British metal trio ABSOLVA will release their new album, Anthems To The Dead, on May 5th via Rocksector Records. The band have released the first single/video, for the track 'Never Back Down', featuring guest performances from Doug Scarratt of SASON on lead guitar, and Luke Appleton of ICED EARTH on rhythm guitar and harmony lead guitar.
Anthems To The Dead tracklisting:

'The Devil's Mouth' (featuring Luke Appleton)
'Victimiser'
'Never Back Down' (featuring Doug Scarratt, Luke Appleton)
'Anthems To The Dead'
'In Some Wild Universe'
'The Alter and The Cross'
'Live For The Fight'
'Killing Season'
'Taste The Blood'
'Soul Remains' (featuring Doug Scarratt)
'Silent Sacrifice' (featuring Luke Appleton)

'Never Back Down':
Absolva recently announced their first UK tour dates of 2014, which will coincide with the release of their new studio album. Special guests on all these shows will be label mates BABYLON FIRE.
Dates below:

May
1 - London, UK - The Garage
2 - Birmingham, UK - Asylum 2
3 - Burnley, UK - Sanctuary Rock Bar
10 - Carlisle, UK - The Brickyard
11 - Wakefield, UK - Snooty Fox
16 - Great Yarmouth, UK - The Oakwood
17 - Brighton, UK - Green Door Store
23 - Grimsby, UK - Yardbirds Rock Club
24 - Selby, UK - The Riverside
31 - Manchester, UK - Sound Control

For more info visit Facebook.

The second of four videos on the making of "The Satanist", the long-awaited new album from Polish extreme metallers BEHEMOTH, can be seen below.

"The Satanist" will be released on February 3 in the U.K., February 4 in North America and Poland, February 5 in Japan, and February 7 in the rest of the world. Pre-order bundles, include: CD, LP, t-shirt, as well as the deluxe box set, and are available at metalblade.com/behemoth in North America, nuclearblast.de/behemoth in Europe, and on behemoth-store.com (digibook and box). BEHEMOTH's video for the new single "Blow Your Trumpets Gabriel" can be seen below. This visual masterpiece was produced by Grupa 13 and is one of BEHEMOTH's most unsettling and unique works to date.

BEHEMOTH frontman Adam "Nergal" Darski states about the video: "Yes, we took all the time in the world to complete this project. And we did everything that was humanely possible to accurately express our vision. We crossed the Rubicon.

"'Blow Your Trumpets Gabriel' is an ecstatic manifest of our unrestrained artistic will, where we dare to reach out beyond the limitations of the heavy metal genre. And it's only the beginning."

"The Satanist" deluxe box, which is available in North America as an European import, includes: CD/DVD digibook in silver mirror slipcase with a high-quality 44-page booklet (with gold foil, UV gloss lamination), supersize poster flag (approx. 3.5' x 5'), wooden black inverted rosary cross, metal pin, black envelope with black communion wafers. The DVD, "Live Barbarossa", includes a professionally filmed show in Ekaterinburg, Russia, as well as 30-minute documentary about the creative process behind "The Satanist".

"The Satanist" was produced by BEHEMOTH, Wojtek and Slawek Wieslawscy and Daniel Bergstrand at Hertz Studio. The CD was mixed by Matt Hyde (SLAYER) and mastered by Ted Jensen (METALLICA, AC/DC) at Sterling Sound in New York City. The cover art for "The Satanist" was painted by renowned Russian painter and occultist Denis Forkas. The paint used included some of Nergal's own blood. Additional art and design was completed by Metastazis (PARADISE LOST) and Zbigniew Bielak (WATAIN, GHOST).

"I wanted to incorporate some of my DNA into the art," Nergal told Australia's Heavy magazine about having his blood included in "The Satanist" artwork.

"This album seems to be so defining of who we are now as people and as individuals, and considering all the instances in recent years, [we wanted] to make it more 'ours' than it is usually."

In a recent interview with Revolver magazine, Darski described BEHEMOTH's new songs as "very atmospheric" and "very emotional." "Think BURZUM meets NEW ORDER meets KILLING JOKE," he added. But at the same time, fans shouldn't expect the album to sound too far removed from BEHEMOTH's past efforts. "Take SLAYER, for example," Darski said. "Whatever genre they deal with, they still end up sounding like SLAYER. Even when they were flirting with nu-metal, it was a SLAYER record. Same with BEHEMOTH."

According to Darski, at least some of the inspiration for the new BEHEMOTH album came from his five-month bout of leukemia he overcame in January 2011, after receiving a bone-marrow transplant. "When I was in the hospital, I was collecting experiences and emotions," he said. "I'm pretty sure that it's coming out now. There are moments I catch myself thinking about how my state was back then. It was me versus life, me versus death. It definitely changed my thoughts a lot. It's 100 percent being reflected in the record and songs I'm writing nowadays. I'm way more radical than I used to be."

"The Satanist" track listing:

01. Blow Your Trumpets Gabriel02. Furor Divinus03. Messe Noire04. Ora Pro Nobis Lucifer05. Amen06. The Satanist07. Ben Sahar08. In the Absence ov Light09. O Father O Satan O Sun!

Vocalist Dani "Filth" Davey of British extreme metallers CRADLE OF FILTH has revealed plans for a a forthcoming twentieth anniversary release in April that "old-skoolers will absolutely love to bits." No further details have yet been made available.

In February, CRADLE OF FILTH will embark on a 19-date European co-headlining tour with Polish extreme metallers BEHEMOTH.

Comments Dani: "We are very much looking forward to touring with BEHEMOTH et al, as I think the combined lineup for these momentous shows is definitely very killer.

"Prepare for some riotous shows immersed in such esteemed dark company, as CRADLE traverses an old-skool tour program set against a viscerally visual backdrop of nocturnal metal supremacy. In other words, be there or be squared. Pinhead-style!"

2014 marks the 20th anniversary of "The Principle Of Evil Made Flesh", the historic debut album from CRADLE OF FILTH on Cacophonous Records. To honor this momentous occasion, CRADLE OF FILTH is planning a whole smorgasbord of exciting stuff, including the first-ever CRADLE OF FILTH comic, the release of a career-spanning double disc best-of, and, of course, the subsequent touring.

The story for CRADLE OF FILTH's upcoming adult comic book was scripted by the comic writer Kurt Amacker (with assistance from the band's singer, Dani Filth). Several artists are in the process of mocking up some example pages for the prospective publishers. Dani previously stated about the project: "I am very excited about this venture, as it promises to be a very adult story woven straight from the CRADLE OF FILTH universe, featuring a liberated Oscar Wilde, the Demoness Lilith, nefarious sexual magickal practices and an errant Suffolk Lord who is in the unenviable process of being charged under 19th-century blasphemy laws, discovering himself engaged in a nightmarish occult netherworld."

CRADLE OF FILTH's tenth studio album, "The Manticore And Other Horrors", sold 4,500 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 96 on The Billboard 200 chart. The band's previous full-length effort, "Darkly, Darkly, Venus Aversa", opened with 5,800 units in November 2010 to land at No. 99.

Finnish melodic metallers SONATA ARCTICA will release their eighth studio album, "Pariah's Child", on March 28 via Nuclear Blast. The cover artwork for the CD can be seen below.

"Pariah's Child" track listing:

01. The Wolves Die Young02. Running Lights03. Take One Breath04. Cloud Factory05. Blood06. What Did You Do In The War, Dad?07. Half A Marathon Man08. X Marks The Spot09. Love10. Larger Than Life

Comments SONATA ARCTICA vocalist Tony Kakko: "There are some instant SONATA 'greatest-hits' songs there, which feels good.

"I think we reached the result we had in mind, each of us in our own field.

"We went on to create the next SONATA ARCTICA power metalesque album and I think we achieved it adequately.

"I have to say that I had drifted pretty far away from those 'days of thunder,' that speedy, happy-go-lucky attitude.

"I was happy to notice this style can still make me smile. It's good. Music has to do that to me. It also shows the other older songs in a totally new light for me.

"I can now understand and appreciate why the fans enjoy what we did in the early days."

Regarding the new CD title and cover artwork, Kakko said: "As always, it's pretty hard coming up with a name for the new baby. I tried to approach it from many angles; how this is our eighth album and how easy it would be to abuse that fact. All the symbolism of figure eight, eternity and so on. But that just did not feel right, as it's been done so many times. Then I started to think how we'd in ways abandoned our 'totem animal,' the wolf and all what comes with the territory.

"As the music on the album is bowing more towards the 'old' SONATA, meaning more power metal-style elements and wolves in many of the songs in one form or another, it was clear we need a wolf on the cover. An abandoned wolf. A pariah. Or pariah's child, actually. The new generation to bring the old logo back."

SONATA ARCTICA last August parted ways with bassist Marko Paasikoski and replaced him with Pasi Kauppinen (SILENT VOICES, ex-REQUIEM, WINTERBORN).

The band will launch a European headlining tour in support of "Pariah's Child" on April 10 in Eindhoven, The Netherlands.

SONATA ARTICA's latest album, "Stones Grow Her Name", was released in Europe on May 18, 2012 and in North America on May 22, 2012 via Nuclear Blast Records.

"Stones Grow Her Name" sold around 2,100 copies in the United States in its first week of release. The CD landed at position No. 9 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.

Dutch symphonic rockers WITHIN TEMPTATION will play a special intimate acoustic show on Tuesday, February 4 at HMV 363 Oxford Street in London, England (next to Bond Street station) at 6 p.m.

The performance will be an intimate 20-minute acoustic set, followed by a signing session to promote the band's new album, "Hydra".

You can purchase your copy of "Hydra" from HMV 363 Oxford Street on the day of the event and get it signed by the band after the performance. The album will be available to buy in all formats including the luxury box set version.

Due to license restrictions for live performances, the store has had to limit the number of fans attending the event to 180. Only those fans lucky enough to have a valid ticket will be able to gain access to this very special live performance.

Get your ticket here.

WITHIN TEMPTATION will release "Hydra" on January 31. The album will be available in several luxury formats. The cover artwork was created by by Romano Molenaar ("X-Men", "Batman", "The Unforgiving"), and can be seen below.

Pre-order "Hydra" via iTunes now, and you will instantly receive the first two singles: "Dangerous", featuring a guest appearance by former KILLSWITCH ENGAGE singer Howard Jones and "Paradise (What About Us?)" featuring ex-NIGHTWISH singer Tarja Turunen.

The digital premium album, complete with digi-booklet, will be available on iTunes and includes 18 audio tracks and a music video. The digital premium album features bonus "Evolution Versions" of four new songs, which contain audio commentary from guitarist Robert Westerholt and singer Sharon Den Adel and give you unique access to the development of the songs, their lyrical inspiration and the sound of the initial demos and vocals.

"Hydra" digital premium album track listing:

01. Let Us Burn02. Dangerous (feat. Howard Jones)03. And We Run (feat. Xzibit04. Paradise (What About Us?) (feat. Tarja)05. Edge Of The World06. Silver Moonlight07. Covered By Roses08. Dog Days09. Tell Me Why10. Whole World Is Watching (feat. Dave Pirner)11. Radioactive (originally performed by IMAGINE DRAGONS)12. Summertime Sadness (originally performed by Lana del Ray)13. Let Her Go (originally performed by PASSENGER)14. Dirty Dancer (originally performed by Enrique Iglesias)15. And We Run (evolution track)16. Silver Moonlight (evolution track)17. Covered By Roses (evolution track)18. Tell Me Why (evolution track)19. Paradise (What About Us?) (feat. Tarja) music video (exclusive to iTunes premium version)

Aside from the digital premium version, "Hydra" will also be released in a deluxe box set including exclusive items many of you have been asking for, for a long time:

"Hydra" deluxe box set

* "Hydra" 18-track album including bonus tracks in the form of a media book with a hot foil print cover, featuring a 100-page booklet consisting of unique photos* Double gatefold black vinyl version of the album including bonus tracks* Instrumental version of the entire album* Songbook with sheet music of the songs of the album* "Hydra" guitar pick* Packaged in an especially designed LP-sized box

In a recent interview with Ultimate-Guitar.com, Sharon stated about the songwriting process for "Hydra"": "A lot of bands were inspired by the '80s at the time we were writing 'The Unforgiving' album. There was a lot of music based on the '80s coming out and it had a lot of '80s flavors. With this new album, even though we're only a few years further up the road, you can feel that music has changed again. Music is not inspired on the '80s, but more like there are different influences in the music again. Music's always organic, and you feel things are changing comfortably."

She added: "When people asked us after 'The Unforgiving', 'Are you gonna make another 'Unforgiving' album?" we said, 'Of course.' Because we were really full of it in a positive way. We really like the album a lot and still do like it a lot but we really feel there's an '80s feel to the songs. When we started writing this album, again we felt like we were already knowing we were gonna go a different direction also."

"Kings Of Metal MMXIV" is a completely new recording with many surprises, celebrating the 25th anniversary of the release of "Kings Of Metal" and MANOWAR's following world tour.

Already a significant force with international success since their debut album "Battle Hymns", the "Kings Of Metal" release in 1988 and the following world tour in 1989 catapulted MANOWAR into a new sphere. Songs like "Heart Of Steel", "Kings Of Metal", "Hail And Kill" and "Blood Of The Kings" became instant classics, celebrated since by metal fans all over the world. For "Kings Of Metal MMXIV", MANOWAR have recorded these timeless metal anthems with new arrangements and their signature "larger-than-life" sound that sealed their place in heavy metal history.

"Our fans have made us the 'Kings Of Metal', and with this tribute to one of their favorite albums, we honor them and thank them for their unparalleled support and loyalty!" said MANOWAR vocalist Eric Adams.

"Kings Of Metal MMXIV" will feature nine main tracks packed with face-melting metal, plus nine bonus tracks with over 40 minutes of additional music.

"We have pushed man and machine to the maximum level to honor the original recordings that we all love, and to add new aspects and surprises that give this new album its own character," said MANOWAR bassist and producer Joey DeMaio. "The sound is again as massive and majestic as it has always been," he continued.

"Recording this album has been an amazing experience! After playing the songs so many times on tour, Donnie and I now had the opportunity to contribute our own sound and elements that the fans have come to love from our live performances," explained guitarist Karl Logan.

For the new narration on the spoken word track "The Warrior's Prayer MMXIV", MANOWAR have joined forces with celebrated British actor Brian Blessed. Blessed is a renowned Shakespeare and character actor who has starred, among others, in Kenneth Brannagh's "Henry V", Oliver Stone's "Alexander", in "King Lear", and as Prince Vultan in the cult movie "Flash Gordon".

For special effects of the highest level on "The Warrior's Prayer MMXIV", sound effects specialist Hamilton Sterling was recruited; a Hollywood veteran who has contributed to action blockbusters, including "Batman - The Dark Knight", "Men In Black 3", "War Of The Worlds" and "Master And Commander: The Far Side Of The World", two of which won Oscars for "Best Sound Editing".

"Kings Of Metal MMXIV" will be released to retail on February 28 as a 2-disc CD with two 24-page booklets and additional new art by legendary fantasy artist and longtime collaborator Ken Kelly, and as a digital double album.

For the special anniversary, MANOWAR will also open their vaults and reveal never-before-seen photos and other insights into the history of MANOWAR and the "Kings Of Metal" era.

"Kings Of Metal MMXIV" track listing (not final):

Main tracks:

* Wheels Of Fire MMXIV* Kings Of Metal MMXIV* Heart Of Steel MMXIV* Sting Of The Bumblebee MMXIV* The Crown And The Ring MMXIV (orchestral version) * Kingdom Come MMXIV* Hail And Kill MMXIV* The Warrior's Prayer MMXIV* Blood Of The Kings MMXIV

Bonus tracks:

* Blood Of The Kings MMXIV (instrumental) * Hail And Kill MMXIV (instrumental) * Heart Of Steel MMXIV (acoustic intro) * Kingdom Come MMXIV (instrumental) * Wheels Of Fire MMXIV (instrumental)

Check out the cover artwork below.

Video footage of KISSER CLAN, the project featuring SEPULTURA guitarist Andreas Kisser and his 16-year-old son Yohan Kisser, along with TORTURE SQUAD drummer Amilcar Christófaro, performing the SEPULTURA classic "Refuse/Resist" on December 21, 2013 at Kabala Pub in São Paulo, Brazil can be seen below.

Andreas and his wife, Patricia Perissinotto Kisser, have three children together: Giulia, Yohan and Enzo.

SEPULTURA's new album, "The Mediator Between Head And Hands Must Be The Heart", sold around 1,800 copies in the United States in its first week of release.

"The Mediator Between Head And Hands Must Be The Heart" was released on October 29 via Nuclear Blast Records.

Although it was inspired by Fritz Lang's classic 1927 movie "Metropolis", "The Mediator Between Head And Hands Must Be The Heart" is not a concept album or a soundtrack like its precedessors "Dante XXI" (based on "The Divine Comedy") and "A-Lex" (based on "A Clockwork Orange").

"The Mediator Between The Head And Hands Must Be The Heart" was tracked over a 40-day period at producer Ross Robinson's (KORN, LIMP BIZKIT, SLIPKNOT) studio in Venice, California and was mixed and mastered by co-producer Steve Evetts, who previously worked with SEPULTURA on the "Nation" (2001), "Revolusongs" (2002) and "Roorback" (2003) albums, in addition to having collaborated with Ross on a number of other projects in the past.

Fan-filmed video footage of former PANTERA and current DOWN singer Philip Anselmo and his backing band, THE ILLEGALS, performing on January 11 at the Riverside Warehouse in Shreveport, Lousiana can be seen below.

Anselmo kicked off the second leg of his first-ever solo tour, dubbed "Technicians Of Distortion", on January 10 in Houston and is heading westward, trampling through over a dozen cities with additional support provided by HYMNS. On this trek, Anselmo is once again being joined by his backup band THE ILLEGALS — guitarist Marzi Montazeri (ex-SUPERJOINT RITUAL), drummer José Manuel Gonzales (WARBEAST) and bassist Steve Taylor.

Anselmo's recently released, limited-edition two-song "Housecore Horror Fest" 10-inch vinyl EP will be available for purchase on all tour dates.

Anselmo's career-first solo album, "Walk Through Exits Only", sold around 8,700 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 35 on The Billboard 200 chart.

Produced by Anselmo and Michael Thompson, and recorded over the past couple of years at Philip's New Orleans studio, Nodferatu's Lair, "Walk Through Exits Only" is abrasive, aggressive, anthemic and 100% Anselmo.

AXEL RUDI PELL's new album, Into The Storm, will be released through SPV/Steamhammer on January 17th in Germany, January 20th in Europe and on January 21st in North America.
Tracklisting:

'The Inquisitorial Procedure'
'Tower Of Lies'
'Long Way To Go'
'Burning Chains'
'When Truth Hurts'
'Changing Times'
'Touching Heaven'
'High Above'
'Hey Hey My My'
'Into The Storm'

Digipak bonus tracks:

'White Cats (Opus #6 Scivolare)'
'Way To Mandalay'

Check out three audio snippets below:

'Into The Storm':
'Burning Chains':
'Long Way To Go':
The album will be available on limited edition digipak including two extra tracks + poster, double gatefold LP with coloured vinyl, standard version and download. Watch Out for the deluxe edition incl. digipak edition, plec, metalpin, poster, postcard, sticker and much more.

Pell recently announced dates for his 2014 European Tour, the first leg taking place in February.
Confirmed tour dates:

February
7 - Hannover, Germany - Capitol
8 - Weert, Netherlands - De Bosuil
9 - London, England - The Garage
11 - Nürnberg, Germany - Löwensaal
12 - Pratteln, Switzerland - Z7
14 - Memmingen, Germany - Kaminwerk
15 - Erfurt, Germany - HsD
16 - Hamburg, Germany - Markthalle
18 - Langen, Germany - Neue Stadthalle
19 - Ludwigsburg, Germany - Rockfabrik
20 - Bochum, Germany - Zeche
21 - Bochum, Germany - Zeche

Belgian death metallers CRIMSON FALLS have released a lyric video for their track 'The Generation Chasm'.

Says the band: "This video was made by Eklips Design and features guest vocals by no one less than Mister Daniel de Jongh from TEXTURES! Daniel did an awesome job, horns up!"
The band's new album, Downpours Of Disapproval, contains 11 tracks and features guest appearances from Daniel De Jongh, Brent Vanneste (STEAK NUMBER EIGHT) and DJ Jeant. Also, Navene Koperweis (ex-ANIMALS AS LEADERS) provided the band with some additional samples and sound effects on a few tracks. The extensive 16-page booklet comes with writer notes accompanying every lyric.



Recordings and mix for the new album where taken care of by Jochem Jacobs at Split Second Sound. Mastering by Alan Douches at West West Side Music. Artwork by Dennis Sibijen for Damn Engine.



Downpours Of Disapproval tracklisting:

'Resurrection'
'Downpours Of Disapproval'
'How Much Does Life Weigh?' (Feat. Brent Steak Number 8)
'Stillborn'
'Testify' (Feat. Dj Jeant)
'Trapped'
'Vengeance Is Mine'
'Culture Of Cancellations'
'The Generation Chasm' (Feat. Daniel Textures)
'Le Coup De Grace'
'Show Me Your Hands That Strangled My Child' (Bonus Track)

‘Downpours Of Disapproval’ video:

Teaser:



More on the band, including release shows and live dates, can be found at Facebook.

Pori, Finland-based metallers DELAYHEAD will release their second full-length album, "Vol. 80%", on February 28. The CD follows in the honest, in-your-face rock/metal footsteps of its predecessor, "Vol. 40%", but ups the ante.

According to DELAYHEAD singer/guitarist Tuomas Saarinen, the band does not attempt to follow trends, but relies on its natural delivery instead.

"We're not trying to send any particular message or anything," he says. "You either listen or don't.

"When we write songs, we try to create something we would like to listen to ourselves. Doing it any other way would be fooling ourselves and others. It's hypocritical to write songs that don't mean shit to yourself."

DELAYHEAD promises "Vol. 80%" contains music for many different moods, some of which make you want to seriously bang your head, while others maybe make you want to stop for a moment.

The official video for the song "To Live/Die For" can be seen below.

Due to "physical limitations," former MERCYFUL FATE drummer Kim Ruzz (a.k.a. Kim Thyge Jensen) has "decided to stop" his involvement in the Danish heavy metal band called METALRUZZ. According to METALRUZZ singer Krudy Bøhm, "The band has been looking for a replacement after the band's guitarist left the group, but now it is over. METALRUZZ thank you for all you inquiries from prying metal fans from around the world."

You can read Krudy's statement at this location.

METALRUZZ was:

Kim Ruzz - DrumsMorten Eide - BassKrudy Bøhm - VocalsFrederick Borg Augustsen - Guitar

After MERCYFUL FATE was presented with the "honor award" at the Danish Metal Awards 2006, Ruzz released a statement to BLABBERMOUTH.NET in which he said, "Yes, I became a postman for a short period, but not in the U.S. as many people think. After that, I took an education in the construction business and worked as foreman and calculator.

"Many stories have been told that [Michael] Denner [MERCYFUL FATE guitarist] and I couldn't stand the sight of each other, [but] it could not be more wrong. We were, and still are, best friends.

"As you know, we won a Danish music award [in November 2006]. We [attended the event] together, the four of us [Michael Denner (guitar), Hank Shermann (guitar), Timi 'Grabber' Hansen (bass) and Kim Ruzz (drums)], [as] King [Diamond] couldn't make it. And the magic was reborn."

MERCYFUL FATE will always be remembered for their unquestionable mark on the history of metal, with their new innovative sound, complex arrangements, memorable melody, and their influence on bands that later took the genre to new heights, according to Wikipedia.

In 1998, METALLICA paid tribute to MERCYFUL FATE by recording a medley of classic MERCYFUL FATE songs on the album "Garage Inc." Entitled "Mercyful Fate", the medley included parts from "Satan's Fall", "Curse of the Pharaohs", "A Corpse Without Soul", "Into the Coven" and "Evil".

Lars Ulrich of METALLICA (a fellow Dane) played drums on a new version of "Return of the Vampire" on the "In the Shadows" album, which came out in 1993.

Pictured above: METALRUZZ (Kim Thyge Jensen is second from right, wearing a white long-sleeved shirt)

Photo courtesy of Ugenyt

The official trailer for "After The Dark" (previously titled "The Philosophers") can be seen below. The film hits theaters and VOD release on February 7 from Phase 4 Films. Directed by John Huddles, it stars James D'Arcy, Bonnie Wright, Daryl Sabara, Sophie Lowe, Rhys Wakefield, Freddie Stroma, Maia Mitchell, Jacob Artist and Katie Findlay. KORN frontman Jonathan Davis composed the film's score along with Nicholas O'Toole.

Synopsis: Faced with an impending nuclear apocalypse, a group of twenty college students must determine which ten of them would take shelter underground and reboot the human race. The decision quickly becomes deadly as each in the group turns against each other in a desperate fight for survival.

KORN's eleventh studio album, "The Paradigm Shift" (Prospect Park), sold 46,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to land at position No. 8 on The Billboard 200 chart. The CD arrived in stores on October 8, 2013 via Prospect Park.

Davis last year revealed that he got into the studio later than the rest of the group because he was dealing with personal issues. He explained, "My boy got diabetes and I had come off medication for my depression, and that fucked me up . . . I'd been on it for three years and the doctor told me you gotta get off this, it's bad for you."

Davis took drastic action to get off his medication, saying, "I went to this county rehab. I was like, 'I don't want to do this shit ever again.' So I went into the most ghetto, fucked-up place I could find and I'm barely coming out of it now."

British metallers ARCHITECTS will release their new album, "Lost Forever // Lost Together", in North America on March 11 via Epitaph Records. The CD will be made available in in Australia through UNFD and in Canada via New Damage Records.

After writing demos on their successful run on Vans Warped Tour 2013, ARCHITECTS (whose lineup includes chief songwriter Tom Searle on guitar/keyboards, his twin brother Dan on drums, Sam Carter on lead vocals, and Alex Dean on bass) took to Studio Fredman in the Swedish city of Gothenburg in the middle of the sunlight-starved winter. Working with producers Fredrik Nordström and Henrik Udd (both known for their work with BRING ME THE HORIZON and chosen largely because "we've always been big fans of how massive their records sound," according to Sam), ARCHITECTS spent a month living in the studio so that they could record whenever inspiration hit.

On "Lost Forever // Lost Together", the band artfully weaves in ambient elements that sometimes verge on gauzy and dreamlike. Take the instrumental "Red Hypergiant" that threads a sample of voiceover from a Carl Sagan film through an oceanic wall of sound, for example, while the album-closing "Distant Blue" starts out as a snarling, lead-heavy epic and then unfolds into spacey ethereality. Fans will notice the band deepen their blend of brutal, thundering metal and melody-spiked hardcore with heavier riffs and intricate arrangements inspired by THIS WILL DESTROY YOU, and even artists unlikely such as SIGUR ROS. With lyrical content delving into everything from the Fukushima nuclear disaster to Tom's recent bout with skin cancer, "Lost Forever // Lost Together" artfully delivers an emotional charge that's both devastating and glorious.

As for the album title, ARCHITECTS borrowed a lyric from the track "Youth Is Wasted OnTthe Young". As Tom Searle poignantly states, "We're all lost. Everyone's just trying to find their place, and hopefully we'll all get there eventually."

"Lost Forever // Lost Together" track listing:

01. Gravedigger 02. Naysayer03. Broken Cross 04. The Devil Is Near05. Dead Man Talking 06. Red Hypergiant07. C.A.N.C.E.R. 08. Colony Collapse09. Castles In The Air 10. Youth Is Wasted On The Young11. The Distant Blue

The official video for the song "Naysayer" can be seen below.

ARCHITECTS' last album, "Daybreaker", was released on May 28, 2012 in Europe and June 5, 2012 in North America via Century Media Records.

ARCHITECTS in 2012 released the "The Here And Now 2012 Special Edition" including "Devil's Island" and "Untitled" as well as all video clips ("Day In Day Out", "Learn To Live", "Heartburn", "Delete, Rewind" and "An Open Letter To Myself"), making-of footage for "Learn To Live" and "Heartburn" plus several previously released online clips.

"Engineering The Void", the title track of the new album from Swedish technical death metallers SOREPTION, can be streamed using the SoundCloud widget below. The song feaures guest vocals by THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER's Trevor Strnad.

"Engineering The Void" will be released on February 18 via Unique Leader, by way of Ninetone Records.

Formed in 2005 in Sundsvall, SOREPTION hurls forth a bone-shattering onslaught of sharp technical riff sequences, schizophrenic time shifts, thick catchy grooves and ravaging vocals. Released in 2010, the band's debut full-length, "Deterioration Of Minds", was produced and mixed by brothers Tommy and Chris Rehn from symphonic black metal collective ANGTORIA at Ninetone Studios and, commended for their "superior sense of rhythm and razor-sharp precision that will appeal to fans of bands such as CANNIBAL CORPSE, SUFFOCATION, DYING FETUS and THE FACELESS" (Underrated Reviews), quickly earned critical acclaim from the underground elite. Elaborated Global Domination in an 8/10 review of the record, "The tech-death phenomenon leaves no room for error or soul. It's all about technical riffs and arrangements, not to mention the quantized-to-hell drums and cleaned up stops and gos. But if you are into this genre, it's hardly because you want hear soulful playing or actual human groove; no — you expect precision and impressive musicianship. And that is exactly what you get with SOREPTION." "Engineering The Void" track listing:

01. Reveal The Unseen02. The Nature Of Blight03. Breaking The Great Narcissist04. A Speech To Survival05. Utopia06. Monumental Burden07. I Am You08. Engineering The Void

SOREPTION is:

Fredrik Söderberg - VocalsAnton Svedin - GuitarsStefan Nordlander - Session GuitaristRickard Persson - BassTony Westermark - Drums

"Clear", the new experimental album from Maryland-based progressive metallers PERIPHERY, is available for streaming in its entirety below. The effort is set for a January 28 North American release via Sumerian Records.

Comments PERIPHERY guitarist Misha Mansoor: "'Clear' is an experiment to explore all of the different writing styles in the band.

"It's rare when you have a band where every member is capable of writing and producing music.

"With each member controlling their own track, this recording enabled us to go down any path we chose in terms of style and sound. Every track also contains a melodic theme established in 'Clear''s intro track, 'Overture'. This common thread links all of the songs together, even though they all sound wildly different.

"'Clear' shouldn't be confused with our new third full-length album that we're currently working on, nor should it be considered an EP as it rides somewhere in between clocking in at 30 minutes."

PERIPHERY's latest album, "Periphery II: This Time It's Personal", which sold nearly 12,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to land at position No. 44 on The Billboard 200 chart. The CD was released in North America on July 3, 2012 via Sumerian Records and was made available in Europe on July 16, 2012 through Century Media Records. It features guest appearances by John Petrucci (DREAM THEATER), Guthrie Govan (THE ARISTOCRATS) and Wes Hauch (THE FACELESS).

"Marissa", the new video from USA! USA! USA!, the band featuring guitarist Ken Susi of the Boston metallers UNEARTH, can be seen below.

USA! USA! USA! started when Susi started thinking about what got him into music in the first place, and it all came back to him in a rush of memories: girls.

Ken wrote his first song at 12 for a girl in his class. He recalled her happiness at hearing a simple song written specifically for her, and after years of writing and playing intense metal, Ken wanted to get that feeling back. He had a vision of the perfect American rock band: clean vocals, catchy hooks and riffs, big guitars. And all the songs would be for and about girls the band knew.

Ken reached out to the best players he'd met on the road, recruiting bassist Ben Alexis of Canada metal act ARISE AND RUIN and second guitarist Dave Stauble of New Hampshire hardcore heroes SINCE THE FLOOD. Rumor has it he found Pat doing session work.

They all fit the bill in terms of style and sound, but the frontman had to be the quintessential rock and roll crooner, a '68 Elvis for a new generation — with style and flash that would make the boys want to be him and the girls fall in love with him.

Ken found the answer to his prayers in Frank Pino, best known as the frontman of WALTHAM, Boston favorites who swept many a Boston Music Awards show, released three albums, toured Europe and was featured in a Disney documentary. Frank's classic rock n roll look, stage presence, and work ethic made him a perfect foil to Ken, and when they sang together their clear vocal styles meshed perfectly.

USA! USA! USA! boiled rock n roll down to its classic, primal THE BEATLES, Elvis and Ritchie Valens DNA — guitars, bass, drums, songs about girls — written with the same feeling as notes slipped into lockers, left on windshields outside the fast food joint where she work or a serenade outside her window.

With the chemistry firing on all cylinders, the band rushed into the studio and knocked out five songs — all titled with girl's names — and a supercharged cover of "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun" that has become their anthem. The result is the purest American Art Form: hook heavy, harmony-laden, driving guitar rock propelled by rocket fuel energy from five guys who love and respect girls (including their moms).

USA! USA! USA! titled the EP "What's Your Name" and, in an unusual move, released it online at Bandcamp on a "pay-what-you-please" basis. With no promotion or publicity it instantly became Bandcamp's number one download.

USA! USA! USA! is currently working on songs for a new, full-length album. They have played up and down the East Coast and across Canada to ever-growing crowds. They'll be hitting the road again when the new record is completed.

Steven Rosen of Ultimate-Guitar.com recently conducted an interview with singer Sharon Den Adel of Dutch symphonic rockers WITHIN TEMPTATION. A few excerpts from the chat follow below.

Ultimate-Guitar.com: The music on "Hydra" sounds so much more organic. The sound is so much more rawer than on earlier albums. Has it matured in a certain way by letting go?

Sharon: Well, the case is more is the fact we let go of a certain way of songwriting how we used it in the past. Like, in the past, we had a certain idea about how we wanted to sound and what we were allowed to be within our genre. Nowadays we feel like with "The Heart Of Everything", we felt like we finalized this symphonic kind of sound we were searching for all those years.

Ultimate-Guitar.com: "The Heart Of Everything" was as far as you wanted to take that symphonic rock style?

Sharon: We couldn't add anything to that anymore. So we just let all boundaries go, musically, where we were not allowed to go. We are allowed to go now and we can write whatever we want. In the end, we'll see what will fit on the album and what doesn't.

Ultimate-Guitar.com: Now you're just writing and seeing where the music takes you?

Sharon: Before, we'd start there would already be boundaries and that would limit you in your freedom to explore different things. It's like being in a box where you can only sound this way or that way. You really have real boundaries. Now it's like anything can come out.

Ultimate-Guitar.com: How would you characterize the "Hydra" album?

Sharon: With this album, it was more like letting that go. A lot of bands were inspired by the '80s at the time we were writing "The Unforgiving" album. There was a lot of music based on the '80s coming out and it had a lot of '80s flavors. With this new album, even though we're only a few years further up the road, you can feel that music has changed again. Music is not inspired on the '80s, but more like there are different influences in the music again. Music's always organic, and you feel things are changing comfortably.

Ultimate-Guitar.com: The influence of '80s music on "The Unforgiving" album worked so wel. Did you think you wanted to try another album based on the same sounds?

Sharon: When people asked us after "The Unforgiving", "Are you gonna make another 'Unforgiving' album?" we said, "Of course." Because we were really full of it in a positive way. We really like the album a lot and still do like it a lot but we really feel there's an '80s feel to the songs. When we started writing this album, again we felt like we were already knowing we were gonna go a different direction also.

Ultimate-Guitar.com: Could you tell right away that "Hydra" was going to be different than "The Unforgiving"?

Sharon: When we had written the first song, which is actually the first song on the album, "Let Us Burn", it felt like it should be more guitar-orientated. We knew the orchestra could still be there and we could still have the symphonic element there but it's really minimized actually more than ever. When you describe what WITHIN TEMPTATION is, it's melancholy and heaviness. Emotion — real direct emotion in a way.

Ultimate-Guitar.com: "Tell My Why" has amazing harmonies on there.

Sharon: Yeah, I like it also very much. You can see there was experimenting a lot and also with [rapper] Xzibit, it was also again like we had a certain vision how there could be a crossover and keeping in mind AEROSMITH and RUN DMC at the time although it's a totally different song and totally different band. But we felt if they can do it, there must be a way to make also our music somehow crossover with rap. Not because we wanted to do something renewing (different) but we felt in an artistic point of view that it could really, really work with our kind of music.

Ultimate-Guitar.com: Was it difficult finding that balance between the rap thing and rock?

Sharon: We just tried and tried constantly with several songs and just taking rap music from the Internet and trying it on our songs. For a lot of songs it didn’t work and finally we had this song "And We Run" and we felt like, "OK, this could really work with this song." Combining this with a rap kind of voice like Xzibit's, which is very dark and very heavy and has a lot of bass in it, was a good contrast with mine. He was like the perfect person to ask for this song and also because he already tried a lot of experimental stuff on his own things. He already tried rap with guitars and orchestration and we felt like, "OK, he's somebody who's really open-minded or open for this kind of collaboration."

Ultimate-Guitar.com: You reached out to Xzibit?

Sharon: We contacted the management and they contacted him, and pretty fast afterwards, we were talking to Xzibit. He heard the song and liked the song and we told him what the song was about. I must say I didn't talk to him, but Robert [Westerholt, guitar] did. I was still recording my vocals at the time he was talking to Xzibit actually on Skype. We never met so far, but hopefully we're gonna record a video soon for the song and gonna release that also.

Read the entire interview at Ultimate-Guitar.com.

DEATH DEALER, the group consisting of guitarist Ross "The Boss" Friedman (MANOWAR), vocalist Sean Peck (CAGE), guitarist Stu Marshall (EMPIRES OF EDEN), and bassist Mike Davis (HALFORD, LIZZY BORDEN) and ex-INTO ETERNITY drummer Steve Bolognese has released the following update:

“We have been hard at work on the next record and await confirmation of a tour in March April in Europe. The band has put together about 11 songs so far some will be bonus tracks and at least one maybe two will be given out to the preorder pak legions only. They will be exclusive tracks that will never appear for sale on iTunes or on a disc and will only be given to the people that preorder another crazy huge package of metal goodness that we are once again throwing together. HAILZ and Happy New Beer!”



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During a brand new interview on "The MetalSucks Podcast", MEGADETH mainman Dave Mustaine was asked by SLAYER bassist/vocalist Tom Araya's recent claim that "the politics of character in one particular band" were preventing more shows featuring the so-called "Big Four" of 1980s thrash metal — METALLICA, SLAYER, MEGADETH and ANTHRAX — from happening in the future.

"I didn't say that [no more 'Big Four' shows were ever going to happen again]. I said that I'm not the one to ask," Mustaine said.

"I love Tom," he contonued. "I think that all the hardship that we've had has been really sad, because, again, the media and stuff like that sometimes…

"People back in the day would try and propagandize everything I would say or put this inflammatory twist on whatever.

"There was things I did and said that caused some problems between Tom and I, and we worked it out.

"So, man, I have no problem with him or ANTHRAX or METALLICA, so I don't know where that came from. It could be some really old stuff that got regurgitated again. But, you know, I buried the hatchet a long time ago with those guys."

Speaking to Gazette.net, Araya spoke about the possibility of more "Big Four" shows in the future, saying: "I don't want to say politics is preventing that," Araya said. "It's not the politics between bands; it's the politics of character in one particular band."

He continued: "We had an issue that came up on the New York show, which really freaked everybody out, but the New York show happened. I think, in all honesty, that was the last time we did the 'Big Four.'

"I think another 'Big Four' show might not happen. They could prove me wrong.

"Those shows, basically, even though it was called the 'Big Four,' it was done through METALLICA. It was with METALLICA's blessing that allowed those shows to happen.

"If they want to continue and do a couple more shows, I think that would be great… If we were to sit down with them and communicate with them, that's what I'd tell them."

The "Big Four" played its last concert on September 14, 2011 at Yankee Stadium in New York City.

Two days prior to the "Big Four" event in New York, rumors spread that MEGADETH had pulled out of the concert so that Dave Mustaine could undergo surgery for stenosis, a neck and spine condition that he said was caused by "years of headbanging." Mustaine eventually had a change of heart and decided to go through with the performance, but struggled through the set due to the pain. He later told NY Hard Rock Music Examiner: "It was very close, the day after that. I was supposed to not do that show. I'd been laying in the emergency room getting ready to have them put me to sleep, and I’d said we had to cancel the concert. And one of the people associated with the concert said I was a pussy, and I thought, 'I'm a pussy. I'm getting ready to have two major spinal surgeries done and I'm a pussy. Okay.' Obviously, you don't know what pussy is, because that's not pussy."

In his autobiography, "Mustaine: A Heavy Metal Memoir", Mustaine addressed the issue of where his band fit in the "Big Four" order. According to The New York Times, he assured the reader that he was not offended by being put behind SLAYER. But he added an interior monologue: "O.K., we'll play ahead of you guys on this trip, and God willing we'll do it again sometime in the near future and we can flip things around."

The idea for the "Big Four" tour first came up in 2009 and METALLICA drummer Lars Ulrich told The Pulse Of Radio he was glad to finally see it happen. "It's pretty amazing, if you think about it, that it's the first time basically in 25 years or 30 or whatever that the four of us have actually played shows together," he said. "So it was a lot of fun, a lot of memories, a lot of fun times — new fun times, and fun times talking about the old fun times. So it sort of was a, it was a winner on every front."

In the spring of 2011, METALLICA, SLAYER, MEGADETH and ANTHRAX were presented with double-platinum plaques for the two-disc DVD release of "The Big Four: Live From Sofia, Bulgaria", containing footage of the June 22, 2010 Sonisphere cinecast from the Sofia, Bulgaria leg of the touring rock festival featuring all four groups. The presentation took place on April 23, 2011 at the first-ever "Big Four" concert on American soil at the Empire Polo Club in Indio, California.

"The Big Four: Live From Sofia, Bulgaria" was certified double platinum on December 17, 2010 by the Recording Industry Association Of America (RIAA) for shipments in excess of 100,000 copies. (Note: Due to the fact that the set consists of two discs, it was eligible for platinum certification after shipping 50,000 copies; platinum certification for a single-disc release is 100,000 copies.)

"The Big Four: Live From Sofia, Bulgaria" debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard "Top Music Videos" sales chart in November with first-week sales of 22,000 copies. The set also debuted at No. 1 in Canada, the U.K. and Austria, while entering at No. 4 in Germany.

"The Big Four: Live From Sofia, Bulgaria" set features full shows from all four bands along with behind-the-scenes and interview footage.

Kari Rueslåtten, founding member of the progressive doom metal band THE 3RD AND THE MORTAL, has set a March 7, 2014 release date for "Time To Tell", her fifth solo album, and first in eight years, via Despotz Records.

"The composing has been done by me sitting at the piano singing," commented Rueslåtten.

"No drum beats or co-composers this time!

"I wanted to go back to the core of songwriting. If the verse and chorus works just accompanied by the piano, it will work with other arrangements in studio too.

"What really triggered me to start making music again were all the kind messages I got from fans around the world asking me when new music would surface.

"I am most humble and grateful to find that there are people out there who have followed my music since my early beginning, back in THE 3RD AND THE MORTAL days, and through all my solo albums."

"Time To Tell" was recorded and produced at Øra Studio in Trondheim, Norway with Norwegian award-winning producer Jostein Ansnes. The 11-track, all-acoustic album features guest musicians Jostein Ansnes (guitar), Rune Arnesen (drums), Trygve Brøske (piano and pump organ) and Eirik Øien (upright bass).

To whet the appetite of fans around the globe, Rueslåtten launched a music video for the album's first single "Why So Lonely". "Why So Lonely" originally appeared on the 1994 THE 3RD AND THE MORTAL album "Tears Laid In Earth", and has been rearranged by Rueslåtten with the help of Tuomas Holopainen (NIGHTWISH) on piano and keys, Jostein Ansnes on guitar and Rune Arnesen on drums.

"I decided to look back in time and make a cover version of one of my favorite songs from the early years with THE 3RD AND THE MORTAL," added Rueslåtten. "In a way, it can be seen as a tribute to those who have showed interest in my music through so many years."

"Time To Tell" track listing:

01. Time To Tell
02. Hide Underneath Bridges
03. Hold On
04. Paint The Rainbow Grey
05. Rainy Days Ahead
06. Why So Lonely
07. Shoreline
08. Waltz Across The Sky
09. Wintersong
10. Stay Right Here
11. Only You Know

Rueslåtten's natural talent, combined with classical training and roots in the Norwegian folk music tradition, has resulted in a voice that is difficult to describe. Her music has been compared with artists like Tori Amos, Kate Bush and Bjørk, maybe not necessarily because the music sounds very similar, but because of each artists' distinctive vocal delivery.

Cleveland's legendary kings of metallic hardcore RINGWORM will release their new album, "Hammer Of The Witch", on March 18 in North America, March 14 in Germany, Benelux and Finland, and March 17 in the rest of the world via Relapse Records. The CD was recorded at Spider Studios in Cleveland with producer Ben Schigel (CHIMAIRA, WALLS OF JERICHO). Containing "13 songs of fire-y rage propelled by lead vocalist Human Furnace's wrathful fury, this is a record sure to satisfy metal heads and hardcore kids alike. Riffs and grooves collide on songs like 'Psychic Vampires' and 'Bleed', creating some of the most vicious hooks to get stuck in your brain in a long, long time."

The artwork for "Hammer Of The Witch" was designed by frontman Human Furnace.

"Hammer Of The Witch" track listing:

01. Dawn Of Decay02. Bleed03. Leave Your Skin At The Door04. Exit Life05. Psychic Vampire06. King Of Blood07. I Recommend Amputation08. Hammer Of The Witch09. We'll Always Have The End10. One Of Us Is Going To Have To Die…11. Vicious Circle Of Life12. Die Like A Pig13. Height Of Revelation The "Hammer Of The Witch" title track can be streamed below.

Noisey hails "Hammer Of The Witch" as "yet another achievement in a long line of uncompromising heavy [music] from these dudes," while New Noise Magazine raves, "Everything you love about the brutalest, viciousest metal infused hardcore legends continues without missing a step." RINGWORM will hit the road in support of "Hammer Of The Witch" on March 29 in Reading, Pennsylvania as part of a co-headline tour with DEATH BEFORE DISHONOR.

San Francisco Bay Area death/doom outfit SCOLEX has merged forces with legendary death metal guitarist Eric Cutler of AUTOPSY. The newly formed lineup's initial goals include writing and recording a full-length album, to be released later this year.

SCOLEX was formed in 2010 by bassist Erika Osterhout drummer/vocalist Justin Green. In 2011, the duo recorded a four-song demo entitled "Torn From Beyond" with guest lead guitarist Danny Coralles (AUTOPSY). The demo was pressed and released as a 12-inch EP in January of 2013 on Osterhout's own Lunar Tomb Records. SCOLEX promptly recruited lead guitarists Yusef Wallace and Dylan Burton, then proceeded to play select dates in and around America's Pacific Northwest. In the fall of 2013, Wallace stepped down from the lineup and Burton remained to handle all six-string duties. By December, Burton resigned, leaving the original duo without a guitarist. On January 1, 2014, fortunes changed dramatically with the official addition of Cutler on lead guitar.

According to The Pulse Of Radio, RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE guitarist Tom Morello plans to record a solo rock album using electric guitars. After doing several acoustic folk albums under his pseudonym THE NIGHTWATCHMAN, Morello told Billboard.com that playing a number of live dates over the past couple of years with Bruce Springsteen and THE E STREET BAND has inspired him to rock harder as a solo artist.

Morello said that singing "The Ghost Of Tom Joad" with Springsteen at an E STREET BAND show in Anaheim in 2008, while also playing electric guitar, made him realize that he could do more that just perform acoustically as a solo artist. He explained, "It was on that (Anaheim) stage that I realized there might be a way to combine all the things I do as a songwriter and a guitar player, and this record is going to be that."

Morello played on Springsteen's last album, "Wrecking Ball", and is featured extensively on his new one, "High Hopes", while also heading out at the end of this month on his second tour as part of the E STREET BAND lineup.

The Pulse Of Radio asked Morello if he feels like he's officially part of the E STREET BAND now. "I've always looked at it like we are allies and comrades in arms," he said. "You know, the E STREET BAND has a long, storied history that began on E Street in New Jersey. I am a big fan of the E STREET BAND, and when asked to play, I consider it a great honor. That's the way that I look at it."

Morello plans to begin recording his new solo album after he gets back from the next E STREET BAND tour, which starts on January 26 in Cape Town, South Africa before heading to New Zealand and Australia.

On Sunday, January 12, German thrash metal veterans KREATOR were featured on the show "Schau In Meine Welt" on German children's television channel KiKa. You can now watch the program in its entirety at KikaPlus.net.

KREATOR's new concert DVD/Blu-ray, "Dying Alive", entered the German Media Control chart at position No. 9.

"Dying Alive" was released on August 30 via Nuclear Blast. The set features the band's sold-out homecoming show in Oberhausen, Germany on December 22, 2012 after an extensive 45-day European tour in support of KREATOR's "Phantom Antichrist" album. The packed and sweat-driven show was filmed by 24 cameras, as well as guitar and even mosh-pit cams.

The DVD/Blu-ray contains footage of the Oberhausen concert, a behind-the-scenes documentary as well as video clips. Approximate total running time: 115 minutes.

KREATOR recently toured North America with fellow thrashers OVERKILL.

Playing a hybrid of dark doom metal and '70s epic space rock, Boston's ICE DRAGON will re-release three of their albums through Quebec-based label PRC Music this year.

The Burl, The Earth, The Aether, The Sorrowful Sun and Tome Of The Future Ancients will all be re-issued in both CD and digital format during the course of 2014.

Ice Dragon integrate a phantasmagoria of heavy psych-drone to the BLACK SABBATH inspired sludgy riffs, and modern stoner doom riffing à la ELECTRIC WIZARD.
Here is what the band had to say about the re-issues: “Ice Dragon is excited to ally with PRC Music. Some of our best work has unfortunately never received a physical release, and PRC, being the good, music-loving people that they are, wanted to rectify that, for which we are grateful. We’ve made an underground name for the band primarily by giving away all our music for free online. While that won’t change, as music nerds from way back, we venerate the physical artifact of albums—be it vinyl, CD, or cassette—and have probably downloaded approximately zero albums between us. Funny when you think about it. Many thanks to PRC Music for spreading the disease.”

“I love doom, and Black Sabbath basically kept me alive and sane for close to 40 years. I’m therefore naturally and completely addicted to the sounds of Ice Dragon. These albums are absolutely beautiful. But do not expect an easy listening session; they are demanding. There is that dark 'je ne sais quoi' about the music that is completely mesmerizing. I sure hope people will get what it’s all about. I am proud to make these albums finally available on CD. Ice Dragon deserve it,” says label owner Rémi Coté about the PRC Music re-issues.

Legendary progressive rock innovators CYNIC — consisting of guitarist/vocalist Paul Masvidal, drummer Sean Reinert and bassist Sean Malone — will release their new album, "Kindly Bent To Free Us", on February 14, 2014 via Season Of Mist. The CD was produced by CYNIC at L.A.'s Perfect Sound Studios. The effort was engineered by Jason Donaghy (BAND OF HORSES, FEIST, ROB ZOMBIE, RYAN ADAMS), mixed by R. Walt Vincent (PETE YORN, LIZ PHAIR, TOMMY KEENE) and mastered by Maor Appelbaum (FATES WARNING, SEPULTURA, CATHEDRAL, INQUISITION, HALFORD).

The artwork for "Kindly Bent To Free Us" was created by longtime and sadly late CYNIC artist Robert Venosa.

"Kindly Bent To Free Us" track listing:

01. True Hallucination Speak02. The Lion's Roar03. Kindly Bent To Free Us04. Infinite Shapes05. Moon Heart Sun Head06. Gitanjali07. Holy Fallout08. Endlessly Bountiful09. Earth Is My Witness (deluxe CD book exclusive bonus track)

The "Kindly Bent To Free Us" title track can be streamed below. About the new material, Reinert said: "It's a bold new sound for CYNIC and marks a gigantic leap in the band's progression. We've had a lot of time to let this material develop and gestate, and it finally feels ready to be unleashed on the world. I've been in trio mode with Malone and Masvidal flushing out a zillion and one details, and couldn't be happier about what's happening with these songs. They are truly alive!"

In a February 2012 interview with Ireland's Molten magazine, Masvidal described the band's new music in the following way: "It's almost like, I don't know how to explain it, but if I had to put it in a box it's more sci-fi, futuristic and alien but at the same time very song-driven. It's kind of like, to me, coming into CYNIC's body more. It feels very modern and at the same time it just feels really cool. I'm big in the space. It's definitely new. It's not like anything we've done before. It's a new color, a new space. I think people will really take note of even the guitar stuff. I'm really shifting gears, I'm trying things in a different way and the way stuff is played. It's a new space for CYNIC, for sure. It definitely sounds like us, except completely new."

CYNIC's latest EP, "Carbon-Based Anatomy", was released in November 2011 via Season Of Mist. The CD artwork was designed by the great Robert Venosa, the artist behind the covers of CYNIC's previous releases "Focus", "Traced in Air" and "Re-Traced".

CYNIC was joined by Brandon Giffin on bass and Max Phelps on guitar and vocals during the group's North American and European tours in support of "Carbon-Based Anatomy".

New Jersey thrash metal veterans OVERKILL have pushed back the projected release date of their new album to July from the previously announced March. As a result, the band has postponed all shows originally scheduled for March (except for the U.K. dates) to the fall.

Said OVERKILL in a statement: "We are still working on the new record, but this is gonna be worth the wait, with more old school face-melting thrash!"

OVERKILL's new CD will be released in North America via eOne Music and in Europe through Nuclear Blast Records.

Speaking to Steppin' Out magazine, OVERKILL vocalist Bobby "Blitz" Ellsworth stated about the band's upcoming album: "The new record has a blend of what we've done over the past half decade. I'm noticing it's a more punchy heavy metal record with more dimension than the last record had. Where is it going to end up on the food chain? I really don't know. But my feeling is it's an eclectic collection of moments from us. 'The Electric Age' came across, to me, as kind of a two-dimensional thrash record. This one is punchy but has a whole different bunch of ways to go and things to hear on it."

OVERKILL released a very special limited tour edition of its latest album, "The Electric Age", in Europe on April 19, 2013 via Nuclear Blast Records. The limited 2CD tour edition included the regular album as well as a four additional live tracks on a bonus CD, recorded at The Metro in Sidney, Australia on September 25, 2010.

"The Electric Age" sold 6,500 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 77 on The Billboard 200 chart.

On December 21, 2012, the metal community came together in an amazing way to celebrate the life of SUICIDE SILENCE singer Mitch Lucker and raise money for his daughter's future education (with an unforgettable evening of collaborative performances between past/present SUICIDE SILENCE members and elite heavy vocalists that created a defining emotional event forever captured on video and audio. "Suicide Silence - Ending Is The Beginning: The Mitch Lucker Memorial Show" will be released on February 18, 2014 in North America and March 17, 2014 In Europe as a CD/DVD digipack and CD/Blu-ray combo pack. The set was directed by Jeremy Schott of MentalSuplex Productions and Zafer Ulkucu of Backseat Conceptions.

Throughout the historic event, SUICIDE SILENCE band members played as guest vocalists covered their songs.

"Mitchell was born on October 20, 1984," says Mitch's mother, Denise Haddad. "He came out literally screaming and it ended up being his legacy."

"Mitchell was given that talent and that gift [of connecting with people through music] and even though he's not here today, those gifts are gonna continue to be shared because those young teens are going to tell their own children. That's how the legacy is gonna be able to be passed on."

The official "Suicide Silence - Ending Is The Beginning: The Mitch Lucker Memorial Show" listing is as follows:

01. Destruction Of A Statue (with Jonny Davy)02. Distorted Thought Of Addiction (with Greg Wilburn)03. Ending Is The Beginning (with Brook Reeves)04. Bludgeoned To Death (with Ricky Hoover)05. Unanswered (with Phil Bozeman)06. Girl Of Glass (with Myke Terry)07. Price Of Beauty (with Danny Worsnop)08. No Pity For A Coward (with Johnny Plague)09. Disengage (with Cameron "Big Chocolate" Argon)10. No Time To Bleed (with Burke VanRaalte)11. Smoke (with Anthony Notarmaso)12. Wake Up (with Tim Lambesis)13. March To The Black Crown14. Slaves To Substance (with Eddie Hermida)15. OCD (with Austin Carlile)16. Fuck Everything (with Chad Gray)17. Die Young (with Robb Flynn)18. Roots Bloody Roots (with Max Cavalera)19. Engine #9 (with Mitch Lucker)20. You Only Live Once (with Randy Blythe)

The "Unanswered" performance clip featuring Phil Bozeman can be seen below.

Mitch Lucker died November 1, 2012 after sustaining injuries in a motorcycle crash in Huntington Beach on Halloween night.

According to the Los Angeles Times, Lucker struck a light pole near the intersection of Main and 13th streets and was thrown from his 2013 Harley Davidson. The motorcycle continued sliding south on Main Street and struck a northbound 2007 Nissan Titan pickup.

SUICIDE SILENCE recently entered the studio to begin recording its new album with producer Steve Evetts (SEPULTURA, THE DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN, WARBRINGER). The group's first CD with new vocalist Eddie Hermida (ex-ALL SHALL PERISH) will be released next summer via Nuclear Blast Entertainment, a division of Nuclear Blast Records formed by Nuclear Blast owner Markus Staiger and former Roadrunner A&R chief Monte Conner.

"Unanswered" performance: