MR. BUNGLE will perform "The Raging Wrath Of The Easter Bunny", the Eureka-born band's 1986 self-produced/released demo, in a trio of early 2020 shows: February 7 at the Fonda Theatre (Los Angeles), February 8 at the Warfield Theatre (San Francisco) and February 10 at Brooklyn Steel (New York City). The dates mark both the first time MR. BUNGLE has performed in close to 20 years and the first time these songs have been played live in over 30 years.

Original MR. BUNGLE members Trevor Dunn, Mike Patton and Trey Spruance will be joined by Scott Ian (ANTHRAX, S.O.D.) and Dave Lombardo (DEAD CROSS, SLAYER, SUICIDAL TENDENCIES) for what is sure to be one of the most talked about musical moments of 2020.

Feb. 07 - Los Angeles, CA @ Fonda Theatre

Feb. 08 - -San Francisco, CA @ Warfield Theatre

Feb. 10 - New York, NY @ Brooklyn Steel

Tickets go on sale this Friday, August 16 at 10 a.m. local time. There will be no additional cities added to this itinerary

Said Spruance: "Ever since Trevor hatched 'The Raging Wrath Of The Easter Bunny v.2' idea a few years back, Patton, Lombardo, he and I had each been incubating some idea of that egg. Lombardo called me one day and asked me to make some guitar demos so he could learn the songs. He had this generous idea to surprise the other guys with being totally ready to go with the tunes. It just so happened that I was in Eureka at the time. So, I found myself revisiting all of those riffs in the same goddamned town and in the same goddamned house where I recorded all the original guitars on that demo 33 years earlier. There was something about actually physically working out the mania of those riffs again at Dave Lombardo's request, in that environment — it just split my head open. It wasn't long before the train of destiny had picked up too much speed for any of us to jump off."

Added Dunn: "When we recorded that demo, we were 16 and 17 years old and we were absolutely serious about the music. At the time, we were living the deluge of '80s metal and absorbing every riff and every drum fill from every known band from Denmark to San Francisco. The recording and playing were amateurish (save for Trey's video-game-solos) but the schooled composition and spirit were solid. I always felt like this music held its own and deserved to be presented in a clearer and more defined package even if it meant being 33 years later."

Said Patton: "I remember writing riffs for this cassette in my parent's garage, with no heat, so I recorded in a sleeping bag for analog warmth, playing a one-stringed acoustic guitar that was piped into a ghetto blaster. Thank god I had Trevor and Trey to help decipher my rotten riffs into something intelligible!"

Commented Ian: "When Mike hit me up about this, my brain thought he was asking me if I wanted to come to a show, him knowing I am a HUGE BUNGLE fan. When I realized he actually meant for me to play guitar with them, it broke my brain; I was a giggly drooling mess. Somehow I pecked out Y E S on my keyboard and holy crap I'm playing in MR. BUNGLE. Seriously, it's an honor and a privilege to get to play with my favorite 'Mr.' band of all time."

Said Lombardo: "I don't know what was in the water in Eureka, California, but it certainly wasn't clean. This is going to be a ridiculously, insane band to play with and I am honored to have been asked to join the wrath."

The idea that Dunn, Patton and Spruance will be joined by their early musical heroes is not lost on the musicians.

Said Dunn: "They are a significant percentage of the 'Big Four,' all of which had a major impact on us. Aside from their obvious skills and — for crying out loud, INVENTION of this genre — there's nothing like being in a band with those whom which you have rapport. If we are going back to the source with this stuff we might as well go ALL THE WAY back."

Added Patton: "To have Scott and Dave with us on this suicide mission is more than an honor. THEY are a big part of the reason we wrote this stuff in the first place, and to realize it 30+ years later with these maestros is an absolute miracle… we can finally play this teenage nonsense correctly! A total catharsis for us."

Commented Spruance: "At our very first show, at the Bayside Grange Hall, Nov. 30, 1985, we played SLAYER's 'Chemical Warfare' and a S.O.D. cover. I mean, are you kidding?? We WORSHIPPED those guys! And now they're gonna PLAY in our band?"

GUNS N' ROSES bassist Duff McKagan has released a concert video for "Don't Look Behind You", captured during his recent sold-out show at the El Rey Theatre in Los Angeles.


"Don't Look Behind You" is featured on McKagan's critically acclaimed new solo album "Tenderness", which debuted at No. 1 on Billboard's Heatseekers chart.


Produced by and featuring Grammy winner Shooter Jennings, the critically acclaimed album drew accolades from Entertainment Weekly, Spin, Consequence Of Sound, Chicago Tribune, LA Weekly, Guitar Player and many more, including Rolling Stone, which praised the album for being "more country-sounding than some mainstream Nashville releases joining it on record-store shelves."


Backed by Jennings and his band, McKagan embarked on a headlining North American tour, playing to packed-house crowds across the country. He also performed on NPR's World Café, was honored by the Seattle Mariners with a "Duff McKagan Night" at T-Mobile Park and was featured at the Grammy Museum in downtown Los Angeles.


Now he's taking the show overseas for a European tour that kicks off August 22 in Poland.


"Tenderness" sees McKagan reflecting on his experiences traveling the globe over two and a half years on GUNS N' ROSES' "Not In This Lifetime" tour. Encountering heartbreak, anger, fear, confusion and divide on his travels during this tumultuous time in our world history, McKagan channeled a collective hurt into songs of monolithic power.


McKagan has also created a campaign that puts the album's themes into action and he’s inviting fans to join him in an effort to give support to organizations doing great work. Those include Seattle's Union Gospel Mission, 320 Changes Direction and To Write Love On Her Arms, among others.


His European tour, which features Jennings and his band opening the show and then backing McKagan, kicks off August 22 in Warsaw.

METALLICA members Kirk Hammett and Robert Trujillo, along with their good friends Whitfield Crane (UGLY KID JOE), Joey Castillo (QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE, ZAKK SABBATH) and Doc Coyle (BAD WOLVES, GOD FORBID), performed on July 26 at Cosmopolitan Music Hall at Cosmo Music in Richmond Hill, Ontario, Canada. Dubbed THE WEDDING BAND, they played classic covers from bands like AC/DC, BLACK SABBATH, Billy Idol, and more.

A two-minute video containing highlights from the event can be seen below.

As previously reported, The Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto is hosting "It's Alive! Classic Horror And Sci-Fi Art From The Kirk Hammett Collection" from July 13, 2019 to January 5, 2020.

Hammett is an avid collector of classic horror and sci-fi movie posters. This exhibition features 90 works that provide insight into the evolution of horror and sci-fi films and how they have played upon contemporary societal fears. Hammett acknowledges his poster collection as a source of inspiration for his own musical creativity. The exhibition features film posters as well as collectible electric guitars, monster masks and sculptures.

Hammett told Exclaim!: "Toronto is horror city central. It's the great Northeastern horror capital, and I mean that. There's a big market for horror in Toronto, and I think Toronto realizes that too."

Hammett has been a collector of scary movie items since he was around five or six years old and the items span the entire history of horror films from early 20th Century films like "Frankenstein" to '70s and '80s slasher movies. His collection is considered to be one of the world's most prominent archives of the movie genre's history.

"The pieces that are picked are the pieces that have the most relevance," he said. "Also I have a tendency to lean toward pieces that are more illustrative and have a certain amount of visual appeal. A movie like 'Nosferatu' is really important because it's the very first vampire movie and there's hardly any material that has survived from the '20s."

Hammett released a coffee table book in 2012 called "Too Much Horror Business" that featured photos of his extensive collection of monster and horror memorabilia.

He displayed a portion of his collection in the "Kirk's Crypt" exhibition during the 2012 and 2013 Orion Music + More festivals.

ISSUES will release a new album, "Beautiful Oblivion", on October 4 via Rise Records. The disc takes the band's signature cocktail of metallic groove, hip-hop aplomb, alternative echoes, and edgy pop appeal a step further. The Atlanta band has delivered an instantly irresistible collection of anthems where singer Tyler Carter's nimble delivery seamlessly slips from R&B swagger into hard-hitting heaviness.

The band has shared the new song and video "Drink About It". The clip, which can be seen below. was directed by Dillon Novak (DANCE GAVIN DANCE) and Cole Schwartz (Lyrical Lemonade, Juice WRLD, Wiz Khalifa).

"'Drink About It' is something I feel everyone can relate to," says Carter. "The song, quite frankly, is about cheater being found out by their unfortunate partner. The idea is this: 'I think you know... you know something... how much do you know...? I'm just gonna let them sweat it out a little bit.' But that play on words is also saying, 'You're all I drink about' and at this point I wanna sweat you out of my system."

"Beautiful Oblivion" track listing:

01. Here's To You

02. Drink About It

03. Find Forever

04. Tapping Out

05. Without You

06. Rain

07. Downfall

08. Second Best

09. Get It Right

10. Flexin

11. No Problem (Keep It Alive)

12. Your Sake

13. Beautiful Oblivion


ISSUES will embark on a headline tour this fall.

Crossover thrash unit TOXIC HOLOCAUST will release its long-awaited new album, "Primal Future: 2019", on October 4 via new Entertainment One (eOne).


The band Terrorizer called "a whirlwind of booze, denim jackets and riffs" began kicking out the corrosive jams in basements and bedrooms some 20 years ago, building a punishing legacy of mutant thrash and filthy street punk that's outlasted the heydays of the genres that spawned them. Founder Joel Grind, the headband-wearing headbanger whose dedication to the one-man-band ethos gives the late Quorthon a run for his money, melting down the greatest punk metal crossover riff collection imaginable into nuclear ooze. With each successive release, Grind repurposes the most visceral strengths of speed, thrash, and punk through his own unique prism, making for new (and certainly not "nü") metal anthems that consistently reignite a circle-pitting feeding frenzy in the scene.


TOXIC HOLOCAUST 2.0 detonates like doomsday all over "Primal Future: 2019", an ambitious new mission statement from the man whose guiding forces remain DISCHARGE, MEGADETH, VENOM, ENGLISH DOGS, NUCLEAR ASSAULT, D.R.I. and G.B.H., all juiced by the unrelenting, feverish, urgent power of a modern metal trailblazer.


A dystopian technological takeover drives the album thematically, but the passionately delivered music is vintage TOXIC HOLOCAUST, taking things all the way back to the band's early origins.

"When I started the band in 1999, I never imagined I'd still be doing it in 2019," Grind explains. "It's been a long time coming but the new album is finally ready and it's sort of a culmination of my past 20 years of doing this band. Most notably, I decided to go back to my roots and record this entire album by myself and play all of the instruments like I did in the early days. It was a lot of fun and nostalgic and at the same time exciting to be able to apply everything I've learned over the years."

"Primal Future: 2019" was recorded, mixed, and mastered by Grind with artwork by Steve Crisp. In advance of its release, a lyric video for opening bruiser, "Chemical Warlords", has been unveiled.

"'Chemical Warlords' opens the album and sets the tone for the rest of the record," says Grind. "My vision for this album was sort of a cyberpunk dystopian future. Enjoy!"

"Primal Future: 2019" track listing:

01. Chemical Warlords

02. Black Out The Code

03. New World Beyond

04. Deafened By The Roar

05. Time's Edge

06. Primal Future

07. Iron Cage

08. Controlled By Fear

09. Aftermath

10. Cybernetic War


TOXIC HOLOCAUST will join GWAR's massive North American "Use Your Collusion" tour next month. The journey begins September 16 in Grand Rapids, Michigan and runs through November 5 in Indianapolis, Indiana. Additional support will be provided by SACRED REICH and AGAINST THE GRAIN.

According to Official Charts, SLIPKNOT's latest album, "We Are Not Your Kind", is on track to become the band's first No. 1 in the United Kingdom in 18 years. The group's breakthrough LP "Iowa" as its only U.K. No. 1 to date, topping the charts in September 2001.

"We Are Not Your Kind" is currently 13,000 chart sales ahead of Ed Sheeran's "No.6 Collaborations Project".

While Sheeran's fourth album has the upper hand as far as streaming goes, the masked metallers have sold the most physical copies and digital downloads across the weekend.

"We Are Not Your Kind" would be SLIPKNOT's fifth consecutive Top 5 album in the U.K.

The disc arrived on August 9 via Roadrunner Records.

"We Are Not Your Kind" was once again recorded at a Los Angeles studio with producer Greg Fidelman, who engineered and mixed SLIPKNOT's 2004 album "Vol. 3: (The Subliminal Verses)" and helmed 2014's ".5: The Gray Chapter".

Singer Corey Taylor recently that "We Are Not Your Kind" features the "darkest" lyrics he has written "in a long time." He told iHeartRadio Canada about the LP: "It's heavy, it's experimental, it's melodic as hell. Lyrically, it's the darkest that I've gone in a long time. I went through a really dark period, and it fueled all of my lyrics for this album, all of my emotions for this album. The shirking the chains of that depression, negativity, trying to get rid of that. And the vibe is so dark. People aren't gonna… they're not gonna know what to expect with it. It's pretty crazy."

Earlier this year, Taylor told the Des Moines Register that some of "We Are Not Your Kind" was written while he was forced to "figure out who I was" following his recent divorce, without relapsing into substance abuse.

"All I was doing was giving and I found myself absolutely, completely tapped," he said. "You could see it in my skin. You could see it in my eyes. That's basically the journey I'm going to take people on this album … show them what happens to depression when you have no chemicals to fall back on."

In a separate interview with BBC Radio 1's "Rock Show With Daniel P. Carter", Taylor said that SLIPKNOT's new album is "probably the furthest we've pushed the boundaries of creativity and experimentation, while also not losing our identity.

"There are bands out there who, they go for all of that experimentation and they forget who they are — they forget that there's an audience that wants to hear a certain type... It doesn't have to be the exact thing, but there has to be a certain emotion that they are looking for, that they wanna hear... There has to be that touchstone. You can go as far out as you want, but you have to be able to pull them back to that feeling that made them fans in the first place. And I really think we did that with this album. We not only went places that we've hinted at, musically, over the years, but never really went full-bore, but we're also doing heavier things than we've ever done."

THE MAGPIE SALUTE, which brings together the reunited guitar team of Rich Robinson and Marc Ford from THE BLACK CROWES, bassist Sven Pipien (also from the CROWES) along with lead singer John Hogg (HOOKAH BROWN, MOKE), drummer Joe Magistro and guitarist Nico Bereciartua, will release a new three-song EP, "In Here", on September 6 on digital formats worldwide, as well as on 140-gram black 10-inch vinyl (in the U.S. only). This EP precedes the full-length album "High Water II", due out later this year, the follow-up to the band's debut album, "High Water I".

Produced entirely by founding member, guitarist and songwriter Rich Robinson, and recorded/mixed by Sean Genockey, "In Here" was initially recorded at Dark Horse Studio in Nashville simultaneously with the "High Water I" album in 2018. The band continued working on these songs, with additional sessions at Rockfield Studios in the U.K., after the completion of their 2018 European tour. The result is "In Here", which delivers THE MAGPIE SALUTE's signature new American roots rock sound.

Opening with the Robinson-penned single "In Here" (the first single from "High Water II", out now on all digital platforms), the EP includes the country-tinged "Lost Boy", co-written by guitarist Marc Ford and Robinson, with contributions from special guest Alison Krauss, who supplied vocals and fiddle.

In addition to "In Here" and "Lost Boy", which will both be included on "High Water II", the band also recorded the EP-only track "Passenger", written by Robinson and vocalist John Hogg.

Since forming in 2016 for their now acclaimed Woodstock show, THE MAGPIE SALUTE has garnered critical praise from Guitar World, Relix and Rolling Stone, which summed up their live set as "explosive." Having toured with GOVT. MULE, THE AVETT BROTHERS and BLACKBERRY SMOKE throughout 2018, as well as successful shows in the U.S., Europe, and Japan, THE MAGPIE SALUTE has engaged fans worldwide.

RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS bassist Flea's memoir, "Acid For The Children", will be released on November 5 via Grand Central Publishing. Featuring a foreword by Patti Smith, the 400-page book, which was originally due last year, "takes readers on a deeply personal and revealing tour of [Flea's] formative years, spanning from Australia to the New York City suburbs to, finally, Los Angeles," according to the memoir's official synopsis. "Through hilarious anecdotes, poetical meditations, and occasional flights of fantasy, Flea deftly chronicles the experiences that forged him as an artist, a musician, and a young man.

The synopsis adds: "His dreamy, jazz-inflected prose makes the Los Angeles of the 1970s and 80s come to gritty, glorious life, including the potential for fun, danger, mayhem, or inspiration that lurked around every corner. It is here that young Flea, looking to escape a turbulent home, found family in a community of musicians, artists, and junkies who also lived on the fringe. He spent most of his time partying and committing petty crimes. But it was in music where he found a higher meaning, a place to channel his frustration, loneliness, and love. This left him open to the life-changing moment when he and his best friends, soul brothers, and partners-in-mischief came up with the idea to start their own band, which became the RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS."

For Flea, who described himself as "a literature geek," writing his autobiography proved valuable — promising far more than salacious gossip, band drama, and drug-and-sex-fueled debauchery found in most tell-all rock tomes.

"I love literature deeply," Flea said when his memoir was first announced. "I view books as sacred things, and in writing my story, I'm going to do my best to honor the form that has played such a huge part in shaping who I am."

Flea's bandmate Kiedis released his own autobiography, "Scar Tissue", back in 2004.

RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS' latest album, "The Getaway", came out in 2016.

Earlier this year, Fractal Universe released their new album, Rhizomes Of Insanity, via Metal Blade Records. Watch a drum playthrough for the album track, ”Fundamental Dividing Principle":

Rhizomes Of Insanity can be ordered here.

Rhizomes Of Insanity tracklisting:

"Oneiric Realisations"
"Flashes Of Potentialities"
"Rising Oblivion"
"A Reality To Foreclose"
"Masterpiece's Parallelism"
"Parabola Of Silence"
"Madness' Arabesques"
"Architectural Aberrations"
"Fundamental Dividing Principle"
"Chiasmus Of The Damned"
"Collective Engram" - Unplugged (Bonus Track)

"Rising Oblivion" video:

"Oneiric Realisations" video:

(Photo - Lucie Gallego)




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All-Canadian cover band Toque, featuring Todd Kerns and Brent Fitz - both of whom play in Slash Featuring Myles Kennedy And The Conspirators - along with Cory Churko (Shania Twain) and Shane Gaalaas, will release their second album, Never Enough, on August 28th.

While the tracklisting is still under wraps, the cover art for Never Enough can be viewed below. Digital downloads can be pre-ordered now at this location; CDs will be available at the end of the month. Fans should take note that the digital pre-order comes with a free bonus track not available on the CD.

Toque will release their next single, "Never Enough For You" on August 16th. Don't recognize the name? That's because it's the first original song written and recorded by the band.

To celebrate the release of Never Enough, Toque has announced the following appearances and shows:

August
27 - Nashville's - Winnipeg, MB - CD Release Party
29 - John's Music Store - Moose Jaw, SK - Meet & Greet
30 - B Sharp Music Store - Regina, SK - Meet & Greet
31 - Shake The Lake - Regina, SK

September
1 - Party In The Park - Calgary, AB

(Photo credit: Adrian O'Brien)




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Osmose Productions has set September 27th as the international release date for Patronymicon's third album, Ushered Forth By Cloven Tongue, on CD and vinyl LP formats.

Blessed by the dark gods in 2008, Patronymicon brought their uncompromising black metal to this world of scum-infested inhabitants. Through a journey of blood, chaos, and violence, 11 years later, they now stand stronger and prouder than ever before, presenting their third masterpiece of haunting violent black metal pride, from the fastest blastbeats to the grooving slow-paced haunting riffs and drums that take you on a dark trip to the underworld, while being possessed by the eerie vocals spewed forth. You've been warned - Patronymicon attack!

First track premiere to be revealed shortly. Pre-order info can be found here. Cover art, by Chadwick St. John, and tracklisting are as follows:

"Haissem"
"The Funeral Of A Passive God"
"XI Kings XI Curses"
"Lightless Flames"
"Womb Of Rejection"
"From The Depths Of Damnation"
"A Star That Shineth Not"
"Death Itself"

 

 




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Debauchery are celebrating the 15th anniversary of Blood For The Blood God with an extensive compilation that's bearing the same name, and is scheduled to be released on October 4th via Massacre Records.

The compilation will be available as a 3-CD Digipak with a total playing time of more than three and a half hours, as stream and download, as well as a limited edition double vinyl LP with a total playing time of almost one and a half hours.

The tracklisting and cover art are available below.

CD 1

"Beasts Of Balgeroth"
"Demonslayer"
"Butcherman"
"Ironclad Declaration Of War"
"Slaughter The Devil"
"Gorezilla"
"Praise The Blood God"
"Torture Pit"
"Murdermaker"
"German Warmachine"
"Warmachines At War"
"Man In Blood"
"Enemy Of Mankind"
"City Of Bones"
"Let There Be Blood"
"The Unbroken"
"Beyond The Eternity Gate"
"Blood For The Blood God" (Re-recorded)
 
CD 2

"There Is Only War" (Remix 2019)
"Blood God Rising"
"Blood God Kills"
"Heavy Metal Monsternaut"
"Masters Of The Killing Art"
"Slaughtercult Of Carnagers"
"Killerbeast"
"Animal Holocaust"
"Back In Blood"
"Butcher Of Bitches"
"Blowjob Barbie"
"Defenders Of The Throne Of Fire"
"Death Metal Warmachine"
"Lords Of Battle"
"Warfare" (Feat. Schmier)
"Zombie Blitzkrieg"
"Metal On Metal"
"Kings Of Carnage"
"Bloodcrushing Heavy Metal"
 
CD 3

"Slaughterman"
"Kill Maim Burn" (Re-recorded)
"Devourer Of Worlds"
"Hordes Of Chaos"
"Chainsaw Masturbation"
"The Fifth Battle"
"Wargrinder"
"Slaves To Darkness"
"Armies Of Immortals"
"Continue To Kill"
"Wolves Of The North"
"Honour And Courage"
"King Of Killing
"Blood For The Blood God" (Pussy Version)
"Take My Pain"
"To Hell"
"Rocker"
"Walking Glory Roads"

LP 1 - Side A

"Beasts Of Balgeroth"
"Slaughter The Devil"
"Praise The Blood God"
"Torture Pit"
"Murdermaker"
 
LP 1 - Side B

"German Warmachine"
"Warmachines At War"
"City Of Bones"
"Warfare" (Feat. Schmier)
"Devourer Of Worlds"
"Hordes Of Chaos"
 
LP 2 - Side A

"There Is Only War" (Remix 2019)
"Let There Be Blood"
"Animal Holocaust"
"Defenders Of The Throne Of Fire"
"Kings Of Carnage"
 
LP 2 - Side B

"Blood For The Blood God" (Re-recorded)
"Death Metal Warmachine"
"Blowjob Barbie"
"Butcher Of Bitches"
"Kill Maim Burn" (Re-recorded)

 




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Pacific Northwest death / doom metal abomination Mortiferum declares the impending arrival of their debut LP, Disgorged From Psychotic Depths, the album now confirmed for release through Profound Lore on October 11th. 

With Disgorged From Psychotic Depths, the monstrous offering Mortiferum have spewed forth crawls as an anguished slab of death doom filth of the most wretched order. Dark and foreboding through monolithic brutal crestfallen riffs and malformed dissonant rhythmic rumblings, Disgorged From Psychotic Depths is a towering and dreadful benefaction of atmospheric imposing death metal ruin and depravity reeking of the stench of the early '90s American and Finnish death metal scenes.

Disgorged From Psychotic Depths was recorded by Evan Mersky, mixed by Andrew Oswald, and mastered by Dan Lowndes, and is completed with artwork by Chase Slaker.

Tracklisting:

"Archaic Vision Of Despair"
"Inhuman Effigy"
"Putrid Ascension"
"Funereal Hallucinations"
"Interlude (Anamnesis)"
"Faceless Apparition"

(Photo by Carter Murdoch)




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Bolton / Lancashire, UK-based NWOBHM act, Stormchild, will release its actual debut album, entitled Lightning Never Strikes Twice, via Skol Records, 40 years after they first formed. The album has been produced by Chris Tsangarides, the legendary producer, responsible for iconic albums of acts such as Judas Priest, Thin Lizzy, Yngwie Malmsteen and Black Sabbath, who passed away in 2018.

Stormchild were active between 1979 and 1982, and originally released only one single, available as a 7" released by their record label to attract a producer, and Chris Tsangarides was that producer. However, the band split before getting the chance to work with Chris. In 2016 High Roller Records released a compilation of the early demo recordings of the band. Some of them, along with other, unknown and never released tracks from the Stormchild archives, all written between 1979 and 1982, were recorded in 2017 by the original line up for the band's debut album, which is believed to be one of the last productions of Chris Tsangarides.

"Whenever we were talking with Chris, we were agreeing that we finally need to do something together. I like to believe we were friends, as he helped and advised me many times, however I would rather call him my mentor. I was actually always calling him my "Jedi Master", and I think he liked it," says Skol Records CEO and record producer Bart Gabriel. "To be honest I didn't know that CT was working with the guys from Stormchild, and that he got the band back together to finish the album he wanted to make with them in 1982. When they contacted me few months after his passing, I knew we needed to finish that project, and release that album, no matter what. This is one of the things I learned from Chris: to share the passion, the gift of music."

Lightning Never Strikes Twice will be released on November 8 via Skol Records and will include 12 songs. Its cover artwork was painted by Roberto Toderico, an artist known from cooperation with other NWOBHM acts such as Tygers Of Pan Tang, Quartz, and Mythra.




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In their endless quest to push and support current underground acts that perpetuate the odor of vintage death metal, on October 31st, Memento Mori presents Ectoplasma's third album, White-Eyed Trance, on CD. Repulsive Echo Records will be handling the vinyl LP version, which will follow later in the year.

Hailing from Greece, Ectoplasma has kicked their crusade against inane, overproduced death metal into overdrive. White-Eyed Trance sees the band entering concept album territory. Rest easy as the same punishing 'n' pustulent sound is presented and accounted for here.

White-Eyed Trance is an unabashed statement of classic death metal songwriting. As such, Ectoplasma patiently build their towers of lurching dread and lace them with well-timed bouts of blasting, but always in the service of the song. If anything, their crunch 'n' crush is a bit clearer now, thanks in no small part to powerful mixing and mastering by Robbert Kok (Disavowed).

Finished off by awesomely retro, luridly colored cover art by the masterful Mörtuus and a well-chosen cover of Devastation's "Souls Of Sacrifice", White-Eyed Trance is yet another timely reminder from Ectoplasma that the past is alive - and it's more horrific than ever! Hear for yourself with the new track "Psychomanteum Immolation". Aforementioned cover and tracklisting are as follows:

"Eviscerated In The Howling Winds"
"Psychomanteum Immolation"
"White-Eyed Trance: Choronzonic Covenant"
"The Oak Spewed Foul Whispers"
"Ghostly Emanations In The Mortuary"
"Alucarda, The Daughter Of Darkness"
"White-Eyed Trance: Ensnared In Devilry"
"Skeletal Lifeforms"
"Souls Of Sacrifice" [Devastation cover]

 




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Troy Sanders from Atlanta progressive metallers MASTODON played bass for iconic rockers THIN LIZZY during their recent run of European festival appearances to commemorate 50 years since the formation of the original band and 40 years since the release of the seminal "Black Rose" album.

Sanders joined guitarist Scott Gorham, Darren Wharton on keyboards, Ricky Warwick on lead vocals, Damon Johnson on guitar and JUDAS PRIEST's Scott Travis on drums for several shows in late July and early August, including an August 10 slot at Alcatraz Hard Rock & Metal Festival in Kortrijk, Belgium.

Fan-filmed video footage can be seen below.

Earlier this year, when Sanders' addition to THIN LIZZY's touring lineup was first announced, Gorham said: "We are very happy to welcome Troy to the LIZZY family! We met a few years ago at Download festival and he's a great guy and killer bass player to boot, so very happy he wanted to join us for the shows this summer."

Warwick added: "MASTODON are a fantastic band and knowing how much of a THIN LIZZY fan Troy is, he will be an amazing addition to the fold"

Sanders stated: "It's no secret that THIN LIZZY has had a big influence on MASTODON's music. Being asked to join them on stage is a big deal and true honor to me. I am really looking forward to it!"

THIN LIZZY peaked in 1976 with its "Jailbreak" album, which went gold in the U.S.

The band's frontman Phil Lynott died on January 4, 1986, at the age of 36.

Gorham launched a new touring version of THIN LIZZY in 1994 with latter-day LIZZY guitarist John Sykes. Several personnel changes followed until Scott finally brought singer Ricky Warwick (frontman for the Scottish band THE ALMIGHTY) and guitarist Damon Johnson (formerly with Alice Cooper) into the fold.

BC Kochmit has announced his departure from NONPOINT.

The guitarist, who joined NONPOINT in 2014 as the replacement for Dave Lizzio, played on the band's last two studio albums, 2016's "The Poison Red" and 2018's "X".

The news of Kochmit's exit from NONPOINT was broken by the group on its Facebook page.

NONPOINT wrote: "It's with an extremely heavy heart we say goodbye to our friend @bckochmit as he makes the decision to come off the road indefinitely and step down as lead guitarist for our band. Touring and being away from family is hard for us all. For BC it's gotten too hard for him to continue touring and being away from his family. He will be deeply missed but we all understand his decision and ask our fans to respect this decision as it did not come easy. We wish you nothing but luck and happiness BC. Love you brother."

BC explained his decision to leave NONPOINT in a heartfelt message on social media. He wrote: "I don't know how many miles I've traveled or how many faces I've seen in my career. I don't even know how to begin to count them. What I do know is that every single one of them was a blessing.

"For over two decades I've lived an amazing life doing what I love for a living, but over the last 20 years I've amassed a great debt. Borrowing from the bank of trust my family has in me afforded me the opportunity to be who I am. I am truly blessed with real love. The kind of love that withstands countless tear soaked goodbyes and FaceTime holidays. The kind of love that stretched across oceans on Mother's Days and Thanksgivings. What I've asked of them is indeed remarkable. Furthermore, I've borrowed too much from my own physical body. Ignoring all the aches, pains, and back problems so that I do not deprive a single fan of the energy they deserve. I can ask no more of my family or my body. The bill is due and I'm a man of my word. It is with an extremely heavy heart that I must face the reality that after the Taste Of Madison show on August 30th it is finally time for me to step down and retire from touring full time.

"To my brothers in NONPOINT, sharing the stage with you has been truly a blessing and an honor that I will never ever forget. From befriending you guys on your first headlining tour when I was opening for you in SWITCHED in 2001, to when the stars finally aligned and you welcomed me into the fold as a true member of this amazing band, you are and forever will be family to me and that will never change. I wish you all nothing short of the very best and much more continued success from the bottom of my heart. I will always be there to write music with you and do whatever I possibly can for my NONPOINT family. I am NONPOINT for life. The thing I will miss the most though, is looking over my shoulder and seeing my four brothers absolutely dominating those stages and giving nothing less than 110% every night. Elias, Robb, Rasheed, & Adam, I love you all more than each of you will ever possibly know. Thank you for all the amazing memories, the unmatched chemistry, your brotherhood, but most importantly ... thank you for your understanding.

"To all my crew family throughout the years, not one of those shows would have happened without you. You are the real true hero's of rock and roll. I salute each and every single one of you. Thank you all for everything.

To every fan that ever banged their head, put their fist in the air, shouted the lyrics, or jumped into the pit, you have given me the strength to make it this far and I love you all.

"This is not the end of the music. Music is who and what I am. Music consumes my soul. I will always write and compose new music, but I promised myself that I would not watch my daughter grow up through an iPhone. I have to keep that promise. It is time to turn the page and begin the next chapter of my life. I now have to go where I am needed the most. Home."

NONPOINT is continuing to tour in support of its tenth album, "X", which was released in August 2018. The follow-up to 2016's "The Poison Red" was produced by Fred Archambault, who has previously worked with ATREYU and AVENGED SEVENFOLD, among others.


It's with an extremely heavy heart we say goodbye to our friend @bckochmit as he makes the decision to come off the road...Posted by Nonpoint on Monday, August 12, 2019

According to Billboard, TOOL's "Ænima" has re-entered the Billboard 200 chart at No. 10. The set — which debuted and peaked at No. 2 in 1996 — was released via digital retailers and streaming services for the first time on August 2, along with most of the band's catalog. The album bounds back on to the list with 33,000 equivalent album units earned, of which 18,000 were in album sales.

In other news, TOOL's latest single, "Fear Inoculum", the title track of the band's long-awaited new album, has become the longest song in history to enter the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart. With a running time of 10 minutes and 23 seconds, the track has landed at No. 93 on the survey in its first week of release.

The 85-minute, seven-song "Fear Inoculum" album arrives on August 30. A limited-edition version of the set, priced at $45, will come with a four-inch HD screen featuring exclusive video footage, a USB charging cable, a two-watt speaker and a 36-page insert book.

Drummer Danny Carey told The Pulse Of Radio a while back that TOOL never thinks about radio airplay when he and his bandmates write songs. "It's obvious when songs have that solid of a hook to 'em and just have a more straight-ahead groove and aren't quite as long maybe as some of the other ones are," he said. "So it just makes sense. But we don't try to write the songs to have that direction by any means, you know, we just kind of do what we do, and if we're lucky enough to get a song that has that type of a hook or a hit potential, then we go with it."

In a cover story on the band by Revolver magazine, guitarist Adam Jones spoke about the meaning of the title "Fear Inoculum". He explained, "That has to do with getting older, too. Things like, 'I'm gonna wear socks with sandals. I don't give a fuck what people think. I'm just gonna be comfortable.' [Laughs] So it's about the little things in life. It's making those choices that are important to you and moving on and growing."

Singer Maynard James Keenan added: "I feel like this is [about] wisdom through age, through experience. Hopefully through aging you do find wisdom in some of the things you've encountered. Learning from your mistakes, learning from your successes. So if anything is a broad stroke of this album, it would be embracing where we are right now, acknowledging where we've come from and some of the things we've grown through."

TOOL has yet to announce tour plans for "Fear Inoculum".

Drift away into "California Summer Song" from Tesla's new album, Shock. 

"THANK YOU to all of our Tesla Troops who submitted their summer photos to be included in this video," says the band.

To read BraveWords scribe Aaron Small's interview with Tesla guitarist Frank Hannon, in which he talks about "California Summer Song", click here.

In live news, Tesla's next show is August 31st in Snoqualmie, WA. To view their complete tour schedule, visit this location.

 




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German thrashers Destruction have released a bass playthrough video for the song "Rotten", featured on their 17th studio album, Born To Perish, out now via Nuclear Blast. Watch below:

Born To Perish was recorded in January and February 2019 with VO Pulver at Little Creek Studios in Switzerland and is the first Destruction album featuring Randy Black on the drums and new second guitar shredder Damir Eskic.

The stunning cover art was created by acclaimed artist Gyula from Hungary, who has also created artwork for Annihilator, Grave Digger, Stratovarius, Tankard and many more.

Order the album here.

Tracklist:

"Born To Perish"
"Inspired By Death"
"Betrayal"
"Rotten"
"Filthy Wealth"
"Butchered For Life"
"Tyrants Of The Netherworld"
"We Breed Evil"
"Fatal Flight 17"
"Ratcatcher"

Bonus:

"Hellbound"

"Inspired By Death" visualizer:

"Betrayal" video:

"Born To Perish" visualizer:

(Photo - Liné Hammett)




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KISS performed the Hotter Than Hell album track, "Let Me Go, Rock 'N' Roll" during their End Of The Road tour stop last night, August 11, at Jiffy Lube Live in Bristow, Virginia. Watch pro-shot footage below:

KISS performs next on Tuesday, August 13 at Veterans United Home Loans Amphitheater in Virginia Beach, VA. Find the band's complete End Of The Road tour itinerary here.

End Of The Road Pit Stop:

Episode #1:

Episode #2:




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Calgary-based metal quintet, Kobra And The Lotus, return with their new studio album, Evolution, out September 20th via Napalm Records. They have checked in with the following update:

"Did you know that Napalm Records has gone against the grain and printed their 'gold' limited edition discs for us in bright purple?! Only 200 available!! The side A and B stickers contain behind the scenes candid band photos. For our own vinyl choice, we chose to print 500 limited edition picture discs. These contain real photos of the band including the signature sillouette shot of our live performance during the filming of music video ‘Burn'‬. We will be taking 300 with us on tour and Napalm Records​ will be selling 200."

Pick up your limited edition vinyl copies via Napalm Records here.

The upcoming LP sees the band imbued with a new fire that comes through by way of undeniable hooks, soaring guitar riffs, marching drum beats, and the soulful, bombastic vocal delivery of lead singer Kobra Paige. No longer bound by old formulas and expectations from the past, Evolution comes through with a sound that is expansive and, at times, borders on outright swagger. Each song feels like an Active Rock hit in the making, while still having the grit and feverish intensity that longtime fans have come to admire from Kobra And The Lotus.

Limited edition autographed copies of Evolution are now available via Newbury Comincs at here.

The band has dropped their music video for the new single, "Burn!", which can be seen below.

Evolution boasts the band's most cohesive and confident material to date. For the new record, Kobra And The Lotus enlisted the services of producer Michael "Elvis" Baskette (Alter Bridge, Linkin Park, Slash, Sevendust).

"The new body of work sets the tone for the music going forward. Sonically, it’s still heavy. It highlights the showmanship and maintains the edge. At the same time, it’s approachable. It pays tribute to our influences, but it takes the next step. So, it’s a reintroduction to us and a rebirth. A firm goal was to build a strong identity and update everything. We just want to be Kobra And The Lotus; that’s what we’re doing."

The first single, "Burn!” ignites this chapter. A hummable riff snaps into a visceral verse as the frontwoman directly declares, “I really hate you, yes I do.” The track builds towards an incendiary and infectious chorus, hinging on a seesawing guttural groove and hitting like a sledgehammer.

“It’s about all of the reasons you hold yourself back,” she explains. “You literally need to burn all of those feelings, stories, excuses, and obstacles keeping you from being your own authentic self. It’s super personal. It’s a product of growing and arriving as a person. I’m realizing who I am. It’s symbolic of the rebirth,” says Kobra.

Going further into the process behind Evolution, Kobra comments, “We’ve never done a record like Evolution. We’ve flown demos over the internet back and forth or started a few ideas prior to hitting the studio. This time, we were all working together in the flesh for the full duration of the writing process. It’s a collision of everything we love. We feel like it’s the freshest and most timeless thing we’ve brought to the table.”

Pre-orders for Evolution are available here.

Tracklisting:

"Evolution"
"Burn!"
"We Come Undone"
"Wounds"
"Thundersmith"
"Circus"
"Wash Away"
"Liar"
"Get The F*ck Out Of Here"
"In The End"
"Tokyo" (Japan Version Only)

"Burn!" video:

(Photo - Dan Sturgess of Sturge Media)




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Hailed by BraveWords as “a bombastic mix of epic metal,” the Los Angeles-based extreme progressive/power quintet Novareign – who are currently working on the follow-up to their 2018 debut Legends – recently announced a series of summer shows alongside fellow Californians, Helion Prime. Capital Chaos TV captured the band in action in Orangevale, CA on August 5th at The Boardwalk. Check out the footage below.

Over the past two years, Novareign has performed throughout the Western United States alongside the likes of Angra, Exmortus, Michael Schenker Group, Act of Defiance, Railgun, Graveshadow, Bonded By Blood and Holy Grail. The group has spent the past few months writing and recording material for their as-yet-untitled sophomore album, which will be recorded later this year.

“We're hard at work finishing up the writing/pre-production part of the new album and have plans to hit the studio real soon,” says Lemus. “Reception to the new material amongst our inner circle has been very positive so far, and everyone at M-Theory has been extremely supportive along the way. We can't wait to get the new material released, but in the meantime, come out to one of the dates, hear some of the new material and let us know what you think!”

Influenced by bands ranging from Iron Maiden and Dream Theater to Dragonforce and Symphony X, Novareign personifies a new generation of progressive power metal, with adventurous, virtuosity-laced musical soundscapes influenced by epic fantasy tales, comic books and video games. After steadily building a buzz with energetic live shows filled with nonstop shredding guitar interplay and powerful traditional metal vocals, the group issued their debut album, Legends, last year.

More information on Novareign's new album will be unveiled in the coming months.

August
11 - Joliet, IL – The Forge (Sapphire Room)
12 - Kansas City, MO – Riot Room
15 - Phoenix, AZ – Club Red
16 - Costa Mesa, CA – Tiki Bar

For further details, visit Novareign on Facebook.




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Catalan atmospheric metal band, Foscor, have premiered a video for “Cançó de Mort”, a song from their upcoming release, Els Sepulcres Blancs, out on September 6. Watch the clip below.

Tracklisting:

“Laments”
“Els Colors del Silenci”
“Malson”
“Secrets”
“Cel Rogent”
“Cançó de Mort”
“L’Esglai”

“Cançó de Mort” video:

"Malson" video:

“Cel Rogent”:




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Brutal death metal pioneers, Devourment, will release their new album, Obscene Majesty, this Friday, August 16. An advance audio stream can be found below.

Obscene Majesty will be released on CD, LP, and digital formats. Physical packages are available for preorder via Relapse.com here. Digital downloads/streaming services are available here.

Obscene Majesty tracklisting:

"A Virulent Strain Of Retaliation"
"Cognitive Sedation Butchery"
"Narcissistic Paraphilia"
"Arterial Spray Patterns"
"Profane Contagion"
"Dysmorphic Autophagia"
"Sculpted In Tyranny"
"Xenoglossia"
"Modum Sui Morte"
"Truculent Antipathy"

Album stream:

"A Virulent Strain Of Retaliation" video:

"Cognitive Sedation Butchery" visualizer:

Live dates:

October
3 - Gas Monkey - Dallas, TX
4 - Warehouse Live - Houston, TX

Devourment lineup:

Brad Fincher - drums
Ruben Rosas - vocals
Dave Spencer - bass
Chris Andrews - guitar, vocals

(Photo - Paul Moseley)




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Chile-based thrash band, Ripper, are back with their first new material in three years. Sensory Stagnation feels like a continuation and evolution of the band's established sound. The track "The Unreal" is available for streaming below.

The high-speed thrashing and intricate riffs are still there, as well as the philosophical lyrics and incomprehensibly good bass work. But the band has leaned a little further into their progressive influences, with a more pronounced presence of Atheist riding shotgun with their usual Teutonic and South American thrash forerunners. The result is an outing that feels rich despite a run time of roughly 20 minutes, loaded with some of the band's best playing and most fascinating ideas to date.

Sensory Stagnation out September 30 on CD, cassette and digital platforms via Unspeakable Axe Records, with a vinyl release to follow from Dark Descent Records.

Tracklisting:

"Dissociation"
"The Unreal"
"Sensory Stagnation"
"Like A Sacrilege"
"Terror Streets"

"The Unreal":

Lineup:

Nicolás Villanueva - Drums
Venus Torment - Guitar /Vocals
Pablo Cortés - Bass
Daniel Poblete - Guitars




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MEGADETH bassist David Ellefson recently spoke with Meltdown of the Detroit radio station 101 WRIF. The full conversation can be streamed at this location. A few excerpts follow (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET).

On his new solo album, "Sleeping Giants":

David: "'Sleeping Giants' is really a compilation of some brand new tracks that I've recently written, as well as some things that I pulled out of the vault — a group, F5, that I had in the 2000s, and even some stuff that I wrote back in the 1990s... It's kind of a culmination of about 25 years of my life — the new, the old and stuff that has not seen the light of day or been heard until now."

On his ongoing "Basstory" tour:

David: "'Basstory' started out as this solo platform for me. It could be anything from a clinic to a Q&A/storyteller. Now, with the 'Sleeping Giants' album out, we have a full band — a full five-piece band — and both me and my [EMP Label Group] partner Thom Hazaert handle the vocals."

On the years between his stints in MEGADETH:

David: "When the group disbanded in 2002, I was young. I was 38 years old. We'd done well in MEGADETH, but I wasn't ready to retire. I had a lot of ambition, and I had a young family to raise, so I still had to be dad and show up and go to work and pay the bills. I kind of felt like, 'Is my bass-playing career over — my music career?' The reality hit of, 'I might have to change direction in life for a while,' and I was willing to do that. I was like, 'All right, God — lead me where you need me.' It was interesting, because I ended up doing an artist relations position for Peavey, and I was already using their products. That was a fun journey, because I got connected with the music industry and a lot of artists on the other side of the corporate desk, if you will, serving them. This business of rock n' roll, when you're an artist, everybody sort of comes out to serve you, so it was interesting to be on the other side of that. I went to college and got my business degree, so when I came back to MEGADETH in 2010, I came back a much different person. I think that's put me in a position to have this platform to write books and put out solo albums and enjoy this next season of my life now."

On whether he was ever tempted by drugs and alcohol during those years:

David: "I have a recovery program that I am part of. I'll just say, 'One day at a time,' and people can probably figure that out. That is first and foremost in my life above all else. Remaining sober and keeping that course of action for recovery has always allowed everything else to follow suit — to have a beautiful family and be able to continue to make a vocation of my passion, which is music. I realize that especially in this day and age, music has never been an easy path if you wanted to do it for a living. [It's] probably harder now than it's ever been, yet for some reason, the opportunities seem to come my way, or the people come into my life, and we are able to create the opportunities."

On Dave Mustaine's health, following the recent announcement that was battling throat cancer:

David: "Dave's doing well. He's going through his treatments, and we certainly appreciate everybody's thoughts and prayers on that matter. Like he said in his press announcement, he's going to keep us updated, so I'll defer to that for any actual updates. I think having the MEGADETH record in the works and in process, it's kept us all hooked together. It's kept a good unity in our camp, and I think it's kind of a good vision of hope to keep working forward on a creative endeavor together."

The 57-year-old MEGADETH leader announced his cancer diagnosis on June 17 on social media. He said that he has already begun treatment as part of a plan that his doctors feel has a "90% success rate."

Although most of MEGADETH's previously announced 2019 tour dates have been canceled as Mustaine undergoes treatment, the MEGADETH-curated Megacruise — which is set to take place October 13-19 — will still depart as scheduled, and the band will be a part of it in some form.

MEGADETH's upcoming sixteenth studio album will be the group's first since it won the 2017 Grammy Award for "Best Metal Performance" for 2016's "Dystopia".

As planned and promised, former Judas Priest guitarist K.K. Downing joined ex-Manowar guitarist Ross The Boss on stage during his band's Sunday set (August 11th) at the Bloodstock Open Air in Derbyshire, UK. New fan-filmed video of Ross The Boss and Downing running through some Judas Priest classics is available below. The songs performed were "The Green Manalishi (With The Two Pronged Crown)", "Heading Out To The Highway", "Breaking The Law" and "Running Wild".

The last time Downing was on stage was at Loud Park in Chiba City, Japan on October 17th, 2009.

Jimmy Kay From Canada's The Metal Voice spoke Downing about the special guest performance with Ross The Boss Band. Asked if he was nervous to get on stage after a ten year absence, Downing responded: "Absolutely not! It's just like riding a bike. It's not as though I haven't played guitar since quitting the band (Judas Priest), I have. Once you learn those chops and you've toured extensively over the years, dare I say decades, you know, it's very easy to do. But having said that, I'm always up for a challenge."

Listen to the interview below:




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Video of Philip H. Anselmo's EN MINOR project performing an acoustic version of the song "On The Floor" at Anselmo's home and barn studio, Nödferatu's Lair, just outside of New Orleans, can be seen below (courtesy of Revolver).

"On The Floor" appears on EN MINOR's debut seven-inch, which was released on August 2 via Housecore Records. A project inadvertently in the making since Anselmo's earliest days as a child in the French Quarter, the band features Stephen Taylor (SUPERJOINT, PHILIP H. ANSELMO & THE ILLEGALS, WOVEN HAND, 16 HORSE POWER), Kevin Bond (SUPERJOINT, CHRIST INVERSION, ARTIMUS PYLEDRIVER), Jimmy Bower (EYEHATEGOD, DOWN, SUPERJOINT), Calvin and Joiner Dover (THE DOVER BROTHERS), and Steve Bernal (former first cellist in the TEMPLE SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA). An experimental and eclectic musical endeavor that finds Anselmo exploring a softer, graver vocal style, EN MINOR is an honest and deliberate change of pace delivering brooding tales of pain, regret, and sorrow.

EN MINOR's single serves as the precursor to the band's full-length debut, set for release later this year.

"En Minor" track listing:

01. On The Floor

02. There's A Long Way To Go

EN MINOR will make its live debut at this year's edition of Psycho Las Vegas, set to take place August 16-18 at the Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada.


"The initial strains — in the most primitive sense — came about when I was given my first guitar at nine-years old," relays Anselmo of the EN MINOR project. "I didn't have the patience to learn other people's music, so I wrote my own. And some of those early parts are still prevalent in the songs we're working with now. Fast forward to 1988 when I bought my first four-track recorder; those old songs took on a new life and newer songs were written. Heavy metal was at the forefront of my performance-based output, but these little four-track songs were always there. I always had an apprehension about allowing them to be heard though, because they were so different; only a small circle of close friends got to hear them."

By 1993, Anselmo moved back to his hometown of New Orleans and his home became an instant magnet for local musicians and artists. "At ungodly hours, these old four-track songs took on an even newer life jamming with these cats," he says. "We learned a few of the songs and wrote several more, and soon we were recording under the moniker BODY & BLOOD. We wrote more songs, all recorded on a newer model four-track. It was fun. We did it for the vibe. And it was pleasing to break away from multi-tracking studios and heavy metal. Metal music consumed most of our time and lives. Those 'B&B' sessions were damned-near therapeutic."

Without a clear plan for the band, the project remained a periodic therapy session. "We kept things simple and just jammed when everyone was home and played our recordings for friends," he says. "Then I eventually moved again, Hurricane Katrina hit, and life sent all of us in different directions."

In 2012, Anselmo met Stephen "Schteve" Taylor and EN MINOR truly took shape. "He and I began experimenting with some vibey stuff, and soon after began recording the sessions," Anselmo says. "This led to the current incarnation of EN MINOR. Together, we re-worked a few of the old four-track songs and wrote several new ones in short order. These sessions are hypnotic and pulling. And we continue to write songs suitable for this project to this day. Ugly and beautiful, EN MINOR, isn't 'party music.' This is 'kill the party music.'"

EN MINOR is:

Philip H. Anselmo - Vocals, Guitars, Bass

Kevin Bond - Acoustic, Electric Guitar, Bass

Stephen Taylor - Guitar

Calvin Dover - Keys

Joiner Dover - Bass

Steve Bernal - Cello

Jimmy Bower - Drums