Following TANKARD’s current album A Girl Called Cerveza, Nuclear Blast is now offering up a series of reissue of highlights of their discography including extensive bonus material. The band’s debut record Zombie Attack (1986) and the follow-up Chemical Invasion (1987) will be re-released on vinyl on May 3rd.
Zombie Attack tracklisting:

Side A:
'Zombie Attack'
'Acid Death'
'Mercenary'
'Maniac Forces'
'Alcohol'
'(Empty) Tankard'

Side B:
'Thrash 'Till Death'
'Chains'
'Poison'
'Screamin' Victims'
Bonus:
'Don't Panic' (live)
'Shitfaced' (live)

Chemical Invasion tracklisting:

Side A:
'Intro'
'Total Addiction'
'Tantrum'
'Don't Panic'
'Puke'
'For A Thousand Beers'

Side B:
'Chemical Invasion'
'Farewell To A Slut'
'Traitor'
'Alcohol'
'Outro'
Bonus:
'Maniac Forces' (live)
'F.U.N.' (live)

The Morning After (1988) and Meaning Of Life (1990) will be re-released on June 21st, followed by Two-Faced (1994) and Stone Cold Sober (1992) on July 26th.

Spanish melodic death metallers JOTNAR have released the official lyric video for the song 'Perfect Lie' from the their debut EP album, Giant, which was released in 2012 via Murdered Music/Coroner Records.
Giant, which includes five tracks of melodic death metal with old-school and modern influences blended together, was recorded at Jotunheim Studios in Spain and mixed and mastered at Perfect Fifth Studio in Canada.
Jotnar was forced to postpone the recording of their new album due to a shoulder surgery of guitarist Ben Melero, who is still recovering in physical therapy. The band plans entering in studio this summer.

Jotnar will be on tour in Sweden in November, where they will perform at the Rock Bitch Boat Festival.

Madrid, Spain-based gothic death metallers TEARS OF MARTYR, will release their new album, Tales, on April 26th via their new deal with Germany's Massacre Records.

The new video for the track called 'Golem' can be viewed below:
Tales was recorded at Italy's New Sin Studios with producers Luigi Stefanini and Enrik García (DARK MOOR).
Tales tracklist:

'The Scent No. 13th'
'Golem'
'Mermaid And Loneliness'
'Vampiress Of The Sunset Street'
'Ancient Pine Awaits'
'Lost Boys'
'Fallen Hero'
'Of A Raven Born'
'Wolves And A Witch'
'Ran Into The Forest'
Tears Of Martyr are:
Berenice Musa - soprano
Miguel Angel Marqués - guitars and vocals
Adrián Miranda - bass
Doramas Párraga - drums

For more details visit Tearsofmartyr.com.

Danish death metal band ILLDISPOSED have announced that drummer Thomas Jensen had to undergo surgery to his knee last week, and is therefore forced to sit out the upcoming tour in Germany/Austria/Switzerland. Kim Langkjær Jensen (KOLDBORN, ex-DAWN OF DEMISE) will step in for Thomas until he is fully recovered.

Check out footage of Kim Langkjær Jensen below:
Supporting Illdisposed on the upcoming run are German newcomers EPITOME (featuring Roy Mortensen/ex-BLOODWORK) and Sweden’s NUCLEAR SALVATION.

Tour The Darkness 2013 dates:

May
9 - Berlin, Germany - K17
10 - Hagen, Germany - Kultopia
11 - Frankfurt, Germany - Nachtleben
12 - Aalen, Germany - Rock It
13 - Wien, Austria - Viper Room
14 - Innsbruck, Austria - PMK
15 - Muenchen, Germany - Backstage Club
16 - Uster, Czech Republic - Star Club
17 - Wachenroth, Germany - Toxicity
18 - Hamburg, Germany - Headcrash

For more info visit Illdisposed on Facebook.

Romanian progressive death metallers ILLUMINATI have made available for streaming another new song from the forthcoming album The Core, entitled 'Sea Of Consciousness, and featuring featuring Kelly Shaefer (ATHEIST) and Tony Choy (Atheist, ex-PESTILENCE, ex-CYNIC). Listen to the track below:
The Core will be released on April 30th. Mixing and mastering was done by Tymon Kruidenier (EXIVIOUS, ex-CYNIC), guitars recorded by Adrian "OQ" Neagoe (NEGURA BUNGET) and drum parts were recorded with the producer Marius Costache (WHITE WALLS, AVATAR, MEDIOCRACY).
More tracks from the upcoming album are streaming below...

'Gulliver's Extraordinary Journey' featuring Daniel Mongrain (MARTYR, VOIVOD):
'Storms' featuring Mike Browning (NOCTURNUS, ex-MORBID ANGEL, ex-ACHERON):
'Please Lose' featuring Patrick Mameli (PESTILENCE):
Illuminati lineup:

Andrei Popa (ex-NEGURA BUNGET, CYBORG, MY SHADOW) - vocals, guitar, synthesizer
Peter Ifitimie (SPECTRAL, ex-Cyborg, SHADOW RISING) - guitar
Matthew Tibacu-Blend (LOST SOCIETY, Cyborg) - drums, bass, percussion, vocals, other instruments
For more details visit Facebook.

Avant-garde Norwegian group SHINING - whose unique "blackjazz" hybrid of extreme progressive metal, experimental jazz-fusion and industrial precision has earned extensive international acclaim - will release One One One, their first studio album in three years, on June 4th in Europe (excluding Norway), and on June 7th in Germany and Austria.

The band have released a live clip for a heavy cover of KING CRIMSON’s classic track, '21st Century Schizoid Man'.

Frontman and saxophonist Jørgen Munkeby comments: “In light of our upcoming show at Rockefeller this Friday, we wanted to post one of my favorite live clips filmed at that very venue in November 2010. I do love the original version of King Crimson’s '21st Century Schizoid Man', but I also love it when twisting classics around gives them a brand new face. I feel this is the best version we have done of the song until now. But we’ll try to surpass it this Friday! If you can’t come to our show in Oslo, Norway, this Friday, then check out the newly uploaded live clip. If you are in fact coming to our show, then check out the clip anyhow! It’s a pounding ending to one of the greatest concerts we ever played.”

The Blackjazz rendition of the Crimson classic can be watched in all it’s glorious 11 minutes below:
Shining recently released a video for 'I Won't Forget', the first single from One One One. It's science fiction-inspired look gels naturally with the futuristic production of the audio track and creates a music video that perfectly portrays the unique aesthetics of the Blackjazz Rebels.

“We are extremely happy and excited to finally be able to show you our new video," says Shining frontman Jørgen Munkeby. "The song 'I Won’t Forget' is my absolute favorite of all the tracks we’ve ever made, and to be able to top this track off with such a beautiful, crisp and clean science fiction video is a dream come true."

Director Kyrre Larsen, from the Blæst production company, comments: “Since I first heard Blackjazz, I've somehow associated the sound of Shining's music with science-fiction. I tried to create a sense of this in the video for 'Fisheye' in 2012. 'I Won't Forget' builds on that video, but I wanted to take things one step further - and also avoid the style of imagery usually associated with heavier music.”

Watch the video below:
The One One One album is available now for pre-order.
Mixed and co-produced by Sean Beaven (NIN, MARILYN MANSON, SLAYER) and mastered by Tom Baker at Precision Mastering (AVENGED SEVEFOLD, DEFTONES, MINISTRY), One One One sees Shining expanding on the musical palettes introduced on 2010's landmark Blackjazz. That album scored a Norwegian Grammy nomination, cracked the Norwegian Top 10 and saw the group tour around the globe, from high-profile US events like SXSW and CMJ to the large stages of European summer festivals. One such performance was captured on Live Blackjazz, an ambitious CD/DVD released on 11.11.11 that saw the group perform the album in full before a sold-out crowd in their home country.

Shining has already performed One One One live in its entirety in Norway, after which they were awarded the prestigious Statoil scholarship - essentially a grant to be used toward international touring. Accordingly, the band is already making plans to return to America, where their 2012 SXSW performance earned rave reviews.

It will be the latest step on an unorthodox career path that began with two acoustic jazz albums released at the turn of the century. From there, Shining began to incorporate progressive rock and experimental metal influences on their next two releases, after which they famously collaborated with progressive black metal Vikings ENSLAVED on a concerto commissioned by a top European jazz festival. That union helped to influence the musical direction of Blackjazz, which in turn begat One One One.
"While One One One is meant to complete the Blackjazz Trilogy, it's also definitely the catchiest and most immediate music we've ever recorded, thereby paving the way for another bright and brand new version of ourselves," says Shining frontman Jørgen Munkeby. "The idea this time around was to make a series of jazz-metal hits with no fillers, hence the name of the album, and I believe we've managed to do just that. I have never been as proud of an album as I am with this one."
One One One tracklisting:

'I Won't Forget'
'The One Inside'
'My Dying Drive'
'Off The Hook'
'Blackjazz Rebels'
'How Your Story Ends'
'The Hurting Game'
'Walk Away'
'Paint The Sky Black'

More on Shining at this location.

Finland's CONCRETE SWINE are streaming their new track, 'Thin Line', the opening track from their upcoming Brezhnev's Cocktail EP. Listen to 'Thin Line' below:
Brezhnev's Cocktail EP was recorded by Jani Loikas at Cursed Studio in Hyvinkää, Finland. Mixed by Paul Bento (TYPE O NEGATIVE, CARNIVORE) at Beak Owl Sound Studio in New York, and mastered by Maor Appelbaum (SEPULTURA, HALFORD, YNGWIE MALMSTEEN, ADRENALINE MOB, CATHEDRAL) in Los Angeles.

Brezhnev's Cocktail EP tracklisting:

'Thin Line'
'High Octane'
'River'
'Democrazy'
More on the band at this location.

Swedish sleaze/glam rockers SANCHEZ SWEDEN will release their new studio album via City Of Lights Records (a sub-label of Rock It Up Records).The still-untitled album will be released in spring 2014.

Sanchez Sweden was formed by ex-EMPIRE SAINT singer Josè Sanchez in 2007. In the same year, the band - also featuring drummer Martin Tilander, guitarist Mike Valley and bassist Clas Wikander released the self-titled debut album. They played a lot live shows with DEE SNIDER, PAUL DI’ANNO, WHITE LION and THE POODLES. In 2009 the EP, Nightride, was released, followed by the second album, Run The Streets (2011). After some lineup changes, Sanchez Sweden have started work on their new album.

As special-gift, the band gives their first album as a free download. Get it at this location.

Sanchez Sweden lineup:

Jose Sanchez - Vox
Nick D. Powers - Guitars
Simon Zee - Guitars
Frances Mancusso - Bass
Andy Ziegler - Drums

Check out their video for the track 'I'm In Love', below:
More on Sanchez Sweden at this location.

Chilean band SILVERJACK has released its third album Apostando A Ganador via Digmetalworld Records in the US. With this 3rd full length album the band is working its way to know more fans around the world. The band have announced a music video in the next few weeks.

Listen to the track ‘Disparo En Mi Cabeza’ below:

The album contains nine tracks and many guest musicians such as Claudio Cordero and Victor Escobar (ALTO VOLTAJE), Elias Jaramillo (LOS MUERTOS) and Rocardo Tampier (NO HAY TRATO), the art work was done by Roberto Jaras.

Apostando A Ganador tracklisting:

‘Apostando A Ganador’
'Disparo En Mi Cabeza’
‘Demonio Errante’
‘El Control’
‘Sin Dios Ni Ley’
‘Golden Ritz’
‘Retribucion’
‘El Ultimo Soldado’
‘Corazones Negros’

The album can be streamed in full at DigitalMetalWorld.com.

Following the release of their debut full-length Ascending To Red Heavens via Selfmadegod Records this winter, Chicago death metal horde TERMINATE has announced a pending change in the band’s lineup.

In a recent statement the band collectively reported: “We're sorry to announce the departure of our bassist, Alfred Mulle. There is no ill-will on either end and it is simply a matter of divergent life paths that forces the split. We wish him luck, and encourage everybody to check out his excellent graphic design work through his company Demonic Designs. Alfred's last show with us will be supporting WOLVHAMMER and GLORIOR BELLI in Chicago date on May 17th along with Chicago black metal assassins FIN. We will announce a replacement shortly.”

Terminate’s fatal death metal attack crushes with an energetic, distortion-laden rush of primal, guttural bliss fans of DISMEMBER, MORBUS CHRON, GRAVE, TRIBULATION and most high-quality/low-end Stockholm-influenced brutality will no doubt embrace. The debut album from Chicago-area deathbringers, Ascending To Red Heavens, features nine brutalizing tracks recorded at The Basement by Tim Pearson, and mixed/mastered by Tim Pearson at Do or Die Studio, and the cover illustrated by Raul Gonzalez (MASTER, MORBUS CHRON).

Terminate is currently on the road in the US supporting Ascending To Red Heavens.

April
24 – Lincoln, NE – Bourbon Theatre
26 – Denver, CO – Bar Bar
27 – Cheyenne, WY – Wolves Of Apocalypse Festival
28 – Boise, ID – The Shredder
29 – Seattle, WA – 2 Bit Saloon
30 – Portland, OR – Red Room

May
2 – Sacramento, CA – The Press Club
3 – Southgate, CA – American Legion Post #335
9 – Dallas, TX – The Phoenix Project
10 – Joplin, MO – Cesspool Castle
11 – St. Louis, MO – Cusumano’s
17 – Chicago, IL – Ultra Lounge

For more info visit Facebook.

Hailing from Los Angeles, metal veterans and friends have come together to form WORLDVIEW. The now band-mates had always talked about at some point joining forces as they crisscrossed the country on tour with their earlier bands and after years of talk they found the time to all get together in the studio and it all fell organically into place.

Although individually the members have put their share of studio and road miles under their leather belts, this is all just the beginning…rest assured the dichotomy within their sound will secure Worldview’s place within the metal and rock scene. Expect Worldview’s full length debut The Chosen Few later this year.

The band has released a new single ‘The Last Cry’ and can be heard below:

Get Band email for free at ReverbNation.com

Worldview is:
George Rene Ochoa (Deliverance, Recon) - guitars
Rey Parra (Sacred Warrior) – lead vocals
Mike Grato (Recon, Deliverance) – bass guitar
Johnny Gonzales (Recon) – drums
Eddie Starline Lopez (Recon) – guitars
Ronson Webster (Recon, BARREN CROSS) – keyboards
Todd Libby (Recon) – keyboards

For more info visit Facebook.

British progressive rock group THE PINEAPPLE THIEF have released a new video, for the track 'Someone Pull Me Out Of Here', featured on their latest album, All The Wars. The new clip can be seen below:
All The Wars was released in September, 2012 via Kscope. A limited, 2CD digibook edition is also available with bonus disc featuring exclusive acoustic versions of tracks from the album, plus a 2012 version of 'Light Up Your Eyes'.
The All The Wars tracklisting:

'Burning Pieces'
'Warm Seas'
'Last Man Standing'
'All The Wars'
'Build A World'
'Give It Back'
'Someone Pull Me Out'
'One More Step Away'
'Reaching Out'

Special Edition second disc (acoustic) tracklisting:

'Warm Seas'
'Reaching Out'
'Last Man Standing'
'One More Step Away'
'All The Wars'
'Every Last Moment'
'Someone Pull Me Out'
'Light Up Your Eyes'

The track 'Someone Pull Me Out Of Here' can be streamed below:
A teaser trailer, featuring a snippet of the track, 'Burning Pieces', can be seen below:
More on The Pineapple Thief at this location.

Southern California based metal band PREY ON THE FALLEN has a released a new single ‘Sherman’s March’. The single can be purchased via iTunes and CDBaby. The song is taken from their debut, self-titled CD and was recorded, mixed, and produced by the legendary Ryan Greene (MEGADETH, ALICE COOPER, CHEAP TRICK, JAY Z, USHER). Prey On The Fallen combines classic hard-rock roots with the creativity and energy of today’s contemporary metal. Their music is heavy and exciting with an abundance of groove and a touch of melody.

Check out ‘Sherman’s March’ below:

Formerly known as BLACKBREW, Prey On The Fallen was established in 2012 and consists of Kurt Loun (Lead Vocals), Daryl Hernandez (Guitar), Mark Bouras (Guitar), John Guy (Bass) and Mike Ikona (Drums/Percussion).

Check out an album sampler below:



For more info visit Facebook.

Serbian heavy/southern rockers THE SOUTHERN SOCIETY have released their new video, for the track 'We Don't Bleed', lifted from the band's 2012 debut album, Tales From A Southern Land. The new video can be seen below:
Also available is a new, high-res version of the previous video, for the track 'Burn Well'. Watch below:
The Southern Society lineup:

Tibor Szloboda - Vocals / Guitars
Endre Tolnai - Guitars
Sándor Dorogi Doki - Bass
Attila Német - Drums
More on the band here.

Game Over Cycles, the Polish company which specializes in the construction of custom motorcycles and vintage cars restoration, has announced a collaboration with the country's veteran extreme metallers BEHEMOTH.

Behemoth Bike, as the project is initially called, is a custom motorcycle inspired by and currently being created in collaboration with BEHEMOTH, and particularly the band's leader, Adam "Nergal" Darski. The bike is planned by the designers to be a powerful dark machine with exceptional technical parameters and unprecedented ornamentation.

Construction started in January 2013. Completion of construction is scheduled for May, with plans to unveil the bike during the Impact Festival on June 4 in Lotnisko, Warsaw, Poland.

Video footage of Nergal's first test ride of the Behemoth Bike can be seen below.

Former ANTHRAX singer Dan Nelson has launched a new Long Island, New York-based alternative rock band called HAWKS OF METROPOLIS. Joining Nelson in the group are drummer John Joseph Cina and bassist Dan "Shaggy" Hoffman.

The debut HAWKS OF METROPOLIS four-song EP is now available for streaming in its entirety using the Bandcamp player below.

The track listing for the effort is as follows:

01. Field Of Gray (03:17)
02. Empty Proverbs (06:17)
03. Imaginary Plane (03:13)
04. Silhouette Of The Broken (04:14)

HAWKS OF METROPOLIS is:

Dan Nelson - Lead Vocals, Guitar, Keyboards
John Joseph Cina - Drums, Percussion, Backing Vocals
Dan "Shaggy" Hoffman - Bass, Backing Vocals

Nelson last year settled a lawsuit he filed against ANTHRAX over the fallout from his departure from the veteran metal group. Details of the settlement were not made public.

Nelson, who was in ANTHRAX for nearly two years — from late 2007 until July 2009 — filed a lawsuit last November claiming that Charlie Benante (drums), Frank Bello (bass) and Scott Ian (guitar) falsely stated in "numerous interviews" that he had "abruptly resigned" after getting sick, forcing a cancelation of a tour. The $2.65-million suit also alleged that Benante told BLABBERMOUTH.NET that Nelson "was a bully."

The Long Island native said his ex-bandmates' "intentional defamation" has caused him a loss of income and damaged his reputation.

SONS OF SEASONS — the progressive/symphonic metal band led by keyboardist/guitarist Oliver Palotai (KAMELOT, DORO) — has parted ways with singer Henning Basse. The group states: "The musical and professional plans have been going into different directions since a while so that we finally made this decision in mutual agreement. We wish Henning good luck in the future and will begin working on the upcoming album these days."

SONS OF SEASONS' sophomore album, "Magnisphyricon", was released in April 2011 via Napalm Records. Palotai previously stated about the CD: "I guess many second albums mean a big step forward for most bands. We've also learned so much during the production of [SONS OF SEASONS' 2009 debut] 'Gods Of Vermin' and afterwards, and all this influenced the successor big time… The result is what we were aiming for: More than one hour of dark symphonic metal, strong melodies and a reflection of our artists' soul, what we are, what we've absorbed in the past two years, what we wanted to achieve."

According to a press release, SONS OF SEASONS "performs the difficult feat of balancing technical prowess with memorable melodies. The powerful and lively production completes the listening experience and gives the tracks their crystal-clear quality. 'Magnisphyricon' is a profound and multifaceted melodic symphonic metal album that will whisk you away to a breathtaking sound universe."

U.K. black metallers HECATE ENTHRONED have announced the addition of vocalist Elliot Beaver (AETERNUM) and drummer Gareth Hardy to the group's ranks. The band states: "This heralds a new start as well as a new lineup for the band."

A photo of HECATE ENTHRONED's new lineup can be seen below.

HECATE ENTHRONED has set "Virulent Rapture" as the title of its new album, tentatively due later this year. The band's bassist, Dylan Hughes, previously stated about the follow-up to 2004's "Redimus": "We had a more hands-on approach with the recording process of the last album 'Redimus' and after that, felt it was the way to go for us. We all have a lot of years experience behind us and know exactly how the band should sound and be able to create that on a release.

"The new material is very much guitar-driven, lots of heavy and fast riffs (tuned to C#), giving a relentless feeling to the tracks which we have tempered with a big orchestral sound. The choirs and orchestras have always been a big part of the sound with HECATE and that is very true with this material. In some parts, it recaptures some of the moods from the very early releases. Because of the fact we are recording ourselves, we aren't pressured too much by time constraints and can spend more time on getting the right sound and mix as we feel in the past we have had to sacrifice certain things to reach a recording deadline. Due to this, we will be taking longer than we have in the past but feel it will be worth it. And [we] also feel due to the strength of this material it deserves the time spent on it."

"The Science Of Noise", a brand new song from Swedish melodic death metallers DARK TRANQUILLITY, can be streamed in the YouTube clip below. The track comes off the band's tenth studio album, "Construct", which will be released on May 27 via Century Media Records. The CD was mixed by Jens Bogren (PARADISE LOST, OPETH, KATATONIA) at his Fascination Street studios in Örebro, Sweden.

DARK TRANQUILLITY filmed a music video for the song "Uniformity" on April 13 with Patric Ullaeus of Revolver Film Company, who has previously worked with DIMMU BORGIR, LACUNA COIL, IN FLAMES, SONIC SYNDICATE and KAMELOT, among others.

"Construct" track listing:

01. For Broken Words
02. The Science Of Noise
03. Uniformity
04. The Silence In Between
05. Apathetic
06. What Only You Know
07. Endtime Hearts
08. State Of Trust
09. Weight Of The End
10. None Becoming
11. Immemorial (U.S. bonus track)
12. Photon Dreams (U.S. bonus track)

Commented the band: "The selected few people that so far have been granted the privilege of hearing the full album are uniformingly convinced that 'Construct' is the strongest and most exciting DARK TRANQUILLITY album in a long time, and who are we to disagree? While still bearing the unmistakable mark of the DARK TRANQUILLITY, the record is probably our most different and diverse offering since 1999's 'Projector'. For now, we're pleased to share the tracklist, trailer and sleeve design with you, but the first musical preview will appear in the near future."

DARK TRANQUILLITY recently amicably parted ways with bassist Daniel Antonsson. According to the band, "Daniel wanted to focus on his own musical projects as well as working more in his recording studio. Being first and foremost a guitarist, he felt that the playing bass in a full-time band didn't allow him much time for his main instrument and true passion. With this in mind, he chose to follow his heart and step aside at this point instead of committing to another album and an intense touring cycle that would leave little room for other activities."

Austin, Texas-based classic rock sensation SCORPION CHILD have revealed the artwork and track listing of their forthcoming self-titled album.

"Scorpion Child" will be released on June 21 via Nuclear Blast Entertainment, the new U.S. partnership between Nuclear Blast owner Markus Staiger and former Roadrunner Records A&R chief Monte Conner. Produced and arranged by Chris "Frenchie" Smith (THE ANSWER, ...AND YOU WILL KNOW US BY THE TRAIL OF DEAD, THE TOADIES, DAX RIGGS), the CD was recorded using analog recording technology.

The limited CD digipack, vinyl, digital download versions of "Scorpion Child" include the following songs:

01. Kings Highway
02. Polygon Of Eyes
03. The Secret Spot
04. Salvation Slave
05. Liquor
06. Antioch
07. In The Arms Of Ecstasy
08. Paradigm
09. Red Blood (The River Flows)

Bonus track:

10. Keep Goin' (LUCIFER'S FRIEND cover)
11. Lover's Leap (iTunes version only!)

Attributes in music are known to be cyclical. Every few years, a band comes along which borrows just enough from the revered past to bring a new infusion of vitality to the musical present. SCORPION CHILD's sound invokes a time when guitar-driven rock ruled radio's airwaves, when being hypnotized by a frontman and his bandmates in a concert arena was one of life's ultimate main events.

SCORPION CHILD has spent the last few years perfecting both its songwriting and stage show. Guitarists Chris Cowart and David Finner deliver their finessed twin guitar attack with experience older than their years; bassist Shaun Avants and drummer Shawn Alvear are steadfast sentinels of their driving rhythm section; and lead singer Aryn Jonathan Black fronts the psychedelic rock cavalry with a passion and voice reminiscent of the early eras of Robert Plant and Ronnie James Dio.

"I've always wanted to hear new musical ingredients within a classic heavy sound," states Aryn Jonathan Black. "It’s great to witness captivating performances where both the live show and the band’s recorded material can complement one another. The heavy-prog sounds of URIAH HEEP, HAIRY CHAPTER, and the epic delivery of early RAINBOW showcases these crossovers brilliantly and gave us all honest — yet relentless — sonics to aspire to. That's why it’s important for us as a band to maintain spontaneity while putting a special emphasis into integral hooks."

The lyric video for "Polygon Of Eyes" can be seen below.

Swedish death metallers HYPOCRISY have been forced to cancel their previously announced North American tour due to reasons beyond their control. The bandmembers had received their visa approvals and everything was going as scheduled until the embassy let them know that the earliest they could pick up their visas, get them stamped and so on, wasn't until late June at the earliest. A regular procedure that would normally take just a few days to sort takes much longer at the moment due to that current workload Homeland Security is experiencing.

"As we were getting ready to go get our visas stamped and ready for the tour we were informed that the earliest we could go initially was sometime in July," explains HYPOCRISY guitarist/vocalist Peter Tägtgren. "We then immediately continued to call them, got the label to help with some letters, and put our lawyer to work etc. The best that got us was an appointment in late June.

"This is a HUGE blow to us, to our fans and everyone who has supported HYPOCRISY in North America.

"Sometimes there are battles you can't win, and this is one of them. We will be back, I can promise that!”

The trek was also set to feature Brazilian brothers in death KRISIUN, Belgian gore-grinders ABORTED, and technical-melodic-death-masters ARSIS, as well as AUTUMN'S END and STARKILL on select shows. The tour will continue as previously scheduled at this time minus HYPOCRISY and ABORTED.

HYPOCRISY's latest album, "End Of Disclosure", was released in Europe on March 22 via Nuclear Blast Records. The CD was produced by Tägtgren at his Abyss Studio in Sweden. The artwork was created by Wes Benscoter (SLAYER, KREATOR, NILE, VADER).

HYPOCRISY's "Hell Over Sofia - 20 Years Of Chaos And Confusion" DVD/CD was released in October 2011 via Nuclear Blast. The disc contains footage of the band's February 27, 2010 concert at the Blue Box club in Sofia, Bulgaria.

Finnish metallers CHILDREN OF BODOM have released the first song from their eighth album, "Halo Of Blood", via iTunes.

Pre-order the CD (including the bonus track and digital booklet) now and get the single "Transference" instantly.

Comments CHILDREN OF BODOM guitarist/vocalist Alexi Laiho: "'Transference' is a straight-up CHILDREN OF BODOM to-the-core-type song and therefore was a good pick for a video and obviously is one of our favorite tracks. It always had an evil vibe to it, which I wish I knew how to explain because it still gives me chills… Enjoy!"

"Halo Of Blood" will be released on June 11 in North America via Nuclear Blast Records. The cover art was created by Sami Saramäki, who was responsible for the artwork on previous CHILDREN OF BODOM albums "Follow The Reaper", "Are You Dead Yet?" and "Hate Crew Deathroll".

CHILDREN OF BODOM's new CD was recorded at Danger Johnny Studios in Helsinki. For the recording of the LP, CHILDREN OF BODOM has teamed up with recording engineer Mikko Karmila, who worked with the band on their fan-favorite albums "Hatebreeder", "Follow The Reaper" and "Hate Crew Deathroll", as well as Swedish producer Peter Tägtgren (MARDUK, AMON AMARTH), who oversaw production of both vocals and keyboards on the record. The album was mixed at Finnvox Studios in Helsinki.

Commented Laiho: "'Halo Of Blood' is the eighth studio album from CHILDREN OF BODOM, and believe it or not, but we still managed to keep it fresh and new while still maintaining the elements that make COB sound recognizable. It's got the fastest and the slowest song we ever made and lyrics wise there are themes we had never had before. It's 10 new songs of pure Nordic metal and whether you enjoy it with a beer or a glass of water, I'm sure you will have a good time."

"Halo Of Blood" track listing:

01. Waste Of Skin
02. Halo Of Blood
03. Scream For Silence
04. Transference
05. Bodom Blue Moon (The Second Coming)
06. The Days Are Numbered
07. Dead Man's Hand On You
08. Damage Beyond Repair
09. All Twisted
10. One Bottle And A Knee Deep

"Spectrum Of Eternity", the new video from Swedish metallers SOILWORK, can be seen below. The song comes off the band's ninth studio and first dual-disc album, "The Living Infinite", which sold around 7,800 copies in the United States in its first week of release to enter The Billboard 200 chart at position No. 60. The effort also landed at No. 11 on the Independent Albums chart, and No. 2 on the Hard Music chart. "The Living Infinite" entered the iTunes Metal Top Albums chart at No. 1 and was the No. 1 most added album on the CMJ radio chart.

SOILWORK's 2010 album, "The Panic Broadcast", sold around 5,300 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 88 on The Billboard 200 chart.

The band's 2007 CD, "Sworn to a Great Divide", opened with 5,000 units to land at No. 148.

"The Living Infinite" was produced by Jens Bogren (OPETH, AMON AMARTH, BLOODBATH) and boasts artwork by MNEMIC's Mircea Gabriel Eftemie. The CD features Justin Sullivan — lead singer of the English band NEW MODEL ARMY — as a guest vocalist on the track "The Windswept Mercy" and also marks the recording debut of longtime SOILWORK touring guitarist David Andersson (also of THE NIGHT FLIGHT ORCHESTRA).

Guitar legend Zakk Wylde, the man who turned heavy metal touring into a journey of fantastical excess with his band BLACK LABEL SOCIETY and as lead guitarist for OZZY OSBOURNE for over 20 years, shares what really goes on behind bus windows and stage doors in the paperback edition of his book, "Bringing Metal To The Children: The Complete Berzerker's Guide To World Tour Domination". The book, which was released on April 9 through William Morrow, was co-written by New York Times bestselling author Eric Hendrikx.

Beginning with Wylde's "True Rocker Test," "Bringing Metal To The Children" goes on to tell stories of wild nights on the road with some of the biggest names in metal like Ozzy Osbourne, Rob Zombie, Slash and "Dimebag" Darrell Abbott, coaches metal lovers about tour hygiene on the road, and covers both pre-show and post-show etiquette. The book also features Wylde's tales from the record business, a look at his recording studio, and world tour survival techniques.

In support of the release, Wylde has embarked a string of West Coast acoustic performances beginning April 21 in San Francisco, and ending May 1 in San Juan Capistrano, California.

Fan-filmed video footage of the San Francisco concert from the "Book Tour Of Doom" can be seen below.

Remaining Zakk Wylde acoustic dates:

April 26 - Modesto, CA - Fat Cat
April 27 - Las Vegas, NV - Hard Rock Hotel
April 28 - Scottsdale, AZ - Pub Rock
April 30 - San Diego, CA - Belly Up
May 01 - San Juan Capistrano, CA - Coach House

Norwegian psychedelic quartet SAHG, which specializes in doom-infused '70s rock, will release a brand new album in October via Indie Recordings. The CD's first single, "Firechild", is available for streaming in the YouTube clip below.

SAHG's new CD was recorded at Duper studio in Bergen, Norway.

SAHG's third album, "Sahg III", came out on August 30, 2010 through Indie.

SAHG is:

Olav Iversen - Vocals/Guitar
Tony Vetaas - Bass
Thomas Tofthagen - Guitar
Thomas Lønnheim - Drums

Legendary Swedish guitarist Yngwie Malmsteen has just released his autobiography entitled "Relentless: The Memoir" via Wiley.

A one-minute promotional video for the book can be seen below.

How does a kid from Sweden make his way to America at the tender age of eighteen and, within a month, have people lining up to hear him play guitar? Where did he get those chops? How did he develop his singular style of playing? And what happened next?

In "Relentless", Malmsteen relives the greatest and worst moments of his storied career as one of the most admired, talked about, and emulated guitarists in the world — from how he managed to buy his first Strat and assemble his first wall of Marshall amps to the truth behind the title of his 2005 "Unleash The Fury" album and beyond.

At the center of Yngwie's story is his lifelong rebellion against the conventions and restrictions of the Sweden in which he was raised. "Don't stand out," he was told when he dreamed of being a professional musician. "That won't work," he was warned when he wanted to play loud or little-known songs. His entire musical career has been a proclamation that he will stand out, and it will work.

That determination drove the fourteen-year-old Yngwie to make his now legendary "Powerhouse" demo tape, the recording that later caught the ear of Shrapnel Records' Mike Varney, who brought Yngwie to America in 1982. It drove Yngwie to become the de facto leader of two already existing bands before launching a solo career just eighteen months later. It also drove him to act out in sometimes bizarre ways and develop a reputation as a mercurial, perhaps unstable, personality.

Yngwie recounts these incidents with neither pride nor apology, but with a great deal of color. And he gets into the seedy and unscrupulous side of rock and roll, revealing how managers, record companies, and others ripped him off, before his wife, April, rescued both him and his business.

Musicians will be drawn to Yngwie's descriptions of how he composed his greatest songs and his overall approach to composition and to band dynamics. He writes with admiration about musicians, from DEEP PURPLE's Ritchie Blackmore to nineteenth-century violinist and composer Niccolò Paganini, who influenced his playing and the development of his unique neoclassical-metal style.

Whether you're a total metal freak, an aspiring musician, or someone who just loves a pull-out-all-the-stops rock-and-roll biography, you will read "Relentless" relentlessly from first page to last.

The 288-page book is available for order via Amazon.

Advance praise for "Relentless":

Slash: "Yngwie literally blew my mind when he came on the L.A. music scene in the early '80s. the fastest andmost articulate, fluid, melodic, classical based rock guitarist I'd ever heard. Still the best at what he does all these years later."

Steve Vai: "When Yngwie Malmsteen hit the scene in the early '80s, it was as if a monolith appeared. He was playing electric rock guitar in a way that seemed completely unearthly and had to be seen to be believed. His tone was pristine and powerful, his vibrato, intonation and control was stunning, His harmonic and melodic sensibilities were unique, his emotional investment in his melodies was captivating, and his sheer speed and technical command of the instrument was utterly breathtaking to the point of frightening for some. He absolutely set a standard of virtuosity on the instrument that has yet to be matched. He was a breath of visceral fresh air that inspired the movement of a whole new subculture of music. He was always unequivocally and unquestionably dedicated to his passions and delivered without any excuses. And since then, the bastard has just been getting better!"

"I have had the good fortune of knowing him for the past 25 years and have stood next to him on stage many times. It always felt as though I was standing next to a mountain, solid, giant and forever.

"A few things about Yngwie that some may not know is that he is remarkably intelligent and has a fiery sense of humor that delivers on par with his musical gifts."

Joe Satriani: "Yngwie Malmsteen loves to play guitar, and he's really good at it. I know this from personal experience. I've stood right next to him on many a stage, shoulder to shoulder, trading solos, celebrating our influences, taking chances, playfully testing each others limits and putting on a great show for our fans. At the end of every performance I was sure of two things: Yngwie is an amazing guitarist, and that there is only one Yngwie Malmsteen. Let's face it, every guitarist wishes they could do what he does with those six strings and a pick, but what he does is not only super human, it is undeniably unique and original too. There are imitators, some with equal proficiency, but none that can match the heart and the confidence behind his virtuosity.

"The last time we played together was at Marshall's 50th-anniversary concert at Wembley Arena in London on September 22nd, 2012, and I think it was the best I'd ever heard him play. Yes, he's getting better! I was on stage just behind the curtain warming up with my guitar as I listened to Yngwie enthrall the audience with his impeccable and furious technique. But it's his passion for music that really lights everyone up in the audience up. It's the fire burning in those hands that make every note scream. He puts all of who he is, no excuses, no apologies, into every note and every sound he makes on his guitar.

"There is only one Yngwie Malmsteen."

On October 1, 2012, music journalist Anders Tengner's unauthorized biography of Malmsteen, "Såsom I Himmelen, Så Ock På Jorden" (English translation: "As Above, So Below") was released in Sweden via Bokfabriken. The 350-page book is based on more than 50 interviews with people who were really close to Yngwie during his life. It gives a unique and sensitive insight into the raging life of the guitar god. It is a tribute to the biggest Swedish rock star ever, but a tribute that doesn't ignore the hard and crazy times.

"Såsom I Himmelen, Så Ock På Jorden" contains 64 pictures taken by some of the world's greatest rock photographers, as well as unique and private photos.

According to a press release, "This is probably as close as you can get to Yngwie: The loneliness, passion, betrayals, scandals, domestic abuse, drugs, sex and, of course, the music that make up his life."

The book's foreword was written by legendary hard rock singer Joe Lynn Turner (RAINBOW, DEEP PURPLE), who previously played with Malmsteen.

The English-language version of "Såsom I Himmelen, Så Ock På Jorden" (English translation: "As Above, So Below") will be released soon worldwide digitally.

Fan-filmed video footage of Norwegian progressive/psychedelic black metallers ENSLAVED performing on March 19 at Corporation in Sheffield, United Kingdom can be seen below.

ENSLAVED's twelfth studio album, "RIITIIR", sold around 2,300 copies in the United States in its first week of release. The CD landed at position No. 8 on the Top New Artist Albums (Heatseekers) chart, which lists the best-selling albums by new and developing artists, defined as those who have never appeared in the Top 100 of The Billboard 200.

ENSLAVED's previous album, "Axioma Ethica Odini", opened with 1,400 units back in September 2010 to debut at No. 16 on the Top New Artist Albums chart.

Founded in 2007 and officially kicked off in 2008 by METALLICA, Record Store Day takes place on the third Saturday of every April and brings together artists and independently owned record stores around the world to celebrate the art of music. Special vinyl and CD releases and various promotional products are made exclusively for the day and sold in independent stores.

For a list of participating retail outlets, visit www.recordstoreday.com.

A video recap of HELLOWEEN's "Hellish Rock Tour Part II" with GAMMA RAY and SHADOWSIDE, which concluded on April 21 in Schwandorf, Germany, can be seen below.

HELLOWEEN will embark on a 10-date North American tour this fall. The band will travel across the U.S. and Canada this September and October, bringing their power hooks and catchy melodies to fans who have yearned to see them since their 2008 tour with GAMMA RAY.

Tickets are now on sale at EnterTheVault.com.

HELLOWEEN's new album, "Straight Out Of Hell", sold around 4,100 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 97 on The Billboard 200 chart. The CD entered the Media Control chart in Germany at position No. 4 — the highest chart position in the band's history. It also landed at No. 4 in Finland and No. 2 on the international album chart in Japan.

"Straight Out Of Hell" was released in Europe on January 18 and in North America on January 22. The cover artwork for the CD was once again created by Martin Häusler, who previously worked with the band on the "7 Sinners" and "Gambling With The Devil" CDs.

"Straight Out Of Hell" was produced by Charlie Bauerfeind, who also worked on "7 Sinners", and sees the five musicians maintaining a rawer edge throughout, working quickly in the studio (MiSueno Studio in Tenerife) and delivering 13 brand new compositions that, in the words of founding member, guitarist Michael Weikath, will "kick even the laziest listener's ass!"

"Life Sentence", the new album from the legendary NWOBHM (New Wave Of British Heavy Metal) band SATAN, can be streamed in its entirety at Terrorizer.com. The CD , which is also available for listening using the SoundCloud widget below, will be released on April 29 in Europe and May 21 in the U.S. via Listenable Records. The cover artwork for the effort was drawn by Eliran Kantor (TESTAMENT, HATEBREED, SODOM) and depicts a similar graphic concept as that of the band's debut album, "Court In The Act", originally issued 30 years ago.

"Life Sentence" was mixed by Dario Mollo, who is part of TONY MARTIN'S HEADLESS CROSS touring project and has worked with numerous artists as a producer and engineer, including SKYCLAD, ANATHEMA, CRADLE OF FILTH, LACUNA COIL, Tony Martin and Glenn Hughes. The CD was recorded September-November 2012 at First Avenue Studios in Newcastle, England and was mixed and mastered by Mollo at Damage Inc. Studio in Italy.

"We're really happy to have Dario on board to mix the album," SATAN said in a statement. "We've already had a few tracks back and they sound amazing. We wanted to capture the energy the band produce when playing live and we've done just that."

"Life Sentence" track listing:

01. Time To Die
02. Twenty Twenty Five
03. Cenotaph
04. Siege Mentality
05. Incantations
06. Testimony
07. Tears Of Blood
08. Life Sentence
09. Personal Demons
10. Another Universe

The songs deal with the following topics: injustice, impending death, reincarnation, atonement, third-world politics, and biblical retribution.

"Life Sentence" is the culmination of a process that began when the original "Court In The Act" lineup got together for an exclusive "one-off" reunion show at Germany's Keep It True festival in 2011 in what marked their first performance together in 28 years. The band was somewhat overwhelmed with the response — 10 minutes into headliners CRIMSON GLORY's set, the crowd could still be heard chanting, "Satan! Satan!" The SATAN bandmembers immediately booked more shows in Germany, Holland, Belgium and London, and have since kept in close contact with each other, writing songs and making demos.

The recording lineup for "Life Sentence" is the same as that on "Court In The Act":

Brian Ross (vocals)
Steve Ramsey (guitar)
Russ Tippins (guitar)
Graeme English (bass)
Sean Taylor (drums)

SATAN will perform at the Wings Of Metal festival, set to take place August 30-31 at Katacombes in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. This special event will mark SATAN's first appearance in North America.

For more information, visit www.wingsofmetal.com.

SATAN is one of the most important groups that emerged in the early NWOBHM era. Their unique mixture of heavy and power metal spirit with thrash riffage brought a handful of unforgettable tunes and revolutionized heavy music as we know it.

"Court in the Act" was SATAN's debut release and was considered a true milestone at the time of its release (1983). The songs were melodic, but at the same time very aggressive. The band's two guitarists, Russ Tippins and Steve Ramsey, delivered a truly amazing performance; although their styles were completely different, they managed to perfectly complement each other's playing and introduced a handful of timeless riffs and solos.

A digipack reissue of "Court In The Act" was made available in November 2008 featuring three bonus tracks.

TWISTED SISTER guitarist Eddie Ojeda launched his Cherry Habanero hot sauce at last weekend's (April 20-21) first annual New York City Hot Sauce Expo in Williamsburg.

For more information, visit OjedaSauces.com.

Other musicians who have their own lines of condiments include AEROSMITH guitarist Joe Perry, ex-VAN HALEN bassist Michael Anthony, GUNS N' ROSES axeman Ron "Bumblefoot" Thal and BLACK LABEL SOCIETY mainman Zakk Wylde.

Ojeda has spent the last few years working on his second solo album, tentatively titled "Pick A Window, You're Leaving".

Ojeda's 2006 solo CD, "Axes 2 Axes", was made available on vinyl for the first time via Steel Legacy and Rockaholics Records. 500 hand-numbered copies of the LP were made (250 in black with pink bits configuration and 250 in a reddish/pink tint).