OVERKILL bassist and main songwriter D.D. Verni will release his first solo album, "Barricade", on October 12 via Mighty Music. The record, which was mixed and mastered by Chris "Zeuss" Harris (ROB ZOMBIE, QUEENSRŸCHE, HATEBREED), is said to be a mix of all of Verni's influences. "There's some metal, punk, and classic rock... it's all in there, from QUEEN to GREEN DAY to METALLICA, I think we covered all the basses!" declares D.D.

"Barricade" track listing:

01. Fire Up

02. Miracle Drug

03. Off My Leash

04. (We are) The Broken Ones

05. Lost In The Underground

06. The Party Of No

07. Night of the Swamp King

08. We Were Young

09. Slow My Ride

10. Heaven Calling

The lyric video for the song "Fire Up" can be seen below.

Verni's first effort features a host of guitar players doing guest spots, including Jeff Loomis (ARCH ENEMY), Angus Clark (TRANS SIBERIAN ORCHESTRA), Jeff Waters (ANNIHILATOR), Bruce Franklin (TROUBLE), Mike Romeo (SYMPHONY X), Mike Orlando (ADRENALINE MOB), Steve Leonard (ALMOST QUEEN), and Andre "Virus" Karkos (DOPE), who also contributed the rhythm guitar tracks. Rounding out the recording lineup is former OVERKILL drummer Ron Lipnicki.

In addition to OVERKILL's 18 full-length albums, Verni has four releases with his side band THE BRONX CASKET CO.. Verni states: "So, why do a solo record... well I never really stop writing material, and after some time, it starts to pile up and take shape and I wonder what it will be. In the past, anything that was not OVERKILL material I would put aside for my other band THE BRONX CASKET CO., but when I starting pulling these songs together, it was clearly not that, and I thought, 'Okay, I guess it's a solo record.' The material was kinda metal and kinda rock and kinda punk, so those really are my basic influences. In OVERKILL, I take all that background and funnel it into our thrash sound. But these songs were not thrash but a combination of the other stuff.

"I would never really have an interest in doing a record that was thrash-sounding outside of OVERKILL; I just don't think it could be any better. The fun is trying new shit and seeing where it goes for me.

"I could always do all the instruments myself, as I have in the past on projects, but thought this could be a good opportunity to try working with some new people. My wife was hearing me thinking out loud and basically said, 'Why don't you just call some guys whose work you like and see if they would be interested?' And so that's what I did."


For more information, visit www.ddverni.com.

CHTHONIC, the Taiwanese metal band recognized for its unique signature performance, will release its eighth album, "Battlefields Of Asura" — the follow-up to 2013's "Butik" — on October 10.

Formed in 1995, CHTHONIC has toured in over 40 countries, played hundreds of concerts and festivals, and become the most visible Taiwanese metal band with international publicity. In the past five years, all five members of CHTHONIC have turned a new page in their lives respectively. Frontman Freddy Lim formed a new political party and got elected into the Taiwanese Parliament in January this year, while the other members established their families. Nevertheless, they have not forgotten their promise to release new material to the fans.

This year, CHTHONIC has Randy Blythe, frontman of Grammy-nominated metal band LAMB OF GOD, and Denise Ho, iconic freedom fighter and singer from Hong Kong joining the creation of "Battlefields Of Asura".

In the lead-up to the new album announcement, secretive promotion in Taiwan raised speculation of the possibility of new CHTHONIC music, with lead track "Millennia's Faith Undone" having been remixed by Denise Ho, along with five new bands and artists with their own distinctive styles — ELEPHANT GYM, HOM SHENHAO, UNFAMILIAR FRIENDS PARTY, BISON COUNTRY and ANGRY YOUTH. The speculation even hinted the possibility of renaissance of lyrics in Taiwanese. Days ago, Denise Ho published her version of "Millennia's Faith Undone", as her first Taiwanese song mixed with the voice of Freddy Lim throughout the song, which has become a hit in Taiwan and Hong Kong. As conversations about the relation between the song and CHTHONIC continues, the answer is finally revealed today that the 60-second preview of the original "Millennia's Faith Undone" will be published by CHTHONIC, with the full version released on September 4.

View the 60-second teaser of "Millennia's Faith Undone" below.

"Battlefields Of Asura" track listing:

01. Drawing Omnipotence Nigh

02. The Silent One's Torch

03. Flames Upon The Weeping Winds

04. A Crimson Sky's Command

05. Souls Of The Revolution

06. Taste The Black Tears

07. One Thousand Eyes

08. Masked Faith

09. Carved In Bloodstone

10. Millennia's Faith Undone

11. Autopoiesis

According to CHTHONIC, "Battlefields Of Asura" depicts the adventure of deities in Taiwan through eleven songs carrying messages about resistance, freedom and fraternity. The journey is full of hostility, adversary, impregnable fortresses and desires but also inspires infinite courage to search for eternal wisdom. Anyone deeply touched by this album will eventually realise that it is the origin of all thrilling epic stories portrayed in the past albums. This album sounds like gods versus devils and fights among evil spirits on the surface; however, everyone can feel the empathy of fury, grief and even strength of resurgence from the lyrics.

When asked why the band named the new album "Battlefields Of Asura", Doris Yeh, the spokesperson of CHTHONIC, stated that "this album is the prologue of the albums released in the past and was inspired by and dedicated to the activists of Taiwan's first modern political reform movement back in 1920s."

On December 13, 2017, the worldwide metal community mourned the passing of a truly unique voice, an extremely gifted songwriter, and above all a wonderful human being, that will be dearly missed: Warrel Dane, who died of a heart attack during the recordings of his second solo album in São Paulo, Brazil.

Renowned for his work in SANCTUARY and NEVERMORE as well as a solo artist, in 2014 Warrel had teamed up with Brazilian musicians Johnny Moraes (guitar), Thiago Oliveira (guitar), Fabio Carito (bass) and Marcus Dotta (drums) as his touring band and ultimately this successful collaboration led to plans for a new studio album. Recordings for "Shadow Work", the follow-up to 2008's "Praises To The War Machine", started in fall 2017 at Orra Meu Studio, São Paulo, and Travis Smith commenced to create the artwork following a concept and ideas previously discussed with Warrel.

Then he passed away, left his fellow musicians, fans, friends and family as well as his label in shock putting the status of "Shadow Work" in limbo for a while.

After reviewing the material that could actually be completed using vocals from various studio and pre-production sessions with Warrel, the decision was made to release his final recordings as "Shadow Work" on October 26.

Jens Prüter, head of A&R, and Stefan Franke, product manager of Century Media Records, say: "We are looking forward to release these 40 minutes of music in October. We and many other workmates at Century Media Records have known Warrel for years, have been through thick and thin, and are fans of his art just like the many, many people supporting him since the '80s. The dedication his band, Travis Smith and our team invested in completing 'Shadow Work' was astonishing and the entire record carries an eerie atmosphere of Warrel already feeling that this might be his last work. It is heartbreaking that he was right in the end. Rest in peace, friend."

"Shadow Work" will be released as special edition CD mediabook offering a 44-page booklet, as gatefold LP plus CD and 12-page LP booklet and on all digital platforms. Each song is illustrated by Travis Smith's art, created as his personal tribute to Warrel and further explained in his personal liner notes. Furthermore, photos, lyrics and moving statements from the musicians are included as well.

Smith said: "[Warrel] told me he wanted the cover for this one to be a personification of one of its songs, affectionately titled 'Sweet Madame Satan, And Why.' I dug up the skeleton of an old idea we'd talked about once before, and with a few details and alterations of his own, it was exactly what he had envisioned. He 'loved it,' approved it, and then gave me an outline for what he wanted to do for the back cover to complement it as a sort of prologue.

"I finished the additional artwork taking inspiration from old conversations, titles, absorbing passages from his notebooks, and some lyrics that he'd passed along earlier...

"Thank you for everything these past 20 years... It was an honor. It will be missed. You are missed. I know we did you proud."

Added Thiago, Johnny, Fabio and Marcus: "To give birth to a work like this, is for us a tribute to someone that was like family and honor his memory by sharing some of the savage poetry that he created and was ultimately so proud of.

"Warrel came into our lives like a storm, took us into a very intense ride, we roamed endless roads into the unknown, into places that we never dreamed of both inside and outside our minds, and left. He was someone who lived with us, dreamed with us and enjoyed our hospitality, and in return gave us so much back. Some of us acted like his mother, some of us saw him as a father figure, some of us took care of him in some of his darkest moments. Yet he was a friend, and somehow, will be always there.

"To record such an album, and to work alongside an artist as gifted as Warrel, is somehow like being enthralled by his brightest light, and, at the same time being engulfed by his darkest shadow. There is so much to say, and yet nothing to say. In the meantime, we are proud to share this portrait of the storm we went through in form of art. Light, peace and love."

A first song and pre-sales will be available from August 31.

"Shadow Work" track listing:

01. Ethereal Blessing

02. Madame Satan

03. Disconnection System

04. As Fast As The Others

05. Shadow Work

06. The Hanging Garden (THE CURE cover)

07. Rain

08. Mother Is The Word For God

Conjured in the backwoods of Pennsylvania, death metal newcomers Outer Heaven spew forth their long-awaited debut album Realms Of Eternal Decay. Listen to the album's first audio offering "Bloodspire" below.

Outer Heaven's debut album Realms Of Eternal Decay is due out October 12th on CD/LP/Digital via Relapse Records. Physical packages are available via Relapse.com here and Digital Downloads / Streaming Services here.

Additionally, Outer Heaven will tour with labelmates Full Of Hell in October throughout the East Coast. The band will also perform at select upcoming concerts with Mortician, Eternal Champion & Metal Punk Death Fest 3. A full list of confirmed tour dates can be found below.

Across 10 tracks and 30+ minutes of grotesque, groove-laden old-school death metal, Outer Heaven immediately raise the bar for the new generation of extreme bands. Realms Of Eternal Decay was produced by Kevin Bernsten (Skeletonwitch, Full Of Hell, Integrity) at Developing Nations Studios mixed and mastered by Arthur Rizk (Cavalera Conspiracy, Inquisition, Pissgrave). Features sickening cover artwork by Matthew Stikker (Power Trip).

Realms Of Eternal Decay tracklisting:

"Vortex Of Thought"
"What Lies Beneath"
"Pulsating Swarm"
"Multicellular Savagery"
"Echoes From Beyond"
"Tortured Winds"
"Bloodspire"
"Sacrificial Evolution"
"Putrid Dwelling"
"Decaying Realms"

"Bloodspire":

Outer Heaven tour dates:

August
21 - Philadelphia, PA - Boot & Saddle (with Eternal Champion)

September
2 - Philadelphia, PA - Voltage Lounge (with Mortician)
28 - Brooklyn, NY - Metal Punk Death Fest 111 @ Saint Vitus
 
October (with Full Of Hell)
10 - Philadelphia, PA - Voltage Lounge
11 - Montclair, NJ - Meatlocker
12 - Washington, DC - Atlas Brew Works
13 - Chapel Hill, NC - Local 506
14 - West Columbia, SC - Radio Room
15 - Jacksonville, FL - Nighthawks
16 - Tampa, FL - Crowbar
17 - Miami, FL - Gramp's
18 - Orlando, FL - Will's Pub
19 - Atlanta, GA - 529
20 - Charlotte, NC - Skylark Social Club
21 - Chesapeake, VA - Riffhouse Pub

Outer Heaven is:
 
Austin Haines - Vocals
Jon Kunz - Guitar
Zak Carter - Guitar
Raymond Figueroa - Bass
Paul Chrismer - Drums

(Photo - Dante Torrieri)

Dallas, Texas-based neo-metal band Phoenix Rising has released an official music video for their single "Do You Know". The track is featured on the band's debut EP, Ignite (out now).

"Ignite is a compilation of songs that delivers our initial message, summing up who we are as a group and what we want to say to the world." - Phoenix Rising

Tracklisting:

"Do You Know"
"Open You Up"
"If I Say No"
"Lights Out"

"Do You Know" video:

Powerwolf released their new album The Sacrament Of Sin worldwide on July 20th via Napalm Records. The Sacrament Of Sin definitely holds some surprises for you. The special edition comes as 3CD earbook edition with studio album, a covers album and an orchestral album. Communio Lupatuml features the biggest Powerwolf hits covered by international stars of the metal scene. Amaranthe's take on "Army Of The Night" is available below.

Communio Lupatum tracklisting:

"Sacred & Wild" - Epica
"We Drink Your Blood" - Saltatio Mortis
"Kiss Of The Cobra King" - Caliban
"Resurrection By Erection" - Battle Beast
"Night Of The Werewolves" - Heaven Shall Burn
"The Evil Made Me Do It" - Kadavar
"Let There Be Night" - Kissin' Dynamite
"Amen & Attack" - Mille Petrozza (Kreator) & Marc Görtz (Caliban)
"Army Of The Night" - Amaranthe
"Nata vimpi cvrmi da / Ira Sancti (When the Saints Are Going Wild)" - Eluveitie

"We Drink Your Blood" - Saltatio Mortis video:

The Sacrament Of Sin is available as:

Regular Editions:
- 2 x 1 CD Mediabook (36 pages+ 24 pages)
- 1 CD Jewelcase
- 1 LP Gatefold black

Special Editions:
- 1 LP Gatefold green
- 1 LP Gatefold gold
- "Priest-Edition": 3-CD Earbook (Regular-, Cover-, & Orchester Album) + Metal Cross (14 x 10 cm, Antique Copper Look) + Manipel (Preacher Scarf - 150 x 16 cm, Cotton with Embroidered Logo)

Deluxe Hardcover Box (Only Non-Europe):
- 3-CD Earbook (28 x 28 cm, 80 Seiten) incl. Bonus Track (Earbook Exclusive) + Cover Album (Cover Songs – 10 POWERWOLF Hits performed by Various Artists) + Bonus Album (Orchestral Songs – Earbook Exclusive)
- 1-LP in Gatefold (Gold)
- Bonus 1-LP in Silver (Cover Songs – Deluxe Box Exclusive)
- Cover Flag (150 x 100 cm)
- 5 Signed Photo Cards
- Cotton Bag
- Sticker

Pre-order here.

The Sacrament Of Sin tracklisting:

"Fire & Forgive"
"Demons Are A Girl‘s Best Friend"
"Killers With The Cross"
"Incense And Iron"
"Where The Wild Wolves Have Gone"
"Stossgebet"
"Nightside Of Siberia"
"The Sacrament Of Sin"
"Venom Of Venus"
"Nighttime Rebel"
"Fist By Fist (Sacralize Or Strike)"
"Midnight Madonna" (Bonus track, only available at EMP and Napalm Records mailorder)

"Incense And Iron" lyric video:

"Fire & Forgive" video:

"Demons Are A Girl‘s Best Friend" video:

Tour dates:

August
3 - Rasnov, Romania - Rockstad Extreme Fest
10 - Villena, Spain - ESP Leyendas Del Rock
16 - Dinkelsbühl, Germany - Summer Breeze Open Air
17 - Graz, Austria - Metal On The Hill
18 - Falun, Sweden - Sabaton Open Air

October (with Amaranthe, Kissin Dynamite)
26 - Wiesbaden, Germany - Schlachthof
27 - Oberhausen, Germany - Turbinenhalle
29 - Hamburg, Germany - Grosse Freiheit 36
31 - Berlin, Germany - Huxleys

November (with Amaranthe, Kissin Dynamite)
1 - Warsaw, Poland - Progresja
2 - Leipzig, Germany - Haus Auensee
6 - Vienna, Austria - Aren
7 - Milan, Italy - Live Club
9 - Munich, Germany - Tonhalle
10 - Ludwigsburg, Germany - MHP Arena
11 - Eindhoven, Netherlands - Effenaar
12 - London, England - Koko
14 - Lausanne, Switzerland - Les Docks
15 - Zurich, Switzerland - Komplex 457
16 - Geiselwind, Germany - Music Hall
17 - Saarbrücken, Germany - Saarlandhalle

Los Angeles craft beer connoisseurs Trappist brew forth their debut full-length Ancient Brewing Tactics, due out August 17th via Relapse Records. The track "Hymn To Ninkasi" featuring Tony Foresta (Municipal Waste, Iron Reagan) is available for streaming below.

Trappist comments on the debut album: "Starting a beer-centric band came naturally, considering the many parallels between the hardcore and independent beer scenes. Both foster collaboration, community, and support of grass-roots efforts. It made sense to team up with our old pals at Relapse for this release since they've always supported our previous bands. But enough about us... your pint is getting warm!"

Physical packages are available via Relapse.com here, and digital downloads / streaming services here.

Formed in 2014 and consisting of scene legends Chris Dodge (Spazz, ex-Infest, ex-Despise You, etc.), Phil Vera (Crom, Despise You, ex-(16)-) and Ryan Harkins (co-owner of popular heavy metal-themed burger joint Grill Em’ All), Trappist have one clear mission, to annihilate the listener with a storm of d-beat, crust punk, powerviolence, and hardcore all in the name of BEER. Picture Discharge style punk and Xeroxed WWII photos with bombs replaced by casks, cans, and kegs.

Ancient Brewing Tactics is 21 tracks and 33 minutes of booze-induced chaos, bound to knock you on your ass faster than shotgunning a 15% Russian Imperial Stout. Trappist round out their alcohol-fueled blasts with special guest appearances by Tony Foresta (Municipal Waste, Iron Reagan), Steve Brooks (Torche), and Blake Harrison (Pig Destroyer). NO CORPORATE BEER.

For the ultimate sensory experience, Trappist have recommended a specific beer pairing for listeners to drink along to each song on the album! “Wolves in the Taproom” is paired with Sierra Nevada Barrel Aged Narwhal Imperial Stout and “No Corporate Beer” with Eagle Rock Brewery Amwolf Pilsner. The full tracklisting and beer pairing are available below. True aficionados only!

Ancient Brewing Tactics tracklisting and beer pairings:

"No Soldier Left Behind" (3 Floyds Zombie Dust Pale Ale)
"This Means Wort" (FiftyFifty Brewing Eclipse Imperial Stout)
"Tesguino" (Cerveza Fauna Penelope Coffee Porter)
"The Patron Saints" (Orval Belgian Pale Ale)
"Hymn To Ninkasi" (Beachwood Brewing Citraholic IPA)
"Waiting In Line - First Stanza" (Jackie O’s BBA Oil Of Aphrodite with Coffee Imperial Stout)
"Giving The Boot To Reinheitsgebot" (Schneider Weisse Aventinus Weizen Bock)
"Swignorant" (The Bruery Mash Barleywine)
"Nihamanchnihamnchii" (Insurgente La Lupolsa IPA)
"Frank The Tank" (Cigar City Hunahpu’s Imperial Stout)
"No Corporate Beer" (Eagle Rock Brewery Amwolf Pilsner)
"Victims Of A Bomber Raid" (Surly Brewing Darkness Russian Imperial Stout)
"99 Problems" (But A Beer Ain’t One) (TRVE Possession Saison)
"Proost-Op" (De Struise Black Albert Russian Imperial Stout)
"Waiting In Line - Second Stanza" (The Veil Brewing Daddy’s Home Triple IPA)
"To The Pint" (Thrash Zone Chris Dodge’s Ham Slappin’ Aru-Chu Ale Barley Wine)
"You’re The Reason" (Sante Adairius Saison Bernice Farmhouse Ale)
"Garbage Human" (Mikkeller Beer Geek Brunch Imperial Oatmeal Stout with Vietnamese Coffee)
"Waiting In Life - Third Stanza" (Lawson’s Finest Liquids Double IPA)
"Wolves In The Taproom" (Sierra Nevada Barrel Aged Narwhal Imperial Stout)
"Trappist-1: Final Gravity" (Zundert Trappist Abbey Tripel)

"Victims Of A Bomber Raid" video:

"Wolves In The Taproom":

"No Corporate Beer":

Trappist is:

Brother Dodge - Bass, Vocals, Brewing
Brother Vera - Guitars, Vocals, Fermentation
Brother Harkins - Drums, Vocals, Bottling

(Photo - Paul Lee)

Swedish prog/extreme metal architects Letters From The Colony recently released their debut album Vignette (Nuclear Blast Records). In the video below, the band performs the track "The Final Warning" live at Gefle Metal Festival 2018:

The Vignette album, which was mastered by Jens Bogren (Dimmu Borgir, Opeth, Paradise Lost), reaches a length of over 55 minutes. Vignette can be ordered here.

Tracklisting:

"Galax"
"Erasing Contrast"
"The Final Warning"
"This Creature Will Haunt Us Forever"
"Cataclysm"
"Terminus"
"Glass Palaces"
"Sunwise"
"Vignette"

"Galax" video:

"Terminus" lyric video:

"Erasing Contrast" video:

Letters From The Colony are:

Alexander Backlund - Vocals
Sebastian Svalland - Guitar
Johan Jönsegård - Guitar
Emil Östberg - Bass
Jonas Sköld - Drums

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

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

Kobra And The Lotus will embark on a co-headline tour with the Butcher Babies, dubbed the Female Metal Voices Tour 2018. Other bands on the bill include Skarlett Riot, Ignea and Martyrium.

Courtesy of KISSfaq, the clip below features original KISS guitarist Ace Frehley performing "Sister" - taken from his Anomaly album - on July 5th in Petaluma, CA.

The Indianapolis KISS Fan Expo celebrated it's 20th anniversary in a big way on May 12th and 13th. Special guests included Eric Singer, Ace Frehley, Bruce Kulick, Bob Kulick, Michael James Jackson, John Harte, Lydia Criss and Anton Fig and featured live performances both nights. The full Q&A session at the Expo with Frehley can be viewed below.

Check out Frehley's performance with Singer and Bruce Kulick on stage at the Expo below.

Frehley has released a brand new single, titled “Bronx Boy”. The single is the first track from an all-new, untitled full-length solo LP to be released this summer.

“Bronx Boy” is available on all digital music services starting today. Listen to the track below, and stay tuned for updates from Ace.

Just over one week ago, OTEP, the band led by singer, poet, illustrator, author and activist Otep Shamaya, unleashed its most uncompromising, candid, all-inclusive and controversial assessment of the current residing political regime that it has ever released — the new album "Kult 45". Today, it has released a shocking new music video — pointing a finger at the NRA and their allowance of continued gun violence — for the single "Shelter In Place". The clip, directed by Otep and filmed by PR Brown, can be viewed below.

Shamaya says: "The video for 'Shelter In Place' challenges the NRA's irrational claim that 'only a good guy with a gun can stop a bad guy with a gun.' It aims the blame of mass murders of our children in school shootings directly on the NRA, not necessarily its members, but the administration who continue to fight for people on terrorist watch lists to own a gun. Why? It's my belief the more murders that occur, the more money they make from weapons manufacturers and increases in membership which strengthens their ability to be a political power that continues to frighten the Republican-owned Congress.

"The number of mass murders of children in schools by gun violence is our national shame yet the Republican-owned Congress (and shills for the NRA) have done nothing, not a single thing, to protect our kids. In contrast, when one man attempted to detonate a shoe bomb on board a plane in flight, legislation was enacted to protect people from this single attempt of failed terrorism. Now all of us have to remove our shoes before boarding a flight. All of us have to be searched and x-rayed.

"Enough is enough. Our children deserve better. And their safety and the safety of their teachers are worth fighting for."

Throughout the span of her career, Shamaya has been an undeniable force in bringing awareness via various acclaimed mediums to social and political injustices felt by various communities and subcultures. For years, publications such as Revolver magazine have lauded Shamaya for "following in the footsteps of outspoken musicians from folk singer Woody Guthrie to RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE's Zach de la Rocha, dubbing her "one of music's catalysts for social change". So, with the political climate as it is today, it's prime time for OTEP to make their voices heard in their primary medium — song.


"You can expect a complete and total mutiny of the senses on 'Kult 45'," says Shamaya. "That said, it's important for fans to know that this record is not just an indictment of Trump. The idea is rather to empower people to stand up and remind them this is our country and we have the power. It's primarily a rallying cry for people with common sense and good-natured patriots to rise up and know that we own this nation.


"Although the album is produced well technically, lyrically, it's very raw," she continues. "Musically, we explore different genres — we're trying to reach everyone. I don't want to be limited to one genre or to be anchored to a particular space where I can only reach certain political minds. It's important to me that I'm sending a clear and concise message to the Resistance — the people out there bending the barricades and fighting for justice is this country."


"Kult 45" was recorded at The Lair in Los Angeles, completely utilizing the same equipment used for OTEP's first album, "Sevas Tra" (down to Shamaya's vocal microphone, a SHURE Beta 58), in order to create a sound reminiscent of their roots. "Kult 45" was self-produced by the band, with assistant engineering from Larry Goetz, Nicolas Schilke and Lizzy Ostro.


Shamaya explains that "Kult 45" is the most authentic album OTEP has ever released, at least since their first record, and self-producing it helped achieve this result. "We had the freedom to be able to write, record and exist within the songs on 'Kult 45'," she says. "Things needed to be said and songs needed to be written that reflect the times. We weren't under anyone else's agenda, there was no pressure to create a 'single' or a song for radio, and the band was really able to shine."


"Kult 45" track listing:

01. Hail To The Thief

02. Halt Right

03. Molotov

04. Said The Snake

05. Undefeated

06. Trigger Warning

07. Cross Contamination

08. Shelter In Place

09. Boss

10. To The Gallows

11. Sirens Calling

12. Invisible People

13. Be Brave

14. Wake Up (cover of RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE)

15. Feral Oracle (bonus track)

16. The Tribe Speaks (bonus track)


OTEP does not hold back on "Kult 45", pointing out all sorts of political duplicities and leaving them in their wake. The band explodes on aggressive, adamant anthems like "Halt Right" and "Molotov", which act as timely outcries against the recent resurgence of hate groups. Tracks like the in-your-face "Cross Contamination" explore the hypocrisy of the evangelical right giving Trump a pass on his infidelities, and cherry-picking scriptures to fit their ideologies. "Invisible People" approaches immigration issues while pointing a strong finger at Trump, the electronically charged "Boss" aims to break, fight, and redefine gender roles, and "Trigger Warning" targets rape culture — specifically Stanford rapist Brock Turner — with a vengeance.

The album pre-closes with a cover of "Wake Up" — an homage to political music icons, major "Kult 45" writing inspiration, and original track recording artists RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE — as well as a unique finisher, "The Tribe Speaks", featuring recorded voicemails from fans expressing how OTEP's music has changed their lives. "In the voicemails people say they feel empowered, that the music saved them," explains Shamaya. "They told us that they discovered their identities with our music. There was a girl who said that she considered committing suicide and that our music pulled her out of that. These were all based on last album, and I think that this album will have a similar impact on people. These are so moving — it's what keeps me fighting. Really."


"We want to empower people," ends Shamaya. "This album wasn't written to only wake people up, it's meant to carbonate people with the hope and confidence that they can make a difference."

Photo from "Shelter In Place" shoot by PR Brown

Is AC/DC recording a new studio album in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada?

Canadian journalist Steve Newton claimed in an August 1 blog entry on The Georgia Straight web site that one of his "rock 'n' roll sources on the street" told him that he had a quick chat with a couple of members of AC/DC in downtown Vancouver earlier that day. One of the rockers that he allegedly talked to was Stevie Young, Angus Young's nephew, who took over the rhythm guitar spot in AC/DC from Angus's brother Malcolm in 2014 when Malcolm retired due to dementia. And the other AC/DC member Newton's source supposedly talked to was none other than Phil Rudd, the longtime AC/DC drummer who was replaced behind the kit by Chris Slade in 2015 for the band's "Rock Or Bust" world tour after Rudd was arrested for drug possession and threatening to kill an employee.

Newton doubled down on his claim in an August 2 post on his Ear Of Newt web site, insisting that he had "complete faith" in his source who said he saw — and actually chatted with — the two rockers.

The assumption is that, since AC/DC recorded its last three albums at Vancouver's Warehouse Studio, it might be in the midst of making — or at least planning — another one, with Rudd back in the lineup on drums.

One person who says Newton's sources were "right" is Kyle Harcött, vocalist of the British Columbia metal band HEXRIPPER, who tweeted on August 3 that he "just saw Phil Rudd with my own eyes." He added: "Rudd & manager walked by me on way into studio. Rudd wouldn't acknowledge me, & the manager gave me a FUCK OFF look and waved a stern NO DICE in my face. Mission accomplished."

Ever since AC/DC completed the tour cycle for its 2014 album "Rock Or Bust" nearly two years ago — a turbulent trek that weathered the forced retirement and eventual death of co-founder Malcolm Young, plus the departures of longtime singer Brian Johnson, Rudd and bassist Cliff Williams — fans have wondered whether sole remaining founding member Angus Young would keep the band going or decide it was time for AC/DC to pack it in.

Singer Angry Anderson of the veteran Australian act ROSE TATTOO said in an interview with The Rockpit that Angus told him he is at work on new AC/DC music and intends to have GUNS N' ROSES frontman Axl Rose — who took Johnson's place on the road in 2016 — sing on the LP.

Johnson was forced to leave AC/DC mid-tour due to a dangerous level of hearing loss, while Williams decided to retire at the end of the cycle.

Angus has not said publicly what he has planned for the future of AC/DC. Axl is still touring with GUNS N' ROSES but has indicated a willingness to work with AC/DC again.

I JUST SAW PHIL RUDD WITH MY OWN EYES— ANTI↯VENIN (@kyleantivenin) August 3, 2018



Your sources were right @earofnewt— ANTI↯VENIN (@kyleantivenin) August 3, 2018



I don't even care that he fucked me off. #thegoddrudd is back in black, and I saw him in person. Good enough for me.— ANTI↯VENIN (@kyleantivenin) August 3, 2018



Rudd & manager walked by me on way into studio. Rudd wouldn't acknowledge me, & the manager gave me a FUCK OFF look and waved a stern NO DICE in my face. Mission accomplished. ?— ANTI↯VENIN (@kyleantivenin) August 3, 2018



My shit has been blowing up with rabid #acdc fans since I reported I saw #philrudd and his drum tech Dick Jones with my own eyes, outside of Warehouse Studios in #vancouver yesterday. People are rightfully going nuts about this news.— ANTI↯VENIN (@kyleantivenin) August 5, 2018

"Henkselipoika", the new video from Finnish folk metallers KORPIKLAANI, can be seen below. The song is taken from the band's upcoming album, "Kulkija" ("Wanderer"), which will be released on September 7 via Nuclear Blast.

The "Henkselipoika" clip was directed by Markku Kirves, who previously worked with KORPIKLAANI on the "Rauta", "Vodka" and "Tequila" videos.

Founding member Jonne Järvelä commented: "'Henkselipoika' pretty much wrote itself. The first thing to come to my head was the verse riff, on top of which the melody wrote itself. The song was a very easy piece to write and it was finished in one day. As far as I can remember, this was the first finished song for the new album 'Kulkija'.

"I wrote this one to a finished text that I got from Tuomas Keskimäki back when I was making the latest JONNE album 'Kallohonka'. That album had the song 'Hulivili', and this text is about the same young rascal who is still very much into partying and having fun but is at the same time already longing for a woman by his side.

"It is quite interesting that these songs got connected this way, even though they are on different albums and are even by different bands," added Keskimäki.

Jonne continued: "The video was shot in Kuhmoinen around the Huhtala torp, which is also portrayed on the cover of the album 'Kulkija'. It is is a bit exceptional with a slight home-made feeling to it. Many of the actors are actually family members of other contributors. These include Cane's father with his wife, my daughter Tinja and her friend Sanni, the director's both sons Konsta and Otto and so on. "The video also shows Finnish nature and the idyllic countryside at its best. This might also seem rather exotic for KORPIKLAANI fans from outside of the Nordic countries."

With 14 tracks and a total running time of over 71 minutes, "Kulkija" is the group's longest album to date. Working with producer Janne Saksa for the first time, the album was recorded at Petrax Studio (Hollola, Finland) and mixed at Sound Supreme Studios (Hämeenlinna, Finland). Mastering duties were handled by renowned engineer Svante Forsbäck (RAMMSTEIN). The cover was designed by Jan Yrlund (BATTLE BEAST, MANOWAR), who has already created several artworks for previous albums and singles for the band.

Jonne commented: "We've never been as satisfied with a final result as we are with 'Kulkija'. We tried to keep it very natural. Like the wanderer, this album is a journey, one that makes you feel good."

Accordionist Sami Perttula added: "'Kulkija' isn't just a collection of songs, it's a 'real' album with a unique atmosphere guiding the listeners through a long journey. All songs were well prepared in advance and nothing needed to be arranged in the studio. Tuomas [fiddle] and I had lots of space to develop and play the folk arrangements."

KORPIKLAANI will return to the U.S. for a 25-date tour dubbed "The Wayfarer" in October and November. Russian pagan/folk metallers ARKONA will be joining them as direct support act.

Photo credit: Peero Lakanen

SiriusXM announced that SLASH FEATURING MYLES KENNEDY AND THE CONSPIRATORS will perform for SiriusXM on Tuesday, September 11 at the famed Whisky A Go Go in Los Angeles. The announcement was made on SiriusXM's Volume channel show "Trunk Nation LA Invasion: Live From The Rainbow Bar & Grill". Slash joined Eddie Trunk as the special surprise guest for the show's premiere on Friday, August 3.

The intimate set for SiriusXM listeners will showcase SLASH FEATURING MYLES KENNEDY AND THE CONSPIRATORS performing songs from their upcoming album, "Living The Dream", and their previous works "World On Fire" and "Apocalyptic Love".

The performance will air September 21 at 8:00 p.m. ET on SiriusXM's Octane, via satellite on channel 37 through the SiriusXM app on smartphones and other connected devices, as well as online at SiriusXM.com. The show will also air simultaneously on Howard Stern's Howard 101 channel; Slash is a longtime friend of "The Howard Stern Show" and performed at the Howard Stern birthday bash.

Subscribers will have the opportunity to win tickets to this private SiriusXM performance through an invitation sent by e-mail to qualified subscribers who have consented to e-mail marketing from SiriusXM and who have registered their music interests s at siriusxm.com/perks. Plus subscribers since July 20, 2018 will be able to enter for the chance to win a trip for two to Los Angeles, California, including airfare, hotel stay and a pair of tickets, to the show at Whisky A Go Go.


SiriusXM subscribers are able to listen to Octane (channel 37) on SiriusXM radios, and those with streaming access can listen online, on-the-go with the SiriusXM mobile app and at home on a wide variety of connected devices including smart TVs, Amazon Alexa devices, Apple TV, PlayStation, Roku, Sonos speakers and more.

JUDAS PRIEST was inducted into the Hall Of Heavy Metal History on August 2 at the Wacken Open Air festival in Wacken, Germany. The ceremony, which can be seen below, took place just before the iconic metal band performed one of the biggest shows of its current "Firepower" world tour in front of more than 75,000 fans.

"We have made sure that JUDAS PRIEST finally gets the induction and respect they truly deserve," said Pat Gesualdo, founder/CEO of the Hall Of Heavy Metal History. "We thank them for the decades of hard work and dedication to heavy metal, an art form they helped establish."

An official statement from the band reads: "JUDAS PRIEST are thrilled and honored to accept induction into the Hall Of Heavy Metal History and be amongst so many of our friends. This also sends a great message of inclusion for the metal community around the world, and keeps us defending the metal faith together."

The Hall Of Heavy Metal History is a non-profit organization dedicated to enshrining forever those iconic musicians and music industry executives who are responsible for making hard rock and heavy metal music what it is today. Their contribution to the genre is invaluable, and they keep inspiring heavy metal fans throughout the world, from generation to generation.

The Hall Of Heavy Metal History throws an annual celebrity benefit gala in January, in Anaheim, California. The Hall also has holds a European annual onstage induction ceremony at Wacken Open Air.

The Hall Of Heavy Metal History is part of the non-profit organization D.A.D. (Drums And Disabilities).

PRIEST will return to the United States at the end of August for a co-headlining run with fellow classic heavy rockers DEEP PURPLE.

The "Firepower" trek is PRIEST's first since guitarist Glenn Tipton announced that he was retiring from the road due to his battle with Parkinson's disease. He is being replaced on tour by "Firepower" album producer Andy Sneap, also known for his work as the guitar player in NWOBHM revivalists HELL and cult thrash outfit SABBAT.

Tipton was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease four years ago — after being stricken by the degenerative condition at least half a decade earlier — but only recently announced he was going to sit out touring activities in support of "Firepower". The guitarist, who is now 70 and has performed on every PRIEST album since the band's 1974 debut set, "Rocka Rolla", is not quitting the band, but simply cannot handle the rigorous challenges of performing live.

"Time To Kill" is a new publication from Wymer Publishing that focuses on the final tumultuous year for the classic DEEP PURPLE MKII lineup. Written by PURPLE biographer Jerry Bloom, who has already written several books on the band, this is an in-depth look at the the appropriately named "The Battle Rages On..." album and the tour that followed its release during this much-overlooked period in the band's career.

DEEP PURPLE MKII will always be revered as the classic DEEP PURPLE lineup. Original members Ritchie Blackmore, Jon Lord and Ian Paice, along with Ian Gillan and Roger Glover, established PURPLE as one of the biggest bands in the world during their original tenure between 1969-73. When the lineup reformed in 1984, it proved once again that this was the definitive DEEP PURPLE and their 1985 U.S. tour was the second biggest grossing that year. Sadly, by 1989, the friction between Blackmore and Gillan that had led to the spilt first time around did so again and Gillan was fired.

With all eyes on the 25th anniversary of the band's 1968 inception, there was huge pressure both from within and outside the band for Gillan to return to the fold so that the occasion could be celebrated in style. The critics said it wouldn't work — it did. And they said it wouldn't last... well they were certainly right about that!

Upon Gillan's return in late 1992 they produced the album and then planned to embark on a world tour. However, the American shows were all canceled, which left just Europe and Japan. Whilst the tensions within the band were greater than ever, Jon Lord went on to say: "The shows were done at an energy level and ability level I've rarely seen attained before. I think we played as well as we've ever played."

Indeed, for those fortunate to witness the tour most fans shared Lord's opinion. Yet the divisions between Blackmore and Gillan grew as the tour progressed, with Blackmore calling a halt to proceedings before the Japanese leg could begin. In all, there would be just 37 shows — the last hurrah of the ultimate DEEP PURPLE lineup.

Bloom wrote "Black Knight", the unauthorized Ritchie Blackmore biography; several other books on PURPLE as well as contributing sleeve notes to various officially released DEEP PURPLE albums, including "Live In Europe 1993" — a 4 CD box set that he also initiated. Bloom caught 10 of the 37 shows and was privy to some of the shenanigans that went on, making him the ideal person to document the last MKII tour in detail.

Along with the comprehensive narrative, this beautifully designed book is crammed full of never before seen photos from the tour. It includes many shots of the band both on stage as well as back stage, in hotels, on aeroplanes and relaxing as the tour wound its way across Europe culminating in Blackmore's last show with the band in Finland on November 17, 1993.

As part of the commemoration, the book will be fittingly published on November 17 this year, 25 years to the day that MKII played its last-ever concert together.

"Time To Kill" can be ordered here.

DRAGONFORCE bassist Frédéric Leclercq has confirmed to Metal Wani that the band has commenced working on material for the follow-up to 2017's "Reaching Into Infinity" album. "Sam [Totman, guitar] and I started writing songs a few months ago — maybe two months ago — and I'm supposed to have a look at those songs, actually, tomorrow," he said (hear audio below). "So, we are working on this, and we're planning on releasing it sometime next year. I think we're gonna start showing some videos on social media and what not, so things will appear. And I guess the album should come out sometime next year — probably September; that's what I imagine right now — and then go on tour."

"Reaching Into Infinity" was released in May 2017 via earMUSIC on CD, LP and a special-edition CD and DVD. The follow-up to 2014's "Maximum Overload" marked DRAGONFORCE's third full-length studio release with singer Marc Hudson, who joined the group in 2011 following the departure of original frontman ZP Theart (now in SKID ROW).

DRAGONFORCE's fifth album, "The Power Within", which was originally released in early 2012, has been completely remastered and remixed and reissued under the title "Re-Powered Within" in Europe via earMUSIC and in Japan through JVC Victor.

Leclercq's death metal project SINSAENUM, in which he is joined by former SLIPKNOT drummer Joey Jordison, will release its new album, "Repulsion For Humanity", on August 10 via earMUSIC.

California heavy rockers HIGH ON FIRE have released the title track of their upcoming album, "Electric Messiah", via NPR. The disc will be issued on October 5 via Entertainment One (eOne).

"I had a dream about Lemmy," says HIGH ON FIRE frontman Matt Pike, explaining the inspiration behind the title of the band's new album. "When Lemmy was still alive, I always got compared to Lemmy, so I had this dream where he got pissed at me. He gave me a bunch of shit, basically, and was hazing me. Not that he didn't approve of me, but like I was being hazed. The song is me telling the world that I could never fill Lemmy's shoes because Lemmy's Lemmy. I wanted to pay homage to him in a great way. And it turned out to be such a good title that the guys said we should call the album 'Electric Messiah'."

"Electric Messiah" reunites the band with producer Kurt Ballou (CONVERGE, TORCHE, KVELERTAK) for the third time. "Kurt just has a knack for us, man," Pike says. "We all work really well with him. Even if we have differences about how we want to record something, he works with us and understands what we do. We've been sticking with him because we haven't made a bad record with him yet."

It feels absurd to think that this late into their career HIGH ON FIRE has hit a new career peak, but that's what happens when you have a trio that works this well together. For all of Ballou's sonic wizardry, "Electric Messiah" is all about the evolution of Pike, Des Kensel and Jeff Matz.

"This band keeps evolving," Pike enthuses. "This is by far the best record I've ever made with the HIGH ON FIRE stamp. It just keeps getting better and better. We just try to outdo ourselves. I'm not saying the old work is progressively worse, it's just that we get better every time instead of burning out, which is a common finality for a lot of bands. This album is fucking excellent. I just love everything on it; I'm not bummed about anything. It's great when you think that about your record."

"Electric Messiah" track listing:

01. Spewn From The Earth

02. Steps Of The Ziggurat/House Of Enlil

03. Electric Messiah

04. Sanctioned Annihilation

05. The Pallid Mask

06. God Of The Godless

07. Freebooter

08. The Witch And The Christ

09. Drowning Dog

Photo credit: Jen Rosenstein

Wargaming — the company behind free-to-play titles World Of Tanks (2010), World Of Warplanes (2013) and World Of Warships (2015) — recently announced that IRON MAIDEN frontman Bruce Dickinson is hosting 10 online educational warplanes diaries. This free-to-view series is being released weekly on the World Of Warplanes official portal and YouTube channel across June, July and August, alongside an exclusive World Of Warplanes video tribute to the classic IRON MAIDEN song "Aces High".

As an avid enthusiast of military aviation, pilot, and supporter of World Of Warplanes' dedication to historical accuracy, Bruce has recorded "The Bruce Dickinson Warplanes Diaries" about the classic WW2 fighter and bomber aircraft such as the Spitfire, Hawker Hurricane and Messerschmitt Bf 109. As an extra treat for MAIDEN and Warplanes fans, World Of Warplanes have created, with many of the graphics from their in-game engine and some classic archive footage, a tribute video clip to the epic "Aces High" music video. Featuring many of the Battle Of Britain planes that Bruce profiles in the series, viewers can see the machines really brought to life.

"We are all delighted that Bruce has brought his enthusiasm and expertise to World Of Warplanes with these informative videos which he has delivered in his own inimitable style," commented Wargaming's global marketing director, Al King. "As well as the diaries and the 'Aces High' tribute, we are also introducing a renovated hangar subtly branded with iconic IRON MAIDEN imagery. It's unlike anything the game’s ever had before and we hope MAIDEN fans will have fun spotting the various Easter eggs hidden throughout!"

Dickinson's eighth video sees him talking about the Spitfire, British single-seat fighter aircraft used by the Royal Air Force and other allied countries before, during and after World War II.

On August 10, German a cappella metal band VAN CANTO will release its seventh studio album, "Trust In Rust", via Napalm Records. The official video for the song "Neverland" can be seen below.

Since 2006, they have brought pure vocal power to the metal world. Now made up of seven members, VAN VANTO's "Trust In Rust" covers a wide stylistic range, from melodic to bombastic, showcasing the band's takes on ballads, hard rock ballbreakers and speed metal anthems. Covers, ranging from HELLOWEEN's "Ride The Sky" (featuring HELLOWEEN's Kai Hansen) to AC/DC's "Hells Bells", give listeners a completely fresh glimpse at the vocal crew. The sound of "Trust In Rust" reflects VAN CANTO's varied experiences on the road with unbroken power and passion for the human voice in heavy metal.

VAN VANTO comments on the new album: "If you release seven albums in 12 years, you aren't able to rust. Nevertheless, the new album is rougher and more metal. It's a composite work of all seven bandmembers, full of new ideas but without losing the good old VAN CANTO style. We are still excited about what we are doing and believe in ourselves — 'Trust in Rust'!"


"Trust In Rust" track listing:

01. Back In The Lead

02. Javelin

03. Trust In Rust

04. Ride The Sky (feat. Kai Hansen)

05. Melody

06. Neverland

07. Desert Snake

08. Darkest Days

09. Infinity

10. Hells Bells

11. Heading Home

CD 2: Best Of - Orchestral Versions (available in the digipack)

01. The Mission (Orchestral Version)

02. Rain (Orchestral Version)

03. Hero (Orchestral Version)

04. Take To The Sky (Orchestral Version)

05. Water Fire Heaven Earth (Orchestral Version)

06. My Voice (Orchestral Version)

07. If I Die In Battle (Orchestral Version)

08. The Higher Flight (Orchestral Version)

09. Unholy (Orchestral Version)

10. The Other Ones (Orchestral Version)

American power trio PRONG has released a lyric video for the song "However It May End", created by TheCutCartel in Toronto, Canada. The track is taken from the band's latest album, "Zero Days", which was released in July 2017 via Steamhammer/SPV. The disc was once again produced by PRONG mainman Tommy Victor, with trusted collaborator Chris Collier as co-producer and engineer.

Victor said about the song and the video: "Hey, PRONG has a new lyric video for the song 'However It May End' from our 'Zero Days' album. I threw some Eastern philosophical ideas in with a Western doomsday outlook for the concept of the song. The video depicts the transcendence with violence. It came out great; check it out!"

PRONG is continuing to tour in support of "Zero Days". After a solid year of shows with the likes of TESTAMENT, OBITUARY, SEPULTURA and EXODUS, as well as having key slots on the European summer festival circuit in 2017, the band recently completed a headline run with POWERFLO and a highly coveted, co-headline run with HELMET.

Last month, Victor told the "Thunder Underground" podcast that he has already begun working on material for the follow-up to "Zero Days".

SIEGE OF POWER's music video for the song "Mushroom Cloud Altar" can be seen below. The track is taken from the band's debut album, "Warning Blast", which will be released on September 7 via Metal Blade.

SIEGE OF POWER comments: "'Mushroom Cloud Altar' is a more punky track on the album 'Warning Blast'. Straight-forward D-Beat DISCHARGE without blah blah!"

"Warning Blast" track listing:

01. Conquest For What?

02. For The Pain

03. Bulldozing Skulls

04. Born Into Hate

05. Torture Lab

06. Uglification

07. Trapped And Blinded

08. Diatribe

09. Warning Blast

10. Mushroom Cloud Altar

11. Lost And Insane

12. Bleeding For The Cause

13. Escalation 'Til Extermination

14. Privileged Prick

15. Short Fuse

16. Violence In The Air

17. It Will Never Happen

18. The Cold Room

SIEGE OF POWER started in 2013 as a project without any expectations. Shortly after releasing a split album, it was left for dead, buried and almost forgotten until the rotten corpse was exhumed in 2017. This resulted in a no-nonsense extreme metal album mixed with several doomdozers. Influences vary from CARNIVORE and STORMTROOPERS OF DEATH to DISCHARGE and AMEBIX, done in their own style.

SIEGE OF POWER is:

* Chris Reifert (AUTOPSY, VIOLATION WOUND, ABSCESS, PAINTED DOLL) - Vocals

* Paul Baayens (ASPHYX, HAIL OF BULLETS, THANATOS) - Guitars

* Theo van Eekelen (HAIL OF BULLETS, HOUWITSER, GRAND SUPREME BLOOD COURT) - Bass

* Bob Bagchus (ASPHYX, SOULBURN, GRAND SUPREME BLOOD COURT) - Drums

Comments Chris Reifert on the Metal Blade signing: "Well, this is pretty fucking cool. Metal Blade was one of the early metal labels I discovered as a young teenager while questing for the next heavy thing and I discovered tons of bands through their regular album and EP releases as well as the highly influential 'Metal Massacre' series. My history with MB is deep, whether they know it or not and here we are now working together at last. Hell yeah!"

Bob Bagchus: "The name Metal Blade is metal magic to me. Always has been since my early pubic years. Names such as METALLICA, SLAYER, TROUBLE, HALLOWS EVE are as strongly connected to Metal Blade as to my childhood when I first got into metal. Being signed by them with SIEGE OF POWER is a great feeling and perhaps the crown of my 'musical' career!"

Photo credit: Martijn Peters

FOREIGNER received a little help from local students in the Stevens High School choir when the band performed Saturday night (August 4) at The Sturgis Buffalo Chip in Sturgis, South Dakota.

The legendary rockers were joined on stage by the high school choir during one of the band's biggest hits, "I Want To Know What Love Is".

Although FOREIGNER had played the largest stage at the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally before, this was the group's first appearance with a choir. In addition, FOREIGNER's current lineup was expanded with the addition of several other original members — singer Lou Gramm, keyboardist Al Greenwood, multi-instrumentalist Ian McDonald along with longtime bassist Rick Wills.

FOREIGNER has announced four more concerts featuring all current bandmembers plus the original bandmembers who helped to put the iconic group on the map more than forty years ago. Dubbed "Double Vision: Then And Now", the shows are November 9 at Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles, California; November 10 at Agua Caliente Casino in Rancho Mirage, California; November 30 at the Hard Rock in Atlantic City, New Jersey; and December 1 at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut.

"Time has healed a lot, so onwards and upwards," Gramm recently told Rapid City Journal of the renewed friendship he has with his former bandmates.

"We just go out there and have a lot of fun," guitarist Mick Jones, who is the sole remaining founding member in FOREIGNER's current lineup. told the Daily Herald. "The old members love it. Lou and our present singer, Kelly Hansen, get along like a house on fire… In the end, both Lou and Kelly really respect each other's vocal ability. You know, they push each other on. It's great to see it; I'm so happy. Because what Lou and I did together, it's a separate entity in a way, but to be able to look back and to see actually how much we did achieve together, I think it's been really great for that recognition."

The reunion shows come on the heels of the 40th anniversary of FOREIGNER's best-selling album, "Double Vision".

Canadian metal trio Cauldron are streaming "Never Be Found", a track from their new album New Gods, out September 7th through The End Records (North America) and Dissonance Productions (Europe). Listen

For the follow up to their critically-acclaimed 2016 album In Ruin, Jason Decay (lead vocals/bass), Ian Chains (guitar) and Myles Deck (drums) together with producer Chris Stringer (Timber Timbre, Wooden Sky) honed and recorded the songs at Union Sound in Toronto for what would become New Gods.

New Gods, the group’s fifth full-length studio record, once again promises a strong emphasis on songwriting and melody, complete with high-end organic production to match. “We have always prioritized songwriting above anything else. For me personally, I have always felt more confident writing than as a "musician" and for the first time I think we have found the production that best suits our songs,” says Decay.

"I am very proud of the songwriting, performances and production on this one, and it is definitely the most confident I have been in a finished album of ours.  It is dark, it’s heavy and it has a very melodic sense of AOR. Most importantly, it still sounds very Cauldron. I’m pretty sure people who were into In Ruin will like this one just as much if not more!”



Tracklisting:

“Prisoner Of The Past”
“Letting Go”
“No Longer”
“Save The Truth / Syracuse”
“Never Be Found”
“Drown”
“Together As One”
“Isolation”
“Last Request”

“Letting Go”:



Cauldron have announced a set of shows with support act Barrow Wight to celebrate the new album.



Dates:

September
6 - Boston, MA - The Middle East
7 - Philadelphia, PA - Boot & Saddle
8 - Brooklyn, NY - The Kingsland

The band also has a headline release show planned in their hometown of Toronto set for September 15th at Junction City Music Hall.

To coincide with the start of their upcoming North American co-headline tour with Pallbearer, Swedish Metallers Tribulation will release a new 7 inch / Digital EP on September 14th. The Nightbound 7 inch features both a recent live recording and a previously unreleased instrumental demo version of the song “Nightbound”, off their latest album “Down Below”. A new promotional video clip for “Nightbound” is currently being worked on by director Robert Piehl, who previously worked with the band on the video for “The Lament”.

The Nightbound EP will be available in the following vinyl colors and worldwide limitations:
 
Transparent blue vinyl – 100 copies / CM Webshop Europe
White vinyl – 200 copies / CM Distro Europe
Dark green vinyl –100 copies / At band’s webstore via Kingsroad
Transparent red vinyl – 100 copies / From the band on tour
Black vinyl – 500 copies / CM Distro Europe

More details about the Digital version of the EP will be available soon.

Tribulation recently announced a fall tour of North America, the band’s first visit since the release of their album Down Below. The trek, which kicks off on September 14th in Montreal, features a mix of headlining performances as well as a number of co-headlining dates with Pallbearer.   

Tribulation, collectively, said of the upcoming outing: "We are at last heading back over the Atlantic Ocean to the New World, this time to its northerly part that is the great North America. How we've waited! Along for the ride this time we have the mighty and the very heavy Pallbearer to close each evening, deepening the Dionysian spirit that we, hopefully, have managed to spark in you. Montreal, Kansas City, Los Angeles, New Orleans and the East Coast will see us playing without Pallbearer with support acts yet to be announced and with us closing each night. We urge you to join us in these nocturnal festivities where both bands will be playing long sets. The tickets go on sale on Friday, get yours while you can!"

Pallbearer added, "After a long period of constant touring behind Heartless, it’s almost time for us to settle into the cold season and begin crafting our next musical endeavor. But before that, we are heading out once more across North America to bring this chapter to its conclusion. We look forward to stretching out our sets each night on this double bill with Tribulation, revisiting some songs from our past and adding extra layers to newer material."

Tour dates:

September
14 - Montreal, QC - Petit Campus *
15 - Toronto, ON - Lee’s Palace
16 - Detroit, MI - Magic Stick
18 - Chicago, IL Bottom Lounge
19 - Minneapolis, MN - Turf Club
20 - Kansas City, MO - The Riot Room *
21 - Denver, CO - Bluebird Theater
22 - Salt Lake City, UT - Metro
24 - Calgary, AB - Dickens
25 - Edmonton, AB - Starlite
27 - Vancouver, BC - Rickshaw
28 - Seattle, WA - El Corazon
29 - Portland, OR - Hawthorne

October
1 - San Francisco, CA - Slim’s
2 - Los Angeles, CA - Lodge Room *
3 - Phoenix, AZ - Rebel Lounge
5 - Austin, TX - Barracuda
6 - Dallas, TX - Trees
7 - Houston, TX - White Oak
8 - New Orleans, LA - Santos Bar *
9 - Atlanta, GA - The Masquerade *
10 - Greensboro, NC - Blind Tiger *
11 - Washington, DC - Rock & Roll Hotel *
12 - Brooklyn, NY - Elsewhere *
13 - Boston, MA - Brighton Music Hall *

* - Headlining date (all non-headlining dates are co-headlines with Pallbearer)

Tribulation released their Down Below album in January via Century Media Records. The hauntingly beautiful cover painting for Down Below was done by Tribulation guitarist Jonathan Hultén.

Down Below tracklisting:

"The Lament"
"Nightbound"
"Lady Death"
"Subterranea"
"Purgatorio"
"Cries From The Underworld"
"Lacrimosa"
"The World"
"Here Be Dragons"
"Come, Become, To Be" (Bonus Track)

"The World" visualizer:

"The Lament" video:

(Photo - Ester Segarra)

Courtesy of the XTV Podcast, multi-camera footage of KISS' July 8th show in Madrid, Spain is available below. The setlist on the night was as follows:

"Deuce"  
"War Machine" 
"Firehouse" 
"Shock Me" 
"I Love It Loud" 
"Flaming Youth" 
"Dr. Love" 
"Lick It Up"  
"God Of Thunder" 
"I Was Made For Lovin' You" 
"Love Gun" 
"Black Diamond"
"Cold Gin" 
"Detroit Rock City"
"Rock And Roll All Nite"

Dynamite is thrilled to announce a new comic book series featuring KISS. Writer Bryan Edward Hill (Detective Comics, Postal) and artist Rodney Buchemi (Death of Hawkman) crank the volume high as they bring you the KISS series we have all been waiting for this October.

In KISS: Blood And Stardust, an immortal cabal is taking the lives of innocents and the only ones who can stop them are KISS! The only problem…they are dead. And now they have to make a deal with a demon to save their souls and return to Earth to fight evil!

"KISS was the soundtrack of a time in my life where I had tons of ambition and few rules. Endless nights in dive bars in New York City, watching sunrises on the rooftops of Brooklyn. I might have discovered them in the aughts, but I was filled with the spirit of the 70's,” remarked author Bryan Hill. "The 1970's was a special decade, a decade of fame and magic where guitar riffs and drum solos were your co-pilots and the devil MAY have cared, but he couldn't stop your shine. "

"As one of rock's most celebrated bands, KISS continues to be a staple in the comic book industry," said Nick Barrucci, CEO and Publisher of Dynamite Entertainment. "Bryan Hill has really built a name for himself, so we’re thrilled to have him penning KISS: Blood & Stardust as part of our fall lineup."

The origins of KISS comic books date almost as far back as the inception as the band itself, having been an integral part of comics culture since their 1977 appearance in Howard the Duck #12 and 1978's Marvel Comics Super Special: KISS. Today, nearly 40 years later, Dynamite Entertainment is the proud home to the comic book series KISS, KISS: The Demon, KISS/Vampirella, KISS/Army of Darkness and now KISS: Blood & Stardust.

Read more here

Dynamite Entertainment is bringing a Deluxe-Premiere trading card set to specialty retailers this fall, featuring a select group of KISS’s fan-favorite photos and artists portraying the world-renown rock band in all their glory, plus Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley signed cards.

“KISS trading cards are some of the most collectible memorabilia out there, they’ve been around since the early days of the band,” said KISS co-founder Gene Simmons. “These new cards add to the tradition and the lore of KISS and I can’t wait for fans to get their hands on them.”

In 1978, Donruss released the first set of KISS trading cards and Dynamite Entertainment continues the tradition 40 years later with the KISS Deluxe Ultra-Premium Trading Card Set from America’s #1 Gold Record Award-winning group of all time.

“KISS continues to be one of the greatest bands of the century, their logo, makeup and songs are instantly recognizable and after 40 years, fans are collecting their memorabilia more than ever,” said Nick Barrucci, CEO and Publisher of Dynamite Entertainment. “We’ve been publishing KISS comics, but the fans wanted more so now we give you the hottest trading card set on shelves this fall!”

Dynamite’s KISS Deluxe Ultra-Premium Trading Card Set includes an 18-card base set, plus Dynamite chase cards that include: 6 autographed cards, 3 B&W art cards, 9-card puzzle cards, 2-box-topper special cards, and hand-drawn original art signed sketch cards.  Every autographed card featuring a color ink or ultra-rare, gold ink signature!

Every individual foil pack includes 2 Base Cards, 2 Sketch Cards, 1 B&W Art Card, 1 Puzzle Card, and 1 Autographed Card.  Additionally, every specially designed, 4-color box includes 12 foil packs.

The KISS Deluxe Ultra-Premium Trading Card Set will be solicited in Diamond Comic Distributors’ August 2018 Previews catalog, the premier source of merchandise for the comic book specialty market, and slated for release in October.

Grammy Award-winning band Ghost performed at the Dynamo Metal Fest in Eindhoven, Netherlands on July 14th. Multi-cam footage of "Rats" live can be viewed below

Ghost’s fourth sacred psalm, Prequelle, debuted at #3 on the Billboard Top 200 Albums chart,  #2 Top Current Album, #1 Rock, and #2 Vinyl, with 65,653 albums sold. Word has since come down from Billboard that the band's "Rats"single has landed at #1 on Billboard's Mainstream Rock Songs airplay chart. Check it out here.

Prequelle also debuted at  #1 in Sweden, Norway, and Finland, #1 at Rock in the UK, and in the Top 10 overall in the UK, Germany (#2), France (#4), Australia, and Mexico. This follows over 25,000 album pre-orders (the highest in their career), over 5 million pre-release streams of first single, "Rats", and the announcement of their first ever headline arena dates. "Rats" is currently #4 at Active Rock Radio, and was the #1 National Rock Song of the Week (Music Choice).

Released on June 1st, Prequelle is now available digitally and physically via Loma Vista Recordings. On June 14th, Ghost will join Candlemass to honour Metallica by performing one of their songs as members Lars Ulrich and Robert Trujillo are presented with the Polar Music Prize by the King of Sweden, Carl XVI Gustaf.

Additionally, Ghost announced a massive North American fall tour including their previously announced headline arena dates at The Forum in Los Angeles, CA and Barclays Center in Brooklyn, NY that will kick off on November 1st in Chicago, IL and wrap on December 15th in Brooklyn, NY. The band will stop in Canada for shows in Toronto, ON and Laval, QC in December. Pre-sale tickets for the tour will be available beginning June 12th at 10:00 am local time and general tickets will be available to the public beginning June 15th at 10:00 am local time. Pre-sale and VIP packages can be found here. A complete list of upcoming live dates are listed below.

October
26 - Tulsa, OK - Cox Business Center Ballroom
29 - Louisville, KY - Palace Theatre
30 - Indianapolis, IN - The Murat Theatre

November
1 - Chicago, IL - Aragon Ballroom
2 - Peoria, IL - Peoria Civic Center - Theatre
3 - Madison, WI - The Sylvee
4 - Ames, IA - Stephens Auditorium
6 - Omaha, NE - Orpheum Theater
8 - Albuquerque, NM - Kiva Auditorium
9 - El Paso, TX - Abraham Chavez Theatre
10 - Phoenix, AZ - Comerica Theatre
12 - San Diego, CA - Spreckels Theatre
13 - Sacramento, CA - Sacramento Community Center Theater
15 - San Jose, CA - City National Civic Center
16 - Los Angeles, CA - The Forum
17 - Las Vegas, NV - The Joint
19 - Midland, TX - Wagner Noel Performing Arts Center
20 - Austin, TX - Bass Concert Hall
21 - New Orleans, LA - Orpheum Theatre
23 - Orlando, FL - Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts - Walt Disney Theater
24 - Miami Beach, FL - The Fillmore at Jackie Gleason Theater
25 - Clearwater, FL - Ruth Eckerd Hall
27 - North Charleston, SC - North Charleston Performing Arts Center
29 - Mobile, AL - Saenger Theatre
30 - Atlanta, GA - Roxy Theatre

December
1 - Jacksonville, FL - Florida Theatre
2 - Charlotte, NC - Ovens Auditorium
4 - Richmond, VA - Dominion Energy Center
5 - Wilkes-Barre, PA - F.M. Kirby Center for the Performing Arts
7 - Laval, QC - Place Bell
8 - Toronto, ON - Sony Centre for the Performing Arts
10 - Baltimore, MD - The Hippodrome
11 - Upper Darby, PA - Tower Theater
13 - Albany, NY - Palace Theatre
14 - Boston, MA - Wang Theatre
15 - Brooklyn, NY - Barclays Center

Just Before Dawn, the war metal machine comprised of ex-members of Bolt Thrower, Benediction, Amon Amarth, Blood Mortized, and current members of Down Among The Dead Men, Wombbath and many more, have further expanded their deal with OSDM label Raw Skull Records.

From the band’s label: "We are very proud to announce that we have arranged a multiple release deal with Swedish/Danish/English death metal war machine Just Before Dawn. What can you expect:

- split release including Decaying 
- split release including Supreme Carnage
- CD including unreleased tracks
- new full length album in 2019

And last but not least, check them out live in 2019. They will come to drop some devastating ordnance to conquer your world!"

Frontman Dave Ingram comments: “We just played a bunch of highly successful festivals this year, and now that we’re beginning work on our next release we’re looking to totally devastate a lot more venues in 2019. And who knows, maybe we’ll treat the crowds to a tribute of a very known and much missed band of war masters, whom we hold in high esteem." 

Band line-up:
Dave Ingram - vocals
Anders Biazzi - guitar
Jonny Pettersson - bass, backing vocals
Gustav Myrin - guitar
Jon Rudin - drums

Phoenix-based hard rock/alternative metal band Mourning Grey have released a video for "Scarred", from the band's new Hollow EP, which is available now on digital outlets worldwide via Pavement Entertainment.

The video focuses on the foursome playing to the backdrop of a harsh desert with a plane covered in graffiti. Clearly, the emotions in "Scarred" are as raw as the elements of the barren landscape in the video. Mourning Grey does not hold back, belting out the vocals and instrumentals in this gutsy track about heartbreak.

While the song talks about the scars and depression heartbreak leaves you with, vocalist Benjamin Chapman notes, "In the end, 'Scarred' talks about living with the sickness. Even a person who has been destroyed and terrorized can overcome it."

Lineup:

Benjamin Chapman - Vocals
Chris Jeter - Drums
Dave Vaughan - Bass

Extreme blackened metal quartet Infera Bruo have unveiled the second single from their forthcoming album, Cerement. Listen to “Endnotes” below.

Cerement is the band’s third full-length LP and will be released on September 7th. Produced by Baudhuin and mastered by Brad Boatright; Cerement contains eight tracks of multifaceted, smoldering blackened metal rooted in a wide array of influences drawn from the diverse backgrounds of each band member. Experience dissonance colliding with exquisiteness as Infera Bruo continue to hone in on their unique musical landscape while invoking elements of classic second wave black metal.

Cerement will be available on all digital outlets, compact disc and limited LP. Preorders available at this location.

Tracklisting:

“Poison Waters”
“Shroud Enigma”
“Effigy Of Reason”
“Endnotes”
“The Lunar Pass”
“Draped In Sky”
“Scorne”
“Temporial”

“Endnotes”: