DISTURBED frontman David Draiman has apologized to the fan whom he called out for texting during the band's show in Dallas on March 23. The woman, Shannon Pardue, told the Dallas Observer that she was texting her 14-year-old daughter to calm her down as a hailstorm raged outside their house in a Fort Worth suburb. Pardue said she began texting during the break between DISTURBED's main set and its encore.

It was during this time that Draiman called her out from the stage, saying: "Up in the balcony...what is so important going on in the world that you need to be texting the entire fucking show? The whole show! You're right up front; I can see you clear as day. You've had your face in your fucking phone the whole goddamn show."

Pardue said she tried to shout to the singer that she was texting her kids, but he couldn't hear her. He also said to her, "Don't tell me to go fuck myself... I'm not wrong. Am I wrong? If you were up here and I did that to you, how would you feel? Seriously! It is fucking rude. It is!"

Draiman later explained his actions in a post online, saying: "That woman was not a fan. She was the date of a real fan who was standing next to her. She was face in phone from the moment the show started 'till the very end."

He added in a later post, "You may not agree with my calling out the girl texting/tweeting/Facebooking the entire show the other night… But when we musicians go up on stage, bleed for our art, leave everything up there, and someone doesn't even have the decency to watch for even one song, it's like a slap in the face."

After video of the exchange went viral, Pardue told the Dallas Observer: "At first, it ticked me off. But then I just wanted to go away. I told my husband, 'The most embarrassing thing in my life just happened to me.'"

She added: "Rock stars wouldn't be where they are without people who come to pay for the show. Whether I had my eyes on him or not, I am still there and I can hear them. He's an amazing singer, and they were good, but it was just his attitude. I'll never pay to see him again nor will my friends."

Pardue, who said her husband purchased the tickets for the show six months earlier, concluded that Draiman was a "jerk" and that DISTURBED "just lost two big fans."

Now, in a new interview with Loudwire, Draiman offered an apology for his actions and speaking without knowing the full context of the situation. "You know, when I did what I did, it wasn't me trying to push her away," he explained. "It was a matter of me trying to engage her,” said the singer. "It's what I've done for years and in most circumstances if there is someone who is being passive. They respond positively, 'Oh, he acknowledged me. He's really watching. I will get into it and he's actually paying attention to me,' and they become more involved. It's very unfortunate that it backfired obviously with her."

He continued: "I wasn't privy to the information of what she had going on and when I made my original Facebook post that information had not yet come out. I feel badly about it and I am sorry. I can only say at this particular point that I think that that tactic may be something that I from here on out remove from my live repertoire because obviously there is the chance of me making that scenario happen again if I don't have the information that would keep me from making that mistake."

Draiman added: "So again, I feel badly about it and I am sorry. I never want anyone to leave one of our shows feeling badly. The whole idea is to pull them and to make them feel empowered and sometimes you've got to be a little forceful when you do that and if she got rubbed the wrong way, that is something that I regret."

AVENGED SEVENFOLD has released a video clip from the studio sessions for the band's forthcoming album, featuring an instrumental snippet of a brand new AVENGED track. Check it out below.

AVENGED SEVENFOLD in January filed a lawsuit against its record label, Warner Bros., alleging breach of contract. The suit sought compensatory damages because the band was refusing to fulfill its agreement with the company. AVENGED SEVENFOLD released four studio albums through the label but was seeking to exit its contract, while Warner Bros. contended that the group owed the company one more studio effort and a live CD/DVD.

The band said in its statement: "Few of the executives who have been integral to our continued success are still at (Warner), and we love and are grateful to them for their hard work. However, since we signed with the label, Warner Bros. has had three different regimes, multiple heads of marketing, and none of the senior management or A&R executives who were at the company and responsible for signing us are still there. Whatever the activity, it takes a full team to compete, and we no longer know most of our teammates."

The band continued: "You may read about the lawsuit our label filed against us for exercising our legal rights, rights the State of California granted specifically to protect artists. You may see mistaken facts or worse. One such error we want to make sure you know about: AVENGED SEVENFOLD has never renegotiated its original recording agreement with Warner Bros. Records."

The statement concluded: "Most importantly, we want our fans to know this: we are in the middle of writing a record we cannot wait for you to hear. We expect to go into the studio very soon, and look forward to releasing our new album later this year."

Singer M. Shadows told The Pulse Of Radio that the band will take as much time as it needs to complete the new record. "We don't care how many records don't sell, we don't care how many radio stations go away," he said. "This is art for us, and we want to make the best thing possible, and you can't do that — we can't do that — by just putting stuff out too quickly. So for us, go away, let the fans get some other bands and some other things that they're into, and then when we come back, we're gonna make a splash."

AVENGED SEVENFOLD was originally signed to Warner Bros. for five albums, but the label apparently tried unsuccessfully to renegotiate the deal in fall 2015 to include a sixth album.

At the end of 2015, AVENGED SEVENFOLD notified Warner Bros. that they would not render services to the label, citing Section 2855 of the California Labor Code, which limits the duration of personal-services agreements to seven years — the so-called seven-year statute.

Warner Bros. claimed it has invested significant funds in the band’s future releases based on the belief that the contract would be upheld, and the sudden decision to opt out of the deal is a breach of good faith and fair dealing.

AVENGED SEVENFOLD's previous two releases, 2013's "Hail To The King" and 2010's "Nightmare", both topped the Billboard album chart.

Welsh metallers BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE have signed a worldwide deal with Search And Destroy/Spinefarm Records. Commented BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE frontman Matt Tuck: "We're very proud and excited to announce our signing to Search And Destroy/Spinefarm Records. It feels great to be part of a family that truly believes in the band and is ready to take us to the next level. It's been an incredible journey so far — but with the Search And Destroy/Spinefarm team behind us, it feels like we've just begun. Here's to the future." BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE's fifth studio album, "Venom", was released in August 2015 via RCA. The CD marked the band's first release since the departure of longtime bassist Jason James and addition of Jamie Mathias (formerly of REVOKER).

Produced by Carl Bown and Colin Richardson (SLIPKNOT, MACHINE HEAD, TRIVIUM) at Metropolis Studio in London, "Venom" was described in a press release as "an unrelenting, fierce step forward for BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE" and the band's "heaviest record to date."

BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE recently completed the North American "British Invasion" tour, also featuring opening band ASKING ALEXANDRIA.

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

MINISTRY mainman Al Jourgensen's new project, SURGICAL METH MACHINE, will release its self-titled debut album on April 15 via Nuclear Blast. The CD was recorded primarily at Jourgensen's home studio in Burbank, California with his longtime engineer Sam D'Ambruoso.

The official video for the song "I'm Invisible" can be seen below. Al states: "Hello, folks. [I] thought y'all might like to see some home videos of my last Las Vegas vacation. WARNING: do not attempt to view this unless sufficiently high!"

"Surgical Meth Machine" track listing:

01. I'm Sensitive02. Tragic Alert03. I Want More04. Rich People Problems05. I Don't Wanna06. Smash And Grab07. Unlistenable08. Gates Of Steel09. Spudnik10. Just Go Home11. Just Keep Going12. I'm Invisible

"Surgical Meth Machine" LP track listing:

Side A

01. I'm Sensitive02. Tragic Alert03. I Want More04. Rich People Problems05. I Don't Wanna06. Smash And Grab

Side B

01. Unlistenable02. Gates Of Steel03. Spudnik04. Just Go Home05. Just Keep Going06. I'm Invisible

In an October 2015 interview with In The Loop magazine, Jourgensen stated about how the idea for SURGICAL METH MACHINE came about: "You know, [guitarist] Mikey [Scaccia] died a couple of years ago, from MINISTRY, and I just figured, like, nah, it's time to quit. I don't want to have John Bonham's kid playing drums for us and having replacement parts forever; that's just not my scene. So I just figured, 'All right, let's stop this. Let's do some other stuff.' And not only that. I found that it was really unburdensome to not have the MINISTRY moniker or expectations and just do something like whatever the fuck we want. I mean, the band's name is SURGICAL METH MACHINE. It's not like we're gonna be on Top 40 radio and on 'The Voice' and 'American Idol'. [Laughs]"

He continued: "I understand it's not a real commercial project for us, it's not gonna put bank in my wallet, but it was a lot of fun to do, in that sense — of just not having the constraints of the expectations of what you've done for twenty years. So this is… It's kind of new stuff. It's pretty cool. It sounds like kind of MINISTRY, but it's a different level. It's like I literally just put my foot on the gas pedal for this record."

According to Jourgensen, the sound of SURGICAL METH MACHINE's debut release leans heavily on the aggressive side, but fans can also expect to hear a few surprises. "There's a couple of real poppy things on there, which brings me full circle, because, literally, I don't give a fuck anymore," he said. "So I'm actually almost acknowledging that first horrible pop record I did in 1983. I'm crooning on some songs, I've got some pop songs on there, and then there's just brutal assault for the rest of it. It's a very dichotomous record, but it's me, and I'm acknowledging everything that's been me through, like, the last 35 years. Let's just throw my balls on the table and hope somebody doesn't have a meat cleaver running."

As far as the future of MINISTRY, Jourgensen has said in recent interviews that there will be no more MINISTRY albums, making 2013's "From Beer To Eternity" the band's swan song following Scaccia's death.

"Mikey died during the recording," Al told the Illinois Entertainer. "He just got finished with his last parts, went back to Dallas to play a show with RIGOR MORTIS and I got the call two days later that he was dead. I had to mix the record with his death still fresh in my mind, so the final playback on that one was extra special, and that album to me is very special."

After a period of inactivity since 2007’s The Blue, which involved the departure of longstanding member Giuseppe Orlando, Novembre returns with a new set of potent and poignant tracks, effortlessly transitioning between soothing, epic, melancholy and intense, from what is one of the originators of the whole atmospheric death/doom scene. URSA will be released on April 1st via Peaceville Records. The album is streaming in it’s entirety below.

Headed by founding member and writer Carmelo Orlando, and with a reinvigorated musical alliance with Massimiliano Pagliuso, the lineup is completed by Fabio Fraschini (previously bassist on the Materia album), and David Folchitto on drums. There is also a special guest appearance from Anders Nyström of the Swedish Doom masters Katatonia, adding his own unique ‘cold’ touch to the album’s single track, “Annoluce”.

URSA was recorded at Blue Noise Studio, and PlayRec studio by Massimiliano Pagliuso, then mixed and mastered at Unisound Studios by Dan Swanö (Opeth, Katatonia, Bloodbath). Cover art comes courtesy of Travis Smith.

Tracklisting:

“Australis”
“The Rose”
“Umana”
“Easter”
“URSA”
“Oceans Of Afternoons”
“Annoluce”
“Agathae”
“Bremen”
“Fin”

Album stream:

“Umana” lyric video:

Carmelo Orlando comments on URSA: ”This album is a very important step in my life. It got me closer to what some may call ‘maturity’. I’ve been able to delve even deeper into the chasm of the subconscious and unearth gems I didn’t think existed. Lyrically and conceptually I explored new shores. I moved my ever-inwards headlights, and for the first time I dared to point them outwards, against the squalor of this Orwellian apocalypse we’re committing towards the Earth and its sons, on a daily basis, in quasi-total indifference. The album is indeed called URSA (the acronym for “Union des Républiques Socialistes Animales”), which was the title initially chosen for the French translation of George Orwell’s masterpiece novel Animal Farm.”

URSA is available to pre-order on CD & LP at this location. Pre-orders from the Peaceville Store receive a free 3-track EP including an alternate version of “Annoluce”, plus two exclusive tracks.

The seeds of Novembre were originally planted in September 1990 in Rome, Italy. Then known as Catacomb, their early recordings of unusual gothic doom metal were to quickly gain the band interest. It was around 1993 that the band decided that a name change was in order, and Novembre was born, evolving into one of the premiere European atmospheric doom bands.

Watch out for Novembre on tour in 2016.



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High-energy Miami noise rock quartet, Wrong, are streaming the new track “Boil”, from their self-titled debut full-length, out on April 29th via Relapse Records. This album delivers eleven riff-driven, powerhouse songs replete with battering grooves, dissonant melodies and cathartic vocals.

After steamrolling onto the scene in 2014 with their promising debut EP and unrelenting live show (and featuring former members of Torche and Kylesa amongst their ranks), Wrong play Helmet / Unsane inspired heavy noise rock for a new millennium. The band signed with Relapse Records in the summer of 2015, after they made waves on their first North American tour with now-labelmates Torche and Nothing.

After spending the rest of 2015 on tour with Black Tusk and House of Lightning, Wrong put the finishing touches on their debut full-length at PineCrust studios in Gainesville, FL. Pre-order the album at this location.

Tracklisting:

“More Like”
“Turn In”
“Read”
“Entourage”
“Hum Drum”
“Stasis”
“Mucilage”
“Fake Brain”
“Boil”
“Wrong”
“High Chair”

“Boil”:

“Turn In” video:

Wrong is:

Eric Hernandez - Guitars, Vocals
Brian Hernandez - Drums
Andres Ascanio - Bass
Ryan Haft - Guitars



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Gregg McQueen of The Aquarian Weekly recently conducted an interview with IRON MAIDEN bassist Steve Harris. An excerpt from the chat follows below.

The Aquarian Weekly: Your shows for this tour feature a heavy dose of songs from [IRON MAIDEN's new album] "The Book Of Souls". How did you decide on the newer tracks you were going to play?

Harris: It's always challenging to a certain degree. But having said that, some of the songs tend to choose themselves. It's pretty obvious we'll do the opening song on a new album, and the title track is usually automatic. Then it gets difficult, as a couple of the new songs are really long. It's not easy picking a set, really. Some setlists almost pick themselves, but not necessarily this tour.

The Aquarian Weekly: How have "The Book Of Souls" songs been going over with the fans?

Harris: Whenever we play new material, eventually some of the songs become classics themselves. They can't become that unless you play them. Any new song is not going to go down as well as some of the old stuff, because obviously the old stuff the fans know inside out. But we've never been scared to play new material. I think it keeps us fresh and the audience fresh. In between album tours, we might do a retro tour and we'll pick a couple of songs that we haven't played in 20 years or more. But it's always a challenge to play new material. There are people out there who want to hear a jukebox, but we're not that. We do what we feel is right.

The Aquarian Weekly: Not many bands would have the ambition to make a double album nearly 40 years into their career.

Harris: We had 11 songs, and we didn't expect them to be that long, to be honest. It had to be a double album to fit more on. It is what it is. We didn't plan to write a double album in the first place. But we've got loads of ideas, which is great. Personally, I've got too many ideas to use in my lifetime, probably. But that's a nice problem to have, I think. It's just a question of trying to put everything together and work them out.

Read the entire interview at The Aquarian Weekly.

"You Have Come To The Right Place", a brand new song from SIXX:A.M., the band featuring MÖTLEY CRÜE bassist Nikki Sixx alongside guitarist DJ Ashba and vocalist James Michael, can be streamed below. The track is taken from the first volume of SIXX:A.M.'s upcoming double album, "Prayers For The Damned", which drops April 29 via Eleven Seven Music.

"Prayers For The Damned" is available to pre-order via iTunes and all digital retailers.

With two U.S. Billboard Top 20 albums and a string of hit singles already under their belt, "Prayers For The Damned" represents the band's most ambitious, complete and adrenaline-soaked effort to date. James Michael once again plays triple duty on "Prayers For The Damned" as vocalist, the album's producer and mixer, thereby solidifying the unique musicianship of this beloved hard-rock outfit. The introspective cover art for "Prayers For The Damned" is an original design created by guitarist DJ Ashba, further proving that all aspects of this album are a collaboration of true passion for the band. "SIXX:A.M. is in the most creative place of our careers," said Sixx. "For James, DJ and myself, we think it's the perfect time to release so much quality music to our fans who've been supporting us over the last three albums.” Michael agreed: "The double albums will leave no stone unturned in our quest to create important music and push the boundaries of rock." Ashba concludes: "We are on a mission to give our fans even more than they could have hoped for, both musically and visually."

"Prayers For The Damned Vol. 1" track listing:

01. Rise02. You Have Come To The Right Place03. I'm Sick04. Prayers For The Damned05. Better Man06. Can't Stop07. When We Were Gods08. Belly Of The Beast09. Everything Went To Hell10. The Last Time (My Heart Will Hit The Ground)11. Rise Of The Melancholy Empire

Asked about the addition of Canadian drummer Dustin Steinke (BLEEKER RIDGE) to SIXX:A.M.'s recording and touring lineup, Sixx said: "He's a fantastic drummer, first of all, and being a bass player, I appreciate that more than just about anybody. We play very well together. He's a great guy, so he brings that really positive energy that's part of our family. And we have two background vocalists that are just phenomenal, and they're also great people."

He continued: "SIXX:A.M. is DJ, James and myself, but our extended family in our touring band, there's six of us. That's a lot of people. And we have to be sure everybody's a good person. There's really no time for any B.S. We have a mission, and we have a standard that we wanna keep the band to, and everybody in the band has the same mission in sight, same mission in mind."

Photo credit: Dustin Jack

"Now Fear This", the new video from former MARILYN MANSON and current ROB ZOMBIE guitarist John 5, can be seen below. The clip was directed by Matt Zane and contains live footage that was edited and directed by Zane.

"Now Fear This" will appear on John 5's new solo album, "Guitars, T!ts And Monsters", due later in the year.

'This is my fourth video for the fourth month of the year," the guitarist tells Loudwire. "I'm having a lot of fun releasing a new video the first of every month. At the end of the year, I will release the physical CD called 'Guitars, T!ts And Monsters' with a documentary, all the videos, and all the songs. I hope you enjoy this new song 'Now Fear This'."

He adds: "All my life I've really enjoyed music: making music, playing it, and recording it. It's such a relief and a joy to do what I do for a living. I know it sounds corny, but I think the meaning of life is to do what you love and be happy."

John has had an illustrious career collaborating with chart topping artists such as LYNYRD SKYNYRD, Ricky Martin, and Rod Stewart. John has performed on critically acclaimed world tours with Marilyn Manson and Rob Zombie. Later, John ventured into the world of film score composing for Rob Zombie's "The Lords Of Salem". In 2004 he branched out into a successful solo career and has since released eight studio albums.

Beastmaker have released a video for “The Mask Of Satan”, a track from their debut, Lusus Naturae, out now via Rise Above Records.

Beastmaker hail from the unlikely locale of Fresno, California. Sweating profusely in a parched no man's land about three and a half hours northeast of Los Angeles, the city isn't exactly a cultural mecca-and yet it's the birthplace of Hollywood outsiders and weirdos like Sid Haig, Slim Pickens and director Sam Peckinpah. Still, it suffers from an unsurprising dearth of musicians interested in heavy rock. Though Church had the concept for Beastmaker as far back as 2006, it wasn't until he and drummer Andres Alejandro Saldate, aka Juan Bonham, hooked up with bassist John Tucker in 2014 that the band was fully realized.

"I was really inspired by old bands and metal," mastermind Trevor William Church explains. "From the Zombies to Slayer, from Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons to Black Sabbath. I was really into NWOBHM and what bands like Witchcraft are doing now. After many failed attempts and at least five bands in between, we found John and finally had a solid lineup."

Bleak and burly overtones of Sabbath, Pentagram and Witchfinder General ring through Lusus Naturae like echoes from a haunted past. Slow-rolling bruisers "Eyes Are Watching”, "Arachne" and "It" set the tone of doom and despair with nods to heavy '70s classics, cult horror flicks and the inimitable work of one Mr. Glenn Anzalone.

"When it comes to genre, I think of us as a much slower version of the Misfits or Danzig, but I've come to love the word 'Doom' whether or not it really relates to us," Church offers. "It just feels like home."

Beastmaker's lyrical landscape is awash in imagery from midnight movies and the dark arts, but that's only part of the picture. "I like to make up stories," Church says simply. "I use horror movies and the occult as influences but rarely directly. For instance, 'Mask of Satan' is me paying homage to the great horror film Black Sunday very directly. On the other hand, 'You Must Sin' is about a woman longing for love and finding it in the most bizarre place, but John will tell you it's a political song. I like to think that people come up with their own interpretations of what the songs mean and let their minds run free."

Lusus Naturae tracklisting:

“Clouds In The Sky”
“Eyes Are Watching”
“Arachne”
“Skin Crawler”
“Find The Stranger”
“You Must Sin”
“Burnt Offering”
“Mask Of Satan”
“It”
“Astral Corpse”
“Lusus Naturae”
“The Strain”

“You Must Sin”:

You Must Sin by Beastmaker



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Bristol, UK-based classic rockers with a modern roll, Tax The Heat, are set to release of their full-length Nuclear Blast Entertainment debut, Fed To The Lions on April 8th. A new video for the track “Learn To Drown (You’re Wrong)”, as well as the first part of an album track-by-track video series, can be found below.

Fed To The Lions shows why there is so much excitement at the release of this record. Previous singles “Some Sympathy”, “Highway Home” and “Fed To The Lions” sit alongside future classics such as “Caroline”, “Animals” and “Stood On The Platform To Leave”. The driving rhythms of Jack Taylor (drums) and Antonio Angotti (bass) overlaid with the powerful riffs of JP Jacyshyn (guitars) and distinctive melodies of Alex Veale (vocals, guitars). The album is available on CD and vinyl. Pre-order Fed To The Lions here.

Tracklisting:

“Highway Home”
“Animals”
“Under Watchful Eye”
“Fed To The Lions”
“Hit Me Hard”
“Stood On The Platform To Leave”
“Some Sympathy”
“Devil's Daughter”
“Learn To Drown (You're Wrong)”
“Caroline”
“Your Fool”
“Lost Our Way”

Track-by-track Part 1:

“Learn To Drown (You're Wrong)” video:

“Animals” video:

“Some Sympathy”:

“Fed To The Lions” video:

“Highway Home” video:



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"Where Shadows Forever Reign", the title track of the new album from Swedish black metallers DARK FUNERAL, can be streamed below. The CD will be released on June 3 via Century Media.The effort was recorded at the Dugout Studios in Uppsala, Sweden and was produced by guitarist Lord Ahriman and Daniel Bergstrand (IN FLAMES, DIMMU BORGIR, BEHEMOTH). The stunning artwork was created by Necrolord (DISSECTION, NECROPHOBIC, EMPEROR).

Comments Lord Ahriman: "I've said it before, but in case you missed it, I will say it again. WE ARE BACK!!! And to prove that we're really back to reclaim the throne once and for all, we now have the privilege to let you all get a taste of what is to come in the form of the epic title track of our long awaited new masterpiece! Sit back, put your speakers on max and enjoy the ride through ancient realms so forlorn and cold, the majestic realm where shadows forever reign."

Adds DARK FUNERAL vocalist Heljarmadr: "The lyrics to 'Where Shadows Forever Reign' deal with self-sacrifice. To reach further on my spiritual path, I must give something from myself. Be it material or a piece of my heart and soul, as long as it's something that deeply matters. To truly reach the world of shadows I must summon my inner shadows, my inner darkness and allow no light."

"Where Shadows Forever Reign" track listing:

01. Unchain My Soul02. As One We Shall Conquer03. Beast Above Man04. As I Ascend05. Temple Of Ahriman06. The Eternal Eclipse07. To Carve Another Wound08. Nail Them To The Cross09. Where Shadows Forever Reign

DARK FUNERAL last year announced the addition of frontman Heljarmadr and bassist Natt to the group's ranks.

With roots in the second half of the '90s black metal scene and with tentacles in bands such as highly respected GRÁ, DOMGÅRD and CURSED 13 comes Heljarmadr, a raw force from the underground. Known as a fierce frontman, both on stage and on recordings with his previous bands, he has now stepped up and claimed a seat in the throne room of DARK FUNERAL to inflict deep scars and infect wounds in the black metal scene. The name Heljarmadr derives from the old Scandinavian languages, simply meaning "a man belonging to hell." With a lot of experience in the arts of creating dark satanic music, he is playing a key role in shaping the future vocal and lyrical direction of DARK FUNERAL. Expect nothing but excellence, pure darkness and uncompromising evil!

Before DARK FUNERAL, Natt was a member of the black/thrash metal band ANGREPP where he met his now-close friends Adrian Lawson (ANGREPP, IXXI) and Fredrik Widigs (THE UGLY, MARDUK) and later on joined the deeply devoted black metal act WITHERSHIN.

Original KISS guitarist Ace Frehley will release "Origins Vol. 1", a collection of twelve newly recorded classics from Ace's formative years featuring some of the biggest names in rock and roll, on April 15. Most notably, KISS frontman Paul Stanley joins Ace on FREE's hit "Fire And Water". This collaboration marks the first time that Ace and Paul appear on the same studio recording since KISS's 1998 reunion album "Psycho Circus".

Other guests are none other than Slash trading leads on THIN LIZZY's classic "Emerald", Lita Ford singing and playing lead on THE TROGGS staple "Wild Thing", ROB ZOMBIE guitarist John 5 playing guitar alongside Ace as he sings his classic KISS composition "Parasite" for the very first time, as well as Jimi Hendrix's "Spanish Castle Magic", and PEARL JAM's Mike McCready also plays guitar with Ace as he finally sings his KISS "Alive!" mainstay "Cold Gin". "White Room" is also an iTunes instant gratification track, meaning fans who pre order the LP on iTunes will receive the CREAM cover song instantly.

"Origins Vol. 1" track listing:

01. White Room (CREAM)02. Street Fighting Man (ROLLING STONES)03. Spanish Castle Magic (JIMI HENDRIX) (feat. John 5)04. Fire And Water (FREE) (feat. Paul Stanley)05. Emerald (THIN LIZZY) (feat. Slash)06. Bring It On Home (LED ZEPPELIN)07. Wild Thing (THE TROGGS) (feat. Lita Ford)08. Parasite (KISS) (feat. John 5)09. Magic Carpet Ride (STEPPENWOLF) 10. Cold Gin (KISS) (feat. Mike McCready)11. Till The End Of The Day (THE KINKS)12. Rock And Roll Hell (KISS)

Ace's cover version of THIN LIZZY's "Emerald", featuring a guest appearance by Slash, can be streamed below.

Ace spoke with Rolling Stone about the new record, his guest players and recording with Paul after all these years. Regarding his reunion with Stanley, Frehley shrugged off any residual tension between the two of them. "We've always been friends," he told Rolling Stone. "The press seems to amplify negativity. I guess it makes good copy."

Frehley also commented on Stanley's appearance on "Fire And Water". "I thought Paul did a fabulous vocal on it," he said. "He jumped at the chance to do this because it's something that’s outside of KISS and his character in KISS, and it gave him a chance to, you know, sing. With Paul, you usually think of him singing in a slightly higher register and on 'Fire And Water', he's singing deep from his diaphragm, and it's a real cool vocal. Everyone who's heard it just thinks it's the shit."

Ace will be joined on the road by Richie Scarlet (rhythm, guitar and vocal duties), Chris Wyse (THE CULT) on bass and vocals, Scott Coogan (BRIDES OF DESTRUCTION) on drums.

Australian metallers Lord will release A Personal Journey: Revisited - a re-imagination of the 2003 debut album, A Personal Journey.

Lord mainman L.T. explains, “It’s been ten years since Lord played our first show under the current name so it seemed like an ideal time to cast an eye back to where it all began, and to bring the one remaining ‘demo production’ sounding album into line with the rest of our back catalogue.

“A Personal Journey was recorded on literally zero budget, in a spare bedroom, on ancient hardware, into a computer less powerful than a current entry-level smartphone, and some parts of it were even transferred from a cassette into that computer. Although it eventually had professional mastering done to it, the album you hear today is still, more or less, that original demo. It’s both a blessing and a shame that this album is largely considered a little known collector’s item, despite boasting some really strong material.”

He continues, “In 2014 we revisited the early years of the band with The Dungeon Era box set, which featured all of the original Dungeon studio albums re-recorded by the current line-up, with modern production techniques and available in better-than-CD-quality HD audio. The positive response from that release set the wheels in motion to give A Personal Journey the same treatment, and finally give that album the production that wasn’t possible when it was originally conceived.

“We literally thought outside the box when doing this release. We chose not to do a CD pressing. Instead, we’ve made a collectable ‘Access All Area pass’ style USB key with the songs pre-ripped to MP3 and 24 bit HD FLAC. Rather than a small CD booklet, we chose to do an A5 sized saddle-stitched card-covered booklet, with larger artwork, lyrics, liner notes and lengthy retrospective of the last ten years. We think that gives people the best of all worlds with the convenience of digital files, the sound quality of an exact reproduction of the studio masters, a collectible physical product and larger than CD booklet sized artwork.”

A Personal Journey: Revisited is available for pre-order now via the Dominus Online Store here.

Lord is essentially a continuation of Dungeon, one of Australia’s longest running melodic metal bands. Their latest releases include Digital Lies (2013), The Dungeon Era box set (2014) and the What Tomorrow Brings EP (2015) which features a 25+ minute long conceptual title track. Lord is currently working on new material and will be appearing at the prestigious ProgPower USA festival in September.

 



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Finnish masters of melancholic metal, Amorphis, played a special set at the 26th Wacken Open Air, featuring only songs from their earliest records. Check out perfomances of “Black Winter Day”, “Against Widows” and “My Kantele” below:

Amorphis recently released an official live video for the track “The Four Wise Ones”. The track is featured on the band’s Under The Red Cloud album, released last September via Nuclear Blast. The new video was shot late last year in Amsterdam, The Netherlands. Check it out below:

Amorphis tour dates:

March (with Textures)
31 - Nova Gorice, Slovenia - Mostnova

April (with Textures)
1 - Novi Sad, Serbia - The Quarter
2 - Sofia, Bulgaria - Mixtape 5 Club
3 - Bucharest, Romania - Arenele Romane
5 - Budapest, Hungary - Barba Negra Club
6 - Wroclaw, Poland - Alibi
7 - Vienna, Austria - Szene
8 - Munich, Germany - Backstage
9 - Geiselwind, Germany - Music Hall
10 - Milan, Italy - Fabrique
12 - Frankfurt, Germany - Batschkapp
13 - Berlin, Germany - PBHF Club
14 - Ludwigsburg, Germany - Rockfabrik
15 - Pratteln, Switzerland - Z7 (no Textures)
16 - Antwerp, Belgium - Trix
17 - Bochum, Germany - Matrix



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Fates Warning will headline this years Keep It True festival in Germany on April 29th/30th in the original lineup. No doubt this will be a spectacular highlight and a gig that will make heavy metal history.

In conjunction with this epic show, Metal Blade will reissue two classic Fates Warning albums on April 29th on vinyl, Night On Bröcken and Awaken The Guardian.

The vinyls are part of the Metal Blade Originals series that started earlier this year with Slayer and Nasty Savage. The Fates Warning vinyls will be released with 400g heavy cardboard spine sleeves (inside out print), 60x60cm artwork posters and 250g inserts.

There will be three different versions of each release, one of each will be available at the Keep It True festival exclusively (at the official merch booth). The other versions can be pre-ordered at EMP or (from next week on) through Metal Blade’s eBay store.

Night On Bröcken
- 180g black vinyl
- nightgrey marbled vinyl (ltd. 300)
- “fire" splatter vinyl (ltd. 200 - Keep It True exclusive)

Awaken The Guardian
- 180g black vinyl
- nightsky blue vinyl (ltd. 300)
- swamp-green marbled vinyl (ltd. 200 - Keep It True exclusive)



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Progressive metal band Adagio have welcomed  violinist Mayline as a permanent member, giving new textures to the band’s music and pro-pulsing it to uncharted territories.

Adagio's long awaited fifth album, entitled Life, is coming, seven years after Archangels In Black. Life will be released in the fall of this year. Check out an album trailer video at this location, and stay tuned for updates.

 



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It is definitely no coincidence that Napalm Records, home of bands like Monster Magnet, God Is An Astronaut, My Sleeping Karma and Desert Rock legend John Garcia, has already been keeping an eye on Suns Of Thyme and recently announces the worldwide signing of the band.

It’s hard to imagine that something called krautgaze could grow up in any other place than Berlin. In its glittering darkness, the city is a perfect breeding ground for a band like Suns Of Thyme. The five-piece crashes together space rock, shoegaze, psych and Velvet Underground on its sophomore album Cascades, out on May 27th via Napalm Records.

Today the quintet unveils their first lyric video, for the track “Do Or Die” (streaming below).

Singer Tobias Feltes about "Do Or Die": “My intellect was trying to understand or conceptualize something that is unintelligible. To go beyond, the intellect might bring the answers we’ve been looking for. After recognizing the unknown, misconceptions and the accompanying fear can vanish.”

Bassist Jens Rosenkranz about the video: “In the video we wanted to show the struggles of a young writer to overcome her fear of failure. She manages when she realizes that it is a matter of do or die.”

Cascades was mastered by Brian Lucey, Magic Garden Mastering in Los Angeles (The Black Keys, Marilyn Manson, Arctic Monkeys, Ray LaMontagne, Ghost).

Cascades tracklisting:

“Do Or Die”
“Intuition Unbound”
“Ich Traeum‘ von Dir”
“To Vanish”
“Rush”
“Schweben”
“Deep Purple Rain”
“Val Verde”
“The Field”
“Aphelion”
“Prelude”
“In Dreams Awake”
“Kirwani”
“Kirwani II”

“Do Or Die” lyric video:

Pre-orders for Cascades are available here for European customers, and here for US customers.

Suns of Thyme is:

Tammo Dehn - Synths, Percussions, Sampler
Tobias Feltes - Vocals, Guitars, Sitar
Tim Hoppe - Guitars
Jascha Kreft - Drums, Vocals
Jens Rosenkranz - Bass  



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London-based rock trio, Black Orchid Empire, have unveiled the epic video for their second single, “God Is Awake”.

“This story is a prequel to the video we made for “Come In” – we wanted to show the origins of the crazy soap-box character and how he was driven to insanity. Most people aren't born crazy, something in their life changes them. It explores the idea that violently shaking someone's world up could send them on a descent into obsessive madness – a complete breakdown of their personal reality. Seeing the incredible actors Anto Sharp and Terry Wood bringing it to life was amazing – those guys totally killed it.” - Paul Visser (vocals)

Black Orchid Empire burst onto the scene with their powerful and melodic debut single “Come In” earlier this year. Having performed alongside heavyweights such as Biffy Clyro, Skunk Anansie, Feeder and Editors, the band are thriving in the resurgent British rock scene.

Winners of Emergenza UK, the band includes previous members of highly-acclaimed groups Queen Adreena and Cape Fear, and is poised to be one of the breakthrough acts of the year. The full length album is on it’s way.

Watch the video for the first single “Come In”:



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“Submit To Evil”, a new track from Chaos In The Flesh… Live!, the new live album from Swedish death metal veterans Nominon, is streaming below. The new live album will be released on CD on May 13th via Morbid Skull Records and Deathgasm Records.

Chaos In The Flesh… Live! captures the band’s performance at the Death Kills Festival in Stockholm in February 2015 and was mixed and mastered by Javi Bastard (Graveyard) at Moontower Studio in Barcelona, Spain.

Tracklisting:

“In The Name Of Gomorrah”
“Sodom's Fall”
“Mantra Reverse”
“Hordes Of Flies”
“Malicious Torment”
“Undead Beast”
“Submit To Evil”
“Blaspheming The Dead”
“The Cleansing”
“Mausoleum”
“Release In Death”

“Submit To Evil”:



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"Screaming Mad" Dee Calhoun, the voice of doom legends Iron Man, has completed production of his debut solo released, entitled Rotgut. The album is scheduled for release on June 6th via Argonauta Records on CD/DD. The official album teaser is streaming below.

Rotgut was recorded at Dee's home studio, The Dustbuster, in Frederick Maryland. Mastering was done in nearby Thurmont Maryland, by Doug Benson at Commodore Recording Studio. The album cover is based upon a concept by Dee Calhoun, and photographed by Jaki Cunha.

Rotgut tracklisting:
 
“Unapologetic”
“Rotgut”
“Not Everyone Wins A Prize”
“Little 'Houn, Daddy 'Houn” (featuring Rob Calhoun)
“Babelkowa”
“Backstabbed In Backwater”
“The Train Back Home”
“Sincerely Yours”
“Deifendör”
“Cast Out The Crow”
“Winter: A Dirge”
“At Long Day's End”

Teaser:



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The "Ultimate Jam Night" debuted its residency at the world-famous Whisky A Go Go in West Hollywood, California on Tuesday, March 29. Among the participating musicians were Tommy Vext (WESTFIELD MASSACRE, DIVINE HERESY), Ira Black (WESTFIELD MASSACRE, LIZZY BORDEN), Monte Pittman (Madonna), Jerry Montano (DEATH DIVISION, HELLYEAH, DANZIG) and Dio Britto (WESTFIELD MASSACRE) who performed METALLICA's "Master Of Puppets". Heidi Shepherd of the BUTCHER BABIES joined them and performed a heavy duet with Vext, PANTERA's "Fucking Hostile".

"Ultimate Jam Night" features a wide range of music genres, a circus atmosphere, every Tuesday night at the Whisky A Go Go.

Chuck Wright, longtime bassist of QUIET RIOT, started "Ultimate Jam Night" over a year ago at Lucky Strike and has now moved it to the Whisky A Go Go. It remains a no-cover show.

"Ultimate Jam Night" continues to feature its house band of Wright, drummer Matt Starr (MR. BIG), guitarist Mitch Perry (MSG), and MC Paulie Z. (Z-Rock and Z02).

Using a format of unrehearsed tunes integrating music’s best performers, performance art, comedy, and charity giving the show has attracted over 28,000 in-person guests, viewership in excess of two million and worldwide attention. In its first year, the weekly event boasted performances by members of KISS, MOTÖRHEAD, BON JOVI and others.

"We're proud that our show has created not only a following, but an extremely loyal family feel," said Wright. "We're excited that the Whisky allows us to continue our mission of rebuilding the rock music community — only this time on the Sunset Strip in an iconic and historical setting."

Killing Joke have unveiled a new video for “New Cold War”, taken from their latest album Pylon (Spinefarm Records), and announce that they will headline a special show at London O2 Academy Brixton for Friday, November 4th. This special one-off event will take place under The Great Gathering banner, with a carefully selected supporting cast set to be announced in due course.

Tickets for the Brixton show go on sale this Friday, April 1st at this location.

Says guitarist Geordie: “We’re really looking forward to pulling out some surprises for an uplifting new live set!"

Killing Joke are also playing the Bearded Theory Festival in May and the Rockaway Beach Festival in October.

Feast your eyes on the apocalyptic “New Cold War” video, directed by long-term associate/designer, Mike Coles:



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The Defiants will release their self-titled debut album on April 15th. The new track, “Take Me Back”, is streaming below. The Defiants is a new band put together by Paul Laine, Bruno Ravel and Rob Marcello - three fabulous musicians, all with ties to the great hard rock band Danger Danger.

Best known for being Danger Danger's frontman for a 12 year stint from 1992-2004, which included four studio albums, Paul Laine is now coming back to work with his former bandmates Bruno Ravel and Rob Marcello, who are the other two pillars of The Defiants.

The guys got back together under suggestion of Frontiers' President, Serafino Perugino, who really wanted to offer the fans a chance to hear some new music from these guys. The resulting album is an extremely exciting affair which is going to please not only D2 fans, but also all the ones who are into the classic sound from the glory days of rock in the '80s and '90s.

Paul Laine says: "From the moment Bruno and I started writing together,we knew we had something special. It's been my experience that when the writing process is effortless, you've trapped lightning in a bottle...within the first 2 1/2 months, we had close to 40 ideas up on the board. I think it surprised both of us how intuitive we were of each others ideas. I'm very proud of this record, and it feels good to let loose on an album of complete stadium rockers. Rob Marcello, I consider to be one of the biggest talents in the world of modern guitar players. I love how much he shines on this record, and from track to track, I couldn't wait to hear what he had to say musically. On a personal note, it feels good to hit another musical and writing milestone with this album. It was very hard to choose the material for this record,and its exciting to know that there are still bullets left in the chamber that nobody has heard yet..."

Bruno Ravel adds: "I'm so stoked for you all to hear this record! It was so much fun to create, and that feeling will be very evident once you give it a listen. Paul and Rob poured every bit of themselves into these tracks, and their performances were just ridiculous! Add that to the aggressive killer drum pounding that only my good buddy, Van Romaine could deliver, and you have what equals a bonafide rock 'n' roll roller coaster! Strap yourselves in folks! And get ready for the ride!"

The Defiants is a glorious return to the "in your face" melodic hard rock that won millions of fans back in the '80s and '90s and is currently enjoying a well deserved revival in the 21st century.

The Defiants are set to appear live at the Frontiers Rock Festival in Trezzo (Milano), Italy on April 24th, where the band will perform classic tracks from Paul Laine's solo career, some Danger Danger hits (of course) and songs off The Defiants debut.

The Defiants tracklisting:

“Intro (For A Few Dollars More - Carillon's Theme)”
“Love And Bullets”
“When The Lights Go Down”
“Waiting On A Heartbreak”
“Runaway”
“Lil' Miss Rock'n'roll”
“Last Kiss”
“Save Me Tonight”
“Take Me Back”
“We All Fall”
“That's When I'll Stop Loving You”
“Underneath The Stars”

“Take Me Back”:

“Waiting On A Heartbreak”:

“Love And Bullets”:

The Defiants lineup:

Paul Laine - vocals
Bruno Ravel - bass guitar, guitars, keyboards
Rob Marcello - lead guitars

With: Van Romaine - drums



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Metal Headz Media of Sleaze Roxx recently conducted an interview with vocalist Joey Tempest of Swedish hard rockers EUROPE. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow below.

Sleaze Roxx: With bands like MÖTLEY CRÜE, for example, calling it quits and going out publicly. What keeps a band like EUROPE going together and if you ever decided on a final tour would you announce it like that? How does that look for you?

Joey Tempest: Now, we've sort of been joking about that a little bit because there are so many bands that have said they've done the final tour for twenty years now. We've said we're never going to say we're doing the final tour. We're going to keep going as long as we feel like it's fun. I doubt if we're ever going to do something like that. But you never know! If we do it, it will be the final tour because we don't believe in saying something and then doing something else. I understand some bands — they think they're going to do their final tour and then they feel like, "Oh, no. We can't stop." And there's a lot of fans coming to see you and they change their minds. I mean that's okay too. I don't want to do it to trick people or anything like that. That's ridiculous.

Sleaze Roxx: Over the years, I've noticed that there's been a change in EUROPE's sound. What goes into the differences in sound that you've accommodated over the years?

Joey Tempest: It's like an organic natural progression in a way because we get tired of certain sounds and we move on. We dig deeper and find other ways of doing it. We don't want to repeat any records. So they're slightly different — all of our records. On the last record [2015's "War Of Kings"], for instance, we introduced the mellotron which is an old keyboard and we just vibed on a new version of it. It sounds really amazing. We used Hammond a bit more than normal keyboards. We use organic sounding keyboards, not synthesizers, which has been a natural progression for us. It sounds better, and it sounds better in our music on the radio. So that's it, a natural thing for us. We did pan keyboard and guitar more left and right on this record like they used to do more in the '60s and '70s so small changes like that make us evolve and make us do different things. [Producer] David Cobb was very instrumental too in finding a vibe for the record that you could listen back on in a couple years and you know that album has got the sound.

Sleaze Roxx: Did you ever think the song "The Final Countdown" would be a hit single when you finished it. Were you surprised by how big it got?

Joey Tempest: Yeah, we were surprised and I was too. I wrote it when I was still in college and that was only a small part of it — the riff, the main theme. When we did our third album which we called "The Final Countdown", we thought it was special though and we wanted to open the album with it. We wanted to open the show with it. We knew it was special as it stuck out. It was different. It was even different from what we did. Yeah, we knew it was special but we never had an idea that it would have a life of its own and there and still be played so much around the world. No, we didn't know that. But, of course, it's flattering and it brings people into the band and people get curious about more songs so that's cool.

Read the entire interview at Sleaze Roxx.

In a brand new interview with Metro, DISTURBED guitarist Dan Donegan talked about his family situation and how the band's recent four-year hiatus affected his personal life.

"I have two kids, and my daughter's twelve and my son is eight now," he said. "The [hiatus] has given me time to go home and I was coaching football for a year. I'm not too proud to say, we were undefeated and won the Super Bowl that year [laughs] though I was one of eight coaches, so I can't take all the credit. But end of the day, we had that void of not having the stage anymore and the bottom line was that we missed DISTURBED. This is our baby, too, and once we got back to it, we realized how much we missed it.

Asked if any of the other kids' parents knew that he had this second life as a metal star, Dan said: "In my hometown, there are quite a few people who know I'm around, but when I'm in the field with my 8-year-old, I'm wearing a different hat. I'm a coach and a dad."

Donegan, who used to work for his father's construction company, a union job that paid well, said that his kids keep him "grounded" because they see him as "their dad who embarrasses them all the time." He added: "They've come on the road with us before and as much as they love my being in the band, it doesn't impress them because I'm still just that dad that's a dork to them."

"Immortalized", DISTURBED's sixth studio album, was released last August and debuted at the top of The Billboard 200 chart. That made it DISTURBED's fifth effort in a row to enter the chart at No. 1, a feat shared only with METALLICA and DAVE MATTHEWS BAND.

DISTURBED kicked off a North American tour — its first in more than four years — on February 10 in Fargo.

Matt Coe of DeadRhetoric.com recently conducted an interview with METAL CHURCH guitarist Kurdt Vanderhoof. A few excerpts from the chat follow below.

DeadRhetoric.com: When Ronny Munroe left METAL CHURCH in 2014, how did the process flesh out with getting Mike Howe back on vocals? As I've read in other interviews that if you weren't able to get him back on board, there would be no more METAL CHURCH in that sense…

Vanderhoof: Well, yes. It was literally a week to the day about a year ago I contacted Mike about working on a little side project that I was working on with Nigel [Glockler] from SAXON, and planning on doing at the time. We were trying to kick around singers and I hadn't spoken to Mike in a while, so I reached out to say "hey" and see if he would be interested in doing something, what his involvement was in the music business was, etc. He was open to the idea. We caught up on life, and literally a week to the day, we found ourselves in need of a singer for METAL CHURCH. So now it was, "Forget about the side project. How would you like to be the singer again for METAL CHURCH?" He was very open to that. We took things step by step and we didn't jump right in. We started writing songs and he didn't want to just do it to do it; he wanted to make sure the songs and the record would be as good as it could be. He wanted to get a feel for the new music business model and the way we do business now, step by step.

DeadRhetoric.com: Did fear ever set in when you had to replace David Wayne with Mike for "Blessing In Disguise"? Especially coming off of a period where "Watch The Children Pray" was in heavy rotation on MTV…?

Vanderhoof: Was there fear of bringing Mike in? Not really, because the situation with David had gotten so bad that's why we had to bring a new singer in. If you imagine a band that's taking off and we are going up and then it got bad enough to where we had to fire our singer. We knew we had to fix it, the band would not have been able to continue so that's why we replaced him. It helped the band.

DeadRhetoric.com: What was the toughest thing for you to handle during the first ascension of METAL CHURCH popularity in the 1980s?

Vanderhoof: For me, coming to the realization of how the music business worked back then. And the whole notion of being in a rock band, you get to be your own boss — turns out that wasn't the case. You ended up working for the record company, and they were taking all your money. Even though they were giving you money and advancing you money, it was all recoupable. You had to sell bunches and bunches of records or you didn't make any money at all. It was a horrible thing and a horrible realization for me, that I'm achieving my dreams and I'm miserable. They put you on the road and keep you busy, and give you enough money to keep doing it and let you think you are being a rock star, until you grow up and come home to realize you don't have anything. So coupled with that fact that after we did "The Dark" album, I found myself wanting to really learn about making records, engineering, and production, so that's when I started building my own recording studio and going down that path. It's why I left the band but continued to work with them in the studio recording and writing songs. I wanted to learn to make records. Playing live is great and I love it, but there is a lot of dead time on the road. The other 22 hours a day can get pretty boring. I knew that for me to stay in the industry and be in control of my work, I had to learn how to do it myself. I had a premonition that led me to here now.

DeadRhetoric.com: How do you view the metal scene currently in comparison to the 1980s and 1990s?

Vanderhoof: I think if people are into the metal thing they are probably in a place where they've learned how to play properly. I blame the '90s for when metal was unhip and playing ability went out the window. I think there's a repercussion for that, and rap and hip-hop that is very computer-generated is doing a lot of damage to the artform of music as far as having kids learning to play an instrument and learning to play it well. There is no musicality in sampling and talking — it's put the bar low. The kids that follow actual metal and rock, if they follow the craft and don't want an easy way out, I think they will keep this alive. I worry about it but there are enough kids that are starting to get it, they will pick up the mantle and start running with it. There are bands that draw off the same influences that I did and create new music.

Read the entire interview at DeadRhetoric.com.

Fan-filmed video footage of METAL CHURCH's March 28 performance at B.B. King Blues Club & Grill in New York City can be seen below.

METAL CHURCH's new album, "XI", was released on March 25 via Rat Pak Records. Produced by guitarist Kurdt Vanderhoof and co-produced by Chris "The Wizard" Collier, the band's eleventh studio release also marks the return of legendary vocalist and frontman Mike Howe.

The reunion between Mike and METAL CHURCH was put in motion in July of 2014 when Mike started working with Kurdt Vanderhoof on a side project he was forming with Nigel Glockler from SAXON. Through these initial conversations, Kurdt convinced Mike to ultimately return to METAL CHURCH. The idea was to see if they could recapture some of the magic from the three albums METAL CHURCH released in the late '80s: "The Human Factor", "Blessing In Disguise" and "Hanging In The Balance". Out of those sessions, "XI" was born and captures the sound that made the band fan-favorites in the '80's and mixes it with a new, invigorated sound for 2016. Said Mike: "Kurdt Vanderhoof got ahold of me in August of 2014, and he proposed [me] coming back to the band. He said Ronny [Munroe] left the band and he didn't really wanna carry on with METAL CHURCH unless maybe I would consider coming back. So I said, 'Well, I don't know. I'm open to it. But let's see what kind of music we can come up with.' So Kurdt went back to the studio and started writing songs in the vein of 'Hanging In The Balance', where we left off twenty years ago, and he sent them to me over the Internet. And I was, like, 'Damn! The guy still has it and he's doing great work.' So he sent me another batch, and that batch was just as good [as], if not better than, the other. So, from there, I said, ‘Well, I can’t say no to this. And let's just see how it goes.' And we started writing lyrics and getting together, and it's now morphed into this, being back in Aberdeen in the studio making the new METAL CHURCH record." METAL CHURCH 2016 is:

Mike Howe (vocals)Kurdt Vanderhoof (guitar)Jeff Plate (drums)Steve Unger (bass)Rick VanZandt (guitar)

Rick had to go in for emergency eye surgery to repair a detached retina and is unable to join the group on the road for several weeks. His temporary replacement is TRANS-SIBERIAN ORCHESTRA and SAVATAGE guitarist Chris Caffery.

Seminal progressive black metal band Agalloch has announced the reissue of their first three albums Pale Folklore, The Mantle, and Ashes Against The Grain. All three albums feature new layouts and album photographs, plus The Mantle and Ashes Against The Grain have been re-mastered for vinyl by Colin Marston.

Says lead guitarist Don Anderson, "We cannot underestimate the importance of these three albums in the development of our sound and our history. In hindsight I am most proud of the fact that neither of these albums pigeonholed us. It is the radical difference of each album that allows us to continue to experiment with our music and lyrical themes today. These three albums constitute a significant chapter in our history and I am excited to finally see a proper and official vinyl release of each one of them."

Each album is available individually as a black re-issue 2LP and as part of the standard bundle, which includes all three black 2LPs. Colored vinyl options are also available, exclusively on The Omega Order.

Pale Folklore tracklisting:

“She Painted Fire Across The Skyline”
“The Misshapen Steed”
“Hallways Of Enchanted Ebony”
“Dead Winter Days”
“As Embers Dress The Sky”
“The Melancholy Spirit”

The Mantle tracklisting:

“A Celebration For The Death Of Man”
“In The Shadow Of Our Pale Companion”
“Odal”
“I Am The Wooden Doors”
“The Lodge”
“You Were But A Ghost In My Arms”
“The Hawthorne Passage”
“And The Great Cold Death Of The Earth”
“A Desolation Song”

Ashes Against The Grain tracklisting:

“Limbs”
“Falling Snow”
“This White Mountain On Which You Die”
“Fire Above, Ice Below”
“Not Unlike The Waves”
“Our Fortress Is Burning”
“Bloodbirds”
“The Grain”



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Texas heavy metal veterans HELSTAR have signed with MEGADETH bassist David Ellefson's EMP Label Group. The band's new album, "Vampiro", is due later in the year. A single, "Black Cathedral", will precede the full-length effort on April 9.

"Vampiro" is being mixed by Bill Metoyer, who has previously worked with SLAYER, ARMORED SAINT, W.A.S.P. and SACRED REICH).

According to a press release, "Vampiro" is "another opus of tales of Dracula and vampires, like the band's all-time most acclaimed 1989 release 'Nosferatu'."

HELSTAR's last studio album, "This Wicked Nest", came out in April 2014 via AFM Records.

Formed in Houston in the early '80s, HELSTAR cut its teeth playing backyard parties and small club gigs. It soon became apparent that HELSTAR had much more to offer then its contemporaries. Combat Records snapped up the band and released HELSTAR's debut, "Burning Star", in 1984. Next came "Remnants of War", followed by HELSTAR's breakthrough album, "A Distant Thunder", in 1988. The success of "A Distant Thunder" ultimately set up "Nosferatu".

HELSTAR is: James Rivera (voice), Larry Barragan (guitars), Andrew Atwood (guitars), Mikey Lewis (drums) and Garrick Smith (bass).