"Evil Awaits Us", the new video from the reformed CHASTAIN — featuring Leather Leone on vocals — can be seen below.

The official lyric video for the CHASTAIN song "Rise Up" can be seen below. The track is taken from the band's comeback album, "Surrender To No One", which was released on November 19, 2013 via Leviathan Records.

"Surrender To No One" track listing:

01. Stand And Fight02. Call Of The Wild03. Deep Down In The Darkness04. Freedom Within05. I Am Sin06. Rise Up07. Evil Awaits Us08. Fear My Wrath09. Save Me Tonight10. Surrender To No One11. Bleed Through Me

Also back in the saddle is original bassist Mike Skimmerhorn. The drum tracks for the CD were recorded by Stian Kristoffersen (PAGAN'S MIND, FIREWIND) since original drummer Fred Coury is still busy touring with CINDERELLA and other projects.

The Leather-fronted version of CHASTAIN recorded five CDs in the mid-to-late 1980s: 1985's "Mystery Of Illusion", 1986's "Ruler Of The Wasteland", 1987's "The 7th Of Never", 1988's "The Voice Of The Cult" and 1990's "For Those Who Dare". After the "For Those Who Dare" tour, David and Leather amicably went their separate ways but kept in touch over the years.

Leather in 2012 released the debut album from her SLEDGE LEATHER project, "Imagine Me Alive". The CD was inspired in 2010 when Leather called Sandy Sledge to collaborate on the Ronnie James Dio track "Egypt" for a demo tribute recording. Due to the overwhelming response for more material, SLEDGE LEATHER was born and was confirmed for Germany's Keep It True festival in April 2011.

Regarding the new CHASTAIN material, David stated: "We are trying to write and record music that is expected of us but with some modern twists and turns. We demoed up 20 tracks and it was difficult to leave any of them off the CD. Stian did an amazing job with the drum tracks and his performance is probably the best drumming on any CHASTAIN release to date."

Leviathan Records in 2010 released "The Reign of Leather", a collection of CHASTAIN tracks Leather had a hand in writing during her glory days with the band. Leviathan also reissued two of the classic CHASTAIN CDs with Leather: "The 7th of Never" and "The Voice Of The Cult". Both were digitally remastered and are in their original unedited versions.

"Evil Awaits Us" video:

A teaser for the new song "Disconnect Me" from Montreal, Quebec, Canada-based melodic death metallers THE AGONIST can be seen below. The full track will be released on March 21.

THE AGONIST earlier in the week announced the addition of singer Vicky Psarakis to the group's ranks. Vicky joins THE AGONIST as the replacement for Alissa White-Gluz, who left the band to focus on her new gig as the frontwoman of ARCH ENEMY.

Comments THE AGONIST in a statement: "We announce that after three albums and countless tours, we officially part ways with vocalist Alissa White-Gluz. We wish Alissa all the best with ARCH ENEMY and her future endeavors.

"It is the beginning of a new and exciting chapter for THE AGONIST! We are thrilled to announce the newest addition to the THE AGONIST family. Please give a warm welcome to very talented vocalist Vicky Psarakis!"

THE AGONIST's third album, "Prisoners", debuted at No. 19 on the Top New Artist Albums (Heatseekers) chart, which lists the best-selling albums by new and developing artists, defined as those who have never appeared in the Top 100 of The Billboard 200.

"Prisoners", was released on June 4, 2012 in Europe and June 5, 2012 in North America via Century Media Records. The CD was produced by Christian Donaldson (CRYPTOPSY) and mixed by Tue Madsen (THE HAUNTED, DARK TRANQUILLITY, SUICIDE SILENCE) and it "picks right up where 2009's 'Lullabies For The Dormant Mind' left off, with soaring melodies over complex metal passages that fans of thinking-man's metal can appreciate," according to a press release.

Tuomas Holopainen — the keyboardist and main songwriter of NIGHTWISH — spent most of 2013 writing and producing his solo album based on a graphic novel called "The Life And Times Of Scrooge McDuck", written and illustrated by Don Rosa.

"Music Inspired By The Life And Times Of Scrooge - Written And Produced By Tuomas Holopainen" is scheduled for release on April 11 via Nuclear Blast.

The fourth trailer for the CD can be seen below.

Holopainen comments: "This is my longtime dream come true, 14 years in the making. And a homage to one of the best storytellers of our time.

"Thank you for sharing this celebration of life and adventure!"

This 12-chapter book tells the life story of Scrooge, from his early years in the 19th century Scotland to his adventures all around the world until the 1950s. The story contains such immense depth, detail, wit and emotional power that the moment Tuomas read it nearly 20 years ago, it instantly became a story of profound personal interest and love for him. The initial spark of "coloring" this story with music, i.e. creating a kind of "soundtrack" for the book, came to him already in 1999, and has ever since haunted the back of his mind.

"Music Inspired By The Life And Times Of Scrooge - Written And Produced By Tuomas Holopainen" contains 10 songs, with total duration of approximately 60 minutes. The music is said to be in the soundtrack / classical / folk genre in the vein of Vaughan Williams, Michael Nyman, James Newton Howard and Enya.

Pip Williams did the orchestral arrangements for the "Life And Times Of Scrooge" disc, continuing his collaboration with Tuomas after the NIGHTWISH records "Once", "Dark Passion Play" and "Imaginaerum".

There are a number of guest musicians appearing on "Life And Times Of Scrooge", including the London Orchestra, The Metro Voices (a choir from London) and four lead vocalists: Alan Reid, Johanna Kurkela, Johanna Iivanainen and Tony Kakko. Other guest appearances include Troy Donockley (uilleann pipes, low whistles, bodhran), Mikko Iivanainen (guitars and banjo), Teho Majamäki (didgeridoo), Jon Burr (harmonica) and Dermot Crehan on the solo violin.

The recordings took place during August - October 2013, first at Angel Studios in London, then in various locations around Scotland and Finland.

The author of the book, Don Rosa, did the artwork for the album.

There will be a single release, for the track "A Lifetime Of Adventure", and a music video to go with it.

Holopainen recently spoke to Finland's YLE about "Music Inspired By The Life And Times Of Scrooge - Written And Produced By Tuomas Holopainen". Check out the report below.

Tuomas previously stated about how the idea for the project came about: "It was back in 1999, during the 'Oceanborn' tour, that I remember first having the idea of writing a 'soundtrack' to my all-time favorite piece of Disney comic, 'The Life And Times Of Scrooge McDuck', by Don Rosa, the apparent heir of the almighty Carl Barks. This book has had such an overwhelming effect on me throughout these years, and finally I have the means and the time to make that dream a reality.

"It all started with a story called 'Last Sled To Dawson', which was published in a Finnish Donald Duck magazine in the late '80s. It instantly became one of my favorite Scrooge/Donald stories and also introduced Mr. Don Rosa to my Disney universe. This story is not part of the actual 'Life And Times' opus, though, but 'a companion story,' set in between the chapters #8 and #9. Then when the massive 12-chapter piece was released in mid-'90s, I was completely and utterly hooked. It was similar to reading 'The Lord Of The Rings' as an 8-year-old, or seeing 'Raiders Of The Lost Ark' for the first time. Adventure, fun and the strangely familiar feeling of home.

"With Scrooge, there was also a much deeper level hidden between the stories and the gags.

"This is a book about life itself. What an unfathomable privilege it is, what are the things that truly matter during our existence. It's about the immense beauty of the world and its possibilities seen through the eyes of a very relentless, honest and complex character. It's about love and family, gain and loss, darkness and rebirth.

"And on top of that, well, it's just your good old-fashioned storytelling fun!"

"Music Inspired By The Life And Times Of Scrooge - Written And Produced By Tuomas Holopainen" track listing: 01. Glasgow 187702. Into The West03. Duel & Cloudscapes04. Dreamtime05. Cold Heart Of The Klondike06. The Last Sled07. Goodbye, Papa08. To Be Rich09. A Lifetime Of Adventure10. Go Slowly Now, Sands Of Time

Bonus track:

11. A Lifetime Of Adventure (Alternate Version)

Dutch singer Floor Jansen (pictured; NIGHTWISH, REVAMP) will join Swedish metallers SOILWORK on stage on March 21 at Circus in Helsinki, Finland. The concert will be filmed for SOILWORK's first-ever live DVD, to be released later in the year. SOILWORK says: "The song that Floor will lend her beautiful and powerful voice to will remain a secret for now, as I'm sure you understand... Just make sure you don't miss out on this!!!"

Adds Floor: "I have been a fan of [SOILWORK's] music for years! They will record a live DVD this special evening; definitely a show you don't want to miss! The show takes place in Circus in Helsinki, Finland. See you there?!"

The choice of location for the shoot of the first-ever SOILWORK audiovisual live document was an easy one since Helsinki has always been a second home to the band. The venue itself, Circus, was just the right one to offer a full-on SOILWORK show.

The show will mark SOILWORK's only Scandinavian show of the spring.

The DVD will be produced by Jouni Markkanen and directed by Ville Lipiäinen, who also helmed the most recent NIGHTWISH DVD, "Showtime, Storytime".

SOILWORK's ninth studio and first dual-disc album, "The Living Infinite", sold around 7,800 copies in the United States in its first week of release to enter The Billboard 200 chart at position No. 60. The effort also landed at No. 11 on the Independent Albums chart, and No. 2 on the Hard Music chart. "The Living Infinite" entered the iTunes Metal Top Albums chart at No. 1 and was the No. 1 most added album on the CMJ radio chart.

"The Living Infinite" was produced by Jens Bogren (OPETH, AMON AMARTH, BLOODBATH) and boasts artwork by MNEMIC's Mircea Gabriel Eftemie. The CD features Justin Sullivan — lead singer of the English band NEW MODEL ARMY — as a guest vocalist on the track "The Windswept Mercy" and also marks the recording debut of longtime SOILWORK touring guitarist David Andersson (also of THE NIGHT FLIGHT ORCHESTRA).

SOILWORK released a lavish deluxe version of its 2001 classic breakthrough album "A Predator's Portrait" on October 18, 2013 in Europe and October 15, 2013 in the U.S. The effort was reissued as a digipack with an all new artwork and will contain two previously unreleased live bonus tracks.

Norwegian black metal act VREDEHAMMER will release their new album, Vinteroffer, on April 7th of April in Norway and Europe, and on April 11th of April in Germany/Austria. You can pre-order the album here.
Tracklisting:

'The Awakening'
'Cthulhu'
'Seduce Infect Destroy'
'Suicide Forest'
'We Are The Sacrifice'
'Sykdom'
'Summoned'
'Vinteroffer'
'Admissa'
Vredehammer have released the first single from the album, for the track 'Cthulhu', out on all digital plattforms including iTunes, Spotify and WiMP.

'Cthulhu' can be heard below:
The previously released track 'We Are The Sacrifice' follows:

Sheffield, England's ORDER OF VOICES have released a video for their new single, ‘Hand In Hand’. The single is taken from Constancy the forthcoming new album, due to be released later this year.
'Hand In Hand' was produced by guitarist Ash Homar and mastered by UE Nastasi (AC/DC, LAMB OF GOD) at Sterling Sound in New York.

Order Of Voices self titled debut album was released in 2011 via Suburban Records/Code 7 and 'Hand In Hand' is the marker the band is laying down for their second album.

Comments vocalist Leigh Oates: "We’ve moved on from the first album, distilled what we do to make it stronger in every sense. We’re very happy with the results and look forward to people hearing it!"

Germany’s PRESIDENT EVIL have released their new video for the track 'Priest Of Rock 'N' Roll'. The track is featrured on the band's new album, Back From Hell’s Holiday, available via Firefield Records.

The new album features new singer (Neal McCocker) as well as, Dan Nelson (BLACKGATES, ex-ANTHRAX) and Chris Birx (MOTORJESUS) on guest vocals.
Tracklisting:

'Intro'
'Dirty Cage'
'Coffee & Cocaine'
'Black'
'Cold Inside'
'Hell's Holiday'
'Priest Of Rock 'N' Roll'
'Angel'
'Temptation'
'Never Ending Sin Of Life'
'Hit The Score'
'Sad'
'Psycho Valley'
'Outro'

'Priest Of Rock 'N' Roll' video:

)

‘Coffee & Cocaine’ video:
Teaser video:

Melodic death metal band PERSEFONE will re-release their classic masterpice, Core, worldwide on April 18th. The album has been sold out for years and many fans have requested that the band would re-release it.

The new release, which also includes a very exclusive bonus track, has been remixed by Pere Revert (producer directly involved in the creation of both Shin-ken and Spiritual Migration). And Core strikes back with even more power, bigger production, better sound and Annica von Holdt’s artwork revisited by world renowned cover artist Travis Smith.

Back in 2005 Persefone got in the studio to start working on what was to become the biggest production ever, in the history of the band for that time and one of the most acclaimed album for media and fans.

The idea was simple: Telling the story of the goddess Persephone, who gives name to the band, in three long epic songs from the point of view of every main character in the story: Demeter (mother of Persephone), Hades (god of the Underworld) and Persephone herself. A long epic story with memorable solos, harmonies, complex rhythms and beautiful melodies in 70 minutes of non-stop music.
Core tracklisting:

Sanctuary: Light And Grief:

'Act I : Goddess' Wrath'
'Act II: Light's Memories'
'Act III: Exiled To The Void'
'Act IV: To Face The Truth'

Underworld: The Fallen & The Butterfly:

'Act I : Clash Of The Titans'
'Act II: Dark Thoughts From A Dark Heart'
'Act III: When The Earth Breaks'
'Act IV: Released'

Seed: Core & Persephone:

'Act I: A Ray Of Hope'
'Act II: Self Betraying'
'Act III: Doubts Are Seed'
'Act IV: Dark Inner Transition'
'Act V: The End'

'Star Wars Medley' (Bonus track)

'Sanctuary Act III: Exiled to the Void':

Core (2014) by Persefone

Persefone will be heading out on their second Asian tour, this time including shows in both China, Japan, and Taiwan. The tour will be a co-headlining tour with Taiwanese band SILENT HELL.
Carlos Lozano (Guitars) comments: “This is another dream, coming true for us, and a milestone in the band’s career. We had a great time with the Chinese fans on our last tour over there, and we expect things to be even crazier this time around, with both Taiwan and Japan added to the schedule! We’re so stoked to get to experience this again.”

Dates below:

April
24 - Fukuoka, Japan
25 - Osaka, Japan
26 - Nagoya, Japan
27 - Tokyo, Japan
29 - Harbin, China
30 - Sheng Yang, China

May
1 - Da Lian, China
4 - Taipei, Taiwan
6 - Tai Chun - Taiwan

Germany's ENFEEBLE will release their second full-length-album, Encapsulate This Moment, on Friday, March 7th. The album track 'False Faith' can be heard below.
Tracklisting:

'Opening'
'Shock Me'
'Personage Collapse '
'Flashedever'
'Cavity Door'
'Cries'
'The Last Night Before'
'Reality Loss'
'Agony Revenge'
'The Creation'
'A Million Voices'
'False Faith'
'As We Were Like Shadows'

'False Faith':

Germany's ARISING FEAR will release their debut album, Beyond Betrayal, on March 29th.
Arising Fear was founded back in 2008 in Augsburg, Bavaria (Germany), and affect their listeners with catchy hooks, complex song structures and hard headbanger riffs - all those musical elements meet in the music of Arising Fear and give their individual wall of sound a very interesting and powerful attitude.

Followed by an immense number of live shows in Germany, Poland and Italy, with well known bands like EMIL BULLS, FAREWELL TO ARMS and TENSIDE the band released their self-titled debut EP in September 2009 which received excellent press consistently.
In Arising Fear, Alex Rauh (vocals/guitar), Kevin Pöllmann (guitar/vocals), Tobi Möhring (drums) and Tom Franz (bass) prescribe themselves to the passion for creating their own music which can be considered as a mix of classical heavy metal, thrash metal and elements of the metalcore genre.
Currently, the four playful guys of Arising Fear are in the studio, workin diligently on their debut album, Beyond Betrayal, which will be released on March 29th.

Album trailer:

British heavy metal legends JUDAS PRIEST have completed work on their brand new studio album, to be released later in the year.

Speaking to Artisan News at last night's (Monday, March 17) VIP listening party for the Ronnie James Dio tribute album "This Is Your Life" and awards gala at the Avalon in Hollywood, California, JUDAS PRIEST singer Rob Halford stated about the band's new CD (see video below): "The record is finished; it's absolutely finished as of today." He added: "It's a relief. It's a relief because whenever PRIEST makes an album, like any band, you put your heart and soul into it; it is that typical 'blood, sweat and tears.' It's not an easy thing to do 40 years later. But PRIEST has always been up for the challenge of that, and it's one of things that we love to do more than anything else as we move on through our metal years. So this is a great time for PRIEST: 40th anniversary, a brand new record. Life couldn't be better."

In a 2013 interview with Billboard.com, Halford described the new PRIEST CD's sound as "hard. It's heavy. It's something we think our PRIEST fans will be thrilled with. We know we have a reputation to maintain, and we know we have to deliver something really strong and solid. The album is going to be full of all the great things you love about JUDAS PRIEST — I don't think I can say anything more than that without being hung, drawn and quartered."

Speaking to VH1 Radio Network's Dave Basner, Halford said about what fans can expect from JUDAS PRIEST's next LP: "We felt it was very important to follow up [2008's] 'Nostradamus', the last release, and that was a concept experiment and it was a real success for us and the fans loved it, but I think our fans and ourselves as a band, we want to get back to the side of PRIEST that we haven't heard for a few years and reemphasize and remake those big, heavy metal statements again."

PRIEST's next album will mark the band's first release with Richie Faulkner, most recently guitarist in the backing band for Lauren Harris (daughter of IRON MAIDEN bassist Steve Harris).

Faulkner joined PRIEST as the replacement for original PRIEST guitarist Kenneth "K.K." Downing, who announced his retirement from the band in April 2011.

Asked how it has been collaborating on new music with Faulkner, Halford told Guitar World in a 2012 interview: "Really, really strong. Exciting. He's riffing and saying, 'Robby, I'm thinking of this and this and this.' It's really exciting to have that kind of energy, because you feed off of it."

He added: "[Richie] went through the ritual on [the 'Epitaph'] tour, did great work on stage, the fans embraced him, so it's now time to see what we're capable of, the writing trio of Glenn [Tipton] and Richie and myself."

Regarding whether technology has changed JUDAS PRIEST's songwriting process at all, Halford said: "It's dangerous to walk around with a flash drive on a bunch of keys. [Laughs] To a great extent, it doesn't really change. The technology is amazing in terms of the advantages it brings to music now, some of it good, some of it very bad. It's all about discipline and self-belief, determination, wanting to do the best you can do and not accepting anything that's below par. We've always had that attitude in PRIEST. We've always felt really strongly about any track that goes out for our fans. We're still doing it like we always have: firing up the riffs and finding a vocal melody to go with it, me going into me wonderful world of the Roget's Thesaurus and trying to come up with a new lyric and a new idea. And that's what we've been doing for four decades."

The first single from EPICA's new album The Quantum Enigma, entitled 'The Essence Of Silence', is now available via iTunes and Amazon (using the widget at the bottom of the page).

The Quantum Enigma, on May 2nd in Europe, May 5th in the UK, and May 13th in North America through Nuclear Blast.
A release show has been announced for April 30th in Tilburg, The Netherlands at Poppodium. INSOMNIUM are on the bill as special guests.

Tickets and special bundles are available at this location.

Where the 2013 Retrospect performance reflected on a decade as one of the leading bands in the symphonic metal scene, the upcoming sixth studio album, The Quantum Enigma, marks the beginning of a new Epica: modern, heavy, and without compromises.

"More than any of our previous albums, this album is a group effort. The only goal we had in mind: creating the album that could lift EPICA up to the next level."

Together with upcoming producer Joost van den Broek, the sextet worked on The Quantum Enigma at the Sandlane Recording Facilities in the Netherlands. The album has been mixed by Jacob Hansen (VOLBEAT, HATESHPERE). "Every detail finds its way into a perfectly balanced mix, and makes EPICA sound raw and overwhelming.”
The album will be released in five different configurations:

- regular Jewel Case
- 2CD Digipack
- 3CD Earbook
- double Vinyl
- Digital Download

Tracklisting:

'Originem'
'The Second Stone'
'The Essence Of Silence'
'Victims Of Contingency'
'Sense Without Sanity (The Impervious Code)'
'Unchain Utopia'
'The Fifth Guardian' (Interlude)
'Chemical Insomnia'
'Reverence (Living In The Heart)'
'Omen (The Ghoulish Malady)'
'Canvas Of Life'
'Natural Corruption'
'The Quantum Enigma (Kingdom Of Heaven Part II)'

Digipack additional track: 'In All Conscience'
Earbook additional track: 'Dreamscape'
Vinyl additional track: 'Memento'
iTunes additional track: 'Banish Your Illusion'

Disc 2 (Digipack and Earbook only):

'Canvas Of Life' (acoustic version)
'In All Conscience' (acoustic version)
'Dreamscape' (acoustic version)
'Natural Corruption' (acoustic version)

Disc 3 (Earbook Only):

'Originem' (instrumental)
'The Second Stone' (instrumental)
'The Essence Of Silence' (instrumental)
'Victims Of Contingency' (instrumental)
'Sense Without Sanity' (instrumental)
'Unchain Utopia' (instrumental)
'The Fifth Guardian' (instrumental)
'Chemical Insomnia' (instrumental)
'Reverence' (instrumental)
'Omen' (instrumental)
'Canvas Of Life' (instrumental)
'Natural Corruption' (instrumental)
'The Quantum Enigma' (instrumental)

Epica have launched the second episode of their studio documentary, which gives a behind the scenes look at the recording process of The Quantum Enigma. It also previews the first music from the upcoming album. Watch both parts below:

Part 1:
Part 2:
Check out Epica live on the following dates:

April
30 - Tilburg, Netherlands - 013

May
4 - Istanbul, Turkey- Headbanger’s Weekend

June
14 - Nickelsdorf, Austria - Novarock

July
10 - Vizovice, Czech Republic - Masters of Rock
12 - Wegorzewo, Poland - Seven Festival

August
8 - Vagos, Portugal - Vagos Open Air

HEAVEN’S BASEMENT will release their latest single, 'Can't Let Go' - taken from their debut album Filthy Empire - on April 14th via Red Bull Records. The single is available as a free download on the band's Facebook page.

Hot off their recent live stint at Soundwave in Australia, the band are excited to be back in the UK for their headlining Welcome Home Tour, with GLAMOUR OF THE KILLl as support.

Catch them live at these dates:

March
13 - Norwich, England - Waterfront
14 - Nottingham, England - Rescue Rooms
15 - Southampton, England - Takedown Festival
16 - Leeds, England - The Cockpit
18 - Newcastle, England - Newcastle Uni Union
19 - Glasgow, Scotland - Cathouse
20 - Belfast, Ireland - Voodoo
21 - Dublin, Ireland - Voodoo Lounge
22 - Manchester, England - Academy 2
24 - Chester, England - The Forum
25 - Bristol, England - The Fleece
27 - London, England - Electric Ballroom
28 - Plymouth, England - White Rabbit
29 - Birmingham, England - Academy 2
30 - Brighton, England - The Haunt

BLACK STONE CHERRY recently visited the studios of UK-based digital radio station Planet Rock. While there, the quartet from Kentucky performed acoustic renditions of their new single, 'Me And Mary Jane', as well as a cover of the JOHNNY CASH classic, 'Folsom Prison Blues'.
Roadrunner Records will release the new Black Stone Cherry album, Magic Mountain, on May 6th. The tracklisting and cover art are available below:

'Holding On…To Letting Go'
'Peace Pipe'
'Bad Luck & Hard Love'
'Me And Mary Jane'
'Runaway'
'Magic Mountain'
'Never Surrender'
'Blow My Mind'
'Sometimes'
'Fiesta Del Fuego'
'Dance Girl'
'Hollywood In Kentucky'
'Remember Me'
Catch Black Stone Cherry on tour:

April
22 - Varsity Theatre - New Orleans, LA
25 - Tampa Bay Times Forum - Tampa, FL
26 - Jet Blue Park - Fort Myers, FL
27 - Metropolitan Park - Jacksonville, FL
29 - The Masquerade - Atlanta, GA
30 - Iron City - Birmingham, AL

May
2 - Track 29 - Chattanooga, TN
3 - Monster Energy's Carolina Rebellion - Concord, NC
4 - Beale Street Music Festival - Memphis, TN
6 - Ram's Head Live - Baltimore, MD
7 - Sherman Theater - Stroudsburg, PA
8 - Upstate Concert Hall - Clifton Park, NY
10 - Darling's Waterfront Pavilion - Bangor, ME
11 - Webster Theater - Hartford, CT
13 - Freedom Hall - Lancaster, PA
14 - Starland Ballroom - Sayreville, NJ
16 - Columbus Crew Stadium - Columbus, OH
17 - The Orbit Room - Grand Rapids, MI
18 - House Of Blues - Chicago, IL
20 - Myth - St. Paul, MN
21 - The District - Sioux Falls, SD
24 - AT&T Center - San Antonio, TX

Galician heavy/death metal act SKYDANCER have released a new lyric video, for the track 'The Galician Exile', featured on their new studio release, Land Of The Grim.
Tracklisting:

'Swamp Tomb'
'Ancares'
'Ancestral Lands'
'L´Even'
'Meet The Ferryman'
'The Treason Wall'
'The Galician Exile'
'Lembranza'

The Galician Exile' lyric video:
'Ancares':
Album teaser:
Skydancer lineup:

Daniel Soengas - Guitars / Vocals
Jose Casal - Guitars
Victor Louzan - Bass
Daniel Díaz - Drums
More on Skydancer at this location.

Australia’s TERAMAZE will release their follow-up to the 2012 release AnhedoniA on April 12th via Nightmare Records, distributed by Sony/RED.
Entitled Esoteric Symbolism, the new album blends amazingly tight and speedy syncopated guitar/drum riffs and rhythms, with melodic hard vocals, for a very unique brand of metal. Listen to the album track 'Punishment By Design' below.
Tracklisting:

'All Seeing Eye
'Line of Symmetry
'Transhumanist
'Bodies of Betrayal
'Parallels-Dual Reality
'Spawn
'Punishment by Design
'Dust of Martyrs
'The Divulgence Act (CD edition only)
'Esoteric Symbolism':
vi - Order Out of Chaos
vii - Darkest Days of Symphony
viii - In Vitro

'Punishment By Design':
Teaser:

When the two KILLER BEE kingpins Anders L.A. Rönnblom and Brian Bee Frank in 2011 decided to release a compilation album featuring songs from their three 90s album, there were no plans to start the band again.
"I wanted to have a closure of the 90s Killer Bee-era. I felt that we never had an official farewell, so this was a good chance to do so", Anders explains. But a renewed interest in Killer Bee whetted their appetites and got them writing new material again. In October 2012 Killer Bee released their fourth album, From Hell And Back, after a 15 year long break.

From Hell And Back has been re-released in cooperation with Target Group and the band premieres at the same time a brand new video for the title track.
Tracklisting:

'From Hell And Back'
'Drive Me Crazy'
'Step Into My World'
'Love It Or Leave It'
'All Night Long'
'Footprints In The Sand'
'Rock Another Day'
'Heat Of The Night'
'Leave Me Alone'
'On And On'
'I Believe'

'From Hell And Back' video:
From Hell And Back is now available as download and stream wordwide.

Bay Area Backstage has uploaded video footage of SPIRALARMS, the San Francisco Bay Area-based heavy rock band featuring Craig Locicero (FORBIDDEN, ex-MANMADEGOD) on guitar, Tim Narducci (ex-SYSTEMATIC) on vocals, Chris "Cornbread" Lombardo on bass, Brad Barth on keyboards, and Anthony Traslavina on rhythm guitar and drummer Andy Galeon (DEATH ANGEL), performing on March 13 at the Heritage Theater in Campbell, California. Check it out below.

Galeon made his live debut with SPIRALARMS on February 8 at the Milk Bar in San Francisco.

SPIRALARMS' second album, "Freedom", was released on October 22, 2013 via Steamhammer/SPV.

SPIRALARMS rose from the ashes of millennial bands SYSTEMATIC, FORBIDDEN and MANMADE GOD.

Friends since the age of 15, Narducci and Locicero bonded over their love of heavy metal and hard rock music. Looking back at that time period, Craig said, "[We were] probably the youngest kids in the East Bay metal scene that were drinking beer out in the parking lot after seeing bands like TESTAMENT and EXODUS play."

Although the two remained friends throughout the years, they both went their separate ways and started bands of their own.

After years of playing with their respective groups, the two friends contacted each other and decided it was time to start playing music together again, and in 2004 SPIRALARMS was born.

"Freedom"'s down-to-earth and very dynamic production deserves a mention. The album oozes a liveliness, which many other bands tend to lose in the studio. "We always work at the studio as a full band," says Locicero. "The basic tracks of the new album were recorded in just about 16 hours, the rest was recorded by and by, but always in the same spirit. From the beginning, we never lost sight of our vision and that special flair which our new songs have."

Alissa White-Gluz, former vocalist of Canadian extreme metallers THE AGONIST who was named the new lead singer of ARCH ENEMY following the departure of Angela Gossow, has released the following statement:

"To all my fans, friends and supporters,

"I am very honoured and happy to announce a new chapter in my life and musical career beginning now; I have joined forces with one of my all-time favourite and globally respected bands, ARCH ENEMY. 'Wages Of Sin' was the first metal album I ever bought and it was love at first listen. It is not often that you get a phone call from your favourite band asking you to join! I am thrilled to have the opportunity to work with such amazingly talented musicians whom I also consider great friends.

"But it is with great sadness that I must also announce that THE AGONIST as you have come to know it is now a thing of the past. I had every intention of (and had even started) writing and recording yet another killer album this year, but my former bandmates decided to choose a different path. I wish I could change the situation, but the unfortunate decision was made beyond my control so I can only wish them the very best of luck now that our time working together has concluded. I will always be proud of the three albums we created since 2005 and I would like to show my appreciation for the incredibly open-minded and loyal fans that I have come to know through my past decade of work in the metal scene. Thank you for accepting every bit of eccentricity I threw your way. Everything from the band name to the lyrics, the songs, the artwork and visuals, the photo shoots, harmonies, melodies, (etc); I created every bit of those with immense thought and passion. I can assure you that I will continue to pour my creativity into writing, singing and performing and look forward to your continued support with ARCH ENEMY. Thank you all so much for believing in me and allowing me to express myself in a completely boundless way.

"Very importantly, I have to thank Angela Gossow for being my mentor and guardian angel over the years — I can honestly say that without her love and support, I would not have been able to make it through as much as I have. Angela has been an inspiration, an invaluable friend and I am proud to now call her a partner. I am very humbled and grateful to her, Michael, Daniel, Sharlee and Nick for entrusting me with the ARCH ENEMY torch. I feel very privileged that they have welcomed me not only to take over as vocalist but also to contribute to the writing process, since lyrical integrity is important to me. Everything about this new relationship feels so right and I think our music is representative of how strong the creative chemistry is. I'm ecstatic about the music we are making! I would also like to extend my deepest and most sincere gratitude to all the members, crew and fans of KAMELOT for believing in me, encouraging me and showing me endless love and appreciation over the years. It really means the world to me.

Thank you, again, to all my fans, family, colleagues and friends who supported my work all along for your relentless loyalty. I look forward to being able to write and perform at a whole new level now with ARCH ENEMY!

"Music is forever, metal is limitless and this is only the beginning!"

ARCH ENEMY's new album, "War Eternal", will be released in June via Century Media Records. The CD was mixed by Jens Bogren (OPETH, PARADISE LOST, KREATOR) at Fascination Street in Örebro, Sweden. ARCH ENEMY will debut new material on a short Eastern European tour before the album is released; this trek will then be followed by an extensive run of European summer festivals, including Sweden Rock Festival, Wacken Open Air and many more. A full headlining tour in North America and Europe will take place in fall/winter 2014. On March 20, ARCH ENEMY will present the video for the album's title track, "War Eternal".

THE AGONIST has announced the addition of singer Vicky Psarakis to the group's ranks.

THE AGONIST's third album, "Prisoners", debuted at No. 19 on the Top New Artist Albums (Heatseekers) chart, which lists the best-selling albums by new and developing artists, defined as those who have never appeared in the Top 100 of The Billboard 200.

"Prisoners", was released on June 4, 2012 in Europe and June 5, 2012 in North America via Century Media Records.

Long Beach, California blues rockers RIVAL SONS will release new album, "Great Western Valkyrie", on June 10 in the USA (one day earlier internationally). The CD was recorded with producer Dave Cobb at LCS Studios in Nashville, Tennessee

Comments RIVAL SONS frontman Jay Buchanan: "Every time we set out to make a record, the experience ends up being some of the old and some of the new. Same studio, same town, same on-spot writing/recording process with the same guys. Actually, not the same guys; we have a new bass player in Dave Beste, and we had my buddy Ikey Owens (THE MARS VOLTA, JACK WHITE) throw down some craziness on keys while he was in town.

"I'd like to think we became a little bit more of ourselves making this record and that the selection of influences has broadened a bit. I thoroughly enjoyed watching Miley during the recording; I believe his playing on this record is his most lyrical and musical yet and that's probably a direct reflection of Beste's fresh blood in the mix.

"Speaking of Beste, whoa. Thunder from his hands all over this album.

"I think Scott really expanded his approach in these songs and you can definitely hear it in the moodier tracks, while on the hot tracks you can hear him forcing his aviary of Firebirds to drink moonshine. Dangerous.

"There are some serious house burners on 'Great Western Valkyrie' but there are also a couple where thesis dictated more subtlety from the arrangement.

"My performance? I think it's more of the same on my end, but Cobb did tell me that my finest performances were given in these sessions, but what the fuck does he know?

"They say the truth is in the taste — I'd say this record is the filthy magazine hidden in the hymnal."

"Great Western Valkyrie" is available to pre-order now on digi-sleeve CD and limited-edition coloured vinyl, as well as an ultra-limited box set including the following:

* Double LP on limited clear vinyl with etched fourth side* Signed band photo insert* Custom vinyl slipmat* 5-bonus-track CD* Album cover t-shirt* Woven throw blanket* Album presentation box

The album is also available to pre-order now on iTunes, including five bonus tracks and three instant grat tracks.

An "Great Western Valkyrie" audio preview is available below.

California "Destroyers of Rock 'N' Roll" THE SHRINE will release their new LP Bless Off on March 11th via Tee Pee Records. Recorded at Eliminator Studios in Venice Beach, CA, Bless Off is the follow-up to the power trio's debut album Primitive Blast. The first music video from Bless Off, for the track 'Worship', can be seen below:
Recorded on reel-to-reel tape using vintage gear and colossal Marshall stacks, Bless Off is a record that attacks with buzzing riffs, blazing hooks and a bruising, mega-amplified punch. The album features 11 tracks of quintessential riff rock channeling hazy hesher glories including a song ('The Duke') with lyrics penned by Chuck Dukowski in 1983 originally intended for an unreleased BLACK FLAG song. The cover art to Bless Off features The Shrine's ever-present wolf mascot and is an homage to legendary skate punk and gig flyer artist Ric Clayton (SUICIDAL TENDENCIES) and Dogtown Skateboards.
Bless Off tracklisting:

'Destroyers'
'Worship'
'Tripping Corpse'
'The Duke'
'Nothing Forever'
'Bless Off'
'On The Grind'
'No Penalty'
'Spit In My Life'
'Napalm'
'Hellride'

The Shrine plays loud, heavy rock 'n' roll fueled by cheap beer and bad acid that combines the hook-laden appeal of '70s garage rock and gritty '80s hardcore with a skate punk energy and attitude resulting in a sound the trio describes as "psychedelic violence."

TatuI/Sao Paulo-based metallers SYMPTOMEN are streaming the new song 'Heavy Metal In Blood', to be featured on the band's second album, Into The Future, out soon.

Into The Future was recorded at the band's own studio, Studio 8, and follows the line of pure traditional heavy metal.
Into The Future tracklisting:

'Into The Future'
'2 Lives 2 Live'
'About To Blow'
'Payback Time'
'The Eye Of The Universe'
'Heavy Metal In Blood'
'The Game'
'Glory Night'
'Freedom War'
'Goodbye'

'Heavy Metal In Blood':
'Into The Future':

Indie Recordings has announced the signing of black metallers PATRIA. Hailing from Brazil, Patria is one of the most imminent black metal bands in South America today. They have four releases behind them, and will release Individualism via Indie Recordings on April 21st (24th in G/A).
Individualism tracklisting:

'Individualism'
'Blood Storm Prophecy'
'Uncrowned God Of Light'
'Outrage'
'Orphan Of Emptiness'
'Far Beyond The Scorn'
'Catharsis'
'Epiphany'
'Your Rotten Heart Dies Now'
'God’s Entombment'
'Requiem For The Ego'
The first single, 'Blood Storm Prophecy', is available on all digital platforms like iTunes, Spotify and WiMP. Listen to 'Blood Storm Prophecy' below:

TRIPTYKON — the occult/avant-garde metal project formed by former HELLHAMMER/CELTIC FROST singer, guitarist, and main songwriter Tom Gabriel Fischer (a.k.a. Tom Gabriel Warrior) — and Century Media Records/Prowling Death Records have announced a special limited-edition box set of the band's second album, "Melana Chasmata", containing the album's main Mediabook CD edition as well as a selection of unique TRIPTYKON paraphernalia. The "Melana Chasmata" Mediabook features a 32-page booklet and an additional 12-panel fold-out cross-booklet; the paraphernalia comprises a silver TRIPTYKON "T" necklace, 2 specially manufactured TRIPTYKON candles, a TRIPTYKON tote bag, a poster, and 3 postcards.
The box set will be limited to 2000 copies worldwide.

Says Fischer: "Some time ago, I voiced my personal disapproval regarding the original concept for the planned TRIPTYKON 'Melana Chasmata' box set as scheduled for release by our licensing partner, Century Media Records. It is to Century Media Records' credit that they listened and subsequently approached me to address my misgivings and create a box set that represents the group's ideas and intentions far more comprehensively. I am grateful for such an open and creative collaboration, and I deeply respect Century Media Records for sparing neither effort nor expenditure to please TRIPTYKON and the band's audience. I wish record labels would have acted like this in the 1980s."

"Melana Chasmata" will be released on April 15 (one day earlier internationally). The CD will be made available through a collaboration between TRIPTYKON's own label, Prowling Death Records Ltd., and renowned metal giant Century Media Records. This is the same label partnership already responsible for CELTIC FROST's final album, "Monotheist" (2006), HELLHAMMER's "Demon Entrails" demo compendium (2008), and TRIPTYKON's debut album, "Eparistera Daimones", and "Shatter" EP (2010).

Like its predecessor "Eparistera Daimones", the album was produced by TRIPTYKON's singer/guitarist Tom Gabriel Warrior and guitarist V. Santura and recorded and mixed at V. Santura's own Woodshed Studio in southern Germany as well as at TRIPTYKON's rehearsal facilities in Zurich, Switzerland, in 2013 and 2014. Those who have already heard "Melana Chasmata" have described it as "atmospheric, dark, diabolical, and dramatic", "diverse, epic, and doomy, but on an entirely different level", "a fierce boulder of abhorrence", or "very heavy and yet very aesthetic at the same time".

"Melana Chasmata" will feature the following nine songs, at a playing time of around 67 minutes:

01. Tree Of Suffocating Souls
02. Boleskine House
03. Altar Of Deceit
04. Breathing
05. Aurorae
06. Demon Pact
07. In The Sleep Of Death
08. Black Snow
09. Waiting

To commemorate the unveiling of "Melana Chasmata", Century Media has released a collector's gatefold seven-inch vinyl single, featuring the songs "Breathing" and "Boleskine House". The single was made available on March 17, and be limited to a pressing 1000 (of which 200 will be in red vinyl). "Breathing" and "Boleskine House" are also available as a digital single (including the option for a digital booklet), and they are now being streamed via the YouTube clips below.

The official listening and release party for "Melana Chasmata" will be held on Friday, April 11 at 10:00 p.m. at Duff's Brooklyn in Williamsburg, Brooklyn.

The address is:

Duff's Brooklyn
168 Marcy Avenue (between S 5th & Broadway)
Williamsburg, New York

For more information, visit www.duffsbrooklyn.com.

"Melana Chasmata" will be further distinguished by featuring, for the second time for TRIPTYKON, the extraordinary art of legendary Swiss surrealist HR Giger. Following "Eparistera Daimones", the group began to make arrangements for an entirely different cover for the second album. Completely unexpectedly, HR Giger approached Tom Gabriel Warrior in October of 2011 to express his appreciation of how TRIPTYKON had used his art on the first album and to propose a continuation of the artistic collaboration. This development thus marks the first time any musical artist has worked with HR Giger on three albums (CELTIC FROST's "To Mega Therion", and TRIPTYKON's "Eparistera Daimones" and "Melana Chasmata"), and it commemorates a collaboration that has now lasted for 30 years.

"Melana Chasmata" features Giger's dramatically mysterious "Mordor VII" (work no. 283, 100 x 70 cm, acrylic on wood, 1975) as a front cover and Giger's "Landschaft XVI" ["Landscape XVI"] (work no. 209, 100 x 70 cm, acrylic on paper on wood, 1972) as gatefold art.

After a lengthy hiatus, TRIPTYKON will return to the stage this year to promote "Melana Chasmata". Among the concerts so far scheduled are appearances at the celebrated Roadburn festival, at Rock Hard festival, and, pending the issuance of the proper visas by U.S. authorities, TRIPTYKON's return to the United States for an exclusive appearance at Maryland Deathfest.

TRIPTYKON consists of V. Santura (guitar, vocals), Norman Lonhard (drums, percussion), Vanja Slajh (bass, vocals), and Tom Gabriel Warrior (voice, guitars).

Just because KISS will finally be inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame next month doesn't mean that Paul Stanley isn't still offended that the band had to wait a humiliating 14 years to gain entry. According to The Pulse Of Radio, Stanley, who'll be inducted with Gene Simmons and estranged guitarist Ace Frehley and drummer Peter Criss, told the Associated Press that he's upset that only the band's co-founders and not current and other key members of KISS will be getting the nod on April 10, explaining, "In the GRATEFUL DEAD's case, (they) also inducted a writer who never played an instrument. Or they've inducted rap artists, or they've inducted people who have been in the band for seven years as opposed to. . . 25 years or 20 years — whatever their criteria of this week is."

Frehley left KISS after the band's 2002 "Farewell Tour" dates, saying afterwards that he took the word "farewell" seriously. Peter Criss has claimed that his contract with KISS wasn't renewed in March 2004. Both charges have been disputed by Stanley and Simmons. Paul Stanley says that the powers that be at the Rock Hall "tried to strong-arm us into playing in original lineup… Their craving of nostalgia or for wanting to have us play by their rules in many ways jeopardizes what we have spent 40 years building.

"I've been there since the beginning, and when I put on my KISS gear, I do it with great pride, and anything that may jeopardize that by going out with a lineup that I might question is a nonstarter for me."

Stanley went on to explain why current KISS members — guitarist Tommy Thayer and drummer Eric Singer, both of whom dress as Criss and Frehley's respective alter egos, "The Spaceman" and "The Catman" — should be inducted, saying that they "have been in the band for decades and played on multi-platinum albums and toured the world."

Stanley admitted to The Pulse Of Radio that his contempt for the Rock Hall — which is based on the Rock Hall's apparent contempt for KISS — has been brewing for quite some time now. “It starts decades ago, it starts years ago that it's 14 years on and we're getting into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame is a clear indication that the people who hide behind that moniker don't like us," he said. "And it clearly reached a point where it was so absurd and ludicrous that they caved. The part is, as I've said before that I'm most proud of, is the same criteria that kept us out is now getting us in — we didn't change. But, when I feel that we're being treated unfairly and that the rules, clearly, are no rules, 'cause they don't apply to everybody, and the criteria for how and who gets in based entirely on a personal like or dislike, I have issues with that."