LAMB OF GOD guitarist Mark Morton has recruited vocalist Mark Morales (SONS OF TEXAS), guitarist Doc Coyle (BAD WOLVES, ex-GOD FORBID), bassist Nick Villarreal (SONS OF TEXAS) and drummer Art Cruz (PRONG, WINDS OF PLAGUE, LAMB OF GOD) to join him on his upcoming tour in support of his debut solo album, "Anesthetic".

Cruz and Coyle have both played with LAMB OF GOD in the past. Cruz filled in for LAMB OF GOD drummer Chris Adler on tour last year while Chris recovered from a motorcycle accident, and Coyle subbed for Morton when LAMB OF GOD opened for METALLICA in 2009.

Appearing with Morton on the trek will be co-headliners LIGHT THE TORCH and support act MOON TOOTH.

The dates are as follows:

Mar. 13 - Richmond, VA – The Broadberry

Mar. 14 - Philadelphia, PA – Underground Arts

Mar. 15 - Toronto, ON – Lee’s Palace

Mar. 16 - Montreal, QC – L’Astral

Mar. 18 - Boston, MA – Brighton Music Hall

Mar. 19 - New York, NY – The Gramercy Theatre

Mar. 21 - Chicago, IL – Bottom Lounge

Mar. 23 - Colorado Springs, CO – The Black Sheep

Mar. 25 - West Hollywood, CA – The Roxy Theatre

Mar. 26 - Phoenix, AZ – Club Red

"Anesthetic" is due out March 1. The official lyric video for "Cross Off", featuring late LINKIN PARK singer Chester Bennington, can be seen below.

"Cross Off" was recorded in April 2017 and written by Morton, Bennington, Jake Oni and producer Josh Wilbur. Morton recorded all guitars with Paolo Gregoletto and Alex Bent (TRIVIUM) handling bass and drums. The composition of the song began between Morton, Wilbur and Oni before the three approached Bennington about singing vocals. Bennington loved the song and came to the studio with additional ideas and lyrics that, together with his unique and incredible vocal style, shaped the song to be what it is today.

Morton told Metal Hammer magazine about his experience working on "Cross Off" with Bennington: "[Chester] just had a lot of creative input at the ready when he came into the studio," Mark said. "That was my initial, like, wow. He had told me he really liked the song, and we had communicated, but I'd never really hung out with Chester until when we started tracking. I was really impressed for a guy at his level, at the place in the career he was at, someone of his stature and celebrity, to have that level of humility and commitment to come in there and treat this like it would be a LINKIN PARK song, or his own song, or whatever. I was pretty blown away by that. And it was immediate. Fifteen minutes after we met, we were standing over a table, one on either side, each with scraps of paper and pencil, crossing off words and trying different rhyme schemes and stuff. And then after the track was laid out, then we took a breath and started talking about more personal stuff — real-life shit. And yeah… he surprised me the most."

Asked how they connected in the first place, Mark said: "I had my people call his people. It was one of those things where we were listening to the song, like, who in our world would we have singing this? And Chester was the name that came out. So we almost didn't try, because it's Chester Bennington; he's such a superstar. We were kind of, like, come on, we can't get him. But if we hadn't tried, we wouldn't have got him, so we tried, we got his ear, I was surprised to find I was on his radar and all, but through LAMB I was. He heard the song and he was in. It is a really good song. I'm sorry; I don't know if I'm allowed to say that, but it's a good goddamn song, right? We had to iron out a couple of things legally and all that kind of stuff, but on the creative side, he was in from the jump. And I didn't realize how in he really was, but when he showed up, I did, and that was humbling for me."

Joining forces with WPP Records and Spinefarm Records on a worldwide basis, Morton will release the 10-track album that sees him further explore his creative drive for writing and collaboration. The disc was made alongside a dream team of highly respected musicians from a multitude of musical worlds; some friends and some who would never be expected to collaborate with metal genre leaders LAMB OF GOD.

Morton had been writing some of this debut for years. "This album wasn't a concerted effort to start something outside LAMB OF GOD," he explains. "Music is always in my head, and until I write and record it, it's stuck there. But once I record it, it's out. It's a catharsis, more for my own sanity."

Other singers on the album include Randy Blythe (LAMB OF GOD), Jacoby Shaddix (PAPA ROACH), Myles Kennedy (SLASH, ALTER BRIDGE), Alissa White-Gluz (ARCH ENEMY), Mark Lanegan, Chuck Billy (TESTAMENT), Jake Oni, Josh Todd (BUCKCHERRY), Mark Morales, and Naeemah Maddox. Musically, Morton performs all guitars, with Roy Mayorga (STONE SOUR), David Ellefson (MEGADETH), Ray Luzier (KORN), Paolo Gregoletto (TRIVIUM) and Alex Bent (TRIVIUM), Mike Inez (ALICE IN CHAINS), Jean-Paul Gaster (CLUTCH), Steve Gorman and Marc Paul rounding out the band.



I’m thrilled to announce my band for my upcoming tour, in support of #Anesthetic: Mark Morales (@sonsoftexas) on lead vocals, @DocCoyle (@badwolves) on guitar, @Riggidyrat (Sons Of Texas) on bass and @theartcruz (Prong, @windsofplague) on the drums! pic.twitter.com/T6UBalR6SZ


— Mark Morton (@MarkDuaneMorton) February 11, 2019

The official music video for the song "Blackout The Sun" from LAST IN LINE can be seen below. The track is taken from the band's sophomore album, "II", which will be released on February 22 via Frontiers Music Srl. As with 2016's "Heavy Crown", the new disc was produced by DOKKEN and FOREIGNER bassist Jeff Pilson.

LAST IN LINE was formed in 2012, when Vinny Appice, Jimmy Bain and Vivian Campbell — Ronnie James Dio's co-conspirators and co-writers on the "Holy Diver", "Last In Line" and "Sacred Heart" albums — teamed up with esteemed vocalist Andrew Freeman. The debut album "Heavy Crown" was released in February 2016, landing at No. 1 on Billboard's Heatseekers chart. Initially, the release had been preceded by tragedy when bassist Jimmy Bain unexpectedly passed away at the age of 68 on January 23, 2016. LAST IN LINE, honoring what they knew would be Bain's wish to keep the band moving, brought in renowned bassist Phil Soussan (ex-OZZY OSBOURNE) and committed to sustained touring in support of the album, hitting festivals, headlining clubs, and sharing the stage with metal luminaries such as SAXON and MEGADETH.


In late 2017, the band gathered in Los Angeles to start the recording of the second album, which was produced by the band members and Jeff Pilson (FOREIGNER, DOKKEN), who also helmed the debut album. Having really jelled as a band while touring in support of the first disc, the songwriting came readily to the members. They've created a record that shows a big progression in sound, while immediately being recognizable as LAST IN LINE thanks to Appice's rhythms, thunderous bass from Soussan, amazing vocals from Freeman, and the roaring guitars of Campbell.

"The musical style of 'II' is different from 'Heavy Crown', but it wasn't something that we planned to do," explains Campbell. "Phil is a more intricate player than Jimmy was and that, together with the natural growth and development of the band led us to the songs on the album. As always, we simply started to jam on ideas and see where they led us. But it's fair to say that the songs on this album sound more developed, with more parts and more experimentation than the songs on 'Heavy Crown'. The first album set a tone, but on 'II' we developed that idea and took it to the next logical stage."


Appice, on the sound of the new record and songwriting process, says: "I always sound like me. Viv and I have been playing together for years and have the same feel and pulse and attitude. Now with Phil on bass, he allows a more melodic approach on the bass parts making the songs even more interesting. He fits in perfectly being from the same musical family and time as me and Viv. Mr. Freeman sings from his soul and completes the band's sound with his melodies and amazing range."


He continues: "The songwriting process was the same as DIO's 'Holy Diver'. First, we have fun writing together. We get in a room and jam on riffs and chords until we hit on something good, then continue to build it into a song. Andy puts his magic on it and it all works out very well."


Soussan says about how it was joining LAST IN LINE and the development of the songs: "It was refreshing to be able to write songs in such an organic fashion — by jamming and developing ideas as a group, without bringing in preconceived songs — something I haven't done for ages. The result was a true collaboration, a concept that is so rare these days! Vinny has a unique style of drumming that, beyond keeping beats, inspires riffs and arrangements and Vivian has a way of playing that has a conviction to every note. He is able to turn every riff into a signature. Andrew was creative and unrestricted, focusing his contemporary influences into vocal stylings and hooks that are outside the classic rock clichés. He is very much a perfectionist. Beyond trying to remain true to Jimmy's playing and to the heritage of the relationship between Viv and Vinny, everyone was completely open to exploring any possible idea. I am honestly prouder of our efforts on this album than anything in which I have been involved in for a very long time. With 'II', I would like to think that we have stretched out from 'Heavy Crown' to test some uncharted waters.... the evolution of LAST IN LINE!"

"II" track listing:

01. Intro

02. Blackout The Sun

03. Landslide

04. Gods And Tyrants

05. Year Of The Gun

06. Give Up The Ghost

07. The Unknown

08. Sword From The Stone

09. Electrified

10. Love And War

11. False Flag

12. The Light

Bain was reportedly suffering from lung cancer at the time of his death.

Today, with "Dance Macabre" taking over the #1 slot at U.S. Active Rock Radio, Swedish rock band Ghost is premiering on Spotify's "Rock This" playlist a special vertical video of the single, shot live and backstage at the band's recent sold-out performance at the Los Angeles Forum.  The video not only offers a look at the elaborate staging and effects put together for the three special arena shows the band did on its 2018 A Pale Tour Named Death fall tour, but fans will get a behind-the-scenes glimpse at Ghost's pre-show ritual. Check out the video on Spotify.

Ghost is currently on a headline European tour and will be Special Guest on all four legs of Metallica's WorldWired European Stadium tour that starts May 1st in Lisbon, Portugal.

(Photo - Mikael Eriksson)

Ron Jarzombek (BLOTTED SCIENCE, SPASTIC INK, WATCHTOWER) has just released two digital singles, "Frenetically Inconsistent Velocities Entwined" and "The Ink Panther".

"Frenetically Inconsistent Velocities Entwined" (a.k.a. "FIVE") is the first of four songs that were initially written for the third BLOTTED SCIENCE CD. The song — featuring Ron Jarzombek on guitars and programming, and BLOTTED SCIENCE bandmate Alex Webster on bass — is a speed trip with eighths, triplets, sixteenths, quintuplets, triplet sixteenths, septuplets and thirty-seconds shifting inconsistently over half time, normal time and double time grooves, with a few blastbeats thrown in.

The other three BLOTTED SCIENCE songs are near completion and will also be released as digital singles.

"The Ink Panther" is a remake of the Henry Mancini classic "The Pink Panther Theme".

Says Ron: "Reminiscent of how SPASTIC INK took the themes and melodies from the movie 'Bambi' and twisted the rhythms around to compose 'A Wild Hare', on this song I took the triplet (swing, shuffle) feel of the original 'Pink Panther Theme' song, and redistributed the rhythms and melodies into sixteenth note patterns. Lots of the notes fall on the 'e' and 'a' beat divisions, resulting in a more syncopated feel, thus giving my remake the song title 'The Ink Panther'.

"This is the first of three songs that I'm working on that have word plays based on the names of my main recording projects over the years (SPASTIC INK, BLOTTED SCIENCE and WATCHTOWER). A Jimi Hendrix classic is up next."

DREAM THEATER's Jordan Rudess will release his brand new spiralling and stunning solo album, "Wired For Madness", on April 19 via Music Theories Recordings / Mascot Label Group.

"Wired For Madness" bursts and flows forth with all of the drama, technique and melodicism that have become his musical hallmarks, the album also features the keyboard wizard handling many of the vocals. Renowned guests include drummer Marco Minnemann, DREAM THEATER frontman James LaBrie, guitarists Vinnie Moore, Guthrie Govan, Joe Bonamassa and John Petrucci. There are appearances by notable players including drummers Rod Morgenstein and Elijah Wood, among others.


Jordan dispels any notion that it's a concept record. "It is not a concept album," he says. "However, the title track does have a story that I was envisioning while writing it. The idea was about a guy who wanted to go about a transformational process involving becoming partially computerized and robotic. His functionality as a human was noticeably diminishing and he takes advantage of a modern medical procedure to 'upgrade' and extend his physical and mental capabilities. Through the course (or curse) of this process he becomes more and more separated from the outside 'normal' world, allowing the computer front end to take over much of his day to day tasks and decisions. This leaves his mind free to travel between madness and spiritual enlightenment. After an angel visited him, the listener is left wondering whether he is experiencing true enlightenment or if he is moving out of the physical world to the next dimension."


"There's even some blues!" says Rudess, "'Just Can't Win' is a dirty blues song! The DREAM THEATER guys call me Blues Man because, at 8 a.m., after sleeping on the tour bus, I sound like a reincarnation of an old blues man soul. I called in Joe Bonamassa and a full brass section to help make this song really happen. For my prog fans, this is Jordan Rudess in an alternate universe!"


Rudess has been the full-time keyboardist with DREAM THEATER, since the recording of 1999's "Metropolis Pt. 2: Scenes From A Memory". Beyond DREAM THEATER, he has released a number of acclaimed solo works and has also blazed a trail in helping to evolve the art and science of keyboard controllers. He created the successful app-development company Wizdom Music, which has developed award-winning apps including; MorphWiz, which won the first-ever Billboard award for Best Music Creation App. Wizdom Music has also built apps for Intel, Microsoft and RIM.


Rudess just keeps absorbing and processing what happens around him into new music and ideas. "I live to be creative," he says. "Give me my space and freedom to do my music and I'll be like an antenna to the thoughts and feelings around me. Of course, I get inspired by other music I hear. Could be anything from wild electronica, like Richard Devine or APHEX TWIN to classical music like a beautiful Chopin Nocturne."


It all started with a curious mind and a furious set of little hands. He has gone to change the world of music in many wondrous ways, and his latest solo release is the next dynamic chapter in a book that's still being written.

"Wired For Madness" track listing:

01. Wired For Madness - Part 1

02. Wired For Madness - Part 2

03. Off The Ground

04. Drop Twist

05. Perpetual Shine

06. Just Can't Win

07. Just For Today

08. Why I Dream

Richmond's Inter Arma, reigning masters of the slow build, continue to trace a distinctly ambitious trajectory through modern metal. Today, the band announces their 4th full-length offering Sulphur English, coming April 12th, 2019, and share the first single entitled “Citadel”.

Vocalist Mike Paparo comments:

"The lyrics to "Citadel" were written as a sort of clarion call to myself about overcoming depression and the demons that manifest with it. It, like most of the lyrical content on the record, is deeply personal to me.  

For the band as a whole, Sulphur English is an ill-tempered, unrepentant act of defiance towards stagnation and complacency. We create this music on our own terms and we refuse to compromise our collective vision, for better or worse."

Sulphur English is due out April 12th on CD/2xLP/Digital. Physical packages are available for preorder via Relapse.com. Digital Downloads / Streaming Services are available here.

Additionally, Inter Arma have been announced for Decibel’s Metal & Beer Fest Pre-Fest and celebrate the release of Sulphur English with labelmates Integrity, Full of Hell & Devil Master. Stay tuned for more Inter Arma live announcements in the near future.

Tracklisting:

“Bumgardner”
“A Waxen Sea”
“Citadel”
“Howling Lands”
“Stillness”
“Observances Of The Path”
“The Atavist’s Meridian”
“Blood On The Lupines”
“Sulphur English”

“Citadel”:

(Photo by: Joey Wharton)




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Ozzy Osbourne is "doing good" and is "breathing on his own," more than a week after the BLACK SABBATH singer was hospitalized because of flu complications.

On February 4, Ozzy was admitted to the Keck Hospital of University of Southern California amid fears he could develop pneumonia, which is potentially fatal for someone his age. His wife and manager, Sharon Osbourne, said at the time that doctors believed this was "the best way to get him on a quicker road to recovery."

Earlier today (Tuesday, February 12), Sharon returned to her daytime talk show "The Talk" today, and offered and update on Ozzy's condition (see video below). She said Ozzy was "out of ICU" and "breathing on his own." She continued: "He's doing good, he really is. And I just want to say a huge thank you to everybody that has reached out with good wishes. He's overcome by the response that he's had and it just makes him, it's kind of bittersweet because he's so overwhelmed with it but he's sad, too."

This is Ozzy's second stay in the hospital. Last October, the metal legend contracted a staph infection that required him to have surgery on his hand and resulted in him canceling several shows.

Last month, Ozzy was forced to postpone the entire European leg of his "No More Tours 2" run on doctors' orders, just one day after postponing the first four dates on the U.K. stretch of the trek. The trek was called off after Ozzy was diagnosed with a severe upper respiratory infection.

Ozzy's final world tour of this size is scheduled to resume on March 9 in Australia. Shows will follow in New Zealand and Japan before a two-month North American leg.

Former EXODUS singer Rob Dukes has admitted to Psychology Today that he was disappointed when guitarist and songwriter Gary Holt began playing with fellow thrash legends SLAYER eight years ago. While Holt did not officially leave EXODUS, Dukes felt that Holt's first priority was SLAYER, thus limiting the amount of touring that EXODUS could do.

"Gary was the center of EXODUS. And when SLAYER came calling, he abandoned EXODUS to join SLAYER — gave up his whole career, his job, a job he built from the ground up — and he left it in the hands of other people to join SLAYER," Dukes said. "To be in that band, that amazing band… I'm not judging the guy for that. But at the same time, you abandoned five friends who stood by you and toured with you for ten years."

Dukes also talked about his 2014 dismissal from EXODUS and the return of his predecessor, Steve "Zetro" Souza. Rob, who fronted EXODUS for nine years, believed that the move was a business decision that enabled the band to play shows for more money with a "classic" lineup.

"I think towards the end, it became about business," Dukes said. "And the business aspect got in the way of friendship… I took it personal. I didn't really give a fuck about the business aspect… I don't care about the money. I just wanted to play. I missed the camaraderie. I missed the nights on the bus driving from Spain to Italy. And me and Lee [Altus, guitar] and some of the boys just hanging out late and bullshitting and talking and listening to BLACK SABBATH and arguing about who was the best hockey players."

Making things worse was the fact that Dukes had just gotten married and had to figure out a new way to support his family.

"I had spent most of my savings relocating across the country and I had no job," he said. "Now I'm fucking 47 years old and I'm starting over. I was pissed. I wasn't walking around the house in a fucking rage… at home with my wife, I would put a smile on my face and tell her everything's going to be fine. But inside I was not only terrified — I was seething. If I didn't have a wife, there would have been no terror. I could fend for myself. But now I have obligations to another human being who I love and care about immensely — and just the week before I said I was going to spend my life with you. I'm going to take care of you in sickness and in health and all of that. Not being a good provider — that's the terrifying part. You have to remember this was only in my head — I wasn't talking to her about it. I should have. But I didn't because I didn't want her to live in fear. I wanted her to feel that things are going to be okay and that we're going to be fine. For about a year I was living in panic trying to make ends meet."

Before long, Dukes found work as a mechanic specializing in car restoration. He also took ownership over his role in the deterioration of his relationship with EXODUS and overcame his resentment.

Three years after he was fired from EXODUS, Dukes performed with the band during its July 8, 2017 concert in San Francisco, California. He sang several songs with the group on the second of EXODUS's two-night stint at The Chapel in what marked the band's first headlining Bay Area club shows since late 2013.

Dukes joined EXODUS in January 2005 and appeared on four of the band's studio albums — "Shovel Headed Kill Machine" (2005), "The Atrocity Exhibition... Exhibit A" (2007), "Let There Be Blood" (2008, a re-recording of EXODUS' classic 1985 LP, "Bonded By Blood") and "Exhibit B: The Human Condition" (2010).

Souza previously fronted EXODUS from 1986 to 1993 and from 2002 to 2004.

Avantasia's new album, Moonglow, will be released on February 15th via Nuclear Blast. In Part 3 of an official video interview series, Tobias Sammet shares more insight on Moonglow.

The first two trailers can be seen below:

Moonglow will be available in the following formats:

- CD
- Digibook (36 pages)
- 2CD-Artbook (64 pages)
- 2LP (different colours) in gatefold
- BOX * (Digibook + CD in Sleeve + 2LP (ice blue + dark blue marble) in gatefold + bonus 10" (black) im sleeve + signed photo card + certificate + poster)

* NB-Mailorder exclusive

Pre-order the album here.

Comments Tobias Sammet: "I really can’t wait to unleash Moonglow. First reactions by press and friends are the most enthusiastic comments I have ever gotten in my whole career of 27 years. No bullshit, it’s the truth, Sascha and I are overwhelmed!

In order to avoid boredom, in the middle of promotion and tour preparations I was getting myself involved in every detail of the album sleeves, booklets and packaging, to make sure the album drags the listener into a different world. I wanted Moonglow to be an overall experience for escapists like myself. My favourite edition is the giant super strictly limited art book edition with bonus track and a bonus CD. A massive coffee table book with photos, interview, liner notes and illustrations of Victorian painter Grimshaw, who has been very inspirational to me. This book edition is everything it takes to invite the listener into the world of Moonglow and its productional process.

There is also a smaller digibook version that features one bonus track and that is limited and beautiful as well. And of course there are also vinyl editions to hug, feel, watch, smell and caress. I am extremely proud of all these little treasures and can’t wait to unleash them!"

Comprising 11 tracks, the new opus once again features several guest vocalists. This time round, Tobias worked not only with well-known faces such as Ronnie Atkins, Jørn Lande, Eric Martin, Geoff Tate, Michael Kiske and Bob Catley, but also with new singers like Candice Night, Hansi Kürsch as well as Mille Petrozza who help to vitalize the new Avantasia record. Its cover artwork was created by Alexander Jansson.

Comments Tobias Sammet, "It's alive! After more than two years of hard work - and what felt like 71 overnight shifts back to back recently - we're ready to unleash Moonglow upon the universe. I believe it's the most adorned and detailed album we've ever produced. Not over ambitious, but there is a lot of love for detail in there. Avantasia is the ultimate playground for a musician's wildest fantasies to come true: Celtic elements, world music elements, big choirs, atmopsheric stuff, amazing guest vocal performances and of course all that wrapped up in what I consider to be the typical Avantasia sound. Someone in the music business just told me that the embellished nature of the sound makes it hard to market it, it doesn't fit in the contemporary musical landscape and "if you take a look around, no one really sounds like that." - EXACTLY! THANK YOU! I can't wait to release Moonglow, take my friends of the Avantasia family and hit the road for the big Moonglow World Tour."

Moonglow tracklisting:

"Ghost In The Moon"
"Book Of Shallows"
"Moonglow"
"The Raven Child"
"Starlight"
"Invincible"
"Alchemy"
"The Piper At The Gates Of Dawn"
"Lavender"
"Requiem For A Dream"
"Maniac"

Bonus Track:
"Heart"

"Moonglow" lyric video:

"The Raven Child" lyric video:

Trailer:

The Moonglow World Tour 2019:

March
30 - Kaufbeuren, Germany - All Karthalle
31 - Mailand, Italy - Alcatraz

April
2 - Prague, Czech Republic - Forum Karlin
3 - Berlin, Germany - Huxley´s
5 - Ludwigsburg, Germany - Arena
6 - Bamberg, Germany - Brose Arena
8 - Fulda, Germany - Esperanto Halle
9 - Saarbrücken, Germany - Saarlandhalle
10 - Paris, France - Olympia
12 - Osnabrueck, Germany - Stadthalle
13 - Hamburg, Germany - Mehr! Theater
14 - Oberhausen, Germany - Koenig Pilsener Arena
16 - London, UK - The Forum
18 - Offenbach, Germany - Stadthalle
19 - Pratteln, Switzerland - Z7
20 - Pratteln, Switzerland - Z7
24 - Bilbao, Spain - Santana 27
26 - Barcelona, Spain - Razzmatazz 1
27 - Madrid, Spain - Palacio Vistalegre

May
2 - Stockholm, Sweden - Arenan
4 - Moscow, Russia - Glav
6 - Budapest, Hungary - Barba Negra




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On April 5th, legendary multinational thrash metallers Exumer will release their fifth full-length, Hostile Defiance, via Metal Blade Records.

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 vocalist 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."

For a preview of the album, the video for the first single, "Hostile Defiance", can be seen below. The clip was created by renowned cover artist Costin Chioreanu (At The Gates, Voivod, etc.), who also made the album artwork and layout for Hostile Defiance.

Fans can pre-order Hostile Defiance here in the following formats:

- ltd. digipak-CD w/2 bonus tracks
- 180g black vinyl (EU exclusive)
- orange red marbled vinyl (EU exclusive - limited to 400 copies)
- red-brown/black marbled vinyl (EU exclusive - limited to 300 copies)
- pale blackberry marbled vinyl (EU exclusive - limited to 200 copies)
- orange-black color in color + red splattered (EU exclusive - limited to 120 copies)
- white / blue marbled vinyl (EU exclusive - limited to 100 copies)
- clear/red&black splattered vinyl (US exclusive - limited to 120 copies)

Hostile Defiance marks Exumer's third time working with producer Dennis Koehne (Sodom, Melechesh). Tracking the album in studios in Dortmund and Frankfurt, the sessions were marked with "super positive vibes all around with a strong, driven work ethic to create an optimal product." The band plans to tour the record hard, and will be hitting the road in Europe when the album drops, and from that point onward, they will be visiting as many countries as possible. "Our goal is simple: to further establish the band as one of the main German thrash metal acts that began in the 1980s and are now carrying the torch into the 2020s."

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)

"Hostile Defiance" video:

Exumer will be touring Europe around album release and will present new songs, plus their classics, on the road. See below for all dates.

March
29 - Drachten, Netherlands - Iduna
30 - Hamburg, Germany - Bambi Galore
31 - Essen, Germany - Turock

April
2 - Montpellier, France - Secret Place
3 - Irun, Spain - Sala Tunk
4 - Valladolid, Spain - Porta Caeli
5 - Pamplona, Spain - Sala Totem
6 - Oviedo, Spain - Sir Laurens
7 - Madrid, Spain - We Rock
9 - Granada, Spain - Salal Planta Baja
10 - Sevilla, Spain - Sala Even
11 - Malaga, Spain - Sala Trinchera
12 - Murcia, Spain - Sala Gramma
13 - Castellon, Spain - Burbuja
14 - Barcelona, Spain - Sala Sidecar

June
7 - Muhlteich, Germany - Chronical Moshers Festival
8 - Berlin, Germany - BiNuu
9 - Oschersleben, Germany - Rock & Metal Dayz
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




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Swedish Viking metallers, Månegarm, have revealed the title, artwork, tracklisting and release date for their upcoming studio record. Entitled Fornaldarsagor the upcoming release turns out to be the most multi-faceted and uncompromising piece of concept art the Swedes have forged so far and will feed the flames of heathen fires for a long, long time.

Due for release on April 26th via Napalm Records, Fornaldarsagor will contain eight furious tracks that breathe new life into sagas and tales from a pre-christianized, pagan era that made Scandinavia into what it is today - and those sagas have now been wrapped in exciting viking metal. Månegarm give furious details to all tracks via their socials. Head over to their Facebook to get deep insights to each and every track individually.

Special versions will also include two exclusive bonus tracks - available digitally and with the strictly limited CD Deluxe Box. Take a look at the full tracklisting below and make sure to check out all available formats and special bundles.

Available formats:

- 4 Page Digipack
- 1LP Gatefold Black
- 1LP Gatefold Gold - limited to 300 units
- CD Deluxe Box incl. 4 Page Digipack, 2 CD Single, Pendant & Album cover Flag - limited to 500 units
- Digital Album
- Shirt + Digipack
- Shirt + 1LP Gatefold Black

 Pre-order here.

Tracklisting:

"Sveablotet"
"Hervors arv"
"Slaget vid Bråvalla"
"Ett sista farväl"
"Spjutbädden"
"Tvenne drömmar"
"Krakes sista strid"
"Dödskvädet"

Bonus tracks:
"(Don’t Need) Religion" (Motörhead cover)
"Day Star, Son Of Dawn" (Re-recorded song from 1995, never before released)

Månegarm lineup:

Erik Grawsiö - Vocals, bass
Markus Andé - Guitar
Jakob Hallegren - Drums

(Photo - Jens Ryden)




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KISS is bringing the curtain down on its epic and storied 45-tear career with the "End Of The Road" tour, which started on January 31 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.

Gene Simmons, Paul Stanley, Tommy Thayer and Eric Singer recently sat down with national radio personality Dan Neer to discuss this massive undertaking.

You can now listen to the one-hour "All Access" special, which contains such KISS classics as "Rock And Roll All Nite", "Detroit Rock City", "Deuce" and many others, using the SoundCloud widget below.

Asked by Neer to envision the closing moments of the tour's final show, Stanley said: "I don't wanna say bittersweet, because there's nothing bitter about it. It'll certainly be incredibly emotional, because I have so much to look back on that the band has made possible, that the fans have made possible, and I wanna know at that last show that I gave it everything I could. And I'll walk away proudly."

Simmons added: "I'm a fairly big guy — I'm 6' 2", I'm probably closer to 250 pounds. I'm not a skinny guy, and proud of it. But I know I'm gonna be weeping like a 12-year-old girl who has someone stepping on her feet at that last show. Tears of happiness, I might add.

"How many people on earth get to do what we've done? You've gotta take that perspective," he continued. "Because KISS has always been more than a band. KISS has been a unifying force for different generations... When you see a five-year-old kid at a concert — our concert — who has KISS makeup and is sitting on the shoulders of his dad who's wearing KISS makeup, who's next to his dad, who's 50 or 60, and he's wearing makeup. And that kid does my hand gesture for the first time in his life… It's hit me before. I turn around, and you're in tears, because you realize it's more than a concert and it's more than songs — it's a part of people's lives. They tattoo their bodies with our faces, they name their kids after our songs. It's a culture. It's a nationhood."

The North American leg of "End Of The Road" is set to run through September, ending with a September 16 date at Oakland Oracle Arena. The multi-year run promises dates until at least 2020.

"We're doing the absolute biggest KISS show," Stanley said. "Everybody who goes to see a band, a rap star, a country star, a rock star, you're seeing a KISS show nowadays. … We go out there and raise the bar. We will raise it again."

Although this isn't the first time KISS has embarked on a farewell tour, Simmons insists that this time, it's for real. In an interview with the Los Angeles Times, he explained that he "cannot continue to perform into his eighth decade wearing 40 pounds of armor and platform boots."

Brutal death metal maniacs ABORTED have released a brand-new video clip for the song "Deep Red", taken from their latest album, "TerrorVision".

After the very successful "Hell Over Europe" tour last year, ABORTED is now bringing the "TerrorVision" to North America.

Vocalist Sven de Caluwé comments: "Since 'Hell Over Europe' was such a good time, we decided to bring the lineup as complete as possible to North America where we will spread the 'TerrorVision' for the first time. We are beyond stoked to be touring again with our good friends in CRYPTOPSY and BENIGHTED, as well to have Stefano [Franceschini, bass] suffer through two sets a day. So you can come on over, enjoy some blastbeats, place your bets on how many kg's or pounds Stefano will weigh at the end, and come have a chat with us all. On top of that, we brutalized the fine people from Panda Productions once more for the third video for 'TerrorVision', this time for the lovely chanson d'amour called 'Deep Red'. This rattling tale of romance enfolds in fields adorned with unicorns and many more politically correct settings. Go live a little people, listen to death metal and bang your damn heads to the power of the Blast! Praise the scroll!"

"TerrorVision" was released last September via Century Media Records. The artwork was created by Pär Olofsson (EXODUS, IMMOLATION, IMMORTAL).

Sven previously stated about the disc: "The album talks about a lot of things that have been happening in the last couple of years where the public opinion is clearly being molded and manipulated. There have been studies in communication showing that 55% of communication is non-verbal impact, 38% is verbal communication and the actual message is only important for about 7% of it. I know retarded figures that don't mean much by themselves, if not telling us that people don't give a fuck about what you're selling, as long as you package it right and the media/politicians know this all too well. The rise of ISIS has a lot to thank to the media as well, bigotry, racism all tools used by media to remove the eye on the actual problems for the human race as a whole and our planet.

"It's not so death metal in itself, but it's all packaged in our depraved little ABORTED sauce of dark humor and gross thesaurus bullshit language while containing a pretty strong message!"

With "The Necrotic Manifesto" and ABORTED's last album, "Retrogore", already showcasing what the band is capable of, "TerrorVision" lifts death metal to a higher level of intensity, atmosphere and brutality. Produced by Kristian "Kohle" Kohlmannslehner at Kohlekeller Studios, "TerrorVision" is not just a new chunk of high-class brutal death metal, it's a piece of art pushing the boundaries of the entire genre by combining over-the-top musicianship with skilled songwriting, a clear yet organic production and inexorable brutality that has no equals.

The new lineup of VIXEN performed this past Saturday, February 9 at Full Throttle in Clearwater, Florida. Fan-filmed video footage can be seen below.

Last month, VIXEN recruited FEMME FATALE's Lorraine Lewis as its new lead singer following the recent departure of Janet Gardner.

Lewis had already performed with VIXEN, having fronted the group in March 2018 in Durant, Oklahoma while Gardner was recovering from surgery.

Prior to Lewis's addition to VIXEN, Roxy Petrucci (drums), Share Ross (bass) and Brittany Denaro (guitar) Lewis vowed to "expand upon the VIXEN legacy while remaining true to our musical roots."

Gardner, who released her debut self-titled solo album in 2017, broke the news of her exit from the group on January 16.

"After much soul searching and many sleepless nights, I have decided that it's time for me to step aside and let Roxy and Share pursue their vision for the future of VIXEN," she wrote.

"VIXEN will always have a very special place in my heart and I am incredibly grateful to have been a part of it," she continued.

"I would like to thank everyone for the amazing support over the years, and as Roxy and Share continue to keep the heart and soul of VIXEN alive and well and I continue on my path, your continued support to all would be greatly appreciated."

Gardner, Petrucci and Ross are considered to be part of VIXEN's classic lineup, along with founding guitarist Jan Kuehnemund, who died of cancer in October 2013.

Gardner contributed lead vocals to VIXEN's most commercially successful studio albums — "Vixen" (1988), "Rev It Up" (1990) and "Tangerine" (1998) — as well as the group's latest release, last year's live album "Live Fire".

A year ago, Gardner underwent surgery to remove blood clots in her brain, a condition known as a subdural hematoma. At the time, she was touring in support of her solo album, which came out in August 2017 via Pavement Entertainment. The disc was a collaboration between the singer, who works days as a part-time dental hygienist, and her husband, guitarist/producer Justin James, who has previously worked with STAIND, COLLECTIVE SOUL and TYKETTO.

Dave Mustaine says that MEGADETH's new album is shaping up to be "heavy as hell."

The follow-up to 2016's "Dystopia", which is tentatively due later this year, will mark the band's first release with drummer Dirk Verbeuren (ex-SOILWORK), who joined MEGADETH three years ago.

Speaking to Kerrang!, Mustaine said about the progress of the songwriting sessions for MEGADETH's new disc: "We're trying to keep with that real heavy thing. 'Dystopia' was more of us doing what makes us feel good; there's a lot of super-heavy, fast drumming at the end of some songs.

"My son was in here two days ago, and when we were doing 'Dystopia', he was listening to the songs and making comments, and the ones he commented on were the ones that got the best response. When he came over this time, we were working on a song that has the tentative title 'The Dogs Of Chernobyl', and the intro riff has kind of a Hungarian guitar part, kind of like something MERCYFUL FATE did on 'Into The Coven'. The song comes in super powerful and strong, and my son goes, 'Oh god, that's heavy as hell!' and I just started laughing."

The early sessions for the new disc are being co-produced by Chris Rakestraw, who previously worked on "Dystopia", which was described by Record Collector's Joel McIver as a return to form for MEGADETH, and a big improvement over the previous two records.

Dave told "Rock Talk With Mitch Lafon" back in June 2018 that some of the new MEGADETH music is turning out to be more extreme than anything the band has done in the past. "The stuff that Dirk's been playing along to it is scary," he said. "We've never had any of those blast-beat kind of things on our music before, and some of the drumming on this is so mind-blowing. It's making me a better guitar player again, which I love. But I never thought we were gonna be playing this fast or this aggressive again."

MEGADETH will support OZZY OSBOURNE on the next North American leg of the BLACK SABBATH singer's "No More Tours 2" in May, June and July.

The band's first-ever Megacruise aboard the Norwegian Jewel will set sail on October 13 from Los Angeles, California and hit ports of San Diego, California and Ensenada, Mexico before returning on October 18.

"Dystopia" was MEGADETH's first release with guitarist Kiko Loureiro, who was previously best known for his work with the Brazilian melodic metal band ANGRA.

As previously reported, MEGADETH will release a greatest-hits album, "Warheads On Foreheads", on March 22. The disc will feature 35 remastered tracks selected by Mustaine.

Prior to the arrival of "Warheads On Foreheads", MEGADETH will reissue two of its iconic records, 2001's "The World Needs A Hero" and 2004's "The System Has Failed", through BMG on February 15.

Legendary bassist/vocalist Glenn Hughes (DEEP PURPLE, BLACK COUNTRY COMMUNION, BLACK SABBATH) has told Guitar Interactive magazine that there are no plans for him to record a new solo album anytime soon. "I don't see it happening for a while, because I'm so busy touring," he said at last month's NAMM show in Anaheim, California (see video below). "And it's not like I don't wanna do a record. I don't think it's the right time right now."

Hughes, however, did not rule out a new album from BLACK COUNTRY COMMUNION, which also features drummer Jason Bonham, keyboardist Derek Sherinian (DREAM THEATER, ALICE COOPER, BILLY IDOL) and blues-rock guitarist/vocalist Joe Bonamassa.

"Joe and I are still very, very [musically] compatible, and we're talking about [recording and releasing] an album next year," Glenn said.

Hughes's latest solo album, "Resonate", was released in November 2016 via Frontiers Music Srl. The record featured Glenn's then-solo band, Søren Andersen (guitars and co-producer), Pontus Engborg (drums) and Lachy Doley (keyboards), in addition to longtime friend Chad Smith (RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS), who joined them in the studio for the opening and closing numbers.

BLACK COUNTRY COMMUNION's fourth album, "BCCIV", was released in September 2017 and marked the band's first studio effort since 2013's "Afterglow".

Hughes spent key years of his career as the beloved bassist and vocalist of DEEP PURPLE, appearing on the classic albums "Burn", "Stormbringer" and "Come Taste the Band". More recently, he has been playing various hits and deep cuts from the DEEP PURPLE catalog, including "Burn", "Stormbringer", "Sail Away" and "Smoke On The Water", as part of his "Glenn Hughes Performs Classic Deep Purple Live" tour, which was launched in 2017.

Austrian webzine Stormbringer conducted an interview with guitarist Lee Harrison and drummer Pete Sandoval of American grindcore icons TERRORIZER prior to their January 15 show at Viper Room in Wien, Austria. You can watch the entire chat below. A few excerpts follow (transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET).

On whether Sandoval thought the band's "World Downfall" debut would have such staying power 30 years after its release:

Pete: "Never, never, never, never. It's something that we just think it's phenomenal, it's great. We're just following along and that's why we're here, to continue this legacy and we can push it and move it forward. Plus, we got new music going on with it and mix that with 'World Downfall'. It's great. I think it's a great new beginning. Yes, especially with this killer new album we did with Lee and Sam [Molina, bass/vocals]."

On Sandoval's back issues around the time 2012's "Hordes Of Zombies" was released:

Pete: "I wasn't prepared, actually, to come back when we did 'Hordes Of Zombies'. That was the reason why there was no shows or anything. It was, like, 'Come on, we did 'Hordes Of Zombies' with this other lineup which doesn't exist now, obviously. Then we didn't do anything.' So, what are people supposed to think? What happened to them? What do you think? Why don't they tour? The thing is, I wasn't prepared to tour because I was still recovering from back surgery. I wasn't even thinking about coming back. To be honest with you, I was ready to retire. I barely did the 2012 'Hordes Of Zombies'. I barely went through with it and I did it. I said 'I'm done. I can't even play these songs live.' But at the end of 2013, I met with Lee and we met at some place. We said, 'Hey, let's start jamming more TERRORIZER tunes. I know the songs on the guitar.' We started jamming about five songs. It turned out he knew all the albums. That's how the whole beginning in 2013, 2014, I went, 'Wow, I can do TERRORIZER.' It's not so much like MORBID with so much double bass. That's what ruined my back in the beginning. I go, 'Why not?' I'm a one-footed blaster. That's what TERRORIZER does. Therefore, that was a great beginning with Lee Harrison and then Sam, obviously, completing the team."

On whether TERRORIZER now feels like a regular band instead of a project:

Lee: "Seems like a band to me."

Pete: "We won't take six years either [to release another studio album]. We can do it in two years and not wait six years. The second album, 'Darker Days [Ahead]', there was 17 years. We're not going to wait that long, do you know what I mean?"

On the tape-trading scene that helped build TERRORIZER's name:

Pete: "At the time, it was necessary. During those years, there was no Internet. When was that? Early in the '80s? Come on, '85, '86, '87, we started in '86, '87 when we did those demos. Then, the trade trading. He [deceased TERRORIZER guitarist Jesse Pintado] had a lot of friends all around the world, fanzines and all kind of friends he used to trade tapes with and that's how TERRORIZER was starting to become known in the underground, but still in L.A., we meant nothing. We weren't getting signed; no labels were interested in that kind of music. Back then in 1986, '87, come on, even death metal wasn't really born yet. It was starting to come out and grindcore like REPULSION, those bands were very underground music. In other words, we didn't have a future over there in L.A. All we could do is do shows in L.A., parties, house shows, house parties, pretty much, but that was in backyards. They still do those in L.A. We couldn't get out of L.A. That was the main reason I had to move to Florida for MORBID ANGEL in July 1988 because TERRORIZER wasn't doing much back then."

On whether MORBID ANGEL leader Trey Azagthoth was ever jealous of TERRORIZER:

Pete: "No. I don't know, but Trey mentioned many times when I was in the band, in MORBID, through all the years, that he would love to do TERRORIZER stuff because some of the MORBID shows back in the day, I think 'Covenant' or 'Domination', I can't remember. 'Blessed Are The Sick' or 'Covenant', we did the song 'Dead Shall Rise'. MORBID ANGEL played the song many times in the United States. I don't know if we did in Europe, but in the United States we did it for several tours. Trey always wanted to play that kind of thing, but his band was always MORBID ANGEL. He was always busy with MORBID ANGEL. He was so busy and every album took so long and so many years. That was a band that took forever to write an album."

On whether he has a relationship with Azagthoth or the current members of MORBID ANGEL:

Pete: "I don't even speak to them. I'm not enemies [with them]. They do their lives. They mind their own lives and they mind my own. They don't contact me and I don't contact them. That's the way it is."

TERRORIZER's latest studio album, "Caustic Attack" was released last October via The End Records. The album was produced by Jason Suecof (DEICIDE, ALL THAT REMAINS, KATAKLYSM, BATTLECROSS) at Audiohammer Studios in Sanford, Florida and features apocalyptic cover art of Timbul Cahyono (ROTTING CORPSE, PYREXIA).

KISS has uploaded footage of their performance of "Let Me Go, Rock 'N' Roll" from their recent End Of The Road World Tour date in Sacramento, California. Watch below:

KISS launched the first leg of their massive End Of The Road World Tour on January 31st at Rogers Arena in Vancouver, BC. Speaking with Los Angeles Times, Gene Simmons talked about the trek.

“This is a good time to do one last victory lap,” says Simmons. “You want to go out on top.”

Gene insists these shows will exceed the band's previous spectacles. “It’s by far the largest and most over-the-top we’ve ever done,” Simmons said.

“There’s nothing subtle about what we do,” he said, adding the show will incorporate gravity-defying antics and “more firepower than most Third World countries.”

More pro-shot footage from the tour can be seen below:

A once in a lifetime concert experience like no band has offered before; the KISS ultimate VIPs are rock and roll royalty at their shows on the End Of The Road World Tour.

Ultimate VIP Package Includes:

- Private backstage Meet & Greet with KISS
- Personal Photo Opportunity with KISS
- Watch the whole show from the Pit (no fans have ever had access to the Pit)
- Backstage Tour with your personal KISS Concierge including;
- Your tour will take you to areas that only the band and limited members of the crew can visit!
- Start out by stepping foot on the holy ground that is the KISS stage
- Sit on Eric Singer’s drum stool at his drum kit
- Stand at Paul Stanley, Gene Simmons and Tommy Thayer’s Microphones
- Hold Paul's legendary Cracked mirror guitar. Gene's classic Axe bass and Tommy's signature Epiphone guitar
- Visit KISS wardrobe where you can see the bands outfits up close and try on the REAL KISS boots
- Along the way we'll visit all areas of the KISS production and you'll meet many members of the crew that keeps the KISS machine going strong
- Autographed "End of the Road" Limited Edition Framed Lithograph, specific to your show. -Hand numbered, 1 of 15, and shipped directly to your home
- Lifetime Membership for the Official KISS ARMY Fan Club
- Exclusive Access to the KISS Army Captain’s Hospitality Lounge including;
- VIP Bar with wine, beer and the KISS "End of the Road" Signature Cocktail
- Hot and cold hors d’oeuvres and a dessert bar
- Dedicated VIP entrance
- Commemorative KISS Meet & Greet laminate
- Access to crowd free merchandise shopping
- On Site VIP Host




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Germany's Kommando, featuring members of Endstille and Dysangelium, performed at Germany's Wacken Open Air festival in the summer of 2015. Professionally-filmed footage of the band's full set can be seen below.

Setlist:

"Machinegun Punk"
"Untitled"
"Indoctrination"
"Old And In The Way"
"Crush Them To Death"
"Bitching Hair"
"Iron Goat Triumph"
"Kommandojugend"
"One For Your Wife"
"Die Jugend ist unser Unglück"
"Alle gegen alle"

Los Angeles’ All Hail The Yeti have launched a music video for “Highway Crosses” (see below) and will kick off a massive tour with In Flames and All That Remains tomorrow (February 12th).

This specific song and video is quintessential All Hail The Yeti , as it showcases them in a much different light, further expanding their song-writing prowess. It’s catchy, slammin and freaking still heavy as balls. Enjoy and don’t forget to go stream the brand-new album, Highway Crosses, now on all digital platforms via MinusHead Records.

Connor Garritty (vocals) states: “This is an exciting song and music video for us. As artists, you must always take risks and push yourself to try new things. Well, this was our moment. We teamed up with Jorel Decker of Hollywood Undead to write this song. This is the first time in the life of this band that we brought an outside person in to write with us. Jorel has been a supporter since the very beginning, so everything just felt right. Now, flash forward to the video. This was one of the most fun and easy videos we have ever shot. Director, Brain Cox (Gemini Syndrome, Hollywood Undead), took my vision and went with it. The end result is the perfect combination of Sci-Fi and Thriller. It all blends all so perfectly with the music. We are so excited to unleash this on the world! It’s bridging the gap between heavy metal and hard-rock fans. You won’t be disappointed!

"What can be said about In Flames and All That Remains that hasn’t already been said since the beginning. These are two legendary bands. We are beyond honored and grateful to have this opportunity. Our job every night is to set the bar high, so that’s exactly what we plan to do. We have a great set lined up and all new surprises! We hope to see all our friends, fans and family and we are looking forward to meeting so many new people!"

(Photo - Neil Zlozower)




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Salt Lake City's traditional metal champions, Visigoth, have released a video for "Traitor's Gate", featured on their sophomore album, Conqueror's Oath. The video features live footage from Visigoth's festival shows at Hell Over Hammaburg, Keep It True and Bang Your Head and was edited by Oliver Bomber Barth for Visions in Fear.

Order the new album in a variety of formats here.

Conqueror's Oath tracklisting:

"Steel And Silver"
"Warrior Queen"
"Outlive Them All"
"Hammerforged"
"Traitor's Gate"
"Salt City"
"Blades In The Night"
"The Conqueror's Oath"

Album stream:

"Warrior Queen" video:

Tour dates:

February
17 - Würzburg, Germany - Metal Assault Festival
18 - Oldenburg, Germany - MTS Records Store
19 - Berlin, Germany - Cortina
20 - Leipzig, Germany - Four Rooms
21 - Wien, Austria - Escape Metal Corner
22 - Innsbruck, Austria - Livestage
23 - Dornbirn, Austria - Schlachthaus
24 - Lünen, Germany - Swordbrothers Festival
25 - Genk, Belgium - Flashback
27 - Barcelona, Spain - Rocksound
28 - Zaragoza, Spain - Sala Lopez

March
1 - Madrid, Spain - Sala Live
2 - Ljungby, Sweden - Turbofest
3 - Niederjossa, Germany - Full Metal Fest
6 - Göppingen, Germany - Zille
7 - Leiden, Netherlands - De Noble
8 - Marburg, Germany - Szenario
9 - Weiher, Germany - Live Music Hall
10 - Hamburg, Germany - Hell Over Hammaburg Festival




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MetallicaTV has uploaded this footage of Metallica performing "Wherever I May Roam", at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio on February 1st:

Metallica performs next on February 28th at Don Haskins Center in El Paso, Texas. The band's complete tour schedule, which stretches into August, can be found at this location.

"Mark your calendars for the seventh annual Metallica Night!," states a message from Metallica. "On April 26, 2019 - just before we take off for our annual European summer vacation - we'll celebrate one of our favourite hometown traditions, Metallica Night at Oracle Park with the San Francisco Giants. Members of the band will be on hand to start things off with the National Anthem and first pitch, sticking around all night to cheer on the team against the New York Yankees. As is customary, we'll take part in some of the between-inning fun and games, as well as an exclusive pre-game VIP event (more on that below).

"Special Event Metallica ticket packages include a ticket to the game and a limited-edition Metallica/Giants reversible knit beanie. A portion of the proceeds from every Metallica Night Special Event ticket sold will benefit All Within My Hands.

"There will also be a pre-game VIP event in Triples Alley as we celebrate the release of our very own Blackened American Whiskey and, in partnership with Stone Brewing Co.’s Arrogant Consortia, Enter Night Pilsner. Lars, Robert, and key players from both companies will be on hand for a Q & A. And of course the Blackened and Enter Night will be flowing out in Triples! Once again, All Within My Hands will benefit from ticket sales to this exclusive event.

"Fifth Members will have a chance to purchase tickets in a special presale on Friday, February 8th at 12 PM, PST; log in to your Fifth Member account and visit the Club News section at that time for a link to purchase tickets to the game and the VIP event early. The presale ends on Friday, February 8th at 11:59 PM PST. Tickets will be available to the general public on Saturday, February 9th at 8 AM PST at sfgiants.com/specialevents

"Visit the Giants’ Special Events page for more information. We look forward to seeing you at the yard for another exciting season of Giants baseball!"




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Photographic evidence has emerged suggesting that bassist Cliff Williams is part of the rumored AC/DC comeback album which is expected to be released in the coming months.

Last August, singer Brian Johnson and drummer Phil Rudd, along with guitarists Angus Young and Stevie Young, were photographed outside Vancouver's Warehouse Studios. Based on the pictures, the assumption at the time was that AC/DC was in the midst of making — or at least planning — another album, with Rudd and Johnson both back in the lineup.

Williams, who announced his retirement from AC/DC more than two years ago, wasn't seen in any of the images from the Warehouse, leading many fans to speculate that he was not involved in the band's latest recording sessions.

But a newly uncovered photo posted on the Instagram account of Canadian personal trainer Scott Frinskie places Williams and Johnson together at a Vancouver hotel while the studio sessions were taking place.

The picture, which can be seen below, appears to have been taken at the Shangri-La Hotel around the same time — September 2018 — that Johnson recorded a video message congratulating Canadian rockers HEADSTONES on the 25th anniversary of their critically acclaimed debut album, "Picture Of Health".

When Williams confirmed his retirement in an emotional video following the end of the group's "Rock Or Bust" world tour, he stated that it was "time" for him "to step out." His decision followed a string of personnel changes for the group that started with co-founding guitarist Malcolm Young's departure in 2014 after he was diagnosed with dementia. In 2015, Rudd was sentenced to house arrest after he was found guilty on a drug charge, while in early 2016, Johnson was forced to step down or face the loss of his hearing.

While Cliff acknowledged the numerous changes that the band had undergone in recent years, he noted AC/DC has been dealing with such tumult since the death of singer Bon Scott.

"Everything changes, so it's not that," he said. "It's just, I'm ready to get off the road and do what I do in between tours."

Ever since AC/DC completed the tour cycle for its 2014 album "Rock Or Bust", fans have wondered whether sole remaining founding member Angus Young would keep the band going or decide it was time for AC/DC to pack it in.

Johnson left AC/DC mid-tour and was eventually replaced on the road by GUNS N' ROSES frontman Axl Rose.

View this post on Instagram Brian Johnson & Cliff Williams - AC/DC A post shared by Scott Frinskie (@24eltoro) on Dec 14, 2018 at 2:31pm PST

AC/DC's Brian Johnson
#BrianJohnson #ACDC #PictureOfHealth #POH #ThePictureOfHealthTour #rocknroll

AC/DC HeadstonesPosted by Headstones on Thursday, September 6, 2018

Veteran Arizona thrashers SACRED REICH are currently in the studio recording their highly anticipated new studio album — the band's first in 23 years — titled "Awakening". Due this summer, the disc is being produced by Arthur Rizk, who has previously worked with CAVALERA CONSPIRACY, POWER TRIP and CODE ORANGE, among others. "Awakening" will mark SACRED REICH's first release since the return of drummer Dave McClain.

Comments bassist/vocalist Phil Rind: "Recording is in full swing with producer Arthur Rizk at The Platinum Underground in Arizona. We are so excited to be back in the studio after 23 years. Dave is currently killing it on the drums. Sounds sick! Our new record, 'Awakening', is due this summer. Stay tuned! Tour dates across the planet coming your way!"

SACRED REICH has just announced tour dates across Europe and the U.S. The "Awakening" European tour will cover all of Europe and begins in November 2019. Additionally, SACRED REICH has announced a string of dates in North America alongside IRON REAGAN, LEEWAY and ENFORCED for May and European visits for festivals in July and August.

With IRON REAGAN, LEEWAY and ENFORCED:

May 09 - Asbury Park, NJ - House of Independents

May 10 - Pittsburgh, PA Cattivo

May 11 - Baltimore, MD - Metro

May 12 - Boston, MA - Once Ballroom

May 14 - Cleveland, OH - Grog Shop

May 15 - Chicago, IL - Reggie's

May 16 - Detroit, MI - Sanctuary

May 17 - Toronto, ON - Lee's Palace

Summer festival appearances:

Jul. 06 - ES - Barcelona - Barcelona Rock Fest

Jul. 07 - IT - Verona - Rock The Castle Festival

Aug. 08 - CZ - Josefov - Brutal Assault Festival

Aug. 10 - NL - Leeuwarden - Into The Grave Festival

Aug. 11 - BE - Kortrijk - Alcatraz Metal Festival

Aug. 12 - DE - Saarbrücken - Garage (w/ TESTAMENT)

Aug. 14 - DE - Regensburg - Airport Obertraubling (w/ TESTAMENT)

Aug. 18 - FR - Saint-Nolff - Motocultor Festival

Oct. 13 - US - Los Angeles - MegaCruise

"Awakening" European tour 2019:

Nov. 08 - DK - Copenhagen - Pumpehuset

Nov. 10 - DE - Berlin - SO36

Nov. 12 - PL - Warsaw - Proxima

Nov. 13 - PL - Kraków - Kwadrat

Nov. 14 - CZ - Praha - Futurum

Nov. 15 - HU - Budapest - Dürer Kert

Nov. 16 - SI - Ljubljana - Orto Bar

Nov. 17 - AT - Graz - Explosiv

Nov. 20 - FR - Lyon - Ninkasi Kao

Nov. 21 - ES - Barcelona - Sala Razzmatazz 2

Nov. 22 - ES - Madrid - Sala Mon Live

Nov. 23 - ES - Bilbao - Santana 27

Nov. 24 - FR - Limoges - CC John Lennon

Nov. 26 - FR - Savigny-le-Temple - L'Empreinte

Nov. 27 - UK - London - Underworld

Nov. 29 - UK - Newcastle - University

Nov. 30 - UK - Glasgow - Classic Grand

Dec. 01 - UK - Belfast - Limelight 2

Dec. 03 - IR - Dublin - Voodoo Lounge

Dec. 04 - UK - Wolverhampton - Steelmill

Dec. 06 - NL - Leiden - Gebr. De Nobel

Dec. 07 - NL - Helmond - Cacaofabriek

Dec. 08 - DE - Essen - Turock

Dec. 10 - DE - Aschaffenburg - Colos Saal

Dec. 11 - DE - Nürnberg - Hirsch

Dec. 12 - DE - Jena - F-Haus

Dec. 13 - DE - Karlsruhe - Substage

Dec. 14 - DE - München - Backstage Halle

McClain was a member of SACRED REICH from 1991 to 1995. He played on the "A Question" EP (1991) and the "Independent" (1993) and "Heal" (1996) albums before leaving to join MACHINE HEAD.

SACRED REICH bassist/vocalist Phil Rind recently said that Dave's return to the band was "the best-case scenario that we could have hoped for. Dave is the best!" he added. "A great drummer and a great person and we are beyond excited to welcome him back to the band."

Dave added: "I'm so excited about rejoining my brothers in SACRED REICH. To have the opportunity to make and play music with one of my favorite metal bands was always something I hoped could happen. I can't wait for everyone to hear the new album that we're recording and to come see us out on the road in 2019-2020."

McClain left MACHINE HEAD in November after completing the band's "Freaks & Zeroes Tour".

Last year, SACRED REICH recruited drummer Tim Radziwill as the temporary replacement for Greg Hall.

Hall announced his departure from SACRED REICH in January 2018, explaining in a statement that he was fired "rather abruptly and by phone."

Formed in 1986, SACRED REICH is part of the second wave of thrash, along with TESTAMENT, DEATH ANGEL, DESTRUCTION and DARK ANGEL. Over the years, SACRED REICH has produced a catalog of politically charged aggressive songs that have stood the test of time.

SACRED REICH's last studio album, "Heal", came out in 1996. The band broke up in 2000 and remained inactive until 2006 when they received offers to play European festivals.

Since coming out of retirement more than a decade ago, SACRED REICH has almost exclusively played the European festival circuit every summer. But that changed in 2017 as SACRED REICH celebrated the 30th anniversary of its classic album "Ignorance". To commemorate this milestone, the band brought its "30 Years Of Ignorance" tour around the world.

Photo credit: Stephanie Cabral

Classical guitar virtuoso Thomas Zwijsen has joined forces with former Iron Maiden vocalist Blaze Bayley for a new classical acoustic album, entitled December Wind. A music video for the track "The Love Of Your Life", as well as a performance video for "The Crimson Tide", can be found below.

The album is available now at ThomasZwijsen.com with worldwide shipping.

Tracklisting:

"Eye Of The Storm"
"Love Will Conquer All"
"2AM" (Iron Maiden)
"Miracle On The Hudson"
"December Wind"
"We Fell From The Sky"
"The Crimson Tide"
"The Love Of Your Life"
"Stealing Time" (Blaze)
"Russian Holiday"
"Soundtrack Of My Life" (Blaze)
"One More Step"
"Sign Of The Cross" (Iron Maiden)

"The Love Of Your Life" video:

"The Crimson Tide" performance video:

"December Wind" video:




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Ozzy Osbourne's debut solo album, 1980's "Blizzard Of Ozz", has been certified quintuple platinum in the U.S. by the RIAA (Recording Industry Association of America) after accumulating five million certified units. The February 4 recognition comes more than two decades since the LP was certified quadruple platinum (August 15, 1997).

Also certified on February 4 was Ozzy's 2003 greatest-hits album, "The Essential Ozzy Osbourne", which went double platinum after accumulating two million certified units. That collection was previously certified platinum on March 3, 2016.

"Blizzard Of Ozz" was reissued in 2011 in a definitive edition that restored and remastered the original recordings. It was made available separately or as part of a deluxe box set with 1981's "Diary Of A Madman" that featured both albums on CD and vinyl, a 100-page coffee table book, a documentary on DVD and a "full-size detailed replica of Ozzy's iconic cross."

The two albums were recorded soon after Ozzy was booted from BLACK SABBATH and marked his brief but legendary collaboration with late guitar hero Randy Rhoads. Ozzy told The Pulse Of Radio that he thought he had a winning combination on his hands. "You kind of know, but then again you don't know, because I mean, you're treading on new territory," he said. "And being as I had been fired from BLACK SABBATH, there was a lot of rivalry between them and me. I had everything to gain and nothing to lose, you know."

Both albums came with previously unreleased bonus tracks and have been restored and remastered from the original analog recordings.

The albums restored the bass and drum tracks played respectively by Bob Daisley and Lee Kerslake, which were controversially removed for a 2002 reissue by Ozzy's wife and manager Sharon over a royalties dispute.

The "Blizzard Of Ozz" reissue came with three bonus studio tracks, including an alternate version of "Goodbye To Romance" and a song never previously released in the U.S. called "You Looking At Me, Looking At You".

Mastodon drummer Brann Dailor is featured in a new interview with Rock Sverige, discussing the band's next album which is currently in the beginning stages. Following is an excerpt from the discussion.

Q: What can you tell me about the new album? Is it done or are you still working on it?

Brann: "Nah, it´s far from done. We´re working on it."

Q: There was talk about a song dropping just recently, a brutal, heavy song?

Brann: "We wanted to release it right ahead of this tour and we were trying really hard and we had one foot in the studio and one foot on the airplane coming to Europe and it just didn´t really come together as quickly as we wanted it to. It´s finished, the song is fully finished and it´s mastered and ready to rock but we´ll just have to wait to release it. It would´ve made sense to release it ahead of this tour because we have Scott Kelly (Neurosis) with us and he sings on some of it, so that would´ve been cool. We missed by a week or something and then we were stupid and went and blabbed about it like it was going to be a done deal. We thought it was going to be done sooner, but there were som circumstances that got in the way unfortunately, but it´s still a kickass song and it´s pretty heavy."

Q: The album? Are we looking at a release later this year or early next year?

Brann: "I think next year would be smarter, on our part. We need to let people miss us, maybe."

Go to this location for the complete interview.

Mastodon recently released Part 4 of a video series recapping their Emperor Of The Sand tour, stating, "Billy Butterslax keeps busy on the road! We had a blast having our buddy, Danger Ehren on the road for a few days last summer. UK and Europe, has been a great tour so far!"

Part 1:

Part 2:

Part 3:

Part 4:

Mastodon tour dates can be found here.




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American rock band Lullwater has released the official music video for their single “Empty Chamber”. The song is off of the band's upcoming LP, Voodoo, set for release on February 22nd.

“We all have experienced and been in a moment of excruciating emotional pain and ‘Empty Chamber’ was written during one of those moments,” says Lullwater vocalist and rhythm guitarist John Strickland. “The song has an upbeat tempo and happy melodic vibe, but the lyrics are depressing and filled with anxiety. Sometimes everything in life can be going great, but you still struggle with emotional pain and confusion. I feel ‘Empty Chamber’ embodies that emotion.”

The cover art and tracklisting for Voodoo can be seen below.

"Curtain Call"
"Dark Divided"
"Empty Chamber"
"Similar Skin"
"This Life"
"Godlike"
"Buzzards"
"Fight Of Your Life"
"Into The Sun"
"Yellow Bird"
"Suffer Not"

In live news, Lullwater is currently opening for Sevendust with special guest Tremonti; remaining shows are as listed:

February
10 - Baltimore, MD - Rams Head Live
13 - Huntington, NY - The Paramount
14 - Boston, MA - House Of Blues
15 - Providence, RI - The Strand
16 - Sayreville, NJ - Starland Ballroom
18 - New Haven, CT - Toad’s Place
19 - Poughkeepsie, NY - The Chance
20 - Buffalo, NY - Rapids
22 - Flint, MI - Machine Shop
25 - Columbus, OH - Newport Music Hall
26 - Chicago, IL - House Of Blues
27 - Columbia, MO - The Blue Note

March
1 - Wichita, KS - The Cotillion
2 - Oklahoma City, OK - Diamond Ballroom
3 - San Antonio, TX - Vibes Event Center




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Legendary vocalist Paul Rodgers spoke to SiriusXM's "Trunk Nation" about his experience fronting QUEEN between 2004 and 2009.

"Well, it was a wild ride, I'll tell you," he said (hear audio below). "And it came out of the blue. When Brian [May, QUEEN guitarist] asked me if I wanted to do a couple of shows just for fun in Europe, I was pretty taken aback. And I must say my first reaction was, 'Well, I really don't see that.' But then I said to myself, 'Well, it's a challenge. Let me see if I can do it. Maybe I'm chickening out here.' So I did it. And it turned into four years, actually. We toured all over the place. We toured the world twice, and we finished off with a studio album of all-original material. So it was a wild and crazy ride, as they say. And we are still friends, and I love the guys."

With Rodgers at the mic, QUEEN embarked on two world tours and released an album, "The Cosmos Rocks", in 2008. They amicably parted ways a year later when Rodgers returned to BAD COMPANY.

"When I sort of joined forces with [QUEEN], they were not touring," Rodgers recalled. "They were doing one-off gigs — they were big one-off gigs, but they weren't touring. And with me, what we did [is] we went out… They wanted to play 50 percent of their music and 50 percent of mine, and I said to them, 'People haven't seen QUEEN live for a long time. We should make it QUEEN heavy.' So we did four or five of my songs… But it was great. It was good."

Rodgers has said in previous interviews that he performed all of the QUEEN songs in the late Freddie Mercury's original keys. "A lot of people drop the keys," Paul said. "But, to me, the challenge was to do this material the way it was done, but in my interpretation of it."

The current incarnation of QUEEN, featuring Adam Lambert, the 2009 "American Idol" runner-up, was created in 2011 and has gone on several tours, including two worldwide runs in 2014-15 and 2017-18.

In a 2014 interview with the Toronto Sun, May and drummer Roger Taylor admitted that their collaboration with Lambert is a better fit than their previous involvement with Rodgers.

"Paul has one of the greatest rock voices but it's more blues- and soul-orientated I would have thought," Taylor told the Toronto Sun. "I would say, with all due respect to Paul, that Adam is more suited to a lot of our material and whereas we had great tours with Paul, I think Adam is more naturally at home with us." May concurred and added that Lambert's remarkable range and flamboyant stage presence are much more in line with those of Mercury. "Yeah, I think the styles match more closely in a sense," May said. "But we had a great time with Paul, no doubt about it, and it kind of stretched it to a new place and, I think, a thoroughly good experience. But Adam is really… Like us, he has many, many colors, so we can explore some of those strange excursions that QUEEN likes to."

Photo by Christie Goodwin

On February 8, ex-DREAM THEATER drummer Mike Portnoy and his former bandmate Jordan Rudess reunited on stage during the Cruise To The Edge to perform "Instrumedley" from DREAM THEATER / LIQUID TENSION EXPERIMENT. They were joined by NEAL MORSE BAND guitarist Eric Gillette and HAKEN bassist Conner Green.

On Saturday, Portnoy wrote on Facebook: "My MP & Friends show yesterday aboard Cruise To The Edge was a night to remember!! I can't believe it's been almost 9 years since Jordan and I have played together... and it instantly felt like not a day had passed!"

"Instrumedley" contains excerpts of DREAM THEATER's "The Dance Of Eternity", "Metropolis", "Erotomania", "A Change Of Seasons", "Ytse Jam", "Hells Kitchen" and LIQUID TENSION EXPERIMENT's "Paradigm Shift" and "Universal Mind".

On Tuesday (February 5), Portnoy tweeted: "Absolutely awesome evening watching my friend @Jcrudess play a wonderful solo concert and then having a great dinner together afterwards! #oncefamilyalwaysfamily @cruisetotheedge"

Back in April 2015, Portnoy and Rudess both joined the British progressive metal band HAKEN on stage in New York City. Three months earlier, they were photographed having what appeared to be friendly banter at the 2015 NAMM show in Anaheim, California.

A litte over a year ago, Portnoy posted a photo of him hanging out with DREAM THEATER guitarist John Petrucci in a move that clearly represented a thawing of tensions between the two musicians who had been friends for more than three decades.


On Wednesday, Rudess discussed his latest encounter with Portnoy during an appearance on SiriusXM's "Trunk Nation", which is hosted by Eddie Trunk. The keyboardist said: "I think it's really nice. People whose music you love, you wanna see them getting along. So, even from my perspective, I see John and Mike together, and I'm, like, yeah, that makes sense. They were so close. They made so much music together."

He continued: "I told Mike the other night. I said, 'The way I look at our relationship is that we've toured around the world together numerous times, we've written all this music together, we've been on tour buses everywhere. How many people in this lifetime that we're in can you be that close to and have that many experiences with?"

Although Portnoy and his former bandmates in DREAM THEATER engaged in a public war of words following his exit from the group, Rudess says that he harbors no resentment toward his longtime friend.

"When Portnoy left the band, there was tension — natural tension — because it was a big deal," Jordan told "Trunk Nation". "But what's really important to me is finding that… especially somebody who I care about, who I had so much life experience with. And he's a really great guy. There are so many wonderful things about him. So I wanna enjoy that.

"People will say, 'Oh my God! DREAM THEATER is gonna have Portnoy back in the band.' That's not what it's about," Rudess added. "This is about people and people who spent a lot of time together being able to be close together and be friends."

Rudess acknowledged that some of his other DREAM THEATER bandmates have "their own feelings" about maintaining a connection with their former drummer. "But Mike and I enjoyed hanging out and chatting about old times and all the stuff," he said. "So it was really cool."

In November 2017, Mike told Loud that he left DREAM THEATER because he wanted to expand his musical horizons. "[I didn't] want to go to my grave and just be the drummer from DREAM THEATER," he said. "I knew there was way more to what I had to offer."




My “MP & Friends” show yesterday aboard Cruise To The Edge was a night to remember!! I can’t believe it’s been almost 9...Posted by Mike Portnoy on Saturday, February 9, 2019