Greek progressive metal band, Sunburst, will release their debut album, Fragments Of Creation, on February 26th in Europe and North America via Inner Wound Recordings. The guitar playthrough video for the song “Break The Core” is streaming below.

The sound of Sunburst can be described as Dream Theater meets Nevermore and Conception, and with Fragments Of Creation they show that they are a force to be reckoned with.

Fragments Of Creation tracklisting:

“Out Of The World”
“Dementia”
“Symbol Of Life”
“Reincarnation”
“Lullaby”
“End Of The Game”
“Beyond The Darkest Sun”
“Forevermore”
“Break The Core”
“Remedy Of My Heart”

“Break The Core” guitar playthrough video:

“Out Of The World” video:

“Dementia” video:

Fragments Of Creation (CD + shirt bundle available) can be pre-ordered at this location.

Sunburst are:

Vasilis Georgiou (Black Fate, Innosense) - Vocals
Gus Drax (Biomechanical, Paradox, Black Fate, Suicidal Angels) - Guitars
Kostas Milonas (Blacklegs, N.U.R.V, G.K Group) - Drums
Nick Grey (End Of Innocense, Jailcat) - Bass



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CANDLEBOX, the influential rock band from the powerful '90s Seattle music movement, returns with its long-overdue sixth album, "Disappearing In Airports", on April 22 via Pavement Entertainment. The CD showcases the group's introspective and poetically candid songwriting with their signature musical immediacy. The official lyric video for the first single, "Vexatious", can be seen below.

"Disappearing In Airports" will be available on all digital platforms (iTunes, Amazon, YouTubeRed, Spotify, Pandora, Apple Music) and is distributed by MRI/Sony RED. "'Vexatious' is about the social networking-obsessed, unlimited bragging rights society we live in, where people come off as entitled yet so insecure," says frontman Kevin Martin. "Whether it's a pop star feuding senselessly with another pop star, or people who can't help but to take 50 different selfies in under a minute missing everything that's happening around them, it's a sad commentary on life that we can't escape. Dating apps, bitching apps, secret sharing apps, apps apps apps — they all operate outside of any real or authentic human connection. It's disconnect everywhere and it's destroying us. No one cares what anyone else thinks or feels. It's all 'me, me, me' and, if you ask me, it's fucking sad." Formed in Seattle in 1991, CANDLEBOX went quadruple platinum with their 1993 self-titled debut and released two more acclaimed and top-selling albums (1995's "Lucy" and 1998's "Happy Pills") before going on a hiatus in 2000. CANDLEBOX regrouped with a 2006 tour, then put out "Into The Sun" in 2008, followed by 2012's "Love Stories & Other Musings".

For "Disappearing In Airports", the band worked with producers Carson Slovak and Grant McFarland (AUGUST BURNS RED, EVERCLEAR, RIVERS OF NIHIL), cutting the record at Think Loud Studios in York, Pennsylvania. With Martin, Dave Krusen on drums, Adam Kury on bass and the addition of guitarists Mike Leslie and Brian Quinn, the recommitment to creating music that is "pissed and urgent" as well as bringing a new energy to the live show is at this record's core. CANDLEBOX's world tour will kick off in April, including performances at festivals such as Lollapalooza Chile, Welcome To Rockville and Carolina Rebellion.

CANDLEBOX tour dates:

Apr. 01 - Louisville, KY @ Mercury BallroomApr. 02 - Cincinnati, OH @ Bogart'sApr. 03 - Indianapolis, IN @ The VogueApr. 05 - Dallas, TX @ Trees Apr. 07 - Houston, TX @ Scout BarApr. 08 - San Antonio, TX @ Fitzgerald'sApr. 09 - Tyler, TX @ Click'sApr. 10 - Lubbock, TX @ Jake's BackroomApr. 12 - El Paso, TX @ Speaking Rock Entertainment CenterApr. 13 - Tucson, AZ @ Rialto TheatreApr. 16 - San Francisco, CA @ Slim'sApr. 19 - Butte, MT @ Butte DepotApr. 20 - Billings, MT @ Pub StationApr. 22 - Denver, CO @ Marquis TheaterApr. 23 - Pueblo, CO @ Pueblo Memorial HallApr. 26 - Little Rock, AR @ MetroplexApr. 27 - Monroe, LA @ Live OaksApr. 28 - Baton Rouge, LA @ Varsity TheatreApr. 30 - Jacksonville, FL @ Welcome to RockvilleMay 03 - Annapolis, MD @ Rams Head TavernMay 05 - Nashville, TN @ 12th and PorterMay 06 - Charlotte, NC @ Carolina RebellionMay 07 - Marietta, OH @ The Adelphia Music Hall

SLIPKNOT frontman Corey Taylor has clarified his recent comments in which he said that "might step away" from the band at some point in the future.

Asked on the "Someone Who Isn't Me" podcast if he thought he will ever get "tired of touring," Taylor replied, "Honestly, if you'd asked me a year ago, I would have said no. But… I'm just kind of starting to. I'm forty-two; I'm not young anymore. And as willing as my will is, I'm just beat up, man. I mean, I might as well be sixty in SLIPKNOT years, for Christ's sake."

Taylor added: "I don't know if I would retire. I might step away from SLIPKNOT at some point, just because the way the music is, and that sense of energy, I don't know if I could be able to do that into my fifties. And I would never want the band to feel like I was holding them back, because I just couldn't physically do it. So that means I wouldn't completely quit music; I would probably just step away from SLIPKNOT."

After his original comments were picked up by various web sites, Taylor took to his Twitter account to explain what he meant. He said: "I'M NOT QUITTING SLIPKNOT. Listen to/read interviews IN CONTEXT not out. I talk about time off. This is why I dislike 'cut n paste' journos."

During the "Someone Who Isn't Me" interview, Taylor also discussed how the band might progress musically in the coming years, saying, "At some point, we'll have to evolve again. 'Cause we've evolved with every album… I think, in the future, we'll make it less about the angst and the insanity and more about the creativity."

SLIPKNOT has hinted that its next studio effort could be a double concept album. The group's last set, ".5: The Gray Chapter", came out in late 2014 and was the band's first effort in six years, following the 2010 death of bassist Paul Gray and the 2013 dismissal of drummer Joey Jordison.

Taylor's main focus in 2017 will be STONE SOUR, which has fourteen new songs written and recorded in demo form for the follow-up to the band's 2012/2013 double concept album, "House Of Gold And Bones".

I'M NOT QUITTING SLIPKNOT.Listen to/read interviews IN CONTEXT not out. I talk about time off. This is why I dislike 'cut n paste' journos.

— MEGA-GEEK MELTDOWN!! (@CoreyTaylorRock) February 25, 2016

On March 25, Swedish metal kings AMON AMARTH will unleash their tenth studio album, "Jomsviking", via Metal Blade in North America and Sony Music internationally.

"Jomsviking" — the first concept record in AMON AMARTH's storied career — tells a tragic tale of love and revenge, backed by the Swedes' trademark melodic, anthemic metal, which was produced and mixed once again by Andy Sneap (MEGADETH, TESTAMENT, ACCEPT) and also features special guest session drummer Tobias Gustafsson (VOMITORY). The epic original story is set in the world of the Jomsvikings, the legendary order of mercenary Vikings.

Speaking to Greg Prato of Songfacts, AMON AMARTH frontman Johan Hegg stated about "Jomsviking": "First of all, it's a concept album, which we've never done before. So there is a story that goes through the whole album chronologically, which also gives it a slightly more epic touch to the songs."

He continued: "We went about it differently: writing songs for the album was sort of like writing movie music. That gives it a lot more direction, which really lifts the whole thing, compared to older AMON AMARTH albums. There is more room for melodies and riffs, to take place without having to drop any of the aggressiveness, which I really enjoy. Also, we have a new drummer on the recording whose style is different from Fredrik's [Andersson, former AMON AMARTH drummer]. So there are a couple of major differences, but it still sounds very much like AMON AMARTH. I don't think any fans of AMON AMARTH are going to be disappointed. "

Asked about the album's storyline, Hegg said: "The story I have been thinking about writing for a long time, I just never really got around to it. It was sort of a private project for me, but for this album, I just had to start writing this script and show the guys the pieces and a concept album to make, and they said it was cool, so we went for it."

He added: "The story is very intriguing: it's a story about a man who commits a murder, and has to flee. And in doing so, he joins a group of Viking mercenaries called the Jomsvikings, and he becomes one of them. In short terms, that is kind of what happens. I based my story — which is the general story — on the saga of the Jomsvikings, which is an old Norse legend written around the 12th century. There is a lot of brutality and treachery and violence in it, but it's a pretty cool story."

By far AMON AMARTH's most ambitious project to date, "Jomsviking" is available for pre-order in various formats now at AmonAmarth.com, where fans can also view the video for the album's first single, "First Kill". Produced by Grupa 13 and directed by Darek Szermanowicz (BEHEMOTH), "First Kill" was filmed in Gohrweide (Germany) and Warsaw (Poland) and features a cinematic depiction of the violent, brutal lyrics, along with powerful live footage of the band performing with their full dragon head and pyro stage set.

"Jomsviking" track listing:

01. First Kill02. Wanderer03. On A Sea Of Blood04. One Against All05. Raise Your Horns06. The Way Of Vikings07. At Dawn's First Light08. One Thousand Burning Arrows09. Vengeance Is My Name (bonus track - for digibook, digital, LP, and viking ship editions)10. A Dream That Cannot Be (feat. Doro Pesch)11. Back On Northern Shores

Following "Jomsviking"'s release, AMON AMARTH will tour North America with fellow Swedes ENTOMBED A.D. and young USA metal upstarts EXMORTUS.

SOILWORK frontman Björn "Speed" Strid is featured in the latest episode of FreqsTV's "Anchors To Asphalt", an extreme metal tour documentary series.

In the episode, which can be seen below, Strid takes FreqsTV out on the road to witness the band's live energy, reveals the secret behind the "Soilwork Classic Hour" and talks about the difficult decision to continue the SOILWORK tour after the Bataclan terrorist attacks in Paris.

Said Strid: "We pretty recently came home, so we had just about three weeks in between to rest up and recharge our batteries. And then, obviously, it was pretty rough coming home and everything that happened in Paris as well. I was really looking forward to the tour, but, obviously, it made me worried, just like for anybody else."

He added: "I don't know what else to do. I mean, we could have canceled this tour, but then, you know, it can happen two years from now, five years from now, the same thing. Who knows? You can't really protect yourself from these things. So we made the decision [to] keep going and [do] this tour, and so far it's been really, really good."

SOILWORK's tenth studio album, "The Ride Majestic", was released worldwide on August 28, 2015 via Nuclear Blast.

Joining SOILWORK on tour in support of the effort is new bassist Markus Wibom, formerly of Helsingborg hardcore group HEARTS ALIVE. Wibom replaces longtime bandmember Ola Flink, who amicably left the group to focus on other endeavors. Wibom has been a personal friend of the band for many years and has previously toured with SOILWORK as a guitar tech and lighting designer. Wibom made his live debut with SOILWORK in Stockholm on April 30.

During an appearance on the latest episode of the "Someone Who Isn't Me" podcast, hosted by Daniel P. Carter of BBC Radio 1's "The Rock Show", SLIPKNOT and STONE SOUR frontman Corey Taylor was asked if he thinks he will ever decide that he is "tired of touring." Taylor replied: "You know, honestly, if you'd asked me a year ago, I would have said no. But, I mean, just now… I'm just kind of starting to… I'm forty-two; I'm not young anymore. And as willing as my will is, I'm just beat up, man. I mean, I might as well be 60 in SLIPKNOT years, for Christ's sake."

He continued: "I don't know if I would retire. I might step away from SLIPKNOT at some point, just because the way the music is, and that sense of energy, I don't know if I could be able to do that into my fifties. And I would never want the band to feel like I was holding them back, because I just couldn't physically do it. So that means I wouldn't completely quit music; I would probably just step away from SLIPKNOT."

Corey also discussed SLIPKNOT's musical evolution on future albums and how the band might progress in the coming years. He said: "It's something me and [SLIPKNOT percussionist and mastermind] Clown have talked about; me and Clown have talked about that a bit… where the band is going to go. Because we've done it — we've done the crazy shit, we've done… At some point, we'll have to evolve again. 'Cause we've evolved with every album. At some point, it has to mean something other than just the fucking insanity. And I think, in a lot of ways, it does now, but we're all still young enough that we can pull it off physically. So it'll be interesting to see, 'cause I think, in the future, we'll make it less about the angst and the insanity and more about the creativity, because there's so many creative people in this band that… I mean, fuck, man, we could make, you know, twelve albums of just crazy, gnarly shit and it wouldn't have to be just balls-out war every time. So, I mean, it's definitely something we're thinking about. But at the same time, I mean, you just never know. You just never know."

You can listen to the entire "Someone Who Isn't Me" podcast at this location.

Taylor has said in previous interviews that it will take "a few years" for SLIPKNOT to write and record its proposed double concept album to follow 2014's ".5: The Gray Chapter".

".5: The Gray Chapter" was released in October 2014 following a six-year hiatus during which founding SLIPKNOT bassist Paul Gray died and original drummer Joey Jordison was dismissed. Since the CD's release, several of the SLIPKNOT band members, including guitarists Jim Root and Mick Thomson, have expressed hope that the group could record the follow-up effort sooner than expected, with Root claiming in interviews to have already begin compiling ideas for SLIPKNOT's next release.

Taylor's main focus in 2017 will be STONE SOUR, which has fourteen new songs written and recorded in demo form. Corey told Eddie Trunk that the follow-up to the band's 2012 double concept album, "House Of Gold And Bones", will go "in a different reaction than the older stuff — like a little more rock and roll, a little more expanding the range again."

STONE SOUR, has released two EPs of cover songs — "Meanwhile In Burbank…" and "Straight Out Of Burbank" — and was slated to issue a third, titled "No Sleep 'Till Burbank", but those plans now appear to have been scrapped. Taylor told Carter: "Originally we were going to do three [covers EPs], and now it sounds like we're just going to do the two and just keep the other stuff we recorded as extra content for when we make the next album."

STONE SOUR's last collection of original music, "House Of Gold And Bones", was a double concept album released in two parts in 2012 and 2013.

SLIPKNOT and STONE SOUR frontman Corey Taylor spoke to U.K.'s Metal Hammer magazine about the U.S. presidential campaign and the contenders to take the best starting positions before the November election. He said (see video below): "Man, I'll tell you what… I haven't seen this much mudslinging in a long time. In fact, I don't think I've seen mudslinging like this ever. This has got some, like, 1800s political stuff kind of going on, where it was pretty much no holds barred, tear down the other guy, and just kind of see what happens."

He continued: "I'm nervous, to be honest, as far as watching the GOP, the Republican side of things. There's a lot of derision coming from those candidates, a lot of destructive talk instead of constructive talk. So I'm kind of watching that."

Taylor went on to say that he supports Bernie Sanders because "honestly, just based on everything that I've read, everything that I've heard. I haven't done a lot of research on his voting record or what he's done, but I love the fact that he's been an independent for years. The only reason he's joined the Democratic party is because, apparently, you have to be a part of one of those parties to be taken seriously, which I don't really like; it's a very corporate way to kind of deal with the President of the United States. But I love the guts that he has to really stand up and talk about things other than the hot-button issues that the Republicans and Democrats think matter. It seems like all of those issues are designed to put fear into people, and the things that Sanders is talking about has everything to do with trying to bring people together, and how to right wrongs, and how to bring real democracy back. And I can't speak for anyone else, but I think that's more encouraging than discouraging."

In an interview with The Guardian conducted earlier in the month, Corey described the current election cycle as "a fucking mess." He said: "The only thing I can really compare it with was when the whole governor fiasco was going on in California, when Arnold Schwarzenegger won, and when everyone and his mother announced themselves as candidates. The fact that Donald Trump is still is viable candidate makes me want to eat my fucking shoes. There are too many candidates focused on dividing us, and not enough talking about bringing us together. And that's one of the reasons why I support Bernie Sanders. And I will never support anyone who uses racism as a passive-aggressive way to win votes."

Legendary Swedish doom metallers CANDLEMASS will release a special 30th-anniversary EP titled "Death Thy Lover" on June 3 via Napalm. The four-track effort — which features Mats Levén on vocals — was recorded during September/October and will be made available as a four-page digipack, one-LP gatefold edition and one-LP gatefold webstore edition and old-school "skull-and-cross" slipmat. The cover artwork for the EP was created by Erik Rovanperä.

"Death Thy Lover" track listing:

01. Death Thy Lover02. Sleeping Giant03. Sinister N Sweet04. The Goose "The live shows we've done after 'Psalms For The Dead' (2012) have been fantastic," says CANDLEMASS guitarist Mats "Mappe" Björkman. "Mats has done a great job fronting CANDLEMASS and I don’t think we've ever been this good on stage before! Wacken, Bang Your Head!!!, Sweden Rock, Hellfest, Metal Days, Metallsvenskan, Maryland Death Fest... We have conquered them all."

CANDLEMASS is currently working on an anniversary box set together with Peaceville Records. The set will include the band's legendary breakthrough show at the Dynamo festival in 1988 on DVD and some rare rehearsal stuff from the "Epicus" days. In the box, there will also be a 72-page book about the doom maestros.

CANDLEMASS bassist and main songwriter Leif Edling is slowly getting better from his chronic fatigue syndrome, and participated in the EP recordings. Next year you can expect some very cool anniversary shows with Leif back on stage.

SEPULTURA and ANGRA performed together on February 6 during Carnival festivities in the northeastern Brazilian city of Salvador. The two bands played 50 songs in all, including cover versions of classic tracks from AC/DC, QUEEN and TWISTED SISTER, in addition to their own hits. It was the first time any metal band had performed during Carnival festivities.

The stage was set on a fancy truck which drove 4.5 kilometers on the roads connecting Barra beach to Ondina beach in Salvador, Brazil's third-largest city and country's cultural heart.

ANGRA manager and Toplink music director Paulo Baron and Carlinhos Brown, one of the most important drummer/percussionists and songwriters in modern Brazilian music, came up with the idea for the concert when they met at Rock In Rio last year.

Locals and visitors spent the day in the summer heat by the paradise beach of Barra to reserve their place by the truck to get a close view of the stage. Some of the people that packed the streets of Salvador were not previously familiar with heavy metal.

Fans throughout Brazil enjoyed the seven hours of live classic rock and metal as it was broadcast on TV and Internet.

The audience went down in history as the biggest ever for a metal concert in Brazil headlined by national acts.

According to Baron, the idea behind the concert was to eliminate any type of prejudice against rock and metal by having Brazil's two biggest metal bands play at such a popular event and prove that rock and metal are universal styles of music that can excite an audience in any setting.

SEPULTURA's official video recap of the event can be seen below.

JUDAS PRIEST's tour in support of their 17th studio album overall, "Redeemer Of Souls", was one of the most extensive of the group's entire career — consisting of 130 shows in 33 countries, and offering a setlist that touched upon selections from nearly all of their classic albums. And now, fans can relive the live PRIEST experience once more, with the release of the new CD/DVD/Blu-ray, "Battle Cry", on March 25 via Epic Records.

Recorded live on August 1, 2015 at Germany's Wacken Open Air festival in front of an audience of 85,000, "Battle Cry" is available on a 15-track CD, with the entire show on Blu-ray and DVD (running over 94 minutes), as well as digital audio and video formats. The DVD and Blu-ray also contains three bonus tracks shot in Poland on December 10, 2015 at The Ergo Arena, Gdansk, Poland.

What makes the show's track listing so appealing is it balances new classics ("Dragonaut", "Halls of Valhalla", "Redeemer Of Souls") along with headbanging classics ("Metal Gods", "Electric Eye", "You've Got Another Thing Coming"), as well as key album tracks from yesteryear ("Devil's Child", "Beyond The Realms Of Death", "Jawbreaker").

"Battle Cry" CD track listing:

01. (Intro) Battle Cry02. Dragonaut03. Metal Gods04. Devil's Child05. Victim Of Changes06. Halls Of Valhalla07. Redeemer Of Souls08. Beyond The Realms Of Death09. Jawbreaker10. Breaking The Law11. Hell Bent For Leather12. The Hellion13. Electric Eye14. You've Got Another Thing Coming15. Painkiller

"Battle Cry" DVD/Blu-ray track listing:

01. (Intro) Battle Cry02. Dragonaut03. Metal Gods04. Devil's Child05. Victim Of Changes06. Halls Of Valhalla07. Turbo Lover08. Redeemer Of Souls09. Beyond The Realms of Death10. Jawbreaker11. Breaking The Law12. Hell Bent For Leather13. The Hellion14. Electric Eye15. You've Got Another Thing Coming16. Painkiller17. Living After Midnight Recorded live on August 1, 2015 at Wacken Open Air festival, Germany. Bonus tracks:

18. Screaming For Vengeance19. The Rage20. Desert Plains Recorded live on December 10, 2015 at The Ergo Arena, Gdansk, Poland.

The Breaking The Law performance clip, shot at last year's Wacken Open Air festival, can be seen below.

Rob Zombie's new album, "The Electric Warlock Acid Witch Satanic Orgy Celebration Dispenser", will be released on April 29 via UMe/T-Boy Records. The CD was produced by Chris "Zeuss" Harris and features Zombie alongside guitarist John 5, bassist Piggy D and drummer Ginger Fish.

The official lyric video for the album's first single, "Well, Everybody's Fucking In A U.F.O.", can be seen below.

Says Rob Zombie: "This album is the best thing we've done to date, and we can't wait to share it with you. No, we mean it. It's the most fucked up thing we've ever done.

"We spent so much time putting this monster together and it's been worth it because this thing is about to explode!

"The album is out on April 29th, but there is a lot of shit going on in the lead-up to the release, so check out the pre-sale, get involved in the discussions and check back here for updates regularly! This bitch is moving forward FAST, and it's a train you don't want to fucking miss.

"Oh, and if you don't believe how fucked up this album is, take a look at the track listing below. Shit gets weird."

"The Electric Warlock Acid Witch Satanic Orgy Celebration Dispenser" track listing:

01. The Last Of The Demons Defeated02. Satanic Cyanide! The Killer Rocks On!03. The Life And Times Of A Teenage Rock God04. Well, Everybody's Fucking In A U.F.O.05. A Hearse Overturns With The Coffin Bursting Open06. The Hideous Exhibitions Of A Dedicated Gore Whore07. Medication For The Melancholy08. In The Age Of The Consecrated Vampire We All Get High09. Super-Doom-Hex-Gloom Part One10. In The Bone Pile11. Get Your Boots On! That's The End Of Rock And Roll12. Wurdalak

Rob Zombie spoke to Louder Noise about why he has held back the release of his new album even though the record was completed months ago. Zombie said: "It'll probably come out in [the spring], because what I wanna do is I wanna do a very large visual component to go with the record — shoot thirteen videos, or shoot a movie go with it. And because of [Zombie's upcoming sixth live-action feature film, a horror thriller called] '31', I couldn't get to that yet. So I'm gonna do that probably in January, so we'll put it out soon after that."

He continued: "I love it. I mean, I really like the record. The last record was my favorite record in a long time. 'Cause I had kind of hit a low with making records. It just kind of got boring; I hated being in the studio, and I kind of got reinspired on the last record. And this sort of follows up on it. So I think that, much like '31'… You just have those things in your career where you're, like, they all can't be the best one. With records, sometimes you have those moments where you can tell, 'This one's special.' And that's how it feels."

Zombie told Loudwire that the follow-up to 2013's "Venomous Rat Regeneration Vendor" was recorded over the course of a year, with the band working for a few weeks, taking a break for a few months, then coming back. He said, "We were living with it for a long time, and it really — I think it made the record so much better."

Although Rob spends a lot of time making movies, he told The Pulse Of Radio a while back he's not ready to quit music yet. He said: "People go, 'How long can you do this, how long do you want to do this?' I want to do it as long as it's fun, because that's what it's supposed to be. I mean, I don't need the money, so I don't have to drag my ass out on tour just to make money. I'm all good there, so if it's not fun, it's nothing, it's just stupid, you know. And when you're not having fun, you're not gonna do good work. You're gonna seem like a miserable guy who's just doing it for the money, and I just never wanted to do that."

The official lyric video for the song "God Is You" from Finnish death metal veterans CONVULSE can be seen below. The track is taken from the band's forthcoming album, "Cycle Of Revenge", due on March 18 via Svart Records.

As one of the oldest Finnish death metal bands, CONVULSE has a somewhat interesting history, to say the least. Beginning as a full-on death metal band in 1990, the debut demo, "Resuscitation Of Evilness", as well as the 1991 debut album, "World Without God", were more or less successful attempts from CONVULSE to flex their death metal muscles for the whole world. In 1993, CONVULSE returned to the limelight again, offering two new songs on the "Lost Equilibrium" CD single — and, at the same time, giving a taste of what was to be expected on their second album, 1994's "Reflections". CONVULSE had started incorporating some rock 'n' roll elements into their murky and uncompromising death metal sound, much like some of their Finnish extreme metal comrades (XYSMA and DISGRACE primarily come to mind). The band's "death 'n' roll" sound on their sophomore album divided the CONVULSE fanbase, with some embracing the new direction while facing rejection from others. It's both difficult and pointless to speculate at this point whether the drastic musical change led to CONVULSE's downfall, but perhaps it was one of the reasons behind the split up in 1994. Only the original band members can say for sure... Fast forward nearly two decades, and new life had been breathed into the old CONVULSE corpse. Who would have expected to see CONVULSE making new music in 2012?! A year later, in early November 2013, CONVULSE's third album, "Evil Prevails", was unleashed by Svart Records onto the death metal world. The album introduced eight songs of dark, wicked and "true" death metal — the "true" CONVULSE style. Churning out dogmatically heavy, untamed, and aggressive death metal, seeing the band return to its true roots was exactly what death metal maniacs needed. "Cycle Of Revenge" has been in the works for many months already, and during those months, the CONVULSE trio composed eight new songs. The album is shaping up to receive nearly the same musical treatment as what previously happened between the band's first two albums back in the early '90s. However, on "Cycle Of Revenge", CONVULSE really haven't gone back to their "death 'n' roll" mode, but have still made a radical musical shift. Try to imagine combining some of PINK FLOYD's psychedelic, airy moments with Finnish prog-rock masters KINGSTON WALL's beautiful, ear-tickling melodies. Throw in the genuine angst and despair-ridden melancholia of SENTENCED's "Amok" album, and even add some grooviness àla SEPULTURA's later era or SOULFLY, then spice it all up with Rami Jämsä's trademark-ish throaty and belly-trembling death grunts. You may now have some sort of an idea what can be expected from "Cycle Of Revenge". "Cycle Of Revenge" track listing:

01. Cycle Of Revenge02. God Is You03. Pangaea04. Fractured Pieces05. Nature Of Humankind06. Ever Flowing Stream07. War08. Into The Void

"Crown Of Thorns", the new video from Canadian extreme metal veterans NECRONOMICON, can be seen below. The track is taken from the band's forthcoming album, "Advent Of The Human God", which will be released on March 25 via Season Of Mist.

"Advent Of The Human God" track listing:

01. The Descent02. Advent Of The Human God03. The Golden Gods 04. Okkultis Trinity05. Unification Of The Pillars06. Crown Of Thorns 07. The Fjord08. Gaia 09. I (Bringer Of Light)10. Innocence And Wrath (CELTIC FROST cover)11. Alchemy Of The Avatar

With "Advent Of The Human God", NECRONOMICON present themselves at a new height in their long lasting career, which began as early as 1988 with the founding of the band by guitarist and singer Rob "The Witch" in the deep northern part of Canadian province Quebec, called the "Fjord of Saguenay".

The Canadian veterans keep their tracks as gloriously epic as furiously massive and harsh. Songs like "The Golden Gods", "Unification Of The Pillars", "Crown of Thorns" and "I (Bringer Of Light)" tell of experienced songwriting and an eclectic wide range of influences that flow into the sound of NECRONOMICON. Nodding to DIMMU BORGIR and BEHEMOTH to DEICIDE and SUFFOCATION, these extreme metal addicts carve their own sound out of the much cherished ingredients of brutal dark music.

NECRONOMICON have a well-earned reputation for quality by releasing material only when ready and satisfied with the outcome ever since their demo titled "Morbid Ritual" (1992) firmly established their name within the underground. "The Silver Key" EP (1996) led to mainstream recognition on a national level, but their debut album "Pharaoh Of Gods" (1999) and the sophomore "The Sacred Medicines" (2003) did even more to establish the band as a household name in Canada. "Return Of The Witch" (2010) marked the international breakthrough for NECRONOMICON, and saw them performing at prestigious festivals such as Inferno (Norway), Ragnarok (Germany), and the Barge To Hell metal cruise among others, while sharing stages with acts such as CRADLE OF FILTH, DIMMU BORGIR, BEHEMOTH, and MORBID ANGEL, to name but a few. Their steady advance around the globe grew considerably in impact by their next full-length, "Rise Of The Elder Ones" (2013).

NECRONOMICON is:

Rob "The Witch": vocals, guitarMars: bassRick: drums

The song "Pages" from Norwegian progressive metallers CIRCUS MAXIMUS can be streamed below. The track taken from the band's new album, "Havoc", which will be released on March 18 via Frontiers Music Srl. "Havoc" is CIRCUS MAXIMUS's highly anticipated fourth studio album and one that will certainly make a huge impact on the progressive metal scene. The band's musical formula is not easy to pull off. Take jaw-dropping musicianship, singer Michael Eriksen with a voice from the heavens and put it together with hooks, anthemic melodies, and enough groove and heavy riffing to satisfy any prog metal fan, and you've got the CIRCUS MAXIMUS sound. "The theme on this new album is about moments and experiences in life that lead to love and hate," says guitarist and producer Mats Haugen. "Metaphorically, it's about succumbing to fire and striving to cope with the aftermath of decisions when overshadowed by the love we have for others and ourselves." Musically, the band offers the usual mixture of very heavy moments intertwined with extremely accessible melodies. Songs like "Pages", the opener "The Weight", "After The Fire" and "Remember" show the full range of the CIRCUS MAXIMUS sound. Still, the album has very heavy songs ("Havoc") and slow and melodic moments ("Loved Ones") too. The band is set to tour heavily in support of this new release with shows in Europe, U.S. (they are already confirmed for the ProgPower USA festival) and more territories to come. The redefining sound, the songwriting and the clever production, highlights the band as one of the leading, original progressive metal bands around.

"Havoc" track listing:

01. The Weight02. Highest Bitter03. Havoc04. Pages05. Flames06. Loved Ones07. After The Fire08. Remember09. Chivalry CIRCUS MAXIMUS is:

Michael Eriksen - VocalsMats Haugen - Guitar, backing vocals and programmingTruls Haugen - Drums, backing vocals and percussionLasse Finbråten - Keyboards, samples, programmingGlen Møllen - Bass

"The Art Of Loss", the new album from REDEMPTION, the U.S. progressive metal band featuring in its ranks guitarist/songwriter Nick Van Dyk and FATES WARNING vocalist Ray Alder, can be streamed in its entirety using the SoundCloud widget below. The CD will be released on February 26 via Metal Blade Records.

Containing over 70 minutes of their unique blend of passion, melody, aggression and complexity, "The Art Of Loss" was produced once again by Tommy Hansen (HELLOWEEN, PAGAN'S MIND, PRETTY MAIDS), who previously worked with REDEMPTION on 2009's "Snowfall On Judgment Day". The cover artwork was created by longtime REDEMPTION collaborator Travis Smith (OPETH, AMORPHIS).

Musically, "The Art Of Loss" follows its predecessor (2011's "This Mortal Coil"), but their newest work finds composition, musicianship and production taken up another notch, with an array of songs ranging from hard-hitting melodic metal to the 23-minute epic "At Day's End" — plus, special guest appearances from Chris Broderick (MEGADETH), John Bush (ARMORED SAINT, ANTHRAX), Marty Friedman, Simone Mularoni and Chris Poland (MEGADETH).

"The Art Of Loss" track listing:

01. The Art of Loss (feat. Simone Mularoni and Chris Poland) 02. Slouching Towards Bethlehem (feat. Simone Mularoni and Chris Poland) 03. Damaged (feat. Marty Friedman) 04. Hope Dies Last (feat. Chris Poland) 05. That Golden Light06. Thirty Silver (feat. Chris Poland, Marty Friedman, and Chris Broderick) 07. The Center Of The Fire (feat. Chris Poland) 08. Love Reign O'er Me (THE WHO cover; feat. John Bush and Chris Poland) 09. At Day's End (feat. Chris Poland and Simone Mularoni)

The video for "The Art Of Loss" title track, which features a guest appearance by former MEGADETH guitarist Chris Poland, was directed by Brian Cox of Flarelight Films.

Cox comments: "It's very easy to dwell on the past. To stew in pain, wishing you could get someone or something back that you may have lost. But in the end, you will always have yourself, no matter how much things might change. Nobody can ever take that from you and that's the message I tried to convey with this video."

Van Dyk adds: "We're very excited to have worked with Brian to bring this song to life in this medium. The story of regret, survival, transcendence and the realization that we have the ability to be authors of our own destiny is brought home with the visuals that Brian has directed. Needless to say, it's also surreal to perform with the great Chris Poland. This video is a great representation of what REDEMPTION stands for, musically and thematically."

REDEMPTION's current lineup is rounded out by bassist Sean Andrews, drummer Chris Quirarte and guitarist Bernie Versailles, who is presently on an indefinite medical leave of absence from the band.

"Mother E", a brand new song from FILTER, can be streamed below. The track is taken from the band's seventh studio album, "Crazy Eyes", which will be released on April 8 via Wind-Up Records. The follow-up to 2013's "The Sun Comes Out Tonight" was produced by FILTER founder, singer and guitarist Richard Patrick. "FILTER is the mind," exclaims Richard. "It's your interpretation or my interpretation. Our thing is to look at people's unexplainable behavior and assess it, using sound. It's a way to approximate the insanity of the human condition. The reason this record is so fucking heavy and strange is it's exactly the opposite of what's popular. It's not pretty. It's not cute. It's real." Rather than partner with a producer, Richard took up the reins and oversaw the production side himself… "You recognize it's us from my aggression and singing, but the instrumentation had to change," he admits. "It wasn't about just stacking guitars like we might've done on the last couple of records. There are way more electronics and sound design used." He collaborated with old friends such as the man behind 1999's seminal platinum-certified "Title Of Record", producer Ben Grosse (THIRTY SECONDS TO MARS, MARILYN MANSON), and Michael "Blumpy" Tuller (NINE INCH NAILS). He also worked closely with new bandmates Oumi Kapila (guitar, programming), Ashley Dzerigian (bass), Chris Reeve (drums) and Bobby Miller (keyboards), plus former FILTER bandmates Johnny Radke and Danny Lohner. Mixing, meanwhile, was taken care of by Brian Virtue (JANE'S ADDICTION, THIRTY SECONDS TO MARS, DEFTONES), with the mastering being handled by the colorful Howie Weinberg (VAN HALEN, THE MARS VOLTA, THE WHITE STRIPES). The first single, "Take Me To Heaven", rides a pulse-pounding gallop into an entrancing and ponderous refrain. "I was looking into the eyes of my father when he was passing away, and I held his hand," Richard recalls. "He glanced at me really quickly, focused on me, had this look of gratitude, and then he slipped away. I was almost like, 'I hope you're going to heaven'. Scientifically, the idea doesn't make any sense to me, but if there is a heaven, take me there. That's what happened." Ultimately, it all comes back to the fact that Richard remains honest. "I'm completely into this for the music," he concludes. "Being yourself is the most important thing. I authentically went to places I'd never gone before. That was from my heart. I'm trying to be as genuine as possible to what FILTER is. It's about sounding fucking different, forward and original."

FILTER tour dates:

Apr. 15 - Portland, OR - Dante'sApr. 16 - Vancouver, BC - VenueApr. 17 - Seattle, WA - Studio SevenApr. 20 - Minneapolis, MN - Mill City NightsApr. 21 - Arlington Heights, IL - Home BarApr. 22 - Cleveland, OH - Agora Theatre and BallroomApr. 23 - Pontiac, MI - The Crofoot BallroomApr. 24 - Toronto, ON - The Opera HouseApr. 26 - Philadelphia, PA - Theatre of Living ArtsApr. 27 - Boston, MA - The Middle EastApr. 28 - Amityville, NY - Revolution Bar & Music HallApr. 29 - Virginia Beach, VA - Shaka'sApr. 30 - Jacksonville, FL - Monster Energy Welcome To RockvilleMay 01 - Atlanta, GA - The MasqueradeMay 03 - New York, NY - Gramercy TheatreMay 04 - Washington, DC - The Howard TheatreMay 05 - Knoxville, TN - The InternationalMay 06 - Concord, NC - Monster Energy Carolina RebellionMay 07 - Athens, GA - Georgia TheatreMay 08 - Nashville, TN - Exit/InMay 10 - Houston, TX - House of BluesMay 11 - San Antonio, TX - The Aztec TheatreMay 12 - Dallas, TX - Gas Monkey Bar & GrillMay 13 - Tulsa, OK - Cain's BallroomMay 14 - Lincoln NE - Bourbon TheatreMay 15 - Denver, CO - Herman's HideawayMay 17 - Tempe, AZ - Marquee TheatreMay 18 - Las Vegas, NV - Brooklyn BowlMay 19 - San Diego, CA - House of BluesMay 20 - Pomona, CA - The GlasshouseMay 21 - West Hollywood, CA - The Roxy Theatre Photo credit: David Rubene

Japanese teenage girl pop metal band BABYMETAL will release its second album, "Metal Resistance", on April 1 via RAL/Sony Music Entertainment in the U.S. and earMUSIC in Europe. The effort will be made available in three different formats: a CD, 2LP and special limited-edition box set with exclusive T-shirt.

The official trailer for "Metal Resistance" is available below.

The track listing for each format is as follows: CD and limited box set including CD + exclusive T-shirt:

01. Road Of Resistance02. KARATE03. Awadama Fever04. YAVA!05. Amore06. Meta Taro07. From Dusk Till Dawn08. GJ!09. Sis. Anger10. No Rain, No Rainbow11. Tales Of The Destinies12. THE ONE (English version) 2LP: Side 1

01. Road Of Resistance02. KARATE03. Awadama Fever Side 2

01. YAVA!02. Amore03. Meta Taro Side 3

01. From Dusk Till Dawn02. GJ! 03. Sis. Anger Side 4

01. No Rain, No Rainbow02. Tales Of The Destinies03. THE ONE (English version) The first single from the album, "KARATE", will be available as an instant grat from February 25. Of the new album, BABYMETAL mastermind Kobametal stated: "As prophesied by the Fox God, a new album will be released on April 1st, 2016, also known as the Fox Day.

"Since the release of BABYMETAL's debut album in 2014, we have been racing across the globe non-stop on our world tour. Through the last tour, I have come across people from all over the world and have had the chance to feel that miraculous moment when everyone came together via BABYMETAL.

"Our new song 'The One' contains lyrics that speak of uniting the world, or a crowd favorite at concerts, 'Road Of Resistance', that never fails to bring our fans together. Every BABYMETAL song makes up this extraordinary story.

"I continue to believe that the songs of BABYMETAL continue to push them forward to discover new possibilities.

"All I can say right now is for all of you to wait patiently for the coming of the Fox Day."

BABYMETAL signed with RAL/Sony Music Entertainment for the U.S. release of the band's 2014 critically acclaimed self-titled debut album. The CD features two bonus tracks and was made available digitally on May 12, 2015 and physically on June 16, 2015.

Established in 2010, BABYMETAL is the offshoot of the Japanese pop idol group SAKURA GAKUIN that performs a distinctly Japanese mix of schoolgirl J-pop and heavy metal.

BABYMETAL's members — Suzuka Nakamoto (a.k.a. Su-Metal, who handles vocals and dancing), Yui Mizuno (a.k.a. Yuimetal) and Moa Kikuchi (a.k.a. Moametal), the latter of whom both scream and dance — admit that they had never listened to metal before joining the group. The girls wear gothy schoolgirl costumes, do choreographed dance routines and bang their heads violently.

Many heavy metal fans have been reluctant to embrace BABYMETAL — which also includes producer Kobametal and a backing band of corpse-painted virtuosos — with some Internet forums calling them "the definition of a gimmick", "awful" and "metal for hipsters."

German metallers MYSTIC PROPHECY will release their ninth studio album, "War Brigade", on March 18 via Massacre Records. The CD was recorded at the Prophecy & Music Factory Studios with singer Roberto Dimitri Liapakis once again sitting in the producer's chair. Fredrik Nordström (HAMMERFALL, IN FLAMES, ARCH ENEMY) was responsible for the mix at the Studio Fredman in Sweden.

Commented Liapakis: "It's been the sixth time we're working with Fredrik. We get along well and respect his work.

"I can't wait to get feedback for the new album, because the expectations are high. I'm 100% sure that we won't disappoint any fan with 'War Brigade'!"

The cover artwork was once again created by Uwe Jarling, who was also responsible for the artwork of MYSTIC PROPHECY's 2013 album, "Killhammer".

"War Brigade" track listing:

01. Follow The Blind02. Metal Brigade03. Burning Out04. The Crucifix05. Pray To Hell06. 10,000 Miles Away07. Good Day To Die08. The Devil Is Back09. War Panzer10. Fight For One Nation11. War Of Lies12. Sex Bomb (TOM JONES cover) (digipak bonus)

The official music video for the song "Metal Brigade" can be seen below.

MYSTIC PROPHECY will play a one-off show in Israel for the first time on April 23 at Gagarin Club in Tel Aviv.

MYSTIC PROPHECY is:

R.D. Liapakis - VocalsMarkus Pohl - GuitarLaki Ragazas - GuitarJoey Roxx - BassTristan Maiwurm - Drums

"The Rambler", the new video from Kentucky rockers BLACK STONE CHERRY, can be seen below. The song, which was co-written by former SHINEDOWN guitarist Jasin Todd, is taken from BLACK STONE CHERRY's fifth studio album, "Kentucky", which will be released on April 1 via Mascot Label Group. The band recorded the effort at Barrick Recording in Glasgow, Kentucky. Taking a "back-to-the-roots" approach, the CD was produced in the same way and same place as BLACK STONE CHERRY's eponymous debut album, which broke the band out of the small southern backwater and onto the world stage.

BLACK STONE CHERRY frontman Chris Robertson stated about "The Rambler": "There's just something about that song. I remember being in the studio and I was singing it and trying to keep back from crying the whole time, thinking about my grandpa and just being away from my kid and wife and stuff and I got to the last chorus and just had to stop."

"Kentucky" track listing:

01. The Way Of The Future02. In Our Dreams03. Shakin' My Cage04. Soul Machine05. Long Ride06. War07. Hangman08. Cheaper To Drink Alone09. Rescue Me10. Feelin' Fuzzy11. Darkest Secret12. Born To Die13. The Rambler

BLACK STONE CHERRY guitarist Ben Wells recently told Metal Hammer magazine about the band's forthcoming CD: "This is the first time we get to self-produce. And most of the songs, with the exception of maybe two or three out of fifteen, are all written by us, the four of us. Which all of our songs always are — we might co-write with somebody — but this time, the majority of the songs are all written by us. So it feels really good to kind of have that creative freedom. Even though we're still learning things as we get along, we've kind of picked up over the years touring internationally what our fans have come to expect and what we expect from ourselves and what we know people are gonna enjoy from us. So it's definitely… it's raw, it's heavy. We're going back to our hometown to record it, where we did our debut album. So we're kind of revisiting some of that old mojo that we had, and I think our fans have been wanting that from us for a long time now. So we want, and I know they want it, and we're just excited about it. I mean, the songs… These are probably some of the coolest songs we've written as far as the music and the melodies."

Added BLACK STONE CHERRY drummer John Fred Young: "We're not doing a prog record — it's not that different — but I think it does have parts where I don't think records before have had these parts. And I think people are gonna go, 'Wow! I've never heard 'em do that, or that transition there.' And I think, too, with us, we're… In America, like I've said before, and we've all said, you are only as good as your last American rock single, and for us, we just don't play that ballgame, because our fans, they're here for the live show, they're here to hear the songs and have a great time. And I think that in some previous records, we were in positions with the label where we had to write songs formatted [for radio]."

Continued Wells: "But this time, we weren't focusing on that. We said, 'Look, if they pick it up and they like it, awesome. But our fans are the ones who gave us a career. So we wrote it with them in mind and [the songs were assembled for] the live setting."

THE TREATMENT, the critically acclaimed British hard rock band, will release its new studio album, "Generation Me", on March 18 via Frontiers Music Srl. The band's highly anticipated third album will be THE TREATMENT's first to feature new lead singer Mitchel Emms and new guitarist Tao Grey.

The "Generation Me" title track can be streamed in the YouTube clip below.

Early reports of THE TREATMENT's "Generation Me" album points to a triumphant return to form, celebrating a raft of spectacular big-sounding rock songs bursting with high-octane rock energy.

"Generation Me" track listing

01. Let It Begin02. The Devil03. Tell Us The Truth04. Generation Me05. Backseat Heartbeat06. Cry Tough07. We Are Beautiful08. I Know She Knows09. Bloodsucker10. Better Think Again11. Light The Sun

Produced by Laurie Mansworth, mixed by Tony Newton and mastered by Ade Emsley, "Generation Me" is the follow up to 2014's "Running With The Dogs" album. It's a hands-down, mind-blowing rock extravaganza that will leave rock fans wanting more than what they bargained for.

Ever since THE TREATMENT first arrived in 2011 with their debut album, "This Might Hurt", they've played numerous festivals, including Sonisphere, Download and most recently, Steelhouse, and toured extensively with ALICE COOPER, STEEL PANTHER, KISS, MÖTLEY CRÜE, SLASH and W.A.S.P. THE TREATMENT is:

Mitchel Emms (vocals)Tagore Grey (guitar)Tao Grey (guitar)Dhani Mansworth (drums)Rick "Swoggle" Newman (bass)

On February 24th, UK metal legends Iron Maiden kicked off The Book Of Souls world tour at the BB&T Center in Sunrise, FL. Fan-filmed video is available below. The setlist on the night was as follows:

"If Eternity Should Fail"
"Speed of Light"
"Children of the Damned"
"Tears of a Clown"
"The Red and the Black"
"The Trooper"
"Powerslave"
"Death or Glory"
"The Book of Souls"
"Hallowed Be Thy Name"
"Fear of the Dark"
"Iron Maiden"

Encore:
"The Number of the Beast"
"Blood Brothers"
"Wasted Years"

In addition, check out the merch booth video below. Dates announced for The Book Of Souls World Tour so far can be found here (with ticket links).



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British heavy metal vocalist Blaze Bayley (IRON MAIDEN, WOLFSBANE) will release his eighth solo album, "Infinite Entanglement", on March 1. The official video for the CD's first single, a song called "Human", can be seen below.

In a recent interview with Jimmy Kay and Alan Dixon from Canada's The Metal Voice, Blaze stated about his new album: "I had this idea to write my own book. I had a story that… kind of coming from the character from 'Tenth Dimension' [Blaze's 2002 album] that I really wanted to do. And we started work on it, and we had too many songs for one album. And I thought, you know what? When I did 'Tenth Dimension', I had to keep that down to a certain amount of time because I was working with a record company; I had deadlines to meet. I thought this time… I think this is a really big story. And so, I started thinking about it like 'Dune' and 'The Lord Of The Rings' and something like that. I thought if I was gonna do exactly what I wanted to do, then I would do it in three albums. Well, I am my record company, so I can do what I want to do. So I'm doing it in three albums. And this is my first studio album — full metal studio album — for four years, and it's part one of a trilogy. And the story is told across the three albums. And so far, it's turned out really, really well. And the first few people now have got their pre-orders delivered, and they're really enjoying it. The feedback I've had is great."

Blaze also spoke in more detail about the story that is covered on the trilogy. He said: "It's about a man who does not know if he is human. It's his personal journey, and he is on a mission to discover one of the new Kepler planets. You know, Kepler discovered all these new planets. It's set a hundred years in the future, and he's on a spaceship and it's how he deals with the fact that he will be one of the first people ever to live for a thousand years because of advances in technology, and how he deals with that. And the question is: is he human or not? And that's it in a nutshell. And the story expands from there. And we discover a lot of different things — first, his emotions and how he feels, but also why he's there and how he is reacting to the circumstances. And everything is not what it seems. He's been chosen for the mission, and we find out why. And that's part of the overall story. So it's a kind of mystery horror, in a way, set in space, and this is part one of it. So I'm hoping that you'll like the rest as well."

According to Blaze, he intentionally made "Infinite Entanglement" so that fans of his music can listen to the album and enjoy it without having to be familiar with the entire story. He said: "That is how I started with the whole idea. I had to do something that I would enjoy. So I really wanted to do something more in the 'War Of The Worlds' style and in the 'Operation: Mindcrime'. I wanted it so, as a listener, you can enjoy each song without knowing the story. But if you want to look at the sleeve notes, if you want to get deeper in it, then you'll see the connections. You don't have to listen to all the songs to know the connections. And the order of the songs isn't in a way that you have to play it from start to finish either. And you won't really know where all of the songs fit until that third album comes out and it explains to you the whole story and all of the details."

Asked if he already has a timetable in mind for the release of the second and third albums in the trilogy, Blaze said: "We have half of album two, we have half of the songs ready for that, and we have some of the music and one of the songs for album three. So we kind of have the ending and a bit of the middle. So, as we're going along on tour, and I'm writing the rest of the story, then we'll come up with the rest of the songs."

He continued: "What I've enjoyed with this one is having the liberation of not having to connect everything to reality or directly to me, to be able to use somebody else's emotions and somebody else's thoughts, and have more than one set of eyes to look at the world through. That's been really liberating, and I've enjoyed it very much."

The 52-year-old Bayley, who was born in Birmingham, was the original frontman in WOLFSBANE, but left in 1994 to join MAIDEN, with whom he recorded two studio albums — 1995's "The X Factor" 1998's and "Virtual XI" — before Bruce Dickinson returned to the group.

Bayley released a career-spanning double-disc collection, "Soundtracks Of My Life", on October 31, 2013.

The singer's latest studio album, "The King Of Metal", was issued in March 2012.

Anthrax have premiered the official lyric video for the song "Breathing Lightning", taken from their new album For All Kings, via Yahoo Music. Check it out, along with an interview with the band; an excerpt is available below.

“I was a little apprehensive about showing the band this song, because it wasn’t like the other songs that we were writing,” Benante says a couple days after playing a New York show opening for Lamb of God. “I was going for more of a really good riffing song and then the chorus was very melodic. It reminded me of Zeppelin.”

Benante presented “Breathing Lightning” to the rest of Anthrax, half-expecting rejection. But not only did they take to the tune like bees to a peanut butter and honey sandwich, they also made it a top priority for the album. Bello started humming along with the music and almost immediately came up with a giant hook for the chorus.

“I was trying to come up with things that fit, like I always do, and when I heard that song a lightbulb just went off in my head,” Bello says. “I sang something along with it and I thought, ‘Oh, I like that.’”

Ian connected with the melody, and he and Benante worked on it so it complimented the main riff, which burned and crackled like a lit fireplace. Then came the lyrics.

“Frank had this ‘Do the right thing’ line that he had inserted in there while he was singing mumbo-jumbo parts for the melody,” Ian says. “It stuck in my head, and the whole thing coalesced into this idea of getting to a point in your life where you’re committing to what you want to do in life even if it’s the hardest path you’re ever going to take. It all comes from me, because when I made the commitment to be in this band, I certainly wasn’t taking the easy path. So ‘Breathing Lightning’ is about pushing forward and not letting anything stand in your way.”

For All Kings will be released on February 26th via Nuclear Blast. Album details can be found below.

For All Kings tracklisting:

CD1:
“You Gotta Believe”
“Monster At The End”
“For All Kings”
“Breathing Lightning”
“Suzerain”
“Evil Twin”
“Blood Eagle Wings”
“Defend/Avenge”
“All Of Them Thieves”
“This Battle Chose Us”
“Zero Tolerance”

CD2 (Bonus Live-CD):
“Fight ‘Em ‘Til You Can’t”
“A.I.R.”
“Caught In A Mosh”
“Madhouse”

Drummer Charlie Benante promises that the eleven-song For All Kings will be "aggressive and super-thrashy”. The album was written by Benante, bassist Frank Bello, and rhythm guitarist Scott Ian, the dynamic triumvirate whose unique composition chemistry is, in part, what sets Anthrax's music apart from other bands' in the same genre. Add to that Joey Belladonna's breathtaking vocals and the searing guitar leads by newest member Jonathan Donais, and it's no wonder the band is so excited for fans to hear what will be their 11th studio album.

"Breathing Lightning” from For All Kings can currently be heard on FM and Satellite radio. In the clip below, Frank Bello, Charlie Benante and Scott Ian talk about the writing and recording of the song.



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BraveWords is rocking out with timeless Canadian icon Lee Aaron as she gears up for the release of an album that's ready to ignite her career, Fire And Gasoline!

About the album she says: "Fire And Gasoline is a rock n' roll record, and I think it would have been a huge mistake to make an album that sounds like something I did before."

"Tomboy" was inspired by her daughter. "In the history of Lee Aaron, I've always embraced themes of female empowerment. I look at my daughter and I see that she just marches to the beat of her own drum. Me and her are kind of in the same place right now."

Lee Aaron's new album, Fire And Gasoline, will be released on March 25th. The complete tracklist is as follows:

"Tomboy"
"Fire And Gasoline"
"Wanna Be"
"Bittersweet"
"Popular"
"50 Miles"
"Bad Boyfriend"
"Heart Fix"
"Nothing Says Everything"
"If You Don't Love Me"
"Find The Love"

Teasers:

 



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Guitar icon Zakk Wylde has debuted an all new single titled "Sleeping Dogs" from his forthcoming solo LP, Book Of Shadows II. The artwork, created by Wylde and longtime collaborator John Irwin, along with the 14-song tracklisting can be seen below. "Sleeping Dogs" will also be available as an iTunes instant gratification track, meaning fans who pre-order the album on iTunes will get the single immediately. 

An additional pre-order bundle is also available offering a Book Of Shadows II CD signed by Zakk plus a 17"x11" poster. Limited to 1,000 bundles.

Zakk Wylde will release Book Of Shadows II on April 8th, via Entertainment One Music (eOne Music), his first solo release in 20 years. This release is the highly anticipated follow up to 1996’s Book Of Shadows LP, a classic album Wylde released between his work with Ozzy Osbourne that has since become a fan favorite.

The fearlessly introspective melancholy and melody of Book Of Shadows helped to make its follow-up one of Rolling Stone’s Most Anticipated Albums of 2016. As fierce and diverse as his work in Black Label Society and as large as his accomplishments as lead guitarist for Ozzy Osbourne have been, Book Of Shadows II offers an even richer look into the spirit and psyche of one of the most beloved pillars of the hard rock community. Brand new tracks like “Sleeping Dogs”, “Tears Of December”, “Darkest Hour”, “Harbors Of Pity”, and “The King” are bold proclamations of intense feeling and powerful catharsis. 

Zakk Wylde’s powerful pipes, mayhem-inducing charisma, mischievous humor, and instantly recognizable pinch-harmonic driven blues based histrionic guitar shredding have made him the world’s most beloved American Guitar Hero. 

Tracklisting:

"Autumn Changes"
"Tears Of December"
"Lay Me Down"
"Lost Prayer"
"Darkest Hour"
"The Levee"
"Eyes Of Burden"
"Forgotten Memory"
"Yesterday's Tears"
"Harbors Of Pity"
"Sorrowed Regret"
"Useless Apologies"
"Sleeping Dogs"
"The King"

Keeping up with the road dog reputation Wylde has accumulated over the decades, he is treating 2016 no differently. Having just wrapped up a successful stint on the Axes And Anchors Cruise, Wylde wasted no time in announcing his participation in the 2016 Generation Axe Tour featuring Steve Vai, Yngwie Malmsteen, Nuno Bettencourt and Tosin Abasi. Click here for more info. Zakk is currently on tour with The Hendrix Experience Tour featuring some of the biggest names in rock n roll celebrating the legacy of Jimi Hendrix. 

 

 



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Danish / American rock singer Maryann Cotton returned to Detroit for the 2nd Annual Dick Wagner Memorial Concert on February 20th. Video of Cotton performing the Alice Cooper classic, “I'm Eighteen”, alongside original Alice Cooper bassist Dennis Dunaway, can be seen below.

Dick Wagner worked with Dennis and the Cooper group on School's Out, Billion Dollar Babies, and Muscle Of Love, before he became a permanent member and Alice's co-writer in 1975. Wagner wrote a full concept album together with Maryann, where he brought in Alice to write three songs for him. (They never released the album, Dick died few weeks before the final studio recordings.)

Together Maryann Cotton and Dennis Dunway paid tribute to Dick Wagner, performing ‘I’m Eighteen” and “School's Out’’.



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70000 Tons Of Metal, The World's Biggest Heavy Metal Cruise, set sail on February 4th aboard the Royal Caribbean Independence Of The Seas from Port Everglades in FortLauderdale near Miami, FL, and returned to the real world on February 8th.

Organizers have uploaded a recap video for the second day of the cruise. Check out recaps for Day 1 and Day 2 below:

Day 1:

Day 2:

Check out BraveWords coverage of the 70000 Tons Of Metal cruise via the following links:

Cruise overview
Day 1
Day 2
Day 3
Day 4



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Detroit-based quartet, Tiles, has unveiled a music video (see below) for “Shelter In Place”, from their upcoming sixth album, Pretending 2 Run, locked for an updated street date of April 15th, worldwide. The band have also announced a string of US tour dates.
 
With more than 96 minutes of relentlessly engaging progressive hard rock with an endless bag of tricks and countless epic surprises, Tiles' Pretending 2 Run was produced by Terry Brown (Rush, Fates Warning) and features artwork by Hugh Syme, known for delivering covers for Iron Maiden, Rush, Dream Theater, and countless others. The album also features a remarkable collection of guest musicians including Ian Anderson (Jethro Tull), Mike Portnoy (Flying Colors, Winery Dogs, Dream Theater), Adam Holzman (Steven Wilson Band), Mike Stern (Miles Davis), Kim Mitchell (Max Webster), Colin Edwin (Porcupine Tree), Kevin Chown (Tarja Turunen, Chad Smith), Matthew Parmenter (Discipline), Mark Mikel (Pillbugs), Joe Deninzon, and Max Portnoy (Next To None).

Additional audio and video samples from the album will be released in the coming weeks.
 
Since 1995, Tiles has issued albums through Dream Circl/Polydor, and four albums on Inside Out. The band's first studio album since 2008's Fly Paper, and their first for Laser's Edge expands into fantastic new realms, the record encompassing two discs. An ambitious and richly crafted concept album, Pretending 2 Run spins the tale of a man blindsided and disillusioned by betrayal. Brooding and expressive, Tiles explores the dark subject matter by weaving stylistically diverse musical elements throughout their progressive hard rock platform. Lyrical string arrangements, haunting choir performances and reflective soundscapes coexist with hard rock heaviness to create a tapestry of emotional drama as the songs chart a path from isolation to redemption.

Tracklisting:

CD1
“Pretending To Run”
“Shelter In Place”
“Stonewall”
“Voir Dire”
“Drops Of Rain”
“Taken By Surprise”
“Refugium”
“Small Fire Burning”

CD2
“Midwinter”
“Weightless”
“Friend Or Foe”
“Battle Weary”
“Mediato”
“Other Arrangements”
“The Disappearing Floor”
“Fait Accompli”
“Pretending To Run (Reprise 1)”
“Uneasy Truce”
“Pretending To Run (Reprise 2)”
“The View From Here”
“Backsliding”

“Shelter In Place” video:

Trailer:

Tour dates:

May
13 - Reggies - Chicago, IL (with District 97)
15 - Token Lounge - Detroit, MI (with District 97)
16 - Orion - Baltimore, MD (with District 97)
17 - Roxy and Duke's - Dunellen, NJ (with District 97)
18 - The Grape Room - Philadelphia, PA (with Stratospheerius)
19 - Drom - New York, NY @ NYC Prog Rock Night (with IZZ, District 97, 3RDegree)
20 - Musica - Akron, OH (with District 97)

(Photo - Paul D’Angelo)



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German hard rockers Bonfire, who are celebrating their 30th Anniversary in 2016, will release a new double album, Pearls, on March 18th. Check out a new video trailer below:

The CDs will be available as single CDs and also as double CD/LP. The Rock Pearls CD features Bonfire rockers that were not played so much in the past. The Classic Pearls CD features all new recorded Bonfire classic ballads together with an Orchestra. A new music video for the track “Strike Back” can be seen below.

Tracklisting:

CD1 - Classic Pearls
“Strike Back”
“Under Blue Skies”
“Diamonds In The Rough”
“Proud Of My Country”
“Sweet Home Alabama”
“Don’t Go Changing Me”
“Sweet Obsession”
“American Nights”
“Good Time Rock ‘N’ Roll”
“Heat In The Glow”
“Can't Stop Rockin’”
“Down To Atlanta”
“Remember”
“Nothing At All”
“Loaded Gun”

CD2 - Rock Pearls
“You Make Me Feel”
“Give It A Try”
“Who’s Foolin’ Who”
“I Need You”
“Good Night Amanda”
“Southern Winds”
“If It Wasn’t For You”
“Why Is It Never Enough”
“Let's Fly Away”

“Strike Back” video:

Find Bonfire’s live itinerary at this location.

Bonfire is:

Hans Ziller- guitars/backing vocals
David Reece (ex-Accept)- lead vocals
Harry Reischmann- drums
Ronnie Parkes- bass/backing vocals
Frank Pane'- guitars/backing vocals

 



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