OVERKILL singer Bobby "Blitz" Ellsworth spoke to Talking Metal about the progress of the recording sessions for the band's new album. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Drums tracks are done. Guitar tracks are filtering in. Obviously, during Peter Pandemic, we are a little bit removed from each other. But I think that everybody's making the effort. I mean, yesterday I spent the whole day with Jason Bittner, our wonderful drummer. He drove down from Albany, New York to hang out with me and have lunch because I had [my 62nd] birthday a couple of weeks ago and he wanted to see me. He goes, 'Man, I just haven't seen you in so long.' So I think that there's still that camaraderie that we have, even during these trying times. And I've seen the other guys here and there."

Regarding the musical direction of the new OVERKILL material, Blitz said: "Does it have a vibe? Sure, it sounds like OVERKILL. Are we a thrash band? Sure, we're a thrash band.

"Some people will tell you, 'Oh, Jeez, every OVERKILL record's the same.' From the inside, the nuances are always different to me," he explained. "There's always a bit of rock and roll, there's always a bit of punk, there's always a bit of melody, it's devoid of melody, there's harmonies — et cetera, et cetera, et cetera.

"So what is this record gonna be? I think it's gonna be the next logical step. Because regardless of the fact that our next tour will be playing senior citizens' homes around the country, we obviously still think we're viable. And that's what makes you valuable in the day — is that you still think you have it. So we're not mailing anything in. We're going for it — full bore, balls out, let's do it."

Last November, OVERKILL bassist D.D. Verni told MetalAsylum.net that the band's new LP would be mixed by Colin Richardson. "He did a couple of records for us, and he's great," Verni said.

Richardson previously worked with OVERKILL on 1997's "From The Underground And Below", 2000's "Bloodletting" and 2003's "Killbox 13".

Last June, Ellsworth told A&P Reacts that OVERKILL's new songs were "a natural progression from 'The Grinding Wheel' [2017] and 'The Wings Of War' [2019]. It think when we had done the 'Ironbound' record [2010], it almost became like a trilogy in there — it was kind of like 'Ironbound', 'The Electric Age' [2012] and 'White Devil Armory' [2014], and they seemed to be the Father, Son and the Holy Ghost kind of a thing," he said. "I think we kind of broke the mold a little bit with 'The Grinding Wheel', and then I think a little bit more with 'The Wings Of War'. And on this one, I see it way more. And what I mean by that is that we've used other tools from our toolshed in the past, and that's the slow grind that is coupled with that fast gallop. So it feels like a natural progression, but maybe two records ahead of what 'The Wings Of War' is. And that's probably as objective as I can be."

OVERKILL spent most of 2019 and early 2020 touring in support of its 19th studio LP, "The Wings Of War", which was released more than two years ago. The disc was recorded at Gear Recording Studio in New Jersey, SKH Studio in Florida and Jrod Productions with engineering handled by Verni and guitarist Dave Linsk. The album was produced by the band while Chris "Zeuss" Harris took care of the mixing and mastering. Travis Smith (NEVERMORE, OPETH, SOILWORK, DEATH) was again enlisted to create the artwork for the album.

"The Wings Of War" marked OVERKILL's recording debut with Bittner (SHADOWS FALL, FLOTSAM AND JETSAM), who joined the band in 2017.

In a new interview with Jason Saulnier, Tommy Clufetos was asked if he ever finds himself looking back on the fact that he played drums for BLACK SABBATH on the legendary heavy metal band's final tour. "I always feel blessed that I was lucky, I was honored to play with those guys 'cause they're a great musicians," he said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET). "But I don't look at it as — I was never a member. Once a gig's over, a gig's over. So I don't really live in the past concerning that; I always have to plow forward — as does everybody. I can't look back. I can appreciate it — that's not saying I don't appreciate it — but I'm also not gonna dwell on I played with BLACK SABBATH one time, because then you're living in the past. I've got many more years to move forward to continue my career and pay my bills. It doesn't mean that I don't love what I do, but it is my job, and it's my craft, and it's an ongoing thing to me. So that was that gig, and that ended, and now it's, what do you do next? It's always that."

He continued: "Every tour ends; every band ends eventually… To me, it's work. To, that works to me. And I'm working to be better, and I'm working to get better. Hopefully I'm a better drummer than [I was] then. And it's always been the process; I'm always chipping away at the stone. And my drums are right there. And after I get done with these interviews, I will go right there and play and see what else comes out of me going right there and playing. 'Cause everything has come out of me sitting at the drums trying to be the best that I can be."

Clufetos did not play on the SABBATH reunion album, "13", a role that was filled by RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE drummer Brad Wilk. Ozzy Osbourne told The Pulse Of Radio at the time that Clufetos was gong to play on the record until producer Rick Rubin stepped in.

Although original BLACK SABBATH drummer Bill Ward was initially announced as part of the reunion in late 2011, he dropped out within a couple of months, saying he was offered an "unsignable" contract.

The members of SABBATH were reportedly concerned that Ward's health would not hold up on the road and allegedly asked him to accept the use of a second drummer on tour, which he refused.

Clufetos's new band TOMMY'S ROCKTRIP, where he offers his take on the rock 'n roll influences that made him one of the most sought-after drummers in the current hard rock scene, released its debut album, "Beat Up By Rock 'N' Roll", on May 7 via Frontiers Music Srl. Eric Dover, known for singing and playing guitar with JELLYFISH, SLASH'S SNAKEPIT and Alice Cooper, handles lead vocals on the LP (though Tommy grabs the mic for three tracks). Eliot Lorengo (bass), Hank Schneekluth (guitar) and Nao Nakashima (guitar) round out the supporting cast.

Legendary hard rock bassist Rudy Sarzo (OZZY OSBOURNE, QUIET RIOT) spoke to Two Doods Reviews about what made iconic guitarist Randy Rhoads's approach to heavy metal riffing and guitar soloing so unique. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "[Randy] was the most rocking, and by rocking, I mean he had metal. He had metal before metal was actually what we know metal as today. He was one of the pioneers of many metal genres just because of the style of playing rhythm guitar and harmonic construction of his compositions. So, he was a wonderful combination of the really schooled musician — music theory; he knew how to read [music]. [That was] very rare. 'Cause remember, most musicians, we — including myself — I was originally inspired to become a musician because I did not come from a musical family, like Randy did, but this was a way to meet girls. So it wasn't until later on that I really gave myself a musical education, and I went to college and studied music and so on. But Randy was raised in a music education family — his mom started a school called Musonia that's still operating today. It's in North Hollywood, California — in the L.A. area. So that's what he knew. He wasn't doing it because of the girls; he was doing it because that's the way he was raised. It was in his genes, his DNA. His brother is a musician also, Kelle, and mom and dad, and all of that. So this was his world, and that made him very, very unique in a world where, let's say, outside of Eddie Van Halen and maybe a couple of other guitar players who were mostly known for being session musicians, we were just rockers. Not necessarily very well educated [in] music theory outside of what rock and roll is all about. We knew rock, and we had a passion for rock. Randy was more than that."

It was announced earlier this month that Rhoads will be inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame this fall. The iconic guitarist, who played in Ozzy's band four decades ago, will receive the Musical Excellence Award at this year's induction ceremony, which will be held at Cleveland, Ohio's Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse on October 30.

The Musical Excellence Award is given to artists, musicians, songwriters and producers whose originality and influence creating music have had a dramatic impact on music.

Rhoads played on Osbourne's seminal records "Blizzard Of Ozz" (1980) and "Diary Of A Madman" but tragically died in a plane crash when he was just 25 years old, on March 19, 1982. He influenced many musicians and is considered one of the greatest guitartists of all time. His death was a huge shock to the world and Ozzy wrote in his autobiography "I Am Ozzy" that he almost quit music after Randy's passing.

The Rock Hall induction ceremony will be broadcast on HBO Max and streamed on HBO Max at a later date.

Guitarist Daniel "Chewy" Mongrain of Canadian metal innovators VOIVOD spoke to The Metal Voice about the progress of the songwriting sessions for the band's follow-up to 2018's "The Wake" album. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "We're still in the writing process. Things have been a little bit slower since we had to learn the whole albums again [for the VOIVOD full-album livestreams]. So we're still sharing files and trying to catch up and put more time into it. We hope to go into the studio and start recording this fall, but it's hard to tell. I think the situation will get better and maybe we'll have a chance to meet more often and jam together; that's where the magic happens, usually. But we've learned to work in this context as well. And that's cool, because I received a bunch of tracks from [drummer] Away, who is programming drums in Logic [audio software] with his computer, and it sounded exactly like Away's playing. I was super impressed, because sometimes when you use a computer, it kind of sounds square. But everything was perfect. So it's really fun to do. It's a different way. So it's gonna bring it different ideas, I think, if we welcome it in a creative way."

Regarding the musical direction of the new VOIVOD material, Mongrain said: "[It's] hard to tell at the moment, but personally, I feel like [injecting] a little bit more thrashy [elements and] some dirtiness, so to speak, to the sound. Comlpexity has always been part of my influence in songwriting — I don't know what's the problem with me, but it's always there, so I'm not worrying about that side. But maybe [make it] a bit less polished and more rock and roll, I guess."

On May 30, VOIVOD will perform its "Nothingface" album for the first time ever as part of the "Hypercube Session 2" livestream event. The date also coincides with Michel "Away" Langevin's 58th birthday. "Hypercube Session 3" will feature the classic "Dimension Hatröss" album and will stream on June 27.

Both shows will be available for 48 hours after the initial broadcast. Don’t miss these unique performances by one of metal's most acclaimed and innovative bands. The exclusive event will include an afterparty live chat with the band hosted by "Vox&Hops".

Ticket options for each session are available for purchase below:

* Purchase "Hypercube Session 2" featuring "Nothingface" here.

* Purchase "Hypercube Session 3" featuring "Dimension Hatröss" here.

* Purchase "Hypercube Session 2" and "Hypercube Session 3" bundle here.

VOIVOD released a new live album, "Lost Machine - Live", in November via Century Media Records. The disc was recorded in Québec City during the worldwide touring cycle for "The Wake".

Last summer, VOIVOD released a new three-track 12-inch vinyl and digital EP titled "The End Of Dormancy" via Century Media Records. The EP is centered around a special "Metal Section" version of the title track (off VOIVOD's latest album, "The Wake") with added trumpets, saxophone and trombones. The complementary songs on this release are exclusive live versions of "The End Of Dormancy (Metal Section)" and the group's classic "The Unknown Knows", recorded at Montreal Jazz Fest 2019.

"The End Of Dormancy" EP came with artwork by Langevin and is available on 180-fram 12-inch vinyl.

"The Wake" was released in September 2018 via Century Media Records. The disc was recorded and mixed by Francis Perron. The album's artwork was once again created by Away.

Dutch death metal legends, Pestilence, have completed their instrumental rundown of "Morbvs Propagationem". In this final playthrough video (and in anticipation of a new single coming out soon) they present Rutger van Noordenbvrg's guitar part. The track is taken from the band's upcoming album Exitivm, out June 25 via Agonia Records.

Check out the previous bass, guitar, and drum playthrough videos for "Morbvs Propagationem":

A new album, on a new label armed with a whole new lineup and a new dynamic: no matter what, Pestilence - or more specifically their maestro Patrizio Mameli - is like the phoenix, rising from the ashes, over and over again. An official website has been launched for Exitivm, providing access to all relevant information surrounding the new album, here.

Back in 1986, in the small town of Enschede in the Netherlands, nearby the German border, a true metal phenomenon was born. More than three decades later, not only is Pestilence alive and well, but about to once again reaffirm their place in the extreme metal pantheon, with their ninth studio album entitled Exitivm, which is Latin for "total destruction".

As controversial as he can be to some, nobody will ever deny the band’s undisputable driving force, Patrizio Mameli, and his constant ability to reinvent himself. Unlike most of the bands in the scene, Pestilence just keeps evolving. From the raging thrash leanings of their cult 1988 debut Malleus Maleficarum to the jazz-infused versatility of 1993’s Spheres or 2009’s Resurrection Macabre frontal assault, not to mention the fans’ favorite and Scott Burns-produced Testimony Of The Ancients from 1991, he never did the same record twice. No matter who playes with him on any Pestilence album, Mameli always gets the best out of the musicians he is working with. But first and foremost, the man has a one-of-a-kind vision, instantly recognizable style and yet always stretching musical boundaries. And it’s never more true than on Exitivm.  

After a vast reissue campaign in between 2015 and 2018 and an acclaimed new album Hadeon, the band got seemingly stopped in their mission to conquer the death metal scene in early 2020, like everybody else, by the global pandemic, going as far as forcing some of the band’s Hadeon line-up members to drop the towel. But what doesn’t kill you only makes you stronger and instead of letting that whole situation drag him down, Mameli chose to do the exact opposite and write the best and darkest album possible to date. And he just did that. With its ambitious lyrical concept about "global domination", "induced mental illness", "inner and outer demons" and  malicious external entities, Exitivm is propelling the band one again to the forefront of the death metal movement with yet another original and brilliant artistic overhaul.

Mind you, as soon as you’re past the very cinematic introduction "In Omnibvs", you’re instantly caught up by "Morbvs Propagationem" whose intense riffing will take back to the Testimony days. Except that their core sound has been revived, with now extra layers of ominous soundscapes ingeniously suggesting an atmosphere of suspence and horror, boosted by Mameli’s jazz-fusion impressive solo works and a renewed sense of urgency. This rejuvenation, with emphasis on "new musical landscapes but also sick and twisted riffs" as stated by Mameli himself, is no accident though. Not only has Mameli been extremely inspired by the turmoil humanity had to face since March 2020 but with a line-up once again, entirely based in the Netherlands and made up of only super-seasoned players – besides former Dew Scented and Creepmime Joost van der Graaf on bass and Bleeding Gods’ Rutger van Noordenburg on lead guitar, former God Dethroned Michiel van der Plicht joined on drums last year – Pestilence is more than ever a BAND where everybody feeds off of each other's musical talent. And it definitely shows.

With the exception of the drums - tracked down by van der Plicht himself at his home studio - the album was recorded over a period of two months in between June and August 2020 at Pitchnote Productions. The album has been produced, like all Pestilence albums, by Mameli and is co produced, recorded, mixed and mastered by Jory Hogeveen (Shinigami and Ancient Rites). Last March, the band filmed their second ever official video – three decades after Land Of Tears – for the song "Morbvs Propagationem". Exitivm will be available in various formats, including supra-limited picture, pin-wheel, "firebreath" and clear vinyl versions. The cover artwork once again brought the band’s iconic sphere and was done by Michal "Xaay" Loranc, known for his various cover for Nile, God Detheroned or Evocation and who had already worked on "Hadeon".

Both a reinvention and a confirmation of everything the band has been standing for since 1986, thirty-five years later Pestilence are more than ever breaking new grounds and exploring the further outposts of the extreme metal sound on Exitivm.

Formats:

- Jewelcase CD
- Digi CD
- Box CD
- Black LP
- Ultra Clear LP
- Blood Vanilla LP*
- Picture LP**
- Pinwheel LP***
- Firebreath LP***
- Digital

* Bandcamp exclusive
** With antistatic all-print slipmat only at Agonia Webshop
*** Agonia Webshop exclusive

Pre-order here.

Tracklisting:

"In Omnibvs" (Intro)
"Morbvs Propagationem"
"Deificvs"
"Sempiternvs"
"Internicionem"
"Mortifervm"
"Dominatvi Svbmissa"
"Pericvlvm Externvm"
"Inficiat"
"Exitivm"
"Immortvos"
"Personatvs Mortem" (Outro)

"Morbvs Propagationem" video:

Lineup:

Patrizio Mameli - vocals, lead guitars
Rvtger van Noordenbvrg - lead guitars
Joost van den Berg - bass
Michiel van der Plicht - drums

(Photo - Marc van Peski)




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Arizona's Go Ahead And Die will release their self-titled debut album on June 11 via Nuclear Blast Records. Go Ahead And Die is a raw, urgent, unrelenting, thrillingly shocking, and vibrant new band.

Born from the mind of a creative writer and musician Igor Amadeus Cavalera of Healing Magic and extreme metal icon, and Soulfly leader Max Cavalera. Go Ahead And Die's tempos are wild, with contempt for modern social ills palpable, its riffs monstrous and captivating. They make angry, spiteful, utterly engaging, spirited extreme music for increasingly extreme times.

In this new trailer, Igor discusses how his father influenced his metal career:

The self-titled debut sees Max and Igor splitting guitar and vocal duties, with utter madman style drumming from Zach Coleman of the blistering Black Curse and critically-acclaimed Khemmis. It sounds like a relic from the glory days of thrash, proto-death metal, and filthy rotten punk, the kind of band that would inspire a teenaged thrasher in 1987 to carve the G.A.A.D. logo into a school desk.

Pre-order the new album here. Pre-save here.

Tracklisting:

"Truckload Full Of Bodies"
"Toxic Freedom"
"I.C.E. Cage"
"Isolated/Desolated"
"Prophet's Prey"
"Punisher"
"El Cuco"
"G.A.A.D."
"Worth Less Than Piss"
"(In The) Slaughterline"
"Roadkill"

"Roadkill" lyric video:

"Toxic Freedom" video:

"Truckload Full Of Bodies" video:




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Former ANTHRAX frontman Neil Turbin spoke to MetalAsylum.net about how his songwriting approach has evolved in the four decades since he sang on the band's classic debut album, 1984's "Fistful Of Metal". He said (as transcribed by BLABERMOUTH.NET): "For me, in heavy metal, the place that I see myself, really, is with the progressive power side and the thrash side. So it brings a melodic intelligence to the thrash side. Because thrash is cool, and I know I was part of bringing thrash to become a genre — that was part of what I contributed to — but, for me, it's always been about having something that you can walk away from and remember how the song goes and have a melody. And when you don't have a melody, you just have riffs that don't really — it doesn't connect; it's just a million different riffs. My job was to connect those riffs and to bring the melody together."

He continued: "When I was a co-writer on 'Fistful Of Metal' and I came up with all the songtitles and all the ideas for what the songs were about, what all of these arrangements were gonna be, how they could fit it together — they weren't just some riffs that maybe they fit, maybe they didn't — I couldn't do that in the rehearsal studio, because it was so loud and it wasn't a fellowship type of thing. It was, like, hey, they're gonna go in there and blast their amps as loud as they can and turn it up and get their guitar jollies out. I mean, yeah, I understand. And that's what bass players like to do, and drummers too — they wanna go out there and play and get their aggressions out. We would play these two sets every night, or three sets, but we really didn't connect on the songwriting. They had an idea, or they brought it into rehearsal, but it was really hard for me to kind of sit down on the drum riser and try to write out lyrics. So I had to do that on my own — I had to take it back to my lab at home. I had to take it back to my home studio — and at that time, it wasn't a home studio; it was my desk for school [laughs] at home."

ANTHRAX has had a number of vocalists — including Turbin, Joey Belladonna, Dan Nelson and John Bush — over the last 40 years, with guitarist Scott Ian and drummer Charlie Benante remaining the sole bandmembers who have appeared on every one of the group's studio albums.

Turbin sang on ANTHRAX's debut LP, 1984's "Fistful Of Metal", before getting booted and being replaced by Belladonna. Belladonna performed on four ANTHRAX albums, including the fan favorite "Among The Living" (1987) before he himself was fired over creative and stylistic differences. Bush fronted ANTHRAX between 1992 and 2005 but was sidelined when the band reunited with Belladonna for a 20th-anniversary tour. When that collapsed, and relationships disintegrated with next frontman Nelson, Bush returned for a time before Belladonna took the job back in 2010.

Turbin performed and recorded with ANTHRAX on the original demo recordings and "Fistful Of Metal". He wrote the lyrics to all songs on that LP with exception of the cover of Alice Cooper's "I'm Eighteen", and also has writing credits on five of the seven songs on the band's "Armed And Dangerous" EP, as well as two songs on "Spreading The Disease".

Photo courtesy of Ultimate Jam Night

JANE'S ADDICTION and PORNO FOR PYROS frontman Perry Farrell has released "Mend", the new single from his KIND HEAVEN ORCHESTRA project. Working with friends Taylor Hawkins (FOO FIGHTERS), Elliot Easton (THE CARS) and David Bryan (BON JOVI) made this song special for Farrell.

Written with Hawkins, "Mend" addresses the relationship of a mutual friend falling apart. Lyrics like "I want to be with her again. In lovers' clouds, my head surrounded. Oh, that's the only way, I must see her again. So my broken heart can mend," shed light on his heartbreak.

Farrell says of his motivation: "I've tried to reach through his ribcage and examine the heart of a good friend. Tried to empathize with what he was going through. I tried to mend my friend."

This release comes in the wake of the compilation of Perry Farrell's work (outside of JANE'S ADDICTION and PORNO FOR PYROS) in his box set "The Glitz: The Glamour", which was released January 2021. More PORNO FOR PYROS music is forthcoming and post-pandemic JANE'S ADDICTION dates are currently being announced.

"The Glitz; The Glamour" is a 35-year retrospective of Perry's life, music and art — focusing on 68 tracks worth of his alt rock rarities and innovative artistic explorations. The retrospective is served up in the form of a vinyl and collectible box-set and is an art piece in its own right — in collaboration with fine artist Zoltar, this offering firmly puts Farrell's stake in the ground as the "godfather of alternative rock."

In addition to the deep groove vinyl recordings, the box-set includes a Blu-ray featuring 12 uncompressed Dolby Atmos mixes from "Kind Heaven" and three previously unreleased Atmos mixes, a photographic memoir hardcover book, a bandana, plus two exclusive Zoltar prints. "The Glitz; The Glamour" is out now via Last Man Music. Visit www.perryfarrell.com for more information.

According to Bring A Trailer, Megadeth mainman Dave Mustaine’s 2006 Aston Martin Vanquish S is up for auction and sits at a current bid of $65,000. The vehicle is one of approximately 1,100 V12-powered examples produced between 2004-2007 and was sold new by Ferrari-Maserati of Atlanta in Roswell, Georgia. It is finished in silver over a black leather interior, and power is provided by a 5.9-liter V12 mated to a six-speed transmission. This Aston Martin Vanquish S is now offered in Texas with the manufacturer’s literature, two keys, a car cover and battery tender, a clean Carfax report, and a clean Tennessee title. The 5.9-liter V12 features four valves per cylinder and was factory rated at 520 horsepower and 425 lb-ft of torque. The Carfax report indicates no accidents or other damage and shows history in Georgia, North Carolina, California, and Tennessee.

For more details and photos visit Bring A Trailer.




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Frozen soil of the North has brought to life a new embodiment of Finnish darkness, gloom and beauty. After working in the background for Wolfheart, it's time for Mika Juhani Kankainen to step into the spotlight with his own solo project, Shade Of Sorrow. The new single "Fabricated Hope" is out today via Inverse Records. Check out the official video below.

Kankainen: "Song that came straight from the dark depths of my heart and soul. I bet you can hear the contradiction of hate and love, beauty and brutality, which still interwine together seamlessly. Anger, hate, love and melancholy."

"Fabricated Hope"

"No Return"

Photo by Sami Kettunen




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Black metal pioneers held a livestream event, A Night Of Emperial Wrath 2021, on May 23rd, which include guest appearances from ex-members Mortiis and Faust. The stream has surfaced on YouTube and can be viewed below in its entirety.

Setlist:

"In The Wordless Chamber"
"Thus Spake The Nightspirit"
"The Loss And Curse Of Reverence"
"The Acclamation Of Bonds"
"With Strength I Burn"
"Call From The Grave" (Bathory Cover - with Faust & Mortiis)
"Wrath Of The Tyrant" (first time since 2014; with Faust & Mortiis)
"Curse You All Men"
"The Majesty Of The Nightsky"
"I Am The Black Wizards" (with Faust)
"Inno A Satana" (with Faust)
"Ye Entrancemperium"

2021 marks 30 years since the formation of extreme metal pioneers, Emperor.  Formed in 1991, their game-changing debut In The Nightside Eclipse (1995) set the template for symphonic, bombastic, melodic black metal, whilst their follow-up record, Anthems To The Welkin At Dusk (1997) became an instant hit.

Emperor were a force to be reckoned with as underground, experimental and extreme forms of music twisted expectations throughout the end of the 20th Century. 2001 saw the end of Emperor with their fourth album, the ambitious and labyrinthine Prometheus: The Discipline Of Fire & Demise.




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Thundermother's current album, Heat Wave, released in July 2020, is a rock sensation that you cannot avoid. It stormed the charts and achieved big results in many countries, including #6 in Germany. The band has released Heat Wave Deluxe Edition as a 2-CD digipak and additionally with various limited coloured double vinyl versions via AFM Records. Not only can you find the complete original album on it, but also a bonus CD / vinyl featuring 10 previously unreleased tracks.

Tracklisting:

CD1
"Loud And Alive"
"Dog From Hell"
"Back In ‘76"
"Into The Mud"
"Heat Wave" 
"Sleep"
"Driving In Style" 
"Free Ourselves"
"Mexico"
"Purple Sky"
"Ghosts" 
"Somebody Love Me" 
"Bad Habits"

CD2:
"The Road Is Ours"
"Show Me What You Got"
"You Can´t Handle Me"
"Driving In Style" (Acoustic)
"Dog From Hell "(Acoustic)
"Sleep" (Acoustic feat. Jesper Binzer)
"Give Me Some Lights" (Live)
"Thunderous" (Live)
"Hellevator" (Live)
"Rock'n'Roll Heaven" (feat. Dregen & Pontus Snibb)

The 'Heat Wave Deluxe Edition' is available here. 

"Dog From Hell"

Thundermother is: 

Filippa Nässil - Guitar
Guernica Mancini - Vocals
Emlee Johansson - Drums
Majsan Lindberg - Bass




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On May 28th, Cleopatra Records will release Still Wish You Were Here: A Tribute To Pink Floyd. It is a new take on Pink Floyd’s 1975 multi-platinum masterpiece, Wish You Were Here, brought to life with an all-star line-up of rock / metal royalty performing the album in its entirety. It includes performances by keyboard wizard Rick Wakeman, Deep Purple’s Ian Paice, Rock Hall nominee Todd Rundgren, ex-Queensrÿche vocalist Geoff Tate, guitar god Joe Satriani, Dream Theater vocalist James LaBrie, spacebass super genius Bootsy Collins, The Damned’s Rat Scabies, PiL’s Jah Wobble and more.

Tracklist:

"Shine On You Crazy Diamond" (Parts 1-5) feat. Geoff Tate, Steve Hackett, Billy Sheehan, Mel Collins, Geoff Downes, Ian Paice
"Welcome To The Machine" feat. Todd Rundgren, Rick Wakeman, Tony Levin
"Have A Cigar" feat. James LaBrie, Steve Stevens, Patrick Moraz, Rat Scabies, Jah Wobble
"Wish You Were Here" feat. Rik Emmett, Joe Satriani, Edgar Froese, David Ellefson, Carmine Appice
"Shine On You Crazy Diamond" (Parts 6-9) feat. Rod Argent, Steve Hillage, Ian Paice, Bootsy Collins

Still Wish You Were Here: A Tribute To Pink Floyd is available on CD and limited edition coloured vinyl. Pre-order / pre-save on the platforms found  here.




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Hellscore, otherwise knowns as The Hellscore Choir, came to BraveWords' attention thanks to thier appearance on the recent Ayreon album, Transitus. Led by Scardust vocalist Noa Gruman, the Israeli outfit has released an a capella cover of the Metallica classic "For Whom The Bell Tolls".

"Being one of the biggest metal bands in the world, Metallica couldn’t have escaped our tribute list. Their brilliant combination of heavy metal music and a symphonic orchestra in their legendary S&M performance was the inspiration behind this a cappella arrangement. It combined Michael Kamen’s epic orchestration together with the harsh sound of metal, which fits perfectly into Hellscore’s musical esthetic.

We chose to film the video in the desert during sunrise, an image that came to our minds while reading the powerful lyrics of this song. It was self produced by all of the members of the choir, and was an unforgettable adventure for us all.

We proudly present: 'For Whom The Bell Tolls' by Metallica, performed by The Hellscore Devils."

Check out some more examples of Hellscore's work below.




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Sonically there is something different here, whether it provokes or invokes an emotion, a beat, an attitude, "Disco Kills" delivers from beginning to end. The vocals arouse, the groove calls, and are all timely matched with the sex appeal of the band. Add their storytelling video and in its completion, "Disco Kills" leads to some cool rock n roll.

"Disco Kills" by Crashing Wayward has been produced to create a message in a way that only true rock can. A solid vibe, and a direct correlating throb that grinds this single and delivers. A song written to make you want to turn it up loud and play it on repeat.

Guitarist David Harris: '“Disco Kills” was one of those songs that came really quickly once I started writing the music for it. I always loved those old-school, huge-sounding Black Sabbath / Mountain / Aerosmith / Rolling Stones riffs,and I always want to write something paying homage to those classic riffs / songs. Once Pete put his lyric on it, I really felt we had something special happening. When we worked it up as a band it felt like a train about to run off the tracks, which made me very happy."'

Vocalist Peter Summit: '"Disco Kills' was lyrically written as a metaphor about the politicians / big business who abuse their platform. Disco being the metaphor. It speaks in sequence to the effect that Disco Music had on Rock in the late '70s, but its subject is a politician / big business who is enjoying the party. How about: It’s really a modern-day Marie Antoinette 'Let them eat cake' story that takes on a duel meaning open for interpretation."

Guitarist Stacey Blades: "I remember the first time I heard the riff for 'Disco Kills'. Dave had demoed it up and sent it to us. It was very, very unique sounding and had this really cool sonic vibe to it! When we worked it up as a band and everybody put their swagger on it, I knew the song was going to be massive. When we tracked it with producer Mike Gillies and heard the final mix, I knew we had something really special!"

Bassist Carl Raether: "When I first heard these riffs that Dave sent over for what would become 'Disco Kills', I got really excited. As Pete refined his lyrics and as Mike Gillies (Producer) helped us mold the song into how we play it now, it’s probably one of my favorite songs we’ve worked on over the last year."

Drummer Shon McKee: "When Stacey initially talked to me about joining the band, the first demo he sent me to check out was 'Disco Kills'. One listen was all it took for me to be all in on the band."

Crashing Wayward is an exciting new rock band that hails from Las Vegas, Nevada, but its roots stretch out farther than that. The band has a very interesting back story. As Electric Radio Kings was right on the verge of success with a top 30 Billboard mainstream rock hit, national active rock radio play, and twice featured by Alice Cooper on the Nights With Alice Cooper radio show, the band imploded! Stacey picked up the pieces, and the universe brought these five guys together for a reason: Crashing Wayward!

Deemed the next exciting modern rock act to watch in 2021, à la Royal Blood and Stone Temple Pilots, these boys are the new rising resurgence of rock n’ roll that is taking back popular and mainstream music. Crashing Wayward features premiere frontman Peter Summit on vocals. On lead guitar is national recording and songwriting artist Stacey David Blades. Joining him on lead and rhythm guitar is national touring guitarist / songwriter David Harris. Rounding out the rhythm section is Los Angeles touring bassist Carl Raether, and Las Vegas drummer Shon McKee.

Crashing Wayward are working on their new record with longtime Metallica engineer, the one and only, “Met Mixer” Mike Gillies for the second time, working out of famed producer Kevin Churko’s The Hideout Recording Studio in Las Vegas, NV.

 

 




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The Monterrey, Mexico hard rock trio of sisters The Warning unleash a new single entitled “Choke” via Lava / Republic Records.

On the single “Choke” and working with producer David Bendeth (Paramore, Bring Me The Horizon, Breaking Benjamin) the band said: “'Choke' is a song about drowning in your feelings and coming to terms with them. Recording it with David Bendeth (while in quarantine!) was an incredible experience and he really worked with us to bring the song to life.”

The track illuminates the intense chemistry between these three sisters Daniela “Dany” [guitar, lead vocals, piano], Paulina “Pau” [drums, vocals, piano], and Alejandra “Ale” Villarreal [bass, piano, backing vocals]. Dany’s hypnotic vocals bleed into thunderous distortion as the groove tosses and turns on a dime. Their pummeling proficiency drives the track towards a massive and magnetic hook meant to be chanted in arenas worldwide.

 




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Canadian hard rock trio The Jailbirds' sophomore EP Jungle is out now via Golden Robot Records. To celebrate, the band has dropped a new video for the title track.

Jungle is a collection of five songs, each unique in their approach to the subject of depression, anxiety and substance addiction, but cohesive in their theme. Songs like "Dull My Brain" and "Watery Grave" bring charisma and energy to the fore as they tackle substance addiction. Whereas tracks like "The Jungle" and "I Will Move On" are dark and gritty, but hopeful in their lyrics and melody.

Jungle, when listened to front to back, is a linear story. The tracks on the EP plant the listener firmly in the shoes of a person struggling for conquest of their own mind; their life has become a duality of love and hate. 

Step by step (or song by song) the listener learns the story of a person battling self and substance, constantly shifting in their resolve to overcome their depressive and anxious mind.

Calling up inspiration that spans across multiple eras and sounds, The Jailbirds have created a potent blend of hard rock and modern rock that is both nostalgic and fresh throughout this record.

"We are so excited to finally share this music with the world," says The Jailbirds. "If this past year has taught us anything, it’s that you cannot control everything in life. The universe has a funny way of pulling you through certain situations, and to roll with that pull is key to not only being successful, but also being happy. Nothing is constant. Everything changes. Try to smell the roses and let life take you on its journey. This concept EP is a piece of us in many ways, we strongly urge you to listen front to back and follow the story of our character through their ups and downs. Mental health struggles have been on the rise lately, and we hope that as this EP helped us cope with our own issues, it can help you a little bit as well. Much love, everyone. Stream and share it with your friends and let's all enjoy this music together!" 

For further details, visit The Jailbirds on Facebook.

Stockholm melodeath group This Ending streams the title track, “Needles Of Rust”, off of their impending fourth record.

This is the first album where the Swedish band did not get the service of Fredrik Andersson (A Canorous Quintet, Amon Amarth) behind the drum kit; Peter Nagy (Mörk Gryning, A Canorous Quintet), who served as the second guitarist of the band, stepped in to take Fredrik’s throne. Needles Of Rust is slated for worldwide release on May 28th via Black Lion Records on digipak CD, dassette, and digital formats. Pre-orders can be placed now at this location.

The band discusses the track “Needles Of Rust”:

“This was the first song written after we decided it was time for a new This Ending. We had no idea that this would also turn out to be the title track. Here Linus N. tried to write a song that combined the old This Ending sound with our roots back in the ‘90s. It became an insane song that I think defines our sound. We also get some backing vocals from Peter on this one. The lyrical theme for this one revolves around people who exploit others’ weaknesses for personal gain.”

Needles Of Rust deals with different kinds of nightmare scenarios: some songs are loosely based on actual events that have happened all over the world, whereas the other numbers are just about nightmares as an overall phenomenon. The album contains eight original songs, plus the remixed version of the 2019 single “The Hunted” as a bonus track in the physical formats. On this record, This Ending continues blending relentless aggression and absolute darkness into their grandiose melodeath dreamscape.

Tracklisting:

"My Open Wound"         
"Annihilate"         
"Embraced By The Night"         
"Eclipse Of The Dead"         
"A New Plight"         
"Needles Of Rust"         
"Devastate"         
"Hell To Hell"         
"The Hunted" 

"Annihilate":

"Devastate": 

"Eclipse Of The Dead": 

 




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Earlier this year, Dread Sovereign released their third full-length, Alchemical Warfare. For a preview of the record, a video for the track "Her Master's Voice" can be seen below:

Dread Sovereign was formed in Dublin, Ireland in 2013 by Primordial vocalist Nemtheanga to give praise to filthy cult old doom, black and heavy metal. Their first EP, 2013's Pray To The Devil In Man, came out on Roadburn/Burning World Records to coincide with the band's live debut. Soon after, two full-lengths were released by Van Records: All Hell's Martyrs (2014) and For Doom The Bell Tolls (2017). And now, the band's new album, Alchemical Warfare, is available via Metal Blade Records.

Alchemical Warfare can be ordered here.

Alchemical Warfare tracklisting:

"A Curse On Men"
"She Wolves Of The Savage Season"
"The Great Beast We Serve"
"Nature Is The Devil's Church"
"Her Master's Voice"
"Viral Tomb"
"Devil's Bane"
"Ruin Upon The Temple Mount"
"You Don't Move Me (I Don't Give A Fuck)" * CD+digital bonus track only

"She Wolves Of The Savage Season" video:

"The Great Beast We Serve" video:

"Nature Is The Devil's Church" video:

Dread Sovereign lineup:

Nemtheanga - vocals/bass
Bones - guitars
JK - drums

Since the pandemic began, Alan/Nemtheanga has also started a podcast, entitled Agitators Anonymous. Well over 60 episodes with almost 130,000 listens, Agitators Anonymous is a mixture of tour stories, politics, the occult, culture, history, travel, black humour, special guests, deep dives into books, events, writers, and characters from the past - and of course, metal.

Fans can listen at the below links and across all podcast platforms:

- Spotify
- shows.acast.com
- YouTube




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Z2 Comics has partnered with Universal Music Group and Mercury Songs Ltd for "Freddie Mercury: Lover Of Life, Singer Of Songs", the first-ever graphic novel paying tribute to one of the greatest figures the music world has ever known.

A first in the comics format, "Freddie Mercury: Lover Of Life, Singer Of Songs" will be a journey through Freddie's life, from his childhood in Zanzibar and India, through his formative years in England to becoming the rock star, known and loved by millions around the globe. The story is told in his own words, with each chapter giving a glimpse into the many facets of his life.

Written by Tres Dean ("All Time Low Presents: Young Renegades"), the graphic novel will give true insight into the many experiences that helped shape the young Farrokh Bulsara and his compelling existence, both on and off stage — that was the life of "Freddie Mercury, Lover Of Life, Singer Of Songs".

Following up on the tremendous success of the Oscar-winning 2018 film "Bohemian Rhapsody", and inspired by the book "Freddie Mercury: A Life, In His Own Words", compiled by Greg Brooks and Simon Lupton, this upcoming graphic novel will be another essential addition to the bookshelf or coffee table of fans new and old, sumptuously illustrated by Kyla Smith, Robin Richardson, Safiya Zerrougui, Tammy Wang and Amy Liu, with accompanying cover painting by David Mack.

"Freddie Mercury: Lover Of Life, Singer Of Songs" is available for preorder in standard 136-page softcover ($19.99) and hardcover ($29.99) editions, released in finer comic shops, book and record stores in November. It is available exclusively through Z2 in a special hardcover deluxe edition for $99.99 complete with an exclusive vinyl LP, as well as limited-edition prints by Sarah Jones, Kyla Smith and Sanya Anwar.

The Sonic Overlords have unleashed another taste of melodic rock majesty and thunderous doom via the music video for their new single, “Utopia”.

The Swedish quartet's debut album, Last Days of Babylon, will be released later this year by M-Theory Audio. In the meantime, “Utopia” is available now on all digital stream and download platforms here, while its music video - directed by Per Andersson - can be viewed below.

“We're very happy to announce the release of 'Utopia', the second single from our upcoming album,” states bassist Daniel Ramirez. “This song will also be the opening track since we wanted to start the album off with a BANG!!! It's an energetic up-tempo song that will hit you straight in the gut! Morgan [Zocek – guitar] might possibly have had a song like Deep Purple's 'Speed King' in mind when he started writing this one many moons ago. You might also hear some influences from Rainbow, Rising Force, Symphony X, and possibly even Queen in the song! Enjoy, and PLAY IT LOUD!!!

“Utopia” is the follow-up to the group's first single, “In My Darkest Room”, which was released in October 2020. That song gained rock radio airplay throughout Scandinavia and spread through mainland Europe, the US and Australia as DJs and programmers were drawn to the group's combination of powerful doom riffs and the epic and melodic majesty of 'late '70s/early '80s heavy rock with influences from the likes of Dio/Martin-era Black Sabbath, Rainbow, early Candlemass, Yngwie J. Malmsteen/Rising Force, Scorpions and MSG.

The band's blend of power, darkness, and musicality was recognized by former Sabbath vocalist Tony Martin via a shout-out to “In My Darkest Room” on his social media channels. The music video for “In My Darkest Room” - also directed by Per Andersson – can be viewed below:

The Sonic Overlords were founded in 2017 by Swedish rock guitarist Morgan Zocek. He began jamming with various musicians and writing songs inspired by classic hard rock of the late 1970s and early 1980s, but with a more modern approach to the production and sonics. The full sound of The Sonic Overlords began to solidify with the addition of Per Soläng on drums in 2018. This was followed by the addition in 2020 of vocalist Marcus Zachrisson Rubin, who had been playing with Zocek in an Ozzy Osbourne cover band for many years, and the rumbles of new bassist Daniel Ramírez.

The Sonic Overlords are currently putting the finishing touches on their debut album, Last Days of Babylon, set for release later this year. More news will be unveiled in the weeks ahead.

The Sonic Overlords are:

Marcus Zachrisson Rubin - Lead Vocals
Morgan Zocek – Guitars/Backing Vocals
Per Soläng – Drums
Daniel Ramírez – Bass/Backing Vocals

(Photo - ziyu yu)




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German stoner-doom formation, Demon Incarnate, reveal the new video "In Disguise". The track is the first to be revealed from the band's third album, Leaves Of Zaqqum, set for international release on June 18 via Metalville Records. Watch the clip below.

The multinational band, founded in 2010 in Saarland (Southern Germany), sees itself as a rigid and defiant monolith in the current of time. In doing so, they act primarily riff-oriented and organic. Preferences for classic '70s rock like Black Sabbath merge with doom influences from heroes like Candlemass or The Obsessed and form a foundation on which oriental influences underpin the deep and clear female vocals.

The recordings for Leaves Of Zaqqum were made over a period of five months at Studio Greywolf (Powerwolf) under the direction of Charles Greywolf. Both in terms of songwriting and production, the experience of the past years has made it possible to elaborate the band's existing unique selling points even more specifically and to realize them more compactly and independently.

Leaves Of Zaqqum tracklisting:

"In Disguise"
"The Liar’s Tongue"
"To Resist"
"Longing For Pt. 1"
"Black Veil"
"Lunar Majestic"
"Over The Under"
"Longing For Pt. 2"
"Serve The Cause"
"Grave Worms"

"In Disguise" video:

Lineup:

Lisa Healey - vocals
Jan Paul - guitars
Kai Schneider - drums
Matz Naumann - bass
Donny Dwinanda Putra - guitars
Steve Biber - keyboards/media




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Gothic death rock pioneers, Christian Death, will be reissuing their dark 1986 opus, Atrocities, on both CD and vinyl format via Season Of Mist on July 9. In addition to being available in standard black vinyl, the LP will also be available on a limited edition sun yellow 12" vinyl (33 rpm).

The reissues are available for pre-order here.

This is part of an ongoing series of vinyl reissues of Christian Death's acclaimed catalog via Season Of Mist. Previously, the label reissued LPs for the band's highly influential Catastrophe Ballet (1984) as well as The Root Of All Evilution, Ashes, The Scriptures 'American Inquisition, and Sex And Drugs And Jesus Christ. All vinyl reissues can be found at the Season Of Mist E-Shop.

Tracklisting:

"Will-O-The Wisp"
"Tales Of innocence"
"Straping Me Down"
"The Danzig Waltz"
"Chimere De-ci De-la"
"Silent Thunder"
"Strange Fortune"
"Ventriloquist"
"Gloomy Sunday"
"The Death of Josef"

Founded in Los Angeles in 1979 by Rozz Williams, the hugely-influential band trail-blazed the American goth and death-rock movement with their debut album, Only Theatre Of Pain (1982) and genre-defining Catastrophe Ballet (1984) and Ashes (1985). Of these, Ashes is a true testament to the Christian Death legacy, as it marks the final appearance of the classic band lineup. Ashes features the final recordings of founder Rozz Williams alongside current Christian Death main-man Valor Kand, vocalist-keyboardist Gitane Demone and drummer David Glass before Williams' untimely demise in 1998.




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DIRKSCHNEIDER & THE OLD GANG, the project featuring former ACCEPT members Udo Dirkschneider (vocals), Peter Baltes (bass) and Stefan Kaufmann (guitar), has released a new single and video, "Every Heart Is Burning". Check it out below.

DIRKSCHNEIDER & THE OLD GANG, which is rounded out by Udo's son Sven Dirkschneider (drums), Manuela Bibert (vocals) and Mathias Dieth (guitar), issued its debut single, "Where The Angels Fly", last September. A second single, "Face Of A Stranger", followed in April.

On August 27, all three songs will be released as the "Arising" CD, a 12-inch vinyl and a download.

DIRKSCHNEIDER & THE OLD GANG is:

Udo Dirkschneider - Lead Vocals, Backing Vocals

Peter Baltes - Bass, Lead Vocals, Backing Vocals

Manuela Bibert - Lead Vocals, Backing Vocals

Stefan Kaufmann - Rhythm Guitar, Backing Vocals

Mathias Dieth - Lead Guitar, Backing Vocals

Sven Dirkschneider - Drums, Backing Vocals

Last July, Udo ruled out the possibility of a reunion with ACCEPT. The singer, who last reconnected with ACCEPT in 2005 for a number of exclusive shows, discussed the prospect of a renewed working relationship with his bandmates during an interview with "The Rock N Ragni Show". Speaking about the fact that Baltes and Kaufmann both appear on the latest album from his U.D.O. project, "We Are One", Dirkschneider said: "It's, in a way, a reunion if we were working together songwriting-wise. That was interesting. But a lot of people came up already [saying this opens the door to an ACCEPT] reunion. And I said, 'What kind of reunion?' It's not possible to do a reunion with ACCEPT. There is only one guy left," referring to guitarist Wolf Hoffmann. "Sorry, but there is no reunion with ACCEPT. Of course, some people are thinking, 'Now he's working already with Peter and Stefan.' But no. Forget this. [Laughs] Definitely not."

In November 2019, Hoffmann told Powermetal.cl that he no longer kept in touch with Baltes after the bassist exited ACCEPT a year earlier. "Unfortunately, when somebody leaves the band, they're always kind of out of sight, out of mind," Wolf explained. "It's very sad. I wish it wasn't that way, because we've been friends for so long. But the reality is I haven't really heard from him — even though I reached out a couple of times. He's almost like he wants to disappear or he wants to leave the music business altogether. It's sad and I still don't quite understand what really happened. But it is what it is, and we move on."

Kaufmann was the drummer for ACCEPT on nine albums but was forced to give up drumming towards the end of the band's initial run after sustaining a serious injury to his back.

Stefan joined U.D.O. as a guitar player in 1996, following ACCEPT's second breakup, and recorded nine albums with them, including his most recent release with the group, 2011's "Rev-Raptor".

Back in 2015, Hoffmann dismissed Dirkschneider's comment that the band's then-lineup — which included Baltes and ACCEPT's singer of more than a decade, Mark Tornillo — performed live "without any emotion." "It's just hilarious at this point," Wolf said. "It's just a big joke in our lives. And we just go on about our lives, and we do our thing, and we just… We let these things go by and laugh about it. He's actually sort of our press agent, in a way. He keeps us [in the news]."

NIGHTWISH has tapped Jukka Koskinen (WINTERSUN) as the session bassist for the band's upcoming world tour in support of the "Human. :II: Nature." album.

Koskinen joined NIGHTWISH as the replacement for Marco Hietala, who announced his departure from NIGHTWISH in January, explaining in a statement that he hadn't "been able to feel validated by this life for a quite a few years now."

NIGHTWISH said in a statement: "Finally we can share the awaited news with you all! Let's welcome Jukka Koskinen on board!"

Added Jukka: "I couldn't be more honored to be part of the vehicle of spirit of NIGHTWISH on its onward journey sharing special live moments to come on the 'Human. :II: Nature.' tour with all of you out there!"

Koskinen will make his live debut with NIGHTWISH at the first of the band's two interactive "An Evening with Nightwish In a Virtual World" concert experiences that will kick off the "Human. :II: Nature." run.

NIGHTWISH will perform in a tavern called "The Islanders Arms" built in a virtual world for two nights — Friday, May 28 and Saturday, May 29, 2021. On both nights, the fans will experience a one-and-a-half-hour performance, hearing songs live off "Human. :II: Nature." for the first time ever. These two nights will have their own, slightly different setlists.

Earlier this month, NIGHTWISH keyboardist and main songwriter Tuomas Holopainen said that Hietala's decision to leave the band "came as a bit of a surprise."

Holopainen spoke about Hietala's exit from NIGHTWISH in an interview with Finland's Kaaos TV. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Marco informed us in December last year [that he was leaving the band]. And even though he has been very open about his state and problems during the past years, it still came as a bit of a surprise for us. So it was a really tough pill to swallow. And for a few days, I was actually quite confident that there's no coming back, that this is it. I remember talking to Emppu [Vuorinen], the guitar player, and we were, like, 'You think this is it?' 'Yeah, I think this is it.' I mean, enough is enough. So much has happened in the past. Something that broke the camel's back, as they say. Then, after some time had passed — a few days — we started to think that it's been such a ride of 25 years, with so many ups also, that this is not the way to end it."

Tuomas elaborated on NIGHTWISH's reasons for carrying on, saying: "I think we still have something to give, and that's the main point. The music is still there. We felt that there's still so much music that needs to come out from this band that, 'Okay, let's give it one more shot.' And then finding the new bass player was really easy."

He added: "It's not like we do this just because we need to do it and there's nothing else to do. On a personal level, I feel that there's still so many stories and melodies that I want to share with the world with one lineup or another, so that's why you want to continue and keep on going.

"I've said this a million times, that a lineup change is the ultimate energy vampire, and that's how it really felt and still feels."

Holopainen also confirmed that NIGHTWISH's future setlists will likely also be affected by Hietala's absence from the group. "There are some songs that are so profilic [sic] to Marco that we cannot do them, I think, ever again," he said. "I'm not absolutely certain, but, for example, 'The Islander', 'While Your Lips Are Still Red' and definitely 'Endlessness' from the new album is something that cannot be performed without Marco. But then, after spending five days in the rehearsal room, there are some songs that actually work surprisingly well without Marco, that Floor [Jansen] or Troy [Donockley] is doing [Marco's] parts. And I was a bit suspicious about that, but then when I heard the new arrangement for those parts, I was, like, 'Yeah, I think this actually might work.'"

In December, Hietala was crowned the winner of the fall 2020 season of "Masked Singer Suomi" — the Finnish edition of the popular masked singing contest. He was disguised as Tohtori — the Doctor.

"Human. :II: Nature." was released in April 2020. The follow-up to 2015's "Endless Forms Most Beautiful", "Human. :II: Nature." is a double album containing nine tracks on the main CD and one long track, divided into eight chapters, on CD 2.




Jukka Koskinen will be our session bass player and join us for our Human. :||: Nature. world tour! Finally we can share the awaited news with you all!

Let's welcome @jukkiskoskinen on board! pic.twitter.com/vkGUiOzIIo

— Nightwish (@NightwishBand) May 28, 2021

FOZZY has released a breathtaking music video for its new song "Sane", filmed on the longest wooden roller coaster on the planet today. Get a first-hand view of the madness as the band defies gravity by reaching top speeds of 70 mph and terrifying drops of 154 feet. It's an edgy, heart-stopping thrill ride that represents both the power and physicality of FOZZY's music, along with the bombastic nature and "who gives a shit" attitude of their live show.

FOZZY frontman Chris Jericho states: "'Sane' is the perfect first single for FOZZY to unleash on the world, as it's heavy, hooky, catchy and riff-tastic!! I can't think of a better way to remind everybody of the feeling you get when you hear a great rock 'n' roll tune, one that makes you wanna put the top down on your car and put your foot down on the gas.... and 'Sane' is that tune! It's been such a tough year in so many ways, but now as the world is slowly getting better, FOZZY is here to vaccinate you with a proverbial phonograph needle and make you wanna rock again."

FOZZY guitarist Rich Ward adds: "After the first few songs started to develop in the early stages of writing material for FOZZY's new record, we knew we were on to something special. We were inspired, creating music that had the potential to be the best we'd ever recorded. The only thing we were missing was a riff worthy of opening the record. The next day, I came to the studio with 'Sane'."

This past February, Jericho told Detroit's WRIF radio station that FOZZY's follow-up to 2017's "Judas" album would "continue with the momentum that 'Judas' started for us three years ago."

Last summer, Chris revealed that FOZZY's next LP will contain 12 songs, including one cover.

In May 2020, Jericho told Australia's Triple M radio station that FOZZY has "so many great songs" written for the new LP that "it's gonna be hard to pick the singles."

Ward and producer Johnny Andrews once again did "the lion's share" of the songwriting for the new LP, which was recorded primarily in Atlanta, Georgia.

Released in August 2019, "Nowhere To Run" was FOZZY's third single to hit Top 10 on rock radio, following "Judas" and "Painless".

In addition to producing "Judas", Andrews previously co-wrote FOZZY's "Lights Go Out" track back in 2014. He has also written songs with the likes of ALL THAT REMAINS, THREE DAYS GRACE and HALESTORM.

In November, FOZZY appeared in its first global live streaming event from Madison Studios in Atlanta, Georgia.

FOZZY is Chris Jericho (vocals), Rich Ward (guitars, vocals), Frank Fontsere (drums), Billy Grey (guitars) and P.J. Farley (bass).

Photo credit: Adrienne Beacco

Swedish melodic death metal pioneers AT THE GATES have released the second single off their upcoming album, "The Nightmare Of Being", which will arrive on July 2 via Century Media Records. Check out the track "The Paradox" in a music video directed by Patric Ullaeus of rEvolver Film Company (ARCH ENEMY, IN FLAMES, DIMMU BORGIR).

AT THE GATES vocalist Tomas Lindberg comments: "Humanity is the biggest paradox. We as humans always want justification for the big things: death, the meaning of life, etc. Our knowledge of being mortals drives us away from being human, hence the paradox. We invent defense mechanisms to protect us from the thought of death, religion, different –isms, etc.

"The first time our producer Jens Bogren heard this song, he said, 'This is a monster!' It touches on some core parts of the AT THE GATES sound, but builds further, on top of that, some classic NWOBHM/MERCYFUL FATE vibes thrown in for good measure. It is a death metal song, but has its progressive moments.

"This was a very fun video to record, as we tried to create most of the 'special effects' in an analog way, and not just to be added in the editing. Hence we were drenched in tons of crushed coal and soil, which took over a week and a lot of showers to get out of our hair, haha. We really wanted an oppressive, apocalyptic emotion for this video. And Patric Ullaeus, being the master that he is, went all the way to make that happen!"

While main parts for "The Nightmare Of Being" were recorded in several different Swedish studios — drums at Studio Gröndal with Jens Bogren, guitars and bass with Andy La Rocque at Sonic Train Studio and vocals at Welfare Sounds with Per Stålberg — the LP was mixed and mastered at Fascination Street Studios (AMON AMARTH, OPETH, KREATOR) by Jens Bogren, who has previously worked with AT THE GATES on the "At War With Reality" comeback album in 2014. The album's visual concept was developed by artist Eva Nahon.

Lindberg previously stated about the album's concept: "The overall theme deals with the topic of pessimism, and I have been diving deep down in pessimistic philosophers. Trying to understand this way of looking at the world. It is not a negative album, more a gateway into new ideas for me personally, trying out different perspectives. You could call the album an introduction to pessimism as a concept, I guess. It is a very dark album, but not negative…"

And musically, while "The Nightmare Of Being" unveils a newly liberated and adventurous AT THE GATES via some of the bravest and most mesmerizing material they have ever written, Lindberg added: "It still sounds like AT THE GATES, 100 percent. It is just more of everything…"

"The Nightmare Of Being" track listing:

01. Spectre Of Extinction

02. The Paradox

03. The Nightmare Of Being

04. Garden Of Cyrus

05. Touched By The White Hands Of Death

06. The Fall Into Time

07. Cult of Salvation

08. The Abstract Enthroned

09. Cosmic Pessimism

10. Eternal Winter Of Reason

Speaking to MessedUp Magazine, Lindberg stated about "The Nightmare Of Being": "We were very excited about [2014's] 'At War With Reality' already before it was released, because it represented our comeback. No one was as excited about it as us, but some time later, I thought it was too slick, too well-produced. 'To Drink From the Night Itself' was a response to that and we wanted it to be dirty and gritty and have loads of classic death metal sounds on it, like a lot of reverb on the vocals and that stuff. It was a record for old-school fans. The upcoming album is somewhere in between, something that continues on the concept we started on the two previous albums where we incorporated much more of our proggy, krauty and avant-gardist influences. Just to give you the picture of how it sounds; one song goes by the nickname 'the Goblin song,' another we call 'the Neu song.' But I promise you we don't take it too far — people wouldn't listen to it if we did. [Laughs] When we were in the studio, we told Jens Bogren [producer] to keep the gritty sound and the attack from the last record and put the overall sound in between the comeback records. And it sounds awesome.

"When we did the Roadburn festival two years ago we did a special set with guest vocalists and string instruments and that stuff on stage and played songs we never played live before. All that was very inspiring because we realized we can do it today, the things we thought we could do as teenagers when we wanted to be the KING CRIMSON of death metal [laughs], but we weren't good enough. After the Roadburn gig, we talked about incorporating more of those elements on record.

"Let's say we're super excited about how people will receive the record because there's stuff on the album never heard on an AT THE GATES record before — a lot of weird things. [Laughs] For old fans, there's at least five or six classic AT THE GATES songs on it, but it's a quite diverse album.

"AT THE GATES have been around for such a long time by now that we don't need to release records to please someone else — we want to do things we like ourselves. It's still death metal, but it has evolved. We just want it to sell enough to get money to record the next album. [Laughs] "

AT THE GATES guitarist Jonas Stålhammar recently told Italy's Poisoned Rock about the music he and his bandmates have written for the upcoming effort: "It's kind of progressing even more from the last album. It's gonna be different than that one too, but still you know it's AT THE GATES. It's evolving even more. All of us are kind of on the same page with why should we do the same record over and over again."

"To Drink From The Night Itself" was produced with Russ Russell (NAPALM DEATH, THE HAUNTED, DIMMU BORGIR) at Parlour Studios in the U.K. The follow-up 2014's "At War With Reality" featured conceptual artwork created by Costin Chioreanu of Twilight13Media, who also worked with AT THE GATES on the band's previous disc.

"To Drink From The Night Itself" was the first AT THE GATES album written and recorded without lead guitarist/primary songwriter Anders Björler, who departed in 2017. He has since been replaced by Stålhammar.

AT THE GATES is:

Adrian Erlandsson - Drums

Jonas Björler - Bass

Tomas Lindberg - Vocals

Jonas Stålhammar - Guitar

Martin Larsson - Guitar

Photo by Ester Segarra

In celebration of the 20th anniversary of their third full-length album, "The Crusher", Sweden's celebrated Viking overlords and undisputed modern masters of epic heavy metal AMON AMARTH have released a special, re-recorded version of the track "Masters Of War". A visualizer for the song can be viewed below.

Speaking on the band's celebratory re-working of "Masters Of War", frontman Johan Hegg says: "Celebrating the 20th anniversary of 'The Crusher' album, we felt we wanted to re-record one of the main songs from the album and put a bit of a modern AMON AMARTH touch on it. Enjoy!"

To coincide with the release and further the festivities, the band has also announced the release of a special edition "Masters Of War" merch collection exclusively available from the band's store Victorious Merch.

AMON AMARTH's latest album, "Berserker", was released in May 2018 via Metal Blade Records. The disc was recorded at Sphere Studios in North Hollywood, California with producer Jay Ruston, who has previously worked with ANTHRAX, STEEL PANTHER, URIAH HEEP and STONE SOUR.

AMON AMARTH stands tall and unassailable: over 25 years into a career that has seen them evolve from humble origins in the dark, dank rehearsal rooms of their native Tumba to their current status as explosive festival headliners and one of the metal world’s most widely adored bands.

Formed in 1992, AMON AMARTH became modern metal greats the hard way. Ruthlessly dedicated to creating new music and taking it out on the road, the Swedes steadily built a formidable reputation as a ferocious live band and, as the years passed, were increasingly recognized for their recorded achievements too. Since the dawn of the millennium, AMON AMARTH has been unstoppable.

Breakthrough releases like 2006's "With Oden On Our Side" and its now-legendary follow-up, 2008's "Twilight Of The Thunder God" further cemented their popularity throughout the metal world, while the band's stage show evolved with each successive tour, transforming into one of modern metal's truly great spectacles. "Berserker" brought with it an epic, history-making trek across North America with fellow Swedes ARCH ENEMY, AT THE GATES and GRAND MAGUS and saw multiple sell-outs. To date, the band has clocked up a mammoth 270 million YouTube views and 547 million streams across its releases, with over two million albums sold worldwide.

The official music video for the song "No Rewind" from reactivated Norwegian progressive metallers CONCEPTION, who feature in their ranks former KAMELOT singer Roy Khan, can be seen below. The track is taken from CONCEPTION's latest album, "State Of Deception", which was released in April 2020. The band's first full-length offering in over two decades follows on from 2018's successful EP "My Dark Symphony", and was once again released via CONCEPTION's own Conception Sound Factory label.

Says the band: "Restricted by the ongoing outbreak of the COVID 19 virus, and in isolation from one another, we thought we'd record our own separate video parts of 'No Rewind'."

"State Of Deception" follows a 20-year interval during which bandmembers Khan, Tore Østby, Ingar Amlien and Arve Heimdal remained friends throughout, and the album release marks a full-circle evolution of the band.

Khan says: "The reception we've had from fans made recording a new album almost inevitable; they'd have rioted if we didn't get this out. But we're mightily proud of what we have put together here; I actually think it's the best thing I've ever been involved in."

Reflecting CONCEPTION's desire for an entirely direct relationship with its fans, the album is wholly fan-funded. Moreover, "State Of Deception" was wholly produced by the bandmembers themselves, with mixing duties handled by Stefan Glaumann (RAMMSTEIN, WITHIN TEMPTATION, EUROPE). The nine-song effort perfectly captures the band's trademark breadth of progressive sound, from symphonic melodrama to rock riff utopia, and features a guest appearance by AMARANTHE vocalist Elize Ryd.

Guitarist Tore Østby explains: "Producing this new album has been an emotional and exciting process, digging deeper into the heart and soul of the band than ever before. The result is dynamic and intense, it really feels like we managed to capture the state of CONCEPTION 2020.

"We've always said that we have a need to do what we feel is right for our music. We couldn't limit the musical scope of CONCEPTION even if we wanted to.'

"If we didn't think we were capable of surpassing our previous work, we wouldn't be here. We're super proud of every single track on this album."

Regarding the decision to release the new album through CONCEPTION's own label, Khan says: "We've worked with record companies in the past, and by definition, the artist sits at arms length from their fanbase. We felt that was an unacceptable compromise."

"For an artist to see the reaction from a fan the first time they hear a new song is an extraordinarily powerful experience," offers Østby. "Whatever happens, these are shared encounters that will never leave us, band member or fan alike."

"State Of Deception" is both a definitive album release statement, as it is also a career milestone, recognizing a lyrical depth that acknowledges the current social climate.

Says Khan: "The lyrics of the album revolve around human error and betrayal, hence the album title, but also touch upon everything from people's facade to climate change, religion and politics."