Corners Of Sanctuary (COS) has officially released a new video for the song “Wrecking Ball”, from their recent album, Metal Machine, now available on Metalizer Records Germany in Europe and independently through the band website for the rest of the world.

Gguitarist Mick Michaels states: “We planned to include a heavier visual support for Metal Machine, more than we had done in the past with previous albums.Expect at least two more videos to follow in the coming months.”

The “Wrecking Ball” video, as with the previous one, was produced and directed by Philadelphia-area Indie artist Zen Say, who stated: "It's been a pleasure working with Corners of Sanctuary and sharing ideas across multiple mediums.”

"Wrecking Ball" incorporates the now public domain scenes from the 1936 British science-fiction film, Things To Come – an adaptation of H.G. Well’s story depicting a world at war. The original film was produced by Alexander Korda and directed by William Cameron Menzies. The music video is also laced with on location shots filmed with the band.

The video's message is centered on the horror and devastation brought on during such conflicts and the effects it has on every walk of life. "Though the clips of the movie are based on a fictional story, the reality of what war holds is all too real to simply dismiss," added Zen Say.

"Wow, holy freakin’ fudge pop intense," exclaimed lead singer Frankie Cross, who again finds himself the focal point of the video's imagery.

"This song captures the horror, patriotism and pride of war while the images convey a seriously, emotional landscape. The metaphor of the song will be clearly felt by some... like a wrecking ball”, stated lead singer Frankie Cross when asked about his take on the video's backdrop of war for the song. ”It's just so beautifully frantic... the true star is the production team," he added.

Corners Of Sanctuary is currently supporting Metal Machine with the Wrecking Ball Tour. A new crowdfunding page has been created to assist in supporting the band’s efforts and is now live, here.

Fans’ financial support is being gifted with several Official COS Metal Machine Merchandise Packages which include autographed photos and CDs, concert shirts, patches and supporters having their names listed on the COS website.

Upcoming 2016 Corners Of Sanctuary shows:

March
5 - Memories - Waldorf, MA
11 - Reverb - Reading, PA

April
1 - 3065 Live - Buzzards Bay, MA
8 – Bar XIII - Wilmington, DE
15-16 - 2016 NEPA Metal Metaldown Fest - Pittson, PA

May
12 - The Wire - Berwyn, IL
13 - The Headquarters - Indianapolis, IN
14 - New Dodge Lounge - Hamtramck, MI
21 - Diane’s Cafe - Pittston, PA
28 - Metal Eternal Fest Tour - Ardmore, PA

“Left Scarred” video:



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German epic melodic metal band, Human Fortress, have released a video for the track “Thieves Of The Night”, the title track of their new album, out on March 18th. The clip can be found below.

Two years after the group had returned to the style of their successful first releases from the early 2000’s with Raided Land – and also introduced new vocalist Gus Monsanto (ex-Timo Tolkki’s Revolution Renaissance, ex-Adagio) - Human Fortress continues right where they left off.

Songs such as the catchy title track, power metal hymns (“Rise Or Fall”, “Vicious Circle”) or the slightly modern - but not less epic “Thrice Blessed” will amaze every fan of the Hannover-based band. But Thieves Of The Night additionally could appeal very well to worshippers of Virgin Steele’s ‘80s/’90s classic releases, Kamelot and Avantasia.

Tracklisting:

“Amberstow”
“Last Prayer To The Lord”
“Rise Or Fall”
“Thieves Of The Night”
“Thrice Blessed”
“Hellrider”
“Just A Graze”
“Vicious Circle”
“Smite On The Anvil”
“Dungeons Of Doom”
“Gift Of Prophecy”
“Alone”

“Thieves Of The Night” video:



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London, UK-based rock quartet Staring Out The Sun have a huge 2016 planned with their debut album, entitled Dawn, scheduled for release on May 13th. Becoming known for their hard hitting electric live shows, the new album see's the band deliver their stadium sized sound throughout the albums 12 sonically charged tracks.

Musically, Staring Out The Sun deliver one hell of a punch through the new album, with enough drive and heavy hitting riffage to keep the listener on the journey from start to finish, yet leaving enough room for souring melodies to draw people in.

Singer John Buckell explains: “As one adventure ends, Dawn signifies the start of one much bigger. There are 12 stories, all told in our signature sound that has developed with us as we have grown as a band. I can’t wait to get it out there and to play it live!”

Dawn tracklisting:

“The Calling”
“Hero”
“Fuzzy Thinking”
“Lonestar”
“Versus”
“Karoshi”
“Waste”
“River”
“Panic Stations”
“Time”
“Always”
“Roots”

The first single from Dawn is currently scheduled for an April release, but fear not Staring Out The Sun are releasing the final video from their 2015 debut EP Break The Silence in the next few weeks. Completing the story arc in their EP mini-movie, Trust No One closes one chapter in Staring Out The Sun's career but opens the next one, and you're all invited.

Check out “Anaesthesia” from Break The Silence below:

Staring Out The Sun are:

John Buckell - Vocals
Tekin Mustafa - Guitar/Vocals
Chris Caller - Bass
Danny Martin - Drums



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Brazilian death metal machine Rebaelliun will release their new album, The Hell’s Decrees, in May via Hammerheart Records. Full of diversity, brutality, technicality, insane speed, and killer solos, each memorable song is a highlight.

As a first teaser, the band presents a lyric video for "Legion".

The album cover, which can be seen below, was created by Brazilian artist Marcelo Vasco, known for working with: Slayer, Dimmu Borgir, Vader, Machine Head and more.

 



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Perris Records will release, It's A Mouthful, the new album from Sweden's Captain Black Beard on March 25th.

The video for "Divided Feelings" from It's A Mouthful, is finally available for your viewing pleasure.



It's A Mouthful artwork and tracklisting:


"Divided Feelings"
"Take Me To The City"
"She's The One"
"Tearin' Me Apart"
"Far Gone"
"All I Need"
"Mouthful Of Love"
"When It's Love"
"Something She Said"
"Coast To Coast"
"South Beach"
"Falling"

Greyhaze Records has announced the April 22nd worldwide release of Black Heart from Brazil's Doomsday Ceremony. Three official videos for tracks from the album are now available for mass consumption below:

"Black Heart":



"Slaves Of Sin":



"I Am":



Doomsday Ceremony has harnessed the feeling of '80s traditional heavy metal with the brutality of black metal, resulting in a unique and refreshing sound. Black Heart is the second full-length album from the band. With a very melodic musical approach and smoking guitar solos, the album will please fans of Immortal and Mercyful Fate.

The recordings for Black Heart started in 2011 and were completed in 2012. The band then signed with Cogumelo Records for the South American release of the album, and in April 2016 the album will be released worldwide on Greyhaze Records.


Tracklisting:

"Vultures Of War"
"I Am"
"Voice Of The Darkness"
"Slaves Of Sin"
"Black Heart"
"Valley Of Shadows"
"Fury"

In a brand new interview with RVAMag, SLAYER guitarist Kerry King addressed the central crisis in hard rock and heavy metal right now, which involves nostalgia and the problem of how a veteran band like SLAYER grows old gracefully in an art form that is about doing absolutely nothing gracefully.

"We definitely thought about not releasing new music anymore," King stated. "Maybe even doing what DOWN did and just release four songs before every tour, but, really, until the time comes that albums are obsolete, you better believe SLAYER's going to be making records."

King did admit, however, that SLAYER is, to some degree, resting on its laurels. "We're living on our history for sure," he said, "but so is everyone else, yet we're the ones trying to push ourselves forward. I would say [IRON] MAIDEN and METALLICA, no offense, are living on past success. METALLICA has toured forever on the 'black' record which a lot of people don't like. I actually like it. It's heavy as can be. Is it 'Master Of Puppets'? Of course not, but it's a great record. IRON MAIDEN, for me, is living off their first three records. Have they made good songs since then? Yeah, but they haven't made great records. I like to think we're still making great records and as much as people come out wanting to hear 'Raining Blood' and 'Angel Of Death', they also want to hear 'Disciple' or even 'Implode'."

Part of the problem, King explained, is that records aren't selling quite at the level they used to, giving bands and labels little incentive to produce new music. "It's true, but it's just a sign of the times because people get their music differently," Kerry said. "It's not all about [Nielsen] SoundScan anymore. That's the last thing I remember, because you remember what you had growing up. There's different technologies and different ways of doing a number of things, but when I grew up, I knew SoundScan and we are way off of SoundScan now. That's because people get music for free. One person downloads it and shares it with five people. It's not the same as it used to be. I can't be bitter about it because that's just how time has changed."

Kerry added that SLAYER's success is measured through concert attendance, not through record sales. "My barometer is the live show where people show up," he said. "That means people are into the music, whether the record is selling or not. They have it, they know it, and we can play it and have them sing it right back to us. That's pretty much how it shows me people are still into, regardless of sales."

King's latest comments echo statements he made in an interview with The Irish Times last September, when he said: " They [METALLICA] are really living on the first five records, I think. I'm not sure a new record makes sense for them. 'Death Magnetic' [2008] was a nice version compared to 'St. Anger' [2003]. Hopefully, they keep going along that line and get some of the riffs back."

SLAYER's latest album, "Repentless", debuted at No. 4 on The Billboard 200, having shifted 50,000 equivalent album units in the week ending September 17.

In terms of pure album sales, "Repentless" opened with 49,000 copies, marking SLAYER's highest-charting album yet.

"Repentless" now also holds the record as the band's career-highest chart debut in Germany (No. 1), Holland (No. 2), Australia (No. 3), New Zealand (No. 8), the U.K. (No. 11) and on the Japanese International Chart (No. 1). It bowed at No. 3 in Finland, No. 4 in Belgium, and No. 5 in both Sweden and Greece. Additionally, the album debuted in the Top 10 in France (No. 7), Italy (No. 8), Hungary (No. 9), and Japan (No. 10).

On February 28, Rustyn Rose of Metalholic.com conducted an interview with guitarist Wolf Hoffmann of German/American metallers ACCEPT. You can now listen to the chat in the YouTube clip below. A couple of excerpts follow (transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET).

On U.S presidential race:

Wolf: "Well, it's always been insane. I've never quite understood why, to be quite honest… I mean, I live here [in Nashville], I'm a [U.S.] citizen and all that, but I have both perspectives. And I love it here — don't get me wrong — but the political circus sometimes is so bizarre. I mean, just the whole concept of doing this campaigning for two years. What the hell? In Europe, they go to the elections and it takes — the whole thing, the whole process — takes, like, three or four weeks or whatever. They do a little bit of campaigning, debating, and then they all go to the elections. They don't [have] caucuses and delegates, and there's this and there's that, blah blah blah. Why does it have to take so long? It's way to involved, I think, and the money that's involved is just insane."

On the progress of the songwriting sessions for ACCEPT's follow-up to 2014's "Blind Rage" album:

Wolf: "Yeah, we started in January, and we've done… We've put a few things down already, and it's sounding quite well. It's by no means finished. Peter [Baltes, bass] and I write together for weeks at a time and just see what we can come up. Then we give [our ideas] to Mark [Tornillo, vocals], and he puts the final vocals on it. That's the way we've always been working. Peter and myself, we usually start… We do the first step, we do the rough demos, and Peter does some scratch vocals on a lot of the songs, and then Mark does the final [vocals] in the studio."

On how he looks back on the "Blind Rage" album two years later:

Wolf: "I think it's one of the most mature ones we've done. I mean, of course, I love them all, and I think they're all equally strong, but I would definitely put 'Blind Rage' maybe at the top of the list — at least on par with 2010's 'Blood Of The Nations'. [2012's] 'Stalingrad', every time I hear the album, I feel like I wish we would have had a little more time to round out the songs and to go at it again, but we were under immense time pressure. So, to me, I hear that sometimes in the record. But some fans tell me that's their favorite album, so go figure. At the end of the day, you could probably produce an album, produce it to death and work on it again and again, and it probably wouldn't get better. At a certain point, it is what it is, and you've gotta let it go and live with it, I guess."

On his upcoming solo album:

Wolf: "It's in the can, baby — it's done. It's out of my system. Now it's in the hands of the gods of the label and everybody else. And it will be released sometime in the spring — late spring, maybe — worldwide. We'll have to see what the best release date is; we haven't settled on that yet. But my part is done… It's gonna be in line [with my previous solo album, 1997's 'Classical'] in respect to that I've taken well-known classical melodies and sort of just 'metalled' them up for guitar. The difference is I actually recorded this one with an orchestra, so I used real string players. I flew to Prague and worked with a Czech national symphony orchstra, so it sounds a lot more… bigger production and much more dynamic and grandiose than the first album."

According to The Pulse Of Radio, SOUNDGARDEN singer Chris Cornell told Seattle radio station KISW in a new interview that the band's creative process for making a new album is "more relaxed" than it used to be when the band first achieved success. Cornell explained: "I think one of the things that was a factor in us kind of splitting up in the first place was that everything had a clock on it. It was a time period where, I guess in a good way, the music business was still pretty healthy and you were always in a cycle of recording and promoting and then touring, or writing, recording, and touring. And we were late for everything, always. We'd sit down and have these meetings, and we ended up not having meetings because it was so awful. But, you know, there'd be a counter in front of us, and someone would put a red X on the date that we were going to start the promotional tour for the album that we had not started to write yet. And so now, we just write when there’s no discussion really at all about when it’s going to come out, or what that means; we just write songs . And it doesn't happen any faster or slower; it just seems like it's more relaxed."

SOUNDGARDEN disbanded in 1997 but reunited 13 years later in 2010. The quartet issued a new studio effort, "King Animal", in 2012.

The group has recently gotten together to begin working on material for its seventh studio outing, which could be out before the end of this year.

Cornell also toured last year on his own in support of his fourth solo studio effort, "Higher Truth".

ANTHRAX drummer Charlie Benante has weighed in on the 2016 presidential election, saying in a brand new interview that "it's a very, very scary time out there" that slamming the Republican party for "never [giving] Obama a bit of a chance to really do things."

Speaking to Metalholic.com, Benante said: "There is a very, very scary vibe going on in our country, and I'm almost afraid to even talk about it because of the division that there is.

"I don't know what's gonna happen," he continued. "I don't know if, let's say, Donald Trump does become president of our country, I don't know what will happen. I don't know how it's going to be perceived globally. It could happen, right?

"You may see an uprising, a very scary uprising in America that… I don't know, man. It's a very scary time. I don't know what's gonna happen. Maybe this whole Donald Trump thing is meant to destroy the Republican party, what it's become. Maybe this is what he's trying… Because he was a Democrat, and he went over to the Republican party. Maybe this is… He's sabotaging them without them even knowing it."

Benante went on to criticize the two political parties for being unwilling to work together, both sides wanting things to go their own way entirely. He said: "Things have been heating up and heating up. I always thought that the Republicans never gave Obama a bit of a chance to really do things. And, of course, even me just saying that, if people read what I just said, they would come down hard on me for saying that, because they hate Obama so much. And, I mean, he has done some things that have been good, but other people would look at it as, 'No. He's the worst.' But I don't think anyone was as [bad] as the way George [W.] Bush fucked this country over. And these Republicans don't even acknowledge that — that he fucked this country up so much. He put us in a war that we didn't have to be in. And I truly think that ISIS and all that is because of that whole situation."

The drummer added that he is concerned about our future generations and what quality of life they will have. He said: "[Our kids] are gonna have to deal with this mess too, when we're all gone and our grandchildren, or whatever, are here to deal with this mess too. I don't know, man. I don't know how it can be saved, because it's so divided and scary."

Benante's sentiments were echoed by ANTHRAX bassist Frank Bello, who said in a recent interview: "The way politics are going now, it's just like another reality show, the way I look at it. I just see it as a chuckle, because nobody has a clue about what the hell they're doing — nobody, straight across the board. I'm a parent and I love my country, but with the clowns that are up there going for government, I just laugh. It's true, man. Look, nobody's speaking for me — nobody's speaking for me and a lot of people I know. So I just watch it like a reality show. And you know what? Nobody cares what a musician says anyway. I'm just a proud American. But it is what it is, man. This is what we're handed."

ANTHRAX guitarist Scott Ian has stated that he found it hard to believe that Donald Trump is running for the highest office in the U.S. Ian told Stay Tuned Interviews: "I look at it this way: if Donald Trump was to become president, then America would actually get what it deserves. It truly would."

He continued: "The only thing I can say positive about that fucking circus is he really is showing what a circus it is. He's really showing how full of shit the whole process really is."

ANTHRAX's long-awaited new album, "For All Kings", was released on February 26 via Megaforce in North America and Nuclear Blast in Europe.

Yell! Magazine conducted an interview with NIGHTWISH singer Floor Jansen when the band played in Montreal, Quebec, Canada on February 21. You can now watch the chat below.

Asked what keeps her up at night, Jansen said: "Oh, cheese and red wine. [Laughs] Yeah, that will keep me out of bed anyway, or I will get back out of bed. But, on a more serious level, some of the things that are happening right now with the refugees in Europe, people fleeing from Syria, Afghanistan, all those countries where things are just going so terribly wrong, and the whole world falling over it with no proper solution. Things going wrong in countries where the refugees actually come to, things that they do to the locals doesn't make things easier. And there's so much tension all around that… yeah, that would keep me up."

Jansen also revealed that the terrorist attacks in France last November had a strong impact on NIGHTWISH, as they did on all other artists who spend a significant portion of their time on the road. "We were on tour when the attack in Paris happened, a shooting in a venue where people were killed during a live concert," she said. "A lot of mainly, actually, American bands canceled tours. People were afraid to come to venues, of course. Threats all over Europe spread like wildfire. People got afraid, which is exactly what [the terrorists] were hoping for, of course, and exactly what we didn't want to give in to. But, of course, when you climb on stage the next day after something like that, it's very real, it's very in your face. Security everywhere, bomb dogs going through the venue twice a day every day. It's very intimidating, and that made an impression on all of us. But [it] also [made us more determined] to really say, 'We're not gonna be intimidated by a small group of people,' 'cause it's still a small group of extremists, who, apparently, are so unorganized, they can't do anything bigger than this. I'm happy for that, but it's also not bigger than that, so let us not get too crazy about this. But still, of course, yes, it's in your daily life then all of a sudden."

She added: "Yeah, I hope these things will get easier again, that people find a little bigger piece in their heart to be a bit more open-minded and not believe everything the media and the politicians are telling us, because we are just getting more and more afraid by things that are being pulled out of perspective, really. So, yeah, it's a weird, weird moment in life, but I really hope for everybody that things will become a bit easier."

NIGHTWISH's 26-date headlining tour of North America launched in Sayreville, New Jersey on February 19, and is hitting six Canadian cities plus Pittsburgh, Anaheim, and New Orleans, then closing out in Tampa, Florida on March 23. Support on the tour is coming from Dutch symphonic metallers DELAIN.

NIGHTWISH recently released a strictly limited (no reprints!) special tour edition of its current album, "Endless Forms Most Beautiful". The tour edition comes with a bonus DVD of live performances, documentary footage and promo videos as well as a huge photo gallery.

Swedish grindcore stalwarts Gadget will release The Great Destroyer, the band's first full-length in a decade, worldwide this March 4th via Relapse Records. The album track, “Choice Of A Lost Generation”, can be heard below:

Though the band has largely flown under the radar in the general metal consciousness, Gavle, Sweden's Gadget has roots that trace back to 1997. The band has always included influences from every other extreme genre that they've been fond of, like doom, sludge, hardcore punk, death metal, black metal and more, never letting genre boundaries stand in the way of their path of destruction. At the time of the band's formation, Gadget existed as the grinding alter-ego of a metalcore band whose members, including founder William Blackmon, simply switched instruments. Rikard Olsson and William teamed up in the winter of 1999/2000, and wrote the first Gadget demo as a duo. The band then joined forces with Emil Englund to record a second demo, which was strong enough to grab the attention of Relapse Records, who signed the band for the release of their debut full-length Remote (2004), now featuring Fredrik Nygren. Remote was extensively well-received, as was its 2006 follow-up The Funeral March. After touring Europe twice and performing at dozens of festivals worldwide, including at Maryland Deathfest and Auditory Assault in the US, Gadget has proven itself to be a relentless grindcore force live as well as on record.

A blistering high-speed assault of relentless grind, Gadget's new album The Great Destroyer is a cohesive exercise in extremity that blends hints of doom, sludge and death metal with unadulterated, old-school grindcore. The result is an album that is as memorable and infectious as it is pummeling and explosive. With The Great Destroyer, Gadget has released their most accomplished material to date.

The Great Destroyer will see release on CD, LP and Digital formats. Physical pre-orders are available now via Relapse here; digital pre-orders can be found at Gadget's Bandcamp page here.

The Great Destroyer tracklisting:

“Enemies Of Reason”
“Känslan”
“Pillars Of Filth”
“Choice Of A Lost Generation”
“From Graduation To Devastation”
“Dedication”
“Violent Hours (For A Veiled Awakening)”
“The 02666 Heritage”
“The Great Destroyer”
“Down And Out”
“In The Name Of Suffering”
“Lost On A Straight Path”
“Forsaken”
“Collapse”
“Lack Of Humanity”
“Svart Hål”
“I Don't Need You - Dead And Gone”

“I Don't Need You - Dead And Gone”:

 
“The Great Destroyer”:

“Violent Hours (For A Veiled Awakening)”:

Gadget lineup:

William Blackmon - Guitar, Drums, Vocals
Rikard Olsson - Guitar
Emil Englund - Vocals
Fredrik Nygren - Bass

(Photo - Erik Larsson)



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Swedish death metal masters, Blood Mortized, have just signed a deal with Xtreem Music for the release of their upcoming fourth album, due to be recorded after the summer for a fall release.

Formed back in 2007, Blood Mortized currently features ex-members from bands like Amon Amarth, Grave and Demonical, as well as currently in Just Before Dawn. The band has been intensively working through their 10 years of existence, releasing four demos, one EP and there albums where they've been developing their unmistakeable trademarked swedish death metal style, but twisted through a Bolthrowerish perspective, adding extra heaviness to their sound.

Below you can see some funny pictures of each Blood Mortized member signing their contract with Xtreem Music:

Listen to the band’s latest album below:



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The Jaguar Priest, the debut album from the international progressive metallers Universal Mind Project, will be released on April 29th in Europe and North America through Inner Wound Recordings.

Apart from Elina Laivera and Henrik Båth, the album also includes vocal performances by Nils K Rue (Pagan’s Mind), Mark Jansen (Epica, Mayan), Charlie Dominici (ex-Dream Theater) and Diego Valdez (Helker) - forming an incredibly powerful team of vocalists, each of whom add their own distinctive style to the songs. The guest musicians that appear on the album are Alessandro Bissa (Vision Divine), Mike LePond (Symphony X), Emanuele Casali (DGM) and Johan Reinholz (Andromeda).

In a mix of perfectly executed modern progressive/power metal combined with the unique diversity of male and female vocals that stylistically spread from lyrical and fragile to soothing and powerful, as well as the use of growl vocals at parts of the record, the debut album The Jaguar Priest encloses a most impressive league of artistic creation.

The artwork for The Jaguar Priest was created by Jan Yrlund (Apocalyptica, Korpiklaaini, Leah). The album was mixed and mastered by Simone Mularoni (Ancient Bards, DGM, Vision Divine).

The Jaguar Priest tracklisting:

“Anthem For Freedom”
“Truth”
“The Bargain Of Lost Souls”
“Dreamstate”
“Awakened By The Light (Universal Mind)”
“A World That Burns”
“Seven”
“The Jaguar Priest”
“The Force Of Our Creation”
“Xibalba”

Universal Mind Project is:
Elina Laivera - Vocals
Henrik Båth (Darkwater) - Vocals
Michael Alexander - Guitars, Growls
Alex Landenburg (Luca Turilli’s Rhapsody) - Drums



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"Operation: E.A.E.", the new video from THE UNGUIDED — the Swedish band featuring former SONIC SYNDICATE members Richard Sjunnesson (vocals), Roland Johansson (vocals) and Roger Sjunnesson (guitar; Richard's brother) — can be seen below. The track is taken from THE UNGUIDED's latest album, "Lust And Loathing", which was released on February 26 via Napalm Records.

Once you get past the harsh melodic death metal exterior, epic clean vocals and catchy keyboard tones await. Dynamic and strong songwriting with that special Scandinavian massive production and delicate guitar solos turn "Lust And Loathing" into the best gem the band's discography has to offer.

Comments Richard Sjunnesson: "This is the last part of an album trilogy that's been in the making for six years, and what a climax it is indeed. Expect the unexpected! We poured everything and more into this one."

"Lust And Loathing" track listing:

01. Enraged02. The Worst Day (Revisited) 03. King Of Clubs04. Heartseeker05. Photobs Grip06. Black Eyed Angel07. Operation: E.A.E.08. Boneyard09. Hate (And Other Triumphs)10. Mercy (bonus track)11. Judgment (bonus track)12. Betrayer Of The Code (live)

Photo credit: Patric Ullaeus

TRANS-SIBERIAN ORCHESTRA and SAVATAGE guitarist Chris Caffery will fill in for METAL CHURCH's Rick Van Zandt on the latter band's upcoming U.S. tour, which commences March 24 in Portland, Maine. Rick had to go in for emergency eye surgery to repair a detached retina and will be unable to join the group on the road for several weeks.

Says Caffery: "I'm really excited to announce that I will be playing guitar with the mighty METAL CHURCH on their upcoming U.S. tour. Their guitarist Rick had a serious eye condition develop that needed surgery and we all pray for his continued, speedy and successful recovery."

He continues: "It will be a lot of fun to play with my longtime bandmate Jeff Plate and the guys.

"The first time I toured with Kurdt [Vanderhoof, METAL CHURCH guitarist] when his band VANDERHOOF was opening for SAVATAGE. Then my solo band opened for METAL CHURCH on my 'Faces' tour!

"All of these guys are amazing musicians.

"It's gonna be so awesome to hear [METAL CHURCH singer] Mike Howe every night! I watched him on the [Monsters Of Rock] cruise and was blown away at how incredible his voice is!

"If you don't have your tickets yet...what are you waiting for! It's time to go to CHURCH!

"Lots of work on my end in the next few weeks but I can't wait to play this stuff live! See you soon!"

Howe, who previously fronted METAL CHURCH from 1988 until 1994, is featured on the band's new album, "XI", which will be released on March 25 via Rat Pak Records. The CD was produced by Kurdt Vanderhoof and co-produced by Chris "The Wizard" Collier.

"XI" is available for pre-order in various exclusive bundles at this location. A limited number of the deluxe international version are available on the web site and features a bonus disc of eight extra songs. Other bundles include guitar picks, stickers, a special-edition behind-the-scenes photobook, t-shirts and even a limited number of personal phone calls from Mike Howe himself. The album is also available for pre-order on Amazon, Google Play and via iTunes. Fans that order the digital version will receive an instant download of the song "Killing Your Time" from the new album.

Multi-camera video footage of BLACK SABBATH's February 11 concert at The Forum in Inglewood, California can be seen below.

The band's setlist was as follows:

01. Black Sabbath02. Fairies Wear Boots03. After Forever04. Into The Void05. Snowblind06. War Pigs07. Behind The Wall Of Sleep08. N.I.B. 09. Hand Of Doom10. Rat Salad (with drum solo)11. Iron Man12. Dirty Women13. Children Of The Grave

Encore:

14. Paranoid

BLACK SABBATH resumed its "The End" tour on February 6 in Tacoma, Washington after canceling three shows because singer Ozzy Osbourne was battling severe sinusitis.

The scrapped concerts in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada; Edmonton, Alberta, Canada; and Calgary, Alberta, Canada have now been rescheduled for early March.

After completing the first U.S. leg of "The End" tour, SABBATH will play dates in Australia and New Zealand in April, with European festival shows taking place during the summer.

BLACK SABBATH recently revealed that it is selling a new limited-edition CD titled "The End" at the shows on its farewell tour. The disc features four previously unheard studio tracks left off the band's 2013 reunion album, "13", as well as live versions of four songs from the world tour the band did in support of that disc.

The four studio cuts are "Season Of The Dead", "Cry All Night", "Take Me Home" and "Isolated Man". They feature drums by Brad Wilk.

The live tracks, with drumming from Tommy Clufetos, are "God Is Dead?", "Under The Sun", "End Of The Beginning" and "Age Of Reason". The live cuts were recorded in Sydney, Australia, Auckland, New Zealand and Hamilton, Ontario.

Wilk and Clufetos had to get involved after founding SABBATH drummer Bill Ward withdrew from the reunion after initially agreeing to participate in it.

"13", the first SABBATH full-length studio album in 35 years to feature original members Geezer Butler (bass), Tony Iommi (guitar) and Osbourne, also became SABBATH's first No. 1 album in the U.S. when it was released in June 2013. The band abandoned plans for a follow-up after deciding that the current trek would be its last.

MEMORIAM is the name of a new death/grind metal band from Birmingham, United Kingdom.

The group's current lineup is as follows:

Karl Willets (BOLT THROWER) - VocalsFrank Healy (BENEDICTION, CEREBRAL FIX) - BassScott Fairfax (CEREBRAL FIX) - GuitarAndy Whale (BOLT THROWER) - Drums

MEMORIAM is writing and rehearsing material for its debut release, tentatively due later in the year. Songtitles set to appear on the effort include "Memoriam", "War Rages On", "Surrounded (By Death)" and "Resistance".

BOLT THROWER drummer Martin "Kiddie" Kearns died last September at the age of 38. He died peacefully in his sleep after feeling sick at rehearsal.

The last three albums from BOLT THROWER — "Mercenary" (1998), "Honour Valour Pride" (2001) and "Those Once Loyal" (2005) — were reissued on vinyl on October 24, 2011 via Metal Blade Records. All three albums were released as gatefold LPs in colored vinyl, limited to 1,000 units each.

BENEDICTION's latest album, "Killing Music", was released in North America in September 2008 via Locomotive Records. The follow-up to 2001's "Organized Chaos" was produced by ANAAL NATHRAKH mastermind Mick Kenney and features several guest musicians, including Karl Willets (BOLT THROWER), Kelly Shaefer (ATHEIST), Billy Gould (ex-FAITH NO MORE), The Fog (FROST), Markus Staiger (Nuclear Blast Records owner) and Thorsten Zahn from Metal Hammer Germany. A limited-edition version of the album includes two bonus tracks and a DVD.

ANTHRAX's Jack Bennett-directed video for the song "Blood Eagle Wings" can be seen at RollingStone.com. The multipart eight-minute epic is taken from the band's latest album, "For All Kings", which was released on February 26 via Megaforce in North America and Nuclear Blast in Europe.

ANTHRAX guitarist Scott Ian told RollingStone.com about "Blood Eagle Wings": "I think it's our masterpiece of a song. It's the biggest, coolest thing we've ever written."

Regarding the theme of "Blood Eagle Wings", Ian said: "Any great city, whether it's London, Rome, Paris, New York, Los Angeles — these cities are alive because of how many people were killed to make these cities what they are, how much blood was spilled over time."

According to music industry web site Hits Daily Double, "For All Kings", is likely to sell between 20,000 and 23,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release. The SPS figure is expected to be between 21,000 and 24,000.

SPS, a practice used by Billboard magazine, stands for "sales plus streaming," which includes album sales and converted track sales plus converted streaming data.

For those interested: 10 tracks sold equal one album sale (since $1.29, the cost for an individual track, multiplied by ten gives you $12.99, a common price for an album, and 1,500 streams is equivalent to one album sale.

ANTHRAX's previous album, 2011's "Worship Music", sold 28,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to land at position No. 12 on The Billboard 200 chart. The disc followed up 2003's "We've Come For You All", which opened with just under 10,000 units to debut at No. 122

ANTHRAX's U.S. tour with LAMB OF GOD came to a close on February 12 in Los Angeles, California.

ALICE IN CHAINS will join GUNS N' ROSES for their sold-out Las Vegas dates during the opening weekend at T-Mobile Arena on Friday, April 8 and Saturday, April 9.

ALICE IN CHAINS last year completed a 19-date summer tour that launched on July 17 at the Pala Casino Spa & Resort near San Diego, wrapping up in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania on August 16.

The band donated two dollars from every pre-sold ticket to a fundraiser in memory of a fan named Stefan Dayne-Ankle, who passed away after a battle with leukemia.

The dates marked the first tour for the band since they hit the road back in 2013 and 2014 in support of their latest album, "The Devil Put Dinosaurs Here".

"The Devil Put Dinosaurs Here", sold 62,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release. The disc followed up 2009's "Black Gives Way To Blue", which was the group's first all-new collection of material in 14 years. That CD opened with 126,000 units back in October 2009 to debut at No. 5.

ALICE IN CHAINS was previously in the Top Two with its self-titled 1995 set, which debuted at No. 1 on that year's November 25 chart, according to Billboard.com. It would be their final studio release with singer Layne Staley, who died in 2002.

"The Devil Put Dinosaurs Here" was ALICE IN CHAINS' second album with William DuVall on vocals.

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.

Frontiers Music Srl will release of Ted Poley's new solo album, "Beyond The Fade", on May 13. Best known as lead vocalist for melodic rock masters DANGER DANGER, Ted Poley is also an accomplished solo artist, having released two acclaimed releases, "Collateral Damage" (2006) and "Smile" (2007). The story of "Beyond The Fade" starts after DANGER DANGER's acclaimed performance at Frontiers Rock Festival in Milan in 2014, when Ted and the label developed the idea to work together on some new music. The next step was to speak to producer Alessandro Del Vecchio (HARDLINE, EDGE OF FOREVER) and with a band that he put together, Ted performed at the second edition of the Frontiers Rock Festival. A few months later, Ted came back to Italy to finish the vocals on the album. Ted says: "I am absolutely thrilled with the way the whole album came out. If I have one quote: 'It's awesome!' My great friend and co-producer Alessandro Del Vecchio brought my sonic vision to life and no request from me was too great for him toward his goal of making 'the ultimate Ted Poley solo album" and he surely delivered on his promise. We had a lot of fun making the album and its obvious when you hear it. You can practically hear my smile while I am singing. We decided to make it sound big and there are a ton of backing vocals (in some cases more than 80 tracks of them!), along with great songs, soaring melodic guitar leads, pounding bass and big drums, all layered with cool keyboards... like a delicious musical cake! Save some room for dessert, I know that you are going to love this one!" With songs penned by the brothers Tom and James Martin (VEGA) and "Hands Of Love" written by Tony Bruno/Joe Lynn Turner, the sound of the record is nothing else but Ted Poley at his best, with immediately recognizable hooklines, amazing guitar work, immaculate production and total '80s attitude! "Beyond The Fade" track listing:

01. Let's Start Something02. Everything We Are03. Hands Of Love04. The Perfect Crime05. Stars06. Higher07. Where I Lost You08. You Won't See Me Cryin'09. We Are Young10. Sirens11. Beneath The Stars Ted Poley: Lead VocalsIssa: duet vocal on "The Perfect Crime"Alessandro Del Vecchio: Drums, Keyboards, Backing VocalsMario Percudani: GuitarAnna Portalupi: Bass

A new teaser for "Ankaa", the forthcoming album from French modern metallers ETHS, is available below. The CD is due on April 22 via Season Of Mist.

"Ankaa" track listing:

01. Nefas02. Nihil Sine Causa03. Amaterasu04. Seditio05. Nixi Dii06. Vae Victis07. HAR108. Sekhet Aaru09. Kumari Kandam10. Alnitak11. Alnilam12. Mintaka

The album can be pre-ordered at this location.

"Ankaa" manages to keep the essence of ETHS, guided by mastermind and guitarist Staif Bihl, who also produced the album. Yet with new frontwoman Rachel Aspe and other changes in the lineup, there are new elements in the sound of the French act. The new album sounds more diverse and generally a touch darker. Electronic patterns find as easily a fitting place as a beautiful Arabic chant by guest vocalist Sarah Layssac (ARKAN). For this recording, SOILWORK drummer extraordinaire Dirk Verbeuren stepped in and delivered a massive yet intricate pounding.

The song "Alnilam" can be streamed using the SoundCloud widget below.

ETHS guitarist Staif Bihl comments: "I'm proud to present the first track of our brand new album entitled 'Ankaa' (the main star of the Phoenix constellation, which is therefore also called Alpha Phoenicis).

"This album is linked to the cosmos and the concept of rebirth for the band as well as personally.

"The first song to be revealed, 'Alnilam', is part of a trilogy that closes the record. It accurately represents the idea of rebirth, which concerns everyone at some point. I wrote these lyrics during a turning point in my life. They represent the understanding that everything is in perpetual evolution, life is movement, and changing. I hope you will appreciate it as much as we do!"

ETHS in 2014 released an EP, "Ex Umbra In Solem", with its new vocalist, Rachel Aspe. The EP's title track was a new song recorded, produced and mixed by ETHS guitarist Staif Bihl. It was backed by three classic ETHS tracks, recorded live on October 24, 2013 at the Divan du Monde in Paris, mixed by Nikhertz at Studio Phantom. Last but not least, the EP included three songs from the "III" album, re-recorded with Rachel's vocals.

ETHS in 2012 recruited Virginie Goncalves (KELLS) and Nelly Wood-Hasselhoff to handle lead vocals at the group's shows following the departure of Candice Clot.

Aspe made headlines in France in November 2012 when she performed the SYBREED song "Emma-0" on an episode of "La France À Un Incroyable Talent", the French reality television series which is part of the global British "Got Talent" franchise. Her death metal vocal styling stunned the judges and crowd before going viral and being seen by millions of people.

"It has always been my goal to be part of a band," Aspe told Rock Overdose. "One of the reasons I went to this TV show was to find one. [The show] was [taped] three months before I met ETHS, and [it originally aired shortly] after Candice left the band. So things came very fast for me. I had a job and it was hard to work on my vocals so quickly. I didn’t expect this success for the video; many bands contacted me, I did some [guest appearances] since that. People are continuing to share and comment on it."

Clot played her final show as a member of ETHS on October 13, 2012 at L'Arcade in Notre-Dame-de-Gravenchon, France.

ETHS is:

Staif Bihl: guitarRachel Aspe: vocalsDamien Rivoal: bassR.U.L.: drums (live)Dirk Verbeuren: drums (album)

Photo credit: Nicolas Delpierre

Quality fan-filmed video footage of GHOST's March 1 performance at 013 in Tilburg, Netherlands can be seen below.

GHOST won the Grammy for "Best Metal Performance" during the pre-telecast ceremony at the 58th annual Grammy Awards. GHOST was nominated for the song "Cirice" from its 2015 album "Meliora".

The other nominees in the "Best Metal Performance" category were AUGUST BURNS RED, LAMB OF GOD, SEVENDUST and SLIPKNOT.

A Nameless Ghoul from GHOST told Grammy.com about the nomination, "Being nominated for a Grammy is obviously a big honor for any band or artist — obviously, ourselves included. Especially for us, as a Swedish band, it feels extra honoring, I guess. Especially us maneuvering in the rock genre, where traditionally it's usually British or American bands."

"Cirice" recently reached the Top 10 at rock radio, the first song from the band to get significant airplay in the U.S.

GHOST will return to the U.S. this spring for a headlining tour that kicks off in Montclair, New Jersey on April 13, wrapping up on May 22 in Albany, New York.

JAM Magazine has uploaded video footage of original KISS guitarist Ace Frehley performing live at the Bomb Factory in Dallas, Texas on February 28. Check out the clip below.

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.

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."

"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)

Black metal heathens Cradle Of Filth have checekd in from the road with the following update:

"Having played two killer shows in Vancouver and Edmonton, Cradle Of Filth re-entered the States to hit Minneapolis. Tickets are selling out fast for the remainder of the shows, including the exclusive four British shows at the culmination of the tour, so get yours now before they're gone. Cradle will be announcing more epic shows soon, including Russia, Belarus, Greece and further shows in Eastern Europe. You have been warned!"

In the video below, Cradle Of Filth leader Dani Filth talks to Iron Serbian from Capital Chaos TV about recording with the new members, old metal favourites, living in England, being signed to Epic/Sony and more. The interview was conducted at Ace Of Spades in Sacramento, California on February 20th.

You can still catch Cradle Of Filth live with Ne Obliviscaris and Butcher Babies as support at the dates posted below:

March
1 - Chicago, IL - House Of Blues
2 - Cincinnati, OH - Bogart’s
3 - Cleveland, OH - House Of Blues
5 - Detroit, MI - St. Andrew’s Hall
6 - Toronto, ON - Phoenix Concert Theater
7 - Montreal, QC - Corona Theater
8 - New York, NY - Webster Hall

Tour trailer:

Check out fan-filmed video of the band's complete Orlando show on February 2nd below.

Cradle Of Filth have released a music video for the track "Blackest Magick In Practice" (streaming below). The clip was directed by Sam Scott-Hunter and the song is taken from the groups latest tome of horror and romance, Hammer Of The Witches.

Comments the director: "There’s dark madness in this video. “Blackest Magick In Practice” is a deeply tragic tale of lost love. It’s the grief stricken insanity of trying to bring back that loved one from the dead; desperately trying to hold onto that person who’s gone, even if that leads down a dark and gruesome path. I don’t want to give it all away, but I will say that the hardest part of the production was getting hold of a human ear.

"I wanted to convey the power of the band too, in amongst the romance, madness and magick. Behind the imagery of the lyrics is a great and powerful metal band of amazing musicians, and I hope people can feel the intensity of the band when they watch this. It is intense viewing. There should be a bit of madness in the video, because there’s madness in this song."

Cradle Of Filth's latest album, Hammer Of The Witches, was brought to fruition in Britain's Witch County, in darkest rural Suffolk at the reputedly haunted Grindstone Studios. The album's title is named after the Malleus Maleficarum, a medieval document of guidelines regarding the persecution and torture of witches - but Cradle Of Filth’s title version is more retributory: It's the Hammer Of The Witches; the hammer is in the witches' hands and it's payback time.

Unquestionably one of the greatest and most influential British metal bands of all time, Cradle Of Filth have cast a commanding and macabre shadow across the metal scene for nearly a quarter of a century. Armed with their trademark, cross-pollinated assault that taps into myriad strands of sonic extremity and morbid opulence they have steadily conquered the entire world, unleashing a malevolent slew of classic albums along the way. From the raw and rambunctious savagery of their 1994 debut The Principle Of Evil Made Flesh to the wickedly monstrous, technicolor bombast of 2012's The Manticore & Other Horrors, the Cradle ethos and aesthetic has had a huge impact on the evolution of metal, the band's insatiable appetite for performing live and frontman Dani Filth's unerring charisma and sense of occasion ensuring that they have established a powerful and enduring connection with Hell-bound acolytes everywhere.



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From late 1992 and throughout the remainder of the decade, if you spent any amount of time watching MTV or listening to rock radio, you were bound to come in contact with a tune by STONE TEMPLE PILOTS. With such classic releases as "Core", "Purple" and "Tiny Music… Songs From The Vatican Gift Shop" selling millions and spawning countless hits ("Sex Type Thing", "Plush", "Creep", "Vasoline", "Interstate Love Song", "Big Empty", "Big Bang Baby", etc.), STP is now widely considered one of rock's all-time great acts.

And during this time, there were few rock frontmen who commanded an audience and generated as many headlines as Scott Weiland. Despite fronting another successful band, VELVET REVOLVER, and issuing his own critically acclaimed solo albums, Weiland could not overcome his demons — passing away in 2015 (at the age of 48).

"Scott Weiland: Memories Of A Rock Star" features nearly 30 all-new interviews conducted exclusively for this book, including members of bands that toured with STP (MEGADETH, MEAT PUPPETS, BLIND MELON, etc.), worked with Scott (Scott's autobiography co-author David Ritz, video directors Kevin Kerslake and Josh Taft, producer/engineer Chris Goss, etc.), or were friends and/or admirers of Scott's music (Richard Patrick, Bob Forrest, Matt Pinfield, Eddie Trunk, etc.). Get ready for an honest and accurate portrayal of Scott Weiland!

Greg Prato is a Long Island, New York-based journalist, who has written for Rolling Stone, and has authored such books as "A Devil On One Shoulder" and "An Angel On The Other: The Story Of Shannon Hoon And Blind Melon", "Grunge Is Dead: The Oral History Of Seattle Rock Music", "Too High To Die: Meet The Meat Puppets" and "Survival Of The Fittest: Heavy Metal In The 1990s". "Scott Weiland: Memories Of A Rock Star" is his 18th book overall.

Read two excerpts: excerpt #1 and excerpt #2.

"Scott Weiland: Memories Of A Rock Star" is available as a paperback version (294 pages, $19.99), a Kindle download ($9.99), a Nook download ($9.99) and an iBook download ($9.99).

THE OBSESSED, one of the early BLACK SABBATH-influenced doom metal bands on the American continent, has reformed and is working on a new studio album.

THE OBSESSED frontman Scott "Wino" Weinrich, who has also played with SAINT VITUS, SPIRIT CARAVAN, THE HIDDEN HAND and SHRINEBUILDER, announced THE OBSESSED's return on social media, explaining in a statement: "All over the world I've listened to friends tell me, 'We want you to bring back THE OBSESSED,' so I have decided to resurrect THE OBSESSED.

"I have been waiting for the right combination of ability, attitude and personality to accomplish this goal.

"From this day forward, THE OBSESSED is myself, [bassist] Dave Sherman [SPIRIT CARAVAN] and [drummer] Brian Costantino [SPIRIT CARAVAN] who have proven to be dedicated, fearless and unwavering in their love of this music.

"We are diligently writing and working on getting into the studio to record a new OBSESSED album and hope to have this out as soon as possible."

"The Church Within" lineup of THE OBSESSED — featuring Wino, Greg Rogers (GOATSNAKE, SONIC MEDUSA) on drums and Guy Pinhas (ACID KING, GOATSNAKE, BEAVER) on bass — reunited to perform at Roadburn festival on April 14, 2012.The band also played at Hellfest that year, and took part in a short European tour. In 2013, THE OBSESSED performed another string of reunion dates with Reid Raley (RWAKE, NACHTMYSTIUM) taking Guy Pinhas's place. They also played at Maryland Deathfest, Scion Rockfest and Power Of The Riff.

There is no debating the impact that Wino has had (and continues to have) on the stoner scene, and THE OBSESSED is the band with which he developed his signature doom songwriting and guitar sound. Formed in Maryland in 1976 as WARHORSE, they soon changed their name to THE OBSESSED. The original four-man lineup was pared down to a power trio and they spent several years playing shows and honing their sound, culminating in the release of the "Sodden Jackal" seven-inch single in1983. The band then went on hiatus as Wino joined SAINT VITUS for a few years in the late '80s. They reformed in 1990 with Wino, joined by a rhythm section of Greg Rogers and Scott Reeder. The new lineup released "Lunar Womb" before Reeder left to join KYUSS. At that point Guy Pinhas joined as the bass player and the band was signed to Columbia Records and went on to release "The Church Within".

"The Church Within" was Wino's most critically hailed album. Despite being co-released by Hellhound Records and the major label Columbia Records, the music-buying masses were not ready to embrace doom in 1994 and instead fixated on buying records by rehashed pop-punk bands. Several factors led to "The Church Within" becoming THE OBSESSED's last full-length album. Despite not becoming a top-seller, the album remains hugely influential.

On April 30th, Iron Bonehead Productions present sthe long-awaited new album of legendary Greek black metallers, Kawir, entitled Father Sun Mother Moon.

Since 1993, Kawir have been one of the unsung pillars of the classic Greek black metal sound. While the names Rotting Christ, Varathron, and Necromantia are incredibly important to that style's foundation, it was Kawir who kept the faith during the '90s and into the new millennium. In 1994, the then-young band released two pivotal 7"s, Eumenides and a split with Japan's Sigh - on the pivotal Cacophonous Records, no less - and then followed those up in 1996 with the To Cavirs MLP, which is the first truly pagan-oriented record to hail from the Greek black metal scene.

With that mini-album, Kawir set about on a Hellenistic crusade to celebrate their native gods and mythology in their lyrics and sartorial presentation. From the late '90s onward, the band continued to remain prolific, perpetually committed to fine-tuning their idiosyncratic craft, culminating in underground classics Arai (2005) and Ophiolatreia (2008). Although 2012's Ισόθεος featured a cross-continental lineup, the album further solidified Kawir's status as unique icons in the black metal underground. Alas, with the highly anticipated Father Sun Mother Moon, Kawir return to an all-Greek lineup and recast their classic sound in a whole new light.

In many ways, Father Sun Mother Moon is a record that could've hailed from the early days of Kawir's pagan transition. A mysticism from ancient times blankets these hymns to the Hellenic Pantheon, made all the more stirring by being delivered in actual Ancient Greek Language. The incorporation of ethic instruments and atmospheres lends Father Sun Mother Moon not only an authenticity that is extremely difficult to replicate, but a very literally otherworldly aura that brims with the triumph and tragedy, enlightenment and bloodlust, of Greece's ancient mythological canon. In fact, the album was recorded nine kilometers away from the legendary Thermopylae. "We tried  to catch the original epic vibe that surrounds the ancient lands," says founding guitarist Therthonax.

Indeed, with recording, mixing, and mastering taking place at Locomotive Studio during October through December of 2015 (with acoustic parts and vocals recorded at Dope of Sound), the totality of this experience is stirred into every note of the album, as the past is brought to the present - and all the more so with the return of vocalist Porphyrion, whose throaty rasp help make Ophiolatreia such a beloved album among Kawir fans new and old.

But the reflection vs. refraction connection doesn't just end there. The cascading aggression brought forth on Ophiolatreia and then amplified even further on Ισόθεος is rejuvenated once more on Father Sun Mother Moon. And yet, without losing an ounce of their windswept power, Kawir season this surge with subtle nuance and keen shifts of dynamics, verily making each of these 10 tracks an epic in their own respective right. Altogether, the album encompasses the passion and poignancy for which Kawir have made their stock in trade for over 20 years now. That it brings everything "full circle," as it were, is far from coincidental, too.

"The title Father Sun Mother Moon symbolizes the circle of life," Therthonax explains, "a return to the ancient days when we were celebrating the male Sun deities at the longest nights of the year - the Winter Solstice - and female Moon deities at the longest days of the year - the Summer Solstice - at the full moons and at nights when the silver light wasn't visible. The two opposite edges of the cosmic pendulum of equilibrium where the eternal forces, although in constant battle, coexist and where, in their ever-changing balance, the world is manifested - the same world where we find ourselves in. For the life-giving principles of light and darkness, for the male and female forces that surround us, all honors due!"

Tracklisting:

“To the Sovereign Sun”
“Dionysus”
“Hercules Enraged”
“To Diouscuri”
“To Mother Moon”
“Hail To The Three Shaped Goddess”
“The Taurian Artemis”
“The Descent Of Persephone”

“Dionysus”:

Kawir lineup:

Therthonax - guitars, bass, 12-string acoustic guitar, lyra, bells, singing bowl
Melanaegis - guitars
Porphyrion - vocals
Hyperion - drums and percussion
Echetleos - bass
Pandion - wind instruments, psaltere, bagpipes, singing bowl



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