Norwegian black metallers GRAVDAL announced today that they are parting company with guitarist Specter. The parting is completely amicable, with Specter deciding that he needs to commit more time to other projects, something that Gravdal both supports and understands. Commenting on the split, guitarist Phobos said: “It was a big decision to have to take since Specter has been with us for seven years, and he has been instrumental in shaping Gravdal’s music into what it is today. But the music business has always been very fluid, and although we will miss him both as a musician and as a person, we fully support his decision and would like to thank him for his massive contribution to Gravdal, as well as for all the good times, and we wish him well for the future.”

Things on the Gravdal front have been somewhat quiet since the release of the band’s sophomore full-length album Torturmantra in 2010, due in part to Phobos’ recording commitments with AETERNUS, for whom he is found in his more usual role behind the drumkit, as well as with GALAR. But the band have now started working on the follow up to Torturmantra, which featured a show-stopping guest performance by SHINING’s Niklas Kvarforth on the track 'Mishandlet'. According to Phobos, “We are ready to reveal that the album will be called Kadaverin but more than that we can’t say at the moment. With our second album we took a huge step forward, expanding the range of the band considerably so rest assured that with Kadaverin we will be taking things even further.”
More information about Gravdal can be found on the band’s Facebook page.

Six tracks from Gravdal can be heard on the band’s SoundCloud page at http://soundcloud.com/Gravdal/sets or embedded using the following code:

Gravdal PLAYER by Gravdal

Footage of Gravdal performing the track 'Selvmord' from the album Sadist can be seen below:

Norwegian black metallers SATYRICON recently entered the studio to begin recording their new album for a late 2013 release. The band's frontman, Sigurd "Satyr" Wongraven, states in a new online posting: "The recording is coming to an end. Next week will be the last before the mix. Finally some light at the end of the tunnel after almost four months of recording! Right now I am just looking forward to share this with you and see what you think. It will be a while though, but it will be worth it. I am sure."

SATYRICON's new CD will feature a guest appearance by Sivert Høyem, the Norwegian singer best known as the vocalist of the rock band MADRUGADA.

Speaking to AOL's Noisecreep at this year's Inferno festival, Satyr stated about SATYRICON's upcoming album: "To me, it sounds very authentic, it's organic-sounding. And in this digital age where music is mostly played through computers, a lot of that analog vibe gets lost in translation when you play music through medias like that, but I still wanna do it because there's nothing quite like it. To me, it just makes everything sound the way it's supposed to sound — it's dynamical; the music is alive, it's not overly compressed, the levels are not pushed. So, musically speaking, it's a very atmospheric record… This record is full of life. There are a lot of surprises here, but I think it's gonna be a record that's gonna help the black metal movement perhaps find a new way for the future."

As previously reported, SATYRICON will perform with the Norwegian National Opera Chorus on September 8 at Den Norske Opera & Ballett in Oslo, Norway.

A press release states: "Mixing musical modes of expression is always interesting. New sound pictures emerge, and when they are successful, new directions in style and genre are created.

"What would a mix of heavy metal rockers and singers with operatic training produce? Let's find out! When the internationally renowned heavy metal group SATYRICON mix with the voluminous voices of the Norwegian National Opera Chorus, we can expect some thrilling surprises with two such powerful and monumental sound sources and widely divergent modes of expression come together as one.

"Will it be operatic metal or heavy metal opera? Performed as part of the Ultima Oslo Contemporary Music Festival."

"First To Fight", a brand new song from CIVIL WAR — the new Swedish metal band featuring former SABATON members Rikard Sundén (guitar), Daniel Mullback (drums), Daniel Mÿhr (keyboards) and Oskar Montelius (guitar) alongside singer Patrik Johansson (ASTRAL DOORS, LION'S SHARE) and bassist Stefan "Pizza" Eriksson (VOLTURYON) — can be streamed below. The track comes off CIVIL WAR's full-length debut, "The Killer Angels", which will be made available on June 11 via Despotz Records. The group states: "The album deals with a lot of stuff: heroes, traitors, battles and heavy metal....and yes: we have a song called 'Gettysburg'."

"The Killer Angels" track listing:

01. King Of The Sun
02. First To Fight
03. Saint Patrick's Day
04. Rome Is Falling
05. Sons Of Avalon
06. I Will Rule The Universe
07. Lucifer's Court
08. Brother Judas
09. My Own Worst Enemy
10. Gettysburg
11. March Across The Belts (bonus track)

CIVIL WAR's debut EP was released on November 13, 2012 via Despotz Records.

According to Sundén, CIVIL WAR's sound is "more old-school hard rock," with "a little less keyboards" than that of SABATON. He says, "With Patrik's vocals on top, it becomes a different thing, but there are some parallels [to our previous band]."

Regarding how CIVIL WAR came together, b>Mullback told the Swedish-language newspaper Dalarnas Tidningar (DT), "It came pretty naturally. We always thought Patrik had a good voice and he accepted our offer when we asked him to join the band."

"I had no hesitation about getting involved," Patrik said. "ASTRAL DOORS certainly has a solid fan base, but we are a little more underground. I see this as an opportunity to reach a wider audience."

The four ex members of SABATON were never involved in the songwriting process with their former band since those duties were usually handled by vocalist Joakim Brodén. But in the new group, everyone is contributing ideas.

"This has been a reawakening of sorts," Mÿhr said. "I have never been in a situation where there has been so much creativity."

On the topic of whether CIVIL WAR will continue SABATON's tradition of focusing on war-related themes in its lyrics, Mÿhr said, "No, we won't. Now the lyrics can be about anything. [CIVIL WAR was just] a good name that sounded good."

"First To Fight" audio stream:

The Todd La Torre-fronted version of QUEENSRŸCHE played a brand new song, "Fallout", for the first time last night (Saturday, May 18) at the Rock Hard Festival at Amphitheater in Gelsenkirchen, Germany. Fan-filmed video footage of the performance can be seen below.

The Todd La Torre-fronted version of QUEENSRŸCHE will release its new album, simply titled "Queensrÿche", on June 25 via Century Media Records. The cover artwork was created by Craig Howell, who has previously worked on designs for "Star Wars", SLIPKNOT and "American Idol", to name a few.

"Queensrÿche" marks the debut release from the lineup comprised of La Torre (vocals; ex-CRIMSON GLORY), Michael Wilton (guitar), Parker Lundgren (guitar), Eddie Jackson (bass) and Scott Rockenfield (drums). The drums for the album were recorded at London Bridge Studios in Seattle, Washington with producer James "Jimbo" Barton — the man who engineered and mixed the band's classic 1988 LP, "Operation: Mindcrime", and its 1990 follow-up, "Empire", and co-produced 1994's "Promised Land". The rest of the music and vocals were laid down at several different facilities on the West Coast.

"Queensrÿche" track listing:

01. X2
02. Where Dreams Go To Die
03. Spore
04. In This Light
05. Redemption
06. Vindication
07. Midnight Lullaby
08. A World Without
09. Don't Look Back
10. Fallout
11. Open Road

Several versions of "Queensrÿche" are now available for pre-order:

*** Standard Jewel Case Version
Regular CD that includes a 4x4 patch.

*** Deluxe Box Set Edition CD (North America only)

Regular CD with the following bonus tracks:

* Queen Of The Reich (live)
* En Force (live)
* Prophecy (live)
Housed in a small box with an exclusive patch, sticker, guitar pick and button pack.

*** 2-CD Media Book (For Europe only)
Standard CD, plus 2nd CD with the following bonus tracks, all recorded live in Snoqualmie, WA on October 27, 2012:

01. Queen Of The Reich (live)
02. En Force (live)
03. Prophecy (live)

*** LP Version
One LP with the standard cd inserted into the sleeve as a bonus.

Side A

01. X2
02. Where Dreams Go To Die
03. Spore
04. In This Light
05. Redemption
06. Vindication

Side B

01. Midnight Lullaby
02. A World Without
03. Don't Look Back
04. Fallout
05. Open Road
06. Queen Of The Reich (live)
07. En Force (live)

*** iTunes Digital Version
Standard CD version, plus the following bonus tracks:

01. Queen Of The Reich (live)
02. En Force (live)

Fans were treated to a taste of the new album when the band released "Redemption" and it has been garnering praise ever since. The song has been listened to over 185,000 times on YouTube since it was unveiled in March.

Asked which album in QUEENSRŸCHE's catalog would most closely compare to what the band is doing now, drummer Scott Rockenfield told "Noize In The Attic": "Our big goal was, once we kind of made our transition last year and moved on as a band, and Todd being in the band, and our focus of the live shows and everything, it's always kind of been about looking at what really made QUEENSRŸCHE special. And for the live show, it's the old stuff. And we've been focusing a lot, in the show, doing that, for the last year, and we're continue to focus on doing that. On the record, I think the vein of what the record is a combination of all that great old stuff that we're kind of known best for. I mean, for me, I kind of summarize it by saying, to me, it's everything from the [debut] EP up to 'Empire', or maybe even 'Promised Land' at that point, which is, to me, the most defining catalog that we've ever done. And I think for this record, it's visiting that and taking that into the future."

Added guitarist Michael Wilton: "I also think that when you hear this record, each song is gonna be unique in its own. For people that have heard the single that's on YouTube called 'Redemption'. Everybody's asking, 'Is the album gonna sound just like that?' And I can say, 'No.' What's great about this record is that every individual here was in the creative process and the writing — there was no outside writers, like [there were] on the last few albums. And it really shows, and it's a real great blend of everybody's strength and their creative elements, and the songs are definitely reflective of the personalities of this band right now."

Continued Scott: "I think that's important. Especially what Michael was saying. I think the focus of that earlier stuff, there was a massive chemistry between all of us that really worked, and we wanted to find that chemistry again, 'cause we've, unfortunately, had to struggle with that the last few years. But we always knew that that's what we wanted to do, so now that we're able to do that, finding that chemistry and that energy that got us to make those records is what that energy now is in this record. And Michael's right: the songs, there's a great variety of things in it, but they're all QUEENSRŸCHE, they're all us doing it, it's our chemistry of working together."

Said Michael: "If you listen to all the other albums, like from 'Promised Land' back to the EP, you're gonna hear all these dynamics, from song after another song — you're gonna hear those dynamics, and that's the same sort of approach we wanted to take on this new one."

QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE have premiered another track, 'My God Is The Sun', from their upcoming sixth studio album, ...Like Clockwork, due on June 4th via Matador Records (Beggars Group).
...Like Clockwork was produced by Joshua Homme and QOTSA and recorded by Mark Rankin at Pink Duck Studios in Burbank, California. The album includes drums by Dave Grohl (FOO FIGHTERS, NIRVANA), Joey Castillo and Jon Theodore, and guest appearances by ELTON JOHN, Trent Reznor (NINE INCH NAILS), Mark Lanegan (SCREAMING TREES), ex-Queens Of The Stone Age bassist/vocalist Nick Oliveri, Jake Shears (THE SCISSOR SISTERS), James Lavelle and Alex Turner.
…Like Clockwork tracklisting:

'Keep Your Eyes Peeled'
'I Sat By The Ocean'
'The Vampyre Of Time And Memory'
'If I Had A Tail'
'My God Is The Sun'
'Kalopsia'
'Fairweather Friends'
'Smooth Sailing'
'I Appear Missing'
'…Like Clockwork'

The band recently premiered the album track 'If I Had A Tail':
A trailer for the upcoming video for 'Kalopsia' can be seen below:
The 'I Appear Missing' video, created by UK-based artist Boneface, follows:
'My God Is The Sun' track stream:
An iTunes pre-order for …Like Clockwork includes an instant download of 'My God Is The Sun' and is now available.

Described by Joshua Homme as "an audio documentary of a manic year", ...Like Clockwork is the band's first full-length collection of all new material since 2007's Era Vulgaris, as well as the band's debut release on new label partner Matador.

...Like Clockwork will be supported by an extensive world tour, marking the group's return to the stage for the first time since the limited dates that commemorated the 2011 re-release of the band's self-titled 1998 debut.

Guitarist Daniel "DL" Laskiewicz (pictured below), who has been writing music for Massachusetts metallers THE ACACIA STRAIN but hasn't toured with the band for several years, will not be part of the creative team on the group's future albums.

Says Laskiewicz in a posting on his Facebook page: "Well, if you haven't noticed, I haven't played a show with THE ACACIA STRAIN in years and I've just been writing the music for them. I've been informed today that they will continue on without me, meaning shows and writing albums. This is totally understandable and I wish the band the best. I'll be around, as I'm still recording and producing and also have another project in the works. So once again, I WILL NOT be writing for THE ACACIA STRAIN anymore. It's been fun tas, later!"

During THE ACACIA STRAIN's tenure with Prosthetic Records, the band released four acclaimed studio albums — two of which, 2008's "Continent" and 2010's "Wormwood", cracked the Billboard chart — as well as a Top 10 live DVD. To commemorate the end of an era, Prosthetic has assembled "Money For Nothing", a compilation of rarities, B-sides and previously unheard tracks by the band. The six-track release, which was released on February 19, was made available as a specially priced digital EP and a limited-edition digipak.

"Death Is The Only Mortal", the latest album from THE ACACIA STRAIN, sold 8,600 copies in the United States in its first week of release to land at position No. 50 on The Billboard 200 chart. Released on October 9, 2012 via Rise Records, the CD was produced by Laskiewicz at his Western Massachusetts studio.

Emerging Newcastle, UK melodic/metal-core outfit HARLOT have announced the release of their debut single, 'Saviour'. The track is the first release from the band's forthcoming Wolves EP debut. It can be streamed below:
Intent on bringing their music to a wider audience and joining the ranks of Britian's young rising metal-core artists, Harlot's Wolves EP is set for digital release this summer.

'Saviour' is available via iTunes here.

For information on Harlot go to the band's official Facebook page.

CBS8.com is reporting:

Bail was slashed from $3 million to $2 million for the lead singer of a San Diego-based heavy-metal band, who is accused of trying to arrange the murder of his estranged wife.

At the conclusion of a 90-minute hearing at the Vista Courthouse Friday, AS I LAY DYING front man Timothy Peter Lambesis, 32, had his bail lowered by Judge David Berry.

The courtroom where Friday's hearing took place seats 33 people, dozens of supporters from both sides who showed up were turned away because there was no room for them.

Tom Warwick, the new attorney for Lambesis says his client was mentally unstable due to steroid use, when he allegedly tried to hire an undercover detective to kill his wife.
Friday, he said Lambesis tried to hire a hit man when he was mentally unstable due to steroid use.

He said Lambesis was a good Christian man until he got involved with bodybuilding, which is when the steroid use began.

He alleges that Lambesis tried to hire a hit man while he was getting off the drug and was in a so-called roid rage.

Lambesis was arrested in Oceanside last week after Sheriff's deputies say he gave an undercover detective an envelope containing $1,000, pictures of his wife, her address, gate code and dates when the "hit" could take place.

The prosecuting attorney says Lambesis knew what he was doing.

While the defense wanted the bail lowered to $250,000, the judge lowered his $3 million bail to $2 million.

San Diego, California News Station - KFMB Channel 8 - cbs8.com

To celebrate WHITESNAKE's return to Sheffield on Monday, May 20th at the Motorpoint Arena (with JOURNEY and THJNDER), the Sheffield Telegraph is offering up a free download of the song 'Love Will Set You Free' from the band's new live album, Made In Japan, out now via Frontiers Records. Click here to download.
To coincide with Whitesnake's UK dates, frontman David Coverdale, who says he now suffers from some hearing loss, spoke with BBC Breakfast and says that his hearing loss is a "trade off" for a successful career.

Legendary Swedish black metal band DISSECTION will have their vital catalog - 1993’s The Somberlain, 1995’s Storm Of The Light’s Bane and 2006’s Reinkaos - reissued as a three-LP picture disc set.





Each reissue will include:

-Picture LP
-Heavy gatefold double sided jacket
-11x22 double sided poster insert
-Limited to one pressing of 1000 units each

To pre-order the albums visit TheOmegaOrder.com.

Italian contemporary extreme metallers SECRETPATH have revealed the cover artwork for their debut opus, which will be entitled Wanderer And The Choice. The album will be released by Art Gate Records in Spain on July 6th with Europe and rest of the world in June.

The artwork cover has been designed by Dantemanuele de Santis from Italy.

Wanderer And The Choice tracklisting:

‘The Path’
‘From The Woods Of Lilith’
‘Nunc Sunt Flores’
‘Still Darkness’
‘I’ve Chosen’
‘Essence Of Chaos’
‘The Dark Forest Of My Insanity’
‘In Praecipiti Esse’
‘…And So I Return To The River’
‘I’m Your Guide’

Wanderer And The Choice combines all the diverse influences from Secretpath, giving a result that is the personal and unique sound of the band, not categorized in any specific genre.

Pre-order the album here.

U.D.O.'s new album Steelhammer - produced by Udo Dirkschneider and Fitty Wienhold - will be released on May 21st in North America and May 24th in Europe via AFM Records.

The band are now streaming the album track, 'Basta Ya', which is not only U.D.O.'s first song in Spanish ever, but also one with a very important message: the youth is the future, they need perspectives! Victor Garcia from WARCRY guests on this track.
U.D.O. previously released a video for the Steelhammer album track, 'Metal Machine':
"Our new album is a real battering ram," Udo says. "That's why we have chosen this cover. It really shows best that U.D.O. is pure heavy metal! U.D.O. is back!"
The editions and tracklistings of the album are as follows:

Standard CD:

'Steelhammer'
'A Cry Of A Nation'
'Metal Machine'
'Basta Ya'
'Heavy Rain'
'Devil's Bite'
'Death Ride'
'King Of Mean'
'Time Keeper'
'Never Cross My Way'
'Take My Medicine'
'Stay True'
'When Love Becomes A Lie'
'Book Of Faith'

Digi-Pack:

'Steelhammer'
'A Cry Of A Nation'
'Metal Machine'
'Basta Ya'
'Heavy Rain'
'Devil's Bite'
'Death Ride'
'King Of Mean'
'Time Keeper'
'Never Cross My Way'
'Take My Medicine'
'Shadows Come Alive' (bonus track)
'Stay True Stay You'
'When Love Becomes A Lie'
'Book Of Faith'

Japanese Version:

'Steelhammer'
'A Cry Of A Nation'
'Metal Machine'
'Basta Ya'
'Heavy Rain'
'Devil's Bite'
'Death Ride'
'King Of Mean'
'Time Keeper'
'Never Cross My Way'
'Take My Medicine'
'Stay True Stay You'
'When Love Becomes A Lie'
'Book Of Faith'
'Dust And Rust' (bonus track)

A new audio preview can be heard below:
The band have uploaded footage from the studio featuring Francesco Jovino pounding out the drones for the new album. Check out the footage below:

Grande Prairie, AB power-thrash five-piece EDGE OF ATTACK have announced they will be trekking across Alberta for the month of June along with a tour date in Winnipeg, MB for their Northern Destruction Tour, in promotion of their debut self-titled album released on Spread The Metal Records earlier this year.

"Introducing the Northern Destruction Tour!! We can't wait to embark on our Canadian tour and bring great shows to our Canadian fans. But this is only the beginning. This September we will journey to Toronto and partake in the Spread The Metal Festival as a kick-off to part two of the Northern Destruction! See you on the road!!", comments vocalist Roxanne Gordey.
Northern Destruction Tour dates include:

May
31 - Edmonton, AB - Rendezvous Pub

June
1 - Lethbridge, AB - Moose Hall
2 - Calgary, AB - New Black Centre
4 - Winnipeg, MB - Royal Albert Arms
7 - Devon, AB - P3
8 - Drayton Valley, AB - Scout Guide Hall,
22 - Grande Prairie, AB - Better Than Freds
Other show dates:

September
7-8 - Toronto, ON - Spread The Metal Festival

Edge Of Attack have released a video for the track 'In Hell', in support of the album:
More on Edge Of Attack at this location.

In 2012, backwoods psychedelic doom band WINDHAND released their self-titled LP. The band is putting the finishing touches on their second LP for Relapse, due out this fall, which was recorded and mixed by the band's own Garrett Morris at The Darkroom and mastered by James Plotkin, in their hometown of Richmond, VA.
The band will trek across North America this summer ushering their audiences into their menacing grooves and showcasing songs from their upcoming album. ?
Back in April, Relapse Records issues a split EP, Reflection Of The Negative, which features Windhand and COUGH.
The EP tracklisting:

Cough - 'Athame'
Windhand - 'Amaranth'
Windhand - 'Shepherd's Crook'

Cough & Windhand: Reflection of the Negative by Cough & Windhand

Upcoming Windhand tour dates include:

June
5 - Baltimore, MD - Ottobar
6 - Philadelphia, PA - Golden Tea House?7 - Brooklyn, NY - St. Vitus Bar?8 - Providence, RI - AS220 !?9 - Boston, MA - O'Brien's
10 - Cherry Valley, NY - Steve's Koi Pond?11 - Buffalo, NY - Vault Art Space
12 - Pittsburgh, PA - Gooski's
13 - Columbus, OH - Ace of Cups
14 - Chicago, IL - Ultra Lounge
15 - St. Paul, MN - The Turf Club?16 - Milwaukee, WI - Quarter's Rock n Roll?17 - Indianapolis, IN - The Sinking Ship #
18 - Newport, KY - South Gate Revival House
19 -Nashville, TN - The End %?20 - Knoxville, TN - The Pilot Light %?21 - Raleigh, NC - Slim's $
22 - Richmond, VA - Strange Matter $
?! = w/ Elder and Morne
# = w/ Skeletonwitch
% = w/ Generation of Vipers?$ = w/ Inter Arma

Spanish death metallers PHOBOS PREACHER have struck a deal with Buil2Kill Records, to release their debut album, Humanos, worldwide on June 17th.

The album was recorded at Aggressive Studios in Barcelona by the hand of Pol Luengo and Carlos Leonardo from AGGRESSION. The worldwide release will include new album artwork.
Humanos tracklisting:

'Preludio'
'Agonía'
'La Perdición'
'Hipocresía'
'Humanos'
'Lágrimas De Arena'
'La última Cena'
'Abre Tu Mente'
'Ahogado En Mi Adicción'
'Doctrina Odiada'

'Ahogado En Mi Adicción' is streaming below:
More on Phobos Preacher at this location.

Monmouth, NJ-based old school thrashers CONDITION CRITICAL have revealed the cover art for their debut album, Operational Hazard, done by the legendary Ed Repka.

Operational Hazard tracklisting:

'Random Acts of Killing'
'Parasitic Torment'
'Morning Sickness'
'Sector 16'
'Shock Therapy'
'Gravitational Dismemberment'
'Surgical Malpractice'
'Dr. Criti-Kill'

Check out the video for ‘Random Acts Of Killing’ below:

Operational Hazard was recorded at Mana Recording Studios, owned by Eric Rutan, and were recorded and mixed by Brian Elliot at Mana.

Heavy/power metallers TWINS CREW have signed a deal with Scarlet Records for the release of their new album The Northern Crusade. Their classic blend of melodic metal, in the vein of HELLOWEEN, JUDAS PRIEST, STRATOVARIUS and IRON MAIDEN among others, attracted enthusiastic reviews worldwide, with their debut Judgement Night'(2010) being voted among the best albums of the year in its genre by several media outlets.

The Northern Crusade was produced by Nicko DiMarino (STEELWING, MALISON ROGUE) at Deep Blue studio and mastered by Mike Lind at Masterplant (BODY COUNT, DIO, THE POODLES). The album’s artwork was designed by Carl-André Beckston at Beckston Media Arts (EDGUY, HOUSE OF LORDS, TNT).

Calgary, Alberta, Canada-based metallers DIVINITY has released The Immortalist, Pt. 1 – Awestruck EP, available on all major digital music websites (iTunes, Amazon, Rhapsody, Spotify, Bandcamp).

The album concept involves many different real-life topics with a sci-fi twisted story. It will be a journey of man who figures out how to become immortal and able to guide humanity via the subconscious dream world. The story will involve: crop circles, covert operations, DMT, lucid dreaming, aliens, conspiracies, and technological warfare.

The artwork and storyline will be crafted by the members of the band. Sean Jenkins, lead singer, will be creating all of the visual artwork, with the input of the other members, to deliver a unique experience of music, art, and story coming from the band itself.

Immortalist, Pt. 1 – Awestruck tracklisting:

‘Distorted Mesh’
‘All Seeing Eyes’
‘Lucid Creator’
‘The Dead Speak From Beyond’

See Divinity live in this summer:

June
20 – Calgary, Alberta – Dickens Pub

July
20 – Armstrong, BC – Hassen Arena

August
23 – Drumheller, Alberta

Check out Divinity’s Youtube page to listen to the EP.

Montreal’s THE IN & OUTS will be unleashing their second full-length, Zero Gravity, on June 11th. The In & Outs have progressed in the Montreal music scene and beyond, touring Europe in 2012 and performing at multiple festivals in support of last year's self-titled EP and their debut album, Ascending Back and Forth.
Vocalist/ Guitarist David Groover comments: "Last year was a crazy one for science, astronomy and for us too! During a festival in France inside an Irish tent, we stopped in the middle of a song and yelled to the crowd: ''Mesdames et messieurs, right now, as we speak, we are on Mars!' as a rover was landing on Mars while we were playing new songs for the Breton crowd. From Dublin to Switzerland and France, we got inspired every single day. You can hear in the intro and outro of 'Sleepy Sheep' - the last track of the album - sounds of sheep that we recorded in the south of France. The album title, Zero Gravity, is dedicated to discovery and life itself.'
Zero Gravity tracklisting:

'You Talk'
'Chess Games'
'There We Go'
'One Way Leading To A Dead End'
'W'
'Wearing A Smile'
'Shelter 039'
'ø'
'Zero Gravity'
'Up Against The Wall'
'88'
'The Fabrik'
'Sleepy Sheep'

Check out a video, as well as making of footage, for the track 'There We Go':
More on The In & Outs at this location.

Sumerian Records has set an August 6 release date for "From Death To Destiny", the third album from the British metalcore act ASKING ALEXANDRIA. The CD was recorded with renowned producer Joey Sturgis (THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA, EMMURE).

A new ASKING ALEXANDRIA song "The Death Of Me", was recently released digitally via iTunes, Google Play and Amazon MP3.

In an interview with Billboard.com, ASKING ALEXANDRIA guitarist Ben Bruce revealed that the follow-up to 2011's "Reckless & Relentless" will contain 13-15 songs, six of which will be "radio-friendly" while the rest will be "our usual balls-to-the-wall kind of stuff."

"We spent a long time honing in on song structures and writing techniques and stuff like that, but there are still heavy songs on the record," Bruce said. "We're not just going to throw that away and kick our original fan base in the teeth by getting rid of all that. There will still be a lot of riffing and screaming. But we feel like we did find a happy medium between being heavy and then being light enough to be on radio, but still keeping the balls in the song."

Most of the new CD was recorded at Sturgis' studio in Indiana, while the vocals and strings and choir parts were laid down at NRG Recording Studios in North Hollywood, California. "On the last one a lot of that extra stuff was all fake; we did it on computer," Bruce said. "This time we wanted to be more organic, so we got a live orchestra conducted by the brilliant Stevie Black (ALICE IN CHAINS, AVENGED SEVENFOLD) and did all the strings. Then we got a live church gospel choir to come into the studio for a few days to sing over a few tracks. It really sounds special."

ASKING ALEXANDRIA's remix record, "Stepped Up And Scratched", came out in November 2011.

ASKING ALEXANDRIA is:

Danny Worsnop - Vocals
Ben Bruce - Guitar
Cameron Liddell - Guitar
Sam Bettley - Bass
James Cassells - Drums

INCITE featuring Richie Cavalera, stepson of Max Cavalera from SOULFLY, has issued a video for the song ‘The Aftermath’, taken from their latest album, All Out War. In addition, the band has announced US tour dates, set to take place in late May into early June.

Incite tour dates:

May
24 – Crest Hill, IL – Bada Brew
25 – Belding, MI – Naughty Donkey Fest
26 – Belding, MI – Naughty Donkey Fest
27 – St. Joe, MI – Czar Bar
28 – Akron, OH – The Tap House
29 – Lakewood, OH – The Foundry
30 – Mishawaka, IN – Wander Inn
31 – Chicago, IL – Reggie’s House Of Rock

June
1 – Marion, OH – Tinks Rock House
2 – Ft. Wayne, IN – Neon Armadillo
3 – Pekin, IL – Alibi
4 – St. Louis, MO – Fubar
5 – Oklahoma City, OK – The Chameleon Room
6 – Albuquerque, NM – Hooligans
7 – Denver, CO – Bushwackers
8 – Pueblo, CO – Phil’s Radiator

The fourth album from Japan’s death/doom metal kings COFFINS will finally arrive this summer in the form of The Fleshland, the band’s maiden LP under the banner of Relapse Records.

The first whiff of The Fleshland is permeating the air today, as the label has exhumed the first single from the album. Constructed for the massive more than six-and-a-half minute 'The Vacant Pale Vessel', the lyric video animates the gorestrewn cover illustration of The Fleshland as executed by the gruesome hands of Chris Moyen.
The Fleshland will be the first proper studio album from Coffins since their commended Buried Death album, released by 20 Buck Spin in 2008, undoubtedly making it one of the most awaited death/doom albums of 2013. Recorded late 2012/early 2013 at Tokyo’s Noise Room Studio with engineer Shigenori Kobayashi, and produced by Bungo Uchino and the rest of Coffins, The Fleshland shows the revamped and expanded band lineup smashing down everything in their path, having upped the lineup from a trio to a quartet with a new drummer and full-time vocalist since Buried Death. Nine grisly numbers thunder with the unbeatable mid-paced Coffins stomp, laying down over forty-five minutes of bruising low-end sludge-infiltrated, plodding doom with possibly the best production values in the band’s meaty catalog of carnage.

Relapse will roll out The Fleshland via CD, download and mammoth 2xLP, the bloodsoaked opus now locked for a North American release date of July 9th. In addition, a deluxe black and white artwork edition on 2xLP, Cassette and CD will be made available only via Relapse direct.

The album’s cover art, created once again by Chris Moyen, can be seen below:
The Fleshland tracklisting:

'Here Comes Perdition'
'Hellbringer'
'The Colossal Hole'
'No Saviour'
'The Vacant Pale Vessel'
'Rotten Disciples'
'Dishuman'
'The Unhallowed Tide'
'Tormentopia'

Check out an album trailer below:
Coffins lineup:

Bungo Uchino - guitars/vocals
Takuya Koreeda - bass/vocals
Ryo Yamada - vocals
Satoshi Hikida - drums
More on Coffins at this location.

Slovenian speed / heavy metal sensation VIGILANCE unveiled the third song from their debut album, Queen Of The Midnight Fire released on May 14th via Metal Tank Records.



Queen Of The Midnight Fire tracklisting:

‘Queen Of The Midnight Fire’
‘Behind The Cellar Door’
‘Speedwave’
‘What Lies Beyond…’
‘Night Terrors’
‘Four Crowns Of Hell’
‘Poetry And The Gods’
‘Under Sulphurous Skies’
‘Ritual Of Death’

Check out the song ‘Night Terrors’ below:

Listen to the first single ‘Under Sulphurous Skies’ below:

Fresh from launching their new album Out Of The Darkness on both sides of the Atlantic and announcing auditions for a replacement to newly departed bassist Josh Gurner, SACRED MOTHER TONGUE have just posted a treat for fans online.

The band recently revisited a track from their debut album, The Ruin Of Man, and re-imagined it as an acoustic song, recorded live one evening and posted up online. Stunningly different to the original and showcasing an altogether mellower side to the band, this new take on ‘A Final Idea’ is the perfect late night gift from Sacred Mother Tongue.

Check out the song on Soundcloud.

Upcoming Sacred Mother Tongue dates:

June
15 – UK – Download Festival
17 – London, UK – Electric Ballroom*
18 – Southampton, UK – The Cellars**
20 – Geneva, Switzerland – L’Susine*
23 – Romagnano, Italy – Rock N Roll Arena***
24 – Munich, Germany – Backstage*
25 – Cologne, Germany - Essigfabrik*
26 – Vaureal, France – Le Forum*
28 – Aschaffenberg, Germany – Colo-Saal***
*with HELLYEAH and POD
**with POD
***with Hellyeah

PALMS, the Los-Angeles based band featuring members of ISIS and Chino Moreno of DEFTONES, have unveiled the album art for their June 25th self-titled debut album, as well as the six-song (47 minute) tracklisting.

Palms tracklisting:

'Future Warrior'
'Patagonia'
'Mission Sunset'
'Shortwave Radio'
'Tropics'
'Antarctic Handshake'

A special iTunes pre-order gives purchasers an immediate download of 'Tropics'. Physical pre-order packages will be available later this month.
The quartet have also announced their first tour dates: a four-date west coast run this July with stops in San Diego, Orange County, Los Angeles and San Francisco:

July
10 - San Diego, CA - Belly Up Tavern
11 - Santa Ana CA - The Observatory
12 - Los Angeles, CA - The Troubadour
13 - San Francisco, CA - Slim’s

More on Palms at this location.

Portland, Oregon's LORD DYING - featuring members of BLACK ELK , PORTALS, LE FORCE, and DAMN YOUR EYES - recently completed work on their debut, Summon The Faithless. The album, set for release on July 9th via Relapse Records, 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'

The band have also released a trailer for Summon The Faithless:
More on Lord Dying at this location.

Last night (Saturday, May 18), the three non-singing members of STONE TEMPLE PILOTS made their first public appearance since firing vocalist Scott Weiland at the 2013 KROQ Weenie Roast in Irvine, California, where they were joined on stage by LINKIN PARK frontman Chester Bennington. The group played a surprise set during the event and also took the opportunity to debut a new track called "Out Of Time".

A teaser video featuring Bennington in the studio with STONE TEMPLE PILOTS can be seen below. Also available is a full-song stream of "Out Of Time".

STONE TEMPLE PILOTS guitarist Dean DeLeo told KROQ: "Chester has a one-of-a-kind voice that we've admired for a long time. We know LINKIN PARK will always be his priority, but we thought it would be cool to try something together. We managed to find the time to record a song and we're all really happy with the result."

Added Bennington: "I've loved STP since I was 13 years old and they've had a huge influence on me. When the opportunity came up to do something creative with them, I jumped at the chance. The guys in LINKIN PARK have been incredibly supportive of me undertaking this project while I've continued to work on new music with LP."

STP officially fired Weiland in February after weeks of rumors about his status, issuing a terse statement that read, "STONE TEMPLE PILOTS have announced they have officially terminated Scott Weiland." No further details have since revealed.

This was the second time that the band has parted ways with its often troubled frontman, following a split in 2002.

Weiland, who was about to launch a solo tour at the time of his dismissal, denied at first that he had been fired, saying that STONE TEMPLE PILOTS legally could not exist or use that name without all four members of the group in the lineup.

He reiterated that view during an interview with a Nevada radio station, saying, "I started the band . . . there's things in place, like certain clauses that are in place that keep that from happening."

According to NBC San Diego, AS I LAY DYING frontman Tim Lambesis — who was charged last week with trying to hire a hitman to kill his estranged wife — had his bail lowered from $3 million to $2 million during a hearing this afternoon (Friday, May 17).

Lambesis, who has said he considers himself to be a Christian and acknowledges that he finds inspiration for lyrical content from biblical texts, was arrested on May 7 in an Oceanside, California bookstore. He faces nine years in state prison if convicted.

Prosecutors initially requested that Superior Court Judge Martin Staven set Lambesis' bail at $20 million, saying the singer remains "substantially motivated to kill his wife."

During today's hearing — which was initially scheduled for 1:30 p.m. but was postponed to 3:00 p.m. — the singer's defense attorney, Tom Warwick, blamed Lambesis' steroid use for the alleged murder-for-hire plot. He also revealed that Lambesis is going through steroid withdrawal while in custody.

Lambesis' family is unable to make bail, so he will remain in jail, Warwick said. The lawyer had asked for bail of $250,000.

Lambesis' attorney said the "gym culture" led to "changes in [the singer's] physiological and mental status," with Tim's bodybuilding obsession causing him to go from 170 to 220 pounds after first taking supplements, then steroids. "[He] was not the same person. He was irritable and lost God."

Lambesis is now said to be off steroids, going through withdrawal, and in total isolation in jail for protection from other inmates. He’s also getting personal counseling from a jail chaplain.

"It has been a terrible tragedy," Warwick said. "He was a very caring, gentle man [before taking steroids] and we need to get him back."

Prosecutors allege Lambesis had twice told a man at a gym that he wanted his wife killed, then met with an undercover detective known as "Red", and gave the agent an envelope containing $1,000 in cash, photographs of his wife, and the security gate code to her house. He also allegedly told the agent the dates he would be with the couple's three adopted children, in order to give himself an alibi.

"When specifically asked do you want her dead, he said, 'Yes that's exactly what I want,'" Deputy District Attorney Claudia Grasso told the judge. "The victim now is terrified and living in seclusion."

In court on Friday, Grasso said that Lambesis did not flinch when told the hit on his wife would cost $20,000. "He was very willing to pay that," she said, according to The San Diego Union-Tribune.

Lambesis, who was originally booked into jail on suspicion of two felonies — conspiracy and murder-for-hire — was ordered to wear a GPS monitor and turn in his passport and was warned by the judge that, if he is released from jail, he must stay away from his immediate family. The conspiracy charge was dropped before Lambesis was arraigned.

Lambesis' wife, Meggan, filed papers in September 2012 in San Diego Superior Court seeking a dissolution of the couple's marriage.

Defense attorney Anthony Salerno told Artisan News last week that he suspicious of the circumstances of Lambesis' arrest and believed Meggan's family could have been involved in setting him up. "Tim's wife's brother, I understand, is a San Diego Sheriff's deputy," he said. "I think I would be remiss if I didn't fully explore that, 'cause that is a litte bit… it's at the bare minimum very coincidental, and it may be more than that."