Fan-filmed video footage of Swedish occult rockers GHOST performing a brand new song, "Majesty", on June 4 at the Sweden Rock Festival in Sölvesborg can be seen below. The track is taken from GHOST's third album, "Meliora", which will be released on August 21 via Loma Vista Recordings. The follow-up to 2013's "Infestissumam" was helmed by Klas Åhlund, a prolific songwriter, producer and guitarist who is also a member of the Swedish rock band TEDDYBEARS, and was mixed by Andy Wallace (SLAYER, NIRVANA, SEPULTURA, LINKIN PARK, GUNS N' ROSES).

"Meliora" track listing:

01. Spirit02. From The Pinnacle To The Pit03. Cirice04. Spöksonat05. He Is06. Mummy Dust07. Majesty08. Devil Church09. Absolution10. Deus In Absentia

The cover artwork for the CD can be seen below.

GHOST's June 3 warm-up show at at Doom in Linköping served as the group's live debut with "new" singer Papa Emeritus III, the three-month-younger brother of GHOST's previous frontman, Papa Emeritus II.

GHOST is planning to return to the studio before the summer to record several cover songs, including one by Leonard Cohen and another by the '80s Swedish band IMPERIET.

GHOST's last release was a covers EP, "If You Have Ghost", which sold around 5,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 87 on The Billboard 200 chart. Issued on November 19, 2013 via Loma Vista Recordings, the five-track EP was recorded and produced by Dave Grohl (FOO FIGHTERS, NIRVANA), and included cover versions of songs by ROKY ERICKSON, ABBA, ARMY OF LOVERS and DEPECHE MODE, plus a live version of the GHOST offering "Secular Haze", recorded in Brooklyn earlier that year.

GHOST was forced to modify its name in the U.S. to GHOST B.C. for "legal reasons."

Video footage of CROWBAR's June 6 performance at the Whisky A Go Go in West Hollywood, California can be seen below.

CROWBAR's latest album, "Symmetry In Black", sold around 3,900 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 68 on The Billboard 200 chart.

CROWBAR's previous CD, 2011's "Sever The Wicked Hand", opened with around 3,500 units to land at position No. 4 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.

"Symmetry In Black" came out in North America on May 27, 2014 via Entertainment One Music. The CD, which was made available in Europe on May 26, 2014 through Century Media Records, was produced by CROWBAR guitarist/vocalist Kirk Windstein and Duane Simoneaux and was mixed by Josh Wilbur (LAMB OF GOD, GOJIRA).

Power metal act, Judicator, have joined the Divebomb Records roster and will see the release of their third album, At The Expense Of Humanity, on July 17th.At The Expense Of Humanity is a progressive power metal concept album about singer John Yelland’s brother who passed away after battling cancer. The album details the story of John’s family, their struggles, and his personal existential and philosophical quandaries that resulted.Musically, At The Expense Of Humanity, shows the band moving away from the Germanic power metal styles explored on their sophomore effort Sleepy Plessow and plunging into more progressive territories, as well as incorporating other elements they had yet to discover within themselves.  At The Expense Of Humanity is a big, bold step for the US metal band, and exhibits no signs of impeding its momentum now.Tracklisting:“A Picture Of Fading Light”“God's Failures”“Cannibalistic Mind”“Coping Mechanism”“My Fantasy Destroyed”“Lucid Nightmare”“The Rain In The Meadow”“Nemesis/Fratricide”“Autophagia”“Life Support”“At The Expense Of Humanity”“How Long Can You Live Forever?”“Enantiodromia”“Coping Mechanism”:

My Ruin vocalist Tairrie B. Murphy - who started her music career as a rapper in the '90s - recently checked in with the following update:

"As most of you may or may not know, I have recently finished recording a new solo (rap) album called Vintage Curses which I announced in January and plan to release soon. It's a dark and witchy journey back to my hip hop roots with and old school West Coast influence. I pay my respects to Eazy-E on the last song and I sample his voice speaking to me on another. I often wonder what he would think of my new album if he were alive to hear it and then I remember, he was with me when I wrote it and in the studio, in spirit."

Tairrie has released a lyric video for the first single from the album, "Beware The Crone". A previously released video of My Ruin's "Excommunicated" is available for comparison. Check them out below.

Vintage Curses will be released on August 14th. For additional information and updates check out Tairrie's new Facebook page 

Swedish blues rock trio, Kamchatka, have released a new digital single, for the track “Human Dynamo”, taken from their sixth studio album, Long Road Made Of Gold (Despotz Records). The single is available via iTunes, and can be heard streaming here."Thomas [Andersson, guitar/vocals] wanted me to sing a couple of songs on the album, and this is one of them," commented bassist/vocalist, Per Wiberg. “”Human Dynamo” is based around an idea I had for quite a while but never really finished. When we started jamming on the riffs, it became clear that I had to rewrite the lyrics and vocal melodies, which turned out to be a good thing as it came out stronger than the original version, I believe. It's an up-tempo rocker with a positive message about moving on and not looking back. I'm definitely looking forward to playing this one live as it's well suited for air guitar while loudly screaming the chorus. I even managed to sneak in a Bad Brains reference lyrically."Long Road Made Of Gold was recorded in Kamchatka's own studio and rehearsal room, the "Kamchatka shelter”, and mixed and mastered by Russ Russell (Napalm Death, Dimmu Borgir).  "Even though our music is rooted in '60s and '70s music, it's important for us to have a contemporary sounding album," explained drummer Tobias Strandvik. "We don't want to repeat ourselves either, and having Russ Russell mixing and mastering certainly gives it the punch and power we wanted. Russ is mostly known for extreme metal like Napalm Death etc., but embraced this project with open arms and the sonic outcome is definitely our strongest to date."Album artwork comes courtesy of Hippograffix, creator of all the Kamchatka graphics since day one.  Tracklisting:“Take Me Back Home”“Get Your Game On”“Made of Gold”“Human Dynamo”“Rain”“Who’s To Blame”“Mirror”“Slowly Drifting Away”“Long Road”“To You”“No One That Can Tell”“Devil Dance”"Get Your Game On" play-through video:“To You”:“Get Your Game On”:Kamchatka is:Per Wiberg - bass/vocalsTobias Strandvik - drumsThomas "Juneor" Andersson - guitar/vocals

With a long reputation as one of the UK’s finest progressive rock bands, Landmarq is enjoying its 25th anniversary year. This live release is part of the celebration of the band's remarkable career, which has also included a retrospective anthology (Origins), their first vinyl release (Entertaining Angels) and a forthcoming UK and European Tour in the Autumn.RoadSkill, available June 9th, is a Special Edition Live CD and DVD of the show included, showcasing songs from the band's most successful and latest album, Entertaining Angels. RoadSkill was recorded during the band's last tour in 2013 at De Boerderij in the Netherlands, in front of a packed and enthusiastic audience. It is released on Synergy Records, via Cherry Red Records.The show features the outstanding and widely celebrated vocals of Tracy Hitchings, award winning keyboard player Mike Varty, Daniel Martin on drums and the two founder members that have been there throughout the last quarter century, Uwe D’Rose (guitars) and Steve Gee (basses). Landmarq has established a solid and enthusiastic following all around the world over the years and have recently been enjoying even greater acclaim.This live collection of some of Landmarq's best loved songs, captures the power, precision and melody that have made them such firm favourites on the progressive rock stage.CD:“Turbulence”“Personal Universe”“Glowing”“Stormbrewing”“Thunderstruck”“Prayer”“Calm Before The Storm”i Strange But Beautifulii Spidermaniii Into The Abyss“Entertaining Angels”DVD:“Mountains Of Anglia”“Turbulence”“Personal Universe”“Glowing”“Stormbrewing”“Thunderstruck”“Prayer”“Walking On Eggshells”“Calm Before The Storm”“Entertaining Angels”Plus interviews with the band and bonus features.

Nashville, Tennessee heavy/thrash quartet, Dark Hound, are set to release a brand new 5-song EP entitled Oceans on July 10th.The follow-up to last year’s promising self-titled debut full-length album was recorded and engineered by Frank Serafine at Free Man Studio with additional guitars recorded by Evan Hensley at Twilight Cloud Studio. Vocals were co-produced and recorded by Kaelin Tauxe at Lair de Rocke, while the mixing and mastering was handled by Jörg Uken at Soundlodge.The opening song “Thread”, is streaming below. The artwork for the cover was created by Alex Hoffman.Tracklisting:“Thread”“To Know End”“Just As Blind”“Rearview Mirror”“Oceans”“Thread”:

Former Nightwish singer Tarja Turunen’s live performance, Luna Park Ride, will be released in various formats in North America on June 23rd via earMUSIC. The live performance is available for the first time as audio and standalone video - including over 70 minutes of bonus material. The live video for “Underneath” from the set can be seen below:Imagine an enchanted audience in front of an enormous stage in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Thousands of fans screaming just for her: the one and only Tarja. Having their cameras and cell phones ready to film what will become one hell of a performance, Tarja finally appears, dressed fully in black and with the most beautiful smile on her face; she is in full bloom. Let the show begin.Filmed at Stadium Luna Park in Buenos Aires, Argentina on March 27th, 2011 during Tarja’s What Lies Beneath World Tour 2011, Luna Park Ride will be released as 2CD, 2LP, DVD, Blu-ray and Download.Previously included in a very limited edition of her Top 5 live production Act I, May 29th finally sees the stand-alone release of the breathtaking Luna Park Ride. For the first time available on audio and video, the fan filmed material is topped with 14 bonus live performances and offers the full package including previously unseen photos.Ranging from Tarja classics like “I Walk Alone” to “Until My Last Breath”, the high quality audio mixed by Tim Palmer (U2, Pearl Jam, Robert Plant) and fan video recordings also feature Nightwish rarities such as “Stargazers” or the electrifying medley of “Where Were You Last Night”, Belinda Carlisle’s “Heaven Is A Place On Earth” and Bon Jovi’s classic “Livin’ On A Prayer”.The 70 minute bonus material, also mixed by Tim Palmer, takes the fans on a tour of Tarja’s festival appearances and club shows from 2010 to 2014: From Tarja’s 2010 show at Masters Of Rock in Czech Republic with her band, choir and full orchestra live on stage, to a 2011 performance at Summer Breeze festival in Germany including a very special Gold Award presentation, continues with a recent performance in Ekaterinenburg, Russia as well as a performance together with Van Canto at last year’s Wacken Open Air. The bonus material finishes with three fan favourites – “Never Enough”, “Die Alive” and “Victim Of Ritual” – performed at Summer Breeze Festival 2014.  2CD artwork  Tracklisting:“Dark Star”“My Little Phoenix”“The Crying Moon”“I Walk Alone”“Falling Awake”“Signos” (Soda Stereo cover)“Little Lies”“Underneath”“Stargazers”“Ciaran’s Well”“In For A Kill”“Where Were You Last Night” – “Heaven Is A Place On Earth” – “Livin’ On A Prayer”“Die Alive”“Until My Last Breath”“Wishmaster”  DVD/Blu-Ray artwork  Bonus Material CD, DVD and Blu-ray only:“In For A Kill” - Masters of Rock / Czech Republic 2010. Featuring Philarmonic Bohuslava Martinû Zlin and choir.“I Walk Alone” - Masters of Rock / Czech Republic 2010. Featuring Philarmonic Bohuslava Martinû Zlin and choir.“Archive Of Lost Dreams” - Masters of Rock / Czech Republic 2010. Featuring Philarmonic Bohuslava Martinû Zlin and choir.“Crimson Deep” - Masters of Rock / Czech Republic 2010. Featuring Philarmonic Bohuslava Martinû Zlin and choir.“I Feel Immortal” - Summer Breeze / Germany 2011.“The Siren” (Nightwish) - Summer Breeze / Germany 2011.“Until My Last Breath” - Summer Breeze / Germany 2011.“500 Letters” - Ekaterinburg / Russia 2014.“Damned & Divine” - Ekaterinburg / Russia 2014.“Neverlight” - Ekaterinburg / Russia 2014.“Anteroom Of Death” - Wacken / Germany 2014 featuring Van Canto.“Never Enough” - Summer Breeze / Germany 2014.“Die Alive” - Summer Breeze / Germany 2014.“Victim Of Ritual” - Summer Breeze / Germany 2014.  2 LP artwork  “Anteroom Of Death”:“Never Enough”:Trailer:"Until My Last Breath":

German death metal act, Debauchery, will release their new album, Fuck Humanity, on CD, limited 3CD digipak and numbered gatefold vinyl LP editions on July 10th via Massacre Records.The album was recorded by Dennis Ward and produced by Debauchery mastermind Thomas Gurrath. Fantasy icon Adrian Smith is once again responsible for the cover artwork.  The first digipak bonus disc contains some of the new songs and two Debauchery classics in the so-called Balgeroth version in German, the second bonus disc contains some of the new songs in the Blood God version as well as a Judas Priest cover.Debauchery have released the official video for "Ironclad Declaration Of War”. Watch below:“Teaser”: 

Sydney, Australia-based melodic metalcore band, For All Eternity, are bringing their signature beauty-laced brutality to the Facedown roster.Says Facedown: “Intertwining classic hardcore vocals with hints of polished singing over impressive musicianship has catapulted the band to the top of the Australian independent scene where they have toured nationally with some of the best live acts in music - Emery, The Devil Wears Prada, Parkway Drive, Impending Doom, Hatebreed, Texas in July, For Today, Oh Sleeper and Demon Hunter to name a few. Now they’re preparing to build upon their international fan-base and take the US by storm with their supreme live show and their Facedown debut album, Metanoia.Metanoia will be released on July 10th. Check out the video for the album track “Break Of Dawn” below, and stay tuned for more details. 

Finnish slow and heavy saatto metal band, Saattue, has released an advance track from their forthcoming third album, Kärsimysnäytelmä. A song called “Turta” is streaming below.The release date and other album details will be announced soon. Previous Saattue albums Vuoroveri (2009) and Jäähyvästi (2008) were released by Spinefarm Records.Saattue writes their lyrics in Finnish and labels their music as “saatto metal”. Saatto, as well as Saattue, means procession in Finnish. Saattue's roots are deep in doom and other extreme metal genres.“Turta”:

Swiss hard rock/heavy metal band, Crystal Ball, released their new album, LifeRider, on May 22nd via Massacre Records as limited edition digipak with exclusive bonus tracks. The album has entered the Swiss album charts at #54.LifeRider was once again produced, mixed and mastered by Stefan Kaufmann (Accept, U.D.O.). Thomas Ewerhard created the cover artwork. The album features a duet with Battle Beast's Noora Louhimo as well as guest musician Stefan Kaufmann on acoustic guitar.  Tracklisting:“Mayday!”“Eye To Eye”“Paradise”“Balls Of Steel”“Hold Your Flag”“Gods Of Rock”“Take It All”“Bleeding”“Rock Of Life”“Antidote”“LifeRider”“Memory Run”Digipak bonus tracks:“Sacred Heart”“Sign Of The Southern Cross”“Not Like You”"Eye To Eye" video featuring Battle Beast singer Noora Louhimo:"Paradise" video:

Finnish band STEVE 'N' SEAGULLS, which made headlines in 2014 by releasing its dueling banjo-standup-bass-washboard-and-more take on the IRON MAIDEN classic "The Trooper", has released a video for its cover version of MAIDEN's "Run To The Hills". Check it out below. The track is taken from STEVE 'N' SEAGULLS' debut album, "Farm Machine", which was released on May 12 via Spinefarm.

What became a genuine international viral phenomenon actually started out on a farm in central Finland; in a barn, to be precise...

There, a bunch of like-minded countrymen — with the emphasis on "country" — played a customized version of AC/DC's "Thunderstruck" using homespun instrumentation, everything from banjo picking to anvil bangin' to achieve their original take on a classic. They filmed the event, posted the results on YouTube, and within a couple of weeks, the clip had accumulated over five million views. It's now topped out at 10 million.

Pretty impressive, right?

For STEVE'N'SEAGULLS, this was a bolt from the blue, but then, as history shows us, the greatest stories ever told tend to start in a stable... Yes, a stable.

If you need a refresher on who, exactly, STEVE'N'SEAGULLS are, then settle in and get schooled.

Sporting possibly the greatest band name in history, STEVE'N'SEAGULLS, comprised of an acoustic guitarist/vocalist; a banjo player; a double-bassist; a big dude wearing overalls and a beaver hat playing mandolin/keyboards/accordion/whatever-he-gets-his-hands-on; and a cajon-straddlin' percussionist, have delivered a 13-track album featuring rural riffs and villager vocals, filled to the brim with "hillbillified" versions of immortal heavy metal standards — the track listing is below.

It's a body of work best enjoyed with a bathtub of moonshine close at hand, but really, as foot-stompingly enjoyable as STEVE'N'SEAGULLS are on record, you ain't seen nothin' 'til you've experienced The 'GULLS live.

The redneck show tours nonstop, rocking the honky-tonks overseas... for now.

In September, they are planning to head over to the U.S. and Canada before returning to Europe for further merriment and mayhem.

"Farm Machine" track listing:

01. Grand Opening02. Black Dog (LED ZEPPELIN cover)03. Thunderstruck (AC/DC cover)04. The Trooper (IRON MAIDEN cover)05. Ich Will (RAMMSTEIN cover)06. Paradise City (GUNS N' ROSES cover)07. Nothing Else Matters (METALLICA cover)08. Over The Hills And Far Away (NIGHTWISH cover)09. Seek & Destroy (METALLICA cover)10. Holy Diver (DIO cover)11. Run To The Hills (IRON MAIDEN cover)12. You Shook Me All Night Long (AC/DC cover)13. Cemetery Gates (PANTERA cover)

RED DRAGON CARTEL, the band led by former OZZY OSBOURNE and BADLANDS guitarist Jake E. Lee, has recruited Canadian singer Paul D'Eath (CITIZENS UNITE, MUSHROOM TRAIL) to front the group for its upcoming shows.

Video footage of the D'Eath performing with RED DRAGON CARTEL on June 5 in Janesville, Wisconsin can be seen below.

RED DRAGON CARTEL's last singer, Chas West (Jason Bonham, LYNCH MOB, 3 LEGGED DOGG), made his live debut with the band in Portland, Oregon on May 1 — only days after Michael Beck played his last show with the band on April 26 in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.

Beck made headlines in April when he sang the lyrics to Osbourne's "Now You See It (Now You Don't)" while the rest of RED DRAGON CARTEL played "The Ultimate Sin" at their first show together in Miami, Florida. Beck later blamed the mixup on the fact that he "had no monitors at all" and he "couldn't hear anything."

RED DRAGON CARTEL in March announced the departure of singer Darren James Smith, who handled lead vocals on the band's self-titled debut album. The group also parted ways with bassist Greg Chaisson, who exited RED DRAGON CARTEL because he could "no longer take any more time away from [his] regular job."

Chaisson's replacement in RED DRAGON CARTEL is Anthony Esposito, who has previously played with Ace Frehley.

RED DRAGON CARTEL's debut CD sold around 5,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 69 on The Billboard 200 chart.

RED DRAGON CARTEL's setlist includes new material like the singles "Feeder" and "Deceived", as well as major hits from Jake E. Lee's glorious past: "Bark At The Moon", "The Ultimate Sin" and "Rock 'N' Roll Rebel" (all originally recorded by OZZY OSBOURNE), as well as "Shine On" and "High Wire" (BADLANDS).

Fan-filmed video footage of SKID ROW's June 5 performance at the Greek Festival in Kalamazoo, Michigan can be seen below.

The new SKID ROW lineup — featuring former TNT singer Tony Harnell — made its live debut on May 22 at Living Sky Casino in Swift Current, Saskatchewan, Canada.

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

In a recent interview with Canadian rock journalist Mitch Lafon of the "One On One With Mitch Lafon" podcast, SKID ROW bassist Rachel Bolan stated about the band's split with Solinger: "It was evident [that it was time for us to go our separate ways]. There were certain things going on out on the road that kind of set us thinking… Things had been going on for a little bit."

He continued: "At certain times, you just get the feeling someone isn't putting a hundred percent into things. And SKID ROW is very important to the rest of us. And we wanted to carry on with quality performances and quality songs, so we decided to make a change."

Regarding how Tony Harnell came to be SKID ROW's new singer, Rachel said: "We've known Tony for years — literally, probably since the beginning of our career. And although I wasn't a big TNT fan, I was a Tony Harnell fan, as [were SKID ROW guitarists] Snake [Dave Sabo] and Scott [Scotti Hill]."

He continued: "When we made the decision to ourselves that we were gonna start looking, Tony's name came up. And I was, like, man, it's so funny, 'cause a couple of years ago, I was up in New Jersey for Christmas and I met with Tony in New York and I had dinner with him and another friend. And we just started talking. And he's, like… He goes… We'd known each for a long time, but at that point we hadn't spoken for a while. He's, like, 'I hear you guys are doing good things. How's it going?' I said, 'It's going pretty cool.' He goes, 'Man, you guys should have called me when you got a new singer [back in 1999].' And I guess that kind of popped up in the back of my head when we knew we were gonna make a change. And we immediately got in touch with Tony."

Asked if SKID ROW is working with Harnell on a "trial" basis or if Tony is "the guy" for the long haul, Rachel said: "He's the guy. I mean, that's where we're at in our heads. It's not a temporary thing. But, you know… [laughs] if get gets sick of us and leaves, then that'll be a different situation. But things are going really well now. And we're very excited. We're very excited about our future, very excited about getting on the road."

Metal Chris of DCHeavyMetal.com conducted an interview with former HELLHAMMER/CELTIC FROST and current TRIPTYKON singer, guitarist, and main songwriter Tom Gabriel Fischer (a.k.a. Tom Gabriel Warrior) late last month at the Maryland Deathfest XIII in Baltimore, Maryland. You can now listen to the 19-minute chat using the SoundCloud widget below.

Asked if he prefers playing older songs or he likes performing the TRIPTYKON stuff more, or whether it is all just kind of the same to him, Tom responded: "It's exactly the same to me. If I had my way, CELTIC FROST would have existed for many more albums. Unfortunately, certain people's grand designs on their own fame and certain egotistical stunts interfered with that. And, eventually, the band became so unworkable that I personally said the only option that was left was leaving it. I formed TRIPTYKON, but in essence, it's exactly the same thing I did with CELTIC FROST. It's simply minus the egotism and the personality stunts. Even though it's younger people, behind the scenes TRIPTYKON is far more mature than CELTIC FROST ever was. But musically, the whole infrastructure around the band, and my approach, and the way I produce and everything, it's exactly the same. It's basically what I would have done had CELTIC FROST persevered. So, to me, the CELTIC FROST songs merge perfectly with the TRIPTYKON songs. I really don't see a difference. We try to strike a balance, because TRIPTYKON is not just me, it's four people, and I don't just wanna be a CELTIC FROST cover band. I think it's fair enough to play half-half — half newer songs, half older songs — but I think we're doing fine like that.

Regarding the possibility of a CELTIC FROST reunion, Tom said: "I'm afraid that's impossible, yeah. I mean, there's no more animosity between me and Martin [Eric Ain, bass] — we just met, actually, a few weeks ago, as we do from time to time — but I think that window has closed. Even though Martin once said, 'Yeah, we'll play music together again,' but after that gargantuan disappointment, I don't think I wanna set myself up for yet another one. CELTIC FROST was my life, and losing that twice wasn't very easy. And I don't trust these people anymore. I invested so much time and so much of my personal money and effort and my songs and my production and everything into the 'Monotheist' album, and I did this because I believed the band could exist for many years. Then I felt betrayed and stabbed in the back. And I really… If I would ever get involved with that again, it would probably end the same, and I don't wanna do that. TRIPTYKON is a circle of friends, and I prefer that. And, you know, anything I wanna do creatively, I can do it in TRIPTYKON."

In a 2011 interview with BigMusicGeek.com, Tom was asked at what point he realized that his tenure with CELTIC FROST was once again coming to an end. "To be quite honest, I had sensed it for some time," he replied. "I just didn't want to admit it.

"CELTIC FROST was much more than just a band to me. It was my life, my ideology and pretty much represented my entire being. Of course, I didn't want to see it destroyed again, so despite having all the inside information, I tried to disrupt its destruction and probably stayed too long even though it was fairly obvious that I couldn't face the band. Actually, I blame the final drummer of CELTIC FROST for the destruction of the band. If Martin has any part of this, it's his inactivity that opened the door to this. He simply did not want to involve himself in anything negative, which, on one hand, is commendable, but on the other hand, it's simply not realistic in this world or within a band that works under pressure twenty four hours a day. You simply have to be a man and be involved, especially if certain personal conflicts threaten the whole band. Martin was initially reluctant to become involved and that basically opened the door for one person to let his ego run freely until there was really nothing left of the band."

FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH drummer Jeremy Spencer has denied that the band came close to breaking up after the group's abbreviated performance last month in Memphis.

FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH reportedly played six songs at the Beale Street Music Festival on May 1 before the rest of the band left the stage while frontman Ivan Moody stayed behind, rambling to fans.

Asked about the rumors that FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH was on the verge of splitting up following the incident, Spencer told Anna Dave Bertram of Sweden's Access: Rock at this weekend's Sweden Rock Festival (see video below): "No, that wasn't even close to happening. It was a bad night. I mean, we were getting ready to go on. There's thousands of people there, and we're trying to get these sound issues sorted out. It's frustrating, we start to bicker amongst ourselves, and [we were] just in a bad mood. Ivan took it a little harder than the rest of us, and he's not happy about what happened. But we're human, and we reacted, maybe, in a way we shouldn't have. We kind of had a little bit of a fight in front of everyone, and we didn't mean for that to happen. And hopefully we'll get to go back there and make it up to the fans that paid their hard-earned money and travelled all that way to see us. It's not like we're proud of what happened; we're not. It's a shame, and we hope to fix that and go there and make it better."

He continued: "We've been together ten years. That's a long time to be in a marriage together. So there's ups and downs, like in anyone else's relationship. But, unfortunately, it just happened in front of thousands of people — and on YouTube. But whatever…"

FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH guitarist Jason Hook recently blamed alcohol and lingering resentment over Spencer's book for the Memphis incident, telling the "Three Sides Of The Coin" webcast that "what happened, in my estimation, was that for whatever reason Ivan decided to get shitfaced drunk — I'm probably not supposed to be talking about this — but he started to lose his temper onstage towards, basically, the rest of us, being the band. And, you know there's only so much of that we can handle... Jeremy decided that he had enough and he got up and left. Well, it's pretty hard to play a concert without the drummer."

Hook promised that, "That's the first time that's ever happened and that will be the last time that's ever happens because we've talked about it quite a bit and that's just unacceptable, and I think everyone understand that it's never to happen again."

FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH guitarist Zoltan Bathory, meanwhile, told The Pulse Of Radio the incident was blown out of proportion online by fans who felt the group was in trouble. "In 10 years, how many shows we've played, I have no idea, but way over 1,000, probably 2,000 shows," he said. "We had one show when things weren't going our way, and from this band that's kind of a surprise... And the first time in history we had one of those and immediately it was like, people were like, 'Omigod, they're breaking up!' Dude, it's one show out of thousands and thousands... It's rock 'n' roll, you know? Shit happens. And we had one of those, and because this band is so well known about being an absolute machine on stage, immediately the rumor was, 'Omigod, I think they're breaking up!'"

FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH began a European run on May 30 at the Rockavaria festival in Munich, and will kick off a North American tour with PAPA ROACH on September 4 in Lexington, Kentucky. The group's sixth album, "Got Your Six", comes out August 28.

SLIPKNOT singer Corey Taylor was interviewed earlier today (Sunday, June 7) before the band's performance at this year's edition of the Rock Am Ring festival in Mendig, Germany. You can now watch the chat below. Also available is professionally filmed video footage of SLIPKNOT's set.

Asked if SLIPKNOT expected to become as popular as it has when the band was first starting out, Taylor responded: "No. Not at all, man. I mean, when we first started, this didn't even occur to us. I mean, when we first started, we were kind of looking at it as, 'Okay, we'll be a band that maybe sells two hundred thousand albums at the most, so we can tour and just have fun and do it.' And it just got bigger and bigger and bigger, to the point where it was just, like, 'What is going on?' I mean, nobody was more shocked by our success than we were, to be honest. But, you know, looking back, you hope for it — you hope for it, but you don't wanna wish for it too much, because then it'll take away from the excitement of how everything happens naturally. So, for us, I mean, it's… We're so lucky, it's not even funny."

SLIPKNOT's latest album, ".5: The Gray Chapter", came out in October.

SLIPKNOT's "Summer's Last Stand" tour kicks off on July 24 in West Palm Beach, Florida, wrapping up six weeks later on September 5 in Dallas. Joining SLIPKNOT on the road trip will be LAMB OF GOD, BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE and MOTIONLESS IN WHITE. The summer jaunt follows a brief spring run that SLIPKNOT launched on April 25 at the Fort Rock festival in Fort Myers, Florida, ending on May 16 in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

The new single released from "The Gray Chapter" is "Killpop".

Interview:


Performance:

Australian progressive metal outfit, Northlane, will release their new album, Node, on July 24th via New Damage Records in Canada. The album is one of the most ambitious heavy records in recent years and will be their first with lead vocalist Marcus Bridge, who joined the fold in November. The monolithic lead single “Obelisk” is now available to stream (video below).

 
Node takes its cues as much from the band’s collective worldview, as it does from a myriad of artists from multiple generations. Rather than the existential examinations of their previous albums Discoveries and Singularity, the album takes a much more direct approach. It’s an album fuelled by passion and anger – passion for the world and its wonders, and anger at what’s being done to it. Everything from the title and the lyrics, to the way the band came together to produce their best record yet, stands as a hymn to the simple power of human connection.
 
Node will be the Sydney-based act’s first album since the critically and commercially successful Singularity, which debuted at #3 on the ARIA Charts and received universal acclaim upon its release in March 2013. Singularity launched the band worldwide and saw them tour extensively in North America, Europe and Australia/New Zealand. In mid-2014, then-vocalist Adrian Fitipaldes departed for health reasons, leaving a question mark hanging over their future. But from this unrest came something wholly new – after answering an open audition call alongside over 2,000 other hopefuls from around the world, Sydney's Marcus Bridge emerged as the new frontman. The band wrote, recorded and released the stunning single "Rot" in a few days. Bridge then underwent a baptism of fire, embarking on a world tour with the band before settling to record the album with long-time collaborator and producer Will Putney.
 
All change is growth and Northlane's monumental new album Node stands proudly as proof. Frontman Marcus Bridge, guitarists Jonathon Deiley and Josh Smith, bassist Alex Milovic and drummer Nic Pettersen have made the album Northlane has always had in them, the songs they always strove for.

Node is now available for pre-order, including a limited edition box set that features eleven 7” Vinyl records, one for each song on the album, with its instrumental version on Side B. Also available is 12” Vinyl, CD, Digital Downloads, Merchandise and skateboards. Every pre-order will receive an instant download of "Obelisk". For more information, head to this location.

 
Node tracklisting:

“Soma”
“Obelisk”
“Node”
“Ohm”
“Nameless”
“Rot”
“Leech”
“Impulse”
“Weightless”
“Ra”
“Animate”

“Obelisk” video:

After a year-long hiatus, North Carolina’s doom-metal stalwarts, Make, return with their long-awaited second album. The Golden Veil is the follow-up to the band's Axis EP and debut full-length Trephine, and is set for release on July 23rd.

Says bassist Spencer Lee: “The Golden Veil feels at once more diverse and more concise. We've explored a few elements of our sound that had previously been something we'd only touched on briefly, or maybe even just hinted at by proximity. The space is spacier, the metal is heavier, and the concept (though in a sense more nebulous) feels more completely realized.”

Recorded at Legitimate Business, NC, with engineer and producer Kris Hilbert (The Body, Torch Runner) at the helm, the album was mastered by James Plotkin (Khanate, Phantomsmasher, Jodis) and is easily Make’s heaviest, most psychedelic, and most sonically lush release to date.

The album will be available for download on July 23rd, followed by a limited edition 180gm vinyl version with deluxe packaging in September.

“The Absurdist”:

 

Oxfordshire, UK-based no-holds-barred metallers, A Trust Unclean, will release their Reality Relinquished EP on August 7th.
 
Fronted by beautifully disturbing artwork from France’s Headsplit Design (Arch Enemy, Whitechapel, Cryptopsy), Reality Relinquished is as engrossing as it is disquieting. Technical death metal, deathcore and brutal groove metal combine in a scintillatingly heady cocktail and endures far beyond its running time.

Reality Relinquished tracklisting:

“Enucleation”
“Feckless Traditions”
“Perverse Agenda”
“Insipient Catastrophe”
“Reality Relinquished”
 
A brief concept album, Reality Relinquished details the story and aftermath of the end of days – impending doom, weaponized mutant human killing machines and more. Thunderously guttural vocals and rip-roaring fretwork interplay to create modern technical death metal at its finest – brutal but not without that spark of melody and groove.
 
A band who’ve played alongside Exit Ten, Acrania, Ingested and more, A Trust Unclean are set to tour the UK in August. With plenty of activity in the pipeline and more to be announced soon, this young band's potential sees them set to have a bright future.

 

In a brand new interview with The Arizona Republic, AEROSMITH guitarist Joe Perry was asked if there has been any talk of the band working on the follow-up to 2012's "Music From Another Dimension!". He responded: "Back, say, 10 or 20 years ago, it seemed we had a lot more time to fool with. And at this point, we want to take advantage of every minute we have where the band can still get together and play. But then there's also other things we want to do. We all have lives outside the band. So we want to balance that off. It always amazes me that the band is still together and it's still the five of us. So we're always talking about what we're going to do with this two or three months or that bunch of time."

He continued: "I know Steven [Tyler, vocals] is finally getting to work on his solo project he's been talking about doing forever. So I'm really glad he's got that going on. And there's a couple projects I've been toying with that look like they're gonna happen. But somewhere in there, I'd love to get in the studio with the guys and just blow to see if we can come up with some new stuff. I do know that we'll be touring at the beginning of next year and then taking some more time off, at least from touring, so that opens up some space for another stint in the studio. It's always on our minds. But like I said, everybody's probably got a short list of things they want to do."

AEROSMITH bassist Tom Hamilton recently revealed that there are some unreleased songs that have been recorded over the years that may one day officially see the light of day.

"It's funny, we have a pretty much an album's worth of that that I think has just been gradually posted over the last 20 years on the Internet," he said. "It has some … songs that we were really looking forward to using … great songs. They had a really good one called 'Meltdown', and a really great one called 'Diamond Dance Romance'. Some nice ethereal stuff.

"Over the years it just wound up getting ... People were making an extra copy for themselves at the studio. Now you can find it online. I would love to continue digging into that material."

"Music From Another Dimension!" debuted at No. 5 on The Billboard 200 album chart, selling 63,000 copies in its first week of release.

The group's previous collection of new songs, 2001's "Just Push Play", entered the chart at No. 2 with sales of 240,000 copies.

Known for supporting legendary bands KISS and DEF LEPPARD on KISS's massive 40th-anniversary North American tour last summer, Canada's explosive hard rockers KOBRA AND THE LOTUS will soon release a brand new EP. Due out August 28, the "Words Of The Prophets" EP (Titan Music) was produced by the Grammy-nominated Johnny K (MEGADETH, DISTURBED, THREE DOORS DOWN) and will feature cover songs by great Canadian artists.

Of the new release, frontwoman Kobra Paige commented, "KOBRA AND THE LOTUS is a riff-loving, vocal-whaling, storm-bringing band. We couldn't do what we do without paying homage to the true roots that were laid down before us.

"'Words Of The Prophets' is a tribute to those great Canadian classic rock influences that have set the foundation for music magic since we first heard these songs playing on the radio as little kids. They carry a ton of nostalgia, inspire ambitious journeys, and we hope to rub some of that off on you!"

KOBRA AND THE LOTUS's most recent album, "High Priestess" (Titan Music), was also produced by Johnny K and delivers a blend of fiery vocals (courtesy of lead singer Kobra Paige), heavy riff-laden melodies and ferocious musicianship. DecibelMagazine.com declared it "a stunning slab of beating, bleeding traditional metal heart and unadulterated bombast refracted and heightened through a dynamic prism of those very things that are actually right with modern metal." Led by frontwoman, the classically-trained vocal powerhouse and Calgary native Kobra Paige, KOBRA AND THE LOTUS has been making a name for themselves worldwide with extensive touring and two well-received albums. "Words Of The Prophets" track listing:

01. Lay It On The Line (TRIUMPH)02. Sign Of The Gypsy Queen (APRIL WINE)03. Black Velvet (ALANNAH MYLES)04. Let It Ride (BTO)05. Spirit Of The Radio (RUSH)

"512", a brand new song from Richmond, Virginia metallers LAMB OF GOD, can be streamed below. The track is taken from the band's new album, "VII: Sturm Und Drang", which will be released on July 24 via via Epic in the U.S. and Nuclear Blast Entertainment, with whom the band signed a record deal for all territories outside of North America. The CD was once again produced and mixed by Josh Wilbur with engineering by Wilbur, Nick Rowe and Kyle McAulay, and was recorded at NRG Recording Studios in North Hollywood, California and Suburban Soul Studios in Torrance, California.

The album's first single, "Still Echoes", was made available on May 18 via all digital retailers and streaming services.

"VII: Sturm Und Drang" track listing:

01. Still Echoes02. Erase This03. 51204. Embers05. Footprints06. Overlord07. Anthropoid08. Engage The Fear Machine09. Delusion Pandemic10. Torches

LAMB OF GOD has announced the variety of bundle options available for the pre-order of "VII: Sturm Und Drang". They range from the "everything bundle" (including the deluxe CD or LP, a 7" vinyl single of bonus tracks, a signed album art lithography, a t-shirt, hoodie, cassette and sticker set and retails for $175) to the standard digital download (which retails for $11.98).

LAMB OF GOD frontman Randy Blythe told Billboard.com that the subtitle of "VII: Sturm Und Drang" — which is German for "storm and stress" — indirectly refers to his experience of being arrested at the Prague, Czech Republic airport on June 27, 2012 and being accused of shoving a local fan off the stage during LAMB OF GOD's May 2010 concert in the city. The man, who is said to have stormed the stage three times during the show, reportedly suffered a brain hemorrhage that resulted in his death nearly a month later. Blythe was eventually acquitted of all charges after a panel of Czech judges ruled that concert promoters — and not Blythe — were largely to blame for the fan's death.

According to Blythe, he wanted the title to reflect the new album's lyrical themes, which deal with the psychology of humans reacting under extreme conditions. "I was, like, 'Maybe the Germans have something,' because they're great at cramming complex concepts into, like, one word, like 'schadenfreude' and 'zeitgeist,'" he said. LAMB OF GOD guitarist Mark Morton, whose mother is German, came across the title while researching German vocabulary. ["Sturm Und Drang" was used as the name of a German literary movement of the 18th century, and it refers to a state of uneasiness and usually resentment brewing to an eventual explosion.]

"I didn't set out to write this record about my perception of how people handle stress and difficulties … but as I was writing, it kind of started coming to me," said Blythe, who wrote ninety percent of the album's lyrics. He also went on to describe "VII: Sturm Und Drang" as "the most cohesive record we've done in a long time" and not as "schizophrenic" as some of LAMB OF GOD's previous albums.

Blythe told RollingStone.com that "Still Echoes" "is a history of [Prague's] Pankrác Prison," where he was incarcerated for over a month. The first line of "Still Echos" reads: "A thousand heads cut clean across their necks, right down the hall from me." Blythe says: "There was a guillotine right down the hall from me, from when the Nazis had the prison. From 1943 to 1945 they executed almost 2,000 people by the guillotine, because it was cheaper than shooting and quicker than hanging … They call it the Pankrác 'Saw Room' or the 'Axe Room. I sat there at night, and I’d think about all those dudes that got their heads chopped off— men and women — in that place not too far from me."

"This Goes Out To You", the brand new single from P.O.D., can be streamed below (courtesy of Billboard.com). The song is taken from the band's ninth studio album, "The Awakening", which will be released on August 21 via T-Boy/Universal Music Enterprises (UMe). Album preorders will go live tomorrow (June 9) on iTunes and Amazon.

"The Awakening" was recorded at a Los Angeles-area studio with P.O.D.'s longtime producer Howard Benson.

"We're excited about the new record," P.O.D. singer Sonny Sandoval told MikeJamesRockShow.com. "It's a conceptual record, so it's something different for us. It has a storyline to it. I mean, the songs… we love 'em. We had a chance to play a few new ones live."

In a recent interview with Loudwire, Sandoval stated about the material for P.O.D.'s forthcoming album: "I'm digging it. We have a little something different. I can't really say now, but we're trying a different approach."

He continued: "I think what we've done, it's such a collection of songs that not everybody gets. Some bands sound like one song the whole album through. We've been all over the place, because we are punk, hardcore, rock 'n' roll, metal, reggae, and I think sometimes it might be too much diversity and kids are lost. It's too big of a buffet for them to go for and they want three chords sometimes. We're never going to do that."

Sandoval added: "We're putting something together that tells a story. Maybe it's just for us, maybe it's not for your average listener, but it's something we're having a lot of fun doing. We're excited."

With no plans to take a break this summer, P.O.D. will spend the dog-days on the road headlining sheds and festivals with more than 30 dates in North America. T

Long-running American metallers VIRGIN STEELE will release their new album, "Nocturnes of Hellfire & Damnation", on June 17 in Scandinavia, June 19 in Germany, June 22 in the rest of Europe and June 23 in the USA via SPV/Steamhammer. It will be made available in physical format with three different covers — as a standard 1CD version (the gargoyle cover), 2CD digipak version (the angel cover), 2LP gatefold version (the flute playing skeleton cover) — and as a digital download.

"Nocturnes of Hellfire & Damnation" 2CD digipak track listing:

CD 1

01. Lucifer's Hammer02. Queen Of The Dead03. To Darkness Eternal04. Black Sun - Black Mass05. Persephone06. Devilhead07. Demolition Queen08. The Plague And The Fire09. We Disappear10. A Damned Apparition11. Glamour12. Delirium13. Hymns To Damnation14. Fallen Angels

CD 2

01. Halloween Theme02. D.O.A.03. The Witch In The Forest04. Black Sabbath05. The Immigrant Song06. Black Sabbath 'Reprise'07. Riderless Horse (Save Your Breath)08. The Devil Drives09. Anger Never Dies10. Funeral Games11. The Plot Thickens12. Haunted Wolfshine13. West Of Sumer14. A Greater Burning Of Innocence15. The Birth Of Beauty "Nocturnes of Hellfire & Damnation" jewel-case track listing:

01. Lucifer's Hammer02. Queen Of The Dead03. To Darkness Eternal04. Black Sun-Black Mass05. Persephone06. Devilhead07. Demolition Queen08. The Plague And The Fire09. We Disappear10. A Damned Apparition11. Glamour12. Delirium13. Hymns To Damnation14. Fallen Angels

"Nocturnes of Hellfire & Damnation" 2LP track listing:

Side A:

01. Lucifer's Hammer02. Queen Of The Dead03. To Darkness Eternal04. Black Sun-Black Mass Side B:

01. Persephone02. Devilhead03. Demolition Queen

Side C:

01. The Plague And The Fire02. We Disappear03. A Damned Apparition04. Glamour Side D:

01. Delirium02. Hymns To Damnation03. Fallen Angels

The song " ueen Of The Dead can be streamed using the SoundCloud widget below.

Comments VIRGIN STEELE singer David DeFeis: "Our new album, which is called 'Nocturnes Of Hellfire & Damnation', is not a concept album per se, but there is a through line that connects the tracks. The lyrics essentially deal with relationship issues, and by that I mean the connections between entities, as in all sorts of beings, not only human being, but also gods and goddesses, spirits, elements, or whatever, plus various creatures, animal, vegetable and or mineral, but largely the album is about connections between people. People and their belief systems, people and their gods or goddesses, people and their life philosophies and also the various substances we invest or inject into our daily or nightly rituals and our worldview, and all the complexities of what drives us, makes us who we are and takes us where we may or may not be going.

"To sum it up, this album is about all the various ways in which humans can entangle themselves, or destroy themselves, so the album's title essentially encompasses what the vibe of the whole work is about.

"The title relates to the album in the way that the title 'Noble Savage' or 'Age Of Consent' expressed each of those particular works. The title provides a framework and connective tissue, but each song is really its own thing.

"Musically, the album is pretty heavy, high energy, often dark, at turns melancholy, and at turns aggressive or angry sounding. It does have that over-the-top bombastic heaviness that we are about, and the whole barbaric-romantic thing that we are known for.

"The overarching theme that comes to mind when I think about the album or listen to it is passion… raw passion. There are big monolithic riffs, moody chord changes, 'classical' type bits, sort of bluesy moments.... It retains the VIRGIN STEELE signature, but it adds new dimensions to it. In a strange way, it 'feels' to me like it could have been the album we might have made to follow up 'Noble Savage' had I been able to devote all my energies into the more bombastic or progressive side of my musical nature at that time, rather than trying to appease some of the other 'factions' around me who wanted some kind of a 'hit'...whatever that meant at the time.

"So, to conclude, we have infused the recordings with all that we have gone through over these past months, every fiber of our being, and I think this album will be something our fans will really enjoy."

World-renowned power trio, High On Fire, will release their new album, Luminiferous, on June 23rd via eOne Music. A full album stream is available now at this location. Recorded at Salem, Massachusetts' GodCity Studios with producer Kurt Ballou, the record is the follow-up to the group’s 2012 release, De Vermis Mysteriis.

Universally recognized as one of the most potent acts in music today, High On Fire creates molten heavy metal that merges primal fury and aggression, blackened bombast and hall of fame heaviness. The group's seventh studio album, Luminiferous, is a supersonic exercise in conquest by volume, delivering calculated catharsis as a volcano of revolving riffs and hailstorm of thundering drums combine to beam a blazing spotlight towards the future of modern metal music.

 

 

"We're doing our part to expose The Elite and the fingers they have in religion, media, governments and financial world downfall and their relationship to all of our extraterrestrial connections in the race to control this world," comments vocalist / guitarist Matt Pike. "Wake up, it's happening. All while we stare at a socially engineered lie we think of as normalcy. Unless we wake from the dream, there will come true doom."

After nearly two decades of trailblazing new passageways to heaviness, High On Fire's strong, stunning archetype continues to both sharpen and evolve; the trio's vision has never been clearer. The riff, as always, is King.

 

 

Tracklisting:

“The Black Plot”
“Carcosa”
“The Sunless Years”
“Slave The Hive”
“The Falconist”
“Dark Side Of The Compass”
“The Cave”
“Luminiferous”
“The Lethal Chamber”

“The Sunless Years”:

“The Black Plot”:

High On Fire have also announced an official North American Luminiferous tour with special guests Pallbearer, Lucifer and Venomous Maximus. Dates can be found on the flyer below.

High On Fire lineup:

Matt Pike (guitar, vocals)
Des Kensel (drums)
Jeff Matz (bass)

(Photo - T. Shinn)