Pred časom smo že poročali, da so melodični death metalci The Agonist iz Kanade odpovedali nastop na letošnji ediciji festivala MetalDays. Sedaj pa je iz tabora zasedbe tudi odjeknila vest, da je uradno prenehala z delovanjem. Več si lahko preberete v spodnji izjavi:

Dear friends, it's time to make a very difficult but necessary announcement.
We have decided that The Agonist as a band, has come to an end. Much deliberation and care has been put into making this decision, and unfortunately, given the circumstances, this is the conclusion that makes the most sense for the band and us as individuals.
There are many factors that led to this decision. It is a mix of personal, financial and industry related issues, but in the end the 5 of us are no longer able to agree on a way forward that would benefit The Agonist business as a whole, while respecting each member's personal lives and wishes.
We want to express our deepest gratitude to the fans for coming out to the shows, buying our merch, and supporting us over the years. Nothing is more satisfying than connecting with our fellow human beings via the gift of music. It is the number one factor that has always driven us- to make you, the listener, feel something. In the end, we know that we've accomplished this together.
Some members of the band will continue to work on music in various ways, others will focus on personal projects and family. We kindly ask you to respect their privacy on this particular matter and encourage you to follow them on their individual social media accounts to support their future endeavors.
Vicky Psarakis will be carrying on with her band, Sicksense. They have a new EP coming out this summer and she will be playing 2 live shows with them in Montreal, in June.
You can also directly support her by following her on Patreon and Twitch.
Simon McKay is currently looking to join a new band full-time, while offering session work for studio and live gigs. Also, keep an eye out for new music coming soon from his solo project.
Chris Kells will be focusing on his career as a videographer. Since 2015, he has directed all of The Agonist's music videos, as well as many other established bands.
Danny Marino is currently writing music for 2 new projects.
Pascal "Paco" Jobin will be releasing new music with his project Leading the betrayed.
Our US-based merch store with Sound Escape Agency will remain open. We have also put together an EU-based store for our European fans. Inventory is final and there will be no restocks. Proceeds will go directly to the band to help us pay off our remaining debt.
Once again, we thank you and we love you.
»We will survive. At the end of the tunnel there's always a light.« - The Agonist

Avantgardni black metal/grindcore one-man band Homeskin, ki je lani vzniknil v Teksasu, je v petek pri založbi ruego izdal po vrsti že peti studijski album Life's Wishes to Tears.

Ameriška zasedba Heavy Meta bo 11. februarja izdala studijski prvenec z naslovom Mana Regmata, ki prinaša naslednje komade:

Blastocyst
Caffeine Casket
Worms
Psalm VI
Delusions
Two Fly
Boötes Void
Vicious Wishes

Nemški atmosferični doom/post-metal projekt Eirð je konec prejšnjega tedna izdal nov album z naslovom Prelude To Void, ki je v digitalnem formatu na voljo na Bandcampu. V skladbi Of Winter's Woe And Wishes Whispered na vokalu gostuje pevka Kristien Cools iz belgijske zasedbe Splendidula, ki naj bi sodelovala tudi na prihajajočem albumu A Voidchaser's Elegy.

Prelude To Void ponuja sledeče skladbe:
…And So It Begins (instrumental)
Dreadsphere
Eclipse Of The Ages
Of Winter's Woe And Wishes Whispered (feat. Kristien Cools)
The Void At The End Of The Tunnel (instrumental)

Ameriška thrash metal/crossover zasedba Red Death predstavlja besedilni video za skladbo Face The Pain s prihajajočega studijskega albuma Sickness Divine, ki bo izšel 29. novembra pri založbi Century Media Records.

Red Death se bodo kot posebni gostje udeležili evropske turneje NYHC legend Cro-Mags, ki letos praznujejo 30. obletnico albuma Best Wishes. Najbližje Sloveniji se bosta skupini ustavili ta petek v klubu Explosiv v Gradcu.

Album Best Wishes NYHC zasedbe Cro-Mags bo letos dopolnil 30 let in v počastitev te obletnice se nekdanji vokalist/basist Harley Flanagan odpravlja na turnejo, na kateri bo zaigral najboljše skladbe z Best Wishes, pa seveda tudi druge iz celotne kariere Cro-Mags. Kot se lahko vidi iz najave Harleyjeve turneje, je še vedno v stalnem sporu z Johnom Josephom glede imena. Nedavno je zapisal: »Na turneji ob 30-letnici albuma Cro-Mags Best Wishes bom nastopal pod imenom Cro-Mags. Sem lastnik blagovne znamke Cro-Mags in Cro-Mags je moje življenje. Leta 1981 sem ustvaril ime Cro-Mags, 1982/83 sem posnel prve demo posnetke, za katere sem napisal vso glasbo in odigral vse inštrumente, še preden so se mi pridružili Parris, John, Mackie ali Doug. Od takrat naprej sem Cro-Mags! Nastopam, prodajam svojo glasbo in merch že od leta 1984. Jaz sem CRO-MAGS! Sem avtor in/ali soavtor vseh pesmi Cro-Mags, ki so bile kdajkoli napisane, tako glasbe kot besedila. Tega nihče drug ne more reči in sem tudi edina oseba, ki je igrala prav na vseh albumih Cro-Mags. Nihče drug tega ne more reči; NIHČE. V počastitev 30. obletnice Best Wishes vam bom zaigral set z izborom najboljšega z albuma kot tudi drugih pesmi z Age Of Quarrel, Alpha Omega, Revenge in Cro-Mags 2016. Ter nekaj povsem novih pesmi. Veselim se že srečanja z vami!«

Najbližje Sloveniji bomo Harleyjevo verzijo Cro-Mags lahko videli in slišali 4. 10. v Gradcu, kar bo obenem tudi njihov edini datum v Avstriji v sklopu turneje.

Te dni se na evropski turneji mudi hardcore veteran Harley Flanagan (ex-Cro-Mags, ex-White Devil, ex-Murphy's Law, Harley's War), ki bo pod imenom Harley Cro-Mags Flanagan izvajal skladbe z albumov Age Of Quarrel in Best Wishes svoje bivše skupine Cro-Mags, kot tudi lastni material iz kasnejšega obdobja. Na turneji se mu bosta pridružila še dva bivša člana legendarne newyorške crossover thrash zasedbe Cro-Mags, in sicer kitarist Gabby Abularach (ex-Voodoocult) ter bobnar Garry »G-Man« Sullivan (Neil Zaza, ex-Harley's War, ex-Activator, ex-Painmuseum).

Skupaj s hardcore punk/thrashcore zasedbo Vitamin X iz Amsterdama bodo med drugim ta petek nastopili v Münchnu, kjer igrata še skupini Darkest Hour in Venom Prison, v soboto pa gostujejo tudi na letošnjem Venezia Hardcore Festu v Margheri blizu Benetk. Več podrobnosti najdete v našem napovedniku.