TOOL's long-awaited new album, "Fear Inoculum", has landed at positon No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart. The band's first effort in 13 years shifted between 270,000 equivalent album units equivalent album units in its first week of release. Of that sum, between 248,000 were in traditional album sales.

The Billboard 200 chart ranks the most popular albums of the week in the U.S. based on multi-metric consumption as measured in equivalent album units. Units are comprised of traditional album sales, track equivalent albums (TEA) and streaming equivalent albums (SEA).

According to Billboard, those numbers are particularly astonishing as TOOL achieved them "without the assistance of a concert ticket/album sale redemption offer, any sort of album pre-order/pre-sale access code promotion, or a single merchandise/album bundle — all of which have become the norm for most major albums in recent years as artists struggle to sell albums through more old-fashioned or traditional methods."

"Fear Inoculum" beat Taylor Swift's "Lover" for the No. 1 spot on the Billboard 200 chart. "Lover" After debuting at No. 1 last week, "Lover" fell to No. 2, with 178,000 album units moved.

The news of "Fear Inoculum"'s impressive debut comes amidst news stories of the album release being met by lengthy lines at retailers as music lovers clamored to get a copy of the limited edition, physical version of the CD. The spectacular, groundbreaking packaging boasts a four-inch HD rechargeable screen with exclusive video footage, charging cable, two-watt speaker, a 36-page booklet and a digital download card. The Coalition of Independent Music Stores (CIMS) released a rare statement, describing the event-like album release: "Several stores had well-attended midnight sales on Thursday (it was my store's first midnight sale in 10 years). When we returned to work on Friday morning, there were lines at the door… the TOOL release was the biggest thing to hit retail in years."

The success wasn't isolated to the U.S., with the album debuting at No. 1 in Australia, Norway, New Zealand, and Belgium, as well as Top 5 debuts in the UK, Germany, The Netherlands, Ireland, Italy and Finland.

Critically, the album was met with equal enthusiasm. NPR proclaimed "'Fear Inoculum' was worth the 13-year wait," NME awarded the 10-track offering a perfect five-star score, The Atlantic dubbed it "precise and devastating," Revolver declared it "a masterpiece that will be dissected for years to come" and Entertainment Weekly said the collection is "deeply satisfying, both as a distinct artistic statement and as accidental fan service to a base that expects nothing less than unflinchingly unique artistic statements."

"Fear Inoculum" arrived on August 30 via RCA. The 85-minute collection was produced by TOOL, with Joe Barresi engineering and mixing the release. Barresi also worked with the band on 2006's "10,000 Days".

As previously reported, the "Fear Inoculum" title track recently became the longest song to ever land in the Billboard Hot 100. The TOOL cut, which entered the chart at No. 93, has a running time of 10 minutes 21 seconds, 24 seconds longer than the previous record holder, David Bowie's "Blackstar".

Fan-filmed video footage of Vince Neil's August 22 performance at Pacific National Exhibition Amphitheatre in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada can be seen below (courtesy of YouTube user "backpackdave2012").

Neil is continuing to tour the world with his backing group, which includes Dana Strum and Jeff Blando from SLAUGHTER, along with drummer Zoltan Chaney.

Speaking to "Trunk Nation", Vince acknowledged that he is currently the only member of MÖTLEY CRÜE who is waving the flag for the band's music by performing CRÜE songs as a solo artist.

"It's a cool thing, because I love MÖTLEY CRÜE, I love MÖTLEY CRÜE's music, and I love singing, and I love the fans' reactions when they hear the songs," he said. "Whether we're playing in front of a thousand people or twenty thousand people, I can only see the front row anyway. So I'm happy for me and for the fans to be able to still hear that music after MÖTLEY CRÜE is finished."

The film adaptation of MÖTLEY CRÜE's biography, "The Dirt", was released on March 22. The movie, which was helmed by "Jackass Presents: Bad Grandpa" director Jeff Tremaine, was picked up by Netflix after being previously developed at Focus Features and before that at Paramount.

Last year, MÖTLEY CRÜE recorded four new songs for "The Dirt" movie, including the single "The Dirt (Est. 1981) (Feat. Machine Gun Kelly)", "Ride With The Devil", "Crash And Burn" and the band's own spin on Madonna's "Like A Virgin".

MÖTLEY CRÜE's last studio album was 2008's "Saints Of Los Angeles", which was followed by a 2009 "Greatest Hits" compilation.

In 2015, MÖTLEY CRÜE completed "The Final Tour", closing the book on the band's iconic career after performing a total of 164 shows in 72 markets, grossing over $100 million.

To cement the sense of finality, the four members of MÖTLEY CRÜE in 2014 publicly signed a "cessation of touring" contract that prevents any of them from performing under the CRÜE name in the future.

A tour film about MÖTLEY CRÜE's final shows, "The End", came out in 2016.

Japan’s Coffins are streaming the new track, “Impuritious Minds”, from their fifth full-length album, Beyond The Circular Demise, out September 20 on CD/LP/digital. Find pre-order options at Relapse.com, and listen to the new song below.

No frills, no trends, no fashion. This is Coffins at their most unforgiving and uncompromising. Bone crushing riffs are set against pounding war drums, while hallowed screams preach fire and brimstone. Tracks such as “Forgotten Cemetery”, “Impuritious Minds” and more, highlight Beyond the Circular Demise as one of the band’s cornerstone releases. Recorded and mastered at Noise Room Studio, Beyond the Circular Demise encompasses all of the death and doom that has defined Coffins and their career as the underground’s torchbearers for over 20 years. Featuring album art by the legendary Chris Moyen (Incantation, Blasphemy). Prepare for total death!

Tracklisting:

“Terminate By Own Prophecy”
“The Tranquil End”
“Forgotten Cemetery”
“Impuritious Minds”
“Hour Of Execution”
“Insane”
“Birth Postmortem”
“Gateway To Dystopia”

“Impuritious Minds”:

"Terminate By Own Prophecy":

“Forgotten Cemetery”:




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The wait is finally over.American doom legends, Orodruin ,return with their first studio album in 16 years, the masterful Ruins Of Eternity. The album will be released October 25 on Cruz Del Sur Music.

One of the most highly-regarded names in American doom metal picks up where they left off from their classic Epicurean Mass debut with Ruins Of Eternity, an epic showing time-honored and epic doom.

Sixteen years have passed since Orodruin’s lone studio album, Epicurean Mass. The album is a veritable American doom touchstone - the almost perfect intersection of Black Sabbath heft and the slow atmospheric churn of Saint Vitus. And while those two bands are a proper frame of reference for Orodruin and the American doom scene at large, the Rochester, New York-based outfit immediately proved itself to be its own unique, formidable entity, the creative unit of John Gallo (guitar), Mike Puleo (bass/vocals), Nick Tydelski (guitar) and Mike Waske (drums) writing an album equally as epic as it was forlorn.

Such an elongated span of time between releases often condemns lesser bands to the memory bank gallows, never to be seen or heard from again. Yet, the Orodruin name has only grown in stature since the release of Epicurean Mass, with the doom scene at large pining for new music from the band as they remained active on the live front. The wait is finally over - Orodruin has returned with a brand-new studio album and their first for Cruz Del Sur Music, Ruins Of Eternity.

Tracked throughout 2018 at Wicked Squid Studio, Ruins Of Eternity is the result of a two-year songwriting burst from the band, who are now a trio after the departure of Waske. (Puleo pulled double-duty on the album and handled the drums.) Exploring lyrical themes of “loss, departure and rebirth,” Ruins Of Eternity finds Orodruin already in full doom-stride, employing their trademark heavy riffing, guitar harmony interplay and the emotive vocals of Puleo, who turns in an impassioned performance on the title track, as well as “Into The Light Of The Sun” and “Hell Frozen Over.” The band even reached back into their song archives for “Letter Of Life’s Regret,” which was written in 2005 and deemed too good not to include on Ruins Of Eternity.

The album’s cover art is the combination of various images pulled together by Gallo, including the Thomas Cole print Expulsion Of Eden. It’s all part of a meticulous, highly thought-out package from Orodruin, who prove on Ruins Of Eternity that the passage of time is no match for sterling, honest doom metal done right.

Tracklisting:

"Forsaken"
"Man Of Peace"
"Grave Illusion"
"Letter Of Life’s Regret"
"War On The World"
"Into The Light Of The Sun"
"Voice In The Dark"
"Hell Frozen Over"
"Ruins Of Eternity"

Orodruin is:

John Gallo - Guitar
Mike Puleo - Bass / Vocals / Drums
Nick Tydelski- Guitar




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The Three Tremors - Tim "Ripper" Owens (Judas Priest, Iced Earth, Dio Disciples), Harry "The Tyrant" Conklin (Jag Panzer, Satan's Host, Titan Force), and Sean "The Hell Destroyer" Peck (Cage, Denner/Shermann, Death Dealer) - and Steel Cartel Records have announced the Friday, November 15th, 2019 release of a 3-disc digipak, called The Three Tremors - The Solo Versions.

Each of the three singers perform the band's entire self-titled debut album alone, adding their own stylings and nuances to all 12 of the songs. This brings a fresh and completely new take on the ground-breaking debut release, and all three versions are incredible in their own right. Also included are three live bonus tracks recorded from their US tour. Each of the discs has brand new original artwork from Dusan Marcovic, and reflects the monstrous nature of this endeavour.

Bonus tracks for The Solo Versions:

"Invaders From The Sky" Live
"When the Last Scream Fades" Live
"The Three Tremors" Live

Included in the set is all new artwork and packaging, three separate discs (The Ripper version, The Tyrant Version, The Hell Destroyer Version), three live bonus tracks, and all new photographs.

Order here.

The Hell Destroyer: "We each sang and recorded the entire album and so much great material got left on the cutting room floor because of how we pieced together the original release. I felt we had a really cool product that we could put together and I started working with Dave Garcia to mix them and assemble them. We contacted the artist and had him paint some incredible cover art to match the ferocity of the recordings."

Ripper: "Everyone each had their own amazing version of the album and I was hoping we would find a way to get them released and now here they are."

The Tyrant: "This is a really cool, unique product that as a metal fan myself would want to have. The different approach we each took to the songs makes each version really fresh and interesting. Each guy really did a great job and it is definitely a trip the metal fan is going to enjoy."

Additionally, the band will be embarking on a European tour in November. The trio will be hitting several new territories as they seek to expand their reach to the European metal fans. The dates below are confirmed with more to be announced.

Ripper: "Excited to return to Europe and play to the fans now that the album has been out for a while now. We will be bringing some new surprises and changing up the set a bit from the last run out there we did. See you in the pit!"

The Tyrant: "I did a run with Jag Panzer earlier this year, and I am happy to tell all the people I met out on the road and asked about the Tremors return, that yes the Tremors are coming back to kill! See you in November!"

The Hell Destroyer: "Well we have been non-stop working on material since we did the US Tour and planning these dates and our return to Europe as one of our top priorities. We are supporting the SOLO VERSIONS release and will have the digipaks for sale out on the road along with some killer merchandise with the new cover artwork. I am stoked we are hitting a lot of places that we missed on the first run. Bring every metalhead you know because this is unlike any show you have ever seen!"

Tour dates:

November
13 - 7er Club - Mannheim, Germany        
14 - Ragnarok - Bree, Belgium                
15 - The Underworld - London, UK                
17 - Little Devil - Tilburg, The Netherlands    
20 - Pub Anchor - Stockholm, Sweden
21 - Bomber Bar - Motala, Sweden
22 - Dirty Harry - Gävle, Sweden
23 - High Voltage - Copenhagen, Denmark
25 - Dürer Kert - Budapest, Hungary
26 - Collesseum - Kosice, Slovakia
27 - Viper Room - Wien, Austria

Ticket links for European dates can be found here.




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Hate Eternal's Erik Rutan has shared a guitar playthrough video for the track "All Hope Destroyed". The song is taken from the band's 2018 release, Upon Desolate Sands. The video can be found below.

Speaking about the clip, Rutan comments; "This has been a long time coming, and something many people have asked me about me for years. I've always wanted to do a guitar play through. The time has arrived and I'm super excited about it! I could not think of a better song off our new album to release a play through for than 'All Hope Destroyed.' It showcases some of my different styles, techniques and approaches that I use as a  rhythm and lead guitarist. I hope everyone enjoys it. Cheers!"

Nile are set to embark a European tour, along with Hate Eternal, Vitriol, and Omophagia.

Hate Eternal states: "We are super excited to get back on the road with our great friends in Nile touring across Europe in Sept/Oct! Joining us will be Vitriol and Omophagia to complete this vicious death metal package. We will be playing a few new songs off of our latest album Upon Desolate Sands, as well as songs from the rest of our catalog. This will be the only Hate Eternal tour of the year so we hope to see you all out there!"

Tour dates:

September
10 - Warszawa, Poland - Progresja
11 - Poznań, Poland - U Bazyla
12 - Kraków, Poland - ZetPeTe
13 - Budapest, Hungary - Durer Kert
14 - Vienna, Austria - Szene
15 - Brno, Czech Republic - Melodka
16 - Munich, Germany - Backstage
17 - Aarau, Switzerland - Kiff
18 - Mannheim, Germany - MS Connection
19 - Milano, Italy - Slaughter Club
20 - Rome, Italy - Largo
21 - San Dona di Piave, Italy - Revolver
23 - France (TBC)
24 - Manchester, England - Club Academy
25 - Glasgow, Scotland - Slay
26 - London, England - The Dome
27 - Mons, Belgium - Lotto Mons Expo Club
28 - Helmond, Netherlands - Cacaofabriek
29 - Essen, Germany - Turock

October
1 - Bremen, Germany - Tivoli
2- Amstelveen, Netherlands - P60
3 - Bad Oeynhausen, Germany - Alte Druckerei
4 - Lichtenfels, Germany - Way Of Darkness Festival
5 - Leipzig, Germany - Hellraiser
6 - Wrocław, Poland - Zaklęte Rewiry




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Australian melodic death metal band, Eye Of The Enemy, released a video for the new song, "Clay". The track is available now everywhere digital music is sold. The video can be seen below:

Eye Of The Enemy will unleash their brutal new album, Titan, on October 11 via Art Is War Records. Titan's ominous cover art can be seen below:

After 10 years and two critically acclaimed albums, Eye Of The Enemy have become a staple in the Australia metal scene with their relentless live shows and crushing balance of metal ferocity and melodic sensibilities. After touring nationally and abroad with the likes of Amon Amarth, Children Of Bodom, Fear Factory, At The Gates, Cradle Of Filth and Fleshgod Apocalypse, Eye Of The Enemy are set to release their third and most devastating album, Titan.

Teaser video:




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Italian death metal outfit, Hour Of Penance, have released a lyric video for "Flames Of Merciless Gods", the first single from their upcoming studio album, Misotheism, set for an October 25 release via Agonia Records. Pre-order here, and watch the new video below.

he band commented on the new single: "'Flames Of Merciless Gods' is a song about a new empire built on the illuministic values of reason and equality, who wages war against the wealthy ones hidden in their ivory towers, worshipping their only god: Money. They are the 'bastard race', because they have no fatherland and no motherland: their loyalty stands to no one but themselves. Their way of life is a blasphemy to everyone who is exploited by the inequalities created by their greed and is starving because of that. They are so afraid to atone for their crimes that they choose to commit mass suicide rather than face justice."

Set in motion in Rome, in 1999, Hour Of Penance travelled a long way to find itself standing strong as one of the most intense, talented and striking death metal acts to emerge from Italy. At the same time, their eighth instalment, Misotheism, cloaks the same verve and mindful perfection, that led to the band's uprising in the first place.

"Like we did with our past records, we’ve started working on this one with the same passion and focus as if we were about to record our very first album", says the group. "We’ve never took anything for granted, not only by keeping in mind the standards our fans are expecting, but also pushing ourselves to try perfecting our sound".

Their excitement for death metal didn't wash out their careful attitude towards tying up all loose ends, either: "We never thought that we would have come this far with our career, and while we didn’t feel any pressure writing this record, we definitely put some extra care this time. In fact, the album was recorded in three different studios and handled by three different sound engineers."

What we receive in the end is far better than what some may have been craving for: Misotheism is a pitch-black and delightfully brutal death metal soundtrack to a collapsing universe. "It pushed Hour Of Penance to a new level of creativity. We’re confident that you will enjoy the new album as much as we do", adds the band.

Misotheism was worked on in three different locations. Drums were tracked at Bloom Recording Studio (Italy), where the band "took advantage of the huge recording rooms and endless choice of microphones". On the other end, we have the Kick Recording Studio (Italy), where guitars, bass and vocals were recorded with Marco Mastrobuono, who also worked on Regicide (2014) and the last album, Cast The First Stone (2017). Finally, the band drove all the way to Poland, where the album was mixed and mastered at Hertz Studios (Behemoth, Vader, Decapitated).

As the band reports: "Working with the Wiesławscy brothers was like putting the icing on the cake and thanks to their mastery we managed to achieve the perfect sound without making any compromises."

The cover for the album was handled by a Hungarian artist, Gyula Havancsàk (Accept, Annihilator, Destruction, Ensiferum). "He perfectly captured the overall feel of the album", comments the band.

Formats:

- jewelcase CD
- box CD (feat. slipcase, patch and flag)
- black LP
- transparent smoked LP
- red with black splatter LP
- t-shirt

Tracklisting:

"Mass Crucifixion Of Kings"    
"Blight And Conquer"    
"Fallen From Ivory Towers"    
"The Second Babel"    
"Lamb Of The Seven Sins"    
"Flames Of Merciless Gods"  
"Sovereign Nation"   
"Dura Lex Sed Lex"    
"Iudex"    
"Occult Den Of Snakes"    

Limited edition bonus tracks:
"Misconception"    
"Slavery In A Deaf Decay"    
"Hierarchy Of The Fools"  

Album trailer:

 

Lineup:

Giulio Moschini - guitars
Paolo Pieri - guitars and vocals
Marco Mastrobuono  - bass
Davide Billia - drums




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AFM Records has announced the release of the new album from Belgian symphonic speed metallers, Magic Kingdom. MetAlmighty will hit the streets on November 22. The new album delivers 100% of what the fans are expecting, Dushan's splendid guitar work combined with the strong vocal performance of Michael Vescera puts flesh on the songs and zests artfulness.

"Michael's vocals are very expressive and passionate," notes Petrossi. "He always gives 100% and holds nothing back. We needed someone like him and are very glad that he is part of the band now.”

The bands sound has iron balls, is deeply rooted in melodic metal, and definitively has a mind of its own. The furious playing of Petrossi especially adds the neo-classical touch, no wonder that the excellent guitarist is compared to greats like Yngwie Malmsteen and Michael Romeo.

And so the new album MetAlmighty will hook up right there where Savage Requiem ended. The production of the new album delights with flawless and nuanced sound, which develops an amazing amount of pressure and an arc of suspense at the same time.

Tracklisting:

"Unleash The Dragon"
"Wizards And Witches"
"In The Den Of The Mountain Trolls"
"Fear My Fury"
"Rise From The Ashes, Demon"
"Metalmighty"
"So Fragile"
"Temple Of No Gods"
"Just A Good Man"
"Dark Night, Dark Thoughts"
"King Without A Crown"

Lineup:

Dushan Petrossi (guitars)
Michael Vescera (vocals)
Vassili Moltchanov (bass)
Michael Brush (drums)




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Canadian black/death metal horde, Necronomicon, will be releasing their sixth full-length record, Unus, on October 18 via Season of Mist. The second new track from the album, "Singularis Dominus", is available for streaming below. Pre-order the album here.

Necronomicon vocalist/guitarist Rob the Witch comments on the album, "When all is said and done, one most return to the start and begin a new life. Unus is the first major Arcana that starts a new cycle in the evolution of any living things. Welcome to our new incarnation."

With Advent Of The Human God, Necronomicon presented themselves at a new height in their long lasting career, which began as early as 1988 with the founding of the band by guitarist and singer Rob "The Witch" in the deep northern part of Canadian province Quebec, called the "Fjord of Saguenay." Now, they continue to push the envelope with their sixth studio album, Unus.

Unus is a searing cacophony that blends blistering riffs, machine-like drums, and a symphonic ambience, culminating in a sound that calls to various metal icons such as Dimmu Borgir, Septicflesh, Behemoth, and Deicide. The record combines the furious elements of death metal with the symphonic prowess of black metal, creating the perfect synthesis of both genres.

Recorded at Sliver Wings studio, produced by Rob The Witch. Mixed and mastered at Darth Mader music studio by Logan Mader (Machine Head).

Artwork: Dragon caduceus design by Nestor Avalos, layout and artwork by Simon Bossert.

Tracklisting:

"From Ashes Into Flesh"
"Infinitum Continuum"
"Paradise Lost"
"The Price Of A Soul"
"Singularis Dominus"
"The Thousand Masks"
"Ascending The throne Of Baator"
"Fhtagn"
"Cursed MMXIX"
"Vox Draconis"

"Singularis Dominus":

"Paradise Lost":

Trailer:

 
Lineup:

Rob The Witch: Guitar/vocals
Divider: drums

Recording lineup:

Rob The Witch: Guitar/vocals/bass
Divider: drums

Special feature: Geirlioz (Dimmu Borgir) on piano on ''From Ashes Into Flesh''




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Courtesy of Canada's The Metal Voice, the clip below features HammerFall performing "Hector's Hymn" with former Anthrax singer Neil Turbin at The Whisky in Los Angeles, CA on September 7th.

HammerFall recently released their eleventh studio album, and second with Napalm Records, Dominion. The band have now released this new track-by-track video, discussing "Bloodline":

To view a variety of the Dominion merchandise, head here.

Dominion tracklisting:

"Never Forgive, Never Forget"
"Dominion"
"Testify"
"One Against The World"
"(We Make) Sweden Rock"
"Second To One"
"Scars Of A Generation"
"Dead By Dawn"
"Battleworn"
"Bloodline"
"Chain Of Command"
"And Yet I Smile"

"Dominion" video:

"One Against The World" video:

“(We Make) Sweden Rock” live video:

"(We Make) Sweden Rock" lyric video:

BraveWords scribe Carl Begai recently caught up with HammerFall frontman Joacim Cans to discuss Dominion. Following is an excerpt from the interview, with Cans opening up about the events that pushed the songwriting for the new record.

Cans: "After we released Infected (in 2011), HammerFall was in a bad place. We didn't have fun on tour - personally, I didn't have fun at all - so we decided to take a break. We needed to take a break, and that break was the game changer. It gave us a new spark, a new fire to do this for everyone in the band. When we did Built To Last (2016) we finally had the chance to go back to North America; we had given up on your continent way back because it just didn't work for us. It was hard go there for six weeks and then come home with $200 in the pocket. But, we found people that truly believed in us and sent us over to co-headline with Delain, and because we had a couple good tours (earnings) going on in Europe we figured we had nothing to lose. We decided to give it one last try touring North America, and that tour was by far the most fun I've had on a tour in my 22 year career. We didn't play arenas but it was great; good set-up, good following, and we got closer as a band. That created a momentum, and we took that with us into the next tour cycles. And it resulted in us thinking outside the box when it came to writing new music."

Watch for the complete story, coming soon.




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Music writer / musician Joel Gausten (Pigface) has checked in with the following update:

"For those who have been following drummer Lee Kerslake's battle with terminal cancer: I'm pleased to report (via my call early this morning with Bob Daisley) that Lee is still very much alive (contrary to internet rumors), still fighting for his life like a bear and is now several months past his doctors' estimates for life expectancy. Play some Ozzy and Uriah Heep and send some love Lee's way today."

Jimmy Kay at The Metal Voice spoke to former Ozzy Osbourne drummer Lee Kerslake in Anaheim, CA at this year's annual Hall Of Heavy Metal History Gala on January 23rd, where Kerslake was inducted and presented the two platinum Ozzy discs.

On being informed the Hall Of Heavy Metal History wanted to induct him:

"The phone rang about month and a half ago, it was Pat Guesaldo CEO of the Hall Of Heavy Metal History and he said we would like to induct you into the Hall. Pat said we would love to have you in California for the Gala but I said I am on a pension and I can't afford it. Pat then said, 'What if we take care of it for you?' Then I said without sounding like a diva, 'I can't travel coach 'cause I have arthritis and bone cancer.' Then Pat said, 'No worries, we are going to fly you first class.' I nearly broke down and cried. I finally got to California, the flight took 10 hours and when I landed I said to myself, I MADE IT, I haven't done this for 22 years."

On his reaction to finally receiving the platinum discs from Ozzy and Sharon and a personal letter:

"We were filming me packing for California on my upcoming autobiography documentary and then my manager came in and said I have a surprise delivery for you, and he brought in these two big boxes and they were the two platinum Ozzy discs. It was a crying moment. We finally buried the hatchet between the Osbournes and myself. I respect Sharon and I love Ozzy to bits. Ozzy also sent me back a beautiful letter, hand written."

On his current health situation:

"The cancer has come back, unfortunately. It has come back with a vengeance but I am not worried about it at the moment. I am enjoying this moment and all the love. I am having a great time. My doctor told me before I left they will be putting me on a new drug and I am hopeful."

In the clip below, Kerslake accepts platinum discs and reads Ozzy Osbourne's letter to him at the Hall Of Heavy Metal History on January 23rd. Video provided by The Metal Voice.




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Status Quo have released a video for "Liberty Lane", a track from the band's recently released album, Backbone (earMUSIC / Edel). Find the clip below.

Some doubters said Backbone was a record that could not be made, but the 2019 lineup of Status Quo has been through a lot, they have chalked up 130 shows as a unit and travelled tens of thousands of miles. This is a group of musicians that is strong, that back each other up and are tighter than ever. Backbone features of a trio songs drawn from the classic partnership of Rossi / Young as well as contributions from all of the rest of the band.

The eleven track album was recorded at Francis' studio in the late months of 2018 and into this year. The sessions were initially just to keep the juices flowing, improvise and have fun. As the hours rolled on, songs stacked up, everyone began to believe that something special was happening. And so it proved. Even from within the group, there had been some resistance to creating a new record.

As Francis says, "This new material had to be seriously good. Quo have achieved so much and meant so much to too many people for the quality to slip now. Also, let’s face it, things have changed and we’re an easier target than ever.

"Losing Rick was hard to bear but, through Richie Malone, who was inspired to pick up a guitar by him, we can not only keep going but actually pick up the pace. The energy that he and Leon bring to Quo can’t be underestimated. I wasn’t sure I had another album in me but I couldn’t be more proud of ‘Backbone’. I hope the fans love it, but you can’t please everyone and I’m not going to start trying to now."

To have Backbone means to stand firm, to stand up for what you believe in. The title fits. The hundreds of songs recorded by Quo over half a century still resonate today, and the tracks on this album are a worthy addition to that incredible catalogue. A new Quo studio album is a cause for celebration, especially when it kicks like this one. And for the doubters? A Backbone is also a support, a unifying element that keeps things in shape. Underlying this new record are the core desires to keep creating, to be the best and to keep playing: these are the qualities that have kept Quo at the top for so long. Backbone will ensure that Francis Rossi and Quo keep standing proud. And, by naming the album Backbone, they’re ready for the 'Spinal Tap' headlines too!

Order the album here.

Tracklisting:

"Waiting For A Woman"
"Cut Me Some Slack"
"Liberty Lane"
"I See You're in Some Trouble"
"Backing Off"
"I Wanna Run Away With You"
"Backbone"
"Better Take Care"
"Falling Off The World"
"Get Out Of My Head"
"Running Out Of Time"

"Liberty Lane" video:

"Backbone" video:

Audio samples:




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Rimfrost has announced their new album, Expedition: Darkness, will be released on October 18th. The album will feature additional vocals by Evocation’s Tjompe Josefsson. New track, “Damned Jaws”, is streaming below.

Expedition: Darkness is being released via Ferocious Records and is heavily inspired by the horror movie genre.  "With this album we wanted to think outside the typical black metal box we've been put in and infuse even more of our own influences, both regarding music and our love for horror” says Khratos of Rimfrost.

About the album Rimfrost’s drummer Trollv comments: "The heavy metal spirit is more prominent as well, in our eyes the hardest, toughest kind of metal you can get, with a mix of black and death metal. We tried a couple of new things and we think it turned out fucking amazing!”

Tracklisting:

“Rising Of A Black Dawn”
“Damned Jaws”
“Sam-Hain”
“Dawnbreaker”
“Expedition: Darkness”
“Voorhees”
“Bloodnight”
“Natten”
“At The Blessing Of The Damned”

“Damned Jaws”:




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"One Day Closer To The End Of The World", a brand new song from San Diego-based deathgrind masters CATTLE DECAPITATION, can be streamed below. The track is taken from the band's upcoming album, titled "Death Atlas", which will be released on November 29 via Metal Blade Records. The disc was once again recorded at Denver's Flatline Audio with producer Dave Otero.

The members of CATTLE DECAPITATION have never shied away from confronting the awfulness wrought upon the natural world by the human race, and "Death Atlas" is their bleakest offering to date. The cover art says it all: a stooped, skeletal Grim Reaper carrying the burnt-out husk of our planet on his back.

"The core concept of this record is humanity's insignificance despite what we've convinced ourselves," explains vocalist Travis Ryan. "That's kind of why this album cover takes place in space, to remind you that 'the universe always finds a way to purge'. In the grand scheme of things, our species is merely a fleeting thought."

This imagery is backed up with a ferocious soundtrack, which includes elements of death metal, grindcore, black metal, sludge, doom, drone — with Ryan's vocals broader and more fully realized than ever before.

Produced once again by Dave Otero, "Death Atlas" also features a number of guests: Laure Le Prunenec (IGORRR, RICINN), Riccardo Conforti (VOID OF SILENCE), Dis Pater (MIDNIGHT ODYSSEY), Jon Fishman (PHISH) — plus, brass instrumentalists from Ottone Pesante. The end result of these experimentations and collaborations is one of the most devastating records of 2019, and it demands an emotional response.

As the band prepares to tour and hopefully reach places they have yet play, what Ryan wants listeners to take away from "Death Atlas" is clear. "I want people to be shocked into thinking more about their futures, their loved ones, the pain they're potentially subjecting their future generations to," he says. "Everyone just seems to live in the now with no care for tomorrow, and that's incorrect thinking, as far as today goes. Don't make tomorrow a cancelled check."

"Death Atlas" track listing:

01. Anthropogenic: End Transmission

02. The Geocide

03. Be Still Our Bleeding Hearts

04. Vulturous

05. The Great Dying

06. One Day Closer To The End Of The World

07. Bring Back The Plague

08. Absolute Destitute

09. The Great Dying II

10. Finish Them

11. With All Disrespect

12. Time's Cruel Curtain

13. The Unerasable Past

14. Death Atlas

Last night (Friday, September 6), METALLICA played the first of two shows with the San Francisco Symphony for the grand opening of Chase Center, the new home of the Golden State Warriors.

The concert, conducted by Edwin Outwater with a special appearance by Michael Tilson Thomas, marked the 20th anniversary of METALLICA's first performance with the symphony at the Berkeley Community Theater in 1999, which resulted in the live album "S&M" (Symphony & Metallica). A film of this month's concerts (including Sunday's performance at the same venue), called "S&M²", will arrive in theaters worldwide on October 9.

Friday's show drew 16,000 fans and saw the four members of METALLICA playing on a circular, revolving stage in the center of the arena floor, surrounded by 75 members of the Symphony and Outwater, according to the San Francisco Chronicle.

The three-hour concert was split into two parts and included a rendition of "Anesthesia (Pulling Teeth)" from METALLICA's debut album, "Kill 'Em All", performed as a solo by the Symphony bassist Scott Pingel in tribute to METALLICA's late bassist Cliff Burton (whose 94-year-old father was in the audience).

Drummer Lars Ulrich told the audience at one point: "There is no place on this planet METALLICA would rather be tonight than here with you."

Set I

01. The Ecstasy Of Gold (Ennio Morricone cover) (performed by the San Francisco Symphony)

02. The Call Of Ktulu

03. For Whom The Bell Tolls

04. The Day That Never Comes

05. The Memory Remains

06. Confusion

07. Moth Into Flame

08. The Outlaw Torn

09. No Leaf Clover

10. Halo On Fire

Set II

11. Scythian Suite, Op.20, Second Movement (Sergei Sergeyevich Prokofiev cover) (performed by the San Francisco Symphony)

12. Iron Foundry (Alexander Mosolov cover) (live debut)

13. The Unforgiven III (performed by the San Francisco Symphony)

14. All Within My Hands (acoustic)

15. (Anesthesia) Pulling Teeth (bass part performed by San Francisco Symphony bassist)

16. Wherever I May Roam

17. One

18. Master Of Puppets

19. Nothing Else Matters

20. Enter Sandman (with "The Frayed Ends Of Sanity" outro)

Earlier in the week, Ulrich said that the biggest challenge of collaborating with the symphony is "not being completely fucking intimidated by all these incredible players and incredible musicians.

"We do what we do and some even accuse us of being semi-good at it," he explained. "And that's sort of our niche. But I believe that any musician will always have a tremendous amount of respect and humility around other players and other people who excel at their particular niche or particular craft.

"I take it very seriously that I am, for better or worse, the anchor of the whole thing. And you just want to be on top of your game and really focused."

Back in March, METALLICA fans took to Twitter to express their outrage after the pre-sale for the "S&M²" show ended within seconds due to bots grabbing all the available tickets.

Members of METALLICA's fan club were supposed to be given the opportunity to buy tickets a few days early, but it was reported that tickets began showing up instantly at StubHub before fans had a chance to view their pre-sale opportunity.

The original "S&M" concerts were conducted by the late Michael Kamen in spring of 1999 at the Berkeley Community Theatre.




The first ever setlist at @chase_center! And night one of #SandM2 is in the books. pic.twitter.com/aHg20IlN5Z

— Metallica (@Metallica) September 7, 2019

The clip below is rare footage of Pink Floyd performing "Green Is The Colour" at Pop Deux - Festival de St. Tropez in France on August 8th, 1970.

On November 29, Pink Floyd Records will release Pink Floyd The Later Years, a 16-disc set (5xCDs, 6xBlu-Rays, 5xDVDs) covering the material created by David Gilmour, Nick Mason and Richard Wright from 1987 onwards. The period generated record sales of over 40 million worldwide and included three studio albums: A Momentary Lapse Of Reason, The Division Bell and The Endless River as well as two live albums: Delicate Sound Of Thunder and Pulse. With additional production from David Gilmour and Andy Jackson, over 13 hours of unreleased audio and audiovisual material, including the sought-after 1989 Venice and 1990 Knebworth concerts, Pink Floyd The Later Years is a must for all fans.

A multi-media, deluxe box set, Pink Floyd The Later Years presents an expanded view of the Pink Floyd story from 1987 to the present and kicks off with A Momentary Lapse Of Reason, the album that confirmed Pink Floyd as one of the world’s biggest artists.

The album, presented for the first time in 5.1, has been remixed and updated by David Gilmour and Andy Jackson. The release of The Later Years project gives an opportunity for a fresh overview of the A Momentary Lapse Of Reason album. By returning to some of Richard Wright’s keyboard parts and recording new drum tracks with Nick Mason, producers David Gilmour and Bob Ezrin have restored the creative balance between the three Pink Floyd members.

Throughout 1987 and 1988 the band’s live shows became the largest-grossing concert tour ever to that date and produced the critically acclaimed, Grammy Award nominated, Delicate Sound Of Thunder. Filmed at the Nassau Coliseum in New York State, the concert shows the band on the top of their form. The concert has been fully re-edited and upgraded from the original 35mm film negatives by Aubrey ‘Po’ Powell and Benny Trickett and the sound remixed to 5.1. It also includes "Terminal Frost" and "Welcome To The Machine", two tracks that were not included on the original concert film release. For the first time the concert is available in 5.1 on Blu-ray and DVD.

Two of the most sought-after additions to Pink Floyd The Later Years are the 1989 Venice Concert, performed on a floating stage in front of St Mark’s Square, and the 1990 Silver Clef Winners performance at Knebworth. Both concerts, previously unreleased, are now available on both DVD and Blu-ray (145mins). The momentous Knebworth concert saw Pink Floyd topping the all-star bill (that included Paul McCartney, Dire Straits, Genesis, Phil Collins, Eric Clapton and Tears For Fears), in aid of the Nordoff Robbins charity, profits from which went towards setting up the BRIT School. David Gilmour and Andy Jackson have remixed the audio from this iconic concert and all seven tracks performed on the day (with guest musicians including sax player Candy Dulfer, the original The Great Gig In The Sky vocalist Clare Torry, keyboard player Michael Kamen and Sam Brown with her mother, Vicki, on vocals), are released here as well as for the first time ever on CD.

1994’s album The Division Bell sold over 12 million copies, having debuted at No 1 in the UK, the USA, Australia and New Zealand. It stayed at the top of the US charts for 4 weeks, and also went to No 1 in six other countries. The resulting tour was captured and recorded for the concert release Pulse. This release contains the entire Pulse live concert film, re-edited and upgraded from the original masters, from the groundbreaking Earl’s Court gigs, and available for the first time on Blu-ray. Also uncovered for the first time is footage of the band in rehearsals on October 20, 1994 performing "A Great Day For Freedom" and "Lost For Words".

In 2014, Pink Floyd released The Endless River, comprising mostly instrumental and ambient music based on material recorded during The Division Bell sessions. Featuring David Gilmour, Nick Mason and Richard Wright, additional material was recorded in 2013 and 2014, with one song, "Louder Than Words", with lyrics by author & novelist Polly Samson (the primary lyricist for The Division Bell album). The Endless River became the most pre-ordered album of all time on Amazon UK and debuted at number one in several countries. The vinyl edition was the fastest-selling UK vinyl release since 1997. Included here for the first time is the never previously seen specially commissioned full 52-minute The Endless River film by Ian Emes, famed for his work with Pink Floyd, including his animations for "One Of These Days", "Speak To Me", "Time" and "On The Run".

Rounding off the package are hours of unreleased bonus materials including music videos, documentary footage, bonus live tracks, upgraded tour screen films and documentaries. It includes the first ever release, on Blu-ray, DVD and 7” vinyl, of the last live performance of Pink Floyd with David Gilmour, Nick Mason and Richard Wright together in 2007. This special performance of Arnold Layne took place at the Syd Barrett Tribute Concert at The Barbican on 10 May 2007. The full set boasts previously unreleased or remixed audio, plus restored, remastered and re-edited audio-visuals including unreleased concert footage and promo clips.

With the help of Nick Mason and the Pink Floyd archive, the box set comes with reproductions of tour artwork, posters, programmes, tour laminates, lyric book and much more including two 7” vinyl singles, (the live version of "Arnold Layne" performed at the Syd Barrett Tribute Concert in 2007 and "Lost For Words" from the Pulse tour rehearsals at Earl’s Court), in new picture sleeves and etched image B-sides. Also included is a brand new 60-page hardback book of photos, designed by Aubrey Powell of Hipgnosis and Peter Curzon of StormStudios, including many previously unseen images.

The 5 CDs are encased in their own 40-page hardback book with an extensive guide to all content, tracklists and credits.

There will also be a 2-LP / 1-CD ‘Highlights’ package. It comes in a gatefold sleeve (for both 1-CD and 2-LP), and each will contain a 24-page booklet containing previously unseen and rare photos.

Pink Floyd The Later Years will be released on November 29, and is available to pre-order here.

Product overview:

CDs:

5 x CDs, contained in their own 40-page, hardback book, containing a guide to all content, tracklistings, exhaustive content detail and credits.

- CD 1 - A Momentary Lapse Of Reason Remixed & Updated
- CD 2 & 3 - Delicate Sound Of Thunder Remixed
- CD 4 - Live Recordings, 1987 & 1994 Unreleased Studio Recordings
- CD 5 - Knebworth Concert 1990

Blu-Rays:

6 x Blu-rays, each contained in a gatefold wallet with dedicated cover art, including tracklistings and music publishing credits. Discs contained in protective plastic sleeves inside wallet.

- Blu-ray 1 - Surround & Hi-res Audio Mixes
- Blu-ray 2 - ‘Delicate Sound Of Thunder’ Restored & Remixed
- Blu-ray 3 - ‘Pulse’ Restored & Re-edited
- Blu-ray 4 - Venice Concert 1989 & Knebworth Concert 1990
- Blu-ray 5 - Unreleased Live Films Music Videos & Concert Screen Films
- Blu-ray 6 - Documentaries & Unreleased Material

DVD:

5 x DVDs (duplicating the content of Blu-rays 2-6 above), each contained in a gatefold wallet with dedicated cover art, including tracklistings and music publishing credits.

7” Singles:

2 x 7” vinyl singles in brand-new picture sleeves, featuring ‘Arnold Layne’ performed live by Pink Floyd at the Syd Barrett Tribute concert, 2007 and Lost For Words from the Pulse tour rehearsals at Earl’s Court.

Photo book:

60-page hard backed book of photos designed by Aubrey Powell of Hipgnosis and Peter Curzon of StormStudios, including many previously unseen images.

Replica Tour Programmes and Lyric Book:

A newly-created set of reproduction tour programmes (Pink Floyd World Tour 1987/1988, Pink Floyd Live 1989, Pink Floyd European Tour 1994), plus a brand new Lyrics Book, designed by Aubrey Powell of Hipgnosis and Peter Curzon of StormStudios.

Memorabilia:

A collection of reproduction memorabilia including tour passes, stickers and posters, all printed to replicate the originals, and contained in a prestige card envelope.




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Sweetwater has uploaded a six-minute video in which MEGADETH bassist David Ellefson shows you four of his favorite bass riffs that were instrumental in his progression on the instrument — and they just so happen to all originate from Gene Simmons of KISS.

Earlier this year, Ellefson spoke about his appreciation for Simmons's playing during an interview with Sweden's RockSverige. He said: "Gene's one of my favorite bass players. I defend Gene to the grave. Absolutely one of the greatest rock players ever.

"I missed THE BEATLES. I was born in '64 the year they came out and they were broken up by '71 and I started to listen to music about '74, so I just missed them completely. Gene and Paul [Stanley] very much credit THE BEATLES for the whole concept of KISS. KISS were my BEATLES and it's funny, as big of a KISS fan as I was and I was the biggest, as we all claim to be, funny thing is that in my bands growing up, we never played any KISS songs because they were hard to play. Paul's guitar, his voicing and chord choices were so avantgarde and just really out of character and that's what made them so cool. They were riffs, but there were these chords… whereas you listen to this kind of 12-bar blues kind of stuff that was going around at that same time… the KISS stuff was very challenging and they tuned down a half step.

"I remember when I bought the KISS 'Destroyer' piano / vocal / acoustic guitar songbook and everything was in E flat, and I knew how to read music and I went, 'But my bass only goes to E? How do you play this?' I got very frustrated and I didn't realize they tuned down and, of course, in a piano book everything's very little. You can't drop tune a piano and drop tuning wasn't even in vogue.

"Gene's bass playing was just incredible. I've emulated some of it, him and some early Geezer [Butler, BLACK SABBATH], but certainly Gene, like 'Firehouse'. I remember when Dave [Mustaine] and I first met and we were putting together the very earliest MEGADETH stuff, I would emulate this kind of Gene fashion of his bass lines that I really, really liked.

"I just saw KISS a couple of weeks ago when the came through town and Gene was playing the best I've ever heard him play. He's ad-libbing and riffing out and his tone's great and here he is, he's an older guy playing fucking better than he's ever played and just going for it! Just riffing like how Jack Bruce [CREAM] or John Entwistle [THE WHO] would be riffing in between parts of songs and it was, like, 'Fuck, check him out, man!'

"I totally defend Gene and I think he's an incredible bass player and the fact that he spits blood and breathes fire with fucking bat wings and those killer boots just makes him the best. [Laughs]"

Legendary guitarist Steve Hackett will release Genesis Revisited Band & Orchestra: Live At The Royal Festival Hall on October 25 via InsideOutMusic on 2CD + Blu-Ray digipak and 2CD + DVD Multibox internationally, and 2CD + Blu-Ray + DVD in North America.

The album was recorded on October 5, 2018 at The Royal Festival Hall, London, during the  2018 Genesis Revisited Tour which fulfilled a long held ambition of Steve’s: to perform the music of Genesis with a live orchestra. The concert featured Steve’s regular touring band of Roger King (keyboards), Gary O’Toole (drums/percussion), Rob Townsend (saxes/flutes) with Nad Sylvan on vocals and Jonas Reingold (The Flower Kings) on bass, together with special guests John Hackett and Amanda Lehmann, and augmented by the 41-piece Heart Of England Orchestra conducted by Bradley Thachuk.

Now, a first track from this release is available, "Dancing With The Moonlit Knight" from Genesis’ iconic Selling England By The Pound album. Watch the clip below:

Genesis Revisited Band & Orchestra: Live At The Royal Festival Hall pre-order links:

- Band Store
- InsideOutMusic
- Buy/Stream/Dowload

Tracklisting:

Set 1:
"Dance On A Volcano"
"Out Of The Body"
"The Steppes"
"Firth Of Fifth"
"Dancing With The Moonlit Knight"
"Blood On The Rooftops"
"Shadow Of The Hierophant"

Set 2:
"In That Quiet Earth"
"Afterglow"
"Serpentine Song"
"El Niño"
"Supper’s Ready"

Encore:
"The Musical Box"




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On September 20, Cult Of Luna will release their new album, A Dawn To Fear - the band's first material under their sole name since 2013's Vertikal 1&2. For another preview of the record, a video for the single, "Lay Your Head To Rest", can be viewed below. Pre-orders can be found at MetalBlade.com.

A Dawn To Fear can also be preordered in the following formats:

- Limited edition digibook 2CD
- Deluxe edition artbook (2LP / 2CD 48-page hardcover artbook - beige / black marbled vinyl)
- 180g black vinyl (EU exclusive)
- Clear / black marbled vinyl (EU exclusive - limited to 400 copies)
- Red / black marbled vinyl (EU exclusive - limited to 300 copies)
- Clear / black circle vinyl (EU exclusive - limited to 200 copies)
- Clear / black splatter vinyl (EU webshop exclusive - limited to 100 copies)
- Clear yellowness vinyl (EU exclusive - limited to 400 copies)
- Clear / brown marbled vinyl (EU exclusive - limited to 300 copies)
- Clear / gray marbled vinyl (US exclusive - limited to 1000 copies)
- Blue / white / black marbled vinyl (US exclusive - limited to 300 copies)
* Exclusive bundles with shirts, plus digital options are also available!

Building on 20 years of creating some of the most epic, emotive and inventive heavy music unleashed on the world, there is no denying that Cult Of Luna's A Dawn To Fear is a monster of a record. An album comprised of eight tracks running 79 minutes, it embodies everything the band's faithful have come to expect from them while covering new ground. "Going into the process, we knew the album we wanted to make, an antithesis of what we've done before," says vocalist/guitarist and lead songwriter Johannes Persson. "For pretty much every album there's been a very concrete theme. We've known from the start the kind of story we wanted to tell, and I didn't want that to be the case. I've seen a lot of subtle changes and patterns in my own behavior and my own thinking the last couple of years, and I wanted this to be a completely spontaneous process. I just wanted to see what came out of me, and A Dawn To Fear is the result of that."

Admitting he is perhaps still too close to the record to objectively describe the sound of A Dawn To Fear, Persson believes that it has a more organic feel to it, largely achieved through the use of organs and other acoustic instruments in place of electronic keyboards, and that it is perhaps a more melancholic collection. It is also arguably heavier than their last full-length, 2013's Vertikal and their 2016 collaboration with Julie Christmas, Mariner, both in terms of the sheer density of the music and its tone. When it came to tracking the album, the band opted to work at Ocean Sound Recordings in Norway, which, as the name suggests, is located right by the coast, far from the nearest town. For eleven days the band lived at the studio, and enjoyed the process of constructing the record. With the finished product running to the length of a double CD, there was some discussion of cutting a track, but this did not get far. "We sat down and looked at that song list and we couldn't. It would make it easier for us and everyone involved to cut one song, making it no problem when it comes to LPs and CDs, but we just couldn't see the album any other way. These songs are the songs that make sense. If we cut this song or that song, it would screw up the whole dynamic of the record."

Tracklisting:

“The Silent Man”
“Lay Your Head To Rest”
“A Dawn To Fear”
“Nightwalkers”
“Lights On The Hill”
“We Feel The End”
“Inland Rain”
“The Fall”

“Lay Your Head To Rest” video:

“The Silent Man” video:

(Photo - Silvia Grav)




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Following on from the acclaimed "Follow Me" album, Swedish quintet LIV SIN, led by the unmistakeable vocals of Liv Jagrell (ex-SISTER SIN), the band returns with the powerful and hard-hitting album "Burning Sermons". Channeling their love of classic heavy metal with a bruising modern edge, "Burning Sermons" is a riff-heavy collection, showcasing the band's innate ability to match melody with aggressive metal with ease. Liv is in particularly fine form throughout, with a voice equally capable of capturing your heart as it is knocking buildings to the ground.

Just like with their previous album, the band invited a guest artist on "Burning Sermons" to sing with Liv in a memorable duet. On the focus track "Hope Begins To Fade", Liv was joined by Björn "Speed" Strid, the well-known singer of SOILWORK and THE NIGHT FLIGHT ORCHESTRA.

The band comments on the collaboration with Björn: "For a heavy bombastic song like 'Hope Begins To Fade' that features orchestral elements, we wanted to find a cool contrasting voice to Liv, and Björn's name came up when we were discussing guests for the album with our label. His deep growls and marvelous clear voice was the ultimate combination to lift this song to the next level and it fit seamlessly with Liv's tone. His impressive skills from actually both SOILWORK and THE NIGHT FLIGHT ORCHESTRA shines through here, which added that extra punch to the song. It was the perfect match!"

The "Hope Begins To Fade" video was directed by Ted Lindén at Bullsize Production and can be seen below.

"Burning Sermons" track listing:

01. Blood Moon Fever

02. Chapter Of The Witch

03. Hope Begins To Fade

04. War Antidote

05. At The Gates Of The Abyss

06. Slave To The Machine

07. The Sinner

08. Death Gives Life Meaning

09. Ghost In The Dark

10. Dead Wind Intermezzo

LIV SIN is:

Liv Jagrell - Vocals

Patrick Ankermark - Guitars

Chris Bertzell - Guitars

Tomie Winther - Bass

Per Bjevoluk - Drums

Video footage of HALESTORM performing an acoustic version of the song "Black Vultures" live in the studio can be seen below.

"Black Vultures" is taken from HALESTORM's latest album, "Vicious", which was released in July 2018 via Atlantic. The disc was recorded in 2017 at Nashville, Tennessee's Rock Falcon recording studio with producer Nick Raskulinecz.

HALESTORM frontwoman Lzzy Hale spoke to Consequence Of Sound about the original version of "Black Vultures", which starts with an epic scream.

"That particular scream was kind of a whim, because the first version of that particular song, 'Black Vultures', didn't have any of that in it," she said. "It just started off with the riff. And, I remember, I think it was Nick, our producer, he [said], 'Hey can you just like do something vocally, in the beginning, so I did that as a couple of layers just on a whim in the studio, and then we ended up attaching it to the beginning. From there, I think it was the decision, like, 'Oh, I think we should open the record with this.'

"Nick definitely challenged me to be, like, 'You can get intense, right?' And I was like, 'Sure, let's do it.' So, that was a cool experience.

"But that particular song … Nick was working on an ALICE IN CHAINS record on the West Coast, but he kept his studio open for us, so that we can we can keep writing and rehearsing. And one of our good friends from 10 YEARS, Brian Vodinh, ended up hanging out in Nashville one night, and he was like, 'Hey, I want to come to the studio,' and we ended up jamming on this idea, and it was, 'Hey, let's just write a song. We're here.' And he's a great songwriter. So on the way to the studio, I had written down 'vultures,' because I thought it was a cool name. On the way to the studio, there were at least 20 vultures blocking the road, because there was something they were picking at, and I'm, like, 'Ooh, vultures!'

"And so when we got to the studio and Brian showed up, I was, like, 'I have a title.' So, we did this instrumental jam, and then I took it home and I wrote to it, and ended up writing 'Black Vultures'. I didn't realize that the song was kind of about survival until after I finished it."

Theocracy performed at ProgPower USA XX. During their set, the band covered Angra's "Time" in honour of vocalist André Matos, who passed away on June 8th after suffereing a heart attack at the age of 47. Fan-filmed video of the band's entire set is available below.

The setlist on the night was as follows:

"A Tower Of Ashes"
"Paper Tiger"
"Ghost Ship"
"The Master Storyteller"
"The Gift of Music"
"Absolution Day"
"Laying the Demon to Rest"
"Time" (Angra cover)
"I Am"

Ulterium Records released of a limited vinyl edition of the classic Theocracy album Mirror of Souls in 2018. The vinyl edition is strictly limited to 500 copies worldwide (350 copies with black discs and 150 copies with transparent discs).

Matt Smith commented on the release: "I can't believe it has been 10 years since the release of Mirror of Souls! I remember wondering if anyone would still care, since it had been so long since our first album...but thankfully, you guys did. It was a time of rapid-fire changes: adding band members, learning new recording techniques, and wondering if this crazy idea I had for a 23-minute song would actually work on record like it did in my head. Thank you for giving the album the life it has to this day, and for making those songs enduring standards that we still play at almost every Theocracy show. Cheers, and we hope you enjoy this vinyl release!"

Tracklisting:

Side A
“A Tower Of Ashes”
‘On Eagles' Wings”
“Laying The Demon To Rest”

Side B
“Bethlehem”
“Absolution Day”

Side C
“The Writing In The Sand”
“Martyr”

Side D
“Mirror Of Souls”




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Guitar legend Steve Vai has checked in with the following update:

"Every day during sound check we jam and I record it. The band usually checks before me while I do the Evo Experience, and when I walk out on the stage, my guitar is hot and ready to go. I pick up my guitar and start playing and none of us have any idea what’s going to come out. Sometimes really nice things happen. Unfortunately we didn’t have the proper recording rig set up for this leg of the tour so the audio here is not good, but I came across the vid and thought is was a nice little impromptu jam."

Steve Vai has announced the release of Stillness In Motion on September 13 via his personal record label Light Without Heat, distributed by The Orchard.

Originally, a DVD capturing Vai’s performance at Club Nokia in Los Angeles on October 12, 2012 was issued by Sony but it was not available on the Blu-Ray format. This deluxe package will be available on 2-Blu-Ray discs, with two CDs that contain the live music release from the performance.

The pre-order goes live today, here. The Blu-Ray is priced at $39.98, while a limited-edition bundle containing the Blu-Ray, a bottle of “Stillness In Motion” hot sauce, a “Stillness In Motion” t-shirt, and commemorative Stillness guitar pick is priced at $59.98. Following the pre-order, both the t-shirt and hot sauce will be available for individual purchase.

One of the Blu-Ray disks contain the bonus material titled The Space Between The Notes (Tour Mischief). It’s an intimate and at times hysterically edited video diary comprised of more than three and a half hours of footage filmed around the world on-stage, off-stage, and behind-the-scenes during the world tour. This specific concert captured was the 49th show of the aforementioned global excursion that consisted of 253 engagements in over 52 countries.

In reflecting on this period of his life, and his global travels circa Stillness In Motion, Steve Vai offers, “Making records, performing and touring live is what I love to do most in this life. This Blu-Ray performance and tour bonus footage was culled from the Story of Light tour in support of that CD release. The tour was comprehensive and perhaps my favorite tour as of yet. To be with that band and those fans traveling to all those exotic locations represents a period of my life where I feel I was peaking both on a performance level and pure tour exhilaration. The Space Between The Notes has over 3.5 hours of on-and-offstage ‘B-roll’ footage that has every stop along the way represented somehow. The compiling, editing and result of The Space Between The Notes is a career highlight for me. It’s interesting, funny, entertaining and informative. You get to see what touring the world with a rock band is really like in all its visceral and intimate expressions.”

Tracklisting:

Disc 1 - DVD or Blu-Ray
Intro/"Racing The World"
"Velorum"
Band Intros
"Building The Church"
"Tender Surrender"
"Gravity Storm"
"The Trillium’s Launch"
"Weeping China Doll"
"John The Revelator"
"The Moon And I"
"The Animal"
"Whispering A Prayer"
"The Audience Is Listening"
"Where Are We"
"Rescue Me Or Bury Me"
"Sisters"
"Treasure Island"
"Beastly Rap"
"Salamanders In The Sun"
"Pusa Road"
"Earthquake Sky", Drum Solo
"I’m Tired"
"The Ultra Zone"
"Frank"
"Build Me A Song L.A."
"For The Love Of God"
"Taurus Bulba"

Disc 2 - DVD or Blu-Ray - Story of Light Tour: The Space Between The Notes (Tour Mischief)
1. Leg 1 (Rehearsals/USA)
2. Leg 2 (Europe/Eastern Europe)
3. Leg 3 (Vegas/Netherlands/Russia/Ukraine/Europe)
4. Leg 4 (Australia/NZ/Indonesia/China/S. Korea/Japan/Taiwan/Thailand)
5. Leg 5 (Europe... again)
6. Leg 6 (USA... again)
7. Leg 7 (Mexico/South America/China)
8. Leg 8 (Vegas/Singapore/Malaysia/Israel/Europe/Russia/Ukraine)
9. Leg 9 (USA/St. Barths/Japan/France/Poland)

Audio CDs:

Disc 1
Intro/"Racing The World"
"Velorum"
Band Intros
"Building The Church"
"Tender Surrender"
"Gravity Storm"
"Weeping China Doll"
"John The Revelator"
"The Moon And I"
"The Animal"
"Whispering A Prayer"

Disc 2
"The Audience Is Listening"
"Rescue Me Or Bury Me"
"Sisters"
"Treasure Island"
"Salamanders In The Sun"
"Pusa Road"
"Frank"
"The Ultra Zone" (CD Version)
"Build Me A Song L.A."
"For The Love Of God"
"Taurus Bulba"




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Into Eternity guitarist / founder Tim Roth has checked in with the following update:

"We got asked to play this song at a festival in 2020, so I’m learning it today. All the clean vocals were a duet between my buddy Stu (Block) and I. We made sure Stu sang as high as possible. At times it’s an octave above my high chest vocal. Thanks to Andy Sneap (Judas Priest) for mixing it. Lots of cool riffs in this one, it’s an arm breaker."

In a recent interview with the Regina Leader Post, Roth promised fans won’t have to wait another 10 years for the follow-up to 2018’s The Sirens.

“That’s what people are saying online, ‘Aw, it’s gonna take 10 more years,’” said Roth.

But “it’s all happening as we speak right now. We have so many songs and so many riffs, so many lyrics — pages and pages of lyrics. So really, it’s a matter of getting the band together.”

His band has not found superstardom, but “I think everything worked out just perfect,” said Roth.

“I would never say, ‘Well, hey, we should be bigger’ or anything. We have fans all over the world that just are so passionate.”

It’s an honour to connect with people through their music, he said.

“(People who were) on the edge of suicide said that our music has somehow helped them and that is just really shocking to hear, like these heartfelt messages. And also just musicians saying how much of an influence we were to them and how we were their first show.”

It's been 10 years since Into Eternity unleashed 2008's The Incurable Tragedy on Century Media with former vocalist Stu Block, now of Iced Earth. A decade later, it's a new era for the band with their new album The Sirens, which features founding member and guitarist Tim Roth with a new lineup that includes: vocalist Amanda Keirnan (The Order Of Chaos), guitarist Matt Cuthberston (Untimely Demise), bassist Troy Bleich (Planet Eater) and drummer Bryan James Newsbury (Culled).

The Sirens features guest appearances by: former vocalist Stu Block (now in Iced Earth), Cam Dixon (ex-Annihilator) and Glen Drover (ex-Megadeth) and sees Into Eternity firing on all cylinders. The album was co-produced, mixed and mastered by former guitarist Justin Bender, while longtime artist Mattias Noren (Evergrey, Epica, Kamelot) designed the cover and layout.




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Last Temptation is the new band of guitarist Peter Scheithauer (Killing Machine, Belladonna, Temple Of Brutality) and vocalist Butcho Vukovic (Watcha, Showtime). They will release their self-titled debut via earMUSIC on September 27. It is available for pre-order here. Check out the new song "I Win I Lose" below.

This record is decidedly old school in its execution and stands for classic '80s metal that reminds the listener of genre icons like Rainbow, Black Sabbath, Dio, and Ozzy Osbourne.

The studio recordings were accompanied by Bob Daisley (Ozzy Osbourne, Gary Moore, Rainbow) on bass, Vinny Appice (Dio, Black Sabbath) on drums, and Don Airey on keyboards (Deep Purple, Rainbow).

Overdubs were added as needed, but the bottom line, according to Scheithauer, was "having that live feeling that seems to be missing with a lot of recordings these days. We'll go and rehearse in the studio, sometimes we'll hear something that would be a great take, and that's a magical thing. What makes certain records magical is that the music is living and breathing; it's organic, it's real, including the occasional mistakes (laughs)."

Tracklisting:

"I Win I Lose"
"Bring Your Light Out"
"Blow A Fuse"
"Never Say Goodbye"
"This is How I Am"
"Faster and Faster"
"Locked Up In Myself"
"Nobody Is Free"
"Coming For You"
"Hell Is Walking In My Shoes"
"The Exit"

"Blow A Fuse":




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Gone In April, the symphonic melodic death metal ensemble including Testament bassist Steve DiGiorgio, haved issued a video for new track "Empire Of Loss". Their new album, Shards Of Light, is out now.

Earlier this year, Gone In April unveiled a music video for the song “The Curtain Will Rise", which was filmed and edited by Norwegian artist Thomas Mortveit. The track is taken from the band's second album, Threads of Existence, recorded at WaveTransform Studio, USA.

Commented by Gone in April: “This track is a very special one for the band and for the fans. In addition to carrying the theme of the second album, the fight to stay alive, it possesses a certain elegance that we wished to portray. We found the perfect blend of strength and elegance in the Historic Southern Railway Station, an old train station from 1903 located in Tennessee.”

Gone In April features musicians from Testament, Death, Quo Vadis, Märchenbilder and Vivaldi Metal Project and combines elements of symphonic, death, speed and folk metal in a compelling and aggressive blend sure to please a wide audience.

“Our Future Line” video:

“As Hope Welcomes Death" video:

Photo by Joshua Winstead Photography




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The Scottish From Sorrow To Serenity have released “The Blister Exists”, originally performed by Slipknot, today. The song was first recorded for the Metal Hammer UK cover mount CD Pulse Of The Maggots, which showcased a lot of British artists and their take on the classic Iowa metal band.

From Sorrow To Serenity will also be on tour in the UK and the EU in November. They will share the stage with Dutch female-fronted death metallers For I Am King on these dates:

November
6 – Birmingham, UK – The Flapper
7 – Southampton, UK – Suburbia
8 – London, UK – The Black Heart
9 – Glasgow, UK – Cathouse
10 – Leeds, UK – The Key Club
22 – Leipzig, Germany – Moritzbastei
23 – Jablunikov, Czech Republic – Southock Club
24 – Bratislava, Slovakia – Kulturak
25 – Wroclaw, Poland – D.K. Luksus
26 – Berlin, Germany – Cassiopeia
27 – Hamburg, Germany – Logo
28 – Bochum, Germany – Matrix 




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Holiday rock ensemble The Wizards Of Winter are giving fans a taste of the upcoming third album, The Christmas Dream, with the new track "Handel's Torch," available online now.

"It is often said that prog rock music is the classical music of our day," says founder and keyboardist Scott Kelly. "The band thought it would be fun to put a rock spin on one of the great classical tunes associated with Christmas. ‘Handel's Torch' is a nod to the Hallelujah Chorus. If you listen closely you will hear several other classic melodies woven through the piece as well. It is a blast to play and we think it rocks. We hope our fans think it rocks too."

The Christmas Dream contains ten new original songs and is a rocking holiday sleigh ride that crosses musical boundaries from prog metal to contemporary, appealing to a broad and diverse audience. The Christmas Dream is The Wizards Of Winter's strongest release thus far. Preorders for The Christmas Dream are available here.

The Wizards Of Winter - now in their tenth year - will kick off their annual holiday tour on November 13. The band's classical and progressive-influenced rock music is woven throughout a theatrical holiday-themed show, performed in an intimate setting.

The Wizards Of Winter feature former members of Trans-Siberian Orchestra, Rainbow, Blue Oyster Cult, Ted Nugent and The Irish Tenors and have added even more new talent to their ranks this year, including violinist and backup vocalist Kornelia Rad (Shen Yun Symphony Orchestra), lead vocalist and auxiliary keyboardist Alexis Smith, and last but not least, lead guitarist Steve Brown (Trixter, Def Leppard, Dennis DeYoung, Rock of Ages).

See below for a full listing of tour dates. Tickets for all currently confirmed dates are on sale now via individual venues.

November
14 - Melbourne, FL - Melbourne Auditorium
16 - Stuart, FL - Lyric Theater
21 - Pueblo, CO - Pueblo Memorial Hall
22 - Alto, NM - Spencer Theatre   
23 - Gilbert, AZ - Higley PAC
24 - Wickenberg, AZ - Del E. Webb PAC
29 - Patchogue, Long Island, NY - Patchogue Theatre
30 - Asbury Park, NJ - Paramount Theatre

December
1 - Englewood, NJ - Bergen PAC
5 - Angola, IN - T. Furth PAC
6 - Pontiac, MI - Flagstar Strand Theatre
7 - Johnson Creek, WI - Gobbler Theatre
8 - St. Charles, IL - Arcada Theatre         
12 - Wisconsin Rapids, WI - Wisconsin Rapids PAC
13 - Harris, MI - Island Resort Casino
14 - Harris, MI - Island Resort Casino
15 - Wabash, IN - Honeywell Theatre
17 - Canton, OH - Canton Palace  
19 - Derry, NH - Tupelo Music Hall          
20 - Jim Thorpe, PA - Penns Peak
21 - Roanoke Rapids, NC - Roanoke Rapids Theatre

The Wizards Of Winter founder and keyboardist Scott Kelly says, "This year's The Wizards Of Winter tour will mark the band's 10th anniversary and will be our biggest production to date. This fact, coupled with the addition of talented new members, means the show is going to be over the top! We can't wait to bring it to new and old fans alike nationwide."

The Wizards Of Winter are pleased to be working with new agent Bob Kinkead, CEO of The Kinkead Entertainment Agency. Kinkead says, "Having The Wizards Of Winter on our roster is very exciting for me and my team. With the show being presented in an intimate theatre setting, I am thrilled for audiences all over the USA to experience a magical holiday rock opera that they will never forget."

Lineup:

Scott Kelly - Founder, Keyboards
Sharon Kelly - Vocals/Flute
Fred Gorhau - Lead Guitar
Greg Smith - Bass
John O'Reilly - Drums
Steve Brown - Lead Guitar
Vincent Jiovino - Vocals
Karl Scully - Vocals
Alexis Smith - Vocals/Auxiliary Keys
Kornelia Rad - Violin/Vocals
Tony Gainer - Narrator

(Photos - Jeff Smith)




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Los Angeles-based Exmortus will release a new EP,“Legions Of The Undead, on October 25 via the band's own Exmortus Music, in cooperation with M-Theory Audio.

The five-track release - which was recorded earlier this year with longtime producer Zack Ohren (Machine Head, Warbringer, Immolation) at Oakland's Sharkbite Studios - features a Halloween/horror theme and two new original songs (the title track and “Swallow Your Soul”, the latter of which will premiere on September 13).

The cover artwork, designed by Toha “AHOT” Mashudi, can be seen below.

The EP, which will be released on CD, digital and limited-edition green slime-colored vinyl, also includes covers of three well-known instrumentals performed in the band's inimitable neoclassical metal style - Danny Elfman's “Beetlejuice” theme, Bernard Hermann's iconic “Psycho Theme” and 19th Century Russian composer Modest Mussorgsky's haunting “Night On Bald Mountain.”

A brief trailer for Legions Of The Undead can be seen here.

Legions Of The Undead marks the first Exmortus release featuring the lineup - founding guitarist/vocalist Jadran “Conan” Gonzalez, guitarist Chase Becker (also of Warbringer), bassist Cody Nunez and drummer Adrian Aguilar - that has logged numerous miles on the road together over the past two years with the likes of Obituary, Venom Inc., Sabaton, Kreator, Allegaeon, Hatchet, Homewrecker and The Absence. The group - whose most recent performance was alongside Exodus at the legendary thrash group's sold-out “Bonded By Con” concert during San Diego's recent Comic-Con - will support another iconic Bay Area act this fall, when they team up with Death Angel for a five-week tour across the US and Canada. See below for the complete itinerary.

"We are beyond excited to support Death Angel across North America this November and December,” says Gonzalez. “They've been nothing but great to us whenever we've played in their neck of the woods and now it's a great honor to be a part of their tour. Can't wait to play new tunes from our new EP. See you on the road, Legions!"

Tour dates:

November
16 - Seattle, WA - Club -Sur
17 - Portland, OR - Hawthorne Theater
18 - Vancouver, BC - The Rickshaw Theater
19 - Edmonton, AB - Starlite
20 - Calgary, AB - Dickens
21 - Regina, SK - The Exchange
22 - Winnipeg, MB - Pyramids
23 - St. Paul, MN - The Amsterdam
25 - London, ON - London Music Hall
26 - Toronto, ON - Lee’s Palace
27 - Montreal, QC - Piranha Bar
28 - Ottawa, ON - Brass Monkey
29 - Quebec City, QC - L’Anti Bar & Spectacles
30 - Brooklyn, NY - Saint Vitus

December
1 - New Bedford, MA - Vault @ Greasy Luck
3 - Lancaster, PA - Chameleon
4 - Baltimore, MD - Otto Bar
5 - Richmond, VA - Canal Club
6 - Athens, GA - 40 Watt Club
7 - Tampa, FL - Brass Mug
8 - Orlando, FL - The Haven
10 - Lafayette, LA - Grant Street
11 - Houston, TX - Scout Bar
12 - Austin, TX - Come And Take It Live
13 - Dallas, TX - Tree’s
14 - Tulsa, OK - The Shrine
15 - Enid, OK - 1927 Event Center
17 - Albuquerque, NM - Launch Pad
18 - Mesa, AZ - Club Red
19 - West Hollywood, CA - Whiskey




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