Finnish death-doom spearhead Kuolemanlaakso, starring vocalist Mikko Kotamäki (Swallow The Sun), are about to release their first album in eight years. The band’s third full-length, Kuusumu, was co-produced, mixed, mastered, and engineered by Triptykon and Dark Fortress guitarist V. Santura, with whom the band has worked on all of their releases. Kuusumu will be released in 2022 via Svart Records.


“The recording break stretched unforgivably long, but in doom, there’s no rush. It was great to get back to business with the guys and have the opportunity to invite a couple of old friends to help us out, too. Kuusumu’s keyboards were produced and co-arranged by Aleksi Munter (Swallow the Sun, Insomnium, Ghost Brigade), and Lotta Ruutiainen (Luna Kills) did some amazing singing on a couple of tracks. In my humble opinion we took many steps forward on 'Kuusumu'”, says guitarist-songwriter Laakso.







On Kuusumu, Kuolemanlaakso stretch their artistic boundaries even further. The album contains the trademark Kuolemanlaakso heaviness, but also more bombastic, fast, and meticulously arranged material. The first single, "Katkeruuden malja" (featuring Lotta Ruutiainen), represents the catchier and lighter side of the album.


“'Katkeruuden malja' draws its inspiration from grief and misery. Musically it’s almost tripping in the landscapes of recent day Tribulation, but with melancholic and Kalevala-infused melodic influences, that sound very Finnish to me. The music video sort of mixes and matches the frost theme of the album with the color palette of the cover artwork.” states Laakso.


Kuusumu will be released in 2022 and can be pre-ordered via the Svart Records webstore. The first digital single, "Katkeruuden malja", is out now via all digital/streaming platforms.





Kuusumu's texts are loosely based on the sudden global cooling that began in 535, leading to a 10-year long winter, loss of crops, famine, and mass deaths of cattle and other animals. The climate change was most likely caused by massive volcanic eruptions, the fog of which darkened the sun for 1,5 years, causing loss of light and intolerable coldness. Moreover, the bubonic plague that began in the Byzantine Empire in 541 swept across Europe, killing tens of millions of people during the climate crisis.


“I see our previous releases as autumn albums, so this time we decided to make a winter album. I came across some literature about the catastrophic events by chance, and got immensely inspired by them - especially the contemporary writings of the 530-540 era. It didn’t take long for me to write the album after that. It’s spine-chilling to ponder that a deadly climate change and a pandemic raged also 1,500 years ago when medical knowledge, information flow, and living conditions were in their infancy. And there was no electricity, of course. People thought that they have angered the gods and the darkness will last forever,” says Laakso.


Lineup:


Kotamäki - vocals
Laakso - guitar, backing vocals
Kouta - guitar
Usva - bass
Tiera - drums


(Photo - Riku Jokinen)

Los Angeles-based quintet, Budderside, have released their new single, “Too Far”, available today across all digital platforms. The track is taken from their upcoming summer 2022 record via oneRPM and was recorded with producer Matt Good (Asking Alexandria, Hollywood Undead).





The song gives a harrowing look into what can happen when people are pushed to the edge and things go ‘’too far.” Its music video, filmed at several iconic locations on the famed Sunset Strip including the Whisky a-Go-Go and The Rainbow Bar & Grill, can be seen below. Directed by Vicente Cordero (Industrial Films LA), it shares a visually graphic dramatization tackling mental health issues and triggers.




“We are all so close to the edge,” says vocalist Patrick Alan Stone. “Saying something kind could save a life. It’s easy to be reckless, but what we do and say can push people too far. Hollywood is the city of dreams, where they are born and die every day. I’ve seen good people murder over infidelity. I’ve lost my sister and my two closest friends to suicide over broken hearts, others to overdose--all just trying to ease the pain of a cruel world.”


“‘Too Far’ is about the struggle I’ve gone through with depression and suicidal thoughts after being f*cked over by people around me. I took that depression and turned it into rage to create a song that strips away all of the b.s. It’s a reminder to others to not push people too far, because they can snap and hurt themselves or even others. Just an honest cry for the world to do the right thing. If someone you know is in need of help, you’re not alone. Call the National Suicide Prevention Hotline (1-800-273-8255) or 911, there is help.”


Stream “Too Far” here.





Budderside will join glam metal group L.A. Guns for two shows at Count’s Vamp’d Bar & Grill in Las Vegas: tonight, December 3 and tomorrow, December 4. Their set list will include singles from their recent album Spiritual Violence, released earlier this year via Mötorhead Music/Silver Lining Music, along with previews of new material from their upcoming effort. The band appeared at Rocklahoma festival this year and previously have toured with the likes of Slayer, Anthrax and Motörhead in addition to appearing overseas at festivals including Wacken Open Air, Malmö Festival and on cruises (Motörhead’s Motörboat and Monsters Of Rock).


Budderside was formed by Stone following his stint as vocalist of Adler’s Appetite, after receiving encouragement from the late Lemmy Kilmister of Motörhead who he worked for as part of his infamous ‘road crew’ and was also a close friend. Lemmy signed them to his own label, Motörhead Music and they released their self-titled debut album in 2016.


Budderside is:


Patrick Stone – Vocals
Gabe Maska – Bass
Jeff Dewbray – Drums
Sam Koltun – Guitars
Logan Nikolic – Guitars


(Photo - George Reed)

Italy's False Memories have released a video for their cover of All About Eve's "December", featured on the band's Echoes Of A Reflection EP, available now. Watch the video below.


Says the band: "Playing and making our own these songs on which we were, artistically speaking, born and raised was nothing short of exciting, even moving. On this five song journey, we started with deep influences rooted in gothic rock, to gothic metal, and then up to its most modern and latest variations. Considering the diverse influences we have, we deemed it dutiful to pay tribute to these bands."







Tracklisting:


"Our Truth" (Lacuna Coil cover)
"Forever Failure" (Paradise Lost cover)
"My Twin" (Katatonia cover)
"Strange Machines" (The Gathering cover)
"December" (All About Eve cover)


"December" video:





"Our Truth" video:

Following traditional Holiday music back to its roots, Blackmore’s Night (Candice Night and Ritchie Blackmore) approach Christmas songs with their own unique styling. They recently relaunched their classic album Winter Carols, available as a high-quality 2CD Digipak Edition and digital album (earMUSIC). A lyric video for "I Saw Three Ships" is released today, and can be viewed below.


Originally released in 2006, this 2021 version has been carefully remastered and contains these four tracks that were previously unavailable in this format: “Here We Come A-Caroling”, “It Came Upon A Midnight Clear”, “O Little Town Of Bethlehem” and “Silent Night”. Additionally, Winter Carols includes a remastered version of their timeless Christmas single “Christmas Eve”.


A brand-new song, “Coventry Carol”, is an English Christmas carol dating back to the 16th century with additional lyrics by award-winning lyricist / vocalist Candice Night and new musical arrangements by legendary guitarist Ritchie Blackmore.




Mastering the mix of Rock and Folk elements, Blackmore’s Night have always perfected the art of creating music for family, friends, and fans to come together and celebrate. Winter Carols provides the perfect backdrop for the holiday season.





Tracklisting:


CD1:
"Coventry Carol"
"Deck The Halls"
"God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen"
"O Christmas Tree"
"Hark! The Herald Angels Sing" / "O Come All Ye Faithful"
"I Saw Three Ships"
"Winter (Basse Dance)"
"Ding Dong Merrily On High"
"Ma-O-Tzur"
"Good King Wenceslas"
"Simple Gifts (Lord Of The Dance)"
"We Three Kings"
"Wish You Were Here" (2021)
"Emmanuel"
"Christmas Eve"
"We Wish You A Merry Christmas"


CD2:
"Crowning Of The King"
"Here We Come A-Caroling"
"It Came Upon A Midnight Clear"
"O Little Town Of Bethlehem"
"Silent Night"
"Christmas Eve" (2013 Version)
"Hark! The Herald Angels Sing" / "O Come All Ye Faithful" (Live From Minstrel Hall)
"Emmanuel" (Live From Minstrel Hall)
"We Three Kings" (Live From Minstrel Hall)
"Ma-O-Tzur" (Live From Minstrel Hall)
"Good King Wenceslas" (Live From Minstrel Hall)


"I Saw Three Ships" lyric video:





"Christmas Eve" video:

Robert Plant and Alison Krauss recently released their first new album in fourteen years, Raise The Roof, via Rounder Records. In celebration, the've released the video below, featuring "Trouble With My Lover", performed live from Nashville’s Sound Emporium Studios.





Watch "Searching For My Love" from the same performance:







Like its platinum-selling 2007 predecessor, Raising Sand - which won six Grammys, including Album and Record of the Year - Raise The Roof delivers new takes on songs from legends and unsung heroes of folk, blues, country and soul music.


Recorded at Nashville’s Sound Emporium Studios, sessions for Raise The Roof began in late 2019 and wrapped just weeks before the world went into lockdown. “One of my favorite parts of this is the songs and songwriters that I had never heard of,” says Alison Krauss. “Working with Robert, and with T Bone, is always a great education in music history.”


Raise The Roof includes deep cuts by Merle Haggard, Allen Toussaint, The Everly Brothers, Anne Briggs, Geeshie Wiley, Bert Jansch, Calexico and more. “It’s such a far cry from everything I’ve done before,” says Robert Plant. “I love the whole kaleidoscope of music that I’ve explored, but this is a place where you can think within the song, you can decide how to bring home an emotion. It’s another blend that we’ve got, and long may we have more of them.”


Order Raise The Roof here.





Raise The Roof tracklisting:


"Quattro (World Drifts In)"
"The Price Of Love"
"Go Your Way"
"Trouble With My Lover"
"Searching For My Love"
"Can’t Let Go"
"It Don’t Bother Me"
"You Led Me To The Wrong"
"Last Kind Words Blues"
"High And Lonesome"
"Going Where The Lonely Go"
"Somebody Was Watching Over Me"


"Somebody Was Watching Over Me":





"It Don't Bother Me":





"Can't Let Go" lyric video:





"High And Lonesome":

New Jersey six-piece, Fit For An Autopsy, will release their new album, Oh What The Future Holds, on January 14 via Nuclear Blast Worldwide and Human Warfare Australia/NZ. The band have released a Eric Richter-directed video for the third single, "In Shadows". Check it out below.


Vinyl and apparel pre-orders for the new album here.







Tracklisting:


"Oh What The Future Holds"
"Pandora"
"Far From Heaven"
"In Shadows"
"Two Towers"
"A Higher Level of Hate"
"Collateral Damage"
"Savages"
"Conditional Healing"
"The Man That I Was Not"


"In Shadows" video:





"Pandora" video:





"Far From Heaven" video:

Guitarist Gus G. (Firewind, Ozzy Osbourne) has released a video for "Chronesthesia", featured on his new album, Quantum Leap. Watch the clip below.





"Into The Unknown"
"Exosphere"
"Quantum Leap"
"Chronesthesia"
"Enigma Of Life"
"Judgement Day"
"Fierce"
"Demon Stomp"
"Night Driver"
"Not Forgotten"
"Force Majeure" (feat. Vinnie Moore)




"Chronesthesia" video:





"Into The Unknown" video:





"Enigma Of Life" video:





"Fierce" video:





"Exosphere" video:

Back with a vengeance and hell-bent on destruction, Norwegian death metallers, Cadaver, are back in business and ready to reign. Edder & Bile, the first full length from this band’s new incarnation of Anders Odden’s original, extreme metal vision, was unleashed unto the world in November of 2020 via Nuclear Blast Records.


Today, the band releases the music video for "Years Of Nothing", which can be viewed below.


Anders Odden comments, "The release of ‘Years Of Nothing’ symbolizes the 2 years we have gone through just now with the most boring end of the world ever. It is also the last Covid-19 styled video we will make. When the world closed down musicians started to jam across the continents and do these split-screen videos from their studio. It’s exactly how we did this. Writing this comment on tour with sold-out shows with MAYHEM right now feels great. May the pandemic be behind us.”







Edder & Bile was produced by the band as well as Adair Daufembach who also handled the engineering. The album was recorded and mixed at Northwood Sound Studios in Hollywood, CA. The album features vocal cameos from death metal icons Kam Lee (Massacre) and Jeff Becerra (Possessed) ensuring that this crushing rebirth has underground credentials to spare. The photo for the artwork was taken by Hannah Verbeuren and the layout was created by Justin Bartlett.


Buy or listen to Edder & Bile here.





(Photo - Hannah Verbeuren)

"Next January, an ancient demon will crawl straight outta hell to gain fresh life in new shapes... But: That infernal creature won't come alone but will be accompanied by its bat-winged twin with a soul as black as the depths from which it emerged."


Or, to make it a little more obvious: Austria's death metal high priests, Belphegor, will release their first two albums, The Last Supper (1995) and Blutsabbath (1997), next year on vinyl and together as 2 CDs. The records will be out on January 14 and you can pre-order your little piece of extreme metal history right here.







Helmuth states: "While we are finishing up the last couple of dates of the The Black Rituals tour, we’re proud to announce that we will unleash our earliest offerings upon the masses again! Both albums have been remastered by Andy Classen and will be available in a variety of versions featuring uncensored artwork. Enjoy the first chapters of Belphegor’s diabolical death metal signature sound!“





Better be quick and keep your eyes and ears open since Belphegor already have new aces up their sleeves waiting to surprise and mesmerize their listeners in the next weeks...


Belphegor was founded in 1993 and spread like a virus within the underground. Meanwhile, their Bloodbath In Paradise demo has become legendary and paved the baleful path into the souls of thousands of listeners. Anti-religious with nihilistic tendencies as well as provocative topics, Belphegor moved on. The debut album The Last Supper (1995) let the community of followers and opponents grow. Inexorably, the band pushes their destructive ways forward in the following years. Belphegor become louder, more obsessed, and more dynamic, and their albums now have cult status. To think about the scene doesn't work without thinking of Belphegor. In 2008, the band sent their followers to the edge of hell with Bondage Goat Zombie and sparked an all-consuming death metal fire with blasting black metal influences. This masterpiece, inspired by the Marquis de Sade, is one of the most demanding works the genre has offered to this day. Belphegor showed themselves equally brutal and baleful on the successors Walpurgis Rites - Hexenwahn (2009) and Blood Magick Necromance (2011). The band received a lot of great feedback for their intense live performances as well and reached out to a big and loyal fan base.  Their obscure rituals full of diabolical magick have haunted the world several times – next to extensive tours through Asia and Europe, Belphegor has also completed eleven tours through North America and hundreds of open airs.


Their last album Totenritual, internationally lauded by fans and press, dropped on September 15th, 2017, and marks the eleventh hailing from Belphegor.

Despite the recent postponement of their European tour and ongoing pandemic, Dutch symphonic metal legends Epica have erected an unmatched monument to the live music scene this year with Ωmega Alive. Out in stores today, the new release is available in several audiovisual formats, such as DVD, BluRay, 3LP vinyl gatefold in various colors, earbook, and boxset. The latter contains 5 beautiful 10'' records with a zoetrope print. You can have a look at all the different versions of the release in a new unboxing video featuring singer Simone Simons below:





Simone comments: "Here it is! Our latest and greatest Epica show in the history of Epica; Ωmega Alive. We are beyond excited about this release, in which we can all relive our most special show to date. We wish you a lot of musical moments and hope that you don't wake up the next morning with a headbang hangover ;)"




With spectacular stage effects, dancers, acrobats, and accompanying storyline, Ωmega Alive drags the viewer right down into the magical rabbit hole, and with the latest single, "Victims Of Contingency", you can get ready for fire, fog, AND rain:





Directed by Jens de Vos (Panda Productions) and graced by a magical artwork by Heilemania, the DVD, BluRay, CD, and vinyl contain 15 EPICA classics, fan-favorites, as well as first-ever live performances from tracks off the band's latest chef-d'oeuvre Ωmega, such as "The Skeleton Key" or the insanely monumental "Kingdom of Heaven Part 3".





Ωmega Alive formats:


-BluRay+DVD
-2 CD digipak
-Boxset
-CD-version of the Earbook
-5x 10'' Picture vinyl (Zoetrope vinyl)
-Earbook
-DVD+BluRay
-3LP (Light Green Vinyl)
-Earbook
-DVD+BluRay
-2CD
-Vinyl
-3LP in trifold incl 2 lyric sheets:
-Black in trifold
-Sun yellow in trifold (NB mailorder and wholesale exclusive)
-Clear + Green and Black Splatter (NB Mailorder exclusive)
-Glow in the Dark (Band store exclusive)
-Clear + White marbled in trifold (EMP exclusive)
-White with sun yellow + black in trifold (Netherlands + Belgium exclusive)
-2 CD/BluRay  - USA exclusive
-2 CD/DVD - Mexico and Brazil exclusive


Order your copy via Nuclear Blast.

Led Zeppelin have released Episode 5 of the new video series, The History Of Led Zeppelin IV.


A message states: "Learn more about 'Misty Mountain Hop' in episode 5 of the History of Led Zeppelin IV."







Watch Episodes 1 - 4 below:

Swedish heavy metal band, Lion’s Share, has made a cover version of the hit song, “Knock On Wood”, available on streaming services and digital service providers, here.





Singer Nils Patrik Johansson commented: "We wanted to release something cool and unexpected as a Christmas gift to our fans. This song will be perfect cranked up loud at your New Year's Eve party. Who knows – maybe I'll crash your party as well, like I do in our new video."




In late 2018, Lion’s Share released a new five-track EP, plus its complete catalog - remastered with new artwork - on streaming services and digital service providers for the first time. The band have since released a few more digital singles, some of which will and some of which won't end up on the forthcoming full-length album.


Guitarist Lars Chriss says: "I kept hearing the Amii Stewart version everytime I turned on the radio in my car. After a while I started thinking about 'Children Of The Grave' by Black Sabbath and how we could make this into a great hard rock version. Little by little the arrangement started to take shape in my head. The song was a huge hit worldwide when Nils Patrik and I were teenagers and even went to number one on Billboard. We hope our version will bring back a lot of great memories for people."


Both Johansson and Chriss remark that they have always worked very well together, and at this point it feels the most natural to keep Lion’s Share as a duo, with friends helping out wherever needed.


"We are aware our fans want a new album and the plan was to release one in 2020, but we all know what happened then. We had just started playing live again with a couple of headline shows in Germany in March and were gearing up towards a new album and tour. Since we think it's very important to tour behind a new album, we just have to wait until things go back to “normal” again". Until then, we plan to release a new single every 2-3 months and keep building our fan base."

Sixx:A.M. have released a new lyric video for their track “Life Is Beautiful" (Piano Version), which appears on their recently released Sixx:A.M. Hits album via Better Noise Music. The project is a retrospective celebration of the band’s biggest hits and fan-favorite songs, that also includes five unheard tracks and mixes, marking the band's first official album with new material since 2016.


Showcasing different forms of life, the new lyric visual illustrates the magic of the human experience. Serving as the lead single from their debut album, The Heroin Diaries Soundtrack, the original “Life Is Beautiful” quickly gained popularity, reaching #2 on the US Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks chart and #25 on the Hot Modern Rock Tracks chart.







Sixx:A.M. - featuring Mötley Crüe bassist Nikki Sixx, vocalist James Michael, and former Guns N' Roses guitarist DJ Ashba - are releasing the album as a companion piece to Sixx’s memoir The First 21: How I Became Nikki Sixx, available via Hachette Books.


After 21 years of sobriety, Sixx, also a founding member of the legendary music group Mötley Crüe, is incredibly passionate about his craft and an open book about his life in rock and roll. In the memoir, Sixx fills in the earlier parts of his fascinating true-life story, telling the inspirational story of his first 21 years, how Frank Feranna became Nikki Sixx. Combining his work as a writer and a musician, The First 21 continues Sixx’s tradition of setting the soundtrack to his own life, offering multi-layered pieces of art.





In 2007, Sixx:A.M. released The Heroin Diaries Soundtrack, alongside Sixx’s best-selling memoir The Heroin Diaries: A Year In The Life Of A Shattered Rock Star, introducing the concept of a book soundtrack into popular culture. Both the book and the album were successes upon release, with the book instantly becoming a New York Times-best seller in its first week, selling out in bookstores around the U.S. The album spawned the #1 single “Life Is Beautiful”, eventually achieving Gold certification in the U.S. Expanding this artistic signature move, The First 21 now get its own soundtrack with the Hits album.





Tracklisting:


"Life Is Beautiful"
"This Is Gonna Hurt"
"Lies Of The Beautiful People"
"Pray For Me"
"Rise"
"Stars"
"Maybe It's Time"
"Skin"
"Belly Of The Beast"
"Are You With Me Now"
"Girl With Golden Eyes"
"Accidents Can Happen"
"Gotta Get It Right"
"We Will Not Go Quietly"
"The First 21" (previously unreleased)
"Talk To Me" (Radio Mix - previously unreleased)
"Penetrate" (previously unreleased)
"Waiting All My Life" (previously unreleased)
"Skin" (Rock Mix -  previously unreleased)
"Life Is Beautiful" (piano / vocal - previously unreleased)


“Penetrate” lyric video:





"Waiting All My Life" lyric video:





“The First 21” lyric video:





“Pray For Me” lyric video:





"Skin" (Rock Mix):





(Photo - Dustin Jack)

Eskimo Callboy, the electro-core "porno metal" six piece from Castrop Rauxel, Germany have unleashed their new single, "Pump It" . The track follows their recent viral hit "We Got The Moves", which catapulted its way to the Top 100 German single charts, and aims to surpass the success of its predecessor. Watch the video below.


Vocalist Kevin Ratajczak: "Here we go work out fam! 'Pump it' is out now! And this our friends, means the start of an incredible journey for your body and soul! Listen to our song, make it a part of your daily routine, and feel yourself grow, physically and mentally! Pump it loud, pump it hard and get the true Eskimo Callboy body culture spirit."


"Pump It"







"We Got The Moves"

"The Blackened Fee" is the first single from Witchpit’s new album The Weight Of Death out March 25 on Heavy Pysch Sounds. This Blackened Fee is sacrificing and losing everything for something that doesn’t have your best interests – watch the video exclusively premiere on BraveWords!





Witchpit is a four piece sludge metal band from South Carolina whose unorthodox approach pushes the genre in exciting new directions. Their sound fuses the influence of high powered stoner rockers like High On Fire with the more moody and thoughtful work of Neurosis. With a heavy dose of tone worship and a passion for vintage gear, the band is able to conjure up classic tones that serve to bring the sound to an exciting new place.




Formed back in 2015 by Thomas White from The Sign of the Southern Cross , Your Chance To Die and his long lasting relationships from around the South Carolina heavy music community, Witchpit quickly became a serious force in their scene. After recording their first single “Infernal” in 2018 the band started to make waves, releasing the track through Weedian. Over the next few years the band dropped another pair of singles and started to receive some meaningful press and support from around the community. The band Nile has been outspoken in their support of the band and Youtubers Riffs Beards & Gear and Does It Doom have both come out and expressed their love for this project. In the meantime they picked up endorsements from Emperor Cabinets and Black Harbor Strings.


Now, Witchpit are gearing up to release their debut LP, with the help of Heavy Psych Sounds. They’ve worked hard to build up their reputation and refine their sound into something special and emotionally powerful. They’ve got music videos shot and even more on the way. It’s hard not to be charmed by Witchpit’s classic rock infused sludge metal assault. It marks the next step for a unique band who can’t help but to impress. Will you join them in their mission to bring the heavy all across the globe?

Finnish melodic metal icons, Sonata Arctica, should be closing their Acoustic Adventures European tour this week. Unfortunately, it had to be postponed to late 2022 due to obvious reasons. But fans need not worry as the band are bringing some cozy living room concert atmosphere to their homes in the form of the first part of their two-piece Acoustic Adventures album, due out on January 2 via Atomic Fire.


Comprising acoustic adaptions of twelve tracks leading through Sonata Arctica’s discography, Acoustic Adventures – Volume One was recorded and produced by Mikko Tegelman and the band at Studio57, Finland; Tegelman was also responsible for the album’s mix and mastering alongside bass player Pasi Kauppinen. The artwork by the quintet’s longtime collaborator and fellow countryman, Janne Pitkänen (Nightwish, Auri, etc.) rounds off the total experience charmingly.


The record’s first single, "The Rest Of The Sun Belongs To Me’" is available today. A lyric video can be viewed below.




States keyboardist Henrik “Henkka” Klingenberg: “‘The Rest Of The Sun Belongs To Me’ was a song that first appeared as a bonus track for Japan back in 2003, just around the time I joined the band. When we started to arrange songs for the second Acoustic Adventures tour in 2019, this song somehow kept popping up and we decided to give it a go. Our dear friend Masi Hukari who joined us on stage for the tour did a lot of the work on this particular arrangement and I think that his input was really important in how this song turned out. For this record, we used the live arrangement as a starting point and I don’t think the song changed that much, so what you hear is a slightly refined version of the 2019 tour arrangement. We decided to use this song as the first single since it’s really different from the original studio version and as always, we prefer to offer something new and interesting for our fans and for ourselves as well."


Pre-order the album physically (CD-digipak, various colored vinyls), pre-save it or pre-order it digitally to receive "The Rest Of The Sun Belongs To Me" instantly, here, and at The Official Sonata Arctica Webshop with exclusive march bundles, here.





Tracklisting:


"The Rest Of The Sun Belongs To Me"
"For The Sake Of Revenge"
"A Little Less Understanding"
"Alone In Heaven"
"Tallulah"
"Don’t Say A Word"
"As If The World Wasn’t Ending"
"Paid In Full"
"Tonight I Dance Alone"
"The Wolves Die Young"
"Wolf & Raven"
"On The Faultline"


"The Rest Of The Sun Belongs To Me" lyric video:





(Photo - Jarkko Piipari)

EXODUS guitarist Gary Holt spoke to Germany's "Pommesgabel" podcast about the lyrical inspiration for "The Beatings Will Continue (Until Morale Improves)", the first single from the band's recently released album, "Persona Non Grata". He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "When I was watching all the rioting and stuff, and the riot cops just beating people with sticks — a lot of peaceful protesters being beaten. And it just made me think. It's a slogan; I've seen it before — the beatings will continue until morale improves. And it just made me think of that slogan when I was watching that in the background. What do they hope to achieve? If you beat enough people, they'll submit and become compliant and submissive. That's not the way humankind works — we fight back. And it seemed so counterproductive for me. So the song was written kind of tongue in cheek based on what I felt they were, I guess, hoping to achieve. But it didn't work. It never does. You can't beat people into submission — not anymore."

The Black Lives Matter protests that swept across the nation last year following the deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and several victims of police brutality. While the unrest in some cities after some Black Lives Matter protests included vandalism and looting, the vast majority of demonstrations were peaceful and leading BLM activists repeatedly distanced themselves from agent provocateurs and instigators, ABC News reported.

"The rioting was all due to the Black Lives Matter movement 'cause they were protesting being killed for nothing," Gary said. "And it's horrible shit that they have to go through. I'm one of those guys who I'm a big supporter of law enforcement but I also understand that being a cop doesn't give you the right to drag a guy out of a car and kill him for a traffic stop. If you're killing a guy, it's supposed to be done to protect your own life or the well-being of the general population, not because the guy didn't wanna get out of his car. You're not supposed to put your knee on his neck and fucking kill him. So that was the angle I took it from — it was based on the protests."

Holt went on to address a call by some to defund police departments in the wake of the murder of George Floyd, explaining that it tended to lump all police officers together.

"There's a whole lot of good cops in this world and there's a lot of cops in the United States and they're not all bad," Gary said. "And all of a sudden, people wanna defund the police departments. Who are you gonna call when someone's stealing your car? We need some police sometimes. But our police need to do a better job — some of them — of how they handle situations with the use of force."

Released on November 19, "Persona Non Grata" is the follow-up to 2014's "Blood In Blood Out", which was the San Francisco Bay Area thrashers' first release since the departure of the group's lead singer of nine years, Rob Dukes, and the return of Steve "Zetro" Souza, who previously fronted EXODUS from 1986 to 1993 and from 2002 to 2004.

"Persona Non Grata" was recorded at a studio in Lake Almanor, California and was engineered by Steve Lagudi and EXODUS. It was produced by EXODUS and was mixed by Andy Sneap. For the third time in the band's history, they returned to Swedish artist Pär Olofsson to create the album artwork.

In July, EXODUS drummer Tom Hunting underwent a successful total gastrectomy in his battle with squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) of the stomach. He rejoined his bandmates on stage on October 7 at the Aftershock festival in Sacramento, California.

Bassist Rudy Sarzo spoke to Lee Jackson's "Friday Night FeedBack" about his recent decision to rejoin the band after an 18-year absence. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I did my first show with the band, and it's a great band. We have Jizzy Pearl, who was in LOVE/HATE, the founding member [and] singer. We have Johnny Kelly, [whom late QUIET RIOT drummer] Frankie Banali handpicked to replace him. He played in DANZIG and TYPE O NEGATIVE, so he's got a beautiful résumé — a great drummer. And Alex Grossi, who's actually the third guitar player in QUIET RIOT — first Randy Rhoads, second Carlos Cavazo and third Alex Grossi. So he's been with the band for 18 years and he's a phenomenal guitar player [and] songwriter. So we have a really strong band. And by having that, we can go onstage and celebrate the memory of Frankie and Kevin [DuBrow] and Randy with dignity — with total dignity. So that, to me, it's a blessing to be able to do that."

Rudy played his first show back with QUIET RIOT on November 6 at The Groove Music Hall in Thornburg, Virginia.

Sarzo was one of the members of QUIET RIOT's "Metal Health" lineup. He played bass on the classic LP, which sold over ten million copies and spawned the hits "Cum On Feel The Noize" and "Metal Health" and on the follow-up record "Condition Critical".

Rudy appeared in the most notable music videos in the MTV age and toured with the band until 1985 and again from 1997 to 2003. During his years out of the band, Sarzo was a member of OZZY OSBOURNE, WHITESNAKE, DIO, BLUE ÖYSTER CULT, QUEENSRŸCHE and THE GUESS WHO.

Banali died in August 2020 after a 16-month battle with pancreatic cancer.

Frankie's history with QUIET RIOT spanned over 37 years and he had the distinction of being the only member of the band to have recorded on every single QUIET RIOT release from 1983's "Metal Health", which was the first heavy metal album to reach No. 1 on the Billboard chart, through 2019's "Hollywood Cowboys".

Banali resurrected QUIET RIOT in 2010, three years after the death of singer and founding member Kevin DuBrow.

Sarzo discussed his return to QUIET RIOT in a recent interview with Adika Live!. He said: "My decision, in addition to [it] being [late QUIET RIOT drummer] Frankie's [Banali] request that I return to the band, was a decision that I had to meditate on it, because it is that important. Not meditate whether it was the right decision to make or not — no, that wasn't the point — it was to meditate about the timing of it. Because it could not be an abrupt decision that you drop everything you're doing and you change the band.

"Regina [Frankie's widow] and I, we sat and we talked about it, and we said, 'Okay, the best thing to do is to let everybody fulfill their commitments.' Because I have commitments to the band that I've been playing in for the last five years, THE GUESS WHO. And I wasn't about to tell them, 'Hey, I'm outta here, guys. Good luck.' I've never done that. So I have commitments with them. And QUIET RIOT has commitments with [longtime bassist] Chuck Wright. And we felt that the only thing that we can do, really — [we felt] that all these commitments must be fulfilled so our agreements with everybody is fulfilled."

Rudy went on to say that he has been "making the transition" and "embracing again the whole QUIET RIOT consciousness" by going "back and playing the songs" again. "And actually, it's been wonderful because, I've gotta tell you, to be able to go back to something that you did 40 years ago with the musician I am today, I'm looking at the songs a little bit different, as far as my own contributions," he said. "Of course, it's not gonna be something that is gonna turn into completely something else, but there are certain note choices that I can improve on."

As for what fans can expect to see when he returns to the road with QUIET RIOT, Rudy said: "At the core of the show is gonna be a celebration of the legacy of our bandmates. It's our responsibility as the ones left behind that we must celebrate. It's a must. So that is at the core of the show."

John Cooper, the frontman for the Grammy-nominated Christian rock band SKILLET, has pushed back against the criticism he has received for his comments about COVID-19 vaccine mandates.

During an appearance on Apologia Radio, hosted by Luke Pierson, a pastor/elder at Apologia Church, the 46-year-old vocalist/bassist, who previously publicly revealed that he was unvaccinated, addressed the reaction he has gotten from the mainstream media and audience for his assertion that vaccines are a tool of government control.

Cooper said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "It's a crazy time because there's, like, a collective mind losing. It's true — the whole country, we've lost our minds.

"In general, I think, I'm a fairly gracious person, or I try to be, where it's, like, I really don't care, Luke, if you get the vaccine or not. And I don't know if you care if I get it. It doesn't matter to me. There's certain things that you can make a choice. But there's been this collective mind… I mean, people going crazy. I fully expect half the country to be eating grass.

"What's really weird to me is that I've been speaking out about my faith in Christ for a long, long time in the mainstream world," he continued. "Now, let's be honest — not everybody in the mainstream world is nuts about that. They don't necessarily love hearing about Jesus, but they have always put up with me — some have supported me even. But I'll tell you what: the most kickback I have ever received — ever — for my faith has been on my stance on vaccine mandates and mask mandates. It is as if I just — like the unforgivable sin.

"I said to my wife, I said the amazing thing that it shows me is that it wasn't the gospel quote, it wasn't the gospel of Christ that made them really, really angry — meaning, 'Jesus is the way, the truth, the life. No one comes to the father unless they come through him.' A lot of people didn't love that message, but they can deal with it. But they will not deal with you speaking out against the state. They will not deal with it. And what you're really witnessing is an actual you've spoken against their God. You did not bow down to Nebuchadnezzar's idol of gold. And it is the one thing you're not allowed to do. It's just been really amazing to me.

"So a lot the bands, they just don't know what to do," Cooper added. "And when I say 'they,' I mean we're in there too. We just don't know what to do, because you're in an entertainment industry that's largely driven by social media and media at large. And you're not allowed to speak anything against… I mean, you've got RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE telling people that if they don't get a vaccine… RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE has become the machine. It's crazy. I'm, like, wait a minute — I'm the revolutionary here? I'm the revolutionary and RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE is just 'government rock' now. My older brother made up the term 'government rock,' which I find pretty awesome. I think it's pretty great — it's a great way to scoff at someone."

Last month, the Memphis, Tennessee-born Cooper, who lives in Kenosha, Wisconsin, said that COVID-19 vaccine mandates are "much more about tyranny than they are actually keeping people safe."

During the summer, Cooper opened up about his reluctance to wear masks, saying: "The issue of the mask wearing, to me, is nothing more than theater. It is making me jump into an unreality, something that I do not believe, just to acquiesce to either the overlords — overlords meaning government, Big Tech [Editor's note: A name given to the five largest and most dominant companies in the information technology industry of the United States — namely Google (Alphabet), Apple, Facebook, Amazon and Microsoft], big business, big media, whatever — to acquiesce to what they want me to do. Even though I know that it's not true, but I'm gonna play the game. And every time I put my mask on, I know that I'm doing something that I do not believe in. In other words, I'm being forced to lie… I'm being forced to jump into something I don't believe, and I'm living by a lie — I'm living by a lie that this mask is actually gonna keep me safe from all harm. To acquiesce to the government, which says that I'm believing something that I know that I don't believe. So now I'm basically living in a fantasy world. That frightens me. And every time I put that mask on, that's basically what I think. I know I'm doing this, I know it's show, I know it's theater, I know my overlords don't even believe in it, because if they did, they wouldn't be breaking all of their own rules."

Experts have repeatedly said that mRNA vaccines are not new. In fact, they have been in development for decades — since the 1970s— and many mRNA vaccines were in phase 1, 2, and 3 trials before the COVID-19 vaccines were created. According to News Center Maine, messenger RNA vaccines teach our cells how to make a protein that will trigger an immune response inside our bodies. Our cells break down mRNA and get rid of it within a few days after vaccination. As for the vaccines being "experimental," the U.S. FDA and CDC both said Pfizer and Moderna's data were highly scrutinized and that the shots were required to undergo the same testing, trials, and analysis before getting emergency use authorization.

Wearing face masks and coverings is recommended, or in some places mandatory, in public spaces to help stop the spread of COVID-19. But anti-maskers think government orders requiring face coverings in public spaces or those put in place by private businesses violate their constitutional rights.

Studies have shown that masks limit the spread of the coronavirus by blocking respiratory droplets that can travel through the air when someone coughs, sneezes or even just speaks. There is also strong evidence to suggest that masks help protect others from catching the virus from the person wearing the mask.