New York death metal giants, Immolation, recently announced their latest immense creation, Acts Of God, which will be released February 18.


The 11th studio album serves as the next chapter of Immolation’s death metal epic. With five long years passed since Atonement, Acts Of God vigorously showcases Immolation’s ability to consistently create fascinating sounds, while still keeping their feet firmly rooted in the old school, New York Death Metal for which they are renowned.


Today, the band offers fans the second single of the album, “The Age Of No Light”. Check out the video below.




Vocalist/ bassist Ross Dolan comments, "We are very excited to unveil the next single ‘The Age of No Light’ to all the Immolation maniacs around the globe!  This song showcases some of the more extreme elements as well as the darker heavier moments that run throughout this album.  This is an intense and furious track that does not let up once it starts, and I think Bob really did an amazing job in capturing this sonic fury as well as the dark essence of this song visually with this video. We hope everyone enjoys it!!!!”





Acts Of God saw the return of long-time friend and recording counterpart Paul Orofino of Millbrook Studios while final touches were brought about on the mixing and mastering by Zack Ohren of Castle Ultimate Studios. For the cover artwork, the band enlisted Eliran Kantor to create the haunting new masterpiece that featured the muted colors and ethereal images that are hallmarks for Immolation's artwork. The artwork pieces Inside the booklet were created by Santiago Jaramillo of Triple Seis Design.





Acts Of God will be available in the following formats:


CD Jewel
T-Shirt
Double LP
  - Black
  - Sun Yellow + Black Marbled (Limited to 300)
  - Crystal Clear/Black Marbled (Limited to 300)
  - Crystal Clear W/ Gold Splatter (Limited to 1800)
  - Gold W/ Black Splatter (Limited to 300)
Cassette
  - Smokey
  - Gold (Limited to 150)
  - Grey (Decibel Exclusive; Limited to 100)
CD (Jewel) + T-Shirt Bundle
Longbox (Limited to 500)
  - CD (Jewel)
  - Sticker
  - Button


Pre-order your copy of Acts Of God here.





Tracklisting:


"Abandoned"
"An Act of God"
"The Age of No Light"
"Noose of Thorns"
"Shed the Light"
"Blooded"
"Overtures of the Wicked"
"Immoral Stain"
"Incineration Procession"
"Broken Prey"
"Derelict of Spirit"
"When Halos Burn"
"Let the Darkness In"
"And the Flames Wept"
"Apostle"


"Apostle" video:





Immolation will be kicking off their Acts of God North American Tour 2022 on February 18 in Richmond, Virginia. The 24-date trek will make stops in Orlando, Seattle, and Montreal before concluding on March 19 at Irving Plaza in New York.


Joining the band on tour are Imperial Triumphant (2/18-3/13), Mortiferum (2/18-3/18), And Black Anvil (3/15-3/19). The final hometown show will include performances by Demolition Hammer, Mortician, Funeral Leech. The complete list of dates can be seen below.





February (with Imperial Triumphant and Mortiferum)
18 - Richmond, VA – The Broadberry
19 - Huntington, WV – V Club
20 - Greensboro, NC – Blind Tiger
21 - Atlanta, GA – The Masquerade
22 - Orlando, FL – The Haven
24 - Houston, TX – The Studio at Warehouse Live
25 - Dallas, TX – Amplified Live
26 - Austin, TX – Come and Take It Live
28 - Mesa, AZ – Nile Theater


March (with Imperial Triumphant and Mortiferum)
1 - Los Angeles, CA – 1720
2 - San Francisco, CA – Great American Music Hall
4 - Seattle, WA – El Corazon
5 - Portland, OR – Hawthorne Theater
6 - Vancouver, BC – The Rickshaw
8 - Salt Lake City, UT – Urban Lounge
9 - Denver, CO – Oriental Theater
11 - Minneapolis, MN – Fine Line
12 - Chicago, IL – Reggie's
13 - Cleveland, OH – Grog Shop


March (with Black Anvil and Mortiferum)
15 - Detroit, MI – El Club
16 - Toronto, ON – Velvet Underground
17 - Montréal, QC – Petite Campus
18 - Worcester, MA – Palladium Upstairs


March (with Demolition Hammer, Mortician, Black Anvil and Funeral Leech)
19 - New York, NY – Irving Plaza


Tickets available here.


Lineup:


Ross Dolan – bass/vocals
Robert Vigna – guitar
Steve Shalaty – drums
Alex Bouks - guitar

Italian progressive death metal legends Sadist (feat. Obscura's Jeroen Paul Thesseling and ex-Necrophagist's Romain Goulon) have revealed a bunch of fresh details surrounding the upcoming new album "Firescorched," including cover artwork, tracklisting and release date.


Firescorched will be released via the band's new label home Agonia Records on May 20, 2022. A new digital single titled "Finger Food" is planned to be revealed on February 18, alongside a list of available album formats. Pre-orders are scheduled to be open at the same time.


"Firescorched" is the fastest, highly experimental and most extreme album of Sadist's career. The songs are fresh, embrace blast beats and give away a horror vibe, in combination with gloomy and anguished lyrics. The band's adventurous style, featuring jazz and Middle-Eastern influences, pierces through a veil of progressive death metal that cloaks nine new compositions (eleven, if counting two bonus songs).




The band's personnel includes - besides constant member, co-founder, guitarist and keyboardist Tommy Talamanca - long-running vocalist Trevor Sadist (with the band since 1996), new virtuoso drummer Romain Goulon (ex-Necrophagist, ex-Benighted) and fretless bass master Jeroen Paul Thesseling (Obscura, ex-Pestilence).


The album was recorded, mixed and mastered by Tommy Talamanca at Nadir Music Studios in Genoa (Italy) with artwork design by Paolo Puppo.


"Firescorched can be described as Sadist 2.0," comments Talamanca. "It's not a real concept album in the classical meaning of the word, despite the fact that most of the lyrics are somehow connected. Some of them are real horror stories, and the whole album sounds really creepy. We all love the cover artwork, which adds to that feeling."


Cover by Paolo Puppo:





“Accabadora”
“Fleshbound”
“Finger Food”
“Burial Of A Clown”
“Loa”
“Aggression/Regression”
“Three Mothers And The Old Devil Father”
“Trauma (Impaired Mind Functionality”
“Firescorched”
“Rerek”*
“Accabadora (Atitai)*


*Box CD bonus tracks


(Photo by Maridelsole; edited by Svetlana Fomina)

Ultimate Guitar's David Slavković recently spoke with singer Tony Martin, the second longest-running vocalist in Black Sabbath, and go more in-depth about the band's commercially panned Forbidden album from 1995 and a few other topics. Following is an excerpt from the interview.


UG: Traditionally, Forbidden is often looked down upon by the press. But honestly, I find that there's some really good stuff on it. "Rusty Angels", "Get a Grip", and "Kiss of Death" – really good songs actually. And it's one of the albums that got me into Black Sabbath as a kid. How how do you look back on it at this point? Do you think the music could have turned out better or production and mixing? I know that at one point you had negative comments about it. But did you change your opinion on it?


Tony Martin: "No, it's still shit. To me, anyway. I can't enjoy it. I mean... I have to tell you the background to it really. When we started that album, we didn't know it was going to be called Forbidden at this point. It's just us writing songs in the studio. And at that point, we were still quite good friends really. And everything was quite good. And the songs are going okay.




Then we had a call from Black Sabbath's management to say they were going to try this rap idea with Ice T. I didn't think that would work and Cozy Powell didn't think it would work. And so we had this meeting, and they said we are doing it. It's just like, you know, 'How do we get you guys to fit in?' So okay, well, we'll try. Ice T sent his guy Ernie C. Nice guys. Really nice guys. Nothing wrong with them, fun to work with and funny.


But the rap thing, the rap thing... I mean, they're obviously thinking Run DMC, you know? But it's Black Sabbath. And Cozy Powell kept saying 'I don't know how this is gonna turn out.' And they were trying to tell him how to play drums. Like, you do know who he is, right? It's Cozy Powell.


So anyway, they're trying to get him to do this rap rhythm thing. Cozy Powell wasn't digging it, I wasn't digging it. And then they said, 'Well, Ice T is gonna sing something.' And I said, 'Okay, sing what?' 'Well, we haven't decided yet.' Is he singing a song, a line a word? What's he singing? And they said, 'Well just keep going. We haven't decided, we'll make a decision at the end.' So we're writing these songs. And I'm still asking, 'What am I doing? Am I writing this thing? Am I singing on this?' 'Oh, well, we haven't decided yet.' Or, you know, 'Just keep going.' So even in the recording studio, I'm actually in the studio, and I still don't know if I'm going to be on the album or if somebody else is singing it. Because they wouldn't tell me.


Okay, now I can't concentrate. I can't sync my voice. I couldn't really make it work the way I wanted it to work. So for me, Forbidden is shit because of the background surrounding the thing. I'm fully expecting to be fired again. I'm thinking 'This is not good.' There's something going on, you know. I just couldn't concentrate.


For that reason, Forbidden is a lost album to me. And I wish I had the chance to re-sing it, because I could do a much better job, I think. But now, there are people that love it out there. And they find something – you've just said – that really worked for them. And I'm going 'How can you like that?!'"


Read more here.





BraveWords had the honour of speaking to Tony Martin about his excellent new (and best-selling!) album, Thorns, and the chat will air this weekend (Saturday, January 22) on Streaming For Vengeance.





You can watch/listen Streaming For Vengeance on the BraveWords Facebook page or the BraveWords YouTube channel this this Saturday, January 22nd at 3:33 PM EST. For more information about Streaming For Vengeance, visit this location.


Tony Martin is best known for his time fronting Black Sabbath, initially from 1987 to 1991 and again from 1993 to 1996. Martin was the band’s second longest serving vocalist after Ozzy Osbourne. Eternal Idol and Headless Cross are among the best known Black Sabbath albums featuring Tony Martin as well as Scream his solo album from 2005.


(Photo - Rob Billingham)

Zeal & Ardor have unveiled their final new song, "Church Burns", ahead of the release of their self-titled, third album on February 11th.


When asked about the track, frontman Manuel Gagneux wryly quips, "‘There’s a church. Guess what? It burns. Church Burns.’’







The 14-track record is a masterclass in distilled rage. Recorded by Marc Obrist and Manuel Gagneux at Hutch Sounds, it was mixed & mastered by Will Putney at Graphic Nature Audio. All songs were written and performed (except drums) by the multi-lingual Gagneux.


The Swiss extremists have been steadily revealing new tracks and official videos online in recent months, with fans treated to six new songs before the album release, while leaving plenty still to be discovered on release day. Everyone who pre-orders the album now will receive these six songs immediately.





Zeal & Ardor will be available in the following formats:


- Digital
- CD digipack
- 140g black vinyl
- 140g white vinyl (indie store exclusive)
- 180g 45rpm, double black vinyl, gatefold sleeve (deluxe)





Tracklisting:


"Zeal & Ardor"
"Run"
"Death To The Holy"
"Emersion"
"Golden Liar"
"Erase"
"Bow"
"Feed The Machine"
"I Caught You"
"Church Burns"
"Götterdämmerung"
"Hold Your Head Low"
"J-M-B"
"A-H-I-L"


"Golden Liar":





"Bow":





"Run" video:





"Erase":





"Götterdämmerung":





(Photo - Georg Gatsas)


 

Ahead of their new album, DAMNUM (out February 25), Allegaeon have delivered the next video from the album, the visually haunting and captivating "Of Beasts And Worms". Find the clip below.


"This is the place where I rest my bones and the river that cleanses me runs alone!" cries frontman Riley McShane on the track. "This song is about finding a place of inner quiet, a safe haven to explore your thoughts and escape from the anxieties of your life," the vocalist explains. "This lyrical intention is paired with a depiction of disparity and tiredness with the world around you and the stressors that contribute to the deafening silence of the mundane. In the music video, we showcase a more physical - and graphic - display of this thought process where the escape from the daily grind is manifested into a willing self-sacrifice. Though a dramatization, this concept of sacrifice to find your own personal peace can be applied to something less tangible and played an important role in my own process while writing the lyrics for DAMNUM. Thank you for watching and listening, we hope you enjoy it."


Allegaeon recently released the first video behind the album, "Into Embers" (see below) and have built themselves a unique place in the musical landscape, forcing both technicality and melody to the forefront as they create tumultuous and riveting death metal. With DAMNUM, their sixth full-length, they push everything further into the extreme, and in the process deliver the definitive Allegaeon record.




Pre-order the new album here.





DAMNUM tracklisting:


"Bastards Of The Earth"
"Of Beasts And Worms"
"Into Embers"
"To Carry My Grief Through Torpor And Silence"
"Vermin"
"Called Home"
"Blight"
"The Dopamine Void Pt. 1"
"The Dopamine Void Pt. 2"
"Saturnine"
"In Mourning"
"Only Loss"


"Of Beasts And Worms" video:





"Into Embers" video:





Catch Allegaeon as their first tour behind DAMNUM kick offs with the band supporting Omnium Gatherum, beginning February 26 in Brooklyn, NY.





Tour dates:


February
26 - Brooklyn, NY - The Kingsland
27 - Baltimore, MD - Metro Gallery
28 - Chapel Hill, NC - Local 506


March
1 - Atlanta, GA - The Masquerade (Hell)
2 - Orlando, FL - The Haven
4 - Austin, TX - Come and Take it Live!
5 - Houston, TX - Satellite Bar
6 - Dallas, TX - Amplified Live
8 - Denver, CO - Oriental Theater
9 - El Paso, TX - Rockhouse Bar & Grill
10 - Mesa, AZ - Nile Theater
11 - San Diego, CA - Brick by Brick
12 - Los Angeles, CA - Catch One @ Jewel
13 - San Francisco, CA - DNA Lounge
14 - Portland, OR - Bossanova Ballroom
15 - Seattle, WA - El Corazon
16 - Vancouver, BC - Rickshaw Theatre
18 - Calgary, AB - Dickens
19 - Regina, SK - The Exchange
20 - Winnipeg, MB - Park Theater
21 - Minneapolis, MN - Amsterdam Bar & Hall
22 - Madison, WI - The Crucible
23 - Chicago, IL - Reggies
24 - Toronto, ON - Velvet Underground
25 - Montreal, QC - The Ritz
26 - Quebec City, QC - Source de la Martiniere
27 - Boston, MA - Middle East Downstairs

Swedish band, Mad Invasion, combines classic 70’s/80’s hard rock influences with a modern approach and soundscape. The vast experience of the band members as musicians, songwriters and performing artists - includes numerous album releases and tours over the years.


Mikkey Dee will be special guest drummer on the next Mad Invasion album, already in production and set for release this summer. The drums are currently being recorded and the first single and video from the new album will be released in March 2022.


The album will be a full concept album, taking the theme of good vs evil to the next level by exploring the deeper layers of darkness even further while continuing to fight the ’good fight’. The working title of the album is Crack In the Sky. Stay tuned for more information on the progress of the album.




Check out the latest videos from their current album, Edge Of The World, three of which feature Mikkey Dee as special guest.

UK grindcore pioneers, Napalm Death, performed "On The Brink Of Extinction", from their 2009 album Time Waits For No Slave, at the 2021 edition of Bloodstock Open Air, held last August at Catton Hall and Gardens, Walton-on-Trent, England. Watch pro-shot video of the performance below:





Watch the band perform "Breed To Breathe" at the same show, below:







Continuing the fearless exploration of their legendary sound’s outer limits, Napalm Death recently announced the release of a new mini-album, entitled Resentment Is Always Seismic - A Final Throw Of Throes, out February 11 via Century Media Records.


Resentment Is Always Seismic - A Final Throw Of Throes is a partner recording to Napalm Death’s latest, much acclaimed Throes Of Joy In The Jaws Of Defeatism album from 2020, concluding matters through vital, tumultuous grindcore and shockwave ambience.


While currently on the road across North America, Napalm Death frontman Mark “Barney” Greenway checked in with the following comment about the upcoming release: “You can certainly consider “Resentment Is Always...” as an extension of - or partner recording to - the “Throes…” album. We had long since wanted to put a mini-album out – in the spirit of the old days – and found we had enough quality tracks even after all the “Throes...” bonus tracks to do that. Hopefully this mini holds some nice twists in its own right for people, and certainly covering “People Pie” by Slab! made us really stretch ourselves, which feels great artistically. In the end, resentment is certainly seismic – it can trigger the complete erosion of humanity in many situations. That was the point that I really wanted to hammer home overall.”


“Narcissus”, the furious opening track of the release, is being launched today as small foretaste of the mini-album. Check it out at full volume below.


““Narcissus” just seemed to fit the bill as one of those rampaging tracks that we always seem to gravitate towards as an album opener. The low-slung concrete mixer bassline at the start really ushers it in nicely. It was written at a time when the ‘alt-right’ was parading itself around, so lyrically I like to think it exposes the vanity and personality cult of that whole thing,” added Greenway.





The 8-track mini-album comes with a total playing time of 29 minutes and will be available as Ltd. CD Digipak, Vinyl as well as in the Digital Album format.


The vinyl edition will come as 12” (at 33 ⅓ RPM) on 180g vinyl, available in the following variants/limitations:


- Black LP - unlimited
- Transp. Red LP - 1500x copies via CM Distro & Webshop Europe & all US outlets
- Clear LP - 300x copies Nuclear Blast
- Silver LP - 300x copies via EMP
- Transp. Green LP - 500x copies via Napalm Death


Pre-order here.





Tracklisting:


"Narcissus"
"Resentment Always Simmers"
"By Proxy"
"People Pie" (Slab! Cover version)
"Man Bites Dogged"
"Slaver Through A Repeat Performance"
"Don't Need It" (Bad Brains cover version)
"Resentment Is Always Seismic (Dark Sky Burial Dirge)"


"Narcissus":





Napalm Death recently announced a next edition of their Campaign For Musical Destruction tour across Europe for February/March, this time featuring support by Doom, Siberian Meatgrinder and Show Me The Body. Dates below.





Tour dates:


February
3 - Magdeburg, Germany - Factory
4 - Wrocław, Poland - Concert Center A2
5 - Budapest, Hungary - A38
6 - Wien, Austria - Arena
7 - München, Germany - Backstage
9 - Manchester, UK - Club Academy
10 - Glasgow, UK - Classic Grand
11 - Buckley, UK - The Tivoli
12 - Birmingham, UK - Hammerfest
13 - London, UK - Electric Ballroom
15 - Paris, France - La Machine Du Moulin Rouge
16 - Besançon, France - La Rodia
17 - Marseille, France - Le Jas Rod
18 - Biarritz, France - Atabal
19 - Mérignac, France - Krakato
22 - Paderno Dugnano, Italy - Slaughter Club
23 - Nürnberg, Gerrmany - Z-Bau
24 - Brno, Czech Republic - Sonor
25 - Leipzig, Germany - Werk 2
26 - Herford, Germany - X-Herford
27 - Utrecht, The Netherlands - Tivoli


March
1 - Hamburg, Germany - Gruenspan
2 - Oberhausen, Germany - Turbinenhalle
3 - Lindau, Germany - Club Vaudeville
4 - Mannheim, Germany - Alte Feuerwache
5 - Berlin, Germany - Astra
6 - Eindhoven, The Netherlands – Dynamo


Arch Enemy and Behemoth will return to the states to co-headline "The North American Siege 2022" tour. Set to kick off in April, the trek also features Napalm Death and Unto Others as special guests.


See below for all dates; purchase tickets starting Friday, January 21 at 10 AM, local time, at archenemy.net, or behemoth.pl.





Tour dates:


April
16 - Tempe, AZ - Marquee Theatre
18 - San Antonio, TX - The Aztec Theatre
19 - Dallas, TX - Amplified Live
21 - St Petersburg, FL - Jannus Live
22 - Atlanta, GA - The Eastern
23 - Charlotte. NC - The Fillmore Charlotte
25 - Toronto, ON - Rebel
26 - Montreal, QC - Mtelus
28 - New York, NY - Terminal 5
29 - Philadelphia, PA - The Fillmore Philadelphia
30 - Worcester, MA - Palladium


May
2 - Chicago, IL - The Riviera Theatre
4 - Denver, CO - Ogden Theatre
7 - Salt Lake City, UT - The Depot
9 - Seattle, WA - Showbox SoDo
10 - Vancouver, BC - Vogue Theatre
11 - Portland, OR - Roseland Theater
13 - Berkeley, CA - The UC Theatre
15 - Los Angeles, CA - The Hollywood Palladium

Tony Martin, who fronted BLACK SABBATH from 1987 to 1991 and then again from 1993 to 1997, told the "Metal Mayhem ROC" podcast that he only met Ronnie James Dio once — and he described it as a "short-lived" experience. "Actually, [BLACK SABBATH guitarist] Tony Iommi had invited me backstage to one of the 'Dehumanizer' shows here in England," he recalled. "I was backstage, and Ronnie was not happy — nah, he was not happy. I think he was really angry with Tony Iommi for inviting me back there.

"I tried to catch his eye backstage," Martin stated about Dio. "It was a relatively big affair, with people all over the place. And every time he walked past me, I went, 'Ronnie!' And he disappeared. 'Ronnie!' Eventually, I managed to catch his attention. I said, 'Ronnie! Come here.' So he walked over, and he just stared at me. And I thought maybe he was gonna hit me or something; he just stared. And I was trying to explain. I said, 'Ronnie, I love what you do, man. I'm a big fan.' And I said, 'You're a hard act to follow.' And he said, 'Good,' and walked off. That was it. [Laughs] He didn't stay. He just said 'good' and walked off. So that was my only conversation with Ronnie James Dio. [Laughs]"

Martin continued: "[Ronnie] wasn't happy that I was there. He must have thought he was being put on the spot. Iommi, obviously, hadn't told him that I was gonna be there. And after the 'Dehumanizer' thing is when I rejoined. So there was stuff going on in the background and I don't know what the issues were. But they hadn't been getting on well. Tony Iommi told me that it hadn't gone well with Ronnie. And I was back there after that. So my name has been attached to SABBATH for 11 years, more or less, without too much of a break."

BLACK SABBATH released six albums with Martin on vocals: "The Eternal Idol" (1987), "Headless Cross" (1989), "Tyr" (1990), "Cross Purposes" (1994), "Cross Purposes Live" (1995) and "Forbidden" (1995). Eventually, Martin and his "Forbidden"-era bandmates were ousted when Iommi reunited with SABBATH's fellow original members.

Earlier in the month, Martin confirmed to Almost Human that he recorded some demos for SABBATH's "Dehumanizer" album during a period when Iommi and bassist Geezer Butler were having a hard time getting along with a returning Ronnie James Dio.

In a 1992 interview with Guitar World magazine, Iommi stated about the "Dehumanizer" period: "Getting back together with Ronnie James Dio was a little rough in the beginning — there were all kinds of egos bouncing around. We had been separated for 10 years, and it took us a long time to get to know each other again.

"Tony Martin had been our singer for the last three albums, and I must admit, I did feel bad that we had to let him go. But the truth is he wanted to get out. He was getting more into writing for other people instead of performing SABBATH material. He understood the situation with Ronnie, so it really wasn't a problem.

Six years ago, Iommi told I Heart Guitar that "it's a shame" that "it took a lot for people to accept" Martin as SABBATH's vocalist. "It's taken all these years later for people to say, 'Oh blimey, that was a good band with good singing.' So it took a long time to get people to really realize how good it was."

In 2018, Iommi spent time in the studio remixing "Forbidden" for a future release. The LP, which features Martin, drummer Cozy Powell and bassist Neil Murray, is often regarded as SABBATH's worst studio recording.

Martin's new solo album, "Thorns", arrived on January 14 via Battlegod Productions and Dark Star Records. Among the guest musicians appearing on the LP are Scott McClellan (who helped write the album), Danny "Danté" Needham (VENOM), Magnus Rosén (HAMMERFALL), Greg Smith (ALICE COOPER, RAINBOW, BLUE ÖYSTER CULT) and Martin's youngest son Joe.

In a new interview with Darren Paltrowitz, host of the "Paltrocast With Darren Paltrowitz", JETHRO TULL's Ian Anderson was asked about his decades-long reputation as someone who doesn't shake hands with people. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I've suffered from chest infections since I was quite young, and throat infections and upper respiratory tract infections. It's been a pretty constant problem for me intermittently. So I've got used to trying not to unnecessarily attract the common cold viruses, be they rhinoviruses or coronaviruses or the flu virus. Because it really is, for me, not just a question of three or four days of feeling a little under the weather; I usually end up [spending] four or six weeks with serious bronchitis and feeling really rough. And of course, chances are I'm on tour during that period.

"The last 20 years or so, I've carried a face mask in my hand luggage," he continued. "I remember the first time I bought one was actually in Tokyo, in the airport. And I remember buying a couple of more in Dubai airport. They were just there in case I needed them — if I was in an environment where I was particularly worried about getting a virus. And I've been an inveterate hand washer for many years. Playing the flute or the guitar, the last thing you want is greasy hands, either from shaking hands or opening doors or doing whatever. You really wanna have dry, clean hands when you're playing instruments. So nobody is allowed to touch my instruments and nobody is allowed to shake hands with me or otherwise contaminate me in those precious moments between leaving my dressing room and getting back to it. No one touches my microphone. I handle things that are potentially sources of contamination. I take care of that myself. I'd just almost prefer to do that.

"The idea of having a guitar roadie who unpacks your instrument, changes the strings and tunes it up for you — for God's sake, you want your bottom wiped as well?" Anderson said. "Somebody that hands you the soap in the shower? What's that all about? What wimps. You should take a pride in your instrument and take a pride in keeping it clean and keeping it in tune.

"These racks of guitars backstage that I see… I was teasing Joe Bonamassa about his 17 guitars or something he had aligned at the back of the stage. I said, 'Joe, what are those for? You can't possibly play all of those in a night.' He said, 'Well, I just have them with me in case I suddenly decide I want to play that one.' Meanwhile, of course, he's paying tens of thousands of dollars to ferry these things around the world, along with probably a couple of roadies who do nothing else other than look after his guitars. But it makes him and indeed other people feel secure. And I guess they're very proud of the instruments and very proud of their collection of guitars. But they do have to consign them to the grubby fingers of other people when it comes to the practicalities.

"I just cannot conceive of somebody changing my guitar strings for me," Ian added. "That is equivalent… If I was an armed policeman in the USA, strapping a Glock 17 to my thigh, I would not be entrusting to somebody else to even clean it or to load 20 rounds of 9 mil into the magazine and put it in and make sure everything was hunky-dory and hand me the gun back and send me out there into the cruel and crazy world. Would anybody? It's bad enough when movie actors can't be bothered to check their movie prop guns. I think stuff like that is so important. It feels like a matter of life and death when you go onstage with an instrument that it's gotta work for you. You don't wanna have that little element of doubt that maybe it's not quite in tune or mechanically it's not operating perfectly. So I think it feels like a matter of life and death, and indeed the embarrassment that comes from something not working properly, you really do die a death. And I've seen a lot of artists, including me, and that's happened to 'em onstage, and it's not a pretty sight.

"I remember the first time we played with Jimi Hendrix in Stockholm. Everything was going wrong for him. His guitar wasn't working. I mean, it was just terrible to watch. It was sad. And he was getting so frustrated and angry. He just couldn't get his guitar in tune. It was a white Gibson SG that he was playing unusually, and he couldn't get the damn thing to go in tune at all. But then SGs are just really not terribly good instruments, in my opinion, in spite of the fact that Tony Iommi [BLACK SABBATH] has made a very good living out of playing those things."

JETHRO TULL's first studio album of new material in over 18 years, "The Zealot Gene", will see a January 28 release on InsideOut Music.

George Lynch rejoined DOKKEN on stage on Sunday, January 16 at RokIsland Fest in Key West, Florida to perform three of the band's classic songs: "Kiss Of Death", "When Heaven Comes Down" and "Tooth And Nail". Fan-filmed video footage of his appearance can be seen below.

Lynch had previously played the same three songs with DOKKEN on several occasions last summer and fall, including in West Hollywood, California; in Glenside, Pennsylvania; in Waukegan, Illinois; in Ashland, Virginia; in Moline, Illinois; and in Sunbury, Pennsylvania.

Last March, Lynch was asked in an interview with Jeff Gaudiosi of MisplacedStraws.com if there has been any talk of more shows featuring the reunited classic lineup of DOKKEN. He responded: "I've actually been talking to Don [Dokken] a little bit, and we're both in agreement that that should probably happen — meaning some kind of a meaningful reunion done in the right way, carefully and with proper preparation and time and rehearsals and not just throwing it out there like we did last time." George went on to say that "the obvious choice" to replace DOKKEN's recently retired drummer "Wild" Mick Brown would be Mick's brother Steve, who can be heard playing alongside Lynch and ex-DOKKEN bassist Jeff Pilson on the latest THE END MACHINE album, "Phase2".

In a separate interview with Alamo True Metal, Lynch reflected on the last time DOKKEN's classic lineup — Dokken, Lynch, Pilson and Mick Brown — reunited for a short Japanese tour in the fall of 2016. The trek marked the first time in 21 years the four musicians had hit the road together.

"I think I was slightly disappointed in it — not overwhelmingly disappointed, but I have some regrets," he said. "I wish we had prepared more. And I know we all feel that way. 'Cause of the logistics, we all had things we had to do right after the time we had allotted and beforehand. So we just were barely able to even pull it off with everybody else's pre-existing commitments. The fact that we got to do it at all was… you know, we were fortunate for even being able to pull it off. So we were a little underprepared, I feel. And yes, we were offered a good amount of money to go to Japan and do some other things, so it made it just kind of a no-brainer."

A DOKKEN concert DVD focusing on the band's reunion tour, "Return To The East Live (2016)", was made available in 2018. In addition to the Japanese performance, the set included footage from the classic lineup's only U.S. show in September 2016 at Badlands in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, as well as newly recorded acoustic reworkings of "Heaven Sent" and "Will The Sun Rise". Also featured on "Return To The East Live (2016)" was "It's Just Another Day", the first DOKKEN track featuring the group's classic lineup since 1997's "Shadowlife".

Since completing the Japanese reunion dates, DOKKEN has continued to perform with the group's current lineup — including bassist Chris McCarvill, guitarist Jon Levin and drummer BJ Zampa (HOUSE OF LORDS).

DOKKEN recently finished recording a new studio album, tentatively due later this year via Silver Lining Music, the label owned by Thomas Jensen, one of the founders of Germany's Wacken Open Air festival. It will mark the group's first disc since 2012's "Broken Bones".

Over the past four years, Lynch has appeared on recordings by THE END MACHINE, KXM, ULTRAPHONIX and SWEET & LYNCH. He released his first-ever full-length instrumental album, "Seamless", last August via Rat Pak Records.

In an extensive new interview with Music Radar, Paradise Lost guitarist and co-founder, Greg Mackintosh, looks back on the band's discography.





In the following excerpt, Greg talks about the band's 2009 album, Faith Divides Us – Death Unites Us...




Music Radar: I'm going to use the term 'heavily majestic' to describe this album. How do you feel about it now?


Greg Mackintosh: "I think it's one of the most atmospheric records we did. It's got huge swathing melodies coming in and out, here and there. The song 'Last Regret' is a good example of that, and the title track too. I dusted off my string arrangement hat for that one, tried to do things a little more… pompous is the wrong word but it's walking that line.


"I hate symphonic metal, I detest symphonic metal, but in dribs and drabs if it's done right, it can sound amazing. And some some bands have done that and a lot of bands have failed at it. And that was my attempt at walking that line. Trying not to walk into cheese territory, but getting the storybook pictures in your mind type of thing.


"That album in particular, the way the album flows, it's definitely trying to paint a picture like the way you would tell a story. 'As Horizons End', the start of that song, I'm thinking of a storm coming from the distance over the ocean towards you. And that comes closer and closer and starts rumbling and then it ebbs away, and then something else comes in. It's all about that light and shade. You can be as heavy as you want but if everything is heavy surrounding it, it's not heavy at all. Nothing's heavy. So that the album particular taught me a lot about dynamics."


Read the complete interview at Music Radar.








(Photo - Paradise Lost)

In a new interview with Myglobalmind, Steve Vai spoke about what it was like for him to join Yngwie Malmsteen for a performance of the legendary Swedish guitarist's classic song "Black Star" during their joint "Generation Axe" tour, which took place over several legs between 2016 and 2019. He said: "I can't play like Yngwie; nobody can play like him. Nobody can play like me. Nobody can play like anybody. What I did was take the harmony or melody of the song and play it the way I would do it. It was challenging because there were a lot of little fast runs with his fingerings and his tonal center, which is different than mine. I had to work on it. I could do it, but when it came time as to playing against each other, I'm Steve, and he is Yngwie."

Referencing the rest of the "Generation Axe" bill, which included Zakk Wylde, Nuno Bettencourt and Tosin Abasi, Vai continued: "That is one of the greatest things about that tour; they are all extremely confident in what they do. They don't compete with you at what you do. What happens is it forces us to compete with ourselves to be the best we can be. Zakk is being Zakk as best as he ever can be. We are all helping each other to push all sorts of aspects of being professional to stage appearance to communication to playing to off-stage etiquette."

"Generation Axe" saw the five musicians sharing a backing band and performing together in addition to playing individual sets. A year after their successful inaugural tour, the five guitarists reconvened for an 11-city tour of Asia that included a stop in Beijing, China. Select performances from that April 2017 concert appeared on a live recording, "Generation Axe - The Guitars That Destroyed The World: Live In China", which was released in June 2019 via earMUSIC.

Vai said the idea behind "Generation Axe" was "to create a seamless show with one backing band and five completely accomplished and astonishing guitarists that take to the stage in various configurations, performing some of their solo music and merging together as cohesive co-creators of lushly orchestrated guitar extravaganzas."

Vai described "Generation Axe" as "pure controlled chaos." "My favorite thing about 'Generation Axe' is the tour bus," he said. "Between the hours of 1 a.m. and 7 a.m., when we're all hanging out in the lounge just rapping. I wake up in the morning [and] my jaw hurts from laughing so much. These guys, they're out of their minds."

Vocalist Dani "Filth" Davey of veteran British extreme metallers CRADLE OF FILTH recently spoke to HeavyMetal.dk about how the pandemic affected the making of the band's new album, "Existence Is Futile". He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "The album was written before the pandemic. The drums, fortunately, were recorded before any lockdown which was, obviously, brilliant because our drummer [Martin 'Marthus' Škaroupka] is from the Czech Republic, so he wouldn't have been able to get over to record. And in fact, [guitarist] Ashok [Marek Šmerda], who's also from the Czech Republic, didn't arrive in the studio until five months after Martin. But with the drums down and the fact that we demoed everything very extensively, I was able to carry on laying vocals down regardless of whether guitars were down or not. So, in that respect it affected us because we had to do things in strange orders, like drums, vocals [chuckles] and bass and everything else later on when, obviously, the lockdown was lifted and when people were able to travel."

He continued: "[The pandemic] didn't affect the lyricism, it didn't affect the ideology of the album because that was already cast in stone. But — maybe I'm wrong in saying this — I actually enjoyed the pandemic at that point because it afforded us a lot of time… well, not a lot of time, but more time than we usually would have. Me and the producer were literally working half days. Normally in a studio, you literally work 14, 16 hours a day. We were working, like, six hours a day. There was no rush. Everything was very relaxed, and it gave us the opportunity to be very critical. There was one song, 'The Dying Of The Embers', which literally [wasn't going to] make the album… We had another song which we'll leave for later — maybe another record, maybe not at all — that was going to be in its place, but we kind of worked on it and juggled things around and re-wrote the chorus, and it turned from a song I really didn't like to one of the best songs on the album. So that was one thing that the pandemic gave us."

"Existence Is Futile" was released in October. The LP was pieced together in isolation at Grindstone Studios in Suffolk with studio guru Scott Atkins (DEVILMENT, BENEDICTION, VADER). Horror icon Doug "Pinhead" Bradley made a welcome return to the CRADLE fold, lending his dulcet tones to the band's most politically astute song to date, the epic "Suffer Our Dominion" as well as the album bonus track "Sisters Of The Mist", which is the conclusion to the "Her Ghost In The Fog" trilogy that started over 20 years ago on the infamous and classic "Midian".

Eight months ago, CRADLE OF FILTH announced the addition of keyboardist Anabelle Iratni to the band's ranks.

Iratni, who previously played alongside Filth in DEVILMENT, as well as her own group VEILE, made her live debut with CRADLE OF FILTH on May 12, 2021 during the band's livestreamed concert.

Anabelle joined CRADLE OF FILTH as the replacement for Lindsay Schoolcraft, who announced her departure from the group in February 2020 after a seven-year run.

CRADLE OF FILTH is:

Dani Filth - Vocals

Richard Shaw - Guitar

Marek "Ashok" Šmerda - Guitar

Daniel Firth - Bass

Martin "Marthus" Skaroupka - Drums

Anabelle Iratni - Keyboards & backing vocals

EVERY TIME I DIE singer has Keith Buckley has offered a lengthy explanation of the circumstances that led to the band's breakup, calling the split "inevitable" and insisting that "our problems with each other go back decades."

On December 3, the Buffalo-based outfit announced that it would play the last three concerts of its recent tour without Buckley, explaining that the frontman was taking time off from the road to "rest and prepare" for the band's holiday shows, the annual events dubbed "'TID The Season".

Buckley later issued a statement on social media in which he accused his brother, EVERY TIME I DIE guitarist Jordan Buckley, and his other bandmates of platting "to replace me this entire time." He added that he was being "ostracized" from the band he had "built for 20 years because I made a decision to do whatever it took to be a good human being."

Keith Buckley managed to set aside his issues with the rest of EVERY TIME I DIE long enough to play the aforementioned "'TID The Season" concerts in the band's hometown of Buffalo, on December 10 and December 11. But this past Monday (January 17), Jordan Buckley (lead guitar), Andy Williams (rhythm guitar), Stephen Micciche (bass) and Clayton "Goose" Holyoak (drums) issued a statement in which they confirmed that they were unable to reach an agreement with their estranged singer and were indeed going their separate ways. Within hours, Keith Buckley responded by sharing a letter sent to him by law firm Savur Law, dated December 20, 2021, saying that it had been retained by the rest of the band "for legal representation in connection with a separation agreement" between them and Buckley.

Earlier today (Wednesday, January 19), Keith returned to social media with a statement in which he detailed the recent behind-the-scenes correspondence between him and the other members of EVERY TIME I DIE and explained how the decision was made to end the band after a more-than-20-year run.

He wrote: "There is absolutely no hate in my heart when I say that whatever is going on with the guys from now on is between them and their God. Any emotional/ mental connection I had to them was thoroughly severed when I got that letter on Dec. 20th. That was where our paths finally diverged completely.

"I need it to be crystal clear that after their Twitter statement (then deletion then retraction) on Dec 3rd, the letter I received on Dec. 20th was the only correspondence I received in reply to a request made for a conversation with them on Dec 7th.

"They did not reach out to me to resolve the issue before Tid The Season. After TTS there were no attempts at contact from anyone in the band (nor our management) until Dec 17th when our manager unexpectedly quit. Still, no group conversation transpired. On Dec. 20th I was sent a legal document stating I was no longer a member of EVERY TIME I DIE, but the other 4 members were. That's a factual order of events as I observed them and I need to establish this before going any further. This is MY Truth.

"After I overheard them talking about their plans to replace me while backstage in Asheville on Dec 3rd, I played the show (angrily) and immediately left the tour. You all know that. What you don't know is that as soon as I got home, I made multiple attempts to talk to them about their problems with me, since up to the day before the Asheville show I genuinely thought things were better than they had been in a very long time. If you saw me perform then you would know I felt that was true.

"After that Asheville show I tweeted that I was taking a break to protect my mental health because, honestly, I was fucking devastated. The following day they announced- without informing me- that they would continue on the tour and allow the fans to sing 'karaoke style'. Additionally, they quoted me as if I condoned or was even aware beforehand that it was something they were going to do. I found out on Twitter, the same way you did. They then retracted that statement and posted a message of support, claiming I was a 'crucial member'.

"Despite all this, because of their public announcement of support for me, I thought they wanted to make our resolution a priority. However, after days of being dismissed or outright ignored, my hope then became to try at least make TTS civil.

"On December 20th, 2021, I received a letter telling me that I was separated from 'the members of EVERY TIME I DIE' which included all of the members not named Keith Buckley. I was also given a cease and desist, forbidding me from using the name or logo. I immediately lawyered up. I then took the band's name off all promotional flyers for the book tour. I redesigned my social media accounts according to this request. I streamed on Twitch and didn't mention it. Check my work, I played by the rules even though their 'cease and desist' was not legally binding. I was honestly doing them a solid. For anyone concerned about legalities, I am still playing by the rules and am acting in accordance with the council of my lawyer.

"'The members of EVERY TIME I DIE' returned on Jan 5th with an offer to give me back the band and- instead of separating from me - asked me to take the ETID name back and continue without them, with the condition that they receive payments for using the name and all likenesses while I toured. The thing is, being given the band back and/or replacing them was not something I was interested in doing at this point in my life. Also, I do not see ETID as anything other than these specific members. I declined the offer on Jan 6th. If it was done, it was done, but I was still open to figuring out what was best for us all.

"After that I waited for a response, but quickly became uncomfortable with the fact that tickets to upcoming tours were still being sold. It is my understanding that they had, at this point, no acting manager and therefore no one to take responsibility for their decisions. According to my lawyer, no one was responding to his requests to talk either.

"On Jan. 17th, with pressure from promoters increasing, my lawyer sent them a proposed statement to discuss amongst ourselves. (Here it is for reference... 'In a desire for transparency I want to let you know that I received a letter from the band's lawyer firing me from EVERY TIME I DIE on Dec. 20th. there were no band discussions prior nor since. While the details are being legally worked out, know that I am in a good place and excited for whatever will come next. I wish everyone well and have no hate in my heart.') I said that I would release it in 24 hours ONLY if they did not respond with an alternate statement or an interest in collaborating on a new one. As I saw it, something had to be said. I was not going to lie to people to protect 'the members of EVERY TIME I DIE'. No response. Later that night I was texted by a friend telling me to check Twitter. There, I discover that they have announced on behalf of themselves that we officially disbanded after the second Christmas show.

"That is how I found out that the band I started when I was 19 years old was publicly over. In posting that without prior conversation, without legal consultation, without any personal sense of honor for the band we built, these men took away my ability to say goodbye to 20 years worth of sacrifice. That is one of the hardest things to stomach. After half my life in a van I don't even get access to an IG page worth of memories. That, coupled with the incongruous stories that are being told to manipulate and blur the narrative for anyone that might one day look back on this, are to me a wailing and gnashing of teeth.

"My truth is that the pandemic changed me. full stop. I looked at my life and I realized not only was I unhappy, I was exhausted from pretending I wasn't. So I stripped everything back until I found what I loved. Then I worked to nurture that Love and set boundaries around it. Any growth that has transpired after that has been, to me, miraculous.

"After I became sober, I acknowledged to the band the pain I had caused in the past and begged their forgiveness. I promised in return that I would allow the pain they caused me to heal completely and all hatchets would be forever buried. For those understandably unwilling to immediately forgive me, I promised my vigilance at finding the perfect balance of happiness and sacrifice. In return, my mental health was thrown into question when it suited them. Or instead, it was used as a weapon against me when my boundaries offended the consciences of those repeatedly trying to cross them.

"There are a lot of reasons this break up happened, but it could not have resulted in any other conclusion. This was inevitable. In all of its ugly confusion and negativity and rumor, our own deep familial dysfunction manicured it perfectly. Our problems with each other go back decades. We should have broken up in 2014 to be honest. But we didn't, for our own reasons. I can't speak for anyone else, but I continued beyond that point for no other reason than to connect with other people through my lyrics and live performance. In hindsight, I'm so thankful I stuck it out. 'FPU', 'Low Teens' and especially 'Radical are important records that I feel needed to be made. I still sense 'Radical' gaining importance, but the firm spiritual and political stance I took on that record became an insurmountable point of contention between Jordan and I. I, however, make no apologies for a single word.

"If we are friends, if we have met briefly or if we had a whole 4 conversation, if you have read anything I have written or truly heard anything I have said and feel seen, then please know how thankful I am for all the love you have provided me and for all the beauty you have shown me along this road. this is the beginning of a new one, I promise.

"To anyone just kinda concerned from a distance, trust me that I'm good. for real. I have had a month to process all of this. I am happy. You don't have to believe me. It won't change what I know to be true every moment of my blessed life. If you question my character, you can read any of my lyrics and see that I have been very transparent about my life and my struggles. And if you don't see me by now then I'm just not for you. It doesn't mean we can't mutually acknowledge that and go our own ways in peace. Unfollow me. Don't support anything with my name on it from now on, it's cool. We'll both be better off for it.

"Also, please do not send any hate towards anyone regarding this. I sincerely wish them everything they deserve.

"I have absolutely no plans to comment further.

"Perfect Love, Perfect Trust. Keith".

EVERY TIME I DIE's ninth studio album, "Radical", was released in October via Epitaph.

The band's LPs "The Big Dirty" (2007), "New Junk Aesthetic" (2009), "Ex Lives" (2012), "From Parts Unknown" (2014) and "Low Teens" all reached the top 50 on the Billboard 200 album chart. Both "Ex Lives" and "Low Teens" were No. 1 on Billboard's Hard Rock album chart.




this is my Truth. Read it if you want to know it. ? pic.twitter.com/HJvHUQDs1a

— keith buckley (@deathoftheparty) January 19, 2022

US metal band Extinction A.D. have unveiled their seething new single / video "Mastic", taken from the upcoming album, Culture Of Violence, due March 18th via Unique Leader.


On the new single, the band comment: "Choosing to be an outlier in society so you can go on a path that gives you a higher fulfilment than a stacked bank account is exactly what the modern world is against. We've based our entire lives around following that road and have been forced to make many sacrifices along the way that other people have crumbled under at just the thought of. If you know Mastic, New York, you know it's a very nuanced place. If you don't, you're better off staying where you are."







Pre-order Culture Of Violence now at this location. Cover art and tracklisting are as follows:





"Culture Of Violence"
"Dominion"
"Thirteen"
"Mastic"
"1992"
"Heads Will Roll"
"Behind The Times"
"Star Spangled Banner"
"Praise The Fraud"
"National Disaster"


Formed in 2013 on Long Island, Extinction A.D. are an intense metal band with modern power and frenetic energy. The band have released two full-lengths and two EPs, and have shared stages with the likes of Obituary, Thy Art Is Murder, Havok, Municipal Waste, Testament, Suicidal Tendencies, Exodus, Kvelertak, Harm’s Way and more. 


Extinction A.D will tour the USA 18th January - 20th February with Cattle Decapitation, The Last Ten Seconds Of Life and Creeping Death, and follow that with a headline run alongside Rhythm Of Fear.


Dates:


w/ Cattle Decapitation, The Last Ten Seconds Of Life and Creeping Death:



January
18 - San Diego, CA - Brick by Brick
19 - Pomona, CA - The Glass House
20 - Los Angeles, CA - 1720
21 - Berkeley, CA - The Cornerstone 
22 - Reno, NV - Cargo
24 - Portland, OR - Hawthorne Theater 
25 - Seattle, WA - El Corazon 
27 - Salt Lake City, UT - Metro Music Hall 
28 - Colorado Springs, CO - The Black Sheep
29 - Denver, CO - The Oriental Theater 
31 - Belvidere, IL - The Apollo AC


February
1 - Minneapolis, MN - Turf Club
2 - Joliet, IL - The Forge
3 - Hobart, IN - Hobart Art Theater
4 - Columbus, OH - The Foundry
5 - Lexington, KY - Manchester Music Hall
6 - Detroit, MI - The Shelter
8 - Worcester, MA - Palladium Upstairs
9 - NYC, NY - Le Poisson Rouge
11 - Atlanta, GA - The Loft
12 - Tampa, FL - The Orpheum
14 - Houston, TX - Secret Group
15 - Dallas, TX - Amplified Live
16 - Austin, TX - Come And Take It
19 - Albuquerque, NM - Launchpad
20 - Mesa, AZ - Nile Theater


Extinction A.D. only:


February
22 – Odessa, TX – Cactus House
23 – Little Rock, AR – Vinos
24 – Memphis, TN  The Hi Tone
25 – Chattanooga, TN – The Spot


w/ Rhythm Of Fear:


March
15 - Worcester, MA - Ralph's Rock Diner
16 - Manchester, NH - Angel City Music Hall
17 - Quebec City, QC - La Source de La Martinière
18 - Montreal, QC - Cabaret Foufs
19 - Ottawa, ON - Brass Monkey
20 - Toronto, ON - The Garrison
21 - Buffalo, NY - Mohawk Place
22 - Altoona, PA - McGarvey's Bar
23 - Harrisburg, PA - HMAC
24 - Richmond, VA - The Camel
25 - Kearny, NJ - Jimmy's Bar & Grill
26 - Amityville, NY - Amityville Music Hall


 

As part of his ongoing Quarantine Project, Devin Townsend will perform his '98 Infinity album front to back for his next livestream. He has shared a new trailer for the event. Check it out below.





Townsend previously iissued the following message:




"We're going live on Saturday, February 5th, 12noon PST / 3pm EST / 8pm GMT / 9pm CET / 7am AEDT (next day). If you can't make it at that time, no fear: we'll record the show and keep it available for another 48hrs.


Tickets go live on Friday, Jan 7th at 15:00 CET and are exclusively available on DevinTownsendShop.com. We've also added a show-exclusive t-shirt and the option to bundle with the ticket for a discounted price.


Note: the t-shirts are pre-orders and ship from the United Kingdom the week prior to the livestream."


Townsend has said he will perform Infinity in the original album sequence, with songs included from the Christeen EP.

A new video clip has been uploaded to the official Children Of Bodom YouTube channel, which remains active through the band's former members Janne Wirman (keyboards), Henkka Seppälä (bass) and Jaska Raatikainen (drums).


"In 2018 we did a tour called No Place Like Home. This clip is more like Jaska's point of view, in Tavastia, Helsinki."







Ykä Järvinen at scratchnbake recently shared rare footage of Children Of Bodom in action back in 1997, performing at Tavastia in Helsinki, Finland.





Järvinen previously shared unreleased single cam footage of Children Of Bodom performing The Ramones classic "Somebody Put Something In My Drink" at Tavastia on December 30th, 2014. Check it out below.


The remaining COB members commented on the footage:


"In the end of 2014 we did a small tour in Finland called Bodom Xmas Bash. One of the shows was part of the legendary New Years celebration aka Helldone Festival that took place in Tavastia, Helsinki. Here’s a small memory of that show."

In celebration of “Come On Come On” being featured on the Peacemaker series (out now on HBO Max) and with permission from director James Gunn himself, Action Show Studios decided to make an insane video. Watch this!





When director James Gunn was looking for a truly rocking and raunchy song to include as part of the Peacemaker show on HBO Max (starring WWE wrestler John Cena as the role of Christopher Smith/Peacemaker), he couldn’t have made a better selection than the Nashville Pussy classic, “Come On Come On”.




It appears that Gunn is a fan of The Pussy, in a Twitter exchange between mutual friend actor Earl W. Brown (‘Deadwood,’ ‘Something About Mary’), Gunn admitted to personally choosing the Grammy-nominated Nashville Pussy and song “Come On Come On” for the Peacemaker’series, and texted, “It has great placement in the first episode.”


The first episode, entitled A Whole New Whirled, premiered on Thursday, January 13, and the song (which was originally included on the band’s 2005 album, Get Some!) was included as part of the show’s official Spotify playlist last week.





The release of the official (and explicit) Red Band trailer for Peacemaker, which can be seen below, perfectly coincides with the release of Nashville Pussy’s latest album, Eaten Alive (of which the CD was issued on December 24, and the double gatefold vinyl on January 14). Recorded in the UK, this is Nashville Pussy’s Live at Leeds and one of most unrelenting concert albums since Motörhead’s No Sleep ‘til Hammersmith. To order, head here.


Nashville Pussy is especially honored to be included in Peacemaker. “It’s great seeing someone who shares our sense of humor, and it is especially an honor to have our lyrics used as actual dialogue by John Cena!”





 

Seattle heavy metal practitioners Dark Meditation have unveiled their new video for “Desolation Days”, which can be seen below. The track comes by way of the band’s Polluted Temples full-length, set for release January 28th via Satanik Royalty Records.


Dark Meditation may hail from Seattle, but their sound is steeped in traditions associated with other corners of the globe — England’s working-class cities, frosty Scandinavian towns, Southern California meccas of the ‘80s. Or as the band puts it, Dark Meditation sounds like the bastard amalgamation of Venom and Judas Priest fighting it out on the Sunset Strip while Danzig and King Diamond cheer them on. While such reference points may suggest a nexus of evil kitsch and arena-level theatrics, the band’s debut album Polluted Temples comes from a place of down-and-out urgency and punk ethics, adopting the gloomy anthems and riff worship of heavy metal titans for their sonic exorcisms rather than their rock n’ roll panache. It’s an album that basks in big hooks, righteous guitar work, and an arena-level stomp without compromising any grit, grime, or guts.


Comments the band of their latest single, “‘Desolation Days’ is a commentary on the disparity between people and our continued march to oblivion, how no matter hard you might try it seems like you can’t keep up with the world and in each passing day, people or institutions manipulate emotions/relationships to get what they want without a care for the toll it takes on society. Fittingly, it’s a righteous strut of mid-tempo death rock with heavy metal flourishes culminating in a fitting chant for the end of days."







Originally conceived by vocalist A.D. Vick, guitarist Rane, and guitarist/synth player Ian as a recording project intended to provide personal catharsis, Dark Meditation came to serve as a crucial artistic outlet for the entire five-piece band — a salve during trying times. Along with compatriots JW Mullett (bass), and Will Klintberg (drums), the founding trio poured four years of blood, sweat, and equity into Polluted Temples, though the inner-band relationships go back even further. The members of Dark Meditation all cut their teeth and crossed paths in various niches of the underground, churning out visceral and vitriolic bangers in acts like Emeralds (SEA), O.S.S., R.I.P., and Wildildlife. A punk ethos permeated their earlier acts, and while they may have excised some of that primitivism in their current project, the members of Dark Meditation have not skimped on the aural punishment and physical intensity.


Recorded over two weeks during Seattle’s record-breaking heatwave of June 2021 by Matt Bayles (Mastodon, The Sword, Soundgarden), Polluted Temples is the culmination of nearly half a decade’s worth of work. Not only does it represent a triumph over recent adversities, it serves as a negation of ingrained prejudices and social mores. “Most of our songs deal with personal consequences of our actions and how it effects the world around us,” Vick says of his lyrics. “But there is also the looming specter of evangelical Christianity that I was brought up in and trying to break away from the dogmatic concepts that were pushed upon me in childhood.”


These themes are displayed on songs like “Haunt Of Fear,” where Vick explores the idea of the devil as an invented boogeyman used to govern by fear and instill hatred in the populace while the band lays down a thunderous foundation of first-wave black metal riffage, wailing pinch harmonics, and dueling guitar solos. On a similar tip, the album’s title track—a perfect blend of melodic gloom and pounding force bolstered by synth-colored choruses and heroic guitars—uses the biblical metaphor of the body as a temple to examine how physical pleasure-seeking turns people inward and away from the rest of humanity. This kind of social commentary manifests in the relentless chug of “Babalon.Money.Magick,” where the increasing disparity between the haves and have-nots is reflected Seattle’s new construction and tent cities. And it pops up again in the mid-tempo death rock strut of “Desolation Days,” where manipulative institutions and power-hungry people are brought to task for valuing the dollar over human lives.


Ultimately, Dark Meditation’s true power lies in their razor-sharp musicianship, addictive songwriting, and fist-pumping instrumentation. It’s no small wonder that the band’s early demos warranted an official release by Austria’s boutique black metal label Doctrina Carnis before they’d even played their first live show. Polluted Temples marks a substantial progression in both performance and production, and with that evolution comes the requisite support of a strong stateside label.


Polluted Temples will be released on LP and digital formats. Pre-order at the Satanik Royalty webshop.





Tracklisting:


“Horus Rising (Prelude)”
“Babalon.Money.Magick”
“Haunt Of Fear”
“Strange Caress (Of The Night)”
“Masters Coil”
“Desolation Days”
“The Howling Wild”
“Drink Of The Blade”
“Nocturnal Forever”
“Polluted Temples” 


“Haunt Of Fear” video:





(Photo by: Sarah Hammel)