GWAR will release its ambitious new album, "The New Dark Ages", on June 3 on CD and digital, and on September 16 on vinyl and cassette via GWAR's own label Pit Records. Pre-orders are available at this location. The album concept is tied to a companion graphic novel, "GWAR In The Duoverse Of Absurdity", which will be released by Z2 Comics on June 3. In the graphic novel, the bandmembers are sucked off into an alternate universe to do battle with their evil twins and the specter of rogue technology. On "The New Dark Ages", our heroes floorboard it through a kaleidoscope of hard-driving heavy metal, and rock and fucking roll, building on their hilarious mythos, introducing cool new characters, and cataloging mankind’s hapless abandonment of their passions, rituals, and beliefs.

The Berserker Blóthar says: "This is the greatest rock record of all time. These are the songs for a new age, a New Dark Age, when men live by the dimming light of a technology destined to betray them. Listen, as we have a rock and roll orgy in the ruins of the world to celebrate humanity’s descent into an age of darkness, disease, ignorance, and death."

"The New Dark Ages" is available for pre-order on cassette, CD and multiple different colors of vinyl (whiskey, sunbolt and black/gold marble) and the graphic novel as both soft and hard cover. Bundles are available including ones with Blóthar bobbleheads, and a one-of-a-kind Beefcake helmet.

"GWAR In The Duoverse Of Absurdity" chronicles the epic battle between GWAR and their doppelgangers from an alternate universe the band discovers behind their treasured Magic Mirror. The book uses an innovative storytelling technique that combines words and pictures printed on paper (made from real trees!) in a seamless format we are calling a "graphic novel." The tale is illustrated by the masterful talents of Andy MacDonald ("Wolverine", "Dr Strange", "Wonder Woman"), Shane White ("Things Undone", "Braun", "Endless Summer"), Matt Maguire (GWAR) and Bob Gorman (GWAR). Z2 Comics (JUDAS PRIEST, DIO, ANTHRAX) have teamed up with GWAR to produce what will surely be known as the ultimate illustrated saga of the beloved Scumdogs Of The Duoverse.

Says Bälsäc The Jaws 'O Death: "This was the most utterly engrossing book I've ever read! I couldn't wait until I'd read what was on the page before I was compelled to turn it! This novel has the one element that is missing in so many so-called literary masterpieces: It's about me!"

Swedish, epically overpowering dark symphonic metal unit Eleine has joined the Atomic Fire Records roster.


Founded and led by charismatic vocalist Madeleine Liljestam and guitarist / growler Rikard Ekberg, Eleine has released three successful, multifaceted albums since 2015, all of which illuminate the remarkably sorted and exquisitely balanced dark mixture the collective is capable of producing. Indeed, the authors push their high-class, intense, cinematic flair to the extreme, manifesting a singular, atmospheric world where dark, thrash, black, and death metal influences collide in a fantastically captivating fashion. The unquestionable originality of Eleine’s output reveals itself quite effortlessly in every single moment of listening.


“Signing with Atomic Fire Records is a huge step in the right direction for Eleine,” Liljestam comments. “We’re entering a new era of metal, not only with this new, mighty label but also in a world where we have faced challenges as a music industry alongside our dedicated and loyal fans. Finding a label that agrees that both the physical and digital media world actually work together, and don’t have to exclude each other, made us feel that this is a label that will stay true to metal and at the same time evolve alongside the industry and us as a band."




Says Atomic Fire CEO, Markus Wosgien, "We are in touch for a few years now and I followed their amazing career almost from the start. Especially after I saw Eleine live on the Sabaton Open Air in 2018, I knew that this band is truly unique and something really special. I love their strong belief in themselves, their do-it-yourself attitude, and finally, their music. Eleine is an experience; something intense that you feel and inspires you. On top, they are lovely people with their hearts in the right place.”


2022 will find the band touring alongside Firewind, performing at several festivals, and a tour through Finland before joining their new labelmates Sonata Arctica as special guests on their European acoustic tour. For a complete list of live dates, visit Eleine's tour page.


"We feel very confident in this new collaboration and we are very proud,” notes Ekberg, adding, "While we work on our next full-length album, we will keep busy releasing an acoustic spin-off EP, all in honor of the upcoming acoustic tour as special guests to Sonata Arctica in Fall / Winter of 2022.” 


 

Singer / songwriter Mike Tramp (White Lion, Freak Of Nature) will release the new song "Min By", sung in Danish, on February 4th.


"I can’t tell you exactly when the idea awoke in me," begins Tramp. "But it’s safe to say, that it was within the first two years of my rock’n’roll journey as a member of Mabel, my first professional 24/7/365 days a year band. Now why it would take 45 years to finally happen. That you will have to wait for all the interviews that soon will start. I know I will have to figure it out myself, as I am not completely sure why it happen, but I know how.


With all that aside. 'Min By' (My Town) is the first song that anyone will hear from the this new and my first, all Danish (lyrical) album ever, titled, For Første Gang (For The First Time). In many ways the lyrics of 'Min By' are similar to the subject of 'Cobblestone Street'. But this is the four hour Directors Cut, it covers everything in great details, about growing up in the streets of Vesterbro, Copenhagen in the '60s & '70s, no holds barred. One final word, this album is not a Danish language version of my other 12 solo albums. It is something very different, it is its own master, not to be compared to anything I’ve ever done before".




You can pre-save "Min By" here.





 
 

Frontiers Music Srl will release the new solo album from Chip Z'Nuff, "Perfectly Imperfect", on March 18. The first single and video from the album, "Heaven In A Bottle", is out today.

The songs for "Perfectly Imperfect" were written by Chip, except for "Heaven In A Bottle", which is an older track written with former ENUFF Z'NUFF vocalist Donnie Vie, and "Honaloochie Boogie", which is a MOTT THE HOOPLE cover. The album includes guest appearances from Joel Hoekstra (WHITESNAKE, TRANS-SIBERIAN ORCHESTRA), Steven Adler (ADLER'S APPETITE, ex-GUNS 'N ROSES), Daxx Nielsen (CHEAP TRICK) and Daniel Hill (ENUFF Z'NUFF).

"All songs are written as I see the world through my rose-colored glasses. It’s my heroin letter to the new generation," says Chip.

Chip Z'Nuff is an American singer, songwriter, bassist, producer, and radio personality. Having founded the popular glam rock band ENUFF Z’NUFF in 1984 in the illustrious city of Chicago, the band saw its self-titled major label debut released in the summer of 1989. Chip has released over twenty albums with ENUFF Z'NUFF, as well as having toured with such acts as MISSING PERSONS, Steven Adler, CHEAP TRICK, POISON, THE TRAGICALLY HIP, FOREIGNER, ALICE COOPER, REO SPEEDWAGON, Ace Frehley, and others. The Grammy-nominated artist has produced dozens of records throughout his robust career and had his music hailed by former late night television host David Letterman and the popular radio personality Howard Stern. In addition to writing, recording and touring with ENUFF Z'NUFF, Chip also currently hosts the Monsters Of Rock radio show on the Dash Radio Network, playing the finest hits in hard rock and heavy metal to a collective audience of over 800,000.

"Perfectly Imperfect" track listing:

01. The Church

02. Welcome To The Party

03. Doctor (I'm Going Down Can You Save Me?)

04. Ordinary Man

05. Heaven In A Bottle

06. Roll On

07. I Still Hail You

08. 3 Way

09. Heroin

10. Honaloochie Boogie

Recording lineup:

Chip Z'Nuff - Vocals, Bass, Guitar, Melotron

Joel Hoekstra - Lead Guitar on Tracks 2, 6, & 8

Daxx Nielsen - Acoustic Drums on Tracks 3, 4, 5, 6, & 9

Daniel Hill - Drums, Percussion, and Orchestration on Tracks 1, 2, 7, & 8

Steven Adler - Acoustic Drums on Track 10

Oakland, California-based melodic death metal band, Darkness Everywhere, prepares for the release of their debut EP, The Seventh Circle, in late February through Creator-Destructor Records. As the album closes in, band has released a visualizer for the new single, “The Grand Impact”, which features Darkest Hour’s vocalist, John Henry.


Darkness Everywhere unites vocalist/guitarist/drummer Ben Murray, guitarist Cameron Stucky, and renowned producer engineer Zack Ohren on bass. The Seventh Circle refers to Dante’s Seventh Layer Of Hell, where acts of violence in life are punished in death. The endless torture inflicted upon human souls for their past sins of hatred is an all-consuming reality in the lyrical themes of the seven songs on the band’s debut EP. The record was recorded in late 2020 at Sharkbite Studios in Oakland, engineered and produced by Zack Ohren, and completed with cover artwork by Samuel Nelson. Additionally, The Seventh Circle features guest vocals from Laura Nichol (Light This City) on “Survival Of The Sun,” by X on “The Seventh Circle,” and by John Henry (Darkest Hour) on the new single, “The Grand Impact.”


With the track’s debut, Stucky reveals, "'The Grand Impact' perfectly exemplifies the sound and approach of this band: riff-driven and straight to the point. I personally enjoy when bands unashamedly flaunt their influences, and we definitely achieved that with this song. For that reason, it made perfect sense to have John Henry from Darkest Hour throw down some vocals, every time I hear it my inner teenager cracks a huge smile!"




Murray adds, "'This song is one of my favorites on the record, and definitely the heaviest. Lyrically it deals with the idea of rising above the toxic energy that one can unintentionally surround themselves with in life and cleansing yourself of ineffective people that drain your spirit. The tone of this track felt darker and more ominous from the start, so I knew I had to draw from personal experiences to get the right feelings across, lyrically. I love the way it came out, and John’s vocals really gave it that extra intensity it needed."





The Seventh Circle will see digital release on February 25 through Creator-Destructor - the label owned and operated by the band’s Ben Murray - with a vinyl version to follow shortly after. Find digital pre-orders here.





The Seventh Circle tracklisting:


"Apocalyptic Nightmares"
"Darkness Everywhere"
"The Grand Impact"
"Lost Dimensions"
"Reign Of Chaos"
"Survival Of The Sun"
"The Seventh Circle"


"Reign Of Chaos":





Lineup:


Ben Murray – guitar/drums/vocals
Cameron Stucky – guitar
Zack Ohren – bass


(Photo - Michelle Nisbet)

American heavy metal five-piece, Lords Of The Trident, have shared the news of their upcoming studio album. The Wisconsin-based band will independently release their fifth full-length effort, The Offering, on April 1. However, always eager to build a stronger bond between their loyal fans, the band has launched a Patreon that will offer a treasure chest of rewards; most notably an immediate digital copy of The Offering, along with their previous three albums.


Talking about their new album, The Offering, the band comments: "The Offering is, beyond a doubt, a big risk for us as a band. It's the most complex and technically difficult album we've ever made, our first record with Jacob Hansen at the helm, AND our first concept record. It's also a tragic tale, which fans of our style of music may not be used to. But honestly, we couldn't be happier with the result. We designed this album to push the boundaries of our music while also being ABSOLUTELY filled with hooks, and we succeeded on all accounts. We know you'll enjoy the tale we've woven. 'Sit with me now, and watch as the story unfolds...'"


To give a first taste of their new album, Lords Of The Trident have released a new music video for the first single from the record, titled "Power Of Evil". The track is one of three from the album that features guest vocals from Unleash The Archers guitarist Grant Truesdell. Watch the video  below.




The full album (The Offering) is available right now for members of the Lords Of The Trident Patreon who pledge $5 or more. This pledge not only gets you an immediate copy of the new album, but also their three previous albums (Shadows From The Past, Pull The Plug, and Power Outage) as well as 20+ internet-exclusive singles, 25+ full-concert bootlegs, and a mountain of exclusive content for Patreon backers only. The full album will not be released publicly until April, so being a backer is the only way to hear it before it releases. 100% of the money pledged goes directly to the band and helps them play more shows, make more content, and survive the evils of the music industry.


More info here.


The Offering is the fifth full-length album by Lords Of The Trident (and their 10th release overall). This medieval concept album weaves a tragic story of a young boy sold into servitude, his arduous training to become a "Guardian", and the city that betrays him. Mixed and mastered by Grammy-nominated Jacob Hansen (engineer for Avantasia, Unleash the Archers, Volbeat, Amaranthe, and more), this is one of the best-sounding epics you'll hear. Filled with blazing solos, soaring vocals, complex drumming, and multi-layer musical composition, The Offering will take you on a heroic and tragic musical journey that will stay in your mind long after the album has finished.





The Offering tracklisting:


"Legend"
"Acolyte"
"Charlatan"
"Feed The Wolves"
"Carry the Weight"
"Offering To The Void"
"Champion"
"The Invitation"
"Dance Of Control"
"These Tower Walls"
"Power Of Evil"
"The Blade"
"Heart Of Ashes"


"Power Of Evil" video:

On December 30th, 2021 Canada's Imonolith parted ways with guitarist Brian 'Beav' Waddell and bassist Scott Whalen. Their official statment is available below. 


"We would like to introduce you all to two new members joining Imonolith:


Oswin Wong (Threat Signal, Plaguebringer) - guitar
Conan Freeman (Punchdrunk, Cyanotic) - bass 




Oswin is one of the current guitar players in Threat Signal and Plaguebringer. He’s an accomplished Berklee Music Graduate, a guitar teacher and a team player when it comes to being in a band.


Conan has been a respected musician playing in the local Vancouver Metal Scene for many years. He’s a solid, technical and creative bassist. He’s also a great team player, like Oswin. 


We’re stoked to have them both in Imonolith. Stay posted for feature posts on both of our new members.


Brian 'Beav' Waddell and Scott Whalen are no longer in Imonolith. It was an amicable, mutual split with zero hard feelings from either side. We’re very grateful for the contributions both members made in the band and wish them both the best in their future endeavours.


Thanks to both Brian and Scott for helping get Imonolith started on the right foot. They’ll always be close friends and a healthy staple of Imonolith’s history. We are excited to move on with Oswin and Conan. Getting on tour ASAP and releasing the ‘Progressions’ EP in early 2022 are our top priorities."


Both Brian and Scott both issued statement regarding making the choice to move on:


Beav: "I am writing this to let you all know I have parted ways with Imonolith. No drama or anything exciting. I just feel with the industry the way its been hit, and travel being constantly changed and whatnot I have decided to stop touring. I've honestly never been a big fan of the travel to begin with, and with how things are trending I think it's time for me to check out of the game. 


I wish Imonolith all the best and I am super proud of the State Of Being record we put out together. Even though I may not be in the band now, there is always a recording of a time I was. 


Thanks for letting me share some music with ya!" 


Scott: "Although I love the guys and team surrounding the band. I have decided to move on from Imonolith to focus on other projects and go back to school. 


Since Covid is still a very real thing and the ups & downs of the musical landscape has drastically altered in the world over the last couple of years, I feel like now is a very appropriate time in my life to shift focus and pursue a different path than the one I’ve been on with my Imonolith boys over the last 3 years.


I’m very grateful for the opportunities presented to me while I was in the band and wish them only love and success in the future with everything! See you down the road somewhere. I love you!" 





On Friday, January 28th they will release "The Reign" (Remix) featuring Jens Kidman of Meshuggah taken from the forthcoming Progressions EP, which will be out in March 2022. Pre-save here.


Photo by Erich Saide Photography

Rising Swedish “adventure rock” stars, Hällas, return with an evocative, feel-good blend of nostalgic 70’s hard rock, prog, proto-metal, folk and psychedelic influences on their upcoming third studio album, Isle Of Wisdom, out April 8 via Napalm Records. This collection of fresh tracks allows the listener to emerge in a brand new realm soaked in mystery and retro atmosphere - key features of Hällas’ fantasy and sci-fi driven auditory aesthetic. Isle Of Wisdom, the successor to Hällas’ full-length offering Conundrum (Top 50 on the Swedish Charts, P3 Guld Award nominee), is set for release just before they hit the road on an extensive European tour.


To enter the mystical universe and get a first glimpse of what lies ahead, the Swedish five-piece has already unveiled the first two songs - the first single “Earl’s Theme”, together with a new video, and the bonus single “Stygian Depths”. “Earl’s Theme” starts off with an evocative guitar intro and a focus on Tommy Alexandersson's unique vocal tone as retro synths develop the song dynamically, drawing the listener into a thrilling cosmos between fantasy and sci-fi, while “Stygian Depths” takes that emotion straight from the first notes and evolves into an anthem exemplifying the band’s brand: adventure rock.


Hällas on “Earl’s Theme”: ”When you finally take the step and say to yourself: This is the way I want to live. Then he turns up - The Earl - and this is his song.”




Check out Hällas’ visualizer for “Earl’s Theme”, and listen Stygian Depths", below.


Isle Of Wisdom starts with synthy “Birth Into Darkness”, with an incredibly clever topline from the one of a kind vocals of singer and bassist Tommy Alexandersson. The musical journey continues with the mystical single “Earl’s Theme” embellished by choral voices, and proceeds with exceptional “Elusion’s Gate” - a piece that, by making room for the guitar lines of Alexander Moraitis and Marcus Petersson, highlights the overall epic and mysterious atmosphere of the album. Isle Of Wisdom was produced in collaboration with Linn Fijal and Vilma Colling at Riksmixningsverket studio, which has hosted the diverse likes of Arch Enemy, ABBA and Celine Dion. Comprised of eight bold opuses, Isle Of Wisdom is a deft new step in the noteworthy sonic trajectory of Hällas, cementing them as a band to watch.


Hällas on Isle Of Wisdom: "An escape from unwanted happenings doesn't always lead you towards the better as danger can be found in any universe or time. Welcome to the Isle of Wisdom."





Isle Of Wisdom will be available in the following formats:


- Die Hard Edition - 1LP Gatefold Marbled Violet/Black + poster and slipmat (Napalm Records Mailorder exclusive - limited to 300 copies worldwide)
- 1LP Gatefold Purple (Napalm Records Mailorder exclusive - limited to 300 copies worldwide)
- 1LP Gatefold Black
- CD Digipak
- Digital Album


Pre-order here.





Tracklisting:


"Birth/Into Darkness"
"Advent Of Dawn"
"Earl's Theme"
"The Inner Chamber"
"Elusion's Gate"
"Gallivants (Of Space)"
"Stygian Depths"
"The Wind Carries The Word"


"Earl's Theme" visualizer:





"Stygian Depths":





Formed in 2011 and named after the main character featured in the stories of their lyrics - a knight in a parallel medieval universe destined to take part in a religious war caused by a tyrannical queen - Hällas are the originators of the "Adventure Rock" genre, devoting themselves to the aforementioned sonic fusion and eccentric imagery inspired by rock greats of yore with a fantastical twist.


Hällas are:


Tommy Alexandersson - vocals / bass
Marcus Petersson - guitar
Kasper Eriksson - drums / percussion
Nicklas Malmquist - organ / synthesizer
Alexander Moraitis - guitar


(Top photo courtesy of Hällas)

Last year Turbo released their debut album Fast As Fvck, a thrash metal rollercoaster of a musical ride that grabs you and doesn’t let go. Today, they have a new music video in support of the song “Alive” and to film it, they broke into an abandoned amusement park. This stunt is perfect for a band who describes their sound as “if nitroglycerin had a soundtrack”. BraveWords is premiering the new video; take in the thrills below:





The intention with their sound was to be like a gateway-drug into the rock-and-roll lifestyle, but without all the glitz and glamour of a Snakeoil Salesman band really trying to sell you on it. According to the Turbo, this is something a bit grittier, a bit more street, a bit rawer, and a bit more real. They go on to explain the track “Alive”:




“It is more or less a written testament to bad-decisions with one of the most badass riffs on the album slapped on top of it. The song features a call-and-response guitar harmony and an anthemic chorus. There’s not too much more to say on it apart from being among the most fun songs on the album; definitely one to do a keg stand along to!”





Each of the members of Turbo was in separate bands when they came together with the desire to be part of something bigger and badder.


“Something that was gonna grab things right by the cojones and give it a good shake.”


Their album Fast As Fvck is an homage to true rock and roll in its most vicious and visceral form. Each of the seven tracks hit like a swift kick to the teeth from a whole new angle of attack, but the assault is far from a mindless battering to the eardrums.

Swedish extreme tech-metal pioneers MESHUGGAH have released "The Abysmal Eye", the first single from their upcoming ninth studio album, "Immutable". You can now listen to the song below.

Due on April 1 via Atomic Fire, the follow-up to 2016's "The Violent Sleep Of Reason" was recorded at Sweetspot Studios in Halmstad, Sweden; mixed by Rickard Bengtsson and Staffan Karlsson; and mastered by multiple Grammy Award winner Vlado Meller (METALLICA, RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE, RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS, SYSTEM OF A DOWN). Visionary artist Luminokaya once again created the stunning cover artwork.

Full of surprises and yet instantly recognizable as the work of metal's most idiosyncratic force, "Immutable" redefines and redesigns the MESHUGGAH sound across more than an hour of the most stimulating and absorbing music the band has ever made. Despite the challenges of the last couple of years, the progressive principles that have always informed their artistic efforts remain as cherished as ever. As we spiral towards a dystopian future, MESHUGGAH still stand alone.

For guitarist Mårten Hagström, the task of embarking on another unprecedented tech-metal odyssey was impossible to resist. "For us, it wasn't all that clear that we were making a new album," he said. "We knew we could do it, but did we want to do it? We had to decide, are we doing this or what else are we doing? After a long, long discussion, we agreed on certain things. We would make an album with as few restraints as possible. We would go in and try to make as cool an album as possible, have no anxiety about it and see it as an opportunity. How do we make this a challenge that we feel like accepting and rising up to? Pretty quickly we had a starting point. Everybody started to write, the ball started rolling and suddenly we were sitting there, discussing how many songs we were going to have to cut."

Regarding the "Immutable" title, Hagström said: "The title fits perfectly for where we are as a band. We're older now. Most of us are in our fifties now, and we've settled into who we are. Even though we've been experimenting all along, I also think we've been the same since day one. The way we approach things and why we still make new albums, and why we still sound the way we do, it's immutable. Humanity is immutable, too. We commit the same mistakes over and over. And we are immutable. We do what we do, and we don't change."

The most inventive and creative metal band of the last 30 years and one of the most widely revered, MESHUGGAH has been standard bearers for forward-thinking creativity in heavy music throughout their illustrious careers. Over the course of more than 30 years and eight studio albums, Sweden's widely worshipped progressive mavens have consistently redefined what it means to be heavy, while exhibiting a ferocious intelligence that belies the crushing weight of their riffs. From the ground-breaking savagery of 1995's "Destroy Erase Improve" to the psychedelic tech-splorations of "CatchyThirtyThree", and on to the streamlined grotesquery of "ObZen" and "Koloss", MESHUGGAH has always been way ahead of the game and plainly without peer.

In October 2020, MESHUGGAH drummer Tomas Haake confirmed to Knotfest.com's "Mosh Talks With Beez" that the band had spent much of the downtime during the COVID-19 pandemic working on fresh material.

Regarding the musical direction of the new MESHUGGAH songs, Tomas said: "Of course, we have a certain framework that we still wanna sound like MESHUGGAH, we wanna have that signature sound, we want people to be able to — even if they haven't heard the song [before] — in the best-case scenario, it's, like, 'Oh, that's gotta be MESHUGGAH,' even if it's a brand new thing. So hopefully that's something we're aiming at. But with that said, as far as the music goes, we try to [do] kind of the opposite of what AC/DC has been doing for 40 years. So we're not trying to write the same album over and over. And whether we succeed with that or not, that's more up to our fans and other people, but that's definitely the aim. We try our best to kind of find new grips within the framework of what we're supposed to be, I guess. 'Cause we don't wanna really step out of that either. We're not looking to be another band all of a sudden or something that we haven't been or that is not true to kind of what we're doing."

"Immutable" track listing:

01. Broken Cog

02. The Abysmal Eye

03. Light The Shortening Fuse

04. Phantoms

05. Ligature Marks

06. God He Sees In Mirrors

07. They Move Below

08. Kaleidoscope

09. Black Cathedral

10. I Am That Thirst

11. The Faultless

12. Armies Of The Preposterous

13. Past Tense

MESHUGGAH is:

Jens Kidman - Vocals

Mårten Hagström - Guitars

Dick Lövgren - Bass

Fredrik Thordendal - Guitars

Tomas Haake - Drums

Dave Mustaine says that MEGADETH's sixteenth studio album, "The Sick, The Dying And The Dead", will finally arrive this summer.

The MEGADETH leader, who turned 60 in September, touched upon a possible release date for the band's new record while promoting the next U.S. leg of MEGADETH's "The Metal Tour Of The Year" with LAMB OF GOD, which will kick off on April 9 in Las Vegas, Nevada and run through May 15 in Allentown, Pennsylvania.

Asked by Forbes if fans can expect this second leg of the tour to be the first tour in support of the new MEGADETH LP, Dave said: "No. This is wrapping up the remainder of last year, but I know that our actual official record release date had gotten moved back again with all of the distribution stuff, and all of these issues with getting product from one place to the next with record plants making vinyl. We're not reliant on vinyl so much but just the whole process has been delayed, so it's just gotten moved back again. We're going to be doing, I believe at the time I'm not sure, but I believe at the time when the record comes out this summer we'll be on a tour that we're going to be announcing, but I can't really get into that right now because I don't know for sure the dates."

Last month, Mustaine debuted a snippet of the song "Life In Hell" from "The Sick, The Dying And The Dead" while filming a video message on Cameo, which lets users hire celebrities to record brief, personalized video messages about virtually any topic. Earlier in December, Mustaine revealed that the follow-up to 2016's "Dystopia" had been mastered and was "super close" to being released.

In a recent interview with American Songwriter magazine, Mustaine said "The Sick, The Dying And The Dead" title track is about the plague, but not solely centered around the current pandemic. A broader, more historical scope of the diseases that have plagued humankind throughout time, "The Sick The Dying And The Dead" covers the current virus, swine flu, and other epidemics from centuries past.

"The song itself was a historical journey of how the plague started and where it went, starting with rats on ships carrying the disease, coming ashore in Sicily," Mustaine said.

According to Mustaine, the music for "The Sick, The Dying And The Dead" was assembled from riffs and music he has had archived for years, some as far back as his teens. "A lot of the riffs have been saved over time," he said. "A brand new song can be made up of something I wrote when I was 15 or 55. If It's a good riff, I'll save it."

Mustaine added that guitarist Kiko Loureiro and drummer Dirk Verbeuren were both involved in piecing together the songs on the album, which was recorded mostly in Nashville, with Loureiro working on his parts from his home in Finland.

Mustaine has yet to reveal who played bass on the new MEGADETH album after David Ellefson's tracks were removed from the LP following his dismissal from the band last May.

Ellefson was fired from MEGADETH after sexually tinged messages and explicit video footage involving the bassist were posted on Twitter.

For the first leg of "The Metal Tour Of The Year", which took place in August and September, MEGADETH was rejoined by bassist James LoMenzo for the first time in nearly 12 years.

LoMenzo joined MEGADETH in 2006 and appeared on two of the group's studio albums, 2007's "United Abominations" and 2009's "Endgame". He was fired from the band in 2010 and replaced with a returning Ellefson.

Ellefson was in MEGADETH from the band's inception in 1983 to 2002, and again from 2010 until his latest departure.









https://starboard-media.s3.amazonaws.com/video/61c7cf49684fd0e8c69a0e53-processed.mp4

A MetOnTour video edit of METALLICA performing the song "Trapped Under Ice" on December 17, 2021 at Chase Center in San Francisco, California can be seen below. The show was the first of METALLICA's two 40th-anniversary concerts which featured different setlists. They were part of METALLICA's "San Francisco Takeover", a four-day citywide celebration of the band's 40th anniversary that also included a film festival, photo exhibit and curated lineup of smaller venue shows featuring other acts.

The 40th-anniversary shows marked METALLICA's return to Chase Center for the first time since the September 2019 "S&M²" concerts that also served as the venue's grand opening. Those two shows grossed more than $4.1 million over the course of its two nights, according to reports submitted to Pollstar's Boxoffice, and the band ranked at No. 4 on Pollstar's worldwide touring chart that same year with a global gross of $175 million.

Formed in 1981 by drummer Lars Ulrich and guitarist/vocalist James Hetfield, METALLICA has become one of the most influential and successful rock bands in history, having sold nearly 120 million albums worldwide and generating more than 2.5 billion streams while playing to millions of fans on literally all seven continents. The band's several multi-platinum albums include "Kill 'Em All", "Ride The Lightning", "Master Of Puppets", "… And Justice For All", "Metallica" (commonly referred to as The Black Album), "Load", "Reload", "St. Anger", "Death Magnetic" and "Hardwired... To Self-Destruct", released in November 2016 and charting at No. 1 in 32 countries.

METALLICA's awards and accolades include nine Grammy Awards, two American Music Awards, multiple MTV Video Music Awards, and its 2009 induction into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame. In June of 2018, the band was awarded one of the most prestigious musical honors in the world: Sweden's Polar Music Prize.

On December 16, San Francisco mayor London Breed presented Ulrich and bassist Robert Trujillo with a special declaration marking the day as "Metallica Day" in the city.

"When you talk about San Francisco," Breed said at the news conference, "you talk about cable cars and then you talk about METALLICA."

DISTURBED singer David Draiman has praised Spotify's announcement that it is in the process of removing Neil Young's music two days after Young demanded that his catalog be removed in response to "fake information about vaccines" on the platform.

In a now-deleted post on his web site, Young said the music and podcast platform is "spreading fake information about vaccines — potentially causing death to those who believe this disinformation spread by them." "I want you to let Spotify know immediately TODAY that I want all my music off their platform," he wrote, according to Rolling Stone. "They can have Rogan or Young. Not both."

"With an estimated 11 million listeners per episode, JRE ['The Joe Rogan Experience'] which is hosted exclusively on Spotify, is the world's largest podcast and has tremendous influence," Young continued.

"Spotify has a responsibility to mitigate the spread of misinformation on its platform, though the company presently has no misinformation policy."

On Wednesday (January 26), a Spotify spokesperson issued a statement saying: "We want all the world's music and audio content to be available to Spotify users. With that comes great responsibility in balancing both safety for listeners and freedom for creators. We have detailed content policies in place and we've removed over 20,000 podcast episodes related to COVID-19 since the start of the pandemic. We regret Neil's decision to remove his music from Spotify, but hope to welcome him back soon."

A short time later, Draiman weighed in on Spotify's move, tagging the company's chief executive Daniel Ek on Twitter and writing: "@eldsjal I applaud you and @Spotify for making the RIGHT call, preserving #FreeSpeech and not capitulating to the mob. I may not agree with everything @joerogan or his guests say, but they're entitled to have the forum to say it."

THE OFFSPRING guitarist Kevin "Noodles" Wasserman also chimed in, writing: "I wouldn't depend on either Joe Rogan or Neil Young for medical advice. Only Neil young seems to understand why. Even Spotify doesn't understand why. But that's not really their job is it? The job is yours, and some of you are really falling down on it."

Young, who sold 50 percent of his catalog to Hipgnosis Song Fund for a reported $150 million last year, responded to Spotify's announcement that the removal of his music was taking place, writing on his web site: "I want to thank my partners for standing with me. My deal with Merck Mercuriadis and Hipgnosis began on Jan. 1, 2021. The company Hipgnosis now has part of my publishing, and I am very happy with their support. I want to personally thank Merck and Hipgnosis for standing with me. Losing 60 percent of worldwide streaming income by leaving Spotify is a very big deal, a costly move, but worth it for our integrity and beliefs.

He added that "misinformation about COVID cannot be accepted. I sincerely hope that other artists can make a move, but I can't really expect that to happen. I did this because I had no choice in my heart. It is who I am. I am not censoring anyone. I am speaking my own truth. I know Daniel Ek, who owns Spotify, a private business. I like Daniel. I wish he had not taken the steps he has taken, because it stopped my music from being shared on his Spotify platform. It stopped us from working together to spread the music. But we are still friends."

"The Joe Rogan Experience" became a Spotify exclusive in 2020, when Rogan signed a multi-year exclusive licensing deal with the streaming giant.

Ek has defended Rogan in the past, including after an episode that featured the conspiracy theorist Alex Jones in 2020.

"We want creators to create," Ek told The Financial Times at the time. "It's what they do best. We're not looking to play a role in what they should say."




@eldsjal I applaud you and @Spotify for making the RIGHT call, preserving #FreeSpeech and not capitulating to the mob. I may not agree with everything @joerogan or his guests say, but they’re entitled to have the forum to say it.

— David Draiman (@davidmdraiman) January 27, 2022








I wouldn’t depend on either Joe Rogan or Neil Young for medical advice. Only Neil young seems to understand why. Even Spotify doesn’t understand why. But that’s not really their job is it? The job is yours, and some of you are really falling down on it.

— Gnudz fears democracy is in decline. ? (@TheGnudz) January 27, 2022








Yes, I hate Spotify… They are stealing from Artists, while making millions… https://t.co/9m3foF8jpF

— Phil Varone (@REALPHILVARONE) January 27, 2022








“Hey hey, my my, take my songs off Spotify....” - Neil Young ?

— Cristian Machado (@therealcmachado) January 26, 2022








Misinformation about the vaccines is everybody's problem. Neil Young is doing this because he wants rock and roll to exist and his fans to live. This other guy is a complete jackass who doesn't give a shit about anybody or anything except himself https://t.co/SgzVBnIwqM

— Sebastian Bach (@sebastianbach) January 25, 2022

Annihilator frontman / founder Jeff Waters has checked in with the following message:


"Okay fans... super quick treat, but better be quick! Only 250 copies! Annihilator Fun Palace - The Re-Recordings 12" single yellow vinyl + bonus poster.


Specially mastered re-recorded versions of four Annihilator classics for the first time released on vinyl. This limited edition version of just 250 copies is 100% exclusive to Metal Department, comes pressed on marbled yellow vinyl, and comes packaged with a stunning color poster in size 70 cm x 50 cm. Order here.




This is NOT part of the upcoming Edel Records catalogue release. This is a cool limited editiion of early Annihilator stuff. A treat provided by the company that makes the cool Annihilator online gambling game, as well as many other cool metal games from bands we know and love!"


These re-recordings were made in 2012 and features the line-up of:


David Padden - vocals
Jeff Waters - guitar, backing vocals
Mike Harshaw - drums
Alberto Campuzano - bass





Tracklisting:


Side A
"Fun Palace"
"Set The World On Fire"


Side B
"Alison Hell"
"Never, Neverland"