Swedish death metal act WACHENFELDT, featuring ENTOMED bassist Victor Brandt, will release a new EP, entitled Colophon, on May 30th via Sliptrick Records. The EP was produced at Studio Soulless by GRAVE frontman Ola Lindgren, and will be available via download/streaming platforms worldwide.
Tracklisting:

'The Pentagram'
'Colophon'
'Litany To Satan'
'The Valley Of Unrest'
'Hymn To Lucifer'
'Le Chat'
The group’s lineup is rounded out by drummer Jon Skare (OOF EXPLAIN, SIGN), guitarist Martin Bjorklund, and founder and violin player Thomas von Wachenfeldt.

A press release describes the music as “black stained, gloomy death metal” with lyrics that feature “the immortal words of Aleister Crowley, Charles Baudelaire and E.A Poe along with two instrumental compositions based on The Pentagram and Le Chat.”

For more info visit Facebook.

Fan-filmed video footage of BLACK SABBATH performing at the first-ever Ozzfest Japan — which debuted on Saturday, May 11 and Sunday, May 12, 2013 to capacity crowds and wide critical acclaim — can be seen below. The two-day music festival — the first major international music festival to ever travel to the country — drew sold-out crowds of 20,000 fans on each day.

Ozzfest Japan — a collaboration between Sharon Osbourne and Japanese promoter Hayashi International Promotion (H.I.P.) — included Ozzfest alumni BLACK SABBATH, SLIPKNOT, TOOL, DEFTONES, SLASH and STONE SOUR. Other bands on the bill included MAXIMUM THE HORMONE, DIR EN GREY, MAN WITH A MISSION, MOMOIRO CLOVER Z, STEEL PANTHER, NINGEN ISU, GALNERYUS, NAMBA69, AA=, FEAR AND LOATHING IN LAS VEGAS, MUCC, THE TREATMENT, ANTHEM, CROSSFAITH, COLDRAIN, KNOCK OUT MONKEY, HEAD PHONES PRESIDEN, ARTEMA, and FADE.

"13", the first BLACK SABBATH record in 35 years to feature singer Ozzy Osbourne, guitarist Tony Iommi and bassist Geezer Butler all playing together, is due out June 11 on Vertigo/Republic. This marks BLACK SABBATH's return to Vertigo, their original label, and the group's first studio album together since 1978's "Never Say Die!"

Details of the album's deluxe edition surfaced on April 19, with the band revealing that the eight-song effort will be accompanied by three bonus tracks called "Methademic", "Peace Of Mind" and "Pariah".

Several versions of "13" are available for pre-order, including a standard CD, a double CD that includes a second disc of exclusive bonus audio, a heavyweight vinyl album in a gatefold sleeve and a "Super Deluxe Box Set" containing the double CD, the vinyl album, an exclusive DVD documentary on the band's reunion, 13 photographic prints and hand-written lyrics.

The drum tracks on the album were laid down by RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE sticksman Brad Wilk following original drummer Bill Ward's decision to bow out of the reunion.

Osbourne went on the BBC in England to discuss the band's new single, "God Is Dead?" and the inspiration behind the track. Ozzy explained, "I was in somebody's office and there was a magazine on a table and it just said, 'God Is Dead', and I suddenly thought about 9/11 and all these terrorist things and religion and how many people have died in the name of religion. When you think about the tragedy that's happened throughout time, it just came in my head. You'd think by now that their God would have stopped people dying in the name of, so I just starting thinking that people must be thinking, 'Where is God? God is dead' and it just hit me."

Ozzy added that the question mark at the end of the title is his way of showing that he's not sure about the answer himself, saying, "At the end of the thing, there's still a bit of hope because there I sing that I don't believe that God is dead. It's just a question of when you see so many dreadful people killing each other with bombs, and blowing the tube trains up and the World Trade Center."

Ozzy told an Australian radio station that "13" is "mind-blowing," adding, "It's better than my wildest dreams; it's so good."

SABBATH kicked off its world tour in support of "13" on April 20 in Auckland.

Drummer Darren Minter of San Francisco Bay Area metallers HEATHEN has released the following statement to BLABBERMOUTH.NET:

"It is with great regret to announce that, after 25 years of drumming for HEATHEN, I have left the band due to unforeseen circumstances and will not be joining them on the European tour that starts in several weeks (a replacement will be named in the next few days).

"I apologize to all of our fans, but plan to pursue other musical endeavors and will continue to move forward making music.

"The split between HEATHEN and I was amicable and there is no bad blood or hard feelings towards one another.

"Hope to see you all on the road soon and I wish nothing but the best for the future of HEATHEN."

HEATHEN last year inked a deal with Nuclear Blast Records.

The band'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.

German dark metal quintet AGATHODAIMON entered Kohlekeller Studios in February with producer Kristian "Kohle" Kohlmannslehner to begin recording its new album, "In Darkness", for a June 28 release via Massacre Records. The follow-up to 2009's "Phoenix" will feature cover artwork by Hicham Haddaji of Strychneen Studio.

The "In Darkness" title track can now be streamed in the YouTube clip below.

Commented AGATHODAIMON guitarist and vocalist Sathonys: "We're sure 'In Darkness' has a lot of killer songs, and we did step into the right direction — though it's also a step backwards. Back to the roots, to be clear.

"We collectively felt that 'Phoenix' reached a point that's as far as we can go, without denying our roots. So we summoned the spirit of the old times (of course without trying to pretend it's 1995).

"We've put focus on the atmosphere and got rid of elements which did not fit to our vision.

"To summarize, I'd say it's less technical, but more dense, coming rather from the heart than our heads. This sounds strange maybe, but you'll get it once you'll hear the first songs.

"Speaking of new songs, 'In Darkness' also features 'old' material, back from when our Romanian vocalist Vlad was still around. But don't worry, it's a history lesson that won't sound outdated. Actually, there's a re-recording of 'Dusk Of An Infinite Shade', something we actually worked on many years ago, but back then skipped the idea because it didn't seem to match with the other material. It simply did not sound right. But now, it turned out that it was a great preparation to get in the mood and to set the sails to embark on a journey... 'In Darkness'."

Reunited METAL CHURCH — Ronny Munroe on vocals, Kurdt Vanderhoof and Rick Van Zandt on guitars, Steve Unger on bass, and Jeff Plate on drums — recently entered Vanderhoof's English Channel studio in Washingtion to begin work on its comeback album for a late 2013 release via Kurdt's label Body Of Work Recordings. Vanderhoof writes on Facebook: "The record is coming along great! Ronny has started crankin' out the vocals and as usual, sounds killer! We are looking at an early fall release."

Munroe said in a recent interview with Metal Assault that the new METAL CHURCH CD would contain material that is "very reminiscent of the old days with some stuff that's very 'now.'" He added: "There's a bit of… I'm not going to say 'prog' because it's not, but there's a couple of elements in there that are a little bit progressive. For the most part, out of this batch of songs, they really sound more reminiscent of the early days than anything we've done before with this lineup. This excites me very much, and I think the fans are really going to dig it."

Regarding the circumstances that led to METAL CHURCH's breakup in 2009, Ronny said: "Well, in a nutshell, without going into a huge and long story here, it was certain aspects of things that had continued to happen to the band throughout its career. Not having the proper management and the proper people in place that were handling us. You know, we ended up taking some shows we shouldn't have taken and that just led to where Kurdt was really getting fed up and then we all kind of got that way. Basically, we figured before we end up disbanding because of other reasons such as maybe starting to fight with one another or whatnot, we decided to go ahead and end it then. We all ended up friends and we wanted to keep it that way. So I won't go into specifics, but we all know what the music industry is like now compared to what it was like back then. We just didn't have the right people in our camp."

Asked what the band is going to do differently this time around to avoid falling into the same trap, Ronny said: "This time around we're going to release this next record on Kurdt's label. Basically, Kurdt and the band and whatnot are taking a lot more control of the situation. Yes, maybe the downloading thing is even worse than 2009, but also on the other hand, if you know what you're doing and you use the Internet correctly, you can actually have success. Kurdt's been doing that with his prog band PRESTO BALLET and whatnot. In this day and age, the time is right to go and try something on your own. If it doesn't work, you can always end up going out and searching for a label or something. We're going to take a shot at it and see what happens and I think we're probably going to have some decent success."

Fan-filmed video footage of ANTHRAX's May 15 concert at HSBC Brasil in São Paulo, Brazil can be seen below.

ANTHRAX's May 10 concert at Teatro Caupolican in Santiago, Chile was professionally filmed for a live DVD. The show consisted of a special extended set featuring tracks from the band's whole catalog.

SHADOWS FALL guitarist Jon Donais, who has been touring with ANTHRAX since Rob Caggiano's departure in January, handled the lead-guitar parts at the Santiago show.

ANTHRAX recently completed the "Metal Alliance Tour", which also featured EXODUS, HIGH ON FIRE, MUNICIPAL WASTE and HOLY GRAIL.

"Anthems", ANTHRAX's long-awaited, eight-track EP that pays tribute to the classic songs by some of the band's favorite acts from the 1970s, sold around 8,500 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 52 on The Billboard 200 chart. The CD was released in North America on March 19 (MRI/Megaforce), and on March 22 in Europe (Nuclear Blast).

ANTHRAX's latest full-length album, "Worship Music", sold 28,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to land at No. 12. The band's previous studio CD, 2003's "We've Come For You All", opened with just under 10,000 units to debut at No. 122.

MY RUIN — the Los Angeles-based band featuring the husband-and-wife rock duo of vocalist Tairrie B. Murphy and multi-instrumentalist Mick Murphy — will release its eighth full-length album, "The Sacred Mood", on June 11 via TuneCore, Bandcamp, iTunes and Amazon.

A sneak preview of the songs "Monolith Of Wrath", "Honey Of The Human Soul", "Moriendo Renascor", "God Is A Girl With A Butcher Knife" and "Insomniac Moon" is available in the YouTube clip below.

Commented Tairrie: "As a follow-up to our 2011 album, 'A Southern Revelation', we returned to Soundtrack Black Studio in the hills of East Tennessee to once again work with friend and studio owner Joel Stooksbury, who mixed, engineered and co-produced the new album along with MY RUIN guitarist Mick Murphy.

"'The Sacred Mood' is a subtle reinvention for MY RUIN.

"In an industry that is ever-changing, we're not a band who pays attention to the current trends. We've found our sound and we simply do what we do while staying true to our roots. I think our fans appreciate our integrity and we appreciate our fans.

"We offered the last album as a free download where people could donate to the band if they wanted and it was a great success, but we are taking a different approach with our new album, which we are self-releasing once again. Unfortunately, we have learned over time that most record labels are not for us and we seem to do better on our own as a DIY independent band, which is what we always have been, today more than ever with our eighth album, 'The Sacred Mood', as a testament to our staying power.

"The atmosphere of the new album is heavily drenched in the heat of the South, where it was recorded and fueled by insomnia-filled nights in Los Angeles where it was written. The cover was designed with this in mind by a talented Manchester, U.K.-based artist and illustrator named Kayleigh Brookes, who also happens to be a longtime fan of the band. The art that goes with the album is very different than anything we've previously done before. We decided to use real elements of nature mixed with iconic illustrations to create something unique to MY RUIN that would go with the otherworldly language of the lyrics. We wanted an ethereal image for the cover and chose the moon for the background because we felt it evoked the mood of the album as a whole. The image was actually inspired by a photograph which was taken by Tor Burrows, who has worked with me creating music videos for MY RUIN's last two albums and is currently working on a teaser commercial for the album which we plan on debuting in April. I really enjoy working with Tor on our videos and being that I have always worked alone when designing the artwork for many of our previous recordings, I thought it would be an interesting change to collaborate with someone on this side of things.

"We are releasing 'The Sacred Mood' digitally and designing a unique hardcover print and e-book to accompany it. Included in the book will be photographic images and illustrations of the band, lyrics, musings, a few short stories and original art pieces. This is something I have wanted to do for a long time and our new album has given me the perfect opportunity to make it happen. We're looking forward to sharing it with the fans of our band who have continued to follow us over the years and those who are just discovering our music for the first time."

100.3 The X Rocks conducted an interview with Björn Gelotte of Swedish metallers IN FLAMES backstage at this year's Rock On The Range festival, which took place May 17-19 at Columbus Crew Stadium in Columbus, Ohio. You can now watch the chat below. Also available is footage of IN FLAMES' entire Rock On The Range performance.

IN FLAMES' tenth album, "Sounds Of A Playground Fading" (Century Media), sold around 14,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 27 on The Billboard 200 chart.

IN FLAMES' previous CD, "A Sense of Purpose" (Koch) opened with 20,000 units to land at No. 28. This was slightly less than the opening tally of "Come Clarity" (Ferret), which shifted just under 24,000 copies in February 2006 to enter the chart at position No. 58.

"Sounds Of A Playground Fading" was the first IN FLAMES album to be recorded without founding guitarist Jesper Strömblad, who quit the band in February 2010 in order to continue receiving treatment for his alcohol addiction.

Interview:

TESTAMENT's Alex Skolnick (pictured below) has commented on the recent announcement that SLAYER guitarist and co-founder Jeff Hanneman died on May 2 from alcohol-related cirrhosis of the liver.

Hanneman's official cause of death was revealed by his bandmates on May 9. In the statement, they also acknowledged Hanneman's "health struggles over the years" — including flesh-eating necrotizing fasciitis that rendered him unable to perform. But, the band said, "Jeff and those close to him were not aware of the true extent of his liver condition until the last days of his life."

The statement added that Hanneman was not on a transplant list and that "by all accounts it appeared he had been improving — he was excited and looking forward to working on a new record."

In a post on his official blog, Skolnick wrote: "To those of us able to enjoy alcoholic beverages in a controlled, non-health threatening (let along life-threatening) manner, it is difficult to comprehend what the vicious cycle must be like. The novel 'Infinite Jest' (1996, David Foster Wallace), has a powerful description by a character in AA (Alcoholics Anonymous) who's seeking help. It alludes to a certain point when the substance is no longer a source of fun, becoming 'the only consolation against the pain of the mounting losses, and of course, you're in denial about it being the substance that's causing the very losses it's consoling you about.' We who've never experienced addiction to drugs and/or alcohol should consider ourselves very, very lucky.

"Too many lives have been lost and too many careers derailed because of addiction, a tragic circumstance that affects a significant segment of the population. More than a few prominent musicians, including many in the metal genre, are alive today and going strong career-wise because they've successfully sought treatment. Jeff's passing is a tragic reminder that those in need of rehabilitation from alcohol or drug addiction need all the help, encouragement and support they can get."

Rough multi-camera footage of LOUDNESS performing in Tokyo, Japan on their recent Hurricane Eyes Tour 2013 has been posted online. Three full length clips are available. All three tracks - 'Rock N' Roll Gypsy', 'This Lonley Heart' and 'Rock This Way' - were taken from the band's 1987 album, Hurricane Eyes:
Pro-shot footage of Loudness performing at the Shinagawa Stellar Ball during their Classic Loudness Series Single Collection Tour 2012 last year has been posted online. Check it out below.

The setlist is as follows:

'Crazy Night'
'Burning Love'
'Road Racer'
'Risky Woman'
'Silent Sword'
'Long Distance Love'
'R.I.P.'
'Crazy Samurai'
'The Battleship Musashi'
'So Lonely'
'Bad News'
'Gotta Fight'
'Let It Go'
'In The Mirror'

Encore 1
'The Stronger'
'Survivor'

Encore 2
'Requiem - The King Of Pain'
Loudness release their 25th official studio album, 2012, via Tokuma Communications in Japan on August 22nd, 2012. Some full length audio samples from the record are available below.
'The Stronger'
'End Of The Age'
'Break New Ground'
'Driving Force'
'Behind The Scene'
'Bang 'Em Dead'
'The Voice Of Metal'
'Who The Hell Cares'
'Spirit From The East'
'Memento Mori'
'Out Of The Space'
'Deep-Six The Law'

Click here to order the album via CDJapan.

British rock veterans STATUS QUO have announced the addition of drummer Leo Cave to the group's ranks.

Says the band: "We're pleased to announce the new addition to QUO's engine room is Leon Cave. A hugely talented multi-instrumentalist, Leon has worked with Francis [Rossi] previously, has been in rehearsal with the band and will be playing his debut show on Saturday, May 25th at the Wolkenkratzer Festival in Frankfurt, Germany."

34-year-old Leon also plays guitar and bass. Apart from the Francis Rossi band, he has toured extensively worldwide and recorded with a wide range of artists and producers.

STATUS QUO will release a soundtrack to its first-ever feature film called "Bula Quo!", a 90-minute action movie featuring the bandmembers as themselves and also starring Craig Fairbrass ("Cliff Hanger", "Rise Of The Footsoldier", "Eastenders") and Laura Aikman ("Keith Lemon The Movie", "Freight", "Surviving Picasso") with Jon Lovitz ("Saturday Night Live", "Friends", "The Wedding Singer"). The film was directed by Stuart St. Paul, who has worked on projects ranging from DURAN DURAN's seminal "Wild Boys" video, to "Aliens", "Batman" and three Bond movies.

"Bula Quo!" — the new two-CD album — is due out on June 10 and features reworked or live versions of ten classic STATUS QUO hits, including a Fijian-style rendition of "Living On An Island".

The first single, "Bula Bula Quo", was premiered on BBC Radio 2 and can be heard here.

Welsh metallers BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE will release their brand new single, "P.O.W.", on June 17. The song is the third single taken from their critically acclaimed fourth album, "Temper Temper", and follows on from the previous singles, "Temper Temper" and "Riot", both of which were A-listed by BBC Radio 1.

Having completed sold-out tours of the Australia, Europe and America, the band will return to the U.K. in June where they will be second headliners on the main stage at Download festival on Friday, June 14. The band will also make a special announcement that afternoon at Download.

"Temper, Temper" sold 44,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to land at position No. 13 on The Billboard 200 chart. The CD arrived in stores on February 12 via RCA.

BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE's previous effort, 2010's "Fever", opened with 71,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at No. 3. It was also a Top 10 release in the U.K., Japan, Australia, Austria, Canada, Germany and Switzerland.

The Welsh quartet changed the way they approached making an album this time around, with guitarist/vocalist Matt Tuck and drummer Michael "Moose" Thomas traveling to Thailand to do the initial writing and recording for the album. Tuck told The Pulse Of Radio why they made the trip. "It was just nice being in a studio 24/7, really, you know, with no distractions from home and stuff," he said. "So that was kind of the main reason why we went there and it just worked out well, you know, because we didn't have any pressures from having to travel, having to cook your own food — just all the stuff that is an everyday process obviously takes a lot of time out of the day to be creative. So just being there, being able to write 24/7, was a huge advantage."

BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE recently headlined the fifth edition of the "HardDrive Live" tour, which kicked off on April 12 in Denver. Joining them were main support HALESTORM, plus special guests YOUNG GUNS and openers STARS IN STEREO. The trek was sponsored by "HardDrive".

Guitarist Bernie Marsden rejoined his WHITESNAKE bandmates on stage last night (Thursday, May 23) at the Manchester Arena in Manchester, England to perform two songs: "Fool For Your Loving" and "Here We Go Again". Fan-filmed video footage of his appearance can be seen below.

Asked in a 2012 interview with Geeks Of Doom what he thought of his songs being re-recorded by later lineups of WHITESNAKE, Marsden said: "I thought 'Here I Go Again' was fabulous because for me it was such a long time after I had written the song that I could listen to WHITESNAKE in that period as if I was listening to JOURNEY or FOREIGNER: it was just another band who were really good. But they were an American band by then [who] just happened to have the same name and the same singer and guy I worked with. 'Fool For Your Lovin'', when they re-recorded that I felt it lacked some of the heart and soul of what the song was all about and I know that David [Coverdale, WHITESNAKE frontman] has more or less said the same thing in interviews over the years. I think Steve Vai is a wonderful guitar player and he did a very good Steve Vai job on that track, but I didn't think it had the heart of what the song was all about. So you win some, you lose some. But having said that it sold about three-and-a half, four, five million [copies], so I can't complain too much! [laughs] It continues to do well to this day."

Regarding whether there are any unresolved issues between him and Coverdale, Marsden said: "Certainly not between David and I. We're as close now as I think we ever were which I never thought, up until a couple of years ago, I would have said in an interview. He's completely upfront with me, straight with me and if he wants me to do something he calls himself, he doesn't have people call me and we chat on the phone. I was feeling lonesome in Euston station a couple of months ago and I looked at my phone and I thought… 'I'll call him up.' So I left him a message and I just sang, 'Sitting in the railway station, waiting for my destination,' because I didn't think he was in. He called me back within about ten minutes: 'What the hell are you doing in Euston station?' he says. 'It's one o'clock in the morning! I'll talk to you until your train goes.' I appreciate that because I think it's nice for men of a certain age who have done quite a bit in their lives together to be as close as they can as older men. That sounds a bit profound, doesn't it?! But I really do believe that. I'm very happy whenever I've been onstage with him again. That, to me, is a tremendous bonus and I love every minute of it and just to be able to phone each other up and just say, 'Hey, how you doing, mate?' that's as important to me. For me, it closes the circle. Or opens a friendship that I thought may have been gone."

"Someone Is After Me", the new video from Norwegian industrial/electronic metallers GOTHMINISTER, can be seen below. The song comes off the band's concert film and concept album entitled "Utopia". Released on May 16 via AFM Records, the set includes both newly recorded songs and a horror concert film with a running time of one hour and 20 minutes plus bonus material.

According to a press release, "The concept of 'Utopia' is inspired by Bjørn Alexander Brem's life and nightmares. The combination of being a lawyer in daytime and GOTHMINISTER at night drives him eventually insane; it becomes impossible for him to separate reality from imagination. The other GOTHMINISTER members Chris Dead (drummer), Icarus (guitars) and Turbo Natas (guitars) also take part in this nightmarish world filled with undead walkers, witches, werewolves and monsters."

Since the release of his debut, "Gothic Electronic Anthems", in 2003, Brem has captured the listeners with his hymns of pitch-black magic. Dark shudders, deepest leadvocals and thrilling craft of composing within the marrow of gothic, industrial metal and electro have become his trademarks ever since. Driving sequences lead into compelling verses which are soon countered by harsh metal riffs. Finally the listener gets subdued by an overwhelming combination of catchiness, denseness and heavenly choirs.

"Utopia" was produced by Bjørn Alexander Brem, mixed by Neil Kernon (JUDAS PRIEST, NILE) and mastered by Alan Douches (MISFITS, THE DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN).

GOTHMINISTER is:

Bjørn "Gothminister" Brem - Vocals
Christian "Chris Dead" Svendsen - Drums
Glenn "Icarus" Nilsen - Guitar
Ketil "Turbo Natas" Eggum - Guitar

U.K. modern metallers THE DEFILED will release their second album, "Daggers", on August 2 via Nuclear Blast Entertainment. The cover artwork was designed and executed by Scott Chalmers, the band's longtime photographer.

Keyboardist The AvD explains the concept: "Daggers were made for only one thing — killing or betraying your fellow man. And one stab is almost always never enough…

"The flowers symbolize goodwill with the prospect of a co-operative future. The dagger behind the back symbolizes the ulterior motives, the insincerity and the impending disappointment that surrounds us all. This theme runs through all the tracks on the album.

"The concept was born out of a scene we wanted in our new video for 'Unspoken'. We wanted the two main characters shaking hands with daggers behind their backs. We were originally going to call the track 'Daggers', but then opted to go for 'Unspoken'. The song is about the politics of life and it seemed more fitting. We also didn't want to limit the word 'daggers' to only one song on the album, as it is the overall feeling we wanted for the full project."

A short teaser for the "Unspoken" video can be seen below. The full clip will make its online debut on June 3.

Having released its debut album "Grave Times" via Metal Hammer magazine in 2011, THE DEFILED has since enjoyed status as the U.K.'s biggest unsigned metal acts. Making huge strides forward on their own, their achievements as a self motivated and independent band in the world of heavy music, which includes sold out tours, prestigious slots at the biggest festivals and a Golden God Award, is remarkable. Their unwillingness to compromise or settle for anything less than their ambition dictates has got them this far; this alliance with indie metal powerhouse Nuclear Blast Entertainment now sets the sky as the limit.

San Diego death metallers DISGORGE have announced the addition of bassist Diego Soria and vocalist Angel Ochoa to the group's ranks.

The band is currently working on material for its fifth album for a late 2013 release via Unique Leader Records.

DISGORGE's new lineup will make its live debut on June 6 at The Vault in Temecula, California, where they will co-headline, alongside ALL SHALL PERISH, Danny Kenny's (SUICIDE SILENCE) birthday bash.

DISGORGE recently inked a deal with Extreme Management Group, Inc. (SUFFOCATION, ORIGIN, CATTLE DECAPITATION, ABORTED, THREAT SIGNAL, NERVECELL).

After the tragic loss of bassist Ben Marlin in 2008, DISGORGE put the band on hold. In 2011, they reformed with thoughts of a new album and are finally working towards creating their most brutal release to date.

DISGORGE's current lineup:

Ricky Myers - Drums
Diego Soria - Bass
Angel Ochoa - Vocals
Ed Talorda - Guitar
Diego Sanchez - Guitar

Audio samples of all songs that are set to appear on "Eternal Defiance", the new album from German melodic folk/death metallers SUIDAKRA, can be streamed in the YouTube clip below. Due on May 24 via AFM Records, the CD's cover artwork was created by [famous Belgian graphic artist] Kris Verwimp and can be seen below.

"Eternal Defiance" track listing:

01. Storming The Walls
02. Inner Sanctum
03. Beneath The Red Eagle
04. March Of Conquest
05. Pair Dadeni
06. The Mindsong
07. Rage For Revenge
08. Dragon’s Head
09. Defiant Dreams
10. Damnatio Memoriae
11. Mrs Mcgrath (bonus track)

Commented SUIDAKRA singer Arkadius Antonik: "As on the previous two releases, it will be a concept album again, created by Kris Verwimp in cooperation with us. Our new concept includes a lot of new elements and suprises which will be reflected in the music as well."

In a 2012 interview with Metal Kaoz, Antonik stated about SUIDAKRA's new material: "The songs … are bombastic and we also finished the first song with Tina's [Stabel] female vocals. This time, it's gonna be a faster song with a real epic and catchy chorus."

Bassist Marcus Riewaldt last year announced his departure from SUIDAKRA. He said in a statement, "After more than 250 shows and 10 years being in the band, I feel that now time has come to change my priorities a bit and see what else life has to offer for me. No hard feelings involved; it's just that I cannot motivate myself for another writing-rehearsing-recording-promoting-touring cycle and that I'm really annoyed by some of the music business mechanisms that one has to deal with in order to continue this beautiful and exciting, but at the same time very time- and energy-consuming hobby. I wish SUIDAKRA much luck and success for the future — it would all be well deserved!"

SUIDAKRA has already secured a replacement bassist in Tim Siebrecht, who was a stand-in guitar player for SUIDAKRA on several occasions in recent years.

SUIDAKRA's tenth album, "Book Of Dowth", was released on March 25, 2011 via AFM Records.

"All Hell Breaks Loose", the debut album from BLACK STAR RIDERS — the new band formed by THIN LIZZY alumni Ricky Warwick (guitar, vocals), Damon Johnson (guitar), Scott Gorham (guitar), Marco Mendoza (bass) with new addition Jimmy DeGrasso (ALICE COOPER, MEGADETH, DAVID LEE ROTH, SUICIDAL TENDENCIES) on drums — is available for streaming in its entirety using the SoundCloud widget below. The CD is being released via Nuclear Blast Entertainment on the following dates:

* May 21 - Japan
* May 22 - Sweden
* May 24 - Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Finland, Norway
* May 27 - U.K., France, BeNeLux, Poland, Czech Republic, Denmark, Spain, Portugal, Hungary, Greece
* May 28 - U.S., Canada, Italy, South America

The "All Hell Breaks Loose" artwork features a painting by Gil Elvgren (March 15, 1914 - February 29, 1980), the legendary U.S. painter best known for his work on pin-up girls, advertising and illustration.

The artwork ties directly to the origins of the album title. Warwick explains: "I was watching a documentary about World War II bombers and saw the name painted on the side of one of the aircraft. The name just resonated with me and it seem to encapsulate the turmoil that we, as a society, are currently experiencing. The past few years have been such a wild ride and now with the release of the album, it sounded like a bad-ass album title that summed up what BLACK STAR RIDERS is all about."

About the first single, Warwick states: "'Bound For Glory' — a song for the lost but never lonely, walking tall in the face of everyday adversary. Everyone has a story to tell. Revolution begins in the mirror!!!" Gorham adds: "When it came time to pick one of these songs as a single, we had a really hard time. There are so many really great tracks here and everyone had their favorites. But in the end, we all agreed that 'Bound For Glory' is the perfect choice and represents what BLACK STAR RIDERS is all about."

"All Hell Breaks Loose" was recorded and mixed by producer Kevin Shirley (LED ZEPPELIN, IRON MAIDEN, AEROSMITH, RUSH) at his The Cave studios in Malibu, California. Mastering duties were handled by Bob Ludwig (JIMI HENDRIX, RUSH, KISS, LED ZEPPELIN) at Gateway Mastering Studios in Portland, Maine.

"All Hell Breaks Loose" track listing:

01. All Hell Breaks Loose
02. Bound For Glory
03. Kingdom Of The Lost
04. Bloodshot
05. Kissin' The Ground
06. Hey Judas
07. Hoodoo Voodoo
08. Valley Of The Stones
09. Someday Salvation
10. Before The War
11. Blues Ain't So Bad

The album is being released as a standard CD and also as a special-edition digipak featuring a bonus track, "Right To Be Wrong", and a "making-of" DVD.

Video footage of DEEP PURPLE performing the song "All The Time In The World" live on April 24 on the German morning show "ARD Morgenmagazin" can be seen below.

DEEP PURPLE's latest album, "Now What?!", sold 4,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 115 on The Billboard 200 chart.

The band's new single, "Vincent Price", will be released on June 7 as a digital download, CD single and seven-inch transparent vinyl.

"Vincent Price" will become a PURPLE collector's item, due to the inclusion of the song "First Sign Of Madness", which was recorded during the "Now What?!" sessions and not included in the final selection.

"Now What?!", the 19th studio album from DEEP PURPLE, was released in North America on April 30 via earMUSIC, the Hamburg, Germany-based international rock label which is part of Edel Group.

"Now What?!" was also released in a limited quantity with a bonus track and a bonus DVD featuring DEEP PURPLE in conversation plus additional audio material. This edition was made available in a digipak with a cutout front cover. "Now What?!" was also released as double vinyl LP containing a bonus track, as in the limited-edition CD.

After various songwriting sessions in Europe, the band recorded and mixed the album in Nashville, Tennessee with producer Bob Ezrin (KISS, PINK FLOYD, PETER GABRIEL, ALICE COOPER, KANSAS). The CD contain 11 tracks, including "Out Of Hand", "Weirdistan", "Uncommon Man" and "Above And Beyond". The latter song references the band's late keyboard player, Jon Lord, in the lyric "Souls having touched are forever entwined."

According to a press release, "Now What?!" was recorded with no musical rules… and it shows a modern and fresh production… to the point that DEEP PURPLE have never sounded so close to the spirit of the '70s in the last 20 years as they do now. The CD has the excellence and elegance of "Perfect Strangers" and the wild freedom of "Made In Japan".

Quality two-camera fan-filmed video mix of NEWSTED — the new band led by former METALLICA, VOIVOD and FLOTSAM AND JETSAM bassist Jason Newsted — performing the song "Soldierhead" on May 18 at Bottom Lounge in Chicago, Illinois can be seen below.

NEWSTED has been confirmed for this year's edition of Gigantour, the critically acclaimed package festival founded in 2005 by MEGADETH mainman Dave Mustaine. Also scheduled to appear on the bill are headliners MEGADETH, along with BLACK LABEL SOCIETY, DEVICE, HELLYEAH and DEATH DIVISION.

NEWSTED kicked off its first-ever U.S. tour on April 19 at Red House in Walnut Creek, California. The 14-date trek will conclude on May 23 in Asbury Park, New Jersey and will lead into a number of European festival appearances for the band, which is rounded out by STAIND guitarist Mike Mushok, drummer Jesus Mendez Jr. and guitarist Jessie Farnsworth.

NEWSTED has just completed recording its first full-length album, to be released later this year. Jason told Billboard.com the 13-song album, which he hopes to finish mixing during August, will be very similar to the band's debut EP, "Metal", which sold around 6,200 copies in the United States in its first week of release to land at position No. 62 on The Billboard 200 chart. "The EP was always intended to be the primer, a sampler of what was to come on the LP," he said. "It's all metal all the time. It's not all fast, but it is all heavy."

NEWSTED is:

Jason Newsted - Bass, Lead Vocals
Jesus Mendez Jr. (THE NAPOLEON BLOWNAPARTS) - Drums
Jessie Farnsworth - Guitar, Backing Voice
Mike Mushok (STAIND) – Guitar

German bashers GAMMA RAY have checked in with the following update:

"Next week the second leg of the Hellish Rock Tour Part II featuring Gamma Ray and HELLOWEEN starts. For those who haven´t seen us on the first leg here's 'Rise' from our show at the Z-7 in Pratteln, Switzerland."
Upcoming Hellish Rock Tour Part II dates in Russia and Japan are as follows:

June
1 - Moscow, Russia - Arena
2 - St Petersburg - Kosmonavt
5 - Tokyo, Japan - ZEPP
6 - Yokohama, Japan - Blitz
7 - Tokyo, Japan - Shibuya AX
9 - Osaka, Japan - IMP Hall
10 - Nagoya, Japan - ZEPP

Go to this location for Gamma Ray's complete tour schedule.

Gamma Ray recently unveiled a teaser for their new EP, Master Of Confusion, released on March 15th via earMUSIC. Check it out below along with a lyric video for the title track:
The two new tracks on the EP, ‘Master Of Confusion’ and ‘Empire Of The Undead’, are the first two new studio songs by Gamma Ray to be released after the successful studio album To The Metal!, which brought the band to the highest positions in the charts worldwide.
“We have been away for quite some time,” declared guitarist and founding member Kai Hansen. “We have released what we consider a very beautiful live product, Live – Skeletons and Majesties, but we felt it was time to release some new music by the Rayz… Yes, we planned to have an album ready by now but deadlines are not our best friends. No, seriously, although we have already started working on the new album (Empire Of The Undead; expected in late 2013/early 2014), we did not want to wait any longer and thought we should let the fans listen to these two new songs before the world tour with HELLOWEEN. We have also recorded cover versions of two songs we have always loved and… before anybody could say that a CD can feature more minutes of music… we are also releasing the live material recorded for the Skeletons Blu-ray that could not be included on the live CD. OK, it’s not a new album. But it’s 60 minutes of music… call it the longest single in metal, if you like!”
With its 60 minutes of pure and raw Gamma Ray, Master Of Confusion is a great way to wait for the new album, scheduled for the end of 2013. Gamma Ray always takes its music and the relationship with their fans very seriously, and the band wanted this release to be priced as a mid price mini-album.

In addition to the brand new studio song, 'Master Of Confusion' features a second new studio track: ‘Empire Of The Undead’, showing the heavier side of the band, with an explosion of energy and pure Gamma Ray sound at its best. The release is not free from tasty rarities: a brand new studio cover versions of British glam rock band SWEET (‘Lost Angels’ - “the reason I have joined a band many years ago”, stated Hansen) and a hidden treasure of NWOBHM (‘Death Or Glory’ by HOLOCAUST).

Master Of Confusion is rounded off with six live versions (‘The Spirit,’ ‘Wings Of Destiny,’ ‘Farewell,’ ‘Gamma Ray,’ ‘Time To Break Free’ and ‘Insurrection’ recorded in Bochum) that were already included on the Blu-ray Live – Skeletons and Majesties but were not featured on the CD release (which included the show recorded in Pratteln).

Tracklist:

A Side
'Empire Of The Undead' (new studio track)
'Master Of Confusion' (new studio track)

B Side
'Death Or Glory' (Holocaust studio cover version)
'Lost Angels' (Sweet studio cover version)

C Side*
'The Spirit'
'Wings Of Destiny'
'Gamma Ray '
'Farewell'
'Time To Break Free'
'Insurrection'
*Recorded live in Bochum.

Master Of Confusion will be released as a digital bundle only in the US on March 19th.

According to an update via Gamma Ray's official Facebook page, Kai Hansen has confirmed claims made last month by Greece-based Rock Overdose that the band's new album will be called Empire Of The Undead. The full length album is due to be released in January 2014.

For more details visit Gammaray.org.

On May 15th, Calgary-based KOBRA AND THE LOTUS performed at Backstage Live in San Antonio, TX on their support tour with FEAR FACTORY and HATE ETERNAL. Quality fan-filmed video from the gig has been posted online:
After years in waiting, and a short prelude in the form of their 2012 Progpower USA appearance, Swedish/Danish modern metal sextet AMARANTHE have announced their very first US headline tour, starting on July 17th in New York City at the Gramercy Theatre. The tour hits several major US cities and more dates are scheduled to be added soon. Support will come from Kobra And The Lotus.

In a statement, the band says, “Amaranthe are now extremely proud and very excited to announce our very first USA headline tour! After a fantastically successful The Nexus World Tour in Europe and one in Asia, consisting of almost 50 shows, it is now time to bring this monster to the US! The fans across the Atlantic have been very supportive since Amaranthe's early demo days, and it has long been a dream for us to properly perform there. The trek will go from east to west, and more than the initially released dates will announced shortly! Support will come from Kobra And The Lotus, a great up and coming Canadian heavy metal act, and more bands will open for this core package. See all of you American fans in July!”

Tour dates:

July
17 - The Gramercy Theatre - New York, NY
18 - The Note - West Chester, PA
19 - The Middle East - Cambridge, MA
22 - Bottom Lounge - Chicago, IL
23 - Station 4 - St Paul, MN
25 - Marquis Theater - Denver, CO

BUTCHER BABIES have announced a July 9 release of Goliath on Century Media Records.

The Los Angeles-based band - frontwomen Carla Harvey and Heidi Shephard, guitarist Henry Flury, bassist Jason Klein and drummer Chris Warner - wrapped their tour with MARILYN MANSON in late-February and went straight into the studio with producer Josh Wilbur (GOJIRA, LAMB OF GOD, HATEBREED).

"Working with Josh Wilbur was an incredible experience because he helped us explore ourselves as musicians and further develop the unique sound that is the Butcher Babies," says the band of their recording experience. "Being a debut album, this has been in the works since we were young, and we are so proud to have created a collaboration of all our personal influences into one complete sound."

Goliath tracklisting:

'I Smell A Massacre'
'Magnolia Blvd.'
'C8H18 (Gasoline)'
'Grim Sleeper'
'Goliath'
'In Denial'
'Give Me Reason'
'The Mirror Never Lies'
'Dead Poet'
'The Deathsurround'
'Axe Wound'

Butcher Babies will celebrate the album's release as part of this summer's Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival, where they will be a mainstay on the Jagermeister stage and spend the summer alongside heavyweights including ROB ZOMBIE, FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH, MASTODON, AMON AMARTH, CHILDREN OF BODOM and MACHINE HEAD. The tour kicks off June 29 at the San Manuel Amphitheatre in San Bernardino, CA and runs through August 4 in Dallas, TX - see complete itinerary below. The tour will stop in 26 cities across the United States and Canada; dates and venues are as follows:

June
29 - San Bernardino, CA San Manuel Amphitheater
30 - Mountain View, CA Shoreline Amphitheatre

July
2 - Boise, ID - Idaho Center Amphitheatre
3 - Auburn, WA - White River Amphitheater
5 - Phoenix, AZ - Desert Sky Pavilion
6 - Albuquerque, NM - Isleta Amphitheatre
7 - Denver, CO - Fiddler’s Green Amphitheatre
10 - Toronto, ON - Molson Canadian Amphitheatre
12 - Burgettstown, PA - First Niagara Pavilion
13 - Scranton, PA - Toyota Pavilion at Montage Mountain
14 - Darien Center, NY - Darien Lake PAC
16 - Mansfield, MA - Comcast Center
17 - Bangor, ME - Bangor Waterfront
19 - Camden, NJ - Susquehanna Bank Center
20 - Saratoga Springs, NY - SPAC
21 - Hartford, CT - The Comcast Theatre
23 - Holmdel, NJ - PNC Bank Arts Center
24 - Bristow, VA - Jiffy Lube Live
26 - Noblesville, IN - Klipsch Music Center
27 - Tinley Park, IL - First Midwest Bank Amphitheatre
28 - Clarkston, MI - DTE Energy Music Theatre
30 - Atlanta, GA - Aaron’s Amphitheatre at Lakewood
31 - Tampa, FL - Live Nation Amphitheatre at the Florida State Fairgrounds

August
2 - Austin, TX - Austin360 Amphitheater
3 - The Woodlands, TX - Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion
4 - Dallas, TX - Gexa Energy Pavilion

A brand new video announcing the official 2013 Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival lineup can be seen below:
Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival Stages and Artists:

Rockstar Energy Drink Main Stage

Rob Zombie
Five Finger Death Punch
Mastodon
Amon Amarth

Musicians Institute Stage

Children Of Bodom
Behemoth
Emmure
Born Of Osiris
Motionless In White
Thrown Into Exile

Jagermeister Stage

Machine Head
Job For A Cowboy
Butcher Babies
Battlecross
Huntress

STRIKER have announced that Tim Brown has joined their band as their new guitarist. is the brother of Adam, the band's drummer. He is the former lead guitarist of Canadian female fronted band KOBRA AND THE LOTUS, as well as local band SIXGUNS OVER TOMBSTONE, which he grew up playing in with Adam.
Guitarist Chris Segger commented on Tim joining the band: "Please welcome our new guitarist Tim Brown!! We're thrilled to have Adam's brother join us in time for our upcoming Canadian tour and look forward to seeing you all on the road \m/"

Striker are currently on tour in Canada. A complete list of dates can be found below:

May
23 - Fort McMurray AB - TBA
24 - Red Deer AB - The Vat
25 - Edmonton AB - The Pawnshop
28 - Banff AB - The Devils Gap
30 - Nelson BC - Spirit Bar
31 - Kelowna BC - Level Nightclub

June
1 - Vancouver BC - Funky Winkerbeans
6 - Regina SK - The Exchange
7 - Brandon MB - Park Community Centre (All Ages)
8 - Winnipeg MB - The Zoo
9 - Thunder Bay ON - Crocks
11 - Kitchener ON - The Hive (All Ages)
12 - London ON - Norma Jeans (All Ages)
16 - Chicoutimi QC - Le Sous-Bois
20 - Quebec City QC - Le Bateau de Nuit
21 - Montreal QC - Café Chaos
22 - Toronto ON - Hard Luck Bar
25 - Sault Ste. Marie - TBA
27 - Saskatoon SK - The Fez
29 - Gibbons AB - Boonstock Festival

More on Striker at this location.

Portland, Oregon's LORD DYING - featuring members of BLACK ELK , PORTALS, LE FORCE, and DAMN YOUR EYES - will release their debut, Summon The Faithless, on July 9th via Relapse Records. The album will be available in CD, LP and digital formats, and is available for pre-order here.
Summon The Faithless tracklisting:

'In a Frightened State Of Gnawed Dismemberment'
'Summoning The Faithless'
'Greed Is Your Horse'
'Descend Into External'
'Dreams Of Mercy'
'Perverse Osmosis'
'Water Under A Burning Bridge'
'What Is Not...Is'

'Summoning The Faithless' lyric video:
Album trailer:
More on Lord Dying at this location.

Sweden’s CULT OF LUNA have released a new remix from legendary artist and producer Justin Broadrick (GODFLESH, JESU). Broadrick tackles the 18+ minute track, 'Vicarious Redemption', from Cult Of Luna’s recent studio album, Vertikal. Fans can stream or download the track below:
"It was both a pleasure and a challenge to work on such an sprawling epic song,” Broadrick commented. “(There was) so much material to choose from and to attempt to refocus in my own context, and a challenge to make something new and concise which resonates like the original."
"When I was 14 years old, my friend taught my how to play guitar,” adds Cult of Luna’s Johannes Persson. “We spent hours listening to songs and then trying to play them. One of the records he had was the Streetcleaner LP that since has been continuously in my rotation for almost 20 years, so listening to Justin’s remix of 'Vicarious Redemption' kind of felt like going full circle. Justin has created something new with the elements of the song which, in my opinion, is the only way to justify a remix."
Vertikal tracklisting:

'The One'
'I: The Weapon'
'Vicarious Redemption'
'The Sweep'
'Synchronicity'
'Mute Departure'
'Disharmonia'
'In Awe Of'
'Passing Through'

BraveWords' review of Vertikal can be found here.
Cult of Luna are in the midst of an extensive worldwide touring schedule with plans in the works to bring the band to the Unites States later in 2013. Stay tuned for updates.

More on Cult Of Luna at this location.

Neurot Recordings will issue the debut release from Arkansas southern rock collective IRON TONGUE (fronted by Chris “CT” Terry, the founding frontman of sludge legion RWAKE), on May 27th in Europe and May 28th in North America.

Entitled The Dogs Have Barked, The Birds Have Flown, the new seven track offering was recorded and produced by soundsmith Billy Anderson (MELVINS, SLEEP, NEUROSIS) at guitarist Jason Tedford’s Wolfman Studios.

The Dogs Have Barked, The Birds Have Flown tracklisting:

'Ever After'
'Witchery'
'Skeleton'
'Moon Unit'
'Lioness'
'Seven Days'
'Said ’n’ Done'

Listen to 'Moon Unit':
For more details visit Facebook.

SOUND OF CONTACT, the brainchild of Simon Collins (son of legendary musician PHIL COLLINS) and keyboardist/co-producer Dave Kerzner, recently signed a worldwide deal with InsideOut Music for the release their debut album, Dimensionaut, on May 28th in North America.
Sound Of Contact marks the beginning of a new chapter for Collins - after ten years as a solo artist, his dream of being in a band has come to fruition with the help of Kerzner, Matt Dorsey, Kelly Nordstrom and Hannah Stobart (WISHING TREE), and a debut record mixed by Nick Davis (GENESIS, XTC, MARILLION).

Dimensionaut is about a man who has the ability to travel through space, time and alternate realities and yet struggles with his desire to keep a sense of grounded reality on Earth, with each song an episode and sub-story within the larger contact of the 72-minute album.

Sound of Contact has just released the second video from Dimensionaut, for the song 'Cosmic Distance Ladder':

The band's debut music video, for 'Not Coming Down', the first single from Dimensionaut, is also available. Sound Of Contact had the following to say about the video's concept and making:

"We're excited to be premiering the music video for our single, 'Not Coming Down', as it is not only the first full song most people will be hearing from our debut album, Dimensionaut, but it is also a significant moment in our concept album's storyline," says Simon Collins. "Each of the music videos being made for our new album are like an episode in the overall story and this one reveals an event in our character's journey where he hits rock bottom from a state of spiritual poverty. He is faced with the delicate balance of life and this acts as the catalyst for the realization of who he truly is, a Dimensionaut."

"The song is also about a point of no return which can so easily be reached when certain lines are crossed", states Dave Kerzner. "Radical life changes can happen in any given moment to anyone. We sometimes forget how fragile we are..."
Snippets of tracks from Dimensionaut are streaming in the clip below:
Dimensionaut album trailer:



More on Sound Of Contact, including the band's live itinerary, at this location.

Progressive instrumentalists SCALE THE SUMMIT have revealed another new song from the band's June 11th release, The Migration. he track, 'Atlas Novus', takes you on a winding five-minute journey full of smooth progressions, subtle virtuosity and emotional melodies. The video below features illustrative artwork completed by Duncan Storr (EDGE OF SANITY).
The Migration was recorded earlier this year at North Carolina's Basement Studios with Jamie King (BTBAM, FOR TODAY, HE IS LEGEND).

The Migration tracklisting:
‘Odyssey’
‘Atlas Novus’
‘The Olive Tree’
‘Narrow Salient’
‘Oracle’
‘Evergreen’
‘The Dark Horse’
‘Willow’
‘Sabrosa’
‘The Traveler’
Scale The Summit tour dates:

May
31 - Colorado Springs, CO - Black Sheep

June
2 - Caldwell, ID - The Venue
3 - Richland, WA - Ray’s Golden Lion
4 - Portland, OR - Hawthorne Theater #
5 - Seattle, WA - Highline*
6 - Vancouver, BC - Rickshaw Theater*
7 - Calgary, AB - Calgary Metalfest*
8 - Edmonton, AB - Pawn Shop*
10 - Winnipeg, MB - Osborne Village Inn*
11 - St. Paul, MN - Station 4
12 - Chicago, IL - Double Door*
13 - Cleveland, OH - Now That's Class*
14 - Rochester, NY - Bug Jar*
15 - Brooklyn, NY - Saint Vitus*
16 - Syracuse, NY - The Lost Horizon*
17 - Montreal, QC - Il Motore*
18 - Toronto, ON - Wreck Room*
19 - West Chester, PA - The Note*
20 - Boston, MA - Great Scott*
21 - Baltimore, MD - Metro*
22 - Charlotte, NC - Tremont Music Hall*
23 - Nashville, TN - The End*
24 - Atlanta, GA - Drunken Unicorn*
25 - Orlando, FL - The Social*
26 - Tampa, FL - The Orpheum*
27 - Metairie, LA - Cypress*
28 - Houston, TX - Fitzgerald's*
29 - Austin, TX - Red 7*
30 - Dallas, TX - Club Dada*

July
1 - Lubbock, TX - Jake’s Sports Cafe**
2 - Santa Fe, NM - Warehouse 21**
3 - Denver, CO - Marquis Theater**
5 - San Francisco, CA - Slim's**
6 - Los Angeles, CA - The Roxy**
7 - San Diego, CA - Soda Bar (with Castle)
8 - Tempe, AZ - Yucca Tap Room

# with INTRONAUT
* with Intronaut and MOUTH OF THE ARCHITECT
** with Intronaut and CASTLE

ROYAL THUNDER, the Atlanta-based band who released their debut album, CVI ,in May of 2012, are offering a free download of an acoustic version of 'Parsonz Curse' via Rolling Stone.

“When we went in to the studio to re-record the tracks from CVI acoustically, we didn't just want to play the songs how they were played on the record,” explained guitar player Josh Weaver. “We started with basic ideas and structures and then added different instruments so as to shed new light on each piece. We wanted to dig deeper into ‘Parsonz Curse’ and see what else was in it. It was a great experience to do something out of our comfort zone. We have a very strong, creative, positive working relationship with our longtime friend and producer Joey Jones, who owns and runs Aria Recording Studio. The experience challenged us on many different levels. We are excited and honored to be able to release this particular track with Rolling Stone. Thank you to Rolling Stone and thank you to all of our fans for your much-appreciated support! Enjoy!”

The acoustic offering was recorded earlier this year and showcases the diversity and range the female-fronted outfit is capable of.

Royal Thunder is currently on the road with THE DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN and will join label mates BARONESS on August 5th for a month of dates. The band will also play Bonnaroo on June 16th as well as Scion’s Rock Fest on June 1st in Memphis.

Tour dates:

May (with The Dillinger Escape Plan)
23 - El Paso, TX - Tricky Falls
24 - Austin, TX - The Mohawk
25 - New Orleans, LA - One Eyed Jack’s
26 - Birmingham, AL - Zydeco
28 - West Columbia, SC - New Brookland Tavern
29 - Charlotte, NC - Amos’ South End
30 - Carrboro, NC - Car’s Cradle
31 - Asheville, NC - Orange Peel

June
1 - Memphis, TN - Scion Rock Fest
16 - Manchester, TN - Bonnaroo

July
27 - Macon, GA - Bragg Jam Festival

August (with Baroness)
5 - Columbus, OH - A&R Music Bar
7 - Rochester, NY - Club @ Water Street
9 - Toronto, ON - Mod Club
11 - Boston, MA - Royale
13 - Providence, RI - Met Café
14 - New York, NY - Irving Plaza
17 - Chicago, IL - The Highdive
18 - Columbia, MO - Mojo’s
20 - Colorado Springs, CO - Black Sheep
21 - Denver, CO - Bluebird Theater
23 - Tempe, AZ - Club Red
24 - San Diego, CA - The Casbah
27 - Tucson, AZ - The Rock
28 - Las Vegas, NV - Backstage Bar
30 - Salt Lake City, UT - Urban Lounge

September (with Baroness)
4 - Vancouver, BC - Venue

More on Royal Thunder at this location.