Finnish atmospheric folk/acoustic act Nest has signed a record deal with Italian label Avantgarde Music. Nest was formed in the summer of 1999, mainly focusing on the use of the Kantele, a traditional Finnish instrument. The project, led by multi-instrumentalist and visual artist Aslak Tolonen (also a member of Syven and several others), has always kept a shy behaviour, releasing three studio albums over the quarter of a century and playing selected live gigs.
Nest records have always been quite hard to find, due to releases in very small runs and limited distribution. This is about to change, as Avantgarde Music will re-release all Nest albums and EP's, and distribute them worldwide both on CD and, for the very first time, on vinyl.
The sound on this re-releases is revisited and improved in numerous ways. The original had an ascetic dry sound, that has now been made voluminous and the aural dimensions have been expanded significantly - without compromising the original material and keeping its spirit intact.
The four instalments will be released at different times. Fabled Lore / Hidden Stream, the first two EP's officially released in 2000 and 2001, will be the first re-released on 14 June. Link

UK gothic rock newcomers Vampire Valentine present “In The Dark”, the debut single from their forthcoming self‑titled album, set for release on 28 August via Morella Records. Arriving...
Symphonic/progressive metal collective Ignea have unleashed the first single and video from their forthcoming body of work, Monumental. The track, "Dreams Of Lands Unseen", shares its...
Swiss modern/symphonic metallers Illumishade strike out into new territory with their latest video single, "Paralyzed". A dark, pulsating testament to the group's individuality, the track...
The Italian darkwave/post‑punk duo Seek Validation Loop (S.V.L.) have released their debut single “Dead Letter”, accompanied by an evocative and visually arresting official music video.
"They wrote that we wanted to influence people's minds with our bagpipes so that they would be willing to attack the police." - Irdorath
"I find it really bizarre, because right after the concert, you're already on the internet. I mean, come on. It's very different from how it used to be, but it's fine." - Anja Huwe
"With this approach, we're in the minority nowadays, but it's precisely this niche and the emotions that were..." - Arkadiusz Wachowicz
"We paused our work as I was grieving heavily, but once we returned to it, things took on a whole new meaning." - LV Darkling
