Dutch / Brazilian metal act Phantom Elite have announced that their sophomore album, Titanium, will be released on January 22, 2021. Today, fans can get their first look at the album with the single and video for "Diamonds And Dark".

Phantom Elite is a relatively new metal band fronted by singer Marina La Torraca (Exit Eden, live vocalist for Avantasia) and features songwriting and production from former After Forever guitarist and producer Sander Gommans. Marina and Sander together with Max van Esch (guitars), and Joeri Warmerdam (drums) are set to unleash an incredible slice of contemporary sounding heavy metal music in their sophomore album Titanium. Sonically, the band is a perfect combination of symphonic, progressive, alternative, and heavy metal.

Vocalist Marina La Torraca explains, "'Diamonds and Dark' was one of the first songs we worked on for this album. It was one of those cases where everything just magically clicked and we were wowed by it from the very start. Although it probably has more symphonic touches then the other songs, this single is a good showcase of the quality and heaviness level of the whole album. We are really proud of what we achieved in writing, producing, and developing the concept together as a band (with the contribution of some wonderful professionals like Sander Gommans, Amanda Somerville and Hannes Braun)."

Originating six years ago, the seeds of Phantom Elite sprang from Sander Gomman's HDK project. While releasing the HDK album Serenades Of The Netherworld, Gommans brought together a group of young musicians with the intent of playing HDK's songs in a live setting. The natural chemistry among these passionate musicians wound up sparking a wealth of new and exciting musical ideas and thus Phantom Elite was born. The debut album Wasteland (2018), and the accompanying well received tour of Europe, showed that Phantom Elite are ready to take flight.

"With the support of Frontiers and their decades of history in the music business, we are proud to present the release of our second album with them in 2021,” says the band. "Listeners can expect songs where modern meets symphonic and progressive, (very!) heavy riffs meet epic melodies, all overloaded with a wide spectrum of emotions and love for music. For sure, a high note in our careers!”

Tracklisting:

"Conjure Rains"
"The Race"
"Diamonds And Dark"
"Worst Part Of Me"
"Glass Crown"
"Titanium"
"Bravado"
"Silver Lining"
"Haven"
"Deliverance"
"Eyes Wide Open"

Pre-orders can be placed now at this location. For further details, visit Phantom Elite on Facebook.

 




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This week's Robb Flynn Acoustic Happy Hour includes covers of Type O Negative - "Black No. 1", Linkin Park - "Crawling In My Skin", Danzig - "Mother", and Fleetwood Mac - "The Chain". Plus Machine Head tunes "Be Still And Know" and "Days Turn Blue To Grey". 

Follow the hashtag #halloweenheadcase on Instagram to share your costumes with fellow Head Cases!




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Progressive instrumental band Kallias, featuring former members of Allegaeon, Eye Ra Haze, and more, have premiered the video for "Black Dream", which can be seen below. 

“With 'Black Dream,' we really wanted to transcend different emotions and vibes within the one song and video," the band shares. "It's a bit harder for an instrumental band to do so because there are no lyrics so we have to be selective of how we approach certain sections. The song and video can be interpreted simply as an alien abduction or night terrors that abductees claim to experience. However, we wanted and continue to make music that is open to interpretation to us and our listeners. There are passages in the song that are very aggressive but also more gentle which really signify the feelings and inspirations that we as individuals and as a band have."

"Black Dream" appears on the band's EP, The Fourth Phase, which is available now. Get your copy here.

In a world where finding true connection with others and meaning within your art has become a rarity, it was no coincidence when four passionate musicians quickly connected by mutual friends and soon composed what they collectively admitted to be their best and most soulful music. Taken back by the beauty of this feeling, Kallias, meaning "beauty" in Greek, was born. The idea wasn't to start another technical, progressive, or heavy metal band. It became a vision to create a heavy cerebral experience, in listening and visualizing.

Kallias is comprised of players who are masters of their craft. Nicole Papastavrou and Zaki Ali's 8-string guitar work nods to Jeff Loomis, Mikael Akerfeldt, and Frederick Thordendall — with twisting riff progressions, charming cleans, tastefully intricate leads — all heavy with emotion. JP Andrade's undeniably precise percussion serves the music on every level, from jazz-influenced melodic sections to satisfyingly odd rhythms for the eager prog-loving ear. Beautifully woven bass lines by Chris Marrone provide an indomitable structure and embrace for each instrument — never overpowering, yet always highlighting.

For modern day prog and metal fans, Kallias can be compared to bands such as Opeth, Meshuggah, and Decapitated. The quartet holds a musical chemistry that is few and far between and that will keep you in the foreground from the beginning with bone-chilling introductions. This is by no means background music. Kallias creates their own genre for a panoramic audio experience that demands the listener's undivided attention to focus and feel.

Tracklisting:

"Phos"
"Metempsychosis"
"Black Dream"
"The Fourth Phase" (Featuring Rick Graham)

"It is our pleasure to finally showcase these tracks to you all, which we worked tirelessly to compose and record over the last year," says Kallias. "Our goal was to bring an aggressive sound mixed in with progressive elements and we feel we have achieved that with this release."

For further details, visit Kallias on Facebook.

 




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"'Rockin’ In The Free World' is a special song chosen by our fans," says Brent Smith and Zach Myers, of Smith & Myers. "It was an honor to have the opportunity to create a reimagined version of Neil Young's timeless tune. Watch the new video now."

The newly released Volume 1 & Volume 2 from Smith & Myers both feature five original songs and five re-imaginings of fan-submitted songs, combined into one collection. Volume 1 includes lead original single "Not Mad Enough", which was written in the immediate aftermath of George Floyd's death and addresses systemic and racial injustice, plus the duo's poignant version of Neil Young’s "Rockin' In The Free World", as well as an upbeat acoustic rendition of Post Malone’s "Better Now", a standout version of The Righteous Brothers’ "Unchained Melody", and the duo's takes on Inxs' "Never Tear Us Apart" and The Zutons’ "Valerie" (full tracklisting below).

Smith & Myers Volume 2's lead original track is "Bad At Love", a vulnerable, personal song about the difficulties of staying in a romantic relationship when you have a gypsy heart, and the lead re-imagining is a grungy take on Billie Eilish’s "Bad Guy". Also included on Volume 2 are versions of Oasis’ "Don’t Look Back In Anger", Peter Gabriel’s "Sledgehammer", Billy Idol’s "Rebel Yell", and R.E.M.’s "Losing My Religion" as well as "One More Time" and three more newly-penned original songs (full tracklisting below).

The physical CD edition - which collects Volumes 1 and 2 into one package - is available now, with the Double LP edition out on November 13th. The records are pressed on 180 gram vinyl.

Smith & Myers Volume 1 tracklisting:

“Not Mad Enough”
“Rockin’ In The Free World”
“The Weight Of It All”
“Better Now”
“Panic”
“Never Tear Us Apart”
“Coast To Coast”
“Valerie”
“Since You Were Mine”
“Unchained Melody” 

“Not Mad Enough”:

“Panic”:

Smith & Myers Volume 2 tracklisting:

"Bad At Love"
"Bad Guy"
"New School Shiver"
"Sledgehammer"
"GBL GBD"
"Rebel Yell"
"Like You Never Left"
"Losing My Religion"
"One More Time"
"Don’t Look Back In Anger"

“Bad At Love”:

“Bad Guy”:

“One More Time”:

With two hearts and one truth, lifelong musicians, long-standing friends and eternal brothers Brent Smith and Zach Myers put forth a body of work encompassing vulnerability, fearlessness, honesty, outrage, love and understanding. Smith & Myers Volume 1, produced by Grammy Award-winner and longtime Shinedown collaborator Dave Bassett, is the duo’s first full-length album and first original music since releasing a pair of acoustic cover EPs, Acoustic Sessions, Part 1 and Acoustic Sessions, Part 2, in 2014 when fans first fell in the love with the magic that is created between Brent and Zach. The Smith & Myers live shows that came in the releases’ wake, instantly sold out.

Smith & Myers illuminates the depth of Brent and Zach as a duo and showcases a very different musical side of these two versatile artists. As half of the multi platinum Shinedown, Brent and Zach can often be found topping rock charts and playing to sold-out arenas around the globe. The band hold the record of 16 #1 rock hits (breaking the record of the most ever #1s in the 39-year history of the Billboard Mainstream Rock Songs Chart with their single, "Atlas Falls"). Shinedown recently presented their first installment check of $230,000 from their "Atlas Falls" COVID-19 fundraiser to humanitarian aid organization Direct Relief, one of the largest providers of humanitarian medical resources in the world. This follows the $20,000 that Shinedown donated to kick off the fundraiser in March, bringing the total delivered so far to Direct Relief, to a quarter of a million dollars.

"Atlas Falls":




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Edmonton’s Boneyard recently released their new album Oathbreaker. Purchase a digital copy here and find a CD (with sticker and button) here.

Check out the band's lyric video for the new single, "Fates Warning", below.

The album illustration is by Calgary based artist Tom Bagley (Forbidden Dimension).

Tracklist:

"Fates Warning"
"Gone"
"Evil Ways"
"Smoke The Sky"
"Oathbreaker"
"Rat Race"
"Monster"
"Born Again"
"Hope"
"Tune Attack"
"Catch Me If You Can"

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




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US rockers Hydrogyn have released an official video for their new single, "Damaged Goods". The song is taken from their new album, The Boiling Point, out now.

Tracklist:

"Disappear"
"Bats In The Belfry"
"The Boiling Point"
"Wickedness"
"Worthless Love"
"Sweet Addiction"
"Tragic"
"One Way Or Another" (Blondie Cover)
"Suspicious Minds" (Elvis Presley Cover)
"Widowmaker"
"Damaged Goods"
"Ghost"
"Mad World" (Tears For Fears Cover)




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September 25th marked 25 years since Rammstein emerged from Berlin with its debut album, Herzeleid. To celebrate the anniversary, the RammWiki page on YouTube continues to roll out rare audio and video material from the band's career. 

Rammstein's third album, Mutter, was released on October 29th, 2001. The tour edition featured the album artwork coloured red (from its original green) and a bonus disc containing four live recordings. Check it out below.

Tracklist:

"Ich Will" (live)
"Links 2-3-4" (live)
"Sonne" (live)
"Spieluhr" (live)

To celebrate Rammstein's first indelible impact on global hard rock history, the band and Vertigo/UMe will release limited, remastered editions of the band’s groundbreaking debut on December 4.

Herzeleid (XXV Anniversary Edition - Remastered) will feature the album’s original tracklist on a single CD, housed in a lavish, cross-shaped digipak with deluxe slipcase, and, for the first time ever, the remastered album with HD sound will be available digitally.

In addition, there will be a 2LP version with a slipcase containing two 180 gram heavyweight black vinyl discs with blue splatter effect. The creator of the original artwork, Dirk Rudolph, is also responsible for the Anniversary Edition packaging. The booklets also contain the original band portraits shot by Praler. Both the CD and vinyl editions are strictly limited.

The limited editions can be pre-ordered here.

Tracklisting:

"Wollt Ihr Das Bett in Flammen Sehen"
"Der Meister"
"Weisses Fleisch"
"Asche zu Asche"
"Seemann"
"Du Riechst So Gut"
"Das Alte Leid"
"Heirate Mich"
"Herzeleid"
"Laichzeit"
"Rammstein"




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German black metal outfit Magoth will be releasing their new full-length album, Invictus, on November 27th via Ferocious Records. The band released the first single, “Ascension”, earlier this year and now present the second helping of blackness, "Ikaros".

All nine tracks on Invictus were composed by vocalist / guitarist Heergott and he describes them as a deep "drag into the deepest abysses of depression, anxiety and treachory." Pre-orders can be placed now at this location. 

Magoth was founded in 2011 in Bonn, Germany. On the origin of the name Heergott said: “According to writings by Abraham von Worms from the 15th century, Magoth is a planet spirit that subordinates under Lucifer, Leviathan, Satan and Belial. Thus the name describes exactly the intention behind our works; the alliance of forces and the view on human ado from the perspective of an outside observer.”

Invictus artwork and tracklisting:

"The Reckoning"
"Entering The Cavern Of Grief"
"Possessed By Anxiety"
"Ikaros"
"Cain"
"Ascension" 
"The False King"
"Invictus"
"Resurrection Of A Deceived God"

"Ascension" lyric video:

 




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British soaring hard rock sect, Wytch Hazel, has released its shimmering new album, Wytch Hazel III: Pentecost, via independent underground label Bad Omen Records (Satan's Satyrs, Spell).

Recorded by ex-Purson multi-instrumentalist Ed Turner, the quadruple-tracked record imbues a rich, anthemic late night drivetime vibe, passionately embracing the most high-end, smash-hit classic rock and heavy metal circa its late 1970s heyday. Wytch Hazel III: Pentecost succeeds the band's 2018 sophomore release, II: Sojourn, and 2016 debut, Prelude.

In celebration of the new record's release, Wytch Hazel unleashes a music video for the new song "Spirit And Fire". Created by Wild Stag Studios (Angel Witch, Rick Wakeman), the "Spirit And Fire" video features Wytch Hazel performing in an English church on the Irish Sea while a chivalrous knight and his horse -- “King”, from the Herefordshire Plantaginate Society -- prepare for battle in and around King Arthur’s Cave. "We watched a lot of John Borman’s movie Excalibur while we were fleshing the ideas out for this one," says vocalist / guitarist Colin Hendra. 

Within moments of pressing play on III: Pentecost, there are gorgeous self-professed touches of Black Sabbath, Blue Öyster Cult, AC/DC and early Scorpions. “With the soloing I was trying to go for Michael Schenker,” beams vocalist/guitarist Colin Hendra. As a child, Hendra, the band's founding member and guiding light, played drums in brass bands and orchestras, studied classical piano and sang in the school chamber choir, but at 16 the direction of his life changed forever, after a revelation we can all relate to: "Iron Maiden was the main reason I started playing electric guitar," he reveals. "I remember borrowing The Number Of The Beast off a friend and was just blown away – heavy metal was an obsession from that point on!"

Among many savvy touchstones, the new album’s concerted hike in professional quality across production, songwriting and performance was inspired by one especially lofty exemplar of the form: “What I had in mind was a singalong album, the album full of hits, a little bit like Fleetwood Mac's 'Rumours',” confesses Hendra. “I’ve never believed in filler - there’s no point recording something unless it’s the best it can be - so it was just striving for as much excellence as possible.” The almighty effort shines bright in the smooth, diamond-hard sound and immersive layers (acoustic guitars, synthesized strings, haunting piano, rainfall samples, Bible readings, rampant Hammond organ work on "I Am Redeemed", and Colin’s dad's harrowing cello rendition of Chopin’s "Funeral March") of the recording. “This album has been an absolute obsession,” stresses the band leader.

With the LP’s title offering the most unambiguous statement yet of Hendra’s Pentecostal Christianity, the man’s lyrics are even more nakedly devotional, his sincere, sensitive voice bristling with even stronger conviction; an avenue of inspiration that Wytch Hazel pretty much has to themselves in the modern metal scene. "I play in a heavy metal band and I write songs about God - it's actually quite a rebellious thing!" chuckles Colin. Perhaps the most lateral comparison is to a band from the opposite spiritual realm, with the track "Archangel" an explicit homage to Swedish faux-Satanic devil cult Ghost. “I find them fascinating, Ghost; musically great, the songwriting is spot-on,” enthuses the frontman. “We share an intrinsic connection, with [Bad Omen honcho] Will Palmer being the person who discovered us both, that’s a special thing in some way. I’m really happy with that song. I wanted to write a song about Lucifer, but it had to be done right; I didn’t want it to be a song glorifying Satan, so it’s a song about, why does he get all the glory?!”

Lest any heathen headbanger start to fear any kind of evangelical conversion agenda, Hendra expands on his position: “Music is created for all, it’s a common grace for everyone,” he affirms, “which is why the music that shows the glory of God the most, in my opinion, is not music created by Christians. It’s Black Sabbath, you know!”

Tracklisting:

“He Is The Fight”
“Spirit And Fire”
“I Am Redeemed”
“Archangel”
“Dry Bones”
“Sonata”
“I Will Not”
“Reap The Harvest”
“The Crown”
“Ancient Of Days”

“I Am Redeemed”:

(Photo by Sam Scott Hunter)




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In celebration of drummer Mikkey Dee's 57th birthday, SCORPIONS have uploaded a professionally filmed video of one of his drum solos, filmed on tour with the hard rock legends. Check it out below.

In September 2016, the Swedish musician was named as a permanent replacement for SCORPIONS' longtime drummer James Kottak, who was dismissed from the band during his well-publicized his battle with alcoholism.

Dee, who spent almost 25 years as the drummer of MOTÖRHEAD, filled in for Kottak for a few months before being upgraded to the positon of a full-fledged member. In 2017, he spoke to the "Talking Metal" podcast about how the transition came about. "Overall, we clicked really right away — all of us together — and it sounded really good," he said. "I was filling in for James; he didn't feel good at that point, and he just needed some time off, I suppose. So that was about it. And then the guys decided to keep me. And I had nothing going at that point. So we just clicked. It just sounded right. And personally, we just liked it all. It was great. So here I am."

Dee admitted that joining a band like the SCORPIONS, which has been in existence for five decades, "is easy to get into but it's so hard to get into at the same time, because they have their routines, they have their way of working and the whole thing, and so do I. So either it clicks or it doesn't, on the personal level and on the musical level," he said. "But here we clicked right away, they loved what they heard and how I played, and so did I. And it was great for me to join a band and play something else as well."

Mikkey added: "After almost 25 years with MOTÖRHEAD, playing the same music, playing the same stuff and thinking that way as a drummer, it was a big, big challenge for me, and it was not easy — and it still isn't easy. These guys are very, very… They're great musicians, and they know what they want, they know how to sound, and I have to adjust myself at the same time as they really need to adjust to me. But I think we manage pretty good, and the result is a great, great live show. It's very tight, it's very heavy. I've heard some remarks about, 'Oh, back to the '70s,' kind of, and, 'Really powerful.' I'm giving it my best; I'm giving two hundred percent up there. So it's good."

Last week, Dee told "The MetalSucks Podcast" that SCORPIONS had "over 25 songs" written for their new album. The drummer and his bandmates recently regrouped to resume work on the effort, which is tentatively due in 2021.

The initial session for SCORPIONS' new LP are taking place at Peppermint Park Studios in Hannover, Germany. The disc will mark the German hard rock legends' first release since 2017's "Born To Touch Your Feelings - Best Of Rock Ballads", which was an anthology of SCORPIONS' new and classic material.

SCORPIONS originally intended to record the new album in Los Angeles with producer Greg Fidelman, whose previous credits include SLIPKNOT and METALLICA. However, because of the pandemic, most of the work so far has been done remotely, with Fidelman taking part via Zoom.

ELLEFSON, the solo band of MEGADETH bassist David Ellefson, took part in the "End Of Days" festival in San Antonio, Texas on Friday, October 30. All attendees were required to wear face masks to enter the Sunset Station venue and social distancing was "encouraged" at the event, according to a poster advertising the festival. Anthem Entertainment Television, which organized "End Of Days", said it would "follow city COVID policies" regarding indoor gatherings.

"End Of Days" also hit Brown's Village Plaza in Slidell, Louisiana on Saturday (October 31) and is scheduled to make its final stop tonight (Sunday, November 3) at Barge 295 in Seabrook, Texas.

ELLEFSON's current lineup also includes former GUNS N' ROSES and current SONS OF APOLLO guitarist Ron "Bumblefoot" Thal.

Fan-filmed video footage of two songs from the San Antonio concert, Symphony Of Destruction" and "Peace Sells", can be sen below.

ELLEFSON will release its covers album, "No Cover", on November 20 via earMUSIC (Europe) and Ward Records (Japan). The effort will be made available in conjunction with Ellefson's revived Combat Records, which will issue the album in North America via Amped.

Produced by Ellefson and vocalist Thom Hazaert, with additional production by guitarist Andy Martongelli and Matt LaPlant (NONPOINT, SKINDRED, LIL' JON), mixing by Alessio Garavello, and mastering by Maor Appelbaum (FAITH NO MORE), "No Cover" includes ELLEFSON-ized versions of 19 classic tracks from MOTÖRHEAD, W.A.S.P., DEF LEPPARD, CHEAP TRICK, QUEEN, JUDAS PRIEST, TWISTED SISTER, FASTWAY, FIGHT, DEAD KENNEDYS and more. Featuring cover art by Melody Myers (ALTITUDES AND ATTITUDE, ESCAPE THE FATE), an homage to the legendary DEF LEPPARD debut "On Through The Night", "No Cover" is the second release under the ELLEFSON banner, the follow-up to 2019's "Sleeping Giants", a double-disc compilation combining new tracks, with unreleased Ellefson solo and F5 material.

ELLEFSON, featuring Ellefson on bass, vocalist Thom Hazaert, guitarists Andy Martongelli and Ron "Bumblefoot" Thal (SONS OF APOLLO, YES, ex-GUNS N' ROSES), and drummer Paolo Caridi, are joined on the album by a who's who of legendary guests including Charlie Benante (ANTHRAX), Eddie Ojeda (TWISTED SISTER), Brandon Yeagley (CROBOT), Dirk Verbeuren (MEGADETH), Frank Hannon and Troy Lucketta (TESLA), Mark Slaughter, Jason McMaster (DANGEROUS TOYS, ex-WATCHTOWER, EVIL UNITED), Greg Handevidt (KUBLAI KHAN, ex-MEGADETH), Chuck Behler (ex-MEGADETH), Gus G., John Aquilino (ICON), Doro Pesch, Dave McClain (SACRED REICH, ex-MACHINE HEAD), Dave Alvin (WHITE TRASH), Todd Kerns (SLASH FEATURING MYLES KENNEDY AND THE CONSPIRATORS, Andrew Freeman (LAST IN LINE), Jacob Bunton (Mick Mars), Al Jourgensen (MINISTRY), Russ Parrish (FIGHT), DEAD BY WEDNESDAY, and more.

2019 saw the release of Ellefson's "More Life With Deth" memoir, co-written with Hazaert, which led to the pair collaborating on the ELLEFSON compilation release "Sleeping Giants", released as a companion album to the book. Ellefson and Hazaert followed up the release of "Sleeping Giants" with an extensive U.S. and European tour, dubbed "More Live With Deth", with HATCHET guitarist Clayton Cagle, as well as FLOTSAM AND JETSAM's Steve Conley, stepping in on second guitar in the U.S., including several now-legendary shows featuring MEGADETH alumni Chuck Behler and Chris Poland.

The European "More Live With Deth" tour saw the permanent addition of guitarist Andy Martongelli and drummer Paolo Caridi into the recording lineup, as well as the return of Bumblefoot to the fold, and ELLEFSON was born. March 2020 brought the release of the single "Simple Truth", which was premiered on SiriusXM by Eddie Trunk, followed in May by the release of their re-imagined Post Malone cover "Over Now", both of which garnered national airplay.

ELLEFSON is set to tentatively release its debut full-length studio LP in 2021.

In a new interview with the "Ouch, You're On My Hair" podcast, German metal queen Doro Pesch discussed some of her favorite metal albums of all time, including METALLICA's "Kill 'Em All" and MEGADETH's "So Far, So Good... So What!" She said (hear audio below): "I'll tell you a funny story. I had my first record out — it was 'Burning The Witches' with WARLOCK — and then there was a promoter, and he said, 'Hey, you guys wanna play in my club?' It was a little club — maybe three or four hundred people. And we said, 'Yes, we would love it.' It was in the Netherlands. And he said, 'Yeah, there's another band coming from San Francisco.' And we thought, 'Ooh, that's cool.' So we played a great show — it was, like, stage diving and headbanging and no security. It was fantastic. So we said, 'Okay, let's check out the other band.' And it was METALLICA. And I think it was one of their first gigs in Europe. And yeah, I met Cliff Burton — he was so cool. And then we played a couple of festivals together. And I always loved James Hetfield. I loved all the guys — they were so great, especially in the early, early '80s. And 'Kill 'Em All', I think it was a mindblowing album. And then MEGADETH, 'So Far, So Good... So What!', it was my first big tour in America. It was in '88, and we toured together. It was WARLOCK, SANCTUARY and MEGADETH, and it was, oh, man… It was all the biggest venues, and it was such a great time for metal — I mean, the good old '80s. But it was so fantastic. And my favorite song was 'In My Darkest Hour'. I love [that song]. What a great song."

On November 13, Doro's own label Rare Diamonds Productions will release her best-of album "Magic Diamonds - Best Of Rock, Ballads & Rare Treasures". The set contains 56 songs on three CDs with an almost-four-hour playing time. It is described in a press release as "an all-around impressive showcase that spans four decades of Doro music, and with 20 rock songs, 18 ballads, and 18 rare treasures, offers everything a fan's heart desires — and a lot more!"

Doro's latest single, "Brickwall", was made available in June. The song was recorded in Hamburg with Andreas Bruhn (ex-THE SISTERS OF MERCY).

"'Brickwall' is a harbinger for the upcoming album, that will be released in 2021", Doro previously said. "I want to give my fans a taste of what it's going to be like — and the song also fits quite well with these dark times.

"The lyrics are about unbreakable, unconditional love for a person in deep trouble. Even though it isn't always easy to deal with that person, you still do everything to support them and get through the dark times side by side — even if you literally have to tear down walls."

Doro's latest 2CD studio album, "Forever Warriors, Forever United", was released in August 2018 via Nuclear Blast. The album achieved an astounding No. 1 in the vinyl charts and No. 4 in the album charts in Germany, No. 3 in Finland and No. 3 (vinyl) and No. 7 (album) in Sweden. It also landed No. 2 in the U.K. rock charts as well as numerous other top rankings across Europe and the USA.

"Forever Warriors, Forever United" was Doro's 20th album (including WARLOCK and live releases), and it is proof of her long-lasting chapter of the finest creativity and power. The album was released just in time for her 35th anniversary of live performances. The release included 25 brand-new songs, which all had one thing in common: incredible stylistic diversity paired with the highest quality.

Speaking with Classic Rock Magazine, former Porcupine Tree frontman looked back on his decision to quit the band in 2010. The band released 10 albums between 1992 and 2009 before Wilson moved on to a successful solo career. He will release a new album in 2021 called The Future Bites. It was initially set for release on June 12th, 2020 but was pushed back due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

Classic Rock: With Porcupine Tree put to bed by 2010, this was the decade in which you really became a solo artist. How would you describe your head-space at the start of all that? 

Wilson: "That’s a good question. I think the transition from being in a band that was fairly well known, just beginning to play big venues, taking a step  back from that and saying: 'You know what, this could be really big now, but is it what I want to be really big?' and coming back with the answer: 'No.' Retrospectively I can see it took a lot of guts to do that, and a lot of people said I was stupid – managers, record companies. So stepping back a few levels in terms of audience, ticket sales... in that sense it was a very poor business decision, but throughout all this I felt happier than I had been for a long time. I am by nature a bit of a control freak, so I wanted to have that control again."

Classic Rock: You quickly had your hand in a number of projects: Grace For Drowning, Storm Corrosion, Blackfield… 

Wilson: "I saw myself ultimately withdrawing from a lot of these. I thought: 'I’d love to have one project to concentrate fully on, where I can bring any of these sounds, and I can change from album to album.' The people I grew up really admiring were people like David Bowie, Kate Bush and Frank Zappa, and when you bought the new record you didn’t know what you were going to get. That was one of the frustrations I had towards the end of Porcupine Tree: we were painting ourselves into a corner. A very productive corner, but sometimes that’s what the wider world doesn’t necessarily see. Your fan base, they’ve walked through the door into your world, and whatever that album was when they discovered you, they want to recapture that feeling, time and time again."

Read the complete interview here.




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German legends Scorpions continue to roll out the classic footage - this time a performance of "Dynamite" live in Berlin, 1990. Check it out below along with previously released footage of "Blackout" and "Can't Live Without You".




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This is your weekly dose of Apocalyptica performing Metallica classics at With Full Force Festival 2018. Watch their take on "Orion" below.

Apocalyptica recently released their new digital single, "Talk To Me" featuring Halestorm's Lzzy Hale. Get it here, and watch a lyric video below.

"After years of friendship we are more than happy to release a song together with the amazing Lzzy of Halestorm! This song has been in our minds for quite some time and we have been waiting for the right moment to finish it, and getting Lzzy to join us and perform in her outstanding way was a dream come true! We want to thank Lzzy and the whole Halestorm team for their great work and friendship." - Eicca Toppinen

“Apocalyptica and I have for years talked about doing something together, and the last time I saw Eicca Toppinen, in Helsinki, Finland during the 2019 Tuska Festival, he brought up the idea that we finally make that talk a reality. I’m so excited for the world to hear this song! Thank you so much to the entire Apocalyptica camp for being a part of our family all these years and for including me in this project!” - Lzzy Hale




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"Could've Sworn", the new AhrenEye-directed music video from STILLWELL, the band featuring KORN bassist Reginald "Fieldy" Arvizu, vocalist/guitarist Anthony "Q-Unique" Quiles and P.O.D. drummer Noah "Wuv" Bernardo, can be seen below. The song is taken from STILLWELL's third album, "Supernatural Miracle", which was released in September.

"Supernatural Miracle" finds STILLWELL reconciling its eclectic and storied musical backgrounds, and highlighting the similarities between each member's celebrated careers.

"With this new album, STILLWELL sounds like one band instead of past albums where it feels like three or four different bands," Bernardo explains. "With Q on guitar, it enabled us to be more cohesive with sound and direction."

"We intentionally made sure to not sound like the other bands we're a part of, out of respect, integrity and just wanting to push ourselves creatively," says Arvizu. "If people want to hear KORN, P.O.D. or the 10 bands Q works with, they can just listen to those, STILLWELL is its own thing. We put together what I think is our best work yet."

Drawing on STILLWELL's past albums — "Raise It Up" (2015) and "Dirtbag" (2011) — "Supernatural Miracle" serves as the culmination of years' worth of finding their voice. With this release, these musical legends are sure to give you a fresh new look at who they are apart from their histories, but together as a collective.

"I feel like this album was a major crossroad for all of us," says Q-Unique. "Wuv and Fieldy gave me the space to step up with the guitar, and then to have the opportunity to write these songs together was extremely surreal for me. It's one of the reasons why we called the album 'Supernatural Miracle'. To make a long story short, everything fell into place, from writing, recording, schedules, videos and artwork. This album has been a smooth journey."

Rage Against The Machine guitarist Tom Morello released his new solo EP, Comandante, on October 30th. It features a tribute to Eddie Van Halen, and a guest appearance by Slash on "Interstate 80". Check out an official video for the track below. 

Tracklist:

"Voodoo Child" 
"Interstate 80" (featuring Slash) 
"Secretariat" (for Eddie Van Halen) 
"Suburban Guerrilla" 
"Cato Stedman & Neptune Frost"




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A one-minute snippet of "Demon Fire", a brand new song from AC/DC, is available below. The track is taken from the legendary rockers' long-awaited comeback album, "Power Up", which is due on November 13. The follow-up to 2014's "Rock Or Bust" features AC/DC's 2020 lineup of Brian Johnson (vocals), Phil Rudd (drums), Cliff Williams (bass), Angus Young (guitar) and Stevie Young (guitar).

"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".

"What I like about Brendan is that he keeps you working when you're doing a project with him," Angus told Rolling Stone. "He's talented himself. He knows his bass and his guitar and a bit of drums. And piano. He covers the spectrum for what we can do musically. It's very good because you’re working with a musician, since he can apply that musical knowledge."

Although AC/DC originally planned on releasing "Power Up" earlier this year, the pandemic forced the band to reconsider.

"We were hoping to get the album out before all this happened," Angus said. "They were getting ideas together for packaging and video promo things. And then that virus thing came along. It kind of put everyone on hold."

"Power Up" will be available in multiple configurations that will excite collectors and die-hard fans alike, including digital, CD, and deluxe versions. The limited edition, one-of-a-kind deluxe "Power Up" box is the ultimate fan package. Hit the button on the side of the box and watch the flashing neon AC/DC logo light up while the opening bars of "Shot In The Dark" blast out of the built-in speaker. Inside the box is the full CD package in a soft-pack with a 20-page booklet that features exclusive photos and USB charging cable allowing the box to remain powered up and on display. The vinyl LP will be pressed on 180-gram vinyl and housed in a gatefold jacket. Limited-edition variants of the LP will be available at select retailers nationwide, as well as the band's online store. The album will be available on all digital platforms.

"Power Up" track listing:

01. Realize

02. Rejection

03. Shot In The Dark

04. Through The Mists Of Time

05. Kick You When You’re Down

06. Witch's Spell

07. Demon Fire

08. Wild Reputation

09. No Man’s Land

10. Systems Down

11. Money Shot

12. Code Red

Ever since AC/DC completed the tour cycle for its 2014 album "Rock Or Bust" four years ago — a turbulent trek that weathered the forced retirement and eventual death of co-founder Malcolm Young, plus the departures of Johnson, Rudd and Williams — fans have wondered whether sole remaining founding member Angus Young would keep the band going or decide it was time for AC/DC to pack it in.

The legendary hard rockers postponed the last ten dates of their North American tour in 2016 after doctors told Johnson he faced a total loss of hearing if he did not stop touring immediately. He was eventually replaced on the road by GUNS N' ROSES vocalist Axl Rose.

Rudd was ousted from AC/DC when he was sentenced to eight months of home detention by a New Zealand court in 2015 after pleading guilty to charges of threatening to kill and drug possession.

Norwegian band Slaves To Fashion continues to honor 50 years of heavy metal. In 2020 the band is releasing one new song every month that is inspired by and pays tribute to the different time periods and subgenres of heavy metal. All the songs will make up the concept album The History Of Heavy Metal.

The ninth single from the album is now out. "The NU Wine" pays tribute to NU metal, the alternative metal subgenre that combined heavy metal with genres like rap, hip-hop, grunge and industrial rock. Spearheaded by bands like Korn, Limp Bizkit and Linkin Park, the genre became highly popular in the late ‘90s and early 2000's.

The new song succeeds the songs "1970", "The Priest Of Maidenhead", "Sex, Drugs & Rock 'N' Roll", "Thrash Of The Titans", "Expressions Of Extremity", "Garden Of Chains", "The Evergowing Tree" and "The Power Of Metal" in the album project.




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A New Tomorrow have re-recorded their namesake track and released it as a single backed with a “Cinematic Version” of the same track. Buy or stream “A New Tomorrow” here.

"We chose to remake this song for a few different reasons. Not only is it the first song we ever wrote together (the title later becoming the band name) so we're a little sentimental on it, but lyrically it's still one of the most meaningful, uplifting tracks we've ever made which, we think we can all agree, the world needs right now.

“After all these years we were still so proud of the song and are so pleased to have been able to give it the quality production that it deserved. We filmed a music video 'fly on the wall' style over the few days we were recording too, to really capture the emotions and hard work we put into it. In a way, re-recording and releasing our first ever track really bookends the first chapter of this band's history nicely, as we continue writing our second album and exploring new ideas. We want to thank everybody for their support and love for this band, and proudly present this song as a light for these challenging times." - A New Tomorrow




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Saving the dreadful year of 2020 with the announcement of their new album Pleine Noirceur, fans are ready to riot the moshpit for the new Fuck The Facts release coming this November 20 via their very own label Noise Salvation. Five years after they unleashed their Juno nominated Desire Will Rot, Fuck The Facts continues right where they left off, offering up another slab of their patented “bastardized” grindcore full of all the twists and turns that fans have come to expect. In lead up to the charge, the trio is sharing their third rampage of face-punching, fist-pumping extremity with "Dropping Like Flies". It's a complimenting smorgasbord of ‘90s death metal, crust punk, and overall FTF trademark weirdness.

Fuck The Facts has amassed a respectable discography over the years, and this new offering joins the 7 LPs and 6 EPs released to date. The considerable amount of time the band has been working together shows in the natural chemistry that courses through each of the 12 tracks.

Fuck The Facts comments on the album: “We took a long break before working on this album, I feel like it’s a collection of bits and pieces; old and new, short and long. It’s us working back into the groove, just in time for a pandemic. This album also could have easily been 3 EPs, you really have to listen to the whole thing in order to fully enjoy it. It opens the door for what is next.”

What started as a basement recording project in the late 90s has blossomed into one of the most prolific bands in the Canadian extreme underground scene. Fuck The Facts have always been more about making albums than just writing songs, using what’s left over for a separate EP, but this time around they decided to put the extra songs as bonus tracks on the different physical copies of the release, so the vinyl, CD and cassette versions will each have a different bonus track that’s not available on the digital release.

The unapologetic, experimental album probably needs a few listens in order to fully enjoy. Put some noise-canceling headphones, choose your drug of choice, close your eyes, and enjoy.

Pre-order here.

Tracklisting:

"Doubt, Fear Neglect"
"Ailleurs"
"Pleine Noirceur"
"Aube"
"Sans Lumiere"
"Sans Racines"
"Everything I Love Is Ending"
"A Dying Light"
"Dropping Like Flies"
"L’abandon"
"An Ending"
"_cide"

"Dropping Like Flies":

"Pleine Noirceur" video:

(Photo - Anndy Negative)




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Agnostic Front have released the official video for "Urban Decay", a track from the band's twelfth studio album, Get Loud!, released late last year via Nuclear Blast.

Roger Miret tells Forbes: "A little history on the song itself, this was the first song we wrote for our album Get Loud!. Originally when I set off to write lyrics for the album, I wanted to do something that I did only once, which was back in 1991 when I did the lyrics for an album called One Voice, which is a theme album. It was basically like our The Wall and not in popularity but in the way it was approached. The whole album was a theme and it revolved around one story. So I had a book that was released in August of 2017 (My Riot: Agnostic Front, Grits, Guts & Glory), and basically I wanted to write this album (Get Loud!) within the story of my life and my autobiography. I was taking content from the book, and I first wanted to do like my chapters and stuff like that, so “Urban Decay” was actually the first thing you read in my book. And I thought it would be a cool way to approach it, kind of like a cool theme based on it. But then after a few songs in that vein and in that writing, there’s only so much that I can write about because I already wrote my book.

"The song itself is kind of like me taking you back to the Lower East Side, but back in 1981 when the Lower East Side was a different animal then what we see today. And it talks about what the Lower East Side was and what it was full of, you know danger and degenerates, it was unsafe, there was no room for weak people. Basically you had to be strong to survive and get through it, and on all levels, not just physically but mentally, emotionally, and everything. Obviously It talks about all the violence that was around then, and then verse two goes into a certain incident about a fight that took place around that time, a knife fight. But it’s basically a story of how the Lower East Side used to be, and just giving you a little bit of a flash of a certain time and place."

Read more at Forbes, and watch the video below:




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Last month, Heathen released their new studio album, Empire Of The Blind. Today, the band releases the lyric video for "In Black" which can be seen below.

Says the band, "Hey Heathen fans! We want to thank each and every one of you for the great response to our new album Empire Of The Blind! And in celebration of All Hallows Eve, we bring you our latest lyric video... This is 'In Black'!"

Empire Of The Blind was for the most part engineered, produced, mixed, and mastered by Christopher “Zeuss” Harris at Planet Z Studios. Additional details — rhythm guitars, etc. — were put to digital “tape” by Kragen Lum at SubLevel Studio in Little Rock, AR. The album features guest appearances by Gary Holt (Exodus, Slayer), Rick Hunolt (Exodus), and Doug Piercy (ex-Heathen). The cover art to Empire Of The Blind was once again handled by renowned artist Travis Smith (Overkill, Exhorder).

Order your copy of in the format of your choice here.

Empire Of The Blind tracklisting:

"This Rotting Sphere"
"The Blight"
"Empire Of The Blind"
"Dead And Gone"
"Sun In My Hand"
"Blood To Be Let"
"In Black"
"Shrine Of Apathy"
"Devour"
"A Fine Red Mist"
"The Gods Divide"
"Monument To Ruin"

"Empire Of The Blind" lyric video:

"The Blight" lyric video:

Heathen is:

David White - Vocals
Lee Altus - Guitar
Kragen Lum - Guitar
Jason Mirza - Bass
Jim DeMaria - Drums




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Swedish melodic death metal pioneers DARK TRANQUILLITY will release their new album, "Moment", on November 20 via Century Media. The official music video for the disc's third single, "The Dark Unbroken", can be seen below.

The band comments: "Filmed in the heart of Gothenburg with renowned TV/film director Erik Eger ('Thicker Than Water', 'One Hundred Years Of Evil'), 'The Dark Unbroken' shows the city as we've seen it this year and it reflects our longing to be back on a stage together. Shot in part at the beautiful Stora Teatern that has stood in the center of town since 1859, this serves as a transition to our upcoming streamed live show from the very same stage on the 21st of November. More info on this to follow. Until then, enjoy 'The Dark Unbroken'!"

"Moment" will be available as a digipak, black LP, silver LP, and CD jewel case.

It's been four years since DARK TRANQUILLITY's Swedish Grammis-nominated album "Atoma". But the time between was creative, innovative, and adventurous. The band welcomed two top-tier guitarists — Christopher Amott (ex-ARCH ENEMY) and Johan Reinholdz (NONEXIST) — while writing a stunning cluster of songs that not only push DARK TRANQUILLITY's boundaries outward but also strongly typify the Swedes' sonic fingerprint. Recorded at Nacksving Studios and Rogue Music by Martin Brändström and then mixed/mastered by Jens Bogren at Fascination Street Studios, "Moment" is a riveting yet challenging journey from start to finish.

Founding DARK TRANQUILLITY guitarist Niklas Sundin announced his departure from the band in March, explaining in a statement that he "always enjoyed the creative process more than the performance aspects of being in a band, and the required extensive touring held less and less appeal with every album."

In early 2017, DARK TRANQUILLITY released a seven-inch single featuring the two songs — "The Absolute" and "Time Out Of Place" — which had previously only been released as bonus tracks of the limited-edition CD version of "Atoma". These cuts were the most experimental and daring numbers ever from the DARK TRANQUILLITY camp, featuring a very different approach to their usual brand of melodic death metal.

DARK TRANQUILLITY is:

Mikael Stanne - Vocals

Martin Brändström - Electronics

Anders Jivarp - Drums

Johan Reinholdz - Guitars

Christopher Amott - Guitars

Anders Iwers - Bass

The official visualizer video for "Slaughtered In Soho", a new song from British extreme metal pioneers CARCASS, can be seen below. The track is taken from the band's latest EP, "Despicable", which is being released today (October 30) via Nuclear Blast.

Commented CARCASS bassist/vocalist Jeff Walker: "Here's the final track from the offcuts of the new album recording session that we decided to make available as an EP in order to tide people over. David Castillo, who recorded and mixed the album, was surprised this never made the cut… we, the band, were NOT! Anyhow, grit your teeth and 'enjoy'!"

The track listing for the effort is as follows:

01. The Living Dead At The Manchester Morgue

02. The Long And Winding Bier Road

03. Under The Scalpel Blade (album version)

04. Slaughtered In Soho

CARCASS's new album, "Torn Arteries", was originally scheduled for release in August but was postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic which is sweeping the globe.

The name of the follow-up to 2013's "Surgical Steel" was revealed by guitarist Bill Steer in an interview with Australia's Heavy.

According to Steer, the title of the new CARCASS LP stems from a demo tape that the band's founding drummer Ken Owen recorded when he was still a teenager. "He had a fictitious band called TORN ARTERIES and he recorded everything himself in his bedroom — guitar, and he'd actually bang on boxes and kind of scream into the mic," Bill explained. "And the whole thing was so distorted, it kind of sounded super heavy, even though essentially you were listening to a guy with a Spanish guitar and a couple of boxes. I think Jeff [Walker, CARCASS bassist/vocalist] appreciates the connection to the past and the fact that it was another Ken Owen classic. So that was his choice, really, and it stuck."

Steer went on to say that the "Torn Arteries" title is an homage of sorts to Owen, who suffered a brain hemorrhage in 1999 and hasn't actively played with CARCASS for more than two decades.

"I can't remember when this came up, but we were doing some press conference at a festival, and I think we all kind of agreed that even though Ken isn't playing in the band as such right now, he's kind of involved in everything we do, stylistically, because when he was so unique — when he was playing drums, his approach was just totally different," Steer said. "Also, the riffs he came up with, they were just really far out there. They were loads of fun to learn. I still think, as a guitar player, some of the stuff was very unorthodox and it was quite a challenge. That kind of influence still runs through what we do today. Just as a friendship thing, we're all still in touch regularly, and it's just been great to see Ken's life stabilizing. Basically, he has a good standard of living and he's a happy guy."

Asked how long it took to record the new CARCASS album, Bill said: "I couldn't really tell you, because it was done in several chunks, and it was the first time we've really done this. In the past, there'd be one session, or maybe a couple of long sessions, whereas this was a week here and a week there. So it did feel like a long time. I [couldn't tell you] exactly how many days or weeks that was. Obviously, quality control is a huge factor with us, 'cause you want the thing to be as good as it can be. And the fact that we don't record with a click track, the whole thing is not on a grid, so you can't copy and paste a verse or a chorus, like some bands might do. And that's a good thing, but it also means you've gotta spend longer [recording everything]."

Steer also confirmed that the new CARCASS song "Under The Scalpel Blade", which was released last December as a digital single, will appear on the group's upcoming seventh LP.

"I think it's one of the more conservative tunes off the album," the guitarist said. "There aren't really many elements in that song that are brand new to CARCASS. If you're gonna pick it apart and analyze it, there's definitely things that remind the listener of things we might have done in the past. For various reasons, it appeared to be the best song to put out there first. It's also one of the safer numbers on the album, I would say."

Steer also talked about the addition of second guitarist Tom Draper (POUNDER, ex-ANGEL WITCH, PRIMITAI), who made his live debut with CARCASS in March 2018 at the Netherlands Deathfest at 013 in Tilburg.

"[Tom] is from Southern England, but for the last few years, he's been living in California," Bill said. "Yeah, he's just been a really great addition to the group. He's incredibly organized and methodical. His attention to detail is very impressive, because it takes a lot of patience and a long attention span to learn this type of stuff and really nail the nuances. But, yeah, that's totally his bag — he's been into that kind of thing. He's just great to have onboard."

Asked if Tom has contributed at all to the songwriting on "Torn Arteries", Bill said: "Nah. To be honest, the bulk of the material was written a very long time ago. Once we were up and running, we added to that. Given the history of the band, the fact that it goes back so far, to the '80s, it's kind of a difficult thing to bring in a new guitar player and expect him to be a contributor. 'Cause live is one thing, but the studio is like a microscope kind of situation where everything, stylistically, becomes very, very noticeable. That was the same thing that happened with 'Surgical'. Some people perhaps didn't see the sleeve notes or read the sleeve notes, but they had the impression that there were two guitarists on the record, but there weren't. It's such a lengthy process recording this type of music, or at least with this band — I assume it's probably the same for other bands in our genre — but it's just one thing that makes things move a little bit quicker, if you've got one guitar player doing as much as possible."

"Surgical Steel" sold around 8,500 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 41 on The Billboard 200 chart.

Motörhead have released the new video below for their classic hit "Ace Of Spades", stating: "Put your headphones on to listen in immersive 360 Reality Audio."

"We’re pleased to launch a virtual Ace Of Spades online exhibition of exclusive photos and memorabilia from the era," states a recent message from Motörhead. "All you loyal Motörfans from all over the world are welcome and can enjoy it from the comfort of your own home during these rotten pandemic times!"

Head here.

Upon its release in 1980, the Ace Of Spades album was nothing short of a game changer for all forms of hard rock. Like lightning in a bottle, it perfectly captured everything great about hard rock, heavy metal, and punk, amped it all up to 11, and came racing out of the gates at what felt like a million miles an hour, pushing at every musical boundary. Nothing was harder. Nothing was faster. And certainly nothing was louder.

Now, following on from last year’s fan and media acclaimed anniversary editions of the seminal Overkill and Bomber albums, comes the record that launched Motörhead into the stratosphere and carved their name into the walls of rock ‘n’ roll history forever; Ace Of Spades. To celebrate the 40th anniversary of this milestone album, it is being presented in new deluxe editions. There are hardback book-packs in two CD and triple LP formats, featuring a previously unheard concert from the Ace Up Your Sleeve tour, the story of the album and many previously unseen photos. Also, the album is released as an ultimate fan, collector edition Ace Of Spades box set, containing a bevy of era-specific treasures and some 42 previously unreleased tracks!

Order here, and watch an unboxing video below:

In addition to the previously announced expanded editions of Ace Of Spades and the deluxe collectors box set, the album is also released digitally in 360 Reality Audio, a new immersive music experience utilizing Sony’s spatial audio technology, that will let listeners hear this behemoth like never before. The 360 Reality Audio content will be available on Deezer and Tidal and can be enjoyed on any headphones and also on Amazon Music HD, playing on the Amazon Echo Studio. For additional details visit 360 Reality Audio official website here.

The Ace Of Spades Deluxe box set contains:

- The Ace Of Spades album, half-speed mastered and created from the original master tapes.
- Two double-live albums of previously unheard concerts from the Ace Up Your Sleeve tour.
- A Fistful Of Instrumentals : A 10” EP of previously unreleased, instrumental tracks from 1980.
- The Good, The Broke & The Ugly. A double album of B-sides, outtakes and rare tracks.
- Ace On Your Screens: A DVD compilation of rare TV appearances from 1980-81, a live concert from 1981 and a 5.1 audio mix of the original album.
- The Ace Of Spades story. A 40 page book telling the story of Ace Of Spades through previously unpublished interviews with the people that were there. Includes never before seen photos and memorabilia.
- The Ace Up Your Sleeve tour programme
- The Motörhead Rock Commando comic.
- A set of 5 poker dice that can be played on the game board inside the box set lid.
- All encased in a classic Wild West dynamite box.
- A limited edition 7" reproduction of the Dutch Ace Of Spades, with a previously unreleased instrumental version on Side B. (while stocks last!)

In 1980, off the back of two essential albums, Overkill and Bomber the previous year, Motörhead continued to get bigger, better, louder and faster by the second. This time, on Ace Of Spades they teamed up with producer Vic Maile and came up with twelve songs; each and every one of which crams a regular band’s ten minutes of playing into an average of three. The song titles alone made ears bleed; “Love Me Like A Reptile”, “Shoot You In The Back”, “The Chase Is Better Than The Catch” and “The Hammer” were a few examples. This landmark album saw the three amigos of Lemmy, Fast Eddie Clarke and Philthy Animal Taylor at the helm of the juggernaut that was Motörhead, gaining phenomenal growth in popularity as they forged onward. The band’s and fans ideas, wants and inspirations, converged at a perfect tangent. Anyone disputing this fact need look no further than any heavy metal gig of the time and play ‘spot the Motörhead T-shirt and jacket’. They outnumbered anyone else by at least five to one. A statistic that is still accurate some forty five years since they first began!

The Ace Of Spades album release was a magical moment in rock ‘n’ roll history, an album which had enormous global impact and continues to resonate and inspire people worldwide. Fans to this day still remember where they were when they first heard it, and it immediately inspired bands worldwide to absorb the album’s energy, speed, and attitude into their own work. Ace Of Spades is ground zero for thrash, speed metal, and punk / metal crossover.

Tracklisting:

Ace Of Spades

Side One
“Ace Of Spades”
“Love Me Like A Reptile”
“Shoot You In The Back”
“Live To Win”
“Fast And Loose”
“(We Are) The Road Crew”

Side Two
“Fire Fire”
“Jailbait”
“Dance”
“Bite The Bullet”
“The Chase Is Better Than The Catch”
“The Hammer”

A Fistful Of Instrumentals

Side One
“Ace Of Spades (demo)
“Hump On Your Back” (demo)
“Shoot You In The Back” (demo)
“Fast And Loose” (demo)

Side Two
“Dirty Love” (demo)
“Love Me Like A Reptile” (demo)
“Dance” (demo)

Riders Wearing Black – Live At Whitla Hall, Belfast – December 23, 1981

Side One
“Ace Of Spades”
“Stay Clean”
“Over The Top”
“The Hammer”
“Shoot You In The Back”
“Metropolis”

Side Two
“(We Are) The Road Crew”
“No Class”
“Bite The Bullet”
“The Chase Is Better Than The Catch”

Side Three
“Jailbait”
“Leaving Here”
“Capricorn”
“Too Late, Too Late”

Side Four
“Overkill”
“Bomber”
“Motörhead”

Dead Man’s Hand – Live At Parc Expo, Orleans – March 5, 1981

Side One
“Ace Of Spades”
“Stay Clean”
“Over The Top”
“Metropolis”
“Shoot You In The Back”

Side Two
“The Hammer”
“Jailbait”
“Leaving Here”
“Fire Fire”
“Love Me Like A Reptile”

Side Three
“Capricorn”
“Too Late, Too Late”
“(We Are) The Road Crew”
“No Class”

Side Four
“Bite The Bullet”
“The Chase Is Better Than The Catch”
“Overkill”
“Bomber”

The Good, The Broke & The Ugly

Side One
“Ace Of Spades” (Alternative Version)
“Dirty Love”
“Love Me Like A Reptile” (Alternative Long Version)
“Shoot You In The Back” (Alternative Version)

Side Two
“Hump On Your Back”
“Fast And Loose” (Alternative Version)
“(We Are) The Road Crew” (Alternative Version)
“Fire Fire” (Alternative Version)
“Jailbait” (Alternative Version)

Side Three
“Waltz Of The Vampire”
“The Hammer” (Alternative Version)
“Dirty Love” (Alternative Version)
“Bastard”
“Godzilla Akimbo”

Side Four

Classic hard rock masters, Voodoo Circle, recently announced that vocalist David Readman and drummer Markus Kullmann are now part of the group again, so the original lineup is reunited.

January 15 will see Voodoo Circle release their highly anticipated new album, Locked & Loaded, via AFM Records. The successor to 2018’s Raised On Rock was mixed and mastered by Jacob Hansen (Pretty  Maids, Volbeat, Primal Fear). A lyric video for the album's first single, "Devil With An Angel Smile", can be found below.

Locked & Loaded will be available as digipak & ltd. colored vinyl. Pre-order here.

Tracklisting:

"Flesh & Bone"
"Wasting Time"
"Magic Woman Chile"
"Locked & Loaded"
"Devil With An Angel Smile"
"Straight For The Heart"
"Eyes Full Of Tears"
"Devil’s Cross"
"Trouble In The Moonlight"
"This Song Is For You"
"Children Of The Revolution"

"Devil With An Angel Smile" lyric video:

Voodoo Circle is:

Alex Beyrodt - guitar & vocals
David Readmann - vocals
Mat Sinner - bass & vocals
Markus Kullmann - drums




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German thrash metal legends, Sodom, will release their new studio album, Genesis XIX, on November 27 via Entertainment One (eOne) in North America and Steamhammer/SPV in Europe. They have released an official lyric video for new song "Indoctrination"; check it out below.

Genesis XIX was recorded by Siggi Bemm and mastered by Patrick W. Engel and comes shrouded in the cover illustration of Joe Petagno of Motörhead fame. Find the tracklisting and cover art below.

The album will be released as a CD digipak, exclusive 2xLP (on translucent orange with opaque silver swirls - an eOne store exclusive), and digitally. For pre-orders, head here.  

Genesis XIX tracklisting:

"Blind Superstition"
"Sodom & Gomorrah"
"Euthanasia"
"Genesis XIX"
"Nicht mehr mein Land"
"Glock N' Roll"
"The Harponeer"
"Dehumanized"
"Occult Perpetrator"
"Waldo & Pigpen"
"Indoctrination"
"Friendly Fire"

"Sodom & Gomorrah" lyric video:

Lineup:

Tom Angelripper - bass, vocals
Frank Blackfire - guitars
Yorck Segatz - guitars
Toni Merkel - drums

(Photo - Moritz "Mumpi" Künster)




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Vital, venerated, and vintage, when DIAMOND HEAD first released "Lightning To The Nations" forty years ago in 1980, few could have predicted the importance it would carry — and establish — with regards to heavy metal's new wave and sound. Stacked and packed with riffs, "Lightning To The Nations" would be one of the prime catalysts for a movement known as the New Wave Of British Heavy Metal (NWOBHM). It would also prove the premier template for a band who would become the biggest rock band on the planet, METALLICA. But back then, in their humble Stourbridge, U.K. home, DIAMOND HEAD had no real idea that the seven songs they had recorded for that debut album would have such a reverberation.

"Am I Evil?" is the second single to be released from the album. Founding member Brian Tatler reminisces: "'Am I Evil?' is one of the songs that METALLICA covered. I got a call from Lars Ulrich on September 20th, 1986 to say that METALLICA were playing that evening as part of the 'Master Of Puppets' tour at the Birmingham Odeon which was the best venue in the Midlands to see bands. Lars invited me along, so I caught the number nine bus, picked up my backstage pass, and was shown into METALLICA's dressing room. I was then introduced to James Hetfield, Kirk Hammett and Cliff Burton. Lars suggested that I get up and play 'Am I Evil?' on stage with them in the encore. I, of course, agreed and, after watching their amazing set for an hour, I went backstage again where the guitar techs strapped James's white Flying V onto me. Then Lars ran to the center vocal mic and introduced me as 'the guy who wrote this next song!' The five of us played 'Am I Evil?' up to the fast section then METALLICA went into 'Damage, Inc.' and I scarpered off stage. It was a brilliant experience!"

Tatler continues: "It's been a really great experience to revisit and re-record 'Am I Evil?' and the 'Lightning To The Nations' album for 2020. It's also about time that DIAMOND HEAD's biggest song finally has a video. Thank you to Andy Pilkington [Very Metal Art] for this mini epic."

"Lightning To The Nations 2020" will be released on November 20 via Silver Lining Music in CD digipak, double gatefold vinyl, and digital formats as well as special D2C bundles.

As the fortieth anniversary loomed, "Lightning To The Nations"' resonance and importance are since long-established, which meant a celebration was in order and Tatler, alongside vocalist and producer Rasmus Bom Andersen, knew exactly what they wanted to do. "We thought it'd be great to re-record the debut album with this lineup and the modern technology available," says Tatler. "The original album was recorded and mixed in a week, and we were very young; still 19-20 years old when it was recorded, so there's a lot of that youthful energy. But we didn't have the technique, time, or craftsmanship to record it with the sort of power that we could now. So that was a real thing to savor: the opportunity to go in the studio and record these songs fresh and vibrant."

"Lightning To The Nations 2020" is an achievement along those lines and then some. It is, quite simply, a scintillating shot of fresh metal energy, with DIAMOND HEAD utilizing all their skill, experience, and revitalized energy to breathe so much new life into these freshly recorded takes that it feels like experiencing the earth shaking all over again.

Recorded over several sessions between various locations from France to band member home studios, "Lightning To The Nations 2020"'s central hub was Andersen's Raw Sound Studios in London. It's where Tatler and Andrew "Abbz" Abberley did the guitars in February and March of this year. With the COVID-19 chaos striking, Andersen worked on the album between April and July, with Tatler's watchful ear inspecting final mixes and tweaks in early August before sending off to mastering at Metropolis Studios. It is, however, fair to say that the crunch, scream, and crackle of the production is yet another feather in Andersen's producer hat.

As if these carefully shaped recordings weren't enough, there are four supreme cover versions rounding out the release, with DIAMOND HEAD spreading their wings and creating the heaviest of homages to LED ZEPPELIN, JUDAS PRIEST, DEEP PURPLE, and... METALLICA. With DIAMOND HEAD having featured so heavily in METALLICA's early career, the cover of "No Remorse" seems especially appropriate.

Concludes Tatler: "'Lightning To The Nations 2020' is packed with ideas and riffs, but there is some thought gone into it all, and maybe that's why it still sounds really good now and we're still having conversations about it."

"Lightning To The Nations" 2020 track listing:

01. Lightning To The Nations

02. The Prince

03. Sucking My Love

04. Am I Evil?

05. Sweet And Innocent

06. It's Electric

07. Helpless

08. No Remorse

09. Immigrant Song

10. Sinner

11. Rat Bat Blue

DIAMOND HEAD is:

Brian Tatler - lead, rhythm guitars

Rasmus Bom Andersen - vocals, orchestration, additional guitars

Karl Wilcox - drums

Andrew "Abbz" Abberley - rhythm, lead guitars

Dean Ashton - bass, organ

Photo credit: Nic Gaunt

STITCHED UP HEART has dropped an Alison Roberto-directed music video for "My Demon". The song is taken from the band's latest album, "Darkness", which was released in March via Another Century. The LP was produced by FROM FIRST TO LAST singer/guitarist Matt Good (producer of ASKING ALEXANDRIA and HOLLYWOOD UNDEAD).

STITCHED UP HEART frontwoman Alecia "Mixi" Demner told Consequence Of Sound about the "Darkness" album title: A lot of the lyrical content on this album ties into one of the songs on the album that's called 'Darkness', and it's about going through dark times over and over again and not being afraid anymore, because you know you've made it out before. Lyrically, it isn't a sad album, but it's not like everything is okay and there's sunshine and rainbows. There's stuff you have to go through to get to this place and be strong."

Asked how the initial vision for "Darkness" evolved throughout the recording process, Mixi said: "It completely changed. Originally, I wanted to go into this album with the strength that you can do anything and nothing can stop you, but the songs I was writing were not coming out authentic. I can be strong sometimes, but it takes a lot of dark stuff to get to that strength and know you can overcome it. So, the vision changed to pulling from those things that made us strong."

"Darkness" includes the song "Lost", which features a guest appearance by Sully Erna of GODSMACK.