Dames Of Darkness: The Morning After ...

So that was Dames Of Darkness 2014! What a day. The bands were fantastic, the venue was brilliant and the car parking was convenient. While we're spending a day recovering (and catching up with Eurovision), have a look at the photos we took with and of the singers and bands to get a feel of the experience! The full photo album is available on the photos page.

With Divided We Fall

With Karolina Pacan
from Skeptical Minds 

With Maxi Nil
from Jaded Star

With Dianne van Giersbergen
from Xandria

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Edenfall release Under Sultry Moons and Velvet Skies - May 2014

British gothic doom metal band Edenfall are just a few days away from releasing their second full-length album Under Sultry Moons and Velvet Skies.  Since releasing their first album, Forever Fallen in 2011 the band have added to their line-up, spent some time touring and signed with independent record label RavenHeart Music.

Under Sultry Moons and Velvet Skies features 10 tracks:

01. The Rhinemaiden’s Song

02. Thistle’s Cairn

03. Obsidian

04. Dark Wings, Dark Words

05. Wolves

06. Made of Mist

07. The Wyvern Child

08. Escaping

09. Wandering Moon

10. She Brings the Winter

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Extreme Thursday: Noumena

Do you know who knows how to make the most of Thursday? The Finns. Able to make misery out of anything, the musical output of an entire nation could be the soundtrack to any Extreme Thursday.

This week's Finns of choice are melodeath outfit Noumena. Fitting well with the template of their fellow countrymen Insomnium and Omnium Gatherum, Noumena produce a variety of melodeath dripping in anguish and despair while still having catchy lead melodies, great riffs and a beat to keep your toes tapping. Dancing with tears in my eyes, indeed.

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Divided We Fall release new album in time for Dames of Darkness - May 2014

Symphonic metallers Divided We Fall are releasing their debut album Dream Crusher on the 10th May 2014.

Originating from Stafford, UK, the band released a 3-track EP in 2012 and have been working on new material for the album hoping to have it ready for The Dames of Darkness Festival. After much success the album is going to be available to buy from the band at the festival on the 10th May.

The new album consists of ten tracks all written, recorded, produced and mixed by the band. The artwork for the album was provided by iGreeny Designs and one of the tracks features the vocals of Melissa Adams of Operatic Metal band Aonia.

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Die so Fluid to release The Opposites Of Light - May 2014

Die So Fluid are a 3-piece English hard rock band that formed in London, England in 2000. Members include songwriter Grog (vocals, bass), Drew Richards (guitar), and Al Fletcher (drums, backing vocals).

The band have released 3 full length albums to date - Spawn of Dysfunction, Not Everybody Gets a Happy Ending and The World Is Too Big For One Lifetime.

On 5th May, they release The Opposites of Light, their first full-length album for 4 years.

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Sixth album release for Epica - The Quantum Enigma - May 2014

Epica are to release their next album, The Quantum Enigma in the UK on 5th May with Nuclear Blast. It is their first studio album with new bassist Rob van der Loo, who replaced Yves Huts in 2012 .  As the followup to 2012 Requiem for the Indifferent, the album promises to bring us another dose of classic Epica.

There are 13 tracks on the album:

1 - Originem
2 - The Second Stone
3 - The Essence of Silence
4 - Victims of Contingency
5 - Sense Without Sanity - The Impervious Code
6 - Unchain Utopia
7 - The Fifth Guardian - Interlude
8 - Chemical Insomnia
9 - Reverence - Living in the Heart
10 - Omen - The Ghoulish Malady
11 - Canvas of Life
12 - Natural Corruption
13 - The Quantum Enigma - Kingdom of Heaven part II

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Extreme Thursday: Darkestrah

Now the festivities of Ēostre are over, the bunny is back in his cage, and our little Spring break is done, it's time to get back to business. The business of bringing a little extremity to your Thursday

This week we have Darkestrah, a band who originate far from the usual glut of major metal producing nations. Instead they hail from the small nation of Kyrgyzstan in central Asia, where they produce a variant of melodic black metal that they refer to as "Shamanic pagan black metal."

The band draw their influences from the pre-Islamic history of their nation, from way back in the early 7th century and before. Using traditional instruments as well as traditional themes they forge their own style. The vocal talents of the enigmatic Kriegtalith combine with throat singing (the art of singing multiple tones simultaneously) and ancient Kyrgyz instruments such as the kyl-kyjak (a two string fiddle) and the temir-komuz (a Kyrgyz jaw harp) makes for an interesting mix of Kyrgyz folk in the midst of the traditional blackened metal sound.

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