HALESTORM frontwoman Lzzy Hale has called for improved awareness around mental health following the tragic death of Jill Janus.

Janus, who was the singer for the California heavy metal band HUNTRESS, passed away on Tuesday, August 14. A longtime sufferer of mental illness, she took her own life outside of Portland, Oregon.

Earlier today, Hale took to her Instagram page to write: "It is with a heavy heart that we say goodbye to one of our peers. Jill Janus, has died today.

"Jill was very open about her struggles with mental health and addiction. Now, more than ever, spanning across every age group, the suicide rate is extremely high.

"I'd like to take a moment to state again how important it is to talk about mental health, and remind all of you out there battling demons that you are not alone. I have to navigate my own dark labyrinth and I turn to music and writing for my lifeline. I want to encourage you to keep searching for your lifeline, something that makes you happy. It doesn't matter if no one gets it but you... that's okay!

"We need to stop trying to live up to expectations that society places in front of us to make us feel unworthy of love, beauty and success. We need to stop comparing ourselves to others. We need to stop trying to be 'normal.' And we need to stop being quiet about our mental well-being.

"Asking for help doesn't mean you're broken. And if you don't know how to ask for help, that's okay too. Those of us who have a shoulder will let you lean on it! We are all in this life together. For those of you with the ability to lend a hand or and ear, DO IT! We have a responsibility to help each other, 'cuz everything we say, do and touch affects the whole race. We are all connected.

"And I'd also like to address how careful We need to be with prescription medications that doctors and people that we trust give us to try to fix us. Some side effects of these meds rewire your brain, to where even if you wouldn't normally have suicidal thoughts, your brain actually starts thinking that it is logical... all due to meds. Please be careful, my loves!

"To Jill, my sister of scream, I hope wherever you are, you have found the peace that you couldn't here.

"My deepest sympathies go out to Jill's family and her band HUNTRESS during this time."

Formed in 2009 in Los Angeles, HUNTRESS released three albums, 2012's "Spell Eater", 2013's "Starbound Beast" and 2015's "Static", and took part in the 2016 edition of Ozzfest.

HUNTRESS guitarist Blake Meahl has paid tribute to his girlfriend and bandmate Jill Janus, saying that knowing he will never see her again is "the most gutting emotion" he has ever experienced.

Janus, who was also the vocalist for female metal/hard rock cover bands THE STARBREAKERS and CHELSEA GIRLS, passed away on Tuesday, August 14. A longtime sufferer of mental illness, she took her own life outside of Portland, Oregon.

Earlier today, Blake took to his Facebook page to write: "I dont do much posting of things, and to post on something so personal and painful is extra strange but it feels necessary.

"Jill Janus and I spent nine years together creating a home, having a family and building our passion project HUNTRESS. The devastation of knowing I will never see her again is the most gutting emotion I have ever experienced.

"Baby, I hope you have found the peace that you couldn't find on this planet. I miss you so much and will always carry a piece of you in my heart. See you on Aldebaran."

Formed in 2009 in Los Angeles, HUNTRESS released three albums, 2012's "Spell Eater", 2013's "Starbound Beast" and 2015's "Static", and took part in the 2016 edition of Ozzfest.

I dont do much posting of things, and to post on something so personal and painful is extra strange but it feels...Posted by Blake Meahl on Thursday, August 16, 2018

Nita Strauss, the Los Angeles-based guitar shredder for the ALICE COOPER band, has paid tribute to her THE STARBREAKERS bandmate Jill Janus, calling the singer "passionate, generous" and "supportive to a fault."

Janus, who was also the frontwoman for the California heavy metal band HUNTRESS, passed away on Tuesday, August 14. A longtime sufferer of mental illness, she took her own life outside of Portland, Oregon.

Earlier today, Nita took to her Facebook page to write: "The first time I met Jill Janus was in 2009. HUNTRESS had just released their first record. On the first day of the tour, Jill bounced into every dressing room in the building, wearing an undecipherable black metal logo shirt and chirping, 'Hi! I'm Jill from HUNTRESS. This is our dog, Party Time' while thrusting this tiny chihuaua with a spiked collar in everyone's face. I remember thinking... this girl is WAY different from any musician I've ever met. I didn't realize then HOW different, or that I would share the stage with Jill so many times. From belting out [IRON] MAIDEN songs at my birthday party to our cover band, THE STARBREAKERS, Jill brought that same level of enthusiasm to everything she did.

"Jill got sober shortly after I did. I remember when she finally got sober, the next time I saw her at rehearsal, she brought me an amethyst pendant she had made herself with the AA symbol attached. 'This will keep you safe, and strong,' she told me. 'Just keep it near you.' It HAS kept me strong, more so than she probably knew. I told her not too long ago about the many times I had escaped to bathrooms at events or bars and taken her little charm out of my purse to hold it and remind myself not to drink. She loved it. She made me take the pendant out of my purse to show her. I still have it with me now.

"Jill struggled with depression and mental illness for most of her life. I wouldn't have known it unless she spoke about it so publicly. As a friend, she was kind, passionate, and generous, supportive to a fault, and ALWAYS willing to go the extra mile. Her vocal range was like no one I ever heard (she covered five octaves during our shows) and her dynamic performance style made everyone who saw her an instant convert.

"Thinking of my friend alone somewhere in a dark enough place to take her own life is more than I can fathom.

"Sending all the strength and love in the world to her HUNTRESS band mates and loving boyfriend Blake... it was an honor to know your girl.

"Miss you, love you, and hope you have found the peace you needed."

Members of THE DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN, EXTOL and SEA + AIR have joined creative forces as AZUSA and will sonically shock listeners with one of most experimental and mesmerizing releases of the year.

AZUSA's debut album, "Heavy Yoke", will be released on November 16 via Solid State Records in the U.S.

Watch the record's first single and music video for "Interstellar Islands" below.

With the song, AZUSA takes you into an exploration of dissonant, eerie musical universes; it's a trip to inner and outer space and a multi-sensory experience.

"'Interstellar Islands' was one of our first creations and it is the perfect example of what AZUSA is all about musically," the band said. "It's the obvious introduction to the AZUSA universe."

AZUSA's music is a carnival of contrast — it's captivating with unconventional nerve. Uniting the complementary skills of its members, AZUSA's sound is a thrash-fusion tour de force. Can you imagine Kate Bush fronting SLAYER? DEATH collaborating with Annette Peacock? These allegedly incongruent influences dissolve seamlessly in an alluring sonic alchemy.

Uncompromisingly experimental, AZUSA's curated approach showcases each member's unique strengths as a reaction to previous endeavors, more so than an extension of them. Reflecting on life's existential mysteries, AZUSA's lyrics seek to explore cognitive dissonances at the crossroads of upbringing, mysticism, belief and betrayal. Defying expectations by embracing contradiction, AZUSA finds strength in vulnerability, harmony in dissonance, and melody in discord.


The band commented on its debut, saying: "This album is special for all of us and we're currently feeling the same excited feelings we got before we debuted any of our previous efforts. We are really fortunate to have been able to create these songs together and to be able to share them with fans of our former and current bands, as well as new fans."

AZUSA finished by stating: "It has been such a relief crafting music without having any outside expectations placed on us. Turning to creative playfulness with a more relaxed and intuitive approach to songwriting, we feel that this collection of songs will hold a unique space in the atmosphere of heavy music."


"Heavy Yoke" track listing:

01. Interstellar Islands

02. Heart of Stone

03. Heavy Yoke

04. Fine Lines

05. Lost In the Ether

06. Spellbinder

07. Programmed to Distress

08. Eternal Echo

09. Iniquitous Spiritual Praxis

10. Succumb to Sorrow

11. Distant Call


AZUSA is:

Eleni Zafiriadou (SEA + AIR) - Voice

Liam Wilson (THE DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN) - Bass

Christer Espevoll (EXTOL) - Guitar

David Husvik (EXTOL) - Drums

Bordeaux, France based masters of technical death metal Exocrine are streaming their new album Molten Giant in full. The album will be released this Friday on Unique Leader.

Physical preorder bundles for Molten Giant are available here. Digital preorder bundles are available here.

Molten Giant was tracked by Mathieu Pascal at Bud Studio, Sylvain Octor Perez at Tricerapod Studio, and sees Exocrine pushing their jaw dropping technical abilities and song writing maturity to their absolute limit.

Tracklisting:

“Scorched Human Society”
“Hayato”
“Backdraft”
“Molten Giant”
“Flamewalkers”
“Lavaburst”
“Behind The Wall”
“The Shape Of New World”

Full album stream:

"Backdraft" video:

Swedish blackened death metal band Night Crowned will release their debut EP Humanity in CD and digital formats on November 30th. A new teaser is streaming below.

In the frozen vasts of Europe's northernmost realms, a new slithering seed is festering at the heart of the Swedish scene - Night Crowned. A spawn formed from an unholy communion between current and previous members of the underground elite such as The Crown, Dark Funeral, Nightrage and Cipher system, this infestation is set to grow from a rumoured disease into a full-scale pandemic.

Night Crowned's musical vision is as clear as it is putrid; a reawakening of sounds dormant from the most influential acts and masterpieces of the Scandinavian 90's, although with all the advantages of a cutting edge, surgically precise production.

With a combined catalogue of over 20 full-length albums, this degenerate infant is procreated from seasoned and battle-hardened veterans, although with all the hunger that only such a gluttonous monster can possess. There will be no warning. No anti dote, and no remedy. At first you will feel nauseous, then your body will be covered in black boils, and finally both your mind and and matter will have been thoroughly infected by the blight that is - Night Crowned.

Teaser:

"No Room For Hope" lyric video:

Bill Hudson says that he left Udo Dirkschneider's DIRKSCHNEIDER of his own accord and wasn't pushed out of the band, despite the singer's suggestion to the contrary.

The former ACCEPT frontman recently gave an interview to United Rock Nations in which he stated about Bill's departure: "We had a problem with a session guitar player for the second time. Bill Hudson was not the right guy for us. He was not a team player. He was not interested in songwriting and recording the [new U.D.O.] album. It was a little bit strange situation. And then, after the American tour, we said, 'Okay. Sorry, guy, but this doesn't work with us.'"

Earlier today, Hudson, who has previously played with TRANS-SIBERIAN ORCHESTRA, CIRCLE II CIRCLE and JON OLIVA'S PAIN, released a statement to BLABBERMOUTH.NET in which he disputed Udo's account of the guitarist's exit from DIRKSCHNEIDER, explaining that he "resigned" from the group once he arrived at the conclusion "that the project/band was not a good fit" for him.

Hudson said: "I was very surprised to become aware of a comment Udo Dirkschneider was quoted as saying about me and his project, DIRKSCHNEIDER.

"Every part of [Udo's above-mentioned quote] is not only false but also, not an accurate representation of why I am no longer a part of DIRKSCHNEIDER.

"I resigned from DIRKSCHNEIDER prior to the start of their American tour. I did, though, remain with the band for that tour as a favor to the band's manager, who asked me to stay on for the tour. Furthermore, upon the completion of their American tour, I was asked to perform with the band in Europe a month after the American tour was completed on the 'Full Metal Cruise'. These actions validate that Udo Dirkschneider's quoted comments surrounding my departure from the project/band are false. No one at any time, including Udo Dirkschneider, ever said to me, 'Sorry, guy, but this doesn't work with us.' I resigned from the project/band, stayed on for the American tour and the cruise as requested by management, and then fully departed.

"While I am grateful for the opportunity to have performed with DIRKSCHNEIDER, I acknowledge there were musical differences I experienced with the project/band during the European tour in late 2017 which, resulted in the conclusion that the project/band was not a good fit for me. Additionally, my resignation from the project/band was influenced by previously confirmed show dates with I AM MORBID that conflicted with newly scheduled show dates for DIRKSCHNEIDER, as well as my desire to focus more on my own band, NORTHTALE."

Udo recently recruited his former bandmate in ACCEPT and U.D.O., Stefan Kaufmann, as Hudson's temporary replacement in DIRKSCHNEIDER.

Dirkschneider has spent the last two years touring under the DIRKSCHNEIDER banner, performing classic ACCEPT songs for the last time. The trek, which was originally supposed to conclude with the band's North American run in January/February 2017, has now been extended through the fall of 2018.

Hudson is joined in NORTHTALE by vocalist Christian Eriksson, bassist Mikael T. Planefeldt, drummer Patrick Johansson and keyboardist Jimmy Pitts.

Photo credit: Ann Kermans

Alice Cooper spoke to Ultimate Classic Rock about the upcoming second HOLLYWOOD VAMPIRES studio album. The effort will be drastically different from the band's 2015 debut, which was comprised mostly of covers.

"The funny thing is, I'm not doing any writing on it," Cooper said. "Johnny Depp, Joe Perry [and] Tommy Henriksen have written almost 90 percent of it. I come in and do a little surgery on the lyrics. But it's interesting for me to be singing about Johnny's angst. But I wanted it that way. It stretches me a little bit, because I have to listen to the lyrics and go, 'Oh, okay, I see what he's saying here.' For once, I'm not really doing all of my songs. I'm doing somebody else's songs."

Cooper added that he welcomes the opportunity to change up the formula, explaining: "We get stuck sometimes in our style of writing. So when every once in a while you have to do something else that makes you uncomfortable. That's a good thing. It stretches you into this place and it makes you think, 'Okay, now how do I interpret this song? Because I didn't write this. So how am I going to do this?' Normally, that would be easy to do. This makes it a little harder and that's a good thing in art. Art should always stretch you."

During the 1970s in the upstairs bar of the Rainbow Bar & Grill on the Sunset Strip in Hollywood, the "Hollywood Vampires" were born. It was a gathering place where celebrated artists such as John Lennon, Keith Moon, Jim Morrison, Alice Cooper, Harry Nilsson and countless others would meet and drink into the early morning hours, and the club became legendary.

Back in 2012, Cooper and Depp decided the time was right to revive the camaraderie and spirit that defined Hollywood Vampires" (minus the drinking), creating an environment for great artists to hang, laugh and play together. Cooper and Depp were joined by Perry, along with producer Bob Ezrin, and soon the recording began. The band's debut album, "Hollywood Vampires", was released in September 2015.

Horror Pain Gore Death Productions are set to release the new EP from Japan's Retortion Terror entitled Retortion Terror September 14th on CD and Digital formats. Preorders can be found on Bandcamp.

Legendary Grindcore guitarist Takafumi Matsubara (Gridlink, Mortalized Grindcore) returns to Horror Pain Gore Death Productions with the crushing new self-titled EP. Following up on the punishing split with Invidiosus on HPGD, Retortion Terror are back and more intense than ever before. Vicious, raw, sick blistering Grindcore from Kyoto, Japan featuring vocalist Kiyo from World End Man.

Tracklisting:

“Choke Pear”
“Hito Wo Norowaba”
“Quagmire”
“Grind The Leeches”
“Hunt The Blind”
“I Wanna Live”

“Choke Pear”:

United Rock Nations recently conducted an interview with former ACCEPT and current U.D.O. and DIRKSCHNEIDER frontman Udo Dirkschneider. You can now listen to the chat using the SoundCloud widget below. A couple of excerpts follow (transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET).

On whether the DIRKSCHNEIDER tour, during which he performed nothing but ACCEPT songs, influenced the musical direction of the new U.D.O. album, "Steelfactory":

Udo: "I would say, and I'll be honest, I think yes. I mean, if you are on tour, let's say, for maybe three years doing nearly three hundred shows and play only ACCEPT songs, of course, it's definitely an influence and also a feeling if you start songwriting. But I don't have a problem with this. [Laughs]"

On the recent departure of guitarist Bill Hudson and temporary return of Stefan Kaufmann:

Udo: "We had a problem with a session guitar player for the second time. Bill Hudson was not the right guy for us. He was not a team player. He was not interested in songwriting and recording the album. It was a little bit strange situation. And then, after the American tour, we said, 'Okay. Sorry, guy, but this doesn't work with us.' And then I don't wanna have another — how do you say this? — quick looking for a guitar player. And then I was calling Stefan Kaufmann. I mean, we never had any bad things going on, a bad relationship, and I asked Stefan if it was maybe possible to help us out on the festivals. And he said, 'Yes. No problem. But I don't wanna join the band anymore. I'll just help you out until the festivals are over with DIRKSCHNEIDER.' And now we have time enough to look for a new guitar player, and I think the end of August, beginning of September, we can announce a new guitar player. We are still doing auditions. There are, let's say, four guitar players left, and then we will have to make our decision who will be the next guitar player."

"Steelfactory" will be released on August 31 via AFM.

Kaufmann originally left U.D.O. in September 2012 for health reasons.

He was the drummer for ACCEPT on nine albums but was forced to give up drumming towards the end of the band's initial run after sustaining a serious injury to his back.

Stefan joined U.D.O. as a guitar player in 1996, following ACCEPT's second breakup, and recorded nine albums with them, including his most recent release with the group, 2011's "Rev-Raptor".


In addition to Udo and his son Sven (drums), the DIRKSCHNEIDER and U.D.O. bands include bassist Fitty Wienhold and guitarist Andrey Smirnov.

Dirkschneider has spent the last two years touring under the DIRKSCHNEIDER banner, performing classic ACCEPT songs for the last time. The trek, which was originally supposed to conclude with the band's North American run in January/February 2017, has now been extended through the fall of 2018.

U.S. doom lords Northern Crown will release their self-titled sophomore album on October 12th. The band has sharpened the approach on the forthcoming full-length, combining more dirty rock organ and chunky guitar riffs with their trademark doom-isms. Following up on their debut album The Others, their self-titled sophomore release maintains the smoke and mirrors of the first EP In The Hands of The Betrayer but leans more in the direction of the first record and the band's oldest rock influences - Dio, Rainbow, Deep Purple, and Black Sabbath.

Northern Crown handled mixing on their own again, but brought in the mastering talents of Tony Lindgren from Sweden's Fascination Street Studios (Witchcraft, Enslaved, Amorphis) for the final touches. Artwork by prolific artist Travis Smith (Opeth, Katatonia, Death) captures the album's winding atmosphere, rounding out the release.

Reflecting the uncertainty of the dark times we exist in at the moment, Northern Crown tackles the difficult subject of how well we really know ourselves and how that shapes what we do and become. Echoing their previous releases' indulgent 10-minute+ epics, the track, "The Desert and The Wind," nods to the prog-heads, while the band also includes a glowing tribute to My Dying Bride with a full cover of "Your River." The record also introduces a lineup change, with vocalist and guitarist Frank Serafine handling drums. Weaponlord's mighty Leona Hayward returns on bass, backing Zachary Randall's guitar alchemy and harsh vocals. Solos from Nightfall/Dark Hound lead shred-monster Evan Hensley punctuate the record.

Tracklisting:

“I Am Your Slave”
“Merciless, They Let You Suffer”
“Forged From Nothing”
“Chasing The Sun”
“The Desert And The Wind”
“Righteous & Pure”
“By Demons Bidden”
“Your River”

Unleashing their debut album The Rising World this past June on Rockshots Records, Romanian/Swedish symphonic power metallers Crossing Eternity have a new video to share with fans. Check out a lyric video for “High Above The Crown” below.

The Rising World blends elements of modern metal with psychedelic soundscapes alluding to the innocence of the ‘70s rock music. The album contains thirteen epic songs, widely varied in composition and arrangement. The lyrics are a natural extension of this musical experience and they are tales of a spiritual journey. At times they talk about the invisible side of the world, other times they speak of fairy tale magic characters. Human nature and the causal dynamic of human interactions are also among the approached topics.

In regards to recording of the album, singer Berti Barbera says: 

“Recording this album was the most challenging vocal experience of my life. It brought back the times me and Manu were playing in a rock band, with all the jokes and high energy. The serious effort made me use a lot of techniques and ways of expression I thought I lost or never use again. This is a great achievement and definitely our best work together in a time I stopped believing in magic. There is something cosmos related in this, it must be. I can’t wait to be on stage with these guys.”

Manu Savu (Guitar/ Bass/ Keyboards) also reflects on the album: 

"I wrote the music for this album as an introspective journey, like a confession, a deep soul search, a backward connection, a connection with the almost unseen world of metaphors and symbols, an essential part of our existence. It's an act of honesty, a musical statement about what we can and cannot see, a story between the tangible and the magical world.”

UK black metal outfit Crimson Throne have launched a first track from their forthcoming debut album Of Void & Solitude, which is set for release on October 19th via Apocalyptic Witchcraft. The cassette version will also be released in the US via Red River Family Records on the same date. Listen to "Sightless Remnants" below.

Of Void & Solitude will be available on vinyl, CD, digital and cassette formats. Pre-order here.

The album was recorded & mixed by Misha Hering at Holy Mountain Studios and mastered at Audiosiege by Brad Boatright (Beastmilk, Corrosion Of Conformity, Nails, Obituary, Yob).

Whilst the EP delved into subjects such as examples of human history akin to the Hegelian view of history as a slaughter bench, this album focuses on human suffering, pain & oppression, spanning across the ages of various cultures and their people.

Tracklisting:

"Beckoning"
"Dalit Lineage"
"Indignant Slumber"
"Blackened Sun"
"Scattered"
"Sightless Remnants"
"Ekur Calls"
"Ironsides"

"Sightless Remnants":

The band will be joining label mates From The Bogs Of Aughishka on their UK tour, launching August 16th in Manchester.

Crimson Throne lineup:

TH - Bass / Vocals
AM - Guitar / Vocals
DT - Guitar / Noise
DM - Drums / Percussion

In the official video below, Light The Torch (formerly known as Devil You Know) perform "Die Alone" at their very first live show at Saint Vitus Bar in Brooklyn, NY on July 9th:

Previously posted footage of the band performing "The Safety Of Disbelief", "Calm Before The Storm" and "The Bitter End" at the same show can be seen below:

 
Light The Torch will be touring with Trivium and Avatar in October and November.

October
3 - Tampa, FL - The Ritz Ybor
4 - Atlanta, GA - Buckhead Theater
5 - Raleigh, NC - The Ritz
6 - Norfolk, VA - The Norva
8 - Cincinnati, OH - Bogarts
9 - Nashville, TN - Cannery Ballroom
11 - Baltimore, MD - Rams Head Live
12 - Huntington, NY - The Paramount
13 - Philadelphia, PA - Electric Factory
14 - Worcester, MA - The Palladium
16 - Cleveland, OH - House of Blues
17 - Royal Oak, MI - Royal Oak Music Theatre
19 - Oklahoma City, OK - Diamond Ballroom
20 - Sauget, IL - Pop's Nightclub
21 - Chicago, IL - House of Blues
22 - St. Paul, MN - Myth Live
23 - Fargo, ND - Sanctuary
25 - Edmonton, AB - The Ranch Roadhouse
26 - Calgary, AB - The Palace Theater
28 - Vancouver, BC - Commodore Ballroom
29 - Seattle, WA - Showbox SODO
30 - Portland, OR - Crystal Ballroom
31 - Spokane, WA - Knitting Factory

November
2 - Anaheim, CA - House Of Blues
3 - Berkeley, CA - UC Theatre

Cleveland, Ohio-based metal veterans MUSHROOMHEAD will release their new DVD, "Volume III" — the follow-up "Volume 1" (2005) and "Volume 2" (2008) — tomorrow, August 17. The DVD features over 90 minutes of new material, including stunning new music videos, backstage antics, and exclusive never-seen-before content.


Following up on their terrifying, cinema-quality music video for the alternate version of MUSHROOMHEAD's track "We Are The Truth" (which has garnered over 1.7 million views since its release in early July), the band is thrilled to reveal another new music video cut from "Volume III" and its most recent album, "The Righteous & The Butterfly", this time for the track "Devils Be Damned". Watch the video below.


The clip is a complete DIY production filmed on location at the historic Ohio State Reformatory in Mansfield, Ohio — known as one of the most haunted buildings in the country and the main setting of the 1994 cinematic classic "The Shawshank Redemption", starring Hollywood legends Morgan Freeman and Tim Robbins.


In a recent interview with Ultimate Guitar, MUSHROOMHEAD producer/drummer/founder Steve "Skinny" Felton explained: "'Devils Be Damned' [was filmed at] the Mansfield Prison [Ohio State Reformatory] which is also the prison where the movie 'The Shawshank Redemption' was filmed. So there's a cool backstory there. There's a scene [in the video] where the little girl is crawling through the tunnel — that's the same tunnel that Tim Robbins crawled through at the end of the movie; you know, the whole 'Andy Dufresne who crawled through a river of shit and came out clean on the other side' line — that's the same tunnel she crawled through."

MUSHROOMHEAD will headline the inaugural edition of the "Summer Of Screams Tour" presented by Scream Factory and Dread Central. Joining MUSHROOMHEAD on the tour will be POWERMAN 5000 (on select dates), THE BROWNING, PSYCHOSTICK (on select dates), KISSING CANDICE, UNSAID FATE, VOODOO TERROR TRIBE (on select dates), and EARTH CALLER (on select dates).

The "Summer Of Screams Tour" will run for 25 shows across North America, beginning on August 17 and running until September 15.

MUSHROOMHEAD's March 17 concert at Music Lynxx in Mentor-on-the-Lake, Ohio marked the band's first appearance with new vocalist Steve Rauckhorst (bassist of PITCH BLACK FORECAST) and guitarist Tommy "Tankx" Shaffner (also of VENTANA).

Guitarist Tommy Church announced his departure from MUSHROOMHEAD on March 9. The musician had been with the band since 2012.

Church made his recording debut with MUSHROOMHEAD on the band's eighth studio album, "The Righteous & The Butterfly", which was released in May 2014 via Megaforce Records.

Church's exit from MUSHROOMHEAD came only a day after co-vocalist Jeffrey Nothing, also known as Jeff Hatrix (born Jeffrey Lewis Hetrick), said he was leaving the Cleveland, Ohio metal band he co-founded in 1993 with Felton.

New York hardcore legends SICK OF IT ALL will release their twelfth studio album, "Wake The Sleeping Dragon!", on November 2. The follow-up to 2014's "The Last Act Of Defiance" was produced by Jerry Farley (EVERY TIME I DIE, DEMON HUNTER) and was mixed and mastered by Tue Madsen (MESHUGGAH, THE HAUNTED, MADBALL). The cover artwork was created by Ernie Parada and can be seen below.

"Wake The Sleeping Dragon!" fearures guest appearances by RISE AGAINST vocalist/guitarist Tim McIlrath and HOT WATER MUSIC frontman Chuck Ragan.

Working with friends is one of the key factors that are very important to SICK OF IT ALL, so asking Parada for the striking front cover was an obvious choice. "There is no reason to burn bridges in this business," says drummer drummer Armand Majidi. "Our history with Ernie Parada goes back to the late eighties, so working with him, there is a kinship that makes things easier to communicate."

Singer Lou Koller and Parada came up with the idea of doing monster-movie styled art as the cover. "The dragon climbing the Empire State was a concept I always wanted to see brought to life, so the two ideas were destined to come together this way," Lou says.

SICK OF IT ALL and Tue Madsen, who mixed and mastered "Wake The Sleeping Dragon!", have maintained a long-lasting relationship based on understanding, friendship and most importantly, good results — three factors any band would be very happy with. Jerry Farley also became a very important part of the creation of this album. After working with him at Nova Studios in Staten Island, New York, they went for a closer approach on this album. "This is the first time we've ever had a producer involved from start to finish, including the songwriting process," the band says. "His objective viewpoints helped settle a lot of little issues that could have easily become stumbling blocks, and the songs themselves ended up benefitting from them."

SICK OF IT ALL's latest release was the "When The Smoke Clears" EP, which came out in November 2016 via Century Media Records.

We are very excited to finally show you the cover of our new album “Wake The Sleeping Dragon!”. Another great piece of art by our friend Ernie Parada. The album is set for release on November 2nd and we can’t wait for all of you to hear it. In the meantime we are kicking off another European run at Summer Breeze festival tomorrow, Friday August 17th. See you soon!!! Here are the dates: 17.08.18 (DE) Dinkelsbühl - Summer Breeze 18.08.18 (DE) Trier - Summer Blast 19.08.18 (DE) Rostock - MAU Club 21.08.18 (PL) Poznan - Klub U Bazyla 22.08.18 (DE) Magdeburg - Factory 23.08.18 (DE) Lindau - Club Vaudeville 24.08.18 (DE) Wörrstadt - Neuborn Open Air 25.08.18 (DE) Sulingen - Reload Festival 26.08.18 (NL) Amsterdam - Melkweg #sickofitallnyc #sickofitall #NYHC #hardcorepunk #newalbum #centurymedia #thrash #metal #hardcoreworldwide A post shared by Sick Of It All (@sickofitallnyc) on Aug 16, 2018 at 7:52am PDT

Without question, AC/DC is one of the greatest rock bands in history. Their mammoth power chord roar became one of the most influential hard rock sounds of the '70s and is synonymous to rock culture to this day. It continues to be one of the defining sounds of rock and metal, and combined with the larynx-shredding vocals of Bon Scott (1974 - 1980) and Brian Johnson (1980+), the band enjoyed commercial success well into the 2000s, even up until 2016 selling out stadium shows across the globe.


"Let There Be Rock – Orchestrated" is a world first and brings to light a unique production scale that brings the thunderstruck sounds of AC/DC in to a world all of its own, featuring a line-up of some of the world's best rockers coming together to form a super group and backed by a 30-piece symphony orchestra to power out the biggest sound ever created! As previously announced, this unique concert event will hit four stages in Australia this year in Melbourne, Perth, Sydney and Thirroul.


The team behind "Let There Be Rock" is pleased to announce that next year, on January 19, 2019, "Let There Be Rock – Orchestrated" will bring down the house at the one and only currently scheduled U.S. event, taking place at the Belasco Theater in Los Angeles (just before the 2019 NAMM show).


Tickets are on sale now via Eventbrite.


A VIP meet-and-greet is also available to attendees and can be purchased via the Eventbrite link above. The meet-and-greet will take place post-show and will include a photo op with the entire all-star band, plus early entry into the theater for prime viewing position selection!


At "Let There Be Rock" attendees will hear the full orchestrated rock arrangements of many AC/DC classics, including "Highway To Hell", "You Shook Me All Night", "T.N.T.", "Whole Lotta Rosie" and so many more in this two-hour concert production. Imagine "Back in Black", the seminal anthem of generations, with the power of the 30-piece symphony orchestra conducted by Australia's most celebrated conductor — George Ellis, behind one of the most rocking super bands assembled!


Titled in recognition of AC/DC's fourth Australian album released in 1977, "Let There Be Rock – Orchestrated" will feature all the hits from AC/DC's career from both Bon Scott and Brian Johnson eras. With a second-to-none lineup featuring AC/DC and DIO's own Simon Wright, ex-JUDAS PRIEST vocalist Tim "Ripper" Owens, GUNS N' ROSES guitarist Richard Fortus, CHEAP TRICK drummer Daxx Nielsen, former GUNS N' ROSES guitarist Gilby Clarke, WHITESNAKE bassist Michael Devin, THE EDGAR WINTER GROUP guitarist Doug Rappoport, UGLY KID JOE vocalist Whitfield Crane, YouTube guitar phenomenon Fillipo "Solo Dallas" Olivieri, guitar legend Joel McDonald, former bassist for ARIA Hall Of Famers THE ANGELS James Morley, and buzzworthy powerhouse rock vocalist Cynthia Gallie on lead vocals, this show will prove to be one of the most exciting rock 'n' roll events to hit Los Angeles next year.

For more information, visit www.letthereberockorchestrated.com.

Pennsylvania metal band Tallah have released a video for the single "Cottonmouth" off of their self released No One Should Read This EP. The video, directed by Tallah's very own Max Portnoy, is the follow-up to Tallah's debut single and video "Placenta" which was released last month. See both clips below.

"We purposely went with the most extreme song on the EP for our latest video... and the video is just as brutal visually as the song is musically." - Tallah

Purchase the No One Should Read This EP here.

Tracklisting:

"Kungan"
"Placenta"
"We, The Sad"
"Cottonmouth"
"Red Light"

"Cottonmouth" video:

"Placenta" video:

The band has announced tour dates with A Killer's Confession and New Fiction that begins August 19th at Hot Rocks in Warren, MI, and concludes on September 16th in Reading, PA.

GOJIRA frontman Joseph Duplantier has confirmed to Metal Injection that the band has commenced the songwriting process for the follow-up to 2016's "Magma" album. "We started to write new stuff maybe about a year ago," he said. "Seven months ago we started to jam, especially my brother [Mario, drums] and I, and maybe the other guys too, thinking that we're starting really, really early. By the time we think we're ready to record, we'll be ready.

"Turns out we're going a little deeper in the writing and maybe we're thinking too much sometimes," he continued. "We did 20 kind of demos, songs, ideas. I can't say we have something yet. We're doing some research and more than before. Usually we write 12 songs and record 12 songs and release 12 songs. Now it looks like we're going to write 100 songs. It's a different approach and it's fun. We have new desires and a new way of doing things. I like to think it's going to be awesome. I feel it's going to be really exciting, for us at least. I don't know what people are going to think."

According to Joseph, GOJIRA is planning to explore some new territory on the upcoming album. "I want to go back to some of the older influences that we have," he said. "We were always not a death metal band. Before that, I was a DIRE STRAITS fan, Michael Jackson. We have that in us and some progressive stuff too. We have all these things and we need to express that somehow, mixed with our own special sauce. We're working with stuff that sometimes is a bit surprising, even to us. Sometimes it's, like, 'What is this?' I don't know, let it sleep a little bit and go back to it. After this, we're going to go back into the studio and see what's going on."

In 2016, GOJIRA's "Magma" staked its claim among the best albums of the year, earning Metal Hammer's coveted "Album Of The Year" title while also landing on Rolling Stone's "Top 20 Metal Albums of 2016," Consequence Of Sound's "Top 50 Albums of 2016" / "Top 10 Metal Albums of 2016" lists, and Pop Matters's "Best Metal of 2016" recap. Additionally, "Stranded", the lead single off "Magma", was named one of Stereogum's "100 Favorite Songs Of 2016." "Magma" also earned GOJIRA their first-ever Grammy nominations for "Best Metal Performance" and "Best Rock Album." GOJIRA's crushing track "Silvera" received a nomination for "Best Metal Performance", while "Magma" was nominated for "Best Rock Album" at the awards.


"Magma" took the #1 spot on Billboard's Hard Rock Albums chart upon debut, making GOJIRA the first French band to hold the #1 spot on the chart in its nine-year existence. The release of "Magma" marked the highest chart debuts of GOJIRA's career, landing them at #4 on Billboard's Top Rock Albums chart, #6 on Billboard's Tastemaker Albums chart and Top 25 on the Billboard 200. Furthermore, GOJIRA earned career-high chart positions around the globe, including Top 10s in France, Canada, Switzerland, Austria, Finland and Norway, with Top 15 debuts in Australia and Germany.

Last summer, GOJIRA was the support act on a number of North American dates on METALLICA's "WorldWired" tour.

Dutch metal legends Martyr have recruited Marcel den Breejen as their new guitar player.

Guitarist Rick Bouwman comments: “There has been an awful lot of response to our announcement last week that we were searching for a new axeman. It soon became apparent that Marcel den Breejen was the right candidate for the job. He has the skills, the background and the ambition that we demand for Martyr. Den Breejen picked up on our songs in no time. During the auditions he literally blew us through the roof. In our humble opinion, Marcel isn’t just a replacement but an improvement that upgrades the band to an invincible force. His background as multi instrumentalist and composer will support us in our path and plans. Welcome to Martyr 2.0!”

Den Breejen responds: “After leaving my previous band Persistense a few months back, I figured it was time to explore other options. I had seen Martyr perform live several times and I was impressed by their energetic performance. Their song material is just great and their Eighties style with modern touches is exactly my piece of cake: grooving riffs, killer solo’s and a singer with a phenomenal voice and a ditto appearance. When the news broke that Martyr were searching for a new guitar player I took my chance and auditioned. The Martyr guys are relaxed and confident and I instantly felt comfortable, supported, encouraged and empowered to join the band. Within Martyr there’s a good atmosphere without any concessions, which appeals to me very much. There’s some good shows coming up so let’s rip it up and leave those venues smothered in ashes!”

Catch Martyr live:

September
15 - Bambi Galore - Hamburg, Germany (Spirit Of Metal Fest)

October
20 - Estrado - Harderwijk, Netherlands (Rocktober Fest)
27 - Baroeg - Rotterdam, Netherlands
    
November
17 - Vzw Stubborn Donkey - Kuurne, Belgium (Kuurne Metal Fest)

January
12 - Wieleman, Westervoort - Netherlands (No Sleep Till Wieleman)

March
9 - B58 - Braunschweig, Germany (Steel Held High Festival)

More Martyr festival and club shows to be announced soon.

HUNTRESS singer Jill Janus has died by suicide. She was only 43 years old.

Jill's family and bandmates have released the following statement to BLABBERMOUTH.NET: "It is with a heavy heart that we announce that Jill Janus — frontwoman for the California heavy metal band HUNTRESS — passed away on Tuesday, August 14. A longtime sufferer of mental illness, she took her own life outside of Portland, Oregon. Janus spoke publicly about these challenges in hopes of guiding others to address and overcome their mental illness.

"Janus was a truly special creative involved with numerous musical projects including her role as vocalist for female metal/hard rock cover bands THE STARBREAKERS and CHELSEA GIRLS. In addition, Janus was co-composer and creator of an upcoming rock opera with TRANS-SIBERIAN ORCHESTRA's Angus Clark and had a decade-long career as NYC DJ Penelope Tuesdae. Her musical career began in childhood.

"Beyond her accomplishments in the music world and her advocacy for mental health issues, she was a beautiful person passionate about her family, animal rescue and the world of natural medicine. She will be missed more than she could have ever known.

"If you or someone you know might be at risk of suicide, call 1-800-273-8255 to reach the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. It provides free and confidential support 24 hours a day, seven days a week for people in suicidal crisis or distress."

Janus has been open over the years about her battles with not only mental illness, in the form of bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, dissociative identity disorder and alcoholism, but also physical illness in the form of cancer.

Jill told Psychology Today in a 2015 interview that she attempted suicide for the first time at the age of 16 "with a pair of scissors. I was getting mandatory counseling at school but didn't see a psychiatrist until I was 20," she said. "I was then diagnosed manic-depressive and participated in a medical study at New York-Presbyterian Hospital in Manhattan."

Janus was eventually diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder, telling Psychology Today: "I've always seen and heard things others couldn't. Many visions or dreams would manifest into reality, which my family and friends described as my 'psychic ability.' This caused more drama at school, being called a 'freak' and getting beaten up. When I was 17, the visions and encounters with 'other-worldly creatures' was almost a daily occurrence."

In a Revolver interview, Janus described how the schizoaffective disorder evolved into full schizophrenia, which affected her in her 20s and continued until her death. She said: I was suicidal constantly. I was very suicidal early on in my life. Then in my mid-20s, it shifted to full-blown mania, where I can't really remember much of my 20s. I can't remember anybody from high school, either. I lost my long-term memory and can't remember names, faces, or even places. We'll be at a venue on tour and [HUNTRESS guitarist] Blake [Meahl] will be, like, 'We've played here two times before,' but I'll have no recollection."

Janus was diagnosed with uterine cancer in 2015 while HUNTRESS was working on its third album, "Static". She was eventually declared cancer-free after undergoing a hysterectomy.

"Static" was released in 2015 via Napalm Records.

"You Never Know", a brand new song from BEARTOOTH, can be streamed below. The track is taken from the band's third album, "Disease", which will be released on September 28 via Red Bull Records.

"Disease" was recorded at BlackBird studio in Franklin, Tennessee with producer Nick Raskulinecz (DEFTONES, KORN, FOO FIGHTERS). Vocalist Caleb Shomo told AltPress.com about the LP: "I would say sonic photo album is the best way to describe this record. I came up with the title and the whole concept in December of 2016. Realistically, I've been sitting on the idea of this album for a year and a half. I wrote the song 'Disease', about a month or two later. From there, it was really a process of taking all those songs of written over that year and a half and within two months, kind of like really narrowing it down and deciding what would fit best all together. This is the first record I made with a ton of time, and I think it shows because there's a kind of spectrum to this record.

"There are songs where I was kind of more in a chipper place, where I was feeling more melody-driven or just flat-out heavy metal," he continued. "It's a great depiction of what it's like to make a record over the course of a year and a half. 'Aggressive' was made in, what, two months? And I think you can hear that as well on this new record. Obviously, I don't hate it, but I feel it lacked the same dynamic the first record had, compared to this one. I'm just glad I achieved the dynamic I was going for."

"Disease" is described in a press release as "a painstaking, riff-driven examination of the unshakeable throes of depression. While there are moments of positivity, this isn't the sound of triumph. This is music about survival."

Roadrunner Records group COHEED AND CAMBRIA has unveiled a third new track from its highly anticipated new LP, "The Unheavenly Creatures". "The Gutter", an explosive six-minute operatic rock jam, can be streamed below.

"The Unheavenly Creatures" is a sprawling 15-track, 78-minute epic which finds COHEED AND CAMBRIA returning to the conceptual narrative of "The Amory Wars".

Set for release on October 5, the box set includes an exclusive 80-plus-page hardcover illustrated sci-fi novel with strikingly realistic color imagery by Chase Stone, as well as the complete "Act 1" novella written by frontman Claudio Sanchez and his wife, Chondra Echert. The set also houses a fully wearable hard-plastic mask of the main character in "The Unheavenly Creatures", a CD copy of the album, as well as the exclusive bonus album, "The Crown Heights Demos", showing the songs in their original written form. Additional items include a three-panel fold out poster of expanded album cover art, and "The Unheavenly Creatures Black Card" which will allow all card holders early access to tickets and early entry to COHEED AND CAMBRIA headline dates.

COHEED AND CAMBRIA recently released "The Unheavenly Creatures"' 10-minute prog manifesto, "The Dark Sentencer", which was leaked to fans by frontman Claudio Sanchez along with the opening paragraphs from the album's aforementioned novella.

"The Unheavenly Creatures" track listing:

01. Prologue

02. The Dark Sentencer

03. Unheavenly Creatures

04. Toys

05. Black Sunday

06. Queen Of The Dark

07. True Ugly

08. Love Protocol

09. The Pavilion (A Long Way Back)

10. Night-Time Walkers

11. The Gutter

12. All On Fire

13. It Walks Among Us

14. Old Flames

15. Lucky Stars

The third in a series of clips featuring backstage and behind-the-scenes footage from SEPULTURA's ongoing summer 2018 European tour can be seen below.

SEPULTURA guitarist Andreas Kisser confirmed to TotalRock Radio that the band has commenced the songwriting process for the follow-up to 2017's "Machine Messiah" album. "Already, me, Eloy [Casagrande, drums], Derrick [Green, vocals] and Paulo [Xisto Pinto Jr., bass], we have a few ideas, so we have where to start from — a few songs in demo version," he said at the Wacken Open Air festival in Wacken, Germany. "And we still have to develop [them] and stuff. We don't still have a kind of a direction or a theme or something, but it's getting there. We still like to enjoy a lot the road, and we don't write that much on the road as a band. Yeah, it's going, but it's still early."

Kisser also talked about SEPULTURA's relationship with Nuclear Blast Records, with whom the band has been for nearly a decade. "It's amazing, man," he said. "They are a metal label, and there are people that are on the scene since the beginning, the early days. It's a label that never sold out. Many other labels sold out to bigger companies and bigger labels, you change personnel, you think more on the business side. I think Nuclear Blast has a perfect balance between believing in music — in metal and hardcore and punk — and having the business able to sustain everything… And you see how many artists now are with the label, which is great. It's a great place to be. We have total freedom and support to do our stuff and to work with the producers we want and the artists for the cover — everything. They're very supportive, and they believe in the band, which is everything we need. It's great."

"Machine Messiah" was released in January 2017. The disc was recorded at Fascination Street Studios in Örebro, Sweden with Swedish producer Jens Bogren. The CD's cover artwork was created by Filipino artist Camille Della Rosa.

SEPULTURA's official documentary, "Sepultura Endurance", will tentatively be released on DVD and Blu-ray this fall.

DISTURBED will release its new album, "Evolution", on October 19. The official music video for the disc's first single, "Are You Ready", can be seen below. The clip was directed by Roboshobo (a.k.a. Robert Schober), who has previously worked with METALLICA, ALICE IN CHAINS, MASTODON and GREEN DAY, among others.

The band said in a statement: "It is with tremendous pride, joy, and anticipation that we look forward to sharing the next chapter in the creative life of DISTURBED with the world.

"This record is truly unique, and very special to us, and we can only hope that upon listening to it, that the world will feel the same.

"The record showcases the most adventurous and eclectic combination of musical styles and moods that we've ever attempted in our careers. Each song truly has its own identity, feel, and power.

"The writing and recording sessions that fostered this album were truly an emotional and magical experience for us, creating without boundaries or limitations, and simply going where each day's musical inspiration led us. Influenced by some of the great classic rock records of our youth, it is an experience unlike anything we’ve previously created.

"Its time is drawing near for the world to finally hear what is undoubtably the most daring record of our lives.

"Evolution is coming.

"Are you ready?"

"Evolution" track listing:

01. Are You Ready

02. No More

03. A Reason To Fight

04. In Another Time

05. Stronger On Your Own

06. Hold On To Memories

07. Savior of Nothing

08. Watch You Burn

09. Best Ones Lie

10. Already Gone

Deluxe edition bonus tracks:

11. The Sound Of Silence [live] (featuring Myles Kennedy)

12. This Venom

13. Are You Ready (Sam de Jong Remix)

14. Uninvited Guest

DISTURBED recently launched an online poll to ask fans which type of track should be unveiled as the first single from the new LP, with the choices being "Heavy" and "Ballad." Drummer Mike Wengren told El Paso, Texas radio station KLAQ about getting the public involved: "We were letting everybody know that this record has got a pretty big diverse amount of material on there, and we just wanted to know what their opinion was." He added that many fans were "leaning towards the heavy song."

Wengren also talked about the songwriting process for the follow-up to 2015's "Immortalized", saying: "This time around was a lot similar to when we did 'Immortalized'. For us, when the magic really happens is when we are in a room together and you can look each other in the eyes and you can see those reactions, you can feel together when the hair on the back of your neck stands up when there's something cool that was created. Years before that, we got a little bit away from that, because we don't live in the same states anymore, so it can be challenging to get together, especially with everyone's busy schedules. But we definitely realized how important that is for that live element of the chemistry coming together."

"We're a bit spread out," he continued. "John [Moyer, bass] is down in your neck of the woods. I know you're in El Paso, but he's down in Austin. David [Draiman, vocals], actually, recently moved from Austin to Honolulu — he's out in Hawaii with his family; his wife's family is from there, so they moved to be closer. And then I'm up in the Wisconsin area, outside of Milwaukee, and Dan [Donegan, guitar] is down in the Chicago area. So a lot of times what we'll do to get the jumpstart is I'll drive down to Dan's — he's got a home studio at his place — and we'll just start working on some music, and when we get a little bit of some stuff happening, we'll throw it David's way just to get his opinion. But then, ultimately, again, like I said, it's about us coming together in a room and hashing it all out, and, like I said, just letting that energy flow and getting the magical moments."

DISTURBED recently held an industry event where various record company people and radio personnel got to hear the band's forthcoming album, and the response was overwhelmingly positive, according to Wengren.

"For musicians, it's always a long, crazy process, 'cause from the moment you start a riff or a beat or a melody, and then once it develops into a full song, and then you go in and record it, it's a long process," he explained. "And the anticipation of being able to let the fans hear it and let people hear it and give their opinion, the longer it takes, the worse it feels. So it was really exciting for us to be able to finally let some people hear it, and especially getting those positive reactions was definitely reassuring. But, yeah, it was a lot of fun, and even more importantly now, to be here at the release date of the single coming up here, being able to let all the fans hear it, this is what it's all about."

Wengren said that DISTURBED is "definitely working" on putting together a tour in support of the upcoming album. "The last I heard is we're talking about doing a big U.S. run come January and February of '19," he said. "Nothing is in stone yet — we don't have any routing yet; nothing is solidified — but we're trying to put together something really big, and we wanna bring it to as many cities as we can. So once we get that finalized, hopefully we'll be able to announce some dates soon."

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

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

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

Photo by Travis Shinn

SINSAENUM, the extreme death metal project featuring DRAGONFORCE bassist Frédéric Leclercq and former SLIPKNOT drummer Joey Jordison, has released the official lyric video for the song "I Stand Alone". The track is taken from the band's latest album, "Repulsion For Humanity", which was released on August 10 via earMUSIC.

With the help of Francis Caste on mixing duties, SINSAENUM sharpened their own sonic identity, far from the typical death or modern metal sound.


The cover artwork, created by none other than Travis Smith, matches the radical, violent and angry approach of the album.


This autumn, SINSAENUM will be touring Europe for the first time since its formation. U.S. tour plans remain to be determined.


Last November, SINSAENUM released the EP "Ashes", with Metal Hammer Germany declaring it to be a "rad sign of life" and Metal Hammer U.K. taking it one step further, saying, "Take that form into the studio for the second full-length and we could have a classic on our hands."

"Echoes Of The Tortured", SINSAENUM's first album, was nominated as "Best Debut" by Metal Hammer Germany and was praised worldwide as one of the freshest and finest approaches to death metal.


With these impressive credentials, it is hard not to label SINSAENUM a supergroup, since it embodies the joint venture of Leclercq and Jordison. The rest of the band is of no less importance and credibility — Sean Zatorsky (DÅÅTH, vocals), Stephane Buriez (LOUDBLAST, guitar), Heimoth (SETH, bass) and Attila Csihar (MAYHEM, vocals) – all of which are well respected in their fields – complete the ensemble, making SINSAENUM the epitome of premium-level heavy metal.

Oakland-based thrash quintet CULTURAL WARFARE has unveiled the title track of its debut full-length album, "Warmageddon", due September 14 via M-Theory Audio. A lyric video, created by LVMP, can be seen below. In addition, fans who pre-order digital copies of "Warmageddon" via Amazon, iTunes and Bandcamp will receive the title track — as well as the previously released "Divided We Crawl" — as instant downloads. Physical copies are available for pre-order via the M-Theory Audio webshop.


Explains vocalist Jacques Serrano: "'Warmageddon' is loosely related to the song 'Future Kill' off our debut EP. It is a continuation of the demise of human religions, beliefs and overall way of life. Warmageddon is when the Blood Machines begin their brutal takeover of all humanity, erasing all symbols of the humans way of life. The world is being overwhelmed with technology and machines to where they treat the human race as cattle. Life as we knew it is over, and now humans must hide and hopefully prepare for a rebellion, but it is a time when it seems all that are left are the meek."


CULTURAL WARFARE has announced several West Coast performances to celebrate the release of "Warmageddon", including a pair of shows alongside EXMORTUS and HATCHET.


"Warmageddon" is the follow-up to the CULTURAL WARFARE 's 2017 debut EP "Future Kill", hailed by Metal Wani as "neck-breaking thrash." Recorded at California's Trident Studios with producer Juan Urteaga (MACHINE HEAD, EXODUS) and mastered at Sweden's Fascination Street Studios by Jens Bogren (SEPULTURA, KREATOR), "Warmageddon" is a "look into the future" where a "new world chaos" reigns supreme, according to the band. The album's artwork was designed by Brian Lewis (DEVILDRIVER, BLACK LABEL SOCIETY).


Guitarist Billy Garoutte details the concept of "Warmageddon" further: "Decade after decade, humanity has been in constant battle. Now set in a post-apocalyptic time, there is a new form of humanity now known as the blood machines and the eye of the future that live off of what once was. The extinction of mankind has brought forth the Warmageddon and a new world order."


CULTURAL WARFARE creates music that stays true to the classic Bay Area while creating a modern twist in the music to create a melodic, yet aggressive sound. With all five members of the band having long-standing roots in the Bay Area dating back to the golden age of thrash metal, CULTURAL WARFARE understands the rich history and lineage of the classic bands that paved the way for the heavy bands of the modern age. With that said, the group has created a sound of their own while flying the flag for the legendary music that inspired them along the way.


Upon releasing "Future Kill" last year, the group performed throughout the Western United States alongside the likes of WARBRINGER, APOTHESARY, THE AGONIST, HATRIOT and others. Whereas the EP found Kevin Doughty playing drums, "Warmageddon" sees him join Billy Garouette on guitar to make room for new percussionist Bones Padilla, a former tech for BIOHAZARD.

Former SICK PUPPIES singer Shimon "Shim" Moore will release his new solo album, "Shim", on September 14 on BFD, distributed worldwide by The Orchard.

After creating a worldwide fan base as founder and former lead vocalist for SICK PUPPIES, the Australian-born singer, songwriter and producer found himself back at square one, and after a couple failed attempts at collaborating again, decided to bet on himself.

"I set out to make the best music of my career — which I've done," Moore says. "For better or worse, I put everything I had to give into this album, and for the first time in my life it doesn't matter what the outcome is, because I couldn't have bled anymore than I did on this music."

It's impossible not to feel Shimon's blood running through all 11 tracks. "The theme of this album is about someone digging themselves out of a hole," he says. "It's the whole journey of doing the work to create the life you want, despite the obstacles."

Listen to the killer album opener, "A Brand New War", below.

The debut single from "Shim", "Hallelujah", a bold and infectious anthem, is currently working its way up the charts at rock radio.

Pre-order the digital album starting August 31 from iTunes and Amazon and receive instant downloads of "A Brave New War" and "Hallelujah".

"Shim" track listing:

01. A Brand New War

02. Secrets

03. Our Time

04. Kaleidoscopes

05. Crucified

06. Hallelujah

07. Fearless

08. All Of Me

09. Sting Like A Bitch

10. Broken Men

11. Don't Wake Me Up