Band Promotion

The music industry is forever changing, and so is the way you promote music

Personally, I think getting reviews is the hardest part as many websites are flooded with reviews and don't always have the time to cover everything. So here is an alternative to this

The Very Free Option

We’ll give your music away for free to everyone on our mailing list (via Drop Box)

Your music will need to be sent to us via Drop Box (setting up an account is free) and have all of the tracks labelled correctly and we recommend sending it at 320kbps – MP3 format

The Very Cheap Option

Free Distribution via Bandcamp and Drop Box

We spread your music worldwide, via Bandcamp and/or Drop Box

(Drop Box is always free, limits apply on Bandcamp to 100 free downloads a month)

We also include a pdf file with your biography, contact details and website links

Facebook Marketing

We publicise your music via the relevant groups on Facebook

Newsletter Marketing

Everyone on our mailing list gets a monthly email with links to your music

Pre-release Promotion

Got an album or EP coming out? We’ll promote one track ahead of the release

Free Digital Distribution (optional)

Via iTunes, Amazon etc… as well as streaming on sites such as Spotify

You’ll receive 75% of all royalties received

You Tube Video

We include one of your tracks and promote it on You Tube

Forum Promotion

As with Facebook, we post where your music is most relevant

Concert Promotion

UK ONLY: We’ll pass your links/music onto live concert promoters

Label Promotion

We also pass your music onto certain labels, but with no guarantees of getting signed

That also includes the better bands being forwarded onto at least one major label

Airplay

No guarantees here, but we forward your release onto various radio stations and podcasts for possible airplay

We’ll spread your music for free via Drop Box for a full 12 months

Online promotion is for a 3 month period

All of this for just £10 for a basic album or EP. Which is approximately $15 or 14 Euro’s

All interested bands, please contact me at: steve@sixsixsixmusic.com

And I'll only accept bands with good production. To be honest, I can't justify spending the time on something that still needs work on

And if you want to be added to my mailing list to receive free music, just send an email to the email address above with "Mailing List" in the subject line

 

Optional Extras

Cheap Album Artwork

We only charge 50% of our normal prices if you require album artwork

Prices start at £5 for an album cover and just £2.50 for a cd design

Intelligent Interview

We interview your band and include that with the downloads, you are also free to use the interview for promotional purposes if you wish

Review submissions

We send your music around the world and send you links to all reviews

CD Duplication

We can offer very competitive rates – Best for UK as the postage is cheaper

Helvete 2: Total Destruction

The second Helvete compilation is now available via Bandcamp and is available as Name Your Price, so you can get it for free, if you wish

https://sixsixsixmusic.bandcamp.com/album/helvete-volume-2-total-destruction 

The bands on the compilation are:

Aklash - UK

https://www.facebook.com/aklashmusic

Aornos - Hungary

https://www.facebook.com/aornosblackmetal 

Avulsion Rupture - UK

https://www.facebook.com/AvulsionRuptureMetal 

Burnt Offering - Kyrgyzstan/Russia/Ukraine

https://www.facebook.com/burntofferingbm 

Darktimes - Slovakia

https://darktimesovchaos.bandcamp.com/ 

Eternal Spell - Chile

https://soundcloud.com/tons666/ 

GoatChrist - UK

https://www.facebook.com/goatchristband 

Heaven Abhorred - USA

https://www.facebook.com/NordicOath6 

Lifeless - Mexico

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Lifeless/177218469035259 

Maledikta - Indonesia

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Maledikta-official/187644374748349 

Solveig - Portugal

https://www.facebook.com/solveigband 

Southern Warfront - Brazil

https://www.facebook.com/SouthernWarfront 

The 135 - France

https://www.facebook.com/LodgeOf135 

Torver - UK

https://www.facebook.com/Torver666 

Windstille - Mexico

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCYpFkZEtKV1VuTmb5KG2jxg 

Metal Legions Podcast

The new Metal Legions podcast in now online

http://metallegions.podbean.com/

Episode 1:

Kampfar - Mylder

Arkona - Stenka Na Stenku

Album Of The Week

Torver - Lunar Ritual

Arcane North - Invoke The Spirit of The North

Buy the cd here:

http://blackwoodproductions.bigcartel.com/product/bwp001-torver-arcane-north-from-moonrise-to-moonset-split-cd

Melechesh - Lost Tribes Featuring Max Cavalera

The 135 - We Are Legion

Southern Warfront - Pure Blasphemy

Helvete 2: Free via Bandcamp

https://sixsixsixmusic.bandcamp.com/album/helvete-volume-2-total-destruction

Witchmaster - Black Leather

Moonspell - Alma Mater

Morgoth - Under The Surface

Woods of Ypres - Through Chaos and Solitude I Came

Reclvse - Of Many Names

Into The Unknown

Sågverk - Naru

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Sågverk/186537798167700

Apocrophex - Designs Not Derived From Man

Cries Of Your Sins - Endless Fog 

Saboter - Eye Of Terror

Major Changes

As of now, I won't be reviewing anymore albums and demos etc... on this blog

I have to manage my time better and I've not had the time I would have liked to dedicate to the blog since the turn of the year. So from Sunday, March 1st, I'll be launching a new weekly podcast, which will feature new tracks from unsigned/underground bands.

So I'll still be supporting underground bands, but in a different format.
I'll post the address of the new podcast once I sort the site out etc.. which will be in the next 7 days

All of my writing will now be for Metal Legions, which is a new print mag I'm launching, which is about 2 months behind schedule. I should have a 12 page test copy next week, and then I can finish the rest of the layout, once I check the colours etc...

So until the next update, here's a free compilation I've just launched

Helvete Volume 2 : Total Destruction
https://sixsixsixmusic.bandcamp.com/album/helvete-volume-2-total-destruction

This blog will still be active, but it'll mainly feature news about my Podcast and magazine

February Reviews Round-Up

Sorry, I've been a bit slack with the blog recently. I've been stretching myself a little thin with the various projects I have on the go right now.

So here are some reviews, with another batch pencilled in for next weekend

Aethyr

There are very few definitive genres any more as bands continue to experiment and the number of styles incorporated into one album, continues to grow and grow.

A perfect example of this are Russian “Doomsters” Arthyr. Doom may be the over-riding genre used when describing the band, but throw in Shoegaze / Post Black Metal, Ambient / Drone (possibly with a Winston Churchill speech backdrop) , hints of Black Metal as well as groove laden Doom and a slower, more ponderous form of the genre and it’s a big mixing bowl of delights. The average song length is just over 7 minutes, with 2 tracks clocking in at over 10 minutes, so there’s a lot of style shifting and boundary hopping going on. But overall, you’d probably describe Corpus as a gloomy album.

I need to be in the mood to listen to Doom, mainly as I tend to listen to music while I work, and Doom isn’t the best style for improving productivity. But this album has enough subtle twists to keep my attention and the delivery of the bands ideas are top notch.

The album is out Feb 19th and is well worth checking out

https://www.facebook.com/aethyrband

https://www.facebook.com/CimmerianShadeRecordings

Nihilistinen Barbaarisuus

Here are a couple of releases from Nihilistinen Barbaarisuus. The band are based in the US, but have a guy (Mika Mage) from Finland at the helm. So the band sound more European, than they do American.

With a new album on the way shortly, it’s time to dust off the bands output from 2012 and 2013.

To be honest, both releases could be good. But the muddy production ruins whatever chance these releases had.

Musically, this is Black Metal mixed with atmospheric  / ambient parts. The 2 styles rarely mingle, one tends to follow the other. With the more atmospheric parts, having the better sound. And at times they remind me of early Burzum.

So it’s the Black Metal parts that let down these releases. What’s on offer could be very promising, and it seems to be very well put together and full of Scandinavian pride. But I’m not a fan of this kind of production as it lacks any power and the drum machine sound is dire, at best.

The two tracks from the Väinämöinen EP are an improvement from the previous years effort, so there is a chink of light to be found. But they really need to improve their sound if they are to progress from here.

https://www.facebook.com/nihilistinenbarbaarisuus

Phantasmal

I’m really digging this 3 tracker from US duo Phantasmal. This is bullshit free, Heavy Metal with Thrash and Black Metal influences and it’s a perfect blend of all three genres.

The aggression is reigned in, but it still bears the hallmarks of classic 80s Thrash & Metal, a bit like Destruction, Mercyful Fate and NWOBHM forged together in fist pumping metallic unity.  Its old school and it makes you feel nostalgic while listening to it. Which is always a good thing, as far as I’m concerned, as a lot of the older bands are fading away, we need new blood like Phantasmal to keep the flame alive.

The production could do with a couple of tweaks, but overall this is a very satisfying debut demo.

 https://www.facebook.com/phantasmalmetal

The Passion Of Our Souls

The Passion Of Our Souls are a duo. Samuli Tuomas Mäkelä who handles the music and female singer Julia Mattila, who provides growls as well as clean singing.

Musically, this is melodic fare, somewhere around the catchier end of Death Metal. The vocals are harsh during the verses and pop-tastically catchy during the choruses. And that the deal with TPOOS (damn name is too long to type each time) Melodic Death with pop choruses.

The formula is ok. Julia has a good voice for both styles, but my major gripe is that they do the same on each song. Growl, growl, growl, happy, happy, happy.

TPOOS have got everything just about right, apart from the song-writing. None of the 4 songs on offer are bad, they just need to break away from the predictable formula they’ve employed as it wears thin pretty quickly as you know what to expect as every song is written the same way.

https://www.facebook.com/ThePassionOfOurSouls

Victims of Contagion

Victims of Contagion hail from Pittsburgh, USA and they’re purveyors of Technical Death. They’ve supported a number of notable Death Metal bands and one track on this EP feature a guitar solo from Death’s Bobby Koelble, so it wouldn’t be a surprise if these guys started knocking on a few doors on their quest for World domination.

Everything about this release screams class, especially when they throw in a little acoustic salsa (?) snippet into Terminal Evolution and it seems like a natural fit. This may be technical, but everything flows in a progressive manner and it’s not ruined by endless twists and turns. And their obvious talents aren’t overshadowed by over the top fret wankery, they’ve got the balance just about right. The flashier bits are mainly tasteful solos and the aforementioned acoustic groove. They really know how to construct a good song.

A few years ago, Victims of Contagion would have been snapped up by the likes of Metal Blade, but with a different music industry in play today, it would be a shame if the band were overlooked. But I’m sure their hard work won’t be in vein.

Check em out via Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/victimsofcontagion  

or on Bandcamp: https://victimsofcontagion-official.bandcamp.com/releases

2015 - First Reviews

Bloody hell, I'm a bit behind with my reviewing. I spent more time in the gym over the Christmas period than I did in front of my computer. So here's my first batch of 2015. Plus a couple of links to video clips I've been told about the past week

Abbess

Welcome to the secretive world of Abbess. Their debut release is self titled and the songs are simply marked in Roman numerals, I to VII

I contacted the band via Bandcamp as I couldn’t find any info online about them. And here’s the info I got back. “Two of the members live in Western Maryland in the mountains, and one lives in West Virginia not too far away.”

So now you know as much as I do.

And I guess that makes this album just a little more intriguing, especially as it’s so fucking good.

Musically, it’s sort of Black Metal. I say sort of, as I hear loads of other styles, which are equally as prominent. And this seamless melding of styles makes it impossible for me to categorise. Which I guess is another plus point for the band. But they offer up wave after wave of rolling riffs, slower, doomier sections to moments of all-out attack and groove laden, head nodding excellence. Basically they just cram a load of different shit together and make it work.

And that’s probably a fair assessment of Abbess. The whole album feels like a huge jam session and you can just imagine the three band members rocking out in an old barn, just laying down the grooves and having a blast.

So there’s no fanfare, no hype, just good music… just as it should be

https://abbessband.bandcamp.com/releases

Apocrophex

I’ve reviewed Apocrophex once before and was impressed with their technical take on Death Metal.

This time around, it’s a harder listen for me. Musically, this is a supreme creation and the sound is absolutely perfect. But generally I have a problem with the flow of more technically minded music, and that’s the case here.

10 out 10 in terms of musicianship and sound, but it’s a hard track for me to digest. But if you’re a fan of Technical Death, then I’m sure you’ll love this.

https://apocrophex.bandcamp.com/

Apocryfal

This beast has been out for just over a year, but has just made its way to me. It matters not that it took a while to reach me, I’m just glad that I’ve not missed out on this gem of a release.

Mastered by the ever reliable Dan Swano, this is a mighty slab of Finnish Blackened Death, with the emphasis on the Death Metal side of things. Basically it rips you a new asshole from start to finish (no puns that I should have said start to Finnish…..)

The band stated that they wanted to keep the sound raw, but the production as clean as possible. And they’ve achieved that aim rather wonderfully. The sound is very clean, but they’ve captured the energy and spite needed to make this succeed.

Regular readers of this blog will know I’m not the Worlds biggest Death Metal fan, yet this release has me completely hooked.

Hopefully these guys will go far as they have a genuine talent for what they do

https://www.facebook.com/Apocryfal

https://apocryfal.bandcamp.com/album/aberration-of-mind

NilExistence

Most of these guys were in Disfigured Dead and this promo is basically to announce the new name of the band and a new direction etc…

 And while I agree with the idea of presenting their new band and a fresh sound with a short promo, their new singer, Mark Berlin, joined after they recorded their forthcoming album, so it kind of renders this completely redundant. Especially as he may make the band sound completely different once again.

So, commenting solely on what’s on offer here, I like what I hear. From my limited knowledge of Disfigured Dead, NilExistence seem to have expanded upon the more basic Death Metal sound of their previous band and have matured to include other influences, as well as a few time changes, spoken word parts, more melody etc…

The two songs here are extremely well structured and have many layers, compared to the more one dimensional sound of their previous band. The only area they’ve not improved upon is in the “imagery” department, as this promo has an extremely poor cover. But that’s a very minor quibble, that can be easily ignored.

Their new album should be out in the first half of 2015. Keep an eye on the band via Facebook

https://www.facebook.com/nilexistenceofficial

Stardestroyer

Hailing from Finland, Stardestroyer are a miserable bunch.

I struggled to pin this down to one style on the first couple of listens. It shifts through a few territories, including Doom, 80s Goth and a few Alternative leanings. But I decided in the end that it’s just a damn miserable listen.

I know Finland used to be the suicide capital of the World (no idea if it still is) and that may explain why this album is so bloody morose. The guitars are straight out of 80s Gothdom and they jangle along at a sedentary pace and they just reek of unhappiness. Same deal for the drums and bass. I’m sure there’s a Bauhaus influence in there somewhere, mixed in with a few Doom influences, just to add an extra layer of self loathing.

It’s only the upbeat Stoner groove in Dysphoria that adds any light to this dark palette.

If you want to wallow in the misery, this album is available for free via Bandcamp.  Just keep your wrists protected at all times, because if this doesn’t incite you to consider slitting your wrists, nothing will.

https://stardestroyer1.bandcamp.com/releases

PS: I do actually like this album

And here's a couple of video clips to end the update with

My Hidden Sin

Schöngeist