Blistering death metal entity, Of Hatred Spawn, have announced the release date for their self-titled debut album, which will be out worldwide December 21st via Boonsdale Records.

The band’s studio and live lineup consists of JJ Tartaglia (Skull Fist) on drums, his brother Remy Tartaglia on guitars, Oscar Rangel (ex-Annihilator) on bass and Matt “Coldcuts” Collacott on vocals. The project is the first-ever collaborative offering by the Tartaglia brothers and holds great promise and expectations within the metal community around the world.

The band delivers an old-school death metal sound in the vein of old Morbid Angel, Decapitated, Cannibal Corpse, Deicide, Ruination-era Job For A Cowboy, while staying true to the modern trends of today’s extreme metal. Super low-tuned guitars, guttural vocals, blast beat drumming, odd-time signatures, and tempo shifts create the atmosphere for Of Hatred Spawn’s demonic sound. The lyrical themes tell stories of plagues, slavery, darkness and the balance of evil.

Main songwriter Remy Tartaglia comments: “The music is very aggressive and the lyrics are written from an evil standpoint, from the perspective of a demonic entity or being. This is an exercise in creative theatricality which provides depth to the art form. My aim is to immerse the listener into the sound and story of the songs, like a good book movie or video game. Some may also find the sound and themes to be empowering providing strength and comfort during consumption. The music has this effect on me and it is my intention to covey this feeling, to have listeners feed off the music’s aggression in a positive way.”

Watch Remy Tartaglia shred in a guitar playthrough video for their single, "Severed Limb Convulsion", below.

Album pre-order available on Boonsdale Records here. Digital and stream will be available on all major platforms as of December 21st.

Advance CD copies of the album will also be made available at the exclusive album release show happening December 7th at Coalition in Toronto, ON. Full details can be found here.

Tracklisting:

"Overture"
"Global Dehumanization"
"Nest Of Vipers"
"Severed Limb Convulsion"
"Plaga"
"Nocturnal Swarm"
"God Of Wrath"

"Severed Limb Convulsion" guitar playthrough:

Of Hatred Spawn is:

Matt Collacott (Vocals)
Remy Tartaglia (Guitars)
JJ Tartaglia (Drums)
Oscar Rangel (Bass)

(Photo - Mikey Wheeler)


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"How Many More Goodbyes", a new song from STARBREAKER, can be streamed below. The track is taken from the band's third album, "Dysphoria", which will be released on January 25, 2019 via Frontiers Music Srl.

Tony Harnell, the critically acclaimed singer/songwriter and former vocalist of hard rock band TNT, and Magnus Karlsson, current PRIMAL FEAR guitarist extraordinaire, have rejoined forces for the release of "Dysphoria". The disc showcases everything the project has become known for: metal sensibilities, melodic songs with killer hooks, thought provoking lyrics, inventive, intricate guitar playing, occasional prog twists, and a crisp production. Along with explosive performances from Harnell and Karlsson, these are the trademarks which the listener will find in "Dysphoria" and that make this album so very unique and special.

Of calling the album "Dysphoria", Tony states that the "title is simply a reflection of a state of mind and I thought it fit the lyrical theme of the songs. If I tried to summarize the lyrical theme of the album I would say it's beautifully sad, but infinitely hopeful. Life is always my biggest inspiration. It was an easy album to write lyrically for that reason. There was no writer's block and the themes are probably pretty obvious. I don't like to paint too clear a picture for the listener, it's best to let the words speak to them without guidance". On the first song released from the album, he says: "'Pure Evil' is the heaviest the album gets and not indicative of the album as a whole, although there are some metal overtones throughout."

Of the music direction on the album, Magnus states: "Tony's voice gives me inspiration to write my riffs and melodies. I imagine his voice, so in my head, I visualize the finished songs with great production. The two first albums didn't take much more than a year from finish to start. This release was made over a much longer period because of our other bands and productions. It's the first time I worked on an album with breaks in the production. In the end, it came out much better. I'm really happy with the sound on a STARBREAKER album. Thanks to Simone Mularoni (DGM) who did a great job with the mix. And Jonni Lightfoot and Anders Köllerfors who really made the songs shine! Tony's voice sounds better than ever, just amazing! You can have the best songs, best production or fastest guitar solos, but if the vocals aren't top notch, you have nothing!"

b>STARBREAKER started as Harnell's side project while he was still fronting TNT. He was initially working on a solo record, with Karlsson, former TNT drummer John Macaluso, and bassist Fabrizio Grossi, but they morphed into STARBREAKER, releasing their first self-titled studio album in 2005. In late 2007, Harnell flew to Sweden to write the bulk of the songs for the new album with Karlsson, and started recording the new songs at the end of that year. The group's second album, "Love's Dying Wish", was released in August 2008. It featured new bassist Jonni Lightfoot, who replaced Grossi, and was produced by Harnell and Karlsson, with Tommy Hansen (TNT, PRETTY MAIDS, HELLOWEEN) serving as the mixer.

The songwriting for the new STARBREAKER album started back before Harnell rejoined TNT in 2016, but it was after his ultimate split from that band, in October 2017, that he and Karlsson put the pedal to the metal and quickly completed "Dysphoria".

"Dysphoria" track listing:

01. Pure Evil

02. Wild Butterflies

03. Last December

04. How Many More Goodbyes

05. Beautiful One

06. Dysphoria

07. My Heart Belongs To You

08. Fire Away

09. Bright Star Blind Me

10. Starbreaker

STARBREAKER 2018 is:

Tony Harnell - vocals

Magnus Karlsson - guitars, keyboards, backing vocals

Jonni Lightfoot - bass

Anders Köllerfors - drums

U.K. doom metal veterans MY DYING BRIDE have parted ways with drummer Shaun Steels "due to unresolvable drumming issues." He has been replaced by Jeff Singer (pictured; KILL2THIS, PARADISE LOST), who has already laid down his drum tracks for MY DYING BRIDE's upcoming studio album.

Says the band: "Jeff has been a light in a dark room. He breathlessly and seamlessly plays with the new music and intuitively seems to know what we're asking for. He has removed a lot of unnecessary pressure from the band in an already testing time. At last something good happens."

This past September, MY DYING BRIDE vocalist Aaron Stainthorpe revealed that his daughter's cancer diagnosis led to the cancelation of the band's four festival appearances in late 2017. She has since beaten what Aaron has called "one of the cruellest of God's bitter and loveless creations."

For 28 years, MY DYING BRIDE from West Yorkshire has been the voice of the hopeless and broken, combining haunting sounds with crushing misery and melancholy. With their signature sound, they've shaped the doom metal scene like barely any other act and integrated both soft violin melodies and violent death metal growls into their music, while always staying strictly loyal to themselves. And since the early '90s, the band's masterminds and founding members Andrew Craighan and Aaron Stainthorpe forged beautiful grief into 12 studio albums with songs of epic length.

b>Peaceville Records celebrated the 25th anniversary of MY DYING BRIDE with a deluxe 92-page 12-inch hardback book on the rise of the U.K. doom metal legends. The book contains five discs of rarities, early works, newly unearthed and never-before-heard pre-production demos, band track favorites, and live audio.


Jeff Singer to drum new My Dying Bride album!!

My Dying Bride have recently had to part ways with Shaun Steels due to...Posted by My Dying Bride on Tuesday, December 4, 2018

On November 23, iRock Radio captured Myles Kennedy's solo performance at the Webster Theater in Hartford, Connecticut. Watch the footage below.

Kennedy's debut solo album, "Year Of The Tiger", was released in March. On the disc, Myles embarked on his first venture as a solo artist by embracing musical elements and influences he hadn't explored previously in his career. Kennedy himself played banjo, lap steel, bass, and mandolin in addition to guitar throughout the album. The emotional journey and personal story of Myles is captured in a bluesy Americana album with a twist of country and rock, swirling and flowing around the incredible, soulful voice that the world has come to know.

Myles told the "Nothing Shocking" podcast about the songwriting process for "Year Of The Tiger": "I knew what I didn't want to do, stylistically, was make another hard rock record, because I already have the luxury of playing in these two bands that have established a legacy and have put out multiple records, so to put out another album that just sounded the same, to me, I wasn't taking advantage of the opportunity of making a solo record in that case. I felt like it would dilute what I'm doing with the other projects. This was a really great opportunity for me to do something different, to challenge myself and make music that hopefully will really just kind of push me."

Myles, not one to spend a lot of time at home, is touring the U.S. in support of "Year Of The Tiger". The 18-date run kicked off on November 13 in Chicago, Illinois and will wrap on December 16 in Seattle, Washington. The performances feature music from the album as well as selections from Myles's work with ALTER BRIDGE, THE MAYFIELD FOUR and SLASH FEATURING MYLES KENNEDY AND THE CONSPIRATORS. WALKING PAPERS is opening all dates.

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Sweden’s Corroded are streaming their new single “Burn”. 

The band’s previous release, Defcon Zero was an album borne out of frustration and anger due, in no small part to on-going label politics, and although the album finally saw the light of day last year, it was actually held in limbo for five years. Despite that delay, the band used the time wisely, getting to grips with every aspect of recording; from mic placement and different amps right through to mixing and mastering. Signing a new deal with Despotz Records saw the band effectively restarting their career; (“We had to make up for lost time” lead guitarist Tomas comments now) and with that in mind, the band wasted no time in getting back into the studio to record the follow-up to their Despotz records debut. Following a successful run of dates with Pain and their own headlining run, Corroded were battle ready and soon began work on what would become Bitter. With time conspiring against them, the band found themselves left with one weekend available to begin putting together song ideas. Working in such a pressurized way only brought the very best out of each of the band members, the kind of connection that only comes from years of playing together meant that the songs were soon coming together.

The last album Corroded recorded was nearly 5 years ago. Due to a shift of labels that album was released just last year. Since that the band had to make up for lost time and that meant an awful lot of touring. As fun as it is to travel the world and play shows for their loyal fans they also knew they had to make another album as quickly as possible not to lose the momentum again. That left the band with an extremely short amount of time. With only a handful of song ideas laying around and only one weekend to write new material the odds were once again not looking too good for the band. 

“We made three songs that weekend and together with the rest of the ideas we had we started to build what would become the finished album” - says Tomas, guitar and backing vocals. 

“The whole process was best compared to Frankenstein’s monster. We cut everything up and put it back together a couple of times until we felt that we were on the right track.” -Tomas says. 

“When it was finally time to start writing the lyrics it wasn’t very hard to find topics to write about. The break with our first record label and the political state of the world had us all irritated and angry. The album title came quite easy and is the perfect sum up word for how we’d felt over the last couple of years. We also felt it was time to move on and there’s no better way to do that than to make a hard-hitting metal album.” Says Jens, lead singer and guitar. 

“We started all stressed out and weren’t even sure we’d make the album done in time but not only did we get it done in time, it came out far greater than we could have hoped for! It’s brutal, honest, melodic yet edgy. It’s Corroded and it’s BITTER!” -Jens, Per, Bjarne and Tomas


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The official video for the song "Wheel Against Will" from NONPOINT can be seen below. The track is taken from the band's tenth album, "X", which was released on August 24. The follow-up to 2016's "The Poison Red" was produced by Fred Archambault, who has previously worked with ATREYU and AVENGED SEVENFOLD, among others.

In a recent interview with Bods Mayhem Hour, singer Elias Soriano stated about working with Archambault: "['The Poison Red' producer] Rob [Ruccia] also worked on this record as well. He not only played bass, but he was mainly the engineer of this record because it's the studio he works out of, the Uptown [Recording], he is their head engineer. He's an amazing friend and dare I say, sixth member of the band.

"We've done a lot of records ourselves and when we get the opportunity to work with somebody with Fred… Originally, it was supposed to be Brian Virtue, which we were really excited about. But, unfortunately, he had a really dire family emergency he couldn't step away from, wholeheartedly knowing he could get a phone call and he'd have to go back home. We understood where he was coming from. The label got on the phone, got people we were speaking to as well as Brian in the beginning. Got them on the phone and had a great conversation with Fred and he jumped right in. It was a great process. He's a real positive dude who loves to work ideas, loves to add layers and really set a mood and add DNA to a song. He just, you know, pretty much, he loves what we were doing with the writing of our music. He just, like he said in the phone call, he just really wanted to make it sound like the most powerful NONPOINT that we've ever put out."

Elias added that "X" ended up being "the fastest record that we've ever recorded because we were so prepared going in. It was really just about tracking it, but I would say [it took about] 25, 26 days. Like I said, the music was written. It was just about making it as sound as great as we could. I mean, like I said, the songs were already written. We went in with the pre-production already done. We had already decided what we wanted. After that, it's just performance and making sure you get the right tones. Fred's a professional, Rob Ruccia is a professional. We're on our tenth record, so we went in prepared."

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"Cineminute", the new YouTube show from California party rockers STEEL PANTHER, premiered last month with the band's parody of the Bryan Singer classic "The Usual Suspects". The weekly episodic show has now returned with STEEL PANTHER's unique interpretation of 2005's Ang Lee Academy Award winner "Brokeback Mountain".

STEEL PANTHER kicked off its latest tour on November 29 at the House Of Blues in Chicago, Illinois. The concert was the band's first with bassist Spyder, who is filling in for STEEL PANTHER's regular four-stringer Lexxi Foxx.

STEEL PANTHER issued a statement on Friday (November 30) saying that Lexxi had voluntarily checked himself in to an undisclosed "sex rehab" after his "lifestyle of debauchery and proclivity towards random sexual encounters… finally caught up with" him.

"We love Lexxi Foxx… and his mother," explained drummer Stix Zadinia. "We support his decision to enter sex rehab. We can't wait for him to get back on the road with us after he learns how to have better sex."

b>STEEL PANTHER guitarist Satchel recently confirmed to Meltdown of the WRIF radio station that the band has commenced the recording process for its fifth album. The follow-up to 2017's "Lower The Bar" is once again being produced by Jay Ruston, who has previously worked with ANTHRAX, STONE SOUR and URIAH HEEP, among others.

"Lower The Bar", was released in March 2017 via Kobalt Music Recordings. The disc included eleven songs recorded at studios in North Hollywood and Sherman Oaks, California, with an additional two tracks on a Best Buy deluxe edition.

STRYPER frontman Michael Sweet has confirmed that he is working on material for his next solo album. The follow-up to 2016's "One Sided War" will arrive in 2019 via Rat Pak Records.

Sweet wrote on his Facebook page: "Writing songs has always been part of my DNA. Once I get into that mode, the flood gates open.

"I spent the past few days working on some ideas, and so far I have 11 that I like. Now I need to weed through them and arrange them and program drum grooves to make 'em feel right.

"Joel Hoekstra [WHITESNAKE] and I are co-writing two songs together so I'm waiting to hear what he comes up with and that will make 13 tracks total (12 for U.S., one bonus track for overseas).

So far there are old school, straight-ahead metal ideas ala [JUDAS] PRIEST and DIO as well as a few uptempo riffs ala [IRON] MAIDEN. There's also a few ballads with a bit of a [LED] ZEPPELIN vibe. I'm sure there will be a few other ideas to come over the next few weeks as well.

"Between now and the first week of January, I'll arrange and finetune everything as well as compose the lyrics.

"So far, I'm really excited about the musical direction and I'm sure you will be too. I'm bringing back a few of those classic hooks and melodies that some of you have asked for. Ask and you shall receive.

"It's going to be a killer album, friends! We start tracking on January 14 and it should be turned in by mid-April at the latest (it would be sooner, but STRYPER is going to Japan in early February and rehearsing, so I'll be taking a few weeks off from recording).

"Thank you all for believing in me and for your undying support. I couldn't do this without you and I’m blessed to be able to encourage and inspire all of you through music.

"God bless and stay tuned."

"One Sided War" was released in August 2016 via Rat Pak Records. Backing Michael on the record were Hoekstra, EVANESCENCE drummer Will Hunt, bassist John O'Boyle and East Coast shred-master Ethan Brosh.

In a 2016 interview with The Aquarian Weekly, Sweet said that he enjoyed making solo albums "because it's an opportunity to free myself up a little bit more, experiment a little bit more, and try some things that STRYPER may not be able to try."

STRYPER's latest album, "God Damn Evil", was released in April via Frontiers Music Srl.


Writing songs has always been part of my DNA. Once I get into that mode the flood gates open. I spent the past few days...Posted by Michael Sweet on Sunday, December 2, 2018

Nikki Sixx is working on a "trilogy" project for a 2019 release. The MÖTLEY CRÜE bassist, who said last year that he was "unofficially retired" from touring, discussed his plans in an Instagram post. "Officially start working on a new album tomorrow as part of my trilogy project for 2019," he wrote. "Very excited to be working with a handful of different producers and artists to pull the vision that's been haunting me together."


"I love being off the road," he also tweeted. "As an artist we need to create NEW. That's why we started in the first place was to create. So excited about my trilogy project I'm working on right now."

It is not clear if Sixx's new "trilogy project" will involve any new music from SIXX:A.M., which has been on hiatus since 2017. Guitarist DJ Ashba and singer James Michael have since formed a new band, PYROMANTIC.

Asked by a fan over the weekend if he has written any new songs for SIXX:AM. or if he has closed that door, Sixx responded: "We have a lot of cool new music coming next year."

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

A film adaptation of the band's 2001 autobiography, "The Dirt", will premiere on Netflix in March. The soundtrack is expected to include four new songs MÖTLEY CRÜE recorded earlier this year with producer Bob Rock.

Sixx is working on the Broadway adaptation of his memoir, "The Heroin Diaries: A Year In The Life Of A Shattered Rock Star".

SIXX:A.M.'s latest double album, "Prayers For The Blessed" and "Prayers For The Damned", came out during 2016.

Photo credit: Courtney Sixx

View this post on Instagram Officially start working on a new album tomorrow as part of my trilogy project for 2019. Very excited to be working with a handful of different producers and artists to pull the vision that’s been haunting me together. A post shared by Nikki Sixx (@nikkisixxpixx) on Dec 3, 2018 at 11:12pm PST

Classical guitar virtuoso Thomas Zwijsen has uploaded this new video, in which he performs the Europe hit, "The Final Countdown", on classical acoustic fingerstyle guitar, along with his fiancee Wiktoria Krawczyk on violin. The performance took place at Rockland Music in Witten, Germany.

In the video below, Zwijsen performs Deep Purple's "Soldier Of Fortune" on classical acoustic fingerstyle guitar. Tabs and video lesson for this arrangement will be included at Thomas' online guitar school: KingOfTheStrings.com.

This recording is on Thomas' new Nylon Metal double CD. 28 metal tracks arranged for classical guitar. It's available here with worldwide shipping.

The video was filmed by Wiktoria Krawczyk at the Tyne Cot Cemetery in Passchendaele, Belgium.


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Progressive power metallers, Blind Guardian, have re-released three more classic titles from their back catalogue. The remixed and remastered versions of Imaginations From The Other Side, Nightfall In Middle-Earth and A Night At The Opera are out now on 2CD digipack and 2LP gatefold vinyl format, in a variety of limited edition colours.

Singer Hansi Kürsch comments: "So great that Imaginations From The Other Side, Nightfall In Middle-Earth and A Night At The Opera will finally be re-released on vinyl and as limited-edition CDs. I really love the bonus material for each album. Always great to re-visit these albums. Have fun."

Today, the band launch the official documentary series, Nightfall In Middle-Earth Revisited. Watch Part 1 below:

Order the reissues here.

Imaginations From The Other Side (1995), remixed 2011/2012,  remastered 2012

- 2 CD-DIGI (remixed/remastered CD+original CD)
- LP in gatefold

Tracklisting:

"Imaginations From The Other Side"
"I’m Alive"
"A Past And Future Secret"
"The Script For My Requiem"
"Mordred’s Song"
"Born In A Mourning Hall"
"Bright Eyes"
"Another Holy War"
"And The Story Ends"

Bonus:
"The Wizard"
"System’s Failing"

Imaginations Revisited Documentary:

Part One:

Part Two:

Nightfall In Middle-Earth (1998), remixed 2011/2012,  remastered 2012

- 2 CD-DIGI (remixed/remastered CD + original CD)
- LP in gatefold

Tracklisting:

"War Of Wrath"
"Into The Storm"
"Lammoth"
"Nightfall"
"The Minstrel"
"The Curse Of Feanor"
"Captured"
"Blood Tears"
"Mirror Mirror"
"Face The Truth"
"Noldor (Dead Winter Reigns)"
"Battle Of Sudden Flames"
"Time Stands Still (At The Iron Hill)"
"The Dark Elf"
"Thorn"
"The Eldar"
"Nom The Wise"
"When Sorrow Sang"
"Out On The Water"
"The Steadfast"
"A Dark Passage"
"Final Chapter (Thus Ends…)"

Bonus:
"Doom"
"The Tides Of War"

A Night At The Opera (2002), remixed 2011/2012,  remastered 2012

- 2CD-DIGI (remixed/remastered CD+original CD)
- LP in gatefold

Tracklisting:

"Precious Jerusalem"
"Battlefield"
"Under The Ice"
"Sadly Sings Destiny"
"The Maiden And The Minstrel Knight"
"Wait For An Answer"
"The Soulforged"
"Age Of False Innocence"
"Punishment Divine"
"And Then There Was Silence"

Bonus:
"Age Of False Innocence" (demo)
"Under The Ice" (demo)


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THE NEAL MORSE BAND — Neal Morse (lead vocals, guitars, keyboards), Mike Portnoy (drums, vocals), Randy George (bass), Bill Hubauer (keyboards, vocals), Eric Gillette (guitars, vocals) — will take fans on "The Great Adventure" with its latest double concept album, due out January 25, 2019 on Radiant Records via Metal Blade worldwide. It will be available in three formats: a two-CD package, two-CD/DVD special edition featuring behind-the-scenes video clips of the making of the album, and three vinyl LPs.

The lyric video for the first single from "The Great Adventure", a song called "Welcome To The World", can be seen below.


The follow-up to 2016's critically acclaimed "The Similitude Of A Dream" will be the ninth studio album with Morse, Portnoy and George, and the third as a true collaboration with this current lineup. Together, Morse and Portnoy have launched four bands, but the one that has endured the longest and thus with the most musical output has been THE NEAL MORSE BAND.


"Let the great adventure now begin…" The closing line of "The Similitude Of A Dream" has proved to be strangely prophetic. The new album is exactly that: a perfect companion piece to "The Similitude Of A Dream"'s partial retelling of John Bunyan's "The Pilgrim's Progress". It has everything that fans would expect from an album by THE NEAL MORSE BAND, and more: rock, metal, classical and jazz elements appear throughout, as well as some killer melodies, all played faultlessly by some of the greatest rock musicians on the planet.


s Neal Morse explains: "This band continues to amaze me! I have to say it was a little daunting to follow up 'The Similitude Of A Dream' as it was such a special album and it delivered every night at our concerts, but I believe that 'The Great Adventure' will have a tremendous impact as well. This new double album is everything that I hoped it would be! I listened through last night and I was in tears at the end!"


Mike Portnoy emphatically agrees. He says: "How do you follow an epic double concept album??? Well, create another epic double concept album!! Hahaha. I always knew topping 'The Similitude Of A Dream' was going to be difficult, if not impossible, as I held it in such high regard, but alas, I am absolutely blown away with what we achieved here! We've created what is the ultimate companion to 'The Similitude Of A Dream'."


"Sometimes there are things that you just can't mess with," Randy George continues. "On 'The Similitude Of A Dream', we tapped into something special. I was sure that the follow up should be something quite different, but you have to follow your heart and follow the music where it wants to go. 'The Great Adventure' is nothing short of a miracle. It's similar to 'Similitude' in concept and form, but yet it's tougher and deeper in its tone! This is a powerful work and I look forward to playing it live!


True to the album's title, the creative process was indeed a "great adventure." Unlike many previous Morse albums, which have often been written and arranged within weeks, this time around these prolific and world-class musicians spent almost a year working on the end result, producing an abundance of top-quality material. This meant some ruthless decision-making: some already completed songs and characters had to go, and — with studio time running out–new links and ideas were being composed and recorded up to the eleventh hour. "A lot of work and re-work has gone into this," says Morse, "but I know that some of the most successful and far-reaching albums I've been involved with have been just like that. 'Sola Scriptura' and SPOCK'S BEARD's 'Snow' album come to mind."


Another key question that had to be addressed in the studio was how to pull all the ideas together into a coherent whole. In the end, what unlocked this "adventure" for Morse was the realization that 'The Great Adventure' needed a new voice and perspective. This time, it is that of the Pilgrim's abandoned son, a younger, perhaps angrier, voice than was heard on "The Similitude Of A Dream".


THE NEAL MORSE BAND will bring "The Great Adventure" to fans worldwide with a new round of headlining tour dates, which begin February 2, 2019 in Nashville at City Winery.

Photo credit: Robert Smith

Gloryful will release their new album ,Cult Of Sedna, on January 18th via Massacre Records. The album track, “The Hunt”, is available for streaming below

On their new album, mixed and mastered by Jörg Uken at soundlodge, Gloryful unite all their trademarks and up the ante with an even heavier sound! Axel Hermann was recruited to take care of the album's artwork. Expect neck-breakers - some of them with a bit of thrash - as well as rock anthems.

Cult Of Sedna will be available as CD, limited vinyl LP, stream and download.

Tracklisting:

“Cult Of Sedna”
“The Oath”
“Brothers In Arms”
“Void Of Tomorrow”
“The Hunt”
“True ‘Til Death”
“When The Union Calls On Me”
“Desert Stranger”
“My Sacrifice”
“Sinners & Saints”
“Into The Next Chapter”

“The Hunt”:


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US-bsed heavy/power metal band Reverence, featuring former members of Savatage, Metal Church and Tokyo Blade, have released a new live video and single for "Until My Dying Breath". The track is taken from their forthcoming live album, Vengeance Is…Live. It’s the brand new 15 song platter to be delivered to the masses on December 7th, 2018 via ROAR! Rock Of Angels Records.

Vengeance Is…Live’s showcasing highlights from their previous three album such as the ominous “When Darkness Calls”, classic “Bleed For Me”, “Until My Dying Breath” and “Angel In Black”, also includes the monster riffage of “Race To Obscene”….and never forgotten epic title-track “Gods Of War” as well as three brand new songs from their latest EP release, “Fire Lord”, “Phoenix Rising” and the crowd chanting “New Order”.

The album also includes two classic covers, Iron Maiden’s “Wasted Years” and Savatage’s “Power Of The Night” and finally closing the disc with the classic fan favorite “Revolution Rising”.

Tracklisting:

“When Darkness Calls”
“Until My Dying Breath”
“Fire Lord”
“Angel In Black”
“Too Late”
“Bleed For Me”
“New Order”
“Gods Of War”
“Power Of The Night”
“The Price You Pay”
“Race To Obscene”
“Phoenix Rising”
“Vengeance Is Mine”
“Wasted Years”
“Revolution Rising”

"Phoenix Rising":

The band is comprised of veteran members from many known-named bands. Scott Oliva (ex-Wind Wraith, Innerstrength, vocals), Steve ‘Dr. Killdrums’ Wacholz (ex-Savatage/Crimson Glory, drums), Bryan Holland (ex-Tokyo Blade, guitars), Paul Kleff (ex-Metal Church live, FireWolfe, guitars), Russ Pzutto (Twisted Sister live, Dee Snider, bass).


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Drawing their inspiration from a wide variety of genres, Ominous Eclipse is a brutal quartet that create a unique hybrid sound with death metal being the main aspect combined with elements of thrash, groove, black, melodic, etc. Unleashing their sophomore album Sinister this past September, the band have put together a new lyric video for their track "Breaking The Chains" premiered exclusively here on BraveWords.

For those in the Ottawa area, Ominous Eclipse will be performing on December 11th opening for The Faceless, Rings Of Saturn, Vales Of Pnath and more at Mavericks. More information here.

The band comments: "There's no concept or theme on this album so all the songs have different meaning. The title track itself divulges into the inevitable end to humanity and potentially the world with it. It discusses the issues around the globe and also addresses the ignorance and selfishness of those indirectly affected by the chaos. It has a strong "United We Stand, Divided We Fall" theme in regards to how people can turn their backs on those in need in order to save their own skin, which ironically will lead to our end as it causes people to turn on each other. Musically for this album, you will notice we have evolved from the first release and have moved away from thrashy overtones to become more diverse including more heavily stated melodic and technical with a solid groove and death foundation."

Trailer:

"Sinister" video:

"Spiral Into Insanity" lyric video:

"The Horde":

(Photo - Max Southwood)


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Canadian bashers Kobra And The Lotus are currently in the studio working on the follow-up to their Prevail album(s). They have posted video updates from the studio, which can be viewed below.

A recent update from Kobra And The Lotus, from their tour through Europe with the Butcher Babies:

"Here's a quick vid our buddy, Jimmy, put together while we were in Europe for the Female Metal Voices Tour 2018 with Butcher Babies, Skarlett Riot, Ignea, Martyrium, and Asphodelia. We had an absolute blast touring together! Thanks to everyone for the amazing times!"

Kobra And The Lotus recently posted a live acoustic performance of the song "You Don't Know", taken from their Prevail I album:

"We wrote most of the double album Prevail off the studio floor, and we didn't know what would come. We had a large project board with about 23 spots for all the tracks we wanted, and as they came we entered the idea or wrote into it. 'You Dont Know' came out that way. You never know what will come when you commit the time and face the challenge head on."


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The pioneers of German rock are now heavy part of the Napalm Records family. Since their founding back in 1990, Oomph! have been leaders in the scene and have created their very own version of hard rock music. Along their journey they were never afraid of fusing any influences. This courage was rewarded by creating their own niche between metal, industrial, EBM and gothic. They have shaped a new musical genre in Germany with bands such as Rammstein, who have named Oomph! as one of their influences.

Gold and Platinum Awards, international chart entries, the #1 single "Augen Auf!" are just a few examples of their remarkable success. For Oomph! being on top of German rock music is the result of lots of hard work and fearless creativity. Now they have found a strong partner with Napalm Records.

Oomph! on the signing with Napalm Records: “Right between both of our last tours in Russia and Europe, we started to gather new ideas for our upcoming 13th studio album! With these first new songs we contacted various record labels and were able to choose from 8 very promising offers in the end! We are extremely happy to have found in Napalm Records a strong and broad partner world-wide, who has worked extremely successfully in all different areas of rock and metal with their artists in recent years. Napalm Records offers exactly the right prerequisites for our next steps and we look forward to a long-term collaboration!"

Thomas Caser, CEO Napalm Records states: “With Oomph! we proudly present one of the most exciting and influential German rock bands as a brand new signing on Napalm Records! We are very much looking forward to a successful future with the band!”

Reinvention and continuity – Oomph! have been synonymous with self-renewal, pioneer spirit and carefree creativity for almost three decades. Gold and platinum awards, international top chart entries and their number #1 hit single "Augen Auf!" speak for themselves! Hardly a band has ever influenced the German musical scene so deeply and still keeps it heavily fascinated!

The trio around Crap, Dero and Flux is now ready to release its thirteenth longplayer Ritual. "Our most aggressive, heaviest and darkest album in a while," singer Dero states. After the signing with Napalm Records earlier this year, it's time to unveil all album details of their forthcoming Ritual.

The band states on Ritual: "We are very happy to introduce you to our new album, Ritual, today! This album contains 100% Oomph! We wrote, produced and mixed everything in our own recording studio! We used our time in between two tours to get some fresh and very inspiring impact of the recent live experiences and composed the majority of the songs in jam sessions all together. That probably explains why the songs on Ritual are hard, riff-heavy and dark. The album Artwork brilliantly supports the mystical character of our songs and lyrics and leaves plenty of scope for own interpretations."

Check out the official lyric video for the band's new single, "Kein Liebeslied"

Ritual tracklisting:

"Tausend Mann und ein Befehl"
"Achtung! Achtung!"
"Kein Liebeslied"
"Trümmerkinder"
"Europa" (feat. Chris Harms / Lord Of The Lost)
"Im Namen des Vaters"
"Das Schweigen der Lämmer"
"TRRR - FCKN - HTLR"
"Phönix aus der Asche"
"Lass' die Beute frei"
"Seine Seele"
"In der Stille der Nacht" (Bonus Track)
"Lazarus" (Bonus Track)
"TRRR - FCKN - HTLR" (Lord of The Lost Remix) (Bonus Track)

(Photo - Heilemania)


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Philadelphia's progressive blackened death metal unit, IATT (I Am The Trireme) have signed with Swedish extreme metal label Black Lion Records. IATT will be releasing their forthcoming label debut in Spring of 2019. 

IATT has put together a teaser trailer for their new album, Nomenclature, which can be seen below:

IATT had the following to say about joining the Black Lion roster:

"IATT is thrilled to announce our signing to Black Lion Records. We feel that we've found the right fit for us as a band to call home and are excited to work with and among a roster of incredible acts. IATT has been gearing up to expand our reach, and we feel that Black Lion Records is the right space for us to continue to grow and progress in our art."

"Throughout our career as musicians, IATT has been able to stay true to our roots while growing and pushing our sound as we mature. In the case of our forthcoming album, entitled Nomenclature, we are excited to expand on the seeds we planted with our 2018 EP St. Vitus Dance. Much like it's predecessor; Nomenclature focuses and expands on the themes of mysticism and dark nature surrounding primitive medicine circa 1700. The worlds of science and the occult/superstition weren't very far from each other, and at times became interwoven in an effort to unravel the secrets of the human body. Ghastly practices, diseases mistaken for malevolent forces, and the horrors of crude medicine set the backdrop for an onslaught of fast paced, complex, and grandiose epicness from IATT. We are thrilled to deliver to our listeners an even grander, more intense album full of punishing riffs crafted with scalpel-like precision. An ink black blend of extreme metal that envelopes, Nomenclature is sure to have you hooked."

Black Lion owner Oliver comments:

"While growing at very fast phase, it's important to know when to branch out and step outside of your comfort area, and for us it started as a slow building process branching out to the US, with bands already like Northwind Wolves, Hinayana and Sun Speaker it was time to add another brick to the ever growing US adventure, and we are beyond excited to work with such a great band like IATT. We are certain it will help in our US endeavours. IATT will be releasing their new album with us in 2019. Black Lion has always been about the dark extreme side of metal and IATT fits right in!"

 


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Kissin' Dynamite are looking back to a very successful year with the launch of their latest album Ecstasy, and a very successful tour in support of Powerwolf which saw them take over arenas all across Europe.

The lads have now released a brand new single and video for the song "Heart Of Stone", it's a new version with an accompanying orchestra! Check it out below:

Kissin' Dynamite will support Powerwolf on their second European run in January:

January
10 - Toulouse, France - Bikini
11 - Bordeaux, France - Le Rocher De Palmer
12 - Barcelona, Spain - Razzmatazz 1
13 - Madrid, Spain - La Riviera
15 - Lille, France - L'Aernoef
16 - Nantes, France - Le Stereolux
17 - Rouen, France - Le 106
19 - Manchester, UK - Academy 2
20 - Glasgow, UK - SWG
21 - Bristol, UK - SWX
22 - Birmingham, UK - Digbeth Mill
24 - Reims, France - La Cartonnerie
25 - Dusseldorf, Germany - Mitsubishi Electric Hall
26 - Nancy, France - L'Autre Canal
27 - Marseille, France - Espace Julien
28 - Lyon, France - Transbordeur
29 - Strasbourg, France - La Laiterie

Then, catch Kissin' Dynamite live on their upcoming European headline tour in March and April:

March
15 - Osnabruck, Germany - Bastard Club
16 - Enschede, Netherlands - Metropool
20 - Berlin, Germany - BiNuu
21 - Nurnberg, Germany - Hirsch
22 - Leipzig, Germany - Hellraiser
23 - Vacha/Eisenach, Germany - Vachwerk
28 - Aschaffenburg, Germany - Colos Saal
29 - Eindhoven, Netherlands - Effenaar
30 - Hannover, Germany - Musikzentrum

April
4 - Saarbrucken, Germany - Garage
5 - Koln, Germany - Kantine
6 - Hamburg, Germany - Markthalle
10 - Milano, Italy - Legend Club
11 - Pratteln, Switzerland - Z7
12 - Munchen, Germany - Backstage
13 - Stuttgart, Germany - LKA-Longhorn
16 - Bratislava, Slovakia - Randal Club
17 - Wien, Austria - Flex
18 - Budapest, Hungary - Durer Kert
19 - Graz, Austria - Explosiv
20 - Worgl, Austria - Komma

 


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Unholy Dutch death metallers Antropomorphia are currently busy in the studio recording their next long-player, Merciless Savagery. The album is being recorded at Aftermath Studios and will be produced by drummer Marco Stubbe. Mastering duties will be handed over to the infamous Dan Swanö in December for a tentative release in spring of 2019.

Comments Antropomorphia: "As we shred closer to the end of the recordings of our fourth full length album, everything feels more pervasive than ever before. While we went through some unsettling dark and overwhelming times during the writing of this album, which is not necessarily something negative in our realm, it gave us the hostile anger and exact perspective to move forward and create this audial landscape. Our origins are weaved within the structure of this album but there was a lot of new ground to be discovered. It's brutal, it's dark, it's hateful, filled with infectious riffs and a 'fuck you' to a mostly repetitive scene."

In other news the band had a lineup change just recently. Bassist Marc van Stiphout has left the band and Antropomorphia have called Jeroen Pleunis to duty. "Marc parts ways with us with no hardship or ill will. Marc's follow up is Jeroen Pleunis (Villainy), Jeroen is no stranger to the band and he will bring his talent and raging madness to our fold. As the landscape changes a new era begins, gates will open and spew forth a beast of hellish ferociousness."

Antropomorphia lineup:

Ferry Damen - vocals, guitar
Jos van den Brand - guitar
Jeroen Pleunis - bass
Marco Stubbe - drums

(Photo by Dennis Wassenburg)

 


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Filmed at Taco Bell Arena in Boise, Idaho on November 28th, professionally filmed footage of Metallica performing the Reload album track, "The Memory Remains", is available now:

One of the official show posters, created by Robert Wilson IV of Munk One can be seen below:

Metallica has three shows remaining in 2018:

December
5 - Portland, OR - Moda Center
7 - Sacramento, CA - Golden 1 Center - SOLD OUT
9 - Fresno, CA - Save Mart Center

To view the compelete tour schedule, which stretches into August 2019, visit this location.

 


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Blatant Disarray, the Raleigh based thrash metal band, is set to release their third full length album, Ebon Path on February 12th, 2019. This will be the band’s second release for Dirt Records. The band’s first record, Everyone Dies Alone, was released on Tribunal Records in 2010.

The new album was recorded in Raleigh, NC from August 2017 to July 2018. Ebon Path was co-produced by Mike Schaefer and Mike Dean (Corrosion Of Conformity) at the studio they share in Raleigh. The record was mixed and mastered by Jamie King.

Ebon Path shows the way to a darker side of the band’s sound. Also present is a return to complex rhythms and up-tempo, thrashy songs. Drummer Stephan Parson makes his first appearance on a full-length recording and clearly proves that he is a speed metal force to be reckoned with. After Stephan’s joining of the band two years ago his energy helped light the fire that ultimately lit the way along the Ebon Path.

Tracklisting:

"Undertones"
"Low Life"
"Parasite"
"The Black"
"Leeches"
"Delirium"
"Weakening Of The Wolves"
"Toe The Line"

Ebon Path will be available for pre-sale on the Dirt Records website beginning December 4th.

 


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Chicago-based Americana metal outfit, Huntsmen, have released a video for "Atlantic City", a track from their American Scrap album, released earlier this year. Watch the clip below.

American Scrap was recorded at Treehouse Analog Studio in Chicago. The opening, mostly acoustic track "Bury Me Deep", is the perfect first chapter to the album; with its ending of feedback and electric guitar, it foreshadows something heavy, but then swiftly goes into the dark, moody "Pyre". "Atlantic City" starts off in a post-rock fury, sure to tell-tale some catastrophic event while the album's epic closer, "The Last President" with guest vocalist, Aimee Bueno, is the perfect ending to the story.

American Scrap tracklisting:

"Bury Me Deep"
"Pyre"
"Canary King"
"Interlude A - Shipwrecked"
"Atlantic City"
"Interlude B - Insurrection"
"The Barrens"
"The Last President"

"The Barrens" video:

"Pyre" video:

"Bury Me Deep" video:

Huntsmen lineup:

Chris Kang - Vocals, guitar
Marc Stranger-Najjar - Bass
Kirill Orlov - Guitar
Ray Knipe - Drums


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Haken have released an unboxing video for their upcoming live release, L+1VE, out this Friday, December 7th. The title features the four tracks that were originally only available as a bonus on the DVD, now available on a single LP + CD. Pre-orders can be found here. Watch the unboxing video below.

Tracklisting:

“Falling Back To Earth”
“Pareidolia”
“Earthrise”
“Crystallised”


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In the video below, Alice Cooper performs his classic, "Welcome To My Nightmare". The clip is taken from the concert film Alice Cooper - Live At Montreux 2005. Get your copy here.

Upcoming Alice Cooper live dates are listed below.

December
8 - Celebrity Theatre - Phoenix, AZ

July - Roxodus Festival - Toronto, ON


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German heavy metal band, Bloody Times, will release of their new album, On A Mission, on January 11th. The album features guests Ross The Boss (ex-Manowar, pictured above), and former Iced Earth members John Greely and Raphael Saini.

The album was mixed and mastered by OGrego (Winter’s Dawn, Necrorgasm, Emerald). Album artwork by Stan-W Decker (Ross The Boss, Primal Fear, Masterplan).

Tracklisting:

"Alliance"
"Fort Sumter"
"Die In A Hole"
"Curse Of Genevieve" (reworked)
"Future Secret"
"Operation Focus"
"The Warning (Until Blood Boils Pt.1)"
"The Revenge (Until Blood Boils Pt.2)"
"Day Of Collapse"

A video trailer for the song "Alliance" can be viewed below:

Lineup:

Ross Friedman - Rhythm and solo guitar (Ex-Manowar, Ross The Boss Band)
John Greely - Lead and backing Vocals (Ex-Iced Earth, Seventh Servant)
Raphael Saini - Drums (Ex-Iced Earth)
Marco Cossu - Rhythm and solo guitar (Inexhibit)
Rainer Pfundstein - Rhythm and solo guitar (Big Mama)
Balasz Fleischhauer - Rhythm and solo guitar
Simon Pfundstein - Bass and backing vocals

In 2014 the name “Bloody Times” was first used for a collection of recorded riffs and demos by bassist Simon Pfundstein, who is therefore known as the founder of Bloody Times. Unlike a classic band formation, Bloody Times slowly evolved out of a solo project. What was created as a hobby led to the production of the first album two years later. The Fire Of Immortality was released as debut album in November 2016. On this album, Simon was supported by former Iced Earth drummer Raphael Saini. All other instruments were recorded by Simon.

In the following year, two of the existing songs were re-recorded with John Greely (Seventh Servant). Since the release he has been the main singer of Bloody Times. John is known for his performance on the album Night Of The Stormrider, which he recorded together with Iced Earth.

Work on a second album began in late 2017 with John on vocals and Simon on bass. While Raphael is also on drums in this production, different guests were on guitar. Five different guitarists contributed their skills and were also partly involved in the songwriting process, which was otherwise mainly done by bassist Simon. The passion for music and metal unites all the members and guests of the project.

A special guest and supporter of the resulting album On A Mission is Ross Friedman (Ross The Boss), who founded the heavy metal band Manowar together with Joey DeMaio in 1980. Since his retirement from Manowar, Ross has been working on his own albums and projects, but his fans adore him most of all for his contribution to the “immortal” albums from Battle Hymns to Kings Of Metal.

Inspired by the mentioned metal giants and other heavy metal classics, a fantastic album has been created. It strongly reminds of “old school metal” and makes you want to hear more impressive songs, which Bloody Times will surely also release in the future.


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Ignore The Sign, built around mastermind Ossy Pfeiffer, was never a political band, but rather one that can take a position if it feels appropriate. This is confirmed by the new single "Silver Wind", released today.

Musically, the band presents its best side: the riff-dominated number is extremely heavy and powerful. Content-wise, Ossy Pfeiffer and Anca Graterol sing about current social phenomena which the band members have been observing for some time: absurd conspiracy theories, ridiculous fake-news allegations as well as the social paradigm of every one against everyone else.

Lines like "Skip all the leaders and all the big brands, dragons are flying, it's all in your hands" can be an incentive for each listener to use his own head. "Be alert! Do not listen to the rubbish from idiots who have only come to power because they spout the words that the frustrated masses want to hear!” - So can the message from Ignore The Sign be summarized, just without pointing the finger.

The ethnic forest atmosphere of the video shot in the "Amazonia" pavilion in Hannover represents a call for a return to nature and family, and being at one with the world in which we live - together, not against each other!

Japan’s breakout rock band Crystal Lake has signed a deal with SharpTone Records and will make their label debut with a brand new album titled »Helix«, that’s due out on February 15th. 

“We're very excited to see our name on the SharpTone Records roster among so many great bands. We look forward to all the opportunities the future brings with them. This is going to be a new chapter of our career. STAY HEAVY” - Crystal Lake

Crystal Lake’s new record will coincide with the band’s first ever North American tour, with August Burns Red, Fit For A King and Miss May I.

“Aeon” video:

Fan-filmed video footage of ALL THAT REMAINS's December 2 concert at Brixton Electric in London, England can be seen below.

Guitar virtuoso and YouTube personality Jason Richardson (ALL SHALL PERISH, CHELSEA GRIN, BORN OF OSIRIS) is playing with ALL THAT REMAINS on the current European tour following the recent death of Oli Herbert.

Herbert was found dead on October 16 near his home in Connecticut. According to TMZ, police were dispatched to the guitarist's Stafford Springs residence after someone reported him missing. Cops searched the area and found the 44-year-old musician in a nearby pond. Sources told the Hartford Courant investigators are treating the death as suspicious.

ALL THAT REMAINS singer Philip Labonte said last month that he was "shocked" by Oli's death. "He was 44 years old, and he wasn't really a big partier," Labonte told Meltdown Of Detroit's WRIF radio station. "He would go hang out with people and stuff, but he didn't really do a lot of drinking… He didn't do drugs, he didn't really drink a lot. He would smoke pot once in a while, but that was the extent of it."

b>Herbert began playing guitar at 14. He co-founded ALL THAT REMAINS with Labonte in 1998.

ALL THAT REMAINS has released nine studio albums, a live CD/DVD, and has sold more than one million records worldwide.