"Light Bearer", the new video from Australia's incendiary extreme musical export THY ART IS MURDER, can be seen below. The song is taken from the band's third studio album, "Holy War", which will be released on June 30 via Nuclear Blast. Produced and mixed by Will Putney (SUICIDE SILENCE, EXHUMED, THE ACACIA STRAIN), the CD will be made available in various formats: digital; limited digipak + bonus track; assorted color vinyl; exclusive mail-order picture disc.

"For the last few years since the 'Reign Of Darkness' video came out, the only thing we've all been obsessed with was having fire in our next clip," comments guitarist Andy Marsh. "With a title like 'Light Bearer', it all came together thematically and our friends at Ambitious Films understood our vision and helped make it a reality. We are so excited to bring you guys new music and a new video. Rejoice, the day of Satan and man is upon us."

"Holy War" track listing:

01. Absolute Genocide02. Light Bearer03. Holy War04. Coffin Dragger05. Fur And Claw06. Deliver Us To Evil07. Emptiness08. Violent Reckoning09. Child Of Sorrow10. Naked And Cold11. Vengeance (bonus track; initial CD pressings and vinyl only) Marsh shares the following about the origins of the new album and its title: "Late last year, we entered the studio in secret to create our follow up to 'Hate', free of expectation and public pressure. What we came out with was a reaction to things going on around the world that crawl under our skin, that make us feel sick to be alive. Musically, it is darker, faster and more technical than anything we've done in the past and it hits hard lyrically. We wrote about concerns of ours, real issues, hardships that people are facing around the world today. Of course, it wouldn't be a THY ART record if a lot of those affairs weren't rooted in religion somehow, and what better way to sum up the state of all things than by entitling our album 'Holy War'. This is our war on racism, homophobia, child abuse, animal cruelty and all evil born of religious immunity, indoctrination, and ignorance. It is ultimately a push for secularism and humanism. Without it, we will be left in the hands of mad men." Rising from the unhallowed wastes of Western Sydney, THY ART IS MURDER successfully cleaved a trail of blood and mayhem since their inception in 2006. With the acclaimed "Infinite Death" EP (2008) and their debut album, "The Adversary" (2010) firmly establishing their name in the global metal music scene, the band has traversed highways and autobahns all around the world, playing 342 tour dates alone in support of their Nuclear Blast Entertainment debut, "Hate" (2012), which landed at No. 35 on the Top 40 ARIA chart — the highest chart debut of any Australian extreme metal band. Known for their tireless work ethic, THY ART IS MURDER performed at Summer Slaughter 2014 aand 2013, headlined their own "Hate Across America" tour in 2013, and supported EMMURE and BORN OF OSIRIS in 2014, playing throughout the U.S. more times in a two-year period than any other Australian band in any genre of music.

Los Angeles, California metallers ARMORED SAINT will release their seventh studio album on June 2 in North America via Metal Blade. Titled "Win Hands Down", the CD was produced by bassist Joey Vera and mixed by Jay Ruston (ANTHRAX, STEEL PANTHER, STONE SOUR).

"Win Hands Down" can now be streamed in its entirety using the SoundCloud widget below.

"Win Hands Down" track listing:

01. Win Hands Down02. Mess03. An Exercise In Debauchery04. Muscle Memory05. That Was Then, Way Back When06. With a Full Head of Steam07. In an Instant08. Dive09. Up Yours

A video for the "Win Hands Down" title track was recently shot by director Andrew Nethery and can be seen below.

States ARMORED SAINT singer John Bush: "When we began talking about a new record, I told Joey Vera [bass] to pretend we were a really huge band and that we could do anything we wanted. At least that was the mindset we should have, from the writing to the production. What came out was 'Win Hands Down', which is our first record in five years."

He continued: "There's everything from classic ARMORED SAINT rocker songs to epic songs and we all dug deep to deliver something special. If we weren't going to, then we shouldn't have bothered. I'm glad we did."

Bush added: "In May we are doing some shows in the States with SAXON. It's a great way to get the ball rolling."

Stated Vera: "We're very excited about our new record coming out in June!

"We've been writing over the past year and half and we feel like we've written some amazing music. We can't wait to share it!

"To get our whistle's wet, we're super excited about doing some warm-up gigs before the record release with the legendary SAXON this May!

"We're doing a total of six shows between the East Coast, Texas, West Coast and we couldn't think of a better way to start off the summer! See you all soon."

Photo credit: Stephanie Cabral

Norwegian black metallers GORGOROTH have inked a worldwide deal with Soulseller Records. The band's tenth studio album, "Instinctus Bestialis", will be released on June 8 on digipack CD (limited first pressing), limited black vinyl, limited picture vinyl and digitally. The recording lineup for the eight-song effort consisted of Infernus (guitar), Tomas Asklund (drums; ex-DISSECTION, DARK FUNERAL), Bøddel (a.k.a. Frank Watkins, bass, ex-OBITUARY), and new vocalist Atterigner from the Serbian band TRIUMFALL.

"Instinctus Bestialis" was recorded and mixed by Tomas Asklund at Monolith Studio, produced by Infernus and Asklund and mastered at Cutting Room in Sweden by Mats Lindfors, Infernus and Asklund. Guest appearances include Chris Cannella, Fabio Sperandio and Henrik Ekeroth on lead guitar.

"Instinctus Bestialis" track listing:

01. Radix Malorum02. Dionysian Rite03. Ad Omnipotens Aeterne Diabolus04. Come Night05. Burn in His Light06. Rage07. Kala Brahman08. Awakening

The song "Ad Omnipotens Aeterne Diabolus" can be streamed using the SoundCloud widget below.

"Under The Sign Of Hell 2011", the re-recording of GORGOROTH's third album, was made available in 2011.

On "Under The Sign Of Hell 2011", Pest and Infernus repeated their roles as vocalist and guitarist/bassist, respectively, from the original 1996 recording, while Tomas Asklund handled the drums.

GORGOROTH's ninth album, "Quantos Possunt ad Satanitatem Trahunt", was released on October 21, 2009 in Europe via Regain Records. The CD, which was made available in the U.S. on November 11, 2009, was recorded at Monolith Studio and featured Infernus on guitar, OBITUARY's Frank Watkins on bass, Pest on vocals and Asklund on drums.

"Quantos Possunt ad Satanitatem Trahunt" was produced by Infernus and co-produced/engineered by Tomas Asklund. It was mastered at the Cutting Room in Stockholm.

Finland-based symphonic metal storytellers, Nightwish, just released their new single, for the title-track “Endless Forms Most Beautiful”. The four track single is available as a limited edition MCD, 10“ vinyl and as a download.

Today Nightwish reveal the 19th episode from the album making-of series, talking about the single choice and release of the title track:

A lyric video for “Endless Forms Most Beautiful” can be seen below.

 

 

“Endless Forms Most Beautiful” tracklisting:

“Endless Forms Most Beautiful” (album version)
“Sagan” (instrumental) previously unreleased
“Endless Forms Most Beautiful” (alternative version)
“Endless Forms Most Beautiful” (radio edit) previously unreleased

Nightwish have announced their 26-date headlining tour of North America for 2016, launching in Sayreville, New Jersey on February 19th, hitting six Canadian cities plus Pittsburgh, Anaheim, and New Orleans, then closing out in Tampa, Florida on March 23rd.  Opening for the tour will be Dutch symphonic metallers, Delain.

 

 

Checking in from the first leg of the North American Tour, Nightwish shared the following about the second leg of the tour in 2016: "The first one was so brilliant that we just gotta come back!"

Advanced tickets for the confirmed tour dates are now on sale exclusively at EnterTheVault.com. A limited number of VIP Meet & Greet tickets (which include a poster signed by the band + a tour program) are available for each show for purchase. Tickets will go on sale June 6th at all other outlets.

Tour dates:

February
19 - Starland Ballroom - Sayreville, NJ
20 - Webster Theater - Hartford, CT
21 - Metropolis - Montreal, QC
22 - Music Hall - London, ON
24 - Carnegie Music Hall - Pittsburgh, PA
25 - LC Pavilion - Columbus, OH
26 - Royal Oak Music Theatre - Royal Oak, MI
27 - Rave - Milwaukee, WI
29 - First Avenue - Minneapolis, MN

March
1 - Burton Cummings Theatre - Winnipeg, MB
2 - O’Briens Events Center - Saskatoon, SK
3 - Winspear Center - Edmonton AB
5 - MacEwan Hall Ballroom - Calgary, AB
6 - Wilma Theatre -Missoula, MT
7 - Showbox SoDo - Seattle, WA
8 - Knitting Factory - Boise, ID
10 - Knitting Factory - Reno, NV
11 - City National Civic of San Jose - San Jose, CA
12 - The Grove - Anaheim, CA
14 - Rialto Theatre - Tucson, AZ
15 - City Auditorium - Colorado Springs, CO
16 - Uptown Theater - Kansas City, MO
18 - Diamond Ballroom - Oklahoma City, OK
19 - Aztec Music Hall - San Antonio, TX
20 - New Orleans Civic Theatre - New Orleans, LA
21 - Iron City Live - Birmingham, AL
23 - The Ritz - Tampa, FL

The long-awaited Nightwish movie, Imaginaerum, will finally be released in North America on June 16th via Nuclear Blast Records.

 

 

Imaginaerum tells the story of an elderly composer, Tom, who suffers from severe dementia. As he has had the disease for years and has regressed into childhood, he remembers practically nothing from his adult life. His music, friends, all his past including the memory of his daughter are a blur in his fragile mind. All he has left is the imagination of a ten year old boy. As he drifts away into coma, it seems impossible to get back what he has lost. Or is it?

Imaginaerum creates a musical fantasy world in the vein of David Lynch, Neil Gaiman, and Tim Burton. The movie is an innovative mixture of story-telling and music, an extraordinary tale of the power of imagination and  life itself - a true emotional rollercoaster ride!

There are some questions we must ask ourselves before entering the world of Imaginaerum. What is most important in life? Can the power of memories protect us during our last moments? Will our imagination help us find the spark of life in the deepest darkness? Can we still find love after bitter forgiveness?

 

 

Shot and post-produced in Canada, the movie was directed by Stobe Harju and produced by Solar Films, and features appearances by Nightwish members. The screenplay is based on a wild vision that Tuomas Holopainen, the mastermind of the band, devised after the album Dark Passion Play came out in 2007.

“I thought of how we could take our expression that had already became pretty ambitious and grandiose to the next level, and that’s when I knew I wanted to tell a story, and to tell it with love and piety.”

According to Holopainen, finishing the movie has been an eventful and challenging journey that has sometimes demanded superhuman dedication from the production crew.

“I want to already thank everyone from the bottom of my heart. Together we’ve managed to create something innovative, strange, and timeless”, Holopainen states.

Pre-order your Blu-ray + DVD combo pack of Imaginaerum from the Nuclear Blast USA Online Shop at this location.

 

The German grindcore goats Milking The Goatmachine just released the second album preview for their upcoming studio album Goatgrind, which will be released June 26th via NoiseArt Records. Check out both below:

Part 1:
 

Part 2:

Goatgrind tracklist:
“Goatgrind”
“Farm Of The Mutilated”
“Blow Your Sneakers”
“Fear The Goathammer”
“#Idiot”
“U.H.T. Milk Is Murder”
“Mrs. Goat_ re (Nanny Of The Damned)”
“Talk To The Hoof”
“No More Space In Herd”
“Shadows And Crust”
“The Goatastic Four”
“Burn Your Shed”
“Sound Of Breaking Horns”
“Wolf Expander”
“Wheels Of Fire” (Manowar Cover)
 
The lyric video of the song "#idiot" can be seen here below. The band states: “#Idiot is a very emotional song for us, full of love, hate, sadness and madness. It isn’t about fiction persons, it is about real lifeforms from our personal environment. With this song, we want to thank people (or not) for their loyalty (or not!)!”

 

Ia Pazuzu (The Abyss Of The Shadows) is the impending new long player from Swedish industrial black metal misery makers, Diabolicum. Now boasting the ill-omened vocal tidings of Shining's Niklas Kvarforth, the record breaks the band's 14-year slumber and boasts nine harrowing psalms of disease and torment. The record will see release on July 7th via Italy's Code666. In celebration of its official ignition, the first taste of plague surfaces with fifth cranium-crusher, "Salvation Through Vengeance." Listen below.

Initially spawed in 1994 by Sasrof and Thorne under the Imperial moniker, Diabolicum stand among the prime instigators of the industrial black metal scene. The collective's first demo appeared under the title Mori Voluntaria. The tape was recorded in just two days at a mental hospital and included the session vocals of Blackblood (Tommy Dahlström now of Aeon). Following various personnel shifts, Imperial unleashed The Imperial Darkness demo with vocals and lead guitar handled by Thyrfing (Stefan Dhalberg) with third demo, De FÆrdÆmdas Legion, unveiled by Arte De Occulta shortly thereafter. By 1997, members of Imperial formed black metal collective, Helvete, together with Mysteriis and Kraath of Setherial. The project was put on hold when guitarist Sasrof took over bass responsibilities for Setherial.  

Two years later, Imperial changed their name to Diabolicum. Nathzion (AKA Zeb Nilsson now of Aeon) joined the ranks as lead guitarist and Diabolicum's debut, the annihilating The Grandeur Of Hell, dropped in 1999 via Napalm Records. In the summer of 2000, Diabolicum fled Napalm to explore new opportunities and forged a union with Italian imprint, Code666. Brandishing a flawless meld of Swedish black metal and industrial ambient noise, 2001's resulting The Dark Blood Rising full-length is now considered a cult classic among the industrial black metal scene. In the years to follow, the band published a collection of early demos (The Killing Spree 1.5) and two split 7" EP - one with Watain; the other with Angst - before penning their third diabolic opus with new vocalist Niklas Kvarforth (Shining) and lead guitarist Likstrand. After several setbacks and delays, the band is finally ready to undrape Ia Pazuzu (The Abyss Of The Shadows). Spewing forth nine merciless tracks of sonic scorn, and featuring guest appearances by Malfeitor Fabban (Aborym) and Vargher (Naglfar, Bewitched, Ancient Wisdom), with cryptic artwork by Maxime Taccardi, Ia Pazuzu (The Abyss Of The Shadows) is anguished, devouring and destined to become a new milestone within the industrial black metal community.

 

 

Ia Pazuzu (The Abyss Of The Shadows) tracklisting:  

“Baxxar Ehl Uhza”
“The Void Of Astaroth”
“The Silent Spring”
“Genocide Bliss”
“Salvation Through Vengeance”
“The Abyss Of The Shadows”
“One Mans War”
“Angelmaker”
“Ia Pazuzu”   

 

 

 

 

Polish black metallers Blaze Of Perdition have revealed a new track in anticipation of their third studio album, Near Death Revelations, set to be released on June 26th worldwide via Agonia Records. The song "Królestwo Niczyje" can be listened to via the YouTube clip below.

Blaze Of Perdition have built an excellent reputation with their two previous albums, Towards The Blaze Of Perdition (2010) and The Hierophant (2011), which solidified the oufit's position as one the most interesting new acts in the field of black metal. The group truly makes use of its creative capacities, focusing on inteligent arrangements and developing a dark, yet enigmatic unity.

After a tragic road accident in November 2013, the band's career was open to doubt. The event did not manage to slow Blaze Of Perdition for long. The upcoming Near Death Revelations album revolves around those past experiences.

Blaze Of Perdition's new album was mixed and mastered at Satanic Audio (Thaw, The Dead Goats). The cover artwork was created by Mentalporn (Sinister, Behemoth, Decapitated) while the layout was prepared by Kontamination Design (Demonical, Archgoat).

 

 

Tracklisting:

“Królestwo Niczyje”
“Into The Void Again”
“When Mirrors Shatter”
“Dreams Shall Flesh”
“Cold Morning Fears”
“The Tunnel”
“Of No Light”

Digital pre-orders can be placed at this location.

“Into The Void Again”:

Near Death Revelations by Blaze of Perdition

 

 

 

 

Sin City Sinners have begun pre-production on an all new original album. The band has also kicked off rehearsals for the upcoming Bobby Blotzer's Ratt Experience live dates. Tonight, May 28th, will be the last Sinners show at Vamp'd (in Las Vegas, NV) until July. Of special note, drummer Blas Elias will be behind the kit, thereby promising an extra special evening.

However, Bobby Blotzer's Ratt Experience will take the stage at Vamp'd on June 27th, performing Ratt hits and never before played deep album cuts; including Invasion Of Your Privacy in its entirety.

 

 

 

British heavy metal legends SAXON have set "Battering Ram" as the title of their 21st studio album, tentatively due this fall via UDR Music.

Speaking to the "Metal Hammer Magazine Show"about the musical direction of SAXON's follow-up to 2013's "Sacrifice", the band's frontman, Biff Byford, said: "Some of it is quite brutal, but there's quite a lot of melodic stuff on there as well. Every SAXON album is different to the one before because we like to entertain people and we don't really like to write the same song all the time."

Songtitles set to appear on "Battering Ram" include "The Devil's Footprint", which recounts a tale from the 1600s while another track, "Tax 'Till You Drop", looks at evil of another kind. The CD's title cut is "a bit like 'Heavy Metal Thunder', just a new version," Biff told The Rockpit. "It's about the audience raging at the barriers." Regarding "The Devil's Footprint", Biff said: "[It] is a legend of a couple hundred years ago [when] people woke up with fresh snow and they saw hoof prints on the roof across the lake and they followed it for many miles and it couldn't be explained." As for some of the other tracks on the CD, Biff said: "I'm doing another song about, well I used to be a big chess player, I used to play a lot of chess but not so much these days. So I wrote a song called 'Queen Of Hearts' or 'Red Queen', which is a little bit, 'Alice In Wonderland'-y, a little bit chess-y game. So, a little bit deeper lyrics. There's another one called 'The Drinking Song'."

"Battering Ram" is once again being helmed by acclaimed British producer Andy Sneap (MEGADETH, EXODUS, TESTAMENT, ACCEPT).

"I co-produced, more or less, 15 albums with SAXON, so I know how to record," Biff told The Rockpit. "You just have to have a great team — a great engineer and a great band. On this one, I thought I'd give Andy a chance to do everything with the band himself. Obviously, I'm in control of the overall executive duty-type thing."

Speaking about the songwriting process for "Battering Ram", Biff said: "It's a little bit different on this one. We've not written as many songs together on this album. Me and Nibbs [SAXON bassist Timothy 'Nibbs' Carter] have written a few things together, so it's a little bit different than the last, but we're all working together. Doug [Scarratt, guitar] and Paul [Quinn, guitar] have come up with some stuff, and so we can get it on the album as well. A lot of the heavy stuff comes from Nibbs anyway — the actual guitar licks."

On bus done first priest show love those guys listening to rough mixes new album out in sept /oct?
The battering ram is coming!!!!
Biffx

— Biff Byford (@biff_byford) May 18, 2015

Swedish occult rockers GHOST will release their third album, "Meliora", on August 21 via Loma Vista Recordings. The follow-up to 2013's "Infestissumam" was helmed by Klas Åhlund, a prolific songwriter, producer and guitarist who is also a member of the Swedish rock band TEDDYBEARS, and was mixed by Andy Wallace (SLAYER, NIRVANA, SEPULTURA, LINKIN PARK, GUNS N' ROSES).

"Meliora" track listing, according to U.K.'s Metal Hammer:

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

The cover artwork for the CD can be seen below.

The album's first single, "Cirice", is tentatively due at the end of May or in early June.

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

The latest issue of Sweden Rock Magazine marked GHOST's final photo session with Papa Emeritus II before he was "fired" and succeeded by Papa Emeritus III.

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

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

"Infestissumam" was certified gold in Sweden last fall for sales in excess of 20,000 copies.

Note: The International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI) in Sweden has revised the sales requirements for albums to reach gold status in the country twice in the last seven years — from the pre-2002 level of 40,000 to the current 20,000.

"Infestissumam" sold around 14,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 28 on The Billboard 200 chart.

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

Florida-based extreme metallers HATE ETERNAL will release their sixth full-length album, "Infernus", on August 24 via Season Of Mist. The CD was recorded at HATE ETERNAL founder and principal member Erik Rutan's (guitar, vocals) Mana Recording Studio (CANNIBAL CORPSE, MOUNTAIN GOATS, GOATWHORE) in St. Petersburg, Florida.

HATE ETERNAL has just hit the road in the U.S. as part of this year's "Metal Alliance" tour, which sees the band performing alongside DEICIDE, ENTOMBED A.D., and more.

HATE ETERNAL last year announced the addition of drummer Chason Westmoreland to the group's ranks. The native of Las Vegas, Nevada has been playing drums since the tender age of five and has toured with such renowned acts as FALLUJAH, BURNING THE MASSES, ENFOLD DARKNESS and OCEANO.

Rutan commented on Westmoreland joining the band: "Chason is such an amazing talent and a very determined guy. He came down to try out in June and literally blew us away! We bonded instantly musically and personally, and JJ and I knew he was the right guy and drummer for HATE ETERNAL. Chason has a high motor, hits hard, plays fast and is a very diverse and dynamic player.

"The drums on this album have a very primal and visceral feel to them and I think he did a tremendous job on the recording."

Westmoreland stated about his contribution to the new album: "The new material is very challenging and has a lot going on. I put everything I had into this album and I'm very excited about the results. "

The first eight albums from the legendary heavy metal band BLACK SABBATH are being re-released on vinyl.

The reissue campaign will kick off on June 22 with SABBATH's self-titled debut album (1970), "Paranoid" (1970) and "Master Of Reality" (1971). They will be followed by the June 29 re-releases of "Vol. 4" (1972), "Sabbath Bloody Sabbath" (1973) and "Sabotage" (1975).

On July 13, SABBATH's "Technical Ecstacy" (1976) and "Never Say Die!" (1978) will be reissued.

All eight albums will be made available on heavyweight 180-gram vinyl and CD.

SABBATH's early original-lineup catalog was previously reissued on vinyl in 2012 as a limited-edition box set, "The Vinyl Collection: 1970-1978".

In an interview with Gibson.com, SABBATH guitarist Tony Iommi spoke about the band's musical diversity. He said: "To me, BLACK SABBATH were always open to new sounds. On every SABBATH album, there’s always something out the box. We had instrumentals on a hard rock album when everyone was telling us, 'You can't do that!' I love 'Laguna Sunrise' [acoustic instrumental on 'Vol. 4'], for example. I enjoyed working with a choir, I liked getting string sections involved on ['Sabbath Bloody Sabbath''s] 'Spiral Architect'. SABBATH always did something different on each album. But I guess many people don’t remember those tracks so well."

Although SABBATH was briefly announced as performing at Ozzfest Japan this fall, the band is now off that bill and singer Ozzy Osbourne will be headlining as a solo act "with friends."

Iommi, who was diagnosed with cancer in early 2012, dismissed rumors last month that his health was the reason why the band canceled the Ozzfest Japan show.

Original BLACK SABBATH drummer Bill Ward, who has recently engaged in a public war of words with Ozzy over the reasons why Ward did not participate in the SABBATH reunion, has released his first solo album in 18 years. Titled "Accountable Beasts", the record can be purchased on iTunes.

On May 24, Jay Nanda of San Antonio Metal Music Examiner and AXS.com conducted an interview with ANTHRAX drummer Charlie Benante at the River City Rockfest in San Antonio, Texas. You can now watch the chat below.

Asked about the progress of the recording sessions for the follow-up to ANTHRAX's 2011's album, "Worship Music", Benante said: "It's a good thing to say that we have so many songs that that's why it's taking a little bit longer than usual. Like, if we just went it and had eleven [or] twelve songs, we'd probably be done by now. But we have over twenty songs, so… You know, we just wanna make sure each one of 'em is great, even though we're not gonna put twenty songs out right away. We just wanna make sure it's good, because we feel so strongly about the last one, and we don't just wanna rush something. We wanna make it great, so that when people hear it, they'll be, like, 'This is killer. A great follow-up.' So [there's] a little bit of pressure. But I think we have some really good tunes."

ANTHRAX's new album, which is once again being produced by Jay Ruston (STEEL PANTHER, STONE SOUR), will mark the recording debut for guitarist and newest bandmember Jon Donais.

ANTHRAX last month embarked on a six-week-plus North American tour with VOLBEAT, as well as appearances at five major outdoor festivals — Northern Invasion (outside of Minneapolis), Rock On The Range (Columbus, Ohio), Rocklahoma (Pryor, Oklahoma), and the San Antonio and Kansas City Rockfests. The band's setlist features the new song "Soror Irrumator (Lords Of The Rock)", ANTHRAX's contribution to the the second installment of "Catch The Throne: The Mixtape", for HBO's Emmy- and Golden Globe-winning series "Game Of Thrones".

SLAYER guitarist Kerry King says that the band's split with longtime label American Recordings came after the group was offered an "insulting" deal for its eleventh album.

SLAYER's long-awaited new CD, "Repentless", which is scheduled for release on September 11 via Nuclear Blast, marks the band's first effort without the backing of Rick Rubin's record company since 1985's "Hell Awaits".

Speaking to "The Metal Hammer Magazine Show"'s Alexander Milas, King stated about SLAYER's departure from American: "Solidarity is far stronger than jumping ship and going somewhere else. I thought we'd still be on American — but when we got the offer from American, I was insulted. That, to me, just said, 'Good luck, you're not gonna have good luck here anymore.' So we found our new friends at Nuclear Blast."

SLAYER bassist/vocalist Tom Araya added that the band didn't choose to end the 28-year relationship with Rubin. "It was more like he broke the news to us," Araya said. "When we started this record, it was on the pretext that we'd be working with Rick — but things didn't pan out. We've sort of moved on." SLAYER originally started work on some of the songs for the album with producer Greg Fidelman, who helmed 2009's "World Painted Blood", but ended up hooking up with Date after Fidelman pulled out of the project due to scheduling conflicts. King told "The Metal Hammer Magazine Show": "I think this is gonna be a nice little progression going forward. However many records we do in the future, I hope Terry's free."

Araya also spoke about some of the negative fan reactions to SLAYER's decision to record a new studio album without the band's late guitarist Jeff Hanneman, who died in May 2013.

"The fans are pretty ruthless, man, and with social media, it's bad," he said.

"People have opinions. Some are positive, and a lot of them are pretty fucking negative. It's hard to believe — especially considering these people are fans of the band."

But, he added, "Nothing that I or Kerry say will change what some of these people think or feel."

"Repentless" marks SLAYER's first CD since drummer Paul Bostaph's return to the band in 2013 and guitarist Gary Holt's addition to the SLAYER touring lineup in 2011.

SLAYER will tour extensively to support the new album, headlining this summer's Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival as well as playing other major outdoor festivals and several "An Evening With..." SLAYER-only concerts.

Dutch vocalist Anneke van Giersbergen (The Gentle Storm, ex-The Gathering) has checekd in with the following update:

"I'm excited to announce a brand new release and tour! Árstíðir and I will release a collaborative album of classical music in early 2016. The release will feature a broad selection of momentous classical and modern works, reconceived and reimagined within the Árstíðir/Anneke sound-universe. A comprehensive month-long release tour is planned across theaters in the Netherlands, March 2016 (see below).

We’ve spent the past several days at my studio arranging, learning French, Dutch, and Icelandic, programming synths, and transcribing inverted half-diminished seventh chords, fueled by a healthy stash of coffee, dark chocolate, and Mario Kart. We are incredibly excited about this unique project, and look forward to the release and to taking it all on the road in 2016. 

Tour dates for the Netherlands are as follows:

March
1 - Den Bosch - Verkadefabriek (try-out)
2 - Almelo - Hof 88 (try-out)
3 - Naaldwijk - Westland Theater
4 - Oosterhout - Theater de Bussel
6 - Zwolle - Schouwburg Odeon (matinee)
8 - Wageningen - Theater Junushoff
11 - Tilburg - Theaters Tilburg
12 - Uden - Markant Uden
13 - Groningen - De Oosterpoort
16 - Hoofddorp - De Meerse
17 - Zoetermeer - Stadstheater Zoetermeer
20 - Leeuwarden - Stadsschouwburg De Harmonie
21 - Rotterdam - Oude Luxor Theater
22 - Waalwijk - Theater De Leest
23 - Delft - Theater de Veste
25 - Haarlem - Philharmonie Haarlem
27 - Sneek - Theater Sneek Noorderkerkzaal (matinee)
29 - Amsterdam - De Kleine Komedie

For information on Árstíðir go to this location.

Anneke recently checked in with following announcement:

"Hey everybody! A beautiful 4CD box set collecting the four Agua De Annique albums will be released June 15th. This release also features additional photos and artwork as well as extensive liner notes collected by Carl Begai (BraveWords). When I started my solo career in 2007 I felt the sky was the limit. The four albums under the Agua de Annique tag (2007-2010) mark a very important part of my career and my life in general. The freedom to explore various musical styles and forms was super exciting. It also gave me the opportunity to collaborate with many artist friends. I am very proud of this wonderful box set and I have been actively involved in this creation. Mark Uyl is responsible for the cover picture and he also created this atmospheric short introduction video:"

The four Agua De Annique albums featured in the box set are as follows:

Air (including one bonus track)
Pure Air
In Your Room
Live In Europe

Following is an excerpt from the liner notes:

Anneke's solo sound is often referred to as pop-rock oriented but the first Agua de Annique record, Air, exhibited dark undertones similar to The Gathering's latter years with her behind the microphone. A song such as 'Witnesses', could have easily found a home on How To Measure A Planet?, or 'Sunken Soldiers Ball’ might have appeared on Nighttime Birds, but Anneke effectively turned the tables on any "copycat" thinking with stripped down tracks like 'My Girl', 'Asleep' and 'Yalin' or the dark rock contrasts of 'You Are Nice!'. Air offered an easily travelled bridge between Anneke's past and her new musical vision, making the single 'Day After Yesterday' a welcome first step out on her own.

"I was very, very excited," Anneke says. "To leave The Gathering was a huge step but I wasn't scared of the future because I had no idea what was going to happen. My thinking was 'Why should I be scared of that?' I had no idea what people were expecting. Some people thought I'd go in a completely different direction from The Gathering, other people thought I was just going to do the exact same kind of music. I didn't listen to anyone when I was writing the songs; I was focused on doing my own thing."

More details will be revealed soon.

Fan-filmed video footage of the new SKID ROW lineup — featuring former TNT singer Tony Harnell — performing on May 27 at Marquee Theatre in Tempe, Arizona can be seen below.

As previously reported, SKID ROW has re-recorded its classic song "18 And Life" with Harnell. The new version of the track can now be streamed and downloaded for free using the ReverbNation widget below.

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

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

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

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

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








Free Electronic Press Kits template from ReverbNation.com

Before Bruce Kulick became a member of the legendary rock band KISS, touring and recording many hits during the 12-year non-makeup era of the band, Kulick started out in New York city, fantasizing about being on stage, recording and having the world hear his passion for music. Little did he realize that every musical experience he encountered, especially in his teenage years, would actually prepare him for accomplishing his dream of being a world-renowned lead guitarist.

Kulick was a huge fan of the British rock invasion of America in the '60s, with bands like THE BEATLES, CREAM, LED ZEPPELIN and THE WHO leading the charge. These bands inspired him to play guitar, and to seek out other players in the Jackson Heights area of Queens, New York, hoping to make some original music that could satisfy his creative appetite. Enter neighbor Mike Katz, who lived on the same street as Kulick. Katz, who was also heavily influenced by the bands of that era, was a consummate bassist, who sang and wrote music in a style that was easily interpreted for Kulick's lead playing. A local drummer named Guy Bois rounded out the trio in proper fashion with his powerful drumming, and his parents' basement was the breeding ground for all the rehearsal and creation of music to follow.

Although the band had no name, Kulick, Katz and Bois created a unique blend of power trio rock, with progressive stylings and melodic hooks. After many rehearsals, the three young players booked a New York studio to properly record their musical concoction. The end result, in September 1974, was music that felt urgent, intense and compelling. Sadly, with no clear direction for the group to follow this recorded music, the band never played together live and the trio all went their separate ways.

The reel-to-reel tape of those sessions sat gathering dust in Kulick's home, until a garage sale discovery of a Teac tape recorder gave new life to the hidden musical treasure. Friends with whom Kulick shared the recording all agreed: "You must release this music for people to hear." The tape was transferred and, after some cleaning up of the tracks, Kulick released "KKB 1974" in 2008. The limited-run CD sold out quickly.

An unexpected new chapter for KKB happened in 2013, when Katz found the original tapes from Sudden Rush Studios. By using the actual tracks recorded, Kulick had the opportunity to remix, remaster and get creative with this music once again. But the discovery sparked something substantially more interesting than simply polishing up "old" music — the desire for Katz and Kulick to create a new song for KKB, 40 years after its genesis.

"Got To Get Back", the result of KKB's rekindled fire, is a total throwback to the '70s. Each band member recorded their parts in a local studio — Bois in Paris, Katz in New York City, and Kulick in Los Angeles — completing their tracks for the brand new tune. The result was sublime. Further adding to KKB's renaissance, a string quartet scored by Jeremy Rubolino, Kulick's longtime collaborator, was added to the ballad "Someday", giving the song a shine that couldn't have been imagined in 1974.

"This music represents a time in my career that I feel helped define the potential of my guitar playing," Kulick says. "It gives me chills to hear it. The interplay with Mike on bass and Guy on drums was expertly executed, filled with passion that defined our age. To think that so long ago I was involved in something this powerful that sat in my closet unheard for nearly 35 years made me furious. My intense desire to share this music that is relevant now, more than ever, is a huge accomplishment. Play it loud and imagine three young men pouring their hearts out making music, never concerned about anything but the music. That was the intention. It was pure, it was real. And now it's available for all to enjoy."

For more information, visit Kulick.net.

The new lineup of progressive metallers, Sarcofagus, started as a collaboration project working on modern updates of songs featured on the original 1980 album Envoy Of Death: “Envoy Of Death”, “Die To Win” and “Deadly Game”. These songs were not included in their setlist during the 2010 tour and these revamped versions serve as a perfect introduction to the “new” band.

The collaboration worked so well that the band are currently in the studio working on a new album and plan to tour when the album is released.  

The new lineup is:

Kimmo Kuusniemi - Guitars and Keyboards
Pete Ahonen (Stargazer, Burning Point) - vocals
Jukka Jokikokko (Burning Point, Zenith Reunion) - bass
Ville Hanhisuanto (Zenith Reunion) - drums

Check out the new music video “Envoy Of Death 2015” featuring new lineup:

 

A Vivid Memory - the Prosthetic debut by Floridian instrumental outfit Set And Setting - was released last fall. Featuring eight sprawling tracks, the album was recorded with Ryan Haft (Torche) and takes the listener through the last moments of life from an insider’s and outsider’s perspective.

Today, the band unveil the new music video for the album's vigorous track "Coping”. Directed by Todd White (Toxic Holocaust) at UP Productions with CGI effects provided courtesy of beeple-crap.com, the video can now be seen below:

Set And Setting have also announced plans for a headlining jaunt across the East Coast this August featuring direct support from labelmates North before they are scheduled to appear at Gainesville's Fest 14 this October.

 

 

Tour dates:

August
22 - St. Petersburg, FL - The Nine 10 #
23 - Atlanta, GA - The Earl #
24 - Raleigh, NC - Slim's Downtown #
25 - Richmond, VA - Gallery 5 #
26 - Harrisonburg, VA - The Golden Pony #
27 - Philadelphia, PA - Johnny Brenda's  #
28 - Brooklyn, NY - Saint Vitus #

October
30-November 1 - Gainesville, FL - Fest 14

# - with North

Unleashing their new Extinction Necromance EP last week to follow 2012's full length Malignance, Vernon, BC blackened death metal band XUL is destroying the pit with their new music video for their track “Orbit of Nemesis”, which can be viewed below.

”We've always loved playing live and our live experience has become one of the bands best traits. With our first video, we've tried our best to capture that experience to show people who haven't yet or can't get to a show what we're all about." comments guitarist Bill Ferguson.

Extinction Necromance is now streaming below and available for download here, with CD and shirt combos available here.

Extinction Necromance tracklisting:

“Frozen, We Drown”
“Orbit Of Nemesis”
“Chaos Requiem”
“Summon The Swarm”

Extinction Necromance by XUL

Founding member of Genesis, Tony Banks, is to release A Chord Too Far as a four-disc boxset, that brings together selected songs from his celebrated solo career. Released on Esoteric Recordings, a Cherry Red Records label, on July 31st.

With a tracklist personally selected by Tony, this special edition set consists of 49 songs  and pieces, many of which have been remixed exclusively for this collection, and are from his seven solo and two orchestral albums -  A Curious Feeling (1979), The Fugitive (1983), The Wicked Lady (1983) (film score), Soundtracks (1986) (a combination of original scores Tony wrote for films Starship and Quicksilver), Bankstatement (1989), Still (1991), Strictly Inc (1995), and his orchestral albums Seven: A Suite for Orchestra (2004) and SIX Pieces for Orchestra (2012) - culminating in this unique collection of his eclectic and diverse music. Also included are four unreleased pieces, three of which are keyboard demos of from his orchestral suites. The other is a piece originally written for the ‘Still’ album.
 
Inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame in 2010 as a member of Genesis, Tony is one of the most respected songwriters and keyboardists in the world. His career spans almost 50 years and has seen him sell in excess of 130 million albums. His body of work is as innovative as it is eclectic. Genesis’ avant-garde style made them one of progressive rock’s founding fathers in the 1970s, creating an experimental style of rock music never before seen. They went on to produce music with a greater pop sensibility in the 1980s that saw them become one of the biggest selling bands of the decade, and play stadiums throughout the world.

His solo work has continued in the same vein. As well as his rock albums which has included collaborations with some of the world’s most respected musicians including singers Toyah Wilcox, Fish and Nick Kershaw, bassist Pino Pallodino, and drummers Steve Gadd and Vinnie Colaiuta,  as well as long time Genesis collaborators Daryl Stuermer and Chester Thompson. He has done original scores for four films - The Shout (1978), The Wicked Lady (1983), Starship (1985) and Quicksilver (1986) and most recently his orchestral albums, Seven: A Suite for Orchestra and SIX Pieces for Orchestra, that were performed by the London Philharmonic Orchestra and City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra respectively.

A Chord Too Far is a celebration of Tony’s work outside of Genesis, and the beginning of re-releases of remixed versions of his entire solo and orchestral catalog... A Curious Feeling and The Fugitive are set to be released at the end of October, with The Wicked Lady and Soundtracks at the end of January 2016. Further detail will be announced soon on his other albums.

A Chord Too Far, is released on July 31st, 2015 on Esoteric Recordings, a Cherry Red Records label.

A Chord Too Far tracklisting:

CD One
“Rebirth” - Taken From Soundtracks
“At The Edge Of Night” - Taken From The Fugitive
“Walls Of Sound” - Taken From Strictly Inc.
“Lion Of Symmetry” - Taken From Soundtracks
“The More I Hide It” - Taken From Bankstatement
“Shortcut To Somewhere” - Taken From Soundtracks
“The Waters Of Lethe” - Taken From A Curious Feeling
“I Wanna Change The Score” - Taken From Still
“Water Out Of Wine” - Taken From Still
“Something To Live For” - Taken From Strictly Inc.
“By You” - Taken From The Fugitive
“Never Let Me Know” - Taken From Strictly Inc.
“Thirty Three’s” - Taken From The Fugitive

CD Two
“Charity Balls” - Taken From Strictly Inc.
“An Island In The Darkness” - Taken From Strictly Inc.
“The Border” - Taken From Bankstatement
“Lucky Me” - Taken From A Curious Feeling
“Another Murder Of A Day” - Taken From Still
“Moving Under” - Taken From The Fugitive
“Still It Takes Me By Surprise” - Taken From Still
“Red Day On Blue Street” - Taken From Still
“After The Lie” - Taken From A Curious Feeling
“Redwing” - Taken From Soundtracks

CD Three
“Queen Of Darkness” - Taken From Bankstatement
“A Piece Of You” - Taken From Strictly Inc.
“Big Man” - Taken From Bankstatement
“Angel Face” - Taken From Still
“This Is Love” - Taken From The Fugitive
“I’ll Be Waiting” - Taken From Bankstatement
“Back To Back” - Taken From Still
“For A While” - Taken From A Curious Feeling
“Throwback” - Taken From Bankstatement
“You Call This Victory” - Taken From Soundtracks
“And The Wheels Keep Turning” - Taken From The Fugitive
“You” - Taken From A Curious Feeling
“The Final Curtain” - Taken From Still

CD Four
“Blade” - Taken From Six Pieces For Orchestra
“Black Down” - Taken From Seven
“Siren” - Taken From Six Pieces For Orchestra
“Earthlight” - Taken From Seven
“From The Undertow” - Taken From A Curious Feeling
“Spring Tide” **
“Neap Tide” **
“City Of Gold” **
“The Chase” - Taken From The Wicked Lady
“Kit Taken From The Wicked Lady
“Poppet”
“The Wicked Lady” - Taken From The Wicked Lady

** - Demo

German nautical doomsters Ahab cast their net across the oceans and capture their fans with their impressive soundscape. The German quartet has now unveiled the first details of their upcoming album, The Boats Of Flen Carrig.

The artist Sebastian Jerke, who was also responsible for the latest album artwork from the likes of Zodiac, The Answer and My Sleeping Karma, created the cover artwork.

The Boats Of Flen Carrig tracklisting:

“The Isle”
“The Thing That Made Search”
“Like Read Foam (The Storm)”
“The Weedmen”
“To Mourn Job”
“The Light in the Weed (Mary Madison)” (Bonus Track)

The Boats Of Flen Carrig will be released on August 28th via Napalm Records and will be available as limited edition 6-page Digipak with bonus track, 2LP Gatefold edition, strictly limited Wooden Box Edition and Ultra Deluxe Canvas Edition. Pre-orders will start on June 18th.

Philadelphia's Ecstatic Vision are streaming the track “Astral Plane”, from the upcoming Sonic Praise album, to be released on June 30th via Relapse Records.

Recorded at various studios throughout Philadelphia, the group's debut is an acid-tinged mix of trance inducing, primitive African tribal and heavy psych a la Hawkwind, Goat and Amon Düül II.  The band formed in early 2014 and has already played numerous high profile shows like Pallbearer, Georgia's Meltasia Festival alongside Black Lips, Nik Turner's Hawkwind and toured North America with YOB and Enslaved.  

 

 

Sonic Praise tracklisting:

“Journey”
“Astral Plane”
“Don’t Kill The Vibe”
“Sonic Praise”
“Cross The Divide”

“Astral Plane”:

“Don’t Kill The Vibe”:

Physical pre-order is available at Relapse.com and digital preorder at Bandcamp.

(Photo: Orion Landau)

It's the final R.I.P. for Widow. They are now Darke Complex. Their EP, dubbed Widow, titled almost like an epitaph for their former name, is out now via Spinefarm. The coordinates of the follow-up full-length are carefully being plotted as we speak. But for now, we are invaded by "Intrusive Thoughts”, the video of which is being premiered today. Watch it below.
 

 
Says the band: ”“Intrusive Thoughts” is the last song on our debut EP, Widow. It's our way of saying goodbye, both literally and figuratively. It's the end of the record, the end of this story, and the end of this era in our existence."

Tampa, Florida-based metal act, Dark Sermon, will release an all new album, The Oracle, on August 21st via eOne Music / Good Fight Music.

"All I can say is that it is certainly a step in a new and interesting direction," says frontman Johnny Crowder. "As a whole, it is slower, faster, heavier, more engaging, and more mature than In Tongues. I think we finally found our true sound."

The all-new effort will be the follow-up to the band's label debut In Tongues, released in 2013. Check out a behind-the-scenes studio video below:

Crowder concludes, "We're touring extensively in support of this new record, so keep an eye out for dates."

The band is currently wrapping up a US/Canadian tour with Aborted and labelmates Fit For An Autopsy next week. Click here for all tour dates.

 

New Hampshire-based metallers, Vattnet Viskar, are streaming the new track “Glory”, from their upcoming sophomore album, Settler. Check it out via the video below:

The album artwork was created by multimedia artist, Josh Graham (ex-Neurosis, Soundgarden), who also created the video for "Breath Of The Almighty", from the band's Sky Swallower album.

Settler tracklisting:

“Dawnlands”
“Colony”
“Yearn”
“Impact”
“Glory”
“Heirs”
“Settler”
“Coldwar”

“Impact”:

“Yearn”:

“Colony”:

“Settler”:

 
Settler will be out June 16th in North America (June 29th in Europe) via Century Media Records. The album was recorded at Earth Analog Studios in Champaign, IL with producer Sanford Parker (Minsk, Voivod).

 
Vattnet Viskar is:  

Nick Thornbury - Guitar/Vocals
Chris Alfieri - Guitar
Seamus Menihane - Drums
Casey Aylward - Bass

 

UK brutalists Meta-Stasis have revealed details for the follow-up to their debut, When The Mind Departs The Flesh. The new offering, entitled The Paradox Of Metanoia, will be released on July 31st via Depraved Records.
 
Originally started as a studio project, Meta-Stasis have swiftly developed into one of the most groundbreaking extreme metal bands in the UK, combining psycho-extreme-tech-death metal with an industrial/jungle flavour.
 
With incredible reviews from the metal media, as well as personal endorsements from luminaries such as Slayer’s Kerry King and Steve Asheim from Deicide rating Meta-Stasisas the next “best extreme band to come out of the UK”, these loud lunatics are setting the tone for a new era in extreme metal.
 
Check out the video for “Disintegrate” below, and stay tuned for further details.