Slayer brought their farewell tour to the BB&T Pavilion in Camden, NJ on May 24th. Fan-filmed video can be viewed below.

Jägermeister are offering an extremely limited edition Slayer-inspired 1.75l bottle of Jägermeister in a custom gift box, engraved with your name.

A message reads: "For 40 Years, Slayer's approach to music has won them hordes of dedicated metal heads around the world. They follow no one, setting their own path and dedicating themselves to dark and fast music that shows no mercy. Finally, the Masters of Metal have decided to call it a day and embark on their farewell tour.

"We want to thank Slayer for the trail they’ve blazed, and also the fans for supporting Slayer and being a part of history. To commemorate this occasion, we’ve released this extremely limited edition Slayer inspired 1.75l bottle of Jägermeister in a custom gift box, engraved with your name."

Slayer guitarist Kerry King: “We’ve had some good times with Jägermeister through the years, we love that they’re creating a limited edition bottle to recognise the end of our journey and it looks awesome. I’m honoured that our friends at Jägermeister hold us in such high regard. I can’t wait to get my hands on one!"

Order here.




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Fan-filmed video footage of THE WINERY DOGS' May 23 concert at Oriental Theater in Denver, Colorado (courtesy of YouTube user "The Attitude").

THE WINERY DOGS — the hard rock power trio featuring guitarist/vocalist Richie Kotzen (POISON, MR. BIG), bassist Billy Sheehan (MR. BIG, DAVID LEE ROTH) and drummer Mike Portnoy (SONS OF APOLLO, DREAM THEATER) — is in the middle of its first tour in nearly three years, which kicked off on April 30 at Tupelo Music Hall in Derry, New Hampshire.

During a December 2018 appearance on "Trunk Nation LA Invasion: Live From The Rainbow Bar & Grill" on SiriusXM, Mike spoke about THE WINERY DOGS' decision to play together again. He said: "Everybody assumed we broke up. We all just went off to do our… All three of us do all these other things, so we just decided to take a break and do some other things, but we always knew there'd be a time we'd come together. It was never gonna be a one-time thing."

Asked how the April-May 2019 tour came about, Mike said: "Richie came out to see SONS OF APOLLO when we played L.A. in the spring, or whenever it was, and I remember talking with him, saying, 'Hey, it'd be fun to just play live. We don't have to commit to doing a new album. We don't have to make out this big schedule, this big plan.'… It was great for the three of us to see each other, and it was, like, 'Hey, it would be fun to play some gigs next year — whenever we can. Not have to commit to an album, not have to commit to a year schedule or whatever.' So that was it. It was as simple as that."

Richie concurred, saying: "What we wanted to do is get together and not forget about what we have. There's a lot of people that love the band, but we love the band too, so we wanted to just find a window where we could actually play together. And what Mike was saying, the idea of committing to this and committing to that, with my recent experience, making plans is a waste of time, 'cause you just don't know what's gonna happen. But we wanted to at least get together and play. And so, in my estimation, I would imagine that we would play together and I would say, 'I really miss you, Mike,' and then Billy, 'I really miss you, Billy.' And, 'Hey, by the way, Richie, I have this really cool bass riff I was working on.' And then, suddenly, 'That sounds like a song.' And then let it evolve."

According to Kotzen, there has been no concrete discussion about THE WINERY DOGS making another studio album. "You know me how I am — I don't make a lot of plans," he said. "And Mike knows — I'm like water, and if the water flows in the right direction, we're gonna make another record at some point. But initially, now, we just wanna have that feeling of playing together, capturing that magic we had in my garage when we wrote the first record."

Added Mike: "It's like when you have a new band starting out. And before you even have your first record deal, you're doing it for the fun of it; you're doing it because you you like playing together. You wanna write together, you wanna play shows together, and then as soon as you sign that record deal, then suddenly you have commitments. 'Oh, we've gotta commit to this timeline. Let's block out this year.' And blah blah blah. Writing a record takes months, recording a record takes months, and it takes months to put it out. Then you've gotta commit to a tour. We wanna just have fun. We just wanna play for the fun of it, not commit to another album yet, and just enjoy the window of opportunity to jam and have fun, and leave it as simple as that."

Richie continued: "Yes, there's gonna be a record at some point. C'mon — of course there's gonna be a record. Of course there will be. I'm not gonna tell you when, 'cause I want it to be a surprise."

Since wrapping up an extensive world tour in support of their sophomore album, "Hot Streak", in the summer of 2016, THE WINERY DOGS had performed live on just two occasions — during the inaugural "Monsterwood" West Coast edition of the Monsters Of Rock cruise in the fall of 2016, and nearly a year later during an "Ultimate Jam Night" tribute to late ADRENALINE MOB, SOTO and TRANS-SIBERIAN ORCHESTRA bassist David Zablidowsky at the Whisky A Go Go in West Hollywood, California.

Over the past two and a half years, each of the members of THE WINERY DOGS has toured extensively with other acts — Kotzen with his long-running solo band; Sheehan with SONS OF APOLLO and MR. BIG; and Portnoy with SONS OF APOLLO, THE NEAL MORSE BAND and SHATTERED FORTRESS.

THE WINERY DOGS were founded in 2012 after Portnoy and Sheehan — who initially aimed to collaborate with former WHITESNAKE and BLUE MURDER guitarist John Sykes — reached out to Kotzen, who played with Sheehan in MR. BIG from 1997 to 2002. The group's 2013 self-titled debut reached No. 27 on the Billboard 200 after selling more than 10,000 copies in the U.S. during its first week of availability. The initial sales of "Hot Streak" were even better, as the album debuted at No. 30 in late 2015 after shifting 13,000 equivalent album units in America during its first week of availability.

Despite the band's success, Kotzen expressed a desire to return to his solo career after the end of the "Hot Streak" touring cycle. "I wanted to go back to what I was doing my whole life, which is making my music and my records," he said during an appearance on the satellite radio program "Trunk Nation" earlier this year. He reiterated that sentiment during a subsequent interview with Sofa King Cool. "I thought in my mind, 'Well, this worked. It was fun. It was really cool. But I kind of want to go back to being Richie for a while and doing what I was doing before,'" he said.

Long-dormant Los Angeles-based extreme metal outfit DIESEL MACHINE, featuring vocalist AJ Cavalier (SOIL, WORLD IN PAIN), guitarist Patrick Lachman (HALFORD, DAMAGEPLAN), bassist Rich Gonzales (RECIPIENTS OF DEATH, AMERICAN AFTERMATH) and drummer Shane Gaalaas (COSMOSQUAD, B'Z), have released the official lyric video for "Shut It", the band's first new original song since its full-length debut, "Torture Test", in 2000. "Shut It" comes off DIESEL MACHINE's forthcoming sophomore effort, "Evolve", set for a tentative fall 2019 release, and is available as a digital download exclusively from the DIESEL MACHINE Bandcamp page.

In a post on its Facebook page, the band writes: "This has been taking a lot longer than we originally anticipated, for a myriad of reasons, but we are finally getting there. AJ has a couple more vocals to finish up but other than that the tracks are now in the very capable hands of Chris Collier, who has worked with PRONG, KORN, KMX and FLOTSAM AND JETSAM, among others.

"We are stoked, to say the least, and hopefully you are too when you hear 'Shut It'.

"We'll drop another cut or two leading up to the album's release, so spread the word and stay tuned for more music!"

Formed in the mid-1990s out of the ashes of L.A. heavies WORLD IN PAIN and ELEVENTH HOUR, DIESEL MACHINE's bonecrushing metal maelstorm was first heard via a six-song demo tape, issued under the original name DIESEL, before the band settled into a four-piece lineup comprising Cavalier, Lachman, Gonzales and Gaalaas for "Torture Test", released through SPV/Steamhammer. Much acclaimed and controversial at the same time, the band's uncompromising blend of razor-sharp riffing, ten-ton-hammer rhythm 'n' grooves and hardcore vocals elicited comparisons to the likes of PANTERA, CROWBAR, MACHINE HEAD and MESHUGGAH and led to a West Coast run of dates with SOULFLY, STATIC-X and SOIL and shows with PRONG and CROWBAR, among others.

While working on material for their second album, the band was dealt a major blow when Gonzales was involved in a near-fatal motorcycle accident in the summer of 2002 that put him in the hospital for four months struggling to survive and recover from massive injuries that would ultimately make him wheelchair bound. As DIESEL MACHINE got put on hold indefinitely, its members forged new musical paths. Lachman, fresh out of HALFORD at the time, became the vocalist for short-lived PANTERA offshoot DAMAGEPLAN, and later formed THE MERCY CLINIC. Meanwhile, Cavalier started ONE PERCENT SOUL and was eventually tapped to front SOIL with whom he recorded and toured extensively. Gaalaas would find fame in Japan as the timekeeper for stadium selling rock superstars B'Z, having been part of every album and tour since 2003, as well as propelling prog metal fusioneers COSMOSQUAD. Gonzales, too, would eventually find his way back into music with AMERICAN AFTERMATH, a unit that also featured KYNG's Eddie Veliz.

Along with "Shut It", DIESEL MACHINE is also issuing a remastered version of "Torture Test". This marks the first time "Torture Test" is officially available as a digital download, exclusively via Bandcamp. Mastering was handled by Borislav Dimitrov at HiZ Productions.

Fan-filmed video footage of Philip Anselmo performing a cover of BATHORY's "Massacre" with his SCOUR project on May 25 at Maryland Deathfest at Ram's Head Live in Baltimore, Maryland can be seen below.

SCOUR, which also includes members of CATTLE DECAPITATION and PIG DESTROYER, released its second EP, "Red", in November 2017.

In a recent interview with Damnation Vault, Anselmo stated about his love for early black metal: "I let it be known that black metal as a genre didn't happen until 1991. Bands like BATHORY, they were considered back in the day, they were just 'VENOM clones.' CELTIC FROST was called avant garde heavy metal. Yeah, so black metal really wasn't a genre specifically until '91 and then, as far as I'm concerned, I know MAYHEM was probably one of the first, but the band that probably really put it all on the map was DARKTHRONE, for me, you know? They got that imagery and art. Black metal artwork over last couple decades always have been grim and great; I love it. It's bleak, super bleak, man. I love it, I really do. Great imagery, great imagery. And yeah, DARKTHRONE, absolutely utilize that imagery to a some bizarre perfection, man. The way they stuck there.. I guess the whole package that DARKTHRONE intrigued a lot of people, whether it be the title of the band, or the name of the band, or the cover of the records. You know, it was intriguing."

"Red" was recorded at Anselmo's Nodferatu's Lair with Steve Berrigan (DOWN, PHILIP H. ANSELMO & THE ILLEGALS, EYEHATEGOD, HAARP, CLASSHOLE) at the helm. The record was once again mixed and mastered by Dave Otero (CEPHALIC CARNAGE, CATTLE DECAPITATION, COBALT, KHEMMIS) at Flatline Audio.

The self-titled debut EP from SCOUR was released in July 2016 via Anselmo's Housecore label.

Ozzy Osbourne is using cannabidiol (CBD) for pain management after sustaining an injury that caused the BLACK SABBATH singer to cancel all live appearances through the end of the year.

In early April, Ozzy postponed all his 2019 tour dates, both in North America and Europe, as he recovered from an injury sustained while dealing with his recent bout of pneumonia. The singer fell at his Los Angeles home, aggravating years-old injuries from his 2003 ATV accident that required new surgery.

During a guest appearance on the U.K. daytime talk show "Loose Women" earlier today (Thursday, May 23), Ozzy's wife Sharon Osbourne was asked for an update on her husband health status. She responded (see video below): "[Ozzy's] had a really tough year — really. It started off with flu, which went to bronchitis, which went to pneumonia. He was hospitalized, came out [and] was well on the road to recovery, and he gets up in the middle of the night to go to the loo for his… and on the way back, he tripped up on the carpet that was under our bed and fell against the corner of the night table, which is made of mirror [glass]."

She continued: "A few years ago, he was in a motorbike accident and he had to have metal rods put in his body and the accident moved all the metal rods and the bones they were screwed into all splintered. Then he had trouble with his neck and they had to do two operations on him and he's in recovery now, thank goodness. But every day he has to work with a physiotherapist."

Although Ozzy is in "terrible pain," the bigger struggle is making sure that he stays focused so that he can fully recover in time for the next leg of his "No More Tours 2", which is now scheduled to take place in early 2020.

"He's not good at being at home," Sharon said. "He wants to be back on the road, back on his tour, back with his band, and he's pining. Really, the challenge is not his injuries, it's his state of mind to keep him positive and working."

Asked if she is concerned that Ozzy — who has a history of addiction — might get hooked on painkillers while he is recovering, Sharon responded: "He's off all of that. He had to have it after he was operated on the last time. But now for pain, he has that CBD —whatever it's called — and he's dealing with it that way."

CBD oil is made from cannabis extract and is most commonly used to treat epilepsy and conditions of the nervous system.

Most of the 2019 shows on what is being billed as Ozzy's last full world tour have been rescheduled beginning in February 2020. Fans are being asked to hold on to their original tickets, as they will be honored for the rescheduled dates.

The 70-year-old Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame inductee has battled a variety of health issues since kicking off his farewell "No More Tours 2" tour last summer. He contacted a staph infection in October that forced the initial postponement of his North American tour dates.

In January, Osbourne scrapped his European tour because of an upper respiratory infection that turned into pneumonia, forcing him to cancel dates in Japan, Australia and New Zealand.

In the video below, Pink Floyd performs "Careful With That Axe, Eugene" at the Essencer Pop & Blues Festival in Essen, Germany on October 11, 1969.




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Veteran Finnish rockers THE 69 EYES will release their new album, "West End", on September 13 via Nuclear Blast. The band's 12th full-length record featuring guest vocalists such as CRADLE OF FILTH's Dani Filth, Wednesday 13 and BEASTÖ BLANCÖ's Calico Cooper, consists of 11 up-tempo rock anthems full of heaviness, black memento mori moments and dark humour and sees the band dancing in the ruins of our world.


"The title 'West End' evokes a dark image — when something dies, something new comes up and we all have to change in order to stay alive," singer Jyrki 69 explains. "I feel like this planet is on some turning point. The end of the western world is near and the question is: What is happening when the west ends? The title has multiple meanings for us… but be assured it has definitely nothing to do with THE PET SHOP BOYS or London."


As the first taste of the new album, THE 69 EYES has released the music video for the single "27 & Done". Directed by Los Angeles-based Vicente Cordero, the clip features excerpts from the horror film "The 27 Club" by Cleopatra Entertainment, which will be out on June 13.

"The track deals with the idea of Hollywood and everyone coming there to make their dreams come true, but it's very seldom that they succeed and this is something you can see there everywhere," Jyrki 69 says. "It's a place that makes you desperate and I wanted to get these dark vibes into the song. But on the other hand the track is also a celebration of life — we should be excited to be here and everybody's a legend and they should realize that we should enjoy what we do instead of worry what other people think."

THE 69 EYES will embark on a 30th-anniversary European tour in November.

The dates are as follows:

Nov. 02 - D - Leipzig - Moritzbastei

Nov. 03 - D - Berlin – SO36

Nov. 05 - D - Hamburg - Logo

Nov. 06 - D - Cologne - Essigfabrik

Nov. 07 - D - Stuttgart - Wizemann Club

Nov. 08 - D - Munich - Backstage (Halle)

Nov. 09 - CZ - Prague - Meat Factory

Nov. 11 - PL - Wroclaw - Stary Klasztor

Nov. 12 - HU - Budapest - Barba Negra

Nov. 13 - SK - Bratislava - Atelier Babylon

Nov. 14 - AT - Vienna - Chelsea

Nov. 16 - IT - Parma - Campus Music Industry

Nov. 17 - CH - Pratteln - Z7

Nov. 19 - D - Trier - Mergener Hof

Nov. 20 - F - Paris - Backstage by the Mill

Nov. 21 - UK - London - The Garage

Nov. 23 - D - Oberhausen - Kulttempel

Nov. 24 - D - Frankfurt – Zoom

Photo credit: Pasi Klemetti

"Enemy", the new video from BILLYBIO, the solo project of BIOHAZARD and POWERFLO guitarist Billy Graziadei, can be seen below. The song is taken from BILLYBIO's debut album, "Feed The Fire", which was released last November via AFM Records.

The "Enemy" clip was directed by Billy and Steedo for Rock 'N' Roll Video.


Graziadei says about "Enemy": "I wrote a song about the two sides of a political enemy. Is the political detainee who stands up for his kind, sacrificing their own well-being for the benefit of everyone else, an actual enemy? Is the person who stands up for those who can't stand on their own, a friend or a foe? One of the most controversial subjects while I was writing this song was waterboarding. The scene at the end of the video was the worst thing I've ever experienced. There are two sides in life, with, or against. Pick one."

Music has always been the central, unifying force in Graziadei's life. Early musical training took place on the Graziadei family's old, forever out-of-tune upright piano and he began studying music under the guidance of his grandfather and uncle, both of whom he had always admired. So he expanded his musical vocabulary while growing up, finding inspiration in so many forms of music but it wasn't until he stumbled into the underground world of punk-rock music that his musical taste was really sparked into growth.

Immersing himself in the sounds, perspective, and culture of the punk underground, Billy's desire to create new, innovative music led him to the late-'80s hardcore scene in New York City, from Sunday-matinee hardcore shows at CBGBs to Friday-night metal shows at Brooklyn's L'Amour metal/rock club. It was here that he found his musical home and it was here that Billy helped form a band that would take the metal/hardcore scene by storm. It was the birth of BIOHAZARD. As one of the first bands they combined the urban sounds of hardcore, metal and rap with scorching lyrics describing the forces at work in our modern urban lives.


With an audio-engineering degree and years of experience recording BIOHAZARD, Graziadei opened Firewater Studios. This studio became an incubator for Billy's creativity, where he continues to cultivate his talent while producing upcoming bands. During the years of touring with BIOHAZARD, Graziadei collaborated with many different musicians. As a result of this, the friendship with CYPRESS HILL singer Sen Dog turned in 2016 into the supergroup POWERFLO along with bassist Christian Olde Wolbers (ex-FEAR FACTORY) and guitarist Roy Lozano (DOWNSET). While Graziadei continues to work on new POWERFLO songs as he tours around, he decided that the time finally has come for his solo venture.


Billy states: "I've always wanted to do a solo release and the timing of everything that I have been working on just seemed to fall in place.

"I always let the creative juices flow, I don't try and restrict them to fit a certain genre.

"With BILLYBIO, it's 100% me. No influence from anyone else. This is who I am and what I've become. I'm a product of everyone I've met, talked with, shared my stories with… and a bit of their stories as well.

"Anyone who's a fan of what I've done, especially with BIOHAZARD, will love this! There's something there for every fan of heavy underground music!"


According to Billy, "Feed The Fire" is "heavy, fast, groovy and full of energy. I couldn't have it any other way," he says. "It's full of my roots but modern."

Producer Tue Madsen, who worked on "Feed The Fire", agrees. "When I was brought in to mix this record, it was with big expectations, and boy, were they met," he says. "These songs keep the energy level so high and have so much to say. Great deliverance, great songwriting and now me mixing the whole thing. I couldn't be happier."

Photo credit: Melissa Hummel

German dark metal band, Lacrimas Profundere, have released a video for "Like Screams In Empty Halls", a track from their upcoming Bleeding The Stars album, out on July 26 via Steamhammer/Oblivion/SPV. Watch the video below, and pre-order the album here.

“This new record is like a new beginning for us” guitarist and band leader Oliver Nikolas Schmid explains. He reclaimed their drummer Dominik Scholz and got Julian Larre on board as a new vocalist. “I cast aside the shackles of the last years, in search of my musical roots, my dream to be a musician, breaking down Lacrimas Profundere to their very essence along the way - for the sake of music. This includes my brother and songwriter Christopher, with whom I started this madness of a band in 1993.”

The album was produced by Kristian ‘Kohle’ Kohlmannslehner, the cover artwork - featuring shades of deep crimson - was again created by Brazilian artist Elton Fernandes. Asked about their telling album title, Oliver says the following: “We read up on the big bang theory a bit. When something huge is created, there is always blood and tears involved somewhere in the process. And voilà: the album’s title was born!”

Tracklisting:

"I Knew And Will Forever Know"
"Celestite Woman"
"The Kingdom Solicitude"
"Mother Of Doom"
"Father Of Fate"
"Like Screams In Empty Halls"
"The Reaper"
"After All Those Infinities"
"A Sip Of Multiverse"
"A Sleeping Throne"

"Like Screams In Empty Halls" video:

"Father Of Fate" video:




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Their fifth studio album, Zerfall, sees Black Forest metal act, Finsterforst, return to the serious and elegiac soundscapes of classics such as the critically acclaimed Mach Dich Frei (2015). Set for release on August 2 via Napalm Records, the album can be pre-ordered here

The Germans' emotional brand of post black metal gives vent to endless rage with pounding riffs and astonishing orchestral elements - and then flows into somber choirs. The centrepiece and culmination of it all has to be the 36-minute long "Ecce Homo" though, that unfolds into a majestic post metal journey crowning Finsterforst's songwriting skills and career to date.  A complex and mature piece of art that will without any doubt mesmerize old and new fans alike.

Today the band is sharing a first single and lyric video for the track "Fluch des Seins". Watch below

Says the band: “This 5-minutes excerpt of “Fluch des Seins” already shows the improvement we made since our previous album Mach Dich Frei. In this track you can hear some special guest appearances within the choir works. Convince yourself, check it out and dive into wonderfull dark atmospheres.“

Zerfall tracklisting:

"Wut"
"Zerfall"
"Fluch des Seins" "Weltenbrand"
"Ecce Homo"

"Fluch des Seins" lyric video:

Live dates:

May
30 - Bornstedt, Germany - Dark Troll Festival 2019

July
26 - Ottobeuren, Germany - Schlichtenfest Open Air 2019
27 - Bergamo, Italy - Malpaga Folk & Metal Fest

October
26 - Eisleben, Germany - 10 Years Best Of Dark Troll Festival

Lineup:

Oliver Berlin - Lead Vocals
Simon Schillinger - Guitar, Vocals David Schuldis - Guitar Tobias Weinreich - Bass
Cornelius „Wombo“ Heck - Drums
Sebastian Scherrer - Live Keyboard

(Photo - Marco Sorrentino)




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Italy's Destrage have released their fifth full-length, The Chosen One, via Metal Blade Records. A full album stream can be found below.

The record can be ordered here in the following formats:

- jewelcase-CD
- light yellow vinyl / includes CD (EU exclusive - limited to 300 copies)
- pink / blue marbled vinyl / includes CD (EU exclusive - limited to 200 copies)
- multi-color splatter vinyl / includes CD (EU exclusive - limited to 100 copies)
- light pink marbled vinyl / includes CD (US exclusive - limited to 300 copies)
- violet marbled vinyl / includes CD (US exclusive - limited to 200 copies)

As with all of their previous efforts, Destrage make it impossible to pigeonhole their sound, with numerous labels applicable to the record but no single one able to tell the whole story. Moreover, from start to finish, The Chosen One seethes with an energy that is undeniable.

"I strongly believe in the power of the people, and energy came from those who worked on this album, from the band, the producers, through to the mixing and mastering engineer. There was a lot of energy in the whole project, and that's the most important thing to me," vocalist Paolo Colavolpe enthuses.

The record also sees the band once more experimenting, taking risks and exploring territory they have not previously entered into, demonstrating a fearlessness when it came to chasing ideas - and almost half the songs are in a completely different guitar tuning. A pair of unique tracks also bookend the record, the title track and "The Gifted One", their relationship obvious as they came together in the writing stage.

Explains guitarist Matteo Di Gioia: "The song 'The Chosen One' is brief, has no repetitions and an unresolved structure. The unexplored, unrepeated sections of that unwrap with more patience on 'The Gifted One', which also has an uncommon structure, but in the opposite sense. Here we have a long, pacing, reflexive closing song that shares many elements with the opener but feels completely different." Further adding to the heady mix is the incorporation of extra instrumentation, among these a baritone saxophone and something the band nicknamed MEGATRON, which is essentially "a badass synthesizer playing guitar riffs together with the human guitarists. Like the saxophone, it's set to disappear and fuse with the guitars to achieve a slightly unreal sound, and we knew we didn't want these extra sounds to emerge and be obvious. Instead, we really looked for the listener to experience the 'What the fuck is that sound?' effect."

A smattering of guest musicians also contributed to the album, with "master of evil" Luca Mai of ZU providing a wild saxophone solo on "Mr Bugman" and dubbing the main riff of "At The Cost Of Pleasure". Jazz musician Fabio Visocchi added keyboards to "At The Cost Of Pleasure" and "The Gifted One", while Fabrizio "Izio" Pagni produced the electronics and handled the programming.

Produced by Matteo "ciube" tabacco and Destrage at Raptor studios, plus mixed and mastered by Josh Wilbur, the recording process proved to be both rewarding and thrilling for the band, who were unable to physically be in LA with Wilbur, but were involved every step of the way.

Admitting to being a little intimidated at the thought of working with such a "hot producer" initially, the collaboration was nothing but fruitful: the first mix great, the second better, but they persisted, with the eighth run making it onto the record to everyone's satisfaction. "We were talking every day on the phone, sending messages back and forth and Josh said to us, 'Hey! I don't have a deadline. We mix this until it's fucking great. My goal is having everybody jumping up and down to this record!' And he kept his word."

The Chosen One tracklisting:

"The Chosen One"
"About That"
"Hey, Stranger!"
"At The Cost Of Pleasure"
"Mr. Bugman"
"Rage, My Alibi"
"Headache And Crumbs"
"The Gifted One"

Album stream:

"The Chosen One" video:

Destrage lineup:

Paolo Colavolpe - vocals
Matteo Di Gioia - guitar
Federico Paulovich - drums
Ralph Guido Salati - guitar
Gabriel Pignata - bass




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The Underground Thieves, a Southern California-based music collective led by artist/songwriter/producer Nick Perri, released its new single and accompanying music video today. Titled “Whole Lotta Money”, the upbeat, fuzz-guitar-driven anthem is the band’s eighth release to date, and the second to feature Perri on lead vocals.

“Whole Lotta Money” has already started earning acclaim for its captivating sounds and confident moods from the band’s music industry contemporaries, including Greta Van Fleet’s Danny Wagner, Blackberry Smoke’s Charlie Starr, and Gibson’s Director of Brand Experience, Mark Agnesi.  

“I haven’t heard a song that has made me LITERALLY want to get up and get a guitar and start playing immediately since I was a little kid.” - Danny Wagner

“This song is infectious. You can’t not boogie when you hear it. And, not only does it contain Nick Perri’s fantastic guitar playing, but he has stepped up to the vocal mic and is singing his ass off[.]” - Charlie Starr

“The guitar playing, the tones, that drum groove, the hook...everything about it is infectious.” - Mark Agnesi
 
Produced by Perri, “Whole Lotta Money” features Justin DiFebbo (K-Floor) on Hammond organ and synthesizer, Brian Weaver (Silvertide) on bass, Anthony Montesano and Michael Montesano (Pepper’s Ghost) on background vocals, and new Underground Thieves addition Zil Fessler (Rusted Root) on drums.

“I wanted to write something fun and empowering about being grateful for what you have, and not relying on material goods for happiness,” said Perri, who - embracing his roots - delivers a passionate, minute-long guitar solo in the track. “I’m singing from the heart and through my guitar.  This song is honest and authentically me.”

Longtime Thieves collaborator Austin M. Bauman filmed the one-shot music video, taking viewers on a tour of Perri’s neighborhood as Perri and friends showcase their feel-good summer strut.

“We try to up our own game with each music video, continually broadening our band’s horizons,” said Perri. “This video has been the most exciting one to create.”

“Whole Lotta Money” - along with The Underground Thieves’ seven preceding singles - is available on iTunes, Spotify and other major music networks. It was mixed and mastered by Marc DiSisto, whose credits include U2, Pink Floyd, Sheryl Crow, Joe Cocker and Don Henley, among other classic rock and pop icons. DiSisto also engineered Silvertide’s Show & Tell album, on which Perri was lead guitarist and co-songwriter.
 
Four singles, dubbed “chapters,” have yet to be released in The Underground Thieves’ 12-part story, a plan detailed by Perri last year. The band will release these anticipated chapters in real-time, upon completion of each song. Following the release of its twelfth chapter, the band will compile all chapters into a full-length album to be distributed both physically and electronically.

The Underground Thieves’ seventh single, “White Noise,” was voted song/video of the week in the UK by LouderSound.com and Classic Rock Magazine, whose review described the track as, “An enveloping swirl of 70s glam-tinged vocals and warming, melodious Americana that grows into something bigger and almost psychedelic[.]”

(Photo: Nick Perri, courtesy of Austin M. Bauman)




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Berlin, Germany-based streetcore legends, Toxpack, will release their ninth full-length album, Kämpfer, on May 31 via Napalm Records. Pre-order the new album here, and watch a video for the title track below.

Additionally, the band and Napalm Records produced a documentation a on the eventful history of the band. Watch below for stories about first rehearsal rooms, bar fights, and shows in front of 20,000 people:

Toxpack on the new album: “On May 31st 2019 our ninth studio album Kämpfer will be released via Napalm Records! With 16 songs + Bonus Track at about 54 minutes play time it is the longest album in our 18 year history. We are proud that Kämpfer is produced by Florian Nowak and Marc Wüstenhagen (Dailyhero Recordings) again, who also recorded our last full length Schall & Rausch. Our main focus is once again on catchy harmonies and melodies, which will stick in your head. The songs are about freedom, courage, daily fights, hope, love, anger, sorrow, desire and our strong friendship. We are sure that you will regain yourself in our lyrics! Kämpfer is an album for everyone that is living in daily fights. For everyone that stays strong and never bends down, never surrenders and always keeps on fighting for their dreams and to reach their goals in life!”

Tracklisting:

"Proelium"
"An der Zeit"
"Setz die Segel"
"Kämpfer"
"Arschloch"
"Liebe ist tödlich"
"Trinkteufel (Herzlich Willkommen)"
"Oben"
"Unten"
"Die letzte Bastion"
"Wir sagen Danke"
"All deine Sorgen"
"Auf unser Wohl"
"Hauptsache es geht uns gut"
"Jeder kann ein König sein" (Bonus track)
"Staub und Dreck" (Bonus track)

"Arschloch" lyric video:

"Setz Die Segel" video:

Toxpack are:

Schulle - Vocals
Tommi - Lead Guitar
Erik - Guitar
Stephan - Bass Guitar
Zoppel - Drums

(Photo - Stefan Milde)




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NYC's Tanith have released their debut full-length, In Another Time, via Metal Blade Records. A full audio stream can be found below. Order the album at MetalBlade.com.

Taking their name from a character in the classic Hammer Horror The Devil Rides Out, Tanith play vintage hard rock that harks back to the glory days of Blue Oyster Cult, Thin Lizzy and Uriah Heep. However, while such influences resonate through their music, they are never derivative, having a strong musical identity and forging their own sound.

To celebrate In Another Time's release, Tanith will be hosting a special record release show at Saint Vitus in Brooklyn, NY on May 26th. Presented by Revolver Magazine, the event will also be filmed, so that fans worldwide can tune in later to this exclusive performance.

Tracklisting:

“Citadel (Galantia Pt. 1)”
“Book Of Changes”
“Wing Of The Owl (Galantia Pt. 3)”
“Cassini’s Deadly Plunge”
“Under The Stars”
“Mountain”
“Eleven Years”
“Dionysus”
“Under The Stars (Reprise)”

Album stream:

(Photo - Chris Shonting)




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Bangalore-based '80s inspired old school heavy metal band, Kryptos, will release their new album, Afterburner, worldwide on June 21 via AFM Records. A video for the title track can be seen below.

Exploding with razor sharp riffs, screaming solos and rapid fire twin guitar attacks, Afterburner proudly follows in the best traditions of Judas Priest, Iron Maiden, Accept and Thin Lizzy.

Neon outlaws, extraterrestrial infiltration, vampire biker gangs, witchcraft and sorcery - if there's one thing you can be damn sure of it's that this record will take you on a one-way ride through everything that made the ‘80s so limitless and electrifying. And the spirit of the ‘80s is certainly alive and well in the stunning, retro-drenched, Painkiller-meets-Masters Of The Universe album sleeve designed by the inimitable Bill Hauser.

Mixed and mastered once again by Anupam Roy, Afterburner is just the album you need to shut out the rest of the world and go back to a time when real heavy metal ruled the airwaves.

You won't have to wait long to bang your heads to these new tunes either. Kryptos will be hitting Europe in the summer of 2019, so wear those leather jackets and mullets with pride, grab some beer and get ready to rage like never before.

You can pre-order Afterburner here.

Tracklisting:

"Afterburner"
"Cold Blood"
"Dead Of Night"
"Red Dawn"
"On The Run"
"The Crimson Queen"
"Mach Speed Running"
"Into The Wind"

"Afterburner" video:

"Red Dawn":




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Leader Of Down have released a video for "Cascade Into Chaos", the title track of the band's debut album, out now via Cleopatra Records. Watch the clip below.

Buy the CD here, and the vinyl here.

Tracklisting:

"Paradise Turned Into Dust" (Lemmy vocals, additional bass Tim Atkinson)
"Cascade Into Chaos"
"People Say I’m Crazy"
"Serial Killjoy" (Bruce Foxton on additional bass with Tim Atkinson)
"Children Of Disease" (Whitfield Crane vocals, Lee Richards and Richards/ Crane backing vocals, Phil Campbell second guitar solo)
"Snakebite" (Fast Eddie Clarke all guitars and vocals)
"Punch And Geordie"
"Feel Good" (Cliff Evans first guitar solo)
"The Killing Rain" (the last song Würzel ever recorded)
"Laugh At The Devil" (Lemmy vocals and all guitars by Fast Eddie Clarke)

"Cascade Into Chaos" video:

"Paradise Turned Into Dust" featuring Lemmy video:




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European diabolical death/ black metal troop, Belphegor, are co-headlining this year's Devastation On The Nation tour alongside Swedish black metal stalwarts, Dark Funeral. Joining them are Incantation, Hate, Vale Of Pnath, and Nightmarer.

Capital Chaos TV has uploaded footage of Belphegor, from the Oakland Metro Operahouse in Oakland, CA on May 18th. Watch below:

Remaining tour dates are listed below.

May
17 - San Diego, CA - Brick By Brick (no Belphegor)
18 - Oakland, CA - Oakland Metro Operahouse
19 - Portland, OR - Bossanova Ballroom
20 - Vancouver, BC - Rickshaw Theatre
21 - Seattle, WA  - El Corazon
23 - Salt Lake City, UT - Metro Music Hall
24 - Denver, CO - The Roxy Theatre
25 - Kansas City, MO - The Riot Room
26 - Chicago, IL - Concord Music Hall
28 - Cleveland, OH - The Phantasy Nightclub
29 - Toronto, ON - Lee's Palace
30 - Ottawa, ON - Mavericks
31 - Quebec City, QC- Imperial Bell

June
1 - Boston, MA - Middle East
2 - Brooklyn, NY - Brooklyn Bazaar
4 - Baltimore, MD - Soundstage
5 - Asheville, NC - The Orange Peel
6 - Atlanta, GA - The Loft at Center Stage
7 - Tampa, FL - The Orpheum
8 - Birmingham, AL - Zydeco
9 - Houston, TX - White Oak Music Hall
10 - Austin, TX - Come And Take It Live
11 - Dallas, TX  - Gas Monkey Bar & Grill
13 - Albuquerque, NM - Sunshine Theater
14 - Mesa, AZ - Club Red
15 - Los Angeles, CA - 1720




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Toto have released their definitive CD box set, All In, via Legacy Recordings (a division of Sony Music). The previously unreleased song, "Chelsea", can be heard below:

In late 2018, a deluxe limited-edition vinyl/CD version of the set was released direct to consumers and quickly sold out (this is now out of print and will not be reprinted). However, due to demand, a CD only box-set is now available from all major retailers worldwide.

All In features the following Toto albums on thirteen CDs: Toto, Hydra, Turn Back, IV, Isolation, Fahrenheit, The Seventh One, Kingdom Of Desire, Tambu, Mindfields, and Toto XX. The set also includes a previously unreleased Live In Tokyo EP from their 1980 tour, along with an album titled Old Is New.

The Old Is New CD features ten tracks, seven which are previously unreleased along with “Spanish Sea,” “Alone,” and “Struck By Lighting”, which are featured on the band’s greatest hits collection 40 Trips Around The Sun. All of the music in the box set was personally remastered by Toto along with Elliot Scheiner.

Old Is New tracklisting:

"Alone"
"Devil’s Tower"
"Fearful Heart"
"Spanish Sea"
"In A Little While"
"Chelsea"
"Chase The Rain"
"Oh Why"
"Struck By Lightning"
"We’ll Keep On Running" - What So Not & Toto (Featuring Skrillex)

Also included in the box set is a 24-page booklet which includes new essays, and previously unseen photos.

Toto’s Greatest Hits package titled 40 Trips Around The Sun was released in early 2018 and impacted charts all over the world. The band recently completed another set of tour dates in New Zealand, Australia and Japan. European shows are already scheduled for this summer along with an upcoming North American tour in the fall (Sept/Oct). Full details on the North American tour will be announced shortly. The 40 Trips Around The Sun tour has been the band’s most extensive run in years.

Few ensembles in the history of recorded music have individually or collectively had a larger imprint on pop culture than the members of Toto. As individuals, the band members can be heard on an astonishing 5000 albums that together amass a sales history of a half a billion albums. Amongst these recordings, NARAS applauded the performances with more than 200 Grammy nominations. Collectively Toto has over a billion streams worldwide on all streaming services.

With over 40 years together and literally thousands of credits, including the biggest selling album of all time: Michael Jackson’s Thriller, and accolades to their names, Toto remains one of the top selling touring and recording acts in the world. They are the benchmark by which many artists base their sound and production, and they continue to transcend the standards set by the entire music community, being simply synonymous with musical credibility. Their repertoire continues to be current via high profile usage on broadcast television. They are pop culture, and are one of the few 70’s bands that have endured the changing trends and styles to a career enjoy a multi-generational worldwide fan base.

Toto will now conclude the almost two year long 40 Trips Around The Sun Tour with twenty final shows in North America. The tour will kick off in Los Angeles on September 20 at The Wiltern.

Tour dates:

September
20 - Los Angeles, CA - The Wiltern
23 - Las Vegas, NV - Life Is Beautiful Festival*
21 - Phoenix, AZ - Celebrity Theatre**
24 - Salt Lake City, UT - Eccles Theatre - Delta Hall
25 - Denver, CO - Paramount Theatre
27 - Kansas City, MO - Uptown Theater
28 - Des Moines, IA - Hoyt Sherman Place
29 - Madison, WI - Orpheum Theater

October
1 - Minneapolis, MN - State Theatre
2 - Peoria, IL - Peoria Civic Center Theatre
4 - Chicago, IL - The Chicago Theatre
5 - Mt. Pleasant, MI - Soaring Eagle Casino & Resort
8 - Nashville, TN - Ryman Auditorium
9 - Birmingham, AL - Alabama Theatre
10 - Atlanta, GA - Atlanta Symphony Hall
13 - Northfield, OH - MGM Northfield Park - Center Stage
15 - Port Chester, NY - Capitol Theatre
16 - Englewood, NJ - Bergen Performing Arts Center
18 - Mashantucket, CT - Foxwoods Resort Casino - Grand Theater
19 - Red Bank, NJ - Count Basie Theatre




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On 26th July, the Finnish monster Lordi release their brand-new DVD „Recordead Live – Sextourcism In Z7“ via AFM Records.

Though there are some live records of Lordi „Recordead Live – Sextourcism in Z7“ is the first official Live DVD of the band, checked by the musicians. A plan that LORDI had been pursuing for years and finally were put into practice during the „Sextourcism“ tour. Mr. Lordi about: „I am very happy that we waited until the „Sextourcism“ tour, because we look amazing, the stage looks amazing and everything was perfect to create a stunning DVD.“

Besides the live cut of the show in Pratteln/Switzerland during their latest „Sextourcism“ tour, the DVD provides a lot of bonus material, including some real rarities.

AFM announces the signing of Metalite, the new melodic metal shooting stars from Sweden.

Says the label: "The young band around guitarist Edwin Premberg aims at writing and recording melodic and memorable metal with a young and fresh style. We are very happy about the chance to work with these talented and passionate artists and welcome Metalite dearly to the AFM Records family!"

Edwin about the signing: ”It feels that the success with Metalite never gonna stop! Metalite are so happy about the signing with AFM and we feel very proud to share label with all the big and fantastic bands that they have under their wing and we're going to be a part of it too.  I think we have a shining future in front of us, new singer Erica together with fantastic new songs will make the Metalite success keep going and going. Big thanks to all of our fans who kept believing in us!"

After their debut album, Heroes In Time, which gained international attention in 2017, Metalite now gets ready to make the decisive step forward: Together with their new singer Erica Ohlsson, the band is recording their second album. Stay tuned for more information, coming soon.




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Greek heavy/power metal band, Diviner, have released a lyric video for "Beyond The Border", the third single from their new album, Realms Of Time. Watch the clip below.

Realms Of Time is out on June 7 via Ulterium Records. The album will be available on CD, LP and digital.

Realms Of Time was produced and mixed by Fotis Benardo (SepticFlesh), mastered by Henrik Udd (Powerwolf, Hammerfall, Myrath) and the artwork was created by Jan Yrlund (Battle Beast, Apocalyptica, Korpiklaani).

Tracklisting:

“Against The Grain”
“Heaven Falls”
“Set Me Free”
“The Earth, The Moon, The Sun”
“Cast Down In Fire”
“Beyond The Border”
“King Of Masquerade”
“Time”
“The Voice From Within”
“Stargate”

"Beyond The Border" lyric video:

"The Earth, The Moon, The Sun" lyric video:

"Heaven Falls" video:

Diviner is:

Yiannis Papanikolaou - Vocals
George Maroulees - Guitar
Kostas Fitos - Guitar
Herc Booze - Bass
Fragiskos Samoilis - Drums




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Born Of Osiris have released a live video for "Under The Gun", featured on the band's new album, The Simulation, out now via Sumerian Records. Order the album by clicking here.

Next month, Born Of Osiris will embark upon a co-headlining tour of Australia with Chelsea Grin, confirmed shows are as listed:

June
20 - Soundlounge - Currumbin, Australia
22 - The Brightside - Brisbane, Australia
23 - The Newcastle Hotel - Islington, Australia
24 - Crowbar - Sydney, Australia
25 - The Basement - Belconnen, Australia
27 - The Corner Hotel - Richmond, Australia
28 - Lion Arts Factory - Adelaide, Australia
29 - Amplifier Bar - Perth, Australia

For further details, visit Born Of Osiris on Facebook.




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Cellar Darling have released a lyric video for "Pain", a track from their new album, The Spell.

Watch the new clip below, and order The Spell as a 2 CD-digibook (featuring 13 songs + an audiobook of Anna Murphy telling the story behind the concept), black vinyl or digitally at this location.

Cellar Darling's live itinerary can be found here.




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Germany's Emil Bulls have released a new track off their upcoming covers album, Mixtape, out this Friday, May 24, via AFM Records. It's a cover of The Weeknd song "The Hills". Watch the video below, and pre-order the album here.

Tracklisting:

"Survivor" (Destiny's Child cover)
"Tell It To My Heart" (Taylor Dayne cover)
"Mr. Brightside" (The Killers cover)
"Grenade" (Bruno Mars cover)
"River" (Eminem feat. Ed Sheeran cover)
"Rebel Yell" (Billy Idol cover)
"Jesus He Knows Me" (Genesis cover)
"You Should See Me In A Crown" (Billie Eilish cover)
"Jungle Drum" (Emiliana Torrini cover)
"The Hills" (The Weeknd cover)
"We Built This City" (Starship cover)
"Where Is My Mind" (Pixies cover)
"Every You Every Me" (Placebo cover)
"Kids" (MGMT cover)

"The Hills" video:

"You Should See Me In A Crown" video:

"Tell It To My Heart" video:

Survivor" video:




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"Graven", the new video from Californian death metal pioneers POSSESSED, can be seen below. Directed by Scott Hansen (WILLIE NELSON, A DAY TO REMEMBER, MOTIONLESS IN WHITE, DEICIDE, PRONG), the clip features actor and friend of the band, Peter Stormare ("Fargo", "Constantine", "The Brothers Grimm").

POSSESSED frontman Jeff Becerra comments: "We are extremely excited to release our new music video for the song 'Graven'. This is actually our very first cinematic music video.

"I want to say thank you to my good friend Peter Stormare for everything and for being such an amazing inspiration. Of course, thank you to my bandmates. And to Nuclear Blast."

"Graven" is taken from POSSESSED's first full-length album in over three decades, "Revelatons Of Oblivion", which was released on May 10 via Nuclear Blast. The disc was recorded at NRG studios and Titan Studios with Becerra as executive producer and Daniel Gonzalez as co-producer for the album. Mixing and mastering was handled by Peter Tägtgren (HYPOCRISY, PAIN, BLOODBATH) at Abyss Studios in Sweden. For the artwork, the band enlisted Polish artist Zbigniew Bielak (PARADISE LOST, DIMMU BORGIR, DEICIDE, GHOST, GORGUTS) to create a piece that brought back the notion of true fear that was once associated with the idea of evil.

Said Jeff: "Working with Peter was a fantastic experience. We put a great deal of thought into who we wanted to produce our new album. Since we hadn't made an all-new material release in well over 30 years, it was essential that we found the right person. Peter's name kept coming up over and over, and after speaking with my bandmates they all really liked Peter as he is more organic, and somebody we felt would fit in well with our process."

The track listing for the CD is as follows:

01. Chant Of Oblivion

02. No More Room In Hell

03. Dominion

04. Damned

05. Demon

06. Abandoned

07. Shadowcult

08. Omen

09. Ritual

10. The Word

11. Graven

12. Temple Of Samael

Becerra remains the only member from POSSESSED's classic lineup, which dissolved entirely in 1987 after the "Eyes Of Horror" EP.

Beheaded, Malta's premiere death metal outfit, have unveiled another track from their upcoming studio album, Only Death Can Save You, due out June 14 worldwide via Agonia Records. Pre-order the album here, and watch a lyric video for "The Charlatan's Enunciation", below.

Forged from the darkest depths, Only Death Can Save You breathes violence and marches fearlessly down its death metal path. Summoning the visceral classic and the caustic edge of later death metal, the new punishing album spreads its aural horror with razor sharp precision.

To explain the title and concept of the new album, the band commented: "With Only Death Can Save You our intent was to artistically delve into the deepest, darkest corners of the human psyche and follow a creative path into the obscure frame of mind a person has when facing death, which, is the ultimate most terrifying experience and yet the only ‘salvation’ from life. This is a concept reflected in the lyrics and also captured in the album’s artwork."

On song writing and recordings, they added: "Having had a stable line up since the release of our last offering Beast Incarnate, also meant that we could work more as a unit this time around with all members giving a much stronger contribution to the song writing. This also includes our drummer Davide Billia who’s responsible for the recording process of the album and this was a key factor in nailing the sound, timbre and tone we wanted to give to this album."

Beheaded also addressed their new label home and touring: "Only Death Can Save You marks the beginning of a new chapter for Beheaded as part of Agonia Records. We are all very excited about this release and feel strongly about the album. We’re also looking forward to unleashing a number of these songs live on a string of festivals as part of our tour with Incantation and Hate, which will coincide with the release of the album, set for early summer."

Only Death Can Save You was recorded and mixed at Mk2 Recording Studio, run by the band's drummer, Davide Billa. The album was mastered at Hertz Studio in Poland. Cover artwork was painted by Daniel Corcuero (Nekronikon).

Formats:

- Jewelcase CD
- Black LP
- Neon Violet LP
- T-shirt
- Digital

Tracklisting:

"The Charlatan's Enunciation"
"Evil Be To Him Who Evil Seeks"
"A Greater Terror"
"Unholy Man"
"Embrace Your Messiah"
"The Papist Devil"
"Gallows Walk"
"Only Death Can Save You"
"From The Fire Where It All Began"

"The Charlatan's Enunciation" lyric video:

"A Greater Terror":

Lineup:

Frank Calleja - voice
David Cachia - bass
Grech Omar - guitars
Simone Brigo - guitars
Davide Billia - drums




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Legendary multinational thrash metallers, Exumer, recently released their fifth full-length, Hostile Defiance, via Metal Blade Records. The band have now launched a video for their latest single, "King's End".

The idea behind the "King's End" video is to visually pay homage to the look and visual aesthetics of the MTV/Headbanger's Ball era clips from the late 80s and early 90s. Especially when CGI became available as a tool to add effects that were otherwise financially impossible to obtain. The clip was entirely shot, edited and directed by Goreminister in Essen (Turock Club)/Germany during Exumer's last European dates.

Exumer singer Mem V. Stein: "We were approached by our buddy Goreminister, who has his own You Tube channel and is a pretty known character in the metal scene in and around Essen, if we would be interested in a new video that resembles old Headbanger's Ball clips. We instantly were on board with the concept and are now excited to launch something that uniquely resembles the early 90s over the top videos we devoured back when metal was still on television."

Hostile Defiance is exactly what its title suggests. A 42-minute full on attack, the thrash faction hold nothing back as they unleash hell as only they can, yet with more variety and dynamics than ever before. "We wanted to sonically progress, incorporating more melodic elements in the music as well as more rhythmic variety," states Mem Von Stein. "We are a lot braver trying to create an up to date and relevant sound that can easily stand alone in today's thrash landscape without sounding trite or a throwback, and we're challenging the listener not to get too comfortable with one specific feel, tempo or pace."

Order Hostile Defiance here.

Hostile Defiance tracklisting:

"Hostile Defiance"
"Raptor"
"Carnage Rider"
"Dust Eater"
"King's End"
"Descent"
"Trapper"
"The Order Of Shadows"
"Vertical Violence"
"Splinter"
"He's A Woman - She's A Man" (Scorpions cover; CD bonus track)
"Supposed To Rot" (Entombed cover; CD bonus track)

Album stream:

"Hostile Defiance" video:

Tour dates:

June
7 - Muhlteich, Germany - Chronical Moshers Festival
8 - Berlin, Germany - BiNuu
9 - Oschersleben, Germany - Rock & Metal Dayz
20 - Mannheim, Germany - 7er Club
21 - Gardelegen, Germany - Metal Frenzy
22 - Bussfeld, Germany - M.i.s.e. Open Air 2019

August
9 - Lisboa Vagos, Portugal - Metal Festival
10 - Jaromer, Czech Republic - Brutal Assault

Exumer lineup:

Mem V. Stein - vocals
Ray Mensh - guitars
T. Schiavo - bass
Matthias Kassner - drums
Marc B. - guitars

(Photo - Silvy Maatman)




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Norwegian extreme metal formation, Gaahls Wyrd, fronted by renowned vocalist Gaahl (Gorgoroth, Wardruna, God Seed), are streaming their upcoming album, GastiR - Ghosts Invited, out via Season Of Mist on May 31. Pre-order the album here, and listen below.

"Ek Erilar"
"From The Spear"
"Ghosts Invited"
"Carving The Voices"
"Veiztu Hve"
"The Speech And The Self"
"Through And Past And Past"
"Within The Voice Of Existence"

Album stream:

"Carving The Voices" video:

"From The Spear":

"Ghosts Invited":

Gaahls Wyrd have announced the GastiR - Ghosts Invited European Tour 2019. The band will play a selected number of festivals during the Summer, before embarking on a European tour with Mayhem and synthwave act Gost.

The journey will start on October 31 in Nijmegen, Netherlands and continues through France, Italy, Austria, Czech Republic, Germany, Belgium, Denmark, and Finland before the final curtain on November 30 in Stockholm, Sweden.

(Photo - Kati Ran)




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WINTERSUN vocalist/guitarist Jari Mäenpää and guitarist Asim Searah recently spoke with Finland's Tuonela. The full conversation can be seen below. A few excerpts follow (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET).

On the band's plans to record new music:

Jari: "After this summer when we finish all these [15th] anniversary shows, [I'll] go home. Then I'm just focusing on new stuff. Currently I'm working [on] several albums at the same time, including 'Time II'. I don't know yet what the next album is going to be, but the plan is to do more crowd-fundings and to build the WINTERSUN headquarters. People will hear it soon enough."

On the benefits of fan patronage:

Jari: "It helps us a lot, and I think the fans feel cool when they know they can directly help us to make music for them. It's kind of [an] interactive relationship that's really cool."

Asim: "That's the way it should be."

Jari: "There's no middleman — help us, and we'll make music for you."

On Searah becoming an official member of the group:

Jari: "It feels great to me. I can focus on my singing. I think he fits the band perfectly. [He] has a great energy; he's a great guy; [a] killer guitar player — he can do all my stuff."

Asim: "I'm trying. Of course, I'm learning as well from time to time. It's quite awesome to be a part of it."

Jari: "We had an extensive period [where] we interviewed a lot of guitar players, and Asim's playing had the most balls."

Asim: "Everything worked out from day one pretty awesome, like it was as if it was meant to be."

Jari: "He had to work for it, but he totally deserved it."

Asim: "I was known more as a vocalist in the Finnish scene. I asked Jari immediately when he released [the audition information] — I think it was the same morning — I wrote immediately, 'I'm very interested,' and Jari was like, 'Yeah, but you need to have the skills, and you need to play the guitar.' He didn't remember that I played the guitar at all, basically. Jukka [Koskinen, bass] said to everybody else but later on told me [that he said], 'What is he going to do — he's going to sing the parts, or a capella the guitar stuff?' It came as a surprise to them as well, but it came to a surprise to me also that I wanted to pursue it that way too. Everything just worked cool."

On Mäenpää's writing process:

Jari: "Basically, I kind of need to be bored — like, nothing on my calendar. Then I write the best stuff, just sitting on my couch playing the guitar. I usually just play chords and hum melodies — imagine the melodies in my head. If I come up with something interesting, then I record it into my iPhone. Then I put all those recordings into my computer and archive them in folders. Then later on, I start to build on these different ideas... When I do a riff or something, I already kind of hear in my head what sort of synth sounds and orchestration should be on top of that riff."

On his bandmates' contributions:

Jari: "So far, I've done pretty much everything myself... but we'll see what happens in the future. I'm totally open for the guys bringing ideas, but I feel like I need to have the final say."

On live improvisation:

Jari: "I always want to have certain parts be like they are in the song, but then there's a lot of room for guys to bring their own identity."

Asim: "There are certain songs that you want to keep it the way they are strictly, and there's some songs we like to — let's say in our world — jam around. But I don't think there's much room in the kind of music that we play that there's much room to have [a] jam session going on on stage."

Jari: "All the orchestrations are coming from backing tapes. There's no real orchestration on the stage, so we have to play a click track and follow the song. But sometimes we change little parts here and there in the songs — have a longer break here, or little stuff."

Asim: "There's not much space to jam around with the technicality of the music we play, [but] the space that we get, we use it to our benefit as much as we can."

Jari: "It's nice to have something different, something a little extra for live [as compared to the] album, but mostly, we try to play the songs like they are."

WINTERSUN's next album will be the follow-up to "The Forest Seasons", which debuted at No. 1 in Finland upon its 2017 release.

Caesars Entertainment's team led by Michael Gruber and Jason Gastwirth along with lead producers Carl Stubner and Prem Akkaraju are developing "Sharp Dressed Man", a rock musical featuring ZZ TOP hits. The show is expected to open in 2020 in Las Vegas and will include ZZ TOP members, Billy Gibbons, Dusty Hill and Frank Beard, as executive producers.

"Sharp Dressed Man" is an outrageous, bawdy musical romp about a Lone Star auto mechanic who becomes a modern-day Robin Hood, stealing hearts — and car parts — with the help of his merry band of beer drinkers and hell raisers. Featuring ZZ TOP's most beloved songs, including "Legs", "La Grange", "Gimme All Your Lovin'" and "Cheap Sunglasses", "Sharp Dressed Man" is a rock musical with a wicked sense of humor and a heart as big as Texas.

Producing the show with Caesars Entertainment are Carl Stubner, ZZ TOP's longtime manager and executive producer of the documentary "ZZ Top: That Little Ol' Band From Texas" and Prem Akkaraju, executive producer of "Tomorrowland: Ten Years Of Unity, Love, Madness And Magic" on MTV and "The White Tiger", feature film adaptation of the Man Booker award-winning novel of the same name.

The show's book is written by Robert Cary and Jonathan Tolins. The duo wrote the teleplays for Fox TV's Emmy-winning "Grease Live!" as well as "A Christmas Story Live!" Tolins is known for the long-running off-Broadway hit "Buyer & Cellar" for which he won a Lucille Lortel Award. He also wrote the films "The Twilight Of The Golds" and "Martian Child" (written with Seth E. Bass). He is currently a co-executive producer of "The Good Fight" on CBS All Access. Cary is co-author of Broadway's "Summer: The Donna Summer Musical", "Flashdance The Musical", and directed the films "Ira And Abby" and "Anything But Love".

"We're excited about this fantastic project and look forward to hearing our music in a new innovative context," said ZZ TOP's Billy Gibbons. "Fans have often told us that we've provided the soundtrack to their lives, and this is very much in line with that kind of enthusiastic thinking."

Prem Akkaraju commented, "Pairing ZZ TOP's iconic music with a Texas-version of the Robin Hood story delivers countless laugh-out-loud moments for audiences of of all ages. It's an absolute blast."

"I know firsthand that ZZ TOP is an enduring phenomenon; they're now about to celebrate 50 years of rocking audiences around he world," said Stubner. "The show that Prem, Michael, Jason and I envision will utilize the band's music and tremendous energy for audiences in a new immersive realm. This, just like ZZ TOP, is all about having a good time at a great party and telling fun stories through their music."

Jason Gastwirth, president of entertainment at Caesars Entertainment, said: "ZZ TOP holds a special place in American music history. Their songs incorporate rich imagery that lends itself to the narrative form. The addition of 'Sharp Dressed Man' to our already diverse entertainment lineup is exactly the component we are excited to welcome to the family for our guests."

"We are at a time where Las Vegas is recognized to have some of the most amazing artists in the world from all eras, and we are excited to have the opportunity to bring to the stage a musical that has some of the best songs of a generation, with some great actors of today, enabling us to have an incredibly creative and successful show in the future," added Michael Gruber, chief new business officer for Caesars Entertainment.

ZZ TOP, whose lineup has remained constant since 1970, continues to be one of the world's top touring attractions. This past weekend they embarked on a run of three sold-out concert dates on their home turf — Dallas, Houston, Austin — and have set an extensive tour schedule to follow throughout Europe and back in the United State this spring, summer and fall in connection with the ongoing celebration of their 50th anniversary.