Video: EarlyRise – “Old Friend” (Acoustic)

Our October 2011 Band of the Month, EarlyRise, released their first music video earlier this month. Here is a gorgeous acoustic version of their song “Old Friend.” You can find the original version on EarlyRise’s debut CD, What If.

UtF Launches 1st Annual Readers Choice Awards on Facebook

At Unleash The Furies, we enjoy involving our readers in our mission to promote up-and-coming female-fronted rock and metal bands. That’s the reason why we run a Band of the Month Poll at our blog. And now, to celebrate the best female-fronted albums of 2011, we invite YOU to help us out!

Today, we launch our 1st Annual Readers’ Choice Awards! The instructions are simple: We’ve set up a poll on Facebook where readers can vote for all of their favorite female-fronted rock and metal albums released in 2011. Facebook polls allow for write-in votes. So if you can’t find one of your favorites on the list, feel free to add it to the list!

The poll will run from Sunday, January 1, 2012 through Tuesday, January 31, 2012. The 10 albums with the most votes will be our official Readers’ Choice Award winners, and will be featured in an article we’ll post on our blog in mid-February.

We do have some rules for the Awards:

1. To keep in line with our mission, we will only accept votes for albums released by up-and-coming female-fronted bands. Any votes for albums by more famous bands (i.e., Within Temptation, Arch Enemy, Nightwish, Leaves’ Eyes) will not be counted.
2. Only albums released during the year 2011 are eligible for the poll.
3. According to Facebook restrictions, you can only vote in our Readers’ Choice Awards poll if you like Unleash The Furies on Facebook.
4. Also according to Facebook restrictions, each Facebook user can only vote once for each album.
5. Remember, however, that you can vote for as many albums as you like!
6. All write-in votes must contain the album title and the artist name. We want to be 100% sure of which albums by which artists you’re voting for!

Click here to access the Readers Choice Awards Poll.

Have fun picking your favorites! And remember, the Readers Choice Poll ends on January 31st! (Actual closing time will be announced at a later date.)

Rock on,
The staff of Unleash The Furies (a.k.a. Max, Robin, Mimi, Eric, Frozen Angel, Sara, and Raquel)

Our Band of the Month for January 2012 Is…

Cassandra Syndrome

We had an awesome turn-out for our tribute poll to Flight of the Valkyries V! Most of it was due to the top two vote-getters: Benedictum, and Cassandra Syndrome. Benedictum jumped to an early lead in December, but Cassandra Syndrome gradually caught up to take the lead. In the end, the difference was 202 votes – in Cassandra Syndrome’s favor. That’s why the operatic metallers from Maryland are our first Band of the Month for 2012!

Click here for Cassandra Syndrome’s Band of the Month page.

Just one vote shy of 4,000 were cast this month! Here is how the results shaped up:

1. Cassandra Syndrome – 1946 votes (48.66%)
2. Benedictum – 1,744 votes (43.61%)
3. Brave– 110 votes (2.75%)
4. Serpent Witch – 60 votes (1.5%)
5. Desdemon – 56 votes (1.4%)
6. Echoterra – 48 votes (1.2%)
7. Flames of Fury – 35 votes (0.88%)

Now, it’s time to announce the nominees for February 2012 Band of the Month. Here they are:

• Evenoire, a gothic folk metal band from Cremona, Italy. Evenoire’s full-length debut album is due out later this year and features guest appearances by German soprano singer Gaby Koss and Derdian keyboardist Marco “Garry” Garau.
• The Mariana Hollow, a progressive/alternative metal band from London, United Kingdom. The Mariana Hollow will release their second album, Velvet Black Sky, on February 13th and is in the midst of planning a headlining tour across the UK to promote the album.
• Modified, a hard rock trio from Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Modified’s self-titled full-length debut album, which was released at the end of December, is now available on CD Baby.
• Opus Doria, a symphonic metal band from Aquitaine, France. Like with Modified, Opus Doria released its debut album Infraworld at the end of December.
• Voices of Destiny, a melodic/symphonic metal band from Germany. Voices of Destiny’s second album, Power Dive, will be released on January 27th in Europe via Massacre Records.

As always, visit our WordPress site and scroll down to find the poll on the right-hand sidebar. Vote once a day, every day through Tuesday, January 31st!

Which bands would you like to see featured in our next Band of the Month Poll? Let us know by sending an email to unleashthefuriesmetal@gmail.com.

Oh, by the way – Happy 2012 from Unleash The Furies!

Happy Holidays from Unleash the Furies!

Happy Holidays to all of our readers!

No matter what you celebrate at this time of year, Unleash the Furies wishes you all the love, warmth, happiness,  delicious food, and rock and metal music that you could ask for. And while you make merry, be sure to do so safely and responsibly.

Also, a quick apology for our lack of articles recently. We’ve all been super busy with the upcoming holidays, work, school, and other things. So, we’ve accidentally let the blog slide a bit. We hope to catch up on things as soon as life slows down for us!

Season’s greatings,
Max, Robin, Mimi, Sara, Eric, Raquel, and Frozen Angel

Check It Out: Cardamon

Time to feature yet another gem from The Netherlands! Cardamon hails from Utrecht and sounds similar to our previous Check It Out band (and fellow countrymen/woman), Only Fate Remains. What makes Cardamon different from OFR is its balance of sounds: their songs contain metallic riffs, semi-progressive structures, acoustic passages, and enchanting melodies courtesy of Floortje Donia. The best word I can use to describe Cardamon’s music is “melancholy.” You can hear and sense that emotion in the lyrics, the vocals, and the moods created by the music. Think of Cardamon as a female-fronted version of Katatonia during their Last Fair Deal Gone Down days – or a mix of Katatonia, Autumn, The Gathering, and circa-1999 Anathema.

Cardamon has played a number of shows in their homeland over the past couple years. A number of those gigs were opening slots for Delain, Stream of Passion, Kingfisher Sky, and Autumn. So, this band has had a lot of great opportunity to get their name out there in Holland. Oh, and two trivia bits for you: Cardamon guitarist Koen Romeijn is the lead singer of the melodic death metal band Detonation. And, bassist Luuk van Gerven played the same instrument for After Forever until that band split up in 2009. Just goes to show that Cardamon’s members have a wide range of tastes in metal music!

Cardamon has two albums under their belt: The Primrose Path, released in 2007; and Sun As Never (pictured above), which came out last month. Sun As Never sees the band going in a heavier direction. As a result, the music has a stronger electric-guitar base and is generally more uptempo. The lyrics and prevailing moods, however, are still dark, somber, and introspective. Cardamon has actually released Sun As Never for free download only at their website. So if you haven’t heard of Cardamon before, this is a good opportunity to do so – without opening your wallet!

Out of both Cardamon albums, however, I prefer The Primrose Path a smidge more. I find something charming about that record’s delicate balance of electric and acoustic moments as well as Floortje’s clear, lilting harmonies. A great example of all of the elements that make up The Primrose Path is the song “Sleepless World.” The intro grabs your attention while building in intensity, and the song as a whole is full of those contrasts that make up Cardamon’s signature sound.

Cardamon are:

• Floortje Donia: Vocals
• Koem Romeijn: Guitars, keyboards, backing vocals
• Kevin Storm: Guitars
• Luuk van Gerven: Bass
• Michael van der Kolk: Drums

You can learn more about Cardamon by visiting their official website or their Myspace, Facebook, YouTube, and ReverbNation pages.

~ Sara

Our December 2011 Band of the Month Is…

Devilskin

Sometimes, we have a fight to the finish between two – or three – bands for this title. Other times, one band takes a huge early lead and no one is able to catch up. The latter scenario is what happened this month for Devilskin. Shortly after we launched our Band of the Month Poll for November 2011, fans of this quartet from Hamilton, New Zealand stormed the poll and helped Devilskin leapfrog over the other nominees.  Good enough to win the title? You bet! By the way, a fact for you: Devilskin is our first Band of the Month from an island nation.

Click here for Devilskin’s Band of the Month page.

Here are the official results of last month’s poll:

1. Devilskin – 327 votes (56.09%)
2. Adrana – 115 votes (19.73%)
3. Nemesea – 63 votes (10.81%)
4. Trillium – 52 votes (8.92%)
5. Cardamon – 26 votes (4.46%)

And now, it’s time for our January 2012 Band of the Month Poll! Our staff still feels the thrills of this year’s Flight of the Valkyries Festival. (The show was held at Sonar in Baltimore, Maryland USA on November 19.) So, how about we give our new poll a FotV 5 theme? Here is this year’s line-up, and your choices for our first Band of the Month for 2012:

• Benedictum, a heavy metal band from San Diego, California, and this year’s headliner at Flight of the Valkyries
• Brave, a progressive rock/metal band from Washington, DC
• Cassandra Syndrome, an operatic metal band from Frederick, Maryland
• DesDemon, a symphonic power metal band from New York City, New York
• Echoterra, a symphonic metal band from Minneapolis, Minnesota featuring Melissa Ferlaak (ex-Visions of Atlantis, ex-Aesma Daeva) on lead vocals
• Flames of Fury, a power / heavy metal band with members that live in the states of New York and New Jersey
• Serpent Witch, a doom metal band from Bethesda, Maryland

You know the rules by now. Visit our WordPress site and scroll down to find the poll on the right-hand sidebar. Vote once a day through New Years Eve (Saturday, December 31st)!

Which bands would you like to see featured in our next Band of the Month Poll? Let us know by sending an email to unleashthefuriesmetal@gmail.com.

~ Sara

Check It Out: Only Fate Remains

We haven’t done one of these articles in a while! So, let me introduce you to an up-and-coming band from The Netherlands.

Only Fate Remains (formerly known as Trisomy) is a band I’ve heard about from a number of people – primarily John at Sugar & Spikes Radio, and my Sonic Cathedral colleague Doctor T – before I finally got around to listening to their music. They’re another one of what I’d call the “second wave” of Dutch female-fronted metal bands. In other words, they’re not symphonic or gothic (like Within Temptation, After Forever, Epica, etc.), but more rock oriented like Autumn, Cardamon, or even The Gathering. Now that I think about it, OFR singer Eva Kokken’s voice reminds me a lot of Anneke van Giersbergen (ex-The Gathering, Agua de Annique) and Floortje Donia (Cardamon). So, what you get with OFR is a strong melodic metal experience with hints of gothic, atmospheric, progressive, and hard rock styles.

What else can I tell you about OFR besides what they sound like? Well, this band has been around for a while! Guitarist Michiel van Veen founded the band back in 1996. (Michiel is also the only remaining original band member.) OFR’s current formation has been together for less than a year; guitarist Jacques Maas joined the band earlier in 2011. This Eindhoven-based sextet has also had the opportunity to open for a number of well-known Dutch femme metal acts (Epica, Autumn, Stream of Passion, and Delain, just to name a few) as well as male-fronted bands such as My Dying Bride and Paradise Lost. Quite a variety of bands they’ve supported, huh?

Just a few weeks ago, OFR released its debut album, Breathe, through the UK-based Ravenheart Music Records. Breathe is a brief but power-packed collection of dark melodic metal. The quality of the album’s production is solid, too. It create a healthy balance between the vocals, the guitars, and other instruments, and lets in little bits of ambiance and keyboards when you least expect it. The two songs I recommend the most are “Lost” and “Shallow Water.” Both are uptempo, guitar-driven tracks with catchy melodies that make the songs quite likeable.

OFR has filmed a music video for one of the songs on Breathe. I haven’t found out which song they chose to film – but as soon as the video is online, we’ll make sure to share it with you!

Only Fate Remains are:

• Eva Kokken – Vocals
• Michiel van Veen – Guitars
• Jacques Maas – Guitars
• Maarten Siem – Keyboards
• Pieter van den Berkmortel – Bass
• Marc Bruijn – Drums

Check out Only Fate Remains at their official website as well as Facebook, Myspace, and ReverbNation. You can purchase Breathe now through Ravenheart Music Records, Sonic Cathedral, iTunes, Amazon, or directly from OFR at their webshop.

~ Sara

Video: Dama – “Regina D’Inverno”

Did you know that our current Band of the Month, Dama, performs songs in their native Italian as well as in English? If you didn’t, here’s a video that Dama released earlier this year for “Regina D’Inverno” (“winter queen” in English). This clip has some stunning colors and cinematography that suit the band’s lush symphonic/gothic metal and Barbara’s Italian lyrics.

Bella, no? Let us know what you think!

~ Sara

Mark Your Calendar: Flight of the Valkyries V

Is that annoying Atlantic Ocean stopping you from attending the Metal Female Voices Fest each year? Do you, like me, get depressed ever year in mid-October because you can’t attend a festival that’s completely all about the music you love?

Be sad no more, friends! Now’s your chance to attend Flight of the Valkyries, an all-female-fronted metal music fest now in its fifth installment! The show’s on November 19th at the Sonar in Baltimore, MD and will feature 7 awesome bands to keep your head banging all night!

And who are the wonderful bands you’ll have the pleasure of seeing that evening? Well, let’s start with the headliner:

Benedictum

“Following in the footsteps of such legendary bands as Warrior, Rough Cutt and Psychotic Waltz, BENEDICTUM are San Diego, California’s mightiest ambassadors to the world of heavy metal.

Invoking power reminiscent of early Rainbow and definitive sound of Savatage, BENEDICTUMS’s stylish, epic brand of metal delivers on all fronts: Aggressive riffs, fierce rhythms, strong melodies, shredding leads and delicate textures converge at the crossroads of tradition and 21st century innovation. Veronica Freeman’s vocal gymnastics are the pit-bull on the pant leg of heavy metal.”

Benedictum, veterans of FotV II and III, have released three albums to date. Their latest, Dominion, came out in February and was even featured on VH1′s That Metal Show as the Pick of the Week!

Benedictum are:

• Veronica Freeman – Vocals
• Pete Wells – Guitar
• Chris Shrum – Bass
• Mikey Pannone – Drums
• Tony Diaz – Keys

Check out Benedictum on their official website or their facebook page!

DesDemon

“Hailing from the dormant NYC metal scene, is Radtone recording artists DesDemon . Fronted by the dynamic siren, Ms. Chelsea Knaack, this symphonic metal band is poised to become an international sensation.”

DesDemon have been touring with Benedictum on their Path of the Valkyries tour. Their debut full-length, Through the Gates, was released this past summer and features guests such as Tim “Ripper” Owens, Sander Gommans, Joe Stump, and Amanda Somerville.

DesDemon is:

• Chelsea Knaack – Lead Vocals
• Frank Tosi – Guitar and Vocals
• Ron Porcelli – Bass and Vocals
• Nick Gati – Keys, Orchestration, and Vocals
• Justin Banarello – Drums and Percussion

Make sure to follow check out the band’s official website and ‘like’ them on facebook!

Echoterra

Originally formed by Jonah W (Pyramaze) and Yan Leviathan (Avian) in 2007, Echoterra gained the attention of many a female-fronted metal fan when they added Melissa Ferlaak, ex-Visions of Atlantis, to their ranks in 2009. Their symphonic power metal prowess has since then cemented their reputation as an overall fantastic band. Echoterra just released their newest album Land of the Midnight Sun this past October along with a video for the song “All the Lies.” This is the first album with Melissa on vocals.

Echoterra are:

• Melissa Ferlaak – Vocals
• Jonah W. – Keys and Orchestrations
• Yan Leviathan – Guitars
• Adam Sagan – Drums

Follow Echoterra on their official facebook page!

BRaVE

BRaVE is a progressive female-fronted rock/metal band hailing from the DC area. Their latest album, Monuments, is a culmination of their 10+ years together as a band and is their most accurate musical expression to date. Festival promoter Bobbie Dickerson has had her eye on this band for a while and finally got the chance to bring them to the FotV stage this year.

The band’s frontwoman, Michelle, commented, “We are thrilled and honored to be a part of the Flight of the Valkyries V festival this year.  Each year the festival brings such a high quality array of bands and we are so honored to be asked to play this year.  The tradition of this festival will no doubt continue for many years to come.”

BRaVE are:

• Michelle Loose – Vocals
• Scott Loose – Guitar
• Matt Kozar – Guitar
• Trevor Schrotz – Drums
• Suvo Sur – Violin
• Ben Kelly – Bass

Check out the band’s official website and ‘like’ their facebook page!

Cassandra Syndrome

“Hailing from Maryland, Cassandra Syndrome is a female-fronted operatic metal band. This passionate, engaging act strikes the perfect balance between playful and sinister. Cassandra Syndrome is an intimate theater of darkness and seduction.

Eschewing the synthesizer-laden stereotypes of symphonic metal, Cassandra Syndrome (formed in 2005) revolutionizes the genre with a unique blend of axe-heavy melodic metal and operatic vocals. The powerful alliance of Joe Cariola’s punishing bass, scathing riffs of Jen Tonon’s rhythm guitar, and throbbing beats of Jay Jericho’s drums create a driving ground assault which weakens your defenses before being met by the searing lead lines of guitarist Chris Kackley. Above it all, radiant as Angelic Death, the resplendent soprano of Irene Jericho soars above the battlefield.”

These FotV vets are happy to be back, and no doubt will bring us a memorable performance! The band is currently promoting their second album, Satire X.

Cassandra Syndrome are:

• Irene Jericho – Vocals
• Chris Kackley – Lead Guitar
• Joe Cariola – Bass
• Jen Tonon – Rhythm guitar
• Jay Jericho – Drums

Check out Cassandra Syndrome’s official website and their facebook page!

Flames of Fury

“Flames of Fury (FoF) began in the Spring of 2009. Guitarist Jason Perez teamed up with metal vocalist powerhouse, Angelica Vargas. Both veterans of the NYC music scene they set out to create their vision of uncompromising metal. 

The music was purposely designed as a blend of power, speed and musical chops with soaring, melodic vocals in a classic metal format with contemporary influences. The result exceeded their expectations so they decided to form a full band in order to pursue a future for FoF.”

Noted for their awesome stage performances, Flames of Fury are sure to be a hit at this year’s installment of FotV!

Flames of Fury are:

• Angelica Vargas – Lead Vocals
• Jason Perez – Lead Guitars, Vocals
• Marko Galic – Guitars
• Jimmy Peruta – Drums & Explosions
• Richard Mollo – Bass

Follow Flames of Fury on their official website or their facebook page!

Serpent Witch

Newcomers to the east-coast metal scene, Maryland’s Serpent Witch  combines doom and traditional heavy metal with a hint of blues to offer their own take on metal. No doubt they’ll impress us all at this year’s festival!

Serpent Witch are:

• Starr Piazza – Vocals
• Dave Mazzitti – Guitar
• Eric Taib – Bass
• Video Bill – Drums

Make sure to ‘like’ them on facebook!

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Convinced yet? Make sure you buy your tickets soon! Doors are at 4pm (2pm for VIP badge holders), and tickets are $20 ($55 for VIP tickets). Don’t miss out! Buy your tickets here!

For more info on the Flight of the Valkyries Festival, visit www.flightofthevalkyries.com or email the promoter Bobbie Dickerson, at bobbie@blackrosemetalheart.com.

See you guys there!

~ Max

Our November 2011 Band of the Month Is…

Dama

Well, these Band of the Month Polls get more and more interesting each time!  The leader for this month’s honor changed three (maybe four) times. And just when it appeared that Greek symphonic metallers Meden Agan had wrapped up the win, fans of the Italian gothic metal band Dama answered with a vengeance. And now, we can announce that Dama is Unleash the Furies’ Band of the Month for November 2011!

Click here to visit of Band of the Month page on Dama.

And here are the complete results for the poll:

1. Dama: 1371 votes (34.4%)
2. Meden Agan: 1295 votes (32.49%)
3. Van Canto: 675 votes (16.93%)
4. Crysalys: 337 votes (8.45%)
5. Dylath-Leen: 166 votes (4.16%)
6. Autumn: 142 votes (3.56%)

Here are our nominees for Band of the Month Poll for December 2011:

• Adrana, an operatic meal band from Tours, France. Adrana released its second full-length album, The Ancient Realms, in September and have a number of local gigs lined up before the end of the year.
• Cardamon, an alternative metal band from Utrecht, Netherlands. Cardamon will hold a CD release party at Poppodium de Peppel in Zeist (Netherlands) on November 26 and perform their new album, Sun As Never, in its entirety.
• Devilskin, a modern metal band from Hamilton, New Zealand. This relatively young band is fronted by Jennie Skulander, the ex-vocalist of Slipping Tongue.
• Nemesea, an alternative rock band from Groningen, Netherlands.  Nemesea’s third album, The Quiet Resistance, will come out this month via Napalm Records.
  
• Trillium, the rock/metal project of American-born singer-songwriter Amanda Somerville. Trillium’s debut album, Alloy, was released today (November 1) in North America and will be released on November 4 in Europe, both through Frontiers Records.

To cast your vote, visit our WordPress site and scroll down to find the poll on the right-hand sidebar. Voting closes on Wednesday, November 30, and you can vote once a day!

Also, our sincere apologies for posting our BotM content late this month.  We had some technical issues due to some recent bad weather in the United States (where we’re based). Thanks very much for your patience and understanding!

Which bands would you like to see featured in our next Band of the Month Poll? Let us know by sending an email to unleashthefuriesmetal@gmail.com!

~ Sara