Prior to the holiday season, horror-occult-goth metal/rock fusers Bloody Hammers unleashed two grisly, metallic new tracks to the masses' delight - the macabre punk earworm “A Night To Dismember” and swinging, gritty anthem "Hands Of The Ripper". Now, the Transylvania County, North Carolina-based husband and wife duo have released a third single and video on the eve of the release of their new horror punk-inspired full-length album, Songs Of Unspeakable Terror.

Conjuring images of retro sci-fi horror, the video for the sultry, doom metal-inspired track, entitled "Not Of This Earth", compliments the words of the song's extra-terrestrial crooner. Hungry for blood to revitalize his dying planet - he’s not of this earth!

Frontman/multi-instrumentalist Anders Manga says about the track: "Devallia and I knocked out this video a couple weeks ago in our little cabin basement. The current health crisis has kept us home but the green screen can take us (crudely) anywhere and BEYOND! Lyrically, this song is a straight tribute to Roger Corman's 1957 drive-in sci-fi/horror classic. As much as I think we're inspired by Hammer Films and classic European gothic horror, really, Corrman is just as important and certainly an American treasure."

Watch the out of this world official music video for “Not Of This Earth”:

Bloody Hammers' new full-length album, Songs Of Unspeakable Terror, will be unleashed on Friday, January 15, via Napalm Records available in digital, CD jewelcase and multiple vinyl variations.

Songs Of Unspeakable Terror will be available in the following formats:

- CD Jewelcase
- LP Gatefold Black
- LP Gatefold Red/Black Split-Splatter (limited to 100, European Napalm Mailorder Only)
- Deluxe Vinyl Edition: LP Gatefold Red + 2 Patches - (limited to 100, North American Napalm Mailorder Only)
- Digital Album

Pre-order here.

Songs Of Unspeakable Terror tracklisting:

"A Night To Dismember"
"Hands Of The Ripper"
"Witchfinder General"
"Not Of This Earth"
"The Ones Who Own The Dark"
"Waking The Dead"
"Night Of The Witch"
"We Are The Damned"
"The Brain That Wouldn't Die"
"Lucifer's Light"
"I Spit On Your Corpse"

“Hands Of The Ripper” video:

"A Night To Dismember" video:

Chats Of Unspeakable Terror #1:

Calgary, Canada’s progressive power gothic metal band Red Cain will be unleashing their new album Kindred: Act II set for digital release on January 22, 2021 with the CD physical release out via Sliptrick Records at a later date this year. The upcoming full length continues and ends the band's storytelling of their Kindred saga. 

Vocalist Evgeniy Zayarny adds: "Ride on with us on the second half of the Kindred saga - this mad march toward the Sun. Experimental, aggressive, and recognizably Red Cain in its style, Kindred: ACT II picks up and expands on the events from our previous album, centralizing the story around the Aztec warrior Zalcoatl, ritually chosen to save his people, and trapped inside an alien pyramid to battle a hungry, unearthly Lovecraftian entity that plans to use him to be released into the world beyond its archaic prison." 

Today, the band shares their fifth single "Baltic Fleet" in support of the forthcoming album through BraveWords! The track is Red Cain's foray into black metal - a genre that has shaped much of their musical backgrounds. 

The band comments:

"We fall, so others can rise again. Every war has its forgotten heroes. Within the album storyline, they come to Mstislav’s aid at a crucial time to keep the gates shut against an overwhelming enemy presence. The most aggressive and heavy track on the album, ‘Baltic Fleet’ was written to be a bastard child of Behemoth and Abigail Williams, with our guitarist Tyler Corbett molding our initial idea into an absolute black metal beast - that also means growls will definitely make their way into future RC songs. The track is also inspired by, and commemorative of the concept of the Unknown Soldier, ‘Baltic Fleet'’ is the battle cry of the honoured dead that gave their lives for peace. Many of our grandfathers fought in the wars of the 20th century and it is our great and humble privilege to be able to acknowledge their bravery in this small way. We salute their sacrifice."

Kindred: Act II follows Red Cain's 2019 album Kindred: Act I also unleashed via Sliptrick Records. Over the past few months of this year, they have shared four singles off the forthcoming full-length “Sunshine (Blood Sun Empire)”, “Demons”, “Kindred” and “Varyag And The Shrike”, which can be heard below. Recommended for fans of Kamelot, Mastodon, and Amaranthe.

Preorder Kindred: Act II on Bandcamp.

With album preorder, Red Cain is giving fans seven custom pieces of digital art designed by the band along with an immediate download of their goth-rock headbanger "Demons".

Tracklisting:

"Kindred"
"Demons"
"Precipice Of Man"
"Baltic Fleet"
"Varyag And The Shrike"
"Sons Of Veles"
"Sunshine (Blood Sun Empire)"

(Photo - Ravenkin Photography)

Legendary rock band MÖTLEY CRÜE is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year.

It was January 17, 1981 when Nikki Sixx first jammed with Tommy Lee and vocalist/guitarist Greg Leon. Leon left, Mick Mars and Vince Neil were recruited. The rest, as they say, is history…

Sunday, January 17, 2021 will mark the 40th anniversary of this momentous occasion in the history of rock and roll and will mark the beginning of a year of celebration of the World's Most Notorious Rock Band.

Fans are invited to sign MÖTLEY CRÜE's birthday card before Sunday on Facebook and return to the site on Sunday, January 17, 2021 for more announcements. Sunday would also be the perfect time for music and movie fans alike to watch the band's hit movie "The Dirt" on Netflix and stream "The Dirt" soundtrack, as well as the band's iconic debut album "Too Fast For Love", which will celebrate its 40th birthday later this year, on November 10, 2021.

Any posts about the band are invited to add the hashtag #HappyBirthdayToCrüe.

Commented Sixx: "In 'Kickstart My Heart', the lyrics say, 'When we started this band / All we needed, needed was a laugh / Years gone by, I'd say we've kicked some ass.'

"It's always been about great songs and over-the-top live shows for us. The fans were always right by our side. I don't know where all of the years went. It went by in a flash. What I can't forget are the four decades of fans who have counted themselves as Crüeheads from day one, supporting us through thick and thin. To them we are in debt and thank you from the bottom of our hearts.

"Happy 40th birthday to us all.”

Neil, Sixx, Mars and Lee are firmly ingrained in the fabric of rock history. MÖTLEY CRÜE has sold over 100 million albums worldwide, achieving seven USA platinum and multi-platinum albums, 22 Top 40 mainstream rock hits, six Top 20 pop singles and three Grammy nominations.

The band has had 1.6 billion streams across digital providers and has over 8 million social media followers. In 2006, the band was inducted into the Hollywood Walk Of Fame.

A stunning live act, MÖTLEY CRÜE has taken its incendiary show across the world, selling over 100 million tickets globally.

The band's biography "The Dirt: Confessions Of The World's Most Notorious Rock Band", first published in 2001, became a New York Times best-seller and has sold over one million copies worldwide. In addition, the band members have authored three other New York Times best-sellers.

2019 saw "The Dirt" released as a feature-length biopic. The film became one of the biggest releases of that year and scored a 94% positive audience score on Rotten Tomatoes.

The band remains a huge global draw. MÖTLEY CRÜE is set to co-headline a nearly sold out North American stadium tour with DEF LEPPARD, POISON and Joan Jett in June, July, August and September 2021.

MÖTLEY CRÜE's legacy and influence in the global music scene cannot be underestimated. 2021 is the year to celebrate the achievements of this extraordinary band.

FIREWIND, the band featuring former OZZY OSBOURNE guitarist Gus G., has released the official music video for the song "Devour". The track is taken from the band's ninth, self-titled studio album, which was made available in May 2020.

In early 2020, FIREWIND officially parted ways with guitarist/keyboardist Bob Katsionis and singer Henning Basse. The group's new vocalist is Herbie Langhans, who has previously played with AVANTASIA and SINBREED.

With his charismatic voice, Langhans refines each and every last one of the new songs and infuses them with an expressive force that is remarkable.

Gus and Langhans got to know each other back in the autumn of 2019, when the FIREWIND leader was looking for a suitable replacement for Henning Basse after the tour with QUEENSRŸCHE. Just a few weeks later, the recordings for "Firewind" were a done deal, ready for Swedish sound engineer Tobias Lindell (EUROPE, AVATAR, H.E.A.T.) to mix them in Lindell Audio Studios.

Gus spoke about the evolution of FIREWIND's sound in a 2020 interview with Audio Ink Radio. He said: "Like every band, we go through our different phases. Especially for us, having quite a few different singers in the lineup in the past, each guy brought a different vibe and different things to the band. I think on this record, you'll hear elements from all our past records, especially with our new singer, Herbie, because he reminds me a lot of Stephen Fredrick, our first singer. But this album also has a lot of variety, and that might remind fans of albums like [2006's] 'Allegiance' and [2008's] 'The Premonition'. But then again, we're not trying to be retro or nostalgic or copy those albums. We're moving towards the future. The way I see it, there's always a new song to write. Every album, I try to make better songs, play better guitar, try different tempos, write in different keys. There's always things you can experiment with in the studio."

On March 12, The Crown will release their new album, Royal Destroyer, via Metal Blade Records. For a first preview of Royal Destroyer, a video for the new single, "Motordeath" (directed and edited by Christoffer Tönnäng), can be viewed below.

Having celebrated their thirtieth anniversary in 2020 [their first eight years spent as Crown Of Thorns], The Crown have proven themselves one of the most enduring forces in death metal. In 2021, they further up the ante with Royal Destroyer, a record that sets a new standard for the genre. "It is our album number ten, so now we are in the big boys club," says bassist Magnus Olsfelt. "I think it in some ways is our crowning achievement, and it encompasses our sound across all albums on one defining record. It's got it all - the early 90s death metal stuff, the haunting melodies, the thrash, the punk, the grind, the heavy metal and the more epic and doomy stuff."

With 2018's Cobra Speed Venom, the band reached the same lofty heights as their 2002 landmark release, Crowned In Terror, but they were primed and ready to write its successor. "It surely set the bar up high for a follow up," Olsfelt explains. "But it's more inspiring than daunting. We have a real good vibe in the band, so we know we are capable of creating great stuff if we all just put our hearts to it and work hard." Confident, they pushed ahead, with the idea of making a sequel to Cobra Speed Venom - a sequel meaning "more of everything".

Together with legendary producer Fredrik Nordström, the band tracked the resulting 10 songs at Gothenburg's Studio Fredman. "We push ourselves to the limit, really trying to make everything as good as it can get, trying to make every song as impactful as possible," Olsfelt states. While he believes that people need to hear the album themselves to be able to accurately describe it, Olsfelt also asserts that The Crown have achieved something that makes for a "continuous whole" - while being diverse. There are also some surprises in store for fans. "We have some of the most intense stuff ever, like one song is about one minute long, and we also have a ballad!"

The new album can be pre-ordered here in the following formats:

- jewelcase-CD
- ltd. digipak-2CD (incl. 'Deathrace 13' bonus disc w/ 13 tracks)
- 180g black vinyl (EU exclusive)
- midnight blue marbled vinyl (EU exclusive - limited to 400 copies)
- red-hot orange marbled vinyl (EU exclusive - limited to 200 copies)
- golden clear w/ blue and white splatter spot vinyl (EU exclusive - limited to 200 copies)
- clear w/ gold splatter vinyl (Kings Road exclusive - limited to 100 copies)
- viole(n)t blue marbled vinyl (US exclusive)

Royal Destroyer tracklisting:

"Baptized In Violence"
"Let The Hammering Begin!"
"Motordeath"
"Ultra Faust"
"Glorious Hades"
"Full Metal Justice"
"Scandinavian Satan"
"Devoid Of Light"
"We Drift On"
"Beyond The Frail"

"Motordeath" video:

The Crown lineup:

Johan Lindstrand - Vocals
Magnus Olsfelt - Bass
Marko Tervonen - Guitar
Robin Sörqvist - Lead guitar and backing vocals
Henrik Axelsson - Drums

Hot on the heels of "No Son of Mine", FOO FIGHTERS have unleashed another dose of "Medicine At Midnight" in the form of "Waiting On A War". In stark contrast to the bludgeoning "final f*ck you to 2020" (UPROXX) of its predecessor, "Waiting On A War" is a sprawling melodic opus that gradually builds to a patented FF rave-up.

If "Waiting On A War" seems to have an especially emotional heft to its lyrics, well, that’s because it does. Dave Grohl recounts the personal anecdote that inspired the song: "Last fall, as I was driving my daughter to school, she turned to me and asked, 'Daddy, is there going to be a war?' My heart sank as I realized that she was now living under the same dark cloud that I had felt 40 years ago.

"I wrote 'Waiting On A War' that day.

"Every day waiting for the sky to fall. Is there more to this than that? Is there more to this than just waiting on a war? Because I need more. We all do.

"This song was written for my daughter, Harper, who deserves a future, just as every child does."

Celebrate Grohl's birthday tonight (Thursday, January 14) with FOO FIGHTERS' network TV debut performance of "Waiting On A War" on "Jimmy Kimmel Live!"

"Medicine At Midnight" will be released on February 5 via Roswell Records/RCA Records. The nine-song, 37-minute effort was produced by the FOO FIGHTERS and Greg Kurstin.

"Medicine At Midnight" track listing:

01. Making A Fire

02. Shame Shame

03. Cloudspotter

04. Waiting On A War

05. Medicine At Midnight

06. No Son Of Mine

07. Holding Poison

08. Chasing Birds

09. Love Dies Young

The first single from the disc, "Shame Shame", was released in November. An accompanying music video for the song was directed by Paola Kudacki and co-stars Grohl and Sofia Boutella. "Shame Shame" renders in stunning black and white an interpretation of a recurring dream that's haunted Grohl since his childhood days.

Grohl told SiriusXM's Alt Nation about the "Medicine At Midnight" musical approach: "It's our 10th album, and it's our 25th anniversary. We're. like, okay, let's look back at all the stuff that we've done before. We've made that loud sort of noisy punk rock fast stuff. We've made the sleepy acoustic kind of gentle acoustic record stuff. We've done the three- or four-minute-long bubblegum rock and roll, pop, single thing before. And it was, like, well, what haven't we done? And we had never really made a groove-oriented sort of party record.

"It's hard to put the words 'dance' or 'funk' or 'disco' in the same sentence as the FOO FIGHTERS; it scares the shit out of me," Dave admitted. "But all of us grew up loving rock and roll records that you could like bounce around to, like THE CARS. Like, oh my God, we love THE CARS. Or David Bowie's 'Let's Dance'. Or POWER STATION. Or THE [ROLLING] STONES' 'Tattoo You' — things like that. We're, like, 'All right. We've never really explored that territory before. Let's do it.

"We're lucky in that everybody in the band has diverse influences and everybody loves different kinds of music, but I honestly think we're capable of doing almost anything," he said. "So if we put our minds to it, we can kind of chameleon and turn into a death metal band, or we could be like THE CARPENTERS. So we just have to come together and make the decision, like, 'All right, which way do we wanna go? Which way are we gonna turn the wheel?' And this time we did it to make this party record."

Photo credit: Danny Clinch

According to Billboard, Artist Group International, which is one of the top independent booking agencies in the world, has signed alternative rock icons JANE'S ADDICTION. Michael Arfin and Marsha Vlasic will be the responsible agents for both JANE'S and singer Perry Farrell and his solo endeavors.

In November, Perry told Classic Rock magazine that fans can expect to hear new music from JANE'S ADDICTION in 2021. Asked if there might be another album from JANE'S ADDICTION in his future plans, the 61-year-old singer said: "I wouldn't think albums, I'd think songs.

"We've got so much JANE'S material in the can," he explained. "We'll be releasing a couple of tracks, maybe writing some new ones. Not this year, 'cause we're getting late in the year. But I can tell you in the next month or so I'm gonna be finishing up a couple of JANE'S ADDICTION tracks."

In the same interview, Farrell revealed that he had his voice box removed during a recent operation on his vertebrae. The vocalist underwent successful surgery for "crushed discs in his neck," a condition caused "mostly from partying and leaning back my head to rip out notes, and surfing and dancing around," he said.

"They had to remove my voice box and put it on a table," Farrell explained. "That was daunting. They literally exposed my skeleton, took the discs out and put in artificial discs. So now I am a quarter inch taller and twice as attractive to my wife."

Last August, JANE'S ADDICTION played two songs during Lollapalooza's Lolla2020 livestream, a free four-night broadcast event which took place on the original dates of the Chicago-based festival. Farrell, guitarist Dave Navarro, drummer Stephen Perkins and bassist Chris Chaney reunited for their first public appearance in three years to perform "I Would For You" and "Stop!"

Formed in 1985 in Los Angeles, JANE'S ADDICTION has been firmly embedded in the collective pop culture consciousness for 35 years now. Farrell stands out as one of music's most forward-thinking and enigmatic frontmen. Navarro remains a veritable guitar god. Perkins's tribal stomp has also influenced a generation of percussionists. The hugely influential band has sold in excess of seven million records in the U.S. alone. When Farrell created the traveling Lollapalooza festival, it galvanized the alternative rock movement and brought it to a whole new level.

JANE'S ADDICTION was signed to Warner Bros. after garnering critical claim for its release on the independent Los Angeles label XXX. Under their Warner Bros. deal, they recorded two more critically lauded but sometimes controversial albums, "Nothing's Shocking" and "Ritual De Lo Habitual".

JANE'S ADDICTION released its last album, "The Great Escape Artist", back in 2011.

"The Great Escape Artist" sold around 24,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to land at position No. 12 on The Billboard 200 chart.

"The Great Escape Artist" was JANE'S ADDICTION's first all-new studio effort since 2003's "Strays", which opened with more than 110,000 units to enter the chart at No. 4.

"The Great Escape Artist" was only JANE'S ADDICTION's fourth album of original material in 20 years.

The current JANE'S ADDICTION lineup features original members Perkins, Farrell and Navarro.

Although founding bassist Eric Avery initially returned to the band when it reactivated in 2009, he quit the following year.

Dave Sitek of TV ON THE RADIO played bass on and co-produced "The Great Escape Artist", while Chaney has returned as touring bass

Finnish symphonic death metal band Ephemerald will release their debut album, Between The Glimpses Of Hope, on February 19th via Inverse Records. Check out the official lyric video for the new single, "All There Is", below.

Ephemerald was formed in 2016 by Joni Snoro (ex-Frosttide), Lauri Myllylä (ex-Frosttide), Vesa Salovaara (Vorna) and Juho Suomi (Betrayed) in order to create epic yet furious and straightforward metal music coming straight from the hearts of its creators.

Tracklist:

"Grand Creation"
"I Bear Fire"
"Servant"
"Lost"
"All There Is"
"Reborn"
"No Fall Is Too Deep"
"Till The Sea Swallows Us Whole"
"Into the Endless"

Pre-order the album here. Check out the band's official Facebook page here.

"No Fall Is Too Deep"

"Servant"

Red Wolf's debut album, Sessions Vol. 1, was released in October 2020. They have released an official video for the song "The Devil Inside Of Me". Check it out below.

It all started in Spring 2020, during the COVID – 19 lockdown, when Euge Valovirta (Cyhra) had received compliments and questions about the songs he had used on his YouTube channel’s videos which were just 1-2 minute clips of cool riffs basically written for a particular video about a certain amp, effect pedal, etc.

Around the same time Adde Larsson, with whom Euge had played several Cyhra shows since he had filled in for Alex Landenburg, called Euge that he really likes Euge’s solo album, Easy Does It, and if he ever plans to record another he’d like to be the drummer on that.

Since all of their main band’s tours were cancelled, they had plenty of time so they decided that Euge will complete the aforementioned clips into full songs at his home studio in Helsinki, Finland and Adde will then record drums on them in his hometown Gothenburg, Sweden. When the demos of the songs were finished Euge decided that the songs require vocals and someone to finish the writing process with him and the first guy he thought who’d be perfect for the job was Samy Elbanna (Lost Society) and Samy replied immediately, without hearing a single song, that he is in.

Around the same time, Euge thought that he wants his old bandmate from Suburban Tribe Janne Joutsenniemi (Stone, Suburban Tribe) to play bass on the songs and Janne also replied immediately that he is in. Janne also growls on the album which he hasn’t done since Stone’s last album Emotional Playground (1991).

After the drums were done Euge, Samy and Janne recorded their parts at their home studios and by early July the recordings were finished, without the guys meeting once during this time, and the mixing started at IYP studios in Gothenburg, Sweden by Matthias Törngren.

Euge Valovirta: “All of this happened very naturally & effortlessly and this has been probably the easiest album writing & recording process that I’ve ever been a part of and I’m really happy how everything turned out. 'Crossing The Line' was the first song we completed and it set the direction for the rest of the album. It’s working title was 'JCM800' ‘cos it was written for my YouTube channels’ – video about my all time favourite amp; Marshall JCM800 2203 which I used on the album, naturally."

Samy Elbanna: "As a person who always has enjoyed creating and doing as much as possible, this was an absolute dream to be a part of! This has been without a doubt one of the funniest and most organic projects I’ve ever had the honor to participate! Great songs and a great group of guys, what could be better?!"

Janne Joutsenniemi: "I haven’t played or sung for a while so this was a nice change for me to rock out with the guys, even from a distance since everybody played their parts on their own for obvious reasons. I haven’t even met or talked with Adde but it was really fun to play the bass on top of his drums and my playing fitted naturally to his playing. I can hear hear the fresh and enthusiastic touch in everyone’s playing and everything was done in the spur of moment since we had no time or need to analyze and rehearse things any further. It was straight forward full speed ahead, trusting your own intuition and that’s what music is all about."

Adde Larsson: "Having been working together with Euge as a stand in drummer for Alex Landenburg in Cyhra for about 2 years and with a bunch of shows and tours under the belt together, me and Euge have really hit it off and he has become a very good and dear friend of mine. When this opportunity rose to do this project together there was absolutely nothing that would stop me in my tracks to take the change and join! To also be playing with Samy and Janne in the same band was a massive extra privilege and a surprise to say, especially knowing what they have achieved in their individual careers! It makes me very humble and excited to be a part of this machine and it’s just simply awesome and honouring to be a part of this all."

Tracklist:

"Crossing The Line"  
"The Road"    
"The Point Of No Return"
"Running In Circles"
"The Devil Inside Of Me"
"Hypocrite"
"Watch It Burn"
"Coming For You"
"Face Of God"
"I Am The Night"

"Crossing The Line"

"The Road"

Red Wolf is:

Euge Valovirta – guitar
Samy Elbanna – vocals & guitar
Janne Joutsenniemi – bass & vocals
Adde Larsson - drums

Check out the band's official Facebook page here.

Polish pagan alchemists Varmia – who pay tribute to their Baltic roots by combining black metal with traditional instruments such as the goat horn and the tagelharpa – will release their third album (and M-Theory Audio debut), “bal Lada,” on March 12. The cover artwork, which was designed by percussionist and multi-instrumentalist Piotr, can be viewed below. The album can be pre-ordered on CD and limited-edition 2LP colored vinyl at this location.

“The album title 'bal Lada' is a wordplay,” explains band founder Lasota. “It's most obvious in Polish, but should translate well in other languages as well. It means both 'ballad' and 'Lada's ball'. The term 'ballad' could refer to a literary form, but is also understood as a sad song. 'Lada' or 'Lado' is an ancient deity associated with both Baltic and Slavic cult heritage. She and/or he was most likely responsible for harmony, fertility and well-being. The title represents our take on the medieval dance of death concept and its depiction in the danse macabre allegory - the 'bal' of life forces, circle of cycles, primal lusts, desires and thus deprivations and metamorphoses of flesh and spirit. This is a ritual dance in the oldest forest on one hand, but it's also a whole universe's life and death cycle on the other. The lyrics are mainly in Polish, but with some elements of ancient Prussian language. The cover art and graphic design is made by our band member Piotr, who plays all the ethnic instruments on the album. Follow the Moon and walk into the silent woods of Warmia.”

Varmia recently unveiled a taste of the sounds to be found on “bal Lada” with the premiere of the music video for the first single from the record, “bielmo”. The visually stunning tribute to the band's home region can be viewed below. Additional previews of bal Lada will be unveiled in the coming weeks.

Varmia was formed in 2016 by vocalist/guitarist/composer Lasota with a mission of fusing black metal with musical influences that pay tribute to the ancient Baltic tribes of the historical Warmia region of northern Poland. On vocal duties, Varmia emits harsh growls that shroud the band's music and native Polish lyrics in a visceral aura, the only breaks from this vocal assault occurring when using the traditional, ancient technique of “whitevoice” clean singing as utilized during ancient East-Central European rituals, rites of passage and festivals. Meanwhile, the power of the band's metal influences are enhanced on Bal Lada by traditional ethnic instrumentation of the Baltic Rites via sounds of tagelharpa, goat horn, wood tuba and krivula. The final result is a compelling mix of dark metallic sounds that channel the spirit of early Enslaved, Satyricon, and Wolves in the Throne Room and folk elements that drive acts such as Wardruna.

Varmia has released two albums to date - 2017's Z mar twych and 2018's W ciele nie. The group records all of their music in culturally significant remote locations throughout their native Poland, and Bal Lada continues that practice, as the 11 tracks of ominous and atmospheric pagan black metal contained within were recorded in a makeshift studio set up by the band in an old 19th-century manor in Northern Poland, where they recorded while playing together as a live unit with no sound editing.

With the forthcoming release of bal Lada, M-Theory Audio is set to spread the band's native sounds to a worldwide audience. Says Lasota, “With two releases so far, Varmia has shouted out the voice of our land mainly on the Polish soil - the voice of disquiet, passion and agitation. It is now time to hear it echo throughout the whole world. Varmia still has many stories to tell, and we are very excited to work with such well-respected people from overseas. We have many spirits yet to summon.”

Lineup:

Lasota - guitars, vocals
Alle - bass, backing vocals
Svarrge - drums
Piotr - percussion, tagelharpa, goat horn, wood tuba, krivula, backing vocals

Deathstar is the new full-length from Finnish progressive death metal veterans Convulse. A near forty-one-minute masterwork, Deathstar delivers nine tracks that transcend the boundaries of standard death metal. Fusing the prime tenets of death metal, heavy rock, and prog into something innovative and enticing, the record arguably picks up where the band's underrated 1994 Reflections full-length left off adopting a similar genre-bending approach and modernizing it.

Finnish progressive death metal pioneers Convulse have unveiled new lyric video for the track "Whirlwind." The track comes by way of the band's Deathstar full-length, recently released via Transcending Records.

Fusing the prime tenets of death metal, heavy rock, and prog into something innovative and enticing, the near forty-one-minute masterwork presents nine tracks that transcend the boundaries of standard death metal. Arguably picking up where the band's underrated 1994 Reflections full-length left off, Deathstar adopts a similar genre-bending approach and modernizes it.

Deathstar is available on CD, limited-edition deluxe CD, digital, cassette, and vinyl formats. For physical preorders, visit this location. For digital orders, go here.

"Whilrwind" lyric video:

"The Summoning":

(Band photo by Okko Sorma)

Debuting today, the new video for the title track to Damon Johnson & The Get Ready’s upcoming album, Battle Lessons, due out February 19, 2021 via Double Dragon Records. The video was directed by Carl Johnson, remotely from his Detroit studio, and features the trio ripping through the cut with a megawatt energy. The album’s iconic cover art is also utilized throughout the piece symbolizing an entity in motion moments before encountering a powerful electrical charge and ultimately exploding from the screen.

Of the track Johnson says, “The lyrics to the song 'Battle Lessons' are about some past experiences in various bands I’ve been in through the years. Though the words could easily be applied to any relationship.” He adds. “The lyric instructs me that I should take all the experience from my musical past and apply it to my now fully focused solo career.” No battle lessons lost on him.

The internationally renowned guitarslinger, vocalist, songwriter, announced the release of his new album late last year. Battle Lessons is anchored by the searing title track showcasing Johnson’s gutsy vocals and razor riffs over presto grooves by The Get Ready drummer Jarred Pope (Tom Keifer) and bassist Robbie Harrington (Steve Vai). The song immediately reacted at radio, reaching #13 on the Classic Rock Chart.

Work on the new album was made possible with the assistance of an Indiegogo pre-order helping to support the recording of Johnson and his new trio, The Get Ready. Recorded in Damon’s adopted hometown of Nashville, Battle Lessons was produced and mixed by multi-platinum producer/mixer, Nick Raskulinecz (Foo Fighters, Alice In Chains, Evanescence, Rush, Stone Sour and more).

Rock fans know Johnson’s name from his years of scorching stages as lead guitarist in the Alice Cooper band, and later with Thin Lizzy and the Lizzy-offshoot Black Star Riders in addition to fronting the potent ‘90s Southern rockers Brother Cane. Johnson’s songs have been recorded and sung by stars like Stevie Nicks (“Everyday” from her Trouble in Shangri-La) and Steven Tyler (singing on “Just Feel Better” for Carlos Santana’s All That I Am).

With Battle Lessons, Johnson returns to his original hard-rock sound, feeding that fire he first discovered as a teenager playing Van Halen and AC/DC covers while in garage bands. Featuring nine newly written songs, the tracks are just as much about clever lyrics and sticky melodies as eyelash-searing guitars. “These are as good of songs as I’ve been a part of creating, ever in my whole career,” Johnson says. And that’s saying something - as singer/guitarist, and frontman of Brother Cane, the Birmingham, Alabama rock band who notched a string of ’90s rock hits, including “Got No Shame”, “I Lie In The Bed I Make” and chart-topper “And Fools Shine On.”

In 2019, Johnson released Memoirs Of An Uprising, a solo project that is both fierce and diverse. The first single, “Shivering Shivering” became an instant Top 10 Rock track. Immediately following that album's release, Johnson spent the remainder of 2019 on a series of dates crossing North America, including several shows with The Winery Dogs (a supergroup of rockers featuring Richie Kotzen, Mike Portnoy and Billy Sheehan), a run of shows supporting Clutch, and the U.S. leg of the UFO tour.

Stream “Battle Lessons” now at this location.

 

Australia's premiere synth-prog outfit have played to their strengths and have covered the Australian modern classic "This Boy's in Love," originally by electronic duo The Presets. Fusing together Voyager's signature epic electro progressive power prog metal with a huge pop song, the VSets version is sure to be a hit.

The band comments on the cover: "The Presets song is one of those songs that I heard and thought 'I wish I'd written this.' At the time it came out it was so fresh in Australia, and so bizarre that it became so popular because it's really very much Euro Style Dark Synthie EBM. Given that a lot of Voyager songs start out as electronic ideas, this semi-obscure modern Australian classic was a no brainer to cover. We hope you enjoy!"

Moreover, guitarist Scott Kay recently taught fans how to play a riff from the band's song "Colours" in the latest installment of Guitar World's "Sick Riffs" serie. In addition to the play-through, Kay also includes the tablature. Watch and learn:

The band's 2019 release, Colours In The Sun, can be ordered here.

British rock singer Chez Kane has announced the release of her self-titled debut album on March 12, 2021 via Frontiers Music Srl. Produced by Danny Rexon of Crazy Lixx, Chez Kane is a melodic rock record that harkens back to the glory days of the '80s when the genre was known for having multiple incredible frontwomen playing the style. Today, fans can get their first taste of Chez's debut with the release of the single and music video for “Too Late For Love”.

“I’m so excited that everyone is finally getting to hear the first single from the album! ‘Too Late For Love’ is full of class and that infectious 80’s sass! Filming the music video in Sweden was an awesome experience that I will never forget!" says Chez. 

A talented, young vocalist who fronts, with her two sisters, the band Kane'd, Chez was brought to the attention of the label after conversations with Danny Rexon of Crazy Lixx about the possibility of him scouting and producing some exciting new talent. Subsequently, Danny started working on some demos with Chez and the label did not pass up the opportunity to get involved with this incredible talent. Chez's debut solo album embraces the melodic rock style that both she and Danny so admire, while adding a new twist to the current takes on the genre. 

“I feel so excited to have been asked to collaborate with Danny for a solo album. The second I heard the music, I instantly knew it was for me and I’m thrilled at the opportunity to launch my solo career this way. I am so humbled to have Frontiers on board. This is going to be killer and I can’t wait!” says Chez.

Producer Danny Rexon says, “Until now, I had only worked on the production of Crazy Lixx, but with this I can take a whole other role where I’m working on building up a brand new solo artist, which is quite refreshing....especially when we’re talking about creating something with a talented and hardworking singer like Chez.”

The concept behind the album started with a vision that Danny had in mind. “I’ve long felt that the contemporary melodic rock scene is missing an important piece of what I think made the genre, at least to some extent, so great in the late 80’s and early 90’s, and that is the quintessential female rocker. There are tons of bands in the melodic rock genre, but I feel like we’re missing that great female solo artist singing hard rock. A kind of Lee Aaron, Lita Ford, or Robin Beck for the new decade. So, the mission was clear to me from day one: Give the fans a female rocker that will remind them of the powerful rock anthems of the past. Having found Chez and discovering the potential in her voice, I have great faith in this endeavour and no doubt that this album will resonate well with fans both of my own band, Crazy Lixx and of the retro melodic rock genre at large.”

Chez adds that even “though I was born in the ‘90s, I have always had a major soft spot for that infectious ‘80s style, so from that aspect Danny’s songwriting fits me really well. We have the same vision, drive and passion to make this album an absolute belter!”

So what can listeners expect? “If you’re a fan of my stuff with Crazy Lixx, I bet you’ll enjoy the Chez Kane album too,” explains Danny. “I’ve written and arranged every song on the album, so it’s bound to have my signature style to it. However, this album will be a lot more radio friendly (at least if you go by what was considered radio friendly in 1989), a lot more keyboard oriented and of course, the fact that it’s a powerful female voice singing the songs will give the album a whole other dimension. And if you, like myself, are a fan of Lee Aaron, Vixen, Saraya, Chrissy Steele, Lita Ford, and similar artists and feel like the genre’s missing out this vital component, you’re going to love the debut album from Chez Kane!”

Tracklisting:

“Better Than Love”
“All Of It”
“Rocket On The Radio”
“Get It On”
“Too Late For Love”
“Defender Of The Heart”
“Ball N’ Chain”
“Midnight Rendezvous”
“Die In The Name Of Love”
“Dead End Street”

“Too Late For Love” video:

Avatar recently launched a series of concert streams, Avatar Ages - An Impossible Concert Experience, that is taking place over the course of January. The four-part concert film experience launched January 9 and features songs from Avatar’s celebrated catalog, starting with a performance of their latest album in full, Hunter Gatherer, out now via eOne.

Watch "Wormhole" from the show, below:

The subsequent January concerts will feature fan voted set lists - chosen by ticket purchasers - with songs from Avatar Country, Feathers & Flesh, Hail The Apocalypse, Black Waltz, Thoughts of No Tomorrow, Schlacht and Avatar. Tickets are now on sale here.

The schedule of Avatar Ages - An Impossible Concert Experience concert stream events is as follows:

- Saturday, January 16 - Age of Illusions (Feathers & Flesh and Avatar Country fan voted set list)
- Saturday, January 23 - Age of Madness (Black Waltz and Hail the Apocalypse fan voted set list)
- Saturday, January 30 - Age of Memories (Thoughts of No Tomorrow, Schlacht and Avatar fan voted set list)

About the performances, frontman Johannes Eckerström says, “Nothing can top the feeling of standing eye to eye with the roaring beast that is a metal crowd, hungry for blood. Instead, what we are setting out to do is a series of shows we could never do on a normal stage. You will see Avatar as you've never seen us before. More music, more madness. We enter this with a game plan like no other, but ultimately the power is yours. This is something we'll create together. We have missed you.”

Concert stream tickets are available for individual shows and as a four-show package. Various ticket bundles are also available, offering exclusive merchandise such as t-shirts, hoodies, vinyl, and a commemorative laminate. A limited number of exclusive virtual Meet & Greets with the entire band are also available.  Fans will be able to select their date and time period in advance, and after their personal Meet & Greet, they’ll receive a video file of their conversation, as well as the opportunity to take pictures during the experience. Visit AvatarAges.com for all details and to purchase tickets.

Each livestream debuts on its respective date at 1 PM, PT / 4 PM, ET / 10 PM, CET and remains on-demand for 72 hours.

Danish progressive power metal group, Pyramaze, have released a lyric video for the song "Transcendence" (featuring Brittney Slayes), from their latest album, Epitaph, out now AFM Records. Order here, and watch the lyric video below.

This album being the third one with their current lineup, Pyramaze continues to fuse their signature meld of memorable melodies, powerful riffs and soaring catchy vocals to keep listeners coming back for more - pleasing both old and new Pyramaze fans alike. This upcoming release will prove to be their most melodic and accessible creation to date, featuring guest appearances by Brittney Slayes of Unleash The Archers, and former Pyramaze singers Matt Barlow and Lance King.

Tracklisting:

"Epitaph"
"A Stroke Of Magic"
"Steal My Crown"
"Knights In Shining Armour"
"Bird Of Prey"
"Your Last Call"
"Particle"
"Indestructible"
"Transcendence" (feat. Brittney Slayes)
"Final Hour"
"World Foregone"
"The Time Traveller" (feat. Matt Barlow & Lance King)

"Transcendence" (feat. Brittney Slayes) lyric video:

"World Foregone" lyric video:

"A Stroke Of Magic" lyric video:

The Metal Voice spoke with Glenn Hughes and Doug Aldrich from The Dead Daisies about their upcoming album, Holy Ground. Watch the video below.

What is it like to have Glenn in the band now?

"It's a brand new day, we are very happy to have Glenn leading this ship. It's still The Dead Daisies but it's a brand new start. It's not so far away from Deep Purple in some ways, that there were different eras of Deep Purple. This is like version four, "Mark Four" of the Daisies." - Doug Aldrich

"It's another chapter in my life, it was a good experience for me to come into this, Doug is an old friend, I love Doug, it's a great ship we are flying here. We go back 25 years and Doug played in my band about 5 years ago, it was fantastic and back then we talked about doing more work, we didn't know it was going to be in The Dead Daisies but here we are doing just that." - Glenn Hughes

The Dead Daisies will release their new album, Holy Ground, on January 22. Pre-order the album here.

Tracklisting:

"Holy Ground (Shake The Memory)"
"Like No Other (Bassline)"
"Come Alive"
"Bustle And Flow"
"My Fate"
"Chosen And Justified"
"Saving Grace"
"Unspoken"
"30 Days In The Hole"
"Righteous Days"
"Far Away"

"Holy Ground (Shake The Memory)" video:

"Holy Ground" (Dance With The Dead remix):

“Bustle And Flow” video:

Norwegian old school heavy metallers, The Cult Of Destiny, featuring members of The Carburetors and Chrome Division, have released a lyric video for "Coming From The North", featured on the band's self-titled debut album, available via The Cult Of Destiny Records. Find the new clip below.

The album was recorded by Arslan Qureshi and Jørgen Henriksen at Laidback Studios. Mixed and mastered by Robert Hauge at Badabing Studio.

Tracklisting:

"So It Begins"
"The Armageddon Is Here"
"Suman The Council"
"Into The Armageddon"
"Coming From The North"
"Brother"
"The Cult Of Destiny"
"Stand With Me"
"Set The Demon Free"
"Welcome To The End"
"Exit Armageddon"
"I Was Made For Lovin' You" (Bonus - KISS Cover)

"Coming From The North" lyric video:

"I Was Made For Lovin' You" video:

The Cult Of Destiny is:

Eddie Guz - Vocals (The Carburetors, Chrome Division)
Chris Marchand - Guitars (The Carburetors, Shot At Dawn)
Mr. Damage Karlsen - Guitars (Chrome Division, Breed)
Mads Mowinkel - Bass (Chrome Division, Breed)
Jon Erik Bokn - Drums (Chrome Division, Breed)

Heavily distorted and down-tuned sounds turn the legendary fields of the German Freak Valley Festival into madness. The undisputed masters of fantastical otherworldly sludgy doom, Conan, will cast a spell on the listener and propel them straight into the crowd, captured in dust.

Three years after the release of the ferocious caveman battle doom masterpiece Existential Void Guardian, Conan waves the flag of Pain again and releases Live At Freak Valley on March 12 via Napalm Records. After their 2013 live album, recorded at Roadburn festival, and the self-released Live At Bannermans, their third live album could not be recorded at a better place than Freak Valley Festival.

“Satsumo” is oppression, massiveness and rage. The first single and video breaks out as a harbinger of the devastation that Conan brought at their massive show at Freak Valley Festival. With mechanical wizardry heaped upon their pure-hearted compositions, they cement their colossal and brutish live ascendancy! HAIL CONAN!
Watch the live video for "Satsumo" below.

Live At Freak Valley will be available in the following formats:

- 2 LP Gatefold Vinyl White / Black Marble (Napalm Records mailorder only) - strictly limited to 200
- 2 LP Gatefold Vinyl Grey
- 1 CD Jewelcase
- Digital album

Pre-order your copy of Live At Freak Valley here.

Tracklisting:

"Gravity Chasm"
"Throne Of Fire"
"Thunderhoof"
"Battle In The Swamp"
"Hawk As Weapon"
"Satsumo"
"Foehammer"
"Total Conquest"
"Revengeance"

"Satsumo" live video:

Lineup:

Jon Davis - vocals, guitar
Chris Fielding - bass
Johnny King - drums

(Photo - Clemens Mitscher)

Austrian symphonic power metal heroes, Dragony, are about to release their epic new full length, Viribus Unitis, this Friday, January 15 via Napalm Records, and today, unveil their third single, “Legends Never Die”. We return to the days when the country was ruled by emperor Franz Joseph and his wife, empress Sisi. But forget everything you’ve heard and read so far! According to Dragony and their upcoming opus Viribus Unitis, history took a completely different turn.

After setting the stage with their first offering, “Gods Of War”, featuring special guest songwriter Tommy Johansson (Sabaton) and Tomas Svedin (Symphony Of Tragedy), followed by glory metal hymn “Golden Dawn”, Dragon now unveil their third single, “Legends Never Die”: History is (re-)written in this contemporary-sounding closer. With its catchy chorus, everything is set for the grand finale. Along with rapid riffing and keys on point, the song serves as an epilogue to the story of Viribus Unitis, looking at the way the legends of the Habsburg rulers were created and have been adapted and re-told throughout the years.

Singer Siegfried Samer on “Legends Never Die”: "'Legends Never Die' can be regarded as the epilogue to the storyline of Viribus Unitis, that culminates in the final, epic battle in the song 'Battle Royale'. In 'Legends Never Die', we take a step back to look at the story we just told from an outside perspective, and remind ourselves and the listener that eventually, most history can be turned into "just a story", and that even though all empires fall one day, all men must die, and all times - good and bad - must pass, at the end of the day, the memories of those persons and events that influenced us, regardless of whether it was through politics, through philosophy, through music, literature or through other forms of art, will always stay with us and are thus immortalized; and that the stories that may be told about these legendary persons and events, just like these "legends" themselves, never truly die.”

Follow Dragony on this spectacular historic ride and watch the official video for “Legends Never Die”:

Founded in 2007 and after releasing three studio records, Dragony returns to its rock opera roots on their brand new output. On Viribus Unitis the band unveils what really happened at the time of the last Habsburg ruler of Austria, emperor Franz Joseph, his wife, empress Sisi, and their son, the troubled Archduke Rudolf.

Let’s clear the assumption that Rudolph died after trying to take his life at castle Mayerling in 1889. No way! Instead, after his mother Sisi is assassinated in 1898 in Switzerland, he subsequently gets in contact with dark powers which, driven by his desire to be with her again, make him turn to black magic and demonology. Now history takes its true course. There are not only zombies and cyberpunks lurking - Dragony also managed to prove further entanglements of well-known personalities you could never imagine...

For the exciting adventure cemented in their upcoming album, Dragony are supported by well-known colleagues like Tommy Johansson (Sabaton, Majestica, Symphony Of Tragedy), Tomas Svedin (Symphony Of Tragedy), Michele Guaitoli (Visions Of Atlantis) and Georg Neuhauser (Serenity) - just to name a few. Mixing and mastering on Viribus Unitis was handled by Sebastian “Seeb” Levermann of Orden Ogan in his Greenman Studios in Germany.

Siegfried Samer on the new album, Viribus Unitis: "Viribus Unitis marks both a return to our musical roots as well as a next step into the future for Dragony, as we are returning to a 'rock opera concept' album similar to our debut Legends, but at the same time, we have evolved musically and are delivering what we consider our heaviest and most diverse album to date.

"And even though we are taking a bit of a creative approach with the source material, the concept story of the album is deeply intertwined with the history of Austria and in particular with the end of the Habsburg monarchy, which is often romanticized in Austria and ingrained in our collective consciousness. We are therefore thrilled to be able to release this very special album on an Austrian label, Napalm Records, and hope that both old and new fans of Dragony will enjoy the brand new songs!”

Could Dragony’s rewriting of history mark a new revelation of hidden truths previously shrouded in fantasy? Only Viribus Unitis tells all!

Viribus Unitis will be available in the following formats:

- 4 Page Digipak
- LP Gatefold Red Transparent
- 4 Page Digipak + Shirt
- Digital Album
- 4 Page Digipak + Shirt, Napalm Records Shop Only

Pre-order Viribus Unitis here.

Tracklisting:

"On The Blue Danube"
"Gods Of War"
"Love You To Death"
"Magic"
"Darkness Within"
"A.E.I.O.U."
"Viribus Unitis"
"Golden Dawn"
"Made Of Metal (Cyberpunk Joseph)"
"Battle Royale"
"Legends Never Die"
"Haben Sie Wien schon bei Nacht geseh'n"

"Golden Dawn" lyric video:

"Gods Of War" video:

Dragony is:

Frederic Brünner - Drums
Herbert Glos - Bass
Manuel Hartleb - Keyboards
Andreas Poppernitsch - Guitars
Simon Saito - Guitars
Siegfried Samer - Vocals

(Photo - Dominik Izaquiel Tomé)

In the new video below from ESP Guitars, iconic guitar legend George Lynch performs on the ESP USA Eclipse.

"Crafted at our ESP USA facility in Southern California, the USA Eclipse is the classic single-cutaway shape that’s been at the heart of many of music’s greatest moments. The USA Eclipse offers a full thickness (60mm / 2 3/8”), a strategically chambered mahogany body for weight relief, with optional flamed maple and quilted maple tops and a wide variety of gloss and satin translucent finishes to allow the figured wood grain to be highlighted (and plain maple caps for solid color finishes). These guitars offer smooth set-thru construction at classic 24.75” scale, with a three-piece thin U-shaped three-piece mahogany neck and ebony fingerboard with 22 extra-jumbo Jescar stainless steel frets and mother-of-pearl split-flag inlays.

"We chose the very best components available for the USA Eclipse, including Sperzel Trim-Lok tuners, TonePros locking TOM bridge and tailpiece, Dunlop strap locks, and a bone nut. Pickups for the USA Eclipse include a variety of world-class Seymour Duncan (passive) and EMG (active) models, with a push-pull coil split control on the tone knob for passive pickup models. The USA Eclipse includes a high-quality ESP USA form-fitting hard shell case."

More info and specs on ESP USA models here.

Shown as part of the "ESP presents 2021" video event, George Lynch demos the ESP Kamikaze-1, one of the earliest Signature Series guitars created by ESP.

Watch the video below, and get more info on the George Lynch Signature Series, here.

Deadline Music, a division of Cleopatra Records, Inc., released Heavy Hitters, the new album from former Dokken members George Lynch and Jeff Pilson, on December 18, 2020.

Guitar-shredding virtuoso Lynch re-teams with former Dokken bandmate Pilson for a set of new studio recordings that turn pop music classics into powerful metal anthems. The album features jaw-dropping renditions of Duran Duran’s “Ordinary World”, Prince’s “Kiss”, OneRepublic’s “Apologize”, Carole King’s “I Feel The Earth”, Oasis’ “Champagne Supernova” and more.

Tracklisting:

"One Of Us" (Joan Osbourne)
"You Got The Love" (Rufus & Chaka Khan)
"I Feel The Earth" (Carole King)
"Ordinary World" (Duran Duran)
"Music" (Madonna)
"Apologize" (OneRepublic)
"Nowhere To Run" (Martha & The Vandellas)
"Kiss" (Prince)
"It’s The End Of The World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine)" (R.E.M.)
"Champagne Supernova" (Oasis)
"Lucille" (Little Richard - Bonus track)

"Ordinary World":

"It’s The End Of The World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine)" (R.E.M.)

Connecticut power thrashers Sacred Oath will release their new album, Return Of The Dragon, on April 2. BraveWords is premiering the lyric video for the title track, watch below! The “Return Of The Dragon” single will be available on January 15 for streaming and download on all digital platforms.

The single features cover artwork by drummer Kenny “Thundarr” Evans, who has previously designed covers for the band, as well as several of the band’s logos.

Subsequently, Sacred Oath will release four more singles on January 29, February 12, February 26, and March 19. Each piece will feature a new and unique cover painted by Evans. Platforms like Spotify and YouTube will also feature each art piece on video and canvas.

Album art for the full-length cover was also painted by Evans and features a return to the band logo used for albums such as World On Fire and editions of A Crystal Vision.

Preorder for both the deluxe CD and double LP editions will begin on January 29 exclusively on the band’s website. These editions will be limited-edition pressings of 500 copies and LPs will be hand-numbered and signed. The CD will contain a 24-page booklet including all 11 original art pieces, lyrics, and photos.

Digital preorder will begin on Spotify, Apple, and Amazon Music on March 19 with instant delivery of all five singles.

Return Of The Dragon is the first studio album to feature the newly officially added 5th band member - guitar and keyboard phenom Damiano Christian. Christian joined the band during the Twelve Bells At Midnight tour in 2017 and appears on the live album that followed in 2019, Thunder Underground – Live from NYC.

Sacred Oath is best-known for releasing A Crystal Vision in 1988, an album that evolved into a cult-classic of the powerthrash-metal genre. It was followed by six more critically acclaimed studio albums, including fan-favorites World On Fire, Sacred Oath, Darkness Visible, and Ravensong. The single “Counting Zeros” from their eponymous 2009 release was chosen as iTunes “Discovery Download of the Week”, and their first live album Till Death Do Us Part (2008) was listed as a Top Ten Metal Album of the year by Apple Music in its year of release. The band appeared on MTV2 Headbangers Ball in its last televised season with a featured interview.

Tracklisting:

“Cthulhu Wakes”
“Last Ride Of The Wicked Dead”
“Return Of The Dragon”
“At The Gates”
“Empires Fall”
“Hammer Of An Angry God”
“The Next Pharaoh”
“Primeval”
“Into The Drink”
“Root Of All Evil”

Greece's Rock Overdose caught up with producer / Dream Evil guitarist Fredrik Nordström, who discussed the various projects he's working on and looked back at some of his career highlights.

On Dream Evil's plans for a new album:

"We’ve been planning to write a new album for almost two years now. We try to write new songs but with no success so far due to lack of free time. I think we have a very good back catalog with songs; the idea is to try and go back to our first album, to be more childish - if you understand what I mean. It’s super nice to be out and play in festivals, etc. but we had to cancel many shows because of that Covid shit! As we don’t play so much, that’s the whole plan, we are really good friends, the band is like a hobby, instead of being a tour band. We prefer to have fun with the band and not to rely on the band for a living."

On his current production schedule:

"There are a lot of albums that have reached the 20 year anniversary (mark), so I’m finishing now an Australian band. Also, we have remixed and remastered HammerFall's Renegade album, which is a very good album by the way. We’re going to re-do Dimmu Borgir's Puritanical… album. There’s a lot of stuff going on, actually, but also due to Covid people can’t travel etc. I hope in March or April Obscura can be able to enter the studio, but I don’t know if this is going to happen"

Check out the audio interview and read the transcript here.