Frontiers Music Srl will release Latvian hard rockers Bloody Heels' new album, Ignite The Sky, on July 10. Watch a 360° music video for "Farewell To Yesterday"  below, and pre-order/save the album here.

Bloody Heels recently joined the Frontiers label’s rapidly expanding pool of young talent and one listen to their debut album will easily explain why the label HAD to sign them up. With nods to the great ‘80s hard rock scene, but also bordering on heavy metal (listen to those kicks drums on first single ‘Criminal Masterminds’), this band is a delightful mix of catchy and driving. With a great whisky-soaked sounding throat, vocalist Vicky White provides the perfect voice for the thunder and lightning that guitarist Harry Rivers, bassist Gunn Everett, and drummer Gus Hawk are raining down upon us.

Formed in 2012 in Riga, Latvia, Bloody Heels have a musical style that could be best described as a sort of missing link between Crashdïet and Crazy Lixx, with heavier elements like early W.A.S.P. and Kissin’ Dynamite. The band have already made a name for themselves with the EP Summer Nights (2014) and the album Through Mystery (2017). They’ve played shows all around Europe including Sweden, Finland, Norway, Germany, Slovakia, Czech Republic, Poland, Netherlands, Belgium, and the Baltic States.

Tracklisting:

"Ignite The Sky"
"Criminal Masterminds"
"No Matter"
"Sugar & Spice"
"Farewell To Yesterday"
"Black Swan"
"Stand Your Ground"
"Thin Line"
"Silhouette"
"Healing Waters"
"Streets Of Misery"

"Farewell To Yesterday" 360° video:

"Ignite The Sky" video:

"Criminal Masterminds" video:

 
Lineup:

Vocals - Valts Berzins (Vicky White)
Guitars - Haralds Avotins (Harry Rivers)
Bass - Gunars Narbuts (Gunn Everett)
Drums - Gustavs Vanags (Gus Hawk)
Cello on track "Silhouette" - Erna Daugaviete
Saxophone on track "Healing Waters" - Dagnis Rozins




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Renowned German producer, guitarist, and songwriter Sascha Paeth and his new band, Masters Of Ceremony, recently released their debut album, Signs Of Wings, on CD/LP/Digital via Frontiers Music Srl.

The band has released the "Under Fire" b/w "Die Just A Little" (Live In The Living Room) single. A special b-side track leftover from the recording sessions for Signs Of Wings, it is available to stream or download here. Listen below:

Signs Of Wings is much more than a solo album. Sascha put together a great group of musicians including Felix Bohnke (Avantasia) on drums, André Neygenfind (Avantasia) on bass, Corvin Bahn on keyboards, and the awesome American singer Adrienne Cowan (Seven Spires). Offering a wide range of styles within the metal spectrum, from aggressive and straight foward metal songs, to more melodic and symphonic tracks, this record has a bit of everything and is certainly going to strike fans of Sascha's as one of the most inventive, complete, and exciting releases in the metal genre in 2019.

As a 15 year old teenager, you might have found Paeth playing a more bluesy style, or Van Halen-meets-Accept style hard rock, but it wasn’t long before Paeth joined Heaven’s Gate, where the music was harder and heavier. This experience was where he learned to enjoy inspiration from new styles and from new collaborations. It was the start of a long journey through the music business, a journey that is far from over...

To label Sascha Paeth a multi-talented producer, engineer, musician, and songwriter might not quite cover his full set of skills and achievements. The Wolfsburg-born German multi-musician has produced countless bands including Avantasia, Kamelot, Rhapsody, Epica, and more. Having worked on, produced, and engineered over 200 albums since 1988, it’s fair to say he has a reputation for being at the forefront of shaping the European melodic power metal sound.

Tracklisting:

"The Time Has Come"
"Die Just A Little"
"Radar"
"Where Would It Be"
"My Anarchy"
"Wide Awake"
"The Path"
"Sick"
"Weight Of The World"
"Bound In Vertigo"
"Signs Of Wings"

"Die Just A Little" video:

"Sick" lyric video:

"The Time Has Come" video:

Lineup:

Sascha Paeth: guitar
Adrienne Cowan: lead-vocals
André Neygenfind: bass
Felix Bohnke: drums
Corvin Bahn: keyboards




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Metal Hammer's Dave Everley caught up with Metallica's Lars Ulrich (drums) and Kirk Hammett (guitars) for a song-by-song breakdown of the making of the band's second album, Ride The Lightning. Following is an excerpt from the rundown.

"Fight Fire With Fire"

Kirk: "The main riff was around on the Kill ’Em All tour. I remember hearing it on a riff tape, so the seeds were around even then. The acoustic intro was something that Cliff would play on the acoustic guitar all the time – and I mean all the fucking time (laughs). We weren’t trying to provoke anybody with that intro – it was a natural thing. I didn’t see any limitations to what we wanted to do. The possibilities were sky high. And you have to understand, we were creating our own playing field here. We were going to places that no one else had gone before, and we were happy going there. It made sense to try weird new things out – why not?"

"Escape"

Lars: "It’s become this folklore that I hate 'Escape'. It’s not true! It was the last song that was written for the Ride The Lightning sessions, and it was purposely kept a little shorter than the other songs. We thought of it in the spirit of Iron Maiden’s 'Run To the Hills' or Judas Priest’s 'Living After Midnight' – dare I use the words ‘radio songs’? So instead of turning it into an eight minute 'Seek And Destroy' type of thing, we kept it on the short side. Then it got a bad rap, and I don’t know why. I don’t have a particular problem with it, but it never became a live staple like the other songs on the record. It just goes to show that you’re better off not trying to do things on purpose."

"Creeping Death"

Lars: "Musically, it was one of those songs that came quickly, and then became its own thing just as quickly. Lyrically, when I was a kid I was obsessed with the movie The Ten Commandments, with Charlton Heston. We didn’t have a VCR, so James and I went down to Cliff’s parents house with The Ten Commandments, and we sat and watched the movie. There’s a scene where Moses goes back to try and get his people out of Egypt, and when the Pharaoh reneges on that, the firstborn must die. Then this fog appears out of the moon and comes down and starts creeping across the ground, smoke machine-style, and everybody who’s caught in it falls over and dies on the spot. That’s where the words ‘Creeping Death’ come from. If you watch The Ten Commandments and read the lyrics, there’s definitely a… how can I put this… similarity."

Read the complete interview here.




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Canadian epic symphonic metal band, Operus, will release their second full-length album, Score Of Nightmares, through German label Pride & Joy Music tomorrow, Friday, June 19.

Recorded at Silver Wings Studio in Montreal, Canada, Score Of Nightmares explores deeply theatrical themes combined with everything  fans love about metal, such as face-melting guitar solos and blast beats galore. Epic orchestrations include a unique arrangement composed by orchestral pianist, Talisa Blackman in “Echoes” as well as the intricate melodic hooks that fans have come to expect from Operus.

Score Of Nightmares boasts an element of darkness, magnificence and mystery that is visually portrayed by the cover art made by Drake Mefestta Designs. Every song is a new scene, a different adventure.

“The recording process was very different, compared to Cenotaph,” explains bassist Wojtek Sokolowski. "The songs off Cenotaph were worked and reworked time and time again. Going into the studio we knew exactly what and how we were going to record. With Score Of Nightmares, although we spent time on the pre-production, there was quite a lot of naturally occurring creativity flowing in the studio as the songs were still somewhat new to us. It made it really exciting for us because we didn’t know exactly how the songs would sound until we had the final in hand.”

“I was very excited when I heard the final product,” agrees composer and guitarist Oscar Rangel. "Because our ideas translated very well to the final version of the songs. It's exciting and powerful, yet still melodic and at times intimate.”

Vocalist David Michael Moote chimes in, “Already having a relationship with Jonathan Lefrançois-Leduc from Silver Wings Studios from recording Cenotaph, everything just felt more natural. As I’ve been with the band a few years now and played some incredible shows, I had a better idea of what my voice was capable of. It was fun to push the limits and experiment with some new sounds.” Drummer JJ Tartaglia agrees, “I think this time around we had a better understanding of Dave's vocal abilities and versatility, so it allowed us to have more of a theatrical sound to the album. We've had some time to grow more as a band, so the songs are stronger.”

“I’m incredibly proud of the work everyone put in,” guitarist Dean Paul Arnold adds, “I really believe every song packs a punch in its own way. Our sound is epic and powerful, while still being able to exercise heaviness and catchiness. All while sounding memorable and palatable to a wide audience.”

“I think this album is really showing a much clearer idea of who and what is Operus,” says cellist Robin Howe. “There is a depth of emotion within these songs. I definitely feel as though we went heavier on this album, I'd like to think it sounds a bit more aggressive. We experimented and I feel we have matured in our sound.”

“Operus is a very dynamic band when talking about ‘sound stamps’,” says Oscar. “We play around with different sounds we created during the album, and the album is meant to be heard from beginning to end.” “The songs are incredibly versatile,” agrees Wojtek, “one song gives absolutely no insight to the album as a whole.”

Pre-order Score Of Nightmares here.

Tracklisting:

"Overture Of Madness"
"Phantasia"
"Lost"
"Dance With Fire"
"Echoes" (feat. Talisa Blackman)
"Where Falcons Fly"
"Nightmares"
"Book Of Shadows"
"The Mirror"
"Ruin"
"La Llorona"

"Ruin" video:

"Where Falcons Fly" video:

"La Llorona" video:




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Primitive Man returns after three years with the extreme, terrifying, and confrontational new album, Immersion, set for release on August 14 via Relapse Records.

True to the band's ethos, every moment of Immersion is overwhelming; from the sonic pummelling of the album opener "The Lifer" to the brooding, unnerving guitars whirring throughout "Entity", Immersion builds and builds. The tension throughout the record is palpable. Hair raising tracks such as "Menacing" push and pull constantly, shifting from passages of harsh doom to an endless corridor of horrid screaming, blast beats, and a formidable low end.

Adding to the album's darkness, a pervasive lyrical anxiety erodes throughout the record. A stark look at a mirror, Immersion's themes tackle sobering views on existential crises, a general distrust among another, and the current state of the world. Frontman Ethan McCarthy elaborates, "Souring your view on your existence and everything you had worked towards... allowing yourself to become possessed by the darkest parts of your mind that you have carried around your entire life and not dealt with."

True to these dark times, Primitive Man's Immersion is an introspective look into ruin and undoing. As McCarthy explains, Immersion dives into the point of no return. "Now you're a grown man and you're fucked."

In advance of the release of Immersion, Primitive Man shares "The Lifer" (video below). McCarthy comments, "'The Lifer' is about being cursed with and unable to shed the desire to create. The lack of financial security that comes with that. It is also about the ever present on-the-road psychosis touring musicians get as well as the enemies you meet along the way."

Immersion will be released on CD, LP, cassette, and digital formats via Relapse. Physical pre-orders are available here. For digital downloads and streaming services go here.

Immersion tracklisting:

"The Lifer"
"Entity"
"Menacing"
"∞"
"Foul"
"Consumption"

"The Lifer" video:

 
Primitive Man lineup:

Ethan Lee McCarthy - guitars, vocals
Jonathan Campos - bass
Joe Linden - drums




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The Pineapple Thief have announced their new album, Versions Of The Truth, out on September 4 via Kscope. The band have also shared their new track, "Demons", and accompanying video (directed by George Laycock, produced by Blacktide Phonic/Visual), the first to be taken from the upcoming album. A video for "Demons" can be found below.

Combining sweeping soundscapes with infectiously pensive choruses, "Demons" is a swelling and expansive journey from subtle ambience to immersive climaxes, underscored by exotic orchestral flourishes and carried by emotive vocals.

“The lyrics really speak for themselves,” explains frontman Bruce Soord. “It's a very simple sentiment, but actually one that was quite difficult to sing when it came to it. It was one of the first songs we wrote for the new album and the emotions that fed into the track were still very raw at the time. I'd like to think writing songs like this would prove to be cathartic, but in reality those demons just don't go away and it's really a case of learning to live with them.”

Throughout the album, The Pineapple Thief explore vast swathes of sonic territory, with minimalist passages building to explosive crescendos and instrumentals which blend disparate elements into flowing expressionism to create an immersive dichotomy.

It’s an album that holds up a mirror to the chaos and conflict of 21st-century life and tries to make sense of the distorted reflections that gaze back at it. A blurring between the real and the perceived, between meaning and intent. The title says it all: this is the soundtrack for a post-truth world.

“When you have conflict, the truth gets bent and kicked around, the facts get changed,” says Soord. “That’s why people argue or get divorced or fight - because nobody can agree on what the truth is. That idea of different versions of the truth especially applies to the world we’re living in right now. All these things are happening where nobody has any idea of what the real truth of anything is because everything is so distorted.”

The darkly anthemic title track opens the album and sows the seeds for what follows. Alluding to broken friendships and how the truth becomes the first casualty even in the most personal conflicts, it finds Soord approaching the subject from two opposite yet connected perspectives.

That very personal undercurrent flows beneath the entire album. The haunting and nocturnal "Driving Like Maniacs" paints a vivid picture of a friendship always destined to crash and burn, while the seven-and-a-half minute "Our Mire" finds Soord addressing the consequences that come in the wake of a broken relationship.

The themes of the album - ever-changing perspectives and malleable truths - are reflected in its artwork. An etching by the late German artist Michael Schoenholtz, it features a series of kinetic, abstract shapes that seem to reveal a different image to whoever looks at it. Gavin Harrison came across the etching just as the band were finishing Versions Of The Truth, and showed it to his bandmates.

“That particular etching just seemed to resonate with me,” says Harrison. “Within five minutes we had all chosen the same image. It was the fastest selection process of a band that I’ve ever witnessed. As is often the case with modern contemporary art, different people find different meaning within it. Personally I see it as an intriguing maze that depicts the mental process of creativity. It never has straight lines.”

Produced by the four members of the band - vocalist Bruce Soord, keyboardist Steve Kitch, bassist Jon Sykes and drummer Gavin Harrison - Versions Of The Truth marries a stellar musical breadth to a spectrum of emotions that run from anger and confusion to sadness and regret and even glimmers of hope. In places, the album is starkly autobiographical. In others, it confronts the chaos of modern life head-on.

What has emerged stands as The Pineapple Thief’s finest album yet. It takes the creative and commercial triumphs of their last two albums, 2016’s breakthrough Your Wilderness and its follow-up Dissolution and magnifies them. Musically bold and lyrically thought-provoking, this is the sound of a band determined to push themselves forward.

Versions Of The Truth will be released on CD, LP, digitally, Blu-Ray disc with bonus track and is now available for pre-order here.

Tracklisting:

"Versions Of The Truth"
"Break It All"
"Demons"
"Driving Like Maniacs"
"Leave Me Be"
"Too Many Voices"
"Our Mire"
"Out Of Line"
"Stop Making Sense"
"The Game"

"Demons" video:

After a hugely successful live debut in North America in 2019, the band are planning their return to support their new album. Details of their touring will be announced soon.

(Photo - Diana Seifert)




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LA-based rock band, Roxanne, have released a video for "Broken Chandeliers", a track from the band's Radio Silence album, out now via Rat Pak Records. Order the album here, and watch the video below.

Tracklisting:

"Someone To Kill"
"Girls Alright"
"Super Bad" (ft. George Lynch)
"Thin Blue Line"
"Broken Chandeliers"
"Man In The Moon" (ft. Ray Luzier & dUg Pinnick)
"Go Fuck Yourself" (ft. George Lynch & dUg Pinnick)    
"Without Us"
"Quarter To Four"
"I Don’t Want To Live This Way"
"First Mistake"

"Broken Chandeliers" video:

"First Mistake" video:

"Girls Alright" video:

"Thin Blue Line" video:

"Go Fuck Yourself" (ft. George Lynch & dUg Pinnick) video:

"Someone To Kill" video:

"Super Bad" (ft. George Lynch) video:




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Electric Mob, who recently released their debut album, Discharge, via Frontiers Music Srl., have released a video for the song "Far Off". Order the album here, and watch the new clip below.

Tracklisting:

"Awaken"
"Devil You Know"
"King’s Ale"
"Got Me Runnin’"
"Far Off"
"Your Ghost"
"Gypsy Touch"
"123 Burn"
"Upside Down"
"Higher Than Your Heels"
"Brand New Rope"
"We Are Wrong"

"Far Off" video:

"King’s Ale":

"Devil You Know" video:

Lineup:

Renan Zonta - Vocals
Ben Hur Auwarter - Guitar
Yuri Elero - Bass
André Leister - Drums




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Denmark's melodic heavy rockers Meridian are releasing the second single (out of six) from their upcoming EP of covers Taking Cover, coming later this year on Mighty Music. This time they cover the A-Ha classic, “The Sun Always Shines On TV”, exclusively on BraveWords!

Each member of the band picked one song for the EP, and this one is chosen by guitarist and producer Marco Angioni, who says: "A-Ha has always been a guilty pleasure of mine. And also my wife is a huge Morten Harket fan. ‘The Sun Always Shines On TV’ had all the potential for a hard rock rendition."

Why covers? - Just for the fun of it!

It happens to most bands. It certainly happens a lot in this band. Warming up at rehearsals someone starts playing a cool riff from the good old days. – Everybody joins in on the jam and 30 seconds later everybody stops, laugh and someone says:

“That’s a cool song. We should make a cover of that someday.”

Most often, that day never comes, but sometimes it does. Last year when the band finished recording the “Margin Of Error” album, one of the songs reminded Mighty Music CEO, Michael H. Andersen, of one of the greatest Danish bands from the ‘80s, Skagarack, - and he suggested the band should do a cover of one of their songs.

The idea stuck for a while, and the band decided that once they gathered in the studio, they could just as well record a couple of songs and make a covers EP - just for the fun of it! Choosing the songs was not easy. Every discussion always ended with over 20 good suggestions. So the band applied some rules. Each member should pick one song, and nobody could argue against it.

So here we are, with six classic rock and pop songs from the ‘80s, grinded through the Meridian machine, twisted a little bit to suite the Meridian sound and playing style, but still paying respect to the well-known originals.

All six songs will be released as digital singles over the summer, and the EP will be available in the autumn 2020.

Meridian:
Lars Märker –vocals
Martin J. Andersen –guitars & vocals
Marco Angioni –guitars & keyboards
Peter Bruun –bass
Klaus Agerbo –drums




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Toronto-based rock/metal outfit Red Handed Denial have released a new social distancing pop goes metal cover. This time it's a take on the Lady Gaga hit "Telephone". Check it out below.

Phoenix-based rockers Halocene recently teamed up with Lauren Babic from Red Handed Denial, Sao Paulo-born Violet Orlandi, and First To Eleven's Audra Miller for a cover of Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody". The official video is available below.

The cover is now available on most digital platforms.

Photo by Alex Lam




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House Of Lords release their new album, New World - New Eyes, last week via Frontiers Music Srl. Order the album here, and listen to an acoustic rendition of the song "Perfectly (You And I)" below:

New World - New Eyes is House Of Lords’ 10th studio album, following the well received release Saint Of The Lost Souls. Recorded and produced by the band’s singer and mastermind, James Christian, this collection of songs has an incredible flow of up-tempo and mid-tempo rockers mixed with power ballads, which lean a bit more toward keyboards this time around, but without compromising the band's trademark sound, which is based around Jimi Bell’s guitar work.

New World - New Eyes is already one of the year’s most anticipated melodic rock releases and will not disappoint fans of the band or genre. James Christian's well crafted and smooth vocals bring the band's craft to new heights. Guitarist Jimi Bell is on fire and the melodic riffs throughout the album will leave you breathless. Chris Tristram on bass is more solid than ever and BJ Zampa brings a solid and powerful rhythm foundation to House Of Lords.

This time, the band has cooperated with none other than Mark Spiro (Giant, Bad English, Cheap Trick, etc.) on the songwriting of most of the songs. More collaboration came via Tommy Denander, Chris Pelcer, and Richard Hymas.

House Of Lords debuted in 1989 with the release of their self-titled album, a record which is still regarded as one of the best arena rock releases of the '80s. The colossal sound, the soaring vocals of James Christian, and instrumental capabilities of the band (which featured ex-Angel and Giuffria keyboardist, Gregg Giuffria, along with luminaries Lanny Cordola, Chuck Wright, and Ken Mary), were reminiscent of such frontrunners as Whitesnake, Deep Purple, and Van Halen and immediately brought the band to the attention of the mainstream music media and the masses of ‘80s hard rock fans.

With their sophomore release, Sahara, House Of Lords had considerable radio and video chart success with their cover of Blind Faith’s “Can't Find My Way Home”. After a tour with Nelson in 1991, the group disbanded, eventually coming back together with a new lineup (featuring original members Giuffria and Christian) in 1992 with Demon's Down. With the change in musical climate at the time, House of Lords went into hibernation until the original lineup came back together in 2000, releasing the controversial Power And The Myth, an album which featured a sound leaning more towards progressive hard rock with ‘70s rock influences. After a short European tour, singer James Christian decided to go back to the trademark arena rock sound of House Of Lords, putting together a new lineup with the blessing of founding member Gregg Giuffria, who opted out right before the release of Power And The Myth. New members Jimi Bell on guitars and B.J. Zampa on drums supplied a true powerhouse sound to the fifth studio album, World Upside Down, a record which caused a real stir in the hard rock and melodic rock scenes. That album was followed up by the equally impressive Come To My Kingdom in 2008, Cartesian Dreams in 2009, Big Money in 2011, Precious Metal in 2014, and Saint Of The Lost Souls in 2017.

The band has toured relentlessly in Europe and the States in support of their releases and have now become a true staple of the hard rock scene on both continents. House Of Lords is known for superb hooks, majestic atmospheres, monumental guitar riffs, and a production to die for. All these ingredients you will find in abundance on New World - New Eyes.

Tracklisting:

"New World - New Eyes"
"Change (What's It Gonna Take)"
"One More"
"Perfectly (You And I)"
"The Both Of Us"
"Chemical Rush"
"We're All That We Got"
"Better Off Broken"
"$5 Buck Of Gasoline"
"The Chase"
"The Summit"

"Chemical Rush":

"New World - New Eyes":

"One More":

 




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Grave Digger recently released their new album,  Fields Of Blood, via Napalm Records. An official lyric video for the song "Barbarian" can be seen below.

Heavy riffs, thundering drums and the distinctive vocals take us back to 1746 - to the battlefield of Culloden deep in the Scottish Highlands, where the Jacobites were defeated in a bloody battle by the Duke of Cumberland - The “Barbarian”.

Says the band: "BARBARIAN ... the new Grave Digger single 'Barbarian' from the album Fields Of Blood is Teutonic steel in its purest form. No prisoners are taken here... you can feel how Cumberland pushes the "Highland Cleanings" and how whole villages are getting destroyed.  He violates the Highlander women and kills everything in his way. His indescribable Cruelty is unparalleled in the history of Scotland. 'Barbarian' will become another band classic. Chorus will be hammered in your head... 'Cold blooded murderer, Killer of the Jacobites, Butcher of Culloden, Cumberland the BARBARIAN'."

40 years of pure Teutonic steel, 40 years of iconic Grave Digger: 2020 marks a glorious anniversary of one of the most distinctive metal bands of German heavy metal. Their 20th studio album, Fields Of Blood, is not just a very special anniversary album, after The Clans Will Rise Again and Tunes Of War, this is the final part of Grave Digger's epic Scottish Highlands trilogy.

Fields Of Blood takes us on an emotional journey through Scottish history and into explosive sound landscapes. Driving riffs and epic choruses meet the famous "Great Highland Bagpipes": In the Highlands, the battlefields of Stirling, Bannockburn and Culloden, the listener will find himself on a rollercoaster between grief and triumph again, losses and wins with the Scottish freedom fighters in an auditory battle of unique traditional metal.

Order Fields Of Blood here.

Fields Of Blood is available in the following formats:

- 4 Page Digipack
- Vinyl 1LP Gatefold Black
- Vinyl 1LP Gatefold Edition in Gold - Limited to 100 copies
- Wooden Box Edition: Bonus Live DVD "Live in Japan", Highland flask + Bonus 7" Single - Limited to 300 copies (Napalm Records Mailorder Only)
- Digipack & Shirt Bundle
- Vinyl 1LP & Shirt Bundle (Black Vinyl) - US Store Only

Fields Of Blood tracklisting:

"The Clansman's Journey"
"All For The Kingdom"
"Lions Of The Sea"
"Freedom"
"The Heart Of Scotland"
"Thousand Tears"
"Union Of The Crown"
"My Final Fight"
"Gathering Of The Clans"
"Barbarian"
"Fields Of Blood"
"Requiem For The Fallen"

“Lions Of The Sea” video:

"Thousand Tears" video:

"All For The Kingdom" lyric video:

Find the band's tour itinerary here.

Grave Digger is:

Chris Boltendahl - Vocals
Axel Ritt - Guitar
Jens Becker - Bass
Marcus Kniep - Drums




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German symphonic metallers BEYOND THE BLACK have released the official music video for "Human", the latest single off their new album "Hørizøns", out now via Napalm Records.

"Human" features an almost daunting glimpse at the future, but also symbolizes the sophistication of another modern and equally gloomy melodic rock piece. Their new single is a flagship example of bittersweet-yet-strong melodies merging with dystopian narratives. Delicate guitar lines blend with Jennifer Haben's remarkable, strong voice and ascend to a powerful epos of self-autonomy. Along with an artful, suspenseful and reflective music video, BEYOND THE BLACK take their audience on a journey through the range between melodic mellifluousness and uncompromising energetic rock fragments. The symphonic combo questions the essence of life and immerses the audiovisual in a gritty atmosphere of the fabled beginning of mankind.

Haben comments: "More than one year of hard work, blood, sweat and tears was put into this album. 'Hørizøns' became an enormous part of our lives and it's hard to find the right words to describe what this release means to us. We are more than ready to go and start this new BEYOND THE BLACK journey. This is going to be huge!"

The female-fronted quintet unbolts their unequalled, differentiated spectra of symphonic and melodic rock spiced with sonorous melodious metal soundscapes in 13 manifold songs. The album kicks off with its heavy, yet atmospheric title track, spanning the range of intumescent soundscapes and Haben's crystal clear, striking vocals.

Beautiful yet strong harmonies, emotional storytelling and powerful vocal lines weave throughout "Wounded Healer" (featuring Elize Ryd from AMARANTHE) and will light your way in gloomy times. Dark subliminal grooves coalesce with harmonizing guitar lines and form the prevailing nexus of "Human" and its unmistakably catchy chorus. Another facet rises with "You Are Not Alone", which is dominated by electronic influences as well as symphonic sounding violins.

"Hørizøns"'s atmospherically dark harshness creates the stylistic bow over the distinctive melodic rock meets pop sound in symbiosis with fragile yet strong fragments. The charismatic outfit persuades with a rousing, emotional clout and their strong, confident message off self-assertion.

Track listing:

01. Horizons

02. Misery

03. Wounded Healer (feat. Elize Ryd)

04. Some Kind Of Monster

05. Human

06. Golden Pariahs

07. Marching On

08. You're Not Alone

09. Out Of The Ashes

10. Paralyzed

11. Coming Home

12. I Won't Surrender (feat. Tina Guo)

13. Welcome To My Wasteland

This autumn, BEYOND THE BLACK joins forces with AMARANTHE for a co-headline tour.

BEYOND THE BLACK is:

Jennifer Haben (Vocals)

Stefan Herkenhoff (Bass)

Chris Hermsdörfer (Guitar, Backing Vocals)

Tobi Lodes (Guitar, Backing Vocals)

Kai Tschierschky (Drums)

Photo credit: Chris Heinrich

Neal Morse, Mike Portnoy and Randy George recently announced their return to the "Cover To Cover" series of albums with "Cov3r To Cov3r", the brand new third instalment. Featuring their renditions of classic tracks by the likes of KING CRIMSON, JETHRO TULL, Gerry Rafferty, David Bowie and more (including their cover of "No Opportunity Necessary, No Experience Needed" featuring vocals from YES singer Jon Davison), the album will be released on July 24 as CD, gatefold 2LP + CD and as a digital album.

Today, Morse, Portnoy and George are pleased to reveal a video for their cover of "It Don't Come Easy", originally by Ringo Starr.

Portnoy comments: "Having done solo BEATLES covers from both Paul ('Maybe I'm Amazed') and George ('What Is Life') on the first 'Cover To Cover', it was time to represent Ringo this time around...

"I had the honor of singing the lead vocals on this one and am so proud to have none other than my daughter Melody doing the backing vocals, marking our first daddy-and-daughter duet!! And totally appropriate for it to be a BEATLES-related song as she's just as much of a BEATLES fanatic as I am!"

As well as this, the "Cover To Cover Anthology (Vol. 1 - 3)" will be released on the same day, collecting all three instalments together over three discs. The first two albums have also been newly re-sequenced and remastered, and will also be available on all digital services. All the albums have also been given brand new artwork, created by Thomas Ewerhard (SONS OF APOLLO, THE NEAL MORSE BAND, AVANTASIA).

Portnoy commented: "Well, here we are... 'Cover To Cover' Volume 3! Been looking forward to finally doing another one of these as I absolutely love the first two we did! In fact, these 'Cover To Cover' albums are some of my favorite albums in my catalog and are always the CDs I give to family and friends to enjoy. Mainly because they help show the music that helped shape myself, Neal and Randy. Everybody expects the obvious prog classics (or in my case some of the more metal stuff), but the range of artists on these 'Cover To Cover' albums as just as important ingredients, I hope you enjoy listening to them as much as we did recording them."

Morse, Portnoy and George first worked together on Neal Morse's "Testimony Live" project back in 2003, and since then they have devised and recorded countless Neal Morse albums, including three with THE NEAL MORSE BAND. The three friends have also released music as MORSE, PORTNOY & GEORGE: so far, two "Cover To Cover" albums have been produced, each being a collection of covers of their favorite songs.

Portnoy explained: "One of the first things myself, Neal and Randy usually start talking about what we can cover when we gather for one of Neal's solo albums, should we have some leftover time at the end of the session. Most of the songs are rooted in the '60s and '70s and are songs / bands we grew up with." George added: "We all share an attachment for this era of music, so we each throw out song ideas, see what sticks, and record the ones we like the most."

The trio has covered songs from such greats as Paul McCartney, CREAM, THE WHO, JETHRO TULL, STEELY DAN, and many more. They also have also covered some prog classics from the likes of KING CRIMSON and YES.

The full track listing for all three "Cover To Cover" volumes can be found below.

"Cover To Cover":

01. Where The Streets Have No Name (U2)

02. I'm The Man (JOE JACKSON)

03. What Is Life? (GEORGE HARRISON)

04. Badge (CREAM)

04. Maybe I'm Amazed (PAUL MCCARTNEY)

05. Day After Day (BADFINGER)

06. Pleasant Valley Sunday (THE MONKEES)

07. Tuesday Afternoon (THE MOODY BLUES)

08. Can't Find My Way Home (BLIND FAITH)

09. I'm Free / Sparks (THE WHO)

10. Where Do The Children Play (CAT STEVENS)

11. Feelin' Stronger Every Day (CHICAGO)

12. Rock N Roll Suicide (DAVID BOWIE)

"Cover 2 Cover":

01. (What's So Funny About) Peace, Love & Understanding (Elvis Costello)

02. Lido Shuffle (BOZ SCAGGS)

03. Crazy Horses (THE OSMONDS)

04. Driven To Tears (THE POLICE)

05. Come Sail Away (STYX)

06. Rikki Don't Lose That Number (STEELY DAN)

07. Lemons Never Forget (THE BEE GEES)

08. The Letter (JOE COCKER)

09. I Saw The Light (TODD RUNDGREN)

10. Teacher (JETHRO TULL)

11. Southern Man/Needle And The Damage Done/Cinnamon Girl (NEIL YOUNG)

12. Starless (KING CRIMSON)

"Cov3r To Cov3r":

01. No Opportunity Necessary, No Experience Needed (YES)

02. Hymn 43 (JETHRO TULL)

03. Life On Mars (DAVID BOWIE)

04. Baker Street (GERRY RAFFERTY)

05. It Don't Come Easy (RINGO STARR)

06. Baby Blue (BADFINGER)

07. One More Red Nightmare (KING CRIMSON)

08. Black Coffee In Bed (SQUEEZE)

09. Tempted (SQUEEZE)

10. Runnin' Down A Dream (TOM PETTY)

11. Let Love Rule (LENNY KRAVITZ)

Photo credit: Robert Smith

Legendary YES singer and Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame inductee Jon Anderson has released "WDMCF" ("Where Does Music Come From"), the third single off of his highly anticipated new solo album, "1000 Hands", an effort nearly 30 years in the making.

"1000 Hands" will be Anderson's first release via his new partnership with Blue Élan Records. The album will be available digitally as well as on CD and a deluxe 180-gram double vinyl package on July 31.

When speaking about the new single, Anderson says: "'WDMCF' originates from me singing the first ideas that come to mind each morning. I start by creating vocal rhythmic sounds, very much like the Pygmies in Bambuti and Burundi in West Africa who go foraging and hunting and sing all the time. They sing like the sounds around them…insects, birds, frogs etc.." He adds: "I always dream and think that my best work is yet to come, or there would be no point in creating at all. I just feel so energized, happily surrounded by this world of music.”

A brand new video for "WDMCF" can be viewed below.

Anderson began the album (originally called "Uzlot" — "it means a lot of us") nearly 30 years ago, working with a group of musicians that included YES drummer Alan White and bassist Chris Squire. However, due to his heavy touring commitments with YES, Anderson had to put the record on the back burner. "Before you knew it, I started getting involved in other projects and tours, and years went by," he explains. "I would listen to the tapes from time to time and think, ‘This could have been a great album! One day I'll finish it.'"

Grammy-nominated producer Michael T. Franklin (Bruce Hornsby, Brian Wilson, Roger McGuinn) had at one point begun working on orchestrations for the album, but once again Anderson's jammed schedule required the project to be put on hold. Finally, a year and a half ago, Anderson and Franklin got the album back on track and were determined to see it through. "Our ideas still matched," Anderson says. "Michael knew everything I wanted to do and how I wanted the music to sound, so we agreed to go for it."

Setting up shop in Franklin's Solar Studios in Orlando, Florida, Anderson laid down backing vocals to his original lead tracks, and Franklin called in an astonishing array of rock and jazz luminaries to fill out the songs: fellow YES alum Steve Howe, Ian Anderson, Jean-Luc Ponty, Billy Cobham, Chick Corea, Steve Morse, Rick Derringer, Jonathan Cain, and the TOWER OF POWER HORNS are just a few of the guests on 1000 Hands.

"That's where the title '1000 Hands' comes from, all of the brilliant musicians who played a part in making the record," Anderson says. "Michael acted like something of a casting director, bringing so many great players. It was really exciting to hear the record open up and become what I had always envisioned."

The sessions turned out so well, in fact, that Anderson decided to include four new songs on the album, with brand-new lead vocals.

"Jon is such a remarkable writer and singer," raves Franklin. "His newer songs were fabulous, and they fit seamlessly with the rest of the album. Everything came together beautifully."

Anderson's celestial voice — one of the most recognizable sounds in rock — is in stunning form throughout "1000 Hands", an album that features some of his most breathtaking compositions. Bookended by the starkly beautiful acoustic ballads "Now" and "Now and Again", the record features electrifying new prog masterpieces ("Activate", "Come Up"), glorious poly-rhythmic wonders ("WDMCF") and delightful reggae pop ("First Born Leaders"). Listeners will be mesmerized by the cavalcade of sumptuous vocal harmonies on the frisky "Ramalama", and they'll be singing along merrily to the horn-driven funk of the aptly named "Makes Me Happy".

Robert Plant, Ozzy Osbourne, Alice Cooper and Dave Grohl are among 600 artists who have written an open letter to Congress urging them to help save independent music venues in the U.S.

The National Independent Venue Association posted the letter yesterday (June 18) and revealed a list of the signatories asking the government to financially support over 1000 independent venues that are facing permanent closure through the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

Other signatories on the list included Trent Reznor, Josh Homme, BEARTOOTH, CANNIBAL CORPSE, ALTER BRIDGE, GWAR, HALESTORM, MINISTRY, MOTIONLESS IN WHITE, QUEENSRŸCHE, SEVENDUST, SICK OF IT ALL and SHINEDOWN.

An excerpt from the letter said: "We will know America is 'back' when our music venues are filled with fans enjoying concerts safely.

"The live music experience is inextricably tied to our nation's cultural and economic fabric. In fact, 53% of Americans — that's 172 million of us — attended a concert last year. We are asking you to support NIVA's request for assistance so these beloved venues can reopen when it's safe and welcome us and our fans back in. The collapse of this crucial element in the music industry's ecosystem would be devastating.

"We urge you to remember we are the nation that gave the world jazz, country, rock & roll, bluegrass, hip hop, metal, blues, and R&B. Entertainment is America's largest economic export, with songs written and produced by American artists sung in every place on the globe. All of these genres of music, and the artists behind them, were able to thrive because they had neighbourhood independent venues to play in and hone their craft, build an audience, and grow into the entertainers that bring joy to millions."

The letter continued: "Independent venues give artists their start, often as the first stage most of us have played on. These venues were the first to close and will be the last to reopen. With zero revenue and the overwhelming overhead of rent, mortgage, utilities, taxes and insurance, 90% of independent venues report that if the shutdown lasts six months and there's no federal assistance, they will never reopen again.

"We are asking you to support NIVA's request for assistance so these beloved venues can reopen when it's safe and welcome us and our fans back in. The collapse of this crucial element in the music industry's ecosystem would be devastating.

"With respect and solidarity, we, as artists and as community members ourselves, urge you to pass federal legislation that will help #SaveOurStages."

Earlier in the month, NIVA conducted a survey which found that nearly all of independent music venues may be forced to close their doors for good due to the coronavirus pandemic.

2,000 members from all 50 states took part in the survey, which found that 90% of the venues "will close permanently in a few months without federal funding."

NIVA recently sent a letter calling on Congress to provide assistance in the wake of the "unique and dire situation" facing the industry.

"Gears", the new music video from Richmond, Virginia-based metallers LAMB OF GOD, can be seen below. The song is taken from the band's self-titled album, which is being released today (Friday, June 19) via Epic Records in the U.S. and Nuclear Blast Records in Europe. The follow-up to 2015's "VII: Sturm Und Drang" marks LAMB OF GOD's first recordings with Art Cruz, who joined the band last year as the replacement for the group's founding drummer, Chris Adler.

Guitarist Mark Morton states: "The day has finally arrived! We are absolutely thrilled to be releasing our new, self-titled album today. We're all so proud of this collection of songs and feel like they rival some of our best work. As a band, we have a reawakened energy and a renewed creative spark that is evident in these songs and pulses through the entire album. Everyone involved in this project is beyond anxious for the world to hear it. We hope you enjoy it and we thank you for your support."

Morton will host a LAMB OF GOD Twitter listening party tonight with Newbury Comics at 7:00 p.m. EST. Follow along on Twitter using the hashtag #LambOfGodXNewbury.

"Lamb Of God" was recorded with longtime producer Josh Wilbur (KORN, MEGADETH, GOJIRA, TRIVIUM) and includes special guest appearances by Jamey Jasta (HATEBREED) and Chuck Billy (TESTAMENT).

As previously reported, the first leg of LAMB OF GOD's North American tour with MEGADETH, TRIVIUM and IN FLAMES is being rescheduled for 2021 due to the coronavirus pandemic which is sweeping the globe. The 55-date trek was slated to be split into two legs. The first leg of the tour was supposed to kick off June 12 at Jiffy Lube Live in Bristow, Virginia, and wrap August 1 at the Concord Pavilion in Concord, California. The second run was due to launch October 2 at iTHINK Financial Amphitheater in West Palm Beach, Florida, and conclude on November 13 at the Reno Events Center in Reno, Nevada.

Forced by the coronavirus outbreak to postpone their much anticipated "Rhapsody" European summer tour which this Sunday, June 21, would have seen the band end its run of 14 U.K. arena shows at London's The 02, having also played Manchester and Birmingham, QUEEN + ADAM LAMBERT are out to prove that even in these lockdown times the show can still go on.

While appreciating that it won't be the same as seeing them perform live, the band instead is providing an all-access pass to a specially compiled show of highlights from previous tours on the day that they would have played their final O2 London concert by tying up with YouTube for a special QUEEN + ADAM LAMBERT tour watch party this Sunday, June 21 at 12 p.m. PDT / 3 p.m. EDT.

The tour watch party will remain live on the QUEEN channel for 24 hours.

This never-before-seen hour-long show will feature standout live band performances of many of the best known and loved songs from the QUEEN catalog — plus rarities such as "Love Kills" and "I Was Born To Love You" — performed together at the Rock In Rio festivals in Lisbon and Rio de Janeiro; the Global Citizen Festival in New York; Fire Fight Australia; Japan's Summer Sonic festival; the U.K.'s iconic Isle Of Wight festival; an exclusive iHeartRadio performance in Los Angeles, … and not to forget from Dallas, Texas, the much-sought-out "Fat Bottomed Girls" performed with the Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders.

QUEEN + ADAM LAMBERT are no strangers to YouTube, with 12.5 million subscribers following them on the platform and "Bohemian Rhapsody" is part of the exclusive YouTube Billion View Club, the first 1970s video (and pre-1990s video) to reach one billion views on the platform. QUEEN + ADAM LAMBERT's lockdown version of "You Are The Champions", all the proceeds of which are going towards the COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund for the World Health Organization, has already been viewed close to four million times in its first month on YouTube.




So excited to announce the Queen + Adam Lambert Tour Watch Party on Sunday 21st June 12pm PDT/8pm BST!! Subscribe to Queen's YouTube to be watch! https://t.co/d4iI0wBvBW @QueenWillRock @DrBrianMay @OfficialRMT @O2 pic.twitter.com/zBD9SWuHn4

— ADAM LAMBERT (@adamlambert) June 18, 2020

Grammy Award-winning artist Chris Adler has teamed up with fellow MEGADETH alum James LoMenzo on new project FIRSTBORNE.

FIRSTBORNE's self-titled debut EP marks the acclaimed drummer's first dedicated band release since his departure from MEGADETH and LAMB OF GOD.

FIRSTBORNE features Girish Pradhan on vocals and guitar, Myrone on guitar, LoMenzo on bass, and Adler on drums.

The FIRSTBORNE self-titled EP includes five songs and two lyric videos. The EP represents several years of dedicated introspection and refined effort to the idea of a heavy and positive message.

The track listing is as follows;

01. Primordial

02. Anthem

03. Roll The Dice

04. Apocalypse

05. Hunter Hunted

The debut EP from FIRSTBORNE is now available at Bandcamp and across all streaming services.

The band has also sourced an exclusive arrangement with Rare Records CEO Doug Bear in Australia for a limited release of the EP on 12-inch colored vinyl, CD and cassette. Additionally, separate colored vinyl seven-inches including the track "Separate Ways" (not available on the EP vinyl, CD or cassette) have been released across all of Australasia, with worldwide orders available here.

FIRSTBORNE worked closely with artist Craig "Goonzi" Gowans to create two lyric videos accompanying the release.

In addition to availability across all online streaming services, FIRSTBORNE's debut EP is available on Bandcamp for an important reason. The release date of Juneteenth is not random.

On June 19, Bandcamp is donating 100 percent of its cut of sales to the NAACP Legal Defense Fund. FIRSTBORNE fully supports this and will be making an additional donation from every sale during the first week of release. The band has insisted that pricing of Bandcamp sales fall into the "pay what you wish" (minimum of $1.29) status, allowing anyone to offer as much support as they choose.

As might be expected, Adler chose his bandmates in this endeavor meticulously.

Recently, Adler shared the stage across the Middle East with LoMenzo in HAIL! Prior to that, LoMenzo and Adler orbited each other for years traveling together on tours crossing the globe. The connect was inevitable.

Adler and Myrone began collaborating in early 2019 after Myrone noticed Adler's e-mail address attached to a Bandcamp sales notification email. Adler had been a fan of Myrone's talent for years prior and as soon as they connected, it was game on.

A chance meeting in India, almost a second home to Chris after eight visits, was the spark needed to form the international group FIRSTBORNE and for Chris to return to the studio. Adler met and shared the stage with Pradhan during a six-week clinic tour of India in the fall of 2019. After the first show of the clinic tour, Adler immediately called Myrone, noting he'd "struck gold" in their search for a singer for the then-unnamed project.

Girish Pradhan is the glue that united FIRSTBORNE. Pradhan on vocals represents an almost unprecedented international collaboration.

FIRSTBORNE represents a community. The message speaks to no one being excluded. It's a soundtrack for all, meant to be a positive beacon in this dark time. The first single and lyric video, "Anthem", speaks directly to this.

Pradhan had this to say about it: "'Anthem' is about how governments use the people for their own benefit. Instigating and dividing communities against each other, using age-old concepts such as religion, race and caste. While the people fight amongst themselves, the ruling governments and opposition play scripted hands for their benefit. Unfortunately, many can't see that or even worse, give it a blind eye. How you speak against injustice is a personal choice. Some go to the streets while some use music and art. Injustice is turning a blind eye and ignoring the wrongs within our societies. However big or small of a contribution you make is irrelevant. What matters is that we all do our part — in our own way — and contribute to the whole."

Pradhan is an established and well-known recording and touring artist in India and resides in Bengaluru. His band GIRISH AND THE CHRONICLES made international headlines earlier this year with their new album "Rock The Highway" and music videos "Rock 'N Roll Is Here to Stay", "Identity Crisis" and "Rock The Highway".

Speaking on his experience creating with FIRSTBORNE, Myrone explains: "Every single part of this experience has been extremely surreal for me. Girish is one of the best metal vocalists on the planet, Chris is one of the most influential drummers of the last 25 years, and JLO can play anything from MEGADETH to John Fogerty to Motown and everything in between. I can't believe I get to share space on a .wav with them."

Myrone is a Los Angeles-based producer/guitarist who pioneered the "soft shred" genre. In the last six years, he has released seven albums and two EPs of instrumental guitar music and racked up millions of Spotify streams. In addition to his own recordings, he has collaborated with Rivers Cuomo (WEEZER), SZA, Little Boots, Michael Christmas and Deaton Chris Anthony. Most recently, Myrone was Guitar #1 in the L.A. production of "Rock Of Ages", the 29th-longest running show in Broadway history.

LoMenzo is a veteran touring/recording musician since his multi-platinum band WHITE LION in the 1980s. Lomenzo is one of the most in-demand rock bass players in the world. His list of credits includes WHITE LION, Zakk Wylde's BLACK LABEL SOCIETY/PRIDE & GLORY, MEGADETH, Jerry Cantrell, David Lee Roth, SLASH'S SNAKEPIT, LYNCH MOB, FREHEY'S COMET and more. Recently he's been the touring/recording bassist for the legendary John Fogerty and can be seen in the live concert film "John Fogerty : My Fifty Year Trip" recorded live at Red Rocks last summer.

LoMenzo had this to say about his collaboration within his new band, FIRSTBORNE: "I first met Chris in 2006 on MEGADETH's 'Gigantour'. I was playing bass with MEGADETH at the time. Watching Chris on that tour, I recall being struck by the creativity, speed and power of his drumming with LAMB OF GOD. In contrast, I found him to be a gentle, thoughtful soul. Years later, I had the opportunity to finally play with Chris, performing in the Middle East with the all-star metal band HAIL! We had a great time. At this time, Chris mentioned he was looking forward to exploring making all kinds of music. I suggested he keep me in mind. Next thing I know I'm being introduced to Myrone through a demo that Chris forwarded to me. I was immediately drawn to the music. Myrone's guitar is uniquely untethered to any one style. He's a brilliant and capable amalgam of classic rock, new and classic metal. Girish on top of all this had me stunned! A soaring, powerful voice that while uniquely his own, conjures images of the greatest singers of metal, blues and classic rock. His voice is a powerful, emotive vehicle to inform through his heartfelt and socially conscious lyrics. To my ear, the combination of all this musical talent is wonderfully unique and perfectly familiar. I'm very proud and excited for music fans to hear this new musical collaboration."

Adler adds: "I've been incredibly fortunate in my creative endeavors. From the start, I sought out the best players I could find to work alongside. It's been an incredible journey that is clearly not over. Some things have changed. This may not be exactly what people expect from me right now, and I'm aware and embrace that. It's time for something new. I'm have a platform to present something important, true and collaborative. Creating FIRSTBORNE beckons cohesiveness as a mission statement. This is not about being mad all the time, egos or fabricating polarizing drama. 'This is right' is now my alarm clock. Girish, Myrone and James have the exact locker room mentality of 'kill 'em all! but let's make sure everyone is okay and having a kick-ass time' that I try and bring to everything I do. FIRSTBONE is the result of all of my experiences, both positive and negative, and I'm proud of what we are doing together."

Adler is a Grammy-winning American metal drummer from Richmond, Virginia. Chris founded LAMB OF GOD in 1994 and helped usher in what critics have dubbed the "New Wave Of American Heavy Metal." LAMB OF GOD's discography with Chris includes multiple gold records and platinum DVDs as well as five Grammy nominations.

Chris received a Grammy for playing drums on legendary thrash metal band MEGADETH's 2016 record "Dystopia". Chris also toured with MEGADETH in support of the record while juggling and occasionally combining tour dates with LAMB OF GOD.

Chris has collaborated and contributed to records with PROTEST THE HERO, TESTAMENT, THAIKKUDAM BRIDGE, Michael Angelo Batio and Ron Jarzombek.

In 2018, Chris created an artist management firm Kintsugi Management.

Chris is also appearing as a guest music celebrity judge on BangerTV's original competition series "Shredders Of Metal" this summer as the show returns for its third season.

FIRSTBORNE is working exclusively with longtime friend Marwan Aylouche, a Boston-based industrial designer and digital artist.

FIRSTBORNE is:

Vocals: Girish Pradhan

Guitar: Myrone

Bass: James LoMenzo

Drums: Chris Adler

FIRSTBORNE will make its live debut in 2021, appearing at several international festivals and tours being scheduled/rescheduled now. A second EP is well underway, with a fall 2020 release planned.

EXODUS will enter the studio in September to begin recording its long-awaited new album.

The San Francisco Bay Area thrashers' next disc will be the follow-up to 2014's "Blood In Blood Out", which was their first release since the departure of the group's lead singer of nine years, Rob Dukes, and the return of Steve "Zetro" Souza, who previously fronted EXODUS from 1986 to 1993 and from 2002 to 2004.

EXODUS guitarist and main songwriter Gary Holt discussed the band's plans for a new studio LP during a June 17 question-and-answer session on the Marshall Amplification Instagram. He said (see video below): "I'll be in the studio in September. [We're] writing right now. We've got about six songs done and about a million riffs. And it's crushing. We all say that, right? I'm not kidding. It's something else. People are gonna hear this record and they're gonna go, 'Holy shit! EXODUS is up to no good.'"

EXODUS's next album will be released in 2021 via Nuclear Blast.

This past April, Souza confirmed that Holt's COVID-19 diagnosis "put a damper" on EXODUS's ability to move forward with the songwriting process for its new LP. "By now, we would have been working together for probably a good month on it," Zetro explained. "Gary's got many riffs and many things that he needs to put together. It starts with him and Tom [Hunting, EXODUS drummer], basically. Everybody knows, drummer and guitar, and that's how EXODUS has always done it. But because of this distancing, that's been kind of impossible to do, so that's put a damper on it. But I can guarantee you, I did hear some of the stuff that they were playing around with in soundcheck on [the recently completed] 'The Bay Strikes Back' [European] tour, and EXODUS fans are gonna be very pleased. Again, I'm not hearing full songs — I'm just hearing riffs and pieces and stuff like that — and I'm [like], 'Wow!' I'm not saying — it's just pretty damn heavy."

Holt joined EXODUS in 1981 shortly after the band's formation, and has been its main songwriter ever since. Holt has performed on every EXODUS album, and is considered highly influential in the world of thrash metal. In 2011, he began filling in for Jeff Hanneman at SLAYER live shows, and became the band's full-time co-guitarist as of 2013, while remaining a member of EXODUS. In October 2014, EXODUS released its tenth studio album, "Blood In Blood Out", on the Nuclear Blast label.
























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A post shared by Marshall Amplification (@marshallamps_uk) on Jun 17, 2020 at 11:55am PDT






























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Tomorrow I’m taking over the @marshallamps_uk Instagram!! 11AM Cali time!! Drop by and ask me shit about gear and stuff, I need out over that shit! I’ll be there for maybe a half hour or so, maybe longer who know! But I got riffs to write so it won’t be all day!

A post shared by Gary Holt (@garyholt_official) on Jun 16, 2020 at 4:59pm PDT

A trailer for "Empire Of The Blind", the forthcoming album from San Francisco Bay Area metallers HEATHEN, is available below. The disc is due later in the year via Nuclear Blast Records.

"Empire Of The Blind" is the follow-up to "The Evolution Of Chaos", which was released as a 10th-anniversary remastered reissue on January 31 via Mascot Records. The effort was made available on CD/DVD, 2LP and digitally with a previously unreleased bonus track, "Seasons Of Purgatory". The CD/DVD was accompanied by a two-hour "making-of" documentary on the album as well as a live performance from 2009's Thrash Domination in Japan.

When "The Evolution Of Chaos" was originally released back in January 2010, it was HEATHEN's first full-length collection of new material in 18 years and saw them ride a wave of the resurgent thrash scene. The band's recording lineup consisted of vocalist David White, guitarists Lee Altus and Kragen Lum, bassist Jon Torres and percussionist Darren Minter.

HEATHEN is often credited — alongside EXODUS, TESTAMENT, FORBIDDEN, DEATH ANGEL and VIO-LENCE — with being one of the leaders of the Bay Area thrash metal scene of the mid-to-late 1980s.

Since its 1984 inception, HEATHEN has gone through several lineup changes, leaving Altus as the only constant member.

To date, HEATHEN has released three studio albums: 1987's "Breaking the Silence", 1991's "Victims Of Deception" and the aforementioned "The Evolution Of Chaos".

HEATHEN in 2012 inked a deal with Nuclear Blast Records.

Altus has been a member of EXODUS since 2005. He joined the group as the replacement for Rick Hunolt, who left EXODUS to concentrate on his family life.

DISTURBED has commenced the songwriting process for its next studio album.

Singer David Draiman, who resides in Hawaii with his wife and their son, discussed DISTURBED's plans for the follow-up to 2018's "Evolution" album during a brand new interview with Download Festival TV presenter Kylie Olsson.

Asked how he has been spending his coronavirus downtime, David said (see video below): "We have a six-and-half-year old boy, so home schooling has been taking up most of the week… But that's most of the time. The rest of the time, I'm just messing around a little bit with music here and there — nothing crazy. [I've been] having conversations with the other guys in DISTURBED about getting some new material going, and we've got some stuff in its infancy. One song, definitely, that's killer in our back pocket; we just haven't tracked it. And we've got a few more song ideas, [but] nothing that's been hashed out enough."

According to Draiman, making music over the Internet has presented its own set of problems, especially since most of DISTURBED's last couple of albums were composed with the core members in a room together bouncing ideas off each other.

"We kind of need to get back into the rhythm of being able to do stuff like this in Zoom format or online as opposed to in person," he said. "At least it's some kind of real-time connection so that you can be creating together improvisationally to an extent, but there's still issues with audio — it's not as clear as you want it sometimes, there's too much compression and you lose level; it's a challenge — and the vibe isn't there. There's nothing that replaces you being in front of your co-songwriter and being able to feed off each other's energy and create in person."

Last month, DISTURBED's "The Sickness 20th Anniversary Tour" was postponed until summer 2021 due to the coronavirus pandemic which is sweeping the globe.

"The Sickness 20th Anniversary Tour" with STAIND and BAD WOLVES was scheduled to kick off on July 15 in Maryland Heights, Missouri, hitting amphitheaters before wrapping up on September 12 in Auburn, Washington.

Released on March 7, 2000, "The Sickness" is DISTURBED's best-selling album to date, thanks to such hit singles as "Stupify", "Voices" and "Down With The Sickness".

Last September, DISTURBED's "No More" landed at position No. 1 on Billboard's Mainstream Rock Songs airplay chart. The track, which was the third single from "Evolution", marked DISTURBED's seventh straight No. 1 on the chart.

Japanese pop-metal band BABYMETAL will release a new concert set, "Legend - Metal Galaxy", on September 9 on Blu-ray, DVD and CD.

"Legend - Metal Galaxy" was recorded at the group's two shows at Chiba's Makuhari Messe International Exhibition Center in Japan on January 25 and January 26.

The Blu-ray and DVD editions of the set will include a total of 24 tracks split between two performances: "World Of Light" and "World Of Darkness".

In addition to the standard edition, there will also be "The One" limited edition containing a 64-page booklet titled "Apocalypse" featuring interviews with BABYMETAL.

BABYMETAL's latest DVD and Blu-ray, "Live At The Forum", was released on May 13. The effort was filmed at the Japanese pop-metal band's October 2019 first-ever arena concert in the U.S. at the The Forum in Los Angeles.

The concert was Su-metal and Moametal's second headlining arena concert outside of Japan. The 15-song set focuses on material from BABYMETAL's latest studio album, "Metal Galaxy", including "Da Da Dance", "Shanti Shanti Shanti" and "Pa Pa Ya!!"

BABYMETAL's third studio LP, "Metal Galaxy" hit No. 19 in the U.K. official album chart, No. 1 No. 1 on Billboard's Top Rock Albums chart, becoming the first Asian act to land at No. 1, and No. 18 on the German chart.

In the U.S., "Metal Galaxy" earned 28,000 equivalent album units (of which 27,000 were in album sales) in its first week of release. The album also topped the Hard Rock Albums chart.

"Metal Galaxy" entered the all-format Billboard 200 chart at No. 13. The group's previous disc, 2016's "Metal Resistance", peaked at No. 39.

"Metal Galaxy" was released in October via earMUSIC/Edel. The follow-up to 2016's "Metal Resistance" is based on the concept of "The Odyssey Of Metal Galaxy".

"Metal Galaxy" contains 14 songs, including four singles that were released prior to the LP's arrival: "Pa Pa Ya!!", "Starlight", "Distortion" and "Elevator Girl". The album expresses light and darkness, emotions like duality and ambivalence, and "new metal" created by various chemical reactions as other entities evolved and expanded in this album.

The album includes five songs that feature guest appearances from worldwide musicians who were perfect to the character of each song. Vocalist Joakim Brodén from SABATON is featured on "Oh! Majinai". Guitarist Tim Henson and Scott LePage from POLYPHIA are featured on "Brand New Day". Vocalist Alissa White-Gluz from ARCH ENEMY is featured on "Distortion". Rapper F.Hero is featured in "Pa Pa Ya!!"

German power metallers PRIMAL FEAR will release their 13th studio album, "Metal Commando", on July 24 via Nuclear Blast. The official music video for the disc's second single, "I Am Alive", can be seen below.

Bassist and producer Mat Sinner comments: "'I Am Alive' is the opening track of the new album and a statement in these rough times. Between the speed of the double-bass drumming plus grooves and fat guitar riffs is one of the best PRIMAL FEAR hooks ever. You can look forward to a real banger of a song that is representative of our new album — 'Metal Commando'."

"Metal Commando" was produced by Sinner and mixed by Jacob Hansen. It will be available as a 2CD digipack, 2LP and as an exclusive mailorder box.

"I don't want to throw around superlatives, but each of us went to their utmost limits and we are all very happy with the sound and song material," adds Sinner. "It's pretty safe to say that this is a top album and maybe even our strongest record to date. It's the perfect mix between our origins and our current style, a perfect balance and all bandmembers did an awesome job playing and recording it. For me, 'Metal Commando' is the right album at the right time."

"Metal Commando" track listing:

01. I Am Alive

02. Along Came The Devil

03. Halo

04. Hear Me Calling

05. The Lost & The Forgotten

06. My Name Is Fear

07. I Will Be Gone

08. Raise Your Fists

09. Howl Of The Banshee

10. Afterlife

11. Infinity

Bonus CD (limited edition 2-CD digipak)

12. Rising Fear

13. Leave Me Alone

14. Second To None

15. Crucify Me

PRIMAL FEAR is:

Ralf Scheepers - vocals

Mat Sinner - bass, vocals

Alex Beyrodt - guitars

Tom Naumann - guitars

Magnus Karlsson - guitars

Michael Ehré - drums

MÖTLEY CRÜE, DEF LEPPARD, POISON and JOAN JETT & THE BLACKHEARTS have announced the reschedueld dates for their "The Stadium Tour".

"The Stadium Tour" was scheduled to kick off in less than three weeks — on June 18 at TIAA Bank Field in Jacksonville, Florida — and run through September 5 in Los Angeles. The bands reportedly also booked time at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville to rehearse for the tour.

Earlier today, MÖTLEY CRÜE released the following statement: "We are excited to share the new dates for 'The Stadium Tour'. All tickets will be honored for the new dates. If you cannot make the new show, you will receive an email from your ticket provider or you can visit http://livenation.com/refund. We look forward to seeing you in 2021!"

"The Stadium Tour" 2021 dates:

June 19 - Nashville, Tennessee @ Nissan Stadium

June 21 - Cincinnati, Ohio @ Great American Ballpark

June 24 - Charlotte, North Carolina @ Bank of America Stadium

June 26 - Miami, Florida @ Hard Rock Stadium

June 27 - Orlando, Florida @ Camping World Stadium

July 03 - Cleveland, Ohio @ FirstEnergy Field

July 06 - St. Louis, Missouri @ Busch Stadium

July 08 - Minneapolis, Minnesota @ U.S. Bank Stadium

July 10 - Detroit, Michigan @ Comerica Park

July 13 - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania @ Citizens Bank Park

July 15 Flushing, New York @ Citi Field

July 17 - Boston, Massachusetts @ Fenway Park

July 18 - Boston, Massachusetts @ Fenway Park

July 20 - Hershey, Pennsylvania @ Hersheypark Stadium

July 22 - Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania @ PNC Park

August 07 - Jacksonville, Florida @ TIAA Bank Field

August 09 - Washington, DC @ Nationals Park

August 12 - Buffalo, New York @ New Era Field

August 15 - Atlanta, Georgia @ SunTrust Park

August 17 - Houston, Texas @ Minute Maid Park

August 20 - San Antonio, Texas @ Alamodome

August 22 - Arlington, Texas @ Globe Life Field

August 24 - Kansas City, Missouri @ Kauffman Stadium

August 28 - Milwaukee, Wisconsin @ Miller Park

August 29 - Chicago, Illinois @ Wrigley Field

September 03 - Phoenix, Arizona @ State Farm Stadium

September 04 - Los Angeles, California @ SoFi Stadium

September 07 - Seattle, Washington @ T-Mobile Park

September 10 - San Francisco, California @ Oracle Park

September 12 - San Diego, CA @ Petco Park

As of January 30, "The Stadium Tour" had already grossed $130 million from one million tickets sold, plus another $5 million worth of VIP seats, according to Billboard.

Tickets ranged from $150 to $400, not counting some varied pricing that reflected demand as part of "dynamic pricing."

When it happens, "The Stadium Tour" will mark the CRÜE's first live dates since wrapping its 2014/2015 farewell tour. CRÜE toured with POISON back in 2011 and DEF LEPPARD teamed up with POISON for a string of road dates in 2017 — but the upcoming jaunt marks the first time all four acts have hit the road together for an extended tour.

In the face of the coronavirus pandemic, thousands of concerts and festivals have either been postponed or canceled, as social distancing and self-quarantining make performing live music and attending live shows all but impossible.

Last month, Joan Jett said during a SiriusXM virtual town hall that she "would not feel comfortable" playing stadium shows during the coronavirus pandemic. "I wouldn't feel comfortable putting the band or my crew in that position," she said. "I don't really have that right to mess with their lives like that.

"I'm not saying it's an easy decision," she explained. "I know people are struggling all over the country with what to do and how to do it.

"Of course I wanna play. As soon as we can do it, let's figure out a way to do it. I've heard there's some ideas with drive-in, like a drive-in movie, where you can still see live music and you're in your car. That's a step, and that's a step I'd enjoy taking. But it's still not people together. And that's gonna take a while.

"When people feel safe to be together, I would hope that we'll all feel the same way," she added. "I can't make decisions for other people as well. If things are safe, I would be into it. But, obviously, that means testing and all that stuff. And I have had my tests. But you've gotta keep doing it."

POISON singer Bret Michaels concurred, telling Arizona Republic that he will be ready to play the shows when he gets the green light from the authorities. "The health is number one," he said. "The health of the fans. The band's crew. The people working at the venues. The first responders. That comes first. And if the CDC [Centers for Disease Control and Prevention] says it's a go? I will be there, ready to rock. [And if not], then it's not over. It's just postponed. Those dates have almost all completely sold out. We added a second night at Fenway. I think Jacksonville went quick. Milwaukee was the quickest sellout they ever had. It was like 43 minutes."

More than 8.3 million coronavirus cases have been reported worldwide and more than 449,000 deaths so far, putting public health systems and emergency services under immense pressure.

U.S. officials have repeatedly urged Americans to heed what federal, state and local officials are asking of them in order to curtail the spread and dampen the impact of the virus on the population.

SLIPKNOT and STONE SOUR frontman Corey Taylor spoke to Terry "Beez" Bezer of Knotfest.com's "Mosh Talks With Beez" about his upcoming debut solo album, tentatively due in September. Taylor recorded the effort with his solo band consisting of Jason Christopher on bass, Dustin Schoenhofer on drums, and Zach Throne and Christian Martucci (STONE SOUR) on guitar.

"It was something I was planning to do anyway next year when I got off the road with SLIPKNOT, and, obviously, best-laid plans [were] just done and done [because of the coronavirus pandemic]," he said. "But I figured if this was the time to do it, why not try and do it. Me and my band quarantined. We social distanced for about two weeks, including our producer, Jay Ruston, who I worked with, and the people at the studio that I recorded at, which was Kevin Churko's Hideout [Recording Studio in Las Vegas].

"This was stuff that we had been working on for a while," he continued. "This was stuff that I had written as [recently] as the last SLIPKNOT tour and as far back as… There's a song on here that dates back to when I was in high school, so that tells you how long I've been sitting on a lot of this material. And it's just stuff that I've kind of had floating around that didn't really fit with either band. It just had different energy and a different vibe.

"The more people asked me if I was ever gonna do a solo thing, I started going, 'Well, I kind of know what it would sound like, because I've got all these songs that really don't have a home anywhere else.' And lo and behold, boom.

"We went in, we recorded 98 to 99 percent of the music live in the studio. The only thing we overdubbed was vocals and piano and some acoustic. And we did 25 songs in two and a half weeks."

Asked how many songs will end up on the final album, Taylor said: "Thirteen. We did thirteen originals. We recorded seven covers, and then we did six acoustic versions of the originals that we put together. Or [maybe] it's five. I can never keep that straight. Maybe it's six [covers] and six [acoustic versions] — I can't remember. All I know is that we did an insane amount of work in two and a half weeks — something that we thought was gonna take two months — and we destroyed it. We were doing a song a day. And we got done, and we were, like, 'Eh, okay. What are we gonna do now?' Everything has come together so quickly that it's crazy.

"It's everything I wanted it to be," he added. "There's some SLADE in there, there's some Johnny Cash, there's some ALICE IN CHAINS. I mean, big choruses, fun rock, just huge solos — huge solos. It's incredible. I, actually, two years ago, started teaching myself piano just so I can record this song that I wrote for my wife, and I was able to play it and record it. And it's really good — it's probably one of the best things I've ever written."

Pressed about how a song that he wrote back in high school sticks around for so long without him properly recording it and releasing it until now, Corey said: "I've kept almost every notebook of ideas that I've had since I first started really writing songs — since I was about 15 or 16. So I've got stuff dating all the way back then, just sitting in boxes. And every once in a while, the grand hoarder that I am, I'll start going through stuff thinking that I'm gonna throw it away, and I [say to myself], 'I can't throw that away 'cause maybe this is gonna be a song someday.' And lo and behold, I kept finding this notebook that had the first verse — at least the first verse and the start of the second — of [a song that ended up on the record]. I always remembered how it would start, and I was, like, 'Where would we go from there?' And it was actually the first song that I really put together for this. I finished it finally — after 30 years, I finally finished this song. And it's killer. There's a riff in it that feels almost like PANTERA in a way, but then there's this overall vibe of THE CHARLIE DANIELS BAND, which is really, really cool. So it's a mover, man, and it's really, really good."

Asked whether he has already out a song that we will hear first, Corey said: "Actually, there's two — there's two songs that we're gonna release first. The overall vibe of this album is fun — it is party. You put this on when you wanna feel good. So there are actually two songs that we're thinking about releasing at the same time. There's one that is the overall crusher single — really great, huge chorus, big vibe. And then there's another one that is just as fun on the completely other end of the spectrum that people are gonna hear and they are going to lose their minds.

"The way I've been looking at it is it's like a futuristic throwback," he explained. "Everything on this album is a hybrid of all these different genres that I'm really into. It's a modern take on vibes that people have heard before, and yet I've taken them and kind of thrown them through this crazy filter to see what we get. Everybody who hears it is just blown away, so I'm really, really stoked."

SLIPKNOT recently canceled all of its previously announced summer 2020 tour dates, including the "Knotfest Roadshow", Knotfest UK and Knotfest At Sea, due to the coronavirus pandemic which is sweeping the globe.

Mike Portnoy has revealed that he spent last New Year's Eve with his former bandmate, DREAM THEATER bassist John Myung.

The ex-DREAM THEATER drummer addressed his relationship with Myung while filming a new video message on Cameo, which lets users hire celebrities to record brief, personalized video messages about virtually any topic.

Asked if he still keeps in touch with John, Mike said (see video below): "Well, actually, yeah, I do. And he, actually, he and his family came and spent New Year's Eve with us back a few months ago. We had a really great time together ringing in the New Year together. John is a very quiet guy, so we didn't post any pictures and we didn't put it out there. He's not really into the whole social media thing, so I wanted to respect that, and we kind of just kept it a nice, quiet evening between us, and we had a great time together. So it was great to see him and spend time together."

In the last couple of years, Portnoy has shared several photos of him hanging out with other DREAM THEATER members, including keyboardist Jordan Rudess and guitarist John Petrucci.

In February 2019, Portnoy and Rudess reunited on stage during the Cruise To The Edge to perform "Instrumedley" from DREAM THEATER / LIQUID TENSION EXPERIMENT. They were joined by NEAL MORSE BAND guitarist Eric Gillette and HAKEN bassist Conner Green.

Back in April 2015, Portnoy and Rudess both joined the British progressive metal band HAKEN on stage in New York City. Three months earlier, they were photographed having what appeared to be friendly banter at the 2015 NAMM show in Anaheim, California.

More than two years ago, Portnoy posted a photo of him hanging out with Petrucci in a move that clearly represented a thawing of tensions between the two musicians who had been friends for more than three decades.

Although Portnoy and his former bandmates in DREAM THEATER engaged in a public war of words following his exit from the group, Rudess told SiriusXM's "Trunk Nation" that he harbors no resentment toward his longtime friend.

"When Portnoy left the band, there was tension — natural tension — because it was a big deal," he said. "But what's really important to me is finding that… especially somebody who I care about, who I had so much life experience with. And he's a really great guy. There are so many wonderful things about him. So I wanna enjoy that.

"People will say, 'Oh my God! DREAM THEATER is gonna have Portnoy back in the band.' That's not what it's about," Rudess added. "This is about people and people who spent a lot of time together being able to be close together and be friends."

Rudess acknowledged that some of his other DREAM THEATER bandmates have "their own feelings" about maintaining a connection with their former drummer. "But Mike and I enjoyed hanging out and chatting about old times and all the stuff," he said. "So it was really cool."

In November 2017, Mike told Loud that he left DREAM THEATER because he wanted to expand his musical horizons. "[I didn't] want to go to my grave and just be the drummer from DREAM THEATER," he said. "I knew there was way more to what I had to offer."

DREAM THEATER guitarist John Petrucci will release a new solo album, "Terminal Velocity", in the fall.

Petrucci announced the long-awaited follow-up to 2005's "Suspended Animation" in a pair of Instagram posts on Wednesday. He wrote in one (see below): "In 2005, there was SUSPENDED ANIMATION. And now, 15 years later, THE WAIT IS NEARLY OVER! #JohnPetrucci #TerminalVelocity #Fall2020"

Since the 2010 departure of drummer Mike Portnoy, Petrucci, along with keyboardist Jordan Rudess, has taken on much of the songwriting load for the progressive metal giants, including 2016's controversial double concept album, "The Astonishing", and last year's "Distance Over Time".

In a 2019 interview with "The Everyman Podcast", Petrucci was asked when fans can expect to hear a new solo album from him.

"It's something that I'm just almost embarrassed about, because my first one — only one — was released in 2005," he responded. "And I do — as people may know, from watching the 'G3' tours — have plenty of material for that. So, next time I can sit down and get into a studio and I'm not making a DREAM THEATER record or touring with DREAM THEATER, I will record music for a follow-up solo album."

Petrucci told Guitar World magazine in 2018 that the song "Damage Control" from "Suspended Animation" was particularly challenging to play in a live setting. "It's just a crazy... I've said this before — I feel like I'm doing damage control the entire time I'm playing," he said. "It just has so many weird things about it — time signatures and technical challenges and things. A concentration song, that one."

DREAM THEATER's latest album, "Distance Over Time" was released in February 2019. The disc, which marked the band's first for their new label InsideOut Music, was produced by Petrucci, mixed by Ben Grosse and mastered by Tom Baker.
























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In 2005, there was SUSPENDED ANIMATION. And now, 15 years later, THE WAIT IS NEARLY OVER! #JohnPetrucci #TerminalVelocity #Fall2020

A post shared by John Petrucci (@johnpetrucciofficial) on Jun 17, 2020 at 12:00pm PDT






























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#JohnPetrucci #TerminalVelocity #Fall2020

A post shared by John Petrucci (@johnpetrucciofficial) on Jun 3, 2020 at 8:02am PDT

BLACK VEIL BRIDES guitarist Jeremy "Jinxx" Ferguson has slammed President Donald Trump for refusing to rename forts named after Confederate leaders and soldiers.

As Americans continue to grapple with systemic racism, there is a growing call to remove symbols honoring Confederate figures from military bases — including Fort Lee, Fort Hood, Fort Benning, Fort Gordon, Fort Bragg, Fort Polk, Fort Pickett, Fort A.P. Hill, Fort Rucker and Camp Beauregard — and the U.S. Capitol.

On Wednesday, Trump quashed the idea of renaming military bases honoring Confederate generals, saying they are "part of a Great American Heritage, and a history of Winning, Victory and Freedom."

"The United States of America trained and deployed our HEROES on these Hallowed Grounds, and won two World Wars," he wrote on Twitter. "Therefore, my Administration will not even consider the renaming of these Magnificent and Fabled Military Installations... ...Our history as the Greatest Nation in the World will not be tampered with. Respect our Military!!"

Earlier today (Sunday, June 14), Jinxx took to his Instagram to share a photo of a shredded U.S. flag, and he included the following message: "My ggggrandfather George Lucke and his brothers fought under this very flag during the American Civil War 1861-5. On June 22, 1864, when Confederate troops under General A.P. Hill tried to capture this same flag at Petersburg, Virginia, he and his comrades ripped this flag apart and stuffed the remnants in their coat pockets, refusing to let the enemy take possession of the colors (which explains why this is all that remains). George's brother Frederick was among many of the regiment to be captured and subsequently interred and tortured in the notorious Andersonville Confederate prison camp in Georgia.

"Prior to the war, George and his 2 younger brothers emigrated to America from Germany in 1853 in search of a better life. They were hired as day laborers on the Molyneux farm in Sullivan County, Pennsylvania, soon after. Motivated by a novel called 'Uncle Tom's Cabin' by Harriet Beecher Stowe that was published the year before, the Molyneux family were incensed to fight for the cause of abolishing the evil institution of slavery. Their farm became a station on the infamous Underground Railroad, helping 'fugitive' runaway slaves escape their captors in the South to freedom in the non-slave states in the North and into Canada. It was no wonder these brothers would enlist in the Union Army for such cause when the war broke out in 1861. George would marry Jane Molyneux, the middle daughter of the family, shortly after the war. She was present during President Lincoln's 'Gettysburg Address' speech in 1863, on the field where her elder brother mortally fell (and where George lost his thumb defending the Union line during the Confederate 'Picket's Charge'). They were considered very PROGRESSIVE and radical in their beliefs for their day, fought for the end of slavery, human rights, and the preservation of a new country that was designed to protect such unalienable rights. In my opinion, they fought on the right side of history.

"Think about this in November when we have 'leaders' who refuse to rename such southern US Army bases like 'Fort A.P. Hill', named for a known Confederate general, a slave owner, and traitor to this flag. #flagday #blacklivematter #votethemout"
























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My ggggrandfather George Lucke and his brothers fought under this very flag during the American Civil War 1861-5. On June 22, 1864, when Confederate troops under General A.P. Hill tried to capture this same flag at Petersburg, Virginia, he and his comrades ripped this flag apart and stuffed the remnants in their coat pockets, refusing to let the enemy take possession of the colors (which explains why this is all that remains). George’s brother Frederick was among many of the regiment to be captured and subsequently interred and tortured in the notorious Andersonville Confederate prison camp in Georgia. Prior to the war, George and his 2 younger brothers emigrated to America from Germany in 1853 in search of a better life. They were hired as day laborers on the Molyneux farm in Sullivan County, Pennsylvania, soon after. Motivated by a novel called “Uncle Tom’s Cabin” by Harriet Beecher Stowe that was published the year before, the Molyneux family were incensed to fight for the cause of abolishing the evil institution of slavery. Their farm became a station on the infamous Underground Railroad, helping “fugitive” runaway slaves escape their captors in the South to freedom in the non-slave states in the North and into Canada. It was no wonder these brothers would enlist in the Union Army for such cause when the war broke out in 1861. George would marry Jane Molyneux, the middle daughter of the family, shortly after the war. She was present during President Lincoln’s “Gettysburg Address” speech in 1863, on the field where her elder brother mortally fell (and where George lost his thumb defending the Union line during the Confederate “Picket’s Charge”). They were considered very PROGRESSIVE and radical in their beliefs for their day, fought for the end of slavery, human rights, and the preservation of a new country that was designed to protect such unalienable rights. In my opinion, they fought on the right side of history. Think about this in November when we have ‘leaders’ who refuse to rename such southern US Army bases like “Fort A.P. Hill”, named for a known Confederate general, a slave owner, and traitor to this flag. #flagday #blacklivematter #votethemout

A post shared by Jinxx (@jinxxed4life) on Jun 14, 2020 at 9:35am PDT

Frontiers Music Srl recently released Paralydium’s debut album, Worlds Beyond. Order the album here, and listen to the song, "The Source", below:

Initially known as "The Paralydium Project”, the band hails from Sweden and is an epic­ progressive metal combo founded by guitarist John Berg with a vision to create an innovative mixture of hard hitting heavy riffs, textured landscapes, and powerful grooves. Their sound takes you through space and time for an experience beyond the borders of your mind. With influences ranging from Symphony X and Pagan’s Mind to Seventh Wonder and Dream Theater, Paralydium have created their own sound and expertly crafted melodies into a ‘best of both worlds’ sound.

"The writing process for this album started soon after our first release back in 2015,” says guitarist John Berg. "When the songs really started to come together, I began to feel that they had a certain interplay with each other which got me thinking on making this a conceptual album. The real challenge was to integrate all the elements, put the pieces together. As a result, the outcome is something more than just an ordinary album, just wait and you will see. Our music crosses many borders in terms of styles, so we believe that Paralydium and Frontiers will be a great team.”

Tracklisting:

"Enter Paralydium"
"Within The Sphere"
"Synergy"
"Finding The Paragon"
"Crystal Of Infinity"
"Awakening"
"The Source"
"Into Divinity"
"Seeker Of The Light"

"Crystal Of Infinity" lyric video:

"Crystal Of Infinity" guitar playthrough video:

"Within The Sphere":

"Within The Sphere" guitar playthrough video:

"Finding The Paragon" video:

"Finding the Paragon" guitar playthrough video:

Lineup:

John Berg ­- Guitars
Georg Härnsten Egg ­- Drums
Jonathan Olsson -­ Bass
Mikael Blanc ­- Keys
Mikael Sehlin -­ Vocals




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