Legendary progressive rock innovators CYNIC’s forthcoming album is entitled ‘Kindly Bent to Free Us’ and has been scheduled for next February 14th (February 18th in North America). The highly-anticipated follow-up to 2008’s ‘Traced in Air’ will be available on several formats. See detailed list below!

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The deluxe edition of ‘Kindly Bent to Free Us’ will come as a collector’s faux book with leather finish and gold foil print including the album in Digisleeve CD with the exclusive bonus track “Earth Is My Witness”, and numerous exclusive items including a poster, lyrics booklet, full score booklet, and 5 transparent slides of additional artwork.

‘Kindly Bent to Free Us’ will also be available on Digipak CD, transparent clear gatefold double LP limited to 400 copies, transparent orange gatefold double LP limited to 200 copies, semi-transparent bronze gatefold double LP limited to 150 copies, and regular gatefold double LP on black vinyl. All formats are available for pre-order on Season of Mist’s e-shop!.

A lyrics video for “The Lion’s Roar” is currently being premiered on PROG and Guitar World.

The album was produced by CYNIC (guitarist/vocalist Paul Masvidal, drummer Sean Reinert, bassist Sean Malone) at Perfect Sound Studios in Los Angeles, engineered by Jason Donaghy (BAND OF HORSES, FEIST, ROB ZOMBIE, RYAN ADAMS), mixed by R. Walt Vincent (PETE YORN, LIZ PHAIR, TOMMY KEENE) and mastered by Maor Appelbaum (FATES WARNING, SEPULTURA, CATHEDRAL, INQUISITION, HALFORD). The artwork is by long-time CYNIC artist and sadly late Robert Venosa.

Season of Mist are proud to announce that Southern heavy rockers WILDLIGHTS have joined the roster! Featuring guitarist/vocalist Jason Shi of ASG and drummer Johnny Collins of THUNDERLIP!, WILDLIGHTS play a unique brand of driving, heavy rock that is catchy, engaging, and the work of experienced, well-honed musicians.

Commented Jason Shi on signing to Season of Mist, “Johnny and I are very excited to share the music we have been working on for several years now with the rest of the world. Between touring with our other bands ASG and THUNDERLIP!, we have snuck in the time to write what we feel is some exciting new music. It has been nice to create from scratch, not having a sonic history to be compared to. It's been a very refreshing writing process. We can’t wait to share the jams!”

You can check out a snippet of "Onward, Upward" on Soundcloud or visit the WILDLIGHTS bandcamp page for more.

Welsh heavy rock power-trio HARK have finished recording their forthcoming Season of Mist debut, entitled ‘Crystalline’. The album was recorded at Monnow Valley Studios in Wales (BLACK SABBATH, RUSH, JUDAS PRIEST, PORTISHEAD), and mixed by CONVERGE guitarist Kurt Ballou (CONVERGE, HIGH ON FIRE, KVELERTAK, YOUNG WIDOWS), and will hit the stores on March 14th (March 18th in North America). The cover artwork for "Crystalline' illustrated by HARK's acclaimed graphic artist and guitarist Jimbob Isaac (ex-TAINT) and track listing are below:

zoom	Palendromeda Hounded By Callous Decree Sins On Sleeves Black Hole South West Breathe And Run Mythopoeia Scarlet Extremities All Wretch No Vomit Xtal 0.6 Clear Light Of....

Led by former TAINT front-man and acclaimed graphic artist Jimbob Isaac, HARK has already released the 'Mythopoeia' 7” single, which they managed to sell out on tours with RED FANG and CLUTCH.

The Welsh progressive-power-sludge trio carry TAINT's torch forward, passed on from their legacy that began in 1994. With fresh chops and almighty riff power, HARK continue to fuse punk attack with Sabbathian dirge, and decorate post-whatever angularities with classic rock flourish. While Isaac's vocals expand on his tried and tested palette, his lyrics continue to shatter prose with bleak metaphor and acerbic spittle. Made of the former WHYTELEAF rhythm section Nikolai Ribnikov and Simon Bonwick, the HARK engine bring an OCD approach to song craft, and endlessly creative pummel. Their dynamic chops and blood lust for riffs meld with Isaac's honed and equally determined musical vision.

Regarding the recording of ‘Crystalline’, main man Jimbob Isaac stated: "Fingers to the bone. That has been one of our mottos since HARK's inception, and it carried us through to the recording studio. Long days, little sleep and grim determination made this record the beast that we believe it to be. We pushed ourselves in all kinds of ways, and that commitment resonates throughout. We're having fun biding our time, but there's only so long you can keep a bull in its pen."

British heathens WINTERFYLLETH have released a track from ‘Thousands of Moons Ago / The Gates’, the new split EP alongside Ukrainian black metal pioneers DRUDKH. The song, entitled “The Gates”, is streaming now at the following locations:

Pro-Rock (BG)
Thrashocore (FR)
Rocking (GR)
Rockerilla (IT)
Loud! (PT)
Metal Hammer (UK)

Scheduled for a January 17th release (January 21st in North America), ‘Thousands of Moons Ago / The Gates’ will feature four tracks taking the shape of cover songs recorded by both bands, paying tribute to their early influences. Pre-order it at Season of Mist’s e-shop!

zoom	…W Krainie Drzew Ten, Ktery Se Vyhyba Svetlu Recidivus The Gates

'Thousands of Moons Ago / The Gates’ will be released as a dark bue, hand-numbered 12" LP limited to 666 copies, and as a separate CD titled ‘Eastern Frontier in Flames’, which will include all DRUDKH’s tracks from ‘Thousands of Moons Ago’, as well as the ‘Anti-Urban’ and ‘Slavonic Chronicles’ EPs. Here are the details:

DRUDKH’s whole back catalogue is available on Season of Mist’s e-shop and it is also streaming here.

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Australian black thrash battalion DESTRÖYER 666 has had their 2000 full length 'Phoenix Rising' regarded as one of the black metal genre's best records of all time by DECIBEL Magazine. The album appears in DECIBEL's new special issue focusing on the "Top 100 Black Metal Albums Of All Time".

About the album, DECIBEL Magazine commented: "The band's sophomore thunder slab, 'Phoenix Rising' is f*cking stuffed with fret-burning rippers. From the massive title track and crushing battle epic "I am the Wargod" to the vicious "Lone Wolf Winter" and Amon Amarth-ish "Ride the Solar Winds" K.K. (Warslut) and his [Y2K lineup] deliver nothing short of a black metal masterpiece."

The DECIBEL special issue can be purchased here.

zoom	Rise of the Predator The Last Revelation Phoenix Rising I am the Wargod (ode to the battle slain) The Eternal Glory of War Lone Wolf Winter Ride the Solar Winds The Birth of Tragedy

DESTROYER 666 is currently writing material for a new full length album. 'Phoenix Rising' and the band's 'Cold Steel...For an Iron Age' were recently re-mastered and re-released with all new packaging. 'Phoenix Rising', and the rest of the band's Season of Mist releases are available on Season of Mist’s e-shop and streaming in full at Bandcamp.