Brazil's HELLISH WAR will release their new album, Keep It Hellish, on June 28th via Pure Steel Records. In Brazil, the album hits the stores in the beginning of July through Voice Music. Produced by Ricardo Piccoli at PiccoliStudio in Biella, Italy, Keep It Hellish marks the premier of new vocalist Bil Martins. The band has now released the title track to the new record, ‘Keep It Hellish’.

The band will launch two more songs on the weeks prior the official release of the album. On June 14th, 'The Challenge' will be unveiled and, lastly, ‘Masters Of Wreckage’ will be released on June 21st.

Keep It Hellish tracklisting:

'Keep It Hellish'
'The Challenge'
'Reflects On The Blade'
'Fire And Killing'
'Master Of Wreckage'
'Battle At Sea'
'Phantom Ship'
'Scars (Underneath Your Skin)'
'Darkness Ride'
'The Quest'

In October, Hellish War embarks for its second European tour. The first show is already booked for October 12th at Downi in Worblaufen, Switzerland.

Quebec-based metal band CATUVOLCUS will release their fourth album, Voyageurs De L’Aube this summer on Deathbound Records. The lineup features Etienne Gallo (AUGURY) drums and Dominic Lapointe (Augury, BEYOND CREATION) on bass.

Voyageurs De L’Aube tracklisting:

‘Voyageurs Des Brumes Pt. 1’
‘Voyageurs Des Brumes Pt. 2’
‘Ressacs De L’Ame’
‘Thrill Of The Struggle’ (WOODS OF YPRES cover)

Check out a drum recording that took place at Studio LaMajeure in May:

WITCHES MARK, the self-professed 'Bringers Of Heavy Metal Death' hailing from Austin, Texas have completed work on the Witching Metal Ritual full-length, due to be released through Heaven And Hell Records on July 15th.

Witching Metal Ritual features eight tracks that blend elements of thrash, speed, doom, black, and death while anchoring their overall sound firmly within the framework of traditional heavy metal. A promo video for the album can be seen below:
Co-Produced by the band and Stuart "Batlord" Laurence (AGONY COLUMN, IGNITOR), with mixing and mastering by Brendon Bigelow (Ignitor) Witching Metal Ritual features a stunning post-apocalyptic inspired album cover courtesy of Yannick Bouchard of Illusory Dreams. Fans can also expect a number of exciting guest appearances on Witching Metal Ritual; including Ross "The Boss" Friedman (MANOWAR) Jack Starr (VIRGIN STEELE) Jason McMaster (DANGEROUS TOYS) and Martin Debourge (DAMIEN THORNE).
Witching Metal Ritual will be released in Enhanced-CD format, including bonus video content featuring a music video for the album's title track. The main tracklisting is as follows;

'Bringers Of Heavy Metal Death'
'Salem's Fire'
'Swarm'
'Slaves To Their Own Sin'
'We Die'
'Cauldron Born'
'Witching Metal Ritual'
'Where None Can Follow'

LOVE & DEATH, the band led by KORN guitarist Brian "Head" Welch, performed at this year's edition of the Rock Am Ring festival on June 7 in Nürburgring, Germany.

Professionally filmed video footage of LOVE & DEATH's appearance at the event can be seen below (courtesy of Dasding).

LOVE AND DEATH's debut album, "Between Here & Lost", sold around 4,200 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 95 on The Billboard 200 chart. The CD was released on January 22 via Tooth & Nail Records.

Recorded in Nashville with producer Jasen Rauch (RED, BREAKING BENJAMIN) and mixed by Paul Pavao, Ben Grosse (MARILYN MANSON, DISTURBED) and Jim Monti (KORN), "Between Here & Lost" consists of 11 tracks, ranging from songs about personal struggle and triumph ("Chemicals", "My Disaster", "Paralyzed") to emotionally charged anthems ("Fading Away", "Watching The Bottom Fall") to a riff-heavy rendition of DEVO's 1980 hit "Whip It".

LOVE AND DEATH is comprised of Welch, lead guitarist JR Bareis, bassist Michael Valentine, and drummer Dan Johnson.

Like the album title suggests, "Between Here & Lost" captures the honesty of light and darkness, beauty and tragedy, good and evil, delivered by a band with intense passion and commitment to the message of its music.

"This record was birthed from trials, tribulations, pain, suffering, anxiety, depression, and drama," stated Welch. "However, we came out on top and the end result is a very real, raw and honest record. We are so stoked for people to hear it! From our opening song, 'The Abandoning', to our cover of DEVO's 'Whip it', to our collaboration with Mattie Montgomery from FOR TODAY on 'I W8 4 U', It's an exciting piece of art and the listener will feel the different range of emotions with the lyrics and melodies of each song."

LOVE AND DEATH formed when Welch decided to have open auditions on YouTube in 2009. "I picked the guys and then had a jam session in Phoenix," says Welch. "Over the last couple of years, there have been a few lineup changes as we went through normal growing pains. The current band has been together and touring for a while now and they are a big part of the new music and the future of LOVE AND DEATH."

Brazilian metallers BROKEN & BURNT have released a video ‘Tell Me No Lies’, taken from the band’s 2012 debut album, Let The Burning Begin.

The video was recorded by Thais Carletti and Marcelo Abelha, director who worked with the group before on ‘The New Me’ video. The members commented about the partnership: "Again we had the opportunity to work with Marcelo Abelha, a great friend who is extremely professional and knows how to capture our feeling on stage and shows perfectly our 'keep breaking and burning' attitude. We loved the result and we hope you guys enjoy it too."

Swiss death metallers DISPARAGED have inked a deal with Apostasy Records.

Commented the band: "We are very proud to have found in Apostasy Records a for-us-perfectly-tailored partner. We are looking forward to the cooperation and the release of our new album!"

DISPARAGED was formed in 1999 and has already released three albums: "Overlust", "Blood Source" and "The Wrath Of God".

A press release from Apostasy states: "All of you who thought Swizz people are slow-going will be proved wrong by DISPARAGED. The quartet rounds off dynamic drums and harsh brutality with downright virtuous melodies within the solos. Their compositions are similarly conclusive and thrilling.

"We are proud to welcome DISPARAGED into the Apostasy squad."

DISPARAGED is:

Tomislav Kuzmic - Vocals, Guitar
Ralph Beier - Guitar
Adrian Scheiber - Bass, Vocals
Deniz Lebovci - Drums

A track-by-track "preview" of "The Wild Hunt", the new album from Swedish black metallers WATAIN, can be found at DecibelMagazine.com. Due on August 19 in Europe and August 20 in USA via Century Media Records, the CD was once again mixed at the Necromorbus Studio in Alvik, Sweden by Tore Stjerna. A single, "All That May Bleed", will precede the full-length effort at the end of June.

Comments WATAIN: "'All That May Bleed' shows but one facet of a quite diverse album, but we chose this song as a first glimpse into 'The Wild Hunt' because of its bombastic lunacy and white-eyed malevolence which could be said to constitute a main foundation for the album. The lyric is an invitation to sacrificial blood letting, ecstatic zealotry and human sacrifice. The salt of Satan in the wounds of Christ!"

Side B will be a track called "Play With The Devil", originally recorded by the black/heavy metal band TAIWAZ in 1988 in WATAIN's hometown, Uppsala (Gottfrid Åhman from IN SOLITUDE participates on solo guitar on WATAIN's version).

The single will be released in the following formats:

* Black seven-inch vinyl (limited to 2,000 copies worldwide)
* Red seven-inch vinyl with sticker (only available from Wolfwear.net; limited to 500 copies worldwide)
* Seven-inch picture disc (available from CMdistro.com and Wolfwear.net; limited to 500 copies worldwide)
* Digital download

"All That May Bleed" physical release dates:

* Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Finland, Norway and worldwide through CMdistro.com and Wolfwear.net: Friday, June 21
* UK, Benelux, France, Poland: Monday, June 24
* USA, Spain: Tuesday, June 25
* Sweden: Wednesday, June 26

"All That May Bleed" digital release dates:

* Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Finland, Norway, Italy, Australia, New Zealand: Friday, June 21
* UK: Sunday, June 23
* USA, Spain: Tuesday, June 25
* Sweden, Hungary: Wednesday, June 26
* Rest Of Europe: Monday, June 24

KINGS OF CHAOS, the touring project featuring former GUNS N' ROSES members Matt Sorum, Gilby Clarke and Duff McKagan. along with former SKID ROW singer Sebastian Bach, DEF LEPPARD's Joe Elliott, Glenn Hughes from BLACK COUNTRY COMMUNION and DEEP PURPLE, and COLLECTIVE SOUL's Ed Roland, made its Australian live debut on April 20 at the Stone Music Festival at Sydney's ANZ Stadium. Headlining the event were VAN HALEN and AEROSMITH.

Fan-filmed video footage of KINGS OF CHAOS' entire performance can be seen below.

KINGS OF CHAOS performed in Cape Town, South Africa on June 7 and June 8 at the Grand West Grand Arena, and is scheduled to appear on June 15 and June 16 at the Sun City Superbowl, North West.

Due to scheduling conflicts with the recording of his forthcoming studio album and the production schedule for a new major network television show, former SKID ROW singer Sebastian Bach is not performing with KINGS OF CHAOS in South Africa. Replacing Bach for the South African KINGS OF CHAOS dates is ALTER BRIDGE and SLASH singer Myles Kennedy.

"Matt Sorum put the band together," Elliott told Cape Times. "We've known each other for years. To quote Ozzy Osbourne, he asked if we wanted to 'get aboard this crazy train.' Join in, sing a few songs and have a bit of fun — with no pressure."

He added: "And what a lineup! We have a great rhythm section from GUNS N' ROSES, Glenn Hughes from DEEP PURPLE, then there's Slash and Myles Kennedy."

KINGS OF CHAOS performs some of the individual bandmembers' greatest hits in a two-hour display of frenzied guitar riffs, pounding drums, resonating bass and trademark raspy vocals.

"The songs kind of picked themselves," said Elliott. "We'll do [DEF LEPPARD's] 'Pour Some Sugar On Me' and 'Animal', of course. And we've put in an acoustic segment for South Africa.

"Fresh songs come with fresh blood. We may even end up writing songs together. Who knows?"

He added: "It's a wonderful experience to work with these guys. They just smile all the time. Everyone has been in a band for 30 or 40 years, and we all have great jokes and stories."

KINGS OF CHAOS made its Australian live debut on April 20 at the Stone Music Festival at Sydney's ANZ Stadium.

"I couldn't believe the number of people totally going bananas. It was an eye-opener to see how much they dug it," said Elliott.

"It's building, it's a curiosity. You wonder how it's going to work, Matt Sorum, Gilby Clarke and Duff McKagan playing a DEF LEPPARD song… Will it work? And it does!"

KINGS OF CHAOS toured South and Central America last year under the name ROCK 'N' ROLL ALLSTARS.

VAN HALEN played its first concert of 2013 as one of the headliners of the Stone Music Festival on April 20 at the ANZ Stadium in Sydney, Australia.

The group's setlist was as follows:

01. Unchained
02. Runnin' with the Devil
03. She's The Woman
04. Romeo Delight
05. Tattoo
06. Everybody Wants Some!!
07. Somebody Get Me A Doctor
08. China Town
09. (Oh) Pretty Woman
10. Drum Solo
11. You Really Got Me
12. Dance the Night Away
13. I'll Wait
14. Hot For Teacher
15. Beautiful Girls
16. Ice Cream Man
17. Panama
18. Guitar Solo
19. Aint' Talkin' 'Bout Love
20. Jump

Fan-filmed video footage of the entire concert can be seen below.

The Stone Music Festival was inspired by a cult '70s biker film named "Stone". Released in 1974, the exploitation movie starred Ken Shorter as an undercover cop assigned to discover who is murdering members of an outlaw biker gang named the Gravediggers.

VAN HALEN had not been seen on a stage since last spring, but along with a handful of Japanese dates and the Australian gig, the band recently confirmed its first U.S. show of 2013. The Van Halen clan and David Lee Roth will close out the annual Rock USA festival, scheduled for July 17 through July 20 in Oshkosh, Wisconsin.

VAN HALEN backed out of 31 North American dates last summer, citing exhaustion, and then Eddie Van Halen was sidelined for four-to-six months after undergoing surgery for the inflammatory intestinal affliction diverticulitis.

Roth recently gave an interview to Rolling Stone in which he expressed his desire to work on fresh material with Eddie Van Halen and tour outside the U.S., saying, "We have an audience and we have a potential future in many, many places . . . I don't know where the VAN HALEN future lies aside from the States."

Quality fan-filmed video footage of EUROPE' June 2 performance at the HiRock Festival in Loreley Freilichtbühne, Germany can be seen below.

EUROPE's 30th-anniversary performance at this year's edition of the Sweden Rock Festival in Sölvesborg, Sweden was the band's only Swedish concert of 2013 and the stage show was one of the greatest, if not the greatest of the band's entire career. The setlist was specially composed from EUROPE's entire nine-album discography, including their cult debut "Europe" (1983), multi-million-seller "The Final Countdown" (1986) and their most recent outing, "Bag Of Bones" (2012), which has now reached gold status in Sweden. The performance was also filmed for a DVD release.

For the record: today's version of EUROPE is identical to the classic "The Final Countdown" lineup: Joey Tempest (vocals), John Norum (guitar), John Levén (bass), Mic Michaeli (keyboards) and Ian Haugland (drums).

"Bag Of Bones" was released in Europe on April 27, 2012 via earMusic/Edel. The CD, which features a guest appearance by blues-rock guitarist Joe Bonamassa (BLACK COUNTRY COMMUNION), was produced by Kevin Shirley, who has previously worked with IRON MAIDEN, JOE BONAMASSA, BLACK COUNTRY COMMUNION, BLACK STONE CHERRY and JOURNEY, among others.

Stockholm, Sweden-based progressive metal band SEVENTH WONDER, which features in its ranks current KAMELOT singer Tommy Karevik, performed on the Sweden Rock Cruise, which set sail in early April. The ship Tallink Silja Galaxy departed Stockholm on April 11 to Turku, Finland to returned to Stockholm 23 hours later (on April 12).

Fan-filmed video footage of SEVENTH WONDER's performance can be seen below.

SEVENTH WONDER is currently working on material for its next studio album, tentatively due in 2014.

The band's forth CD, "The Great Escape", was released in December 2010 via Lion Music.

After he was officially announced as the new KAMELOT singer in June 2012, Karevik stated about his position in SEVENTH WONDER: "I will not leave SEVENTH WONDER! The SEVENTH WONDER guys and all of you fantastic and supportive fans out there will not get rid of me so easily! I love you all and you are the reason I got to where I am today! We are already working on some stuff for the next SEVENTH WONDER album and really can't wait to show it to you all!"

Prog legends NEKTAR return with their triumphant 13th album Time Machine on June 18th on Purple Pyramid Records - the first album of new material in over four years - that band leader and founding member Roye Albrighton is calling “the best album Nektar has ever made!” According to a press release, Time Machine showcases a new depth of songwriting, melodic complexity and musical exploration that hearkens back to early Nektar releases such as Remember The Future and A Tab In The Ocean.
Time Machine features the following tracks:
'A Better Way'
'Set Me Free, Amigo'
'Destiny'
'If Only I Could'
'Time Machine '
'Tranquility'
'Mocking the Moon'
'Talk to Me'
'Juggernaut'
'Diamond Eyes'

Check out full album audio samples by clicking the Amazon widget below. The video for the title track is on YouTube:
Nektar, featuring Albrighton, founding drummer Ron Howden, keyboardist Klaus Hentasch and bassist Lux Vibratus, is British, but was formed in Hamburg, Germany in 1970. Their early albums featured a heady, exhilarating mix of progressive, experimental rock sounds that soon caught on worldwide at the height of the international prog-rock boom. Touring the world behind numerous album releases throughout the ‘70s and ‘80s helped to cement the band’s reputation as an influential prog-rock legend. Having undergone a variety of personnel changes over the past decade or so, the band now boasts its strongest lineup in years and is ready to prove so yet again to its many fans throughout North America. In celebration of the 40th anniversary of the original release date of the band’s classic album, Remember The Future, Nektar is looking to perform in its entirety this most heralded release from its vast catalog, a rarity in that the band has not performed the entire album live in years.

Nektar, SON'S OF HIPPIES US tour dates:

June
20 – Sully's – Chantilly, VA
21 – Altar Bar – Pittsburgh, PA
22 – Sellersville Theatre – Sellersville, PA
23 – B.B. King Blues Club & Grill – NYC
26 – The Winchester Music Hall – Cleveland, OH
26 – The RockPile Bar & Nightclub – Toronto, ON, Canada
28 – Shank Hall – Milwaukee, WI
29 – Viper Alley – Lincolnshire, IL
30 – Famous Dave's Blues Club – Minneapolis, MN

July
2 – Rogue Pizza Co. - Fayetteville, AR
3 – Cheer Up Charlie's – Austin, TX
4 – The Grotto – Fort Worth, TX

Brazilian/American thrashers SEPULTURA have reunited with producer Ross Robinson (KORN, LIMP BIZKIT, SLIPKNOT) to record the band's next album, tentatively due in October via Nuclear Blast Records. The CD is currently being tracked at Robinson's studio in Venice, California and is being co-produced by 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.

Comments SEPULTURA guitarist Andreas Kisser: "We are flowing with the recording now. Things are going great and we are capturing an amazing performance from [drummer] Eloy [Casagrande].

"Ross is a master on motivating a musician in the studio; he can find the right words and the right manner to say things.

"The songs grow so much.

"Every time we prepare to record a song, we, the band, and Ross spend about 30 to 40 minutes talking about the theme of the lyrics, why we wrote what we wrote. They are incredible conversations and doing this we know ourselves better we know and each other better, we build a stronger band, a real unity. When we are ready to record, all the ideas are fresh in our heads, with full meaning and strength, a process that making not only a great album but is making this band stronger.

"We have six songs recorded. [The process] is going in a rate of two songs a day and Ross is also giving important suggestions on some arrangements and directions. He is so sensitive and very close to nature, philosophical but real, very real.

"We are all together in a very small room playing our hearts out, Ross is jumping and screaming, making us explode on the room. All is sweaty and full of energy that you almost can grab it; [it's] amazing. Every time that Ross has an idea, he stops everything to try out the changes. 95% of his input we use; it's a team effort for the better of the song.

"We have 12 songs to record and 2 bonus tracks, as I mentioned before. Originally, we had 13 songs, but once we were here, we decided to cut one and focus on the 12.

"I would like to share too some of the working titles for the songs we have.

"When we write the music, most of the time we don't have a name for it so we create some nicknames to help us identify the songs. It can come from the style of the songs or anything else that will make us remind the riffs we are working on. For instance, the style of the music can help, like 'Puxada' ('Pulling') that reminds the style of riffing I'm playing on the guitar or 'Porrada' ('Punch'), which is the fastest song on the album. Other nicknames are: 'Strangiatto', 'Xisto Riff', 'Fu Riff', 'Levada Eloy', 'Balada', 'Tsunami' and 'The Vatican', which is the actual name for the song, but started as a nickname 'cause we wrote the song the very day and time the Argentinian cardinal Francis was chosen as the new Pope in Rome. It's one of the most evil lyrics I ever wrote.

"As we decide the names of the songs, I will let you all know here so you all have a feel how these things works.

"[Bassist] Paulo [Xisto Pinto Jr.] is cooking for us. He's a very good cook and Eloy's mom can be sure that he's eating properly and healthy, all good with the kid, but today a friend of Ross will prepare a barbecue for us. It will be cool to give a break to Paulo from the kitchen.

"At the living room, there's a pinball machine from the '70s working perfectly. [It] is our favorite pastime. Of course, the house stays right at the beach and is always cool to walk around and enjoy the vibe from Venice Beach, a nice way to recharge the energy for the recording.

"It will be a week tomorrow and things are going strong!"

SEPULTURA's upcoming CD will mark the first time the band will have recorded an album outside Brazil since "Against".

The reunion between SEPULTURA and Robinson was first suggested by Monte Conner, the former Roadrunner Records A&R chief who is now the head of Nuclear Blast Entertainment, a U.S. partnership with Nuclear Blast owner Markus Staiger.

Robinson produced SEPULTURA's classic "Roots" album in 1995. Released in February 1996 by Roadrunner, it was the band's last studio album to feature founding member and vocalist Max Cavalera.

"Roots" sold more than 2 million copies worldwide and was certified gold in the United States by the Recording Industry Association Of America (RIAA) for sales in excess of 500,000 units.

SEPULTURA has spent most of the past two years on tour in support of its 12th studio album, and Nuclear Blast Records debut, "Kairos", which hit stores in July 2011.

Pictured below: SEPULTURA with producer Ross Robinson

Decibel magazine’s July issue (on newsstands in June) features a nine-page tribute to late SLAYER guitarist Jeff Hanneman in the form of a moving retrospective obituary, some of Hanneman's most biting quotes, and a litany of heartfelt remembrances from EXODUS, Philip Anselmo (DOWN, PANTERA), AT THE GATES, TESTAMENT, CANNIBAL CORPSE and countless other contemporaries, including Metal Blade Records CEO Brian Slagel, whose label was responsible for releasing SLAYER's first two studio albums.

"I first met Jeff Hanneman when SLAYER opened for BITCH in Southern California in 1983," Slagel said. "I was lucky enough to get them to record a song for 'Metal Massacre 3' and then 'Show No Mercy', etc.

"Being in the studio with Jeff back then was truly amazing. Here was a young kid who was writing and playing some very mature and amazing heavy metal. History would prove him to be one of the best guitarists and composers in heavy metal history.

"Being able to be around him so much in the early days was just awesome. He was a pretty shy kid, but was so passionate about music. He grew up more into punk than metal, and those influences really helped hone his groundbreaking guitar work and songs. Also he was truly an amazing lyricist; I think people forget that a lot. Just read the lyrics he wrote and remember he was a very young kid when writing so much of the classic stuff.

"I know I am a bit biased, but he really will go down at the very top of metal legends for what he has contributed to our genre.

"As I said, he was a shy guy in the early days, but for sure had some really good opinions about things. I loved talking music and history with him; he had such an interesting take on both. Truly a genius and, as I have said, his work proves that. Jeff was also a big hockey fan! We both were able to talk hockey over the years whenever I would see them play live, and also at a few games. I was able to get him tickets to the L.A. Kings playoff games last season on their run to the Cup.

"It was so cool talking to him after the games, and he was so excited he was able to go. I was so happy to get him these tickets, as we all know how tough it has been on him after the spider bite.

"I remember how great it was seeing him at the 'Big Four' [show] in Indio, California. We had a quick chat about how happy I was to see him, and, of course, we talked some hockey.

"I also got him tickets to the Stanley Cup final here in Los Angeles. He called me after the game to thank me and said he had an amazing time at the game.

"I was so happy to help him out and really glad he had a great time.

"So sad and sudden to get the word of his passing. Way too young to go. He left a lasting and incredible legacy, and he will be missed greatly!

"R.I.P., my brother."

Decibel's Jeff Hanneman tribute issue can be purchased here.

Hanneman passed away on May 2 from liver failure at the age of 49.

Members of SLAYER released a statement on May 9 saying that Hanneman died of alcohol-related cirrhosis.

Hanneman had actually not been playing with SLAYER for more than two years since he contracted necrotizing fasciitis, also known as flesh-eating disease, from a spider bite in his backyard in January 2011. The infection ravaged the flesh and tissues of Hanneman's arm, leading to numerous surgeries, skin grafts and intense periods of rehab that forced him into semi-retirement and left him near death at several points.

Hanneman's last appearance with SLAYER was in April 2011, when he played an encore with the band at the "Big Four" concert in Indio, California.

Former AFTER FOREVER frontwoman and current NIGHTWISH touring singer Floor Jansen will release the second album from her REVAMP project, "Wild Card", in Europe on August 23 via Nuclear Blast Records. The CD was recorded at SandLane Studio in Rijen, The Netherlands with Joost van den Broek (ex-AFTER FOREVER) and will feature guest choir parts by Marcela Bovio (STREAM OF PASSION) and Daniël de Jongh (TEXTURES).

Regarding the album title, Jansen states: "This album became the most aggressive album I've ever made and in the lyrics I tell a lot about my personal experiences of the last years. This resulted into some heavy stories and some open-hearted 'screams' I needed out of my system. It matches the violence of the music in a great way; we wrote as a great team! But not one sentence or word can really cover the contents of this album. Its variety in all its ingredients makes it almost impossible.

"A wild card is an unpredictable and unforeseeable factor. You don't know what you're getting, or when. That's this album! It's 100% REVAMP and it's your wild card!"

The "Wild Card" cover artwork was created by Richard Stark of NI Concept And Design. Jansen explains: "I am the queen of hearts on it, who is a wild card herself. You see a 'nice' and a 'nasty' queen. The nasty one has a cracked lip, cuts in her face and a bleeding heart in her hand. The other queen looks nice even though queens of hearts never truly are...

"Again, what is it you're going to get? In that respect it visualizes the music, from aggressive and nasty to melodic and pretty. This theme has been important to me personally throughout my career and also in this album I played with it to the max. I used my voice in so many different ways now! The music invited me to do this.

"I am super proud of the amazing guitar riffs, the versatile and groovy but mega tight drums and the keyboard sounds and arrangements that bring something new to the table.

"We hope you like our wild card!"

The first trailer for the "Wild Card", including video footage from the studio and a brand new song snippet, can be seen below.

REVAMP recently announced the addition of bassist Henk Vonk to the group's ranks. He replaces Jaap Melman, who left REVAMP before the band entered the studio to begin recording its second album. The CD was eventually completed with the help of STREAM OF PASSION bassist Johan van Stratum, who filled in on short notice and "did an amazing job to record and edit the bass parts," according to a press release.

Floor previously stated about the making of "Wild Card": "Never before in my career I faced a situation like the one we were in with this album. It was a huge challenge because of several reasons. My sickness caused a major break between the first album and tours, plus the writing of the first ideas for the second album and the actual finalization of those songs and the album. And right at the moment we started to pick everything back up after I was sick, I joined NIGHTWISH. Like a winter and a summer storm, they bring unexpected things, some nasty ones and some amazingly wonderful!

"Also the recording of this album was unlike any I did before because I was on tour with NIGHTWISH most of the time. Guided by Joost van den Broek, the talented musicians of REVAMP recorded all the instruments, and when I came back to The Netherlands, I stepped into the studio to find a rough diamond. A shiny dark crystal: ready for my vocals. That was magical! The singing went smoother than ever before. The lyrics are like a roadmap through our storms and through my personal detours and horrors.

"With pride we can announce our partner in crime from the first album will again join forces with us! Metal and rock giant Nuclear Blast will again make sure REVAMP's new album reaches YOUR music collection wherever you are on this metal-loving planet!!!

"Nuclear Blast knows about storms and their metal heart beats like ours. I am very exited they will release this album! The team is so good and with such great people I have no doubts our cooperation will again be fantastic."

Video footage of REVAMP performing a brand new song, entitled "Sins", in January 2012 at Metropool in Hengelo, The Netherlands can be seen below.

REVAMP's self-titled debut album was released in Europe on May 28, 2010 via Nuclear Blast Records.

Jansen made her live debut as the frontwoman of NIGHTWISH on October 1, 2012 at Showbox Sodo in Seattle, Washington.

Jansen handled lead-vocal duties on NIGHTWISH's recent North American, South American, Australian and U.K. tours after the group parted ways with Anette Olzon at the end of September 2012.

Orange County, California-based rock/post-hardcore band SPEAKING THE KING'S will release its debut EP, "Here To Stay", in Europe on July 12 digitally via Nuclear Blast Records. The CD was recorded with A DAY TO REMEMBER producer, songwriter, and former guitarist Tom Denney (PIERCE THE VEIL, SECRETS) in Florida. All songs were mixed by Chris "Zeuss" Harris (SUICIDE SILENCE, HATEBREED, STICK TO YOUR GUNS, WHITECHAPEL).

"We have put a lot in to this recording and we hope that people will be able to connect with our music and with us as individuals," says SPEAKING THE KING'S guitarist and founding member Justin Bock.

The band shares some background on the "Here To Stay" cover photo and the colorful leg tattoos: "We felt the sight of tattoos, Vans, shorts, and an overall warm tone of the setting portrayed the fun lifestyle of living in California. The dock in Santa Fe Springs is still in good condition and has many years ahead of itself but has seen its tough days with all the dents, just like each and every one of us."

"Here To Stay" track listing:

01. One Foot At A Time
02. How You Work
03. Casanova
04. Tearing Down The Walls
05. Lock & Key
06. The Collector

SPEAKING THE KING'S was formed during the winter of 2011 by guitarists Justin Bock and Mike Entin and drummer Will Peacock, vocalist Bobby Burap then joining the ranks to round out the lineup.

British thrashers ONSLAUGHT have tapped Thomas "Plec" Johansson (TIAMAT, SCAR SYMMETRY) to mix their as-yet-untitled sixth album at Panic Room studios in Skara, Sweden beginning on July 7. The follow-up to 2011's "Sounds Of Violence" will be released in September via AFM Records.

Comments ONSLAUGHT guitarist Nige Rockett: "The original plan was to work with our friend Jacob Hansen, who did such an amazing job on the last album, 'Sounds Of Violence'… But sometimes circumstances and outlooks change and we have now decided to take a totally fresh approach with this record to ensure that once again we create something that has its own unique identity from all previous releases.

"We spoke to several great producers about making this album and after a couple of conversations with Plec and listening to his work, we could see how versatile he was and that we had very much the same vision to how the final mixes should sound.

"Continuity can be good for some bands, but we really dig the spark and energy that working with someone new can create."

ONSLAUGHT will headline the first Slaughterfest across Europe in October, with German cult thrashers EXUMER, MPIRE OF EVIL and death metal legends MASTER completing the bill.

ONSLAUGHT's last tour saw the band performing its 1986 album, "The Force", in its entirety. The band also recorded a new version of its classic song "Metal Forces", for inclusion as a bonus track on the re-release of the band's 1986 album, "The Force", available on AFM Records. The set contains revised artwork and some sleeve notes written by Rockett.

The band's fifth album, "Sounds Of Violence", was released in January 2011 via AFM Records.

ONSLAUGHT recruited Michael Hourihan (EXTREME NOISE TERROR, DESECRATION) to play the drums following the departure of Steve Grice in 2011.

Drummer Jon Dette, who recently played with SLAYER and ANTHRAX (and previously with TESTAMENT), is sitting behind the kit for HEATHEN on the San Francisco Bay Area thrash band's current European tour with GENERATION KILL and DUST BOLT.

Fan-filmed video footage of HEATHEN's June 8 performance at this year's edition of the Sweden Rock Festival in Sölvesborg, Sweden can be seen below.

Prior to embarking on the trek, HEATHEN stated about Dette's addition to the band's touring lineup: "As most of you know already, Darren [Minter] recently left the band. It was an amicable split and we wish him nothing but the best in his future endeavors.

"For those of you concerned about our upcoming European tour, have no fear. Jon Dette will be filling in on drums for all dates on the tour. Jon played with us once before during our North American tour a couple of years ago and we are looking forward to touring with him again. Get ready for the chaos!"

HEATHEN last year inked a deal with Nuclear Blast Records.

HEATHEN's latest album, "The Evolution Of Chaos", was released in the U.S. on February 16, 2010. The CD was issued in Japan on December 23, 2009 via King Records and was made available on January 25 in Europe via Holland's Mascot Records.

Vocalist AMANDA SOMERVILLE (TRILLIUM, HDK) has checked in with a new video blog from AVANTASIA's Mystery World Tour 2013. Check out the short clip below:
Having played sold out venues all over Europe on the first leg of their Mystery World Tour, German composer and vocalist Tobias Sammet's Avantasia recently kicked off the festival season, and have been announced for another appearance. On July 27th the band will headline the Rock Of Ages festival in Rottenburg-Seebronn, Germany.
Other acts on the bill for the festival include DORO, KROKUS, MOTHER'S FINEST, ALAN PARSON'S PROJECT, UFO and many more.

Further details and tickets at this location.

The Mystery Of Time, the latest release from Avantasia, was released earlier this month in North America, selling nearly 2,000 copies and checking in at #9 on the Billboard Heat Seekers chart. The album also debuted at #33 on the Hard Rock chart.
While Sammet has sold more than 3 million albums worldwide, The Mystery Of Time easily set Avantasia sales records when it released in his native Germany last month; it sold more than twice as many copies as any previous Avantasia album in the first week of its release, while rocketing straight to #2 on the official German Mediacontrol album charts. The record also cracked the Top 10 in Finland, Sweden and England.

To read BraveWords.com scribe Mark Gromen's review of The Mystery Of Time, click here.

The video for 'Sleepwalking', taken from The Mystery Of Time, can be viewed below:

Australian power metallers DRAGONSCLAW has released a new song ‘Battle Cry’ - featuring JACK STARR doing a guest solo - dedicated to late RIOT legend Mark Reale. The band gives a “big salute to Riot warriors everywhere.” The track is from their new album Judgement Day, which is already out on iTunes and will be released on CD by Killer Metal Records in early August.



Judgement Day tracklisting:

‘Watching My Every Move’
‘Onset Of War’
‘Judgement Day’
‘Bullet’
‘Fear’
‘Fly: Defenders Of The Sky Part II’
‘Lucifer’s Hammer’ (WARLORD cover)
‘Battle Cry’
‘Eternally’

Check out the song ‘Watching My Every Move’ featuring ex-ACCEPT singer David Reece on vocals below:

Finland’s CONCRETE SWINE has released their new EP Brezhnev’s Cocktail and is streaming in full below. The EP was recorded by Jani Loikas at Cursed studio in Hyvinkää, Finland, mixed by Paul Bento (TYPE O NEGATIVE, CARNIVORE) at Beak Owl Sound Studio in New York and mastered by Maor Appelbaum (SEPULTURA, HALFORD, YNGWIE MALMSTEEN, ADRENALINE MOB, QUEENSRYCHE) in Los Angeles, CA.

Brezhnev’s Cocktail tracklisting:

‘Thin Line’
‘High Octane’
‘River’
‘Democrazy’

Learn how to get your music heard at ReverbNation.com

Wisconsin-based modern progressive metallers OCELLUS have released a video for 'A Life Once Lost', taken from their recently released Pavement Entertainment debut, Departure.
Released on May 14th, Departure is the product of a band that stands ready to take their rightful spot among the modern metal elite. The sextet emerged from unsuspecting Lyons, Wisconsin in 2009. Combining elements of hardcore, metal, and progressive rock, they have pushed their way onto the Milwaukee scene with a mission to spread their message nationwide. Inspired by the likes of AS I LAY DYING, BETWEEN THE BURIED AND ME and KILLSWITCH ENGAGE, Ocellus showcases their own aggressive brand of progressive-infused metal on the new album.
The band made a splash on the live circuit and with their 2010 release Crush. Kill. Destroy. Playing countless shows and continuously touring, Ocellus is committed to delivering a performance worth seeing over and over again. The group's drive is relentless and the show keeps growing to new heights.
Ocellus lineup:

Matt - Vocals
Jordan - Guitars
Griff - Guitars
James - Guitars/Cleans
Phil - Bass/Cleans
Goody - Drums/Funny Man

More on Ocellus at this location.

Brazilian death/thrash metal band HATE HANDLES has posted three songs, ‘Keep The Disease’, ‘Deceived’, and ‘Bring You Back’, from their forthcoming album. Die In Hands of Believers, the band's debut album, is being recorded in Estúdio Nitro, and being produced by the band along with Roger Fingle (BLOOD TEARS, SEDUCED BY SUICIDE).









About the recordings the guitarist Maicon Dorigatti comments: "These three songs show our rhythmic and melodic approach. They also represent our ideology, which goes against political and religious repression. This work speaks for itself but we emphasize that every riff was recorded with a purpose, to bring a certain energy or transformation to each listener! Each piece was well thought in order to bring all the aggressiveness and musicality that Hate Handles has to offer and add to the metal scene."

Massachusetts metallers REVOCATION have uploaded a trailer for their forthcoming self-titled album, out on August 6th via Relapse Records.
The band recently unveiled the artwork and tracklisting. The artwork was created by Orion Landau (DYING FETUS, OBSCURA, NILE).
Tracklisting:

'The Hive'
'Scattering The Flock'
'Arch Fiend'
'Numbing Agents'
'Fracked'
'The Gift You Gave'
'Invidious'
'Spastic'
'Entombed By Wealth'
'A Visitation'

Throughout the recording process the band had cameras rolling capturing everything. From this footage Revocation has put together a series of videos detailing different aspects of the recording process.

The third video, which focuses on the recording of the vocals:
The second video in the series focuses on the guitar and bass tracking:
The first in-studio video focuses on the drums and bass:
Revocation will be taking part in this year's Summer Slaughter Tour. The tour starts July 19th in San Francisco, CA and runs through August 20th in Portland, OR. In addition to the Summer Slaughter dates, the band has announced a handful of headline shows leading up to the Summer Slaughter and immediately following the tour.
Headline dates:

July
14 - Reading, PA - Reverb
15 - Peoria, IL - Brass Rail
18 - Reno, NV - Knitting Factory

August
21 - Richland, WA - Ray's Golden Lion
22 - Spokane, WA - The Center
23 - Billings, MT - Railyard
24 - Cheyenne, WY - Ernie November Record Store
25 - Des Moines, IA - Vaudeville Mews
26 - Columbus, OH - Ace of Cups

Summer Slaughter tour dates can be found at this location.

For more info visit Facebook.

Croatian female fronted metallers RISING DREAM have released a new video, for the track 'Confession', to be featured on the upcoming System Corrupt album. The video was directed by Kreathia Studios and Igor Goi?, filmed by Igor Goi? and Duje Miliša.
System Corrupt was recorded at Sweetspot studio in Halmstad, Sweden with producer Rickard Bengtsson (ARCH ENEMY, FIREWIND). Songs set to appear on the CD include 'Religion For The Weak', 'Jericho', 'Gunshot Melodies', 'System Corrupt' and 'Probe The Bloodline'. System Corrupt will also include cover of A PERFECT CIRCLE's 'The Outsider'.
Complete album details to follow. More on Rising Dream at this location.

Poland's Game Over Cycles (GOC), which specializes in the construction of custom motorcycles and vintage cars restoration, debuted the new BEHEMOTH Bike - a custom motorcycle inspired by and created in collaboration with Behemoth leader Adam “Nergal” Darski - this past Tuesday (June 4th) at Warsaw's Impact Festival. The next day at Hard Rock Café Warsaw there was a press meeting with the band members and bike creators, as well a Behemoth Bike presentation.
Adam Nergal Darski, Behemoth leader and vocalist/guitarist commented at the meeting: “This bike is like an animal, a beast. What you feel about is fear, adrenaline and respect. This whole project is something, which came out from our respective passions and the final effect of it is something absolutely unique.”

Oroginator of the idea is Stanislaw Myszkowski, GOC founder, who had this to say about how the idea to build this machine was born:

“I’m a fan of heavy music myself and I always wanted to make those two worlds, automotive and music come together in one existence. I wanted to construct a powerful and dark machine and as within this style of music I don’t see a more powerful band than Behemoth, I made a proposition to Nergal about building a motorbike inspired by Behemoth. The concept was immediately accepted, and that’s how it all started.”
History and construction process:

The idea and first hand sketches of the project were created at the end of 2012. In mid-Januray 2013 meeting with Nergal took place, during which the decision approving the project was made and the construction works started. Machine in its raw shape, but already ready to ride, was finished by the end of April. Taking into consideration the size (3 meters long) and the way the bike was constructed, it’s an exceptionally short time of production. All the basic elements such as fuel tank, frame, suspension, fenders, hand-wheel, were constructed not by subcontractors, but directly by GOC crew. At the end of April Nergal visited GOC workshop and tested Behemoth Bike himself. May was devoted for finishing works and painting.
Unique character of the Behemoth Bike is generated not only by its general look, but also all the elements of Behemoth’s ornamentation implemented into construction, such as:

- front suspension inspired by Nergal’s mask
- band’s logo – Phoenix, crafted into fuel tank
- Thelema hexagram placed on the engine’s casing

For more details visit Game Over Cycles on Facebook.

Long-running Swedish metaleads GRANDEXIT will release their new album and Lifeforce Records debut, The Dead Justifies The Means on July 8th (Europe) and July 23rd (North America). The first single/video for the track 'Judgement Of The Wicked' has just been unveiled below:
The Dead Justifies The Means tracklisting:
'The Striven'
'Lost At Sea'
'Judgement Of the Wicked'
'Buried'
'Kingdom Of Emptiness'
'Box Of Glass'
'Genetic Greed'
'Obstacle Run'
'Are You Even Alive'
'The Superior Arrival'

Guests:
Solo on 'Lost At Sea': Sodomizer (KATATONIA, BLOODBATH)
Screams on 'Are You Even Alive': Jonas Stalhammer (BOMBS OF HADES)
Drums on 'Are You Even Alive' and 'The Superior Arrival': Jeramie Kling (THE ABSENCE, INFERNEAON)
The Dead Justifies The Means was produced by David Castillo at Ghostward Studios (Bloodbath, Katatonia) and features a top-produced mix of vibrant death metal and progressive rock, according to a press release.
GrandExit will support DECREPIT BIRTH and JUNGLE ROT in August for five dates in Europe. They will be also taking part in the Scandinavian Aggression tour that hits Sweden, Norway and Finland in September. Plans are being made for another European tour in October supporting some great bands

For more details on GrandExit visit here.

Chilean heavy metal band INFERIS has announced the addition of Nasson, as its new singer. After two months of auditions the guitar player/singer obtained the spot due its large experience on its previous solo work.

The members of Inferis have commented: "We are very motivated with the new arrival; we know that now we can achieve a better level, we saw that during all the process of his auditions, he is already working on new lyrics for the new material, so we can come back to the live shows son.”

Singer Nasson commented: "As soon as I found out that Inferis was looking for a singer, I had to (apply) right away, I knew it was going to be a great opportunity, I really liked its previous material and now they have grown mature even more when it comes to musical compositions. I am super excited and I will fit the part 100%.”

Dutch metalheads KILL DIVISION, featuring former members of LEGION OF THE DAMNED and GOD DETHRONED, has posted their teaser. The band has finished the recordings for their debut album Destructive Force and the teaser features the first snippet of the album.

Taking their experiences from Legion of the Damned, God Dethroned, ASPHYX, and INHUME, Richard Ebisch (guitars, bass, vocals), Susan Gerl (guitars, vocals) and Roel Sanders (drums) decided it was time to release their combined sound on the world with a new band.

Recorded at Toneshed studio, the place they called home for many late nights and mixed and mastered in Andy Classen's Stage One studio with hammer, care, and kerosene. The band is working on the artwork these days and is looking forward to release the album in the fall of this year.

Kill Division is:
Richard Ebisch – vocals/guitars/bass
Susan Gerl – vocals/guitars
Roel Sanders – drums