METALLICA will headline all five of Danny Wimmer Presents' festivals next year: Epicenter, Welcome To Rockville, Sonic Temple Art + Music Festival , Louder Than Life and Aftershock. The band will play two separate headlining sets at each stop, marking METALLICA's only U.S. festival appearances of 2020. In addition to two appearances at each festival, METALLICA will also deliver a unique setlist for each performance, resulting in 10 different shows over the course of the year.

Says METALLICA: "You know we love a challenge, so when Danny Wimmer Presents invited us to headline all five of their spring/fall U.S. rock festivals, that sounded like great fun. But play two separate sets on two nights in the same weekend? Definitely count us in! In another METALLICA first, we'll be playing at all five of the Wimmer rock festivals in 2020 with two separate sets, one on Friday night, one on Sunday night."

"METALLICA isn't just another headliner," says Danny Wimmer, founder of Danny Wimmer Presents, the largest independent festival producer in the U.S. "When METALLICA takes the stage, it's an event. It's an experience. That's the same standard we've set for every DWP festival — from the first band to the last band, and everything that happens in between. I can't wait to bring the biggest band in the world to the biggest rock festivals in America. METALLICA paved this road that we travel. How many artists on the bill at these five festivals first picked up an instrument, or first started a band, because of METALLICA?"

* May 1-3 - Epicenter at its new location at the Charlotte Motor Speedway in Charlotte, NC

* May 8-10 - Welcome To Rockville at its new location at the Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, FL

* May 15-17 - Sonic Temple Art + Music Festival at MAPFRE Stadium in Columbus, OH

* September 18-20 - Louder Than Life at Highland Festival Grounds at KY Expo Center in Louisville, KY

* October 9-11 - Aftershock at Discovery Park in Sacramento, CA

Tickets for all of the events will go on sale today (October 10) at 3 p.m. ET / 12 p.m. PT for fan club members and past purchasers of tickets for Danny Wimmer Presents events. The general public on sale starts Monday, October 14 at 12 noon ET / 9 a.m. PT.

For each ticket sold through November 19th, Danny Wimmer Presents will donate $.25 cents to All Within My Hands. And to further celebrate, every ticket purchased is an entry into the Golden Ticket contest. One lucky fan will win an all-expenses-paid trip to any of the above festivals of their choice with top-notch accommodations, exclusive festival access, Snake Pit and meet and greet passes, along with other cool swag.

Fans are automatically entered to win by purchasing a Weekend GA or Weekend VIP pass to any of the five festivals, by signing up for to be a Fifth Member, or by subscribing to any of the five Danny Wimmer Presents North American 2020 rock festival newsletters.

METALLICA launched its own short-lived Orion Music + More festival several years back and drummer Lars Ulrich told The Pulse Of Radio it was the band's attempt to recreate a European-style happening. "We played Bonnaroo in Tennessee, and that was like the first time we did something that had that kind of European flavor in America, and we thought that maybe that kind of vibe could actually work in America, and maybe that we could carve out our own little niche and try to see if we could get something off the ground," he said.

To mark the 20th anniversary of METALLICA's first performance with the San Francisco Symphony, which resulted in the live "S&M" album and video, the band re-teamed with the symphony in early September for two shows for the grand opening of Chase Center, the new home of the Golden State Warriors.

A film of last month's concerts, called "S&M²", arrived in theaters worldwide on Wednesday (October 9).

Having just wrapped up a European headlining tour, CRO-MAGS have delivered a punishing new track of unchecked aggression, "From The Grave". Led by Harley Flanagan, the new song features guitar duties by legendary slinger Phil Campbell (MOTÖRHEAD, PHIL CAMPBELL AND THE BASTARDS), showcasing his work on lead and slide guitar. The three-song EP of the same name will be available on December 6 in limited quantities of clear with black smoke, solid yellow, clear orange and glow in the dark vinyl editions. The two additional songs are "PTSD" and an instrumental, "Between Wars".

Flanagan explains: "Lemmy [Kilmister, MOTÖRHEAD] came to me in a dream and said, 'Take it back, mate. It's yours; you started it' [referring to the band's name]. I woke up and I knew what had to be done, so I did it. And I figured since Lemmy gave me my marching orders, I should get his guitarist to play on a new track. Phil immediately said yes and that is why it's called 'From The Grave', and I'm so honored to have him on this song.

"I first met Phil when we toured with MOTÖRHEAD on the 'Orgasmatron' tour. He is one of my favorite guitarists of all time and I still can't believe I have him playing on one of my songs. Thank you, Phil, and thank you, Lemmy, for making this all happen!"

Campbell adds: "It was a great surprise to hear from Harley after so many years. We hung out a lot during the tour in the eighties. When I heard the track he wanted me to do, I just had to do it. Listen for yourselves!"

CRO-MAGS feature the legendary Flanagan pulling double duty with bass and lead vocals, guitarists Gabby Abularach, Rocky George (SUICIDAL TENDENCIES, FISHBONE), and drummer Garry "G-Man" Sullivan.

Earlier this year the band released their first new music in nearly 20 years with the EP "Don't Give In".

The history of the CRO-MAGS is integral to the history of hardcore, its evolution from punk and the development of alternative music genres such as hardcore, cross-over, thrash metal, post punk and grunge, to name a few. Numerous iconic bands from METALLICA to GREEN DAY, and individuals such as Dave Grohl have credited CRO-MAGS with having had a primal influence on their development.

Born out of the violence and depravity of the Lower East Side of New York in the late '70s and early '80s, the CRO-MAGS was the brainchild of a very young Harley Flanagan (at the time 14 years old) when still playing with THE STIMULATORS. By 1982/83 he wrote and recorded the very first CRO-MAGS demos consisting of four songs that would become the blueprint for the seminal 1986 "Age Of Quarrel". He wrote all of the music, played each instrument and sang. Before long, he connected with Parris Mayhew and the two started writing music and auditioning band members.

Flanagan recently reached a settlement with singer John Joseph and drummer Mackie Jayson regarding ownership of the CRO-MAGS name. Flanagan will now perform under the name CRO-MAGS while Joseph and Jayson will perform as CRO-MAGS "JM".

Music Theory Recordings / Mascot Label Group released Flying Colors’ third studio album, Third Degree, earlier this month. A new video trailer for the album can be seen below:

Third Degree is available as a CD Digipack, limited edition 2LP 180 gram blue vinyl in a gatefold sleeve (w/ download card), a 2LP 180 gram black vinyl in a gatefold sleeve (w/ download card), and a limited edition box set featuring CD, 40 page photobook, two coasters, and a bonus disc with six tracks. You can order the album here.

The first sessions for Third Degree took place at Steve Morse’s studio in Florida in December 2016, wherein seven songs were written. From there, the band members had to scatter back to their other personal and professional obligations, eventually reconvening two full years later in December 2018.

Portnoy agrees the future of Flying Colors looks quite bright indeed. “Our mission statement when we came together is still the same now,” he affirms. “It’s the same five guys with extremely different musical personalities and backgrounds coming together into a giant melting pot where it all comes out on the other end with music that’s accessible, melodic, deep, and colorful. That’s always been the goal of this band, and so far, I think we’re three for three.”

With Third Degree, Flying Colors continue to fire on all cylinders - and, in the process, they also handily prove the third time’s an unquestionable sonic charm.

 
Tracklisting:

"The Loss Inside"
"More"
"Cadence"
"Guardian"
"Last Train Home"
"Geronimo"
"You Are Not Alone"
"Love Letter"
"Crawl"

Deluxe CD bonus disc:

"Waiting For The Sun" (Unreleased Bonus Studio Track)
"Geronimo" (Alternate Instrumental Arrangement & Mix)
"You Are Not Alone" (Alternate Instrumental Arrangement & Mix)
"Love Letter" (Alternate Acoustic Arrangement/Mix)
"Last Train Home" (Alternate Instrumental Arrangement & Mix)
"Crawl" (Alternate Instrumental Arrangement & Mix)

"The Loss Inside" video:

"Love Letter" video:

“You Are Not Alone” video:

"More" video:

Flying Colors will make the following appearances in 2019:

October
11 - Glenside, PA - Keswick Theater
17 - St. Charles, IL - Arcada Theater

December
11 - Pratteln, Switzerland - Z7
12 - Cologne, Germany - Essigfabrik
13 - Tilburg, Netherlands - 013
14 - London, England - Shepherd’s Bush Empire

(Photo - Karina Wells)




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NYC hard rockers, Opulence, will unleash their debut album, Black Magic, on November 15 via Blacklight Media Records, in conjunction with Station House Recordings. A music video for the first single, "Ritual", can be seen below.

"We are beyond elated to finally share this video and song with the world! Directed by the bands own 'Emmy nominated' Sean Pierce and featuring guest appearances by legends Theo Kogan (Lunachicks) and Jerry A. (Poison Idea). 'Ritual' is but a glimpse into the elegant lives of Opulent men as they record their debut album 'Black Magic'...indulge yourselves and enjoy."

Tracklisting:

“Forever”
“Cursed”
“Ritual”
“Captain Balls”
“Black Magic”
“Sea Whore”
“Impaled”
“Chaka Fight”
“Judas & Thomas”

“Ritual” video:

Opulence will be joining labelmates Gozu and Eyes of the Sun for a show presented by Blacklight Media and Revolver Magazine at Lucky 13 in Brooklyn, NY on October 18.




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Blasphemous black metal legion, Profanatica, are streaming their upcoming new record, Rotting Incarnation Of God. Listen below. The album is out tomorrow, Friday, October 11 via Season Of Mist, making it the band's debut to the label.

The band comments on the upcoming effort, "The only problem with the new Profanatica is that it eventually ends.” Rotting Incarnation Of God is available for pre-order in various formats at this location.

Tracklisting:

"Liturgy Of Impurity"
"Prayer In Eclipse"
"Broken Jew"
"Washed In The Blood Of Lord"
"Sacramental Cum"
"Mocked, Scourged And Shit Upon"
"Tithing Cunt"
"Rotting Incarnation Of God"
"Eucharist In Ruin"
"In My Kingdom"

Album stream:

The band will be embarking on European tour dates for this November. The rampage will kick off at the Mörtelwerk in Leipzig, Germany, and travel throughout 12 more countries before a final curtain the Temple venue in Athens, Greece. A full list of confirmed dates can be found below.

November
1 - Leipzig, Germany - Mörtelwerk
2 - Berlin, Germany - Nuke Club
3 - Rostock, Germany - Zwischenbau
4 - Arhus, Denmark - HQ
5 - Hamburg, Germany - Markthalle
6 - Kassel, Germany - Goldgrube
7 - Antwerp, Belgium - Het Bos
8 - Dordrecht, Netherlands - Bibelot
9 - Paris, France - Winter Rising Fest
10 - Rennes, France - Mondo Bizarro
11 - Bilbao, Spain - Edaska Pub
12 - Barcelona, Spain - Rocksound
13 - Toulouse, France - Les Pavillions Sauvages
14 - Como, Italy - Centrale Rock Pub
15 - Pescara, Italy - Scumm
16 - Naples, Italy - First Floor Club
17 - Bologna, Italy - Alchemica Club
18 - Linz, Austria - Kapu
19 - Zurich, Switzerland - Ebrietas
20 - Nürnberg, Germany - Golden Nugget
21 - Prague, Czech Republic - 007 Club
22 - Gliwice Mrowisko, Poland - Black Silesia Fest
23 - London, England - Amersham Arms
24 - Athens, Greece - Temple

Profanatica lineup:

Paul Ledney - drums & vocals
Adam Besserer - guitars
Richard Olsen - bass

(Photo - David Parham)




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Sunnyside glam rockers, John Diva & The Rockets Of Love, have release their new single and video, for the song "Wild Life". You can watch the clip below.

The song is taken from their debut album, Mama Said Rock Is Dead, which was released through SPV/Steamhammer back in February on CD digipak, 2LP gatefold, download and stream. Get it here.

Find the band's tour schedule here.




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During an interview at last month's Louder Than Life festival in Louisville, Kentucky, Philip Anselmo reflected on his time with PANTERA, one of the most influential metal bands of the 1990s, which churned out classic albums like "Vulgar Display Of Power" and "Far Beyond Driven", the latter of which hit No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart.

"Hey, man. It's a trip," he told Pop Culture Madness (see video below). "I'll be honest with you — never in my wildest imagination would I have thought I would be part of something so big in an underground way. So it feels incredible, man. That's all I can say."

Asked if it's surreal for him to be looked upon as a "legend" by so many people around the world, Anselmo said: "Absolutely. That does feel a little bizarre, I'll be honest with you. 'Cause I'm laid back, man. When I meet people, I assume that their life is just as complicated as mine; they've got their own damn issues, and I can't live in your skin, you can't live in mine. Therefore, mutual respect is all that matters with me. I try to go out of my way to say hello or be nice to anyone anytime I'm out in public. There's too much anger right now in the fucking world."

Drummer Vinnie Paul Abbott and his guitarist brother "Dimebag" Darrell Abbott co-founded PANTERA. When PANTERA broke up in 2003, they formed DAMAGEPLAN. On December 8, 2004, while performing with DAMAGEPLAN at the Alrosa Villa in Columbus, Ohio, Dimebag was shot and killed onstage by a troubled schizophrenic who believed that the members of PANTERA were stealing his thoughts.

Up until his June 2018 death, Vinnie remained on non-speaking terms with Anselmo.

In a 2013 interview with Vanyaland, Anselmo stated about PANTERA: "The legacy of PANTERA stands pretty firmly on its own. I don't really dwell on the negative things within PANTERA. To me, PANTERA is about a whole lot more than the breakup; when I think of PANTERA I think of really, really awesome times and great, great, great things and fantastic brotherhood and camaraderie. If you take a look around, there are a lot of bands out there that have experienced similar tragedy and breakup and all the things that happen. We are not the first band to have troubles or tragedy."

Original BLACK SABBATH drummer Bill Ward has paid tribute to Ginger Baker. The legendary CREAM drummer died on October 6 at the age of 80. Baker's family posted a message to fans on Twitter, stating he "passed away peacefully" at a hospital in the United Kingdom. "He was in no pain and had recently been able to see and speak to his children, close family and special friends," his daughter Nettie Baker told CNN in a statement.

Earlier today, Ward tweeted: "The bass drums are not in time with each other, I search for a 1, listen to the hats, no 1 on the hats, listen for 4 beats on a crash ride, I can't find them, they're in his head. I fall back and listen to the entirety of the rhythm, I hear it all, it's quiet, brilliant, unique, a leap forward, and alluring, what is this, multiple rhythms, endorsing progress, showing what can be brought out of a drum kit, when I thought I understood, he changed everything around, and what I was holding onto, pushed me away and almost demanded I start all over and listen closer this time.

"This man I'd never met, this traveler, rule breaker, this man, who showed the very many that change is possible, will live forever, his final punctuation marks leave me listening to the drums of Africa, and I am brought to a place to sit and rest and look at the swollen dark clouds, now opening slightly allowing sun rays to shoot to the ground, something great has happened. Something beautiful has passed.

"Thank you, Ginger. Rest in peace. Respectfully, Bill Ward"

In a Rolling Stone interview, BLACK SABBATH guitarist Tony Iommi revealed that, when Ward exited the band in 2012, producer Rick Rubin thought Baker would be a good replacement.

Iommi told the magazine: "I thought, 'Bloody hell?' I just couldn't see that." SABBATH ended up hiring RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE drummer Brad Wilk to play on their comeback album, 2013's "13".

During his musical beginnings on the London jazz scene of the late 1950s, Peter "Ginger" Baker forged a name for himself for his unconventional drum setup and flamboyant style. In 1966, after seeing Eric Clapton play in London, he formed the power trio CREAM with Clapton and bassist Jack Bruce. Over the next two years, CREAM sold 15 million albums, scoring such hits as "White Room", "Strange Brew" and "Sunshine Of Your Love".

Baker, who gained a reputation as the most uncontrollable musician on the scene, was the subject of a 2013 documentary, "Beware Of Mr. Baker", which painted the title character as a chain-smoking, profanity-spewing, mean-spirited, entitled, grouchy, vile and self-destructive man with otherworldly talent and tragic flaws.




Something beautiful has passed.

Thank you, Ginger Baker.

Rest in peace.

Respectfully,

Bill Ward pic.twitter.com/yvKaQI7j1H

— Bill Ward (@billwarddrums) October 10, 2019

MÖTLEY CRÜE, BLINK-182 and IRON MAIDEN are leading in Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame's in-museum "Voice Your Choice" fan vote.

Fans can cast their ballot in person at the Rock Hall museum in Cleveland using the "Voice Your Choice" interactive section in the new Hall Of Fame Gallery.

More than 80,000 votes have been cast at the museum in Cleveland during the year, with MÖTLEY CRÜE at 3152 votes as of this past weekend, followed by BLINK-182 at 2217, IRON MAIDEN at 1771, and DAVE MATTHEWS BAND at 1552. CRÜE has been surging since the release of the band's biopic "The Dirt" on Netflix in March.

Anyone who visits the museum is allowed to take part in the poll, which is separate from the annual fan vote that takes place once the nominees have been revealed.

The official nominees for the Class Of 2020 will be announced on October 15.

The Rock Hall's poll will be used to create a single online fan vote. That will be matched against more than 1,000 voters consisting of artists, historians and members of the music business.

The artists who get the most votes will be announced around December and will be inducted at a ceremony next spring.

Last fall, Rock Hall nominating committee member Alan Light told SiriusXM that he and his colleagues did in fact take the Rock Hall museum's "Voice Your Choice" visitor poll into account when considering the 2019 nominees. Stevie Nicks and DEF LEPPARD were the top two leaders all summer and both were nominated. But Rock Hall foundation president Joel Peresman denied the poll's influence to the Plain Dealer, saying: "The new in-museum voting system does not factor into the nomination process as the members of the nominating committee aren't made aware of that. And we rely on their independent thinking, which in this case happened to match up."

Earlier this year, MÖTLEY CRÜE bassist Nikki Sixx said that the group was told by the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame that it will never be inducted into the institution because of how he and his bandmates "acted."

Despite the fact that artists are eligible for the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame 25 years after the release of their first album or single, iconic hard rock and metal bands like MÖTLEY CRÜE (which has been eligible since 2006), IRON MAIDEN and JUDAS PRIEST have yet to be recognized by the institution, which inducted GUNS N' ROSES in that group's first year of eligibility.

Back in 2015, Sixx said that if his band was ever honored into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame, he would "probably decline" the nomination, explaining that the Rock Hall "has lost touch with art, songwriting craft, lyrics and influential music." He explained: "It's a fixed old-boy network that has lost touch with art, songwriting craft, lyrics and influential music and usually has other agendas at hand. Young bands tell me it's a joke, and these bands are the future."

Three months later, CRÜE guitarist Mick Mars told Rolling Stone that he didn't think the band would ever get the Rock Hall nod. "We were there when the thing was being built; we had to wear hard hats while we were walking around the building site. They were like, 'One of these days, you guys will be in here!' Right. [Laughs] I'd have to say, 80 percent no, 20 percent yeah. But it's like when you're a kid in kindergarten, and you take a nap and get a gold star as a reward. I don't need a few handful of people to say that I got a gold star, because I already got it from my fans. I see the crowds, I see the enthusiasm, I see all that stuff, and that's already satisfying enough for me."

Drummer Tommy Lee told Rolling Stone that he was somewhat torn on the question of even wanting to be in the Hall in the first place. "I do give a shit about it, because it's a time-stamp, it's the acknowledgement of your peers and fans and the music industry," he explained. "But then again, there's a part of me that goes, 'If we don't, that's fucking cool, too!' In my heart, I know that we came, we saw, we kicked its fucking ass; I don't need a pat on the back, or an induction, or another platinum album or two. Maybe I'm just not good with compliments."

Singer Vince Neil chimed in: "We'll probably go in at some point, but we might not all be alive when it happens. Our grandkids will probably have to pick up the awards."

MAIDEN singer Bruce Dickinson made headlines last fall when he referred to the Rock Hall as "an utter and complete load of bollocks" during a spoken-word gig in Australia, insisting that the Cleveland-based institution is "run by a bunch of sanctimonious bloody Americans who wouldn't know rock and roll if it hit them in the face."

Bruce later told The Jerusalem Post that he was "so annoyed with that coverage because they took my statement out of context to make it seem like I was upset that we weren't in the Hall Of Fame.

"I'm really happy we're not there and I would never want to be there," he continued. "If we're ever inducted, I will refuse — they won't bloody be having my corpse in there.

"Rock and roll music does not belong in a mausoleum in Cleveland," Bruce added. "It's a living, breathing thing, and if you put it in a museum, then it's dead. It's worse than horrible, it's vulgar."

Photo credit: Paul Brown

Michael Sweet says that STRYPER "deserves a place" in the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame "just as much as any other band."

Even though STRYPER's third album, 1986's "To Hell With The Devil", made Sweet and his bandmates the first contemporary Christian act to score a platinum album, the group was never fully embraced by the heavy metal and hard rock communities, largely because of the band's Christian lyrics. They were mocked by the mainstream media, knocked by the religious press, and even picketed by church groups.

Asked by Jeff Gaudiosi of MisplacedStraws.com if he thinks STRYPER has a place in the Rock Hall, Sweet responded (hear audio below): "Yeah, I think STRYPER deserves a place in there at some point in time just as much as any other band, as much as BON JOVI.

"See, I don't view the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame based on numbers," he explained. "That's not what, in my opinion, should get you into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame. What should get you into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame is longevity and legacy and quality. It has nothing to do with, 'Oh, yeah, they sold 50 million albums instead of 10, or they packed out arenas to a hundred thousand people instead of 10.' That's got nothing to do with it. At least that's my opinion.

"Do we deserve to be in there? No," he clarified. "Because we're no more special than any other band. But at the same time, flipping that coin, if this band makes it in, then STRYPER should make it in. You know what I'm saying? We've done just as much and put in just as much time and gone through the school of hard knocks just as long as any other band."

Formed 36 years ago, STRYPER's name comes from Isaiah 53:5, which states: "But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed."

STRYPER's albums include "To Hell With The Devil", "Second Coming", "No More Hell To Pay", "Fallen" and the band's latest effort, "God Damn Evil".

Sweet's tenth solo album, "Ten", will be released on October 11 via Rat Pak Records in North America and Frontiers Music Srl in Europe.

**UPDATE** Chris Impellitteri has made a new Instagram post saying that the Impellitteri Twitter account calling out BLABBERMOUTH.NET directly for not covering his band's latest video was fake (and it has since apparently been deleted). However, he did stand by the rest of the original message on the aforementioned Twitter account as it relates to expressing his frustration over "getting ignored by the bigger media outlets, including the larger metal sites."

Earlier tonight, Chris posted the following message on his official Instagram account: "Dear Blabbermouth, love you guys but you just posted an article about IMPELLITTERI slamming Blabbermouth 'Directly' for not playing our new music video 'HYPOCRISY', which is not correct. .......you stated my quote came from my Twitter account...which is wrong as I have never used Twitter! I do not even know how to use Twitter! However, we did post the statement (listed below) on our Instagram and Facebook page after many of our fans expressed frustration over IMPELLITTERI getting ignored by the bigger media outlets including the larger metal sites. None the less, I do stand by my comment regarding the ridiculous rules that metal artists have to conform to in order to be accepted and promoted.......oddly, when we first released the debut IMPELLITTERI Black EP with songs like 'Lost In The Rain' we were told we play too fast, scream to high, have too much hair, etc...and from that point on we were always a band of the people as the media always seemed to ignore us for not conforming to whatever the current trend was... I copied my earlier Instagram post and pasted below for clarity! Okay I will now shut up and get back to playing my guitar as that is what I should be doing!"

Chris's original message, which was referenced by the above-mentioned Twitter account and which also appears on the guitarist's official Instagram, reads as follows:

"IS HEAVY METAL DEAD? Perhaps a better question to ask is 'are there too many rules created by the metal community or industry as to what artists must sound like, dress like including hair style, and social group they must conform to in order to be promoted or accepted? Remember rock and roll was supposed to be free of fucking rules!' ...This week IMPELLITTERI released a new music video titled 'HYPOCRISY' and I am getting inundated with fans asking why the bigger media outlets do not promote us........my answer again is simple, they either hate us, or we do not conform to their standards! So f#ck em! Our music is for those that do not abide by rules! We make music like 'HYPOCRISY' because we love to play this style of metal! #impellitteri #thenatureofthebeast #breaktherules"

Impellitteri first made his mark in 1987 with the release of his debut EP, "Impellitteri". According to Guitar World, Chris has since issued 11 albums under his band name, IMPELLITTERI, including his latest, "The Nature Of The Beast", which features his longtime bandmates, vocalist Rob Rock and bassist James Amelio Pulli, plus ex-SLAYER and TESTAMENT drummer Jon Dette. The disc was recorded in Los Angeles with engineer/producer Mike Plotnikoff (VAN HALEN, AEROSMITH, IN FLAMES) and Canadian mix engineer Greg Reely (OVERKILL, FEAR FACTORY, MACHINE HEAD).

Impellitteri, whose various projects have been covered on BLABBERMOUTH.NET a number of times over the years, previously made headlines in January when he dismissed suggestions that he is an "Yngwie Malmsteen clone," saying that he views himself as "much more of a child of players like Al Di Meola blended with a [Eddie] Van Halen and [Randy] Rhoads."

In a 2018 interview with Guitar World, Chris claimed that he was unfairly "lumped in with all of the shredder guys" back in the 1980s. "I have nothing but the utmost respect for all of them, but I've never thought of myself as a 'solo' guy," he explained. "The concept of playing in a band — and playing guitar in a way that serves the overall band sound — is what I'm most interested in. My love of music is tied directly to the interaction between musicians because we communicate with each other through the instruments we play."

Kirk Hammett says that he has already accumulated "a lot" of "kick-ass, great" ideas for METALLICA's next album.

The METALLICA guitarist famously lost his iPhone containing hundreds of riffs in 2014. About six months later, he told "The Jasta Show" podcast that he "was crushed" when it happened, but still expressed hope that it "might turn up."

In a recent interview with the Toronto musical instrument superstore Cosmo Music, Hammett said he is already thinking ahead to METALLICA's follow-up to 2016's "Hardwired… To Self-Destruct" LP.

"I have a lot of stuff written that I've put aside for the band — a lot of stuff," he said (see video below). "Because last album, I didn't have any stuff, 'cause I lost most of my ideas when I lost my phone — over 500 musical ideas… It took me a long time to recover from that. And I got it into my head I had to produce twice as much — basically, I overcompensated. So, as it stands, as we speak, I have a lot of material — really kick-ass, great material — that I just can't wait to show the other guys and turn into some music, record, get the album out and have more kick-ass metal."

Hammett is not credited on any of the songs on "Hardwired…To Self-Destruct".

METALLICA frontman James Hetfield told Metal XS in 2016 that "Kirk's riffs weren't there" when it was time to write the music for the follow-up to 2008's "Death Magnetic" record. He later seemed to dismiss Kirk's missing-iPhone excuse, telling the WRIF radio station: "That's what he claims. I'm sure he did [lose the phone], but it doesn't make sense that he wouldn't have [the music] on his computer, either. But, whatever… Yeah, Kirk had some riffs that he… I guess submitted — ['submit' is] not a very nice word to be used if you're in a band. But you know, we all submit our tapes, and we sit there and we listen to them and we pick the best stuff. There was not much stuff from Kirk. Whether his phone was lost, or whatever…"

Hetfield told U.K. radio station Planet Rock that Kirk "was not present in the studio" while METALLICA was working on "Hardwired… To Self-Destruct". "He was dealing with life," James said. "He had a lot of life things going on for himself, which he'll choose to talk about if he wants. But, you know, [it was] Lars [Ulrich, METALLICA drummer] and I steering the ship as usual, going through the riffs, creating the songs. And I got to do a lot of guitar stuff that I was missing around 'Death Magnetic' and 'St. Anger' — some of the harmony guitar things, harmony vocals… You know, a little more layering, like the 'Black' album."

Hammett previously said that losing his phone was a "devastating" experience. In September 2016, the guitarist spoke to Seattle's KISW 99.9 radio station about how the incident affected the making of the latest record. He said: "Let's just say that I had to start at zero again while everyone else [in the band] had material for songs. By the time I got a few ideas flowing and kind of formed, most of the songs were already written. I had to think to myself, 'Okay, I have stuff, but it looks like it's gonna probably make it on to the next album.'"

Despite the setback, Hammett said that he was pleased with how "Hardwired...To Self-Destruct" turned out.

"Hardwired… To Self-Destruct" debuted at No. 1 on The Billboard 200 album chart, selling 291,000 copies in its first week of release.

Alex Haber of Heavy New York conducted an interview with frontman Steffen Kummerer of German progressive death metal masters OBSCURA prior to the band's September 26 concert at Knitting Factory in Brooklyn, New York. You can watch the entire chat below. A few excerpts follow (transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET).

On the making of their most recent studio album, "Diluvium":

Steffen: "Basically, 'Diluvium' took us around three months into a studio where we actually always work; it's called Woodshed Studios in Landshut, Germany. The whole recording went pretty smooth this time. The only thing that changed was that we recorded the drums outside, but not in an external studio, but we basically optimized the whole studio situation where we rehearse at home. That means we put a lot of budget into optimizing the acoustics in the room to record the drums there. The whole sound of the drums is way more natural than you might expect from a technical death metal band. We're not working with sound replacement, we're not working with, yeah, of course, with editing and post-production, but not as you might expect, so, basically, what you hear is musicians are playing on the record. That is something I really love from rock productions from back in the '70s, '80s and this is what I try achieve with this band, especially with the production for 'Diluvium'."

On whether OBSCURA had to keep the music consistent since their last three albums are part of a concept, or, each record was its own experience:

b>Steffen: "Actually, both at the same time. Since we had a certain path, we had to follow since we had the idea, 'Okay, we are writing an album about this and that certain topic.' We also had to write music that is fitting to the certain topic, but at the same time, we had enough freedom to change from an album to album. To explain it a little bit more in depth, 'Akróasis' was meant to more or less deal with the unconscious, which means we thought about going more into the prog direction, which means the arrangements, the whole guitar settings have been in the way of being a wall of sound, so many delay lines, many layers above each other while 'Diluvium', the new record, deals with basically the ultimate apocalypse, which was the main idea before we even started writing songs, to have a very direct approach, like a straight in your face attitude, which also leads to a direct approach to produce the records. So, while 'Akróasis' was, as I mentioned, built into a wall of sound with many, may guitar layers, 'Diluvium', was more or less built on the classic two guitars, one guitar right, one guitar on the left side, still playing very complex music, but very direct. That fits that whole topic at the same time as the topic fits the music."

On whether OBSCURA's lyrical concepts are open to interpretation:

Steffen: "Absolutely. To be honest, most of the fans are not dealing with the lyrics at all. They see, okay, it's a blue album with a couple of planets and stuff, as I hear a lot of times, and they just interpret whatever they want into the music, which is fine, to me. But to get the whole picture, you have to see the lyrics, you have the read the lyrics, you have to take care and see all the same little details in the artwork, but also the music, so it's the whole package, so to say."

On the differences in approach between OBSCURA and his black metal side project, THULCANDRA:

Steffen: "[THULCANDRA] is a little open since there are also a couple of other people involved and it's not that strict; we just do what we want to do. We don't have a certain plan when we want to record or release a new album. We are open-minded, which also gives us more freedom. OBSCURA is like a big machine these days. We are touring worldwide since 2006 now and also, the band has been around since 2002, while THULCANDRA is completely free to do whatever we want whenever we have time for it. It gives me personally a lot of freedom and the same goes for concepts and artwork. Again, it's two different worlds."

On the technical death metal scene in Southern Germany:

Steffen: "I would say there was a more international scene. When we started to get more and more technical, we played exactly the same clubs as NECROPHAGIST at the time. I saw them multiple times playing in Munich at the same clubs we played. All of the sudden, it got the big bang when NECROPHAGIST somehow turned out to be big in the United States, then it went backward to Europe, but before that, no one cared about it. Everybody was listening to black metal. When we started with what we are doing or still doing with this kind of merging styles with pretty much a technical approach, no one thought we would last long. Now, we are here 16 years, in our 16th year of existence and we still love what we are doing. Talking about German technical death metal, there's not too much left. Back in the day, there was PROFANITY, but that's it, I would say."

"Diluvium" was released July 13 on CD, LP and digital via Relapse Records.

OBSCURA completes its long-running, four-album conceptual circle with the release of "Diluvium" (defined as a great oceanic flood), the band's most evocative, diverse and vibrant release to date.

Photo credit: Christian Martin Weiss

SHINEDOWN frontman Brent Smith and guitarist Zach Myers spoke to Music Choice about the experience for opening for IRON MAIDEN in Europe more than two years ago.

"In 2017, we did 44 dates with IRON MAIDEN," Brent said. "They asked us to come and do it. That was life-changing." "Just to tour at that level… You know, we're not a metal band," Zach added. "They're the most famous metal band of all time. So to go out in front of that crowd — I don't know; they almost gave us a lesson about how to earn it when everybody's not already on your side… It was such an amazing thing that they did in bringing us over there to open for a band that owns that country. We've toured with KISS; we did, like, eight shows with METALLICA in Europe one time, at festivals and stuff. The IRON MAIDEN fans, though, they take their holiday, they take a month off and just travel and go to every show. And they aren't getting in for free — they have to buy a train ticket to every show, they have to buy a [concert] ticket and to find a place to sleep. That's thousands and thousands of dollars to spend on a band.

"We met people in line that were, like, 'We've seen everybody open for this band," Myers continued. "We thought you guys were the classiest and the best opener we've ever seen,' which made us feel great. These people [are] two hundred and something shows in with the band. That is commitment. We've had somebody about a hundred and thirty something shows in, which is insane to me. We have a lot of lifers, which we're very blessed with."

SHINEDOWN is continuing to tour in support of its latest album, "Attention Attention", which came out last year. The follow-up to 2015's "Threat To Survival" marked SHINEDOWN's first full-length effort to be produced entirely by bassist Eric Bass. The 14-song release tells the story of a character who starts out defeated and slowly overcomes pain and personal struggles and becomes confident at the end.

SHINEDOWN's "Get Up" single went to No. 1 on the mainstream rock chart in December and crossed over to the alternative and adult contemporary charts.

SHINEDOWN has had 14 top singles in its 18-year run. That's second most in the mainstream rock chart's history, breaking a tie with VAN HALEN.




.@Shinedown talk about touring with the Heavy Metal Gods @IronMaiden ?? For your daily Metal addiction tune in for videos and more: https://t.co/5t52dxmYTr pic.twitter.com/oY9T3kDm7m

— Music Choice (@MusicChoice) October 9, 2019

When he is not busy touring and recording with ANTHRAX, Joey Belladonna plays drums and sings for a classic-rock covers band called CHIEF BIG WAY. The upstate New York-based group, which also features Dave Mickelson on bass, Joe Precourt on guitar and John Goodwin on keyboards, plays versions of songs from JOURNEY, AC/DC, ZZ TOP, BOSTON, CHEAP TRICK, FOREIGNER, PINK FLOYD, VAN HALEN, COLLECTIVE SOUL, THE WHO, THE DOORS, SHINEDOWN and BON JOVI, among others.

In a brand new interview with Sweetwater's Nick D'Virgilio, Belladonna stated about CHIEF BIG WAY: "We do four hours straight. I sing and play [drums] the whole night. We do about 60 songs a night. There's no setlist — just pulling stuff out of the hat… RUSH, JOURNEY, BAD COMPANY, LED ZEPPELIN, [THE ROLLING] STONES, ZZ TOP, [JIMI] HENDRIX, PINK FLOYD… It's a full, full slot of that type of music. Not many deep, deep cuts, but popular songs. Maybe people can't dance to it, but it's cool. 'Cause a lot of people just sit around and just listen. So it's okay. But I can't do that with [ANTHRAX]. [ANTHRAX] is an hour and a half — 45 [minutes] or an hour. And I'm bantering with the crowd during the songs, after the songs — a lot of that stuff. And it's moving. I'm more beat [playing with ANTHRAX] than I am in four hours [playing with CHIEF BIG WAY] — other than my butt, sitting for four hours. I literally don't get up; I just sit down for four hours."

Asked what the appeal is in performing with CHIEF BIG WAY, Joey said: "To do other music, and to do melodic-type stuff that I love, and just be able to get out and just play. It's just that certain thing that you get when you play. Driving in the car with the equipment, unloading it and setting it up, and then, 'Okay.' And we just start up — no banner. Just play, play, play and then go home. Put [the equipment] back in the car and go home. And these [other] guys [in ANTHRAX] wouldn't do that — there's no way. They wouldn't even walk in some of these bars — they really wouldn't."

Back in 2011, Belladonna admitted to Attention Deficit Delirium that "it's not an easy thing" singing and playing drums at the same time. "I never thought that I would sing and play 'Tom Sawyer' [RUSH] at the same time. Something that you think is easy to play is often not. 'Heartbreaker' by LED ZEPPELIN has so many different [drum] accents that have nothing to do with the song vocally. It's a good challenge."

ANTHRAX is continuing to tour in support of its latest album, 2016's "For All Kings", which was called by some critics the band's strongest album to date. Its arrival followed a five-year period during which the group experienced a rebirth of sorts, beginning with ANTHRAX's inclusion on the 2010 "Big Four" tour with METALLICA, SLAYER and MEGADETH, and continuing with the 2011 release of comeback LP "Worship Music".

JUDAS PRIEST has released a statement after the band's European tour with Ozzy Osbourne was postponed for a second time.

Ozzy initially scrapped his entire 2019 schedule earlier this year, as he recovered from surgery to repair an injury sustained while dealing with his recent bout of pneumonia. The European leg of his "No More Tours 2" trek — with JUDAS PRIEST as the support act — was then rescheduled for January through March 2020, with the North American dates set to follow in May 2020.

Ozzy posted a video on his social media accounts on Wednesday (October 9) in which he announced the postponement of the 2020 European tour and addressed his health status.

He said in part: "I can't wait to get off my ass and get going again. But you're just gonna have to be a little bit more patient. I'm postponing the European tour because I'm not ready… When I do come back on an American tour, I wanna be one hundred percent ready to come out and knock your fucking socks off."

In response to the second tour postponement, JUDAS PRIEST issued a brief statement in which it thanked fans for their support while wishing Ozzy a full recovery.

The British heavy metal legends wrote: "We are very grateful for the rock solid support from our wonderful UK & European fans as Ozzy gets well and strong - the UK/European tour will showcase the very best British Metal from the ones that started it all and we proudly look forward to celebrating our 50 Heavy Metal Years together with you!"

According to Live Nation Sweden, the new European tour dates will now take place "in the first half of 2021." The American dates remain in place for now.

Professionally filmed video footage of OPETH's August 2 performance at the 2019 edition of the Wacken Open Air festival in Wacken, Germany can be seen below.

OPETH's latest album, "In Cauda Venenum", landed at No. 13 on the U.K. chart and No. 5 on the German chart. The band's previous LP, 2016's "Sorceress", peaked at No. 11 on the U.K. chart, while 2014's "Pale Communion" entered the list at No. 14 and 2011's "Heritage" landed at No. 22.

"In Cauda Venenum" was released on September 27 via Moderbolaget / Nuclear Blast Entertainment. Recorded last year at Stockholm's Park Studios, the effort was made available in two versions, in both Swedish and English languages.

Regarding the decision to release "In Cauda Venenum" in Swedish, OPETH mastermind Mikael Åkerfeldt told Revolver: "Doing it in Swedish was just an idea that popped into my head, like, 'Maybe I should fry my egg in the morning instead of boiling it.' It wasn't any deeper than that. And I figured the music climate has changed so much, does it really matter which language it's in? That was it. And it didn't have me writing more lyrics — it just had me writing more music. And the music didn't sound more Swedish or anything like that. But it was a gateway that opened, and it was fun.

Mikael added that he is "not regretting" the fact that "In Cauda Venenum" was also recorded in English. "A lot of people [in the U.S.] are saying they only listened to the English version," he said. "So I was proven right, in a way. I can say a thousand times that the Swedish version is the original version, but it's up to people to choose. I can just hope that they check out both versions. But I do think the Swedish version is slightly better — only because it was first. It's more innocent. With the English version, regardless of what you think about it, that's me trying to copy a vocal line I had done in another language. So it's less exciting to me."

On November 1, Angel Witch will release their fifth full-length, Angel Of Light, via Metal Blade Records. For another preview of the upcoming record, the second single, "Condemned", is available for streaming below.

Angel Witch's 1980 eponymous debut on Bronze records created shockwaves that would resonate throughout the nascent realm of thrash, doom and death metal. Now, nearly four decades later, the band remain custodians of a style that transcends era and archetype.

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

- digipak-CD
- deluxe box set (digipak CD, red/white/black marbled vinyl, 7", flag, backpatch, art print - limited to 1000 copies)
- 180g black vinyl (EU exclusive)
- orange / purple marbled vinyl (EU exclusive - limited to 666 copies)
- signal orange vinyl (EU exclusive - limited to 400 copies)
- light yellow vinyl (EMP exclusive - limited to 200 copies)
- sungaze swirl vinyl (EU Webshop exclusive - limited to 100 copies)
- blue vinyl (High Roller exclusive - limited to 200 copies)
- clear vinyl (Band exclusive - limited to 100 copies)
- transparent red vinyl (US exclusive - limited to 700 copies)
- yellow / red marbled vinyl (US exclusive - limited to 300 copies)

* exclusive bundles with shirts, plus digital options are also available.

Angel Witch's current lineup is comprised of Kevin Heybourne (vocals, lead guitar), Jimmy Martin (rhythm guitar), Will Palmer (bass), Fredrik Jansson Punkka (drums) - the nucleus of which (Heybourne & Palmer) first formed eleven years ago, delivering 2012's As Above, So Below. This time around, the band went to the Stationhouse in Leeds (UK) to record Angel Of Light with producer James Atkinson (Gentleman's Pistols/Voorhees). The result is a revelation; Angel Witch is reborn and more powerful than ever, retaining every iota of the melodious finesse and metaphysical intrigue that elevated them above their contemporaries from day one.

Angel Witch comments: "It's hard to believe it's been almost a decade since we recorded our last album and it is so exciting for us, personally, to have another record fully finished and in the bag which reflects the passion and chemistry of the line-up we have enjoyed over the last two and a half years."

Tracklisting:

"Don't Turn Your Back"
"Death From Andromeda"
"We Are Damned"
"The Night Is Calling"
"Condemned"
"Window Of Despair"
"I Am Infamy"
"Angel Of Light"

"Condemned":

"Don't Turn Your Back":

Angel Witch will play four German release shows, a rare chance to see them play small club.

October
31 - Hamburg, Germany - Knust

November
1 - Mannheim, Germany - 7er Club
2 - Berlin, Germany - Cassiopeia
3 - Köln, Germany - Helios 37

Angel Witch lineup:

Kevin Heybourne - vocals, lead guitar
Jimmy Martin - rhythm guitar
Will Palmer - bass
Fredrik Jansson Punkka - drums




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OTHERWISE's new song "Picking At Bones" can be streamed below. The track is taken from the band's upcoming studio album, "Defy", which will be released on November 8 via Mascot Records, a division of Mascot Label Group.

The Las Vegas hard-rockers flew out of the traps when they were heralded in their early days by Fox News as one of the best unsigned bands in the U.S. after their debut single, "Soldiers", sold over 10,000 copies. The song went of to feature on 2012's "True Love Never Dies", which has over 26 million Spotify streams alone and has become the band's anthem. They also became the first band to reach #1 on Sirius Octane without a record label and it was their formidable presence at satellite radio in the U.S. that built the band's following.

They were formed by Sin City-born brothers Adrian (lead vocals) and Ryan Patrick (guitar, vocals), on a diet of STONE TEMPLE PILOTS, THIRD EYE BLIND and FAITH NO MORE, with Tony Carboney (bass, vocals), and Brian Medeiros (drums) completing the lineup. The quartet have also previously enlisted high-profile friends in Ash Costello (NEW YEARS DAY) on "Heaven" from their 2012 label debut and Jonathan Davis (KORN) on 2017's "Sleeping Lions". Every single they've released has reached the top 30 U.S. Mainstream Rock charts. Adrian Patrick also featured on IN THIS MOMENT's 2010 song "The Promise", the band's highest-charting single to date.

The announcement of a new label and new album has seen them push the boundaries of their signature style in terms of both songcraft and sonic experimentation alike.

"We grew up in the last era where nineties bands were soul rebels. They stood for something," proclaims Adrian. "Since the greatest risks yield the greatest return, why play it safe? In between the last album and now, we changed everything. I had two sons, and it took their births for me to go, 'Fuck it, we've got to shoot for the goddamned stars.'"

Since OTHERWISE's self-titled independent debut in 2006, they've unleashed "True Love Never Dies" (2012), "Peace At All Costs" (2014) and "Sleeping Lions" (2017). Along the way, they have shared the stage with everyone from STONE SOUR to PAPA ROACH in addition to shutting down Welcome To Rockville, Rocklahoma and ShipRocked.

On "Defy", they linked up with producer Matt Good (ASKING ALEXANDRIA, HOLLYWOOD UNDEAD) for the first time, commuting from Las Vegas to his Phoenix studio in order to cut these eleven tracks.

"It's a new chapter all around, and we're fired up about it," the singer says. "Matt is the most creative, prolific producer we've ever worked with. He's the kind of guy we've always wanted in our corner."

The first single, "Lifted", proves that. A wiry riff snakes around blunt lyrics "about getting fucked up…it got me kicked off tours and banned from festivals," he admits. "It's about all of the shit that got me trouble. I've been the guy the song is about. I've lived that life. I've been there. It's real."

The opener "Bad Trip" kicks down the door with ominous electronics and glitchy echoes before a hard-hitting and hypnotic chant. "It serves as a commentary on the current nebulous state of affairs we find ourselves mired in a as a nation…as human beings on this planet." Elsewhere, "Don't Even" takes no prisoners with a stranglehold groove and knockout chorus. "We were without a label and back to being a garage band," recalls Adrian. The anthemic "Ain't Done Yet" doubles as "OTHERWISE's mission statement." Meanwhile, the emotionally charged closer "Good Fight" strikes a different chord with its orchestral build up and soaring refrain. "It's for my wife and sons as well as all of our families and friends who've had our backs in this crazy life by music," smiles Adrian. "It's the last one we did. My dad always said, 'You've got to fight the good fight'. I felt some deeper connection to the phrase. It's like it came from eons and generations ago. This notion of fighting the good fight is part of our DNA."

"When you listen to the record, I hope you go, 'I did not expect that'," Adrian leaves off. "It's personal. This is my fucking life. There's no turning back. This band is the future of my family. It means everything to me — and all of us. This is OTHERWISE."

"Defy" track listing:

01. Bad Trip

02. Money

03. Crossfire

04. Lifted

05. Picking At Bones

06. Ain't Done Yet

07. Goliath

08. Don't Even

09. Fame and Miss Fortune

10. Unbreakable

11. Good Fight

Canadian thrash metal veterans ANNIHILATOR will release their new album, "Ballistic, Sadistic", on January 24, 2020 via Silver Lining Music. The disc's belligerent and pugnacious first single, "I Am Warfare", can be streamed below.

Cited by bands in the likes of MEGADETH, PANTERA, DREAM THEATER, CHILDREN OF BODOM, LAMB OF GOD, OPETH, TRIVIUM and many, many more as having some influence on their music, guitarist/vocalist Jeff Waters — ANNIHILATOR founder, producer and songwriter — and his bandmates have continued to tour the world year after year while consistently putting out high-quality "true metal" music.

Written, performed, engineered and produced by none other than Waters himself, "Ballistic, Sadistic" was recorded at the brand new, state-of-the-art Watersound Studios UK in Durham earlier this year.

Waters says: "Almost every artist initially loves the songs they create. They are like your babies. In my case, it is difficult to be the main writer/producer and stay fresh, come up with new ideas or make old ones better and I am well aware of that. Since 'we' love what we do, we can be blinded to just how good or bad a song or record really is. Time will tell. Press, fans, band members, label, etc., they ALL will tell you what they think and, in their own ways, they are usually right. In this case, I throw that nonsense in the garbage and can tell you that we have made a record that is angry, technical, back to the first three records vibes and it is going to be difficult to continue writing another record after releasing this one. Best record I've made since 2005's 'Schizo Deluxe' and I think many will argue that this new one is in the top three. From the 'Stonewall'-esque track 'Psycho Ward' to the haunting 'I Am Warfare', the pissed-off 'The Attitude' to the aggression and old-school technicality of 'Out With The Garbage', the record is like this: take the 'Alice', 'Neverland' and 'Set The World On Fire' records, make them angry, combine the old-school production with modern high-tech studio gear, then add the best guitar work I didn't know I still had in me, and you've got the best we could possibly offer. I honestly cannot wait for everyone to hear this."

"Ballistic, Sadistic" will be available as a limited-edition digipak, colored vinyl and digital formats and will be available to pre-order from October 11.

On October 12, ANNIHILATOR will embark on a 43-date, 18-country, European tour.

ANNIHILATOR is:

Jeff Waters (vocals/guitar)

Rich Hinks (bass)

Aaron Homma (guitar)

Fabio Alessandrini (drums)

Frontiers Music Srl has announced the signing of Brazil’s Landfall. Hailing from Curitiba, the band features former Auras singer Gui Oliver - a true dead ringer for the legendary Steve Perry. Landfall's sound can be described as falling between classic melodic rock a là Journey with some slightly heavier influences, such as classic era Dokken, White Lion, and Extreme.

“I’m really glad to be back with Frontiers with a new band and new songs in a new perspective. I believe this is my best album so far. I was really impressed when I met the band for the first time. They are truly amazing, gifted and very prepared to do this with me,” says Gui Oliver.

Landfall was originally started by drummer Felipe Souzza and guitarist Marcelo Gelbcke, who are childhood friends and have been playing together since they were about 15 years old. Some years later, bassist Thiago Forbeci joined up with them, adding new musical input and influences and the band decided to go in a new direction. They began writing their songs and creating their own music repertoire to work off of and it was during this period that they recorded a few albums together and performed several concerts around Brazil, including opening for acts like Glenn Hughes and Mike Vescera.

Joining forces together, Gui, Felipe, Marcelo and Thiago created Landfall (formerly known as W.I.L.D.), a blend of hard rock, melodic rock, and AOR.




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Nervecell guitarist Barney Ribeiro has checked in with the following update:

"Check out my new guitar playthrough video of 'Aadvent' taken from the latest Nervecell album, Past, Present... Torture. This was long overdue and I'm super excited to finally share it with you all! Special thanks to C Sharp Production and Haven Studio for helping me put this together, and of course all my endorsements: ESP Guitars, Engl Amps, EMG Pickups, GHS Strings and InTune Guitar Picks, Inc. for their belief and support in what I do."

An unpacking video for the vinyl edition of Nervecell's latest album Past, Present...Torture can be seen below:

The album consists of 13 tracks and is the most extreme and versatile Nervecell record to date. The title speaks for itself, focusing on the state of the world and where we are all headed as a civilization. Past, Present…Torture serves as a concise summary for both, the lyrical message and the musical direction. Offering unpleasant truths and a rigorous death metal sound. Just as you know and expect from the beast from the Middle East... Nervecell.

Past, Present...Torture tracklisting:

“Intro”
“Aadvent”
“Proxy War”
“D.N.A. (Diruo Nocens Acervus)”
“Abyssviand”
“Hypnosis”
“Malice Within”
“Dawn Of Decimation”
“Habitual Deceit”
“Maqabre”
“Tree Of Lies”
“Treading Beneath”
“Past, Present... Torture”

“Abyssviand” lyric video:

“Proxy War”:




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Blooddawn Productions (distributed & marketed by Regain Records) has set December 10 as the international release date for Death Wolf's fourth album, IV: Come The Dark, on CD, vinyl LP, and cassette tape formats.

Although it's been five long years since Death Wolf's last album, III: Östergötland, the band should require little introduction. Begun at the dawn of the new millennium by Marduk's Morgan Håkansson under the moniker Devil's Whorehouse as a means of tribute to the deathpunk sound of Samhain and the Misfits, following the band's The Howling debut EP did the band soon evolve beyond their half-covers repertoire into a deadly force all their own. In 2011, after two albums and two EPs under the Devil's Whorehouse moniker, a change in name was long overdue, and the far-more-fitting Death Wolf was chosen. Wasting no time, three albums followed in almost as many years: Death Wolf (2011), II: Black Armored Death (2013), and III: Östergötland (2014).

But, as is sometimes the case, the deadliest beasts need their slumber, and at long last does Death Wolf awaken with IV: Come The Dark. Right from the very first throttling notes, IV: Come The Dark explodes with a ferocity and finesse that suggest those years of slumber were indeed fruitful. Clear and cutting, Death Wolf are on fine form here, effortlessly crafting one dark anthem after another with their signature blend of urban-wasteland heaviness and moody-yet-incendiary hooks. At once metal, punk, rock, and goth simultaneously and yet none of 'em in any conventional sense of those words, IV: Come The Dark bewitches the imagination with a deceptively earworming sense of style; in a strange, upside-down world (or a world where simply everything is RIGHT) can one imagine most/all of these songs on the radio.

But alas, we live in a doomed world, and never will Death Wolf reign across the radio... but their reasserted dominance is nearly certain with the arrival of IV: Come The Dark, as never before have the band sounded so commanding and confident, each of these 11 anthems brimming with a granite-thick gleam that underlines the power in professionalism.

Hear the first pulse of that power with the previously revealed "With Hate" below. Pre-order the album here or here.

Tracklisting:

"With Hate"
"Edge Of The Forest"
"Empower The Flame"
"The Sword"
"Funeral Pyre"
"The Executioners Song"
"Speak Through Fire"
"Serpents Hall"
"Into The Woods"
"Iron & Flame"
"Conquerors Dance"

"With Hate":




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On the cold morning of November 22,  Strigoi shall rise from its crypt to unleash its debut album upon the world. With an approach that was as nihilistic and crusty as it was cinematically grand, Paradise Lost's Greg Mackintosh teamed up with former Extreme Noise Terror and Vallenfyre bass player Chris Casket to record a truly bone-crushing beast of old-school death metal, titled Abandon All Faith.

The 12-song-debut was recorded and mixed at Greg's Black Planet Studio between January and March 2019 and just recently, the English duo unveiled their haunting first single, "Phantoms". Now they allow you to dive deeper into the monocromatic band universe with a new trailer, in which Greg and Chris discuss how the band came into being after disbanding Vallenfyre, and how they collaborated on the music and lyrics during the songwriting process:

The debut album will be available as jewelcase CD, black vinyl in gatefold and digitally, and consists of 12 new tracks with a running time of 44 minutes. Pre-order here.

Tracklisting:

"The Rising Horde"
"Parasite"
"Phantoms"
"Iniquitous Rage"
"Nocturnal Vermin"
"Plague Nation"
"Seven Crowns"
"Enemies Of God"
"Throne Of Disgrace"
"Scorn Of The Father"
"Carved Into The Skin"
"Abandon All Faith"

"Phantoms" video:

Strigoi are:

Greg Mackintosh - Vocals, Guitars
Chris Casket - Bass
Waltteri Väyrynen - Drums (studio only)




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When gnarly punk, pure metal and the swagger of hard rock meet, it can only mean one thing: the unholy rebirth of Helhorse. The Danes love to rock out with riffs heavier than Godzilla's balls. Be part of one of the loudest, dirtiest and also most melodic riff fests of the year.

Helhorse have just released the third single, "War Drums", from their new record, Hydra, out now via Rodeostar Records, distributed by Napalm Records.

Says the band: "The video was filmed and edited by our partner in crime, Andreas Benthien and Jess Bang Hansen. However it is the true genius of Sarah Lee Armstrong that brings this video to life. Our minds are blown by here genius."

Order Hydra  on LP, CD and digital formats via Napalm Records, all outlets.

Hydra was mixed and mastered by Tue Madsen (Gojira, Messhugah). Staying clear of the modern music worlds compressed and very undynamic master, Hydra aims at giving you that crisp you’ve been missing, and showcasing that quality of spending time on refining the smaller details, to give you a spacious Sound.

Tracklisting:

"Overboard"
"Avalanche"
"Outcome: Ruin"
"Cycle of Vain Attempts"
"Northern Lights"
"Hydra"
"Crystal Blades"
"Scarlet Meadow, Scarlet Brook"
"Under a Bad Moon"
"War Drums"

"Avalanche" video:

"Overboard" video:

(Photo - Mikkel Laumann)




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Singer Jacques Serrano has contacted BraveWords with news that he and Oakland-based thrash band Cultural Warfare have parted ways.

Says Serrano: "I have left Cultural Warfare amicably and am now concentrating my musical endeavours on the seminal bay area thrash band Annihilation reunion as well as another music offering from Taunted in 2020."

He continues: "I am ready to rock hard and ride free with these two other metal bands."

Meanwhile, Cultural Warfare have issued the following statement: "It comes with a heavy heart that our long time vocalist and brother Jacques Serrano and Cultural Warfare have decided to part ways. There is no ill will or bad feelings towards one another as this decision is mutual due to musical differences within the band. Jacques has been an instrumental part in the growth of Cultural Warfare these past few years leading us as our front man. We want to thank him for all he has done to help push Cultural Warfare in an upward trajectory. CW released an EP Future Kill and an LP Warmageddon during his tenure as our lead vocalist and we will always be proud of the music, shows, and memories we created together. He will always be our brother and wish Jacques nothing but the best in his future endeavours in life and music. With this said, we all have agreed it is best to withdraw from our remaining upcoming shows so that we can focus on the future of the band and Jacques can focus on his future endeavours as well."

Read more below:




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Frontiers Music Srl will release the self-titled debut album from melodic rock project, Lovekillers feat. Tony Harnell, on December 6. Pre-order the album here, and listen to the song "Higher Again", below.

Well known for being the vocalist of TNT’s classic lineup, Tony Harnell is an accomplished musician and songwriter who has also worked with such bands as Starbreaker and Westworld, while also performing as a solo artist. Harnell's vocals are unique entity in the melodic hard rock and rock worlds and Lovekillers marks a return to a sound reminiscent of classic '80s melodic hard rock. The album is an over-the-top and straight ahead tribute to that classic '80s sound, bringing it back with a passion and the amazing vocal register that only Harnell can deliver.

“I think Lovekillers is a different beast compared to many of the things I worked on in the past,” says Tony. “It has a lighter, more American and very melodic feel. It was a very comfortable territory, artistically, singing those songs. Sometimes, I also worked to tweak some lyrics and melodies here and there and on a couple of songs I worked harder to rewrite them, but I think the end result speaks for itself.”

On this album, Tony collaborated with in-demand Frontiers in-house producer Alessandro Del Vecchio (Hardline, Jorn, Revolution Saints) and the end result is a a glossy, polished record with top-notch production. Besides Del Vecchio and Harnell, songwriters on the album include Nigel Bailey, Pete Alpenborg, Marco Sivo, and Jonas Hornqvist.

Tony Harnell recently became the first American to be inducted into Norway's prestigious Rockheim Hall of Fame. He was inducted along with TNT and the ceremony will be televised nationally in Norway later this year.

For melodic rock fans, Lovekillers feat. Tony Harnell is a can't miss.

Lovekillers tracklisting:

"Alive Again"
"Hurricane"
"Ball And Chain"
"Who Can We Run To"
"Higher Again"
"Across The Oceans"
"Bring Me Back"
"Now Or Never"
"Heavily Broken"
"No More Love"
"Set Me Free"

"Higher Again":

"Now Or Never" lyric video:

Lineup:

Tony Harnell - Vocals
Gianluca Ferro - Guitars
Alessandro Del Vecchio - Bass, Keyboards
Edo Sala - Drums




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Electric Bear Brewing have teamed up with Cradle Of Filth to create the 4.5% Pale Countess English Pale Ale to see off the band's In To The Pallademonium tour at The London Palladium on October 19th.

This delightfully wicked pale ichor, is awash with forbidden fruits, tropical hurricanes and the bloody hubbub of grapefruit and mango.

Unfined, unfiltered, unpasteurised natural beer, Pale Countess comes in 440ml cans, and is available to order online via the Electric Bear web shop.

Originally released in May 1998, Cradle Of Filth’s heavy metal classic, Cruelty And The Beast is regarded as one of the milestones in the Gothic black metal genre. Now, 21 years later, this lustfully dark masterpiece has been wickedly remixed and remastered by Grindstone Studio’s Scott Atkins and will be reissued on November 1st through UK label Music For Nations. A new lyric video for “Lustmord And Wargasm (The Lick Of Carnivorous Winds)” is streaming below.

Vocalist Dani Filth comments: “We chose this song as a first snifter of the beast, as it’s a perfect example of the ‘Re-mistressed’ rerelease. In truth we could’ve chosen any of the tracks from the album, but went with 'Lustmord And Wargasm (The Lick Of Carnivorous Winds)’ as it has everything dripping in spades; blast beats, luscious melodies, a massive epic dropdown section, eerie orchestration, hardcore riffs and a vicious bite that will rip your fucking face clean off.”

Dani Filth comments: “Released on the 5th of May, around the same time as we were arrested at the Vatican, ‘Cruelty.. and The Beast’ had been a painstaking labour of love, a year of intense writing amid ever growing popularity and distraction. The album’s concept of the Hungarian blood countess Elizabeth Bathory - both historically astute and fictionally correct - was to become a dangerous obsession of mine and one that saw many a first light of dawn working on the lyrics, hellbent on making the story worthy of her legend.”

Released on CD, transparent red vinyl and digitally, this elevated version of Cruelty And The Beast features new artwork from band illuminator Stuart Williamson, exclusive linear notes from Dani Filth and Cvlt Black Metal writer and documentarian, Dayal Patterson as well as a bonus track cover of Iron Maiden’s "Hallowed Be Thy Name".

Dayal adds: “Cruelty And The Beast has long been considered a milestone album in Cradle Of Filth's career, a combination of atmospheric storytelling and visceral, and surprisingly vicious, songs. This 21st anniversary edition has bolstered those songs with an added weight, improving the sound considerably with a warmer and punchier mix, making it a must hear for long-time fans and newcomers alike.”

75 limited edition test pressing vinyl versions will also be available, each coming with a personalized signed letter from the prince of darkness himself.

With singer Dani Filth fully committed to the collaboration and endorsement of both the new audio and artwork, the band will be working on promo and there will be a celebratory exclusive live show at London Palladium on October 19 where they will be performing the album in its entirety.

Dani concludes, “Cruelty And The Beast remains a phenomenally important album in the band’s back catalogue and one that I am exceptionally proud of, as I am exceptionally proud of this Re-Mistressed version, 21 years on from the original release. I hope the listener - sitting there by the flame-lit hearth with his/her walnut pipe on the go - thoroughly enjoys this Cradle classic, so vividly brought back to life for the fickle world today.”

Pre-order here.




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Famous Underground / Creeping Beauty guitarist Darren Michael Boyd has released an official video for the track "Circle Of Sixes", taken from his forthcoming intrumental solo album, Lifiting The Curse. Check it out below along with the recently released video for "The Earth Is B Flat".

Boyd recently posted some clips from Lifting The Curse. Check out the audio snippets below.

"Lifting The Curse"

"Tails & Entrails"

"Satan Has My Number (But He Never Calls)"

For more information and updates go to Boyd's official website here.




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UK extreme metallers The Bleeding have released the lyric video for the title track off their forthcoming new album, Morbid Prophecy. The follow-up to 2018's debut album, Rites Of Absolution, is due out October 18 on World War Now Records.

Lead guitarist Tasos had this to say about the new album: "Morbid Prophecy is an aural descent into hell that encapsulates the saga of the fall of man. The themes of desperation, destruction and death echo through the album in a cacophony of damnation. Man enters the abyss and surrenders to the scale of horror he witnesses. With a ravaged mind he returns to deliver pain and suffering to the unbelievers.

“Musically Morbid Prophecy has set new standards for us in speed, execution and brutality. The songwriting process has been long and relentless as we pushed ourselves to create a blistering album that builds on the ferocity of our previous release 'Rites of Absolution'. We feel that we have accomplished that as the recording has fully materialized our vision."

Tracklisting:

“Demonic Oath”
“Maelstrom”
“Entering The Pandemonium”
“Morbid Prophecy”
“Storm Of The Hellspawn”
“Sadistic Saviour”
“Repentance”
“Hammer Of Penance”

“Morbid Prophecy” lyric video:

"Demonic Oath" lyric video:




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