L.A.'s Witherfall are celebrating the release of their new album, Curse Of Autumn, with the launch of another cinematic video for an edit of the epic "...And They All Blew Away." The video was directed by Brendan McGowan and produced by Zev Deans. Check it out below.

"So, this is a total edit of this song," the band says. "For those who dare, there is a 15+ minute version on the record that is by far the most progressive thing Witherfall has ever written and features an incredible drum performance by the legendary Marco Minnemann as well as an amazing display of eclectic bass techniques by Anthony Crawford. Going into the songwriting of Curse Of Autumn, we always want to try and outdo ourselves with certain tracks and this goal was to write a song that took the listener on an unparalleled musical journey. This abridged version is set to cinema by UnholyRoman and is shrouded in mystery much like the meaning of the song. For those that dare, the full version can be found via the link in the description."

Curse Of Autumn is released today (March 5th), with the US vinyl available April 2. The album was produced by Jon Schaffer (Iced Earth, Demons & Wizards) for Ravencraft Productions, Joseph Michael (vocals, keyboards, also in Sanctuary) and Jake Dreyer (guitar, also in Iced Earth, Demons & Wizards). For the recording and mix they teamed up with Jim Morris (Savatage, Iced Earth, Kamelot, Death) while Tom Morris took over mastering duties.

The album art is once again another hand painted masterpiece by the legendary Kristian Wåhlin, the fourth painting in the Witherfall series.

Apart from the digital album, the following formats are available, please note that the luxurious Gatefold 2LP is coming with a poster and etching on Side D:

- Ltd. CD Digipak
- Gatefold black 2LP for all accounts
- 200x Gatefold Autumn Amber (transp. orange Vinyl) 2LP via CM Distro Wholesale and Onlineshop
- 200x Gatefold Ghost White (creamy white Vinyl) 2LP via EMP and Nuclear Blast

The US is carrying the following formats:

- CD Digipak
- Gatefold Fall Forest Green (translucent forest green Vinyl) 2LP for all accounts
- 200x Gatefold Tempest Frost (coke bottle clear Vinyl) 2LP via Revolver Magazine
- 200x Gatefold River Orchid Bloom (orchid Vinyl) via the CM US Onlineshop

Click here for multiple options.

Via the band’s official store were you can secure:

- 300x Gatefold Last Scar Blood Red (deep blood red Vinyl) 2LP

Tracklisting:

"Deliver Us Into The Arms Of Eternal Silence"
"The Last Scar"
"As I Lie Awake"
"Another Face"
"Tempest"
"Curse Of Autumn"
"The Unyielding Grip Of Each Passing Day"
"The Other Side Of Fear"
"The River"
"… And They All Blew Away"
"Long Time" (Acoustic Version)

"The Other Side Of Fear" video:

“As I Lie Awake” video

"Another Face" lyric video:

Witherfall are:

Joseph Michael - Vocals/Keyboards (also in Sanctuary)
Jake Dreyer - Acoustic and Electric Guitars (also in Iced Earth/Demons And Wizards)
Anthony Crawford - Bass (Chon, Shalmor, Allan Holdsworth, Justin Timberlake, Kirk Whalum)
Marco Minnemann - Drums (The Aristocrats, Joe Satriani, Steven Wilson, Tony Levin, Jordan Rudess, Necrophagist)
Alex Nasla - Live Keyboards

(Photo - Stephanie Cabral)




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Melodic death metallers Númenor release their new album, Draconian Age, today via Elevate Records. It is available via all digital platforms and on CD. The opening track "Make The Stand" features Blind Guardian frontman Hansi Kürsch, making it his first duet with a black metal singer.

The style of the Númenor is a mix between epic, power and heavy metal of the '80s and '90s, and the Scandinavian black / death metal scene of the '90s. Influences include  Iron Maiden, Rhapsody / Luca Turilli, Blind Guardian, Bal-Sagoth, Covenant, Arcturus, the first Dimmu Borgir and Old Man's Child.

A few words on Draconian Age directly from singer Marko: 

"We started to record Draconian Age at the end of 2018 and concluded at the end of 2020. Draconian Age is the first album made for Elevate Records  and was preceded by a single with 4 tracks. Furthermore, for the second time we used a cover carried out by the artist Dobroslav Bob Zivkovic which was originally published as a front cover and rearceropropertine of the book The Lord of the Rings in 1984. The sound of Draconian Age turned out to be more aggressive than before although at the beginning we thought of proceeding in the direction of the previous albums with the first two written songs and recorded: 'Feanor' and 'Mirror Mirror', but with the rest of the songs we explored some new musical horizons, especially with 'WhereThe Battle Rages On' and 'Twilight Of The Gods'. 

Furthermore, every single track of the disc was strongly influenced by the sound of 'Make The Stand', the opening track with Hansi Kürsch of Blind Guardian to the solo voice. However, every song has something special such as 'Hall Of The Mountain King' or 'The Final Days Of Frost', which turned out to be a real black metal track. During some moments of the writing process we were strongly influenced by Norwegian or Swedish black metal bands: Immortal, Emperor, Old Man's Child or even Dissection. From our point of view this was our full-length full-length as we spent a lot of time to every single detail. However, we are convinced that this album will be remembered in a particular way for the participation of Hansi Kürsch as lead vocalist in the opening track make the stand, which surely, given the first results, will become one of the biggest and most important songs of the band."

Check out Draconian Age via digital platforms here.

Tracklist:

"Make The Stand" (feat. Hansi Kürsch) 
"Hall Of The Mountain King"
"Fëanor"
"Mirror Mirror (A Robe of Stars)"
"Arkenstone"
"Where The Battle Rages On"
"Twilight Of The Gods"
"The Days Of Final Frost"
"The Last Of Wizards"
"Númenor"




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Pop star Kesha has shared a video of her wearing a VOIVOD t-shirt.

The singer, who celebrated her 34th birthday on Monday (March 1), took to her Facebook page the following day to post a six-second clip of her sporting a shirt from the legendary Canadian metal innovators. She wrote in an accompanying message: "Animals I love u thank u so much for all the birthday messages!! I miss u".

Back in 2011, Kesha said that she did not see herself as an average pop star because she loves the rock 'n' roll lifestyle too much.

She said: "I'm not a submissive, perfect pop princess, that's for damned sure. I do think I have a rebellious, metal-loving rock chick inside of me.

"I've always loved rock 'n' roll. It's about subversion. I'm talking to millions of people around the world about having sex freely, getting drunk and partying. It's fun for me to be riding that line of appropriateness."

Shortly before the release of her last studio album, 2020's "High Road", Kesha told Billboard that BEASTIE BOYS' "Licensed To Ill", QUEEN's "Jazz" and Iggy Pop's "Lust For Life" were among the albums that influenced her. "My brain is a wild place," she said.

A little over four years ago, Kesha was photographed rocking a 1988 METALLICA "Damaged Justice" tour t-shirt while leaving a Miami hotel.

In 2011, Kesha made a guest appearance on Alice Cooper's "Welcome 2 My Nightmare" on a song called "What Baby Wants".

"I met [Kesha] at the Grammys," Cooper told Billboard, "and I immediately looked at her and went, 'This girl is not a pop diva. She's a rock singer.' She would much rather be the female Robert Plant than the next Britney Spears."




Animals I love u thank u so much for all the birthday messages!! I miss u ☯️??

Posted by Kesha on Tuesday, March 2, 2021

During a new appearance on "The Mistress Carrie Podcast", GODSMACK frontman Sully Erna said that the coronavirus is not as deadly as health officials have made it out to be. "I'm sorry, man, and there may be some people that may get mad at me about saying this, but COVID is not a global killer," he said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET). "It's doing damage, and it's certainly affecting the elderly, and we pray for them, and we are really sympathetic towards that, and that's why we're all wearing masks, that's why we're all doing our job. Because there's a lot of us that aren't afraid of COVID, and we know that we're probably gonna blow right through it. But we don't wanna roll the dice with our loved ones, so we're being responsible. But at the same time, the reality is this isn't a global killer. It's gonna pass, we're gonna get past it, and we need to get back to normal. So we have to influence the strong to get out there and start working and start going to school and doing what they need to do so we can create population immunity. That's what's gonna get us through this. And then we'll be able to get back to normal."

Erna also repeated a narrative pushed by conservative media and disputed by health experts that suggested the official death count of 516,000 from the coronavirus in the U.S. was inflated.

"There's been a lot of things proven within the media, the news, to who's on what side of what, and whether some of this was a political agenda to begin within, whether the numbers are accurate enough to be able to base it on, those half a million people dead," Erna said. "Because there was a lot of people coming forward, a lot of doctors and everything, saying, 'Why the fuck are we being asked to put COVID on everything? Why did someone just die of pneumonia, and we have to write 'COVID'? Why did someone come in and have a heart attack, and we're being told to write 'COVID'?' So whether that half-a-million number is correct, that's the part that I feel like we need to be responsible enough to try and be optimistic about not steering people down one rabbit hole, because that's what CNN does on one side and Fox does on the other side. So CNN delivers one side of this, and Fox takes you down a different rabbit hole."

He continued: "The thing with COVID is I myself know at least — at least — a dozen, two dozen people, maybe, that have gotten COVID. And I have a friend of mine that, three months later, he's, like, 'I'm still having some issues. And it's weird — I'm getting dizzy spells. I'm getting this, that and the other thing. And what the fuck?' And then I know another group of people that were, like, 'Dude, I've had a hangover that was worse than this. I had a fever of 99 for about a day and a half and haven't had a problem since.' And so it affects everybody differently, and that's the big mystery."

Last year, there were theories that medical experts are inflating the number of coronavirus-related deaths to scare residents into complying with various states' executive orders, such as one that required residents to wear masks in public places. There have also been claims that the lockdowns weren't designed for public health, but rather to destroy the Trump economy.

According to Forbes, the number of Americans who believe the death toll is inflated is highest among those who get their news from Fox News (61%) and Republicans (59%), while only 9% of Democrats and 7% of those getting their news from CNN and MSNBC believe the same.

Many health experts, including Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, have rejected claims that coronavirus deaths are being exaggerated.

Erna has been more vocal about his political opinions in recent years, saying in a July 2020 episode of his Internet show "Hometown Sessions" that if "Trump stays in [office], COVID's gonna be a big, messy pain in the ass, and there's gonna be more people burning down Wendy's fucking restaurants. If Trump fucking is gone, all of a sudden they're gonna have this miracle vaccine that those fucking liars have been holding on to."

In February 2020, Erna came under fire for sharing a post that was flagged as part of Facebook's efforts to combat false news and misinformation on its news feed. The post in question criticized then-Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders's plan to raise the minimum wage and provide universal health care to all Americans. It also cited Sanders's Medicare For All plan, a single, national health insurance program that would cover everyone who lives in the United States.

Back in 2004, Erna revealed that he was not in favor of the Democratic candidate for president in that year's election, telling Launch Radio Networks: "I'm a Republican. I want Republican. I don't necessarily want [incumbent Republican president George W.] Bush to win. I don't like that choice, but I gotta tell you, I don't truly believe in the Democrats either, man. I don't like the way they think. I don't like, I don't love Bush, I'll tell you that, but I want a Republican in office."

White Republicans are more likely than any other group in the U.S. to be unsure or resistant to being vaccinated for COVID-19, according to recent polling from Civiq.

Brent Hinds, songwriter, vocalist and lead guitarist for the Grammy Award-winning band MASTODON, is the latest guest to pay homage to AC/DC on the season two finale of the "AC/DC Beyond The Thunder" podcast.

Hinds discusses his early banjo-playing days growing up in Birmingham, Alabama, eventually inspiring him to learn to play guitar thanks to one, Angus Young, after sneaking a cassette of AC/DC's "Highway To Hell" around his parent's strict Bible Belt household.

"You can't listen to AC/DC," scolded Brent's parents, "You'll go to hell!". Instead of conjuring up the devil, the music made Hinds feel "alive" and was "electrifying." "AC/DC's like a religion," confessed Hinds, calling them, "the quintessential rock 'n' roll band."

During this candid season two finale, Hinds invites listeners on a wild journey — from getting lucky during his first AC/DC concert in high school… with his teacher, sharing producer Brendan O'Brien in the studio, desperately trying to not end up like Bon Scott one day, and pissing in Angus Young's pocket?

"I was at this awards show. I just walked over to him and said, 'Thank you for your guitar playing because you really influenced me as a guitar player.'" As the MASTODON guitarist went on to tell Young that he wouldn't even be at the Golden Gods awards show without his influence, the AC/DC schoolboy-wearing founder pulled Hinds up short by saying, "Quit pissing in my pocket!", which Hinds would later learn to be an Australian back-handed compliment.

Hinds formed MASTODON in Atlanta, Georgia in 2000. Their track, "Blood & Thunder", was chosen as one of the most important recordings of the decade by National Public Radio. The band is currently in the studio working on new material.

"AC/DC Beyond The Thunder" features well known actors, authors, athletes, comedians, musicians, media hosts, and even members of the band, all paying homage to one of the greatest bands of all time. Guests have included Slash, Hall Of Fame MLB pitcher Trevor Hoffman, "SNL" comedian Jim Breuer, U.S. military war hero Mike Durant from the film "Black Hawk Down", classically trained Croatian duo 2CELLOS, Dweezil Zappa and AC/DC drummer Chris Slade.

Created by duo Gregg Ferguson and Kurt Squiers, "AC/DC Beyond The Thunder" originally set out to be a feature-length documentary film. After shooting on the Highway To Hell for years, Ferguson and Squiers approached AC/DC's management to seek partnership with the band for a worldwide commercial release. After countless attempts for a face-to-face, the duo sent a proof of concept edit for review, and while the band said they, "weren't quite ready to make a historic film while still making history," AC/DC liked what they saw. But with no partnership, and no music rights from the band, "AC/DC Beyond The Thunder" was, for all intents and purposes, shot down in flames.

Wondering if the film would ever catch lightning, Ferguson and Squiers decided to unearth these wonderful stories of extraordinary fans discussing their affinity for AC/DC and harness that energy into a vehicle that just might work…a podcast. After capturing over 50 interviews and with a newfound momentum to create all-new episodes with sound engineer Eric Kielb, "AC/DC Beyond The Thunder" is back, serving up inspirational stories about the fans, for the fans, by the fans.

"AC/DC Beyond The Thunder" can be heard on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or any of your favorite podcast apps.

SAXON singer Biff Byford is collaborating with his son Seb (NAKED SIX) on a new album, to be released before the end of the year. Speaking to Sweden's RockSverige, Biff stated about the effort: "The record company wants to call it 'BIFF AND SEB' or 'SEB AND BIFF,' but we would like to do it with a band name and we've got the name HEAVY WATER. I quite like that name. We have a working title called 'Red Brick City'. We'll call it 'Heavy Water' or… I don't know. The working title might change. As we speak at this moment, we're doing bass guitars. I'm playing some and Seb's playing some. When I finish talking to you, I'm going back into the studio.

Asked if he is singing on the album, Biff said: "Me and Seb. He'll sing a song, I'll sing a song and we'll sing a song together. He plays guitar and I play bass and a friend of ours is playing drums, so it's a three-piece band at the moment. We might add some stuff, but I don't know. Again, we're recording it pretty quick and live, just like [SAXON's upcoming covers album] 'Inspirations', really. Very similar to my solo album, a very similar production."

Biff went on to say that his collaboration with his son is musically similar to that of Byford's first solo album, "School Of Hard Knocks", which came out in February 2020. "The songs are also, stylistically, very similar to the 'Inspirations' album," he explained. "There's some laid-back stuff and there's some heavy stuff. I wouldn't say there's any prog rock on there, but there are definitely two or three metal tracks on there. Seb's a great songwriter, and he likes to play heavy guitar riffs, so I'm sure people will be interested."

Asked what it's like working with his son, Biff said: "It's pretty cool. We're both pretty set in our ways, so it's working really well. It's great for me and for him, really. I'm getting off on his excitement and his first time doing things, and he gets off on my that wisdom that I've learned over the years."

"Inspirations" will be released on March 19 via Silver Lining Music. The 11-track effort contains some of the classic rock songs that influenced Biff and the rest of SAXON.

"Inspirations" was recorded at Brockfield Hall, near York in the U.K., which was built in 1804 and holds the largest collection of paintings by Yorkshire's impressionist artists — the Staithes Group.

"Inspirations" will be made available on vinyl, CD, digital formats and limited-edition D2C products.

In a new interiview with "The Metal Hammer Podcast", EPICA singer Simone Simons was asked what she misses the most about touring. She responded (hear audio below): "What I miss is definitely being on stage, singing, traveling. Ever since I was 17, I've been traveling a lot, and that was my lifestyle, not just my job, and it was normal to me. Being home a lot is not normal for me. [Laughs] And I miss the variation — the traveling, meeting the fans. There's nothing compared to being on a stage, singing live, creating the music at that moment — nothing compares to that; nothing can replace that. So that's definitely missing, and I feel a little bit as if I'm on standby. And besides that, what I miss as well is that other people are cooking for me [laughs], and cleaning. I mean, I feel like I'm a kitchen slave nowadays. In the morning, making breakfast, [then] lunch, dinner… I feel a little bit [like] a hamster stuck in a loop — the mess never ends; I always keep on cleaning, cooking, buying food, sleeping and then repeat."

Simone and her husband, KAMELOT keyboardist Oliver Palotai, share a seven-year-old son, Vincent G. Palotai. They live in Germany.

EPICA's new album, "Omega", was released on February 26 via Nuclear Blast. The follow-up to 2016's "The Holographic Principle" was once again produced by Joost Van Den Broek (POWERWOLF, AYREON) in part at Sandlane Recording Facilities in Rijen, Netherlands.

In a recent interview with Australia's AMNplify, Simons stated about her inspirations and influences for "Omega": "Life in general. I mean, the years going up to 'Omega', I was struggling with a lot of burnout but also having a very hectic lifestyle. Combining touring life with family life was not always easy. So my battery, I would say that I was extremely exhausted from touring and also the emotional stress of being away from my son. That drained me big time. But I guess you go through phases in your life as well.

"Whatever is happening in society, we, as musicians, as artists, are a little bit of a mirror of what is happening, of course, within ourselves, people close to us and what's happening around in the world," she continued. "Global warming is a big topic in one of my lyrics. Genome editing. What's happening worldwide is a topic. But most of all, this album is a very spiritual album. It's the most profound, mature album in EPICA's history.

"The name 'Omega' is actually referring to the Omega Point, where you have the Big Bang, the creation of universe. Omega is the end, where basically everything comes together, spiritually and science. Everything in the universe is fated towards a final point of unification. It's the end of our 'Kingdom Of Heaven' series. So this is the third and final 'Kingdom Of Heaven' song. It's our eighth studio album. The number eight is also very spiritual because if you put it on the side, it's the infinity symbol. 'Kingdom Of Heaven' is about life after death, and it's also number eight on the album. So there is a lot of hidden symbolism on the album and in the artwork. The big life question, 'What is the true meaning of life?' How do we navigate through life within ourselves? We are all 'yin and yang.' We are all made out of light and dark. We all have this labyrinth within ourselves in which we have to navigate ourselves. We hopefully find our way out of the labyrinth and don't get lost within the labyrinth of ourselves."

RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE's Tim Commerford says that his band will "never" play a drive-in concert. The bassist made his comments to TooFab while out on a quick hardware store run in Los Angeles earlier this week.

Speaking about how the coronavirus pandemic has affected the concert industry, Tim said (see video below): "Musicians got kicked to the curb, man. Musicians and barbershops and gyms, we're the last ones to go. So it's stressful for me, just because I look at RAGE and go, like, 'Fuck, we rely on an audience.' You go to RAGE shows to see the audience as much as to see the band, and we need that. We're one of those bands that need that.

"We'll never be one of these sellouts that's gonna go play a drive-in show or play a venue that holds a hundred thousand people and there's only ten thousand people there," he insisted. "That's bullshit. RAGE will never do that. It's not a good show unless the audience is going off too — it's gotta be a shared experience."

Commerford also talked about his disappointment over the cancelation of RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE's comeback appearance at the Coachella in Indio, California. He said: "It was already gonna be something really special. Without getting into it, we were doing things that we had never done before, and we're all better musicians than we've ever been before, so the music was all time, and it was just exciting. It was gonna be a really great new version, a new exciting version of RAGE, you know? Plus, we were [going to be] on tour with RUN THE JEWELS, and they put their record out, and it was the biggest hip-hop record of the year. So it was gonna be a really great tour. And I've got my fingers crossed that the world will fix itself."

RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE was set to tour last year for the first time in more than a decade until the pandemic pushed those plans to 2021.

The reunited quartet — Zack De La Rocha, Tom Morello, Brad Wilk and Tim Commferford — was supposed to play its first concerts back together in March 2020 at several cities along or near the Mexican border, with several dozen U.S. and European dates booked through the end of last summer.

When it eventually happens, the upcoming tour will mark the first time RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE has hit the road together since 2011.

RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE last played together at L.A. Rising and has resisted calls for a reunion, with vocalist De La Rocha previously believed to be the lone holdout. Guitarist Morello and his fellow RAGE bandmates Commerford (bass) and Wilk (drums) have since teamed up with PUBLIC ENEMY's Chuck D. and CYPRESS HILL's B-Real in the similarly styled PROPHETS OF RAGE.

RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE recorded three original studio albums and one set of covers before breaking up in 2000. The group reformed in 2007 but only played sporadic gigs and never a full tour.

DREAM THEATER guitarist John Petrucci spoke to Metal Injection about the writing and recording process for the band's upcoming follow-up to 2019's "Distance Over Time" album. He said: "There's definitely a lot we learned from 'Distance Over Time'. And having said that, this is definitely something new and different as well. I can say this, we're hard at work. We still have a bunch to do. It's going to come out later this year. We're actually in the midst of tracking keyboards right now. I don't know if it's just, like, people are home and you can't tour, but it's, like, everybody just came to the table to play. Everybody is on fire. The best ideas and best playing. And so the album, it's lit up. There's definitely a lot of energy and excitement to it. I'm really pumped about it."

Petrucci also reflected on DREAM THEATER's 35-year career so far, saying: "I mean, it's unbelievable. It's not something that many bands could say and we're just so, so fortunate to have this extensive of a career and fans that were not only there from the beginning, but the new ones that we gain with each album that comes out, which is so encouraging. The fact that we've been able to do this type of music at the level that we're at is mindblowing. The fact that I'm still in the same band with [bassist] John Myung, who I met when I was 12 years old, blows my mind. The things that we've been able to do, the accomplishments and places we've been, it's just unbelievable… It's, like, we have just as much fun and excitement with every record that we do. Thankfully we have fans that look forward to new music just as eagerly as we did. It reminds me of the way that I felt when I was growing up and listening to RUSH, mostly like in the '80s during all those those classic albums, from 'Permanent Waves' and 'Moving Pictures' and 'Signals' and 'Power Windows' and all that stuff. I looked forward to every album when it came out, every new album, every new material. I couldn't get enough. So I love that we have that that similar type of mindset in our fan base. It's really encouraging. We just love doing it."

"Distance Over Time" marked DREAM THEATER's first album for for Sony Music's progressive imprint InsideOut Music. The group spent the past 25 years recording under various labels in the Warner Music Group system, most recently Roadrunner Records, which released five albums by the band between 2007 and 2016.

DREAM THEATER recently released its ninth career live album, "Distant Memories - Live In London". Recorded at DREAM THEATER's sold-out show at the Apollo Theatre in London, the live release documents the band's popular world tour in support of "Distance Over Time" and the 20th anniversary of their seminal concept album "Metropolis Part 2 - Scenes From A Memory"

Norwegian doom / goth metal pioneers Theatre Of Tragedy, who called it quits in 2010 and played their final show on October 2nd of that year, are gearing up to release a special 25th anniversary deluxe vinyl edition of the band's second album, Velvet Darkness They Fear, through Cosmic Key Creations. Following in the footsteps of the 25th Anniversary package released for the band's self-titled debut released in 2020, this deluxe edition of Velvet Darkness They Fear will feature brand new liner notes, bonus tracks, and unreleased photos from the band's vault. 

Watch the Cosmic Key Creations Facebook page here for updates.

Velvet Darkness They Fear was released on August 18th, 1996 via Massacre Records. It was issued in North America by Century Media Records in 1997. The album was produced, engineered and mixed by Pete Coleman, who would return to work on the band's third album, Aegis, released in 1998.

Tracklist: 

"Velvet Darkness They Fear"
"Fair and 'Guiling Copesmate Death"
"Bring Forth Ye Shadow"
"Seraphic Deviltry"
"And When He Falleth"    
"Der Tanz der Schatten"
"Black as the Devil Painteth"
"On Whom the Moon Doth Shine"
"The Masquerader and Phoenix"




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Dutch extreme metal outfit Autarkh have issued new song and video for “Alignment”.

Founder Michel Nienhuis comments: "A place of uncertainty can be a fertile ground if you are open to any way a situation might unfold. All might as well occur in your favor and it could feel like you don’t need to go with the flow because you are the flow. ‘Alignment’ tries to capture this most desirable form of motion, a realm where time and space are aligned. A truly astonishing state of being that ultimately leads to catharsis, self-government and independence."

To misquote Allen Ginsburg "the circle Dodecahdron is broken. But with death comes rebirth."  Autarkh takes a radical approach to their musical assault, consuming the listener with dizzying maelstroms of chaos. Form In Motion embodies the word “extreme,” putting forth an intrusive battery of blistering guitars, pummeling drums, spastic math metal salvos and cacophonous electronics that culminates in one of the most robust and daring debut records metal has seen yet.

Form In Motion is due on March 12. Preorder here.

Cover art by Manuel Tinnemans/Comaworx:

Tracklisting:

“Primitive Constructs”
“Turbulence”
“Cyclic Terror”
“Impasse”
“Introspectrum”
“Lost To Sight”
“Metacognition”
“Clouded Aura”
“Alignment”
“Zeit ist nur eine Illusion”

“Alignment”:

(Photo - Steph Byrn)




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Horror Pain Gore Death Productions have signed Japanese HM-2 grinding supergroup Mortify. The new EP Grotesque Buzzsaw Defilement is up now for preorder and will be released April 2 on CD and Digital formats. Preorders available on Bandcamp.

Mortify are a grinding supergroup featuring Koreeda (ex-Coffins/Trikorona) on guitar, Ryohei (Final Exit/su19b) on drums and Adam (Disrotted, Sick/Tired) on vocals. Grotesque Buzzsaw Defilement showcases intense, old school grindcore madness with a touch of HM-2 Swedish death metal flavor. Vicious, savage and extreme, Mortify present 13 tracks in nine and a half minutes that melt your face off including an Agathocles cover.

Tracklisting:

“Flesh Creep”
“Musty Trudge”
“Organ Terror”
“Obelisk Of Suffering”
“100 Rats”
“No Survivors”
“No!” (Agathocles cover)
“Grabby Hands”
“Brain Gurglar”
“Adhesives”
“Mangy Mutts”
“Smells Of Barfs”
“Deviant”

“Obelisk Of Suffering”:




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German modern metal outfit Venues have released the NSFW video for their new single "Rite Of Passage." The thumping and monumental track is very personal — exploring the relationship with one's father while sonically erupting into a chorus made for arenas.

Venues will release their new album Solace, on August 27 via Arising Empire. The album will be pressed on limited colored vinyl, as well. Pre-order Solace here.

From the depths of their deepest crisis, Venues emerge victoriously, welcoming two new members: clean vocalist Lela and guitarist Valentin. When former vocalist Nyves quit the band mid-tour, following the release of their pivotal debut Aspire (2018), the modern metal crew was shaken to the bone. Despite this situation, the remaining members refused to give up and tirelessly searched for new talent.

Following guitarist Constantin witnessing a performance of Lela at — of all places — a Steel Panther show, the band found their new clean vocalist.

Venues entered the studio with producer Christoph Wieczorek (Annisokay) to record Solace, who coated their massive sound with a metallic alloy of remarkable precision.

"We wanted to be more metal," the band's Robin comments. "There were some pop sensibilities of Aspire that we wanted to replace with rather the opposite." Melody and punch-drunk heaviness, metal and alternative rock, zeitgeist and authenticity, barbed choruses and unleashed creativity: With their soaring sophomore release, Venues fulfill every single promise they made on Aspire. 

"2020 showed all of us how much the band is helping us keep our sanity,” Robin muses. "Almost the whole band went through minor or medium crises since the release of our debut. Relationships went sour, things ended and began. In times like these, our second album was the light at the end of the tunnel. Something we all could look forward to. Our music held our heads above water."

It's a leap, going from Aspire to Solace, and it's a logical one. 10 songs. 10 exorcisms of negative energy. 10 lifesavers.

Tracklisting:

"Razorblade Teeth"
"Whydah Gally"
"Rite Of Passage"
"Uncaged Birds"
"Into The Fire"
"Down Below"
"Shifting Colors"
"Our Destiny"
"Deceptive Faces"
"Mountains"

Venues are:

Lela - clean vocals
Robin - shouts
Constantin - guitar
Valentin - guitar
Dennis - drums

For further details, visit Venues on Facebook.

 




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Finnish cello rockers APOCALYPTICA have collaborated with PAPA ROACH singer Jacoby Shaddix on a cover version of the CREAM classic "White Room". The track, which can be heard below, was produced by Howard Benson at West Valley Recording Studios in Woodland Hills, California and mixed by Chris Lorde-Alge.

Says APOCALYPTICA: "We were really looking forward to this release. Doing a cover of such a legendary song, originally by CREAM, was great fun and having Jacoby Shaddix as featuring artist is a big pleasure for us! We hope you like the song just as much as we do."

"White Room" is the first release from APOCALYPTICA since "Talk To Me", which arrived last August. That song was a collaboration with HALESTORM frontwoman Lzzy Hale.

APOCALYPTICA's latest studio album, "Cell-0", came out in January 2020. The effort was the band's first fully instrumental record in 17 years.

2015's "Shadowmaker" was APOCALYPTICA's first album to feature just one singer — former SCARS ON BROADWAY guitarist Franky Perez — instead of guest collaborators. The disc was recorded with Grammy Award-winning producer Nick Raskulinecz (FOO FIGHTERS, DEFTONES, MASTODON).

Prior to enlisting Perez, APOCALYPTICA released eight albums that melded the classically trained cello mastery of the three core bandmembers with the harder elements of the rock world, including drums and guest vocalists, such as Gavin Rossdale from BUSH, and Corey Taylor of SLIPKNOT and STONE SOUR fame.

Back in 2018, APOCALYPTICA's Eicca Toppinen stated about the band's decision to make an all-instrumental album at this point in the group's career: "On the previous ones, we always combined the instrumental songs with the vocal songs, and it was great to have the featuring artists, it was great to work with Frank Perez for the 'Shadowmaker' album. But then, on the other hand, it became a bigger interest for us, like, okay, it would be interesting to make a full instrumental album, so there's no compromise with anything."

Another previously unreleased 2014 live jam rehearsal recording by former MEGADETH members Nick Menza, Chris Poland and James LoMenzo can be heard below.

The clip was edited by Menza himself and features the trio in an all-out original, free-for-all intense heavy jam session.

The unnamed trio was assembled by Menza and LoMenzo in 2014, and later on joined by Poland to handle rhythm and lead guitar.

Before joining forces with Poland, Menza and LoMenzo released two demo versions of their cover of the METALLICA classics "Creeping Death" and "Motorbreath" with a guest appearance by guitarist/vocalist Davor Garasic from the Croatian thrash metal band SUFOSIA.

Menza, Poland and LoMenzo's first jam session took place on November 1, 2014, at Menza's Disintegrator Studios in Studio City, California, where they cracked through some of the old MEGADETH catalog along with some of their favorite METALLICA and LED ZEPPELIN songs.

Regarding the project's musical direction, which was described by some as LED ZEPPELIN meets METALLICA," Nick said: "It's got some elements of that, but I'd say we're just so far beyond everything that's been heard already. It's gonna be a conglomerate of styles. It's gonna be what we like to do best. Have fun and play. Our material is gonna be really out there, It's gonna be different. It's gonna pumped, it's gonna be heavy, but it's gonna be us."

The trio then rehearsed handful of times before disbanding later that year due to other musical commitments, Menza went on to join Poland's band OHM:, and was playing with the group live on stage when he died behind his drum kit of natural causes in May 2016.

The unnamed project will be a highlight in the recently announced official Menza documentary film "This Was My Life - The Story of Nick Menza", featuring video footage and audio recordings of Menza himself discussing the project's rhythm section, future recording and touring plans.

The film will be the first-ever film to memorialize Menza's legacy and celebrate his life exactly how it was. It is described in a press release 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 content showcasing Nick working at the studio, personal home movies, casual time and party time with his fellow bandmembers, as well as other well-known artists of the era that Nick toured with.

Menza's longtime personal manger 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."

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.

Poland is best known for his work on MEGADETH's first two albums "Killing Is My Business... And Business Is Good!" (1985) and "Peace Sells... But Who's Buying?" (1986).

LoMenzo joined MEGADETH in 2006 and appeared on two of the group's studio albums, 2007's "United Abominations" and 2009's "Endgame". He was fired from the band in 2010 and replaced with returning original MEGADETH bassist David Ellefson.

In addition to MEGADETH, LoMenzo has played with Ozzy Osbourne, Zakk Wylde and WHITE LION. For the past six years, LoMenzo has been performing with iconic rocker John Fogerty.

Progressive metal power force Odd Dimension have released a video for the song Escape To Blue Planet, taken from their third album, The Blue Dawn, which will be released on March 26 on Scarlet Records.

This is how the band commented: “‘Escape To Blue Planet’ is a song that well represents the mood, the sounds and the dynamic range we wanted to express with this album, from intimate atmospheres to powerful progressive rhythmic figures. We wanted to literally host the listener in our musical dimension! This new chapter of the story tells about the escape of the two main characters Markus and Eloise from their homeland Axtradel to an unknown planet they see far away from their spaceship in a shining blue, destined to become the homeland of their newborn sons. To do this they leave their mission, and as The Ruler says in the mid part of the song, they will eternally pay the price for this action. We are very excited to release this first official video anticipating this record and we can’t wait for the whole album release on March 26th!”

The Blue Dawn is an intriguing existential sci-fi concept-album in the vein of Rush’s 2112, which is beautifully portrayed by the cover artwork of none other than renowned artist Gustavo Sazes (Angra, DGM, Firewind, James LaBrie).

Tracklisting:

“Mission N°773”
“Landing On Axtradel”
“The Invasion”
“Escape To Blue Planet”
“Solar Wind”
“Life Creators”
“The Blue Dawn”
“Sands Of Yazukia”
“Flags Of Victory”
“The Supreme Being”

“Escape To Blue Planet”:




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Shavo Odadjian (SYSTEM OF A DOWN), Phil Demmel (VIO-LENCE, ex-MACHINE HEAD), Jason Christopher (Corey Taylor, ex-PRONG) and Brandon Pertzborn (HO99O9, Corey Taylor) have joined forces to record a quarantine cover of STONE TEMPLE PILOTS' "Dead & Bloated". Check it out below.

Christopher shared a video of the performance on his Instagram and wrote in an accompanying message: "I hope you enjoy watching this as much as we enjoyed making it.

"I would like to thank the homeys: @jayruston For taking time out of his busy schedule to do this sweet mix, @rarebirdlit for the studio, @dirtyern12 for making this rad video, and @ra_diaz for the company. And my brothers in arms: @phildemmel @shavoodadjian @brandonpertzborn . I love you guys so much and thank you for absolutely crushing this!! I hope we did @stpband justice".

Hired gun Christopher has spent his musical career as an unsung hero, playing an important live role for many influential bands and artists who need a bassist or guitarist.

Jason's a left-handed guitarist who plays a regular guitar upside down and back to front. Not being able to afford a left-handed model in his teenage years, it's testament to his tenacity that he made do, "figuring it out for himself." Not only a gifted musician, Jason has turned his hand to writing about his life and experiences of "making it" in the industry. In 2018, he released the first instalment of his engaging work, "The Rogue To Nowhere", part one of a three-part novella series documenting tales of growing up in Woodstock, New York and moving to Los Angeles, California in search of his musical dream.
























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Japan's Unlucky Morpheus recently released a cover album entitled Loud Playing Workshop, which features covers of instrumenals from Steve Vai, Dream Theater, Michael Schenker, Yngwie Malmsteen and more. They have released an official video for their take on Raacer X's classic instrumental "Technical Difficulties". Check it out below.

The track is taken from Racer X's Technical Difficulties album, released in 1999. It was written by guitarist Paul Gilbert (Mr. Big) and drummer Scott Travis (Judas Priest). 

They previously released a cover of Malmsteen's "Far Beyond The Sun", Dream Theater's "The Dance Of Etrnity", and violinist Jill's performance of "Eruption" in tribute to Eddie Van Halen.

Tracklist:

"Far Beyond The Sun" (Yngwie Malmsteen)
"The Dance of Eternity" (Dream Theater)
"Into the Arena" (Michael Schenker)
"Hundreds Of Thousands" (Tony MacAlpine)
"Scarified" (Racer X)
"Eruption" (Eddie Van Halen)
"For the Love of God" (Steve Vai)
"Technical Difficulties" (Racer X)
"17th Century Chicken Pickin'" (Chris Impellitteri)

"Far Beyond The Sun"

"Eruption"

"The Dance Of Eternity"

"Scarified"




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Texas death thrash war bringers Steel Bearing Hand will release their Slay In Hell full-length April 2nd.

Slay In Hell comes adorned in the diabolic cover illustration of Vrugarthdoom and vomits forth six hellish hymns that pay their respects to the masters – namely Celtic Frost, Slayer, and Autopsy – while maintaining a singular unholy vibe.

As a precursor to the record’s release, Steel Bearing Hand offers up opening track “Command Of The Infernal Exarch” for communal devouring. Issues the band, “‘Command Of The Infernal Exarch’ depicts a descent into Hell to become a knight in Lucifer’s force in order to kill God and usurp the throne of Heaven. The process of transformation from Mortal to Demon is described, along with the arsenal at hand and the tactics employed in the war on Heaven, God, all his Earthly servants, and the heavenly host.”

Slay In Hell will be released on CD and vinyl via Carbonized Records, and cassette through Carbonized and Cimmerian Strength Productions. 

Tracklisting:

"Command Of The Infernal Exarch"
"Lich Gate"
"Tombspawn"
"Per Tenebras Ad Lucem"
"'Til Death And Beyond"
"Ensanguined"

For further details, visit Steel Bearing Hand on Facebook.

 




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"Since its release, Holy Ground has been kicking butt from one side of the Planet to the other, thanks to you guys," says The Dead Daisies, in regard to their new studio album - the first to feature vocalist / bassist Glenn Hughes (Deep Purple, Black Sabbath).

"With 'Chosen And Justified' about to blast off, we thought we'd do something a little different... Beam me up Scotty!"

"Space: the Final Frontier. This is the story of the Starship – Chosen And Justified. Its mission: to explore strange new worlds seeking out new planets for mankind to inhabit. To boldly go where no one has gone before!

Don’t ya just love Star Trek…

The Earth has become uninhabitable, due to man’s stupidity of course, the environment and everything on the planet is pretty much cactus so we must find a way to survive. Determined to save the human race from extinction, the band and its fans blast off from Earth to join a fleet of spacecraft, which is led by the flagship Chosen And Justified. Its mission, to search for a new place to hang out. After years of hibernation, the fleet’s computer awakens everyone when a new world that has an atmosphere fit for humans is discovered. They name the new planet Holy Ground; there is no looking back."

 

 




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Brazil-based animator Val Andrade has released his latest Iron Maiden cartoon clip featuring "The Man Who Would Be King" from The Final Frontier, originally released 11 years ago in 2010. Check it out below:

A selection of Andrade's previously released Iron Maiden-based cartoons can be seen below:

 




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Last month, Heart vocalist Ann Wilson released her new solo song, "The Hammer". Now she presents the accompanying lyric video, which can be seen below.

According to Ann, "'The Hammer' talks about that moment when the rubber meets the road, when all dreams, fantasies, and excuses fall by the wayside. The moment of truth. The edge of reality."

"In recording this song, we took everything out that was extra and went for the rock jugular. Tyler Boley’s uber guitar and Dan Walker’s B3 organ give a vintage taste but a timeless feel. We had a great time recording this one, remembering that in reality, there are no rules of engagement where real rock is concerned. The band got just as passionate as the lyrics!"

Wilson recently released a new original song, "Tender Heart", available now at all DSPs and streaming services. Find a new music video for the song below.

“‘Tender Heart’ came out of a personal struggle,” says Wilson, “but quickly evolved into a greater, more universal meaning. We as the human race are coming to realize realities we never dreamed we’d have to face – environmentally, culturally, financially, and health-wise. Humanity is coming to terms with uncomfortable, heartbreaking, terrifying truths. This song is for the soul whose heart is blindsided by reality, but is still soft and innocent. I hope people will identify with this song and feel they are not alone.”

 




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UK thrashers Solitary have revealed their new video "Catharsis", from the album The Truth Behind The Lies, available now on Metalville Records. Following on from the powerful call-to-arms of "Abominate" and the dark defiance of "I Will Not Tolerate", the cold fury of "Catharsis" shines an unflinching spotlight on the plight of the homeless in modern-day Britain. A feast of uncompromising riffs and irresistible hooks, "Catharsis" is yet another highlight from one of the most consistently excellent thrash metal albums of recent years. 

Speaking about the new video, Solitary frontman Rich Sherrington said, "'Catharsis' deals with the debilitating state of anxiety, but the lyrics lent themselves really well to the homeless crisis that we wanted to highlight in the video. It's an issue we feel passionately about, and people need to see 'the truth behind the lies' - who'd have thought the UK government would misquote and distort the figures to mask the actual reality of the situation?"

As well as highlighting the ongoing problem of homelessness in the video for "Catharsis", Solitary have also contributed a track to the charity compilation album Moshin' The Roof On Vol. 2, organized by the UK Thrashers group and featuring the cream of UK thrash. Find out more here.

The Truth Behind The Lies artwork and tracklisting:

"I Will Not Tolerate"
"The Dark...The Resilient"
"Abominate"
"Homage To The Broken"
"The Truth Behind The Lies"
"Catharsis"
"DTR (Dishonour True Reality)"
"Spawn Of Hate"

"Abominate":

"I Will Not Tolerate":

 




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Toronto's one-man act Malice Divine, created by ex-Astaroth Incarnate guitarist Ric Galvez (also seen as a contestant on Banger TV’s Shredders of Metal Seasons 1 & 2) recently unleashed his debut self-titled album. The record is an excellent example of time spent during the Covid-19 pandemic being put to good use.

The full length showcases nine eclectic tracks of black, death, and thrash metal along with a tinge of classical guitar. For session drums Ric Galvez was joined by Dylan Gowan (Vesperia, Iomair) where they recorded at Monolithic Productions in Oshawa, Ontario with Tyler Williams. After the recording process had concluded, the album was re-amped and mixed by Tyler Williams and then mastered by Lasse Lammert (Demons & Wizards, Alestorm, Gloryhammer) of LSD-Studio in Germany.

The lyrics explored on the self-titled album are actually quite personal and deal with Ric Galvez’s thoughts and feelings regarding his life experiences. They are an outlet for self-expression, while also exploring topics such as spirituality and psychology with an underlying theme of personal empowerment.

Today, Malice Divine shares more insight into the album with the release of the new lyric video for the track "Quantum Manifestation", which can be seen below.

"'Quantum Manifestation' is one of the fastest songs on the album. It's packed full of different elements that are integral to the sound of Malice Divine, such as virtuosic guitar solos, savage blackened death metal riffing, blast beats, epic melodies, and a beautiful classical guitar section," adds Ric Galvez.

Melodic and captivating with a good blend of heavy styles, Malice Divine is recommended for fans of Skeletonwitch, Death, Dissection, and Immortal.

Tracklisting:

“Somnium Lucidus”
“Quantum Manifestation”
“Malicious Divinity”
“Triumphant Return”
“Into Subconscious Depths”
“Ancient Visions”
“In Time”
“Intuitive Realization”
“The Transcendence Of Isolation”

"Triumphant Return":

“In Time”:

“Malicious Divinity”:

(Photo by: Deborah Lawrence) 

 




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Long-running metallers Lord have announced their new covers album, Undercovers Vol. 1 due out April 2nd on Dominus Records. Featuring first single “To The Moon And Back” by Australian pop group Savage Garden.

Bassist Andy explains, “Covers have been a big love of ours since the early days of Dungeon right up to and including now. Over the years in Lord, these tracks have ended up on limited edition releases, bonus tracks in isolated parts of the world and other weird and wonderful places. These songs have been scattered over so many different places that even we struggle ourselves to remember where on earth all of these songs can be found.

While bands around the world continue to navigate these uncertain times, we thought this would be the perfect opportunity to release this collection of cover songs, as well as new recordings, to keep the Lord machine moving while we continue to write new music.”

Andy continues, “Undercovers Vol. 1 is the first instalment of amassing this ever growing collection of cover tracks that Lord have recorded over the years whether it be in the studio or on the stage. There will be many you’re familiar with and there will also be a few surprises. Of course, we couldn’t help ourselves and decided to record two new cover songs for this release, Savage Garden’s 'To The Moon And Back' and Judas Priest’s 'Reckless' and we even threw in two covers from LT’s Blackened Angel project. Artwork has been once again created by the talented Tristan Tait and a hand-numbered limited edition CD release will celebrate the highlights from Volume 1 of our Undercover journey.”

Listen to Lord’s single “To The Moon And Back” from the upcoming album, now via the audio player below.

Undercovers Vol.1 by LORD

Undercovers Vol. 1 will be an exclusive 23 track release available on Bandcamp as both a digital release and as various bundle packs that includes a T-shirt, and a CD that is hand-numbered and limited to 500 hand-numbered copies only, worldwide.

Both the CD and streaming platforms will have a limited track listing, with Bandcamp being the exclusive destination to own all 23 tracks, which includes two covers by Lord Tim’s Blackened Angel project, as well as over 2 hours of Andy and LT talking about the stories behind the songs. The entire release clocks in at over 3 hours and 40 minutes. Pre-orders are now open.

Tracklisting:

"To The Moon And Back" (Savage Garden cover)
"Judas Be Yy Guide" (Iron Maiden cover)
"Send Me An Angel" (Real Life cover)
"Of Sins And Shadows" (Symphony X cover)
"Message In A Bottle" (The Police cover)
"Shattered" (Pantera cover)
"Playing To Win" (Little River Band, John Farnham cover)
"Someone’s Crying" (Helloween cover)
"Hard To Live" (Harem Scarem cover)
"Creeping Death" (Live - Metallica cover)
"(I Just) Died In Your Arms" (Cutting Crew cover)
"Reckless" (Judas Priest cover)
"Silent Jealousy" (X Japan cover)
"I Want Out" (Live - Helloween cover)
"The Sun Always Shines On TV" (A-ha cover)
"The Whisper" (Queensryche cover)
"Touch The Fire" (Icehouse cover)
"Wild Child" (Live - W.A.S.P. cover)
"Break The Ice" (John Farnham cover)
"Runaway" (Bon Jovi cover)
"On A Night Like This" (Kylie Minogue cover)
"Madhouse" by Blackened Angel (Anthrax cover)
"Night People" by Blackened Angel (Dio cover)

Lord is essentially a continuation of Dungeon, one of Australia's longest-running heavy metal bands, with over a dozen releases so far. Their last full length album, 2019's Fallen Idols, was Lords’s best selling and best reviewed album to date, reaching #20 in the Australian ARIA charts and #2 on the Australian Independent Labels chart.

 




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Vancouver’s Anarcheon have unveiled a new stand-alone single “Bloody Merry”, which is our first look at the dark path the band is currently exploring. Multiple line-up changes over the past few years have put the band into an experimental phase, in which they are pushing their creative boundaries. One of the things that are setting Anarcheon apart is their bassist taking up main songwriter duties, leading to heavily groovy riffs with a focus on the bassy low end.

The new direction that “Bloody Merry” alludes to is also leading towards a new EP, slated for release later this year entitled Scary Tale. Both the single and the EP give off a creepy and groovy vibe, taking the listener through a vampiric journey into the dark side of Anarcheon. They explain further:

“Our single 'Bloody Merry' is about the longing and aching for blood through seduction. Making people succumb to the seduction or be my next meal. Though this is a fairly newer song that we wrote we wanted to release it as a single before our EP came out. The song sets the tone for the EP Scary Tale nicely and prepares you with a little taste of crimson liquor.”

A little spooky, a little melodic, and completely creative, “Bloody Merry” is an excellent starting point for new fans to be enticed by the heavy, horror-themed, passionate metal that Anarcheon flaunts while current fans can enjoy the new, yet familiar direction the band is headed in.

Vampirism, harmonies, and emphasis on the low end are key for Anarcheon, who is recommended for fans of Sepultura, Carcass, and Thy Art Is Murder.

“Bloody Merry” will be available to stream and download as of March 5th on Bandcamp, Spotify, and Apple Music.

 




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Finnish Oulu-based female fronted hard rock band Lost Division is set to release their debut album Cuts And Scars on May 28th via Inverse Records. First single "The Queen" from the album is released today. Check out the official lyric video below.

The band comments: "The first single from Lost Division's debut album Cuts & Scars, which is released in the spring. 'The Queen' musically represents the more calm and melancholic side of the upcoming album. The heavy sound and at times sad atmosphere immerse the listener to dark vibes." 

Lost Division is founded in Oulu, Finland back in 2015. Their first single release "Wish You Were Dead" was released in 2018 by Inverse Records. In 2019 they changed singers and started to compose material for the upcoming debut album, which was recorded in 2020. The album was recorded at Liiteri Sudios and mixed by Mika Lammassaari at Demolition Center Studios. Mastering was handled by Stefan Pommerin at Illusia Productions. 

 
Tracklist:
 
"In Memoriam 2.0"
"Trapped"
"Stay"
"I'd Rather Die"
"No God"
"The Queen"
"The Killer"
"Lovely Day"
"Insanity"
"Mayhem"

Line-up:

Maija Väisänen - Vocals
Antti Ovaska - Rhythm  Guitar
Jaakko Korpi - Lead Guitar
Mikael Luukela - Bass
Juha-Matti Sipola - Drums 




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Alexi Laiho's cause of death has been revealed. According to his former SINERGY bandmate Kimberly Goss, to whom he was still legally married at the time of his passing, the ex-CHILDREN OF BODOM frontman died of "alcohol-induced degeneration of the liver and pancreas connective tissue." Furthermore, Laiho had a cocktail of painkillers, opioids and insomnia medication in his system.

Alexi passed away on December 29, 2020 in his home in Helsinki, Finland. The 41-year-old had reportedly suffered from long-term health issues leading up to his death.

In January, Finnish tabloid Ilta-Sanomat reported that Laiho tied the knot with Goss in February 2002, and the couple never officially divorced.

Although Laiho filed for divorce in November 2002, he quickly withdrew the petition and never filed another.

At the time of his death, Alexi was reportedly married to Australian-born music publicist Kelli Wright. However, according to Finnish law, Laiho and Wright would not have been able to wed, as Laiho and Goss had never terminated their marriage.

In December 2017, Wright shared an Instagram photo of what she called her and Alexi's "wedding day," and described it as "full of love and magic".

In announcing the cause of Alexi's death on Instagram, Kimberly wrote: "The loss of this extraordinarily talented and beautiful soul is a tragedy that was entirely preventable. He had so many good years left in him. Imagine all the amazing music we could still be getting if he had just accepted help.

"I plead with anyone who is struggling with alcoholism or any other substance abuse problem, to please seek support. You do not have to meet this same fate. If people are trying to help you, remember that they are doing it out of love and concern, so please do not push them away. Please do not surround yourself with enablers who promote your addictions. Let this be a cautionary tale that no one is invincible.

"I do not want his death to be in vain. My hope is to eventually start a memorial foundation or charity in his native, Finland to help others struggling with these same demons. This needs to be an open conversation, not a source of shame. We are all human, we all suffer, but help is out there. If his story can save even ONE life, then something good can come out of this horrible loss we have all endured."

In a 2019 interview with Beatroute, Laiho said that the first single from CHILDREN OF BODOM's final album, "Hexed", was written about his dangerous relationship with alcohol.

"'Under Grass And Clover' is about severe alcohol withdrawal, which is something I have definitely written about before, but not in recent years," he said. "I don't really drink like that anymore, but back in the day it was pretty hardcore. [While writing 'Hexed'], I sort of went back in time and started remembering what it felt like to go through withdrawal and go through detox. It was just about remembering those horrible times. I don't even drink on the road anymore. I cut back a ton, so I don't get those feelings. I don't want to fuckin' feel like that ever again. I'd wake up and take a couple shots, not to get drunk, but just to keep an even keel and feel normal. It's just fuckin' sad. But in the beginning I didn't think anything of it — it was normal.”

At the time, Laiho said that he no longer drank on tour and only consumed alcohol socially with friends at home.

"It still takes some willpower," he said. "I know myself well enough to know I have an addictive personality. It doesn't necessarily have to be booze — I can get addicted to walking, which I do a lot. Sometimes I work too hard, stuff like that. With beer, I just need to keep an eye on it.

"I think that's the most important thing: admitting it," he continued. "If you stay in denial, that's not going to take you anywhere good in life. Admit it to yourself, know yourself, and keep an eye on yourself. I've been there, and I've seen people ruin their lives because of alcohol or drugs. Don't get me wrong, I'm not a fuckin' saint, and I'm not trying to preach here — people should do whatever the fuck they want. This just worked for me, that's all. It's actually pretty fucking great, not feeling so fuckin' shitty every day."

When Alexi's death was first announced on January 4, Kelli called him "the most loving and magnificent husband and father."

At the time of Alexi's death, Goss was at her current home in Chicago, Illinois, while Wright was in Australia.

Goss moved to Finland in 1999 and stayed in the country for a number of years before moving back to the United States in 2012.

Laiho reportedly spent the last 10 months of his life in Finland.

Alexi and drummer Jaska Raatikainen founded CHILDREN OF BODOM in 1993, and the band was one of the most internationally acclaimed metal acts in Finland up until their very last farewell concert in December of 2019. Last year, Alexi put together BODOM AFTER MIDNIGHT, which recorded three songs and shot one music video, to be released in April.

Besides CHILDREN OF BODOM, Laiho had played in such acts as WARMEN, SINERGY, KYLÄHULLUT and THE LOCAL BAND. Awarded with a Metal Hammer Golden God and several other international prizes, the guitarist was also the main star, leading a group of one hundred guitar players at the Helsinki Festival in 2015 in "100 Guitars From Hel" — a massive concert piece he composed.

BODOM AFTER MIDNIGHT made its live debut last October at Rytmikorjaamo in Seinäjoki, Finland. The 17-song show consisted entirely of CHILDREN OF BODOM material.
























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A post shared by Kimberly Goss (@kimvoxrox)

"Frôðr" is the opening song of King Of Asgard's fourth full length album Svartrviðr, which will be released as double LP, Digipak CD and download version on May 28, 2021. It is the first of no less than eight epic tracks which honour the first wave(s) of grim and black Nordic metal, while at the same time refining the massive sound of King Of Asgard. Preorder/presave the album here.

"The first single of our forthcoming album Svartrviðr is called 'Frôðr'. It's a typical King Of Asgard tune in classic epic length and with all our traditional ingredients,” remarks bass player and spokesman Jonas Albrektsson. "The song represents our sonic vision of a sacrificial ritual, a glimpse of an ecstatic trance through a one-eyed point of view. The Old Icelandic word 'frôðr' means a 'sage' or a 'wise' a as noun. We give sound to the myth of the threefold death and self-sacrifice through which the god Óðinn finds the runes while hanging from the world-tree, pierced by his own spear. It is a symbolic suicide to gain knowledge and unlock secrets. In order to visualise the sound of 'Frôðr', we recruited Jimmy Johansson from Super Lino Puro Productions, who provided brilliant images to the lyrics of 'Frôðr' that now flicker in front of your eyes. Enjoy!"

Tracklisting:

“Frôðr”
“Rifna”
“Hæimr”
“Kvikr”
“Ammobiærg”
“Svartrviðr”
“Harmdauðr”
“FæigR”

“Frôðr” lyric video:




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