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

Arjen Lucassen’s Supersonic Revolution will release their debut album, Golden Age Of Music, on May 19 via Music Theories Recording/Mascot Label Group. You can watch a lyric video for “SR Prelude" / "The Glamattack” below.


You think you know Arjen Lucassen? Towering Dutch prog rock polymath? The man behind the super successful prog rock conceptualists Ayreon? Not to mention his prog metal of Star One and Guilt Machine? Enormous overarching concept albums about space and time, packed to the hilt with special guests that read like a who’s who of modern day progressive rock? Arjen Lucassen? Well, think again…


Supersonic Revolution, the band behind Golden Age Of Music, are simply five men: Arjen on bass, long-standing keyboard player Joost van den Broek, guitarist Timo Somers, drummer Koen Herfst and singer Jaycee. Five men rocking out and having one hell of a time doing it.




The whole project grew from a request to provide a track for a cover CD for the German music magazine Eclipsed. “They asked if I had any cover versions lying around,” he recalls. “I said, ‘No but I’ll happily record one for you.’ So, they gave me a list of bands and I saw a ZZ Top song ‘I Heard It On The X’ that I really like. I said I could record it for them, but then they told me it had to be ready in one week...”


“I was like ‘Oh my god!’. I contacted my favorite musicians in Holland via WhatsApp and literally within 30 minutes I had assembled five people. A band basically. From there the seed was sown in Lucassen’s mind. ‘I want to form a band. And I want to simply have fun!’.


“I’m a perfectionist as you know, so I’m always sending musicians their parts back and asking them to change stuff,” he acknowledges. “But this was all brilliant. We were having fun, calling and WhatsApping all the time, and within a week we had a complete product.” He continues, “Also I wanted to have an up-beat, positive project.”


“I was like, let’s form a band and let’s write songs in the style of the 70s, and have the lyrics be a celebration of all the memorable things from that time, because those were my formative years,” he enthuses. “But I didn’t want it to sound like the 70s because that’s already been done, and I can’t do it any better than ‘Stargazer’ or ‘Kashmir’.”


“The guys are all younger than me - around 30 - so they weren’t even alive yet in the 70s. So, it was a great way for me to make 70s music with lots of Hammond and blistering guitars, but to update it to this time.”


The end result is 11 tracks of high energy, progressively inclined heavy rock that swings with the kind of groove Deep Purple rocked with in the early to mid-1970s. “This album is not a typical prog album. It’s not YES or Genesis. But it’s not a metal album either. There’s a track called ‘Burn it Down’,” Lucassen notes, “it’s totally based on ‘Smoke On The Water’ but written from the perspective of the ‘stupid with a flare gun’ mentioned in the original lyrics.


The album also features covers of some legendary songs given the Arjen Lucassen treatment as bonus tracks: T-Rex’s "Children Of The Revolution", ZZ Top’s "Heard It On The X", Earth Wind & Fire’s "Fantasy" and Roger Glover’s "Love Is All".


That, ladies and gentlemen, is the real Arjen Lucassen. Job done. Having fun.


Available formats:


- Artbook
- Transparent Blue 2LP
- Pink Marble 2LP
- Purple Marble 2LP
- Yellow Marble 2LP
- CD
- Digital


Pre-order here.





Golden Age Of Music tracklisting:


"SR Prelude"
"The Glamattack"
"Golden Age Of Music"
"The Rise Of The Starman"
" Burn It Down"
"Odyssey"
"They Took Us By Storm"
"Golden Boy"
"Holy Holy Ground"
"Fight Of The Century"
"Came To Mock, Stayed To Rock"
"Children Of The Revolution" (Bonus Track)
"Heard It On The X" (Bonus Track)
"Fantasy" (Bonus Track)
"Love Is All" (Bonus Track)


"The Glamattack" lyric video: