Arjen Lucassen (Ayreon) is back with a new Star One album, titled Revel In Time. The album comes more than 10 years since the previous release and is due out on February 18 via InsideOutMusic.


The album will be available for pre-order on December 17, and it will come as Ltd. 2CD Digipak, Ltd. Deluxe 3CD+Blu-Ray Artbook (incl. a poster of the cover artwork), and as 180g Gatefold 2LP (incl. the album on CD & an LP-Booklet).


CD2 features alternate versions of the same songs as CD1, but with different vocalists. Also available will be a 5.1 mix, a high-res audio version, and an exclusive, hour-long Behind The Scenes video, on the Blu-ray included in the Artbook.


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For this Star One release, Arjen has decided to use a different singer for each song, and those singers as well as the instrumentalists are slowly being revealed on Arjen’s Facebook page.


Arjen has checked in with the following teaser:


"Roy Khan (Conception, ex-Kamelot) sings the track 'Lost Children Of The Universe' on CD1 of the new Star One album, Revel In Time. Check out this video to hear a part of the song and don’t miss Roy’s video message at the end. Roy is one of the most requested singers by the listeners, I'm really happy that we were finally able to work together!"

Not even a year after their third album Unlocked & Reloaded, Sainted Sinners return with their newest collection of songs under the bands own motto The Essence Of Rock N’ Roll. With their new effort, Taste It, the band continues their creative flow, powered by the great chemistry between the five internationally known and experienced musicians.


The diversity that made their previous album Unlocked & Reloaded stand out within the bands own catalogue is now further evolved on Taste It. The band has released the new single "Against The Odds". Check out the official video below.


Taste It will be released on November 26 as digipack CD and digital streaming/download format and as limited 300 copies Whiskey marbled vinyl on February 25, 2022. Preorder here.


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Twelve Foot Ninja mark the release of the Australian band’s long-awaited third album album, Vengeance (Volkanik Music) with the release of a video for the title track. Check it out below.


Guitarist Stevic Mackay summed up the strange beast that is "Vengeance" as follows:


“There are definitely some ‘80s inspired permeations in the genre permutations, but I think we became clearer on the distinction between ‘songs’ and ‘riffs’; there’s a clear harmonic bone-structure carrying all of the songs.”


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"Vengeance" features a squall of industrial-grade synthesized guitars intercut by a patter of digital beats and a sinewy, Tokyo-tech cabaret feel. The ominous intro builds the tension to an expected crescendo, only to pull it back which forces you to focus on the lyrics….seemingly a deliberate decision aligned with the band’s much talked about prioritization on wordsmithing of this album.





The 10-song album was released in tandem with a high fantasy novel detailing the story of the Twelve Foot Ninja: The Wyvern and The Wolf, from author Nicholas Snelling. The 1000-page book is based on the original concept by MacKay. Set in a grim and savage world, the novel tells the tale of an orphaned samurai boy called Kiyoshi who is adopted by the ruthless leader of a clan of ninja. Much more than a mere origin’s story, however, the novel is a tour de force in fantasy fiction and world-building. The novel is available

Frontiers Music Srl has released Leverage's new album, Above The Beyond. Listen to the song "Falling Out Of Grace" below, and order/save Above The Beyond here.


Leverage continue to showcase their contemporary heavy rock sound on their new album, Above The Beyond, which takes influence from the golden past while still offering their own unique personality. Plenty of ear-catching melodies delivered skillfully with pristine production on the band’s latest album.


"We’re a heavy rock band. Our music has echoes dating back all the way to the '70s, like it always has. On the new album, that heritage is heard louder and clearer than ever before. It has tons of guitars, riffs, choruses, choirs, and solos. All the goods," says guitarist Tuomas Heikkinen of the band's upcoming release. "What makes our trademark sound is the mix of shadow and light, simple and complex, old and modern. And I trust we have now  polished that approach with the Leverage MK 2 line-up."


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"I am happy and proud of everything we’ve ever done. Yet somehow this new album is very special. Musically, I feel we have gone full circle. I sense a lot of the ”Tides” vibes on it, only almost 20 years later. It's all about the music, not trying to fit in a box, not purposely cover some ground, or take steps away from something," he continues.


Leverage first landed on the scene in 2006 with the independent release of their debut album, Tides. With their blend of symphonic metal and melodic hard rock, with some progressive metal twists, they created a buzz on the scene and were signed by Frontiers for the release of their second album, Blind Fire in 2008, before moving to Universal/Spinefarm for their next album, Circus Colossus (2009). The band became inactive not too long after the release of that third album though, sadly leaving fans craving more music from the band.


In 2018, Leverage returned with a new lineup featuring an amazing new singer Kimmo Blom (ex-Urban Tale, Raskasta Joulua) and a new guitar player Mikko Salovaara. They first released an EP, The Devil’s Turn and then a full-length, Determinus. The band showcased that they are still able to cover a pretty wide ground musically. Again, not power metal, not AOR, not thrash. Just great heavy rock with stunning melodies. That same result is also evident on their new record, Above The Beyond.





Tracklisting:


"Starlight"
"Emperor"
"Into The New World"
"Do You Love Me Now"
"Angelica"
"Under His E

Frontiers Music Srl has released French melodic metal band Devoid's second album, Lonely Eye Movement. Watch a video for the song "Man Without Fear" below, and order/save the Lonely Eye Movement album here.


Devoid's second album overall, Lonely Eye Movement is a huge step forward for the band and the perfect vehicle to introduce them to a larger international audience. Coming four years after their debut album, Cup Of Tears, musically, the band develops the melodic and slightly progressive sound of the debut and makes Lonely Eye Movement perfectly suited for fans of hard hitting, but very melodic metal.


Devoid is the brainchild of French guitarist extraordinaire Shad Mae. Combining technical finesse and outstanding arrangements with extremely memorable choruses and hooks, Devoid is rounded out by powerhouse German vocalist Carsten 'Lizard' Schulz (Evidence One, Book of Reflections), guitarist Gwen Kerjan, keyboardist Jorris Guilbaud, bassist Geoffrey Shob Neau, and drummer Benjamin Lesous.  


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Tracklisting:


"Lonely Eye Movement"
"Man Without Fear"
"Impostor"
"Destination Heaven"
"Waiting For The Storm"
"In The Absence Of Holiness"
"Mirror Maze"
"Hands Of Salvation"
"Stroboscope Life"
"Martial Hearts"
"Wood And Wind"


"Man Without Fear" video:





"Martial Hearts":

Brazilian/Dutch death metal unit, Crypta, have released a bass playthrough video for “Dark Night Of The Soul”, the single from their first full-length, Echoes Of The Soul, available via Napalm Records.





A full band playthrough for “Dark Night Of The Soul” can be seen below:


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Echoes Of The Soul was recorded in January 2021 at the Family Mob Studio (Brazil), mixed by Arthur Rizk (Code Orange, Powertrip etc.) and mastered by the famed Jens Bogren (Opeth, Dimmu Borgir, Sepultura etc.). The cover artwork was created by Wes Benscoter, who is internationally famous for his stunning covers for bands such as Slayer, Kreator, Black Sabbath and many more.


Atmospherically dark and threatening, the 55-second intro “Awakening” prepares the listener for the oncoming ferocity of Echoes Of The Soul, dispensing murky, fiery fuel into the death metal machine. Their significant sonic texture derived from various death metal subgenres and traces of classic thrash becomes instantly evident as the album begins, reflective of the entirely vicious, infernal aura the 10-track debut is about to unleash. Crypta unbridle high-powered sonic demons and nourish cumulative, explosive energy with raging guitar riffs, Fernanda Lira’s unmistakable vocal color and Damettos's menacing drums. Tracks like “Starvation”, “Kali” and “Blood Stained Heritage” incite an uncontrollable storm of pure rage and belligerence, while offerings like “Under The Black Wings” and “Dark Night Of the Soul” deliver a message of pure hardness in perilous atmosphere. “Death Arcana” provides its listener further insight into Crypta’s sonic mastery and captivates with sprawling solos reminiscent of earlier times, yet spiced with a modern twist.





Echoes Of The Soul is available in the following formats:


-CD Jewel Case
-1LP Vinyl Gatefold Black
-1LP Vinyl Gatefold Gold – limited to 200 copies worldwide
-1LP Vinyl Gatefold Marbled Orange Transparent Black + Patch – limited to 200 copies worldwide
-Music Cassette black – strictly limited
-Digital Album


Order here.





Echoes Of The Soul tracklisting:


"Awakening"
"

Orthodox has blazed a trail of anger, unease and brokenness that hasn’t merely defined the Nashville, Tennessee-born band but brought hardcore itself to a new, disturbing place. Having torn up the road in the US playing alongside the likes of Kublai Khan, Spite and Knocked Loose, Orthodox takes its next step with their new label home Century Media Records.


With a sound that encompasses the technicality and adroitness of hardcore with the rawness and emotion of influences including Iowa era Slipknot, Korn and System Of A Down, Orthodox distinguished themselves from the outset with the release of 2017’s Sounds Of Loss, released mere months after the band’s formation via Unbeaten Records.





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Commenting on the signing, Orthodox, who is busily working on their third full length record with producer Randy LaBoeuf (Chamber, The Acacia Strain), states: “Hilariously enough, we signed with CM back in early 2020, waiting to unveil the news until the time is right. Now that that time is here, we're beyond ecstatic to share what we've been working on and can't wait to see what kind of impressions we can make with this team behind us.”


Says Century Media Vice President of A&R Mike Gitter: “Orthodox’s second album, Let It Take Its Course, was a complete coming of age for not just the band but a record that took hardcore and metal somewhere fresh and uncomfortably emotional. It’s the sort of record that bleeds with real vulnerability and ho

Sony Music recently announced that Pink Floyd’s A Momentary Lapse Of Reason - Remixed & Updated, will be released on October 29. A new unboxing video can be found below.


Remixed and updated from the original 1987 master tapes for ‘The Later Years’ by Andy Jackson with David Gilmour, assisted by Damon Iddins, the album will be available on Vinyl, CD, DVD, Blu-ray and digitally with Stereo and 5.1 mixes. In addition, for the first time, the album will be presented in 360 Reality Audio, a new immersive music experience that closely mimics the omni-directional soundscape of live musical performance for the listener using Sony’s object-based 360 Spatial Sound technologies. A Momentary Lapse Of Reason will also be released in Dolby Audio and UHD in addition to 360 Reality Audio, all of which will continue with other Pink Floyd releases.


The release of ‘The Later Years’ project in 2019 gave an opportunity for a fresh overview of the A Momentary Lapse Of Reason album, originally released in 1987. By returning to some of Richard Wright's original keyboard takes, and by re-recording new drum tracks with Nick Mason, producers David Gilmour and Bob Ezrin have restored a better creative balance between the three Pink Floyd members.


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David Gilmour: “Some years after we had recorded the album, we came to the conclusion that we should update it to make it more timeless, featuring more of the traditional instruments that we liked and that we were more used to playing. This was something we thought it would benefit from. We also looked for and found some previously unused keyboard parts of Rick’s which helped us to come up with a new vibe, a new feeling for the album."


David reflects on originally recording the album: “Bob Ezrin had worked on The Wall with us back in ’79 and on some solo albums with me. I learnt a lot from Bob and he’s a valuable person to have on board. We started working on pieces of music that I had been writing and, come Christmas, we knew it was going well. One day, I felt this ‘thing’ coming on me that became Sorrow. I wrote five verses one evening. They just flowed out from nowhere in one of those great serendipitous moments that you recognize later as having been very valuable…. I knew that we were on a good roll and that this thing was going to work.”


Nick Mason: “Initially it seemed a bit odd to start re-assembling a record after 35 odd years, but the public’s appetite for alternate views of the same work has undoubtedly increased immeasurably over time. Inevitably the opportunity to revisit earlier work from a period where digital technology was the brave new world became increasingly interesting. There’s little doubt of the advantages in being able to find new elements within the music, or more often uncovering elements that became overwhelmed with all that new science…I think there is an element of taking the album back in time and taking the opportunity to create a slightly more open sound - utilising some of the things we had learned from playing so much of the album live over two massive tours. I enjoyed re-recording drum tracks with unlimited studio time. Momentary Lapse had been recorded under considerable stress and time constraints, and indeed some of the final mixing was done at the same time as rehearsals for the forthcoming tour. It was also nice to have an opportunity to enhance some of Rick’s work. Again, that positive tidal wave of technology just might have provided too many digital opportunities to overwhelm the band feel. Hopefully, that’s one of the benefits of this remix!”





The remixed and updated A Momentary Lapse Of Reason album also features a new album cover using an alternative beds photo by Robert Dowling from the original album cover shoot directed by the late Storm Thorgerson. Echoing the iconic original sleeve the 2021 album artwork is designed and art directed by Aubrey Powell/Hipgnosis and Peter Curzon/StormStudios.


Aubrey Powell explained, “I was looking to update the iconic five hundred beds picture my partner in Hipgnosis, Storm Thorgerson, had designed. On looking through the archives I discovered a version where the sea was encroaching on the set, just before Storm shut down the shot worried he would lose all the beds. I also wanted to make something more of the microlight. There were no shots of the plane in close up, so I hunted one down that was similar but white, and had Peter Curzon retouch the fuselage with the right colouring - red - then strip

Frontiers Music Srl have released The Grandmaster's debut album, Skywards. The Grandmaster sees the pairing of legendary metal guitarist Jens Ludwig (Edguy) together with renowned metal vocalist Nando Fernandes (Sinistra, Brother Against Brother) for the creation of a stunning melodic metal masterpiece.


Order/save Skywards here, and listen to the song, "Dead Bond", below.


Of what inspired his performances on the album, Jens Ludwig says, "The songs were all the inspiration I needed. 'True North' and 'Lunar Waters' were the first songs I heard and they made me wanna participate immediately! In the end, I really felt like I had a great connection with everyone involved, especially with Alessandro [Del Vecchio]. Didn’t need much more. Right time, right place, right songs, right team… it just felt ‘right’ to be a part of it. And it‘s been about time for me…"


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"My inspiration came from the compositions themselves, especially the vocal melodies, where from the first listen I could see that my voice would fit perfectly in all the songs. And this inspiration only grew with each song recorded. I was really moved during this process. Some lyrics also touched me a lot and helped to make my performance really real. Another strong point was the quality of the musicians involved, it really made my job a lot easier," adds vocalist Nando Fernandes.


Continues Fernandes, "I believe that there are variations within the same work, from hard rock to traditional metal, from progressive to melodic metal. The repertoire is not stuck within a single aspect and this is what makes it very interesting for listeners. The variation brings different emotions for each track. I would love to hear this CD myself, if I wasn't part of it. For those who like to listen to songs with strong interpretations, emotional solos, and an aggressive feel, this is a full plate!"


"I guess I would call it melodic metal with all elements this genre has to offer. Diverse and powerful songs featuring an outstanding vocalist," adds Ludwig.


The Grandmaster is another exciting musical project put together by Frontiers President and A&R director, Serafino Perugino. Taking center stage this time is a musical alliance between the outstanding Brazilian singer Nando Fernandes, a vocalist whose style follows in the tradition of the great metal singers of the '80s and '90s (think Ronnie James Dio, Jorn Lande, Russell Allen, etc.) with one of the power metal genre's truly gifted, talented, and stellar guitarists, Edguy's Jens Ludwig.


The end result of this powerful combination is a muscular, melodic metal album which offers a great take on traditional German power metal with strong elements of melody incorporated into the musical mix.


With superb production courtesy of the multi-talented Alessandro Del Vecchio, The Grandmaster's debut album, Skywards is sure to be one of the most talked about me

When Brian Welch, drummer for LA tribute act GayC/DC asked Greta Valenti of LA based Well Hung Heart what song would be fun to play if both bands were to perform together one day, neither of them was thinking that a global pandemic would be the match that lit the fire under their collective behinds to make that happen.


“Greta and I were determined more than ever to do something," says Welch. "We talked about the gut punches both bands took and it made us think that the AC/DC song, ‘It’s A Long Way To The Top (If You Wanna’ Rock ‘N’ Roll)’ summed up what we had just been talking about.”


While a combined live show was halted due to the COVID-19 pandemic, a virtual collaboration was in

Green Lung have released a lyric video for "Upon The Altar", featured on the new album, Black Harvest, out on October 22 via Svart Records. Find the clip below.


Black Harvest will be available on heavy-weight vinyl, CD, and digital formats, and is available to pre-order here.


Green Lung vocalist Tom Templar comments: "After reissuing Woodland Rites we were beset by the plague and the cancellation of our tour schedule. But these events gave us the chance to hide away like hermits in the middle of nowhere and create the definitive soundtrack to the folk horror film in our heads. We are grateful to all our fans for their patience, and we can’t wait to finally bring these songs to life onstage later this year."


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Recorded at Giant Wafer Studios in rural mid-Wales over the course of two weeks with longtime producer Wayne Adams (Petbrick, Big Lad), before being mastered by John Davis at Metropolis (Led Zeppelin, Royal Blood), it’s a more expansive and textured record than anything the band have done before, boasting a cinematic quality and more attention to detail. All samples were sourced from the local countryside and from instruments found in the studio, including the haunting opening vocal of The Harrowing which was recorded on a whim after the band broke into the local church (the organ can be heard creaking in the background).


Picking up where the self-released Woodland Rites left off, on Black Harvest, Green Lung continues to draw inspiration from Britain's rich history of folklore, from witchcraft, and from cultish horror films. Nature - as always - is woven into the fabric of the songs; this time around the album was recorded in late autumn, and the seasonal atmosphere seeped into the music, which is redolent of mists, falling leaves, and the crumbling glory of the Magnificent Seven cemeteries of London, the city the band calls home.





Tracklisting:


“The Harrowing”
“Old Gods”
“Leaders Of The Blind”
“Upon The Altar”

Billy Idol has released a lyric video for "Rita Hayworth", the opening track of his new 4-song EP, The Roadside, out now via Dark Horse Records. Watch the new clip below.


Available on CD, vinyl, and limited edition blue vinyl, the EP can be pre-ordered here.






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FEVER 333 drummer Aric Improta played his first show with KORN Friday night (October 15) at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. He is filling in for regular KORN drummer Ray Luzier, who is sitting out three of the band's concerts after testing positive for COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus.

Improta will play with KORN again tonight (Saturday, October 16) at Save Mart Center in Fresno, California and again on Monday (October 18) at Oakland Arena in Oakland, California before Luzier's anticipated return on October 22 at the Banc Of California Stadium in Los Angeles, California.

Luzier is the third member of KORN to miss shows on the band's current tour after being diagnosed with COVID-19. Last month, guitarist James "Munky" Shaffer sat out several dates and was temporarily replaced by J.R. Bareis, who is also in the band LOVE AND DEATH with KORN guitarist Brian "Head" Welch. Bareis previously stepped in for Shaffer in August 2019 when Munky was forced to miss several KORN shows due to the impending birth of his child. In early August, singer Jonathan Davis contracted the virus, forcing the postponement of six dates and cancelation of two on KORN's U.S. tour.

At some of KORN's shows, Davis had been taking a seat on a custom throne near the drum riser due to lingering effects of his bout with COVID-19. In video footage of KORN's August 27 concert in Tinley Park, Illinois — his first gig back after revealing his positive diagnosis — Davis could be seen walking slowly around the stage, coughing and appearing to take a minute to catch his breath. According to TMZ, Davis also took occasional hits from an oxygen tank set up near this throne.

Bareis was not the only session musician to play with KORN on the current tour. Bassist Roberto "Ra" Díaz (SUICIDAL TENDENCIES) is filling in for Reginald "Fieldy" Arvizu after Fieldy announced in June that he would sit out the trek in order to "heal" after "falling back" on some of his "bad habits."

Fan-filmed video footage of Bruce Dickinson belting out an a cappella version of the IRON MAIDEN song "The Writing On The Wall", the first single from the band's latest album, "Senjutsu", during his October 16 spoken-word show in London, England can be seen below.

Earlier this month, Dickinson spoke to Pablo of the Minneapolis, Minnesota radio station 93X about his current spoken-word tour, which kicked off in his native United Kingdom in August. "It's hopefully reasonably amusing," Bruce said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET). "It's a look at how a spotty kid from the middle of nowhere ended up being the singer in IRON MAIDEN wearing crazy trousers, and all points in between. And it covers the cancer thing. It covers a lot of the early-days stuff, like how I learned to sing, all the weird stuff that happened to me at school and what formed your personality [and] character — all done with a very dark sense of humor, I hope. And then we take a break, and then the last 45 minutes, one hour-ish is basically improv. And so what I do is I take cue cards from the audience they write on the night, and I arrange them into kind of an improv script. Then I do that. That's the show."

Asked if there is a chance that he could bring his current spoken-word tour to the U.S. in the not-too-distant future, Bruce said: "The answer to that is we haven't actually done the press release yet and tickets aren't on sale yet, but there's a possibility of around about 35 shows in the depth of winter… So, I'm just saying that, I'm raising that possibility, I'm flagging that up so people can get their winter woolies out and think how they're gonna get to the middle of nowhere when it's raining and snowing. Just pretend you're a postman."

Back in October/November 2017, Dickinson read from his autobiography, "What Does This Button Do?", talked about the experience of writing it and answered questions from the audience at half a dozen U.S. appearances, including in New York City and Los Angeles.

Dickinson is considered one of the world's most storied musicians. Aside from decades spent delivering high-octane performances with his larger-than-life persona in IRON MAIDEN, Bruce has lived an extraordinary off-stage existence too. A true polymath, his accomplishments include: pilot and airline captain, aviation entrepreneur, beer brewer, motivational speaker, film scriptwriter, twice-published novelist and Sunday Times best-selling author, radio presenter, TV actor, sports commentator and international fencer… to name but a few. So there's plenty to be entertained by, throughout the evening's cornucopia of fascinating tales and derring-do exploits, all delivered by Bruce with characteristically infectious enthusiasm and wry wit.

Split into two parts, the first section of the show sees Bruce taking a humorous and often satirical look at the world from his own very personal perspective, treating the audience to private insights into his drive and ambition, peppered with plenty of MAIDEN anecdotes, and a myriad of other experiences encompassing not just the giddy heights but also the extreme lows, as told first-hand in his inimitable anarchic style, punctuated with photographs, videos and sometimes even erupting into song a-capella, to illustrate a point.

The final section of the evening is devoted entirely to the aforementioned question-and-answer session, with the opportunity to pose questions on any subject whatsoever. As Bruce's answers will all be completely improvised — the more left-field and quirky the question, the more interesting and compelling the response is likely to be.

Six years ago, Dickinson had surgery to remove a cancerous lump on his throat. The rocker, who had a golf gall-size tumor on his tongue and another in the lymph node on the right side of his neck, got the all-clear in May 2015 after radiation and nine weeks of chemotherapy.

Bruce previously told iNews that he wanted to cover his cancer battle in his 2017 autobiography to raise awareness of the condition, which affects people who often have no or minimal history of tobacco or alcohol abuse. The individuals with HPV-related oropharyngeal cancer who undergo treatment have a disease-free survival rate of 85 to 90 percent over five years. Dickinson also expressed disdain for some of the media outlets that suggested he may have gotten tongue cancer from performing oral sex on women.

IRON MAIDEN's 17th studio album, "Senjutsu", was released on September 3 via BMG. The band's first LP in six years was recorded in 2019 in Paris with longstanding producer Kevin Shirley and co-produced by bassist Steve Harris.

To celebrate MACHINE HEAD's 30th anniversary, fan Anas Al-Ethawi teamed up with some of his fellow fans from around the world to put together a video of what the San Francisco Bay Area metal band means to them. The resulting 19-minute video has been uploaded to MACHINE HEAD's official YouTube channel and can be seen below.

Says MACHINE HEAD: "We are blown away by the sentiment, love and time taken by everyone involved to create this video and it was, quite frankly, a little overwhelming to watch. We feel so honored to have the Head Cases in this video, and hundreds of thousands more like them around the globe, in our corner. Thank you all for your support over these last 30 years and beers up for many more to come!"

On October 12, 1991 at the Oakland, California "Day On The Green" concert, a young Robb Flynn stood watching METALLICA perform the "Black" album for the first time and made the decision to start and mastermind his own band. Originally intended to be just a side project, after paying his dues in the underground Bay Area thrash scene as lead guitarist in both FORBIDDEN and VIO-LENCE, by February '92 MACHINE HEAD would become Flynn's full-time project and under his stewardship grew to become a worldwide force in metal.

Now some 30 years later, MACHINE HEAD is recognized as one of metal's most influential and pioneering bands, with countless sold-out world tours, gold and silver records, Grammy nominations, hundreds of millions of streams and over four million records sold under their belt, and that's without even mentioning their legions of devoted fans worldwide, affectionately known as "Head Cases."

Says singer/guitarist Robb Flynn: "Thank you so much to the friends, tourmates and brothers and sisters in metal, that contributed to this. We are beyond grateful, genuinely humbled, and honored by your words. To all the bandmembers past and present who contributed riffs, ideas, melodies and lyrics, thank you for everything you brought and bring to the table. To Tony Costanza, who I wish was here to celebrate this moment with us, rest in power. Massive respect to the Head Cases that have fought side by side with us, stood with us through thick and thin, and believed for 30 years. We love you crazy motherfuckers."

This past June, MACHINE HEAD released the "Arrows In Words From The Sky" single. Featuring the tracks "Become The Firestorm", "Rotten" and "Arrows In Words From The Sky", the effort was recorded at Sharkbite Studios in Oakland, California. Joining Flynn and MACHINE HEAD bassist Jared MacEachern during the sessions were drummer Navene Koperweiss (ENTHEOS, WHITECHAPEL, ANIMALS AS LEADERS) and producer Zack Ohren.

In November 2020, MACHINE HEAD released a new single, "My Hands Are Empty", via Nuclear Blast. The song marked the first musical collaboration between Flynn and original "Burn My Eyes" guitarist Logan Mader in 24 years.

"My Hands Are Empty" was just one in a line of singles to be released by MACHINE HEAD, which issued "Do Or Die" in October 2019, "Circle The Drain" in February 2020, and the two-song digital single "Civil Unrest", consisting of "Stop The Bleeding" and "Bulletproof", in June 2020. "Stop The Bleeding" featured guest vocals from KILLSWITCH ENGAGE frontman Jesse Leach, and was written and recorded just days after the murders of George Floyd and Ahmaud Arbery.

Four months ago, MACHINE HEAD announced that it was abandoning plans to resume its "Burn My Eyes" 25th-anniversary tour now that the pandemic is slowing down. Flynn said that the "Burn My Eyes" tour, which saw him and MacEachern play the band's classic debut album in its entirety for the first time ever, with original "Burn My Eyes"-era drummer Chris Kontos and Mader joining in, would not pick up at such a time as MACHINE HEAD can continue touring. Flynn also confirmed that MacEachern is still a member of MACHINE HEAD alongside new recruits, guitarist Wacław "Vogg" Kiełtyka (DECAPITATED) and British drummer Matt Alston

SYSTEM OF A DOWN played the songs "Protect The Land" and "Genocidal Humanoidz" live for the very first time during its October 15 concert at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. Front-row fan-filmed video footage of the performance can be seen below.

"Protect The Land" and "Genocidal Humanoidz" are the only two songs the Los Angeles-based outfit has managed to record since ending its hiatus in 2011. Released last November, the tracks were motivated by the recently erupted conflict between Artsakh and Azerbaijan, with all proceeds supporting humanitarian efforts in SYSTEM OF A DOWN's ancestral homeland of Armenia. Along with other donations from fans on their social pages, they have raised over $600,000.

This past April, SYSTEM OF A DOWN singer Serj Tankian once again spoke about his band's inability to record a full-length follow-up to its "Mezmerize" and "Hypnotize" LPs, which came out in 2005. Asked by Consequence Of Sound whether it was rewarding recording the aforementioned two songs with SYSTEM, Serj said: "Honestly, I'm extremely proud of us getting together for our people and the cause, at a time where Azerbaijan and Turkey not only attacked Armenians in Artsakh with military equipment, but they also attacked the Armenian nation with disinformation around the world, using caviar diplomacy over the years. Azerbaijan bought off a lot of politicians and they tried to create false parody in journalism and in the media — and it succeeded for a little while. So, I'm proud to say that our songs coming out, especially the video for 'Protect The Land', really kind of bit into that all in one day — just kind of boom, let the world know that these are people living on their own indigenous land, they're being attacked, they're trying to protect their families, and they're dying because you got the second largest NATO ally Turkey basically attacking them along with Azerbaijan — both dictatorships attacking a democratic, progressive, first Christian nation society."

He later added: "So, I'm really proud of the work that we've done with SYSTEM OF A DOWN, and it does give me hope that one day we might be able to get it together and do something again together. I think we were able to do it because we were able to put aside our philosophies and our creative differences even, and just go, 'Who's got a song that'll work?,' because at this point it's just a weapon for truth and not about us. And it worked."

In 2018, SYSTEM guitarist/vocalist Daron Malakian publicly accused Tankian of not wanting to record, with Tankian responding that creative and financial issues with Malakian led to the stalemate. In a message on Facebook, Tankian wrote that Malakian wanted to control SYSTEM's creative process, take more of the publishing money and be the only band member to speak to the press.

In a recent interview with Guitar World magazine, Malakian was asked about the chances of more new music from SYSTEM OF A DOWN in the near future. He responded: "I never say never, but at the same time, I'm not expecting to do any more with SYSTEM OF A DOWN right away or immediately after [these two songs]. It really does seem like our fans like these new songs. That's important to me."

He continued: "We've added two new songs to the SYSTEM catalog that are on the level with everything else that we've put out and our fans have accepted it that way, which means a lot to me. That's kinda where we're gonna leave it for now. If more happens later on, then we'll talk about that, but for now I will continue doing what I'm doing and everyone else will just continue what they're doing. It's all cool though, I'm really pleased with the response we got."

Andréa Meyer, the German recording artist, writer, actress and model who released several albums under the Nebelhexë moniker, is one of five people who were killed in a bow-and-arrow attack in a quiet Norwegian town earlier this week. She was 52 years old.

Espen Andersen Braathen, a 37-year-old Danish citizen, was arrested Wednesday night (October 13), after he began his deadly rampage targeting random people at a supermarket and other locations in Kongsberg, where he lived.

Brathen, a Muslim convert, has been detained in a medical facility pending psychiatric evaluation.

Police inspector Per Thomas Omholt described Brathen as "'not very social" and told the media that "all the indications are that he chose his victims at random" and acted alone.

Although Brathen allegedly posted a video to social media in 2017 in which he issued a "warning" and declared his Muslim faith, Omholt told reporters that "the thinking is that he did not take [the conversion] very seriously. By this we mean that he did not follow or practice the traditions that are common in this culture and religion," the inspector said.

Last year, a court reportedly granted a restraining order for Braathen to stay away from his parents for six months after he threatened to kill one of them. He is also said to have a conviction for burglary and drug possession.

Meyer, who also lived in Kongsberg, was previously married to EMPEROR guitarist Tomas "Samoth" Haugen, with whom she shared a daughter, Alva.

Under the Nebelhexë banner, Andréa released three albums: "Laguz - Within The Lake", "Essensual" and "Dead Waters". She was also a writer of thought-provoking articles about the darker aspects of human nature, animalistic instincts and other esoteric/taboo subjects which became quite popular in the alternative and metal music scenes. In addition, she wrote a book about the understanding of northern myths, traditions and goddess worship. She had a column in a Norwegian gothic magazine called "Seriously - The Things That Irritate Nebelhexë".

Originally looking at a model career in London, Andréa soon quit that "shallow scene" in search of dares, pure life and the human spirit. Always shocked by human ignorance and apathy, and always spiritual, mystical and with a deep connection to animals, she found her kindred spirits in diverse magical and esoteric circles and soon after enchanted and impressed the elite of the "left hand path". Exploring her fascination for the "dark and animalistic" a wee bit further, she got involved with Anton La Vey's church, became a fetish model and a known act with notorious artistic performances (such as CRADLE OF FILTH shows).

Andréa started to express herself through music, and under the name of Nebelhexë, she initially made an impact with the obscure, ghostly dark ambient music project AGHAST, which was released in 1994. Then she took a big detour and explored pagan folk music elements with HAGALAZ' RUNEDANCE before she "came back to herself again." Andréa also made guest appearances on CRADLE OF FILTH's "The Principle Of Evil Made Flesh" and SATYRICON's "Nemesis Divina" albums.

Former MORBID ANGEL frontman David Vincent was among the fellow musicians who paid tribute to Meyer in the wake of her passing. He wrote on social media: "Sad to learn that my friend was amongst those senselessly murdered in Norway terror attack. She was a beautiful, creative artist and she will be missed dearly. Goodbye for now Andrea".

CRADLE OF FILTH wrote: "R.I.P. Andrea Meyer.

"Andrea guested on our debut album 'The Principle Of Evil Made Flesh' and also modelled and danced for us onstage as well as presiding over ritual back in our formative years.

"She will be sadly missed and our deep felt love and sympathies go out to her kith and kin."


































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Sad to learn that my friend was amongst those senselessly murdered in Norway terror attack. She was a beautiful, creative artist and she will be missed dearly. Goodbye for now Andrea

Posted by Official David Vincent on Saturday, October 16, 2021



Andrea Meyer. You created pagan inspired music, 15 years before everyone else thought it was cool. Rest in peace, old friend ?.

Posted by Mortiis on Saturday, October 16, 2021