During a December 6 interview with AndrewHaug.com, Australia's first-ever dedicated 24/7 rock and metal online radio station launched by Andrew Haug, the former host of Triple J Australia's "The Racket" radio show (originally "Full Metal Racket"; 2001-2011), former SEPULTURA frontman Max Cavalera was asked for his opinion on his brother Igor's recent statement that the ex-SEPULTURA drummer "really hopes" that the group's classic lineup can one day reunite.

"I was actually kind of surprised, 'cause I thought the topic kind of died out," Max said (hear audio below). "I actually lost all kinds of hope for it. Honestly, today, I don't see it happening, just because of how our lives are and how those guys' [the other members of SEPULTURA's classic lineup] lives are; it's a pretty different world. We live in completely different worlds from those guys. And I think it's not the same. It won't be the same. The magic is gone. And I don't think a reunion would be the best thing for SEPULTURA. I honestly don't think it would. I kind of prefer [for] it to stay like this and leave the memory how it was."

He continued: "It was a great band [that] did great stuff. I'm proud of the records [I made with SEPULTURA]. And you can go to YouTube and check out all the old videos and how great it was, and kind of leave it like that. And then [we can] do other stuff — like KILLER BE KILLED and CAVALERA CONSPIRACY and SOULFLY — that we are plenty busy with."

Max added: "[But] I was actually surprised [by] that comment [from] Igor, because I don't really see it happening myself, unfortunately."

Igor left SEPULTURA in June 2006 due to "artistic differences." His departure from the band came five months after he announced that he was taking a break from SEPULTURA's touring activities to spend time with his second wife and their new son (who was born in January 2006).

In 1996, Max exited SEPULTURA after the rest of the band fired Max's wife Gloria as their manager.

SEPULTURA guitarist Andreas Kisser said in a September 2014 interview that all the talk of a reunion of the band's classic lineup was "a pain in the ass," and added that the band was angered by "all the pressure of this reunion bullshit, especially coming from that side, especially Max and Gloria always touching that subject."

He continued: "You know, since [Max] left the band, we are used to deal with that, but there's a time that it's enough. I mean, in the end, it was his choice to leave the band; we never fired anybody, we just fired our manager — we fired Gloria — but we never fired Max or Igor or [ex-SEPULTURA drummer] Jean [Dolabella]. Everybody left the band because they didn't feel it was the right place to be. And that's fine. You cannot [force] anybody to be there just to be there as a puppet."

In a brand new interview with JoeDaly.net, FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH drummer Jeremy Spencer was asked where he saw the band's sound going next following the release of last year's double album, "The Wrong Side Of Heaven And The Righteous Side Of Hell".

"I'm not sure," he responded. "We always try to do things a little differently than the time before, but without being drastically different. We are who we are and I don't see us doing something so left turn that people are going, What is that? I just don't see that. We sound like what we sound like and I'm excited to see where it goes, honestly."

He continued: "I love making new records, and feeling the energy, seeing how everyone has grown and all that. We do try to push ourselves and experiment a little here and there. We have to keep it fresh for ourselves.

"We started recording [some new material] already and we did a couple tracks so far. After the holiday break we're going back in the studio for the long haul and hopefully have something out by summer. Obviously we'll be touring in the spring, so if we can finish by spring, it would be great but we'd like to get something finished by summer and get something out by the end of the summer if we can."

Regarding what the new FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH songs sound like, Spencer said: "I'm digging it, man. It's actually more brutal, with more extreme dynamics. There are some really mellow parts and then some really brutal parts. So we're running the whole gamut of sounds."

FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH released "The Wrong Side Of Heaven And The Righteous Side Of Hell" in two parts last year, with the first arriving in July 2013 and the second following in November 2013. The first half alone has sold more than 443,000 copies in the U.S.

After a nearly sold-out headline tour in Europe this past spring, FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH will make its return to the continent as special guests on the European leg of JUDAS PRIEST's "Redeemer Of Souls" 2015 tour next June. The run kicks off in Helsinki, Finland on June 4 and takes the band all across Europe, winding up in Lodz, Poland on June 27, 2015.

Former NIGHT RANGER guitarist Joel Hoekstra, who recently joined WHITESNAKE as the replacement for Doug Aldrich, spoke to the Myglobalmind webzine about the status of the recording sessions for WHITESNAKE's new studio album, tentatively due early next year.

"There is a litte bit of work to do, recording-wise, in terms of overdubs," he said. "We are very close to sticking a fork into it and entering into mix mode. I am heading out to [singer] David's [Coverdale] here shortly and we are shifting into promo gear for a bit. Pictures and videos and things of that nature."

Speaking about the direction of the new WHITESNAKE material, Joel said: "The only thing that I can tell you is that it is really cool. It's great, straight-ahead rock and roll. Blues-inspired rock that you have known and grown to love coming from WHITESNAKE."

He continued: "We are not going to hit anybody with a formula change and move to smooth jazz.

"Working with David so far has been great; he is just an unbelievably great guy. We get along great, and he is so funny. He puts me at ease and I feel like he just wants me to be myself as a player.

"I am certainly interested in paying homage to all the players that have been through the camp and do my very best to represent historically what made WHITESNAKE so great as well.

"Honestly, a lot of that is still ahead of me. It was really jump immediately into doing this album, so a whole lot of that is just me doing what I do.

"Before the tour next year, when it comes to covering other people's material, is when I will do a lot of shedding on people's styles, if you will."

Asked why he chose to leave NIGHT RANGER to join WHITESNAKE, Joel said: "It doesn't have as much to do with me wanting to leave NIGHT RANGER as much as it was me wanting to take the WHITESNAKE gig.

"I was texting with Doug Aldrich, who is a friend of mine, the night before the news was leaked. He didn't say anything specific to me, but he just said that there was news coming. The next day I woke up, I checked my Twitter and people were suggesting me for a potential replacement for something. I went, 'For what?' I clicked on it and it was for Doug in WHITESNAKE. I thought, "Oh, man, that would be actually a really good fit and be kind of cool.' So just to see what the deal was, I sent off an e-mail to put feelers out and see if there was going to be auditions and anything like that. I did hear back — eventually. [Laughs] Not at first. Then, I think, a couple of well-respected people had put my name forward to David Coverdale. We ended up getting together in late May, just meeting and a little bit of auditioning, so to speak. A little bit of playing on some pre-production. That went fantastic and we got along great, which is always important. Really, at that point he just said, 'Why don't you come back and play on the album in August?' At that point, I just thought, 'Well, we have got this penciled in, more or less, and we will see how it goes.' I just kept things quiet and when I went back out in August, I really started to get enthused playing on the album. I got along great with David and Reb [Beach, guitar] working on that. Reb and I got some great guitar work done together."

Hoekstra appeared on two NIGHT RANGER studio efforts, 2011's "Somewhere In California" and the recently released "High Road", as well as on 2012's 30th-anniversary acoustic concert set "24 Strings & A Drummer".

Aldrich left WHITESNAKE on May 7, explaining in a statement that he "had several recording and live commitments, so [he] needed a more flexible schedule to conclude these before going full force as normal." He added: "Unfortunately, my schedule was not workable."

Aldrich played on the last two WHITESNAKE studio albums, 2008's "Good To Be Bad" and 2011's "Forevermore", and appeared on several live releases, including last year's "Made In Japan" and "Made In Britain/The World Records".

ASKING ALEXANDRIA has partnered with BitTorrent Bundle to release "Live From Brixton And Beyond" on Monday, December 15, the same day, the 2-disc live concert DVD will be available through all major retailers and at the ASKING ALEXANDRIA webstore. Following in the footsteps of Thom Yorke and Diplo, the group will make the digital version available in the BitTorrent Bundle.

"Sumerian Records is excited to team up with BitTorrent Bundle to allow all the content available on the ASKING ALEXANDRIA physical DVD to be packaged digitally online, where other outlets were unavailable to offer the same service," explains Ash Avildsen, president, Sumerian Records. "More importantly, BitTorrent taking positive steps to help both musicians and labels monetize their art in such a turbulent time in the music biz is both admirable and exciting. They take a small fee for their services and are very favorable to those on the creative side. I'm excited to see what the future holds for Sumerian and BitTorrent Bundle."

The "Live From Brixton And Beyond" 2-disc DVD features: the full live set from ASKING ALEXANDRIA's sold-out Brixton 02 Academy show in London, England; behind-the-scenes and backstage footage from the Brixton 02 Academy show; the unseen "Reckless Halloween" performance filmed at The Wiltern in Los Angeles; and all of the group's music videos and the "Through Sin And Self-Destruction" short film. Watch the "Live From Brixton And Beyond" trailer below.

The riotous, genre-bending U.K.-based rock group, ASKING ALEXANDRIA has released three albums, including their current album "From Death To Destiny" and has toured the world-over. Produced by Joey Sturgis and mixed by veteran rock radio kingmaker David Bendeth (BREAKING BENJAMIN, PARAMORE, OF MICE & MEN), "From Death To Destiny" fully embraces the high-flying sonic excess of MÖTLEY CRÜE, the dark electro of the pre-EDM era and the audio growl of the harder-edged bands they discovered as teenagers. The album debuted at No. 5 on the Billboard Top 200 albums chart, #1 on the Independent Albums Chart in the U.S. and has launched three consecutive Top 20 Active Rock singles to date: "The Death of Me", "Break Down the Walls" and current single "Moving On". Just this week, "Moving On" has hit No. 13 making it the band's highest charting single to date. The "Moving On" video has received over 2.8 million views.

"Live From Brixton And Beyond" 2-disc DVD:

Disc 1 - Live From Brixton track listing:

* Welcome* Closure* A Lesson Never Learned* Breathless* Not the American Average* A Prophecy* If You Can't Ride Two Horses at Once...You Should Get Out of the Circus* Dedication* Someone, Somewhere* Another Bottle Down* Reckless & Relentless* To the Stage* Dear Insanity* Run Free* Morte et Dabo* Alerion * The Final Episode (Let's Change the Channel)

+ Backstage and behind-the-scenes of the sold-out Brixton O2 Academy concert



Disc 2 - The Wiltern "Reckless Halloween" show track listing is as follows:

* Welcome* Closure* A Lesson Never Learned* Not the American Average* I Was Once, Possibly, Maybe, Perhaps A Cowboy King* Morte et Dabo* Alerion* The Final Episode (Let's Change the Channel)

+Music Videos

+"Through Sin And Self-Destruction" short film tracklisting:

* Not The American Average* Breathless* The Death of Me* Killing You* Moving On* If You Can't Ride Two Horses At Once...Then You Should Get Out Of The Circus * Run Free* Closure* A Prophecy* The Final Episode (Let's Change The Channel)

Ex-QUEENSRŸCHE singer Geoff Tate says that he is approaching the songwriting sessions for the forthcoming debut album from his OPERATION: MINDCRIME project in a very different way to how he used to compose music for his former band.

"I'm doing a trilogy album," Tate told the "10songs" podcast. "And it's three records, and I'm recording all of it at once and then releasing it over a three-year period, one album per year."

He continued: "It's a story. It's a complete story in three parts. It's kind of a really unique story, and I'm sorry I can't really talk about it right now, but it's kind of set in an international location — different places around the world.

"What I'm trying to do is create music that kind of puts you in that place using instruments or melodies or sounds that are indigenous to the place where the story is taking place."

Named after QUEENSRŸCHE's epic concept album from 1988, "Operation: Mindcrime", Tate's new band includes Rudy Sarzo (OZZY OSBOURNE, WHITESNAKE), Simon Wright (AC/DC, DIO), Randy Gane (MYTH), Kelly Gray (QUEENSRYCHE 1998 - 2001, 2012 - 2014) and Robert Sarzo (QUEENSRYCHE 2012 - 2014).

Asked if the OPERATION: MINDCRIME album will be a band situation or more of a solo release, Tate said: "I'm in kind of a unique position now where I can work with who I want to work with. And I'm not in that band situation where it all has to be democratic and that kind of thing anymore. I respect that and I was part of that for many years. But I'm really enjoying the freedom of having different players play with me and sit in. It's really inspiring."

According to Tate, the diminishing music sales in the streaming age have enabled him to throw out the rules book when it comes to songwriting and use his creativity to the fullest extent possible.

"This new album I'm working on, I'm approaching it very differently than I've ever approached any album before," Tate said.

"It's always been in my head to create music based on a commercial attangement — intro, verse, chorus, solo… that kind of thing. Just because my band always wrote music for radio, and [with] radio you had to conform to a format and a standard in order to get [the songs] on the radio. And I suddenly realized one day that, well, this album, it's not gonna be played on the radio. It won't be, because there's no money to promote it on the radio. So why am I following that same format? And all of a sudden, I just went, 'Oh my God. I don't have to follow the street signs anymore. I can do whatever I want.' And it was like this revelation. And I feel kind of ridiculous admitting it out loud, but it's true. It's like I saw God all of a sudden. So I've just been writing."

He added: "It's so refreshing to not have to follow this to-minute, three-minute commercial format, arrangement, you know?! So I've been having a great time with it and just exploring melody. Which, I've always loved melody and figuring out variations on melody and I've tried to do that within the song structure since I started out. But in not having to follow this rigid format, it gives me a lot more of a chance… more space to create more melody. So when I get stated on a phrase, I can now take that phrase for two minutes and expand in harmony, or expand it and change it up in a rhythm structure way. So I'm just having a great time."

Swedish death metal act, Demonical, has inked a worldwide record deal with Agonia Records. Spawned in March 2006 by members of Centinex, the band preserves the flame of sheer, traditional death metal with a suitable dose of melodiousness and a damaging portion of unbound darnkess and utter brutality.

Paving the way for a new release, founder and bassist Martin Schulman commented: "We are genuinely thrilled to announce that Demonical have signed a new worldwide record deal with Agonia Records. I have already experienced the pleasure working with Agonia as they released the latest album from Centinex, so when the label approached me about signing Demonical as well it didn’t take me long to make my decision. I’m confident that Agonia’s potential, dedication and strong business knowledge will push Demonical into new heights and be a solid step forward for us on the path to utter death metal darkness".

He further added: "I would hereby also like to thank the entire Cyclone Empire crew for all the past years and for bringing us where we are today. Your support will not be forgotten."

 

 

With four full-length albums having climbed high at reader-polls in several magazines, international tours and festival exclusives, Demonical will strike again in 2015.

The band's latest album, Darkness Unbound, was released in 2013 on Cyclon Empire in Europe and Metal Blade Records in North America.

 

METALLICA bassist Robert Trujillo spoke to LA Weekly about his involvement in the making of the documentary film on the life and music of bass legend Jaco Pastorius.

"Jaco - A Documentary Film" made its debut as a "work in progress" on October 6 at the Mill Valley Film Festival. The film features interviews with several high-profile musicians, including Joni Mitchell, and tells the story of Pastorius, a self-taught, larger-than-life musician who made almost mythical impact on music and reinvented the electric bass. Jaco brought a level of playing that gave the instrument a powerful and dynamic voice with both edge and beauty.

"Jaco - A Documentary Film" is currently in its final stages of post-production and is in the midst of a fan-funded partnership with Pledge Music.

Speaking about his investment in the project>, Trujillo said: "When you are trying to do it right, it's costly. I've been a part of this film for five years. I've spent a huge chunk of money. It's great because I feel it needs to be done, but I have [other] responsibilities, too."

Of his financial commitment to the film, Trujillo added: "People don’t understand. I didn't write [METALLICA's smash song] 'Enter Sandman'. It's a little different for me."

Directed by Paul Marchand and Stephen Kijak, "Jaco - A Documentary Film" includes interviews with a wide array of legendary musicians, from Herbie Hancock to Wayne Shorter to Joni Mitchell to Bootsy Collins, and was made with the full involvement and cooperation of the Pastorius family. It contains incredible unseen footage and photography procured by Gregory and Johnny Pastorius, providing exclusive archival support to further augment this engaging story.

The filmmakers have chosen PledgeMusic's direct-to-fan platform so as fans can not only be a part of the project but also unlock exclusive updates and content upon pledging. Pledgers can access a variety of unique experiences and cool items.

Like so many other musical greats, Jaco Pastorius died young, only 35, but his legacy has lasted the test of time. With his pioneering techniques, charismatic and outrageous stage performances and his unmistakable singular style, Jaco left behind a musical legacy that has continued to inspire and influence ongoing generations worldwide. Through his critically acclaimed self-titled solo debut album, his work with break-through fusion/jazz group WEATHER REPORT, whose "Heavy Weather" album is one of the best-selling jazz albums of all time, and his collaborations with singer/songwriter Joni Mitchell, Jaco's reputation and influence grew to permeate many musical styles and genres.

Mistress Carrie of the Worcester/Boston, Massachusetts radio station WAAF conducted an interview with SLIPKNOT singer Corey Taylor before the band's December 7 concert at the Tsongas Center in Lowell, Massachusetts. You can now watch the chat below.

Asked whether SLIPKNOT's current stage show is the band's biggest production to date, Taylor said: "It's definitely one of 'em. I call it our IRON MAIDEN stage, because there's so much stuff going on; it's insane. I don't know if it's the biggest. I mean, it's definitely… it's very elaborate. And it's really cool; we've been having fun with it. Hats off to Clown [SLIPKNOT percussionist Shawn Crahan]; he's the one that really designed it and walked it through every step and got it built and everything, and it looks really great. We brought in a whole new lighting company, and it looks incredible on stage."

Regarding whether SLIPKNOT has had any obligatory "Spinal Tap" moments with the new stage during the band's just-completed "Prepare For Hell Tour" with KORN, Taylor said: "No. I haven't, because I don't have anything that moves. They won't give me anything like that because they know I'll jump off it and break myself in half. But I believe Clown and Chris [Fehn, SLIPKNOT percussionist] have moving risers that go up and down and they spin, and the first couple of days, they were breaking down all the way up, and they go ten feet in the air. So they're just kind of, like, 'Cool. I'm not really sure how to get down from here now.' The stairs only go so far and then you kind of have to plummet to get off it. But after that, we kind of worked out the kinks, and it's been good ever since."

The "Prepare For Hell Tour" kicked off on October 29 in El Paso, Texas, just a few days after SLIPKNOT's two-day Knotfest event was held in San Bernardino, California.

Interview:


Peformance:

ANTHRAX members Scott Ian, Charlie Benante and Frankie Bello, who just officially started recording the band's new album, have posted a video message in which they remember late PANTERA and DAMAGEPLAN guitarist "Dimebag" Darrell Abbott on the 10th anniversary of his death. Check it out below.

Back in 2012, Ian stated about Abbott: "[Dimebag's] one of the few people on the planet I've ever seen that was able to drink the way he drank starting at 5 in the afternoon and then get onstage at 9, 9:30 and still rip it up. It just made him loose," King agreed. "It got him in the vibe to play."

Ian also explained why his time with Dimebag was more booze-soaked than any regular old alcohol-fueled metal tour. "My normal rules went out the window when I played with those guys," he said. "I would try to keep it to a minimum and say, 'I'm not doing more than three shots with you before I play.' But then they're walking onstage and handing me drinks in the middle of a set or pouring 'em down your throat. Any time I toured with those guys was the drunkest I've been in my life."

Ian also recalled hitting a strip club with several other metal musicians, including members of KISS and MÖTLEY CRÜE. "I do remember a night in New York where randomly, somehow Frankie [Bello of ANTHRAX], Vinnie Paul [of PANTERA], Darrell, Tommy Lee and Gene Simmons all ended up together at [the strip club] Scores. We ended up in a private room and for three or four hours I'm sitting next to Dime with a stripper on my lap constantly. There never wasn't a girl on my lap and there was always someone refilling my drinks. I remember saying to somebody afterward, 'Who paid for that? What did we do?' And the next day in the New York Post I saw a story, 'Tommy Lee dropped 28 grand at Scores last night.' So I guess I owe Tommy a thank you."

"Dimebag" Darrell Abbott was shot to death along with three others during a DAMAGEPLAN performance at the Alrosa Villa nightclub in Columbus, Ohio in December 2004.

Dimebag was posthumously inducted into the Hollywood RockWalk in May 2007 in a ceremony attended by Vinnie Paul, their father Jerry Abbott and Dimebag's longtime girlfriend, Rita Haney, along with members of ALICE IN CHAINS, ANTHRAX, KISS, SLAYER and Ozzy Osbourne's band.



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Post by Anthrax.

Fans of rock n' roll and Christmas music, your prayers have been answered this holiday season! Los Angeles glam-metal jokesters STEEL PANTHER bring you their first-ever original Christmas track, "The Stocking Song". Check out the official lyric video for the song below.

"The Stocking Song" features STEEL PANTHER's signature hooks and naughty take on the holiday season. It is available for purchase on iTunes and on Amazon; the cover art can be seen below.

"We bring happiness to millions of people around the world. Why not during the holidays?" frontman Michael Starr tells Billboard.com. "We love to spread the love. The holiday season is the best time to pick up strippers at a strip club. The ones that are working on Christmas Eve usually have no family and are really lonely. So it's super easy to take them home and do some kissin' underneath the camel toe."

Adds bassist Lexxi Foxx, "I like the holidays — I like to call them the highlidays. I'm definitely a Christmas kind of guy. For me, it snows all year 'round, if you know what I'm talking about. There's always a bunch of snow, so I'm down with the holiday season. So when you listen to the song it's about all kinds of cool presents you can get your chicks, or a chick, all kinds of bits and stocking stuffers that only we would think of."

Having just wrapped a highly successful run as main support for JUDAS PRIEST in North America last month, STEEL PANTHER will now head out on a North American headlining run beginning this week in Charlotte, North Carolina at The Fillmore. Following the North American headlining dates, the band will be play a series of "Threesomes", two three-night residencies, one in their hometown of Los Angeles and the other in nearby Las Vegas, at the cities' respective House Of Blues venues in February. Asked if opening for JUDAS PRIEST has resulted in STEEL PANTHER changing any aspect of its performance, vocalist Michael Starr told Patch.com: "Not really. We pretty much forge forward the same way we would do it in front of a crowd that knows who we are. We've had a lot of experience playing festivals before a bunch of people that have never seen us and we just do what we do, no matter what. It's challenging too, because you have to realize that just because they're not screaming your songs, it doesn't mean they don't like you. Usually by the end of our show, people are fans or hate us. Nobody leaves our show going, 'They're pretty good.' They just go, 'I hate them' or 'I love them.'" STEEL PANTHER's third album, "All You Can Eat", sold around 13,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to land at position No. 24 on The Billboard 200 chart. The CD arrived in stores on April 1 via Open E/KLS.

San Diego, CA's Cattle Decapitation have spent the last two years promoting Monolith Of Inhumanity. The album debuted at #177 on the Billboard Top 200 chart, which is no small feat for such a heavy act. To follow up the album, Cattle Decapitation will be returning to Dave Otero's Flatline Audio studio in Colorado. Otero was at the helm for both of the band's previous albums, and the collaboration promises to compound on the exercises in melodic extremity that have vaulted Cattle Decapitation to the top of the extreme metal heap. The band is giving fans one final chance to see them live, and to hear new songs, before they begin to track their upcoming album.

Vocalist Travis Ryan explains, "We've been hard at work on the new album for the past year and are currently writing the last song for it! Happy to announce we will be playing this string of shows with our friends Theories. After the shows, we'll spend 5 weeks recording the new album once again with Dave Otero! Don't miss these shows; we will be playing loads of new material at them!"

Dates with Theories:

January
3 – San Diego, CA – Cashbah
5 – Los Angeles, CA – Los Globos
6 – Fresno, CA – Strummer’s
7 – La Habra, CA – 13th Flame
8 – Las Vegas, NV – Divebar

Uriah Heep will release their live concert CD/DVD set Live At Koko February 20th, 2015 in Europe and February 24th in the US. The concert was recorded live in London, UK on March 4th.

Live At Koko tracklisting:

“Against All Odds”
“Overload”
“Traveller In Time”
“Sunrise”
“Stealin’”
“I’m Ready”
“Can’t Take That Away”
“Between Two Worlds”
“One Minute”
“Nail On The Head”
“Into The Wild”
“Gypsy”
“Look At Yourself”
“July Morning”
“Lady In Black”
“Free ‘N’ Easy”
“Easy Livin’”

Tridroid Records has announced the release of Voivod’s last album, 2013’s Target Earth on cassette. The tape is available for purchase on Bandcamp.

Target Earth tracklisting:

Side A
“Target Earth”
“Kluskap O’Kom”
“Empathy For The Enemy”
“Mechanical Mind”
“Warchaic”

Side B
“Resistance”
“Kaleidos”
“Corps Etranger”
“Artefact”
“Defiance”

Texas scorchers Dead Earth Politics, who have twice been voted Best Metal Band by the Austin Chronicle, have announced the March 2015 release of Men Become Gods, the second in a three EP series that began with last year's The Queen Of Steel.
 
Defined by a relentless work ethic and loyalty to their rabid and ever-growing fan base, Dead Earth Politics have launched a perk-laden IndieGoGo pre-order campaign for the EP. Rooted in the notion that music is an art form meant to be shared between artist and audience, supporters can take part in the perpetual rise of Dead Earth Politics and secure a copy of Men Become Gods (and much more) at this location.

Men Became Gods tracklisting:

“Casting Stones”
“Men Became Gods”
“Ice & Fire”
“Crimson Dichotomy”

Teaser video featuring studio footage and comments by the band:

Imminence Records recently signed Virginia’s deathcore/horrorcore outfit, To Be A King. The band will see their debut EP, entitled Fear Not, released tomorrow, December 9th. A full stream can be found below.

The EP features five tracks of heavy, groove filled deathcore mixed with horror elements all topped with a positive message.

 

 

Tracklisting:

"Plagued"
"Fear Not"
"Arkaik"
"Desolation"
"Forgiven"

Fans of guitarist/singer/songwriter Richie Kotzen anxious to hear new music before his next solo album (details of which are forthcoming) should head over to iTunes, where he just released two new singles, “You” and “Cannibals”.
 
“You” was co-written by Richie's daughter, August, who appears in the video below. He explains, “It must have been four years ago and my daughter, who is now 17, was constantly playing this piece of music on the piano. I finally asked her what it was and she said she just made it up. I set up the microphones and recorded her playing for about seven minutes. Years later, I found this on my hard drive and decided to write lyrics to it over this past summer. The end result is what you see and hear in the video. It is one of my favorite things I’ve done and I’m happy to have been able to collaborate on music with my daughter.”

Speaking exclusively to BraveWords, Kotzen discusses this tender tune. "It’s not the lead track per say, but it’s a song that I wrote with my daughter which is a really cool piece. She wrote the music to this song when she was roughly 14 or 15. She would sit at the piano and just play this piece. I asked her, what is that you’re always playing? She said, ‘I don’t know, it’s something I wrote.’ So I set up the mics and recorded it ‘cause I really liked it. It lived on my hard drive for a few years. When I make a new record, I always go back and look at my old ideas. I discovered this and decided to write some lyrics for it. I’m excited that it came together and it’s going to be on the record; I think it’s a really cool recording."

 

“Cannibals” made its debut during his recent three-month solo tour, which started in Europe, taking him through Mexico, Brazil, Argentina, Columbia, and Chile, and concluding with a month-long trek of the US. “I did something I’ve never done before on this tour,” Richie explains, “which is performing an original composition that has yet to be released. The only place you could hear the song "Cannibals" was at the show, and it went over quite well with the fans. Rather than wait to release the song as part of the new album next year, I figured it would be cool to share the studio version now while it’s fresh in the people’s minds who attended my shows. I was able to collect live footage that was shot during the tour and compile a live video to go along with the song.”  

A newly released video can be found below:

 

Shadow Kingdom Records has released More Victims: Demo 2014 on limited edition cassette (100 copies) from Finland's Violent Hammer. The six-track tape is streaming in full below.

This marks Violent Hammer's third and best demo to date. There's a lot of competition in the black and death metal world with bands trying to create something that stands out from the crowd. The SKR label has been very selective when putting out black and death metal and they certainly hear something special in the Violent Hammer sound. They have a certain late 80's thrash / early 90's death metal feel to them. This is intense blasting primitive blackened death metal done right. The songs are quick, hard hitting, and will rip you to the edge of insanity!

The Cassette release is limited to 100, and don't miss out on an officially licensed t-shirt to go along with it. Order the cassette/shirt combo here.
 

 

"Victims Of War"
"Extinction (Nuclear War)"
"Army Of The Damned"
"Craving For Flesh"
"Black Death"
"Life After Nuclear Genocide"

More Victims - Demo 2014 by Violent Hammer

Torche, the Florida-meets-Georgia heavy rock quartet, will release their Relapse Records’ debut, Restarter, on February 24th. The album track, "Minions", can be heard below.

The cover art for Restarter was created by Santos (Kylesa, High On Fire).

 

 

Tracklisting:

"Annihilation Affair"
"Bishop In Arms"
"Minions"
"Loose Men"
"Undone"
"Blasted"
"No Servants"
"Believe It"
"Barrier Hammer"
"Restarter"

"Minions":

Restarter will be released on CD/LP/Deluxe 2xLP/Cassette/Digital. Two bonus tracks, “Harmonslaught” and “Rock ‘N’ Roll Mantasy” are included on deluxe editions. Check out a trailer below, featuring a sample of the track “Annihilation Affair":

Having recently wrapped up a trek to Australia and New Zealand, Torche launch a new round of US dates on December 27th as they join Clutch and Lionize for a brief outing. The band has also announced a spring 2015 European outing. Find the band's live itinerary at this location.

 

Witherscape, the new dark metal outfit formed by Swedish singer, multi-instrumentalist and producer extraordinaire Dan Swanö (ex-Edge Of Sanity/Bloodbath, Nightingale, etc.) together with fellow Swedish multi-instrumentalist Ragnar Widerberg, release The New Tomorrow EP via Century Media Records today, December 8th. The title track can be heard below.

Succeeding last year’s debut album, The Inheritance, which entered the official sales charts in Germany at # 97 upon release, the new EP marks a conceptual and musical bridge between the thick concept of the debut and their upcoming sophomore album, expected for a late 2015 release.

 

 

The New Tomorrow EP tracklisting:

"The New Tomorrow"
"Defenders Of Creation"
"A World Without Heroes"
"Out In The Cold"
"Dead For Another Day"

"The New Tomorrow":

The New Tomorrow contains five unreleased songs: A brand new (title) track, three cover songs (“Defenders Of Creation” by Warrior, “A World Without Heroes” by KISS and “Out In The Cold” by Judas Priest) and “Dead For Another Day” (an extension of the debut album’s “Dead For A Day” single).

It's CD version (10 tracks) also includes special vinyl-mix versions of the same songs as bonus and the Digital Download version (7 tracks) includes another two bonus cover songs (“A Cry For Everyone” by Gentle Giant and “Last Rose Of Summer” by Judas Priest) from the sessions of The Inheritance, which are so far digitally unreleased.

The 12” vinyl version of the EP is playable on 45rpm, is pressed on 180 gr. vinyl and comes either as standard black edition or in the following limited coloured options: Gold (100x, via CM Distro Europe), Transparent Red (200x, via CM Distro Europe) or Neon Orange (100x, via CM Distro USA). Pre-orders will be available soon.

Witherscape’s Dan Swanö checked in to comment on the release as follows: “The new track "The New Tomorrow" is introducing the new main character, "mannen i vitt" (“The man in white”) and the storyline revolves around his quest for the meaning of life and how he wants to make a difference in the world of the forsaken. It is 1950 and he finds this wonderful estate up north and buys it at an auction. He begins the work to turn it into a sanctuary for ones with broken spirits or other disabilities, who need to escape the ever-growing stress of the big city life. The plot will continue on the 2nd full length Witherscape album, which will hopefully be out at the end of 2015.

The cover versions were chosen because they are songs that resonate with us at their very core, but didn’t necessarily have - in our humble opinion - the production or performance to portray their full glory. We gave them the Witherscape treatment and learned a lot from analyzing, performing and recording them. And we will bring that experience with us into the writing for the 2nd album…

The re-make of "Dead For A Day" called "Dead For Another Day" was born out of the idea to let Witherscape make a Witherscape cover and remove all things death and metal to see what it would sound like. We fell in love with the new approach and decided to include it on the EP to show the versatility that can be expected from this band!”

Australia’s The Amity Affliction have released their official video for “Death’s Hand”, taken from their new album, Let The Ocean Take Me. The video captures live performances from the band’s 2014 Australian headline tour and comes on the heels of the band’s recent announcement that they’ll be returning to the UK next year supporting Of Mice & Men, following their recent sold-out headline Let The Ocean Take Me tour.

 

 

Vocalist Joel Birch commented, “The tour just past has been far and away our favourite tour we have ever done in UK/Europe so we are happy to let you know we are coming back next year! We are over the moon to be touring with Of Mice & Men again, the shows are going to be insane, and it’s going to be awesome to catch up with our mates again!”

For more than a decade, The Amity Affliction has used music to entertain while simultaneously confronting the very darkest edges of man’s existence. Severed Ties, 2008’s full-length debut, and 2010’s  follow-up, Youngbloods, instantly established the band’s twisted take, all revved-up rhythms, soaring melodies, and full-bore vocals coming together to fashion something provocative and distinct. Let The Ocean Take Me follows 2012’s Chasing Ghosts which debuted at #1 on the Australian ARIA Chart – the rare rock record to achieve that major milestone – and has since has been certified gold.

III: Östergötland, Death Wolf’s third album, is now available on CD and limited LP, as well as digital download. The album track, "Throntree", is now streaming below.

 

 

III: Östergötland tracklisting:

"Sea Wolf"
"Thorntree"
"Östergötland"
"Wall Of Shields"
"Stegeborg"
"Today King, Tomorrow Dead"
"Horn Pt I: Marching South"
"Horn Pt II: Seeds Of Blood"
"1658"
"Carrion Lord"
"Black Sunlight"
"Vikbolandet"

"Throntree":

“Today King, Tomorrow Dead”:
 

Death Wolf have moderately added some new elements to their deathly blackened punk rock widening the band’s musical horizon and guaranteeing some surprising twists and turns. The new track with its hard rocking main riff and ominous heaviness is a pretty fine example for Death Wolf’s new found variety. On III: Östergötland you will find the band’s by far most captivating and diverse material, ranging from the well-known Samhain-influenced punk rock to the post-apocalyptic crust of Amebix and Bathory/Celtic Frost-like blackness spiced up with a good dose of straight-forward metal.

The vinyl-only Liksjöns Drickare EP, that was released as a foretaste to the new album, can still be purchased at this location.

German death metal veterans MORGOTH have recruited singer Karsten "Jagger" Jäger (DISBELIEF) to replace the band's recently departed longtime vocalist Marc Grewe.

MORGOTH has completed recording its new album, "Ungod", and is mixing the CD for a March 2015 release via Century Media.

A rough-mix teaser of new MORGOTH music straight from the studio featuring Jagger on vocals can be heard below.

MORGOTH in August released a seven-inch EP/digital single titled "God Is Evil" featuring two brand new tracks.

"God Is Evil" is available on black vinyl and limited golden vinyl (300 copies). The powerful artwork was created by Costin Chioreanu, who has previously worked with ARCH ENEMY, GRAVE, DARKTHRONE and many others. MORGOTH released its first-ever live album and DVD, "Cursed To Live", on June 25, 2012 via Century Media Records. The audio tracks were mixed at Unisound Studio in Sweden with Dan Swanö (OPETH, KATATONIA, DISSECTION).

"Cursed To Live" is the documentation of MORGOTH's 20th-anniversary celebration of the band's all-time classic album "Cursed" (released by Century Media Records in 1991). It was released on CD, a limited DVD+2CD as well as a limited deluxe 2LP. The live show featured on the album was recorded at the band's triumphant show headlining Way Of Darkness festival 2011, at which MORGOTH performed an extensive set of 15 songs, with the main focus on the songs off "Cursed". The cover artwork — with an intentional nod to the original "Cursed" art — was designed by the renowned artist Dirk Rudolph (RAMMSTEIN, IN EXTREMO, APOCALYPTICA), who had also created the original artwork for "Cursed".

BLACK STAR RIDERS will release their seond studio album, "The Killer Instinct", in February 2015 via Nuclear Blast. The follow-up to 2013's "All Hell Breaks Loose" was recorded in October at a studio in Nashville, Tennessee with producer Nick Raskulinecz (RUSH, FOO FIGHTERS, ALICE IN CHAINS, MASTODON).

"The Killer Instinct" will be released in different formats: CD, limited 2-CD digibook, limited gatefold black vinyl and limited gatefold clear vinyl (available for mail orders only). BLACK STAR RIDERS frontman Ricky Warwick stated about the "The Killer Instinct" artwork: "It's a bit of a continuation from 'All Hell Breaks Loose'. People will see the link. It's very rock and roll. It's going to look cool." "The Killer Instinct" track listing: Limited 2CD Digibook

01. The Killer Instinct02. Bullet Blues03. Finest Hour04. Soldierstown05. Charlie I Gotta Go06. Blindsided07. Through The Motions08. Sex, Guns & Gasoline09. Turn In Your Arms10. You Little Liar

Bonus CD:

01. Gabrielle02. The Reckoning Day03. The Killer Instinct (Acoustic)04. Blindsided (Acoustic)05. Charlie I Gotta Go (Acoustic)06. Finest Hour (Acoustic) CD

01. The Killer Instinct02. Bullet Blues03. Finest Hour04. Soldierstown05. Charlie I Gotta Go06. Blindsided07. Through The Motions08. Sex, Guns & Gasoline09. Turn In Your Arms10. You Little Liar Limited Gatefold Black Vinyl

Side A

01. The Killer Instinct02. Bullet Blues03. Finest Hour04. Soldierstown05. Charlie I Gotta Go

Side B

01. Blindsided02. Through The Motions03. Sex, Guns & Gasoline04. Turn In Your Arms05. You Little Liar Limited Gatefold Clear Vinyl (Mail Order Only)

Side A

01. The Killer Instinct02. Bullet Blues03. Finest Hour04. Soldierstown05. Charlie I Gotta Go

Side B

01. Blindsided02. Through The Motions03. Sex, Guns & Gasoline04. Turn In Your Arms05. You Little Liar Pre-order your copy of "The Killer Instinct" at this location.

Ricky Warwick stated about the album title: "Life's not fair, never has been, never will. Sometimes you have to live with a killer instinct just to survive in the ongoing pursuit of happiness. Because nobody can do for you what you should be doing for yourself."

The energy in the studio from a year of touring, and BLACK STAR RIDERS gelling as a creative force has resulted in a truly powerful sophomore effort. From the Irish-tinged rock of "Soldierstown" to the balls-out twin guitar riffing of "Sex, Guns & Gasoline", rom the dirty groove of "You Little Liar" to the acoustic "Blindsided", this is a band coming of age. Said BLACK STAR RIDERS guitarist Damon Johnson: "Nick Raskulinecz came riding out of the sunset like a Viking warrior, with his record collection and arsenal of killer guitars and amplifiers and proved to be the world-class producer we had heard so much about. Indeed, the rumors are all true. There's no doubt that Ricky and I had written a sizable number of songs, but Nick patiently walked through the full song list with the entire band and made sure we focused on the material to best represent BLACK STAR RIDERS in 2015." BLACK STAR RIDERS will head out on a co-headline tour of UK and Ireland with EUROPE throughout March 2015.

BLACK STAR RIDERS were one of the first signings to Nuclear Blast Entertainment by Monte Conner — the A&R guru who signed acts such as SLIPKNOT, MACHINE HEAD, SEPULTURA, and RUSH to Roadrunner. Nuclear Blast Entertainment is a new U.S. partnership co-founded by Conner with Nuclear Blast owner Markus Staiger.

"All Hell Breaks Loose" sold around 2,200 copies in the United States in its first week of release. The effort landed at position No. 5 on the Top New Artist Albums (Heatseekers) chart, which lists the best-selling albums by new and developing artists, defined as those who have never appeared in the Top 100 of The Billboard 200.

BLACK STAR RIDERS earlier in the year parted ways with bassist Marco Mendoza and replaced him with Robbie Crane (RATT, VINCE NEIL, LYNCH MOB).

German extraterrestrial heavy rockers, Black Space Riders, have released a new video for "Stare At The Water", a track from their third album, D:REI, which was released earlier this year. Check out the video below:

On D:REI, Black Space Riders are even more colorful, louder, softer, harder, atmospheric, gripping, and above all exalted! D:REI is an exciting journey through rock, metal and psychedelia; the soundtrack to your very own sci-fi epic. The riffs are heavy, inspiring and enduring. The songwriting is classic, the arrangements full of devotion. The two lead vocalists play off each other without seam, interlocking and assuring that the music will lodge in your memory. D:REI is groovy! Sometimes slowly dooming, sometimes oppressively rocking, then irresistibly funky... and suddenly you are dancing around the warp core. And it is all wrapped up in a sound that is natural, transparent, open, yet powerful, and elegant, as it timelessly circumnavigates the retro-trap.

 

 

Is D:REI a concept album? Form your own opinion! Read more about this story of retreat, outbreak, total destruction, escape, transformation and new beginnings at this location.

Black Space Riders have traveled farther than ever before and want you to join the trip! Check out the lyric video for album track "The GOD-Survivor" below:

Black Space Riders are currently writing songs for their fourth album, which will be released in 2015.

IRON MAIDEN drummer Nicko McBrain jammed a few of the band's classic tracks at this past Saturday's (December 6) fifth-anniversary celebration for Rock N Roll Ribs, the barbecue restaurant owned by McBrain and close friend Mitch Tanne, in Coral Springs, Florida. Check out video footage below.

A barbecue joint with a musical bent, Rock N Roll Ribs showcases its love for smokey Southern cooking with food like barbecued pork and chicken and clever takes on MAIDEN songs, like "Run to the Hills" wings.

"It's not just MAIDEN fans that come in," McBrain said about the restaurant in a 2010 interview. "We do get a lot of pilgrimages, people come in and look at all the stuff on the walls, but most people that come in always come out satisfied. And it's not major expensive. A rack of ribs is [$20], and you get a pound and a quarter to a pound and a half of ribs."

Asked if he has always been a BBQ fan, McBrain told Broward Palm Beach New Times in a 2013 interview: "Yeah! You know, I'm a Brit, and we don't have a very long summer, so it's very few and far between people get out and do a barbie in the backyard. Touring around America, I always used to love buying a rack of baby backs and some cole slaw and French Fries, and that was my main BBQ experience, the baby backs. Then a friend of mine taught me how to make the ribs we make in the restaurant, and I started to make some sauce, and it was very successful and people liked it, and that's where Rock N Roll Ribs was born, really. It was a dream we had and it finally came into fruition. I've got to be honest, it's not a business that's making a lot of money for us, but we make a lot of people smile and a lot of people happy. I'm very happy, it's great! I love it when I meet people and they say things like, 'these are the ribs I've ever had,' or, 'Your pulled pork is to die for,' and it warms the cockles of me heart!"

Rock N Roll Ribs4651 State Rd. 7 (US441)Coral Springs, FL 33073954-345-RIBZ (7429)www.rocknrollribs.org









(Thanks: NJthrasher)

Five nutcases. A whole bunch of instruments. The Finnish countryside. All that adds up to Steve 'N' Seagulls. This ragtag crew has been active since 2011, but they hit like a hammer in the summer of 2014, thanks to the popularity of their YouTube videos, which found them offering up S'N'S'ed versions of metal classics like Iron Maiden's "The Trooper" and AC/DC's "Thunderstruck".

Now you have the chance to see and hear Steve 'N' Seagulls for yourself, as the band has signed to Spinefarm.

Banjo keeps a rollin' and accordion keeps on burnin'. Your quality of life will probably be greatly improved once you mindmeld with this musical experience. Hold on to your hats and skirts, kids!

Steve 'N' Seagulls are: Pukki Kaalinen on double bass and vocals; Wild Till Hiltunen on accordion, mandolin and Casio; Herman de German on banjo, guitar and vocals; Remmel on vocals, acoustic guitar and mandolin; and Puikkonen on drums, percussions and vocals.

One thing Steve 'N' Seagulls want you to know? They are not a joke act or a novelty.

"It took us about three years to get the sound we were aiming at," the band said of its origins and history. "We wanted to give a new life to songs we grew up with, not just do basic covers, and our agency provided the opportunity. Our agency needed a 'concept band' for theme events in restaurants. Now, we had been doing those kind of gigs before and knew the places to be probably half-empty. Still, it sounded like a fun project, so we took the job. After the first 20-gig tour, we wanted to keep on doing it and they kept on booking us gigs in nightclubs, pubs, cruise boats and such. After replacing our singer, we posted 'The Trooper' video on YouTube simply because we hadn't published anything with the new lineup. Then it just took off somehow. But we aren't complaining!"

Three years of touring in Finland brought the band some local attention. But it was those videos posted on YouTube that have already brought the band further acclaim than it ever imagined. "All of this started out as a much more small-scale operation, but hey, we'll take all we can get!," they said.

The band is working its first album at Studio Bad Mama, which is located at the outskirts of its hometown. The concept is a mixture of S'N'S's love for music and a celebration of childhood idols.

Despite the fun nature of the band, it's not a novelty act, with Steve 'N' Seagulls saying, "Even though we like to have fun with music we also truly take it seriously. That's why we feel that Spinefarm is just the label for us. We've been basically working on songs that we find interesting and what makes us feel good and laugh. It looks like accidentally other people found them interesting too. We're absolutely stunned to be working on our first album with Spinefarm. It's important to us that label is also all about music."

Want another taste of Steve 'N' Seagulls? Have it below, as the band offers up its take on Metallica's epic power ballad "Nothing Else Matters".

Also, check out their take on Dio's classic "Holy Diver":

British/American rock legends UFO will release a new album, "A Conspiracy Of Stars", on February 23, 2015 in Europe and March 3, 2015 in the U.S. via Steamhammer/SPV. The band consisting of Phil Mogg (vocals), Paul Raymond (keyboards, guitar), Vinnie Moore (guitar), Andy Parker (drums) and Rob De Luca (bass) recorded almost a dozen new songs, produced and mixed in the Kentish town of Deal by Chris Tsangarides, renowned for his work with acts such as JUDAS PRIEST, THIN LIZZY and GARY MOORE.

"A Conspiracy Of Stars" will be available as a digipak (including poster and bonus track), jewel case, vinyl double LP and for download.

Says the band about the new CD: "'A Conspiracy Of Stars' is another successful combination of those typical UFO elements with fresh, contemporary ideas. We're confident that not only our longstanding supporters will get their money's worth, but that younger rock fans will also enjoy the album. We look forward to seeing you on tour!"

"A Conspiracy Of Stars" presents UFO's current lineup for the first time: along with the original members Phil Mogg (vocals), Paul Raymond (keyboards, guitar) and Andy Parker (drums), lead guitarist Vinnie Moore has been a permanent member of the group since 2003, American bassist Rob De Luca joining the fold in 2012. De Luca is not only a brilliant instrumentalist but has also contributed two of the album tracks as a songwriter. The majority of the new material was composed by Vinnie Moore, the album also features a song by Paul Raymond and a collaboration between Raymond and De Luca. The lyrics were penned by frontman Phil Mogg.

"A Conspiracy Of Stars" breathes that typically British easy-going confidence for which this band has been known for over 45 years. A strong release consisting of eleven songs which combine everything that the group surrounding frontman Phil Mogg stands for: meaty riffs, distinctive hooks, diverse songwriting, intelligent lyrics and that generally laid-back attitude which we have associated with UFO from the start.

Digipak 01. The Killing Kind02. Run Boy Run03. Ballad Of The Left Hand Gun04. Sugar Cane05. Devils In The Detail06. Precious Cargo07. The Real Deal08. One And Only09. Messiah Of Love10. Rolling Rolling11. King Of The Hill (bonus track) Jewel Case 01. The Killing Kind02. Run Boy Run03. Ballad Of The Left Hand Gun04. Sugar Cane05. Devils In The Detail06. Precious Cargo07. The Real Deal08. One And Only09. Messiah Of Love10. Rolling Rolling

LP

Side 1

01. The Killing Kind02. Run Boy Run03. Ballad Of The Left Hand Gun

Side 2

01. Sugar Cane02. Devils In The Detail03. Precious Cargo

Side 3

01. The Real Deal02. One And Only03. Messiah Of Love

Side 4

01. Rolling Rolling02. King Of The Hill (bonus track)

UFO will hit the road in February and March 2015, playing Germany, Poland, the Czech Republic, Lithuania and Switzerland, and more, followed by a tour of Britain and Ireland in April and May. UFO's last album, "Seven Deadly", was released in February 2012 via SPV/Steamhammer. The effort was recorded with producer Tommy Newton at his Area 51 studio in Celle, Germany.

FARMIKOS, the Los Angeles-based band featuring former OZZY OSBOURNE and DAVID LEE ROTH guitarist Joe Holmes and vocalist Robbie Locke, will release its self-titled debut album on January 15. The effort will be available as a digital download and on compact disc formats through iTunes, Amazon, Google Play and CD Baby.

"Farmikos" features ten original songs penned by Holmes and Locke, with writing contributions on eight songs by Brent Hoffort. The album features Robert Trujillo (METALLICA) on bass and Brooks Wackerman on drums, alongside guest appearances by SKINDRED's Benji Webbe and CANDIRIA's Ken Schalk.

"Farmikos" was co-produced by Joe Holmes and Rich Mouser, who has lent his talents to albums by WEEZER, DREAM THEATER, TRANSATLANTIC, and many others. Mouser handled the engineering, mixing and mastering of the album at The Mouse House Studios.

Says Mouser: "In making the album, we always tried to keep the sounds raw and organic, recording to analog tape and using natural room reverb for the drums. We rode the line between classic and modern."

FARMIKOS is currently seeking bassist and drummer to round out the band.

"Farmikos" track listing:

01. Scapegoat02. Am I One03. Kings Of Dust04. The Spoon And Sun05. Fragile06. The Sound Of My Gun07. Ascension08. I Was Them09. Exit Stencils10. Facing East

FARMIKOS is Joe Holmes' first venture under his own flag since first attaining local notoriety with TERRIFF, an L.A. band he formed after taking guitar lessons as a teenager from none other than original Ozzy axeman, Randy Rhoads. Holmes eventually went on to replace ALS-stricken Jason Becker on the 1991 David Lee Roth "A Lil' Ain't Enough" world tour. In 1995, Holmes was brought to the attention of Ozzy Osbourne who was looking for a new guitarist to take over Zakk Wylde's spot for the "Ozzmosis" album touring cycle. Holmes would go on to co-write three songs, "Facing Hell", "Junkie" and "That I Never Had", which appeared on Ozzy's 2001 album, "Down To Earth". Holmes spent the last several years raising his family and eventually started to put together ideas for what would become FARMIKOS. Holmes began collaborating and creating material with Brent Hoffort and then joined forces with vocalist and Arkansas native Robbie Locke in 2011. "I really wanted to do my own thing and once Robbie came into the picture things really started to fall into place," he says. "It's taken us a bit longer than anticipated to get to this point but we're proud to finally present FARMIKOS to the world and letting people hear what we've been working on."