Northern Genocide is a mixture of aggressive guitar riffs and unequalled electronic elements. The industrial and modern metal tracks tell the story of our faulty society and the impending apocalypse. Genesis Vol. 666 is the debut album of this rising Finnish band, which will be released on August 30th via Inverse Records.

First single "Ikiruoste" from the upcoming album is available below.
 
Lead guitarist Pyry Pohjanpalo comments: "'Ikiruoste' is the first single, and the only one the band has written in Finnish, released from the upcoming album Genesis vol.666. It's about the grim arrival of the final Nuclear Winter."

 
Northern Genocide was formed in 2010 in Helsinki, Finland. It all started with a meeting of old highschool friends, guitar player Pyry and programmer Rainer, after Pyry had discovered Rainer's interest in programming and computer music. They both had a history of playing in various metal bands, but now they wanted to try something new by bringing electronic influences to metal. The very same year they started recording demos in their home studio in Helsinki. At first, Pyry did the guitars and vocals and Raikka programmed the rest.
 
In 2012 they both began studies in Lahti-Orimattila region and wanted to put together a crew for gigs and new demos. In december 2013 the band began the recording of new 3-track demo. After some changes to the initial line-up of the band, the demo was recorded with Markku Tuuri in drums, Toni Jokiranta in bass, Pyry in guitars and Tommi Salonen as vocalist. The demo "Atlantis" was finished in October 2014. 
 
In 2014 the band started recording it's first EP, Planet Asylum, in Orimattila, Finland. The 5-track EP was released in November 2015 and was distributed to digital stores, also made availible for promotion use in CD-format. 
 
The band released it's first music video featuring the track "Supernova" on November 20th, 2015. The video was shot in an abandoned locomotive repair hall in Lahti, Finland. The video was produced by Runoelma Works.
 

Now the band releases it's first full-lenght album with 11 tracks called Genesis Vol. 666. The album is a modern mixture of melodic and industrial metal with aggressive synths and epic orchestral compositions. The lyrics written by Tommi Salonen describe the faults in today's world and exposes our society's dark sides. 

Tracklist:

"Intro"
"Genesis Vol. 666"
"Black Widow"
"Annihilation Of The World Of Spirits"
"Neon Antichrist"
"Ecplise"
"The Siren"
"Soul Dystopia"
"The Avalanche"
"Sintropolis"
"Ikiruoste"

For information on Northern Genocide go to their official Facebook page here.




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New Orleans-based thrash metal pioneers EXHORDER will release their first album in 27 years, "Mourn The Southern Skies", on September 20 via Nuclear Blast Records. The band now features founding members Vinnie La Bella (guitar) and Kyle Thomas (vocals) along with Jason Viebrooks (HEATHEN) on bass, Marzi Montazeri (ex-SUPERJOINT RITUAL, PHILIP H. ANSELMO & THE ILLEGALS) on guitar and Sasha Horn (FORBIDDEN) on drums.

The disc's first single, "My Time", can be heard below.

EXHORDER made its long-awaited return last year with a string of reunion shows and festival appearances and is now launching a full-on comeback with "Mourn The Southern Skies". Recorded by Duane Simoneaux at OCD Recording And Production and working with producer Jens Bogren (AMON AMARTH, OPETH, SEPULTURA) at Fascination Street Studios in Sweden for mix/master, EXHORDER is armed with more fury and vigor than bands half their age, concocting an intoxicating amalgam of old-school thrashers and groovers blended with a modern, mature approach.

From the opening of the first track of "Mourn The Southern Skies", listeners are reminded immediately just what EXHORDER is exactly through the spitting rage "My Time" forces upon their ears. It is evident that the anger remains prevalent, with perhaps a different point of view that younger men could not possibly have understood on earlier albums. Horn's energy and punk influence fire the engines, with VieBrooks locking down the foundation tightly. La Bella once again has proven himself "The Godfather" of thrash riffs, which cut through like a high-speed drill bit thanks to the stellar production. A lead guitar face-off in the solo not only exhibits Vinnie's sometimes under-appreciated skills as a shredder, but also showcases newcomer Montazeri ("The High Priest Of Distortion"). If anyone ever doubted EXHORDER's skill set regarding guitar soloing, those days are gone forever! And finally, as if riding a runaway garbage truck with fireworks exploding off of its roof top, Thomas invokes venom and energy with familiar passion. All in all, the truth is apparent — EXHORDER means business once again!

La Bella says of EXHORDER's resurgence: "You can plot and scheme for years, even decades (as is in our case). You can work hard, keep grinding, bang the square peg in the round hole until it looks somewhat presentable. But sometimes you just need to let time tell you it's time.

"EXHORDER has its own soul. And it pokes me in the ribs ever so often as if to remind me, 'Hey asshole, we ain't done yet!'

"Kyle and myself had a dream as teenagers. And as cliche as it may seem, we never woke up from it. EXHORDER has always crept in and out of our lives. So no magic bullet or formula here. It was only a simple matter of time before the right guys, the right songs, the right manager/label would finally come to the party.

"It's been damn near 35 years since we first uttered the name EXHORDER. 27 years since our last record, and a whole lot of breaking up and making up in between. So why is this time different? Why start again at 50 years of age instead of retiring? Simple... because it's finally TIME!"

"Mourn The Southern Skies" track listing:

01. My Time

02. Asunder

03. Hallowed Sounds

04. Beware The Wolf

05. Yesterday's Bones

06. All She Wrote

07. Rumination

08. The Arms Of Man

09. Ripping Flesh

10. Mourn The Southern Skies

EXHORDER is currently performing shows in Europe and will return to North America for dates with KATAKLYSM in September.

EXHORDER released two albums in the early 1990s through the Roadrunner label — 1990's "Slaughter In The Vatican" and 1992's "The Law" — before breaking up, with Kyle going on to form FLOODGATE and also briefly appearing live as the vocalist for TROUBLE, which he later joined on a full-time basis (and is still a member of).

EXHORDER is cited by many as the originator of the riff-heavy power-groove approach popularized by PANTERA.

Sweden's Creye have released an acoustic version of "Holding On", the track from the band's 2018 self-titled debut album. Listen below.

Tracklisting:

"Holding On"
"Nothing To Lose"
"Different State Of Mind"
"Never Too Late"
"All We Need Is Faith"
"Miracle"
"Christina"
"Straight To The Top"
"Love Will Never Die"
"Still Believe In You"
"City Lights"
"Desperately Lovin’"
"A Better Way"

"Holding On" acoustic:

"Holding On":

(Photo - Mikael Roos)




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According to Aftonbladet, a Swedish municipal company has come under fire for allowing Sweden's 7-year-old Princess Estelle to attend METALLICA's concert in Gothenburg.

Got Event, the company that runs the Ullevi stadium, has been criticized for letting the daughter of Crown Princess Victoria and Crown Prince Daniel into a special space to watch last night's (Tuesday, July 9) show with her parents.

Concert promoter Live Nation states on its web site that the age limit of 13 years applies to comply with the Public Health Authority's general advice and to protect the hearing in children. For concerts where children under 13 are admitted, the sound must not exceed 97 decibels in average and the maximum volume must not be higher than 110 decibels. For concerts with a 13-year limit, the average volume should not exceed 100 decibels and the peaks must be no higher than 115 decibels.

Ullevi has no exception rules for the space where Estelle stayed during the METALLICA concert.

"There is no permission from our side," said Yusra Moshtat, environmental inspector at the city of Gothenburg. "We cannot say today whether the sound has been too loud or low enough. We have requested information from Got Event about the current spaces used so that we can assess the sound there. We will require that they return to us and based on the information we do, we will assess whether it is okay or not… We will look at the room tomorrow, me and my colleague and make an assessment. Based on the answers we can say if the sound level is not or not."

Live Nation has said that the space from which Estelle watched the concert is a "controlled environment where the sound level is below the recommendation."

"We do not target the organizer, but we believe that the arena company Got Event is responsible," Moshtat said. "But then the question is how [Live Nation] knows this. Have they made a measurement? How did they do it? There is no permission from our site regarding these rooms. We do not grant permission in this way."

The Ullevi concert was part of the summer 2019 European leg of METALLICA's "WorldWired" tour, which will conclude on August 25 in Mannheim, Germany.

KXM, the band featuring bassist/vocalist Doug "dUg" Pinnick (KING'S X), guitarist George Lynch (LYNCH MOB, DOKKEN) and drummer Ray Luzier (KORN), will release its third album, "Circle Of Dolls", on September 13 via Rat Pak Records in the U.S. and Frontiers Music Srl in Europe. The disc was recorded at Steakhouse Studio in North Hollywood, California with co-producer/engineer Chris Collier, who also helmed the group's first two releases.

"Circle Of Dolls" is currently available for pre-order via the Rat Pak web site in various bundle configurations, including turquoise-and-black splatter vinyl, cassette and hand-autographed CD packages.

Luzier comments: "There's a certain energy that happens in the studio very quickly when George, Doug and I get together and jam. This is our third record and it was recorded with the same formula as the first two albums — no pre-written ideas; we just come up with totally fresh grooves and riffs and not overthink anything. We definitely didn't repeat ourselves, but you know for sure who it is when you hear it. All three records have their own unique character."

Lynch explains: "It's better than the first two albums. It's insane. The magic is there, the chemistry's there and we're just sitting here patting ourselves on the back, telling each other what geniuses we are."

Pinnick adds: "I hope everyone enjoys listening to it as much as we enjoyed recording it."

From the infectious riff of the album opener "War Of Words" to the album finale of "The Border", KXM has yet again created something truly special and musically diverse. Songs like "Lightning", "Big As The Sun" and "Cold Sweats" are sonically different from each other taking the listener on a musical journey. "Circle Of Dolls" is a darker record, thematically, than KXM's first two albums and builds upon the band's established rock sound with thought-provoking lyrics, catchy guitar riffs and rock-solid grooves.

"Circle Of Dolls" track listing:

01. War Of Words

02. Mind Swamp

03. Circle Of Dolls

04. Lightning

05. Time Flies

06. Twice

07. Big As The Sun

08. Vessel Of Destruction

09. A Day Without Me

10. Wide Awake

11. Shadow Lover

12. Cold Sweats

13. The Border

14. War Of Words (Radio Edit) (bonus track on CD and download versions only)

KXM — which derives its name from a combination of its members' other projects (K from KORN, X from KING'S X and M from LYNCH MOB) — issued its self-titled debut in 2014. The 13-track follow-up, "Scatterbrain", was released on March 17, 2017.

On July 26th, Finland's dark rockers The 69 Eyes will finally start the pre-order for their 12th studio album, due to be released on September 13th. Right in time for their 30th band anniversary, West End will see the light of day, so prepare for 11 up-tempo rock anthems full of heaviness, black memento mori moments and dark humor featuring several top notch guest vocalists including Cradle Of Filth's Dani Filth, Wednesday 13 and Beastö Blancö's Calico Cooper.

Today, the band have revealed the second trailer for their upcoming album - get a glimpse into the studio where the band recorded West End with their longtime producer Johnny Lee Michaels:

Singer Jyrki explains: “The second episode of making of the album shows how art is born only for the sake of art. It is not a job. It is closer to chaos and the bohemian lifestyle, no matter how many times you have done it before! That’s why it is called rock’n’roll.”

In case you missed the previous trailer about the album artwork created by the famous Finnish sculptor Jiri Geller, check it out below:

The Helsinki Vampires are ready for extensive touring and will soon embark on a road jaunt through Finland, before hitting the rest of Europe and Russia. Find the band's complete live itinerary here.

A video for the first single, "27 & Done", can be seen below.

(Photo - Kristin Morris)




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Last August, Status Quo released a pair of ‘twin’ live albums, Down Down & Dignified At The Royal Albert Hall and Down Down & Dirty At Wacken, via earMUSIC. You can now watch "Bye Bye Medley" from the Down Down & Dirty At Wacken release.

On September 6, Status Quo will release Backbone through earMUSIC / Edel; the band’s 33rd studio album - the LP will be their 33rd 33rpm.

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!

Pre-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"




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AEROSMITH's Joe Perry spoke to Consequence Of Sound about the possibility of the band releasing new music in the not-too-distant future. The guitarist, who is currently promoting the second album from his HOLLYWOOD VAMPIRES supergroup, said: "Actually, I had just finished working on my last solo album [prior to the new HOLLYWOOD VAMPIRES LP], so I had been in the studio for the three or four months before we started on the VAMPIRES record — so I was already rolling in the studio. It doesn't take much to get me going — I love to record. So, when the time is right, AEROSMITH will come around to do another record."

Perry went on to explain that AEROSMITH's focus has been on the band's Las Vegas "Deuces Are Wild" residency, which kicked off in April. "This Vegas [residency], we wanted it to be something new and unique, and it took up most of our time, certainly as much time as it would to make a record. We started talking about [the residency] a year ago, so it was a big production. So far, it seems to be working. I'm pretty surprised, if you wanna know the truth."

The legendary Boston rockers haven't released a new studio album since 2012's "Music From Another Dimension!" That effort was released when AEROSMITH's label, Columbia Records, was reportedly going through a leadership change, and it ended up becoming a commercial disappointment.

The lackluster response to "Music From Another Dimension!" later caused two bandmembers — Perry and drummer Joey Kramer — to question whether there's any point in AEROSMITH making future albums.

AEROSMITH is scheduled to play 17 more shows in Las Vegas before the end of the year — four in September, four in October, seven in November, and two in December. The band also has multiple-night "Deuces Are Wild" engagements booked at MGM properties in National Harbor, Maryland; Atlantic City, New Jersey; and Springfield, Massachusetts.

In addition to the "Deuces Are Wild" shows, AEROSMITH is slated to make one festival appearance this summer: July 19 at the Twin Cities Summer Jam in Shakopee, Minnesota.

The Sabaton History Channel has launched Episode 023 - "Devil Dogs" - U.S. Marines.

A message states: "The United States entered the battlefields of Europe in 1918. Among the first Americans to participate in the fight are the U.S. Marines, who quickly adopt the names Devil Dogs. One of their most notable engagements is the Battle of Belleau Wood in June 1918, where the Marines fought the battle-hardened Germans for 26 days."

Sabaton are set to release their new album, The Great War, on July 19 via Nuclear Blast. The album will be available in various formats:

- CD-Digi (History Edition) incl. narrated parts in addition to the album tracks
- CD (Album Edition)
- 2CD Earbook (Album + History Edition)
- 180g LP in various colors (History Edition)
- 180g LP in various colours (Album Edition)
- 3CD/3LP Box (The Great Box Edition) includes: Earbook incl. “The Soundtrack To The Great War” CD,  regular, History & Soundtrack LPs [180g, green], one out of 11 Great War propaganda posters [chosen at random], postcards, emblem, poem on sheet) – limited to 1000

Pre-order here.

The Great War tracklisting:

"The Future Of Warfare"
"Seven Pillars Of Wisdom"
"82nd All The Way"
"The Attack Of The Dead Men"
"Devil Dogs"
"The Red Baron"
"Great War"
"A Ghost In The Trenches"
"Fields Of Verdun"
"The End Of The War To End All Wars"
"In Flanders Fields"

"Great War" video:

"The Red Baron" lyric video:

“Fields Of Verdun” video:

"Bismarck" video:

Artwork trailer:

Sabaton will make their triumphant return to North American this fall for The Great Tour. The headline excursion will feature support from special guest Hammerfall, and will begin in Ft. Lauderdale, FL on October 4 and will end in Silver Spring, MD on November 3.

Says Sabaton: “North America, prepare for a Swedish invasion! We will reach your shores in early October with our new album The Great War, a bigger production than before & the templars of steel in Hammerfall as special guests! Get ready for a damn good dose of Swedish heavy metal!”

Sabaton's trek to North America coincides with the band’s upcoming 20th Anniversary and their highly-anticipated ninth full-length record, The Great War, which will be released on July 19 via Nuclear Blast Records. Keeping with their tradition of metallic battle hymns about the feats of man in wartime, the new record will be a concept album dedicated entirely to the World War I.

Tour dates:

October
4 - Ft. Lauderdale, FL - Revolution
5 - Tampa, FL - Jannus Landing
6 - Atlanta, GA - Center Stage
8 - Dallas, TX - House of Blues
10 - Phoenix, AZ - Van Buren
11 - Los Angeles, CA - The Wiltern
12 - San Francisco, CA - The Regency
14 - Portland, OR - Roseland Ballroom
15 - Seattle, WA - Showbox SODO
16 - Vancouver, BC - Vogue Theater
18 - Edmonton, AB - Union Hall
19 - Calgary, AB - The Palace Theater
21 - Salt Lake City, UT - The Complex
23 - Denver, CO - Ogden Theater
25 - Minneapolis, MN - Skyway Theater
26 - Chicago, IL - The Vic Theatre
27 - Cleveland, OH - The Agora Ballroom
29 - Toronto, on - The Danforth Music Hall
30 - Montreal, QC - M Telus

November
1 - Worcester, MA - Palladium
2 - New York, NY - PlayStation Theater
3 - Silver Spring, MD - The Fillmore

Sabaton have also announced their European tour dates for The Great Tour, with fellow Swedes Amaranthe and Finnish cello rockers Apocalyptica supporting.

"It is with great anticipation that we can finally reveal that The Great Tour is also coming to arenas in Europe. I wish it was already January the 17th and we entered the stage at Hallenstadion in Zürich, but time will pass quickly," announces Pär Sundstöm and adds: "You know by now how much we care about the bands we choose to bring with us on tour, this is no exception. Amaranthe is a rising star on the metal sky bringing such energy and passion rarely seen on stage and will open the evening. After that comes the big surprise for a lot of people who are not familiar with the cello rock band Apocalyptica, but trust us that their emotional show will definitively create magic in the arenas.

Finally, what we are bringing, except for our biggest touring production we ever did… is a promise to deliver a show that you never could imagine and the biggest announcement regarding this tour is still to come."

Tour dates:

January
17 - Zürich, Switzerland - Hallenstadion
18 - Stuttgart, Germany - Schleyer-Halle
19 - Munich, Germany - Olympiahalle
21 - Vienna, Austria - Gasometer
22 - Budapest, Hungary - Arena
24 - Warsaw, Poland - Arena COS Torwar
25 - Berlin, Germany - Max-Schmeling-Halle
26 - Prague, Czech Republic - O2 Arena
28 - Milan, Italy - Alcatraz
31 - Frankfurt, Germany - Festhalle

February
1 - Oberhausen, Germany - König-Pilsener-ARENA
2 - Antwerp, Belgium - Lotto Arena
4 - Barcelona, Spain - Palau Sant Jordi
5 - Madrid, Spain - Vistalegre
7 - Paris, France - Zénith
8 - London, UK - Wembley Arena
9 - Amsterdam, Netherlands - AFAS Live
11 - Hamburg, Germany - Sporthalle
12 - Copenhagen, Denmark - Forum Black Box
14 - Gothenburg, Sweden - Scandinavium
15 - Stockholm, Sweden - Hovet
16 - Oslo, Norway - Spektrum

(Photo - Tallee Savage)




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ARTE Concert has released video for Crowbar's full set at With Full Force XXVI, on June 29 at Ferropolis in Gräfenhainichen, Germany. Watch below.

Setlist:

"All I Had (I Gave)"
"...And Suffer As One"
"To Build A Mountain"
"The Cemetery Angels"
"Walk With Knowledge Wisely"
"To Carry The Load"
"Conquering"
"Planets Collide"
"Like Broken Glass"




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North Carolina's Violent Life Violent Death have released a video for "Choke" the lead track of their newly released EP, Sadness Rains, out now via Innerstrength Records. Watch below.

"Lyrically, Choke touches on the darker side of humanity" says vocalist Scott Cowan. "You really don't know some people like you think you do, especially in dealing with what goes on behind closed doors. It also calls out our manipulative and selfish tendencies through our interactions with others and the world around us, even to the point where we intentionally cause pain and hatred in order to twist things to our advantage." Guitarist Joseph Benham describes the song's musical element, stating "Sonically we wanted to mirror the sentiment described in the lyrics, keeping the overall tone dark and bleak with hints of desperation at the hands of unbridled power."

Sadness Rains tracklisting:

"Choke"
"Love In Violet"
"Sadness Rains"
"Hissing Tongue"
"Pray"

"Choke" video:




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Mexico’s metal juggernauts, Cerberus, will release their new album, Fire!, tomorrow, Friday, July 12. Ahead of the record’s debut, the band has premiered a music video for the most epic heavy metal party anthem of the year, “Tekilla”.

Commenting on the new single, vocalist/guitarist Paul Wrath says, “This song is a completely different approach to anything we have done or heard so far, we wanted to incorporate our Mexican roots but not in the style that most Mexican bands are doing it, so we decided to make a party anthem! our country is famous for its parties, people from all around the world come here to have fun and drink Tequila while listening to Mariachi music! so we wanted to show the world how we see it and how we feel about it in a heavy metal way. Tequila is the best medicine for a broken heart, makes the pain go away, that’s why we spelled it Te-KILL-a because it kills the pain, the grief, helps you have some fun on difficult times, its miraculous!... until the next morning! Haha.”

"Tekilla" video:

"Tekilla" video (Spanish version):

Fire! was recorded at Twilight Sound Studios by Paul Wrath, Akashsa Sound Lab in Mexico City by Güido Laris and El Cielo Recording Studio in Monterrey by Jim Monti (Metallica, Korn, Slipknot), and Adrian “Rojo” Treviño. The record was mixed by 5-time Grammy Award winning producer Chris Lord-Alge (Green Day, Halestorm, In Flames) and mastered at Sterling Sound by Ted Jensen (Pantera, Deftones, Slipknot). The record’s bonus track “STFU” was mixed by Metallica producer Greg Fidelman. Album artwork was done by Dan Scholz at Affliction Clothing.

Tracklisting:

"The Ending"
"Off Limits"
"Lust For Blood"
"Jaeger"
"Self Made Hell"
"Last Dance"
"Saint Pride"
"I’m Fire"
"Huntress"
"Rise With The Fallen Ones"
"Tekilla"
"Forever"

"Last Dance" video:

“The Ending” video:

Formed by Paul Wrath at the age of 15, Cerberus found their footing in 2014 with the release of their debut album Otura Ka. Over the next few years, the band quickly became one of Mexico’s biggest metal acts with several singles and shows with the likes of Metallica, HIM, Steel Panther and KnotFest Mexico among others. Now armed with their most explosive record to date, there’s no stopping them. Join the Cerberus Order!

For further details, visit Cerberus on Facebook.




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Metal Blade Records has announced the signing of INTRONAUT. Currently working on the follow-up to the critically acclaimed "The Direction Of Last Things" (2015), the band plans to release its new album in 2020.

Sacha Dunable (guitars, vocals) has checked in from the studio with the following comment, regarding this upcoming record and signing: "INTRONAUT are very excited to work with the legendary Metal Blade Records for our upcoming album and beyond.

"We've spent almost four years writing this thing, and it's by far the most intense record we've ever made. It's only fitting that it will come out on the most legit metal label around."

Formed in 2004, INTRONAUT — a term that means "inner traveler" — spent the next decade writing, recording, and releasing category-destroying long-players, the first of which was 2006's "Void" (Goodfellow). Soon after, the Los Angeles-based group caught the eyes and ears of Century Media Records, where they debuted with the incredible "Prehistoricisms" (2008). In the years that followed, INTRONAUT toured with TOOL, MASTODON, MESHUGGAH, BETWEEN THE BURIED AND ME and ANIMALS AS LEADERS, while also issuing widely lauded full-lengths "Valley Of Smoke" (2010), "Habitual Levitations (Instilling Words With Tones)" (2013) and "The Direction Of Last Things" (2015).

"Heart In Hand", a new song from Swedish masters of progressive heavy rock OPETH, can be streamed below. The track is taken from the band's 13th album, "In Cauda Venenum", which will be released on September 27 via Moderbolaget / Nuclear Blast Entertainment.


Recorded last year at Stockholm's Park Studios, "In Cauda Venenum" will be released in two versions, in both Swedish and English languages. Various physical and digital formats will be available.


"In Cauda Venenum" track listing:

01. Livet's Trädgård / Garden Of Earthly Delights (Intro)

02. Svekets Prins / Dignity

03. Hjärtat Vet Vad Handen Gör / Heart In Hand

04. De Närmast Sörjande / Next Of Kin

05. Minnets Yta / Lovelorn Crime

06. Charlatan

07. Ingen Sanning Är Allas / Universal Truth

08. Banemannen / The Garroter

09. Kontinuerlig Drift / Continuum

10. Allting Tar Slut / All Things Will Pass

In anticipation for the impending release, OPETH will perform shows around the world through the end of the year.

OPETH's last album, "Sorceress", was released in September 2016. For the band's first effort for Nuclear Blast via OPETH's imprint label Moderbolaget Records, the group returned to Rockfield Studios in Wales, also home to pivotal releases from QUEEN, RUSH and JUDAS PRIEST, where the Swedes had tracked "Pale Communion" in 2014 with Tom Dalgety.

Last November, OPETH released a live album, "Garden Of The Titans: Live At Red Rocks Amphitheatre".

UNVEIL THE STRENGTH has released the official music video for its single "Hell's Never Over", Originally premiered on HeartSupport, the clip was directed by Matt Zane (SOCIETY 1).

Says UNVEIL THE STRENGTH: "We believe in HeartSupport because they are doing something no one else has done. They are bridging the gap for mental health in a relateable way that people and music fans can connect with. On one end, you have the music fans that are maybe going through something and feel isolated, trapped and lonely. On the other end, you have people making music about the very same feelings. The truth is, everyone goes through a dark place, but we have to remember its just temporary, just a moment. HeartSupport is never above, never below, and always beside you."

UNVEIL THE STRENGTH is the name of the new band featuring former FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH bassist Matt Snell. He is joined in the group by Mark Wölfe, Andy James, Matt Guillory and Tim Hassemer.

Says Snell: "We want to put the grown man back in metal — that spirit is being lost in the shuffle. We're going back to the roots, to real fucking metal."

Despite UNVEIL THE STRENGTH's old-school approach to writing, they're taking a contemporary approach to marketing their music. For its upcoming album, UNVEIL THE STRENGTH will not do a traditional record release. Snell reveals: "The landscape has changed so much regarding how to successfully get music to the public, so we're going a different route. Right now, we're halfway through the album and we have video concepts for every song. Instead of releasing all 10 songs at once that will just be put up on the Internet to be stolen, our idea is to constantly release new songs all the time. We want to unveil this record to the public, with a video to go along with each song."

Although UNVEIL THE STRENGTH is officially based out of Austin, Texas, it is truly an international band, with members in London, Nevada, California, Colorado, and Texas. All of the musicians have professional studios where they can record their own instrument's tracks, so the group easily collaborates by file sharing.

UNVEIL THE STRENGTH's first song, titled "Foundations", was recorded in Austin. They wanted an edgier sound than what is currently being produced in the States, so they have been working with Rob Kukla of Studio Fredman and Henrik Udd of Henrik Udd Recording in Gothenburg, Sweden. Udd is known for his impeccable production with acts such as ARCHITECTS, BRING ME THE HORIZON, AT THE GATES and DELAIN. The upcoming album, slated for a 2019 release, is still being recorded.

Snell says: "The production is amazing on the new album. It accentuates that we're an active rock band — but we're a little bit heavier, a little bit edgier. It illustrates that we can write, and that we have an ear for metal."

Snell is especially proud of Mark's lyrics, which he describes as "real." Snell goes on to praise Mark's extraordinary writing ability, saying: "Mark has had an amazing life. He is a Marine; a veteran. He's lived on the streets, ya know? He's seen and done a lot. He writes from his core being and writes real songs that relate to the band's message."

New York hardcore legends SICK OF IT ALL have released the official music video for the song "Self Important Shithead". The track is taken from the band's twelfth studio album, "Wake The Sleeping Dragon!", which came out last November via Century Media. The follow-up to 2014's "The Last Act Of Defiance" was produced by Jerry Farley (EVERY TIME I DIE, DEMON HUNTER) over a two-and-a-half-week period at Nova Studios in Staten Island, New York and was mixed and mastered by Tue Madsen (MESHUGGAH, THE HAUNTED, MADBALL). The cover artwork was created by Ernie Parada.


The band comments: "If you're a shameless narcissist, watch out! Our new video release deals with just that type. 'Self Important Shithead' is a parody of what we've become as we portray a false image to the world with our smartphones, and is shot guerrilla style in real New York City settings while pissing off real New Yorkers. It's a 57-second blast of hardcore punk fury directed by The Jerry Farley and we're blasting all shitheads who forsake social cues for social media!"


SICK OF IT ALL will embark on a European tour in November with support from COMEBACK KID and CANCER BATS.


"Wake The Sleeping Dragon!" features guest appearances by RISE AGAINST vocalist/guitarist Tim McIlrath and HOT WATER MUSIC frontman Chuck Ragan.

Swedish band GHOST has scored the third consecutive Top 10 single from its Grammy-nominated album "Prequelle", with "Faith" claiming the No. 10 spot this week at Active Rock Radio. "Faith" joins the album's first two singles, "Rats" and "Dance Macabre", both of which went all the way to the No. 1 spot on the chart, with "Rats" steadfast at No. 1 for a record-setting eight consecutive weeks. Check out the very provocative, just-released "Faith" lyric video below.


On June 21, taking an evening off as special guest on METALLICA's four-leg "WorldWired" summer European stadium tour, GHOST's Tobias Forge joined Lars Ulrich and Robert Trujillo in London at the 2019 Kerrang! Music Awards where "Prequelle" took home the trophy as "Best Album" of 2018. GHOST has rejoined METALLICA for "WorldWired"'s Leg Three that kicked off this past Saturday (July 6) at Berlin's Olympiastadion.

GHOST's "Ultimate Tour Named Death" North American headline arena tour starts on September 13 in Bakersfield, California and will see an expanded theatrical production, a striking stage set resembling a medieval cathedral with a backdrop of illuminated stained-glass windows. In addition to rich costumes, special effects, and a spectacular light show tailor-made for arenas, the Cardinal, the Ghouls and the Ghoulettes will take advantage of series of multi-level platforms and walkways to prowl around on while performing some of GHOST's fan-favorite songs from the band's albums and EPs catalogs.

Forge recently confirmed to Ireland's Overdrive that he is planning on entering the studio in early 2020 to begin work on the follow-up to "Prequelle".

"Prequelle" debuted in June 2018 at No. 3 on the Billboard 200 chart.

Canadian progressive metal act, Auras, have released a new music video today for their single “Momenta”. Directed by JP Charlebois, this is the first music video to be released from their new full-length, Binary Garden, coming out tomorrow.  

“We had a blast filming in Montreal with JP Charlebois," says guitarist Josh Ligaya. "Thank you to Cosmodome for letting us film in their amazing space museum. Please enjoy part 1 of the music video series!”

Binary Garden is out tomorrow, Friday, July 12, via Entertainment One / Good Fight Music. The new release will be the follow up to Heliospectrum, the debut full-length offering from Auras. Heliospectrum was the inevitable culmination of years spent perfecting their sonic brew in basements, clubs, and rehearsals, honing a mix of unrelenting heaviness, complex riffs, and melodic ambiance.

Ottawa native Dean Hadjichristou (Parkway Drive, Protest The Hero, The Kindred) recorded Binary Garden, which was mixed by Jordan Valeriote (Silverstein, Counterparts, Structures). Nick Sampson (Of Mice & Men, We Came As Romans, Born Of Osiris) aided in preproduction as Auras endeavored to crystallize their ambitious ideas.

Binary Garden saw the band members challenging themselves like never before, from the writing stage through the production process. They shook off preconceived notions and embraced a more “clean” singing and simpler structure without sacrificing their signature sound. The end result features more atmospherics alongside a bigger “feel.”

Tracklisting:

“Momenta”
“Pseudo Intellect”
“Erode”
“Another Place”
“Whiteout”
“Disenchant”
“The Last Canary”
“The Demoness”
“Essence”
“Abyss”

"The Demoness":

Find the band's tour schedule here.




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German epic metal pioneers, Equilibrium, have released a new video trailer for their upcoming sixth studio album, Renegades, out on August 16 via Nuclear Blast. Watch the clip below, and pre-order the album here.

Renegades was recorded and produced from September 2018 through March 2019 by the band itself and Swedish producer Robin Leijon. It's the first Equilibrium album to feature Skar with his clean vocals and Skadi Rosehurst on synths.

Mastermind  René Berthiaume states: "We can't wait to return with new music after 3 years. Musically as well as lyrically Renegades has definitely become our most uncompromising and personal album to date. We are especially proud of the introduction of our new members: Skadi has been one of the driving forces behind Equilibrium for many years now. She has mainly been responsible for artwork, designs, musical and lyrical input and will now support us live on the synths in a few months’ time.

"Skar, on the other hand, has become a completely new part of the Equilibrium family. Some of you might already know him from his work on YouTube as Skar Productions. On the current album he gave us outstanding additional (clean) vocals as well as bass tracks and the logical consequence was that he joined us permanently. So there's a lot going on with us right now. At the same time we want to say a big thank you to Makki who smashed the bass live for us during the past 2,5 years. You rock!

"We love to develop further; standing still would be our inner death. So you can be curious about what's coming!"

Tracklisting:

"Renegades - A Lost Generation"
"Tornado"
"Himmel und Feuer"
"Path Of Destiny" (feat. The Butcher Sisters)
"Moonlight"
"Kawaakari - The Periphery Of The Mind"
"Johnny B"
"Final Tear"
"Hype Train" (feat. Julie Elven)
"Rise Of The Phoenix"

"Renegades - A Lost Generation" video:




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German hard rockers, The New Roses, are back to climb the rock Olympus with their fourth studio album, Nothing But Wild, out on August 2 via Napalm Records. Pre-order the album here, and listen to the song "Cant Stop Rock & Roll", below.

After successful live appearances all over the world, lately opening for KISS, and the invitation to tour with the legendary Scorpions in summer, the four-piece, centered around vocalist/guitarist Timmy Rough is ready to deliver the long awaited follow up for One For The Road (2017), which hit the top 20 in Germany.

Says the band: “On Nothing But Wild, we fully concentrated on catchy songs with big melodies. Our goal was to record a strong and energetic rock n' roll album without any frills and fillers. Simply true, simply loud, simply wild!”

Tracklisting:

"Soundtrack Of My Life"
"Can‘t Stop Rock & Roll"
"Down By The River"
"Nothing But Wild"
"Heartache"
"The Bullet"
"Runnin' Out Of Hearts"
"Unknown Territory"
"As The Crow Flies"
"Give & Take"
"The Only Thing"
"Meet Me Half Way"
"Glory Road"

"Can‘t Stop Rock & Roll":

"Down By The River" video:

2019 will be another year of constant touring for the band. Find their current live itinerary here.

Lineup:

Timmy Rough - vocals, guitar
Norman Bites - guitar
Hardy -  bass
Urban Berz - drums

(Photo - Frank Dursthoff)




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It’s not often that you could describe a band as sounding like a mix of ‘80s synth pop hooks and melodies with the atmospherics of Deftones, and the heavy ferocity of Slipknot and Pantera. But this is indeed a fitting description of the band Heartsick - as heard throughout their new album, Sleep Cycles. 

Hailing from Lansing, Michigan, Heartsick is comprised of Alfonso Civile (vocals), Richard “Jerred” Pruneau (guitar), Waylon Fox (bass), and Justin Robison (drums), the band has already assembled an impressive list of accomplishments. Tops on the list include 15.4k monthly listeners on Spotify, 200k+ total streams, ‘Sleep Cycles’ reaching #48 on Soundscan sales charts first week sales, radio rotation on Q106.1 FM Lansing, MI and 105.7 FM Peoria, IL, touring Puerto Rico (three shows 800 total paid attendance combined shows), playing Mayhem Fest in 2009, 2011, 2015, Billboard Heatseekers Central Midwest Charts #6 debut, and support for 36 Crazyfists, Straight Line Stitch, Gwar, Every Time I Die.

“A lot of extremely late nights and long days,” is how Alfonso describes the writing and recording of the just-released disc. “For a year straight the band wrote and recorded over 20 demos. We recorded demos all while trying to maintain an established presence. The recording process was challenging. Trying to push the music to new territories and vocally creating a new approach to the songs.”

And it turns out that one of the album’s standout tracks, “Methylene Blue,” receives its video premier today. “The video will be a very abstract video. A slight image to ‘80s videos while still conveying and creating a feeling of tension and ominous.” 

Soon, fans will be able to catch the band live - as tours are confirmed for US dates in the Midwest, southeast, and east coast, plus shows coming soon in the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, and Europe. 

And lastly, what can fans can expect at a Heartsick performance? “A total and outright frenzied tension filled performance.” 

Tracklisting:

“Affair”
“Snakeman”
“Hate Anthem”
“Burning Bridges”
“Mike & Drew”
“Code 105”
“Miami”
“Methelyne Blue”
“Loveletter”
“Her Heart”
“Shadow”
“Slave Labor”
“Fallujah” 

“Methelyne Blue” video:

Heartsick live:

July
13 - Pekin, IL- The Twisted Spoke
14 - Washington DC - Dive
15 - Brooklyn, NY - Sunnyvale 
18 - Poughkeepsie, NY - The Loft
19 - Pittsburgh, PA -Mr. Smalls
20 - Flint, MI - Flint Local 432
21 - Knoxville, TN - Bearden Brickyard 
28 – LaCrosse, WI – Cavalier Theater
30 – Cudahy, WI – Xray Arcade

August
2 – Pekin, IL – Twisted Spoke Saloon
3 – Battle Creek, MI – Leila Arbqrotorium 
16 - Hobart, IN - Hobart Arts Theater
17 - Lansing, MI - The Loft
18 - Pekin, IL - Twisted Spoke Saloon 
20 - Waterloo, IA - Spicoli's
21 - Rockford, IL - Whiskey’s Roadhouse
22 - Fox Lake, IL - Terminus Theater
23 - Lombard, IL - Brauer House Live
24 - South Bend, IN -Smith's




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The Raven Age have announced that to finish off what has been an incredible year so far they will be putting on a special one-off headline show in London for their UK fans. On Friday, December 13th they will bring Noctem Mortis – Night Of Death – to The Dome in Tufnell Park, and fans can expect a theatrical, Black Death-inspired show where they’ll be able to experience The Raven Age at their ambitious best. Expect drama, mystery, suspense and surprises!

George Harris comments: "2019 has been a whirlwind of a year for us. The fan reaction from 'Conspiracy' has been above and beyond what we'd hoped for and it's well and truly given new members MJ and Tony a warm welcome to The Raven Age family. To have that followed by an unforgettable headline tour around UK and Europe, everything feels like it's been turned up a notch. 

 

“We can't wait to show you all what we have in the pipeline for our final show of 2019. What better way to round off a brilliant year for TRA than a headline gig in London....on Friday 13th?"

They have also shared an animated lyric video for the track "Seventh Heaven", which is lyrically inspired by the historical notion - the Aureole - and finding resolve in life. George explains, “'Seventh Heaven' was written about finding a purpose. It’s easy to get yourself into a rut and become comfortable with that. Sometimes you need something to come along that makes you realise you can be better. When you think about all the things that needed to happen to lead you to that particular moment, it’s almost like a miracle." 

Watch the video below.

 

The track features on Conspiracy which has now surpassed 5million+ streams and marks a new era of The Raven Age - revived and reenergised, with fantastic support from leading metal publications across the globe, and ready to scale new heights across the globe.
 

Newest member, vocalist Matt James has firmly cemented himself as part of the family alongside co-founder George Harris (guitar), Matt Cox (bass), Jai Patel (drums) and new guitarist Tony Maue (guitar) after receiving high praise for his powerful vocal abilities on Conspiracy and the live stage. Next week he will be leading the band as they start their run as support to metal legends Iron Maiden on a three month tour of stadiums and arenas across North and South America.

On return the band will then head straight back out with Alter Bridge and Shinedown on their European tour this November, before exiting 2019 on a high with the London date.

For a full list of upcoming tour dates and tickets visit this location.

UK-based melodic metal band The Raven Age, featuring Iron Maiden bassist Steve Harris's son George Harris, released their sophomore album, Conspiracy, in March 2019. Named after a collective of ravens, Conspiracy is a cryptic soundtrack to the immersive fantasy world that the combined minds of bandmates Matt James (vocals), George Harris (guitar), Tony Maue (guitar), Matt Cox (bass) and Jai Patel (drums) have created. A world that delves into history’s myths and legends, with the stories re-told through their music and imagery. Clues left within their artwork and lyrics connect everything together to be part of a bigger story, pointing to what may later come to pass for The Raven Age.

Conspiracy is an inventive, mature and thrilling body of work that’s full of twists and tangents that carry the excitement from start to finish.

Conspiracy tracklisting:

"Bloom Of The Poison Seed"
"Betrayal Of The Mind"
"Fleur De Lis"
"The Day The World Stood Still"
"Stigmata"
"Surrogate"
"Seventh Heaven"
"Forgotten World"
"The Face That Launched A Thousand Ships"
"Tomb Of The Unknown Soldier"
"Scimitar"
"Grave Of The Fireflies"

"The Day The World Stood Still" video:

"Fleur De Lis" lyric video:

"Betrayal Of The Mind" video:




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Professionally filmed video footage of METALLICA performing the song "Sad But True" on July 6 at Olympiastadion in Berlin, Germany can be seen below.

METALLICA's "WorldWired" tour has played more than 130 shows across the world since its 2016 kick-off.

Last November, drummer Lars Ulrich told The Mercury News that the trek could last through early 2020.

The San Francisco Bay Area metal giants have been touring in support of their latest album, "Hardwired… To Self-Destruct", which came out in November 2016.

With dates already locked in through the fall, Ulrich was asked if he is tired of touring yet. He replied: "We have the luxury, and we are very fortunate, to be able to set a touring schedule that works really well for us. We kind of set boundaries. We have a two-week rule, so that after two weeks we come home and see our families and kids and get a sense of San Francisco. So, for about a decade, we've had a really good setup in terms of how we balance all of it. It takes longer to play the same amount of dates. But the good news is that our chances for not losing our minds — or for playing all the shows, physically, mentally — are much higher, because we have a pace that we feel is at the right level for us. So, it's good. We still have to go to Australia. We still have to go to Japan. We have a couple of other things planned after Europe."

Pressed about whether there is any chance the tour will reach into 2020, Lars said: "This may just dip into the beginning of 2020."

Corey Taylor has blasted so-called Holocaust deniers for spreading false conspiracy theories, saying that their actions are "a travesty to the memory of the survivors and disrespectful to the people who fought for them."

Most Holocaust deniers claim, either explicitly or implicitly, that the Holocaust is a hoax — or at best an exaggeration — arising from a deliberate Jewish conspiracy designed to advance the interest of Jews. According to The Week, while most deniers agree that some killings were orchestrated by the Nazis, they claim the figures have been greatly inflated.

Earlier today, the SLIPKNOT and STONE SOUR frontman took to his Twitter to write: "I'm gonna say this for the fuckers in the back: JUST BECAUSE YOU DON'T BELIEVE SOMETHING IS REAL, THAT DOESN'T MEAN IT ISN'T REAL. Denying things like the Holocaust. slavery, etc is a travesty to the memory of the survivors and disrespectful to the people who fought for them."

A growing number of European countries have criminalized Holocaust denial and passed other laws targeting hate speech against Jews and other minorities.

Earlier this month, a Florida high school principal was removed from his position for comments he made over a year ago in which he refused to call the Holocaust a "factual, historical, event."

A year ago, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg defended the right of Holocaust deniers to share their views on the world's most popular social media platform, sparking widespread backlash and an examination of Facebook's rules.

"I'm Jewish, and there's a set of people who deny that the Holocaust happened," Zuckerberg said at the time. "I find that deeply offensive. But at the end of the day, I don't believe that our platform should take that down because I think there are things that different people get wrong. I don't think that they're intentionally getting it wrong."

I’m gonna say this for the fuckers in the back: JUST BECAUSE YOU DON’T BELIEVE SOMETHING IS REAL, THAT DOESN’T MEAN IT ISN’T REAL. Denying things like the Holocaust. slavery, etc is a travesty to the memory of the survivors and disrespectful to the people who fought for them.— confirm: 0-0-0... DESTRUCT... 0 (@CoreyTaylorRock) July 8, 2019

Bill Ward says that he "would be very open-minded to any ideas" about playing with his BLACK SABBATH bandmates in the future.

Ward was on board for the SABBATH reunion when it was first announced more than seven years ago, but backed out soon after. The drummer later claimed that he sat out the recording and touring sessions because of unfair contractual terms, although the members of SABBATH have hinted in other interviews that he wasn't physically up to the task.

On July 2, Ward tweeted out a brief video message in which he said: "Hi everybody. My name is Bill Ward, and I wanted to say that I love Tony [Iommi, guitar], Geezer [Butler, bass] and Ozzy [Osbourne, vocals] very much. I've loved them for a long time, and I still do. And I would be very open-minded to any ideas about playing together in the future. That's it. Love you all. Thanks."

This past May, Ozzy said that Bill should have been part of BLACK SABBATH's final tour. Asked to elaborate on his previous comment that he didn't really enjoy his last tour with BLACK SABBATH — the band's farewell trek which ended in February 2017 — the singer told Kerrang! magazine: "I didn't like the fact that Bill Ward wasn't there, for a start. People put that down to me, but it wasn't me, honestly. We [SABBATH] didn't have the fucking time to hang around, we had to get going, but I'm sorry it didn't work out with Bill. Tommy [Clufetos, Ozzy's drummer, who played with SABBATH on the farewell tour] did great, but the four of us started this, and it should have been the four of us ending it. Those final gigs in Birmingham were bittersweet because you think of how far we came, and how much we did, and it would have been good to have shared that together. Maybe one day there'll be one last gig, I don't know."

All four original members of SABBATH were present when the band announced its reunion in late 2011. But Ward split from the group in 2012, citing an "unsignable" contract, and Osbourne, Iommi and Butler carried on with their Rick Rubin–produced "13" LP and extensive international touring without him.

Ozzy told The Pulse Of Radio during SABBATH's last tour that Ward was not in shape to participate. "Bill Ward has got the most physically demanding job of the lot of us, 'cause he's the timekeeper," he said. "I don't think personally he had the chops to pull it off, you know. The saddest thing is that he needed to own up to that, and we could have worked around it, whether we had a drummer on the side with him or something."

It was rumored that SABBATH wanted to bring a second drummer on the road to share duties with Ward, something that Iommi confirmed in 2017 during a question-and-answer session about SABBATH's "Ten Year War" box set.

A quick update. pic.twitter.com/qWMSTWeCs9— Bill Ward (@billwarddrums) July 3, 2019

ASKING ALEXANDRIA's music video for the band's new single, "The Violence", can be seen below. The clip was directed by Jensen Noen and produced by Sam Malko, Brand Birtwistle and Joe Grayem.

"The Violence" is the first new music from ASKING ALEXANDRIA since the release of the band's self-titled fifth studio album, which arrived in December 2017 via Sumerian Records. The disc marked the group's first full-length effort with singer Danny Worsnop following his return to ASKING ALEXANDRIA in the fall of 2016.

During his time away from ASKING ALEXANDRIA, Worsnop pursued a more traditional hard rock sound with his other project, WE ARE HARLOT, while ASKING ALEXANDRIA recruited a new singer, Denis Shaforostov, and released a fourth album, "The Black". Danny also issued a country-tinged solo album, "The Long Road Home".

ASKING ALEXANDRIA has earned a place among the most streamed, downloaded, watched and altogether listened-to bands in a generation, combining the innovation of modern active rock with the traditional attitude of the culture's trailblazers. They recently celebrated their eighth consecutive Top 20 hit at U.S. radio with "Vultures", a track from their self-titled album, which also spawned hits "Alone In A Room" (No. 7) and "Into The Fire" (No. 13).

"Adult Swim Singles" has teamed with death metal progenitors OBITUARY for the 47th installment of the current program. "A Dying World" is the first new song from the massively influential quintet since its self-titled tenth album's release by Relapse Records. The standalone new single couples its infectious main riff with a ferocious dose of hardcore punk intensity that drops a brick on the accelerator and never lets up.

OBITUARY will embark on a North American headlining tour in the fall. Support on the 24-date trek will come from ABBATH, MIDNIGHT and DEVIL MASTER. The tour will kick off on September 27 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana and end on October 25 in Atlanta, Georgia.

Last December, OBITUARY bassist Terry Butler told Mammoth Metal TV that the band had "some riffs kicking around" for the follow-up to 2017's "Obituary" album. He said: "You've gotta keep it going. You can't take six or seven years between albums; we're not KISS or IRON MAIDEN or whatever. People still wanna hear new music. Even though you don't sell a lot of records anymore, they still wanna hear new music. So, yeah, we've got some stuff in the works."

He continued: "When you boil it down, at this stage of the game for us, it's definitely a business. I mean, we love playing music and we love playing for people, for crowds, but it's a business. So you've gotta the engine running; you've gotta tour — that's where the money is at these days."

OBITUARY's second Relapse release — the aforementioned self-titled tenth studio album — came out in March 2017.

Austin, TX’s cult noise trio Cherubs have shared their third single “Full Regalia” off Immaculada High.

Cherubs Comments:

“This video is based on a little masterpiece made for the U.S. Information Agency (1953-1999) in 1976, by animator Vincent Collins. It's a sad, doomy thing, but festooned with bright blinky colors... so you'll lick it without thinking. Like a military parade, ymmm.”

Recorded and engineered by Erik Wofford (Explosions In The Sky, The Black Angels, My Morning Jacket) at Cacophony Studio in their hometown of Austin with art by Connor Claver, Dayan D'aniello, and the band's own Kevin Whitley, Immaculada High is eleven tracks of signature Cherubs clamor with an added twist of Texas-sized, psychedelic racket. Smooth, rumbling, low-end rhythms interplay with feedback drenched, chugging guitars, relentless tone and vocalist Kevin Whitley's shrill, life-of-the-LSD-party vocals. On Immaculada High, Cherubs loudly proclaim their title as bonafide noise rock legends who continue to forge transgressive yet remarkably accessible punk for a jaded world.

Comments the band of Immaculada High, "This recording feels like the soundtrack to a movie about Mother Nature exacting dark revenge on the nasty homo sapiens. There's tigers and pigs and wolves crying out of eyes - oh my."

Immaculada High will be released on July 26th on CD, LP, and digital formats via Relapse Records. Physical packages are available for pre-order via Relapse.com here. Digital downloads and streaming services are available here. Listen to the new track, "Sooey Pig", below.

Immaculada High tracklisting:

"Turista"
"18 The Number"
"Sooey Pig"
"Tigers In The Sky"
"IMCG"
"Old Lady Shoe"
"Breath U Can C"
"Cry Real Wolves"
"Pacemaker"
"Full Regalia"
"Nobodies"

"Full Regalia":

"Sooey Pig":

 
Live dates:

July
13 - Saint Vitus Bar - Brooklyn, NY w/ Low Dose
14 - Kung Fu Necktie - Philadelphia, PA w/ Low Dose

Lineup:

Kevin Whitley - guitar, vocals
Owen McMahon - bass, vocals
Brent Prager - drums




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Spanish black metal combo Noctem has unleashed the first video and track extracted from the upcoming album The Black Consecration. The album titled track is almost 9 minutes long and combines blasting drums, powerful guitar melodies and raging screams, all with the essence of Noctem.

In words of EXO (guitarist): "We reached our darkest and most raw sound to date with this new album, we can't be more proud of it. I won't say this is the fastest and most personal opus of the band, you will check it by yourselves."

The Black Consecration was recorded at Millenia Studios (Valencia), produced by Art Gates Records and Noctem. Mixed and mastered pbyVicente Mezquita. Release is set for November 1st via Art Gates Records. 




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The Swiss melodic hard rock/metal outfit Crystal Ball is celebrating the band's 20th anniversary with the release of 2020 - their first ever best-of album - due out on August 2nd via Massacre Records. A new video for “HELLvetia” can be seen blow. In this video, viewers can meet Heidi and others that are featured in the upcoming movie Mad Heidi from the producer of the movie Iron Sky, Tero Kaukomaa. NOTE: An age restriction has been enabled due to a few violent and gory scenes in the video.

The album will include a total of 20 tracks on two CDs - there will be ten re-recorded and newly interpreted songs from the band's first decade, and ten melodic metal tracks from the band's second decade, which were either re-recorded, newly arranged and/or enhanced with additional recordings. All songs were chosen based on results of fan polls and streaming analyses. 

Stefan Kaufmann is once again responsible for the production, recordings and mastering - and along with Mattes for the mixing at ROXX Studio. Thomas Ewerhard is responsible for the cover artwork.

2020 is an album for die-hard fans that are around since the band's early days but also for those who have barely heard of the band before. Needless to say that this album should be part of every record collection. It will be available for preorder soon.

Tracklisting:

CD1
“HELLvetia”
“Moondance”
“Soul Mate”
“Lay Down The Law”
“He Came To Change The World”
“Dance With The Devil”
“Mozart Symphony”
“My Life”
“Am I Free”
“Forever And Eternally”

CD2
“Paradise”
“Mayday!”
“Alive For Evermore”
“Hold Your Flag”
“Eye To Eye”
“Suspended”
“Déjà-Voodoo”
“Anyone Can Be A Hero”
“Curtain Call”
“Director’s Cut”

"HELLvetia" video:

"Forever And Eternally" lyric video:




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