Multi-camera video footage of HALESTORM performing a cover version of EAGLES OF DEATH METAL's "I Love You All The Time" last night (Saturday, February 13) at Le Trianon in Paris, France can be seen below.

HALESTORM is among the many top artists who have recorded renditions of "I Love You All The Time" as part of the Sweet Stuff Foundation's "Play It Forward" campaign to aid victims of last November's terrorist attacks in Paris. The track is available now on the iTunes Store, Amazon, and Spotify, as well as the official "Play It Forward Store."

HALESTORM has announced details of a major North American headline tour. The dates begin April 1 at Reading, Pennsylvania's Reading Eagle Theatre in the Santander Arena and extend through late May. Support throughout the trek comes from special guests DOROTHY and the legendary Lita Ford. In addition, the tour will include stops at a number of festivals and summer radio concerts as well as a pair of much-anticipated dates alongside the one and only ROB ZOMBIE, slated for May 18 at Bloomington, Illinois' Cellular Coliseum and May 19 at Saginaw, Michigan's First Merit Bank Event Park. HALESTORM's third album, "Into The Wild Life", debuted at No. 5 on The Billboard 200 album chart, selling 56,000 copies in its first week of release — more than double the first week haul of the band's previous effort, 2012's Grammy-winning "The Strange Case Of…"

KORN's Ray Luzier has finished laying down the drum tracks for the sophomore album from KXM, his project with bassist/vocalist Doug Pinnick (KING'S X) and guitarist George Lynch (LYNCH MOB, DOKKEN). Due later in the year, the new CD is once again being produced by KXM and Chris Collier, who is known for his work with LYNCH MOB, Lita Ford and Tommy Bolin, to name a few.

KXM's self-titled debut album sold around 9.800 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 31 on The Billboard 200 chart. The effort was made available on March 11, 2014 via Rat Pak Records.

KXM takes its name from the combination of the members' other projects: K from KORN, X from KING'S X and M from LYNCH MOB.

In an interview with Revolver magazine, Luzier, Lynch and Pinnick spoke about how KXM came together.

"I had a birthday party for my son and invited a bunch of friends and musicians," Ray said. "Doug and George ended up in my home studio picking up my guitars and jamming around a bit. George said, 'We should all do a record together sometime,' and I said, 'That would be a dream come true!'"

He continued: "I've been a huge KING'S X fan for decades and have been following George and had respected his playing for decades. We just tried to figure out everyone's schedules to make it happen. I give it up for George for being so persistent in getting this going. KORN tours all year, every year, and with Doug and George's crazy schedules, it's just awesome that we made it happen. I'm very pleased with the result."

Pinnick added: "George was the instigator. Ray and I have known each other for quite a while and always talked about doing something together, but George brought it up at Ray's party and we agreed. George got after it and Ray did the same! Before I knew it, we were in a studio in the mountains, got a record deal, a video and a CD. As they say in Texas, 'You gotta get after it!' George has an incredible amount of energy and humor, and he gets things done. I've learned a lot from him. He's a true genius with the heart of a saint — and he comes up with some crazy guitar parts."

Lynch said: "When you're working as a pro musician in L.A., you're frequently running into other players who you know and respect. A lot of times, the 'dream band' conversation comes up. It's fun to talk about. A lot of times, it's the alcohol talking. But the reality for most of us is that we're locked into other commitments and obligations that in the cold light of day don't really afford us the time or flexibility to pull off these projects that look great on paper."

He continued: "I'm not trying to take credit here, but I gotta honestly say I was determined to follow through and at least push hard enough to see if we could get any momentum going. Ray jumped right in and was obviously really excited about making it happen, despite his insanely busy schedule with KORN. I think for Doug, it was sort of like, 'Well, yeah, sure, I'll invest some time and energy into this,' but I don't think he realized how profound and potentially musically rewarding and even important KXM could become. But as the writing and recording started to happen and evolve, he became like a little kid in a candy store!"

Chris Fehn of SLIPKNOT has recorded some drums for MOTÖRHEAD guitarist Phil Campbell's forthcoming solo album. Also scheduled to appear on the CD are JUDAS PRIEST frontman Rob Halford and UGLY KID JOE vocalist Whitfield Crane.

A short video clip of Fehn and Campbell jamming together in the studio can be seen below.

Asked by Headbangers Lifestyle's Lilo at the end of last year if there are any plans for him to write and an autobiography or have a film made about his life, Campbell responded: "I don't want a film about my life; no way. I'm working on a book of the funny stuff. I don't want a life story; I just want the funny stuff. [It's] gotta be documented, 'cause some of it's pretty bizarre and unbelievable. It's totally funny, though. [It's a book about] my experiences. It's what would normally not happen if you weren't in this band."

Regarding when fans can expect to see his book released, Campbell said: "I'm seriously working on it now in January. It'll be a year or two [before it comes out], but it'll be worth it."

Asked in a 2012 interview if he has ever considered making a solo album, Phil responded: "Yes, I have thought about it a lot. But I shelved it a couple years ago, because I've decided that I want to write a book about all the insane things that happen on tour. So, I'm trying to compile all of those stories and funny situations. So, at this point, I'm working on that. But, I'm a bit lazy, so it's taken a while. But as far as a solo record, I do have a studio at home, it's just hard finding the time. With MOTÖRHEAD, we've been working so hard, for so long."

MOTÖRHEAD was forced to cancel three shows last November after Campbell became ill and required hospitalization.

MOTÖRHEAD frontman Ian "Lemmy" Kilmister, who celebrated his 70th birthday on Christmas Eve (December 24), learned two days later that he was afflicted with an aggressive form of cancer. He died two days later, on December 28, at his home in Los Angeles.

Dave Lombardo (SLAYER), Rudy Sarzo (OZZY OSBOURNE, QUIET RIOT), Michael Devin (WHITESNAKE) and Dave Kushner (VELVET REVOLVER) are among the musicians who took part in a Bon Scott (AC/DC) tribute at rock and roll comedian Dean Delray's 50th-birthday bash on February 2 at El Rey Theatre in Los Angeles, California. Fan-filmed video footage can be seen below.

Bon Scott died on February 19, 1980 in London, England. He choked to death on his own vomit while sleeping in a friend's car. According to the AC/DC FAQ web site, he and the friend, a musician named Alisdair Kinnear, had been drinking the evening of February 19 and Bon apparently fell asleep during the ride home. Kinnear could not wake Bon, so he left him in the car to sleep. Kinnear awoke early in the evening on February 20, checked on Bon, and found him unconscious in the car. Bon could not be revived, and was pronounced dead.

In a 2010 interview, AC/DC guitarist Angus Young stated about Bon's influence on the band 30 years after the singer's death: "I think it's just something that is part of you. It's like you lost someone close to you, in your family or a very close friend. You've always got that feeling they're there but you just, I suppose, miss them in the physical sense. There's always memories that keep coming back to you, and it doesn't matter what the situation is. You could be traveling, you could be relaxing somewhere, or going to play or being in the studio, there's always something that reminds you."

Bon Scott sang on AC/DC's first six studio albums, including "High Voltage", "Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap", "Let There Be Rock" and "Highway To Hell".

Former PANTERA and current DOWN/SUPERJOINT singer Philip Anselmo took part in a question-and-answer session during his appearance on February 5 at the Days Of The Dead horror convention in Atlanta, Georgia. You can now watch the discussion below.

Speaking about iconic MOTÖRHEAD frontman Lemmy Kilmister, Anselmo said: "Rest in peace, but one of the most golden gems out there was one Lemmy Kilmister. What an awesome guy, man. I can't say how much he took me under his wing and really told me, 'Things are fleeting. Popularity is fleeting. And just do it when you can, man. And just keep doing it, and believe in it, and that's about the best you can do, really, truthfully. ' So much love to him."

Asked to recount a particularly memorable story involving him and Lemmy, Anselmo said: "I don't know if it's a great story, but about four months before he passed, we played a festival, and I was with DOWN at the time, and we were in Europe, I do believe. And one of his assistants came up to me and said, 'Lemmy would like to talk to you.' He had been ill for a while; nobody really knew it at the time. And we were very aware. And I walk in the dressing room and the first thing that struck me, really, was the sadness in his eyes. He… I could tell… It was like he was doing what he loved to the very end. His body was not cooperating with him, and I could relate to that big time, having broken my back, busted my knees, broken ribs… all that stuff. I'm a walking injury. And I could see it in his eyes that he was doing what he loved, and he wasn't ready to stop, but he just… It was hard, man."

He continued: "But [Lemmy's] first words [to me] were great. He'd sit there. We shake hands, give each other a hug. 'How're you doing, brother?' and all this. He goes, 'Hey, Phil. Wanna have a cigarette? We've gotta take care of our voices.' So he still had a sense of humor down up to the end. And it was just a reminder, man. We're all here, I guess, for a very brief time, and for a guy like that to have left such a huge mark… Big ups for Lemmy, man. I love the guy."

Lemmy, who celebrated his 70th birthday on Christmas Eve (December 24), learned two days later that he was afflicted with an aggressive form of cancer. He died two days later, on December 28, at his home in Los Angeles.

The MOTÖRHEAD frontman had dealt with several health issues over the past few years, including heart trouble, forcing him to cut back on his famous smoking and Jack Daniels habits.

The band was forced to cancel a number of shows last year, although they did manage to complete one final European tour on December 11.

Liam Cormier of the Canadian hardcore punk band CANCER BATS has weighed in on last month's incident when ex-PANTERA singer Philip Anselmo made a "white power" gesture onstage at a concert.

Anselmo performed the PANTERA classic "Walk" at the January 22 "Dimebash" event at the Lucky Strike Live in Hollywood, California in honor of his former bandmate, late PANTERA guitarist "Dimebag" Darrell Abbott. As he left the stage, he made a Nazi-style salute. He appeared to say "white power" as he made the gesture, but he later claimed he was referring to drinking white wine as part of an "inside joke." Anselmo has since released a video message, saying that he "deserves completely" the "heat" that he has been getting over his actions and claiming to be "a thousand percent apologetic to anyone that took offense to what [he] said."

Several notable musicians have come out and criticized the DOWN singer for his actions, including MACHINE HEAD frontman Robb Flynn, who uploaded an eleven-minute video response to the incident in which he called Anselmo a "big bully" and described Philip's behavior as "fucking wrong."

Now Cormier has commented on the incident in a new interview, saying that "the most important part about any of this is that it's actually bringing up a dialogue" about racism in metal. He told France's LoudTV.net (see video below): "Yeah, [the Anselmo thing is] definitely something we've been following really closely."

He added: "We've always grown up… Anti-racism is such a huge part of punk rock and anti-fascism, here in Europe… The first shows I ever played were anti-racist punk shows; that's how we all grew up going to shows. So, for us, yeah, I still think that that's an important dialogue that needs to happen and I don't think it's something that should be swept under the table. This is a huge figure in metal who is saying insane things on stage. And apologies or whatever… But I do think that the most important part about any of this is that it's actually bringing up a dialogue and that it's bringing up other things — like, people being, like, 'Well, Phil Anselmo said these insane things. People are speaking out against it.' It's, like, okay, well, let's also talk about [the Norwegian black metal band] BURZUM. Let's also talk about other racist figures in metal that not enough people are actually being vocal about, 'cause I think it's just as bad, if not worse. So I'm glad that that dialogue is actually happening and I'm glad that those things are actually coming to light. 'Cause I think there's a lot of people that don't realize that BURZUM is super racist as well. So I think that there are those kinds of dialogues that need to happen."

Cormier also commended the organizers of the Dutch festival FortaRock for pulling DOWN from this year's event in light of Anselmo's actions. He said: "It's, like, yeah, you shouldn't [have DOWN on the bill]. There's tons of [other] bands that are great. And I think DOWN's a great band and it's unfortunate that that happened, but if something like that comes to light, then it's, like, you need to own up to it."

Liam went on to say that he didn't know whether Anselmo truly has any racist views, but explained that there was no excuse for what the he did at Dimebash. "Yeah, I mean, he said it," Cormier explained. "Whether it was because he was drunk or whether it was because he was joking or a combination of the two, it's, like… I mean, you said it onstage. You also said it... that where it was recorded and put on the Internet. So there's no way to get around that. Which is… I mean, it sucks. It sucks all around. 'Cause it's, like, I love PANTERA. I love DOWN. So it's, like, is this guy super racist? I don't know. You know what I mean? I don't know Phil. I know that… I know what I saw on the Internet and it's definitely insane. It doesn't look like someone who's just joking around."

Single Bullet Theory, led by former Pissing Razors guitarist Matt DiFabio, have checked in with the following update:

Single Bullet Theory is extremely happy to announce the return of long time bassist Bill Mez to the fold. This has been a very long time coming and we are really looking forward to getting back out on the road with good ole' Thunderfoot holding up the low end.

Mez joined SBT in the winter of 2001 after a stint with Seven Witches and went on to record four of the band's first releases, appeared in two internationally distributed videos, one DVD, and a 'rare' compilation disc that was released in 2013. Mez also spent plenty of time down in the trenches as the band gained its momentum through relentless national touring. Including runs with King Diamond, Hypocrisy, Amorphis and Pissing Razors as well as hundreds of shows headlining.

With the addition of original drummer Johnny Sasso, the nucleus of the hardest working era of SBT is back in action. We cannot wait to see what we have in store next. Shows will be announced just as soon as we blow the cobwebs off and get back to being the well oiled machine that we are known to be. Time to work!"

Mez has issued the following statement: 

"It was around 8 years ago when I put down the bass to focus on getting my life together after years of struggling to achieve big things in this very dear niche of the music industry we call metal. It was in no way an easy decision at the time and it has haunted me at various times since. Watching other bands on stage and especially SBT, I could never completely put behind me the emotions I felt about wanting to be up there again. I picked up the bass a few years ago for a one-off show with the band and have since been working on some new tunes for Matt's side project, The Killing Truth. Things have settled down for me recently and it just feels like a natural time to get back into the swing of things and fulfill this need which drove me for so many years. I am so grateful for the opportunity and cannot wait to tear some shit up. I guess the arena is calling my name..."

Watch the official Single Bullet Theory Facebook page for updates.



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STRYPER frontman Michael Sweet has weighed in on last month's incident when ex-PANTERA singer Philip Anselmo made a "white power" gesture onstage at a concert.

Anselmo performed the PANTERA classic "Walk" at the January 22 "Dimebash" event at the Lucky Strike Live in Hollywood, California in honor of his former bandmate, late PANTERA guitarist "Dimebag" Darrell Abbott. As he left the stage, he made a Nazi-style salute. He appeared to say "white power" as he made the gesture, but he later claimed he was referring to drinking white wine as part of an "inside joke." Anselmo has since released a video message, saying that he "deserves completely" the "heat" that he has been getting over his actions and claiming to be "a thousand percent apologetic to anyone that took offense to what [he] said."

Several notable musicians have come out and criticized Anselmo for his actions, including MACHINE HEAD frontman Robb Flynn, who uploaded an eleven-minute video response to the incident in which he called Anselmo a "big bully" and described Philip's behavior as "fucking wrong."

Now Sweet has posted a statement on his Facebook page in which he says that he "forgives" Philip, explaining that Anselmo "legitimately seems sorrowful and regretful."

Said Sweet: "So I'm sure everyone in the metal community has heard about the Phil Anselmo fiasco. Every metal artist practically (okay, not every, but many) have chimed in and given their two cents.

"The way I look at it is Phil made a mistake (a very serious mistake, mind you) with his racial gesture and comment.

"We all agree that there is NO place for racism in this day in age. We're all created equal in God's eyes and therefore should be treated equally. With respect, dignity and love. But when someone starts drinking a little too much, often enough things are done and or said that may be offensive and hurtful. It's not an excuse, but it happens.

"What's bothering me is the fact that the guy has offered an open (public) apology and was man enough to step up and swallow his pride to ask for forgiveness. Seems simple enough to me. He legitimately seems sorrowful and regretful.

"I forgive the guy and write it off as a mistake. Live and learn and don't make the same mistake twice and move on.

"Maybe my way of thinking is too simple for something like this.

"I know this much, God loves him and forgives not only Phil but all of us if we ask for forgiveness. Why can't we?

"I forgive you, Phil, and I love ya, brother."

Hammheart Records will release the new Cirith Gorgor album, Visions Of Exalted Lucifer, on February 19th. Check out a full album stream at this location.

A black metal storm of high class melody and ferocious riffs. Cirith Gorgor is a band who has been around for a good part of 20 years. "Their new album will pulverize the underground and raise the bar for the future of black metal," according to a press release.

Visions Of Exalted Lucifer features the following tracks:
“Salvator”
“A Vision Of Exalted Lucifer “
“Of Black Dimensions…”
“…And Demonic Wisdom”
“Wille Zur Macht”
“Rite Of Purification - Vanished From This World”
“In The Nameless Void”

Watch the band’s new video for the track “Wille zur Macht”:

The artwork was created by Metastazis (Watain, Behemoth, Amorphis) and reflects the lyrics and mood on Visions Of Exalted Lucifer perfectly.

The album will be available in the following formats:

Digibook 2CD - Includes the album and their Mystic Legends... demo from 1997 on a separate disc. This version is limited to 500 copies. Mandatory for any self-respecting diehard fan.

Vinyl - With an exclusive vinyl only track, high quality sleeve, 180 gram black vinyl! Also available is an exclusive version on gold 180 gram vinyl, in the Hammerheart webstore exclusively. Limited to 400 black copies and 100 gold copies, mandatory for lovers of the dark arts on black wax.

Cassette - A limited edition of 300 copies on cassette.

Jewelcase CD - The regular, unlimited jewel cased edition on CD.

Album teaser:

 



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Minneapolis outfit After The Burial have released a new teaser for their forthcoming album, Dig Deep, out February 19th via Sumerian Records. Check it out below:

“When you think you don’t have anything left in you, you have to rely on that inner strength,” says guitar player Trent Hafdahl. “That’s where we are as a band. So many things beyond our control went wrong, but we started to dig deep as brothers.”

“We went through hell to finish this record, and the music translates that,” singer Anthony Notarmaso agrees. “Trent worked his ass off, and it shows. It’s crazy because I think it brought us closer as band. Justin wrote some riffs that ended up on the, but after a couple of days in the studio he left. He obviously wasn’t okay, and we wanted him to get well. I arrived a few days after the guys had gotten there. I never got to see him.” Notarmaso is referring to the untimely death of the band mate Justin Lowe in July.

Pre-orders for the nine-song album are available now with instant downloads of “Lost In The Static” and “Collapse” available with digital downloads via iTunes and Google Play.  Physical bundles are available via Sumerian Records here.

Dig Deep was recorded at Graphic Nature Audio in New Jersey with producer Will Putney (The Amity Affliction, Upon A Burning Body). The album is the first where the band partnered with a producer.

“We had not tried it before,” explains Hafdahl. “It felt like a fresh idea to do something new. We were still running the show obviously, but he brought a good ear for tone and melody. He encouraged us to explore more. To have that perspective was helpful.”

Tracklisting:

“Collapse”
“Lost In The Static”
“Mire”
“Deluge”
“Laurentian Ghosts”
“Heavy Lies The Ground”
“Catacombs”
“The Endless March”
“Sway Of The Break”

“Collapse”:

“Lost In The Static”:

After The Burial join label mates Born of Osiris, Veil of Maya, Bad Omens and ERRA for Sumerian Records’ 10 Year Tour:

February
19 - Minneapolis, MN - Skyway Theatre
20 - Chicago, IL - The Bottom Lounge
21 - Millvale, PA - Mr. Small’s Theatre
22 - Indianapolis, IN - The Emerson Theater
23 - Pontiac, MI - The Crofoot Ballroom
24 - Cleveland, OH - Agora Theatre
25 - Philadelphia, PA - Union Transfer
26 - Worcester, MA - The Palladium
27 - New York, NY - The Gramercy Theatre
28 - Baltimore, MD - Baltimore Sound Stage
29 - Greensboro, NC - Greene Street Club

March
2 - Tampa, FL - The Orpheum
4 - San Antonio, TX - Korova
5 - Houston, TX - Walters Downtown
6 - Austin, TX - Dirty Dog Bar
7 - El Paso, TX - Tricky Falls
8 - Mesa, AZ - Nile Theater
9 - Hollywood, CA - The Roxy Theatre
10 - Sacramento, CA - Ace of Spades
11 - Fresno, CA - Strummer’s (with Veil of Maya only)
12 - San Diego, CA - Soma
13 - Pomona, CA - The Glasshouse
14 - Las Vegas, NV - Eagle Aerie Hall (headlining date)
15 - Albuquerque, NM - Sunshine Theatre (with Born of Osiris only)
16 - Denver, CO - The Summit Music Hall
17 - Lawrence, KS - Granada Theater
18 - St. Louis, MO - Fubar

 



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Thrash/black metal outfit, Bloodthirst, have revealed the artwork and tracklisting for their upcoming mini-album, Glorious Sinners. The lyrics along with the artwork create a concept exposing of the deceitfulness of the Vatican hierarchy. Kontamination Design was in charge of the artwork and the whole graphic design of the release.

Glorious Sinners, includes five brand new tracks, was recorded at Left Hand Sounds studio. The recording lineup features Rambo (guitar, vocals), Gregor (guitars, vocal), Rybosh (bass) and Mnt (drums).

The mini-album will be released through Pagan Records on April 8th in standard CD and digital formats.

Tracklisting:

“The Viper's Nest”
“The Reign Of The Antichrist”
“The Masterpiece Of Lie”
“No God Shall Stand Before The Pope”
“Sacco di Roma”

Bloodthirst were formed in 1999 in the Goat City of Poznań, Poland. After a few demos and split releases they have signed to the highly acclaimed Pagan Records and released three full-length albums: Let Him Die (2007), Sanctity Denied (2009) and Chalice Of Contempt (2014). Their sound is based on the classical thrash pounding but also widely influenced by black and death metal of the 90s.

Over the years they have proven themselves in the metal scene to be one of the most respected Polish black/thrash ensembles which in turn led to opportunities to perform with cult names such as Samael, Destroyer 666, Nunslaughter, Aura Noir, Kat, Vader and other respected Polish bands. Never part of the pathetic “old-school” hype, always spitting in the face of the modern trend, the four emissaries of hellfire and malice, have trodden their own path of Hateful Antichristian Thrash.

Having solidified their current line-up (with Gregor handling the second axe since 2015), holding their heads up high and proudly drinking to the diabolical, Bloodthirst are ready to unleash Glorious Sinners.

Check out the title track from their album Chalice Of Contempt (2014):



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Mighty Music welcomes Teutonic thrash metal band, Rezet, to the family.

School mates Ricky Wagner and Thorben Schulz started Rezet in 2003 in Schleswig, Schleswig-Holstein, when they were only 12 and 13 years old. The band has to far released two albums, Have Guns Will Travel in 2010 and Civic Nightmares from 2012, and performed at Wacken Open Air, Headbangers Open Air and been touring heavily across Europe.

Reality Is A Lie is the third album from Rezet, recorded and mixed by Patrick Bieler (Revolverheld and Royal Republic) and mastered by Harris Johns (Sodom, Tankard, Sepultura). The album contains 12 tracks of fast speed/thrash metal-parts that lead to the greatest choruses and hook lines Rezet have written so far, embedded in a soundscape that neither gets boring or tiresome nor does it come across as too progressive or complicated. For fans of old Megadeth, Kreator and Exodus.

Reality Is A Lie will be released in spring 2016 on CD, LP and digitally by Mighty Music. More details to follow

Rezet lineup:

Ricky Wagner - Lead Guitar, Vocals
Thorben Schulz - Lead Guitar, Back-Up Vocals
Lucas Grümmert - Bass Guitar, Back-Up
Vocals Bastian Santen - Drums



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Highly complex progressive sci-fi themed metallers, Vektor, have revealed the full details of their long-awaited new album, Terminal Redux. Due to be released on May 6th worldwide, Terminal Redux is Vektor's third full-length release and the band's first ever concept album, further exploring the themes that first appeared in the lyrics of the title track from their previous album, 2011's Outer Isolation.

Like the most outlandish and classic concept records of the past - such as Rush’s 2112, Queensrÿche's Operation: Mindcrime and Mastodon’s Leviathan - Terminal Redux mixes fantasy and reality, imagination and fact, and cataclysmic warnings from the future to keep the listener on edge throughout.

Vektor vocalist/guitarist David DiSanto discusses the album's concept: "The story begins with a lone astronaut regaining his memories after being sentenced to an isolation testing program. Near the point of death in his damaged spacecraft, he finds a life-rejuvenating molecule within a stellar nebula that will change the course of his fate and many others. He brings a large haul of his newly discovered prize to the Cygnus regime, a vast galactic empire, in hopes of regaining his status as a high-ranking general. Years of isolation have turned him into a power-hungry tyrant that will stop at nothing to usurp the people who banished him. Through terror tactics and brute force, he incites a coup within Cygnus and gains control. Using the life-rejuvenating molecules from the stellar nebula, he grants the people under his rule extended life. His goal is to achieve perfect, cosmic harmony within his domain and bring balance to the war torn planets: something that no intelligent life-form has ever been able to accomplish."

As well as letting their imaginations flow free lyrically, Vektor have also embraced some unusual audio elements during the recording of Terminal Redux, going as far as to enlist the vocal assistance of a group of Philadelphia soul singers to contribute additional texture to the riff-heavy thrash opus.

Terminal Redux is available to pre-order now on CD and vinyl, including a number of limited signed editions. Reserve your copy now in Europe at this location or in North America here. The album is also available to pre-order now on iTunes.

Terminal Redux was recorded between the band's home studio and Panther Pro-Audio in Philadelphia, with additional mixing courtesy of Byron Filson at Villain Studios in Arizona.

The album artwork was created by Adam Burke. David DiSanto comments: "The cover artwork depicts a scene from the second half of the album. In the distant future, a ravaged space terminal makes a journey to an exploded star known as 'Relic Alshain'."

Tracklisting:

“Charging The Void”
“Cygnus Terminal”
“LCD (Liquid Crystal Disease)”
“Mountains Above The Sun”
“Ultimate Artificer”
“Pteropticon”
“Psychotropia”
“Pillars Of Sand”
“Collapse”
“Recharging The Void”

“Ultimate Artificer”:

Vector tour dates with Voivod, Eight Bells

February
12 - Lancaster, PA - Chameleon Club
13 - Washington, DC - Black Cat
14 - Richmond, VA - Strange Matter
16 - Raleigh, NC - Kings
18 - Charlotte, NC - Neighborhood Theatre
19 - Sanford, FL - West End Trading Co.
20 - Ybor City, FL - The Orpheum
21 - Atlanta, GA - Masquerade
22 - Knoxville, TN - The Concourse
23 - Newport, KY - Southgate House Revival
24 - Chicago, IL - The Abbey Pub
25 - Cudahy, WI - The Metal Grill
26 - St Paul, MN - The Amsterdam
27 - Omaha, NE - Waiting Room
28 - St. Louis, MO - Firebird *
29 - Louisville, KY - Zanzabar*

Marcg
1 - Valpariso, IN - Big Shots *
2 - Columbus, OH - A&R Music Bar *
3 - Ferndale, MI - The Loving Touch *
4 - Toronto, ON - Mod Club *
5 - Hamilton, ON - This Ain't Hollywood *

* - Vector and Black Fast supporting Voivod

(Photo - Katy A.D. Photography)



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Bay Area thrashers, Hatchet, have released an official music video for “In Fear We Trust”, a track from their latest album, Fear Beyond Lunacy.

Far Beyond Lunacy was released last October via The End Records/ADA. Details below.

Tracklisting:

“Where Time Cannot Exist”
“Living In Extinction”
“Lethal Injustice”
“In Fear We Trust”
“Killing Indulgence”
“Dead And Gone”
“Tearing Into Hell”
“Prophet Of Delusion”
“The World Beyond”
“Frozen Hell” (bonus track)
“Awaiting Evil (bonus track, only available on vinyl edition)

Two album tracks, "Tearing Into Hell" and "Prophet Of Delusion”, are streaming below:

 

 

 



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UK rock legends, Thunder, will be blowing the roof off arenas around the UK this month, with Terrorvision and King King in support, including a date at London’s SSE Arena, Wembley.

In support of the upcoming shows, the band have released a new video. Watch them perform “Wonder Days” live from The 100 Club in London below:

Tour dates

February
15 - Nottingham, England - Royal Concert Hall
16 - Bristol, England - Colston Hall
18 - Glasgow, Scotland - SECC Clyde Auditorium
19 - Sheffield, England - Sheffield Arena
20 - London, England - SSE Arena Wembley

Thunder, who had a Top 10 UK album earlier this year, continues into 2016 with a three-disc set documenting the story of the band’s latest album, Wonder Days, plus a Limited Edition 12“ vinyl album of the band’s fulminant show at Loud Park Festival 2014.

Entitled All You Can Eat, it documents the story of Wonder Days, Thunder’s first studio album for six years, and includes a live album, an in-the-studio session, and a documentary film. As a special treat, Live At Loud Park is released as a limited edition 12” single vinyl album.

All You Can Eat is available on earMUSIC as 2CD+DVD, Blu-ray+2CD and download.

Disc 1 - Starter – Live At RAK Studio 1
The band was asked by their record label to record some live B-Sides and extra tracks for formats. The session took place at the famous RAK Studio 1 on November 4th and 5th 2014, during the two days preceding the band’s show at Brooklyn Bowl in the O2 in London. The band set up in the studio to record 100% live, and as quickly as possible. They played fourteen songs one after another, with no breaks, no stops, overdubs or fix ups. The end result is astonishing. There was also a live acoustic session the next day, which is currently being considered for possible release later next year (the tracks didn’t fit on the CD).

Disc 2 – Main Course - Live At The Brooklyn Bowl
The Brooklyn Bowl show on November 6th 2014 was offered free to fans, in association with Classic Rock Magazine. There was no fee for tickets, and fans applied online in their thousands for the chance to hear the band play brand new songs from ‘Wonder Days’, three months ahead of the release, alongside Thunder classics, and some never played before covers. The rules were pretty simple - no cameras, no video, no social media updates, just word of mouth. Thunder fans duly obliged, and the evening was stunning. The show was captured; audio and video, and eight of the songs were given away on the cover of Classic Rock Magazine in January 2015. The rest have stayed in the filing cabinet, until now…

Disc 3 - Dessert - Wonder Days The Film
A documentary made by Tim Sidwell from Toward Infinity, this film details the story behind the making of the Wonder Days album, and features extensive band interviews, along with studio footage from the WD session, clips from the live session at RAK Studio 1, the Brooklyn Bowl live show, the triumphant March 2015 UK shows, and the Loud Park show, filmed for TV in Tokyo (Oct 2014). 60 minutes of pure Thunder fan joy…

Trailer:

Order exclusive bundles here.



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Canadian rockers, Monster Truck, will release their new album Sittin’ Heavy on February 19th via their new label home, Mascot Records/Mascot Label Group (Black Stone Cherry, Black Label Society, Joe Bonamassa) for Europe and Dine Alone Records for the rest of the world. A full album stream can be found below.

Sittin’ Heavy is 11 tracks of high-octane, foot to the floor, raucous rock that picks up from where 2013s incredible Juno Award nominated Furiosity left off. For the past two years since the debut dropped they have been hell-bent on putting Hamilton, Ontario on the rock ‘n’ roll map as they have, in true road warrior style, relentlessly been tearing through Europe, the US and Canada opening for the mighty; Guns N’ Roses, Slash, Alice In Chains, ZZ Top, Buckcherry, Rival Sons and Vista Chino as well as stepping up for blistering sets at the UKs Hammerfest and Download Festival.

The Juno award winning, Eric Ratz returns as their sounding board, studio guru and co-producer; with a track record that includes Billy Talent, Three Days Grace and Cancer Bats, Ratz’ studio wizardry is displayed sublimely on Sittin’ Heavy and must surely mark him out as a future heavyweight.

Tracklisting:

“Why Are You Not Rocking?”
“Don't Tell Me How To Live”
“She's A Witch”
“For The People”
“Black Forest”
“Another Man's Shoes”
“Things Get Better”
“The Enforcer”
“To The Flame”
“New Soul”
“Enjoy The Time”

Vinyl-only bonus track:
“Midnight”

Album stream:

“Don’t Tell Me How To Live” video:

The new offering is a gloriously cathartic statement that retains all of the ingredients that enabled Monster Truck to break out of the box; groove, sludge, stoner rock, grunge and vintage sounds all swirl around in a colossal melting pot that continues their evolution and expands upon ideas established from their inception.

The months on the road has served to improve them as a band, just as it should, fundamentally because they looked around and learned.  “Touring the last record we’ve been privileged to play with a lot of great headlining acts,” says guitarist Jeremy Widerman. “For instance, when we opened for Slash we would pick up on how accurately he controls the Wah pedal, and we wanted to include some of that in our own songs. Or touring with Alice In Chains and watching their vocal harmonies and realising that we needed to strengthen up in that area – so we did. There are so many little ways to hone our sound.”

If the album has a theme, it would be a steadfast refusal to be beaten down. Lead track “Don’t Tell Me How To Live” has been unanimously welcomed as a rallying cry. Inspired by a comment made by singer and bassist Jon Harvey’s girlfriend – “She started giving me trouble for playing guitar every day and I replied, ‘This is my job, don’t tell me how to live’” – its message holds true in a variety of situations. “The song is about being independent in one’s life, rather than worrying about what people think or the expectations of other people; just be true to yourself.”

“Rock ‘n’ roll should be a celebration,” Harvey believes. “We try to do that as much as we can. Everything in life should be a celebration.”

Opener “Why Are You Not Rocking?” sets the tone, as out of your speakers it blasts the declaration “I don’t care about the weather, the band is here to play, I don’t care about tomorrow, we’re not going any way, all I see is right now, people together…rock n roll might save your life, might save your life tonight” before it throws down the battle cry “release your mind, set your spirit free”

“She’s A Witch” offers some warning signs as Harvey’s gargantuan wail exclaims “that girls’ got a demon in her soul” whilst on “For The People” they’re rising up to fight the evils. Arriving almost halfway through the record, the magnificent, “Black Forest” is one of those moments of respite. Ushered in by the sound of thunder, the electric piano of Brandon Bliss supplying all-important dynamics and sung with grit and emotion by Jon Harvey.

“Another Man’s Shoes”, “Things Get Better” and “The Enforcer” all further cement their soulful but pounding credentials – with the latter offering up a phenomenally infectious rhythm section stomp and stadium filling handclapping before erupting into a mosh-pit blitz and then back again.

“To The Flame” sees them at their sludgy and stoner best as the grinding riff channels through the lines “there’s no way out of here” which whips into the frenetic “New Soul”, a stomping love song that wraps itself around you and refuses to let go and finishing with “Enjoy The Time”, signs off with a plea to live in the moment before the really bad shit starts happening.

“Yeah that’s it, basically,” Jon Harvey nods. “It’s a theme that we touch upon a lot. We’re saying don’t give up. Don’t put yourself down. I’m not a preacher but it’s important that message gets driven home.”

“There’s no need to raise the horns in the air from the start right to the finish,” Jeremy Widerman declares. “So the slower tracks are there to add colour, and that’s something you’ll hear a little more from us on future records. We’ve got people in the band who can really sing, so it would be foolish not to.”

Monster Truck are:

Jon Harvey (Vocals & Bass)
Jeremy Widerman (Guitar & Vocals)
Brandon Bliss (Organ & Vocals)
Steve Kiely (Drums & Vocals)



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Avantasia’s new album, Ghostlights, has entered the official charts in 17 countries on three different continents.

Via Facebook Tobias Sammet  posted: "Thank You - greatest fans in the world! I can't tell you how happy and proud I am! I have experienced a lot but so far I had never entered the charts in 17 countries on 3 continents simultaneously! WOW! Thank You! I am in the middle of getting ready for the tour, there will be the semi finals of the Eurovision Song Contest (February 25th, 20:15) - I count on your support, OK? Muchas Gracias! Tobi"

Chart positions for Ghostlights so far:

Germany #2
Czech Republic #2
USA (Heatseekers) #2
UK (Rock) #3
Canada (Hard Music) #6
Sweden #7
USA (Hard Music) #7
Switzerland #8
Austria #10
Finland #11
Japan (International) #11
Norway #17
Hungary #19
Spain #19
USA (Rock) #25
Italy #33
Netherlands #48
Belgium #50
UK (National) #53
France #54
USA (Top Albums) #101
Canada (Top Albums) #101

Tobias discusses the concept behind Ghostlights - "It's scary, it's eerie... but the overall outcome is very positive." Learn more in the video below.

The new opus features guest appearances of Dee Snider (Twisted Sister), Geoff Tate (Queensryche, Operation: Mindcrime), Marco Hietala (Nightwish), Sharon Den Adel (Within Temptation), Michael Kiske (Unisonic, Helloween), Ronnie Atkins (Pretty Maids), Bob Catley (Magnum), Jorn Lande, Bruce Kulick (KISS), Robert Mason (Warrant), Herbie Langhans, Oliver Hartmann and Sascha Paeth.

The record contains twelve songs and was produced by Tobias and Sascha Paeth in Gatestudio Wolfsburg, Germany. Paeth is responsible for engineering and mixing Ghostlights, too. Mastering was done by Michael Rodenberg.

The instrumentalists on Ghostlights are the following:

Sascha Paeth - rhythm guitars, lead guitars, bass, additional keys
Michael Rodenberg - orchestration, keys
Tobias Sammet - additional keys and bass
Bruce Kulick - lead guitars
Oliver Hartmann - lead guitars
Felix Bohnke – drums

Tracklistings:

CD
“Mystery Of A Blood Red Rose”
“Let The Storm Descend Upon You”
“The Haunting”
“Seduction Of Decay”
“Ghostlights”
“Draconian Love”
“Master Of The Pendulum”
“Isle Of Evermore”
“Babylon Vampyres”
“Lucifer”
“Unchain The Light”
“A Restless Heart And Obsidian Skies”

2CD Digibook:
“Mystery Of A Blood Red Rose”
“Let The Storm Descend Upon You”
“The Haunting”
“Seduction Of Decay”
“Ghostlights”
“Draconian Love”
“Master Of The Pendulum”
“Isle Of Evermore”
“Babylon Vampyres”
“Lucifer”
“Unchain The Light”
“A Restless Heart And Obsidian Skies”
“Wake Up To The Moon” (bonus track)

CD2 (Avantasia live)
“Spectres”
“Invoke The Machine”
“The Story Ain’t Over”
“Prelude”
“Reach Out For The Light”
“Avantasia”
“What’s Left Of Me”
“Dying For An Angel”
“Twisted Mind”
“The Watchmaker’s Dream”
“Another Angel Down”

3CD Deluxe Edition Book (includes 68 page photo book plus karaoke version of CD1 with bonus track).

Check out the new BraveWords Avantasia feature here.

 

 

 



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Finland-based death metallers, Omnium Gatherum, will release their new album, Grey Heavens, on February 19th (Finland), February 26th (rest of Europe) via Lifeforce Records. The album will be available in North America via Century Media Records, in Japan via Avalon Marquee (February 17th), and in South Korea through Dope Records/Entertainment.

The new song, “The Pit”, can be heard below:

About the new album, Jukka Pelkonen (vocals) comments: "The new album is wonderful and I must say I'm so proud of this latest achievement - It is definitely the best OG album yet. Of course it is always easy to say that but this time it is so true. It combines the history of OG in a way that once again brings something new and fresh to the table. Lyrically it also pushes the listener to a place which gives one really something to think about. The majesty which is the turbulence entangles with the mystery of silence and together they form life. That is what we experience each and every day. The album is a fast, catchy, melodic and brutal. What more one could want?"

Markus Vanhala: "I'm really proud of how the Grey Heavens album came to life (or death), even the previous Beyond album and tours set the bar and stakes sky-high. This album was maybe the most difficult album ever for me to do, boosted or anti-boosted with some life turbulence but all's well that ends well! Some mixed emotions were captured and soul was bled into this music and it was made like there would be no tomorrow in sight. It's all there, the sadness and the joy, the aggression & the tenderness and the frailty of a human mind. The album includes turbo loaded output, and again a bit more catchy and more aggressive song writing painted with all shades of grey, still in the sophisticated Omnium Gatherum way!"

Omnium Gatherum classify their style of playing as “Adult Oriented Death Metal”. Since forming the band, the six-piece sustainable evolved its view on what melodic death metal can be and is able to achieve. In this regard Grey Heavens goes beyond of what its precursors offered. Adult Oriented is paraphrasing the discreet, intelligent, and constructive songwriting Omnium Gatherum have deeply internalized.
 
The Scandinavians are best known for playing pure northern metal with breathtaking melodies and superior grace, while sticking to the heavy edge of the death metal, Omnium Gatherum once started with. Grey Heavens naturally follows the introduced path, and also expands the overall picture - once again. This album represents forward-thinking melodic metal with continuative hints reaching from prog to AOR. In other words: the Finns are acting without reservation to create an integrated heavy sound, which speaks through emotion and multilayered hymns.
 
Formed in 1996, Omnium Gatherum released albums on Nuclear Blast, Candlelight, and Rage Of Achilles. In cooperation with Lifeforce Records, the Finns provided New World Shadows in 2011 and Beyond in 2013. The band toured most of the world several times, including tours alongside Dark Tranquillity, Swallow The Sun, Nile, Grave, Entombed, Caliban, Insomnium, etc.

Grey Heavens tracklisting:

“The Pit”
“Skyline”
“Frontiers”
“Majesty And Silence”
“Rejuvenate!”
“Foundation”
“The Great Liberation”
“Ophidian Sunrise”
“These Grey Heavens”
“Storm Front”

“Frontiers” video:

“Skyline”:

CD, Limited 2LP, Exclusive Bundle Packs now available for pre-ordering in Europe through EMP.

Draconian will be hitting the road across Europe with Omnium Gatherum, support will come from Year Of The Goat and Oceanwake. This co-headlining tour starts at the end of February and wraps up in early March.

Tour dates:

February
25 - Hamburg, Germany - Rock Cafe
26 - Weinheim, Germany - Café Zentral
27 - Berlin, Germany - K17
28 - Wroclaw, Poland - Liverpool Club
29 - Krakow, Poland - Rotunda Club

March
1 - Bratislava, Slovakia - Randal Club
2 - Budapest, Hungary - Dürer Kert
3 - Vienna, Austria - Escape Metalcorner
4 - Munich, Germany - Backstage
5 - Oberhausen, Germany - Helvete

 



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SKID ROW played its first concert with South African-born, British-based vocalist ZP Theart (DRAGONFORCE, TANK, I AM I) earlier tonight (Saturday, February 13) as part of a private event at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut. Co-headlining tonight's show was SLAUGHTER.

A couple of short video clips of SKID ROW on stage with ZP Theart can be seen below. Another video is available at Periscope.

Theart's involvement with SKID ROW was exclusively reported by BLABBERMOUTH.NET on December 31.

SKID ROW has not yet officially named Theart as the permanent replacement for singer Tony Harnell (ex-TNT), who quit the band in December.

Theart's band I AM I was the support act for SKID ROW on their April 2013 tour of the United Kingdom. The trek ended in great style at a sold-out Islington Academy on April 13, 2013, with members of SKID ROW, I AM I and fellow support band BUFFALO SUMMER getting up on stage to sing the final SKID ROW song "Youth Gone Wild".

A founding member of DRAGONFORCE, Theart made four studio albums and a live record with the band and toured the world for a decade, eventually performing to audiences of up to 85,000 people. His time with the group also saw him nominated for a Grammy in 2009. After his departure from DRAGONFORCE in 2010, ZP worked tirelessly to put together his own group and, after catefully handpicking a set of expert musicians, the result was one of the most exciting new rock bands of 2012, I AM I. A promotional single entitled "Silent Genocide" in the summer was followed by the release of a debut album, "Event Horizon", in September 2012.

Harnell announced his departure from SKID ROW on December 29, 2015, writing on his Facebook page: "I'm sorry to inform everyone that I'm no longer the lead singer for SKID ROW. I thank the fans for their love and support!" He added in a separate post a couple of hours later: "I was not fired from SKID ROW. I quit. Being ignored and disrespected isn't my thing. I had a great time performing with the band and singing so many great songs. I don't regret a thing!"

SKID ROW later said in a statement that they "found out about [Tony's] decision the same way all of [the fans] did, via his post on social media. He had posted that he was no longer in the band before informing the band personally." They added: "That being said, we are all moving forward and wish Tony the best in his future endeavors.

Harnell made his live debut with SKID ROW on May 22, 2015 at Living Sky Casino in Swift Current, Saskatchewan, Canada.

He officially joined SKID ROW in April 2015 as the replacement for Johnny Solinger, who was the band's frontman for fifteen years.

Houston, Texas-based progressive metallers, Oceans Of Slumber, are streaming the new track “Turpentine”, from their debut Century Media release, Winter.

Says the band: "... and now to the other side of what we do, we bring you all the boudoir vibe and the delta blues sounds of “Turpentine”. A song that combines our furthest influences with our most primal, this is the opposite side of our extreme metal leanings and our prog tendencies and the ultimate result of the Bayou City that helped spawn what we are today."

The cover art for Winter was gracefully imagined by Costin Chioreanu over at Twilight 13 Media (At The Gates, Katatonia, Grave, Arcturus).

Tracklisting:

“Winter”
“Devout”
“Nights In White Satin”
“Lullaby”
“Laid To Rest”
“Suffer The Last Bridge”
“Good Life”
“Sunlight”
“Turpentine”
“Apologue”
“How Tall The Trees”
“... This Road”
“Grace”

“Suffer The Last Bridge” video:

“Winter” video:

"The time has come and we're more than excited to release this first glimpse into our new record Winter. We wanted to reveal ourselves a bit more and try to capture the energy of the band in UltraHD. We've put every bit of our heart and souls into this record and can't wait to start this journey with everyone." states the band on the forthcoming album.

Winter will see a synced, worldwide release date of Friday, March 4th. Pre-order the album now at iTunes. Digital pre-orders will come with both "Winter" and "Suffer The Last Bridge" as instant-grats. Physical pre-orders with exclusive t-shirt bundles are available here.

The Century Media newcomers caught the attention of the masses with their previously released Blue EP, which featured re-imaginings of classic tracks from seminal artists such as Candlemass, Led Zeppelin, Emperor and Pink Floyd, as well as two originals that served as teasers of what was to come. This extended play highlights the undeniably epic wall of sound that has become the Texans' trademark.

Lineup:

Cammie Gilbert – Vocals
Anthony Contreras – Guitar
Sean Gary – Guitar
Keegan Kelly – Bass
Uaeb Yelsaeb - Synthesizers
Dobber Beverly – Drums



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Omer Cordell, the mastermind behind Canadian metal project Trailight featuring vocalist Dave Padden (ex-Annihilator) and drummer Ryan van Poederooyen (Devin Townsend Project), has checked in with the following update:

"Third and final teaser of 'The Weeping Song' before I release the full version. I had the pleasure of working with my good friend Adrian Windsor of the Australian band Flood Of Rain. Adrian provided the piano and some of the orchestration to the song and so, considering how incredible it sounds with the orchestration and piano alone, I will be releasing two versions of the song! Getting very close now!"

Trailight recently released an official video for the song "Open Doors" from the debut, The Primitive Mountain:

Cordell recently spoke with BraveWords scribe Carl Begai about Trailight. Following is an excerpt from the interview.

“When I was first starting to think about doing this project, considering the vibe and riffs I was coming up with – ‘A Thousand Years’ was the first song I wrote – I knew who I wanted to play drums on it. Ryan has known me as a photographer for years, so when I called him up it was like ‘This may come as a surprise, but I’m making music now…’ (laughs). I asked if he’d be interested in playing on it and he wanted to hear the demos, but he had a bunch of touring to finish with Devin and then record the DVP double album. After that he had time to do my stuff.”

“Ryan came back from Devin’s album recording, learned my songs in about a week or 10 days, we had one day of pre-production where I had a chance to hear what he would be doing in the studio. Three days later we were in the studio and 10 hours later he was done recording. When we were finished I knew why I’d gotten Ryan to do it. He not only fits stylistically, he was also such an immense help with the whole process. I was basically flying blind. I’d been to the studios lots of times back when Strapping was around to take photos, but I’d never actually recorded in one before, so Ryan was helpful in guiding me.”

Cordell also took on outside help to produce The Primitive Mountain, a long and drawn out process that slowly deteriorated as the songs were being mixed. He eventually opted to take on the task of mixing and mastering himself; a daunting task on one hand, but the only option left if the album was going to live up to his expectations. Rather than a play-by-play of events, Cordell channels Metallica to sum up the situation.

“As far as the mix of the album, the first batch of songs that I sent you sound like St. Anger, and the final mixes sound like the Black album.”

Go to this location for the complete story.

The complete tracklist for The Primitive Mountain is as follows:

"Open Doors"
"Sentient Beings Pt. 1 - The Dim Future Of Our Distant Past"
"Sentient Beings Pt. 2 - All That We Are" 
"We Are The Ocean"
"Frail Human Form"
"The Primitive Mountain"
"Passer By"
"A Thousand Years"
"Navarino"
"Beyond The Rubicon"

Cordell released a 30 minute behind-the-scenes look at the production earlier this year, which can be viewed below. For information on Trailight go to this location.

Photo by Greg Rakozy



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A masterpiece of raw and rabid, deadly thrashing madness is going to return as a stunning reissue on March 11th via Century Media Records: Morbid Saint's Spectrum Of Death. Originally recorded in the late ‘80s and produced by Eric Greif (Acrophet, Num Skull, Viogression), the 1990 released album by the Wisconsin thrashers offers a vicious and intense mix of early Slayer, Kreator, Dark Angel, and Destruction that has not lost any of its violent impact.

Check out the tracks “Final Exit” and "Crying For Death" from the upcoming release:

Morbid Saint originally formed on November 1st, 1984, shared stages with the likes of Death, Dark Angel, Acrophet, and many more. After a never fully realized second album, the band performed its final show in 1993 and disbanded. Morbid Saint reformed in 2010 and the band has been ravaging stages worldwide since then.

For this release, founding member Jay Visser (guitar) dug deep into his personal archive and excavated tons of rare photos, flyers as well as audio material hardly anyone has ever heard before/

After a series of low-key reissues and shabby bootlegs, Spectrum Of Death will now be released on vinyl replicating the original sleeve design with an extensive LP-sized booklet telling you the full history of the band and including rare visual material as well as 2CD and digital. The latter two will be released under the title Spectrum Of Death (Extended Edition) and contain everything, Morbid Saint have recorded so far including the rough mix of the unreleased, often bootlegged second album, Destruction System, various tracks recorded in 2010 and 2012 plus a previously unreleased early ‘90s demo, of which only 50 copies were ever made.

Jay Visser explains the history behind this long lost obscurity:

"The unreleased demo never even had a proper title we just called it ‘the black tape’, kind of ripping off Metallica's famous album. It was recorded shortly after we had done ‘Destruction System’ in the studio back in 1992. As some of you might know, ‘Destruction System’ only existed as a quick rough mix, which we got from the studio to listen to as a basis to think over doing possible adjustments or redo any tracks that we didn't like before finishing the mix. At that point, we were over budget with about $500 USD and didn't have the money to finish the album. So we recorded the demo on a four-track recorder in my basement, and sold about 35-40 copies to cover some of the money we owed the studio. By the time we had enough cash to return and finish the album, the studio was already out of business, and all assets were seized by the bank resulting in all the track tapes being lost (including the master/track tapes for Spectrum Of Death). For Century Media's reissue, we digitalized also a copy of this particular demo, and it was fantastically restored especially for this release! Enjoy!"

Whereas the Spectrum Of Death album was specially mastered for vinyl, and hardly touched to preserve its original sound, all other tracks have been carefully restored and remastered by Patrick W. Engel / Temple Of Disharmony (Iced Earth, Grave, Morgoth, Massacra) to ensure a most pleasant, violent listening experience.

Tracklisting:
Limited 2CD Digipak / Digital album:

CD1
“Lock Up Your Children”
“Burned At The Stake”
“Assassin”
“Damien”
“Crying For Death”
“Spectrum Of Death”
“Scars”
“Beyond The Gates Of Hell”

Destruction System Demo (1992)
“Destruction System”
“Disciples Of Discipline”
“Sign Of The Times”
“Living Misery”

CD2 (Destruction System Rough Mix)
“Intro”
“Destruction System”
“Darkness Unseen”
“Depth Of Sanity”
“Disciples Of Discipline”
“Spectrum Of Death II”
“Halls Of Terror”
“Living Misery’
“Sign Of The Times”
“Final Exit”

Recordings 2011
“Intro / Death Before Dawn”
“Thrashaholic” (first song ever written by the band in ’85)

Recordings 2010
“Dying Day”
“Life’s Blood / Outro”

LP:

Side A
“Lock Up Your Children”
“Burned At The Stake”
“Assassin”
“Damien”

Side B
“Crying For Death”
“Spectrum Of Death”
“Scars”
“Beyond The Gates Of Hell”



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Heavy Metal Greg has uploaded video footage of BLACK SABBATH's February 11 concert at The Forum in Inglewood, California. Check out the clips 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.

Former and current members of FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH, IN THIS MOMENT and SKINLAB have joined forces in a new band called INVIDIA. The group is currently putting the finishing touches on its debut album at a studio in Las Vegas with producer Logan Mader, who has previously worked with FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH, DEVILDRIVER, GOJIRA and CAVALERA CONSPIRACY, among others.

INVIDIA is:

Travis Johnson (IN THIS MOMENT) - Vocals Brian Jackson (SKINLAB) - Guitar Matt Snell (FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH) - Bass Chris Hamilton (BLOODSIMPLE, DOWNSET) – Drums

In a recent interview with Notorious Photography, Travis stated about how INVIDIA was formed: "This all came together super fast and super flawless. I guess stars kind of aligned, really. I put something up online and Brian hit me up. He said, 'Dude, I'd be totally down t do some work together,' and that kind of thing. And I was, like, 'You know what? I totally miss singing. And I'm totally down for that.'"

He continued: "The funny thing is, everybody that's involved in this project as of now has worked together at different times except for me and Brian. So it's almost funny. It was like this circle that was just missing a piece for it all to connect. So once me and Brian got together, the whole circle came together, and within six weeks, this whole record's done, completely recorded, everybody's in place. And it's almost super ironic the way it all came together."

Travis, who still plays bass in IN THIS MOMENT, added: "We're all super excited about this project. I'm stoked to be singing again. I love playing bass, obviously, but I've been a singer for a long fucking time. I just took a huge break, so it's good to be able to kind of get back into it and kind of have my cake and eat it too, and be on both sides."

Regarding INVIDIA's musical direction, Travis said: "The heavy stuff is kind of ingrained from my upbringing with metal [and listening] to PANTERA and SLAYER and all that stuff. But, you know, [as I have been] branching out and getting older and enjoying good choruses, good songs and strong song structures and whatnot, I've kind of come to appreciate melody and that kind of thing as well. And as far as LIMP BIZKIT and stuff, I've always loved the rap-rock genre and just the tongue-in-cheek kind of 'fun-ness' of it. So we kind of took everything that we were influenced by and kind of put it in this project, and just not really pigeonholing it to any specific thing, doing what feels right. And we're all super happy with it. I mean, there's elements across the board that, I think, everybody's gonna dig and we definitely dig."

Added Brian: "I think there's gonna be a lot of people pretty surprised, honestly. There's so many different elements that are involved with this record, with all the different people, especially with Logan being involved; it's been amazing to work with him, having him help to co-write a lot of stuff, and he's bringing a lot of ideas to the table. It just all seems to be working."

In a recent interview with Full Metal Jackie, MEGADETH leader Dave Mustaine spoke about his relationship with the band's latest addition, Brazilian guitarist Kiko Loureiro, best known for his work with ANGRA. He said (hear audio below): "Well, I think when you get around somebody that's great, you have a few choices. You can either roll up into a ball and just die, or you can see what you can learn, or you can say, 'You know what? I'm as good as you are.' And I'm good at what I do, Kiko's good at what he does.

He continued: "It was super exciting to be in [Kiko's] presence and to learn a lot of the stuff that he does. I showed him some stuff, he showed me some stuff. But I've gotta tell you, probably the most rewarding feeling out of all this is having a partner again. Because for a long time, it hasn't really felt like there was a partnership."

Mustaine went on to say: "When the Drovers were together, Shawn [Drover, former MEGADETH drummer] and Glen [Drover, former MEGADETH guitarist] were brothers, so they had that blood thing, where they hung out together a lot. And the guitar player that we've had outside of the relationship I had with [Chris] Poland in the beginning, which was totally drug-oriented, and with Marty [Friedman, former MEGADETH guitarist] with the 'Rust In Peace' years, I haven't really had that friendship with a guitar player for a very long time, which, I think, probably is the best thing out of this. Because when you look over somebody on stage and you're laughing and you're having a good time, that means a lot versus when you look over at somebody on stage and you're thinking, 'You know what? I just don't like you.' And I've never really had that overwhelming feeling where I've looked at anybody while I'm playing and thought that. I'm sure back during the day with Chris [Poland] and Gar [Samuelson, former MEGADETH drummer], when we were trying to kill each other, I probably felt like that. But, you know, it's great to be able to look over and see Chris [Adler, current MEGADETH drummer] and Junior [MEGADETH bassist David Ellefson] and Kiko and just be happy."

Kiko recently told Music Radar that he picked up a lot of new things while jamming with Mustaine. "He has such an interesting and unique style of playing," Loureiro said. "I was kind of not sure I could really play it the same way. He showed me many guitar tricks. Because he is self-taught, the way he plays is different to everybody else. I got to learn how to really play the thrash metal riffs from the source. Y'know, Mustaine. It was a great experience. Although I was intimidated in a way, I knew it would be a very good learning moment for me, to really learn from Mustaine, who created this style, who created this way of playing thrash metal riffs."

Kiko also said that a time eventually came during the songwriting process for MEGADETH's new album, "Dystopia", where he felt comfortable offering his input.

"If an idea doesn't work for a song or doesn't work for the concept, that's all good, let's bring another one," Kiko said. "And that's the way you can be creative and help through the whole process of creating an album. I had to understand what was cool, what was not, what belongs in MEGADETH. If you know the concept, where to go, it's easier to record a solo. You just go in there and improvise and something cool is going to happen."

"Dystopia" debuted at No. 3 on The Billboard 200, having shifted 49,000 equivalent album units in the week ending January 28.

In terms of pure album sales, "Dystopia" opened with 48,000 copies, marking MEGADETH's highest-charting album since 1992's "Countdown To Extinction" debuted and peaked at No. 2 on the chart dated August 1 of that year. "Dystopia" also logged the group's best sales week since 2007, when "United Abominations" landed at No. 8 with first-week sales of 54,000.

Interview (audio):

MÖTLEY CRÜE guitarist Mick Mars has released a 39-second snippet of a new song apparently called "Gimme Blood". The track, which was recorded at Blackbird Studio in Nashville, Tennessee, also features former MÖTLEY CRÜE singer John Corabi, who was featured on the band's 1994 self-titled album.

Mars previously posted a couple of photos from Blackbird on his Facebook page and wrote: "What a great great time I'm having creating new, fresh, greasy LOUD-ASS, slamming music."

During a March 2014 appearance on Eddie Trunk's show "Trunk Nation" on SiriusXM's Hair Nation, Mars stated about his solo plans: "I can honestly say that I am going to release at least an EP. As far as a whole album right now, I won't release a whole album 'till I think every single one of my songs is an 'A' song. And I've got a shitload of songs, and they're all 'B' songs, 'C' songs… I'll give them to, like, baby bands coming up, TV commercials, movies, soundtracks, whatever the heck, but I will not put them on my record until I believe in my heart that they're 'A' songs, that when you hear them, you have to have all of them. You know what I mean? No fillers. If I hear a filler in there or anything I think is a filler? No. But then, who am I to judge? Then you release singles."

He continued: "I have about six songs… I mean, I have way, way more than that, but they're all, like… to me, they don't matter. They're laying there. I mean, stacks. And I have a studio in my house, of course, and I go down there almost every day. And just in the past week or so, I've written six new songs which I believe are pretty much on their way to being 'A' songs. But I just need someone to come in and help me, not arrange, by any means… I know what I'm hearing and I know what I wanna hear. It's, like, [I need] a guy to help me [lay vocals on top of it]… 'cause I'm not a singer."

Asked what he planned on doing after MÖTLEY CRÜE retired from touring, Mars told Edmonton, Alberta, Canada's 100.3 The Bear radio station: "A solo record. People have been asking me for that for years and years and years. And 'Why hasn't Mick written a book?' So that, of course, is gonna be in the works. I haven't started anything or figured out who I want to write with me, or help me write it. But doing that kind of a thing. Putting together, probably, a cool band with some cool friends of mine and stuff, and going out and doing some… you know, a few weeks here and a few weeks there, touring… but not as the MICK MARS BAND; I won't do that. [Laughs] You'll see, like, a name, and you'll go, 'Hey, who's that?' 'I don't know' That's the name of the band."

In a September 2012 interview with Jacky Bam Bam of the 93.3 WMMR radio station in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Mars spoke about his long-rumored solo album of R&B, soul, and blues songs, which he had asked American R&B and soul singer-songwriter Macy Gray to guest on. "I would love to have Macy Gray sing stuff for me," he said. "What I have in mind is not like your shuffle beat kind of blues, it's more of an Etta James kind of blues. If you listen to the first Paul Butterfield album, with Sam Lay playing drums, there's not a shuffle in it. He takes the drums and he does a whole different thing with them. I want lots of movement in the rhythm, so you can't help but move. Like a Macy Gray voice on it, or Andy Garcia — people like that are, to me, they're fabulous singers. Not that I wanna do a hodgepodge of singers and stuff, but to [have them] guest on a couple of songs would be very cool."

In another 2012 interview, Mars stated about MÖTLEY CRÜE's 1994 self-titled album: "I thought that was probably… To me, and I can only speak for me, I think that was probably the best album we've done. Musical-wise, the songs, I felt, were strong. And just musically, to me, it was, I guess, my BEATLES 'White Album'; that's kind of how I feel about that one. I'm not saying that any of my other albums are crummy or anything like that — I love every album that we did — but that one just has a special thing for me."

MÖTLEY CRÜE drummer Tommy Lee echoed Mick's sentiments, telling Australia's Beat about the CD: "It's huge. Honestly, dude, it's one of my favorite CRÜE records. Sonically, the songs and the playing on that record is gnarly. We worked our asses off on that record. We had so much to prove: Vince was gone, we had a new singer who also plays guitar and writes and he brought a whole new element to this. But once fans are used to a certain thing, they just didn't want to know about any other version of MÖTLEY CRÜE. That's understandable, but when you break it down, that record still sounds rad today."

AEROSMITH singer Steven Tyler was one of the performers who took part in a concert Monday night (February 8) during the 2016 Country Radio Seminar in Nashville, Tennessee. Also appearing at Big Machine Label Group's show were A THOUSAND HORSES, THE CADILLAC THREE and Drake White.

Joined by his Nashville-based band LOVING MARY, Tyler sang his recently released country-flavored singles "Red, White & You" and "Love Is Your Name", along with select AEROSMITH classics like "Walk This Way" and "Cryin'". He also performed a cover of "Piece Of My Heart".

Released last month, "Red White & You" is a glorious illustration of how to weave the famous slide guitar and banjo-jangling sounds of country with the huge radio-friendly choruses that have been synonymous of Tyler's highly prolific musical career to date. Produced by Tyler himself, along with one of country music's finest session players Dann Huff (Michael Jackson, Taylor Swift, Celine Dion), the track was also co-written with Nathan Barlowe, Levi Hummon and Jon Vella.

In May 2015, Tyler released his first country single, "Love Is Your Name", which reached #1 on the Billboard Country Streaming Songs chart.

Tyler's full-length country debut is tentatively due later in the year. The singer will also perform alongside LOVING MARY for two nights in March at the Niagara Fallsview Casino in Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada.

The "Love Is Your Name" clip was filmed just outside Nashville and was previewed on ABC's "Good Morning America" before it went live online. The track was written by Lindsey Lee and Eric Paslay.

Tyler spoke to ABC News Radio about his appreciation for modern country music. He said: "I think country music is the new rock 'n' roll. I mean, you can listen to the lyrics, you can really get into it, just as you could get into 'Stairway To Heaven'. Country's not just about porches, dogs and kicking my boots up. It's a whole lot more, but it's about being real. You know, the world's gone so far away from that. I hope it comes back."

On February 9, Rustyn Rose of Metalholic.com conducted an interview with SLAYER drummer Paul Bostaph. You can now listen to the chat in the YouTube clip below. A couple of excerpts follow (transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET).

On the setlist for SLAYER's upcoming tour with TESTAMENT and CARCASS:

Bostaph: "I'm not sure if you'll see anything that's totally obscure per se, but we have so many songs that are at our disposal right now in terms of just what we can play as a band that you never know what we're gonna come up with. We're dusting off a few songs, I think, this week. Kerry [King, guitar] and I are getting together. And you might hear a few things you haven't heard for a while.

"I always says it's a great problem to have, but what song do you take out of the setlist to put something obscure in? You know, you take one song out and people are ticked off that you didn't play that song that night. What I mean by it's a great problem to have is the band has so many great songs, from a fan's perspective, which I've had that perspective. I mean, Jeez, over the course of time, it's like… you take 'Seasons In The Abyss' out, and that would be the song you wanted to hear that night, 'cause you put in something else. So it's a good problem to have."

On the making of SLAYER's latest album, "Repentless":

Bostaph: "It was a little strange. Part of it is that it was kind of business as usual in a way. The strangest part about it was probably… it wasn't technology or anything. The things that were familiar was the fact that I've done it with this band before. I know the drill per se. But the other side of it was, in my absence from the band, I'd recorded albums with TESTAMENT and EXODUS and been a bunch of different places, jammed with a bunch of different people, and I was able to draw from all those experiences on this record, which I didn't have on any previous record I've done with the band before. And those experiences, I think, have made me a better drummer than I have been in the past, in my opinion. But also, the obvious thing was we didn't have [late SLAYER guitarist] Jeff [Hanneman] with us. So typically, when I'd be in the studio in the past… I knew how to read what was making the guys excited about my drum tracks. And since Jeff wasn't with us, at times I'd have to… I was thinking of Jeff more than I probably ever would have. If he was in the room, I probably wouldn't have thought about him at all until he said something. You know what I mean? But now, he's always in the back of my mind. Part of it was I wanted to do honor to the album to honor Jeff. And then part of it was, 'Well, what would Jeff think about this?' He was still in the room. So that's probably what was the strangest part about it."

On whether he feels like he had something to prove on "Repentless":

Bostaph: "You know, I don't think I had something to prove on this album; I didn't feel like I did. I just felt like this was an important record. And I felt like, again, since we lost Jeff, to honor Jeff. I don't think I had anything to prove. Personally, I think I don't have to prove anything to anybody but myself. I think that whole attitude about having something to prove, that's when I was younger, and I did. And don't get me wrong: I'm not resting on my laurels. I think now I approach it differently. Instead of having something to prove, I think I wanna have fun playing drums, and I think that's the difference. I want that to define my playing now. Because, for me, I started out playing drums, and it was fun; I was excited about it. And, you know, along the way, you've got something to prove. It's this journey or emotion and what we as people sometimes do. I think ultimately, I think, the guys that I really enjoy playing look like they're having a blast while they're doing it and it looks fun. And though all the time I've been playing, and my journey in being in other bands and being with this band and then coming back to this band, I think ultimately the one thing I want out of playing the drums is to have fun. My opinion has always been, if you're not having fun doing something, don't do it."

SLAYER's tour with TESTAMENT and CARCASS is scheduled to kick off on February 19 in Chicago, Illinois.

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, 2015.

The Billboard 200 chart ranks the most popular albums of the week based on multi-metric consumption, which includes traditional album sales, track equivalent albums (TEA) and streaming equivalent albums (SEA).

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

"Repentless" was released on September 11, 2015 via Nuclear Blast.