German metal band, Rage, will release their new album, The Devil Strikes Again, on June 10th via Nuclear Blast Records. The band have released the second official album trailer. Watch two trailers below:

Part 1:

Part 2:

The Devil Strikes Again will be released in various formats: CD / Digibook (2CD)/ Deluxe Digibook (3CD) / 2LP. Pre-order the new album at this location.

Tracklisting:

CD/LP:
“The Devil Strikes Again”
“My Way”
“Back On Track”
“The Final Curtain”
“War”
“Ocean Full Of Tears”
“Deaf, Dumb And Blind”
“Spirits Of The Night”
“Times Of Darkness”
“The Dark Side Of The Sun”

Bonus (Digibook/ Deluxe / LP)
“Bring Me Down”
“Requiem”
“Into The Fire”
“Bravado” (Rush Cover)
“Slave To The Grind” (Skid Row Cover)
“Open Fire” (Y&T Cover)

CD Live 2016 (Deluxe only)
“Black In Mind” (live)
“Sent By The Devil” (live)
“End Of All Days” (live)
“Back In Time” (live)
“Down” (live)
“My Way” (live)
“Until I Die” (live)
“Don't Fear The Winter” (live)
“Higher Than The Sky” (live)

“Spirits Of The Night” lyric video:

“My Way” video:

Studio trailers:

Part 1:

Part 2:

Legendary German thrashers Destruction, whose new studio album Under Attack is out today (May 13th), have released a new video trailer for the effort, which can be viewed below:

The album artwork was created by acclaimed artist Gyula from Hungary, who has also created artwork for Annihlator, Grave Digger, Stratovarius, Tankard and many more.

Tracklisting:

“Under Attack”
“Generation Nevermore”
“Dethroned”
“Getting Used To The Evil”
“Pathogenic”
“Elegant Pigs”
“Second To None”
“Stand Up For What You Deliver”
“Conductor Of The Void”
“Stigmatized”

Bonus tracks:
“Black Metal” (feat. Alex [Krisiun])
“Thrash Attack”

"Under Attack" video:

Trailer:

“Second To None” lyric video:

Teaser:

Artwork trailer:

Comments bassist/singer Schemer: "I had the vision of the exploding earth with the Destruction skull as continents before we even had the title. Never has the earth and every individual been so Under Attack: whether it’s environmental issues, wars or politics and media madness, we just destroy everything that we love! The cover brings together the classical concepts of the band’s history and fits in well with the discography… but unfortunately it also represents the current state of the world today!"

The back cover of the vinyl edition of Under Attack can be seen below:

Guitarist/vocalist Thane Farace of Rabid Assassin was severely injured in an ATV accident on April 24th, sustaining major damage to the left side of his body.

His injuries include:

- Compound/Shattered collarbone
- Broken shoulder blade
- Broken upper rib
- Partially collapsed & bruised lung
- Head laceration
- Lacerations on back of shoulder

Dealing with the aftermath of his accident, Thane, a telecommunications subcontractor, has health insurance but due to his extensive injuries Thane is out of work for an extended period of time and needed to file for Short Term Disability. Upon filing, he found out that his Short Term Disability was never renewed for 2016. This poses a tremendous problem now as Thane has NO income to cover his current living expenses much less the new medical bills already rolling in.

A Go Fund Me (Help Thane Farace) account has been setup for anyone who would like to donate to help Thane's situation, click here. No money means no bills paid and potential loss of everything he has ever worked for. Whatever anyone can contribute will help tremendously.

Thane is back home on the mend and is providing daily updates on his healing process along with his struggles. Stop by and say hello and/or wish him well at this location.

Metal Life conducted an interview with bassist/vocalist Jeff Walker of British extreme metal pioneers CARCASS in February. You can now listen to the chat below.

Asked about the progress of the songwriting sessions for CARCASS's follow-up to 2013's "Surgical Steel" album, Walker said: "Well, I could bullshit you and tell you that we've already written a double album, and it's a concept album. The truth of the matter is we've not had any time to sit down and regroup. I'm pretty sure Bill [Steer, guitar] has riffs somewhere, and maybe he's had a couple of jams with the drummer, but we've not sat down and started composing or writing stuff. We've literally had no time. We've not stopped touring or playing, on and off, since the beginning of 2013, before the album came out. We've just been busy. I mean, we were looking to wind down and then this SLAYER tour [offer] came up, and it [was] too good an opportunity to turn down. And as long as there's demand out there, we're gonna play."

He continued: "In all honesty, 'Surgical Steel' came out at the tail end of [2013], but it just seems like it was yesterday. We're not really in some kind of careerist cycle where we're gonna record albums, tour… If we were clever, we would get a new album out as soon as we can to capitalize on the wave of good feeling and the supposed success of 'Surgical Steel'. But that won't happen, because, as pretentious as it is, we're kind of artists and we'll take as much as we need to write the next album. Now, if that takes a year or two years, then it's just tough shit. And if that's to the detriment of any success or career that we've got, then it's just tough shit. It's not a money-spinning exercise."

CARCASS has scheduled 17 shows in the U.S. between its appearance at the Chicago Open Air festival in late July and the August 6 performance at the Heavy Montreal festival. Support on these dates will come from CROWBAR, GHOUL and NIGHT DEMON.

Joining Walker and guitarist Bill Steer in CARCASS' current incarnation are drummer Daniel Wilding (ABORTED, TRIGGER THE BLOODSHED) and guitarist Ben Ash (PIG IRON, DESOLATION, LIQUEFIED SKELETON).

"Surgical Steel" sold around 8,500 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 41 on The Billboard 200 chart.

A special edition of "Surgical Steel" was released last October on CD and digitally and on vinyl in November via Nuclear Blast. The "Complete Edition" includes the whole album "Surgical Steel", along with the entire "Surgical Remission / Surplus Steel" EP. All the songs were recorded during the "Surgical Steel" sessions, which were helmed by producer Colin Richardson (NAPALM DEATH, BOLT THROWER, GOREFEST, CANNIBAL CORPSE, SINISTER, RODRIGO Y GABRIELA) and mixed/mastered by Andy Sneap (MEGADETH, ACCEPT, EXODUS, TESTAMENT).

Vocalist Chuck Billy of San Francisco Bay Area metallers TESTAMENT has confirmed that the band's forthcoming eleventh studio album will "definitely" be titled "The Brotherhood Of The Snake".

Speaking to TheNationalStudent about the lyrical themes covered on TESTAMENT's follow-up to 2012's "Dark Roots Of Earth", Chuck said: "'The Brotherhood Of The Snake' was actually a society about six thousand years ago that debarred all religions. It was just a fascinating topic that caught our eye and attention and spawned a lot of songs. We're going with that vibe."

He continued: "There will be some songs that deviate, but the majority will be around that and aliens and religion. Then I'll probably tap into my native heritage and write some songs about that. It's not just going to be one concept, but there is some interesting stuff that we're finding to write about."

Billy added that most difficult part of making new albums for a band like TESTAMENT "is that we don't live near to each other. We're not like a normal band where we're, like, 'Oh, we'll see you at the studio, we're jamming tomorrow." Alex [Skolnick, lead guitarist] lives in New York, Eric [Peterson, rhythm guitarist] lives in San Diego, and me and Steve [DiGiorgio, bassist] are the only ones that still live in the Bay Area. So when it's time to rehearse or go on tour, they bring everybody in together to practice. It's not the easiest way to write when we're going through that stage. It's, like, 'We're writing. Okay, everyone send in stuff through e-mail.' That's the hardest part of it, but I think it keeps us focused on the song a little more, so it has its ups and downs. I still like getting together and kicking around thoughts in the studio with the band."

Peterson recently told Metalholic.com that the song "The Brotherhood Of The Snake" will feature "the fastest blast" TESTAMENT drummer Gene Hoglan has ever played, a sentiment that was echoed by Billy. "It is definitely some fast blast beats going on in there," Chuck said. "That's definitely a standout [song], but a lot of this record, the new record, is definitely gonna be geared up to a little more faster than 'Dark Roots Of Earth' record, definitely a little more aggressive musically, for sure, probably vocally as well. I think I'll probably attack with a little more heavier voice on this one. I'll kind of feel my way through the song, which voice to use. But there's definitely gonna be some 'Demonic' [-type] stuff, but again like 'The Gathering', 'cause I think I did a little bit of everything on that record, which that's what we'd like to accomplish."

TESTAMENT's U.S. tour with SLAYER and CARCASS kicked off on February 19 in Chicago, Illinois and ended on March 26 in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Long-time YES fans, rejoice! Jon Anderson, Trevor Rabin and Rick Wakeman are proud to announce that after a hiatus of 25 years, they are to reform the definitive YES lineup as Anderson, Rabin & Wakeman (ARW).

Since they last played together in 1990 on the highly successful YES Union Tour, there have been various hybrid versions of the band. However, none featured the iconic voice of Jon Anderson, the outstanding guitar talent of Trevor Rabin, and the keyboard wizardry of Rick Wakeman. The aim of the band will be to restore the standard of excellence in performance that they established with their 1990 shows - which saw YES members past and present come together for the first (and only) time of the legendary band's career.

"To be able to sing and perform with Rick and Trevor at this time in my life is a treasure beyond words," explains Jon. "I'm so excited to create new music and revisit some of the classic work we created many years ago, it's going to be a musical adventure on so many new levels."

"Trevor and I have wanted to play Yes music together since the Union Tour," adds Rick. "And as for so many of us, there is no Yes music without Jon.  The 'Holy Trinity of Yes' is for me, very much a dream come true."

The most successful prog rock group of all time, YES was founded by Jon Anderson in 1968 and went on to sell millions of units with releases such as Fragile, Close to The Edge, Tales From Topographic Oceans, Going For The One and 90125, as well as embarking on several record-breaking world tours.

While Rick is associated with the '70s "prog era" of the band (which saw YES become a worldwide stadium headliner) and Trevor associated with the '80s "pop era" of the band (which furthered the band's popularity - including the band's biggest chart success), Jon is the bridge between both factions (as he was a member of both eras).

Not content to rest on past glory, Jon, Trevor and Rick are working on new songs, which are currently being recorded. The band will make its live debut in North America in October/November, followed by the Rest of the World in 2017.

The worldwide ARW Tour is being produced by legendary concert promoter Larry Magid, who is considered an architect and leader of the modern concert business. With over 16,000 concerts to his credit and still counting, he has produced national and international tours for Yes, Richard Pryor, Bette Midler, Stevie Wonder, Robin Williams, Kristin Chenoweth, Earth Wind & Fire, Il Divo, The Allman Brothers Band, Patti LaBelle, Grover Washington Jr. and many others. In 1985 Larry Magid co-produced the American portion of Live Aid and in 2005 he was the producer of Live 8.

The following are confirmed dates, and on-sales for each market will be announced soon. Additional dates may be added:

October
4 - Orlando, FL - Hard Rock Live
6 - Hollywood, FL - Seminole Hard Rock Casino
7 - Clearwater, FL - Ruth Eckerd Hall
9 - Durham, NC - Durham Performing Arts Center
10 - Atlanta, GA - Fox Theatre
15 - Glenside, PA - Keswick Theatre
16 - Glenside, PA - Keswick Theatre
19 - Boston, MA - Wang Theatre
21 - Wallingford, CT - Toyota Oakdale Theatre
22 - Huntington, NY - The Paramount
24 - Montclair, NJ - Wellmont Theater
26 - Red Bank, NJ - Count Basie Theatre
28 - Atlantic City, NJ - Borgata Event Center
29 - Akron, OH - Goodyear Theater at East End

November
1 - New York, NY - Beacon Theatre
2 - Pittsburgh, PA - Heinz Hall
4 - New Buffalo, MI - Four Winds Casino
5 - Chicago, IL - Chicago Theatre
7 - Nashville, TN - Schermerhorn Symphony Center
9 - St Louis, MO - Fox Theatre
11 - New Orleans, LA - Saenger Theatre
12 - San Antonio, TX - Majestic Theatre
14 - Austin, TX - ACL at the Moody Theater
16 - Denver, CO - Paramount Theatre
17 - Salt Lake City, UT - Capitol Theater  
19 - Las Vegas, NV - The Pearl  
20 - Phoenix, AZ - Celebrity Theatre  
22 - Los Angeles, CA - Orpheum  
25 - San Francisco, CA - Masonic  

For tour, tickets and VIP info, head to this location.

A Music Blog, Yea? recently conducted an interview with guitarist/vocalist Matt Tuck of Welsh metallers BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE. You can now watch the chat below.

Asked if there are any goals left for BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE to achieve, Tuck said: "Honestly, no. I think when we first started BULLET, our main goal was to hopefully one day do some touring, and that was that. That's definitely done. And then we kind of had these other dreams. They were never things we thought were achievable, but it was like touring with certain bands and getting an album out and going gold. It's just all these things; I had this wish list that we never thought was achievable. But we did. And I don't think there's anyone left that we would love to tour with, 'cause we've already done that. We've got tons of plaques for achievements of the albums have done and stuff, which is thanks to [the fans]. And that's it. We're just really content and just kind of doing our thing. I think having that mindset now rather than these really feisty, angry twenty-somethings that we were… It was great, you know, but I think we've got to a point now where we're just content, and it just makes life so much more easy to do what we do."

BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE recently signed a worldwide deal with Search And Destroy/Spinefarm Records. The band's latest album, "Venom", was released in August 2015 via RCA. The CD marked BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE 's first release since the departure of longtime bassist Jason James and addition of Jamie Mathias (formerly of REVOKER).

BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE drummer Michael "Moose" Thomas took a temporary leave of absence from the band earlier this year to spend time with his wife, as they awaited the birth of his first child. Filling in for him was Jason Bowld (PITCHSHIFTER, AXEWOUND).

DEFTONES drummer Abe Cunningham has dismissed rumors that Stephen Carpenter might leave the band, after the guitarist made comments in which he expressed being unhappy with the direction of the group's new album, "Gore".

"Stephen has been on a media blackout since 2000," Cunningham told the Broward Palm Beach New Times. "He doesn't do press. Stephen is brutally honest, and I love him for that, and, of course, that's clickbait and things go viral. But if you read the article, you'll see that it says, 'At first, I had a hard time getting into it...' But it's nothing different in the world of DEFTONES."

According to Cunningham, the "most emotionally draining and cathartic" album DEFTONES have ever made was 2010's "Diamond Eyes", which followed the auto accident in 2008 in which longtime bassist Chi Cheng was seriously injured. (He eventually died in April 2013.)

"['Diamond Eyes'] is when everything happened," Cunningham said of the time surrounding Cheng's accident. "His passing, for me, was a relief. For him, for his family, for us, when his accident happened, it wasn't immediate. He was seriously injured and left in a minimally conscious state for five years. All the initial emotion was when the accident happened, and to have him pass was a relief after all those years... This is the first album with him not being here, but he's still here. He had a tremendous spirit, and he's here with us. I miss that dude more than anything."

DEFTONES singer Chino Moreno recently described Carpenter as the "odd man out" while the band recorded its eighth studio album, although he added that it "wasn't our intention to exclude him."

Carpenter admitted previously that he initially didn't want to work on the record, saying: "All the songs were all a challenge for me to get into. I would never leave the band, but the band starting to leave me, I can't control that."

"Gore" debuted at No. 2 on The Billboard 200, having shifted 71,000 equivalent album units in the week ending April 14. It is the band's highest-charting effort since their self-titled fourth album bowed and peaked at No. 2 in 2003.

SHINEDOWN singer Brent Smith was recently interviewed by the 95.1 WIIL Rock radio station in Kenosha, Wisconsin. You can now listen to the chat using the SoundCloud widget below. A couple of excerpts follow (transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET).

On whether he is nervous to tour Europe due to terrorism concerns:

Brent: "No, man, I'm not nervous or anything. Neither are my guys, or my girls — you know, our staff and our crew and everything. I mean, this is what we do for a living; this is part of who we are.

"I have to be aware of what's going on at all times, no matter if I'm in another country or if I'm my own country. I remember back in 2005, man, we went to Iraq and played for the soldiers with the USO. We went to Fort Buehring in Kuwait. We went to Iraq at kind of the height when they were still throwing missiles back and forth at each other. I mean, that whole tour that we did over there, I was wearing a bulletproof vest and really didn't think anything about it, because I was there to play for our soldiers.

"I think you have to show that you're not going to allow someone to dictate your fear. And what I mean by that is you have to live your life; you can't live your life in fear. And that's what these individuals want you to do; they want you to be in fear. And there's no reasoning for that. They're cowards — point blank. They send people into buildings to kill themselves and to kill other people because they're cowards, and you've gotta fight 'em."

On whether SHINEDOWN has any new music in the works:

Brent: "[In] September we're gonna go into the studio for just an open…we call it an 'open mic,' which means we all get in the studio when we have time and we just kind of see where everybody's at and what ideas are starting to come up. That's the only real break we have. After [the] 'Carnival Of Madness' tour, we have about ten days left of… well, a little less than ten days of August left after we finish the last date of 'Carnival Of Madness', and then we go into September, and then we go to South America for the first time, and then we get back. So right around the 10th of September through the end of that month, we have that open, so we're gonna go in the studio and start seeing what everybody's got. As far as new material actually finished, nothing right now, just because we have an insanely booked year. But in September we're gonna take a look and see what's percolating in everybody's brain."

SHINEDOWN's fifth studio album, "Threat To Survival", debuted at No. 6 on The Billboard 200 album chart, selling 65,000 copies in its first week of release.

"Threat To Survival" was the third SHINEDOWN album to enter the chart in the Top 10, following "Amaryllis" and 2008's "The Sound Of Madness", which debuted at No. 8.

TRIVIUM guitarist Corey Beauileu was asked by Spotlightnews.com if the band has already begun writing material for the follow-up to last year's "Silence In The Snow" album. He responded: "You know, we're always writing during our down time. We don't really write that much anymore [while we're] on tour. Maybe if we just get an idea or something, but a lot of the stuff that we write nowadays is when we have breaks at home. Usually somebody writes a song, or at least gets an idea down. We don't wait till we have to start writing a record. We're just constantly writing, all the time, because it's just something we like to do. So, we have a lot of material already. Once we start thinking about a record, we'll dive through it all and figure out what in the pile is what we're looking to do for the direction of the record. Hopefully, we're thinking about a record sometime next year. I think we'll be in the timeframe for that."

Corey also talked about the evolution of TRIVIUM's sound away from the screaming/growling vocals that characterized some of the band's earliest efforts. He said: "We've had the screaming element, sound, from the beginning. We've kind of grown. We have a broad sound. We really like the melodic side of things, and we can go to aggressive, the heavier side of metal. We've always had both elements, and then we've just used them in different ways. It's given us a variety of different songs and not being stuck with having to use screaming all the time. We're able to sing as well."

He continued: "For us, the metalcore thing was kinda the big label when we first came out, because the scream-sing thing was popular for that point and time. Over time, we've expanded our sound and done a lot of different things, so that label doesn't really fit us for a style of metal. We just say we're metal because we bring so many different elements of metal and rock in general. The screaming thing, we just use when ever a song calls for it, where the part just really needs it. But we don't really use it all the time. So, it's definitely something of a tool in the tool kit. It's not something that overall defines what we do."

"Silence In The Snow" was released on October 2, 2015 via Roadrunner. The follow-up to 2013's "Vengeance Falls" was produced by Michael "Elvis" Baskette (SLASH, ALTER BRIDGE, THE AMITY AFFLICTION) and was mixed by Josh Wilbur (GOJIRA, LAMB OF GOD).

New TRIVIUM drummer Paul Wandtke made his live debut with the band on December 5, 2015 at Knotfest in Mexico.

Wandtke previously drummed for the hit musical "Rock Of Ages" and sat behind the kit for KILL HANNAH during the band's main-support run with the SMASHING PUMPKINS.

German metal label Noise Records has been relaunched by BMG, reports Billboard.com.

Founded by Karl-Ulrich Walterbach in 1983, the label was an important supporter of European heavy rock acts throughout the '80s and '90s, helping to popularize the thrash, speed and power metal subgenres. Key acts among its roster included Grave Digger, Hellhammer (who became Celtic Frost), Kreator, Running Wild, Gamma Ray, Tankard and Hamburg's Helloween, whose second and third albums Keeper Of The Seven Keys: Part 1 and Part II achieved worldwide success in the late '80s.

The new Helloween compilation Ride The Sky - Best Of The Noise Years is now available via Amazon in Germany and on iTunes. Cover art can be viewed below. The tracklist is as follows:

Tracklist CD 1:

"Oernst Of Life"
"Metal Invaders"
"Starlight"
"Murderer"
"Ride The Sky"
"Gorgar"
"Judas"
"I’m Alive"
"Future World"
"Halloween"
"Eagle Fly Free"
"Dr. Stein"
"March Of Time"
"I Want Out"
"Keeper Of The Seven Keys"

Tracklist CD 2:

"Kids Of The Century"
"Back On the Streets"
"Step Out Of Hell"
"Get Me Out Of Here"
"Where The Rain Grows"
"Why?"
"Mr. Ego (Take Me Down)"
"Steel Tormentor"
"Wake Up the Mountain"
"Power"
"A Million To One"
"Hey Lord!"
"Time"
"I Can"

Read the full Billboard.com story on Noise Records here.

SLIPKNOT's Corey Taylor and DISTURBED's David Draiman joined ZAKK SABBATH — the BLACK SABBATH cover band featuring guitarist/vocalist Zakk Wylde (BLACK LABEL SOCIETY, OZZY OSBOURNE), bassist Rob "Blasko" Nicholson (OZZY OSBOURNE, ROB ZOMBIE) and drummer Joey Castillo (DANZIG, QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE) — on stage on Thursday, May at the Palladium in Hollywood, California to perform a couple of SABBATH classics: "N.I.B." and "Fairies Wear Boots".

ZAKK SABBATH's performance took place immediately after the press conference to announce that Ozzy Osbourne's Ozzfest and SLIPKNOT's Knotfest are combining forces.

Ozzfest Meets Knotfest will take place September 24 and September 25 at the San Manuel Amphitheater in San Bernardino, California.

September 24 will be headlined by BLACK SABBATH and include DISTURBED, MEGADETH, OPETH and BLACK LABEL SOCIETY. September 25 will be headlined by SLIPKNOT and include SLAYER, ANTHRAX and TRIVIUM. Tickets go on sale May 20.

Despite all the rumors about the couple's split, Sharon Osbourne was on hand to introduce Ozzy at the press conference at the Palladium. Geezer Butler from BLACK SABBATH, Corey Taylor and Shawn "Clown" Crahan from SLIPKNOT, David Draiman from DISTURBED, Zakk Wylde of BLACK LABEL SOCIETY, and Scott Ian of ANTHRAX were on hand as well.

Ozzfest marks its 20th anniversary this year, but this will be the first edition of the fest since 2010.

TMZ has uploaded video (available below) of Sharon and Ozzy Osbourne standing shoulder to shoulder in Hollywood, California earlier today at the Ozzfest Meets Knotfest press conference. This is the first time the celebrity couple have been seen together since news broke last weekend that Sharon and Ozzy were splitting after 33 years of marriage due to Ozzy’s alleged infidelity with a much younger hairstylist.

An insider reveals that Sharon, “found out that Ozzy was spending a lot of money. She wanted to know what he was buying and who he was buying it for.” Sharon Osbourne has been dealing with husband Ozzy Osbourne's infidelities throughout their three-decade marriage - and this time, In Touch has learned, she used a private investigator to try to catch him in the act. “The investigator discovered that he was basically living a double life,” the source added.

Ozzfest Meets Knotfest - the ultimate meeting of metal minds - a double-header music and lifestyle weekend like no other on the planet, has just been announced.

This merger of two of the most well-known and established brands in rock - Ozzfest, celebrating its 20th anniversary, and Knotfest, which debuted in 2012--is set for Saturday, September 24th (Ozzfest) and Sunday, September 25th (Knotfest) at San Manuel Amphitheater and Festival Grounds in San Bernardino, CA. Tickets for the Live Nation-produced Ozzfest Meets Knotfest - a multi-stage, two-day weekend camping event with more than 40 acts - go on sale Friday, May 20th at 10:00 AM (PT) at Ozzfest.com and Knotfest.com. All the details and line-ups (below) were revealed at a major press conference today (Thursday, May 12th) at the Palladium in Hollywood, CA.

Saturday's Ozzfest will be headlined by Black Sabbath - marking their last Southern California performance as part of the band's final tour - and Sunday's Knotfest bill is topped by the festival's namesake, Slipknot. On hand at the press conference were Ozzfest founder Ozzy Osbourne and Slipknot's Corey Taylor and M. Shawn Crahan (aka Clown). The event began with a movie screening, followed by a Q&A session with artists from the Ozzfest Meets Knotfest bill and concluded with a performance from Zakk Sabbath, led by Zakk Wylde.

"We are here to create havoc and history," says Ozzy Osbourne. "Let the madness begin..."

"This could be the one of the coolest things I've ever been a part of," says Corey Taylor of Slipknot. "Starting out as an Ozzfest band, coming into our own with Knotfest and now combining forces to make a little metal history...it was meant to be and I'm proud to be a part of it."

"Playing with Black Sabbath is always an honor,"Shawn "Clown" Crahan of Slipknot exclaims. "Merging both festivals will be a legendary experience that will be life-changing for all fans. We are excited to bring all the families together again."

"We want it to be the loudest, biggest, dirtiest festival in California. We couldn't be happier," says Sharon Osbourne.

"The impact of Ozzfest on heavy music and on Slipknot, cannot be underestimated," says Cory Brennan, President, 5B Artist Management. "For 20 years Ozzfest has given fans their first glimpse at bands like Slipknot, Disturbed and countless others, but also bringing new fans and bands together every year. Ozzfest inspired Slipknot to continue this vital tradition with Knotfest, and it's an honor to celebrate our genre alongside them in 2016."

The San Manuel Amphitheater and Festival Grounds is where Ozzfest - the event that launched the U.S. hard rock festival market and went on to tour the world--began in 1996 and where Knotfest last year took over the San Bernardino, CA venue and expanded into a camping festival. There's also a longtime history between the two namesakes of the events, with Slipknot appearing at Ozzfest in 1999, 2001, 2004, 2005 and 2013 at the inaugural Ozzfest Japan.

The Ozzfest Meets Knotfest 2016 line-up is as follows, with both Ozzfest and Knotfest dedicating a stage in honor of their departed comrade Lemmy Kilmister of Motörhead.

Ozzfest line-up:

Saturday, September 24th

Main Stage
Black Sabbath
Disturbed
Megadeth
Opeth
Black Label Society
Rival Sons

Lemmy Stage
Children of Bodom
Hatebreed
DevilDriver
Goatwhore
Huntress
Dead Cross

Nuclear Blast Stage
Municipal Waste
Kataklysm
Nails
The Shrine
Still Rebel

Knotfest line-up:

Sunday, September 25th

Main Stage
Slipknot
Slayer
Amon Amarth
Anthrax
Trivium

Lemmy Stage
Sabaton
Suicide Silence
Overkill
Emmure
Butcher Babies
Man with A Mission

Nuclear Blast Stage
Whitechapel
Combichrist
Death Angel
SIM
ONI

Beyond the music, each day Ozzfest Meets Knotfest festival-goers will encounter a wide variety of attractions throughout the expansive site. Initial onsite daily activities include a Monster Truck Arena, Carnival Thrill Rides, Massive Fire Displays, Flaming Carnival Games, The Thunderdome Battle Arena, an 85 Person Traveling Troupe of Freaks, a Carnival Midway with Games of Chance, Vendor Village, Food Trucks and Craft Beer, with 50 Foot Tall x 75 Foot Wide Image-Mapped Video Walls flanking the Main Stage, with more exciting developments to be announced in the coming months.

A variety of Ozzfest Meets Knotfest ticketing and camping packages are available. Single day tickets range from $25.00 for GA lawn to $39.50-$149.50 for reserved seats, with GA pit passes starting at $99.00 for Sunday and $149.00 Saturday. Weekend passes range from $40.00 for GA lawn to $69.00-$239.00 for reserved seats, and $239.00 for GA pit passes. VIP packages start at $249.00 for VIP Lounge; options include the Ultimate Slipknot VIP Experience at $1,000.00, the Black Sabbath M&G Package at $1250 and the Ultimate Ozzy Osbourne Experience at $2500. Camping selections include Tent Camping for $150.00 and RV Camping for $250.00. Additional details on camping and ticketing options can be found at Ozzfest.com and Knotfest.com.

THE WINERY DOGS' May 27 performance at Teatro Cariola in Santiago, Chile will be professionally filmed and recorded for an upcoming DVD and Blu-ray.

THE WINERY DOGS is the power trio featuring drummer Mike Portnoy (DREAM THEATER, AVENGED SEVENFOLD, ADRENALINE MOB), legendary bassist Billy Sheehan (MR. BIG, TALAS, DAVID LEE ROTH) and guitarist/vocalist Richie Kotzen (MR. BIG, POISON).

The band's sophomore album, "Hot Streak", debuted at No. 30 on The Billboard 200 chart, having shifted 13,000 equivalent album units in the week ending October 8, 2015. The CD was released in North America on Loud & Proud Records via RED (a division of Sony Music Entertainment) and in the rest of the world via earMUSIC.

Asked by HNGN if THE WINERY DOGS made a conscious effort to branch out a little more on the second album, Sheehan said: "Not really. We put very little conscious effort into anything of a planned angle or strategy, if you will. We just kind of get in and start writing, and what happens happens, and that's kind of what we did on the first record. And now that we've played together for a while — going into the second record we had done over a hundred shows and played around the world, literally — we just have a lot more experience with each other and we're more aware of each other as players. So for some reason, this group of songs came out like that. I don't know exactly why it did, but I'm glad about it, I'm pleased about it. But we didn't really plan it that way. I'm pleased there is more variety on this record, because I think the safe and easy thing, and most lucrative thing, would be to do the first record over again. I think a lot of bands do that, and I'm glad we didn't do that. There is some variation here, and my thought on that is we already have the first record, that's there, that's done, so now let's move onto something else instead of staying painted in the same corner."

Regarding when the members of THE WINERY DOGS commited to the band not being a one-off, Sheehan said: "When we started working on the first record, the idea was that if we're going to do this we should do a band, and if we do a band, it should be a real band and we should plan this out for many years and look forward to our sixth record and all of that. And I was totally into that, because as a fan — and I'm a big fan of a lot of music and I've got a huge iTunes collection — I invest emotionally when I get into a record or a band. They become part of me; music is the most important thing in my life, so when I find a new band I like, in a way I'm invested emotionally, and I'm sure other fans do the same thing, and I know how heartbroken I am when a band puts out a record and then they don't tour or they put out a second record and they have a different guy in the band or I found out later that they all hate each other. It breaks my heart. [Laughs] A lot of bands I found out later that they hated each other, they had separate tour buses, they didn't talk to each other, and here I was thinking they're all friends and happy and when I listen to their music I imagine them all hanging out together and having a good time. So right from the beginning we said if we're going to do it we should do it for real. Because if people are going to invest in us, we don't want to scam them and let them think it's something that it's not — it's either really a band and we're really doing this or it would just be another side project, and none of us wanted that."

Chicago-based glam metallers Diamond Rexx hit the scene in 1987 with their debut, Land Of The Damned, on Island Records. The band, which took their cues from the Hollywood hair metal scene, was all about sleazy rock, big hair, and plenty of attitude. Land of the Damned is still a fun blast from the lipstick-laden past. 

The band will be performing a special show on June 18th at Brauer House in Lombard, Illinois at 9:00pm. Fans can expect the full original outrageous show right out of 1987, as the band plays their debut album Land Of The Damned from front to back. Diamond Rexx will also be releasing their new single, "Dead" (https://goo.gl/Ecm2GX) on June 17th. The first 100 people through the door at the show on June 18th will receive a free autographed CD.

Advanced tickets can be purchased for $10.00 through Ticket Fly at this location.

For more information check out the official Diamond Rexx website here and their offcial Facebook page.

SCOUR, the new extreme metal "supergroup" featuring Philip Anselmo (PANTERA, DOWN, SUPERJOINT) alongside members of CATTLE DECAPITATION and PIG DESTROYER, has released its debut track titled "Dispatched". The song is taken from SCOUR's self-titled debut EP, which will be released on July 15 via Anselmo's Housecore label. The six-track effort was mixed by Dave Otero (CEPHALIC CARNAGE, CATTLE DECAPITATION, COBALT, KHEMMIS) and will be made available on CD and vinyl formats.

Comments Anselmo: "Doing the SCOUR project was a blast. The track 'Dispatched' was the first one I attacked, as it was the first one sent to me. Lyrically, I leave it to the listener to evaluate, as usual. The way I saw it, the songs were short, and extremely straight-forward, so I didn't want to clutter 'em up with too much. Therefore, I had to pick particular lyrics that seemed provocatively absurd enough, and to perform them as raw as deemed fit. Hope all true extreme music lovers enjoy the stuff as much as I did performing it. A huge cheers to all the awesome collaborators on this project… Much love to all."

"Scour" track listing:

01. Dispatched02. Clot03. Crooked04. Codes05. Tactics06. Tear Gas

SCOUR is:

* Phillip H. Anselmo (PANTERA, DOWN, SUPERJOINT) - Vocals* Derek Engemann (CATTLE DECAPITATION) - Guitar* Chase Fraser (ANIMOSITY) - Guitar* John Jarvis (PIG DESTROYER) - Bass* Jesse Schobel (STRONG INTENTION) - Drums

In a 2015 interview with Hellbound.ca, Anselmo stated about the new project: "[There's] one of the fellows from CATTLE DECAPITATION, but it's predominantly, in my ear, modern-ish black metal-sounding, thrashy black metal-type stuff. I'm going to put my own spin on it. I don't have to sound like your boy from GORGOROTH [laughs] to get the point across, man. There's other ways of singing over that style of music, and I shall employ many styles."

Back in 2012, Anselmo told Terrorizer magazine about his varied musical taste: "I am a lover of all sorts of music but really my heart is ... really I love extreme music, underground music, whether it be grindcore, death metal, thrash, black metal, [or whatever other] subgenre, and I find beauty in a lot of this stuff."

An official SCOUR Facebook page has been launched at this location.

Inquisition have announced the title and release date of their new album - Bloodshed Across The Empyrean Altar Beyond The Celestial Zenith will be released by Season Of Mist worldwide on August 26th.

Their first new record in three years, Bloodshed Across The Empyrean Altar Beyond The Celestial Zenith was recorded at the legendary London Bridge Studios in Seattle (Alice In Chains, Queensryche) with long time engineer Arthur Rizk (Prurient, Power Trip).

Inquisition recently reissued their entire back catalog via Season Of Mist. The band's albums are available across CD and limited edition LP formats in the highly coveted goat and cow leather variants at this location.

 

 

EMPEROR guitarist Samoth says that he agrees with Ihsahn's recent comment that making a new EMPEROR studio album "would be absolutely pointless," explaining that writing new music with his longtime bandmate would feel like "a forced compromise."

EMPEROR hasn't released any new material since 2001's "Prometheus - The Discipline Of Fire And Demise". That album was composed and mostly played by Ihsahn, with Samoth already forming his next band during its production.

The EMPEROR frontman recently told Metal Wani about the possibility of a new album from the band: "I think it's very obvious that, musically, [Samoth and I] are very far apart. So if people want a new EMPEROR record, what would they expect? They expect us to write music as if we were teenagers. So it's kind of a… you can't really win. At this point, I think it just would be absolutely pointless, because regardless of what route we would take and what would feel natural, if we were to do that, it would be… I think either way it would be a disappointment, because it's kind of just part of an illusion. And I see absolutely no point in doing that."

Asked by Friedhof Magazine if he agrees with Ihsahn's comments, Samoth — whose real name is Tomas Haugen — said: "I think maybe I have a little more nuanced view to it. Yes, the sound of Ihsahn and THE WRETCHED END and ZYKLON and PECCATUM previously are for sure different as I am more in the extreme metal genre while he is more on the progressive side, but we are still somehow in the same metal music landscape. I wouldn't say we are totally different in that sense, but definitely different approaches to how we execute our musical expressions within the metal genre.

"The thing is, the way Ihsahn makes music with his solo project is how he would make metal music, and for him to go back and compromise his progressive nature with a more back-to-basic black/extreme metal focus would feel like a step backwards for him as an artist, I think. I also agree that it would be very hard and 'forced' for us to sit down and try to make that compromise happen to try to make a new EMPEROR album. I'm not sure it would feel natural.

"If the musical expression is not really coming from a heartfelt desire, but rather from more of a forced compromise, I don't see anything good coming out of it."

He continued: "When we wrote '[In The] Nightside [Eclipse]' [1994] and 'Anthems [To The Welkin At Dusk]' [1997], these albums reflect very much that we were quite young, and that spesific era in our lives. I think that shines through in those recordings. One cannot just go back and redo that with the same youthful passion.

"Classic albums aren't just made, they happen and are basically impossible to redo. How many times don't you think METALLICA have heard, 'Write another 'Master Of Puppets'' or Kerry King [SLAYER] 'Write another 'Reign In Blood''?

"It's quite funny sometime when young people that maybe even weren't born when 'Nightside' was recorded and tell us, 'You should do another 'Nightside', man.'"

THE WRETCHED END's latest album, "In These Woods, From These Mountains", was released on April 22 via Indie Recordings.

AC/DC has posted a short video recap of the band's second concert with GUNS N' ROSES frontman Axl Rose, which took place this past Tuesday, May 10 in Seville, Spain. The band delivered the same 22-song set at Estadio de La Cartuja that they presented in Lisbon, Portugal on May 7 with Rose, who stepped in as fill-in for regular vocalist Brian Johnson after the latter was forced off tour by hearing loss.

For the Seveille concert, Rose was once again confined to a throne after snapping his metatarsal bone while singing during GUNS N' ROSES' Troubadour reunion show on April 1. It is the same custom throne Dave Grohl used last year for FOO FIGHTERS concerts after breaking a leg.

Rose told NME in a new interview that he didn't speak with Johnson before temporarily replacing the latter as frontman for AC/DC, saying it was only because he didn't have enough time. Rose explained: "I have not spoken with Brian. We haven't spoken much about Brian. There hasn't been any negative talk with the guys or anything — it's just the time schedule of having to get things together for the shows, while I also had GUNS N' ROSES commitments, and then breaking the foot."

Rose took over the mic in AC/DC after Johnson was warned by doctors that he would face a total loss of his hearing if he stayed on the road. Rose is slated for now to play AC/DC's current run of European shows as well as ten postponed North American gigs.

Rose also spoke about his injured foot, saying: "The day I found out it was broken I left the hospital to rehearse. My only day off was the surgery day, and the next day was back to rehearsals."

The singer said he had "about twenty rehearsals" with AC/DC, adding, "If I really screw up, they can blame me for that, because I did have good rehearsals."

Rose reached out to AC/DC himself after hearing about Johnson's misfortune. Guitarist Angus Young said: "A lot of people were putting people forward. You get a lot of people. The modern world being what it is, everyone's, 'Well, I can sing a song.'" AC/DC did audition at least two tribute band singers during their search.

Rose recently indicated that he's willing to continue with AC/DC past the 22 shows he's contracted for. He will have to take a break from them this summer, however, for his North American stadium run with GUNS N' ROSES.

Each day this week, Guns N’ Roses are posting video from their recent tour dates. Today’s video highlights the band’s show in Mexico City on April 19th. Check it out below, as well as footage from their dates in Las Vegas and West Hollywood.

Upcoming Guns N’ Roses tour dates include:

June
23 - Ford Field - Detroit, MI
26 - FedEx Field - Washington, DC
29 - Arrowhead Stadium - Kansas City, MO

July
1 - Soldier Field - Chicago, IL
6 - Paul Brown Stadium - Cincinnati, OH
9 - Nissan Stadium - Nashville, TN
12 - Heinz Field - Pittsburgh, PA
14 - Lincoln Financial Field - Philadelphia, PA
16 - Rogers Centre - Toronto, ON
19 - Gillette Stadium - Foxboro, MA
23 - Metlife Stadium - East Rutherford, NJ
27 - Georgia Dome - Atlanta, GA
29 - Orlando Citrus Bowl Stadium - Orlando, FL
31 - Mercedes-Benz Superdome - New Orleans, LA

August
3 - AT&T Stadium - Arlington, TX
5 - NRG Stadium - Houston, TX
9 - AT&T Park - San Francisco, CA
12 - CenturyLink Field - Seattle, WA
15 - University of Phoenix Stadium - Glendale, AZ
22 - Qualcomm Stadium - San Diego, CA

 

 

43 years after his contribution to one of the most successful records of all time and 40 years after the release of The Alan Parsons Project’s debut album in 1976, Alan Parsons returns with all his greatest hits in a superb symphonic show.

On the evening of August 31st, 2013, a large crowd gathered at Parque Pies Descalzos in Medellín, Colombia. When Alan Parsons appeared on stage, along with the Medellín Philharmonic Orchestra and his band the audience went wild. This is an audio visual document of that incredible evening.

The Alan Parsons Symphonic Project - Live In Colombia is to be released on May 27th on earMUSIC as a DVD, Blu-ray, 2-CD digipak, 3xVinyl, and download. Watch a video for “Don’t Answer Me” from the upcoming release below:

Alan Parsons was 19 years old when he landed a job at the world famous Abbey Road Studios, an important first step on his journey to becoming a world class engineer, producer and artist. Following his beginnings with George Martin and The Beatles, his contribution to Pink Floyd’s classic The Dark Side Of The Moon earned him worldwide attention. As a producer he had many hits with Pilot, John Miles, Ambrosia and Al Stewart. Together with his manager and creative partner at the time, Eric Woolfson, he developed the Alan Parsons Project.

Following their debut album Tales Of Mystery And Imagination (1976), they released a series of hit albums; namely I Robot (1977), Pyramid (1978), The Turn Of A Friendly Card (1980), Eye In The Sky (1982), Ammonia Avenue (1984), Vulture Culture (1985), Stereotomy (1986) and Gaudi (1987).

Then Parsons and Woolfson called it a day, but Parsons had ambitions to perform the amazing music live. Now to the great delight of his fans, for the first time on a live video and audio recording, The Alan Parsons Symphonic Project combines the talents of his amazing band with the lush sound of a 70-piece symphony orchestra, creating a very special show with unmatched quality. Together, they revitalize hits such as “Eye In The Sky“, “Don’t Answer Me“ and “Sirius“.

The lineup consists of Alan Parsons on acoustic guitar, keys, and vocals, P.J. Olsson (lead vocals), Alastair Greene (guitar, vocals), Guy Erez (bass, vocals), Danny Thompson (drums, vocals), Tom Brooks (keyboards, vocals) und Todd Cooper (saxophone, guitar, percussion, vocals). Alejandro Posada conducts the Medellin Philharmonic Orchestra.

Tracklisting:

“I Robot”
“Damned If I Do”
“Don’t Answer Me”
“Breakdown”
“The Raven”
“Time”
“I Wouldn’t Want To Be Like You”
“La Sagrada Familia”
“The Turn Of A Friendly Card (Part One)”
“Snake Eyes”
“The Ace Of Swords”
“Nothing Left To Lose”
“The Turn Of A Friendly Card (Part Two)”
“What Goes Up”
“Luciferama”
“Silence And I”
“Prime Time”
“Sirius”
“Eye In The Sky”
“Old And Wise”
“Games People Play”

“Eye In The Sky”:

 

 

 

 

"Sunday", the new video from Iggy Pop and Joshua Homme, can be seen below. The song is taken from "Post Pop Depression", the seventeenth Iggy Pop album, which was released on March 18 via Rekords Rekords / Loma Vista / Caroline.

The first Iggy Pop album co-created with producer/guitarist/songwriter/multi-instrumentalist/bandleader Homme, "Post Pop Depression" began with a succinctly worded text from Iggy to Joshua, and was realized in seclusion with Homme's enlisted aid of his QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE bandmate and DEAD WEATHER-man Dean Fertita and ARCTIC MONKEYS drummer Matt Helders. Both became instantly integral in creating and shaping the Detroit meets Palm Desert by way of old Berlin vibe of "Post Pop Depression": Interweaving with and augmenting even more superhuman than expected Iggy vocal performances and Homme's tapestry of guitar, bass, piano and backing vox, Fertita's talent for wringing the most out of only the most essential notes worked in seamless tandem with Helders' pushing himself and his new bandmates to unforeseeable heights and depths.

The result would be a timeless work, one that sounds as if it's always been there, has existed before any of the musicians were even born-yet imbued with the ramshackle energy of a garage band that threw itself together yesterday.

"I wanted to be free," recalls Iggy of the earliest germ of the partnership with Homme that culminated in "Post Pop Depression". "To be free, I needed to forget. To forget, I needed music. Josh had that in him, so I set out to provoke an encounter — first with a carefully worded text, followed by a deluge of writings all about me. No composer wants to write about nothing. He got revved up and we had a great big rumble in the desert USA."

"This was to go where neither of us had gone before," adds Homme. "That was the agreement. And to go all the way."

"Post Pop Depression" is equal parts a dream come true for co-creator Homme as it is a record that defiantly takes its place in Iggy's storied discography alongside the twin towers of "The Idiot" and "Lust For Life" — two records and the mythic Berlin era of their creation canonized as much lyrically ("German Days") as sonically ("Sunday") on this new record.

"Post Pop Depression" is a singular work that stands proudly alongside the best works of either of its principles, from THE STOOGES to QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE, bearing its creators' undeniable sonic DNA while sounding like nothing they've done before. It's a record that wouldn't exist without either Pop or Homme — and one that probably shouldn't in theory if you really think about it-but it does, and we and rock 'n' roll are all the better for it.

"Post Pop Depression" track listing:

01. Break Into Your Heart02. Gardenia03. American Valhalla04. In The Lobby05. Sunday06. Vulture07. German Days08. Chocolate Drops09. Paraguay

The album is being supported by a tour realizing Homme's ambition to assemble a live outfit worthy of both bringing the new album and doing justice to the gems and wreckage of the Ig's sprawling solo catalogue: The core band that recorded the album is expanded by QOTSA's Troy Van Leeuwen and journeyman guitarist Matt Sweeney.

UK rockers Cats In Space have released their new single and video, “Only In Vegas”, it's a light hearted ‘ELO tinged’ pop rock romp through the crazy world that is Las Vegas.

The track is taken from their critically acclaimed debut album Too Many Gods. The video can be viewed below:

The song was written by guitarist Greg Hart and 10cc’s Mick Wilson. This time focussing on massive lush harmony vocals, multi layered walls of guitars and accompanied by some delicious acoustics, this hook laden song even features the wonderment of the keyboard Vocoder. With a fun, no expense spent video to accompany the song, it is pop rock at its best and once again confirming there’s no other band out there quite like Cats In Space.

Greg Hart says: “Initially the track was a light acoustic ‘romp’ that Mick Wilson and I agreed could possibly fill a gap as a ‘bonus’ song, maybe perhaps as an album track. However, as in many cases in the studio, a song sometimes grows on its own and becomes something much more. Dean Howard laid down some amazing ‘Joe Walsh style’ guitar, which kinda lit the blue touch paper, and the ‘Cats wall of sound’ was once again implemented! Adding ELO vocoders, a Glenn Campbell style guitar solo played on a ‘Baritone guitar’ and a wall of 40 harmony guitars, tons of vocals and lead vocal ad- libs by Mick Wilson, it turned the song into another huge production. At the end everyone was insisting this ‘had to be a single’. Who was I to argue? After all, it hit all the 70s iconic themes that I loved as a kid. It does in my opinion benchmark the fact that us Cats like to have fun sunny songs as well as the ‘Gothic sinister epics’ in the ‘Cat repertoire’. We all need happy tunes in our lives, and this for us is the ideal song to play on a Summers day with the roof down as you blast along the motorways pretending it’s 1976, but respecting the national speed limits at all times of course..!”

Tapping into a simpler, youthful, happier time, when music was meant to be like this. Cats In Space are now here for the duration, with the Spaceship firmly docked on Earth. Love or hate the name, it ain’t going away anytime soon. Yes, the ‘Cats crept in’, but they ain’t creeping out again!

Cats In Space fans, look out for something very special being released to tie in with the bands Out Of This World tour this September. A rock duet on a timeless 70s classic that will put your windows in, but more on that later. You can see the Cats In Space play live at The O2 London at Stone Free Festival Sunday, June 19th.

New Jersey's progressive metal mainstay, Binary Code, will officially self-release its new album Moonsblood - the full-length follow-up to 2009's Suspension Of Disbelief and 2010's Priest EP - on May 24th. Listen to the new track, “Dark Meditation”, streaming below.

Moonsblood will feature new vocalist Oded Weinstock and promises to offer up a completely different sound from what fans might previously expect from the band. Moonsblood promises powerful vocal hooks, huge, thundering riffs, gorgeous atmospheric tapestries, and impressively technical musicianship and songwriting.

Engineered and mixed by Eyal Levi (August Burns Red, The Contortionist, Monuments) at Audiohammer Studios and mastered by Alan Douches (Suicide Silence, Dillinger Escape Plan, Converge) at West West Side Music, the members of Binary Code poured everything they had into delivering an album that would ultimately be a game-changer. The band is set to release something heavy, melodic, and progressive, yet focused and tightly written.

Binary Code founder and guitarist Jesse Zuretti comments, "Moonsblood is a time capsule for Binary Code. Not only was the album written sporadically throughout the course of some of the hardest times I've personally had to endure, but also some of the most enlightening and positive moments of my life. The instrumentation perfectly conveys many of the instances of that period and instantly brings me back to those moments. It was amazing to see how everything fell into place with Oded (our singer) joining the band. It became clear in an instant that he was a missing element to the sound we evolved into."

Singer Oded Weinstock adds, "Upon listening to the pre-production tracks for Moonsblood, I knew that joining Binary Code would mean that I would need to step up my game. The stretch of time between joining the band to laying down the vocal tracks for Moonsblood was a period of complete transformation for me. That spirit of self awakening and finding this path comes out almost intuitively in the lyrics, melodies, and sounds of this album."

Pre-order Moonsblood here. The first 50 pre-orders will receive a special signed poster featuring the album art image below.

Tracklisting:

“Immersion”
“Trees 100ft Underwater”
“Dark Meditations”
“Moonsblood”
“Knell”
“Push”
“Cetacean”
“707”
“Unexist”

“Dark Meditations”:

“Moonsblood” lyric video:

“Immersion”:

Immersion (2016 Album Version) by Binary Code

Dutch all-female Dutch death/black metal band SISTERS OF SUFFOCATION released its debut five-song EP, "Brutal Queen", on April 22. The effort combines technical, old-school death metal with great hooklines and elements of black metal, according to a press release.

Founded in 2014 in Eidhoven, SISTERS OF SUFFOCATION managed very quickly to establish an amazing live reputation and got lots of invitations from venues and smaller festivals. This was noticed by Eindhoven Metal Meeting, who gave them a chance to present themselves for a bigger audience.

It has always been a dream of vocalist Els Prins to start an all-female death metal band, but she didn't seem to be able find the right group of girls to make this dream reality — that is, until she met guitarist Simone van Straten. Sharing a love for extreme music, they recruited drummer Amber de Buijzer and bass player Marjolein van den Nieuwenhuizen and started rehearsing. They released their first single, "Boundaries", in July 2014 and played their first show one month later. In May 2015, Marjolein exited the band and was replaced by Puck Wildschut.

Earlier this year, SISTERS OF SUFFOCATION finally went into the studio in Antwerp to record "Brutal Queen", and the first pressing is already sold out.

The band is scheduled to perform at the Antwerp MetalFest on July 10, to be followed by an appearance at the Stonehenge festival three weeks later.

SISTERS OF SUFFOCATION is:

Vocals - Els PrinsGuitar - Simone van StratenDrums - Amber de BuijzerBass - Puck Wildschut

German technical/progressive death metal luminaries Obscura have just shared a new playthrough video, which features fretless bass virtuoso Linus Klausenitzer shredding his way through the track "Ten Sepiroth”, taken from the band's latest release Akroasis. Watch below:

Additionally, Obscura have announced a series of festival appearances this coming summer. The band will be performing throughout Europe and in Israel at major festivals including Brutal Assault in the Czech Republic, Summer Breeze in Germany, Tuska Open Air in Finland, Metaldays in Slovenia, and more. View a full itinerary of dates below.

July
7 - Helsinki, Finland - Tuska Open Air
24 - Tel Aviv, Israel - Gagarin / Progstage Festival
24-30 - Tolmin, Slovenia - MetalDays Festival

August
11 - Jaromer, Czech Republic - Brutal Assault
17-20 - Dinkelsbuhl, Germany - Summer Breeze Festival
21 - Brittany, France - Motocultor Festival

September
11 - Aalborg, Denmark - Aalborg Metal Festival

Brazilian power trio, Nervosa, will release their second studio album, Agony, on June 3rd via Napalm Records. Agony was mixed and mastered by Andy Classen. The new song “Hostages” is streaming below.

Agony tracklisting:

“Arrogance”
“Theory Of Conspiracy”
“Deception”
“Intolerance Means War”
“Guerra Santa”
“Failed System”
“Hostages”
“Surrounded By Serpents”
“CyberWar”
“Hypocrisy”
“Devastation”
“Wayfarer” (Bonus Track)

“Hostages”:

“Intolerance Means War” lyric video:

This South American riff tornado is in flawless shape. With nods to Kreator, Slayer and more, this new album is really just the tip of the iceberg here, and the Brazilian squad continues to drag its fans down into a malicious maelstrom full of old school darkness.

Pre-Order your copy via the following links: North America, Rest of world.

Sweden’s The Order Of Israfel will unleash their second studio album, The Red Robes, on May 27th via Napalm Records. A lyric video for the track “Swords To The Sky” can be seen below:

The album will be available as 6-page digipack with bonus DVD, as well as 2LP Gatefold edition with bonus DVD.

Tracklisting:

“Staff In The Sand”
“The Red Robes”
“In Thrall To The Sorceress”
“Swords To The Sky”
“Von Sturmer”
“Fallen Children”
“A Shadow In The Hills”
“The Thirst”

Bonus DVD: Live At Sweden Rock Festival 2015

“The Noctuus”
“The Earth Will Deliver What Heaven Desires”
“On Black Wings, A Demon”
“Promises Made To The Earth”
“Wisdom/Morning Sun” (Satanas)

“Von Sturmer” video:

DVD trailer:

Sweden’s Despite has revealed the cover artwork and details for their upcoming album, Synergi which will be released worldwide via Eclipse Records on July 22nd. Synergi contains thirteen powerful songs of progressive, melodic death metal produced by Oscar Nilsson (Engel) at Crehate Studios. The cover artwork was designed by the band’s singer Peter Tuthill, and it perfectly captures the album’s concept as a whole.

Vocalist Peter Tuthill explains, "Synergi touches many subjects that we feel need more attention in this harsh world that we inhabit. Every song has a meaning, and they’re all pieces of the big jigsaw puzzle, so to speak. The title Synergi isn’t just the Swedish spelling for the English counterpart Synergy. Synergi puts the self, the “I” in the bigger picture. We chose to do this to signify that every single individual on this planet is a cog in the greater machinery. For change to happen, we all need to start thinking along the same lines, without borders. There’s no racial divides, no genders; there’s only humanity. We need to start taking care of our world, ourselves, and the other species we live alongside, before it all goes BOOM."
 
Despite features three guitarists, each playing on eight-stringed instruments tuned a full octave below standard guitar tuning (drop-e), and just like a ten-ton hammer from the metal gods themselves, Synergi will obliterate you with crushing rhythms, technical melodies, and emotionally moving, complex song structures which may be heard in the title track below:

The album is already available for pre-order via iTunes and Amazon (widget below). Either option comes with the songs “As You Bleed” and “Time Lapse” as instant grat tracks. The album is also available via Google Play.