Hey guys, Chris Arrowsmith here holding the fort on MMM whilst Mickey takes a well-deserved holiday! I have hand picked four of my fave current bands with new material in the pipeline or just released – I hope you enjoy them as much as I do!
NECRODEATH
Italian black-thrash metal trailblazers Necrodeath have announced their intention to disband after one last album and a farewell tour in 2025.
The album, entitled Arimortis, will be the last recorded testimony before the definitive dissolution of the band. The release will be followed by a farewell tour, which will last throughout 2025. After which the curtain will fall.
Frontman Flegias commented: “Arimortis is a term of Latin origin which indicates the end of a war, the moment in which the fallen are honoured and altars are erected in their name (‘arae mortis’, the altars of death). Even today in some parts of Italy the term ‘arimo’ is used to declare the end of the games. We wanted to use this allegory to seal a path that lasted forty years, full of satisfactions, disappointments and revenge. The songs that make up the album contain several references to our long career”.
In the meantime, the band have released a single, Storytellers of Lies, of which the band said: “Storytellers of Lies is a pure thrash track, fast and immediate, reminiscent of the classic Necrodeath sound from the very first note. The lyrics, highly provocative, are a clear denunciation of the music business world. These storytellers, in exchange for money, offer you nothing but the false hope of stepping onto a stage you will never see…”
EARTHBURNER
American death/grind unit Earthburner have recently released a new album!
The band takes it’s name from the Broken Hope song of the same name from the Grotesque Blessings album and was created with a mission to deliver nothing short of uncompromising grind songs tinged with afterworld bleakness and contemporary horror.
Broken Hope’s Jeremy Wagner has actively written Earthburner music and demoed material in various studios since the band’s inception in 2002. It has remained his priority band and has successfully built up a worldwide following.
Earthburner released a three-song EP in 2011 that they recorded at Mercenary Digital Studios with studio-guru, Scott Creekmore, tracking, mixing and mastering everything.
In late 2011, just as the band was becoming a going concern, Jeremy Wagner was approached to reform Broken Hope. Broken Hope reformed with Wagner and Mike Miczek along for the ride. Earthburner remained a priority with Jeremy Wagner and Mike Miczek actively writing and recording music and creating art designs for the band as well.
In March 2023, Wagner focused on Earthburner more than ever and recorded a full-length album and more. Jeremy Wagner and Mike Miczek added band members and brought in Wagner’s stepson, Tyler Affinito, from Gloryhole Guillotine, on bass.
Singer Ryan Richards parted from the band so in came Devin Swank on vocals… Affinito got a message from the Sanguisugabogg vocalist, asking Tyler if he wanted to do a “grind band” and also asked, “What’s your stepdad Jeremy doing with Earthburner?”
Wagner, who had a pile of songs already written with Mike, booked studio time with the intent of recording a full-length album…within a month, the band began recording.
In April 2023, the band entered the legendary Criteria Recording Studios in Miami, Florida where they recorded all of the music for their debut album, Permanent Dawn. The band then recorded all of the vocals at Hypercube Studios in Chicago. The band also brought in Napalm Death guitarist/vocalist, Mitch Harris, as an “honorary member” and side-vocalist.
The band were also honoured by Ross Dolan of Immolation and Jake Cannavale of Vixen Maw who both contributed guest vocals to Earthburner’s debut album.
Permanent Dawn was mixed by Scott Creekmore (who had mixed both the Earthburner EP in 2011 and the Broken Hope album, Mutilated and Assimilated, in 2017), and then mastered by the legendary Mike Fuller of Fullersound in Davie, Florida.
MIRACLE BLOOD
Miracle Blood has carved out a reputation for their electrifying live performances, charismatic songwriting, and what has been called “the best scream in the city” by If It’s Too Loud… Since their formation in 2014, the trio – guitarist/vocalist Andrew Wong, bassist Garrett Young, and drummer Anthony Bollitier – has performed incessantly, sharing the stage with bands such as Great Falls, Landowner, and Tree. After several independently released EPs and singles, Miracle Blood self-released their debut LP Melter in 2022, scoring a Boston Music Award nomination for Rock Artist Of The Year in the process. Melter shows off the group’s one-of-a-kind, genre-bucking take on noise-punk—dissonant, heavy, and chaotic, yet melodic, catchy and playful all at the same time.
Miracle Blood recently completed their second album Hello Hell, which shows the band stepping up their game in every way. The new album slams the listener with ten ripping tracks in under thirty-two minutes, with a sound that is meaner, heavier, and noisier than its predecessor. Hello Hell was produced with Alex Allinson at The Bridge Sound & Stage (BEDTIMEMAGIC , The Freqs, Lesotho) and mastering engineer Brad Boatright (The Armed, Sleep, Nails). The record features guests from Sapling and BEDTIMEMAGIC joining the Miracle Blood crew on gang vocals, and the record is completed with art and design by the band’s Andrew Wong.
MUTANK
Canadian thrash maniacs Mutank return with their newest collection of bangers Think Before You Think via Boonsdale Records on November 29th. It’s the first taste of new neck-breaking tunes in seven years since releasing their mosh-heavy EP W.H.A.T.S.T.H.A.T. in 2017.
The album features ten volcanic thrash tracks to blaze a new path to jackhammer a pure audio assault. Live favourites such as Running Reds, Abortron, and Thrash Primordial are sure to please die-hard fans for easy repeat listens.
Vocalist/bassist Stephen Reynolds comments: “We want this album to energise people and make them feel the way we do when we listen to some of our favourite artists. This album is the most material we have ever put out! Fifty minutes of pure metal across ten tracks. The songs really picked themselves as we kept writing tracks we really enjoyed playing.”
With a passion for classic thrash and a desire to play radical riffs, Mutank made a deservedly big splash on the Canadian metal scene with their debut EP M.E.C.H METAL and a performance at Wacken Open Air after being declared champions of the 2014 Wacken Metal Battle Canada competition.
With their distinctive sound, the band moved forward in 2017, touring across Canada supporting Annihilator alongside Australia’s Mason in support of their EP W.H.A.T.S.T.H.A.T (Boonsdale Records). Metal Injection also named the band “1 of 8 Hidden Gems in Canadian Metal You Need To Know”.
2024 will be a tour de force for Mutank with the launch of Think Before You Think. Fans of D.R.I., Suicidal Tendencies, Havok, Megadeth, Overkill, and Exodus are sure to join them in the pit when it releases!
That’s it for now – I’ll be handing back the reins to Mick on his return so it will be normal service resuming next time! CA
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