Monthly Archives: June 2012

Upcoming Shows: Warriors Of Metal (WOM V) Pre-Fest Showcase

Posted by valleyofsteel on

 
So the Warriors of Metal Open Air Festival V is all set for next weekend (29-30 June)! I wrote a post about the festival way back in April, and if you haven’t seen it recently (or if you haven’t seen it at all), you should definitely look at it again, because there have been several changes to the line-up since it was originally published!

 
I also noted in that earlier post that there would also be a third day of activities: a pre-festival show on Thursday night (28 June) with details to be announced later. Well… now it’s later.

 
Continue reading →

Upcoming Shows: What To Do In Pittsburgh This Weekend (22-23 June)

Posted by valleyofsteel on

Hey, look — it’s Thursday already, so there’s just one more day until the weekend! This week hasn’t been so bad, unless you take into account the HORRIBLE FUCKING OPPRESSIVE HEAT we’ve been having.

Anyway, I hear the weather’s supposed to chill out just a little over the next couple days, at least to be a bit more bearable and closer to normal for this time of year. Of course, anyone who’s spent any amount of time in or around Pittsburgh would know that there’s really no such thing as “normal” here!

In any case, all the Pittsburgh-area readers will certainly be glad, not having to contend with such hellish levels of heat and humidity this weekend, especially once you get packed into a bar or club with a few hundred other sweaty drunk people!

And I’m sure you’re going to want to do that; the only problem will be deciding which show you want to go to, because there are a LOT taking place over the next couple days! I’ve got a bunch listed here for you (but as always, I’m only human, and I’m sure I’ve missed sharing something — if you know about anything else that’s happening, either this week or anytime in the future, don’t forget to let me know!)

Continue reading →

Coming Soon: New Icarus Witch Album (But They Need Help Making a Video!)

Posted by valleyofsteel on

 
So the fifth album by Cleopatra Records recording artists (and Pittsburghers) Icarus Witch is coming out in two weeks!

 
Here is a video teaser for Rise, to be released on the 3rd of July:

 
You can also listen to the album’s title track here.

 
Furthermore, the band has filmed a video for the track “The End,” which they hope to be able to get edited and released prior to the release of the album… which is where you come in!

Continue reading →

Another Incredible Sale: Stormspell Records Featuring $5 CDs All Month!

Posted by valleyofsteel on

 
Stormspell Records have built quite a reputation for themselves with their devotion to underground thrash and power metal re-issues from the 80s, as well as newer releases that follow a similar aesthetic.

I’ve found several old treasures through their webstore, that simply aren’t available anywhere else, and I’m sure you will too! But now, through the end of the month, it’s even easier to build up your collection of awesome classic metal sounds, because all of the label’s own releases are discounted to only $5! (Boxed sets and distro titles are discounted, as well.)

There are way too many for me to list them all here, but I’ve especially got my eyes on those two Dantesco CDs (the original release of their 2011 album Seven Years of Battle, as well as the re-issue of their self-titled 2004 demo)! Other highlights include The Horde, Lich King, Morbid Sin, Diamond Plate, Sacrilegio, Ancient Cross, and TONS more!

Here are the links to the sale items: Stormspell CDs A-J and Stormspell Releases K-Z.

Sale lasts until 30 June 2012, but hurry, because quantities of some of these are already starting to get low!

 
———————————
Stormspell Records: label website, webstore, Facebook

BREAKING NEWS: Municipal Waste / Toxic Holocaust – Toxic Waste Split – 2nd Pressing and FREE DOWNLOAD!

Posted by valleyofsteel on

toxic-waste-cover

 
Good morning! It’s early as hell — I haven’t even had any coffee yet and I can’t quite see straight — but this news is too big to wait around before sharing. Sometime in the middle of the night, I got an email from Scotty at Tankcrimes Records saying that there is now a second pressing available of the Municipal Waste / Toxic Holocaust Toxic Waste split!

 
You can read all about this split 12″ release at this earlier post, if somehow you missed the news the first time around — including the track listing, a brief history of each band, summer tour dates, etc.

(And don’t forget — there’s also more free Municipal Waste tracks available to download for free here!)

 

 
But the big news right now is that 1000 more copies of this record are NOW AVAILABLE to buy (ORDER HERE), since the first ones flew off the shelves almost immediately. Pictured above, the new versions include:

200 – Striped (Green/Yellow/Blue)
350 – “Toxic Spill”
450 – Highlighter Yellow

 
And that’s not all — Tankcrimes has also released all four tracks from the split for FREE DOWNLOAD grab it here…

 
———————————————–
Municipal Waste: website, Facebook, Myspace, Reverbnation
Toxic Holocaust: Facebook, Myspace, Reverbnation, Bandcamp
Tankcrimes: website, Facebook, Myspace, Bandcamp

Now Available for Free: Svartby – Elemental Tales

Posted by valleyofsteel on


 

Svartby – Elemental Tales (17 February 2012, Trollzorn Records)

 
Svartby are an extreme folk metal band from Saint Petersburg, Russia, which was formed back in 2003 by a keyboardist/composer/lyricist named Giftsvamp. Actually, “extreme folk metal” is a phrase they sometimes use to describe themselves, but they actually prefer the term “Svartcore” because the unique sound they create just doesn’t quite fit with what you’d normally consider “folk” music, or “extreme metal” or even “metal” music. They blend elements of all of these, but essentially “Svartcore” is centered around the band leader’s orchestral creations, which are then augmented by heavy metal guitars, drums, and death-metal-style vocals.

“Svartby” itself is the name of a fictional “black village” which is inhabited by mythical creatures — mostly either mischevious or malevolent ones (such as witches, gnomes, and imps) — and these form the main basis for the band’s lyrical content. Despite the band’s Russian origin, at first their lyrics were written entirely in Swedish, although over time, they began adding many songs in English as well.

The latest of these releases, Elemental Tales, first saw the light of day in February of this year, on CD via German label Trollzorn Records. However, the band is of the opinion that music ought to be freely available to all listeners: they have been quietly encouraging the album to be shared on the internet since the time of its release, and now they have established a Bandcamp page for themselves, where all their albums can officially and legitimately be downloaded for free. Bear in mind, though, you also have the opportunity to pay any price you choose — which would be highly appreciated by the musicians, who say they had never earned any money from their own music before now (explaining that, instead, everything has always gone to the record labels to offset expenses). (Read more about the band’s decision to give their music away for free here.)

So without any further ado, let’s discuss this recent album, and then I’ll give you the opportunity to listen to it and grab a copy of it…

 

Continue reading →

REPOST: Letter to Emily White at NPR All Songs Considered

Posted by valleyofsteel on

Recently Emily White, an intern at NPR All Songs Considered and GM of what appears to be her college radio station, wrote a post on the NPR blog in which she acknowledged that while she had 11,000 songs in her music library, she’s only paid for 15 CDs in her life. Our intention is not to embarrass or shame her. We believe young people like Emily White who are fully engaged in the music scene are the artist’s biggest allies. We also believe–for reasons we’ll get into–that she has been been badly misinformed by the Free Culture movement. We only ask the opportunity to present a countervailing viewpoint.

…continue reading this poignant and informative letter (written by David Lowery of Camper van Beethoven and Cracker fame) about the myths and realities of artist (and record label) compensation in regards to illegal file sharing at The Trichordist.

Happy/Sad News: NHR Records R.I.P. Sale – All CDs $2

Posted by valleyofsteel on

So I’ve just discovered some unfortunate news: Canadian independent label/distributor NHR Records is being forced to close down, due to the declined state of the music industry.

 

We at NHR Records have worked diligently over the years to adjust to the shrinking markets and we would like to thank everyone for their support over the 8 years we were in business. Unfortunately however, our operations have been affected harder than most with the decrease in volumes and general market softness in recent years. We have done everything that we can to sustain our business, but have come to the point where no other course of action was possible.
We are officially closing our business down June 29, 2012.

Again, we would like to thank all the bands and labels we have been in contact with or partnered with over the years. We would like to also expecally thank our customers past and present for all their support! With out you there would not have been a label.

The NHR Records Crew

 
However, if there is anything positive that can be said about this development, it would be the fact that all in-stock CDs have been temporarily slashed to just $2 plus shipping, but only through the end of this weekend.

 

 
This sale includes all NHR releases (Evil Wrath, Geimhre, Grendel, Grim Winter, Hot Graves, Keller, King, KRV, Overthrow, Primal Dawn, Skagos, Snowfall, Svartskog, Wurm) as well as dozens of other distro titles.

Click here to start shopping, but hurry, the sale ends on 17 June!

Coming Soon: A Band of Orcs’ New Album on Vinyl Picture Disc – Pre-Order Now to Help Fund the Pressing!

Posted by valleyofsteel on

 
California’s A Band of Orcs would love to release their forthcoming self-titled album in the huge, full-color glory that is a double-LP picture disc vinyl format. They would also love to come to your house and slay you and your family, then steal all your gold and eat all your food. They don’t seem too particular about which of those things takes place, but I suspect you might have strong feelings about one or the other.

Fortunately, the band has decided to give you the opportunity to help ensure the first outcome can happen — which would also ensure that you are spared during the orcs’ eventual quest for world domination. If that sounds appealing to you, here’s how it works…

Continue reading →

Yet Another TrollfesT Update: TONS of Free Shit Available with New Album!

Posted by valleyofsteel on

 
Is it just me, or does it seem like we’ve gone a little troll-crazy lately? Over the past couple of months, there have been quite a few posts about the “True Norwegian Balkan Metal” band TrollfesT…

We’ve had the revealing of the artwork for their upcoming NoiseArt Records album, Brumlebassen (shown above) as well as information about the story behind the troll-in-a-bee-costume character; later we learned about the release date (24 August) and watched a video teaser for the album, just to name a few.

Well, as it turns out, the merry band of trolls have even more surprises hidden up their sleeves! (Do trolls have sleeves?)

Continue reading →