SinHeresy will release their new album Event Horizon on August 25 through Scarlet Records.


Mixed & mastered by Joost van den Broek (Powerwolf, Epica, Blind Guardian) and illustrated by Gustavo Sazes (Arch Enemy, Kamelot, Ad Infinitum), 'Event Horizon' will be released in the following formats:


- vinyl LP
- digipak CD
- digital




Preorder at scarletrecords.it.


The new SinHeresy effort ‘Event Horizon’ further enhances their unique sound made of punchy modern vibes, powerful riffing, captivating atmospheres and unforgettable melodies.


Each song is perfectly crafted around the crystalline voice of Cecilia Petrini and the strong vocals of Stefano Sain, which blend and duel from time to time while the rhythmic session is heavier and dynamic, showing touches of melodic metalcore influences.


The breathtaking ten tracks leads the listener on a journey towards the unknown, representing the endless discovery of the innermost emotions, virtues and frailties that sometimes we keep hidden even from ourselves.





Tracklisting:


“The Calling”
“Black Spirit”
“The Life You Left Behind”
“Castaways”
“Brighter Days”
“(R)evolution”
“Forbidden Desire”
“Event Horizon I: Gravity”
“Event Horizon II: Entropy”
“Event Horizon III: Singularity”


SinHeresy:
Cecilia Petrini - vocals, piano
Stefano Sain - vocals
Lorenzo Pasutto - guitars
Davide Sportiello - bass, keyboards
Gabriele Boz - drums


(Photo – Beatrice Demori / Oround Media)

Just in time for the release of their new album, The Poison Chalice, Dutch death thrashers, Legion Of The Damned, unleash their third brutally infectious single, “Contamination”, together with a hauntingly oppressive official music video, produced by frontman Maurice Swinkels himself. The new full-length, The Poison Chalice, drops tomorrow, June 9, via Napalm Records.


“Contamination” takes no prisoners – the track attacks mercilessly and kills everything in its path. With this release, the band once again proves that they are at the top of the scene. As shown during the live premiere of the song at Rock Hard festival, fans can look forward to their furious sets at the biggest metal festivals this summer, such as Wacken, Summer Breeze and Graspop.


Legion Of The Damned on “Contamination”: "'Contamination' deals with the appearance of a new plague, a manifestation of one of the horsemen of the apocalypse. A rapidly spreading, horribly lethal disease causes dilemmas and ruthless restrictions. Mass death occurs and societies collapse, deprived from their commodities. The title for this song was already floating around for previous albums, but never made it, so it was not directly inspired by the Corona pandemic. It is fair to assume more and perhaps more gruesome plagues will come and cause havoc on mankind. Remember the mass death during the ages of the black plague.”







Founded in 1990 as Occult, the thrash machine around founding members Maurice Swinkels and Erik Fleuren was reborn as Legion Of The Damned in 2005. On The Poison Chalice, the band unites with Fabian Verweij as second guitarist besides Twan van Geel and hails together with bassist Harold Gielen performing as a five piece for the first time ever on a studio album.





The Poison Chalice will be available in the following formats:


- 1 LP Gatefold Glow In The Dark Vinyl with Slipmat - strictly limited to 300 copies worldwide. Napalm Records Shop exclusive
- 1 LP Gatefold Light Green Transparent - strictly limited to 300 copies worldwide. EMP exclusive
- 1 LP Gatefold Black
- 2 CD Digipak incl Bonus CD containing live recordings from Eindhoven Metal Meeting 2022 and Dynamo Metal Fest 2020
- Music Cassette Green (strictly limited to 100 copies worldwide)
- Digital Album


Pre-order here.





Tracklisting:


"Saints In Torment"
"Contamination"
"Progressive Destructor"
"Skulls Adorn The Traitor’s Gate"
"Behold The Beyond"
"Retaliation"
"Savage Intent"
"Chimes Of Flagellation"
"Beheading Of The Godhead"
"The Poison Chalice"


Bonus CD:


"Werewolf Corpse" - Live At Eindhoven Metal Meeting 2022
"Pray And Suffer" - Live At Eindhoven Metal Meeting 2022
"Diabolist" - Live At Eindhoven Metal Meeting 2022
"Bleed For Me" - Live At Eindhoven Metal Meeting 2022
"Legion Of The Damned" - Live At Eindhoven Metal Meeting 2022
"Intro/Slaughtering The Pigs" - Live At Dynamo Metal Fest 2020
"Doom Priest" - Live At Dynamo Metal Fest 2020’
"Place Of Sin" - Live At Dynamo Metal Fest 2020
"Undead Stillborn" - Live At Dynamo Metal Fest 2020
"Intermezzo" - Live At Dynamo Metal Fest 2020
"Taste Of The Whip" - Live At Dynamo Metal Fest 2020
"Slaves Of The Southern Cross" - Live At Dynamo Metal Fest 2020
"The Window's Breed" - Live At Dynamo Metal Fest 2020
"Legion Of The Damned" - Live At Dynamo Metal Fest 2020
"Dark Coronation/Outro" - Live At Dynamo Metal Fest 2020


“The Poison Chalice” lyric video:





"Beheading Of The Godhead" video:





The Poison Chalice comes to life by spreading its eerily beautiful wings within the first few seconds, then dives headfirst into a hellishly furious storm before the second song "Contamination" absolutely kills. In classic Legion Of The Damned manner, there is no escape as the track relentlessly drives into the abyss.


The album spreads brutal and ice cold thrash soundscapes through relentless attacking drums and incredible guitar harmonies from both lead guitarists, underlined by angry bass lines. Infectious thrash treasures such as “Progressive Destructor”, and the almost seven-minute berserk “Behold The Beyond” break necks with hammering guitar riffs and bloody double bass infernos. “Beheading of The Godhead” delivers what the song title promises, before the past 48 minutes of hate closes with a final deep gulp from “The Poison Chalice” - leaving no one behind.


Together with producer Erwin Hermsen, the band has closed the gates of the underworld in Toneshed Studio and demonstrates that they remain the unchallenged masters of brute and unrelenting death-thrash metal in 2023.


Legion Of The Damned are:


Maurice Swinkels - vocals
Twan Van Geel - guitars
Fabian Verweij - guitars
Harold Gielen - bass
Erik Fleuren - drums


(Photo - Stefan Heilemann)

Australian heavy metal force, Night Legion, recently announced the release of their sophomore studio album, entitled Fight Or Fall. The album will be out on June 30, 2023 via Massacre Records.


Following the previously-released, first album appetizer, "The Hounds Of Baskerville", today, the band has unleashed a lyric video for their brand new single "Soaring Into The Black".


"This song is inspired by the world’s dark journey throughout history," the band comments. "It’s being led on the dark path, the fight for power, control & technology – the end result can only mean one thing = non-existence, destruction, war with ourselves and mother nature.




“It’s a reference that we’ve not looked back further enough hence never learning from mistakes. The damage done essentially will echo through the ages for all generations to see. In summary: We are essentially destined to crash and burn, hence soaring into the black."


With "Soaring Into The Black", Night Legion presents another big bold track with massive hooks and guitar wizardry. The song itself musically gives an uplifting feel which will resonate with the listener and immediately proves, the band's forthcoming offering, Fight Or Fall, is a no-nonsense return to fast and powerful heavy metal with screaming vocals, crushing guitars and hooks that remind you what great songwriting sounds like. This record won't be a happy walk through a forest of elves - this is the battlefield where metal lives and soaring vocals invoke the spirits of what made metal the force it is today.


Fight Or Fall was produced by Night Legion guitarist Stu Marshall, and was mixed and mastered by Chris Themelco at Monolith Studios. Preorder here.





Tracklisting:


“The Hounds Of Baskerville”
“Babylon Burns”
“Soaring Into The Black”
“Fight Or Fall”
“At World’s End”
“Beyond The Crimson Dawn”
“Harvest Of Sin”
“The Enemy”
“The Hand Of Death”


“Soaring Into The Black” lyric video:





“The Hounds Of Baskerville” lyric video:





Night Legion is:
Louie Gorgievski – Vocals 
Stu Marshall – Guitars 
Col Higginson – Guitars 
Glenn Williams – Bass 
Clay Tchakalian – Drums


Guest Musician:
Mike LePond (Symphony X, Death Dealer): Bass guitar on "The Hounds Of Baskerville"

Portland's old-school, gore-soaked, grinding death metal outfit Dripping Decay will unleash their Festering Grotesqueries full-length on August 18 via Satanik Royalty Records.


Originally founded by guitarist Neil Smith (Lord Gore, Frightmare, Blood Freak) in 2019, Dripping Decay’s solid, hellish sounds were later rounded out by vocalist Eric Stucke (Hallucinator), bassist Jackson Jordan (Conducting From The Grave), and drummer Jason Borton (Jungle Rot). All of the band members have been devout fans of death metal and grindcore for decades (some since the '90s), and they take their influence from bands like Repulsion, Terrorizer, Napalm Death, and Carcass. Take that blueprint and combine it with fast tempos, technical precision, and a licentious adoration of '80s Italian B-horror films, and you have a recipe for the fantastically repugnant makings of DRIPPING DECAY, making them stand in a class of their own amidst a sea of kids copy and pasting Entombed and Incantation riffs into oblivion.


Festering Grotesqueries' album artwork sees the return of their fashionably putrefied mascot, "Drippy" -- a creation of artist Toni K. Hietomaa, whose brilliantly sickening visions also graced the cover of Dripping Decay's 2021 demo, Watching You Rot. Look closely at the cover and you will see that the illustrations depict an abhorrent amalgamation of the album’s lyrical forays into the macabre, including a corpse being incinerated (a nod to "Cremator"), a man caught devouring his own arm in an act of gluttonous euphoria ("Autocannibal Ecstasy"), and another guy who can't stomach the grotesque sights in front of him, unleashing a river of vomit from his open mouth ("Barf Bag"). The illustration perfectly encapsulates Dripping Decay's ability to be both ferociously sincere and utterly, ridiculously tongue-in-cheek -- a balance all good death metal should strike.




In advance of the release of Festering Grotesqueries, today the band drops first single, “Barf Bag”.


Notes the band, “Based on the 1987 sleazoid melt/splatter film Street Trash, ‘Barf Bag’ is a fast old-school death metal track with hints of catchy ‘80s hardcore punk and crossover mixed in for good measure. Featuring guest vocals by Matt Slime from Philadelphia death metal fiends Coffin Dust and lyrics by Neil Smith, ‘Barf Bag’ is a gross-out anthem for all the sicko horror freaks and death/grind maniacs who like their shit fast, heavy, and disgusting!”


Festering Grotesqueries was recorded at Falcon Studios in Portland, Oregon with engineer Derek Leisy (Vitriol), mixed by Vincent Detto (Cerebral Rot, Mortiferum), and mastered by Dan Lowndes, who also mastered the 2021 demo, Watching You Rot. The album will be released via Satanik Royalty Records on all streaming services as well as CD, cassette, and vinyl in black, toxic green, and pink/orange marble variants. Preorder on Bandcamp.





Tracklisting:


“Septic Sentient Slime (Intro)”
“Autocannibal Ecstasy”
“Abundant Cadaveric Waste”
“Gut Muncher”
“Bay Of Blood”
“Barf Bag”
“Watching You Rot”
“Cremator”
“Dissolve Me”
“Dripping Decay”
“Chemical Lobotomy”
“Sadistic Excruciator”
“Limitless Sacrifice”
“Oozing Into Oblivion (Outro)”


“Barf Bag”:


Festering Grotesqueries by Dripping Decay


(Photo – Wendy O’Brien Jordan)

BLACK VEIL BRIDES and former HIM frontman Ville Valo — who now performs under the banner VV — have joined forces for a cover of the SISTERS OF MERCY classic "Temple Of Love". The collaborative track arrives three months ahead of the launch of BLACK VEIL BRIDES and VV's North American co-headlining tour, presented by Hot Topic and featuring special guests DARK DIVINE.

"I first discovered SISTERS OF MERCY in my freshman year of high school," BLACK VEIL BRIDES frontman Andy Biersack commented. "I had a poster of AFI from the 'Art Of Drowning' era and Davey was wearing a SOM shirt, and so, as was often the case back then, I went on the hunt to find the music that had inspired my favorite musicians. The very first song I heard by SOM was the '92 version of 'Temple Of Love' and I became obsessed with their entire catalog."

He continued: "We've talked about doing a BVB version of this song for years and when given the opportunity to collaborate with fellow SOM fan and goth-rock icon VV, it seems liked the perfect situation. We are thrilled with how it turned out and hope that anyone who's familiar with the track enjoys our spin on it and those who have never heard the original enjoy it and maybe this will lead them down the path to the greatness that is SOM like that poster of AFI did for me when I was a kid."

Committed to uncompromising expression, with a foundation in hard rock tradition and rule-breaking iconoclasm, BLACK VEIL BRIDES is a transcendent celebration of life-affirming power and anthemic catharsis. A gothic vision first summoned in a small town by an isolated kid fascinated with death, rock, theatricality, and monsters (both real and imagined),BLACK VEIL BRIDES is now a postmodern heavy metal institution with a legion of like-minded fans and supporters worldwide.

2021's "The Phantom Tomorrow" produced BVB's first Top 10 single, "Scarlet Cross". Last year's "The Mourning" EP offered similar success with "Saviour II", joining a rich catalog that includes "Knives And Pens" (over 160 million views on YouTube),the certified gold "Fallen Angels", and the recently certified platinum "In The End".

HIM, renowned as one of the most commercially successful Finnish bands of all time, has sold over ten million records. Ville Valo, the band's frontman, released a series of beloved albums with HIM from 1997 through 2013, boasting influential modern goth-rock anthems like "Right Here In My Arms", "Join Me In Death", "Buried Alive By Love" and "Rip Out The Wings Of A Butterfly". Declaring VV's solo debut, "Neon Noir", a perfect record for fans of HIM, GHOST and EVANESCENCE, Kerrang! wrote, "If you’ve been seduced in Mr. Valo's musical twilight before, then you can now prepare to pulse in the glow of the heartagram once again." In a VV cover story, Valo told the magazine, "It is a continuation of what I've done in the past and what might happen next."

When the BLACK VEIL BRIDES and Ville Valo tour was first announced, Biersack said in a statement: "We cannot wait to join forces with Ville Valo and give both of our audiences in North America an unforgettable experience each night. This run has been in the works for quite a while. We couldn't be happier now that we can finally share the news. Ville is an icon. We have all been fans of his, not only for his work in the hugely influential band HIM but as a torchbearer for an entire generation of rock fans and musicians."

"There's something tinnitus-inducingly romantic about the idea of being sandwiched nightly between BLACK VEIL BRIDES and DARK DIVINE on this autumnal trek across North America," commented Valo. "And imagining us explore the architecture of doom and gloom from three distinctly different musical perspectives has already made the bats in my belfry suitably ravenous."

Andy added: "This tour is a dream come true and will be something special. DARK DIVINE is new to the scene but garnering a lot of attention quickly and rightfully so. They are hands down one of the best young bands out there, and we are certain the BVB Army and VV fans will love them."

Photo credit: Jeremy Saffer

Grammy-winning rock band GRETA VAN FLEET has released a brand new track, "Farewell For Now". It is the latest song to be unveiled from the band's upcoming third studio album, "Starcatcher", due July 21 on Lava/Republic/EMI.

"Starcatcher" was written and recorded by the band — lead singer Josh Kizska, guitarist Jake Kizska, bassist/keyboardist Sam Kizska and drummer Danny Wagner — alongside Grammy-winning producer Dave Cobb (Chris Stapleton, Brandi Carlile). Recorded at the legendary RCA Studios in Nashville, the band utilized the large recording room to capture the pure energy of their world-renowned live performances.

"We didn't really have to force or be intense about writing, because everything that happened was very instinctual," Jake says. "If anything, the record is our perspective, and sums up where we are as a group and individually as musicians."

Throughout the 10-song collection the band explores the duality of fantasy versus reality and the contrast between light and darkness. "We had this idea that we wanted to tell these stories to build a universe," says Wagner. "We wanted to introduce characters and motifs and these ideas that would come about here and there throughout our careers through this world."

GRETA VAN FLEET took multiple concepts from critically acclaimed second album "The Battle At Garden's Gate" and brought them into "Starcatcher", although Sam's take on the new record's big ideas hint instead at new beginnings.

"When I imagine the world of 'Starcatcher', I think of the cosmos," he says. "It makes me ask a lot of questions, like 'Where did we come from?' or 'What are we doing here?' But it's also questions like, 'What is this consciousness that we have, and where did it come from?'"

GRETA VAN FLEET is best known for its renowned live performances, selling over one million tickets worldwide. They sold out their entire 2022 arena tour, holding a special energy between them and their devoted fans. With "Starcatcher" the band aims to capture that energy in the recording studio.

"Starcatcher" follows GRETA VAN FLEET's album "The Battle At Garden's Gate", released in 2021 to extensive chart and critical success. In the US, the album debuted at No. 1 Billboard Rock Album, No. 1 Billboard Hard Rock Album, No. 1 Billboard Vinyl Album, No. 2 Billboard Top Album Sales and in the Top 10 on the Billboard 200. It was a Top 10 album in the U.K. and a major hit around the world.

GRETA VAN FLEET's debut LP, "Anthem Of The Peaceful Army", was released in 2018 to countless accolades including No. 1 Billboard Rock Album and Top 3 on the Billboard 200. Their "From The Fires" EP, released in 2017, won "Best Rock Album" at the 61st Grammy Awards.

Formed in Frankenmuth, Michigan in 2012, GRETA VAN FLEET consists of three brothers — vocalist Josh Kiszka, guitarist Jake Kiszka and bassist/keyboardist Sam Kiszka — as well as drummer Danny Wagner. Together they have performed across multiple continents and sold over 3.5 million records worldwide.

"Starcatcher" track listing:

01. Fate Of The Faithful
02. Waited All Your Life
03. The Falling Sky
04. Sacred The Thread
05. Runway Blues
06. The Indigo Streak
07. Frozen Light
08. The Archer
09. Meeting The Master
10. Farewell For Now

Photo credit: Neil Krug / Wilful Publicity

Veteran rockers TESLA release dtheir new live album, "Full Throttle Live", on May 26. The LP includes the band's latest single, "Time To Rock!", plus other songs, all recorded last August at Full Throttle Saloon in Sturgis, South Dakota.

Independently recorded, mixed and produced by guitarist Frank Hannon and bassist Brian Wheat, this new live album truly captures TESLA in pure honest form, and even dives deeper into their roots by recording a live version of the 1974 AEROSMITH classic "S.O.S. (Too Bad)" as a bonus track. The heavier song choices range from "Miles Away" to more recent hard releases like the aforementioned "Time To Rock!" and "Cold Blue Steel". But don't worry, there are old TESLA classics captured too, like "Changes" and "Lazy Days, Crazy Nights", all recorded as TESLA is best — 100% full-throttle live.

"Miles Away" is the lead-off single release from "Full Throttle Live". The guys chose to put this song out first because it represents TESLA and the new live album's harder heavier sound. "Miles Away" is a fan favorite in concert with its heavy 6/8 rolling groove and blistering guitar solo. This is also an ironic song choice because the song lyrics are written about being a "rock star" on the road away from reality and missing home.

Track listing:

01. Miles Away
02. Changes
03. Time to Rock
04. Breakin' Free
05. Call It What You Want
06. Lazy Days Crazy Nights
07. Cold Blue Steel
08. Edison's Medicine
09. S.O.S. (Too Bad)

In a recent interview with Metal Edge, Hannon stated about "Full Throttle Live": "It's 100% live, and it was recorded at the Sturgis Bike Rally, which is one of the great events that we love. It's got motorcycles, rock music and a ton of energy. We love it, and the night that we played there, man, we were on fire. And I think we really captured it with this record… like lightning in a bottle. We've got a bonus track that we'll include, an old AEROSMITH song called 'S.O.S. (Too Bad)', and I don't think too many people know it. We basically went back to California, hunkered down in my garage, set up some microphones, and recorded it live right then and there. I think that song is one of their best songs, and it was killer to get to record it."

Regarding what inspired him and his bandmates to cover "S.O.S. (Too Bad)", Hannon said: "I've always loved it; it frickin' rocks. I feel that it's an example of AEROSMITH in their prime doing those sleazy guitar riffs. The 'Live! Bootleg' album was a game changer for me as a kid. When that came out, I studied that album by listening to it repeatedly through my headphones, and one of the things that I loved most was the raw energy. I've always loved live recordings, which really influenced TESLA in the '80s. When we made our first albums in the studio, like 'Mechanical Resonance' and 'The Great Radio Controversy', we recorded those as a band, together in a room. It was all live. There's a spontaneous energy there that can only be captured when the group is playing together, and I think you really lose that when you're playing separately. There's no way around that. Sure, we've done records that way recently out of convenience, but nothing feels better when we're in a room together, hammering it out. So, to do this AEROSMITH song in my garage live, with no restraints, was like taking the emergency brake off and just stepping on the gas."

In September 2021, TESLA drummer Troy Luccketta announced that he would "take a little time from the road" to spend with family and friends. He has since been replaced at TESLA's gigs by Steve Brown, the younger brother of former DOKKEN drummer Mick Brown.

Due to overwhelming demand, TESLA recently added five shows to its residency at House Of Blues at Mandalay Bay Resort And Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada. The new dates will begin on Friday, September 29.

Metallica made the first of two appearances at the Download Festival’s 20th anniversary weekend on June 8th. It had been over a decade since the band hit the stage in Donington Park, so they're making up for lost time with two unique and completely different setlists with no repeat songs.


Metallica has shared the setlist from Night One. Fan-filmed video from the show can be veiwed below.







"Creeping Death"
"Harvester of Sorrow"
"Leper Messiah"
"King Nothing"
"Lux Æterna"
"Screaming Suicide"
"Fade to Black"
"Sleepwalk My Life Away"
"Orion"
"Nothing Else Matters"
"Sad But True"
"The Day That Never Comes"
"Blackened"
"Fuel"
"Seek & Destroy"
"Master of Puppets"








Metallica's second Download Festival 2023 show will take place on Saturday, June 10th.

Swedish classic death metal outfit Grand Cadaver will release their second album, Deities Of Deathlike Sleep, on August 25th via Majestic Mountain Records.


The follow-up to the band's 2021's debut album, Into The Maw Of Death, was recorded by Per Stålberg, Kalle Lilja and Daniel 'Dollars' Deurell at Welfare Studios, Gothenburg, mixed by Per Stålberg and mastered by Johan Reivén (Audiolord Mastering) and sees Grand Cadaver further honing and sharpening their furious and menacing death-metal attack.


Just recently, the Swedes revealed a third single off the album titled "Vortex Of Blood", which is now playing at this location, along with the previous two singles, "The Wishful Dead" and "Serrated Jaws". 







"We never even planned to release a full-length album, and here we are with our second!" says the band. "Deities Of Deathlike Sleep was conceived and recorded with the same mindset and the same team as our previous recordings, keeping it quick, spontaneous and enjoyable. This time it turned out a bit more dynamic, with the pummeling fury interspersed with some doom, gloom and darkness. But still, it's simply ten tracks of Swedish F*cking Death Metal, the way we love it."


Founded in 2020, right in the middle of a global pandemic, Grand Cadaver is comprised of prominent members of the Swedish extreme metal scene, namely Mikael Stanne from Dark Tranquillity and The Halo Effect, Stefan Lagergren from The Grifted, formerly of Treblinka/Tiamat and Expulsion, Alex Stjernfeldt from Novarupta, Child and formerly of Mr. Death, Christian Jansson of Pagandom and Dark Tranquillity and Daniel Liljekvist of Disrupted, Vorder, and formerly of Katatonia. 


Deities Of Deathlike Sleep artwork and tracklisting:





"The Forever Doom"
"A Crawling Feast Of Decay"
"The Wishful Dead"
"Serrated Jaws"
"Deities Of Deathlike Sleep"
"Vortex Of Blood"
"Funeral Reversal"
"True Necrogeny"
"Stabbed With Frozen Blood"
"Necrosanctum"

SLIPKNOT has surprise-released a new EP called "Adderall". The six-song effort alternate versions (no intro, rough demo and instrumental) of the title track, which originally appeared on last year's "The End, So Far" album, along with the 2023 standalone single "Bone Church", as well as non-album songs "Death March", "Red Or Redder" and "Hard To Be Here". Also newly released are music videos for "Memories (Adderall – Rough Demo)" and "Death March", both directed by SLIPKNOT's founding member, percussionist and visual mastermind M. Shawn "Clown" Crahan.

"Deconstructing to continuously pave the way for evolution," Crahan says. "At this point in the program nothing is safe."

"Adderall" track listing:

01. Death March
02. Adderall (No Intro)
03. Adderall (Rough Demo)
04. Red Or Redder
05. Adderall (Instrumental)
06. Hard To Be Here

"Bone Church" was surprise-released in February, along with a video piece titled "Yen – Director's Cut (Bone Church)", which found Crahan refreshing footage from the band's "Yen" music video.

On Wednesday (June 7),SLIPKNOT announced that it had parted ways with longtime keyboardist Craig Jones. However, the post announcing Jones's exit from the group was quickly deleted and a photo was shared of the band's apparent new member. The same unidentified person apparently appeared onstage behind the keyboards at during SLIPKNOT's performance at Austria's Nova Rock festival.

During the Nova Rock concert, SLIPKNOT played two songs — "The Blister Exists" and "Purity" — for the first time in eight years. The band also performed "Liberate" for the first time since 2016 and "Yen", a song from last year's "The End, So Far" album, was aired for the very first time.

No reason was given for Jones's departure from SLIPKNOT.

Jones joined SLIPKNOT in early 1996, shortly after the band had finished the recording of its demo album "Mate. Feed. Kill. Repeat." He was initially brought in to replace Donnie Steele, one of the two original guitarists, though he quickly moved on to the role of sampling and keyboards.

On Wednesday, SLIPKNOT also announced that percussionist Crahan would sit out some of the band's upcoming tour dates so that he can stay home to support his wife "through some health issues".

During an appearance on this past Wednesday's (May 31) episode of SiriusXM's "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk", SLIPKNOT frontman Corey Taylor talked about his touring plans to promote his upcoming second solo album, "CMF2", which arrives in September. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I'm doing three and a half weeks in Europe and the U.K. with SLIPKNOT. Pretty much all of June we'll be gone. We're doing [the] Download [festival in the U.K.]. We're doing all the other big [European festivals] too — Graspop, Copenhell, Roskilde, I think, is in there. We're doing Resurrection Fest at the end, which is in Spain. We're kind of running the gambit [sic]. I know we're doing a lot of stuff in Germany as well."

He continued: "We're still very fortunate to be able to do those festivals, man. It's massive. But we're doing a handful of 'off' shows as well that we're doing… We're doing a couple of [U.S. shows] in July. We're doing Rock Fest and Inkcarceration. And then we're also doing Blue Ridge, which that's gonna be a hard week for me. So I'm doing Blue Ridge with SLIPKNOT and then two days later we're doing Blue Ridge with CMFT. So I have to fly out of the CMFT tour [with my solo band], do the show at Blue Ridge with SLIPKNOT, fly back to [the solo tour]. So it's four shows in a row, which is hard. It's gonna kill me. But end of August into the beginning of October, we're going out [in support of] 'CMF2'. And then the album comes out right smack dab in the middle of it. So it's perfect."

Asked if SLIPKNOT is "pretty much on downtime" while he is focusing on promoting his new solo album, Corey said: "I know we've [SLIPKNOT] got a big run in South America, Latin America coming up in October/November. That hasn't been announced yet, but it's about two weeks. So we're kind of flying down, doing the thing, getting back out. But other than that, we're kind of winding it down. We'll do a handful of things next year, but for the most part for the rest of this year and pretty much all of next year, it's gonna be all [touring in support of] 'CMF2'. We're starting to get offers for Japan and Australia, we're getting offers for Europe and the U.K. [My new solo single] 'Beyond' is doing really well in South America right now. It's fifth most downloaded in Brazil, which is crazy. So it's gonna be a world run that's long overdue. 'Cause we didn't get to do really anything on the first album, 'cause obviously there was a lockdown. So we're really looking forward to that. It's gonna be pretty rad."

The official video for "Beyond", as premiered by Rolling Stone, was shot at a remote location within California's Mojave Desert. Captured through the lens of director Dale "Rage" Resteghini (HATEBREED, FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH, TRIVIUM),the video finds Taylor trudging around the desert as a musing Uncle Sam intermingling with members of the band and the CHERRY BOMBS, the all-girl dance group featuring Taylor's wife Alicia Taylor, all the while being surrounded by different versions of himself from through the years — before culminating as a live performance for a mass of fans in the round.

The song "Beyond" harkens back to 2006 in some shape or form. Taylor knew the song was special, but never found the time to bring the tune to its potential.

"CMF2" follows up Taylor's 2020 solo debut "CMFT", which featured the No. 1 Billboard mainstream rock single "Black Eyes Blue" and streaming sensation "CMFT Must Be Stopped" (feat. Tech N9ne and Kid Bookie). The LP hit No. 6 on Billboard's U.S. Top Rock Albums chart.

"CMF2" is Taylor's first album for BMG and the first on his own label imprint, Decibel Cooper Recordings.

Jay Ruston (ANTHRAX, STEEL PANTHER, AMON AMARTH),who produced STONE SOUR's 2017 "Hydrograd" LP as well as "CMFT", returns for Taylor's second full-length.

In support of his new album, Taylor has announced his 2023 tour featuring special guests WARGASM, OXYMORRONS and LUNA AURA on select dates. Produced by Live Nation, the 28-city tour kicks off on August 25 at Fillmore Auditorium in Denver, making stops across the U.S in Detroit, Orlando, Dallas and more before the final headline show in Los Angeles at The Wiltern on October 5.

Photo credit: Pamela Littky

In a new interview with MoreCore.TV conducted at this past weekend's Rock Am Ring festival in Nürburgring, Germany, former HIM frontman Ville Valo was asked why he doesn't perform a cover version of Chris Isaak's "Wicked Game" with his solo band, despite the fact that HIM's rendition of the track is reportedly the most streamed HIM song out there. Ville responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "It could be. But I thought that would be fair for TENACIOUS D; they just released [their cover of 'Wicked Game'] as a single.

"I thought that 'Wicked Game' was such an essential piece for HIM; it was one of the first songs that we played together as a band that helped us out to figure out the sound of the band. It's usually easier to figure out the sound of the band by playing somebody else's numbers. You don't have to think about the lyrics or whatever; you know the song by heart anyway, so it's easier like that. So it was a very helpful and emblematic tune for HIM, but not so much for me on a personal level. Plus we played quite a bit of cover tunes with HIM, so I thought that this time around it's nicer to concentrate on the… I'm becoming more and more egocentric as I get older."

Valo played his first solo concert in the U.S. under the VV banner on March 31 at TLA (Theatre For The Living Arts) in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Joining Ville on stage as part of his backing band are Mikko Virta on guitar, Risto Rikala on drums, Sampo Sundström on guitar and Juho Vehmanen on bass.

VV's debut album, "Neon Noir", was made available on January 13 via Heartagram Records, distributed by UMG/Spinefarm.

In April 2022, Valo released the first single from "Neon Noir", a song called "Loveletting", which marked his first new music in over two years, following the release of the three-track "Gothica Fennica Vol. 1" EP, also released under the VV banner, in March 2020.

Like "Neon Noir", "Gothica Fennica Vol. 1" bore a strong musical resemblance to HIM and featured the tracks "Salute The Sanguine", "Run Away From The Sun" and "Saturnine Saturnalia".

HIM completed a farewell tour in 2017, closing the final chapter on the band's 26-year career. At the time, Ville explained to Kerrang! magazine why the band decided to call it a day. "We were tired of the same shit," he said. "When you've done it for a long time, at some point it doesn't taste good anymore. We started working on some stuff, it didn't sound good enough, and we didn't get the teenage buzz you're supposed get."

Formed in 1991 by Valo, guitarist Mikko "Linde" Lindström and bassist Mikko "Migé" Paananen, HIM offered the world a new take on the metal genre, which became known as "love metal" (also the title of their fourth album).

HIM in 2015 parted ways with its longtime drummer, Mika Kristian Karppinen (a.k.a. Gas Lipstick),and replaced him with Jukka "Kosmo" Kröger (formerly of HERRA YLPPÖ & IHMISET).

Four years ago, Valo teamed up with guitar legend Esa Pulliainen to record an album based on songs by the late, legendary Finnish singer Rauli "Badding" Somerjoki. The self-titled album by VILLE VALO & AGENTS was released in February 2019 and was followed by a short tour.

In a new interview with MoreCore.TV conducted at this past weekend's Rock Am Ring festival in Nürburgring, Germany, PAPA ROACH bassist Tobin Esperance and guitarist Jerry Horton spoke about their appearance at last month's Sick New World festival in Las Vegas, which was described as the inaugural alternative and nu-metal event.

"I think it's cool," Tobin said. "I think it's great. Everyone's having fun. A lot of the newer artists are influenced by this era of nu metal and emo music. So it's all coming back around again, which is great for a band like us. And we can celebrate that time and that music. And we got to see a lot of our old friends. I think it was cool."

Jerry concurred, saying: "It was cool. I mean, there was 85 thousand people, so obviously people want to see it. It was a lot of fun."

Nu metal thrived during the remarkable decade from 1994 to 2004 when mainstream charts, magazines, radio and TV were all taken over by a host of diverse artists performing their own brands of hard rock, hip-hop and heavy metal.

Essentially a fusion of rap and alternative rock (arguably born out of RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE),nu metal inexplicably swept the airwaves and peaked for a brief period, with Gregory Heaney of AllMusic describing the genre as "one of metal's more unfortunate pushes into the mainstream." Along the way, several bands associated with nu metal, including KORN, DEFTONES and SLIPKNOT, took a somewhat defensive stance against being labeled as such. Even those less apologetic nu metal groups eventually changed their sound, effectively disowning the genre that they helped pioneer.

PAPA ROACH recently announced the digital deluxe edition of the band's eleventh studio album "Ego Trip", and the long-awaited release date of "Ego Trip" standard edition on vinyl. The 20-track digital deluxe release features remixed versions of songs from the original record, as well as new music.

An album that sprouted almost by mistake in the throes of a global lockdown, "Ego Trip"'s seeds were planted when the quartet entered a COVID-secure mansion in Temecula, California in the summer of 2020. What started as an escape and an exercise in keeping the creative juices flowing, in a world that had completely ground to a halt, quickly grew into something bigger.

PAPA ROACH are two-time Grammy-nominated, platinum-selling leaders in alternative hard rock music, who in 2020 celebrated the 20th anniversary of their iconic album "Infest".

Las Vegas-based metal band Semi-Rotted - which boasts a collective pedigree that also impressively spans multiplatinum chart-topping heavyweights Five Finger Death Punch and Gemini Syndrome and have tallied over five million views and streams independently - have added veteran extreme metal drummer Tim Yeung (Morbid Angel, Divine Heresy, Vital Remains) to their lineup.


Frontman Jeremy Spencer has known Yeung since 2007, when the drummer was a member of Divine Heresy. 


"Getting a drummer the caliber of Tim Yeung really allows freedom when creating because you know he's gonna add the bad ass chops to push the material over the top," Spencer shares. "There's nobody I wanted more than Tim, so I thought I'd reach out by chance he might be available and he was! He instantly starting taking the songs to another level when he started drumming on them."







The band has been hard at work finishing 25 songs. One result is a breakneck slaughter-fest called "Bloodbath", which features Corpsegrinder of Cannibal Corpse as a guest vocalist. Watch the "killer" animated video below.


Spencer says, "Getting to work with a legend like Corpsegrinder is more than a dream come true. He is a lord in the death metal community! One of the true badasses to ever  do it and one of my personal favorites."





Like the patient zero who spawns a zombie uprising, Semi-Rotted sink their teeth into a signature style unlike anything else in heavy music. The group walks a fine line between groove, extreme, and death metal, underlining chantable choruses with mind-numbing double bass, neck-snapping guitars, and gut-churning growls. The Las Vegas, NV quartet -Jeremy Spencer [vocals], Shawn McGhee [guitar], Alessandro "AP" Paveri [bass], and Tim Yeung [drums] - boasts a collective pedigree that impressively spans multiplatinum chart-topping heavyweights Five Finger Death Punch, Divine Heresy, Morbid Angel, and Gemini Syndrome. Tallying over 5 million-views & streams independently, the band commences its sensory assault on the 2023 full-length debut, Barrage Of Brutality.


"It's our take on different genres of metal," notes Jeremy. "We're such huge fans, and we wanted to do our own spin on various styles together. Some of the arrangements are complex, but it's also meat and potatoes brutality you can sing along to. First and foremost, it's always about the song, so we wanted to make it straight to the point. Why can't you have a chorus in a fucking extreme metal song?"


Semi-Rotted initially roared to life with the 2023 Deader Than Dead EP. Standout "Shotgun Symphony" quickly surpassed 150K Spotify streams followed by "Torture Congregation" [feat. Will Ramos of Lorna Shore] with 106K Spotify streams. When it came time to record what would become their first LP, the musicians opted to expand the sound again by welcoming drum god Tim Yeung behind the kit.


"The one thing missing was badassery on the drums, so we needed Tim," Jeremy goes on. "We wanted next level shit, and we got one of the best ever. He went the extra mile on everything, which I couldn't do without him. He just killed it. I'm grateful we've got this wicked band."

US-based doom metal act, DiGelsomina, have released their full-length album, Sic Itur Ad Astra. The band features composer-guitarist Andy DiGelsomina (formerly of Lyraka) and vocalist Robert Lowe (of Solitude Aeturnus and Candlemass fame).


DiGelsomina himself states, "We are very happy to be unleashing this doom-soaked slab of fantasy metal upon the metal world. Mp3s are immediately available, we start shipping CDs June 23, 2023. Many thanks to Tim Henderson and Martin Popoff for the invaluable support over the years."


Mp3s, including links to Spotify and Amazon, Deezer and Pandora are here. CDs, shipping later this month, are only available here.




Sic Itur Ad Astra is a journey made of 7 tracks for approximately 44 minutes of playing time. The sound is mainly influenced from Black Sabbath (the Osbourne and Ronnie Dio years), Dio's stint with Ritchie Blackmore, Deep Purple, the Saint Vitus debut LP, Robert's work with Solitude Aeturnus, and to a lesser degree Candlemass. However, the imprint of some songs reminds of Control Denied’s “The Fragile Art of Existence”, both for the riffs section and the 90s-oriented production. DiGelsomina aims to offer an evocative and well-written album, deliberately remaining distant from the formal perfection dictated by modern record production canons.


Lyrically, Sic Itur Ad Astra is an allegorical fantasy about the Warrior Angel (origin: the land of Mahanaim) who is fighting avatars of the Lovecraft character Nyarlathotep. The story originates well over a million years ago, when the Warrior Angel and Heavenly Host stop a powerful dragon (a common avatar of Nyarlathotep), reducing him to a crawling serpent on the earth, where he nevertheless ends up ruling. Upon discovering the mystical trapezohedron and becoming aware of her nemesis' subjugation of Terra, the Warrior Angel is taken upon an Epic journey, believing she is being led by God to the whereabouts of her enemy. Nyarlathotep ultimately ensorcells her, leaving her trapped in the deltohedron and temporarily unable to continue the battle. This sets the stage for the next album and the appearance of her holistic companion, the Conqueror.





Sic Itur Ad Astra tracklisting


"Mahanaim"
"Harbinger Of Doom"
"Otherworldly"
"Winternacht"
"Shadows And Mirrors"
"Entombed By Choice"
"Stygian Winds"


"Mahanaim":





Music composed and arranged by Andy DiGelsomina. Produced, engineered, rhythm guitar, and general musical co-conspiring by Andre Maquera (West Street Digital). DiGelsomina’s photos by Cheryl DiGelsomina and Justin Walker, Lowe’s photo by Galen Johnson. Artwork by Michael Calandra.





DiGelsomina are:


Andy DiGelsomina: Lead Guitar, Orchestration
Robert Lowe: Vocals
Andre Maquera (West Street Digital): Rhythm Guitar
Thom Carvey: Bass
Gary Spaulding: Percussion

On November 26, 2021, Hypocrisy released their latest album, Worship, which saw the best global chart results in the band's history so far. And yet, the band has another ace up their sleeve.


The fierce banger, "They Will Arrive", taken from Worship, provides the perfect soundtrack to the video, which was filmed across three different concerts during their last European tour in autumn/winter 2022.


Peter Tägtgren comments: "We’ve got a chance to make another video with Damien Dausch and it feels like it completes the Worship tour. Enjoy!"







Hypocrisy will be appearing at a few festivals in Europe this summer and will play some shows with label buddies Behemoth and In Flames.


Tour dates:


June
15 - Clisson, France - Hellfest
17 - Utrecht, Netherlands - Tivoli Vredenburg
18 - Hannover, Germany (with Behemoth)
20 - Karlsruhe, Germany (with Behemoth)


July
15 - Neukirchen, Germany - Dong Open Air
29 - Steenwijk, Netherlands - Stone Henge Fest


August
3 - Brasov, Romania - Rockstadt Extreme Fest
11 - Obermehler, Germany - Party.San Metal Open Air
12 - Jaromer, Czech Republic - Brutal Assault Fesival
13 - Kortrijk, Belgium - Alcatraz Festival
26 - Rättvik, Sweden - Dalhalla Brinner (with In Flames)


September
8 - Hüttikon, Switzerland - Meh Suff


Hypocrisy is:


Peter Tägtgren - Vocals, Guitars
Mikael Hedlund - Bass
Henrik Axelsson - Session Drums
Thomas Elofsson - Session Guitarist