The five piece rock band has signed with North Carolina record label Revival Recordings (owned by Shawn Milke of Alesana). For the Dearly Departed is the band’s debut with the label. It’s a short and sweet six song EP produced by Mike and engineered/mixed by Neil Engle at Adelaide Recording Studios in Raleigh.

When the EP launches on September 23rd the band will be on the Chaos Is A Ladder tour with sensational acts Alesana, Megosh, and The Things They Carried.

The band consists of Lee Jennings on vocals, Juergie Landstrom on guitar and vocals, AJ Pekarek on guitar, Chris King on bass, and Stephen Danzey on drums. The band is based out of Atlanta, Georgia.

I’m giving For the Dearly Departed five skulls all the way! What I look for in rock is creativity, originality, and passion, and this band delivers all of that in spades. Vocalist Lee Jennings stands out for me, but vocals are my weak spot. I love the vocal range, the raw emotion, and the blending of harsh and rough screamo. The band holds true in blending rock and roll, heavy metal, and theater opera antics. I love the dramatic feel to the songs. As an avid lover of the theater and opera, I find myself taken into a high-paced journey in every song.

Strong emotions have always fueled music, and with this album specifically I feel so much loss and grief, which is very reminiscent of operas, but it’s delivered in such a hauntingly beautiful manner you don’t completely realize you are listening to such a sad message. The album reminds me of Saosin, and older Alexis on Fire. I am also brought into tones influenced by strong opera-metal bands such as Nightwish.

You can keep up with The Funeral Portrait on Facebook.

Nonetheless, there are some interesting arrangements on The Funeral Portrait’s debut EP, For the Dearly Departed , but it’s nothing Earth-shattering or original. In fact, much of this “theater rock” band’s material echoes a lot of what My Chemical Romance did 10 years ago. And where are they? Are they out there proving Gene Simmons wrong?

If you’re interested in hearing For the Dearly Departed now, you can stream the EP in the player above. Other than that, the EP comes out on September 23rd.

Rock Hard \m/

FRANCE – French experimental heavy metal quartet, Hypno5e, has launched a pre-order for the band’s upcoming sophomore release, Acid Mist Tomorrow, via their official Hypno5e Bandcamp page. The album can be pre-ordered in the CD format or as a CD/merchandise bundle pack. Fans who pre-order the album this month will receive their copy weeks before the official digital release date on February 22nd.

Hypno5e recently unveiled the album’s title track, which has garnered instant acclaim across the Internet from fans and critics alike:

“We haven’t heard the whole album yet, but assuming that the title track is representative of the rest of the album, I’m looking at a Top 15 entry for this year for sure,” wrote MetalSucks.net.

“The 10-minute experimental/progressive metal track ranges from Gojira-like intensity and aggression to beautifully haunting atmosphere,” commented HeavyBlogIsHeavy.com. “I’m sure this album will end up on some Best Of 2012 lists.”

Check out the debut single, “Acid Mist Tomorrow,” we’re sure it will move you. Also, check out the teaser trailer for the album:

Acid Mist Tomorrow Track List

1. “Acid Mist Tomorrow”
2. “Six Fingers In One Hand She holds the dawn Part I”
3. “Six Fingers In One Hand She holds the dawn Part II”
4. “Story Of The Eye”
5. “Gehenne Part I”
6. “Gehenne Part II”
7. “Gehenne Part III”
8. “Brume Unique Obscurité Part I”
9. “Brume Unique Obscurité Part II”

Acid Mist Tomorrow was produced, mixed, and mastered by Hypno5e and Benoit Pouzol at Studio La Chévre and Belberoad Studio. The album’s artwork comes courtesy of Hypno5e drummer, Thibault Lamy.

Hypno5e is:

Emmanuel Jessua – Guitar, lead vocals
Thibault Lamy – Drums, samples
Jonathan Maurois – Guitar
Gredin – Bass, backing vocals

Rock Hard!