NIGHTMARE TOYS

Sunday, February 24, 2019

DARK LEGACY JOINS METAL COFFEE

BAND NAME: Dark Legacy (SWE)
ALBUM TITLE: The Rejects
FORMAT: Lim. ed. Digipack CD/DL
LABEL: Black Vulture Records (Sub division of Downfall Records)

RELEASE DATE: March 29th 2019
MUSIC STYLE: Symphonic Death Metal
FORMED IN: 1996 (2005)


The Swedish, symphonic death metalband DARK LEGACY are back again! They have finally completed their 2:nd album -“The Rejects”. After their debut album -“Ad Extremum Epilogue”(BVR007), DARK LEGACY released a first, digital single with the new title track -“The Rejects”(BVR014) and now the full length album is ready for a release! ”The Rejects” have 8 tracks and the band are mixing their musical influences from acts like Edge of Sanity, My Dying Bride and Opeth, as well as classical composers. A journey within songs from genres of death/doom/black to heavy metal and vocally it’s growling mixed with clean singing. ”The Rejects” is mastered by Dan Swanö (Nightingale, Edge of Sanity, Witherscape) at Unisound.

YOU CAN HEAR DARK LEGACY AND ALL OF THE METAL COFFEE BANDS ON THE METAL COFFEE PR SPOTIFY PLAYLIST

                          https://www.downfallrecords.com/

WE WILL START FEATURING THE FLAG OF THE COUNTRY OUR BANDS ARE FROM AT THE BOTTOM OF THE ARTICLE.

Dimlight - unveil cover of orchestral album "A symphony of horrors"

Dimlight are excited and proud to present to you the cover of our orchestral album, “A symphony of horrors” (Artwork by: Invoker Peter, graphics by Melina Zarkadi): are you ready for the very Underworld’s soundtrack? Follow us through sunless paths and under cyclopean basaltic arcades of inhuman proportions and mind-distorting geometry on a journey through the tortured realm of the dead in ten parts:
(Mix and mastered by Invoker Peter at Dark Cortex studio)

Tracklist:
  1. The Solace in Death’s Dreams
  2. Descent into the Stygian Dark
  3. Horror Unfurls Its Wings
  4. Basaltic Towers of Silence
  5. Where Abominations Rule
  6. The Black Soul of Irkala Kar
  7. Crawling Through Despair’s Battlefield
  8. Palace of the Elder Ones
  9. The Grim Fate of the Blessed
  10. Beyond Death’s Icy Grip
Release Date 25/2/2019

First formed in 2006, DIMLIGHT are highly active in live performances worldwide, touring from Europe to the Middle East and sharing a stage with such talent as Arch Enemy, Lacuna Coil, Epica, Septic Flesh, Firewind, Annihilator, The Haunted and many more. Their first album, “Obtenebration” debuted in 2009, followed by “Psychosynthesis”, in 2012. Despite a rising tide of difficulties and misfortunes that would have justified any band to quit, DIMLIGHT pressed on through the storm and in 2015 they released their concept album “The Lost Chapters”, confirming their resilience, passion and dedication to delivering high quality extreme music which always pushes the envelope with each step of the way.

Dimlight are:
Mora: Vocals
Invoker Peter: Guitar / Vocals
Nikolas: Guitar / Bass
Apostolis: Orchestra Composer
Marios: Lyricist




Follow Dimlight online:
Official Site: http://www.dimlightband.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Dimlighttheband
Bandcamp: https://dimlighttheband.bandcamp.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/dimlighttheband
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dimlight_official


Morganton INTERVIEW

1.What is the name of your band and how did you come up with it?
What is your name and what do you do for the band?

We’re Morganton, and in Morganton NC there’s an all girl asylum named Broughton so we named it based off of that.

I’m Dylan mannarino and I play drums for Morganton and manage the band as well.

I’m Brendon Klinedinst and I play bass for morganton

I’m Logan, I play guitar and do vocals for Morganton

2.Tell us where you are based and describe the scene. How do you think where you are located influences your sound.

We’re based in Charlotte NC and the Charlotte scene has changed drastically throughout the years so we’ve seen all the sides of it, and as of right now there is an incredible amount of talented bands all around Charlotte with a very strong sound and we’ve had the pleasure of sharing the stage with quite a few of them, so being aware of that we try to push ourselves while trying to create our own sound.


3.Who influences your sound that would surprise people?

I mean we’re all into some pretty weird shit but I wouldn’t define it as influencing our sound, when we sit down and write songs influences kinda go out the window, we just throw some some riffs together and that’s when Ideas start flying and that’s where we like to get our creativity from. If anything were really just trying to out do ourselves.



4.Are you endorsed by musical companies , if so who , and if not who would you like to be endorsed by?

No we’re not, any endorsee would be fine at this point


5.When you started what was your ultimate goal? And how close to the goal are you now?

Trying to gain recognition, we always wanted to make sure we would fit in with the Scene and I think we achieved that greatly.



6.In today's digital environment it takes creative strategy to keep things moving. What creative ideas do you have to keep your band relevant over time?

I guess to stay relevant we just do what we think what needs to be Done as a band, we just try to be “Us” as much as possible and thanks to social media we can use that to our abilities and so far it’s worked out in our favor

7.We've all seen a terrible live band that is awesome on CD. Is that cool with you or do you lose respect for bands that cannot pull it off live?

Your performance on stage is a resemblance of how the music makes you feel and if you can’t feel the music you’re doing it for all the wrong reasons. So yeah it is hard to respect bands like that.

8.Tell us your “core” are you Metal , Rock , Punk , Pop etc because people just have to categorize these days you know?

We’d fit in the metal/punk genre


9.This is a tough question but a very real reality, Is your band actually talented or just popular?
Many bands make it with a cliche or publicity stunts etc. Would you accept fame even if it was just because of being the “ in” thing or is it actually important to you that you gain favor with talent?
 


At the the end of the day talent comes first and it always will and that’s something we’ve always focused on. We wouldn’t say we’re “popular” and we’re always trying to out do ourselves as musicians so gaining favor from that is important, gotta give credit where credit is due.

10.Tell us what to expect from you live. Nothing is more boring than watching bands stare at the floor and bob their heads to music nobody but the band knows. What can your band offer in a live setting that people will remember?

Pure energy from start to finish, we try to get the crowd engaged as much as possible



11. What releases have you put out , When will we see something new?

We actually just released our first full Length record and we plan on recording a 6 song EP later in 2019 and then hopefully another full length record.

12. If you have videos where can we see them?

We have live videos on our YouTube channel but that’s about it

13.Everybody has Bandcamp , ReverbNation , Soundcloud , etc
Why do you think this is so important? Doesn't it seem like everyone is giving everything out for free?

It really has to do with what they wanna do with their music, thanks to social media you can spread music like wildfire and these apps such as bandcamp, SoundCloud, Spotify, etc its very easy to gain some recognition, anybody can listen to your music and that’s the whole point of all of this is to get your music out there, you gotta start somewhere Yknow?



14.Best moment of your career so far?

Probably playing with captured by robots

15.Your message to the fans?
 

Keep coming to the shows! Whoever is our fan out there we appreciate you guys and we hope you’re digging the music!

Bonus Question who do you bring back


Dime , Cliff , Dio , Lemmy , Randy

Dylan: Cliff
Brendon: Lemmy
Logan: Dio


https://www.facebook.com/Morgantonband/

This is high impact for radio / press now!! request for interviews can be set up by emailing metalcoffefpr@gmail.com

Tuesday, February 19, 2019

Tribulation Release Live Video For "Nightbound"


MELANCHOLIA EP ON VINYL FOR THE FIRST TIME
 
ON TOUR WITH GAAHLS WYRD, UADA & IDLE HANDS

(Arvika, Sweden - February 19, 2019) - After winning the Swedish Grammis Adward in the category "Best Hard Rock/ Metal Album" for their most recent album Down Below, TRIBULATION are releasing a live video for "Nightbound". 
 
Follow this link to watch their performance in Oberhausen, captured by Dirk Behlau, produced by Beastwoodfilms and mixed & mastered by Linus Björklund of Hi Filer Productions.

TRIBULATION's critically acclaimed Melancholia EP is available on vinyl now in the following formats:
  • Black LP
  • Transparent magenta LP - SOLD OUT
  • Clear LP
  • Dark green LP
  • Transparent red LP
Get your format of choice HERE!

Starting on February 21st TRIBULATION will hit the road for their co-headline tour with Ghaals Wyrd. All shows will be supported by U.S. acts Uada and Idle Hands.
 
"We're proud to announce that we'll be joining forces with Gaahl's Wyrd and Uada early in the year of their lord 2019 through Europe! We're looking forward to give you all a longer setlist more in line with our vision" states Tribulation about their upcoming tour.
 
TRIBLUATION TOUR DATES
February 21 - Hamburg, Germany - Kronensaal
February 22 - Essen, Germany - Turock
February 23 - leper, Belgium - JOC leper
February 24 - Utrecht, The Netherlands - Helling
February 26 - Paris, France - Petit Bain
February 28 - Munich, Germany - Backstage
March 1 - Winterthur, Switzerland - Gaswerk
March 2 - Vienna, Austria -Viper Room
March 3 - Prague, Czech Republic - Nova Chmelnice
March 5 - Poznan, Poland - U Bazyla
March 6 - Warsaw, Poland - Proxima
March 7 - Berlin, Germany - BiNuu
March 8 - Dresden, Germany - Reithalle
March 9 - Weinheim, Germany - Café Central (Sold Out)
March 10 - Leeuwarden, The Netherlands - Neushoom


Additionally, TRIBULATION have recently announced various new summer festival appearances across Europe, including their first performance at the prestigious Wacken Open Air and many more. See listing of dates announced so far here: 
 
TRIBULATION FESTIVALS DATES
April 6- Aarhus, Denmark - Royal Metal Fest
April 19 - Oslo, Norway - Inferno Festival
May 2-4 - Kopervik, Norway - Karmoygeddon
May 13-15 - Hlégarður, Iceland - Ascension MMXIX
June 14-15 - Malaga, Spain - Rock The Coast Festival
July 11-13 - Balingen, Germany - Bang Your Head
July 19-20 - Bertingen, Germany - RUDE Festival
July 19-20 - Eindhoven, The Netherlands - Dynamo Metal Fest
July 21-27 - Tolmin, Slovenia - MetalDays Festival
August 1-3 - Wacken, Germany - Wacken Open Air
August 15-18 - Saint-Nolff, France - Motocultor Festival
August 16-19 - Sasto, Hungary - Fekete Zaj

Stay tuned for more tour dates to be announced for the remainder of 2019.

TRIBULATION is Johannes Andersson (vocals, bass), Adam Zaars (guitar), Jonathan Hulten (guitar), and Oscar Leander (drums).

Follow Tribulation:

KORE ROZZIK TOUR


Interview with Clementine - Drummer for Zepparella.

Welcome to Zepparella, four women intent on bringing the passion, the beauty, the aggression, the musicality of Led Zeppelin alive.
Zepparella explores their own improvised magic within the framework of Zeppelin’s mighty songs.

For five years, the Zeppelin love has washed in waves out of the doors of the venues. Initial skeptics have been quickly converted. Followers recount the number of shows they’ve seen, and the regulars notch 40, 50, over 100 shows on their belts, traveling between states to see the shows.

THANKS TO

All Music All Bands Youtube channel

 

 

Tetractys – A Mysterious Place On Sight

Tetractys – A Mysterious Place On Sight

La cosa notevole del trio sudamericano è l'aver dimostrato che si può tranquillamente suonare musica dall'alto tasso tecnico senza necessariamente sacrificare la forma canzone.



I Tetractys sono un band cilena autrice di un interessante prog metal al cui interno troviamo, peraltro, nelle vesti di cantante e bassista un nome di culto della scena doom e metal di quel paese come Juan Escobar.
Questa formazione a tre vede appunto il bravo Juan disimpegnarsi al meglio a livello vocale dimostrando una versatilità non comune al servizio di un talento chitarristico come quello di Hector Bravo: a chiudere il quadro troviamo la base ritmica completata dal batterista Danilo Estrella. A Mysterious Place On Sight è il secondo full length per questa band che interpreta il genere in maniera ottimale, dando cioè tutto lo spazio necessario alla tecnica strumentale, con più di uno sconfinamento in territori djent, ma senza mai dimenticare di conferire ad ogni brano una sua precisa fisionomia melodica, e in questo caso il sound si sposta sovente verso pulsioni derivanti dal grunge. Bravo (di nome e di fatto) non si fa pregare nell’esibire la propria notevole tecnica ma lo fa quasi sempre tessendo passaggi di grande impatto melodico per cui, alla fine, l’operato dei Tetractys si rivela fresco ed avvincente anche per chi non ha necessariamente queste sonorità nelle proprie corde e, forse, l’unico difetto riscontrabile è la tendenza a ricorrere a dei bizzarri effetti nella chiusura dei vari brani; la scaletta oscilla tra canzoni più ariose e melodiche come Gravity ed altre più nervose come Iapetus mantenendo sempre il livello sempre piuttosto alto.
La cosa notevole del trio sudamericano è l’aver dimostrato che si può tranquillamente suonare musica dall’alto tasso tecnico senza necessariamente sacrificare la forma canzone, cosa che manca del tutto o quasi a diverse band europee e nordamericane portate in palmo di mano da appassionati e critica, per lo più protagoniste di performance eccezionali a livello strumentali ma del tutto prive di anima. Ecco perché quanto offerto dai cileni è rivolto ad un pubblico più ampio rispetto a quello di chi antepone il tecnicismo a tutto il resto.

Tracklist:
1. Orion Anomaly
2. Gravity
3. Bootes Void
4. Kic
5. Iapetus
6. Life and Consciousness
7. Underlying Geometry

Line-up:
Juan Escobar – Bass, Vocals
Danilo Estrella – Drums
Héctor Bravo – Guitars

TETRACTY – Facebook

THANKS TO METALEYES
https://metaleyes.iyezine.com/tetractys-a-mysterious-place-on-sight/


Monday, February 18, 2019

International prog/death Contrarian are about to release one of this year’s most outstanding albums. Project masterminds Brian Mason and Jim Tasikas were kind enough to allow me to pick their brains a bit about Their Worm Never Dies, the future of Contrarian, and, well, you’ll just have to take a look for yourself!

What’s the story and inspiration behind this concept album? How’d you come up with it?
Jim: I always begin the creative process with a story in my head. The story is then translated into the artwork. And then finally, I begin the song writing process. In this album, we really wanted to dive in head first into an old school approach on the concept. Much of the music today is very opinionated and thus casting judgements. This time around we really wanted just a fantasy concept with cool story and characters, much in the vein of King Diamond or Iron Maiden.

What relation does this have to do with the bible verse, Mark 9:48?
Brian: The bible verse, I believe, is Jesus talking about a dump that represents hell and it’s a quite literal thing. You’ll be eternally eaten by maggots in an endless fire. Jim chose a whole different approach to that for this story and combined it with a few different lores.
Jim: Yes, this concept fantasy borrows from three classic stories. The idea of the Evil Eye in Mediterranean cultures, the story of the Anglo-Dragon Whiteworm, and obviously some twists of the aforementioned quote in the bible.

You’ve said Their Worm is better than To Perceive is to Suffer, what specifically about this album makes you think that?
Brian: I think the songs have a few years of song-writing practice behind them. They feel more complete and thought out to me. This record has a definite feel to it that I enjoy. I also think the mix and production of the album is far superior. Lastly, the concept aspect of it helps really make it a complete unit.
Jim: The songs are streamlined in a way that I believe catch the listener in the proper way without sacrificing the refined detail that we are trying to achieve.


What’s your favourite track off this record?
Brian: I’m torn between “Whomesoever…” and “Among the Misled”. The former is just a great, epic tune and that entire middle section gives me chills still. The latter is just such an odd song, but it grooves hard when it grooves. I just love the drums on “Among the Misled” as well.
Jim: Since the last album, I have been getting messages and reviews saying something like “great songwriting, but you guys need to let loose on a few tracks!” Well, the final track on the new album, we do just that!

Do you think this is going to be your Magnum Opus? Or is that farther off in the future?
Brian: So far, this is beyond my favorite. We are also always changing and switching things up, so who knows.
Jim: We definitely have a few more in us and some great ideas!

In a previous interview, Brian said that the band, musically, is “where we should be”. Can you elaborate more on that?
Brian: I just feel the first two had some growing pains attached to them, both in writing and performance. I feel with this record, we have found our pocket. I feel we have the right formula right now. We have the right balance of tightness and looseness. We gave our engineer, George Bokos, a massive headache with mixing and mastering to make sure it was where we wanted it to be. That stuff feels locked in now. We both like things to have a live feel them. For instance, I don’t ever write solos for Contrarian. When the record button gets pushed, that’s when I’m writing the solo. I like the looseness it creates. Odd bends and weird runs sometimes make it in and I love that. A minor squeak in the rhythm track is always welcome. I feel we have the right amount of that stuff in this production. Old school.

With Their Worm nearing its release date, you’ll have released three LPs in less than three and a half years. Will frequent releases be a continuing trend with Contrarian?
Jim: Yes, of course! I believe for us, the creative process is the main focus and enjoyment always!

You never seem to never stop writing, so how far is album #4 on the horizon? Or perhaps I should be asking how close is it?
Brian: Correct… Jim never stops writing. A concept is already figured out for another new album and artwork is being created.
Jim: We are trying to follow the Iron Maiden model of a new album, every two years!

Aside from Contrarian, George [Kollias], (Nile) has only done vocals for his own solo project (and an old band in the 1990s). And truthfully, I wasn’t even aware that he could do vocals until Perceive. When did you decide that he would do vocals for the latest two releases?
Jim: Being in Contrarian, you have to be a certain type of metalhead. It is very cerebral. We all have to be in sync with the concept and vision at hand. Without sounding too precious, you have the be a veteran/educated metalhead as well. The fact that everyone in the band is a Generation X-er I believe is an advantage for us. It is an advantage because we are old enough to have a natural memory of metal since its conception, and young enough to be up to date on modern trends within the genre. Hence, it just naturally happened George ending up doing the vocals.

The two of you are interested in a vast array of music, and I think it’s safe to assume the same for the other guys in the band. So simply, why progressive death metal? As opposed to, well, anything else?
Brian: Because I have done everything else. Ha. Seriously, it comes from the time Jim and I grew up in the 80’s. Death, Atheist and Cynic were, and still are, huge on my influence list and I was happy to finally get the opportunity to do something along those lines.
Jim: Nostalgia, simply put. As Brian said, we are of that generation. I think that is why people are surprised to find out that our music is not a generic parody, and they really appreciate that.

It’s been a minute or two since you’ve played a live show. Now that you’re about to release another solid record, what’s the likelihood for a tour?
Brian: I have a few commitments with other bands to handle, but that usually winds down come summer time. I’m completely open as long as we have the right people with us.
Jim: We are getting together with a booking agent. I really think some shows and festivals will happen soon.

Would you consider a full tour, about a couple weeks’ worth of dates? Or some “weekend warrior” shenanigans?
Brian: Barring any conflicts, I open to anything really. I have a lot of time available to take off work.

You’re essentially an international band, and you have a rather prolific drummer, who’ll likely be releasing two albums in 2019. Hypothetically, would you be touring with the guys on the album, or would you seek out live musicians?  Do you have any lead candidates for fill-ins?
Brian: We’re trying to figure all that out now, but it’s very preliminary. We have ideas and a couple committed people as I understand it.

Jim, what’s the scoop with Delirium Endeavor?
Jim: Delirium Endeavor was real nerdy instrumental metal fusion thing that Ed Paulsen and I did. You can find some posts on YouTube.

Brian, can you talk about your other projects? I thought there were only two, but then another one crept up into my awareness.
Brian: I’m a bit of a band whore. I’m always juggling a few projects around. My main project right now is Sulaco. Kind of a Grindy/Death/Proggy kind of thing. I don’t know. I’m really bad at the metal genre’s.  I’m also in a band with Chris from Sulaco called CHRMR (pronounced Charmer). That project is more melodic, slower and has a 90’s Rock feel to it. It gives me and Chris a chance to slow down and chill for a bit. It’s a really fun project with some really great song writing and excellent dudes. I just finished a 16 year stint with my old band, BML. We were an instrumental prog, fun, happy time band. That was my main project for many years, but we all felt it was time to move onto other things. I have been known to join indie projects and even somewhat country/rock type things. I like to keep myself on my toes and stay out of my comfort zone. I’m also currently writing some 70’s style instrumental prog-rock/jazz stuff, ala Gordian Knot, Brand X stuff to do with the former drummer from Psyopus. I just haven’t gotten a chance to complete anything yet, so it may or may not come to fruition.

Contrarian has an obviously stellar future ahead, have you considered where you might be vs where you’d like to be in a few years? How about further into the future?
Brian: I just let things fall where they may. We’ll see what happens. I feel, as a project, we are getting better and better at this thing.
Jim: We always aim high. We always give it our best. We are in contact with booking agencies so that we may be able to do some live shows for our fans!

Anything else? Last thoughts? Questions, comments, concerns?
Brian: Thank you Vick for all your support. You rule.
Jim: Yes, thank you for paying attention to our music. It means a lot to us!

And I cannot thank Brian and Jim enough for taking the time to reply to my inquiries. Their Worm Never Dies drops March 15 via Willowtip Records. For the time being, you can jam their first single off the new record, “Exorcism“. And of course, their previous releases, To Perceive is to Suffer and Polemic.  Preorders for Their Worm are live! And you can find them on both Contrarian’s bandcamp and Willowtip’s online store.

THANKS TO 

                    https://technicalmusicreview.com/2019/01/03/interview-contrarian-2019/

Interview; Levi Dale, The Ritual Aura 2019

Amidst the sea of generic, run of the mill promotional crusades, The Ritual Aura‘s Levi Dale has devised a rather interactive game of sorts in anticipation for the band’s third album, Velothi.  Curious as I was, Levi was kind enough to let me pick his brain about the new record, the campaign, and a few other things. Have a look!
Dave Jurenovich: What’s your musical background and how you were brought up artistically?
Levi Dale: I started playing guitar when I was 11, so 14 years ago now – mostly self-taught, and it just took over my life for a very long time. My mum has a pretty good taste in music so I was exposed to a lot of it growing up, lots of rock and metal with bands like Guns N’ Roses and Metallica. As tastes got heavier I was introduced to technical death metal and it completely flipped my perception of what you could do with music and guitar.
I pretty much knew then and there that was what I wanted to be doing, no questions asked.

DJ: What inspired you to begin The Ritual Aura?
LD: TRA started as a creative outlet for the music I was writing in 2012/13 – my first serious attempt at writing a record – which eventually became our first album; Laniakea.
I met some great musicians in the process and it all just went from there. We shared similar goals and got along really well, all just wanting to create interesting music and push what we can do.

Vick Sacha: Out of the vast array of music you could be playing, why death metal?
LD: The immense creative freedom and diversity within the genre is something that really stands out to me, yes there are stylistic conventions we tend to gravitate towards, but people are constantly finding new and unique ways to push the boundaries; through various sub-genres and styles there’s always a god-tier gem of an album to discover right around the corner, and the quality is only getting better each year.
I also just really enjoy writing and playing interesting material, so it was either this or… I don’t even know what I’d be doing, probably classical music.

VS: You’ve concocted a rather interesting and elaborate PR campaign for your newest release, Velothi. What inspired you to send your fans on a crypto-historical scavenger hunt?
LD: A big inspiration for it was Cicada 3301 and their yearly puzzles, alongside some other ARGs I had come across through the magic of Youtubeland.
The whole idea of an alternate reality game is really interesting to me, so I just started planning puzzles, not really expecting much. I ended up spending days on it, and eventually was confident enough to put it out there.
It also gave us another means of interaction with the community, which is always welcome.

VS: Your campaign has been up for a little over a week. So far, has the response been what you were expecting? What do you predict for the future outcome?
LD: Seeing everyone work together to solve the clues has been both humbling and amusing – you guys are awesome.
The feedback so far has been great, people have solved each tier in 24 hours or less, so I may have to kick things up a notch for the final stretch..

Velothi
VS: What correlation does said scavenger hunt have to do with the album’s content?
LD: While it’s not massively intertwined with the record itself, certain puzzles serve as a way to introduce people to album-relevant lore and point them in the right direction for reading material, should they want to learn more.
I’ve scattered a few things in there that’ll make a LOT more sense when the album drops. Little hints and previews are everywhere!

DJ: What can you say about your upcoming album and what sets it apart from the rest of your library?
LD: Velothi is easily the most experimental and ambitious record we’ve done so far, from the change in approach to writing, to the sheer amount of guests and styles woven into things, everything has been scaled up since Tæther.

VS: The date of your upcoming release’s date is still ambiguous, and 2019 is far from over. When do you think you’ll announce a release date? Or does the answer to that lie within your PR campaign?
LD: People have been really patient regarding a release date, and I should finally be able to shed light on that in the coming month or so. The goal is early to mid-year, and with recent developments on vocals and mixing of the record I’m pretty confident we’ll be finished sooner than that.

VS: Do you want to talk about any session musicians you’ve recruited on this record?
LD: Currently there are 11 session musicians spread across Velothi – by far our largest guest-list yet.
This album introduces several new instruments and styles into the TRA palette, from violin/viola (Ryan Cho) and operatic vocals (Adrianna Tentori), to nylon (Nick Padovani) and fretless guitar (Fountainhead).. just to name a few.
Everyone has done an incredible job with their parts and I couldn’t be happier with the result.

VS: I can’t imagine that you’ve stopped writing, so how far into your next release are you?
LD: Nothing is really concrete yet, I’m still looking at candidates for lore/concepts beyond Velothi, but have a couple of ideas.
Prior to writing our last album I immersed myself in Japan’s folklore for a few months and the stories that really stuck became ideas for songs, which lead to inspiration for the music itself.
I generally prefer to start with the story and themes before writing any music.
Velothi was pretty much the same story, so there’ll probably come a day soon where I sit down and work out where to take things next.
If you break each album down so far, we’ve covered sci-fi, horror, and fantasy – so i’d like to continue the trend and mix things up again next time.

VS: You announced late last year that Velothi would be released on your own label, Ire Harvest. What were the deciding factors that led you to start your own label?
LD: I started Ire Harvest following TRA’s departure from our previous label, to serve as a dedicated platform for the projects I’ve been working on/plan to release in the future, and eventually help other bands with a bit more experience under my belt.
In the time TRA has been active I’ve handled a lot of the background work, and figured if I’m already doing it I may as well be building something that has the potential to grow into its own entity and maybe help other people out one day.

VS: Can you briefly talk about why you took on Lūmenwood as the second band on your roster?
LD: Lūmenwood is a side-project I’ve had in the works since late last year, alongside Brandon J. Iacovella – the other guitarist in TRA and riff-vanguard in Proliferation. We’ve since completed the line-up for a debut, featuring some excellent musicians, and the material we’ve put together so far is sounding great.
Hearkening back to the previous question – giving Lūmenwood a platform from the very beginning also helps with insight from a label perspective, regarding the problems I might encounter that TRA is perhaps beyond running into.
Murphy’s law in full effect and all.

DJ: Do you think you’ll ever play any shows in the future?
LD: We have in the past for special occasions (like the launch of Tæther), so I wouldn’t rule it out moving forward.
Currently we’re spread across 4 different continents though, so albums are and will likely always be the main focus, but if the stars aligns we’ll be there!

VS: The lot of you are still fairly young, as is The Ritual Aura itself, what does the future hold for you?
LD: I feel like we have a LOT of ground left to cover as far as writing music goes. Velothi continues the tradition of a paradigm shift between records, one we’ve strived for with each album so far, and will continue to aim for in the future – this really helps keep things fresh and interesting as time goes on. Maybe next album will be about cake! Who knows? and that’s exciting!
VS: Any last comments, questions or concerns?
LD: Thank you for the great questions!
I hope you and your readers enjoy Velothi when it finally drops, it’s been a blast putting it together these past 2 years, and I can’t wait for you all to hear it.

New single coming very soon! Solve the puzzles to hear it early.. much love <3
https://www.facebook.com/theritualaura https://www.facebook.com/ireharvestrecords https://www.facebook.com/lumenwoodmusic
And I cannot thank Levi enough for taking the time to answer. You know the drill, guys. You can find all of The Ritual Aura’s music on bandcamp and a bunch of other music platforms. Any additional details will be posted when we know them. And most definitely keep your eyes peeled, your quest is not yet over.

https://technicalmusicreview.com/2019/01/16/interview-levi-dale-the-ritual-aura-2019/?fbclid=IwAR1IFV4WUfPzVKDy9JY1GrtVFFUAbvZkoEpGlK9P9psavnz8pgbnYDeXr2o