2021

When it comes to modern heavy metal there are few bands operating at the same level as Portrait. For a decade and a half the Swedish unit have been forging their own path, and in the process infusing life into a longstanding, well-established genre and taking it in new directions. "We are not striving to keep an old school sound fresh," states guitarist Christian Lindell. "We are striving to develop our own sound. Old school was important maybe on the first demo up until the first album, the main goal since has been to develop our own style and add something to all that has already been done. In the beginning you take inspiration from others, from the outside, other bands, albums etc, but at some point you have to be able to channel inspiration from inside of yourself instead. That is when things start to become interesting." Having started writing for the record in the first half of 2019, they ended up with 11 tracks, which they considered too much given their aver

Armored Saint: Symbol of salvation Live 2018 [Digipack / CD + DVD]

Hyllade Bror Gunnar Janssons senaste skivsläpp är hans tyngsta och hårdaste hittills. Men, paradoxalt nog, också det mest smäktande vackra. Likt en svit rör sig albumet från känslosamma stråkpartier till tunga riff, och ibland uppstår tillfällen då allt verkar vilja spricka sönder. <br/>Med sitt nya album Faceless Evil, Nameless Fear berättar Bror Gunnar historier om bestialiska mord, sjukdom och konsekvenserna av korrupta polisers handlingar (bland andra finns Kapten Klänning och George Floyd med). Men också om stark och oförstörd kärlek. Han pendlar mellan allas vår verklighet och sitt eget mörka universum. Musiken, som är mindre blues än tidigare, andas post-grunge, stoner och post-blues på ett sätt som för tankarna till White Stripes, Kyuss och Jimi Hendrix.

Rutthna: Doomsdaylight (White/Ltd) [Vinyl LP]

- Extended version with 24 page booklet - 3 bonus tracks - New liner notes TOTO singer Joseph Williams teams up with former Chicago singer Bill Champlin and Swedish guitarist/Producer Peter Friestedt for a new remarkable AOR release following the success with the "Live In Concert" DVD that made it all the way to the top on the Swedish Chart! In 2012 Champlin/Willams/Friestedt did a sold out Scandinavian Tour and during this time the first recordings of the "CWF" album took place! The new album also includes contributions from Steve Porcaro of Toto, Randy Goodrum (Toto, Chicago), Will Champlin and Tamara Champlin. Champlin says "I've been involved with a project that includes me, Peter Friestedt a great guitarist and producer from Sweden, and Joseph Williams, the singer of TOTO! I was pretty knocked out by the stuff. I'd almost forgotten how good it was when we did it. There are great songs and even better performances on this album, and I know you'll love it

With 2018's Cobra Speed Venom, the band reached the same lofty heights as their 2002 landmark release, Crowned In Terror, but they were primed and ready to write its successor. "It surely set the bar up high for a follow up," Olsfelt explains.<br/>Having celebrated their thirtieth anniversary in 2020 [their first eight years spent as Crown Of Thorns], The Crown have proven themselves one of the most enduring forces in death metal. They further up the ante with Royal Destroyer, a record that sets a new standard for the genre.<br/>Together with legendary producer Fredrik Nordström, the band tracked the resulting 10 songs at Gothenburg's Studio Fredman. "We push ourselves to the limit, really trying to make everything as good as it can get, trying to make every song as impactful as possible," Olsfelt states. While he believes that people need to hear the album themselves to be able to accurately describe it, Olsfelt also asserts that The Crown have achieved something that makes for a "continuous whole" - while being diverse. "We have some of the most intense stuff ever!"<br/><br/>BONUS TRACK(S)

Cannibal Corpse: Violence unimagined 2021 [Digipack / CD]