While waiting for the release of their brand new studio album in 2013, Quebec metal band SUDDENFLAMES and Unicorn Digital is presenting a remastered digipak edition of the album, Death Might Be Late.
SuddenFlames is a heavy / power metal band from Quebec City. The sound of SuddenFlames is influenced by traditional power metal bands like GAMMA RAY, HELLOWEEN and HAMMERFALL. The members of the band are big fans of old school metal like IRON MAIDEN and JUDAS PRIEST and one can hear it. Melodies and musical structure are typically European but with a strong American thrash sound

The digipack collectors edition can be ordered at this location.

Guitarist Lars Eric Mattsson (BOOK OF REFLECTIONS, MATTSSON - pictured below) has officially been confirmed as a special guest on Songs Of Future Past, the all star debut album from the band BORDONI, featuring Andrew Bordoni on guitar, Scott Stevenson on keys, Shawn Sommer on bass and Tom Hipskind on drums.
Mattsson is joining AYREON mastermind Arjen Anthony Luccassen, SHREDDING THE ENVELOPE guitarist Dave Reffett and many other amazing names to be confirmed soon.

Songs Of Future Past will be an entirely instrumental album with elements of progressive rock and metal with a focus on melody, song writing and without lacking some incredible moments of shreddery.

Guitarist Andrew Bordoni said: “Think of it as a combination of Toto on steroids with elements of Satriani, Vai, Pink Floyd and Dream Theater but within it’s own unique voice and style."
The album will be released in March/April and is available for pre-order at Andrewbordoni.com.

CAMP FREDDY - featuring Dave Navarro and Chris Chaney of JANE'S ADDICTION, Matt Sorum from GUNS N' ROSES, Billy Morrison of THE CULT, and Donovan Leitch - performed at The Roxy in Hollywood on December 20th, 21st and 22nd, 2012. On Friday night (21st) the band were joined by ZZ TOP's Billy Gibbons, DEF LEPPARD's Vivian Campbell and SEBASTIAN BACH.
Bach has checked in with an update:

"Yes, someone got it! 'Mountain Song' is my favourite song I have ever done with Camp Freddy (next to 'Whole Lotta Love' once, but that was special). To do ''Mountain Song' with Dave and Chris from Jane's Addiction was mindblowing! I really got off on this jam!! The JOURNEY tune sounds pretty cool too!"

Check out the footage Bach is stoked about below:

"Confessions", the sixth studio album from Californian rockers BUCKCHERRY, is due on February 13. The disc will be BUCKCHERRY's first domestic release with new label Century Media Records. The CD will be made available via Eleven Seven Music in other parts of the world.

According to the Dropping The Needle podcast, the Japanese edition of "Confessions" will include two bonus tracks: "Wherever I Go" (from "Avengers Assemble") and a live version of "Rescue Me". The domestic deluxe edition will contain the bonus cuts "Give 'Em What They Want" and "When The Fire Starts" as well as a DVD featuring the newly released "Gluttony" music video, "On The Set: Gluttony Video Shoot", "The Story Behind Confessions" and the original "Gluttony" lyric video.

All configurations of the album will include the following track listing:

01. Gluttony
02. Wrath
03. Nothing Left But Tears
04. The Truth
05. Greed
06. Water
07. Seven Ways To Die
08. Air
09. Sloth
10. Pride
11. Envy
12. Lust
13. Dreamin' Of You

The "Gluttony" video can be seen below. The clip was shot in November in Los Angeles, with the band putting out an open casting call for fans to appear in the video.

"It's just about trying to control your behavior," BUCKCHERRY singer Josh Todd tells Loudwire about "Gluttony". "They always say that you have to do everything in moderation and that's never been my experience. One is okay, two is better, three is fantastic and four is the best. I want to consume everything, I want to go big or go home. I'm either on 11 or I'm asleep."

He continued: "That's my problem, that's my struggle, trying to moderate — that's what 'Gluttony' is about. It's like, 'I want it, I need it, I love it' and everything that feels good to me, I want to overdo it. It's just who I am and I don't understand why I can't do it."

"Confessions" is a loose concept album that revolves around the notion of the seven deadly sins and is inspired by events in Todd's childhood.

Todd has helped co-write a short film that will come out alater in the year and expand upon the record's themes. It's not clear yet how the film will be distributed.

Todd said that "Confessions" is "definitely a heavier, musically, record than we've ever had, and more melodic. It's pretty intense, but everybody's gonna love it. It's quintessential BUCKCHERRY at the end of the day."

The band will join KID ROCK as special guests on his upcoming "Rebel Soul" tour, beginning February 2 in Kansas City, Missouri.

BARONESS have released a live montage for the song, 'March To The Sea'. The clip, filmed by Jimmy Hubbard, also features candid backstage footage filmed during the band's 2012 tour.

"So here is another video for everyone out there!" shared guitarist Pete Adams. "This was filmed while we were on tour with MESHUGGAH in the Spring of 2012. Some of you may recognize the footage from several of those shows and the 'Take My Bones Away' video as well. We were excited to be back out as it had been since December of 2010 when we had our last tour before taking time off to write Yellow & Green. You can see from the video we were happy to be back on the road. We're happy now to have this video to share with you all. Enjoy."
Stay tuned for more Baroness news.

Tilburg, Holland-based thrash / death metal act THE NEW DOMINION, featuring PESTILENCE drummer Yuma Van Eekelen, have unveiled a teaser for their forthcoming second album, Procreating The Undivine.
Says the band: "While still being in negotiation with several suitable labels, we at least want you all to have a glimpse on the devastation that's looming ahead. A small gift from us to you and there will be more soon. Hurl yourselves in the midst of violence...Insanity knows no boundaries! Rate it, like it and share this necrotic pearl of death until your fingers bleed."

Check out the teaser below:
Procreating The Undivine tracklisting:
'Saliva'
'Perverted To Perfection'
'Atonement Of Species'
'Ommatidea'
'The Eclectic Splitting Of Tongues'
'Matriarch Asphyxia'
'Slaves Of Ablaze'
'Trancending The Blood'
'Deceased Empires Of Flesh'
'Down To The Osiris Flood'

Guests on Procreating The Undivine include bassist Robin Zielhorst (ex-CYNIC, EXIVIOUS) and vocals from Niels Adams (PROSTITUTE DISFIGUREMENT, CENTURIAN).

More on the band at this location.

In November 2011, the British band ARENA visited Poland as part of the tour promoting their new album The Seventh Degree Of Separation. The album opened a new chapter in the history of the band led since 1995 by two acclaimed musicians: Clive Nolan (PENDRAGON, CAAMORA, SHADOWLAND) and Mick Pointer (ex-MARILLION). The new material was recorded with a new singer, Paul Manzi (OLIVER WAKEMAN BAND), the bassist John Jowitt, who returned to the band’s line-up after a several year break, and the guitarist John Mitchell.

On November, 10th Arena played a show in Silesian Theatre in Katowice which for once more became the most important place for prog-rock fans. The show was enthusiastically received by Arena’s fans. The band performed their brand new songs ('The Great Escape', 'The Seventh Degree Of Separation', 'Rapture', 'One Last Au Renoir', 'The Ghost Walks', 'What If?', 'Burning Down') as well as a selection of songs from their previous albums (including 'The Visitor', 'Solomon', 'Crying For Help VII', 'Ascension'). The concert at the theatre was also special because Arena recorded their brand new live DVD there. And today the band reveal its title – Rapture.

The Rapture DVD will be released by Metal Mind Productions on March 25th in Europe and April 9th in USA (via MVD). Full details to be announced soon.

You can view the photos from the Theatre here.

New York, NY thrash legends COLDSTEEL have announced they will release their new EP America Idle on February 20th via Stormspell Records.

The album will be available as a digital download through iTunes, Amazon, CDbaby and other online music retailers. The CD version and 12" Vinyl LP (Limited to 1,000 units) will be available through Stormspell Records, ColdSteelNY.com, and CD Baby. A 12" vinyl picture disc (Limited to 200 units) will also be available exclusively throughwww.coldsteelny.com.

According to a press release: “Conceptually, America Idle expresses current societal anxiety and proclaims an anthem to rouse the unbreakable spirit of America.”

The title track off the album can be heard below:
The title track will be released as a digital download on January 20th through iTunes, Amazon, CD Baby and other online music retailers.
Tracklisting for America Idle is below:

‘America Idle’
‘Blood Secrets’
‘You Lose’
‘Blink Of An Eye’
‘Ashes To Ashes’

Polish prog-rockers OSADA VIDA will release their new album Particles on March 25th in Europe via Metal Mind Productions and April 9th in USA via MVD.

Cover art for the album was created by the band's keyboardist Rafał "r6" Paluszek

Paluszek commented: "It took us a long time before we figured out how to approach the subject of the front cover. We decided to make it minimalist and simple. Frankly, we had enough of excessively elaborate, gloomy imagery which you can see everywhere. Who said rock music goes only with gloomy artwork? As usual, we decided to go against the dominating trend. And I think it's for the best because there's a lot of light and space in those graphics, and there's also a couple of symbols whose meaning we leave for our listeners to interpret. We really wanted to show all the changes we've gone through. We've become a quintet and our music keeps evolving. A lot has changed since the release of Uninvited Dreams in 2009. Osada's somewhere else now, though the most important things and values remain, fortunately. I hope you'll hear all the things I'm talking about when you listen to our album."

Check the cover art out below:
Osada Vida lineup:
Marek Majewski - vocal
?ukasz Lisiak - bass
Rafa? Paluszek - keyboards
Bartek Bereska - guitars
Adam Podzimski - drums

BOLT THROWER will release a picture disc of their album, Those Once Loyal, on February, 1st/4th via Metal Blade Records. The picture disc will be strictly limited to 500 copies.
Bolt Thrower are scheduled to perform at Tuska Open Air, on June 28th in Helsinki, Finland.
Bolt Thrower is:

Karl Willetts – vocals
Barry Thomson – guitars
Gavin Ward – guitars
Jo Bench – bass
Martin Kearns – drums

Brutal Western Canadian death metallers XUL have posted a lyric video for their track 'Mastication Of Putrescent Empyrean Remains', from their debut full length, Malignance. Check out the video below:
XUL are offering Malignance as a free download as they work on their follow up EP.

If you're a fan of BEHEMOTH, DISSECTION and IMMORTAL this is one album not to be missed as the band forges their brand of blackened death metal. Malignance features eight tracks of crushing rhythms seamlessly coalescing into atmospheric passages, accompanied by punishing percussion waves and subtle vocal harmonies.

Free download at this location.

XUL vocalist Levi Meyers comments: "We are excited to offer our debut album, Malignance, for free (or by pay what you want donation) to our fans as a token of our appreciation for the endless support they offer us. We are currently writing an EP, which will be due out sometime in 2013."
Malignance tracklisting:

'Battlestorm'
'Mastication Of Putrescent Empyrean Remains'
'Porta Noctis'
'Vengeance'
'Winter’s Reign'
'Hordes Of Black'
'Incinerate The Earth'
'Tomb Of Tyrants'
XUL lineup:

Bill Ferguson (Vocals/Guitar)
Wallace Huffman (Guitar)
Marlow Deiter (Bass)
Lowell Winters (Drums)
Levi Meyers (Vocals)

More on XUL at this location.

German doomsters AHAB have updated their tour schedule for 2013 with shows in Germany and a one-off gig in Moscow, Russia. Dates can be found below:
February
15 - Jena, Germany - Rosenkeller
16 - Leipzig, Germany - Winterfest Evil 2013

March
2 - Heidelberg, Germany - Altes E-Werk Neckargemünd

April
13 - Moscow, Russia - Depressivefest

July
6 - Torgau, Germany - In Flammen Open Air

August
24 - Wörrstadt bei Mainz, Germany - Neuborn Open Air

For event information and ticket links click here.

Ahab released their latest album, The Giant, on May 25th, 2012 via Napalm Records. The tracklisting is as follows:

‘Further South’
‘Aeons Elapse’
‘Deliverance (Shouting At The Dead)’
‘Antarctica The Polymorphess’
‘Fathoms Deep Below’
‘The Giant’

Digipak And Vinyl Bonus Track: ‘Time's Like Molten Lead’
Vinyl-Only Bonus Track: ‘Evening Star’

The song 'Deliverance (Shouting At The Dead)' is now available for streaming below. More on Ahab at this location.

Israeli/American outfit SUBTERRANEAN MASQUERADE, which features in its ranks Paul Kuhr of NOVEMBERS DOOM on vocals, has set "Home" as the title of its new EP, to be released in March.

Eight years after the release of SUBTERRANEAN MASQUERADE's acclaimed album "Suspended Animation Dreams", "Home" features two tracks: the new title cut and a cover version for THE MISSION UK's "Beyond the Pale". The effort was recorded at various studios around the world with a lineup that included drummer Mathan Shmuely of ORPHANED LAND, bassist Mike Feldman of NOVEMBERS DOOM, and Arabic orchestra, featuring violins, oud, bazuki and lyra. According to a press release, the EP contains "lots of vintage keyboards and the band's heaviest guitar parts ever."

Says SUBTERRANEAN MASQUERADE songwriter and mastermind Tomer Pink: "We got so excited while writing this long-due follow-up that we decided to release a two-track EP as a teaser for the album. This is gonna blow people's minds!"

"Home" was mixed and mastered by Dan Swanö (EDGE OF SANITY, BLOODBATH, NIGHTINGALE) at Unisound studios in Örebro, Sweden.

The EP will be released only on seven-inch vinyl for now and will be available to pre-order directly from the band. It is limited to 300 copies only —100 transparent orange and 200 regular black. The artwork was created by longtime collaborator Travis Smith (OPETH, KATATONIA).

SUBTERRANEAN MASQUERADE plans to enter the studio later this year to record a new full-length album.

Australian heavy metal warlords RAVEN BLACK NIGHT will release their Metal Blade debut, Barbarian Winter, on February 19th. The album artwork can be seen below:
Barbarian Winter tracklisting:

'Fire In Your Eyes'
'Morbid Gladiator'
'Mystery Woman'
'Fallen Angel'
'Black Queen'
'If You Choose The Dark'
'Warriors Call'
'Barbarian Winter'
'Changes'
'Lips Of desire'
'Nocturnal Birth'
'Angel With A Broken Wing'

Listen to 'Morbid Gladiator' below:
Raven Black Night formed in 1999 in Adelaide, Australia to start their campaign to bring their traditional metal sound to a worldwide audience. After numerous gigs throughout their home country they recorded and released their debut album Choose The Dark in 2005. Choose The Dark garnered praise throughout Australia and Europe, culminating into an invitation in 2007 to perform at the 10th annual Headbangers Open Air in Germany. Several years of touring and festival appearances were to follow where Raven Black Night played the Hard and Heavy summer nights, the Hamburg Ballroom, and more dates throughout Australia.

Raven Black Night mainmen Jim and Rino are prepared to take the band's sound of true metal/doom to a global audience. A new partnership with Metal Blade Records and a new album will firmly put Raven Black Night on the world map of true heavy metal.
More on Raven Black Night at this location.

"I Don't Apologize (1000 Pictures)", the new video from Las Vegas rockers OTHERWISE, can be seen below. The song is a heartbreak anthem that most anyone who's had a difficult break can relate to. The track comes off of the band's debut album, "True Love Never Dies", which has sold nearly 30,000 copies in the United States to date.

"I Don't Apologize (1000 Pictures)" has already sold over 10,000 singles and is currently No. 22 at Active Rock Radio.

OTHERWISE was also selected to open this year's MMA Awards Show with a performance of their hit single, "Soldiers". The program will air on the Fox Sports Network this Sunday, January 20 at 9:00 p.m. local time. "Soldiers" was the first song by an unsigned artist to ever occupy the No. 1 spot on the Sirius Octane channel and has sold nearly 100,000 singles to date.

With vigorous touring all throughout 2012, OTHERWISE continues on with a heavy schedule into this year. Kicking off this weekend, OTHERWISE will hit the road with STONE SOUR and PAPA ROACH on a U.S. tour. The band is already confirmed for a number of festivals this year, so fans are encouraged to be on the lookout for updates and announcements.

"Murder For The Masses", a new song from Swedish death metallers OVERTORTURE, can be streamed using the SoundCloud player below. The track comes off the band's debut album, "At The End The Dead Await", which will be released on January 25 via Apostasy Records. The CD was mixed and mastered by Ola Englund (SIX FEET UNDER, FEARED) and features cover artwork by Gustav Germann of GugerArt. The layout was handled by Seiya Ogino of Ensamvarg Design. The band states, "You're in for a lethal injection of some heavy Swedish death metal with both brutality and melody!"

"At The End The Dead Await" track listing:

01. Black Shrouds Of Dementia
02. Murder For The Masses
03. Slaves To The Atom
04. The Outer Limits
05. Targets
06. The Strain
07. The Coming Doom
08. Towards The Within
09. Suffer As One
10. At the End The Dead Await

OVERTORTURE was formed in 2011 by Magnus Martinsson, Joel Fornbrant, Fredrik Widigs and Jonas Torndal, known from bands like GRAVE, COLDWORKER and WITCHERY, with the mission to deliver new, fresh, groovy and pure crushing death metal.

OVERTORTURE is:

Joel Fornbrant (COLDWORKER) - Vocals
Magnus Martinsson (ex-GRAVE, ex-INSISION) - Guitar
Andreas Hemmander - Guitar
Jonas Torndal (ex-GRAVE) - Bass
Fredrik Widigs (THE UGLY, session WITCHERY) - Drums

Spanish thrashers TOXOVIBORA will release their debut album, "Primer Ataque" (First Attack), on February 18 in Spain and March 1 in the rest of Europe via Art Gates. The cover artwork is an adaptation of the graphic designer Lemut and was selected to represent the ancestral fear of the man, the snake. The futuristic influences are linked to the concept of the new wave of metal music.

According to a press release, "Primer Ataque" "is a combination of the legendary thrash metal sounds of the '90 and modern influences such as the groove."

"Primer Ataque" track listing:

01. Sois Un Fraude
02. High School Massacre
03. Fanático
04. Muerte En Directo
05. Víctima 63
06. Crudo
07. Promesas Del Este
08. El Día Del Juicio

Commented the band: "In our opinion, we reflected perfectly the sound that characterizes the band, a strong base, addictive and sharp guitar riffs, combined with a raw voice that spits conscious lyrics."

The CD was recorded at La Guarida De Kreggor Studios in Hellín, Albacete by Pablo Alcazar.

Bay Area thrashers TAUNTED will release their third full-length studio recording, titled 9 Sins, in early 2013; an exact release date is still pending. Earlier today the band revealed the cover art:



The album features a special appearance from drummer Larry Howe of American power metal band VICIOUS RUMORS.

9 Sins features the following nine songs:

'7 Colors'
'Laceration'
'Chaos Theory'
'Dead Doll'
'Room 237'
'Tower Of Hellions'
'Sinner’s Language'
'Written In The Flames'
'Taunted 2'

The new CD was tracked at Fang Studios in San Mateo, CA and Trident Studios in Pacheco, CA (MACHINE HEAD, TESTAMENT, EXODUS) and was mixed/mastered by Juan Urteaga at Trident. Produced by Joey Genoni and Taunted.

Wanderer on the Continent of Saplings is the second album by Canada's THRAWSUNBLAT, due for release in early 2013. Frontman/founder Joel Violette has posted a new video update, which can be viewed below:
The tracklist for Wanderer on the Continent of Saplings is as follows:

'Lifelore Revelation'
'Once Fireveined'
'We, The Torchbearers'
'Goose River (Mourners' March)'
'Bones in the Undertow'
'Wanderer on the Continent of Saplings'
'Maritime Shores'
'View of a Million Trees'
'Borea (Pyre of a Thousand Pine)'
'Elegy Across the Silence'
'Song of the Nihilist'
'I Am the Viator'
Thrawsunblat is the brainchild of Joel Violette, former guitarist for WOODS OF YPRES. He has reprised his role as songwriter, vocalist, and guitarist for the album, and enlisted Rae Amitay and Brendan Hayter to handle drums and bass respectively. The pair was chosen to complete the Woods of Ypres line-up for the band's European tour in support of Woods 5: Grey Skies And Electric Light. Unfortunately, the tragic passing of David Gold put an end to those plans, but drummer Rae Amitay says, "Thrawsunblat II is an incredibly special way for the three of us to create music together. It's an amazing project, and I'm honoured that Joel has chosen us to be a part of it."

Thrawsunblat II was recorded in July and August, in studios in both Canada and the United States. The band hopes to release both physical copies and digital downloads of the album in January of 2013.

The band's first official release - the Canada 2010 "demo" - is still available via BandCamp.com. Go to this location to check out audio samples and to purchase.

The tracklist is as follows:

'Black Sky'
'Set Us Ablaze'
'Misted Shores'
'Slake the Earth'
'Through the Ice'
'Fire Still Burns'
'She, Arboreal'
'Vastland'

Long-running German metallers HELLOWEEN have been offering up track-by-track commentary of their entire new album each day for the past 13 days. Straight Out Of Hell, is due for release in North America on January 22nd.
The decscription for the bonus track 'Another Shot Of Life' is below:
The 13th track description, for the song 'Church Breaks Down' is below:
The 12th track description, for the song 'Make Fire Catch The Fly' is below:
The 11th track description, for 'Years' can be seen below:
The tenth track description, for the song 'Asshole' is below:
The ninth track description, for the title track 'Straight Out Of Hell', is below:
The eighth track description, for 'Wanna Be God' - dedicated to late QUEEN singer Freddie Mercury is below:
The seventh track description, for 'Hold Me In Your Arms', is below:
The sixth track description, for 'Waiting For The Thunder', is below:
The fifth track description, for 'Burning Sun', is below:
The fourth track description, for 'Far From The Stars', is below:
Check out the third track description, 'Live Now!', below:
The track description for 'World Of War' is below:
Check out the first track description, 'Nabataea', below:
Helloween recently released the official video for the first single from Straight Out Of Hell. The six-minute opus for 'Nabataea' develops on several levels, including 3-D animation at motion picture level. The legendary kingdom Nabataea provides the atmospherically dense reference for the strong first release from Helloween’s new album. Check it out below:
Helloween have documented how this future could look like, or rather sound like, on Straight Out Of Hell. It’s a work full of speed and toughness, with optimism and great joy of playing, featuring complex arrangements, strong hooks and plenty of catchy melodies. Or, to let the facts speak for themself: 13 mostly fast-paced songs that turn out to be impressively multi-layered and will completely delight all Helloween fans, due to the different songwriters Andi Deris, founding members Michael Weikath and Markus Grosskopf, and guitarist Sascha Gerstner.
Weikath: “Straight Out Of Hell is the consequent development of the two albums before. 7 Sinners was recorded more or less in the wake of Gambling With The Devil, while the new songs are a continuation of the 7 Sinners directives, only a little less doom bound and noticeably more positive. These songs will kick even the laziest listener’s ass.”

Helloween’s guitarist is referring to tracks such as 'Make Fire Catch The Fly', 'Far From the Stars', 'Church Breaks Down', the title track (written by bass player Markus Grosskopf), and the straightforward 'Years' – all of them racing through the terrain at full speed. In addition, there is the complex and passionate 'Burning Sun' by Michael Weikath, which Deris refers to short and sweet as “one of Weik’s highspeed masterpieces” (the limited edition will feature a special Hammond version in memory of DEEP PURPLE’s recently deceased organ player JON LORD). 'World Of War' by Sascha Gerstner convinces with thrashy guitar riffs, demonstrating Helloween’s impressive virtuosity.

Deris: “What’s so special about this band, is the fact that we were always allowed to do anything we wanted, or – even if we allegedly weren't – did it anyway. Even the at the time slightly tabooed The Dark Ride initially earned us negative reviews, but ended up with multiple Gold Awards. That’s the kind of freedom you feel on Straight Out Of Hell as well – we didn't let anybody or anything put pressure on us.”
But Helloween wouldn't be Helloween if Straight Out Of Hell would not feature the band’s other, slightly more groovy side as well. With 'Waiting For The Thunder' Deris has – in his own words – contributed “a rock song reminding of the old PINK CREAM 69 tunes”. Gerstner lets off steam on 'Asshole' and complements the album with “Hold Me In Your Arms”, a wonderful ballad, providing the desired antithesis to the otherwise extremely energetic record. Speaking of energy: the determination that has always been an integral part of the Helloween camp was captured perfectly by their producer Charlie Bauerfeind at the band’s own MiSueno studio in Tenerife. Bauerfeind consciously created a raw sound, keeping the edge of Helloween’s new songs and working without computer-controlled devices.

“With a world-class drummer like Dani Löble in the studio you don’t need click tracks or computer support”, Markus Grosskopf praises his drummer. “Thanks to Dani, the whole album breathes pure authenticity, which distinguishes Straight Out Of Hell from lots of other artists’ productions. In addition, the new album sounds more compact and homogeneous than 7 Sinners has, and is one of the fastest releases in Helloween’s history.”

Also, there are significant differences in a number of topics Helloween tackle on Straight Out Of Hell. The best example of the ability to think outside the box of pure metal cliché is their first single release 'Nabataea', which Helloween’s singer wrote during a holiday. The song is about the legendary kingdom, located in today’s Middle Eastern region, where the first real democracy existed over 3000 years ago. The secret Nabataean city Petra, hidden behind a cliff scenery and only discovered at the beginning of the 20th century, is the origin of many myths and legends.

Deris: “We took the liberty to tell this exciting culture’s whole story, although the song therefore lasts more than seven minutes. Truth be told, if there had been more to tell, the track would have been even longer.”
Straight Out Of Hell tracklisting:

'Nabataea'
'World Of War'
'Live Now!'
'Far From The Stars'
'Burning Sun'
'Waiting For The Thunder'
'Hold Me In Your Arms'
'Wanna Be God'
'Straight Out Of Hell'
'Asshole'
'Years'
'Make Fire Catch The Fly'
'Church Breaks Down'

Limited Edition bonus tracks:

'Another Shot Of Life'
'Burning Sun' (Hammond version) - dedicated to Jon Lord

Audio samples from the entire album (clocking in at nearly a half hour!) can be heard on SoubndCloud at this location.

Poland's progressive rockers RIVERSIDE will release their new and fifth album, Shrine Of New Generation Slaves on February 5th via InsideOut Music. The first video for the track 'Celebrity Touch' can be viewed below:
Shrine Of New Generation Slaves tracklisting:
'New Generation Slave'
'The Depth of Self-Delusion'
'Celebrity Touch'
'We Got Used To Us'
'Feel Like Falling'
'Deprived (Irretrievably Lost Imagination)'
'Escalator Shrine'
'Coda'

Riverside comments, "The lyrics on the new album deal with different situations we face in our modern times and how we sometimes become enslaved by them and by the style of life they dictate. For instance, we are dominated and bombarded by increasingly stupefying media. The media, in turn, is dominated by more and more people who are known for their well-knownness... Celebrities, the modern representatives of a need which lies deep within us all and is rarely satisfied - the feeling of importance. This feeling, and some of the dilemmas and complications connected with it, is the subject of our newest single - 'Celebrity Touch'. Musically, we still try to extend the bridge to connect the new music to the old. In this track, we achieved some kind of original mixture and hope you will enjoy this piece of the new album."
Shrine Of New Generation Slaves was recorded at Serakos Studio in Warsaw, Poland, with Magda Srzednicka and Robert Srzednicki; the album offers nearly an hour of classic Riverside music.

Italy’s KLOGR have released their new video, for the track 'King Of Unknown', the first single from the band's new EP, Till You Turn, out later this month.

Watch the clip below:
Klogr lineup:

Rusty - Vocals, Guitars
Nicola Briganti - Guitars
Todd Allen - Bass
Filippo De Pietri - Drums
More on Klogr at this location.

Kiss your loved ones goodbye, turn around one last time and burn down the bridges to your old life. No one can join you on this way. No one but this very special band from Norway who deliver the finest soundtrack to your very own apocalypse ever since they started playing in 1999. More than once, the music for your dying world, the symphony of your self-destruction came from ZEROMANCER. Now, they are finally back. And sound more intense, more stricken and determined than they did in a long time.

First a double strike, then the big hush: After “Sinners International” and “The Death Of Romance” were released with barely a year between these two masterpieces, Norway's Electro Rock connoisseurs vanished from view. Except for their unforgettable live appearances, the ZEROMANCER camp fell silent, a whole three years had to pass until a new album was finally born. “Bye-Bye Borderline” is its name – and sounds like a perfect embodiment of the title: Melancholic, bipolar, in one moment brimful with positive energy, in another falling into a bottomless depth. Sure, pleasure and pain share the same bed. Yet, nobody knew until now they were really that close: With the trained eye for pain and sorrow that made hymns like “My Little Tragedy” to milestones of melancholy in recent years, ZEROMANCER advance with new determination, armed to the teeth with the biggest of emotions. Love, hate, desperation or sacrifice are not only empty words for ZEROMANCER, but razor-sharp songs for the next breakdown. Electro Rock mysticism in the purest sense of the word – sensual, highly erotic and altogether much too dangerous.

Songs like “Auf Wiedersehen Boy”, the big closing monument “Tortured Artist” or the biting title track prove just how much anger and bitterness piled up in the last three years. They drag a raw Industrial Rock edge back into the ZEROMANCER sound that finally stands for all things dark, infamous and forbidden again. But ZEROMANCER are more than that: The slow-motion serenade of self-destruction called “Manoeuvres” would even stir emotions in a rotten heart. Ambivalent, layered, passionate and abysmal is the guise of “Bye-Bye Borderline” – beginning with the title itself. Do ZEROMANCER sing about healing or disease? About life or death? “Ash Wednesday” certainly is on death's side, although hope seeps through some of the wonderful melodies like the sun through thick clouds. Dance, cry, hush or hope – no matter what it is: ZEROMANCER have just the right music for it. More intimate, more intense Electro Rock has yet to be invented.

French industrial/ambient/black metal band SPEKTR is to release a new album, entitled Cypher, on February 5th in Europe, February 19th in North America, via Agonia Records.

Cypher is an experimental black metal album, recorded entirely without vocals except sampling. The album introduces industrial and ambient elements and as a whole should be considered as a strongly psychedelic release; it produces a feeling, as if the mind of the listener, dragged into the music, were unable of concentrate itself or were experiencing a powerful hallucinogen effect.

The album will be made available on CD, vinyl and digital download.
Cypher tracklisting:

'Hermetism'
'Teratology'
'The Singularity'
'Solitude'
'Antimatter'
'Solve Et Coagula'
'Cypher'
'Decorporation'
'Le Vitriol du Philosophe'

Check out an album preview below:

Denver, Colorado-based blackened doom nihilists PRIMITIVE MAN - featuring within their ranks current and formers members of CLINGING TO THE TREES OF A FOREST FIRE, REPROACHER and DEATH OF SELF - are preparing to unleash the forbidden fruit of their debut full-length. Recorded by Dave Otero at Flatline Audio (CEPHALIC CARNAGE, CATHETER, COBALT, etc), the fittingly dubbed Scorn finds Primitive Man commemorating a slow-roasted apocalypse through seven asphyxiating odes of hatred, disease and despair.

Scorn will be issued on 12” vinyl on January 31st via Throatruiner/Mordgrimm Records.
Scorn tracklisting:

'Scorn'
'Rags'
'I Can't Forget'
'Antietam'
'Black Smoke'
'Stretched Thin'
'Astral Sleep'

The album is streaming below:

Scorn by Primitive Man

Primitive Man are primed to bring their audio filth to a stage near you this year. Preliminary dates can be found below. Further live actions to be announced in the weeks to follow.

Tour dates:

January
31 - Larimer Lounge - Denver, CO (with Fuck The Facts, Call Of The Void)

February
1 - Forum 619 - Cheyenne, WY (with Fuck The Facts, Call Of The Void)
7 - TBA - Pueblo, CO
8 - The War Room - El Paso, TX
10 - TBA - Albuquerque, NM

Dutch/Norwegian metallers IMPERIA, led by singer Helena Iren Michaelsen, will release a digital compilation, entitled Queen Of Passion, on March 15th via Massacre Records. Queen Of Passion will feature 11 tracks, including one song that hasn’t been available for download before.
Queen Of Passion tracklisting:

'Mirror'
'Braveheart'
'Broken Wings'
'Facing Reality'
'The Calling'
'Secret Passion'
'Fragile'
'Let Down'
'Violence'
'Like Rain'
'Mistress'

Audio samples for all tracks are online at this location.
More on Imperia at this location.

Rock and roll "history" was made on January 14 as filmmaker J.R. Getches shot the first- ever dramatic portrayal footage of late AC/DC frontman Bon Scott, starring U.S. actor/singer Rob Liotti, in Charleston, South Carolina. This initial scene will serve as a teaser film and prelude to the upcoming trailer now greenlit and in pre-production. "Bon Scott - The Legend of AC/DC" was originally reported upon in August of 2012 and garnered viral worldwide attention.

Russell Cotter of High Voltage Productions Pty. and an Australian said: "The Bon Scott movie has got legs! Rob has worked tirelessly to get the movie off the ground and it has traction.

"More than 30 years after the death of AC/DC's legendary frontman, Rob has promoted the legacy of Bon Scott, the man, and has been able to pull together the story, the people, and the logistics of what will soon become a landmark movie. Fans around the world will finally get to see what they have long waited for."

A confidential meeting was held in mid-November 2012 to solidify commencement of filming and involved key staff as well as key principal role actors. Also noteworthy is the fact that an agreement has been reached with Charleston Sound Studio, LLC in neighboring Mount Pleasant, South Carolina where the trailer's theme song will be recorded. Owner and chief engineer Jeff Hodges has been tasked with capturing the all-important track. The studio has been utilized by stars such as multi-platinum artist Darius Rucker and noted Nashville producer Frank Rogers.

While there has been much speculation over the casting of roles within the project, radio interviews with the film's star (both in Australia and the United States) have given indication that some preliminary casting has been accomplished for the trailer. It has been learned that besides the principal role Liotti holds as Bon Scott, the roles of Malcolm Young, Angus Young, Mark Evans, Phil Rudd and Margaret "Silver" Smith have been cast thus far. In preparation for shooting, the film's star took on a serious physical regimen dropping some 40 lbs. in preparation for the role.

Director J.R. Getches added: "The story of Bon Scott is a classical tragedy. He travelled across the world, made his mark, and then died too young. He was a misfit who found his place in rock music and became immortal pursuing his dream. This is a story worth telling."

The associate production company High Voltage Productions Pty. is seeking an independent production house and is said to be waiting for the right fit and vision. But they have pledged that the film's trailer will serve as a vehicle for fundraising and an instrument to give visual perpetuity to the investment interests at-large, as well as the public.

For more information, visit www.thebonscottmovie.com.

Photo credit: J.R. Getches