RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE has shared a short clip of the band rehearsing for its upcoming U.S. tour. A 34-second snippet of Zack De La Rocha, Tom Morello, Brad Wilk and Tim Commerford playing "War Within A Breath" this past Tuesday (June 7) at their Southern California studio can be streamed below.

RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE's comeback tour, which will mark the reunited rap-metal quartet's first live shows in over a decade, will kick off July 9 in East Troy, Wisconsin, and continue through mid-August. The massive trek will feature support from RUN THE JEWELS.

This past January, RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE postponed the start date of the U.S. leg of its "Public Service Announcement" tour to this summer. The North American leg of the trek was originally slated to begin in March 2020 before it was rescheduled several times due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The 19 RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE shows that were supposed to take place between March 31 and May 23 will now take place in early 2023.

The upcoming tour will mark the first time RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE has hit the road together since 2011.

RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE last played together at L.A. Rising and has resisted calls for a reunion, with vocalist De La Rocha previously believed to be the lone holdout. Guitarist Morello and his fellow RAGE bandmates Commerford (bass) and Wilk (drums) have since teamed up with PUBLIC ENEMY's Chuck D. and CYPRESS HILL's B-Real in the similarly styled PROPHETS OF RAGE.

RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE recorded three original studio albums and one set of covers before breaking up in 2000. The group reformed in 2007 but only played sporadic gigs and never a full tour.

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DREAM THEATER's Mike Mangini has shared a 12-minute "tour recap." In a message accompanying the YouTube release of the video, the 59-year-old drummer wrote: "This video is a combination promo for my June 11 Zoom Class, as well as a glimpse into what it feels like to decompress after a two-month-long DREAM THEATER Tour Leg. There are a lot of live clips in this video. The sound is raw from the cameras, so certain cymbals are much louder than others."

Two months ago, DREAM THEATER won its first-ever Grammy in the "Best Metal Performance" category in the pre-telecast ceremony at the 64th annual Grammy Awards, which was held at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. DREAM THEATER was nominated for "The Alien", a track from its 2021 album "A View From The Top Of The World". DREAM THEATER's previous Grammy nominations were for the song "On The Backs Of Angels", from 2011's "A Dramatic Turn Of Events" album, and the single "The Enemy Inside" from 2013's "Dream Theater".

"A View From The Top Of The World" was described in a press released as "DREAM THEATER at its musical finest, expanding on the sound they helped create while maintaining the elements that have garnered them devoted fans around the globe." The seven-song album also marked the second studio album with InsideOut Music/Sony Music. The artwork was created by longtime cover collaborator Hugh Syme (RUSH, IRON MAIDEN, STONE SOUR). "A View From The Top Of The World" was produced by guitarist John Petrucci, engineered and additional production by James "Jimmy T" Meslin and mixed/mastered by Andy Sneap.

Launching June 16 in Atlanta, The Stadium Tour - featuring Def Leppard, Mötley Crüe, with Poison and Joan Jett & The Blackhearts - will hit select cities in the US and Canada where each band will bring their electrifying stage shows while promising to perform their stadium sized anthems.


Poison have released the short video below, stating: "Just a little sneak peek at Poison Stadium Tour rehearsals!"



Confirmed dates for The Stadium Tour are listed below.







June
16 - SunTrust Park - Atlanta, GA
18 - Hard Rock Stadium - Miami Gardens, FL
19 - Camping World Stadium - Orlando, FL
22 - Nationals Park - Washington, DC
24 - Citi Field - Flushing, NY
25 - Citizens Bank Park - Philadelphia, PA
28 - Bank of America Stadium - Charlotte, NC
30 - Nissan Stadium - Nashville, TN


July
2 - EverBank Field - Jacksonville, FL
5 - Busch Stadium - St Louis, MO
8 - Wrigley Field - Chicago, IL
10  - Comerica Park - Detroit, MI
12 - Hersheypark Stadium - Hershey, PA
14 - FirstEnergy Stadium - Cleveland, OH
15 - Great American Ballpark - Cincinnati, OH
17 - American Family Field - Milwaukee, WI
19 - Kauffman Stadium - Kansas City, MO
21 - Coors Field - Denver, CO


August
5 - Fenway Park - Boston, MA
6 - Fenway Park - Boston, MA
8 - Rogers Centre - Toronto, ON
10 - The Stadium Tour - Orchard Park, NY
12 - PNC Park - Pittsburgh, PA
14 - US Bank Stadium - Minneapolis, MN
16 - Lucas Oil Stadium - Indianapolis, IN
19 - Minute Made Park - Houston, TX
21 - Alamodome - San Antonio, TX
22 - Globe Life Park in Arlington - Arlington, TX
25 - State Farm Stadium - Phoenix, AZ
27 - SoFi Stadium - Inglewood, CA
28 - Petco Park - San Diego, CA
31 - T-Mobile Park - Seattle, WA


September
2 - BC Place - Vancouver, BC
4 - Commonwealth Stadium - Edmonton, AB
7 - Oracle Park - San Francisco, CA
9 - Allegiant Stadium - Las Vegas, NV

It’s been an exhilarating 40 year ride for Voivod, the Jonquière, Quebec quartet that has, over the years, defied the odds, faced tragedy head on and also seen the band rise above many of the contemporaries to a point where the band’s intricate progressively fuelled heavy metal sound also brings with it honours and awards. The 2018 Voivod album, The Wake, won the band a Juno Award for Heavy Metal Album Of The Year, while the previous year, Away had picked up the Visionary Award at that year’s Progressive Music Awards in London.


It might all seem a far cry from four music-obsessed youngsters who began living out their music fantasies in their garages and the basement of one of their father’s work places back in the early 1980’s. But there was always something that set Voivod apart from their peers. They may have been as enthralled with the ever-evolving sounds of heavy metal, hardcore and punk rock that were distilling in the early 80’s, but Voivod also brought with them a love of progressive rock and science fiction that has been as much of an influence on their music. If heavy metal was the sound of the outsider in those early 80’s days, then prog rock was an even more unlikely bedfellow. Prog was about as uncool as you could get. But nobody told Voivod. And it’s that willingness to blend such seemingly disparate sounds that has always set the band apart. Prog metal as a concept was largely unheard of when Voivod released their debut album War And Pain in 1984.


The music contained in this set proves that Voivod were very much pioneers of the sound, as their own music became more refined and experimental. You can hear the development of the band’s sound over the three albums contained here (Rrröööaarrr, Killing Technology & Dimension Hatröss). In the five year span from 1984’s War And Pain debut to 1989’s Nothingface, Voivod forged a defiant progressive metal sound that they would expand upon with later albums and ensure that they are one of the most exhilarating metal bands in existence today.




Forgotten In Space is a deluxe celebration of Voivod’s Noise Records discography and is the definitive collection of their recorded work plus rare and previously unreleased material. Order here, and watch a video for the previously unreleased "Psychic Vacuum" (Dimension Hatröss Demo 1987), below.





Set contains:


- Rrröööaarrr (Remastered on red & black splatter vinyl)
- Killing Technology (Remastered on green & purple swirl vinyl)
- Dimension Hatröss (Remastered on grey & red swirl vinyl)
- No Speed Limit Live ‘86 (First time on vinyl, green & black splatter)
- Dimension Hatröss - The Demos (First time on vinyl, blue & white splatter)
- Cosmic Drama, 40-Page Book (40-page book containing new sleeve note interviews with Michel ‘Away’ Langevin telling the story of the early years of Voivod. Contains rare and previously unseen photos)
- Chaosmongers DVD (Mini documentary of interviews, live performances, behind the scenes & promotional videos from 1985 to 1989. Also includes previously unreleased video concert, live in Chicago ’88 and audio concert from World War III festival 1985)
- Korgüll The Exterminator USB (Contains all the tracks from the expanded studio albums plus the live & demo albums)


Forgotten In Space will also be available as a 5xCD and DVD clamshell box set containing all the studio albums, bonus rare demo and live albums, the DVD containing the mini documentary and previously unreleased live concerts and a 20 page booklet.

THE HALO EFFECT, the new project featuring five former members of the Swedish metal band IN FLAMES — Jesper Strömblad (guitar),Daniel Svensson (drums),Peter Iwers (bass),Niclas Engelin (guitar) and Mikael Stanne (vocals) — will release its debut album, "Days Of The Lost", on August 12 via Nuclear Blast. Asked in a new interview with Australia's "Scars And Guitars" podcast if he would agree that "Days Of The Lost" is, in some ways, a "spiritual successor" to "Reroute To Remain", IN FLAMES' sixth album, which came out in 2022, Peter said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Ooh, interesting. I haven't really thought about it. When you make music, like we do, you tend not to overthink stuff — you just go in and you write music and kind of know that what comes out will sound a certain way because of the style that we are playing and how we are playing and performing our music. So I haven't really thought about it, but maybe — maybe. It was definitely nothing intentional. We just went in. We had a bunch of ideas and we came out with a bunch of songs that happen to sound a certain way. But none of us really overthought it and it was never meant to 'it's gonna sound like this' or 'it's gonna sound like that.' We just [went], 'Let's write this music and see what happens.' And because of, like I said, how we're playing, it will sound a certain way."

Added Daniel: "A lot of people like to analyze music, and, of course, it sounds Gothenburg metal-ish because we all are from that genre and we are some of the people that kind of created it. So, of course, it will sound Gothenburg metal-ish, IN FLAMES-ish. And then which era, I don't know. And as Peter said, we don't really think about how it should sound. This is how we sound today, and with our legacy this is inevitable, that we sound as we do."

Continued Peter: "Obviously, people like to do a lot of comparing between us… It's a difficult topic to discuss because none of us have — even though we've all been in IN FLAMES at some point, none of us have really thought about this as what you're saying. But then a lot of people that we speak to say it. So it's a little hard to take in, as we've been very thorough in just writing music. But I'd say it's a little flattering to hear it."

Svensson, who joined IN FLAMES in 1998, announced in 2015 that he was leaving the group to focus on his family life.

A member of IN FLAMES since 1997, Iwers issued a statement in November 2016 saying that he was exiting the band "to pursue other endeavors."

A founding member of IN FLAMES, Strömblad quit the band in February 2010 in order to continue receiving treatment for his alcohol addiction.

Engelin has been sitting out IN FLAMES' tour dates for the past three years but has never officially confirmed his departure from the band. Engelin's replacement for IN FLAMES' live shows since then has been former MEGADETH and current ACT OF DEFIANCE guitarist Chris Broderick.

Stanne recently told the "Heavy Hops" podcast about THE HALO EFFECT's musical direction: "Niclas started writing a few songs, just based on what he has and what he kind of digs. And I immediately felt, like, 'Oh, this is super cool. We're on to something here.' It's super heavy, it's melodic — it's all those things that we kind of grew up trying to do. Then Jesper got involved and he started changing a little bit of that or adding stuff to it. And we were, like, 'Okay, this is awesome.' It doesn't feel new at all, it doesn't feel super different, but at the same time, why should we? Let's focus on the things that we know best and try to kind of recapture that feeling that we had when we were kids, when we wanted to play together and that kind of playful atmosphere. Because the longer you play together with your main band or what have you, you try to constantly reinvent yourself, and so much energy goes into trying to be different from what you have done before. Whereas starting something new like this with a very familiar genre of music meant that you could be very free about it. It doesn't have to be anything in particular, it doesn't have to conform to any rules — it just needs to fucking kick ass and feel good."

Shortly after leaving IN FLAMES, Iwers joined CYHRA, the band featuring vocalist Jake E (ex-AMARANTHE) and Strömblad. He announced his departure from that band in May 2018.

THE HALO EFFECT's first-ever tour will be as the support act for Swedish death metal giants AMON AMARTH and U.S. metallers MACHINE HEAD on 31 dates throughout Europe in the summer and fall of 2022.

Photo credit: Markus Esselmark

On June 4th, Mercyful Fate performed at Mystic Festival 2022 in Gdańsk, Poland. Fan-filmed video of the band's entire show is available below.


The setlist on the night was as follows:


"The Oath"
"The Jackal of Salzburg"
"A Corpse Without Soul"
"Black Funeral"
"A Dangerous Meeting"
"Melissa"
"Doomed by the Living Dead"
"Curse of the Pharaohs"
"Evil"
"Come to the Sabbath"




Encore:
"Satan’s Fall"





Mercyful Fate's tour schedule is as follows:


Tour dates:


June
10 - Sweden Rock - Sölvesborg, Sweden
14 - Wuhlheide - Berlin, Germany (with Volbeat)
16 - Graspop Metal Meeting - Dessel, Belgium
18 - Copenhell - Copenhagen, Denmark
24 - Rock The Castle - Verona, Italy
26 - Hellfest Open Air Festival - Clisson, France


July
1 - Rock Fest Barcelona - Barcelona, Spain
2 - Tuska Open Air - Helsinki, Finland
22 - Hills Of Rock - Plovdiv, Bulgaria
24 - Artmania Festival - Sibiu, Romania
28 - Fezen Festival - Székesfehérvár, Hungary
29 - Metaldays - Tolmin, Slovenia


August
4 - Wacken Open Air - Wacken, Germany
6 - Beyond The Gates - Bergen, Norway
11 - Brutal Assault - Jaromer, Czech Republic
13 - Bloodstock Open Air - Derbyshire, UK
21 - Psycho Las Vegas - Las Vegas, NV





(Photo - MercyfulFateCoven.com)

The official lyric video for "Welcome To The Circus", a brand new song from FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH, can be seen below. The track is taken from the band's upcoming album, "AfterLife", which is due on August 19.

"'AfterLife' was hands down my favorite record to make," says FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH guitarist Zoltan Bathory. "It is our ninth album, so at this point we have legions of loyal fans and our signature sound is more than established. It became its own island, our ground zero we operate from and we can always come back to. So when we started this record, there was an excitement of impending musical adventures. We knew we could step away as far as we wanted to; there was a freedom of truly 'anything goes.' This resulted in an album that is way more diverse than our previous ones while it feels more unified, because there is a framework of overarching stories in Ivan's [Moody, vocals] lyrics and interconnecting musical motifs between songs. It was not planned as a concept album, but we were so hyper-focused on painting a complete picture, it somehow feels like one... We are very proud of it and are just as impatient as the fans waiting for the release. Can't wait to share it."

FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH's follow-up to 2020's "F8" was once again recorded at the Hideout Recording Studio, the Las Vegas, Nevada facility owned and operated by Kevin Churko, the Canadian record producer/engineer and songwriter who has worked on all of FIVE FINGER's albums beginning with the band's sophomore release, 2009's "War Is The Answer".

"AfterLife" will be FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH's first album with its latest addition, renowned British virtuoso Andy James, who replaced Jason Hook in 2020. James was previously featured on "Broken World", a song that was included on the second installment of FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH's greatest-hits collection, "A Decade Of Destruction – Volume 2", which came out in the fall of 2020.

Exclusively curated by the band, various limited-edition "AfterLife" vinyl and merchandise offerings and collectibles are also available for pre-order in the official band and label stores.

"AfterLife" track listing:

01. Welcome To The Circus
02. AfterLife
03. Times Like These
04. Roll Dem Bones
05. Pick Up Behind You
06. Judgment Day
07. IOU
08. Thanks For Asking
09. Blood And Tar
10. All I Know
11. Gold Gutter
12. The End

Since FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH's debut album, "The Way Of The Fist", came out in 2007, the band has released six consecutive albums that were certified gold or platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) as well as two chart-topping greatest-hits albums. In addition, FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH has earned numerous national and international awards and honors over the last decade, such as the prestigious Soldier Appreciation Award by the Association Of The United States Army, an honor bestowed upon only one other recording artist before them: Elvis Presley.

"F8" debuted at No. 1 on rock charts around the world, with Top 10 mainstream chart debuts in the USA, Austria, Australia, Canada, Finland, Germany, Sweden, Switzerland, the U.K. and more. It produced four No. 1 hit singles with "Inside Out", "A Little Bit Off", "Living The Dream" and "Darkness Settles In", the latter of which saw the band tie DISTURBED's record for most consecutive No. 1s on Billboard's Mainstream Rock Airplay chart with seven chart-toppers in a row. The band has amassed over eight billion streams and three billion video views to date and has sold over one million tickets between 2018 and 2020 alone.

This past April, FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH announced a 2022 U.S. headlining tour presented by Live Nation. Kicking off in Portland, Oregon on August 19, the trek will span over 30 dates, closing out on October 15 in Salt Lake City, Utah. The band will be joined on tour by rock icons MEGADETH, with additional support from THE HU and FIRE FROM THE GODS, promising an intense multi-faceted night of heavy rock music.

Photo credit: Travis Shinn

In early 2020, famed former drummer for FATES WARNING and WARLORD, Mark Zonder, began working on new material with the vision of beginning a new, full-time band that would offer something different from his current catalog. The mission was to deliver straightforward, no-frills hard rock that speaks to a broader audience. The end result, which sees Zonder reunite with FATES WARNING lead vocalist Ray Alder, along with bassist Philip Bynoe (STEVE VAI, WARLORD),guitarist Joop Wolters and keyboardist Vivien Lalu, is A-Z. Today, the band has announced its self-titled debut album will see an August 12, 2022 release via Metal Blade Records.

The music video for the LP's first single, titled "The Machine Gunner", can be seen below.

Zonder comments: "It has been a long time coming, but we are all very excited to share A-Z with the world and get the show on the road!! With an exceptional-sounding album and brilliant artwork from Hugh Syme, let the games begin!"

"A-Z" track listing:

01. Trial By Fire
02. The Far Side Of The Horizon
03. The Machine Gunner
04. Rise Again
05. Window Panes
06. Run Away
07. Stranded
08. At The Waters Edge
09. Borrowed Time
10. Sometimes
11. The Silence Broken (Bonus Track)

When Zonder started working on material in early 2020, he had a very clear vision for the band he wanted to put together. "I was thinking beer commercials, car commercials and 'Cobra Kai'," he said. "I wanted to have a very accessible band that would appeal to the masses and would lead to the ability to tour larger venues and build a second and third record off the success of the first. I did not want to hear things like, 'I don't hear a single. It is too proggy. I just don't get it. Let me listen to it a few more times.' I knew from myself and the others that I would recruit, it would have some sophisticated music parts but the big hook was the main priority." The result was A-Z, and while Zonder is adamant it is not a supergroup that is doing a "one and done" record, it has a stellar lineup, reuniting him with Alder, Bynoe, Wolters and Lalu, the combination of these players stirring up a very specific kind of magic that could not be replicated.

Things came together smoothly from the start, Zonder sending drum patterns and grooves to first recruit Lalu, and he would write songs using guitar sounds so between the two of them they had basic song structures pretty quickly. Zonder knew Bynoe would jump on board as they have a long history and mutual respect and Lalu had worked with Wolters for years, recruiting him for the band. Both Wolters and Lalu brought in great musical ideas that were turned into songs. The goal was always the same: shorter songs and getting right to the chorus, no twelve-minute songs, and everyone found it easy working to this remit. With everything else coming together nicely, finding the right singer was the hardest aspect of the whole process.

"I had sent out a basic song to over 20 different singers, some popular named singers and some unknown, but completely struck out," says Zonder. "Then I just decided to call Ray as I was not sure what he was up to. I figured it could not hurt to get in touch. I do remember speaking with him back in the day and him talking about how he loved this kind of music. I sent him a track or two and he just killed it." Adds Alder, "I found this a chance to do something completely different than what I am used to, being in a prog metal band for 30 years. I find the blend of the '80s, '90s and a touch of '70s style of music very cool, and it is great to work with Mark after all of these years." Thrilled to have him on board, Zonder did not have a list of demands. "My only words to him were 'do whatever you want.' I was not going to tell him what to do. Same for all of the others guys. Yes, there has to be some editing and making decisions, but when it came to the music I just wanted everyone to do what they do best." The results are undeniable, from the high-octane stomper "The Machine Gunner" to the gorgeous sway of "Rise Again" or the towering "Stranded", every track an anthem that sounds like only the biggest venues could contain them.

The band's name came courtesy of Alder — A-Z = Alder through Zonder — and it fit straight away.

"What I liked is that it did not limit what someone would think of the band. If we named the band SCARY SERPENT it would give a certain direction and I did not want people to prejudge the band and record," Zonder says. Likewise, self-titling the record made sense. "I did not want to give a direction idea to the audience. If we named the album 'Far Side Of The Horizon', people would probably think 'prog band'. But if you named it 'The Machine Gunner', it would give a totally different direction for thought." For artwork, wanting to again get the best possible contributor, they turned to the famed Hugh Syme (RUSH, FATES WARNING),who delivered the vivid image of a zebra eating an apple, encompassing the band name in a sly way. "Again, hire the best people you can find and just let them do what they do. The artwork is absolutely fantastic and really fits the whole concept. He is truly the best. Just a great guy to work with."

The official lyric video for "Nevermore", a brand new song from Richmond, Virginia metallers LAMB OF GOD, can be seen below. The track is taken from the band's upcoming album, "Omens", which will be released on October 7 via Epic Records.

Densely muscular, soaked in unnerving spite, with a pessimistic eye toward inner struggles and global affairs alike, "Omens" is a furious entry in the LAMB OF GOD catalog, perhaps the band's angriest album yet.

"The world is crazy and keeps changing. 'Omens' is a reaction to the state of the world," explains vocalist D. Randall Blythe. "It's a very pissed-off record." He pauses for emphasis. "It is extremely pissed off."

"Omens" is also LAMB OF GOD's most diverse affair. The band tracked with longtime collaborator Josh Wilbur (KORN, MEGADETH) live in the room together at Henson Recording Studios (formerly A&M Studios) in Los Angeles, California, a location that birthed classics from THE DOORS, PINK FLOYD, RAMONES and SOUNDGARDEN, among others.

"The inner workings of the band have never been better," explains guitarist Mark Morton. "You can hear it in 'Omens'. You can see it in our performances, and if you're around us for five minutes, you can feel it."

The "Omens" album pre-order is live now at Lamb-Of-God.com, boasting several exclusive items, including a signed colored vinyl variant, shirt, hoodie, and signed CDs with an alternate color cover. All physical CD and vinyl releases will include a free access code to watch the livestream viewing of "The Making Of Omens" documentary, which will premiere the week of album release.

"Omens" track listing:

01. Nevermore
02. Vanishing
03. To The Grave
04. Ditch
05. Omens
06. Gomorrah
07. Ill Designs
08. Grayscale
09. Denial Mechanism
10. September Song

LAMB OF GOD will support the new album with a massive Live Nation-produced U.S. headlining tour featuring special guests KILLSWITCH ENGAGE on all dates. Different legs will also see support from BARONESS, MOTIONLESS IN WHITE, SPIRITBOX, ANIMALS AS LEADERS as well as SUICIDE SILENCE and FIT FOR AN AUTOPSY. The tour kicks off September 9 in Brooklyn and runs through October 20. Tickets go on sale starting Friday, June 10 at 10 a.m. local time on lamb-of-god.com.

Morton said: "Two decades ago, LAMB OF GOD, along with KILLSWITCH ENGAGE, were a part of a new wave of American heavy metal music. Our scene grew from a small, loosely connected network of underground shows in basements and warehouses, into a global phenomenon that helped define an entire generation of modern heavy metal. We are thrilled to announce the 'Omens' tour, which celebrates not only the perseverance and impact of that original movement, but also the creativity and originality of the bands that it influenced. Heavy metal is alive and well. The 'Omens' tour proudly showcases the depth and diversity of our scene. This is not a tour to miss."

"Omens" will be the follow-up to LAMB OF GOD's self-titled album, which was released in June 2020 via Epic Records in the U.S. and Nuclear Blast Records in Europe. That LP marked LAMB OF GOD's first recordings with Art Cruz, who joined the band in July 2019 as the replacement for the group's founding drummer, Chris Adler.

"Lamb Of God" was recorded with Wilbur and included special guest appearances by Jamey Jasta (HATEBREED) and Chuck Billy (TESTAMENT).

Two years ago, LAMB OF GOD bassist John Campbell told Media Mikes about the band's continuing working relationship with Josh: "I would have to look on the Internet to see how long we have been working with him. [Laughs] I want to say that he first started working with us on 'Sacrament'. That was in 2006 and we have been working with him ever since."

He added: "Josh Wilbur is an amazing person professionally and as a human. He is incredibly creative and very aware of things like this. He goes in to an album to try and create the best possible piece of art he can. Josh is great with suggestions and helping us along in the process. He understands the band and all of our personalities very well and that's a godsend."

Photo credit: Travis Shinn

Frontiers Music Srl will release Swedish progressive metal masters Seventh Wonder's new studio album, The Testament, on Friday (June 10). Find an advanced album stream below, and pre-order/save The Testament here.


The Testament follows 2018's Tiara, which, at the time, was the band's first new music in eight years. While the wait between albums was, mercifully, shorter this time around, the band certainly did not need any extra time to craft a stunning album showcasing their prolific instrumental skills and intricate songwriting. Indeed, The Testament is a high watermark in the band's already revered discography.


Seventh Wonder was formed in 2000 by bassist Andreas Blomqvist, guitarist Johan Liefvendahl, and drummer Johnny Sandin after their previous band fell apart. The music they were writing and playing turned towards progressive metal. When keyboardist Andreas “Kyrt” Söderin joined in late 2000, their new sonic explorations were only cemented further. Two demos were recorded (2001 & 2003) and the latter caught the attention of the label Lion Music, who signed the band in 2004. That collaboration spawned the first Seventh Wonder album, Become, which was released in June 2005. Become was well received by progressive metal fans and media alike; however, the band and singer Andi Kravljaca decided to part ways shortly after the recording process had ended. Enter the brilliant Tommy Karevik (Kamelot, ex-Vindictiv), who joined the band in 2005, actually prior to the official release of Become.




The next album, Waiting In The Wings was recorded in 2006 and mixed and mastered by legendary Tommy Hansen. This album was a huge leap forward in terms of song complexity and maturity and received outstanding reviews and fan accolades, establishing Seventh Wonder as a force to be reckoned with in the progressive metal world. 2007 was spent playing live in support of the album, including sharing stage with legendary bands such as Queensrÿche, Testament, Redemption, and many others in England, Holland, Norway, Sweden, and Denmark.


Simultaneously in 2007, a follow-up to Waiting In The Wings was written. The band hit the studio in May of 2008 to record their third full-length, Mercy Falls, which was hailed as a true masterpiece at the time of its release. Mercy Falls was supported with several live shows in Europe, including Italy, Norway, Finland, and Holland.


In 2010, the band released The Great Escape, which again was met with critical and fan acclaim and cemented the band's standing as one of the premiere progressive metal bands in existence. In support, the band again toured in Europe and also appeared live in the USA at ProgPower Festival.


After The Great Escape album release, drummer Johnny Sandin left the band and would later be replaced by the incredibly talented Stefan Norgren (ex-Lion´s Share). Seventh Wonder fans collectively lost their minds in 2018 when it was announced that after an agonizing eight year wait, the band's latest studio album "Tiara" would be released. "Tiara" once again continued the band's winning streak of crafting progressive metal masterpieces and was greeted with high levels of enthusiasm.


Now, in 2022, the band one again returns with another magnum opus of a progressive metal album, The Testament.





Tracklisting:


“Warriors”
“The Light”
“I Carry The Blame”
“Reflections”
“The Red River”
“Invincible”
“Mindkiller”
“Under A Clear Blue Sky”
“Elegy”


Album stream:





“The Light” video:





“Warriors” lyric video:





Lineup:
Johan Liefvendahl – guitar
Andreas Blomqvist – bass
Tommy Karevik – vocals
Andreas Söderin – keyboards
Stefan Norgren - drums

German metallers PRIMAL FEAR are "still not able to do live shows," less than a year after they announced they were scrapping all of their previously announced dates for 2021 and 2022 "due to a serious illness issue." Four months after canceling the concerts, PRIMAL FEAR bassist and producer Mat Sinner revealed that he had spent the previous eight months in eight different hospitals.

Earlier today (Thursday, June 9), PRIMAL FEAR singer Ralf Scheepers offered an update on Sinner's health while speaking with Chris Akin for Chris Akin Presents. Ralf said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "[Mat is] on a good path. It's not easy. We're still not able to do live shows, now after the COVID shit. We're buddies and friends — we're loyal — and we just stick together. And we just said we don't do shows until he's fine again. But that's exactly right now a very present topic we are talking about, and this is gonna be the next step. What I know is that everybody is composing and writing like crazy. So that's always the good side of the bad side, is that we are productive people."

This past April, Sinner took to his Facebook page to write that he had just "received the best news in the last 12 months." The following month, the 58-year-old musician, whose real name is Matthias Lasch, marked a "sad" first anniversary without seeing his house and undergoing "endless surgeries" while only being able to speak to his fellow musicians on the phone. But he added that there is "now a little light at the end of the tunnel."

When PRIMAL FEAR first announced its concert cancelations, it said that it was "not able to foresee when the band will be able to continue what the love the most: playing shows."

In April 2021, PRIMAL FEAR released a five-track single called "I Will Be Gone". Also made available was the official music video for the title track, featuring a guest appearance by former NIGHTWISH singer Tarja Turunen.

PRIMAL FEAR's 13th studio album, "Metal Commando", was released in July 2020 via Nuclear Blast. The LP was produced by Sinner and mixed by Jacob Hansen.

Formed by Sinner in 1997 as an outlet for vocalist Ralf Scheepers (who had left GAMMA RAY and was a rumored candidate for the then-open JUDAS PRIEST vocal spot, but was considering early retirement from metal),PRIMAL FEAR has emerged as one of the most consistent European metal bands, rarely straying from its core PRIEST-styled power metal sound.

Sinner also leads his long-running namesake hard rock band SINNER, which will release its new full-length album, "Brotherhood", on July 15 via Atomic Fire Records.

For more than a decade, Sinner has been the musical director and co-producer for the prestigious European arena tour "Rock Meets Classic".

Ozzy Osbourne is about to undergo a "major operation" which will "determine the rest of his life."

The singer's wife and manager, Sharon Osbourne, announced on U.K.'s "The Talk" on Wednesday evening (June 8) that she would be flying to America on Thursday to be by her 73-year-old husband's side.

During the TalkTV show, co-host Vanessa Feltz asked if Sharon was traveling back to Los Angeles and added: "I'm sorry to hear that Ozzy has a big operation coming up as well."

Sharon confirmed her husband of 39 years has a "very major operation" on Monday, June 13. She added: "I have to be there and it's really going to determine the rest of his life.

"My son is also going to have a daughter in about three weeks, and also it's our 40th wedding anniversary and July 1."

The co-hosts congratulated Sharon on the news of her wedding anniversary and asked if she and Ozzy had anything planned to mark the occasion. "I don't know yet. [It] depends on everything with Ozzy."

Last month, Ozzy confirmed to Classic Rock magazine that he was "waiting on some more surgery" on his neck. "I can't walk properly these days," he revealed. "I have physical therapy every morning. I am somewhat better, but nowhere near as much as I want to be to go back on the road."

Asked if he thinks about mortality, Ozzy said: "At fucking 73, I've done pretty well. I don't plan on going anywhere, but my time's going to come."

As for what else he would like to achieve in his 70s, Ozzy said: "A Number One Ozzy album. I'm coming back to England this year, too. I've had enough of living out here [America] now. My intention was never to stay out here."

In April, Sharon spoke about her husband's health during an appearance on Piers Morgan's TalkTV show "Uncensored". At the time, Sharon stated about the BLACK SABBATH frontman: "He's doing okay. He's got one more operation left to do and then he's dying to come back home."

Ozzy, who revealed two years ago that he was battling Parkinson's disease, has reportedly applied for permission for a "rehabilitation" wing at his historic Grade II listed home in Buckinghamshire, England. According to the Daily Mail, the extension will feature "an abundance of stopping and sitting" spaces, "discreet grab rails and aids" and "soft non-slip surfaces" as well as a self-contained nurse's flat. There is also a "pool house orangery", "garden room" and a "health and welfare exercise studio".

Architect Lynne Walker wrote in the plans that "it is the ambition that the design creates a transition of flowing inside outside garden spaces, largely lit by natural light with folding doors opening up views."

In March, Mirror reported that Ozzy and Sharon were leaving Los Angeles and returning to their native United Kingdom due to rising taxes in California.

The musician and his wife will reportedly spend most of their time at their home Welders House.

"We are leaving L.A.," he said, according to Mirror. "We are a bit sad. But the tax is getting too much. I am sad because I really, really like staying and living there."

He added: "If they do the taxes better, then I may come back. I do not know. I am taking my recording studio with me. I am going to build a barn there and make my own studio at Welders. I will still be making music and my band will come over."

Ozzy and Sharon reportedly purchased Welders House from two-time Academy Award-winning special effects legend John Stears in 1993. In her 2013 autobiography, "Extreme: My Autobiography", Sharon said she purchased the home due to its "extreme" distance from any public houses nearby.

In July 2020, Ozzy said that he was still "not back to 100 percent" after suffering from several medical issues, including a fall, neck surgery and hospitalization for the flu. Ozzy also said that he was looking forward to performing again once he has regained his health and the coronavirus pandemic has subsided.

Last November, Ozzy's previously announced European tour with guests JUDAS PRIEST, originally set for 2019 and then rescheduled three times, was once again postponed. The new dates will now take place in May and June 2023.

Ozzy initially scrapped his entire 2019 schedule as he recovered from surgery to repair an injury sustained while dealing with a bout of pneumonia. The tour was postponed a second time after Ozzy continued to deal with health issues following a fall in his Los Angeles home. That fall "aggravated years-old injuries" from an ATV accident that occurred in 2003. The tour was pushed back a third time in October 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Ozzy's European tour with JUDAS PRIEST tour will now take place more than four years later than originally planned, and almost five years after tickets first went on sale in September 2018.

In May 2020, Ozzy's son Jack said that his father will "probably" retire "within the next five to ten years." But Ozzy, who turned 73 in December, has repeatedly said that he is not calling it quits, despite the fact that his "No More Tours 2" — whenever it ends up happening — is being billed as his last major global trek.
Sharon Osbourne reveals that Ozzy Osbourne is set to have a major operation on Monday that will "determine the rest of his life."@MrsSOsbourne | @OzzyOsbournepic.twitter.com/kC3BJQrnkk

— The Talk (@TheTalkUK) June 8, 2022

SOULFLY frontman Max Cavalera spoke to The Bogcast about the band's upcoming twelfth album, "Totem", which will be released on August 5 via Nuclear Blast. The follow-up to 2018's "Ritual" was recorded at Platinum Underground in Mesa, Arizona by John Aquilino and Arthur Rizk with assistance from John Powers. Produced by Max alongside Arthur Rizk (KREATOR, MUNICIPAL WASTE, CODE ORANGE),the LP boasts guest appearances from John Powers (ETERNAL CHAMPION),Chris Ulsh (POWER TRIP),and John Tardy (OBITUARY). Rizk was also responsible for playing lead guitar on the record. The artwork for the album was created by James Bousema.

The second single from the album, "Scouring The Vile", featuring Tardy, can be streamed below.

SOULFLY's Max Cavalera comments: "'Scouring The Vile' is SOULFLY's personal fuck-you letter to cancer! The lyrics are angered by the loss of loved ones. It was amazing to share the vocals with an old veteran, John Tardy of OBITUARY."

Max previously told The Bogcast about "Scouring The Vile": "We lost so many good people [to] cancer. I remember when I was writing the record, L.G. [Petrov] from ENTOMBED passed away, and Chuck [Schuldiner] from DEATH [died 20 years ago], and also family members that succumbed to cancer. And so I was, like, 'I wanna write a song against cancer' — a 'fuck you, cancer'-type letter, like a letter to cancer: 'Fuck you. You're not gonna bring all of us down. We're gonna fight you.' That's one of the heaviest songs on the record."

Regarding the other lyrical themes covered on "Totem", Max said: "The [first single] 'Superstition' was inspired by Superstition Mountains. I ended up doing a lot of reading about it and the whole Lost Dutchman. A lot of people died there. It's a really mysterious, mystic place, so I kind of made the lyrics kind of connected to that, which was pretty cool. In the actual chorus, it says, 'Superstition is harder than stone.' I'm referring to the mountain itself. That's a hard mountain. It's been there forever and probably will be there till the end of times.

"The whole record is inspired by nature," he continued. "That's why it's called 'Totem'. I don't know if you guys saw the cover, but we've got this totem pole with a bunch of different animals in it. Supposedly it's kind of like our spirit animals a little bit and our signs. There's almost like a lion mixed with a warthog and there's a goat with the horns. And there's an owl, eagle on top of it. And it's in the forest.

"So, yeah, the record was inspired by nature — the spirits in nature," Cavalera added. "I find that fascinating. I love that. I think the desert is very spiritual and very mysterious. And also the forest. We tour a lot, so we go to Iceland and Norway, and we all see those beautiful forests and stuff.

"So a lot of the record was inspired by, I guess you'd call it the worshipping of nature, almost as a god. A lot of natives have that belief — that nature is like a god that you worship. So I think that became the kind of focus point for the record. There's definitely songs that deal with different topics on it. Also there's one that's kind of a little bit about society in general, and it's called 'Filth Upon Filth'. It's very, very 'Reign In Blood' influenced; I was listening to a lot of 'Reign In Blood' when I wrote that song. The tempo of it is a very killer SLAYER kind of groove. There is one song called 'The Damage Done'. It's about all the deforestation. I was reading a lot about the Amazon, how they're just raping and pillaging and destroying and that's like the lungs of the world. It's kind of up to us at least to talk about some of these topics, so I think it was kind of cool to give it a shot."

According to Max, "Totem" closes with a 10-minute track called "Spirit Animal". "It's a bit like an epic kind of song," he said. "It's really inspired by old heavy metal tracks, like closers of BLACK SABBATH albums that were really long, like eight [or] nine minutes long, like 'Heaven And Hell'-type shit. I wanted to write something like that. So it's got a lot of parts — tons of riffs. It's a riff fest. [Laughs] And it's great, 'cause it's also got… Richie from INCITE sings on it, my [step]son. And we've got Chris from POWER TRIP doing the solos on it. He's also in MAMMOTH GRINDER. He's a great musician. So he did the solos on 'Spirit Animal', and it came out sick."

The official lyric video for "Superstition", created by Aimed & Framed alongside 3D character artist Álvar Gómez Padilla, can be seen below.

"Totem" track listing:

01. Superstition
02. Scouring The Vile
03. Filth Upon Filth
04. Rot In Pain
05. The Damage Done
06. Totem
07. Ancestors
08. Ecstasy Of Gold
09. Soulfly XII
10. Spirit Animal

In a recent interview with the "Rez Metal" podcast, Max stated about "Totem": "It was created a little bit different. The majority was just me and my son Zyon playing together, so we kind of wrote the bulk of the material. And then I had a great producer friend, Arthur Rizk; he worked with POWER TRIP and CODE ORANGE. Arthur is great, man. And I was curious how Arthur would make a SOULFLY record sound if he was in charge [of] it. And we created something that, to me, feels kind of like… It's almost like a biography of Max music. We cover everything from the early days all the way… So there's some black metal things, there's some death and thrash, there's some groove metal — there's everything. So the record really goes deep into all different areas of metal. So because of that, the album feels very diverse. At the end of the day, I just wanted to make a solid, full-on attitude record that just says, 'We're here to fuck shit up.' This is what we do. This is why I love playing metal, because of the energy it gives me.

"I don't wanna describe the record too much — I'd rather have people hear it and see what they think — but to me, it feels like this is just a really, really energetic SOULFLY record," Cavalera added. "It's kind of cool to have that kind of… After so many records, if you can still put an energetic record out, it says something about your career; you're not slowing down — you're going, actually, the opposite way. So I'm more in the trenches than ever with this one. It feels like [I've been] rejuvenated; I feel like a young kid again playing metal. Those are great elements to have. Especially when you're getting older, a lot of people go more mild and slow down. I'm not one of those people. I wanna just get even more wild, get heavier. But always with the SOULFLY groove, 'cause I think that's a key element of SOULFLY; it's always been the groove. So we pay really close attention to the… We actually added a lot of percussion to it, so it kind of goes back to records like 'Primitive'; some of the grooves go back to songs like 'Primitive' and 'Boom', but some of the other stuff is super aggressive and it's like a lot of the current extreme metal that I listen to right now from a lot of other bands."

SOULFLY performed "Superstition" and "Filth Upon Filth" on its recent U.S. tour.

In April 2021, Max told Chris Enriquez of Saint Vitus Presents: Age Of Quarantine that Rizk took the new SOULFLY project "super seriously. He said, 'Hey, Max, I don't wanna do just another SOULFLY record. I wanna do the bestSOULFLY record,'" he recalled. 'I was, like, 'All right. I take the challenge. Let's do it, man.'"

In December 2020, Max told the "Sappenin' Podcast With Sean Smith" about the songwriting process for the new SOULFLY album: "The cool thing about Zyon, the way he plays drums, is he's a bit like a wild animal — he has no restraint, man, and he just unleashes on the drum kit. Pure, pure brutality power drumming, and I love that. So that takes me back to a lot of the early records that I like — a lot of the old ENTOMBED stuff and CARCASS and NAPALM DEATH; out-of-control shit. So I think we have that kind of spirit going on on a lot of the new tracks."

In August 2021, SOULFLY parted ways with longtime guitarist Marc Rizzo due to personal differences. A permanent replacement guitarist has yet to be announced. FEAR FACTORY's Dino Cazares played guitar for SOULFLY on the summer 2021 U.S. tour and once again handled second-guitar duties on the band's most recent run of shows.

In June 2020, SOULFLY released a new digital EP, "Live Ritual NYC MMXIX". The effort was recorded at The Gramercy in New York City on February 11, 2019 while SOULFLY was on tour in support of its most recent full-length album, "Ritual". The audio for the EP was mixed and mastered by Charles Elliott (ABYSMAL DAWN) from Tastemaker Audio. Cover artwork was comprised of live photos taken by Rodrigo Fredes.

"Ritual" was released in October 2018 via Nuclear Blast. The follow-up to 2015's "Archangel" was produced, recorded and mixed by Josh Wilbur (KILLER BE KILLED, LAMB OF GOD, GOJIRA).

UGLY KID JOE will release a new studio album, "Rad Wings Of Destiny", on October 21. The official music video for the first single from the LP, "That Ain't Livin'", can be seen below.

"Rad Wings Of Destiny" sees UGLY KID JOE re-teaming producer Mark Dodson who was behind the desk for the band's debut album, "America's Least Wanted", which celebrates its 30th anniversary this year.

"'That Ain't Livin'' is a tip of the hat to old-school AC/DC 'Powerage' rock and roll," comments UGLY KID JOE frontman Whitfield Crane. The track features Shannon Larkin, Dave Fortman, Klaus Eichstadt, Cordell Crockett and Crane, with a guest appearance from YELLOWCAKE guitarist JJ Curran.

UGLY KID JOE will return to Europe this summer for a slew of festival appearances throughout June and July, including Hellfest, Copenhell and Graspop Metal Meeting.

After a 15-year hiatus, UGLY KID JOE reformed in 2012 and has toured extensively throughout Europe and the rest of the world.

The band released the EP "Stairway To Hell" in 2012 and the full-length "Uglier Than They Used Ta Be" in 2015.

Two years ago, Crane told Eonmusic about UGLY KID JOE's huge success on the back of single "Everything About You" in 1991: "'Eye of the storm' is a good way to put it, because it just was all happening at a deadly fast gait. And it was a lot — it was beautiful and also very challenging, because there's a lot of people that surround the business of music that are full of shit. But when you're 23 [or] 24, you don't know how to negotiate that, so on one hand, it was super fun and we did all the things you should do at that age, and on the other hand, it was too much for me. But we survived it, and I can deal with it all now."