In a career that spans nearly 30 years and includes over 60 album credits, Joe Lynn Turner remains one of rock and roll's most distinctive, soulful and expressive vocalists. Best known for his work with hard rock band RAINBOW, during his career, Turner fronted pop rock band FANDANGO, and had stints with Yngwie Malmsteen and DEEP PURPLE. From the mid-1990s, he worked with various musical groups (MOTHER'S ARMY, HUGHES TURNER PROJECT, SUNSTORM, etc.), while pursuing a solo career.

Now, much to the excitement of Joe Lynn Turner fans worldwide, Cleopatra Records is issuing a vintage unreleased live album from the vaults of legendary hard rock vocalist of the mighty RAINBOW titled "Street Of Dreams - Boston 1985". Recorded during the tour of Turner's then-newly released debut solo album "Rescue You", the set includes a couple of nods to RAINBOW with brilliant renditions of "Stone Cold" (RAINBOW's first ever Top 40 U.S. single) as well as "Street Of Dreams".

Says Joe about the concert recording: "That night at the Boston Paradise, it was outstanding. I can remember seeing the audience and I remember there was an awkward pillar — I guess it was a support column in front — not directly in front, but enough to block some of the view. But the stage was an actual concert stage. AEROSMITH and all those guys used to always play there, the Paradise. So I can remember actually going on and playing the set, how it felt because it was absolutely exhilarating, and the audience was just crazy."

A year out from departing Ritchie Blackmore's RAINBOW, whom he led through three classic albums earlier in the decade, Turner had just released his first solo album, "Rescue You", produced by Roy Thomas Baker. This live show was, for obvious reason, weighted towards "Rescue You".

Joe recalls: "This was our first tour out, and I’m not sure if we were opening for someone at the Paradise, but if we were, then they had a pretty difficult time because the crowd was absolutely bananas for us, and we were hot. We were really on top of our game, the whole band and it sounds it, you can hear it, everyone is playing with incredible energy and enthusiasm and very precise."

Accompanying Turner was the band that recorded the album, a tight unit of Bobby Messano (guitar, background vocals), Alan Greenwood (keyboards), Chuck Burgi (drums) plus one newcomer, Barry Dunaway (bass).

"Street Of Dreams - Boston 1985" track listing:

01. I Found Love02. Losing You03. Soul Searcher04. Young Hearts05. Endlessly06. Rescue You07. Stone Cold08. Street Of Dreams09. Feel The Fire10. Guitar Solo / Good Girls Gone Bad11. Get Tough12. On The Run13. Them Changes

"Street Of Dreams - Boston 1985" will be released on March 4.

Montreal’s Demise Of The Crown are streaming their upcoming self-titled debut album ahead of it’s release. Produced by Kevin Jardine (Uplift Studios, guitarist of Slaves On Dope) and mastered by Joao Carvalho (Protest The Hero, Alexisonfire, Rush), the album is due out on March 4th (pre-order here) and features this Canadian power metal band's strong melodic death metal and hard rock influences fused with epic choruses, classic high ranged vocals plus explosive guitar solos that are reminiscent of Eddie Van Halen with undertones of Yngwie Malmsteen sure to leave fans humming.

Tracklisting:

“We Are Invincible”
“Human Denial”
“Save Me”
“Sides Of The Wave”
“Don’t Worry”
“Cold Dead Eyes”
“Eons”

Album stream:



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Chicago extreme metal band Lord Mantis will release a new EP titled, NTW, on April 29th via New Density. Recorded at Bricktop Recording with engineer Andy Nelson (Weekend Nachos, Like Rats) and mastered by Collin Jordan at The Boiler Room (Windhand, YOB, Voivod), the release features searing new songs that build on the music of the group's 2014 LP, Death Mask (Profound Lore).

NTW marks the recording debut of the new Lord Mantis lineup, which now features vocalist Dylan O'Toole and bassist Will Lindsay - each formerly of Indian - and guitarist Scott Shellhamer (also of American Heritage) joining the core of guitarist Andrew Markuszewski and drummer Bill Bumgardner. The EP delivers incendiary music that strikes with savage force and hammers the listener with razor-sharp intensity, wielding sustained tension like a scythe. Ominous imagery from artist Manuel Tinnemans (Comaworx) perfectly complements the dark aura of the record.

"The music delves to and draws from the same place Lord Mantis has always drawn from; taking the most vicious aspects of the beast and shoving that in everyone's face," comments Markuszewski. "The songs can move anywhere. You have moments on this recording that go from fervent aggression to areas more nauseous and grimey. Every time we write new music we're more confident than before with what we're doing. The sound and technique of Lord Mantis is second nature to us, but we're also never afraid to explore new territory with it."

Tracklisting:

"SIG Safer"
"NTW"
"Semblances"
"Final Division"

Lord Mantis will hold a hometown album release party, performing at Chicago's Empty Bottle on April 28th. Stay tuned to the band's website and Facebook page for updated news and information.
 



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Affiance will release their seven-song, crowd-funded EP Gaia on March 11th. The band is streaming the entire EP. Listen via the YouTube playlist below:

To celebrate the release and as a special token of their enormous sense of gratitude towards their core local fanbase, Affiance will play their first-ever, free hometown show at the Agora Ballroom in Cleveland, Ohio on the EP release date.

Gaia EP tracklisting: 

"Reboot"
"Gaia"
"Hollow Empire"
"Knowing"
"Crusader"
"PRSVR"
"Exist"

Catch Affiance Live On Tour:

March
11 - Cleveland, OH - The Agora Ballroom
12 - Columbus, OH - The Summit
13 - Warren, MI - The Ritz
14 - Connellsville, PA - The Cinema
15 - Rochester, NY - Waterstreet Music Hall
16 - Providence, RI - Firehouse 13
17 - Amityville, NY - Amityville Music Hall
18 - Poughkeepsie, NY - The Loft
19 - Trenton, NJ - Championship Bar & Grill
21 - Greensboro, NC - Arizona Pete’s
22 - Pensacola, FL - The Handlebar
23 - Houston, TX - Scouts Bar
24 - Austin, TX - Dirty Dog
25 - Ft. Worth, TX - The Rail Club
26 - San Antonio, TX - Korova
28 - Merriam, KS - Aftershock Live Music Venue
30 - Burnsville, MN - The Garage

 

 

 

 



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EMP Label Group, the label owned by Megadeth bassist David Ellefson, has signed Brazilian gothic metal act Semblant, and will re-release their hugely successful independent digital release Lunar Manifesto in July through eOne in North America and SPV in Europe.

Hailing from humble beginnings in Curtibia, Brazil, Semblant has found a huge audience throughout North and South America, Europe and beyond with their brand of dark, progressive, gothic metal, highlighted by the dual vocals of Mizuho Lin and Sergio Mazul.

Being compared to acts ranging from Nightwish to Lacuna Coil to Evanescence, Semblant - vocalists Mizuho Lin and Sergio Mazul, guitarists Juliano Ribeiro and Sol Perez, keyboardist J. Augusto, and drummer Welyntom "Thor" Sikora - has found huge success with their independent release Lunar Manifesto, with the video for “What Lies Ahead” reaching over 2 million views on YouTube this week, as well as follow up “Dark Of The Day” nearing 500,000 (both streaming below).

Says EMP A&R and Operations Director Thom Hazaert, who discovered and signed the band to EMP, “When I first stumbled onto Semblant, like most of the World, on YouTube, I was instantly struck by (female vocalist) Mizuho (Lin), and how interesting the band was. Numbers don’t lie, and I watched the video shoot from a million views to almost 2 million inside of a month. So, I did a little more homework and found out some more about them. Literally a week later, through a random introduction from one of my A&R assistants, I met the band, and the owner of their previous label who was looking for a new home for them.”

He adds, “At that point, the universe worked its magic, and before you know it, we were in serious talks to bring the band over to EMP.”

Says Ellefson, “I can’t say how excited we are that we were able to find such an incredible band, who has already found huge success on their own, and to be able to get involved and take it to the next level. Discovering and nurturing bands like this is the reason why I started this label, and why myself and Thom have developed it the way we have. It is already becoming a great cannon for promising artists, and Semblant absolutely fit the bill.”

Ellefson adds, “And the way we found them, with the band being from Brazil, just makes it that much cooler. There has always been a strong metal culture in Brazil, which is really emerging now internationally with bands like Angra, Semblant, Machinage, etc., and we were so blessed to be able to pick up one of their most promising exports.”

The band will tour the US in June, with a planned 7/8 release date for Lunar Manifesto, which will be released in CD and limited edition LP formats.



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Melbourne, Australia's Inverloch, featuring half of the legendary Disembowelment, will release their first-ever full-length release, Distance | Collapsed,  through Relapse on CD/LP/digitally on March 4th. Digital preorders are available via Bandcamp while physical preorders can be found at Relapse Mailorder. A full album stream can be found below.

In 2012, Inverloch unleashed their debut EP Dusk | Subside, an epic offering featuring slow atmospherics mixed with bursts of pounding blast beats that erupt out of tranquil soundscapes, following the sound that Disembowelment first trademarked in the early ‘90s.
 
Now Inverloch is set to return with their Distance | Collapsed full-length debut. With the five-track Distance | Collapsed, the band has crafted another masterpiece boasting forty minutes of absolutely crushing death/doom. Buzzsaw death metal riffs and bowel splitting vocals mix alongside earth shaking dirges and blasting percussion, all wrapped together in a haunting yet beautifully dreadful atmosphere. With Distance | Collapsed, Inverloch proves they are one of the finest bands making extreme music today.

Tracklisting:

“Distance Collapsed (In Rubble)”
“From The Eventide Pool”
“Lucid Delirium”
“The Empyrean Torment”
“Cataclysm Of Lacuna”

Album stream:

(Photo by: Doug Donaldson)



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Hardline, featuring Johnny Gioeli, Josh Ramos, Alessandro Del Vecchio and Anna Portalupi, will play a string of dates around Europe in late May-early June. The first two dates are confirmed and are listed below.

May
28 - Madrid, Spain - Sala Caracol (first ever Hardline show in Spain)
29 - Milano, Italy - Legend Club

Hardline are busy writing and recording the follow-up to their Danger Zone album, released in 2012. The new album will be out in late 2016.

 



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70000 Tons Of Metal, The World's Biggest Heavy Metal Cruise, set sail on February 4th aboard the Royal Caribbean Independence Of The Seas from Port Everglades in FortLauderdale near Miami, FL, and returned to the real world on February 8th.

Organizers have uploaded a recap video for the third day of the cruise. Check out recaps for Day 1 - 3 below:

Day 1:

Day 2:

Day 3:

Check out BraveWords coverage of the 70000 Tons Of Metal cruise via the following links:

Cruise overview

Day 1

Day 2

Day 3

Day 4



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Brooklyn, NY black metal quintet, Tombs, have announced their first studio release with their new lineup, entitled All Empires Fall. Clocking in at 24 minutes long, the five track EP was recorded at Applehead Studios in New York and brought to life by renowned producer Sanford Parker (Minsk, Twilight, YOB).

The band have released a video for the track “V”. Says frontman Mike Hill: “'V' celebrates the infinite nature of man as the decline and ultimate destruction of the universe approaches."

All Empires Fall is a commanding, crushingly heavy release, one that invokes the kind of grandeur and magnitude its title suggests, and affirms Tombs as one of the leading lights of American - and international - black metal. The song "Deceiver" is streaming below.

All Empires Fall is set for an April 1st release on CD/LP/Digital via Relapse Records, and can be pre-ordered via Relapse.com here, and digitally via Bandcamp here.

All Empires Fall tracklisting:

“The World Is Made Of Fire”
“Obsidian”
“Last Days Of Sunlight”
“Deceiver”
“V”

“Deceiver”:

Tombs are:

Mike Hill - Guitar and Vocals
Benjamin Brand - Bass
Charlie Schmid - Drums
Evan Schaefer - Guitar
Fade Kainer - Synthesizer, Electronics and Vocals



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Anglo-chilean thrashers, Criminal, have released a lyric video for “Animals To Gods”, a track from their new full-length, Fear Itself, due out March 11th worldwide via Metal Blade Records.

Comments Anton Reisenegger: "This song has been one of our favourites since we wrote it. It's got many different sections, yet it flows like a stream of lava. The lyrics are about the human species reaching the pinnacle of evolution and what a one-way street that means in terms of the environment and other species. It's based on the book Sapiens: A Brief History Of Mankind by Yuval Noah Harari, and I do realize it is unusual to base a song on a scientific book, but it was a real eye-opener for me when I read it, and I can only recommend it to anyone remotely concerned about the future of life on our planet. Despite the heavy subject matter, I don't think the lyrics are too heady or pretentious, but rather menacing and apocalyptic.

“Costin (Chioreanu), the artist also responsible for the album cover] did an absolutely fantastic job in translating the words and vibe of the song into images. He did it in record time as well, and we didn't ask him to change anything when we first saw it, as we thought it was absolutely perfect."

Pre-order bundles for the new album are available at Metal Blade.

Regarding the new album, Criminal recently commented: "Everyone who's heard the new album agrees that it is our most pissed-off sounding record to date. We didn't try to make it more brutal, but that's the way it came out. We just let the metal flow. I think having Sergio in the band has something to do with it, because, as a longtime fan of the band, he told us when certain things seemed unnecessary. In fact, all but one of the songs are under four minutes long. Straight to the point, quick and painful. In terms of style, we didn't really plan anything, we just wrote the riffs that came to our minds. So there's a bit of thrash, hardcore and death metal, but also some classic heavy metal. All the stuff that we love put through a blender. And the end result sounds like Criminal. It's hard to define, but I think a long time ago we created our own sound, and every new album ends up sounding like that."

Recorded at Criminal bassist Danny Biggin's HVR Studios in Suffolk, UK, with a "no bullshit" approach to recording, the band purposely avoided the vices of modern metal production such as samples, quantizing and amp simulators. The striking artwork by renowned Romanian artist Costin Chioreanu (At The Gates, Arch Enemy, Mayhem) perfectly represents the bleak, dystopian atmosphere of the lyrics, which denounce warmongering, misinformation, exploitation and other ills of modern society. A metal band with a hardcore attitude, Criminal's longevity is a testament to their honesty and passion; they're in it for all the right reasons.

Tracklisting:

“Intro”
“Down Driven”
“False Flag Attack”
“Shock Doctrine”
“The Needle And Knife”
“Scream Of Consciousness”
“Summoning The Apocalypse”
“The One Who Speaks At Night”
“Animals To Gods”
“Deep In The Rot”
“Wasted Youth”
“Carne Molida”

“Shock Doctrine”:

“Down Driven”:

Making of video:

Lineup:

Anton Reisenegger - vocals/guitars
Sergio Klein - guitars
Dan Biggin - bass
Zac O' Neil - drums



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Inner Wound Recordings has announced the signing of the US symphonic metal band Midnight Eternal to the label. Their self-titled debut album will be released on April 29th in Europe and North America.

What characterizes the sound of Midnight Eternal is the sense of melody - a synthesis of melody and power, crushing guitars, double bass and beautiful multi-layered vocals. Led by the beautiful and emotional vocals of Raine Hilai, the future of Midnight Eternal looks very bright.

The album was engineered by Eric Rachel (Skid Row, Symphony X) and the mixing and mastering was handled by Tommy Hansen (Helloween, Pretty Maids, Jorn). The impressive artwork was created by Jan Yrlund (Apocalyptica, Korpiklaani, Delain).

Midnight Eternal tracklisting:

“’Till the Bitter End”
“Repentance”
“Signs Of Fire”
“Shadow Falls”
“The Lantern”
“Believe In Forever”
“Midnight Eternal”
“When Love And Faith Collide”
“Like An Eternity”
“Silence”
“Pilgrim And The Last Voyage”
“First Time Thrill”



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California deathcore masters SUICIDE SILENCE have tapped Ross Robinson (KORN, SLIPKNOT, LIMP BIZKIT, SEPULTURA) to produce their new album, due later in the year via Nuclear Blast.

SUICIDE SILENCE guitarist Mark Heylmun told The Age Of Metal last fall that seeing KORN perform its self-titled, Ross Robinson-produced debut album in its entirety on tour had an impact on the songwriting process for SUICIDE SILENCE's next CD. He said: "Watching [them] play that first record, it's been super inspiring, and we're really ready to get home for the holidays after this, do Thanksgiving and Christmas, and really just start hitting it, as far as writing goes."

"You Can't Stop Me", SUICIDE SILENCE's first album to feature vocalist Hernan "Eddie" Hermida and their first since the tragic loss of singer Mitch Lucker, was released in July 2014 via Nuclear Blast Entertainment.

"You Can't Stop Me" was produced and mixed by Steve Evetts (SEPULTURA, THE DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN), who worked with the band not only on "The Black Crown", but also on some instrumental demos for the new CD just prior to Lucker's death in the fall of 2012.

Mitch Lucker died November 1, 2012 after sustaining injuries in a motorcycle crash in Huntington Beach that Halloween night.

Swedish metallers AVATAR will release a brand new concept album titled "Feathers & Flesh" on Friday, May 13 via Another Century in Europe and Entertainment One (eOne) in North America and Canada.

The new release will be the band's highly anticipated follow-up to 2014's "Hail The Apocalypse". The aim is set higher, further and deeper than ever before for AVATAR. Not only is this concept album their most extensive work to date, showing the widest range of any of their albums, it also contains a story too extensive for any booklet, so they made a book — a fully illustrated 60-page, 109-verse poem hardcover book. The physical album pre order, book, and exclusive merchandise will be available directly from the band starting on March 17 at AvatarMetal.com.

AVATAR's music video for the new song "For The Swarm" can be seen below. Directed by longtime collaborator Johan Carlén, the clip pegs itself firmly into the upper echelon of stunning visual masterpieces the band has grown accustomed to producing. "For The Swarm" is also available as an iTunes instant gratification track, meaning fans who pre order the album today will get the track as an instant download. "Feathers & Flesh" was recorded in Germany, Finland and Sweden in December 2015 with producer extraordinaire Sylvia Massy (SYSTEM OF A DOWN, TOOL, RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS).

"AVATAR is an amazing band," said Massy, adding, "The singer has the wild energy and charisma I love, and the players are relentless. The album we're making is an epic. Each song powerfully stands on its own, but is only a piece of a larger story. This album is the project I've been dreaming about for years!" The music is as always, rooted in the extreme, with plenty of melodic sensibility and a lust for experimentation. There is a love for intense double bass drumming, riffing and shredding of timeless dimensions alongside rough edges, slow grooves and epic storytelling for the ages. The idea is that as the band digs deeper, the fists will be held up higher. The end result is a modern metal album with all the ruthlessness and power one could ask for handled with a loving songwriter’s hand, inspired by THE BEATLES and QUEEN. "Feathers & Flesh" track listing:

01. Regret02. House of Eternal Hunt03. The Eagle Has Landed04. New Land05. Tooth, Beak & Claw06. For The Swarm07. Fiddler's Farewell08. One More Hill09. Black Waters10. Night Never Ending11. Pray The Sun Away12. When The Snow Lies Red13. Raven Wine14. Sky Burial

BEHEMOTH bassist Tomasz Wróblewski (stage name Orion) has slammed concert venues that have begun charging exorbitant percentages to allow a band to sell its merchandise at shows.

Hall fees are fees charged by a venue for selling artists' merchandise there. These fees are usually a percentage cut of the merchandise take and are paid to the hall by the merchandise company.

Speaking to FreqsTV, Orion said (see video below): "Record sales nowadays, it's not really a source of income for musicians. So the most money that we earn is from touring.

"It's super important for us to bring our merchandise to the people. And they know that they can buy some unique stuff at the shows, which is much appreciated, 'cause this goes directly to us. And that's great it's happening."

He continued: "Some venues, they start charging bands for selling their merchandise, which causes bands rising prices of the merchandise.

"I was, three nights ago, counting everything that we need to leave in the venue; it was 42 percent altogether. So this is becoming a bad trend between the venue and us and everything. It's becoming like a Mafia. People should be able to get whatever they want for the prices that are fair."

BEHEMOTH has announced its return to North America this spring with a special tour, featuring MYRKUR as support. BEHEMOTH will play its latest album, "The Satanist", in its entirety. In addition to the concert, fans will also have the chance to view "The Congregation" exhibition at each venue. Dubbed "a symbiosis of BEHEMOTH and Toxic Vision," the display showcases the collaboration between the two parties.

Following the release of their album "Great Western Valkyrie" in 2014, a year which saw the band appear on "Later… With Jools Holland" in the U.K., "Late Show With David Letterman" in the U.S., appear at the Glastonbury and Isle Of Wight festivals, plus consistently sell out their worldwide headline tours, RIVAL SONS have announced that their fifth album, titled "Hollow Bones", will be available later this year. Vocalist Jay Buchanan said: "Each record we've made has been part of a distillation toward revealing the band's essence. This record finally is the release of the unapologetic, wild beast that has long lived within the ribs of RIVAL SONS howling to be freed." Recorded in Nashville's LCS studios, "Hollow Bones" saw recent two-time Grammy winner Dave Cobb on producer duties yet again. Cobb commented: "RIVAL SONS are the best rock 'n' roll band on the planet!" Always a band who feel artwork is as much a part of the album experience as the music, their first outing was a collaboration with legendary artist Storm Thorgerson, known for many iconic album covers from the likes of PINK FLOYD and LED ZEPPELIN. This time they have teamed up with artist Martin Wittfooth, whose intensely allegorical paintings all suggest the future of the human condition — without showing a single person — on a piece called "Rainsong". Guitarist Scott Holiday commented: "I discovered Martin Wittfooth about halfway through making 'Hollow Bones'. I was immediately drawn into his work. I loved his imagery with animals and felt it was calm and unnerving all at the same time. I also loved the touch of whimsy and beautiful psychedelic overtones he used. First time I saw his work, I immediately felt it was right for this album.

"I won't try to overly interpret the album cover or explain in detail why I believe it works perfectly with the album… but I can safely say I think this just might be my favorite cover of ours yet." With their last two albums charting in the Top 20 around the world ("Great Western Valkyrie" reached No. 14 in the UK), a rabid fan base and incendiary live shows, 2016 is set to be their best year yet.

RIVAL SONS are currently the sole support on the current BLACK SABBATH "The End" tour, they are also playing Download festival's main stage on Saturday, June 11.

Dunlop has created new Tortex guitar picks for Slash that the guitarist will presumably use during GUNS N' ROSES' upcoming tour. The new pick, which can be seen below, features GUNS N' ROSES' "bullet" logo, which is synonymous with the band's classic lineup.

GUNS N' ROSES has six shows scheduled so far, all in April: two at the Coachella Music And Arts Festival, two in Las Vegas and two in Mexico City. The exact band lineup has yet to be confirmed.

A new Twitter account purportedly belonging to former GUNS N' ROSES guitarist Izzy Stradlin appeared late last month on the social media site. In one of his tweets, Izzy said that he has "no involvement in the upcoming April 2016 GNR shows."

It's been speculated that Stradlin would have some limited involvement — such as a guest appearance — at some of the upcoming GUNS N' ROSES reunion concerts, which currently feature Slash, Axl Rose and Duff McKagan.

The rest of the band's lineup for the shows — and a potential tour later in the year — remains unclear, although keyboardist Dizzy Reed, guitarist Richard Fortus, keyboard player Chris Pitman and drummer Frank Ferrer are all believed to be involved.

Fan speculation around the involvement of original drummer Steven Adler has been heavy, with the bandmembers not sure whether Adler, who has a longer history of drug problems than any of the other members, can hold it together on the road.

Canadian all-female metal band KITTIE has set "Kittie: Origins/Evolutions" as the title of its upcoming career-spanning documentary. Director Rob McCallum states in a new Facebook video update (see below): "This is going to be somewhat of a two-part documentary. The first part will be 'Origins' and it will look at the first ten years of the band's history. And the second part will be 'Evolutions' and it will take a look at the second half of the band's history so far. So you can see the ten-and-ten split really kind of makes sense."

He added: "When we had the first cut done, it was about, I think, four hours long, of the whole thing. And I'm, like, 'There's no way that we can do this justice by squeezing it into a ninety-minute timeline.

"How long is the final each bit going to be for the film? That's still up in the air. We still have some shooting to do. But I would guess that each part on its own would probably be about eighty minutes… maybe seventy-eight to eighty-five… somewhere in there. I don't wanna handcuff myself to a certain time, because we're still really sorting out the dynamics and logistics of it."

The six-minute update also includes a clip from the rough cut of "Kittie: Origins/Evolutions" was in which former KITTIE guitarist Fallon Bowman discusses her introduction to the band, with commentary from the band's founding guitarist/vocalist Morgan Lander and drummer Mercedes Lander.

Morgan Lander told Songfacts about how the idea to do a documentary at this point came up: "The idea for the documentary has been in the works for the last couple of years. I believe we started to discuss it towards the end of 2013 and going into the beginning of 2014. Mercedes was really the one who pushed the idea and thought it was a really great way to celebrate our upcoming 20th anniversary, so we decided to plan and get everything together for that. Initially, we had reached out to a number of different people to try to have them direct. The documentary has actually changed hands over the last little while, but I'm really quite happy with the direction that Rob McCallum has brought it. We're really excited about everything. It's been in the works for a number of years, and only now starting to come to fruition. It's taken a long time, having to reach out to past members and get them on board to discuss things and negotiate and describe what the idea is. But it's all for a good cause. 20 years is a long time to say that you have done something that you love."

Asked if seeing some of the old footage inspired the band to work on new material, Morgan said: "It certainly has rekindled the love that we have had for the band, and reminded us how exciting of a time being in the band was — and still is. It's been a really interesting experience, looking back, and seeing all that footage, and being like, 'Wow! Did we really do all that? Did we really say that? Did we really go all these places?' Memory can only be stretched so far, and it just so happens that it's quite convenient that we did record a lot of stuff, too. So we're certainly jumping back into the KITTIE pool — I know that sounds ridiculous. [Laughs] And sort of getting our toes wet with toying with the idea of doing new music and perhaps a new album."

German speed/power metallers Iron Savior are gearing up for the May 29th release of their new album, Titancraft.Check out the cover artwork and tracklist below.

"Under Siege" (intro)
"Titancraft"
"Way Of The Blade"
"Seize The Day"
"Gunsmoke"
"Beyond The Horizon"
"The Sun Won't Rise In Hell"
"Strike Down The Tyranny"
"Brother In Arms"
"R&R Addiction" (limited edition bonus)
"I Surrender"
"Rebellious"
"Protector 2016 (limited edition bonus)

Iron Savior released their first ever DVD/Live CD Live At The Final Frontier on May 29th, 2015. It includes the recordings of the band's show in their hometown Hamburg (from January 2015) and comes as exclusive DVD/2CD digipak.

JUDAS PRIEST's tour in support of their 17th studio album overall, "Redeemer Of Souls", was one of the most extensive of the group's entire career — consisting of 130 shows in 33 countries, and offering a setlist that touched upon selections from nearly all of their classic albums. And now, fans can relive the live PRIEST experience once more, with the release of the new CD/DVD/Blu-ray, "Battle Cry", on March 25 via Epic Records.

Recorded live on August 1, 2015 at Germany's Wacken Open Air festival in front of an audience of 85,000, "Battle Cry" is available on a 15-track CD, with the entire show on Blu-ray and DVD (running over 94 minutes), as well as digital audio and video formats. The DVD and Blu-ray also contains three bonus tracks shot in Poland on December 10, 2015 at The Ergo Arena, Gdansk, Poland.

What makes the show's track listing so appealing is it balances new classics ("Dragonaut", "Halls of Valhalla", "Redeemer Of Souls") along with headbanging classics ("Metal Gods", "Electric Eye", "You've Got Another Thing Coming"), as well as key album tracks from yesteryear ("Devil's Child", "Beyond The Realms Of Death", "Jawbreaker").

"Battle Cry" CD track listing:

01. (Intro) Battle Cry02. Dragonaut03. Metal Gods04. Devil's Child05. Victim Of Changes06. Halls Of Valhalla07. Redeemer Of Souls08. Beyond The Realms Of Death09. Jawbreaker10. Breaking The Law11. Hell Bent For Leather12. The Hellion13. Electric Eye14. You've Got Another Thing Coming15. Painkiller

"Battle Cry" DVD/Blu-ray track listing:

01. (Intro) Battle Cry02. Dragonaut03. Metal Gods04. Devil's Child05. Victim Of Changes06. Halls Of Valhalla07. Turbo Lover08. Redeemer Of Souls09. Beyond The Realms of Death10. Jawbreaker11. Breaking The Law12. Hell Bent For Leather13. The Hellion14. Electric Eye15. You've Got Another Thing Coming16. Painkiller17. Living After Midnight Recorded live on August 1, 2015 at Wacken Open Air festival, Germany. Bonus tracks:

18. Screaming For Vengeance19. The Rage20. Desert Plains Recorded live on December 10, 2015 at The Ergo Arena, Gdansk, Poland.

The "Metal Gods" performance clip, shot at last year's Wacken Open Air festival, can be seen below.

Former ACCEPT and current U.D.O. singer Udo Dirkschneider last month embarked on a special tour during which he is performing ACCEPT songs one last time before he closes the chapter for good.

The April 2 DIRKSCHNEIDER concert at Kaminwerk in Memmingen, Germany will be professionally filmed and recorded for a DVD and CD release later this year.

Asked about his decision to perform classic songs from ACCEPT for the last time in 2016 under the DIRKSCHNEIDER banner, Udo told rock journalist Mitch Lafon: "A lot of people ask me, 'Why do you do this?' And I said… Always people are asking, 'Oh, can you play this ACCEPT song and this ACCEPT song and this ACCEPT song?' I mean, I have fifteen U.D.O. albums out, and, for me now, U.D.O. is U.D.O. Of course, I know that the people like to hear ACCEPT songs with my voice, but I wanna close something — I wanna close, like a book, and say, 'Okay, that's it. I read it.' Sometimes you have to come to an end with something. I wanna close up everything with ACCEPT. And this will be the last time. And I said, okay, I'll do one more tour. It will be a world tour. Hopefully we can do this also for America, around maybe a couple of shows. And yeah, that will be the last time that you… When we are on tour with U.D.O., we'll never play any ACCEPT songs again."

He continued: "I also wanna stop to be compared with… Now ACCEPT is still on tour, and they have a new singer, and they are doing also 'Balls To The Wall' and they are doing also 'Metal Heart', they do 'Princess Of The Dawn'. And I don't wanna be always compared and have to say, 'What do you think about this and this and this?' This is also another reason. I wanna close the ACCEPT chapter. I mean, it was a great… I mean, in a way, I was creating this band, you know. Sometimes you have to say, 'Okay, that's it.' I have enough U.D.O. songs, so I can play more U.D.O. songs and be U.D.O. I can say without being arrogant, U.D.O. has its own fan base now. Sometimes you have to say, 'Okay, that's it.'"

Udo went on to say: "There is a band called ACCEPT. And please, if you wanna hear these songs, please go then to [see] ACCEPT. [Laughs] So that's the only thing I can say. Now you'll have the chance next year to hear it with the original voice, but Mark [Tornillo, current ACCEPT singer] is doing a — I would say — really good job on it, so please go there and listen then to ACCEPT and U.D.O. is then U.D.O."

Regarding what makes the classic ACCEPT songs so special, Udo said: "I don't know what is special. You never can tell it, really. Like [DEEP PURPLE's] 'Smoke On The Water', in a way, something like this. Sometimes there's a song that, in a way, that stays forever."

Asked about the possibility of the DIRKSCHNEIDER tour being professionally filmed and recorded for an upcoming DVD and CD, Udo said: "Yeah, I think. Normally the record company says, Oh, you put out so [much] stuff. We have to suffer.' But I think definitely I can say there will be a live CD out. Definitely. I mean, you have to do this. It will never happen again like this. And I think you have to put this on a CD. What was very interesting [was that] the record company came up with this. They said, 'We have to do this.' And I said, 'Yes, I know.' [Laughs]"

(Thanks: Metalliluola.fi)

Dark Essence Records has announced the signing of Norwegian alternative metallers MADDER MORTEM. The band's sixth full length album, titled "Red In Tooth And Claw", will be released later this year.

As a taste of what fans can expect, MADDER MORTEM have put together a teaser of some of the songs from "Red In Tooth And Claw". Check it out using the audio player below.

Formed in 1993, originally under the name of MYSTERY TRIBE, MADDER MORTEM's music, with its hauntingly beautiful vocals by Agnete M. Kirkevaag, is atmospheric and melodic, with a very definite progressive leaning, but at the same time the band can show an underlying aggression that gives their sound a harder, more driven edge than one might expect.

Aside from Agnete, MADDER MORTEM's five-member lineup includes BP. M. Kirkevaag on guitar and vocals, Richard Wikstrand on guitars, Tormod L. Moseng on bass and Mads Solås on drums.

Audio samples:

Philadelphia psych-metal band, Ruby The Hatchet, will see its debut album, Ouroboros, issued on deluxe LP April 29th via RUR Records / Outer Battery. Recorded three years prior to the group's celebrated Tee Pee Records debut, Valley Of The Snake, the 2012 digital-only release - now presented for the first time on any physical format - offers insight into Ruby The Hatchet's formative years and blues-based hard rock sound. The limited edition colored vinyl LP is available to pre-order now at this location.

Ouroboros features Ruby The Hatchet founding members Jillian Taylor (vocals), Johnny Scarps (guitar), Owen Stewart (drums) and Mike Parise (bass). The nine song release was recorded at Retro City Studios in Germantown, PA by audio-engineer Joe Boldizar with assistance from Barry Knob and Sean Hur. Now a full-time member, organist Hur makes his RTH debut here on the tracks “The Lean”, “Holy Father” and “Good God Damn”. Released on the heels of the band's self-titled debut EP and written mostly as a three-piece (Taylor, Scarps and Stewart), Ouroboros explores what would be the next realm for the band – playing with harmony, tone and overall style.

“It has been a long time coming and we are beyond excited that after four years our first album is getting a proper vinyl pressing," comments Taylor. "Ouroboros holds a lot of nostalgia for us and is a fan favorite. This album shows our blues and classic rock beginnings and it is also where organ enters the soundscape, shaping our sound from this point on.”

Tracklisting:

“Taking Sides”
“Black Tongue”
“Can't Get Him Away”
“Strange Hold”
“The Lean”
“Holy Father”
“Wicked Ones”
“Nowhere”
“Good God Damn”



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Rising death metal sextet The Convalescence recently announced the upcoming release of their debut album, Poison Words, out April 1st via 3Thirteen Entertainment Group/eOne Music. With an already confirmed SXSW tour set to launch March 13th, the band is revealing additional headline tour dates as part of their Poison Words Tour, and featuring support from So This Is Suffering and Beside The Silence. The dates will kick off on April 1st in the band's hometown of Toledo, OH with an album release show at Realm.

In sync with the tour announcement, The Convalescence is revealing a brand new track, entitled "Reflections", streaming via the lyric video below:

Pre-order your copy of Poison Words here. Poison Words was engineered and produced by John Burke (Vibe Studios) and was mixed and mastered by Chris Donaldson of Cryptopsy.

Find the band’s live itinerary at this location.
 



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Brazilian progressive metal outfit, Daydream XI, has released a drum playthrough video for the track "The Guts Of Hell”, courtesy of Daydream XI drummer Bruno Giordano. Stream the video below.

"The Guts Of Hell" comes from the band's debut album, The Grand Disguise, which released in September 2014 on Power Prog.

Daydream XI is currently at Monostereo Studios recording the follow-up to The Grand Disguise. The new album will solicit the dedication of fans from around the globe, as the band will launch a crowdfunding campaign for the album's release next month.

"The recording process of our second album has gone really well," added Giordano. "This time I brought some new influences to my playing and sought inspiration in different places. Even though the arrangements are harder to play and way more technical than on our first album, the recordings ran easier because I was much more prepared this time. It was a fun process in a very light environment at Monostereo Studios and, despite the difficulty of some sections, I think I was able to take my drumming to another level this time."

Stream the music video for "Keeping the Dream Alive," taken from the Daydream XI debut, The Grand Disguise, below:

Stay tuned for more information on Daydream XI.



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Prosthetic Records recently announced the addition of Arizona-based doom outfit, Sprit Adrift, to its ever-growing roster. Formed in 2015, Sprit Adrift immediately started writing and recording their debut EP Behind - Beyond, which Prosthetic released worldwide on February 26th. Listen to the second song and 15-minute monster from the EP, "Perpetual Passage" below.

Described by the band as "vital excercises in meditation and catharsis born out of necessity, not desire," the 28-minute EP presents listeners with a psychedelic expanse encompassed across two profoundly heavy, dynamically captivating tracks influenced by riff legends including Black Sabbath, Thin Lizzy and Neurosis. 

Sprit Adrift are intent upon carving their own path in the realm of heavy music. Special live performances and a full-length album loom on the horizon.

Tracklisting:

“Specter Of Ruin”
“Perpetual Passage”
 
“Perpetual Passage”:

"Specter Of Ruin”:

 



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U.K.-based crust legends DISCHARGE announced their signing to Nuclear Blast late last year. After the release of their "New World Order" EP, the time has come to unleash their new studio album (their Nuclear Blast debut) on an unsuspecting world. It is titled "End Of Days" and will be made available on April 29.

The official lyric video for the song "Hatebomb", taken from "End Of Days", can be seen below. DISCHARGE commented: "So here it is, the 'End Of Days'... Fifteen brand-new tracks.

"The first day we entered the studio we kept hearing all over the media that there was a blood moon that night, and certain religious groups were reporting that it was the 'end of days.' It seemed a natural title for the album given the lyrical content of the songs and the state of the world today, so it stuck with us.

"Regression has been the basis of this album, opposed to 'progression.'‎ We really cut it down to basics on this one, quite a few songs under two minutes long... we're all really pleased with it. Play loud!"

"End Of Days" track listing:

01. New World Order02. Raped And Pillaged03. End Of Days04. The Broken Law05. False Flag Entertainment06. Meet Your Maker07. Hatebomb08. It Can't Happen Here09. Infected10. Killing Yourself To Live11. Looking At Pictures Of Genocide12. Hung Drawn And Quartered13. Population Control14. The Terror Alert15. Accessories By Molotov (Part 2) DISCHARGE is a British hardcore punk band formed in 1977. The group is characterized by a minimalistic approach to music and lyrics — a heavy, distorted and grinding guitar-driven sound and raw, shouted vocals, with lyrics on anarchistic and pacifistic themes. DISCHARGE's 1982 debut album, "Hear Nothing See Nothing Say Nothing", went to No. 2 in the U.K. indie chart and No. 40 in the U.K. album chart. In the early 1980s, numerous DISCHARGE singles and EPs landed in the Top 10 of the U.K. indie charts, including the 1981 EP "Why?" and the 1982 single "State Violence State Control".

"Hear Nothing See Nothing Say Nothing" paved the way for thrash metal, black metal, crust punk, grindcore and various extreme metal subgenres. The musical genre of d-beat is named after DISCHARGE and their distinctive drumbeat. DISCHARGE 2016:

Jeff Janiak (JJ) - VocalsTo‎ny Roberts (Bones) - Lead GuitarTerry Roberts (Tezz) - Rhythm GuitarRoy Wainwright (Rainy) - BassDave Bridgewood - Drums

Spain’s Killus have revealed the tracklisting for their new opus, Ultrazombies. The album will be released on March 7th in Spain, and March 28th worldwide. Pre-orders at this location.

The design of the cover was created by artist Damien Worm (who worked with the band on their Feel The Monster album), and the rest of the artwork is the responsibility of Ingrid Gala. In the artwork we see a new image of the band, inspired by the world of comics combined with the 80's horror movies.

Tracklisting:

“The Dead Walkers Invade The Village”
“Ultrazombies”
“Welcome To My Madness”
“White Lines”
“The Witch's Pact”
“Satanachia”
“Motherfuckingstein”
“Mr. Jack”
“The Last Passenger”
“Crazy Trip On The Road”
“Know Your Enemy”
“3 Seconds”
“The Ghost Under My Bed”

(Photo - Adrián Morote Photography)



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In the past few months, French heavy metallers Lonewolf were busy writing and recording their upcoming album The Heathen Dawn.

They recently finished the recordings with Xavier Sindt at Microclimat Studio, and the album's now being mixed and mastered by Charles Greywolf at Studio Greywolf.

Péter Sallai of Mortpaintgraphics created the album's stunning cover artwork:

The Heathen Dawn is set to be released on May 20th via Massacre Records.



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Highlord, hailing from Turin, Italy play heavy/power metal with progressive and symphonic influences and will release a new album later this year.

The band's around since 1997 and has already released seven albums so far.

Horror movie buffs may have already heard a few Highlord songs featured in The Werewolf Chronicles and Blood Of The Werewolf. Besides writing, recording and performing original songs, the band also contributed songs to Manowar, Helloween and Stratovarius tribute albums.

They've also shared the stage with bands like Freedom Call, Elvenking, Sacred Steel and many more, and appeared on festivals like the Rock Inn Somma.

Highlord went through several line-up changes, but this didn't stop them from doing what they love. Those changes even added new dimensions to their sound.

The band's currently adding finishing touches to their upcoming eight album, which is set to be released in the summer via Massacre Records.



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Spanish thrash squadron Crisis has released a new video for “Strange”, taken from their new album From Blue To Black, set for North American release on April 15th via Listenable Records.

Crisix comment on the video: "'Strange' was the first track that we composed and possibly the song that made From Blue To Black as it is. That's why we chose 'Strange' to be the first contact with the album." The seventh song on From Blue to Black, "Strange" consolidates all of Crisix's characteristics: quality, mosh-friendly thrash metal fusing the modern and the traditional with catchy grooves and a strong message.”

Formed in Barcelona, Spain in 2008, Crisix have gone from fearsome youthful talented thrash metallers winning the Wacken Metal Battle contest in 2009, being voted as best Spanish upcoming band in Rock Zone magazine for their debut album The Menace (2011), to one of the most revered new European powerhouse in the thrash metal genre.

The band’s new album, From Blue To Black, showcases the band's catchiest, most powerful, devastating material. Although not celebrating a multifaceted metal, Crisix inject such crisp ,velocity and entertainment that it results in a departure from a well worn thrash metal format. 

From Blue To Black tracklisting:

“Conspiranoia”
“Journey Through The Fire”
“G.M.M. (The Great Metal Motherfucker)”
“T-Terror Era”
“Psycho Crisix World”
“From Blue To Black”
“Strange”
“Five As One”
“Fallen”

"Strange" lyric video:

Teaser:



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