The surviving members of the theatrical shock rock band GWAR have responded to the lawsuit filed by the father of Dave Brockie, the group's late founder, accusing them of stealing Dave's artwork, bass guitars and cremated remains, and refusing to return them to his family.

GWAR's official statement reads as follows:

"We have not yet seen the actual lawsuit papers, and thus cannot comment on the substance of the lawsuit brought against GWAR by Dave Brockie's father, William Brockie, but we can say that the claims in the Style Weekly article are false. We did not steal Dave Brockie's ashes, or anything else that belonged to him. In fact, all of the items mentioned in the article, including Dave's ashes have been available to his attorneys for weeks. At all times, and under very trying circumstances, we have acted in good faith to honor the wishes of our dear friend. Dave left no will or instructions for final arrangements, and so we have done the best we could to honor what we believe Dave Brockie would have wanted. "The accusation concerning Dave's ashes is particularly troubling for us. Following Dave's passing, the first thing we did was notify his father, who signed over Dave's body so we could have him cremated. We were told by Dave's father that he did not want to be involved in making Dave's final arrangements. For this reason, Slave Pit [GWAR's management company] assumed that responsibility, paying for his cremation, arranging two memorial services (one public and one private), and purchasing a plot for Dave in Richmond's famed Hollywood Cemetery. Dave's father did not attend either of the services held for his son in Richmond. "Over 30 years of working and living with Dave, several of us had heard him say that he wished for his ashes to be kept at Slave Pit, so he could 'keep an eye on GWAR' while we worked. In the weeks following his death, we developed a plan for a memorial fund that would raise money to honor Dave's memory with a statue in Hollywood Cemetery and work to continue his passionate support of the arts. We felt strongly that a portion of his remains should live at the site of his proposed monument in Hollywood Cemetery. When William Brockie later approached us, we released a portion of the ashes at his request, so he could spread them in the location where Dave's brother and mother's ashes were dispersed. "Concerning the other allegations in the article, there was certainly no effort on the part of anyone in GWAR, including drummer Brad Roberts, to steal or hide Dave's belongings and personal effects either from his home or office. Dave, like the rest of GWAR, was paid upfront for his final leg of touring with GWAR. The claim that we failed to pay his share of royalties from Slave Pit Inc. is false, and we have the records to prove that. We have been in correspondence with William Brockie and his lawyers for months. They have access to the band's financial records, and Dave's payments and share of royalties are clearly recorded. Likewise, William Brockie's attorneys have an itemized list of the small collection of Dave's art and belongings at Slave Pit. There was never an attempt on the part of Slave Pit to withhold these items from William Brockie. When his attorneys finally identified the particular things they wanted, we made arrangements to return them immediately. Dave's remains, as well as his belongings, including the instruments and the gold record mentioned in the article were given to our lawyers, who in turn notified the Brockie estate that they could retrieve them weeks ago. "The Dave Brockie Fund did indeed raise money toward our initial goal of building a monument to Dave in Hollywood Cemetery. Unfortunately, its mission has been put on hold because William Brockie's attorneys claim that the Brockie estate should have control of the Dave Brockie Fund and the money contained therein. If we are ultimately unable to use the funds for the purpose for which they are raised, the funds will be returned to all contributing donors. "Finally, our manager, Jack Flanagan has been unjustly accused of signing a bogus release. At the request of our attorneys, he signed some paperwork to make his position clear on what he thought Dave would have wanted, which is something that the law of Virginia specifically asks for, given Jack's relationship with the band and with Dave. There is nothing bogus about this. "Dave Brockie was our friend, peer, co-worker, and our family. We want to preserve the legacy of one of the greatest singers in rock and roll history. There is no 'conspiracy,' no bad faith, no theft, no graft, and no ill will.

"We trust our fans will see through this, and we will be able to get back to work on the one thing we all know Dave Brockie loved; GWAR."

Dave Brockie was found dead in his home in Richmond, Virginia on March 23, 2014. According to Virginia's State Medical Examiner's Office, he died from acute heroin toxicity by accidental means.

Dave Brockie, who fronted GWAR under the name Oderus Urungus was the band's last remaining original member.

According to NBC News, the surviving members of the theatrical shock rock band GWAR have been sued by the father of Dave Brockie, the group's late founder, accusing them of stealing Dave's artwork, bass guitars and cremated remains, and refusing to return them to his family.

In the lawsuit, filed Thursday (April 2) in state circuit court in Richmond, Virginia, William Brockie, the administrator of Dave Brockie's estate, states: "Immediately after Dave Brockie's death, the remaining active members of GWAR, led by [drummer] Brad Roberts [a.k.a. Jizmak Da Gusha], set out on a course of action to capitalize on the death of Dave Brockie.

"Mr. Roberts and-his cohorts took certain steps to attempt to wrongfully secure Dave Brockie's property and legacy — items that rightfully belonged to his Estate.

"Shortly after Dave Brockie's death, Brad Roberts contacted Mr. Brockie by telephone in an attempt to convince Mr. Brockie to relinquish his authority to administer his son's estate.

"Following up on this phone call, Slave Pit, Inc.'s lawyer sent Mr. Brockie a letter on April 25, 2014 for the purpose of wresting control of the Estate of Dave Brockie from Mr. Brockie.

"That letter falsely represented that Mr. Brockie had 'expressed that [he) cannot, take on this responsibility right now' and asked that Mr. Brockie accept Michael Derks and Jamison Land, two of the current band members of GWAR, as the co-administrators of Dave Brockie's estate.

"At no time did Mr. Brockie express the desire to not serve in the capacity of Administrator of his son's estate.

"While Slave Pit, Inc. was attempting to usurp Mr. Brockie's authority to act as Administrator of the Estate, Mr. Roberts was simultaneously taking steps to take possession of and abscond with Dave Brockie's personal effects and legacy.

"Dave Brockie's housemate at the time of his deathwas GWAR band member Jamison Land.

"Upon information and belief, promptly after Dave Brockie's passing, Mr. Land was contacted by Brad Roberts and Jack Flanagan, GWAR's manager, to gain access to Dave Brockie's residence.

"Upon information and belief, sometime after Dave Brockie's death but before May 22, 2014, Mr. Roberts, Mr. Land, and Mr. Flanagan, and others affiliated with GWAR took possession of and removed certain of Dave Brockie's personal items, including but not limited to his bass guitars, artwork, gold record, tour posters, antique firearm, and computer from his residence.

"Upon information and belief, these items were removed from Dave Brockie's personal residence and brought to Slave Pit, Inc. headquarters where they were comingled with Dave Brockie's other property, including original Art that he had kept at Slave Pit, Inc. headquarters.

"Dave Brockie's personal items were then padlocked in Dave Brockie's old office at Slave Pit, Inc. headquarters.

"Mr. Roberts controlled access to Dave Brockie's former office and thereby access to Dave Brockie's personal belongings.

"After Dave Brockie was cremated, Mr. Roberts was also able to secure possession of Dave Brockie's remains.

"When Mr. Brockie visited Slave Pit, Inc. headquarters to retrieve Dave's belongings and remains on May 24, 2014, he was denied admission to Slave Pit, Inc. headquarters.

"Having been denied access to his son's remains and property, Mr. Brockie was callously made to wait across the street from Slave Pit Inc. headquarters at the restaurant En Su Boca.

"Eventually, Mike Derks, a member of Slave Pit, Inc., came out of Slave Pit, Inc. headquarters and walked over to En Su Boca to give Mr. Brockie a small fraction of his son's ashes which were delivered in a used plastic bag with Discover credit card logo on it.

"To date, Mr. Roberts and Slave Pit, Inc. have retained the vast majority of Dave Brockie's remains and failed to return the ashes of Dave Brockie to his grieving father.

"Slave Pit, Inc. then proceeded, without permission from Mr. Brockie, to set up the Dave Brockie Memorial Fund which used and, as of the date of this filing, continues to use Dave Brockie's name and image, to raise funds to be used at the discretion of Slave Pit, Inc.

"Slave Pit, Inc. also produced t-shirts with Dave Brockie's name and image on them which it sold both on the GWAR website, www.gwar.net, and at the 2014 GWAR BQ — the annual music festival held at Hadad's lake in Henrico, Virginia on August 15-16, 2014.

"The first day of the 2014 GWAR BQ was in fact advertised as a Dave Brockie public memorial. Several thousand people attended. In addition to Dave Brockie t-shirts, GWAR merchandise as well as food and beverages were sold at this 'public memorial' for Dave Brockie.

"Neither Slave Pit, Inc. nor any other, entity related to GWAR has ever sought or obtained permission from Mr. Brockie to use Dave Brockie's name, image, or likeness.

"Instead, Slave Pit, Inc. has attempted to justify its use of Dave Brockie's name, image, and likeness by having various current and former members of GWAR, as well as its manager, Jack Flanagan, execute 'releases' in which they purport to be the 'consort' of Dave Brockie.

"Conveniently these purported 'releases' were dated March 24, 2014 — the day after Dave Brockie's passing."

William Brockie seeks $1 million in compensatory damages, punitive damages, and injunctive relief on claims of conversion, breach of contract, and unauthorized use of David Brockie's image.

Dave Brockie was found dead in his home in Richmond, Virginia on March 23, 2014. According to Virginia's State Medical Examiner's Office, he died from acute heroin toxicity by accidental means.

Dave Brockie, who fronted GWAR under the name Oderus Urungus was the band's last remaining original member.

Northern Finland death/thrash metal act Ravage Machinery has announced their full-length debut album Subordinates Of The Mechanism.

Subordinates Of The Mechanism was forged by Drop Hammer Studios (Torture Killer, Hateform) and mastered by Jens Bogren ( At The Gates, Arch Enemy, Amon Amarth). The album will be released on April 24th by One Man Army.

Tracklisting:

“Emancipate/Exterminate”
“Supremus Deus Machinarum”
“Evolution Of Malevolence”
“Miscarriage”
“The Utilitarian Nomad”
“Limits Of Systematic Madness”
“The Gallows Await”
“Mediacracy”
“Decapitation”

Album teaser:

Acid King, pioneers of the San Francisco doom scene and one of the genre’s first bands to be helmed by a woman, return from their self-imposed 10-year recording hiatus on April 14th with the release of Middle Of Nowhere, Center Of Everywhere. A full album stream can be found below.

“We had several songs in the works over the years that we spent most of our time touring Europe but in between working our day jobs, we didn’t put the effort into recording,” explained singer/guitar player Lori S. “I really wanted to accelerate the process and get new music out. It’s time. This music that we’ve been playing for so long, that was initially obscure and underground, seemed to grow over these past 10 years and the timing was right to release this now!”

The artwork for Middle Of Nowhere, Center Of Everywhere was done by famed tattoo artist, Tim Lehi. Lehi has done cover art and posters for High on Fire, Earthless and Witch.

 

 

Middle Of Nowhere, Center Of Everywhere was recorded at both Sharkbite and Tiny Telephone Studios in San Francisco, mixed at Different Fur Studios and produced by Acid King and Billy Anderson. The digital release will be released independently via Acid King while physical copies, both CD and vinyl, will be available via Svart Records.

Album stream:

Acid King bubbled up from San Francisco in 1993 through a fog of revved up riffs, thunderous drums, and a hypnotic vocal howl. They unleashed three EPs and three full-length albums, starting with Zoroaster in 1995, the 1999 full-length Busse Woods, and their most recent release, Acid King III, coming in 2005. Their seismic chemistry transfixed audiences everywhere from high-profile festivals such as Hellfest and Roadburn to now iconic shows alongside peers such as Sleep and Mystick Krewe of Clearlight.

Tour dates:

April
24 - Berlin, Germany - Desert Fest
25 - Lisbon, Portugal - RCA Club
26 - London, UK - Desert Fest
27 - Brussels, Belgium - Magasin4
28 - Paris, France - Glazart
29 - Athens, Greece - Kyttaro Club

May
1 - Copenhagen, Denmark - Heavy Days in Doomtown Festival
2 - Osnabruck, Germany - Bastard Club
3 - Frankfurt, Germany - Zoom
4 - Munich, Germany - Krahnhalle
6 - Linz, Austria - Kapu
7 - Vienna, Austria - Viper Room
8 - Budapest, Hungary - Roham
9 - Innsbruck, Austria - PMK

June
20 - San Francisco, CA - The Chapel

* Dates from April 27 to May with Black Cobra

(Photo - Raymond Ahner)

Canadian death metal act Wretchedpain has released a new song and lyric video called “The Great Reawakening”.

It features guest vocals by the night Mark Hunter (Chimaira) and keys by Sean Zatorsky (Daath, Chimaira) who will be programming all the samples on their upcoming album.

Wretchedpain is:
Joey Glacken - vocals
Aaron Guthridge - guitar
Derek Nelson - guitar
Cale Costello - drums
Andrew Eckert - bass

Since 2008, the art of outstanding Icelandic/German pagan metallers, Arstidir Lifsins - Icelandic for "the seasons of life" - has always radiated the spirit of Old Norse history. Boasting members of Helrunar, Kerbenok, and Carpe Noctem, the curious collective's latest long player - the stunning Aldafǫðr Ok Munka Dróttinn ("Óðinn and the God of the Monks") - takes an in-depth look Scandinavian history and myth over its dramatic eighty-one-minute runtime. Composed and recorded in Germany and Iceland between May and November of 2013 and then mixed and mastered in December 2013 by the experienced hands of known producer Markus Stock at Klangsmiede Studio E (Empyrium, Helrunar, Secrets Of The Moon etc), Aldafǫðr Ok Munka Dróttinn is sung entirely in Old Norse-Icelandic, with added Skaldic stanzas from the world-known Icelandic sagas and serves as a true milestone in Old Norse-inspired metal music.

From ambient archaic folklore patterns supported by dark chants and classical instrumentation, to black metal elements presented in their finest Norwegian tradition and epic double-bass driven Viking metal parts, the musical abilities of Arstidir Lifsins are truly wondrous.

Sample the video for "Norðsæta Gætis, Herforingja Ormsins Langa" below.
 
Aldafǫðr Ok Munka Dróttinn tracklisting:

I:
“Kastar Heljar Brenna Fjarri Ofan Onundarfirðinum”
“Knorr Siglandi Birtisk Á Löngu Bláu Yfirborði”
“Þeir Heilags Dóms Hirðar”
“Úlfs Veðrit Er Ið CMXCIX”
“Máni, Bróðir Sólar Ok Mundilfara”

II:
“Tími Er Kominn At Kveða Fyrir Þér”
“Norðsæta Gætis, Herforingja Ormsins Langa”
“Bituls Skokra Benvargs Hreggjar Á Sér Stað”
“Sem Lengsk Vánar Lopts Ljósgimu Hvarfs Dregr Nærri”

"Norðsæta Gætis, Herforingja Ormsins Langa" video:

Divided into nine individual hymns on two CDs (or limited LPs), Aldafǫðr Ok Munka Dróttinn is currently available via Ván Records.

Sworn In release their new studio album, The Lovers/The Devil today, April 7th, on Razor & Tie. The album was produced Will Putney (Amity Affliction, For Today, Miss May I). Order the album here. A full album stream can be found below.

The Lovers/The Devil is the follow up to Sworn In's 2013 debut album, The Death Card, which debuted on the Billboard Top 200 chart. The Lovers/The Devil, in short, is a concept record delving into the darkness of a destructive relationship. The CD is split into two halves, the first dubbed "The Lovers" and the second called "The Devil."

The Lovers tells the story of the man feeling obsessed, psychotic, depressed, and drowning in unrequited love. This half of the CD covers the desperate romantic who lives inside his own head because the real world has become too unbearable. But such is life and this character reaches a breaking point. And with that, comes the split of the record.

The Devil charts the course of the role reversal, where the man snaps and becomes the cold, bitter, and numb person that drove him mad, while the female occupies the position the male just went through.

However, the record does not glorify self-destructive love; rather, it chronicles that situation and can be interpreted in any way that feels personal to the one listening.

 

 

The Lovers/The Devil tracklisting:

“Sweetheart”
“Sugar Lips”
“I Don’t Really Love You”
“Oliolioxinfree”
“Waltz”
“Pins And Needles”
“Lay With Me”
“Weeping Willow”
“Pocket Full Of Posies”
“Sunshine”
“Scissors”
“Sour”
“Love Drunk”

Album stream:

 

Toronto-based death / black metal band, Visions Of The Night, has released a new music video for the song “Utilizing Hate As A Motivational Force”, from their latest CD, Guerrillas Within Their Midst.

 

 

The song features drums by Todd Hansen (King Parrot, The Berzerker) and explores the biological side of the human condition.

 

Porcupine Tree bassist Colin Edwin is involved with the new project, O.R.k., also featuring Lorenzo Esposito Fornasari on vocals, Pat Mastelotto on drums, and Italian guitarist Carmelo Pipitone.

 

 

The group will release their new album, entitled Inflamed Rides, independently, and have launched a pre-order at this location.

Stay tuned for updates. In the meantime, check out a video for the band’s track “Pyre” below, as well as a stream of the song “Jellyfish”.

“Pyre” video:

“Jellyfish”:

 

Florida's 21st Century rock outfit, Message To Venus, has launched a lyric video for its latest single, "Over And Done". Currently at #60 on BDS Mainstream Rock Indicator Chart and #47 on RadioContraband's Under The Radar Chart, "Over And Done”, which will appear on the band's upcoming debut album Victims & Villains later this year, can be purchased on iTunes.

 

 

Vocalist/guitarist, Jandre Nadal, commented: “”Over And Done” is a song about the internal struggle we all go through at some point in life - an escape from yourself, from being your own enemy."

The band recently shot a music video for "Over And Done" with director Andrés Ramirez Molina which will surface in the coming weeks.

In the meantime, Message To Venus is preparing for a performance at WJRR's Earthday Birthday, set to take place on April 25th in Orlando, Florida with the likes of Slash, Bush, Rise Against, Nothing More, Flyleaf and more.
 
Message To Venus begins 2015 with a successfully crowdfunded new album, Victims & Villains, and several tours already in the books. Fans who contributed to the Indiegogo campaign last year have already received their copies of the new record, along with other crowdfunding 'perks' including a limited-edition Message To Venus comic book and more.

"We're blown away by all the support we received through our Indiegogo campaign," said guitarist John Feliciano. "Fans really embraced the new album and comic book projects. We can't thank everyone that contributed enough!"

 

 

Victims & Villains was recorded in the band's native San Juan, Puerto Rico with producer, Leo Alvarez.

An additional Victims & Villains track, "Hollow”, can be streamed below. "Hollow" can be purchased on iTunes.

 
The upcoming album follows the 2011 EP, The Envelope, which, along with lead single, "Universal You”, drew praise from established artists such as Godsmack and Halestorm while receiving weekly spins at SiriusXM Octane, MusicChoice and more.
 

Finland-based hard rockers, Block Buster, have released a new maxi single, ”Ain't On The Chain”. The band's third release takes moods and riffs on a higher level than ever before, which show a direction for the upcoming debut album. Listen to ”Ain't On The Chain” below:

Lately, Block Buster has been sharing stages with bands like Lost Society and Santa Cruz, and their spring tour calendar says there's more shows
coming up with the latter of the two.

 

 

Crossfire Across The Nation 2015 Spring Tour

April
17 - Seinäjoki, Finland - Rytmikorjaamo (with Santa Cruz)
18 - Kajaani, Finland - Rock House Kulma (with Santa Cruz)
24 - Joensuu, Finland - Kerubi (with Santa Cruz)
25 - Jyväskylä, Finland - Katse
30 - Kuopio, Finland - Pannuhuone

May
9 - Lappeenranta, Finland - Lucky Monkey's

 

Ulterium Records recently announced the signing of the melodic metal band, Within Silence, to the label. Their debut album, Gallery Of Life, will be released on May 8th in Europe and on May 12th in North America. Check out the band’s new lyric video for “Road To The Paradise” below.

Strong musicianship and the ability to write interesting songs with memorable melodies makes Within Silence a band to be reckoned with for years to come. Their debut album Gallery Of Life got everything from up-tempo power metal tracks like “Silent Desire” and “Emptiness of Night” to pounding metal tracks like “The Last Drop Of Blood” to epic metal songs like “Road To The Paradise”.

Gallery Of Life will be a perfect album for fans of bands like Sonata Arctica, Stratovarius and Theocracy and fans of melodic metal in general. The artwork was created by Jan Yrlund at Darkgrove Design (Delain, Apocalyptica, Korpiklaani).

 

 

Gallery Of Life tracklisting:

“Intro”
“Silent Desire”
“Emptiness Of Night”
“Elegy Of Doom”  
“The Last Drop Of Blood”
“Love Is Blind”    
“Anger And Sorrow”   
“Judgement Day”
“The World Of Slavery”
“Road To The Paradise”  
“Outro”

“Road To The Paradise” lyric video:

Teaser:

Gallery Of Life can be pre-ordered at the Ulterium Records Store.

 

Fresh from releasing their debut EP, the five-track Clangores Plenilunio on Avantgarde Music, Italian black/folk metallers, Selvans, have announced that they have begun recording the band's first full-length album. Work on the album is expected to be completed by the summer, and released on Avantgarde Music in late 2015.
 
To be titled Lupercalia, the album will be made up of five suites lasting in total around an hour. The suites have been inspired and influenced by ancient Italian history and folklore. It will be very much a continuation of what was started with Clangores Plenilunio, whose music is filled with the Italic spirit and redolent with its mysticism.

 

 
Selvans rose from the ashes Draugr , who called it a day after ten years at the top of the Italian scene. The band's lineup is composed of former Draugr members Selvans Haruspex on keyboards, traditional instruments, vocals and programming, and Sethlans Fulguriator on guitars and bass. The two musicians form the core of Selvans and bring in session musicians for live appearances. Clangores Plenilunio is the band's tribute to founder member and friend, the much respected drummer Jonny Morelli, whose tragic death in a motor bike accident meant the EP was to be his last ever contribution to the music world.
 
A never-before heard track from Lupercalia will be debuted live on May 3rd when Selvans supports Necrophobia at Tipografia in Pescara, Italy.

 

 

 

"Lupercale", a track from Selvans' Clangores Plenilunio EP can be heard below:

Clangores Plenilunio by Selvans

 

It's not a  secret that Hamburg is the capital city of German power and heavy metal, and gave birth to such legendary acts like Helloween, Gamma Ray, Running Wild and Iron Savior.

On May 29th, Skol Records will reveal one of the best kept secrets of Hamburg's scene, and an album that will match these legendary names: Illuminati, debut album of Gothic Fate. The band was active between 1998 and 2005, and recorded two demos and full studio album titled Illuminati in 2004, which remained unreleased and unknown until now.

 

 

Gothic Fate feature in its rank Uwe Wessel, bassist known from Gamma Ray, with whom he recorded albums such as Heading For Tomorrow and Sigh No More, as well as bunch of singles and the legendary "Heading For The East" video. Illuminati has been recorded and mixed by Wolfgang Budde, and recently mastered by Bart Gabriel. The album includes 13 songs, and excerpts from few of them can be heard in the following album teaser:

Moribund Records has issued the following statement following widespread reports that three members of Wormreich were killed in a car accident on Monday, April 6th on I-85 southbound near Maysville Road in Jackson County, about 65 miles northeast of Atlanta:

"It is with heavy hearts that the staff of Moribund Records confirms that two members of Moribund recording artists Wormreich have been killed in a van crash early this morning while on tour, and one member remains in critical condition. Wormreich were in the midst of a North American tour with comrades Kult ov Azazel and Khaotika, driving southbound along I-85 in northeast Georgia when the driver of the 15-passenger van apparently fell asleep and the van veered off the highway, striking a tree on the passenger side. In the wreck, Wormreich guitarist Ian Andrew McKinney (aka Nazgul Vathran) and bassist Paul Truesdell were killed, while drummer Christopher P. Pezzano (aka Profana) was seriously injured and remains in critical condition, requiring surgery."
 
A Facebook statement from Wormreich founder/vocalist/guitarist Christopher Earl Pyle (aka Vulk) reads: 

"This morning I lost my brother and best friend, along with two awesome people that I was lucky to have even known for a short while. Two of my other brothers remain in critical condition. Somehow I was spared with only superficial wounds and a dislocated shoulder. This is not the end of Wormreich. It's always been my vision, but more importantly, it is for those whom I have lost today that it MUST continue. Please send healing energy to the members of Wormreich, Khaotika, and their families. Ave."
 
The entire staff of Moribund and the BraveWords crew sends their deepest and most sincere condolences to the families of Wormreich as well as those of Kult ov Azazel and Khaotika.
 
For updates from Wormreich watch their official Facebook page here.

On May 2nd, former W.A.S.P. guitarist Chris Holmes, and his new band Mean Man, will release their new album, Shitting Bricks. This will coincide with a show at Le Ferrailleur in Nantes, France. Get all the details in the video below:

Earlier this year, Chris Holmes issued a video for the song "Let It Roar", which appears on Shitting Bricks.

 

 

 

Sweden has been a fertile ground for metal of all varieties for multiple decades, and there appears to be no sign that this will change anytime soon. The variety and quality of bands is staggering, and Metal Blade Records is prepared to help add The Great Discord to the list of one of Sweden's finest new groups. The band's cornerstone is with the enigmatic vocals of Fia Kempe. Her tone and delivery is immensely emotive and is augmented by a band whose sound is impossible to describe. It's technical, heavy, and yet not so much to overwhelm those not anointed in metal. What's important is that The Great Discord offer a truly unique twist on both metal, and what is to be expected from a female-fronted band.

Duende will be available worldwide via Metal Blade Records on June 2nd in North America, June 1st in the UK / Europe, and May 29th in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. Listen to "Eigengrau" now:

The relationship between Kempe and drummer Aksel Holmgren has stood for many years, connecting on a deep personal level when it comes to music, though it was only when they came together to form The Great Discord in 2013 that their collaboration began. Sharing an interest in progressive music, they count the likes of Genesis and King Crimson as well as contemporary acts such as Meshuggah and The Dillinger Escape Plan among those who have inspired them.

While music pundits and critics will fall over themselves trying to label the unique and intriguing sounds contained within Duende the band are more interested in presenting their music to the world, with the hope of making a profound musical connection with the likeminded. Having been working toward the completion of the record for nearly two years the band have perhaps only just arrived at the beginning, and the ambitiousness of their music is further reflected in their goals. "We obviously want to take over the world," Kempe smiles. "We really believe in our vision, we really believe in the concept behind everything that we do. We want to entertain people. We want them to come to our shows and experience everything that we have visualized for this band, and we want them to relate to the emotion that we're putting into our songs, to be able to find something in The Great Discord that they cannot find anywhere else."

 

 

MEGADETH has finished writing 15 songs for its next album, tentatively due before the end of the year. The CD will be the band's first to feature Brazilian guitarist Kiko Loureiro, best known for his work with ANGRA, and LAMB OF GOD drummer Chris Adler.

In a new tweet, MEGADETH mainman Dave Mustaine wrote: " I'm stoked so many people have reacted so positively about Kiko and Chris playing on this next record! Falling Upward again!"

He added in a separate tweet: "15 songs finished being written. Just waiting for Jr. [MEGADETH bassist David Ellefson] to arrive. He is gonna freak over Chris and Kiko."

In a statement, Mustaine called Chris "a tremendous talent" and "an amazing person" who is "going to bring a new level of excitement and energy to MEGADETH that the fans are going to lose their minds over."

Adler was equally excited about playing with MEGADETH, saying: "I'm coming into this on fire. There is an incredible amount of respect, but the goal here is to make the very best thrash album we can — not just throw names in the CD booklet or be a 'yes' man. Together, I believe we can do something very special."

Regarding Kiko's addition to MEGADETH, Mustaine previously said: "I first met Kiko around eight years ago for a cover shoot for Burrn! magazine. I had no idea who he was, other than the fact he was tremendously talented and that the staff from Burrn! held him in high regard. Since then, I've come to see what a guitar virtuoso he is, and I'm deeply encouraged by his depth and talent."

He added: "Very few MEGADETH alumni have had the same feel and ability as Kiko."

Legendary death metal unit, Six Feet Under, will release their eleventh studio recording this spring via Metal Blade Records. Titled Crypt Of The Devil, the ten track slab of audio violence was composed by vocalist Chris Barnes and Cannabis Corpse bassist/vocalist Phil "Landphil" Hall. Listen to the track “Stab” from the upcoming release, streaming below

While on tour with Cannabis Corpse in 2013, Barnes and Hall met and kept in touch. Barnes would later lend his vocals to a track on Cannabis Corpse’s From Wisdom To Baked. That same year, Hall and Barnes joined forces to pen brand new Six Feet Under tracks. Barnes lauds Hall's take on the Six Feet Under style of death metal and stated that this material was, "where my wheelhouse is - it's where I thrive vocally and lyrically."

With Crypt Of The Devil, Barnes has worked to continue the overall story from the previous works, wherein he is penning lyrics from the perspective of a serial killer. Or as Barnes describes, it's a "winding journey through his mind. The songs paint a picture that's not necessarily linear, rather a meandering back and forth through a dark soul."

Soon-to-be-classic cuts such as "Open Coffin Orgy" serve as exemplary examples of the fruits of Barnes' macabre muse.

Recording for the album took place at Hall's studio in Virginia. Hall tracked rhythm and bass guitar, while his brother, Josh Hall, tracked drums, and guitarist Brandon Ellis tracked the majority of the album's leads. Barnes took to London Bridge Studio (Pearl Jam, Alice In Chains) in his new base of operations in Seattle, Washington to record vocals and in fact holed himself up in the very same booth where Layne Staley tracked his words. The mix was completed by Rob Caldwell (Cannabis Corpse, Iron Reagan) in Sarasota, Florida and mastering was done by Alan Douches (Cannibal Corpse, Revocation, Torche, Skeletonwitch) at West West Side in New Windsor, New York. Crypt Of The Devil stands as a truly collaborative and cross-country effort from a selection of today's finest metal minds, and the result is a refreshing Six Feet Under experience. Or as refreshing as brutal, visceral death metal can be, anyway.

 

 

Crypt Of The Devil tracklisting:

“Gruesome”
“Open Coffin Orgy”
“Broken Bottle Rape”
“Break The Cross In Half”
“Lost Remains”
“Slit Wrists”
“Stab”
“The Night Bleeds”
“Compulsion To Brutalize”
“Eternal In Darkness”

“Stab”:

 

 

“Open Coffin Orgy”:

Six Feet Under began as a side project while Barnes -- owner of what would become one of the most dominating, groundbreaking and instantly distinguishable voices of the death metal genre -- was fronting Cannibal Corpse. Six Feet Under eventually became a full-fledged and unstoppable entity in 1995, and over the course of their career, have consistently helped shape the face of death metal through their uncompromising approach to their craft. Six Feet Under is one of the longest standing and successful acts in death metal history, with all but their debut album appearing on a Billboard chart. The band’s current live lineup will include longtime guitarist Steve Swanson, flanked by Jeff Hughell on bass, and Marco Pitruzella on drums.

 

 

Crypt Of The Devil will see release via Metal Blade Records on May 5th, 2015 and includes the outstanding cover art of Mike Hrubovcak (Aurora Borealis, Sinister, Rumplestiltskin Grinder). For a selection of pre-order bundles, go to this location.

 

 

This moth sees the return of the Hatefest Tour. The unholy billing is headlined by Six Feet Under and includes also Marduk, Vader and Hate. Special guests on all weekend-dates will be Eisregen and Debauchery.

 

 

Six Feet Under have announced Victor Brandt (pictured above) will be stepping in for this run of dates on bass. Comments singer Chris Barnes: "Thanks to all the fans for the great response to the upcoming new SFU release Crypt Of The Devil and the first track "Open Coffin Orgy" thank you so much! We are currently getting ready for our upcoming tour with Vader and Marduk on the HateFest tour of Europe. It will be a cataclysmic event. Do not miss it. Also for this run of dates we want to let you know that stepping in for our bass player, Jeff Hughell, will be Victor Brandt from Entombed. Steve Marco and myself are very much looking forward to sharing the stage with Victor while Jeff and his wife Fazi welcome the birth of their first child! It's gonna be a great year for SFU! Can't wait to see you all soon!"

Comments Victor Brandt: "I am very proud and happy to step in for my good friend and Warwick brother Jeff Hughell to play bass with the mighty Six Feet Under for their upcoming tour in Europe. We're gonna have a blast! Be sure to check out this killer tour that also features Marduk, Vader and Hate! See you in the pit and/or the bar."

 

 

Hatefest dates with Six Feet Under, Marduk, Vader, Hate plus extended guests Eisregen and Debauchery:

April
7 - Lindau, Germany - Club Vaudeville
8 - Ludwigsburg, Germany - Rockfabrik
9 - Hamburg, Germany - Markthalle
10 - Geiselwind, Germany - Musichall (Extended Show)
11 - Munchen, Germany - Backstage (Extended Show)
12 - Berlin, Germany - Postbahnhof (Extended Show)

 

Greek/Swedish melodic death metal band, Nightrage, will release their sixth studio album, The Puritan, on April 24th via Despotz Records. Check out the new music video for the album track, “Stare Into Infinity”:

The Puritan - an uncompromising, eerie, dramatic and melodic death metal journey in its purest essence - welcomes new Nightrage vocalist, Ronnie Nyman, to the mix. Nyman joins founding member, guitarist Marios Iliopoulos, and bassist, Anders Hammer, after performing with the band last year on its Japanese and Russian tours.

 

 

Album number six was produced by Daniel Bergstrand (Meshuggah, Devin Townsend, Soilwork) and George Nerantzis at Dugout Productions in Uppsala, Sweden.

 

 

The Puritan tracklisting:

“The Puritan”
“With A Blade Of A Knife”
“Endless Vows”
“Foul Vile Life”
“Stare Into Infinity”
“Lone Lake”
“Son Of Sorrow”
“When Gold Turns To Rust”
“Fathomless”
“Kiss Of A Sycophant”

“Desperate Vows”:

“Kiss Of A Sycophant” video:

The album is available for pre-order at this location.

 

Agnostic Front have released a music video for the title track of their new album, The American Dream Died, out now via Nuclear Blast.

The American Dream Died was produced by Madball singer Freddy Cricien and engineered, mixed and mastered by Paul Miner (H2O, Terro). The record features guest appearances by Cricien, Toby Morse (H2O) and Lou Koller (Sick Of It All).

 

 

The album is available as digital download, on vinyl as well as on CD. An limited bundle with an exclusive T-Shirt is available, too - surf to this location to secure your copy.

 

 

The American Dream Died tracklisting:

"Intro"
"The American Died"
"Police Violence"
"Only In America"
"Test Of Time"
"We Walk The Line"
"Never Walk Alone" feat. Freddy Cricien, Toby Morse & Lou Koller
"Enough Is Enough"
"I Can't Relate"
"Old New York"
"Social Justice"
"Reasonable Doubt"
"No War Fuck You"
"Attack!"
"A Wise Man"
"Just Like Yesterday"

“Police Violence” video and making-of footage:

The American Dream Died webisodes:

Part 1:

Part 2:

Part 3:

Part 4:

Part 5:

Part 6:

AC/DC's "Rock Or Bust" has been nominated in the "Top Rock Album" category at this year's Billboard Music Awards.

Produced by Dick Clark Productions, the Billboard Music Awards will air live from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on Sunday, May 17 from 8 p.m. to 11 p.m. ET on ABC.

Other "Top Rock Album" nominees are THE BLACK KEYS' "Turn Blue", COLDPLAY's "Ghost Stories", HOZIER's "Hozier" and LORDE's "Pure Heroine".

AC/DC's 16th studio album, "Rock Or Bust" sold around 172,000 copies in its first week of release to debut at No. 3 on The Billboard 200 album chart. This marked a huge drop from the opening number of 2008's "Black Ice", which topped sales charts in 29 countries, including the U.S. for the first time ever. It sold an incredible 784,288 copies in its first week in this country alone.

"Black Ice" was sold exclusively through Walmart, Sam's Club and ACDC.com in the U.S., hitting over one million copies by its second week. The band and its record label, Columbia, did not have the same exclusive deal this time.

"Rock Or Bust" was released on December 2, 2014 and is AC/DC's first album without guitarist Malcolm Young, who is suffering from dementia. He has been replaced by nephew Stevie Young.

As previously reported, AC/DC drummer Phil Rudd will now stand trial beginning on April 21 in New Zealand's Tauranga District Court, according to the AFP. Rudd was originally scheduled to go to trial on February 10 but the date was moved after his lawyer unexpectedly quit the case by what was said to be mutual agreement.

Rudd will face a "judge-alone" trial, meaning that he will go before just a single judge with no jury present.

Rudd was arrested last November at his home in Tauranga on charges of threatening to kill and possession of methamphetamine and cannabis.

A "not guilty" plea to the charges was entered by his lawyer in December. Rudd faces several years in prison if convicted of the charges.

Although Rudd played on "Rock Or Bust", he did not appear in photos or videos for the disc.

One-time AC/DC drummer Chris Slade officially joined the band's lineup for its performance on the February 8 Grammy Awards telecast. Slade will also be behind the kit for the group's upcoming world tour.

According to FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH guitarist Zoltan Bathory, "all the music is done" for the band's next album, with singer Ivan Moody currently in the studio "recording the remaining vocals" for the CD, which is expected before the end of the year.

FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH guitarist Jason Hook recently told "The Blairing Out With Eric Blair Show" that the group already has a title for the album picked out, explaining, "We do. But you're not gonna get it." He added, "I have all these funny things I'm dying to say right now, but I'm not gonna say anything. 'Cause we've always thought about good joke titles, like… 'Keep Your Receipt'… or 'Not Our Best Work'. No, I can't tell you the title." Hook added that there were no official song titles to divulge yet, saying, "Ivan's sketching lyrics, but until they come together, we name them… anything, just so I can refer to it. So there's one that I just finished called 'Pulled Pork'. It won't be 'Pulled Pork' by the time it gets on there."

Hook admitted that the band was on a tight deadline to get the new disc finished, saying, "Deadlines make for a focused work."

Bathory told The Pulse Of Radio recently that FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH is always tweaking its songs right to the very end. "Up until the last moment, up until the moment the record has to be wrapped and sent to the label, we change things," he said. "Because you recorded a song, let's say, in October and maybe by February, March, you heard it enough and you can go back and say, like, you know what? I want a different guitar solo on it, you know."

Drummer Jeremy Spencer was recently asked about the band's new material, saying, "I'm digging it, man. It's actually more brutal, with more extreme dynamics. There are some really mellow parts and then some really brutal parts. So we're running the whole gamut of sounds."

FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH released its last effort, "The Wrong Side Of Heaven And The Righteous Side Of Hell", in two parts, with the first arriving in July 2013 and the second following in November 2013.

French progressive metallers GOJIRA have entered Silver Cord, the new New York-based recording studio designed and owned by the band's guitarist/vocalist, Joseph Duplantier, to begin tracking their sixth album for a late 2015 release via Roadrunner.

During a June 2014 interview with Sweden's Rocksverige.se, Duplantier stated about the progress of the songwriting sessions for GOJIRA's follow-up to 2012's "L'Enfant Sauvage": "We record demos, we jam, we work really hard… super hard on the songs. We wanna put out our greatest album."

He continued: "We do things a little differently. We dump songs, we dump riffs, which we never did before.

"[In the past] we would prepare 12 songs, get in the studio and record them just exactly as they are on the demos."

Joseph added: "We decided to do it differently this time. So [on previous albums] we would push each song to its maximum until it becomes really good. But this time we wanna select them right away. [If we come up a riff that sounds slightly] boring [from the start], we [get rid of it] instead of [spending time] trying to make it more interesting.

"So we have at least 20 songs — like, the main ideas, the core of each one. But we still need, now, to work on putting all the stuff together, but we have a lot of material that we really love this time. It's kind of challenging for us, also, 'cause the style is changing a little bit. We have some PANTERA-ish kind of riffs, which is kind of new for us. But we wanna… Because we want to… We want [the riffs] to be a little punchier sometimes."

Asked if GOJIRA will cut down those 20 song ideas to 12 or 13 complete tracks to record for the next album, Duplantier said: "Even to less than that. I want a short, very dynamic kind of album. But we have so much material; we could release three records or something.

"We believe in simplicity. When we release a record, we do it the old-school way. We could release a song once in a while and that's it. It would be better for these days to do it this way. I think that's what bands will do in the future. I think albums are dying. I think bands are going to work for a week at the end of a tour, release a song and go back on tour. And here you go — the fans are excited… But we're so old school. We still wanna have that big chapter in our career that we call albums that are so important. It's like a personal Bible that we're writing; it's very intense."

Joseph also confirmed that he will be in charge of the production of the next GOJIRA album. He said: "I wanna produce it. I have to do it myself somehow. It makes me feel great. I love it. That's what I do. It's what I like. I wanna do it. So everybody's, like, 'Oh, you should work with a big producer.' I don't think so. It could be a very personal sound, it could be a very direct dialog with the fans, without the interaction of anyone. Even if it's a great person, this person is still between us and the fans."

GOJIRA's fifth album, "L'Enfant Sauvage", sold almost 11,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 34 on The Billboard 200 chart.

"L'Enfant Sauvage" (which translates to "The Wild Child") was recorded at Spin Recording Studios in Long Island City, New York with co-producer Josh Wilbur (LAMB OF GOD).

Norwegian progressive metallers LEPROUS will release their new studio album, "The Congregation", on May 25 in Europe and June 2 in North America via InsideOut Music. The drums, guitars and bass for the follow-up to 2013's "Coal" were recorded at Sweden's Fascination Street and Ghostward Studios with David Castillo (KATATONIA, OPETH) and the vocals with Heidi Solberg Tveitan and Vegard Tveitan at Mnemosyne Studios in Norway. Just like the preceding albums, "Bilateral" and "Coal", "The Congregation" was mixed by Jens Bogren (OPETH, SYMPHONY X, KREATOR) at Fascination Street. The CD's cover artwork, which was created by artist Nihil, can be seen below.

The track listing for the 65-minute effort is as follows: 01. The Price02. Third Law03. Rewind04. The Flood05. Triumphant06. Within My Fence07. Red08. Slave09. Moon10. Down11. Lower

The video for the opening track, "The Price", can be seen below. The clip was directed by David Solbjørg and Kjetil Kolbjørnsrud of Twitchy Films.

Commented LEPROUS: "'The Price' was the obvious choice for us to make a video of. It's straight to the point, technical, focused, catchy and shows a new side of LEPROUS.

"We're very happy to be working with Twitchy Films also this time, and they've done a impeccable job creating an atmospheric and artistic video clip."

"The Congregation" will be available as standard jewelcase CD, digital download as well as limited import mediabook CD and 2LP editions. Physical versions feature bonus track "Pixel". LEPROUS vocalist and keyboard player Einar Solberg commented: "This has without doubt been the most challenging album to write so far, if you count the amount of hours, blood, sweat and tears behind it. Which makes me extra proud to just have delivered the master of what I consider to be the most daring, technical, fresh and mature album we've ever done.

"The music of 'The Congregation' is mostly written by me on my computer, so that this time around I could use my ears instead of my knowledge as the main writing tool. If you use your knowledge and your usual methods to write every album, you will eventually find yourself stuck in a quagmire of old habits. Lyrically, 'The Congregation' covers the dangers and consequences of blindly following the flow, thus the album title will speak for itself."

LEPROUS is:

Einar Solberg - Lead Vocal, KeysTor Oddmund Suhrke - GuitarØystein Landsverk - GuitarBaard Kolstad - Drums

Michele Agnello, the longtime girlfriend of TWISTED SISTER drummer A.J. Pero, has launched a crowdfunding campaign via the GoFundMe web site.

She writes on the site: "Hi my name is Michele Agnello. I was AJ Pero's longtime girlfriend of 19 years, his companion, best friend and the mother of his youngest daughter Brianna, age 14.

"Brianna was his sunshine. When he was not traveling and working as a world-renowned rock star in TWISTED SISTER and ADRENALINE MOB, he was just her dad. When he was home, they did everything together. She was his shadow; he was her whole world.

"He was and always will be the love of our lives.

"As most of you know, AJ recently passed away from a massive heart attack while on tour. Due to his unexpected and untimely passing, we now need a little help getting on our feet, to keep our home, basically start over without him.

"AJ truly loved and appreciated his worldwide fans so now we are reaching out to you all.

"For almost 20 years, AJ has been the sole provider for our family as the drummer in the legendary rock band TWISTED SISTER and had recently joined the band ADRENALINE MOB.

"This is very hard for me to ask for help, but at the moment, we have nowhere else to turn.

"Since we weren't legally married and he had no will, we are left with nothing and the bills are starting to pour in already this month.

"I have been unemployed for several years now due to an accident that left me disabled with 2 broken elbows and subsequently rods had to be implanted.

"I am asking for your assistance in helping us so I can get my daughter through this incredibly heartbreaking and difficult time in our lives.

"With my head held low and my heart completely shattered, I ask for your help so we can keep our home, I can feed my daughter and buy her clothes until I find a job to support us. Anything you can spare would be greatly apprciated.

"Thank you and God bless you all!"

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.

A couple of days after Pero's death, TWISTED SISTER singer Dee Snider told a TMZ cameraman that the group would "probably" would keep playing, "for [A.J.'s] family, because his family will benefit from us playing, financially."

TWISTED SISTER guitarist Jay Jay French sounded less certain about the band's future when he told radio host Eddie Trunk on March 23 that "it may be time" for TWISTED SISTER to call its quits in 2016 to coincide with the 40th anniversary of French, Snider and Ojeda first playing together. He said: "We need to look at this and say to ourselves, as a live, breathing entity, on which our reputation totally rests on — being a great live act — how do we honor that history? And how do we honor A.J.? And how do we honor the fans' loyalty? And I think you know me and Dee and the band enough to know that we are totally realistic and genuine when it comes to our relationship with our fans."

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.

Finnish metallers CHILDREN OF BODOM have entered an as-yet-undisclosed studio to begin recording their ninth album, due later in the year. A picture of drummer Jaska Raatikainen laying down his tracks can be seen below.

CHILDREN OF BODOM's last CD, "Halo Of Blood", was certified gold in Finland for sales in excess of 10,000 copies. The effort, which sold 8,400 copies in the United States in its first week of release, was made available in June 2013 in North America via Nuclear Blast Records. The cover art was created by Sami Saramäki, who was responsible for the artwork on previous CHILDREN OF BODOM albums "Follow The Reaper", "Are You Dead Yet?" and "Hate Crew Deathroll".

"Halo Of Blood" was recorded at Danger Johnny Studios in Helsinki. For the recording of the LP, CHILDREN OF BODOM teamed up with recording engineer Mikko Karmila, who worked with the band on their fan-favorite albums "Hatebreeder", "Follow The Reaper" and "Hate Crew Deathroll", as well as Swedish producer Peter Tägtgren (MARDUK, AMON AMARTH), who oversaw production of both vocals and keyboards on the record. The album was mixed at Finnvox Studios in Helsinki.