Winston-Salem, NC-based quartet Stellar Circuits have been churning out massive soundscapes of rock and metal - chock full of the elements of progressive/experimental rock and metal that fans of the genre love with none of the tired fluff in between.

Hair-raising melodies, otherworldly interludes, intricate solos, grooving riffs, soaring, gripping vocals and an overall electric aura define the energy of Stellar Circuits on their upcoming full-length album, Ways We Haunt, out November 9th. Produced by renowned producer Jamie King (Between The Buried And Me, Scale The Summit, The Contortionist), Ways We Haunt scratches all the progressive itches while incorporating elements from the outer-sphere of metal and rock, past and present. The album reflects influence from out-of-the-box artists like A Perfect Circle, Karnivool, Between The Buried And Me, The Contortionist and beyond.

Get your first taste of Ways We Haunt by taking in the mesmerizing video for "Go With Your Ghost", available for streaming below. The video was directed/edited by Erez Bader (Veil of Maya, The Contortionist), with cinematography from Justin Reich (Black Label Society, The Browning).

Pre-orders for Ways We Haunt will be available next week, but you can stream "Go With Your Ghost" now via Spotify. The track was just added to the New Blood playlist!

Bassist Jesse Olsen says "Go With Your Ghost" ended up being different from the tracks on the remainder of Ways We Haunt: "This track went through a lot of transitions. It was one of those songs you're writing that floats there for a while. We'd leave it alone until we could riff something out that better suited the rest of the sections without rushing the natural progression of writing. I think for that very reason it ended up being very unique among the rest of the tracks on the record."

Vocalist Ben Beddick adds about Ways We Haunt as a whole: "The concept behind the record was something that developed as we continued to write songs. I remember being really into the series 'True Detective' at the time. There was an idea surrounding one episode about your mind being like a locked room. The concept was taken further into the idea of our minds being like a house with many rooms. I was really inspired by this and the metaphor of a haunted house. After stepping back from the songs and the sequence it was so clear that there was a theme that progressed throughout. It's similar to the cycle that we go through in our minds when we can't let things go. We can compartmentalize regret and loss as well as our insecurities when we hold onto them. There's a light at the end of the tunnel though - where we can finally come to terms with our lives and who we are, even if it's just for a moment. That's what music and art has always done for me."

Stellar Circuits express that working with acclaimed producer Jamie King on Ways We Haunt was a stress-free experience, allowing them to flourish. Drummer Tyler Menon says about the recording process: "I felt completely at home the entire time we were working with Jamie - he is super easy to work with. He's a wizard behind his rig too. Jamie really helped bring our vision to life and I couldn't be happier with the whole experience of working with him."

Jesse Olsen adds: "This album encompasses a variety of different moods and soundscapes from track to track. We're all constantly experimenting with different sounds and vibes so we never really know where we'll end up at the end of the process."

Stellar Circuits formed in 2015 with the idea of creating progressively-minded music that resonates with the masses. The name "Stellar Circuits" is derived from the eight-circuit model of consciousness, a theory proposed in the 1970's about expanding consciousness and understanding the process of our mind as it pertains to existentialism. Although the music revolves heavily around introspection and self-reflection, this is also coupled with the importance of aesthetics and groove.

Creating music both intellectual and visceral, Stellar Circuits is nothing short of a vehicle - transporting the listener to places both chaotic and cathartic.

Stellar Circuits will perform at their album release show on November 2nd at The RamKat in Winston-Salem, NC. Doors open at 7 PM, show begins at 8 PM, and the show costs $10 at the door. Support will come from Shun The Raven, Raimee, and Norm.

Ways We Haunt tracklisting:

"Nocturnal Visitor"
"Skylights"
"Fell Under A Spell"
"Sleepless Goddess"
"Lose The Forest For The Trees"
"Rorschach"
"Go With Your Ghost"
"Matrioshka"
"Goblin Valley"
"The Polar Dream"
"Ways We Haunt"

"Go With Your Ghost" video:

Stellar Circuits is:

Ben Beddick - Vocals
Jesse Olsen - Bass
Andrew Mericle - Guitar
Tyler Menon - Drums

Veteran Bay Area hard rock group NIGHT RANGER has released the official music video for the song "Truth". The track is taken from the band's latest studio album, "Don't Let Up", which was released in March 2017 via Frontiers Music Srl.

"The 'Don't Let Up' album is the result of five musicians living and breathing rock 'n roll 24 hours a day," said NIGHT RANGER bassist and vocalist Jack Blades.

NIGHT RANGER guitarist Brad Gillis added: "As typical for NIGHT RANGER, we have all the elements that made us popular in the first place, including twin-lead-vocal tradeoffs with Jack and Kelly [Keagy, drums/vocals] and dual guitar harmonies and solos with my new partner in crime, Keri Kelli. We've stacked the deck again with uptempo driving rock songs, midtempo tunes and a few acoustic ballad tracks."

As previously reported, NIGHT RANGER will celebrate the 35th anniversaries of its first two studio albums, "Dawn Patrol" and "Midnight Madness", by performing both records in full for the first time during an October 18 concert at the Genesee Theatre in Waukegan, Illinois.

b>"Dawn Patrol", released by MCA Records in November of 1982, included the Top 40 mainstream rock hit singles "Sing Me Away" and "Don't Tell Me You Love Me" and peaked at No. 38 on the Billboard 200 albums chart.

"Midnight Madness", the group's sophomore album (and first to be certified gold and platinum by the RIAA), was issued in October of 1983. The record — which peaked at No. 15 on the Billboard 200 — yielded three additional Top 40 mainstream rock hit singles in "Rumours In The Air", "When You Close Your Eyes" and "(You Can Still) Rock In America". It also included the group's best-known song, the iconic power ballad "Sister Christian", which spent 24 weeks on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart in 1984, peaking at No. 5.

Three NIGHT RANGER members who performed on those albums — Blades, Gillis and Keagy — are still in the band today. The group's current lineup is rounded out by keyboardist Eric Levi and Kelli (ALICE COOPER, SLASH'S SNAKEPIT, RATT).

The entire Dio studio album collection is now complete. BMG and Niji Entertainment Group Inc. have partnered to reissue Dio's 1996 - 2004 studio albums. Fans will finally be able to enjoy official versions of Angry Machines (1996), Magica (2000), Killing The Dragon (2002), and Master Of The Moon (2004). These titles have sold a quarter of a million copies in the US alone and have been out of print and unavailable for nearly five years. Beginning today, September 14th, all four albums will be available globally on all DSP's.

Wendy Dio says, "I am very excited to be working with BMG, a label that still has a passion for rock music. They will be making the complete Dio catalogue available again with some interesting surprises."

Now Available Globally at All DSPs:

Angry Machines

- Originally released in 1996, DIO's first independent release
- Personnel: Ronnie James Dio (Vocals), Tracy G (Guitars), Jeff Pilson (Bass), Vinny Appice (Drums) & Scott Warren (Keyboards)
- Features: "Don't Tell The Kids" and "Hunter Of The Heart"

Tracklisting:

"Institutional Man"
"Don't Tell The Kids"
"Black"
"Hunter Of The Heart"
"Stay Out Of The Mind"
"Big Sister"
"Double Monday"
"Golden Rules"
"Dying In America"
"This Is Your Life"

Magica

- Originally released in 2000
- Personnel: Ronnie James Dio (Vocals), Craig Goldy (Guitars), Jimmy Bain (Bass), & Simon Wright (Drums)
- Magica hit the charts in the US, Finland, Germany, Sweden and Japan
- Features: "Fever Dreams" and "Magica Theme"

Tracklisting:

"Discovery"
"Magica Theme"
"Lord Of The Last Day"
"Fever Dreams"
"Turn To Stone"
"Feed My Head"
"Eriel"
"Challis"
"As Long As It's Not About Love"
"Losing My Insanity"
"Otherworld"
"Magica" (Reprise)
"Lord Of The Last Day" (Reprise)
"The Magica"

Killing The Dragon

- Originally released in 2002
- Killing The Dragon charted in the US, Sweden, Finland, Germany, Austria, & Japan
- Personnel: Ronnie James Dio (Vocals), Doug Aldrich (Guitars), Jimmy Bain (Bass), & Simon Wright (Drums)
- Video for the single "Push" features appearance by Tenacious D

Tracklisting:

"Killing The Dragon"
"Along Comes A Spider"
"Scream"
"Better In The Dark"
"Rock & Roll"
"Push"
"Guilty"
"Thrown Away Children"
"Before The Fall"
"Cold Feet"

Master Of The Moon

- Originally released in 2004, final studio album under the DIO band name
- Personnel: Ronnie James Dio (Vocals), Craig Goldy (Guitar), Jeff Pilson (Bass), & Simon Wright (Drums)
- Master Of The Moon charted in the US, Finland, Sweden, & Germany
- Features: "One More For The Road" and "The Eyes"

Tracklisting:

"One More For The Road"
"Master Of The Moon"
"The End Of The World"
"Shivers"
"The Man Who Would Be King"
"The Eyes"
"Living The Lie"
"I Am"
"Death By Love"
"In Dreams"

More info to come soon on CD and LP reissues as well as additional future plans.

MÖTLEY CRÜE bassist Nikki Sixx has confirmed that the band is recording four new songs for for the film adaptation of the group's biography, "The Dirt - Confessions Of The World's Most Notorious Rock Band". The movie, which is being helmed by "Jackass Presents: Bad Grandpa" director Jeff Tremaine, was picked up by Netflix after being previously developed at Focus Features and before that at Paramount.

In response to a Twitter question from a fan on how the new music will fit in, since the film is based on MÖTLEY CRÜE's past, Sixx responded: "You can trust us these are ball-busters. Everybody can relax. We're soon gonna smack you upside the head with some killer new tracks. Bob Rock is producing. It's our movie. We know what we're doing."

MÖTLEY CRÜE singer Vince Neil tweeted yesterday that he was "going back in recording studio in a few weeks" with his bandmates to lay down his vocals on the group's new songs.

Neil's remarks came just two weeks after a picture of Sixx and CRÜE drummer Tommy Lee was posted on the band's Facebook page, along with the caption "28th August 2018." Appearing with them in the photo was longtime CRÜE producer and collaborator Bob Rock. In addition, Lee posted a brief video of himself playing drums on his Instagram, captioning the clip: "It's that new shit!!!"

ack in late 2016, Sixx shot down any possibility of the CRÜE returning as a recording act, telling TeamRock that there was "no chance" of the band making another record. "I want to just leave it intact," he said. "I see no reason. We couldn't be creative as a band, so how the hell can we continue? But I'm glad the way it finished — we did it all, we did what we said we were going to do, and now I'm excited about the future."

MÖTLEY CRÜE's last studio album was 2008's "Saints Of Los Angeles", which was followed by a 2009 "Greatest Hits" compilation.

A tour film about MÖTLEY CRÜE's final shows, "The End", came out in 2016.

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

To cement the sense of finality, the four members of MÖTLEY CRÜE in 2014 publicly signed a "cessation of touring" contract that prevents any of them from performing under the CRÜE name in the future.



You can trust us these are ball busters. Everybody can relax.Were soon gonna smack you upside the head with some killer new tracks. Bob Rock is producing.Its our movie. We know what were doing. ?? https://t.co/QKaDCYKPwG

— xxıS ıʞʞıN (@NikkiSixx) September 14, 2018

A new ALL THAT REMAINS song titled "Fuck Love" has been released via the band's official YouTube channel and can be streamed below. The track is expected to appear on ALL THAT REMAINS' upcoming album, which was reportedly produced by THE ACACIA STRAIN guitarist Daniel "DL" Laskiewicz and will arrive in early 2019.

Earlier this month, ALL THAT REMAINS singer Phil Labonte told "Jon's Untitled Podcast" about the musical direction of the follow-up to last year's "Madness": "I don't wanna start talking about what the new record sounds like yet. 'Cause we haven't talked about the new record publicly at all, really.

"There will be a new record soon," he continued. "It'll definitely be out next year. It'll be available early part of next year. I'm not sure when the release date's gonna be. But I don't wanna get into [the sound of the album], just because I don't wanna spoil the surprise."

"Madness" was released in April 2017 via Razor & Tie in the U.S. and Eleven Seven Music in Europe. The disc was recorded at West Valley Studios in Woodland Hills, California with producer Howard Benson, who has previously worked with such acts as MOTÖRHEAD, PAPA ROACH, THREE DAYS GRACE, FLYLEAF, P.O.D.mand HALESTORM.

t the time of the last album's release, Labonte dismissed "sellout" accusations due to the more radio-friendly sound of the first single and title track, "Madness". He told Ryan Daniels of of Rock 105.5, Carolina's Pure Rock radio station: "If you're doing something — making music — and specifically catering to an audience that you have catered to or that has found something to attach to, is it a sellout to try and change and do something different? Or is it a sellout to be, like, 'Okay, this is the safe play where I know I can make my money?' It's, like, I know I that I can cater to this narrow group of people, and if we don't stray, these people will keep buying our records, these people will keep coming to our shows. Is it a sellout to be, like, 'I'm gonna try something different?'"

He continued: "People have been saying 'sellout' about us since 2006, since we put out 'The Fall Of Ideals'. We started doing clean choruses, and people were, like, 'Oh, sellout!' And it's, like, gimme a fucking break. We've always tried to push [the envelope] and change."



Fuck Love https://t.co/JX6FXoNiyb— Phil That Remains on tour 9/17-9/28 (@philthatremains) September 16, 2018

The release date of the of the Album The Edge Of Sanity - 88 Demo Session by Shelton/Chastain on CD is October 26th via Pure Steel Records. The preorder phase will start on October 5th in the Pure Steel webshop.

In search of potential bonus material for future Manilla Road rereleases, bassist Phil Ross listened to various unlabeled tapes he found in Mark Shelton's house. In addition to some exciting live material, he discovered demo recordings that David T. Chastain and Mark began in 1988. This collaboration does not surprise in retrospect. When the U.S. distribution of Black Dragon Records from Paris got into trouble in the late eighties, David signed Manilla Road on his label Leviathan Records. The result was Out Of The Abyss (1988), which now was available in the U.S. On the solo album by Chastain singer Leather Shock Waves the title song was written by Mark, in 1999 the song "The Edge Of Sanity" (included here as a demo version) appeared on the CD Symphonica Millenia by Chastain's group Zanister. But beyond that, the friendship was cultivated over the years, which has now led to the publication of these rare recordings.

The hardness of the songs, which is interrupted again and again by epic moments, is quite understandable. Manilla Road delivered their most brutal album in 1988 with Out Of The Abyss, which inspired David Chastain to similar excursions. It is exciting that these recordings show new facets of both participants which harmonize perfectly. Chastain, Manilla Road and elements of thrash and U.S. metal meets here, creating something quite unique. "Orpheus Descending" is available in an 11 minute and 20 minute version and is certainly the highlight of this recordings.

Unfortunately these three songs remained in the demo stage and therefore are existing only with drum machine instead of real drums, but with this background knowledge, this does not detract from the listening pleasure and one may be glad that they now find their way on CD and LP in mastered form. It’s a perfect combination of David Chastain as a guitar hero and songwriter and Mark as the voice of epic metal and author of intelligent lyrics. Fans of Chastain and Manilla Road will be as thrilled as Mark himself when he heard the recordings again after many years.

Tracklisting:

“The Edge Of Sanity”
“Orpheus Descending”
“Fields Of Sorrow”
“Orpheus Descening” (Extended)

Lineup:

Mark Shelton – vocals, lyrics, melodies
David T. Chastain – guitars, bass, drum programming

Unique Leader Records have officially signed Toronto, ON/Manhattan, NY-based brutal death metal/hardcore group Brand Of Sacrifice to their ever growing roster. The label will release the group's relentlessly brutal debut, The Interstice EP, on November 9th, with the release available to hear now on all digital platforms.

Formed February 2018, frontman Kyle Anderson describes the project as such: "Brand Of Sacrifice was born from a thirst for an uncompromisingly crushing, modern take on the classic death metal/hardcore formula. This is achieved by utilizing a number of influences from several musical genres, aside from extreme ,etal. Moreover, Brand Of Sacrifice incorporates a choir and an ensemble of ancient instruments from past centuries such as the sitar, harp, lyre and many others. The band draws its name from the popular manga called Berserk by Kentaro Miura."

Although the band is new the music on The Interstice shows a fully developed song writing maturity formed through years of playing with their past bands - The Afterimage and Ascariasis. Full of devastating sonic violence and monstrous brutality the 5-song effort proves that in a short time Brand Of Sacrifice are set to be a force to be reckoned with in extreme metal.

The group said of the effort, "The Interstice offers the listener a journey through an abyssal sphere of sonic tyranny. Thematically, this extended play is brought to life with artwork illustrated by Mark Cooper (Rings Of Saturn). Between several passages on this extended play, we are offered a glimpse of hope from the ethereal orchestral arrangements. Enter The Interstice and witness the terror that lies within."

Physical pre-order bundles for The Interstice are available here. Digital pre-order bundles are available here. UK/EU physical pre-orders are available here.

The Interstice EP tracklisting:

"Eclipse"
"Casca"
"Conviction"
"Millenium"
"Crimson"

Epic melodic death metallers Nothgard have released a video for the second single "Epitaph", from their upcoming new album Malady X.

Bandleader Dom R. Crey about "Epitaph": "The first single 'Malady X' is out for three weeks now and we are super happy about all the amazing feedback. The time has come to unleash the second single and music video, this time in 4k quality! 'Epitaph' is a very special song for me. Based on the concept of constant struggle in a world where all of us need to find their places. Sometimes this can be tough and very often some of us have the feeling of not being part of this world - or do not even want to be part. Songwise 'Epitaph' is one of my favorite tracks on this album. But before I tell too much I would rather recommend you to check out the video and song."

The album is available for pre-order in the following formats:

- ltd. 1st ed. Digipak-CD
- box set (EU exclusive - limited to 300 copies)
- 180g black vinyl
- dead gold marbled vinyl (EU exclusive - limited to 200 copies)
- light grey marbled vinyl (EU exclusive - limited to 200 copies)
- red/black marbled vinyl (EMP exclusive - limited to 120 copies)
- clear/black marbled vinyl (US exclusive - limited to 100 copies)

Nothgard recorded Malady X at Def-Creation and & Southern Deathcult studios and called the renowned Jens Bogren (Amon Amarth, Arch Enemy, Kreator, Opeth, etc.) for mastering duties. The result is an album full of epic melodic death metal anthems.

Malady X tracklisting:

"Voyage To Decay" (Intro)
"Malady X"
"Shades Of War"
"Guardians Of Sanity"
"Epitaph"
"Deamonium I"
"Serpent Hollow"
"Devil Will Know"
"Fall Of An Empire"
"Herald Of Death"
"Black Horizon"
"Eye For An Eye" (ltd. Digi-CD bonus)
"Ninja" (ltd. Digi-CD bonus)

"Malady X" video:

Nothgard will play special release shows at the end of October, along with friends Parasite Inc..

October
26 - Jena, Germany - F-Haus
27 - Markneukirchen, Germany - Warwick Music Hall
31 - Linda, Germany - Vaudeville

November
1 - Vocklabruck, Austria - Okh

Nothgard lineup:

Dom R. Crey - Vocals, Lead Guitar, Studio Keyboards
Skaahl - Guitars
Nico Kolja - Bass, Backing Vocals
Felix Indra - Drums

(Photo - Andreas-Richter; Photoart - Peter Sallai)

Fan-filmed video footage of PHILIP H. ANSELMO & THE ILLEGALS, the project led by the former PANTERA and current DOWN/SUPERJOINT frontman, performing on September 14 at Harrisburg Midtown Arts Center in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania can be seen below.

PHILIP H. ANSELMO & THE ILLEGALS' sophomore album, "Choosing Mental Illness As A Virtue", was released in January via Anselmo's Housecore Records in the U.S. and Season Of Mist in other parts of the world. The disc is the follow-up to PHILIP H. ANSELMO & THE ILLEGALS' debut, "Walk Through Exits Only", which came out in 2013 to mostly positive reviews.

Asked how his approach on "Choosing Mental Illness As A Virtue" was different to that on its predecessor, Anselmo told AXS: "Everything down from production on — even the musical direction — is, as it should be, very different. On [the first] record, I wanted to have a herky-jerky, thrash record — to a degree. [Laughs] That's what was on my mind. I think there might have been just brief glimpses of what was to come. But I also want to call attention to the fact that we also recorded a split with WARBEAST, and also we did a 'Housecore Horror' EP that not many people know about, and all of those releases sound different. And romantically, I prefer the sound of this band like an old '80s thrash metal demo more than some polished, produced thing."

PHILIP H. ANSELMO & THE ILLEGALS are currently touring the U.S. with Housecore labelmates KING PARROT. The trek, previously scheduled for the spring but postponed following Anselmo's back surgery, commenced in New Orleans and will include a stop at this year's edition of Berserker festival on September 28 in Pontiac, Michigan.

div align=center>

Fan-filmed video footage of SLASH FEATURING MYLES KENNEDY AND THE CONSPIRATORS' September 13 concert at the Whisky A Go Go in West Hollywood, California can be seen below. The show took place just two days after the band performed exclusively for SiriusXM listeners at the same venue.

The setlist for the September 13 concert was as follows:

01. Avalon

02. Halo

03. Standing In The Sun

04. Back From Cali

05. Wicked Stone

06. Mind Your Manners

07. Ghost

08. Bent To Fly

09. You're A Lie

10. Beneath The Savage Sun

11. The Dissident

12. Doctor Alibi (Todd Kerns on vocals)

13. My Antidote

14. Rocket Queen (GUNS N' ROSES cover)

15. Starlight

16. Serve You Right

17. Driving Rain

18. World On Fire

Encore:

9. The Call Of The Wild

20. Anastasia

In a recent interview with the New York radio station Q104.3, Slash stated about which songs planned to perform live during his tour with Kennedy and THE CONSPIRATORS: "When we first started out in 2010, I just had the solo album ['Slash'] with all the different singers on it, so at that point, we did songs off of that record and a lot of GUNS N' ROSES stuff which I hadn't played in years, and then some VELVET REVOLVER and some [SLASH'S] SNAKEPIT [material]. We did that, and then we recorded 'Apocalyptic Love', so we had a little bit more original material, but we kept doing the GUNS stuff and VELVET REVOLVER and so on. 'World On Fire', at that point, we had a pretty good catalog of our own stuff, but I was still digging playing 'Welcome To The Jungle' and whatnot. Then I hook up with GUNS N' ROSES, so now, I've played all those songs for the last two years, so I'm sort of like, 'Okay, we don't have to do any more GUNS N' ROSES songs.' We have enough to do."

SLASH FEATURING MYLES KENNEDY AND THE CONSPIRATORS' new album, "Living The Dream", will be released on September 21 via Slash's own label Snakepit Records. It is Slash's fourth solo album and third since putting together the CONSPIRATORS, which also features singer Myles Kennedy, drummer Brent Fitz, bassist Todd Kerns and guitarist Frank Sidoris. The group's North American headlining tour begins September 13 in Los Angeles, visiting 20 major cities before ending on October 14 in Sacramento.

The first single from "Living The Dream", a song called "Driving Rain", was released in late July. Slash said about the song: "This is a riff I specifically remember playing with the guys for the first time at a venue in New Hampshire on the 'World On Fire' tour. It's a cool guitar part we ran though, and from that point forward the rest of the song started to come together in my mind while on the road. We put it all together this year and Myles came up with a great melody for it."

Kennedy added: "Lyrically, it's a story about somebody who works on the road — it could be a musician, and it could be a traveling salesman. What makes it interesting is this guy has an addict girlfriend or spouse who continues to relapse, and she ends up getting him to come home. She's miserable and falls back into bad old habits, and that compels him to head back to her to save the day."

Ascending progressive doom quartet Pallbearer have released a sublime cover of the Pink Floyd classic, “Run Like Hell”. The track is part of a compilation in tribute to the iconic album, The Wall. Compiled by Magnetic Eye, the collection is called The Wall [Redux] and joining Pallbearer are Melvins, Mark Lanegan, Ruby The Hatchet and Mars Red Sky to name a few.

Listen to Pallbearer’s cover of “Run Like Hell” below, or via Spotify.

Today, Pallbearer embark on a North American tour to close out 2018. “After a long period of constant touring behind Heartless, it’s almost time for us to settle in to 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 and adding new dimension to material across our entire catalogue,” the band commented.  
 
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 *
21 - Denver CO - Bluebird *
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 *
3 - Phoenix AZ - Rebel Lounge *
5 - Austin TX - Barracuda *
6 - Dallas TX - Trees *
7 - Houston TX - White Oak *
13 - San Bernardino, CA - Glen Helen Amphitheater ^

* with Tribulation
^ with System of a Down, Incubus, At The Drive In, Clutch, Skeletonwitch

"American Made", the new video from TWISTED SISTER singer Dee Snider, can be seen below. The song is taken from Dee's latest solo album, "For The Love Of Metal", which was released on July 27 via Napalm Records. The disc, which was produced by HATEBREED vocalist Jamey Jasta, features contributions from Howard Jones (ex-KILLSWITCH ENGAGE), Mark Morton (LAMB OF GOD), Alissa White-Gluz (ARCH ENEMY), Joel Grind and Nick Bellmore (TOXIC HOLOCAUST), and Charlie Bellmore (KINGDOM OF SORROW).

Snider stated about the song: "I was watching the Olympics and couldn't help but notice that no matter how 'at each other's throats' we all appear to be politically these days, amazingly we are all unified when it comes to our country against another. It made me realize that countries are like dysfunctional families: we may argue and fight amongst each other — you should have seen the extended Snider family Christmas this year; people literally almost came to blows. On Christmas!? — but should someone dare attack any one of us and the entire family will band together against the aggressor. This goes for all countries. This song is a song on unification — recognizing that there is a very important something we all share and should be proud of: where we are from."

"For The Love Of Metal" track listing:

01. Lies Are A Business

02. Tomorrow's No Concern

03. I Am The Hurricane

04. American Made

05. Roll Over You

06. I'm Ready

07. Running Mazes

08. Mask

09. Become The Storm

10. The Hardest Way

11. Dead Hearts (Love Thy Enemy)

12. For The Love Of Metal

peaking to Chris Annunziata of the New Jersey radio station 90.3 WMSC-FM, Snider said about "For The Love Of Metal": "This is a really exciting album I did not expect to make, especially at this point in my life. I was doing Jamey Jasta's podcast, and he challenged me to make a contemporary rock record. And I was, like, 'Who's producing?' He said, 'I am.' And so we went in the studio [with] no record deal, and people started flocking [to appear on the LP]. It just amazed me, the enthusiasm and excitement that these younger musicians — younger than me, at least — had for working with Dee Snider and being a part of this project."

Dee went on to say that "the album turned out phenomenal," so much so that "we had a bidding war from all the major metal labels," he said. "As Jamey would say, it is hard. It harkens back to my earliest work with TWISTED SISTER, but it's very contemporary sounding with my voice. And people are astounded, actually, that I still have a very strong, very powerful, and as Jamey says, an important, iconic rock voice. So I'm very excited about this album."


Jasta previously described the LP as a "full-on metal album," adding that "people are gonna lose their minds when they hear this." He also called Dee "one of the best vocalists of our time" whose "voice is up there with Ozzy [Osbourne], [Ronnie James] Dio, [Bruce] Dickinson and [Rob] Halford to me. "And it's as powerful as ever!" he said.

"Although this album will be very heavy, the songs are anthemic and will fit well in his solo set with 'We're Not Gonna Take It', 'I Wanna Rock', 'Burn In Hell', 'We Are The Ones', 'So What' and others," Jamey promised.

TWISTED SISTER called it quits in 2016 after completing a farewell 40th-anniversary tour.

A short preview of the new AVENGED SEVENFOLD song "Mad Hatter" is available below. The full track, which was recorded for the "Call Of Duty: Black Ops 4" video game, will make its online debut this Monday, September 17.

"Mad Hatter" will be included on AVENGED SEVENFOLD's upcoming EP containing all four songs the band has written and recorded for the "Call Of Duty: Black Ops" franchise. Frontman M. Shadows told Kerrang! magazine about the track: "The song is dark and brooding. We wanted to capture a difference feeling than a straight-ahead 'zombie killer' track. These songs are good places for us to experiment with our sound. I would put this in the category of 'dark alternative.'"

Asked how the new song came about and whether it was written with "Call Of Duty" in mind or if it was a leftover cut from "The Stage" sessions, M. Shadows said: "I did a Twitter takeover where a fan asked me about doing music for 'Black Ops 3'. The team at [games developing company] Treyarch saw it and asked us to participate. I went into the studio and saw what they were working on. We only had a month to get them a finished product, because of our European tour. We wrote what we felt would be a departure for not only us, but Treyarch as well."

A video "using game footage" will be released "to present the song," according to the singer.

b>M. Shadows stated about the decision to make the tracks available on a separate EP: "We just felt these songs needed a place to live, instead of being scattered all over streaming services. We will also be releasing 'Jade Helm', which is the multiplayer score we did for 'Black Ops 3'. Until now, that has only been available on YouTube and in the game."

AVENGED SEVENFOLD bassist Johnny Christ previously told HardDrive Radio about "Mad Hatter": "It's a fun song — it's a little bit of a departure from I think what our fans would expect, but I guess that also makes sense because they expect crazy from us now."

"Call Of Duty: Black Ops 4" is scheduled to come to PS4, Xbox One and PC on October 12.

AVENGED SEVENFOLD contributed music to the previous three installments of the game series, and even appears (virtually) in the second chapter, when they can be seen performing the song "Carry On" in an epilogue after the closing credits.

The "Call Of Duty" song will be the first original material AVENGED SEVENFOLD has released since last year's "Dose", which originally surfaced in the Gameloft mobile game "Dungeon Hunter 5". It later appeared on the "deluxe edition" 2017 reissue of the group's 2016 studio album, "The Stage".

AVENGED SEVENFOLD will probably start working on its eighth studio LP this fall for a 2019 release.

The band recently canceled its summer tour with PROPHETS OF RAGE and THREE DAYS GRACE after M. Shadows was struck by a viral infection that left him "voiceless."

Our new song "Mad Hatter" arrives Monday... pic.twitter.com/gClL8qArb1— Avenged Sevenfold (@TheOfficialA7X) September 14, 2018

A Light Divided will release their new full-length album, Choose Your Own Adventure, on October 5th. A video for the album track "Scars Of You" can be seen below.

Chock full of catchy, memorable anthems that poise A Light Divided to be the next big pop/metal crossover, Choose Your Own Adventure is an essential listen. Pre-orders available here.

Choose Your Own Adventure was produced by Kile Odell (Motionless In White, Cane Hill) and Joshua Landry (Letters From The Fire, Motionless In White).

Tracklisting:

“Make Your Luck”
“Fear Of Heights”
“Remedy”
“Another Bar Fight In Brooklyn”
“Life Lessons”
“The War We Watched”
“Scars Of You”
“Finding Center”
“Sink Into Nothing”
“Plastic Crowns”
“Counting To Sober”
“Armor And War Paint”

"Scars Of You" video:

“Fear Of Heights” video:

Track-by-track video #1:

Track-by-track video #2:

The band has announced their upcoming Choose Your Own Adventure: Chapter One tour, kicking off on October 5th in Greensboro, NC with their free album release show. The band will also perform a one-off show in Charlotte, NC on September 14th. See below for a full list of confirmed tour dates.

September
14 - Charlotte, NC - The Milestone Club

October
5 - Greensboro, NC - The Blind Tiger - Album Release Show (FREE!)
6 - Chesapeake, VA - Riffhouse Pub
7 - Frederick, MD - Cafe 611
9 - Johnson City, TN - The Hideaway
10 - Augusta, GA - Soul Bar
11 - Spartanburg, SC - Ground Zero
12 - Charleston, SC - The Mill
13 - Florence, SC - 507 Live
17 - New Port Richey, FL - The Verona
18 - Sanford, FL - West End Trading Company
19 - Greenacres, FL - Piper's Sports Bar
20 - Palm Bay, FL - Space Coast Harley Davidson
21 - Sarasota, FL - Sarasota Sky Bar
26 - Columbia, SC - Art Bar
27 - Albany, GA - The Oglethorpe Lounge

November
2 - Lebanon, PA - Scott Church Studio

(Photo - Rei Haycraft)

September 28th will mark the release of the new album Firesign from Sweden’s Dynazty via AFM Records. A lyric video for the title track can be found below.

The modern melodic metal outfit returns with their strongest effort so far. Firesign is the band’s most creative, dynamic and inspired album to date. The Swedes merge a pinch of heaviness with innovative influences and don´t lose sight of their catchy melodies. After 2016’s Titanic Mass, which is a chunk of an album, produced by Peter Tägtgren (Pain, Hypocrisy), this collaboration now continues its successor Firesign, which marks the next logical step in the evolution of Dynazty.

The album will be available as Digipak, clear yellow Vinyl (ltd. to 200 units), clear orange Vinyl (ltd. to 200 units) and blue/yellow splatter (ltd. to 100 units) which is exclusively available in the AFM webshop.

Tracklisting:

“Breathe With Me”
“The Grey”
“In The Arms Of A Devil”
“My Darkest Hour”
“Ascension”
“Firesign”
“Closing Doors”
“Follow Me”
“Let Me Dream Forever”
“Starfall”
“The Light Inside The Tunnel”

“Firesign” lyric video:

“The Grey” video:

“Breathe With Me”:

To coincide with the start of their North American co-headline tour with Pallbearer, Swedish metallers Tribulation have released a new 7" / Digital EP. The Nightbound 7" features both a recent live recording and a previously unreleased instrumental demo version of the song “Nightbound”, off their latest album Down Below.

The Nightbound EP is 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

Order here, and listen to "Nightbound" below:

Tribulation's fall tour of North America kicks off tonight, September 14th, in Montreal, and 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)

Finnish cinematic metal band Dark Sarah will release their new album, The Golden Moth, on September 21st in Europe and North America via Inner Wound Recordings. A music video for the third single, "Sky Sailing", can be found below.

The Golden Moth is the last part of the first Dark Sarah trilogy (The Chronicles). The trilogy tells about Dark Sarah's travel through three worlds: The Middle World (Behind The Black Veil album), The Underworld (The Puzzle album) and The Upper World (The Golden Moth album).

On The Golden Moth album Dark Sarah has to face the final test and find her way to the gods in the Upper World. After she had solved the puzzle in The Underworld and found the three keys, the Iron birds came there for her and took her to the Upper World, a deserted waste land where the gods rule. But also a trespasser, The Dragon,  came with her. In the heat of the desert they meet again and there is something The Dragon wants from her.

JP Leppäluoto (Charon) has joined the official lineup as The Dragon for the upcoming album. Also in the roles of The Gods you will hear featuring artists as Zuberoa Aznarez (Diabulus In Musica) and Marco Hietala (Nightwish).

The Golden Moth tracklisting:

"Desert Rose"
"Trespasser"
"Wheel"
"My Beautiful Enemy"
"I Once Had Wings"
"Pirates"
"Sky Sailing"
"Wish"
"The Gods Speak"
"Promise"
"Golden Moth"
"The Gate Of Time"

"Sky Sailing" video:

"The Gods Speak" lyric video:

"Trespasser" video:

Album preview:

Dark Sarah official lineup:

Heidi Parviainen (as Dark Sarah) - vocals
JP Leppäluoto (as Dragon) - vocals
Erkka Korhonen - guitar
Sami Salonen - guitar
Rude Rothstén - bass
Thomas Tunkkari - drums

Death metal icons Deicide have returned with Overtures Of Blasphemy, which sees the band return to their roots to create a stellar and uncompromising extreme metal masterpiece. The effort was produced by the world-renowned Jason Suecof (The Black Dahlia Murder, Trivium) at Audio Hammer Studios.

Overtures Of Blasphemy was released today via Century Media Records at digital retailers and streaming sites. Due to a manufacturing delay, all US physical purchase copies will be available next week, on September 21st.

A new music video for “Defying The Sacred” can be viewed below. The clip was directed by the renowned Scott Hansen (Animals As Leaders, Whitechapel).

Cover art was created by Zbigniew M. Bielak (Ghost, Paradise Lost, Mayhem).

Tracklisting:

"One With Satan"
"Crawled From The Shadows"
"Seal The Tomb Below"
"Compliments Of Christ"
"All That Is Evil"
"Excommunicated"
"Anointed In Blood"
"Crucified Soul Of Salvation"
"Defying The Sacred"
"Consumed By Hatred"
"Flesh, Power, Dominion"
"Destined To Blasphemy"

“Defying The Sacred” video:

"Seal The Tomb Below":

"Excommunicated" lyric video:

Lineup:

Glen Benton (vocals, bass)
Steve Asheim (drums)
Kevin Quirion (guitars)
Mark English (guitars)

Lynyrd Skynyrd's Live In Atlantic City is out now on CD + Blu-ray Digipak (limited first print run in fake leather), 2LP Gatefold+download, DVD, Blu-ray, and digital via  earMUSIC. Order here, and watch a video for "Sweet Home Alabama" from the release below.

There is no other true American rock band quite like Lynyrd Skynyrd. The iconic Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame inductees are some of the most influential legends of our time. Live In Atlantic City, the band's brand new live release, pays tribute to and celebrates its legacy with the help of three incredible artists.

In the Decades Rock Arena in Atlantic City, Lynyrd Skynyrd were joined by incredibly talented guest performers to create one uniquely magical night: 3 Doors Down, who rose to international fame with their first single "Kryptonite"; Hank Williams Jr. (yes, the son of the country music singer Hank Williams); and the American singer and songwriter Bo Bice, who was a runner-up to Carrie Underwood in the fourth season of American Idol.

Newly mixed and mastered, Live In Atlantic City celebrates the legend that is Lynyrd Skynyrd in an energetic, 70-minute show. Each guest artist performs with Lynyrd Skynyrd - there of 3 Doors Down's hit "Kryptonite" and Bo Bice's "The Real Thing," the title track to his album. The show peaks with a performance of the Lynyrd Skynyrd originals - "Call Me The Breeze" and of course "Sweet Home Alabama" – performed by Lynyrd Skynyrd together with all of the special guests.

Tracklisting:

"Workin' For MCA"
"Red White and Blue (Love It Or Leave)"
"Gimme Three Steps"
"The Real Thing" (featuring Bo Bice)
"Gimme Back My Bullets" (featuring Bo Bice)
"Down South Jukin’"(featuring Hank Williams Jr.)
"Born To Boogie" (featuring Hank Williams Jr.)
"That Smell" (featuring 3 Doors Down)
"Kryptonite" (featuring 3 Doors Down)
"Saturday Night Special" (featuring 3 Doors Down)
"Call Me the Breeze"
"Sweet Home Alabama"
"Free Bird"

DVD and Blu-ray also include: Bonus: Lynyrd Skynyrd Confidential

"Sweet Home Alabama":

Amsterdam, Netherlands-based Seita, the unapologetic force consisting of Michel Gambini (guitars/vocals), Pablo Minoli (guitars), Damian Lopez (drums) and Mike van den Heuvel (bass), have released a lyric video for "Back Home", featured on their upcoming album, Maledictus Mundi, out on October 26th via Massacre Records. Pre-order the album here, and check out the clip below.

Tracklisting:

"Cowards To The Lions"
"Justice Icu"
"Burn The Skies"
"Merchants Of Death"
"2299"
"Back Home"
"Above The Ruins"
"Cursed Past"
"The March"
"N.W.C."

"Back Home" lyric video:

Berlin-based rock overlords Kadavar recently announced the release of a brand new live album, Live In Copenhagen, featuring their infamous show at Pumpehuset in Denmark's capitol in November 2017 during the band's tour in support of the most recent album, Rough Times. An official live video for the track "Into The Night" can be found below.

The album will be available as a tour edition packaged with said studio album (CD only) and also be made available separately on vinyl (see formats below). It's scheduled to drop on October 12th via Nuclear Blast. Pre-order your copy here.

Tracklistings:

Rough Times tour edition bonus CD

"Skeleton Blues"
"Doomsday Machine"
"Pale Blue Eyes"
"Into The Wormhole"
"The Old Man"
"Die Baby Die"
"Black Sun"
"Living In Your Head"
"Into The Night"
"Forgotten Past"
"Tibulation Nation"
"Purple Sage"

Live in Copenhagen Vinyl

"Skeleton Blues"
"Doomsday Machine"
"Pale Blue Eyes"
"Into The Wormhole"
"The Old Man"
"Die Baby Die"
"Black Sun"
"Living In Your Head"
"Into The Night"
"Forgotten Past"
"Tibulation Nation"
"Purple Sage"
"All Our Thoughts"
"Come Back Life"

"Into The Night" video:

"Die Baby Die" video:

All-Canadian cover band Toque, led by Todd Kerns and Brent Fitz - both of whom play in Slash Featuring Myles Kennedy & The Conspirators - and rounded out by Cory Churko (Shania Twain) and Shane Gaalaas, have just shared their take on "Ironic" by Alanis Morissette.

"Ironic" was released in 1996 as the third single from Morissette's third studio album, Jagged Little Pill, which came out in 1995. The song was number one in Canada for six weeks, and reached the top five in The United States, Australia, New Zealand and Norway. It cracked top ten in Belgium, Germany, Ireland, and Scotland. In 1997, "Ironic" won the Juno Award for Single of the Year, and received two Grammy Award nominations.

"Ironic" is expected to appear on Toque's forthcoming second album. The follow-up to the debut disc Give'r, released at the end of 2016, should appear later this year.

For further details, visit Toque on Facebook.

 

Original Human Music, the debut album by Ultraphonix, the new creation of Corey Glover (Living Colour) and George Lynch (Dokken, Lynch Mob), alongside the great rhythm section formed by drummer Chris Moore and Pancho Tomaselli on bass, is out now via earMUSIC. The album track "Ain't Too Late" is available for streaming below.

Original Human Music was co-produced by Bob Daspit (Sammy Hagar) and it displays the magic match between Corey Glover's iconic voice and George Lynch's unique style on the guitar.

The core and value of Ultraphonix lies in the songwriting and the quality of the songs. Original Human Music is an album where Glover's profound and thoughtful lyrics sound loud - together with the warm and heavy wall of sound created by George Lynch. It's all sustained by a rhythm section that can go anywhere musically.

To quote Lynch, "The album sounds like a fusion of early Chili Peppers meets King Crimson meets Judas Priest! It's a super fun band."

Drawing on (very heavy) rock, funk, and jazz influences, the band paints a picture of a band still believing that social consciousness could be celebrated through great rock songs.

Order here.

Tracklisting:

"Baptism"
"Another Day"
"Walk Run Crawl"
"Counter Culture"
"Heart Full Of Rain"
"Free"
"Wasteland"
"Take A Stand"
"Ain't Too Late"
"Soul Control"
"What You Say"
"Power Trip"

"Ain't Too Late":

"Take A Stand":

"Wasteland":

"Heart Full Of Rain":

"Counter Culture":

"Baptism":

"Another Day" video:

"Free" lyric video:

"Walk Run Crawl" video:

New York death metal legends Pyrexia have released a lyric video for "Angels Of Gomorrah", the opening track of their upcoming album Unholy Requiem. The album, which is arguably the group's most vicious and skull crushingly heavy offering in a 20 plus year career full of paradigm shiftingly brutal moments, will be released tomorrow, Friday, September 14th, via Unique Leader. Pre-order the album here, and watch the new lyric video below.

Founding guitarist Chris Basile commented on the song, “The second single off of Unholy Requiem, 'Angels Of Gomorrah' really encompasses the theme of the album portraying the violent side of biblical writings. The story follows the Angels that attempt to save Lot and his family in Sodom and Gomorrah. And their subsequent destruction of the city and its people by Gods command. Musically This song is completely different from the last single we released as is the entire album. But it cuts into some deep riffs off this record and fits perfectly with the artwork.“

Unholy Requiem was recorded, mixed, and mastered at Subsonic Audio by guitarist Chris Basile and shows the band returning to their filthy, pulverizing, classic sound.

Basile said of the album, “This album is definitely the band returning to its roots. It’s dirty. It’s raw. It’s punishing. It’s us. It’s a hungry Album and we fed it a strict diet of pain, sweat, and blast beats.”

Not to be dismissed as a simple throwback album however, Unholy Requiem shows that Pyrexia still absolutely dominate the brutal death metal sound that they helped give birth to. These eight slabs of blistering, pulverizing menace show a band that are still pushing themselves forward, determined to continue raising the bar for extreme music. This album with all of its pummeling groove and signature riff laden violence is nothing less than pure sonic vitriol. Pyrexia have proven once again that they deserve every accolade and have further cemented themselves at the top of the brutal death pantheon.

Tracklisting:

“Angels Of Gomorrah”
“Blood To Ash”
“Moment Of Violence”
“Path Of Disdain”
“The Annointed”
“The Fall Of Eden”
“Unholy Requiem”
“Wrath”

“Unholy Requiem” video:

Finnish rockers THE RASMUS have released the official video for their new single, "Holy Grail". The clip was filmed in Tokyo and was directed by Jani Klemola.

Frontman Lauri Ylönen stated about the track: "I wrote this song last spring while we were on a long tour of Russia. During the journey, I thought a lot about loneliness. Sometimes I focus special attention on the fans in the audience standing alone in the back, where lights can't reach, and in some way I see myself in them."

THE RASMUS vocalist called such fans "antiheroes," explaining: "They are not the loud, out-there fans jumping in the front rows but their role in the band's life doesn't go unnoticed.

"When we meet fans after the show, the mysterious figures at the back rows often turn out to be the most devoted fans — shy and quiet. It's very hard to find the words when you finally get the opportunity to say something. The song is dedicated to all these antiheroes."

b>"Holy Grail" marks the first new music from THE RASMUS since the release of the band's ninth studio album, "Dark Matters", which came out last October via Playground Music Scandinavia. The disc was produced by the Swedish team The Family (Iggy Azalea, FIFTH HARMONY).

In 2012, after releasing three more albums, and multiple world tours, THE RASMUS members Ylönen, Pauli Rantasalmi, Eero Heinonen and Aki Hakala, took a break from their busy band schedule. During this period, Ylönen moved to Los Angeles, a change that resonates in many of the songs he has written since.

The official visualizer video for the song "Dead Behind The Eyes" from SOULFLY can be seen below. The track features guest vocals from LAMB OF GOD singer Randy Blythe, with lyrics inspired by Cenobites, the extra-dimensional beings who appear in the works of Clive Barker, including the novella "The Hellbound Heart" as well as its semi-sequel "The Scarlet Gospels" and the ten "Hellraiser" films.


In an interview with Sweden's RockSverige, Max Cavalera stated about Blythe's involvement with "Dead Behind The Eyes": "It was really cool. [Randy is] really tight with [producer] Josh [Wilbur] and Josh has done all the LAMB OF GOD stuff, and he was working on the BURN THE PRIEST record, so I just told Josh to give him the tracks and, 'Show them to him, and if there's anything he likes, if he wants to sing on it, it's all cool.' I didn't have a song for him, so he showed him everything and what Josh told me was that they were listening to it, and the minute that song came on, it was nicknamed 'Bruiser Brothers', and the minute he heard it, it was, like, 'That's it! This is the one! I don't wanna hear anything else.' I had already written the lyrics, so I sent him all my lyrics and it was just good to have the Randy voice on it. He's got a real distinctive voice, really unique and that's what I like about guys like him. It's very original and you know it's him.

"That song, the vocal pattern is really based on [SEPULTURA's 1987 album] 'Schizophrenia' and 'From The Past Comes The Storm'. It's totally influenced by that. When I worked on the song, I worked with my son Zyon and he was listening to 'Beneath The Remains' and asking me about songs like 'Stronger Than Hate' and all those parts and mesmerized by it, and I was, like, 'You know what? Let's challenge this! Let's make a song like that!' So I started working with him and added all those parts and it has one of my favorite guitar solos of Marc Rizzo. I gave him a whole section. It was crafted like 'Ride The Lightning' era. You've got this solid rhythm behind the leads, which not many people do. It can be kind of a headache to put it together and it might take a little time, but I think the final result is fucking awesome."

Max went on to say that he is hoping to make a video for "Dead Behind The Eyes", "especially if we can get Randy in it too, and we'd have all of us dress up as 'Hellraiser' characters from the movie. I think that would be fucking fantastic."

b>"Ritual" will be released on October 19 via Nuclear Blast Entertainment. The follow-up to 2015's "Archangel" was produced, recorded and mixed by Josh Wilbur (KILLER BE KILLED, LAMB OF GOD, GOJIRA). Cover artwork was painted by artist Eliran Kantor (TESTAMENT, ICED EARTH, SODOM). Additional booklet art was handled by Marcelo Vasco (SLAYER, HATEBREED, KREATOR), who also handled the package design. The album features multiple guests, including Blythe and Ross Dolan (IMMOLATION).

"Run For Your Life", the new video from IMPELLITTERI, can be seen below. The song is taken from the band's upcoming studio album, "The Nature Of The Beast", which will be released on October 12 via Frontiers Music Srl.

30 years into their musical career, IMPELLITTERI have created a mind-blowing, highly energetic and thrilling new musical adventure with "The Nature Of The Beast". The band is on fire with their musical acrobatics, addictive riffs, shredding guitar solos, speed metal drumming, and screaming power metal vocals that are all ingredients in these killer songs!

Like many of their talented peers, IMPELLITTERI continue to carry the torch for guitar driven heavy metal. On "The Nature Of The Beast", the band shines throughout, especially on songs like the power metal driven "Run For Your Life", the highly energetic remake of BLACK SABBATH's "Symptom Of The Universe", the lunacy of "Gates Of Hell", the addictive riff of "Hypocrisy", and the speed metal cover of "Phantom Of The Opera".

"The new music was written with passion and a sincere love for heavy metal," tells Chris Impellitteri. "I think as a band we grow stronger with each new album. Our artistic abilities seem to get better with age, but at the same time we seem to sound even more energetic, crazy, and youthful with this release. You could say the music on this newest musical child is an extension of our previous record, 'Venom'. I love the 'Venom' record, but I am currently obsessed by 'The Nature Of The Beast'. We are thrilled to share this new music with our FANS and friends around the world and I really hope they like it!"

b>IMPELLITTERI recorded "The Nature Of The Beast" in Los Angeles, California with legendary engineer/producer Mike Plotnikoff (VAN HALEN, AEROSMITH, IN FLAMES), mix engineer Greg Reely (OVERKILL, FEAR FACTORY), and engineers Jun Murakawa and Sean Shannon.

Like their childhood musical heroes, including Vivaldi, IRON MAIDEN, QUEEN, BLACK SABBATH, Al DiMeola, Paco de Lucia, John McLaughlin and Pavarotti, IMPELLITTERI strive for greatness — creating, performing and recording this new music with all four band members, Chris Impellitteri (guitars), Rob Rock (vocals), James Pulli (bass), and Jon Dette (drums) contributing stellar performances. The album was recorded in a grand fashion using large tracking rooms and vintage analog equipment to capture the bands live musical energy and performance.

"As a guitarist, I challenge myself to conquer my human limitations," continues Chris. "I practice for hours each day to improve my technique. I also spend a lot of time customizing my guitars, amps, and pedals to achieve this crazy guitar sound. On this new record my guitar sound is really me trying to create a tone that sounds a bit like a chainsaw blended with a beautiful Stradivarius violin. It is Beauty and the Beast with lots of pick attack! The guitar solos have lots of technical shredding elements, but at the same time they are very melodic and I think fun for everyone to listen too. The riffs are also exciting for me to play as there is a lot of obvious influences that I brought to this new record."

The band will head out in support of the album, with dates to be announced in the coming months.

"The Nature Of The Beast" track listing:

01. Hypocrisy

02. Masquerade

03. Run For Your Life

04. Phantom Of The Opera

05. Gates Of Hell

06. Wonder World

07. Man Of War

08. Symptom Of The Universe

09. Do You Think I'm Mad

10. Fire It Up

11. Kill The Beast

12. Shine On

IMPELLITTERI is:

Chris Impellitteri - Guitar

Rob Rock - Vocals

James Pulli - Bass

Patrick Johansson - Drums

Jon Dette - Drums*

* Appears on studio album

Dutch metallers WITHIN TEMPTATION have released the official lyric video for "The Reckoning", the first single from their forthcoming studio album, "Resist". The track features a guest appearance by PAPA ROACH frontman Jacoby Shaddix.

"He's so much fun!" WITHIN TEMPTATION vocalist Sharon Den Adel told Metal Hammer about Shaddix. "He's just fun to be around. After he recorded his part, he was, like, 'You guys are so great — you've been going 20 years, and with this song, you'll be going another 20."

"Resist" will be released on December 14. It is the band's first release through Spinefarm Records, the specialist hard rock label of Universal Music Group.

"Resist" will also feature IN FLAMES' Anders Fridén and ARID's Jasper Steverlinck on guest vocals.

b>"Resist" track listing:

01. The Reckoning (feat. Jacoby Shaddix)

02. Endless War

03. Raise Your Banner (feat. Anders Fridén)

04. Supernova

05. Holy Ground

06. In Vain

07. Firelight (feat. Jasper Steverlinck)

08. Mad World

09. Mercy Mirror

10. Trophy Hunter

Sharon told Metal Hammer that "Resist" sees WITHIN TEMPTATION taking inspiration from modern music, but giving it a "dark" face.

"Sometimes it feels that today's pop music lacks a rebellious edge," she said. "Our main goal was to collect pieces from sounds we did like then roughen the whole thing up as much as we could, allowing us to shape a new musical world that is heavier, dirtier and more futuristic than we've ever created before. 'Resist' is our new take on metal; our way of giving a fresh lease of life to the rebellious edge of modern music."

Earlier this year, Sharon told Cryptic Rock that the four years since the release of WITHIN TEMPTATION's last album, "Hydra", have been "like a roller coaster. It has always been like a roller coaster with WITHIN TEMPTATION, since the day we started the band," she explained. "The train started moving and it just has kept on going. Also, with 'Hydra', it was a very successful album, we toured everywhere in America and Europe. It was an intense tour again, although we did try to plan it a little bit better from previous years.

"When I returned home, I was pretty exhausted," she continued. "Normally, when I come back from a tour I have a lot of ideas and I want to start writing again immediately. This time, I didn't have any energy for anything, I was really exhausted. I thought, 'Okay, I am going to start anyway,' but nothing came out, and it was pretty frustrating. Also, that has always been my way to deal with life — I love writing music, it's the best thing for me, even more than being on stage because that's where everything starts creatively. There was an essential part of me that didn't work anymore. I didn't panic in the beginning, but later, I panicked a little bit more because I felt, 'Okay, if I don't have this anymore, did I lose the magic somewhere? What is happening to me and why?' Figuring that out, I came to the conclusion that I didn't have the kind of vibes I needed to write songs for WITHIN TEMPTATION. WITHIN TEMPTATION is big, storytelling, but epic and always very powerful as well as uplifting in a way. I didn't feel that way at all and it's very difficult to write that kind of music if you don't feel that.

"I felt like I needed to take a step back to see why that was happening and why I was feeling this way," she added. "It was taking more time for myself to do a little bit of soul searching. [Laughs] There was some time I took off for that, it's still a process that goes on and on, and it went deeper than I thought. I have been touring WITHIN TEMPTATION for so many years and there is always a pressure to perform. Also, I never really had the time to re-evaluate what I was doing, to think, do I still like what I am was doing? I liked what I was doing, but I never had the time to process the highs and lows of our career as well as personal life. That was in front of me and I needed to deal with it. Out of that came music again."

Den Adel's pop solo project, called MY INDIGO, released its self-titled debut album in April. When she first announced the project's existence, she said that that composing the songs for the disc was a therapeutic experience that helped he deal with a family "crisis." She later said that her "dad got very sick" during this period, which made her "think about how I want to spend the next 20 years in music, and what do I want to do with my life."

FLAT EARTH, the new band featuring former HIM members Mikko "Linde" Lindström (guitar) and Mika "Gas Lipstick" Karppinen (drums) alongside ex-AMORPHIS bassist Niclas Etelävuori and POLANSKI singer Anttoni "Anthony" Pikkarainen, will release its debut album, "None For One", on November 9 via Drakkar Entertainment in Europe excluding Finland (where the effort will be made available through the band's own label Suur Etikett). The disc was recorded at Finnvox in Helsinki with producer Hiili Hiilesmaa, who has previously worked with HIM, AMORPHIS, THE 69 EYES and APOCALYPTICA, among others.

According to a press release, "None For One" contains eleven tracks that "deliver a magnetically melodic sound and are thoroughly permeated by vocalist Anthony's passionately melancholic overtones. FLAT EARTH delivers in the same parcel both the beauty and the beast."

The cover artwork for "None For One" was created by Minna Niskanen and can be seen below.

Track listing:

1. Subhuman

02. Blame

03. Given Time

04. Cyanide

05. None For One

06. The Glow

07. Noble Swine

08. Limelight

09. Freedoom

10. Blunt

11. Kill My God

FLAT EARTH's "Blame" video was mainly shot during the recordings of the disc in February and March by Tommi Mattila, who followed the band to capture some documentary material.

FLAT EARTH was formed after Etelavuori fell out with the manager of AMORPHIS and exited the latter band. Suddenly, Niclas was left stranded. He decided to show the world that he still had a lot to give, so he started looking for possible bandmates.

Niclas explains: "After over two decades playing with bands, I was at a point thinking that maybe I start doing something else. But then I knew I had these songs on my hard drive still, and nothing was done with them. And I just wanted to get rid of them and see what happens. But then it kind of took over and I started to focus more on that."

Linde first sprang to mind, even though he still had his hands full with HIM at that time. Nevertheless, the two of them kept meeting regularly, and started working on ideas for new songs. Getting Anthony on board provided additional inspiration. And when their old bandmate Karppinen finally joined on drums, the group's lineup was completed.

While Linde was busy playing the States and Europe on HIM's farewell tour, the remaining trio spent their time recording drums to seven pilot demos that had previously been taped in Niclas's basement studio. Gas brought along two of his own songs, and Anthony composed a new track for the band. Linde found an old song of his he had first fleshed out when he was only 13. The rest of the tracks were Niclas's ideas mainly, treated to the band's arrangements, with Anthony providing both the vocal melodies, as well as the lyrics. The basic structure for the first album was ready.

Linde remembers: "Our common friend, who's been helping us get this band off the ground, recommended a guy named Anttoni 'Anthony' Pikkarainen, who had been singing in a band named POLANSKI. The band had made a record, and after we'd listened to it, we had to set up a meeting immediately.

"I have a great feeling about our new band. Anthony had recorded with Hiili Hiilesmaa before, and the rest of us have known each other for years. It feels as if all the stars have finally aligned."

FLAT EARTH is:

Mikko "Linde" Lindström (HIM) - Guitar

Mika "Gas Lipstick" Karppinen (HIM) - Drums

‪Niclas Etelävuori (AMORPHIS) - Bass

‪Anttoni "Anthony" Pikkarainen (POLANSKI) - Vocals

Vancouver, BC-based thrashers Unleash The Archers have released a lyric video for "Ten Thousand Against One", a track from their new album Apex, out now via Napalm Records. Watch the clip below.

Ken Sarafin created the picturesque album artwork for Apex. This album takes nerves of steel; from its opener “Awakening” to the title track that closes the album, the listener will partake in a furious adventure, weaving through elements of the strongest metal genres of our time. You’ll be guided by the shimmering heat of sweeping lead guitars, face-melting solos, deafening growls, pummeling bass lines and of course the thrilling hooks of Brittney Slayes' queen-size voice.

Tracklisting:

“Awakening”
“Shadow Guide”
“The Matriarch”
“Cleanse The Bloodlines”
“The Coward's Way”
“False Walls”
“Ten Thousand Against One”
“Earth And Ashes”
“Call Me Immortal”
“Apex”

“Ten Thousand Against One” lyric video:

"Awakening" playthrough video:

“Apex”:

“The Matriarch” lyric video:

"Cleanse The Bloodlines" video:

Upcoming tour dates are listed below.

Dates:

September
13 - Costa Mesa, CA - The Tiki Bar
14 - Phoenix, AZ - Club Red
16 - Dallas, TX - Trees
18 - Austin, TX - Dirty Dog Bar
19 - Houston, TX - Scout Bar
24 - Greeneville, SC - Radio Room
26 - Baltimore, MD - Sparta Inn
27 - Brooklyn, NY - Kingsland
28 - Rochester, NY - Montage Hall
29 - Ottawa, ON - Mavericks*
30 - Quebec City, QC - La Source*

October
1 - Toronto, ON - Velvet Underground
5 - Chicago, IL - Reggies
7 - Denver, CO - Larimer
9 - Sioux Falls, SD - Bigs Bar
10 - Winnipeg, MB - Windsor Hotel*
12 - Calgary, AB - Dickens*
13 - Edmonton, AB - Starlite*
14 - Vancouver, BC - Rickshaw*

* no Helion Prime

Lineup:

Brittney Slayes - Vocals
Scott Buchanan - Drums
Grant Truesdell - Guitar, Vocals
Andrew Kingsley - Guitar, Vocals
Nikko Whitworth - Bass