On June 15th, 2014, Aerosmith took the Download Festival in Donington Park, England by storm with an unforgettable performance. Re-live this legendary concert on the big screen when Aerosmith Rocks Donington 2014 comes to movie theaters across the US on Thursday, February 26th. A new trailer can be found below.

 

 

"Fathom Events, Cinema 1 and Eagle Rock Entertainment are thrilled to take fans on an epic "Dream On" journey full of "Sweet Emotion" when Aerosmith Rocks Donington 2014 comes to select cinemas nationwide on Thursday, February 26th."

"It's always an absolute hoot that leaves me howling at the moon, performing at Donington we couldn't have had a better time on stage that night,” says Steven Tyler. “I could feel the vibes of all the greats pulsing through the stage like AC DC, Rage Against the Machine, Metallica and so many more.”

“We have played Donington many times but this performance was one of our best,” said Joe Perry. “Thanks to our fans who were there who helped us make it a night to remember. We are proud to have it be part of this theatrical series and it will give our fans who weren’t there around the world a chance to relive an ass kicking night of rock and roll.”

"We’re really proud and grateful to have been chosen to headline the Download festival at Donington for 2014,” Tom Hamilton says. “It was an awesome experience and I think this film captures it. Special thanks to the insane fans who stuck with us through mud and rain.”

“Aerosmith are rock legends and I am very proud Cinema 1 is a part of bringing this incredible band’s live concert performance to theaters across America,” said Ray Carolin, CEO of Cinema 1. “I am certain their fans are going to be blown away when they experience Aerosmith Rocks Donington 2014.”

The first in the Fathom Events Classic Music Series, this one-night concert event features performances of some of Aerosmith’s classic hits like "Livin' On The Edge", "Last Child", "Walk This Way", and more. Don’t miss your chance to relive this remarkable performance and enjoy the legendary band Aerosmith on the big screen.

Get tickets at this location.

Trailer:

 

Australian hard rockers AIRBOURNE have signed a worldwide deal with Spinefarm Records. The band is tentatively scheduled to release its fourth album later this year.

"We're pumped up to have signed on the dotted line to the world's toughest and truest hard rock label, Spinefarm," says AIRBOURNE in a statement. "We have worked with some of the guys on this team in the past, and we're extremely confident about having each other's back in the trenches for many hard rockin' years to come. We're chompin' at the bit to get ROCKIN' and KICKIN' ARSE in 2015 & beyond."

Adds Spinefarm general manager Jonas Nachsin, who previously worked with the group as Roadrunner president: "We are so proud to be the new global home for the amazing AIRBOURNE! They are a band who have thrilled audiences around the world with their insanely energetic live shows and wildly anthemic songs, and all of us at Spinefarm are thrilled to be part of their ensuing juggernaut."

Daniel Lieberberg, senior vice president, Universal Music Germany, states: "Germany, Austria and Switzerland have always been strong markets for this unique band. We're excited to closely collaborate with Spinefarm Records on our mission to bring AIRBOURNE to a new level in our part of the world."

Driven by a formidable work-hard/play-hard ethic, and keen to entertain on the grandest of scales, this award-winning quartet has been proudly walking the rock and roll path since their early teenage years, inspired by the music's great and glorious past, yet determined to move things forward on a wave of blurred limbs & boundless energy.

Led into action by brothers Joel and Ryan O'Keeffe (vocalist/lead guitarist and drummer, respectively; the lineup is completed by David Roads on guitar and Justin Street on bass), the four have spent the past 10 years establishing themselves as a true force of nature — living on the road, selling out major venues, charting albums and appearing on bills with some of rock's most legendary names, from IRON MAIDEN to THE ROLLING STONES.

With AIRBOURNE, everything is to the hilt, which means that frontman Joel O' Keeffe is as likely to be climbing the lighting rig or going "walkabout" in the venue as positioned behind the mic; it also means that their three studio albums — "Runnin' Wild" (2007), "No Guts. No Glory" (2009) and "Black Dog Barking" (2013) — are home to some of the most rousing rock anthems of the past few years, songs like "Too Much, Too Young, Too Fast", "No Way But The Hard Way", "Live it Up" and "Runnin' Wild" itself — a body of work that hasn't escaped the notice of AC/DC's Angus Young, who was recently asked in an interview what he thinks of modern rock music and he said, "I see it as healthy, because there's newer stuff coming through. I really like AIRBOURNE."

Former TNT frontman, Tony Harnell, is teaming up with Primal Fear guitarist Magnus Karlsson again for a brand new Starbreaker album.

Says Tony: "One of my favorite recording projects, Starbreaker, with Magnus Karlsson will finally release album #3 sometime next year. Other news soon..."

 

 

Starbreaker started as Harnell's side project while he was still in TNT. He was initially working on a solo record, but with guitarist Magnus Karlsson, former TNT drummer John Macaluso, and bassist Fabrizio Grossi, they formed Starbreaker.

The band recorded its first self-titled studio album in 2005, and it was released on July 13th, 2005. After the release of the album, Harnell went back to being the lead vocalist of TNT, but left the band in April 2006 to spend some more time with his family while still writing songs.

In late 2007, with Starbreaker as his main musical project, he flew to Sweden to write the bulk of the songs for the new album with Karlsson, and started recording the new songs at the end of the year. The second album was entitled Love's Dying Wish, and was released on August 1st, 2008. The album featured new bassist Jonni Lightfoot, who replaced Grossi, and was produced by Harnell and Karlsson, with producer Tommy Hansen (TNT, Pretty Maids, Helloween) as the mixer. (Wikipedia)

Sweden's Nightingale are back in the spotlight with their long overdue 7th studio album. Retribution, the follow-up to 2007's acclaimed White Darkness, is released today in North America via the band's new worldwide label InsideOutMusic. The album is available as a jewel case CD and digital download. The physical CD offers a special enhanced feature: the entire album as full dynamic vinyl mix in high-resolution MP3 format.

Nightingale was established by musical multi-talent and producer Dan Swanö (Edge Of Sanity, Witherscape) almost 20 years ago and in the good tradition of the band - which is completed by Dan's brother Dag Swanö (guitars, keyboards), Erik Oskarsson (bass) and Tom Björn (drums) - the new album once again showcases a fabulous and timeless hybrid of different musical styles. From atmospheric metal to catchy AOR and melodic prog, Retribution offers an amazingly broad variety of moods and always tuneful songwriting skills.

Retribution tracklisting:

"On Stolen Wings"
"Lucifer's Lament"
"Chasing The Storm Away"
"Warriors Of The Dawn"
"Forevermore"
"Divided I Fall"
"The Voyage Of Endurance"
"27 (Curse Or Coincidence?)"
"The Maze"
"Echoes Of A Dream"

“On Stolen Wings”:

Rock ‘n’ roll isn’t meant to be background noise. When done right, it grabs you by the throat and demands your full, undivided attention. The independent outfit The Compulsions put rock ‘n’ roll back where it belongs with Dirty Fun, the forthcoming second album from the New York City quartet. Due out April 14th via Compulsions Records, Dirty Fun hits hard with the talents of vocalist and rhythm guitarist Rob Carlyle, lead guitarist Richard Fortus (Guns N’ Roses), drummer Frank “Thunderchucker” Ferrer (Guns N’ Roses) and bassist Sami Yaffa (Hanoi Rocks, New York Dolls). The group will perform a record release show in New York City on Friday, March 27th at Mercury Lounge. Expect more US dates to be announced soon.

After multiple EPs, and countless shows under their collective belt, the group released their full-length debut Beat The Devil in 2011. “When I was a kid, music wasn’t something you’d multitask to,” attests Carlyle. “When you heard a song like ‘Black Dog’ for the first time, you’d drop everything you were doing and just listen to it. But a lot of today’s music seems like sonic wallpaper. There’s nothing intrusive or memorable about it, and most of it sounds really polite. We’re definitely not going for that.

“Lucky”, the first single off Dirty Fun, is layered with roots-y guitar interplay, honky-tonk piano and a soaring horn section, and is a fitting introduction to the album’s ragged glory. “A lot of our early songs were about being down and out,” says Carlyle. “This time around, I wanted to write something more positive. The Rolling Stones have ‘Happy’, so I guess ‘Lucky’ is The Compulsions’ feel-good song.”

Other highlights on Dirty Fun include “House Of Rock”, which paints a vivid picture of the seedy musical underworld that inspired the album, while opener “Hellbound Babies”, punctuated by unholy harmonica, blazing guitars and a chorus of soul sisters, spawned the album title. “Sonically, that song’s got everything on it but the kitchen sink,” Carlyle smiles. “The lyrics are about a band that refuses to quit, even though they’re going broke.” The Compulsions pay homage to one of rock ‘n’ roll’s earliest and most iconic heroes with a cover of Little Richard’s 1956 classic “Long Tall Sally”. But this isn’t a typical bar band version. Carlyle & Co. updates “Sally” with a raunchier edge and a whopping kick up the ass that lands the tune squarely in the 21st century.

Dirty Fun tracklisting:

“Hellbound Babies”
“Silly Little Woman”
“Evil Bastards”
“Lucky”
“House Of Rock”
“Long Tall Sally”
“The Feel”
“I Still Got The Hots For You, Baby”
“Stay Eazy”
“Buzz Awhile”

Nice, France-based metallers, Anthropia, will release their new album, Non-Euclidean Spaces, on March 15th digitally. The physical release will be issued around this time. Pre-orders are available on the on-going Kickstarter campaign, here.

The Non-Euclidean Spaces album artwork was created by David Demaret. The album is based on the Cthulhu Mythos and H.P. Lovecraft's writings. Arjen Anthony Lucassen (Ayreon, Star One) and Edu Falaschi (Almah, ex-Angra) will make guest appearances. The track, “Silver Twilight Lodge”, featuring Lucassen is now streaming.

Tracklisting:

"Strange Aeons"
"The Melancholy of R.C."
"Silver Twilight Lodge"
"The Part Of Them In Me"
"Unknown Kadath"
"Seeds Of Decay"
"When The Stars Come Right"
"Crawling Chaos"
"The Snake Den"
"Lost In Time And Space"
"Fuoco"

“Silver Twilight Lodge”:

"Crawling Chaos" featuring Lucassen:

Colombian speed metallers, Revenge, released their current album, Harder Than Steel, in 2014 in South America. The album is now available in Europe, via Iron Shield Records.

 

 

Tracklisting:

"Heabangers Brigade"
"Harder Than Steel"
"Witching Possession"
"Gravestone"
"Back For Vengeance"
"Torment & Sarifice"
"Flying To Hell"
"At The Gates Of Hell"
"Motorider"
"Chains And Leather" (Runnin Wild cover)

"Back For Vengeance":

"Harder Than Steel":

Salt Lake City Utah's Visigoth have released their debut album, The Revenant King, via Metal Blade Records. Check out the new video for the album's title track, directed by Dave Brodksy:

Visigoth plays heavy metal that hearkens back to the golden age of ironclad riff work and powerful vocals. They pay tribute to the titans of steel that left their mark on the history of the genre, and their earth-shaking sound echoes with a deep reverence for their roots. Visigoth goes above and beyond mere imitation, making their own musical mark on the genre they lovingly embrace. In Visigoth's realm, there are no frills, no gimmicks; there is only heavy metal.

 

 

The band's brand of heavy metal fit perfectly within the ranks of Metal Blade Records, who brought the band on board to release their debut full-length album. After signing with the label, Visigoth recorded The Revenant King. The collection of heavy metal tracks was engineered, mixed, and produced by Andy Patterson at Boar's Next Studio in Salt Lake City. Alan Douches at West Westside handled mastering to offer a final product that truly represents the finest in true metal.

 

 

On The Revenant King Jake Rogers's powerful vocals lead the charge, and when combined with the twin guitar attack of Leeland Campana, Jamieson Palmer, and the rhythm section of bassist Matt Brotherton and drummer Mikey Tee, form an immensely potent traditional heavy metal attack that fans of the genre would be unwise to ignore.

 

 

The Revenant King tracklisting:

“The Revenant King”
“Dungeon Master”
“Mammoth Rider”
“Blood Sacrifice”
“Iron Brotherhood”
“Necropolis”
“Vengeance”
“Creature Of Desire”
“From The Arcane Mists Of Prophecy”

"From The Arcane Mists Of Prophecy":

“Dungeon Master”:

(Photo by: Paul Black)

 

Underground Symphony has announced a deal with the power metal band Exotheria for its debut album Angels Are Calling, recorded at Green Studio in Bologna (IT).

This Italian band was born in 1996 and, from then, has already published three self-produced EPs.  During its career, the style of the band has evolved towards a more sophisticated sound featuring prog and elegant neoclassic elements, creating a natural mix between the power of Helloween anthem together with the Royal Hunt’s symphonic arrangements and the technical inspiration of Circus Maximum. The new record will include ten brand new songs. Angels Are Calling will be published in May and be released in a special and Deluxe Digipack format. Soon the artwork and the tracklist will be revealed.

Line up:

Nicola Ciarlini - lead voice
Emanuele Checcoli - lead guitar
Matteo Petroncini - keyboards
Matteo Mantovani - bass
Luca Marchini – drums, percussions

Gothenburg-based band Destiny has released their digital single and video "Living Dead", the band's first new release in ten years. The song is the first taste from the band's upcoming 33 year anniversary album to be released later this year featuring new lead singer Jonas Heidgert.

 

 

The clip below was produced by René U Valdes of Greenworks Television.

Destiny currently consists of:

 
Jonas Heidgert - vocals
Jonas has been Destiny's lead singer since 2012 and has previously released five albums with Dragon Land.
 
Michael Atkins - Guitar
Micke who has been Destiny's guitarist since 2005 has previously recorded four albums with Nostradameus.
 
Stefan Björnshög - bass.
Stefan is the band leader and writes most of the Destiny's music and is featured on all Destiny albums and recordings.
 
Kane Svantesson - drums.
Kane returned to Destiny 2013 when he replaced Roger Christiansson, but was in Destiny for the first time in 1994. Kane is the man behind the drums of Destiny's fourth album "The Undiscovered Country" from 1998.

 

 

 

According to The Pulse Of Radio, THREE DAYS GRACE has revealed that the band's fifth studio album will be called "Human" and will arrive on March 31. The announcement comes just as the first single, "I Am Machine", tops the rock radio chart and gives the Canadian act its thirteenth No. 1 track on the survey. That breaks THREE DAYS GRACE's own record of twelve chart-toppers, the most at the format, which includes "Painkiller", "Misery Loves My Company", "Chalk Outline", "World So Cold", "Animal I Have Become" and "Home".

THREE DAYS GRACE drummer Neil Sanderson said about the latest single: "Sonically, we wanted to create a 'machine-like' sound in parts of the song. We were inspired by the images from the opening scene of Tim Burton's 'Edward Scissorhands'… relentless machines turning and churning, never ceasing to operate. Lyrically the song is about how sometimes you feel like you are in an endless routine and cannot escape… you begin to feel numb to the world around you, as you yearn to just feel anything, any emotion."

"Human" will follow up 2012's "Transit Of Venus".

The new album will be the first to feature frontman Matt Walst, brother of bassist Brad Walst. Matt replaced original singer Adam Gontier in early 2013 and was officially made a member of the band last March.

Sanderson told The Pulse Of Radio that Matt fit naturally into the way that THREE DAYS GRACE writes songs. "You know, we've always been a big collaborative band, and in fact, you know, Matt had some co-writing on our first THREE DAYS GRACE album in 2003 as well as 'Transit Of Venus', and, obviously, on this new body of work that we've got. So in that way, it was kind of natural to kind of just keep the guitars rolling and keep writing and do what we've always done, and here we are today."

Sanderson said about the new album: "We went back to our roots a bit and recaptured that collaborative feeling of being in a band and bringing out the best ideas in each other… We feel like we're back in those days where we're high-fiving each other with guitars in our hands."

THREE DAYS GRACE's next U.S. date is at the Northern Invasion festival in Somerset, Wisconsin on May 9.

Formed in July 2014, Paducah, Kentucky’s Cryptic Hymn forge blackened death metal that’s diverse with its aggressive, grim and melodic approach. Featuring ex-Voyage Of Slaves members Dave Palenske, Jon Grace, and Nathaniel Vowell as well as Josh Mumford of Anagnorisis, the band is currently in pre-production working on their debut release. In the meantime, they have unleashed their first single “Revel In Disgust” to show fans what they have been brewing.

"We are proud and very excited to premiere our new single. ‘Revel In Disgust’ is an upfront outlook on humanity. The theme of the song is about learning from the negativity one experiences in life and setting yourself aside from it, or against it in effort to rise above it. We think it’s important to address issues that exist in reality, but those issues can also be interpreted through metaphors based on themes of fantasy or science fiction, for example. This is only a taste of things to come as we have big plans for 2015. Be prepared to catch us on the road in the near future! Cheers everyone!" - Cryptic Hymn

Fans of death metal, black metal, thrash and doom who head bang to bands such as At The Gates, Death, Revocation, Skeletonwitch are sure to feel the brutal assault Cryptic Hymn offers in the mosh pit as they will be hitting the road in their surrounding states.

Revel in Disgust (Single) by Cryptic Hymn

Italian death/black metallers, Stigmhate, will enter the studio on February 27th to start re-recording their second album. Human Incapacity was released back in 2006 and has been sold out since then.

Mike (guitars) states: "I am pretty excited to record this piece of Stigmhate's history again!  I have decided to focus on this album because it has never got the right undestanding and support, due pretty much to the sounds , which weren't good enough. That's why I wanted to give them the power they deserved."

The recording will take place at Overload Studios in Rome with producer Riccardo Studer. At the same time, the promotion of the new release, Zodacare od Zodameranu, will continue.

News and further details will coming soon.

 

 

Memorial Records in collaboration with K2Music Management announces the addition of death/thrash metallers Krysantemia to its roster. The band will release their new album, Finis Dierum, on February 24th, available in all digital store and physical version through Memorial Records store. Pre-order on iTunes available starting from February 17th.

Recorded at the renowned New Sin Studio and produced by Luigi Stefanini (already working with Vision Divine, Adimiron and many others), Finis Dierum is the natural artistic evolution of the band, in line with what is proposed by the symbol band of the first Teutonic death / thrash generation melt with US old-school death metal elements.

Lucio Secchi, drummer and band’s leader adds: “We are all excited about this project, thanks to the team-work done behind this release, which sounds 100% Krysantemia, based as on the lessons of the great classics as on the need to modernize some solutions. After several tours conducted in the last two years, we felt ready to be back with an new album and in a short time we have transformed our ideas in 30 minutes of blasting music.”

 

​
Finis Dierum tracklisting:

 

"In Corpus Diaboli"
"Finis Dierum"
"At Last"
"Not Alone"
"Sadistic Possession"
"Incarnation"
"When The Sun Dies"
"Shadows Of Fault"
"Try To Get Lost"
"Six Feet Away"
"Saint Evil"

Krysantemia will be part of the European tour of black metal legends Marduk next March, complete routing follows:

March
1 - Toulouse, France - Dynamo
3 - Madrid, Spain - Caracol
4 - Barcelona, Spain - Apolo
5 - Montpellier, France - Secret Place
6 - Turin, Italy - Café Liber
7 - Brescia, Italy - Circolo Colony
8 - Nova Gorica, Slovenia - Mostovna

 

Following a six-year slumber, Illinois enigmatic sound conjurors, Minsk, are readying to unveil the otherworldly fruit of their new studio creation, The Crash & The Draw.

Scattered between the sleepy city of Peoria and metropolis of Chicago and drawing inspiration from a remote Belarusian city that has been burned to the ground only to be rebuilt like a phoenix rising from its own ashes, Minsk has been cultivating sonic exploration and alchemical outpourings since 2002. Rooted in the post-metal landscape that brought forth visionaries like Neurosis and Isis, with their latest offering, The Crash & The Draw, Minsk step out of the shadows of the giants of their genre to create a psychedelic blend of melodic, trance-inducing heaviness.

Recorded almost exclusively in The Prairie State, The Crash & The Draw was captured by the band alongside Sanford Parker (Twilight, Voivod, Eyehategod, Yob) at Earth Analog in Tolono, mixed by Parker and Minsk at Hypercube in Chicago and mastered by Collin Jordan (Eyehategod, Indian, Wovenhand, Voivod) at The Boiler Room in Chicago with additional vocal tracking by Scott Evans (Kowloon Walled City, Old Man Gloom, Floor) at Antisleep Audio in Oakland, California and further tracking, editing, and mixing by Kevin Rendleman at Trash Rocket Audio and Aaron Austin at We Know Who You Are, both in Peoria. The record includes the striking cover creation of Orion Landau (Yob, Inter Arma, Red Fang).

The Crash & The Draw is a thematic continuation of the group's long standing fascination with alchemical and esoteric ideologies, with marked nods toward the thought and writings of perennial inspiration, Kahlil Gibran, and the espoused words of Hermes Trismegistus, the fabled author of the Corpus Hermeticum and other sacred texts. The album boasts eleven arresting movements that transcend the confines of post-metal, sludge and psychedelia. A crucial sonic passage through dark and light that's at once crushing, hallucinatory and at times, spiritually illuminating, tracks ebb and flow with a pastoral elegance and tangible urgency.

The Crash & The Draw tracklisting:

“To The Initiate”
“Within And Without”
“Onward Procession I. These Longest Days”
“Onward Procession II. The Soil Calls”
“Onward Procession III. The Blue Hour”
“Onward Procession IV. Return, The Heir”
“Conjunction”
“The Way Is Through”
“To You There Is No End”
“To The Garish Remembrance Of Failure”
“When The Walls Fell”

The Crash & The Draw will be released via Relapse Records in North America on April 7th, April 3rd in Germany, Benelux and Finland and April 6th in the UK and rest of the world and will come available on CD, double LP and digitally. Further info including track teasers and preorder links to be unveiled in the coming weeks.

Recently reformed tech-titans Devast have released their first single "Torture And Suffering With Archaic Process" from their forthcoming second studio offering Into Decimated Reality.

"Same brutal and apocalyptic root”, stated guitarist / founding member Idir "Devast" in regards the album. "This new album is more diverse...empowered with some slamming feel and old school groove."

Featuring artwork by Tony Cosgrove (Stages Of Decomposition, Saprogenic, Syphilic), Into Decimated Reality was recorded at Rockoletta Studio in Buenos Aires, Argentina and mixed / mastered by Mahdi Riahi of Painful Productions in Germany.

Into Decimated Reality tracklisting:

“Remains Of Human Decomposition (Intro)”
“Physical And Mental Affliction”
“Torture And Suffering With Archaic Process”
“Condemned And Slaughtered Unmercifully”
“Dismembered Alive With Extreme Violence”
“Eradication”
“Radical Excruciation Concept”
“Cruel Methods Of Punishment”
“Humans Pushed To Commit Self Genocide”

Into Decimated Reality is set for release on March 9th in UK and March 10th in the US via Gore House Productions as CD and digital.

Digital preorders are up on Bandcamp.

Wormholedeath has announced the signing of a worldwide distribution and marketing deal with Norwegian death /thrash metal band Dienamic.
 
Their album Afterlife will be distributed worldwide by Aural Music / The Orchard / Wormholedeath Japan. Afterlife was produced by Yngvar Mehus and Dienamic.

Wormholedeath comments on the signing: “Dienamic is an hard working band and beside the fact that they play great music, we decided to support them for this reason. These guys know what they are doing and absolutely deserve professional support and guidance. Their album, the Japanese tour, the video and everything they are doing is the proof of how committed they are to their band and music. We must show the strongest respect to them since it is not easy to find such serious musicians. Check them out, you will not regret it!"

Afterlife tracklisting:

“The Reaping”
“Innocent Gun”
“Revolution For Nothing”
“Where God Feeds”
“Dance With The Devil”
“You Still Walk”
“Generation Reboot”
“Overthrown”
“Afterlife”
“The End”

Video “Revolution For Nothing”:

Come 2015, Inner Sanctum have put an end to their radio silence when it comes to studio material. Five years after their debut EP 'Provenance' made a mark on the metal scene in India and even took them on a Europe tour in 2013, the Bangalore metal band has finally released their first single, "Wake Of Destruction", off their upcoming debut album, Legions Awake, which will be released in March this year.

The band has roped in producer/engineer Lasse Lammert, who also worked with the band on Provenance, to fly down to Bangalore early last year to record the eight-track album. Lasse says about recording with the band, “This album is definitely not going to sound polite. Inner Sanctum’s live performance is extremely energetic and their new songs are even better than the old ones… so if we manage to capture that on the album, I’m sure people across the globe are going to bang their heads.”

The band has recently supported acts like Metallica, Slayer, Testament, Carcass, Sikth, Karnivool and Periphery on stage. In the summer of 2013, Inner Sanctum embarked on an eight city tour of Europe with festival appearances at Metalfest Poland and a slew of club shows across Germany. After the release of their debut album, the band will head back to Europe in April with an appearance at Inferno Norway.

For the lyric video for "Wake Of Destruction", Inner Sanctum teamed up with artist Igor Omodei (from French progressive metal band Uneven Structure). It features art by Inner Sanctum frontman Gaurav Basu along with Omodei's masterful animation. Igor Omodei has worked with Basick Records, Euroblast, Xerath, Escape The Cult, and The Dali Thundering Concept.

With a release date set for February 13th, Avandgarde Music has debuted "Lupercale"  a  track from Clangores Plenilunio, the debut five-track EP from black-folk Metallers Selvans. The release will serve as a tribute to the band's drummer, the late Jonny Morelli, who was killed in June of last year shortly after finishing recording the drums and part of the vocals for the EP. The release date has been specifically chosen as February 13th as this date marks the start of the ancient Lupercalia Festival. Fans of the band will be somewhat familiar with the track, as a digital single edit was released a few months ago, but now the track is finally available in its entirety and running for over nine minutes.

Clangores Plenilunio by Selvans

Fresh from inking a deal with Avantgarde Music, black-folk metallers, Selvans, have revealed details of the band's first release on the label.

 Selvans recently posted a video teaser of the title track, "Clangores Plenilunio", a song that could almost be called a duet as the vocals are handled party by Jonny and partly by Selvans Haruspex, who explains the concept behind the song:

"Jonny and I worked closely together when it came to deciding on the lyrical theme for the song, and we did a lot of research on the Sibyl's Cave, which, legend has it, is located in the Marche region of central Italy. The fascination of this place, and the legends associated with it, was a great inspiration to us and we had planned to use the folklore surrounding it in several Selvans pieces in the future. Although Jonny died before he could finish parts of the text, I completed them, and whilst "Clangores Plenilunio" is the first piece that features the Appennine Sybil, it definitely won't be the last".

The video teaser can be seen below:  

 
Selvans was formed following the demise of Draugr, and, through music, lyrics and aesthetics, the band aims to recreate the mysticism and the folklore that the different ethnic inhabitants of Italy left behind them throughout the ages. The lineup on Clangores Plenilunio includes Selvans Haruspex (Ursus Arctos of Draugr) on vocals, keyboards and traditional instruments , Sethlans Fulguriator (Mors of Draugr) on guitar, and Draugr co-founders Stolas on bass and Jonny Morelli on drums. Recording took place at both the Faunalia Studio and and Soluzioni Audio, and included is a cover of "... In the Woods" from the Heart Of Ages album by Norway's In The Woods.

Clangores Plenilunio tracklisting:
 
"Lupercale"
"Clangores Plenilunio"
"Prologue"
"... In The Woods"
"Epilogue"

Selvans recently debuted a digital single edit of "Lupercale", a track that will appear on the EP in its full version which runs to over 9 minutes in length. The EP can be preordered in various bundles at this location.

 

Bleeding Gods, the Dutch metal band featuring former and current members of Sinister, Houwitser, Supreme Pain and Deadcell, will release its new album Shepherd Of Souls in March by Punishment 18 Records.

The band provides a description of the album: “Shepherd Of Souls tells the story about the creation of life as we know it according to the words written in the 'Popol Vuh', which is all about the Mayan population. After several attempts, the god Huracán succeeded in creating mankind.”

Bleeding Gods plays groovy, riffing and shredding metal with some thrash and death influences in it. The sound is inspired by bands like Slayer, old Metallica, Lamb Of God, Black Sabbath, Opeth and Chimaira.

Shepherd Of Souls tracklisting:

“Abyss Of The World”
“Into The Depth Of Misery”
“Shepherd Of Souls”
“Rise From Ashes”
“Ixmucané (I)”
“The Lords Of Xibalbá (II)”
“Glorious Relentless Destiny”
“Empire Of The Immortals”
“Human Weakness”
“Symbolic Sculptures”

Lyric video “Shepherd Of Souls”:

Album preview:

Bleeding Gods lineup:

Mark Huisman - vocals
Ramon Ploeg (Houwitser) - guitar
Erwin Harreman (Supreme Pain) - guitar
Gea Mulder (Deadcell) - bass
Edwin van den Eeden (Sinister) - drums

(Photo - Bianca Berger)

Metal Recusants conducted an interview with bassist Ted Lundström of Swedish death metallers AMON AMARTH on January 22 at Colchester Arts Centre, United Kingdom. You can now watch the chat below.

Asked if AMON AMARTH has commenced the songwriting process for the follow-up to 2013's "Deceiver Of The Gods", Ted said: "Yeah, we just started very recently. We have some ideas for songs and lyrics, but we haven't really sat down to put it together yet. But after this tour, that will be our main focus, just to work on the album 24/7. So hopefully we can record it after the summer. That's the plan. But we don't have any finished songs yet."

Regarding when fans should expect to see the new AMON AMARTH album, Ted said: "I would hope that we can release it early next year. But it depends on so many factors: record label and release schedule and touring and studio time and all that. But hopefully early next year [we can get it out]. That would be our plan."

Ted also made it clear that AMON AMARTH will stay off the touring circuit throughout 2015, and will focus on making the new studio album instead.

"The plan is to stay out of shows," he said. "We will see. If something really interesting shows up, we might do something. But our plan is to not do any festivals whatsoever this year."

AMON AMARTH's latest album, "Deceiver Of The Gods", sold around 17,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to land at position No. 19 on The Billboard 200 chart. The record arrived in stores on June 25, 2013 via Metal Blade Records.

Recorded at Backstage Studios in Derbyshire, United Kingdom, and produced, mixed and mastered by Andy Sneap (OPETH, MEGADETH, EXODUS, ARCH ENEMY, KILLSWITCH ENGAGE), "Deceiver Of The Gods" delivers ten fiery battle hymns made of buzzsaw riffs and epic harmonies all driven by vocalist Johan Hegg's commanding Viking roar and absorbing accounts of Norse crusades and treachery.

At long last, the Warmaster returns! For the past 15 years, Satanic Warmaster has remained a highly revered name in the black metal underground: seemingly doing no wrong with converts, but forever riling detractors.

Helmed by the tyrant Werwolf - whose involved in the black metal scene stretches back 20-some years, as the original vocalist of Horna - Satanic Warmaster have released classic album after classic album, from early essentials like Strength and Honour and Opferblut to relatively more recent monuments like Carelian Satanist Madness and Nachzehrer, and always at their own pace. Longtime supporters of the band, Hells Headbangers (in conspiracy with Werewolf Records) is proud to handle the worldwide release of Satanic Warmaster's fifth album, Fimbulwinter, set for international release on April 7th on CD, LP, and cassette tape formats.

 

 
It's been five long years since Nachzehrer, and although the band's been busy with a handful of 7" EPs and splits in the interim, Fimbulwinter is the first full-length to document Satanic Warmaster's development during that time. Highly anticipated to say the very least, Fimbulwinter sees the band expanding into more epic 'n' triumphant waters, but ones that are icier than ever. One could say it's a travelogue across both Satanic Warmaster's now-vast discography and also across the history of classic '90s black metal. Granted, the band have largely shaped the paradigm of modern Finnish black metal - itself one of the most prolific and immediately identifiable in the world - but forever an iconoclast AND purist, Satanic Warmaster has the innate ability to take well-worn tropes and shape them to his own, diabolic design. Bolstered by full-bodied production - by far, the best the band have had to date - and a further integration of mystical, night-sky synths, Fimbulwinter is a fresh blast of ancient, mildewed stench. Feel the force of Fimbulwinter and submit to its majesty! Cover and tracklisting are as follows:
 

 

 

 

Fimbulwinter tracklisting:

"Fimbulwinter's Spell"
"Funeral Wolves"
"Korppi"
"When Thunders Hail"
"Dragon's Egg"
"Nuin-Gaer-Faun"
"Winter's Hunger"
"Silent Call of Moon's Temples"

 

 
A statement from Satanic Warmaster founder Werwolf reads: "I'm proud to present this album to the hordes worldwide in conspiracy with Hells Headbangers. May you find a spark to seek your own path through my music in this putrid world and to wander deeper into realms beyond!"
 

 

Nev Pearce of Australia's "Rabid Noise" podcast recently conducted an interview with Mikko Sirén of Finnish cello rockersnAPOCALYPTICA. You can now listen to the chat using the Spreaker widget below.

Asked what his favorite song is to perform is from the forthcoming APOCALYPTICA album, "Shadowmaker", Mikko said: "We haven't played those songs in, maybe, four months. We rehearsed them a lot and then we recorded them, and ever since, we haven't been playing even together. We've been just, like, recording individual parts. Now the album's gonna be… I think there's two songs more to be mixed. So we're actually having our first band rehearsals now this Saturday, and then we're gonna rehearse for the next week. And the week after that as well. So I really cannot say what is the favorite track to play, because they have changed also during the recording process. So it's exciting."

He continued: "I really like [the title track] 'Shadowmaker', which we have kind of put out for people to stream, which is this song which has got so many different styles within one song, so that's fun for that occasion. But there are a couple of really epic, mellow tracks — [with an] almost PINK FLOYD [-like] vibe. Very dark, very deep things which I expect that we can also do great justice [to] also live."

The official video for the "Shadowmaker" title track can be seen below. The CD will be released in April via Eleven Seven Music Group in the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, the Middle East and South East Asia.

APOCALYPTICA's new album was helmed Grammy Award-winning producer Nick Raskulinecz (FOO FIGHTERS, DEFTONES, MASTODON). APOCALYPTICA's Eicca Toppinen stated: "Nothing better could have happened than Nick being on board for this record. The pre-production time we spent with him in late August gave us so much confidence and input for the new songs. We are all excited and overwhelmed by his energy and creativity."

Having collaborated with artists like Gavin Rossdale (BUSH), Dave Lombardo (SLAYER) and Ville Valo (HIM) on past studio albums, APOCALYPTICA have now taken on a new musical challenge: For the upcoming LP, the band worked with Franky Perez as exclusive singer on the vocal tracks — this time not only during production, but for the whole cycle, including the tour. Perez released his debut in 2003, later teaming up with SYSTEM OF A DOWN's Daron Malakian and John Dolmayan as SCARS ON BROADWAY. In 2009, Perez handled vocals for Slash's solo band, followed by collaborations with Dave Kushner (VELVET REVOLVER) as well as Scott Shriner (WEEZER), Joey Castillo (QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE) and Dave Warren ("The Simpsons") as PUSHER JONES. After being honored as vocalist for THE DOORS at the L.A. Sunset Strip Music Festival, he released his latest solo album, "Addict", in 2013.

Before APOCALYPTICA presents the new album, along with a new production on an extensive European headline tour later next year, fans will get a glimpse of the new material when the band supports SIXX: A.M. for their long-awaited North American dates in the spring.