Danish power metallers RIPE, who feature in their ranks current ARTILLERY singer Michael Bastholm Dahl, will release their second album, "The Eloquence Of Silence", on November 26 via Mighty Music.

Formed in 2001 in Copenhagen, RIPE's style "has always been powerful heavy metal and it has never changed!" according to a press release.

The band's debut album, "A Moment Of Forever" (2010), featured guest appearances by Michael Denner (MERCYFUL FATE, FORCE OF EVIL) and Billy Cross (BOB DYLAN).

"The Eloquence Of Silence" track listing:

01. Fade to Rise (3:28)
02. Riddle In The Dark (3:52)
03. Candle And The Sun (3:37)
04. Dreamwalker (3:50)
05. A Part Apart (2:47)
06. Bloodlust (3:13)
07. Saint Of The Scar (3:40)
08. Xenophobe In Hiding (3:29)
09. Porcelain Goddess (3:16)
10. Song For A Shadow (3:47)
11. Above Inside (3:12)
12. Ghost Of A Rose (3:44)

"Been Away Too Long", the first official single from SOUNDGARDEN's new album, arrives on Thursday (September 27) at radio stations, iTunes and other digital retailers. According to The Pulse Of Radio, the song leaked briefly on Wednesday (September 26), with some stations and web sites streaming it until the band's label sent out cease-and-desist orders. But it got around enough to fire up fans on Twitter and message boards, with most proclaiming the hard-rocking track a return to form for Seattle's pioneering grunge act.

Banana1015.com called the track "a harder-hitting and true to form return of the most avant-garde group of the 1990s grunge scene," while Consequence Of Sound dubbed it "a fine modern rock track — that is, if you enjoy it coming at you 700 mph and from Mars."

Singer Chris Cornell told The Pulse Of Radio not long ago that SOUNDGARDEN's songwriting has always made the band unique. "It's made us a very eclectic band musically, and a band that's really hard to distill," he said. "We were never an easy band to mimic. There's a lot of bands influenced by us, but I don't think you could sit down and point to three or four bands over the history of the last 20 years that really just tried to cop what we did and then came out. 'Cause it wasn't possible."

The new SOUNDGARDEN album, "King Animal", comes out on November 13. It's the first all-new set of material from the reunited group since 1996's "Down On The Upside".

SOUNDGARDEN reunited in 2010 after a 13-year break, releasing a retrospective collection called "Telephantasm" and a concert album titled "Live On I-5".

"King Animal" track listing:

01. Been Away Too Long
02. Non-State Actor
03. By Crooked Steps
04. A Thousand Days Before
05. Blood On The Valley Floor
06. Bones of Birds
07. Taree
08. Attrition
09. Black Saturday
10. Halfway There
11. Worse Dreams
12. Eyelid's Mouth
13. Rowing

The band's first new song since regrouping, "Live To Rise", was a rock radio hit in June when it was issued as the lead single from the soundtrack of the movie "The Avengers".

SOUNDGARDEN has yet to announce tour plans in support of "King Animal".

"Valley Of Shadows", the second album from the ATKINS MAY PROJECT — the collaboration between original JUDAS PRIEST singer Al Atkins and Christian guitarist Paul May — will be released on November 5.

A five-minute YouTube clip containing audio samples of the tracks that will appear on the CD can be found below.

ATKINS MAY PROJECT's first CD, "Serpent's Kiss", was released last November via Gonzo Multimedia. The 10-track album was the product of two of the Midlands finest architects of rock and metal coming together to create something that is unique and totally exhilarating.

Atkins is the co-writer of several PRIEST songs which are included on the band's first two albums, "Rocka Rolla" and "Sad Wings of Destiny", both of which eventually went gold. Atkins co-penned the heavy metal classic "Victim of Changes", which was a combination of Rob Halford's song "Red Light Lady" and Atkins' own "Whiskey Woman". He also co-wrote "Winter", "Never Satisfied", "Dreamer Deceiver" and "Caviar and Meths".

In 1989 Atkins released his debut solo album, "Judgement Day", to great acclaim. But it was "Heavy Thoughts" and "Victim of Changes" (the latter being his collaborative album with ex-JUDAS PRIEST drummer Dave Holland) that brought him strong sales and critical acclaim around the world.

JUDAS PRIEST bassist Ian Hill penned the foreword to Al Atkins's autobiography, titled "Dawn of the Metal Gods: My Life in Judas Priest and Heavy Metal". The book, which was written with Neil Daniels — a freelance rock writer and heavy metal fan who befriended Atkins during the writing of Neil's book "The Story Of Judas Priest: Defenders Of The Faith" (Omnibus Press) — was released in 2009 via Iron Pages.

"Torn Apart", a brand new song from the Southern California hardcore band STRIFE, can be streamed using the SoundCloud player below. The track comes off the group's new album, "Witness A Rebirth", which will be released on November 6 via 6131 Records.

Some bands leave such an impression on fans that, even after two decades, their sound still resonates deep and wide. STRIFE is just such a band, having once again tapped into the energy that has kept listeners interested for 21 years.

After touring throughout the world in recent years, STRIFE decided it was time to unleash a new batch of songs and break their 11-year streak of recording silence. The groundwork for what would become their newest album, "Witness A Rebirth", had been laid and their collective efforts began down the road to realization.

With producer Nick Jett (TERROR, ROTTING OUT, BACKTRACK) at the helm, STRIFE recruited friend and previous collaborator Igor Cavalera (founding member of SEPULTURA) to perform drums for the album and traveled to Brazil to start the recording process with him. Soon after, they returned to California and put the rest of the pieces into place, including guest vocals by Billy Graziadei (of BIOHAZARD) and Scott Vogel (of TERROR), plus a guitar solo by Marc Rizzo (of SOULFLY). The result serves as a testament to their talent, bridging their past (especially the highly acclaimed album "In This Defiance", with which this album shares four-fifths of the members) with a more contemporary hardcore sound. "Witness A Rebirth" is at once both refreshing and evocative.

An 11-minute video clip in which members of REVAMP, the band led by former AFTER FOREVER vocalist Floor Jansen, answer fan-submitted questions about their forthcoming second album can be seen below.

REVAMP will enter the studio in December to begin recording the new CD for a tentative March/April 2013 release.

REVAMP returned to the live stage in January at Metropool in Hengelo, The Netherlands as the support act for EPICA.

Video footage of REVAMP performing a brand new song, entitled "Sins", during the concert can be seen below.

Jansen appeared at Carioca Club in São Paulo, Brazil in November 2011 as a special guest of MAYAN, the band featuring EPICA/ex-AFTER FOREVER guitarist/songwriter Mark Jansen alongside Jack Driessen (ex-AFTER FOREVER) and Frank Schiphorst. This marked his first live appearance since her burn-out last year, which forced her to put on hold all concert activities.

REVAMP's self-titled debut album was released in Europe on May 28, 2010 via Nuclear Blast Records.

REVAMP is:

Floor Jansen: Songwriter/Singer
Arjan Rijnen: Guitar
Jord Otto: Guitar
Jaap Melman: Bass
Ruben Wijga: Keyboards
Matthias Landes: Drums

Fan-filmed video footage of EPICA's September 25 performance at Teatro de Flores in Buenos Aires, Argentina can be seen below.

EPICA will celebrate its 10th anniversary with a special performance, dubbed "Retrospect", which will take place on March 23, 2013 at Klokgebouw in Eindhoven, Holland.

"Retrospect" will be EPICA's most ambitious project to date, joined by a 70-piece symphonic orchestra and choir, international guests and lots of special effects.

Specially for this show, EPICA will be joined by the Hungarian Extended Remenyi Ede Chamber Orchestra and Choir of Miskolc National Theatre, the same orchestra and choir with whom EPICA recorded the highly acclaimed live album "The Classical Conspiracy". This anniversary show will be a "Retrospect" on EPICA's career and will contain all trademark elements you can expect from EPICA.

EPICA's fifth full-length album, "Requiem For The Indifferent", sold 4,800 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 104 on The Billboard 200 chart. The band's previous CD, "Design Your Universe", opened with 2,100 units to land at position No. 12 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.

"Requiem For The Indifferent" was released on March 9 in Europe and four days later in North America via Nuclear Blast Records. The CD was recorded at Gate Studio in Wolfsburg, Germany under the watchful eye of Sascha Paeth.

EPICA will embark on an extensive North American tour this fall. Support on the trek will come from ALESTORM, INSOMNIUM, SYSTEM DIVIDE and DESTINY POTATO.

IN THIS MOMENT has announced that their track ‘Blood’ is now the #1 selling single of all time for their label Century Media Records.

‘Blood’ is the title track of their latest album. ‘Blood’ has sold upwards of 75,000 units since its release a few months ago. The song continues to move an additional 5,000 copies per week.



In This Moment will head out on a tour kicking off in mid-October. The first set of dates will see the band headlining, while the dates beginning in mid-November will find In This Moment alongside HALESTORM for the Jagermeister tour.

Upcoming tour dates can be found at this location.

MÖTLEY CRÜE frontman Vince Neil joined local rock band GOING DARK on stage last Friday (September 21) at at Bliss in Clifton, New Jersey to perform the CRÜE classic "Girls, Girls, Girls". The event served as Vince's official after-party following the KISS/MÖTLEY CRÜE show at the PNC Bank Arts Center in Holmdel, New Jersey.

Video footage of Neil's appearance can be seen below. Joining Vince on stage was porn star Lisa Ann.

GOING DARK is comprised of lead singer and bassist Oliver Shaw (age 12), guitarist LJ Militello (age 14) and drummer Alex Fogg (age 15).

The band recently signed with Prince Music Management. Darren Prince, owner of Prince Music Management and Prince Marketing, is well known for managing iconic athletes and sports celebrities, including Magic Johnson, Hulk Hogan, Dennis Rodman, the late Joe Frazier, Evel Knievel and a multitude of others. Prince has also represented Neil and Tommy Lee of MÖTLEY CRÜE on several marketing deals over the past decade.

Azorean modern metallers STAMPKASE will release their debut album, Mechanorganism, in November 3rd. Th eband has revealed the complete tracklist, which can be found below:
'Dodge Fire'
'Bipolarized'
'Blank Wound'
'Angular Plasma'
'Faded'
'Déjà-Vu'
'Random Shot'
'Stamina'
'Scintilla'
'Mechanorganism'

Colin Marks, who created the album artwork, manages the London based studio Rain Song Design working primarily within the music and film industries. He has previously worked with famous acts such as KATAKLYSM, EXODUS, STRAPPING YOUNG LAD, JEFF LOOMIS, NEVERMORE, ABORTED, SYLOSIS, SCAR SYMMETRY, THREAT SIGNAL, ALL SHALL PERISH, SUICIDE SILENCE and many more.

Colin ties in some words on Mechanorganism artwork: "The great thing about the album is that every song has a particular individual theme, and thus needed its own independent visual to accompany it, so we have a wide range of artwork running throughout. Each page is a new concept. It's refreshing to alternate the style of the imagery to tie in with the songs and their lyrics rather than keep a running theme as is generally the case.

It's been a pleasure collaborating with the band on this, and on top of that the album sounds awesome from what I've heard so far."

The band thoughts on the artwork great results: "When we reached Colin we were absolutely aware of his potential. However, we must say there was no way of imagining something so amazing, flawless and reliable about everything that goes on in the album, musically and lyrically. Despite our descriptions he digged so perfectly in all the concepts and added his own vision, that we had absolutely nothing to pinpoint during the process. He was right in our mood and came out like our sixth element."

Mechanorganism was recorded separately in Azores and Portugal mainland during the last two years.

Drums were tracked at the renowned Ultrasound Studios (ANGELUS APATRIDA, HEAVENWOOD, W.A.K.O., SWITCHTENSE) in Braga, with sound engineer Pedro Mendes. All other instruments were laid down in their home island with José Miranda and Carlos Rijo. Mixing and mastering duties were handled by Daniel Cardoso (Angelus Apatrida, ANNEKE VAN GIERSBERGEN).

Stampkase was formed in 2003 in São Miguel Island, Azores archipelago (Portugal), and have since spread their groove and odd tempos, as well as their sticky melodies, onstage with bands such as MNEMIC, FEAR MY THOUGHTS, DAGOBA, EXILIA, SWITCHTENSE and many others.

Watch previously released concept teaser below:

ProgRock Records has checked in with the following update:

"After over five years of work and a lot of false starts, the PSYCHIC FOR RADIO album Standing Wave is finally done. Shawn Gordon (ProgRock Records president) and Henning Pauly (FRAMESHIFT) have put together a collection of very unique music with a lot of good friends and guest musicians coming to the party.
On vocals we have:

Rick Livingstone
Adrian O'Shaughnessy
Todd Plant (CRYPTIC VISION)
Maya Haddi Zebley

Special guests include:

Martin Orford (ex-IQ)
Mark Zonder (FATES WARNING)
Mike Alvarez
Pater Matuchniak (EVOLVE IV, GEKKO PROJECT)
Carl Westholm (CARPTREE, JUPITER SOCIETY)
Randy George (AJALON, NEAL MORSE)
Sen Entriken (PRYMARY)
Bill Berends (MASTERMIND)
Marek Arnold (SEVEN STEPS TO THE GREEN DOOR)

You'll find influences from OSI, GENESIS, HOWARD JONES, SPYRO GYRA, ALAN PARSONS PROJECT and the unidentifiable. The album is available for immediate pre-sale at a $2 discount, audio and video clips are available here."

Back in June, Pennysylvania-based rockers HALESTORM played the UK's Download Festival in Leicestershire at Donington Park. NME TV has posted footage of vocalist Lzzy Hale and guitarist Joe Hottinger and frontwoman Lzzy Hale performing an acoustic version of 'I Miss The Misery' on the band's tour bus. Check it out below:
Jägermeister recently announced the Halestorm fall headline tour in support of the band's new album, The Strange Case Of... The tour kicks off November 8th at Mobile, Alabama's Soul Kitchen and continues through mid-December with support from IN THIS MOMENT and EVE TO ADAM.

Jägermeister has a long history of supporting bands, both from a local level to national amphitheater acts. "We are incredibly excited to be working with Halestorm on this upcoming headline tour," says Cliff Rigano, Director of Music Marketing for Jagermeister. "The band is truly coming into their own as a rock powerhouse, and we are excited to be a part of their success."

"We are so stoked to be partnering with our friends at Jägermeister for this upcoming tour," said Lzzy Hale of Halestorm "We've known all of these guys for years and can't wait to throw down with them out on the road! It's going to be great to finally be seeing all of our Halestorm Freaks in all the cities that we have not yet been to this year. Joining us will be our good friends from JVC and our partners in crime, In This Moment and Eve To Adam. Rock it out, people! See you at the shows!"

A behind the scenes video will be filmed all tour long in conjunction with JVC and their cutting edge Adixxion action cameras for an in-depth look at one of the hardest working rock bands on the road.

Tour dates:

November
8 - Mobile, AL - Soul Kitchen
9 - Houston, TX - Fitzgerald's
10 - Backstage Live - San Antonio, TX
12 - Tempe, AZ - Marquee Theatre
13 - W. Hollywood, CA - House of Blues
14 - Chico, CA - Senator Theater
16 - San Francisco, CA - Slim's
17 - Sacramento, CA - Ace of Spades
18 - Reno, NV - Knitting Factory
20 - Kennewick, WA - Toyota Center (with ALICE COOPER)
21 - Garden City, ID - Revolution Event Center (with Alice Cooper)
23 - Portland, OR - Hawthorne Theatre
24 - Seattle, WA - El Corazon
25 - Spokane, WA - Knitting Factory
27 - Jackson, WY - Pink Garter Theatre
29 - Denver, CO - Summit Music Hall
30 - Omaha, NE - Sokol Auditorium

December
1 - Sauget, IL - Pop's
3 - Sioux Falls, SD - The Vault
4 - Minneapolis, MN - First Avenue
5 - Madison, WI - Majestic Theatre
7 - South Bend, IN - Club Fever
8 - Royal Oak, MI - Royal Oak Music Theatre
10 - Richmond, VA - The National
11 - Knoxville, TN - Valarium
12 - Asheville, NC - Orange Peel
14 - Charleston, SC - Music Farm
15 - Orlando, FL - Hard Rock Live
27 - Philadelphia, PA - Electric Factory
29 - Montclair, NJ - Wellmont Theatre
31 - Baltimore, MD - Baltimore Soundstage

Canadian rocker BIF NAKED has unveiled the cover art for her forthcoming single, 'So Happy I Could Die'. Check it out below. Release details will be available soon.
Bif recently checked in with the following update:

"Namaste, Loveysweethearts! Just jumping on here to say hello, say thank you, and let you know that JD and I are coming to play our favorite acoustic shows for you. We start in Newfoundland and are very excited! Come see Bif Naked (moi) and my homeboy Jacen J.D.Ekstrom (CRASHSCENE) on tour:

October
18 - St.John's, Newfoundland - Club One
19 - Moncton, New Brunswick - The Capitol Theatre
20 - St.John, New Brunswick - The Imperial Theatre
22 - Whitby, Ontario - venue tba
25 - Cobourg, Ontario - venue tba
26 - Toronto, Ontario - The Drake
27 - Waterloo, Ontario - Waterloo Inn
28 - Burnstown, Ontario - venue tba

More to come, and I will post them. Stay tuned for updates."

Bif recently commented on her surgery, which was done to repair a hole in her heart; a condition she's had her entire life:

"Five months later. I am pretty confident it worked. In fact, it worked so well, my heart actually GREW in size and ability. I love everyone and everything in my life, more and more each day. FUCK THAT IS COOL! (Apologies to my parents for my enthusiastic use of contemporary language, here....but sometimes, it just feels so good to say cusswords. Nyuk,nyuk,nyuk...). I hope everyone is having a fabulous week in abundant happiness and positivity. Much gratitude to you, and for you. Love and Light, let's keep Fightin' the Good Fight. Amen."

Legendary metal drummer Gene Hoglan (DETHKLOK, TESTAMENT, STRAPPING YOUNG LAD, DEATH) and WEST OF HELL frontman Chris "The Heathen" Valagao (ZIMMERS HOLE, MECHANISM) are featured on a recently released cover of VAN HALEN's classic, 'Get Up'.

This tongue and cheek poke at the Van Halen classic, humorously re-named 'Get It Up' is part of SYLENCER's latest release , A Lethal Dose Of Truth. The track also features DETHKLOK mainman Brendon Small on lead guitar.

Listen to the track below:

Get It Up by Sylencer

Sylencer released their debut album, A Lethal Dose Of Truth, on September 4th. Based in Chicago, IL, the band's core lineup consists of Markus Johansson - vocals / lead guitar, Johnny Rox - bass guitar, Kevin Talley (DÅÅTH, SIX FEET UNDER) - drums, and features lead guitarist Larry Tarnowski (ICED EARTH).

The complete tracklisting is as follows:

'Day By Day'
'Eternal'
'88 Reasons To Hate'
'Shock And Awe'
'Permanent Heartbreak'
'Dead To Your World'
'Scream At The Stars'
'Sinners In The Hands Of An Angry God'
'The End Of The Nightmare'
'Rise And Die'
'Afflicted'
'Evilution'
'Asche Zu Asche'
'Wired In The Blood'
'Acquiesce'
'Get It Up'

What really sets A Lethal Dose Of Truth apart is the plethora of guest stars that appear on the album:

Michael Angelo Batio (MAB, NITRO) - lead guitar
Rob Caggiano (ANTHRAX, THE DAMNED THINGS) – lead guitar
Metal Mike Chlasciak (ROB HALFORD, SEBASTIAN BACH) – lead guitar
Steve DiGiorgio (SADUS, DEATH, TESTAMENT, ICED EARTH) – bass guitar
Roland Grapow (HELLOWEEN, MASTERPLAN) – lead guitar
The Heathen (ZIMMERS HOLE) – vocals
Gene Hoglan (DETHKLOK, Testament, STRAPPING YOUNG LAD, DEATH) – drums
Andy LaRocque (KING DIAMOND, DEATH) – lead guitar
Christian Lasegue (JAG PANZER) – Lead Guitar
Marco Minnemann (NECROPHAGIST, PAUL GILBERT, KREATOR) – drums
Sean Reinert (CYNIC, Death) – drums
Jordan Rudess (DREAM THEATER, LIQUID TENSION EXPERIMENT) – keyboards
Brendon Small (Dethklok) – lead guitar
Steve Smyth (FORBIDDEN, Testament, NEVERMORE) – lead guitar
Emil Werstler (DAATH, CHIMAIRA, LEVI/WERSTLER) – lead guitar

Check out BraveWords.com's new Sylencer feature at this location.

GRAVE DIGGER have announced more dates for the upcoming German Metal Attack 2013 tour, also featuring MAJESTY, WIZARD, and GUN BARREL.
Confirmed dates for the tour now include:

January
11 - Andernach, Germany - Live Club
12 - Halle, Germany - 101
13 - Ludwigsburg, Germany - Rockfabrik
16 - Köln, Germany - Live Music Hall
17 - Aschaffenburg, Germany - Colos-Saal
18 - Geiselwind, Germany - Musichall
19 - München, Germany - Backstage Halle
20 - Pratteln, Switzerland - Z7
25 - Hamburg, Germany - Markthalle
26 - Berlin, Germany - C-Club
27 - Bochum, Germany - Zeche

February
1 - Braunschweig, Germany - Meier Music Hall
2 - Glauchau, Germany - Alte Spinnerei
3 - Prague, Czech Republic - Club Matrix
8 - Regensburg, Germany - Uni Mensa
9 - Vienna, Austria - Szene

Grave Digger will be back in Russia in 2013. The first confirmed dates are:

February
22 - St. Petersburg, Russia - Avrora
23 - Moscow, Russia - Plan B

More dates will be added soon.

Grave Digger's new album, Clash Of The Gods, has hit more worldwide charts.
The updated list follows:
29 - Germany
48 - Sweden
71 - Switzerland 48

The band recently released the first video clip from the opus - check out 'Home At Last' below:



Check out BraveWords.com's review of Clash Of The Gods at this location.

LOVE & DEATH, the new band led by former KORN guitarist Brian "Head" Welch, will release its debut album, "Between Here & Lost", on November 20 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 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," states 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.

"Chemicals" video:

"Stuck On This Feeling Of Feeling Nothing", the new video from the Finnish rock/metal act RED ELEVEN, can be seen below. The clip was directed by Anssi Korhonen and produced by Jester Films.

"Stuck On This Feeling Of Feeling Nothing" is the title track of RED ELEVEN's new single, which was released via Inverse Records. The effort includes the B-side "The Next".

RED ELEVEN entered the studio last year to record its debut album for a late 2012 release. Photos from the studio can be found at this location.

RED ELEVEN is:

* Tony Kaikkonen (DARK DAYS AHEAD, BONE 5, CODE FOR SILENCE, SONS OF AEON) - Vocals
* Teemu Liekkala (CODE FOR SILENCE, BEYOND THE DREAM, MANUFACTURER'S PRIDE) - Guitar, Backing Vocals
* J-V Hintikka (DEAD CULT DIARIES, SURVIVORS ZERO, MACHINE MEN) - Guitar
* Petteri Vaalimaa (TURTA, KOSMA) - Bass
* Pasi Pasanen (SONS OF AEON, PLUTONIUM ORANGE, BONE 5, SWALLOW THE SUN) - DRUMS

"The Afterman", the title track of the new double concept album from New York progressive rockers COHEED AND CAMBRIA, can be streamed at RollingStone.com.

"The Afterman" will be released in two separate full-length volumes. The first volume, "The Afterman: Ascension", will be available on both physical and digital platforms in the U.S. on October 9 via Hundred Handed/Everything Evil, and distributed through Fontana/Ingrooves (to be available in Canada via Universal Music Canada). The second volume, "The Afterman: Descension", is due in February 2013.

"The Afterman: Ascension" track listing:

01. The Hollow
02. Key Entity Extraction I: Domino The Destitute
03. The Afterman
04. Mothers Of Men
05. Goodnight, Fair Lady
06. Key Entity Extraction II: Hollywood The Cracked
07. Key Entity Extraction III: Vic The Butcher
08. Key Entity Extraction IV: Evagria The Faithful
09. Subtraction

A deluxe version of "The Afterman" will include a hardcover coffee-table book with expansive art by Heidi Taillefer and Nathan Spoor with collaborative written work from singer/creator Claudio Sanchez and writer Peter David that will create a song by song experience.

The two records follow-up to 2010's "Year Of The Black Rainbow", and will feature new bassist Zach Cooper and returning drummer Josh Eppard, who have replaced Michael Todd and Chris Pennie, respectively.

The concept albums will continue to be set in the band's alternate universe of "Heaven's Fence", which are part of their series titled "The Amory Wars". "The Amory Wars" is currently being developed by Mark Wahlberg and Stephen Levinson of Leverage Productions for a live-action feature film. It follows the story of a superhuman dictator named Wilhelm Ryan, and a family that may have the ability to free the world from his control.

"The Afterman" albums will focus on a character named Sirius Amory, a scientist who discovers an energy force that can connect the universe's 78 planets together.

COHEED AND CAMBRIA frontman Claudio Sanchez said of the album: "This is, without a doubt, the most honest record I've ever written. Though all the songs can be interpreted through our main character in the story, they were initially written in a very spontaneous manner. In the past, I've always had a predetermined idea of what the story was going to be when I approached the songs. With 'The Afterman' being a new story within 'The Amory Wars' arc, I allowed the events of my life to drive the concept, and therefore opened up the songwriting to a fuller degree."

Pasadena, CA's GYPSYHAWK have released the video for the track ‘Hedgeking’. Check it out below:
‘Hedgeking’ comes off the band’s latest album Revelry & Resilience.

Revelry & Resilience cover art was illustrated by acclaimed artist Arik Roper and can be seen below:
Revelry & Resilience tracklisting:

'Overloaded'
'The Fields'
'Hedgeking'
'Frostwyrm'
'Galaxy Rise'
'1345'
'Night Songs From The Desert'
'The Red Wedding'
'Silver Queen'
'State Lines'
'Rock And Roll, Hoochie Koo'

Chicago-based mob DOOMSDAY have completed their debut album and plan to disburse the filth to the public on the band’s own label this fall, in conjunction with a throng of tour dates across the Midwest and Eastern US.

Doomsday’s obviously apocalyptic vision has been several years in the making conceptually. An idea birthed between guitarist Jeff Wilson (WOLVHAMMER, CHROME WAVES, ex-NACHTMYSTIUM), guitarist/vocalist Jon Necromancer (BONES, ex-USURPER, ex-Nachtmystium) and drummer Zack Simmons (GOATWHORE, ex-Nachtmystium), the trio recruited vocalist Zion Meagher (ANTI-HUMAN THESIS, ex-FOREST OF IMPALED, ex-Nachtmystium) and bassist Bob Fouts (THE GATES OF SLUMBER, Chrome Waves, APOSTLE OF SOLITUDE) to round out the lineup.

After months of writing and planning, their individual schedules finally allowed the five members of Doomsday to amalgamate in the studio to create their debut offering. Converging in their hometown the crew hammered out six tracks in six days in December 2011, the brutally direct hymns engineered by Sanford Parker (Nachtmystium, TWILIGHT, CIRCLE OF ANIMALS) and Carl Byers (COFFINWORM). The result: a twenty-one minute low-end blackened death-crust assault compiled as the outfit’s self-titled debut, now set for release on guitarist Jeff Wilson’s newly founded Disorder Recordings on November 6th.

Directly preceding the official release date in November, Doomsday will assault the Midwest and Northeast US on a nine-date run alongside cohorts KRIEG and WOLVHAMMER, where Doomsday will be available directly from the band for the first time.
Doomsday tour dates:

October
26 - Ultra Lounge - Chicago, IL
27 - Hexagon Bar - Minneapolis, MN
28 - Crunchy Frog - Green Bay, WI
29 - Jukebox - Indianapolis, IN
30 - Smiling Moose - Pittsburgh, PA
31 - Strange Matter - Richmond, VA

November
1 - TBA - Baltimore, MD
2 - PA's Lounge - Somerville, MA
3 - Union Pool - New York, NY

More on Doomsday at this location.

Canadian heavy metallers CAULDRON are streaming the new track, 'Nitebreaker', featured on their upcoming new album, Tomorrow's Lost, to be released via Earache on October 8th in Europe, October 9th in North America. Listen to the track below:
Tomorrow's Lost was recorded in Parkdale, Toronto with producer Jameson Elliott, who also recorded Cauldron's 2010 album, Burning Fortune. The artwork for the album was created by Todd Kowalski (SACRIFICE, PROPAGANDHI). View the cover artwork below:
Tracklisting:

'End Of Time'
'Born To Struggle'
'Nitebreaker'
'Summoned To Succumb'
'Burning Fortune'
'Endless Ways'
'Relentless Temptress'
'Fight For Day'
'Tomorrow's Lost (Sun Will Fall)'

Tomorrow's Lost is due to be released on jewel case CD, limited edition digipak CD with an exclusive bonus disc featuring three cover tracks, and limited edition coloured vinyl with a bonus 7". The coloured vinyl is available in the following quantities and colours:

100 - Fight for Day (Dirty Yellow)
200 - Twilight Blue
300 - Burning Orange
400 - Nite Black

Pre-order Tomorrow's Lost now in Europe here, or in North America here.

Tomorrow's Lost is also available to pre-order now on iTunes, including three bonus tracks, at this location.

See Cauldron live on the following dates:

September
28 - Toronto, ON - Sneaky Dee's

October
12 - Kingston, ON - The Mansion
13 - Montreal, QC - Hémisphère Gauche
18 - Halifax, NS - Michael's Bar
19 - Charlottetown, PE - Baba's Lounge
20 - Moncton, NB - Plan B
Get more Cauldron news and info at this location.

Catalonia, Spain-based thrashers VIVID REMORSE will release their sophomore studio album, Down To The Wire, via Art Gates Records on October 15th in Spain. The album will be released worldwide in November (date TBA).

The cover art was designed by Maite Ramis, who also designed the artwork for the band's previous album, The Seed Of Malaise (2010). See the new artwork below:
Down To The Wire tracklisting:

'Biopiracy (The Seed Of My Land)'
'Imaginary Actress'
'Theory Of Fear'
'Overdosed'
'Involution'
'Nobody Answers'
'Seize The Death'
'Seven Days Of Fire'
'L'Angoixa De L'Existència'
'Stop On Time'
'The Never Falling Cries'

In words of the band: “We’re sure this album will enchant all the lovers of The Seed Of Malaise. On one hand we’re going to introduce new elements, going one step further in our concept of thrash metal. On the other hand, it’s going to be 100% Vivid Remorse. Both things complement each other perfectly. It will be a record even more varied than the previous one: with faster moments, some “death metal” parts, some “punk”, some heavy stuff… It will be “A little bit more in every aspect” always with the essence and musical personality of the band, because we didn’t introduce Vivid Remorse in other genres, but our thrash metal is closer to them right now. So, our philosophy about creating short, dynamic and direct musical pieces with refinements and worked vocal melodies keeps being present in this album."
More on Vivid Remorse at this location.

Transient Chronicles is the title of the fifth studio album that Chilean doomsters POEMA ARCANVS will release on October 10th, this time under Australis Records.

Singer Claudio Carrasco: "This album collects everything Poema Arcanvs has created during our 20 years career, from the darkest and rawer sounds to the more atmospheric passages, achieving a synthesis of everything we’ve done before."

Transient Chronicles was recorded and mixed at the Atomic Noise Studios Studios by guitar player and founding member Igor Leiva.

Transient Chronicles tracklisting:
'Us, Those Half Dead'
'Stream of Debris'
'Fugitive'
'Inquilinos'
'Fading'
'Omniscient Opponent'
'Lambs'
'Default Song'
'Our Little Blood'

Omniscient Opponent is the first single - check it out on SoundCloud below:

According to The Pulse Of Radio, BLACK SABBATH's Tony Iommi has been named the greatest heavy metal guitarist of all time in a new survey posted by Gibson Guitars. The list of the top 10 metal axemen also includes METALLICA's James Hetfield and Kirk Hammett, late OZZY OSBOURNE guitarist Randy Rhoads and others. Gibson said about Iommi, "Tony's dark, distinct guitar textures in BLACK SABBATH helped spearhead the heavy metal movement. 'Iron Man' and 'Paranoid' boast some of the most memorable riffs of all time, with crushingly heavy choruses. His playing is immortalized through the generations of bands that have followed."

Incredibly, Iommi had to re-learn how to play guitar as a teenager after severing two fingertips. He told The Pulse Of Radio that he's always been determined to fight his way through anything. "I've always been the same," he said. "I always have to try to get over that barrier, whatever it may be, and do it, you know. And that's continued in what I do with the music. People have said over the years, 'Well, why do you still keep playing and why do you still hold BLACK SABBATH together through the different lineups?' Because I'm determined to do it, I'm determined to carry on. And it's been with everything like that."

Iommi was diagnosed with cancer earlier this year, and his treatments forced BLACK SABBATH to cancel all but two tour dates after announcing their reunion last November.

The original band, minus drummer Bill Ward, has also been working on its first studio album since 1978.

Singer Ozzy Osbourne has collaborated with three of the guitarists on the list — Iommi, Rhoads and Zakk Wylde.

Gibson's "Greatest Heavy Metal Guitarists":

01. Tony Iommi (BLACK SABBATH)
02. Kirk Hammett & James Hetfield (METALLICA)
03. Randy Rhoads (OZZY OSBOURNE)
04. John Petrucci (DREAM THEATER)
05. Dimebag Darrell (PANTERA)
06. Eddie Van Halen (VAN HALEN)
07. Zakk Wylde (OZZY OSBOURNE, BLACK LABEL SOCIETY)
08. Adam Jones (TOOL)
09. Dave Murray & Adrian Smith (IRON MAIDEN)
10. George Lynch (DOKKEN, LYNCH MOB)

Five-camera video footage of a blind fan stagediving during ORIGIN's August 24 concert at the Park Theatre in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada can be seen below.

ORIGIN's latest album, "Entity", was released in June 2011 via Nuclear Blast Records.

One of the most intense and technical forces of the contemporary death metal world, ORIGIN returned to stake its claim as the leader of metal's new wave of extremity with its fifth studio effort. As expected, the death grind trio of Mike Flores (bass, vocals), Paul Ryan (guitar, vocals) and John Longstreth (drums) continues to churn out frantic, hell-paced grids of metal torment, but now further complements the arrangements with a newfound propensity for churning grooves and the hook-laden approach that first reared its ugly, but accessible head on the band's 2007 offering, "Antithesis". The band once again returned to Chapman Recording Studios in Lenexa, Kansas to work with longtime engineer and friend Robert Rebeck.

A two-minute YouTube clip containing audio samples of several of the songs that will appear on "The Devil Builds", the new album from Norwegian death metallers CHTON, is available below. The video footage featured in the teaser was filmed at the band's concert at the 2012 Inferno Festival. This performance marked CHTON's only gig with bassist Ola handling lead vocals, before new singer Craig Furunes (DEMONTERA) stepped in this past August.

"The Devil Builds" will be released in early October via the German label Godeater Records. The vinyl edition is planned for early winter 2013. Digital distribution of the effort will be handled by Morningstar Music to ensure the LP will be available via all major digital stores.

"The Devil Builds" track listing:

01. Faustian Resolve
02. Scavenger Of A Dead World
03. Gods Of The Flesh
04. Rise Black God
05. Death Awaits
06. Contagion (The Disease)
07. Lord And Master
08. Nithon Undertow
09. Ratbag (ABSCESS cover)
10. Babalon And The Beast Conjoined

"The Devil Builds" was recorded and produced at Morningstar Studio with Arnt Obsidian Grønbech (KEEP OF KALESSIN, SATYRICON) at the helm. The album was mixed by Stamos Koliousis (MENCEA) and Vangelis Labrakis at 210 Studio in Berlin, known for earlier work with NATTEFROST, GEHENNA and VREID, among others.

CHTON has previously shared stages with such bands as MORBID ANGEL, BEHEMOTH, MAYHEM, AMON AMARTH and ZYKLON, and plans to embark on a European tour to promote "The Devil Builds".

CHTON's digital split single "Screaming For Death" with CLEAVER is still available for streaming or download from most digital stores like Spotify, iTunes, WiMP, Amazon and many others.

Formed in 1999 in Trondheim, CHTON released its debut album, "Chtonian Lifecode", in 2004 via Retribute Records.

DREAM THEATER's Jordan Rudess has contributed keyboard parts and co-written a piece for the new album from LALU, the heavy/progressive project led by French composer Vivien Lalu. Entitled "Atomic Ark", the long-awaited follow-up to 2005's "Oniric Metal" will feature cover artwork by Travis Smith of Seempieces (OPETH, DEVIN TOWNSEND, NEVERMORE, ICED EARTH, DEATH, AMORPHIS) and additional guest apperances by such musicians as Jens Johansson (STRATOVARIUS), Gary Wehrkamp (SHADOW GALLERY), Marco Sfogli (JAMES LABRIE) and Ryan Van Poederooyen (THE DEVIN TOWNSEND PROJECT).

LALU new lineup is as follows:

Vivien Lalu - Keyboards
Martin LeMar (MEKONG DELTA) - Vocals
Mike LePond (SYMPHONY X) - Bass
Simone Mularoni (EMPYRIOS, D.G.M.) - Guitars
Virgil Donati (PLANET X) - Drums

The "Atomic Ark" release date will be announced later on Vivien Lalu's Facebook page as LALU is still considering label options.