Minnesota doom metal masters GRIEF COLLECTOR have teamed up with vocalist Robert Lowe, formerly of doom metal legends CANDLEMASS and SOLITUDE AETURNUS.

GRIEF COLLECTOR's new album, "From Dissension to Avowal", is a five-song concept effort that takes you on a journey through the five steps of experiencing "grief." Each song represents one of those steps: Denial, Anger, Bargaining, Depression, Acceptance.

Slow and mid-tempo grooves, monstrously heavy riffs meet emotionally charged, sad, thought-provoking lyrics sung by Lowe that will personally take you from dissension all the way to avowal as if you experienced it yourself.

Lowe has a one-of-a-kind way of expressing emotion in every lyric, Brad Miller crushes every drum groove, and Matt Johnson unloads the doom arsenal on guitar and bass.

Collectively, all three members have re-awakened the spirit of classic doom metal in paying tribute to all who have passed on and to those left behind to suffer and move through the reoccurring and sometime never-ending stages of grief.

GRIEF COLLECTOR is:

Robert Lowe - Vocals

Brad Miller - Drums, lyrics

Matt Johnson - Guitars, Bass

From Dissension To Avowal by Grief Collector

Texas experimental duo Pinkish Black will release their 4th full-length Concept Unification on June 14th. New single, “Until”, is streaming below.

Concept Unification is the band's most adventurous record to date. Each of the six tracks on the album explore the innermost depths of forward-thinking doom rock, as psychedelic undertones collide with dark, crushing heaviness. Brooding synthesizers on Concept Unification's opening title track give way to the impending melancholy found on "Dial Tone", while progressive ebbs and flows on "Petit Mal" showcase Pinkish Black's ability to manipulate dark ambience. The album closer "Next Solution" presents a somber, contemplative piano performance front-and-center, before exploding into a dramatic whirl of choirs and rhythmic pummeling. "Concept Unification" is a beast of its own, pontificating on themes of anxiety, futility, and emptiness, positioning Pinkish Black as vital to the independent scene as ever.

Concept Unification is due out June 14th on CD/LP/Digital. Physical packages are available for preorder at Relapse.com.

Tracklisting:

“Concept Unification”
“Until”
“Dial Tone”
“Petit Mal”
“Inanimatronic”
“Next Solution”
“Away Again” (Bonus Track)
“We Wait” (Bonus Track)

“Until”:




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There's a moment each night on DISTURBED's current arena tour when the music stops and lead vocalist David Draiman calls for the house lights to be turned up. He looks out at the packed-house crowd and asks, "By a show of hands, how many of you have dealt with the demons of addiction or depression or know of someone who has?"

Night after night, the result is the same: the majority of those in attendance — including the four bandmembers standing on stage — raise their hands.

It's an incredibly powerful moment as the band and audience bond over the heartfelt message that follows: "Take a look around this arena," Draiman tells the emotional crowd. "You are not alone. Being taken by addiction and depression is no one's fault. It's not something for you to be embarrassed about or ashamed of. We're in this together."

That's the driving point behind the inspirational new video for DISTURBED's No. 1 rock radio hit, "A Reason To Fight". The video, which was directed by Rafa Alcantara, sees the two-time-Grammy-nominated band (Draiman, guitarist Dan Donegan, drummer Mike Wengren and bassist John Moyer) working to raise awareness and reduce the stigma associated with addiction and mental health.

Fans and critics alike have applauded the band's efforts and uplifting live shows, which include giant screens that flash phone numbers for the National Addiction Hotline (800-662-4357) and the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline (800-273-8255).

The band is also inviting fans to join the conversation and show others they're not alone in the fight via the "You Are Not Alone" campaign.

"Through the strength and support of our extended family, we can make a difference to those who fight this war," says Draiman. "We must continue to be their allies, their hope, their added source of strength. We must continue to give all of them a reason to fight."

The video for "A Reason To Fight" features moving testimonials from concert-goers who talk about their own struggles with addiction and/or depression and their appreciation for what the band is trying to achieve.

"I know people who've battled addiction and have seen it in their face — the shame they have — feeling they've let themselves and others down," says Donegan. "We wanted to write a song with a positive message for people in that situation to stay hopeful and not give up the fight, as challenging as it may be. It's an everyday struggle, but there can also be a light at the end of the tunnel."

DISTURBED recently announced a much-anticipated second leg of arena shows set to begin July 21 at the Mankato Civic Center in Mankato, Minnesota. The band is touring in support of new album "Evolution" (Reprise Records), which hit No. 1 on Billboard's Top Alternative Albums and Top Rock Albums charts, as well as No. 4 on the Billboard 200.

Prior to the upcoming North American tour, DISTURBED will head overseas for an international run that kicks off April 18 at La Riviera in Madrid, then travels to Switzerland, Italy, Austria, Germany, Luxembourg, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Netherlands, France, London, Glasgow and Manchester. They come back home for festival shows in Columbus (Sonic Temple Art & Music Fest) and Oklahoma (Rocklahoma), then back overseas for another slew of dates, including multiple concerts in Russia.

ENTOMBED has uploaded the song "Stranger Aeons" from the upcoming "Clandestine - Live" release. The effort contains the unique experience of the band performing its second album "Clandestine" in full live for the first time ever for the album's 25th anniversary on November 12, 2016 at Malmö Live in Malmö, Sweden.

Joining original ENTOMBED members Alex Hellid, Uffe Cederlund (guitar) and Nicke Andersson (drums) at the concert were Robert Andersson (vocals) and Nicke's half brother Edvin Aftonfalk (bass), both formerly of the Swedish death metal band MORBUS CHRON.

Threeman Recordings presents "Act 2: The Entombed" performance — a concert in two acts based entirely on the Swedish band's acclaimed album "Clandestine" from 1991. It is a unique concert where the pioneering album is played from beginning to end. From the opening track "Living Dead" to closer "Through The Collonades". In the first act, the Malmö Symphony Orchestra And Choir performs "Clandestine", arranged for orchestra by Thomas Von Wachenfeldt (WACHENFELDT), with the original members from ENTOMBED sitting in as part of the ensemble. In the second act, the band performs the entire album live in the original version for the very first time.

Hellid comments: "It is amazing to experience the musical journey with an orchestra and we really enjoyed the experience."

Conductor Josef Rhedin adds: "Allowing ENTOMBED's suggestive music to meet Symphony Orchestra And Choir is a very creative and exciting concept. Composer Thomas Von Wachenfeldt's arrangement contains challenges for both orchestral musicians and for me as a conductor, as the starting point has been to interpret the 'Clandestine' in a classical, symphonic format, rather than plank the music outright."

"Clandestine - Live" will be released on CD, CD bundle with exclusive t-shirt and 2LP 180-gram deluxe vinyl including a poster on Threeman Recordings on May 17. Pre-order here.

The ENTOMBED band that performed at Malmö Live is not to be confused with ENTOMBED A.D., which features vocalist Lars Göran Petrov alongside Olle Dahlstedt (drums), Nico Elgstrand (guitar) and Guilherme Miranda (guitar).

Hellid and Petrov have been embroiled in a legal battle over the ENTOMBED name for several years.

ALICE IN CHAINS has released the fifth episode of "Black Antenna", a dark sci-fi thriller set against the backdrop of the band's Grammy-nominated album "Rainier Fog" (BMG). Further episodes will be released throughout the coming months.


The dramatic films come ahead of the band's highly anticipated European tour in May and June, which starts with arena shows in London, Birmingham and Glasgow.


"Black Antenna" tells the story of Alpha (played by "Green Book" actor Paul Sloan) and his 21-year-old daughter, Beta (Viktoriya Dov), who drive their beat-up truck across California in silence, speaking only telepathically. Together they rob and steal from the men the girl seduces, taking phones, laptops and whatever they can find.


Alpha is trying to build something — an antenna — desperately trying to find a way to get a message to their people back home. Meanwhile there are unspeakably dark forces who have discovered their existence and are now hell-bent on tracking them down and eradicating them before more of their kind can come and join them.


"Black Antenna" was directed by Adam Mason, written by Paul Sloan and Adam Mason and produced by Elizabeth Mason and Nick Vallelonga, who recently won two Oscars ("Best Original Screenplay" and "Best Picture") for "Green Book".


"This movie came out of nowhere for me," says Mason. "As soon as I heard the album, the music and lyrics spoke to me on a profoundly personal level and the film and subject matter was born directly out of that. I've always been a huge fan of ALICE IN CHAINS, and this has been a dream come true for me. 'Black Antenna' is a perfect synergy of the band's lyrics, and 'Black Antenna' paints a dark and beautiful canvas of the deeply conflicted world we live in today."


The release comes ahead of ALICE IN CHAINS' European tour this summer, which sees them play numerous dates and festivals including three arena shows in the U.K., starting at Glasgow's Braehead Arena on May 23 before a show at the Barclaycard Arena in Birmingham on May 24, and ending with a date at London's Wembley Arena on May 25. The shows will be the biggest headline shows the band have played to date in the U.K.


ALICE IN CHAINS is touring in support of its latest album, "Rainier Fog", which became the group's first Top 10 U.K. album, hit No.1 across Billboard's Rock, Alternative and Hard Music charts and the iTunes Rock Album chart, and earned the band a ninth Grammy nod for "Best Rock Album."


Photo credit: Pamela Littky

Metal Wani's Anne Catherine Swallow conducted an interview with former GORGOROTH frontman Gaahl (real name: Kristian Eivind Espedal) prior to his new band GAAHLS WYRD's show at Café Central in Weinheim, Germany as the support act for TRIBULATION. You can listen to the entire chat below. A few excerpts follow (transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET).

On whether it's difficult for him to work with other musicians:

Gaahl: "I think that's one of the reasons why I end up working with usually just one other member. I am not good at revealing the complete ideas to my co-workers. I kind of evolve without them interfering in the last structures."

On whether he's in a "different world" while onstage:

Gaahl: "I think that's my state, always. I am in my bubble, but I'm present as well. I have one foot in both realms. [Laughs]"

On whether he gets upset when people misinterpret his lyrics:

Gaahl: "I remember there was a Danish photographer. It was two artists who was releasing a book. He asked if it was okay to have two lyrics: [GORGOROTH's] 'Carving A Giant' and 'Sign Of An Open Eye'. He sent me the script of the book. That's the first time I've seen how extremely wrong you can interpret something. I gave him words, so he has printed them and also I think we wrote down [GOD SEED's] 'Prosperity And Beauty' on this '[Live At] Wacken' DVD release thing. I think that's better. It was basically just reading or telling the lyrics to King [Ov Hell] and he sat there and typed it down. There's a couple of options. But, I want people to pay attention rather than to get everything and be fed with a spoon. For me, it's self-awareness and it's probably frustrating writing for other ones, but I don't want people to have an easy path. If you want to get to the top of the mountain, you have to walk the mountain. Don't take a chopper on top of it. It's not an experience. You need to go. All the shortcuts are things I try to avoid."

On whether the black metal scene needs more bands who are "individualistic" like GAAHLS WYRD and TRIBULATION:

Gaahl: "I think so. It used to be very free back in the day and highly individualistic, but at some point, it kind of just turned into a very mainstream following. Of course, there's always been bands who are separating, but this tour has a huge variety in advance, absolutely. I hadn't heard any of the bands prior, so I'm not very good at listening to music. But, I'm very glad all the bands have their own energy."

On whether he's seen the recently-released film adaption of "Lords Of Chaos", which chronicles the crimes committed by members of the early '90s Norwegian black metal scene and was helmed by Swedish director Jonas Åkerlund:

Gaahl: "No. I'm not much into the American entertainment business. There's a few exceptions, of course, but yeah, the American way of telling stories is not necessarily giving me any pleasure."

On the musical direction of GAAHLS WYRD's "GastiR - Ghosts Invited" debut:

Gaahl: "What can I say about it? Every song could easily be a single and be represented as a unique piece. But I still feel that the album is really combined and well put together, but it's many different energies, not too many extremes I think, but musically, there are a lot of them. I could do an old boring man's album. I'm very pleased with the end result. I allowed myself to go into things that I'm almost embarrassed about."

"GastiR - Ghosts Invited" will be released on May 31 via Season Of Mist. The disc was recorded last year at Solslottet Studios in Norway with Iver Sandøy (ENSLAVED).

German industrial metallers RAMMSTEIN have unveiled the cover artwork and track listing for their long-awaited seventh studio album, simply titled "Rammstein". The LP comes out May 17 via UME/Spinefarm in Europe and Caroline Records in the U.S.

"Rammstein" track listing:

01. Deutschland (05:26)

02. Radio (04:37)

03. Zeig Dich (04:16)

04. Ausländer (03:52)

05. Sex (03:56)

06. Puppe (04:33)

07. Was Ich Liebe (04:30)

08. Diamant (02:33)

09. Weit Weg (04:19)

10. Tattoo (04:10)

11. Hallomann (04:09)

Last month, RAMMSTEIN released an epic nine-minute Specter Berlin-directed video for "Deutschland", the first single from "Rammstein".

RAMMSTEIN's first studio album since 2009's "Liebe Ist Für Alle Da" was produced by Olsen Involtini with RAMMSTEIN and was mixed at a Santa Monica, California studio with Rich Costey, an American producer who has previously worked with MUSE, RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE and FRANZ FERDINAND, among others.

RAMMSTEIN guitarist Richard Kruspe told Metal Wani about the making of the band's new album: "Well, when I thought to do another RAMMSTEIN record, I was like, 'No, I'm going to do that. I'm not going through more suffering,'" he said. "That was four years ago. But what we did in the beginning is we said 'Let's get together and try to come up with three or four songs.' We didn't really put any pressure on us, which was very important at this time. While we were starting to rehearse and stuff and getting ideas, I thought, 'Wow, it's actually very good. Things have changed.' All of a sudden, there's a certain kind of respect that I always missed a little bit. We just had good chemistry, which reminded me of the first time when we started. Then I felt, like, 'What would interest me on a new RAMMSTEIN record?' I thought, 'Every time people talk RAMMSTEIN, it's about fire. It's all about the show.' Nobody talks about the music anymore for RAMMSTEIN, and it kind of bothered me. I was thinking, 'I want to do another record. It has to be musical in a way that can really stand out from other records.' That was my goal, or our goal."

As for the disc's musical direction and how it compares to the band's previous efforts, Kruspe said: "It's so hard to say it, because I'm working four years on the record, I'm so close. I think when I listen to the record — we're still in the process, but it's almost 'RAMMSTEIN 3D' is how I describe it. We have written a lot of stuff, but we recorded, I think, 16 songs right now. We're probably going to mix 11 songs because we're running out of time right now. I think it's going to be out in April, which will be the release date. Then, we'll be on our first stadium tour, which is very exciting."

RAMMSTEIN recently announced a batch of summer 2019 European tour dates. The run of stadium and arena shows will kick off on May 27 in Gelsenkirchen, Germany and end of August 23 in Vienna, Austria.

"Blood, Sweat & Fear", the new video from German metal commandos PRIMAL FEAR, can be seen below. The clip was shot during the band's 2018 European headline tour alongside RIOT V.

"Blood, Sweat & Fear" is taken from PRIMAL FEAR's latest album, "Apocalypse", which was released in August 2018 via Frontiers Music Srl.

Production of the record started at the end of 2017 and was wrapped by spring 2018 at Hansen Studios is Denmark with producer Mat Sinner and engineer/mixer Jacob Hansen.

In other news, PRIMAL FEAR's first three studio albums — "Primal Fear", "Jaws Of Death" and "Nuclear Fire" will be released on marbled vinyl on June 14 through Nuclear Blast.

Last fall, PRIMAL FEAR announced its return to Nuclear Blast Records. The relationship between the band and the label from southern Germany goes back over 20 years, since PRIMAL FEAR released its self-titled debut in February 1998 via Nuclear Blast. The record hit the Top 50 in the German Media Control chart, where it stayed for a sensational three weeks. They later released classics such as "Jaws Of Death" (1999), "Nuclear Fire" (2001), "Black Sun" (2002), "Devil's Ground" (2004) and "Seven Seals" (2005) before parting ways with Nuclear Blast for a while and releasing another six very successful albums, including "Apocalypse".

Switzerland's Cellar Darling have released a video for "Freeze", a track from their new album, The Spell, out now via Nuclear Blast. Watch below.

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.

Tracklisting:

"Pain"
"Death"
"Love"
"The Spell"
"Burn"
"Hang"
"Sleep"
"Insomnia"
"Freeze"
"Fall"
"Drown"
"Love Pt. II"
"Death Pt. II"

"Freeze" video:

"Drown" video:

"Death" video:

"The Spell" video:

"Insomnia" video:

Tour dates:

April
27 - Bruguières, France - Echoes & Merveilles Festival

May
2- Winterthur, Switzerland - Salzhaus
4 - Solothurn, Switzerland - Kulturfabrik Kofmehl

June
13 - Interlaken, Switzerland - Greenfield Festival




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Shortly before their North American tour with Metal Church, which kicks off on April 23, Atlanta-based metallers Halcyon Way present a music video for the track "The Church Of Me". The song is taken from their new album, Bloody But Unbowed, out now on Agonia Records.

Guitarist Jon Bodan had this to sat about the video: “We are really hyped to get this video out there into the interwebs - when I came up with the idea for this song a couple of years ago, I immediately had a vision for a video with the sketchy tent revival preacher, and I really think our director Chance nailed what we were going for. This was the 2nd song I worked on for Bloody But Unbowed and it’s really a cool feeling that we were able to work together to make that vision real. We hope everyone enjoys!”

Tour dates:

April
23 - Lubbock, TX - Jake’s Backroom
24 - Austin, TX - Come And Take It Live
25 - Houston, TX - Scout Bar
26 - San Antonio, TX - The Rock Box
27 - Dallas, TX - Tree’s
28 - Oklahoma City, OK - O.C. Limits
29 - Kansas City, MO - The Riot Room*
30 - St. Louis, MO - Fubar

May
1 - Indianapolis, IN - Black Circle Brewery
3 - Nashville, TN - Little Harpeth Brewing*
4 - Greenville, NC - Great Wolf Tattoos *

* Halcyon Way headline shows




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Whitechapel have released a lyric video for "Forgiveness Is Weakness", a track from their new album, The Valley, out now via Metal Blade Records. Watch below.

Mixed by David Castillo, mastered by Ted Jensen, and produced once again by Mark Lewis (Cannibal Corpse, The Black Dahlia Murder), The Valley is a reference to the part of Hardin Valley (west of Knoxville, Tennessee) where vocalist Phil Bozeman grew up. Set against this backdrop, he approaches his subject matter unflinchingly, building upon everything that came before, making it clear that he has survived that which he was forced to endure and is not afraid to confront it.

The new album can be ordered here.

The Valley tracklisting:

"When A Demon Defiles A Witch"
"Forgiveness Is Weakness"
"Brimstone"
"Hickory Creek"
"Black Bear"
"We Are One"
"The Other Side"
"Third Depth"
"Lovelace"
"Doom Woods"

"Forgiveness Is Weakness" lyric video:

"Hickory Creek" video:

"When A Demon Defiles A Witch" video:

Album stream:

Dying Fetus will co-headline the 2019 edition of the Chaos & Carnage USA tour with Whitechapel. The tour begins tonight, April 18th, in Sayreville, NJ and ends May 17th in Winston Salem, NC. Additional support to be provided by: Revocation, Fallujah, Spite, Uncured and Buried Above Ground.

All confirmed tour dates are available below. Tickets can be purchased at this location.

Chaos & Carnage US Tour Dates:

April
18 - Sayreville, NJ - Starland Ballroom
19 - Worcester, MA - Palladium
20 - Reading, PA - Reverb
23 - Pittsburgh, PA - Rex Theater
24 - Cleveland, OH - Agora Theatre
25 - Chicago, IL - Conrod Music Hall
26 - Pontiac, MI - Crofoot
27 - Milwaukee, WI - The Rave
28 - Minneapolis, MN - Cabooze
30 - Denver, CO - The Oriental Theater

May
2 - Berkley, CA - UC Theatre
3 - Anaheim, CA - House of Blues
4 - Phoenix, AZ - The Pressroom
5 - Albuquerque, NM - Sunshine Theater
7 - Springfield, MO - The Complex
8 - Oklahoma City, OK - Diamond Ballroom
9 - San Antonio, TX - Rock Box
10 - Dallas, TX - Gas Monkey Live
11 - Houston, TX - Warehouse Live
12 - New Orleans, LA - House of Blues
13 - Atlanta, GA - Buckhead Theatre
15 - Fort Lauderdale, FL - Revolution
16 - St. Petersburg, FL - Jannus Live
17 - Winston Salem, NC - Ramkat

Whitechapel European Summer Tour 2019:

June
15 - Paris, France - Petit Bain
16 - Donington, UK - Download Festival
17 - Cardiff, UK - Clwb Ifor Bach
18 - London, UK - Islington Academy
20 - Copenhagen, Denmark - Copenhell
21 - Dessel, Belgium - Graspop
22 - Clisson, France - Hellfest
24 - Geneva, Switzerland - Usine
25 - Aarau, Switzerland - Kiff
26 - Stuttgart, Germany - Universum
28 - Ysselsteyn, Netherlands - Jera On Air
29 - Munster, Germany - Vainstream Rockfest
30 - Ferropolis, Germany - With Full Force

July
2 - Budapest, Hungary - Durer Kert
3 - Sofia, Bulgaria - Club Mixtape 5
4 - Bucharest, Romania - Quantic Club
5 - Novi Sad, Serbia - Exit Festival
6 - Ljubljana, Slovenia - Gala Hala
7 - Milan, Italy - Dissonance Festival




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Dark Star Records has announced the world premiere of the new lyric video from Conquest, which is the title track from the bands upcoming ninth release, The World has Gone to Hell, exclusively through BraveWords. The album will be available worldwide on vinyl, CD and digital on June 7th via Dark Star Records / MVD / SONY.

The artwork was created by Drake Mefestta with Drake Mefestta Designs and shows a decaying Statue Of Liberty. The songs are amongst the tightest and strongest that the band has ever released.

Tracklisting:

"The World Has Gone To Hell"
"The Creator"
"New August"
"Hell To Pay"
"Black Skies"
"American Blood"
"Demons And Angels"
"Heart Of Gold"
"Snowman"
"Red"
"Mississippi Queen"

"New August" video:




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After almost seven years of absence, Constantine from Athens, Greece is releasing his most promising work to date, his second solo album, Aftermath, on May 31. A music video for the album opener, "Bushido", can be found below.

Aftermath sees Constantine delivering his most soulful, technical, inspired performances and compositions with collaborations from some of the most prominent vocalists in the world of metal and rock, such as: Ralf Scheepers (Primal Fear), Bjorn ''Speed'' Strid (Soilwork), Schmier (Destruction), Apollo Papathanasio (Spiritual Beggars) and Chris Clancy (Wearing Scars).

With a wide variety of influences, this release promises to question genre boundaries and push limits: “The new record is in its entirety, a collection of songs that cover the whole spectrum of the heavy metal genre combining the best elements of modern and classic metal / rock as well. I think that it's an album that will provide a listening pleasure to everybody who's into this genre of music,” says Constantine.

Constantine is confident that his work will invoke a great response from fans around the world: “I'm actually very eager and to be honest, I cannot hide my anticipation to share the new music with the fans. I'm also really positive about how the fans will receive it since the album itself includes not only some brilliant guitar work, but phenomenal performances from the vocalists participating on the songs as well.”

Aftermath will be released May 31 through Rockshots Records. Pre-order your copy now at this location.

"Bushido" (Instrumental)
"Hellfire Club" (feat. Bjorn "Speed" Strid)
"Press On Regardless" (feat. Ralf Scheepers)
"Another Day" (feat. Apollo Papathanasio)
"Holding On 'Til The End" (feat. Chris Clancy)
"Deliver Us" (feat. Apollo Papathanasio)
"Elegy" (feat. Bill Manthos)
"War And Pain" (feat. Schmier)

"Bushido" video:

"Press On Regardless" (feat. Ralf Scheepers of Primal Fear):

For further details, visit Constantine on Facebook.




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"Useless", a new song from the godfathers of American doom metal SAINT VITUS, can be streamed below. The track is taken from the band's upcoming, self-titled album, which will be released on May 17 via Season Of Mist.

"Saint Vitus" track listing:

01. Remains (6:23)

02. A Prelude To... (3:20)

03. Bloodshed (3:04)

04. 12 Years In The Tomb (5:24)

05. Wormhole (5:22)

06. Hour Glass (5:23)

07. City Park (4:01)

08. Last Breath (6:38)

09. Useless (1:32)

Total: 41:07

Formed in 1979, SAINT VITUS were largely influenced by BLACK SABBATH, whose song "Saint Vitus Dance" obviously inspired the moniker. Since their debut album, "Saint Vitus", came out in 1984, the Americans have released seven more full-lengths and two EPs that are summarily considered to be classics of their genre.

SAINT VITUS released a live album, "Live Vol. 2", in September 2016 via Season Of Mist. The set was recorded during the tour for "Lillie: F-65" on March 19, 2013 at the Kulturfabrik in Esch-sur-Alzette, Luxembourg.

Last fall, it was revealed that original SAINT VITUS bassist Mark Adams is suffering from Parkinson's disease.

Adams has been absent from some of SAINT VITUS's recent tours. Playing bass for the group has been former CROWBAR and current DOWN bassist Pat Bruders.

SAINT VITUS's current lineup:

Dave Chandler: guitar

Henry Vasquez: drums

Scott Reagers: vocals

Pat Bruders: bass

In a brand new interview with U.K.'s Total Rock, legendary Swedish guitarist Yngwie Malmsteen was asked if he always had the "self-belief" that he would one day "make it." He responded (see video below): "I think that I've always had a very, very strong vision of what I wanna do. Whether that would fit into what was considered successful, that is debatable. I never really followed trends — ever — and I always did my own thing my whole life. And the fact that it's gone as far as it has is great. But I've always been more concerned with creating something that is really real and honest and true art rather than, 'Well, this is successful.'"

Malmsteen credited his perseverance for his successful career as one of the most influential guitarists in the world. "It's sticking with what you want to do," he said. "'Cause I know I can actually play a lot of different things, but I don't really want to. I just want to play this. And I could play country and western, I could play jazz. But what I put out is what I want to do. And that's a more important thing."

Yngwie released a new album, "Blue Lightning", on March 29 via Mascot Label Group. On the disc, Yngwie pays homage to those from the blues world who have fueled his artistic spirit for so long. "Blue Lightning" also includes four original tunes that bring to the fore Malmsteen's love for the blues. "I have always featured songs with a blues groove on albums," he said in a press release. "So, having my own material in this vein was very natural for me."

Among the songs Malmsteen tackles on "Blue Lightning" are classics by THE BEATLES ("While My Guitar Gently Weeps"), Jimi Hendrix ("Foxey Lady", "Purple Haze"), THE ROLLING STONES ("Paint It Black"), ZZ TOP ("Blue Jean Blues"), DEEP PURPLE ("Demon's Eye", "Smoke On The Water") and Eric Clapton ("Forever Man").

Loud TV recently conducted an interview with bassist Ted Lundström of Swedish death metallers AMON AMARTH. You can watch the entire chat below. A few excerpts follow (transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET).

On the concept behind the band's forthcoming studio album, "Berserker":

Ted: "The idea came from the story. It's one of the last battles between the Vikings and the Englishmen in England, the Stamford Bridge. The berserker is the most badass warrior you can think of. He fears nothing; he doesn't feel pain and he's wild. He's like on drugs, almost. Everybody fears the berserker. At this point, the Viking army was fighting the Englishmen, but the Englishmen were quite a few more than the Vikings, but since they were on the bridge and he was holding the bridge all by himself against hundreds of Englishmen, just because of his aggression and his lack of fear — they were trying to take over the bridge, but he would stop them. In the end, they had to go into the river with long spears and stab him from underneath. That was the only way to kill him. They tried everything else. A story like that deserves a song and an album title. It's powerful. We're all interested in this thing, but Johan [Hegg] is the guy, our singer, he's the one who reads all these stories. He really likes that. That's why he writes all the lyrics because he knows all the stories and all the history. But we keep up with all this stuff, too. You have to if you're in a band like this. People are going to ask you all the time about different mythology and every time you meet fans or do interviews, they will have a question, so you have to be educated in this field, otherwise, you're going to be there standing like a fool. All these stories are great stories. You can read them to kids. But they're also interesting for adults. It's such a great treasure of cool myths and stories. It's been like this for all the times — all ages, people have been telling stories and myths and all that. It's been interesting for people forever. It's going to be the same in the future. We're just trying to spread our history to the rest of the world."


On why AMON AMARTH recorded "Berserker" in the United States with producer Jay Ruston (ANTHRAX, STONE SOUR):


Ted: "We like to change a little bit. We recorded two times in England with Andy Sneap. We felt like we always try to find new ways to push ourselves, too. If you record too many times with the same guy, you'll get comfortable. You don't have this adrenaline anymore, like a new feeling of something new. I mean, luckily, since Sneap couldn't record it anyway because he was with JUDAS PRIEST, so it was a good [time] to change. We wanted to do something in a of a bit warmer climate. Recording in England, wintertime a couple of times now, it's raining, it's cold, it's pretty miserable sometimes. So, we felt like 'Let's do something more comfortable.' Then we started looking. L.A. is a great area. Classic rock and roll town. A lot of studios, a lot of producers, so we decided to go to L.A. and record with Jay Ruston. Jay Ruston mixed our live DVD, 'The Pursuit Of Vikings [25 Years In The Eye Of The Storm]', so that was the first time we worked with him and we were really happy with the result of the DVD and then also, the ideas he had and how to record the album a little bit different from Andy Sneap. The way we recorded it song by song instead of doing all the songs in a row, all the drums, all the guitars. We did one song. When that was finished, we put that to the side and started with the next song. It was always fresh. Instead of waiting two weeks to start your job, this is much more fun to be there and do a little bit at a time. You could also go back after a week to let the songs mature a little bit, then you go back, then maybe you change a little bit because everything was set up all the time. It was fun recording. But I think the biggest improvement on this album compared to the other ones is that our producer is a bass player, too, so I think my bass got a lot more room in the mix. You will hear my bass a lot more on this album than the previous, I think."


On the new elements AMON AMARTH plans on introducing with "Berserker":


Ted: "It's fun to try new stuff. We had some acoustic guitars, some piano and orchestral stuff to make it more like a movie soundtrack. On this [album] we actually felt like maybe we should have more clean vocals or talking in the beginning, which is him talking. It kind of became vocals. We thought it sounded pretty good, so we decided to keep it and it's something fresh for the fans, too. It's fun for us to record and hopefully you guys will like it, too. We don't write songs on purpose to be good live, but I think our way to write songs works very well live. Our style is very live-music style. We don't think we have to write a song that works live, but the songs we write do usually work very well live. It's a good combo because today, live shows is an important part of the band. You cannot live on the albums alone. You need to do shows and get out there."


On whether AMON AMARTH could become the "new IRON MAIDEN":


Ted: "It's going to be hard to beat IRON MAIDEN. That's my favorite band of all time. There will be all these old bands — they're starting to quit. They got too old to play or they don't want to play anymore. There will be spots that need to be filled with new bands. Of course, we're going to do everything we can to take a spot like that. These are bands we look up to, IRON MAIDEN, for example. Their stage production, their live shows, it's something that inspires us a lot, so, of course, we're going to try our best to become an arena band, or do arena shows at least, in smaller venues. There are so many bands who want to be the best or the biggest or the coolest. You can never relax. You have to focus even more, because since more and more bands do bigger shows, people expect more from a show. Not only listen to music because you can do that on a CD, but you want to have the rest. You want to have the show, the atmosphere, everything. You have to give the audience what they like. Otherwise, other bands will come take your spot."

"Berserker" is due on May 3 via Metal Blade Records. The album was recorded at Sphere Studios in North Hollywood, California with Ruston.

According to Global News, Montreal, Quebec, Canada has officially been recognized for its heavy metal scene.

Councillor Craig Sauvé published his motion hailed last week to have Montreal hailed as a "city of excellence" in heavy metal music. The motion was voted on earlier today (Monday, April 15) during a city council meeting and received bipartisan support.

Several well-known metal bands got their start in Montreal, including CRYPTOPSY and KATAKLYSM, and the city hosts an annual, two-day summer metal festival dubbed Heavy Montreal. The Quebec province’s most famous heavy metal outfit, VOIVOD, is from Jonquière.

"Heavy metal has been an important part of Montreal's culture for many years. That the city recognizes it is fantastic," said Nick Farkas, creator of Heavy Montreal and an executive at the concert promoter Evenko.

Sauvé told CBC Montreal 's "Daybreak" that he wanted to "celebrate the music scene locally." He explained: "There are tens of thousands of fans in the Montreal region who are devoted, who spend so much time, who practice, promote, who attend concerts. The heavy metal music that we make is really well-regarded by many people all over the world because there’s a certain technical edge that we have here."

In addition to acknowledging the important role that Montreal plays in the global heavy metal music scene, attracting bands from around the world, Sauvé believes the metal that is produced locally is unique.

"The heavy metal that comes from Montreal is a more technical brand, a more complicated brand to play," he explained. "It's not simply punky or straightforward. It's a little more complex and thought-out and composed. I think that the academic approach that we have in Montreal — the CEGEPs, the universities that all have music programs, the jazz scene — contributes to the type of heavy metal that comes from Montreal."

I caught up with @CraigSauve today. He's just got a formal declaration through city council to have Montreal officially declared a metal city. I asked him what his mother thought about all this... apparently, she's not a fan. @Global_Montreal pic.twitter.com/iOy6MJqz2Q— Billy Shields (@billyshields) April 15, 2019

Brothers Of Metal, one of Scandinavia’s most promising new bands, have released a 360° music video for "Fire, Blood And Steel", a track from their debut album, out now via AFM Records. Watch the clip below, and order the album here.

The 8-piece, hailing from Falun, Sweden consists of three vocalists (two male, one female), three guitar players, a bass player and a drummer. Their sound: A thunderous, catchy mixture of power metal, irresistible melodies, heavy riffs and some folkish elements; or as they used to call it - “True Heavy Metal”.

The band comments: “Wimps and posers beware, for true metal is here. Brothers and sisters you fear - for true warriors are everywhere. Be you tiny and frail or large as the giants, be you faint of heart or brave in soul. Be your spirits light and swift, or dark as the night, fear not, for together we will conquer all… together we fight - together we rise - we ride into battle and into the night!”

Tracklisting:

"Death Of The God Of Light"
"Son Of Odin"
"Prophecy Of Ragnarök"
"Defenders Of Valhalla"
"Concerning Norns" (Digipak & Vinyl only)
"Yggdrasil"
"Tyr"
"Siblings Of Metal"
"Gods Of War"
"Freya"
"The Mead Song" (Digipak & Vinyl only)
"Sleipnir" (Digipak & Vinyl only)
"Fire, Blood And Steel"
"We Believe In Metal" (Digipak & Vinyl only)

"Fire, Blood And Steel" 360° video:

"Yggdrasil" video:

"Prophecy Of Ragnarök" video:

"Prophecy Of Ragnarök" lyric video:

Lineup:

Ylva Eriksson - Voice of the Valkyries
Joakim Lindbäck Eriksson - Battle Cries
Dawid Grahn - Guitar
Pähr Nilsson - Guitar
Mikael Fehrm - Guitar
Emil Wärmedal - Bass
Mats Nilsson - Tongue of the Gods
Johan Johansson - Anvil and War Drums

(Band photos - George Grigoriadis Photography)




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On May 10th, Abnormality will release their third full-length, Sociopathic Constructs, via Metal Blade Records. The album track "A Catastrophic And Catalyzing Event" is available for streaming below.

The album can be pre-ordered here in the following formats:

- jewelcase-CD
- 180g black vinyl (EU exclusive)
- root beer marbled vinyl (EU exclusive - limited to 200 copies)
- turquoise marbled vinyl (EU exclusive - limited to 100 copies)
- amber / red marbled vinyl (US exclusive - limited to 200 copies)

Exclusive bundles with shirts, plus digital options are also available.

The album was tracked primarily at The Brick HitHouse in Hyannis, Massachusetts with producers Peter Rutcho (Revocation, Ravage) and Shane Frisby (Becoming The Archetype, Bury Your Dead) with vocals produced by Zdenek Sikyr at Studio Hostivar (Cult of Fire, Master's Hammer) in Prague. Having worked with Rutcho since 2010, it was a painless, professional process, the band also bringing in Chaney Crabb of Entheos to add a guest vocal to the devastating "Penance".

"Sociopathic Constructs is the result of tons of hard work and shows the progress we have made as a band since Mechanisms (2016)," asserts Sundaramurthy. "We feel the time is now for such an album, the brutality perfectly reflects the darkness, violence, and harsh reality of our world."

Sociopathic Constructs serves to further cement Abnormality's place at the cutting edge of savage ultra-technical death metal. With this release, the quintet have stepped up their game across the board, making for a record that is as violent, complex and thought provoking as any you will hear in 2019, and the band were not afraid to explore and mix things up.

"I think this record we felt free enough to just go where we wanted to within a song," states guitarist Jeremy Henry. "We had no qualms with switching styles and approaches from riff to riff. To have a whole section grinding away and then just switch gears, hit the brakes and drop a slow, old school Morbid Angel warship groove in there. We felt free to follow our instincts, and just let our influences shine through."

Sociopathic Constructs tracklisting:

"Monarch Alpha"
"Penance"
"Kakistocracy"
"Transmogrification Of The Echoborgs"
"A Catastrophic And Catalyzing Event"
"Aeturnum"
"Dying Breed"
"A Seething Perversion"
"Curb Stomp"

"A Catastrophic And Catalyzing Event":

"Curb Stomp" video:




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Frontiers Music Srl has announced the release of Hollow Haze's new album, Between Wild Landscapes And Deep Blue Seas, on July 12. A music video for the first single, "Oblivion", can be found below. Pre-order the album here.

Hollow Haze is the Italian melodic metal band put together by guitarist Nick Savio after he quit Eternal Idol, the band he had put together with famed Italian metal vocalist Fabio Lione (Angra, Rhapsody). Hollow Haze had previously released six studio albums before Nick started Eternal Idol, but the “new” Hollow Haze features a revamped lineup and a fresh, new sound. Along with longtime bassist Davide Cestaro, Hollow Haze now features Fabio Dessi (Arthemis) and Paolo Caridi (MLB) as vocalist and drummer, respectively.

“In the past few years, we were all involved in other projects, but now I am back to my first creation, Hollow Haze,” says guitar player and main composer Nick Savio. "Here I can play with amazing musicians without compromise. The new album is a natural evolution of the band's sound. Of course, the new singer Fabio and the new drummer Paolo bring something fresh, which is the perfect connection with my songwriting.”

The new album is melodic, heavy, and symphonic and was the result of very dedicated teamwork that involved everyone in the production process. The 12 songs lyrically touch on the meaning of life and great adventures, while being delivered with tremendous musical passion.

Hollow Haze offers a hard and heavy sound featuring a screaming, warm, melodic voice and deep intense hooks. The listeners can find many different musical influences taken from classic metal glories as well as more modern rock. Thanks to their passion and hard work, the group has delivered a crown jewel in the Hollow Haze discography with their new album Between Wild Landscapes And Deep Blue Seas.

Tracklisting:

"Destinations"
"Oblivion"
"It’s Always Dark Before The Dawn"
"Through Space And Time"
"I Will Be There"
"The Upside Down"
"New Era"
"A Different Sky"
"Resurrection"
"Your Are My End And My Beginning"
"Behind The Wall"

"Oblivion" video:

Lineup:

Nick Savio: Guitars, Keyboards And Orchestral Arrangements
Fabio Dessi: Lead And Backing Vocals
Paolo Caridi: Drums
Davide Cestaro: Bass

(Photo - Annalisa Russo)




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U.K. rapper Kid Bookie has released the official music video for "Stuck In My Ways", his collaboration with SLIPKNOT/STONE SOUR frontman Corey Taylor.

The reworked version of the track, which originally appeared on Kid Bookie's 2018 EP "Shake Up", features a Taylor rap beginning at around the 2:33 mark. Check it out below.

Taylor's collaboration with Kid Bookie was arranged after the rapper hit up Taylor on Twitter. According to The Pulse Of Radio, it all started with Kid Bookie tweeting on January 30 that SLIPKNOT's song "Wait And Bleed" was as iconic as SYSTEM OF A DOWN's "Chop Suey!" Later that same day, Bookie tweeted directly at Taylor, saying, "@CoreyTaylorRock I gotta work with you before both of us leave this earth."

Taylor responded a couple hours later, saying: "Let's talk my friend." Less than a week later, Bookie confirmed that the collaboration was happening, tweeting: "People of earth and beyond, me and @CoreyTaylorRock have some very VERY special music coming for you soon. That is all, have a good day."

Taylor is in the middle of recording the new SLIPKNOT LP and is preparing for a world tour. The next SLIPKNOT album follows up 2014's ".5: The Gray Chapter" and is due out on August 9.

German industrial metallers RAMMSTEIN have released audio samples of three more new songs, "Ausländer", "Sex" and "Puppe", via their YouTube channel. All three tracks are expected to appear on the band's long-awaited seventh studio album, simply titled "Rammstein". The LP comes out May 17 via UME/Spinefarm in Europe and Caroline Records in the U.S.

Last month, RAMMSTEIN released an epic nine-minute Specter Berlin-directed video for "Deutschland", the first single from "Rammstein".

RAMMSTEIN's first studio album since 2009's "Liebe Ist Für Alle Da" was produced by Olsen Involtini with RAMMSTEIN and was mixed at a Santa Monica, California studio with Rich Costey, an American producer who has previously worked with MUSE, RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE and FRANZ FERDINAND, among others.

RAMMSTEIN guitarist Richard Kruspe told Metal Wani about the making of the band's new album: "Well, when I thought to do another RAMMSTEIN record, I was like, 'No, I'm going to do that. I'm not going through more suffering,'" he said. "That was four years ago. But what we did in the beginning is we said 'Let's get together and try to come up with three or four songs.' We didn't really put any pressure on us, which was very important at this time. While we were starting to rehearse and stuff and getting ideas, I thought, 'Wow, it's actually very good. Things have changed.' All of a sudden, there's a certain kind of respect that I always missed a little bit. We just had good chemistry, which reminded me of the first time when we started. Then I felt, like, 'What would interest me on a new RAMMSTEIN record?' I thought, 'Every time people talk RAMMSTEIN, it's about fire. It's all about the show.' Nobody talks about the music anymore for RAMMSTEIN, and it kind of bothered me. I was thinking, 'I want to do another record. It has to be musical in a way that can really stand out from other records.' That was my goal, or our goal."

As for the disc's musical direction and how it compares to the band's previous efforts, Kruspe said: "It's so hard to say it, because I'm working four years on the record, I'm so close. I think when I listen to the record — we're still in the process, but it's almost 'RAMMSTEIN 3D' is how I describe it. We have written a lot of stuff, but we recorded, I think, 16 songs right now. We're probably going to mix 11 songs because we're running out of time right now. I think it's going to be out in April, which will be the release date. Then, we'll be on our first stadium tour, which is very exciting."

RAMMSTEIN recently announced a batch of summer 2019 European tour dates. The run of stadium and arena shows will kick off on May 27 in Gelsenkirchen, Germany and end of August 23 in Vienna, Austria.

"Crack The Sky", the new video from Swedish death metallers AMON AMARTH, can be seen below. The song is taken from the band's upcoming album, "Berserker", which will be released on May 3 via Metal Blade Records. The disc was recorded at Sphere Studios in North Hollywood, California with producer Jay Ruston, who has previously worked with ANTHRAX, STEEL PANTHER, URIAH HEEP and STONE SOUR.

"The previous album was a concept album, but we didn't want to get into a situation where every album has to be a concept record, so this is different," stated frontman Johan Hegg. "We wanted to step away from that and look at being a little bit more diverse, with the lyrics and everything else. I got ideas from lots of different things, from history stuff and mythological sources. Sometimes you just get something in your head and there doesn't have to be a bigger meaning behind it — sometimes it's just a great metal lyric that fits with a great metal song. And these are fucking great metal songs.

"For me, this is AMON AMARTH 2.0," Hegg continued. "I think what we've done here is give ourselves the space to explore other parts of our musicality and who we are as a band. If you're content with where you're at, what's the point of continuing? We always want to come up with new ideas and find new ways of doing things and to create bigger and better shows and really try to improve every aspect of what the band is. We want to try to keep growing and to do this for as long as we have the possibility to do so, because this is the best fucking job in the world."

"Berserker" track listing:

01. Fafner's Gold

02. Crack The Sky

03. Mjolner, Hammer Of Thor

04. Shield Wall

05. Valkyria

06. Raven's Flight

07. Ironside

08. The Berserker At Stamford Bridge

09. We Can Set Our Sails

10. When Once Again

11. Wings Of Eagles

12. Into The Dark

Hegg told Revolver magazine that the only lyrical idea he had before the music was done was a song called "The Berserker At Stamford Bridge".

"A friend of mine told me about the story and said I should write lyrics about it, which I thought was a great idea because it's such an awesome story," he said. " Basically, it's at the end of the Viking era. The Vikings are in England, and they've been very successful in beating the English, because what the Vikings did better than the English is that they moved fast and they moved during the night. But at the Battle of Stamford Bridge, the English used the Vikings' tactics against them, so they caught the Vikings by surprise. The Vikings were too far away from their supply ships, so they had to retreat. The Vikings were about 3000 men, and the English were 15,000. So they retreated over Stamford Bridge, but in order to halt the English army, they sent one guy with an ax out on the bridge."

Asked if there are any other songs based on specific events, Hegg said: "Not specific events, though 'Shield Wall' is based on a real Viking battle tactic — but it's also about sticking together in the face of adversity. Then there's more introverted stuff, as well — songs that kind of relate to my private life, and I got the ideas for those songs from my wife. I got a lot of ideas from other people on this album, actually. I like working in metaphors, though. Mikael Stanne from DARK TRANQUILLITY told me that when he writes lyrics, he keeps them intentionally vague so that people can interpret the lyrics in a way that benefits them most. I like that, and I realized it's something I've done as well."

"Jomsviking" debuted at No. 19 on The Billboard 200 chart in March 2016. The disc was released via Metal Blade in North America and Sony Music internationally. The first concept record in AMON AMARTH's career was produced and mixed by Andy Sneap (JUDAS PRIEST, MEGADETH, TESTAMENT, ACCEPT).

AMON AMARTH enlisted a session drummer, Tobias Gustafsson (VOMITORY, CUT UP), during the recording sessions for "Jomsviking", following the departure of longtime drummer Fredrik Andersson. The band tapped OCTOBER TIDE drummer Jocke Wallgren as Andersson's permanent replacement three years ago.

Frontiers Music Srl has announced the release of Visionatica's sophomore album, Enigma Fire, on July 12. Today, the band has released the first single and video from the album, “The Pharaoh”. Watch the video below, and pre-order the new album here.

Led by vocalist Tamara Amedov alongside guitarist Manuel Buhl, drummer Gerhard Spanner, and bass player Tim Zahn, Visionatica first entered the symphonic metal scene in 2016. With fantastic, crystal clear soprano vocals combined with powerful grooves, melodic guitars, and orchestral elements, the band announced themselves with their debut album Force Of Luna and the popular single from that album, “She Wolf”. The band’s second album, Enigma Fire, marks the beginning of their newly minted worldwide collaboration with Frontiers Music Srl. Fans of bands such as Within Temptation, Nightwish, Delain, Xandria, and the like, will find much to love here.

“We had a clear goal in mind and wanted to breathe life into the new album,” says singer Tamara Amedov. “It has more fire and the oriental Balkan influences also spice it up. All of us in the band have learned a lot since our debut and developed our musical skills considerably. The new album is epic and dark!”

On Enigma Fire, in addition to the music being more ambitious in scope, the lyrics have a different focus than they had on the debut. Album opener and first video, “The Pharaoh”, deals with the secrets of ancient astronauts in relation to old Egyptian relics, as well as the mystery about the origin of life. With “Roxana The Great”, Tamara continues with stories of strong female characters that the band has touched on before. This song in particular tells the story of the wife of Alexander the Great of Macedonia. “To The Fallen Roma” pays tribute to the Sinti and Roma, who were murdered in Auschwitz alongside many others with Tamara's Macedonian relatives provide folkloristic chants on the song. On “Rise From The Ashes”, Michael Liewald from Winterstorm, who also appeared on their debut, returns for another duet with Tamara.

“As I am half Macedonian and I am currently engaged in genealogy, I wanted to add this special Balkan sound to our songs,” concludes Tamara. “I am proud of my southern origin and want to integrate this special kind of music into future songs. This is also one of our Visionatica trademarks.”

Visionatica formed in 2013 and started to flesh out their ideas for an approach to the symphonic metal sound. They envisioned a sophisticated concept and commenced writing songs for their debut. The final result was an extremely melodic, but at the same time, powerful album full of energy in which skillfully composed orchestra sections merge perfectly with virtuoso guitars, driving drums, and the fantastic voice of their classically trained vocalist. With Force Of Luna, Visionatica produced an album that told stories about wolves, visions, lies, myths, and much more. With their first single, “She Wolf” and equally powerful songs such as “Certainty Of Benevolence”, the emotional duet “The Thorns” (with Winterstorm singer Michael Liewald), and more, the band had officially announced their arrival.

Their sophomore album, Enigma Fire, will prove that Visionatica are not simply resting on their laurels as they are fully prepared and intent on taking things to the next level. Get ready for bombastic orchestral arrangements paired with stunning fretwork and new musical influences coming from outside of the box, which will take the listener on a sonic journey they’ll want to experience over and over.

Enigma Fire tracklisting:

"Amari Sudbina Kali" (Intro)
"The Pharaoh"
"Fear"
"Roxana, The Great"
"Dance Of Fire"
"To The Fallen Roma"
"Incomplete"
"Secrets Of The Ancestors"
"Rise From The Ashes"

"The Pharaoh" video:

Lineup:

Tamara Amedov - Vocals
Manuel Buhl - Guitar
Gerhard Spanner - Drums
Tim Zahn - Bass




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360-degree video footage of Sebastian Bach performing the song "Dance On Your Grave" at the 80s In The Sand music festival, which was held last November in the island paradise of Punta Canta, Dominican Republic, can be seen below. The clip was filmed for of AXS TV's all-new series "80s In The Sand", which premiered this past Sunday (April 14).

Bach is about to sign a new record deal for his upcoming solo album. The disc, which is not expected to arrive before late 2019 at the earliest, will feature contributions from several well-known guitarists, including John 5 (ROB ZOMBIE, MARILYN MANSON), Steve Stevens (BILLY IDOL) and Orianthi (ALICE COOPER).

Last year, Bach told Meltdown of Detroit's WRIF 101.1 FM radio station that he would ink a deal with a U.S.-based heavy metal record label that would help him make a "career-defining" new solo album.

Bach hasn't released a full-length disc since "Give 'Em Hell", which came out in 2014. Like its predecessor, 2011's "Kicking & Screaming", the disc was released through Frontiers Music Srl, the Italian label which specializes in what's commonly called AOR, a term that once signified a popular radio format ("album-oriented rock") but nowadays applies to acts whose airplay is marginal.

On May 17, Music Theories will issue "Behold Electric Guitar", Paul Gilbert's newest album with 12 new original songs, all with Paul's most expressive, and inspired guitar playing to date. Ahead of the release of the album, Paul has unveiled the official music video for another new track, "Things Can Walk To You".

He states about the song: "'Things Can Walk to You' is the closing track on my new album, 'Behold Electric Guitar', and although it is performed as an instrumental, the melody is based on my most recent cantankerous lyrics.

"Let me tell you the story. One of my goals in moving to Portland was to live in a neighborhood where I could 'walk to things.' I looked forward to getting daily exercise by walking to local restaurants and shops, and getting some fresh outdoor air. I found a website called 'Walk Score,' which rated the walkability of any address, and the area where I moved was rated high, and seemed perfect. It turns out that walkability not only attracts exercising musicians, but also attracts homeless people with their shopping carts, brimming with garbage, and leaving a trail of hypodermic needles.

"Yes, yes. I know that it's callous to call anyone a 'thing.' (Even when they when steal your license plates, and smash your car window to steal your son's backpack.) I'm sure everyone has a story. And not everyone has the good fortune to be able to turn their story into a song.

"I certainly appreciate my station in life. So I used the power of music to transform a callous rant into a soulful slide guitar melody, and guitar solo that builds and builds until it earns its place as the closing musical statement on my album. Some of my other cantankerous songs offer not only a problem, but also a solution. Problem: People don't use their turn signals. Solution: Everybody use your goddamn turn signal. Problem: Auto-Tuned music is annoying to me. Solution: Terraform the moon, so I can move there, and get away from Auto-Tuned music.


"'Things Can Walk to You' offers no solution, because I don't have one. For those who are struggling, I wish I had the answer. If I could help homeless people by showing them how to play patterns with the major and minor blues scales, then I think I could do some good. But I suspect they need help in other areas. So in the meantime, I guess we'll all keep walking, and breathing the fresh air. And if it's blues scales you need. I'm here."

After his recent move to Portland, Oregon, Paul set out to connect with the best and grooviest musicians in the area, and record an album in his brand new hometown. Brian Foxworth (drums) and Asher Fulero (keyboards) were both obvious choices to play Paul's mix of rock, blues, jazz, and pop flavors. When Paul's regular Portland bassist Kelly Lemieux was unavailable (due to his touring with BUCKCHERRY), Paul reached out to New Orleans bass legend Roland Guerin. Roland came to Portland weeks before the recording dates for intense rehearsing and arranging sessions.


With the band complete, Paul enlisted legendary producer and engineer John Cuniberti. John is well known for his work with Joe Satriani, but Paul was primarily interested in John's expertise with "one mic" recording. Paul explained: "It's so easy to make albums with overdubbing and editing these days, but I really prefer playing live and just getting the music to sound right because the musicians, the songs, and the performances are good." After hearing Paul's band, John recommended a few more mics, but still agreed that the music worked best as live performances with no overdubs. "There is not one overdub on the record," he said. "Everything you hear is four guys jamming, listening to each other, and making room for each other. The music almost mixes itself that way! And it's just a great mindset to have. When you know that you won't be fixing or adding parts later... It keeps your mind very active to get things right!"

"Behold Electric Guitar" track listing:


01. Havin' It

02. I Own A Building

03. Everywhere That Mary Went

04. Love Is The Saddest Thing

05. Sir, You Need To Calm Down

06. Let That Battery Die

07. Blues For Rabbit

08. Every Snare Drum

09. A Snake Just Bit My Toe

10. I Love My Lawnmower

11. A Herd Of Turtles

12. Things Can Walk To You

The official music video for the first single, "Havin' It", can be seen below.

Paul will be touring with his band this year to support "Behold Electric Guitar".

EAGLES OF DEATH METAL's Jesse "Boots Electric" Hughes is tipping his hat to 13 of his favorite songs with his first covers album, titled "Eagles Of Death Metal Presents Boots Electric Performing The Best Songs We Never Wrote". Set for worldwide release on June 7 by UMe, the album is available now for preorder in digital, CD, 180-gram black vinyl LP, and limited edition 180-gram red-and-blue marble swirl vinyl LP formats.

Hughes has recorded and produced electrifying renditions of 13 songs he loves, joined by special guests for some tracks and flying solo for others. All but one song were recorded in California at Brunswick House Of Dangerous Thoughts, Valentine Studios, and Rancho De La Luna. The album was mixed and engineered at Valentine Studios by Nic Jodoin (who also co-produced six of the album's tracks with Hughes).

Hughes blasts off with KISS's "God Of Thunder", GUNS N' ROSES' "It's So Easy", AC/DC's "High Voltage" / "It's A Long Way To The Top (If You Wanna Rock 'N' Roll)", LOVE & ROCKETS' "So Alive" and the RAMONES' "Beat On The Brat". He lets the fire get higher on STEVE MILLER BAND's "Abracadabra" and delivers a breathtaking turn on George Michael's "Careless Whisper". Hughes's inspired cover of Mary J. Blige's "Family Affair" leads to two songs keeping it in the family: he gives love to his musical brother and EODM co-founder, Joshua "Baby Duck" Homme, and Josh's wife, Brody Dalle, with his versions of QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE's "Long Slow Goodbye" and THE DISTILLERS' "The Hunger". Bringing the album home, Hughes salutes KENNY ROGERS & THE FIRST EDITION's "Just Dropped In (To See What Condition My Condition Is In)", Cat Stevens's "Trouble" and David Bowie's "Moonage Daydream", which Hughes recorded in Third Man Records' Record Booth in Nashville while on tour.

Formed in 1998 in Palm Desert, California by best friends Jesse Hughes and Joshua Homme, EAGLES OF DEATH METAL (EODM) is not a death metal band. The story goes that a friend was introducing Homme to the death metal genre, and Homme wondered what a cross between THE EAGLES and a death metal band would sound like. With that, EODM was born. The band released "Peace Love Death Metal" in 2004, followed by "Death By Sexy" in 2006, "Heart On" in 2008, and "Zipper Down" in 2015.

"Eagles Of Death Metal Presents Boots Electric Performing The Best Songs We Never Wrote" track listing:

01. God Of Thunder (original by KISS)

02. It's So Easy (original by GUNS N' ROSES)

03. High Voltage / It's A Long Way To The Top (If You Wanna Rock 'N' Roll) (originals by AC/DC)

04. So Alive (original by LOVE & ROCKETS)

05. Beat On The Brat (original by the RAMONES)

06. Abracadabra (original by STEVE MILLER BAND)

07. Careless Whisper (original by George Michael)

08. Family Affair (original by Mary J. Blige)

09. The Hunger (original by THE DISTILLERS)

10. Long Slow Goodbye (original by QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE)

11. Just Dropped In (To See What Condition My Condition Is In) (original by KENNY ROGERS & THE FIRST EDITION)

12. Trouble (original by Cat Stevens)

13. Moonage Daydream (original by David Bowie)

Dave Mustaine has clarified his comments about gay marriage, claiming that he "would never tell anybody who to love or who not to love."

The MEGADETH leader made headlines in February 2012 when he was interviewed by Josh Kerns for an episode of "Seattle Sounds", which airs on on Seattle's KIRO 97.3 FM radio station. When asked if he supports gay marriage, Mustaine said, "Well, since I'm not gay, the answer to that would be no." Dave was then questioned if he would support legislation to make marriage between a man and another man legal. He replied, "I'm Christian. The answer to that would be no."

Mustaine revisited his comments about gay marriage during a brand new interview with the New Jersey radio station WSOU. Recalling the original comments which got him in hot water with the gay community, Dave said (hear audio below): "I was up in Seattle. I was talking on talk radio. It wasn't even a music show. And the [radio host] goes, 'What do you think about gay rights?' And I said, 'Buddy, I'm a heterosexual. I'm a happily married man. This doesn't really apply to me. So I don't really know. Ask me another question.' And the guy says, 'So you're not for gay rights.' And I said, 'I never said that. I just said that I'm a happily married, straight man.' And the guy goes, 'So, are you against gay people?' And I said, 'I'm against Dave being gay.' And that was all I said. And now the gay community thinks I am a gay hater."

Addressing the fact that some people think his faith prevents him from supporting the legalization of gay marriage, Mustaine said: "I'm a Christian, so for me, I have my beliefs, but I never tell people what to do. And I would never tell anybody who to love or who not to love. And by the standards of what people think Christians are, I wouldn't be a Christian, because Christians are supposed to be against abortion. And if my daughter was raped or her life was at stake because of a disease or delivery or something like that, I would be for protecting the life of the mother. So I've got all these conflicting things."

According to Dave, his stance on gay marriage is one of many misconceptions about him that are perpetuated on social media.

"People think they know me, and they don't," he said. "It's really easy to say, 'Dave this' or' Dave that.' Because people read stuff, they think they know who I am. So I've been fortunate, with my radio show, to explain some of this stupidity away.

"It's one of the bummers about social media now," he added. "People take things and turn it into hate so quick."

Mustaine made even more headlines in early 2012 when he voiced his support for ultraconservative Republican presidential candidate Rick Santorum. He explained at the time that the Pennsylvania politician looked "like he could be a really cool president… kind of like a JFK kind of guy." That same year, he drew ire on social media when he suggested onstage at a concert in Singapore that President Obama was behind the mass shootings in Aurora and at a Sikh temple in Wisconsin.

Mustaine later blamed media outlets for taking his statements out of context, explaining that never said he officially "endorsed" Santorum. As for the Singapore concert, he claimed to have been repeating the theories of Larry Pratt, a pro-gun activist who runs the organization Gun Owners Of America.

Also in 2012, Mustaine revealed his "birther" opinions on a talk show, saying he doubted President Obama was born in the United States. He told radio host Alex Jones: "With all of the proof about his birth certificate being fake… And you see the signs in Kenya that say 'the birthplace of Barack Obama.' Hello?! C'mon, guys. How stupid are we right now?"

Mustaine has consistently denied that he is a Republican, telling Artisan News in a 2012 interview: "I'm an independent, not a Republican — I've never been a Republican. I've always said that. I don't belong to any party — I'm non-partisan. And for me, the sad thing is, instead of voting for the best man, I have to vote for the lesser of two evils."

Danko Jones has defended Paul Stanley over lip-sync accusations on KISS's final tour, explaining that "that's his own business."

Ever since KISS's "End Of The Road" trek launched in late January, there has been persistent online chatter about Paul allegedly singing to a backing tape. The speculation stemmed from the fact that Stanley had been struggling to hit the high notes in many of the band's classic songs for a number of years.

During a recent interview with Barbara Caserta of Italy's Linea Rock, Danko — a self-proclaimed massive KISS fan — was asked for his opinion of KISS's farewell tour and whether he cares about the claims that KISS is using pre-recorded tracks during its live performances.

"Well, thank you giving me the option to say 'I don't care,' because I don't," the Canadian rocker and leader of his namesake band responded (see video below). "I was gonna lead with that, because it's not my band — it's their band — so I don't care what they do.

"To me, they've made so many mistakes and so many successes and so many right decisions, but what endears me to KISS is the fact that they can have great success with so many missteps," he continued. "And this is a misstep — 'End Of [The Road]' tour is a misstep. As far as Paul Stanley using backing tracks, that's his own business. I know that there's some singing problems there, but there's also no performance problems. He looks great. So there's that as well. The same situation would happen if he can sing like a bird, but he can't move around anymore without falling on his butt. That would also be an equal issue. So I don't care about that.

"My biggest thing is Tommy [Thayer, guitar] and Eric [Singer, drums] should have their own makeup — that's all. If they wanna have a three-year final tour, that's their business. If people are gonna show up, they might as well. They don't know anything else to do other than spend their money. So if this is gonna relieve boredom for them, then enjoy your life, if people are gonna show up. Just don't charge too high a price, 'cause you don't need the money, and just let everyone — as many people as you possibly can — see the show. That's all I would say. And then have a blast. And whether you can pull it off and sing great or not, like you did in '76, who cares, if people are gonna show up. But Tommy and Eric — I've always said this — shoud have their own makeup."

Former SKID ROW singer Sebastian Bach recently defended KISS against claims that the band is using pre-recorded tracks during its farewell tour, saying that Stanley sang "his ass off LIVE" during a recent concert in California. "I have seen way more obvious use of backing tracks than with KISS," Sebastian wrote on Twitter.

FOZZY frontman Chris Jericho also defended Stanley's vocal performance on "End Of The Road" tour, saying that the "Star Child" "has nothing to prove to anybody." Jericho explained: "He's one of the greatest rock and roll singers of all time. I think that's something that anybody would say. I would much rather have him use the technology that's available to not sound like he's hurting himself, which then makes me not enjoy the show as much."

Bach's comments came just hours after MÖTLEY CRÜE bassist Nikki Sixx called out another band for using taped vocals during its live performances after it previously derided other groups for doing the same thing.

Sixx wrote on Twitter: "Certain band out on the road right now putting other bands DOWN and saying that they are a REAL rock band, no background singers,and other old people cranky comments except his lead vocals are on tape.People in glass houses shouldn't throw rocks. #GetOffMyLawn #WizardOfOz"

Most fans assumed that Sixx was referring to KISS, especially since Simmons has previously slammed bands who used backing tapes for not being honest enough to include that fact on their concert tickets.

After KISS played on NBC's "America's Got Talent" last September, Stanley was asked by Rolling Stone if that was actually a live performance or if he and his bandmates tracked it earlier. "What you tend to do is record it live and that way you know that everything is as it should be," he responded. "It's not like going into the studio or anything like that. It's…with all its imperfections, it's live."

This Friday (April 19th), Allegaeon will release their new album, Apoptosis, via Metal Blade Records. A near-perfect symbiosis of technical, progressive, and melodic death metal, Apoptosis is a record that is as crushingly heavy as it is inventive, lithe and intelligent, and marks a significant leap forward in the band's songwriting. Listen to new single "Exothermic Chemical Combustion", below.

The album can be pre-ordered here in the following formats:

- jewelcase-CD
- opaque grey vinyl (US retail exclusive - limited to 500 copies)
- black / white A/B side vinyl (US webstore exclusive - limited to 250 copies)
- oxblood / milky clear A/B side vinyl (US webstore exclusive - limited to 250 copies)
- clear w/ black smoke vinyl (EU exclusive - limited to 200 copies)
- silver w/ oxblood splatter vinyl (EU exclusive - limited to 200 copies)
- transparent purple w/ white and black splatter vinyl (EU exclusive - limited to 100 copies)

Tracked at Flatline Audio in Denver with long-serving producer Dave Otero (Cattle Decapitation, Cephalic Carnage), Apoptosis is Allegaeon's fifth full-length, and the first to feature bassist Brandon Michael. "Musically, Brandon brings a huge new dimension," vocalist Riley McShane enthuses. "He has this wide breadth of music knowledge and stylistic proficiency that he draws from with excellent taste, and this makes a lot of the songs on 'Apoptosis' come to life."

The record also features a guest appearance by classical guitarist Christina Sandsengen, who duets with guitarist Greg Burgess on "Colors Of The Currents". "On this record, I was more open to new ideas that we might not have used in past," states guitarist Michael Stancel. "Rather than deleting something because 'it's not Allegaeon-y enough', I would take a step back and see if that idea fit the song and decide if it was worth keeping. With that mentality came some of my favorite songs, because I was less worried about if it fit into our old sound."

This statement is borne out across the whole album, which while very much embodying the core Allegaeon sound that has drawn fans in over the course of their impressive career, it pushes into new territory, and does so with unerring confidence. "Thematically, this record is all about contrast, and the music reflects that perfectly," says McShane. "The vocals are heavier than ever, but there are also more clean sections. The drums are faster than ever but also more dynamic, and the guitar playing is lower and slower than on most previous albums, but also provides long, melodic and beautiful sections throughout."

Apoptosis tracklisting:

"Parthenogenesis"
"Interphase // Meiosis"
"Extremophiles (B)"
"The Secular Age"
"Exothermic Chemical Combustion"
"Extremophiles (A)"
"Metaphobia"
"Tsunami and Submergence"
"Colors of the Currents"
"Stellar Tidal Disruption"
"Apoptosis"

"Exothermic Chemical Combustion":

"Extremophiles (B)" video:

"Stellar Tidal Disruption" video:




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