Sony Picture Classics and Trafalgar Releasing today announced worldwide theatrical distribution plans for "Carlos", a feature-length documentary film about legendary guitarist and global icon Carlos Santana, directed by Emmy Award-winning filmmaker Rudy Valdez. Celebrating the life of one of music's greatest icons, 10-time Grammy-winning global sensation Santana, this special documentary will launch in theaters with a three-day premiere event, "Carlos: The Santana Journey Global Premiere". On Saturday, September 23, Sunday, September 24, and Wednesday, September 27 only, screenings include the "Carlos" documentary plus exclusive introductory content featuring Santana and two-time Emmy-winning director Valdez ("The Sentence", "We Are: The Brooklyn Saints"). Following the "Carlos: The Santana Journey Global Premiere" screenings, "Carlos"'s general theatrical release begins September 29.

Premiering earlier this year at the Tribeca Festival, "Carlos" combines new interviews with Santana and his family; extraordinary, never-before-seen archival footage, including home videos recorded by Santana himself; concert footage; behind-the-scenes moments; interviews with music industry luminaries and collaborators, such as Clive Davis, Rob Thomas and more.

Tickets for "Carlos: The Santana Journey Global Premiere" go on sale beginning Thursday, August 24 at www.carlosfilm.com. "Carlos: The Santana Journey Global Premiere" is presented in select cinemas worldwide by Trafalgar Releasing and Sony Pictures Classics. Visit the event website for the most up-to-date information about ticketing and participating theaters globally.

Kymberli Frueh, SVP of programming and content acquisitions for Trafalgar Releasing said: "Carlos Santana is among the elite musicians who has transcended decades and generations. From his performance at Woodstock to his '90s epic album 'Supernatural' —this documentary delves into his journey of becoming one of our greatest guitar legends. We are thrilled to be a part of this global moment in cinemas where fans can experience his life story and music together.”

With "Carlos", Valdez creates an intimate, rich documentary about a man whose sound casts a spell on fans who love — as one of Santana's famous titles says — "how his rhythm goes."

A music industry legend for 50 years and a 10-time Grammy-winning global sensation, Santana continues to be one of the music world's premiere artists, blending jazz, blues, and the Mariachi sound with a rock 'n' roll spirituality and a sense of connection to music's primal connection to our deepest emotions.

Jointly financed by Sony Music Entertainment and Imagine Documentaries, "Carlos" is produced by Sara Bernstein and Justin Wilkes along with Lizz Morhaim and executive produced by Academy Award-winning producers Brian Grazer and Ron Howard for Imagine Documentaries. Leopoldo Gout, Ashley Kahn and Sam Pollard also serve as producers. Meredith Kaulfers is the co-executive producer for Imagine Documentaries and Michael Vrionis serves as an executive producer. Tom Mackay and Richard Story are executive producers for Sony Music Entertainment.



We are thrilled to partner with Sony Pictures Classics to present the special global premiere of CARLOS, an electric new documentary chronicling Carlos Santana's life from a 14-year-old street musician to a 10-time Grammy-winning global sensation.

Be among the first to see the film when “CARLOS: The Santana Journey Global Premiere” comes to cinemas worldwide on Sep 23, 24 and 27, along with an exclusive introduction featuring Santana and director Rudy Valdez.

Tickets on sale on Aug 24, sign up for more information at www.carlosfilm.com

Posted by Trafalgar Releasing on Thursday, August 17, 2023

The official music video for the new GUNS N' ROSES single "Perhaps" can be seen below.

The official release of the shelved "Chinese Democracy"-era song, which was originally expected to be made available last Friday (August 11),comes less than a week after the track was leaked on TouchTunes machines at bars and other locations. As the fans showed up at their favorite watering hole and went to play a GN'R song, they noticed the new selection in their catalog. The track came with what was the official single cover art, and was attributed to Geffen Records, which is the band's longtime record label home owned by Universal Music Group.

GUNS N' ROSES reportedly soundchecked "Perhaps" ahead of the band's concert in Tel Aviv, Israel on June 5 but ended up not performing it at the gig. However, astute fans who stood outside the venue during soundcheck were quick to bust out their phones and record the rehearsal, with low-quality clips surfacing online immediately thereafter.

Like GUNS N' ROSES' 2021 single "Hard Skool", "Perhaps" was originally written and recorded during the sessions for "Chinese Democracy", and a rough demo version of the song had previously been leaked and uploaded to YouTube.

Last month, GUNS N' ROSES' longtime production manager Tom Mayhue confirmed that a new single from the band was coming soon.

Mayhue discussed the Axl Rose-fronted outfit's future plans while speaking to the media ahead of GUNS N' ROSES' July 13 concert in Paris, France. Noting that GN'R will finish the North American leg of its tour in mid-October, he added: "And I know that the band's gonna start working on new music. They've got a bunch of stuff recorded already. So there will be new GUNS N' ROSES music very soon. In fact, I think they're trying to get a single out any day now, so you may hear something very, very soon."

Regarding what the new GUNS N' ROSES material sounds like, Mayhue said: "It sounds great. It's a lot more kind of 'Appetite [For Destruction]'-orientated. They had a lot of songs. When the band went in originally and recorded 'Appetite For Destruction', I think they recorded, like, 29 songs. So there's a bunch of other music that was left over that didn't make the first record. I think there's only 11 songs on the first record."

This past June, Oslo's Urban Sound Studios shared a new photo of Rose and GUNS N' ROSES guitarist Slash, apparently taken the day after the band's performance at the Tons Of Rock festival in Norway's capital city. The picture was posted on the Urban Sound Studios Instagram account along with the following message: "We got to hang out with these 2 rock legends in the studio today. Really cool guys! (The two in the middle...). The band wanted a nice studio with a variety of speakers and headphones to listen to new mixes before they head for Glastonbury. It sounds awesome!"

During an October 2022 appearance on SiriusXM's "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk" show, Slash was asked about GUNS N' ROSES' plans for new music in the coming months. He said: "I wanna go in and cut a whole brand new record at some point, probably sooner than later. But other than that, we have stuff that we've still got to come out. So that's gonna be coming out piecemeal over the next — I don't know — over the next few months or something like that. So that's basically it. We have one more tour left to do next summer, and then that'll free us up to be able to go in and work on a new record."

GUNS N' ROSES' most recent release was a four-song EP, "Hard Skool", which came out in February 2022. The effort, which was exclusive to the GUNS N' ROSES' official store, contained the two new songs the band released in 2021 — the title track and "Absurd" (stylized as "ABSUЯD") — as well as live versions of "Don't Cry" and "You're Crazy".

In September 2021, the guitarist and his bandmates dropped "Hard Skool", which came more than a month after their performance and subsequent official release of "Absurd", a reworking of GUNS N' ROSES previously unreleased "Silkworms".

According to Slash, several other older GUNS N' ROSES tracks have also been reworked during the pandemic. "There's a handful of those songs that we actually fixed up and did when we were in lockdown," he explained to "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk". "So those have yet to be released. So those are gonna come out. They're really good, too. So I'm excited for those. We're just gonna put out like one or two songs, and another one or two songs. And I think that's gonna be pretty much all of 'em. I'm not sure exactly how many we did in total."

When host Eddie Trunk noted that "Hard Skool" in particular was a strong cut, Slash said: "These other ones, they don't have the same kind of amount of history, 'cause I know 'Hard Skool' seriously has… [it] goes way back. But there's a couple of epic ones coming out, so I'm excited about that."

If and when it happens, the new GUNS N' ROSES studio album will be the first under the GUNS banner since "Chinese Democracy" and the first to feature Slash, singer Axl Rose and bassist Duff McKagan since 1993.

Slash previously spoke about "Hard Skool", one of the first two songs he recorded with GUNS N' ROSES in more than 25 years, this past February in an interview with Rolling Stone. At the time he said: "'Hard Skool', in essence, was a completed song when I was first introduced to it. And Duff and I went in and redid the bass and the guitars. It's a simple song, so it didn't take a hell of a lot of thought and analysis. I think it was a lot of fun just because it was part and parcel of a bunch of stuff that we were working on that was all sort of new — at least to Duff and I — so we had a good time."

In October 2021, Slash told Audacy Check In host Remy Maxwell that GUNS N' ROSES had yet to begin writing new material after releasing the two reworked songs from the "Chinese Democracy"-era sessions.

"As far as new GUNS is concerned, we haven't even gotten to that point of really in earnest sitting down and writing," Slash said. "We've been doing a lot of material that's been sort of sitting around for a while. So that will be a whole focused endeavor unto itself."

As for how "Hard Skool" and "Absurd" came about, Slash said: "They both have a lot of history. What happened was Axl has all these songs that he recorded at some point along the way. And so Duff and I went in and re-did them, basically… Like, I wrote my own kind of parts to what else is going on, and [we] just sort of took the drums and re-did everything else."

Written by Rose and co-produced by Rose and Caram Costanzo, "Hard Skool", which had the working title "Jackie Chan", was originally recorded during GN'R's "Chinese Democracy" era but was eventually omitted from that album. Short clips of the song were later posted online and a full version was leaked in August 2019.

On "Hard Skool", Axl sings: "But you had to play it cool, had to do it your way/Had to be a fool, had to throw it all away/Too hard school and you thought you were here to stay/ If that were true, it wouldn't matter anyway."

"Absurd" came out on August 6, 2021, three days after GUNS N' ROSES performed the tune live for the first time during its concert at Boston's Fenway Park.

GUNS N' ROSES last performed "Silkworms", which was also reportedly written during the "Chinese Democracy" sessions, in 2001.

Norwegian black metallers SATYRICON are working on their next studio album for a tentative 2024 release.

On Thursday (August 17),SATYRICON frontman Sigurd "Satyr" Wongraven took to his Instagram to share a photo of him holding a guitar, and he included the following message: "Back at it with @satyriconofficial after a small summer break. We keep working on a new album that will be ready spring/summer next year."

Last year, SATYRICON released a 56-minute composition titled "Satyricon & Munch" in a unique collaboration with the world-famous Munch museum in Oslo, Norway. The music, created by Satyr, was written in the shape of a so-called musical work and transcended any genre barriers.

SATYRICON's latest regular collection of original material, "Deep Calleth Upon Deep", was released in September 2017 via Napalm Records. The disc was recorded in Oslo, Norway and Vancouver, Canada, during early 2017 and mixed together with revered studio guru Mike Fraser (who previously worked on SATYRICON's 2006 album, "Now, Diabolical").

SATYRICON's first two albums, 1993's "Dark Medieval Times" and 1994's "The Shadowthrone", were released as remixed and remastered reissues with altered cover artworks, in May 2021 via Napalm Records.

In July 2022, SATYRICON drummer Kjetil-Vidar "Frost" Haraldstad told Heavy New York about how he and his bandmates have progressed musical since the group's inception three decades ago: "The way I see it, SATYRICON is always going through a constant evolution. We have always emphasized the importance and the meaning of creativity and innovation and boldness and daring to try something new because we see black metal as a genre that was born through creativity. It was born through bands that dared to go where other bands hadn't been going before them. They took things further in many, many ways, made their music harder and rawer than anything that was really done before that, and they brought some darkness into this that you didn't really have before. There were some attempts perhaps, but before the very first black metal bands, you didn't really have it in that sense. And also many of these bands showed a great pioneering spirit and there was a lot of avant-garde work going on. And these elements were very, very important, and through SATYRICON we have always tried to cultivate these elements and really make it a part of our musical DNA to cultivate that creativity. And then that is your starting point. I think that the band will go through lots of changes, and sometimes the evolution will happen in a very, very significant way from album to album, other times perhaps at a slightly slower pace, but it will always be there."

He continued: "I think that a band like SATYRICON has always been really bound to seek new musical territory and to constantly renew ourselves, and it's also a natural part of our way of operating too, to seek new ways of working and to see whether we should try to bring in something that we have never had before and that we don't really even master, and see if it is a resource that we actually manage to bring into the band and make the whole thing grow."

Photo credit: Morten Andersen

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Two-time-Grammy-nominated band RIVAL SONS will release its new album, "Lightbringer", on October 20. It notably marks the group's second full-length offering to be unveiled in 2023, following June's critically acclaimed companion album "Darkfighter". Today, "Lightbringer" is available for pre-order. The pre-order includes two vinyl variants — fruit punch and lemonade — as well as a CD version.

About "Lightbringer", guitarist Scott Holiday said: "When you do two albums back to back like this, there are a lot of things to think about. The first record has to pack enough of a punch and tell enough of a story for the second half to have an even bigger impact. We balanced them out with energy and meaning, but the follow-up always needed to deliver a bigger blow. I think 'Lightbringer' provides this."

Vocalist Jay Buchanan added: "'Darkfighter' is a new RIVAL SONS, and 'Lightbringer' is the clear definition of what we are now. We broke ground on 'Darkfighter', but 'Lightbringer' is a step beyond the personal innovation and exploration. It goes a little further. We really took everything into our own hands and pushed to see how far we could go. It was a self-exploration to see who we were and who we'll be now. We had more friction and compromise than ever, because we isolated the bare essence of where we needed to go — and then we went there."

The band set the stage for "Lightbringer" with a rollicking, roaring, and righteous new single titled "Sweet Life" — available on all streaming platforms now. From the jump, a frenetic drumbeat gives way to a rip-roaring riff. Meanwhile, Jay's bluesy wail bounces between a cathartic hook and boogie-down groove as he bemoans, "I've got to shake, shake, shake the bad rhythm for good," shimmying in lockstep with the guitar.

Regarding "Sweet Life", Jay promised, "It's the most old-school RIVAL SONS song on either of these two records. It has all of the early elements of what RIVAL SONS is and was. It was born out of my love mid-sixties rock like THE ANIMALS, THE KINKS, and the bands I was raised on. It's a bit of a break from all of the heavy subject matter too; it's a barnburner."

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 earlier 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.

Right now, RIVAL SONS are on the road with the SMASHING PUMPKINS and will be touring 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.

"Lightbringer" track listing:

01. Darkfighter
02. Mercy
03. Redemption
04. Sweet Life
05. Before The Fire
06. Mosaic

Photo credit: Patrik Skoglöw

With a brand-new single, "Won't Take Me Alive", already Top 20 at U.S. rock radio, and coming off of two consecutive, sold-out 2023 headline tours of Europe, DIRTY HONEY, one of rock's hottest young bands, will release a new album, "Can't Find The Brakes", on November 3. Both the album's title track, "Can't Find The Brakes", and "Won't Take Me Alive" are now available as instant-grat tracks when you pre-save/pre-add/pre-order the album.

This past April, DIRTY HONEY — Marc LaBelle (vocals),John Notto (guitar),Justin Smolian (bass),and new drummer Jaydon Bean — headed to Australia to record the new album with longtime producer Nick DiDia. Unlike the band's self-titled, full-length 2019 debut, which, due to the pandemic, had to be recorded via Zoom with the band in Los Angeles and DiDia in Australia, DIRTY HONEY spent an entire month in the studio with DiDia.

LaBelle said: "Just physically being together in the studio with our producer made for a very creative environment; we got into such a groove, we were very focused, and not rushed, so it was great for all of us.

"We decided to call the album 'Can't Find The Brakes' because the title was almost a time capsule of our lives right now. We're constantly on the move and living each day city by city. Sometimes being a touring musician can feel like you're on a train going full speed, and even if you could find the brakes, would you really want to?"

"Having Jayden in the band has made a huge difference," said Justin. "He's an a capella singer with a background in vocal harmonies. So having him contribute, especially to the harmonies, has really added to our sound and has helped us grow a lot.

Marc added: "Jaydon's got a great approach to songwriting, and he's willing to take the ride with a song without judgment. There's a great Ed Sheeran quote that I love: 'Dare to suck. You never know what's going to happen, so just dare to suck.' Or, as Jayden puts it, 'You've just got to be open to infinity, man, you're a vessel for infinity!'"

"'Coming Home', 'Don't Put Out The Fire', 'You Make It Alright' and 'Rebel Son' are all standouts," said John. "'Won't Take Me Alive' is the most kick-ass, aggressive, badass rock song we've ever written. All of these songs widen our lane in a real energetic way."

The album cover art for "Can't Find The Brakes" was hand-painted by the world-renowned, Los Angeles-based graffiti artist Kelly "RISK" Gravel, who has been synonymous with the L.A. art scene for over 30 years. He was the first on the west coast to paint freight trains, freeway overpasses and signs, and the first artist in 400 years invited to paint in Michelangelo's studio.

"There really hasn't been a good band out of L.A. that got me pumped up," said RISK, "but DIRTY HONEY did. Their rock vibe, kind of like organized chaos, I wanted the artwork to say that."

"Can't Find The Brakes" track listing:

01. Don't Put Out The Fire
02. Won't Take Me Alive
03. Dirty Mind
04. Roam
05. Get A Little High
06. Coming Home (Ballad Of The Shire)
07. Can't Find The Brakes
08. Satisfied
09. Ride On
10. You Make It All Right
11. Rebel Son

As announced earlier this week, DIRTY HONEY will hit the road this fall on its "Can't Find The Brakes" North American headline tour. The band will initially play a handful of major U.S. rock festivals and GUNS N' ROSES support dates, and then segue into the headline run.

Photo credit: Katarina Benzova

One of the best-known voices in rock, CREED's Scott Stapp reconnects with a "Higher Power" on his new solo single, out today, from his forthcoming album with Napalm Records. Born during the dark and difficult isolation of quarantine, "Higher Power" is a propulsive track that turns the singer's own near-death experiences into an acknowledgement of grace.

Stapp says about "Higher Power": "Life's mysteries can be unraveled by listening to one's inner voice. For me, that means leaning on my faith in God and listening to His voice to guide me through the struggles and darkness. For others, whether it’s through art, nature, science, family, or a combination of all, tapping into a higher power is an individualized process that requires an open mind and a willingness to flow with a force that’s greater than the individual."

The new single and upcoming album (to be announced) continues Stapp's triumphant Napalm-fueled return to the top of radio and album charts in the U.S. and U.K., which began with the 2019 release of "The Space Between The Shadows". That album debuted at No. 3 on the Billboard Current Rock Albums chart; No. 3 on the Billboard Current Hard Music Albums chart; No. 4 on the Billboard Record Label Independent Current Albums chart; No. 10 on the Billboard Current Physical Albums chart; and No. 10 on the Billboard Top Current Albums chart in the U.S., while landing at #3 on the U.K.'s official Rock and Metal chart.

"Higher Power" was written by Stapp and Scott Stevens, and produced by longtime collaborators Stevens and Marti Frederiksen. The single was mixed by Chris Baseford and mastered by Ted Jensen.

One of the most iconic voices in rock, Stapp first emerged as the high-energy, post-grunge frontman of CREED. With anthems like "Higher", "My Own Prison", "My Sacrifice" and "With Arms Wide Open", the band sold over 50 million albums, including a diamond certification. Throughout the early 2000s, CREED broke airplay records, sold out arenas, earned countless Billboard Music Awards and American Music Awards, and a Grammy for "Best Rock Performance By A Duo Or Group". As a solo artist, Stapp has released the platinum-certified "The Great Divide" (2005),"Proof Of Life" (2013) which featured his first solo No. 1, "Slow Suicide", and 2019's "The Space Between The Shadows". In April 2024, Stapp will reunite with his CREED bandmates for the first time in a decade, as he returns in fighting form and stands as an inspiration to others who are struggling.

Stapp went through a highly publicized, drug-inflamed meltdown in 2014, after which he entered into an intensive rehab program. Stapp also lost custody of his three children during this period, while also missing a court hearing and allegedly threatening to kill then-president Obama.

After completing rehab, Scott spent the following year in intensive therapy. Although he was initially diagnosed with bipolar disorder, it was later determined that it was severe depression that led to addiction. Now nine years sober, Stapp spoke to Men's Health about health and fitness in 2019 when his comeback album was released, saying, "I hate to use the word, but I guess it has become my new addiction."

Photo credit: Sebastian Smith

Beloved global icon and Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame inductee Dolly Parton has released the next track off her upcoming "Rockstar" album, "Let It Be", out now. Parton was joined by fellow musical titans Paul McCartney (vocals/piano),Ringo Starr (drums),Peter Frampton (guitar) and Mick Fleetwood (additional percussion) to create the emotively impactful rendition of this classic BEATLES hit.

Parton said: "Well, does it get any better than singing 'Let It Be' with Paul McCartney who wrote the song? Not only that, he played piano! Well, it did get even better when Ringo Starr joined in on drums, Peter Frampton on guitar and Mick Fleetwood playing percussion. I mean, seriously, how much better does it get? Thanks guys!"

As one of the year's most-anticipated album releases, "Rockstar" features Parton taking on some of the most adored songs in rock and roll history. She has already released two songs from the album — the new, original song she wrote with producer Kent Wells called "Bygones", featuring JUDAS PRIEST singer Rob Halford, which reached No.1 on the Billboard Rock Digital Songs chart and "Magic Man (Carl Version)", featuring HEART's Ann Wilson, as well as her original song "World On Fire", which also reached No. 1 on Billboard Rock Digital Songs chart the month of its release.

Parton teamed up with an all-star roster of musicians for the 30-song "Rockstar" collection which includes nine original tracks and 21 iconic rock anthems. "Rockstar" is set for global release on November 17 via Butterfly Records with distribution by Big Machine Label Group and will be available as a four-LP set, a two-CD set, digital download and on all streaming services.

Dolly said: "I'm so excited to finally present my first rock and roll album 'Rockstar'! I am very honored and privileged to have worked with some of the greatest iconic singers and musicians of all time and to be able to sing all the iconic songs throughout the album was a joy beyond measure. I hope everybody enjoys the album as much as I've enjoyed putting it together!"

"Rockstar" track listing:

* Rockstar (special guest Richie Sambora)
* World On Fire
* Every Breath You Take (feat. Sting)
* Open Arms (feat. Steve Perry)
* Magic Man (feat. Ann Wilson with special guest Howard Leese)
* Long As I Can See The Light (feat. John Fogerty)
* Either Or (feat. Kid Rock)
* I Want You Back (feat. Steven Tyler with special guest Warren Haynes)
* What Has Rock And Roll Ever Done For You (feat. Stevie Nicks with special guest Waddy Wachtel)
* Purple Rain
* Baby, I Love Your Way (feat. Peter Frampton)
* I Hate Myself For Loving You (feat. Joan Jett & The Blackhearts)
* Night Moves (feat. Chris Stapleton)
* Wrecking Ball (feat. Miley Cyrus)
* (I Can't Get No) Satisfaction (feat. P!nk & Brandi Carlile)
* Keep On Loving You (feat. Kevin Cronin)
* Heart Of Glass (feat. Debbie Harry)
* Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me (feat. Elton John)
* Tried To Rock And Roll Me (feat. Melissa Etheridge)
* Stairway To Heaven (feat. Lizzo & Sasha Flute)
* We Are The Champions
* Bygones (feat. Rob Halford with special guests Nikki Sixx & John 5)
* My Blue Tears (feat. Simon Le Bon)
* What's Up? (feat. Linda Perry)
* You're No Good (feat. Emmylou Harris & Sheryl Crow)
* Heartbreaker (feat. Pat Benatar & Neil Giraldo)
* Bittersweet (feat. Michael McDonald)
* I Dreamed About Elvis (feat. Ronnie McDowell with special guest The Jordanaires)
* Let It Be (feat. Paul McCartney & Ringo Starr with special guests Peter Frampton & Mick Fleetwood)
* Free Bird (feat. Ronnie Van Zant with special guests Gary Rossington, Artimus Pyle and The Artimus Pyle Band)

Parton is the most honored and revered female country singer-songwriter of all time and was recently inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame. Achieving 27 RIAA-certified gold, platinum, and multi-platinum awards, she has had 26 songs reach No. 1 on the Billboard country charts, a record for a female artist. Parton is the first artist to have topped the Billboard's Adult Contemporary, Christian AC Songs, Hot Country Songs, Christian Airplay, Country Airplay and Dance/Mix Show Airplay radio charts. Parton became the first country artist honored as Grammy MusiCares Person Of The Year given out by NARAS. She has 48 career Top 10 country albums, a record for any artist, and 110 career-charted singles over the past 50-plus years.

In 2014 the RIAA recognized her impact on recorded music with a plaque commemorating more than 100 million units sold worldwide. She has garnered eleven Grammy Awards and 51 nominations, including the Lifetime Achievement Award, 10 Country Music Association Awards, including Entertainer of the Year; five Academy Of Country Music Awards, also including a nod for Entertainer Of The Year; four People's Choice Awards; and three American Music Awards. In 1999, Parton was inducted as a member of the coveted Country Music Hall Of Fame.

In 2020, she released the Christmas album "A Holly Dolly Christmas" which went No. 1 on the Billboard Country and Holiday charts, as well released the best-selling coffee table book "Songteller: My Life in Lyrics". In 2021, she won an Emmy Award for Outstanding Television Movie for the film "Dolly Parton's Christmas On The Square" and in December 2022, she released on NBC an all-new original holiday movie called "Dolly Parton's Mountain Magic Christmas" with her starring as well as producing; it was the most watched film of that year and the two years prior.

To date, Parton has donated over 205 million books to children around the world with her Imagination Library. Her children's book, "Coat Of Many Colors", was dedicated to the Library Of Congress to honor the Imagination Library's 100 millionth book donation. In March of 2022, Parton released the book "Run Rose Run" which she co-authored with James Patterson which sat at No. 1 on the New York Times Bestseller's List for five weeks, a record for this decade. She also released an accompanying album of the same name with original songs inspired by the book which reached No. 1 on three charts simultaneously — Country, Americana/Folk and Bluegrass Albums. From her "Coat Of Many Colors" while working "9 To 5", no dream is too and no mountain too high for the country girl who turned the world into her stage.

Photo courtesy of Butterfly Records / Photo credit: Vijat Mohindra

BAD WOLVES will release their fourth full-length album, "Die About It", on November 3 via Better Noise Music. Nodding to inspirations as diverse as THE 1975 and MESHUGGAH, BAD WOLVES challenged themselves to experiment and redefine their sound on "Die About It" with trusted collaborator Josh Gilbert (AS I LAY DYING) who co-produced the album alongside John Boecklin (drums) and Daniel "DL" Laskiewicz (vocals). With a story that emphasizes the sarcastic statement pointed towards those defending their own beliefs into absurdity, wrong or right, BAD WOLVES believe if you're gonna cry about it, then you might as well "Die About It".

"We definitely challenged ourselves to experiment, but we maintained a heavier edge," notes Boecklin. "We spent a lot of time making sure these songs weren't all the same, which was important to us. We tried to push the possibilities of what you can do with heavy music. This is as fresh of a start as you can get on your fourth album."

"Nobody is against any idea in the studio," says DL. "That's the most beautiful thing about this. There's no limitations. We went to the far ends of the really soft and the extreme. We made it a point to separate ourselves from the past and make this our own."

Following the release of "Die About It"'s opener and lead single "Bad Friend" on July 21, BAD WOLVES today have unveiled a hypnotic new track "Legends Never Die" across all digital platforms.

"We wanted to write a song for our heroes, whether that's our children, mothers, fathers or the likes of, sending their stories into eternity, forever igniting spirits and imaginations of those who follow," DL shares. "With every retelling, their legacies resonate forever. This song reminds us that true greatness can never be extinguished. Legends NEVER die."

"Die About It" track listing:

01. Intro
02. Bad Friend
03. Die About It
04. Savior
05. Hungry For Life
06. Legends Never Die
07. NDA
08. Move On
09. Masquerade
10. Say It Again
11. It's You (2 Months)
12. Turn It Down
13. Set You On Fire

BAD WOLVES will hit the road across the U.S. this fall with Better Noise Music labelmates ASKING ALEXANDRIA and THE HU on their co-headlining "Psycho Thunder" tour from August 30 to October 8.

Since 2018, BAD WOLVES, whose lineup consists of John Boecklin (drums),Doc Coyle (lead guitar, backing vocals) and Kyle Konkiel (bass, backing vocals),have earned a platinum plaque, topped iTunes, and continued to rule Active Rock radio charts with six No. 1 singles ("Hear Me Now", "Killing Me Slowly", "Lifeline", "Remember When", "Sober" and "Zombie") and two Top 10 singles ("If Tomorrow Never Comes" at No. 2 and "Learn To Walk Again" at No. 10). Their debut album, "Disobey", made a Top 25 debut on the Billboard Top 200 and saw BAD WOLVES perform to sold-out audiences on multiple continents with heavyweights such as FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH and MEGADETH. 2019's "N.A.T.I.O.N." brought their total stream tally past the half-billion mark — unprecedented for a modern rock band. On top of that, Loudwire hailed it among the "50 Best Rock Albums of 2019" as Billboard and Consequence Of Sound chronicled their rise. In the midst of 2021, they welcomed Laskiewicz — previously of THE ACACIA STRAIN — as lead vocalist, ushering in a new chapter with their third full-length offering, "Dear Monster".

Photo credit: Wombat (courtesy of Schneider Rondan Organization)

On January 19, 2024, Swedish melodic power metal act METALITE will release their forthcoming studio album, Expedition One, and sees them unleash their most gigantic record to date!

Expedition One tells a fictitious story about life on our planet in the year 2055. The band's upcoming magnum opus inspires with a wide range of diverse compositions and an intelligent sci-fi story that couldn’t be more topical. In addition, their fourth album offering manifests the musicians’ amazing artistic development. METALITE's visionary sci-fi trip is told over sixteen multi-faceted songs that combine the quintet’s many strengths: powerful and at the same time delicate guitar riffs and solos, anthemic melodies courtesy of vocalist Erica Ohlsson, driving rhythms and cleverly positioned keyboard parts. Expedition One was produced by guitarist Edwin Premberg, and was mixed and mastered by Jacob Hansen.

“In the past four or five years, our sound has evolved considerably,” Premberg recently said. “The quality of our production in particular has progressed considerably since our debut.”

Following the previously-released, first single, "Disciples Of The Stars" and a haunting, in-depth album trailer, today, METALITE are premiering a music video for the powerful anthem "Blazing Skies"! Join the Expedition One, and watch their official, new music video now premiering below.

”We are really excited to release this bombastic song together with this epic video made by Ted Lindén at Bullsize Production." METALITE comments. "The song is truly a blast in a classic Metalite style and it feels that we have leveled up a few steps since last time. We hope everyone will like it and we looking forward to play it live!”

Wargaming has announced an electrifying collaboration with iconic metal band MEGADETH. A multi-product musical in-game event called Metal Fest is set to bring the thunderous power of metal to four popular products: World Of Tanks Modern Armor; World Of Tanks Blitz; World Of Warships; and World Of Warships: Legends. Scheduled to kick off on August 28, Metal Fest will be a celebration of the genre, featuring exclusive voiceovers by Dave Mustaine, frontman of MEGADETH; alongside his bandmates James LoMenzo; Dirk Verbeuren; and Kiko Loureiro, as well as an array of MEGADETH-branded in-game items such as tanks and warships, in-game missions and quests, integrated songs, and much more.

The highlight of this collaboration is the introduction of the band's iconic mascot, Vic Rattlehead, who will be making his debut appearance in video games with a stunning 3D representation and unique voiceover.

Mustaine says: "This is the first time our images have been immortalized in video games! Moreover, our mascot has unleashed its own roaring voice, adding even more metal mayhem to the games. We've laid down over 350 mind-melting voice lines, and players will feel the thunder as we command during the battles. We have tanks, we have warships, and we are ready for Wargaming Metal Fest!"

Join Wargaming Metal Fest at megadeth.wargaming.net.

World Of Tanks Modern Armor (August 29 - September 25, 2023)

Players will be able to complete Challenges to unlock various MEGADETH-themed rewards. Two new tanks inspired by the albums "Peace Sells…But Who's Buying?" and "The Sick, The Dying… And The Dead!" will make their debut in the Store. Vic Rattlehead will appear as an exclusive 3D Commander, while Dave Mustaine, James LoMenzo, Dirk Verbeuren and Kiko Loureiro will be added as 2D Commanders, all with their own unique voiceovers. Tankers will enjoy two MEGADETH songs ("Soldier On!" and "Peace Sells") in the Garage if they own the MEGADETH tanks, fueling the adrenaline of battles with pure rock power.

World Of Tanks Blitz (August 29 - September 3, 2023)

World Of Tanks Blitz players can join in the action with a dedicated MEGADETH quest, offering exclusive prizes such as static and animated camos inspired by various MEGADETH album covers; a unique tank skin inspired by the "Peace Sells…But Who's Buying?" album for the Chieftain Mk. 6; avatars; and collectible items. An exact replica of Dave Mustaine's guitar will create a special atmosphere in the Hangar, as players dive into thrilling metal-infused battles.

World Of Warships PC (August 28 - September 13, 2023)

World Of Warships players will be engaged in special missions to obtain exclusive Commanders! Dave Mustaine will be immortalized as a ship Commander with an original voiceover, and Vic Rattlehead will also join the fray, issuing orders with a menacing voice. As the final reward, the powerful Death Ray patch will be granted, marking conquerors of the seas with true metal prestige.

Additionally, two special bundles holding ship Commanders will also be available. Players who obtain the "Megadeth: Set The Seas Afire" bundle will also receive ferocious cruiser Rattlehead inspired by the "Rust In Peace" album cover as a bonus. When playing this ship, you will hear the famous "Tornado Of Souls" song from the same album, making battles even more intense.

World Of Warships Legends (August 28 - October 2, 2023)

In World Of Warships: Legends, players will be rewarded with cruiser Rattlehead, and while helming her, Captains can also embrace guises for both Dave and Vic as rewards. Moreover, players can also obtain a themed patch and flag featuring the band's logo and Vic's head, displaying their loyalty to the metal legends.

Wargaming is an award-winning online game developer and publisher headquartered in Nicosia, Cyprus. Operating since 1998, Wargaming has grown to become one of the leaders in the gaming industry with 16 offices around the world, including studios in Chicago, Prague, Shanghai, Tokyo, Vilnius, Kyiv, and Belgrade. Millions of players enjoy Wargaming's titles across all major gaming platforms. Wargaming's flagship products include the free-to-play hits World Of Tanks, World Of Warships and World Of Tanks Blitz.

MEGADETH is an iconic American metal band who have shaped and revolutionized the sound of the genre. Led by Mustaine, the band has sold over 50 million records worldwide. MEGADETH is a signature touchpoint of the metal lifestyle, and their brand has grown into a recognizable point of rock and metal culture.

In support of their hotly-anticipated, fifth studio album "Everfrost", power metal force WINTERSTORM is premiering a lyric video for their new single "Fate of the Atlanteans"!

"In "Fate of the Atlanteans" we ask humanity, if it does not realize that if we do not change our way of dealing with our planet, we will face the same fate as in Atlantis history and thus the destruction of our world." The band comments. Watch their new lyric video now streaming below.

As the "Winter" stands for nordic viking and folk metal, the "Storm" for fast-paced power metal, combined with epic and orchestral metal facettes, on "Everfrost", WINTERSTORM shines in a new splendor. It’s the melodic grandeur, that clearly marks the foreground of WINTERSTORM, reflected in heavily catchy choruses and colossal, polyphonic vocals. Striking elements of different metal styles merge with each other and get a completely new impression, that WINTERSTORM’s new album may be their most versatile and powerful album to date; one that does not have to hide behind proved genre colleagues such as Blind Guardian or Rhapsody Of Fire.

"Everfrost" will be coming out as CD Digipak, limited clear blue Vinyl and Boxset on September 22, 2023 via AFM Records.

"Everfrost" track listing:
01. Origin
02. To The End Of All Known
03. The Phoenix Died (Remember)
04. Circle Of Greed
05. Future Times
06. Everfrost
07. Final Journey
08. Fate Of The Atlanteans
09. Crusade
10. Overcome The Fear
11. Silence

In a new interview with Springfield, Missouri's rock station Q102, STAIND guitarist Mike Mushok was asked if he was ever concerned that the band was over, especially in light of the fact that frontman Aaron Lewis has reinvented himself as a solo country artist in the last decade. Mike responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I don't know. Through the whole thing, we would always talk and I always thought we'd get back together and do something. There was never really any plans for that to happen. And then, honestly, there's a gentleman that kind of really helped pull the whole thing together. And it was Ben Kitterman, who used to play with Aaron. He came out and saw me and he said, 'Hey, I think you guys should really work again. Aaron's ready to do it.' And I was, like, 'Count me in.' So we did those [first reunion] shows in 2019. We had a whole plan for 2020. We had signed a record deal to do a record. And then that pandemic hit and really obviously changed the course for everybody, their path and what they were doing and how things were gonna go down. But we did that tour with KORN in '21, and a lot of what's on the [upcoming STAIND] record ['Confessions Of The Fallen'] really came together on that tour. And it was an opportunity to get into a room with Aaron and play. I had a lot of music written, and [I had a chance to] play it for him and kind of get an idea of what he liked and take some suggestions and some direction. And I went back and kind of redid a bunch of those demos. We got a producer and, yeah, just started working."

Asked if he was worried that the audience might not "show back up" once STAIND started touring again due to the fact that it had been so long since the band was last active, Mike said: "I knew some people would show up. It's to what level will they show up. You know what I mean? That's really, you know — to what level is this gonna be able to work? And we're still figuring that out, I think. We're still out there. We're finally back out playing again. This tour is good. We have some more shows when the tour ends. And next year's shaping up to have a handful of shows or a couple of tours to help support the record. So, we're just gonna keep working and continue to see where it ends up."

Last month, STAIND landed a No. 1 active rock single with "Lowest In Me", the first single from "Confessions Of The Fallen". The veteran rock group's first full-length album of original material since 2011 is scheduled for release on September 15 via Alchemy Recordings/BMG.

Alchemy Recordings is a record label created in partnership between Dino Paredes, former American Recordings vice president of A&R, and Danny Wimmer, the founder of Danny Wimmer Presents, the premier production company for rock music festivals in the United States.

STAIND performed "Lowest In Me" live for the first time at the trio of Florida shows the band played in early July leading up to STAIND's U.S. tour with GODSMACK.

"Confessions Of The Fallen" was produced by Erik Ron (GODSMACK, PANIC! AT THE DISCO, BLACK VEIL BRIDES).

STAIND recently released the DJay Brawner-directed music video for "Lowest In Me".

In an interview with Billboard, Lewis said that it took him "a long time to be ready to do another STAIND record. I got really burnt out on digging into the dark corners of my psyche every night to deliver those very deep, dark songs in a manner that was believable and authentic," he explained. "I needed to step away from it for awhile and do something different. It just came back together naturally."

Regarding the lyrical inspiration for "Lowest In Me", Aaron told Billboard: "Everybody has got people in their lives that don't bring out the good in somebody. Just with what's going on in the world right now, there's so many things, so many people that are like, 'You bring out the lowest in me.' There's a lot of factors out there that could fall under the 'you' category."

When "Confessions Of The Fallen" was announced in April, 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 seven albums since 1995, the latest being 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.

STAIND and GODSMACK's 25-city co-headlining 2023 tour, produced by Live Nation, kicked off on July 18 at Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre in St. Louis, Missouri, with stops across the U.S. before wrapping up in Austin, Texas at Germania Insurance Amphitheatre on August 31.

In a new interview with U.K.'s Metal Hammer magazine, former SLAYER drummer Dave Lombardo came to the defense of METALLICA's Lars Ulrich. Asked whether he feels Ulrich gets unfairly dismissed as a drummer by many metal fans, Lombardo said: "Absolutely. I saw Mario Duplantier [GOJIRA] recently talking about Lars, saying some kind words.

"I feel Lars is an essential part of that band — anybody else and it just won't sound the same," he continued. "I admonish the people who talk shit about him, I don't like that. You have to embrace who Lars is, and his contribution to METALLICA's sound. They're such an inspirational band, and everybody wants to be as big as they are, and you can only do that by taking risks. They shocked people when they cut their hair or whatever, but it was part of their evolution and they clearly knew what they were doing. I love that they're still out there kicking ass."

Back in 2014, Lombardo was asked during a clinic in Italy to comment on the fact that Ulrich's drumming skills are constantly questioned. He replied: "I think Lars is a good drummer. He's a good arranger. He arranges… Without Lars, there wouldn't be a METALLICA. So you have to give him credit for what he does for the band."

Lombardo continued: "It's very important... When you have a chemistry within a band. There's four members of the band. When there's chemistry, like a special interaction between musicians, if you take one musician out, it's not the same. If you take Lars out of the equation, it won't be the same."

While speaking with UK's Rhythm magazine back in 2009, Lombardo was a bit more critical of Lars's drumming abilities, saying that playing with METALLICA at Download in June 2004 was a great experience, but adding that it was good to "show 'em how it's done!" Dave continued. "No disrespect to Lars, because Lars is great and he's a very nice guy, but he needs to spend a week at my house and we need to sit down and play. I could show him — 'No, Lars, like this!'… 'Let's chill, let's relax, have some coffee and let's play!' [Laughs]"

A few months later, Lombardo was asked by Noisecreep if Ulrich had ever accepted his offer of drum lessons. "Oh man, no, he hasn't," Lombardo said laughing. "Yeah, but that was all done as a joke. It's just me having fun."

Lombardo added: "Of course someone ask[ed] me about Download festival. It's like, 'Yeah, show him how it's done.' [But] I don't need to show him, he's amazing, but there's always that kind of rivalry, that fun rivalry."

Ulrich blamed his non-appearance at the 2004 Download on exhaustion, caused by an unrelenting tour schedule and the break-up of his seven-year marriage to Skylar Satenstein. He said in 2005 interview: "It was the first-ever METALLICA gig I'd ever missed."

He continued: "You wanna try laying in a hospital in Germany while Dave Lombardo — the greatest drummer on the planet — is playing with your band. That's not easy."

Togolese metal quintet Arka'n Asrafokor [Asrafocore = "Music Of The Warriors”] is proud to announce their signing with Atomic Fire Records. Drawing their main inspiration from African traditions and wisdom what results in their very own interpretation of the genre, the quintet are currently in the final stages of producing their as-yet-untitled label debut which will tentatively be released in early 2024.


The band comments, "Dear friends, our mission started twelve years ago. We have made strides thanks to our brothers and sisters back home in Togo, on the Motherland and in different parts of our beloved Planet Earth. Brothers and sisters who have been walking with us. And we are thankful for every step. Now we are moving to another level to boost the spread of our asrafocore music and message worldwide. We are extremely happy and humbled to announce our signing with powerhouse metal label Atomic Fire Records (featuring Meshuggah and Opeth, among other amazing artists/bands). We thank the Atomic Fire Records team, all the key souls who made this dream possible. Special thanks go to the precious friends who have been supporting our mission since Day 1. As promised, we have been in our studio to bring you more asrafocore, taken to a higher level: new album released early 2024. Stay true, stay strong, stay metal - this is… Arka'n Asrafokor!"


Atomic Fire Records A&R Ute Linhart adds, "The world can expect highly infectious rhythms and straight-in-your-face beats from this group that will make one's blood pumping at high speeds. The unique signature sound footprint they've created for themselves will make them become nothing but the biggest metal act to rise out of Africa. Keep your eyes peeled to not miss out on one of the first highlights hitting the metal scene early next year!"




Arka'n Asrafokor is preparing their return to the stages for two shows this week: one at France's Cabaret Vert followed by a spot on the renowned Motocultor Festival in the same country marking their first ever performance at a genuine European metal event.


Live dates:


August
17 – Charleville-Mezieres, France – Cabaret Vert
18 – Carhaix, France – Motocultor Festival 


Arka'n Asrafokor:
Rock Ahavi - guitars, lead vocals
Enrico Ahavi - keyboards, harsh/rap vocals
Francis Amevo - bass
Mass Aholou - percussion
Richard Siko - drums


(Photo – Mouad El Ykb)

Following their recently announcement of a world tour, new single, and epic, 11-minute cinematic video for title track "War Of Being", TesseracT continue their journey into The Strangeland in the form of new single. "The Grey". Watch the visualizer for the track below.


"The Grey" builds on signature grooves that undulate in TesseracT's sound, flanked by polyrhythmic rhythms tied together by the band's iconic melodies. It's yet another example of the multi-faceted appeal of their sound and proves that they can craft immediate and affecting tracks just as masterfully as their epic 11-minute opuses.


Regarding the track, Amos Williams says, "'The Grey' explores the story and character within The Strangeland of the same name — a character who has suppressed their own voice to the point that they have blended into the shadows, their story lost amongst the white noise of the world. Through the song, we experience their journey as they wrestle with their frustration and sorrow at how they have ended up this way. It's a powerful, energetic piece that pushes each member of TesseracT to a next level of musicianship and expression. And continues to shine a light upon the diversity that can be expected from War Of Being."




Alongside the release of the single is a fully functional, immersive video game titled "War Of Being", Launched on August 11, the user can enter the world of the album bridging the gap between listening and experience to create a living, breathing concept that brings you closer to the world of TesseracT than ever before.


In celebration of the early access game, the band have made a visualizer for the single which incorporates areas seen in the game alongside the track itself. The visualizer was made by Amos Williams.





In the game's 'Early Access’, fans can expect to explore several surreal landscapes, meet characters from the concept of "War Of Being" and solve puzzles in order to unlock parts of TesseracT's second single "The Grey." The end of the game will unlock the full song where the play can listen from within the same breathtaking landscapes used in the "War Of Being" music video.


Download + play here.


After finishing the album recording in August 2022, singer and frontman Daniel Tompkins immediately began his focus on developing "War Of Being" VR and desktop computer game based entirely on the album's original concept, created by Williams and himself. Tompkins is the lead designer and developer of the game alongside Adam Boyt (Programmer/Developer) and Kirsty Harvey (3D Designer).


Regarding the game, Tompkins says, "As a keen gamer and livestreamer, I have always understood the potential waiting for a musical project to bridge the gap between the gaming and music worlds and with such a visually stunning concept, I could see that this was the perfect opportunity to bring it to life in virtual reality and as a desktop game. This has been without a doubt the biggest project I have personally ever undertaken and is a huge achievement for our developers. It has pushed us to our absolute limits and I'm so proud to have accomplished the beginnings of a fully developed game on Steam."


The game will be available exclusively on Steam and playable in VR on Viva/Rift S and Oculus accompanied by a SteamDeck playable version.


War Of Being was recorded at Middle Farm Studios in the United Kingdom with Peter Miles (Architects/Sylosis/Dodie) co-producing with the band alongside Katherine Marsh of Choir Noir (Bring Me The Horizon/Architects/Marillion). Assisting with additional programming and production, the band were joined by Randy Slaugh (Periphery, Architects, Devin Townsend). With additional engineering by Forrester Savell (Karnivool). The artwork, which features characters 'ex' and 'el' was created in collaboration between AI and human as a means to extend the concept into its presentation.





The album will be available in the following formats:


- Deluxe version - "The Strangeland" – a limited edition collector's 3 Disc, 68 page Hardback Book Edition containing the War Of Being audio CD/a DVD/a Blu-Ray  that features "The Journey of Being" 40-minute documentary on the making of War Of Being, "The Strangeland," an in-depth view of the characters of War Of Being, the 1- minute feature length video and album in 5.1 Surround - strictly limited to 1,500 copies worldwide.
- CD Digipack with 24-page booklet
- Digital (+ in Dolby Atmos)
- Gatefold 2LP 'The Scribe" – Black and Gold Corona (TesseracT EU Store exclusive limited to 1000)
- Gatefold 2LP "Fear" – Red and Black Marble (TesseracT US/AUS Store exclusive limited to 1000)
- Gatefold 2LP – Red Vinyl (Revolver.com exclusive limited to 500)
- Gatefold 2LP – Clear Vinyl (Amazon.co.uk + Euro indie stores exclusive limited to 1000)
- Gatefold 2LP – Yellow Vinyl (Kscope Store + EMP Germany Exclusive limited to 500)
- Gatefold 2LP – Black Vinyl
- Blu-Ray (5.1 Surround/"War Of Being" 11-minute feature length video / "The Strangeland" and "The Journey of Being")


Pre-save / pre-order here.





Tracklisting:


"Natural Disaster"
"Echoes"
"The Grey"
"Legion"
"Tender"
"War Of Being"
"Sirens"
"Burden"
"Sacrifice"


"War Of Being" video:





Alongside the brand new album, the band will be embarking on a worldwide tour that will begin in 2023 running through to 2024 performing shows in throughout the US, Europe, the UK, Asia and Australia, with support from Intervals, Unprocessed, Alluvial, and The Callous Daoboys.


Tickets are available here.





(Photo - Andy Ford)

In a new interview with Metal Magnitude's Chelsea, JUDAS PRIEST guitarist Richie Faulkner spoke about the progress of the recording sessions for the band's follow-up to 2018's "Firepower" album. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "It's actually in the mixing stages at the moment, so we're getting mixes through from [PRIEST producer and touring guitarist] Andy Sneap. But it's shaping up really well. The mixes are sounding great. So as soon as they're done, we've gotta manufacture the thing. So I always say to people, it's mixing, it's mastering and it's manufacturing. You've gotta make the thing, you've gotta make the vinyl, you've gotta make the stuff that everyone's gonna listen to on that, the packaging, the artwork and all that sort of stuff, so we can then send it out. It's that kind of packaging that everyone knows and loves — you know, the front cover, the artwork that everyone knows and loves about JUDAS PRIEST. So we've gotta get all that sort of stuff done. But as far as the mixes, the album is sounding great. We're talking about track listing, what order the tracks are gonna go in, what tracks we're gonna use, all that sort of fun stuff. When you're talking about that stuff, it's near completion, so it's an exciting time for the band. It's exciting. It's exciting to have something that no one has heard."

He added: "'Firepower' was such a well-received album. It's been out for a few years now, and we've gotta top that one. People love that record, and we've got a lot to live up to. But that's a great thing to shoot for. When the bar's that high, you've just gotta meet the bar and hopefully surpass it. So we'll see."

This past June, Richie told Anne Erickson of Audio Ink Radio that PRIEST's new album was "sounding great. I was in Phoenix with Andy Sneap and [singer] Rob [Halford] a few weeks ago, putting the vocals down," he said. "And it's always exciting to hear new PRIEST tracks, because they become PRIEST tracks when Rob sings them. It's, like, the world hasn't heard them yet, but there's new PRIEST tracks that we're hearing for the first time. It's really exciting, hearing that characteristic voice that we've heard for decades singing new stuff. It's an incredibly exciting thing, so I can't wait for the world to hear it all."

Elaborating on the musical direction of the new PRIEST material, Faulkner said: "There are definitely a few more twists and turns on this record. There are a few more musical parts. So, there might be a bit of... As I said, there are twists and turns. I've used the word 'progressive' before, and the Internet ripped me a new asshole. But it is progressive in the sense that it's not like verse-chorus-verse-chorus-solo-chorus-finish. It's musical part-verse-musical part. It might do a few twists and turns, musically. It veers from the path of it, a bit like 'Sinner' or 'Tyrant' or something like that. So, it's a bit more '70s PRIEST, which I welcome as a guitar player… It's '70s PRIEST, but it's not a retro album, by any means. It's the influence of '70s PRIEST in the progressive sense, but it sounds like PRIEST in 2023."

He added: "Every PRIEST album has kind of stood on its own, stylistically. It's had that DNA of JUDAS PRIEST, because the characters are so strong. But it's always been a little bit different — retaining that DNA but having its own character. So, this one's no different, really, in the sense that it's obviously JUDAS PRIEST, but it's its own animal; it stands on its own two legs."

Last November, Faulkner told Robert Cavuoto of Metal Rules that some PRIEST fans misconstrued his previous comments about the musical direction of the band's upcoming LP. He said: "I think we've used the word 'progressive', and everyone thinks it's gonna become 'Nostradamus' [PRIEST's controversial 2008 symphonic heavy metal concept double album about Nostradamus], or RUSH, which is two different things. I've definitely used the word 'progressive' [to describe the new PRIEST material in previous interviews], purely because it's got a few musical turnarounds that 'Firepower' doesn't have. But that doesn't make it a RUSH record. It just makes it — instead of, like, a verse into a bridge into a chorus, there might be a couple of more musical passages in there to make it a bit more… interesting; might be the wrong word. I don't know. You've gotta be careful with the words you use these days. So it's not 'Firepower 2', but it's the same band a few years later, so there's obvious connections to the last record. But it's not 'Firepower 2' by any means."

Richie continued: "No PRIEST records have sounded the same, but it's got a common DNA. And you always try and make the next one sound a bit better — or whatever 'better' may be; 'better' is subjective. So, is it better written? Are the lyrics better? Does it sound better? And 'better' is always subjective. So it's hard to pinpoint, really. But it's a bit more of a musical adventure than the last one, I'd say. But then again someone might listen to it, when it does come out, and have a totally different interpretation of what it is. So it's always tough to sum up your own music without sounding up your own butt."

In February 2022, Halford was asked by Remy Maxwell of Audacy Check In if he agreed with Faulkner's comment that the band's upcoming album will be more musically "progressive" than "Firepower". He responded: "Yeah, the metal is there. But here's the thing: we've tried our best not to replicate anything that we've done. From 'Rocka Rolla' all the way through to 'Firepower', each record has had a distinctive character. And it's tough because fans go, 'We want another 'Painkiller',' 'We want another 'British Steel'.' And [it's, like], 'Dude, we've already done that.'

"Fans know that we're a band that is always full of adventure and trying new stuff," he continued. "And so, yeah, this has got probably some more progressive elements that we've never really delved into before. And that's exciting, because, again, it gives us and our fans another opportunity to see a different side of PRIEST. But it's still metal. There's just more of it. There are more notes than there were before."

Also in February 2022, Faulkner told Canada's The Metal Voice about the overall sound of the new PRIEST music: "Whenever you start a record, you never know how it's gonna turn out. So you might start with an idea of what it's gonna be, and as it kind of rolls on, it comes out something different. So you don't quite know. And also it's really hard to sum up your own music, I find, without sounding really pretentious. But I think this one — it's not 'Firepower 2', I don't think. It's its own thing, it's its own animal. If anything, I would say it's a bit more progressive in places, and in places it's got a bit more of that 'Killing Machine' swagger."

Faulkner added: "I know everyone says, 'Oh, is it the next 'Painkiller'?' or 'Is it the next…?' whatever… I don't know if they'd ever done it, but I know we've never done it when I've been in the band; we've never tried to recreate an album. It's always we try to create an album that stands on its own legs. So I think it's definitely a little bit more progressive than 'Firepower' and, as I said, in places it's got a little bit of that 'Killing Machine' angry swagger attitude going on."

Two years ago, Halford confirmed that PRIEST's next album would see the band reuniting with the "Firepower" production team consisting of Sneap, longtime collaborator Tom Allom and engineer Mike Exeter (BLACK SABBATH).

Bassist Ian Hill is the sole remaining original member of PRIEST, which formed in 1969. Halford joined the group in 1973 and 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.

Photo credit: Laura Mullen (courtesy of Gibson)

Back in June, Brazilian progressive power metal legends, Angra, performed at the 2023 edition of Sweden Rock Festival. The band have shared the video below:





Upcoming Angra tour dates:




October
28 - São José dos Campos, Brazil - Festival Hora do Rock @ Arena Vale Fest


November
3 - São Paulo, Brazil - Tokio Marine Hall (Album Release Show)
18 - Joinville, Brazil - Armageddon Metal Fest


December
15 - Rio de Janeiro, Brazil - Circo Voador


January
29-Feb. 2 - Miami, FL - 70,000 Tons of Metal


Angra will release their new album, Cycles Of Pain, on November 3 through Atomic Fire Records.


Cycles Of Pain was produced, recorded, mixed and mastered by long-time Angra partner Dennis Ward (D.C. Cooper, Pink Cream 69, Place Vendome etc.) at the Sonastério & Elephant Office in Brazil, while mixing and mastering took place at The TrakShak in Karlsdorf, Germany. Its artwork was designed by Erick Pasqua before Jonathan Canuto took care of layout duties.


"The combination of elements - an angel of death with bright, worn wings adorned with religious and pagan symbols, a dark forest with fire and rain, the prevalence of Brazilian elements - conveys a deeper narrative regarding the album's theme and musical interpretation. It conveys the idea that pain is a recurring and transformative experience, encompassing spiritual and earthly aspects and encouraging us to delve into the depths of our own pain, explore its many dimensions and find strength and healing in the journey of these cycles," explains Andreoli.


The album also features a range of guests including appearances by Amanda Somerville ("Tears Of Blood"), Brazilian artists Lenine ("Vida Seca") and Vanessa Moreno ("Tide Of Changes - Part II" & "Here In The Now"), and last but not least Juliana D'Agostini on piano ("Tears Of Blood").





Cycles Of Pain will be available in the following formats:


- CD-digipak
- jewelcase-CD
- various vinyls (red/yellow split-coloured | clear/blue marbled | clear yellow/white splatter)
- digital


Pre-order here.





Cycles Of Pain tracklisting:


"Cyclus Doloris"
"Ride Into The Storm"
"Dead Man On Display"
"Tide Of Changes - Part I"
"Tide Of Changes - Part II"
"Vida Seca"
"Gods Of The World"
"Cycles Of Pain"
"Faithless Sanctuary"
"Here In The Now"
"Generation Warriors"
"Tears Of Blood"


"Ride Into The Storm" video:





Angra are:


Fabio Lione - vocals
Rafael Bittencourt - guitars
Marcelo Barbosa - guitars
Felipe Andreoli - bass
Bruno Valverde - drums

Mötley Crüe performed at Charles Schwab Field Omaha, in Omaha, Nebraska on August 13. The band have shared this recap video:





Mötley Crüe and Def Leppard's The World Tour, with special guest Alice Cooper, lands at Skelly Field at H.A. Chapman Stadium in Tulsa, OK tonight, Wednesday, August 16. Find the full itinerary here.

3RD SECRET, the new band featuring SOUNDGARDEN guitarist Kim Thayil, NIRVANA bassist Krist Novoselic and SOUNDGARDEN and PEARL JAM drummer Matt Cameron, has shared a new performance video for the song "Queens". The track is taken from 3RD SECRET's second full-length album, "The 2nd 3rd Secret", which came out on June 23.

The group, whose lineup is rounded out by Bubba Dupree, guitarist for D.C. hardcore outfit VOID and alt-metal supergroup HATER (also featuring Cameron),and vocalists Jennifer Johnson and Jillian Raye (Novoselic's bandmate in GIANTS IN THE TREES),surprised-released its self-titled debut album in April 2022, recorded and mixed by longtime Seattle producer Jack Endino, and played its first live show that same month at the Museum Of Pop Culture in Seattle.

The "Queens" performance video was filmed on August 6, 2023 at Avast! Recording Co. in Seattle, Washington.

"The 2nd 3rd Secret" track listing:

01. Reckless Room
02. Her Disease
03. State Of Mind
04. Climb Aboard
05. So Close
06. Queens
07. Ditch
08. Awaken Ye Sleeper
09. Gift From Above
10. Let It Burn

Novoselic initially hinted at 3RD SECRET's existence in February 2022, writing in a since-deleted tweet: "I am really busy trying to finish a record. In the middle of some hangups — looking for a mid-March release. But it's a secret, so don't tell anybody!"

"3rd Secret" marked Cameron and Thayil's first full-album collaboration following the 2017 death of SOUNDGARDEN singer Chris Cornell.

Thayil recently expressed his hope that he would re-team with his former bandmates on a new project. "I think the three of us have an interest in doing new things," he said of Cameron and SOUNDGARDEN bassist Ben Shepherd. "We certainly like working together."

Photo credit: Mike Hipple for 3RD SECRET

Marking three decades of one of the most influential albums of all time, five-time Grammy Award-winning band GREEN DAY has announced the massive "Dookie" 30th-anniversary deluxe edition out on September 29, 2023.

As part of this blockbuster collection, the California trio celebrate their landmark 10-times-platinum, diamond-certified Grammy Award-winning third full-length offering and major label debut by unveiling previously unreleased "Dookie" demos — four-track demos and cassette demos — and outtakes as well as two seminal live recordings, "Live At Woodstock" (1994) — for the first time on DSPs — and the previously unreleased "Live In Barcelona (June 5 '94)".

Of course, the record also houses signature generational anthems "Basket Case", "When I Come Around", "Welcome To Paradise" and "Longview", among others.

"Dookie" 30th-anniversary deluxe edition will be available everywhere digitally as well as a limited-edition six-LP vinyl box set and four-CD box set. Plus, a special version of the six-LP vinyl box set will only be available on the band's webstore and at indie record stores with each record pressed on a different shade of brown vinyl.

Loaded to the brim with collector's items, the vinyl box set boasts a roll of "Dookie" dog poop bags, five-button set, air freshener, postcard, bumper sticker, kiss-cut large magnet sheet, paper airplane, a black-and-white "coloring page" cover litho insert, and a poster of the alternate cover art. The CD box set consists of two stickers, the five-button set, air freshener, and single soft vinyl magnet. Both box set versions feature a heartfelt personal intro penned by Grammy Award-winning producer Rob Cavallo and extensive liner notes from Grammy Award winner Bob Mehr.

"Dookie"'s influence remains downright inescapable. It has sold a staggering 20 million copies worldwide and stands out as "the first punk album to be certified diamond by the RIAA for North American sales in excess of 10 million." Out of four 1995 Grammy Award nominations, it notably garnered "Best Alternative Album." Rolling Stone touted it on the "500 Greatest Albums Of All Time" and Pitchfork retrospectively christened it "one of the greatest teenage wasteland albums of any generation." The Daily Beast remarked on "How Green Day's Dookie Defined The 1990s And Changed Music Forever." Speaking to its sustained impact, it has generated billions of streams to date. To put it in perspective, "Dookie" has lived through five presidential administrations, Y2K, social media, a global pandemic, and the birth of countless acolytes. However, there's still nothing like it after all of this time.

"Dookie" 30th-anniversary deluxe edition track listing

Vinyl Box (6 LPs):

LP 1: Dookie
LP 2: Dookie Demos
LP 3: Dookie Outtakes
LP 4: Live at Woodstock (1994)
LP 5 & 6: Live In Barcelona (June 5 '94)

CD Box (4 CDs):

CD 1: Dookie
CD 2: Dookie Demos & Outtakes
CD 3: Live at Woodstock (1994)
CD 4: Live In Barcelona (June 5 '94)

Dookie:

01. Burnout
02. Having A Blast
03. Chump
04. Longview
05. Welcome To Paradise
06. Pulling Teeth
07. Basket Case
08. She
09. Sassafras Roots
10. When I Come Around
11. Coming Clean
12. Emenius Sleepus
13. In The End
14. F.O.D.
15. All By Myself

"Dookie" Four-Track Demos:

01. Burnout
02. Chump
03. Pulling Teeth
04. Basket Case
05. She
06. Sassafras Roots
07. When I Come Around
08. In The End
09. F.O.D.
10. When It's Time

"Dookie" Cassette Demos:

01. When I Come Around
02. Basket Case
03. Longview
04. Burn Out
05. Haushinka
06. J.A.R.
07. Having A Blast

"Dookie" Outtakes:

01. Christie Rd.
02. 409 In Your Coffeemaker
03. J.A.R.
04. On The Wagon
05. Tired Of Waiting For You
06. Walking The Dog (demo)

"Live At Woodstock" (1994)

01. Welcome To Paradise (live)
02. One Of My Lies (live)
03. Chump (live)
04. Longview (live)
05. Basket Case (live)
06. When I Come Around (live)
07. Burnout (live)
08. F.O.D. (live)
09. Paper Lanterns (live)
10. Shit Show (live)

"Live In Barcelona (June 5 '94)"

01. Welcome To Paradise (live)
02. One Of My Lies (live)
03. Chump (live)
04. Longview (live)
05. Burnout (live)
06. Only Of You (live)
07. When I Come Around (live)
08. 2000 Light Years Away (live)
09. Going To Pasalacqua (live)
10. Knowledge (live)
11. Basket Case (live)
12. Paper Lanterns (live)
13. Road To Acceptance
14. Dominated Love Slave (live)
15. F.O.D. (live)
16. Christie Rd. (live)
17. Disappearing Boy (live)

Formed in 1986 in Berkeley, California, GREEN DAY is one of the world's best-selling bands of all time, with more than 75 million records sold worldwide and 10 billion cumulative audio/visual streams. The five-time Grammy Award-winning Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame inductees released their breakout album "Dookie" in 1994, which sold over 10 million and achieved 10-teimes-platinum diamond status, is widely credited with popularizing and reviving mainstream interest in punk rock, catapulting a career-long run of No. 1 hit singles. Entertainment Weekly calls GREEN DAY "The most influential band of their generation," while Rolling Stone attests, "GREEN DAY have inspired more young bands to start than any act this side of KISS, and that doesn't seem to be changing." In 2004, GREEN DAY released the rock opera "American Idiot", which captured the nation's attention, selling more than eight million copies in the U.S. alone and taking home the Grammy Award for "Best Rock Album." Mojo declared "It's exhilarating stuff, the kind of record that sets new parameters as to what is possible from a punk rock'n'roll band in the 21st century." In 2010, a stage adaptation of "American Idiot" debuted on Broadway to critical and commercial acclaim. Released in 2020, GREEN DAY's thirteenth studio album "Father Of All..." debuted at No. 1 on Billboard's Album Sales chart and No. 1 in both the U.K. and Australia. Pitchfork declared, "GREEN DAY's most fetching and youthful songs in ages. The trio sounds reinvigorated, more like hungry newcomers staking their claim." In July 2021, GREEN DAY embarked on "The Hella Mega Tour" with FALL OUT BOY and WEEZER. The global tour included 29 sold-out stadium gigs — including renowned venues like London Stadium and Los Angeles's Dodger Stadium.

BMG and Niji Entertainment Group Inc. have partnered to issue limited-edition deluxe CD and LP box sets of Ronnie James Dio's final four studio albums on September 22, 2023. Titled "The Studio Albums: 1996-2004", the set will include "Angry Machines" (1996),"Magica" (2000),"Killing The Dragon" (2002) and "Master Of The Moon" (2004).

The LP set is housed in a sideloading box with newly created art on five 180g color LPs ("Angry Machines" on Halloween orange with black marble LP, "Killing The Dragon" on transparent yellow with black marble LP, "Master Of The Moon" on electric blue with milky clear marble LP and "Magica" on transparent blood red and black smoke 2LP plus the rare single "Electra" on a cobalt blue 7".

Ronnie's widow and longtime manager Wendy Dio says: "I am very excited to be working with BMG, a label that still has a passion for rock music. They will be making the complete DIO catalogue available again with some interesting surprises."

"Angry Machines"

Originally released in 1996 and featuring the lineup of Ronnie James Dio (vocals),Tracy G (guitars),Jeff Pilson (bass),Vinny Appice (drums) and Scott Warren (keyboards).

CD and LP track listing:

01. Institutional Man
02. Don't Tell The Kids
03. Black
04. Hunter Of The Heart
05. Stay Out Of My Mind
06. Big Sister
07. Double Monday
08. Golden Rules
09. Dying In America
10. This Is Your Life

"Magica"

Originally released in 2000 and featuring the lineup of Ronnie James Dio (vocals),Craig Goldy (guitars),Jimmy Bain (bass),and Simon Wright (drums),the two-LP set includes a bonus 7" of studio track "Electra"

CD and LP track listing:

01. Discovery
02. Magica Theme
03. Lord Of The Last Day
04. Fever Dreams
05. Turn To Stone
06. Feed My Head
07. Eriel
08. Chalis
09. As Long As It's Not About Love
10. Losing My Insanity
11. Otherworld
12. Magica (Reprise)
13. Lord Of the Last Day (Reprise)

"Killing The Dragon"

Originally released in 2002 and featuring the lineup of Ronnie James Dio (vocals),Doug Aldrich (guitars),Jimmy Bain (bass) and Simon Wright (drums).

CD and LP track listing:

01. Killing The Dragon
02. Along Comes A Spider
03. Scream
04. Better In The Dark
05. Rock and Roll
06. Push
07. Guilty
08. Throw Away Children
09. Before The Fall
10. Cold Feet

"Master Of The Moon"

Originally released in 2004, "Master Of The Moon" was the final studio album under the DIO band name and featured the lineup of Ronnie James Dio (vocals),Craig Goldy (guitar),Jeff Pilson (bass) and Simon Wright (drums).

Disc 1 and LP track listing:

01. One More For The Road
02. Master Of The Moon
03. The End Of The World
04. Shivers
05. The Man Who Would Be King
06. The Eyes
07. Living The Lie
08. I Am
09. Death By Love
10. In Dreams

American black metal overlords, Wolves In The Throne Room, announce the Crypt Of Ancestral Knowledge EP, out September 29. The EP features four new tracks spanning the scope of Wolves In The Throne Room's cinematic black metal and dark acoustic folk, as well as two atmospheric industrial tracks that take the band into darker sonic territories.


Listen to Wolves In The Throne Room’s new song “Twin Mouthed Spring” below, and on all streaming services here.


Crypt Of Ancestral Knowledge is out September 29 on Vinyl/CD/CS/Digital. Pre-order via Relapse.com here. Digital downloads / streaming (in US & Canada) here.




Crypt Of Ancestral Knowledge EP opens with “Beholden to Clan”, a blazing slab of symphonic black metal. Regarding the EP opener, Guitarist Kody Keyworth comments, “Journeying high atop a sacred mountain, the song recalls the importance of the sacrificed king's cycle of rebirth through ancestral hallucinogenic rights of passage. It’s a wild trip. Hail Othila!”


Elsewhere, “Twin Mouthed Spring” follows. This new track features vocals and acoustic guitar performed by founding Wolves In The Throne Room drummer Cedar Serpent who has recently returned to the live stage after a years long hiatus from live performance. He comments, “This song travels to a deep wellspring of passion and creativity. Themes from Celtic Mythology are pulled apart and remade.”


Side B of the EP features a different side of the enigmatic band; “Initiates Of The White Hart”, an Atmospheric Industrial interpretation of “Spirit of Lightning”, takes this live-set stalwart into deeper dark psychedelic waters while “Crown of Stone”, a ritual dark ambient piece, connects thematically to “Mountain Magic” the lead track on 2021’s Primordial Arcana.





Crypt Of Ancestral Knowledge tracklisting:


"Beholden To Clan"
"Twin Mouthed Spring"
"Initiates Of The White Hart"
"Crown Of Stone"


"Twin Mouthed Spring":





Additionally, Wolves In The Throne Room begin the Crypt Of Ancestral Knowledge North America headline tour this fall through late September & October. Support throughout the tour will be provided by Blackbraid, Gaerea and Hoaxed.





Dates:


September
29 - St. Louis, MO - Red Flag
30 - Chicago, IL - Metro


October
1 - St. Paul, MN - Amsterdam Bar & Hall
3 - Detroit, MI - El Club
4 - Toronto, ON - Lee’s Palace
5 - Montreal, QC - Theatre Fairmount
6 - Boston, MA - Big Night Live
7 - Hamden, CT - Space Ballroom
8 - Brooklyn, NY - Brooklyn Monarch
10 - Philadelphia, PA - Underground Arts
11 - Baltimore, MD - Baltimore Soundstage
12 - Richmond, VA - The Canal Club
13 - Greensboro, NC - Hangar 1819
14 - Atlanta, GA - The Loft
15 - Tampa, FL - Orpheum
17 - Dallas, TX - Echo Lounge & Music Hall
18 - Austin, TX - Come And Take It Live
20 - Albuquerque, NM - Sister
21 - Tucson, AZ - Encore
23 - Salt Lake City, UT - Metro Music Hall
24 - Denver, CO - The Oriental Theater


Wolves In The Throne Room Is:


Nathan Weaver - Lead Vocals/Guitar
Aaron Weaver - Drums/Synth/Voice
Kody Keyworth - Vocals/Guitar

German symphonic metal band, Xandria, have released a new single - a summery 80’s style remix of hit single, “My Curse Is My Redemption”, featuring producer Canttias. The original track is taken from Xandria's latest and most successful album to date, The Wonders Still Awaiting, which peaked at #9 on the official German album charts.


The band came together to experiment with heavy 80’s influences to find that it compliments the poppy nuances of talented new vocalist Ambre Vourvahis’ multifaceted voice and creates one of the catchiest melodies. These nostalgic and playful vibes represent another musical color of Xandria’s rich palette, fascinating their fans with the highly addictive version released today alongside the retro visualizer.


Xandria returned with an impressive new lineup, enchanting their fans with new songs during this year’s spring European tour with labelmates Delain. Now Xandria looks forward to their North American tour with Kamelot, kicking off tomorrow, and next year's debut appearance at the Wacken Open Air festival.




Xandria on “My Curse Is My Redemption (Summer 80's Remix)”: "It’s summer, we just rewatched Stranger Things and some 80s movies, so all of this getting us in the mood for… hmmm… maybe doing an 80s retro version of one of our songs? Just for fun and for you fans to enjoy the summer mood with us! What about ‘My Curse Is My Redemption’? It already has that 80s pop vibe. Well, you’ll see how much more 80s pop it can REALLY get ;-) Enjoy this amazing and wonderfully nostalgic remix made by Canttias, an artist whose specialty is these magical 80s synth sounds, and the equally nostalgic video clip for it created by Ingo Spörl (Hard Media)!”





Order The Wonders Still Awaiting here.





The Wonders Still Awaiting tracklisting:


"Two Worlds"
"Reborn"
"You Will Never Be Our God" (feat. Ralf Scheepers)
"The Wonders Still Awaiting"
"Ghosts"
"Your Stories I'll Remember"
"My Curse Is My Redemption"
"Illusion Is Their Name"
"Paradise"
"Mirror Of Time"
"Scars"
"The Maiden And The Child"
"Astèria"


“My Curse Is My Redemption” lyric video:





“Two Worlds” video:





"The Wonders Still Awaiting" video:





"Ghosts" video:





"You Will Never Be Our God" video:





"Reborn" video:





Xandria lineup:


Ambre Vourvahis - Vocals
Marco Heubaum - Guitar
Robert Klawonn - Guitar
Tim Schwarz - Bass
Dimitrios Gatsios - Drums


(Photo - Tim Tronckoe)

Members of EVANESCENCE, ALICE COOPER and GRANNY 4 BARREL have joined forces in a new band called KILLINGTON PIT.

Born from the pandemic, this unique and unexpected collaboration features the theatrical GRANNY 4 BARREL singer Terry LeRoi, ALICE COOPER bassist Chuck Garric, and a pair of EVANESCENCE members — guitarist Troy McLawhorn and drummer Will Hunt. To mark the new band's formation, a cover of the 1983 ACCEPT classic "Balls To The Wall" has been released as KILLINGTON PIT's debut single.

"From the moment we decided to record this track, it was pure magic," recalls LeRoi. "Chuck, Will and Troy went back and forth with digital files until we had the music dialed in.

"I've always been inspired by Udo's [Dirkschneider] voice and singing style so I did my best to channel that while adding my own flair stylistically," Terry continues, "Our manager Matt Holmes produced the vocals with me in New York and when we put it all together, we realized we had something pretty special going on. It was and is an honor to record music with these incredible musicians! We're so stoked with the way that this legendary track came out!"

"I grew up listening and learning from bands like ACCEPT when I was younger and just starting to play the guitar," adds McLawhorn. "'Balls To The Wall' seemed like the right choice because of its popularity and badassness! I really wanted to do the guitars justice so I stick closely to the original parts with a little bit of my flavor on them as well."

"It was so badass and fun to do this cover of 'Balls To The Wall' with the guys," says Hunt. "I'm proud to call all of them friends. Each of them are musicians and performers that I love and respect.

"I saw ACCEPT open for Ozzy [Osbourne] on his 'Bark At The Moon' tour in 1984. It was their first tour of the U.S. and 'Balls' was just starting to make noise over here. They absolutely blew me away that night! So cool to record this cover!"

Also, according to LeRoi, a special guest contributed backing vocals. "When it came time to record the choruses, it was myself, Matt Holmes and Matt Pinfield in the studio," he says. "Pinfield happened to be in town and he said he was down to take a stab at the gang vocals with us. Fortunately, we all have good pitch. [Laughs] It all happened pretty organically and turned out amazing. I wouldn't change a thing about it!”

"Balls To The Wall" is part of a larger body of classic metal/rock recordings KILLINGTON PIT will be releasing in the coming months. Over the last year, the band stockpiled epic cover versions of tracks and videos from RAINBOW, JUDAS PRIEST, BLACK SABBATH and more. The chemistry between the foursome can be heard all throughout this impressive body of work.

"It's an honor to be in the same room with these guys," explains Garric. "Musicians that I respect and musicians with the spirit of rock 'n' roll running through their veins."

LeRoi adds: "KILLINGTON PIT is modern rock/metal with roots in classic rock but we're really not trying to limit where this can go. There are so many collective influences between the four of us, I think sonically it's going to evolve naturally. But rest assured the foundation of the sound will always be heavy. In addition to the cover album project, we are at the beginning stages of original music as well. We're really looking forward to sharing the growing sound and image of KILLINGTON PIT!"

Vocals - Terry LeRoi
Drums - Will Hunt
Guitar - Troy McLawhorn
Bass - Chuck Garric

Left to right in photo: Chuck Garric, Terry LeRoi, Troy McLawhorn, Will Hunt

Photo credit: PR Brown / Josh Nesmith

In a brand new interview with The Metal Summit, former SALIVA vocalist Josey Scott revealed that he was originally approached to sing the guest rap on EVANESCENCE's breakthrough 2003 hit "Bring Me To Life", a part which eventually went to 12 STONES' Paul McCoy.

"I was asked to do the 'Bring Me To Life' song," Josey said. "And our schedules were mixed up or something, and I didn't get to do it. So the kid from 12 STONES did it.

When one of The Metal Summit interviewers noted that the rap section in "Bring Me To Life" stylistically "very" Josey, the singer responded: "I definitely have a chill go up my spine every time I hear that song."

EVANESCENCE's 2017 album "Synthesis" included a re-imagining of "Bring Me To Life" without the guest rap by McCoy.

"God bless the rap, it's part of what got us on the radio, I guess," EVANESCENCE singer Amy Lee told News.com.au six years ago. "At least according to all the rules of radio that I don't agree with or understand. The rap wasn't part of our original idea or sound, it was a compromise in many ways. So to be able to go back to the original vision for the song was great."

According to Amy, "The recording of a song that ends being the one you hear the most through history is usually when the song was just freshly written. You're still learning it yourself and getting used to what the notes are and how the parts go," she said. "That's true for 'Bring Me To Life', for sure. After doing it live for so long, there's different vocal choices I've made and different things we got to use in this version."

Two decades after "Bring Me To Life" was released, Lee said she "forgets" the rap's there in the original version of the song. "At the time it was a big issue, it was our first single," she said. "I wanted people to understand who we were. That's a struggle you always fight as an artist. If we only had the one hit, if no one ever heard from us again, then nobody would understand who we were. We've made it past that point, so the rap doesn't make me angry anymore. I'm so glad to put a new version out there without the rap, though."

In March 2021, Lee told Alternative Press that EVANESCENCE's original record label Wind Up threatened not to release the group's debut album, "Fallen", if she and her bandmates didn't add a male voice to lead single "Bring Me To Life" to make it more palatable for radio.

In August 2022, "Bring Me To Life" experienced a resurgence 19 years after its original release. The song, which initially reached No. 5 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 and was EVANESCENCE's first U.K. No. 1 single, climbed to No. 1 on the U.S. iTunes chart.

In February 2022, EVANESCENCE's music video for "Bring Me To Life" surpassed one billion views on YouTube. The Philipp Stölzl-directed clip, which was uploaded to YouTube in December of 2009, was filmed in Romania in January 2003. It features singer Amy in a night gown and barefoot, in her room, inside a tall building in the city at night. The rest of the band is playing on a higher floor of the building.

The album version of "Bring Me to Life" was included on the soundtrack of superhero film "Daredevil".

"Fallen" sold more than 10 million copies in the U.S. and won two Grammys, including "Best Rock Performance" for "Bring Me To Life".

EVANESCENCE's latest album, "The Bitter Truth", arrived in March 2021 via BMG. It was EVANESCENCE's first album of original music in ten years.

ASINHELL, the new death metal band led by VOLBEAT frontman Michael Poulsen, has released the official lyric video for the song "Island Of Dead Men". The track is taken from ASINHELL's debut album, "Impii Hora" (Latin for "Ungodly Hour"),which will arrive on September 29 via Metal Blade.

For more than 20 years, vocalist/guitarist Poulsen has been spearheading Danish rock and roll machine VOLBEAT, releasing eight full-lengths, selling millions of albums, and filling stadiums worldwide. Before fronting VOLBEAT, however, Poulsen formed death metal band DOMINUS, which recorded four fast, brutal albums in the mid-'90s.

When Poulsen was putting together songs for VOLBEAT's 2021 album "Servant Of The Mind", he wrote a bunch of death metal riffs and saved them on his phone. Then, when he was done with the VOLBEAT record, he reopened the rusty gates to Armageddon and started putting together songs for "Impii Hora", which is a tribute to Poulsen's favorite old-school groups. The songs are rooted in crushing riffs yet injected with strong guitar hooks and shout-along refrains.

While Poulsen sings in VOLBEAT and sang for DOMINUS, he didn't want to front ASINHELL. So, in March 2022, he called his old friend, ex-MORGOTH singer Marc Grewe (also of INSIDIOUS DISEASE) and invited him to join the party.

In a recent interview with Shawn of "The Rockstar Radio Show" on 96.3 The Blaze, Poulsen stated about how the idea for ASINHELL came about: "As you probably know, you know, I started out as a death metal musician. Back in the days, I had a band called DOMINUS and we managed to release four albums on a Danish little label back in the day. So, yeah, it goes way back to where I was tape trading in 1990s. So it's been a lot of inspiration since then. So, you know, it kind of goes like 33 years back to where I started. I was very early out playing death metal — yeah, I think I started playing death metal when I was 16, 17 or something, and I started listening to extreme metal when I was about 13. So that kind of music has been there from the very beginning as a young kid. And I knew that when I ended DOMINUS, it was because the journey I was going into was a style of a lot of different styles that I couldn't combine in the death metal music. So I formed VOLBEAT where there was not so much rules about what you could do or what you could not do. So, as you can hear in the VOLBEAT music, there's a lot of different styles, but in ASINHELL, it definitely takes you back to all the stuff that I was, and still [am] listening to, as a young boy discovering extreme metal."

He continued: "For a long time, people have been asking me when I'm gonna return to death metal, and I said, 'I have no idea,' because the time that I'm using on VOLBEAT, it's a lot of time touring. We are constantly on the road and we are writing and being in the studio. So it was very difficult for me to answer a question like that. But when the pandemic came and I wrote [the] 'Servant Of The Mind' [album] for VOLBEAT, there were other riffs that came up where I said, 'Those riffs I'll put aside and keep them for another project when there was time for doing that. And that became the ASINHELL project.

"When we did 'Servant Of The Mind', we recorded a song called 'Becoming', and that was kind of a tribute to ENTOMBED and my good friend L.G. Petrov [late ENTOMBED singer]. And we all know that story, that L.G. passed away 'cause of cancer. Some days before he passed away, he was trying to call me. And the first time he called, I couldn't pick up. I was somewhere in a supermarket at the register paying for my groceries. And then later on he called me, but that was during the night, so I never pick up my phone during the night. And next thing I hear that he passed away. And so I was really bummed about that. And we kind of just then dedicated the VOLBEAT song 'Becoming' to L.G. and we put on this amazing BOSS pedal that makes this ugly, beautiful Swedish death metal sound. And I just got really inspired by that. And I told my guitar tech if he could find that pedal and then order it on the net and then I would probably start maybe working on some riffs. And the same day we talked about that, I was about to take my morning run and my iPod, just by coincidence, starts on ENTOMBED and I'm hearing L.G. screaming [singing], 'I'm full of hell.' And for me, that was a call from L.G., and I said to myself, 'This time, you're fucking picking up, Michael.' You are starting now. This is the time. And, actually, I wanted to call the band FULL OF HELL, but I quickly find out there was another band by that name. So I said, 'Okay, well, what do I do now?' So I changed it to as ASINHELL."

As for how he recruited his ASINHELL bandmates, ex-MORGOTH singer Marc Grewe (also of INSIDIOUS DISEASE) and RAUNCHY drummer Morten Toft Hansen, Poulsen said: "I was so inspired, and I live 10 minutes away from my drummer Morten, who has a daughter that's six years old, as my daughter [is], and they are hanging out together and having a good time. And Morten, now and then, he's active in his own band called RAUNCHY. They do not play live shows that much, but he still has his drums in the garage. And I kindly asked him if he wants to put some drums on a death metal project I had in mind. And he was totally up for it when I said, 'It's gonna be in the vein of DEATH, BOLT THROWER, AUTOPSY, GRAVE, ENTOMBED.' And that was totally his alley. So, he said, 'Where are we gonna rehearse?' And I said, 'Right here where we are standing.' And he said, 'In my garage?' 'Yeah, why not? Let's imagine that we're kind of 16, 17 years old again.' We didn't have money for expensive rehearsal rooms or anything that we have now. So I said, 'Let me just bring an amp and I'll turn it all to 11. No P.A. system, nothing. Just your drums. Don't mic it up. It's just an amp, and let's just do some riffing. I've got songs at home.' And it turned out that every Friday me and Morten would be jamming for two hours, and every Friday I came with a new song, and suddenly we were just looking at each other, like, 'Okay, we actually have songs for a whole album here.' And I ended up calling my good friend up, Marc Grewe, which was the former singer of legendary German [band] MORGOTH. I always thought that Marc had the best death metal voice in the scene, together with Chuck Schuldiner from DEATH. And for many years we talked about doing something together when the time was right. And I called him up and I said, 'You know what? I actually have our whole album. Are you ready?' [And he said], 'Hell yeah, I'm ready. Let's get to it.' I did some demo vocals on some of the recordings. And I asked Marc, 'How do you want me to record?' [And he said], 'Ah, just put your phone in the garage and press 'record' and then send it to me on your phone.' I said, 'Okay, it's gonna sound like a fucking mess.' [And he said], 'Yeah. That's how it should be like.' [Laughs] He said, 'That's how we did it back in the day with MORGOTH. We just put a ghetto blaster, a tape recorder in the rehearsal room and just pushed 'record' when we did rehearsal recordings.' [And I said], 'Yeah. Okay. Then that's how we're gonna do it.' So me and Morten made a lot of noise in that garage and I was putting down some demo vocals [for] Marc to get some inspiration. So I was just screaming and yelling down in my phone. And he said, 'Yeah, it's perfect. We could even release it like that.' [And I was, like], 'Yeah. Wait a minute.'"

According to Michael, two other guest musicians appear on the "Impii Hora", both of whom will be familiar to fans of VOLBEAT.

"We ended up using Jacob Hansen, our producer, as the bass player on the record, because he was there in the studio anyway. And I said, 'I'm not gonna play the bass. Let's do it different.' And so we just asked Jacob if he was into it, and he said, 'Yeah, I would love to.' So very quickly Jacob put down the bass. And I've been knowing Jacob since the INVOCATOR days, where he was active in INVOCATOR. So suddenly, having a great lineup with Marc from MORGOTH and Jacob from INVOCATOR, Morten from RAUNCHY — it was great. And then Morten said, 'Since we have this huge inspiration from DEATH, you should hear how Flemming [C. Lund], my good friend from THE ARCANE ORDER, is playing guitar. He can do those kind of DEATH solos. I knew Flemming from back in the days when I had that DOMINUS band. So I checked Flemming out and his solos in THE ARCANE ORDER, and I was blown away. And I gave Flemming a call and I asked him kindly if he was into it. And he totally understood where we were going with this, so he was very excited about it. So, yeah, he put down those solos and, as I said before, now we have a record coming out very soon."

Michael was equally excited to get ASINHELL's debut LP released via Metal Blade, a label which has consistently been at the forefront of the metal scene, from releasing the earliest material from METALLICA and SLAYER on the classic "Metal Massacre" compilations through to seminal releases from CANNIBAL CORPSE, GWAR, THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER, AMON AMARTH and many more.

"Brian Slagel from Metal Blade, he heard the songs and he was very, very, very into it, and he said, 'I would love to actually release this.' And for me, that was a dream come true," Michael said. "The legendary Brian Slagel from Metal Blade — we all know the story. So that was a dream come true. I remember being a young kid, tape trading and trying to get a record deal, but then so many years after, actually then ending up on Metal Blade with a new project called ASINHELL, that's beautiful. So I'm very excited about it and very proud of the record."

"Impii Hora" track listing:

01. Fall Of The Loyal Warrior
02. Inner Sancticide
03. Island Of Dead Men
04. Trophies
05. The Ultimate Sin
06. Wolfpack Laws
07. Desert Of Doom
08. Pyromantic Scryer
09. Impii Hora
10. Foj For Helvede

ASINHELL is:

Michael Poulsen - Guitar
Marc Grewe - Vocals
Morten Toft Hansen - Drums

Photo credit: Brittany Bowman

Glenn Hughes kicked off his summer 2023 U.S. tour last night (Wednesday, August 16) at The Landis in Vineland, New Jersey. Fan-filmed video of the performance can be seen below (courtesy of the Greg Jenne YouTube channel).

Starting with Friday's (August 18) concert at Strand Theater in Hudson Falls, New York, Hughes will co-headline around 18 shows with legendary Swedish guitarist Yngwie Malmsteen.

Hughes, the former bassist, and singer of DEEP PURPLE, known to millions as the "Voice Of Rock", and Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame inductee, recently launched the "Glenn Hughes Performs Classic Deep Purple Live - Celebrating The 50th Anniversary Of The Album Burn" tour.

Glenn is performing DEEP PURPLE's legendary rock album "Burn" and is also playing DEEP PURPLE MKIII and MKIV songs.

Glenn's band features Søren Andersen (guitar),Ash Sheehan (drums) and Bob Fridzema (keyboards).

"It was 50 years ago, in the summer of 1973, that the 'Burn' album by DEEP PURPLE was written at Clearwell Castle in the Forest of Dean Gloucestershire," reminisced Glenn. "It was recorded in October in Montreux, Switzerland. We all became one in this centuries old castle in the U.K. countryside, it felt like DEEP were a new band, with David [Coverdale, vocals] and I as new members, we couldn't wait to start working on new songs. The atmosphere was electric, in such amazing surroundings.

"All the songs on 'Burn' were written in the crypt/dungeon, underneath the great hall," he continued. "We worked on a new song every day, and we were in the flow. Musically we would play, and work out ideas, and David and I would come up with vocal melodies that would later have lyrics. I remember it like it was yesterday.

"As you could imagine, Ritchie Blackmore [guitar] was in full prankster mode, Jon [Lord, keyboards] had warned me, and he rigged my room one night with a speaker that was hidden, and had ghostly voices delivered to my bedside.

"The title track was the last song to be written. We came back from the pub, and went down into the crypt, and magic happened."

Concluded Hughes: "It's time to celebrate 'Burn', and I'm really looking forward to seeing you."

"Burn" is the eighth studio album by the English rock band DEEP PURPLE, written and recorded in 1973, and released in February 1974. The album was the first to feature then-unknown Coverdale on vocals and Hughes, from TRAPEZE, on bass and vocals. "Burn" was recorded in Montreux, Switzerland, in November 1973, with the Rolling Stones Mobile Studio. With the addition of Coverdale and Hughes, DEEP PURPLE's hard rock sound incorporated elements of soul and funk, which would become much more prominent on the follow-up album, "Stormbringer".

The phenomenal "Burn" title track started things off at full throttle and challenged the seminal "Highway Star" for the honor of best opener to any DEEP PURPLE album, while showcasing the always-impressive drumming of Ian Paice. The fantastic slow-boiling blues of "Mistreated"'s greatness qualifies it for the highest echelons of hard rock achievement, and therefore ranks as an essential item in the discography of any self-respecting music fan.

"Burn" hit No. 3 on the U.K. albums chart, No. 9 on the U.S. Billboard 200, and No. 1 in Austria, Denmark, Germany, and Norway.

In 2004 "Burn" was remastered and released with bonus tracks. "Coronarias Redig" was recorded during the "Burn" recording sessions, used only as a B-side for the "Might Just Take Your Life" single in 1974. It appears as a bonus track (in remixed form) on the anniversary edition re-release. The 2004 remix version of "Burn" was later used in "Guitar Hero: Warriors Of Rock".

In 2005 an unauthorized documentary about the album was produced as part of "The Ultimate Critical Review" series. It featured a brand new interview with Hughes.

Rock 'N' Roll Hall of Fame's "Voice of Rock 'N' Roll", Glenn Hughes is taking over The Landis this August! Performing...

Posted by The Landis Theater on Friday, July 7, 2023

In a recent interview with Finland's Chaoszine, former ACCEPT and current U.D.O. frontman Udo Dirkschneider spoke about the evolution of his singing voice. The 71-year-old German-born vocalist said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "The [first] real proper European tour we did in — before we did the tour together in '81 with JUDAS PRIEST — it was the '80s; we did the first real European tour. And then also you have to learn that you keep your voice working. But never, ever — knock on wood [chuckles] — I never had any problems. For me, it's better to sing in a row maybe four or five shows than instead of singing just two shows, have a day off, and maybe three shows, maybe two days off. For me, I like to have, let's say, four or five shows in a row and then a day off. But [the voice is] still working, you know? So I don't know. I never had any problems. Of course, sometimes on tour you get a cold. But, for me, I have always a secure — I have a Plan B. And nobody really realizes that when you have a cold or something like that can always go around. But I think not many people will realize that."

Asked how his "warmup routine" has changed in the five-plus decades that he has been singing professionally, Udo said: "In the old days — now, I'm out of smoking for 20 years — but in the old days, I just was smoking a cigarette and then go on stage. I never warm up. Never. I never, ever did this. And this is for me — it's nothing bad against other bands, but sometimes when we have a support [act], and they are warming up for half an hour and screaming like hell, I say, 'Woah' — it goes on your nerve. But anyway, I do only just one shout, and then I know everything works and here we go. So that's enough for me."

This past, Udo talked about his vocal approach during a press conference for U.D.O.'s upcoming album, "Touchdown", in Hamburg, Germany. He said: "For me, the most important thing is that you are open-minded with music — not [have the attitude of], 'This is what I did for 40 years. I don't wanna change anything.' For me, [it's important] to be really open-minded. I always was open-minded. I mean, I was working with so many musicians. It was out of my control. We had a lot of changes. And I always [had the attitude of], 'Yeah.' I'm interested for me, myself, to see how far I can go with my vocals, with my voice.

"It's a different thing, but when I did this cover album [2022's 'My Way', released under the Udo Dirkschneider banner], I was making like a spectrum… For me, it was, like, 'Yeah, I can do that,'" he explained. "It was helping me also to see, 'Oh, can I cover this like this?' The range — this is also very interesting — my range got wider. I mean, I didn't expect this. It's like an old wine; the taste is getting much better.

"With my voice now, I can do so many different stuff," Udo added. "This is also a miracle for me, for myself. 20 or 25 years ago, to sing some songs, it was, like, 'What?' [Laughs] But now it's easy for me to do some also different stuff. And yeah, it's good to see. That means, for me, I see we can do a lot of different stuff also in the future."

"Touchdown" will be released on August 25 through Atomic Fire Records. The 13-track LP was recorded at various locations with producer Martin "Mattes" Pfeiffer and was mixed at Redhead Studio (Wilhelmshaven, Germany) while the mastering was handled by Stefan Kaufmann at ROXX Studio (Solingen, Germany),The record also includes a guest appearance by violinist Stefan Pintev on the closing track, and bass tracks were recorded by former ACCEPT bassist Peter Baltes. Artwork was provided by Martin Häusler who was also responsible for shooting band photos in support of the new album campaign.

In April, Baltes officially joined U.D.O. and DIRKSCHNEIDER, the two bands fronted by Udo Dirkschneider. The former ACCEPT bassist had been playing bass for U.D.O. since last September, initially as a temporary replacement for U.D.O.'s then-bassist Tilen Hudrap who was hospitalized after the band's show in Munich, Germany.

DIRKSCHNEIDER is the name of Udo's band which performs ACCEPT material exclusively.

Although Udo announced eight years ago that his initial DIRKSCHNEIDER tour would mark his final time performing ACCEPT songs, he has continued to play select shows under the DIRKSCHNEIDER banner.

Long-running, Dublin, Ireland-based Pagan metallers, Primordial, will release their tenth full-length, How It Ends, on September 29 via Metal Blade Records.


Primordial has nothing to prove. Having lasted thirty-two years and now returning with their devastating new studio offering, the Irish band has made it clear they are a primal force who consistently lay it all on the line. The follow-up to 2018's critically lauded Exile Amongst The Ruins, How It Ends sees them delivering more of their seminal blend of Celtic and black metal, with an extra added urgency, and staring down the apocalypse.


"The title is a question - is this how it ends? How it all goes down: culture, language, history, society - humanity - who knows?," says vocalist A. A. Nemtheanga. "Regardless of who you are or were, you get one chance at all of this, and it's asking is this the end of your town, state, nation? Myths, traditions, relationships, and I suppose it asks the question, who reacts, who rebels - how does it end now for them?"




Working alongside founding members Pól MacAmlaigh (bass) and Ciáran MacUilliam (guitar) and longtime drummer Simon O'Laoghaire, the band started writing in earnest in the fall of 2022, having lit a fire under themselves to work hastily and productively. Primordial never plans out a record beforehand, letting them come together naturally, though Nemtheanga knew he wanted something with a bigger, more open sound, and something more aggressive, which is exactly what they achieved. "How It Ends is a very angry, defiant, visceral, and rebellious album, and as we worked it all began to take more shape and form itself. It may be the note we go out on but it will be a note of resistance, in musical terms. I think it's also more metal! And more epic!"


It only takes one listen for these claims to be proven true, whether it's the surging, gruff, dark "Ploughs To Rust, Swords To Dust," the moody, desperate "Pilgrimage To The World's End," or the sprawling "All Against All," which is drenched in a sinister air and driven by pounding rhythms, wielding a towering climax. "It certainly sounds like Primordial, there is no doubt about that, we have our own style and this is a new chapter of the same book. If we have done anything new it's really to work with more conviction than ever, and trust more than ever our instincts."


Drawing lyrical influence both from modern and historical ideas, Nemtheanga always gives the listener something to think about. How It Ends is no exception. "If for example To The Nameless Dead (2007) was about the movement of borders, building of nations and those sent to war who gave their lives forming them, then this is the album more about resisting those empires, the freedom fighters, the outlaws, the people who made suicidal stands for freedom of speech, or independence - or for the most important word in the English language: liberty. It's not hard to see why the album is inspired by this considering where we are right now in the world."


In advance of the record's release, today the band unleashes first single and album closer, "Victory Has 1000 Fathers, Defeat Is An Orphan," and its accompanying video. Watch the clip below.


How It Ends was tracked at Hellfire Studios on the outskirts of Dublin, produced by the band and engineered by previous collaborator Chris Fielding.





The record will be released in the following formats:


(Worldwide) - Digital
(US) - Jewelcase CD
(Worldwide) 2xLP in Gatefold, with insert and downloadcard
(EU) - 2xDigipak CD (6-panel digi w/ 12-page booklet) w/ 6-bonus tracks
(EU) 2xLP Special Edition in Gatefold, with insert and downloadcard in slipcase with tote bag, slipmat, double-sided poster (ltd. to 1000 copies)





Find pre-orders here.





How It Ends tracklisting:


"How It Ends"
"Ploughs To Rust, Swords To Dust"
"We Shall Not Serve"
"Traidisiúnta"
"Pilgrimage To The World's End"
"Nothing New Under The Sun"
"Call To Cernunnos"
"All Against All"
"Death Holy Death"
"Victory Has 1000 Fathers, Defeat Is An Orphan"


"Victory Has 1000 Fathers, Defeat Is An Orphan" video:





Coinciding with the release of How It Ends, Primordial will serve as direct support to Paradise Lost on the Ultima Ratio Fest European Tour. Additional support will be provided by Omnium Gatherum and Harakiri For The Sky.


Primordial lineup:


A.A. Nemtheanga - vocals
Ciarán MacUilliam - guitar
Michael O'Floinn - guitar
Pól MacAmlaigh - bass
Simon O'Laoghaire - drums


(Photo - Fergal Flannery)