A Killer's Confession, the band led by former Mushroomhead vocalist Waylon Reavis have released a brand new song "Light To Darkness" via Wake Up! Music Rocks (a division of Wake Up! Music). This is the second song to be released this year and is from the band's highly anticipated third album coming out later this year.

The first single "Remember" was released on January 27 and the song is currently charting on both the Mediabase and Billboard Active Rock charts. The video has already surpassed 1/2 million views on YouTube.

Stream "A Light To Darkness" here and watch the video below.

Formed in 2016 in Cleveland, OH, A Killer's Confession (AKC) is led by vocalist Waylon Reavis and consists of Morgan Bauer (drums), JP Cross (bass), and Tommy Church (guitar).

The debut album from AKC Unbroken was released in May 2017 via EMP Group, the label founded by Megadeth bassist Dave Ellefson. The first single, "A Killer's Confession", featured Korn guitarist Brian "Head" Welch. After the contract term ended with EMP Group, the band self-released their next three singles ("Angel On The Outside," "I Wish," and "Reanimated") all to critical and commercial acclaim, racking up over 2 million cumulative streams on Spotify.

In 2019, Pepper Gomez, the founder and CEO of Chicago and Miami based Wake Up! Music Group signed A Killer’s Confession. The band’s sophomore album The Indifference Of Good Men was produced by Sahaj Ticotin (vocalist for Ra) in Los Angeles, CA. It included the single "Numb,” along with the previously released singles "I Wish,” “Reanimated,” and "Angel On The Outside.”  The band is managed by Jeromy Jerome for FM Music Management.




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FEAR FACTORY will release its first new song in over five years on Friday, April 16. The track is expected to appear on the band's upcoming album, due later in the year via Nuclear Blast Records.

Last September, singer Burton C. Bell issued a statement officially announcing his departure from FEAR FACTORY, saying that he "cannot align" himself with someone whom he does not trust or respect.

Bell's exit from FEAR FACTORY came more than two weeks after guitarist Dino Cazares launched a GoFundMe campaign to assist him with the production costs associated with the release of FEAR FACTORY's long-awaited new LP.

Bell later told Kerrang! magazine that his split with FEAR FACTORY was a long time coming. "It's been on my mind for a while," he said. "These lawsuits [over the rights to the FEAR FACTORY name] just drained me. The egos. The greed. Not just from bandmembers, but from the attorneys involved. I just lost my love for it.

"With FEAR FACTORY, it's just constantly been, like, 'What?!' You can only take so much. I felt like 30 years was a good run. Those albums I've done with FEAR FACTORY will always be out there. I'll always be part of that. I just felt like it was time to move forward."

Pressed about whether there is any chance of a reconciliation with FEAR FACTORY down the line, Burton said: "I'm done. I haven't spoken to Dino in three years. I haven't spoken to Raymond [Herrera, drums] and Christian [Olde Wolbers, bass] in longer than that, and I have no intention to. I'm just moving forward with my life."

In October, Dino issued a statement in which he said that the door for Burton to come back to FEAR FACTORY wouldn't "stay open forever." The guitarist also revealed that Burton "lost his legal rights" to the FEAR FACTORY name "after a long court battle" with Herrera and Olde Wolbers. "I had the opportunity to do something right, and I felt that obtaining the name in full was the right thing to do for the both of us, so after nearly four years we can continue as FEAR FACTORY, to make more records and to tour," he said. "That is why it is sad to hear that he decided to quit and, in my opinion, for whatever issues he has it seems like it could've been worked out."

In explaining his reasons for starting a fundraising campaign, Cazares said that all donations will go toward covering newly incurred production costs involved with the making of the new FEAR FACTORY LP, including re-recording the drums, guitars, bass and keyboards, as well as mixing and mastering by Andy Sneap. Burton's original lead vocals, which were recorded in full in 2017, will remain on the new version of the album.

FEAR FACTORY's fundraising campaign marked the first public activity from the band since it completed a 2016 U.S. headlining tour on which it performed its classic second album, "Demanufacture", in its entirety.

Bell's ASCENSION OF THE WATCHERS project released its second full-length album, "Apocrypha", last October via Dissonance Productions.

Frontiers Music Srl recently announced the signing of Sweden's Seventh Crystal to the label's roster of young, up-and-coming talent. The band's debut album, Delirium will be released on May 14. New single, "When We Were Young", is streaming below. Pre-order/save Delirium on CD/Color LP/Digital, here.

Seventh Crystal, a new rock band from the fertile Swedish music scene, was put together by singer Kristian Fyhr. Initially, Kristian wanted to pursue a solo project, but when the songs started to take form, he realized he wanted to involve more musicians. So, he moved to vocals only and brought in Johan Älvsång (Pinstripe Conspiracy, Lamashtu) on keyboards/piano and Olof Gadd (Osukaru) on bass as the first key pieces, and then recruited Anton Roos on drums and Emil Dornerus on guitar to complete the lineup.

Seventh Crystal's music can best be described as arena hard rock with melodic rock influences. The band comments, “We would describe the band’s music and sound as an “intelligent” hard rock, but still very melodic. Our songwriting is very varied. We like to write songs in a pop style and then "beef" them up and make it rock. We're big admirers of everything from Cheiron Studio and Max Martin to Behemoth and Iron Maiden. So our influences come from a lot of different bands and music. But we kind of end up in the modern hard rock and arena rock sound, since that's where we have our common roots. When it comes to the songwriting, it is usually one or two of us who write the basic idea. But then each member adds their own touch and flavour and what comes out is the heavy, intriguing and exciting sound of Seventh Crystal!"

If you love the new wave of Scandinavian hard rock embodied by bands such as One Desire, H.E.A.T., and other bands who bring a huge sense of melody to modern rock, then this band is going to be right up your alley.

Tracklisting:

"Say What You Need To Say"
"When We Were Young"
"Broken Mirror"
"Delirium"
"When I'm Gone"
"Should've Known Better"
"So Beautiful"
"Time To Let It Go"
"Déjà Vu"
"Bright And Clear"
"Hope It Will Be Alright"

"When We Were Young":

"Say What You Need To Say" video:

Lineup:

Kristian Fyhr - Lead Vocals
Johan Älvsång - Keyboard/Backing Vocals
Emil Dornerus - Guitar/Backing Vocals
Olof Gadd - Bass/Backing Vocals
Anton Roos - Drums/Percussion

Additional Musicians:
Hampus Linderholm - Cello
Emelie Alm - Backing Vocals




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German metallers POWERWOLF will release their new album, "Call Of The Wild", on July 9, 2021 via Napalm Records. A European tour in support of the effort will follow in October. Fans can not only expect brand new heavy metal anthems to be played and chanted along by thousands, but also the biggest and most epic production POWERWOLF has brought to the stage thus far, once again cementing their status as one of the most intense live bands.

"Wolfsnächte 2021" tour dates:

Oct. 01 - DE - Stuttgart / Schleyerhalle

Oct. 02 - CH - Zürich / Samsung Hall

Oct. 04 - ES - Barcelona / Razzmatazz

Oct. 05 - ES - Madrid / Riviera

Oct. 07 - FR - Paris / Zenith

Oct. 08 - UK - London / Roundhouse

Oct. 09 - BE - Antwerp / Lotto Arena

Oct. 10 - NL - Amsterdam / Afas Live

Oct. 12 - IT - Milano / Alcatraz

Oct. 13 - DE - Frankfurt / Jahrhunderthalle

Oct. 15 - DE - Munich / Zenith

Oct. 16 - DE - Oberhausen / König Pilsener Arena

Oct. 17 - CZ - Prague / Tipsport Arena

Oct. 18 - PL - Katowice - MCK

Oct. 20 - HU - Budapest / Arena

Oct. 21 - AT - Vienna / Gasometer

Oct. 22 - DE - Berlin / UFO im Velodrom

Oct. 23 - DE - Hamburg / Sporthalle

POWERWOLF's seventh album, "The Sacrament Of Sin", was released in July 2018 via Napalm Records. The follow-up to 2015's "Blessed & Possessed" was recorded at Fascination Street Studios in Örebro, Sweden with producer Jens Bogren, who has previously worked with KREATOR, DRAGONFORCE, SEPULTURA and PARADISE LOST, among others.

The story of POWERWOLF, beginning in 2004, reads like a true fairytale, but is the result of one of the most hard-working and entertaining live bands on the heavy metal planet. POWERWOLF has not only received plenty of gold and platinum awards to date, numerous releases have entered the official album charts at the pole position. With "Blessed & Possessed" (2015), POWERWOLF achieved gold status for the first time and stayed at the top of the charts for more than nine weeks, while the predecessor, "Preachers Of The Night" (2013) — as well as the incredible DVD, "The Metal Mass" (2016) — hit the official German album charts at No. 1. POWERWOLF's holy mass in the name of heavy metal is unstoppable, their latest magnum opus, "The Sacrament of Sin", again entered the album charts at No. 1. The accompanying "Wolfsnächte" tour, in which POWERWOLF headlined large venues with their phenomenal stage performances, became a single major triumph — as well as the numerous summer festival shows in which the crowds were thrilled and completely captivated by the 'WOLF.

POWERWOLF is:

Attila Dorn - vocals

Falk Maria Schlegel - organ

Charles Greywolf - guitar

Matthew Greywolf - guitar

Roel van Helden - drums

Photo credit: Matteo Vdiva Fabbiani / VDPICTURES

LAMB OF GOD has released the official video for " Resurrection Man (Live)" from the "Live In Richmond, VA" DVD, which is part of the "Lamb Of God (Deluxe Version)", out now via Epic Records. The clip was filmed in the band's native Richmond, Virginia, for a September 2020 livestream.

"'Resurrection Man' has been a fun song to watch the fan reaction to and a fun one to play live for the first time," says guitarist Mark Morton. "We wrote the music for that song quickly and spontaneously in pretty much an afternoon in our jam room. Willie freestyled the opening riff and we built from there. Sometimes it's cool to just let stuff flow without overthinking things to death. I feel like 'Resurrection Man' is a great example of that."

"Lamb Of God (Deluxe Version)" features the critically acclaimed 2020 release with two bonus tracks and a live version of the album, along with a DVD featuring the first of LAMB OF GOD's two ultra-successful livestream events from the fall.

In addition to performing "Lamb Of God" in its entirety, the performance features an encore of four songs including "Ruin", "Contractor", "512" and the debut live performance of "The Death Of Us", a new song the band wrote and recorded in quarantine for the "Bill & Ted Face The Music" movie and soundtrack. The DVD also includes a new director's cut with bonus material. Digital copies will contain only Disc 1 and Disc 2. A separate vinyl edition of "Live From Richmond, VA" will also be available.

The first single from "Lamb Of God (Deluxe Version)", "Ghost Shaped People", has already received a response equal to the fervent reception the original release received last June, holding at No. 1 on the Metal Contraband metal radio chart for four weeks in a row.

"Lamb Of God", the quintet's first new album in five years, was met with universal acclaim upon release — not only among major rock journalists, but with all strata of metal fans around the world. But critics, media and the industry aside, perhaps the most telling statistic is the year-end U.S. Metal Radio chart, where the new album dominated at No. 1 by a massive margin (over 2,000 more spins than the album at No. 2). "Lamb Of God" spent nine weeks in the No. 1 spot and never left the top 10 since debuting on the chart in February. Metal Radio is the lifeblood of the U.S. metal world, largely staffed by college students and regional tastemakers, playing the music that they know their local metal fans want to hear.

"Lamb Of God" deluxe edition track listing:

Disc 1: "Lamb Of God" Original Album + 2 Bonus Tracks

01. Memento Mori

02. Checkmate

03. Gears

04. Reality Bath

05. New Colossal Hate

06. Resurrection Man

07. Poison Dream (feat. Jamey Jasta)

08. Routes (feat. Chuck Billy)

09. Bloodshot Eyes

10. On The Hook

11. Ghost Shaped People

12. Hyperthermic/Accelerate

Disc 2: "Lamb Of God - Live In Richmond, VA"

01. Memento Mori (Live)

02. Checkmate (Live)

03. Gears (Live)

04. Reality Bath (Live)

05. New Colossal Hate (Live)

06. Resurrection Man (Live)

07. Poison Dream (Live)

08. Routes (Live)

09. Bloodshot Eyes (Live)

10. On The Hook (Live)

11. Contractor (Live)

12. Ruin (Live)

13. The Death Of Us (Live)

14. 512

Disc 3: "Lamb Of God - Live In Richmond, VA" DVD

01. Memento Mori

02. Checkmate

03. Gears

04. Reality Bath

05. New Colossal Hate

06. Resurrection Man

07. Poison Dream

08. Routes

09. Bloodshot Eyes

10. On The Hook

11. Contractor

12. Ruin

13. The Death of Us

14. 512

Digital copies will contain only Disc 1 and Disc 2. A separate vinyl edition of "Lamb Of God - Live In Richmond, VA" will also be available.

"Lamb Of God - Live In Richmond, VA" vinyl track listing:

Side 1

01. Memento Mori

02. Checkmate

03. Gears

04. Reality Bath

05. New Colossal Hate

Side 2

01. Resurrection Man

02. Poison Dream

03. Routes

04. Bloodshot Eyes

05. On The Hook

Finnish melodic metal titans SONATA ARCTICA are a band with a unique sound, driven by different emotions and a touch of melancholy. Today, the band announces the release of its first acoustic album, perfectly titled "Acoustic Adventures - Volume One", to be released in October 2021 through Nuclear Blast Tonträger Produktions Und Vertriebs Gmbh.

"This acoustic form of SONATA ARCTICA has been slowly brewing for years", comments vocalist Tony Kakko and explains: "The first manifestation of it, besides the few acoustic versions of songs released throughout the years, was the 'Acoustic Adventures Tour' in 2019, which proved to be a great success, sparking an idea to get these songs also recorded and out on an album. Or two albums, at least for starters. Our songs have always been based on beautiful melodies, which makes it very easy to transform and rearrange them perfectly into the acoustic form as well. I should mention that many of the songs work so well dressed in acoustic garments."

"Acoustic Adventures - Volume One" will be the first part, followed by a second acoustic record, to be released in 2022. "I hope you love these albums as much as we do. There are many, many songs we had to leave out of these 'Volume One' and 'Volume Two' albums, so nothing would please me more than adding few more volumes in the future," smiles Kakko and adds: "Looking forward to seeing you on tour again as soon as possible!"

And this tour, dubbed the "Acoustic Adventures MMXXI" tour, is hopefully going to happen in autumn. It's been a while since SONATA ARCTICA toured Europe, the last time being in 2019. To promote their "Acoustic Adventures - Volume One" release, the band will embark on a journey through 17 European countries. Support will be provided by Swedish hopefuls ELEINE, who will also be presenting an acoustic set.

Keyboardist Henrik "Henkka" Klingenberg comments: "Since our 'Talviyö' world tour is more or less over, it's time to look ahead for the next challenge, and since we've had so much fun with the acoustic stuff, we decided to make an album as well, and, of course, we will hit the road immediately after that to celebrate the release of it. As of now, we have managed to set up an extensive European tour, and we're really looking forward to getting out there an play some music for all of you."

Tour dates:

Oct. 21 - SE - Uppsala, Katalin

Oct. 22 - SE - Östersund, Gamla Teatern

Oct. 23 - NO - Trondheim, Byscenen

Oct. 24 - NO - Oslo, Parkteatret

Oct. 26 - SE - Gothenburg, Valand (Ordensalen)

Oct. 27 - DE - Hamburg, Fabrik

Oct. 28 - NL - Tilburg, 013

Oct. 29 - DE - Bochum, Matrix

Oct. 30 - NL - Utrecht, Pandora

Nov. 01 - UK - London, Islington Assembly Hall

Nov. 03 - FR - Paris/Vaureal, Le Forum

Nov. 04 - FR - Lyon, CCO

Nov. 05 - ES - Barcelona, Salamandra

Nov. 06 - ES - Bilbao, Santana 27

Nov. 07 - ES - Madrid, Mon

Nov. 09 - ES - Sevilla, Custom

Nov. 10 - ES - Murcia, Garaje

Nov. 11 - ES - Pamplona, Totem

Nov. 12 - FR - Toulouse, Le Metronom

Nov. 13 - FR - Nantes, Le Ferrailleur

Nov. 14 - BE - Sint-Niklaas, De Casino

Nov. 16 - DE - Nürnberg, Hirsch

Nov. 17 - CH - Pratteln, Z7

Nov. 18 - IT - Milan, Live Club

Nov. 19 - SLO - Ljubljana, Orto Bar

Nov. 21 - BG - Sofia, Music Jam

Nov. 22 - RO - Bukarest, Quantic Club

Nov. 23 - RO - Cluj-Napoca, FORM Space

Nov. 25 - AT - Wien, Szene

Nov. 26 - HU - Budapest, Akvarium

Nov. 27 - CZ - Zlin, Winter Masters of Rock

Nov. 28 - PL - Warsaw, Proxima

Nov. 29 - DE - Berlin, Columbia Theater

Dec. 01 - DE - München, Technikum

Dec. 02 - DE - Köln, Essigfabrik

Dec. 03 - DE - Passau, Zauberberg

Dec. 04 - DE - Speyer, Halle 101

June 18 will see UK metallers Neonfly release their hotly anticipated album The Future, Tonight, via Germany's up and coming metal institution, Noble Demon.

Neonfly, formed in 2008 as the brainchild of guitarist and composer Frederick Thunder, took the heavy music scene by storm, releasing two highly acclaimed full-length records and an unforgettable debut EP to date. The four-piece have played countless tours with acts such as Sonata Arctica, Dragonforce, Epica and Alice Cooper to name just a few, and appeared at a raft of prestigious festivals notably Download, Bloodstock and Masters Of Rock.

On their upcoming third album, Neonfly shows no signs of slowing down: The Future, Tonight not only features 10 modern rock anthems, heavy yet catchy allied with hard-hitting riffs, big metal grooves and decidedly socially conscious lyrics, but also signposts a new musical direction and a new creative era for the band, as guitarist Frederick Thunder states: "We’ve evolved a lot since our last album, and it was extremely important for us to move forward both musically and artistically, and to create something unique and contemporary that would define Neonfly’s sound and stand out from everything else out there."

To follow up these words with actions, today Neonfly unleash a brand new video clip for the album title track. With a guest appearance by none other than legendary Björn Strid of the mighty Soilwork, who has nothing but praise for the band: "I really enjoyed recording vocals for this song. Great players with tons of hooks and melancholic melodies. The song has some pretty unexpected turns as well and is just as epic as it rocks."

Watch the video for "The Future, Tonight" below.

"In the video we wanted to show this metaphorically by having the 4 band members blindfolded and tied to chairs in front of an interrogator who is abusing them psychologically and threatening them with physical violence" the band explains and continues: The interrogator represents mental health and depression issues, while the band members struggling and trying to stand up to him, represent the inner struggle that people have against those demons. In the video, we wanted to include this as part of a wider narrative, shot cinematically like a short movie. Towards the end of the video, there is a plot twist, as we see the interrogator blindfolded sitting on a chair on his own, and replaying the previous sequence entirely on his own, implying that he’d been the one sitting alone all this time struggling with his inner demons."

Furthermore Frederick Thunder adds: “‘The Future, Tonight’ is one of my favourite tracks on the album. I think it really showcases where we are at today. The song is a perfect example of that, and we are truly honoured to have Björn “Speed” Strid -an artist that I deeply respect and admire- as a guest singer on the track. It’s also a testament to our commitment to keep moving forward and finding new and exciting forms of artistic expression."

The Future, Tonight was produced by Grammy award nominated producer Romesh Dodangoda (Bring Me The Horizon, Motörhead), with keyboards and orchestra arranged by Miro Rodenberg (Avantasia, Kamelot).

The Future, Tonight is available for pre-order here. Pre-save the new single to the library of your preferred streaming service or add it to your favorite playlist here.

The album artwork was painted by Korean artist Gyeong Hwan Noh “Noma”.

Tracklisting:

"This World Is Burning"
"Last Of Our Kind"
"Flesh And Blood"
"The Future, Tonight" (feat. Björn Strid)
"Beating Hearts"
"More Than A Lifetime"
"Another Eden" (feat. Kaan Tasan)
"Steal The World" (feat. Kaan Tasan)
"Final Warning"
"The Things We Left Behind (And The Things That Slipped Away)"

"The Future, Tonight" video:

Neonfly are:

Willy Norton - Vocals
Frederick Thunder - Guitars
Paul Miller - Bass
Declan Brown - Drums

(Photo - Paul Harries)




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On May 21, Vulture will release their new album, Dealin' Death, via Metal Blade Records. For a first preview of the record, a video for the new single, "Malicious Souls" (filmed and edited by Adrian Guzce), can be viewed below.

When it comes to contemporary thrash, there are few bands that can stand toe-to-toe with Germany's Vulture. Establishing their status with 2016's Victim To The Blade EP and 2017's The Guillotine, then cementing their reputation with 2019's Ghastly Waves And Battered Graves, they now return with the mighty Dealin' Death, one of the most ruthless records the genre has seen.

"Take all our key elements - fierce riffing, halftone-shifts, aggressive vocals, huge toms, changing dynamics, horror-synths and classical twin guitar harmonies and cast it in a mould, then you have 'Dealin' Death'," says guitarist Stefan Castevet. "The result sounds a little 'back to the EP-ish' to my ears, yet it contains new approaches that we've never included in our sound so far, like choirs with harmonies."

When it was time for the band to head into the studio, the recording process was handled by two separate collaborators: the album recorded at Monkey Moon Studios in Dortmund by Alexander Stöcker, the guitarist of Stallion, while the production was once more handled by Marco Brinkmann at Hellforge Studio.

"This cooperation turned out great!" enthuses vocalist Leo Steeler. "Alex's way of recording and the whole studio atmosphere was pretty motivating and inspiring for all of us. Marco, on the other hand, knows exactly how we should sound and already became literally the sixth member of the band."

Working twelve-hour days for ten days straight was pretty grueling, their daily schedule "get up, track, sleep", but the effort paid off. "I think 'Dealin' Death' is the best we've ever sounded. The mix itself is absolutely flawless to my ears," says Castevet. "It's way more direct and less reverb-soaked than its predecessor. It was very important for us this time, to take advice from Marco and make all key elements audible for the listener. The vocals sound piercing, the bass is present, delivering warmth throughout the whole mix, and the guitars have the best sound we've ever had, and the same goes for drums. It's very natural and dynamic, but straight to the point."

And now with everything done, the band are eager to get it out there. "We can't wait to get feedback for it, hopefully people will admire it as much as we do! Once the pandemic is over, we also can't wait to play shows and even tour again."

Dealin' Death can be pre-ordered here in the following formats:

- jewelcase-CD
- ltd. digipak-CD (incl. sticker)
- 180g black vinyl (EU exclusive)
- slate grey marbled vinyl (EU exclusive - limited to 500 copies)
- blood red / black marbled deluxe edition vinyl w/ flag, tape, and sticker (EU exclusive - limited to 300 copies)
- leaf green marbled vinyl (EU exclusive - limited to 200 copies)
- black w/ red splash vinyl (EU exclusive - limited to 200 copies)
- dark teal marbled vinyl (US exclusive)

Dealin' Death tracklisting:

"Danger Is Imminent"
"Malicious Souls"
"Count Your Blessings"
"Gorgon"
"Star-Crossed City"
"Flee The Phantom"
"Below The Mausoleum"
"Dealin' Death"
"Multitudes Of Terror"
"The Court Of Caligula"

"Malicious Souls" video:

Vulture lineup:

L. Steeler - Vocals
S. Castevet - Guitars
M. Outlaw - Guitars
A. Axetinctör - Bass
G. Deceiver - Drums

(Photo - Lea Heindl)




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Frozen Soul live up to their name as the sound of death metal at its most cold and classic. Their new album Crypt Of Ice is out now via Century Media.

The band have premiered the NSFW video for album track, "Arctic Stranglehold". Watch below.

"'Arctic Stranglehold' is our favorite song off of Crypt Of Ice," the band says. "We started out doing just a visual, non-performance video for it, but in the end, we thought that it deserved a lot more to really show the song. We went back to the drawing board with Tanner McCardle and our good friend Dave Gonzalez with Metal Dave Media and decided to shoot some DIY scenes ourselves to add into what Tanner had already done! All the performance scenes and death scenes were shot in our jam space, then Tanner filmed some additional footage to add to that."

The band finishes, "After we got all of the new additions finished, Tanner reworked the original visuals that he filmed and edited it together with all the new footage. 'Arctic Stranglehold' came to life, or death!! We put a lot of hard work into this video and are stoked for everyone to see it! COLD SCHOOL DEATH METAL FOREVER."

Crypt Of Ice can be ordered here.

Tracklisting:

"Crypt Of Ice"
"Arctic Stranglehold"
"Hand Of Vengeance"
"Wraith Of Death"
"Merciless"
"Encased In Ice"
"Beat To Dust"
"Twist The Knife"
"Faceless Enemy"
"Gravedigger"

“Wraith Of Death” video:

"Crypt Of Ice":

"Encased In Ice":




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The Couch Riffs crew are back with a cover of Earth, Wind & Fire's "Shining Star". Watch the clip below.

A message states: "This powerhouse classic was released on EW&F's 1975 LP, That's The Way Of The World, and earned them a Grammy that year. I hope Couch Riffs does those fellas proud. This one took a while to put together but the wait was worth it.

Here's our band for the episode:

vox/lead guitar: Myles Kennedy
guitar: Kathy Moore
drums: Dennis Leeflang
BVs: Christa Wells
bass: Mike Squires
trumpet: Austin Drake
tenor saxophone: R.W. Enoch
trombone: Lindsay McMurray

Mixed by Don Gunn Edited by Mike Squires

Please consider supporting Couch Riffs via Patreon. Your support goes directly toward the creation of these videos and the accompanying podcast. Thank you so much!"




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Mad Symphony has announced their debut self-titled album, to be released May 13 worldwide via MR Records. Listen to the band's single, "Truth In The Shadows", below:

“It ain’t over, never over, ‘til we do it all over again!” is the hook-line and rallying cry from Vancouver-based melodic prog-rockers Mad Symphony on their forthcoming single "Do It All Over Again". While channeling the sounds of classic rock bands such as AC/DC, The Who and Led Zeppelin, Mad Symphony infuses their songs with modern elements of heavy guitars, elaborate keyboards and massive vocal harmonies to create a sound that is both contemporary and instantly recognizable by music fans of all ages. Examining the themes of love, loss, and betrayal with songs such as "Sell Me Out", "Reality Check" and "Wasted in Oblivion", Mad Symphony seeks to illuminate the pressures and struggles faced by all who live through these confusing and rapidly changing times.

"MR Records is thrilled and proud to have signed Canadian hard rockers Mad Symphony to the label and extremely excited to be releasing their debut album, "Mad Symphony". This album takes you on a musical journey through great musicianship and songs with a real message for the world today. Certainly, an album MR Records fully believes in." - Peter Hoffmann, Director MR Records

"Mad Symphony's debut CD represents the hard-rocking soundtrack to the lives of all six band members. Spanning many influences, from the glory days of rock to the present, the sounds of metal, progressive, classic, and symphonic rock music are seamlessly combined with commentary on modern society and culture. Timeless songs for a post-pandemic world." - Dave Groves, Mad Symphony

Mad Symphony is the collaboration of accomplished and professional Vancouver-based musicians who collectively have many years of experience writing, recording, and touring internationally with various acts. Formed from the ashes of Seattle grunge-metal band Soulbender (which also featured Michael Wilton of Queensryche fame on guitar), lifelong friends and collaborators Dave Groves (guitar) and Wes Hallam (drums) joined up with multi-instrumentalist/producer/engineer Ted Tosoff (Blue Voodoo) in 2018 to begin writing for a new, as-yet-unnamed project.

Ted knew of powerhouse vocalist Kevin Wright (The Wilds), whose raunchy and melodic vocal stylings a-la Bon Scott and Robert Plant, fit the new songs perfectly; Kevin was quickly recruited into the fold. To round out the lineup, the formative members didn’t have to look far. Dave and Wes had both played with keyboardist Mike Russell (Sweeney Todd) and bassist Amrit Prasad (Assault), but not always in the same bands or at the same time. With the addition of Mike on keys and Amrit on bass Mad Symphony immediately began recording their debut album and rehearsing tirelessly.

With the goal of creating memorable and powerful music that resonates with the listener both in style and substance, Mad Symphony writes songs with a message of hope and resiliency that harkens back to the glory days of rock and roll. Screaming guitars, driving drums, and huge vocals combine with melodic keyboard orchestrations and thundering bass to make the sonically dense and raucous sound that is… Mad Symphony.

Pre-order Mad Symphony here.

Tracklisting:

"Do It All Over Again"
"The Next Door"
"Sell Me Out"
"Nothin’"
"Bittersweet Bye Bye"

- Recorded by Ted Tosoff at the Dungeon Studios
- Produced by Ted Tosoff and Mad Symphony
- All songs written by Mad Symphony
- Mastered by Bud Bremner/Coastal Mastering
- Online single “Truth In The Shadows” mastered by Greg Reely Mixed - Delwyn Brooks
- Additional editing, arranging, production - Delwyn Brooks
- ReverbNation.Com/DelwynBrooks
- Logo and booklet design by Kevin Wright
- Photography by Toni Ormsby Horncastle/Asher Photography

Mad Symphony is:

Kevin Wright - Lead Vocals, Percussion
Dave Groves - Lead Guitar, BG Vocals
Ted Tosoff - Rhythm Guitar, BG Vocals
Mike Russell - Keyboards, BG Vocals
Amrit Prasad - Bass
Wes Hallam - Drums




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Florida-based melodic death metal quartet, The Absence, have unveiled a music video for their new song, “Choirs Of Sickness”. The clip can be viewed below, and the song itself is available now for streaming and download at all digital music outlets.

“Choirs Of Sickness” is the first single from The Absence’s upcoming album, Coffinized, which will be released June 25 by M-Theory Audio. CD and limited-edition vinyl variants can be pre-ordered here.

Says vocalist Jamie Stewart, “Haven’t we all been Coffinized since last year? Cooped-up, masked, distanced, trapped within a formless bubble, longing for a collective exhale. We lost loved ones; we lost time, work, sanity... in a way, we lost ourselves. In regard to most bands' craft, we lost an integral portion of the thing that charges our collective batteries: SHOWS. We lost our abilities to release and to connect with all of our friends and family. We miss the spark; we miss the conversations; and most of all, we miss each and every one of you.

“This record is a void-bending combustion chamber of creativity,” he continues. “Every single song bears a torch of deprivation, darkness and triumph. In the end, we do actually win. One second, you feel creative and accomplished, validated and whole. The next, you seem empty and worthless, and feel the claustrophobia of being forced into an unwilling casket. ‘Coffinized’ collects in detail the hysterical scratches and screams found on the inside of this casket’s lid – the kind of gashes made by four beings who are very much alive and giving their all to be heard from a forced burial.”

Coffinized is The Absence's follow-up to their 2018 comeback record, A Gift For The Obsessed. That album was the band's first in eight years, as well as their first for new label home M-Theory Audio. The time period between that album's release and the COVID outbreak saw the band stay busy by taking their new songs to the road, touring alongside acts such as Deicide, Origin, Jungle Rot, Exmortus, and Hatchet. Band members also stayed busy with other outside endeavours, with drummer Jeramie Kling manning the kit for Venom Inc., bassist Mike Leon gigging with Soulfly and Cavalera Conspiracy, and guitarist Taylor Nordberg playing with Massacre. Those three band members took the experiences from those touring gigs and reconvened in the studio with Stewart who has also been busy with his other project, Hot Graves, to put together the 11 tracks of pummeling death metal that compose Coffinized.

Coffinized was produced and engineered by Kling and Nordberg and mixed by Kling. The album was mastered by Jonas Kjellgren (Immortal, Overkill, Scar Symmetry) at Sweden’s Black Lounge Studios.

Tracklisting:

"Coffinized"
"Future Terminal"
"Choirs Of Sickness"
"Radiant Devestation"
"Cathedral Dawn"
"Black Providence"
"Discordia"
"Treacherous"
"This Consuming Nocturne"
"Aperture Expands"
"Faith in Uncreation"

"Choirs Of Sickness" video:

.

The Absence is:

Jamie Stewart (vocals)
Jeramie Kling (drums)
Mike Leon (bass)
Taylor Nordberg (guitars)

(Photo - Deidra Kling)




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Korpiklaani have released an accordion playthrough video for "Huolettomat", a track from the band's new album, Jylhä. Watch Sami Perttula rip through the track below.

Sami comments on "Huolettomat": "'Huolettomat' is the product of a long process and I recorded the first ideas of this song a couple of years ago. My idea was to make a stereotypical Korpiklaani folk metal song and pick up the juiciest parts that touched me the most when I myself got introduced to the genre: energy, a good sense of melody and an uplifting rhythm. Once again the whole song went trough my bandmates' filters and it wouldn’t exist in such a cool form as it does on the album now if it wasn't for them. Big thanks to them again for putting a lot of effort into this song!

'Huolettomat' can be translated as 'the careless' and again the lyrics are by Tuomas Keskimäki. In the story, the carefree secretly party on an island, run laughing to the bailiff, and continue partying like it was their last day. 'Today is today, tomorrow is uncertain'. In one review the song has been described as 'Hakuna Matata' by Korpiklaani instead of the Lion King movie soundtrack, and I kind of like that description.

Special thanks for the video go to media student Aleksander Grönvall who represents the younger generation of producers in Finland. With his motivation, professionalism and effort we got a chance to serve this video to you, so enjoy!"

Order Jylhä here.

Jylhä tracklisting:

"Verikoira"
"Niemi"
"Leväluhta"
"Mylly"
"Tuuleton"
"Sanaton Maa"
"Kiuru"
"Miero"
"Pohja"
"Huolettomat"
"Anolan Aukeat"
"Pidot"
"Juuret"

"Tuuleton" video:

"Niemi" video:

"Mylly" video:

"Leväluhta" video:




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Symphonic metal outfit, Upon Wings, has debuted the music video for their new song, "Eternal Way", feat. Ralf Scheepers (Primal Fear, Gamma Ray) and Max Georgiev, lead touring guitarist for Falling In Reverse. Watch below, and stream/download the single here.

The idea to have Scheepers guest on the track came about as Upon Wings was wrapping up recording sessions for "Eternal Way".

"Ralf Scheepers has such a grand voice and was a delight to work with, so it was truly a pleasure and honor to have him on this Upon Wings song," frontwoman Anne Autumn said. "Max Georgiev's guitar solo adds an incredible touch, as well."

Kevin Jardine of Slaves On Dope produced, mixed, and performed additional guitars on the album's title track, and Peter Tzaferis of the band performed drums. Grammy Award-winning producer Glenn Brown mastered the song.

Anne Erickson (Upon Wings) is a classically-trained vocalist who was inspired to start a band after hearing the operatic vocals of Iron Maiden's Bruce Dickinson and Judas Priest's Rob Halford.




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Norwegian hard rock/metal band, World Of Damage, the solo project of guitarist Kjell Åge Karlsen (Jorn, Chrome Division) aka Mr.Damage, have announced the release of their first single, "I will Not Conform", featuring feat. Shagrath (Dimmu Borgir, Chrome Division) AND Maurice Adams (BreeD, Enigma Experience), out on April 9.

The single can be pre-saved here. Watch a teaser video below:

World Of Damage will release their debut album, Invoke Determination, on June 11.

Invoke Determination featuring some of the greatest names within the modern rock and metal scene, including Shagrath (Dimmu Borgir, Chrome Division), Roy Khan (Kamelot, Conception), Björn "Speed" Strid (Soilwork, The Night Flight Orchestra), Maurice Adams (BreeD, Enigma Experience) and Chris Clancy (Wearing Scars) to name a few.

Mr.Damage has to say, "The idea of making this album goes all the way back to around 2016. I found myself in a situation were I wanted to make music without having to think about it fitting into Chrome Division or any other band, or form. I just wanted it to be my own music, being everything from rock and metal, to ballads and instrumental music. Kinda just let the music do the talking without analyzing it too much. When you are playing in a band, the music is a product of the style and the people of the band. But when you are on your own, everything is up to you, and you alone. It’s like painting a picture; it’s you, the brush, the colors, and the canvas. Not five people, with five brushes and five different buckets of paint. I am very pleased and proud of the album, and I can’t wait to show off, the World Of Damage."

All guitars and bass is played by Mr.Damage. Drums are hammered in by the great Aki Viitala from Shot At Dawn. The album is produced by Mr.Damage and mixed & mastered by Marius Strand (Chrome Division, The Wretched End, Susperia) at Strand Studio, Oslo, Norway.

Tracklisting:

"I Will Not Conform" (feat. Maurice Adams & Shagrath)
"Invoke Determination" (feat. Björn "Speed" Strid)
"The Petrol & The Blood" (feat. Bernt Fjellestad)
"Fire Burns My Name" (feat. Björn «Speed» Strid)
"Until The End Of Days" (feat. Chris Clancy)
"Breathe (Little Angel)" (feat. Roy Khan)
"Insanity" (feat. Pål «Athera» Mathiesen)
"Cancel" (feat. Bernt Fjellestad)
"Unleash The Rage" (feat. Thebon)
"Black Moon" (Instrumental)
"Spoke In The Wheel" (feat. Eddie Guz)
"I Will Not Conform" - (Bonus track feat. Maurice Adams, Shagrath & Derek Sherinian)

Kjell Åge Karlsen, or Mr.Damage has he prefers to be called (the name is given by his father after he managed to crash his car THREE times in one day!!), is best known for being the loud, wild and untamed lead guitar-player and co-songwriter in the doomsday rock n' roll band Chrome Division, along with his partner in crime, Shagrath from Dimmu Borgir.

Mr.Damage has a growing catalogue with band releases and several guest appearances, latest is co-writing and performing "Faith Bloody Faith" with Korn for the Norwegian final of ESC 2021.

This long haired, bearded, Norwegian Viking is now ready to unleash his first solo album upon the world.




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Late Megadeth drummer Nick Menza's official Menza Nation YouTube channel has uploaded video of Megadeth performing "Sweating Bullets" at the Hammersmith Apollo in 1992. The song is taken from the Countdown To Extinction album, released in 1992 and featuring the classic lineup of Dave Mustaine (vocals, guitars), David Ellefson (bass) Marty Friedman (guitars) and Nick Menza (drums).

Screaming Butterfly Entertainment recently revealed the cover artwork for This Was My Life - The Story of Nick Menza. The uncensored documentary film that will focus on Nick's life and musical career.

The cover photo for the film was shot by Los Angeles music photographer Alex Solca and designed by Brazilian artwork designer Alcides Burn of Burn Artworks and can be viewed below.

"This Was My Life" will be the first ever film to memorialize Menza's legacy and celebrate his life exactly how it was, described as "an unflinching exploration into the life of one of the most successful thrash-metal drummers of all time, authorized by the Menza family. From his childhood all the way through to the end of his life including a true blow-by-blow account of the repeated failed attempts of the classic Rust In Peace lineup."

"This Was My Life" will feature rare and never-before-seen photos and video footage from Nick's archived VHS tape collection, personally filmed by Menza himself from 1988 through 1991. Included will be exclusive un-realsed audio recordings and content showcasing Nick working at the studio, personal home movies, casual time and party time with his fellow band members, as well as other well-known artists of the era that Nick toured with. The film will also include new interviews with those who knew Nick and were touched by his life.

Menza's longtime personal manager Robert Bolger said: "I am very excited to be working with Screaming Butterfly Entertainment on Nick's official documentary. There's a lot of published misinformation out there about Nick that isn't true and I am very happy to bring the truth forth. Nick loved his fans and always said without the fans none this would be possible. I really think Nick's fans will enjoy this journey through his life."

Executive producer Holly Mollohan from Screaming Butterfly Entertainment added: "As both a filmmaker, and fellow metalhead who deeply values the metal community, I am honored and excited to go on this journey alongside all of you."

Photographer Alex Solca said: "I am so glad Screaming Butterfly have chosen to use that photo, because Nick was really into it and worked hard to get that perfect pose."

Visit the newly launched "This Was My Life" website, here.

Menza's official autobiography, Megalife: The Autobiography Of Nick Menza by J. Marshall Craig, was released in December 2018 via Post Hill Press.

Late in the evening on May 21, 2016, Nick collapsed after suffering a heart attack during a concert with Chris Poland and Robertino "Pag" Pagliari in their band OHM: at The Baked Potato in Studio City, California and was pronounced dead upon arrival at the hospital.

The Los Angeles County Department of Medical Examiner-Coroner said Menza died of hypertensive and atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease.

Nick rightfully earned his place as one of heavy metal's fiercest drummers during Megadeth's 10-year commercial peak. The highlight of his career, Nick said, was playing Rock In Rio before more than 100,000 people. The lowest point was being fired by Megadeth mainman Dave Mustaine while he was still in a hospital bed after surgery to remove what doctors feared was a cancerous growth.




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In the spirit of old school power metal, Germany’s up-and-comers Hammer King have gathered to release their first single, “Hammerschlag”, and set ablaze on their new album, Hammer King, out June 11 via Napalm Records.

Kicking off with a tight, punishing drum groove and heavy guitars, the album’s first single, “Hammerschlag”, gets your blood pumping right from the first second. Combining a catchy power metal singalong hook, guest vocals by Gerre from Tankard, Isaac from Epica and the almighty Crusader (Warkings), and topped off with dizzying guitar solos Hammer King knows how to get your head banging.

Watch the official lyric video for “Hammerschlag” below.

Hammer King keeps it heavy with speedy riffs, energic grooves and fist-pumping choruses, devoting their existence to the one and only myth of the godly Hammer King. The new self-titled album starts off with blasting drums and brisk guitars on “Awaken The Thunder”, with frontman and guitarist Titan Fox V showing off his incredible vocal range, whereas tracks like “Atlantis” prove Hammer King’s ability to write catchy and memorable choruses. Hammer King tells the lore of the Hammer King himself, a wrathful and mighty war god, who is praised in tracks like anthemic “Baptized By The Hammer”, energetic and double-bass driven “In The Name Of The Hammer” and the hard-hitting “Hammerschlag”. Kneel before the king of kings, the Hammer King!

Hammer King will be available in the following formats:

- 1-CD Digipak
- 1-LP Gatefold Vinyl BLACK
- 1-LP Gatefold Vinyl RED TRANSPARENT (strictly limited to 100 copies)
- Deluxe Box (Flag, 4x Signed Cards, Keychain/Bottle Opener)
- 1-CD Digipak + Shirt Bundle
- Digital Album

Pre-order here.

Hammer King tracklisting:

"Awaken The Thunder"
"Baptized By The Hammer"
"Onward To Victory"
"Hammerschlag"
"Atlantis" (Epilogue)
"We Are The Kingdom"
"Into The Storm"
"Ashes To Ashes"
"In The Name Of The Hammer"
"Kings Of Kings"
"Holy" (Outro)
"Hammerschlag" (HK Version) Bonus Track (physical only)

"Hammerschlag" lyric video:

Hammer King are:

Titan Fox V - vocals/guitar
Gino Wilde - guitar
Gladius Thundersword - bass
Dolph Aidan Macallan - drums

(Photo - Thommy S. Mardo)




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Trailight mastermind Omer Cordell has checked in with the following update:

"Writing for the new album, Chasing Daylight, continues and things are shaping up nicely for a summer release. I will be announcing a few guest musicians as things progress further but for now, I would like to introduce the man who will take the reins on the drum kit.

Ladies and gents, I bring you Steven Parent, drummer for The Astral Light and Cordelia. Steven is a student of Ryan Van Poederooyen (who played on The Primitive Mountain) and Gil Sharone. I exchanged a few text messages with Ryan who made it clear that Steven has his chops in order and so, I am thrilled to have him on board for this project."

Check out Parent's cover of Animals As Leaders "Cognitive Contortions" below.

Cordell released a new Trailight album, Sophia, in late 2020. It was mixed by former Annihilator frontman Dave Padden. He spoke with BraveWords scribe Carl Begai about working with Padden in the studio.

Cordell: "I've been working with Dave since The Primitive Mountain (released in 2015). He knows what I want and what I like. Dave is a phenomenally talented musician beyond the scope of a lot of people's understanding. People don't know how talented Dave is and that's a shame. The other thing about him is that his standards are remarkably high. Me being an absolute hack compared to Dave, having him mix the album was a treat. To make a long story short, he polished the proverbial turd. He really pushed me when I was doing vocals, asking me to sing parts over and teling me I could deliver the lines better. He gave me some pointers as to what I could do to make the vocals a lot better."

"And he's an incredible singer. He could front any band in the world, from a bluegrass band to the most brutal metal band. When I recorded The Primitive Mountain, I had no idea who was going to sing on it. If I had done it, it would have been nothing short of catastrophic. A mutual friend suggested I get Dave to sing on that record and he agreed to it, and I met him on the day we were going to record vocals. He nailed the entire vocal array for The Primitive Mountain in two days. I was recording him thinking 'Who the fuck ARE you and what planet did you come from?' (laughs). So on the record new record, it was his standards couple with his experience that were so important to me. He pushed the album sonically to a level that I did not expect it to go."

Sophia by Trailight

Tracklist:

"Eon"
"Aftershock"
"Truth"
"The Three Waves"
"Sleepwalkers"
"Island"
"Up In The Air"
"Dance"
"Birth"

Photo by Tony Hoare Photography



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Haken frontman Ross Jennings has revealed that Redemption / Silent Skies keyboardist Vikram Shankar "has provided incredible piano performances, keyboards and orchestral arrangements for my solo album. Can't wait to share it with you all this year."

Shankar has checked in with the following update:

"It's true - I had the pleasure of recording keys, piano and orchestrations for Haken frontman Ross Jennings's solo record! Haken's music has inspired me for many years, so to have this opportunity is a true honor! And the gent is such a sweetheart about my own records to boot. Stay tuned for more information about the impending release to come!"

Below is a lockdown performance from July 2020 featuring Vikram Shankar (Redemption, Lux Terminus), Ross Jennings (Haken, Novena) and Derrick Schneider (Next To None, Tallah) covering the Journey classic "Faithfully".

Jennings: "I made a promise to Derrick Schneider over 3 years ago (probably around the time we toured together with Shattered Fortress and Next To None) that I would jump on his YouTube channel and do a Journey cover. I subsequently became rather busy and the promise never materialised... until today! I was thrilled to learn that Vikram Shankar was to perform the piano parts for this track. Vikram and I have recently become acquainted and I would be remiss if I didn't mention that a future collaboration is on the cards somewhere down the road...watch this space."




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Former Theatre of Tragedy vocalist Liv Kristine - now fronting Coldbound - has confirmed she will release the digital version of her Have Courage Dear Heart EP on April 16th. She spoke with MetalKaoz.com about the EP and discussed plans for a full length album later this year. Following is an excerpt from the chat.

Liv: "In my life, I’ve been tested a lot and now I am where I am today. The very moment I’m experiencing here and now is one very happy moment. I’m here because of my way, but I have to say during a period of my life, after the big crash in 2016, I lost everything; and I felt like I lost myself. I felt like I lost ground, I felt ungrounded. I didn’t feel safe anymore. I wasn’t even sure if I ever wanted to sing again after this negative experience within the music business, but I just woke up one morning and I felt so much courage and so much safety. I felt like 'Okay, this can be in the past now – the past doesn’t define my here and now moment, and I want to sing.' The deal is that we have nearly a full length album ready. But Tommy Olsson, the composer of Aégis by Theatre of Tragedy, my dear friend Tommy is in Norway, I’m in Germany and I can’t see Tommy. I’d love to record the vocals at Tommy’s studio. So, this situation has delayed the process of my upcoming full length album. I like the number eleven, that’s my favorite lucky number, so I’m going for eleven songs, but we’ll have songs that go for seven minutes. Tommy is known for that, so some songs will be.... maybe a bonus track at radio length, and we’ll have some song compositions that are longer. What we give you on the EP, except from the live songs, that is what you’ll get on the album, too. It’s Tommy Olsson and Liv Kristine."

Check out the complete interview below.

The physical versions of the Have Courage Dear Heart will be issued on May 7th. The limited edition coloured vinyl versions have been unveiled and are now available for pre-order here.

Liv Kristine: "In my new compilation EP, I bring together nine tracks, thereof four new compositions and five of my favourite live songs. The title track 'Have Courage Dear Heart' originally existed as a mandolin tune, which my composer Tommy had sent me 'just for fun' early summer 2019. After I had recorded my vocals the song just started growing and shining. We really wanted to keep this underlying Morricone vibe and somehow the perfect sound just manifested like in an imaginary widescreen Western movie setting. The track 'Skylight', which was released as a strongly limited single in December 2019, got its own cathedral version. Moreover, we thought it was time to wipe off the dust from an old, brilliant demo 'Serenity', which expresses this cool 'kick-ass-Saturday-morning' drive vibe. All compositions deal with deeply personal issues such as the beauty of nature, the universe and its laws, twin-soul connection, self-love, narcissism, healing and finding a voice.

The live tracks were chosen arbitrarily. It is the first time I am releasing live recordings. They were played at my eighth annual special show in Nagold (Germany) in 2019. 'Siren' (Theatre of Tragedy, Aégis, 1998) seems to be one of my audience’s long-time favourites, as well as 'Panic', unmasking the abuser, the traditional 'Ave Maria' (special request from my audience) and my new compositions 'Skylight' and 'Gravity'.

Tommy, Andy and Eroc did a brilliant job in their studios, as well as my band, the audience and Chris behind the mixing desk at Alte Seminarturnhalle Nagold (Germany) on December 20th, 2019.

Thank you, Michael, Allegro Talent Media for encouraging me to release this EP 'on our own.' I know that my fans have become accustomed to waiting patiently between my albums. This is, after all, half-way to the album. I needed to devote myself to family life, finding my own voice, trust, freedom, seeing the whole, the balancing powers and the given abundance of the universe. I had to learn to open up my heart and release fears. I did, and I found unconditional love. The cover artwork conveys that frequency of having found my passionate authentic voice, that divine truth and source in my heart."

Tracklist:

"Serenity"
"Have Courage Dear Heart"
"Skylight"
"Gravity"
"Skylight" (cathedral version)
"Panic" (Live in Nagold 2019)
"Siren" (Live in Nagold 2019)
"Skylight" (Live in Nagold 2019)
"Gravity" (Live in Nagold 2019)
"Ave Maria" (Live in Nagold 2019)




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Montreal, QC's Sanguine Glacialis have a new music video for the track “Kraken” in support of their 2018 album Hadopelagic. The band experiments with a vast array of musical styles such as jazz, classical, folkloric music, and Latin music while keeping a very strong melodic death metal accent.

Today, the band is asking fans to come dance La Valse des condamnés! with the premiere of the video for “Kraken” via BraveWords:

Sanguine Glacialis explains the song in their own words:

“This is the third and last single from our album Hadopelagic. It’s actually the first song that was written when we finished the recording of our first album Dancing With A Hanged Man, and because of that, you can clearly hear the influences of the first album and former line-up. It’s a song that we all liked, so we decided to keep it and adapt it to our new line-up. The lyrics talk about a man who goes to sea, knowing well that a monster awaits him, and despite the warnings of the people around him, unfortunately never comes back. The music video is centered on this story, showing a ghost ship wandering the seas, reliving the passengers’ deaths in the hands of the Kraken, forever.”

Hadopelagic is the second full-length album from Sanguine Glacialis, following 2012’s Dancing With A Hanged Man and 2016’s EP Pitch Black Sight. The beauty of Sanguine Glacialis is that their influences shine through prominently in their music, and each song has its own atmosphere, taking from a unique slice of the musical spectrum.

With this album, the band took a huge step forward and fans have been appreciating its mature sound much more than the previous one. According to the band, everything is better on this release and they are proud of the new direction they have taken. There has been talk of writing another album and getting back to live performances in the not too distant future.

Fans of Fleshgod Apocalypse, Between the Buried and Me, and Diablo Swing Orchestra will likely be interested in the genre-bending sounds of Sanguine Glacialis.

Hadopelagic was released on April 6, 2018 and is available on Bandcamp, Apple Music, Amazon, and Spotify.

(Photo by: Dani Rod)




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Edmonton rockers Boneyard have announced new lead guitarist Gary Ursulak. Ursulak takes over for Grant Tarapacki, who played on the band's debut album Oathbreaker. Ursulak and drummer Jeff Cunningham also play in Edmonton based Judas Priest tribute band Firepower.

The following message was posted on the band's Facebook page: "Finally, after 2 years of searching, auditions and setbacks, we've finally got our new lead guitarist. We are beyond excited to welcome Gary Ursulak to the band!  We persevered as a three piece, along with guest guitarist and good friend, Grant Tarapacki to finish the album."

Boneyard is a hard rock/ metal band from Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. The band features lead vocalist/ guitarist Pamtera. Rounding out the rhythm section, is bassist Dennis Cooke and drummer Jefftimus. The band also enjoys injecting some classic metal cuts into the set list. Its members bring a wealth of experience from previous projects that include: Tyrant, Powerslave and Septimus.

Oathbreaker is now available on red colored vinyl, limited to 100 copies. Purchase here.

"Oathbreaker" video:

Fates Warning lyric video:




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Former Hammerfall bassist Magnus Rosén has launched the Magnus Rosén Band with the release of first rock ‘n’ roll album. Rosén has recorded over 40 albums, including ten solo albums in art / classical music.

The new album contains influences from 1960s rock ‘n’ roll combined with something “more funky” for 2021. The band has recorded a tribute to Sweden’s biggest band of all-time, ABBA, and also a tribute to Bill Withers, who died last year, with a cover of the classic “Ain’t No Sunshine”, sung by former Black Sabbath vocalist Tony Martin and ABBA session musician Janne Shaffer on guitar.

The album was recorded during the COVID-19 pandemic in four different countries – England, Brazil, Sri Lanka, and Sweden.

Rosén comments: “Since I have played music widely and ruthlessly between the different music styles, I am now here with enough power to set down my foot on the rock stage again with my own rock band MRB. The rock music that I grew up with where dreams and visions grew has become a reality. World tours, Grammy nominations and gold records with Hammerfall, concerts with the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra and collaborations with the Gothenburg Opera where seven full up performances took place with bass playing and ballet [with royalties also] enjoying the show. Yes, a lot of water has flowed under the bridges since the wish list was written.

“Now it's time for rock music with my own name after 43 years of playing. The songs meander through different styles of music but all the time with the rock flag hoisted.

“With 43 years of experience, it's more fun than ever with the music and it starts to sound the way you really want it to. The magic of music is when the emotions shine through and the presence is here and now.”

Guests on the album:
Tony Martin – singer (Black Sabbath)
Mikael Erlandsson – singer (MRB, Secred Service)
Chitral Somapala – singer (MRB)
Janne Schaffer – guitarist (ABBA)
Jörgen Alnevall – singer (The Sign)
Jonas Hansson – guitarist (Silver Mountain)
Fabio Buitvidas – drums (MRB, Shadowside)
Raphael Mattos – guitarist (MRB)

Find more information here.




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SCORPIONS have abandoned their plans to work with producer Greg Fidelman on their new album.

The German-Polish-Swedish hard rock legends spent the last few months recording the effort at Peppermint Park Studios in Hannover, Germany. Tentatively due later this year, the disc will mark SCORPIONS' first release since 2017's "Born To Touch Your Feelings - Best Of Rock Ballads", which was an anthology of new and classic material.

SCORPIONS originally intended to record the new album in Los Angeles with Fidelman, whose previous credits include SLIPKNOT and METALLICA. However, because of the pandemic, some of the initial work was done with Greg remotely, after which SCORPIONS opted to helm the recordings themselves with the help of their engineer Hans-Martin Buff.

During an appearance on MACHINE HEAD frontman Robb Flynn's "No Fuckin' Regrets With Robb Flynn" podcast, SCORPIONS drummer Mikkey Dee stated about the band's decision to proceed without Fidelman (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Unfortunately, because of this corona, we could not come to L.A., and [Greg] could not come to Germany. So we were trying for a whole month, via Zoom, to work on songs. And then he was with us [virtually] in the early evening, and we were working together on certain songs and arrangements. But it was almost impossible for him to get our feeling and for us to understand his feeling. So we decided that it was probably better that we were trying to do this on our own. And that's what we've been doing. But I'm sure Greg would have put his magic ears to this album, and it would have been fantastic too. But, unfortunately, we had to make the best out of the situation. We were even talking about breaking in the fall, maybe in October or something already. We talked about maybe breaking the record and then come back and maybe fly to L.A. in February or March. We thought it'd be open by now. But look, here we are — it's even worse than it was in October. So if we would have been sitting here now and broke the recording October, we would have wasted six months here."

Elaborating on the early recording sessions with Fidelman, Dee said: "He was listening and working on this with us. But it's really hard to get that feeling, of course. And when he wanted to change some stuff, we were sitting in the studio going, 'What does he fucking mean here?' 'But it sounds great here.' So it's very hard to communicate [virtually]. But maybe next record — who knows? [So] we decided to move forward and continue recording and do the best we could. And we have Hans-Martin as an engineer. He's brilliant, by the way. He worked on a lot, a lot of stuff for a lot of musicians. And he's so fast, and he has a great ear, and he feels everybody on their instrument, which is important. He knows drums, he knows bass, he knows guitars, and they speak German as well, so that helps out when they can go at it and work on some stuff. Now, with this done, I think this is the only way we have to do it, and I think we chose the right way. Because if we would have stuck to really have Greg on this, we couldn't even have started now. So who knows? Maybe we could have started in June or July [of this year]. We captured a moment when we all were fresh and really wanted to make a new album. Who knows what the feeling would have been if we started in June?"

According to Mikkey, the other members of the SCORPIONS should be completed with all the recordings in about two weeks, after which the album will be mixed by Michael Ilbert at the legendary Hansa Studios in Berlin, Germany.

Singer Klaus Meine previously told Talking Metal that the goal with using Fidelman to produce the new LP was to bring "the old vibe from albums like 'Blackout', 'Love At First Sting' or even 'Lovedrive'. We try to focus on those albums and this attitude," he said. "If we get there, who knows — it's so many years later. But it's the spirit and it's the whole vibe around this album. This time, the focus is on the harder songs."

According to Meine, SCORPIONS' new LP will feature "no outside writers at all," unlike 2015's "Return To Forever", which was largely co-written by the album's producers, Mikael Nord Andersson and Martin Hansen.

Fidelman began his career as the guitarist and songwriter for RHINO BUCKET before launching his career as a producer, engineer and mixer, finding an early mentor in Rick Rubin.

SCORPIONS' last full-length collection of new recordings was the aforementioned "Return To Forever", partially comprising songs the band had in the vault from the '80s. It was the final recorded appearance of SCORPIONS' longtime drummer James Kottak, who was dismissed from the band in September 2016. He has since been replaced by Dee, formerly of MOTÖRHEAD.

In a new interview with Sonic Perspectives, former QUEENSRŸCHE frontman Geoff Tate was asked if he has ever thought about writing an autobiography. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I have a lot of stuff written already. I'm kind of a journal writer, keeping track of everything, 'cause, honestly, the older I get, I can't remember all the stuff. I go back and read what I wrote to remember dates and places. 'Cause I've played so many shows — thousands of shows — in different places around the world, and honestly, you just sort of forget, unless you keep track of it and write it down. You forget where you were, or you remember there was something that happened there and maybe you can remember the situation, but you don't know where you were. So it really helps to write it down and keep track of it.

"I have a lot of things written down — probably eight or nine hundred pages of information," he revealed. "It's pretty much organized by date. I think maybe when I get old enough to retire from singing on the road, maybe I'll do something at that point."

In April 2014, Tate and QUEENSRŸCHE announced that a settlement had been reached after a nearly two-year legal battle where the singer sued over the rights to the QUEENSRŸCHE name after being fired in 2012.

Tate was replaced in QUEENSRŸCHE by former CRIMSON GLORY singer Todd La Torre.

Last month, Tate announced around a dozen U.S. dates in late summer and fall as part of a tour celebrating the 30th anniversary of QUEENSRŸCHE's "Empire" and "Rage For Order" albums.

For more information, including ticket links and links for meet-and-greet passes for purchase to meet Geoff and his band after the live shows, visit www.geofftate.com.

Early last year, Tate was forced to postone a number of his tour dates due to the coronavirus pandemic that is spreading across the globe.

Tate spent the first two months of 2020 performing the QUEENSRŸCHE albums "Rage For Order" and "Empire" in their entirety on the "Empire 30th Anniversary Tour", which kicked off in January 2020 in Norway. Prior to that, Geoff celebrated the 30th anniversary of QUEENSRŸCHE's "Operation: Mindcrime" album on European and U.S. tours.

Tate's post-QUEENSRŸCHE band OPERATION: MINDCRIME released three albums over three years as part of a trilogy: "The Key" (September 2015), "Resurrection" (September 2016) and "The New Reality" (December 2017).

In 2019, Geoff released the debut album from SWEET OBLIVION via Frontiers Music Srl. The project saw Tate teaming up with a stellar cast of Italian musicians led by Simone Mularoni, the mastermind of prog metal masters DGM. The second SWEET OBLIVION album, "Relentless", will arrive on April 9 via Frontiers Music Srl. This time the production was handled by Italian metal maestro Aldo Lonobile (SECRET SPHERE, TIMO TOLKKI'S AVALON, ARCHON ANGEL).

The Dust Coda have released the official video for "Demon", the opening track of the band's new album, Mojo Skyline, out now via Earache. Order Mojo Skyline here, and watch the new clip below.

The vivid album cover for Mojo Skylin is extracted from the mind of artist Nick Dwyer, who is best known for his eye-catching designs for Beavertown Brewery's beloved brews such as Neck Oil and Gamma Ray. "I was trying to put across how these guys, who live and breathe destruction, dirt and chaos through their music might also spend their 'down time' inhaling weirdness from other not-so-obvious places," says Nick of the artwork. "They are on some sort of Natural Born Killers-esque trip, making a quick stop to watch a horror movie in the desert as the city disappears behind them.  It's a peyote sandwich washed down with whiskey and desert dust."

Tracklisting:

"Demon"
"Breakdown"
"Limbo Man"
"Dream Alight"
"Jimmy 2 Times"
"Rolling"
"Bourbon Pouring"
"I've Been Waiting"
"She's Gone"
"They Don't Know Rock N Roll"
"Best Believe It"
"It's A Jam"

"Demon" video:

"Jimmy 2 Times" video:

"Limbo Man" video:

"Breakdown" video:

Trailer:




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Death Dealer has released another song from their third album, Conquered Lands, which was released last November via Steel Cartel Records. "The Heretic Has Returned" is a sequel to the song “Curse Of The Heretic”, off of their debut album War Master, and can be heard below.

Vocalist Sean Peck chimed in" “We went with a very fan driven campaign that was greatly supported. There were only a few songs we let the streaming services have so you had to purchase it and support the band and support heavy metal to hear the whole thing. We all decided that maybe it would be cool to let another song out there so that people could hear more of what all the hype was about and maybe grab it before it was all sold out. Because the initial campaign went so well, we hardly have any vinyls left and we are super low on the digipaks too so jump in the deep water with us you will not be sorry. If you love screaming heavy metal that is ha!”

Ross The Boss said: “I really dig this song we thought about putting the ballad out there '22 Gone' which I love but we settled on putting another thrasher for people to hear.”

The all-star heavy metal roster of Death Dealer features the aforementioned Ross The Boss (Ex-Manowar), vocalist Sean Peck (Cage, The Three Tremors, Denner/Shermann), guitarist Stu Marshall (Dungeon, Night Legion), drummer Steve Bolognese: (Ross The Boss Band, Into Eternity), and newly added bassist Mike Lepond (Symphony-X, Ross The Boss Band).

Order Conquered Lands here.

Tracklisting:

"Sorcerer Supreme"
"Every Nation"
"Beauty And The Blood"
"Running With The Wolves"
"The Heretic Has Returned"
"Conquered Lands"
"Hail To The King"
"Slay Or Be Slain"
"Faith Under Fire"
"22 Gone"
"Born To Bear The Crown"

"Every Nation" lyric video:

“Running With The Wolves” video:

"Sorcerer Supreme" lyric video:




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Norway's Vreid have just dropped the latest chapter of their ambitious new album and film project, Wild North West, which is due on April 30. "Spikes Of God" can be seen below.

Songwriter and bass player Jarle Hváll Kvåle comments: "A new chapter from our album and movie Wild North West is revealed, and it’s a vile and intense chapter. This song is absolutely one of the most brutal, dark and most in-your-face songs we have ever written. The main idea for this song came to me one dark night in March 2020. I became haunted by this theme and spent the whole night in studio finishing this track. Afterwards I have barely made any adjustments to the original demo for the song. I wanted its primal ugliness to shine through and let it live its life without any corrections. The movie for this song dives into a black hole of human history, and is an illustration of how far astray we can go if we are blinded by the faith of our own perfection."

Wild North West is a concept album that developed alongside an entire movie. Inspired by both true events and pure imagination, the listener is taken on a whirlwind of a journey, diving deep into themes of war, fear, betrayal, loss, anxiety, and madness with thought-provoking lyrics that embody human nature. It captures the Nordic heart at the core of their sound, taking cues from Norway’s rugged landscape as it ricochets between eternal darkness and the solace of bracing light.

The cover for Wild North West was created by Remi Juliebø (Deformat Design).

Tracklisting:

"Wild North West"
"Wolves At Sea"
"The Morning Red"
"Shadows Of Aurora"
"Spikes Of God"
"Dazed And Reduced"
"Into The Mountains"
"Shadowland"

"The Morning Red" video:

"Wild North West" video:

Trailer:

From its tumultuous inception, the Norwegian metal scene has always been about pioneering. While embracing the illustrious black metal history as part of their musical heritage, the many iconic bands have now evolved in various directions. Leading the black ‘n roll movement in Norway, Vreid are the perfect example of that. The band arose in 2004 from the ashes of Winder after the tragic perishing of Terje ‘Valfar’ Bakken. The Sognametal legends declared the mission of exploring new musical paths, which they have pushed to even greater heights on their new record Wild North West.

The ninth record is not just a collection of songs, but a concept album that developed alongside an entire movie. Throughout eight chapters you will be taken on a journey deep into the mountains, to a dark place where the borders between reality and fantasy fade and where death is only one step behind you: The Wild North West. Not just in sheer size of the project but also in terms of music videography, creativity, and determination, Vreid have done something truly unique and lifted their art to a new dimension.

On the concept, founder and bass player Jarle Hváll Kvåle states: "Wild North West is a concept story about life itself and its eternal shadow: death. It is built around the world of our fictional character E, but it is surely inspired by my own life, my band’s life, historical events and many tales that have inspired me over the years. Is it a true story or fictional? I would have to say both, and sometimes is hard tell the difference.”

Wild North West features the most extreme and intense work of the band to date, as well as heavy and melodic rock songs. These influences have always been a part of Vreid’s DNA, and it is this combination that makes up the spirit of Sognametal.  A remarkable homage to that same musical spirit is the song “Into the Mountains”. The ideas for that track were written in 2002 by Jarle ‘Hváll’ Kvåle and Terje ‘Valfar’ Bakken (Winder). Inspired by these ideas, Hváll wrote the song and included the original demo keyboard tracks from 2002, recorded back then by Valfar.

Vreid have always chosen a course of constant evolution that is marked by thematically denoted phases regarding their often historically inspired lyrics. This became particularly clear with albums ‘I Krig’ (2007) and ‘Milorg’ (2009), which both revolved around concepts dealing with resistance and liberation of Norway during World War II. With their following three records, the pitch black brigade returned to their Norse roots on ‘Sólverv’ which received high critical acclaim in 2015.

In 2018, the Norwegians teamed up with Season of Mist for their previous full-length ‘Lifehunger’, a record that successfully blended elements of 70’s rock, 80’s classic metal, and Norwegian black metal and which featured a remarkable guest contribution from Solstafir’s vocalist Addi Tryggvason on the track “Hello Darkness”.

Vreid have hammered out their success partly by being a heavily touring band. The four-piece performed more than 500 shows in 25 countries so far. Their everlasting march to conquer new territories has led the Norwegians to headline tours in Europe, North America, Japan, and India.

The band’s onward march did not come to a halt in 2020, a year that will go down as devastating for the international music scene. Vreid launched their own beer, which turned out to be the biggest success of the Balder Brewery as the first batches were sold out immediately. Instead of waiting to be able to tour again, the Norwegians invited the fans to their home region and hosted a massive streaming concert among the beautiful mountainous surroundings of the Sognefjord. The concert, ‘Into the Mountains of Sognametal’ took place in June 2020 was viewed by over 140.000 people from more than 40 countries.

In 2021, Vreid will once more invite the fans to their dark, cold, and wild universe but tread carefully as from these haunted mountains, no man can descend.

Welcome to the Wild North West.




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Italian Gothic metallers, Cadaveria, have released their new single, "Shamanic Path", which will be released on March 31st. Watch a lyric video below, and stream/download the single here.

Cadaveria previously released a music video for their single “Divination”. Stream / download the single here, and watch the clip below.




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