On June 15th, King Diamond released LP reissues of the classic albums Conspiracy, The Dark Sides, and The Eye via Metal Blade Records. Available as 180g picture discs, these exclusive editions can be ordered here. Listen to a full stream of the Conspiracy reissue below.

"You can spiral yourself into darkness with these classic King Diamond albums, or you can exhibit them on your wall like I will. Either way, enjoy." - King

Conspiracy tracklisting:

Side A
"At The Graves"
"Sleepless Nights"
"Lies"
"A Visit From The Dead"

Side B
"The Wedding Dream"
"Amon Belongs To Them"
"Something Weird"
"Victimized"
"Let It Be Done"
"Cremation"

Spanish guitarist Robert Rodrigo has announced the addition of singer Johnny Gioeli to the lineup for the Robert Rodrigo Band.

Says Robert: "A few days ago we told you that after the summer we would have the Robert Rodrigo Band album and we introduced the usual members, but we had to announce our new bandmate, and that will be the voice of this new work.

"Johnny Gioeli, one of the greatest singers of hardr ock of all time, with a long and renowned career in groups such us Hardline, Axel Rudi Pell, or Crush 40, join us to shape this new project, fresh, powerful and eclectic. A musician who has always remained at the top, based on talent and work, for which we are pleased and proud to have him on the team.

"On November 2nd our album will be released and will be able to be purchased in digital and physical format."

Updates to follow.

Avantgarde death metal outfit The Antichrist Imperium are set to release their sophomore album, Volume II Every Tongue Shall Praise Satan, tomorrow, Friday, June 29th via Apocalyptic Witchcraft Recordings. An advanced album stream can be found below.

Volume II Every Tongue Shall Praise Satan will be released on CD, vinyl, cassette and in digital format. The vinyl version will be available on limited white (100 copies) as well as standard black vinyl.

Pre-orders at the Apocalyptic Witchcraft webstore.

 

(CD artwork)

 

 

(vinyl artwork)

 

Volume II Every Tongue Shall Praise Satan tracklisting:

"The Dreadful Hosanna"
"Death Ritual"
"Draw Down The Moon"
"Liturgy Of The Iconoclast / Blood Sacrifice"
"Ceremonial Suicide Rites"
"Golgothian Hieros Gamos"
"Sermon Of Small Faith"

Album stream:

Volume II Every Tongue Shall Praise Satan by The Antichrist Imperium

The Antichrist Imperium's second album presents the quartet with a sound that is unique and well established away from any of the groups other projects, all the while bringing musical composition to this album aiding it to be as diverse as it is unrelenting.

Once again, embalmer of the dead, Matt Wilcock (Abramelin, ex-Akercocke, ex-The Berzerker) brings the hyper-thrash death shreds that can only be contained by funeral director David Gray's (Akercocke, Voices, ex-The Berzerker) masterful blasts and Sam Bean's (The Senseless, ex-The Berzerker) cutting death metal barks that nail the coffins shut.

Last but not least, Samuel Loynes (Akercocke, Shrines, Voices) ties the sound together with vocals atypical to that of the context of the music, delivering the melodic and the emotive to this sonic funeral service.

The Antichrist Imperium lineup:

David Gray - drums
Matt Wilcock - guitars, bass
Sam Bean - vocals
Samuel Loynes - vocals

PERIPHERY's Jake Bowen, Matt Halpern, Mark Holcomb, Misha Mansoor and Spencer Sotelo have announced the formation of their own label, 3DOT Recordings. 3DOT will serve as the label home for all PERIPHERY releases as well as side projects from the band members, as well as releases from non-PERIPHERY artists.

"We are excited to finally realize a dream that we have had for a while now. With the strong vision we all share, it makes sense to extend that perspective to the label side of things so we can have an outlet that is perfectly set up for our releases," says Mansoor. "This also gives us the opportunity to curate and nurture outside musical projects and bands that we truly love. 3DOT is a passion project first and foremost, and as a result, we can focus on genuinely supporting the bands we work with, thereby using our love of music, and not our profit margins, as our driving force. This is an exciting time for all of us at 3DOT, and we can't wait to share the music we believe in with all of you."

3DOT Recordings' inaugural offering is FOUR SECONDS AGO's "The Vacancy". The Bowen/Mansoor electronic collaboration arrives September 28, with the duo giving listeners an early preview to the 10-track release, streaming the song "Fadeaway".

"FOUR SECONDS AGO is a project Misha and I started as a way to work on electronic music together since we're both avid electronic music fans," explains Bowen. "Working together gave us the opportunity to explore music and arrangements that wouldn't necessarily fit in the scope of what PERIPHERY does but takes advantage of the special chemistry Misha and I share."

"The Vacancy" track listing:

01. Fadeaway

02. Galaxy

03. Bloodfrenzy

04. Listening Post Alpha

05. Nothing to Hide

06. Shadow Devil

07. Over and Out

08. The Revenge

09. The Great Silence

10. The Vacancy

Photo credit: Josefa Torres

On July 6th, Norwegian black metal legends Immortal will unleash their first studio album since All Shall Fall, released almost nine years ago. The legendary band has forged Northern Chaos Gods, an album which takes Immortal back to its roots. The album features eight new tracks consisting of 45 minutes of merciless speed and icy darkness, all massive songs in the true Immortal way. A lyric video for second single "Mighty Ravendark" is streaming below.

The band has once again been focusing on making their music without much outside influence. "We are eternally dedicated to Immortal and our own musical past. The album is conceptual, and the first step in the reclaiming of our past grimness and attitude. Loyalty to the fans and our own musical history is very significant in this. Our new album will soon be available, with songs from the very gates of Blashyrkh - the realm of all darkness and cold."

Pre-order the new album in various bundles here.

Tracklisting:

"Northern Chaos Gods"
"Into Battle Ride"
"Gates To Blashyrkh"
"Grim And Dark"
"Called To Ice"
"Where Mountains Rise"
"Blacker Of Worlds"
"Mighty Ravendark"

"Mighty Ravendark" lyric video:

"Northern Chaos Gods" lyric video:

A 7'' vinyl single for "Northern Chaos Gods" will be available in three different colours and is strictly limited edition. The digital version of the track is available today, while the physical single is out on May 25th, in the following editions:

- Black vinyl (limited to 400 pieces)
- White vinyl (limited to 500 pieces - mailorder exclusive)
- Red vinyl (limited to 300 pieces - mailorder exclusive)

The 7'' is now available for pre-order here.

On April 14th, BraveWords scribe Carl Begai joined a group of international journalists for an exclusive listen to Immortal's new album. Check out the feature here.

The line-up on the album is:

Demonaz (vocals, guitars)
Horgh (drums)
Peter Tägtgren (session bass)

(Photo - Anne Swallow)

It's been 10 years since Into Eternity unleashed 2008's The Incurable Tragedy on Century Media with former vocalist Stu Block now of Iced Earth. A decade later, it's a new era for the band with their new album The Sirens due out on August 3rd, which features founding member and guitarist Tim Roth with a new line-up that includes vocalist Amanda Keirnan (The Order of Chaos), guitarist Matt Cuthberston (Untimely Demise), bassist Troy Bleich (Planet Eater) and drummer Bryan James Newsbury (Culled/Death Toll Rising).

Borrowing from all aspects of heavy music to form the perfect blend of technicality, memorable songwriting, traditional heavy metal and the sheer savagery of metal’s extreme genres, Into Eternity's first single "Fringes Of Psychosis", streaming below. The track features guest guitar solo from ex-Megadeth guitarist Glenn Drover along with guest vocals from Chuck Labossiere (Psychotic Gardening/Eyam/Votov).

The band comments about the track:

"‘Fringes Of Psychosis’ is the first track off our long awaited release The Sirens. This track deals with the edge of one's sanity through life’s endless turmoil. Musically this song captures the classic music of early Into Eternity, reborn again with the soaring vocals of Amanda Kiernan, shredding guitar featuring Tim Roth and Matt Cuthbertson, the precise bass playing of Troy Bleich and the intense drumming of Bryan Newbury. Featured also on this track are a couple of guest solos by the mighty Glenn Drover (Megadeth/Testement) and guest demon low growls by our buddy Chuck Labossiere (Eyam/VOTOV)."

In additional news, Into Eternity will performing the album for the first time live at this year's Loud As Hell Festival in Drumheller, AB on August 5th.

Preorders for The Sirens can be found on Bandcamp.

Tracklisting:

“The Sirens”
“Fringes Of Psychosis”
“Sandstorm”
“This Frozen Hell”
“Nowhere Near”
“Devoured By Sarcopenia”
“Fukushima”
“Scattering Of The Ashes Pt. 2”

“Fringes Of Psychosis”:

Epic melodic death metallers Nothgard have finished the recordings for their upcoming album, to be released in autumn 2018. Exact release date and presale to be announced.

Bandleader Dom R. Crey states: "We are super excited and happy with the outcome of our new album so far. Recordings are completely done and the mix is almost finished. Now it is up to the great Jens Bogren (Amon Amarth, Arch Enemy, Kreator) to do the final master. With all the experience Jens has we are absolutely sure that he will give the album the icing on the cake!"

In other news Nothgard will join forces with Finnish epic melodic death metallers Omnium Gatherum and Wolfheart for the Burning Cold Over Europe 2018 Tour.

States Nothgard: "We are honored and are really looking forward to share the stage with the fantastic Omnium Gatherum and Wolfheart. This tour will be an absolute blast full of melodic death metal, but still various in style what makes this tour something for everyone. So I hope to see a lot of you in the pit!"

Dates:

November
7 - Munich, Germany - Backstage
8 - Hamburg, Germany - Kaiserkeller
9 - Berlin, Germany – Bi Nuu
10 - Stuttgart, Germany - ClubCANN
11 - Prague, Czech Republic – Nova Chmelnice
12 - Budapest, Hungary – Dürer Kert 041
13 - Vienna, Austria – Szene
15 - Essen, Germany - Turock
16 - London, United Kingdom – The Dome
17 - Rotterdam, Netherlands - Baroeg
18 - Vosselaar, Belgium - Biebop
19 - Paris, France – Le Petit Bain
21 - Madrid, Spain - Copérnico
22 - Barcelona, Spain - Bóveda
23 - Lyon, France - MJC O Totem
24 - Lucerne, Switzerland - Schüür
25 - Trier, Germany – Mergener Hof

Impellitteri will release their 11th studio album, The Nature Of The Beast, on October 12th via Frontiers Music. The cover art and tracklisting can be viewed below:

"Hypocrisy"
"Masquerade"
"Run For Your Life"
"Phantom Of The Opera" (Andrew Lloyd Webber cover)
"Gates Of Hell"
"Wonder World"
"Man Of War"
"Symptom Of The Universe" (Black Sabbath cover)
"Do You Think I’m Mad"
"Fire It Up"
"Kill The Beast"
"Shine On"

Impellitteri is:

Rob Rock - vocals (Axel Rudi Pell)
Chris Impellitteri - guitars
James Amelio Pulli - bass
Jon Dette - drums (Testament, Anthrax, Slayer)

 

 

Black Fast has released a third new single titled "Husk". "‘Husk’ was the last song to come together just as we started recording this album," says the band. "It's a little different from the rest of the songs and we knew right away it had to be the closer. Plus, it has a fucking slide solo."

The band released a music video for "Cloak Of Lies" last month to kick off the new album cycle. Both "Cloak Of Lies" and "Silhouette Usurper" are available as iTunes instant gratification tracks meaning when fans pre-order the new LP on iTunes, they will receive both songs as instant downloads. "Cloak of Lies" and "Silhouette Usurper" are also available on all streaming platforms starting today.

Black Fast will release Spectre Of Ruin on Friday, July 13th via Entertainment One. Album opener “Cloak Of Lies” sets the stage for Spectre Of Ruin with a heaping helping of everything Black Fast represents, a locomotive of riffs barreling down the tracks with determined speed and aggression.

Like its predecessor, Black Fast’s Spectre Of Ruin was summoned into sharp focus at Mana Studios in St. Petersburg, Florida, with Erik Rutan, the Hate Eternal frontman and ex-Morbid Angel guitarist who has produced albums by genre titans like Cannibal Corpse, Goatwhore, and Six Feet Under. It’s all killer, no filler, demonstrating the destructive force of focused neo-thrash and progressive death-infused heavy metal at its finest.

Black Fast follow the roadmap laid down by the great bands with “Angel” and “Death” in their names, swearing off the trappings of the mainstream with a steadfast dedication to their chosen craft. As vocalist/guitarist, Aaron Akin once summarized, “We’ve pushed our chips all-in since the beginning. We threw caution to the wind. We’re playing metal. We don’t really give a shit about ‘making it.’”  

This music is a vibrant soundtrack to society’s collapse and a celebration of defiant resolution. The Black Fast mission is ruthlessly simple: champion musical aggression, bark at the moon, raise a fist and headbang like there’s no tomorrow.

Pre-order digital copies of the album here, or physical copies here.

Tracklisting:

"Cloak Of Lies"
"Silhouette Usurper"
"Scarecrow And Spectre"
"Phantom I Am"
"Mist Of Ruin"
"Temple Of Leviathan"
"Famine Angel"
"Crescent Aberration"
"Husk"

"Husk":

"Silhouette Usurper":

"Cloak Of Lies" video:

Black Fast will hit the road this summer in various stops across the eastern half of the United States. The band kicks it off with a performance at the 17th Annual ShowcaseSTL presented by The Riverfront Times followed by a batch of support dates with Exmortus on the Summer Of Steel tour. Black Fast will then head out with Ringworm until they reach Cincinnati,OH where they'll participate in the first Annual Transplant Fest with Ringworm and Incantation on July 21st.

British/Polish rock musician John Porter has left ME AND THAT MAN, the blues, country and folk side project of BEHEMOTH frontman Adam "Nergal" Darski. The split occurred after ME AND THAT MAN completed a number of gigs in support of the project's debut album, last year's "Songs Of Love And Death".

"I'll try to be as diplomatic as I can," Nergal told uDiscover Music about John's exit (see video below). "It wasn't the easiest collaboration in my life, which means that it was the most difficult collaboration in my life. [Laughs] I'm talking man to man, because there's been some man-female collaborations that were a bit harder. But [for a] man-to-man collaboration, it was very hard. So it just wouldn't work. Either one would kill one another sooner or later, so better to stay alive and separate."

According to Nergal, there will "definitely" be another ME AND THAT MAN album, although fans might have to wait a couple of years for it to arrive. "Probably in 2019 we'll start recording," he said. "We're already fucking around with ideas, so it might see the light of day in 2020.

As for what the next ME AND THAT MAN record might sound like, Nergal said: "I already have a concept that I don't wanna spoil here now — I'm not gonna tease — because it's still in my head, but I think it's pretty spectacular. So I think it's gonna be cool. I love the idea. I hope people will dig it. But it's gonna be a completely different form — it'll be totally different. And then I'm open for maybe the third record — if there's a third record — do something else again. And I try to be as flexible as I can — as long as I express myself the way I want. It's not like BEHEMOTH, [where] we have this solid setup, and it is what it is, and everyone has its spot and place. With ME AND THAT MAN, I like it to be like a river; it just flows, and, 'Okay, let's take a curve,' 'Let's do this.'"

BEHEMOTH's long-awaited follow-up to 2014's "The Satanist" album is tentatively due before the end of the year. The new disc was mixed by Matt Hyde, who has previously worked with SLAYER and HATEBREED, among others.

According to Dying Scene, guitarist Jeff Pogan has left Venice, California crossover thrash/hardcore punk legends SUICIDAL TENDENCIES.

Pogan announced his exit from the group in an Instagram post. He wrote: "I have decided to leave SUICIDAL TENDENCIES for personal reasons. This means I will not be playing on any of the upcoming shows or tours. I wish the guys the best of luck and am grateful for all of the experiences I had with them."

Pogan had been the guitarist for SUICIDAL TENDENCIES since 2016. During his tenure with the band, he played on their most recent full-length studio album, 2016's "World Gone Mad", and the "Get Your Fight On!" EP, which came out in March.

SUICIDAL TENDENCIES has yet to announce a replacement for Pogan.

Drummer Dave Lombardo recently said that SUICIDAL TENDENCIES will release a new full-length album in September.

American metallers Halcyon Way have released a lyric video for "Slaves To Silicon", the second single from their upcoming studio album Bloody But Unbowed, due out on August 3rd via Agonia Records. 

Halcyon Way's sound cannot be neatly slotted into any sub-category of metal. It can be described as heavy, catchy, technical, progressive and above all, focused on strong songcraft. From Megadeth to Dream Theater, to Testament and Chimaira - Halcyon Way draws influences & inspiration from many metal bands. With a magnitude of catchy hooks, vocal harmonies a la King’s X or Stryper, and heavy, technical, yet ultimately accessible instrumentation, "Bloody But Unbowed" is sure to please fans of many forms of metal. Be that modern, power, thrash and progressive metal - but also hard rock fans. Crammed full of huge anthemic choruses, shredding solos, and brutal riffs, this release checks off all the boxes.  

Bloody But Unbowed was recorded, mixed and mastered by Mark Lewis (Whitechapel, Trivium, Bad Wolves, Threat Signal) and is replete with artwork from Travis Smith (Opeth, Overkill, Death, Iced Earth). The album boasts a very special appearance of "The Nailhead Choir", with many guest names to be revealed soon. Halcyon Way is currently filming a music video for the lead single "Blame", which is expected to drop early June together with preorders.

The band commented: "We are beyond excited to finally unleash this beast upon everyone. This is by far our heaviest album, but it also has the biggest choruses, and it’s just the right next step in our evolution as a band. It was a difficult album to write and put over the finish line, and we cannot wait to have everyone hear it. From the songs to the production to the art, we think all our fans are going to absolutely love it, and when people that haven’t heard Halcyon Way before get a taste, they’re going to be like ‘where has this band been my whole life?'"

Tracklisting:

“Devolutionize”
“Bloody But Unbowed”
“Blame”
“Slaves To Silicon”
“Superpredator”
“Primal Scream”
“Ten Thousand Ways”
“The Church Of Me”
“Cast Another Stone”
“Crowned In Violence”
“Burning The Summit”
“Desolate”
“Insufferable” (European bonus track)
“Stand For Something” (European bonus track)

"Slaves To Silicon" lyric video:

“Blame” video:

The official video for the song "No Friends" from reunited California metallers BLEEDING THROUGH can be seen below. The clip was filmed at the band's sold-out comeback show on June 8 at The Observatory in Santa Ana, California.

"No Friends" is taken from BLEEDING THROUGH's new album, "Love Will Kill All", which was released on May 25 via SharpTone Records.

Vocalist Brandan Schieppati states: "We are super stoked to be putting out our third music video from our brand-new album 'Love Will Kill All'. 'No Friends' is perfect for the 'live set' and simply slams! This is about how through time you will absorb a collection of people who you will call friends, but in your greatest time of need, only the 'true' friends will rise to the top. This is ultimately about overall grit and perseverance, along with those incredible moments where you realize 'I'm better off without shit-head friends anyways!' This video captures a raw energy and emotion of that song played live at our hometown, sold-out album-release show, so check it out."

Asked in a recent interview with "Bods Mayhem Hour" about the circumstances that led him to reform BLEEDING THROUGH, Schieppati said: "It's a little bit of a bunch of stuff. It's not the popular answer, because bands don't want everyone to talk about finances and the business of the band, and the reason why they don't and the fact they don't talk about it more lets the music industry kind of control that dynamic when it comes to the music. I know it's like I said, it's not the popular thing to talk about it, but it needed to be talked about.

"We were a band for 15 years and once you're a band for 15 years, it really becomes your full-time job and, for a lot of us, our sole means of income," he continued. "It really was time for us; we needed to focus on other things in our lives on the personal side. We were getting to our mid-30s and it was the sort of thing where people wanted to start having kids and start families and pursue other careers they've never able to pursue before because there were always obligations to BLEEDING THROUGH. I think that, for us, it was really important to do those things.

"I find that when you look at a lot of bands, the older they get, they don't do those things. Outside of music, their life is a fucking mess. I've seen it first-hand. We saw it first-hand with hundreds of people in bands where their lives were just a fucking mess. We never really wanted to be like that. It was sort of the responsible thing, the more grown-up thing for us to do is take that time off and pursue other things.

"For me," he added, "I opened my first gym, Rise Above Fitness, in 2011 and it kind of came to a point where I realized I needed to focus on this if it's going to happen. Screaming into a microphone is not going to pay the bills forever, nor did it comfortably pay the bills ever. That's the sort of thing where people are, like, 'Fuck you, you guys do it for the money.' It's easy to say that when you're not in a band and you're in a position where we are we were literally tour and do so much that we can't do other things. It is a little about money because when that is your sole income and you're trying to support yourself and a kid and a wife, whatever, pay a mortgage, that's the long and the short of it. That's reality there.

"I think that the music industry is so fantastical all the time where they don't dwell on the reality of checks and balances, and they should. It's irresponsible for labels and management and booking agents to go out there and tell bands to do a certain thing when you know damn well it's the wrong thing on a personal level for every single person in that band. It's irresponsible. Because at the end of the day, they make the money regardless. For us, that's how we were beginning to think and feel about ourselves. We felt that to the people that were working for us label-wise, management-wise, booking agent-wise, we were a cash cow. They just kept whipping the dead horse and [told us] go out there and play and go do more and go do more and grind yourself and don't worry about your personal lives and it's all about this music and blah, blah and the whole fucking shebang rhetoric that everyone gets fed when it comes to underground music and this and that. They didn't care how we did or how we were doing because they were making their 15 to 25 percent. That's all that matters. For us, it was, like, 'Fuck these people. We need to take care of our lives because our lives were beginning to kind of be a mess and we refuse to be like that.' We also didn't want to be one of those bands who has so many daily stresses where it gets in the way of the creation of the music and the importance of the creation of the music and us being around each other and being friends and touring and playing music, because that was number one, our creation with each other is the reason why we do it.

"We just felt it was a time where we had to shut it down in order to kind of regroup [and] refocus. And then it was as easy as me being in the studio with my producer, and I was writing some stuff for some other bands, and I wrote a song that sounded like a BLEEDING THROUGH song, so I recorded it and I sent a group text to everybody in the band and said, 'Do you guys want to do this again?' And everybody said, 'Yup. Let's do it!' And I said, 'If you guys don't want to do it, if you're perfectly satisfied being away from it, then that's fine. But if you want to do it, then let's do it.' Everybody said, 'All right. It's time, let's do it.' I guess that close-to-five-year hiatus was enough to get our affairs in order on a personal level, which I think is important."

Metal Wani's Prathamesh Hoshing conducted an interview with NIGHTWISH keyboardist/songwriter Tuomas Holopainen at this year's Hellfest, which was held last month in Clisson, France. You can listen to the entire chat below. A few excerpts follow (transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET).

On playing some of NIGHTWISH's lesser-known and deep catalog songs during their recent "Decades" tour:

Tuomas: "Basically, it has been a hilarious-like time machine. Like a road down memory lane. Some of the songs are a bit more challenging to play than others because namely of the lyrical content of the songs because I mean, things have evolved. I have evolved as a person, as a songwriter and I would never write such lyrics again, but then going back in time, I still appreciate them and I can be proud of them. But playing songs like 'The Carpenter', 'Dead Boy's Poem', it's a bit tricky. You have to set your mood to a certain state to perform it well. So, that's been a bit of a challenge. Other than that, it's been a great tour."

On which eras of NIGHTWISH he enjoys delving into during this tour:

Tuomas: "It kind of changes from night to night. There are certain songs that are always a pleasure to play live, like 'The Greatest Show On Earth', for example. I really like the vibe of a song like, 'I Want My Tears Back' because it makes the audience dance and it's one little happy piece. 'Ghost Love Score' is one of those songs because it always fires up the audience as well. The moment Floor [Jansen, vocals] hits that last final note, it's just shivers down the back for everybody, just to mention a few."

On the status of NIGHTWISH's next studio album:

Tuomas: "Well, it is still in the songwriting process. I have about, I don't know, 70, 80 percent of the material written. But, nobody else has heard a single bar. They have no idea about the song titles or the themes or anything, so it's still in the very early stage. But it's looking really good and I'm really excited about what's come up so far. The idea is next summer, in June of 2019, we're going to go to the rehearsal camp once again, start working with the album, record it, and, if everything goes as scheduled, we're looking at a 2020 springtime release, followed by a massive tour, of course."

On the current state of drummer Jukka Nevalainen, who took a leave of absence from NIGHTWISH due to ongoing issues with insomnia:

Tuomas: "I was just with Jukka last week. We went to a baseball game. He's very much involved in the band, but his drumming is still a question mark because his insomnia is not totally gone, even though he's feeling much, much better. Then he had surgery on his hand at the beginning of this year, so he hasn't been able to play. To be honest, I don't know what the future is. At the moment, we have Kai [Hahto, fill-in drummer] — he's going to play until the end of this tour, for sure, but we'll just have to see early next year how Jukka feels and what the future brings."

On whether NIGHTWISH will ever accompany another one of their albums with a movie, like they did for 2011's "Imaginaerum":

Tuomas: "To put it simply, no. This was definitely a one-timer. If you thought the music business was complicated, try the movie business. It was kind of like diving into the deep end of the pool without knowing what's beneath the surface. But I'm glad we did it. There are no regrets. I like the result and I'm really proud of what we achieved, but it was definitely a one-timer and I also have my doubts that we're even going to do a music video in the future because that's also something I don't feel so comfortable with anymore. So I think there might be some new formats to explore in the future, but, honestly, I don't know."

On his songwriting inspirations:

Tuomas: "This beautiful and insane world, in itself, is a major inspiration to me. Just looking at what's happening, all the good, all the bad, the light and the dark, everything that's going on is a bottomless pit of inspiration. But, of course, sometimes, you want to write about more how would I say? More detailed, more concrete things. For example, a comic book duck, or, about the native American Indians, then I might read a book that really inspires to write a song like 'The Greatest Show On Earth', for example, so it's very diverse. The most important thing is just to feel inspired about something, whether it's something positive or negative or something that just needs to come out from your system."

A new NIGHTWISH 2CD compilation titled "Decades" was released in March.

NIGHTWISH's next album will mark the band's second full-length release with Jansen, who has been touring with the group since 2012.

Steve "Zetro" Souza says he cannot picture EXODUS following in the retirement footsteps of their longtime thrash counterparts SLAYER. SLAYER, which announced its "final tour" earlier this year, currently features in its ranks EXODUS guitarist/primary songwriter Gary Holt as a replacement for deceased guitarist Jeff Hanneman. While both bands got their start in the Bay Area/Los Angeles thrash scenes around the same time, SLAYER has decided to cease regular touring activities after this run. Holt has previously stated he will return to full-time EXODUS duty once SLAYER's live obligations are complete.

Asked by Graspop Metal Meeting (see video below) whether he's thought of retiring now that SLAYER is hanging it up, Steve said: "No, no, no, no, no, no. I like doing this. I'm not tired of this yet. For some bands, if that's where your head's at, that's great and I understand that if you don't want to be here, don't come out, it's not something you want to do. For me, I still enjoy it. I still have a good time, I'm having a good time onstage. I'm very fortunate to be able to do this at the age I'm in. EXODUS, our first record ['Bonded By Blood'] came out in 1985. That's 33 years ago. To still have younger fans and the older fans still coming in droves to see us, we'll be doing it like we tell them every night: 'As long as you guys are coming we'll still be here.' We can't afford not to, right?"

Souza was also asked whether he's nostalgic considering the number of European metal festival appearances EXODUS has made over the years. "I think so," he said. "When I look back at those times — we were just talking about that the other day. Unfortunately, [PANTERA/HELLYEAH drummer] Vinnie Paul passed, we found that out. PANTERA, we gave them their first tour and they opened for EXODUS and SUICIDAL [TENDENCIES]. Gary Holt and I were talking — Gary's not with us right now, obviously — and we were talking today about how I just keep memories from that. So, I'm very nostalgic. I love the history, the history of Bay Area thrash and from the beginning when I can just remember the METALLICA house and just things. So, I'm very nostalgic when it comes to that type of stuff. Metal people are so receptive. We're like a family. If you love heavy metal, you love it forever. It's not like something you get into: 'I liked heavy metal when I was a kid.' You never hear anybody saying, 'I was listening to SLAYER for a summer.' If you're in, you're in. That's why I think longevity is the reason why we can do that is because the fans are so responsive and they're always supporting. That tent was packed today in there. Every time, singing the songs back and forth, pitting for 'The Toxic Waltz', 'wall of death' for 'Strike Of The Beast'. They know the drill, right? Great times."

Souza recently confirmed that fans will have to wait until at least the end of 2019 before the band's follow-up to 2014's "Blood In Blood Out" album. Although it was originally reported that the veteran San Francisco Bay Area thrashers would go into the studio last October to begin recording the new effort, it now appears that the band will not begin work on the next disc until Holt is done playing with SLAYER.

"Blood In Blood Out" was EXODUS's first album since the departure of the group's lead singer of nine years, Rob Dukes, and the return of Souza, who previously fronted EXODUS from 1986 to 1993 and from 2002 to 2004.

The Jimmy Cabbs 5150 Interview Series conducted an interview with the reunited original lineup of Canadian thrash metal pioneers EXCITER — guitarist John Ricci, drummer/vocalist Dan Beehler and bassist Allan Johnson prior to the band's June 22 appearance at Los Angeles Strikefest. You can watch the entire chat in two parts below. A few excerpts follow (transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET).

On EXCITER still being able to draw strong crowds:

Dan: "It's awesome. It's great. Like you said — it's like 1983 all over again. The young people are taking the metal thing over so well. It's more and more young people and we noticed here in L.A., it's great, they're really passing on the torch. It's cool. We're looking forward to it."

Allan: "It's encouraging. You see all the young people coming out and it's encouraging to know that the resurgence is happening, but it's a whole new fanbase coming along for the ride. It's great."

John: "I think the kids are going back to discover the origins of metal and all of the sudden, boom, EXCITER pops up and it's like, 'Who are these guys?' Then they discover where the whole genre and the whole '80s vibe came from. When we play shows like this, they go, 'We got to go check this band out. This is where it all started.' Most of the young people we talk to at the shows, that's what they tell us. They want to go back to the roots and we're a roots-rooted band. [Laughs]"

On EXCITER's music maintaining its relevance:

Dan: "It's pretty wild. It's pretty surprising. We never thought back then that we'd be going today, but it's pretty cool. We're the band, so we're not going to sit here and really talk about ourselves, but, everybody comes up to us and is really starting to realize what we did back then. Like you said, the music stands the test of time. It's pure metal played at its hardest. We're one of the last old-school bands that are together."

Allan: "It's exactly what he said. I go back to being encouraged again. It's encouraging to know that everything we did way back then is still relevant and current and everybody is still into it. That's what keeps us going."

John: "We were talking to our promoter last night, Taylor, and he was saying we're the 'real deal.' There's a lot of bands who get up there and try to do the speed and the thrash, but they said, 'You guys are the real deal.' He told us younger bands should check us out because we're playing it for real. We created the vibe. We're responsible for the vibe. When we play, we're not posing. [Laughs] It comes right from the insides. We've always, always been like that. Every single performance, no matter if we're playing Los Angeles or in Europe or South America. When we start into a song, the crowd reacts exactly like they did in the '80s because they feel the music. They feel the vibe and then when we see the reaction from the audience, it's like 'Oh yeah! This is it!' We feel like we're 24 years old."

On the chemistry between EXCITER when they're working on new music:

Dan: "It's the same as the old music. We got back together, it was like, we played 'Stand Up And Fight', the first song, it was like we took a week off. Everything fell together. We just had this chemistry in the '80s that we still have now. Like I said, it just slipped back together. The chemistry is great. We feel like we've been playing forever."

On whether EXCITER feels any stress while composing new material:

Allan: "It can be stressful. I mean, there's a lot of pressure on us, too. It's going to have to be great and we know that and that's why we're being really fussy with what we're putting out. We're taking our time. At first, we were pressured and we thought, 'Let's just take the pressure off and take our time, do it right.' We got to do it right. So far so good. We're happy with what we got so far."

John: "We're being really careful about the new music that we put out because it has to stand up to the old stuff. We feel kind of pressured. We don't want to put out a weak record, and, like Al said, we're taking our time to make sure the music is going to be just as explosive as it was back in the day when we were making albums together."

Dan: "It's the same things that these guys said. The pressure is on. We don't go around chewing our nails or anything like that, but we enjoy the challenge. But, again, we're not going to race out and put out an album just to please everybody who wants to hear a new EXCITER album. We always pleased ourselves with those first albums and then we hoped the world followed and that's what we're going to do. When we're ready, we're going to release it and not before."

On the band's future plans:

John: "We have some more shows. We're doing Germany in August and we're doing a gig in Singapore, also in August. We do, at this point in our career, we do most of the time, one-off shows. We do have some exceptions when we do a lot of Brazilian and South American dates. We have a good agent down there. That's the only time we actually tour. Otherwise, we do these one-off shows, but those are the next gigs coming up. Like I said, we're in pre-production. There's new songs coming out of us all the time, but we want to really gel the new stuff before we have anyone hear it. That's where we are right now. It's going to come out EXCITER no matter what, but we want the songwriting to be really, really strong. We can't come out with a weak album. We keep emphasizing that. We were talking earlier, people have very high expectations because it's the original three guys. We just want to make sure this music is strong."

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

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

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

HALESTORM has released the official "visualizer" video for its new single, "Black Vultures". Check it out below. The track is taken from the band's fourth album, "Vicious", which will be released on July 27 via Atlantic.

Recorded last year at Nashville, Tennesse's Rock Falcon recording studio with producer Nick Raskulinecz, "Vicious" is available for pre-order at all DSPs and streaming services.

Deluxe album packages are available for pre-order exclusively at the band's official webstore, including the new album on standard vinyl, plus a limited-edition opaque purple colored double vinyl with enhanced cover art and bonus tracks, limited to 1500 units worldwide. Also exclusively available at the webstore are a limited edition t-shirt, dog tag necklace, autographed poster, and a free album cover magnet with physical album purchase while supplies last.

Raskulinecz is an acclaimed producer who has previously worked with RUSH, KORN, ALICE IN CHAINS and DEFTONES, in addition to having produced HALESTORM's third covers EP, "ReAniMate 3.0: The CoVeRs eP", which came out in January 2017.

HALESTORM frontwoman Lzzy Hale told Boston radio station WAAF about the band's new album: "I feel like this is the most… Every record, we try to kind of get it closer and closer to what people see every day live. And I really think that this is the most HALESTORM record that you're gonna hear from us as of yet."

HALESTORM debuted "Black Vultures" at the opening show of its Canadian co-headlining tour with STONE SOUR in late January in Abbotsford, British Columbia.

HALESTORM guitarist Joe Hottinger told the SiriusXM show "Trunk Nation" that the band's follow-up to 2015's "Into The Wild Life" would contain some of "the heaviest stuff we've ever done."

"Into The Wild Life" was criticized by some HALESTORM fans for veering too far into pop music territory.

"Vicious" track listing:

01. Black Vultures

02. Skulls

03. Uncomfortable

04. Buzz

05. Do Not Disturb

06. Conflicted

07. Killing Ourselves To Live

08. Heart of Novocaine

09. Painkiller

10. White Dress

11. Vicious

12. The Silence

HALESTORM will embark on the second leg of their milestone U.S. tour showcasing all female-fronted hard rock bands. The dates — once again co-headlined by Roadrunner/Atlantic group IN THIS MOMENT — get underway July 27 at Kansas City, Missouri's SEC Arena and then travel through the end of August. Support throughout the trek comes from special guests NEW YEARS DAY. The tour will include stops at a number of upcoming festivals and state fairs, including Oshkosh, Wisconsin's Rock USA (July 12), Cadott, Wisconsin's Rock Fest (July 13), Dubuque, Iowa's Dubuque County Fair (July 28) and Springfield, Illionois's Illinois State Fair (August 11). Other highlights include a one-night-only event supporting JOAN JETT & THE BLACKHEARTS — set for August 9 at Moorehead, Minnesota's Bluestem Amphitheater — as well as a free concert on Las Vegas, Nevada's Fremont Street (August 25).

Richmond, Virginia's MUNICIPAL WASTE released its sixth studio album, "Slime And Punishment", a year ago via Nuclear Blast. In support of that release, the band is about to embark on a run of 20 club and festival dates across nine countries in Europe. To mark the occasion, the guys have unleashed a brand new music video for the album's title track.

Commented MUNICIPAL WASTE's Ryan Waste: "Teaming up with Norman Cabrera for this video was a match made in horror. His 35 years experience with practical FX in film shined through, as you'll see in this latest WASTE clip. Not only a fan of monsters, he's a metal lifer like us, so we saw eye to eye on the aesthetic of everything involved.

"Initially, Norman approached me to make a mask for MUNICIPAL WASTE, which has been his specialty for many years. I said, 'Why don't you do us one better and make a damn video?!' He leaped on the opportunity and even stepped up as the director, as well as the effects designer, making multiple masks and creating the horrific world of 'Slime And Punishment'.

"We all grew up on VHS and that played a major inspiring role in the video as well. It was like making a movie, all the work that went into this and there are countless people to thank. I have to give shoutouts to Slasher Dave for composing the intro score and Joel Grind for taking us out with the synth outro, bookending this nightmare perfectly."

"Slime And Punishment" was the first WASTE album to be engineered by bassist Phil "Landphil" Hall at Blaze Of Torment Studios in Richmond, Virginia. Mixing and mastering was completed by Bill Metoyer (SLAYER, W.A.S.P., LIZZY BORDEN and DARK ANGEL) in Hollywood, California.

The cover artwork for the sixth album was created by the band's good friend, Andrei Bouzikov. This was the fourth cover he created for them as he was responsible for the art for "Massive Aggressive", "The Art Of Partying" and the split with TOXIC HOLOCAUST, "Toxic Waste".

UNEARTH's new single, "Incinerate", can be streamed below. The song is taken from the Boston band's upcoming album, "Extinction(s)", which is due this fall via Century Media.


Vocalist Trevor Phipps describes the new song: "'Incinerate' brings the raw aggression and heaviness of our early material while also showcasing elements of where we've gone as a band since. Lyrically, it is meant to be a song of unity in a time of great polarization around the world. We are constantly being told to not like our neighbor because they might have different views. The theme is a faith in humanity to come together and combat and rid the world of those that are intentionally dividing us."

For its seventh release and Century Media debut, UNEARTH worked with Will Putney (EVERY TIME I DIE, BODY COUNT, GOJIRA, THY ART IS MURDER, SILENT PLANET) at Graphic Nature Studios. Additionally, KILLSWITCH ENGAGE's Adam Dutkiewicz recorded drums for the effort.


UNEARTH is currently taking part in the final installment of the annual Vans Warped Tour on the Mutant White Lightning stage. Additional tour plans for the fall and winter will be announced in the coming weeks.

DEVILDRIVER's long-awaited full-length album of outlaw country-gone-metal anthems, "Outlaws 'Til The End: Vol. 1", will be released on July 6 via Napalm Records. The disc is described in a press release as "both a startling curveball and a ferocious statement of individuality from a band who have been a constant and effective force in the heavy metal world for the best part of two decades now."

After dropping its potent cover of outlaw classic "Ghost Riders In The Sky", DEVILDRIVER is following up with yet another track cut from "Outlaws 'Til The End: Vol. 1", a cover of Steve Earle's "Copperhead Road", featuring 36 CRAZYFISTS vocalist Brock Lindow. Check out a lyric video for the track beow.


DEVILDRIVER frontman Dez Fafara says, "I have always loved this story of running moonshine and running from the cops, and having Brock on this song was a smart move as his unique voice is absolutely perfect for it. I'm proud to have him on this record!"


Lindow adds: "I'm grateful to be included in the barnburner that is 'Outlaws 'Til The End: Vol. 1'! 'Copperhead Road' was always a heavy song with a great story that encompasses all things 'outlaw,' but DEVILDRIVER ups the ante on this one and puts the pedal to metal with their vision of the legendary jam. It was a tremendous honor to sing with Dez and the boys on this monster record!"

From the opening seconds of Hank 3's "Country Heroes" onward, "Outlaws 'Til The End" is simply one of the most invigorating records DEVILDRIVER has made so far. More importantly, these evocative, irresistible songs have all been wholly rebuilt from the ground up, powered by the classic DEVILDRIVER sound and embellished with Fafara's unmistakable feral roar.

"Outlaws 'Til The End" was produced, mixed and recorded with Steve Evetts (THE DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN, EVERY TIME I DIE, SEPULTURA, THE CURE), with DEVILDRIVER guitarist Mike Sprietzer also lending recording talents. The album was mastered by renowned engineer Alan Douches.

Completing this unprecedented project is a host of metal and country luminaries providing unforgettable cameos: horror metal icon Wednesday 13 lends his incensed rasp to George Jones's "If Drinking Don't Kill Me", and FEAR FACTORY's Burton C. Bell helps to turn Richard Thompson's anti-war classic "Dad's Gonna Kill Me" into a brooding gothic metal extravaganza. Meanwhile, LAMB OF GOD members Randy Blythe and Mark Morton contribute to an exhilarating decimation of Willie Nelson's "Whiskey River" before Randy makes a second appearance on DEVILDRIVER's version of cowboy standard "Ghost Riders In The Sky"; the latter featuring the son of Johnny Cash himself.

"I knew right away that I wanted to have guests on this record, and the first guest I wanted was John Carter Cash," Fafara recalls. "I didn't want this thing to exist without John, without Hank 3 or without Randy. Basically, there were a certain amount of guests that I definitely wanted on it, but as I kept asking people, everyone kept saying yes!

"Randy and Mark are both from the country and they were immediately on board. With John, we wound up talking for two hours when we first met, all about his love of heavy metal and my love of outlaw country and my love of his dad's music. All he wanted to do was talk about metal and all I wanted to do was talk about outlaw country. It was the craziest thing."

Not only just content with a collaboration with John Carter Cash, the album also features the iconic voice of FEAR, U.S. punk rock legend Lee Ving. "Lee has a country band called RANGE WAR and when he first started in music, his mother gave him her mandolin to play, so he played country music before he ever did punk rock," Fafara notes. "I've been fortunate enough in my career to do songs with Ozzy [Osbourne] and some of the greats, but doing a song with Lee Ving? What can I say… he's my ultimate hero in life. I had a FEAR shirt on the first time I ran away from home, you know?"

"Outlaws 'Til The End" track listing:

01. "Country Heroes"

Written by Hank Williams III

Performed by Hank3 & Dez Fafara

02. "Whiskey River"

Written by Johnny Bush and Paul Stroud; recorded by Willie Nelson

Performed by Randy Blythe, Mark Morton of LAMB OF GOD & Dez Fafara

03. "Outlaw Man"

Written by David Blue; recorded by the Eagles

Performed by Dez Fafara & Neal Tiemann of DEVILDRIVER

04. "Ghost Riders In The Sky"

Written by Stan Jones

Performed by John Carter Cash, Ana Cristina Cash, Randy Blythe & Dez Fafara

05. "I'm the Only Hell (Mama Ever Raised)"

Written by Bobby Bobby Borchers, Wayne Kemp, Mack Vickery; recorded by Johnny Paycheck

Performed by Dez Fafara & DEVILDRIVER

06. "If Drinking Don't Kill Me (Her Memory Will)"

Written by Harlan Sanders, Rick Beresford; recorded by George Jones

Performed by Wednesday 13 & Dez Fafara

07. "The Man Comes Around"

Written by Johnny Cash

Performed by Lee Ving of FEAR & Dez Fafara

08. "A Thousand Miles From Nowhere"

Written by Dwight Yoakam

Performed by Dez Fafara & Neal Tiemann of DEVILDRIVER

09. "Copperhead Road"

Written by Steve Earle

Performed by Brock Lindow of 36 CRAZYFISTS & Dez Fafara

10. "Dad's Gonna Kill Me"

Written by Richard Thompson

Performed by Burton C. Bell of FEAR FACTORY & Dez Fafara

11. "A Country Boy Can Survive"

Written by Hank Williams Jr.

Performed by Dez Fafara & DEVILDRIVER

12. "The Ride"

Written by J.B. Detterline Jr., Gary Gentry; recorded by David Allan Coe

Performed by Lee Ving of Fear & Dez Fafara

DEVILDRIVER is:

Dez Fafara - Vocals

Mike Spreitzer - Guitar

Neal Tiemann - Guitar

Diego Ibarra - Bass

Austin D'Amond - Drums

"Ethereal Skies", a brand new song from Germany's progressive death metal masters OBSCURA, can be streamed below. The track is taken from the band's new album, "Diluvium", which is due out July 13 on CD, LP and digital via Relapse Records.

OBSCURA completes its long-running, four-album conceptual circle with the release of "Diluvium" (defined as a great oceanic flood), the band's most evocative, diverse and vibrant release to date.


Recorded with longtime producer V. Santura (TRIPTYKON, PESTILENCE) at Woodshed Studios in Landshut, Germany, "Diluvium" is a stunning achievement for the illustrious quartet and a landmark release for progressive metal as a whole. Complete with all the band's signature elements plus groundbreaking polyrhythms, dramatic songwriting, and jaw-dropping virtuosity, "Diluvium" will go down in the annals of metal history as one of the most astonishing performances the genre has to offer.

"Diluvium" track listing:

01. Clandestine Stars

02. Emergent Evolution

03. Diluvium

04. Mortification of the Vulgar Sun

05. Ethereal Skies

06. Convergence

07. Ekpyrosis

08. The Seventh Aeon

09. The Conjuration

10. An Epilogue to Infinity

11. A Last Farewell (Bonus Track)

Additionally, OBSCURA has announced a North American headlining tour, set to take place from mid-September through early October. The band will be joined by BEYOND CREATION, ARCHSPIRE, INFERI and EXIST for what is sure to be the most talked about progressive death metal tour of the year. The full list of tour dates will be announced shortly.

Vocalist/guitarist Steffen Kummerer commented on the run: "OBSCURA finally return to North America with an extended headlining tour supporting our brand new record 'Diluvium', which marks the end of a ten-year, four-album cycle. With BEYOND CREATION, ARCHSPIRE, INFERI and EXIST, we return to the United States and Canada with the most extreme tour of the year. We can't wait to hit the road again and present you songs off all four records 'Cosmogenesis', 'Omnivium', 'Akroasis' and 'Diluvium'."

The official video for the "Diluvium" title track can be seen below. The clip was directed by Mirko Witzki (KREATOR, BLIND GUARDIAN, CALIBAN) and further explores the album's celestial themes.

Album art credit: Orion Landau

Photo credit: Christian Martin Weiss

According to The Pulse Of Radio, RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS bassist Flea and his wife, model Frankie Rayder, have purchased an "architecturally significant" 5.7-acre compound in La Crescenta, California for $4.25 million. The sellers are artists Lari Pittman and Roy Dowell, who first listed it three years ago for $7.9 million.

Variety has posted picture sof the compound, which consists of two houses next to each other. The first is a 1,350-square-foot home with two bedrooms and one bathroom that was first built in 1952 by mid-century modern architect Richard Neutra. Pittman bought it in 1998 and had it restored and updated with a modern kitchen, although it still has a retro mid-1950s feel.

Pittman and Dowell later built a one-bedroom, one-and-a-half bathroom house on the property in 2009 that was designed to be "practically futuristic." The seven-sided home, with a courtyard in the center, sits above a hillside, offering "cross-canyon mountain views" from a terrace. The two buildings are connected via a driveway, and the compound features an "open-air entertainment pavilion set amid a scrupulously groomed desert garden."

Flea told The Pulse Of Radio a while back that the title of the CHILI PEPPERS' last LP, 2016's "The Getaway", reflected his feelings on having a place to escape to. "We all want to get away, you know," he said. "We all want to go be somewhere beautiful, doing something that we love, you know, something that really gets us in the moment and rockin' and everybody wants a sanctuary to go to and it might just be like inside your own self, which is really the best one you could ever have. But that's what it makes me think about."

Flea and Rayder recently put their home in the Los Feliz area of Los Angeles, California on the market for $2.997 million. They bought the house less than four years ago for $2.47 million. The property is reported to already be in escrow. The couple still own a Malibu compound that they purchased in 2006 for $10 million.

CBS DFW has uploaded a two-minute video report on the public memorial for Vinnie Paul Abbott, which was held on Sunday (July 1) at Bomb Factory in Dallas, Texas.

"We're not mourning Vinnie. Of course, the world is sad that he's gone… but Vinnie's memory will live on through his music," said Guy Sykes, former PANTERA tour manager.

"To me, Vinnie was as solid as a rock. He is the last person I ever expected to hear somebody say he passed away suddenly, for no reason," said 97.1 The Eagle's Cindy Scull.

According to the Forth Worth Star Telegram, the stage at "Vinnie Paul: A Public Celebration Of Life" was decorated with flowers from various rock stars and other celebrities, including Kid Rock, comedian Carrot Top, BLACK SABBATH's Geezer Butler and bands such as MEGADETH, ANTHRAX, DISTURBED, SLAYER and ALICE IN CHAINS. SABBATH singer Ozzy Osbourne and his wife, Sharon, sent an arrangement in the shape of a drum.

A brief video message from ex-PANTERA vocalist Philip Anselmo was played at the event, with Anselmo saying, "Vince, always have love in my heart for you, man. Rest in peace." It marked the first time Anselmo publicly commented on Vinnie Paul's death.

Sunday's public event also included emotional tributes from a number of Vinnie's fellow musicians, some of whom appeared in person while others sent short video speeches expressing their affection for the fallen drummer.

Vinnie passed away on June 22 at his home in Las Vegas at the age of 54. The drummer's death "did not appear suspicious," according to the official police report. Sources close to Vinnie told the Las Vegas Review-Journal that he suffered a "major heart attack," but that information has not been corroborated yet by an official source.

A video message from ex-PANTERA singer Philip Anselmo was played at the public memorial for his former bandmate, drummer Vinnie Paul Abbott. It marked the first time Anselmo publicly commented on Vinnie Paul's death.

The event, which was held earlier today (Sunday, July 1) at Bomb Factory in Dallas, Texas, included emotional tributes from a number of Abbott's fellow musicians, some of whom appeared in person while others sent short video speeches expressing their affection for the fallen PANTERA and HELLYEAH drummer.

Anselmo's tribute was a few seconds long and saw him speaking in his trademark deep voice. "Vince, always have love in my heart for you, man," he said (see video below). "Rest in peace."

Vinnie Paul and his brother "Dimebag" Darrell Abbott co-founded PANTERA. When PANTERA broke up in 2003, they formed DAMAGEPLAN. On December 8, 2004, while performing with DAMAGEPLAN at the Alrosa Villa in Columbus, Ohio, Dimebag was shot and killed onstage by a troubled schizophrenic who believed that the members of PANTERA were stealing his thoughts.

Up until his death, Vinnie remained on non-speaking terms with Anselmo.

Vinnie and Anselmo's relationship got more acrimonious when Vinnie indirectly blamed Philip for Dimebag's death, suggesting that some remarks the vocalist had made about Dimebag in print just weeks earlier might have incited Dimebag's killer.

Vinnie Paul has consistently shot down persistent calls for a PANTERA reunion with Zakk Wylde (BLACK LABEL SOCIETY, OZZY OSBOURNE) filling in for Dimebag on guitar, telling Metal Hammer: "I'm not interested because there's no Dime, and, to me, if there's no Dime, there's no PANTERA. That's my reason. It's behind me. I've moved on. I play in a band called HELLYEAH and I really love doing it. I'm looking forward to moving forward; I don't wanna live in the past."

Back in October 2016, Vinnie Paul said in an interview that it was "sad" to see Anselmo doing "a lot of things" that have tarnished PANTERA's image in the decade and a half since the band's split.

Vinnie passed away on June 22 at his home in Las Vegas at the age of 54.

The PANTERA and HELLYEAH drummer was buried on Saturday (June 30) next to his brother and their mother, Carolyn, at Moore Memorial Gardens Cemetery in Arlington, Texas.

Canadian progsters Pyramid Theorem, hailing from Toronto, have released an official video for their song, "The Fight That Never Ends". Check it out below.

In addition , the band is gearing up for a short summer tour of Southern Ontario - including a show in Montreal - with Earth's Yellow Sun and AfterWake. Dates are as follows:

July
6 - Maxwell's Music House - Waterloo, ON
7 - Club Absinthe - Hamilton, ON
8 - Warehouse Concert Hall - St. Catharines, ON
13 - La Vitrola - Montreal, QC
14 - LIVE! On Elgin - Ottawa, ON
20 - The Moustache Club - Oshawa, ON  
27 - Garrison - Toronto, ON

BraveWords has received the following update:

"It's been eight years since Dofka has released a full length album. We couldn't wait any longer to announce our vocalist! Please give a warm welcome to vocalist Chet Miller.

The band has been working on the new record for about a year. In the '90s, guitarist Jim Dofka and vocalist Chet Miller worked together in the band Screamer and Dofka (the band) though they never released a full length CD together. There's always been a feeling of unfinished business. As fate would have it, two decades later, Jim and Chet got together and wrote nine new songs and recorded a new Dofka CD. The band will be mixing next month. We hope the metal world will give us a listen and support ole skool true metal."

Footage from the studio is available below.

Chester Bennington's widow has told CNN that there were warning signs in the days before the LINKIN PARK singer took his own life last July.

"I am now more educated about those signs, but they were definitely there: the hopelessness, the change of behavior, isolation," Talinda Bennington said during an interview with CNN's Anderson Cooper as part of the CNN Town Hall, "Finding Hope: Battling America's Suicide Crisis" (see video below).

"That was all part of our daily life," she said. "Sometimes, some signs were there more than others. Sometimes, they weren't there at all."

According to Talinda, Chester "was [at] his best" the night before he committed suicide at the couple's at his home in Palo Verdes Estates, California.

"We were on a family vacation, and he decided to go back home to do a television commercial," she recalled. "This was not a time where we or any of our family suspected this to happen, which is terrifying... We thought everything was okay."

Bennington's friends told Rolling Stone that he fell off the wagon for three days in August 2016 and drank until he blacked out, adding that he had been consuming alcohol again as recently as October 2016. Bennington's longtime friend Ryan Shuck, who played with the singer in DEAD BY SUNRISE, thought Bennington may have had "a couple of drinks" before hanging himself on July 20, 2017.

Chester was found dead on what would have been the 53rd birthday of his late friend and fellow rocker, SOUNDGARDEN frontman Chris Cornell.

After Cornell died in May 2017 as a result of suicide by hanging himself inside his Detroit hotel room, Chester wrote a letter thanking him for inspiring him and hoping he would find peace in "the next life."

Bennington had been open with the press and public about his struggles with drugs and alcohol, which landed him in rehab twice around 2006.

Investigators found no illegal drugs or prescription drugs while searching Bennington's home following his passing, although a partially consumed bottle of alcohol was found in the bedroom where the 41-year-old singer’s body was discovered.

LINKIN PARK paid tribute to Bennington in October with an emotional three-hour show that featured numerous guests joining the band onstage in Los Angeles.

LINKIN PARK released a concert album titled "One More Light Live" in December.

California metallers IMPENDING DOOM have released the official music video for the song called "Paved With Bones". The video was directed by J.D. Butler and shot at the band's recent sold-out album release show at Chain Reaction in Anaheim, California.

The band comments: "We wanted to have an event in our hometown where fans could come to the show early, hear our entire new record before the rest of the world does, and shoot a music video. Chain Reaction was the perfect place — it's where we all grew up playing and makes for an intense show with being all crammed into a somewhat small space and getting rowdy with our fans!"

"Paved With Bones" is taken from IMPENDING DOOM's new LP, "The Sin And Doom Vol. II", which was released on June 22 via Entertainment One.

IMPENDING DOOM commissioned artist Colin Marks (FLESHGOD APOCALYPSE, WHITECHAPEL) to create the cover art for the latest release. Marks also handled the artwork for "The Serpent Servant" (2009).

Having worked with top-tier genre producers in the past, including Chris "Zeuss" Harris (ROB ZOMBIE, HATEBREED, QUEENSRŸCHE) and Will Putney (EVERY TIME I DIE, THE AMITY AFFLICTION, THY ART IS MURDER), but for album number six, they've returned to the grassroots and hands-on way they engineered and produced their earliest recordings, cloaking it in grimy sonic mysteries anew. Christopher Eck, who produced their first album, oversaw the proceedings once again.

"The Sin And Doom Vol. II" track listing:

01. The Wretched and Godless

02. Burn

03. War Music

04. EVIL

05. Paved With Bones

06. The Serpents Tongue

07. Unbroken

08. Devils Den

09. Everything's Fake

10. Run For Your Life (She Calls)

"The Sin And Doom Vol. II" is the follow-up to 2013's "Death Will Reign", which sold 4,300 copies its first week of release and debuted at No. 116 on the Billboard 200 chart.

Photo credit: Joe Butler

A previously unreleased "piano" version of the classic GUNS N' ROSES song "November Rain", taken from the upcoming reissue of the band's classic 1987 debut album, "Appetite For Destruction", can be streamed below.

"Appetite For Destruction" will be re-released on June 29 in a "Locked N' Loaded" box via Universal Music Group.

The "Appetite For Destruction: Locked N' Loaded" box is the one true GN'R Holy Grail. The box includes the Super Deluxe Edition with four CDs featuring the album newly remastered for the first time ever; "B-sides N' EPs" newly remastered; the previously unreleased 1986 Sound City Session N' More recordings; a Blu-ray Audio disc with the album, bonus tracks and music videos in brand new 5.1 surround sound along with the unearthed music video for "It's So Easy" originally shot in 1989 but never finished; and a 96-page hardcover book showcasing unseen photos from Axl Rose's personal archive and a wealth of memorabilia.

Among the rare and previously unreleased material are two songs GUNS N' ROSES recorded with producer Mike Clink, "Shadow Of Your Love" — laid down during a trial session that resulted in Clink getting the production job — and an acoustic version of "Move To The City", which was recorded during the "GN'R Lies" sessions. Additional highlights of the unreleased audio include the first two work-in-progress recording attempts of the 1991 epic masterpiece "November Rain" which was originally penned as the ballad for "Appetite", covers of songs like Elvis Presley's "Heartbreak Hotel", AEROSMITH's "Mama Kin", two distinctly different recordings of THE ROLLING STONES' "Jumpin' Jack Flash" (one electric, one acoustic) and two never-finished tracks/jams, "The Plague" and "New Work Tune".

On the vinyl front, the original "Appetite For Destruction" album has been broadened to 2LPs for the first time, including expanded gatefold jacket art and a limited-edition foil printed plastic slipcase. The music itself is being presented on three sides only for maximum audio fidelity, with the fourth side featuring a vinyl Hologroove Hologram of the band's iconic logo. Seven seven-inch singles are also included: the five original singles from the album, plus one for "Patience" and a new song, the aforementioned "Shadow Of Your Love". All of the bonus tracks appearing on 12-inch vinyl will only be available in the "Locked N' Loaded" box, including a reissue of the band's first EP, "Live ?!*@ Like A Suicide".

"Appetite For Destruction: Locked N' Loaded" track listing:

Disc One - Appetite For Destruction

01. Welcome To The Jungle

02. It's So Easy

03. Nightrain

04. Out Ta Get Me

05. Mr. Brownstone

06. Paradise City

07. My Michelle

08. Think About You

09. Sweet Child O' Mine

10. You're Crazy

11. Anything Goes

12. Rocket Queen

Disc Two - B-sides N' EPs

01. Reckless Life

02. Nice Boys

03. Move To The City (Live)

04. Mama Kin

05. Shadow Of Your Love (Live)

06. You're Crazy (Acoustic Version)

07. Patience

08. Used To Love Her

09. You're Crazy

10. It's So Easy (Live)

11. Knockin' On Heaven's Door (Live)

12. Whole Lotta Rosie (Live)

Disc Three - 1986 Sound City Session

01. Welcome To The Jungle (1986 Sound City Session)

02. Nightrain (1986 Sound City Session)

03. Out Ta Get Me (1986 Sound City Session)

04. Paradise City (1986 Sound City Session)

05. My Michelle (1986 Sound City Session)

06. Think About You (1986 Sound City Session)

07. You're Crazy (1986 Sound City Session)

08. Anything Goes (1986 Sound City Session)

09. Rocket Queen (1986 Sound City Session)

10. Shadow Of Your Love (1986 Sound City Session)

11. Heartbreak Hotel (1986 Sound City Session)

12. Jumpin' Jack Flash (1986 Sound City Session)

Disc Four - 1986 Sound City Session N' More

01. Shadow Of Your Love

02. Move To The City (1986 Sound City Session)

03. Ain't Goin' Down No More (Instrumental Version - 1986 Sound City Session)

04. The Plague (1986 Sound City Session)

05. Nice Boys (1986 Sound City Session)

06. Back Off Bitch (1986 Sound City Session)

07. Reckless Life (1986 Sound City Session)

08. Mama Kin (1986 Sound City Session)

09. New Work Tune (1986 Sound City Session)

10. November Rain (Piano Version - 1986 Sound City Session)

11. Move To The City (Acoustic Version - 1986 Sound City Session)

12. You're Crazy (Acoustic Version - 1986 Sound City Session)

13. November Rain (Acoustic Version - 1986 Sound City Session)

14. Jumpin' Jack Flash (Acoustic Version- 1986 Sound City Session)

15. Move To The City (1988 Acoustic Version)

Blu-Ray Audio

01. Welcome To The Jungle

02. It's So Easy

03. Nightrain

04. Out Ta Get Me

05. Mr. Brownstone

06. Paradise City

07. My Michelle

08. Think About You

09. Sweet Child O' Mine

10. You're Crazy

11. Anything Goes

12. Rocket Queen

Bonus Tracks

01. Shadow Of Your Love

02. Patience

03. Used To Love Her

04. You're Crazy

05. Move To The City (1988 Acoustic Version)

Music Videos

01. Welcome To The Jungle

02. Sweet Child O' Mine

03. Paradise City

04. Patience

05. It's So Easy (Brand New Video From 1989)