Metal

Ata Kak's cassette Obaa Sima fell on deaf ears when it was self-released in Ghana and Canada in 1994. The music on the recording - an amalgam of highlife, Twi-language rap, funk and disco - is presented with the passion of a Prince record and the DIY-bedroom-recording lo-fi charm of early Chicago house music. The astute self-taught song craft and visionary blend of sounds and rhythms has made the album a left-field cult favorite among adventurous listeners worldwide. Awesome Tapes From Africa founder Brian Shimkovitz found the tape in 2002 in Cape Coast, Ghana - one of only a few ever pressed - and later made it the inaugural post on the Awesome Tapes From Africa blog. Hundreds of thousands of downloads, YouTube views, music video tributes and remixes, as well as years of mystery regarding Ata Kak's whereabouts, culminate in this remastered release featuring rare photos and the full back story of one of the internet age's most enigmatic musicians. Record Label: Awesome Tapes From Africa Style: Dance

Record Label: Glitterhouse Style: Pop

URIAH HEEP's newest live album! In January 2011, URIAH HEEP entered the studio to record "Into The Wild" and the band once again returned to the road for a worldwide tour. The group played in front of nearly 150,000 people in 58 different countries. On March 4, 2014, URIAH HEEP played in front of its "home" audience in London and performed an amazing show which was recorded in HD for a release in double CD/DVD and, for the first time, on Blu-ray. "Recording a live DVD in London at Koko's was just fantastic. Our fans travelled from all over the world to be there, and be part of this magic night," says guitarist Mick Box. "This added so much to the atmosphere, and thankfully it was captured on camera. We debuted two songs from our new CD, 'Outsider', that night, and the reaction was just incredible, proving that we have the best fans in the world." Originally founded by vocalist David Byron and guitarist Mick Box, URIAH HEEP has been through an incredible number of permutations, with Box always at the helm. Longstanding keyboard player Phil Lanzon and vocalist Bernie Shaw were recruited nearly thirty years ago in 1986. Drummer Russell Gilbrook who has now been with the band seven years, has recorded studio albums "Wake The Sleeper", "Into The Wild" and "Outsider". "Wake The Sleeper" heralded an exciting new phase for the band, taking HEEP's classic sound right into the future. The band celebrated its 40th anniversary with an aptly titled greatest-hits re-recordings album called "Celebration". Dave Rimmer, who had been standing in for Trevor Bolder (ex-David Bowie's SPIDERS FROM MARS), continues as the bassist, with the band's diary for the foreseeable future as full as ever. "Live At Koko, London 2014" track listing: CD1: 01. Against The Odds 02. Overload 03. Traveller In Time 04. Sunrise 05. Stealin' 06. I'm Ready 07. Between Two Worlds 08. Can't Take That Away 09. One Minute 10. Nail On The Head CD2: 01. Into The Wild 02. Gypsy 03. Look At Yourself 04. Box Wah Box 05. July Morning 06. Lady In Black 07. Free 'N' Easy 08. Easy Livin' DVD/Blu-ray: 01. Against The Odds 02. Overload 03. Traveller In Time 04. Sunrise 05. Stealin' 06. I'm Ready 07. Between Two Worlds 08. Can't Take That Away 09. One Minute 10. Nail On The Head 11. Into The Wild 12. Gypsy 13. Look At Yourself 14. Box Wah Box 15. July Morning 16. Lady In Black 17. Free 'N' Easy 18. Easy Livin' Record Label: Frontiers Records Style: Metal

Record Label: Sonic Boom Style: Rock

Record Label: Van Records Style: Metal

Record Label: Inverse Style: Death Metal

Nearly two years in the making, Burweed’s debut album HIDE presents the most interesting new act to follow in the Finnish metal scene. After receiving praise for two EP-length releases, the process of making the first Burweed full-length did not turn out to be as easy. Writing the album was a long and difficult task. Confidence in the material and the band were completely buried at the end of the recording sessions. The album was finished in early 2014, however, it laid untouched for over six months. The distance gained during this period showed the album in a new light. The difficulties faced, the frustration, and the dedication to the album are heard in an uncompromising, passionate, and an overwhelmingly cathartic whole. “Hide” had risen from the ashes. Burweed was formed in 2009 in the midst of a creative outburst. The trio found their own voice on the praised “Eyes Down South EP” in 2012. What does Burweed sound like? Try combining the groove of Deftones with the gritty riffs of Mastodon and top the mix with some melodies size of a tidal wave. Burweed’s debut full-length HIDE comes out February 20th, 2014 on Inverse Records. Hide was recorded in 2013 at Korkeakoski Studios (Insomnium, Bob Malmström). The record was mixed by Antti Loponen, the mastermind behind Consciousness Removal Project, and mastered at Audiosiege by Brad Boatright (responsible of mastering Converge, Sleep. Sunn O))) among others) Record Label: Inverse Style: Metal

Ata Kak's cassette Obaa Sima fell on deaf ears when it was self-released in Ghana and Canada in 1994. The music on the recording - an amalgam of highlife, Twi-language rap, funk and disco - is presented with the passion of a Prince record and the DIY-bedroom-recording lo-fi charm of early Chicago house music. The astute self-taught song craft and visionary blend of sounds and rhythms has made the album a left-field cult favorite among adventurous listeners worldwide. Awesome Tapes From Africa founder Brian Shimkovitz found the tape in 2002 in Cape Coast, Ghana - one of only a few ever pressed - and later made it the inaugural post on the Awesome Tapes From Africa blog. Hundreds of thousands of downloads, YouTube views, music video tributes and remixes, as well as years of mystery regarding Ata Kak's whereabouts, culminate in this remastered release featuring rare photos and the full back story of one of the internet age's most enigmatic musicians. Record Label: Awesome Tapes From Africa Style: Dance

Belgium/Netherlands metal act Ancient Rites will release their new studio album Laguz in late February via Massacre Records. The band was one of the first bands in the ‘80s to play metal with occult and historically inspired lyrics when the music scene back then was dominated by glam and alternative music. Several severe blows of fate didn't stop the band from doing what they love and the release of the upcoming sixth album will mark a new chapter in Ancient Rites' history. Lineup: Gunther Theys - vocals Erik Sprooten - guitars Domingo Smets - guitars Walter Van Cortenberg - drums Record Label: Massacre Style: Metal

Supergroup around Charles Hayward (This Heat), Guy Segers (Univers Zero) and Kawabata Makoto (Acid Mothers Temple), live in Cafe Oto, London in 2014. Record Label: Sub Rosa Style: Avantgarde

Record Label: Relapse Style: Metal

3xLP - clear vinyl - gatefold sleeve with silver hot foil stamping / engraving - download code - includes bothe the 2004 original version and the 2009 reissue 2014 marks the 10th anniversary of the release of The Ocean's highly acclaimed "Fluxion" album. On this occasion, Pelagic Records brings you a vinyl re-release of the album, which includes both the 2004 original version and the 2009 reissue, on 3 piece of vinyl. "Fluxion" and "Aeolian" were recorded in the same session in 2004 and 2005, but initially released separately, and only on CD. 3 pressings of the later combined vinyl release of "Fluxion" and "Aeolian" (with different artwork) already sold out, the last one in 2009. This re-release of "Fluxion" comes with the artwork of the 2009 version. 3 LPs in a gatefold sleeve with silver hot foil stamping / engraving. Printed inner sleeves. 3 different vinyl color styles available. Includes download codes for both versions, as well as a (previously unreleased) mastered instrumental version of the album. The Ocean's past two years of existence have been some of the most exhilarating in their eleven year history. The band completed tours in North America and Europe, as is common for many bands, but they added Russia, including Siberia, as well as China, Hong Kong, Southeast Asia, and Australia to the collage of stamps in their passports. OPETH, THE DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN, BETWEEN THE BURIED AND ME and DEVIN TOWNSEND are only some of the bands that The Ocean have supported on tour during their campaign to promote Heliocentric and Anthropocentric, and bands like RED FANG, INTRONAUT or KYLESA have supported The Ocean. The band's tireless efforts and the experience of more than 1000 concerts across the globe have afforded them one of the most truly worldwide fan bases in heavy music. Record Label: Pelagic Style: Metal

2xLP - white vinyl - gatefold sleeve with gold hot foil stamping/engraving - download code - bonus tracks on side D "Fluxion" and "Aeolian" were recorded in the same session in 2004 and 2005, but initially released separately, and only on CD. 3 pressings of the later combined vinyl release of "Fluxion" and "Aeolian" (with different artwork) already sold out, the last one in 2009. This is a vinyl re-issue of only "Aeolian". 2 LPs in a gatefold sleeve with gold hot foil stamping / engraving. Printed inner sleeves. Comes with download code. Side D contains bonus tracks of the rare 2002 demo: an early, longer (12 minutes!) version of the track "Queen Of The Food Chain", and an early version of the track "Inertia", both recorded live at the University of Fine Arts (HdK) in Berlin. The Ocean's past two years of existence have been some of the most exhilarating in their eleven year history. The band completed tours in North America and Europe, as is common for many bands, but they added Russia, including Siberia, as well as China, Hong Kong, Southeast Asia, and Australia to the collage of stamps in their passports. OPETH, THE DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN, BETWEEN THE BURIED AND ME and DEVIN TOWNSEND are only some of the bands that The Ocean have supported on tour during their campaign to promote Heliocentric and Anthropocentric, and bands like RED FANG, INTRONAUT or KYLESA have supported The Ocean. The band's tireless efforts and the experience of more than 1000 concerts across the globe have afforded them one of the most truly worldwide fan bases in heavy musi Record Label: Pelagic Style: Metal

MOURN is a very young quartet formed from the friendship of Jazz Rodríguez Bueno and Carla Pérez Vas - both born in 1996 in El Maresme, Catalonia, Spain. The duo armed themselves with inspiration from PJ Harvey, Patti Smith, Sebadoh and Sleater Kinney and began writing material, which they quickly released, raw and acoustic, on their YouTube channel. These recordings caught the attention of their homeland's Sones Records. Despite being teenagers, earlier this year they came out of the studio (along with drummer Antonio Postius and bassist Leia Rodríguez) with a brilliant treatise of indie rock that has stunned those who have had the opportunity to listen to it. Jazz (18), Carla (18), Leia (15) and Antonio (18) came together to present these tracks with authenticity and self-awareness beyond their age. With the confidence only residing in youth, the Mourn debut was recorded live in the studio in two days, proof of which is in their live-in-the-studio videos for singles "Otitis" and "Your Brain is Made of Candy." Both tracks perfectly capture the bands' affinity for the brevity of The Ramones with the lyrical and melodic sophistication of The Pixies. "More importantly, the Catalonian quartet play with an unshakable conviction and a lack of self-consciousness, recording straight-to-tape, letting the harmonies bleed together and drums play at maxed-out levels." - Pitchfork Record Label: Captured Tracks Style: Rock

2x7" in gatefold sleeve - colored vinyl (orange/blue). After their critically acclaimed debut album Look and Behold (2011) and follow-up Monstrorum Historia (2013), Lo!, hailing from Sydney, Australia, are back with a new EP: The Tongueless. 2014 was a big year for Lo! In Australia: the band supported Trivium, In Flames, Corrosion Of Conformity and Torche, to name a few. Besides the massive live presence on their continent, Lo started working on new material, immediately after the departure of former vocalist Jamie-Leigh Smith in late 2013. "Stylistically I aimed for a harsher, more venomous tone as Lo!'s voice", says new vocalist Sam Dillon. "Lyrically I was looking towards themes of extinction and mankind's extreme ignorance towards creatures. The track 'Orca' was inspired by the 'Blackfish' documentary highlighting the history of killer whales in captivity." The songs were originally put together starting with drummer Griffin and guitar player Whitbread instant messaging drum licks and guitar riffs to flesh out ideas... between Hong Kong, where Griffin lives, and Sydney, where the rest of the band is based. The Tongueless was recorded at Adversary Studios in Sydney, mixed by Whitbread himself and mastered by Brad Boatright from Audiosiege (Old Man Gloom, Nails, Baptists). "We kept the recording process as natural as we could - the drums were all tracked live without a click with all of us in the same room", says Whitbread. "We tried to rely on as little processing as possible and really paid attention to nailing the sounds we wanted at the beginning. Vocal wise, Sam prefers to use a handheld mic when recording so we used that approach this time which really added to the natural vibe." One of the refreshing things about this band is the way they weave different styles of music into their own, heavy garment: there are plenty of faster parts, relentlessly driven by heavyhitting rummer Adrian Griffin's extraordinary playing, but there are also slow, doomy, atmospheric passages that suck the listener deep into Lo!'s dark cosmos. "Lo! have come to remind you of glorious times, times when Mastodon were using samples of Jurassic Park to kick off their records", Metal Hammer (UK) wrote about Lo!, and TheMusic.Com.Au adds: "Lo! are our scene's finest proponents of sludgy hardcore and live are akin to a cinder block to the cranium." The band will soon release a video clip for the track Orca, produced by bass player Adrian Shapiro himself, who is a well-known movie producer in Australia. "The video shoot was definitely more professional than we were expecting", says Whitbread. "When director Matt Divine approached us with his idea for the clip, we were expecting it to all be shot in someone's backyard on a Sunday afternoon. But of course Shapiro being a producer there was no way this wasn't going to be done properly and professionally. So we had a full camera and lighting crews, a massive sound stage complete with harnesses and a stunt coordinator." The clip will soon be premiered... watch out! After supporting Cult Of Luna and The Ocean in Europe in 2013, including a performance at Roadburn Festival, here's to hoping that the band will return to our shores with The Tongueless this year Record Label: Pelagic Style: Metal

Record Label: Pulverised Style: Death Metal

Record Label: Freaks R Us Style: Alternative Rock

Lykaion is an Italian Dark metal band whose style links to the interrupted project of '90s gothic metal bands, re-reading it in a unique way, including influences from new hard rock/sleaze Swedish sounds and the romantic/decadent vision of bands like Him, To Die For and Katatonia. "Heavy Lullabies" is the band's second album, and it represents a firm step forward compared to the debut album "Nothin' but death". The result is a perfect balance between scratching sounds and straightforward melodies who will easily stick in your head after just one listening, in a perfect range from ballads to heavier songs. The band promoted their music with prestigious live acts, opening for Deep Purple, Kreator, Moonspell, Behemoth, Dragonforce, Huntress, Kissin Dynamite and many more. Record Label: Inverse Style: Metal

Austrian punk band ASTPAI to release new album 'Burden Calls' on Ass Card / Jump Start Records. Record Label: Jump Start Records Style: Punk / Hardcore

digipack.Exciting and ass-kicking debut album for this French band. Black Metal full of rage and arrogance but played with a certain divinity. On a first approach might remind you of Peste Noir, due to the French visual and lyrical exasperations, but there's so much more underneath this exordium that makes it such an originally performed album. Record Label: Avantgarde Style: Black Metal