm”) takes its title from a fictional grimoire created by Psycho author Robert Bloch and incorporated by H. P. Lovecraft into the lore of the Cthulhu Mythos (Lovecraft mentioned De Vermis Mysteriis as one of the books that “repeat the most hellish secrets learnt by early man”). The album carries a deeply mystical undercurrent, incorporating fantastical themes and lyrics detailing, among other things, time travel, a serum called liao that is made out of a black lotus and “a Jesus twin who can see the past through his ancestors’ eyes.”  And that’s just scratching the surface!

Musically, De Vermis Mysteriis is absolutely explosive, showcasing the California power trio’s thundering roar and expanded harmonic and rhythmic palettes while the songs move confidently through multiple riffs and movements. HIGH ON FIRE construct tough, burly stoner metal that is at once devastatingly epic and mercilessly metallic as superstar guitarist Matt Pike‘s sizzling ax and avenging-angel riffs fuse with Des Kensel‘s double-kick-drum onslaught and Jeff Matz‘s concrete crushing, Burton-esque bass guitar. Over the course of forty-five minutes, HIGH ON FIRE have created an amalgamation of fantastical lyrical ideas and brute force musicianship anchored in an endlessly captivating, punkishly frantic sound. Simply put, the band generates awesome on demand and has a virtual chokehold on monolithic-sounding, masterfully crafted epic music. HIGH ON FIRE is a savage bull in the china shop of modern metal.
The track listing for HIGH ON FIRE‘s De Vermis Mysteriis is as follows:

1.) Serums of Liao
2.) Bloody Knuckles (SPIN premiere)
3.) Fertile Green (Pitchfork premiere)
4.) Madness of an Architect
5.) Samsara
6.) Spiritual Rites
7.) King of Days
8.) De Vermis Mysteriis
9.) Romulus and Remus
10.) Warhorn

On June 30, HIGH ON FIRE will join Slayer, Slipknot, Anthrax and more as part of the 2012 Rockstar Energy Mayhem Tour.  The 26 city jaunt will kick off in San Bernardino, CA and run through August 5 in Hartford, CT.  The itinerary for the monster trek is as follows:

     June 30      San Bernardino, CA                 San Manuel Amphitheater       
     July 1          Mountain View, CA                   Shoreline Amphitheatre
     July 3          Auburn, WA                                White River Amphitheatre
     July 4          Nampa, ID                                   Idaho Center Amphitheatre
     July 6          Phoenix, AZ                               Ashley Furniture HomeStore Pavilion
     July 7          Albuquerque, NM                      Hard Rock Casino
     July 8          Greenwood Village, CO            Comfort Dental Amphitheatre
     July 10        Dallas, TX                                   Gexa Energy Pavilion
     July 11        The Woodlands, TX                  Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion
     July 13        Tampa, FL                                   1-800-ASK-GARY Amphitheatre
     July 14        Atlanta, GA                                  Aaron’s Amphitheatre at Lakewood
     July 15        Noblesville, IN                             Klipsch Music Center
     July 18        Oklahoma City, OK                    Zoo Amphitheatre
     July 20        Maryland Heights, MO              Verizon Wireless Amphitheater
     July 21        Tinley Park, IL                             First Midwest Bank Amphitheatre
     July 22        Clarkston, MI                               DTE Energy Music Theatre
     July 24        Cincinnati, OH                             Riverbend Music Center
     July 25        Cuyahoga Falls, OH                   Blossom Music Center
     July 27        Camden, NJ                                Susquehanna Bank Center
     July 28        Burgettstown, PA                      First Niagara Pavilion
     July 29        Bristow, Virginia                        Jiffy Lube Live
     July 31        Saratoga Springs, NY               Saratoga Performing Arts Center
     August 1     Corfu, NY                                     Darien Lake Performing Arts Center
     August 3     Mansfield, MA                            Comcast Center
     August 4     Scranton, PA                              Toyota Pavilion
     August 5     Hartford, CT                                Comcast Theatre 

Posted in: Billboard Charts, Featured on Friday, April 13th, 2012

New LP “In Dreams and Time” From Cali Mood Masters Is A Unique Blend Of Epic Classic Rock and Interstellar Heavy Music!

Los Angeles psychedelic prog-rock band ANCESTORS‘ new album In Dreams and Time showcases the band’s most accomplished music to date and a creative sound that morphs from thunderous cacophony to soul-searching peaks and valleys as towering riffs collide with bleak beauty and deep wells of light and dark. Today, ALARM Magazine presents the premiere of the new ANCESTORS song “On the Wind” via its newly relaunched website alarm-magazine.com.  ALARM, who named In Dreams and Time as one its “Best New Albums” this week, called the record, “a cathartic experience” that “might be swelling with heartfelt balladry one second, but with a single moment could bring head-banging volatility.”  Check out the ALARM premiere of ANCESTORS‘ “On the Wind” now at this location!

     The LA Weekly recently premiered the new ANCESTORS song “Whispers” saying, “In Dreams and Time shows a band that is back with a vengeance and poised to re-stake their claim for the post-metal throne.” Check out the LA Weekly premiere of ANCESTORS‘ “Whispers” at this location.

In Dreams and Time’ feels like the culmination of everything we’ve done so far,” says ANCESTORS guitarist Justin Maranga.  ”The record incorporates elements of everything that we’ve come to feel that Ancestors is, as well as new things that we’ve never tried. We’re hoping that it will tie together fans of our previous albums “Neptune With Fire”, “Of Sound Mind” and “Invisible White” who may or may not have connected one release or the other, while hopefully helping us reach a new audience.  We’re excited about it.”
     ANCESTORS formed in 2006 and instead of “choosing between prog rock or heavy rock,” merged the styles to create music rife with atmosphere, tension and raw human emotion.  On In Dreams and Time, the band fuses the primal aggression of their earlier work with the advanced dynamic sensibilities of the new, gazing into the infinite horizon to provide innovative, atmospheric thinking-man’s music.  From the moment the album’s lead track “Whispers” comes on like a collapsing star, SoCal’s reigning kings of heavy psych unleash spacious, bombastic sound that unveils layer upon layer of vintage tones, spectral atmospheres, skin-crawling ambience and swirling keyboard swell over a body of crushing, full-contact rock.  A record of limitless depth, In Dreams and Time swings from the exceedingly beautiful to the punishingly physical in seconds flat.

The track listing for ANCESTORS‘ In Dreams and Time is as follows:

1.) Whispers (LA Weekly premiere)
2.) The Last Return
3.) Corryvreckan
4.) On the Wind (ALARM premiere)
5.) Running in Circles
6.) First Light
In addition to Maranga, ANCESTORS features Nick Long (Bass, Vocals), Jason Watkins (Organ, Piano and Vocals), Matt Barks (Moog & Modular Synthesizers and Vocals) and Daniel Pouliot (drums).

“Ancestors take “far out” even further.” - PITCHFORK

“a landmark for Ancestors thus far…a firm reminder of just how far they’ve come and how far they’re brought listeners along with them.” – THE OBELISK

“hard rock laced with soot, brimstone and church organ” - LOS ANGELES TIMES

       ”a well-balanced, black-tidal-wave of rock and psychedelics” - POPMATTERS
 ”progressive doom expansiveness” - STEREOGUM

“Conceptual, organ-striated heavy rock odysseys wrapped in sumptuous artwork.” - MOJO

“Ancestors aren’t exactly a heavy metal band, admittedly, but certainly those of us who dream alongside bands such as Sleep, ISIS, and YOB can find something to love here. Those more into the prog- and psyche-rock realms, who cling to Pink Floyd and King Crimson, almost assuredly will rubber-stamp this amazing display. “In Dreams and Time” is a record that’s soaked with heart and soul” – MEAT MEAD METAL

“With one foot in the garage and the other in the cosmos, this five piece metal band from LA delivers…Seriously powerful stuff” – GIANT ROBOT

Posted in: song premieres, TEE PEE RECORDS on Thursday, April 12th, 2012

Rare Stateside Live Dates from Pioneering Pacesetters to Include Festival Performances in Austin and Baltimore!

     Highly respected Japanese doom metal band CHURCH OF MISERY has announced a U.S. headlining tour that will kick off on May 24 in Providence, RI.  Presented by Brooklyn Vegan, the two week trek will showcase one of metal’s most bizarre and exotic bands and one that Rolling Stone called “a dynamic articulated hell, like the Tokyo-Blue-Cheer crush of Boris but grounded in the British white-blues nightmares of early Seventies Black Sabbath.”  The tour will include special CHURCH OF MISERY appearances in Austin (as part of the 2012 Chaos in Tejas Fest) and Baltimore (as part of the 2012 Maryland Deathfest).  True fans of heavy music cannot miss this rare chance to see Japan’s true masters of doom!

Formed in 1996 by bassist Tatsu Mikami and guitarist Tomohiro Nishimura, the Tokyo-based CHURCH OF MISERY‘s formidable sound melds early-era Black Sabbath style doom with powerful psychedelic rock.  Major players in Japan’s underground music scene, the celebrated quartet dwells obsessively on the topic of infamous serial killers; the subjects-at-hand are both the focus of the band’s lyrics and its overall sweeping thematic.  Merging disturbing lyrical imagery and macabre news reel sound bites with infectious Wah Wah-driven Acid Metal, CHURCH OF MISERY is a far-out treat for fans of early 70′s Hard Rock and traditional Doom Metal alike.  Support on the CHURCH OF MISERY U.S. tour will come from a rotating cast of today’s best UG metal acts including Rwake, Hail! Hornet and The Gates of Slumber.

CHURCH OF MISERY U.S. Tour Dates:

    # = support from The Gates of Slumber 

    % = support from Rwake & The Gates of Slumber 

      * = support from Hail! Hornet & The Gates of Slumber

May 24            Providence, RI             AS220 #

May 25            Brooklyn, NY                Cameo %

May 26            Philadelphia, PA          North Star %

May 27            Baltimore, MD              Sonar (as part of Maryland Deathfest)

May 28            Wilmington, NC           Soapbox *

May 29            Charlotte, NC               Tremont Music Hall *

May 30            Atlanta, GA                    The Earl *

May 31            New Orleans, LA          Siberia *

June 1             Austin, TX                      Red 7 (as part of Chaos in Tejas)

June 3             Albuquerque, NM          Launchpad *

June 4             Scottsdale, AZ               Chasers *

June 5             Los Angeles, CA           Satellite *

June 6             San Francisco, CA        Elbo Room *

June 8             Portland, OR                  Branx *

June 9             Seattle, WA                    Studio Seven *

Whereas other left field Japanese rock bands such as Boris, Melt Banana and Boredoms have managed to achieve a considerable amount of status over the course of the last few decades, CHURCH OF MISERY have made a conscious decision to remain encased in a morgue of both mystery and confusion.  Over the course of its distinguished career, CHURCH OF MISERY has released music on labels such as Man’s Ruin, Southern Lord and Rise Above.  COM released its latest album Houses of the Unholy in 2011 and the band’s classic records Master of Brutality and The Second Coming have just been reissued with bonus tracks via Metal Blade.

Check out a super in-depth story on CHURCH OF MISERY via The Austin Chronicle at

this location!

 
     CHURCH OF MISERY is available to speak with interested media now.  To chat with the band / attend a live performance, simply contact Carl Schultz @ ACTION! PR via any of the means listed below.  Updated news and tour information will be made available via the CHURCH OF MISERY online and ACTION! online (website / facebook / twitter).

     ”CHURCH OF MISERY holds the distinction of being one of the first doom metal bands to emerge from Japan.  There are no high or low spots, no weak tracks to be avoided, or embarrassing experiments.  CHURCH OF MISERY may very well be the undisputed (and unchallenged) kings” – ALL MUSIC

“Japan’s Church of Misery have two features that not only set them apart from their stoner-metal peers but make them, quite bluntly, more enjoyable than most. One is their knack for groove. Church of Misery’s second interesting feature is their lyrics. The guys obsess on the morbid – namely serial killers” – DETROIT METRO TIMES

“Exponentially extreme.  How can a band singing almost exclusively about serial killers engender so much life?” – THE AUSTIN CHRONICLE

     “gut-throbbing riff-centric doom done right…it’s been a while since rock and roll legitimately scared the bejabbers out of the squares.  These guys may actually think they are 1973-vintage BLACK SABBATH…and are you gonna tell them they’re not?” – BLABBERMOUTH

Posted in: Featured, tours on Wednesday, April 11th, 2012