"Bruane Brenn", a brand new song from acclaimed Norwegian rockers KVELERTAK, was premiered yesterday (Tuesday, January 8) on BBC Radio 1's "Rock Show" with Daniel P. Carter and can now be streamed at this location (skip to 27:30 mark). The track comes off the band's sophomore album, "Meir", which will be released in March via Sony Music Scandinavia. The CD was recorded late summer/early fall at Godcity studios in Salem, Massachusetts with producer Kurt Ballou (CONVERGE).

KVELERTAK's previous label, Indie Recordings, which will release "Meir" on vinyl, said in a statement: "We congratulate the boys in KVELERTAK on their signing to Sony Music Scandinavia. It was a natural step for the band to sign to a major label at this point. We are so proud to have been a big part of their journey and helped to build them up to where they're at now! We are looking forward to keep on working with KVELERTAK on their vinyl releases in the future!"

"Meir" track listing:

01. Åpenbaring
02. Spring Fra Livet
03. Trepan
04. Bruane Brenn
05. Evig Vandrar
06. Snilepisk
07. Månelyst
08. Nekrokosmos
09. Undertro
10. Tordenbrak
11. Kvelertak

Professionally filmed video footage of KVELERTAK performing the new song "Spring Fra Livet" in November 2012 on the Norwegian TV show "Lydverket" can be seen below.

KVELERTAK recently completed a U.S tour alongside CONVERGE and TORCHE.

Featuring iconic artwork by John Dyer Baizley (BARONESS, KYLESA), KVELERTAK's self-titled 2010 debut album — which was certified gold in the band's home country — has earned the band extensive worldwide acclaim, with Kerrang! going so far as to call the sextet "the best Norwegian band since A-HA." The album, which features vocals entirely in the band's native language, recieved 9/10 ratings from Metal Hammer, Decibel and Rock Hard magazines and earned the group an invitation to perform a live session on BBC Radio 1.

Oslo, Norway's ALTAAR will release its new, self-titled album on February 26 in Europe (four days earlier in Germany and Austria) via Indie Recordings.

A teaser for the CD can be seen below.

ALTAAR is an exceptional outlet with an avant-garde approach to the musical expression by attacking conventional doom metal (CORRUPTED, BLACK SABBATH, NORTT) with references stemming from the classic psychedelic era (LES FLEUR DE LYS, CAPTAIN BEEFHEART, PINK FLOYD).

The journey began back in 2007. After the dissolution of JR EWING, Andreas Tylden (also known from ONE TAIL, ONE HEAD) established the solo-project ALTAAR. In the shadows of Vår Frelsers graveyard in Oslo, the cassette "Dødsønske" was recorded. The result was a brooding mixture of black metal, doom, noise, ambient and drone.

"I had the need to create music with a broad emotional register, to break from the conventions of earlier methods I used to employ," says Tylden.

Soon after, the art-academy graduate and noise-musician Sten Ove Toft (RYFYLKE, FAUX PAS) was initiated into the project and the second pressing of "Dødsønske" was released on Toft's label Roggbif. The international community started to take note, and both pressings sold out in a matter of days.

2009 saw the band once again adding new members to the fold in the shape of Espen T. Hangård (KILLL, NOPLACETOHIDE), Kenneth Lamond (JR EWING) and Didrik Telle (OBLITERATION). In the proceeding months, the quintet toured the U.S. and Europe, performed a commissioned piece at the Henie Onstad Art Museum. as well as showcased their music at respected festivals such as SXSW, Øya, Incubate and by:Larm. Due to the bands backgrounds in metal, punk/hardcore, noise and indie, ALTAAR's live shows became an almost ritualistic experience. With concerts played either in perpetual darkness, stages bathed in candlelight or illuminated by projections of handpicked films, the results drew the audience into a place where they had to acquiesce, or react. Which made the music all the more poignant and central.

Helsinki, Finland-based metallers OCTOBER FALLS will release their fourth album, "The Plague Of A Coming Age", on March 15 on CD and vinyl via Debemur Morti Productions. According to a press release, the CD sees "the band continu[ing] to explore its exquisitely sonorous world, deeply melancholic, subtly aggressive and always divinely melodic." Once again, Mikko Lehto gathered gifted musicians around him for the recording: Marko Tarvonen (MOONSORROW) on drums and Sami Hinkka (ENSIFERUM) on bass. A very special guest contributed clean vocals on two songs: Tomi Joutsen (AMORPHIS). The visual art was imagined and painted by talented Argentinian artist Santiago Caruso.

"The Plague Of A Coming Age" track listing:

01. At the Edge Of An Empty Horizon
02. Bloodlines
03. The Verge Of Oblivion
04. Snakes Of The Old World
05. The Plague Of A Coming Age
06. Mouth Of A Nation's Harlots
07. Boiling Heart Of The North
08. The Weight Of The Fallen
09. Below The Soils

The song "Snakes Of The Old World" is available for streaming using the SoundCloud player below.

"New Dynamic", a brand new song from Finnish melodic death metallers OMNIUM GATHERUM, can be streamed in the YouTube clip below. The track comes off the band's new album, "Beyond", which will be released on February 25 in Europe and March 5 in North America via Lifeforce Records. The CD was recorded by Teemu Aalto and mixed and mastered once again by Dan Swanö. The artwork for the follow-up to 2011's "New World Shadows" was created by Olli Lappalainen and can be seen below.

"Beyond" track listing:

01. Luoto
02. New Dynamic
03. In The Rim
04. Nightwalkers
05. Formidable
06. The Sonic Sign
07. Who Could Say
08. The Unknowing
09. Living In Me
10. White Palace

According to Petri Silas of Finland's Soundi magazine, the special edition of "Beyond" will contain the band's brand new cover version of "Subdivisions" by RUSH. OMNIUM GATHERUM guitarist Markus Vanhala told the magazine: "As pretty much everyone in the band is a fan of RUSH, we decided to take the bull by the horns and make or own bold 'Omnification' of 'Subdivisions'. Besides, Metal Hammer wrote already at the time of our debut album that if OPETH are the PINK FLOYD of this scene, then OMNIUM are likely to turn into RUSH at the very least. It was time to pick up the gauntlet!"

Regarding the musical and lyrical direction of "Beyond", Vanhala previously stated: "It's now been approximately 10 years since our debut full-length album, 'Spirits And August Light', was released and the world was waiting. The latest 2011 album, 'New World Shadows', was a good breakthrough for us and lots of good things happened after that record, so, of course, we had some pressures to do a decent successor for that great record as the world was waiting again.

"Well, I think we managed on mastering that task and now we're back again with the OMNIUM GATHERUM's sixth album called 'Beyond', the album that is really going beyond all limits of melodic death metal from the winter wonderland! The album follows the good known path of 'New World Shadows' and 'The Redshift', but adds a lot of new flavors and spices to the good ol' melting pot to lift the band to a new heights. It's our most melodic and versatile album so far, but at the same time, it still holds for example the most brutal death metal growls in our career yet as also some really tasteful clean vocals between the lines. I'm sure everyone who gives the album many spins can find something new with every turn, so this should be a album that hold up the sands of time and rewards the listeners who are digging deeper and searching something more than just a one hit wonders of the day!

"Lyrically told, 'Beyond' is about the culmination point of one's existence. It is a coming-home story where the mysteries of duality are melted into oneness but without losing one single point of individuality along the arrival.

"As you can see from the cover, there's also a strong sense of sea on the album, as we're the sons of the sea from Kotka!"

OMNIUM GATHERUM recently announced the addition of bassist Erkki Silvennoinen to the group's ranks.

"New World Shadows" entered the official chart in Finland at position No. 5. This marked the highest chart entry in the group's history, having previously landed at No. 24 with 2008's "The Redshift" and No. 31 with 2007's "Stuck Here On Snakes Way".

Canada's KEN MODE has inked a deal with Season Of Mist. The band's new album, "Entrench", was recorded with producer Matt Bayles (MASTODON, THE SWORD) and will be released on March 19.

Commented the band: "KEN MODE is proud to be forming an alliance with a label with as heavy hitting and as creatively diverse a roster as Season Of Mist. As (mostly) Canadians, we are excited to take this opportunity to put our 9th-grade-level French skills to use, particularly in our communications with the Season Of Mist head office. We are also excited to visit the Season Of Mist U.S. headquarters in Philadelphia where no doubt the staff will present us with the most extravagantly cheesed Philly cheesesteak sandwiches. As newly anointed cultural treasures of Canada, we look forward to the awards and accolades we are no doubt to receive through our international partnership with Season Of Mist."

The group added: "The only logical way to follow up on the success of our previous album, 'Venerable', was to put our noses to the grindstone and top that record in every way possible. With 'Entrench', we are convinced we have accomplished this. 'Entrench' is our most collaborative effort, and the most creative and sonically diverse album of our entire career. 'Entrench' sees us expand in both our handling of dynamics and general song and album craftsmanship; utilizing piano, keyboards, and strings to build on the classic power trio format. For this album, we have also enlisted guest vocal contributions from Dave Verellen (NARROWS, ex-BOTCH) and former DEADGUY/KISS IT GOODBYE vocalist Tim Singer. Both of them add another layer of icing to the metallic-hardcore-noise-rock-whatever-core cake we've baked."

"Entrench" track listing:

01. Counter Culture Complex
02. No; I'm in Control
03. Your Heartwarming Story Makes Me Sick
04. The Terror Pulse
05. The Promises of God
06. Romeo Must Never Know
07. Secret Vasectomy
08. Figure Your Life Out
09. Daeodon
10. Why Don't You Just Quit?
11. Monomyth

KEN MODE will embark on a tour with TODAY IS THE DAY, BLACK TUSK and FIGHT AMP in early March.

KEN MODE was honored in the "Metal/Hard Music Album Of The Year" category at last year's Juno Awards (the Canadian equivalent of the Grammy Awards), which was held in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada on March 26 - April 1, 2012.

KEN MODE is a name synonymous with the Canadian hardcore and metal scenes. The band has effortlessly blended Amphetamine Reptile-styled noise rock with pure hardcore fury to become one of the Canada's most crushing acts. In the process, it has built a reputation for itself through its unique brand of metallic noise rock as well as touring with musical titans such as MASTODON, PELICAN, CURSED, PROPAGHANDI, BARONESS and more.

KEN MODE's "Venerable" was released in March 2011 via Profound Lore Records. The CD was produced by Kurt Ballou (CONVERGE, TRAP THEM, TORCHE) at Godcity Studios and was mastered by Alan Douches at West West Side.

Photo below courtesy of KEN MODE's Facebook page

Five years after the oppressive and bleak "A Disease For The Ages", Irish death/doom metal band MOURNING BELOVETH returns with its new album, "Formless", on February 22 via Grau Music. The CD will be released as a double-CD and double-LP.

Recorded with Chris Fielding in Foel Studios, "Formless" "sees the band return on top of their game," according to a press release. "The organic, heavy production lends an almost eerie calm to proceedings and yet has some of the bleakest acoustic passages ever heard. From the haunting opener, 'Theories Of Old Bones', through the epic 'Ethics On The Precipice' to the five-minute bile-filled 'Old Rope', MOURNING BELOVETH definitely know their strengths but this time round have worked on their weaknesses and in so doing have created an album that is challenging and yet remains forever rooted in the doom/death genre. Lyrically dealing with the inner turmoil each and every one of us go through, dealing with a world of poison, insanity and nightmares, and yet scrapes at the surface of reality, a reality that nobody is sure of anymore. It is a journey from the cold sweating centre of the skull to the scratching edges of a murky world where every human element is boiled away. A world where nobody seems to listen anymore, where all we seem to live for is pleasure, where all we will be remembered for is what we destroyed. These are brutal times."

"Formless" track listing:

Disc 1

01. Theories of Old Bones
02. Ethics on the Precipice
03. Old Rope
04. Dead Channel
05. Nothing Has a Centre

Disc 2

01. Transmissions

"Formless" marks the recording debut of new MOURNING BELOVETH guitarist Pauric.

MOURNING BELOVETH will perform its 2002 album, "The Sullen Sulcus", in its entirety at this year's edition of the Roadburn festival in Tilburg, The Netherlands.

According to Polskie Radio, BEHEMOTH frontman Adam "Nergal" Darski faces a second trial on charges he insulted religious sentiment when he called the Catholic Church "the most murderous cult on the planet" during the band's September 2007 performance in Gdynia and tore up a copy of the Bible, calling it "a book of lies."

A district court in Gdansk Tuesday overruled an earlier judgment that Darski was expressing artistic freedom during the concert.

Video footage of today's ruling can be seen below.

The European Commission last fall said that Poland's prosecution of Darski for "blasphemy" is against European values.

In a statement released last October, it said that "national blasphemy laws are a matter for the domestic legal order of the member states."

It cited the European Convention Of Human Rights, a Poland-signatory treaty attached to the Strasbourg-based rights watchdog, the Council of Europe, on freedom of expression.

"This right protects not only information or ideas that are favorably received or regarded as inoffensive or as a matter of indifference, but also those that offend, shock or disturb," the commission said.

Back in August 2011, a Polish judge ruled that Darski's ripping up of a Bible during a show was a form of artistic expression consistent with the style of his band.

Judge Krzysztof Wieckowski said he considered Darski's actions "a form of art." He added that the court had no intention of limiting freedom of expression or the right to criticize religion.

The court said audience members who testified said their religious feelings had not been hurt despite the fact they were Christians.

The crime carries a maximum sentence of two years in jail.

After the 2007 incident, Nowak sued BEHEMOTH for promoting Satanism. Although a court expert witness on religious matters said that the act of destroying the Holy Bible could offend somebody's religious feelings, the case was discontinued because no one except Ryszard Nowak, chairman of the privately run Nationwide Defence Committee Against Sects, accused BEHEMOTH of insulting their religious beliefs. (Under Polish law, there must be at least two formal complaints before a charge is laid. The previous complaint was made in 2008, and recently an unspecified number of other complaints had been filed.)

In a 2009 interview with Decibel magazine, BEHEMOTH bassist Tomasz "Orion" Wróblewski explained that the Bible-tearing incident was by no means a spontaneous outburst. "We'd been doing that for two years on tour before it happened in Poland," he said. "So, we had discussed it many times before. A BEHEMOTH show is a BEHEMOTH show, and BEHEMOTH fans are coming to a BEHEMOTH show. BEHEMOTH fans know what BEHEMOTH is about, know what the lyrics are about, and know at least a little of the philosophy behind the band. So, it's kind of surprising that there are people coming to the shows and feeling offended with what we do onstage. If such a person comes to a show, he comes with the purpose of being offended, I guess, and it shouldn't be like that. We're not offending any particular person. We're just offending the religion that we've been raised in."

Video footage of today's court ruling:

Swedish death metallers DESPITE have recruited Peter Tuthill (GODSIC, ex-CARNAL FORGE, CONSTRUCDEAD) as their new vocalist. The band will enter their own studio, Crehate Studios, in Gothenburg in a couple of weeks to record an as-yet-untitled new EP. The effort will be released, along with a music video for one of the songs from the EP, in March-April.

Says Peter: "With GODSIC hibernating, it was a natural step for me to join another band. I have insane cravings for going out touring again, and DESPITE is surely a band to be reckoned with as far as live shows go! Also, the material that we have written for the new EP is sure to blow everyone away! I even managed to get one of my songs among the five tracks on the EP. Can't wait to see all fans on the road again, both new faces and old ones."

DESPITE's sophomore album, "Clenched", was released in October 2010 via Dozer Records.

DESPITE is:

Vocals - Peter Tuthill
Guitar - Timmy Leng
Guitar - André Gonzales
Bass - Matte D
Drums - Oscar Nilsson

Former STRATOVARIUS, REVOLUTION RENAISSANCE and SYMFONIA mainman Timo Tolkki has opened a new mixing and mastering studio, Studiotolkki, in Helsinki, Finland.

Tolkki, along with Mikko Paakkanen (CEO) and Juha Rautio (studio manager), describe themselves on the studio's web site as "a bunch of audio freaks [who], with the help of few investors, created this studio for your mixes and mastering. We guarantee that the work done here is world class, the prices competitive and the mixes recallable for quick changes you want to make."

For more information, visit www.studiotolkki.com.

Tolkki last year made his "Loneliness Of A Thousand Years" book available for free download at this location.

Tolkki is most well known for his music and thought-provoking lyrics. In many of his songs lies just a hint of the pain he has suffered that has shaped him into the artist he has become.

In the spring of 2004, Timo was overtaken by a nervous breakdown that caused him to be hospitalized. The next few years would completely engulf his life and leave him on the brink of suicide. "Loneliness Of A Thousand Years" candidly describes his heart-breaking journey through life and gives his fans just a glimpse into the intricate psyche of Timo Tolkki.

Tolkki drew up and signed an official waiver on May 20, 2008 giving up all rights to the STRATOVARIUS name. The remaining STRATOVARIUS members — Timo Kotipelto (vocals), Jens Johansson (keyboards) and Lauri Porra (bass) — have since recorded and released two additional STRATOVARIUS albums with guitarist Matias Kupiainen.

Former THE GATHERING singer Anneke Van Giersbergen has been nominated for an Edison award, Holland's most prestigious music prize. Anneke was nominated in the "Best Female Artist" category for her latest solo album, "Everything Is Changing", which came out last year. Also up for the same award are Sabrina Starke and Trijntje Oosterhuis.

The Edison music award is an annual Dutch music prize, awarded for outstanding achievements in the music industry. It is one of the oldest music awards in the world, having been presented since 1960.

An independent voting academy decides on the nominees and winners.

The Edison Pop 2013 event will be held on February 11 in Amsterdam.

Commented Anneke: "I'm proud and happy to be nominated.

"'Everything Is Changing' was released one year ago and many wonderful things have happened since then. The tour is still going strong and with the new record starting next week, I couldn't be happier.

"I congratulate my two fellow nominees; I'm in excellent company!"

As previously reported, Anneke Van Giersbergen will play two exclusive U.S. shows in Chicago at the end of March. Also appearing on the bill both nights are Anneke's "dear friends" NOVEMBERS DOOM.

Anneke van Giersbergen announced her departure from THE GATHERING in 2007. She has since released four albums on her own and with her AGUA DE ANNIQUE solo project: "Air" (2007), "Pure Air" (2009), "In Your Room" (2009) and "Everything Is Changing" (2012).

"Everything Is Changing" was released on January 20, 2012 via PIAS Holland. The CD was recorded at Ultrasound Studios in Braga, Portugal with producer Daniel Cardoso.

Check out audio samples at Amazon.com.

SOILWORK frontman Björn "Speed" Strid and EXES FOR EYES guitarist Dave Sheldon have launched a new Toronto, Ontario, Canada-based guitar company called Elegy Guitarworks, specializing in six-, seven- and eight-string guitars and four-, five-, six- and seven-string basses.

A posting on the company's Facebook page states: "Conceived the day the world as we knew it was supposed to end, Elegy Guitarworks was founded December 21, 2012. Born in the light of a new friendship, Elegy Guitarworks focuses on bringing professional quality instruments to the cost-conscious player. The Mayans were wrong... and this is their Elegy."

Elegy Guitarworks is hoping to land Canadian distribution and sell between 100 and 200 units annually.

Strid, who is Swedish, splits his time between Toronto, where he has a Canadian girlfriend, and Sweden.

Reactivated Swedish death metallers SEANCE have parted ways with guitarist Rickard "Richard Corpse" Rimfält.. The band's other guitarist, Tony "Toxine" Vargfrost (a.k.a. Tony Kampner) tells BLABBERMOUTH.NET.: "We've found out to get inspiration and philosophically harmony in the band, [the split with Richard.] was necessary."

SEANCE's new lineup is as follows:

Vocals: Johan Larsson.
Guitar: Tony "Toxine" Vargfrost
Guitar: Tomas Andersson.
Drums, Bass: Mique Flesh.

SEANCE's last album, "Awakening of the Gods", was released in 2009 via Pulverised Records.

SEANCE's ball-busting internationally released premiere albums, "Fornever Laid to Rest" (1992, Black Mark Productions) and "Saltrubbed Eyes" (1993, Black Mark Productions) are a heavy dose of metal agression, packed with fury, ferocity, and fatal riffs. Several reviews hail "Saltrubbed Eyes" as one of, if not the most brutal death metal albums to date.

Rimfält and Vargfrost also play in WITCHERY (along with former SEANCE member Patrik Jensen, now with THE HAUNTED) and SEANCE drummer Mique Flesh also plays in FREEVIL.

Reunited '80s cult metal outfit SANCTUARY is "a few days" away from "officially" signing to Century Media Records, according to the band's lead singer, Warrel Dane.

In a 2011 interview with Rock My Monkey TV, Dane stated about SANCTUARY's decision to sign with Century Media: "I've been with that label since 1995, so I know the people that work there, I trust them, and I have a very good working relationship with them, so it makes the most sense for me right now."

Asked about the progress of the songwriting sessions for SANCTUARY's "comeback" album — tentatively titled "The Year The Sun Died" — Dane told GetYourRockOut in August 2012, "We've got so much stuff written that it's hard to sort through, but we played two new songs [at the Bloodstock Open Air festival]. We played the one ballad, it's called 'I Am Low', and we played another one called 'The World Is Wired'. Some of the other stuff is a little heavier, but those songs, I think, are… Sometimes the stuff that isn't as heavy is stronger, so that's why we picked those."

He added, "I don't think anybody is gonna be disappointed, because I am involved in the creative process and I know what's going on and I know where we're going and I know it's gonna be killer."

Regarding how SANCTUARY's reformation came about, Dane told Rock My Monkey TV, "[SANCTUARY guitarist Lenny Rutledge and I] always talked to each other, but never really been friends again. And when the whole thing came about, that we were actually friends again, that's when we started talking more about doing it. And it definitely wasn't because NEVERMORE was imploding... which it was, at that point . . . We all just started talking with each other again. That was kind of the groundwork for it. And then we started saying, 'Well, gosh, let's make music again.' And my god! Lenny is writing some stuff that is so friggin great! Obviously, he's been bottling this up for years, because he really hasn't been doing anything... Well, he's had bands here and there. But he's really writing some great stuff that's really inspiring me, and making me fall in love with music again, with the creative process... everything that revolves around that. Really inspiring me to write really evil lyrics."

On the topic of the sound of SANCTUARY's upcoming studio album, Dane said, "This record is not going to sound like the other two. It might sound very similar to the second one ('Into The Mirror Black'). It's definitely not going to sound like the first one, because we're all a little bit older and I can't come up with a c-clamp for a scrotum and a helium tank . . . It's not going to sound like the old ones... it's 2011. It's still gonna be that good, I think, and there's gonna be high-pitched screaming. I'm making sure of that. With NEVERMORE, high-pitched screaming was never really called for. You know, with SANCTUARY... of course it is."

SANCTUARY in 2011 tapped Brad Hull (FORCED ENTRY) to play second guitar for the band.

Hull has spent the last few years playing the role of "James Hetfield" in the METALLICA tribute band BLISTERED EARTH, which plays "classic songs ranging from 1983's 'Kill 'Em All' to 1991's self-titled 'Metallica'."

SANCTUARY's current touring lineup:

Warrel Dane - Vocals
Lenny Rutledge - Guitar
Brad Hull - Guitars
Jim Sheppard - Bass
Dave Budbill - Drums

Superskum.com conducted an interview with vocalist Brittany Paige of Calgary, Alberta, Canada-based metallers KOBRA AND THE LOTUS on December 17 at Bluebird Theater in Denver Denver, Colorado before the band's concert with SONATA ARCTICA and ARSIS. You can now watch the chat below. Also available is quality footage of the Denver concert.

KOBRA AND THE LOTUS recently released a video for "50 Shades Of Evil", the second single from the their current self-titled album, released in August 2012 via Spinefarm.

Directed by Lisa Mann, whose previous credits include videos for APOCALYPTICA, THE USED and CASCADA, "50 Shades Of Evil" sees Brittany Paige surviving a full-tilt attack on the senses, while her bandmembers run through the song like men (literally) possessed!

"50 Shades Of Evil" was released as a digital single on November 5, 2012. The bonus track is an acoustic cover of the DIO classic "Rainbow In The Dark" performed by KOBRA AND THE LOTUS during their acoustic session at the Bloodstock Open Air festival back in August 2012.

In a recent interview with May The Rock Be With You, Brittany Paige stated about the band's sound, "KOBRA AND THE LOTUS is a traditional, straight-up heavy metal band. It's not a niche, it's just driving riffs, duelling guitars, there's a melodicness to the music and there is a classic metal vocal. We are all about traditional heavy metal, but bringing in the flavors of our generation for a slight twist."

She added, "Our music will always stay as heavy metal, even though it will evolve in some shape or form. But we all listen to such different things, which is a really great thing. There's certainly death metal and black metal influences, we've got experimental and folk metal, there's so many different things that come into play, and if you listen to the music, you can hear some of those coming through, but which you wouldn't really pick up on unless you knew someone in the band was into Gary Moore, or the blues, for example, then it makes sense."

KOBRA AND THE LOTUS is:

Brittany Paige - Vocals
Jasio Kulakowski - Guitar
Griffin Kissack - Drums
Peter Dimov - Bass
Charlie Parra Del Riego - Guitar

Interview:

Experimental dark noise/drone/ambient sound architects A STORY OF RATS have unveiled the entrancing artwork for the band's upcoming album, "Vastness & The Inverse".

A STORY OF RATS began as the the solo musical project of visual and sound artist Garek J. Druss, who also plays in Seattle-based duo DULL KNIFE and Portland-based ATRIARCH and TECUMSEH, as well as multimedia ensemble SAINT GENET. Garek's investigative work blurs the lines between sound and gesture, tangibility and time. The current lineup of A STORY OF RATS also includes Andrew Crawshaw (TERMINAL FUZZ TERROR, BROKEN PRESS) and D. Salo (JOY WANTS ETERNITY, SAINT GENET).

The double LP edition of Druss' second full-length, "Vastness & The Inverse", will be entombed on 33 rpm vinyl (limited to 300 copies) and offered up for consumption by Translinguistic Other in February. Ethereal, ghostly sound compositions, buried vocals, howling winds, glittering blackness, ritualistic war drums, enveloped in fog... this is A STORY OF RATS' most complex and illuminating work yet. Its haunting artwork was created by Druss and hand printed by Broken Press. The record itself was recorded and mixed by WOLVSERPENT's Blake Green in Seattle, Washington, and mastered for vinyl by the inimitable James Plotkin.

A European tour alongside URAL UMBO (Steven Hess of LOCRIAN's project), including a handful of special festival appearances, looms on the horizon, and the American West Coast will soon be granted a visit as well.

Video footage of TESLA frontman Jeff Keith performing the LYNYRD SKYNYRD classic "Sweet Home Alabama" with the California-based country band ROAD 88 on December 15, 2012 at Toby Keith's I Love This Bar & Grill in Folsom, California can be seen below.

Released on November 9, 2012, Jeff Keith six-song country-music EP, "Jeff Keith And Country Music Friends", is available at Jeff's web site, JeffKeithCountry.com, with the first 500 copies being personally autographed by Keith.

Said Jeff: "Once upon a time, I was playing a TESLA show in Canada when Kent Goodson and Pat Boone from the George Jones band came to see us. The next thing you know, us three were on a pontoon boat in Nashville fulfilling a dream I've always had writing country music songs."

He continued, "I've wanted to do a country project since my early days of growing up in Oklahoma, and with the help of a couple of buddies of mine, it's now reality.

"Kent played with George Jones for 28 years, and Pat still runs sound for George now for over nine years, and I have been the lead singer for TESLA for over 25 years now.

"We hope that this EP will allow us to record a full-length studio album, recorded in Nashville, Tennessee!

"Put on your cowboy hat and chime on in. There is a lot more yet to come."

"Jeff Keith And Country Music Friends" track listing:

01. Same Ol' Cowboy
02. Life Is Just A Roller Coaster Ride
03. I Can't Let Go
04. Life On The Road
05. Oklahoma Bound
06. Oh Hell
07. CMF Interviews

"I W8 4 U", a brand new song from LOVE & DEATH, the band fronted by former KORN guitarist Brian "Head" Welch, can be streamed in the YouTube clip below. The track, which features a guest appearance by Mattie Montgomery of FOR TODAY, comes off LOVE & DEATH's debut album, "Between Here & Lost", which will be released on January 22 via Tooth & Nail Records. Recorded in Nashville with producer Jasen Rauch (RED, BREAKING BENJAMIN) and mixed by Paul Pavao, Ben Grosse (MARILYN MANSON, DISTURBED) and Jim Monti (KORN), the CD consists of 11 tracks, ranging from songs about personal struggle and triumph ("Chemicals", "My Disaster", "Paralyzed") to emotionally charged anthems ("Fading Away", "Watching The Bottom Fall") to a riff-heavy rendition of DEVO's 1980 hit "Whip It".

LOVE & DEATH filmed a video for the song "The Abandoning" on November 10, 2012 with director — and UNDERØATH/ex-NORMA JEAN drummer — Daniel Davison.

LOVE & DEATH is comprised of Welch, lead guitarist JR Bareis, bassist Michael Valentine, and drummer Dan Johnson.

Like the album title suggests, "Between Here & Lost" captures the honesty of light and darkness, beauty and tragedy, good and evil, delivered by a band with intense passion and commitment to the message of its music.

"This record was birthed from trials, tribulations, pain, suffering, anxiety, depression, and drama," stated Welch. "However, we came out on top and the end result is a very real, raw and honest record. We are so stoked for people to hear it! From our opening song, 'The Abandoning', to our cover of DEVO's 'Whip it', to our collaboration with Mattie Montgomery from FOR TODAY on 'I W8 4 U', It's an exciting piece of art and the listener will feel the different range of emotions with the lyrics and melodies of each song."

"Between Here & Lost" track listing:

01. The Abandoning
02. Whip It
03. Watching The Bottom Fall
04. By The Way...
05. Meltdown
06. My Disaster
07. I W8 4 U (featuring Mattie Montgomery)
08. Fading Away
09. Paralyzed
10. Chemicals
11. Bruises

LOVE & DEATH formed when Welch decided to have open auditions on YouTube in 2009. "I picked the guys and then had a jam session in Phoenix," says Welch. "Over the last couple of years, there have been a few lineup changes as we went through normal growing pains. The current band has been together and touring for a while now and they are a big part of the new music and the future of LOVE & DEATH."

LOVE & DEATH will be touring extensively in 2013 to support the effort.

Dan Swinhoe of SabotageTimes.com recently conducted an interview with former BLACK SABBATH singer Tony Martin. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow below.

On the reissue of BLACK SABBATH's "Eternal Idol" album, his recorded debut with the band:

Tony: "I was not a writer on 'Eternal Idol', I was just a session singer for that album. So I would not be included in the release [process] of that."

On how he looks back on the experience of being in BLACK SABBATH:

Tony: "I am 10 years younger than those guys and our circles didn't really cross, so it was a bit isolating. It doesn't mean I hated the experience; I was just completely inexperienced and they didn't have the time or the inclination to really accommodate that. It felt like they just wanted my voice and writing ability."

On his upcoming solo album, "Book Of Shadows", which is around two thirds done:

Tony: "'Book Of Shadows' got put on hold, of course, because it's a solo album and solo albums are the worst because you are too close to it and it's never perfect. But apart from that, you still have to pay the bills and so I do other projects too, and that takes me away from the solo album. But I do intend to have all those re-recorded and released."

On the SILVER HORSES project, which features Tony alongside Gianluca Galli on guitar, Andrea Castelli on bass and Matteo "Bona" Bonini and drums and was described by Tony as "beautiful bluesy stuff, a kind of LED ZEPPELIN thing":

Tony: "SILVER HORSES is dead in the water right now. It turned nasty because they tried to release it without having the rights and contracts in place, and we are fighting over the way forward. As things are, we don't have a release, but we are still working on it and maybe we can recover it, but it doesn't feel the same now."

Leader Neige from French metallers ALCEST have issued the following update:

"Hey there, we wish you all a happy New Year! As I said in some recent interviews we will have two guests on the next Alcest album and today I feel glad to reveal the first one. She is Billie Lindahl, the singer/songwriter of the Swedish project PROMISE AND THE MONSTER. We discovered her album Transparent Knives last year during our American tour and felt instantly amazed by this music. It is a sort of otherworldly, nightly and ethereal folk with unique singing and great atmospheres. If you didn't know Promise And The Monster before I highly recommend you to check the albums out. Billie will come a few days in the studio in March to sing on some parts. I am sure her voice will perfectly fit with what we have in our head for the next Alcest album, we feel very enthusiastic about that collaboration!"
A limited vinyl edition of Alcest's BBC Live Session was released in December, and is available via Prophecy Productions' online store, at this location.

In spring 2012, Alcest were honoured to play a live session at the venerable BBC, Britain’s biggest radio station and promoter of the development of rock music for decades. Recorded on February 27th, 2012 by the producer who already captured the BBC Sessions of NIRVANA, DEAD CAN DANCE, SLOWDIVE and many other icons of alternative music, these live songs show the magic of a band that is also about to take their own place on the pantheon of rock. Side A contains the three songs of the session, while side B is embellished with an etching.
Tracklisting:

'Souvenirs D'Un Autre Monde'
'Écailles De Lune Part 1'
'Autre Temps'

More on Alcest at this location.

eOne Music has announced the signing of rock act SPOKEN. The band's seventh studio album, "Illusion", will be released on February 12. The CD was produced by Jasen Rausch (RED, DISCIPLE) over a two-year period in Nashville, Tennessee.

Commented SPOKEN bassist Ryan Pei: "The process was so long and spread out that it was more of an evolution during the process of making the record. Our producer, Jasen Rauch, has been a huge part of where this band is at sonically and has taught all of us so much."

SPOKEN frontman Matt Baird has a different view when it comes to the time that was spent developing this album. "We love music, we love our fans, we love seeing the world, but most of all we feel that God has given us an amazing tool," he said. "Music is universal, we love to play and perform. We'll do music for the rest of our lives. Hopefully we have not and never will take this for granted. We have great lives and have no plans on wasting it."

"Illusion" is summed up by the first radio single, "Through It All", which "was written around the time that the tornado destroyed Joplin, Missouri," explains Baird. "It's a song about going through the fires of life, and actually making it through to the other side without giving up."

Kenosha, Wisconsin-based four-piece death metal act JUNGLE ROT will be reissuing their newly remastered 1996 classic album, Skin The Living, on February 19th, 2013. Pre-order packages are now available through the Victory Records’ webstore. Order now.
Front man Dave Matrise comments: “We’ve wanted to reissue Skin The Living for some time now and are happy that we have that opportunity. I still feel this album stands up to the test of times. Night after night on the road we hear fans screaming out the songs from the release, asking us to play and constantly asking us where they can pick up Skin The Living. This will give everyone a chance to see where it all started for J-Rot and they will have a chance to own a rare piece.”

Check out a trailer below:
Jungle Rot has been destroying the metal scene since 1994 proving the quality of their production matched their live performance, solidifying their spot as major players in the death metal scene. They signed to Victory Records in April 2011 and shortly after released Kill On Command, some of their heaviest material to date. Throwing down the gauntlet, they integrated slow stomp melodies into their speed-thrash style, bringing the band back to their death metal roots. Their years of hard work landed them on tours with many death metal legends such as OBITUARY, DEICIDE, ENTOMBED, SIX FEET UNDER, GOATWHORE, CATTLE DECAPITATION and more.

Jungle Rot will continue to thrash and decay anything and everything in its path as they prepare to release their eighth full length studio album, out March 5th. Stay tuned here for studio updates, exclusives, features and more.

FREYA, the Syracuse, New York-based band fronted by Karl Buechner (EARTH CRISIS, PATH OF RESISTANCE), has inked a deal with the French label Deadlight Entertainment for the European/Asian release of its forthcoming album, "Paragon Of The Crucible".

Commented Deadlight Entertainment's Alex Martinez: "We are truly honored to welcome FREYA to our family. They posses an extremely high quality of songwriting and musicianship. All that music coupled with Karl's lyrics and vocals makes for an intensely epic sound! Working with FREYA was a no-brainer, especially because Karl's work has been a huge inspiration for our bands PRIMAL AGE and MARTYRS."

"Paragon of the Crucible" will be released early 2013 by Holy Mountain Music in America and Deadlight Entertaiment internationally. A song from the CD, "Serpentine", featuring a guest solo by Paul Waggoner of BETWEEN THE BURIED AND ME, can be streamed using the SoundCloud player below.

Commented Paul: "I was truly honored to be asked to be a part of this record, and the 'Serpentine' track specifically. I have great respect for the FREYA guys and their musicianship, and it was a real privilege to be able to add my little touch with a guitar solo. Ultimately, this song is a balance of heavy, aggressive riffing and emotive, driving melodies. So it was my goal to encapsulate the overall vibe of tune by creating a part that added some contrast, but one that was still complementary to the music and vocals."

FREYA has been crushing it out for more than ten years. They released three full-length albums and a split with Victory Records. The follow-up to 2010's "All Hail The End" was recorded with Jason "Jocko" Randall at Moresound Studio in Syracuse New York. Delving deep and giving a unique re-imagining to classic thrash and death metal, FREYA builds an epic post-apocalyptic wasteland where enormous beasts have destroyed the Earth and left man to create myths to explain the scarred world around them. On top of the destructive riffing, melodic and more progressive textures have been added to create an intense and vibrant setting.

FREYA is:

Karl Buechner (vocals)
Brendon Flynn (guitar)
Thom Turner (guitar)
Joseph Murphy (drums)
Brett Walts (bass)

Belgian death metalers ABORTED will celebrate the tenth anniversary of their 2003 CD, "Goremageddon: The Saw And The Carnage Done", this spring by performing "the entire album front to back" at "a few exclusive shows" in April. The band states: "We will have several special guests on the limited shows (six dates throughout Europe). First announced guest is BENIGHTED, more information on the shows and guests will be revealed as time goes by! The art for this re-imagining has been done by our good friend Grindesign and he did a killer job, if I may say so!"

ABORTED's seventh studio album, "Global Flatline", sold around 1,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release. The CD landed at position No. 27 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.

"Global Flatline" was released on January 24, 2012 (one day earlier internationally) via Century Media Records. The CD was recorded, mixed, and mastered by the Jacob Hansen (VOLBEAT, PESTILENCE, HATESPHERE) at Hansen Studios in Ribe, Denmark. The artwork was once again created by Justin Osbourn from Slasher Design.

"Global Flatline" features several guest vocalists, such as Trevor Strnad (THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER), Julien Truchan (BENIGHTED), Jason Netherton (MISERY INDEX), and Keiijo Niinima (ROTTEN SOUND).

German extreme metallers NEAERA will release their sixth full-length album, "Ours Is The Storm", on March 1 in Germany, Austria and Switzerland, March 4 in the rest of Europe, and March 5 in North America via Metal Blade Records. The CD was recorded at Alexander Dietz's Chemical Burn studio in Bed Kosen, Germany.

Commented the band: "We are very proud of this record and the hard work we put into making it. We hope that you will be as excited about it as we are.

"Once again, we trusted our good friend Alexander Dietz of Chemical Burn studio with the production as well as the mixing process. The mastering was handled by Tue Madsen at Antfarm studio.

"We want to thank Alex for his sheer will and tireless work on this record, and Tue for bringing out the details and making them shine.

"This record is one of the most open-sounding and versatile we have done so far. We want to challenge ourselves and give you guys something new everytime we step up to the plate. There will be some surprises on this one. We are confident you will enjoy the result of our approach.

"The artwork for the album was done by our friend Markus Ruf, who did an excellent job in creating the cover and visualizing the title. Terje Johnsen did the packaging for the limited edtition and created a simple-yet-exclusive look for it. Thanks very much to both guys."

"Ours Is The Storm" track listing:

01. The Deafening
02. Ours Is The Storm
03. Decolonize The Mind
04. Through Treacherous Flames
05. Ascend To Chaos
06. Walk With Fire
07. My Night Is Starless
08. Black Tomb
09. Between Us And Annihilation
10. Slaying The Wolf Within
11. Back To The Soul
12. Guardian Of Ashes

The title track, "Ours Is The Storm", is available for streaming in the YouTube clip below.

NEAERA's last album, "Forging The Eclipse", came out in October 2010.

In a brand new interview with Believer magazine, FAITH NO MORE singer Mike Patton was asked if the band's reunion was "still happening." He replied: "It's sort of petered out. We're also maybe a little too conscious for our own good. Meaning there's a lineage of bands that maybe did some nice things and then needed the cash and got back together and basically just sprayed diarrhea over their entire body of work. We're very worried about that. We don't want to overdo it.”

Speaking to IHeartGuitarBlog.com last November, Patton stated about the possibility of FAITH NO MORE releasing any live material from the band's reunion tours: "Right now, we have no plans whatsoever — live, recording or anything. We've done what we set out to do with the reunion, and it's all great, but it's just, 'Let's see what happens next.' And I think you need to take a pause to actually reflect on something like that, because otherwise we could just keep playing, and we're very conscious of overdoing it, y'know, milking material that's so old. You can only do that for so long, and I feel that we've done pretty well. The whole band's naturally came to this conclusion, so now we're just sitting tight."

According to Patton, one of the reasons the FAITH NO MORE reunion didn't happen sooner is the fact that they wanted to avoid making it feel like a nostalgia thing — like "Here's FAITH NO MORE again." "We wanted it to feel fresh and still somehow vital," he said. "It wasn't an money grab. It's funny to say, but we all kind of reconnected, and after quite a long time we all kinda looked at each other and were like, 'Man, we actually spent half of our lives together.' It's interesting to see it through that set of glasses as opposed to the ones you wore back then. I suppose, at least personally speaking, I've grown up a lot since then, and I think I approach the music differently, and I felt better about the music than I did then."

FAITH NO MORE made a comeback in June 2009 with a headlining performance at the Brixton Academy in London, England and has played sporadic shows for the past three years.

FAITH NO MORE's last LP, "Album Of The Year", came out in 1997.