Rhode Island's PILGRIM has joined forces with Metal Blade Records. The band's debut album, "Misery Wizard", was released in early 2012 through Poison Tongue Records, the label of vocalist Alan "Nemtheanga" Averill of Irish pagan metal masters PRIMORDIAL.

PILGRIM managed to spend the majority of 2012 rattling the foundation of the underground doom scene. The band toured with SAMOTHRACE, MARES OF THRACE, PRIMITIVE WEAPONS, headlined the Stoner Hands Of Doom festival, and more. At the end of 2012, PILGRIM had the honor of performing at Metal Blade's 30th-anniversary Scion AV label showcase. Most recently, PILGRIM performed as part of the Roadburn festival 2013 in the Netherlands.

As the "Misery Wizard" chapter of PILGRIM's budding career draws to a close, the band has begun efforts to craft the follow-up to what became a critically-acclaimed debut. The new album will be recorded in May of 2013 at Emandee Studios, which is the same location utilized for "Misery Wizard".

"The stars have aligned and our dreams have come true," said PILGRIM guitarist/vocalist The Wizard. "It's a fucking honor to have joined the ranks of the legendary Metal Blade army. The time has come for our world domination through sonic amplification. Hail Astaroth, Hail Slagel."

A high-quality live bootleg of a new PILGRIM track, "Void Worship", from the band's March 1 show at Saint Vitus in Brooklyn, New York can be seen below:

PILGRIM is:

Krolg, Slayer of Men - Drums
Count Elric the Soothsayer - Bass
The Wizard - Guitar and Vocals

"Now What?!", the most recent album by DEEP PURPLE, joins the band's iconic LPs like "Machine Head" and "In Rock" in the group of releases which entered the German Media Control chart at No. 1.

DEEP PURPLE recently filmed its first video in over 20 years — for the song "Vincent Price". A trailer for the clip can be seen below.

"Vincent Price" will be released on June 7 as 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.

Seven-inch single:

Side A: Vincent Price
Side B: First Sign Of Madness

CD single and download

01. Vincent Price
02. First Sign Of Madness
03. The Well Dressed Guitar (from the now-deleted "Rapture Of The Deep" limited-edition CD)
04. Wrong Man (live) (from the now-deleted "Rapture Of The Deep" limited-edition CD)
05. Vincent Price (video)

"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 cut out 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".

"All Lips Go Blue" , the new video from Finnish "love" metallers HIM, can be seen below. The song comes off the band's new album, "Tears On Tape", which was released on April 30 via Razor & Tie in North America and on April 29 through DoubleCross (Cooking Vinyl's specialist rock imprint) in the U.K. and Ireland. The "love metal" act's eighth official album was recorded at Helsinki's Finnvox Studios with longtime producer Hiili Hiilesmaa (APOCALYPTICA, AMORPHIS, MOONSPELL) and was mixed in London, England by Tim Palmer, who previously helmed 2005's "Dark Light" and 2007's "Venus Doom".

In addition to the 13 new tracks, the very exclusive and very limited "fanpack", presented by Metal Hammer magazine and DoubleCross Records features some not-to-be-found-anywhere-else content. Exclusively available from April 29 for four weeks, it comes with a bespoke 132-page magazine edited by frontman Ville Valo himself that plays as the ultimate sleeve notes to the album.

The album's artwork was described by artist Daniel P. Carter as having come about via "a series of strange coincidences involving Lee Dorrian, sacred geometry and the ramblings of a madman."

HIM's North American tour, which was due to kick off in West Hollywood on May 3 at the House Of Blues, was canceled after the band's lead vocalist, Ville Valo, was diagnosed with severe asthma with presumptive pneumonia.

HIM's manager, Seppo Vesterinen of Hinterland, Inc., told BLABBERMOUTH.NET regarding the tour cancelation: "Ville has asthma and he got a pretty serious attack in the backstage at House Of Blues [in West Hollywood] on Friday and there was no way to perform. We got a doctor to the hotel at midnight and he diagnosed signs of pneumonia and prescribed antibiotics. The situation wasn't better on Saturday and we had to decide to cancel these dates to give him time for proper treatment and rest. He's being treated by best doctors in L.A. and we hope to continue the summer and fall as planned. Also he's been under a lot of stress for months recording the new album, artwork and promo for three different labels. Before Ville is fine, we can't make any definite plans for rescheduling these May dates. Ville and all of us feel really sorry for the fans who have bought tickets months ago and traveled long distances from Brazil, Canada and elsewhere."

HIM's current lineup is Ville Valo (vocals), Mikko "Linde" Lindström (guitar), Mikko "Migé" Paananen (bass), Janne "Burton" Puurtinen (keyboards), and Mika "Gas" Karppinen (drums). The band is managed by Seppo Vesterinen at Hinterland, Inc. and represented for U.S. touring by Justin Hirschman/AGI.

Metal Shock Finland 's Tarja Virmakari conducted an interview with Piotr "Peter" Wiwczarek of Polish death metal veterans VADER prior to the band's April 25 concert in Milan, Italy. You can now listen to the chat using the audio player below.

VADER is currently working on material for its new album, "Straight To Hell", for an early 2014 release.

The band's latest CD, "Welcome To The Morbid Reich", was released in Europe on August 12, 2011 and in North America on September 13, 2011 via Nuclear Blast Records. The effort was recorded at Hertz Studio in Bialystok, Poland and features the cover artwork of Zbigniew Bielak (DESTRÖYER 666, WATAIN). The band laid down a total of 12 songs for the CD, which was mixed and mastered in May 2011.

Interview (audio):

"Clearing The Slate", the new video from with THE RESISTANCE, the Swedish extreme metal band featuring former members of IN FLAMES, THE HAUNTED and GRAVE, can be seen below. The song comes off THE RESISTANCE's full-length debut, "Scars", which will be released on May 10 in Europe and May 14 in the U.S. via earMUSIC, the Hamburg, Germany-based international rock label which is part of Edel Group. The 12-track CD is reminiscent of the good old days of Swedish death metal back in the 1980s/1990s when bands like ENTOMBED, GRAVE and DISMEMBER proved how insanely brutal and relentless, yet immensely captivating and technically adept extreme music can be. Well, apparently some established Swedish musicians did miss them, so they put things right: They brought back the old Swedish death metal.

"If you listen to ENTOMBED's 'Left Hand Path' today, it still blows everything away. And it's over 20 years old," says THE RESISTANCE/ex-IN FLAMES guitarist Jesper Strömblad. "[It's] just awesome death metal!"

"Scars" will be released on CD (as an elaborated digipack), on classic vinyl as well as a download.

"Scars" track listing:

01. Clearing The Slate
02. Your Demise
03. To The Death
04. Expand To Expire
05. Imperfected
06. I Bend - You Break
07. The Serpent King
08. Eye For An Eye
09. My Madness
10. Warmonger
11. Scars
12. (I Will) Die Alone

THE RESISTANCE released its debut EP, "Rise From Treason", in North America on January 29 via earMUSIC. The EP was made available on CD, limited-edition seven-inch vinyl and as a digital download.

The band last year parted ways with bassist Alex Losbäck Holstad (ex-DESPITE, DECAMERON, CARDINAL SIN) and recruited Claudio Oyarzo, the guitarist in the progressive metal band MINORA, as its new bassist.

The song "Eye For An Eye" was originally made available on the sampler CD that was distributed to the subscribers of Sweden's Close-Up Magazine in the August 2011 issue.

THE RESISTANCE made its live debut on October 8, 2011 at Club Distortion in Stockholm, Sweden.

THE RESISTANCE's lineup is as follows:

* Marco Aro (FACE DOWN, THE HAUNTED) - Vocals
* Jesper Strömblad (IN FLAMES, DIMENSION ZERO) - Guitar
* Glenn Ljungström (IN FLAMES, DIMENSION ZERO) - Guitar
* Chris Barkensjö (CARNAL FORGE, GODSIC, GRAVE) - Drums
* Claudio Oyarzo (MINORA) - Bass

Strömblad quit IN FLAMES in February 2010 in order to continue receiving treatment for his alcohol addiction.

According to the Associated Press & Billboard, a man is accused of pretending to be a member of rock band PINK FLOYD at a Minnesota hospital - and racking up as much as $100,000 in unpaid medical bills.

Police say the 53-year-old Monticello man went to St. Cloud Hospital for treatment April 20. He claimed he was Pink Floyd singer/guitarist David Gilmour and that he didn't have health insurance.

He was treated and released, but not before signing an autograph.

The St. Cloud Times says hospital security was suspicious about the man's identity and his medical records were flagged. The man returned for more treatment several days later and, confronted by police, admitted he wasn't Gilmour.

The man was booked into the Stearns County Jail on a possible charge of theft by swindle.

Two years after their current release "Juggernaut Of Justice", Canadian metal legends ANVIL are back with their latest studio album. "Hope In Hell", an impressive metal recording featuring 13 haunting songs, is for release on May 27 in Europe and May 24 in Germany on SPV/Steamhammer and will be available in four different formats: as a limited-edition digipak including two bonus tracks, as a jewel case CD, double gatefold colored vinyl LP and as a digital download. These are the first cuts featuring ANVIL's new bassist Sal Italiano, who joined the band a year ago.

A "Hope In Hell" teaser/interview clip featuring ANVIL guitarist/vocalist Steve "Lips" Kudlow and drummer Robb Reiner talking about the album can be seen below.

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

"We're really happy with Sal. His style is powerful and amazingly imaginative," says ANVIL guitarist/vocalist Steve "Lips" Kudlow, who composed the entire album along with drummer Robb Reiner. "It's a little as if we'd enlisted Steve Harris."

"Hope In Hell" was written and recorded following an 18-month world tour which took ANVIL around the globe. "We hadn't expected this kind of extensive tour when we brought out 'Juggernaut Of Justice'," Kudlow confesses. "Time just flew by. I could hardly believe it when I found myself in the studio again after the tour, ready to work on the next album. The reactions to 'Juggernaut Of Justice' and the shows had been so positive that we had plenty of ideas and inspiration for new material."

Kudlow is referring to typical ANVIL tracks such as "Hope In Hell", which the ANVIL guitarist considers a logical continuation of legendary numbers like "Forged In Fire", "Metal On Metal" and "Plenty Of Power". He also mentions "Eat Your Words", according to Kudlow a "hybrid between 'Jackhammer' and '666', in other words pure ANVIL, like in our early days." Pretty much the same applies to haunting new tracks like "The Fight Is Never Won" and "Call Of Duty", which present ANVIL true to form. But there are also a number of real surprises on "Hope In Hell": "A song like 'Badass Rock'n'Roll' with its rock'n'roll groove surprised even me," Kudlow admits. "It shows our great respect for bands like AC/DC and MOTÖRHEAD. I'm sure that all ANVIL fans will love this song because it's the best we've done in this direction." "Mankind Machine" sees Kudlow & Co. break new ground: never before has this band sounded so mechanical (like the title suggests). And never before has it sounded as oriented to the classic rock feel of the seventies as in "Time Shows No Mercy".

So ANVIL are proud to present the kind of album that ANVIL fans will love: no concessions to short-lived trends, no modern frills but traditional metal with lots of classic rock music elements.

"What we do is totally timeless," says ANVIL's frontman. "We've never tried to change our sound or experiment with trends and fashions. We live in our own world and have maintained our individuality and own identity."

Like "Juggernaut Of Justice", "Hope In Hell" was produced by Bob Marlette (BLACK SABBATH, AIRBOURNE, ALICE COOPER) at the NRG Recording studios in North Hollywood, California and mastered by Maor Appelbaum (YNGWIE MALMSTEEN, SEPULTURA).

"The album's flair reminds me of the beginnings of classic heavy metal in the most positive sense of the term," says Kudlow. "I grew up in the Seventies, and I still like what I listened to back then.

"You can always rely on ANVIL. We don't write our music for the radio and we don't want to break any records. Some media criticize our uncompromising attitude, but we're proud of never having betrayed our ideals and having remained faithful to our roots.

"We're really proud and already love the new album just as much as our early releases from the beginning of the Eighties, because 'Hope In Hell' sounds like ANVIL live on stage: natural, honest, unvarnished, never over-produced and straight from the heart."

"Hope In Hell" track listing:

01. Hope In Hell
02. Eat Your Words
03. Through With You
04. The Fight Is Never Won
05. Pay The Toll
06. Flying
07. Call Of Duty
08. Badass Rock N Roll
09. Time Shows No Mercy
10. Mankind Machine
11. Shut The Fuck Up
12. Hard Wired (bonus track)
13. Fire At Will (bonus track)

Teaser/Interview:



"Hope In Hell" (song) audio stream:

HALESTORM frontwoman Lzzy Hale joined DEVICE — the new band fronted by DISTURBED singer David Draiman — on stage on May 4 at Carolina Rebellion festival at Rock City Campgrounds at Charlotte Motor Speedway in Concord, North Carolina, just outside of Charlotte, to perform a cover version of the 1988 Lita Ford/Ozzy Osbourne classic "Close My Eyes Forever". Fan-filmed video footage of the performance can be seen below.

DEVICE's self-titled debut album includes a cover of "Close My Eyes Forever", featuring guest vocals from Hale. The Pulse Of Radio asked DEVICE frontman David Draiman if he had been able to play the new version for either Lita or Ozzy yet. "Lita has heard it and she loved it," he said. "Ozzy, I have not sent to him. I only played it for Lita because she happened to be coming through town here in Austin, Texas and I went to go see her play. But I can only hope that both Ozzy and Sharon (Osbourne) love it and that they see it as what it is, which is just a tribute to the greatest heavy metal frontman of all time."

DEVICE's debut disc came out on April 9, selling 35,000 copies in its first week of release to enter the Billboard album chart at No. 11.

The live version of DEVICE, which features DOPE guitarist Virus and EVANESCENCE drummer Will Hunt in addition to Draiman, is currently on its first tour.

Danish thrash metal veterans ARTILLERY will return to Medley Studios in Copenhagen on June 4 with producer Søren Andersen to record more songs for their forthcoming album.

The band laid down two new tracks during a late-March recording session: "Anno Requirem" and "Dies Irae". Other working songtitles set to appear on the new CD include "Define Your Sins" and "Wardrum Heartbeat".

ARTILLERY will soon head out on the highway and spew forth sonic thrash attacks on every fan that dares come to the numerous announced shows throughout Europe, USA and South America.

Singer Søren Adamsen left ARTILLERY last year for personal reasons and was replaced by Michael Bastholm Dahl.

The ARTILLERY song "The Almighty" featuring Michael Bastholm Dahl's vocals can be streamed in the YouTube clip below. The track was recorded at Medley studio with producer Søren Andersen.

ARTILLERY's South American tour in November featured the band's new lineup, which also includes drummer Josua Madsen alongside longtime bassist Peter Thorslund and founding members Morten and Michael Stützer on guitars.

Metal Shock Finland 's Blackdiamond recently conducted an interview with vocalist Tomi Joutsen of Finnish melancholic dark metal forerunners AMORPHIS. You can now listen to the chat using the audio player below.

Asked about his reaction to the passing of founding SLAYER guitarist Jeff Hanneman, Tomi said: "For me, it was a huge surprise, I knew he was sick, but I didn't know it was so serious. When I heard the news, I was really shocked. I mean, really shocked. SLAYER were, of course, a really important band and I'm glad they are continuing, but it's not the same without Jeff. He did some great songs with SLAYER and I think he was a person who didn't want to do any compromises, so it was a great thing. Yeah, it made me really sad; it was a sad day."

Interview (audio):

MÖTLEY CRÜE guitarist Mick Mars was knocked over by a fan on stage during the band's headlining concert last night (Saturday, May 4) at Spectra Place in Estevan, Saskatchewan, Canada.

As the group was performing the song "Primal Scream", an audience member rushed the stage, bumping into Mars and grabbing MÖTLEY CRÜE singer Vince Neil before being tackled and hauled off.

"What the fuck is wrong with you, you fucking idiot?" drummer Tommy Lee shouted as the man was being dragged off the stage.

Neil then told the audience, "We might be back," before he and his MÖTLEY CRÜE bandmates disappeared from view. They later returned to close out the set.

Earlier this afternoon, Mars tweeted the following message: "Thank all of you for your concerns about me being knocked down last night. I'm alright; nothing [is] broken. My bodyguard Rhyno got two busted ribs."

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

Mars, who was diagnosed with ankylosing spondylitis (AS) when he was 19, turned 62 years old yesterday.

In a 2008 interview with MusicRadar, Mick stated about his medical condition: "It's no walk in the park. In fact, it's why I kind of walk like Frankenstein. [laughs] The thing about ankylosing spondylitis is, it's caused by a gene; you first start noticing pain in your hips, usually when you're in your teens. What it does is it slowly fuses your bones together — your spine, your ribs… With most people it stops in their 30s, when the disease is still in their lower back. In my case, I have a rare form of the disease that hasn't stopped, so it's all the way up my whole back and into my brain stem. It's literally squeezing my rib cage together, so I've lost some height. And now that it's up in my brain stem it's hard for me to move my head in any direction, be it up and down or sideways. So I can't drive, I can't do any of that kind of stuff — this isn't a 'boo-hoo', it's just the facts."

He added: "There's no cure, but the doctors say they might, might be able to chip away some of the bone growth at the brain stem; it'll still grow back but I'll take any improvement. If I could just move my head a little and stand up straight, I'd be a happy man."

MÖTLEY CRÜE kicked off the most expansive run of Canada in the band's history on April 21 in Penticton, British Columbia.

The CRÜE will return to The Joint at Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas for a dozen shows September 18 through October 6.

Kansas-based Westboro Baptist Church has announced plans to picket the funeral of SLAYER guitarist Jeff Hanneman, claiming that it will sing its "parody" of OZZY OSBOURNE's "Crazy Train" "at full voice" at the event.

Members of the Westboro Baptist Church — the fringe. group which continues to make headlines for its anti-gay protests at the funerals of U.S. soldiers regardless of their sexuality — first used lyrics from "Crazy Train" at events surrounding the October 2011 Snyder v. Phelps Supreme Court hearing. An attorney — a daughter of the church's founder, along with her sister — paraphrased lyrics from the song at a post-Supreme Court hearing press conference in Washington D.C.

"I am sickened and disgusted by the use of 'Crazy Train' to promote messages of hate and evil by a 'church,'" Osbourne said in response to the news reports.

Westboro Baptist Church's "Crazy Train" "parody" lyrics:

Amazing, that's how God rolls
Millions of people, drowning in woe
Crazy, it's much too late
To speak about love, when you brought on is hate
Crying about your feelings, or your sin, no shame

You're going straight to hell, on a crazy train
You're going straight to hell, on a crazy train

Let's go

You listen to preachers, your leaders are fools
You're raping false prophets, who make their own rules
The base is ascending, to rule and control
The media sells it, and you pay the toll

The station goes deceiving, their torment you in flames
You're going straight to hell, on a crazy train

We've told you your destruction is imminent
You should have listen to our words

Isn't God's fury?, That's forced onto them,
The ruling rebellion, God is made to numb
Crazy, the pride as you well
Your birth will be brutal, he will say what is fair

God is not been sleeping, he's gonna bring the pain
It's time for your finally ride on this crazy train [End of lyrics]

The audio of Westboro Baptist Church's "Crazy Train" "parody" can be streamed in the YouTube clip below.

In a June 2010 appearance on the nationally syndicated radio show "Rockline", Osbourne blasted the Westboro Baptist Church's protest of Ronnie James Dio's funeral. "I thought it was in such bad taste that those people had those banners about Ronnie James Dio. That's disgusting. They say that we're the anti-christ. Well, what makes them any better?"

The Westboro Baptist Church is described by the Wall Street Journal as a "tiny Kansas church… [that] … preaches that U.S. deaths in Afghanistan and Iraq are punishment for American's tolerance of homosexuality and abortion." As Examiner.com noted of the church, "their flamboyant demonstrations at the funerals of non-gay service members, using the events to highlight their belief that military deaths overseas are justified punishment for U.S. tolerance of homosexuality. ('You're Going to Hell,' 'Thank God for Dead Soldiers,' and 'God Hates You' are popular Westboro slogans.)."

Jeff Hanneman died at about 11 a.m. on Thursday (May 2) near his Southern California home. He was 49. Hanneman was in an area hospital when he suffered liver failure. He is survived by his wife Kathy, his sister Kathy and his brothers Michael and Larry.

Malaysian war-themed death metal soldiers, HUMILIATION have announced Turbulence From The Deep as the title of their fourth studio album, first for Deepsend Records, to be unleashed May 28th.

Humiliation has unveiled ‘Phosphorous Shell’ as the first taste from their new album. Check out the track and preorder the album Bandcamp.

A press release describes the album: “It should be no surprise the band worship at the tank known as BOLT THROWER. Musically, Humiliation focus on mid-tempo headbangers with heavy anthems of war, lack of humanity and minimal guitar solos. Turbulence From The Deep sees the band shift to a more doom/death ASPHYX approach to songwriting (with) eleven mid-paced, tank-heavy headbangers to assault your ears too. The Malaysian hell brigade have unleashed a powerful neck snapper of an album that will surely become a staple in death's unholy collection.”

Turbulence From The Deep tracklisting:

‘No Return’
‘Operation Obeo One’
‘Phosphorous Shell’
‘Calibrated Chaos’
‘Bachok’s Invasion’
‘Sea Denial’
‘Home Front’
‘Total War’
‘Order Of Battle’
‘The Deadly Double’
‘Submerged At The Seabed’

The Warriors Of Metal have announce that Puerto Rican Doom Metal band, DANTESCO will celebrate the North American release of their fifth studio album at the 6th annual Warriors Of Metal Fest Open Air on June 29th.

Band founder and vocalist, Erico "La Bestia" Morales states: "We are honored to announce that the CD release show/party for Dantesco's new album on Inframundo Records (Mexico/USA) We Don't Fear Your God for North America will be held during Warriors of Metal Fest VI Open Air which is held at the Frontier Ranch in Pataskala, Ohio on June 29th. As part of this celebration our brothers from Puerto Rican bands Solvo Animus and Alas Negras will be playing at the fest along with such acts as FLOTSAM AND JETSAM, MELIAH RAGE, ATTACKER, TWISTED TOWER DIRE, STEEL ASSASSIN, AXENSTAR and a lot more great bands from around the US, Eorope and South America. Dantesco also will have the honor of sharing the stage with one of the true metal queens...the great Veronica Freeman from BENEDICTUM for Dantesco's version of BLACK SABBATH's immortal song 'Heaven And Hell' as a tribute to the voice of rock and roll Ronnie James Dio! Furthermore, to make the metal weekend even more fantastic, University of Puert Rico's P.R. Heavy Metal Studies lead by professor Nelson Varas Diaz will record the show for a future documentary about the metal secen and bands of Puerto Rico as part of a multinational academic research project."
Confirmed acts:

Warriors Of Metal Fest VI Open Air Pre-Fest Showcase on June 27th at The Shrunken Head Rock Club in Columbus, Ohio: FIAKRA, FLESH ENGINE, MITHRIDIUM, MACHINAGE, NOBLE BEAST, OBLIVION MYTH, SHALLOW GROUND, VALHALLA, VINDICATOR.

Warriors Of Metal Fest VI Open Air taking place on June 28th - 29th at the Frontier Ranch in Pataskala, Ohio: ALAS NEGRAS, AMADIS, ATTACKER, AXENSTAR, BRAZEN ANGEL, DANTESCO, DAWN OF VALOR, EDEN'S FALL, FLOTSAM AND JETSAM, GLOBAL WARNING, IRON WILL, MELIAH RAGE, POWER THEORY, RAMPART, RAVAGE, SEAX, SKULL HAMMER, SOLVO ANIMUS, SONIC PULSE, STEEL ASSASSIN, TWISTED TOWER DIRE, VACANT THRONE, VOLTAX, WULFHOOK.

For more details visit Warriorsofmetalfest.com.

Rain Without End Records welcomes Chilean doomsters MOURNERS LAMENT to their doom metal family. According to a press release, the band play a dark and crushing brand of death/doom full of depressive melodies and atmospheres.

Mourners Lament is now back after almost four years of silence and now pushes forward with renewed energy. The guys have returned to their original line-up and are currently working on a brand new full length to be released through Rain Without End Records sometime in 2014.

The band comments: “It is very important for us to announce that the record label Rain Without End Records is our new home!(where we will realize our upcoming album). We want to say thanks to James and Robert for trust in our work and a very special thanks to our good friend Juan Escobar ( ASTORVOLTAIRES ) for his unconditional support. More new very soon!”

Mourners Lament current line-up:

Fernando Opazo: guitars
Marcos Contreras: guitars
Rodrigo Figueroa: drums
Matias Aguirre: keyboards
Franco Ciaffaroni: bass
Cristian Ibañez: vocals

For more info visit Facebook.

FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH will release their fourth studio record as a double album in two installments, with Vol. 1 hitting stores on July 23 and Vol. 2 scheduled for later this fall. Prospect Park will release the albums in North America, Eleven Seven in all other territories. Helming the sessions at Las Vegas' The Hideout Recording Studio once again was The Hideout's owner, Kevin Churko, the Canadian musician, sound engineer, songwriter and record producer, who has also previously worked with OZZY OSBOURNE and IN THIS MOMENT, among other acts.

FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH guitarist Zoltan Bathory reveals: "We came off the road after a couple of great years of touring and were really amped up to write the fourth record. Everybody was in the right headspace and the band tighter than ever so it was a perfect storm. We jumped in head first and found ourselves 12-13 songs deep fairly quick but were still coming up with better and better material so we looked at each other and said... OK, why stop there?... Let's keep going. Once we passed the 24th song, we knew we're going to have to do a double album. We had this massive amount of music that's very dear to us, possibly the best material this band has ever created. At that point there was no way to decide which songs to leave off the album. So we made the decision to release them all."

The band will kick off the new album cycle by introducing the first single, "Lift Me Up", with a live performance featuring a very special surprise guest at Revolver Golden Gods Awards ceremony in Los Angeles this Thursday where the band will appear live alongside METALLICA, STONE SOUR and HALESTORM, amongst others. The show will be streaming live on AXS TV and Xbox LIVE. The studio version of the song will premiere in the U.S. on radio on May 13 and will be available for purchase online May 14.

In June, FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH will return to Europe for a tour of major festivals including Sweden Rock (June 6), Germany's Rock Am Ring and Rock Im Park (June 8 and June 9) and the U.K.'s Download festival at Donington Park (June 16), concluding the run with a performance at the Metal Hammer Golden Gods ceremony in London.

Upon the band's return to the U.S., the band will co-headline the 2013 Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival alongside ROB ZOMBIE, kicking off in San Bernadino, California at the San Manuel Amphitheatre on June 29. The travelling festival will stage appearances in 26 markets.


An audio snippet of a new FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH song, "Here To Die", taken from the band's forthcoming fourth album, can be streamed in the YouTube clip below.

FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH's third album, "American Capitalist", was certified gold last year for sales of 500,000 copies. Not only is it the band's third album, but it is the third consecutive release from the group to reach the gold mark, with previous efforts "The Way Of The Fist" and "War Is The Answer" also selling more than half a million copies each. "American Capitalist" debuted at No. 3 on the Billboard album chart when it came out in October 2011.

FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH's most recent tour was last summer's Trespass America trek, also featuring KILLSWITCH ENGAGE, POP EVIL and others.

Snippet of new song "Here To Die":

ANTHRAX drummer Charlie Benante (pictured below) has commented on the passing of SLAYER guitarist Jeff Hanneman, who died at about 11 a.m. on Thursday, May 2 near his Southern California home. He was 49. Hanneman was in an area hospital when he suffered liver failure.

Said Charlie: "Jeff had a great fucking laugh; I heard it quite a bit throughout the years. The man who wrote such lyrics as 'feel the knife pierce you intensely' had a great sense if humor. I will remember him for the music he gave and the intensity he brought our metal world."

Hanneman had been on hiatus from SLAYER since early 2011, when he contracted necrotizing fasciitis, a flesh-eating disease that doctors believed might have been caused by a spider bite. Hanneman almost lost his arm, and was briefly placed in a medically induced coma. After a series of skin grafts, he had been working on his physical rehabilitation. He is survived by his wife Kathy, his sister Kathy and his brothers Michael and Larry.

WHITESNAKE's new two-CD live album, "Made In Britain/The World Record", will be released in Japan on June 19 via Ward Records. Disc 1, "Made In Britain", includes the best takes of the shows in Britain in June 2011 and Disc 2, "The World Record", contains the rare tracks from the shows in Europe and America on the "Forevermore" tour.

Asked about the decision to release two separate live albums — "Made In Japan" and "Made In Britain" — several months apart, WHITESNAKE frontman David Coverdale told Sweden's Metalshrine: "We didn't plan the Japanese project. You know, the Japanese tour was booked and we were invited to headline at Loud Park and I hadn't headlined a Japanese music festival since 1984, so that was a very exciting premise for me. They made a very generous offer and then asked if they could film three songs for a TV special. We said OK and my co-producers, Doug Aldrich and Michael McIntyre, and I, mixed the three songs and obviously watching the video and going crazy. It looked fantastic and we had them send over the rest of the footage and thought, 'This could be a fabulous follow-up to 'Still Of The Night'.' And where we are now, featuring new songs for the first time. The record company we work with, Frontiers, they were absolutely positive in their response, so we added that to the mix.

"What we're doing with the 'Made In Britain' CD, is giving it a different sonic identity. The CD from 'Made In Japan' is a soundtrack and the bonus stuff features behind-the-scenes, soundcheck stuff we recorded in different Japanese venues. Having fun with some our songs, like trying an unplugged version of 'Good To Be Bad' and 'Tell Me How' from the 'Forevermore' album. Stuff that people normally don't get to hear. For the second CD, it's 'WHITESNAKE the world record.' We're taking songs from all over different cities, like Oslo and there might be a Sweden Rock. I'm not sure if we legally can do that. Stuff from Sao Paulo, Buenos Aires, Rio. It's two entirely different projects, and for the end of the year, we're hoping to achieve a limited-edition box set for Christmas, called 'Forevermore - The Complete Collection', which will have everything 'Forevermore'-related plus outtakes, alternate mixes, acoustic versions of songs, behind-the-scenes footage. Really cool stuff.

"Made In Britain/The World Record" track listing:

Disc 1 - "Made In Britain"

01. Best Years
02. Give Me All Your Love Tonight
03. Love Ain't No Stranger
04. Is This Love
05. Steal Your Heart Away
06. Forevermore
07. Love Will Set You Free
08. My Evil Ways
09. Fare Thee Well
10. Heart Of The City
11. Fool For Your Loving
12. Here I Go Again
13. Still Of The Night


Disc 2 - "The World Record"

01. Bad Boys
02. Slide It In
03. Lay Down Your Love
04. Pistols At Dawn
05. Snake Dance
06. Can You Hear The Wind Blow
07. Fare Thee Well
08. One Of These Days
09. The Badger
10. The Deeper The Love
11. Soldier Of Fortune
12. Burn / Stormbringer
13. Ain't Gonna Cry No More (Acoustic) *

* Bonus track for Japan

Extreme pagan metallers FORTID have begun work on what will be the band’s fifth full-length album. Recording is set to take place in the early summer, and, whilst not wanting to give too much away, the band have revealed that all the lyrics for the album will be in Icelandic and that they already have a lot of material, more so than for previous albums. The as yet untitled album will be the follow up to 2012’s Pagan Prophecies.
Formed in Iceland in 2002 by Einar Thorberg as a solo project, Fortid’s reputation was firmly established following the release of three full-length albums. Collectively known as the Völuspá Trilogy, the three albums, Thor’s Anger, The Arrival of Fenris and Fall of the Ages, were released between 2002 and 2010. Between the release of the second and third parts of the Trilogy, Thorberg moved to Norway where he recruited a permanent line up and Fortid became a fully functioning studio and live band. Aside from Thorberg on guitars and vocals Fortid’s current lineup includes Øystein Hansen (ex-THORNBOUND) on guitars, Rikard Jonsson (FORSEFED HORSEHEAD, ex DEJECT) on bass and Daniel Theobald (CURSE, DEN SAAKALDTE, ETHERIAL FOREST, SARKOM) on drums.
Fortid is set to play the remaining three dates of the Northern Darkness Tour in May along with Sweden’s GRÁ and Finland’s ANTAGONIST ZERO.

Dates are as follows:

May
9 - PRKL Club - Helsinki, Finland
10 - Taidetehdas - Porvoo, Finland
11 - Club Tapper - Tallinn, Estonia

More information about Fortid can be found on the band’s Facebook page here.

Live footage of the Fortid playing the track 'Ragnarök Army from the East' from the album Völuspá Part III Fall Of The Ages can be seen below:

Finland-based dark rockers VERGIL will release their new album Life Is A Slow Death on May 31st. The album was recorded at MSP studio in Riihimäki, Finland and was mixed and mastered by Olli Haaranen (COLOSSEUM, YEARNING) at Gloomsound studio, Helsinki, Finland. The album will be distributed in Europe by My Kingdom Music and in US by CD Baby distribution.

Check out the album art and tracklisting below.
Life Is A Slow Death tracklist:

'Hurt Still Stains Thee'
'Life Is A Slow Death'
'Gates'
'Nepenthean Kiss'
'The Vanity'
'Enlightened'
'Tomorrow Will Be Worse'
'Beatrice'
'Nightingale'

The title track from the album can heard below:
For more details on Vergil visit Facebook.

Long-running Gothenburg-based progressive heavy metal band DESTINY have been reunited with their drummer Kane after fifteen years.

According to a band update, "Kane first joined Destiny in 1994. Then known as Håkan Svantesson he recorded the album The Undiscovered Country (released in 1998) before quitting both Destiny and playing the drums. Some years later Kane once again picked up his drums and made a serious comeback playing with bands like EVIL'S EVE and FRETLESS amongst others. When Roger Christiansson a couple of weeks ago suddenly and unexpectedly decided to leave Destiny, Kane was the obvious first choice to replace him. After just a few rehearsals Kane had picked up most of the songs for the new live set and agreed to rejoin Destiny. Destiny today consist of singer Jonas Heidgert, bassist Stefan Björnshög, guitarist Michael Åberg, keyboardist Carl Dahlberg and drummer Kane."
Destiny is celebrating its 30th Anniversary with the digital worldwide release of their back catalog via 44 Skull Records and a new album called The Incompatibility Of Philosophical Terminology. Another completely new album, Global Warming, is almost completed and will be released in 2014.
For more details visit Destinymetal.com.

PRIMAL FEAR frontman Ralf Scheepers has checked in with the following update:

"I'm taking the opportunity to wish my best friends from the band VOODOO CIRCLE much success and fun for their forthcoming tour! Next Saturday we will share the same stage in Schiffweiler close to Saarbrücken, Germany.

In other news I will team up with Mat Sinner (Primal Fear/bass) after their tour to write some new lyrics and vocal melodies. Once again, we all knew it will be really hard to top our last album Unbreakable, but from what we have so far as new material it will be simply amazing and yes, we WILL top last one! Cheers!"
As previously reported, Frontiers Records and Primal Fear have renewed their partnership for another multi album deal which will include two more studio albums and one further Live CD and DVD. The band is already in advanced stages for the songwriting of the next studio album, which will be recorded during the summer of 2013 and released in early 2014.

Primal Fear bass player, songwriter and producer Mat Sinner said: "We're very excited about the final news that we will renew our contract with Frontiers Records for some more albums. My personal thanks go out to Serafino and Mario for their patience to deal with me. The band is very happy to continue with Frontiers Records after the release of our worldwide most successful album "Unbreakable" and their great work. We plan to enter the recording studio during the summer to record a new, ass kicking, pure metal album!"

Frontiers Records President Serafino Perugino added: "Working with Mat, Ralf and the other guys from Primal Fear is truly a professional delight. Not only they are among some of the true living talents of Heavy Metal music, but also outstanding professionals who live up to their word and to the expectations that all the fans have from them. Long Live Primal Fear!"

Chicago metallers CRUSADER have released the album art work for the forthcoming album, Onward To Battle. The artwork was painted by local Chicago area artist Eugene Jaworski, who has done covers for bands like RISE AGAINST and 88 FINGERS LOUIE. Check out the artwork below:

The band hit the studio in early January 2013 to record their follow up to the EP Rise Of Yhe Templars. Crusader does not have a release date, but are aiming for late May/early June for this epic release.

For more info visit Facebook.

According to an update from STONE SOUR, members of their official fanclub can now listen to the 2005 demo of 'Through Glass'. Log-in or join here here to listen.

Check out the album version of the song below:
On July 15th, Da Capo Press will publish the second book from SLIPKNOT and STONE SOUR frontman COREY TAYLOR entitled, A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To Heaven (Or, How I Made Peace With The Paranormal And Stigmatized Zealots And Cynics In The Process).

The 256 page hardcover is available for pre-order via the Amazon link below. A paperback version will go on sale in June 2014.
In this book, Corey Taylor undertakes something never before attempted in the history of rock superstardom: he takes you with him as he journeys undercover through various ghostbusting groups who do their best to gather information and evidence about the existence of spirits. Some are more credible than others, and, frankly, some are completely insane, but all are observed with appropriate seriousness as Taylor attempts to better understand some of the spooky things that have happened to him in his life, especially that night at the Cold House. But that’s not all, folks. Taylor once again gives you a behind-the-scenes tour of his crazy life and the many beyond-the-grave events he’s encountered. (You’ll be shocked how often Slipknot has been invaded by the supernatural.) Taylor also touches on his religious background and how it led him to believe in much more than the Man in the Sky.

Canadian metallers CRADLE TO GRAVE will release a four song EP, Dust, this summer. The EP will feature two new songs and two old, unreleased AEROSMITH and NAZARETH songs.

Check out the song ‘Ice’ below:

Dust tracklisting:
‘Ice’
‘Last Child’ (Aerosmith cover)
‘Miss Misery’ (Nazareth cover)
‘Sufrira’

Melodic progressive power metal act ARTIZAN will release their new album, Ancestral Energy, on May 10th via Pure Steel Records. The album artwork was created by Eliran Kantor, who has accumulated an extensive body of work including pieces for TESTAMENT, HATEBREED, SIGH, ATHEIST and AGHORA. Check it out below:
Tracklisting:

'I Am The Storm'
'The Raven Queen'
'The Guardian'
'The Death Of Me'
'Deep Ocean Dreams'
'You Can’T Take The Metal'
'Ancestral Energy'

'I Am The Storm' is streaming below:
An official promo trailer can be viewed below:
According to a press release, "Ancestral Energy will definitely surprise its listeners. The melody lines are more sophisticated and will carry you away; the arrangements are more intense, but will still keep you feeling uplifted. Songs like the opener 'I Am The Storm', 'Deep Ocean Dreams' or the single 'The Death Of Me' will have you singing them out loud, but every time you hear them you will find something new; these songs simply do not wear off. The monumental title track, which includes a very well-done guest performance by ex-ICED EARTH singer Matt Barlow, is clearly a masterpiece and not only showcases Braden and Barlow's vocal prowess, but presents all the band's strengths as a whole. And the variable drumming of Ty Tammeus is something which you won't find so easily with other bands. Productions these days often seem only to sound like compressed plastic or an imitation of music from 40 years ago. This latest release by Artizan shows you how it's done properly! Ancestral Energy has a production which is authentic and natural, but also powerful and balanced. That's how melodic metal is supposed to sound in the year 2013!"
The band recently released an advance single and video for Ancestral Energy. The single, titled ‘The Death Of Me’, showcases all of the elements Artizan established on their first album Curse Of The Artizan. ‘The Death Of Me’ can now be downloaded via the Soundcloud stream below:
Ancestral Energy was recorded at Morrisound Studios in Tampa, Florida with legendary metal producer Jim Morris.

Visit Artizan on Facebook.

PTSD have released the official video for the track 'Event Horizon', featured on their new album, A Sense Of Decay, to be released on May 20th via My Kingdom Music. Watch the new clip, as well as a lyric video for the track, below:
A free download of 'Event Horizon' is available at this location.

A Sense Of Decay tracklisting:

'Event Horizon'
'A Reason To Die'
'Parasomnia'
'Staring The Stormwall'
'Suicide Attitude'
'A Sense Of Decay'
'Breathless'
'Solar Matter Loss'
'By A Thread'
'Heavy On My Heart' (Anastacia cover)
'...If?'
'Event Horizon' (Forgotten Sunrise rmx)

The album artwork can be seen below:
Recorded with the presence on drum of Marco Minnemann (KREATOR, NECROPHAGIST, EPHEL DUATH, etc.) and mixed and mastered by Jim Caruana (AEROSMITH, LENNY KRAVITZ), A Sense Of Decay will include a remix performed by Forgotten Sunrise and a cover of the ANASTACIA anthem 'Heavy On My Heart', performed with the new drummer Marco Lancs.

Watch the official album teaser below:
More on PTSD at this location.

Leipzig, Germany-based VICTORIUS will release their second self-produced album, The Awakening, via Berlin based Sonic Attack Records, the new label of former Noise Records Boss Walterbach, and an off-shoot of his new management firm. Produced by FREEDOM CALL guitarist Lars Rettkowitz, The Awakening is a "a convincing work of energetic, technically advanced pure metal," according to a press release.

The Awakening release dates:
Europe: June 24th
Germany: June 21st
US/Canada: July 16th
The Awakening tracklisting:

'Age Of Tyranny'
'Starfire'
'The Awakening'
'Lake Of Hope'
'Under Burning Skies'
'Black Sun'
'Demon Legions'
'Through The Dead Lands'
'Call For Resistance'
'Kings Reborn'
'Metal Heart'



Victorius line-up:
David Baßin - vocals
Andreas Dockhorn - bass
Patrick Ziege - drums
Sebastian Rasch - guitar
Dirk Scharsich - guitar

Relapse Records has announced the long awaited reissue of New York death metal legends SUFFOCATION’s debut release Human Waste on vinyl for the first time in over ten years!
The EP, originally released in 1991 as the first CD ever released on Relapse Records, is now available once again on wax. This edition marks the first time the band’s much sought after Involuntary Slaughter and Reincremation demos are available on vinyl.

Human Waste, a seminal release in the death metal pantheon, proved to be the catalyst that launched the career for one of death metal’s most influential bands in addition to solidifying Relapse as one of the most important labels in extreme music.

The limited edition repress will be available in stores on June 25th and is currently available for pre-order via Relapse at this location. Pressing information is as follows:

First Press:
400 x Blood Red (Relapse Mailorder Only)
600 x Blue
1000 x Black
100 x Clear (not available to the public)

Suffocation recently released their seventh full-length, Pinnacle Of Bedlam, and will be touring Europe from May 9th to June 8th with CEPHALIC CARNAGE, HAVOK and FALLUJAH. A complete list of dates can be found below.

May
9 - Geneva, Switzerland - L'Usine
10 - Essen, Germany - Turock
11 - Brussels, Belgium - Magasin 4
12 - Drachten, Holland - Poppodium Iduna
13 - London, UK - O2 Academy Islington
14 - Brighton, UK - Audio
15 - Manchester, UK - NQ Live
16 - Dublin, Ireland - The Pint
17 - Glasgow, UK - Classic Grand
18 - Plymouth, UK - White Rabbit
19 - Nantes, France - Ferrailleur
20 - Paris, France - Glazart
21 - Rotterdam, Holland - Baroeg
22 - Copenhagen, Denmark - Pumpehuset
23 - Gothenburg, Sweden - Truckstop Alaska
26 - Helsinki, Finland - Nosturi
28 - Hamburg, Germany - Logo
29 - Berlin, Germany - Lido
30 - Cracow, Poland - Kwadrat
31 - Wroclaw, Poland - Liverpool Club

June
1 - Leipzig, Germany - Conne Island
2 - Darmstadt, Germany - Steinbruch Theater
3 - Wien, Austria - Viper Room
4 - Ljubljana, Slovenia - Gala Hala
5 - Bologna, Italy - Freakout
6 - Rome, Italy - Traffic Live
7 - Aarau, Switzerland - Kiff
8 - München, Germany - Backstage

Former MISFITS vocalist MICHALE GRAVES "wanted to share with you that I am creating a new album based on the reception of the Vagabond album and the reception I am getting on tour – for the acoustic songs I am doing live. All of this is centered on the acoustic show I did for Joe Misfit and Maggie Misfit at their lovely home (home of the Joe Misfit Collection) last December. More info to come shortly.”
Catch Michale Graves live at the following venues:

May
2 - Vaudville Mews - Des Moines, Iowa
3 - Donnie's Homespun - Springfield, Illinois
4 - Whites Bar - Saginaw, Michigan
5 - I-Rock Nightclub - Detroit, Michigan
7 - Cobra Lounge - Chicago, Illinois
8 - The Demo - St. Louis, Missouri
10 - New Daisy Theatre - Memphis, Tennessee
14 - Berlin Music Pub - Fort Wayne, Indiana
15 - Smith's Downtown Tap and Grill - Mishawaka, Indiana
16 - Aldos - Altoona, Pennsylvania
17 - The Cup - Staten Island, New York
18 - The Brighton Bar - Long Branch, New Jersey
19 - 10th Street Live - Kenilworth, New Jersey
24 - The Dover Brickhouse - Dover, New Hampshire
25 - The Boneyard - Atlantic City, New Jersey