If there is a band that'll break your neck from the sheer force of their music, it must be Legion Of The Damned. Now the Dutch thrash/death/black outfit returns after a hiatus of five years - even more furious than ever!

On January 4th, 2019 the quartet will release Slaves Of The Shadow Realm via Napalm Records. This monster resembles a colossal, smooth and blackened monolith. Five years after the much-praised Ravenous Plague, the shredding legion returns with producer Andy Classen and presents an album that merges the unadulterated fury of the early LOTD years with the sophistication of a veteran band.

Vocalist Maurice Swinkels on the new record: "With our seventh opus, entitled Slaves Of The Shadow Realm, we tried to take it a little further as where Ravenous Plague ended in terms of melody, but we definitely maintain the heavy songwriting and rawness that Legion Of The Damned is known for. Simplicity is the key with Legion Of The Damned and less is more. With Slaves Of The Shadow Realm we go full speed ahead with heaviness, but we took it a bit farther by bringing in melody and atmosphere. I think this is Legion's best album to date: It crushes, it is fast, it has atmosphere and it is raw! In terms of lyrics, this is our darkest album, written by Tony "Skullcrusher" Manero, who was also responsible for the lyrics and concepts of the albums Malevolent Rapture, Cult of the Dead, Feel the Blade, Ravenous Plague, Sons of the Jackal and Descent into Chaos. We are really excited to be back after four years and hope that the true Legion fan digs this album - I am 100% certain that they will love it! THIS IS Legion Of The Damned - without the bells and whistles - the wait is over and we are back!"

Slaves Of The Shadow Realm tracklisting:

"The Widows Breed"
"Nocturnal Commando"
"Charnel Confession"
"Slaves of The Southern Cross"
"Warhounds Of Hades"
"Black Banners In Flames"
"Shadow Realm Of The Demonic Mind"
"Palace Of Sin"
"Priest Hunt"
"Azazels Crown"
"Dark Coronation"

Legion Of The Damned are:

Maurice Swinkels: Vocals
Twan van Geel: Guitar
Harold Gielen: Bass
Erik Fleuren: Drums

(Photo - Tim Tronckoe)

Necrophoic's classic albums will be reissued with upgraded artwork and sound quality. Fully remastered, sounding more powerful than ever before, these are the definitive versions of the classic albums by the legendary Swedish death metal band.

In the Satanic Prophecies boxed set Hammerheart Records have included a re-press of their collection of demo’s and the “The Call” 7". This fifth album will be a box exclusive.

Due in November, the boxed set is limited to 500 copies and will have all of Necrophobic recordings from 1989 up until 2002, in a high quality box, in the best sound possible.

Includes:

The Nocturnal Silence Digi-CD
Darkside Digi-CD
The Third Antichrist Digi-CD
Bloodhymns Digi-CD
Satanic Blasphemies Digi-CD (Boxset exclusive)

Further details to follow.

(Photo - Jens Rydén)

Italian visionary ritual black metallers Darkend have finished the recordings for their long awaited upcoming 4th studio album.

The new opus titled Spiritual Resonance has been produced by the band itself, and recorded at AudioCore Studio with additional drums recordings at Art Distillery Studio.

Spiritual Resonance will feature guest appearance by Lindy-Fay Hella (Wardruna) on the track "With Everburning Sulphur Unconsumed".

Spiritual Resonance represents a new level of darkness, deeper spiritualism lost in a thread of intense melodies and brutal atmospheres.

Frontman Animæ comments: "The inner mirror of darkness and light I always aimed for", while drummer and founding member Valentz adds:  “There has been a completely different feeling and approach recording the new opus.”

More details will follow soon.

In related news today Darkend starts their Italian tour with Polish black mysterious outfit Batushka:

September
19 – Bologna, Italy – Alchemica
20 – Retorbido, Italy – Dagda Live Club 

(Photo by: Roy Bjorge) 

German power thrashers Septagon have released a lyric video for "Home, Sweet Hell," a song from forthcoming sophomore album Apocalyptic Rhymes.

Apocalyptic Rhymes will be released November 9th on Cruz Del Sur Music. Preorders available at  this location.

As if being in Lanfear and Them wasn't enough for German guitarist Markus "Ulle" Ullrich, his power/thrash outfit Septagon provides another canvas for him to color. Formed in 2013 with Atlantean Kodex vocalist Markus Becker, Septagon (who are completed by second guitarist Stef Binnig-Gollub, bassist Alexander Palma and drummer Jürgen "General" Schrank) was created to harness Ullrich's desire to write fast and tight thrash with a vocalist who could carry the songs over the top. Becker, already known for his work in epic metallers and labelmates Atlantean Kodex, was the obvious choice. Born was their 2016 Deadhead Syndicate debut, an album quickly recognized for its knifing blend of Bay Area thrash and classic power metal bravado. Figuring they could better the debut, Septagon soon wrote and recorded ten songs that would become their sophomore album, the appropriately-titled Apocalyptic Rhymes.

Recorded across a variety of studios and produced by the band, Apocalyptic Rhymes is punctuated by a raw, but snappy production job. In turn, the album finds the band offering a variety of styles and flavors both musically and lyrically, from the punchiness of opener "Weight of the World" to the bass-driven "Home, Sweet Hell" up through the churning title track, where fiery guitar solos from Ullrich and Binning-Gollub and Becker's vocal acrobatics take form. Even as the album ascends into the spiraling melodic heights found on "The Unfathomable Evil," it goes on the attack on "P.O.T.U.S.A.," a song inspired by Becker's time in America and is critical of the current presidential regime that has divided the country. Apocalyptic Rhymes eventually crests on the closing "Sunset Blood," a lush, epic construct that allows Septagon to stretch out musically to include acoustic guitars, twin guitar harmonies and carefully-plotted vocal spots.

An album sure to stand out among the dime-a-dozen traditional thrash and power metal entries, Apocalyptic Rhymes is an unapologetic bold step for Septagon, a band unafraid to not only push musical boundaries, but political and social ones as well.

Tracklisting:

“The End”
“The Weight Of The World”
“Home, Sweet Hell”
“Apocalyptic Rhymes”
“Make A Stand”
“The Unfathomable Evil”
“P.O.T.U.S.A.”
“Cosmic Outrage”
“Nothingness Awaits”
“Sunset Blood”

“Home, Sweet Hell” lyric video:

The Italian thrash/death killing machine Methedras has signed with Massacre Records and plans to release a new album next year.

The four band members aren't rookies anymore, they can look back on more than 20 years of experience, and have released several demos and four studio albums so far. They aren't strangers to club and festival stages either, having already played at Wacken Open Air or Metal Camp, for example, and supported bands like Dismember, Destruction or Morbid Angel.

Methedras plays thrash metal spiced with death metal influences and a groove-hardcore approach concerning the vocals.

More album-related info will be released soon.

DISTURBED's new song "A Reason To Fight" can be streamed below. It is the second single from the band's new album, "Evolution", which will be released on October 19.

Like 2015's "Immortalized", DISTURBED's new album was recorded at The Hideout Recording Studio in Las Vegas, Nevada with producer Kevin Churko.

In a recent interview with the 96.7 KCAL-FM radio station, DISTURBED guitarist Dan Donegan was asked what fans can expect to hear on "Evolution". He responded: "You won't know what to expect from us, 'cause we've taken so many turns on this album. [The first single] 'Are You Ready', that is probably the closest and the truest to DISTURBED that a majority of the fans know. Musically, it's something that I wrote back in 2004, so it's from that early-day era. I had the idea there — we just never finished it 'cause we had other material that was more complete back then. So I always just kind of put it in the vault; it was on the backburner. And this time around, as we were bringing up new ideas, I kind of just looked back at the archives of a few things that I never got around to finishing, and I just brought it back into the mix. David [Draiman, vocals] gravitated towards it right away and just said, 'Oh, dude, this is awesome. I've got something great for this.' And he started just kind of scatting a melody on top of it. And after it was coming together, I reminded him. I go, 'Do you realize it's something I kind of wrote in 2004?' I'm glad we were able to finally finish it now, 14 years later. But it's still very relevant and it still has that old DISTURBED sound with some of the old electronic element to it. But the rest of the material, as the fans see, we've taken a lot of big turns on this — a lot of directions in here that's gonna turn some heads."

"Immortalized" ended a four-year hiatus for the quartet and was its fifth album to enter the Billboard 200 chart at No. 1. It featured the band's massive hit cover of SIMON & GARFUNKEL's "The Sound Of Silence".

b>DISTURBED will play a special intimate show at the 1,000-capacity Vic Theatre in Chicago, Illinois on October 10, presented by SiriusXM.

The group has only one other show on its schedule so far for the rest of 2018, at the Austin City Limits music festival on October 13 in Austin, Texas.

According to LedZepNews, LED ZEPPELIN has filed a new trademark for "Led Zeppelin Experience", to be used as a new streaming service for archival live shows.

A new trademark filing was submitted to the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office this week for the purpose of "providing non-downloadable pre-recorded music online via a global computer network." The filing specifically refers to live songs, not studio recordings.

According to the report, the band has also trademarked "Led Zeppelin Experience" in Europe, with the trademark also covering the use of the name on "outerwear, hats, footwear and other clothing items."

Earlier this year, John Bonham's son, Jason Bonham, was asked to change the name of his tribute band JASON BONHAM'S LED ZEPPELIN EXPERIENCE due to the band's upcoming use of the moniker and is now known as JASON BONHAM'S LED ZEPPELIN EVENING.

ctober 9 will see the release of "Led Zeppelin By Led Zeppelin", the first and only official illustrated book by the band. It is a unique collaboration between Jimmy Page, Robert Plant and John Paul Jones, who have given Reel Art Press unrestricted access to the LED ZEPPELIN archive.

Released this past March was a newly remastered reissue of the LED ZEPPELIN 2003 live collection, "How The West Was Won". The set, which features new remastering supervised by Page, marked the first offering from the band in celebration of its 50th anniversary this year.

According to Global News, METALLICA set a new attendance record with its concert Saturday night (September 15) in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada.

16,874 fans turned out for the band's performance at SaskTel Centre, beating the facility's all-time attendance record of 15,806, set by Garth Brooks.

"This METALLICA concert is the single largest attended event in the history of SaskTel Centre," SaskTel Centre executive director Scott Ford said.

METALLICA's show in Saskatoon on Saturday marked the band's first performance in the city in 14 years.

he stage was positioned in the center of the stadium floor, with Lars Ulrich's drum set placed at center ice.

Saskatoon is one of only two Canadian cities METALLICA is playing during the 2018 "WorldWired" tour — the other is Winnipeg, where the band performed on September 13.

METALLICA kicked off the 2018/2019 North American leg of the "WorldWired" arena tour on September 2 at the Kohl Center in Madison, Wisconsin.

Bassist Fitty Wienhold has announced his departure from U.D.O., the German heavy metal band fronted by former ACCEPT singer Udo Dirkschneider.

Fitty, who joined U.D.O. in 1996, broke the news of his exit in a four-minute video message which was posted to his YouTube channel. He said: "After 22 years being with Udo as a friend, with U.D.O. as a bass player, songwriter, motivator and I don't know what or more, I decided to take a new way in my life and leave the band. I will not leave the U.D.O. family, because it was much more than just a business. I will be there when I'm needed — as a songwriter, as a friend, as an advisor… whatever."

He continued: "I can't put in words what all those years meant to me, what those years gave to me, what you all gave to me. Actually, it was a quarter of my life.

"I always said that we musicians are nothing without our fans, and what we are doing is just for you, just for them."

b>Fitty added: "I'm thankful that I have met so many nice people all over the world, and it was always a warm welcome. And I always felt that to give a hundred percent is not enough.

"Anyway, the world doesn't stop turning and life goes on — U.D.O. goes on, and so long Udo is alive, he will be always a living idol. There are not so many out there like him — maybe nobody — and he never disappointed you — never — so enjoy every show, every moment you can be with him."

Wienhold's final performance with U.D.O. will take place next month in Palma de Mallorca, Spain.

U.D.O.'s new album, "Steelfactory", was released on August 31 via AFM.

Brant Bjork has premiered a brand new music video for the track "Chocolatize", taken from his critically acclaimed 13th solo album, "Mankind Woman".

Although this is indeed a Brant Bjork record, it is the first effort where Brant so closely collaborated with a producer and co-writer: his LOW DESERT PUNK BAND guitarist and friend Bubba Dupree. Brant and Bubba wrote and performed the music along with guest appearances by bass player Armand Secco Sabal, Nick Oliveri and vocalist Sean Wheeler, who has been a touring member of the LOW DESERT PUNK BAND. The recording took place in March of 2018 at Zainaland, a creative villa owned by Brant's wife Zaina Alwan, in the California desert town of 29 Palms. The record was recorded and engineered by Yosef Sanborn who also owns and operates Massive FX pedals in Los Angeles. Multiple pedals designed by Yosef were used by Brant and Bubba for this record. Additional tracks were recorded by Bubba Dupree at Brant Bjork's home studio in Venice Beach, California.

Brant Bjork and Bubba describe the sound of "Mankind Woman" as modern classic. It is evidently clear that both Bjork and Dupree specialize in the craft of the sound and feel of the music spawned in the '60s and '70s. This record is inspired by this great era; however, the intention was not to try to recapture or mimic in retro terms these influences but to strive for a contemporary quality. Brant Bjork might have gone deeper in the lyrics than on any record before.

Focusing on personal sensitivities, elite hypocrisies, racism, sexism and the daily struggle to find peace, love and understanding in today's American society. Once again, Brant Bjork created a record that reminds the listener that it is the ingredients of the jazz, blues and funk, that makes rock music taste so good. A must-have for all collectors, genre-fans and beyond!

b>"Mankind Woman" track listing:

01. Chocolatize

02. Lazy Wizards

03. Charlie Gin

04. Mankind Woman

05. Pisces

06. Swagger & Sway

07. Somebody

08. Pretty Hairy

09. Brand New Old Times

10. 1968

11. Nation Of Indica

The cover artwork was created by Robin Gnista.

British heavy metal legends SAXON have released the official music video for the song "Predator". The track, which is taken from the band's latest album, "Thunderbolt", features a guest appearance by AMON AMARTH frontman Johan Hegg.

SAXON singer Biff Byford commented: "Great fun doing the new video for 'Predator'. Big thanks to Johan for doing his thing on vocals with me… And much thanks to Steph Byford for making the video. Hope you like it"


Byford told Songfacts about "Predator": "It's basically about the animals that are on top of the food chain, like a lion or a tiger, or a crocodile or a shark. A couple of people thought it was about the film 'Predator', but it's not. It's about whatever's at the top of the food chain in that particular environment."

Regarding the collaboration with Hegg, Byford told Yesterdaze News: "[AMON AMARTH] are good friends of ours. We like the band. We met them when they first started touring way back, several years ago. We like the Viking rock. We feel like we're brothers-in-arms there. They're obviously a younger band than we are, but they grew up with SAXON in Sweden in the '80s, so they're big fans of SAXON, and we're big fans of theirs.

When I wanted to do a lower voice on that song, I thought of Johan straight away. He was my first choice, and he did such a fantastic job. It sounds great. It's a little bit radical for us, but I don't like being predictable. I like taking a few chances with things like that, see if the fans like it."

A special tour edition of "Thunderbolt" was released on September 7. It features live recordings of "Thunderbolt" and "Nosferatu (The Vampire's Waltz)" recorded in Frankfurt and Los Angeles on the 2018 "Thunderbolt" world tour. The CD format also contains a 10" x 10" poster with photos of the band while on tour.

"Thunderbolt" was released in February via Militia Guard (Silver Lining Music). The follow-up to 2015's "Battering Ram" was once again helmed by producer Andy Sneap, who has previously worked with JUDAS PRIEST, MEGADETH, ACCEPT and TESTAMENT, among others. The disc features original artwork by longtime SAXON collaborator Paul Raymond Gregory.

Like "Battering Ram", SAXON's new effort features Byford alongside Paul Quinn and Doug Scarratt on guitar, Nibbs Carter on bass and Nigel Glockler on drums.

Canadian thrash metal pioneers EXCITER have once again parted ways with guitarist John Ricci.

The news of Ricci's exit was broken by bassist Allan Johnson, who wrote on his Facebook page: "Some rather heavy news in the EXCITER camp. Due to certain professional and personal differences, John Ricci has decided to leave the band. I wish to inform the fans worldwide that Dan Beehler [drums, vocals] and I are going to forge on with our songwriting and recording. However, live shows will be postponed until such a time that we can find a suitable guitarist."

He continued: "As I am the sole administrator of the EXCITER Original Facebook page I will continue to post from time to time to keep up the legacy of what we have accomplished over the last four and a half years, but I will no doubt create a whole new Facebook page for the next incarnation of EXCITER. In the meantime, all the best of luck and health to John."

Just this past June, Ricci seemed excited about the prospect of writing and recording new EXCITER material, telling The Jimmy Cabbs 5150 Interview Series: "We're being really careful about the new music that we put out because it has to stand up to the old stuff. We feel kind of pressured. We don't want to put out a weak record, and we're taking our time to make sure the music is going to be just as explosive as it was back in the day when we were making albums together… There's new songs coming out of us all the time, but we want to really jell the new stuff before we have anyone hear it. That's where we are right now. It's going to come out EXCITER no matter what, but we want the songwriting to be really, really strong. We can't come out with a weak album. We keep emphasizing that. We were talking earlier, people have very high expectations because it's the original three guys. We just want to make sure this music is strong."

he original EXCITER lineup recorded three classic albums in the 1980s — "Heavy Metal Maniac" (1983), "Violence & Force" (1984) and "Long Live the Loud" (1985) — before Ricci left the group and was replaced by Brian McPhee.

EXCITER's latest album, "Death Machine", which featured Ricci as the sole remaining original member, was released in October 2010 via Massacre Records.

Ricci, Beehler and Johnson reunited as EXCITER in 2014 and had been playing sporadic shows ever since.


Some rather heavy news in the EXCITER camp. Due to certain professional and personal differences, John Ricci has decided...Posted by Allan Johnson on Tuesday, September 18, 2018

MEGADETH has invited Indonesian president Joko "Jokowi" Widodo to attend its upcoming concert at the JogjaROCKarta festival in Yogyakarta on October 27.

"We are hoping Indonesian President Joko Widodo @jokowi and Governor Ganjar Pranowo @ganjarpranowo will accept our invitation to see us perform in Jogjakarta on Oct. 27. We can't wait to play @jogjaROCKarta and meet you both there," the band tweeted on Tuesday (September 18).

According to The Jakarta Post, Central Java Governor Ganjar Pranowo replied to the tweet in Javanese: "Thank you so much, bro @Megadeth, by God's willing I will see the show."

MEGADETH mainman Dave Mustaine previously tweeted an invitation to Jokowi in April 2017, asking the president, who was abroad at the time, to watch the band's performance at last year's edition of the Hammersonic festival.

I'm hoping Indo PM Joko Widodo @jokowi will be back in time," Mustaine wrote. "I'd love to invite him to our show. He's a metal fan, and I think that's cool!"

The 57-year-old Widodo, who served as governor of Jakarta before being elected president in 2014, attended METALLICA's August 2013 concert in the city — 25 years to the day after the release of the band's fourth album, "…And Justice For All", and more than 20 years after their tumultuous first show in Indonesia.

Back in May 2013, Widodo had to turn over his autographed METALLICA bass guitar to the government temporarily, while authorities determined whether the instrument was merely a gift or a violation of ethics rules. Widodo received the bass from METALLICA bassist Robert Trujillo, but had to give it up to the state within 30 days, according to laws regarding gifts to state officials.

Widodo has professed love for heavy metal bands like METALLICA, MEGADETH, LAMB OF GOD and NAPALM DEATH in the past.

We are hoping Indonesian President, Joko Widodo @jokowi and Governor, Ganjar Pranowo @ganjarpranowo will accept our invitation to see us perform in Jogjakarta on Oct 27. We can't wait to play @jogjaROCKarta and meet you both there.— Megadeth (@Megadeth) September 19, 2018



Matur nuwun sanget mas @Megadeth, Insha Allah saya nonton https://t.co/hIZ9e9QKt6— Ganjar Pranowo (@ganjarpranowo) September 19, 2018



I'm hoping Indo PM Joko Widodo @jokowi will be back in time. I'd love to invite him to our show. He's a metal fan, and I think that's cool!— Dave Mustaine (@DaveMustaine) April 30, 2017

German rockers Nitrogods have signed with Massacre Records and will release a new album in summer 2019.

The band comments: "We wanted to team up with Massacre, because of their convincing personal commitment and professionalism! The new album is already in the works."

For those of you who aren't familiar with Nitrogods: The trio celebrates rock 'n' roll in a most raw and authentic way. They play music that brings back memories of the good old times when bands like The Who or the early Motörhead shredded guitars.

In short: Nitrogods play authentic, handmade rock 'n' roll with no frills, but with a lot of power!

Expansive, all-encompassing, reaching extraordinary depths...all can be said about both the dark abyss that forms the vast majority of our planet, and the band from which it takes its name. The Ocean Collective has announced their massive two-part return, four years in the making. This November, Phanerozoic I: Palaeozoic will be released, with Phanerozoic II to follow in 2020.

The band have released a first vlog in support of the new album. Watch below:

The Ocean marks their rebirth with "Permian," a nine-minute epic about The Great Dying. Explains guitarist and primary songwriter Robin Staps, "About 90% of all life on Earth was wiped out during this mass extinction event at the end of the Permian period, 250 million years ago. The most probable scenario is that The Great Dying was caused by increased volcanic activity inducing a global warming of about five degrees, which led to widespread ocean anoxia and the release of large amounts of methane gas from shallow seabeds into the atmosphere. This fast release of methane, a greenhouse gas, caused even further warming."

All of this occurred long before humanity appeared on the map, yet the effects of this global warming cannot be ignored. Says Robin, "There is no reason to assume that the results of the current human-caused warming would not be, at best, similarly devastating. The same increase in global temperatures that happened over the course of at least 150,000 years at the end of the Permian is likely to happen in just a few hundred years now. Looking at the five mass extinction events during the Phanerozoic eon reminds us that even without human impact, Earth has the power and potential to wipe out humanity in its entirety, at any given moment in time."

Ebbs and flows of proggy melodies, crushing guitars, swelling strings and powerful vocals match the heavy lyrical themes The Ocean Collective has made its signature. Phanerozoic I is now available for preorder, along with meticulously designed merch bundles, something for which they've become known, and will be released November 2nd via Metal Blade Records (CD / digital) and the band's own Pelagic Records (vinyl). Pre-order at Metal Blade Records.

Tracklisting:

“The Cambrian Explosion”
“Cambrian II: Eternal Recurrence”
“Ordovicium: The Glaciation Of Gondwana”
“Silurian: Age Of Sea Scorpions”
“Devonian: Nascent”
“The Carboniferous Rainforest Collapse”
“Permian: The Great Dying”

“Permian: The Great Dying”:

"Stand Up And Be Counted", a brand new song from Death metal veterans MASTER, can be streamed below. The track is taken from the band's upcoming full-length album, "Vindictive Miscreant", which will be released on November 28 via Transcending Obscurity Records.

According to a press release, "Vindictive Miscreant" is "the perfect encapsulation of [MASTER's] trademark gritty sound backed with experience and skills. Few bands were able to continue on the path they carved in, and over three and a half decades later, MASTER still do it with remarkable aplomb. They've set standards for bands, old and new, to follow. There's nothing here that doesn't reek of pure integrity, passion for the art form and flawless execution in delivering what they've set out to achieve. They've been doing it for decades and they're only honing their craft. This time they're hungry. 'Vindictive Miscreant' is among MASTER's strongest albums and it will blow you away with its vitriolic intensity, riffing prowess and memorability. It makes death metal relevant again."

"Vindictive Miscreant" track listing:

01. Vindictive Miscreant

02. Actions Speak Louder Than Words

03. Replaced

04. The Inner Strength Of The Demon

05. The Book

06. Engulfed In Paranoia

07. The Impossible Of Dreams

08. Stand Up And Be Counted

he cover artwork was created by Mark Cooper and can be seen below.

MASTER is:

Paul Speckmann - Vocals, Bass

Zdenek Pradlovsky - Drums

Aleš Nejezchleba - Guitar

Former EXODUS guitarist Rick Hunolt rejoined his bandmates during their concert last night (Tuesday, September 18) at Slim's in San Francisco. Hunolt came up on stage to perform a short snippet of a cover version of METALLICA's "Motorbreath" as well as an electrifying renditions of the EXODUS classics "The Toxic Waltz" and "Cajun Hell".

EXODUS's last album, 2014's "Blood In Blood Out", was notable for featuring a guest appearance by former EXODUS guitarist Kirk Hammett, who left the band in 1983 to join METALLICA.

Drummer Tom Hunting said in a 2017 interview that he would be open to having Hammett guest on EXODUS's next album as well. "We'll bring Kirk back, if he wants to come in and do a solo, for sure," he told Metal Wani. "And there might be a Rick Hunolt sighting on the new record too; you never know.

"At this point, we feel like it's good to celebrate the history of the band and all the important people that have been in the band along the way," Tom explained.

he original lineup of EXODUS consisted of guitarists Hammett and Tim Agnello, Hunting and vocalist Keith Stewart. Guitarist Gary Holt joined the band in 1981, while Kirk left two years before EXODUS's debut album, "Bonded By Blood", saw the light of day.

Singer Steve "Zetro" Souza is now on his third stint with EXODUS, having previously fronted the band from 1986 to 1993 and 2002 to 2004. A decade following his second departure, Souza returned to the fold in 2014, just in time to appear on "Blood In Blood Out".

Souza has said in recent interviews that EXODUS will wait for Holt to complete his touring activities with SLAYER before they officially begin work on the follow-up to "Blood In Blood Out".

On October 12, Eagle Vision will release EVANESCENCE's "Synthesis Live" on DVD+CD, Blu-ray+CD and digital formats.

Recorded late last autumn during the band's critically acclaimed "Synthesis" tour, the concert was captured in state-of-the-art 4K by director P.R. Brown and produced by Craig Ziogas of CTGS Productions.

A performance clip of the song "My Immortal", taken from "Synthesis Live", can be seen below.

The songs span EVANESCENCE's 20-year history to now, reinvented with full orchestra over a deep electronic landscape. "Synthesis" is a soulful and sweepingly grandiose event to witness live. Seated at the piano, Amy Lee opens the set with a single note that builds into the instrumental "Overture", seamlessly leading into the crushing wave that is "Never Go Back". "Bring Me To Life", the anthem that brought most people to discover EVANESCENCE in the first place, reaches a new level of power and emotion with a pounding, electric heartbeat and soaring orchestral accompaniment, while songs like "My Immortal", "Lithium" and "Lost In Paradise" feel like heartbreaking scenes from a beautiful, timeless film.

b>Amy Lee's incredible vocal range and the group's expressive, multi-layered music naturally lends itself to orchestral accompaniment, shining a light on the singular beauty of the arrangements by composer David Campbell and conducted by Susie Seiter — creating a truly dynamic, cinematic sound. Lee has called this "a passion project," which undoubtedly shines through. The sense of occasion is not lost on the band or audience alike in this unique and highly emotive show.

EVANESCENCE recently brought its "Synthesis" live tour around the world, delivering highly-acclaimed performances throughout Europe, North America and Australia. This summer, the band teamed with violinist Lindsey Stirling on a tour of North American amphitheatres, one of Live Nation's Top 10 tours of the summer.

"Synthesis Live" track listing:

01. Overture

02. Never Go Back

03. Lacrymosa

04. The End Of The Dream

05. My Heart Is Broken

06. Lithium

07. Bring Me To Life

08. Unravelling (Interlude)

09. Imaginary

10. Secret Door

11. Hi-Lo

12. Lost In Paradise

13. Your Star

14. My Immortal

15. The In-Between (Piano Solo)

16. Imperfection

17. Speak To Me

18. Good Enough

19. Swimming Home

Napalm Records will release Warkings' debut album, Reborn, on November 16th. A video for the first single, "Gladiator", has been released and can be seen below. Pre-order the album here.

"To all of you upstanding followers of the kings of war: Odin’s ambassadors arrived on planet earth to spread the stories of ancient wars and battles!," stated the label. "It’s the Tribune who is the first to raise his voice! He is a noble leader, versatile and determined on his fight for the Roman Empire. An impressive swordsman and his war chants command the Legions on the Battlefield!  

The Tribune: "They give us steel…we give’ em blood. Morituri te salutant!!!"

“Gladiator” is a glorious glimpse of what you mortal beings will get, when the debut album Reborn will be released on November 16th. Recorded inside the endless halls of Valhalla, produced by Odin himself and mixed and mastered by our forefathers, who died honorably by the sword, this track will crush you all!

The Warkings story: Four kings of war were knocking on Valhalla’s door to spend eternity in the realms of the gods. While waiting for admission, they told each other about the heroic deeds they survived in their lifetimes. Secretly listening to their stories, Odin decided that all living human beings on the Earth should know about these true stories of war and heroism. So he is about to send them back with the mission to spread the stories of their battles upon mankind. The Warkings were born and pure and unadulterated heavy metal became their religion.

Odin chose Napalm Records as the perfect platform for the Warkings to spread their stories. We were told to receive new information about these warriors every Wednesday from now on. To follow his order to spread their message, we launched the Warkings-Wednesday. On this day, we will bring Odin’s word to the world.

The first statement from the kings of war is short and not very concisely: “Ready your breakfast and eat hearty... because we‘re coming for you at the Warkings-Wednesday."

Tracklisting:

"Give Em War"
"Never Surrender"
"Hephaistos"
"Gladiator"
"Holy Storm"
"Battle Cry"
"Fire Falling Down"
"Sparta" (feat. The Butcher from Debauchery)
"The Last Battle"
"Die Flut" (Bonus Track)

(Photo - Manuel 'Janus‘ Maier, Janus Photography)

Melodic hard rock band Ten are streaming the new song "Jericho", to be featured on the band's new album, Illuminati, out on November 9th on CD/LP/Digital. Listen to the song below. Pre-order the new album here.

Hot on the heels of last year’s Gothica, UK hard rock stalwarts Ten/Gary Hughes are returning with a new album, Illuminati. The album promises to be one of the hallmarks of their 22+ years career, where fans will easily spot all the trademark textures and flavours they have come to expect from Ten, with a consistent and solid spark of creativity throughout. Illuminati continues to build upon the rich legacy that the great British rockers have established in their 20+ year career.

Illuminati is said to be an elite, secret organization of world leaders, business authorities, innovators, artists, and other influential members of the global society. A coalition that unites influencers of all political, religious, and geographical backgrounds to further the prosperity of the human species as a whole. The album Illuminati brings the band’s atmospheres and sounds and weaves them into a reel of mysteries, esoteric tales, and elaborate spells, evoking embers that spark the imagination courtesy of the classic songwriting of vocalist Gary Hughes.

Following the success of the recent string of albums, from Albion to Gothica, Hughes is joined once again by guitarists Dann Rosingana, Steve Grocott and John Halliwell along with bass player Steve McKenna, keyboard maestro Darrel Treece-Birch, and drummer Max Yates. On their fourth outing as a collective unit, the musicians in Ten have raised the bar even higher than they had previously. The album is full of stunning guitar work over a rich keyboard, bass, and drum tapestry with Hughes’ rich vocals once again bringing the nuances of the intricate lyrics to life.

Illuminatii was produced by Gary Hughes and mixed and mastered by Dennis Ward. Ten's longstanding professional association with Dennis has been ongoing since he mixed their 2011 album, Stormwarning and has always guaranteed albums with stunning sound and production.

Tracklisting:

"Be As You Are Forever"
"Shield Wall"
"The Esoteric Ocean"
"Jericho"
"Rosetta Stone"
"Illuminati"
"Heaven And The Holier-Than-Thou"
"Exile"
"Mephistopheles"
"Of Battles Lost And Won"

"Jericho":

A true spectacle to be witnessed, Lords Of The Trident is a daring adventure metal quintet that has been delighting their audiences and fans all over the world for ten years. Continuing their epic quest of bringing spectacular and entertaining metal to global fans these power metal warriors unleashed their 7th album Shadows From The Past this past August. 

Their latest music video for their track "Zero Hour" is an incredible 360 degree virtual reality adventure and is streaming below.

Vocalist Fang VonWrathenstein comments:

"‘Zero Hour’ is a song about a virtual world that has a deadly time limit. When ‘Zero Hour’ is reached, your body and brain disconnect, and you die. Clearly the only way to truly experience this song is INSIDE virtual reality, so we crafted a 360 degree VR video! Use a VR headset to completely immerse yourself in the video, or pull it up on your phone and physically move around to navigate the 3D world. You can also click and drag the video inside of your browser. Do you dare to watch all the way to the end - to hit ZERO HOUR?"

Shadows From The Past was supported by a Kickstarter campaign that went live on June 1st and ending on June 29th. During that month, the band's fans helped them surpass their goals to raise over $11,000 for the release. The band offered multiple packages and rewards that included merch, lessons from band members, festival tickets, private concerts and a copy of the video game Coffee Crisis that the band has partnered with to feature one of their songs for one of the levels along with band members as NPCs (non-playable characters).

Lords Of The Trident are offering fans a FREE track download of their first single "Death Dealer", a song influenced by the game Diablo and lyrics written based on the storyline of Diablo 1 and 2. Download the song at this location and stream the song below.

Fang VonWrathenstein: “This album is our most ambitious musical work to date, and the first album with our new members Baron Helleshaar and Master Herc. Fans who have been with us for a while will notice that our new songs are a bit more complex, and our songwriting continues to mature. The new songs are definitely still Lords songs, but explore some new musical themes. I believe the new album will be our strongest offering yet, and contain some songs that are sure to be fan favourites going forward.”

North American tracklisting:

"Death Dealer"
"Zero Hour"
"Tormentor"
"Burn It Down (With Fire)" Feat. Brittney Slayes (Unleash The Archers)
"Figaro"
"The Party Has Arrived"
"Brothers Of Cain"
"Reaper's Hourglass"
"Chasing Shadows"
"The Nameless Tomb"
"The Gatekeeper"

Japanese bonus tracks:

"Cross The Line"
"Desolation (Haze Of The Battlefield Pt. 2)"

"Death Dealer":

(Photo - Mary Sweeney)

UK-based Bloodstock Open Air has posted pro-shot footage of Blind Guardian in action in August 2017. Check it out below. The setlist was as follows:

"The Ninth Wave"
"Welcome To Dying"
"Nightfall"
"The Script For My Requiem"
"Mordred's Song"
"Born In A Mourning Hall"
"Mirror Mirror"
"Bard's Song (In The Forest)"
"Valhalla"

Ryan and George at Lost In Vegas, who grabbed BraveWords' attention thanks to Megadeth bassist David Ellefson, have since gained a loyal following of metal and rock fans. In the video below, the dynamic duo dissect "Mirror Mirror" by Blind Guardian.  

"Mirror Mirror" originally appeared on Nightfall In Middle Earth, Blind Guardian's sixth full-length studio album. Released in 1998 through Virgin Records, it's a concept album based upon J. R. R. Tolkien's The Silmarillion.

Norwegian progressive metal innovators Arcturus will see the reissue of  their 2005 full-length Sideshow Symphonies on limited edition vinyl LP on October 19th via Season Of Mist.

The band's fourth album brought change yet again in the form of a decidedly more guitar-heavy approach. Now remastered, and paired with the long out of print Shipwrecked In Oslo DVD (a professionally recorded live show in September 2005), this LP + DVD set showcases the influential band at the height of their powers. Arcturus are renowned for a reason, and this deluxe reissue marries their legendary avant-garde studio magic with the world-class live show that only they can deliver. Pre-orders for the album are available here. 

Tracklisting: 

"Hibernation Sickness Complete"
"Shipwrecked Frontier Pioneer"
"Deamonpainter"
"Nocturnal Vision Revisited"
"Evacuation Code Deciphered"
"Moonshine Delirium"
"White Noise Monster"
"Reflections"
"Hufsa"

Pittsburgh heavy metal band Icarus Witch has announced plans to release their long-awaited, 6th record, Goodbye Cruel World, on October 26th with Cleopatra Records. The upcoming record marks the band’s first new record in 6 years and first to feature new vocalist Andrew D’Cagna. New track “Misfortune Teller” is streaming below.

“Lyrically ‘Misfortune Teller’ is about a hypothetical megalomaniac,” says the band’s founding bassist Jason Myers. “It's the story of a psychic vampire who will do and say anything to advance their own agenda, even if it means turning people against each other. Though, in this tale, the victims finally snap out of the spell and the villain is served their just karma.”

"Misfortune teller, it's all just smoke and mirrors
Delusion seller, preyed upon our darkest fears
You’ll get what’s coming to you, you are your own misfortune teller"

“Musically, it's a traditional banger, that invokes the fist-in-the-air arena rock of Jake-era Ozzy or early Dokken & Dio,” Myers adds. “It's based around a couple shredding riffs that Quinn had been kicking around for ages. It's those signature hooks that he'd naturally go to when soundchecking or trying out a new axe but just never found their way to a proper song structure… until now.”

Nearly a decade and half after their formation, Icarus Witch has never sounded so vital. The band’s reinvigorated sound can be traced back to Myers’ move to Salem, MA and brief sabbatical, reconnecting with his witchcraft roots where he found inspiration and song ideas. Meanwhile, guitarist Quinn Lukas continued writing music back in Pittsburgh. After returning to the Steel City, Myers regrouped with Lukas and the pair demoed their new material for a year before enlisting the vocal talents of Andrew D’Cagna (Brimstone Coven, Ironflame) who rounded out the band’s current lineup. The band hired drummer Jon Rice (Behemoth, Skeletonwitch) to provide the record’s pummeling percussion. Finally, with the assistance of Pittsburgh extreme metal wunderkind Shane Mayer engineering and some valuable pre-production notes from legendary producer, Neil Kernon (Queensrÿche, Judas Priest) the band tracked the album in early 2018. Mixing duties were given to rising studio star, Atlanta-based Brad Cox and the record was mastered in Sweden by Erik Martensson, of melodic rock gods Eclipse.

“Though the title Goodbye Cruel World may sound like the first line of a suicide note, we actually see it in a positive light -- bidding farewell to the past and to the negative things that anchored you or restrained you from discovering your best life. Isn't that what we all strive for in the end?” - Jason Myers

Tracklisting:

“Goodbye Cruel World”
“Misfortune Teller”
“Lightning Strikes”
“Mirage”
“Through Your Eyes”
“The Flood”
“Silence Of The Siren”
“Possessed By You”
“Antivenom”
“Until The Bitter End”

“Misfortune Teller”:

Icarus Witch will be performing a hometown album release show Saturday, October 27th 7PM - 11PM at Get Hip Record store (1800 Columbus Ave Ste 40, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15233).

Aborted’s new album TerrorVision will be released this Friday, September 21st. An unboxing video for the limited edition box set can be found below.

TerrorVision will be offered in the following formats:

- Standard CD Jewelcase
- Gatefold LP+CD
- Ltd. Box set (with Digipak CD, bonus CD with the tracks of the “Bathos” EP, black belt with metal belt buckle, sticker set and button set)
- Digital

The LP is available in the following vinyl colours:

- Black: unlimited
- Pink: 200 copies, exclusively sold in Belgium
- Lilac: 100 copies, exclusively available at CM Distro Europe
- Transparent-blue: 200 copies, available at various online stores
- Transparent-green: 200 copies, exclusively available at EMP
- Yellow: 200 copies, exclusively available at Season Of Mist
- Transparent-magenta: 100 copies, exclusively available at Aborted's webstore
- Glow-in-the-Dark: 700 copies

Get the album in the format of your choice here.

Limited edition box set unboxing:

Album artwork by Par Olofsson (Exodus, Immolation, Immortal).

TerrorVision tracklisting:

"Lasciate Ogne Speranza"
"TerrorVision"
"Farewell To The Flesh"
"Vespertine Decay"
"Squalor Opera"
"Visceral Despondency"
"Deep Red"
"Exquisite Covinous Drama"
"Altro Inferno"
"A Whore D’oeuvre Macabre"
"The Final Absolution"

"Vespertine Decay" video:

"TerrorVision" lyric video:

"Squalor Opera" video:

Aborted lineup:

Sven De Caluwe: Gurgloroth
Mendel Bij De Leij: Flesh Upon The Razor Wire
Stefano Francescini: Nocturnal Pulse
Ken Bedene: Hymen Blaster
Ian Jelekis: Immaculate Resection

Chicago thrashers Wrath have unveiled the lyric video for their new track “Draw Blood”, it can be seen below.

The track comes from Wrath's long awaited new abum Rage, in stores October 5th via Combat/EMP. Produced by Chris Djuricic and Wrath, and mixed and mastered by the legendary Bill Metoyer (Slayer, Sacred Reich, Helstar), with explosive cover art created by Ipoet Poetra/Five Mlligrams and Wrath, Rage is ten tracks of unadulterated thrash metal fury.

Tracklisting:

“Conflict”
“What You Crave”
“Draw Blood”
“Tension On High”
“My Rage”
“Feeding The Host”
“Clearing My Soul”
“Unholy Alliance”
“Mother’s Hell”
“Ace Of Spades” (feat. Jeff Duncan)

The incredible perseverance of Wrath is driven by the fact that the band remains wildly-relevant after over three decades and counting. From the 1985 breakout debut Fit Of Anger and the twisted 1987 sophomore cult favorite Nothing To Fear, original vocalist Gary Golwitzer is back at the helm, and Wrath is truly firing on all cylinders!

Originally written as the follow up to 1990’s Insane Society, some tracks from Rage originated as far back as 1989. With a fresh approach, and a new record deal with David Ellefson and Thom Hazaert’s revived Combat Records, the rock-solid lineup of Golwitzer on vocals, bassist Gary Modica, the dual-guitar attack of Scott Nyquist and Rob Noon, and powerhouse drummer Jake Fromkin, dove head first into Rage with a renewed sense of power, angst, and purpose.

The album also features a cover of the Motorhead classic “Ace Of Spades”, a tribute to the late Lemmy Kilmister, featuring a guest appearance by Armored Saint/Odin/DC4 Guitarist Jeff Duncan.

Says Combat’s Thom Hazaert, “When me and David (Ellefson) relaunched Combat, our goal was to faithfully bridge the past, present, and future of thrash and underground metal. And Wrath, to me, was always one of the unsung heroes of the genre, putting out indisputable classics like Nothing To Fear, and Fit Of Anger, that are still so highly regarded by fans. So it made perfect sense when the opportunity came to add them to the Combat roster, especially with the reunited lineup with Gary back in the fold. Rage is an amazing record that I think fans, new and old, will talk about for years to come.”

Wrath, with Combat labelmates Green Death, will also join David Ellefson for several Midwest dates on his upcoming Basstory tour; confirmed shows are as listed:

October
4 - Lombard, IL - Brauer House (with Green Death, Wrath)
5 - Sturtevant, WI - Route 20 Outhouse (with Green Death, Wrath)
6 - Ringle, WI - Q and Z Expo Center (with Green Death, Wrath)
7 - Mankato, MN - What’s Up Lounge (with Green Death, Wrath, Kublai Khan)

In 2014, Montreal's vibrant and collaborative metal scene gave rise to a new progressive death metal duo called Samskaras. The band was founded by multi-instrumentalist Eric Burnet who honed his skills in the now-defunct tech-death outfit Derelict. Burnet rounded out Samskaras' lineup by enlisting drummer Alexandre Dupras of Teramobil and Unhuman fame. The project started off small, releasing two standalone singles in 2014 before kicking into high gear with the 2017 release of their highly praised four-song effort, Asunder.

Now only one year after the release of Asunder, Samskaras is back and proud to announce a new EP, Lithification. Samskaras - Lithification is set for official release on Friday, October 26th. Lithification consists of four prime death metal cuts fuelled by cascading shifts between progressive death metal, black metal, and technical death metal realms. The band once again partnered with Cryptopsy's Chris Donaldson at The Grid Studio in Montreal to ensure Lithification received top-notch production matching the high-quality of the music. New single, "Alignment", is streaming below.

On Lithification, Samskaras have notably melded their experimental tech death with additional doses of black metal, doom, and even deathcore. On certain passages, Burnet has introduced haunting pitched screams that sit somewhere between his familiar brutal vocals and the occasional clean singing heard on Asunder. “Beyond simply putting out new music, I get a huge kick out of upping my game”, comments Burnet. “It's technically challenging to learn new skills, but adding new tools to my repertoire also means more possibilities for expression and exploration.”

Samskaras - Lithification will strongly appeal to fans of fellow Québécois artists such as Gorguts, Neuraxis, Quo Vadis, Cryptopsy, and Despised Icon. Inspiration is drawn from other far-flung corners of the extreme music spectrum as well, with bands such as Anaal Nathrakh, Converge, Wood Of Ypres, Cattle Decapitation, and Enslaved casting shadows on the compositions.

You can find an extended teaser below.

Samskaras multi-instrumentalist Eric Burnet had the following to say about the upcoming release of Lithification: “This EP is mostly about the struggle between anger and self-control. “It's direct and vicious, but also intensely emotional. The title itself is the geological process by which rock is created through heat and pressure. The question I'm pondering is, how hard do our life experiences make us, and when does that stop being a healthy way to cope?”

Lithification EP tracklisting:

"Reconciliation"
"As Warriors"
"Alignment"
"À Deux Mains"

"Alignment":

Teaser:

Samskaras is:

Eric Burnet - Vocals, Guitar, Bass (Unburnt, Derelict)
Alexandre Dupras - Drums (Teramobil, Unhuman)

(Photo - Mat Barbeau)

The first three albums from the Greek melodic metallers Innerwish will be reissued on November 23rd via Ulterium Records. Waiting For The Dawn, Silent Faces and Inner Strength will be reissued on CD, digital and for the first time on vinyl. The vinyl editions are limited to 300 copies.

The reissues were remastered by Peter In de Betou and the booklet includes liner notes by Thimios Krikos.

Innerwish comments on the reissues:

"This is something that we wanted to do for a quite a long time actually! Some of these albums are really difficult to be found and we often had requests from our fans who wanted to have them in their collection. And besides that, we also wanted them to be released on vinyl for the first time, since they had only been released as CDs and we are vinyl fans ourselves. After talking with our label, Ulterium Records, both sides felt that now was the time for doing so. Why now? Because now we feel confident with our label, we feel stronger than ever and we also think that it's a good timing since we are in the creative process for our new album and this can nicely fill the gap between the InnerWish album and our new one. 

“We didn’t want to remix the albums, since we wanted them to have the original feeling, but we decided to remaster them in order to have a better sound quality and ‘refresh’ let’s say their sound. We also made some changes to the artwork to make the whole package more attractive even to the ones who already have these releases. We are really happy with how they turned out and we are sure that you, our fans, will appreciate the final result. Enjoy our first three albums, see the band changing and growing through them and wait for our next release! Thank you for all the support up to this day and may all your inner wishes come true!"

Relapse Records has announced the signing of Philadelphia’s Devil Master. Devil Master have been spitting in the face of convention since forming in 2016 with their raw, twisted brand of death rock meets black metal punk mayhem. In addition to the signing, Devil Master announce preorders for Manifestations, a compilation of the band’s full catalog, two sold out demos from 2016 & 2017 (S/T & Inhabit The Corpse); remixed, remastered, and sounding more malevolent than before; plus available on vinyl together for the first time.

Watch Devil Master’s music video featuring footage from the classic psychological horror Carnival of Souls and edited by Dwid Hellion (Integrity), for “Obscene Charade” below.

Devil Master comments on signing to Relapse and their impending debut album:

"Relapse Records' store in Philly was crucial to all of us growing up scoring Bathory, Celtic Frost, Danzig etc merch, corrupting and burning an eternal impression in our then fragile minds that has gone unmatched. It's an honor to be able to work with Relapse Records and Arthur Rizk, two titans of the underground, on our upcoming debut LP in spreading the spells that DEVIL IS YOUR MASTER!!!"

Devil Master’s Manifestations compilation is due out November 2nd on CD/LP/Digital. Physical preorders are available on  Relapse.com and digital preorders are available here.

Devil Master will release their debut full-length album in early 2019. The band is recording the album in Philadelphia with producer Arthur Rizk (Code Orange, Power Trip, Volahn).

Additionally, Devil Master are confirmed for various concerts through late 2018 / early 2019. The band will perform at Metal Punk Death Fest in Brooklyn, NY with labelmates Outer Heaven; Not Dead Fest in Toronto, ON; Street Metal Massacre Fest in Philadelphia, PA with Midnight; a Halloween special in New York with Christian Death and the Ghost of A389 Gathering in Baltimore, MD with labelmates Integrity, Full Of Hell, Genocide Pact & Ilsa.

Tracklisting:

“The Devil Master (Devil Is Your Master)”
“Distorted Paths / Fear The Future Gleam”
“Failure To Die”
“Sex With Succubus”
“Inhabit The Corpse”
“Obscene Charade”
“Gates Of Pain”
“Blood On My Shroud”

“Obscene Charade”:

(Photo by: Kassandra C & A.P.)