LIVING COLOUR vocalist Corey Glover and ADRENALINE MOB guitarist Mike Orlando have launched a new project called SONIC UNIVERSE. The group, whose lineup is completed by bassist Booker King and drummer Taykwuan Jackson, will release its debut album, "It Is What It Is", on May 10 via earMUSIC. The 10-song effort was produced, engineered, and mixed by Orlando at his Sonic Stomp Studios.

The official music video for the LP's first single, "I Am", was directed by Tom Flynn (whose credits include videos for LAMB OF GOD and BUCKCHERRY) and shot in Toms River, New Jersey. Check it out below.

"It Is What It Is" track listing:

01. I Am
02. It Is What It Is
03. Turn A Blind Eye
04. My Desire
05. Whisper To A Scream
06. Higher
07. Life
08. Come What May
09. I Want It All
10. Beautiful Disunity

When the collaboration between Glover and Orlando was first announced in 2019, Orlando described the project's musical direction in an interview with "Talking Metal" as "just straight-up rock. It's heavy rock. Of course, it's just one hundred percent chock-full of Corey Glover and my guitar styles. [It's] bluesy [and] funky. There's a little RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE in there. There's a little bit of soul in there. All the stuff that I love kind of just melded into one melting pot. It's just a conglomeration of styles all melded into one. There's no one particular thing that it screams. It's just heavy, hard rock kick in you know what. [Laughs]"

Describing the upcoming album as "one of the best things I have ever done," Mike said that Corey "is not only the coolest cat going, but he is one of the greatest singers on this earth. It's such an amazing experience to play with Corey and to be doing an album with him."

He added: "It's everything you would imagine from Corey, and I add my element to it, which is different than I've ever done. It's not ADRENALINE MOB, it's not SONIC STOMP — this is something really cool and different for me, so it's even that much more special for me."

Orlando and Glover played their first show together in September 2019 at the Iridium in New York City.

Back in 2016, Mike was injured in an ADRENALINE MOB road accident that resulted in the death of the band's bassist, David Zablidowsky.

At the time of the accident, ADRENALINE MOB was touring in support of its third studio album, "We The People", which was released in June 2017 via Century Media.

In the new issue of Metal Hammer, Emperor’s Ihsahn looks back upon the controversial church burnings which brought notoriety to the Norwegian extreme metal scene in the 90s.


Matt Mills reports: Emperor frontman and solo artist Ihsahn has spoken about the “us and them” mentality which fuelled the Norwegian black metal scene in the 90s. The singer/guitarist (real name: Vegard Tveitan) co-founded Emperor with guitarist Samoth (Tomas Haugen) in 1991, and their band became part of the “black metal inner circle” – also composed of Mayhem, Darkthrone and more – centred around the Oslo record shop Helvete.


Some members of the inner circle committed heinous and infamous acts of violence. Ex-Emperor drummer Bård “Faust” Eithun committed murder in 1992 and Varg Vikernes killed his Mayhem bandmate, Øystein “Euronymous” Aarseth, the following year. Both men were sentenced to 14 years in prison in 1994 for murder and arson. Samoth was also jailed for arson that year, following church-burnings committed by him, Vikernes and Eithun.




Now, talking exclusively in the new issue of Metal Hammer, Ihsahn has reflected on his place in the black metal scene and his attitude towards the church-burnings.


“I was very fortunate to not get involved in any of it in that respect, but I think we were all very consumed with the whole thing. The attention it got,” the musician says. “All the negative attention and our local community’s reaction to it, it became fuel to the fire. It exaggerated this feeling of ‘us and them’. So I felt involved like that and in my band there were of course consequences.”


He continues: “And you can’t really deny that it kind of validated the seriousness of what we were doing. I heard someone talking about young rap artists these days who start doing criminal activity to give credibility and validity to the things they’re singing about. It’s a very strange teenage thing, some kind of rebellious wish to have power and be taken seriously. To be dangerous. Because when you’re a teenager you’re also so vulnerable. We don’t have to psychoanalyse it all but as a grown-up I think it’s much easier to see how this happened.”


Read more, here.


Ihsahn's new album, definitively titled Ihsahn, will be released on February 16 via Candlelight Records. Daring to push the realms of creative expressionism even further with his eighth studio offering, the Norwegian progressive metal visionary will release two melodically interlinked versions of the same album: one prog metal, one fully symphonic, both creating a cinematically-influenced masterpiece.


Whilst his musical journey has been frequently revelatory, the masterful control of rhythm and movement displayed throughout 'Ihsahn' shows his work as a songwriter and composer at its most focused and self-assured. A gargantuan endeavour and one that Ihsahn professes to be one of the most complex projects he has ever undertaken, is a labyrinthine rabbit-hole of his own design, the scale of ambition immediately apparent. Wholly self-produced and scored over the course of three years, the metal version has been mixed by Jens Bogren, the orchestral version mixed by Joel Dollié and both versions were mastered by Tony Lindgren. Ihsahn freely admits that the process pushed him to his limits. It began, simply, with a piano.


Comments Ihsahn, “On average, I've been releasing a full-length album every second year since I was 16. And, you know, that has given me some opportunity to explore different options, so for my eighth full-length solo record, I thought, ‘okay, how can I do what I do best, but also raise the bar tenfold? At the heart of what I do is black metal, extreme distorted guitars and screaming, but since the earliest Emperor recordings you’ll hear the keyboard parts influenced by classic soundtracks by the likes of Jerry Goldsmith, John Williams, Bernard Herrmann, John Carpenter and so on. So, I approached the writing with the intent to present the material in its full-blown metal expression, but also to arrange the orchestral parts in such a way that they would work independently. Somehow an attempt to write a soundtrack within the structures of the full production, allowing me to explore different, and sometimes contrasting, variations of essentially the same music. In the end I wrote all the music as a piano short-score and arranged it for a typical band ensemble and orchestra, accordingly, making sure everything interlocked.”


It’s that compositional core that allowed Ihsahn to build the two records from the ground up – a Herculean feat for the self-professed, self-taught musician, but it is perhaps that very absence of formal training that allowed him to throw out the rulebook and simply follow his instincts, and the time afforded by the pandemic created the natural gap required to so heavily invest himself in the project. As Ihsahn explains, that self-induced pressure came from a desire to keep his loyal fanbase and himself interested, which is not only the defining feature of his latest record, but it’s also the central characteristic of his entire solo career.


Pre-order the new album here.





Tracklisting:


"Cervus Venator"
"The Promethean Spark"
"Pilgrimage To Oblivion"
"Twice Born"
"A Taste Of The Ambrosia"
"Anima Extraneae"
"Blood Trails To Love"
"Hubris And Blue Devils"
"The Distance Between Us"
"At The Heart Of All Things Broken"
"Sonata Profana"


"The Distance Between Us" video:





"The Distance Between Us" (Orchestral):





"Twice Born" video:





"Twice Born" (Orchestral):





"Pilgrimage To Oblivion" video:





"Pilgrimage To Oblivion" (Orchestral):





And from the orchestral grandiosity of opening track "Cervus Venator" - whichever side of 'Ihsahn' you choose to sit down with first - the epic, soundtrack qualities and richly hewn textures of Ihsahn are immediately apparent. It is a masterwork by any standard, and the definitive expression of Ihsahn’s boundless capabilities as an artist. It’s a journey he’s eager for his dedicated fans to connect with.


Joining Ihsahn on this album are Tobias Ørnes Andersen and Tobias Solbakk on drums and percussion, with IHSAHN's son Angell Solberg Tveitan adding additional percussion and violins by Chris Baum. Artwork for the album was created by Ritxi Ostariz, with all promotional photography by Andy Ford.


Not satisfied to only create a dual-record, there is also a conceptual story which underpins both sides of 'Ihsahn' – a pair of separate but interwoven Wagnerian narratives revolving around the traditional hero’s journey, and while IHSAHN is reticent to tell all, he is confident that meaning will soon emerge for listeners willing to show equal commitment.  


"I've been honoured to work with some astounding visual artists on this, who were all given access to my scrapbooks, music, lyrics, stories, mood boards etc. It’s been amazing to see how they've all interpreted the material differently, but still in a way that binds everything together.


“It’s a privilege that I get to make music and travel the world to play my music. And when I say this is subjectively my greatest musical achievement so far, it has nothing to do with ego or prestige, but rather to do with gratitude for the experience. Art taps into the metaphysical and the archetypes of our existence- it lets us experience loss, death, love - it prepares us for all of those things in some way. That’s the value, that’s the perspective I wish to create from.”


(Photo - Andy Ford)

In a new interview with Remy Maxwell of the 104.1 JackFM radio station, Sebastian Bach spoke about how SKID ROW's early multi-platinum success enabled him to live out his rock and roll dreams. He said in part (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Everybody in life wants to know the secret to success, the secret to happiness, the secret to longevity, the secret to all of those things. And when I met Gene's [Simmons, KISS bassist/vocalist] daughter, Sophie, it was at the Playboy Mansion on the first date that I ever went on with my wife, Suzanne. This was eight years ago or nine years ago. It was New Year's Eve at the Playboy Mansion when it was still rocking. Bruno Mars was playing. And it was a classic Playboy party. And I said to Sophie Simmons, I go, 'Can I tell you what your dad did for me?' And she kind of looked like, 'Oh, great.' … Like, just what she wants to hear. She goes, 'Okay, tell me. What did my dad do for you?' And I go, 'I was such a fan of your dad's band that I got so into it that I figured out how to make my own band and be as successful — not as successful, but as far as record sales and stuff, almost as successful as your dad. And, and I got to have a great life and buy my mom a car and have a home and everything. And all my dreams came true, and a million times more, because I was a fan of your dad when I was a kid.' I mean, how amazing is that?"

Bach continued: "I never had to work a day in my life. I don't consider rock and roll work. I get to create stuff. I just made my new record. I spent all day yesterday finalizing my [new solo] CD packaging. That's the kind of thing I love to do. So, how cool a band is that? And I'm not the only one [who was inspired by KISS]. [Late PANTERA musicians] 'Dimebag' Darrell [Abbott and] Vinnie Paul [Abbott]. [RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE guitarist] Tom Morello… There's a good side effect of being a fan of a band. Hey! Buy a house. Buy your mom a car, just 'cause you know how to rock, dude. [Laughs]"

This past November, Bach released a new single, "What Do I Got To Lose?" The song's official music video was directed by Jim Louvau and Tony Aguilera.

"What Do I Got To Lose?" was co-written by Sebastian, Myles Kennedy and Michael "Elvis" Baskette, the latter of whom also served as the track's producer. For the video, Sebastian was joined by his former SKID ROW bandmate, drummer Rob Affuso.

For the release of "What Do I Got To Lose?", the singer, songwriter, author, Broadway star, and actor teamed up with Reigning Phoenix Music.

Among the other musicians who have assisted Bach during the writing and recording process for his new music are Orianthi (ALICE COOPER, Michael Jackson),John 5 (ROB ZOMBIE, MARILYN MANSON),Steve Stevens (Billy Idol),Brent Woods, Eli Santana and Jeremy Colson.

Bach hasn't released a full-length disc since "Give 'Em Hell", which came out in March 2014. Like its predecessor, 2011's "Kicking & Screaming", the disc was released through Frontiers Music Srl, the Italian label which specializes in what's commonly called AOR, a term that once signified a popular radio format ("album-oriented rock") but nowadays applies to acts whose airplay is marginal.

On the live front, Sebastian will hit the road in 2024 for a mix of solo gigs and festival appearances.

Originally released in 2022, Veil Of The Serpent's heartbreaking metal ballad “Into The Moon” now returns as a brand new three track EP.


The band states:


"The song is about a man who enjoys staring at the moon and dreaming about all that he could do in life, as he slowly grows older and the opportunities start to go away. Only in the end does the listener realize that he is in the hospital in a vegetative state and is dreaming of the life he might have if he is born again. Absolutely heartbreaking and such a beauty of a ballad! So we thought it's time to highlight the song again by releasing this EP."







The Into The Moon EP will contain the original song, the instrumental version of the track and an alternate version, for which the band teamed up with Israeli singer Moran Magal to create a captivating duet between Moran and Veil Of The Serpent singer JD Stafford.


The emotional three track offering will be released digitally on February 20, 2024. Preorder/pre-save here.

USBM legends Profanatica are now unleashing a gory, NSFW music video for the song "Take Up the Cross," which is taken from the band's latest offering, Crux Simplex. The clip was created by garlix.





In addition, Profanatica is now embarking on an East Coast U.S. headlining tour with support from Nunslaughter + Tombs! The trek kicks off tonight, February 13, in Providence, RI and will conclude on March 3 in Brooklyn, NY.




The band will also be appearing on the 2024 edition of Milwaukee Metal Fest on Friday, May 17.


Crux Simplex was released on September 22, 2023 via Season Of Mist. Purchase, stream, or download the album here.





Tour dates:


February
14 – Bensalem, PA – Broken Goblet
15 – Baltimore, MD – Metro Gallery
16 – Chesapeake, VA – Riff House
17 – Greensboro, NC – The Pour House
18 – Piedmont, SC – Tribbles
20 – Orlando, FL – Conduit
21 – Pompano Beach, FL – Pipers
22 – Cape Coral, FL – Nice Guys
24 – Atlanta, GA – Drunken Unicorn
25 – Louisville, KY – Portal
26 – Detroit, MI – Sanctuary
27 – Pittsburgh, PA – Preserving Underground
28 – Ottawa, ON – Brass Monkey
29 – Quebec City, QC – L’Anti


March
1 – Montreal, QC – Piranha Bar
2 – Boston, MA – Sonia
3 – Brooklyn, NY – Market Hotel
17 – Milwaukee, WI – Milwaukee Metal Fest

The Jim Powers YouTube channel has uploaded video of DISTURBED's entire February 13 concert at CFG Bank Arena in Baltimore, Maryland. Check it out below.

The band's setlist was as follows, according to Setlist.fm:

01. Hey You
02. Stupify
03. Ten Thousand Fists
04. Prayer
05. The Vengeful One
06. Bad Man
07. A Reason To Fight
08. Guitar Solo
09. Land Of Confusion (GENESIS cover)
10. Drum Solo
11. The Game
12. The Sound Of Silence (SIMON & GARFUNKEL cover)
13. Bass Solo
14. Indestructible
15. Don't Tell Me (with Moriah Formica)
16. The Light
17. Stricken

Encore:

18. Unstoppable
19. Down With The Sickness
20. Inside The Fire

DISTURBED kicked off the 2024 leg of its "Take Back Your Life" tour on January 19 at the Peoria Civic Center in Peoria, Illinois. The band's 21-song setlist included the live debut of the "Divisive" album track "Don't Tell Me" featuring a guest appearance by Moriah Formica of the opening band PLUSH.

Released in November 2022, DISTURBED's latest LP, "Divisive", was recorded earlier that year with producer Drew Fulk (MOTIONLESS IN WHITE, LIL PEEP, HIGHLY SUSPECT) in Nashville, Tennessee.

According to Billboard, "Divisive" sold 26,000 equivalent album units in its first week of release, with 22,000 units via album sales.

On the all-format Billboard 200 chart, "Divisive" debuted at No. 13.

DISTURBED has had five No. 1s on the all-genre chart, beginning with "Believe" in 2002.

"Divisive" topped Billboard's Top Hard Rock Albums and Top Alternative Albums charts, for their sixth and fifth No. 1s on those respective tallies.

"Bad Man", a single from "Divisive", was nominated for "Best Metal Performance" at the 66th annual Grammy Awards, which took place on February 4 in Los Angeles. DISTURBED had been nominated twice before, in 2009 and 2017, but did not win either time. "Bad Man" was the second single released from the LP and peaked at No. 2 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Songs chart while two previously released singles, "Hey You" and "Unstoppable", reached No. 1.

DISTURBED will perform at this year's Knotfest in Australia in March and is scheduled to make festival appearances at Welcome To Rockville and Sonic Temple Art & Music Festival in May.

During an appearance on the latest episode of the "Broken Record" podcast, GUNS N' ROSES bassist Duff McKagan reflected on the making of the band's classic debut album, 1987's "Appetite For Destruction". Speaking about the songwriting process in GUNS N' ROSES' early days and the band's search for the right producer to oversee the "Appetite" recording sessions, Duff said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Coming up with the music and then finding a producer later, that's two different things.

"We were done [writing the songs for] 'Appetite', plus [we had other] other songs, by the time we started looking for a producer.

"We knew our songs well enough that we didn't want a producer who would get into the songs," he explained. "We didn't want somebody touching a note. 'You're not gonna touch a note.' We wanted it to sound like we sound in our little rehearsal, because it sounded fucking great. But we went to… There was like [Robert John] 'Mutt' Lange who'd done [AC/DC's] 'Back In Black' and stuff. And that's a great dry-sounding record. But to get him, he was more than — just to walk in the room was more than… We got 250 grand to make our first record, and that would have to pay for — including an advance to us so we could live, stop our jobs. But we'd written songs. A lot of times we wrote on acoustic guitars, 'cause that's all we had. 'Nightrain' was written on acoustic guitar."

Elaborating on how "Nightrain" came together, Duff said: "We'd drink the Night Train, this cheap booze. It was — I don't know — a dollar 27 cents a bottle. And we were gonna go out and flyer for a gig that night, which is something we would go out and do together. At least a couple of us would go. This night we were going out as a band. We were gonna cover a whole area. And you walk. You got your bucket of paste and you got flyers in there. And we just kept singing the chorus for 'Nightrain'. 'Cause we'd kind of written — we all got together, I think, at Izzy's [Stradlin, GN'R guitarist] apartment beforehand and came up with the genesis of that, and we were singing it. Because we didn't have phones and shit to record stuff. So you'd have to remember what you wrote. So a lot of times you'd just go around singing it. But we landed on some really cool shit. I remember landing on the notes for '[My] Michelle'. We just played that riff for hours. And then you have to come up with other bits."

In June 2018, GUNS N' ROSES reissued "Appetite For Destruction" in a "Locked N' Loaded" box via Universal Music Group. The collection included four CDs, 49 previously unreleased recordings, videos, vinyl, skull-face rings, a turntable mat, collectable coins, replicas of early concert flyers, temporary tattoos and a dozen lithographs visualizing each song, as well as a 96-page hardcover book filled with some personal photos supplied by frontman Axl Rose.

Following the group's 1985 formation, GUNS N' ROSES injected unbridled attitude into the burgeoning Los Angeles rock scene. They went on to captivate the entire world with the July 21, 1987 release of "Appetite For Destruction", which remains the best-selling U.S. debut album ever, moving over 30 million copies globally. "Appetite" features such indelible tracks such as the No. 1 single "Sweet Child O' Mine", "Welcome To The Jungle", the aforementioned "Nightrain" and "Paradise City".

In August 1987, "Appetite For Destruction" debuted on the Billboard 200 at No. 182 and eventually reached No. 1 nearly a year later. The set spent five nonconsecutive weeks at No. 1 and finished 1988 as the No. 6 biggest album on the Billboard 200.

In July 2018, after the "Locked N' Loaded" box was released, "Appetite For Destruction" returned to the top 10 on the Billboard 200 chart.

The official music video for KITTIE's first new song in 13 years, "Eyes Wide Open", can be seen below. This significant milestone is made even more special as KITTIE has announced its signing with the world-renowned independent label Sumerian Records.

"Eyes Wide Open" is a powerful statement from a band that has not only shaped the landscape of heavy metal but also inspired a generation of musicians to break barriers and defy expectations. Produced by Nick Raskulinecz (FOO FIGHTERS, RUSH, ALICE IN CHAINS, KORN),the single serves as a testament to KITTIE's undiminished passion and creativity, offering fans a glimpse into their evolved sound while simultaneously staying true to the raw intensity that first catapulted them into the spotlight 25 years ago.

Morgan Lander, KITTIE's co-founder and frontwoman, expressed her enthusiasm for the band's return and new partnership: "Sometimes, incredible opportunities present themselves in surprising ways. Just a few years ago we could have never imagined we would be getting ready to release new music as KITTIE. We've been given what feels like a second life and are grateful to Ash and the Sumerian family for believing in us."

Sumerian Records founder and CEO Ash Avildsen adds: "KITTIE are true female pioneers in heavy music that helped bring it into pop culture. They have been both influential in the studio and on the road, as I've had the privilege of working with them on touring years ago when they brought out BRING ME THE HORIZON, IN THIS MOMENT and many other present-day heavyweights as brand new opening acts. The ladies have now returned with what I believe is their greatest album since their debut that set the world ablaze. The attitude, grit and songwriting is all there and I am honored to once again be helping them unleash their talent to the masses."

Speaking on the inspiration behind the new single, Lander goes on to share: "Our first new material in 13 years, 'Eyes Wide Open' is a vision quest for truth. It is a torch lit in the darkness of ignorance to reveal one's true motives. 'Eyes Wide Open' is a lesson in trust, betrayal, and ultimately the ability to see behind the curtain to reveal all. It was one of the first songs we wrote, coming together again after a long time away from creating, and I think you can really hear the fires reigniting in this track."

The music video for "Eyes Wide Open" is a visually stunning piece that perfectly complements the song's themes of enlightenment and revelation and takes the viewer on a journey through light and darkness, mirroring the band's own journey back to the forefront of metal music, where they belong.

Last November, it was revealed that KITTIE was working on a new studio LP with acclaimed hard rock and heavy metal producer Nick Raskulinecz at Nashville's Sienna Studios.

Raskulinecz, who moved to Nashville from Los Angeles around 16 years ago, has previously worked with such acts as RUSH, ALICE IN CHAINS, KORN, RISE AGAINST, HALESTORM, EVANESCENCE, SKID ROW and the DEFTONES.

In a recent interview with Knotfest's "She's With The Band" podcast, KITTIE drummer Mercedes Lander and Morgan spoke about the progress of the songwriting sessions for the long-awaited follow-up to the Canadian metallers' 2011 album "I've Failed You". Mercedes said about the musical direction of the new KITTIE material: "I'm gonna say that we are just really stoked to write 1,200 percent bangers. I think that's just where we're at now. We want people to feel good. We want people to feel what we're feeling. I feel like bangers, that's what we're good at."

Asked by host Tori Kravitz about the possibility of KITTIE combining some of the old-school sound from the band's early days and mixing it up with a fresh approach, Morgan said: "I think marrying some of the ideas, 'cause I don't think we're ever going to put our JNCOs [jeans] on again. But, yeah, the idea of marrying some of those ideas — like who we are now with the ideas of who maybe we used to be and kind of being able to meet somewhere in the middle, but in a way that will just create something brand new again. I'm excited for it to be unleashed upon the world."

At some of its recent shows, KITTIE has been performing a brand new song called "Vultures".

KITTIE played its first concert in five years in September 2022 at the Blue Ridge Rock Festival at the Virginia International Raceway in Alton, Virginia.

Joining Morgan and Mercedes in KITTIE's current lineup guitarist Tara McLeod and bassist Ivana "Ivy" Vujic.

Prior to Blue Ridge, KITTIE had not performed since its reunion show at London Music Hall in the band's native London, Ontario in 2017, celebrating the group's documentary "Kittie: Origins/Evolutions".

Vujic joined KITTIE in 2008 and appeared on the band's fifth studio CD, 2009's "In The Black". She also wrote and recorded bass for KITTIE's sixth album, 2011's "I've Failed You".

In January 2022, the original lineup of KITTIE — Morgan, Mercedes, Fallon Bowman (guitar) and Tanya Candler (bass) — reunited for an online chat to celebrate the 22nd anniversary of its gold-certified 2000 debut album, "Spit".

Candler left KITTIE after the release of "Spit" in order to finish high school and was replaced by Talena Atfield.

Bowman exited KITTIE in 2001 and started her own industrial/electronic project, AMPHIBIOUS ASSAULT.

After KITTIE completed the touring cycle for 2011's "I've Failed You" album, the band entered a long period of inactivity during which Morgan focused on a marketing job for a chain of fitness clubs while Mercedes worked in real estate and more recently at a software company. The group also began work on a career-spanning documentary, "Origins/Evolutions", which finally saw the light of day in 2018 via Lightyear Entertainment in North America.

"I've Failed You" sold 3,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 178 on The Billboard 200 chart.

In an act of audacious defiance that is sure to ignite controversy, death metal titans DEICIDE have released their provocative new single "Sever The Tongue" today, Ash Wednesday, adding a layer of blasphemy to this day's observances. This amplifies the band's notorious reputation for challenging religious conventions, reinforcing their position at the vanguard of the death metal genre.

If the gruesome visuals of "Bury The Cross...With Your Christ" didn't offend, then lines like this from "Sever The Tongue" certainly will: "Wrath of the holy / God is no more / Satan possess me / No savior reborn / F**k your religion / Sever the tongue."

Glen Benton, DEICIDE's ever-provocative frontman, taunts, "A life undone on the crucifix hung…sever the tongue..."

"Sever The Tongue" is crafted in the infernal workshops of Smoke & Mirrors, showcasing DEICIDE's relentless pursuit of extreme musical devastation. The track benefits from the engineering prowess of Jeramie Kling and the adept musicianship of Taylor Nordberg, with the sonic alchemy perfected by the masterful mixing and mastering of Josh Wilbur.

This release not only serves as a harbinger of the darkly anticipated album "Banished By Sin", set for release on April 26, but also marks the opening of pre-orders for what promises to be a monumental addition to the death metal canon. Fans eager to secure their copy can do so now, ensuring they are among the first to experience DEICIDE's latest sacrilegious offering.

In addition to the single, DEICIDE has collaborated with David Brodsky from My Good Eye: Music Visuals for a visually arresting video that complements the track's blasphemous undertones. With Brodsky at the helm, the video promises to be a cinematic journey through darkness and defiance. Allison Woest returns to produce, alongside a talented team dedicated to bringing the song's thematic elements to life visually.

"Banished By Sin" looms on the horizon, ready to cement DEICIDE's legacy and influence in the death metal scene. The album is a testament to the band's unwavering commitment to their craft, promising a collection of tracks that are both ferocious and unapologetically blasphemous.

"I've been sitting in a dark corner for several years now," states Benton. "A few things have come into my life that have shaken and changed me. I got inspired writing this new record — it was like flipping a switch. I no longer have the aggravation of other people's hangups interfering with what I have and want to do. I stopped chasing everybody else's happiness a long time ago. The guy who started this shit is back! And it's good to be back!"

"Musically, we're back to the 1990s style," Benton says. "There's modern stuff in there, too. It's DEICIDE the way it was meant to be. My hooky songs are there, Steve's prog-styled songs are there, and we got Kevin's theme-styled songs. Having Taylor in the band has impacted DEICIDE greatly. He's a fantastic songwriter and player. He can do anything. The four of us contributed three songs each. I'm back with the high screaming and layering. I'm just absolutely going off on this one. I've been told it's one of my best vocal performances. I'm like Rumpelstiltskin — here to spin your hay into gold. Everybody's going to be pleasantly surprised."

"Banished By Sin" track listing:

01. From Unknown Heights You Shall Fall
02. Doomed To Die
03. Sever The Tongue
04. Faithless
05. Bury The Cross…With Your Christ
06. Woke From God
07. Ritual Defied
08. Failures Of Your Dying Lord
09. Banished By Sin
10. Trinity Of None
11. I Am I…A Curse Of Death
12. The Light Defeated

In August 2022, Benton told "The Garza Podcast" that DEICIDE's new music "is really anthem-style stuff. It's really good, man. There's a lot of prog stuff in there, mixed in there. Steve's [Asheim, drums] our prog guy, man; he's the progressive rock guy. He likes to write those really black metal riffs and the progressive stuff. He's an amazing talent, man. He plays piano. He can play sweeps on guitar. He's a drummer. Yeah, he can do it all."

Benton went on to say that the next DEICIDE album was written in 2021 before he and his bandmates agreed to embark on a tour celebrating the 30th anniversary of DEICIDE's sophomore album, "Legion". But, he explained, "We're getting ready to hammer this deal out right now and get this thing out."

DEICIDE played its first show with new guitarist Taylor Nordberg (THE ABSENCE, INHUMAN CONDITION) on May 21, 2022 at the Rickshaw Theatre in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.

Two years ago, Nordberg spoke about how he landed the DEICIDE gig in an interview with "The Zach Moonshine Show". He said: "In 2019, my band THE ABSENCE toured with DEICIDE in the U.S. And we got to know the guys and got along really well. And I actually found out that Glen lives, like, two streets over from Jeramie [Kling, THE ABSENCE drummer] and I, where we live. So Jeramie and Glen became good buddies and they ride bikes all the times. It's a funny little thing, thinking about that. But long story short, [previous DEICIDE guitarist] Chris [Cannella], I believe he's the head of A&R at Dean Guitars so he's focusing on that for right now. I heard that they needed a guitar player, so I learned a couple of songs, made a couple of videos, and Glen saw 'em and liked what he saw. So we had a couple of practices, and bing bang boom, here we are."

Cannella amicably left DEICIDE in January 2022 after a three-year run.

Chris joined DEICIDE in 2019 following the departure of guitarist Mark English.

English became a member of DEICIDE in 2016 after the exit of longtime guitarist Jack Owen.

Photo credit: Deidra Kling

In a new interview with the That Metal Interview podcast, new MERCYFUL FATE bassist Becky Baldwin spoke about her recent addition to the band as a permanent member. The Birmingham, England-based musician previously toured with MERCYFUL FATE in the fall of 2022 as the temporary replacement for Joey Vera who was unable to make the dates due to a scheduled conflict with his longtime group ARMORED SAINT.

Asked how it feels to be a member of MERCYFUL FATE now, Becky said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "It's great. It's just really nice to feel settled into the position now. I did those couple of runs of shows back in 2022, and, of course, it was great to do those, but always being able to see the end in sight and knowing that the next show is probably going to be Joey coming back in to do the live shows. And so now I just feel — I don't know — like a sigh of relief almost that I know that I did a good job doing that first tour and that I feel welcomed and just that my role is stable. I guess before I just wanted to do a good job and make a good impression. And not because I wanted the job permanently — of course, I wanted it, but I never thought that that would be an option. But just to know that such a band that I have so much respect for that I would do a good job, and to know that I did that, because they want me back. It's just very reassuring."

As for when fans can expect to hear a new studio album from MERCYFUL FATE, Becky said: "I'm guessing, my guess is gonna be toward 2025, maybe towards the end of 2025. But it depends how it all goes, 'cause King [Diamond, MERCYFUL FATE frontman] is working on a KING DIAMOND album first. So we've got a little bit of time there. And they'll have to tour that as well, give it the full world-tour treatment and everything. But there is something in the works. I've listened to Hank's [Shermann, MERCYFUL FATE guitarist] demos. He sent me, I think about nine songs, a couple of weeks ago and I've been listening through those. So it's on the way. It's all just been in the works for kind of a while and now things are just starting to fall into place."

As last month's Metal Hall Of Fame gala at the Delta Marriott Garden Grove in Garden Grove, California, Becky was asked by The Metal Voice if her addition to MERCYFUL FATE as a permanent member has been in the works for a while. She responded: "I guess the idea was floating around for a while, but it's quite recent still, the news that I was going to be permanent in MERCYFUL FATE. But I guess, as any band does when you've got a lot coming up and there's some kind of — I don't wanna say insecurity within the band, because it's not that; it was just kind of, like, a question about how busy Joey was, and I guess it was kind of in the back of their minds. And the way that the fans reacted when I did the tour was very positive. So it was a natural progression, I guess. But yeah, it all just kind of came about very, very recently in terms of being solidly, like, 'Yes, this is what's happening. And you are gonna be a full-time member of MERCYFUL FATE.'"

Regarding how she came to play for MERCYFUL FATE originally, Becky said: "I think the main person for bringing me into the picture was Hank Shermann. So he was the person who suggested me when they started looking at, like, 'Okay, well, actually, this whole list of male bass players that we're looking through, it doesn't have to be a guy. Who else do we know? Should we start looking somewhere else? Because there aren't any women on this list, and maybe that could be a thing, that could work out for MERCYFUL FATE.' And then I was kind of at the top of Hank's list. And then when he showed King and the rest of the management and stuff some of my videos, it was literally the weekend of Bloodstock [Open Air] festival in the summer of 2022. And they were, like, 'Okay, let's go. Let's go to Bloodstock. And she's gonna be at Bloodstock festival. Let's ask her there.'"

Asked if she is looking forward to perhaps contributing to the songwriting in MERCYFUL FATE as well, Becky said: "I think the songwriting is still gonna be very much King Diamond and Hank Shermann kind of heading up most of that, but definitely writing bass lines. I've studied all of Timi's [Hansen, original MERCYFUL FATE bassist] bass lines very meticulously now, and so I really feel like I can bring some of that into the new bass lines for the next record."

Pressed about whether MERCYFUL FATE's legacy scares her, with "their history of all this satanic stuff," Becky responded: "No, not really. I mean, I guess just their legacy in itself is scary. It's such a big thing. It was such a big part of my life growing up that it's all just very daunting, I guess. And trying to get it right is daunting and scary. But the satanic stuff, no, not really. [Laughs]"

When Becky's addition to MERCYFUL FATE was first announced earlier in January, she said in a statement: "It is a great honor to now be a permanent member of MERCYFUL FATE. I can't wait to join the recording of the new album.

"When I joined as a stand-in on the 2022 U.S. tour, the acceptance and encouragement from the fans was exceptional. A huge thanks to the band, team and fans for the warm welcome.
See you in Chile and Brazil this coming April."

After playing the piano as a child, Becky picked up the bass guitar as a teenager and began performing with bands at school. In 2009 she moved from Trowbridge to Bristol to study at BIMM Bristol and became closely involved in Bristol's music scene. Becky holds a BA Honours degree in Professional Musicianship and now lives in the birthplace of heavy metal — Birmingham, U.K.

Becky is an energetic live performer and efficient recording musician who specializes in fingerstyle bass guitar playing, and rock and metal genres. Since 2012, Becky has performed approximately 100 gigs per year, offering her skills for a wide variety of bands (including covers and original bands, genres ranging from metal to folk, urban, funk, pop, jazz and more.) Music has taken Becky all over Europe and into the USA for touring and recording sessions.

Becky is a co-founder of specialist private tuition company Bristol Rock Centre, which runs a teaching and rehearsal studio in Mangotsfield. She has aided exam board Rockschool in the writing and proofing of tuition/exam books including "Let's Rock Bass", the "Popular Music Theory" collection and the 2014 Vocal syllabus. She has led workshops with Bristol Rock Centre and Rockschool, and has given lectures at BIMM Bristol, ACM Birmingham and Access Creative College. Becky has received tuition from top musicians such as Stuart Clayton (CARL PALMER band),Damon Minchella (OCEAN COLOUR SCENE, PAUL WELLER) and Jim Barr (PORTISHEAD, GET THE BLESSING).

Earlier in January, it was revealed that MERCYFUL FATE and Vera had "mutually" decided to part ways.

In 2019, it was announced Vera would be replacing Hansen for the band's summer 2020 European festival appearances due to Hansen's cancer diagnosis. Hansen passed away in November 2019 and MERCYFUL FATE's 2020 summer festival appearances were rescheduled for 2021, and then to 2022.

MERCYFUL FATE's North American tour, which featured support from by KREATOR and MIDNIGHT, followed the band's headlining performance at the 2022 edition of Psycho Las Vegas.

MERCYFUL FATE is currently working on a new album and recently gave fans a taste of the new material when they debuted a song called "The Jackal Of Salzburg" in Germany in June 2022 as well as at Psycho Las Vegas. The band's current lineup is rounded out by Mike Wead on guitar and Bjarne T. Holm on drums.

MERCYFUL FATE was formed in early 1981 in Copenhagen, Denmark by vocalist King Diamond and guitarist Hank Shermann. They were later joined by guitarist Michael Denner and bassist Timi Hansen, and soon thereafter drummer Kim Ruzz would join to complete the band lineup. The band recorded two demos in 1981 and later signed with Rave On Records in Holland for the recording of their successful self-titled EP, released in November of 1982. The "Mercyful Fate" EP was soon in heavy rotation around core metal radio stations, launching a new breed of heavy metal with their unique sound.

The band joined Roadrunner Records in 1983 and their debut full-length, "Melissa", was recorded and released that same year. The following year, MERCYFUL FATE returned to the studio to record their now legendary "Don't Break The Oath" full-length, released in September of 1984.

MERCYFUL FATE embarked upon a two-month U.S. tour in support of the record, which took them across the States several times sharing the stage with the likes of MOTÖRHEAD and EXCITER. The shows had created a brush fire within the metal community. The band reaped recognition globally, closing the year with a five-date tour in Germany with MOTÖRHEAD, GIRLSCHOOL, HELIX and TALON.

MERCYFUL FATE's first concert of 1985 was in their hometown of Copenhagen at an old movie theater with a large capacity. The show sold out and their stage show exhibited a new level of distinction. The night was a huge victory and a new highlight for the band. By April of 1985, however, MERCYFUL FATE decided to part ways for each to pursue new challenges. The KING DIAMOND band was born and reaped critical acclaim the following years with five studio albums on Roadrunner Records. KING DIAMOND has since signed with Metal Blade Records and is going stronger than ever before.

In the summer of 1992, MERCYFUL FATE decided to reunite and penned a new deal with Brian Slagel and his label, Metal Blade Records. "In The Shadows" was released in 1993 and was an instant triumph furthered by a sold-out U.S. tour.

MERCYFUL FATE has gone on to release another five studio albums and have toured Europe, the U.S. and South America multiple times. The highlight of 1999 was their critically acclaimed album "9" which was followed by a European tour with METALLICA, where King Diamond and Hank Shermann joined the band onstage several times for the medley "Mercyful Fate" which METALLICA had recorded on their "Garage Inc." double tribute album the year prior. Tours in the U.S. and in South America followed, marking the band's last live performances for over a decade. MERCYFUL FATE then went on hiatus, but made a brief appearance when members joined METALLICA onstage in 2011 for their 30th-anniversary show in San Francisco, California.

German heavy metallers Attic will release their third album Return Of The Wichfinder April 5, 2024 on vinyl, compact disc, box set (vinyl + CD + mc) and the known digital channels via Ván Records. Preorder at van-records.com.


Second single and title track to the album is available below.


The artwork was created by the exceedingly talented Daniele Valeriani Art. It was recorded, mixed and mastered by Marco Brinkmann in the crypts of his Hellforge Studio.







Tracklisting:


“The Covenant”
“Darkest Rites”
“Hailstorm And Tempest”
“The Thief’s Candle”
“Return Of The Witchfinder”
“Offerings To Baalberith”
“Azrael”
“Up In The Castle”
“The Baleful Baron”
“Synodus Horrenda”


"Return Of The Witchfinder":





"Darkest Rites" video:

The 2024 edition of the 70000 Tons Of Metal festival sailed January 29 to February 2 from Miami, Florida to Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic and back, on board the luxury passenger vessel Freedom Of The Seas.


Fan-filmed video of Canadian hyperblast legends Kataklysm entire pool deck set, courtesy of The Silverdude, can be viewed below.


Setlist:




"The Ambassador of Pain"
"The Resurrected"
"As I Slither"
"For All Our Sins"
"The Night They Returned"
"Serenity in Fire"
"Blood on the Swans"
"10 Seconds From the End"
"The Tragedy I Preach"
"Under the Bleeding Sun"
"Goliath"
"Narcissist"
"Bringer of Vengeance"

Queen and David Bowie’s 1981 collaboration, "Under Pressure", is regarded as one of the most successful cameo pairings of the decade, reports Guitar World. It propelled both acts further into the commercial stratosphere at a time when Bowie was about to dominate stadiums with his latest reinvention, Let’s Dance, and Queen were at the full height of their majestic rock pomp.


As a result, "Under Pressure" topped the charts in several countries, became an essential inclusion in the greatest hits compilations of both acts, arrived right in time for MTV’s launch and then, less than 10 years later, provided a bed for Vanilla Ice to, er, rock the mic like a vandal.


However, in a new interview with Total Guitar magazine Brian May reveals that the track was initially much more guitar heavy and he’s never liked the resulting mix of the song – the outcome, he says, of the somewhat fraught clash of the “awesome creative forces” of Freddie Mercury and Bowie.




“It was all done spontaneously in the studio very late at night after we had a meal and a lot of drinks,” recalls May. “And it was a pretty heavy backing track. When it gets to ‘Why can’t we give love’, we were all working on it together, and it sounded like The Who. It sounded massively chord-driven.


“And I was beaming because I liked The Who. I remember saying to David, ‘Oh, it sounds like The Who, doesn’t it?’ He says, ‘Yeah, well it’s not going to sound like The Who by the time I’ve finished with it!’ You know, in a joking kind of way. But he didn’t want it to be that way.”


Read more at GuitarWorld.com.

MNRK Heavy has signed Cleveland, OH-based alternative metal band, A Killer's Confession, led by former Mushroomhead vocalist Waylon Reavis, to a worldwide deal.  


The first single, "Greed", will be released on March 15, with a full-length studio album slated for the fall. Fans can pre-save the track here.







Scott Givens, MNRK's SVP of Rock & Metal, says, “I watched Waylon build AKC from the ground up, and when the opportunity for MNRK Heavy to become involved presented itself, we jumped at the chance.  We are all looking forward to unleashing the new record this fall.”


Reavis says, "I am super excited to be joining the MNRK Heavy family! I would like to thank Scott Givens and everyone else on the MNRK team for believing in the AKC (A Killers’s Confession) project. I truly feel like this is the right home for AKC. A special thank you to Andrew Goodfriend for his guidance and focus. He has helped me achieve so much over the last year. Lastly, I could not have done this without my team, consisting of Dusty Boles and Evan McKeever, as they helped me create our new album, Victim 1. I’m very excited to see the growth of AKC under the MNRK banner.”


AKC has previously released three studio albums and has worked with Brian "Head" Welch (Korn) and Chad Gray (Mudvayne, Hellyeah).

Primal Fear bassist / co-founder Mat Sinner suffered an extreme adverse reaction to the COVID-19 vaccination in 2021 and in a new update, Sinner “was back today behind a microphone.”


The update reads: “For the first time after the artificial respiration and learning to speak again, I was back today behind a microphone in the studio. I still need to be a little more offensive to get back to 100% but I’m happy that there is a very positive progress,  it felt surprisingly great and there is Ralf [Scheepers, Primal Fear vocalist] who knows what's the best for the Fear vocal department and adds more excitement.”


Primal Fear released their most recent album, Code Red, on Atomic Fire Records in September 2023. Sinner joined the band on stage for “Final Embrace” towards the end of the set at a show in Stuttgart, Germany at the album release show on September 1, 2023.







(Photo - Heiko Roith)

Founding BLACK SABBATH drummer Bill Ward has shared a new original poem called "Euphoric Contact". Check it out below.

Ward has released a number of poems in recent years, some inspired by the coronavirus pandemic and others celebrating the fall–winter holiday season, including Thanksgiving and Christmas.

Bill was on board for the SABBATH reunion when it was first announced more than 12 years ago, but backed out soon after. The drummer later claimed that he sat out the recording and touring sessions because of unfair contractual terms, although the members of SABBATH have hinted in other interviews that he wasn't physically up to the task.

All four original members of SABBATH were present when the band announced its reunion in late 2011. But Ward split from the group in 2012, citing an "unsignable" contract, and singer Ozzy Osbourne, guitarist Tony Iommi and bassist Geezer Butler carried on with their Rick Rubin–produced "13" LP and extensive international touring without him.

Ozzy told The Pulse Of Radio during SABBATH's last tour that Ward was not in shape to participate. "Bill Ward has got the most physically demanding job of the lot of us, 'cause he's the timekeeper," he said. "I don't think personally he had the chops to pull it off, you know. The saddest thing is that he needed to own up to that, and we could have worked around it, whether we had a drummer on the side with him or something."

It was rumored that SABBATH wanted to bring a second drummer on the road to share duties with Ward, something that Iommi confirmed in 2017 during a question-and-answer session about SABBATH's "Ten Year War" box set.

In 2015, Ward released his first solo album in 18 years. Titled "Accountable Beasts", the record can be purchased on iTunes.

In November 2017, Ward's band DAY OF ERRORS released its first two songs, "Day Of Errors" and "Blaspheming At Creation", via iTunes, Spotify, Amazon MP3 and Google Play. Two more tracks, "Dark" and "Ghost Train", followed in 2019.

In March 2021, Ward revealed that he was working on an autobiography.

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A post shared by 🕊⬛️Bill Ward Official⬛️🕊 (@billwarddrummer)

Former GUNS N' ROSES guitarist Gilby Clarke joined SLASH FEATURING MYLES KENNEDY AND THE CONSPIRATORS on stage Tuesday night (February 13) at Teatro Caupolicán in Santiago, Chile to perform the GN'R classic "Nightrain". Fan-filmed video of his appearance can be seen below.

Clarke is currently playing a string of dates in South America, some of which are supporting SLASH FEATURING MYLES KENNEDY AND THE CONSPIRATORS.

Clarke kicked off the tour with his solo band — drummer Troy Patrick Farrell (WHITE LION, TANTRIC) and bassist EJ Curse (SILENT RAGE) — on February 2 at the world-famous Whisky A Go Go with Glenn Hughes.

This marks the first time in nearly 10 years that Clarke has performed in South America, where Slash joined Gilby on stage in Brazil back in March 2015.

This past November, Clarke underwent surgery for carpal tunnel syndrome, a repetitive stress condition that happens when a person does repeated movements with the hand and wrist.

The 61-year-old Clarke, who was a member of GUNS N' ROSES three decades ago, underwent the procedure under the watchful eye of Dr. Stuart Kuschner, an orthopedist in Los Angeles, California who is affiliated with Cedars-Sinai Medical Center.

Clarke wrote on social media: "I was diagnosed with CP [in 2022] after many years of numbness in my fingers, hands & forearm. I thought it was from riding rigid motorcycles & general abuse, but no. it was Carpal Tunnel. I do have it in both hands, but my right was much worse."

Clarke replaced Izzy Stradlin in the GUNS lineup in 1991, during the "Use Your Illusion" tour, and stayed with the band for three years. After exiting GUNS N' ROSES, Clarke continued as a producer and solo artist, while also playing in SLASH'S SNAKEPIT, ROCK STAR SUPERNOVA, HEART and other acts.

Clarke, along with fellow GUNS N' ROSES members Slash, Duff McKagan, Steven Adler and Matt Sorum, played three "Appetite For Destruction" songs with Myles Kennedy at the band's Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame induction ceremony in April 2012 in Cleveland, Ohio, although Gilby himself was not inducted as part of the group. Kennedy, who handles lead vocals in Slash's solo band and ALTER BRIDGE, sang "Mr. Brownstone", "Sweet Child O' Mine" and "Paradise City", with "Use Your Illusion"-era member Sorum sitting behind the drum kit on "Brownstone" and the man he replaced in GN'R, Adler, pounding the skins for the other two songs.

In 2021, Clarke addressed his non-participation in GUNS N' ROSES' reunion tour, which features three-fifths of the group's classic lineup — singer Axl Rose, Slash and McKagan — during an interview with "The SDR Show". He said: "They didn't ask me to join the band; they asked me to come out and do [a guest appearance] with the band. And it just happened to be the day that I was in Chicago with my daughter. Her band was playing Lollapalooza [in July 2016]. And I'm actually her roadie. I don't think anybody would know how to tune the guitar if I wasn't there. Just kidding. But, yeah, it was just bad timing. I just said, 'Look, I think it's a great idea. I'm up for it. I just can't do it today.' And they literally asked me that day. And I never heard back from them after I said that."

Gilby also confirmed that he only had a week to learn the entire GUNS catalog when he first joined the band three decades ago. "That's true," he said. "They told me on a Monday, that 'You have the gig,' and the next week we were flying to Boston for our first show. And I literally had a week. And remember, this is before YouTube. I was glued to their records with the headphones on, trying to learn the catalog. And the last song I learned was a song called 'Estranged', which was a really long ballad piece. And if you listen to it, it's kind of one-dimensional guitar-wise — it really just features Slash. So I was listening to it, and I really couldn't figure out what I should do in that song. So I went to Dizzy [Reed, GUNS keyboardist]. I go, 'Hey, man, can you sit down with me, and let's work on 'Estranged'.' I go, 'I just wanna kind of figure it out.' And he goes, 'Oh, well, here's the music book.' And he handed me the music book. And I went, 'There's a music book? I just spent a week learning every note by ear when I could have just grabbed the freakin' music book…' I mean, I read charts — it would have taken me an hour. I was a little pissed off that I didn't ask. They could have offered it to me."

Clarke's latest solo album, "The Gospel Truth", was released in April 2021 via Golden Robot Records.

Gilby released his solo debut, "Pawnshop Guitars", in 1994.

TONIGHT FEB 13 LIVE in Santiago, CHILE Teatro Caupolican w/ Slash

Posted by Gilby Clarke on Tuesday, February 13, 2024

KEMIKALFIRE, the side project of HALESTORM drummer Arejay Hale and LIT drummer Taylor Carroll, has released the official music video for its latest single, "The Drop".

Carroll says: "We wanted to do a video that encapsulates the energy that we bring to our live show. We were both up all night prior to shooting the video working on new music, and as exhausted as we were, I think it worked to our advantage. The blood represents our pain and suffering from the inner voice telling us that we're worthless."

In an interview with the "Thunder Underground" podcast, Arejay stated about how KEMIKALFIRE came together: "[Taylor and I are] old friends. I've known him back when he was playing drums for a band called PILLAR. And we met at the Mall Of America in Minnesota when he was in his bus and we were in our R.V. And he just came over and knocked on the bus and he was, like, 'Hey, you guys are in a band?' And we were, like, 'Yeah. You guys are in a band too? Cool. Come on in. Have a beer. Let's hang out.' And we just never lost touch. We both lived in L.A. for a little bit, so we would hang out there. And then the pandemic hit and we got back in touch and we just wrote… Honestly, we were just looking for anyone that wanted to write with us. We had to stay busy, so a lot of Zoom writing sessions with other writers. And we just realized, 'Man, we have a really good chemistry writing music together,' and we both kind of pick up where each other lacks, in a sense; we have a great creative partnership. And not only that, but he's also a really talented producer as well — and multi-instrumentalist. So, as a songwriter, I just felt really glad that I could just put on my creative hat and let him do more of the mechanical work with the song ideas that I would present to him."

As for KEMIKALFIRE's musical direction, Arejay said: "It's different. It's much more aggressive than HALESTORM. I'm doing a lot more singing and a lot more crazy drumming. It kind of throws back to our punk roots; there's punk elements in there… There's moments where it's heavier; there's also moments where it's a little bit more melodic, a little more soaring. And there's moments where it has really stark punk roots start to kind of show through, which is kind of what Taylor and I were raised on. We love punk drummers, so when we're writing the stuff, a lot of that comes out just because that's just kind of really fun stuff to write for us.

"Yeah, it's different than HALESTORM, but it's also easily digestible," he clarified. "I think the average HALESTORM fan could hear it and be, like, 'Oh, okay. I get it. This works.' 'Cause obviously your personal writing style seeps into everything that you're a part of, so you'll probably hear HALESTORM elements in there as well, from my end."

Asked which instruments he and Taylor are handing in KEMIKALFIRE, Arejay said: "He's playing guitar and singing, and I'm playing drums and singing. But we're thinking maybe… We both can play both, so we're, like, 'Maybe we should trade off and do some…' He's also an insane drummer; he plays with LIT now, the band LIT, and we love LIT. But we also have a couple of songs where he was, like, 'Hey, you wanna play piano?' And I'm [like], 'Sure. Why not?' So we might switch some things up for our live show, which we're excited about. That's the dream.'"

Last April, KEMIKALFIRE released its debut single, "Dead And Gone". The official music video for the track, which was shot by Alex Bemis of Bemis Creative at KEMIKALFIRE's first-ever live performance, can be seen below.

During an appearance on "The Itch Rock Podcast", Hale stated about KEMIKALFIRE's first single: "I think that 'Dead And Gone' is one that just wrote itself. It was something that Taylor and I had been holding on to but were maybe too afraid to touch on when we got in a creative songwriting space. 'Cause we were just, like, 'Well that sounds kind of conceited.' But no, that's a real human thought. 'How am I gonna be remembered when I die, and am I gonna die satisfied?' It's the most beautiful experience when you start writing a song and the song starts writing itself and you're just chasing it. And that's what that song felt like."

"[Producer and co-writer Scott Stevens] and Arejay and myself wrote 'Dead And Gone'," added Carroll. "And the way we [write] is that one of us has a concept and Scott helps us put together the puzzle pieces. He coaches us where we need to go, like, 'Do you really mean that, what you're saying?' And we'll challenge each other on that too. It's kind of a cool process that we have."

Hale noted that this additional focus is crucial to their songwriting. He explained: "When we first started, we were like, 'We need a line that means this and rhymes with this, how about this?' 'Okay, sure.' Now … you have to peel back the layers, like, 'Is that particular word really saying what we're trying to say?' I think you can feel that, when something is just a placeholder. The songs we're writing now, we're finally at a really scrutinous level. And Scott is a huge help, because he's the same way."

"I feel sorry for Scott when we go into the studio," Carroll laughed. "Imagine that you're trying to produce and create something for this new band and this tornado just comes running up your stairs."

Hale quickly agreed. "It's like in the movie 'Twister'. Like, 'We got sisters!' Two tornadoes swirling around him all day. 'Another cow!'"

"I guarantee you that guy has to boil three pots of coffee every morning just to work with us," Carroll joked. "Another cool thing about Arejay and Scott and myself working together is … we're still high school dorks, clinging to each other at our cafeteria table creating this music together. We all understand what it's like to be the underdog. And I, from the beginning, wanted to write music for the underdog. Especially for people who think that they can't, or that they're too old or broken or stuck or stagnant or addicted … We just wanted to be those people who say, 'Hey, dude, we're the same exact way, but check this out: you can still create your own outlet.'" "And this song we just wrote this week is touching on a really personal thing in our relationships, in our love lives," Hale added.

Carroll said: "There's a song that we haven't released that we eventually will that's about relationship stuff … like when you're heading down a bad path and then somebody comes into your life and helps you see where you're at and how destructive it can be. It's called 'Grave'. It'll see the light of day eventually, after a couple songs. That's another one I'm super proud of."

When Arejay and Taylor first announced KEMIKALFIRE's formation in 2022, they wrote in a statement: "We are KEMIKALFIRE! You may know us from HALESTORM and LIT, but we're also 2 drummers, singers, songwriters, producers and long-time friends. We've finally joined our creative strengths, seizing our opportunity to create pure, honest and unbridled music for nobody but ourselves in hopes of helping anyone get through their own life obstacles. It feels good to finally share this project with you guys, and it's going to feel even better to get going. We have some great stuff coming your way, stay tuned."

Photo credit: Kevin Baldes Photography

In a new interview with Today's Boondoggle podcast, AS I LAY DYING's founding vocalist Tim Lambesis confirmed that the band's next studio album will arrive later this year. The LP will mark AS I LAY DYING's first with its new lineup, featuring Lambesis and longtime guitarist Phil Sgrosso alongside drummer Nick Pierce (ex-UNEARTH),bassist vocalist Ryan Neff (MISS MAY I) and guitarist Ken Susi (UNEARTH).

Speaking about the musical direction of the new AS I LAY DYING material, Tim said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "No disrespect to some of these other bands, but some bands, when they get to as far along in their careers as we are, they start lightening up or putting out records that are, I think, less exciting than their previous material. And I think for us, it's really cool. I feel like a second with AS I LAY DYING to where it's, like, this record has a lot of really cool intense parts, a lot of really great intricate melodies and cool guitar work and stuff. And so just showing people that we're just as passionate and energetic about where we're at as we've ever been, that, to me, is what's important."

Last June, Tim told Graspop Metal Meeting about AS I LAY DYING's upcoming LP: "We partly self-produced [it], and then we also worked with another producer. So we spent about a year working on the album by ourselves before we gave it to the producer, who's mixing the album now."

Regarding how the addition of new members Pierce, Neff and Susi has affected AS I LAY DYING's sound, Tim said: "Well, [Nick, Ryan and Ken are] new for us, but, obviously, the guys have been around playing music for 20 years themselves. We're familiar, just having spent so much time with UNEARTH, and then MISS MAY I having a pretty similar sound.

"The songwriting within AS I LAY DYING has historically been mostlyPhil and I," he continued. "Josh [Gilbert], our previous bass player, helped. But the core of the songwriting is the same. So this additional layer that we get from these new guys is almost like breathing fresh new air… a breath of fresh air."

In September 2022, Lambesis addressed AS I LAY DYING's recent lineup changes in an interview with Metalshop TV. He said: "I think for our fans, they think that the changes happened all in a very short period of time, but they actually happened over the last two years. The first change was on guitar we invited Ken Susi to fill in for us. And that was [around 2020] that we invited him. But then, of course, the pandemic happened and so we had a lot of breaks until we had a tour again. So Ken's been rehearsing with us, or talking about rehearsing with us, for the last couple of years. And on drums we have Nick Pierce, who joined us. Nick Pierce was previously in UNEARTH; Ken is from UNEARTH as well. And Nick stopped playing with UNEARTH and coincidentally at the same time we needed a drummer, because our previous drummer hadn't been communicating with us; he went very isolated once the pandemic hit. And so there wasn't an argument or anything like that; it was just a situation where when the pandemic hit, he decided to take a new direction in life and kind of cut himself off from the rest of us. And we decided we wanted to keep going forward. Phil and I had been the ones writing the songs all these years, so when Nick Pierce left UNEARTH, we thought it was the perfect opportunity to have him perform with us. And then Ryan came from MISS MAY I. He was the last guy to come in. And he didn't come in until a couple of months ago. Our bass player, Josh, previously left, and he's with SPIRITBOX now. And when he decided to go perform with SPIRITBOX, we called up Ryan, who was with MISS MAY I. And Ryan Neff was on tour at the time. And then we asked him, 'Can you start touring with us as soon as this tour is over?' And he said, 'Well, I'm only gonna have three days off to rehearse in between tours.' He said, 'If you guys want me to do it, I'll make sure I come prepared.' And he had a lot to learn in three days, but he pulled it together. He's a very, very hard-working guy."

AS I LAY DYING's new album will be the follow-up to "Shaped By Fire", which came out in September 2019 via Nuclear Blast.

In June 2022, longtime AS I LAY DYING drummer Jordan Mancino announced that he would sit out the band's tour due to "a number of ongoing internal issues" that "have not yet been resolved."

Mancino's announcement came less than a month after AS I LAY DYING's longtime bassist/vocalist Josh Gilbert revealed that he was leaving the band. In a statement, the remaining members of AS I LAY DYING said that Gilbert "decided to exit" the group "to pursue other musical opportunities."

Josh was the second AS I LAY DYING member to leave the band in less than a year. In August 2021, guitarist Nick Hipa confirmed his exit from AS I LAY DYING, explaining that he could no longer justify being part of "a superficial pursuit" of the "story and meaning" that the band's 2018 reunion was built upon.

Lambesis was famously convicted in 2014 for his role in a murder-for-hire plot against his estranged wife.

In May 2014, Lambesis was sentenced to six years in jail after pleading guilty to paying a San Diego police officer posing as a hitman $1,000 to kill his wife. Approximately two and a half years later — on December 17, 2016 — he was discharged from a California detention facility and was transferred to the Division of Adult Parole Operations.

In June 2018, AS I LAY DYING played its first show with Lambesis in five years and released a new single. Lambesis also owned up to his crimes in a long apology on the band's Facebook page after his release.

The return of AS I LAY DYING raised some questions, particularly since Hipa categorically denounced the band's disgraced frontman as a "sociopathic narcissist in definite need of rehabilitation" in a social-media post back in 2014.

In September 2021, AS I LAY DYING released a new song called "Roots Below" which was originally a B-side leftover from when the sessions for "Shaped By Fire".

Grammy-nominated rockers DAUGHTRY have scored their first No. 1 single at Active Rock this week. Their Big Machine Records debut, "Artificial", marks the band's first career entry into the format, as well as their first No. 1 single in 15 years, topping both Billboard and Mediabase.

"Artificial" ushers in a fresh sonic era for DAUGHTRY. Driven by frontman Chris Daughtry's singular vocal prowess, the band leans into their rock roots here for a sound that's big on both guts and grit. In the accompanying music video, Daughtry faces down a cyborg clone against a backdrop of crumbling cities and raining fire. The band's most ambitious project to date, the cinematic visual spins a cautionary tale about the dangers of a planet overrun by artificial intelligence, a narrative that feels even more timely as artists fight for fair pay and protections from AI interference.

"'Artificial' is about the potential nightmare that AI could become and the idea that everything and everyone could eventually be replaced, essentially to perfection, and rendered obsolete," Daughtry explained. "However, the heart and soul of humanity and the ability to feel love, sadness, and compassion can never be replaced. While there are plenty of applications where AI can improve our lives and assist in many areas of creativity, I feel it's imperative that we find a way to protect our musicians, actors, writers, and all creative outlets from being destroyed."

DAUGHTRY had previously reached No. 1 over the years on other Billboard airplay charts, including four on Adult Pop Airplay ("It's Not Over", "Home", "Feels Like Tonight" and "No Surprise"),one on Pop Airplay ("It's Not Over") and one on Adult Contemporary ("Home").

Catch DAUGHTRY on the road this spring as they tour alongside BREAKING BENJAMIN at select U.S. stops.

DAUGHTRY's latest album, 2021's "Dearly Beloved", debuted at No. 4 on the Top Hard Rock Albums chart and has earned 88,000 equivalent album units to date, according to Billboard.

DAUGHTRY's debut album, the self-titled "Daughtry", was the top-selling album of 2007 and was the fastest-selling rock debut album in SoundScan history. It was also nominated for four Grammy Awards and won four American Music Awards and seven Billboard Music Awards, including "Album Of The Year". Subsequent albums "Leave This Town" (2009),"Break The Spell" (2011) and "Baptized" (2013) have all gone platinum, with "Cage To Rattle" (2018) certified gold. "Dearly Beloved" marked a return to DAUGHTRY's rock roots and a return to the top of the rock charts with their singles "World On Fire", "Heavy Is The Crown" and "Changes Are Coming", each reaching the Top 10 on Billboard's Rock Airplay chart.

Photo credit: Dove Shore

In a new feature at Louder Sound - which includes an interview with bassist Henkka Seppälä and keyboard player Janne Wirman - Metal Hammer reporter Rich Hobson details the meteoric rise and tragic end of Children Of Bodom, who played their final show on December 15, 2019. An excerpt follows...


After the release of Hexed was delayed, (late frontman) Alexi (Laiho) departed for Australia to spend time with Kelli Wright-Laiho, a music publicist he had met in 2016 and married in 2017 – controversially, considering he was still legally married to his first wife, Sinergy frontwoman Kimberly Goss. When he returned, his bandmates immediately knew something was wrong.


“He was always a skinny guy, but now he’d lost so much weight he looked like a skeleton,” Janne Wirman says. “He’d attempt to play guitars, but he couldn’t play at all. We didn’t know what the fuck to do.”




“We had a kind of intervention at the end of the [Hexed] tour, and Alexi got so mad at us,” Henkka Seppälä  admits. “We told him things couldn’t go on like that. He was in such bad shape that our tour manager had to have every city’s morgue number, just in case we woke up and found him dead in his bunk. 2019 was such a shitshow.”


The band nonetheless managed to complete their touring commitments. Then, in November, came the announcement that (drummer Jaska (Raatikainen), Henkaa and Janne were leaving. “You always wonder if there’s something you could have done to prevent what happened to Alexi,” says Henkaa. “If I had spoken to him more… whatever. But knowing how stubborn Alexi was, I think he wouldn’t have listened to me anyway and probably just kicked me out.”


Read the full report at Louder Sound.


Children Of Bodom released the closing album of their career, A Chapter Called Children Of Bodom (Final Show In Helsinki Ice Hall 2019) back on December 15 via Spinefarm.


"It's great to have that final show transformed into a live album. For those who attended, it's a time travel back to that moment. And for those who didn't, it's an opportunity to experience how the chapter called Children Of Bodom was closed." - Daniel Freyberg


"Needless to say that this night was very special. When 'In Your Face' started, the reality hit me and I had to turn away from the audience cos I actually started crying. But the beauty is that the memories and Alexi’s music will live forever!" - Henkka Seppälä


Released with the blessing of Alexi Laiho's estate, the concert album completes the legendary band's career which began in Espoo, Finland in 1993 as Inearthed. Over their career, Children Of Bodom released ten studio albums, two live albums, two EPs, two compilation albums and one DVD. The final lineup of the group upon their split in 2019 consisted of Alexi Laiho (lead guitar, lead vocals), Jaska Raatikainen (drums), Henkka Seppälä (bass), Janne Wirman (keyboard), and Daniel Freyberg (rhythm guitar).


"It felt surreal to be on that stage in Helsinki Ice Hall as I knew that I was probably not gonna play with the guys ever again nor get to perform for the amazing fans anymore. It felt sad but also somewhat relieving. It is great that the last show and it's emotional rollercoaster can now be enjoyed by everyone who couldn’t make it to the show." - Janne Wirman


"When I got on the stage I felt calm, probably because I no longer felt the need to prove anything but to enjoy the music and the presence of all the fans. I was just so grateful to have been a part of all this, knowing that our music wouldn’t disappear even if we never ever played together again." - Jaska Raatikainen


Children Of Bodom's third studio album, Follow The Reaper, was their first album to receive a gold certification in Finland, and subsequent studio albums acquired the same status with their next four albums debuting at number one on the Finnish album charts and charting on the United States Billboard 200. They remain one of Finland's best selling artists of all time with more than 250,000 records sold there alone.


In 2019, Children Of Bodom held their last concert in Helsinki named, A Chapter Called Children Of Bodom, before dissolving the band. In 2020, Laiho and Freyberg carried on as Bodom After Midnight but, sadly, Laiho, who was one of the founding members of Children Of Bodom, as well as the only songwriter, died on December 29, 2020.


A Chapter Called Children Of Bodom (Final Show In Helsinki Ice Hall 2019) is available in the following formats:


- CD Jewel Case
- Standard 140gm Black Vinyl Double LP
- Ltd Edition 140gm Red Marble Double LP
- Ltd Edition 140gm Red & Black Splatter Double LP


Order here.





Tracklisting:


"Under The Grass And Clover"
"Platitudes And Barren Words"
"In Your Face"
"Shovel Knockout"
"Bodom Beach Terror"
"Everytime I Die"
"Halo Of Blood"
"Are You Dead Yet?"
"Blooddrunk"
"I Worship Chaos"
"Angels Don't Kill"
"Follow The Reaper"
"Deadnight Warrior"
"Needled 24/7"
"Hate Me"
"Hate Crew Deathroll"
"Lake Bodom"
"Downfall"


Children Of Bodom lineup:


Alexi Laiho - Vocal, Guitar
Jaska Raatikainen - Drums
Janne Wirman - Keys
Henkka Seppälä - Bass

In a new interview with Mexico's Summa Inferno, JUDAS PRIEST guitarist Richie Faulkner was asked how much longer he thinks the band can keep touring and recording. He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Well, it's not for me to say really. Those guys were the originators of PRIEST metal and they're still doing it and it's up to them, really. If they ever feel like they don't wanna do it or they can't do it anymore, that's for them to decide.

"When I joined the band, it was only for one tour, and that was gonna be the farewell tour. So, obviously, I've had to think about what I'm gonna do after PRIEST from that time. For all I know, that was gonna be the only tour, [and] then I'd have to do something after that. So it's always been a part of my mindset. But as long as PRIEST are here and we all wanna do it together and they wanna do it and push on, then I'm here for it. I'm here to fly the flag for them however long they wanna do it."

Back in 2019, PRIEST bassist Ian Hill told Canada's "Thorn Of Rock" radio show that there were no plans for the band to retire anytime soon. "We've done it for 50 years, and it would just seem strange if we stopped," he said. "Having said that, we thoroughly enjoy what we're doing, which is a main motivation these days. And there's no reason to stop. As long as can put on quality performances and put out quality music, we'll keep on doing so. And as long as the fine people who are the PRIEST fans are happy with that, there's no reason for us to stop."

Hill is the sole remaining original member of PRIEST, which formed in 1969. Singer Rob Halford joined the group in 1973 and guitarist Glenn Tipton signed on in 1974. Rob left PRIEST in the early 1990s to form his own band, then came back to PRIEST in 2003. Original guitarist K.K. Downing parted ways with the band in 2011, and was replaced by Faulkner.

Halford was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2020 after experiencing symptoms for at least a couple of years. In July of that year, Rob underwent prostatectomy, an operation where the entire prostate gland is removed plus some of the tissue around it, including the seminal vesicles. After more cancer was found in 2021, he went through radiation treatments and eventually got then all-clear. He also had an appendectomy after a tumor was discovered on his appendix.

Faulkner suffered an acute cardiac aortic dissection during the band's performance at the Louder Than Life festival in September 2021. Faulkner was rushed to the UofL Health - Jewish Hospital where the cardiothoracic surgery team needed approximately 10 hours to complete a life-saving surgery.

Halford's cancer battle and Faulkner's acute cardiac aortic dissection are not the only health scares the members of PRIEST have had to deal with in recent years. Tipton was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease more than 15 years ago but announced in early 2018 he was going to sit out touring activities in support of PRIEST's latest album, "Firepower". He was replaced by "Firepower" producer Andy Sneap, who is also known for his work in NWOBHM revivalists HELL and cult thrash outfit SABBAT.

JUDAS PRIEST's next studio album, "Invincible Shield", will arrive on March 8 via Sony Music.

Legendary German/American heavy metal titans ACCEPT have shared a short teaser for "Humanoid", the title track of their upcoming album. The single and video will be made available on February 28. Due on April 26, 2024 via Napalm Records, the LP was once again produced, recorded, mixed and mastered by critically acclaimed heavy metal producer Andy Sneap.

ACCEPT says: "'Humanoid'. First new single and video out 28th February. The title track from our upcoming album and what a beast it is. Looking forward to unleashing it upon you all! You can Pre-Save the new album now by heading to our website. www.acceptworldwide.com".

Fans can immerse themselves in the upcoming album on a newly launched interactive web site, where they can reprogram the robot that is featured on the album cover, and discover different parts of the album in the process. Pre-save "Humanoid" now to gain access to the web site here.

Together with the album announcement, ACCEPT has also revealed a massive European headline tour with more than 20 shows across the continent for autumn 2024. This summer, ACCEPT will also return to some of the world’s most important rock and metal festivals, like Wacken Open Air, Hellfest and more, following their South American spring tour.

ACCEPT guitarist Wolf Hoffmann comments: "I am extremely pleased with 'Humanoid'. The album has great energy throughout! Working with the best metal producer Andy Sneap was once again a lot of fun! We are a great team. We all love the new album and look forward to playing it live! Hope our fans will like it as much as we do.”

ACCEPT is:

Wolf Hoffmann - guitar
Mark Tornillo - vocals
Uwe Lulis - guitar
Martin Motnik - bass
Christopher Williams - drums

This past January, it was announced that ACCEPT will perform at all European festivals in 2024 and the South American tour in May with Joel Hoekstra.

Hoekstra will be standing in for Phil Shouse, who will remain with the band as their permanent live guitarist for all other gigs.

New York-based Joel Hoekstra is best known to fans as a current member of the legendary band WHITESNAKE and is part of TRANS-SIBERIAN ORCHESTRA. He has also played with Cher, NIGHT RANGER and FOREIGNER, to name just a few of his numerous collaborations.

Hoffmann commented: "It is a great honor for us to be on stage with Joel Hoekstra. Joel is an exceptional guitarist and I have huge respect for him. The whole band is really looking forward to playing with this string magician."

Hoekstra added: "I'm super honored and excited to riff out and rock out with Wolf and the guys! I'm really looking forward to meeting all the ACCEPT fans in South America and Europe! Let's rock!!"

Last June, Wolf said in an interview with Cassius Morris about the progress of the recording sessions for the follow-up to 2021's "Too Mean To Die" album: "Well, we have this place in Nashville that we have made the last five albums in. And we basically do drums at a place — it's not quite sure where we're gonna do it this time. And then guitars are usually happening here in Nashville and mixing happens in England. Nowadays, with technology, we don't really need to be together in the same place for four weeks at a time; we do it here and there and everywhere. But it's still important to know that we're doing it kind of together; we're not just sharing files over the Internet. 'Cause that has never worked for us. So, in other words, Andy has to be in the room, if possible, and then whoever gets to record their tracks, and then a bunch of others are usually around. So it's a group thing, for sure, but it's not [like] everybody's there the whole, all the time together."

In the fall of 2022, ACCEPT completed a North American tour with support from NARCOTIC WASTELAND. The band played a career-spanning set of new and classic tracks, including mega-hits "Balls To The Wall", "Princess Of The Dawn", "Fast As A Shark" and many more.

In February 2022, it was announced that ACCEPT had inked a worldwide deal with Napalm Records.

"Too Mean To Die" came out in January 2021 via Nuclear Blast. The LP was the group's first without bassist Peter Baltes, who exited ACCEPT in November 2018. He has since been replaced by Martin Motnik. ACCEPT's lineup has also been expanded with the addition of a third guitarist, the aforementioned Philip Shouse, who originally filled in for Uwe Lulis during 2019's "Symphonic Terror" tour, before being asked to join the band permanently.

"Too Mean To Die" was recorded in Nashville with Sneap (JUDAS PRIEST, MEGADETH),who has been responsible for the studio sound of ACCEPT since 2010.

Mark Tornillo joined ACCEPT in 2009 as the replacement for the band's original lead singer, Udo Dirkscheider. He can be heard on ACCEPT's last five studio albums, "Blood Of The Nations" (2010),"Stalingrad" (2012),"Blind Rage" (2014),"The Rise Of Chaos" (2017) and "Too Mean To Die".



HUMANOID

First new single and video out 28th February.

The title track from our upcoming album and what a beast it is.

Looking forward to unleashing it upon you all!

You can Pre-Save the new album now by heading to our website.

www.acceptworldwide.com

#humanoid #accepthumanoid #acceptnewalbum

@cwilliamsdrums @itsphilipshouse @wolfhoffmann @uwe_lulis_project @motnik @mark.tornillo @napalmrecordsofficial @continentalconcerts1998

Posted by ACCEPT on Monday, February 12, 2024

UK metal powerhouse Slave Steel has issued their new single and video, "Sorry About Death", which is now available on all digital platforms. 


In the space race and the race for progress, humankind often becomes ruthless, losing control over technological ambition. The tragic events on this quest for beauty are as important as beauty itself. We can risk and fail, we must learn and evolve.







Directed by the visionary Dean Addison, the "Sorry About Death" music video is a visual spectacle brought to life by Pil Nazar and Daniele Manganaro.





For further details, visit Slave Steel on Facebook.


 

Philadelphia’s Malphas have signed to M-Theory Audio for the release of their sophomore album, Portal.


“Malphas is honored and excited to join such a talented roster and world class team at M-Theory,” reveals singer/guitarist Paul DeSanctis. “We've worked hard on this new album for the past few years, are thankful to have found a home for it and have great confidence in what we will accomplish through our partnership.”


Portal is the follow-up to debut The 39th Spirit, released in 2018 on Poland’s Via Nocturna label. Each of the epic, melodic death metal quartet’s albums revolve around the demon Malphas, and his encounters with people in life and death.




“Portal takes place chronologically two hundred years prior to the events of The 39th Spirit,” explains Paul. “The album explores new themes like politics, economics, and historical events in fleshing out how the dystopian world in The 39th Spirit comes to be.”


To get an idea of the band’s sound and growth, Malphas has revealed the single / music video for “Red Shield Syndicate” today on all streaming / download platforms, or watch the video below.





“'Red Shield Syndicate' is an allegory for the Federal Reserve System, the central bank of the United States. The initial villain in the story facilitates the conspiracy between the elite bankers and politicians to cartelize the financial system. The song culminates with an economic depression and political revolution; as an angry mob rises up against the government and overthrows it. But this creates a power vacuum and opens the door for an even worse government under Malphas.”


Portal was recorded, mixed and mastered by Chris Kelly (Ice Nine Kills, BabyMetal, Galactic Empire). It will be available on CD and digital March 29th.





Tracklisting:


"The Wizard's Portal"    
"Fiat Empire"    
"Novus Ordo Seclorum"    
"Red Shield Syndicate"    
"Candle Hands"    
"Shadow And Blood On Jekyll Isle"    
"Leviathan's Moonlit Sanctum"    
"Pale Eyes To Snowy Skies"    
"Atonement"    
"Man, Raven And The Portal" 


For further details, visit Malphas on Facebook.


 

In a new interview with Meltdown of Detroit's WRIF radio station, BLACK STONE CHERRY's Chris Robertson spoke about the band's plans for the coming months. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I know we're going to Europe for some festivals and stuff. We typically try to go outside of the U.S. a couple of times a year for our touring plans. And then we're just gonna be on the road. The record came out, and that's just our plan, is just to tour it until it's time to make another record. As years passed have shown, that's kind of our mantra — we're always on the road, as much as we can be anyway… It's kind of how we've stuck around all these years. We've been back and forth, whether we've had success at radio or not. So we've always been extremely grateful and thankful for the success we do get there, but we've also always had to go out and just play live shows from the get-go, man. But I love it, because it's new faces every time, it seems like, and it just continues to build. So we're happy as hell, man, to still be doing it all these years later and still getting the love and support that we've been getting. It's crazy —the last couple of singles we put out, we've ended up getting the most added several weeks and stuff like that. So it's been a nice refresh and kick back up for us."

BLACK STONE CHERRY and SAINT ASONIA recently announced a co-headline tour that will take place in February and March. The run commences in Destin, Florida at Club LA on February 13. The final show will be performed on March 6 in Charlotte, North Carolina at The Underground.

BLACK STONE CHERRY's latest album, "Screamin' At The Sky", was released on September 29, 2023 via Mascot Records. The opus was made available in white solid vinyl, limited edition vinyl boxset, CD and digitally.

Earlier last year, BLACK STONE CHERRY released the album's lead single, "Out Of Pocket", which went on to be a crowd favorite on the band's U.K. arena shows.

The Kentucky-based band, featuring Chris Robertson (lead vocals/guitar),Ben Wells (guitar/backing vox) and John-Fred Young (drums/backing vox),are joined for the first time on an album recording by Steve Jewell Jr.. The band's fanbase will be more than familiar with Steve, as he has been touring with BLACK STONE CHERRY since 2021.

"He is just fantastic," Wells told the Richmond Register of Jewell, who had previously played guitar in the band OTIS, but was asked to switch to bass when he joined BLACK STONE CHERRY. "He has brought the musical ability of the band up an extra level. His bass playing is unreal — and you can hear it all over this record. He knocked it out of the park… He makes our sound a little grittier. He plays with a different attack. It's really great."

"Screamin' At The Sky" features all-new material written collaboratively while on tour, but when it came time to record, BLACK STONE CHERRY decided to try something it's always dreamed of doing: tracking an album at The Plaza Theater in Glasgow, Kentucky — a legendary 1020-seat venue built in 1934 that boasts meticulous acoustics.

Enforced, the powerhouse metal band known for their ferocious sound and unrelenting energy, has just dropped their latest musical endeavor – a cover of Obituary's iconic track "Deadly Intentions" from the seminal album Slowly We Rot. This cover is not just a tribute to one of death metal's most revered bands, but a fresh, Enforced-flavored take on a classic that promises to captivate both old fans and new. Stream the latest offering here.





Enforced's rendition of "Deadly Intentions" breathes new life into the Obituary classic, infusing it with their signature blend of thrash and hardcore elements. The cover showcases the band's deep respect for the genre's roots while demonstrating their own relentless drive and creativity. Frontman Knox Colby shared his excitement about the project, stating: “We recorded this track for fun during the recording of War Remains. Obviously being big fans of Obituary, we wanted to f*ck around and do a deep cut that any fan would enjoy. Love the band, love the guys, love the song, it was just a joy to record.” 







As Enforced marches forward, their cover of "Deadly Intentions" stands as a testament to their respect for metal's history and their commitment to its future. Be sure to dive into this monumental track and stay tuned for more electrifying releases from one of metal's most dynamic bands. For further details, visit Enforced on Facebook.


(Photo - Jacky Flav)
 

Frontiers Music Srl released the self-titled debut album from Stormwarning, the new South American melodic rock act centred around Argentinian vocalist Santiago Ramonda, last year. A lyric video for the album track, "Sweet True Lies", is available below:





For the debut Stormwarning album, Santiago teamed with the production team of Sergio Mazul (Semblant) and Marcelo Gelbcke (Landfall), the same duo who oversaw the debut album from the amazing Brazilian heavy metal band Icon Of Sin.







Tracklisting:


"Eye Of The Storm"
"Satellite Falling"
"Sweet True Lies"
"Question Of Time"
"Neon Skies"
"Way Of The Warrior"
"Soldiers Of Love"
"Lovers In The Dark"
"Horizon Chase"
"Last Trip To Eden"
"Call Of The Wild"


"Satellite Falling" video:





"Eye Of The Storm" video:





Lineup:


Santiago Ramonda - Vocals
Marcelo Gelbcke - Guitars, Bass, Keyboards
Felipe Souzza - Drums


- Produced by: Sergio Mazul and Marcelo Gelbcke
- Executive Producer/A&R: Serafino Perugino