Progressive rock/metal band CYNIC will enter Perfect Sound studios in Hollywood, California later today (Tuesday, December 11) to begin recording its new album for an early 2013 release.

In a February 2012 interview with Ireland's Molten magazine, CYNIC guitarist/vocalist Paul Masvidal stated about the musical direction of the band's new material, "It's almost like, I don't know how to explain it, but if I had to put it in a box it's more sci-fi, futuristic and alien but at the same time very song-driven. It's kind of like, to me, coming into CYNIC's body more. It feels very modern and at the same time it just feels really cool. I'm big in the space. It's definitely new. It's not like anything we've done before. It's a new color, a new space. I think people will really take note of even the guitar stuff. I'm really shifting gears, I'm trying things in a different way and the way stuff is played. It's a new space for CYNIC, for sure. It definitely sounds like us, except completely new."

CYNIC's latest EP, "Carbon-Based Anatomy", was released in November 2011 via Season Of Mist. The CD artwork was designed by the great Robert Venosa, the artist behind the covers of CYNIC's previous releases "Focus", "Traced in Air" and "Re-Traced".

All bass parts on "Carbon-Based Anatomy" were recorded by one-time CYNIC bassist Sean Malone.

CYNIC was joined by Brandon Giffin on bass and Max Phelps on guitar and vocals during the group's North American and European tours in support of "Carbon-Based Anatomy".

London, England-based, female-fronted metallers MORTAD are currently recording their sophomore album for a 2013 release. A short video message from the band's lead singer, Somi Arian, filmed at an airport before she made her way to Germany to lay down the vocals on the new MORTAD CD, can be seen below.

MORTAD's "The Voice" video can be seen below. The song comes off the band's debut album, "The Myth Of Purity", which was made available with the February 2012 issue of Metal Hammer magazine. The CD was recorded in October 2011 with producer Russ Russell (NAPALM DEATH, DIMMU BORGIR, EVILE).

"The Voice" honors the memory of Neda Agha Soltan, a young Iranian woman who was killed during the pro-democracy up risings in Iran in on June 20, 2009.

MORTAD was formed in 2009 by Iranian vocalist Somi Arian, whose lyrics take aim at the hypocrisy of religion and the government as well as seeking inner truth and strength in the face of such oppression.

MORTAD released a music video and an EP, entitled "Pandemic Paranoia", in early 2011. This effort brought the band immense attention on the social media sites, placing the group as the No. 1 metal band on ReverbNation London metal chart, and attracting over 50,000 Facebook fans.

Dutch multi-instrumentalist/vocalist and AYREON mastermind Arjen Lucassen has checked in with the following update:

"This is a very cool video to one of my songs made by Cary Gordon as a school project. Watch 'til the end; I laughed out loud!"
Lucassen recently posted a new video for the track 'Pink Beatles In A Purple Zeppelin', taken from his new album Lost In The New Real. The video was mainly shot where Arjen grew up, near the sea in Holland.

In regards to the video, Arjen comments: "It's a very 'Dutch' clip, windmills and all! So you could say this clip goes back to my roots, also musically. It features many visual links (at least ten!) to the bands and albums that I grew up listening to. Peace, man!"

Watch 'Pink Beatles in a Purple Zeppelin' on YouTube below:

Featuring artwork created by Arjen and renowned designer Claudio Bergamin, plus an appearance by legendary actor Rutger Hauer as the album's narrator, Lost In The New Real is a double-CD that tells the story of Mr. L, a 21st century man who was cryo-preserved at the moment of clinical death from a terminal disease. The album begins as Mr. L is being revived at a point in the distant future, when technology has advanced enough to cure his disease. Mr. L finds himself in a world that has drastically changed -- to the point that the line between what's real and what's not is no longer clear.

The tracks on disc 1 follow Mr. L's emotional journey as he is confronted with both serious and comical aspects of the "New Real" and desperately tries to decide if he can find a meaningful place within it. Disc 2 is a mix of tracks that are part of the concept but didn't fit on disc 1, plus cover songs related to the concept.
Tracklisting:

CD1:
'The New Real'
'Pink Beatles In A Purple Zeppelin'
'Parental Procreation Permit'
'When I’m A Hundred Sixty-Four'
'E-Police'
'Don’t Switch Me Off'
'Dr Slumber’s Eternity Home'
'Yellowstone Memorial Day'
'Where Pigs Fly'
'Lost In The New Real'
* Bonus CD Rom section: “Behind The New Real”

CD 2:
'Our Imperfect Race'
'Welcome To The Machine' (PINK FLOYD cover)
'So Is There No God?'
'Veteran Of The Psychic Wars' (BLUE ÖYSTER CULTCover)
'The Social Recluse'
'Battle Of Evermore' (LED ZEPPELIN Cover)
'The Space Hotel'
'Some Other Time' (ALAN PARSONS PROJECT Cover)
'You Have Entered The Reality Zone'
'I’m The Slime' (FRANK ZAPPA Cover)
* Bonus CD Rom section: “The Artwork”

Check out a trailer below:

Multi-camera video footage of THE SANITY DAYS — the project featuring four former members of legendary Bristol thrash metallers ONSLAUGHT — performing a new song, "My Demon Mind", this past Friday, December 7 at Riffs Bar in Swindon, England can be seen below.

THE SANITY DAYS is intended as a bit of fun for the musicians and an opportunity for fans to hear music that no longer features in ONSLAUGHT's live repertoire.

THE SANITY DAYS was launched by Steve Grice, former drummer and founding member of the ONSLAUGHT, who played on all ONSLAUGHT albums thus far. He is joined in the new project by former ONSLAUGHT guitarist Alan Jordan (2007's "Killing Peace"), bassist Jase Stallard (1985's "Power From Hell" and 1986's "The Force"), and ex-GRIM REAPER singer Steve Grimmett, who fronted ONSLAUGHT for the 1989 album "In Search Of Sanity".

Released on London Records in 1989, "In Search Of Sanity" was the last album ONSLAUGHT recorded before it disbanded. Despite reaching the U.K. Top 50, its mainstream production proved controversial among bandmembers and fans alike. "We were always pleased with the songs, though," states Grice. "Over the past few years, people have nagged me to play tracks from the 'Sanity' album, but we always struggled to get them sounding right without Steve Grimmett's involvement."

Former GRIM REAPER frontman Grimmett lent his powerful voice to ONSLAUGHT for just this one album and now returns as a member of THE SANITY DAYS. "It's been a long time since I sang any songs from 'In Search of Sanity', but this was an opportunity I couldn't turn down," he said. "I have also been asked to play these songs, but it never seemed the right thing to do after ONSLAUGHT got back together."

Finnish metal marauders FINNTROLL have entered Sonic Pump Studios in Helsinki to start recording their sixth album. The as-yet-untitled follow-up to 2010's "Nifelvind" will be released worldwide through Century Media Records in late March 2013.

In regards to this new album, the band comments on their studio blog: "Combining our trademark sound with even more influences from non- traditional genres in metal music, we have created 11 songs which show you everything we want to offer. And boy, wasn't that one of the hardest tasks for some time. After all, how do you keep your sound fresh, yet familiar, after 6 albums and 15 years?

"At some point, we were afraid that the songs are not melodic enough. Then we started to fear they became too melodic. Then we let the songs rest for a while and molded them more in a way that the non-melodic stuff got something to hum with, and the cheesy pop songs were arranged more stripped and aggressive. We were confident, yet sometimes scared what will people think of the stuff we've been doing so hard. What if they hate it? That would be fine, but if they would hate it because the material was uninspiring, boring and done-to-death, that would be a huge disappointment. So, we kept pushing and tried to keep it fresh all the time, while still having the 'this has to be FINNTROLL because no other band sounds this insane' — grinning going on."

If you haven't heard FINNTROLL before, let Trollhorn (the guy who rarely plays live with the rest of the band) explain: "FINNTROLL is a Finnish metal band, existing since 1997. We have released...ummm, six albums, I guess [it's actually only 5 albums and 2 EPs so far] and despite of dead members, internal quarrels and constant mischief, we still somehow manage to pull it off. Our musical style is a tint of black and death metal combined with Scandinavian and European folk music, spiced with a dose of ska, cartoon-esque-circus-music and whatnot. We also boast occasional Latin music, Psychobilly and Klezmer influences, so it's kinda hard to explain, really. We are pretty much labeled as 'folk metal' from the wider perspective, but we've never quite felt like belonging there per se. Basically, we don't even really care and nor should you."

Fan-filmed video footage of Finnish metal marauders FINNTROLL performing a brand new song during their November 3 concert in Giessen, Germany as part of this year's Heidenfest tour can be seen below.

FINNTROLL last year released a special tour edition of their latest album, "Nifelvind". The digipak tour edition came with new artwork by the band's guitarist, Skrymer, and an extra CD including three brand-new cover versions: "Insects" (OINGO BOINGO), "Can You Forgive Her?" (PET SHOP BOYS) and "The God That Failed" (METALLICA). The cover versions were recorded and mixed at Sonic Pump Studios between June 27, 2011 and July 4, 2011 by FINNTROLL and Nino Laurenne.

"Nifelvind" was released in North America on March 9, 2010 via Century Media Records.

German power metallers BLIND GUARDIAN have launched their own official wine, a full-bodied, rich and spicy red wine from the South of France.

Says the band: "Wine, women and song. We know that we have female fans. You know that we have tons of songs. Up until now, only wine has been missing, but no longer! We proudly present the Blind Guardian Syrah wine."

Blind Guardian Syrah wine details:

Varietal Syrah
Vintage 2011
Dry red wine
13.5 % Vol alcohol

With its soft tannins and rich taste, it is perfect with pasta and meat dishes. Serve at 16-18°C.

Song commendation: "To France", "The Bard's Song (In the Forest)"

The wine is available for purchase at EMP.de.

International film star and musician Johnny Depp jammed with Alice Cooper last night (Saturday, December 8) at the legendary rocker's 12th annual Christmas Pudding at Comerica Theater in Phoenix, Arizona. Johnny joined Alice and his band, along with other performers Sebastian Bach and L.A. GUNS, and special guest host John O'Hurley for a night of music, dance, and mayhem.

A review of the concert, included photos, can be found at AZCentral.com. Fan-filmed video footage is available below.

Proceeds from Christmas Pudding go to Alice Cooper's Solid Rock — a nonprofit organization founded by Alice Cooper dedicated to enriching the lives of teens through music, dance, and self expression.

The primary goal of Alice Cooper's Solid Rock is to honor Jesus Christ by helping to meet the spiritual, economical, physical, and social needs of teenagers and children within their community.

Depp previously joined Alice Cooper on stage on November 29 at The Orpheum Theatre in Los Angeles for the "Raise The Dead" tribute section of the rocker's show through the end.

Cooper's band consists of Ryan Roxie, Orianthi and Tommy Henriksen on guitars, Chuck Garric on bass and Glen Sobel on drums.

CIRCLE II CIRCLE, the band led by ex-SAVATAGE frontman Zak Stevens, will release its sixth studio album, "Seasons Will Fall", on January 25, 2013 via earMUSIC, the Hamburg, Germany-based international rock label which is part of Edel Group.

Formed in 2001, CIRCLE II CIRCLE has always reinvented itself throughout the years, constantly maintaining the signature sound that fans around the world love. The turning point for the band came in 2012 with CIRCLE II CIRCLE's monumental performance of the entire SAVATAGE album "The Wake Of Magellan" at the world’s largest heavy metal festival, Wacken Open Air in Germany. What followed was a sold-out European club tour.

"Seasons Will Fall" is CIRCLE II CIRCLE's strongest album to date from both a musical and production standpoint. It blends Stevens' history and unique "SAVATAGE style" with the fresh sounds he developed with his current outfit. From the howling guitar riffs on "Diamond Blade" and "Killing Death" to the energetic sound of "Never Gonna Stop", it contains everything you want from a heavy rock album.

Says Stevens: "With earMUSIC releasing our sixth album, we are exactly where we need to be at this point in our career. We have the right album along with a fantastic new label. The timing of all this will take the upcoming world tour to an entirely new level. We are very much looking forward to the release of 'Seasons Will Fall' on earMUSIC. This is an album that will strongly define the identity and place of hard rock and heavy metal music in the world today."

In a recent interview with Metal Babe, Stevens said about the upcoming CD, "The record is sounding really great and the goal of this album from the beginning was for it to be the best CIRCLE II CIRCLE to date. Of course, that's a lofty goal, but I really think we've done it here with 'Seasons Will Fall'."

He added, "From the beginning, we wanted it to have some elements of all five previous releases, along with some entirely new sounding stuff. So that's basically what we've done with 'Seasons Will Fall'. We're really happy with how it turned out. Now it's just down to the fun part of mixing it and putting the final touches on everything."

Asked if there is a certain theme or concept that this CD focuses on, Zak said, "Being that it's not a concept album, the record focuses on a variety of different subjects. What I notice right away in the music and the lyrics is the amount of introspection of everyday life. Because of this, it really reminds me of our first album, 'Watching In Silence'. It really has that sort of feel to it. It also reminds me of 'Burden Of Truth' in some ways, too, but this one's definitely not a concept album in that sense."

"Seasons Will Fall" track listing:

01. Diamond Blade
02. Without A Sound
03. Killing Death
04. Epiphany
05. End Of Emotion
06. Dreams That Never Die
07. Seasons Will Fall
08. Never Gonna Stop
09. Isolation
10. Sweet Despair
11. Downshot
12. Only Yesterday

A one-and-a-half-miniute teaser for the album can be seen below.

CIRCLE II CIRCLE is:

Zak Stevens - Vocals
Mitch Stewart - Bass/Vocals
Bill Hudson - Guitar/Vocals
Christian Wentz - Guitar/Vocals
Henning Wanner - Keyboards/Vocals
Adam Sagan - Drums

Former IRON MAIDEN singers Blaze Bayley and Paul Di'Anno joined forces for a tour of Australia and New Zealand, which concluded this past Saturday, December 8 in Auckland.

Fan-filmed video footage of Di'Anno and Bayley performing MAIDEN's theme song, "Iron Maiden", in Auckland can be seen below.

Bayley and Di'Anno previously toured together in Russia earlier this year. Asked how the trek came about, Blaze told Metal-Rules.com, "I had put it off for years as once before it had been suggested, but it didn’t feel right at the time. Also, when I had my full-time band, it was exclusive. No one in the band could do anything else, and that included me. There was a lot of things that I wanted to try, but I couldn’t do it as I was committed to staying with my full-time band. This offer came up, and I had done a couple of festivals on the same bill as Paul, and it was offered as a co-headliner, not as a support, switching the headliner every night. Paul was also OK with that and it also wasn't just all my MAIDEN stuff — it was a lot of my stuff from my own albums — so I could choose my setlist, to a certain degree, and also include my popular MAIDEN material also. It felt good to do it and say yes! It was also in Russia, a very difficult place to get into. The fans are great but it's very difficult to get in touch with them. Sometimes even to let them know that you are playing! I thought that it would be an opportunity for me, but on my last trip, there was poor promotion; I hardly played to anybody. I thought this time it would be different as all the shows were full, reaction was great and I played to a lot of new people. These people knew about me from IRON MAIDEN but had never seen me live. I came away from the tour after playing to my target audience and new people who had never previously seen me live; it was really good, Paul and I both enjoyed it."

Bayley added, "[Di'Anno is] a very funny guy with a dry sense of humor and we gave each other plenty of space, as we are both experienced with different opinions of IRON MAIDEN. It worked well."

German thrash titans KREATOR will have their December 22 concert in Oberhausen, Germany professionally filmed and recorded for future DVD/Blu-ray release.

Commented KREATOR leader Mille Petrozza: "The 'Phantom Antichrist' world tour is among the most successful and amazing tours in the history of KREATOR, thanks to all of you — the fans! So we have decided to record a new live album, DVD and Blu-ray at ourhomecoming show in Oberhausen on December 22nd. The show will be recorded with 24 (!) cameras and in 5.1. sound. We are trying to produce the ultimate KREATOR concert experience for you to enjoy in your living room! So whoever wants to be a part of the spectacle, there are still tickets available for Oberhausen, but better hurry up: tickets are selling fast!"

On November 9, KREATOR released a new seven-inch single, "Civilization Collapse" (retail version: black; Nuclear Blast mailorder-only version: red, yellow, white) and as a digital download. The single contains the title cut backed by the non-album track "Wolfchild", which was featured on the "Dark Symphonies - A Tribute To John Sinclair" album, released this past September in Germany via Lübbe-Audio. The band also made a video for the song "Civilization Collapse", which is said to be "mainly about the riots that took place in Greece most recently."

"Civilization Collapse" comes off KREATOR's new album, "Phantom Antichrist", which sold 3,900 copies in the United States in its first week of release. The CD landed at No. 1 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.

Released on June 1 in Europe and June 5 in North America via Nuclear Blast Records, "Phantom Antichrist" was recorded at Fascination Street Studios in Örebro, Sweden with renowned producer Jens Bogren (OPETH, KATATONIA, SOILWORK, DEVIN TOWNSEND, AMON AMARTH).

CRYSTAL VIPER frontwoman Marta Gabriel joined death metal legends VADER on stage this past Thursday, December 6 at 2Doors Club in Sosnowiec, Poland to perform the JUDAS PRIEST classic "Metal Gods". A couple of photos of the collaboration, including the pre-show rehearsal, can be seen below.

VADER is currently headlining the "Back To Black Tour" of Poland and Czech Republic during which the band is performing the "Black To The Blind" and "Sothis" albums in their entirety. In January and February 2013, VADER will embark on a European headlining tour with support from ABORTED and BONDED BY BLOOD.

CRYSTAL VIPER's new album, "Crimen Excepta", was released in April via AFM Records. The concept effort about holy inquisition, black magic and witches, where fiction is mixed with historical facts, was produced by Bart Gabriel (SACRED STEEL, JACK STARR'S BURNING STARR). "Crimen Excepta" features two special guests: David Bower, vocalist of HELL, appears in the title track, while VADER mainman Piotr "Peter" Wiwczarek can be heard in the cover version of the classic VADER song "Tyrani Piekiel", which is available as the bonus track on the first, limited edition of the album.

Polish doom metallers EVANGELIST has released the following update:

“We know, we promised to keep everyone interested informed about progress of recordings, unfortunately, we are sociopaths, sorry. Nevertheless, after some months of silence we decided to shed some light on our sophomore effort. Album will be entitled Doominicanes, tracklist as follows:

‘Blood Curse’
‘Pain and Rapture’
‘Martyr’s Commandment’
‘To Praise To Bless To Preach’
‘Militis Fidelis Deus’

Cover of MAYHEM’s classic ‘Freezing Moon’ has also been recorded, it’s destiny is unknown at the moment. Magister Xaay is, or soon will be, working on the visual side of things, recording lineup remained unchanged. Recording process should be finished in coming days, mixing and mastering will follow as soon as possible, so complete album should be in the can early in 2013. Musically we regressed, sound is rawer, songs are longer, we are older. DOOM WILLS IT!”

Swedish death metallers BEYOND MORTALITY have signed with Wormholedeath and Grom Records for the release of their new album Infected Life. Release date for the album will be announced later.
Beyond Mortality commented: “We are real happy to be a part of both the Grom records and Wormholedeath/Dreamcell 11 family and are really looking forward to working with them. This is just the start of the Beyond Mortality story and we are real happy to be able to share it with them. We intend to make a mark in history of extreme metal and we can’t think of anyone else to do it with”

WormHoleDeath Records commented: “We wanted to offer beyond Mortality a publishing deal since we had the pleasure to work closely with the guys and we really respect and admire them for their attitude and musical skills. Furthermore this is a great opportunity to co-release this album with our serbian friends (in life) and great partners (in music) at Grom Records. I am sure this is gonna be the first of many cooperations between Wormholedeath and Grom!”

Grom Records also commented: “We in Grom Records are more than proud to announce this collaboration with our friends and partners from Worm Hole Death Records. We already work on different projects for some time now and we strongly decided to make our partnership even deeper and start cooperation between our two labels. So, Beyond Mortality is going to be our first official strike on the scene and we are sure all sides will get benefits from this unity and partnership. Beyond Mortality offers strong and forcefull Death Metal covering different styles of genre and creating quality and unique mixture of brutal emotions. Death Metal as it should be, raw, wild, brutal and merciless! Recorded at MathLab Studios and mastered buy Dan Swano himself. ”

For more info on info on Beyond Mortality visit their website.

THE UNGUIDED — the Swedish band featuring former SONIC SYNDICATE members Richard Sjunnesson (vocals), Roland Johansson (vocals) and Roger Sjunnesson guitar; (Richard's brother) — will release a new two-song EP, "InvaZion", on December 21. The cover artwork was created by Kuang Hong and can be seen below.

Commented Richard: "The songs featured on this EP are entitled 'Singularity' and 'Eye Of The Thylacine'. 'Singularity' is a direct follow-up to 'Where The Frost Rose Withers' and very tied to the 'InvaZion' cover artwork. 'Eye Of The Thylacine' is thematically dealing with the machines' perspective of the events happening in this unguided world. I guess the answers will come once you read the lyrics to both of these songs. The none-mechanical characters on the illustration are supposed to portray the 616 army. Same characters as the 'Nightmareland' artwork, as a matter of fact, but instead of making them more in numbers, I and Kuang said we portray the growth by making them look more evolved. Let's face it; you are slightly more than 616 fans nowadays, hehe. But by evolving the characters to the next level, we could make them look more powerful and still keep the number down. Low in quantity, high on quality, that was the idea! The original ideas with these machines, the 616 are waging war against, are a subjective take on the music business. This EP is connected with the second album of a trilogy. A trilogy with bearing story that imbues and runs through all three albums. The organic vs. mechanic battle, felt like a good metaphor to lock in how the business is looking today. I've also reintroduced the fallen angels in these coming songs and they will have a key role in the coming two albums. 'Hell Frost' was just the awakening, now it's time to get down to business.

"InvaZion" track listing:

01. Singularity
02. Eye Of The Thylacine

THE UNGUIDED's debut album, "Hell Frost", was released in November 2011 via Despotz Records.

THE UNGUIDED recently announced the addition of drummer Richard Schill (KING LEAF EXPERIENCE, MY COLLAPSE, ex-SHINING) to the group's ranks.

THE UNGUIDED is:

Richard Sjunnesson - Vocals
Roland Johansson - Vocals, Guitar
Roger Sjunnesson - Guitar, Keyboards
Henric Carlsson - Bass
Richard Schill - Drums

For more information, and to order the new EP, visit www.theunguided.com.

Quality footage of Canada's KOBRA AND THE LOTUS performing the song 'Forever One' at The Garage in Glasgow, Scotland on December 1st during their UK support tour with BUCKCHERRY is available below:
Kobra And The Lotus are gearing up for a short US tour supporting SONATA ARCTICA. Their schedule is as follows:

December
11 - Opera House - Toronto, ON
13 - Peabody's - Cleveland, OH
14 - Harpo's - Detroit, MI
15 - Mojoes - Joliet, IL
17 - Bluebird Theater - Denver, CO
20 - Whisky A Go Go - West Hollywood, CA

Vocalist Kobra Paige spoke with Ramzine.com at this year's Hard Rock Hell festival, which took place in Pwllheli, North Wales from November 29th - December 3rd. Check out the video interview below:

Chicago thrashers TRIALS have released the following update regarding their new album:

“For those that haven't heard, we are DONE recording our new album! It will now be mixed plus mastered by the one and only Lasse Lammert. We'll try and post some samples soon!”
The band previously released a series of studio journals chronicling the album's progress online at this location.

Trials is:

Mark Sugar (guitar/vocals)
Ryan Bruchert (guitar)
Usha Rajbhandari (bass)
Adam Kopecky (drums)

More on Trials at this location.

THE RELAPSE SYMPHONY's five-song EP, Time's Running Out is out today, December 4th, via Standby Records.

The band commented on their debut EP: "Time's Running Out is the soundtrack to the last seven months of our lives. It is the culmination of personal experiences, a sense of rebellion against the fleeting trends in "the scene", and an unbridled release of emotion. We are so proud of what we have created for our fans and we can't wait to get to work on our upcoming full length album."
Tracklisting:

'Forgotten'
'Make Your Move'
'The Other Side Of Town'
'Burning Bridges'
'Panic! (Time's Running Out)'

Audio samples at this location.

Belgian sorcerers AMENRA released their new album, Mass V, on November 27th, via new label home Neurot Recordings. The album is currently streaming in it's entirety below:
All photos contained in the layout for Mass V were taken by Stefaan Temmerman and the art itself was made and assembled by Webecameaware.
On the subject of the album’s visual aspects, the band revealed the following personal testimonial about how it came to be: "In November 2011 we went out wandering through our own and neighbouring countries. Looking for the perfect setting for the artwork to the new album. After a couple of days our trail ended at the village of Wissant in North France. The site is a gathering of destroyed bunkers from the second World War. The force and strength coming from these weathered constructions was overwhelming. Concrete blasted to pieces, hundreds of bullet holes everywhere, the salt and sand were once covered in blood. We drew respect from these stone temples, this once, was a world of pain. We stayed overnight at the site and slept on one of the bunkers just so we could get swallowed by the sea as tide came in and when the dawn brought first light, Stefaan Temmerman took the picture we knew was going to be perfect to represent our Mass V. It was a long and cold night."

Mass V tracklisting:

'Dearborn and Buried'
'Boden'
'A Mon Ame'
'Nowena I 9.10'

The video for the album track, 'Boden', as well as two trailers for the album, can be seen below:
There will be an art exhibition at the AB Venue preceding the band’s already sold out record release show on December 22nd where Stefaan Temmerman, Amenra members Chve and Mathieu Vandekerckhove and other artists will be showcasing photographs and more on the album. More info can be found here.

Amenra have announced new live appearances and 2013 European tour dates in support of Mass V. Confirmed dates include:

December
22 - Ancienne Belgique - Brussels, Belgium

January
11 - Machinefabriek - Groningen, Netherlands (Eurosonic Festival)

February
10 - De Kreun - Kortrijk, Belgium
16 - Perron - Ieper, Belgium (Winterfest)
22 - Burgerweeshuis - Deventer, Netherlands
24 - Mod - Hasselt, Belgium w/ Hessian

April
19 - Patronaat Church - Tilburg, Netherlands (Roadburn Festival)

European Tour 2013:

April
25 - Glazart - Paris, France
26 - Epicerie Moderne - Lyon, France
27 - Boulevard Rock Club - Misano Adriatico (RN), Italy
28 - Traffic live club - Roma, Italy
29 - Lo Fi club - Milano, Italy
30 - Gaswerk - Winterthur, Switzerland

May
1 - Arena - Wenen, Austria
2 - Feierwerk - Munchen, Germany
3 - Conne Island - Leipzig, Germany
4 - Klub Firlej - Wroclaw, Poland (Asymmetry Festival)
5 - TBA - Germany
26 - Stuk - Leuven, Belgium

More on Amenra at this location.

Norway's TELLUS REQUIEM recently signed with Nightmare Records, for the release of their debut album, Invictus (The 11th Hour), due on January 22nd, 2013.

The album artwork can be seen below:
Invictus (The 11th Hour) tracklisting:

'Ab Aeterno'
'Red Horizon'
'Eden Burns'
'Reflections Remains'
'Twilight Hour'
'Sands Of Gold'
'Tranquility'
'Redemption'
'Invictus'
'Dies Irae'

Tellus Requiem consists of five members who all came from diverse musical backgrounds, which can be recognized immediately by their distinct sound. From the very first crunchy guitar wail with juicy leads your ears are battered with a progressive metal onslaught. Combining these elements with beautiful melodies and harmonies Tellus Requiem delivers their breathtaking debut The 11th Hour.
In celebration of their upcoming album release, the group has launched a brand new website, which features upcoming tour dates, news merchandise, media, social network links and more.

The band described the websites design and meaning: The homepage is based on the artwork for our upcoming release; Invictus (The 11th Hour) done by Mr. Thomas Ewerhard. He has worked with other great artists like SYMPHONY X, TOTO, AVANTASIA, THERION, HAMMERFALL, among others."

Tellus Requiem lineup:

Ben Rodgers - Vocals
Vidar Lehmann - Drums
Stig Nergård - Guitars
Ivar Hagen Bøe - Bass
Anders Sundbø - Keys
More on Tellus Requiem at this location.

The new CD from US thrash metallers TIME TO KILL, entitled Ashes to Ashes, is out now and will be released worldwide on January 1st, 2013 through 101 Distribution.
Says the band: "We have continued to go with our own original sound that's a combo of metal, thrash-n-punk and pretty much deal with song topics we enjoy like beer, sex, revenge and death."

Time To Kill are currently finishing up filming for a 2013 DVD release. A spring/summer 2013 tour is planned, but the band will still be doing local and regional events/shows. The and are also finishing up recording their first Christmas song, called 'Sugar Cookies'.
Updates to follow. More on Time To Kill here.

Cologne, Germany's CHAPEL OF DISEASE presents eight malodorous new tracks on their debut album, Summoning Black Gods, which will be unleashed December 8th on FDA Rekotz. The album will be available on CD, LP (3 different versions) and digital formats.

This is creeping and catchy death metal with an authentic sick and fat wall of sound and putrid vocals, a must for fans of the early MORGOTH, ASPHYX or DEATH. The band's April 2012 demo cassette, Death Evoked, was sold out within a week of its release.
Tracklisting:

'Summoning Black Gods'
'Descend To The Tomb'
'Dead Spheres'
'Evocation Of The Father'
'The Nameless City'
'Hymns Of The New Land'
'Exili's Heritage'
'The Loved Dead'

Album tracks 'Descend to the Tomb' and 'Evocation Of The Father' are streaming below:
Chapel Of Disease was formed in 2008. At first the band's lineup was Laurent T. (Vocals/Guitars), Cedric T. (Bass) and David D. (Drums). The band quickly recognized the need for a second guitar player and Christian K. was brought in to play bass Cedric stepped into fill the guitarist role. Though the band didn't work on music continually for the first few years of their existence, in 2011 the lads got their asses up and had the ambition to finally record their first "real" demo.

In April 2012, Chapel Of Disease released the demo cassette, Death Evoked via FDA Rekotz. The response went over very well and the demo sold out within a week. Chapel Of Disease and FDA Rekotz decided on working together for the future as well.
More on Chapel Of Disease here.

Former BEAUTIFUL CREATURES bassist Kenny Kweens (ex-L.A. GUNS) has released a video for the debut single from his new band, VILLAINS OF VAUDEVILLE, 'The Devil Is Waiting'. Check it out below:

Following is an excerpt from an interview with Viva Glam Magazine:

Kweens: "On Villains Of Vaudeville I have a great producer/mentor/musician/songwriter partner/friend that I work with name Tracy Swider. He pushed me to start this project, so this is all his fault by the way, so blame him. We usually bounce ideas back and forth off of each other and that usually gets the rock rolling.

Q: How different is it from the music you have done before?

Kweens: "Well, I guess it's heavier. It has some synth stuff throughout and of course I'm singing on it, but some of the same elements are there. I think there may be more of a method to the madness or a thread to it all through-out and what I mean by that is that it's more theatrical, not only with the physical imagery, but with the music and lyrics as well and they both go hand in hand."

Click here for more. For information and updates go to the official Villains Of Vaudeville website here.

Toronto-based progsters FALL AND DIVIDE, who recently issued their self-titled debut album produced, mixed and mastered by RUSH engineer Rich Chycki, have released a new video for the song 'Pieces'. Check it out below:
The tracklist for the new album is as follows:

'To Be'
'Pieces'
'Never The Case
'What's It Gonna Take'
'Flames'
'This Life'
'S.O.S.'
'No Evil'
'Face Me'
'The Shelter'
'Once And For All'

Audio samples from the album are available at this location.

As a follow-up to their 2011 full-length album, Tattered And Bound, Vancouver death metal band ABRIOSIS are set to release their new EP, Vessel, on February 1st, 2013. Vessel merges disorienting waves of sonic violence with an ever-present thunderous pulse. Though short and sweet, this EP hits hard; representing the latest evolution in the band’s signature progressive death metal sound.
Vessel marks the first Abriosis recording to feature the band's new vocalist, Alxs Ness (ex-WITHOUT MERCY). Ness' YouTube channel has attracted over one million views split between her death metal vocal covers and vocal technique/advice videos.

The following video trailer includes samples of all four tracks from Vessel:
"Vessel is what we have been working towards for years," comments Abriosis guitarist Taylor Lipton. "It's disorienting while holding down groove. Every song has its own face and personality. We are very proud of this release, and excited to see where it brings us!"

In keeping with tradition, the band plans to release the digital version of the EP entirely for free via their official website. Updates to follow.

More on Abriosis here.

Italian prog metal band HYPNOTHETICALL have inked a deal with Logic(il)logic Records, for the release of their new album, A Farewell To Gravity, scheduled for early 2013.
The band, featuring ARTHEMIS drummer Francesco "Kekko" Tresca, published its first full-length album, Dead World, in
2009. Below you can find 'Let Life Be An Origami', the first extract from the upcoming album:
Hypnotheticall are:

Marco Ciscato - Vocals
Mirko Marchesini - Lead, Rhythm Guitar
Giuseppe Zaupa - Lead, Rhythm Guitar
Davide Pretto - Keyboards, Synth
Luca Capalbo - Bass Guitar
Francesco Tresca - Drums, Percussions
More on Hypnotheticall here.

"Reach Beyond The Sun", the title track of the forthcoming album from the Pompano Beach, Florida-based hardcore/metal band SHAI HULUD, can be streamed in the YouTube clip below. The CD will be released on February 19, 2013 (one day earlier internationall) via Metal Blade Records.

"Reach Beyond The Sun", the fourth entry in SHAI HULUD's storied catalog, was produced by current NEW FOUND GLORY guitarist, and notably, vocalist on HULUD's debut LP, "Hearts Once Nourished With Hope And Compassion", Chad Gilbert. In addition to producing, Gilbert also returned to sing on the album — his first offering of recorded vocals with the band in over a decade.

Not unlike SHAI HULUD's previous releases, "Reach Beyond The Sun" was born of several years of toiling before ever entering a studio. The band's previous effort, "Misanthropy Pure", a polished, metallic and frenzied piece of masterwork, is contrasted by the much more visceral, instinctively compositional songs found on "Reach Beyond The Sun", an embracement of the raw hardcore/punk elements that sit at the cornerstone of the band's influences. Longtime bass player Mad Matt Fletcher asserts, "Anyone who really knows the band will agree this album is our definitive sound, encompassing all of our different influences and styles." He conclusively reiterates, "Yep, this sounds like SHAI HULUD."

Lyrically, SHAI HULUD continues to evoke deeper thought, and a range of true human emotions practically unique to the band as the modern underground often shies away from depth for fear of the vulnerability of inner exposure. SHAI HULUD affirms "true strength is inviolate" in the song "Monumental Graves", and introspectively queries, "Is ours, indeed, a sunless path to waiting graves we prepare for ourselves?" and "Will we bring our hearts back to life?" in the songs "I, Saturnine" and "A Human Failing", respectively, boldly turning their insides out. Regarding "A Human Failing", a song about a generation willing to turn numb in lieu of a life of pain and feeling, guitar player Matt Fox comments "It's become 'cool' to be cold. No pun intended." In the interest of challenging misinterpreted notions of pessimism, the song "Think The Adder Benign" professes, "No, I do not believe roses only bloom just to conceal the thorns. I merely accept the thorn pricked finger bleeds" while "To Suffer Fools" maintains the band's active frustration and misanthropy, a trait by which SHAI HULUD are notorious: "Pour the salts of acumen straight into the eyes to recondition the mind."

In recording "Reach Beyond The Sun", SHAI HULUD welcomed the vocal talents of accomplished friends from throughout the hardcore community. Fans will note guest vocals from: Jay Pepito (REIGN SUPREME, BLACKLISTED) on "A Human Failing", John Vigil (THE GHOST INSIDE) on "If A Mountain be My Obstacle", Louis Hernandez (ALPHA & OMEGA) on "Man Into Demon", all officially recorded former HULUD vocalists Matt Mazalli, Damien Moyal, and Geert van der Velde on "Medicine to the Dead", as well as additional vocals throughout the album from the likes of Justin Krauss (WITH LIFE IN MIND), Martin Stewart (DONNYBROOK, TERROR), David Wood (DOWN TO NOTHING, TERROR), among others.

Since the release of "Misanthropy Pure" in 2008, SHAI HULUD has toured Europe, Southeast Asia, Canada, the U.S., and Mexico. Most recently, the band appeared at the Revelation Records' 25th-anniversary shows, both in Los Angeles and New York. Plans are already beginning to unfold for 2013, beginning with SHAI HULUD's trek to Australia for the first time as part of Soundwave 2013, which also features METALLICA, BLINK 182, THE OFFSPRING, SLAYER, and many more. More plans are beginning to unfold in support of "Reach Beyond The Sun", which will invariably see HULUD performing in front of more fans, new and old, than ever before.