In what is no doubt a serious boon for metalheads who live in the United Kingdom, symphonic metal band Imperial Age appear to be planning a permanent relocation there. While on their recent successful tour in the UK, the band received an endorsement from the Arts Council England, which would enable them to apply for a special immigration avenue into the country.
The band were both thrilled and honoured by the offer, which also proved to be quite timely given the fact that their current residency permits in Turkey were due to expire within a couple of months. The band had already relocated to Turkey after leaving Russia in 2022 following the start of the conflict with Ukraine.
In order to make the move to the UK though, Imperial Age explained that they would need to cover the NHS health surcharge for 3 years in advance, as well as other related expenses. So they turned to their fans and crowdfunding for support, who rose to the challenge and made sure the funding goal was reached in less than 24 hours. However, the fund is still open, and you can continue to support and help out the band with their costs: relocate.imperial-age.com
We wish them every success in moving to their new home!
Visions of Atlantis have just announced via Facebook that a new Live Album, “Pirates Over Wacken”, will be released on March 31 2023. The news of the release was apparently delayed due to the band currently (and perhaps somewhat appropriately) sailing the Caribbeans on the 70000tons of Metal Cruise.
The first single from the album, “Pirates will Return”, has already been revealed and can be watched below. You can pre-order the album here. A special release party in a vinyl pressing plant is also planned.
According to the band:
“There is something purely magical about Wacken Open Air. Maybe it is the collective belief that this is the Holy Ground of Heavy Metal. Maybe it simply is, the Holy Ground of Heavy Metal. Maybe this casts a specific energy around the stages and the fields of this special German town.
We didn’t miss to feel this magic, while shouting the name “WACKEN” out loud on stage or while looking around and seeing thousands of people, at peace, loving being there and sharing this together.
It was very special to us again, as if it wasn’t our first time playing WACKEN. We got overcome with emotion several times during the show. There was so much we wanted to say. We felt empowered as a artists and human beings. WACKEN is ones of these grounds where you feel you can change the world. Watching this crowd and talking to them on that very day felt like never before and we will remember it forever.
Nothing lasts forever but memories do. Thank you WACKEN for having made us a part of your legend.”
Don’t forget to catch the band on one of the below dates:
Pirates Over North America tour w/ The Spider Accomplice
07.02.23 US – Los Angeles, CA / 1720 11.02.23 US – Seattle, WA / El Corazon 13.02.23 US – Denver, CO / The Oriental Theater 14.02.23 US – Minneapolis, MN / The Cabooze 15.02.23 US – Chicago, IL / WC Social Club 16.02.23 US – Detroit, MI / The Sanctuary 17.02.23 US – Pittsburgh, PA / Black Forge 19.02.23 US – Rochester, NY / Montage Music Hall 20.02.23 CA – Quebec City, QC / L’Anti Bar & Spectacles 21.02.23 US – Boston, MA / Upstairs 22.02.23 US – Brooklyn, NY / The Meadows 23.02.23 US – Clifton, NJ / Dingbatz 24.02.23 US – Atlantic City, NJ / Anchor Rock Club 25.02.23 US – Chapel Hill, NC / Local 506 26.02.23 US – Spartanburg, SC / Ground Zero 28.02.23 US – Dallas, TX / Amplified Live 01.03.23 US – Austin, TX / Come And Take It Live 03.03.23 US – Phoenix, AZ / The Rebel Lounge 04.03.23 US –Las Vegas, NV / Backstage Bar & Billiards 05.03.23 US – San Diego, CA / Brick By Brick
Pirates Over Europe tour
/w Autumn Bride
31.03.23 AT – Austrovinyl Werk2 Fehring (Special Release Party) 04.02.23 DE – Cham / L.A. 05.04.23 IT – Bologna / Alchemica 06.04.23 CH – Monthey / Pont Rouge 07.04.23 FR – Montpellier / Secret Place 08.04.23 FR – Toulouse / L’usine A Musique 10.04.23 PT – Lisbon / RCA Club 11.04.23 ES – Mos-Pontevedra / Sala Rebullon 12.04.23 ES – Madrid / Revi Live 13.04.23 ES – Vitoria / Urban Rock Concept 15.04.23 BE – Gent / JH Asgaard 16.04.23 NL – Amersfoort / Fluor 18.04.23 DE – Aschaffenburg / Colos Saal 19.04.23 DE – Saarbrücken / Garage 20.04.23 DE – Essen / Turock 21.04.23 DE – Hanover / Musikzentrum 22.04.23 DE – Nuremberg / Der Cult 23.04.23 AT – Klagenfurt / Volxhaus
Well 2023 is here! (Is that scary to anyone else? – Ed) And if January is anything to go by then it is already shaping up to be a stellar year for heavy metal releases. Keep reading to see which releases were rotating in our office this month. As will no doubt be a tradition, each of our picks feature at least one Shieldmaiden – that’s the rule! So please don’t send us any mail about why the latest music from your favourite male-dominated band did not make the list. We’re just kidding – we would actually love to hear from you.
1. Beyond the Black ~ (self-titled)
This one is destined for a review on our website (spoiler alert: we like it). The self-titled album from Beyond the Black strikes us as a more confident and mature entry than past releases. The song craftsmanship in particular appears to have levelled up to our ears. But one thing that has not changed – Jennifer Haben is still fantastic!
2. Dark Princess ~ Phoenix
Perhaps the most surprising item on this list – not because of the quality – but simply due to its mere existence. The last time this band released a full-length album was back in 2012 with “The World I’ve Lost”. Fans of the earlier albums should appreciate the return of the original vocalist Olga Trifonova this time around. The band definitely sounds reborn here. A “Phoenix” indeed.
3. Walk in Darkness ~ Leaves Rolling in Time
Our resident author (Darth) really liked this album. We’re going to save some time for ourselves here and simply link you to his review. And no, we don’t think that’s cheating. We are also lucky to have a profile for the Walk in Darkness frontwoman Nicoletta Rosellini on our website – be sure to check it out!
4. Temtris ~ Khaos Divine
You may not be as familiar with this band as the others on the list, but if that’s the case then you certainly owe it to yourself to change that. Hailing from Australia, Temtris are the kind of balls-to-the-wall heavy metal band that only Aussies know how to deliver. Genevieve Rodda has been a maelstrom on vocals throughout her career, and this brand new single from upcoming album “Khaos Divine” is absolutely no exception.
5. Dark Sarah ~ Attack of Orym
Yet another band with the word “dark” in their name this month. It’s not a conspiracy, we promise! Ironically, this album has a lot more light than shade, which allows it to stand out from the rest in this article. Think along the lines of Battle Beast mixed with Amberian Dawn (Heidi Parviainen’s previous band), and you’ll have a fair idea of what to expect from the latest Dark Sarah album. The perfect soundtrack for hosting your next party!
6. Atrocity ~ OKKULT III
Okay, we’ll admit – we might be stretching our own rule a bit with this one. But track 6 on the album features not one but two shieldmaidens in the form of Elina Siirala (Leaves’ Eyes; Angel Nation) and Zoë Marie Federoff (Catalyst Crime; Cradle of Filth) both laying down vocals on “Malicious Sukkubus”. Not to mention the guest appearance of Australian talent Misstiq on keyboards for track “Teufelsmarsch”. Worth checking out for fans of death metal.
Brazilian thrash metal group Nervosa have announced via their Instagram account that vocalist Diva Satanica is no longer with the band. While the band did not identify her replacement, they have apparently been working with a new vocalist for the last two months, and are due to begin recording for a new album this week.
This news follows other recent lineup changes for Nervosa, as it was reported this month that Helena Kotina had joined as an additional guitarist. They also parted ways with their drummer Nanu Villalba in December 2021 (a replacement has yet to be announced).
The full statement from Nervosa:
Since September 2022 Nervosa was informed that Diva would leave the band, and since then she has carried out all activities with great professionalism and respect. The reason for her departure is because she chooses to invest more time in other projects and in her band. Since her decision, we entered into an agreement to comply with the Latin America tour and announce her departure later so that we could plan everything calmly and in time.
We understand and support her decision.
It’s not easy for either party, but life is made of choices and decisions. So don’t judge too harshly, because it’s a very painful moment for both parties.
All our respect to Diva, thank you for all her dedication and contribution. We wish you good luck on your new journey.
Nervosa has been working with a vocalist for the last 2 months, and is also working with a new drummer.
The recordings for the new album start this week, so stay tuned on our social networks because we’re going to post some spoilers.
Thanks to all the fans for their love and support.
