Welcome to the latest Soundmass.com Update. We are pleased to announce the signing of folk metal band OSKORD for the release of their album "Weapon of Hope" on the Soundmass label. The history of Oskord begins in the ruins of successful Ukrainian band Holy Blood. As part of Holy Blood, the members of Oskord worked together for 5 years, during which they recorded 4 albums and performed around Europe. After all the members of Holy Blood except frontman Fedor left the band in 2008, guitarist Sergey Nagorny, bassist Alex Andrushchenko and drummer Dmitry Titorenko, full of energy and creativity and not wanting to give up music, decided to continue working together. They immediately recruited Andrey Yakovenko who had begun playing flute and bouzouki at the last few Holy Blood concerts. Gathering together for their first rehearsal on August 11, 2008, Oskord was born. By spring 2009 they had begun recording their debut album, recruiting vocalist Grigory Nazarov, familiar for his work in Coram Deo, in September 2009. In October 2010 they completed work on their debut album "Weapon of Hope". "Weapon of Hope" is a combination of modern metal and folk that incorporates ethnic instruments like the flute, tin and low whistles and bouzouki. Their sound will appeal to fans of Eluveitie and Holy Blood, but for a better idea of what to expect head over to the Oskord website or MySpace to hear the song “Salvation Ark” and watch the recording studio video for “Serpent of Brass”: www.oskord.com & www.myspace.com/oskord

If you like what you hear, we have made Oskord “Weapon Of Hope” available for pre-order at http://downloads.soundmass.com and www.soundmass.com, where you can also hear samples of every song off the album. As a bonus, everybody who pre-orders a physical CD of “Weapon Of Hope” from http://downloads.soundmass.com will immediately receive a free instant download of the album to listen to until they receive their copy in the mail in early September. Included with the Oskord download is the full artwork (including lyrics) in PDF format.

While you’re at it, don’t forget to order the brand new TERRAPHOBIA album “Evilution” which is now in stock. You can either order it from our Europe-based website Soundmass Downloads - http://downloads.soundmass.com – in which case you will immediately receive a free instant download of the album to listen to until you receive your physical copy in the mail. Alternatively, you can order it from our Australia-based website - http://www.soundmass.com – where there are more payment options. Both websites have samples of every song on “Evilution” for you to listen to.

In other news, we have the following new releases in stock:

SAVIOUR MACHINE: 1990 Demo - 20th Anniversary (Ltd. Ed.)
A HILL TO DIE UPON: Omens
SKIES: Bane And Rebirth
RAMMAS ATAS: Til Life Do Us Part

We’re also taking pre-orders for these new releases:

DEUTERONOMIUM: Deathbed Poetry - Hope Against Hope
KREYSON: Angel On The Run (re-issue)
KREYSON: Crusaders (re-issue)

Here is the full list of all the items that we have added to our webstore since our last Update:

AU$17 Bloodgood: To Germany, With Love (Ltd. Ed.) NEW CD
AU$7 Bride: Oddities USED CD
AU$10 Bride: The Best Of USED CD
AU$9 Bride: The Jesus Experience USED CD
AU$10 Chicago Is Burning: American Outlaw NEW CD
AU$17 Crystavox: The 20 Year Mix (CD/DVD dbl.) NEW CD
AU$7 Disobedience: Of Shadows And Mercy (e.p.) NEW CD
AU$18 The Famine: The Architects Of Guilt USED CD
AU$7 Heaven's Rage: Temporary USED CD
AU$18 Illuminandi: Illumina Tenebras Meas NEW CD
AU$18 Illuminandi: In Via NEW CD
AU$19 Jerusalem: Classics 2 NEW CD
AU$19 Jerusalem: Prophet NEW CD
AU$20 Jerusalem: She NEW CD
AU$13 Mass: '84 Unchained NEW CD
AU$15 Pylon: Doom NEW CD
AU$19 Rammas Atas: Til Life Do Us Part NEW CD
AU$16 Saviour Machine: 1990 Demo - 20th Anniversary (Ltd. Ed.) NEW CD
AU$35 Saviour Machine: 1990 Demo - 20th Anniversary (Ltd. Ed.) NEW Record
AU$15 Skies: Bane And Rebirth NEW CD
AU$13 Ken Tamplin: An Axe To Grind/Soul Survivor USED CD
AU$15 Tempest: Lost In The Storm (Ltd. Ed.) USED CD
AU$17 Terraphobia: Evilution NEW CD
AU$17 Trytan: Celestial Messenger NEW CD

MAINSTREAM/ROCK/POP

AU$10 Petra: No Doubt USED CD
AU$12 Petra: Unseen Power USED CD

As usual, please make all orders online via our easy-to-use and secure shopping cart.