I completely spaced on sharing it on this website, but I hosted a festival here in Seattle with some friends over the weekend and it was a real blast. 17 bands played across two days and two stages and it was one of the most fulfilling weekends of my life.
Flyer:
Here’s a video of Twisted Tower Dire playing:
See you next year!
Pagan Altar is one of the greatest doom metal bands of all time–some might say the greatest, bar none, and I wouldn’t argue with them. After the tragic and too-early death of their singer (and father of the band’s main songwriter and only other constant member, Alan Jones) Terry Jones in 2015, their future was left uncertain. An album was released posthumously in 2017 with material already recorded prior to Terry’s passing and the band eventually started gigging again with Magic Circle / Sumerlands / Savage Oath singer Brendan Radigan on vocals, but the world did not know if there would ever be new Pagan Altar material again.
Read the full article at Invisible Oranges:
https://www.invisibleoranges.com/pagan-altar-well-of-despair/
The new Serpent Rider album is out today on No Remorse Records! I am so thrilled. This is the first album I’ve released in five years, the best thing I’ve ever written, and I am so proud of it. I’d really appreciate it if you’d give it a spin sometime soon if you haven’t already! Arcane heavy metal might!
https://serpentrider.bandcamp.com/album/the-ichor-of-chimaera
BIG THINGS COMING. I am launching a new festival alongside Amy Lee Carlson and NW Metalworx Music as a sort of spiritual continuation to NW MetalFest. Mark your calendars for August 1 and August 2 at the Substation in Seattle. This will be a powerful showcase of old school and new school PNW might with some outside guests as well. Keep an eye on the page linked below. Heavy metal lives!
Scald has long been a tragic legend of the underground doom metal scene. Despite the lack of support that the sort of music they played had almost anywhere in the late 1990s but particularly for bands operating outside of North America and Europe, these Russians master put out one of the most beloved and celebrated albums in the genre’s history in 1997, Will of the Gods Is Great Power, on cassette on a small local label. The very same year, before the album even made it to CD and before the band had any idea of the impact they’d eventually make, their singer Agyl tragically passed away at the age of 24 in an accident, spelling the end for the band.
Read the full interview at Invisible Oranges:
https://www.invisibleoranges.com/scald-curators-of-the-spirit-of-ancient-doom-metal-recall-their-journey-and-tease-new-ep-interview/
I am thrilled to announce that after TEN YEARS, the first Serpent Rider album is coming out shortly on No Remorse Records! First track stream and pre-sales coming soon.
Another year, another album of the year list and another writeup! This has been an absolutely crazy year in a lot of ways, and one of those has been for the genre itself: in my own opinion this has been the greatest year for metal since 2016 just in terms of the sheer density of killer releases and I am HERE FOR IT. A lot of albums that probably should be in this list have came out too recently (as of writing this, the new Demon Bitch isn’t even out!) or I just have not had time to buy and listen to yet, since I don’t really do digital listening much these days except to preview albums to see if I want to grab them. Some stuff I’m sure I’ll like but just haven’t tried include: Power Castle, Undeath, Demon Bitch, Idmon’s Aegis, Flamekeeper, Bütcher, Mountain Throne, Bus, Wild Dogs, Soulskinner, and many more! There’s also a bunch I liked enough to buy but that I haven’t hit enough to really rank appropriately, or that I loved and just didn’t make it onto my list but will still be listening to for years to come; in a normal year this just does not happen in this way but 2024 has been nuts! What a great year!
Read the full article at Invisible Oranges:
https://www.invisibleoranges.com/best-of-2024-brandon-corsair/
Head to the store and use code BEFOREBLACKFRIDAY for 40% off your order- valid til Friday, don’t miss it!
If you’re reading this, you probably like music. How else would you have found this article otherwise? You’re probably even passionate about it if you’re here, and consider yourself to be quite the fan.
But do you buy music? Do you go to shows? Do you spend any money meaningfully engaging with the scene in a way that allows it to continue?
Read the full article at Invisible Oranges:
https://www.invisibleoranges.com/opinion-music-is-worth-paying-for/
The Highway Corsair