AN NCS PREMIERE: DISTANT SUN — “ZERO TO HERO” AND “SHATTERED EMPIRE”

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May 262015
 

 

That cover art by W. Smerdulak is still just as awesome as when we posted it the first time. The first time we posted it was a couple of weeks ago when we premiered a song named “Kill the Fremen” from the new album Dark Matter by Russia’s Distant Sun, and today we’re happy to bring you the premiere of two more songs from the new album: “Zero To Hero” and “Shattered Empire“.

If you caught that first song, then you already have a sense of Distant Sun’s knack for fusing elements of speed metal, thrash, and power metal. And if you missed it, you’ll get another introduction right now. “Zero To Hero” is a complete head-rush of immediately infectious jolting riffs, bounding bass lines, and galloping drumwork, with a mix of ragged-edged and clean vocals. Of course, once you dig into the track you know there’s got to be a guitar solo coming — and it’s a blistering one. Continue reading »

AN NCS PREMIERE: DISTANT SUN — “KILL THE FREMEN”

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May 122015
 

 

Is that an awesome album cover or what? It’s by W. Smerdulak (Arkona) and it adorns the forthcoming debut album by Russia’s Distant Sun. To give you a taste of what it holds in store, we deliver the premiere of a song named “Kill the Fremen”.

Distant Sun claim a lot of influences, including Annihilator, Iced Earth, Blind Guardian, and Rage, and their music tends to be a fusion of melodic European power metal and American speed metal and thrash. You’ll get a sense of that from this new song.

The speed-metal riffs are kings on “Kill the Fremen”, but the jolting, galloping, hard-jabbing riffs that are their partners are damned strong, too. Listening to this song is like sticking electrodes right into your ear canals and spinning the power dial up into the red zone. But the band also switch up the tempo and throw in an off-speed melodic segment that enhances the song’s dynamism, which is further embellished by the mix of snarls and clean song in the vocal department. And what’s not to like about a yell-along refrain of “KILL! KILL!”? Continue reading »