Spanish melodic metal band, Kilmara, have released a single and music video for "Out From The Darkness", the song is taken from their fourth album Across The Realm Of Time, out August 31st via ROAR Rock Of Angels Records.Order the album here, or here.

With the incorporations of the American singer Daniel Ponce and the Argentinian guitarist Miguel Laise, Kilmara returns to revolutionize their sound being now more melodic, faster and powerful, but without losing the class and mastery that characterizes them. Across The Realm Of Time is the definitive work and consecration of Kilmara, a new step to conquer all lovers of quality metal.

The album was produced, recorded, mixed & mastered by Roland Grapow (Lords Of Black, Masterplan, Squealer, Black Majesty, Eagleheart). Artwork made by Didac Plà.

Guests on the album: Jordi Longán (ex-Ipsilon) keyboard solo on "Principles Of Hatred", Roland Grapow (ex-Helloween, Masterplan) start guitar solo on "My Haven", background vocals on “Out From The Darkness”, Viktorie Surmøva (Surmatra, Rosa Nocturna, Victorius) vocals on "I Shall Rise Again".

Tracklisting:

"…And Into The Realm"
"Purging Flames"
"The Silent Guide"
"The End Of The World"
"My Haven"
"Principles Of Hatred"
"The Forge"
"Disciples"
"I Shall Rise Again"
"Out From The Darkness…"

"Out From The Darkness" video:

Kilmara is:

John Portillo - Guitar
Miguel Laise - Guitars
Dani Ponce - Vocals
Javier Morillo - Drums
Didakio - Bass

Tomorrow’s Eve have released their early progressive metal albums The Unexpected World and Mirror Of Creation digitally for the first time.

With their brand-new album Mirror Of Creation III – Project Ikaros the progressive metal institution Tomorrow’s Eve have made their comeback more than a respectable success. These early masterpieces were released in the years 1999 and 2003 and have been out of stock and not yet digitally available. The prog metal band now makes this up with the digital release on their own label BAZE Records in cooperation with Dr. Music Records. Already in 1999, Tomorrow’s Eve proved with their debut The Unexpected World that their mix of melodic and brutal progressive metal is trendsetting.

Both early works are available on all digital platforms. 

U.K. death metal veterans CANCER have inked a deal with Peaceville, the label known for its enviable death metal heritage, from the early days of PARADISE LOST and AUTOPSY to AT THE GATES and VITAL REMAINS through to OPETH, BLOODBATH and AKERCOCKE. CANCER's new studio album is tentatively due in late 2018.

CANCER said in a statement: "We are delighted to have signed a recording deal with such an esteemed label as Peaceville. We have full confidence that they understand this metal and CANCER as a band. Together we want to deliver an album that celebrates our 30-year existence and the old-school death metal sound that we played a part in creating back in 1988 when the band was conceived. So rejoice and hoist the bunting fashioned from flaps of skin, and fill your balloons with the last gasp of a dying man! We are back from the dead. CFC."

One of the U.K.'s premiere death metal purveyors of the late '80s and early '90s, including a major label spell on East West/Warner with 1995's "Black Faith", CANCER now marks 30 years since its formation by announcing its much-anticipated sixth full length album, reuniting all three original core members — John Walker on guitar/vocals, Ian Buchanan on bass and Carl Stokes on drums — for the first time since 1995.

With fan demand and interest in the rejuvenated band ever increasing, CANCER has been busy playing festivals over the last three years in support of re-releases of the first three albums, delivering their own punishing brand of death metal to fans old and new. This was the much-needed catalyst that spurred the band on to return to their classic inspirational sound when writing new material.

The new album is tentatively titled "Shadow Gripped" and will feature twelve songs of brutal old-school death metal. The disc was recorded at Foel studios in Wales with Simon Efemy (PARADISE LOST, NAPALM DEATH, AMORPHIS) handling production and mixing duties alongside the band, with further recording taking place in Spain. The band checked in from the studio saying: "The recording has gone really well. We have captured the raw essence of what the band actually sounds like. Death metal that will bite your balls off, spit them out, and leave you shouting for more!"

With their new album Vicious out now (as of July 27th), US rockers Halestorm have shared the track "Killing Ourselves To Live". Check out the official visualizer below.

Recorded earlier this year at Nashville, Tennessee's Rock Falcon recording studio with producer Nick Raskulinecz (Foo Fighters, Alice In Chains, Rush), Vicious is available 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 double vinyl with enhanced cover art and bonus tracks, limited to 1,500 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.

Vicious tracklisting:

"Black Vultures"
"Skulls"
"Uncomfortable"
"Buzz"
"Do Not Disturb"
"Conflicted"
"Killing Ourselves To Live"
"Heart Of Novocaine"
"Painkiller"
"White Dress"
"Vicious"
"The Silence"

"Black Vultures" visualizer:

"Uncomfortable" video:

"Uncomfortable" behind the scenes:

On album release day (July 27th) Halestorm will kick off the second leg of their co-headline tour of all female-fronted rock bands with In This Moment and New Year’s Day.

Halestorm's upcoming UK headline tour is already completely sold out. The September shows form the band's biggest UK run yet. Special guests are Avatar and Rews.

Find Halestorm's live itinerary here.

A true spectacle to be witnessed, Lords Of The Trident is a daring adventure metal quintet that has been delighting their audiences and fans all over the world for ten years. To continue on their epic quest of bringing spectacular and entertaining metal to global fans these power metal warriors will be unleashing their 7th album, Shadows From The Past, on August 24th. In celebration of this new beast from their discography, Lords Of The Trident have released their second single and new lyric video "Burn It Down" featuring Unleash The Archers vocalist Brittany Slayes.

LOTT vocalist Fang VonWrathenstein comments: "This video collaboration between myself and Brittney Slayes was SO metal, I felt like the only way I could do it justice was to set my own face on fire. However, the rest of the guys expressed concern that I 'would only be able to do this once', I found an alternative - summoning our faces out of fire! Make sure you're wearing your most flame-retardant clothing before watching, as this video is likely to melt just about anything in a 15-foot radius!" 

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

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

North American tracklisting:

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

Japanese bonus tracks:

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

"Death Dealer":

And Patreon backers will receive an extra exclusive track entitled "Fire And Sand".

In addition to the upcoming release of Shadows From The Past, Lords Of The Trident started a kickstarter campaign that went live on June 1st. The band has now reached their objective of $6,000 plus 1st stage stretch goal, which will now gives those who pledged for a physical copy of the album to receive multi-color Shadows From The Past custom guitar picks.

The band are still asking fans to answer the call to help them make their extra stretch goals, which includes a red blood double vinyl (included in any over $100 pledge or $25 added to any already made pledge) and full color zip up hoodies (design TBA) (for any pledge of over $250 or $50 added to any already made pledge).

Visit the Lords Of The Trident Shadows From The Past kickstarter ahere to view rewards that include merch, lessons from band members, festival tickets, private concerts and a copy of the video game Coffee Crisis that the band has partnered with to feature one of their songs for one of the levels along with band members as NPCs (non-playable characters).

(Photo - Mary Sweeney)

Sweden's Bandit Rock radio station, Stockholm 106.3, recently played host to Toronto rocker Danko Jones, who performed an acoustic rendition of the his song "You Are My Woman". Check it out below.

The song is taken from the Danko Jones album, Wild Cat.

Danko Jones (the band) have added four shows (**) to their upcoming European tour this fall. Their schedule is now as follows:

November
14 - Glasgow, Scotland - King Tuts 
15 - Manchester, UK - Ruby Lounge
16 - London, UK - Underworld 
17 - Eindhoven, Netherlands - Helldorado Festival 
18 - Alkmaar, Netherlands - Victorie **
21 - Antwerp, Belgium - Zappa 
22 - Hamburg, Germany - Markthalle 
23 - Erfurt, Germany - Stadtgarten 
24 - Wien, Austria - Flex 
26 - Stuttgart, Germany - LKA Longhorn 
27 - Salzburg, Austria - Rockhouse 
28 - Zurich, Switzerland - Dynamo **
29 - Milan, Italy - Legend Club 
30 - Rome, Italy - Orion Club

December
1 - Pinnarella Di Cervia, Italy - Rockplanet 
6 - Toulouse, France - Connexxion Live 
7 - Solothurn, Switzerland - Kofmehl **
8 - Lindau, Germany - Club Vaudeville 
9 - Münster, Germany - Skaters Palace 
11 - Paris, France- Forum 
12 - Wiesbaden, Germany - Schlachthof 
13 - Saarbrucken, Germany - Garage 
14 - Hannover, Germany - Faust
15 - Copenhagen, Denmark - Pumpehuset **

Icelandic classic rock trio The Vintage Caravan have released a visualizer for their new single "Set Your Sights", featured on the band's upcoming fourth studio album Gateways, to be released on August 31st through Nuclear Blast.

Bassist Alexander Örn comments, "We're very happy to present our new single, 'Set Your Sights'. This is the opening track from the new album. We wanted to start off the record with something epic! This song was the first one we started working on for the album, and it really set the tone for the rest of the songs. It's accompanied by a trippy new visual video by Viennese artist Max Roehrle. We're quite proud of this one and hope you like it!"

Gateways can be pre-ordered in various formats here. The album will be available in the following formats:

- Digi
- 2LP (black, white)
- Digital

The band commented on their upcoming record, "We are very proud to present our new album, Gateways! Recorded in the legendary Sundlaugin Studios in Iceland (owned by Sigur Rós). Produced by Ian Davenport. Overall we think this album feels more mature than the previous ones. We really pushed ourselves to make this album sound as great as possible. I won't name any names but some people have been heard saying this is the greatest thing since sliced bread. We can't wait for you all to hear it/taste it."

Gateways tracklisting:

"Set Your Sights"
"The Way"
"Reflections"
"On The Run"
"All This Time"
"Hidden Streams"
"Reset"
"Nebula"
"Farewell"
"Tune Out"

Bonus Track (Digi and 2LP only)
"The Chain" (Fleetwood Mac cover)

Trailer:

"Reflections":

With their melodic black/death metal, The Spirit have already made waves in the European underground scene and with their self-released debut album Sounds From The Vortex being strictly limited and nearly sold out on their homepage, the band is now reissuing their icy black / death metal chimera through Nuclear Blast on August 10th. Pre-order the album here. A lyric video for the track "Cross The Bridge To Eternity" can be found below.

The seven virtuosic tracks of the quartet hailing from Saarbrücken, Germany, freshly revive the past of the genre and immediately induce nostalgia with their clashing melodies and authentically rough sound.

Sounds From The Vortex is now available for pre-order as CD, LP (black and clear) and download. Get the version of your choice here.

Tracklisting:

"Sounds From The Vortex"
"Cosmic Fear"
"The Clouds Of Damnation"
"Cross The Bridge To Eternity"
"Illuminate The Night Sky"
"The Great Mortality"
"Fields Of The Unknown Of The Unknown"

"Cross The Bridge To Eternity" lyric video:

"The Clouds Of Damnation" lyric video:

Trailer:

At this year's Party.San Open Air, the band will play a release show for Sounds From The Vortex, and you can also witness the band's sinister live atmosphere and live skills at Summer Breeze and Metal Invaders. Later this year, in October and November, the quartet will join their label mates Kataklysm and Hypocrisy on their extensive Death... Is Just The Beginning European Tour.

Dates:

August
9-11 - Schlotheim, Germany - Party.San Open Air
15-18 - Dinkelsbühl, Germany - Summer Breeze

September
22 - Schwerin, Germany - Metal Invaders Vol. 2

October (with Kataklysm, Hypocrisy)
18 - Wiesbaden, Germany - Schlachthof
19 - Stuttgart, Germany - LKA Longhorn
20 - Munich, Germany - Backstage
23 - Budapest, Hungary - Barba Negra
24 - Vienna, Austria - Arena
25 - Wrocław, Poland - Zaklęte Rewiry
26 - Geiselwind, Germany - MusicHall
27 - Milan, Italy - Live Music Club
28 - Pratteln, Switzerland - Z7
29 - Lyon, France - Ninkasi Kao
31 - Madrid, Spain - Sala Mon

November (with Kataklysm, Hypocrisy)
1 - Barcelona, Spain - Razzmatazz 2
2 - Limoges, France - CC John Lennon
3 - Paris, France - La Machine du Moulin Rouge
4 - Antwerp, Belgium - Trix
5 - Hamburg, Germany - Docks
6 - Gothenburg, Sweden - Trädgår'n
7 - Stockholm, Sweden - Fryshuset
9 - Helsinki, Finland - The Circus
10 - Tampere, Finland - Pakkahuone
12 - Copenhagen, Denmark - Pumpehuset
13 - Leeuwarden, Netherlands - Neushoorn
14 - Berlin, Germany - Kesselhaus
15 - Dresden, Germany - Eventwerk
16 - Oberhausen, Germany - Turbinenhalle 2
17 - Leipzig, Germany - Hellraiser

December
8 - Münster, Germany - Wintermelodei

(Photo - Natalia Kempin)

Professionally filmed video of San Diego-based rock trio Earthless performing live at De Kreun in Kortrijk, Belgium on April 3rd can be seen below. The video was filmed‎ by Spookstad, with audio mixed by Michiel De Maeseneer.

 
Earthles will headline a series of dates across North America this fall in support of the latest album, Black Heaven. Confirmed dates are listed below.

Tour dates:

September
25 - Eugene, OR - Old Nick’s Pub
26 - Seattle, WA - Chop Suey
27 - Portland, OR - Dante's
28 - Boise, ID - Neurolux
29 - Salt Lake City, UT - Crucial Fest
30 - Denver, CO - Marquis Theatre

October
2 - Minneapolis, MN - Lee's Liquor Lounge
3 - Winnipeg, MB - Park Theatre
5 - Saskatoon, SK - Amigos Cantina
6 - Edmonton, AB - Up & Dowtown Music Festival
7 - Calgary, AB - Dickens Pub
9 - Victoria, BC - The Copper Owl
18 - Vancouver, BC - Rickshaw Theatre
12 - Oakland, CA - Starline Social Club
13 - Long Beach, CA - Alex’s Bar
14 - Desert Daze - Desert Daze

(Photo - Atiba Jefferson)

North Carolina riff-rockers ASG are streaming their sixth-full length and first new album in five years, Survive Sunrise. Listen below.

Survive Sunrise is available on CD/2xLP/Digital via Relapse Records. Physical packages are available via Relapse.com here and Digital Downloads / Streaming Services at this location.

Recorded, mixed and mastered with longtime producer Matt Hyde (Deftones, Slayer, Monster Magnet), Survive Sunrise further expands upon ASG’s trademark blend of heavy, southern-fried, alt-rock fury and infectious, hook-centric accessibility. With unabashedly hooky vocals, evocative lyrics and well-honed musical chops, ASG create soaring, melodic rock anthems with a sunny, colorful vibe that are reminiscent of the album’s electrifying cover art, designed by Malleus (Queens Of The Stone Age, Foo Fighters, The Melvins). Survive Sunrise is the perfect summertime hard rock album, one that rocks with wild abandon and will burrow into your head for years to come.

Album art by Malleus.

Survive Sunrise Tracklist:

"Survive Sunrise"
"Execution Thirst"
"Up From My Dreams"
"Lightning Song"
"Hawks On The Run"
"The Heaven Moon"
"Kubrick Colors"
"God Knows We"
"Heavy Scars"
"Weekend Money"
"Lamb Song"
"Florida Sleep On"
"Tongues Tied" (Digital Bonus Track)

Album stream:

"Execution Thirst" video:

(Photo - Wynne Harrington)

Night Demon will release their new triple live album Live Darkness on August 10th via Century Media Records/Shadow Kingdom Records in the US. The track "Screams In The Night" is available for streaming below.  

Live Darkness will be released digitally as well as limited edition vinyl and double CD digipak. There will also be exclusive pre-order bundles available here.

Limited Edition US configurations include:

- LP 100x Black with etching on side F
- LP 100x Crystal Clear with Smoke with etching on side F
- LP 300x Transparent Red with Smoke with etching on side F
- Double CD digipak - limited to 1,000 copies

On December 2nd, 2017, Night Demon, featuring Jarvis Leatherby (vocals/bass), Armand John Anthony (guitar) and Dusty Squires (drums), played to a packed house of longtime friends and supporters at the Beachland Ballroom in their adopted second home of Cleveland, Ohio.

Ripping through a blistering 90 minute set, Night Demon wowed concertgoers with a comprehensive, career-spanning setlist including their entire debut EP, 2013’s Night Demon, “Full Speed Ahead”, "Screams In The Night” and “Mastermind” from 2015’s Curse Of The Damned, plus “Hallowed Ground”, "Black Widow”, “On Your Own” and “Welcome To The Night” from their current release Darkness Remains.

The entire show was recorded and now sees the light of day as Live Darkness, Night Demon’s first official live document. Darkness has never shone so brightly. Pre-order Live Darkness here.

Tracklisting:

“Welcome To The Night"
“Full Speed Ahead"
“Ritual"  
“Curse Of The Damned"
“Dawn Rider"
“Save Me Now"
“Hallowed Ground"
“Maiden Hell"
“Mastermind"
“On Your Own"
“Life On The Run"
“The Howling Man"
“Black Widow"
“Ancient Evil"
“Satan"
“Evil Like A Knife"
“Stranger In The Room"
“Screams In The Night"
“Flight Of The Manticore"
“The Chalice"
“Darkness Remains"
“Heavy Metal Heat"
“Night Demon"

“Screams In The Night":

“Life On The Run" video:

“Evil Like A Knife" video:

Helion Prime and their mascot - the mighty Saibot - return with their sophomore effort Terror Of The Cybernetic Space Monster, out on August 31st via AFM Records. The album consists of nine brand new tracks - with the seventeen minute monster title song marking a stunning finale. Check out a video for the single "Spectrum" below, and pre-order the album here.

The Sacramento, California-based power metal band’s new piece of work was mixed and mastered at LSD studio by Lasse Lammert (known for his work with bands like Alestorm and Gloryhammer). Helion Prime continues their theme of blending science fiction with science fact.

Founder Jason Ashcraft comments: "I wasn't sure where I was going when writing this album. As fans who follow us closely know, it's been a bumping two years for us since the release of our debut. We are back and fully inspired. This album focuses more on human nature and our battle with the good and evil within ourselves. I did not plan this when starting the album but that is where it naturally evolved. I am very pleased with the result and hope you are all as equally excited.”

This album will mark the first time the full band lineup is joined together on a release. This also marks the debut of Sozos Michael on vocals.

Sozos remarks on the subject: "Working on this album has been an incredibly rewarding experience. While Jason had a clear vision as to what this album would shape up to be as the principal songwriter, he was always open to my ideas on vocal lines and lyrics. Our collaboration went very smoothly and it definitely shows on the final product."

Jason also comments on the audition of Sozos: "He is the kind of singer I have always dreamed of working with. Not only are his vocal skills top notch but he understands and knows what the music needs. Writing together for this album was a breeze and I hardly had to ask for any rewrites. Often he would send me ideas that was exactly what I was thinking. I am thrilled to work with someone like that and can't wait to see what we accomplish together."

The cover art was once again done by Marc Whisnant, who was already responsible for the artwork of the band’s self-titled debut album, which was released via Divebomb Records in early 2016 before AFM Records signed the band to a worldwide deal and re-issued Helion Prime almost exactly a year after its initial release. Press hailed the album as a breath of fresh air in the power metal scene and called it one of the most innovative power metal records in a long time.

Tracklisting:

"Failed Hypothesis"
"A King Is Born"
"Bury The Sun"
"Atlas Obscura"
"Urth"
"The Human Condition"
"Spectrum"
"Silent Skies"
"Terror Of The Cybernetic Space Monster"

"Spectrum" video:

"Silent Skies" video:

On September 14th, the British supreme doom trio Conan will release their new record Existential Void Guardian. Today the band reveals the first crushing single "Vexxagon". Listen below.

Two years after the remarkable Revengeance, Conan once more leave us astounded with a previously unknown side to dual vocal sludge. The British trio presents a tar monster named Existential Void Guardian that seems even more menacing as soon as it gets high on its own down-tuned groove frenzy.

Existential Void Guardian will be available as:

- 1 CD Digipack
- 2 LP Gatefold black
- 2 LP Gatefold gold (Napalm Records Mailorder exclusive)
- 2 LP Gatefold dark green (Napalm Records Mailorder exclusive)
- Digital Album

Pre-order here.

Tracklisting:

"Prosper On The Path"
"Eye To Eye To Eye"
"Paincantation"
"Amidst The Infinite"
"Volt Thrower"
"Vexxagon"
"Eternal Silent Legend"

Bonus tracks:
"Total Conquest" (live 2018 @ Rebellion Manchester)
"Satsumo" (live 2018 @ Rebellion Manchester)
"Foehammer" (live 2018 @ Rebellion Manchester)
"Hawk As Weapon" (live 2018 @ Rebellion Manchester)

"Vexxagon":

Conan will hit to the road again in 2018 with a series of headliner shows worldwide on their Existential Void Guardian Tour opening in Moledo, Portugal on August 10th and finishing at the Buried In Smoke X-Mas Weekender, Oxford, UK on December 2nd. The full list of dates is below and the tour will be continued in 2019.

Tour dates:

August
10 - Moledo, Portugal - Sonic Blast Moledo Fest
11 - Winchester, UK - Boomtown Fair
16 - Galway, Ireland - The Loft
17 - Cork, Ireland - Cyprus Avenue
18 - Limerick, Ireland Dolans Warehouse

September
30 - Sheffield, UK - O2 Academy

October
2 - Eindhoven, Netherlands - Effenaar
3 - Bochum, Germany - Rockpalast
4 - Hamburg, Germany - Logo
5 - Berlin, Germany - Musik & Frieden
6 - Wroclaw, Poland - Firlej
7 - Warsaw, Poland - Poglos
9 - Vinius, Lithuania - Rock River Club
10 - Jelgava, Latvia -Melno Cepuriso Balerija
11 - Tallinn, Estonia - Sveta
13 - Helsinki, Finland - Blow Up 4 Festival
15 - Stockholm, Sweden - Kraken
17 - Malmo, Sweden - Plan B
19 - Copenhagen, Denmark - Stengade
20 - Leeuwarden, Netherlands - Into The Void Festival

November
7 - Canberra, Australia - The Basement
8 - Melbourne, Australia - Max Watts
9 - Sydney, Australia - Manning Bar
10 - Brisbane, Australia - Crowbar
12 - Wellington, New Zealand - Valhalla
13 - Auckland, New Zealand - Whammy Bar
16 - Moscow, Russia - Aglomerat
17 - St. Petersburg, Russia - Zoccolo
23 - Nottingham, UK - The Loft
24 - Leeds, UK - Temple Of Boom
25 - Newcastle, UK - Byker Grave Festival
26 - Glasgow, UK - Audio
27 - Manchester, UK - Rebellion
28 - Coventry, UK - The Arches
29 - Cardiff, UK - Clwb Ifor Bach
30 - Milton Keynes, UK - The Craufurd Arms

December
1 - London, UK - Boston Music Rooms
2 - Oxford, UK - Buried In Smoke X-Mas Weekender

Lineup:

Jon Davis - vocals, guitar
Chris Fielding - bass
Johnny King - drums

German black/doom/punk chimera Mantar will release their third studio album The Modern Art Of Setting Ablaze on August 24th via Nuclear Blast. Pre-order the album here, and check out a video for the album track "Seek + Forget" below.

Mantar have achieved more in five years than most bands twice their age and size. The product of a twenty year friendship between guitarist/vocalist Hanno Klaenhardt and drummer Erinc Sakarya, theirs is a success story born entirely of one thing: hard work, with three albums, an EP and a live release already to their name. Releasing their 2014 Svart Records debut Death By Burning, an uncompromising clash of stripped-back punk attitude and metal intensity to instant critical acclaim, the band toured relentlessly, gracing stages the world over, including the hallowed likes of Roadburn, Wacken Open Air and Maryland Deathfest. They used 2016’s Ode To The Flame, their Nuclear Blast Records debut, to further build upon their incendiary live reputation, conquering not only Europe and the US, but Russia, Japan and South Africa.

Now, following a brief period of repose which saw Hanno move to Florida, Mantar return with The Modern Art Of Setting Ablaze, a short, sharp shock that hones the hungry riffs and breath-taking pace of their previous records. “We skipped the bullshit,” explains Hanno. “I wanted 3 or 4 minute songs; bam, bam, bam. Every song different, catchy - that’s what rock and roll is about.”

Tracklisting:

"The Knowing"
"Age Of The Absurd"
"Seek + Forget"
"Taurus"
"Midgard Serpent (Seasons Of Failure)"
"Dynasty Of Nails"
"Eternal Return"
"Obey The Obscene"
"Anti Eternia"
"The Formation Of Night"
"Teeth Of The Sea"
"The Funeral"

"Seek + Forget" video:

"Age Of The Absurd" video:

Mantar's metallic genesis is unique in that neither member classes themself as a metalhead. Hanno’s a punk kid that developed a love for black metal later in life. Erinc’s tastes are even further removed, preferring the svelte sadness of the likes of The Sisters OF Mercy. “But we have a metal audience and we are a metal band, I guess!” states Hanno proudly, “I take that as a gift.” He’s never listened to more classic metal records than when writing »The Modern Art Of Setting Ablaze«, and it shows in the album’s ceaseless, hook-laden riffs and caustically blackened, nihilistic atmosphere. “Riffs, riffs, riffs are the only hard currency for Mantar - simple as fuck - that’s what I like,” says Hanno. “The Modern Art Of Setting Ablaze is way more metal than the previous two records; on the other hand I think the songs speak for themselves, without the need for genre classification.”

The Modern Art Of Setting Ablaze is a title in-keeping with Hanno’s symbolic obsession with fire on albums previous; this time disavowing mankind’s tendency to blindly follow those that would lead us into oblivion. This isn’t necessarily a political statement; more a morbid fascination with current smouldering tensions that threaten to set the minds of the masses on fire. The Modern Art Of Setting Ablaze is the spark that will ignite the flame - especially onstage. “I’m addicted to those moments up there,” impresses Hanno, “being loud, raw and aggressive - setting the stage ablaze, causing violence; that’s what I live for.”

The Modern Art Of Setting Ablaze is a title in-keeping with Mantar's symbolic obsession with fire on albums previous; this time disavowing mankind's tendency to blindly follow those that would lead us into oblivion. This isn't necessarily a political statement; but rather a morbid fascination with current smouldering tensions that threaten to set the minds of the masses on fire.

Mantar is currently on the road, playing select club shows as well as Europe's biggest festivals. See dates below.

July
27 - Metaldays - Tolmin, Slovenia

August
3 - Wacken Open Air - Wacken, Germany
5 - Sylak Open Air - Saint-Maurice-de-Gourdans, France
10 - Sonic Blast Moledo - Moledo, Portugal
12 - Bloodstock - Derbyshire, England
24 - Kulturkombinat Bunker - Rostock, Germany
25 - Reload Festival - Sulingen, Germany

Skeletonwitch and Mantar recently announced that they will be hitting the UK and Europe this winter for a co-headline run. Support will come from Belgium thrash outfit Evil Invaders and German deathers Deathrite. Tickets on sale now.

Dates:

November
14 - Pumpehuset - Copenhagen, Denmark
15 - Krosset - Oslo, Norway
16 - Sticky Fingers - Gothenburg, Sweden
17 - Markthalle - Hamburg, Germany
19 - Musikzentrum - Hannover, Germany
20 - Hirsch - Nürnberg, Germany
21 - Turock - Essen, Germany
22 - Dynamo - Zürich, Switzerland
23 - KJH Hallschlag - Stuttgart, Germany
24 - Rockhouse - Salzburg, Austria
26 - Backstage - München, Germany
27 - Arena - Wien, Austria
28 - Explosiv - Graz, Austria
29 - Nova Chmelnice - Prague, Czech Republic
30 - UT Connewitz - Leipzig, Germany

December
1 - SO 36 - Berlin, Germany
2 - Biebob - Vosselaar, Belgium
4 - Rebellion - Manchester, UK
5 - Mama Roux´s - Birmingham, UK
6 - Underworld - London, UK
7 - Petit Bain - Paris, France
8 - Schlachthof - Wiesbaden, Germany
9 - Baroeg - Rotterdam, Netherlands

Germany's Mob Rules have released lyric video for the song "Sinister Light", featured on their forthcoming studio album Beast Reborn. Watch below.

Beast Reborn will be released on August 24th via SPV/Steamhammer on CD digipak, 2LP gatefold (incl. 1 bonus track), limited boxset (incl. CD, 2LP, towel, hand-signed photo card, 2 track bonus CD, patch, sticker etc.), download and stream. Pre-order here.

"Beast Reborn is a great album filled with catchy tunes that will stick with you. Fans of melodic metal should definitely check this one out!" - Jens Bogren (Fascination Street Studios)

Energetic, massive, focussed - that’s how Mob Rules appear on their new album. The success of their previous album Tales From Beyond was the impetus being used by the six rockers  to bundle their energies and produce this new and very straightforward album. With dense sound, straightforward songs and the familiar big melodies, Mob Rules go directly to the listener’s ears. Rough and fast-paced they move across the roots of metal, to haunting, modern compositions, which makes their sound more fresh and up-to-date than ever.

New band member Sönke Janssen also has a hand in this: Being the new second guitarist he expands and completes Mob Rules’ sound spectrum. Not only within the band things are moving, they also get input from outside: Jens Bogren took over mastering. He works with great artists like Kreator and Amorphis at his Fascination Street Studios in Sweden. Bogren is a real guarantor for a punchy sound. Sebastian “Seeb” Levermann (Orden Ogan) is responsible for most of the choirs and yet again accountable for the mix of the album is Markus Teske.

Mob Rules take full advantage of their potential and show their strength precise and focussed. With Beast Reborn, Mob Rules draw the logical consequence of their progress
and at the same time dare to experiment with new things.

Tracklisting:

"Beast Reborn"
"Ghost Of A Chance"
"Shores Ahead"
"Sinister Light"
"Traveller In Time"
"Children's Crusade"
"War Of Currents"
"The Explorer"
"Revenant Of The Sea"
"Way Back Home"
"My Sobriety Mind (For Those Who Left)"

"Sinister Light" lyric video:

"Ghost Of A Chance" video:

Album release shows:

August
24 - Weiher, Germany - Live Music Hall
25 - Oberhausen, Germany - Helvete Pub

September
8 - Wilhelmshaven, Germany - Pumpwerk

Watch the teaser for the shows below:

LAMB OF GOD made its live debut with drummer Art Cruz (PRONG, WINDS OF PLAGUE) Thursday night (July 26) at Gilford, New Hampshire's Bank Of New Hampshire Pavilion. Fan-filmed video footage of the concert can be seen below.

Cruz is filling in for LAMB OF GOD's regular drummer, Chris Adler, who is sitting out the band's tour with SLAYER "due to unforeseen circumstances."

The North American trek, which also features ANTHRAX, TESTAMENT and NAPALM DEATH, is scheduled to run through August 26 in San Jose, California.

LAMB OF GOD said in a statement that Art was recruited for the gig "at the recommendation of Chris." The band added that it expects "to see Chris returning in the very near future."

In addition to LAMB OF GOD, Adler has played drums with a number of metal artists, including MEGADETH, NITRO, BLOTTED SCIENCE and PROTEST THE HERO.

LAMB OF GOD is touring in support of its covers album, "Legion: XX", which was released under the BURN THE PRIEST banner on May 18 via Nuclear Blast in Europe and Epic Records in the U.S.

Marilyn Manson has cited "the flu" as the reason he was unable to perform in Toronto, Ontario, Canada Thursday night (July 26). According to a message on the shock-rocker's official Twitter account, "Manson is recovering and is set to perform at all scheduled dates starting tomorrow at Heavy Montreal."

After Manson abruptly canceled his Toronto show, a fan-filmed video surfaced on Twitter showing the crowd's reaction to the announcement, which was a mixture of boos and yells in disgust. As the clip shows, Manson's stage backdrops were already hung in anticipation of the scheduled performance.

The show was part of the Marilyn's "Twins Of Evil: The Second Coming" tour with Rob Zombie, which kicked off earlier in the month.

Marilyn is on the road supporting his latest album, "Heaven Upside Down", which was released last October.

The singer injured his lower leg in a freak accident on stage during a concert last fall in New York City, resulting in the postponement of nine tour dates.

A short time later, longtime Manson bassist Twiggy Ramirez (real name Jeordie White) was fired from the group following allegations of sexual assault.

Manson returned to touring last November.

Marilyn Manson was unable to perform on his and Rob Zombie’s Twins Of Evil tour in Toronto last night due to the flu. Manson is recovering and is set to perform at all scheduled dates starting tomorrow at Heavy Montreal.— Marilyn Manson (@marilynmanson) July 27, 2018

A 20-plus-minute documentary about the making of "Kult 45", the eighth full-length album from OTEP, the band led by singer, poet, illustrator, author and activist Otep Shamaya, can be seen below. The disc was released today (Friday, July 27) via Napalm Records.


Drawing influences from politically charged recording artists of the past but allowing her artwork to remain fully and undeniably OTEP, Shamaya continues her nearly two-decade invasion of the senses with "Kult 45".


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


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


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


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


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


"Kult 45" track listing:

01. Hail To The Thief

02. Halt Right

03. Molotov

04. Said The Snake

05. Undefeated

06. Trigger Warning

07. Cross Contamination

08. Shelter In Place

09. Boss

10. To The Gallows

11. Sirens Calling

12. Invisible People

13. Be Brave

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

15. Feral Oracle (bonus track)

16. The Tribe Speaks (bonus track)


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


"Shelter In Place" investigates the topic of school shootings, specifically. "This song is extremely important to me because it was inspired by the bravery of those Parkland students who formed the March For Our Lives," says Shamaya. "The outro is, 'hey hey NRA, how many kids did you kill today?' because they've actively taken measures to make our kids less safe in school. They want to arm teachers, they want to put more guns in schools and on the street. The song itself isn't specifically anti-gun, but aimed at the hypocrisy of the NRA and certain belief systems that lose sight of what's truly important — the lives of our children."


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


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

"Livin' In Suspicion", the new video from the GRAHAM BONNET BAND, can be seen below. The song is taken from the group's latest album, "Meanwhile, Back In The Garage", which was released on July 13 via Frontiers Music Srl.

Graham recently told Jason Saulnier about "Meanwhile, Back In The Garage": "It's important to me that every album that comes out is possibly, if I can make it, better than the one before. That's what I aim for, but you're never perfect. There will always be times where you say, 'God, I wish I'd done that again,' with vocals and whatever else. I think this one's not bad. It's pretty good. I'm pleased with it."

Regarding the "Meanwhile, Back In The Garage" album title, Graham said: "It's sort of a joke in a way, because where I used to rehearse when I was a kid — you know, 14, 15 years old — was in the garage. When I was in a band when I was a teenager, everybody used to rehearse in the garage. They still do, I think, and so do we. That's what the title is all about. 'Meanwhile, Back In The Garage' is a return to the garage, because that's where I record at home."

Bonnet is a hard rock legend with a pedigree to back that statement up. His stints with RAINBOW, MSG, ALCATRAZZ and IMPELLITTERI prove he is one of the finest rock vocalists of his generation. Fresh off a stint with Michael Schenker Fest, Graham is preparing to return with a new GRAHAM BONNET BAND album, "Meanwhile, Back In The Garage".

Crafted with Joey Tafolla on guitar (Joey performs all lead and rhythm guitars except "Livin' In Suspicion", which is performed by new guitarist Kurt James), Beth-Ami Heavenstone on bass, Jimmy Waldo on keyboards, and Mark Benquechea on drums, "Meanwhile, Back In The Garage" sees Bonnet showing why he has been and still is one of the premiere vocalists in hard rock.


This new studio album offers 13 new songs where Bonnet lays down his inimitable vocals over a selection of tunes full of great hooks and melodies. It includes a bonus live DVD captured at a Live From Daryl's House performance in early 2018.


"Meanwhile, Back In The Garage" track listing:


CD

01. Meanwhile, Back In The Garage

02. The Hotel

03. Livin' In Suspicion

04. Incest Outcest U.S.A.

05. Long Island Tea

06. The House

07. Sea Of Trees

08. Man On The Corner

09. We Don't Need Another Hero

10. America...Where Have You Gone?

11. Heading Toward The Light

12. Past Lives

13. The Crying Chair

14. Starcarr Lane (Live From Daryl's House 2018)


DVD (Live From Daryl's House 2018)

01. Night Of The Shooting Star (Intro)

02. Too Young To Die, Too Drunk To Live

03. All Night Long

04. Night Games

05. California Air

06. God Blessed Video

07. Stand In Line

08. Island In The Sun

09. Desert Song

10. Starcarr Lane

11. Jet To Jet

12. S.O.S.

13. Into The Night

14. Samurai

15. Skyfire

16. Since You Been Gone

17. Assault Attack

18. Eyes Of The World

19. Hiroshima Mon Amour

20. Lost In Hollywood

WILSON's video for the song "Dumptruck" can be seen below. The clip, conceptualized by vocalist Chad Nicefield and brought to life by Ronny Tibbs and Anthony Maiuri, puts the wacky and unadulterated WILSON spin on classic racing games such as Rad Racer, F-Zero and Grand Prix II. Viewers are taken for a ride on the proverbial "dumptruck" as it deftly avoids obstacles like wet t-shirts, packs of lions, swords, and beer bottles. The truck enters a bonus "fuckery mode" when it runs over a tab of LSD as it races towards the castle to win the title of "Master Of Ceremony." The song itself is an infectious, rollicking jam showcasing WILSON's madcap sense of humor and as they so eloquently state in the song, "This shit bumps."

"Dumptruck" is taken from WILSON's new album of original material, "Tasty Nasty", which will be released on August 24 via RED Music. Produced by the band alongside Scott "The Ninja" Stevens, the disc is currently available for pre-order here.

Comprised of Chad Nicefield (vocals), Jason Spencer (lead guitars), Kyle Landry (rhythm guitars), James Lascu (bass) and Matt Puhy (drums), WILSON is back with an album of eleven new tracks that showcase the band's latest musical direction that was built the members' love for the '90s and hip-hop.

From the infectious chant of album opener "Dumptruck" to the reflective introspection of closer "Everyone Gets A Round On Me", it is apparent that WILSON has not lost its ability to tell a great story. Songs like "My Hustle", "Summertime Treat (Tasty Nasty)" and "Fuck Up My High" all showcase the diverse musical styles WILSON incorporates in to their latest album. The debut single, "Like A Baller", is sure to become an instant classic among the devoted faithful. The video for the song, produced and directed by Raymond Rivard and Chad Nicefield for Tradesmen Films, follows the adventures of a parking valet as he travels the journey of life and can be seen below.

"Tasty Nasty" track listing:

01. Dumptruck

02. Wrong Side Of History

03. Like A Baller

04. My Hustle

05. Summertime Treat (Tasty Nasty)

06. Act My Age

07. Spanish Coffee

08. Money (Money Money Money)

09. Fuck Up My High

10. House Of Fuckery

11. Everyone Gets A Round On Me

WILSON formed in 2010 when the members came together in Detroit, Michigan. After two previous full-length releases — "Fullblast Fuckery" in 2013 and "Right To Rise" in 2015 — the band is back in 2018 with an all-new album, record label, outlook on its career and musical direction.

Progressive metal giants DREAM THEATER recently entered an undisclosed studio to begin work on material for the follow-up to 2016's "The Astonishing" album. An early 2019 release is expected.

A new one-minute video message from DREAM THEATER guitarist John Petrucci, filmed during the guitar-tracking sessions for the band's new disc, can be seen below.

DREAM THEATER vocalist James LaBrie stated about the new material, "There's a heaviness to it, there's an aggression to it," while Petrucci added: "So far the music is heavy, it's progressive, it's melodic, it's shredding, and it's also epic. So it has all those elements, which… they are the five pillars of DREAM THEATER, if you wanna call it that."

Petrucci hinted in a recent interview that DREAM THEATER's next album will be musically inspired by the "Images, Words & Beyond" tour, which saw the pioneering group celebrating the 25th anniversary of its milestone RIAA-gold-certified album "Images And Words".

DREAM THEATER's next studio album — its 14th — will be the band's first for Sony Music's progressive imprint InsideOut Music. The group spent the past 25 years recording under various labels in the Warner Music Group system, most recently Roadrunner Records, which released five albums by the band between 2007 and 2016.

One month after releasing the new track "Gotta Let Go", which has already racked up over three million global streams, with the accompanying music video getting over one million views, HOLLYWOOD UNDEAD has dropped a follow-up single, "Another Level", a fiery, EDM-infused song, saturated with heavy beats and explosive rhythms.

"'Another Level' is self-explanatory," says Johnny 3 Tears (vocals, bass). "It's about taking it as far as you think you can possibly go, and then taking it ten steps further."

HOLLYWOOD UNDEAD will close out this summer with festival performances at Impact Music, Heavy Montréal and Reading and Leeds.

The band is set to release more music this year, with brand new singles on the way.

2018 has been a massive year for HOLLYWOOD UNDEAD. The band recently clocked 1.1 billion total U.S. streams across their catalog, as well as garnering 1.7 million total Shazams, 57 million total global streams of their latest album, "Five", and 30 million views on all six music videos from the record. Their music has also landed on a number of impressive playlists: Spotify's "New Music Friday" and "New Noise" and Apple Music's "The A List Rock." The five-piece have also accumulated 5.5 million total Pandora artist station adds and 2.7 million total Pandora radio spins on their latest album.

Massachusetts metal veterans WITHIN THE RUINS have surprise-released a digital single today titled "World Undone" containing two songs featuring new singer Steve Tinnon. The two tracks, "World Undone" and "Resurgence", are available everywhere today. A stream of "World Undone" is available below.

"These songs were both written over the course of a big transition period for this band," says guitarist Joe Cocchi. "They have a unique vibe. Nonetheless, we're more than thrilled to have Steve step up and take over on vocals. It couldn't be a better fit for us. We've known Steve for years through touring and it feels right to have his voice, personality, and creativity as a part of our bands future now."

Tinnon comments: "I wrote these songs as a pair. I wanted them to go together. 'World Undone' is about feeling like you've lost everything and your world has come crumbling down. You've been mentally and physically defeated, and no one around you even cares. Everyone goes through dark times where they just feel lost and don't know what to do. 'Resurgence' is the follow-up to that scenario. It's about making your way out of those difficult situations and coming out on the other side as a stronger person than before.

"Life can be a constant struggle, and I think that's very relatable to a lot of people. But I want these songs to serve as a reminder that no matter how bad things seem, you need to keep pushing and keep fighting. Things can get better. Don't give up."

WITHIN THE RUINS recently announced a new batch of headline dates kicking off in Providence, Rhode Island on August 2 and bring the band to various points on the East Coast before wrapping up in Amityville, Long Island on August 12. Support will come from PHINEHAS, GREAT AMERICAN GHOST and SENTINELS (August 2-5). These dates will be WITHIN THE RUINS' first with Tinnon, who replaced original singer Tim Goergen just a few months ago.

"We're all very excited get back on the road to start this new chapter for WITHIN THE RUINS," says Cocchi. "This will be the first run of dates with Steve as our new vocalist and we couldn't be happier. We're also very stoked to have our good friends in PHINEHAS, GREAT AMERICAN GHOST and SENTINELS on this run with us. Hope to see everyone out there!"

Swedish melodic hard rock band DYNAZTY, which features in its ranks current AMARANTHE singer Nils Molin, will release its sixth album, "Firesign", on September 28 via AFM Records.

The first single from the disc, "Breathe With Me", can be streamed below.

"Firesign" will be available as a digipak, clear yellow vinyl (limited to 200 units), clear orange vinyl (limited to 200 units) and blue/yellow splatter (limited to 100 units), which is exclusively available in the AFM webshop.

"Firesign" track listing:

01. Breathe With Me

02. The Grey

03. In The Arms Of A Devil

04. My Darkest Hour

05. Ascension

06. Firesign

07. Closing Doors

08. Follow Me

09. Let Me Dream Forever

10. Starfall

11. The Light Inside The Tunnel

DYNAZTY was founded in 2007 and reached its current formation a year later with the addition of Molin. To date the band has released five albums, toured internationally, zigzagged Sweden and performed in the insanely popular Swedish Eurovision song contest qualification, Melodifestivalen event.


DYNAZTY garnered international praise and scored notable domestic chart positions with its more traditionally hard-rocking "Knock You Down" album (2011) and its successor "Sultans Of Sin" (2012). Criminally overlooked "Renatus" (2013), saw the band shedding its old-school melodic hard rock skin for a sound more modern, more defined and more addictive. Fittingly for its Latin name ("Rebirth"), "Renatus" saw the band's sound grow tighter with an arsenal of rapid rhythm patterns and machine-gun riffs, Molin's ever-present soaring vocals plus huge choruses that stuck in your head like horseflies and featuring melodic hooklines lesser bands would die for to have written. Sugar-pasted with massive arrangements, "Renatus" was an album the like of which most bands never manage to write. Yet somehow it managed to fly under the radar.


2016's "Titanic Mass" saw the Swedes present the next logical step in the never-ending flux that is the sound of DYNAZTY. This time choosing to maintain the overall bite and tightness of "Renatus" and taking a courteous nod in the direction of power metal finally, and adding a symphonic element, the band succeeded in making the songs, if possible, yet another notch more addictive than before.

DYNAZTY is:

Nils Molin - vocals

Love Magnusson - guitar

Mike Lavér - guitars

Jonathan Olsson - bass

George Egg - drums

Molin officially joined AMARANTHE in July 2017 as the replacement for Jake E.

Having previously used Chris Adam Hedman Sörbye from the band SMASH INTO PIECES as a stand-in for Jake on some of the shows in 2016 and in early 2017, AMARANTHE recruited Molin for three Swedish concerts in March 2017 and he has been part of the group's live appearances ever since.

According to Quartz, Spotify CEO Daniel Ek said on his company's earnings call today METALLICA looks at what audiences are listening to on the music-streaming service in the city it's playing in, and changes the setlist to include some of the most popular songs in that area.

"You have an artist like METALLICA, who changes their setlist on a city-by-city basis just by looking at Spotify data to see, which the most popular songs happened to be in that city," Ek said. "We've never before been at a place in time where you could make as many informed decisions and understand your audience as well as we can do now as an artist."

In a 2017 interview with the 98 Rock radio station, METALLICA drummer Lars Ulrich spoke about how he creates setlists for the band's shows. He explained: "I'll sit and look at last couple times we played [in the area] — whatever city we're in, I'll look at the last 10 years worth of shows from that particular city. Obviously, there's certain songs we 'have' to play, but then there's the deeper cuts — and the deeper cuts I always try to vary. So if we played 'Harvester Of Sorrow' the last time, maybe I'll put 'Through The Never' or 'Breadfan' or whatever. I try to vary six or eight of the deeper songs so you give fans a different setlist and a different experience. Since I started doing that, it correlates with when we started taping all our shows and we offer them for sale on something called LiveMetallica.com, mixed by the same team that mixes our albums. Since we started doing that in '03 or '04, we haven't played the same setlist twice."

Ulrich added that METALLICA chooses to vary up its setlists "not just for the fans, but it's also for us — it keeps us on our toes." He said: "[Back in the day], we were out doing the same setlist for weeks at a time, and I was telling the lighting director, 'I'm gonna change a couple songs in the setlist tonight.' And I remember he said, 'Give me a 3-day notice so I can program the lighting rig.' It was one of those moments where I was, like, 'Wait a minute! That's what it's come to? If we want to play a different song in the setlist, we have to give the lighting guy a three-days notice so he can change the green lights to purple lights? That's not rock 'n' roll.' If I want to play 'Sanitarium', I don't want to have to hire an electrician. [Laughs] It was one of those moments: 'Holy fuck, I don't want to be that kind of band.'"

Ulrich, who was the main spokesperson for METALLICA in the Napster battle, has since become friends with Napster co-founder and current Spotify investor Sean Parker and even attended Parker's wedding.

In a 2015 interview with Billboard, Lars said: "We've been in a relationship with Daniel Ek and Spotify for a few years, which has been very rewarding. He's a smart guy and getting our music out, we try to align ourselves with the people who are smartest. You can tell a lot about the companies by the people who run them. With Daniel, he's very passionate about music so you feel safe with him."

METALLICA is currently home on a three-month break before launching a North American arena tour on September 2 in Madison, Wisconsin.

The official lyric video for "The Rhythm Of Freedom", a new song from MAYAN — the band featuring EPICA guitarist/songwriter Mark Jansen alongside Jack Driessen (ex-AFTER FOREVER) and Frank Schiphorst — can be streamed below. The track is taken from MAYAN's new album, "Dhyana", which will be released on September 21 via Nuclear Blast.

Jansen states: "'The Rhythm Of Freedom' references the sensation of pure freedom you feel when riding your bike or bicycle. This also refers to the album title 'Dhyana', which stands for the moment where the mind gets absorbed by the heart and you feel total happiness without worries about the past and future. But the mind, like a predator, is always waiting for the moment to take over control again.


"We picked this song as our first single as it's the first impression people will get from the new MAYAN album. In it you hear the dynamic sounds in our music, layered with the City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra who we recorded this album with. Expect a song that is heavy, yet melodic. Enjoy!"

"Dhyana" track listing:

01. The Rhythm Of Freedom

02. Tornado Of Thoughts - I Don't Think Therefore I Am

03. Saints Don't Die

04. Dhyana

05. Rebirth From Despair

06. The Power Process

07. The Illusory Self

08. Satori

09. Maya - The Veil Of Delusion

10. The Flaming Rage Of God

11. Set Me Free

Through his musical contributions in EPICA, AFTER FOREVER and MAYAN, Jansen has introduced another piece of knowledge, spirituality and mystery into the Dutch metal scene. For the third time since their inception in 2010, the now 10-piece symphonic death metal band has joined forces for a new album, and "Dhyana" is set to lift them to an entirely new level.

The collective that is MAYAN has always had a profound love for movie scores, so it comes as no surprise that the next step in the band's career was to record a new album with a live symphonic orchestra. Turning their vision into reality, a crowdfunding campaign was started early 2018 to fund the recording of MAYAN's third album with a live orchestra. With the tremendous support of fans across the world, more than €40,000 was raised and the band could finally approach the City Of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra to record their new album with them. Being one of the world's most renowned symphonic orchestras and famous for their work in cinematic features such as the "Star Wars" saga, "Hannibal" (2001) and "Arrival" (2016), as well as the orchestral parts of DIMMU BORGIR's "Death Cult Armageddon", they were the perfect choice to join forces with MAYAN to create the monumental sound landscape for "Dhyana". The crowdfunding campaign packages also included an exclusive EP called "Undercurrent".

Jansen stated: "We have worked with all our energy, efforts and passion to create a remarkable album. 'Dhyana' (which means the moment when the mind gets absorbed by the heart) makes us all very proud and we can't wait for it to be released. With the support of our loyal fans worldwide we were able to record the album with the City Of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra. Because of this and also producer Joost van den Broek's know-how and enormous motivational drive we were able to meet the high standards of the best productions of today. It's needless to say that we are extremely excited!"

The concept of this third full-length release reflects on conceptual themes such as being self-aware of our thoughts and relinquishing our egos and self-conceited tendencies to finding out who we truly are.

MAYAN will celebrate their new offering with a "Dhyana" release party on September 22 at De Helling in Utrecht, Netherlands. They will be supported by ELYOSE and CARTHAGODS on this evening.

"Vale Of Tears", a new song from Polish rock masters RIVERSIDE, can be streamed below. The track is taken from the band's seventh studio album, "Wasteland", which will be released on September 28 via longtime label InsideOut Music. The disc will once again feature artwork designed by longtime visual partner Travis Smith (OPETH, DEVIN TOWNSEND).

"Wasteland" track listing:

01. The Day After

02. Acid Rain

03. Vale Of Tears

04. Guardian Angel

05. Lament

06. The Struggle For Survival

07. River Down Below

08. Wasteland

09. The Night Before


RIVERSIDE's Mariusz Duda checked in with the following comment about the album's overall concept: "I'd been thinking about exploring 'post-apocalyptic' regions for a long time. I read books, watched films, played video games, all connected by stories about an attempt to survive in a world that had just ended. But writing such a story myself didn't make much sense until now.

"RIVERSIDE are starting a new chapter and after our recent experiences, a story like that has gained more meaning. 'Wasteland' is mostly about what's happening in the world these days but it also makes a reference to the tragedy that befell the band in 2016. Musically, we've returned to darker sounds but we have also turned a new page and recorded the album in a different style. It's still RIVERSIDE, but expressed in a much deeper and more mature way.

"Most artists say the same thing while promoting their new releases: that they have just created their best work to date. I won't say that because everything we have done so far has been consistently very good and unique. But I will say that we have never had such an incredible emotional load on any of our previous releases, and it's not likely that we will ever make such a charged album again. 'Wasteland' is an epic, multidimensional, poetic and very deep album. Perhaps of the once-in-a-lifetime kind.”


RIVERSIDE's "Wasteland" marks the first studio album effort with newly composed music after the tragic passing of founding member and guitarist Piotr Grudziński on February 21, 2016.

RIVERSIDE will embark on the "Wasteland 2018 Tour" throughout October/November to support the release of the upcoming album.