Nearly two years ago, Antropofago revealed all details about their second full-length, Æra Dementiæ. The album was recorded in August of 2013 and was initially set for an early 2014 release date. Since then, the album suffered from multiple delays. Those obstacles have been overcome and the band is ready to unleash the madness upon mankind.

Æra Dementiæ marks a great step forward from the band's self-released debut full-length, Beyond Phobia, with an intense and heavy production paying homage to the band's technical and songwriting abilities while pursuing the conceptual path started with their debut and the 2012 EP, Between Fear And Madness. Where Beyond Phobia was an exploration of fears, Æra Dementiæ is a thematic decent into madness, a concept mirrored by the band's insanely paced, intricate, complex grabbing hold of the unsuspecting audience, brain-drilling its catchy, twisted anthems into the listener's mind.

Limited to 500 copies, Kaotoxin Records will release the album as a deluxe DigiSleeve double CD featuring an expanded version of Between Fear And Madness. Æra Dementiæ, features guest appearances by past and current members of Gorod, Insain, Nephren-Ka and Savage Annihilation.

The album will at long last be released worldwide on August 14. Both releases, Æra Dementiæ and the expanded edition of Between Fear And Madness [redux] will also be made available separately as two digital downloads on the same day.

Æra Dementiæ tracklisting:

“Intro”
“Encounter With The Doppelganger”
“Body Cell”
“Helter Skelter”
“Æra Dementiæ”
“Paranoid Visions (Pt. 2)”
“The Other Me”
“God Ov Fire”
“Voices”
“Insania Lupina”

Between Fear And Madness [redux] tracklisting:

“Cannibal Way Of Life”
“Paranoid Visions (Pt. 2) (2012 version)
“Bloodred Honeymoon”
“Psychopathia Sexualis”
“Safer In My Head”
“The Butcher”

A play-through video of guest guitarist Nicolas Alberny (Gorod) laying down the solo for the track "Insania Lupina":

“A band that is obviously born to reign and destined for heroic victory and eternal glory” as a press release states is Dragonfire Of Fire and the band has released their debut single “The Power Of The Raging Horse”.

The band comments: "We write from our hearts and we have to stay honest to ourselves, even if some people might get offended. Power metal isn't for sissies or posers. Glory, power and honor will prevail!"

Joining them on their debut single is Andrea, the vocalist of the Italian power metal band 4th Dimension. The band comments: "Andrea embraced the spirit of the song in a glorious way and delivered heroic and furious vocals far beyond our imagination. Regrin would be proud. And", the band adds, "He’s also quite cool, for an Italian."

Unique Leader Records confirms July 24 as the ominous date French death metal legion, Kronos, will drop their Arisen New Era long player upon the masses. Recorded, mixed and mastered by David Potvin at Dome Studios (Lyzanxia, Arcania, Under The Abyss) in Angers, France, the band's latest slab of audio menace features nine scalding tracks of unrelenting barbarity adorned in the distinctive cover art of Pierre Alain (Withering Soul, Silentlie, Cyrax). An album trailer can be seen below.

A name derived from the Greek God of Time, Kronos (or Cronus), father of Zeus, Kronos was forged over 15 years ago and quickly established a name for themselves based solely on their musical unity of harmony and violence. Featuring a continuous textual reference to the gods of ancient civilizations, Kronos punctures ears with a heightened level of dynamics. Now that this Gallic Titan has blossomed into a powerful entity, they're ready to vanquish and destroy the world with musical bloodlust and the diabolic wares of Arisen New Era.

Arisen New Era tracklisting:

"Infernal Abyss Sovereignty"
"Zeus Dethroned"
"Soul-Voracious Vultures"
"Rapture In Misery"
"Klymenos Underwrath"
"Aeons Titan Crown"
"Brotherlords"
"Purity Slaughtered"
"Hellysium"

Album trailer:

 

Munich, Germany-based power metallers Stormhammer have revealed the tracklisting of their fifth album Echoes Of A Lost Paradise.

The album was mixed by Mario Lochert and mastered by Jan Vacik at Munich's Dreamsound Studio. Jan Yrlund has created the stunning cover artwork.

Echoes Of A Lost Paradise tracklisting:

“Remembrance”
“Glory Halls Of Valhalla”
“Fast Life”
“Echoes Of A Lost Paradise”
“Leaving”
“Bloody Tears”
“Holy War”
“Black Clouds”
“Into Darkest Void”
“Promises”
“Stormrider”
“The Ocean”

“Bloody Tears”:

Echoes Of A Lost Paradise will be released on June 12 via Massacre Records and will also be available as limited vinyl LP.

Jaded Heart has signed a deal with Massacre Records. Jaded Heart was originally formed by Michael Müller, Axel Kruse, Dirk Bormann as well as the former vocalist Michael Bormann in 1990 and has meanwhile released 12 albums.
 
The band went through quite some line-up changes in the past and is now alive and kicking with a total of five band members.
 
Jaded Heart are keen on playing live, having supported bands like Rage, Doro, Axel Rudi Pell and Shinedown in the past. They also recently wrapped up the so called Fight The System Over Spain 2015 tour, where they promoted their latest album Fight The System.
 
The band’s currently working on a new, yet untitled album that’s expected to be released next year via Massacre Records.

Richmond, Virginia’s Iron Reagan are true road warriors and have just kicked off a run of headlining US dates with support from Angel Dust and Noisem. The band are streaming the ripping bonus track "The Sentence Is Death”, from their second full-length LP The Tyranny Of Will.  

Additionally, the band has announced a summer European tour including numerous festival appearances kicking off June 18th in Copehagen, Denmark.  A complete listing of dates is available below.  

 

 

Tour dates:

May (with Angel Dust, Noisem)
28 - Baltimore, MD - Metro
29 - Cleveland, OH - Now That's Class
30 - Chicago, IL - Reggie's Rock Club w/ Ringworm
31 - Pittsburgh, PA - Gooski's w/ Knife

June (with Angel Dust, Noisem)
2 - Rochester, NY - Bug Jar
3 - Boston, MA - Great Scott
4 - New York, NY - Saint Vitus
5 - Philadelphia, PA - Black Box @ Underground Arts
6 - Richmond, VA - TBA

June
18 - Copenhagen, Denmark - Copenhell 2015
19 - Haarlem, Netherlands - Patronaat
20 - Hiausterdyk, Netherlands - Dokk'em Open Air
21 - Clisson, France - Hellfest
23 - Lyon, France - Warm Audio
25 - Milano, Italy - Solomacello Festival
26 - Belgrade, Russia - Rockaway Lake Festival
27 - Bologna, Italy - Freakout Club
28 - Rome, Italy - Traffic Club
28 - Nova Gorica, Slovakia - Mostovna

July
1 - Antwerpen, Belgium - TBA
2 - Tilburg, Netherlands - Hall of Fame
3 - Munster, Germany - Vainstream     
4 - Tabor, Czech Republic - Mighty Sounds Festival
5 - Wien, Austria - Viper Room
8 - Bristol, England - The Exchange
9 - Newcastle, England - Think Tank
10 - Glasgow, Scotland - Audio
11 - Manchester, UK - Star & Garter
12 - London, England - The Underworld (co-headline w/ Terrorizer LA)
17 - Viveiro, Spain - Resurrection Fest
18 - Albi, France - Xtreme Fest
19 - Paris, France - Le Petit Bain

 

 

Bon Jovi's classic album, Slippery When Wet, is now available like you've never heard it before - in pure audio Blu-Ray, remastered from the original tapes, including six bonus videos in 5.1 and Stereo.

Bon Jovi's eponymous debut album was released in 1984, and "Runaway" became a Top 40 hit. Following its success, Tony Bongiovi sued the band, claiming he developed their successful sound; the group settled out of court. The following year, 7800° Fahrenheit was released and went Gold. Despite the band's respectable success, Bon Jovi weren't becoming the superstars they had hoped, and they changed their approach for their next album, Slippery When Wet.

Hiring professional songwriter Desmond Child as a collaborator, the group wrote 30 songs and auditioned them for local New Jersey and New York teenagers, basing the album's running order on their opinions. After ditching the original cover of a busty woman in a wet T-shirt for the title traced in water on a garbage bag, Slippery When Wet was released in 1986.

Supported by several videos that showcased the photogenic Jon, the album eventually sold nine million copies in the US alone, helping usher in the era of pop-metal. Two songs, "You Give Love A Bad Name" and "Livin' On A Prayer," reached #1, while "Wanted Dead Or Alive" reached the Top Ten, and Bon Jovi were established as worldwide superstars once and for all.

Universal has gone back to the original master tapes to deliver fully uncompressed, high-resolution versions of many of your favourite albums on Blu-ray Pure Audio Disc. Mastered at 24bit/96kHz, Blu-ray Pure Audio Discs deliver the sound the artists originally heard in the studio when these classic albums were recorded. These discs provide all the recorded musical information. While convenient due to their small file size, today’s heavily compressed music files do not represent the true fidelity of the original album.

• Recordings are transferred from the original master tapes and delivered in high-resolution 24-bit/96kHz audio
• No compression is utilized, and the sound quality is vastly superior to MP3 or standard CD
• Three separate choices of audio file format for playback: PCM 2.0, Dolby True HD, or DTS-HD Master Audio (5.1 available where noted)
• Your preferred audio format is chosen either by pressing the "Audio" button on your Blu-ray remote or via your onscreen menu display

Tracklisting:

“Let It Rock”
“You Give Love A Bad Name”
“Livin' On A Prayer”
“Social Disease”
“Wanted Dead Or Alive”
“Raise Your Hands”
“Without Love”
“I'd Die For You”
“Never Say Goodbye”
“Wild In The Streets”
“You Give Love A Bad Name” (Bonus Video)
“Livin' On A Prayer” (Bonus Video)
“Wanted Dead Or Alive” (Bonus Video)
“Never Say Goodbye” (Bonus Video)
“Wild In The Streets” (Bonus Video)
“Livin' On A Prayer” - Live (Bonus Video)

 

 

Blu-ray Pure Audio Discs: Audio is taken from the original master tapes and mastered in 24-bit/96kHz resolution with a choice of three sound formats: PCM, Dolby True HD, or DTS-HD Master Audio. You can finally enjoy the music in the fidelity originally experienced in the studio.

Operating Instructions:

• Simply load the disc into any Blu-Ray device and it starts to play, just like a CD
• No video needed: Blu-Ray remote allows track selection and preferred audio format
• Alternately, use your onscreen display to select tracks and preferred audio format

It was with heavy hearts that Twisted Sister said goodbye to their drummer A.J. Pero, who passed away on March 20th. Twisted Sister members Dee Snider (vocals), Jay Jay French (guitar), Eddie Ojeda (guitar), and Mark “The Animal” Mendoza (bass), announced that world renowned drummer Mike Portnoy (Dream Theater, Adrenaline Mob, Winery Dogs) is the replacement for their brother A.J. Pero for all shows this year, the first of which was last night (May 30th) at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas and was filmed for broadcast, DVD, and CD.

Twisted Sister performed:

“What You Don't Know (Sure Can Hurt You)”
“The Kids Are Back” 
“Stay Hungry” 
“The Beast” 
“Shoot 'Em Down” 
“You Can't Stop Rock 'n' Roll” 
“I Believe in Rock 'n' Roll”
“Under the Blade” 
“I Am (I'm Me)” 
“We're Not Gonna Take It”
“The Fire Still Burns” 
“The Price” 
“Burn in Hell” (with drum solo)
“I Wanna Rock”

Encore:
“Come Out and Play” 
“S.M.F.” 

Fan-filmed video:

The second tribute show for the A.J. Pero family is scheduled on Saturday, June 13th at The Starland Ballroom in Sayreville, NJ.

 
Additionally, fulfilling all concert obligations that have been made for the remainder of 2015 (in several different countries), Twisted Sister want their fans to know all festival dates that they have been advertised as playing will happen under the moniker of The Sound Of Thunder: In memory of AJ PERO.

 
Finally, Twisted Sister has made it official that 2016 will formally close the touring chapter of their illustrious and legendary career. The Forty And Fuck It farewell shows celebrates the band’s 40th anniversary with the core line-up of Snider, French, Ojeda and Mendoza.

For updates visit Twisted Sister on Facebook.

 

 

Danish death metal act Sinister is celebrating their 25th anniversary with a covers album entitled Dark Memorials. The album is full of songs that Sinister members loved and played on vinyl over and over and even played along with back in the days.

Dark Memorials was produced by Jörg Uken at the Soundlodge Studio. The cover artwork was designed by Alex Tartsus.

Dark Memorials features 13 songs: 11 cover songs, and two re-recorded songs with Ron van de Polder on guitars. The limited digipak will contain a bonus DVD called Australian Darkness with a road movie from Sinister's Australian tour in 2014.
 
Sinister's 25th anniversary release Dark Memorials will be released on June 26 via Massacre Records.

Cover of Slayer’s “Necrophiliac”:

WHITESNAKE's new touring lineup — David Coverdale (vocals), Joel Hoekstra (guitar), Reb Beach (guitar), Michael Devin (bass), Tommy Aldridge (drums) and Michele Luppi (keyboards) — made its live debut this past Thursday, May 28 at Northern Quest Casino in Airway Heights, Washington.

The band's setlist was as follows:

01. Burn (DEEP PURPLE cover)02. Lay Down, Stay Down (DEEP PURPLE cover)03. Love Ain't No Stranger 04. The Gypsy (DEEP PURPLE cover)05. Give Me All Your Love 06. You Keep On Moving (DEEP PURPLE cover)07. Forevermore 08. Guitar Solo 09. Mistreated (DEEP PURPLE cover)10. Soldier Of Fortune (DEEP PURPLE cover)11. You Fool No One (DEEP PURPLE cover) 12. Drum Solo 13. Is This Love?14. Lady Double Dealer (DEEP PURPLE cover)15. Stormbringer (DEEP PURPLE cover)16. Here I Go Again

Encore:

17. Still of the Night

Fan-filmed video footage of the concert can be seen below.

WHITESNAKE's "The Purple Album", which revisits singer David Coverdale's time as the frontman for DEEP PURPLE's "Burn", "Stormbringer" and "Come Taste The Band" studio albums, sold around 6,900 copies in the United States in its first week of release to land at position No. 84 on The Billboard 200 chart (which includes stream activity).

Other "The Purple Album" first-week chart positions:

#8: Japan#9: Finland#11: Switzerland#13 in Germany#17: Czech Republic#18: Sweden #18: United Kingdom#24: The Netherlands #34: Norway

WHITESNAKE is planning to release a limited-edition box set of "The Purple Album" on June 30. The box set includes the deluxe edition of the CD alongside a 180-gram, 2-LP vinyl version, a poster and sticker as well as a limited-edition lithograph and can be ordered here. The 180-gram vinyl, also available as a stand-alone piece and can be ordered here.

WHITESNAKE has released four different videos (a combination of traditional music videos and static YouTube clips) for songs from "The Purple Album". Added together, these videos total have received over a million plays and counting, showing that fans new and old still love this iconic material, band and vocalist.

WHITESNAKE was formed in England in 1978 by Coverdale. The band has released multi-platinum selling albums throughout the years and is known for such hits as "Slide It In", "Here I Go Again", "Still Of The Night" and "Is This Love".

Only a world-class orchestra could pull off a project this ambitious, an undertaking so vast that none other than the hallowed halls of Abbey Road Studios could contain and record music of this magnitude. The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra proudly presents an epic album of fully orchestrated renditions of progressive rock masterpieces by the likes of PINK FLOYD, YES, ELP, JETHRO TULL and more!

What's more, a stellar group of musical virtuosos from the prog rock stratosphere join the orchestra, lending their talents to these intricately arranged masterworks in a collaborative match made in prog rock heaven. Longtime MOODY BLUES and YES keyboardist Patrick Moraz adds his own unique flare to the orchestrated version of GENTLE GIANT's "Think Of Me With Kindness" while PORCUPINE TREE drummer Gavin Harrison lays down the rhythm on a brilliant version of KING CRIMSON's "21st Century Schizoid Man". This album also contains an electrifying contribution by THREE DOG NIGHT keyboardist Jimmy Greenspoon, sadly, one of the final recordings he made before his passing earlier this year.

Adrian Smith of IRON MAIDEN makes a guest appearance on the RUSH cover "Red Barchetta", which was originally made available on the "The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra Plays The Music Of Rush", released in November 2012.

"The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra Plays Prog Rock Classics" will be issued on both CD and vinyl starting March 31 courtesy of Purple Pyramid Records. Fans of progressive rock and epic symphonic rock will not want to miss this!

"The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra Plays Prog Rock Classics" track listing:

01. ELP Suite: Tarkus / From The Beginning / Tarkus (Reprise)02. Comfortably Numb feat. Ian Bairnson03. Thick As A Brick feat. Richard Harvey04. 21st Century Schizoid Man feat. Gavin Harrison and Guthrie Govan05. Focus II feat. Thijs Van Leer06. Nights In White Satin feat. Mark Feltham07. Think Of Me With Kindness feat. Patrick Moraz08. Roundabout feat. Jimmy Greenspoon09. Watcher Of The Skies (CD only)10. Red Barchetta feat. Adrian Smith (CD only)

Long-running American metallers VIRGIN STEELE will release their new album, "Nocturnes of Hellfire & Damnation", on June 17 in Scandinavia, June 19 in Germany, June 22 in the rest of Europe and June 23 in the USA via SPV/Steamhammer. It will be made available in physical format with three different covers — as a standard 1CD version (the gargoyle cover), 2CD digipak version (the angel cover), 2LP gatefold version (the flute playing skeleton cover) — and as a digital download.

"Nocturnes of Hellfire & Damnation" 2CD digipak track listing:

CD 1

01. Lucifer's Hammer02. Queen Of The Dead03. To Darkness Eternal04. Black Sun - Black Mass05. Persephone06. Devilhead07. Demolition Queen08. The Plague And The Fire09. We Disappear10. A Damned Apparition11. Glamour12. Delirium13. Hymns To Damnation14. Fallen Angels

CD 2

01. Halloween Theme02. D.O.A.03. The Witch In The Forest04. Black Sabbath05. The Immigrant Song06. Black Sabbath 'Reprise'07. Riderless Horse (Save Your Breath)08. The Devil Drives09. Anger Never Dies10. Funeral Games11. The Plot Thickens12. Haunted Wolfshine13. West Of Sumer14. A Greater Burning Of Innocence15. The Birth Of Beauty "Nocturnes of Hellfire & Damnation" jewel-case track listing:

01. Lucifer's Hammer02. Queen Of The Dead03. To Darkness Eternal04. Black Sun-Black Mass05. Persephone06. Devilhead07. Demolition Queen08. The Plague And The Fire09. We Disappear10. A Damned Apparition11. Glamour12. Delirium13. Hymns To Damnation14. Fallen Angels

"Nocturnes of Hellfire & Damnation" 2LP track listing:

Side A:

01. Lucifer's Hammer02. Queen Of The Dead03. To Darkness Eternal04. Black Sun-Black Mass Side B:

01. Persephone02. Devilhead03. Demolition Queen

Side C:

01. The Plague And The Fire02. We Disappear03. A Damned Apparition04. Glamour Side D:

01. Delirium02. Hymns To Damnation03. Fallen Angels

The official lyric video for the song "Lucifer's Hammer" can be seen below.

Comments VIRGIN STEELE singer David DeFeis: "Our new album, which is called 'Nocturnes Of Hellfire & Damnation', is not a concept album per se, but there is a through line that connects the tracks. The lyrics essentially deal with relationship issues, and by that I mean the connections between entities, as in all sorts of beings, not only human being, but also gods and goddesses, spirits, elements, or whatever, plus various creatures, animal, vegetable and or mineral, but largely the album is about connections between people. People and their belief systems, people and their gods or goddesses, people and their life philosophies and also the various substances we invest or inject into our daily or nightly rituals and our worldview, and all the complexities of what drives us, makes us who we are and takes us where we may or may not be going.

"To sum it up, this album is about all the various ways in which humans can entangle themselves, or destroy themselves, so the album's title essentially encompasses what the vibe of the whole work is about.

"The title relates to the album in the way that the title 'Noble Savage' or 'Age Of Consent' expressed each of those particular works. The title provides a framework and connective tissue, but each song is really its own thing.

"Musically, the album is pretty heavy, high energy, often dark, at turns melancholy, and at turns aggressive or angry sounding. It does have that over-the-top bombastic heaviness that we are about, and the whole barbaric-romantic thing that we are known for.

"The overarching theme that comes to mind when I think about the album or listen to it is passion… raw passion. There are big monolithic riffs, moody chord changes, 'classical' type bits, sort of bluesy moments.... It retains the VIRGIN STEELE signature, but it adds new dimensions to it. In a strange way, it 'feels' to me like it could have been the album we might have made to follow up 'Noble Savage' had I been able to devote all my energies into the more bombastic or progressive side of my musical nature at that time, rather than trying to appease some of the other 'factions' around me who wanted some kind of a 'hit'...whatever that meant at the time.

"So, to conclude, we have infused the recordings with all that we have gone through over these past months, every fiber of our being, and I think this album will be something our fans will really enjoy."

According to The Pulse Of Radio, BRING ME THE HORIZON has announced that the release of its "Live At Wembley" concert DVD, originally scheduled for Friday (May 29), has been delayed. The band did not give a reason for the hold-up but said in an update posted online Thursday (May 28), "Heads up, the 'Live At Wembley' DVD will be coming a bit later than planned this summer. Don't worry, it'll be worth the wait."

The DVD was filmed last December in London when the Yorkshire-based band headlined that city's most prestigious venue, Wembley Arena.

BRING ME THE HORIZON recently completed the touring cycle behind its fourth studio album, 2013's "Sempiternal", and singer Oliver Sykes told The Pulse Of Radio that the band noticed a difference in how it was treated in America. "We've always felt, I guess, a lot of love from America, but it's definitely gone to the next level, I reckon," he said. "The radio support and the new fans and, I don't know, it feels like a different band for this cycle and I think to a lot of people, we are a new band, which is fine with us."

BRING ME THE HORIZON's latest single, "Drown", recently hit No. 6 on the Active Rock radio chart.

The band is reportedly working on its fifth album, tentatively due later in the year.

"Older & Wiser", the new video from SERIOUS BLACK, the band featuring Roland Grapow (MASTERPLAN, ex-HELLOWEEN), Thomen Stauch (ex-BLIND GUARDIAN), Mario Lochert (ex-VISIONS OF ATLANTIS), Dominik Sebastian (EDENBRIDGE), Jan Vacik (ex-DREAMSCAPE) and vocalist Urban Breed (ex-TAD MOROSE), can be seen below. The clip was filmed on February 7 at Brose Arena in Bamberg, Germany during SERIOUS BLACK's European tour as the support act for HAMMERFALL.

Grapow and Stauch were forced to sit out SERIOUS BLACK's European tour with HAMMERFALL due to health issues. They were temporarily replaced by Bob Katsionis (FIREWIND), and Rami Ali (FREEDOM CALL), respectively.

SERIOUS BLACK's debut album, "As Daylight Breaks", came out on January 20 via AFM Records.

SERIOUS BLACK is different to many of the so-called "all-star" projects, because in fact, they are a real band. "As Daylight Breaks" is a real teamwork effort, a melodic metal jewel displaying conviction, amazing musicianship and outstanding songwriting.

It all started on a sunny August 23, 2013 in Spain, when Roland Grapow and Mario Lochert had a conversation backstage over a cool beverage, talking music business — you know, what musicians usually do. For quite a while, Mario had had the idea of bringing together six musical masterminds to form a band floating around his head. After a few initial concerns about igniting various conflicts when getting together in that configuration, eventually Mario was able to convince Roland of his intentions.

Back in Munich, Mario immediately contacted his friend of many years, Thomen Stauch, telling him about his idea. Thomen was sold and joined the bunch right away. After that, Jan Vacik and Dominik Sebastian were quick to agree to a collaboration, too. With that, a new band was born, consisting of five highly motivated musicians. Initially, it turned out to be quite a task to bring these full-time musical workaholics together in one studio at the same time. However, against all odds, they got together on short notice in January 2014.

Needless to say, when they arrived at the Dreamsound Studios in Munich, none of the blokes had any idea yet where exactly their musical venture would take them.

After a long night, accompanied with numerous anecdotes from the world of music and a solid amount of beers (which, of course, were just "meant to keep the vocal cords smoothly"), the band started the songwriting phase.

The chemistry was perfect right away, as if they had been working together in this configuration for decades. The fact that they were able to collectively write songs, without any pressure and in an awesome environment, gave another motivation boost to these five maniacal musicians and the flow was there to create something outstanding. Everyone was bubbling with ideas and just seven days later, they had written eight roughly structured songs, building a foundation for a powerful and melodic power metal record. But even the best songs are nothing if there is no great voice to carry them, right? After a few considerations as to a fitting singer for SERIOUS BLACK, the newly formed group contacted U.S.-based Swedish expat Urban Breed. After exchanging just a few emails and samples, the answer was loud and clear: "Okay, I'm in, if you really want it!" After a short wait, he submitted his first song ideas which fit in with the existing songs seamlessly.

"Light Bearer", the new video from Australia's incendiary extreme musical export THY ART IS MURDER, can be seen below. The song is taken from the band's third studio album, "Holy War", which will be released on June 30 via Nuclear Blast. Produced and mixed by Will Putney (SUICIDE SILENCE, EXHUMED, THE ACACIA STRAIN), the CD will be made available in various formats: digital; limited digipak + bonus track; assorted color vinyl; exclusive mail-order picture disc.

"For the last few years since the 'Reign Of Darkness' video came out, the only thing we've all been obsessed with was having fire in our next clip," comments guitarist Andy Marsh. "With a title like 'Light Bearer', it all came together thematically and our friends at Ambitious Films understood our vision and helped make it a reality. We are so excited to bring you guys new music and a new video. Rejoice, the day of Satan and man is upon us."

"Holy War" track listing:

01. Absolute Genocide02. Light Bearer03. Holy War04. Coffin Dragger05. Fur And Claw06. Deliver Us To Evil07. Emptiness08. Violent Reckoning09. Child Of Sorrow10. Naked And Cold11. Vengeance (bonus track; initial CD pressings and vinyl only) Marsh shares the following about the origins of the new album and its title: "Late last year, we entered the studio in secret to create our follow up to 'Hate', free of expectation and public pressure. What we came out with was a reaction to things going on around the world that crawl under our skin, that make us feel sick to be alive. Musically, it is darker, faster and more technical than anything we've done in the past and it hits hard lyrically. We wrote about concerns of ours, real issues, hardships that people are facing around the world today. Of course, it wouldn't be a THY ART record if a lot of those affairs weren't rooted in religion somehow, and what better way to sum up the state of all things than by entitling our album 'Holy War'. This is our war on racism, homophobia, child abuse, animal cruelty and all evil born of religious immunity, indoctrination, and ignorance. It is ultimately a push for secularism and humanism. Without it, we will be left in the hands of mad men." Rising from the unhallowed wastes of Western Sydney, THY ART IS MURDER successfully cleaved a trail of blood and mayhem since their inception in 2006. With the acclaimed "Infinite Death" EP (2008) and their debut album, "The Adversary" (2010) firmly establishing their name in the global metal music scene, the band has traversed highways and autobahns all around the world, playing 342 tour dates alone in support of their Nuclear Blast Entertainment debut, "Hate" (2012), which landed at No. 35 on the Top 40 ARIA chart — the highest chart debut of any Australian extreme metal band. Known for their tireless work ethic, THY ART IS MURDER performed at Summer Slaughter 2014 aand 2013, headlined their own "Hate Across America" tour in 2013, and supported EMMURE and BORN OF OSIRIS in 2014, playing throughout the U.S. more times in a two-year period than any other Australian band in any genre of music.

Los Angeles, California metallers ARMORED SAINT will release their seventh studio album on June 2 in North America via Metal Blade. Titled "Win Hands Down", the CD was produced by bassist Joey Vera and mixed by Jay Ruston (ANTHRAX, STEEL PANTHER, STONE SOUR).

"Win Hands Down" can now be streamed in its entirety using the SoundCloud widget below.

"Win Hands Down" track listing:

01. Win Hands Down02. Mess03. An Exercise In Debauchery04. Muscle Memory05. That Was Then, Way Back When06. With a Full Head of Steam07. In an Instant08. Dive09. Up Yours

A video for the "Win Hands Down" title track was recently shot by director Andrew Nethery and can be seen below.

States ARMORED SAINT singer John Bush: "When we began talking about a new record, I told Joey Vera [bass] to pretend we were a really huge band and that we could do anything we wanted. At least that was the mindset we should have, from the writing to the production. What came out was 'Win Hands Down', which is our first record in five years."

He continued: "There's everything from classic ARMORED SAINT rocker songs to epic songs and we all dug deep to deliver something special. If we weren't going to, then we shouldn't have bothered. I'm glad we did."

Bush added: "In May we are doing some shows in the States with SAXON. It's a great way to get the ball rolling."

Stated Vera: "We're very excited about our new record coming out in June!

"We've been writing over the past year and half and we feel like we've written some amazing music. We can't wait to share it!

"To get our whistle's wet, we're super excited about doing some warm-up gigs before the record release with the legendary SAXON this May!

"We're doing a total of six shows between the East Coast, Texas, West Coast and we couldn't think of a better way to start off the summer! See you all soon."

Photo credit: Stephanie Cabral

Norwegian black metallers GORGOROTH have inked a worldwide deal with Soulseller Records. The band's tenth studio album, "Instinctus Bestialis", will be released on June 8 on digipack CD (limited first pressing), limited black vinyl, limited picture vinyl and digitally. The recording lineup for the eight-song effort consisted of Infernus (guitar), Tomas Asklund (drums; ex-DISSECTION, DARK FUNERAL), Bøddel (a.k.a. Frank Watkins, bass, ex-OBITUARY), and new vocalist Atterigner from the Serbian band TRIUMFALL.

"Instinctus Bestialis" was recorded and mixed by Tomas Asklund at Monolith Studio, produced by Infernus and Asklund and mastered at Cutting Room in Sweden by Mats Lindfors, Infernus and Asklund. Guest appearances include Chris Cannella, Fabio Sperandio and Henrik Ekeroth on lead guitar.

"Instinctus Bestialis" track listing:

01. Radix Malorum02. Dionysian Rite03. Ad Omnipotens Aeterne Diabolus04. Come Night05. Burn in His Light06. Rage07. Kala Brahman08. Awakening

The song "Ad Omnipotens Aeterne Diabolus" can be streamed using the SoundCloud widget below.

"Under The Sign Of Hell 2011", the re-recording of GORGOROTH's third album, was made available in 2011.

On "Under The Sign Of Hell 2011", Pest and Infernus repeated their roles as vocalist and guitarist/bassist, respectively, from the original 1996 recording, while Tomas Asklund handled the drums.

GORGOROTH's ninth album, "Quantos Possunt ad Satanitatem Trahunt", was released on October 21, 2009 in Europe via Regain Records. The CD, which was made available in the U.S. on November 11, 2009, was recorded at Monolith Studio and featured Infernus on guitar, OBITUARY's Frank Watkins on bass, Pest on vocals and Asklund on drums.

"Quantos Possunt ad Satanitatem Trahunt" was produced by Infernus and co-produced/engineered by Tomas Asklund. It was mastered at the Cutting Room in Stockholm.

Finland-based symphonic metal storytellers, Nightwish, just released their new single, for the title-track “Endless Forms Most Beautiful”. The four track single is available as a limited edition MCD, 10“ vinyl and as a download.

Today Nightwish reveal the 19th episode from the album making-of series, talking about the single choice and release of the title track:

A lyric video for “Endless Forms Most Beautiful” can be seen below.

 

 

“Endless Forms Most Beautiful” tracklisting:

“Endless Forms Most Beautiful” (album version)
“Sagan” (instrumental) previously unreleased
“Endless Forms Most Beautiful” (alternative version)
“Endless Forms Most Beautiful” (radio edit) previously unreleased

Nightwish have announced their 26-date headlining tour of North America for 2016, launching in Sayreville, New Jersey on February 19th, hitting six Canadian cities plus Pittsburgh, Anaheim, and New Orleans, then closing out in Tampa, Florida on March 23rd.  Opening for the tour will be Dutch symphonic metallers, Delain.

 

 

Checking in from the first leg of the North American Tour, Nightwish shared the following about the second leg of the tour in 2016: "The first one was so brilliant that we just gotta come back!"

Advanced tickets for the confirmed tour dates are now on sale exclusively at EnterTheVault.com. A limited number of VIP Meet & Greet tickets (which include a poster signed by the band + a tour program) are available for each show for purchase. Tickets will go on sale June 6th at all other outlets.

Tour dates:

February
19 - Starland Ballroom - Sayreville, NJ
20 - Webster Theater - Hartford, CT
21 - Metropolis - Montreal, QC
22 - Music Hall - London, ON
24 - Carnegie Music Hall - Pittsburgh, PA
25 - LC Pavilion - Columbus, OH
26 - Royal Oak Music Theatre - Royal Oak, MI
27 - Rave - Milwaukee, WI
29 - First Avenue - Minneapolis, MN

March
1 - Burton Cummings Theatre - Winnipeg, MB
2 - O’Briens Events Center - Saskatoon, SK
3 - Winspear Center - Edmonton AB
5 - MacEwan Hall Ballroom - Calgary, AB
6 - Wilma Theatre -Missoula, MT
7 - Showbox SoDo - Seattle, WA
8 - Knitting Factory - Boise, ID
10 - Knitting Factory - Reno, NV
11 - City National Civic of San Jose - San Jose, CA
12 - The Grove - Anaheim, CA
14 - Rialto Theatre - Tucson, AZ
15 - City Auditorium - Colorado Springs, CO
16 - Uptown Theater - Kansas City, MO
18 - Diamond Ballroom - Oklahoma City, OK
19 - Aztec Music Hall - San Antonio, TX
20 - New Orleans Civic Theatre - New Orleans, LA
21 - Iron City Live - Birmingham, AL
23 - The Ritz - Tampa, FL

The long-awaited Nightwish movie, Imaginaerum, will finally be released in North America on June 16th via Nuclear Blast Records.

 

 

Imaginaerum tells the story of an elderly composer, Tom, who suffers from severe dementia. As he has had the disease for years and has regressed into childhood, he remembers practically nothing from his adult life. His music, friends, all his past including the memory of his daughter are a blur in his fragile mind. All he has left is the imagination of a ten year old boy. As he drifts away into coma, it seems impossible to get back what he has lost. Or is it?

Imaginaerum creates a musical fantasy world in the vein of David Lynch, Neil Gaiman, and Tim Burton. The movie is an innovative mixture of story-telling and music, an extraordinary tale of the power of imagination and  life itself - a true emotional rollercoaster ride!

There are some questions we must ask ourselves before entering the world of Imaginaerum. What is most important in life? Can the power of memories protect us during our last moments? Will our imagination help us find the spark of life in the deepest darkness? Can we still find love after bitter forgiveness?

 

 

Shot and post-produced in Canada, the movie was directed by Stobe Harju and produced by Solar Films, and features appearances by Nightwish members. The screenplay is based on a wild vision that Tuomas Holopainen, the mastermind of the band, devised after the album Dark Passion Play came out in 2007.

“I thought of how we could take our expression that had already became pretty ambitious and grandiose to the next level, and that’s when I knew I wanted to tell a story, and to tell it with love and piety.”

According to Holopainen, finishing the movie has been an eventful and challenging journey that has sometimes demanded superhuman dedication from the production crew.

“I want to already thank everyone from the bottom of my heart. Together we’ve managed to create something innovative, strange, and timeless”, Holopainen states.

Pre-order your Blu-ray + DVD combo pack of Imaginaerum from the Nuclear Blast USA Online Shop at this location.

 

The German grindcore goats Milking The Goatmachine just released the second album preview for their upcoming studio album Goatgrind, which will be released June 26th via NoiseArt Records. Check out both below:

Part 1:
 

Part 2:

Goatgrind tracklist:
“Goatgrind”
“Farm Of The Mutilated”
“Blow Your Sneakers”
“Fear The Goathammer”
“#Idiot”
“U.H.T. Milk Is Murder”
“Mrs. Goat_ re (Nanny Of The Damned)”
“Talk To The Hoof”
“No More Space In Herd”
“Shadows And Crust”
“The Goatastic Four”
“Burn Your Shed”
“Sound Of Breaking Horns”
“Wolf Expander”
“Wheels Of Fire” (Manowar Cover)
 
The lyric video of the song "#idiot" can be seen here below. The band states: “#Idiot is a very emotional song for us, full of love, hate, sadness and madness. It isn’t about fiction persons, it is about real lifeforms from our personal environment. With this song, we want to thank people (or not) for their loyalty (or not!)!”

 

Ia Pazuzu (The Abyss Of The Shadows) is the impending new long player from Swedish industrial black metal misery makers, Diabolicum. Now boasting the ill-omened vocal tidings of Shining's Niklas Kvarforth, the record breaks the band's 14-year slumber and boasts nine harrowing psalms of disease and torment. The record will see release on July 7th via Italy's Code666. In celebration of its official ignition, the first taste of plague surfaces with fifth cranium-crusher, "Salvation Through Vengeance." Listen below.

Initially spawed in 1994 by Sasrof and Thorne under the Imperial moniker, Diabolicum stand among the prime instigators of the industrial black metal scene. The collective's first demo appeared under the title Mori Voluntaria. The tape was recorded in just two days at a mental hospital and included the session vocals of Blackblood (Tommy Dahlström now of Aeon). Following various personnel shifts, Imperial unleashed The Imperial Darkness demo with vocals and lead guitar handled by Thyrfing (Stefan Dhalberg) with third demo, De FÆrdÆmdas Legion, unveiled by Arte De Occulta shortly thereafter. By 1997, members of Imperial formed black metal collective, Helvete, together with Mysteriis and Kraath of Setherial. The project was put on hold when guitarist Sasrof took over bass responsibilities for Setherial.  

Two years later, Imperial changed their name to Diabolicum. Nathzion (AKA Zeb Nilsson now of Aeon) joined the ranks as lead guitarist and Diabolicum's debut, the annihilating The Grandeur Of Hell, dropped in 1999 via Napalm Records. In the summer of 2000, Diabolicum fled Napalm to explore new opportunities and forged a union with Italian imprint, Code666. Brandishing a flawless meld of Swedish black metal and industrial ambient noise, 2001's resulting The Dark Blood Rising full-length is now considered a cult classic among the industrial black metal scene. In the years to follow, the band published a collection of early demos (The Killing Spree 1.5) and two split 7" EP - one with Watain; the other with Angst - before penning their third diabolic opus with new vocalist Niklas Kvarforth (Shining) and lead guitarist Likstrand. After several setbacks and delays, the band is finally ready to undrape Ia Pazuzu (The Abyss Of The Shadows). Spewing forth nine merciless tracks of sonic scorn, and featuring guest appearances by Malfeitor Fabban (Aborym) and Vargher (Naglfar, Bewitched, Ancient Wisdom), with cryptic artwork by Maxime Taccardi, Ia Pazuzu (The Abyss Of The Shadows) is anguished, devouring and destined to become a new milestone within the industrial black metal community.

 

 

Ia Pazuzu (The Abyss Of The Shadows) tracklisting:  

“Baxxar Ehl Uhza”
“The Void Of Astaroth”
“The Silent Spring”
“Genocide Bliss”
“Salvation Through Vengeance”
“The Abyss Of The Shadows”
“One Mans War”
“Angelmaker”
“Ia Pazuzu”   

 

 

 

 

Polish black metallers Blaze Of Perdition have revealed a new track in anticipation of their third studio album, Near Death Revelations, set to be released on June 26th worldwide via Agonia Records. The song "Królestwo Niczyje" can be listened to via the YouTube clip below.

Blaze Of Perdition have built an excellent reputation with their two previous albums, Towards The Blaze Of Perdition (2010) and The Hierophant (2011), which solidified the oufit's position as one the most interesting new acts in the field of black metal. The group truly makes use of its creative capacities, focusing on inteligent arrangements and developing a dark, yet enigmatic unity.

After a tragic road accident in November 2013, the band's career was open to doubt. The event did not manage to slow Blaze Of Perdition for long. The upcoming Near Death Revelations album revolves around those past experiences.

Blaze Of Perdition's new album was mixed and mastered at Satanic Audio (Thaw, The Dead Goats). The cover artwork was created by Mentalporn (Sinister, Behemoth, Decapitated) while the layout was prepared by Kontamination Design (Demonical, Archgoat).

 

 

Tracklisting:

“Królestwo Niczyje”
“Into The Void Again”
“When Mirrors Shatter”
“Dreams Shall Flesh”
“Cold Morning Fears”
“The Tunnel”
“Of No Light”

Digital pre-orders can be placed at this location.

“Into The Void Again”:

Near Death Revelations by Blaze of Perdition

 

 

 

 

Sin City Sinners have begun pre-production on an all new original album. The band has also kicked off rehearsals for the upcoming Bobby Blotzer's Ratt Experience live dates. Tonight, May 28th, will be the last Sinners show at Vamp'd (in Las Vegas, NV) until July. Of special note, drummer Blas Elias will be behind the kit, thereby promising an extra special evening.

However, Bobby Blotzer's Ratt Experience will take the stage at Vamp'd on June 27th, performing Ratt hits and never before played deep album cuts; including Invasion Of Your Privacy in its entirety.

 

 

 

British heavy metal legends SAXON have set "Battering Ram" as the title of their 21st studio album, tentatively due this fall via UDR Music.

Speaking to the "Metal Hammer Magazine Show"about the musical direction of SAXON's follow-up to 2013's "Sacrifice", the band's frontman, Biff Byford, said: "Some of it is quite brutal, but there's quite a lot of melodic stuff on there as well. Every SAXON album is different to the one before because we like to entertain people and we don't really like to write the same song all the time."

Songtitles set to appear on "Battering Ram" include "The Devil's Footprint", which recounts a tale from the 1600s while another track, "Tax 'Till You Drop", looks at evil of another kind. The CD's title cut is "a bit like 'Heavy Metal Thunder', just a new version," Biff told The Rockpit. "It's about the audience raging at the barriers." Regarding "The Devil's Footprint", Biff said: "[It] is a legend of a couple hundred years ago [when] people woke up with fresh snow and they saw hoof prints on the roof across the lake and they followed it for many miles and it couldn't be explained." As for some of the other tracks on the CD, Biff said: "I'm doing another song about, well I used to be a big chess player, I used to play a lot of chess but not so much these days. So I wrote a song called 'Queen Of Hearts' or 'Red Queen', which is a little bit, 'Alice In Wonderland'-y, a little bit chess-y game. So, a little bit deeper lyrics. There's another one called 'The Drinking Song'."

"Battering Ram" is once again being helmed by acclaimed British producer Andy Sneap (MEGADETH, EXODUS, TESTAMENT, ACCEPT).

"I co-produced, more or less, 15 albums with SAXON, so I know how to record," Biff told The Rockpit. "You just have to have a great team — a great engineer and a great band. On this one, I thought I'd give Andy a chance to do everything with the band himself. Obviously, I'm in control of the overall executive duty-type thing."

Speaking about the songwriting process for "Battering Ram", Biff said: "It's a little bit different on this one. We've not written as many songs together on this album. Me and Nibbs [SAXON bassist Timothy 'Nibbs' Carter] have written a few things together, so it's a little bit different than the last, but we're all working together. Doug [Scarratt, guitar] and Paul [Quinn, guitar] have come up with some stuff, and so we can get it on the album as well. A lot of the heavy stuff comes from Nibbs anyway — the actual guitar licks."

On bus done first priest show love those guys listening to rough mixes new album out in sept /oct?
The battering ram is coming!!!!
Biffx

— Biff Byford (@biff_byford) May 18, 2015

Swedish occult rockers GHOST will release their third album, "Meliora", on August 21 via Loma Vista Recordings. The follow-up to 2013's "Infestissumam" was helmed by Klas Åhlund, a prolific songwriter, producer and guitarist who is also a member of the Swedish rock band TEDDYBEARS, and was mixed by Andy Wallace (SLAYER, NIRVANA, SEPULTURA, LINKIN PARK, GUNS N' ROSES).

"Meliora" track listing, according to U.K.'s Metal Hammer:

01. Spirit02. From The Pinnacle To The Pit03. Cirice04. Spöksonat05. He Is06. Mummy Dust07. Majesty08. Devil Church09. Absolution10. Deus In Absentia

The cover artwork for the CD can be seen below.

The album's first single, "Cirice", is tentatively due at the end of May or in early June.

GHOST's June 3 warm-up show at at Doom in Linköping will serve as the group's live debut with "new" singer Papa Emeritus III, the three-month-younger brother of GHOST's previous frontman, Papa Emeritus II (pictured).

The latest issue of Sweden Rock Magazine marked GHOST's final photo session with Papa Emeritus II before he was "fired" and succeeded by Papa Emeritus III.

GHOST is planning to return to the studio before the summer to record several cover songs, including one by Leonard Cohen and another by the '80s Swedish band IMPERIET.

GHOST's last release was a covers EP, "If You Have Ghost", which sold around 5,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 87 on The Billboard 200 chart. Issued on November 19, 2013 via Loma Vista Recordings, the five-track EP was recorded and produced by Dave Grohl (FOO FIGHTERS, NIRVANA), and included cover versions of songs by ROKY ERICKSON, ABBA, ARMY OF LOVERS and DEPECHE MODE, plus a live version of the GHOST offering "Secular Haze", recorded in Brooklyn earlier that year.

"Infestissumam" was certified gold in Sweden last fall for sales in excess of 20,000 copies.

Note: The International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI) in Sweden has revised the sales requirements for albums to reach gold status in the country twice in the last seven years — from the pre-2002 level of 40,000 to the current 20,000.

"Infestissumam" sold around 14,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 28 on The Billboard 200 chart.

GHOST was forced to modify its name in the U.S. to GHOST B.C. for "legal reasons."

Florida-based extreme metallers HATE ETERNAL will release their sixth full-length album, "Infernus", on August 24 via Season Of Mist. The CD was recorded at HATE ETERNAL founder and principal member Erik Rutan's (guitar, vocals) Mana Recording Studio (CANNIBAL CORPSE, MOUNTAIN GOATS, GOATWHORE) in St. Petersburg, Florida.

HATE ETERNAL has just hit the road in the U.S. as part of this year's "Metal Alliance" tour, which sees the band performing alongside DEICIDE, ENTOMBED A.D., and more.

HATE ETERNAL last year announced the addition of drummer Chason Westmoreland to the group's ranks. The native of Las Vegas, Nevada has been playing drums since the tender age of five and has toured with such renowned acts as FALLUJAH, BURNING THE MASSES, ENFOLD DARKNESS and OCEANO.

Rutan commented on Westmoreland joining the band: "Chason is such an amazing talent and a very determined guy. He came down to try out in June and literally blew us away! We bonded instantly musically and personally, and JJ and I knew he was the right guy and drummer for HATE ETERNAL. Chason has a high motor, hits hard, plays fast and is a very diverse and dynamic player.

"The drums on this album have a very primal and visceral feel to them and I think he did a tremendous job on the recording."

Westmoreland stated about his contribution to the new album: "The new material is very challenging and has a lot going on. I put everything I had into this album and I'm very excited about the results. "

The first eight albums from the legendary heavy metal band BLACK SABBATH are being re-released on vinyl.

The reissue campaign will kick off on June 22 with SABBATH's self-titled debut album (1970), "Paranoid" (1970) and "Master Of Reality" (1971). They will be followed by the June 29 re-releases of "Vol. 4" (1972), "Sabbath Bloody Sabbath" (1973) and "Sabotage" (1975).

On July 13, SABBATH's "Technical Ecstacy" (1976) and "Never Say Die!" (1978) will be reissued.

All eight albums will be made available on heavyweight 180-gram vinyl and CD.

SABBATH's early original-lineup catalog was previously reissued on vinyl in 2012 as a limited-edition box set, "The Vinyl Collection: 1970-1978".

In an interview with Gibson.com, SABBATH guitarist Tony Iommi spoke about the band's musical diversity. He said: "To me, BLACK SABBATH were always open to new sounds. On every SABBATH album, there’s always something out the box. We had instrumentals on a hard rock album when everyone was telling us, 'You can't do that!' I love 'Laguna Sunrise' [acoustic instrumental on 'Vol. 4'], for example. I enjoyed working with a choir, I liked getting string sections involved on ['Sabbath Bloody Sabbath''s] 'Spiral Architect'. SABBATH always did something different on each album. But I guess many people don’t remember those tracks so well."

Although SABBATH was briefly announced as performing at Ozzfest Japan this fall, the band is now off that bill and singer Ozzy Osbourne will be headlining as a solo act "with friends."

Iommi, who was diagnosed with cancer in early 2012, dismissed rumors last month that his health was the reason why the band canceled the Ozzfest Japan show.

Original BLACK SABBATH drummer Bill Ward, who has recently engaged in a public war of words with Ozzy over the reasons why Ward did not participate in the SABBATH reunion, has released his first solo album in 18 years. Titled "Accountable Beasts", the record can be purchased on iTunes.