Fan-filmed video of MEGADETH's March 22 concert at Margaret Court Arena in Melbourne, Australia can be seen below.

In a recent interview with Australia's Heavy, MEGADETH leader Dave Mustaine was asked how he compensates on stage for the fact that maybe he can't do some of the things that he could four decades ago. He responded: "Well, I don't really know what I cannot do that I used to do 40 years ago. I think that probably the only thing I have any difficulty doing is getting up in a certain pitch now that I've had my neck operated on and had a metal plate put into my spine because of the damage that happened to my neck.

"It's a wonder, based on everything that's happened, the guy upstairs is even letting me continue to do what I love.

"I don't wanna be a victim — I can't stand people who play the victim — so I'm not gonna give you a litany of all my injuries. But suffice to say, I feel great right now, and I don't really think there's anything that I cannot do.

"I won't jump out of an airplane anymore because of the plate in my neck. And because… you may have seen something about this, but I'm gonna be an Opa [grandfather]; my son [Justis] is gonna be a dad. I remember when I found out we were gonna have Justis, I stopped skydiving. That's one thing I don't do anymore.

"I think given what's happened to me with the stenosis and the broken neck bone, and I've got another broken bone in my back from riding horses, playing polo… 'Cause I don't know how to play polo, and for some stupid reason my wife convinced me to get out there and do it. And I ended up with a broken bone in my back. Go figure. Love makes you do some strange things, man."

Back in 2016, Mustaine addressed some of the challenges singing MEGADETH's earlier material while speaking to the Milwaukee, Wisconsin radio station 102.9 The Hog. At the time, he said: "After I had the surgery on my neck, when my neck [was] broken, I had a plate stuck in my neck and it touched my vocal box so my voice changed, and it's made it so that my voice is a little lower. And that's kind of a bummer, because a lot of songs in the past we had to just skip because the register was so high. But with working through it and exercising and practicing and warming up and stuff like that, I've been able to return a lot of my vocal range, and that's been good for us, because we've been able to have more songs [to choose from for the concert setlists]."

Last September, MEGADETH's latest album, "The Sick, The Dying… And The Dead!", debuted at the top of the charts during its first week of sales, taking the No. 3 spot on the Billboard 200 as well as number ones on Top Album Sales, Top Current Albums Sales, Top Rock & Alternative Albums, Top Rock Albums and Top Hard Rock Albums. "The Sick, The Dying… And The Dead!" was the highest-charting MEGADETH album of all time around the world, notching No. 1 In Finland, No. 2 in australia, poland, Switzerland, and Scotland, No. 3 in the U.K., and more.

MEGADETH's previous top 10 entries on the Billboard 200 were "Countdown to Extinction" (No. 2, 1992),"Youthanasia" (No. 4, 1994),"Cryptic Writings" (No. 10, 1997),"United Abominations" (No. 8, 2007),"Endgame" (No. 9, 2009),"Super Collider" (No. 6, 2013) and "Dystopia" (No. 3, 2016).

MEGADETH recently received its thirteenth Grammy nomination for "Best Metal Performance" for the song "We'll Be Back" from "The Sick, The Dying… And The Dead!".

MEGADETH won the 2017 Grammy Award for "Best Metal Performance" for the title track of the band's 2016 album "Dystopia". This marked the group's twelfth Grammy nomination in this category (including nominations in the discontinued "Best Hard Rock/Metal Performance" category).

In a new interview with Meltdown of Detroit's WRIF radio station, SLAUGHTER frontman Mark Slaughter was asked if he and his bandmates have any ideas demoed out for a possible new studio album. Mark responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "No. But Dana [Strum, bass] and I, when we wrote [1990's debut album] 'Stick It To Ya', we wrote it in about two and a half weeks. So it doesn't take us long to write the songs; it's more about getting us all in the same room… But we don't have a set date. We're just kind of doing all these shows and we're kind of earmarking the calendar where we have holes in the schedule where we can do that."

Regarding the status of original SLAUGHTER drummer Blas Elias, Mark said: "[He will play with us] when he can do that. And he has family commitments and he has other things that he's doing right now. Blas is, and always will be, a big part of the band. He was the original player. Jordan [Cannata, fill-in drummer] is a fantastic drummer. So I don't know. When we get to the time of recording, it's kind of, like, who's available and what works? But I know that we're working on a biopic right now, and obviously Blas will be a part of that. I think that's probably — once we get something like that out is when we'll release something where Blas comes back and we really go for it as close to original as we can."

Asked to elaborate on the SLAUGHTER "biopic," which will presumably take the form of a documentary rather than a movie that dramatizes the band's history, Mark said: "Yeah, that all started during the COVID time. We started going through our drawers. You throw all your junk in a drawer and then you come back and you go, 'Man, what's this?' And then you start sending it back to each other: 'Hey, dude, you remember this?' So we ended up finding a 24-track tape which we had basically cooked, and then we took all the files off it. It was a show we did at Universal, in a Dick Clark production, and we did a whole show in between doing the tapings. So we have a full live show with [late SLAUGHTER guitarist] Tim Kelly on it that I'm mixing or trying to pull together for a release, probably through BMG. So we're pulling all that together right now. And there are a few of those songs that we threw in this 'The Wild Life' compilation in this box set that'll be in there [when it comes out this summer]. But that was a great find; it really was."

SLAUGHTER formed in 1988 from the ashes of Slaughter and Strum's previous band, VINNIE VINCENT INVASION, which featured former KISS guitarist Vinnie Vincent. The group's double-platinum debut, "Stick It To Ya", featured the hit singles "Fly To The Angels", "Up All Night", "Mad About You" and "Spend My Life". The band issued four additional full-length albums over the course of the rest of the decade, but it has not released any new music since 1999's "Back To Reality".

In a new interview with Canada's The Metal Voice, HELLOWEEN singer Michael Kiske was asked if he and his bandmates have commenced work on material for the follow-up to their self-titled effort, which came out in 2021. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Actually, 10 days ago, or maybe a week ago, Kai [Hansen, guitar/vocals] has sent me a demo of a song that he was [working on] that I was very happy about, because it's not what you would expect; the song was a bit outside of the box, which I am always grateful for. I always thought that was exciting about HELLOWEEN. When you check out the 'Keeper [Of The Seven Keys: Part] I' and 'Keeper [Of The Seven Keys: Part] II' records, now they're classics, but when they came out, it was very different to what the 'Walls Of Jericho' record sounded like. But we had the balls to do it. And I think that's why I'm still here, because those records had an impact because of being pretty fearless. And it is always the benefit of the youth; most of the time, the younger people are very fearless.

"What I like about Weiki [guitarist Michael Weikath] andKai, they can't fool themselves. They just write songs. They don't function in any other way but just making the song, and whatever it is, that's what it is. And that song was a bit QUEEN-like. It had a lot of piano parts in it — very operatic, with big choirs. And then it gets rocking again and stuff like that. It's another Kai Hansen sort of symphony. But I really liked it. And I'm glad that he does something like that. I just hope the rest of the band has the balls to do it. I would do it."

Asked if he will be contributing any musical ideas to HELLOWEEN's next effort, since he didn't write anything on "Helloween", Kiske said: "I don't know. I'm not so much of a metal songwriter. I was when I was a teenager. But these days I just don't write metal songs; I just write songs on acoustic guitar somehow. And if I have something where I feel like the band could make a HELLOWEEN song out of it, of course I will present it to them, and then if they get a kick out of it, something's gonna happen. But we have so many songwriters in this band now. And they're all really capable of writing that sort of material that everybody loves, and that's mainly Andi [Deris, vocals], Sascha [Gerstner, guitar], Weiki and Hansen. And I think that's more than enough. If I have an idea, I sneak it in. But I don't really push myself."

As for whether the rest of HELLOWEEN has also begun composing music for the band's next LP, Kiske said: "I know that Andi has songs, and I know that Kai has a whole bunch of songs. He was a bit lazy last time; he only had that one great song, [the 12-minute] 'Skyfall', which was maybe good for three songs, and that's why it's justified, but I would have wished for even more from him. And I think this time he will be presenting a whole bunch of songs more. At least that's my impression, the feeling that I have — there might be more coming from him this time. Andi is always in the game. Andi has this gift; he can just sit down and write 10 songs. He can just do it. I don't know how he does it."

Last August, Kiske told Chile's Radio Futuro that the overwhelmingly positive response to "Helloween" "was pretty unexpected. I was expected it to do good, but it was, like, perfect.

"It is very difficult for you, when you're involved in an album, to have an objective view at what you're doing," he explained. "You just do what you do. You always try to make the best out of every song. And obviously the spirit within the band is very good, which helps, but you never know how people hear it. So the best thing you can do is fade it all out, not think about it, and just try to make every song exciting for yourself; that's the best thing you can do. The less you think about success or how critics might see it, the better for the album. It's not easy, but you've gotta have that discipline to kind of fade it out and not let it get to you.

"I was surprised how well it was received, but, of course, it was a very welcome motivation, especially [in 2021]," Kiske added. "We released it right in the middle of the whole pandemic crap, and that was a positive lift, doing the interviews and seeing how people reacted to it."

Regarding how HELLOWEEN had managed to pull off the seemingly impossible by splitting vocals on the album between returning singer Kiske and longtime frontman Deris, with added contributions from Hansen, Michael said: "It was actually great. It was very easy. I was kind of expecting it to be difficult, but it wasn't, because there was no ego fights going on between me and Andi. We were just there on Tenerife meeting up almost every day.

"Before we started recording, we had Dennis Ward making a rough draft of what he thinks could work in terms of splitting: 'This sounds like Andi. This sounds a bit like Michael.' And that was how we approached it. It was some kind of pre-draft of how we could do it, but was nothing written in stone.

"One day I came to the studio and the evening before Andi was recording something, or had recorded something, and he wasn't feeling so happy with it. He came and said, 'I was trying this and that. And maybe you should give it a try too.' And then we figured out what sounds the best for the song.

"There are a whole bunch of songs where you can hear right away, 'That's an Andi Deris song. He should sing that.' Or, 'That's a typical Kiske song. That sounds great [with Kiske vocals].' It's like 'Angels', for instance, it was very clear that that was mostly a Kiske song, and Sascha [Gerstner, guitar] had written it with my voice in his head. But there are other songs, especially when Andi writes his own songs, usually it sounds best when he does it unless he wrote it with my voice in his head, like he did with 'Fear Of The Fallen'. 'Fear Of The Fallen', he was writing it with both singers in his mind, and that works out.

"But it was very easy," Kiske repeated. "Because you just try it out, and you very quickly hear what works best. And I would say, like, 70 percent of the time we knew before that that would be sounding better with him or that would be sounding better with me. Or even with Kai — there were even spots where we thought he should do it."

Upon its release in June 2021, "Helloween" landed in the Top 10 in more than 10 countries, including Germany, Spain, Finland, Sweden, Switzerland and Austria. The cover artwork for the LP was painted by artist Eliran Kantor, who has previously worked with HATEBREED, SOULFLY, TESTAMENT, ICED EARTH and SODOM, among others.

Produced by Charlie Bauerfeind and Dennis Ward, the latest HELLOWEEN LP was recorded in part at the H.O.M.E. Studios in Hamburg (where everything started in 1984). The same recording console used for such HELLOWEEN albums as "Master Of The Rings", "Time Of The Oath" and "Better Than Raw" was utilized to record the band's new material. The effort was mixed at the Valhalla Studios of Ronald Prent (IRON MAIDEN, DEF LEPPARD, RAMMSTEIN).

"Helloween" saw the legendary German power metallers going "back to the roots," with the band recording fully analog and Daniel Löble playing the drum kit previously used by HELLOWEEN's original drummer, the late Ingo Schwichtenberg, on the legendary "Keeper Of The Seven Keys" recordings.

The "Pumpkins United" tour marked the first time Kiske had played live with HELLOWEEN since 1993. Hansen, who departed HELLOWEEN in 1988, had been joining the band onstage on various tours and festival appearances throughout the years. The set featured several duets with Kiske and his replacement, Deris, along with many rarely played songs, including "Kids Of The Century", "Rise And Fall" and "Livin' Ain't No Crime". Hansen — who fronted HELLOWEEN until late 1986 — sang a medley of several early HELLOWEEN classics, including "Ride The Sky", "Judas", "Starlight" and "Heavy Metal (Is The Law)".

Last year, Deris told the "Metal Command" podcast that he "strongly" hoped the reunited expanded classic lineup of HELLOWEEN would eventually make another album to follow up "Helloween". "I mean, as long as the vibe is great, chemistry is great and everybody's having fun with each other, it would be a crime not to do so and not to plan for a future together," he said.

"'Pumpkins United' is not only the name for the last tour, I think that's something like a brand," he continued. "HELLOWEEN 'Pumpkins United', that's something like a band — a new or something like [that] growing from the old band."

On the topic of how HELLOWEEN has managed to maintain internal harmony with so many members involved, Andi said: "I just can tell you getting along with each other, I think it's rooted in the matter of fact that we're finally too old for the other shit. [Laughs] From a certain age on, you let other people live and you don't take everything personal. Talking for [myself], whenever somebody told me something that could be looked at in a negative way, I took it the negative way. Even though when you look at it from the positive side of you, you could say, 'Well, man, maybe it was even a compliment, because have you seen it from that side?' 'No.' That's what happens when you're getting older — you don't take everything on the negative side: 'Oh, he's attacking me' or 'he's meaning bad' or 'he's meaning to annihilate you or intimidate you' or whatever. Everybody in the band, even together now with seven people, I have to say everybody is old enough to not always look at it from the negative [point of view] but also try to realize who's talking. So I cannot imagine that the boys are meaning bad if they speak about me in a sense that I could take negatively, but because I like everybody, I personally think, 'Well, I don't think they're talking negatively.' So I try to find the sense in a positive way, and most of the time — 99.9 percent [of the time] — it's exactly that. It's nothing negative; it's positive. But back in the day, everything I took was negative — when I was in my 20s and 30s. Then when you get [to] 40, it's getting better. [Laughs] Or maybe it's just you don't give a shit anymore."

HELLOWEEN will return to the U.S. and Canada this spring as part of the "United Forces" world tour alongside supporting special guests HAMMERFALL. The trek will commence on May 13 in Dallas, Texas and wind its way through a total of 13 cities, the journey drawing to a close on June 3 in San Francisco, California.

SALIVA's founding guitarist Wayne Swinny has suffered a brain hemorrhage and is currently fighting for his life at an intensive care unit.

Earlier today (Wednesday, March 22),Wayne's bandmates released the following statement via social media: "Our dear brother Wayne Swinny was discovered Tuesday morning in medical distress and paramedics were called. He was transported to a hospital where he was diagnosed with a Spontaneous Hemorrhage in his brain. He is currently in the ICU as we await further news. We ask that you keep him in your thoughts and prayers at this time."

SALIVA launched its career in 2001 with the release of "Every Six Seconds", a double-platinum selling album with hits that include "Click, Click Boom" and "Your Disease".

The band has toured the U.S. with SEVENDUST, AEROSMITH and KISS.

SALIVA reunited with its original singer Josey Scott for a one-off appearance at last year's Blue Ridge Rock Festival at the Virginia International Raceway in Alton, Virginia.

Scott left SALIVA at the end of 2011 after 15 years with the group, reportedly to pursue a solo Christian music career. He was quickly replaced by Bobby Amaru, who can be heard on SALIVA's last four releases: "In It To Win It" (2013),"Rise Up" (2014),"Love, Lies & Therapy" (2016) and "10 Lives" (2018).

SALIVA released six albums with Scott and tasted platinum success and a Grammy nomination for its first big hit, "Your Disease".

In May 2021, SALIVA celebrated the 20th anniversary of its breakthrough major label debut, "Every Six Seconds", with a special project called "Every Twenty Years", an EP of classic songs re-recorded with Amaru.

Our dear brother Wayne Swinny was discovered Tuesday morning in medical distress and paramedics were called. He was...

Posted by Saliva on Wednesday, March 22, 2023

Fan-filmed video of SOUNDGARDEN's Kim Thayil playing the LED ZEPPELIN classic "Communication Breakdown" and SOUNDGARDEN's "Let Me Drown" during a Rock 'N' Roll Fantasy Camp performance this past Sunday (March 19) at the Whisky A Go Go in West Hollywood, California can be seen below.

Now celebrating its 27th anniversary, Rock 'N' Roll Fantasy Camp has become part of American popular culture — from a Mick Jagger cameo in "The Simpsons" to "Rock Camp – The Movie", a No. 1 documentary on iTunes with a 94% score on Rotten Tomatoes chronicling once-in-a-lifetime experiences, Rock 'N' Roll Fantasy Camp has built a tradition of extracting ordinary people from their daily lives and giving them the opportunity of a lifetime: to live out their dreams of performing with their musical heroes.

Past Rock 'N' Roll Fantasy Camp mentors have included Alice Cooper, Gene Simmons, Paul Stanley, Joe Perry and Roger Daltrey, who said of his participation: "It's an amazing experience and it makes you remember where you came from."

During a March 2022 interview with LifeMinute, Thayil commented on the possibility of sharing the stage again with his fellow surviving SOUNDGARDEN members Ben Shepherd (bass) and Matt Cameron (drums). He said: "I think it's very likely that Matt and Ben and I will play together. I think we know that the songs that we love, that we did for decades with SOUNDGARDEN, if we're gonna play those songs again or hear those songs when we wanna hear them, at best it'll be with at least the three of us; that's the closest we're gonna get at this point. So I think we'd wanna re-explore that and do that at some time in the future. And I think the three of us have an interest in doing new things. We certainly like working together."

In August 2021, Thayil, Cameron and Shepherd joined Brandi Carlile onstage during her concert on at the Gorge Amphitheatre in in George, Washington to play SOUNDGARDEN's "Searching With My Good Eye Closed" and "Black Hole Sun".

In June 2021, SOUNDGARDEN and Vicky Cornell, the widow and personal representative of the estate of the band's lead singer Chris Cornell, announced that they had come to a temporary agreement that would transfer the SOUNDGARDEN social media accounts and web site to Thayil, Cameron and Shepherd and their managers, Red Light Management. This included SOUNDGARDEN's web site, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

Chris Cornell was found hanged in his room at the MGM Grand Detroit hotel in May 2017, following a SOUNDGARDEN show at the city's Fox Theatre. His body was found soon after he had spoken with a "slurred" voice to his wife by phone. The death was ruled a suicide.

May 2023 will see rock and classical royalty unite on a brand-new euphoric album titled "Drastic Symphonies" — DEF LEPPARD's greatest produced tracks dramatically reimagined and sounding larger and more exhilarating than ever before, teamed with London's iconic Royal Philharmonic Orchestra.

DEF LEPPARD have deconstructed and rebuilt not only some of their most well-known tracks but also some of their hidden gems as well. By and large, they have intertwined the audio from the original tapes and performed them alongside the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. The album includes new vocals and guitars which culminates in stunningly beautiful symphonic arrangements. At different points you can hear vocalist Joe Elliott dueting with his younger self.

Asked by BBC Radio 2's "The Zoe Ball Breakfast Show"how the "Drastic Symphonies" project came about, Elliott said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "We first discussed this — it was put on our plate by some grownups about four years ago. And, obviously, because we were touring, we were sidetracked. And then with the COVID, we did the new record [2022's 'Diamond Star Halos']… It's only nine months ago now [that it came out]. We were actually under the radar. We were in Abbey Road recording this record without telling anybody. So we had it ready to go the following year, which is now."

The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra was recorded at Abbey Road in March 2022. Produced by DEF LEPPARD, Ronan McHugh and Nick Patrick (producer of the following RPO/orchestral albums — Elvis, Roy Orbison, BEACH BOYS and Buddy Holly) with arrangements by Eric Gorfain (Neil Diamond, Ryan Adams, Christina Aguilera).

Joe told "The Zoe Ball Breakfast Show": "What we've done is we've reworked 16 of our most symphonic songs and done them with the Royal Philharmonic. We wanted to make sure that everybody knows this is not just the records from the past with an orchestra chucked on the top like icing on a cake. We took these songs all the way back to the beginning. I re-sang some of them, because the original vocals were out of place once you put an orchestra on it. So on one of the tunes, which is a song called 'Too Late For Love', I did a duet with myself from 40 years ago. It's the most bizarre thing I've ever done. But it was great fun. The timing and the phrasing came to me instantly — it's like it never left my DNA — but it was one of the strangest things I've ever done. It was like singing with a ghost that's still alive, if that makes any sense."

Elliott added: "Yeah, it turned out really, really well. We're very happy with it. And to be putting out this record only nine months after 'Diamond Star Halos', it just shows there's a forward momentum, not just from a touring point of view, but from a career point of view. We are always looking to just keep moving forward and doing something different."

Track listing:

01. Turn To Dust
02. Paper Sun
03. Animal
04. Pour Some Sugar On Me (Stripped Version)
05. Hysteria
06. Love Bites
07. Goodbye For Good This Time
08. Love
09. Gods Of War
10. Angels (Can't Help You Now)
11. Bringin' On The Heartbreak
12. Switch 625
13. Too Late For Love
14. When Love & Hate Collide
15. Kings Of The World

Atmos version will also feature a bonus track.

When "Drastic Symphonies" was first announced earlier in the month, Elliott said in a statement: "DEF LEPPARD has always enjoyed veering off the expected path — working with the likes of Tim McGraw, Taylor Swift and Alison Krauss, for example. So, when the offer to revisit some of our back catalogue with the Royal Philharmonic was presented to us, to a man we all jumped at it. Although we're far from the first band to ever do this, working directly with an orchestra at Abbey Road on some of our more orchestrated songs seemed too good of an opportunity to pass up."

DEF LEPPARD guitarist Phil Collen added: "When the offer of doing an orchestral album with the RPO was suggested, we were honored. But we didn't just want an orchestra plonked over our previous recordings. We decided to create something special where we would have something classic but present it in a brand new way that would involve making everything work in the context of 'Drastic Symphonies'. Recording new parts, remixing previous sounds, taking some of our instruments out so the orchestra could breathe and literally making a new album. It was an amazingly inspirational process culminating in the live recording of the RPO at Abbey Road studios in London. An absolute team effort that took a good part of a year. It's a new DEF LEPPARD album, it's a greatest-hits-plus album, with some rarely heard songs, it's a live RPO album and we think it's perfect. We're so proud of how 'Drastic Symphonies' turned out and can't wait to share it to the world."

According to The Irish Post, Thin Lizzy have been voted the best Irish band of all time in a poll of more than 10,000 music fans. The survey, completed in the four days leading up to St Patrick’s Day, asked listeners of Ireland’s Radio Nova to choose their favourite Irish band.


The radio station’s "Shamrock Referendum" saw more than 10,000 Radio Nova listeners voting via text, WhatsApp and social media to choose the winner.


The artists that made it into the final 16 were The Boomtown Rats, Something Happens, Ash, The Coronas, U2, Horslips, Snow Patrol, Van Morrison. The Frames, Aslan, The Undertones, Hosier, The Pogues, Sinead O’Connor, The Coronas and Thin Lizzy.




Ultimately Thing Lizzy scored the top spot with 60.5 per cent of votes compared to 39.5 per cent voting for runners up U2. The winner was broadcast at 5pm on St Patrick’s Day.


Read the complete report here.


Thin Lizzy were formed in Dublin in 1969. Their music reflects a wide range of influences, including blues, soul music, psychedelic rock and traditional Irish folk music, but is generally classified as hard rock. They released 12 studio albums between 1971 and 1983.


Frontman Phil Lynott, who battled drug addiction, died of pneumonia and heart failure due to septicaemia on January 4th 1986 at the age of 36. There have been other incarnations of Thin Lizzy since 1996, launched to honour of Lynott. The last official incarnation, featuring The Almighty frontman Ricky Warwick, eventually morphed into Black Star Riders in 2012.

Mystfall has signed a multi-album deal with Scarlet Records.


Formed this year, the Greek symphonic metal band leaded by extraordinary soprano singer Marialena Trikoglou – already known for her solo album Vanity – is expected to release the first full-length in the summer of 2023.


“We are happy and proud to announce our collaboration with Scarlet Records, a very good record label that was on the top of our list. We are now looking forward to the release of the first Mystfall album.” – Marialena Trikoglou




Mystfall:


Marialena Trikoglou - vocals
Kostas Mexis - vocals
Panagiotis Leontaritis - guitar
Dida Racotoarison - keyboards
Antonis Desousis - bass
Manos Agouridis - drums


(Photo – Peter Papapetros)

Riding With Killers, a heavy rock outfit featuring current and ex-members of Taproot, Cathercist, Avalon Black and Wild Fire, have announced the release of their newest single, “Hostility”. The track comes on the heels of their 2022 single “What Comes Next”, and doubles-down on the bands ferocious energy, being led with a massive ‘90s rock inspired guitar riff and vocalist Taylor Roberts’ unforgettable range. “Hostility” is available today via streaming and a music video for the effort will drop in the coming weeks.





Taylor Roberts, who is currently the newest guitarist of Taproot, formed Riding With Killers (RWK) in 2018 in the ashes of his former projects Cathercist and Wild Fire, which both had success in the hard rock genre over the years. Roberts befriended RWK’s 1st drummer Dave Coughlin on tour in 2013, when Coughlin was actually the drummer of Taproot. 




The two linked up for co-writing with friends Tim Krukowski (ex-Sponge), producer Matthew LaPlant and James Lascu (ex-Wilson) . The single was mastered by Matthew LaPlant at Madtown Mix Studios and the band is rounded out by their newest drummer, Jed Thibeault (Avalon Black etc). Bass duties for live shows and music videos have been filled recently by James Lascu (New Monarch) and Damon Tate (For The Fallen Dreams).

Fall Of Earth is a Canadian hybrid metal band that incorporates elements of metalcore, death, thrash, groove, nu, and progressive combined into a sound all their own. They try to create an equilibrium between the sonic and poetic attributes within their music. They have their second album From The Ashes waiting in the wings, to be released this spring. The first single off this upcoming album is “Block Out The Sun”, an ode to seasonal depression and Covid 19. 


The band explains:


“Sick and isolated, vocalist Alex Rye did what he does best in a sour mood - writing music. It started off sad, but slowly his core belief took over, and soon it transformed into an uplifting reminder that when you’re down you can always lean on others to rise up and shine together. It is both the shortest and most accessible track off this record. It captures a positive uplifting mood, while still having some grit and intensity mixed in. The lyrics and vocal melody were written first, so all the instruments were written to emulate the message of the song, and deliver a similar emotion.”




For Fall Of Earth, sometimes the music comes first and other times the lyrics will come first, but they execute the same emotions between both sides. They want the listener to be able to imagine the lyrics without even hearing them as if the music is elaborating on the same concept.


This new offering is less experimental than its predecessor and fans will notice that the band is solidifying into a signature sound. They have transitioned from songs with cool sections, into compositions with intent and purpose. Their music is creative and unpredictable and recommended for fans of Trivium, Gojira, and Coheed and Cambria.


From The Ashes is due out on April 21; preorder/pre-save here.





Tracklisting:


“Medusa”
“The Dead And Soon To Be”
“Block Out The Sun”
“Path To Self Destruction
“Crossroads”
“From The Ashes”
“Shores Of War”
“Purgatory”
“Into The Woods”


“Block Out The Sun” lyric video:





Fall Of Earth live:


April
8 – Edmonton, AB – Starlite Room


August
6 – Drumheller, AB – Loud As Hell Festival 

The sixth album of the death metal machine Mastic Scum, titled Icon, has been in the stores since October 7, 2022. The quartet has now released a solid video clip for album opener “Digital Dementia”. 





Furthermore, the band will play several festival and club stages in Germany, Austria and the Czech Republic from April onwards to promote Icon live.




Dates:


April
1 – Saalfelden, Austria – Nexus Metal Bash
15 – Linz, Austria – Shredfest Linz #11


May
12 – Wien Szene, Austria – Metalnight Outbreak
19 – Hodonin, Czech Republic – Club Nautilus
20 – Decin, Czech Republic – Nice To Eat You Deathfest


June
9 – Tabakfabrik, Germany – Passau
10 – Reichenbach, Germany – Chronical Moshers


July
8 – Trutnov, Czech Republic – Obscene Extreme Festival


August
5 – Chodova, Czech Republic – Chodovo-Plansky Fest


September
29 – Berlin, Germany – Eastened Club


October
14 – Vysoke Myto, Czech Republic – Massacre In V.M. #10


The complete album is not only available at streaming platforms, but also as a CD jewelcase, digipak edition in a boxset, and limited red vinyl in stores, at the label, the band or at the mailorder of your choice and contains ten massively groovy death anthems. Order at mdd-shop.de

Pennsylvania band Another Day Dawns — singer Dakota Sean, guitarist Tyler Ritter, bassist Jerome Betz, and drummer Nick McGeehan — have shared the video for their crackling new single "Bitter." Watch the clip, directed by Max Portnoy (drummer for Code Orange, Tallah), below.





"'Bitter' really goes to the root of uncomfortable situations with people in our lives that never get addressed, and there's just this kinda 'off' feeling about them," Sean explains, offering insight into the track. "In this case, it's a parental figure that left at a young age, which made me go through life in a bitter way. As I've gotten older, I've learned that separation really is the best defense in these scenarios. But unfortunately, that 'what if' will always be in the back of your mind."




Another Day Dawns will spend the spring touring with Bush and Breaking Benjamin. They will also support Filter for a spate of dates at the end of May.


Dates:


April (with Breaking Benjamin and Bush)
26 — North Myrtle Beach, SC — House of Blues


May 
2 — Charleston, WV — Coliseum & Conv Center
3 — Franklin, TN — FirstBank Amphitheater
5 — Huntsville, AL — Von Braun Center
6 — Biloxi, MS — MS Coast Coliseum
8 — San Antonio, TX — Boeing Center at Tech Port
10 — Park City, KS — Hartman Arena
11 — Camdenton, MO — Lake Ozarks Amphitheater
13 — Dubuque, IA — Five Flags Center
14 — Milwaukee, WI — Rave / Eagles Ballroom
16 — Grand Rapids, MI — Van Andel Arena
18 — Wilkes-Barre, PA — Mohegan Sun Arena
20 — Lexington, KY — Lex Center – Rupp Arena
21 — Pikeville, KY — Appalachian Center Arena
23 — Knoxville, TN — UT Thompson-Boling


May (with Filter)
26 — Winchester, VA — Blue Fox Billiards
27 — Syracuse, NY — Kegs Canalside


June
1 — Leesburg, VA — TallyHo Theater
3 — Jacksonville, NC — Hooligans


September
23 — Louisville, KY — Louder Than Life

In a recent interview with Ben Dryden, founder of Northwest Wisconsin's news outlet DrydenWire, conservative rocker Ted Nugent weighed in on the hot-button issue of abortion, particularly since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade and the constitutional right to the procedure in June 2022.

Nugent said in part (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "When it comes to the abortion rights, I was wondering if anybody out there listening, has anyone been asked if you can take our tax dollars and pay Planned Parenthood to slaughter people? 'Cause babies are people. And now when [California governor] Gavin Newsom — which is a Joe Biden guy, which is a [liberal Wisconsin Supreme Court candidate Judge] Janet Protasiewicz guy — when he passed a law that you can kill the child as it's being born; you can stab it in the back of the head and suck out its brains. That's legal in California, and Gavin Newsom got a standing ovation. That's Janet Protasiewicz. That's what she believes in." [Editor's note: California prohibits most abortions after fetal viability, defined in state law as the point during a pregnancy at which there is "a reasonable likelihood of the fetus's sustained survival outside the uterus," usually around 24 weeks. Abortions in the third trimester are rare, and in California, permitted only if the mother's life or health is at risk.] "And I didn't authorize my money to go to the Ukraine or to pay the Taliban our military hardware or to kill babies at Planned Parenthood. But without our permission, the liberals and the Democrats are taking our hard-earned tax dollars and murdering babies as they're being born. Find me someone who can rationalize that. Find me someone that goes, 'Hey, I'm for that. That's a good idea. That's a moral idea.'

"And if a young lady gets pregnant and doesn't have a child, should she have the right to have an abortion? All right… I don't think so; it's a living being," Nugent continued. "What happened to maternal instincts? What happened to motherhood? What happens to respect for life? But if she's gonna do it, don't charge me and don't do it the day the baby is born. You wanna debate me on that? You think you can stab a baby in the back of the head? Why don't you just shoot him on his bike on the way to school? It's the same thing."

When Dryden noted that finding a middle ground on abortion has proven to be difficult, Ted said: "I've never met anybody that goes, 'Yeah, I really like abortions. Man, I can't wait to see that baby's guts hanging out. I love when you pull his brain out of the back of his head.' I've never met anybody like that, except when I see the Democrats protesting in New York City where they're actually saying the things I just condemned.

"But yes, there is middle ground," he continued. "Of course, if a woman is raped and… It's her temple — it is her temple — but there's a new temple growing in her temple.

"I've always said it's up the individual lady… When a woman gets pregnant, and for whatever reason, between her, her medical guidance and her spiritual guidance, they decide she doesn't wanna be a mother; she's not ready…

"I've had kids that I wasn't ready to raise, and we put 'em up for adoption — way back in the '60s," Ted admitted. "So I understand the psychological warfare that goes on when all of a sudden an individual is now responsible for the existence of another human. That's quite an emotional journey. I agree to that. And I would never interfere with someone else's emotional journey, until the kid is responding to stimuli in the womb and his fingers are moving and you're already thinking of names for him and what color his bedroom is gonna be.

"If a woman is raped or she doesn't want the child, and if she's a responsible individual and she decides early on… It's never a clump of cells; it's already life upon conception. But I'm not gonna interfere… If someone decides to have an abortion for incest, rape, their individual decision, I think there has to be limits to how long that baby is being developed. And if they do want an abortion, I ain't paying for it. You caused this… Even in incest. I suppose in an incest and rape, where there was a victim of violence, I suppose society should help to some degree.

"I would propose that there's no more traumatic, emotional spiritually testing moment in life than when a woman becomes pregnant," Nugent added. "You and I can only contemplate what that must be like… Well, when that baby's growing inside that woman, it's never gonna be that helpless. And I would like to think that empathy and compassion… That's why when I hear the term 'pro-abortion'… You have to be some kind of savage devil to be 'pro-abortion', to like it, and that's what these protestors are doing."

Ted also apparently referenced a video released in 2015 by an anti-abortion group that purportedly showed how Planned Parenthood was selling fetal organs for a profit, a felony, while violating medical ethics by altering normal abortion procedures so as to preserve the organs. Planned Parenthood later countered that it donated the tissue for scientific research and received only reimbursement for its expenses, which was legal. The group also said it helped people donate tissue "with full, appropriate consent from patients and under the highest ethical and legal standards."

"When Planned Parenthood is caught selling body parts of aborted fetuses for profit, it's over," Ted said. "You don't get any more tax dollars. That's not abortion. That's just vicious, demonic criminality, and they've been caught. So why would any tax dollars continue to go to Planned Parenthood so they can profit from selling dead babies? So it does get into that outrageous element and that's one of the considerations when we're talking about where our tax dollars go.

"So it's not about pro-abortion or anti-abortion. It's about life and love and empathy and caring and individual choice," Ted claimed.

"If I smoke and get cancer, why should you pay my doctor bills? I don't think you should. I think if I'm that stupid, I should take care of myself. And I'm not saying the women that get pregnant are stupid, but it's their individual lives that we're talking about and the new life inside of them."

Back in June 2022, Nugent said that the U.S. Supreme Court "did a good job" by ruling that Americans no longer have a constitutional right to abortion.

The conservative-leaning Supreme Court's ruling came in a case involving Mississippi's request to overturn Roe v. Wade — the court's 1973 decision that legalized abortion in the United States — and uphold a state law that bars the procedure 15 weeks after conception.

Roe v. Wade affirmed the right to receive an abortion under the 14th Amendment, ruling that abortions were constitutionally protected up until about 23 weeks when a fetus can typically live outside the womb.

The June 2022 decision overturned what was previously a federal legalization of abortion and returned the issue to individual states to decide the matter for themselves.

As a result of the Supreme Court's decision, terminating a pregnancy was expected to be banned or significantly curtailed in roughly half of all states in the nation — including nearly every state in the Midwest.

Nugent addressed the Supreme Court's ruling during "The Nightly Nuge", a news-style clip in which the outspoken conservative rocker offers his take on the news of our world. He said in part: "When the left keeps saying that, 'We lost our constitutional right to an abortion,' share that phrase in the Constitution with me where it gives you the right to kill the unborn… My point being, it isn't mentioned in the Constitution, so I'm gonna repeat once again, 'Any rights herein not enumerated are left up to the States.'

"Clearly, the abortion issue, like any other issue, idea or hunch that is not enumerated in the Constitution or the Bill Of Rights clearly is up to the states," he continued. "Even a guitar player doesn't need any translator for that one. So once again, it is the hysteria…

"By the way, as you and I speak right now, if anybody wants an abortion in America, guess what — they can get one," Nugent added. "It's not the banning of abortions; it's bringing it back to constitutionality and common sense.

"And again, there are medical concerns… Can you imagine, trying to make the decision where you have a choice to save the mother or the baby? Well, that is a spiritual moment between you and God and your health professional and the husband and the wife or at least the mother and the father.

"So, I am, and my family believes in, abortion should be legal, it should be safe and it should be rare," Ted said. "But don't send me the bill because I don't subscribe to murdering this innocent baby who the science has proven that it feels the pain when you kill it in the womb.

"This issue is just volatile. So the Supreme Court did a good job."

Despite Nugent's claim to the contrary, scientific research does not prove a 20-week-old fetus can feel pain.

According to FactCheck.org, scientific research on pain in the fetus is extremely complicated, primarily because pain is a subjective experience and a fetus cannot indicate if something hurts.

A 2022 CBS News/YouGov poll found that a 59% majority of U.S. adults disapproved of the Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe vs. Wade, with 41% approving. About half (52%) called the decision a step backward for America, with 31% calling it a step forward and 17% saying it's neither. Among women, two-thirds (67%) disapproved of the ruling, with just 33% approving. A 56% majority of women said that the decision would make the lives of most American women worse.

According to a Forbes, Americans largely oppose harsh abortion laws, with 75% against policies that make it a criminal offense to perform an abortion, 69% opposing policies that ban abortion six to eight weeks into a pregnancy, 80% opposing laws that allow private citizens to sue anyone who aids or abets an abortion and 63% supporting "safe haven laws" in Democratic-led states that would protect people who travel in from other states to get an abortion.

During a March 13 appearance on SiriusXM's "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk", STYX's Tommy Shaw was once again asked about the possibility of a reunion of the DAMN YANKEES, the supergroup he formed more than three decades ago with Jack Blades, Ted Nugent and Michael Cartellone. He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I think we kind of ran that thing until the wheels fell off of it. And I'd like to just keep it like that. It was a fantastic run. It was just wild and wooly. We made those two records. The first record, that was the shit. The second record, it just started to lose the thing that it had on the first album. And I think everybody else knew that it was probably time to go back to your regular job."

Pressed about whether he would be open to revisiting DAMN YANKEES for a one-off tour or concert, Shaw said: "Michael is a permanent fixture in LYNYRD SKYNYRD, and DAMN YANKEES without Michael Cartellone just wouldn't be right. And we [in STYX] do 90 to 120 shows a year, and you have to go home some time. It's like having two wives, your two families.

"As far as I'm concerned, we had our day. We had big records, we sold a lot of records, we got a lot of airplay, and I just don't know how we would be able to fit all that in," Tommy explained. "I wouldn't wanna tell the guys in my band [STYX], 'Sorry, guys. We can't play any shows for a few months.' 'Cause that's what everybody wants to do."

DAMN YANKEES formed in 1989 and released two albums, an eponymous debut and the 1992 follow-up "Don't Tread". Hit singles included "Come Again", "High Enough" and "Coming Of Age".

DAMN YANKEES has reunited twice since its early-'90s heyday — in 1998 and 2010.

In 1999, A&R guru John Kalodner tried to reunite the DAMN YANKEES for a new album for the Portrait Records imprint, but Shaw's commitments to STYX prevented him from taking a major part in the writing and the recording. Kalodner later told Melodic Rock about the aborted effort: "I didn't think it was quite good enough, and at the time with 80's style rock, you'd have to come up with something pretty spectacular. I was disappointed in the record mostly because of Tommy Shaw's non-participation. I say that was probably the greatest problem. Tommy was totally an integral part of it. He was busy with STYX and it was sort of my mistake because I just couldn't control him. It's one of those projects that I failed on. I mean the buck stops here. It lacked the input of Tommy Shaw."

Shaw previously discussed a hypothetical DAMN YANKEES reunion during a June 2020 appearance on "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk". At the time, he said: "Well, we never broke up… We are all still best of friends. [So] who knows? It's hard, because with STYX, we work so much, and to do that [a DAMN YANKEES reunion], it would mean putting [the members of STYX] out of work for a while. So it's a tough one. But every once in a while, we wind up on the same stage."

Asked if he feels there is some "unfinished business" with DAMN YANKEES creatively and whether he would like to do a record or a song with the band to "put a button on it," Shaw said: "Well, we can always do more. I don't think you can ever put a 'we're done' button on any of the members of the DAMN YANKEES. Who knows? Never say never. And we haven't said never."

DAMN YANKEES image: Warner Bros. promotional photo
Tommy Shaw on #trunknation earlier this week talking about Damn Yankees. Full interview now on @SIRIUSXM app. pic.twitter.com/xAiBZrsksb

— Eddie Trunk (@EddieTrunk) March 17, 2023

Hollywood's Art Of Shock — frontman Art Geezar, lead guitarist Nicholas Ertel, bassist Brice Snyder, and drummer Adrian Geezar — have dropped their video for "2020v."





The track has quite a topical message.




"This song was written during the first few weeks of the pandemic lockdowns," the band says. "Rich, poor or famous, politician thief or mattress salesman. In 2020, all humans were democratically sentenced, our lives disrupted in a way we hadn't seen since the last great war. The world grinded to a halt and became a prison as we faced a new and invisible enemy, wondering if we brought this on ourselves."





"2020v" was produced by Taylor Young and accompanied by a visually stunning music video directed by Vicente Cordero. It is a testament to Art of Shock's commitment to pushing the boundaries of the heavy metal genre. The song is the first single from the upcoming full length, due out later this year.


Art Of Shock's first album, Dark Angeles, was produced by Mark Lewis and released by Century Media Records at the height of the COVID-19 lockdowns. Despite the challenging circumstances, the album was a testament to the band's drive and determination, eventually taking them across the U.S. and Canada and finding them sharing the stage with some of the biggest names in the heavy metal genre, including Sepultura, Crowbar, and Sacred Reich.


(Photo – Jeremy Saffer)

Frontiers Music Srl announces the upcoming release of Neal Schon's Journey Through Time, a live concert recorded on February 9, 2018 at The Independent In San Francisco, CA, on May 19, 2023.


This is the show where Neal Schon, founding member of the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame inducted band Journey, first debuted Journey Through Time along with two-time Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame inductee and former Journey and Santana bandmate, Gregg Rolie. Joining Schon and Rolie were current Journey member Deen Castronovo on vocals and drums, Marco Mendoza (Thin Lizzy, Whitesnake) on bass, and John Varn on keyboards and vocals.







Performing to a sold out crowd for a benefit show to raise money for victims of the fires that had ravaged the North Bay area of the San Francisco region in October 2017, the band played songs spanning Journey’s entire catalog, largely focusing on the band’s '70s repertoire, including the band's first three albums, Journey, Look Into The Future, and Next. Watch a performance of the classic Journey track "Lights" below.


Multi-Grammy nominated Schon founded Journey in 1972 and remains the sole consistent member, having participated in every album and tour to date. Before founding Journey, Schon was also a member of Santana and has performed with a variety of other acts including Bad English, Hardline, and HSAS and with Jan Hammer and Paul Rodgers (Bad Company, Free).


He has released 10 solo albums over the course of his career as well, with his guitar style being described as soulful and melodic and admired by such fellow legends as Eric Clapton and Prince. Journey’s worldwide sales have reached over 100 million records, making them one of the world’s best-selling bands of all time. Chart-topping hits such as “Don’t Stop Believin­’,” “Open Arms", “Lights", “Faithfully", and “When You Love A Woman” are regarded as some of the defining songs of the rock n' roll musical canon.


Pre-order Journey Through Time here.





Journey Through Time tracklisting:


"I’m Gonna Leave You"
"Look Into The Future"
"Kohoutek"
"Daydream"
"La Do La"
"Line Of Fire"
"Walk’s Like A Lady"
"Feelin’ That Way"
"Anytime"
"Lights"
"Still They Ride"
"Separate Ways"
"Lovin’, Touchin’, Squeezin’"
"Wheel In The Sky"
"Patiently" (Medley)
"Trial By Fire" (Medley)
"Stay Awhile" (Medley)
"Mystery Mountain"
"Of A Lifetime"
"Just The Same Way"
"Lovin’ You Is Easy"


"Lights" video:





Lineup:


Neal Schon - Guitar
Gregg Rolie - Keyboards, Vocals
Marco Mendoza - Bass
Deen Castronovo - Drums, Vocals
John Varn - Keyboards, Vocals

Currently on the road in Europe supporting their new album, The Awakening, modern heavy symphonic metal titans, Kamelot performed at Mainstage in Den Bosch, Netherlands on March 18th. Fan-filmed video is available below.


The setlist on the night was as follows:


"Veil of Elysium"
"Rule the World"
"Opus of the Night (Ghost Requiem)"
"Insomnia"
"When the Lights Are Down"
"Vespertine (My Crimson Bride)"
"New Babylon"
"Manus Dei"
"Sacrimony (Angel of Afterlife)"
"March of Mephisto"
"Karma"
"Song for Jolee"
"NightSky" (Live debut)
- drum solo -
"Forever"




Encore:
"Phantom Divine (Shadow Empire)"
"One More Flag in the Ground"
"Liar Liar (Wasteland Monarchy)"














Kamelot released their first full-length in five years, The Awakening, on March 17, via Napalm Records.


Kamelot have revealed the new album's third single, the massive "Eventide". The track is a modernized banger of epic proportions, featuring the band’s lauded trademark soundscapes and exploring heartfelt themes of lifelong companionship, unwavering loyalty and lasting memories.


Vocalist Tommy Karevik offers: "'Eventide' is a celebration of lifelong companionship and unwavering loyalty. A calming voice from the side of the bed in the greatest time of need, sharing beautiful memories as one heart is slowing down and their time together is coming to an end."





The Awakening embraces enlivening themes that every listener can relate to. Inspiring, engaging lyrics of determination, strength, overcoming personal battles and growth are abound on The Awakening, provoked by extreme societal shifts and the overwhelming realization that we have such a brief time to be true to ourselves and live life to its fullest.


Showcasing the incomparable, stage-seasoned vocal acrobatics of Tommy Karevik and increasingly airtight, renowned technical teamwork of guitarist Thomas Youngblood, drummer Alex Landenburg, keyboardist Oliver Palotai and bassist Sean Tibbetts, Kamelot’s score-like 13th studio album is accented by guest contributions from the likes of Melissa Bonny (Ad Infinitum) and renowned instrumentalists like violinist Florian Janoske and aforementioned cellist Tina Guo.


Guitarist Thomas Youngblood says: "With The Awakening, we have one of our most diverse albums in years. We've fused elements from progressive, power and gothic metal to symphonic and melodic metal on this one. Working with incredible guest artists from around the music industry and having producer Sascha Paeth and Jacob Hansen mixing gave us another step up on overall sound. This album offers everything to KAMELOT fans and also reaches beyond borders to new metal and hard rock legions.”


Tracks honoring Kamelot trademarks like cinematic “The Great Divide” and darkly hopeful eternal farewell to a loved one, “Eventide”, prove that while The Awakening stays true to the aural foundations fans have embraced for decades, equally-addictive outputs like “One More Flag in the Ground” - a radio-ready anthem about overcoming seemingly unbeatable illness and the mental challenges we all face, featuring additional vocal layers from JUNO Award winning musician and producer Brian Howes - showcase a band devoid of sonic stagnancy. Profound compositions are plentiful, like stage-ready, operatic “Opus of the Night (Ghost Requiem)”, which features a hair-raising dual solo from guitarist Thomas Youngblood and guest cellist Tina Guo, as well as epic, synth-laden “New Babylon”, elevated by the dynamic vocal attack of frontman Tommy Karevik and Ad Infinitum’s Melissa Bonny. Further balancing darkness with light, grooving, heartfelt “NightSky” and ode to conquering one’s adversities “My Pantheon (Forevermore)” boast some of the album’s heaviest moments and most complex guitar solos, while pensive hymns such as Celtic-infused “Midsummer’s Eve” and ebbing-and-flowing hymn of cherished memories “Willow” provide necessary balance to an album fittingly primed for spectacular performances to come.


The Awakening features crystal clear modern production helmed by the band and longtime producer Sascha Paeth, plus mixing and mastering by Jacob Hansen of Hansen Studios.





The Awakening tracklisting:


"Overture" (Intro)
"The Great Divide"
"Eventide"
"One More Flag In The Ground"
"Opus of the Night (Ghost Requiem)"
"Midsummer's Eve"
"Bloodmoon"
"NightSky"
"The Looking Glass"
"New Babylon"
"Willow"
"My Pantheon (Forevermore)"
"Ephemera" (Outro)


"Opus Of The Night (Ghost Requiem)" lyric video:





"One More Flag In The Ground" video:





Trailer:





Kamelot will tour the world in support of The Awakening. See below for their upcoming European Awaken The World Tour dates.


March
21 - Hamburg, Germany - Gruenspan
22 - Roskilde, Denmark - Gimle
24 - Oslo, Norway - Sentrum Scene
25 - Gothenburg, Sweden -Trädgårn
26 - Stockholm, Sweden - Berns
29 - Helsinki, Finland - Vanha Ylioppilastalo
31 - Tampere, Finland - Pakkahuone


April
1 - Oulu, Finland - Tapahtumakeskus Tullisali
3 - Tallinn, Estonia - Helitehas
4 - Rīga, Latvia - Melnā Piektdiena
6 - Warsaw, Poland - Progresja
7 - Prague, Czech Republic - Meet Factory
8 - Budapest, Hungary - Barba Negra


May
6 - Telaviv, Israel - Reading 3


Spring/Summer Festivals:


May
4 - Karmøygeddon Metal Festival, Norway - Headlining


September
8 - ProgPower USA XXII, USA - Headlining


Kamelot are:


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

Wisconsin's sludge metal behemoths Bongzilla announce the release of their sixth studio full-length, Dab City, on Heavy Psych Sounds, and unleash the crushing first track "Hippie Stick".





Bongzilla's sixth album, Dab City, is an ode to the purest form of THC and the trio's beloved hometown of Madison Wisconsin, which is known as Mad City. A political and social hotbed and a lightning rod for the state and entire Midwest since the 1960s, Madison is also home to a large University with one of the best agronomy departments in the country, and not surprisingly, the focal point for some of the finest cannabis The United States has to offer — frontman Mike "Muleboy" Makela has not seen pot with seeds in it since arriving in 1993! Although not legal, possession is basically ignored and punished with a nominal $1 fine for under 128 grams. Dab City was 100% recorded on tape and composed of seven songs with a running time of almost 60 minutes of brand new Stoned Sludge Heavy Doomy Riffs!




Says Bongzilla: "For the recording of Dab City we procured 10 g plus of the finest concentrates, we could lay our hands on and somewhere north of 120 g of cannabis flower. And recorded it on 2-inch analog tape over two sessions at Future Apple Tree Studio in Rock Island, Illinois. The fall 2022 session is known as the Harvest Sessions, and the February 2023 session is known as the Propagation Sessions. The record is our second album as a three-piece and our second release for our label Heavy Psych Sounds, continuing our journey into ultra-stoned sludgey psychedelia."


Dab City will be released in various ultra-limited and limited colored editions, classic vinyl edition, CD digipack and digital on June 2nd through Heavy Psych Sounds. 





 

"Bring the boys back home" - sung by Pink Floyd some 44 years ago and a sentence which could be a theme for Mighty Music to sign the Danish thrash-prog/power metal act, Manticora, for what will be their 10th release in a career, spanning more than three decades (debut album in 1999).


Manticora has been signed to labels from both Greece, Italy, Germany and Sweden, and now it's time to return back to their motherland and to the largest Danish record label within the metal world.







Set for a release in January 2024, Manticora is right now adding the finishing touches on their new album. A tour de force in the unique blend of what has become the Manticora trademark style. Sounding like no other, as musical inspiration is gathered from anywhere, but still fitting along the lines of acts, like Nevermore, Savatage, Slayer, Blind Guardian and even Metallica. This 10th album is an uncompromising statement of perseverance, talent and undying motivation.


Bassist Kasper Gram explains: "We are VERY thrilled to announce, that we have signed a worldwide deal with Mighty Music for the release of our next album! Signing with Mighty Music is definitely the right decision for us as a band, since they're already taking care of our bookings on Danish territory and doing a great job. They're also a Copenhagen-based company which gives us the opportunity for a really close, efficient and constructive collaboration that we are very much looking forward to!"


Manticora have released nine critically acclaimed albums, since 1999, and toured numerous times around Europe, North America and Japan + played at prestigious festivals, such as Wacken Open Air, Sweden Rock Festival, Copenhell, Karmøygeddon, ProgPower USA, etc.


Lineup:
Kristian Larsen - guitars
Lars F. Larsen - vocals
Stefan Johansson - guitars
Kasper Gram - bass
Lawrence Dinamarca - drums

Massachusetts-based hard rock / metal band Hero And The Horror have signed with Salt Of The Earth Records.


Heavy is as heavy does and with real songs, real hooks, and tons of feeling. Hero And The Horror deliver a menacing blend of heavy-handed riffing colored by mind-blistering guitar leads… alongside some of the most heartfelt and dynamic vocals. Seamlessly blending both melodic sing-along choruses with full-throated viciousness.


All colorful adjectives aside… the music on Hero And The Horror’s debut full-length, Old Ghosts, is 110% the perfect meld of brutal and melodic. Check out the video for the album's first single "Another World".







With production work being more than able handled by Kia Eshghi and Joel Stroetzel (Killswitch Engage), and mastered by Zuess (Rob Zombie, Hatebreed), Hero And The Horror - Old Ghosts is going to devastate! 


“Hero And The Horror started as a group of dudes who just wanted to make music that spoke to us. We have since become a family with a shared goal of producing music that speaks to us and to our friends and family," says bassist John "Slo" Maggard. "Everyone at Salt Of The Earth Records fits right into our brotherhood and our common goal. We can’t wait to finish this album and let the music do the talking. With Scott and the team at Salt Of The Earth Records on our side, the future looks very bright!”


“Hero And The Horror's Old Ghosts will have you giving thanks for heavy music. This band, these songs, this album is what it’s all about,” adds Scott Harrington, head honcho of Salt Of The Earth Records.  

Greek black metallers Heretic Cult Redeemer have shared their new track "Grave Sophia - Breath Of The Night". The song is the second to be revealed from the band's third album, Flagellum Universalis, set for international release on April 21st via III Damnation Productions. 





Never ones to rush nor adopt half-measures, Heretic Cult Redeemer have completed their third album, Flagellum Universalis, which features the lineup of vocalist / bassist Funus, guitarist / bassist Tempest, guitarist N3, and drummer C. Docre. Undoubtedly the band's best lineup yet, suitably do they deliver their strongest recorded statement yet in Flagellum Univerisalis. Nearing a full hour in length, the album is literally massive, as well as ceremonial, invoking a new era for Heretic Cult Redeemer, as well as reinvigoration of orthodox / religious-style black metal. Never forgetting their more death metalled roots, the band's gnawing and gnarly epics feature as much brawn as brain as they spiral outward from an ominous core.




With form meeting content, the lyrics to the nine-song Flagellum Universalis are indeed heady. The concept of record plunges into the paths of the primeval human urge of opposition to law and structure; it is a profound spiritual and philosophical journey towards Eosphoric self-knowledge. Heretic Cult Redeemer consider themselves as the means, harbingers, and vessels of Luciferian and Promethean teachings, as expressed through the frenzy, of the touch of Echidna.


To date, Heretic Cult Redeemer's catalog has been of sterling quality if not unheralded. However, the Greeks' boldest steps - their first foray into the halls of greatness - now come with Flagellum Universalis. Behold, and redeem thyself!





Tracklisting:


"Lunar Reign - Lunar Apogee"    
"Intoxication Divine"    
"Ascending Perfection"    
"Lapsit Exillis"    
"The Woven Chords Of Ecstasy"    
"Grave Sophia - Breath Of The Night"    
"Eye Of The Saturnian Dawn"    
"Primeval Cognition I"    
"Primeval Cognition II"


Curse 074: Flagellum Universalis by Heretic Cult Redeemer