After a ten year absence, Denmark's Konkhra returns with a brand new album, Alpha And The Omega, due on October 18th via Hammerheart Records. Just released is the lyric video for "Floodgates":

The cover art, pictured below, was done by Michal “Xaay” Loranc (Pestilence, Nile).

Tracklisting:

"Alpha And The Omega"
"Thoth"
"Divine Wind"
"Babylon"  
"Bow To Moloch"
"Blood Reign"
"Floodgates"  
"Sandblasted" 
"Misled"  
"By Instinct Be Driven" 
"Darkest Millenium" 
"I Am Ra"

Order your copy now at this location.

"Babylon":

"Thoth":

Visit Konkhra on Facebook for further details.

 




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The official music video for the song "The Not Forgotten" from SKYBLOOD, the solo project of acclaimed Swedish hard rock singer Mats Levén, can be seen below.

His name belongs to the most influential and illustrious ones in Swedish metal. Levén's distinctive and colorful voice has graced albums by CANDLEMASS, THERION, KRUX, YNGWIE MALMSTEEN and AT VANCE. Now, after lending his voice to others for decades, fans can finally witness the charismatic singer's solo album. Under the new flag of SKYBLOOD, it will see the light of day on November 22 via Napalm Records.

Dark and hypnotic anthems meet exotic trips into emotional soundspheres on tracks such as "The Voice", which triumphs in musical finesse and timeless elegance.

This debut is an unchained and exciting affair feeding off of epic and classic metal influences, doom and melodic hard rock — an unpredictable mixture soaring to glorious height.

Mats has been working on his solo project for several years. Most instruments were recorded by Mats himself at his own studio, the Uzi G Studio in Stockholm. According to Mats, SKYBLOOD is "who I am. This is SKYBLOOD. SKYBLOOD equals pride, empathy and rage. 'The Voice' carries that flag. A fight for the cause of truth."

Among the guest musicians who are expected to appear on SKYBLOOD's debut album are Martin "Axe" Axenrot (BLOODBATH, OPETH, WITCHERY), Nalley Påhlsson (TREAT, THERION), Snowy Shaw (ex-KING DIAMOND) and Petter Karlsson (ex-THERION, DIABLO SWING ORCHESTRA).

Track listing:

01. Skyblood Manifesto

02. The Voice

03. The Not Forgotten

04. Wake Up To The Truth

05. Once Invisible

06. One Eye For An Eye

07. Out Of The Hollow

08. For Or Against

09. Le Venimeux

"Skyblood" will be coming on vinyl, CD and in digital formats.

Mats, who was in CANDLEMASS for six years, began his professional musical life with SWEDISH EROTICA from Gothenburg, Sweden in 1989. In 1990, Mats got an offer from TREAT and moved to Stockholm where he still lives with his wife and two kids.

After recording albums with ABSTRAKT ALGEBRA and AB/CD, Mats as approached by Yngwie Malmsteen to join the guitarist's band in 1997-98 and to lay down his vocal tracks on the "Facing The Animal" LP.

Over the past couple of decades, Levén has been involved with a number of different bands and projects, including SOUTHPAW, DOGFACE, ESSENCE OF SORROW, AT VANCE and KRUX.

In 2004, Mats supplied lead vocals for THERION's two albums "Sirius B" and "Lemuria". This led to some 150 shows with the band over the course of the next four years. THERION's 2007 album "Gothic Kabbalah" saw Mats co-writing six of the tracks, including the epic "Son Of The Staves Of Time". In 2010-2011, Mats toured with ADAGIO and FIREWIND before joining CANDLEMASS as the replacement for Robert Lowe.

Since 2016, Mats has been touring with rock theater sensation TRANS-SIBERIAN ORCHESTRA, whose 20th-anniversary trek visited 65 cities across North America, for 100-plus performances, before concluding on December 30.

Finnish hard rock quartet, Santa Cruz, will release their fourth album, Katharsis, tomorrow (Friday, October 18) via M-Theory Audio. Listen to the song "True Believer" below.

Katharsis - the cover art for which was designed by Tim LeNoir (Guns N' Roses, Rolling Stones, Imagine Dragons) - can be pre-ordered on CD and neon-colored vinyl here.

Katharsis tracklisting:

"Changing Of Seasons"
"Bang Bang"
"Into The War"
"I Want You To Mean It"
"True Believer"
"Tell Me Why"
"Testify"
"Smoke Signals"
"It Was You"
"Salvation"
"Time After Time"

"True Believer":

Katharsis by Santa Cruz

"Testify" video:

"Into The War" lyric video:

"Tell Me Why":

"Changing Of Seasons" lyric video:

Santa Cruz is:

Archie Cruz - lead vocals, guitar
Toxy Cruz - drums
Ero Cruz - bass guitar, backing vocals
Pav Cruz - lead guitar, backing vocals

(Photo - Ryan Richardson)




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Find Me have released a lyric video for "Can't Let Go", a song from the group's third album, Angels In Blue, released earlier this year via Frontiers Music Srl. Watch the clip below, and order the album here.

Find Me is an ongoing collaboration between Swedish musician, songwriter and producer Daniel Flores (Issa, The Murder of My Sweet) and singer Robbie LaBlanc from Blanc Faces. The partnership was put together by Frontiers President, Serafino Perugino with a vision to unleash yet another AOR behemoth from the label. Mission accomplished! Find Me’s debut album, Wings Of Love, and the follow-up release Dark Angel were greeted with rave fan and critical reviews, with fans left begging for more music from the duo. No demand could have been easier to fulfill as Daniel and Robbie simply love working together. The result of their latest collaboration is Angels In Blue. Once again, a delightful and massive melodic rock album full of mighty, anthemic AOR songs with Robbie’s soaring lead vocals and amazing performances from Daniel Flores and guitarist Philip Lindstrand. Sonically, this powerhouse album sits in between the classic sound of Journey and Giant and newcomers like W.E.T and Eclipse. Yet another unmissable album for the Melodic Rock/AOR crowd from Frontiers.

Tracklisting:

"No Tears In Paradise"
"Chain Of Love"
"True Believer"
"Straight For Eternity"
"Can’t Let Go"
"One Last Kiss"
"Living A Lie"
"Angels In Blue"
"Show Me What You'd Die For"
"Waiting For A Lifetime"
"You Are The Only One"
"Desperate Dreams"
"Only The Lonely"

"Can’t Let Go" lyric video:

"No Tears In Paradise" lyric video:

Lineup:

Robert LaBlanc - Lead vocals and backing vocals
Daniel Flores - Drums, percussion and additional keyboards
Sören Kronquist - Keyboards
Philip Lindstrand - Rhythm guitars
Johnny Trobro - Bass
Micael Palace - Lead guitars and rhythm guitars on “Can't Let Go” and “Only The Lonely”




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Melodic hard rock group, Faithsedge, have released a lyric video for 'Back From This", the second single from the band's new album, Bleed For Passion, out now via Scarlet Records (Spiritual Beast in Japan). Watch below.

Produced, mixed and mastered by former Dokken guitarist Alex De Rosso, Bleed For Passion takes the listener back to the days of big guitars and powerful melodic vocal lines of the 80's and early 90's, but keeping an up to date view on the lyrics and subject matter.

The band features singer/songwriter Giancarlo Floridia, Mr.Big/Ace Frehley drummer Matt Starr, ex-Stryper bassist extraordinaire Timothy Gaines and Alex De Rosso himself.

The powerful cover artwork was made by Federico Mondelli (Frozen Crown/Be The Wolf).

"Back From This"
"Angelic"
"Acceptance"
"Through The Scars"
"I know I Need To Let You Go"
"Girl When "
"Sky"
"I’ve Changed"
"Bleeding With The Memories"
"Reflecting A Voice"

"Back From This" lyric video:

"Angelic" lyric video:




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Jason Newsted says that he "would like to take some credit" for the "stabilization" of METALLICA after the passing of Cliff Burton.

Burton played on METALLICA's first three studio albums — "Kill 'Em All", "Ride The Lightning" and "Master Of Puppets" — and co-wrote classic songs like "Ride The Lightning", "For Whom The Bell Tolls", "Fade To Black", "Creeping Death" and "Master Of Puppets". His life was tragically cut short at the age of 24 in a tour bus crash on September 27, 1986 in Sweden.

Burton's initial replacement in the group was Newsted, who stayed in the lineup until 2001. Robert Trujillo joined in 2003 and remains in the band to this day.

In a brand new interview with the Florida radio station WZZR (Real Radio 94.3), Newsted said that his addition to METALLICA 33 years ago made it possible for the band to scale new heights in its career while the members were grieving for their fallen friend.

"The stabilization of the band I would like to take some credit for," Newsted said (see video below). "Yes, it was hard work; yes, it's not for everyone; but, holy crap, what we were able to accomplish. Because we had the right combination of people at the right time and the right amount of people to go play for in the world. It was all demographics and politics and all those things that got us to where we were.

"The hard work that went into that and the foundation and stability that it created after such a fracturing because of Cliff's passing… They would have just as soon not done anything else once that happened," Jason continued. "But they didn't, and they kept going, and I had to come in and be that propulsion, be the new engine that helped this fractured being. 'Cause it's a thing that's bigger than all of [us]. It's an entity unto itself. So those years that I did it was just stabilizing the whole thing. Fifteen years later, it was stabilization. So that's what I was able to be. I showed up — first one in, last one out. I always went with that kind of mentality. That's why it got to where it got. That's how heavy metal of that sharp tooth was able to get on the radio.

"We spearheaded that thing," he added. "There was bands before us. If there wasn't AC/DC and there wasn't IRON MAIDEN, we would not have been able to tour the way we did; we would not have been able to accomplish what we did in these nooks and crannies of the universe. But the thing is that those guys kept flying the flag. They're 36 years in and they can still sell any stadium in any country — with music that goes [roars aggressively]. You can understand that Whitney Houston can do it, or UB40, or somebody that's so worldly in that way, or a Bob Marley type of vibe. Black people, green people, purple people, all people that speak all languages across the universe still come and learn their English from our songs."

According to Newsted, his decision to leave METALLICA more than 18 years ago "enabled" his bandmates "to continue. "They would not be doing what they're doing now if I hadn't made that move then and I knew what was best for everybody at the time," he explained. "Whether I was prophetic and saw these things ahead of time, that I knew the inner rumblings, what would take place and what would unfold… I knew about people's issues and stuff," Newsted said, referring to the fact that his exit was followed by the three most turbulent years of METALLICA's long career, during which they battled through addiction, fan backlash, personal turmoil and the near-disintegration of the group while making of the "St. Anger" album. "'We've gotta step away for a second, you guys, to make sure everybody can…' 'No. We don't wanna step away. We wanna go and rock.' So I chose to step away and they chose to keep going. But then they dove down for a couple of years and didn't do anything because of it. So if they would have just listened to what I said, we would have taken the time off together that I wanted to take off, we could have came back and did that thing. But that's not what was meant to be. And now, what happened, physically, shoulders, all these other things, I couldn't be in their band the way that I want to be," apparently alluding to the fact that his physical ailments over the last two decades would have prevented him from being able to tour for extensive periods of time.

Although Newsted says that he will "always be a member of METALLICA," his former bandmates are the ones who are "gonna do the work — they're gonna go out there and do their thing, and I'm just gonna fly the flag and always be proud of them," he said.

Five years ago, the now-56-year-old Newsted canceled an appearance at Australia's Soundwave festival with his band NEWSTED, citing "private and personal circumstances." The cancelation followed more than a year of intense touring and promotional activity surrounding the release of NEWSTED's "Metal" EP and follow-up album, "Heavy Metal Music", both of which were positively received by the critics and fans alike.

After staying mostly out of the public eye for a couple of years, Newsted rejoined Canadian metal innovators VOIVOD on stage during June 2016 concert at Slim's in San Francisco, California. He has since formed a couple of new acoustic projects, one of which completed a short West Coast tour.

Jason was inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame, along with METALLICA guitarist/vocalist James Hetfield, drummer Lars Ulrich, guitarist Kirk Hammett, and the man who replaced him, Robert Trujillo, in 2009.




Jason Newsted is LIVE with The Love Doctors!

Posted by Real Radio 94.3fm on Thursday, October 3, 2019

British gothic metal pioneers PARADISE LOST will enter Orgone Studios in Milton Keynes, United Kingdom at the end of the month with producer Jaime Gomez Arellano to begin recording their new album. An early 2020 release is expected.

PARADISE LOST previously worked with Arellano on "The Plague Within" (2015) and "Medusa" (2017) albums.

This past August, guitarist Aaron Aedy confirmed to Impact metal channel that vocalist Nick Holmes and guitarist Greg Mackintosh were working on new material. "I haven't heard anything yet, so I can't give anything away," he said at the time. "Knowing them two, it will be a bit miserable and very PARADISE LOST."

"Medusa" was released in September 2017 via Nuclear Blast. The artwork was created by Branca Studio and shows the infamous Gorgone Medusa from Greek mythology, carrying venomous snakes as hair and turning anyone into stone who would dare to look into her eyes.

Decibel Books recently announced the publication of "No Celebration: The Official Story Of Paradise Lost". Due in November, this brand new hardcover chronicles the British doom metal progenitors' groundbreaking three decades-plus career with in-depth interviews, first-hand accounts and never-before-seen photos.

Author David E. Gehlke ("Damn The Machine: The Story Of Noise Records") takes readers into the depths of one of metal's most enduring and rewarding bands. Including a foreword from BOLT THROWER/MEMORIAM frontman Karl Willetts, this hardcover edition is over 300 pages and strictly limited to 1,000 copies worldwide. Pre-orders are available now.


As a few of you may have already heard; we are almost done writing the new album, and we will head into the studio with...

Posted by Paradise Lost on Wednesday, October 16, 2019

Rotting Christ have released the video below, featuring a performance of Greek metal band Thou Art Lord's "Societas Satanas" - a song that first appeared on the album Apollyon in 1996. Shot in Lithuania on June 23, 2019, this video was shot, mixed and edited by the Kilkim Zaibu Festival crew.




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French dark metal outfit, The Old Dead Tree, have revealed the details for their forthcoming studio album, The End, which will be released on December 6.

This final chapter, containing five never released tracks, was already written in 1999, a few days before the tragic loss of drummer Frédéric Guillemot. With this record, the band is closing their career with one last tribute to their long-lost friend. The EP includes a bonus DVD containing an extensive documentary on the band's career.

In addition to the announcement, The Old Dead Tree has premiered the first single from the record, "The End... Again". A lyric video for the song can be found below. Vocalist/Guitarist Manuel Munoz comments on the track: "We're proud and happy to share these new songs with you. As you know, beautiful things take time..."

'The End' can be pre-ordered in various formats here.

The End EP tracklisting:

"Sorry"
"Someone Should Know (The Truth)"
"Kids"
"Raise"
"The End... Again"

"The End... Again" lyric video:

(Photo - Florent Wallon)




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Swedish prog-power band, Tad Morose, led by guitarist Christer Andersson, will have their 2000 album, Undead, reissued via Punishment18 Records on November 29.

Tracklisting:

Intro
"Servant Of The Bones"
"Another Time Around"
"Where The Sun Never Shines"
"Order Of The Seven Poles"
"Undead"
"No Tears In The Rain"
Intro / "Lord On High"
"Corporate Masters"
"No Wings To Burn"
"The Dead And His Son"




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Tomorrow, Swiss prog metallers, Cellar Darling, kick off their European tour bringing their concept album The Spell, as well as their previously released sound tales to the European stages. They also announce an additional show, on which they will be supporting Opeth, on October 27 in Norwich, UK.

As a bonus, the band have unveiled the new lyric video for "Hang" from their latest album The Spell, which you can see below.

The band comment: "We welcome the beautiful colours of autumn with 'Hang', yet another animated video from our concept album The Spell, once again created by Costin Chioreanu. This is the 8th video in our ongoing series, in which every one of the 13 album tracks will receive a visual interpretation by Costin. We hope you enjoy it!

The band continues: "We are also pleased to announce that we'll be joining the one and only Opeth at their upcoming show on 27 October at the Nick Rayns LCR UEA in Norwich, England! We are absolutely stoked and honoured to be opening the night for such a legendary band. This guaranteed to be a very special evening, and we can't wait to see you there."

Make sure to catch Cellar Darling on their upcoming headline tour together with their label mates Forever Still and Oceans at one of the dates below:

October
17 - Paris, France - Les Etoiles
18 - Dusseldorf, Germany - The Tube
19 - Hameln, Germany - Autumn Moon Festival
20 - Frankfurt, Germany - Nachtleben
22 - Milan, Italy - Legend Club (with TBA)
23 - Munich, Germany - Backstage
24 - Prague, Czech Republic - Futurum
25 - Krakow, Poland - Zaczek
26 - Leipzig, Germany - Hellraiser
29 - Hamburg, Germany - HeadCrash
30 - Copenhagen, Denmark - Beta

November
1 - Tampere, Finland - Olympia
2 - Helsinki, Finland - On the Rocks
4 - Stockholm, Sweden - Sodra Bar
7 - Cologne, Germany - MTC Club
8 - Appeldoorn, Netherlands - Brainstorm Festival




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German folk rock collective, Knasterbart, have steered clear of all things golden and glamorous and chosen the hard life of a bunch of partying hicks instead: These seven dudes keep finding the stars in the gutter and have done so since 2012, churning out truly unique folk rock full of lewd humor, naughty daydreams and a healthy dose of self-mockery courtesy of musicians of Versengold and Mr. Hurley & Die Pulveraffen.

After the band just inked a worldwide deal with leading rock and metal label Napalm Records, their fourth album, Perlen vor die Säue (English for Pearls Before Swine), will see the light of day on November 29.

Perlen vor die Säue is a smorgasbord of catchy and tongue-in-cheek songs full of outlaw party flavor ("Ringelpiez am Kiez"), tear-jerking moments ("Bambis Mama") and a peculiar love/hate relationship with Christmas ("Herzchen im Schnee"). This is a hefty, rough-and-ready album for all future piglets and those who already know how to grunt!

Pre-order the album here.

Tracklisting:

"Perlen für die Säue"
"Ringelpiez am Kiez"
"Kneipenschlägerei"
"Backpfeifensonate in d-Moll"
"Bambis Mama"
"Gib dich auf"
"Laich mich ein"
"Muss-ketier"
"Gossenglocken"
"Tanzt nach meiner Pfeife"
"Geboren um zu Sterben"
"Herzchen im Schnee"

Knasterbart lineup:

Hotze (Vocals)
Fummelfips (Vocals, Mandolin)
Hackepeter (Guitar)
Schramme (Guitar)
Fidolin (Violin)
Klappstuhl (Bass)
Knüppelkalle (Drums)




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Powerwolf's new board game, Armata Strigoi, will be available on October 24. You can pre-order the game here, and watch an unboxing video below.

Description: The eternal struggle between vampires and werewolves is coming to an end. The last Vampire Master and his Apprentice, Strigoi from Wallachia, are dwelling in the ancient fortress of Tismana: a stronghold haunted by evil undead creatures. Nevertheless, the Powerwolf - sons of the Legends of the Night and the Armenia Savage Army - the defenders of the “Real Truth,” prepare for a last frantic assault knowing there are no alternatives to victory!

Armata Strigoi is a game in which the Powerwolf win or lose as a team, but each player makes their own decisions about their actions and movements. Each player represents one of the Powerwolf heroes which assault the Strigoi’s fortress as a single pack. In order to win they have to defeat both Vampires. However, the two foes are initially invulnerable and their vitality is intrinsically linked to their dwelling fortress, thus, upon the demise of the first vampire the whole structure will start to crumble and collapse on itself, making the victory a race against time!

The Powerwolf act collectively, but a pack of werewolves during a furious assault is not known to be a highly organized band that can devise and set up high-profile strategies and tactics. Hence, the players are forbidden from sharing details about their cards, though they can talk to each other, propose joint actions, or heal a comrade. Victory is achieved by defeating both Strigoi. To make them vulnerable, the Powerwolf must first collect Blood Points by decimating the fellow Creatures of the Night who haunt the fortress. During their quest, they can also collect weapons and magical artifacts. If one Strigoi perishes, the other immediately turns into a Supreme Master Vampire, making them even more lethal. At the same time, the fortress starts to crumble and collapse room by room. If both Strigoi are defeated, the Powerwolf pack wins the game. It is not an easy task, but let the hunt begin!




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ARTE Concert has uploaded professionally-filmed video footage of Finnish heavy metal sextet Battle Beast's August 15 performance at Germany's Summer Breeze festival. Watch below.

Setlist:

"Unbroken"
"Familiar Hell"
"Straight To The Hear"t
"Black Ninja"
"Endless Summer"
"The Golden Horde"
"Bastard Son Of Odin"
"The Hero"
"Eden"
"No More Hollywood Endings"
"King For A Day"
"Beyond The Burning Skies"




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Frontiers Music Srl announces the signing of hard rockers, Bloody Heels, as the band joins the label's rapidly expanding pool of young talent. With a musical style that could be best described as a sort of missing link between CrashDïet and Crazy Lixx, the band is preparing their label debut for release in 2020.

‘’As to the music itself and the songs, this time we wanted to write without overthinking or putting ourselves in a “box". We experimented a lot and all the listeners will definitely feel and hear that. There will be some pretty heavy songs on the new album, but at the same time there’s plenty of melodic stuff, harmonies and big choruses. I like to call this album ‘Dark AOR’, haha! We managed to blend everything we love about music, to be honest. But one thing is for sure, we’ve never felt such a strong connection with the songs before and we can’t be happier that this album will be released internationally via Frontiers, one of the leading rock labels in the world right now! It’s an honor to be working with them,” says singer Vicky White.

Formed in 2012 in Riga, Latvia by Vicky White, Harry Rivers, Gus Hawk, and Chris Flint, the band debuted their first recording in 2014 with the Summer Nights EP. The "Hungry For Your Love" single and music video was released at the same time and proved a nice introduction of the band to sleazy hard rock fans around the globe. The band then independently released their debut full length, Through Mystery, in 2017 and started to tour relentlessly in Scandinavia and East Europe.

In 2018, work for their sophomore album begun, but one of the founding members, Chris Flint decided to leave the band. Shortly after, new member Gunn Everett took over the bass duties.

"That was definitely a really interesting period in the band. First of all the departure of the founding member Chris Flint and the arrival of Gunn Everett. We definitely had a few rough months, but we knew right from the start that Gunn was the right dude for the job. And he is...," says White.

Bloody Heels lineup:

Vicky White (vocals)
Harry Rivers (guitars)
Gunn Everett (bass)
Gus Hawk (drums)




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Having just finished a stint on the US Summer Slaughter tour, New Jersey’s Lorna Shore has found a new home with Century Media Records. Their forthcoming album, Immortal, due in early 2020, is nothing short of a shock of blackened, symphonic ambitions and epic intents. It’s a milestone for Lorna Shore, who have built a sizeable reputation touring the US and abroad alongside the likes of The Black Dahlia Murder, Carnifex and Chelsea Grin.

Formed in 2010, Lorna Shore were quick to surpass “local band” expectations with 2012’s Bone Kingdom EP and it’s follow-up, 2013’s Malificium EP, which peaked at #3 on the iTunes Metal charts. Through each release, Lorna Shore continues to prove themselves to be an increasingly formidable force and a ferocious live proposition. 2017’s sophomore LP, Flesh Coffin showed a band that had moved beyond mere “deathcore” trappings and had evolved into a modern metal band, as uncompromising and accomplished as any of their contemporaries or influences.

“We became the band we wanted to be, rather than just the product of our early influences,” says guitarist Adam De Micco. “Immortal is the latest chapter of that story of us as a band, as players and as people.” Armed with new vocalist C.J. McCreery (ex-Signs Of The Swarm), Lorna Shore has made a record that stands apart from their earlier works. The earliest hints of that have come with the release of album tracks, “This Is Hell” and “Darkest Spawn”, twin deathly salvos released from Lorna Shore’s early album sessions with producer Josh Schroeder (Battlecross, King 810, For Today) at Random Awesome Studios in Midland, MI. Recording for the album - which was initially intended for release through another label - was complete in mid-2019, leading the band to cement a deal with Century Media in late August.

“Signing with Century Media is the beginning of another chapter for us as a band,” states drummer Austin Archey. “We came through a lot tough situations: from changing members to even getting this record finished, that only pushed us to become a better band. We’re happy to share that with a label we’ve always respected.”

Lorna Shore will begin to showcase the sounds of Immortal as they hit the road in October with Fit For An Autopsy, Rivers Of Nihil, The Last Ten Seconds of Life and Dyscarnate for a month of US dates.

“I was truly surprised and excited by what the band delivered,” says Century Media US A&R, Mike Gitter. “It was light-years beyond any expectations or preconceptions I had for them - and I think that will be the case as new and old fans start to hear new Lorna Shore music.”

Says Century Media Director, Philipp Schulte: “We are very excited to welcome Lorna Shore to Century Media Records. The two previously released tracks, “This is Hell” and “Darkest Spawn” both from an early recording session of the upcoming album, showcase the band in top shape, but are just a premonition of what the new album holds in store. We are honored to release Immortal, Lorna Shore‘s new opus, as a prime example that extreme music done right is still of highest relevance.”

Tour dates:

October
24 - Brooklyn, NY - St. Vitus
25 - Hamden, CT - Space Ballroom
26 - Philadelphia, PA - Voltage Lounge
27 - Frederick, MD - Café 611
28 - Chapel Hill, NC - Local 506
29 - Nashville, TN - The End
30 - Atlanta, GA - The Masquerade

November
1 - Tampa, FL - Crowbar
2 - Orlando, FL - Soundbar
4 - Austin, TX - Come and Take It Live!
5 - Dallas, TX - Gas Monkey
6 - El Paso, TX - Rockhouse
7 - Mesa, AZ - Club Red
8 - Los Angeles, CA - 1720
9 - Fresno, CA - Full Circle Brewing Co.
10 - Sacramento, CA - Holy Diver
12 - Portland, OR - Paris Theater
13 - Seattle, WA - El Corazon
15 - Salt Lake City, UT - The Complex
16 - Denver, CO - Bluebird Theater
17 - Kansas City, MO - Riot Room
19 - St. Louis, MO - Fubar
20 - St. Paul, MN - Turf Club
21 - Chicago, IL - Cobra Lounge
22 - Detroit, MI - The Sanctuary
23 - Rochester, NY - Montage Music Hall

Tickets for all shows are available now.




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Progressive rock legends, The Flower Kings, have released a video trailer for their upcoming new studio double-album, Waiting For Miracles, out via InsideOutMusic on November 8. Watch below.

The album is comprised of 15 new tracks, recorded over the summer at RMV studio in Stockholm, Sweden – a vintage studio space owned by ABBA star Benny Andersson.

The album will be released as a 2CD, gatefold 2LP + 2CD, and as digital album, featuring beautiful artwork by American artist Kevin Sloan. Pre-order here.

Disc 1:
"House Of Cards"
"Black Flag"
"Miracles For America"
"Vertigo"
"The Bridge"
"Ascending To The Stars"
"Wicked Old Symphony"
"The Rebel Circus"
"Sleep With The Enemy"
"The Crowning Of Greed"

Disc 2:
"House Of Cards Reprise"
"Spirals"
"Steampunk"
"We Were Always Here"
"Busking At Brobank"

Trailer:

"Miracles For America":

"Black Flag":

The Flower Kings will be heading out on tour this December with label mates Kayak. Roine Stolt: "We're happy to go on tour in Europe again in December - We will present The Flower Kings music from the early days - concert favourites - plus some brand new music - that is along the lines of the early music of the band - symphonic rock. We're happy to bring our friends in Kayak along for this proggy double bill - it will be a monumental meltdown of melodic prog - not to be missed."  

The two bands will perform 12 dates across six countries, and you can find the full list of shows below, tickets on sale now:

December
1 - Bahnhof St. Pauli - Hamburg, Germany
2 - Musikzentrum - Hannover, Germany
3 - OK Andaluzia - Piekary Slaskie, Poland
4 - Klub U Bazyla - Poznan, Poland
6 - Burgerweeshuis - Deventer, Netherlands
7 - De Boerderij - Zoetermeer, Netherlands
8- Scala - London, UK
9 - Piano - Dortmund, Germany
10 - Columbia Theater - Berlin, Germany
11 - Amager Bio - Copenhagen, Denmark
12 - Brewhouse - Gothenburg, Sweden
14 - Kraken - Stockholm, Sweden

The Flower Kings started as an outlet for guitarist/singer/composer Roine Stolt in 1994 - a time when prog-rock wasn’t mere history, nor a dirty word. The band quickly gained momentum and was one of a handful of bands helping to revive the progressive rock scene worldwide. Roine has since collaborated with a host of legendary musicians across various projects, including his acclaimed 2015 album with YES legend Jon Anderson, progressive-rock supergroup Transatlantic alongside Neal Morse, Mike Portnoy and Pete Trewavas, and a year as bass player with Genesis guitarist Steve Hackett. The Flower Kings however, has always felt like home for Roine and the other band veterans Jonas Reingold and Hasse Fröberg.

(Photo - Johnny Taxen)




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Jan Akkerman will be releasing Close Beauty, his first studio album in eight years and his first on Music Theories Recordings / Mascot Label Group on October 25. Pre-order here, and watch a video for the song "Don Giovanni" below.

At 72 years old, the supremely gifted guitarist is equaled by very few and his legendary ability makes him impossible to pigeon hole. His position as Dutch royalty has been cemented, he received the Golden Harp Award in early 2005, Holland’s most prestigious music prize and in 2012 he was appointed Knight in the Order of Orange-Nassau, a royal honor that acknowledged his contribution to Dutch music and his influence on musicians around the world.

Akkerman was a founding member of Focus from 1969 to 1976 where he recorded a number of breakout albums including, Focus II/Moving Waves (1971). The album spawned the mega-hit "Hocus Pocus" which reached #9 on the US Billboard Chart, #12 in The Netherlands and #20 in the UK singles chart and the song has gone on to appear on numerous TV shows such as; Top Gear, Skins, Supernatural, Vinyl, My Name is Earl and Shameless as well we the 2007 film Hot Fuzz, 2014 remake of Robocop and 2017s Baby Driver. The song has been covered by a number of other artists including Iron Maiden, Marillion, Helloween, Gary Hoey, The Vandals and Vanessa-Mae. Focus 3 (1972) featured another hit single in ‘Sylvia’ which reached #4 in the UK singles chart and led to an appearance on The Old Grey Whistle Test and Top of the Pops.. That year Melody Maker declared him the ‘Best guitarist of the world’, above Eric Clapton and Jimmy Page.

Close Beauty is the return of the distinctive ‘Akkerman-sound’, which runs like a thread through twelve compositions; acoustic, electric, solo performing and accompanied by his own band, Marijn van den Berg (drums), David de Marez Oyens (bass) and Coen Molenaar (keyboards). Molenaar also produced the album, which was recorded at Marten Haak’s Studio.

From the panoramic sound of "Beyond The Horizon", "Tommy’s Anniversary" and "Meanwhile In St. Tropez", the melancholy of "Passagaglia" and "Reunion" to the fun of playing in "Good Body Every Evening" and the sophisticated opening track "Spiritual Privacy", Close Beauty is hard to categorize, in the best Akkerman tradition.

Talking about the new album, Jan says: "I’ve always been able to tell that none of my albums sound the same. Exploring new things is something that I’d always wanted to do. Harmonica player Toots Thielemans once told me: ‘your timing, that’s your signature, your autogram’. I consider Close Beauty exactly like that. If you stand very close to a cow, you can’t tell it’s a cow, after all."

He has collaborated with a number of musicians including Alan Price (The Animals), Jack Bruce and Ice T and counts fans in Brian May who said Akkerman was "totally a hero of mine, there are some people in life that no matter how old you are, you feel nervous if you meet someone, he’s one of those, he’s a real role model”. B.B. King has also talked highly of him saying, "How can you forget a guy like Jan, usually with people that are as great as he is, you know of them, but you don’t always get to know them or their music, but you know their reputation. The nights that we played together was great, I wish I could play the things that he did.” Whilst Yes guitarist Peter Banks has also lauded him calling him "an almost perfectly formed musician, his classical playing was tremendous and his improvising was second to none.”

For generations, he has impressed and inspired large numbers of guitarists with his timing, harmonics, virtuosity and his ability to perform with a wide range of musicians from various musical backgrounds.

Close Beauty can be considered as one of Jan’s most varied works, while this record is his first album in almost 30 years that also gets a vinyl release. The album took well over a year to complete and talking about it Akkerman says, "The title was inspired from a simple notion, that when you are too close to an object you cannot see the real value. The same applies to music.” "My aim is to create beauty in my music,” he continues. "I like diversity and freedom.”

Tracklisting:

"Spiritual Privacy (Sunset Tango)"
"Beyond The Horizon"
"Reunion"
"Close Beauty"
"Retrospection (Emotional Debris – The Power Behind The Throne – Hear The Trees Whistle For The Fog – Euridice)"
"Passagaglia"
"Tommy’s Anniversary"
"Don Giovanni"
"Meanwhile In St. Tropez"
"French Pride"
"Fromage"
"Good Body Every Evening"

"Don Giovanni" video:

"Tommy's Anniversary" video:

(Photo - Paul Bergen)




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Frontiers Music Srl announces the release of Edge Of Forever's long awaited fourth album, Native Soul on December 6. Today, the band has released a video for the title track, which you can find below. Stream the title track and the previously released single, "Take Your Time"
(a tribute to the late great Marcelo Jacob, lyric video below) and pre-order the album here.

Sporting a dynamic and renewed lineup featuring founding member, producer, singer, and keyboardist Alessandro Del Vecchio, guitarist Aldo Lonobile (Secret Sphere), bass player Nik Mazzucconi (Labyrinth), and drummer Marco Di Salvia (Hardline), Edge Of Forever are back with what is easily their strongest album to date, which heads back to the heavier, but still melodic, sound of their acclaimed debut album.

Originally formed by Del Vecchio in 2002, Edge Of Forever released three very well received albums: Feeding The Fire, produced by Marcel Jacob (Yngwie Malmsteen, Talisman) and Let The Demon Rock 'n' Roll, produced by Bobby Barth (Axe, Blackfoot) - both featuring Bob Harris (Axe, Frank Zappa) on vocals - as well as Another Paradise, which saw Alessandro Del Vecchio take over the lead vocal position and production duties.

Years of artistic collaboration between Alessandro Del Vecchio and Frontiers have led to some simply amazing records and Native Soul is no exception! Anthemic songs, epic choruses, bombastic production, and a deep, strong vocal performance are the foundation of the album.

"I've been eager to reach the sound we have now as a band for years," says Alessandro. "I chased very hard what I envisioned when I wrote these songs, but the final result exceeded my expectations! The band is tighter, tougher, and classier than ever. Honestly, I couldn't be happier and more pumped about it. Edge Of Forever always had those classic rock and neoclassical elements that could remind one of Talisman, Yngwie Malmsteen, and House Of Lords, but this time we wanted to take the strong melodic, hard bluesy edge that bands like Tangier have and blend it all together."

Since Alessandro Del Vecchio teamed up with Frontiers he has since became a reference name in the hard rock world, being the producer, songwriter and musician behind successful albums with the likes of Hardline, Jorn, Revolution Saints, The End Machine, Find Me, First Signal, Harem Scarem, House Of Lords, and many others. Beside being one of the most talented musicians in the scene, Alessandro is also known for his high tenor soulful voice. Aldo Lonobile was the first choice when the band was ready to enter the studio. Loaded with a great attitude and undeniable talents, Aldo's guitar playing fits like a glove for Edge Of Forever. His aggressive rhythm guitars and powerful but soaring guitar solos give new life to the sound of the band. Still forged as a metal/hard rock guitarist, Aldo's guitar work on the album allows the listener to have a new perspective of him as a player, with bluesy solos and melodic phrasings. Nik Mazzucconi is the only member left - with Alessandro - from the last album Another Paradise and his playing pairs perfectly with powerful drummer Marco Di Salvia, already a bandmate of Alessandro in Hardline.

"Aldo and I have been talking for years about doing something together and now that he is also part of the extended Frontiers family, my choice couldn't have been easier. He was #1 on my list 'cause I knew he had the chops and understood the sound I wanted for the record and for the band. He is known to be more of a metal guitarist, but he blew me away in the studio with great melodic solos and you'll hear that bluesy side you wouldn't expect from him. Nik and Marco already played together several times and I always witnessed a great chemistry and they locked perfectly on these songs, giving them a completely live and in-your-face attitude. There are still tons of keyboards and soaring melodies, but this is certainly a  riff-based record. We also wanted this album to be different from your ordinary rock record and and give it a different vibe from the start. That's why the first song on the album is the a capella 'Three Rivers', like a warm welcome to "our" own sound and world."

"Native Soul is my very first hard rock release," says guitarist Aldo Lonobile. "I grew up listening to this genre and its legendary guitarists so when my buddy Alessandro invited me to join the band and played me the first few demos I was sure that we were on the way to deliver a gem of an album. I had to change drastically my playing for this record, but at the same time I am sure everyone will enjoy the final result."

Native Soul is a deep and spiritual record. The Native concepts of Life, Faith and Love for Mother Earth come alive in songs like the title-track "Native Soul", "Promised Land", "Carry On", "Wash Your Sins Away" and the a capella intro of the album "Three Rivers", turning them all into anthems about life strength and motivation.

"Native Soul is a very positive record and I want people to listen to these songs with a smile on their faces and enjoy a band pouring blood, sweat, and love into every single note. It's my vision of the world, of life, and faith and gives a strong message of never letting anything stop you," concludes Alessandro.

Tracklisting:

"Three Rivers"
"Native Soul"
"Promised Land"
"Carry On"
"Take Your Time"
"Dying Sun"
"Shine"
"I Made Myself What I Am"
"War"
"Wash Your Sins Away"
"Ride With The Wind"

"Native Soul" video:

"Take Your Time" lyric video:

Lineup:

Alessandro Del Vecchio: Lead Vocals, keyboards
Aldo Lonobile: Guitars
Nik Mazzucconi: Bass Guitar
Marco Di Salvia: Drums




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Black Lion is pleased to welcome Austin Texas based funeral doom group, In Oblivion. Spawned from Austin, TX around 2009, In Oblivion bring you home the southern atmospheric funeral doom metal deep from the abysmal depths of depression. Their debut album, Memories Engraved In Stone, was a truly remarkable debut and hit every right spot from first to last track it was a one of a kind debut album that truly sparked something. 

In Oblivion is currently in the studio recording their new album set for release in 2020 , live shows for 2020 are being planned. In Oblivion's music delivers funeral doom in the vain of its ancestors Evoken, Mournful Congregation, Ahab,

In Oblivion comments: "Our future as part of the Black Lion roster is something to look forward to in an otherwise despondent existence. We are greatly impressed with the professionalism of the label and believe that this will be a highly beneficial partnership for all parties involved.  Brace yourselves -- Oblivion beckons!"

In Oblivion are: 
Ciaran McCloskey - guitars/lead
Jake Holmes - bass
Justin Buller - guitars, vocals, keys
Ryoko Minowa - keyboards

Follow In Oblivion via Facebook here.




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Finnish industrial metal / Hellelectro act King Satan is releasing their second full length album, I Want You To Worship Satan, on November 22nd via Inverse Records. They have released a new single entitled "All Magick Is Chaos Magick". Check out the official video below.

Vocalist and the director of music video King Aleister Satan comments: "For 'All Magick Is Chaos Magick' single we wanted to present more occult & mysticism oriented side of our works, and since it had been a while since I had directed a story-based music video I wanted it to be for this song. This said, the same goes with the song itself. I have been asked many times during the King Satan’s existence that 'What is Magick and Chaos Magick for you?' and 'How it is related to the Devil?' which led into the birth of the song, where I answer all this through the orchestration of industrial metal and electronic body music amalgam!"
 
 
King Satan is industrial metal band from Tampere, Finland founded in the end of 2015 by vocalist and multi-instrumentalist King Aleister Satan. The band serves eccentric and over-the-top style of harsh extreme metal which is heavily infused with different elements all the way from hard rock and death punk to aggrotech and electro-industrial.
 
The band gained international attention in the underground metal circles with powerful live performances, controversial music videos and genre-bending debut album, King Fucking Satan (2017). The band’s outspoken attitude towards occult and spiritual anarchy was served in unique blend of electro-metal which appeared to be not alien to neither satire or philosophical sedition.
 
With several festival shows and touring in Finland and mainland Europe in 2018 together with series of club shows while supporting or sharing stage with such acts as Pain, Perturbator, Carpenter Brut, Hocico, Turmion Kätilöt and Velvet Acid Christ, the band promoted their debut album and gained themselves reputation for being distinctive and energetic live band. With full band line-up, babalonian female voice of keyboardist Katherine Boss and powerful demonic vocals of band’s mastermind King Aleister Satan, the band delivers fierce soundscapes full of excessive synths and bass, electro beats, live drums and heavily distorted guitars that can be consumed both in dance floor and in a moshpit, and which most surely bows to nothing and to no one.
 
Check out the band's official Facebook page here.




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Swedish heavy metal outfit, Crystal Eyes, have re-signed with Massacre Records, and will release a brand new album this December. The upcoming album, Starbourne Traveler, will be available as CD, limited edition vinyl LP, as well as download and stream. New single, "Side By Side", is streaming below.

The band's eigth studio album was mixed and mastered by Fredrik Nordström at Studio Fredman. The album cover and tracklisting will be revealed soon.

Along with the new album, Crystal Eyes' previous albums, Killer and Chained, will be available again. Starbourne Traveler and the reissues of the two previous albums will be released on December 6.

 

Tracklisting:

“Gods Of Disorder”
“Side By Side”
“Extreme Paranoia” 
“Starbourne Traveler”
“Corridors Of Time”
“Paradise Powerlord”
“Into The Fire”
“In The Empire Of Saints”
“Midnight Radio”
“Rage On The Sea”

(Photo - Erik Harald)




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Less than two weeks to go until Alcest release their 6th studio album Spiritual Instinct. Recorded at the French Drudenhaus Studios and written in bursts both during and after a prolonged period of touring in support of 2016’s hugely successful Kodama, the new and very cathartic album is leading the blackgaze pioneers into dark soundscapes and will be released on October 25.

Today, band leader Neige speaks about the studio recordings of the new album with Benoit Roux and explains how lengthy and difficult the writing process can sometimes be. He also sheds light on his working process with his bandmate Winterhalter and how they complement each other.

The album is now available for pre-order in the following formats:
- digipak in O-card
- 36 pages earbook including 2 CD + 180g LP (stone effect) (limited to 2000 copies)
- 180g LP in sleeve available in the colors:
black (retail)
ocean green (NB mailorder + wholesale, limited to 500 copies)
burgundy (NB mailorder exclusive, limited to 300 copies)
polar white (Rough Trade exclusive, limited to 300 copies)
royal blue (band shop exclusive, limited to 300 copies)
- Boxset collector's edition including 2 CDs + 180g LP (stone effect), earbook, bonus mini LP (violet sparkle, etched) in sleeve, art prints and patch (limited to 500 copies)
Digital

USA exclusive vinyl colors:
mint green (retail, limited to 1.700 copies)
clear+blue/bone splatter (indie exclusive, limited to 300 copies)
blood red (NB mailorder exclusive, limited to 500 copies)

Find preorders at this location.




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Prog-metal veterans Empyria have released a lyric video for the song “Dark Skies (MH-370)”, which can be viewed below. The track is taken from the band's eight studio album Divided, which was released in July 2019 via SCRAPE Records.

Guitarist and songwriter Mike Kischnick stated about “Dark Skies (MH-370)”: "The song’s lyrics were written as a memoriam to Malaysia Airlines Flight MH-370, which disappeared in March 2014 and is considered one of the greatest aviation mysteries of all time.”

Order the album on Bandcamp.

Divided features five tracks plus two bonus songs re-recorded from their 1996 record Behind Closed Doors with Phil Leite on vocals for the first time.

“Divided” lyric video:




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Swedish hardcore band Raised Fist share “Into This World”, a new track off their upcoming full-length Anthems. The album will be out November 15 via Epitaph.

“This is a song dedicated to our friends, brothers and sisters from another time,” says frontman Alexander "Alle" Hagman. “The slowest song on the album, with a style mix between ‘Wounds’ and ‘Until the end’. Also, the most powerful one. If you know, you know!”

On this seventh full-length, the band has been working together with producers Roberto Laghi & Jakob Herrmann at Top Floor Studios in Gothenburg and Oral Majority Recordings. The ten songs on Anthems are delivered with a searing urgency and intent and the guitars and drums punch through with a driving beat to raise your fist too. “I wanted this album also to become a rock ‘n’ roll album,” explains Hagman. “I wanted to not have everything be deep and dark and symbolic. It's like AC/DC; meaningless but sometimes you just want to have a beer, listen to a song and understand the whole thing from the start.”

Find Anthems preorders at this location.

Tracklisting:

“Venomous”
“Seventh”
“Anthem”
“Murder”
“Into This World”
“Shadows”
“Oblivious”
“Polarized”
“We Are Here”
“Unsinkable II”

“Into This World” video:

(Photo by: Daniel Holmgren)




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High Roller Records will reissue Custom Killing, the 1987 album from Canadian speed metal innovators Razor. Custom Killing features “Survival Of The Fittest” and “Last Rites”, which are the band’s longest songs ever recorded, each running over 11 minutes long. 

Custom Killing was originally released through Fringe Product and was recorded at Waxworks Creative in St. Jacobs, Ontario. Order the Custom Killing CD reissue here.

Tracklisting:

“Survival Of The Fittest”
“Shootout”
“Forced Annihilation”
“Last Rites”
“Snake Eyes”
“White Noise”
“Going Under”
“Russian Ballet”

Recording lineup:

Stace McLaren – vocals
Dave Carlo – guitars
Mike Campagnolo – bass
Mike Embro – drums




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Miami, FL hard rock band Gears has joined forces with legendary Living Colour vocalist and frontman, Corey Glover, for a modern update to the 1988 hit single, "Cult Of Personality".

"Cult Of Personality" was recorded in Recorded at Wombat Studios in New Jersey and Jettlane Studios in Kentucky, Mixed by Corey Lowery and Mastered by Paul Logus, with the video being filmed and directed by Estil Robinson. Watch below.

"'Cult of Personality' is a song that we always wanted to cover. That groove, that riff, the vocals, lyrical content... Everything about it has always stuck out to us and been a personal favorite. To have the opportunity to not only record a song that is important to us, but to have Corey Glover himself come in and perform on that track, it was truly a special moment. He was so easy and fun to work with and the final product is really something that we are extremely proud of" - Jimmy Wooten

Gears isn’t your average start-up garage band. Despite being confronted with a near disastrous setback at the cusp of their debut, headlining tour, jarring line-up changes, and financial challenges, the band has persevered and rebuilt. Founded in February 2014, Trip 6 (Urban Rebel), Eli Parker (Endo), Tommy Herres (Scarlet Carson) and Jimmy Wooten (Skinmask) were all looking for new projects as their old ones had run their course.

"We all wanted to do something more modern, but still rang true to our influences. Something that we could aggressively market and tour on. So, we all met up in Miami after months of talking about doing something together and what came out was the first EP, Set In Motion."

They released Set in Motion in May 2014, immediately launching into their first headline run with support from I-Exist. Just three days into the tour, their equipment trailer disconnected, resulting in a massive, horrific accident; not only did they lose their gear, but the tour van was totaled and the band members sustained serious injury. In spite of this tremendous blow, the group endured and continued the tour without missing a beat.

Later it developed that two of the founding members were unable to continue, leaving the band reeling and having to replace them with skilled, compatible substitutes:

"I was talking with a mutual friend, Joe Taback (12 Gauge Embrace) about needing a guitar player for Gears because we let go of Eli and he suggested Bobby Thomas. I called him and showed him the songs and he was ready to go. As far as bass, I knew Chris from when Needlemouth was a thing out in Cali and I always liked his playing and he was super laid back & cool. I knew both of these dudes were definite upgrades at their instruments and were a better fit personality wise than what we had to deal with previously."

In June 2015, Wooten and Six teamed with Corey Lowery (Saint Asonia, Stuck Mojo, Stereomud, Dark New Day) and Troy Mclawhorn(Evanescence, Seether, Dark New Day) on their new EP Pride Comes Before the Fall, and announced the addition of new members Bobby Thomas and Chris Dorame. They hit the road for their Riser Tour, once again with I-Exist, in July, wrapping up the run in September, but kept the momentum going with the digital release and lyric video for their debut single off of Pride Comes Before the Fall, “Face Down”. The band rounded out the year with the release of their much anticipated sophomore EP on November 10th, with both headlining tours and a support slot with Trapt slated for 2017.

After a very successful tour in 2017 with Seasons After and Bridge to Grace, Gears has released a new single and video for “KING.” Once again, joined by Corey Lowery in the studio, Gears continues to evolve. Boasting an even heavier sound with groove and aggression, they set out for Headlining Dates as well as Support Slots with Nonpoint, Upon a Burning Body and will round out their 2018 Summer/Fall Tour Dates with the last of 3 legs with All That Remains concluding at the end of September.

After touring much of 2018 with All That Remains, Gears has shifted focus to releasing more music. Their first 2019 offering will be “Tango Yankee", which features Lajon Witherspoon of Sevendust.

Gears is currently in the studio with Corey Lowery working on some more new music and will have upcoming tour dates to announce for 2020 soon.

We're still moving forward and, despite everything that has been an obstacle in the short time we've been a band, everything still keeps growing and getting better.




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Justin Hawkins spoke to Billboard about the lyrical inspiration for "Rock And Roll Deserves To Die", the first single from the British rockers' new album, "Easter Is Cancelled".

"We were looking at a video of some new rock band, and it was just formulaic," Justin said. "There was nothing original going on — nothing boundary-challenging in it — so they were pretty annoying to watch. So my brother was looking at it, and he said, 'Well, you know what? Rock 'n' roll deserves to die!'"

THE DARKNESS frontman admitted that he doesn't find much of interest in the modern rock world, preferring to look back to his early influences for inspiration.

"I do love music, and I long for it to be better," he said. "But in a lot of cases, it isn't. I always want rock to be better because when I was growing up, it was fucking awesome. It was the most exciting genre, the most challenging — there was androgyny, there was bawdiness in the lyrics, there was emotions, there was makeup, there was all that stuff going on, and it was really exciting."

He continued: "Nothing new has happened within my cherished genre for a long time, and that makes me sad. And angry. Sometimes you hear a retro band come along and they sound great because they're doing what we've all grown up loving, and it's difficult to be excited about it because it has superficial charm and it's nostalgic, and there's nothing underneath it to make it really sing to your heart, you know? The way you want it to and the way it used to. So what we're saying is, 'We're throwing down the gauntlet,' and the biggest irony is that THE DARKNESS is the band that's doing it."

"Easter Is Cancelled" was released on October 4 via Cooking Vinyl. The disc is a mini-rock opera examining the role of the musician in the barbarous culture of the world today. At the heart of the tale is love, loss and heartbreak, where redemption is ultimately found in the brotherhood of band friendship and the power of the guitar.

THE DARKNESS will play "Easter Is Cancelled" in full, alongside a set of its very greatest hits, on its upcoming headline tour. They will play 19 dates across the U.K. starting in November.

In a brand new interview with The Cosmick View, former QUEENSRŸCHE singer Geoff Tate spoke about the fact that making a living as a songwriter and performer has become increasingly challenging in today's climate, especially for younger rock artists.

"The game has changed radically; it doesn't even resemble anything like it was when I started out," he said. "The rules are all different, if there are any rules, really. [Laughs]

"I would say as far as a genre of music, rock is not the music of the times — definitely not worldwide," he continued. "It has pockets of popularity and I for one am solidly entrenched in rock music and I make a nice living touring and releasing albums to my market and I still tour; this tour was 26 countries. You know, that's pretty respectable. I like that. It works for me. But as far as many bands and artists making a living doing that, I don't know. It's really tough for a new band to get an audience, and that's what you need in order to survive in this business — is an audience of people that are willing to support your art, buy your records or buy the tickets to see you perform. And without that, a young artist doesn't have anything other than their music. So the challenge is getting that audience.

"It used to be, when we started out, that you would go out on tour with the headliner band and they were kind enough to share their audience with you, you know. And if you were good at what you did their audience would accept you and maybe be interested in what you had to say and you'd start building from there. But nowadays, there's just so much competition and there's so many bands and artists that want to say something and tour around. How do they get access to an established artist audience? It's near impossible for everybody to do it.

"So, I for one like to help out artists that I can and have certain artists that I enjoy and I like, I like what they're doing, I like them as people," Geoff added. "I try to give them spots on my tour to share my audience with them. I think that's just the way you should do it. That's the way it was when I was starting out and I'll continue that tradition."

Geoff has spent the last couple of years celebrating the 30th anniversary of QUEENSRŸCHE's "Operation: Mindcrime" album by performing the LP in its entirety on European and U.S. tours.

In April 2014, Tate and QUEENSRŸCHE announced that a settlement had been reached after a nearly two-year legal battle where the singer sued over the rights to the QUEENSRŸCHE name after being fired in 2012. Original QUEENSRŸCHE members Michael Wilton (guitar), Scott Rockenfield (drums) and Eddie Jackson (bass) responded with a countersuit. The settlement included an agreement that Wilton, Rockenfield and Jackson would continue as QUEENSRŸCHE, while Tate would have the sole right to perform the albums "Operation: Mindcrime" and "Operation: Mindcrime II" in their entirety live.

Tate has been replaced in QUEENSRŸCHE by former CRIMSON GLORY singer Todd La Torre.

Tate will perform the QUEENSRŸCHE albums "Rage For Order" and "Empire" in their entirety on the "Empire 30th Anniversary Tour" in 2020.

Few Spirits and Warner Music Artist Services have announced the release of All Secrets Known, a new, limited-release bourbon distilled by Few Spirits Master Distiller Paul Hletko in collaboration with Grammy-nominated and multi-platinum selling Seattle grunge pioneers, Alice In Chains, whose music has stood the test of time and influenced a generation. Bottles feature a custom-designed label by artist Justin Helton.

All Secrets Known (SRP: $75/750 ml), a nod to the name of the opening track of Alice In Chains’ 2009 certified Gold release, Black Gives Way To Blue, is Few Bourbon finished for six months in tequila barrels and bottled at the most rock and roll of proofs, 101 (50.5% ABV). Bold, sweet, and spicy bourbon top notes that have become the hallmark of Few and led to multiple category awards, are accentuated by grassy agave undertones.

Said Hletko, “There are no two spirits that have a closer association with rock and roll than whiskey and tequila. Bringing together elements of both, but in an unconventional, innovative way, is an illustration of what we try to do every time we distill a new product.”

“Alice In Chains is part of one of very few movements that can be legitimately credited with shapeshifting an entire culture, beginning with their first album, Facelift,” continues Hletko. “For us distilling, like making music, is about having the courage to ask, ‘What if we…’ and being excited to find the answers – unlocking those secrets. Nobody sounds like Alice In Chains. We were inspired by their courage to create a sound that flouted convention and thought, ‘There are lots of tequilas finished in bourbon barrels, but it’s rare to find a widely-available bourbon finished in tequila barrels. Let’s do that instead’.”

Added Matt Young, EVP of Warner Music Artist Services, “Our team always seeks out the best in the business when it comes to our artist product collaborations. Few Spirits was a no brainer when the idea first came up to create an Alice In Chains Bourbon Whiskey.”

Artist Justin Helton, of Status Serigraph, is no stranger to working with musical giants like Phish, The Avett Brothers, My Morning Jacket, Ween, and The Black Keys created the custom label.

“I’ve been a fan of Alice In Chains forever with Jar of Flies being one of the first CD’s I ever owned,” says Helton. “‘I Stay Away’ and ‘No Excuses’ were on repeat in my room. For this design I found inspiration in the name All Secrets Known. The eye in the mouth is a play on seeing all that’s been spoken. The color scheme is a nod to Black Gives Way to Blue, the album on which the song ‘All Secret Known’ appears.”

Helton designed the label in Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop, also using a mix of hand-rendered illustrations with imagery from the 1800’s to create a distinct look.

All Secrets Known is yet another foray for Few Spirits into partnerships with internationally-renowned music acts. In 2006, Hletko partnered with The Flaming Lips to create Brainville Rye Whiskey.

“Brainville led to access,” Hletko said. “Doors started opening and I’ve always felt like when you get a chance to work with cool people you admire, you’ve got to at least check it out. As a long-time fan of Alice In Chains and someone who has at various points made his living as a guitar player, the opportunity to work with someone like Jerry Cantrell, whose sound is unlike any other, was one we were determined to see through come hell or high water.  

Limited-release All Secrets Known will be available in California, Colorado, Illinois, New York and Washington, and for purchase online through ReserveBar.com.