One year after the release of their Strange, Strange Times album, Melbourne's The Ugly Kings are heading off for the second leg of their Australian tour with nine shows in September, October and November.


Right in time before the tour, the four-piece, known for their foreboding alt-rock with blackened blues and gritty punk edge, releases a brand new official music video. “Do You Feel Like You’re Paranoid?” raises the question of developments in opinion formation in the present time, when the Internet - once the hope of freedom of speech - is often used for conspiracy theories or simple propaganda. The topic is underlined by a strong official music video!


The Ugly Kings on “Do You Feel Like You’re Paranoid?”: “We’re super excited to release this brand new video for 'Do You Feel Like You’re Paranoid?', from our record Strange, Strange Times, as we are about to embark on the second leg of our Australian tour this September. It’s been fantastic to be able to tour the album this year in Australia and what better way to celebrate than to release a new video.”







Order Strange, Strange Times here.





Strange, Strange Times tracklisting:


"Strange, Strange Times"
"Technodrone"
"Do You Feel Like You're Paranoid?"
"In The Shadows"
"Last Man Left Alive"
"Lawman"
"Electric Lady (My Kryptonite)"
"The Devil Comes With A Smile"
"Mr. Hyde"
"Another Fucking Day"


“Strange, Strange Times” video:





"The Devil Comes With A Smile" video:





"Technodrone" video:





Lineup:


Christos Athanasias – guitar
Nicolas Dumont – bass
Joel Martin – drums
Russell Clark - vocals


(Photo - Joel Adams)

EPICA singer Simone Simons has confirmed to Canada's The Metal Voice that she and her bandmates have been working on new material during the coronavirus pandemic. "We have new music that will be released later this year," she said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET). "And it's not an EPICA album; it's not your typical EPICA epicness. [Laughs] It's something we've never done before. So definitely also worth the anticipation. But it will be released early winter or something like that."

She continued: "We're working on the artwork at the moment. We have singles ready. I already shot a video for one of the songs… We had a couple of things on our list that we wanted to try, and it also kind of came to fruition during the pandemic.

"It's a busy year for EPICA. We've been busy during the pandemic with non-touring things, but now we had so many festivals and working behind the scenes on this, we like to call it 'secret project.'"

Simons declined to reveal any more details about the upcoming project, saying that: "We have an online fan community which is called 'Epica Universe', and there we have been already spoiling a little bit of what the 'secret project' is about. So if people are curious, they are welcome to join the 'Epica Universe'… It's really totally different. I can't wait for that music to be released because we have been teasing everybody on the 'Epica Universe' forever about this secret project. And it's taken up a lot of our time… There's not a lot of details about it yet, but on the 'Epica Universe', the fan club, we've been posting a little bit behind-the-scenes things, and you can hear choir bits and pieces and orchestration already."

Just one day after the release of their anniversary reissues "We Still Take You With Us" and "Live At Paradiso", EPICA will celebrate 20 years of existence live on September 3 at 013 in Tilburg, Netherlands, the same place where they played their first show (supporting ANATHEMA) back in 2002.

EPICA was formed by composer Mark Jansen after leaving AFTER FOREVER in 2002, and the band quickly gained attention outside their home country, taking big steps towards becoming the leading symphonic metal superpower they have long proven to be. After their ambitious debut "The Phantom Agony" (2002) and the surprisingly eclectic sophomore work "Consign To Oblivion" (2005),the road took them to new heights via their first concept masterpiece "The Divine Conspiracy" (2007) and their global breakthrough "Design Your Universe" (2009). 2012's opus "Requiem For The Indifferent", 2014's bedazzling "The Quantum Enigma" and "The Holographic Principle" (2016),cemented their reputation as not only one of the hardest-working metal bands in the business but also as one of the best. With 2021's "Omega", the final part of the metaphysical trilogy they began with "The Quantum Enigma", they reclaimed the throne without so much as the blink of an eye, amassing three million-plus streams during the first week of the album's release.

Vocalist Sharon Den Adel and guitarist Stefan Helleblad of Dutch heavy rockers WITHIN TEMPTATION were interviewed by EMP at this year's Summer Breeze festival, which is being held this weekend in Dinkelsbühl, Germany. Asked if fans can expect to hear a full-length album at some point in the future after getting four singles from WITHIN TEMPTATION in the last couple of years, Stefan said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Well, we're constantly working on new stuff, and there's still new songs that's been recorded and everything. But you never know how they're gonna end up — if they're gonna make it or not. But there's definitely a lot of writing and recording going on. And hopefully an album next year — hopefully. We'll see."

Den Adel also discussed the WITHIN TEMPTATION songwriting process, saying: "The thing is we've been around for such a long time that we try to be inspired by new bands that we hear and implement it with our own kind of sound and try to stay updated with the sound that is sounding more modern nowadays and what is more 'in' nowadays. Not to be going along with new sounds but something that sounds refreshing and inspiring to us. And that keeps us going and makes it fun for us to make still music. We've been around almost for 25 years, even longer — now I really feel old — but, anyway, you need it; you need to evolve. So there's no formula, but it's more every time looking what inspires you. And it can be anything."

In recent years, WITHIN TEMPTATION shifted its focus from releasing albums to releasing a series of singles, enabling the bandmembers to indulge themselves in their creative processes thus delivering freshly inspired music. The group has released "Entertain You", "The Purge" and "Shed My Skin", singles that have all thrilled their fanbase, had great critical reception in Europe, peaked in the Top 20 of the U.S. Billboard Mainstream Rock Indicator charts and topped the official German charts. In July, WITHIN TEMPTATION also released the official Jeb Hardwick-directed music video for the band's latest single, "Don't Pray For Me". It is the fourth single of the band's independent releases and will lead up to WITHIN TEMPTATION's next studio album.

Last month, Sharon told Finland's Chaoszine about WITHIN TEMPTATION's plans for a new studio LP: "We don't have an official [release] date yet, but we are working, as we speak still, on finishing songs. And, of course, we have released a lot of songs during the corona time; those songs are gonna be on the album as well. So I think we have to finish up, like, a third still, and we're gonna do it in the beginning of next year. And somewhere next year we will release a new album — with the songs that we already released, of course."

Den Adel previously said that "Don't Pray For Me" "strives against forcing beliefs and fears on to others and bears witness to being acceptive of everyone's own journey. It is an anthem about coming to terms with the fact that beliefs can be fluid, multiple or, frankly, different. The song is about allowing people to pursue their own destiny."

The remainder of WITHIN TEMPTATION's 2022 will be filled up with a European summer festival season, a USA tour with IRON MAIDEN and a much-anticipated and long-delayed co-headlining European tour with EVANESCENCE.

WITHIN TEMPTATION's last album, "Resist", was released in February 2019 through Spinefarm Records, the specialist hard rock label of Universal Music Group.

"Resist" featured guest appearances by PAPA ROACH's Jacoby Shaddix, IN FLAMES' Anders Fridén and ARID's Jasper Steverlinck.

Prior to "Resist"'s arrival, Den Adel said that the LP was inspired by "modern music" but with "a very dark" twist. She explained: "Sometimes, it feels that today's pop music lacks a rebellious edge. Our main goal was to collect pieces from sounds we did like and roughen it up as much as we could, resulting in a surprisingly new musical world that is heavier, dirtier and more futuristic than we've ever created before. 'Resist' is our take on metal in a new way: to give modern music its rebellious edge."

On July 28th, former Cinderella frontman Tom Keifer and his band performed at Buckhead Theatre in Atlanta, GA on the Sonic Slam tour with L.A. Guns and Faster Pussycat. Fan-filmed video of the Cinderella classics "Don't Know What You Got (Till It's Gone)" and "Shake Me" played back-to-back can be viewed below.


Keifer's setlist on the night was as follows:


"Touching the Divine"
"Night Songs" (Cinderella)
"Coming Home" (Cinderella)
"It's Not Enough"
"Somebody Save Me" (Cinderella)
"Rise"
"Nobody's Fool" (Cinderella)
"Solid Ground"
"Fallin' Apart at the Seams" (Cinderella)
"The Last Mile" (Cinderella)
"Don't Know What You Got (Till It's Gone)" (Cinderella)
"Shake Me" (Cinderella)
"Shelter Me" (Cinderella)




Encore:
"Gypsy Road" (Cinderella)

In a new interview with Roppongi Rocks, MEGADETH drummer Dirk Verbeuren spoke about his contributions to the band's upcoming album, "The Sick, The Dying… And The Dead!", which will arrive on September 2 via UMe. The follow-up to 2016's "Dystopia" marks Dirk's first studio recording with MEGADETH, having officially joined the group six years ago. He said: "I do feel that I was able to express myself on the new songs. Dave [Mustaine, MEGADETH leader] welcomed Kiko's [Loureiro, guitar] and my contributions as writers and performers. He left a lot of freedom for us to experiment during the writing and in the studio, and so we worked together to explore new ground. It was hard work, but also a lot of fun.

"I like to bring my ideas to the table, of course, but it's equally important for me that I give MEGADETH fans, of which I grew up being one myself, everything they've come to love about the band," he explained. "To me, that means not just playing to the best of my abilities, but also understanding what constitutes a good MEGADETH song, as well as how previous drummers like Gar Samuelson and Nick Menza's approach contributes to each song. In that regard, the three years spent touring for 'Dystopia' and playing those classics taught me a lot. Day after day, I absorbed what the MEGADETH sound is about and where the drums fit into that sound. Dave really helped me by inviting me to study every nuance of every drum part. I've always loved Gar's and Nick's styles and it's great to be able to follow in their footsteps."

Verbeuren had been playing with SOILWORK for more than a decade before joining MEGADETH in 2016 as the replacement for Chris Adler (ex-LAMB OF GOD),who called Dirk "probably [one of the] top three drummers in the world."

Earlier this month, Mustaine told the "Appetite For Distortion" podcast that "it's been a breath of fresh air" to have songwriting input from other members of MEGADETH on "The Sick, The Dying… And The Dead!".

Dirk previously discussed his contributions to "The Sick, The Dying… And The Dead!" in an interview last month with Andrew Daly of VWMusic. Speaking about the recording process, Dirk said: "There was some tension for me, because it was my first time doing this with MEGADETH. I didn't really know what to expect as far as how things would go with the songwriting and just being in the studio, so I was a little bit apprehensive at first. But, actually, even though we took a lot of time, things went smoothly overall. I mean, of course, the pandemic hit, and that slowed us down, and not long before that, Dave had his cancer diagnosis and had to get treatment, which happened pretty much in the middle of our songwriting. He soldiered on for a while, but then he had to take a break because treatment became too heavy for him. So, throughout all that, I learned that just listening and being there was a key thing. It's just like what I said earlier because Dave really has a very clear vision of where he wants to go musically, and lyrically. So for us, the biggest thing was to be able to understand that so that we could complement what he wanted to do.

"The thing is, Dave asked us all from the get-go to contribute our own ideas, which we did, including myself," Dirk explained. "I wrote a couple of songs and some riffs for the album, and two of the songs ended up making it onto the album. It's cool to be in a band with such a great legacy that I grew up listening to, and then to contribute to that, not only on the drums but also songwriting-wise, it's a really exciting thing. I think the challenge was really to find my place in the studio, which is a natural thing over time. But again, it's also something that I've had experience with in the past when I was working with different people, who have different viewpoints and different demands. I just wanted to make Dave feel comfortable and make him feel like whatever he needed on drums, that I had him covered. The recording itself went very smoothly, and it was a lot of fun. We did that in the middle of a pandemic, so as far as the drums went, it was really quick, and Dave was super enthusiastic the whole time, as well as the other guys."

Dirk also talked in more detail about the two new MEGADETH songs that he contributed ideas to, "Life In Hell" and "Night Stalkers". He said: "When it comes to 'Life In Hell', that's roughly based on a demo that I wrote at home. I just picked up the guitar, put something together, and added some drums and bass to that. Then I took that to Dave, and he reworked it together with me and with other guys, and it eventually turned into the song that's on the record. When it comes to 'Night Stalkers', that's a song that I had a riff laying around, and it just fit the song. It's funny because the story behind that riff is that I was at Dave's house; I think it was during one of the very first times I went there to go work with him on some ideas one evening. So I just picked up his guitar and this riff just kind of came to me, and that's the riff that ended up in the song. Everybody in the band thought it was a good riff, and that we had to use it. For me, that's exciting, because both of those songs are very much connected style-wise to the older MEGADETH. It's cool because that's the stuff that I grew up with, and for me to be a part of bringing that element back to the album full-on, that's something I'm very excited about. This being said, I don't think that we were looking backward, and I think this sounds very much like a modern album. But, you know, we're kind of just embracing the whole history of the band, I would say."

Featuring twelve new tracks, "The Sick, The Dying… And The Dead!" will be made available on CD, vinyl, and cassette, as well as digitally through all online partners. There will also be a limited deluxe edition 2LP, 12-track album pressed on 180g black vinyl housed in a numbered gatefold jacket with a 12x24 lyrics/credits insert, a lenticular vinyl lithograph and a bonus seven-inch featuring "We'll Be Back" and the unreleased B-side "The Conjuring (Live)". The limited deluxe edition can only be purchased via MEGADETH's official online store, through Sound Of Vinyl and uDiscover.

The first song to be released from "The Sick, The Dying… And The Dead!" was "We'll Be Back", which was accompanied by the world premiere of "We'll Be Back: Chapter I", a short film chronicling the origins of MEGADETH's mascot Vic Rattlehead. Produced by Mustaine, "We'll Be Back: Chapter I" is a soldier's tale of bravery, personal sacrifice, and the will to survive. It was the first installment of a trilogy of videos to be released in conjunction with the release of "The Sick, The Dying… And The Dead!"

"The Sick, The Dying… And The Dead!" reunites Mustaine with co-producer Chris Rakestraw (DANZIG, PARKWAY DRIVE),who together helmed 2016's "Dystopia". The new album was recorded at Mustaine's home studio in Nashville, Tennessee, with Loureiro and Verbeuren. Bassist Steve DiGiorgio temporarily stepped in to record the album. With the kick-off of MEGADETH's recent tour, MEGADETH alumnus James LoMenzo rejoined the MEGADETH family as permanent bass player.

"The Sick, The Dying… And The Dead!" features a cover of DEAD KENNEDYS' "Police Truck" and Sammy Hagar's "This Planet's On Fire", the latter of which includes vocals from Hagar himself.

Further to yesterday's announcement from Acey Slade and Eric Griffin that they will celebrate the 20th anniversary of Beyond The Valley Of The Murderdolls by launching a new official website, murderdollsofficial.com, and doing a free in-store meet and greet at Blackcraft Cult Salem next Sunday, August 28, from 4-6pm (located at 253 Essex St. in Salem, MA), Murderdolls vocalist Wednesday 13 has issued the following statement:


"Happy 20th Birthday to Murderdolls debut album, Beyond The Valley Of The Murderdolls, released on this day back in 2002.


And on this special day I hate to have to make this statement, but let me be clear…Murderdolls will always be Joey Jordison and (I) Wednesday 13. There is NO Official Murderdolls without the founding members, and songwriters. Anything else advertised is NOT with my permission or involvement.




R.I.P. Joey Jordison and Ben Graves."





Acey Slade commented, “Celebrating the anniversary of Beyond The Valley Of The Murderdolls with Eric is magical. It only makes sense that we kick off this celebration in one of the most magical cities in the world, Salem, MA. We can’t wait to hang out with all our ghoul scout friends and fiends on our Instagram and YouTube pages and let you know what we have been up to after all this time. As if that wasn’t exciting enough, we will be the first to give you a digital experience at the brand new Blackcraft Cult store in Salem, MA. See ya soon and stay ghoul!”


Eric Griffin continues: “Join Acey Slade and I in Witch City, USA as we crank back the clock 20 years and celebrate the anniversary of Beyond The Valley Of The Murderdolls with our friends at Blackcraft, Salem. We’ll be streaming  live on Sunday August 28th. Kick off the spooky season early this year with Murderdolls.”








 

During an appearance Friday (August 19) on SiriusXM's "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk", legendary Swedish guitarist Yngwie Malmsteen was asked if he would ever consider joining another band as opposed to focusing solely on his solo career. He responded: "Well, I'm not saying never for anything, but most likely not. Because I'm in a rock and roll setting, like everybody knows — it's a rock and roll band, basically, on stage — but the way I create is very much like a painter or writer where… I don't paint half a painting and call my friend up and [say], 'Hey, can you come finish half the painting for me?' That's the only thing. It's not because I'm egotistical; it's just an artistic expression thing. Going out with 'Generation Axe' is more than enough to be a band than anything," he added, referencing the "Generation Axe" tour, which took place over several legs between 2016 and 2019, and featured a bill that included Malmsteen, Steve Vai, Zakk Wylde, Nuno Bettencourt and Tosin Abasi. "So I'm doing that too."

Since 1983, Malmsteen has released albums with the bands STEELER and ALCATRAZZ, as well as 22 studio albums of his own, including last year's "Parabellum". He has also been part of Joe Satriani's "G3" tour. In addition, Yngwie has composed a "Concerto Suite For Electric Guitar And Orchestra" and has played on tribute albums to DEEP PURPLE, QUEEN, SAXON, VAN HALEN, OZZY OSBOURNE and others.

"Parabellum" was released in July 2021 via Music Theories Recordings/Mascot Label Group. Only four of the songs on the album feature vocals. The album title "Parabellum" is Latin, translating as "Prepare For War".

After working with some of the top hard singers of the past four decades, Yngwie now handles much of the lead vocals himself in his own band, backed by a lineup that includes keyboardist Nick Marino, bassist Emilio Martinez and drummer Brian Wilson.

In a 2021 interview with Eonmusic, Yngwie was asked how he has managed to maintain his amazing guitar technique after all these years. He responded: "I think that if you dedicate so many years, so much intensity and so much dedication and so much passion into something and you do it and you're very relentless and you have a goal and you refuse to accept any failure on it, if you do that for so many goddamn years, it becomes much more second nature than anything else. You also remember that technique is only a means to get music out; it's not technique for the sake of technique."

He continued: "I use the term 'relentless'; I'm completely unstoppable. If I just put my mind to something, I will not stop until I'm there, and that includes reaching a certain level of the instrument or whatever it may be. It could be anything in life, basically. So, obviously I don't accept any sort of sloppiness or half-assed shit. If I feel inspired, I play more, but then if I'm on the road, I play more than I should, and if I'm in the studio I play a lot too, so it's never really a downtime on it. And if there's no touring or no recording, I play anyway, because I love it."

Image courtesy of MusicJunkie422

Arch Enemy performed at Summer Breeze 2022 in Dinkelsbühl, Germany on April 18th. Pro-shot livestream footage of the band's entire show can be viewed below.


The setlist on the night was as follows:


"The World Is Yours"
"Deceiver, Deceiver"
"Ravenous"
"War Eternal"
"In the Eye of the Storm"
"House of Mirrors"
"My Apocalypse"
"The Eagle Flies Alone"
"Handshake With Hell"
"Dead Eyes See No Future"
"The Watcher"
"First Day in Hell"
"Saturnine"
"As the Pages Burn"
"No Gods, No Masters"
"We Will Rise"
"Snow Bound"
"Nemesis"







On August 12th, Arch Enemy unleashed their 11th studio album, Deceivers, via Century Media Records. They have released an official video for the new song "The Watcher"; check it out below.





A collection of 11 tracks that are ruthlessly catchy and mercilessly violent, Deceivers stands toe-to-toe with the highlights of the band's storied catalogue. Roaring to life with "Handshake With Hell", Arch Enemy make it clear they are out for blood, and every track is a hit, from the moody "Poisoned Arrow" to the titanically anthemic "One Last Time". Sounding more energized than ever, the quintet is operating at the highest level, delivering a maelstrom of diamond-hard riffing wrapped around cinematic melodies, thunderous drumming and towering vocals. Arch Enemy has proved, yet again, that they are unstoppable.


Deceivers can be ordered in various formats here.





Deceivers tracklisting:


"Handshake With Hell"
"Deceiver, Deceiver"
"In The Eye Of The Storm"
"The Watcher"
"Poisoned Arrow"
"Sunset Over The Empire"
"House Of Mirrors"
"Spreading Black Wings"
"Mourning Star"
"One Last Time"
"Exiled From Earth"


"Deceiver, Deceiver" video:





"House Of Mirrors" video:





"Handshake With Hell" video:





"Sunset Over The Empire" video:





Arch Enemy lineup:


Alissa White-Gluz - Vocals
Michael Amott - Guitars
Jeff Loomis - Guitars
Sharlee D'Angelo - Bass
Daniel Erlandsson - Drums

Cradle Of Filth leader, Dani Filth, has paid tribute to the band's former guitarist, Stuart Anstis, who has passed away at 48 years of age. Dani took to social media to share the following:


"It is with a deeply saddened heart that I have heard of the passing of my former guitarist Stuart Anstis at 48.


Stuart - despite our eventual differences - was an amazingly talented guitarist who brought a real sense of magick to everything he wrote in Cradle Of Filth.




For a long time he and I were bestest of friends living in a small village here in Suffolk and despite that relationship eventually changing, it did nothing to diminish the fan’s appreciation of his creative flair and talent right up to the present day.


Vempire, Dusk… And Her Embrace’(though written mostly by former members, Stuart played all the guitars on this album), Cruelty And The Beast and From The Cradle To Enslave would have been completely different creatures if it were not for the depth of his astute and deliciously dark musicianship.


It truly is with a heavy sense of loss that we (and extreme music in general) bid farewell to Stuart.


May sombre flights of ravens wing you to your grave mate.


Rest In Phallustein. - Dani Filth, Midian, 2022 e.h."

Anstis was with Cradle Of Filth from 1995 - 1999, writing and recording for Dusk And Her Embrace (1996) and Cruelty And The Beast (1998), as well as the EPs V Empire (1996) and From The Cradle To Enslave (1999).
Guitarist Richard Shaw, who recently left COF's ranks, shared the news of Stuart's passing via Instagram. His post can be viewed below:




 

 
 

 


View this post on Instagram

 

 
 
 

 
 

 
 
 

 
 

A post shared by Richard Shaw (@richardshawguitarist)







Former Cradle Of Filth guitarist James McIlroy - who was with the band from 2003 until 2005 - shared the following tribute to Anstis:


"Saddened to hear of the passing of Staurt Anstis. Although I never met him, I always deeply admired what he wrote during my time in Cradle. Loved playing the riffs he committed to tape. Most of the songs I really looked forward to playing in the many setlists over the years had his dna in them, and even before that, the albums and EPs I loved the most featured him.


Whilst I think a load of people will post stuff of Cruelty, Dusk, well, have this, a criminally underrated epic from V Empire, which guitar wise (I believe) was all Stuart. It's also one I'd have loved to have been able to play live."





(Top photo - Dani Filth Facebook)

On August 14th, Dream Theater performed at Download Japan in Chiba. Fan-filmed video of their entire set can be viewed below.


The setlist was as follows:


"The Alien"
"6:00"
"Awaken the Master"
"Endless Sacrifice"
"Bridges in the Sky"
"Invisible Monster"
"A View From the Top of the World"
"The Count of Tuscany"




Encore:
"Pull Me Under"





The clip below features Dream Theater frontman James LaBrie and guitarist John Petrucci in a Q&A conducted by Download Festival Japan.


Asked about the best advice they received in life respectively, they offered the following responses:


LaBrie: ""The best piece of advice I've ever received was from my father, and he said 'respect others and you'll have that back.' So what you put out is what you get back. And also be true to yourself and just be real. I think people that are grounded are inspirational, and that's the way that I've gone through life; just keeping it real, being respectful and being cool. Period."


Petrucci: "As far as advice, I'll approach it from a musical front. There was a teacher in high school that told me about the metronome, and it was the first time a musician suggested I practice using a metronome; I'd never done that before. It was the greatest piece of musical advice because I still do it, and what it did is it helped me to kind of be able to play things eventually that I couldn't play starting out. Playing to a metronome was a great, great piece of advice that I'll never forget."

At the Gates performed at the UC Theatre Taube Family Music Hall in Berkeley, CA on August 19th. Check out the live footage shared by Capital Chaos TV below.
















At The Gates have embarked on a special anniversary Slaughter Of The Soul tour this summer in the US and Canada.


Says the band: "Originally planned for the 25-year anniversary of SOTS in 2020, the Covid-19 situation made us postpone this tour until 2022. Finally, we can present these new dates set for August 2022."


At The Gates will play the entire Slaughter Of The Soul album from start to finish, and also a mix of other tracks from their 30+ year career.


The band adds: "We have been looking forward to return to the US for several years now, and with a great tour package together with Municipal Waste, Enforced & Thrown Into Exile, it is finally time. See you in the pit!"


Remaining tour dates:


August (with Municipal Waste, Enforced)
22 - Denver, CO - Gothic 
23 - Lawrence, KS - Granada
24 - Chicago, IL - Concord 
25 - Toronto, ON - Danforth Music Hall 
26 - Montreal, QC - Corona 
28 - Philadelphia, PA - Union Transfer
29 - Silver Spring, MD - Fillmore
30 - New York, NY - Irving Plaza

Canadian bashers Exes For Eyes have release a new single, "Built To Suffer", featuring a guest appearance by Sons Of Apollo / ex-Dream Theater keyboardist Derek Sherinian. The song is available for streaming and below.


BraveWords spoke exclusively with guitarist / founder Dave Sheldon about the collaboration.


Sheldon: "Long in short, I couldn't write a solo.  Nothing I did sounded right, it sounded extremely out of place.  It's hard to describe; not musically out of place, but tonally. All I could hear in my head was a synth / keyboard, and the song sat unfinished for a while. I'd revisit it from time to time, but I'd just be fumbling about the fretboard completely frustrated. I could hear the solo in my head, and it sounded like Sherinian, and I am not Sherinian (laughs).  I shelved the track and basically forgot about it.  




I follow him on IG, and tagged him on something. A day or two, I had a message in my inbox from Derek asking if I was working on any new music. By that time I completely forgot about the song and told him I wasn't.  Fast forward six months, I was looking through hard drives for a friend's session and found the song, and remembered he had asked.  


It took a while but I finally put two and two together and asked him if he'd rip a  solo on the song now known as 'Built To Suffer', and I couldn't be happier with the result. It inspired me to write my own solo to round the track out.  He made me step up my game, for sure."

German rockers Ray Of Light - featuring founding members of Frontline, Robby Boebel (guitar) and Stephan Bayerlein (drums) - formed in April 2021 with plans to release their debut album this year. Sadly, Boebel passed away on July 14th due to an undisclosed illness.  


The band paid tribute to Boebel wih the following message:


"Dear friends, most of you have already heard via our individual announcements that Robby has passed away last Thursday morning. Robby was seriously ill for quite some time and unfortunately lost the the fight. It hit everyone of us very hard, especially since he was much too young. We were not only bandmates but also friends for a very long time. Especially the last years have welded us together very much. However, last year things got quieter around Robby because his energy was draining caused by his illness. 




Unfortunately we couldn´t finish the album together, even though we have enough material for at least a complete album. Robby would have wished that we complete the album and that it´ll see the light of the day, we in any case will make Robby proud, but it´ll take us time to go through these dark times. 


Thank you for your understanding. We will keep you up to date on any progress. Robby has left such an immense legacy of music that will stay here forever and it´ll make him immortal. Fly free brother!"








Boebel's catalogue of material was extensive, having written and recorded with Frontline, Evidence One, Tony Mills, Phantom 5, Carl Dixon and Talon.

Sons Of Apollo - featuring Jeff Scott Soto (vocals), Mike Portnoy (drums), Ron "Bumblefoot" Thal (guitar), Derek Sherinian (keyboards) and Billy Sheehan (bass) - performed at Circo Voador in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil on August 11th. Fan-filmed video of the entire show is available below.


Sheehan isn't able to take part in the band's South American tour due to "travel restrictions" according to the promoter, Top Link Music. Angra bassist Felipe Andreoli has stepped in to take his place.


The setlist on the night was as follows:




"Goodbye Divinity
"Fall To Ascend
"Signs of the Time
"Wither to Black
"Alive 
"Asphyxiaton
"Lost in Oblivion
"Desolate July
"King of Delusion
"New World Today 
- keyboard solo -
"Coming Home
"God of the Sun

Sabaton guitarist / Majestica frontman Tommy Johansson has shared his solo symphonic power metal performance of Green Day's 1994 hit "Basket Case". Check it out below.


Johansson: "The glorious rock song 'Basket Case' made famous by the outstanding Green Day in a way you’ve never heard it before! Super speed symphonic falsetto one octave challenge power metal!! Yes!


Hidden in the song is also a tribute to the late André Matos - see if you can find it!"







Johansson previously shared his cover of the Elton John classic "I'm Still Standing".


Johansson: "This power metal version of his epic tune is a mix between the movie version (Rocket Man) the original, and a new arranged power metal version."

Svart Records has announced the signing of the Swedish doom quartet Malsten. The new co-operation between Svart and Malsten starts right away with the release of the new epic single “Entr'acte”.





Sweden has been the birthplace to many a remarkable doom metal act since the days Candlemass burst on the scene in the 1980s, and Malsten proudly uphold that tradition of true doom in which vocals soar atop a wailing wall of downtuned guitars, all set against a backdrop of a slow pounding drumbeat. Their debut Svart release is a demanding, but rewarding 14-minute epic, that is a continuation to their previous release The Haunting Of Silvåkra Mill - a Doom Horror Story.




“Entr’acte” serves as the tragic intermission to the story. Following the events of The Haunting of Silvåkra Mill, the interlude explores the background to Mortimer Aghardt's misery and follows the vicar’s wife, as she turns her evil eye on the local children. Seeing them trample and destroy the only thing she holds dear, her flowers, she lures them into the basement, where a cruel fate awaits them. Thereby, Madame Aghardt aims to safeguard heavenly order on earth, preserving Eden from the intrinsically sinful young.





Musically, “Entr’acte” embodies the familiar heaviness and sombre mood which have become Malsten's trademark. The driving riffs ooze like slow burning high viscosity lava and the breathtaking vocals guide you on this nightmarish, soul-trembling journey.


Entr’acte is available for international streaming by Svart Records. The band is preparing work on their next album shortly, and it will be released on Svart Records next year.

The Overcoming Project has released their second single “Overcoming”.


The Overcoming Project is a psychedelic metal project featuring world-class metal musicians Mike Heller (Fear Factory, Malignancy) on drums, Jon Howard (Threat Signal, Imonolith) on vocals, and Sergei "Efes" Fomin (FS Projekt) on bass. 







"'Overcoming' depicts a thorny path through the Doctorate degree, burnout, and insane 60-hour working weeks for years to build a Metal studio. 'Overcoming' is a recipe of becoming a better person through brutal self-growth." - Dr. Mike Trubetskov


Executed by Doctor Mike Trubetskov - Guitarist and Producer at EOL Studios.





Overcoming EP depicts a psychedelic journey through immigration, Doctorate degree, Type I Diabetes and insane burnout into discovering the true purpose and becoming a metal producer. 


"Determination,"  "Overcoming," and "Victory" are more than just heavy songs with killer musicianship. These grow into eternal, psychedelic objects that keep evolving into new dimensions after each listen. 


After releasing the “Anxiety” single in 2020 through Heavy Magazine, The Overcoming Project returns with a bang.


(Photo – Dr. Mike Trubetskov)

Iberian black/death metal practitioners Noctem today reveal their latest video for “Credo Certe Ne Cras.” The unholy psalm serves as the title track of the band’s new full-length, set for release on October 28 on MNRK Heavy.


In spirit, presentation, and philosophy, Noctem shares much in common with Watain, Rotting Christ, Belphegor, and Gorgoroth, while sprouting their own decaying branch of a rotten metal tree. Any extreme band with Spanish-style nylon string guitars in their arsenal owes a sizable debt to them.


The band unveiled its fifth full-length studio album, The Black Consecration, in 2019. Credo Certe Ne Cras broadens its old-school-sounding predecessor's raw, filthy fury with bigger production and melody without sacrificing the frostbitten 200 mph winds of anger and blast beats. Indeed, Credo Certe Ne Cras (“I Believe With Certainty That There is No Tomorrow”) is a true work of art merging the crushing cacophony of angry, adrenaline-fueled lust with newfound sorrows and mournful melodic might. The album demands to be experienced as much as listened to, invoking ritualistic examination.




Elaborates the band of the title track, "We're excited to finally bring this latest offering from our upcoming new album to our faithful devilish horde! This title track combines various elements of Credo Certe Ne Cras, all within the confines of one song. Play it loud!"


Credo Certe Ne Cras will be available on CD, LP, cassette, and digital formats. Find pre-order options here.





Credo Certe Ne Cras trackisting:


"I Am Alpha"
"Sovereign Providence"
"Sanctum Of Anguish"
"Credo Certe Ne Cras"
"Homilia Of Punishment"
"The Pale Moon Rite"
"The Tolling Of The Nine Bells"
"Chalice Of Turpitude"
"Ceremonial Miasma"
"We Are Omega"


"Credo Certe Ne Cras" video:





"We Are Omega" video:





Noctem:


Beleth - vocals
Varu - bass
Voor - drums
Moss - guitars
Tobal - guitars

NIGHTWISH has announced the addition of bassist Jukka Koskinen (WINTERSUN) as an official member of the band. Koskinen, who made his live debut with NIGHTWISH in May 2021 at the band's two interactive experiences, had spent the last year touring with NIGHTWISH as a session musician.

Earlier today (Sunday, August 21),NIGHTWISH released the following statement via social media: "We're delighted to announce our dear friend Jukka Koskinen is officially inaugurated as a member of the band. We've been incredibly thankful to have him on our side while touring and it only feels natural to have him join the band officially."

Koskinen joined NIGHTWISH as the replacement for Marco Hietala, who announced his departure from NIGHTWISH in January 2021, explaining in a statement that he hadn't "been able to feel validated by this life for a quite a few years now."

Back in June 2021, Koskinen spoke to Kaaos TV about how he landed the NIGHTWISH gig. He said: "I received a phone call from the NIGHTWISH camp and was being asked if I would be interested [in] the bass player position regarding what has happened, that Marco has left the band. And, of course, obviously, when I got that phone call, I thought it was, like, 'Woah.' As an outsider, obviously, I couldn't think that, especially in NIGHTWISH, I couldn't think of it even that this sort of thing could happen. But, of course, life is life. And, yeah, absolutely, I immediately, of course, said that yes, definitely I would be interested."

He continued: "I always listened to NIGHTWISH; I always liked their music a lot. [It's] very soulful music. And then we made a few arrangements. [In April 2021], approximately, I was in Finland practicing. I had a meet-and-greet. We had a meet-and-greet before as well, but another one where we practiced together for the first time to see how, playing-wise, the chemistry was going, and get to know each other more. Kind of [like] an audition — obviously, of course. Any band who would find new guys to come in or so, you would need to have these things. I would do the same if I would be on the other side of the table, if you know what I mean. So, yeah, everything went good. After the audition thing, everything went very smoothly, and the guys said, 'You're in.' And what did I say more than with the happiest smile, I said back [to them], 'I'm in.' But we're talking, of course, as a session musician spot now for the upcoming 'Human. :II: Nature.' tour."

Asked if he had ever played any NIGHTWISH songs in the past, Jukka said: "No, I hadn't played [any of that material]. I've listened to NIGHTWISH ever since the early Spinefarm days, when they were [signed to the label] — [1998's] 'Oceanborn'; maybe from that [album] onwards. Music-wise, I played in the past with a few kind of, like, not similar, but maybe that style or genre of music in the past. But I never played NIGHTWISH music. That was kind of, like, from a player's point of view, I couldn't believe it that when I started practicing the songs, or trying them out even before everything was settled, I just thought that I would try it out, it just felt that my playing style is something that really fits to this — I had this feeling. And it was really, really, of course, great to see then afterwards, hearing from the other guys — they basically told me that 'it feels like you've always been playing bass here.' It felt very natural."

Koskinen made his live debut with NIGHTWISH at the band's two interactive "An Evening with Nightwish In a Virtual World" concert experiences that kicked off the "Human. :II: Nature." run. NIGHTWISH performed in a tavern called "The Islanders Arms" built in a virtual world for two nights. On both nights, the fans experienced a one-and-a-half-hour performance, hearing songs live off "Human. :II: Nature." for the first time ever. These two nights had their own, slightly different setlists.

In May 2021, NIGHTWISH keyboardist and main songwriter Tuomas Holopainen said that Hietala's decision to leave the band "came as a bit of a surprise." He added: "It was a really tough pill to swallow. And for a few days, I was actually quite confident that there's no coming back, that this is it. I remember talking to Emppu [Vuorinen], the guitar player, and we were, like, 'You think this is it?' 'Yeah, I think this is it.' I mean, enough is enough. So much has happened in the past. Something that broke the camel's back, as they say. Then, after some time had passed — a few days — we started to think that it's been such a ride of 25 years, with so many ups also, that this is not the way to end it."

Tuomas elaborated on NIGHTWISH's reasons for carrying on, saying: "I think we still have something to give, and that's the main point. The music is still there. We felt that there's still so much music that needs to come out from this band that, 'Okay, let's give it one more shot.' And then finding the new bass player was really easy."

He added: "It's not like we do this just because we need to do it and there's nothing else to do. On a personal level, I feel that there's still so many stories and melodies that I want to share with the world with one lineup or another, so that's why you want to continue and keep on going.

"I've said this a million times, that a lineup change is the ultimate energy vampire, and that's how it really felt and still feels."

"Human. :II: Nature." was released in April 2020. The follow-up to 2015's "Endless Forms Most Beautiful", "Human. :II: Nature." was a double album containing nine tracks on the main CD and one long track, divided into eight chapters, on CD 2.

Photo credit: Jeremy Saffer for NIGHTWISH
We’re delighted to announce our dear friend Jukka Koskinen (@jukkiskoskinen) is officially inaugurated as a member of the band. 🙏 We've been incredibly thankful to have him on our side while touring and it only feels natural to have him join the band officially. 🤍 pic.twitter.com/l3sm6wUiZk

— Nightwish (@NightwishBand) August 21, 2022

Metal legends Carcass performed at the  Alcatraz Metal Festival 2022 in Kortrijk, Belgium on August 13th. Pro-shot video of their full show can be viewed below.


The setlist was as follows:


"Buried Dreams"
"Kelly´s Meat Emporium"
"Incarneted Solvent Abuse"
"Under the Scalpel Blade"
"Genital Grinder II"
"This Mortal Coil"
"Dance of the Ixtab" (Psychopomp & Circumstance March nº1 in B)
"Keep on Rotting in a Free World"
"The Scythe´s Remorseless Swing"
"Corporal Jigsore Quandary"
"Heartwork"
"Carneous Cacoffiny"







Carcass is:


Bill Steer - Guitars
Jeff Walker - Bass/Vocals
Daniel Wilding - Drums
Ben Ash - Guitars

Progressive metal outfit Taking Balfour have offered up their new single "Neptune" from their upcoming sophomore album Dawn Of Polaris, due out on October 21st, 2022. With a newly completed lineup and having offered an additional tantalizing taste with the album’s first single "The Watcher And The Witness", Taking Balfour bring electric riffs, dynamic instrumental textures and catchy hooks.  





The band comments on "Neptune": "Throughout the history of mankind, the idea of peace and unity has never been achieved on a global scale. War, genocide, poverty, has kept us divided as far back as we have been able to record it. 'Neptune' is the story of our struggle as one. The pain, loss, and hurt we have caused each other throughout the years of being on this planet; this place we call home." 




Taking Balfour elevate their music by exploring beyond the typical boundaries of metal. Breaking out synthesizers and organ parts alongside the metal instrumentation, the band produce a fiery sound with unceasing impact.  





Tracklisting:


"Echoes" 
"Neptune"
"The Watcher And The Witness"
"Awakening" 
"The Jester’s Fool"
"Polaris"
"Touch And Go"
"Light Years Away"
"T.O.A.D."
"Purge Of Darkness"





Taking Balfour create a wall of sound comprised of powerful percussion, thundering bass and epic guitar riffage, all accompanied by compelling synths and piano. “Echoes” is a beautifully haunting introduction to the album, building up anticipation ahead of the heavy thrills of “Neptune”. A gothic seductive tone manifests in “Awakening”, while “Light Years Away” explores contrasting sections of a serene, soaring nature, and high intensity. Blues and funk influences run through Dawn Of Polaris with “The Jester’s Fool” and “T.O.A.D.” prominently incorporating these musical styles. Each track ventures down a different path of Taking Balfour’s sound, revealing something new at every turn. The convergence of these elements is found in the concluding “Purge Of Darkness”. From driving percussion and delicate lead melodies, to immersive atmospheres and an explosive breakdown, this finale goes out with a bang.  


For further details, visit Taking Balfour on Facebook.


 

Dawnbringer, the debut album from Dragon Throne, welcomes listeners to the Dragonverse - a fantastical musical creation exploring sacrifice, the lust for power, facing one's fears and meeting one's destiny - all soundtracked by an atmospheric blend of old school metal riffing, speed and power metal flavor, epic orchestral elements and larger than life choruses.


Production of the album was focused on conveying the big emotions that power metal fans expect, while maintaining a rawness, soul and honesty that is sometimes lost in the genre to help this album stand out as unique amongst its peers. All performances on the album are real recordings without sampling trickery or autotuning, mixed by Patrik “Pate” Oksanen in a way that stays true original essence of the recording.







Dragon Throne was formed in 2019 with the coming together of founding members Antti Liimatainen (Guitar) and Santtu Korhonen (Vocals) over a mutual love for Blind Guardian’s old school speed metal sound and symphonic elements.


With the later arrival of lead guitarist Juuso Korhonen, bassist Joni Pyöriä and drummer Tommi Laitinen, all the pieces were finally in place. The creation of Dawnbringer sees the band beginning to define the first contours of the Dragonverse, a fantastical creative vision that the band hope to expand upon in future releases.

King Crimson founder Robert Fripp and his singer wife, Toyah Willcox, are back with another episode in their "Toyah & Robert’s Sunday Lunch" series. This time they perform a cover of Limp Bizkit's "Nookie". Watch below.





A selection of Robert & Toyah's previous Sunday Lunch videos can be seen below: