Metal Update – 6 February 2018
I’ve moved away from my series looking at some of the most exciting albums due in 2018. However, if you’re interested, here are the links:
My most anticipated releases of 2018 – Part 6
My most anticipated releases of 2018 – Part 5
My most anticipated releases of 2018 – Part 4
My most anticipated releases of 2018 – Part 3
My most anticipated releases of 2018 – Part 2
My most anticipated releases of 2018 – Part 1
An early sneak peek at what’s coming in 2018
I am now focusing on bringing you updates from the world of rock and metal. Rather than flood your Internet and inboxes with individual updates, I have decided to compile something more akin to a newsletter. I never like to cut and paste articles either, so you can expect my updates to have a personal angle or something about it that makes it different from all of the other news sites out there.
So, here goes…
Kingcrow – The Persistence
Release date: TBC
Unfortunately, there is still no news about the date of release for Kingcrow’s new album. But in light of my post recently (check it out here) and bearing in mind how much I love the music on this album, I had to mention it again. This band are going to find the success they deserve, even if it kills me.
Dimmu Borgir – Eonian
Release date: 4 May 2018
Just in case you’ve been living under a rock, here’s a big one:
This is the news that I had been waiting for. Seven long years since their last album release and Norway’s Dimmu Borgir have broken the suffocating silence to finally announce the eagerly-awaited follow-up to 2010’s ‘Abrahadabra’
‘Enthrone, Darkness, Triumphant’ remains the Norwegian’s best album to date as far as I’m concerned, but as the years have gone by and the albums have been released, Dimmu Borgir have become ever-more grandiose, larger-than-life and apocalyptic. Some argue that the band are no longer black metal, but whatever label they are given, they remain a force of nature and a band that can never be ignored. ‘Interdimensional Summit’, the first single taken from the new album, will be released on 23 February 2018 so we’ll soon get to hear something from Dimmu Borgir for the first time in nearly eight long years.
Kamelot – The Shadow Theory
Release date: 6 April 2018
As I mentioned in my ‘most anticipated’ series, I have grown a little tired of the Kamelot formula of late. I feel that they are in a bit of a rut, even with the introduction of vocalist extraordinaire Tommy Karevik. Nevertheless, I still have a soft spot at heart for the band and so I am keeping my fingers crossed that the new album will fully reignite my enthusiasm.
The new album has since been confirmed as being entitled ‘The Shadow Theory’, with the above artwork being released to the world. If I’m going to be ‘glass half empty’, I’d declare that it looks very similar in tone and design to all recent releases, signalling the possibility of more of the same. However, on the flip-side, I have to admit that the cover looks very striking and, based on the small 30-second teaser clip (below) my interest has been piqued just a bit more than I expected. Heavier? Chunkier? Tommy sounding less like previous vocalist Khan?
Oh and in the last 24 hours, drummer Casey Grillo has departed – that was a surprise.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ImkLcuSHEKk&w=560&h=315]
Structural Disorder – ..and the Cage Crumbles in the Final Scene
Release date: 15 March 2018
I reviewed the previous album, ‘Distance’ from the Swedish progressive metal band back in early 2016. It made a very solid impression on me, drawing a positive review, despite featuring an accordion player in the ranks. Any album that features one of my most hated instruments and yet can achieve a final mark in excess of 8/10 cannot be sniffed at.
So it is with a great deal of pleasure that I can report that album number three is one the way via Lion Music on 15th March 2018. Snappily-titled ‘..and the Cage Crumbles in the Final Scene’, I am going to assume it might be a concept album of some kind. Mind you, literally nothing else has been revealed about this disc, so I’m only taking an educated guess. I’ll bring you more when I have it.
Borknagar – TBC
Release date: Late 2018/early 2019
I came across news of a new Borknagar album quite by accident a couple of days ago. Hidden at the tail end of an update post on their social media was, in their words, ‘a sidenote’, declaring that ‘Borknagar is currently working on a new album, roughly planned for a late 2018 or early 2019 release. More info soon!’ Admittedly, the main news was the revelation that long-time guitarist Jens F. Ryland has left the band. But news of a new Borknagar album is always huge as far as I’m concerned, especially given my love for ‘Winter Thrice’, which ended 2016 in my top 5, and deservedly so. So as disappointing as Ryland’s departure is, I’m still excited for the next instalment from one of Norway’s finest exports.
