UK death metal juggernauts, Ingested, will unleash their new full-length studio album, The Tide Of Death And Fractured Dreams, on April 5 via Metal Blade Records.


Not many top-tier death metal bands can record and release an album a year and follow it with an extensive tour. That's hardly ever been the case for Manchester, England's crushing, visceral Ingested. Since the release of their fifth album, 2020's Where Only God May Tread, the band has been on a creative tear that has produced almost a full record every year - even through the COVID-19 pandemic - but has resulted in the kind of musical growth that only comes from constantly practicing, playing, and writing.


The band's latest output, The Tide Of Death And Fractured Dreams, is not only as innovative and brutal as their last disc - the bleak, firestorm Ashes Lie Still - it showcases a band willing to expand its creativity without sacrificing the ferocity that made it one of the most impressively destructive, technical death metal bands on the scene. The Tide Of Death And Fractured Dreams is proof that once Ingested sniffs out a trail of musical blood, they ravenously follow it until they've uncovered a festering feast.




Produced by the band with the guidance of recording engineer Nico Beninato, the record includes a guest appearance by Chimaira's Mark Hunter who provides guest vocals for the track "In Nothingness" and Sylosis singer Josh Middleton who contributes to "Expect To Fail," as well as the striking cover art of David Seidman.


Whether pummelling listeners with double-bass rolls, blast-beats, and grinding rhythm; breaking it all down with jagged, staggered riffs, and piercing harmonics; or flooding the mix with rapid-fire bursts of minor key melodies, Ingested has injected all of their experience, skill, and artistry into the ten trenchant new songs on The Tide Of Death And Fractured Dreams. Where the new album differs from its predecessor isn't in its brutality or melodicism, it's in the songwriting and the way the tunes flow together in a way that's vicious, but not morose.


"Ashes… was constructed in the COVID period, and the mood of that album definitely reflects that time," the band notes, "With The Tide Of Death And Fractured Dreams, we wanted to bring the energy up a bit. As much as we like what we did with Ashes…, its depressive tone isn't something we wanted to continue to explore quite as much. There are definitely some dark moments on …Tide…, but for the most part, we took a more upbeat approach to the songs this time round."


In advance of the record's release, today the band revealed the first single, "Paragon Of Purity," and its accompanying video. The track seamlessly contrasts devastating guitar chugs and a spine-tingling minor-key licks with a wall of blast beats and a balance of intense, dizzying riffs that explore both sides of the sonic spectrum; it's alternately reminiscent of Obituary and Morbid Angel.


Elaborates guitarist Sean Hynes, who penned the lyrics for this particular track, "It's about loving what we do, how hard we've worked for it, and the support we have from our families back home. Missing them and being on the road is hard, but we couldn't do it without them."


Watch the video below.





The Tide Of Death And Fractured Dreams will be released on CD, digitally, and LP in the following color variants:


- Pulverised Viridian (US)
- Wounded Scarlet (US)
- Sapphire Shards (EU)
- Empty Crimson (EU - ltd. 500)
- Shattered Harlequin (EU - ltd. 500)


Find pre-order options here.





The Tide Of Death And Fractured Dreams tracklisting:


"Paragon Of Purity"
"Endless Machine"
"Where No Light Shines"
"Expect To Fail" (feat. Josh Middleton of Sylosis)
"Starve The Fire"
"Numinous"
"In Nothingness" (feat. Mark Hunter of Chimaira)
"Pantheon"
"Kingdoms Of Sand"
"A Path Once Lost"


"Paragon Of Purity" video:





Lineup:


Jason Evans - vocals
Sean Hynes - guitars, backing vocals
Lyn Jeffs - drums


(Photo - Eduardo Ruiz)

Mick Mars's lawyer has told Rolling Stone that the issue of whether the guitarist was illegally severed from MÖTLEY CRÜE is heading to private arbitration later this year.

When Mars, a co-founding member of MÖTLEY CRÜE, announced his retirement from touring with the group in October 2022 as a result of worsening health issues, he maintained that he would remain a member of the band, with John 5 taking his place on the road. However, he filed a lawsuit against the band in April 2023, saying that, after his announcement, the rest of CRÜE tried to remove him as a significant stakeholder in the group's corporation and business holdings via a shareholders' meeting.

Specifically, Mars claimed he was asked to sign a severance agreement that would divest him of his 25 percent stake in the band's various business interests in return for a 5 percent stake in the band's 2023 tour. This stake, the lawsuit alleged, would be reduced to 0 percent for future tours. Mick claimed CRÜE's management later upped the offer from 5 percent to a 7.5 percent stake in the band's 2023 tour, which would remain contingent on Mars divesting himself from the band and their businesses. When Mars refused to sign the papers, the band took the dispute to arbitration "rather than a public lawsuit so that the public would not be aware of the deplorable manner in which they treated their 'brother' of 41 years," Mick claimed in the lawsuit.

"When they wanted to get high and fuck everything up, I covered for them," Mars told Rolling Stone in an interview last year. "Now they're trying to take my legacy away, my part of MÖTLEY CRÜE, my ownership of the name, the brand. How can you fire Mr. Heinz from Heinz ketchup? He owns it. Frank Sinatra's or Jimi Hendrix's legacy goes on forever, and their heirs continue to profit from it. They're trying to take that away from me. I'm not going to let them."

Mars's lawyer, Ed McPherson, told Rolling Stone that the judge's ruling on Tuesday (January 16) that MÖTLEY CRÜE took too long to produce some of the documents he requested confirms his client was mistreated by his bandmates. "Finally, somebody, somewhere told these guys they can't bully Mick anymore. We're in the middle of a huge arbitration that will ultimately decide if Mick has to give up his shares or not, if they did things properly or not. Obviously we claim they didn't do anything properly. But they feel that they're above the rules. And that's what this lawsuit was about," McPherson said.

"This was them feeling they were above the rules, and this judge saying, 'No, you're not. And you may have given all the documents now, so there's nothing left for me to do, but, you're going to pay for it," he added. "I think that's a pretty huge victory for Mick. If they want to claim a victory, that's fine. But this is someone finally telling Mick, 'No, you're not crazy. These guys are bullying you. And we're not going to let it happen.'"

Mick originally sued MÖTLEY CRÜE so he could go over all the financial books and determine if he was getting what he felt he deserves.

Mars — whose real name is Robert Alan Deal — served as MÖTLEY CRÜE's lead guitarist since the band's inception in 1981.

Last year, a short time after Mick filed his lawsuit, MÖTLEY CRÜE's manager of 30 years, Allen Kovac, told Variety that Mars decided to publicly voice his allegations "to gain leverage in a smear campaign on MÖTLEY. He's attacked the band, and he's done it in a slanderous way, with false accusations and misrepresenting the facts to the fans. Mick is not the victim. The victims are MÖTLEY CRÜE and the brand, which Mick is so prideful of." But, he added, "What's upsetting to me is not Mick, but his representatives, who have guided Mick to say and do harmful things to the brand he cares about so much, MÖTLEY CRÜE. He has a degenerative disease and people are taking advantage of him. It's called elder abuse."

He continued: "Mick's representatives have no idea what they've created, but I've stopped the band from speaking about this, so they're not gonna turn the fans against Mick. But I am going to make sure that people understand that Mick hasn't been treated badly. In fact, he was treated better than anyone else in the band, and they carried him and they saved his life."

Regarding Mick's refusal to accept an offer from the band to give him 5% of the 2023 stadium tour that he did not participate in (the offer was later upped to 7.5% percent),Kovac told Variety: "He was offered a terrific opportunity. An offer was made to him at 5%, and then up to 7.5 percent, to avoid this. What Mick's asking for is an equal share, 25% — but there's a guy named John 5 in the band. Mick resigned from touring, and John 5's getting paid. So who's gonna pay John 5? None of this makes sense."

Allen went on to say that he couldn't understand why Mars didn't take the deal. "They've got [a 2023 tour] they're about halfway through, so let's [estimate] $150 million [in gross], and then you take off for production and commissions, and let's call it 100 or 110 million. What's seven and a half percent of that? He says it's an insult. And you've got me quoting that the other two guys got zero when they were out of the band" — meaning Vince Neil and Tommy Lee, during the periods they left the group. "So where's the insult? I think Mick is part of the 1%. Please put that on the record. … Let's say it was seven and a half percent of $110 million. Could you live on that, even if you have tens of millions already?"

In a new interview with RichardMetalFan, former OVERKILL and VIO-LENCE guitarist Bobby Gustafson spoke about the status of his recently launched new project called PAINWARD.

When the 58-year-old musician, who is based in Florida, first announced the formation of the new outfit, he said he would be joined by his SATAN'S TAINT bandmate Jim McCourt on drums and MASSACRE bassist Mike Borders. A singer for the project has not yet been announced.
Asked by RichardMetalFan when fans can expect to hear the first music from PAINWARD, Gustafson said: "I've got the album written, and I actually wrote some extra songs while I was waiting. I came up with three other songs that actually pushed two songs off, which are gonna wind up being on the EP."

He continued: "Mike from MASSACRE has been a longtime friend. He lived down in [Fort] Lauderdale. We've known each other over 20 years. So he's gonna do bass. I'm actually looking for a different drummer. I think I'm going to use Jim just for SATAN'S TAINT so it's different. So we have a drummer right now that we're talking with from Ohio. We had a singer here, but he's kind of MIA right now. I don't know what happened. I think he caught COVID a couple of weeks ago and then he just disappeared. So we're still searching for a singer. I wanna get the right guy. So I'm taking my time, because just so much judgment of a band is always put on what the singer sounds like. You either love it or hate it — same thing with Blitz [OVERKILL's Bobby Ellsworth], same thing with Sean [Killian, VIO-LENCE singer]; you either loved it or hated it. So I'm trying to get something that's gonna be more people that love it."

Elaborating on the musical direction of the PAINWARD material, Bobby said: "[The songs are] sharp and to the point. There's no bullshit. There's no clean parts. They're all aggressive. I'm excited about it. I can't get it out yet. I'm trying."

Regarding why it has been so hard finding the right musicians for the PAINWARD project, Gustafson said: "Everyone's in five bands. I mean, I'm literally asking people that are already in bands to be, like, 'Hey, could you could you add another band on your list of five people you fucking play with?' It's hard. South Florida has always been hard to find musicians. It's been that way since I started playing down here…. Most of the musicians, they seem to be in Tampa, Orlando area. Tampa's about three hours and Orlando's about two hours, which isn't that bad. To do [an in-]person rehearsal, it's not a bad deal, 'cause sometimes I'll go up there just to see the show and drive back. There are some good musicians down here, but everyone is already playing, so their time is taken up with whoever they're with. We've got Derek Roddy down here on drums, Patrick Johansson on drums, but they're all busy. The critical element is gonna be that singer. So we've gotta find the right guy. I'm gonna have that vocals on SATAN'S TAINT, 'cause it fits, but there's too many of the cookie-monster vocals. And I don't wanna go too far with the dirty and I don't wanna go too far with the clean. So I'm trying to find somebody in the middle."

Gustafson joined OVERKILL in 1982 and played on the band first four albums — "Feel The Fire" (1985),"Taking Over" (1987),"Under The Influence" (1988) and "The Years Of Decay" (1989) — before being shown the door in 1990 amid growing tension between him and OVERKILL bassist D.D. Verni.

Bobby told Metal Rules a few years ago that he was never officially asked to leave OVERKILL. "It wasn't something where they came out and said, 'Hey, you're fired!' It was more of a verbal fight between me and D.D. about doing a show where they wanted to do it strictly for money and I didn't want to do it because we had just sold out Studio 54 in New York, our biggest show, and they wanted to do a Halloween show that was kind of goofy," he claimed.

In a 2016 interview with Rock & Metal In My Blood, Gustafson said that he would "never play with [OVERKILL] again. They stole from me back then and continue to steal from me till this day," he explained. "They haven't paid me for the use of my songs for the past 30 years and now they are even re-recording 'Feel The Fire' live. I've never seen a band claim so adamantly that they don't live in the past, yet most of their set list is from the first four albums I was on. They have had so many albums after me and never play songs from them. I just can't play happily with backstabbers and liars."

Regarding the fact that OVERKILL replaced him with two guitarists, Gustafson told Noisecreep in a 2011 interview: "Some might say it was like a compliment. I would tend to agree. Plus every album after me, when they had two guitar players in the lineup, never topped what I did. 'The Years Of Decay' is still our best-selling album and I had a really short time to write it. I did it short breaks within a six-month period. D.D. had years to put together their next album ['Horrorscope']. So his opinion that two guitarists would make them heavier failed."

Gustafson joined VIO-LENCE in January 2020 as the replacement for Ray Vegas.

When Gustafson's departure from VIO-LENCE was first announced in October 2020, the band cited "logistical difficulties that weigh too heavy to function in a productive manner" as the reason for the split. He later told Into The Pit about his exit: "[The split happened] for the same reason all these bands are canceling tours. It's just gotten so expensive to do. Even within that three-short-year span, the price of plane tickets really shot up after the pandemic. They're not playing all the time — they're doing sporadic shows here and there — and to spend that much money to bring me out there, it's understandable."

Gustafson went on to say: "I thought it was pretty much a solid band when I had started. But I know Phil [Demmel, VIO-LENCE's founding guitarist] has his eyes on something bigger. So if other projects come along, he wanted to really be with something at the level he was used to, which is understandable. You get used to that level, and it's hard to go back. I wish them well. Whatever happens, happens."

In a new interview with Radioactive MikeZ, host of the 96.7 KCAL-FM program "Wired In The Empire", TESTAMENT guitarist Alex Skolnick spoke about the progress of the songwriting sessions for the band's follow-up to 2020's "Titans Of Creation" album. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Well, we got delayed a little bit by the fact that 2020 basically didn't exist [due to the coronavirus pandemic]. It's a year that went away. And then there was so much touring to make up for. And for about a year of that, we had Dave Lombardo [ex-SLAYER] on drums, which was fantastic. And he's become a great friend and a great musician, but he's also spread very thin in many different bands. And now we have Chris Dovas [playing drums with us]. And he's a guy old enough to be any of our sons. But he is just unbelievable. He really brings the right energy. I mean, he brings the energy that the music had in the early days. So, yeah, we've been working with him on new material. I know Eric's [Peterson, TESTAMENT guitarist] been getting together with him. Eric has been on the East Coast a couple of times and we've gotten together and hashed out material. So between their sessions and my sessions and the recordings that we have, there's a lot of sketches that are done on digital audio workstations. There's a lot — there's a lot of stuff. I made a list and there's almost a couple of dozen sketches that just need to be consolidated and arranged. [We have to] find the best parts, develop them a little more, add vocals, but it's definitely well on its way."

Skolnick went on to say that there is no set timetable for the release of the next TESTAMENT album. "You can't rush it," he explained. "I think this band learned very early on, you can't rush it. Like the times in the past that the band sort of rushed to put out a recording, it never felt completely satisfactory. So sometimes it takes longer than it should, but you can always count on a good result."

Last August, Dovas was asked by Pod Scum if it was "unnerving" to step into a group whose list of previous drummers includes such heavyweights as Lombardo and Gene Hoglan. He responded: "It was, especially at first because I knew that a lot of eyes were on me, and also I looked up to the band since I was a kid. Especially Lombardo and Gene — those are two of my favorite drummers right there. So to be put in that situation of taking over for them, I felt like I had a lot of responsibility and a lot of… I felt like I had something to prove a little bit, and I'm still practicing a lot and I just wanna do the best that I can do. Right now I'm not really nervous anymore because I've done two full tours with them now and we're working on the [new TESTAMENT] album and the friendship has been developing now and we all get along super well. They've welcomed me with open arms and it's been great and the fans have been great. I've been putting hours and hours of practice into it to make sure that I can do the best that I could do. And I look up to Dave and I look up to Gene as well, so, yeah, I just wanna play the songs well live and keep making the band sound good."

Asked what his role has been so far in the creative process for TESTAMENT's next album, Chris said: "I don't know exactly what I'm allowed and what I'm not allowed to share yet, but what you've seen publicly, though, right now is that Eric and I have been working on a lot of stuff together. And so it's been really cool to get into their brains, in a way, and how they write stuff. I'm used to people sending me tracks with scratch MIDI drums or programmed drums or something, and I've gotta put my drums to them and then hop on a Zoom call and we can edit things and move stuff around. But with them, Eric and I, he set a timer at one point for, like, 20 minutes and we would just jam random ideas. And then sometimes we'd make mistakes and stuff and that would be cool, and we could take that… It's very organic, though, and it's very involved, I guess. It's a different way of writing and I'm super excited to be a part of that method of writing. And I could see why they're so successful for all these years, now finally being a part of this current writing cycle, I guess."

In July 2023, Peterson said that he and Dovas had spent a few days working on material for TESTAMENT's next studio album. Eric shared a few photos on his Instagram and wrote in an accompanying message: "Had a very productive week with the kid! Mr. @chrisdovas and I worked up new 7 jam ideas ranging from thrash to nwobhm mixed in w/ black thrash to dark heavy hard rock blues…let's see what happens! super stoked so far!"

Dovas shared the same pictures on his social media and he added: "New TESTAMENT material in the works! Eric and I have been working hard all week on new ideas. Stoked so far!"

In a 2023 interview with Loud TV, Peterson said that the new TESTAMENT material is shaping up to be "fucking killer." He added: "I'm a fan. For me, I wouldn't release anything unless I'm a fan of what I'm doing. I have to get goosebumps. When I hear it, I'm, like, 'Yeah.' And then, of course, I play it for friends. A few of them go, 'Ehh.' But most of them go, 'Fuuuck!' Except Chuck [Billy, TESTAMENT singer] — Chuck goes, 'Eh.' And then four years later, [he goes], 'That's the best song ever. Write more shit like that.' I'm, like, 'Yeah, but four years ago you said that sucked.'"

Peterson was also full of praise for Dovas, who officially joined the band last year as the replacement for Lombardo. Eric said: "When we were auditioning for new drummers, his video tape was the number one for me. And then, of course, Dave Lombardo called us, so we just kind of pushed everything aside; we said, 'Okay, we'll try Dave.' And when Dave was, like, 'Oh, I've got this show coming up. I've got this show coming up,' I went back to my [videos], [and I said], 'Oh, yeah, this guy.' I remember the other guys going, 'Let's call Paul Bostaph.' 'Let's call John Tempesta.' And, of course, they would probably do it, but with the stipulation of, like, 'I can only do this date,' 'I can only do this date.' I called Chris. He was, like, 'I'm in. I'll do everything.' And so we tried him, and were just, like, 'What?!' Perfect tempo. Everything correct — bam, bam. Very polite. Really nice guy. I can't say enough good things about him. He's just a really good drummer. He's 24; he's my son's age. Young blood back in TESTAMENT. For me, too, he loves black metal, so he was, like, [into] blast beats. But he also graduated from a school called Berklee. So jazz… He's very fluent. He's not, like, 'Oh, I only know blast beats.' He knows blues… TESTAMENT's really diverse — we have ballads, we have rock songs, we have blast beats. That's just it — when he came to visit me before this tour, we were rehearsing for the tour but we would go back to my house at night, do some Jager really late at night and just start jamming at my house. And the next morning we were, like, 'Woah!' Really cool shit. So I'm excited for the next record. It's gonna be killer."

Lombardo, who was the guest drummer on TESTAMENT's 1999 studio album "The Gathering", formally joined the long-running San Francisco Bay Area act in early 2022. The former SLAYER drummer is currently a member of the MISFITS, MR. BUNGLE, EMPIRE STATE BASTARD and SATANIC PLANET, among others. He also played with SUICIDAL TENDENCIES from 2016 up until 2020.

Prior to joining TESTAMENT as a full-time member, Dovas previously filled in for Lombardo on the first six dates of TESTAMENT's summer/fall 2022 leg of "The Bay Strikes Back Tour". Lombardo was unable to make those gigs due to a scheduling conflict with the MISFITS.

Finnish folk metal superstars, Korpiklaani, have released a brand new single called "Saunaan", the first song to whet your appetite for their upcoming new studio album, Rankarumpu, which is due to be released on April 5. The pre-order for the album starts today.


Rankarumpu, like the two previous records, was executed with recording / mixing engineer and producer Janne Saksa. It seems that the collaboration between the band and Saksa has reached a whole new level with Rankarumpu.


Korpiklaani's twelfth studio album is once again full of tasty folk metal and its different flavors, but it also offers new spices. One of the most wonderful features of Rankarumpu is related to the folk instruments. Although Korpiklaani has done one or maybe even a couple of unforgettable things in the realm of folk metal, this time new permanent member Olli Vänskä's violin and Sami Perttula's accordion may surprise even die-hard fans.




One of the best showcases of this new chapter in Korpiklaani's career is the fast paced, violin-driven and playful folk metal tune "Saunaan". With its irresistable lead melody and a chorus for the ages, "Saunaan" is one of the strongest Korpiklaani songs to date, and it should fill any fan of the genre with pure delight.


Olli Vänskä commented: "I actually composed 'Saunaan' already months before I even knew I would be playing for Korpiklaani. I was working on an upbeat folk metal song and less surprisingly KK – Kings of Folk Metal – was definitely one of the influences.


Then, one thought led to another and suddenly I found myself actually playing for Korpiklaani and we were talking about material for an upcoming album. One night during a festival van ride I played a couple of demo tracks for the guys and Jonne was immediately giving me thumbs up. We worked with the arrangement a little bit and the end result is a pretty pretty good song!"


Watch the video below, and pre-order/pre-save the new album here.





Tracklisting:


"Kotomaa"
"Tapa sen kun kerkeet"
"Aita"
"Saunaan"
"Mettään"
"Kalmisto"
"Rankarumpu"
"No perkele"
"Viikatelintu"
"Nouse"
"Oraakkelit"
"Harhainen höyhen"


"Saunaan" video:





Korpiklaani have massive touring plans for 2024, starting with an extensive UK tour with Alestorm and Heidevolk in February and March, two album release shows in Mexico on April 5 and 6, followed by a North Amercan tour with Visions Of Atlantis & Illumishade (feat. members of Eluveitie) in April and May, a good number of big European Summer festivals and a European tour towards the end of the year.


Tour dates:


February (with Alestorm & Heidevolk)
21 - London, UK - O2 Forum Kentish Town
22 - Norwich, UK - LCR UEA
23 - Nottingham, UK - Rock City
24 - Bournemouth, UK - O2 Academy
25 - Bristol, UK - O2 Academy
27 - Belfast, UK - Limelight
28 - Dublin, UK - Academy
29 - Cardiff, UK - SU


March (with Alestorm & Heidevolk)
1 - Birmingham, UK - O2 Academy
2 - Oxford, UK - O2 Academy
3 - Glasgow, UK - O2 Academy
5 - Mancheste, UKr - O2 Victoria Warehouse
6 - Liverpool, UK - O2 Academy
7 - Leeds, UK - O2 Academy
8 - Newcastle, UK - NX
9 - London, UK - O2 Forum Kentish Town


April (album release shows)
5 - Mexico City, Mexico - Foro28
6 - Monterrey, Mexico - Cafe Iguana





April (with Visions Of Atlantis & Illumishade)
8 - Reading, PA - Reverb
9 - New York City, NY - Gramercy Theatre
10 - Boston, MA - Brighton Music Hall
11 - Montreal, QC - La Tulipe
12 - Ottawa, ON - Brass Monkey
13 - Toronto, ON - Phoenix Concert Theatre
14 - Pontiac, MI - The Crofoot
15 - Milwaukee, WI - Turner Hall
17 - Minneapolis, MN - Skyway Theatre
18 - Winnipeg, MA - Park Theatre
19 - Regina, SK - The Exchange
20 - Edmonton, AB - Starlite Room
21 - Calgary, AB - Dickens
23 - Vancouver, BC - Rickshaw Theatre
24 - Seattle, WA - El Corazon
25 - Portland, OR - BossaNova Ballroom
26 - San Francisco, CA - DNA Lounge
27 - Los Angeles, CA - 1720
28 - San Diego, CA - Brick By Brick
29 - Phoenix, AZ - The Nile


May (with Visions Of Atlantis & Illumishade)
1 - Denver, CO - Gothic Theatre
2 - Lincoln, NB - The Bourbon Theater
3 - Joliet, IL - The Forge
4 - Pittsburgh, PA - Mr Smalls Theatre
5 - Baltimore, MD - Baltimore Soundstage


2024 Festivals


June
27-30 - Clisson, France - Hellfest


July
12 - Laundresse - La Guerre Du Son
28-August 3 - Velenje, Slovenia - MetalDays


August
9-11 - Cercoux, France - Festival 666
9-11 - Walton on Trent, UK - Bloodstock Open Air
9-11 - Kortrijk, Belgium - Alcatraz Festival
14-17 - Dinkelsbühl, Germany - Summer Breeze
15-17 - Zámek Moravský Krumlov, Czech Republic - Rock Castle
24 - Pindelo dos Milagres, Portugal - Milagre Metaleiro Open Air


November (with In Extremo & Rauhbein)
15 - Saarbrücken, Germany - Garage
16 - Pratteln, Switzerland - Z7
22 - Rostock, Germany - Moya
23 - Dortmund, Germany - Phantastischer Lichter Weihnachtsmarkt
29 - Berlin, Germany - Columbiahalle
30 - Bremen, Germany - Pier 2


December (with In Extremo & Rauhbein)
6 - Nürnberg, Germany - KIA Metropol Arena
7 - Wien, Austria - Gasometer
12 - Bielefeld, Germany - Lokschuppen
13 - Hannover, Germany - Swiss Life Hall
14 - Dresden, Germany - Alter Schlachthof
20 - Leipzig, Germany - Haus Auensee
21 - Stuttgart, Germany - Porsche Arena
27 - München, Germany - Zenith
28 - Wiesbaden, Germany - Schlachthof
29 - Erfurt, Germany - Messehalle
30 - Köln, Germany - Palladium


(Photo - Peero Lakanen, edited by Jan Yrlund)

In a recent interview with SPIN, RIVAL SONS guitarist Scott Holiday opened up about how he ditched alcohol and the impact it's had on his life. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I didn't have any hitting-rock-bottom moment. I know a lot of people do, and those stories are valuable, but I wanted to tell you just a different story where it doesn't require to hit rock bottom.

"In our line of work and this job, it's really easy to become an accidental alcoholic — a drink before the show, a couple of drinks after the show, maybe a couple of more before you go down, and it's just day after day after day, and you're not feeling like you're binge drinking, but then you end the tour and you come home and you start looking and calculating and you're, like, 'I think I drank every single day. I'm pretty sure that is alcoholism,'" he explained. "And then if you spice in a little bit of drugs into that, you're just going, 'Well, this is a lot of damage.' And there was a lot of hungover days here. And for me, I just ended up feeling really disconnected, if I really looked at myself. I felt like I wasn't taking in all these beautiful places I was seeing."

He continued: "I have a family at home. I felt I couldn't be ready whenever I needed to be ready. Like if I'm in Europe and one of my kids needs to talk to me in their normal daytime, that's 3:30 in the morning for me. If I'm seven drinks down, it's just not coherent enough; it's not how I wanna perform for them; it's not how I wanna be available. But even more importantly, just for myself. I have this great opportunity to play music for people, and more than just fire people up on rock and roll, I see it very much as a thing with —like Paramatma, if I take something from Hindu culture, where when we're on deck and you're playing music with people, there's a very symbiotic thing happening with everyone. And it becomes less about all these people partying and having this good time and individual people. And you can kind of see people very connected as souls, very similar. We're all doing the same thing at the same time. And even us — we're facilitating that; they're facilitating us. No one's really in charge here, even though it looks like we're in charge. We've all kind of come together to do this thing together — to sing together, to feel something together. And I'll tell you, it's a lot easier to feel that happening in sobriety. And that was a big deal for me."

RIVAL SONS' latest album, "Lightbringer", arrived on October 20. It notably marked the group's second full-length offering of 2023, following June's critically acclaimed companion album "Darkfighter".

RIVAL SONS crafted "Darkfighter" and "Lightbringer" during the same sessions over the course of 2021. Once again, they recorded with creative confidant and longtime producer Dave Cobb behind the board. The band initially dropped "Darkfighter" to unanimous tastemaker praise this summer. Classic Rock attested, "'Darkfighter' might just be RIVAL SONS' masterpiece," and Glide Magazine enthused, "'Darkfighter' is a lean hard rock album that condenses what RIVAL SONS does well into a brief attack." At the same time, they have piled up millions of streams across the likes of "Nobody Wants To Die", "Bird In The Hand", "Rapture" and more.

RIVAL SONS recently concluded a tour with THE SMASHING PUMPKINS and stayed on the road through the end of 2023 with select U.S. headline shows and festival appearances.

In 2021, RIVAL SONS celebrated the tenth anniversary of their 2011 album, "Pressure And Time", by performing the landmark long player live in its entirety on the "Pressure And Time" tour for the first time. They also lit up Southern California with a two-night livestream event, "Pair Of Aces", live from the historic Catalina Casino on Santa Catalina Island. They performed their debut LP, "Before The Fire" (2009),in its entirety on the first night and their self-titled EP, "Rival Sons" (2010),on the second.

In a new interview with Sweden's SVT, IRON MAIDEN singer Bruce Dickinson spoke about his upcoming solo album "The Mandrake Project", which will be released on March 1 via BMG. Bruce Dickinson and his long-term co-writer and producer Roy "Z" Ramirez recorded the LP largely at Los Angeles's Doom Room, with Roy Z doubling up as both guitarist and bassist. The recording lineup for "The Mandrake Project" was rounded out by keyboard maestro Mistheria and drummer Dave Moreno, both of whom also featured on Bruce's last solo studio album, "Tyranny Of Souls", in 2005.

Regarding the lyrical concept for "The Mandrake Project", Dickinson told SVT (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "There's a lot of kind of — not exactly — yeah, kind of like meditation on life and death in there, probably 'cause I had a little bit of a too close encounter with it when I had cancer. I didn't think that changed my view of life and death. People asked me that question after I got better from it, and I was, like, 'No, no. Easy-peasy. No, no, no. [Laughs] And, yeah — no, it did, but not in a bad way. Every day is, like, great. 'Wow.' So I try and live in that space."

Dickinson, who was diagnosed with throat cancer back in late 2014, spoke about his recovery during the question-and-answer portion of his January 2022 spoken-word show in Orlando, Florida. Asked what advice he would give to anyone getting ready to start their own battle against cancer, he responded: "Here's the way I dealt with it… And people will deal with it in different ways. I embraced the treatment. So I went along to see the big radiation machine and I said, 'Okay, how does this work then? What does it do? And how much are you giving me and where? And how are you making a difference between this one and this one and this one? And you can do what with it? Wow, that's really cool. That's amazing. It's insane, the technology.'"

He continued: "I would say embrace the treatment and always remember the [likelihood]… I don't know what your cancer is. I don't know the individual circumstances. I'm not a doctor, so I'm not gonna make any predictions. I can't do anything like that, nor would I, 'cause it's very private. But I have to say that the therapies that people are coming up with now are so on the edge and successful that you really do stand a very good chance. 'Cause half of us are gonna get cancer, and it's not a death sentence anymore, and you can deal with it. And the things they have to do to your body to get rid of it are getting better and better and better as we go down the line. They did some nasty things to my body. I'm lucky I'm completely clear of it and everything.

"I only really talk about it when I come to do these shows 'cause people want to know," Bruce added. "I quite enjoy talking about it because you kind of demystify it a little bit for people. It's a scary thing."

Approximately 39.2 percent of men and women will be diagnosed with cancer of any site at some point during their lifetime, based on 2016–2018 data.

According to Healthline, the cancer death rate in the United States dropped by about a third (32 percent) from its peak in 1991 to 2019 — from about 215 deaths for every 100,000 people to about 146. Much of the reduction is due to the progress made against lung cancer, which remains the leading cause of cancer death in the country.

Dickinson, who had a golf gall-size tumor on his tongue and another in the lymph node on the right side of his neck, got the all-clear in May 2015 after radiation and nine weeks of chemotherapy.

Bruce previously told iNews that he wanted to cover his cancer battle in his 2017 autobiography, "What Does This Button Do?", to raise awareness of the condition, which affects people who often have no or minimal history of tobacco or alcohol abuse. The individuals with HPV-related oropharyngeal cancer who undergo treatment have a disease-free survival rate of 85 to 90 percent over five years.

During an appearance on the Swedish TV show "Malou Efter Tio", Dickinson spoke about how his singing voice has changed following his cancer diagnosis nine years ago.

"[It's] a little bit different," he said. "Two things are slightly different. One is my saliva, which obviously lubricates your throat a little bit, is a bit less than it used to be. Although, back ten years ago, if I had the same cancer, I wouldn't be making any saliva. But now, I'm probably 70 percent, which is great. Thanks very much, everybody upstairs. [Laughs] And the other things is that I think that the shape of possibly the back of my tongue, which forms vowel sounds and things like that, might have changed shape slightly, because, obviously, it had a big lump in it, and the lump's gone. So maybe the surface has changed shape. So I notice a few differences. Funnily enough, the top end of my voice is maybe even a little bit better than it was before. [Laughs]"

Dickinson said that he was given "the all-clear" by his specialists following an MRI scan after a course of chemotherapy and radiology.

"I was amazed," he said. "My cancer was a 3.5-centimeter tumor in my throat and a 2.5-centimeter one in my lymph node, and that was the one that I could feel — that was the secondary one. But I did 33 sessions of radiation and nine weeks of chemo at the same time, which is fairly standard therapy for it. And it was gone. And I said to my oncologist: 'What do you mean it's gone? Where has it gone?' And he said, 'Well, your body just gets rid of it.' A body is an amazing thing."

This past November, Dickinson told Brazil's Omelete about the lyrical concept for "The Mandrake Project": "So 'The Mandrake Project' is, one, is an album. It's the name of the album. The comic is a 12-episode graphic novel, kind of adult. There's lots of stuff in it — there's lots of sex and drugs and violence and all kinds of stuff. But it's basically a story about a guy who is looking for his identity, Dr. Necropolis. He's an orphan, he's a genius, and he hates it, and he hates life, but he's involved in The Mandrake Project. And The Mandrake Project aims to take the human soul at the point of death, capture it, store it and put it back in something else. And the guy that's running the project, Professor Lazarus, he has one vision of what's gonna happen with this technology, and Necropolis has other ideas. And on we go with the story."

Asked how he came up with the idea to mash together music and comics, Bruce said: "Well, I think they do kind of go together. They really do. Music and games, music and comics, comics and games, they're all related."

He continued: "Years ago, IRON MAIDEN, we were doing some cover art, and I said, 'Why don't we do a comic?', like the comics that I used to read when I was a kid… When I suggested doing some covers, comic covers, we did some single artwork for IRON MAIDEN, and I thought, 'You know what? This is kind of cool.' Then later, MAIDEN had a video game called 'Legacy Of The Beast'; we still do. But what came with a video game, somebody produced a series of comics. And I thought they looked fantastic, but they lacked a story. And that got me thinking, what if you had an album that had a story that could be turned into a comic and the two things would work together? As it happened, they've actually grown apart. So, the [original] album, in 2014, was gonna be one comic with the album — that's it. Then, COVID happened, other things happened, seven years went by, and I had a 12-episode graphic novel. And I went, 'I don't wanna restrict the album to being like a script for this.' These two things exist separately, but they inform each other. So you can look at the album and go, 'Oh, yeah, that's kind of related to the comic.' And you look at the comic and go, 'Oh, I see that might be a little bit related to the album,' but they're not dependent on each other. So you can buy the comic or you can buy the album — or both."

On November 30, Dickinson unveiled the dramatic, action-packed video for "Afterglow Of Ragnarok", the first single to be taken from "The Mandrake Project". In front of a packed audience on the opening day of CCXP23, Brazil's huge Comic-Con event in São Paulo, the IRON MAIDEN frontman premiered the spectacular film and revealed further details about the album and forthcoming comic series in partnership with Z2, including releasing 2,000 CCXP-exclusive versions of the comic to the delight of the international comic community.

"The Mandrake Project" track listing:

01. Afterglow Of Ragnarok (05:45)
02. Many Doors To Hell (04:48)
03. Rain On The Graves (05:05)
04. Resurrection Men (06:24)
05. Fingers In The Wounds (03:39)
06. Eternity Has Failed (06:59)
07. Mistress Of Mercy (05:08)
08. Face In The Mirror (04:08)
09. Shadow Of The Gods (07:02)
10. Sonata (Immortal Beloved) (09:51)

Fans of both Bruce Dickinson and IRON MAIDEN will notice that the album features the curiously named "Eternity Has Failed", which first appeared in a different form titled "If Eternity Should Fail" on IRON MAIDEN's 2015's album "The Book Of Souls", illustrating how long the creative process for "The Mandrake Project" has been in the works.

Bruce has previously described lead single "Afterglow Of Ragnarok" as "a heavy song and there's a great big riff driving it… but there's also a real melody in the chorus that displays the light and shade that the rest of the album brings."

Directed by award-winning director Ryan Mackfall, written by Dickinson and acclaimed British writer Tony Lee (whose lengthy credits include "2000AD", DC and Marvel ranging from "Dr. Who" and "Star Trek" to "Spider Man" and "X-Men"),the film unveils Dr. Necropolis, the main protagonist at the heart of "The Mandrake Project". It also sets the scene for the story to come, reflecting the dark narrative contained in the eight-page comic book prequel which features in the seven-inch gatefold vinyl release of the single.

"The Mandrake Project" is not just an album, but a dark, adult story of power, abuse and a struggle for identity, set against the backdrop of scientific and occult genius. Created by Bruce Dickinson, the comic series is scripted by Tony Lee and stunningly illustrated by Staz Johnson for Z2 Comics, released as 12 quarterly issues that will be collected into three annual graphic novels. The first episode will be released in comic shops on January 17, 2024.

Bruce Dickinson and his phenomenal band will bring the music of "The Mandrake Project" to life with a major headline tour next spring and summer.

Bruce's touring band features guitarist Roy Z, drummer Dave Moreno, bass player Tanya O'Callaghan and keyboard maestro Mistheria.

"The Mandrake Project" will be Dickinson's seventh solo album and his first since "Tyranny Of Souls" in 2005. It will be released via BMG worldwide on multiple formats.

Dickinson made his recording debut with IRON MAIDEN on the "Number Of The Beast" album in 1982. He quit the band in 1993 in order to pursue his solo career and was replaced by Blaze Bayley, who had previously been the lead singer of the metal band WOLFSBANE. After releasing two traditional metal albums with former MAIDEN guitarist Adrian Smith, Dickinson rejoined the band in 1999 along with Smith. Since then, Dickinson has only released one more solo album (the aforementioned "Tyranny Of Souls") but has previously said that his solo career is not over.

Former Cryptopsy vocalist and visual artist, Martin Lacroix, has passed away. Lacroix was Cryptopsy's frontman from 2001 - 2003 and was featured on the 2003 live album, None So Live.


Martin was in the band Serocs between 2014 and 2015 and, until his death, was a member of Enmity.


Lacroix also created artwork and logos for bands including Augury, Beyond Creation, Cryptopsy, and Gorguts.




Cryptopsy paid tribute to their former frontman, writing: "Farewell to Martin Lacroix, a formidable presence in Cryptopsy. His brutal vocals, artistic prowess, and his warmth as a human will be dearly missed. Our thoughts are with his loved ones during this difficult time."


Gorguts also posted about Lacroix's passing: "It is with deep sorrow that we announce the passing of our dear friend Martin Lacroix. Martin was not only a gifted artist but also a close companion of Luc, residing nearby in Sherbrooke. Lacroix, a dedicated Gorguts fan, crafted the HarpSkull design for our shirts and later contributed to the entire artwork of Colored Sands (2013) on Season Of Mist and some pieces for ...And Then Comes Lividity: A Demo Anthology (2014) on War On Music Records. The scene has lost a precious gem, and he will always be remembered. RIP, Brother."


Enmity shared via social media, "Sad news, we just lost our brother Martin Lacroix, Rest in Power Brother."


Everyone here at BraveWords offer our condolences to Martin's family, friends, and fans. RIP.











(Top photo - Chris Slack 2002)

Platinum-selling rock juggernaut P.O.D. — Sonny Sandoval (vocals),Marcos Curiel (guitar) and Traa Daniels (bass) — will release its 11th album, "VERITAS". It will arrive May 3 via Mascot Records.

Last fall, the band debuted the video for "Drop", which features a vicious vocal cameo from LAMB OF GOD singer Randy Blythe. It earned quick press accolades from Metal Injection, Consequence, Revolver, Idioteq, The Pit, Yahoo! and Knotfest. They followed with the video for equally eruptive single "Afraid To Die", featuring JINJER vocalist Tatiana Shmayluk. The tracks combined have garnered seven million streams.

Now the band has shared the video for "I Won't Bow Down", yet another banger that further introduces "VERITAS". Watch it below.

"We can't wait for you all to hear the new album in its entirety," states Curiel. "We've put so much heart and soul into this recording. We are extremely proud of it. We hope to see all your beautiful faces in city near you. Thank you for your unwavering support. We love and appreciate you all."

Sandoval furthers: "There's a first time for everything and the writing and recording process of this record will definitely not be the last. We might've just created our best album yet!"

"This will most likely be one of my favorite P.O.D. records," adds Daniels. "There are some songs on this record that are so different from one another, but still have that P.O.D. So Cal flavor."

"VERITAS" track listing:

01. Drop (feat. Randy Blythe)
02. I Got That
03. Afraid To Die (feat. Tatiana Shmayluk)
04. Dead Right
05. Breaking
06. Lay Me Down (Roo's Song)
07. I Won't Bow Down
08. This Is My Life (feat. Cove Reber)
09. Lies We Tell Ourselves
10. We Are One (Our Struggle)
11. Feeling Strange

P.O.D. has been a band — and a vital one at that — for more than 30 years. But ask the members what still inspires them after all this time, and they'll tell you they still operate as if they're perpetual underdogs. Yes, with every new album they release, with every show they play, these musical lifers still feel they have something to prove.

"We're still here and we're still creating some of the best music we've ever made," says Curiel. "When it comes to heart, grit and soul, P.O.D. is your band." Adds Sandoval, "We're always still proving who we are — always having that punk-rock mentality."

It's this mindset, this unrelenting grit that has long defined the platinum-selling P.O.D. and continues to do so as they march proudly into the next era of their long-winding journey of a career. Now, nearly five years removed from their previous studio album, "Circles", which to date has been streamed more than 50 million times and spawned the Top 25 hit "Listening To Silence", the band returns in a major way with "VERITAS", the eleventh P.O.D. LP and arguably their hardest-hitting record yet.

Lovers of all forms of music, P.O.D. have forever incorporated everything from rock to reggae, hip-hop to punk in their art. "We flirt with so many different styles," offers Curiel. This go-round, however, P.O.D. decided to get back to the basics. "We made a conscious decision to keep it in the rock zone this time," says Sandoval adding that there's "a certain bounce and a certain two-step" to the 11 tracks that comprise the album. "These songs are a throwback to me and remind me of the raw unbridled energy of classic South San Diego P.O.D.," offers Daniels.

Written over the course of several years, with the band typically writing a tune or two at a time with the Los Angeles-based production duo called the Heavy (Jason Bell and Jordan Miller),"VERITAS" is a cannon-shot of adrenaline to the ear drums. And for a band that has never shied away from wearing their heart on their sleeve, it's also one of the most emotionally inspired albums of the band's career.

The word "Veritas" — which translates to "Truth" in Latin — defined the emotional core of the album, and the album art further encapsulates that message: to Curiel, the "VERITAS" album cover, which pictures a child with its eyes blacked out, signifies “a culmination of innocence and dark hidden truths.

P.O.D.'s audience has always been at the core of everything the band does, and to that end, their live shows remain essential to who they are. They've played major festivals including the Sick New World, INKcarceration and Hell And Heaven, and have shared stages with the likes of KORN, RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS, EVANESCENCE and SEETHER.

Now, as they look to the future with "VERITAS" as their anchor, P.O.D. are nothing if not amped about where things go from here. Well, that, and extremely grateful. "30 years ago there wasn't this end goal," says Sandoval. "It was always about the next record, the next show, the next tour. We've always enjoyed where we’re at. We're still hustling and we're still working hard."

In a recent interview with Ethan Jackson of Topeka's rock radio station KDVV/V100 conducted at this year's Rocklahoma festival, Curiel said about the "VERITAS" album title: "It's the old Latin dialect. You know, the old one that the priests are laying down when people are demonly possessed. It stands for truth. It's our truth because we wrote this record during the pandemic. Individually and collectively, it's our truth as a band, what we've been through, what we've all been through during that time, dude."

Last August, Sandoval was asked by "The Jesea Lee Show" if the next P.O.D. album will see him and his bandmates returning to their "old-school" sound or if it will represent "a whole new era" for the group. Sonny said: "All we know how to do is be ourselves. But I think this album is definitely more rocking. The last album, 'Circles', was a little bit more on the alternative side and a little bit of all the elements of our styles and flavors. But this one, it's just kind of rock, you know what I mean? But I dig it. I think it's kind of the album that we needed. Not everybody gets all the different flavors and styles and the soulfulness of P.O.D. Sometimes I compare it to… I don't eat McDonald's, but they're the number one food chain for a reason. People, they know what they get, they know what to expect. I'm more of a foodie, so I like a great burger or maybe a steak. But people love their McDonald's, so sometimes you just kind of give 'em what they want."

Multi-platinum rock band STAIND is celebrating its second No. 1 single from its latest album, "Confessions Of The Fallen".

STAIND's latest single, "Here And Now" follows debut single "Lowest In Me" to the top of the Active Rock chart, marking the second No. 1 from the new album — the band's first in twelve years.

"Here And Now" is classic STAIND — a powerful, emotionally charged ballad that touches deep in the soul. The accompanying video perfectly conveys the sentiment of the song, as it explores the joy and pain of real-life moments that shape us all.

See STAIND live on tour beginning April 18 in St Augustine, Florida and on the "Tailgate" tour with special guests SEETHER, SAINT ASONIA and Tim Montana, kicking off April 22 in Brandon, Mississippi.

In a recent interview with Germany's Riot Vision, STAIND guitarist Mike Mushok spoke to about the "electronic element" which was incorporated into "Confessions Of The Fallen". Released in September via Alchemy Recordings/BMG, STAIND's first new LP album since 2011 was produced by Erik Ron (GODSMACK, PANIC! AT THE DISCO, BLACK VEIL BRIDES).

Mike said: "Well, that was something that Aaron [Lewis, STAIND frontman] really wanted to explore. We had talked about it before, but we'd never really done it. So he really wanted to make that a part of what we were doing. And it was funny, 'cause I do remember saying to him, like, 'I play guitar. I don't know how to do that.' So that's where I feel like Erik played a really big part in helping make that a part of what this album sounds like. Some of those verses where you hear [and] it's like more electronic[-sounding], that's a guitar part I wrote just played on a synthesizer, [using] some crazy sound. So he was able to take some of those things that I wrote and adapt it to kind of bring in some of those elements into the music. And I think he did a great job. I like it. I'm pretty happy with it."

Asked what new musical elements he would like to explore on future STAIND albums, Mike said: "I don't know. To me, it's just really about trying to write great songs. It's really just kind of trying to take what we do and make it better. And I don't really have any kind of guidelines. If it calls for more electronics or — I don't know — a guitar solo or whatever the case may be, whatever really the song calls for, I think that that's what the best thing to explore is. But I was very happy with the process of making this record and how it came out. Some records have been really difficult to make. This one wasn't one of those. The way we did it, it took us a while, but we got there. And by the end of the day, once we got there, I was really happy with the end results."

When "Confessions Of The Fallen" was announced in April 2023, Lewis stated about the LP's musical direction: "I did want to modernize the sound and bring us up to date. You can certainly recognize the band but at the same time you can hear that we've been paying attention and understand what kind of sounds and approaches we can use that maybe weren't around the last time we did this."

STAIND has released eight albums since 1995, including 2011's self-titled effort. The band has had a number of hit songs during its first two decades, including the Top 10 smash "It's Been Awhile" from the No. 1 album "Break The Cycle". Follow-up LPs "14 Shades Of Grey" and "Chapter V" also topped the Billboard chart.

STAIND released its first album in nine years, "Live: It's Been Awhile", in May 2021 via Yap'em/Alchemy Recordings. The "Live: It's Been Awhile" album was accompanied by "The Return Of Staind", a two-part global streaming series in partnership with Danny Wimmer Presents.

Last year, STAIND and GODSMACK completed a 25-city co-headlining tour, produced by Live Nation.

In a new interview with Consequence, SLAYER's Kerry King revealed that the upcoming debut album from his solo project was produced by Josh Wilbur, who has previously worked with such acts as LAMB OF GOD, MEGADETH, GOJIRA, TRIVIUM and KORN.

"It's my first time working with [Josh], and we hit it off great," the guitarist said. "Can't wait to work on another one with him, and he feels the same way about the project, so hopefully that gets going sooner rather than later. Super easy to work with. The guy is a wizard on the computer. I mean when we're in there editing stuff or overdubbing anything, I'll do my part, or the singer or whoever is doing their fix or whatever, and he'll just go back and forth on the computer a few times, go 'Here, how's that?' I'm thinking, 'I have no fucking idea where you are dude. He's so quick, so easy to work with. It was spectacular."

Regarding the recording approach for his new album, King said: "It was very similar [to the way we worked in SLAYER]. First and foremost, I wrote most of the last SLAYER record, so people know what I sound like, people know how I write. This one I did one hundred percent of, so if you've ever liked anything I've done in the past, there's going to be something you're going to like on this one, if not the whole thing. I love the whole thing."

Elaborating on the new project's musical direction, Kerry said: "My sound is what we've done on the last, I couldn't tell you how many SLAYER records. And one thing I feel is that Josh really captured probably the closest to my live sound, because my live sound is very hard to get to tape. I think this is the closest it's ever been. So that's very exciting for me. And the rest of it, Paul's [Bostaph, drums] playing, so hell yeah, it's going to sound like SLAYER because he's got his own style. You know, screamy vocals — new guy — but you know, it's still definitely got the vibe."

Earlier this month, Kerry told Metal Hammer magazine that the upcoming debut album from his solo project has been "done since June" 2023. Regarding the musical direction of his solo material, the 59-year-old musician said: "If I was ever to try anything different [from SLAYER], I guess that would be the time. But no, I really have no desire to do anything different. If I wasn't in SLAYER, I would be a SLAYER fan. So yes, I think it's an extension of SLAYER, and I think a lot of people will think it might have been the next record. I guess maybe 80% of it would have been, maybe it would have been exactly what I'm putting on this one. In my eyes, I think it's a definite extension, a follow-up to [SLAYER's 2015 final album] 'Repentless' for sure."

He continued: "There's definitely some fast stuff on it. It's not the fastest thing I've ever done, but I've done some pretty fast stuff. There's definitely some Herculean speeds getting achieved on this, but there's heavy stuff. There's punky stuff. There's doomy stuff. Pretty much any aspect of any kind of music we've done in our history, I think you'll find on this record."

Kerry added: "For me, the slowest [song] is similar in vibe to ['Repentless' track] 'When The Stillness Comes'. That one came out really cool and spooky. And then there was one where my entire intention was to write something like the SCORPIONS' 'Animal Magnetism' crossed with the 'chug' of 'Hell Awaits'. That one came together pretty early. I like that song a lot. I mean, I like all of them a lot, but that one, that one's got a different vibe for sure."

King did not name the rest of the musicians who appear on his upcoming LP, but he did say that it is "my intention that everybody that's on the record is going to be in the band, hopefully for its entirety."

More than three years ago, SLAYER drummer Paul Bostaph revealed that he is involved in Kerry's new project. Paul told Australia's Riff Crew that the new band will "sound like SLAYER without it being SLAYER — but not intentionally so. I mean, Kerry's been writing songs in SLAYER his entire career, and he has a style," he explained. "And that style, as a songwriter, you just don't change your style because your band is done… So, all I can say is if you like heavy music and you like SLAYER, you'll like this."

Kerry's new band, called simply KERRY KING, has announced two U.S. shows so far: May 9, 2024 at the Welcome To Rockville festival at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida, and May 16, 2024 at the Sonic Temple Art & Music Festival at the Historic Crew Stadium in Columbus, Ohio.

More than a year ago, Kerry said that he was angry over the prospect of SLAYER calling it quits when the subject was first broached. Asked in an interview with Metal Hammer magazine for his reaction when the conversation to end the band arose, the guitarist said: "Anger… what else? It was premature. The reason I say 'premature' is because my heroes from my childhood are still playing! I can still play, I still want to play, but that livelihood got taken away from me.

"But, anyway, on to the next chapter, I guess," he continued. "We were on top of the world, and there's nothing wrong with going out on top of the world, it's a good way to go out. So, bravo for that. But do I miss playing? Yeah, absolutely."

In the same interview, King also hinted that SLAYER fans will be happy with the musical direction of his yet-to-be-announced new band. "If you know my work, you know what it’s going to sound like."

Two years after he revealed that he had more than two records' worth of music written for his new band, King stated about the new material's direction: "You know me, so you know what it's going to sound like. I played this new song for a buddy, and I said to him, 'If there's anything I've written in the last few years that sounds like SLAYER, it's this.' And he said, 'That sounds like you could have pulled it off of any SLAYER record.' I actually made that riff up backstage at a SLAYER show. We were walking to the stage and I got my phone out and recorded it so I wouldn't forget it."

King went on to say that he expects his new band to start out by playing "much smaller" venues than SLAYER did at the end of its four-decade run.

"Had it have been up to me then I'd have been out in 2020," he said. "But that thing called the pandemic fucked everything up for everyone. You know, I waited on that, because it had to run its course. I didn't want to be the guinea pig; I didn't want to learn how to tour again. I already did my dues; I don't want to have to prove myself again.

"Have I been dragging my feet? Yeah, because I wanted this [pandemic] shit to get sorted. I won't be dragging my feet much longer."

One day after SLAYER played the final show of its farewell tour in November 2019 in Los Angeles, Kerry's wife Ayesha King said that there is "not a chance in hell" that the thrash metal icons will reunite for more live appearances. In August 2020, she once again shot down the possibility of her husband and bassist/vocalist Tom Araya sharing the stage ever again under the SLAYER banner.

After Ayesha shared three photos of Kerry holding their cat in slideshow-type Instagram post, a fan wrote: "No Tom, No SLAYER Kerry. Stop thinking SLAYER without @tomarayaofficial". Ayesha then replied: "don't worry, they'll never be SLAYER again! You can rest easy".

Just a few days earlier, Kerry told Dean Guitars that he had plenty of musical ideas for his upcoming project. "I've been very, very lucky with riffs in 2020," he said. "Maybe because I can't go anywhere — I don't know — but riffs have certainly not been a problem. And looking forward into the future, what that means for me is I'm gonna be able to cherrypick the best stuff. And it's good stuff. I've got more than two records' worth of music, but to be able to go through that and cherrypick the best 11 or 12 [songs]… That first record should be smoking."

When SLAYER first announced that it was embarking on its final tour back in January 2018, Ayesha assured fans that they would "always get music" from her husband.

King has said in previous interviews that his post-SLAYER musical efforts would not be much different from the sound fans have grown accustomed to hearing from him.

"If someone quit, I'm not going to go around with a made-up SLAYER," he told AZCentral.com back in 2010. "But my next band would sound like SLAYER, that's all I know."

SLAYER's final world tour began on May 10, 2018 with the band's intention to play as many places as possible, to make it easy for the fans to see one last SLAYER show and say goodbye. By the time the 18-month trek wrapped at the Forum, the band had completed seven tour legs plus a series of one-off major summer festivals, performing more than 140 shows in 30 countries and 40 U.S. states.

Following the recently released Tantum Religio Potuit Suadere Malorum, Dark Sky Burial - the project of Shane Embury - is announcing the new vinyl release coming out in 2024.


"Life for anyone can be a struggle at times," explains Shane Embury. An honored veteran of heavy music looks back at both sides of his artistic personality.


On the one hand - Napalm Death, Brujeria, Tronos among other projects featuring Embury’s notable bass that became synonymous to the adjective “grinding”. On the other hand - Dark Sky Burial. Not just another project. But a different one. Coming through personal tragedies, Embury believes It all ignited a quest to find meaning and also rediscover just who he is.




Using the image of a Maze on the cover of the recently released series of albums, Embury evokes the inner-search of his listeners, making them question and search for the meaning. A personal one. Accumulated by medieval-rhythms and dark-twisting passages Dark Sky Burial leads you through a twisted labyrinth, where every twist and turn are reflected on the musical level. With a landscape change, structural or compositional additions.


Described by Shane Embury as “more than just a creative outpouring”, the newly released album unites both Pulvis Et Umbra Sumus and Nascentes Morimur Morientes Nascimur a collective piece, a quadrilogy of albums. Coming up with the third piece of the series of releases, Embury questions himself: “Four is the number of wholeness… So maybe I am symbolizing my desire for personal wholeness through the album’s journey? From prehistoric times, the number four was employed to signify what was solid, what could be touched and felt. Its relationship to the cross (four points) made it an outstanding symbol of wholeness and universality, a symbol which drew all to itself."


Tantum Religio Potuit Suadere Malorum is a burning bridge built with hope and sadness, a rebirth record described by Shane as: "the letting of go many things most importantly my former self."


Commenting on the signing to Consouling Sounds, Shane explains: “I am very excited to be joining Consouling Sounds. The Dark Sky Burial following have been feverishly asking for vinyl releases for sometime now, and this is something I have really wanted to do."


Embury continues: “The debut release on Consouling Sounds will feature lots of twists and turns sonically with this vinyl release it’s the start of a new and exciting chapter in the evolution of Dark Sky Burial."





(Photo - Gobhinder Jhitta)

REVOLUTION SAINTS, the band led by JOURNEY vocalist/drummer Deen Castronovo, will release a new album, "Against The Winds", on February 9, 2024 via Frontiers Music Srl.

The follow-up 2023's "Eagle Flight" sees Castronovo once again joined by fellow rockers bassist Jeff Pilson (known for his work with FOREIGNER and DOKKEN) and guitarist Joel Hoekstra (of WHITESNAKE and NIGHT RANGER).

The official music video for the song "Changing My Mind" can be seen below.

Pilson commented: "'Changing My Mind' is another powerful track showing that amazing Deen Castronovo voice with a melodic and shredding solo from Joel Hoekstra. God he's good!! This is REVOLUTION SAINTS operating on full tilt. Can't wait for fans to hear this!!!!!"

Hoekstra added: "'Changing My Mind' is a fun, melodic rock track that shines a light on the amazing singing and drumming of Deen Castronovo and the always stellar, tasteful bass work of Jeff Pilson. I'm honored to be playing with these guys! I hope you enjoy it!"

REVOLUTION SAINTS was initially conceived by Serafino Perugino, the president and head of A&R at Frontiers, to showcase the remarkable vocal talents of Castronovo. While Castronovo had always been respected as a drummer, those who took notice of his background vocals and witnessed his lead vocal performances during JOURNEY shows, soon recognized his exceptional singing prowess.

REVOLUTION SAINTS was, and continues to be, a platform to spotlight Deen's incredible vocal abilities.

"Against The Winds", primarily produced and composed by Alessandro Del Vecchio (who also contributes on keyboards and background vocals),delivers what you would expect: captivating vocals, enchanting melodies, and hooks that will linger in your mind for days.

With this album, REVOLUTION SAINTS exhibits a heightened sense of cohesion, energy, and emotion. They solidify their status as giants in the genre, and this album unquestionably reaffirms why they belong at the pinnacle once again.

"Against The Winds" track listing:

01. Against The Winds
02. Changing My Mind
03. Fall On My Knees
04. Can't End It Right Now
05. Lost In Damnation
06. Will I See You Again
07. Show Me Your Light
08. Save All That Remains
09. Been Said And Done
10. Diving Wings
11. No Turning Back

For the first three REVOLUTION SAINTS albums, "Revolution Saints", "Light In The Dark" and "Rise", Deen was joined by bassist/vocalist Jack Blades (NIGHT RANGER) and guitarist Doug Aldrich (ex-WHITESNAKE, DIO). Produced by Del Vecchio, those three albums brought back the classic melodic rock style that thrilled and delighted legions of fans in the 1980s and 1990s and still does today. Inspiring, uplifting vocals, soaring melodies, and hooks for days is what you get in spades across those three albums.

While REVOLUTION SAINTS, MK I left an indelible mark on the melodic rock world, it was time for MK II to be born. Deen, having recently rejoined JOURNEY, was feeling invigorated and inspired and ready to sing his ass off. Filling Blades and Aldrich's shoes would be no easy feat, but, mercifully, the exact right guys were found for the job.

Hoekstra is a current member of WHITESNAKE, TRANS-SIBERIAN ORCHESTRA and ICONIC, as well as having his own solo project, JOEL HOEKSTRA'S 13, and is an absolutely stunning guitar player, able to play multiple styles. Pilson, currently a member of FOREIGNER, BLACK SWAN and THE END MACHINE, is also known for his time in DOKKEN and of course, his more recent production work. Two stellar musicians to compliment Deen's singing and drumming is exactly what was needed for REVOLUTION SAINTS, MK II and that's what we've got here. As with the first three albums, Del Vecchio handles production as well as contributing keyboards and background vocals.

Grammy-nominated extreme power metal frontrunners DRAGONFORCE have unveiled their new single, "Astro Warrior Anthem", together with an official music video. The breathtaking opening track from the epic new album, "Warp Speed Warriors", out on March 15, 2024 via Napalm Records, lives up to DRAGONFORCE's reputation as the world's fastest band — captivating the listener from the very beginning and stunning with guitar solos delivered at an extreme speed.

DRAGONFORCE guitarist Herman Li comments on "Astro Warrior Anthem": "'Astro Warrior Anthem' captures all the elements of DRAGONFORCE's music, fused with an explosive music video. I am sure our fans will love it."

On "Warp Speed Warriors", DRAGONFORCE — composed of of guitar virtuosos and founding members Herman Li and Sam Totman, singer Marc Hudson, bassist Alicia Vigil and drummer Gee Anzalone — explore a wider range of varying musical styles than ever before, evolving their sound throughout the exciting musical journey while still staying true to their roots.

Herman stated about "Warp Speed Warriors": "After four years of creative incubation, we are beyond excited to release what we believe to be our most ambitious and grandiose record yet. This album showcases multiple facets of our artistic abilities, and we invite metal aficionados from every corner of the genre to discover something captivating within its layers. We can't wait to share this chapter of our musical journey with you, it's going to be EPIC!"

"Power Of The Triforce" keeps the volume high before DRAGONFORCE temporarily slows it down for the ballad "Kingdom Of Steel". Rapid drum patterns and thrilling guitars carry the catchy "Burning Heart", while chanting "Space Marine Corp" features a strong and uplifting chorus. Electronic influences on grandiose power metal anthem "The Killer Queen" hypnotize, as singer Marc Hudson's vocals reach for the skies. On "Doomsday Party", 1980s rock influences meet captivating retro video game soundscapes and epic guitar solos in true DRAGONFORCE manner. The last original track on "Warp Speed Warriors", "Pixel Prison", is followed by DRAGONFORCE's unexpected yet brilliant cover of Taylor Swift's "Wildest Dreams (Taylor's Version)" as a bonus track that wraps up the epic adventure.

"Warp Speed Warriors" was produced, mixed and mastered by Damien Rainaud at Mix Unlimited in Los Angeles, California with Sam Totman and Herman Li. This album is a matchless, innovative listening experience that continues the band's legacy with songs that will, without a shadow of a doubt, become instant classics in and beyond the DRAGONFORCE canon.

"Warp Speed Warriors" track listing:

01. Astro Warrior Anthem
02. Power Of The Triforce
03. Kingdom Of Steel
04. Burning Heart
05. Space Marine Corp
06. Doomsday Party
07. Prelude To Darkness
08. The Killer Queen
09. Pixel Prison

In November 2022, DRAGONFORCE released a music video for the song "The Last Dragonborn". The track is taken from "Extreme Power Metal", which came out in September 2019. Produced in Los Angeles, California by Damien Rainaud at Mix Unlimited, the LP was also recorded, in part, on Li's livestream channel on Twitch with participation from the fans.

"The Last Dragonborn" was the first DRAGONFORCE music video to feature Vigil, who first joined the band as a touring member in January 2020.

DRAGONFORCE's platinum-selling single "Through The Fire And Flames" brought the London-based Grammy-nominated extreme power metal group international acclaim and was featured as the most challenging song on "Guitar Hero III".

In March 2019, the "Through The Fire And Flames" music video reached a new milestone: it surpassed one hundred million views on YouTube — DRAGONFORCE's first music video to do so.

"Through The Fire And Flames" is the leadoff track from 2006's "Inhuman Rampage" album, which was officially certified gold in July 2017 by the RIAA (Recording Industry Association of America) for sales in excess of half a million copies.

In August 2019, DRAGONFORCE parted ways with longtime bassist Frédéric Leclercq. He has since joined German thrashers KREATOR.

DRAGONFORCE is:

Herman Li - Guitar, Backing Vocals
Sam Totman - Guitar, Backing Vocals
Marc Hudson - Vocals
Alicia Vigil - Bass, Backing Vocals
Gee Anzalone - Drums, Backing Vocals

Photo credit: Travis Shinn

In a new interview with Marko Syrjälä of Chaoszine, former KISS guitarist Ace Frehley was asked about the passport issues which have kept him from touring Europe in recent years. He responded: "Well, there's a good chance I can make it to Europe in late summer if I get my passport renewed. I've been having issues with renewing my passport because I have some problems with the IRS [Internal Revenue Service], and it's not really the passport bureau but the IRS. Since I owe the IRS a couple of hundred grand, and they just instituted a new law that if you owe more than $50,000, they won't renew your passport. Luckily, I have some really smart attorneys working on it, and there are ways around it, so hopefully I might be able to get my passport within two or three weeks. If that happens, I will be in Europe this summer. If it doesn't happen, I will be in Europe next summer. But I'd love it to be this summer because it's been too long since I did all the festivals there."

Back in 2013, Daily Mail reported that Ace was losing his home in Westchester County, New York after a bank foreclosed on it because he hadn't paid his mortgage in two years. At the time, he also reportedly owed nearly $20,000 for taxes to the county, the town of Yorktown and the local school district that he didn't pay in 2011 or 2012. As of a decade ago, Frehley also reportedly owned two other properties in town, including a vacant lot.

For the past few years, Frehley has lived in Sparta, New Jersey with his fiancée, Lara Cove.

Ace will release his new solo album, "10,000 Volts", on February 23, 2024 via MNRK Music Group (formerly eOne Music). The official music video for the LP's title track — directed by Alex Kouvatsos from Black Wolf Imaging — was released in late November.

Ace's next all-original album will be the follow-up to "Spaceman", which was released in October 2018 via eOne.

KISS bassist/vocalist Gene Simmons co-wrote two tracks on "Spaceman", "Without You I'm Nothing" and "Your Wish Is My Command", the latter of which also features Gene's bass playing.

Frehley, who co-founded KISS in 1973, left KISS twice — in 1982 and again in 2002.

When all four original KISS members concurrently released solo records in September 1978, Ace's LP was the most successful, yielding the top 20 single "New York Groove".

In 2016, Frehley collaborated with KISS frontman Paul Stanley on a rendition of FREE's "Fire And Water". That track appeared on Frehley's covers LP "Origins Vol. 1", released that year.

Photo credit: Jayme Thornton