Irish rock singer John Bonham performed the IRON MAIDEN classic "Run To The Hills" during the last of the live knockout rounds on RTÉ’s smash hit show "The Voice Of Ireland", the Irish edition of the international TV franchise "The Voice", a reality singing competition. Check out video footage below.

Bonham progressed to the next round and will go on to compete in the quarter-final of the show in a bid to be crowned "The Voice Of Ireland".

John performed "Immigrant Song" by LED ZEPPELIN as his "The Voice Of Ireland" blind audition performance in February.

Bonham's biggest influence is Bruce Dickinson of IRON MAIDEN, whom John credits as the reason he wanted to be a singer in the first place.

John is the current lead vocalist of the unsigned Irish heavy metal band OLD SEASON, whom he joined in August 2013.

Finnish melodic metallers BURNING POINT, whose current lineup includes singer Nitte Vänskä (ex-BATTLE BEAST), have inked a deal with AFM Records. The band's new studio album will be released later in the year.

Stated BURNING POINT mastermind/guitarist Pete Ahonen: "To me, AFM Records has always been a label of quality releases and the words can't describe of how happy and excited I and we are to be a part of the AFM family! It has been very clear from the start that they have a heart full of fire and huge load of enthusiasm towards the bands in their roster. I have to say that first time in YEARS we (label and the band) work as a TEAM."

A snippet of a re-recorded version of the BURNING POINT track "All The Madness", featuring Nitte on vocals, is available for streaming below.

Ahonen, who had handled vocals and guitar for BURNING POINT since the band's inception, last year decided to step down from the singer position and continue playing guitar for the group.

Said Nitte in a statement: "These guys are awesome and the music, just great! I love all the BURNING POINT songs!

"I've been away from the world of heavy metal for a while now, but now with these guys, I am back!"

Vänskä quit BATTLE BEAST in August 2012 via an e-mail in which explained that she would focus on her family life. She has since been replaced by with Noora Louhimo.

Nitte rejoined BATTLE BEAST on stage on March 18 at Nosturi in Helsinki, Finland to perform three songs: "Victory", "Show Me How To Die" and "Enter The Metal World".

BURNING POINT's last album, "The Ignitor", came out in June 2012 via Scarlet Records.

KILL DEVIL HILL, the band featuring former PANTERA bassist Rex Brown alongside Mark Zavon (RATT, W.A.S.P., 40 CYCLE HUM) on guitar, Jason "Dewey" Bragg (PISSING RAZORS) on vocals and Johnny Kelly (TYPE O NEGATIVE, DANZIG on drums, was recently at Stagg Street Studios in Van Nuys, California with engineer Josh Newell (LINKIN PARK, IN THIS MOMENT) recording basic tracks for some freshly written new music. Jay Ruston (ANTHRAX, STEEL PANTHER, STONE SOUR), who also mixed the first two KILL DEVIL HILL CDs, will be mixing the finished songs once they are complete.

Stagg Street is a state-of the art facility, which has worked with such bands as HELMET and FAITH NO MORE.

After performing on MOTÖRHEAD's Motörboat cruise last September, KILL DEVIL HILL took some time off to write new material, and has been very much looking forward to recording new music.

This will be KILL DEVIL HILL's first recording with Kelly, who replaced Vinny Appice after the latter's departure to pursue other projects.

"I'm really excited about coming on board with KILL DEVIL HILL," Kelly said last year. "I've been a fan since their debut and have known the guys for a long time. It's also clear that I have some really big shoes to fill. I'm ready for that challenge as I prepare for KILL DEVIL HILL's next chapter. This is gonna be a blast!"

KILL DEVIL HILL's sophomore album, "Revolution Rise", sold around 2,150 copies in the United States in its first week of release. Released on October 29, 2013 via Century Media Records, the CD was produced by KILL DEVIL HILL and Jeff Pilson (DOKKEN, FOREIGNER, DIO) and was mixed by Jay Ruston (STONE SOUR, ANTHRAX, STEEL PANTHER). The cover artwork was created by Sam Shearon, who has previously worked with ROB ZOMBIE, IRON MAIDEN and FEAR FACTORY, to name just a few.

Photo courtesy of KillDevilHillMusic.com

Gavin Harrison, drummer for British prog innovators, Porcupine Tree, will release a brand new solo album of re-imagined songs from the acclaimed Porcupine Tree repertoire, Cheating The Polygraph, in North America on April 14th via Kscope (April 13th in the UK, April 17th in Germany, April 22nd in Japan).

Harrison has teamed up with Yahoo! Music to launch a music video for "Hatesong/Halo" (see below), taken from Cheating the Polygraph.

Harrison told Yahoo! Music: "Music is about listening and opening your mind. Feel the world around you. Don't get distracted by letting your eyes focus on unrelated things. Let the music create the images in your mind."

Cheating the Polygraph can be pre-ordered now through the Kscope web store at this location. An album trailer can be found below.

 

 

Tracklisting:

"What Happens Now?"
"Sound Of Muzak (So Called Friend)"
"Start Of Something Beautiful"
"Heart Attack In A Lay-By (Creator Had A Mastertape / Surfer)"
"Anaesthetize (The Pills I'm Taking)"
"Hatesong-Halo"
"Cheating The Polygraph (Mother & Child Divided)"
"Futile"

Teaser:

Gavin Harrison currently finds himself working with British progressive rock group, King Crimson. His playing and performing résumé includes stints with artists as varied as Iggy Pop, Lewis Taylor, Manfred Mann and Kevin Ayers.

Cheating The Polygraph is an ambitious project which sees the restlessly creative Harrison re-imagine eight Porcupine Tree songs in a set of vivid and vibrant new arrangements that give full, free rein to his inquiring musical mind.

The tracks which comprise the album were recorded over a five-year period, with Harrison working in conjunction with a crew of some of the finest contemporary musicians, including the gifted saxophonist Nigel Hitchcock and bass player Laurence Cottle. It's a set that will no doubt excite much controversy; Harrison's use of the 'Big Band' musical sound stage isn't some ersatz attempt to make a 'Swing' album; it's closer in execution and arrangement to the innovative works of Frank Zappa and The Mothers of Invention - a layered, richly-textured selection that is both beautifully-recorded and incisively delivered.

"I think every album needs a focus - a master plan - and whilst I thought about writing new tunes for a big band project, I made a version of Porcupine Tree's "Futile" (with Laurence Cottle) and it came out really well," commented Harrison. "It felt like a good plan to follow on with some of my personal favorite PT songs and see if we could make them work. I had a vision that the arrangements would never lean towards a clichéd classic big band sound, but always follow a modern contemporary angle. So even if you didn't know the original tune, you could still enjoy it as a modern composition that would work with this instrumentation. I couldn't be happier with the results. Laurence Cottle's immense talent as a musician and arranger was mind blowing."

No respecter of arbitrary musical pigeonholing, Harrison doesn't so much ignore genre confines as smash right through them - Harrison states in his thoughtful liner notes: "It's very important to me to push the boundaries of music whilst respecting what came before. In the arrangements of these pieces we really get 'out there' with some of the harmonies and rhythms, and we vastly extended the edges of the original compositions."

Harrison also drops little musical depth bombs throughout by interpolating shards of melody and musical themes from other Porcupine Tree songs seamlessly into the musical patina of Cheating the Polygraph, which serve to underscore his frontiersman spirit; this is some of the most enthralling, engaging and challenging music you'll hear in 2015, but there is also wit and charm in abundance here, too.

Stay tuned for more information on Gavin Harrison and Cheating The Polygraph, out this spring on Kscope.

Black Tower hails from Ottawa, Canada, but it might as well be Middle Earth. Or at least a Middle Earth as filtered through heavy metal. Tolkien would probably not approve, but generations raised on his books - as well as Iron Maiden and assorted black metal records - will nod their long-haired heads in appreciation.

Their debut LP, Secret Fire, will come out on June 2nd but you can check out a video for the first single, “Death March”, below:

The video for "Death March", cut by Jason Gilmore at Urgency Company, is merely a reconfiguration of the cinematic triumph that is Sorceress. As you can guess, Black Tower is metal that wears its nerd credentials proudly on its sleeve. You don't sing "Under the Lonely Mountain!" loud and proud in your opening song, or marry the sensibilities of Slough Feg to early Dissection and an almost Bad Religion-ish punk catchiness, without knowing exactly what you are. A lot goes into the mix, but as with any good recipe, what comes out has a flavour all its own.

 

 

With only a self-titled demo under their belts, the three members of Black Tower (who have played in many other outfits - most notably punk groups Crusades, The Creeps, and The Visitors) entered Apartment 2 Recordings in winter 2014 to track their debut LP The Secret Fire with fellow Ottawan and Fuck The Facts mastermind Topon Das. The album will be co-released by No Idea Records and Unspeakable Axe Records.

 

Minnesota’s experimental tech-metal extremists, The Crinn, have confirmed the official release date for their forthcoming full length album, Shadowbreather. The long awaited follow-up to 2010's Dreaming Saturn, Shadowbreather will finally be released to fans on April 28th via The Crinn's official Bandcamp.

The Crinn had the following to say about finally being able to release Shadowbreather to their longtime diehard fans:

"Hello friends and fans! We couldn’t possibly be any happier to announce the release of our new album, Shadowbreather, which is confirmed and set to be released via Bandcamp at midnight on April 28th! Our sole purpose with this album was to create a kick-ass heavy Crinn record for you all to enjoy, and we definitely believe that Shadowbreather will fulfill that objective. This album was mostly self-recorded by Cole at his personal studio and also recorded, mixed, and mastered with our good friend Adam Tucker at Signature Tone Recordings, which makes this his fourth with us. Also, the plan for now is for this to be a digital only self release, although if we can raise enough money from album sales, we would really like to do a limited vinyl run for all you collectors and vinyl junkies! So please save the date and help us out by picking up the album on April 28th! A massive thanks to everyone who has supported us throughout the years, as this release will celebrate a decade of The Crinn! Cheers!"

 

 

Tracklisting:

“Wanderman”
“Endless”
“Silent Betrayer”
“Something Horrible”
“Burn The Widow”
“Maze Of Walls”
“Lurking Light”
“Deaf Effort”

Over the last several months, The Crinn have reinstated their presence on the web and social media, releasing two brand new tracks back to back last October, kicking things off with the release of “Silent Betrayer” and immediately following that up with “Endless”. The third track, “Burn The Widow”, was released on December 25th.

All three tracks are now available for streaming below:

Shadowbreather by The Crinn

Stay tuned for more updates and details over the next few weeks, including a free full album stream of Shadowbreather, leading up to the album's official release on April 28th.

US melodic metal band, Worldview, will release their debut album, entitled The Chosen Few, on May 22nd in Europe and on May 26th in North America via M24 Music Group. Pre-order the album at this location, and check out a new lyric video for the album track, “Mortality” (see below).

 

 

Worldview features members from iconic bands like Sacred Warrior, Deliverance and Recon. The Chosen Few is packed with a host of celebrity guest players: Oz Fox (Stryper) playing a blazing lead guitar, Les Carlsen (Bloodgood) laying down a dramatic guest vocal, Jimmy P. Brown (Deliverance) cutting some low and powerful background vocals, Larry Farkas (Vengeance Rising, Die Happy) shredding with his tasty licks, Armand Meinbardis (Rob Rock) dazzling with his violin and piano playing, and Niki Bente gracing the record with her lovely voice on the title track.

The artwork was created by Felipe Machado Franco (Blind Guardian, Rhapsody Of Fire) and the album was mixed and mastered by Bill Metoyer (Fates Warning, Slayer).

 

 

The Chosen Few tracklisting:

“Mortality”
“Illusions Of Love”
“Back In Time”
“The Mirror”
“Why?”
“Prisoner Of Pain”
“Two Wonders”
“Walk Through Fire”
“The Chosen Few”
“The Last Cry”

“Mortality” lyric video:

Album teaser:

Worldview lineup:

Johnny Gonzales - Drums, Percussion
Todd Libby - Bass guitar, Keyboards
George Rene Ochoa - Guitars, Keyboards, Background Vocals
Rey Parra - Lead Vocals

 

Rings Of Saturn has posted a new dual-guitarist playthrough video for their technically ferocious track, "Godless Times”, hailing from last year's flooring Lugal Ki En LP. The single take live instructional shows both Lucas Mann and Miles Dimitri Baker lightheartedly executing the brutalizing movement side-by-side, and includes a bit of info on the band's upcoming tablature book for Lugal Ki En.   

Amidst heavy bouts of touring, in October, Bay Area alien death metal outfit Rings Of Saturn released their Lugal Ki En sophomore album through Unique Leader Records, the record's over-the-top blistering proficiency and uniquely bizarre output literally vaporizing nearly any other technical metal release of the year. Lugal Ki En's relentless, cyber-infused deathcore destruction is based on a lyrical concept in which the Aliens wage war on the angels and demons of the universe after having conquered humanity.

While no new tour plans are in Rings Of Saturn's immediate future, you can rest assured that additional propaganda and performances are in the works. Stand by for future broadcasts on the band's ever-morphing invasion.

 

Horror Pain Gore Death Productions have teamed up with Dark Horizon Records and will release the new album from black/death metal horde, Holocaustum, entitled In The Fields They Bled, on May 12th on CD and digital formats.

Unleashing eight ominous tracks of caustic death metal, Holocaustum present waves of memorable dark tone, pummeling female vocals, artillery blast drumming and piercing sophisticated guitar solos. This vicious album was mastered by the legendary Dan Swanö (Bloodbath, Edge Of Sanity, Aeon, Hail Of Bullets) at Unisound Studio, and recorded/mixed by John Newton at DHR Studio with drums tracked at SOS Studios in Chicago by AKSMITH.

 

 

Tracklisting:

“Can You Not Smell The Stench?”
“In The Fields They Bled”
“Remnants Of The Dead”
“Harvesting The Horde”
“Atrocities Of War”
“Pulverizing Your Cadaver”
“Bring Forth The Flesh”
“Am I Not Merciful?”

“Atrocities Of War”:

Pre-order the CD for only $10 with free shipping at this location. Pre-order the Digital Download for only $6.66 here.

 

The Vintage Caravan have launched a second video trailer for their upcoming album, Arrival, scheduled for a May 15th release via Nuclear Blast. Arrival is available for pre-order here. See both trailers below:

Part 1:

Part 2:

The psychedelic cover by renowned American artist David Paul Seymour can be seen below.

Commented the band: "We are so excited for the release of the upcoming album. It's definitely a step forward for us musically and we are incredibly happy with how natural the recording process was and how well all of the songs turned out. Get ready for Arrival!"

 

 

Tracklisting:

“Last Day Of Light”
“Monolith”
“Babylon”
“Eclipsed”
“Shaken Beliefs”
“Crazy Horses”
“Sandwalker”
“Innerverse”
“Carousel”
“Winter Queen”

Bonus:
“Say Hello”
“Five Months”

“Babylon” lyric video:

The Vintage Caravan have announced live shows for the upcoming summer and festival cycle. Find the dates below.

 

 

Tour dates:

April
25 - London, England - Desertfest

May
31 - Rotterdam, Netherlands - Baroeg

June
2 - Berlin, Germany - Bi Nuu
5 - Geiselwind, Germany - Out & Loud
6 - Netphen, Germany - Freakvalley
7 - Pilsen, Czech Republic - Metalfest
10 - Ulm, Germany - Ulmer Zelt
12 - Arnhem, Netherlands - Willemeen
13 - Waalre, Netherlands - Kempenerpop
13 - Retie, Belgium - Retie Rockt

July
5 - Montreux, Switzerland - Montreux Jazz Festival
11 - Eistnaflug, Iceland - Eistnaflug Festival
24 - Neuensee, Germany - Rock im Wald
25 - Flörsheim, Germany - Flörsheim Open Air

August
15 - Moledo, Portugal - Sonic Blast
23 - Essen, Germany - Turock Open Air

September
4 - Düsseldorf, Germany - Pitcher
5 - Rockenhausen, Germany - Metallergrillen
12 - Raismes, France - Raismes Fest

 

Jeff Beck earned raves last year for his spellbinding performances during the hugely successful double-bill tour with ZZ Top. Fans can relive Beck’s thrilling guitar gymnastics from those shows with a new live album that touches on key eras from the legendary artist’s influential career. The album captures a snapshot of Jeff’s work in 2014, with two newly recorded studio tracks also included, his first new music since 2010’s Grammy-winning Emotion & Commotion.

Packed with more than an hour of music, Jeff Beck Live+ will be available from Atco Records, an imprint of Rhino Entertainment, on May 5th for a list price of $18.98 (CD) and will also be available digitally. The album will arrive as Beck is in the midst of an East Coast solo tour, which includes newly added dates in May. This trek also features make-up dates from the same ZZ TOP tour this album was recorded during, before it was cut short due to an injury to ZZ Top bassist Dusty Hill.

The 14 live performances on Jeff Beck Live+ were recorded at multiple venues in 2014 and feature Beck backed by his band: vocalist Jimmy Hall, bassist Rhonda Smith, drummer Jonathan Joseph and guitarist Nicolas Meier. The quintet explored Beck’s vast catalog - which stretches across five decades - with performances of “Morning Dew” (from Truth, 1968), “Superstition” (from Beck, Bogert, Appice, 1973), “Big Block” (from Jeff Beck’s Guitar Shop, 1989), as well as two Grammy-winning tracks: his cover of The Beatles’ “A Day In The Life” and “Hammerhead”.

Live+ concludes with two new studio tracks: “Tribal” and “My Tiled White Floor”, with guest vocals from Ruth Lorenzo and Veronica Bellino, respectively. These aggressive new songs mark Beck’s first studio recordings since 2010 and show a stark departure from the sound on his previous album as the guitarist continues to push the envelope of musical innovation, just as he has his entire career.  These tracks are sure to whet the appetite of Beck fans as the guitarist prepares his 17th studio album, which is expected later this year.

Throughout his career, Beck has also proven to be a brilliant interpreter of other’s songs. This live album doesn’t disappoint with covers of “Danny Boy”, Jimi Hendrix’s “Little Wing”, Mahavishnu Orchestra’s “You Know You Know”, and Sam Cooke’s “A Change Is Gonna Come”.

 

 

Jeff Beck Live+ tracklisting

“Loaded”
“Morning Dew”
“You Know You Know”
“Why Give It Away”
“A Change Is Gonna Come”
“A Day In The Life”
“Superstition”
“Hammerhead”
“Little Wing”
“Big Block”
“Where Were You”
“Danny Boy”
“Rollin’ And Tumblin’”
“Going Down”
“Tribal” *
“My Tiled White Floor” *

*New Studio Recording

On June 2nd, Eagle Rock Entertainment will release Jeff Beck’s Performing This Week… Live At Ronnie Scott’s Special Edition on 2CD and Digital Audio. A 3LP edition will be released shortly thereafter.
 
Now released for the first time with the full audio from these incredible shows, Performing This Week… features classic tracks from across Jeff Beck’s career including: “Beck’s Bolero”, “Led Boots”, “Scatterbrain”, “Where Were You”, “Angels (Footsteps)”, “Cause We’ve Ended As Lovers” and his now iconic version of “A Day In The Life”. This amazing show includes guest appearances by Joss Stone, Eric Clapton and Imogen Heap, in addition to a 7-track set with the Big Town Playboys.
 
This 2007 series of concerts at the renowned Ronnie Scott’s club in London became a must-have ticket of the year, with a packed audience every night consisting of the famous and the fans. The CD and DVD releases of these shows (released via Eagle Rock Entertainment in 2008, 2009 respectively) have become the definitive Jeff Beck live recordings. Now for the first time on LP and CD, all of the live tracks are available (including those with special guests plus the Big Town Playboys set, which has previously only been on the Blu-ray release).
 
From his time with the Yardbirds in the sixties, through the Jeff Beck Group and throughout his solo career, Jeff Beck’s unique guitar style and constant desire to explore new musical areas and sounds has won him the admiration of peers and legions of fans worldwide. Performing This Week… Live At Ronnie Scott’s – Special Edition is a stunning representation of the unmatched live experience that only he can deliver.

 

 

Tracklisting:

Disc One:

“Beck’s Bolero”   
“Eternity’s Breath”   
“Stratus”   
“Cause We’ve Ended As Lovers”   
“Behind The Veil”   
“You Never Know”   
“Nadia”   
“Blast From The East”   
“Led Boots”   
“Angels (Footsteps)”   
“Scatterbrain”   
Medley: “Goodbye Pork Pie Hat” / “Brush With The Blues”   
“Space Boogie”   
“Big Block”   
“Day In The Life”
“Where Were You”

Disc Two:

“People Get Ready” (with Joss Stone)   
“Blanket” (with Imogen Heap)   
“Little Brown Bird” (with Eric Clapton)   
“You Need Love” (with Eric Clapton)   
“Rollin’ And Tumblin’” (with Imogen Heap)   

Jeff Beck & The Big Town Playboys Set:

“Race With The Devil”   
“Crazy Legs”   
“Train Kept A Rollin’”   
“My Baby Left Me”   
“Matchbox”   
“Baby Blue”   
“Honky Tonk”
 

 

Unstoppable Swedish death metal unit Demonical, return this spring with a brand new EP. Titled Black Flesh Redemption, the release is scheduled for April 24th in Europe and May 5th in North America via Agonia Records. The cover artwork was created by Kontamination Design. Check out the lead track, “Cursed Liberation”, streaming below.

Produced and mastered by vocalist Sverker Widgren, the four-track new EP was recorded in two studios: Amplified (drums) and Wing (rest of the instruments) between January and February.

The first new tracks since the release of the Darkness Unbound album (2013), deliver the ravishing sounds of HM-2 and razorsharp chants of Stockholm-style death metal darkness.
Demonical commented further on the new EP by saying: "Basically the new material continues where Darkness Unbound left us, however, with a slightly new course to explore when it comes to the musical and visual formula of the band. But all you loyal followers - old and new - rest assure, we are still talking about the finest form of pitch black old-school Stockholm-style death metal that will hit you viciously and victoriously bringing you one step closer to a cleansing redemption".

Tracklisting:

“Cursed Liberation”
“Drown In Flames”
“Throne Of Perdition”
“To Become The Weapon”

“Cursed Liberation”:

Black Flesh Redemption will be available in:

- digipack MCD;
- 12" black MLP (limited to 700 copies)  
- 12" silver MLP (limited to 200 hand-numbered copies)
- 12" gold MLP (limited to 100 hand-numbered copies)
- digital formats

Pre-orders are available at AgoniaRecords.com.

 

Anglo-Chilean thrashers Criminal have announced that they have parted ways with Basque lead guitarist Olmo Cascallar.

“Olmo is a great guy and an excellent guitar player, but there just wasn't that special chemistry between him and the rest of us. I am sure he will have a new project going soon and we wish him the best of luck with it,” comments band leader Anton Reisenegger (vocals/guitar).

Cascallar played on the last Criminal album to date, 2011's Akelarre.

Now joining the Criminal ranks is Chilean shredmaster Sergio Klein, who resides in Berlin, Germany. Klein has already gained recognition as a lead player with his band The Outside and is also a guitar instructor. With him, Criminal have already started working on the material for a new album for a late 2015 release.

“Sergio's playing is absolutely phenomenal. I haven't heard such aggressive, yet melodic and clear leads in a long time. He grew up listening to Criminal so he understands 100% what the band is about, and I can't deny that having another Chilean in the band again feels awesome,” Reisenegger says. “The new songs are coming out great, the creative venoms are really flowing.”

New member Sergio Klein had the following to say about joining the band: “To say that I'm happy to play in Criminal is an understatement. This is a band I've been a fan of since I was 14; I even have some autographs! I've played with the records since I started to play guitar, but what gets me more excited than anything is the really inspired work we achieve when we meet and write music together. I'm really looking forward to show you guys what we've been working on, it will burn your face off!”

Klein already played his first show with Criminal at the Euskal Assault festival in Durango, Basque Country on March 13th.

(Photo - JoLi Studios)

Ghosts Of The Road is an intimate day-in-the-life-of portrait series, featuring some of today’s top rock and metal acts as they navigate a rigorous life on the road. Filmed entirely on one day during a band's tour, these episodes capture the everyday goings-on of a modern rock tour from arrival until the band hits the stage. This fly-on-the-wall perspective aims to offer more to the fans than the traditional mic-in-the-face interview.

Ghosts Of The Road presents a personal portrait of today’s top acts as they work hard to bring the rock to the masses. New episodes every Thursday.

Episode 12 features Porcupine Tree frontman Steven Wilson:

For the time being, Wilson has no desire to create a new album with the British progressive rock band Porcupine Tree.

"One of the funny things about the internet is how quickly something that somebody just makes up, a lie, can become a rumour, can become a fact", he tells FaceCulture.

For information and updates on Wilson's work go to this location.

US heavy metallers Darkology will release their sophomore album, Fated To Burn between the 8th  and the 15th of June, through Prime Eon Media and it's partners worldwide, on CD and digital formats. Multiple special package configurations will be made exclusively available through the band's web store and a vinyl release may follow later in the year. The album artwork and the new lyric video for the song “On Morrow's Break” can be viewed below.

 

 

Darkology features in it's ranks the amazing Harris brothers, Michael (Thought Chamber, Arch Rival, Leather, Chastain) on guitars and Brian (Firewind, Solstice (US), My Own Victim) on drums respectively. On vocals Kelly Sundown Carpenter (Beyond Twilight , Outworld, Epysode and former touring vocalist for Firewind), returns with some out of this world performances. Last but not least the extremely talented bassist Mike Neal (Medieval Steel, Salems Lot) lays down some solid grooves and has even co-written about half of the songs on this album, as well as most of the lyrics, making this a great, highly collaborative, team effort.

 

 

Tracklisting:

“Kill Me If You Can”
“Beyond The Grave”
“On Morrows Break”
“The Eyes Of The Machine”
“Quantum Genocide”
“The Shadows Of Oth”
“Fated To Burn”
“21st Century Frankensteins (Nobot2)”
“Festival Of Fear”
“Holy”
“Nightmare King”
i. Shadows Of The Abyss
ii. The Summoning
iii. The Construct
iv. Eternus Nocturne: The Dark Domain
“Your Hollow Soul” (instrumental mix, bonus track)

“On Morrow's Break” lyric video:

Chris Tsangarides, the famous Anglo-Cypriot, Grammy nominated producer did handle mixing duties and mastering took place at AthensMastering.

An enthusiastic Chris exclaims: “As I was mixing the album and as the songs were coming alive, I was thinking wow this is good, that is also good, this is VERY good. This happened about a dozen times. It’s rather rare at this day and age, that you get an album that’s all killer and no filler and I am not using that expression lightly. ‘Fated To Burn‘ is a must have album. It’s an aural assault of all senses with plenty of melody and bombast for the most discerning metal-heads.”

 

 

Darkology are:

Kelly Sundown Carpenter - Vocals (Beyond Twilight , Outworld, Epysode and former touring vocalist for Firewind)
Michael Harris - Guitars (Thought Chamber, Arch Rival, Leather, Chastain)
Mike Neal - Bass (Medieval Steel, Salem's Lot)
Brian Harris - Drums (Firewind, Solstice (US), My Own Victim)

 

Goatsnake are streaming the new track “Elevated Man”, from  their first full-length in fifteen years, entitled Black Age Blues, the album to be released via Southern Lord on June 2nd.

Black Age Blues is an instant classic, with each one of the nine songs an anthem, and each of the four members of Goatsnake in top form. Everything is magnified; Pete Stahl's vocals have never sounded so good, the rhythm section comprised of Greg Rogers on drums and Scott Renner on bass are the driving force on each track, and Greg Anderson's riffs are heavier than ever before.

Appearing on the album intro to "Another River To Cross" is acoustic guitar courtesy of David Pajo (Slint, Aerial M, Papa M), the track also containing previously released recordings from Goatsnake's The River. Piano is played by Mathias Schneeberger and Petra Haden contributes violin and vocals. Another welcome addition to the album, across multiple tracks, are brilliant backing vocals by Dem Preacher's Daughters: Wendy Moten, Gale Mayes and Andrea Merrit.

Black Age Blues is familiar, but nothing here is a repetition of what we've heard before, as Goatsnake continues to refine the timeless, ultra-heavy rock that they are infamous for, surpassing even the highest of expectations.

The tracklisting and front cover, with photography and design from Samantha Muljat have been released. Audio samples and much more will be revealed in the coming weeks.

 

 

Black Age Blues tracklisting:

“Another River To Cross”
“Elevated Man”
“Coffee & Whiskey”
“Black Age Blues”
“House Of The Moon”
“Jimi's Gone”
“Graves”
“Grandpa Jones”
“A Killing Blues”

“Elevated Man”:

Below is Goatsnake's current list of upcoming live shows in the US and Europe, including appearances at prestigious events such as Maryland Deathfest in the US and Temples Festival in the UK.

May
2 - Pappy & Harriets - Joshua Tree/Pioneertown, CA
3 - Black - Los Angeles, CA (Black Age Blues listening party)
20 - Complex, - Glendale, CA (record release show with Bl’ast, Eagle Twin)
24 - Maryland Deathfest - Baltimore, MD (with Amorphis, Anaal Nathrakh, Inverloch, Neurosis, Winter, more)
30 - Temples Festival - Bristol, UK

June
1 - De Kreun - Kortrijk, Belgium
2 - Melkweg - Amsterdam, Netherlands
3 - SO36 - Berlin, Germany
4 - Freakvalley Festival - Siegen, Germany
7 - AN Club - Athens, Greece
20 - Crucialfest - Salt Lake City, Utah

(Photo: Joshua Ford)

A guitar demonstration video for Shattered Sun’s "Hope Within Hatred" can be seen below. Learn to play along with Daniel Trejo and Jessie Santos as they shred through their new single from Hope Within Hatred.  

Shattered Sun will release their debut album, Hope Within Hatred, on April 21st via Victory Records.

 

 

Hope Within Hatred tracklisting:

“The Ultimatum”
“Victory Or Death”
“Hope Within Hatred”
“Reign Over Me”
“Burning Regrets”
“Waging War”
“Dead Set”
“281”
“Awaken”
“No Sympathy”
“Return To Serenity”

“The Ultimatum” lyric video:

“Hope Within Hatred” lyric video:

 

 

Dark Roots Of Thrash II dates:

April
8 - House Of Blues - Dallas, TX
10 - Pop’s - Sauget, IL
11 - Mojoes - Joliet, IL
12 - Harpo’s - Detroit, MI
13 - The Intersection - Grand Rapids, MI
15 - Phoenix Concert Theatre - Toronto, ON
16 - Rapids Theatre - Niagara Falls, NY
17 - Starland Ballroom - Sayreville, NJ
18 - The Palladium - Worcester, MA, New England Metal & Hardcore Festival
19 - The Paramount - Huntington, NY
21 - Mercury Ballroom - Louisville, KY
22 - Cannery Ballroom - Nashville, TN
23 - Masquerade - Atlanta, GA
24 - The International - Knoxville, TN
26 - Culture Room - Ft. Lauderdale, FL
28 - The Filmore - Silver Spring, MD
29 - The Chance - Poughkeepsie, NY
30 - Trocadero - Philadelphia, PA

May
2 - Bogart’s - Cincinnati, OH
24 - AT&T Center - San Antonio, TX - River City Rockfest

 

Budapest, Hungary-based groove metallers, Omega Diatribe, have released their brand new EP, called Abstract Ritual and featuring ex-Chimaira/Misery Index drummer Kevin Talley. A full stream can be found below.

 

 

Tracklisting:

“Subsequent Phase”
“Extrinsic”
“Hydrozoan Periods”
“Abstract Ritual”
“The Quantum”
“Unshadowed Days” (Perception Remix)

EP stream:

Buy CD or digital here. Get a free MP3 download at this location.

 

Florida based melodic metal act, Artizan, have released a lyric video for “Supernova”, a track from their upcoming release, The Furthest Reaches. The sci-fi concept project features guest vocals by Matt Barlow (ex-Iced Earth, Ashes Of Ares) as the voice of The Keepers, and Sabrina Cruz (Seven Kingdoms) as Mother Earth. Fantasy artist Marc Sasso created the illustration for the standard CD.

A distress signal has been shot into space from the bowels of The Great Pyramid, which is discovered to be a device built by The Keepers thousands of years ago. The Keepers are awakened by the signal after their long slumber and race towards Earth. Are they returning to aid mankind? Or, did something else trigger the distress call?

The CD will be available in both standard and limited editions. The limited edition CD includes alternative artwork by Eliran Kantor with a slipcover, as well as the bonus track, “Come Sail Away”.

 

 

Standard Version Artwork by Marc Sasso

 

 

Tracklisting:

“Coming Of Age”
“Summon The Gods”
“Hopeful Eyes”
“The Furthest Reaches”
“The Cleansing”
“Wardens Of The New World”
“Heed The Warning”
“Supernova”
“Starchild”
“Into The Sun”
“Come Sail Away” (Limited Edition bonus track)

 

 

Limited Edition Artwork by Eliran Kantor

 

 

The Furthest Reaches will be released April 24th via Pure Steel Records, coinciding with their appearance at the legendary Keep it True festival in Germany. Pre-orders are now available at the official Artizan website.

Album sampler:

 

Spanish thrash metallers Holycide have launched a lyric video for the song “Apocalypse Riders”. The video was made by DP Rey and taken from their debut EP Toxic Mutation, released this past February through Xtreem Music.

Toxic Mutation is a gasp of fresh air in the healthy and uprising Spanish thrash metal scene, showing an intense and aggressive yet catchy style discovering the vocal capabilities of Avulsed's Dave Rotten who's surprising everyone with his raging and dynamic thrashing style.

The EP can be streamed at Bandcamp.

(Photo - Daniel Pereira)

French progressive and experimental death metal group, Pitbulls In The Nursery, will release their second full-length album Equanimity on May 4th via Klonosphere Records (Hacride, Trepalium, Klone).  

Preorders for the CD/Digital Version are now available via ULULE, a crowdfunding platform the five-piece used to raise a total of 1.800€ to fund the recordings of Equanimity.

“Insiders” a new song from the nine track release, their first in nine years, is streaming on Soundcloud.

Reading, PA's Rivers Of Nihil have officially completed work on their follow up to The Conscious Seed Of Light. The band tracked at Atrium Audio just a short drive from their hometown to Lancaster, PA with producers Carson Slovak and Grant McFarland.

The new album's details will be released within the coming weeks and is tentatively scheduled for a late summer release worldwide on Metal Blade Records. Stay tuned for music, art, tour dates, and more.

Rivers Of Nihil's debut album, The Conscious Seed Of Light, was recorded in March of 2013 at Mana Recording Studios in Florida with famed metal producer/musician Erik Rutan. While The Conscious Seed Of Light is not necessarily a concept album traditionally speaking, Rivers Of Nihil began their project with the idea that they would release four separate albums tied together with one common theme: each reflecting a particular season of a year.

Bassist Adam Biggs elaborates; "The Conscious Seed Of Light is intended to be representative of spring and explores various themes concerning new beginnings, growth, and an attachment to the natural world in a post-human Earth. Unlike some concept records however, we wanted to allow each song to work on its own terms. Rather than have the songs rely on each other to move a specific story structure forward; they work within their own separate narratives, but ultimately serve the album's broader concept."

Rivers Of Nihil's lineup is rounded out by guitarists Brody Uttley, vocalist Jake Dieffenbach, and drummer Alan Balamut.

Kyle McGinn of Dead Rhetoric recently conducted an interview with SOILWORK drummer Dirk Verbeuren. A few excerpts from the conversation follow below.

Dead Rhetoric: I saw you are using two kicks for the first time. What sparked that idea?

Verbeuren: To be honest, that idea was sparked by Satyr of SATYRICON. I was talking with him about drums in general, while I was doing a few gigs with them back in early January, filling in for Frost. He just said to try two kicks, because, soundwise, it opens a lot of options to have slightly different tuned kicks and it sounds a lot better than just playing on the same kick. I had switched to the double pedal when I was a really young drummer for practical reasons, which are obvious, and had never really reconsidered my position on that. I just kept playing with my double pedal. When I went to the studio for this new SOILWORK record, they had two kicks and I remembered that conversation with Satyr and figured I'd give it a shot. That's how it happened. It sounded great, so I'm glad I did it.

Dead Rhetoric: In terms of what fans can expect, is there anything else about the new SOILWORK album that you can mention at this point?

Verbeuren: Well, to be honest, I haven't heard any finished songs. We usually demo mostly drums and guitar. Not necessarily all the final guitar parts either, and I haven't really heard any vocals at all. And no keys, since Sven [Karlsson] always brings in his keys once the basic frames of the songs are done. That's always a new discovery once the album is ready, for me at least. [Laughs] In general, I can say that it's going to be a little bit of a different twist on things this time. I think the album has a pretty aggressive and dark undertone to it. There's quite a bit of aggression in it, and some heavy crushing [sounds], and then some fast songs. I felt a bit more like a barbarian playing my drums on this one. I felt that some of the songs needed not so much frills and complicated and technical stuff but just straight-up hammering, and drums in your face. That was some of the vibe, but it's definitely going to sound like a SOILWORK record. I have no doubt about that. We are always trying to let our feelings of the moment speak, and it will be interesting to see how it comes out.

Dead Rhetoric: It was pretty cool that you tossed in some older tracks in the set [of the recently released SOILWORK DVD "Live In The Heart Of Helsinki"] alongside the newer material. How much time and consideration did you actually put into making that setlist?

Verbeuren: A whole lot, because it was a key thing for us when we discussed the DVD to make sure that it covered everything that SOILWORK has ever done. Some of our fans only like the old stuff, and we are cool with that. I understand that. I'm a music fan myself, and there are some bands where I'm only really a fan of a certain period they did, but I'll go see them live and enjoy them. But when those songs come on from that period, it's special to me. Knowing that, we wanted to offer people that can enjoy SOILWORK a similar experience. It was really important for us to cover every album and to make sure that there was at least one song from every album we've ever done. Then there's also the ebb and flow of the set, which needed to be good at the same time. We had a good template to work with from the last tour, with some good transitions. So we took that and expanded it to this massive one hour and forty-five-minute set.

Dead Rhetoric: Now that some time has passed since "The Living Infinite", due to the double album format, do you feel that some of the songs were overshadowed by the others just due to the volume of material that you released at once?

Verbeuren: I don't know if I feel that anything was overshadowed, really. I still think it works really well as a unit, or entity of its own. In retrospect, there's always stuff where we could have done something differently. But in general though, considering the short amount of time we had to write and record that album, I'm still kind of blown away by how good it actually turned out and how much passion you can hear throughout the album. The coolest thing for me is that it doesn't get boring or too repetitive. I know some people will disagree with that, because not everyone sees the same way, and, obviously, everyone is entitled to experience in the way they did. But, for me, it's a really strong double album that is not just a double album for the sake of, "let's put out a lot of songs at the same time." The songs are all really good in their own right. I'm still super stoked about it.

Read the entire interview at Dead Rhetoric.

The Age Of Metal recently conducted an interview with vocalist Chuck Billy of san Francisco Bay Area metallers TESTAMENT. You can now watch the chat below.

Speaking about the progress of the songwriting sessions for TESTAMENT's follow-up to 2012's "Dark Roots Of Earth", Chuck said: "We have five or six songs demoed up. There's still probably a lot of tweaking on it, I'm sure. But, hopefully, within the next couple of months, being on the road, we can get some time to just kind of mess with some stuff."

Asked if the new TESTAMENT songs will have one unifying lyrical theme, Chuck said: "We haven't really thought about it. I don't think there's been a concept on this yet. We're just kind of writing songs. We're just getting as much songs of me and Eric [Peterson, guitar] working together, demoing. So it's advanced, but it's early, at least with the rest of the guys. 'Cause me and Eric are doing all the writing and demoing."

Regarding a possible release date for TESTAMENT's next studio CD, Chuck said :"I don't know. I can't set a date. But at this point in time in our careers, when it's ready, it's ready. And at the end of the day, we're the ones that have to live with it for the rest of our life and tour on it. So we wanna make sure it's ready. And we're fortunate to have Nuclear Blast really supporting us and not sweating us on it. They're just, like, 'When it's ready, we'll know, we'll be ready and we'll go.' So I hope towards the end of the year, it's done and finished."

In a recent interview with Josh Rundquist (a.k.a. That Drummer Guy), TESTAMENT drummer Gene Hoglan stated about the band's material: "[It] is badass; it's killer, it's good shit. And TESTAMENT fans are gonna be, like, 'Fuck yeah!'… People will be, like, 'Shit, they mean business on this record.' It's heavy [and] fast, [with] a lot of thrash stuff."

He added: "I know that [Chuck Billy and Eric Peterson's] approach — and this has been stated in the press — they kind of wanna go back to 'The Gathering' [1999] kind of vibe, and I can see that. That had a lot of fast songs on it, and that's kind of their approach that they're taking. And that's cool; that was a great record. So [I think they're] trying to write a better version of that, so I think they're gonna do it."

Billy said in an interview that would like the new TESTAMENT CD to sound along the lines of "The Gathering", "because 'The Gathering', for me, was such a turnaround record for the band. I think we really found our style and place, and the songs on that, to me, are probably gonna be some songs that stand the test of time, for sure. I think, 'cause we started experimenting with blast beats and a different style of guitar rhythms and picking on the guitars, it was different for us, and I really like where that went. So we hope that's where it all kind of ends up, and that's what we're shooting for."

TESTAMENT in January 2014 announced the departure of bassist Greg Christian and return of Steve DiGiorgio.

Jack Antonio conducted an interview with guitarist Jeff Waters of Canadian metallers ANNIHILATOR on the March 26 episode of "Do You Know Jack?" radio show. You can now listen to the chat using the Mixcloud player below.

Speaking about the progress of the recording sessions for ANNIHILATOR's follow-up to 2013's "Feast", Waters said: "Just before you called, or as you called, I was just sort of… pre-mixing mode, basically. We're just doing some backup vocals on Monday. And those consist of a bunch of guys standing around, all stinky and sweaty with bad breath, yelling into a microphone words like 'kill,' 'die,' 'hell' and weird grunting noises. And that's called backup vocals."

He continued: "It's studio CD number fifteen… Holy crap! Fifteen! Yeah, this is different. This one actually… You do all these records and… Almost every band usually says, 'Oh, yeah, this is the best album we've done for this many years.' Or this and that. The smart ones say, 'This is the better, or best, one we've done in a few years. And the dumb ones say, 'This is the best album we've done since…' And then they name their best album, and everybody goes, 'You've gotta be kidding me.' Right?! So I'm kind of realistic on that.

"Whenever we create or record a record, we always think it's fantastic, and then, as every day trickles on after that, reality sets in and you realize, 'Okay, there's five strong songs and three good ones and two that maybe we should have written and recorded two different ones. And then a few more months go by, and you realize, 'Okay, there's three really strong ones, there's three okay ones, and then there's three stinkers.' You know what I mean?! It's just the nature of writing. And if all artists were honest about this to themselves, or to the press, at least, you would get that from everybody. Because there's no way bands are doing ten classic songs per album anymore. There's almost no records ever done like that since the early '90s."

Waters added: "But as far as what I think of the new one… One thing I do know is that it's different. It is definitely not along the beaten path that you would expect us to do after that that last record we did, 'Feast'. And that's kind of weird, because the record company hasn't heard it yet, and they are all hoping we get 'Feast No. 2' happening here, because they made a minor metal killing on the last album, which was great for us. They did well, and we did well on this one. And they're stepping everything up, so to speak, and we're all excited about it, but I'm telling them, 'Please don't expect it's gonna be 'Feast' but a bit better.' It's actually gonna be something quite different."

Waters elaborated on his mindset going into the writing process for ANNIHILATOR's new CD. He said: "I had pressure this time. Normally, I always say, 'Oh, I own the rights to this. I just license the album out to the different companies.' And I have a sub-publishing deal, which means you haven't sold your publishing rights. You've just given Sony… basically, for me, Sony the right to go collect my publishing money for me rather than own it. And the trade-off in these kinds of deals is the publishing and recording company that you sign with don't have as big a percentage in profit to make as if they signed you and owned your ass. This way I control it, so to speak, and I get the rights back to all this stuff after a certain number of years, but they don't put in as much money to do it. Now, in this case, when you get lucky and you have a record like we did with 'Feast', you kick back and sort of smile and go, 'I don't have to worry about that. They see the money.' Even though they got a certain percentage less than normal, they wanna kick it in now, because they know the last one did well. So there was some pressure on me here… And for a couple of other reasons, which people will find out in about a month… There was some pressure on me on this album, and I decided, 'Screw it! Just go and…' I work better under pressure and under stress and under the fear of failure and [with the thought of the possibility of] people not liking it. And when the press say things, I'm, like, 'Oh, it doesn't bother me. I've been in the business for so many years. It doesn't bother me.' And yet I'll go and feel sick to my stomach and walk around depressed for two days. [Laughs]"

ANNIHILATOR's fourteenth studio album, "Feast", was re-released as a limited edition featuring re-recorded ANNIHILATOR classics on CD and the full Wacken Open Air festival show on DVD, all in a special Ecolbook version with a new 3D cover.

"Feast" was released in August 2013 to critical acclaim and reached the charts in several countries, among them Germany (#20), Finland (#17), Switzerland (#36) and France (#76).

"Feast" sold around 800 copies in the United States in its first week of release.

TWISTED SISTER singer Dee Snider says that the band's drummer, A.J. Pero, exhibited "irresponsible behavior" by not having himself "checked out" for cardiovascular disease before his tragic death last month.

Pero died at the age of 55 while on tour with the band ADRENALINE MOB. After members of that group failed to rouse him on their tour bus on March 20, he was taken to a Poughkeepsie, New York hospital and pronounced dead of an apparent heart attack.

"People ask me how I feel about A.J.'s passing, and, quite honestly, I'm going through a real period of anger right now about it," Snider told TMZ.com (see video below). "He was a great guy, and I loved him dearly. But he had a history of heart disease — his family did; his father died in his early 60s of heart disease — and A.J. never had himself checked out. And when they did the autopsy, he had 95 percent blockage, advanced heart disease. And he didn't have to die. And I feel it's, basically, irresponsible behavior on his part. He had two ex-wives and an ex-girlfriend of 19 years, four kids he left behind. And you have a responsibility, as a parent, as an adult, to get yourself checked out.'

He continued: "So, people, please, get yourself checked out. There's no reason for people to die of heart disease in this day and age."

In a statement to "The House Of Hair", Snider reiterated the same sentiment. He said: "This is the unfortunate reality of irresponsible adult behavior. Not only did A.J. Pero have a family history of heart disease, which he allowed to go unchecked, but he did not have a will, left behind two ex-wives, a longtime girlfriend, four children between the three of them, and a mess of an estate to be sorted out. Now, there is infighting, mistrust and dissension amongst the family members about how to handle life after A.J. What a mess. While the legalities of the situation are being sorted out, TWISTED SISTER is doing a show to raise some money to help the family out in the short term. This unfortunate situation should be a life lesson to all to take responsibility for the world we create and will leave behind when we are gone."

As previously reported, Pero's longtime girlfriend, Michele Agnello, launched a GoFundMe campaign to help defray the financial stress that she and Pero's daughter now face, but the campaign has since been discontinued without an explanation.

TWISTED SISTER rose to prominence from the New York club scene in the early 1980s. Their biggest album, 1984's "Stay Hungry", contained the hits "We're Not Gonna Take It" and "I Wanna Rock".

In addition to touring with TWISTED SISTER and ADRENALINE MOB, Pero also recently played with former and current members of IRON MAIDEN and DISTURBED in a band called THE FOUNDRY. He also hosted drum clinics and seminars.

RATT drummer Bobby Blotzer has released a statement explaining his reasons for assembling the RATT EXPERIENCE band which will perform not only the RATT hits, but also several deep album cuts, including many songs that have never been played live.

Said Bobby: "While I had the right to go out and tour as RATT, I would not consider that.

"This is not RATT, but a chance to go out a tour with complete familiarity in our music for you, the fans of RATT and myself humbly.

"I've put heart, soul, blood and my life into being a lifer in RATT.

"I want to play all kinds of tunes that never were even considered by us; well, a majority.

"A lot of 'radio/video hits' always took the front seat, but I felt that we stifled ourselves with a lot of closed-mindedness for so many kick-balls tunes.

"My other 'Rattners' in crime have chose another path. But after five years of us not touring, I'm bored and I want to play our songs that we all wrote and created.

"It ain't RATT, okay, but I'm confident after you see my band playing Ratt 'N' Roll music, you'll agree that it kicked your asses, and you walk out with a good buzz on and in your ears when we start rollin' up on your town. Hopefully a lot of shows as soon as possible.

"It's going to take time and a lot of work and open minds. But these guys are great players and super-good people.

"We just got the pics together along with the needed materials to launch. Now it's in the booking agency's and promoters' hands.

"Thanks for being there for me after 33 years as the bus driver of RATT. You can call me 'The Blotz.'"

Blotzer's RATT EXPERIENCE is rounded out by Josh Alan (SIN CITY SINNERS), Scotty Griffin (ex-L.A. GUNS), Doc Ellis (Jizzy Pearl's LOVE/HATE) and 21-year-old guitar hero Blaze.

Each RATT EXPERIENCE show will include (depending on venue and time slot)

* A performance of RATT's "Invasion Of Your Privacy" album in its entirety to commemorate the record's 30th anniversary

* A never-before-seen video history introduction

* A tribute to late RATT guitarist Robbin "King" Crosby

* Over 20 songs, including some that have never been played live before

* Exclusive VIP meet-and-greet packages and opportunities to hang out with The Blotz!

For more information, visit Facebook.com/TheRattExperience.

Wrote Griffin in a post on his Facebook page: "The RATT EXPERIENCE featuring Bobby Blotzer will be exactly what it sounds like. A night of all RATT songs, featuring rare songs never performed live by RATT as well as the hits everybody knows and loves. Focusing mainly on their first five consecutive platinum and multi-platinum albums, this will be a summer tour you don't want to miss. We are even thinking about possibly celebrating the 30th anniversary of the double-platinum album 'Invasion Of Your Privacy' by playing it in its entirety. Whatever we decide to do, we promise it to be more than just an ordinary show of playing the same old songs. Bobby wants this to be an extra-special RATT EXPERIENCE that will take you through the illustrious career of this great band that he has been 100% a part of since its very inception."

He continued: "Along with myself, the band features my fellow SIN CITY SINNERS: Doc Ellis on guitar and Joshua Alan on vocals. Also joining us will be 21-year-old guitar sensation and local Las Vegan Blaze (recently with Brad Paisley) who joined us onstage when Blotzer was our special guest a few weeks ago at Vamp'd. That was the night where this whole idea sprang from. Bobby had been looking for a band to put together while RATT are on indefinite hold, and it was obvious the SINNERS were that band!"

Former RATT singer Stephen Pearcy recently shut down the possibility of working with his former bandmates ever again. He said: "I think it's a permanent vacation. I'm just doing what I'm gonna do, and I still have other interests and enjoying some time. I'm not going out and playing a lot, just playing just to play. And [I'm] working on other things. But it's a permanent vacation, and as far as I'm concerned; the door's shut. The time has passed for a record. But I don't know… It took ten years for the last record, so I can't say. But as far as playing [together again], no. [There is] nothing else [planned], as far as I'm concerned, right now."

During an April 2014 interview with the "Trunk Nation" show, Blotzer slammed Pearcy over the singer's latest exit from the group, saying: "Everything [Stephen] says is delusional and complete lies. He's so destructive… Stephen doesn't know how to play ball, he's not a team player. It's Stephen's way or there's no way at all… He walks on everything. He's walked four times. Again, this year, he's walked… He's tortured us. I mean, he's kept us hostage for years. 'I'm quitting. I'm not going.' He's canceled shows, he's canceled tours."

He continued: "I think the rest of the band has proven — and you can go to YouTube, that we do — we go out there and we kick ass, and we're concise and we fucking play really good."

Blotzer added: "But do I want him in the band? Yes, I do. I want the nice Stephen in the band."

Despite last month's announcement to the contrary, BLACK SABBATH will not appear at this year's Ozzfest Japan, scheduled for November 21-22 at Makuhari Messe outside Tokyo. The show will instead feature a solo performance by BLACK SABBATH singer Ozzy Osbourne, who will be accompanied by as-yet-undisclosed "friends."

No reason was given for SABBATH's withdrawal from the event.

BLACK SABBATH's appearance at Ozzfest Japan was announced last month via a videotaped message from Ozzy's wife and manager Sharon, who said, "Ozzfest will be back in Japan on November 21st and 22nd. And this will be BLACK SABBATH's farewell. We're also announcing KORN, who are celebrating their 20th anniversary. Now you can't miss that." Sharon's announcement didn't exactly line up with SABBATH's previous plans to record a new album in 2015 and head out on one final tour before retiring, unless the band planned a summer release for the record and very limited touring until the last show in Japan. But Sharon likely meant that this would be SABBATH's last show ever in Japan — which she did not make clear on the video.

Three original members of SABBATH — Ozzy, guitarist Tony Iommi and bassist Geezer Butler — reunited in late 2011 to record their first album together in 35 years.

The project was hampered by drama over founding drummer Bill Ward's last-minute decision not to participate, as well as Iommi's battle with cancer.

The album, titled "13", came out in June 2013 and was SABBATH's first No. 1 record in the U.S. ever. It was followed by a lengthy and wildly successful world tour.

Ozzy told The Pulse Of Radio at the time that he thought "13" was a great way for SABBATH to end its career if it didn't make another album after that. "For whatever reason if we don't do another studio album, this is where I would have liked to have been at the end of SABBATH, my days with SABBATH," he said. "But life has a funny way of twisting things around, and if we do do another album, it'd be great, but if we don't, this will be a nice way to round it off."

Ozzy told Metal Hammer last year, "The whole SABBATH experience this time around was great. We all made friends, we didn't fuck around, we all knew that we had a job to do, and we did it. It was a lot of fun. So we're going to do one more album, and a final tour."

It is not clear whether SABBATH has begun writing a new album yet. Ozzy has also hinted at working on a solo album, and will do a residency in Las Vegas this October.

Correlating with their most momentous and intense work to date, the Arizona-based instrumetal duo Tempel have unveiled the transfixing cover artwork for their upcoming sophomore release, The Moon Lit Our Path, which will be released via Prosthetic Records on June 16th. The meticulously hand-painted artwork was completed by illustrator Lucas Ruggieri (Kylesa, Dragged Into Sunlight, Cough).

The Moon Lit Our Path consists of five colossal tracks that fuse haunting blackened post-metal melodies with progressive accents and atmospheric tinges.

The Moon Lit Our Path tracklisting:

“Carvings In The Door”
“The Moon Lit Our Path”
“Descending Into The Labyrinth”
“Tomb Of The Ancients”
“Dawn Breaks Over The Ruins”

Album teaser: