As death metal icons, Incantation, prepare the masses for their new album, Unholy Deification, set for release via Relapse Records on August 25, today the band shares the record’s third single, “Invocation (Chthonic Merge) X”, and its accompanying video. Watch below:





Edified over three-plus decades of experience, Unholy Deification is Incantation’s thirteenth full-length album. Validated by peers seasoned and new, Incantation is more vital than ever. The lineup, featuring founding guitarist/vocalist John McEntee, drummer Kyle Severn, bassist Chuck Sherwood, and guitarist Luke Shively, displays death metal know-how and the power of determination.




Lyrically, Unholy Deification originates with Sherwood. An avid reader and occult logician, the Incantation bassist wanted to capture a fully realized concept of evolution through enlightenment. Expect thought-provoking, historically derived intellection. The mortal-to-deity narrative interacts with the merciless musical conflagration of hard-hitting tracks such as "Concordat (The Pact) I," "Homunculus (Spirit Made Flesh) IX," and "Invocation (Chthonic Merge) X". Make no mistake - the ferocious new album, featuring guests Jeff Beccera (Possessed), Henry Veggian (ex-Revenant), and Dan Vadim Von (Morbid Angel), is pure death metal.


Incantation's sepulchral pandemonium is visually enhanced by award-winning artist and longstanding collaborator Eliran Kantor (Immolation, Kreator, Cavalera, and more.) The end result is an interpretation of Italian Renaissance masters but thrust into Incantation's cauldron of chromatic malice.


Physical Unholy Deification pre-orders are available via Relapse.com here. Digital downloads/streaming are available here.





Unholy Deification tracklisting:


"Offerings (The Swarm) IV"
"Concordat (The Pact) I"
"Chalice (Vessel Consanguineous) VIII"
"Homunculus (Spirit Made Flesh) IX"
"Invocation (Chthonic Merge) X"
"Megaron (Sunken Chamber) VI"
"Convulse (Words Of Power) III"
"Altar (Unify In Carnage) V"
"Exile (Defy The False) II"
"Circle (Eye of Ascension) VII"


“Homunculus (Spirit Made Flesh) IX” lyric video:





"Concordat (The Pact) I" video:





(Photo - Scott Kinkade)

Alice Cooper's new album, Road, will be released on August 25 via earMUSIC in a wide variety of formats and limited vinyl colours. Complementing the album’s theme, the bonus DVD/Blu-ray comes with Alice Cooper’s full live show at Hellfest 2022 and includes all the classics and rarely played gems. Check out "School's Out" from the set, below:





Produced by longtime collaborator Bob Ezrin, Road was written, composed and recorded with Alice's trusted, longtime bandmates - Ryan Roxie [guitar], Chuck Garric [bass], Tommy Henrikson [guitar], Glen Sobel [drums], and Nita Strauss [guitar]. Road channels the spirit of old school Alice with instantly recognizable grit and plenty of gusto. It’s everything you’d hope for from him and more.




“For Road, I wanted the band to be involved in the foundation of all the songs,” says Alice. “I only see these guys when we’re on the road. So, I wanted them to be as tight as they are for the show but on all new material. When you have a band this good, I believe in showing it off, and this is my way of doing so.”


The album opener and first single, “I’m Alice”, sets the tone for the album with its driving drumbeat as guitars wail in the distance. Alice’s instantly recognizable rasp takes hold, “I know you’re looking for a real good time. So, let me introduce you to a friend of mine. I’m Alice. I’m the Master of Madness; the Sultan of Surprise...so don’t be afraid, just look into my eyes.”


Pre-order your copy of Road at AliceCooper.com.





Road tracklisting:


"I'm Alice"
"Welcome To The Show"
"All Over The World"
"Dead Don't Dance"
"Go Away"
"White Line Frankenstein"
"Big Boots"
"Rules Of The Road"
"The Big Goodbye"
"Road Rats Forever"
"Baby Please Don't Go"
"100 More Miles"


"Welcome To The Show":





"White Line Frankenstein" video:





"I'm Alice" video:





Rock City Music Company, earMusic, WCSX / WRIF and Alice Cooper are teaming up to bring his new album, Road, to life with an exclusive in-store signing set for 4 PM ON September 4. Fans will have the chance to meet Alice Cooper and have their copy of Road signed in person.


Alice Cooper - "I’m coming to Detroit, and of course, that’s my hometown and the home of hard rock,  so, with the Road album just released the week before, I can’t think of a better place to  do an in-store album signing than the Motor City! So, all of you Detroiters come out and  see me and we’ll rock a little bit together!"


Alice will only be signing copies of Road and a ticket must be purchased to participate in the signing event. Due to time constraints, there will be no photos permitted with Alice. Tickets are available to purchase at RockCityMusicCo.com via Eventbrite.

Multi-platinum hard rock icons Extreme - Gary Cherone (vocals), Nuno Bettencourt (guitar), Pat Badger (bass), and Kevin Figueiredo (drums) - have released a static video for "Small Town Beautiful", a track from their new album, SIX, out now via earMusic. Check it out below:





SIX was recorded at Nuno Bettencourt’s home studio in Los Angeles. The album swings between unapologetic fits of fret-burning hard rock and intimately introspective balladry. Order SIX here.







SIX tracklisting:


"Rise"
"#Rebel"
"Banshee"
"Other Side of the Rainbow"
"Small Town Beautiful"
"The Mask"
"Thicker Than Blood"
"Save Me"
"Hurricane"
"X Out"
"Beautiful Girls"
"Here's To The Losers"


“Other Side Of The Rainbow” video:





"Banshee" video:





"#Rebel" video:





"Rise" video:





Extreme's headlining “Thicker Than Blood” world tour kicked off in the US earlier this month. It will be followed by stops in Australia and Japan in September and has already sold-out dates in cities including Detroit, Hampton Beach, Tokyo and Yokohama. The band also announced an additional jaunt beginning November 27 in Newcastle, UK and wrapping December 16 in Milan, IT.


Special guests Living Colour (who will also be supporting Extreme on their US and Australian shows) will appear on the UK leg and The Last Internationale will appear across Europe. Tickets  at extreme-band.com.





Tour dates:


August
15 - Milwaukee, WI - Pabst Theater #
17 - Gary, IN - Hard Rock Live #
18 - Minneapolis, MN - Skyway Theatre #
19 - Cedar Rapids, IA - The Paramount #
21 - Denver, CO - The Ogden #
22 - Albuquerque, NM - Revel Entertainment Center #
24 - Anaheim, CA - House of Blues #
26 - San Francisco, CA - The Regency #
28 - Portland, OR - TBD #
29 - Seattle, WA - The Showbox #


September
6 - Perth, AU - Regal Theatre #
8 - Adelaide, AU - Hindley Street Music Hall #
10 - Melbourne, AU - Forum #
12 - Sydney, AU - Enmore Theatre #
13 - Brisbane, AU - Fortitude Music Hall #
17 - Sendai, JP - Sendai Gigs
19 - Yokohama, JP - KT Zepp Yokohama
21 - Tokyo, JP - Hitomi Memorial Hall
25 - Nagoya, JP - Shimin Kaikan Hall
26 - Osaka, JP - Zepp Namba





November
27 - Newcastle, UK - O2 City Hall #
28 - Glasgow, UK - O2 Academy #
30 - Manchester, UK - O2 Academy #


December
1 - Wolverhampton, UK - Civic Hall #
3 - Bristol, UK - O2 Academy #
4 - London, UK - O2 Forum #
8 - Pratteln, Switzerland - Z7 Konzertfabrik *
10 - Berlin, Germany - Huxleys *
11 - Cologne, Germany - Live Music Hall *
12 - Amsterdam, Netherlands - Melkweg Max *
14 - Antwerp, Belgium - Trix *
16 - Milan, Italy - Alcatraz *


# with Living Colour
* with The Last Internationale

Australia's extreme metal titans, Thy Art Is Murder, have revealed turbulent new single, "Blood Throne", taken from the band's forthcoming album, Godlike, out September 15 via Human Warfare. Pre-order Godlike here, and watch the video below.


"AND SO THEY ROT!!" growls a menacing CJ McMahon as he ushers in "Blood Throne" with a maniacal glint in his eye. From here, Thy Art Is Murder blast open the ninth circle of hell with a potent mix of mayhem and force designed to galvanize us into overthrowing the evil that reigns on the Blood Throne.


Guitarist Andy Marsh offers, "As we started work on 'Blood Throne,' we aimed to harness the same visceral energy that drove 'Death Squad Anthem' while pushing our boundaries to craft something unique. Kicking things off with a break beat groove, we wanted to set the tone with a jolt to the system preparing everyone for the chaos ahead. 'Blood Throne' embodies our attempt at creative anthemic power and groove spiraling into a reflection of oppressive organizations and regimes that profit and thrive on the toil and pain of the marginalized. Throughout our career, we have confronted these themes head on with the aim of igniting a fire within each listener and inspiring the collective strength to challenge the dominion of those who perpetuate suffering."







Thy Art Is Murder ascended the ranks of extreme metal's top-tier bands with a meteoric underground rise as explosive as humankind's seemingly inevitable descent into doom and death. With their new album, Godlike, Australia's most harrowingly brutal export since George Miller's Mad Max franchise invites audiences worldwide to join them in a fresh Armageddon.


The sixth explosive album in the band's arsenal, Godlike cements Thy Art Is Murder as death metal's modern torchbearers. A soundtrack to a divisive post-modern dystopia, Godlike sees Thy Art Is Murder explore new depths and dynamics without sacrificing an ounce of intensity or urgency the band have staked their career on.


Recorded with their longtime producer and mixer, Will Putney, across the album’s 10 nihilistic tracks Thy Art are masters of their craft as they deliver sharp stabs, guttural descents and groove with muscular athleticism and confidence. Frontman CJ McMahon gives his strongest performance ever as he belts through lyrics that thematically confront how cycles of violence continue over time and feelings of separation in a hyper-polarized world.


Thy Art Is Murder’s thinking-person’s blackened death metal has challenged, provoked and inspired audiences around the world. Through relentless hard work, Thy Art have become one of the most successful extreme metal bands Australia has ever produced, making history on their own terms. Backed by an uncompromising discography, the two-time ARIA-Award nominees have smashed chart records in their native country, becoming the first homegrown extreme metal act to debut in the Top 5 with 2017's Dear Desolation.


Their electrifying and incendiary performances have seen the band do countless laps of the globe, becoming tourmates with genre-titans like Cannibal Corpse, Slayer, Kreator, Lamb Of God, Killswitch Engage, and Parkway Drive, alongside playing crucial festivals like Summer Breeze, Download, Graspop, and Wacken.


Join Thy Art Is Murder when they enter Godlike mode this coming September.





Godlike tracklisting:


"Destroyer Of Dreams"
"Blood Throne"
"Join Me In Armageddon"
"Keres"
"Everything Unwanted"
"Lesson in Pain"
"Godlike"
"Corrosion"
"Anathema"
"Bermuda"


"Keres" video:





"Join Me In Armageddon" video:





(Photo - Third Eye Visuals)

In a recent interview with Finland's Chaoszine, GOJIRA frontman Joseph Duplantier was asked if there are specific foods or drinks that he wouldn't have before a show that he feels affect his vocal cords, and on the opposite side, something that he thinks helps him with singing. He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I'm sure I can discover more things about that. But I feel what I need before a show and… For example, before this interview I was just slicing some avocado, 'cause avocado helps. It's healthy fats, and I like to eat a little bit of that or a banana or something that sort of sticks to your pipes. Definitely I'm not eating for three hours before a show."

He continued: "There's a lot to say about food, of course, and it's notorious that dairy is not really good before singing, for example. I don't do dairies for a long time now; I'm a vegan. I remember struggling before being vegan to manage my energy on stage. The energy level was good at first, and then the first time I screamed, I would almost pass out sometimes because I'm still digesting. Because at the beginning of our career, we were opening a lot, so we would eat and then go on stage, for example. This is very dangerous, because your body is trying to process the food, and if you wanna use your entire body to sing, as you should if you're a singer, there's gonna be a lot of things in the way and the body gets confused. And I almost fell passed out on stage multiple times because I was not done digesting.

"Also, I wanna say this on a side note, but since I quit animal products and I eat plant-based [foods] only, my energy increased by ten or a hundred," Joseph added. "I don't know, because how would I know? Every time we finish a show, I'm still full of energy and I keep going. I can keep going and going and going. And back in the day, before I changed my diet, at the end of the show, I was at the end of my life. And I was young; I was 20[-something]… Dude, I should be the opposite, right? But then I changed my diet, and now I can go anytime. Even if I eat in this three-hour window, it's gonna be super light, so it's gonna be acceptable. But if I would eat cheese or meat or heavy things, it's impossible.

"So I think although I don't have the healthiest lifestyle — I drink a few beers after the show; I'm a night owl, so I don't sleep a lot. I try to catch up on sleep in naps. But I do drink a lot of water and try to sleep as much as possible. These are my secrets — that are not secrets; everybody knows it [laughs], even for non-singers. But yeah, the diet change was crucial in my life."

Earlier this year, Joseph spoke to U.K.'s Kerrang! magazine about some of his favorite snacks on tour. He said: "Being vegan on tour used to be difficult, but it's easier these days now that I get to ask for whatever I want. [Laughs] A few years ago, when we were a little less important, I'd always have to make sure that I had olive oil and bread, so that if worst came to worst I could put some olive oil in a bowl with salt and bread. Olive oil is very important to me — I can feel it go into my joints and muscles and bones, which I really need to survive on tour. Aside from that, I eat a lot of quinoa and avocado. Maybe that's the most hipster answer ever, but it is such a healthy fat. The problem is that it doesn't grow where I live. Also, I need my coffee. I'm not a super-healthy eater. I like a lot of junk food. First and foremost, I'm vegan for the animals, but I do notice how much better it makes me feel."

Last October, GOJIRA released a new song titled "Our Time Is Now". The track appears on the soundtrack to EA Sports' long-running NHL video game franchise "NHL 23".

GOJIRA's latest album, "Fortitude", came out in April 2021 via Roadrunner Records. The follow-up to 2016's "Magma" was recorded and produced by Joseph at Silver Cord Studio — GOJIRA's Ridgewood, Queens, headquarters — and mixed by Andy Wallace (NIRVANA, RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE).

GOJIRA initially laid the foundation for "Fortitude" in 2020 with the surprise release of the single "Another World".

GOJIRA and MASTODON recently completed the first leg of "The Mega-Monsters Tour", a massive co-headline run across North America in 2023 along with special guests LORNA SHORE on all dates. The trek resumed with a second leg from August 9 through September 2.

In a new interview with Metal Edge, former MEGADETH guitarist Jeff Young spoke about his new band KINGS OF THRASH in which he is joined by another former MEGADETH member, David Ellefson (bass). KINGS OF THRASH recently completed a couple of tours during which it performed MEGADETH's classic albums "Killing Is My Business… And Business Is Good!" and "So Far, So Good… So What!" A live CD/DVD package called "Best Of The West…Live At The Whisky A Go Go" was recorded and filmed live at the legendary Whisky A Go Go in West Hollywood, California on October 15, 2022 and was released this past March via Cleopatra Records. The DVD, which was directed by Michael Sarna for Inmotion Entertainment, includes an appearance by another former MEGADETH member, Chris Poland (guitar).

"Let me put it this way: What's happening now is a win for all of us — Dave [Mustaine, MEGADETH leader] included," Young told Metal Edge. "He gets to make money off the publishing from the MEGADETH songs we play. Dave knows that, so he's very aware of us."

Young continued: "He hates what KINGS OF THRASH is doing. But it doesn't matter because, eventually, we'll delete a lot of the MEGADETH from our set, and we'll keep writing new stuff. But Dave is feeling the heat because we're getting attention, and the KINGS OF THRASH album will be better than anything MEGADETH has done recently. And we're playing all the MEGADETH songs better than he has in years. It's not just me saying that — read the reviews."

This past January, Young told Ultimate Guitar that he and Ellefson had not received any feedback from Mustaine about their new band or their recent live shows. "We couldn't care less… and it's a win-win for him," Jeff said. "Because all the publishing, for example, on the 'Best Of The West', he's getting all that money. We're making him money and he doesn't have to do anything. So, we're performing the songs because they're part of our history and the fans want to hear them and we will benefit from that, and so will he, so it's a win-win. How much cooler can anything be than that? So, if he has something to say about it… I wouldn't imagine it would be very objective… not that anything he's ever said has been objective."

Jeff's recent comments were similar to those he made last year when he told Thomas S. Orwat, Jr. of the Rock Interview Series that he and Ellefson were "really not concerned" about Mustaine's reaction to KINGS OF THRASH. "I don't pay attention," he said. "I haven't really paid attention or followed MEGADETH since, I think, I heard the 'Rust In Peace' album a couple of times, and then what you might hear on the radio or in the press.

"For us, this isn't about any spite or retaliation; it's a celebration of the music that we were all a part of, that we helped create," he explained. "And it's fun for us to do this.

"People said, 'You should do this.' And we said, 'Hey, yeah, you're right. We should do this.' It's a win-win — it's a win for us, and it's a win for [Mustaine], because any performance royalties, anything… If we did include live tracks, he would make money off that. It's promoting albums that hopefully fans will go back and buy, which is putting money right in his pocket. Especially 'Killing Is My Business', I think a lot of people are gonna go back and wanna rediscover that album after this tour.

"For us, it's all about positivity," Young added. "We're all in this moment — we're living in the moment, and we're not looking beyond. We're not reading any of the comments on Blabbermouth or any of the stuff. Because we know what our intent is, and intent is everything. And our intent's positive. We like playing together. We know we're crafting original music. We're not relying on this; we don't need to ride the coattails of this. This is just something that the fans wanted, and you wanna give fans what they want."

Ellefson told Yes! You CAN Play Guitar! that the intention behind KINGS OF THRASH is not to stick it to his former bandmates. "This is a celebration, not a retaliation," he explained. "This is a good moment. This is a happy moment, to celebrate these songs and these tracks and these records. So we go at it with just fun… It's, like, 'Wow. Wouldn't it be fun if we went out and played these records?' And we're doing it. So it's meant to be this celebration and bringing people together. And honestly, that was kind of always my role in MEGADETH. Dave [Mustaine] always called me 'The Ambassador', and I was always that guy, and I am that guy. So it's, like, let me just continue that role in our community and have one of good will."

Ellefson was fired from MEGADETH more than two years ago after sexually tinged messages and explicit video footage involving the bassist were posted on Twitter.

David was in MEGADETH from the band's inception in 1983 to 2002, and again from 2010 until his latest exit.

In 2004, Ellefson filed an $18.5-million lawsuit against Mustaine, alleging the MEGADETH leader shortchanged him on profits and backed out of a deal to turn Megadeth Inc. over to him when the band broke up in 2002. The lawsuit was eventually dismissed and Ellefson rejoined MEGADETH in 2010.

Young's entire career with MEGADETH was spent recording and touring in support of the band's 1988 platinum-selling album "So Far, So Good...So What!"

Jeff made headlines in December 2009 for accusing Mustaine of, among other things, "dissing, exaggerating and just plain lying on some level about nearly every talented musician that has passed through his dysfunctional little ensemble." He also disputed Mustaine's claim in an interview that Young's drug problem led to MEGADETH's 1988 Australian tour being called off and the group being "banned" from performing in the country.

In some recent interviews, Ellefson suggested that the upcoming original material from KINGS OF THRASH, which also includes drummer Fred Aching as well as guitarist/vocalist Chaz Leon, may be released under a different moniker. "Because, look, it doesn't have to be thrash," he told KNAC.COM. "It doesn't even have to be from a MEGADETH origin, really. Even though that was kind of the origin story, it doesn't have to sound like that. It should be us, who we are now today, I think. So, we've decided KINGS OF THRASH, for sure, is this [touring project] playing the music of yesterday. And then we're just deciding now, okay, this new music, to fit within that, should it be Jeff Young and David Ellefson doing something together? You know — ELLEFSON-YOUNG."

Fan-filmed video of PANTERA's August 12 concert at the Budweiser Stage in Toronto, Ontario, Canada can be seen below.

The band's setlist was as follows:

01. A New Level
02. Mouth For War
03. Strength Beyond Strength
04. Becoming
05. I'm Broken
06. Suicide Note Pt. II
07. 5 Minutes Alone
08. This Love
09. Fucking Hostile
10. Planet Caravan (BLACK SABBATH cover)
11. Walk
12. Domination / Hollow
13. Cowboys From Hell

Encore:

14. Slaughtered
15. Revolution Is My Name

Encore 2:

16. Yesterday Don't Mean Shit

The reformed PANTERA kicked off its U.S. headlining tour with LAMB OF GOD on July 28 at The Pavilion at Star Lake in Burgettstown, Pennsylvania.

PANTERA's current setlist includes two songs which hadn't been performed live since the band's comeback last year: "Slaughtered", from PANTERA's 1994 album "Far Beyond Driven", widely considered the heaviest metal record to ever reach No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart; and "Revolution Is My Name" from PANTERA's final studio album, 2000's "Reinventing The Steel".

PANTERA's 2023 lineup includes two surviving members from the band's classic formation, Philip Anselmo (vocals) and Rex Brown (bass),along with guitarist Zakk Wylde (OZZY OSBOURNE, BLACK LABEL SOCIETY) and drummer Charlie Benante (ANTHRAX).

Anselmo and Brown, along with Wylde and Benante, are headlining a number of major festivals across South America, Asia, North America and Europe and staging some of their own headline concerts. They will also support METALLICA on a massive North American stadium tour in 2023 and 2024.

According to Billboard, the lineup has been given a green light by the estates of the band's founders, drummer Vincent "Vinnie Paul" Abbott and guitarist "Dimebag" Darrell Abbott, as well as Brown, who in 2021 said Wylde wouldn't tour with PANTERA if a reunion were to happen. It's unclear what changed his mind.

This past March, PANTERA headlined the 2023 "comeback" edition of Japan's Loud Park festival. The two-day "limited" event took place on March 25 at Intex Osaka in Osaka and March 26 at Makuhari Messe in Chiba City near Tokyo.

In December, PANTERA played seven shows in Mexico and South America.

Brown was forced to leave PANTERA's Latin American tour after testing positive for COVID-19. Filling in for him at some of the shows was CATTLE DECAPITATION bassist Derek Engemann, who also plays with Anselmo in both PHILIP H. ANSELMO & THE ILLEGALS and SCOUR.

Up until his passing, Vinnie remained on non-speaking terms with Anselmo, whom the drummer indirectly blamed for Dimebag's death.

Vinnie Paul and Dimebag co-founded PANTERA. When PANTERA broke up in 2003, they formed DAMAGEPLAN. On December 8, 2004, while performing with DAMAGEPLAN at the Alrosa Villa in Columbus, Ohio, Dimebag was shot and killed onstage by a troubled schizophrenic who believed that the members of PANTERA were stealing his thoughts.

Vinnie passed away on June 22, 2018 at his other home in Las Vegas at the age of 54. He died of dilated cardiomyopathy, an enlarged heart, as well as severe coronary artery disease. His death was the result of chronic weakening of the heart muscle — basically meaning his heart couldn't pump blood as well as a healthy heart.

In a new interview with The Razor's Edge conducted at this past weekend's Bloodstock Open Air festival in the United Kingdom, KILLSWITCH ENGAGE frontman Jesse Leach was asked how important it is to him to stay true to the band's sound and style when writing new music while still adding something fresh for the fans and for the bandmembers themselves. He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Yeah, I think it's super important. We do our best. You kind of wanna give people what they want, but you also wanna be satisfied as an artist. And I think with this record we're working on currently, 15, 14 demos in, and we're gonna be tossing out, like, four or five of them already to redo some stuff and to rethink some stuff just to make sure that everybody in the band feels like we're doing the best we can, and it does sound fresh yet familiar. So it's a challenge… You wanna please your fans, but you also wanna please yourself as an artist and as a band. So we're focusing on us first. And then my hope is that the fans will in turn be pleased with what we're doing because we are putting the effort in to ensure that it's something that isn't just a remake of something we've done before."

Also at this year's Bloodstock Open Air, KILLSWITCH ENGAGE drummer Justin Foley told Forever Loud about the status of the band's upcoming studio LP: "Yeah, we're still working on that record. Hopefully we can start getting some of it tracked fairly soon. We're just trying to do all the before work as much as possible, so when we get to the other work, it's as easy as it can possibly be. So, yeah, hopefully that will be done soon enough. And then next time we're back out here [in the U.K.], we'll have some new stuff to play."

Asked if KILLSWITCH ENGAGE guitarist Adam Dutkiewicz will once again be in charge of the production of the band's new LP, Justin said: "Yeah. We're pretty sure that we're gonna do it with Adam and Adam's gonna be the producer. I mean, it just makes sense. He knows what we're doing. We know how to work with him. We all know how to work with each other real well, and he obviously gets the band and what we're trying to go for. So it just makes too much sense not to do."

Last week, Adam told Kerrang! magazine about the progress of the songwriting sessions for the follow-up to 2019's "Atonement" album: "We've been writing for quite some time now. Jesse has been working out some lyric ideas and demos for the last few days, actually. We've got a lot of songs kind of rolling around right now. I'm thinking about getting back into the studio after this tour and getting to work, and I'm hoping we'd like to have the record done by the end of the year. But it might take a bit longer than that, so I would assume new music next year, for sure."

Last month, Leach told Oran O'Beirne of Bloodstock TV about the band's next album: "I think we made some headway. Definitely some good ideas, some good demos. I'm revisiting some ideas. We had a great little meeting where all of us got together and listened and talked, which, to me, has been a great process. And I think it's gonna make this album a lot different than what we've done in the past, 'cause everyone sort of has their voice. We're taking more time with it. So, yeah, it is taking a bit longer but it gives me hope that the end result will be that much better because it is taking a little bit more time to do it. But I'm stoked, for sure. There's some bangers on there already."

During the same chat, KILLSWITCH ENGAGE bassist Mike D'Antonio revealed that he wasn't feeling very inspired in the early days of the coronavirus downtime. "During the pandemic, for me, I kind of wasn't able to do much at all," he said. "You'd think that that would be the best writing process, to be nervous about your future and not sure what's gonna happen next. But I was just locked in some sort of a mode where I couldn't even do graphic design; for about six to eight months, I didn't do anything. But I think after that, it definitely seemed to start flowing. Especially when we did the live gig at the Palladium [in Worcester, Massachusetts], the livestream that we did [in August 2021], that kind of helped make the juices work a little bit more. We learned a lot of songs from 'Atonement' that we actually never played live together before, so that was an experience. And I think that's what kind of jarred us into, 'Okay, let's get this thing moving again.'"

In June, Leach told Pete Bailey of Primordial Radio that the new KILLSWITCH ENGAGE album was "taking a lot longer than, I think, any of us anticipated, because there's a lot of quality control going on. And making sure that it's fresh; we're not repeating ourselves," he explained. "So that process has been a little arduous but I think necessary because we don't wanna put out something that people are gonna go, 'Oh, yeah. Another KILLSWITCH record. Whatever.'"

Regarding where he and his KILLSWITCH ENGAGE are right now with respect to the writing process, Jesse said: "We're solidifying a lot, but there's still some back-and-forth and looking at parts and rewriting the music. And then I'm revisiting a lot of the lyrics. I've actually rewritten a bunch of stuff. 'Cause we all got together and had a meeting, and all of us just kind of gave our input on everything, and I took notes. It's the first time, really, I think we've done that. But, again, I do believe that it's necessary at our stage in our career to really just kind of get all of our heads together to make sure that this record is gonna be what we all feel is a good representation of who we are right now."

On the topic of the lyrical inspiration for the new KILLSWITCH ENGAGE material, Jesse said: "Initially, for me, I really wanted to put out something that was healing, something that could help people cope. But it's kind of turned into anger, it's kind of turned into frustration, it's kind of turned into seeing the greater deceptions of everything that's going on, the struggles of humanity. So I've kind of taken a turn for a little bit more of a darker topic than I initially had hoped for, but I think it's necessary. I think once I really sort of dug into myself, I realized that there was a lot that I was not tapping in to. And when I got honest with myself, I [said], 'You know what? There is a lot to be pissed off about.' And maybe that's the route; maybe that's the good therapeutic way to deal with it. You don't always have to sugarcoat things and let people know there's gonna be hope. Maybe it's just time to get your hands dirty and talk about some of the harder-to-deal-with topics, and that's kind of what I've been doing lately."

Back in June 2022, Leach told Australia's Heavy that he and his bandmates would try to get the new KILLSWITCH ENGAGE LP "wrapped up and done quickly, because we want it to be a record that's not gonna take a lot of time to create. We want that raw, fresh feeling, so a lot of these demos I'm trying to [get] through quickly just to get the energy and then we'll sort of dissect them as new get into the studio," he explained. "So I think there's a real spirit within us to put out new material and then tour on that new record come next year, hopefully. So that's kind of what we're all thinking."

Elaborating on the time table for the completion of the next KILLSWITCH ENGAGE LP, Leach told Heavy: "I'm personally setting goals for me to create quick, very emotional, raw stuff for the demos and then probably taking a little more time, once we get to the studio, to polish that up and make it sound really good. Some of these demos I'm getting ready to send to the guys, if you would listen to them, most people would probably laugh 'cause they're just me going nuts, just trying to get the idea out quick and then we'll worry about re-recording it and polishing it and sort of making it sound KILLSWITCH-y.

"I've always been really hard on myself — a perfectionist, if you will — and I think it's hindered me in the demo-making process," he explained. "So my approach to this record is I wake up in the morning and I write lyrics out of the sleep. I listen to the music. It's moving very quickly for me, and it just feels fresh; it feels new. And then us getting into a room and jamming on that shit together, which we haven't done in years, that's the vibe we're going for. We kind of wanna bring that live feeling, that live sound to this next record… I want that energy to be there.

"Live music shouldn't be perfect," Leach added. "I don't like the studio fixes, I don't like the tuning — I hate all that shit. So the less that can happen, I'm into it. I'd rather keep it raw. It's rock and roll, man — it shouldn't be perfect. I think metal, over the years, has become very compressed and very manufactured. To me, I'm all about pushing away from that. So I think this next record will be a push-and-pull, 'cause [KILLSWITCH ENGAGE guitarist and producer] Adam [Dutkiewicz] is very much a perfectionist with the way he likes things to sound. So it should be interesting. He's on board of that too — sort of getting more of a live feel to what we're doing. I think it comes across. When you come see a band live like us, it is a little different than a record. But it should be."

"Atonement" was released in August 2019 via Metal Blade Records in the U.S. and Sony Music Entertainment in the rest of the world. The disc featured guest appearances by former KILLSWITCH ENGAGE singer Howard Jones and TESTAMENT frontman Chuck Billy. It marked the band's third full-length release since the return of Leach, who rejoined the group in 2012.

In July 2021, Leach and Dutkiewicz released the second album from their TIMES OF GRACE project, "Songs Of Loss And Separation", via the band's own imprint label, Wicked Good Records, distributed by ADA Worldwide.

Singer Maria Brink and guitarist Chris Howorth of IN THIS MOMENT spoke to Meltdown of the Detroit radio station WRIF about the band's upcoming eighth studio album, "Godmode", which will be released on October 27 via BMG. Chris said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "It's different from all of our other albums in a lot of ways. One way is the fact that instead of getting off of a tour and having, like, three months to get it together, go into the studio and make a new one, we had several years to do it. And we used a different producer — we used Kane Churko instead of his father, Kevin. Kevin has done all of our records except for one. So he's done six IN THIS MOMENT albums; Kane's done this newest one. And honestly, working with him brought a whole new level of intensity to the project and the change and the time we had to make it kind of made us a little bit more — I don't know — powerful and aggressive, and the whole thing has an intensity to it that's, that's different for us. Because it was a whole fresh new vibe— the whole thing."

Regarding the musical direction of the new IN THIS MOMENT material, Maria said: "It's very visceral. I mean, we came out of the pandemic and just the three years and all these building up things in us, so it's a little darker than we normally maybe tend to be. I like to always kind of have some inspirational moments and things like that, and there's some of that in there, but it is a lot of purging, kind of a lot of built up, like, things that have… I guess we felt trapped for three years, and just so many, so many things going on and everybody at each other's throat. So there is a lot of kind of visceral releasing in there, let's say. It's heavier. There's different time signatures than we've ever done and a lot new experimental things. And I'm excited for it. I really am. I think people are gonna like it."

On the topic of the more progressive nature of some of the new IN THIS MOMENT songs, Maria said: "I love all that off-time signature stuff. I'm obsessed with how people take two parts, and the one part's going one way and then this other part comes in, but it really doesn't go with this part, and then, all of a sudden, they all start going together. And so I kept telling [Chris] I really wanted to start bringing in a lot of this. He loves all that. He's, like, 'Hell yeah.' And we just started creating. It was a really natural flow for us."

She added: "We've bumped heads before in the past. And IN THIS MOMENT really does wind up always having its sound because of us two collaborating. If it was just me, it'd be very one way. If it was just Chris, it'd be very one way. IN THIS MOMENTisIN THIS MOMENT because of like how we collide. But we were just flowing on this one. I was so impressed with every single thing he was bringing to the table. He was loving what I was bringing to the table. There was no fighting. It was just like — 'flow like a river,' we were calling it, 'cause it was beautiful."

Asked to clarify if "Godmode" is "more proggy" than some of IN THIS MOMENT's previous records, Chris said: "It definitely is. And heavier and there's more riffs, kind of, but in a way that works with the song. I think the time that we had to make it, the unintentional time with the pandemic and everything, made it so that it's just better, because the pressure of having to just come up with a bunch of new stuff on the spot, it made me check out a lot on some of the previous albums on — you know, the feeling of creativity — whereas this one, it all felt more flowy, like she said."

Last month, IN THIS MOMENT released the first single from "Godmode", a song called "The Purge", along with an official music video directed by Jensen Noen (ICE NINE KILLS, FALLING IN REVERSE, HOLLYWOOD UNDEAD).

When the track was first released, Maria said in a statement: "We are thrilled to unveil 'The Purge' to everyone. I am so grateful for how everything flowed to bring this song to life, both sonically and visually. Kane Churko and Jensen Noen helped to create this musical and cinematic experience with us and we could not have done it without them. The underlying message of the song is to not fall too deeply into the rabbit hole, everything is about finding balance. I had a lot of emotions building within me when I approached the song for the first time and after years of holding it all in I finally got to let it out!"

Howorth added: "This song came from our time in lockdown. We all had our own personal experiences during the pandemic, and we all saw the social unrest unfolding daily tearing us apart. It was such a crazy time. Our band, like everything else, was stopped in its tracks. During the lockdown I was sending Maria musical ideas I was working on, and this one really resonated with her. She even said, 'This is gonna be our first single.' Fast forward a couple years and all the pent-up frustration and angst came pouring out in Maria's lyrics and performance, creating this crazy visceral song."

"Godmode" was recorded at Hideout Recording Studio in Las Vegas, Nevada with producers Kane Churko (OZZY OSBOURNE, PAPA ROACH, FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH) and Tyler Bates ("John Wick" movies, Jerry Cantrell, BUSH).

"Godmode" track listing:

01. Godmode
02. The Purge
03. Army Of Me
04. Sacrifice
05. Skyburner
06. Sanctify Me
07. Everything Starts And Ends With You
08. Damaged (feat. Spencer Charnas)
09. Fate Bringer
10. I Would Die For You

IN THIS MOMENT debuted "Sacrifice" and "The Purge" at the opening concert of "The Dark Horizon Tour" on July 8 at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut.

"I Would Die For You" previously appeared on the soundtrack for "John Wick: Chapter 4".

IN THIS MOMENT is joined on "The Dark Horizon Tour" by co-headliners MOTIONLESS IN WHITE, along with special guests FIT FOR A KING and FROM ASHES TO NEW. The trek, which sees IN THIS MOMENT and MOTIONLESS IN WHITE alternating closing sets each night, will continue through an August 19 performance at MVP Arena in Albany, New York.

In support of the new album, IN THIS MOMENT will embark on a 2023 co-headline "Kiss Of Death" tour with ICE NINE KILLS. The 20-date tour kicks off on November 3 at Hard Rock Live in Gary, Indiana making stops across the U.S. in Cincinnati, Atlanta, Orlando and more before the final show in Washington, D.C. at The Anthem on November 28.

Last October, IN THIS MOMENT released an EP called "Blood 1983". The effort commemorated the tenth anniversary of IN THIS MOMENT's gold-certified album "Blood" (2012) and was made available digitally across all digital service providers as well as CD via BMG.

"Blood 1983" was co-produced by Tyler Bates and Dan Haigh, and mixed by Zakk Cervini.

IN THIS MOMENT is Brink, Howorth, Travis Johnson (bass),Randy Weitzel (rhythm guitar),Kent Dimmel (drums).

In a new interview with Brazil's Heavy Talk, BLIND GUARDIAN frontman Hansi Kürsch was asked why he and his bandmates seemingly don't have any tattoos. He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "We're in no way typical. I mean, what we're doing we're doing with passion, and [tattoos] never appealed to any one of us. We're not against tattoos, but it won't suit me. I have very thin arms, for example, so the tattoo would fall off, so there's no need for it. And the other guys, they always thought the same way. But again, it's also a question of region where you come from. I don't identify myself with tattoos. I see a lot of people wearing tattoos, and I'm just, like, 'Okay, it's a fashion.' That's not what tattoos are supposed to be. And this is why I'm not keen [on] getting a tattoo because it's not my ideology, it's not my way of thinking."

BLIND GUARDIAN's latest album, "The God Machine", was released last September via Nuclear Blast. The cover artwork for the CD was designed by Peter Mohrbacher.

Prior to "The God Machine"'s arrival, BLIND GUARDIAN's latest release was the all-orchestral album "Twilight Orchestra: Legacy Of The Dark Lands", which came out in November 2019 via Nuclear Blast. To create the concept, lead guitarist André Olbrich and Kürsch worked alongside German bestselling author Markus Heitz, whose novel "Die Dunklen Lande" was released in March 2019. The book is set in 1629 and contains the prequel to "Legacy Of The Dark Lands".

BLIND GUARDIAN's previous "regular" studio album, "Beyond The Red Mirror", was issued in 2015. It was the band's first LP since 2010's "At The Edge Of Time", marking the longest gap between two studio albums in BLIND GUARDIAN's career. It was also the group's first album without bassist Oliver Holzwarth since 1995's "Imaginations From The Other Side".

BLIND GUARDIAN's core trio consists of Kürsch, lead guitarist André Olbrich and rhythm guitarist Marcus Siepen. Drummer Frederik Ehmke has been with the group since 2005.

Drummer Thomen Stauch played on BLIND GUARDIAN's first seven albums before being replaced by Ehmke. Frederik made his recording debut with BLIND GUARDIAN on 2006's "A Twist In The Myth".

The reunited classic lineup of BIOHAZARD — guitarist/vocalist Billy Gradziadei, guitarist Bobby Hambel, drummer Danny Schuler and bassist/vocalist Evan Seinfeld — has confirmed that it is working on new music.

"The inspiration's coming from these shows," Bobby told Le Coin Metal in a new interview (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET). "Being back together, celebrating and doing all these shows, it's great. We're having a good time, but now we're getting the vibe from the crowd and we're feeling it, and it's getting in our bones. We're getting that hunger and the ideas are starting to come out off of these shows."

Added Billy: "For me, it's kind of cool because the other reason I did [my solo project] BILLYBIO is because there was no BIOHAZARD, and the songs that I would've been showing these guys just [ended up] BILLYBIO songs. So being back with these guys is, like… It's cool to have another outlet for my music."

As previously reported, BIOHAZARD will support MEGADETH on five shows in the U.S. and Canada in September.

The first reunion gig from Gradziadei, Hambel, Schuler and Seinfeld took place on May 26 at the Milwaukee Metal Fest at The Rave/Eagles Ballroom in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

BIOHAZARD will make a number of other appearances throughout 2023, including at multiple international festivals in the summer, and will play select gigs in America.

This past January, Schuler told Dan Shinder of Drum Talk TV, Schuler about how BIOHAZARD came back together: "We haven't toured in about seven years, almost eight years. In about 2015, [that] was the last year of touring. We wrapped it up after that. We went in the studio to go do a record and things just kind of imploded; everybody's a bunch of crazy personalities. In the ensuing years, we didn't do anything as BIOHAZARD. And then about a year and a half ago, my brother, who lives in Torrance, California, was flying back home to New York to come see everybody. And he gets to the airport here, and he says to me, 'You won't believe who I saw at the airport.' And I said, 'Who was that?' And he goes, 'I saw Evan,' the bass player from BIOHAZARD, Evan Seinfeld, who I hadn't spoken to in 10 years. And they had a good conversation, and it was cordial. And he basically sent a message through my brother, 'Tell Danny I said hi.' So a week later, I'm going on vacation. I'm feeling good. I'm going down to the beach house here in [New] Jersey with my wife and my kids, and I said to my wife, 'Maybe I should call him' — you know, just bury the hatchet. Who cares anymore? Like everybody, COVID and all these people dying and all this stuff, it's, like, who the hell cares about all that old stuff that made you mad. So my wife was, like, 'Yeah, why don't you give him a call? Don't be an asshole. Call him.'

"Anyway, long story short, I did call him and we spoke," he continued. "And we just kind of buried the hatchet. And the other guys in the band, Bobby and Billy, had been speaking, and we've been speaking, and everybody just kind of started talking a little bit. And unfortunately, our former manager, Scott Koenig, who was out in Los Angeles, he passed away. And that was a real moment where it was, like, 'Wow.' Scott was with us from the beginning, and he was like a fifth member of the band. … That was in October of '21. … I got that call. And the same week, Ir friend of ours from a band called DOG EAT DOG, our friend Sean Kilkenny passed away the same day as Scott. So it was two phone calls, two brothers, two great, close friends, like family, both passed at the same time. And for me, that was kind of one of those things where it's just, like, who cares about all the negative bullshit in the past? Who cares? We're still here. We did great stuff together. We created something cool. We should all be friends. And that was my thinking. And everyone kind of felt the same way. And that kind of was the beginning of how it started, getting the band together."

Last year, Graziadei said in an interview that there had been "talk" about putting BIOHAZARD back together.

The group, which is acknowledged as one of the earliest outfits to fuse hardcore punk and heavy metal with elements of hip-hop, had been out of the public eye since Scott Roberts left the band seven years ago.

Roberts, who played guitar on BIOHAZARD's 2005 album "Means To An End", rejoined the group in June 2011 as the replacement for Seinfeld. Scott fronted BIOHAZARD for nearly five years before exiting the band in February 2016.

In an August 2020 interview with the "Aftershocks" podcast, Roberts said that he left BIOHAZARD because he "wasn't happy" anymore. "There was one guy that I wasn't getting along with very well, and it made touring not fun anymore for me," he said. "My reason to stick around was to make a new record that was great and I'd be proud of and all that stuff, and then it became kind of clear that wasn't gonna happen, so I was, like, 'What am I doing it for?' So I quit."

Seinfeld made his last recorded appearance with BIOHAZARD on 2012's "Reborn In Defiance" album, which marked the first LP featuring the band's original lineup in 18 years.

Graziadei is currently a member of POWERFLO, which also features former FEAR FACTORY bassist/guitarist Christian Olde Wolbers, Sen Dog from CYPRESS HILL, and Rogelio Lozano from DOWNSET.

Billy's solo project, BILLYBIO, released a new album, "Leaders And Liars", in March 2022 via AFM Records.

FLEETWOOD MAC drummer and co-founder Mick Fleetwood, who has lived in Maui for several decades, has spoken out about the catastrophic wildfire disaster that ravaged the Hawaiian island last week.

The 76-year-old musician, whose restaurant, Fleetwood's On Front St., located in the historic town of Lahaina on Maui, was destroyed in raging wildfires fanned by hurricane winds, was in California when the fires began. When the news broke, he immediately flew back to help provide aid and supplies.

"I haven't lost a family member. I didn't lose my house," he told "CBS Mornings". "It could have happened, but it didn't happen. So you immediately go, like, 'I'm really lucky. Now what the hell can I do?' I mean, the whole town of Lahaina is no more."

At least 96 people were confirmed to have died as of Sunday night, but officials warned the figure was likely to rise as recovery crews with cadaver dogs work their way through hundreds of homes and burned-out vehicles in Lahaina. It's already the deadliest U.S. wildfire for over a century.

"It's truly monumental, the fact that this culture and these islands are… I mean, look at this place," Fleetwood told "CBS Mornings". "It actually magnifies. How could it happen there? It's unimaginable, and something unimaginable adds, in my quiet opinion, to keeping the focus on what has to be done to put this back together."

Regarding what made Lahaina so special, Mick said: "For people not from here, it's Maui, Hawaii, Lahaina, it was charming. It was artistic. It had a history of music. It had a history of paying attention to culture. I would always reference it as going into the French Quarter in New Orleans where, although it's changed, nothing could take away from the essence."

Opened in 2012 on Front Street, a popular tourist destination, Fleetwood's On Front St. overlooked the West Maui section of the Pacific Ocean.

Fleetwood's On Front St. had won several awards in the first couple of years after opening its doors, including the restaurant association's coveted Best New Restaurant, numerous food awards and the Maui County Fair's best vegetarian and best overall chili in the 2013 cook-off, beating all entries in all categories.

Last week, FLEETWOOD MAC singer Stevie Nicks shared an Instagram post concerning the Maui wildfires, writing: As I am sure you have heard – the island, Maui, where I own a house I have been staying at since the 80s – and the small village, city, most magical place on earth, Lahaina, burned to the ground over the last few days. And to make the situation worse my young niece, her husband, and their little boy had just arrived for a very needed vacation before she started up her school year (on her way to becoming a psychologist) for 10 days. They had one and a half days of fun and then — the fire started."

Nicks revealed in her post that around 5 a.m. the house suffered a power outage that lasted until noon and that she had no way to get in contact with her niece, Jessi.

"There was no way to know that this amazing town that had survived so much for so long would burn down and disappear into the history books, leaving so much sadness, destruction, and death behind it in its wake," lamented the singer. "This island, in so many ways, defines FLEETWOOD MAC and me and our families.

"My truth was that I wanted a house here just so I could spend time in Lahaina walking the streets; visiting the art galleries — sitting on the rock wall — Most all the opals I wear on my fingers came from a store on Front Street. I hope the sweet lady who owned that store was able to grab all her opals and run. I hope she made it out."

The cost to rebuild Lahaina was estimated at $5.5 billion, according to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).

In a new interview with Heavy Debriefings, vocalist Marc Hudson of Grammy-nominated power metal legends DRAGONFORCE spoke about the progress of the recording sessions for the band's follow-up to 2019's "Extreme Power Metal" album. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I'm actually going into the studio probably tonight to finish off some stuff. But, yeah, we've been working on an album for a while now and, obviously, trying to play some shows in between. We've got a few festivals. We just did one last weekend, and then we've got one this weekend. Then obviously the big tour [in the fall]. So, yeah, we need to basically finish all that up. We've basically finished everything. It's just a case of like polishing the final product and then hopefully playing some of the songs — well, we definitely will be playing the songs on the next tour, so [we'll be] learning a new setlist and all that stuff."

Last week, DRAGONFORCE announced that it had signed a new record deal with Napalm Records.

Formed in 1999, the London, U.K.-based unit has captivated audiences worldwide with its highly successful records and iconic singles, including the platinum-selling anthem "Through The Fire And Flames". Renowned for their epic compositions, DRAGONFORCE's signature lies in their masterful and lightning-fast guitar solos, brilliantly crafted by the virtuosic duo of Herman Li and Sam Totman. Comprising Hudson, bassist Alicia Vigil, and drummer Gee Anzalone, the five-piece ensemble draws inspiration from a myriad of heavy metal styles, fantasy realms, and video games, blending 1980s rock influences with infectious sing-along choruses and uplifting melodies.

DRAGONFORCE has also announced the North American headline leg of a colossal world tour that promises to be their most exhilarating to date. Featuring special guests AMARANTHE with additional support from Napalm Records labelmates NANOWAR OF STEEL, as well as EDGE OF PARADISE, the tour will begin on October 20 in Mesa, Arizona. After visiting many major cities across the U.S. and Canada, the tour will culminate in a grand finale in Los Angeles, California on November 19.

In the meantime, European fans can catch the band's energetic live performance at their remaining summer festival show at Summer Breeze Open Air.

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

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

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

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

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

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

DRAGONFORCE is:

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

Hudson will release his first solo album, "Starbound Stories", on August 25 via Napalm Records. The effort is described in a press release as "a sparkling, anime-inspired power metal ride, heavily influenced by both Japanese music and video game soundtracks, and featuring a horde of notable guests."

Photo credit: Travis Shinn

Former JUDAS PRIEST guitarist K.K. Downing's new band KK'S PRIEST performed on Sunday (August 13) at the Bloodstock Open Air festival at Catton Park, Walton-on-Trent, United Kingdom. Fan-filmed video of the performance is available below.

The setlist was as follows:

01. Hellfire Thunderbolt
02. One More Shot At Glory
03. The Ripper (JUDAS PRIEST song)
04. Reap The Whirlwind
05. Night Crawler (JUDAS PRIEST song)
06. Sermons Of The Sinner
07. Burn In Hell (JUDAS PRIEST song)
08. Beyond The Realms Of Death (JUDAS PRIEST song)
09. Hell Patrol (JUDAS PRIEST song)
10. Brothers Of The Road
11. The Green Manalishi (With The Two Prong Crown) (FLEETWOOD MAC cover)
12. Breaking The Law (JUDAS PRIEST song)
13. Victim Of Changes (JUDAS PRIEST song)

KK'S PRIEST made its live debut on July 6 at Downing's KK's Steel Mill in Wolverhampton, United Kingdom.

Downing is joined in KK'S PRIEST by former JUDAS PRIEST singer Tim "Ripper" Owens, along with guitarist A.J. Mills (HOSTILE),bassist Tony Newton (VOODOO SIX) and drummer Sean Elg (DEATHRIDERS, CAGE).

KK'S PRIEST performed tracks from the band's debut album, 2021's "Sermons Of The Sinner", plus new material from KK'S PRIEST as-yet-unreleased second LP, "The Sinner Rides Again", as well as many a PRIEST classic thrown in for good measure.

"The Sinner Rides Again" will be released on September 29 via the Austrian rock and metal empire Napalm Records. The nine-song effort was produced and written by Downing and mixed/mastered by Jacob Hansen.

Downing said about "The Sinner Rides Again": "To continue the legacy of the traditional rock and metal that I have been so fortunate to be a part of for over 50 years, this latest album, 'The Sinner Rides Again', has been created to take the listener on a journey that is both real and fictional with its characters, although sometimes ambiguous. These songs allow the imaginations of all fans of this wonderful genre of music to escape reality and join with us to continue our heavy metal experience into the future."

KK'S PRIEST will embark October U.K. headlining tour. The "Priests, Killers & Witches" tour starts at the O2 Institute in Birmingham on Saturday, October 7, and visits London, Glasgow, Manchester and Nottingham. Special guest on all dates will be Di'Anno who will be performing a full set of classics straight from the first two MAIDEN records, and opening up the bill is BURNING WITCHES.

"Sermons Of The Sinner" was released in October 2021 via Explorer1 Music Group/EX1 Records.

Downing spent four months writing and recording "Sermons Of The Sinner" and, along with new ideas, he even resurrected a few archived riffs from the 1980s.

K.K. formed KK'S PRIEST after JUDAS PRIEST turned down his offer to rejoin the band for their 50th-anniversary tour. It followed a couple of celebrated stage appearances, first with former MANOWAR guitarist Ross The Boss in the summer of 2019, then with a one-off lineup that included former MEGADETH bassist David Ellefson and former PRIEST drummer Les Binks later that year.

In a recent interview with Ernest Skinner of Border City Rock Talk, Owens spoke about the upcoming sophomore album from KK'S PRIEST. He said: "It's really good too. I like it better [than the debut LP]. It's a little heavier, a little edgier on the vocals — and even music, I think."

Downing was reunited with JUDAS PRIEST for a performance at the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame induction ceremony last November at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles.

PRIEST received the Musical Excellence Award at the event, which honored Eminem, Dolly Parton, DURAN DURAN, Lionel Richie, Pat Benatar, EURYTHMICS and Carly Simon in the Performers category.

Downing left PRIEST in 2011 amid claims of band conflict, shoddy management and declining quality of performance. He was replaced by Richie Faulkner, nearly three decades his junior.

In 2019, Downing said that he reached out to JUDAS PRIEST about taking part in the band's 50th-anniversary tour but that their response was that they were not interested in including him in the celebrations.

In 2018, Downing revealed that he sent two resignation letters to his bandmates when he decided to quit JUDAS PRIEST. The first was described as "a graceful exit note, implying a smooth retirement from music," while the second was "angrier, laying out all of his frustrations with specific parties."

Downing later said that he believed the second letter was "a key reason" he wasn't invited to rejoin PRIEST after Glenn Tipton's decision to retire from touring.

Owens joined PRIEST in 1996 and recorded two studio albums with the band — 1997's "Jugulator" and 2001's "Demolition" — before PRIEST reunited with Rob Halford in 2003.

Nearly two years ago, Downing said that he had no problems with fans making comparisons between PRIEST and KK'S PRIEST. "It's absolutely fine, because it's who I am and what I am and what I do and how I do it," he told Brazilian journalist Igor Miranda. "It's too late to change; I can't change. I can't go out and buy different guitars and different amplifiers and start to write differently and think differently. I have to do things the way that I like them to be done. And that's what I did in JUDAS PRIEST for all those years to the best of my ability. But even now that I don't have to consult with anyone else, really, then I feel a lot more freedom to be able to do this.

"I think I can do what I do better now than I did before, if that makes any sense," he continued. "Because I'm working and writing and putting things together for me — and, obviously, of course, the rest of the members in [KK'S PRIEST] as well. But I was on my own, for the most part, in the lockdown doing this. But there was a lot of things I wanted to say and get off my chest.

"The [KK'S PRIEST] album's full of emotions, sentiments and messages and also rejoicement. It's a lot of things, all in one package. And it was very important for me to be able to express myself through this album.

"I know that people will make comparisons, but that's fine. I either succeed or fail, like everyone else in life. But I'm a fan of this wonderful style of music, and if I like it, I'm hopefully sure that the fans will like it too. And I really hope they do. And I'm very much looking forward to the feedback from everybody all over the world.

"Towards the end for me in JUDAS PRIEST, it wasn't as energized as it was in former years, and I missed that. I remember the days when Rob [Halford, PRIEST singer] used to come offstage and he used to empty his boots out, and the water — which was sweat — used to just pour out of the boots. And it was the same for all of us. It was like we ran a marathon or something. So, hopefully we deliver that up. So I'm looking forward to doing that. I'm definitely gonna do my best, put it that way."

In September 2021, Owens said that there was no competition between JUDAS PRIEST and KK'S PRIEST. "I don't think we look at it [like that]," he told The Rock Experience With Mike Brunn in an interview. "There's one JUDAS PRIEST. They're JUDAS PRIEST. If [K.K. and I] wanted to take that angle, we would have called [our new band] KK'S JUDAS PRIEST. But I think fans are happy 'cause they know they do have two things that are the same vein, and they have K.K. back. I went nowhere — I've been putting music out like crazy — but they have Ken and I back together again. So there's no competition. I mean, how awesome would it be if we do shows with them? I don't care. I really don't. I love the guys in PRIEST. Rob's [Halford, PRIEST singer] my idol. And Richie [Faulkner, PRIEST guitarist] and I are friends. But this isn't a competition. We're not trying to make it a competition or another JUDAS PRIEST. That's why we put an album out first; that was the difference. If we were trying to make it that, we would start touring right away, doing the back catalog."

Asked if KK'S PRIEST is really open to touring with JUDAS PRIEST, Tim said: "I'm open to anything. I've never burned bridges. From the sounds of it, it's never gonna happen. 'Cause it never happened with me. I tried to get BEYOND FEAR to support JUDAS PRIEST on tour. Wendy Dio was my manager, and they were, like, 'Absolutely not. You're not gonna support us.' But we're all friends. I mean, I'm speaking for me — I'm not speaking for Ken. But, yeah, listen, I always look at it as how much fans would love stuff. How cool would it be if that happened?"

Fan-filmed video of METAL CHURCH's August 11 performance at the Alcatraz festival in Kortrijk, Belgium can be found below.

METAL CHURCH made its live debut with the band's new vocalist Marc Lopes (ROSS THE BOSS, LET US PREY) on June 3 at the Legions Of Metal festival at Reggies in Chicago, Illinois.

Lopes joined METAL CHURCH in the summer of 2022 as the replacement for Mike Howe, who tragically passed away in July of 2021. The band's current lineup is rounded out by founding guitarist Kurdt Vanderhoof, guitarist Rick Van Zandt, bassist Steve Unger and drummer Stet Howland.

Lopes's first studio album with METAL CHURCH, "Congregation Of Annihilation", came out on May 26 via Rat Pak Records (America) and Reaper Entertainment (Europe). The LP was produced by Vanderhoof.

In a recent interview with Chris Akin Presents, Lopes spoke about the inevitable barrage of criticism that he will receive as a result of stepping into the role previously occupied by Howe, David Wayne and Ronny Munroe. He said: "Being in ROSS THE BOSS [the band led by former MANOWAR guitarist Ross 'The Boss' Friedman], I have faced so much stupid bullshit from fans, from MANOWAR fans. At the beginning, it bothered me, years back. Now I can give two shits; I don't fucking care. Because, you know what? If you fucking start worrying about what other people think, you'll never get anywhere. And the way I look at it is, it's, like, look, if you like it, great. If you don't, then fucking go somewhere else. I don't really give a shit. I know that I'm giving it everything that I have to do it and make it sound as best as possible. And if you don't like it, why am I gonna sit here and try to fucking satisfy you? I don't fucking care. I mean, obviously, if everybody fucking hates it, then probably I shouldn't do the gig. But with much respect to the METAL CHURCH community, they've been amazing; they love this new stuff.

"I've gotta be honest — the anticipation is insane, and it's making me more… I'm definitely nervous," Marc admitted. "But at the same time, I'm, like, look, I've gotta go out and do my thing. And the reason that I was put in charge of doing this new era of the band was because I am putting my own spin on it. Am I gonna sound like David Wayne? Maybe in some aspects. Am I gonna sound like Mike Howe? Maybe in some aspects. Am I gonna sound like Marc Lopes? Abso-fucking-lutely. And that's really what it comes down to.

"If this is my era of the band, then I have to do what I do best. Trying to imitate it isn't gonna do anybody any good. And the funny thing is, Ronny Munroe is amazing — he's a great vocalist — and he sounded more like David Wayne than me.

"I've gotta be honest: at first, I was, like, 'Fuck, man. How am I gonna do this?' [Then I was, like], 'Wait a minute. You're already approaching it wrong.' Kurdt would always be, like, 'You're already approaching it wrong.'

"Those guys are not imitatable because they are who they are… And Ronny has his own style too, and the stuff that he did was great. It just was a weird era for the band, I think, in the totality part of it…

"I already know there are gonna be the haters," Marc added. "And I don't care. And for those people — if you wanna waste your time with that kind of shit, then go for it. There's way more things to spend time on in life than being out there going, 'I hate this.' It's kind of ridiculous.

"The biggest joke is I'm a huge IRON MAIDEN fan and I never liked the Blaze Bayley era. And we always used to joke about it. I was, like, I'm a huge MAIDEN fan. Do I spend my time going, 'Oh my God. I hate that. And I hate this.' It's, like, why? I don't listen to it. [Laughs] Not everybody's gonna like everything you do. It's just the way it is."

When Lopes's addition to METAL CHURCH was first announced in early February, Vanderhoof wrote in a social media post: "We auditioned a handful of vocalists and while they were all great, Marc quickly became the clear choice.

"Both David Wayne and Mike Howe had a very unique, irreplaceable quality to their voices, so we were not looking for a clone of either. We wanted someone new, who could embrace the past, and also bring something fresh and exciting to the mix.

"Marc brings a very classic yet modern feel to the songs."

In an interview with Heavy New York, Vanderhoof described "Congregation Of Annihilation" as "definitely more aggressive and more back to our thrash roots". Regarding how the LP's tougher sound came about, he said: "I had written an album. Mike and I had just started writing and working on a new album. So I wrote a new album. And Mike and I started the process of collaborating. And then, obviously, he passed away. Then there was a few months of trying to decide if I even wanted to continue. But then, when we decided to continue, it was kind of a step-by-step process. So when things started working with Marc, there was definitely much more aggressiveness in his vocals and his delivery, and that seemed like a good way to go. I didn't want a Mike clone. If we were gonna continue, I wanted to kind of have it be another chapter — something a little bit different. Just a new phase — a new old phase, I guess you could say. So when that started happening, when things worked out with Marc, it was, like, 'Okay, that's definitely making the trajectory that we're going.' So a good batch of the songs that I wrote with Mike in mind fell by the wayside, and a part of the album was brand new material, to fit with our new direction."

Asked if Marc adds a new dimension to the METAL CHURCH sound, Kurdt said: "Yeah, absolutely. He definitely brings his own thing to it. But he also very much honors the past and our sound and what METAL CHURCH musically is all about."

Howe was found dead at his home in Eureka, California in July 2021. According to TMZ, Howe's official cause of death was determined to be asphyxia due to hanging. A spokesperson for the Humboldt County Sheriff's Dept. told the site authorities are calling it a suicide. He was only 55 years old.

According to police, drugs and alcohol are not believed to be factors in the death and no controlled substances or paraphernalia were located at the scene.

Howe, who fronted METAL CHURCH from 1988 until 1994, officially rejoined the band in April 2015.

Howe is not the first singer of METAL CHURCH to die. David Wayne passed away in May 2005 from complications following a car crash. He was 47 years old.

Wayne sang on METAL CHURCH's first two classic offerings (1984's "Metal Church" and 1986's "The Dark") before leaving the group and being replaced by Howe.

An exciting new book entitled Life On The Run will be released on September 1. This tome compiles hundreds of Night Demon photographs taken by professional photographer Sebastian Wilke. These photos not only capture the vibrance, energy and passion of a Night Demon concert, but also document the less glamorous aspects of day-to-day life on the road for a touring underground heavy metal band.





Sebastian Wilke is an accomplished photographer with more than 15 years of experience as a press and business photographer. Although he resides in Berlin, Wilke has traveled around the globe to photograph areas stricken by war and crisis, such as Afghanistan, Mali, Niger and Lebanon, among others. His work has been featured in both German and international newspapers, magazines and books.




Wilke is also a lifelong heavy metal enthusiast who has been attending concerts for more than a quarter century. Several years ago, he formed the idea of combining his photography skills with his love of heavy metal by shooting an entire book chronicling a band on the rise through the heavy metal underground. Wilke joined forces with Night Demon for this project, accompanying the band to dozens of shows spanning two tour legs as well as other one-off appearances in 2019 and 2022.


- Hardcover Book
- 144 pages
- 242 previously unpublished photos
- printed on high-quality 170g/m² paper
- size/weight:  26 cm x 21 cm - 920 grams


Pre-order here.


Note: This item ships from Germany.

Metallica's M72 World Tour No Repeat Weekend continued in Montreal on August 13th for the second of two shows at Stade Olympique. Fan-filmed video from the show can be viewed below.


The setlist was as follows:


"Whiplash"
"For Whom the Bell Tolls"
"Ride the Lightning"
"Dirty Window" (tour debut)
"Lux Æterna"
"Too Far Gone?"
"Welcome Home (Sanitarium)"
"You Must Burn!"
"The Call of Ktulu"
"No Leaf Clover"
"Wherever I May Roam"
"Moth Into Flame"
"Battery"
"Whiskey in the Jar"
"One"
"Enter Sandman"

Midwest melodeath band Astralborne has shared a new lyric video for their track "The Pillars Of Creation", taken from the group's sophomore album, Across The Aeons, recently released via Prosthetic Records.


Speaking on the video release, Astralborne comments: "The Pillars of Creation are, literally, massive tendrils of cosmic dust and gas that sit within the heart of the Milky Way’s Eagle Nebula. From its breathtaking colors to its towering shape that spans light-years across the galaxy, this track captures humanity’s fear of our insignificance in the face of an incomprehensibly vast universe."







After their 2020 debut album, Eternity’s End, introduced Astralborne as accomplished purveyors of both compellingly intricate melodicism and dexterous brutality in equal measure, Across The Aeons’ creative process began immediately following their lauded first full-length release. Commencing writing in spring of 2020, the group soon found themselves expanding upon the more grandiose passages of their sonic foundations, with conscious efforts made to accommodate cellist and composer Kakophonix’s contributions.


Recorded by bassist and vocalist Paul Fuzinki in 2021 between Call Of The Yeti Studio in Swanton, OH and North Shore Studios in Fife Lake, MI, Across The Aeons was then mixed by Unnus Latif at Black Moon Recordings, Columbus, OH and mastered by Orden Ogan’s Sebastian “Seeb” Levermann at Greenman Studios in Germany. The end result of production sees Astralborne’s knack for lofty fretwork and rhythmic pummel shine among sanguine acoustic arrangements and beguiling orchestration.


The 12 tracks on offer chart a journey of acceptance in the face of humankind’s impermanence within a cosmic void, be it Fuzinski’s bellowing promise of hell itself, “chaos, death and fire” on lead single "War Vessel", or interdimensional overlap on "Gemini"’s celestial death metal pomp. Elsewhere Astralborne team up with labelmates Steve Redmond (Foretoken, The Day Of The Beast) and Yegor Savovin (Fires In The Distance) on "December Flower" and the resplendent mid-album instrumental "Promethean Fire" respectively.


Astralborne’s interstellar voyage is visually brought to life in evocative fashion by Spanish artist Juanjo Castellano (The Black Dahlia Murder, Voidceremony, Coffins). For as alone as we may be in the cosmos of Across The Aeons, the band's second album shirks the nihilistic connotations of such a realisation, opting instead to revel in the totality of all beings and things.





Tracklisting:


"Exordium"
"War Vessel"
"Nocturneous"
"Skybreaker"
"Gemini"
"December Flower"
"Promethean Fire"
"Star Of Extinction"
"Paradigm Shift"
"The Pillars Of Creation"
"Across The Aeons"
"Cadence Of Sorrow"





For further details, visit Astralborne on Facebook.


 

Season Of Mist welcomes Oceans Of Slumber - a progressive metal band from Houston, Texas - to the label.


Oceans Of Slumber are renowned for their ability to captivate audiences worldwide. Their compositions are immersive and multifaceted, characterized by intricate monoliths of heaviness and hope. At the forefront of this formidable band is the ethereal and soulful vocals of Cammie Beverly. The frontwoman's haunting delivery has become a hallmark of the band's enthralling sound.


As Oceans Of Slumber embark on this new phase of their musical journey, their collaboration with Season Of Mist marks a pivotal turning point. Armed with unwavering dedication to authenticity and a penchant for powerful live performances, the band are poised to make an indelible mark on the ever-evolving landscape of metal and heavy music.




"Joining Season Of Mist is a significant milestone for Oceans Of Slumber", says drummer Dobber Beverly, who's the artistic luminary and creative force behind Oceans Of Slumber. Beverly is also the drummer for black metal band Necrofier (who are also signed to Season Of Mist) and was behind the kit for grindcore legends Insect Warfare. "This signing is our gateway to fully embracing the raw, heavier direction we've been forging lately. With the collective strength of Season Of Mist behind us, we are determined to take our music to the next level."


Stay tuned for upcoming tour dates and updates on Oceans Of Slumber's forthcoming fifth album.


 

Iconic avant-garde Slovenian band, Laibach, are hitting fans with a one-two punch this summer as they unveil their riveting rendition of Rammstein’s international, chart-topping, satirical song “Amerika” for the much-anticipated A Tribute To Rammstein album (Cleopatra Records August 25). This captivating cover, which is available now here (listen below) , comes on the heels of the release of their latest EP Iron Sky: The Coming Race (The Original Soundtrack).


“Amerika” is one of 13 trailblazing tracks by new school industrial acts, including Priest, Manntra, and Julien-K, and veterans Frontline Assembly, Burton C. Bell (Fear Factory) and Paul Ferguson (Killing Joke), Skold and more, on a true clash of the industrial titans. A Tribute To Rammstein marks the 30th anniversary of the Berliners’ beginnings and is an homage to Till Lindemann and his colleagues with vicious cover versions of some of the band’s most iconic songs.


Laibach, who is often cited as one of Rammstein’s influences, has been lauded and criticized for their strong political beliefs and bold lyrics and statements. This, however, made them an international sensation with critical and fan adoration.




“Amerika,” was released by Rammstein on September 6, 2004 as the second single from their fourth studio album Reise Reise (2004). It peaked at number 2 in Germany and entered the top 5 in Austria, Denmark, and Switzerland. Described by the band as “a satirical commentary on ‘Cocacolonization,’” the song was a social commentary on the globalization of American culture pushed through popular American products like Coca-Cola.





A Tribute To Rammstein tracklisting:


"Du Hast" - Burton C Bell, Paul Ferguson & MGT
"Deutschland" - Front Line Assembly
"Sonne" - Skold
"Engel" - Priest
"Amerika" - Laibach
"Feuer Frei!" - The 69 Eyes
"Ausländer" - Jah Wobble & Jon Klein
"Radio" - Julien-K
"Ich Will" - Stoneman
"Keine Lust" - Lacrimas Profundere
"Links 2 3 4" - ManntraBONUS TRACKS
"Mein Teil" - Original God
"Du Hast" - Leæther Strip

A Light Divided have released their latest single, "Rain", to all major platforms. The single was produced by Kile Odell (Nita Strauss, Motionless in White, Saul). In support of the single, the band will hit the road this August with Rise Among Rivals.





“The concept of 'Rain' originally came about in 2021 but it never felt quite right. After a series of reworks with longtime producer Kile Odell and Zach Williams, we decided to strip it down and put all the focus on the vocals and the message. For me, that was the most important part. We also liked the idea of hiding these dark, sarcastic lyrics inside an upbeat song. Lyrically, 'Rain' is about the silent suffering of battling a depressive episode while simultaneously seeming okay to to the outside world,” says the band's vocalist Jaycee Clark.







A Light Divided is led by the powerhouse vocals of front woman Jaycee Clark with instrumentation from drummer Adam Smith along with guitarists Doug Weichbrodt and Scott Vallina. Together, they create a unique blend of rock and metal with a pop sensibility.


Through their electrifying live performances, A Light Divided has garnered a devoted following, steadily growing their underground army of fans. Their high-energy shows have earned them coveted spots at major festivals such as Vans Warped Tour, Blue Ridge Rock Fest, and Cadott, WI's Rock Fest. Additionally, they have shared the stage with esteemed national acts like In This Moment, Motionless In White, August Burns Red, Lacuna Coil, Diamante, 10 Years and many more.


In addition to their successful touring endeavours across the country, their most recent single “Inhale/Exhale” impressively climbed to #9 on the billboard top singles chart beating their previous single “Radio Silence” debut at #55.


A Light Divided has also achieved over 2.8 million Spotify streams, won the "Best Rock Video" award at the 2019 Carolina Music Awards for “Scars Of You”. Jaycee Clark further showcased her versatility by lending her voice to AEW wrestler Leyla Hirsch's entrance theme, "Legitimate," as seen on TNT.





A Light Divided is:


Vocals - Jaycee Clark
Guitar - Doug Weichbrodt
Guitar - Scott Vallina
Drums - Adam Smith

Hailing from North Carolina's music scene, new progressive metal quartet, Nospūn, have released one of the year's most surprising albums. The band's debut, Opus, is a sonic journey that combines intricate melodies and powerful rhythms, creating something utterly breathtaking. Showcasing stellar musicianship and vocals, Nospūn have made the progressive metal world take notice.


Today, the band are pleased to share the video for the track "Earwyrm'. The band explain the single: "Every great concept album still needs a song that can stand on its own, even without the context of the rest of the album to support it. We wrote "Earwyrm" to fulfill that role on Opus. It's shorter than the more epic tracks and has lots of energy, but it still contains that grandiose vibe that the rest of the album has. Because of that, it was easily our first choice for a music video."


Watch the clip below.




The band had this to say about the response to the album so far: "The response we've received for Opus has been so affirming. When you work on an album for seven years, it becomes easy to lose the sense of whether people outside the band bubble will enjoy it, so it's a huge relief to see that they do. And it's just a great feeling to wake up every day and see someone new saying they just found our album and are loving it!"


Opus was recorded, mixed, and mastered by bassist Cole Millward at Giant Spoon Productions. Buy/stream here.





Tracklisting:


"The House At The End"
"Implosion Overture"
"The Death Of Simpson"
"Dance With Me!"
"Tougher Love"
"Earwyrm"
"...And Then There Was One"
"4D Printing"
"Within The Realm Of Possibility"
"Back, Yet Forward"
"The House At The Beginning"


"Earwyrm" video:





Nospūn are:


Phillip Rich - Vocals
James Nelson - Guitars
Cole Millward - Bass
Paul Wood - Drums

Mötley Crüe performed at Fargodome in Fargo, North Dakota on August 11. 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 on Wednesday, August 16. Find the full itinerary here.

Fresh off the heels of their latest full-length, The Awakening, modern heavy symphonic metal leaders Kamelot are back with even more treats for their diehard followers.


On November 17, 2023, in partnership with Knife Fight Media, Napalm Records will proudly reissue various editions of seminal Kamelot albums Ghost Opera, Poetry For The Poisoned and One Cold Winter's Night. 2-CD Digipacks will be released of the Ghost Opera 2008 reissue Ghost Opera: The Second Coming and the Poetry For The Poisoned 2011 reissue (also featuring tracks recorded live at Wacken Open Air 2010), as well as of the original live album One Cold Winter's Night. Napalm special edition vinyl of Ghost Opera, Poetry For The Poisoned and One Cold Winter's Night will also be released in retail black and Napalm Mail Order exclusive marbled editions.


Pre-order the new Kamelot reissues here.




Kamelot’s sophomore live album, One Cold Winter's Night, was originally released in 2006 and features the debut of current keyboardist Oliver Palotai, with guest appearances by Epica’s Simone Simons. Now, for the first time ever - fans can experience the album on vinyl. Recorded during the band’s touring cycle following their The Black Halo album release, One Cold Winter's Night is an undoubted top-tier performance that should be part of any avid Kamelot fan’s well-curated collection. Upon release, AllMusic praised the band’s talent showcased on the album, saying, “you get the feeling that they could probably play all their songs note-for-note while blindfolded, walking a tightrope, and reciting the alphabet (in reverse).” The album is available for pre-order now in 2-CD Digipak, 2-LP Black Gatefold vinyl and 2-LP Marbled White/Blue Gatefold vinyl formats (the latter format is limited to 300 copies worldwide, and only available via the Napalm Records mail order/webstore).





CD & LP 1    
"Intro: Un Assasino Molto Silenzioso"
"The Black Halo"
"Soul Society"
"The Edge of Paradise"
"Center of the Universe" (feat. Mari Youngblood)
"Nights of Arabia" (feat. Elisabeth Kjærnes)
"Abandoned" (feat. Mari Youngblood)
"Forever"
Keyboard Solo
"The Haunting" (feat. Simone Simons)
"Moonlight"
    
CD & LP 2    
"When the Lights are Down"
"Elizabeth Part I: Mirror Mirror" (feat. Elizabeth Bathory)
"Elizabeth Part II: Requiem for the Innocent" (feat. Elizabeth Bathory)
"Elizabeth Part  III: Fall from Grace" (feat. Elizabeth Bathory)
"March Of Mephisto" (feat. Elisabeth Kjærnes, Shagrath)
"Karma"
Drum Solo
"Farewell"
"Outro"
"Epilogue" (Bonus Track)
 
Ghost Opera: The Second Coming - the official double-disc reissue of Kamelot’s widely-lauded eighth full-length and fan favorite, Ghost Opera - originally became available in 2008 and has since completely sold out, leaving Kamelot fans clamoring for more. Recognized  by followers as an exciting catalog must-have, the reissue not only featured Ghost Opera in its entirety (which charted Top 20 on the US Billboard Top Heatseekers chart upon release), but an entire second disc of 10 live tracks recorded in Belgrade, Serbia, in addition to live music videos, bonus tracks and a remix of “Rule The World”. Now, Kamelot fans around the world can experience re-enchantment once again with a second official reissue of Ghost Opera: The Second Coming. This must-have benchmark of the Kamelot canon can be pre-ordered now in 2-CD Digipak. A reissue of Ghost Opera itself is also now available for pre-order in 1-LP Black Gatefold and 1-LP Marbled Orange/Black vinyl formats (the latter format is limited to 300 copies worldwide, and only available via the Napalm Records mail order/webstore). As Sea of Tranquility stated upon the set’s release in 2008, “Prepare yourself once again for the glory and majesty of the mighty Kamelot.”





CD 1 & LP        
"Solitaire"
"Rule The World"
"Ghost Opera"
"The Human Stain"
"Blücher" (feat. Simone Simons)    
"Love You to Death"
"Up Through the Ashes"
"Mourning Star"
"Silence of the Darkness"
"Anthem"
"Eden Echo"
        
CD 2        
"Solitaire" (live)
"Ghost Opera" (live)
"The Human Stain" (live)
"Mourning Star" (live)
"When the Lights are Down" (live)
"Abandoned" (live)
"The Haunting (Somewhere in Time)" (live, feat. Simone Simons)
"Memento Mori" (live)
"Epilogue" (live)
"March of Mephisto" (live)
"Season's End" (Japanese Edition Bonus Track)
"The Pendulous Fall" (Limited Edition Bonus Track)
"Epilogue" (The Black Halo Japanese Bonus Track)
"Rule the World" (Remix)


Originally released in 2010, Poetry For The Poisoned - Kamelot’s celebrated ninth studio album - ushered in the next generation of the band’s catalog, debuting at #6 on the US Billboard Hard Rock Albums chart and #15 on the US Billboard Independent Albums chart. Now, the album can be experienced again in 2-CD Digipak format alongside eight Kamelot favorites recorded at Wacken Open Air in 2010, and as the standalone album (plus a bonus track.) in 2-LP Black Gatefold and 2-LP Marbled Red/Black Gatefold vinyl formats (the latter format is limited to 300 copies worldwide, and only available via the Napalm Records mail order/webstore). Featuring unforgettable guest appearances by Soilwork’s Bjorn "Speed" Strid, Epica’s Simone Simons, Gus G and others, experience the album BraveWords called, “full up with sonic wonder” once again.





CD 1 & LP        
"The Great Pandemonium" (feat. Bjorn "Speed" Strid)
"If Tomorrow Came"
"Dear Editor"
"The Zodiac" (feat. Jon Oliva)
"Hunter's Season" (feat. Gus G)
"House on a Hill" (feat. Simone Simons)
"Necropolis"
"My Train of Thoughts"
"Seal of Woven Years"
"Poetry for the Poisoned, Pt. I: Incubus"    
"Poetry for the Poisoned, Pt. II: So Long" (feat. Simone Simons)
"Poetry for the Poisoned, Pt. III: All Is Over" (feat. Simone Simons)
"Poetry for the Poisoned, Pt. IV: Dissection"
"Once Upon a Time"
"House on a Hill" (Uncut Version feat. Simone Simons) - only on LP reissue editions
                
CD 2  (Live From Wacken Open Air 2010)        
"The Great Pandemonium"
"The Human Stain"
"Center of the Universe"
"Pendulous Fall"
"Hunter's Season"
"Karma"
"Forever"
"March of Mephisto"


Kamelot are:


Tommy Karevik - Vocals
Thomas Youngblood - Guitars
Oliver Palotai - Keyboards
Sean Tibbetts - Bass
Alex Landenburg - Drums

Tarja has released the video for her cover of Avenged Sevenfold's "Afterlife", featured on Rocking Heels: Live At Metal Church, out now via earMUSIC. Watch the clip below:





In front of just 300 hand-picked fans, this one-time-only event opened the Wacken Open Air Festival in 2016. Tarja presents unique arrangements of rock and heavy metal classics by her favorite artists including Metallica's "The Unforgiven," songs by Joe Satriani and Slipknot, as well as a Nightwish song and Tarja originals.




With its captivating performances of well-known songs paired with Tarja's iconic voice, this live album is a treasure for fans, as well as a discovery for Tarja-newcomers and all those who missed the chance to attend this exclusive concert. Rocking Heels: Live At Metal Church will be released as a Ltd. 2LP Vinyl Edition, CD Digipak in LP-replica design and on Digital.


Order here.





Tracklisting:


"Always With Me, Always With You" (Joe Satriani)
"Numb" (Linkin Park)
"Alias" (In Flames)
"Vermillion Pt. 2" (Slipknot)
"Trust" (Megadeth)
"Ohne Dich" (Rammstein)
"Afterlife" (Avenged Sevenfold)
"The Living End" (Tarja)
"The Unforgiven" (Metallica)
"Sleeping Sun" (Nightwish)
"I Walk Alone" (Tarja)
"Ave Maria" (Tarja)


"Vermillion Pt. 2" video:





"The Unforgiven" video:





"Alias" video:





"Numb" video: