Mysterious genre-bending band SLEEP TOKEN will release its third studio album, "Take Me Back To Eden", on May 19 via Spinefarm.

The LP — an hour-plus of music across 12 distinctive tracks — is Part 3 of a trilogy, a spectacular chapter-closer in the ongoing SLEEP TOKEN saga — a saga that kicked off in earnest with debut album "Sundowning" (2019).

"Take Me Back To Eden" features probably the heaviest moments thus far recorded by SLEEP TOKEN (i.e. "Vore" and "The Summoning"),along with some of the most immediate and certainly the most emotional (i.e. "Aqua Regia" and "DYWTYLM"),with a slew of other tones, textures, and tangents touched on in-between.

"Take Me Back To Eden" sees SLEEP TOKEN boldly re-confirming a  true  love of the epic (the title track is eight minutes plus),while further exploring and developing those elements that keep the music removed from any kind of pack, howling at a moon that's all its own.

"Take Me Back To Eden" track listing:

01. Chokehold
02. The Summoning
03. Granite
04. Aqua Regia
05. Vore
06. Ascensionism
07. Are You Really Okay?
08. The Apparition
09. DYWTYLM
10. Rain
11. Take Me Back To Eden
12. Euclid

Pre-orders are now available across various formats, including four stunning limited vinyl pressings, exclusive cassettes, and other merch items such as t-shirts, long-sleeves, and hoodies.

Meanwhile, standout single "The Summoning" has already generated some 16.5 million streams globally, causing the track to trend on Twitter and take the No. 1 song spot on a host of international Spotify viral charts, as well as being selected as a "YouTube Trending Artist On The Rise," featuring on YouTube's home page, viewed by millions of people every day.

The unprecedented accolades keep rolling in, between the fact that SLEEP TOKEN has never played a headline show in the U.K. that didn't sell out, "Aqua Regia" picking up airplay on the Radio One "Future Sounds" show hosted by Clara Amfo, plus huge pop star Demi Lovato sharing SLEEP TOKEN's music with her 148 million Instagram followers, SLEEP TOKEN consistently smash boundaries that they refused to acknowledge in the first place.

And even though SLEEP TOKEN notoriously do not speak to the press (out of necessity, not ego or gimmick),media can't help but write about the phenomenon, reporting on the band's every move; NME notes "SLEEP TOKEN offer their fans an entire world to immerse themselves in if they so wish. It's a place of escapism, and the foundation of a huge fan community that's dedicated to studying the band's creativity. While they have the same fervor as any other fandom, there's still a notable difference," while Metal Hammer called them "the most exciting band in metal right now."

Photo: Adamross Williams

For this year's run of the 70000 Tons Of Metal Cruise, German thrash legends Kreator prepared a very special setlist for their January 30th appearance. It featured songs taken from '85 - '90 only. Check out fan-filmed video of the entire show below.


The setlist was as follows.


"Choir Of The Damned" (Intro)
"Ripping Corpse"
"Extreme Aggression"
"Riot Of Violence"
"Terrible Certainty"
Toxic Trace" (part)
"Endless Pain"
"Awakening of the Gods"
"People Of The Lie"
"When the Sun Burns Red"
"Some Pain Will Last"
"The Pestilence"
"Under The Guillotine"
"Terror Zone"
"Tormentor"

During these past few months, Calgary, Canada's fantasy metal Red Cain has surfaced two singles "Fisher King" and "Blight" and are now ready to share their next "We Are Chaos" with all of them and future tracks to be featured on their forthcoming album entitled NÄE'BLISS due out on April 28. Their third full-length album NÄE'BLISS is a homage to the legendary world of Robert Jordan's fantasy epic The Wheel Of Time (novel/TV series). With a grimdark edge, down-tuned guitars, death and power prog metal influences, and an unrelenting march forward, NÄE'BLISS is a foray into the reverse side of the Wheel of Time story - that of the Forsaken, antagonists, instruments of the Great Lord of the Dark, and the brutal and captivating allure of letting Chaos reign supreme.





The band explains further:




“We are fascinated by antagonists, why they stand against the “common good”, and how they came to fill that role - and when reading the Wheel of Time, there was the same intrigue behind how the very clearly defined “evil” faction in this world justified its existence. Why did the Forsaken willingly join the Shadow? Why do some men and women want the world to burn, and the Wheel to stop spinning? Within such a carefully crafted narrative and beautifully balanced universe, there were puzzling, unexplored gaps that we were determined to delve deeper into.


“And of course, fantasy is but a mirror of reality - so outside WoT lore, these questions apply equally well to the world beyond our window. Which of our idols are false, which heroes degenerate, and what history is a compendium of careful lies? It is all too easy to raise your fist against those labeled evil by the multitudes or a voice above while failing to realize you yourself are the instrument of tyranny and corruption.


“We are all massive fantasy fans, and for us, Wheel Of Time rubs shoulders with LOTR as a genre-defining epic fantasy series that started it all. The world of the Wheel is a brutal, compelling world with multitudes of fascinating characters, and we were particularly interested in exploring its more visceral aspects - an area that begs to be paired with heavy metal. We’ve seen some of our musical icons, like Blind Guardian, successfully go down this path, and it was magnificent to see new musical interpretations of those stories spun out by them - not to mention some bloody good fun.


“Now, it is our turn to ride forward in another turn of the Wheel. Enjoy!"





Continuing the experimental nature of the previous single “Blight”, “We Are Chaos” plants its flag firmly in death metal territory, with vocalists Evgeniy Zayarny and Kalie Yan trading off growls amid heavy, groove-laden riffs, backlit by the usual eerie soundscapes, and Samuel Ridout’s staccato guitar work. A plunge into the nature of chaos, promises broken, and a bond that threatens mutual destruction, “We Are Chaos” is very much a new iteration of the core Red Cain sound, and an emphatic musical and visual statement en route to the upcoming album release.


The band adds about the new single:


"Ruminations on chaos. Four rebellious souls plotting against a tyrant. An occult ceremony. A secret waiting to be torn open. Red Cain’s new single + music video “We Are Chaos” brings us back into the universe of the Wheel of Time, into the lair of the Forsaken - the Chosen, as they see themselves - in their resistance to the unending turning of the Wheel.


“Under the leadership of the enigmatic Moridin, irreversibly tied to their enemy, the Dragon Reborn, Sammael, Demandred, and Semirhage are the bulwark against the rising tide of the Dragon and his followers, and the decaying status quo that his ascension brings."


"We Are Chaos" was mastered by Alan Sascha Laskow (Every Hour Kills, ex-Divinity) and mixed by Tyler Corbett, (Sole Audio).

JUDAS PRIEST's Rob Halford spoke to Metal Hammer magazine about the fact that IRON MAIDEN is among the nominees for the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame's Class Of 2023. He said: "IRON MAIDEN's nomination is absolutely overdue. I vote for them every day; you can do it by phone and it's dead easy. It takes you to the list of nominees, then you pick the bands you are voting for — and I pick MAIDEN every single day."

IRON MAIDEN is currently trailing Cyndi Lauper, George Michael, SOUNDGARDEN and Warren Zevon in the fan vote for this year's Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame induction class.

More than 1.6 million votes have already been cast since voting began. Now through April 28, fans can vote every day through the Hall Of Fame's web site. The top five artists, as selected by the public, will comprise a "fans' ballot" that will be tallied along with the other ballots to select the 2023 inductees.

According to Rolling Stone, the top vote-getters will be announced in May and inducted in the fall.

Halford, who was inducted into the Rock Hall last year, along with other current and former members of PRIEST, told Metal Hammer: "When you're actually in the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame, you're given a vote as a band and MAIDEN will get PRIEST's vote without a doubt. That's just what we do for each other. We've had very similar journeys in both bands, so let's make it happen for MAIDEN. It'd be brilliant — BLACK SABBATH, PRIEST and MAIDEN. What more could a metal maniac ask for?”

To be eligible for this year's ballot, each nominee's first single or album had to have been released in 1998 or earlier. Eight of the nominees (Sheryl Crow, Missy Elliott, JOY DIVISION/NEW ORDER, Cyndi Lauper, George Michael, Willie Nelson, THE WHITE STRIPES and Warren Zevon) are on the ballot for the first time.

This is the fifth nomination for RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE, the fourth for Kate Bush and THE SPINNERS, and the second for IRON MAIDEN and A TRIBE CALLED QUEST.

The 2023 class will be chosen by a group of over 1,000 artists, historians, and members of the music industry the Rock Hall has selected as voters.

Less than four years ago, IRON MAIDEN bassist Steve Harris said that he didn't care that his band had yet to be inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame despite the fact that it had been eligible since 2004.

"I don't mind that we're not in things like that," he told Rolling Stone in an interview. "I don't think about things like that. It's very nice if people give you awards or accolades, but we didn't get into the business for that sort of thing. I'm certainly not going to lose sleep if we don't get any sort of award, not just that one, any award. I don't think we deserve to have this or that necessarily. With what we do, whatever comes of it is great. Whatever doesn't come of it is great, too."

Even though artists are eligible for the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame 25 years after the release of their first album or single, iconic hard rock and metal groups like MAIDEN and MOTÖRHEAD have yet to be recognized by the institution, which inducted GUNS N' ROSES in that band's first year of eligibility.

MAIDEN singer Bruce Dickinson made headlines in 2018 when he referred to the Rock Hall as "an utter and complete load of bollocks" during a spoken-word gig in Australia, insisting that the Cleveland-based institution is "run by a bunch of sanctimonious bloody Americans who wouldn't know rock and roll if it hit them in the face."

Bruce later told The Jerusalem Post that he was "so annoyed with that coverage because they took my statement out of context to make it seem like I was upset that we weren't in the Hall Of Fame.

"I'm really happy we're not there and I would never want to be there," he continued. "If we're ever inducted, I will refuse — they won't bloody be having my corpse in there.

"Rock and roll music does not belong in a mausoleum in Cleveland," Bruce added. "It's a living, breathing thing, and if you put it in a museum, then it's dead. It's worse than horrible, it's vulgar."

Harris previously told "Rock Talk With Mitch Lafon" that he wasn't concerned about whether IRON MAIDEN would eventually be inducted into the Rock Hall. "I don't really think about it, to be honest. I think awards are things that are nice to have when you get them, but it's not something you're really striving for — it's not what it's about it," he said. "It's never been about that. It's aways been about just trying to make good music and go out and play good live shows, and that's it, really. Hopefully people will appreciate it. It's probably nice when people give you awards — don't get me wrong; I think it's great — but it's not something that you would lose sleep over if you didn't get any.

"It's the way that I am," Harris added. "I don't know. Maybe the rest of the guys [in the band] might think differently to me, but that's the way I think. It's not that I don't care about [awards]. It's just… And it's not that they're not meaningful when you do get 'em — it's nice. But I certainly don't worry about it or anything like that. I think other people are the ones that make a bigger deal out of it than us, about whether we got one or not."

Having been eligible for induction for nearly two decades, IRON MAIDEN is one of the biggest bands on the planet. Since the release of their self-titled debut album, the British heavy metal legends have released a further 16 full-length studio records, and sold over 100 million copies.

Rock Hall rules state that artists become eligible a quarter century after their first records were released, but the Hall also claims that other "criteria include the influence and significance of the artists' contributions to the development and perpetuation of rock 'n' roll," which is, of course, open to interpretation.

Eligible for induction since 1999, KISS didn't get its first nomination until 2009, and was finally inducted in 2014.

Ghost have released the new video below, along with the following "Message From The Clergy": "We wish to inform you that in this world, nothing is certain except death and taxes."





Ghost have revealed details of its upcoming Re-Imperatour U.S.A. 2023 summer tour with special guest Amon Amarth. Produced by Live Nation and FPC Live, the 27-date tour kicks off on Wednesday, August 2 in Concord, CA at Concord Pavilion, with stops in Salt Lake City, Chicago, Cincinnati, Austin and more before wrapping up with the band's Monday, September 11 return to the Kia Forum in Los Angeles.




Says Amon Amarth: "We are pleased to announce Amon Amarth are joining fellow Swedes Ghost for another raid this summer across the US this August. Sharpen your axes and fasten your shields as we blaze across America sacking your cities and converting the survivors to join the Great Heathen Army! See you at the shows!"


General on sale startS Friday, February 17 at 10 AM, local time on Ticketmaster.com.





Tour dates:


August
2 - Concord, CA - Concord Pavilion
4 - Auburn, WA - White River Amphitheatre
5 - Airway Heights, WA - BECU Live at Northern Quest
7 - West Valley City, UT - USANA Amphitheatre
8 - Denver, CO - Fiddler’s Green Amphitheatre *
11 - St. Louis, MO - Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre
12 - Milwaukee, WI - American Family Insurance Amphitheater
14- Clarkston, MI - Pine Knob Music Theatre
15 - Chicago, IL - Huntington Bank Pavilion at Northerly Island
16 - Cincinnati, OH - PNC Pavilion at Riverbend Music Center
18 - Syracuse, NY - St. Joseph's Health Amphitheater at Lakeview
19 - Mansfield, MA - Xfinity Center
20 - Bridgeport, CT - Hartford HealthCare Amphitheater
22 - Indianapolis, IN - TCU Amphitheater at White River State Park
23 - Burgettstown, PA - The Pavilion at Star Lake
24 - Bristow, VA - Jiffy Lube Live
25 - Camden, NJ - Freedom Mortgage Pavilion
27 - Nashville, TN - Ascend Amphitheater
29 - Simpsonville, SC - CCNB Amphitheatre at Heritage Park
30 - Jacksonville, FL - Daily’s Place
31 - Tampa, FL - MIDFLORIDA Credit Union Amphitheatre


September
2 - The Woodlands, TX - The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion presented by Huntsman
3 - Austin, TX - Germania Insurance Amphitheater
5 - Irving, TX - The Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory
7 - Albuquerque, NM - Isleta Amphitheater
8 - Phoenix, AZ - Talking Stick Resort Amphitheatre
11 - Los Angeles, CA - The Kia Forum ^


* Non-Live Nation Date
^ Amon Amarth not on this date