Let's talk with Reternity about A Test Of Shadows (2020)

Sometimes there are these albums out there that go deep into your mind. You can feel that they touch something inside of you. It has been like this for me with Reternity's "A Test Of Shadows" that comes out on September 25th 2020 via MDD/Black Sunset.

While the sound is heavy but also uplifting it has also been the lyrics talking about demons and our battles against them that found my interest. Check out the interview with Stefan Zörner, vocalist of the band. He gave us a little look behind the scenes of the upcoming album.

Get into the mood with the title track of the album first.

Heavy Metal Underdogs: Were you influenced more from classic thrash sounds this time?

Hey, nice to meet ya! Uhhh, hard to say… I think, „A Test of Shadows“ is the consistent successor to „Demon“. Maybe a litte bit more uniform and with more catchy moments. More Thrash, more Rock and more hooks to remind, haha!

You and Carsten Sauter recorded the music in the studio on the new album. Do you think that you know best how things should sound like or how came it all together?

Indeed it´s our baby. Carsten and my humble self started RETERNITY and we are the core of this band. No dictators but… musical directors. On the other hand we know about the importance of new blood, critical thoughts and we love to create new music together with our bandmates!

Sometimes the sound is a bit demo-like. Do you want to pay tribute to the days of demo cassette tapes this way?

I wouldn´t say „demo-like“. I prefer the description „typical Reternity“. We are looking for a unique sound and the new album is a big step into that direction. We are very happy with the result. I think too many albums sound similar these days. We are trying to be different.

The cover of "A Test Of Shadows" reminds of a scene in a boxing ring. How would you describe one round in the fight that takes place?

The covergirl is the same lady as on „Facing the Demon“. You can say it is a journey. You have to fight the inner demons and this is the final battle. Stand your ground, don´t fear to fall! Do your best – it will be enough! 

As for fighting against demons: do you think women have to deal more often with them?

No. I think every human being has to deal with inner demons, regrets, nightmares and doubt! We fear to loose the ones we love or never to find love. We fear so much and forget to live. What a pitty!

The lyrics left a gloomy impression on me also sometimes hope shines through. Do you write them up in specific situations or do they evolve over time?

As mentioned, there is a conception. It is called „Diaries of the Mind“ and divided into three acts. So there will be another album, haha! Ok, most of the lyrics are very personal and thoughtful. But there is hope, there is peace and there is a life in light after the darkness! So never stop to think positive, boy!

Do you think people may listen to your songs and find help in them?
Puh. I really don´t know. I just want to write meaningful lyrics. I won´t preach and I don´t know, what is „wrong“ or „good“. But it is a very nice thought… I just want to give some hope and maybe a smile. And don´t forget to bang your heads out there! It´s about METAL music, that´s all!

Make sure to pre-order the album via MDD Records or at Amazon. You may also follow Reternity on Facebook.

Reternity bandshot done by Oliver Laube Photography.

Album Review: SpiteFuel - Flame To The Night (2019, Metal)

Dark, darker, Flame To The Night. A album that reflects upon the feelings of anger and agression.

This record calls for the prize of being as brutal, tricky and heavy as can be. But at the same time there is still a light in the dark in the mood of the music as well.

The skull finally is alive on the album cover of SpiteFuel's "Flame To The Night"

It started out with "Machine" that I realised that the band has made a complete turn with "Flame To The Night". It's a beast of a song with a punishing refrain. I think this will go down extremly heavy on stage also it's hard to imagine that it could get any more bone crushing like on the album.

The new vocalist Phillip Stahl adds a much metalcore-like note to the sound. His growls are blackening the whole sky. But he also adds a twist with a little psycho touch in songs like "Trick Or Treat" - one of the most going under the skin going tunes of 2019.

The second half of the twelve tunes calls out to the older fans of the combo.

"Bad Boys" is one of the them. It's a midtempo rocker with sing-along refrain.The same goes for the compact number "Two-Faced". But they all sound with updated soundpackage through your speakers along with modern refrain structures. This said it's clear that SpiteFuel have changed to a up-to-date soundformat on the new longplayer.

"Firewater" is one of my favorites. It shares big bright riffs brought garned with lots of groove. This feels great and relaxed alltogether. "Silent Guard" goes more straight-forward but has at the same time special in it that will make it hang on the listeners mind later on. It's this feeling of emptiness in it mixed with slightly agressive moments that makes the track stand out.

It all comes to the close on "Try to hate me". It feels like a mixture of new brutality mixed up splitters of melodic elements. This one melts both worlds of the record into one piece of music.

Listen to the heavier side of the album as a teaser right here.

You can pick a copy from the MDD Records / Black Sunset webshop. Since the label has distributors all around the globe I think you can also get it at a local retailer / mailorder which may save you shipping and handling.

SpiteFuel return with a Flame To The Night in November

After the release of the outstanding concept album "Dreamworld Collapse" last year, moving months lie behind SpiteFuel, which caused a lot of unrest among their fans with the departure of their frontman and the introduction of the new singer Philipp Stahl.

Without a long creative break the songwriting machine of the guitarists Eurich and Pflüger continued to run at full speed and created 11 tracks which have opened a new chapter in the history of the band.

"Flame To The Night" is the name of the new longplayer which was produced in summer, again at the Gernhart Studio Troisdorf under the direction of Martin Buchwalter and will be released on November 8th via Black Sunset/MDD.

So how is the new album going to sound like? The record company states: "The guys combine on their new album well-known trademarks of the band like the technically sophisticated guitar riffing and a lot of feel for melody with a new, more "snotty" attitude to a wild, rocking, metallic mixture, which shows that there is only one direction for the band: Full speed ahead! Be prepared!"

I'm looking forward to what SpiteFuel has made of a precious situation like this. Many big stories in Metal history have proven that it can be a chance for a change. I'll keep a eye on them on Facebook to see how the story goes on.

In Sanity promote album with free entry acoustic shows

This is something unusual that crossed my way. In Sanity are a melodic death metal band. They have a new album coming on 18th October 2019 called "Welcome To The Show" via MDD Records. So normally you would think that a promotional tour would consist of a full blast metal show.

Instead of that the band decided to head out on the road for a string of acoustic shows here in Germany! The entry is free on all dates. Starting time is 20h, so make sure to be there on time. Here is the list of dates:

13.09. Kump - Brilon
14.09. Stud - Offenburg
20.09. Kulte Paderborn
21.09. Heartbreaker - Erfurt
27.09. Zigeunerkeller - Bad Hersfeld
28.09. Nordpol - Schwelm

The flyer for the acoustic promo tour of In Sanity.

Talking of further details on the fresh record it can be said that it was recorded and produced by Seeb Levermann at Greenman Studios (Orden Ogan, Brainstorm, Almanac, a.o.). The album features 12 tracks which will undoubtedly be the highlight of the sextet's musical work so far.

Listen to a very short snippet of the new album below and connect with the given links at the end of this blog post.

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/insanitymodernmetal
Website: https://insanitymetal.com/

CD Review: Reternity - Demo 2018 (Metal, 2018)

Big refrains that invite to scream along to at the first listen already. Direct riffs and extended solos - all this can be found on Reternity's first two track offer.

The coverartwork was created by T. Bernhardt

It's not so often that demos come to knock on my door. In fact this one was created by people that readers of this blog may have heard of already. The vocals were done by Stefan Zoerner who left SpiteFuel earlier this year. On his side his longtime companion bass guitar player Finn Janetzky who was also active in Strangelet and SpiteFuel. Plus the addition of Carsten Sauter on guitars and Carmine Jaucci on the drums round out the new band.

So what's on the disc? "Down.Not.Broken" comes out straight as a compact riffrocker with it's bold opening section and the bass going all on it. I can already see the hands going up in the concerts to this. The refrain is formed as a fighting outcall pushing through a longer set of text lines saying that rumors may see you all at the end while in fact you're just a bit tired and going through a time of rebuilding. That's at least how it feels for me without having read the lyrics.

The second tune "Suicide Butterflies" goes in a similar way with a short intro. Afterwards it explodes into a even more direct and uptempo song. It feels like a rush of feelings was in need of finding redemption. This time the refrain is bigger and sung of a huge chorus. It sticks in my mind. I'm sure readers of this blog will love this number, too. The guitars take a bigger and rougher place in here with it's extended solo sections. The overall structure is slightly complexer and outworked compared to Down.Not.Broken.

The two track disc will be up for purchase via MDD Records soon. Back in the day demos were also sold so I think it's allright to ask for a somthing in return. The sound is solid. Just listen to the snippets in the trailer.

Finally taking a look at Reternity's Facebook page and Instagram account work perfect to keep a eye on future updates and to be notified when the demo single is up for purchase.

SpiteFuel take us to "Dreamworld Collapse"

Things are moving constantly forward in the SpiteFuel camp. After a successfull first album and lot's of shows during this year the Heavy Rockers are preparing relentlessly new music for their followers. The first fruits of their efforts are already coming into sight so today we can hand the first details of the upcoming longplayer to you.

The upcoming album, which will be called "Dreamworld Collapse", will be released in spring next year via MDD Records and will follow a lyrical and musical concept.

Therefore the band apparently has planned some surprises, because on their Facebook page they are announcing the upcoming album as follows: "We are so happy to work with so many great people on this project to bring you our vision of this record… stay tuned!"

Make sure to stay in connection with SpiteFuel using Facebook so you won't miss out anything.

Knowing that waiting can be a painful thing I've included a proshot live video of one of the band's performances below. The song comes of the first album "Second To None".

It's been filmed with official license of the band but still has the raw and unfiltered charme of a real live recording with it. You can even spot the fun of the musicians in their faces while performing live  during  the clip - those emotions have been captured very well. Not to be seen often in such recordings.

Oldschool thrash package with Onslaught, Artillery & Exarsis in Europe Fall 2017

This package promises to bring in thrash like in the old days with a massive billing featuring bands that will make the club burn! Plus you can pick up the brand new Exarsis record up to four weeks ahead of the official street date. Check all the details below.

The Greek Thrashers of Exarsis will release their new album, "New War Order", on October 20th. On the occasion of the release, the band will accompany Onslaught and Artillery on their Thrash 'Till Death European Tour 2017 from 23.09 to 13.10, on which the album is already available in advance!

"New War Order" was recorded again at the D Studios in Athens and mixed and mastered by Mike Karpathiou. The album contains 10 songs with a playing time of almost 40 minutes. A "must have" for every thrash metal maniac!

Thrash 'Till Death tourdates Fall 2017 for Europe

// tourdates //
23.09 Helvete Club – Oberhausen, Germany
24.09 Hedon Club – Zwolle, Netherlands
25.09 De Verlichte Geest – Roeselare, Belgium
26.09 Roxy Concerts – Flensburg, Germany
27.09 Garage Deluxe – Munich, Germany
28.09 Moonlight Music Hall – Diest, Belgium
30.09 Kiehool Burgum – Burgum, Netherlands
02.10 Schwarzer Adler – Tannheim-Egelsee, Germany
03.10 Escape Metalcorner – Vienna, Austria
04.10 7er Club – Mannheim, Germany
05.10 Musigburg – Aarburg, Switzerland
06.10 Dagda Live Club – Pavia, Italy
07.10 Revolver Music Hall – Venice, Italy
08.10 Borderline – Pisa, Italy
09.10 Utopia Sala – Zaragoza, Spain
11.10 SMAC de La Gespe – Tarbes, France
12.10 Sala Upload – Barcelona , Spain
13.10 Urban Concept – Vitoria, Spain

Realms Of Odoric share preview track on upcoming music & artbook collaboration

It has been a great experience for me to leave musical boundaries behind. Ever since I opened up my mind about other musical styles I found out that there's such a huge and wonderfull world outside of metal to explore. I can only encourage everyone out there to listen to things not-metal every here and there. It will expand your joy for music.

The new release of Realms Of Odoric draws near. It can be described as sort of musical journey to a land far away. It's not metal but music that is kept in a darker orchestral style. Musician and composer Arkadius Antonik (SuidAkra) as well as artist and illustrator Kris Verwimp (Marduk, Manegarm, Thyrfing) have added a further chapter of the fantasy epic with the unique combination of music and illustration.

The cover of the album "Second Age" from Realms Of Odoric, (c) by Realms Of Odoric, used with kind permission

The album "Second age" will be available in several formats. One of them will include a 80-page book in A4 format which features awsome illustrations of Kris Verwimp. It tells the story of the second age of Odoric in epic paintings - it's like having a artbook to accompany the musical experience with a optical component. With "The Last Embrace" you can check out one track in advance for yourselves along with the performance of the orchestra.

The song was recorded and produced in Budapest on 25th October together with the Budapest Film Orchestra. For the first time in the history of the project an album with guest musicians from around the world and two orchestras was implemented.

The album "Second Age" contains 18 compositions with a playing time of 44 minutes and will be released this week.
The album is not available in the regular stores, but only in the MDD shop in different editions. Make sure to follow this project further via Facebook.

SpiteFuel: in the studio! Album in spring, Single in December.

So we didn't had any news on the heavy rockers from SpiteFuel here on the site for some time. What's happening over there?

The band has played some gigs in the meantime and was busy preparing songs for the first album. They constantly keep adding gigs to their schedule but as of today we have a little more concrete news snippet for you.

SpiteFuel with a happy crowd in the background, Photo credit: Hobbit Hauser

SpiteFuel has entered the Gernhart Studios (where already Destruction, Elvenking and Perzonal War recorded their albums) in Troisdorf, Germany (that's near Cologne) these days, in order to record their new longplayer, which will be released on MDD Records next spring.

In order to shorten the waiting time, the band is already planning a single entitled "Sleeping With Wolves" in December, which will include the brand new song in various versions. Among other things, an orchestral implementation is currently underway, for which composer Arkadius Antonik (Realms Of Odoric, SuidAkra) is responsible.  

Sounds exciting to me. As for now here's a list of dates the band will play in the upcoming time here in germany. For updates and more info on these show always check back to the Facebook page of the band.

Btw: I just saw that the band is hosting a video diary on the same site so we can keep a close eye on the progress in the studio that way. :-)

2016
22. October - The Ranch Festival, Hechingen (with Brainstorm, Mystic Prophecy and many more!)
05. November - Bonfire Support, ROFA Bad Friedrichshall
30. December - Red River Party with Wild Rider, Heilbronn

2017
11. March 2017 - Rock im Wildpark, Bad Mergentheim
06. May 2017 - A Chance for Metal Festival, Andernach

To help skip the waiting time until the new single and album will be released here is the first full song that the band has put out earlier this year.

SpiteFuel prove that they will "Never Surrender" with first single

After Strangelet called it quits only roughly a month ago I was sceptic if the new formation called SpiteFuel would be able to carry on the torch that has been ignited with the "First Bite" album. You know when such great releases come along it's always hard to go on after that. That album blew me away like a storm so it was a high mark the new band would have to take.

But they made it! They once again charmed me enough with these mega refrain so I couldn't get off listening to the track. It's after all for sure a bit heavier than the previous material was but it still feels authentic.

You can feel that the main spirit that has been the core of Strangelet has been faithfully taken care of and is alive and well in this new song as well. The new heavyness tightens the material for sure but it never feels as if the old glance has left. It moreover shines in new colors. But enough of me speaking - have a taste for yourselves in the player below.


The new track "Never Surrender" will be available soon on iTunes, Spotify and the like for purchase. I'll update the article with proper links as soon as I receive them.

Right now there's also a limited physical edition available as a special promo CD. If you purchase any item of the band in the webshop of MDD Records (T-Shirts, Hood Zippers and patches and more are available) or at the shows of the band at the merch booth you'll receive one disc with the song on it for free with your purchase (this goes of course only as long as stocks will last).

The limited edition of the first SpiteFuel single "Never Surrender", (c) by MDD Records, used with kind permission

The band will play the following shows in Germany in 2016:
10. September - Birthday Massacre with The New Black, Wilanzheim
22. October - The Ranch Festival, Hechingen
05. November - Bonfire Support, ROFA Bad Friedrichshall
30. Dezember - Red River Party with Wild Rider, Heilbronn

Shows in 2017
11. März 2017 - Rock im Wildpark, Bad Mergentheim

A full length album is scheduled for release in spring 2017 via MDD Records.

Don't forget to like SpiteFuel on Facebook so you won't miss out on further updates in the meantime.

Strangelet calls it quits - new band SpiteFuel takes over

At the beginning of this week the sad and surprising information reached me that one of my favorite upcoming bands called Strangelet have decided to call it quits. As they said on Facebook about the split in their own words "(...) So we have to announce, that we chose to say “Good Bye” and break up with STRANGELET because we’re no longer able to create and live the music together.(...)".

The good point in all this sadness is that the spirit of the band will continue to live on in a new band. Three members who were already active in Strangelet ( Stefan Zörner - Vocals |  Tobias Eurich - Guitars and Finn Janetzky - Bass) will also play in the new bands and perform on the same instruments.

The new band SpiteFuel, (c) by SpiteFuel, used with kind permission

The lineup will be completed by Timo Pflüger - Guitars as well as Björn-P. Hessenmüller on the drums (both known of the band Devils Darling). Most of the gigs that Strangelet have announced in the past months will be taken over from SpiteFuel. Here the exact list of shows the new band will play in Germany in 2016:

07. Mai - W:O:A Warmup Party, Ochsenfurt
22. Juli - Summernight Open Air, Mühlenpark Mechernich
22. Oktober - The Ranch Festival, Hechingen
05. November - Bonfire Support, ROFA Bad Friedrichshall

SpiteFuel also plans to hit the studio in summer 2016 to record the debut album which will be released via MDD Records later on.

If you want to follow the further band activities join SpiteFuel on Facebook.