A South American band with a Belgian singer, King Heavy have a story as inspiring as their doom-drenched heavy metal. That the four-piece assembled in one place for the first time back in 2014 to tour Chile, Peru and Ecuador – vocals and music for both 2012’s ‘Horror Absoluto’ EP and their self-titled full-length, released by Cruz Del Sur last year, were recorded on separate continents, synthesized with the aid of the internet – is not even that story’s most inspiring aspect. It is the passion which they have equally for the music that is, of necessity, only a part-time part of their lives and for their children – the band’s two lynchpins, Chilean bassist Daniel Pere’z Saa (ex-Procession) and vocalist Luther ‘Luce’ Veldmark (Hooded Priest, Witchsmeller Pursuviant) each have two – which really strikes a chord. “I have two ladies evil. They are the light of my life,” says Daniel when asked if Luce, the band’s eldest member by a margin, is the only one with offspring. (Note: drummer Miguel Canessa became a father in January, after this correspondence took place). “Isi, who is seven-years-old, sings very good, and Fran, she is very much a true rocker. She loves … Read More

Weaving opulent soundscapes through the kaleidoscopic lens of epic doom and maudlin post-rock, Spirit Adrift, a secretive three-piece project released through Prosthetic Records, has sent the Iron Fist crew into horrific depths of despair and lifted them with shimmering hope with their first video for debut EP ‘Behind – Beyond’. After us badgering the label for any information about this crushing yet masterful release, they finally succumbed and let us stream this brand new video for our readers.

Conjuring the shades cast by Warning/40 Watt Sun and the masters of the heavy riffs from Black Sabbath to Pelican, ‘Behind – Beyond’ is a two-song EP crafted by musicians with a meticulous adoration of the more otherworldly aspects of doom metal’s 46 year reign. “The ideas behind Spirit Adrift, and the songs themselves, materialised on their own,” explains vocalist/guitarist, JK. “Our lives had become disastrous in the years leading up to the formation of the band. “Not to sound too melodramatic, but the discovery of these songs truly coincided with our own self-discovery and healing. The writing process was natural, maybe even unavoidable. Many of our biggest artistic influences, Tony Iommi for example, have claimed that they aren’t responsible for creating their art, they are simply unearthing … Read More

Japanese doom kings Church Of Misery have revealed the details of their sixth studio album, ‘And Then There Were None’.

‘And Then There Were None’ is a typically blood-soaked trip through homicidal hell, with songs, as always, inspired by serial killers, however there is some change in the COM camp. Bassist and mastermind Tatsu Mikami found himself forced to find new collaborators in 2014 but wisely chose some names very familiar to the Iron Fist world. Blood Farmers guitarist Dave “Depraved” Szulkin joins the cult, alongside Earthride drummer Eric Little and Repulsion/Cathedral man Scott Carlson on vocals.

With members strewn across America and Japan, Tatsu says; “[This] was a challenge because there was not much time to make this record— only two weeks. One week for rehearsals and then one week to record all materials.”

Scott Carlson wrote all the lyrics, which also marks the first time he’s done vocals for a full-length album since Repulsion’s genre-inventing classic, ‘Horrified’.  He comments: “I was afraid to listen to it for a while because I haven’t recorded a full album of vocals in almost 30 years”.

‘And Then There Were None’ will be released via Rise Above Records on March 4. You can listen to a teaser track below courtesy of … Read More

Swedish hard rock pioneers Spiritual Beggars have announced details of their ninth studio album entitled ‘Sunrise To Sundown’, which will be released on March 18 via InsideOutMusic.

Featuring Michael Amott (Arch Enemy, ex-Carcass) on guitars, Apollo Papathanasio (ex-Firewind) on vocals, Sharlee D’Angelo (Arch Enemy, Witchery) on bass, Per Wiberg (Candlemass, ex-Opeth) on keyboards as well as Ludwig Witt (Grand Magus, Firebird) on drums gathered to lay down eleven dynamic songs in their infamous vintage rocking style. 

Speaking about how the new album came together, Amott commented the following: “We’ve been writing the album here and there over the last couple of years when our schedules have allowed us to meet up and spend a few days jamming. A few of the songs I wrote on my own, others were written by our keyboard player Per Wiberg. Our drummer Ludwig Witt submitted two tracks that are actually his first major contributions to the band as a writer – and they’re great songs too!  I also co-wrote a few tunes with Per Wiberg and that was really a lot of fun as well, it’s been a very collaborative process.”

‘Sunrise To Sundown’ was tracked live and Amott added: “I’m super excited about how the album … Read More

With new album ‘Darkness Drips Forth’ out now on Relapse, we sent Kat Gillham to interview Hooded Menace mainman Lasse Pyykkö, also of Claws and Phlegethon. With Hooded Menace clearly his main band these days we asked the Finnish master of doom about letting other people in on his long-running death/doom project and when we can expect his twisted dark vision to hits the road again Your new album ‘Darkness Drips Forth’ was recently released on Relapse Records, please tell us a bit about it? “Well, I’d say ‘Darkness Drips Forth’ is our slowest and heaviest, but also the most melodic work to date. There’s stuff I can’t imagine being put on a record during the early days of the band. I wouldn’t have been ready for it. The new album goes from extreme to extreme, basically. Just don’t expect blastbeats, that’s not our thing, really. We don’t need extreme tempo shifts to be extreme. We play with smaller nuances than that, and as a songwriter, I find this more restrained approach a lot more interesting and challenging. Of course there’s also some stuff to bang our heads to, but compared to the previous albums, this one’s a crawler. And when it’s slow, the … Read More

On repeat on the Iron Fist HQ stereo, the new album from Finland’s Jess & The Ancient Ones (‘Second Psychedelic Coming: The Aquarius Tapes’, Svart Records) is out today. You can read about it in the newest issue of Iron Fist, but back in February 2013, just before they were about to tread the boards at the hallowed Roadburn Festival, we asked Olivier ‘Zoltar’ Badin to grill them alongside their comrades, Seremonia. 

Since The Devil’s Blood arrived on the scene in 2006 there has been a steady flow of priestess-fronted occult rock bands following their path. Jess & The Ancient Ones and Seremonia, both from Finland and both with female singers, have been tarred with this association, despite sounding very different from each other. How do you feel about that? And have you had the chance to meet and play together? Thomas Corpse, Jess & The Ancients Ones: “No, not yet. I do have a feeling that we will meet though. I don’t believe that either one wants to belong to any scene. We just want to storm our own way, and forge our own true identity. It’s not our fault that people tend to drop everything in the same box.” Ville Pirenen, … Read More

One of our favourite feel-good hard rock boogie bands, The Golden Grass (previously on psychedelic powerhouse Svart Records) have partnered up with France’s Listenable Records, home to NWOBHM masters Satan, dark doom band Saturnalia Temple and stoner lords Saviours.

As well as working on a new album, which will be out in Spring, the Brooklyn-nased band will be touring Europe again in May 2016, including a spot at Freak Valley Festival.

The label have said “Their sound majestically encapsulates the timeless feel of ’60s/’70s influence. Taking a nod from legends like James Gang, Allman Brothers & Grand Funk, the soulful British psych/mod of The Move, The Pretty Things & The Action, and the heavy umph of Budgie, Blue Cheer and Blackfoot to seal the deal, The Golden Grass synthesise these influences into a seamless, memorable, and high-energy performance that screams from the past but is a welcome and much needed presence in the now! Hard rock lives! Keep on grass in’!”

West Virginian dark occult rockers Brimstone Coven have announced they will release their first full-length album, ‘Black Magic’, via Metal Blade Records in January, 2016. Recorded at Andrew D’Cagna’s Sacred Sound Studios in Ohio, the album was mostly written over a year period against a backdrop of “candles, incense, solitude, and a thick air of ganja”. The band are said to have taking influence from Sabbath, Pentagram, Zeppelin but also Pink Floyd, The Mamas & Papas, Yes and The Byrds.

The band reveals, “What sets ‘Black Magic’ apart is the genuinely eerie aura it invokes. We strove for a sound that makes you feel like you’re wandering through a shroud of mist, unable to see your own hand in front of your face. We want you to feel equally excited and creeped out, letting your imagination run wild and get the best of you.”

Chicago’s Bloodiest have released ‘Suffer’, the apocalyptic closing track of their forthcoming self-titled sophomore album (out January 15 on Relapse). For fans of sludgy, psychedelic metal and rhythmic noise rock, a genre-bending, wall-of-sound heaviness that is over almost as quickly as it begins, Bloodiest features Bruce Lamont from Yakuza and is produced by super-producer Sanford Parker (YOB, Minsk) and guitarist Tony Lazzara. ‘Bloodiest’ will be a testament to the band’s cinematic vision and have said that “Listeners willing to look into the darkness will find themselves taken on a storm-tossed, cathartic journey—and might even see the dawn after all.”

 Pre-Orders for ‘Bloodiest’ are available physically at this location and digitally here

Purson welcomes you to ‘Desire’s Magic Theatre’, which according to the band is “A technicolour trip through the mind’s eye of songstress/vocalist/guitarist Rosalie Cunningham, whose signature approach to her craft stands boldly centre-stage, blending progressive dexterity and cabaret romp into a compelling, multi-faceted rock ‘n’ roll show.” Already one of our editor’s albums of 2016, ‘Desire’s Magic Theatre’ draws inspiration from the rock operas of the late ’60s and early ’70s; musically, visually and lyrically, it touches on a variety of realms, including folk, prog, psychedelic, gothic and classic rock, making telling use of classical instruments and complex arrangements, and fully exploring the outer limits of reel to reel tape.

Says Rosie: “’Desire’s Magic Theatre’ has turned out to be everything I’d imagined and more! My world has been so consumed by it that I’ve barely been able to reflect on what it has become: a technicolour variety show, a playful display of the musical whims only briefly hinted at in our previous work; a psychedelic rock opera dedicated to our good friends Sarge Pepper and Zig Stardust.”

The album is set for release in March 2016 through Spinefarm and Machine Elf and a UK tour will follow

UK HEADLINE TOUR DATES

MARCH WED 09          BRISTOL, THE LOUISIANA THU … Read More