MÖTLEY CRÜE has collaborated with Machine Gun Kelly on a song that will be included in the soundtrack to the film adaptation of the group's biography, "The Dirt - Confessions Of The World's Most Notorious Rock Band".

The rapper — whose real name is Colson Baker — plays MÖTLEY CRÜE drummer Tommy Lee in the movie, which will premiere on March 22 via Netflix. "The Dirt" also stars Daniel Webber ("The Punisher") as singer Vince Neil, Douglas Booth as bassist Nikki Sixx and Iwan Rheon ("Game Of Thrones") as guitarist Mick Mars.

At the end of last year, the members of MÖTLEY CRÜE reunited with longtime producer Bob Rock to record four new songs for the soundtrack.

In a Twitter question-and-answer session Wednesday night, Sixx was asked if Machine Gun Kelly would guest on one of the songs, to which he answered: "Yes. New song with MGK is coming really soon."

Asked to describe the new MÖTLEY CRÜE music, he answered: "Heavy Crüe…"

"The Dirt" was helmed by "Jackass Presents: Bad Grandpa" director Jeff Tremaine. It was picked up by Netflix after being previously developed at Focus Features and before that at Paramount.

Machine Gun Kelly told Billboard that he got his part in the movie after "a six-audition process. The first two, I was auditioning for Nikki Sixx, and then the last four for Tommy Lee, over the course of two and a half years," he said.

In 2015, MÖTLEY CRÜE completed "The Final Tour", closing the book on the band's iconic career after performing a total of 164 shows in 72 markets, grossing over $100 million.

To cement the sense of finality, the four members of MÖTLEY CRÜE in 2014 publicly signed a "cessation of touring" contract that prevents any of them from performing under the CRÜE name in the future.

A tour film about MÖTLEY CRÜE's final shows, "The End", came out in 2016.

"Taste Like", a new song from Sacramento, California rockers TESLA, can be streamed below. The track is taken from the band's eighth studio album, "Shock", which will be released on March 8 via UMe. Produced and co-written by DEF LEPPARD guitarist Phil Collen, the follow-up to June 2014's "Simplicity" is available on CD, digital, black vinyl, and limited-edition translucent blue vinyl formats. Fans who pre-order the album will receive the album title track is an instant-grat free download.

"Shock" track listing:

01. You Won't Take Me Alive

02. Taste Like

03. We Can Rule The World

04. Shock

05. Love Is A Fire

06. California Summer Song

07. Forever Loving You

08. The Mission

09. Tied To The Tracks

10. Afterlife

11. I Want Everything

12. Comfort Zone

Collen previously co-wrote and produced the TESLA song "Save That Goodness", which was released in August 2016 and included on the "Mechanical Resonance Live!" album.

TESLA guitarist Frank Hannon told The Metal Voice about "Shock": "It definitely has an '80s kind of polished production... but there is no real direction. I always quote '[This Is] Spinal Tap', when Nigel [Tufnel] says, 'Changing our style is our style.' We don't really pigeonhole ourselves into one sound. We've got elements of metal, country, Americana, a lot of these different directions... This new album, it has the big production, but every song sounds different. Each guy in the band has a different influence. I'm influenced by southern rock a lot, so you're going to hear some slide guitar riffs on there, but there's also, like, [bassist] Brian Wheat, who's influenced by QUEEN and THE BEATLES, so you're going to hear these big Beatle vocals. Phil Collen obviously, you're going to hear some DEF LEPPARD-style influence... It's a combo pizza, man. It's got everything on it."

Regarding Collen's involvement in "Shock", Frank said: "Phil came to us and wanted to produce an album for us... Phil really, really helped us. I'll be honest — we were at a low point after we did [2014's] 'Simplicity'. We were really frustrated, and we were probably not going to make another album. Phil had a bunch of song ideas, and a lot of the writing on the new album is co-written with Phil. He interjected a lot of positive energy for us and helped us get back on our feet. He's bringing production quality and details that we would have not done and haven't done in the past. Some fans may not like it; some fans are probably going love it. This is something that we wanted to try, we've never worked like this before. Mutt Lange is a producer that really has techniques that are very detailed in the studio, and Phil obviously has experienced all that, and he brought that type of approach into making a TESLA record, which we'd never done before. There's a lot of killer sonics. The sound of this new record is really... I don't know how to describe it. It's just awesome; it's produced; and, like, really powerful."

TESLA's current lineup includes four of the five original members: Jeff Keith (vocals), Frank Hannon (guitars), Brian Wheat (bass) and Troy Luccketta (drums). Guitarist Dave Rude joined in 2006 as the replacement for Tommy Skeoch.

"Warpaint", the title track of the new album from Californian rockers BUCKCHERRY, can be streamed below. Due on March 8 via Century Media/RED Music, the 12-song disc, featuring 11 new BUCKCHERRY songs along with a cover of the NINE INCH NAILS classic "Head Like A Hole", was produced by Mike Plotnikoff, whose last collaboration with the band was the platinum-certified album "15". The album art was created by Aaron Marsh and can be seen below.

Singer Josh Todd comments: "Good things come to those who wait and we have been very patient and thorough with the songwriting for 'Warpaint'. We took into consideration all the factors and what this record means to, not only us, but the great BUCKCHERRY fans around the world. This record takes the listener on an unforgettable journey and I'm very proud of it."


"Warpaint" track listing:

01. Warpaint

02. The Alarm

03. Bent

04. Radio Song

05. Closer

06. Back Down

07. The Vacuum

08. No Regrets

09. The Hunger

10. The Devil's In The Details

11. Right Now

12. Head Like A Hole

BUCKCHERRY recently recruited Francis Ruiz as its new drummer. He joins the band as the replacement for Sean Winchester, who left BUCKCHERRY after laying down the drum tracks on "Warpaint".

Ruiz previously worked as a drum tech for such acclaimed drummers as Paul Bostaph (SLAYER), Charlie Benante (ANTHRAX), Mikkey Dee (MOTÖRHEAD), Tommy Aldridge (THIN LIZZY), James Kottak (SCORPIONS), Jeff Fabb (BLACK LABEL SOCIETY) and "Wild" Mick Brown (TED NUGENT). He also filled in for Dee in 2009 during a MOTÖRHEAD tour in Canada.

Winchester hooked up with BUCKCHERRY in 2017 following the departure of the band's longtime drummer Xavier Muriel. Sean was previously the drummer of JOSH TODD & THE CONFLICT, the group featuring BUCKCHERRY singer Josh Todd and guitarist Stevie Dacanay (a.k.a. Stevie D.).

Photo credit: Israel Perez

Norwegian extreme metal formation GAAHLS WYRD, fronted by renowned vocalist Gaahl (GORGOROTH, WARDRUNA), will release its debut album, "GastiR - Ghosts Invited", on May 31 via Season Of Mist. The disc was recorded last year at Solslottet Studios in Norway with Iver Sandøy (ENSLAVED).


Those who are expecting a blasting black metal offering are in for something unexpected. Even though "GastiR – Ghosts invited" is firmly rooted in extreme metal, Gaahl's vocal delivery on this record is something out of the ordinary and the first class riffing in combination with the excellent musicianship is bound to take you places you've never been before.

The first single from the disc, "Ghosts Invited", can be streamed below.

Gaahl is known as one of Norway's most-talked-about and respected extreme metal musicians. His work with TRELLDOM, GORGOROTH, WARDRUNA and GOD SEED has been widely regarded as some of the best the black metal scene has had to offer.


Under the moniker GAAHLS WYRD, the vocalist assembled some of Norway's finest metal musicians. The band consist of Ole Walaunet (THE BATALLION, GOD SEED, GRIMFIST), Frode Kilvik (KRAKOW, AETERNUS) and Kevin Kvåle (HORIZON ABLAZE). This highly qualified bunch recently toured a finely selected, career spanning repertoire from Gaahl's time in TRELLDOM, GORGOROTH and GOD SEED to great acclaim.

"GastiR - Ghosts Invited" track listing:

01. Ek Erilar (05:34)

02. From The Spear (04:37)

03. Ghosts Invited (04:23)

04. Carving The Voices (07:26)

05. Veiztu Hve (06:41)

06. The Speech And The Self (05:02)

07. Through And Past And Past (02:59)

08. Within The Voice Of Existence (05:25)

GAAHLS WYRD is about to embark on a European tour with TRIBULATION, UADA and IDLE HANDS.

GAAHLS WYRD is:

Gaahl (Kristian Espedal) - Vocals

Lust Kilman (Ole Walaunet) - Guitar

Eld (Frode Kilvik) - Bass

Spektre (Kevin Kvåle) - Drums

Ozzy Osbourne is doing "much better," three days after the BLACK SABBATH singer was hospitalized because of flu complications.

On Monday (February 4), Ozzy was admitted to the Keck Hospital of University of Southern California. His wife and manager, Sharon Osbourne, said that doctors believe "this is the best way to get him on a quicker road to recovery."

Earlier today (Thursday, February 7), the couple's son Jack posted an Instagram selfie in a car, along with the caption: "Fresh cut. New glasses. Sunny day. All is well. Now I'm off to see dad. He's doing much better. Thanks for all your messages)"

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. Ozzy was diagnosed with a severe upper respiratory infection which his doctor felt could develop into pneumonia if he stayed on the road.

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.

View this post on Instagram Fresh cut. New glasses. Sunny day. All is well. Now I’m off to see dad. He’s doing much better. Thanks for all your messages) A post shared by Jack Osbourne (@jackosbourne) on Feb 7, 2019 at 12:27pm PST

SLIPKNOT/STONE SOUR frontman Corey Taylor is apparently collaborating with U.K. rapper Kid Bookie — and all it took was Kid Bookie hitting 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, it appears the collaboration is happening, with Bookie tweeting on Tuesday (February 5): "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, but somewhere in there he's apparently going to make time to get together with Bookie for their new project. The next SLIPKNOT album follows up 2014's ".5: The Gray Chapter" and is due out this summer.

SlipKnot - Wait & Bleed is as iconic as Chop Suey.— Books. (@kidbookie) January 30, 2019



Let’s talk my friend. ? https://t.co/PIDig8fi5K— confirm: 0-0-0... DESTRUCT... 0 (@CoreyTaylorRock) January 30, 2019



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.

S.I.M.W.R ?— Books. (@kidbookie) February 5, 2019

DROWNING POOL has apparently commenced the recording process for the follow-up to its 2016 album "Hellelujah".

This past Tuesday (February 5), the Texas heavy rockers posted a picture of a studio whiteboard on their Facebook page, along with several working songtitles that are set to appear on the band's next disc.

Back in December 2017, DROWNING POOL guitarist C.J. Pierce told the 97.1 The Eagle radio station that "everybody" in the group had "brought amazing material" during the songwriting phase for the band's next LP.

Asked how the material for the new disc compares to the songs on "Hellelujah", Pierce said: "It's just a continuation of that. I mean, it's rock and roll. There's a lot of different ideas, again, on the table, so it's coming together. Jay [vocalist Jasen Moreno] and Steve [bassist Stevie Benton] bring a lot of lyrics to the table as of late as well. I love the double meanings in everything that we have. We're getting deeper with the lyrics — deep tracks — so it's getting there. [We're] just evolving as a band, and it's monumental. This next record with Jasen, it's three records in [with the same singer] — the first time we've done that with anybody. So, obviously, we like Jay; he's gonna stay around."

Moreno, DROWNING POOL's fourth frontman, told 97.1 The Eagle about his time with the band so far: "I love it. It's gonna sound so cliché, but it's been a mind-blowing experience and it hasn't faded, it hasn't lost its luster. It continues to challenge me in ways that I never could have foreseen. I didn't expect my life to go this way. Obviously, I wanted it to, but I never thought that it would actually happen. So I don't think that I'm ever gonna really be in full belief and acceptance of what has happened, 'cause it's just so crazy."

Moreno, who previously fronted fellow Texas band THE SUICIDE HOOK, replaced vocalist Ryan McCombs, who exited DROWNING POOL at the end of 2011 after a six-year stint in the lineup.

DROWNING POOL played a number of shows in 2017 with singer Joey Duenas, formerly of the bands UNLOCO and ANEW REVOLUTION. Duenas was apparently filling in for Moreno, who was unable to make the dates for reasons that were not disclosed.

DROWNING POOL's original singer, Dave Williams, died on tour in 2002 after singing on the band's debut, "Sinner". He was replaced by Jason "Gong" Jones, who also contributed to one record, "Desensitized", before being shown the door in 2004.

"Hellelujuah" came out in February 2016 via eOne Music. The follow-up to 2013's "Resilience" was recorded with renowned producer Jason Suecof (AUGUST BURNS RED, DEICIDE, DEATH ANGEL).


The beginning....Posted by Drowning Pool on Tuesday, February 5, 2019


Day 1Posted by Drowning Pool on Tuesday, February 5, 2019

The official lyric video for the song "Book Of Love" from IMPERIA — fronted by Norwegian singer Helena Iren Michaelsen (the original vocalist of the Dutch band SAHARA DUST, which later changed its name to EPICA) — can be seen below. The track is taken from IMPERIA's fifth studio album, "Flames Of Eternity", which will be released on February 22 via Massacre Records. It will be available as CD digipak, limited-edition vinyl LP, stream and download.

The mix and mastering was once again put into the magical hands of Jacob Hansen, while Jan Yrlund himself is responsible for the album's artwork.

Guest musicians on the album include Oliver Philipps (EVERON), original bandmember John Stam as well as the Finnish violin virtuoso Henrik Perelló.

"Flames Of Eternity" is a strong album, whose songs will take you on an intense ride through all different kinds of human emotions.

"Flames Of Eternity" digipak track listing:

01. The Scarred Soul

02. Fear Is An Illusion

03. Unspoken Words

04. Book Of Love

05. Blinded

06. Invisible Tears

07. Otherside

08. Beauty Within

09. My Guardian Angel

10. The Ocean

11. A Crying Heart

12. Mother (Piano Version)

Even though he is about to release his debut solo album, LAMB OF GOD guitarist Mark Morton says that fans shouldn't expect to see his main band slowing down anytime soon.

"LAMB OF GOD is in full swing, for sure," he told Full Metal Jackie's nationally syndicated radio show (hear audio below). "We are currently working on new material that I'm thrilled about. I just had some sessions with Willie [Adler, guitar], putting together new songs. There's a really cool energy going on with the new stuff. So LAMB OF GOD is full throttle. We've got shows coming together — I think we've already announced some of them for this year — and more to come. And lots of new material coming together. So, yeah, they'll be no shortage of LAMB OF GOD this year, for sure."

LAMB OF GOD's latest release was a covers album, "Legion: XX", which was made available under the BURN THE PRIEST banner in May 2018 via Nuclear Blast in Europe and Epic Records in the U.S.

A LAMB OF GOD EP called "The Duke" came out in November 2016 via Epic. The EP's title track, which was recorded during the sessions for the band's last full-length collection of all-new original material, "VII: Sturm Und Drang", was inspired by the plight of a LAMB OF GOD fan named Wayne Ford, who was diagnosed with leukemia in 2010 and died five years later at the age of 33.

LAMB OF GOD recently supported SLAYER on the North American leg of the latter band's farewell world tour.

Morton's solo album, "Anesthetic", is due out March 1. The disc's new single, "Cross Off", features a guest appearance by late LINKIN PARK singer Chester Bennington.

GHOST's Tobias Forge has told Billboard that he is focused on the band's next recording project, which he has been "working on for months now," with plans to be in the studio again by the beginning of 2020 with a release later that year.

"Luckily, this time around, I feel very certain as to what I want to do," Forge said. "I have tons of bits and pieces and stuff written, and I know that once I really start working that there's going to be a record which feels very inspired. The dramaturgic nature of the records and the stories are getting more and more intertwined nowadays, which I like. It's almost like working with a series, I guess; you have your characters and you can still fuck with them and add new things and take things away. You can do whatever you want, which is always enticing from a creative standpoint."

GHOST recently shared a music video for the song "Faith" from the band's fourth and latest studio LP, "Prequelle". The clip was shot at various stops on GHOST's hugely successful "A Pale Tour Called Death" North American run. The trek visited nearly 40 cities, including Chicago, New York, Los Angeles and Toronto.

The Pulse Of Radio asked Forge if he thinks that his current stage character, Cardinal Copia, has a chance of becoming Papa Emeritus IV down the line. "I have high hopes for the Cardinal," he said. "I think he would look fantastic in skull paint, and that's what I'm hoping for. Between now and then, we have a lot of touring ahead and a lot of things that we need to achieve before that. I mean, we're — there's gonna be touring that stretches on into 2020."

GHOST's 2019 is already packed with international touring, including a four-month run opening for METALLICA this summer, arena shows in Europe, festival gigs in Australia and more. Although Forge has mused about doing an EP this year, those plans seem to be on hold for now.

"Prequelle" debuted at No. 3 on the Billboard 200 and features the chart-topping single "Rats" and the Top 5 track "Dance Macabre".

In December, GHOST nabbed two Grammy nominations, "Best Rock Album" for "Prequelle" and "Best Rock Song" for "Rats".

Three years ago, GHOST became the first Swedish rock band ever to win a Grammy — 2016's "Best Metal Performance" for the song "Cirice".

KORN's Brian "Head" Welch and HELLYEAH's Chad Gray joined other members of an all-star supergroup known as THE STOWAWAYS to perform a cover version of the KORN classic "Blind" aboard this year's ShipRocked cruise. Fan-filmed video footage can be seen below.

ShipRocked 2019 set sail on January 26 from Galveston, Texas, making stops at Cozumel and the Yucatán in Mexico along the way, before returning to Galveston on January 31.

HELLYEAH is putting the finishing touches on a new album, to be released later in the year. The LP will mark the group's final effort with drummer Vinnie Paul Abbott, who passed away in June 2018.

Like the last two records, 2016's "Unden!able" and 2014's "Blood For Blood", the new disc was recorded at The Hideout Recording Studio in Las Vegas, Nevada with producer Kevin Churko.

KORN is currently working on material for a new album, tentatively due in the fall. The follow-up to 2016's "The Serenity Of Suffering", which is once again being produced by Nick Raskulinecz, will feature songwriting collaborations with GOLDFINGER's John Feldmann, while BLINK-182's Travis Barker recorded the "temporary drums" on some of the early demos.

Aldi, the German-based discounter best known for its low prices and no-frills approach, is offering a new line of limited-edition cheeses with names that are parodies of popular song titles from the 1980s, including classic tracks by DEF LEPPARD and GUNS N' ROSES.

According to Delish, Aldi will make six new Happy Farms cheeses available on February 6, among them "Sweet Cheddar Of Mine" and "Pour Some Gouda On Me". Timed for the Grammy Awards (which happen on Sunday), the other cheeses, which are all priced at $3.49, are named after songs by Cyndi Lauper ("Girls Just Wanna Have Fontina"), Michael Jackson ("Billie Goat Is My Lover"), Bonnie Tyler ("Total Eclipse Of The Havarti") and Wham! ("Wake Me Up Before You Goat-Goat"). The cheeses come in either 5 oz. (Lauper and Wham!) or 7 oz. (all others) packages.

These cheeses are Aldi Finds (Special Buys), so stores will have a limited supply, and once they're gone, they're gone.

With its roots as a family-owned store in Germany, Aldi reportedly now has more than 1,800 locations in the U.S. and plans to spend billions to remodel and build new stores to hit the 2,500-store mark in two years.

Photo courtesy of Aldi

According to Billboard, FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH has left the WME booking agency and signed with Artist Group International, home to METALLICA, DEF LEPPARD and RAMMSTEIN. The band will be represented at Artist Group International by veteran rock agent Peter Pappalardo, whose roster includes MEGADETH.

"They are a bonafide arena headliner, and there aren't a ton of those in the rock world right now," Pappalardo said.

FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH has yet to announce a permanent replacement for drummer Jeremy Spencer, who left the band in December. After sitting out the fall leg of the group's recent co-headlining tour with BREAKING BENJAMIN, Spencer underwent a second back surgery and will need a significant amount of time to recover.

For its fall tour, FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH was joined behind the kit by 33-year-old drummer Charlie "The Engine" Engen. It is not clear if he will remain with the group or if they will seek a new and permanent replacement for Spencer.

Spencer co-founded FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH in 2005 with guitarist Zoltan Bathory.

Singer Ivan Moody, bassist Matt Snell and guitarist Caleb Bingham rounded out the band's original lineup, with only Bathory and Moody now remaining.

FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH's latest album, "And Justice For None", debuted at No. 4 on the Billboard 200 chart back in May 2018.

Devil Master give us a second taste of their forthcoming debut album, Satan Spits On Children Of Light, due for release on March 1st via Relapse Records, with the new single and video, "Black Flame Candle".

The band comments, "Here is the third track to the album, a deathrock metal-punk stomper, set to us breaking into an abandoned church while almost choking/freezing our good friend Eric to death, after pumping him full of hallucinogens..."

Devil Master stake their claim as one of the most venomous, twisted entities in the underground with their hellish debut, Satan Spits On Children Of Light. The album, recorded, mixed, and mastered by Arthur Rizk (Power Trip, Mammoth Grinder) rattles the very gates of hell with a vile dose of black metal-infused punk mayhem. Commanding the steel of Venom, the fury of Bathory's earliest years, and the raw, uncompromising nature of the notorious Gism, Satan Spits On Children Of Light sees Devil Master emerge from the grave and reach new blasphemous heights. Give in to the Satanic panic and obey your Devil Master.

Satan Spits On Children Of Light will be available on CD/LP/CS/Digital. Physical pre-orders are available via Relapse.com here and Digital Downloads / Streaming Services here.

Tracklisting:

"Listen, Sweet Demons..."
"Nightmares in the Human Collapse"
"Black Flame Candle"
"Devil Is Your Master"
"Christ's Last Hiss"
"Skeleton Hand"
"Nuit"
"Gaunt Immortality"
"Desperate Shadow"
"Her Thirsty Whip"
"Dance of Fullmoon Specter"
"Webs of Sorrow"
"XIII"

"Desperate Shadow" video:

In live news, Devil Master has announced North American tour dates spanning from March 1st in Richmond, VA to March 17th in Philadelphia, PA for the official Satan Spits On Children Of Light Record Release Party. All confirmed tour dates are available below:

March
1 - Richmond, VA - Chicken Fiesta
2 - Greensboro, NC - Fantasy
3 - Atlanta, GA - The Earl
4 - Birmingham, AL - Below
6 - Houston, TX - Dan Electro’s
7 - Austin, TX - Barracuda
8 - Dallas, TX - Regal Room
9 - Oklahoma City, OK - Mothership Connection
10 - Kansas City, MO - TBA
11 - Chicago, IL - Ranchos Huevos
12 - Toronto, ON - Coalition
13 - Ottawa, ON - Pour Boy
14 - Montreal, QC - La Plante
15 - New York City, NY - Sabbat’s Lair
16 - Montclair, NJ - The Meatlocker
17 - Philadelphia, PA - PhilaMOCA  (Record Release Party)

(Photo - Shang Whaley)




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MetallicaTV has uploaded this footage of Metallica performing the Kill "Em All album track, "Phantom Lord", at US Bank Arena Cincinnati, OH on January 30th:

Watch Metallica perform the Hardwired... To Self-Destruct album track, "Atlas, Rise!", at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, TN on January 24th:

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.




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The official lyric video for the song "Burn" from Swedish melodic heavyweights IN FLAMES, can be seen below. The track is taken from the band's upcoming album, "I, The Mask", which will be released on March 1 via Nuclear Blast (worldwide, excluding North America) and Eleven Seven Music (North America). The 12-track disc reunites IN FLAMES with Grammy-nominated producer Howard Benson (MY CHEMICAL ROMANCE, MOTÖRHEAD) who also produced 2016's "Battles". Additionally, the album was mixed by Grammy Award winner Chris Lord-Alge (CHEAP TRICK, LINKIN PARK) and mastered by Grammy-winning mastering engeneer Ted Jensen (PANTERA, EAGLES, GUNS N' ROSES).

The album artwork is created by artist Blake Armstrong and depicts a unique interpretation of the band's mascot, The Jesterhead. The story of the cover will be revealed via the full album artwork on March 1, which coincides with each song on the album.

Vocalist Anders Fridén states: "This album is really a special one to us. Since our last record, 'Battles', we've established our own annual festival in Sweden and have been touring non-stop worldwide, creating an even stronger bond with our fans. You could say it was a big part of our inspiration for this album. It's been such a long journey that just keeps going and growing. We feel extremely thankful for that, and for the support that makes it possible. We dedicate our 13th album, 'I, The Mask', to our fans who allow us to keep making music and playing it every night. IN JESTERHEADS WE TRUST."

IN FLAMES previously debuted two killer tracks from "I, The Mask" — the superlative anthems "I Am Above" and "(This Is Our) House". A poignant video for "I Am Above" was also revealed, which features famous Swedish actor Martin Wallström ("Mr. Robot"). The video takes place in a pitch-black room with Martin who eerily lip syncs the metal ballad with expressive facial gestures that capture the song's emotion. Meanwhile, the lyric video for track "(This Is Our) House" features unseen footage from the band's first annual Swedish festival, Borgholm Brinner (Borgholm Is Burning).

Said Wallström: "I was very intrigued by doing something I've never done before and honored getting the question from IN FLAMES. Also trying to portray a lively song in a dark room, sitting in front of a camera was challenging, but I felt strongly for the song and the lyrics, so that was a comfort."


"I, The Mask" track listing:

01. Voices

02. I, The Mask

03. Call My Name

04. I Am Above

05. Follow Me

06. (This is Our) House

07. We Will Remember

08. In This Life

09. Burn

10. Deep Inside

11. All The Pain

12. Stay With Me

IN FLAMES recruited American drummer Tanner Wayne, best known for his work with UNDERMINDED, SCARY KIDS SCARING KIDS and CHIODOS, to sit behind the kit for the band for its 2018 and 2019 live appearances.

Wayne stepped into IN FLAMES following the departure of Joe Rickard, who played on the band's 2016 studio album, "Battles".


Tanner made his live debut with IN FLAMES in July 2018 in Brno, Czech Republic.

Longtime IN FLAMES drummer Daniel Svensson announced in 2015 that he was leaving the band to focus on his family life.

IN FLAMES' current lineup features American bassist Bryce Paul, who has been playing most of the shows with the group since longtime bassist Peter Iwers's November 2016 exit.

Back in August 2018, news came down that AC/DC, along with vocalist Brian Johnson, have been working at Bryan Adams' Warehouse Studio in Vancouver with engineer Mike Fraser - who mixed and engineered the band's last three albums (Stiff Upper Lip, Black Ice and Rock Or Bust).

As no official statement has been made by the band since, news of Johnson's return up to this point has been regarded as a rumour. Johnson has now (reportedly) confirmed he is back with AC/DC according to a post by the American band Terrorizer, who ran into Johnson at an airport in Sarasota, FL.

From Terrorizer: "We ran into Brian Johnson from ACDC at the airport today after the flight home and we asked him about the rumors of him being on the new ACDC album and he said "Yes" and that he is " Sick of denying it". So that was a cool surprise ending to the tour."

Check out the Facebook post below.

Eddie Trunk has since weighed in via his SiriusXM show last week on the band's forthcoming album. Check out his commentary below. 

Eddie Trunk: "I have a source that will remain nameless but a very, very, well-placed, reliable source regarding AC/DC who I did run into (at NAMM) and asked about AC/DC. This source told me to his knowledge that album is done, that they went to that studio in Canada, made this record and what people speculated on, meaning these were riffs, ideas and more of a tribute to Malcolm Young is true. Meaning that Malcolm had a bunch of stuff recorded that they worked off of and they sort of incorporated the record. So, this is sort of a unity thing to come together, put out some of Malcolm’s music and celebrate AC/DC. He didn’t tell me about Axl (Rose) or who is on it, he just basically said: 'The guys went in, they went in off of some stuff that Malcolm had, it’s a celebration of Malcolm, there is a record done, whether and how that comes out they’re not sure and whether they play or not it’s not sure.'"

Malcolm Young was remembered as a "humble man" and "musical mastermind" at a private funeral service in 2017 at St. Mary's Cathedral in Sydney, Australia reports Nour Haydar of ABC News.

Mourners were given guitar picks with their programs at the service. In his eulogy, friend David Albert said Young's impact on the music industry was nothing short of momentous.

The rocker died in November aged 64 after suffering from dementia for several years. Young's beloved Gretsch guitar, "the beast", rested on top of his coffin during the service.

A video compilation of Malcolm Young moments has surfaced on YouTube and can be viewed below.

Audio/Video Details:

"Rocker" (1978-07-15 – Fresno, 1978-10-28 – Colchester). 
"Bad Boy Boogie" (1979-10-16 – Towson)
"Go Down" 
"Down Payment Blues"
"Thunderstruck" (2000-09-13 – Arizona)
"Problem Child" 
"It’s A Long Way To The Top" (1976-07-08 – London)
"Live Wire"
"Rising Power" 
"Let There Be Rock" (Malcolm)
"Live Wire" (1976-07-08 London)
"Soul Stripper" (Malcolm)
"Rock N Roll Singer" (Malcolm)
"Hard As A Rock" 
"Squealer" solo (Malcolm)

After the traditional Catholic service to mark Young's passing, the cortege made its way down College Street led by the Scots College Pipes and Drums band which played a medley of songs including the guitar solo from "It's A Long Way To The Top", "Waltzing Matilda" and "Road To Gundagai".

Read more and view photos at this location.

 
Guitar picks are being handed out with programs at the funeral service for AC/DC guitarist Malcolm Young in Sydney. pic.twitter.com/KjUm7Z7ncg

— Nour Haydar (@NourHaydar) November 28, 2017

Additional coverage, courtesy of Kathy McCabe and The Daily Telegraph, can be seen here.

AC/DC issued the following statement upon Malcolm's passing: "Today it is with deep heartfelt sadness that AC/DC has to announce the passing of Malcolm Young. Malcolm, along with Angus, was the founder and creator of AC/DC. With enormous dedication and commitment, he was the driving force behind the band. As a guitarist, songwriter and visionary, he was a perfectionist and a unique man. He always stuck to his guns and did and said exactly what he wanted. He took great pride in all that he endeavored. His loyalty to the fans was unsurpassed."

Young struggled with the onset of dementia for a period of time prior to being admitted to full-time nursing care in Sydney, Australia beginning in 2014.

Angus Young: "As his brother, it is hard to express in words what he has meant to me during my life, the bond we had was unique and very special. He leaves behind an enormous legacy that will live on forever."




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EMPEROR frontman Ihsahn (real name: Vegard Sverre Tveitan) has praised GHOST for holding the blowtorch high for theatrical rock and roll at a time when rock performances can be pretty stripped down and straightforward.

"Bands like RAMMSTEIN or GHOST or all these bands, they create an experience," Ihsahn told the "Scars And Guitars" podcast (hear audio below). "I took my son to see GHOST, and KVELERTAK, the Norwegian band, was supporting. And he said, 'KVELERTAK was great, but it was just a band on stage performing their songs really well, with energy. But when GHOST came on, it was like watching a musical. It was an experience.' And he was 10 at the time. And even he got that."

Ihsahn added that it's great to see GHOST having commercial success when hip-hop continues to dominate charts in the U.S. The band's latest album, "Prequelle", landed at position No. 3 on the Billboard 200 chart after shifting 66,000 equivalent album units in its first week of release.

"I discussed this with [Canadian musician/producer] Devin Townsend sometime back as well," Ihsahn said. "I said, 'I think it's great to have Satanic music on the Billboard chart.' Just for the fun of it."

Ihsahn's latest solo album, "Ámr", was released in May 2018 via Candlelight/Spinefarm.

EMPEROR hasn't released any new material since 2001's "Prometheus - The Discipline Of Fire And Demise". That album was composed and mostly played by Ihsahn, with guitarist Samoth already forming his next band during its production.

Last Saturday, Greek symphonic death metal outfit, Septicflesh, delivered a historic sold out performance at the Metropolitan Theater in Mexico City. The unforgettable night, entitled Infernus Sinfonica MMXIX, was the largest production of its kind at the venue which included the band and over 130 musicians from the Symphonic Orchestra and National University Of Mexico Children's and Youth Choir.

If you weren't one of the 3, 200 attendees, rest assured that you will be able to witness the achievement as live footage of the event was captured for a future DVD release.

Septicflesh's unique blend of symphonic arrangements, avantgarde elements, atmosphere and eviscerating extreme metal has been converting legions into fans since the 90s. Now, with a streak of modern classic albums under their belt such as Sumerian Daemons (2002), Communion (2008), The Great Mass (2011), Titan (2014), and now Codex Omega (2017) there seems to be no stopping this creative juggernaut.

Septicflesh's latest album Codex Omega is the first to feature former Decapitated drummer Kerim "Krimh" Lechner. Months of hard work and experimentation crafted the album, and resulted in  10 compositions of dark sonic bliss. Lyrically and musically, Codex Omega is by far the most infernal release of Septicflesh to date. The album was produced by highly acclaimed metal producer, Jens Bogren (Opeth, Amom Amarth, Kreator). Besides the orchestral side represented once again by the Filmharmonic Orchestra of Prague, the band utilized traditional instruments such as Oud and Duduk and also a 12 string electro-acoustic guitar, enhancing the mystical atmosphere of the compositions. Of course as always, Codex Omega is dominated by the relentless death guitar riffing and the pale melodies that are the trademark of Septicflesh.

Upcoming tour dates are listed below.

March
8 - Essen, Germany - Turock
9 - Arnhem, Netherlands - Willemeen
10 - Brugge, Belgium - Het Entrepot
12 - Paris, France - La Machine du Moulin Rouge
13 - Bordeaux, France - Rock School Barbey
14 - Madrid, Spain - Sala Caracol
15 - Porto, Portugal - Hard_Club
16 - Lisbon, Portugal - Ao Vivo
17 - Murcia, Spain - Sala Garage
19 - Barcelona, Spain - Razzmatazz 2
20 - Zaragoza, Spain - CC Delicias
21 - Lyon, France - Ninkasi Kao
22 - Monthey, Switzerland - Pont Rouge
23 - Erba, Italy - Central Rock
24 - Bologna, Italy - Alchemica Music Club
26 - Bolzona, Italy - UFO Club
27 - Ljubljana, Slovenia - Orto Bar
28 - San Donà di Piave, Italy - Revolver_Club
29 - Zagreb, Croatia - Dom Omladine
30 - Sofia, Bulgaria - Mixtape 5
31 - Bucharest, Romania - Quantic Club

April
2 - Budapest, Hungary - Dürer Kert
3 - Bratislava, Slovakia - Collosseum
4 - Prague, Czech Republic - Futurum Music Bar
5 - Vienna, Austria - Szene
6 - Poznan, Poland - u Bazyla
7 - Warsaw, Poland - Proxima
9 - Vilnius, Lithuania - Vakaris
10 - Riga, Latvia - Melnā Piektdiena
11 - Tallinn, Estonia - Rockclub Tapper
12 - Helsinki, Finland - Nosturi
13 - Tampere, Finland - Klubi
14 - Oulu, Finland - Hevimesta
16 - Stockholm, Sweden - Klubben
17 - Gothenburg, Sweden - Sticky Fingers
18 - Aarhus, Denmark - VoxHall
19 - Copenhagen, Denmark - Pumpehuset
20 - Amstelveen, Netherlands - P60
21 - Berlin, Germany - Lido
23 - Munich, Germany - Backstage
24 - Pratteln, Switzerland - Z7
25 - Jena, Germany- F-Haus
26 - Münster, Germany - Sputnikhalle
27 - Pagney-derrière-Barine, France - Chez Paulette
28 - Ludwigsburg, Germany - Rockfabrik

Septicflesh is:

Seth (brutal vocals, bass)
Christos Antoniou (guitars, orchestral)
Sotiris V. (guitars, clean vocals)
Kerim "Krimh" Lechner (drums)




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KISS played the fourth show of its "End Of The Road" farewell tour Monday night (February 4) at Spokane Arena in Spokane, Washington. As was the case with the three prior concerts, the band played a 20-song set consisting of four tracks from KISS's self-titled debut album (1974), one from "Hotter Than Hell" (1974), one from "Dressed To Kill" (1975), five from "Destroyer" (1976), one from "Love Gun" (1976), one from "Dynasty" (1979), two from "Creatures Of The Night" (1982), one from "Lick It Up" (1983), one from "Animalize" (1984), one from "Hot In The Shade" (1989), one from "Psycho Circus" (1998) and one from "Sonic Boom" (2009).

The setlist was as follows:

01. Detroit Rock City

02. Shout It Out Loud

03. Deuce

04. Say Yeah

05. Heaven's On Fire

06. War Machine

07. Lick It Up

08. 100,000 Years

09. God Of Thunder

10. Cold Gin

11. Psycho Circus

12. I Love It Loud

13. Hide Your Heart

14. Let Me Go, Rock 'N' Roll

15. Love Gun

16. I Was Made For Lovin' You

17. Black Diamond

Encore:

18. Beth

19. Do You Love Me

20. Rock And Roll All Nite

Fan-filmed video footage can be seen below.

KISS frontman Paul Stanley recently said about the "End Of The Road" tour and stage production: "People say is this bittersweet? No. If the tour is anything like this stage, it's totally sweet. We always try to raise the bar — that's just for us — but when other bands would see us, they would feel they had to up their game. Let me tell you something: everybody better start working out, because we're upping the game that much more. This is absolutely mind-bogglingly good. It's totally KISS. And I'll be looking for you on the 'End Of The Road' tour."

KISS guitarist Tommy Thayer told Australia's Hysteria Magazine that the group's farewell tour will be "the biggest" one the band has ever done "in terms of production." It will be "a whole new thing for KISS," the guitarist said. "It's just gonna be the bombastic show KISS has always been famed for."

In September, KISS announced its "End Of The Road" farewell tour on NBC's "America's Got Talent", and a month later, the band revealed the first set of dates and cities in North America, produced by Live Nation. International markets were announced simultaneously.

The first North American leg of "End Of The Road" will hit an additional 42 cities.

"One thing for sure is that this is the last tour," Stanley told Billboard. "What goes beyond that is really hard to say. The tour may go three years, but once we play your city, it is done. That is our big thank you."

The lineup features the current version of the band — Stanley, Thayer, Gene Simmons and Eric Singer. But Stanley has hinted that former members like Ace Frehley and Peter Criss could make appearances.

PERIPHERY will release its fifth album, "Periphery IV: Hail Stan", on April 5 via the band's own 3DOT Recordings.

Sirius XM Liquid Metal host Jose Mangin debuted the album's first single, "Blood Eagle", yesterday. Guitar player Mark Holcomb said of the six-minute track: "We've known since the late stages of P4 writing sessions that 'Blood Eagle' would be the first song we released. It's an unrelenting song that, even while we were writing it, we could say to ourselves, 'We need to play this live.' The original demo was vastly different, and through the songwriting process, it took on this kind of violent, explosive nature that is always hard to synthesize. That energy excited us and we knew it'd be the first thing we'd let you all hear."

The official music video for "Blood Eagle", which was directed by Jeremy Danger and Travis Shinn, can be seen below.

"Periphery IV: Hail Stan" marks two significant firsts for the band: the first PERIPHERY release on their recently formed label, 3DOT Recordings, as well as a change in the way they approached writing and recording.

"We finally spent a year on a record," explains guitar player/programmer Jake Bowen. "We've never been able to do that. The quality and pacing of the work show we took our time with this one. That's an important note about this. We really got to do everything we wanted to do in the space we had to do it." Mark adds: "I think you can hear the adventurous intent behind much of this material as a result. We're all the happiest we've ever been with a release, and it's no coincidence. Can't wait for you all to hear it."

Pre-orders, which include several limited-edition vinyl and merch bundles, are available now. Digital pre-orders include an immediate download of "Blood Eagle".

"Periphery IV: Hail Stan" is the first release to follow the band's 2017 Grammy Award nomination in the "Best Metal Performance" category, for "Periphery III: Select Difficulty" album opener "The Price Is Wrong". The 2016 album tallied 35 million cumulative streams and marked their third consecutive debut in the Top 25 of the Billboard Top 200. It represented the apex of a tireless decade-long grind. Along the way, the band graced the covers of Guitar World, Revolver, Modern Drummer, Bass Player and more. In between the touring, endorsements and appearances, they also launched a summer camp of their own, "Periphery Summer Jam".

"Periphery IV: Hail Stan" track listing:

01. Reptile

02. Blood Eagle

03. CHVRCH BVRNER

04. Garden In The Bones

05. It's Only Smiles

06. Follow Your Ghost

07. Crush

08. Sentient Glow

09. Satellites

PERIPHERY will embark on a brief tour to coincide with the release, joining DANCE GAVIN DANCE for a 15-date North American trek on March 30.

PERIPHERY is Jake Bowen (guitar, programming), Matt Halpern (drums), Mark Holcomb (guitar), Misha Mansoor (guitar, programming) and Spencer Sotelo (vocals).

Photo credit: Travis Shinn

Santa Cruz, CA masters of tech death Continuum have premiered a music video for their song "A History Denied". The track is from the group's forthcoming album Designed Obsolescence which will be released on February 22nd. 

The album shows how well the group - which features current and ex-members of Animosity, Decrepit Birth, Allegaeon, Brain Drill, Inanimate Existence, and Rings of Saturn - commands extreme metal songwriting and continues to expand on the sound first brought explored on their stunning 2015 debut The Hypothesis. 

The band commented on the video, "We knew we wanted to do something other than your typical band performance video and Marshall Wieczorek and Michelle Nisbet did a great job at writing and directing the plot driven video that is loosely based on the concept of our new album “Designed Obsolescence”. I feel like the vibe of mystery and intrigue go great with the song which has some new songwriting elements we’ve never used in Continuum before. Hopefully you enjoy it as much as we enjoyed shooting it."  

Find preorders here.

Designed Obsolescence was recorded, mixed, and mastered by Zack Ohren at Castle Ultimate Studios and features nine violent, incredibly technical, and endlessly engaging tracks which showcase how the group, which features current and former members of Animosity, Deeds Of Flesh, Decrepit Birth, Allegaeon, possess an otherworldly command of the genre. Drums were recorded by new member Ron Casey (Inanimate Existence, ex-Brain Drill, ex-Rings Of Saturn) whose surgically precise playing is the perfect complement to band's technical prowess. Artwork was created by the incredible Par Olofsson.

Guitarist Chase Fraser commented on the album, “We’re really excited to release our second record for Unique Leader Records. I feel like this album incapsulates the feel of our first album while adding many more layers and expanding on the concept of what Continuum can do as a
band.”

Designed Obsolescence tracklisting:

"Theorem"
"Release From Flesh And Blood"
"A History Denied"
"Designed Obsolescence"
"All Manner Of Decay"
"Autonomic"
"Into The Void"
"Remnants Of Ascension"
"Repeating Actions"

"A History Denied" video:

"Theorem" lyric video:

"Release From Flesh And Blood":

Continuum is a technical death metal band from Santa Cruz, CA that was formed in the summer of 2009 by Chase Fraser following the disbanding of Animosity, a bay area metal band. After a couple years writing and rehearsing with different musicians, a lineup was fleshed out featuring Riley McShane of Allegeon on vocals, Ivan Munguia of Deeds Of Flesh on guitar, Nick Willbrand on bass and Spencer Edwards on drums. This lineup started playing very frequently in the bay area with bands like Fallujah, Obscura, Pathology, Abigail Williams, Decrepit Birth, Abysmal Dawn among others, and eventually released their first album on Unique Leader records in April of 2015.

Fast forward three years and Continuum is back with their second album on Unique Leader coming very soon. With the addition of Ron Casey on drums (Inanimate Existence, ex-Braindrill, ex-Rings Of Saturn) and a wider spectrum of progressive technical death metal song writing this is by far their most realized and well thought out release to date.




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French heavy / power metal band Stonecast return with their third album, I Earther, out on March 8th via Pitch Black Records.

From despair to hope and then to despair once more; there is no end to the cyclic journey. It always begins with such aspirations, such fine ideals and good intentions, but the fatal flaws remain and greed, selfishness and a hunger for power eat away at the noble plans from the moment of their conceiving, until everything collapses in ruins. We compromise our ideals and beliefs as the sky grows dark above us; we repeat the mantra that ‘the ends justify the means’ while we slowly forget what the ends ever were. Only when all we once had is burnt to ashes do we remember our better selves and start to strive towards our dreams once more. This tragic, never ending cycle of inevitable destruction is the story of mankind; and the story of Stonecast’s magnificent third album, I Earther.

The nature of mankind, the flawed creation, explored through a story that takes us through the absolute ravaging of earth and on into space, in search of new homes that will ultimately be doomed at our hands as well. It’s an incredibly ambitious concept to be contained within the confines of a heavy metal album… but Stonecast have risen to that self-imposed challenge and triumphed in glorious fashion! I Earther possesses a grandeur, fitting to its lofty subject matter, but its melodies are infectious, its hooks utterly addictive and the immediacy of its appeal undeniable. There is a breathtaking depth and texture to the sound, helped in no small part by the mixing skills of Roy Z (Sepultura, Judas Priest, Bruce Dickinson), which brings out the full range of emotions explored in these incredible songs. Songs like "Goddess Of Rain" really show a world class band at the peak of their powers – the stunning chorus, the electrifying guitar work, the locked in thunder of the rhythm section and the superb range and delivery of vocalist Franck Ghirardi – Stonecast genuinely have it all.

Stonecast’s ascent has been a steady one, from their humble beginnings in the streets of Marseille to the stage of the monstrous Sonisphere festival in 2011, alongside Metallica, Slayer, Megadeth and Anthrax. Their second album, 2013s Heroikos hinted at the glories to come and with Rhino (ex-Manowar) behind the kit, brought Stonecast to even bigger audiences. Now, with I Earther, their greatest achievement to date ready to be unleashed, Stonecast’s time has come. 

Tracklisting:

"Captors Of Insanity"
"Goddess Of Rain"
"The Cherokee"
"The Earther"
"Animal Reign"
"Forevermore"
"Precipice To Hell"
"Resistance"
"Stainless"

"The Earther":

"Goddess Of Rain":

For further details, visit Stonecast on Facebook.

 




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HARDLINE will release a new studio album, "Life", on April 26 via Frontiers Music Srl.

In the past two years, HARDLINE has performed a number of shows across Europe, including festivals and more intimate gigs, and that live "energy" can certainly be felt on their new studio album. The band went back to 1992's "Double Eclipse" album for influence for the songs on this record, but additionally they also looked a little closer in the rearview at the tremendous predecessor to this album, "Human Nature". The resulting album, "Life", perfectly blends the influences of those two albums and sees HARDLINE heavier, stronger, bigger, and better than ever.

HARDLINE entered the studio feeling loose and relaxed from all its gigging. The two newest members, Marco Di Salvia on drums and Mario Percudani on guitar, had gelled seamlessly with the rest of the band from all those shows and combined with Anna Portalupi's pulsating rhythms and Alessandro Del Vecchio's songwriting and production abilities, "Life" was almost effortless for the band to create. And of course, Johnny Gioeli sings like only he can over top of these incredible musicians.

More live dates will be forthcoming for the band, including a performance on April 27 at the Frontiers Rock Festival in Milan, Italy.

"Life" track listing:

01. Place To Call Home

02. Take A Chance

03. Helio's Sun

04. Page Of Your Life

05. Out Of Time

06. Hold On To Right

07. Handful Of Sand

08. This Love

09. Story Of My Life

10. Who Wants To Live Forever

11. Chameleon

12. My Friend

HARDLINE is:

Johnny Gioeli - vocals

Alessandro Del Vecchio - keyboards

Mario Percudani - guitar

Marco Di Salvia - drums

Anna Portalupi - bass

Brazil-based animator Val Andrade has released his new Iron Maiden cartoon clip, based on “Women In Uniform”, featured on Maiden’s 1981 album, Killers. Watch below:

Andrade's previously released cartoons can be seen below:




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On March 8th, the Faroe Islands' Týr will release their eighth full-length, Hel, via Metal Blade Records. Hel is a collection of ruthlessly melodic and irresistibly compelling progressive folk metal that will immediately resonate with any who have followed the band at any point over the two decades of their storied career.

A video for the new single, "Sunset Shore" (directed by mihasznafilm.com), can be found below.

Vocalist/guitarist Heri Joensen comments: "In early January, immediately after spending our holidays in the Faroes, Gunnar and I traveled to Hungary to our bandmates, Tadeusz and Attila, in Budapest. Finally, it was time to shoot another video, our first since 2014, and we're very happy to present this one to you!

"The Hungarian film production crew, Mihaszna Film, arranged the trips, starting from Budapest and going first to the Julian alps in Slovenia. In the fields and rivers of the snowy mountains we had some amazing scenery for 'overworld' part of the video. A few days later we traveled on to the caves of Szent-István in northern Hungary, and deep underground we found some dark and gloomy caves to be the perfect backdrop for the underworld part of this video.

"Terji wrote 'Sunset Shore', for our upcoming album, Hel - to be released on March 8th, and he plays the solo on the album version, but not in this video. We decided it was the perfect opportunity to introduce you all to the amazing talent of Attila Vörös, who recorded his own version of the solo a few days before the video shooting. The lyrics, written by me, are about how the mind can sometimes be a windswept and weatherworn landscape, and how the only thing to do, in spite of hopelessness and despair, is to aim for a better place and to work towards better times.

"We hope you enjoy the result!"

Hel can also be pre-ordered here in the following formats:

- digipak-CD
- box set (digipak CD, drinking horn, leather belt clip, poster, autographed photo card - limited to 1000 copies)
- steel-blue / gray marbled vinyl (US retail exclusive - limited to 500 copies)
- clear mushroom brown marbled vinyl (US webstore exclusive - limited to 200 copies)
- blue / white / black / red splatter vinyl (US webstore exclusive - limited to 100 copies)
- 180g black vinyl (EU exclusive)
- turquoise blue marbled vinyl (EU exclusive - limited to 500 copies)
- clear / blue marbled vinyl (EU exclusive - limited to 300 copies)
- bordeaux red /black marbled vinyl (EMP exclusive - limited to 200 copies)
- olive marbled vinyl (Nuclear Blast exclusive - limited to 200 copies)
- white / blue marbled vinyl (Tutl exclusive - limited to 100 copies)

Known for their prolific nature - dropping their first five full-lengths in the space of just seven years - the six-year gap between Valkyrja (2013) and Hel is by far the longest between any two of their records. During that period the band toured hard, taking the album around the world, including a support run with Children Of Bodom in North America and an appearance on the 70,000 Tons Of Metal cruise. However, other factors played into this extended break between releases.

"We approached this one differently because I learned that if I continue doing albums in the way we had up to now, I would die from a heart attack before I'm 50!" says guitarist/vocalist Heri Joensen. "That's one of the reasons we changed our method and took such a long time on this one."

That this tactic - which also includes more songwriting contributions from bassist/vocalist Gunnar Thomsen and guitarist Terji Skibenæs than on previous releases - has been beneficial is borne out in the finished product, which is perhaps more immersive than those that came before.

"Musically it leans a bit towards our album, 'Ragnarok' (2005)," states Thomsen. "It's a bit more epic and also much better worked through than any of our previous albums." It also marks the recording debut of drummer Tadeusz Rieckmann, who has manned the drum throne for Týr's live shows since 2016.

Hel tracklisting:

"Gates Of Hel"
"All Heroes Fall"
"Ragnars Kvæði"
"Garmr"
"Sunset Shore"
"Downhill Drunk"
"Empire Of The North"
"Far From The Worries Of The World"
"King Of Time"
"Fire And Flame"
"Against The Gods"
"Songs Of War"
"Alvur Kongur"

"Fire And Flame" lyric video:




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Rotting Christ will release their new album, The Heretics, on February 15th via Season Of Mist. The Russian themed track, "Ветры злые (Vetry Zlye)", featuring Irina Zybina (Grai), is available for streaming below.

Frontman Sakis Tolis comments on behalf of the band: "Dear fellows, I am in the pleasant position to present to you another new song I wrote for Rotting Christ; 'Ветры злые' (Vetry Zlye)', a song that was influenced by paganism and specifically from the Slavic pagan religions through the history of time and exalts the power of mother nature. I Hope you will enjoy the (probably) most melodic song from our upcoming album The Heretics, which is accompanied by the beautiful voice of Irina Zybina."

The Heretics was recorded by Rotting Christ guitarist George Emmanuel at his studio Pentagram and mixed by Jens Borgen (Amon Amarth, At The Gates, Arch Enemy).

Pre-orders for The Heretics on limited deluxe CD Box, jewel case CD, limited LP and more are available here.

The tracklisting and artwork for The Heretics, illustrated by Greek artist Maximos Manolis, can be seen below.

Tracklisting:

"In The Name Of God"
"Vetry Zlye"
"Heaven And Hell And Fire"
"Hallowed Be Thy Name"
"Dies Irae"
"I Believe"
"Fire, God And Fear"
"The Voice Of The Universe"
"The New Messiah"
"The Raven"

"The Raven":

"Heaven And Hell And Fire" lyric video:

"Fire, God And Fear" lyric video:

Trailers:

Rotting Christ 2019 festival dates:

April
27 - Stockholm, Sweden - Stockholm Slaughter 2019

May
11 - Vienna, Austria - Vienna Metal Meeting 2019

August
8 - Caton Hall, UK - Bloodstock Open Air 2019

(Photo - Ester Segarra)




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Ozzy Osbourne has been hospitalized as he recovers from the flu.

The BLACK SABBATH singer's wife and manager Sharon shared the news earlier today, writing on Twitter: "As some of you may have heard, Ozzy was admitted to hospital following some complications from the flu. His doctors feel this is the best way to get him on a quicker road to recovery. Thanks to everyone for their concern and love."

According to The Blast, Ozzy checked into Keck Hospital of USC on Monday. Sharon and the couple's son Jack showed up at the hospital with security in tow. Sharon later left and returned a short time later with a suitcase and a blanket — a sure sign she planned to stay by Ozzy's side.

Sharon apparently skipped Tuesday's episode of her TV show "The Talk" so that she could tend to her husband.

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. Ozzy was diagnosed with a severe upper respiratory infection which his doctor felt could develop into pneumonia, given the physicality of the live performances and an extensive travel schedule throughout Europe in harsh winter conditions.

Fans who purchased tickets for the shows are advised to hold on to them, as they will be honored for the rescheduled dates. Details of those will be announced in the coming months. Refunds are also available at point of purchase.

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

The news of the tour postponement came just days after Ozzy said that he coughed so hard that he burst a blood vessel in his eye. Last October, Ozzy contracted a staph infection that required him to have surgery on his hand and resulted in him canceling several shows.

As some of you may have heard, Ozzy was admitted to hospital following some complications from the flu. His doctors feel this is the best way to get him on a quicker road to recovery. Thanks to everyone for their concern and love.— Sharon Osbourne (@MrsSOsbourne) February 6, 2019

Denmark’s heaviest metal export in recent years, Aarhus-based death metal quintet Baest, are gearing up for an all-out attack in 2019 to expand upon the success of last year’s debut album, Danse Macabre.

Kicking off February 9th, Baest will be touring the UK, Benelux and Germany with Decapitated as well as join the Polish leg of the tour in March. This comes as a much welcomed break from recording their yet-untitled, upcoming studio album, which will be released via Century Media Records on September 13th.

The band comments: “Yes, here we are again, 2018 was a great year in Baest’s short history but a truly exciting one and we’re looking forward to our longest tour so far with the mighty Decapitated and drop one hell of an album in September! See you on the road!”

Find the band's live itinerary here.

Furthermore, the band has been nominated in three categories for this year’s Gaffa Award in their home country as “Live Band Of The Year”, “New Band Of The Year” and “Metal Release Of The Year”. The Gaffa Prisen award show will be taking place on March 7th in Odense. Details here.

Lineup:

Simon Olsen - vocals
Svend Karlsson - guitars
Lasse Revsbech - guitars
Mattias ‘Muddi’ Melchiorsen - bass
Sebastian Abildsten - drums

(Photo - Nikolaj Bransholm / Bransholm Photography)




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Denton, Texas-based death metal act, Creeping Death, will re-release their Specter Of War EP via eOne Music next Friday, February 15th. The band is in the studio right now working on their next LP and will be hitting the road this month to celebrate.

Tour dates:

February
10 - Skylark Social Club - Charlotte, NC
11 - 529 Bar - Atlanta, GA
12 - Nighthawks - Jacksonville, FL
14 - The White Swan - Houston, TX
15 - Barracuda - Austin, TX
16 - Club Dada - Dallas, TX
17 - 89th Street - Oklahoma City, OK
18 - The Sinkhole - St. Louis, MO
19 - NSYC - Cincinnati, OH

March
6 - Prophet Bar - Dallas, TX
10 - Nighthawks - Jacksonville, FL

The Specter Of War EP will be released on 180G vinyl. This is the first time the EP is being released on vinyl and pre-orders are available.

Tracklisting:

"Revenge"
"Specter Of War"
"Trail Of Confusion"
"Salvation"
"New Agony"

"Revenge":

(Photo - Keely Montague)




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