Canadian progressive sci-fi metal innovators, Voivod, return with a much overdue live release. Entitled Lost Machine - Live, the album was recorded in Québec City during the worldwide touring cycle for the band’s latest studio album The Wake, and is available today worldwide via Century Media Records.

A new video for the live track “Overreaction” can be seen below. Drummer Michel “Away” Langevin comments: “And last but not least, ‘Overreaction’, the new single/video from our brand new release Lost Machine - Live. This old classic from Killing Technology has been on the setlist since 1987. It really gets the crowd going, and us too! Once again, splendid video direction by Felipe Belalcazar and thanks to Jaan Silmberg for animating my artwork. Enjoy our new live album!!“

Lost Machine - Live consist of 13 tracks across 74 packed minutes of playing time by one of the best live-acts in this day and age. The title can be orderd in its various editions here.

Tracklisting:

"Post Society"
"Psychic Vacuum"
"Obsolete Beings"
"The Prow"
"Iconspiracy"
"Into My Hypercube"
"The End Of Dormancy"
"Overreaction"
"Always Moving"
"Fall"
"The Lost Machine"
"Astronomy Domine"
"Voivod"

"The Lost Machine" video:

“Iconspiracy” video:

Lineup:

Denis “Snake” Belanger - Vocals
Daniel “Chewy” Mongrain - Guitar
Dominic “Rocky” Laroche - Bass
Michel “Away” Langevin - Drums




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In the new video below, Nergal shares his stories and memories of Behemoth's fifth studio album, Thelema.6, released 20 years ago today on November 27, 2000.

Stream Thelema.6 here, and get your Thelema.6 t-shirt here.




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Product Of Hate has unleashed the anthemic title track for the band’s second full-length album, You Brought This War. The new single is available now on Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, and most digital music services while the companion music video can be seen below.

The single and video arrive alongside full details on the long-awaited follow-up to the band’s debut album, 2016’s Buried In Violence.

You Brought This War will be released on February 5, on digital and CD. Digital pre-orders for the new album begin today via Amazon, iTunes, Bandcamp, and more. Physical bundles go on-sale next month.

The 12-song affair was recorded and engineered by Scott Creekmore (Broken Hope, Lionheart) at Mercenary Digital Studios, with mixing and mastering completed by Chris Collier (Korn, Prong, Whitesnake) of CMC21 Productions. The original intention was to release the album this past spring — plans that were sidelined to the global spread of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“We’re extremely proud of this record. We have poured everything we have into it and are beyond excited to have it finally released,” says lead guitarist Geno Rathbone. “We have been through so much as a band in the last couple of years. I feel that we have come out stronger, wiser, and hungrier on the other side of everything and everyone that ever stood in our way.  We are ready to take this record out on the road and share it with the world.”

“It’s been a long time coming and I know a lot of our fans have been asking when the new album would be out,” comments frontman Adam Gilley. “Well, the wait is almost over and we cannot express just how excited we are to release this album. We’ve invested a lot and put our all into this one with hopes that everyone will love it.”

Artist Colin Marks of Rain Song Design, with whom the band collaborated on its debut album, returns to provide cover art for You Brought This War and its accompanying singles.

“You Brought This War really resonates with what’s going on in the world today,” Gilley says. “It’s quite fitting that it’s coming out when it is and we’re very thankful to have some great people backing us on this record to help get it out there.”

Tracklisting:

"Euphoria"
"Rapture"
"You Brought This War"
"Redemption"
"Start The March"
"Helpless"
"Non Omnis Moriar"
"True Chaos"
"Where’s Your God?"
"Destroyers"
"Claw The Walls"
"The End Is Never"

"You Brought This War" video:

Product Of Hate recently returned to its hometown of Kenosha, Wisconsin to film two music videos for the new album — a performance video for the title track and a concept piece for an upcoming single. The videos reunite the band with longtime collaborator James Zahn (The Rock Father) as director with Chuck Przybyl of MOST Visual as director of photography and editor.

(Photo - POH Metalworks)




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Hungarian extreme metal vocalist, Attila Csihar, best known for his vocal work in Norwegian black metal band Mayhem and American drone-doom project Sunn O))), has launched his own brand of CBD oil: Attila's Life Eternal.

CBD (cannabidiol) oil is a type of cannabinoid, which are the chemicals naturally found in marijuana plants. CBD however doesn't create a "high" effect or any form of intoxication that's caused by another cannabinoid, known as THC. CBD oil has been studied for its potential role in easing symptoms of many common health issues including anxiety, depression, and heart disease.

Csihar, a long time marijuana smoker, noticed the positive effects of the oil during the onset of the global pandemic. "I had a bit of a long break from not smoking weed since this COVID-19 misery broke out," he recalls, "and I've been using only CBD since then. I first tried CBD a couple of years ago and learned a lot about the effects of it on physical and mental health. It helps my sleeping, reduces anxiety, and stress, and it just feels good in general without having any psychic affect -- you don't get high or anything. I can still enjoy the benefits of cannabis without losing my focus or getting lazy."

With the COVID-19 shutdown cancelling all touring plans for the foreseeable future, Csihar sought out an opportunity he'd been considering for many years: the creation of Attila's Life Eternal. "When I first started to use CBD, I got it from my friends who had started a CBD company in Hungary. I had the idea to make my own brand back then but never really had the time to pull it off. This year was obviously different, and I immediately started to work on the idea with them. It took some time to invent my brand to make my personal 6.66% CBD oil. We needed the extra permissions from the Hungarian state departments, health, and food organizations etc. Everything had to be 100% legal of course."

Csihar has been involved in every step of the Life Eternal creation process, straight from the actual harvesting of the plants. "We have more than fifty hectares of lands planted with medical marijuana here in Hungary! We harvested tons of weed! It was so amazing and beautiful to be part of it. Our medical cannabis is made from carefully selected seeds and they are planted in a special way. It is extremely important to have special medical cannabis plants which have almost zero THC content but are full of the rest of the good ingredients."

It's Life Eternal's100% all-natural makeup that is of utmost importance. "Attila's Life Eternal is not coming from the ugly pharmacy industry," notes Csihar. "My raw CBD oil is 100% natural and bio straight from these special cannabis plants. There are lots of bullshit CBD oils out there, but the quality is not the same! The raw oil is integral and comes directly from the plant and contains not only CBD but all the rest of the good natural ingredients from the plant. Life Eternal is one of the best quality CBD oils you can find out there!"

Attila's Life Eternal 6.66% CBD oil is available now and limited to 666 exclusive, hand-numbered packages. The packaging design was created by Daniele Valeriani who also supplied the artwork for the latest Mayhem record, Life Eternal.

Various Attila's Life Eternal bundles are available here. Purchase on Black Friday and get a 20% discount on your entire order!

"I'm not that super healthy guy," Csihar concludes, "but even when I used to do drugs, I always took lots of extra vitamins like calcium and magnesium to reduce the damage on my body. I've always believed in keeping balance in life in general. If you poison yourself, it's good to give something to the other side as well; to balance it out. I know that CBD is a very good thing for your whole system in general. Don't die sick; die healthy!"

Attila Csihar's musical career began in 1985 in the Hungarian metal band Tormentor, which reached cult status in black metal circles with their first album, Anno Domini (1988). Tormentor performed regular live shows between 1986-1990 and became one of the most infamous bands in Hungary. After Tormentor, Csihar started dark electro industrial band Plasma Pool (1990-1994). On the strength of his work in Tormentor, he was invited to perform vocals on Mayhem's De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas album. His groundbreaking new ways of singing added a special character to Mayhem's sound. Ultimately, Csihar performed no live concerts with the band until his second tenure in 2004.

Csihar continued to work in various bands, such as Plasma Pool, Aborym, and Korog; he also performed as Caiaphas in the rock opera Jesus Christ Superstar in Hungary. He is a "shadow" member of the American doom/drone metal band Sunn O))). His first live performance with the band was at Stadtwerkstatt in Linz, Austria in 2003. His first recorded collaboration with the band was in 2004 when he sang in Sanskrit language on the tracks "Decay2 [Nihil's Maw]" and "Decay (The Symptoms Of Kali Yuga)" on their album White2. He has recorded five full-length albums with the group, including the very successful Monoliths & Dimensions, and performed hundreds of shows with the band worldwide.  

(Photo - Csaba Bende "Zenefesto")




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It's been 300 days since the KISS stage went dark. Roaring back to life and proving that KISS never does anything small, the iconic Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame, multi-platinum selling band has announced the biggest concert event of the year, sending off 2020 in KISS style on New Year's Eve at iconic destination, Atlantis, The Palm in Dubai. In a year when stages have been dark globally and fans have been craving a true live music experience, Landmarks Live Presents is set to deliver the largest KISS show of the band's storied career live from The Royal Beach at Atlantis Dubai with numerous world record attempts for largest ever pyro display.

Filmed with more than 50 cameras and 360-degree views, the show will be produced by Landmarks Live Presents will be filmed in 4K and can be seen globally with a 1080p Livestream and ticketing powered by Tixr and available on any computer, mobile, and Apple TV.

Putting nearly 400 crew members back to work for the first time in 8 months, the production will take extraordinary on-site COVID protocols including daily testing and biometric crew wristbands to ensure highest safety standards for the entire event. Performed in front of a live COVID-screened and safe audience in Dubai, this will be a first of its kind hybrid live-ticketed and live streamed event.

KISS said: "After nine months of this pandemic darkness the world may finally be seeing light of day. On New Year's Eve KISS will rock the heavens, shake the earth and blaze the way out of 2020 with the largest and most bombastic celebration in our and anyone else's history. We all need it. We all deserve it. Here's to 2021."

Daniel E Catullo III, creator, director and executive producer of Landmarks Live, said: "Working with KISS is an honor and dream come true for me. To be able to capture them in such an explosive and record-breaking way will certainly be a highlight of my career. This show will be unlike any other show or live stream of 2020. Logistically, this was the largest undertaking and production I've ever done and during a pandemic made it all the more challenging. Our crew is comprised of over 400 people from all over the world. It has been a very complex show to put together, but we are happy to bring the world something of this size at a time when it is needed the most. It's a perfect way to say goodbye to 2020 or KISS 2020 goodbye.

"Almost five months of planning, hundreds of working crew, coordination with the Dubai government, major logistics and coordination with the band, and putting on a rock show during a global pandemic, this show will go down in the record books," Catullo added.

"We are incredibly excited that KISS and Landmarks Live has chosen Atlantis Dubai for this first-of-its-kind initiative," said Timothy Kelly, executive vice president and managing director, Atlantis Dubai. "Atlantis has a reputation as being a trailblazer in the world of entertainment and we know that this event which will be watched by millions across the world will provide electrifying, ever-lasting memories for all who join in the celebrations."

The show will also feature a live pre-show that can be streamed for free. The KISS concert and pyro show will feature numerous price points to accommodate all New Year's Eve celebrators safely from home. While the show will be broadcast live timed to midnight in Dubai, ALL of the streaming packages allow a replay option so that fans can re-watch timed to their own midnight festivities.

Price tiering:

* $39.99 - Live Stream and 24 hours of unlimited replays
* $49.99 - Live Stream and 72 hours of unlimited replays
* $249.99 - Gold VIP package - Live Stream, 30 days of unlimited replays, Limited Edition DVD w/ 16-page book, Limited edition T-shirt, limited edition poster
* $999.999 - Platinum VIP Package - Live Stream, 30 days of unlimited replays, Limited edition DVD w/ 16-page book, name in DVD credits and in book, Limited edition T-shirt, limited edition poster (autographed), limited edition Hoodie, metal engraved limited edition commemorative ticket, limited edition vinyl record of the show

Tickets are available now at www.KISS2020Goodbye.com.

Landmarks Live is the brainchild of Emmy Award-winning documentary and live television producer/director Daniel E Catullo III. The initial version of Landmarks Live, the award winning PBS series "Landmarks Live In Concert", featured a lineup of global music superstars performing season one episodes, including "Foo Fighters Live From The Acropolis", "Alicia Keys Live From New York", "Andrea Bocelli Live From The Palazzo Vecchio", "Brad Paisley Live From WVU", "Prophets Of Rage From Sunset Strip And The Stone Pony", "Kings Of Leon Live From Memphis", "K.D. Lang Live From San Antonio" and the "Black Eyed Peas From Royal Albert Hall".

Volbeat have released a video for "Sorry Sack Of Bones" (Live In Stuttgart) from the Rewind, Replay, Rebound: Live In Deutschland release, available digitally worldwide via Republic Records.

The new 27-song set features songs recorded during the sold-out German leg of last year’s Rewind, Replay, Rebound World Tour, along with two additional tracks recorded earlier on the tour. The album marks the first official live recordings of 11 songs from the band’s latest studio release, Rewind, Replay, Rebound as well as fan favourites from throughout the band’s career played in front of the their die-hard German fans in cities such as Stuttgart, Cologne, and Hamburg. The set, mixed by long time Volbeat collaborator Jacob Hansen, is available for streaming and download from your favourite digital service. Click here to save.

Germany holds an important place in the story of Volbeat. From playing their first note on German soil at the Rock Hard Festival in Gelsenkirchen 14 years ago, Germany has embraced the band and lovingly christened themselves the band’s “second home.” Says vocalist/guitarist Michael Poulsen, “the German audience has always had a special place in our hearts, since the very beginning. They have always supported us and still do. It’s amazing to see the impact the fans have had on Volbeat, we’ve become fans of theirs, too.”

Volbeat's Record Store Day Black Friday release, Hokus Bonus, is a vinyl-only compilation of ‘bonus tracks’ from special and international editions of the band’s previous albums. Limited to 3,000 copies, the LP features brand new cover art from long-time Volbeat illustrator Karsten Sand and is pressed on “Magician’s Smoke” coloured vinyl. Hokus Bonus is available today at independent record stores participating in Record Store Day.

Rewind, Replay, Rebound: Live In Deutschland tracklisting:

Intro/"Lola Montez"
"Pelvis On Fire"
"Doc Holliday"   
"Sorry Sack Of Bones"   
"The Garden's Tale"
"Ring Of Fire"    
"Sad Man's Tongue"                
"When We Were Kids"  
"Slaytan"                       
"Dead But Rising"
"Fallen"
"Die To Live"
"Seal The Deal"
"For Evigt"
"7:24"
"Cheapside Sloggers"
"Lonesome Rider"         
"Parasite"
"The Everlasting"
"Cloud 9"
"Last Day Under The Sun"         
"The Devil's Bleeding Crown"   
"Leviathan"
"Let It Burn"      
"Pool Of Booze, Booze, Booza"
"Boa [JDM]"
"Still Counting"

"Die To Live" (Live In Stuttgart) video:

"Lonesome Rider" (Live In Stuttgart) video:

"Cheapside Sloggers" (Live In Stuttgart) video:




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Anthrax drummer, Charlie Benante, has released the new video below, featuring a performance of KISS' Hotter Than Hell album track, "All The Way".

Says Benante: "KISS Alive was missing one song and that song was 'All The Way'. I always thought this song had such a great chorus, makes you wanna rock from side to side (in that KISS way). I would love to have heard it with that “Alive” sound. We tried to make this as close to the original as we could. Thanks again to Joe McGinness, P.J. Farley and John 5 for doing a KILLER job on this. Special thanks to TOM K78 we used @gibsonguitar and a bunch of other stuff because we wanted the best."




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Pittsburgh hardcore/metal band 156/Silence have released a beastly cover of Alice In Chains' beloved track, "Them Bones". The song is featured on the band's Deluxe Edition of Irrational Pull that's out today via SharpTone Records.

“I’m probably the most excited for everyone to hear our cover of 'Them Bones'. As a huge Alice In Chains fan myself it was really fun learning that song and putting a bit of our own spin on it.” - Ryan Wilkinson (Guitarist)

Listen below, and get Irrational Pull (Deluxe Edition) here.




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Italian Gothic metal band, Cadaveria, released their new single, "Matryoshcada", to all digital platforms on November 13. A video for the track, produced by Morbid Vision, can now be seen below. Download/stream the single here.

Says Cadaveria: "This video is dedicated to all the metalheads who have been close to me during my illness. It is also an opportunity for everybody to say goodbye to the "previous me" and welcome the creature that I have become."

"Matryoshcada" is the second of a series of singles that will be released by the band on a regular basis. The first, entitled "Return", was released on October 2, and marked Cadaveria's official return to the music scene after her illness.

"Matryoshcada" concept in the singer's words: "Fragments of the past are recomposed for a moment... then they dissolve, giving light to a new creature, to a new powerful energy."

A music video for the recently released "Return" can be seen below. Listen/download the single here.




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British rock icons MAGNUM have released a new digital single and lyric video for the song "On Christmas Day". The track is taken from the band's forthcoming compilation album "Dance Of The Black Tattoo", which will be released January 8, 2021 through Steamhammer/SPV as CD digipak, 2LP gatefold version, special CD/LP bundle with shirt (only at the Steamhammer shop), download and stream.

It's been three years since MAGNUM brought out "The Valley Of Tears - The Ballads", a compilation that focused on the British rock act's quiet, more otherworldly and dreamy side. Three years during which the idea matured to follow this successful release (top 100 of the German album charts) with a companion piece. "Dance Of The Black Tattoo" has turned into exactly that: a collection of songs that present MAGNUM exclusively as tough-as-nails rocking and extremely vibrant musicians. What makes this album so special is the fact that MAGNUM have gone through their impressive archive, looking for rare live cuts and outstanding radio versions and have come up with spirited live recordings and edits that concentrate on the essential components of some of their most accomplished rock numbers. Naturally, guitarist and band mastermind Tony Clarkin has used this opportunity to remaster and update all 14 tracks so that they comply with the state-of-the-art of (sound) technology.

Says Clarkin: "There have always been two aspects to MAGNUM: a slightly more tender and lyrical facet, but first and foremost of course our powerful, rocking side. And that's the element that 'Dance Of The Black Tattoo' documents impressively."

The album kicks off with live versions of "Black Skies" and "Freedom Day", previously available exclusively as DVD bonus tracks on "Escape From The Shadow Garden". According to Clarkin, they were "the perfect launch of this compilation because they present MAGNUM musically and lyrically from our familiar raw side. The subsequent 'All My Bridges' is a little different in that the music is still heavy, but the lyrics are more poetic," explains Clarkin, whose dynamic guitar style has harmonized perfectly with MAGNUM vocalist Bob Catley's warm and charismatic voice for almost fifty (!) years.

"On A Storyteller's Night", the title track of their 1985 masterpiece, and "Dance Of The Black Tattoo' are another two rare live tracks from the bonus section of "Escape From The Shadow Garden", followed by radio edits of their seasonal anti-war number "On Christmas Day" and the fan favorite "Born To Be King" off their classic "Goodnight L.A.", previously only available on vinyl or for digital download, followed by "Phantom Of Paradise Circus" and "No God Or Saviour", both bonus tracks from "Sacred Blood - Divine Lies".

Clarkin says: "To be honest, when I started going through those old masters, I didn't even have 'Phantom Of Paradise Circus' on my radar. I usually start working on new material about four weeks after the release of an album, so occasionally a song may sink into oblivion although it has a lot of substance and class. Such as 'Phantom Of Paradise Circus'. I really love that number and am happy that it is getting the attention it deserves at last."

"Your Dreams Won't Die" and "Twelve Men Wise And Just" are two live bonus tracks which first featured on "Lost On The Road To Eternity", before "Show Me Your Hands", "Not Forgiven" and "Madman Or Messiah" — three previously unreleased radio edits from the still topical studio recordings "Lost On The Road To Eternity" (2018) and "The Serpent Rings" (2020) — round off the new release. "Sometimes it's not easy to shorten a carefully balanced composition for the radio, but in these three cases it worked really well," reckons Clarkin.

Talking of working well: Naturally the artwork of "Dance Of The Black Tattoo" was designed by MAGNUM's tried-and-tested cover artist Rodney Matthews, who always succeeds in translating the special ambience of the British rock group's albums into atmospheric images and colours.

Clarkin comments: "This time it was easy really: I called Rodney, told him the album title and he sent me this absolutely fascinating artwork. I bet our fans will love his little masterpiece."

Track listing:

01. Black Skies (Live)

02. Freedom Day (Live)

03. All My Bridges (Live)

04. On A Storyteller's Night (Live)

05. Dance Of The Black Tattoo (Live)

06. On Christmas Day (Radio Edit)

07. Born To Be King

08. Phantom Of Paradise Circus

09. No God Or Saviour

10. Your Dreams Won't Die (Live)

11. Twelve Men Wise And Just (Live)

12. Show Me Your Hands (Radio Edit)

13. Not Forgiven (Radio Edit)

14. Madman Or Messiah (Radio Edit)

Melodic death metal outfit, Fires In The Distance, have released a guitar playthrough video for "Sundial", a track from their debut album, Echoes From Deep November, available via Prosthetic. Order the album at this location, and watch the clip below:

Over the course of six melancholic tracks, Echoes From Deep November charts a perpetual struggle with mental health and the tribulations of living with deep rooted depression. Each track documents peaks and plateaus of inner torment, internal rationalisation and an ongoing struggle to survive. Additionally, personal experiences witnessing pain and struggle in others feeds into the cacophony of anguish and oppression.

Written throughout 2018 and 2019, Echoes From Deep November was recorded with producer Dave Kaminsky (Infera Bruo, Stone Healer), who the band describe as being like a fifth member. Their desire to capture the organic nature of their live sound has paid dividends; each of the six tracks reverberates with energy and emotion. Haunting artwork by Caelen Stokkermans finishes off the pensive package of melodic doom with a macabre flourish.

Tracklisting:

"The Climb"
"Elusive Light"
"The Lock And The Key"
"Reflections In The Ice"
"Chained To The Earth"
"Sundial"

"The Lock And The Key":

(Photo - Josh Esan)




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Ocean Hills, led by forner Ignite vocalist Zoli Teglas, have released their debut album, Santa Monica, via AFM Records. A music video for the song “Budapest My Love" can be found below.

Santa Monica artwork and tracklisting:

Tracklisting:

“Bound”
“A Separate Peace”
“Death Or Liberty”
“Like A Lady”
“Santa Monica”
“Budapest My Love”
“Hold Me”
“Angels Wings”
“Vampire”
“Christina”
“Dead Dog”
“There Is A Light That Never Goes Out”

“Budapest My Love” video:

"Bound" lyric video:

“Death Or Liberty” video:




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The video below features Scorpions performing "Blackout" live on the German TV show, Rockpop In Concert, in December 1983. Footage licensed from ZDF Enterprises.




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Swedish hard rockers, Deaf Rat, have released a lyric video for their new single. "Within The Dead Souls" marks the first taste of what the band has been up to since the release of the Ban In Light album, released in November 2019 via AFM Records.

The video was recorded and edited by former Deaf Rat drummer Karl Löfgren.




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Progressive deathcore unit, Within The Ruins, have released their sixth full-length, Black Heart, via Entertainment One (eOne) / Good Fight Music. A video for the track "Devil In Me" can be found below.

Comments vocalist, Steve Tinnon, of the disquieting clip, “We’re extremely excited to release the video for Devil In Me! The concept for this was something new for the band, and we all stepped out of our comfort zone a little bit to make it happen, but we’re very happy with how it turned out! The idea was to visually bring to life most of the lyrics in the song and tell the story of what it’s about. I wanted the viewer to not only hear, but see, the transformation I’m referring to, and understand the metaphors in the track. It was fun to be able to tell the story without a lot of musical performance to push it along, and we’ve been eager for everyone to see it!”

Black Heart is available on CD, LP, and digital formats. For order options, head here.

Black Heart trackisting:

"Domination"
"Deliverance"
"Black Heart"
"Open Wounds"
"Eighty Sixed"
"Devil In Me"
"Hollow"
"Outsider"
"RCKLSS"
"Ataxia V"

"Black Heart" video:

"Deliverance" video:

Lineup:

Joe Cocchi - guitars
Kevin McGuill - drums
Paolo Galang - bass, vocals
Steve Tinnon - vocals

(Photo - Chris Klumpp)




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Stockholm, Sweden's Metalite have released a video uptempo synth-stomper, "Peacekeepers", the first single from the upcoming album, A Virtual World, out March 26 via AFM Records. Pre-order the album here, and watch the video below.

Tracklisting:

"A Virtual World"
"Cloud Connected"
"Talisman"
"Beyond The Horizon"
"Peacekeepers"
"The Vampire Song"
"We're Like The Fire"
"Artificial Intelligence"
"Alone"
"Running"
"Synchronized"

"Peacekeepers" video:




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Immrama Records and Gonzo MultiMedia announce the release of Dark Horizons, the debut album from Illuminae, the brand-new project from Ian Jones (Karnataka, Chasing The Monsoon) and Agnieszka Swita (Caamora).

The album features special guests Steve Hackett (Genesis), John Helliwell (Supertramp), Troy Donockley (Nightwish), Craig Blundell (Steven Wilson), Luke Machin and Gonzalo Carrera. Dark Horizons was mixed by Joe Gibb, highly regarded as a world class mix engineer and who has worked with many prestigious artists including Massive Attack, The Cure and Leftfield.

A video for the single “Blood On Your Hands” can be found below.

From dark, twisted symphonies to sweet lullabies, the collective writing talents of Ian Jones (Karnataka, Chasing The Monsoon) and Agnieszka Swita (solo, Caamora) combine in their powerful new musical collaboration Illuminae. Embracing symphonic, progressive and Celtic influences, bitter sweet melodies intertwine with lush harmonies to create a majestic towering cathedral of sound, songs which traverse the dividing line between darkness and light, life and death, solitude and hope. Shards of light piercing a subterranean labyrinth.  

London based Welshman, Ian Jones, is a founder member, composer and multi-instrumentalist with British symphonic rock band Karnataka and Chasing The Monsoon. Karnataka have released several critically acclaimed and award-winning albums, including The Gathering Light and Secrets of Angels. Vocalist, pianist and composer Agnieszka Świta, hailing from Poland and living in London, released her self-penned debut solo album “Sleepless,” a modern symphonic rock album, to critical acclaim and has released several albums with Clive Nolan in their collaborative project Caamora.  

Tracklisting:

"The Lighthouse"
"Blood On Your Hands"
"Edge Of Darkness"
"Lullaby"
"Twice"
"Heretics And Prophecy"
"Sanctuary"
"Black Angel"
"Sign Of Infinity"
"Dark Horizons"

"Blood On Your Hands" video:




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Ozzy Osbourne has told GQ magazine that he suffers from a respiratory disease which puts him at an increased risk of severe pneumonia and poor outcomes if he was to develop COVID-19.

"I've got emphysema, so if I get this virus, I'm fucked," he said, referring to the type of COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) lung disease that makes it hard to breathe and gets worse over time.

Asked how his health is at the moment, Ozzy said: "The surgery I had knocked the crap out of me. But I broke my neck in a quad bike accident [in 2003] and when that healed it squeezed my spinal column, so I was getting all kinds of weird things happening to me. I'd be on stage and I'd suddenly get a sharp shock down one side of my body. Then one night 18 months ago I went to the bathroom in the dark and just hit the ground. I said [to my wife], 'Sharon, I'm on the floor,' and she said, 'Well, get up then!' But I couldn't. Once you're 70, the floodgates open and everything goes downhill. Mind you, I've got away with it for a long time."

Ozzy went on to say that he is trying his "hardest" to stay shielded at the moment. "If I go out, I wear a mask, but I don't like wearing a mask, so I don't go out much," he said. "The producer on my album [Andrew Watt] got the virus. I'd phone him up every day and he said he couldn't sleep, because as soon as he went to sleep, he'd stop breathing. He's not the same person now... It's like anyone who's had a near-death experience: he's become a bit careful with life. But my two granddaughters caught it and you wouldn't think they had anything wrong with them. It just bounced off them."

In September, Ozzy said he won't have a coronavirus vaccine despite his Parkinson's disease putting him at greater risk. Speaking on Rock Classics Radio on Apple Music Hits, he said: "I'm trying to recover so I can get... The only good thing about this pandemic, I couldn't work anyway because of my injuries. I'm hoping that I'll be booking 2022, I think.

"To be honest with you, I don't think it's gonna get ship shape until the end of next year. I think this winter is gonna be fucking bad, because you're gonna have the flu. People are, 'I'm not taking the flu shot.' You know what?

"You can give me anything, but I'm not gonna be number one on that fucking new vaccine. I don't know want to be the first one to wake up with a set of fucking antlers in the morning."

This past July, Ozzy said that he was still "not back to 100 percent" after suffering from several medical issues last year, including a fall, neck surgery and hospitalization for the flu. Ozzy also said that he was looking forward to performing again once he has regained his health and the coronavirus pandemic has subsided.

In August, Ozzy blasted Donald Trump's coronavirus response, saying that America's 45th president is "acting like a fool." In an interview with Rolling Stone, Ozzy said: "In my lifetime, I've never known anything like this. It's getting worse, not better. And this guy's acting like a fool. I don't really like to talk politics that much, but I've got to say what I feel with this guy. There's not much hope left. Maybe he's got a trick up his sleeve and he's going to surprise us all, and I hope he has. [Recently], over a thousand more people died in one day [in America]. That's fucking crazy. People got to get with this social distancing and mask-wearing or else it's never gonna go away."

When the pandemic struck, Ozzy had just released his first solo album in a decade, "Ordinary Man", which he recorded late last year while recovering from surgery and related illnesses. The BLACK SABBATH singer had previously canceled all his 2019 tour plans, and the rescheduled 2020 shows have also been scrapped.

In a new interview with the "That Metal Interview", Steve "Lips" Kudlow of Canadian metal legends ANVIL spoke about how he and his bandmates came up with the speed/thrash blueprint which paved the way for groups like METALLICA, ANTHRAX and SLAYER. Asked how ANVIL managed to create that sound first, Lips said: "We're older. What else am I gonna say? I'm two or three years older than those guys. End of story. I was in line first. [Laughs] Somebody had to do it. And let's face it, it's a different kind of situation.

"Our drummer, Robb Reiner, is a very, very spectacular, special drummer and inventive and innovative," he continued. "So when I came up with speed riffs that I thought were like DEEP PURPLE and he's playing double-bass drums to these kind of riffs, that was the invention of speed metal; people never heard that done before. And that's an innovation that's created between a guitar player and a drummer. Only a combination of that could do that — not a guitar player and a vocalist, but a guitar player and a drummer. That's who's gonna create that kind of music, because the faster you play and the more parts you put in, the less important vocals are, and that's basically the direction which speed metal took, and that's why there's virtually no melody in speed metal, because you can't — there's no time to create a melody in the spaces that you make in the songs. And so it all goes hand in hand. So some of our stuff like '666' is almost void of melody, but that's the style. That's the stuff that everything — SLAYER listened to that and said, 'Okay, let's make a band around that sound.' The syncopation and the ideas that were expressed in songs like 'Jackhammer' or even 'March Of The Crabs' became METALLICA. It's actually quite interesting."

ANVIL, a Toronto-based group, was formed in 1978 by childhood friends Kudlow and Reiner. Both came from Jewish families and had been playing music together since their teens.

Though initially a four-piece band, ANVIL's current lineup includes Kudlow, Reiner and bassist Chris Robertson.

ANVIL gained popularity and new fans since the 2008 theatrical documentary, "Anvil: The Story Of Anvil", which is currently available on Netflix. The film focused on how ANVIL got together, and stayed together, through decades of hard work and setbacks.

ANVIL's latest album, "Legal At Last", was released in February via AFM Records. The disc was recorded at Soundlodge studios in Rhauderfehn in the northwest of Germany.

Just a few days before DOKKEN played two "socially distanced" concerts last weekend in Virginia and Arkansas, Don Dokken spoke to Anne Erickson of Audio Ink Radio about how he is dealing with the coronavirus crisis and what the touring circuit might look like post-pandemic. He said (hear audio below): "This was gonna be one of our biggest years of touring. We were gonna be on tour from February through October — like, 30 or 40 shows — and COVID came, and it's all over. It affected us financially, obviously, and it affected us being locked in the house. But we are doing two shows this week — we're playing Virginia and Arkansas. We're doing two outdoor shows, and so we'll see how it goes. They're gonna do social distancing, and they're checking everybody's temperatures. They've done a couple of shows already, and it worked out okay. So we'll see how it goes.

"I don't wanna catch it," he continued. "I don't worry about doing the shows and catching COVID; I'm more concerned about all the plane flights getting there — like, six flights, [which is] more concerning to me than playing the shows."

Asked what he needs to feel safe playing a show amid the coronavirus pandemic, Don said: "A vaccine. All we can do is be as careful as possible. I watch on the news all these idiots protesting and not wearing masks, people getting in the water over Fourth of July and thousands of people in swimming pools and Lake of the Ozarks and everyone is swimming and no mask and everybody is partying in the bars. And look what happened. They said it's gonna spike, and as soon as these holidays were over, we've got ten thousand cases a day now. So it was a bit foolish. I just think that maybe the younger generation feel they're invincible and they're willing to take that chance so they can go out and party with their friends. But I'm not willing to take that chance. It's not worth it, 'cause it's a really bad thing. So I'm just being really careful. And we do the show, and we're not gonna be talking to anybody — no meet-and-greets. Wear our mask on the plane, go straight to the hotel, don't talk to anybody, go straight to the stage, do the show, leave, go back to the hotel, go back to the airport and we'll go to the next show. That's all we can do. And if I catch it, I'll be bummed.

"I see on the news these people marching, like the George Floyd thing, tens of thousands of people marching with no masks, I thought, 'What did they expect to happen?' Of course it's gonna spike. I don't understand why people don't take it more seriously."

According to Don, DOKKEN will likely stay off the road until a treatment for the novel coronavirus is developed. "I think after these shows this week, I'm gonna pull the plug and we're gonna take the rest of the year off and just concentrate on the new studio album," he said. "It's just too 'Russian roulette' to keep flying around the country and playing shows; it's just too dangerous. We committed to these two shows. We're gonna do it. They're gonna be pragmatic and take precautions, and I think after this week, I'm just gonna come back and hide out at my house up in the mountains. I don't have any neighbors. I live on 13 acres, so I don't have any neighbors and I don't have to worry about it. I can just stay up here with my dogs, and I'm just gonna ride it out. And hopefully, God willing, somebody will come up with a vaccine. But I don't think that's gonna happen for at least a year. It'll be interesting to watch. We're already in trouble, the country, but this could really be a disastrous year for America."

DOKKEN's new studio album will be released via Silver Lining Music, the label owned by Thomas Jensen, one of the founders of Germany's Wacken Open Air festival.

Steve Riley's version of L.A. GUNS released its debut album, "Renegades", on November 13 via Golden Robot Records.

Riley's version of L.A. GUNS is not to be confused with the band led by guitarist Tracii Guns and vocalist Phil Lewis, which issued two well-received albums, "The Missing Peace" and "The Devil You Know", plus the live release "Made In Milan", under the L.A. GUNS name over the last three years.

Riley is joined in his version of the group by Orlando, Florida-based guitarist/vocalist Kurt Frohlich, bassist Kelly Nickels (a member of L.A. GUNS' "classic" incarnation) and guitarist Scott Griffin (who played bass for the band from 2007 until 2009, and then again from 2011 to 2014).

Asked in a recent interview with the "Aftershocks" podcast if he is concerned, from a business point of view, about there being two separate versions of L.A. GUNS, Riley said (see video below): "I'm somewhat concerned, because the classic lineup is the one that's best known, and the classic lineup is the one that was on the albums that sold the most and we had the hits from those albums.

"I think if I was by myself, I'd be more concerned. Having Kelly with me, I'm not really that concerned.

"The thing is there are really so many bands that weren't able to stay together, and they split up or they got new lead singers — whether it's SKID ROW, whether it's QUEENSRŸCHE, GREAT WHITE; there's a lot of bands that had to move on.

"If we weren't songwriters on those original albums, I might have been a little bit more concerned that I'm just going out as the drummer who played on those albums, or Kelly is the bass player who played on those albums. Now, we co-wrote all those songs — every one of them. And so that gives you a little bit more strength knowing that.

"The way the history of the band will go down, it'll [be] known as the classic five — with Mick [Cripps, guitar], Kelly, Steve, Phil and Tracii. The things that go on after that, we've gotta just not worry about it and let the fans let us know if they like it or not."

Riley's version of L.A. GUNS made its live debut in May 2019 at the M3 Rock Festival, a performance Steve described to "Aftershocks" as "a very big balancing point. How were we gonna go over at M3? How were we gonna sound at M3 doing the older material?" he said. "And I just think that we pulled it off really good. The fan reaction and the reviews that we got on it was so positive.

"I'm always the guy that I stayed with the band through the entire thing and tried to talk classic members out of not leaving, and it's just not successful all the time," he explained. "People wanna do other things.

"Right now, Kelly and I, we feel very, very secure knowing we are L.A. GUNS, because we are classic members, we are co-writers on everything. If that wasn't the case, I think I would feel a little bit different. But I don't. That's where my confedence comes from."

Riley also dismissed any suggestion that he is partly responsible for the bickering that has been leveled at him on social media primarily by Guns, who has previously referred to the drummer in an interview as "a piece of shit."

"I don't think that you've seen anything coming from me and Kelly," Steve said. "We're not going down that road. He has gone down that road. From what I see, from the fan reaction, they don't like it. It looks bad, and it looks bad on him. He started that a long time ago. He started it when Phil and I continued the band on, and him and Phil had a big beef going for years — they did not like each other at all. Actually, they really never liked each other. But the fact is when worked through it in the original band, we worked through that and we made it through that. But when Phil and I continued on, that's when Tracii actually started with stuff on the Internet. Now he's kind of taking it to another level. And even Phil has jumped in on it too.

"Kelly and I made a decision we were never gonna down that road," he continued. "We were not gonna get on the Iternet and start mudslinging. We respect those guys. We did a lot of stuff with those guys, and we've done a lot of stuff that was successful — tours, recording and videos. And to mudsling or to say anything bad about anybody that used to play with me, it's just not in me, bro.

"I wish they wouldn't do it, but there's nothing that we can do to stop it. But like I said, from the fan reaction, from them writing stuff on the Internet bad about Kelly, bad about me, it just doesn't look good; it doesn't go over well. We know that. So I'll tell you, we're never going down that road. We just won't go there.

"It looks bad," he repated. "It looks horrible from both sides. I just wish he wouldn't go down that road. But what are you gonna do?"

This past January, Riley was sued by Guns and Lewis in California District Court. Joining Riley as defendants in the case are the three musicians who perform in his recently launched rival version of L.A. GUNS; that group's manager, booking agent and merchandiser; and Golden Robot Records.

The complaint, which requests a trial by jury, alleges that Riley's version of L.A. GUNS (referred to in the case docket as "the infringing L.A. GUNS") is creating "unfair competition" through its unauthorized usage of the L.A. GUNS trademark. In addition, Guns and Lewis are seeking relief from and/or against false advertising, breach of contract and unauthorized usage of their likenesses.

At its core, Guns and Lewis's complaint calls into question Riley's claim of partial ownership of the L.A. GUNS name and logo and alleges that his usage of both has been unauthorized. In addition, Guns and Lewis claim — as Guns has done publicly in the past — that Riley has embezzled much of the group's publishing proceeds over the past two decades.

Despite leaving the band soon after the release of 2002's "Waking The Dead" to focus on BRIDES OF DESTRUCTION (his short-lived supergroup with MÖTLEY CRÜE bassist Nikki Sixx), Guns "is the owner of common law trademark righs" for the L.A. GUNS name and logo, the complaint claims. It notes that Guns founded the band in 1983, four years before Riley joined, and that Riley did not perform on the group's 1984 debut EP and contributed to just a single track on their 1987 self-titled full-length debut.

According to the complaint, Guns "has been injured by Defendants' unfair competition," while he and Lewis have "suffered harm including damages and and irreparable injury to their goodwill." It also claims that Riley's L.A. GUNS was formed "with the intent of tricking and confusing consumers into believing that the infringing L.A. GUNS band is the original [Tracii] Guns version" of the group.

In addition to actual and punitive damages, Guns and Lewis are seeking a "permanent injunction" that restrains all of the named defendants from using the L.A. GUNS name, logo and likeness, as well as "a declaration that Guns is the sole owner of the common law trademark rights" for the L.A. GUNS moniker "and any related design marks."

In a new interview with France's Heavy1 TV, AC/DC guitarist Angus Young spoke about "Realize", the opening song on the band's latest album, "Power Up". He said (see video below): "'Realize', I remember working with Mal [late AC/DC rhythm guitarist Malcolm Young], and we worked on that track. We spent a fair bit of time on it. It was another strong idea that he had. For me, I knew how much he really liked it. I remember when we originally were writing it, the effort that he put in and how he built it up. The thing is, I remember we had the music side of it together, how we wanted to do it. And he gave me his hook idea, the chorus, When the gave me the verse idea, of how he wanted the lyric, he sang it to me roughly. And I heard it, and it stuck in my head all day. And I just kind of thought, how clever is he? He just comes up with something. It was one of those things where I kept repeating it and repeating it in my head."

He continued: "Sometimes I used to think, 'I don't know where he pulls these ideas from.' His great gift was… For him, a song wasn't a combination of riffs and hooks and that. For him, he just had a kind of natural gift… Whenever he created a song, the parts would all come together — lyrics, music, and even kind of the dynamic of it… So it was a never a case with the two of us [where we] just settled for the chords you first hit or something; you went through all the different angles with him. And even with a song, a song with us never really… Say you were doing it at that tempo or a different way, sometimes we may even go back to another route and go, 'Okay, try it from another perspective.'

"With this one, though, he had it just so clear, and it stuck with me," Angus added. "He was gonna get a mic and just put his rough voice, 'cause you can do that some time. And I said, 'Mal, if it's for me, you don't need to. I've got it here [points to his head]. [Laughs]"

"Power Up" is a tribute to Malcolm, who died in 2017 from effects of dementia at age 64. Malcolm is credited as a writer on all 12 tracks on "Power Up", along with Angus.

In December 2014, Malcolm revealed he had dementia which forced him to retire from AC/DC. His nephew Stevie Young stepped into Malcolm's position.

Angus later said that he realized during the recording of the band's 2008 album "Black Ice" that his brother's faculties were impaired.

Malcolm died in November 2017 after failing health for several years.

Hundreds of mourners gathered for his funeral in Sydney, Australia, including Angus and other members of the Young family, along with Johnson, AC/DC drummer Phil Rudd and bassist Cliff Williams.

Malcolm was remembered as a "humble man" and "musical mastermind," with friend David Albert saying in his eulogy that Malcolm's impact on the music industry was nothing short of momentous. Young's beloved Gretsch guitar, "The Beast," rested on his coffin during the service.

"Power Up" was recorded over a six-week period in August and September 2018 at Warehouse Studios in Vancouver with producer Brendan O'Brien, who also worked 2008's "Black Ice" and 2014's "Rock Or Bust".

SHINEDOWN has announced SD Limited, its new premium apparel line. Conceived by SHINEDOWN guitarist Zach Myers, SD Limited has a focus on premium quality lifestyle products, reimagining and elevating classic band and concert merch into everyday streetwear pieces. Capsule collections will be made available in limited quantities. The first collection is dropping this week on Black Friday (November 27) and is inspired by SHINEDOWN's 2008 breakthrough album "The Sound Of Madness". Check out the collection at www.sdlimited.store where it will be available for purchase on Black Friday.

Myers shares: "We are thrilled that SD Limited is finally coming into fruition and set to be released imminently. This is an idea that we have been looking to launch for a while, but the rigors of touring always kept it on the back burner.

"Earlier this year, Adam from EightySeven Creative Agency had gotten in touch about working together on a project, and I knew he was perfect for this venture with his inspired and futuristic take on concert merchandising. He, alongside myself and our longtime merchandiser Kent Sinkler, set out to deconstruct the classic rock shirt, throw it in a blender with street fashion, and strip it all down to a central message of community. We wanted to appeal to everyone, whether they had heard of our band or not, but truly wanted to serve our most loyal fans. It was important that the products were made with high-quality materials, with unique graphics and color ways, but most important that the themes that have carried our band across the world for the last 20 years were woven into each piece."

Additionally, SHINEDOWN has announced a career-spanning vinyl box set featuring the band's six albums on brand new, exclusive gold vinyl, limited to 2,000 total box sets worldwide, as well as limited individual vinyl album reissues, including some albums on never-before-released colors ("Leave A Whisper" - clear blue; "Us And Them" - clear purple; "The Sound Of Madness" – white; and "Amaryllis" - rustic green. "Threat To Survival" and "Attention Attention" are pressed on their original, limited-edition colors — clear red and clear yellow, respectively.) Both for the box set and the individual pressing, "Us And Them" will feature new cover art to celebrate the 15th anniversary of the album, featuring the once-young cover characters 15 years older.

Vinyl pre-orders launch on Black Friday at this location, alongside the SD Limited drop. The box set will ship January 22 and the individual vinyl albums will ship February 12. If you would like to receive your SD Limited purchase in time for the holidays, be sure to place your order separately from your vinyl box set/albums order, as SD Limited orders will ship immediately if not coupled with a vinyl order.

Kicking off on December 3, SMITH & MYERS — the duo comprised of SHINEDOWN frontman Brent Smith and Myers — will embark on a tour that will see them dive into their new double album, "Smith & Myers Volume 1" and "Volume 2", out now via Atlantic Records. All COVID-19 safety protocols will be followed in adherence with state guidelines. Tickets are on sale now.

Guitarist Phil Demmel of reunited San Francisco Bay Area thrashers VIO-LENCE has confirmed to Wicked Pix Photography that the band is continuing work on new original music that will tentatively arrive in late 2021.

"It's been a pretty slow process, just because everybody's kind of working on [other things]," Phil said (see video below). "We've got a five-song EP that we're putting out on Metal Blade — five songs, plus the cover [of DEAD KENNEDYS' 'California Über Alles'] that's already been released, but that'll be part of the package. So we've got four songs done. We've got the beginning of the fifth one going. We've been demoing."

He continued: "Christian Olde Wolbers from FEAR FACTORY is playing bass for us now, and he's been producing our demos and engineering our demos. So it's cool to have him be super hands-on and be right there. We've got the rig right in our jam room, and everybody learning the tunes. We flew Bobby Gustafson from OVERKILL out. He's our guitar player, and he's gonna play on the record. So we had them out. And it was the first time that we really sat down and [fleshed] out the parts of the songs. They've seen videos, but these songs are hard to play, man. They're hard for me to play; I'm still working on some of the parts."

As for the musical direction of the new VIO-LENCE material, Demmel said: "It's a thrash record. We've had a couple of buddies come in and listen to some songs, and they were, like, 'Holy shit, man. You guys haven't missed a step. It sounds like 1987 in here again.' So it's really exciting. We're really, really happy with the tunes.

"It's fun writing with the dudes again," he added. "I'm writing all the music for these five songs, for this first EP. We're probably gonna end up doing a full-length after, with [all] five [of us] writing together. But this one, it's just me and Sean [Killian, vocals] writing."

Regarding when fans can expect to see the new VIO-LENCE EP released, Phil said: "I don't know. We don't fucking know. We don't know when we're gonna record. We're still demoing and still kind of writing. It'll be summer — maybe late summer next year — before we release [anything]. We might tease a song [before that]."

Killian previously described VIO-LENCE's new material as "a cross between 'Eternal [Nightmare]' [1988], 'Oppressing [The Masses]' [1990] and also our '93 demo. It's fast, it's heavy. We've got a couple of good chunk riffs and stuff like that," he explained. "We wanna get stuff in that's gonna start a pit up too. But we think people are gonna go crazy when they hear it. We've got some heavy lyrics, some heavy subjects. I mean, we're not a political band by any means, so when I say 'heavy,' it's just heavy shit that comes out of my demented head."

VIO-LENCE released three studio albums between 1988 and 1993. The group reunited soon after Demmel left MACHINE HEAD in late 2018.

VIO-LENCE performed its first comeback concert in April 2019 at the Oakland Metro in Oakland, California and spent the last year playing select shows in the U.S. and Europe.

Although MACHINE HEAD frontman Robb Flynn was part of VIO-LENCE's classic incarnation and played on the band's debut album, "Eternal Nightmare", he wasn't approached about taking part in any of the comeback shows.

Killian underwent a successful liver transplant surgery in March 2018. The year before, Killian was diagnosed with stage four liver cirrhosis, which was caused in part by a genetic condition called hemochromatosis.

Photo credit: James Willard

Primal Fear bassist and Rock Meets Classic co-founder Mat Sinner has uploaded a new video from his archives along with the following message:

"Today I will continue my personal Rock Meets Classic journey with a wonderful performance by my friend Michael Sadler of SAGA  - enjoy." 

The clip below is taken from the April 7th, 2018 Rock Meets Classic show in Nuremberg, Germany.

Canadian prog-rock band, Saga, will release of their new studio album, Symmetry, on March 12 via earMUSIC.

After going on tour in spring 2020, Saga went straight into their home studios - the result: An album full of acoustic originals. Symmetry offers a unique listening experience by bundling complex and delicate arrangements with familiar melodies and sounds.

Symmetry gives the listener the possibility to explore and discover Saga classics like “Wind Him Up”, “Say Goodbye To Hollywood” and “Tired World” once more and in a completely new way. Saga managed to create more than just new versions of their songs; they created a sonic world full of little details that invites the listeners to dive deeper into the complex musical phenomenon that is Saga.

Ian Crichton about the album: “After opening for 'ourselves' Saga, on our 2017 European tour acoustically, the decision to record an acoustic record was born. This is different Saga everyone! We invited from Ontario Canada, Shane Cook on fiddle, and Stefany Seki, Beth Silver on cello to accompany us on our offside interpretation of music we've played for years, had a lot of fun doing so! Acoustic Saga!?!?!... it’s like construction work for an electric guitar player.”

Symmetry” will be available as CD Jewelcase, 2LP Gatefold and Digital. Pre-order here.

Tracklist

"Pitchman"
"The Perfect Time To Feel Better"
- "Time To Go"
- "The Perfectionist"
- "We Hope You’re Feeling Better"
"Images – Chapter 1"
"Always There"
"Prelude #1"
"Say Goodbye to Hollywood"
"Prelude #2"
"The Right Side of the Other Hall"
- "Footsteps in the Hall"
- "On the Other Side"
- "You Were Right"
"La Foret Harmonieuse"
"Wind Him Up"
"No Regrets – Chapter 5"
"Tired World – Chapter 6"




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MÖTLEY CRÜE drummer Tommy Lee spoke to Zane Lowe of Apple Music about how the rise of grunge in the early 1990s forced most hard rock bands off the radio and MTV, with album and tour sales plummeting. Asked what his thoughts were about NIRVANA and other grunge bands when they emerged, Tommy said (see video below): "I welcomed that with the biggest open arms on the planet. I was, like, 'Yes. Somebody's fucking stirring it up.' Thank you. Because if I hear another fucking song that sounds like... I don't know. There was so many bands that were sounding like — everything was just sounding the same. And I love it when someone throws a fucking grenade into the mix and goes, 'Nope. We're going this way.' And dude, I love that. And then SOUNDGARDEN. And then it just kept going. I loved it."

Upon release in September 1991, NIRVANA's "Smells Like Teen Spirit" wreaked confusion upon the hair metal vanguard, putting an end to an era dominated by glamorous, androgynous and sparkly rock stars who absolutely saturated the radio waves and were almost exclusively what aired on MTV.

Former MÖTLEY CRÜE singer John Corabi told Newsday in a 2014 interview that the CRÜE album he sang on was a commercial disappointment because the music scene had changed, with hair metal brushed aside for grunge.

"Everybody was listening to ALICE IN CHAINS and SOUNDGARDEN," Corabi said. "At that point, we were considered passé."

According to Corabi, CRÜE's ill-fated 1994 American tour " was a nightmare. We weren't selling tickets. It was just horrible," he said.

Last year, former TNT singer Tony Harnell said that the rise of the grunge movement, which symbolized the working-class spirit and focused on music over image, was ultimately a positive thing for the rock genre because it "shined a really harsh light on how boring and repetitive" the '80s glam metal scene had become. He explained: "It was the same look, the same songwriters, the same producers, and it just started to be… Nobody was offering anything… Don't get me wrong, there were a few that got in there that were interesting and different, but, for the most part, they were all just sort of rehashes, slightly, of other bands."

TWISTED SISTER guitarist Jay Jay French recently told Daniel Sarkissian of the "Rock Is Dead?" documentary about the death of hair metal and arrival of grunge: "The only band that leapfrogged and saved themselves was GUNS N' ROSES. And my theory is that GUNS N' ROSES was not perceived as a joke. They came out of L.A., but I think that Axl [Rose], first of all, had a great voice. I think that they were perceived as real, not fake. Like, they were real junkies, not pretend junkies. So there's an authenticity. It's all about authenticity, and grunge is all about authenticity. People wanted authenticity, so they got it with grunge. It wiped out the perceived frivolousness of hair metal, which is, 'Hey, man. Let's party. Let's get the girls and drink.' I think people just got sick of that, and they wanted [something more] authentic."

The long-awaited 25th anniversary re-issue of the much adored Draconian Times by Paradise Lost is scheduled for release on December 4th via Music For Nations. Available lovingly pressed onto heavyweight audiophile approved vinyl, housed in a gatefold artwork sleeve, and presented on select and limited vinyl variants.

To celebrate this landmark, Paradise Lost has released a lyric video for the album's opening track, "Enchantment".

The special 25th anniversary edition also sees the vaults opened to provide a deluxe CD version that comes with a definitive disc of bonus, rare and unreleased material from the Draconian Times era. Furnished with new liner notes, never seen before deep dive into the album’s lyrical themes, and exclusive memories from Paradise Lost this is a must for fans and completists alike.       

Tracklisting:

Disc 1

"Enchantment"
"Hallowed Land"
"The Last Time"
"Forever Failure"
"Once Solemn"
"Shadowkings"
"Elusive Cure"
"Yearn For Change"
"Shades Of God"
"Hands Of Reason"
"I See Your Face"
"Jaded"

Disc 2

"Shadowkings" (BBC Live Session)
"Sweetness" (BBC Live Session)
"Once Solemn" (BBC Live Session)
"Yearn For Change" (BBC Live Session)
"The Last Time" (Demo)
"Forever Failure" (Demo)
"Shadow Kings" (Demo)
"I See Your Face" (Demo)
"Hallowed Land" (Demo)
"Hand Of Reason" (Demo)
"Last Desire" (Demo)
"Masters Of Misrule" (Demo)
"Walk Away" (Sisters Of Mercy Cover)

The videos for "The Last Time" and "Forever Failure" can be seen below.

 




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Poland's esteemed black/death metal collective Azarath have unveiled a music video for the upcoming album's Saint Desecration closing track, "Beyond The Gates Of Burning Ghats". The video, a first for the band in their 22 year history, was filmed by the renowned Grupa 13 production house (Kreator, Behemoth, Amon Amarth). Saint Desecration is due out November 27 via Agonia Records.

The unholy metal congregation is pealing its bells for the third time this decade, announcing the successor of Blasphemers' Maledictions (2011) and In Extremis (2017). Saint Desecration is a new extreme illumination revealed by Azarath at the altar of blackened death metal. Unrepentant and provocative to the core, the album is set to astound the connoisseurs of sonic terror.

Azarath crept from the shadows over two decades ago and is often described as a demonic mutation of Krisiun, Behemoth and Immolation. Co-founded by sole original member and drummer Inferno (of Behemoth fame), the group comprises long-running guitarist Bart (Damnation, Armagedon), long-time bassist Peter (ex-Lost Soul) and new vocalist Skullripper (Embrional).

Saint Desecration was recorded and mixed at Tall Pine Records with Haldor Grundberg (Satanic Audio) at helm and mastered at Audiosiege Studio by Brad Boatright. The cover artwork was painted by Marta Promińska of Hypnagogic Painting.

Pre-order here.

Formats:

- Digi CD
- Jewelcase CD
- Black LP
- Marbled Lava LP
- Picture LP
- Digital

Tracklisting:

“Death-At-Will”
“Sancta Dei Meretix”
“Let Them Burn…”
“Fall Of The Blessed”
“No Salvation”
“Profanation”
“Reigning Over The Death”
“Life Is Death, Death Is Life”
“Inflicting Blasphemy Upon The Heavens”
“Beyond The Gates Of Burning Ghats”
“Pure Hate” (Digi CD bonus track / guest vocals by Stillborn’s Killer)

"Beyond The Gates Of Burning Ghats" video:

"Sancta Dei Meretrix":

(Photo - Aleksander Ikaniewicz)




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KORN guitarist James "Munky" Shaffer recently spoke with Ethan of the Topeka, Kansas radio station V100. The full conversation can be streamed below. A few excerpts follow (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET).

On the band's latest album, "The Nothing":

Munky: "It's always a tricky thing when you put out a new album, because you want the old fans to like it, and you want to accumulate some new fans hopefully. I feel like we kind of accomplished that. I'm seeing a lot of young kids, I guess. I'm old now, so everybody's a kid. I'm seeing parents bring their kids to the show. It's a good thing."

On how the 2018 death of vocalist Jonathan Davis's wife Deven influenced the album's music:

Munky: "We were working on the music all of 2018, pretty much 2019. We were slowly kind of doing it, without a rush. When his wife passed away, we kind of thought, 'We need to go back — even if he wants us to wait.' We took a bit of a break – like, a month — but that wasn't very long. I think that we had to kind of take a look at the material that we were giving him and feel like, 'Did it have enough weight to support the emotional lyrics that he's about to put on top of it?' We had to rewrite a lot of things because maybe it wasn't strong enough. It definitely put some emphasis and some pressure on us to deliver him the right thing to sing over."

On whether the band keeps an archive of unused material:

Munky: "We do. There's an old riff that I'd play for a long time, and it didn't make it on a record until 'Take A Look In The Mirror'. It was the first song on that record, 'Did My Time'. That riff, I'd play over and over, and everybody was like, 'What is that?' Our producer at the time was like, 'Quit playing that. I don't like it.' Eventually, it made it into a whole song. We save all that stuff. Now, things are much easier to save and log and label. We'll have an engineer put them in a folder on a computer and label them. Sometimes, the riffs don't even make the songs, but they're good. We just don't know what to do with them sometimes — it just doesn't have a direction — so we have a lot of that stuff. We have b-sides and full songs with JD on them and everything... If we're writing together, it's meant to be a KORN song. If we put time into developing a riff, it's meant to be a KORN riff. If nobody else likes it, it goes into that folder."

On the band's longevity:

Munky: "It's not easy, because like every industry, especially this one, is a young man's game. There's fresh faces; there's people trying to make their mark in the industry, make their own sound and create their own whatever-it-may-be, trying to be seen, trying their gimmicks out, whatever they are, and look for their new sound as we did. But I feel like we don't really look to the past too much. Maybe when we're writing, if something sounds like, 'Oh, that sounds like we did that before'... Things are going to sound KORN no matter what, because it's all of us playing our instruments, [and with] Jonathan singing, it will inevitably be KORN in the end. But if there's a riff that sounds too much like the past, we will change it, but in general, we don't look back too much, and we don't look too much forward. Let's just deal with today. We're really good about that — let's just get through the day; let's get along; let's put on the best show we can tonight; and tomorrow will take care of itself."

On cell phones at concerts:

Munky: "For people that can't come to shows — if you're in a little house and you live in India, and you can't come see KORN because you don't have the money or the resources – I think it's great. For me, a music fan, if I know I'm going to go to a show, I will not watch a band [online beforehand]. It's tempting, but I'll be like, 'Ah, no — I don't want to know the songs; I don't want to know the setlist; I don't want to know what it looks like.' You've got to use some self-control."

On being a father of three:

Munky: "[It's] another thing that keeps me healthy, making healthy choices today, so I can be around as long as possible. I'm not a spring chicken anymore. I'm very grateful."

KORN's 13th studio album, "The Nothing", was released on September 13 via Roadrunner. The band recently announced a North American summer tour that will see the group co-headline with FAITH NO MORE.

It's been three years since MAGNUM brought out "The Valley Of Tears - The Ballads", a compilation that focused on the British rock act's quiet, more otherworldly and dreamy side. Three years during which the idea matured to follow this successful release (top 100 of the German album charts) with a companion piece. "Dance Of The Black Tattoo" has turned into exactly that: a collection of songs that present MAGNUM exclusively as tough-as-nails rocking and extremely vibrant musicians. What makes this album so special is the fact that MAGNUM have gone through their impressive archive, looking for rare live cuts and outstanding radio versions and have come up with spirited live recordings and edits that concentrate on the essential components of some of their most accomplished rock numbers. Naturally, guitarist and band mastermind Tony Clarkin has used this opportunity to remaster and update all 14 tracks so that they comply with the state-of-the-art of (sound) technology.

Says Clarkin: "There have always been two aspects to MAGNUM: a slightly more tender and lyrical facet, but first and foremost of course our powerful, rocking side. And that's the element that 'Dance Of The Black Tattoo' documents impressively."

The album kicks off with live versions of "Black Skies" and "Freedom Day", previously available exclusively as DVD bonus tracks on "Escape From The Shadow Garden". According to Clarkin, they were "the perfect launch of this compilation because they present MAGNUM musically and lyrically from our familiar raw side. The subsequent 'All My Bridges' is a little different in that the music is still heavy, but the lyrics are more poetic," explains Clarkin, whose dynamic guitar style has harmonized perfectly with MAGNUM vocalist Bob Catley's warm and charismatic voice for almost fifty (!) years.

"On A Storyteller's Night", the title track of their 1985 masterpiece, and "Dance Of The Black Tattoo' are another two rare live tracks from the bonus section of "Escape From The Shadow Garden", followed by radio edits of their seasonal anti-war number "On Christmas Day" and the fan favorite "Born To Be King" off their classic "Goodnight L.A.", previously only available on vinyl or for digital download, followed by "Phantom Of Paradise Circus" and "No God Or Saviour", both bonus tracks from "Sacred Blood - Divine Lies".

Clarkin says: "To be honest, when I started going through those old masters, I didn't even have 'Phantom Of Paradise Circus' on my radar. I usually start working on new material about four weeks after the release of an album, so occasionally a song may sink into oblivion although it has a lot of substance and class. Such as 'Phantom Of Paradise Circus'. I really love that number and am happy that it is getting the attention it deserves at last."

"Your Dreams Won't Die" and "Twelve Men Wise And Just" are two live bonus tracks which first featured on "Lost On The Road To Eternity", before "Show Me Your Hands", "Not Forgiven" and "Madman Or Messiah" — three previously unreleased radio edits from the still topical studio recordings "Lost On The Road To Eternity" (2018) and "The Serpent Rings" (2020) — round off the new release. "Sometimes it's not easy to shorten a carefully balanced composition for the radio, but in these three cases it worked really well," reckons Clarkin.

Talking of working well: Naturally the artwork of "Dance Of The Black Tattoo" was designed by MAGNUM's tried-and-tested cover artist Rodney Matthews, who always succeeds in translating the special ambience of the British rock group's albums into atmospheric images and colours.

Clarkin comments: "This time it was easy really: I called Rodney, told him the album title and he sent me this absolutely fascinating artwork. I bet our fans will love his little masterpiece."

"Dance Of The Black Tattoo" will be released January 8, 2021 through Steamhammer/SPV as CD digipak, 2LP gatefold version, special CD/LP bundle with shirt (only at the Steamhammer shop), download and stream.

Track listing:

01. Black Skies (Live)

02. Freedom Day (Live)

03. All My Bridges (Live)

04. On A Storyteller's Night (Live)

05. Dance Of The Black Tattoo (Live)

06. On Christmas Day (Radio Edit)

07. Born To Be King

08. Phantom Of Paradise Circus

09. No God Or Saviour

10. Your Dreams Won't Die (Live)

11. Twelve Men Wise And Just (Live)

12. Show Me Your Hands (Radio Edit)

13. Not Forgiven (Radio Edit)

14. Madman Or Messiah (Radio Edit)