Seven Heads Ten Horns, the fourth full-length by Italian masters of melancholy The Foreshadowing, is out today, July 29th, in North America via Metal Blade Records. The album was released in Europe this past April. A video for the track “Nimrod (I - The Eerie Tower)” can be found below.

Order the record in various formats, head to this location.

The album was recorded at Outer Sound Studios (Rome) and mixed and mastered in Białystok (Poland) by Wieslawski Bros at Hertz Studio. The cover artwork was created by Seth Siro Anton (Septic Flesh), who has worked for bands like Paradise Lost, Nile, Soilwork, Heaven Shall Burn, Vader and Moonspell.

The new opus contains the typical The Foreshadowing mood as well as some new epic and eerie elements that will guide you through an abyssal journey from the past to the future of mankind.

Tracklisting:

“Ishtar”
“Fall Of Heroes”
“Two Horizons”
“New Babylon”
“Lost Soldiers”
“17”
“Until We Fail”
“Martyrdom”
“Nimrod (I - The Eerie Tower, II - Omelia, III - Collapse, V - Inno al Dolore)”

“Nimrod (I - The Eerie Tower)” video:

“Fall Of Heroes”:

“17” lyric video:

“Two Horizons”:

Lineup:

Marco I. Benevento - Vocals
Alessandro Pace - Guitars
Andrea Chiodetti - Guitars
Francesco Sosto - Keyboards & Backing Vocals
Francesco Giulianelli - Bass
Giuseppe Orlando - Drums

(Photo - Erica Fava / Machine Room Design)

Trap Them will release their new album, Crown Feral, on September 23rd via Prosthetic Records. The band's fifth full-length, and third for Prosthetic Records, features 10 chest-pounding tracks that feature the group's famed blend of metal, d-beat punk and darkened hardcore.

Once again, the band enlisted unofficial fifth member Kurt Ballou (Converge, Skeletonwitch) at GodCity Studios in Salem, Mass. to capture their unrestrained and unapologetic sound. The album features cover art from Mattias Frisk. Listen to the track “Hellionaires”, streaming below.

Tracklisting:

“Kindred Dirt”
“Hellionaires”
“Prodigala”
“Luster Pendulums”
“Malengines Here, Where They Should Be”
“Speak Nigh”
“Twitching In The Auras”
“Revival Spines”
“Stray Of The Tongue”
“Phantom Air”

“Hellionaires”:

Swedish adventure metallers, Twilight Force, have released a fourth video trailer for their upcoming new studio album, Heroes Of Mighty Magic, out on August 26th through Nuclear Blast. Find the new trailer below.

The band recently announced the guest bards on their forthcoming record. Fabio Lione from Rhapsody Of Fire joins them on “There And Back Again” and Joakim Brodén from Sabaton on the title track, “Heroes Of Mighty Magic”.

Joakim commented: "When one of the best bands to come out of Sweden in a long time turns out to be your friends and people you have played with many times over the years, it's quite easy to feel proud about being invited to sing on the title-track on their new album, fantastic!"

Twilight Force comments: “It is an honour to have two of the most powerful, esteemed and renowned voices of the genre appear on Heroes Of Mighty Magic. Joakim Brodén and Fabio Lione are two very different sonic entities. They each bring something very unique and captivating to our tonal landscape. Our old and revered friend Joakim appears on the title track of the album, and provides an excellent contrast to Chrileon's voice, at just the right moment in the song. Nothing in the world even comes close to Joakim's unbelievably mighty voice! Fabio did an amazing performance on 'There And Back Again'. He entered the Twilight Forge with a brave and proud mind, emerged victoriously and left us in complete awe. His familiar voice provided the track with an absolutely magical contribution. We feel really humbled and grateful to have been given the opportunity to create something alongside these two titans of the genre!”

Heroes Of Mighty Magic tracklisting:

“Battle Of Arcane Might”
“Powerwind”
“Guardian Of The Seas”
“Flight Of The Sapphire Dragon”
“There And Back Again”
“Riders Of The Dawn”
“Keepers Of Fate”
“Rise Of A Hero”
“To The Stars”
“Heroes Of Mighty Magic”
“Epilogue”
“Knights Of Twilight's Might”

“Battle Of Arcane Might” lyric video:

Trailer #1:

Trailer #2:

Trailer #3:

Trailer #4:

"This next opus of Twilight Force will be a journey unlike any you have ever experienced. While we are still staying true to the essence of power metal, the songs, sounds and magic adventures have all evolved from the once drake hatchling into a colossal arcane arch-dragon. The time, effort and primordial wisdom that we have invested into this album is truly immeasurable, and we profoundly hope that this will shine through upon our venerated audience."

(Photo - Twilight Force Facebook)

Psychedelic doom rockers, Motorowl, have launched a static video for the title track of their upcoming debut album, Om Generator. The track is streaming below. Created with pure passion and incredible, mature song-writing skills, the band's debut, Om Generator, was co-produced by Fabian Hildebrandt (of label mates Deserted Fear) and the mighty Dan Swanö took over mix and mastering duties.

Dan Swanö: "Amazing mixture of stoner and 70's hard rock executed with finesse. I had an amazing time mixing their songs, that always seemed to take a turn towards the unexpected."

Fabian Hildebrandt: “It does say something, when a band goes from a rancid rehearsal room in Gera straight away to touring with Bombus, and even manages to convince a label as renowned as Century Media. I still remember vividly, how they asked me to record their album. Initially, I was rather critical, but after I saw them live I immediately knew that I HAD TO. Stunning… extremely young, no idea about nothing, yet insanely talented! Motorowl are a true rock band and I am curious to see, where the future journey of Daniel, Martin, Max, Tim and Vinz will take them.”

Tracklisting:

“Om Generator”
“The Highest City, Pt. 1”
“The Highest City, Pt. 2”
“Old Mans Maze”
“One and Zero”
“Beloved Whale”
“White Horse”
“Spiritual Healing”

“Om Generator”:

Om Generator will be released worldwide through Century Media Records on August 26th. As of now all physical formats can be pre-ordered here.

You can also pre-order the digital album at one of the following outlets and get the song “Om Generator” as an Instant Grat track:

- iTunes
- AmazonMP3

Band lineup:

Max Hemmann - Guitar/Vocals
Vinzenz Steiniger - Guitar
Martin Scheibe - Drums
Tim Camin - Bass
Daniel Dettlev - Keys

The official lyric video for the song "Universal Death Squad" from Dutch symphonic metallers EPICA can be seen below. The track is taken from the band's seventh studio album, "The Holographic Principle", which will be released on September 30 via Nuclear Blast. The CD was produced by Joost van der Broek at Sandlane Recording Facilities and was mixed by Jacob Hansen (VOLBEAT, DESTRUCTION). The cover artwork was created by Stefan Heilemann.

"The first song we unleash upon you is 'Universal Death Squad'," states EPICA guitarist and vocalist Mark Jansen. "This track is representative for 'The Holographic Principle', as it's a heavy and melodic album. The lyrics are dealing about advanced robotic legions with a self-determination to kill.

"We have chosen for a different kind of lyric-video concept in which EPICA plays the track in a rehearsal room.

"The song is very much fun to play and I expect this one will do very well on stage. Hope you'll enjoy it as much as we did creating it!"

"The Holographic Principle" can be pre-ordered in several different formats — including many special bonus features for fans:

* CD* 2-CD-Digi (including five-track acoustic bonus CD)* 2-LP (different colours)* Earbook (48p, including acoustic and instrumental bonus CDs)* Box (including earbook, 2LP pic, poster flag, holographic projector, Nuclear Blast mailorder only!)

"The Holographic Principle" track listing:

01. Eidola02. Edge Of The Blade03. A Phantasmic Parade04. Universal Death Squad05. Divide And Conquer06. Beyond The Matrix07. Once Upon A Nightmare08. The Cosmic Algorithm09. Ascension - Dream State Armageddon10. Dancing In A Hurricane11. Tear Down Your Walls12. The Holographic Principle - A Profound Understanding Of Reality Acoustic Bonus CD

01. Beyond The Good, The Bad And The Ugly02. Dancing In A Gypsy Camp03. Immortal Melancholy (Acoustic Version)04. The Funky Algorithm05. Universal Love Squad Instrumental CD

01. Eidola02. Edge Of The Blade03. A Phantasmic Parade04. Universal Death Squad05. Divide And Conquer06. Beyond The Matrix07. Once Upon A Nightmare08. The Cosmic Algorithm09. Ascension – Dream State Armageddon10. Dancing In A Hurricane11. Tear Down Your Walls12. The Holographic Principle - A Profound Understanding Of Reality

"Halfway through 2015, EPICA started a new journey: writing and recording the seventh studio album, 'The Holographic Principle'," explains EPICA guitarist Isaac Delahaye. "In between touring, we spent our time in the Sandlane Recording Facilities with producer Joost van den Broek and here's the first part of our studio documentary! It gives you a little insight into the creation of what we see as our most complete album ever. You'll hear rough snippets of new music, and you'll see how we built things up. Enjoy!"

EPICA previously stated about the lyrical inspiration for "The Holographic Principle": "'The Holographic Principle' deals with the near future wherein virtual reality has taken off and allows people to create their own virtual worlds which can't be distinguished from 'reality as we know it.' This raises the question whether our current reality is a kind of virtual reality on itself, a hologram. This implies the existence of a higher reality which we currently do not have access to. The lyrics challenge you to think out of the box, to reconsider everything you thought to know for sure and to be open-minded towards recent revolutions in science. Fasten your seat belts and get ready for a ride as nothing appears to be what it seems in our holographic universe."

Speaking to Spark TV, which is part of the Czech monthly magazine Spark, EPICA singer Simone Simons stated about the follow-up to 2014's "The Quantum Enigma": "It's a huge amount of songs, it's a lot of information, it's a lot to take in, but we put everything in this record and we hope that it will pay off and that the people will feel what we feel when we listen to it."

She added: "Since 'The Quantum Enigma' was received so well, we set the bar so high, but we accepted the challenge to make an even better record. And we've done everything bigger than before — we had more orchestra, a bigger choir. We had so many different instruments — real, live instruments. Vocally, I put everything in the record that I can possibly do, and I'm very pleased with it."

According to Simone, she has once again experimented a bit with her vocal approach on the new album. "With each record, I try to get the best out," she said. "And Joost [van den Broek], our producer, he's also very good at getting everything out of me. And the songs themselves, they just ask for a lot of variation in the vocal style. And I do opera, rock, pop, and in the ballads you hear the really soft voice. And, yeah, I can belt out some high notes as well."

Even though "The Holographic Principle" is one of EPICA's most ambitious offerings to date, the album doesn't sacrifice any of its instant appeal, something which Simone says was intentional. "I think it needs to be all in balance," she said. "We are, in heart, a metal band going in the symphonic direction. The orchestration, the choir is a little bit like the seventh and eighth bandmember of EPICA, and that's something we'll always keep in there. And the choir parts are often very catchy, the choruses are very catchy. But on this record, besides having catchy melodies, we also wanted to have really groovy vocal lines. And that's something that we worked on as well; we changed up some things to make it less predictable."

One of the aspects of EPICA's sound which has been enhanced on "The Holographic Principle" is the growling vocal style of EPICA guitarist and main songwriter Mark Jansen. "Well, it's Mark and it's actually our drummer as well," Simone said. "Mark is the main grunter, and our drummer, Ariën [van Weesenbeek], has a really nice, thick sound. So I don't know if he sang all the grunt parts as well, if he doubled them with Mark, but them together makes a totally new grunt sound, and I like it. Also, it changes it up a bit. Mark can do also really low grunts, he can do screams, and Ariën really has that deep sound to it."

Simone also praised the contributions of Isaac Delahaye, who came into the band in 2009. "The guitars are definitely more brutal," she said. "Also in the mix, the melodies, the grooves, and I think that ever since Isaac joined the band, not only as a songwriter but also the guitars have been lifted to a different level, and have become more interesting to listen to, I find myself. So I'm a big fan of his guitar work and also his songwriting."

Pink Floyd will release The Early Years 1965-1972 on Friday, November 11th. A comprehensive 27-disc boxed set, it pulls together material from the Pink Floyd archive, as well as licensed Radio and TV recordings, to comprise a deluxe package that includes seven individual book-style volumes, (six of which are dedicated to particular years), featuring much previously unreleased material, as well as bonus content, reproduction memorabilia, and the band's first recording from 1965, released on CD for the first time.

The packages contain more than 100 photographs of Pink Floyd, the majority of which are previously unseen, as well as more than 40 items of memorabilia in special wallets. In addition, Pink Floyd's first five UK singles have been included in the box, on 7" vinyl with replica sleeves.

The Early Years 1965-1972 box set contains unreleased tracks, BBC Radio Sessions, remixes, outtakes and alternative versions. Ten CDs, nine DVDs and eight Blu-ray discs contain more than 130 audio tracks, as well as more than 14 hours of audio-visual material. There are more than 20 unreleased songs, plus previously unreleased live audio, rare concert footage, feature films and new sound mixes. Previously unreleased tracks include 1967's Vegetable Man and In The Beechwoods, both mixed especially for this release.

The six individual year-specific book-style packages will be released separately early in 2017, although the bonus volume, Continu/ation, will be exclusive to the box set, as will the larger memorabilia items, which are reproduced in actual size for the box.

Also released on Friday, November 11th will be a companion edition, Cre/ation – The Early Years 1967-1972, a 2CD collection of some of the highlights of the box set, focussing on the band's material from 1967 to 1972.

2CD tracklisting here. Full tracklisting here.

 

 

 

 

Former SISTER SIN vocalist Liv "Sin" Jagrell is currently in a secret location working on her debut solo album, which is being produced by longtime U.D.O. bassist Fitty Wienhold. The as-yet-untitled effort sees Liv working with two Swedish musicians in Per Bjelovuk on drums and Patrick Ankermark on guitars. The album will see a worldwide release in early 2017 through Swedish label Despotz Records, with extensive touring expected after the album is released.

Liv says of the signing: "To me, signing with Swedish label Despotz feels great, because I know they work a lot both internationally and here in Sweden. I think Despotz will give me the best start for my new band and for a successful future."

Omer Akay from Despotz adds: "Liv Sin's presence as a strong front woman and her unique voice didn't go unnoticed here at Despotz, and now it´s finally a dream come true to work with Liv Sin and take her music beyond the masses."

From the gutters of south Sweden, Jagrell emerged as a major force as the vocalist for hard rockers SISTER SIN. Throughout their 13-year career, SISTER SIN sold thousands of albums and toured the world with high-profile tours supporting the likes of SLAYER and KING DIAMOND on the Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival, as well as being a part of the Revolver magazine "Hottest Chicks In Metal" tour. SISTER SIN toured relentlessly for over a decade across Europe and North America garnering an intensely loyal following of rockers that craved the band’s aggressive and melodic brand of hard rock.

When SISTER SIN called it quits at the end of 2015, Liv knew that she had much more to give to her fans. From this, LIV SIN was born. Liv is currently working on a new music that shows the power, sexiness, and attitude that she is known for. Liv says: "For me, it has never been an option to stop singing. I live for the stage and for my fans. I still miss SISTER SIN, but I am very excited to work on my own project, and I can promise it will not be some soft pop rock. This is going to be metal deluxe, because that’s who I am!"

LIV SIN offers a modernized hard rock sound to take Liv into her next phase, a sound that is destined to please both new fans and her longtime fans of SISTER SIN.

Liv recently told East Texas Music Scene about the end of SISTER SIN: "There are no hard feelings, but the parting wasn't exactly mutual. Neither me nor Dave [Sundberg, drums] wanted to end the band. We totally understand that not everyone felt that way and you can't force people to play with you. So it was probably for the best before something got infected 'cause of people touring even if they were to burnt out from it."

The official lyric video for "Breakin' Outta Hell", the title track of the fourth studio album from Australian hard rockers AIRBOURNE, can be seen below. The CD will be released on September 16 via Spinefarm.

The "Breakin' Outta Hell" lyric video — created by Richard Oakes from Dark Fable Media — may have implications for those with easy access to open roads. Watch the clip from start to finish and you might just get the urge to open the throttle. "We get a lot of feedback from our fans saying how much they love the faster tracks," says AIRBOURNE frontman Joel O'Keeffe. "But when they play them in the car... well, it can be tough on their pocket with all the speeding fines! 'Breakin' Outta Hell' is definitely one of THOSE numbers... even the guys who filmed the lyric video were stopped by the police and given a fine. "For us, these visuals really sum up the feeling behind the song and the album, too. The whole message is right there. Put on the single, or the album, and it's, 'Fuck the boss and fuck all the tax I owe. I'm going out, I'm getting pissed and I'm going to listen to some hard rock 'n' roll.' No ballads, no bullshit. I'm breaking out of hell!" "Breakin' Outta Hell" was produced by Bob Marlette, who helmed AIRBOURNE's "Runnin' Wild" debut in 2007, and was engineered and mixed by Mike Fraser, who has previously worked with AEROSMITH, VAN HALEN, METALLICA and more.

As previously reported, AIRBOURNE has announced a headline tour of North America for September and October. The trek kicks off in San Diego on September 12 and concludes in Baltimore on October 14, taking in 21 shows along the way. Driven by a formidable work hard, play hard ethic, the Australian outfit (led into action by brothers Joel and Ryan O'Keeffe, vocalist/lead guitarist and drummer, respectively; guitarist David Roads and bassist Justin Street complete the lineup) has spent the past ten years establishing itself as a true force of nature: living on the road, selling out major venues and appearing on bills with some of rock's most legendary names, and this latest North American run will only add to their reputation for incendiary live performances — maximum energy, maximum entertainment.

REV THEORY will release its long-awaited fourth studio album, "The Revelation", on September 9.

A striking lyric video for the track "Guns", taken from "The Revelation", can be seen below.

REV THEORY vocalist Rich Luzzi states: "It's been an amazing experience recording these songs that were written and inspired from within.

"Julien and Matty did an incredible job producing this album and I am proud to have been able to lend my voice to it.

"This record takes me back to our very first release when we made music out of sheer love and passion.” Bassist Matty McCloskey adds: "This is the first time in our careers that we have been able to create freely.

"Finally given the chance to fully produce an album ourselves, we were able to capture the true vision that we imagined for REV THEORY since the very beginning.

"By incorporating our favorite elements from the past three records, we believe we have created the quintessential REV album.” REV THEORY has released three studio albums — "Truth Is Currency" (2005), "Light It Up" (2008) and "Justice" (2011) — as well as two EPs: "Acoustic Live From The Gibson Lounge" (2009) and "Take 'Em Out" (2012). The song "Voices" is currently being used by World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) superstar Randy Orton. Another track, "Hell Yeah", was the opening theme song for the popular Spike show "Blue Mountain State", and the song "We Own The Night" was the main theme song for the WWE network reality series "Breaking Ground".

Atmospheric brutal death metallers, Mithras, have revealed details for their upcoming and long awaited fourth album, On Strange Loops. The cover artwork, ’Topological Research Of The Black Square’, was painted by Russian surrealist artist Sergey Laisk.

Mithras guitarist/vocalist Leon Macey comments: "We had a very painful search for cover artwork for the new album over a period of many months, being let down by prospective artists here and there and generally getting frustrated, so when we stumbled on Sergey's artwork in an obscure online gallery we knew instantly that it was without doubt the perfect artwork for the album, given that it visually encapsulates the concept perfectly. It was a great relief that Sergey gave us permission to use it or we'd probably have had to resort to doing our own version of his artwork in crayons or ms paint!"

On Strange Loops will be released on October 21st, for digital, CD and vinyl releases. The album is being released by Willowtip Records (US, Canada, Mexico) and Galactic Records (Europe and everywhere else). Willowtip Records are handling the vinyl release exclusively, which will include three special finishes, one of which will be a splatter effect disc.

On Strange Loops tracklisting:

“Why Do We Live?”
“When The Stars Align”
“The Statue On The Island”
“Part The Ways”
“Odyssey's End”
“Howling Of The Distant Spaces”
“Between Scylla And Charybdis”
“Time Never Lasts”
“The Last Redoubt”
“Inside The Godmind”
“The Outer Dark”
“On Strange Loops”

“The Statue On The Island” preview:

Mithras are playing Brutal Assault Festival on August 11th, which will be Leon Macey's first show as frontman. The band will announce further dates, including their late-October UK tour very soon.

(Photo - Mithras Facebook)

Relapse Records has announced the signing of Bay Area-based King Woman.

Formed in 2009 by Kristina Esfandiari, King Woman began as a solo project then later developed into a full band. Over the course of the last seven years, King Woman have crafted a sound thoroughly their own - a sound that harnesses the elastic textures and temporality of drone and doom metal alongside the strength and evocative power of artists like Mazzy Star, Royal Thunder Grouper, and many more.

The band's debut EP Doubt (released on leading SF avant-garde imprint The Flenser in 2014) paired weighty subject matter such as religious abuse with cathartic, brooding, and hypnotic songwriting with a transcendental feel. With Esfandiari's lush and dramatic vocals, King Woman go far beyond mere stoner metal. The band's compositions call to mind rich, detailed imagery and powerful atmospheres that elevate their music beyond classification. King Woman’s mystical sound resonated strongly enough to catch the attention of Relapse Records, who signed King Woman in 2016.

King Woman recently recorded their debut full-length, Created In the Image Of Suffering, with engineer Jack Shirley (Deafheaven, Whirr, Wreck & Reference) at the Atomic Garden. The album will see a release via Relapse in the spring of 2017.

Vocalist Kristina Esfandiari commented on the signing: "It feels surreal to release our first full-length through such a respectable label with a vast roster we respect so much."

Stay tuned for more news on King Woman and stream the band's EP Doubt, below:

Doubt by King Woman

SPRAYGUN WAR, the new project featuring BUCKCHERRY singer Josh Todd and guitarist Stevie D., released its debut EP, "Into The Blackness", on June 10.

A release show for the record was held on June 9 at Forgotten Saints in West Hollywood, California. Fan-filmed video footage of the performance can be seen below.

SPRAYGUN WAR's first EP is a departure from BUCKCHERRY's sound and features strong electronic and hip-hop elements.

A press release reads: "In the rock world, Josh Todd and Stevie D. have already conquered platinum and are part of the Grammy-nominated group BUCKCHERRY... Now branching out, they have successfully cultivated a hybrid of alternative, electronic dance, and hip-hop, into one powerful, and indescribable style not bound by genre. This is SPRAYGUN WAR, and sounds like 100% love for all music… Come decide for yourself at one of the select events around the world."

"Into The Blackness" track listing:

01. OMG02. Booty Big And Wide03. Turn Out The Lights04. El Sicario05. Fury

In a 2015 interview with 100% Rock, Todd stated about his love of hip-hop: "I went and saw 'Straight Outta Compton', which is the N.W.A. movie. I grew up in Orange County, California and 'Straight Outta Compton' was a huge record for me and all my friends, I used to get fucked up to that record and the story is incredible itself. I really enjoyed that. That was inspiring."

Todd recently told Australia's Rolling Stone that BUCKCHERRY is working on an EP to follow last year's "Rock 'N' Roll" album.

Metal master Daniel Finch and his new band, The Devils Music, are streaming the track “Can You Hear Me”, off their upcoming self-titled debut album, due September 2nd via Coffee Jingle Records. The song can be found below.

The album is not only a solid, crunching slab of metal that holds its own admirably in terms of heaviness, groove and power, but also displays an emotional and musical wide range of vocal performances. The band, founded by ex-Devilment founder, Daniel J Finch, features heavy dual guitars, screaming leads, memorable, powerful choruses, and dark lyrical themes all with an old school metal feel throughout the albums ten Machine Head meets Cradle Of Filth tracks.

The Devils Music is a collection songs originally written for the second Devilment album. Daniel J Finch has written around 27 songs for that album, but left the band in late 2014. The songs remained untouched, until late 2015, when Daniel rediscovered the songs and went about finishing the album. Recorded at his Holocaust Studios in Suffolk by producer D-Rock. Produced by Finch/Jensen & Fennell. Mixed and Mastered by Jordan Fennell at Scorpio Studios, Suffolk.

The Devils Music tracklisting:

“From Beyond” (vocals by Jambles Darby of The BloodShake Chorus)
“Can You Hear Me” (vocals by Lee Margaillan of Collapse The Sky)
“Break Through” (vocals by Ian Messy Messenger of Scream Serenity)
“Phoenix” (vocals by Jordan Fennell of Scream Serenity)
“The Smile That Hurts” (vocals by Caeser of Ides of Winter)
“The Strange And Dark” (vocals by Benjamin Skirka of (Iron Glove & Philophobia)
“This Is The End” (vocals by James Brett Marten of Hedra)
“Dvoid Of Light” (vocals by Edwin "Wrything" Mascorn of ex Episeed)
“Cthulu” (vocals by Vlad “Viper” Yasinsky of Viper Inc)
“Hate” (vocals by Matt Golder of Die A Villain)

“Can You Hear Me”:

Album teaser:

Theatrical rocker Madame Mayhem will release her Now You Know album in The UK and Europe on August 26th via Metalville.

Now You Know features a powerhouse team of rock talent including Billy Sheehan (Mr. Big, Winery Dogs), who produced and played on the album, Ray Luzier (Korn), Ron “Bumblefoot” Thal (Guns N’ Roses), Russ Parrish (“Satchel” from Steel Panther), and Corey Lowery (Saint Asonia). Thus far, the album has been supported with live dates alongside Doro and Mushroomhead. To experience what the buzz is all about, check out the official video clip for the song "Monster":

“I am excited to find out the reaction of my music in Europe,” explains the singer. “I know my sound and style will be a perfect fit overseas. I have always been a fan of international locations - as well as European rock and metal - and I am confident that the international market will become entranced by my music the same way North America has.”

Glenn Danzig was in a Los Angeles-area recording studio on this week with guitarist Tommy Victor and drummer Joey Castillo laying down tracks for the upcoming DANZIG album, tentatively due in early 2017. Castillo also laid down some drums on an Elvis Presley track for the "Danzig Sings Elvis" record, which Glenn says is now finished and ready for release. Some of the songs Danzig has recorded include "Home Is Where the Heart Is" and the Faron Young-composed "Is It So Strange?"

"Elvis is actually kind of how I got into music," Danzig told Rolling Stone last year. "When I was a kid, I was cutting school pretending I was sick and I would lie at home watching old movies, and 'Jailhouse Rock' came on with Elvis. I was like, 'I want to do this. This is great.' And that's how I veered to music."

Regarding his approach on the "Danzig Sings Elvis" LP, Glenn said: "I'm stripping some of the stuff down to the bare bones, very old-school fifties echoey slap-back vocals."

DANZIG's last collection of original material, 2010's "Deth Red Sabaoth", sold 11,700 copies in the United States in its first week of release to land at position No. 35 on The Billboard 200 chart.

Glenn released his long-awaited covers record, "Skeletons", in November 2015 in North America via Nuclear Blast Entertainment/Evilive Music.

Hard rockers Darkh, from The Czech Republic, have released their official music video for the first single off of their upcoming debut album A Story Yet Untold, due out September 29th.

"It was pretty obvious before 'Bury Our Bones' was even finished that it would be the first single off the album. Individuals whose interests and lifestyles are different from the vast majority will understand, because B.O.B. underlines how powerful and encouraging it is to be among people who get it," says Darkh.

Catch Darkh live in concert:

August
12 - Aqua Fortis MC - Hjørring, Denmark
13 - OpenAir - Kraselov, Czech Republic

September
2 - Paranoir Kemp - Sulice, Czech Republic
28 - Pub Anchor - Norrmalm, Sweden

October
13 - Melodka - Brno, Czech Republic
21 - Rock Cafe - Prague, Czech Republic

November
5 - MeriRock Vol. 9 - Helsinki, Finland

 

Polish band Guitar Force have teamed up with Finnish record label Inverse Records for the release of their new album, Different Universe, on September 16th. 

Guitar Force was founded in 2007 by guitarist / songwriter Marcin Habaj. The project consists offive5 young people from southeastern Poland and music style oscillates around hard rock and heavy metal. 

Album tracklist:

"To the End Of The World With Ronin
"Tribute
"Punishment
"Nurt
"At The Crossroads
"Magical Power
"Without Names
"Forever
"Another World
"White Lady

A music video "Punishment" is available below.

Line-up:
Marcelina Bieniarz – vocal, bass guitar
Antonina Rysz – vocal, rhythm guitar
Dorota Kulig – vocal, violin
Marcin Habaj  – solo guitar
Jakub Calka – solo guitar 
Ignacy Rudnicki – drums

For more information go to GuitarForce.pl.

Much to the excitement of music aficionados worldwide, prog legends Stick Men will be releasing their new album, Prog Noir, on October 21st. It is now available for pre-order as a single disc edition and a super deluxe box set, which contains an additional bonus CD with exclusive material, a double vinyl version of the album, a t-shirt and poster.

The band, featuring members of King Crimson, has also released a new lyric video for  the track, “The Tempest”. A departure from their previous efforts, Prog Noir includes song oriented material, featuring vocals on several tracks.

Says Tony Levin, “The album is somewhere between being the best of our current compositions, and having a unifying concept overall. Part way through the our recording process, the Prog Noir title, lyrics and idea came up - it sort of shone a dark, noir light on what had come before, and it influenced what came after (including some 'noir' instrumental interludes that will be part of the box set version.) For me that's a good way to go - I like a concept involved with an album sometimes, but I don't feel it needs to encompass every piece.”

Watch Stick Men’s “The Tempest” lyric video below:

Stick Men is a progressive rock band created by musicians with extensive experience playing together. Pat Mastelotto and Tony Levin are the rhythm section of the legendary band King Crimson. Mastelotto is in demand all over the world as the premier drummer for progressive rock. Levin plays in Crimson, with Peter Gabriel, and has recorded with John Lennon, David Bowie, Pink Floyd and others. Markus Reuter is a renowned composer/guitarist who designed and plays his own unique touch style guitar.

Tony Levin and Pat Mastelotto, the powerhouse bass and drums of the group King Crimson for more than two decades, bring that tradition to all their playing. Levin plays the Chapman Stick, from which the band takes it’s name. Having bass and guitar strings, the Chapman Stick functions at times like two instruments. Markus Reuter plays his 8-string touch guitar – again covering much more ground than a guitar or a bass. And Mastelotto’s drumming encompasses not just the acoustic kit, but a unique electronic setup too, allowing him to add loops, samples, percussion, and more.

The result; audiences are fascinated by watching just three musicians onstage perform their unique compositions as well as wild improvisations and some cover versions of songs by King Crimson, Mike Oldfield, etc.

Before Prog Noir, Stick Men have released four studio CDs (Soup, Absalom, DEEP, Open) as well as two live albums.

Says Markus, “What's unusual about Prog Noir is that we spent years composing it. Usually we get the ideas and quickly turn them into an album or start playing them in on the road. The imperative of a band like ours, that's out on the road touring a lot of the time, is to have new material each year. But this time the idea was to really refine the material, reject all but the best (indeed, there are some very nice pieces that didn't make the cut) and create a really special album that might define our band in terms of where our journey has taken us.”

In support of Prog Noir Stick Men will tour Europe in October 2016, then again in January/February 2017 in the US and Canada. Says Markus, “We love covering a lot of territories, so the future after those booked shows will involve our heading to S. America, Japan, and more places. Yes, we'll have some videos to offer of the new material - hard to describe those now because we're in the process of making them.”

Prog Noir is available in pre-sale in three formats: Signed Limited Edition Combo Package - Deluxe Box Set (2LP/2CD/Poster) with T-Shirt; Regular CD and Download (WAV, FLAC, ALAC and/or MP3-320 formats).

Signed Limited Edition Combo Package Deluxe Box Set (2LP/2CD/Poster) + T-Shirt

The combo package includes:
• 2LP 180 grams gatefold (the LP has a, 11 minute bonus tracks on the Side B of the second LP, which is not included in the regular CD package)
• 2CD special edition of the new album, Digipack. (Disk One is the regular 10 track album. Disk Two contains 8 bonus tracks.)
• Full color poster of the album artwork (17x22 inches)
• Full color T-Shirt (front only). Available in Navy Blue and Black.

All box sets will be signed by all three band members (Tony, Pat and Markus). All orders will be shipped in the late October.

Pre-orders are  $140 USD / 120 EUR plus shipping. Those who contribute $200 USD / 190 EUR or more, will have their names included in credits inside of the box set.

This special box set includes digital pre-order of Prog Noir. Fans will get four tracks now (streaming via the free Bandcamp app and also available as a high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more), plus the complete album the moment it's released.

Single CD, Regular Edition of Prog Noir (10 tracks) can be pre-ordered for $17 USD / 15 Euros plus shipping

Download of Prog Noir (10 tracks in WAV, FLAC, ALAC and/or MP3-320 formats) can be pre-ordered for $10 US / 8 EUR

Exclusively available here (orders placed from North, Central and South America, Middle East, Africa and Asia), and here (orders placed from Europe, Middle East, Africa and Asia).

(Photo - Kai R Joachim)

Rochester, NY-based rockers, Unwill, have signed a deal with Entertainment One Music / Lifeblood Inc., with plans to release Past Life, their very first LP on October 14th.

The release will be the follow up to their 2015 debut single and video for “Calm”, directed by Josiah Moore (Ice Nine Kills, Sirens and Sailors, It Lives, It Breathes). That year the band expanded its touring across the Northeast, exposing its unforgiving live performance alongside such acts as Letlive, He Is Legend and Norma Jean. Musically, Unwill has been compared to the likes of Linkin Park, Deftones, Chevelle and Underoath. But the band doesn’t shy from putting its own spin on alternative rock.

Past Life features eleven songs that are unrelenting in their grim honesty. The album deals with themes of identity, faith, self-doubt, solipsism, regret, and the truest parts of our natures. Beneath the dark exterior of these songs, however, are shreds of light.

Within the eleven-song journey of Past Life, listeners will come across the many sides of Rocco Sylvio’s voice, smooth on one end and coarse on the other. They will also hear cleaner guitars mixed in with the dirtier tones, and soaring melodies alongside unapologetic heavy riffs.

Wherever listeners come to face Unwill, whether it be through live performance or studio recording, they can be sure to always be met with relentless force.

(Photo - Josiah Moore)

Swedish extreme symphonic metallers Zornheym have inked a deal with the Dutch label Non Serviam Records. The debut single, entitled “The Opposed”, will be released on August 19th through all digital platforms.

The single and the forthcoming album have been recorded and mastered by Sverker Widgren, a renowned veteran of sound engineering on the Scandinavian extreme metal scene (October Tide, Demonical, IXXI, Diabolical) with cover art created by the wildly talented photographer and designer Jens Rydén (Marduk, Thyrfing).

The single is part of Zornheym’s concept that revolves around the horrors of a mental institution and its inmates. Each song also has its own comic strip drawn by the amazing artist Anu Bring (Märvel, Evil-lÿn, Satan’s fall).

Comments guitarist Zorn:

“We are absolutely stoked to be signing with Non Serviam Records. It’s a hard working label that shares our vision and together we will release this epic juggernaut the way it deserves to be released. We can’t wait to share this beast of an album with you all!”

Comments Non Serviam Records CEO Ricardo Gelok:

“By hearing the first tones of Zornheym, I knew that this is a band that I would have to sign. Zornheym is an asset for the label, and it’s a real pleasure to work with this great, and hard-working band!”

Straddling the line that divides black metal from DSBM, Sweden's Vanhelga are set to release their fourth full-length album this fall. Titled Ode & Elegy, the 11-track album will hit the streets via Talheim Records on October 1st. "Förstörd", a track from the album, can be heard below.

Ode & Elegy will be available in a cross-panel digipak edition, limited to 1,000 copies, and is available to pre-order here, while the digital version will be released on October 10th and will be available from Vanhelga’s Bandcamp page at this location.

Ode & Elegy artwork was created by Gedeminas Kiauné of Manum Diaboli Art.  

Tracklisting:

“Utan Mening”
“Det Som Aldrig Fans”
“Förstörd”
“Du Finns Dȃr För Mig”
“Jag Återkommer”
“Abstinensens Dystra Tongång”
“Dödförklarad - Ånstad”
“Disharmoni”
“Status - Handlinsförlamad”
“Harmonisk Reflektion”
“Introspektion”

“Förstörd”:

New Wave of Traditional American Heavy Metal band Corners Of Sanctuary (COS) has announced the release of Declaration Of Metal, a comprehensive, retrospective compilation of the band’s music, comprised of tracks from their past five albums: “Breakout”, “Harlequin”, “Axe To Grind”, “Metal Machine” and “Driven Snow”. Additionally, cuts from their first EP, "Forgotten Hero", and a brand new song, “Hyde No More”, with new drummer Mad T and featuring Of Ancient Descent guitarist John Coonan (former Seeker, Corporate Mass), round out the compilation.

Guitarist Mick Michaels has checked in with the following comment:

“Corners Of Sanctuary continues to charge forward. Declaration Of Metal is surely a declaration alright; a declaration to keep moving forward and I’m very excited to be a part it,” stated Mad T. Mad T also appears on “Victoria” and “Only One”, a song which he co-wrote with COS guitarist Mick Michaels.

"Declaration Of Metal clearly creates a larger view of the band's work and accomplishments, which is clearly presented by this capsulated musical portfolio," stated the band’s AR Rep William Loney.

"Looking back, we can see how much we have grown as a band in the last five years. This compilation is a great way for fans to sample and experience our music, a well-documented cross section of a legacy in motion," said Michaels.

“This album represents where we have been and where we want to go moving forward. It is a collection of our works with a new twist that points us into the future. This is definitely represented in our newest track "Hyde No More", added COS bassist James Pera.

Declaration Of Metal is being made available in two formats: digitally through Exquisite Noise Records and as a limited print US only CD through March Baby Media.

"When Corners Of Sanctuary originally came to our attention, we knew this was going to be a group worth signing. These are some passionate and articulate guys who have their foot planted in the proud lineage of traditional heavy metal bands, but at the same time, they have a very modern and original sound all their own. This announcement of a greatest hits package could not come at a better time, as their star still seems to be rising, yet they've already accumulated a tremendous back catalog. We look forward to telling the world about Corners Of Sanctuary!" stated Jason McGathey, owner of Exquisite Noise Records and Publishing.

Tracklisting:

“Only One”
“Juggernaut”
“Bleed With Me”
“Now We Must Live”
“Hellequin”
“On The Hunt”
“A Fist Full Of Vengeance”
“Victoria”
“Left Scarred”
“Wrecking Ball”
“Driven Snow”
“Hyde No More”

Ahead of the release on August 6th of Excellion’s new EP, Unsean, the band have launched a teaser video showcasing all the tracks from the 5 track release.

“For Unsean we took a different approach totally; it is our first work since we established ourselves in Mexico City. We’re all sharing the same home right now, so it was a new interesting way to write music for Excellion,” commented backing vocalist and bassist Adrian Vilbel. “We were all involved in the moment when someone had an idea and he just called the rest of the group, and just like that, suddenly we were working on a whole song right there. It didn’t matter if it was late at night or too early in the morning, it has been a fun ride and we’re really proud of the results we’ve gotten.”

The title of the EP, Unsean, is not a typo but rather a wordplay. As singer and guitarist Frozen Chava explains: “There seems to be a lot of people that believe it’s a typo and well, it’s definitely not, but we expected that too when we decided to name our new work like that. It’s actually a word play where we used “Unseen” and at the same time “Sea” because that’s exactly the concept behind this new music. We humans actually know more about the space than the sea, it’s shocking that we only know about five percent of this vast amount of water on the Earth’s surface and that’s something to reflect about. There is a lot of mystery and things to discover down there, so yeah, that’s what UnSEAn is really about.”

Speaking about the creative process that informed Unsean, guitarist Frank Markz said: “We’ve always wanted to express the way we feel at the time when we focus on writing something new, so this was no exception. Actually it has a lot to do with the changes that were happening with our lives. We were moving to a new city, we were adapting ourselves to this new life, there were a lot of things we didn’t know at the moment and had to learn the hard way. The list can go on but I think you got the point by now, so we focused on looking for something to reflect those feelings and that’s how the “UnSEAn” project was born. That’s why you can see a Lion with horns under the water for the cover art — there’s some strange life form learning to adapt itself to a completely different environment, one that he or she isn’t used to.”

Drummer Omar Avley added: “To tell the truth, it has been an interesting concept to work on and we believe there will be a lot of people out there who will identify themselves with the same story. We really hope you guys enjoy these songs.”

Tracklisting:

“Unsean Pt. 1 – In Search Of Infinity”
“Unlucky Charms”
“The Courier”
“Diablo Jr”
“Unsean Pt. II – The Heart Of The Sapphire” 

Video teaser:

"Unlucky Charms" video:

U.S. black metal horde Vesterian have announced the re-release collection of Vesterian songs, written from 1995 to 1999, now released together on one cassette limited to 100 copies through Kassiel Distribution.

This re-release includes two versions of "Violent Hateful Black Metal", "Black Metal Terror", and one song from the long out of circulation Vesterian's "Let It Begin". The cassettes are now available in South America. Cassettes comes with two post cards and slip case. Copies will be available in the United States soon.

Vesterian recently unleashed a new track “Unseen Hordes Behind The Deafening Storms” for streaming. The song comes from the four way split Infirmos Vocat Deus Fidei with Wormreich, alongside Gravespawn and Diabolus Amator, released on May 28th, through Satanath Records sub-label Symbol Of Domination (Belarus), and Black Plague Records (North America).

Denver, Colorado-based powerful doom metal quartet Khemmis has completed their second full-length album, and is preparing the mighty Hunted for autumn release through 20 Buck Spin, this week unveiling the cover art, tracklisting, and other details. The news comes as the band prepares to tour the Western half of the country in transit to their performance at the first annual Migration Festival the second weekend of August.
 
Using the same team as their lauded debut, Hunted was recorded at Flatline Audio with Dave Otero (Cobalt, Nightbringer, Cephalic Carnage) and features artwork by Sam Turner (3 Inches Of Blood, Black Breath, TRVE Brewing). Hunted is undoubtedly an album that will solidify Khemmis' place at the vanguard of doom's most notable modern manifestations, in large part because they transcend the label itself. They've seamlessly blended their influences into an extraordinarily listenable album worthy of countless spins. With such a glut of music released nowadays, Hunted stands apart, rewarding repeat listens with songs seared straight into the heart.
 
20 Buck Spin will issue Hunted on CD and digital formats on Friday, October 21st, with the vinyl to follow in November. Audio samples and further info will be announced shortly.

Tracklisting:

“Above The Water”
“Candlelight”
“Three Gates”
“Beyond The Door”
“Hunted”

Khemmis' upcoming West Coast tour will begin in their hometown of Denver on August 4th, with Salt Lake City, Las Vegas, Phoenix, Los Angeles, Oakland, Sacramento, and Portland on the itinerary leading up to the band's performance on August 12th at Migration Fest in Olympia. The festival also features the slated first live collaborative performance by The Body and Krieg, the first live public performance by Panopticon, a set by Australian funeral doom behemoths Mournful Congregation, and sets by Auroch, Christian Mistress, Full Of Hell, Krallice, Magic Circle, Nightfell, Obsequiae, Vastum, Vhol, and others.

(Photo by: Travis Heacock)

Planet Rock's Wyatt conducted an interview with EUROPE singer Joey Tempest and drummer Ian Haugland backstage at Ramblin' Man Fair on July 23 at Mote Park, Maidstone, England. You can now watch the chat below. A couple of excerpts follow (transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET).

On EUROPE's plans for the coming months:

Joey: "We're looking forward to recording the next album. We'll probably go into the studio the beginning of next year and release it next year. And we'll be touring in between as well."

On how EUROPE managed to survive the the rise of grunge in the early '90s when so many other '80s hard rock acts didn't:

Joey: "You have to take the long way around. The first meeting [about a reunion] we had at Mic's [Michaeli, keyboards] apartment in 2003, we said, 'We have so much baggage, so much stigma. C'mon. We have to take the long way around. It's gonna take four albums, perhaps, before maybe some journalists are even listening to the records.' So we knew that; we knew it from the beginning. But this is what we wanna do. We wanna do it long haul, like DEEP PURPLE or whatever; we wanna do it. So that's one way of doing it. But also being curious about writing and about getting better at your instrument and not get caught up in trying to get hit singles; that's kind of dangerous. And just make great records. I thnk it started with [2009's] 'Last Look At Eden'; we started to get a grip on things. And then [2012's] 'Bag Of Bones' did really well, and now [2015's] 'War Of Kings'."

Ian: "I think also one of the reasons why we managed to come back was that we actually took a break in the '90s; we said, 'Okay, enough's enough.' So we never grinded the band down to…"

Joey: "We did solo albums. I did three solo albums. Ian played on loads of albums. John Norum moved to L.A. and did albums with DOKKEN and himself. So we learned stuff in other ways about music. And then we came back, and it felt like we'd just been away for lunch. We did 'Start From The Dark' in 2004."

On celebrating the 30th anniversary of the "The Final Countdown" album with a short tour at the end of 2016:

Joey: "We wanna mark it. It's gonna be fun to play songs like 'Time Has Come' and play the whole 'The Final Countdown' album. It's gonna be kind of different."

"War Of Kings" was released in March 2015 via UDR Music.

Swedish rockers Suicide By Tigers will release their self-titled debut album as CD, Vinyl and digital on September 2nd via Smilodon Records/Sound Pollution. The album was recorded, mixed and mastered by Berno Paulsson (The Haunted, Amon Amarth, Spiritual Beggars) at Berno Studio, Malmö. The video for the song “Vicious Malicious” can be seen below.

The soil of southern Sweden has for a long time been a great breeding ground for rock ‘n’ roll. This trend continues manifested by Suicide By Tigers focusing on dynamic, blues based rock, with heavy guitars and strong melodies just like the British bands Free, Taste and Led Zeppelin they move from light and shade to tight and loose. 

Tracklisting:

“Death On Your Trail”
“Beautiful Nights”
“Pack Of Wolves”
“Vicious Malicious”
“Fox In A Hole”
“True Believers”
“Ball Of Fire”
“Keep You Smiling”
“Karma” (CD bonus track)

“Vicious Malicious” video:

Fan-filmed video footage of SLIPKNOT's July 21 performance at Centre Vidéotron in Quebec City, Quebec, Canada can be seen below. The concert once again saw SLIPKNOT singer Corey Taylor performing with a neck brace after undergoing surgery last month.

Taylor was ordered by doctors to refrain from headbanging and jumping when the band kicked off its summer tour on June 28 in Nashville, Tennessee. The group was forced to postpone its North American trek with MARILYN MANSON by three weeks after Taylor underwent what he described as "an unplanned spinal surgery."

Taylor told Billboard magazine: "I've had to kind of reassess what I do live. Up to this point, I didn't realize how physical I am when I sing — even more than just headbanging or jumping or running or any of that stuff. I punctuate physically when I sing, and I never realized that before. Even the first few shows, I was finding I had to hold myself back from more than just the headbanging, y'know? I would do something and it would be, like, 'Okay, that hurts. Okay, we can't do that for awhile.' I've had to reassess what I do live. But the positive for me is I love the challenge of it. I love the fact that it's like, 'Well, okay, maybe I've relied on those things for too long. Let's see if I can get through a show or a tour without having to go to these kind of mainstays,' and the shows have been great, so it's working."

Taylor added that the silver lining is that he has been a better vocalist during the tour. "I've been damn near on, pitchwise," he said. "My stamina's a lot better. It's like I'm really kind of filling in all these weird blanks in [the music] I never even realized were there. I love the challenge of it. It's being able to tune in even more to the music, really kind of being in it, more than I ever was before."

The summer trek is likely to be SLIPKNOT's last U.S. tour in support of its latest album, ".5: The Gray Chapter", which was released in October 2014.

Following the tour, SLIPKNOT and BLACK SABBATH will co-headline the combined Ozzfest Meets Knotfest, a two-day festival scheduled for September 24-25 in San Bernardino, California.