After The Burial are streaming the new song, "Exit, Exist", featured on the band's upcoming Evergreen album, out on April 19th via Sumerian Records. Pre-order the album here, and listen to the track below.

Tracklisting:

"Behold The Crown"
"Exit, Exist"
"11/26"
"In Flux"
"Respire"
"Quicksand"
"The Great Repeat"
"To Challenge Existence"
"A Pulse Exchanged"

"Exit, Exist":

"Behold The Crown" video:

The group kicks off a massive US tour alongside Killswitch Engage and Parkway Drive on April 18th (see all dates below), with Vein in the opening slot.

Trent Hafdahl (guitars) states: "The songwriting process is almost always the same, but the influence and motivation behind the music is always different. This time around we wrote an album that is wholeheartedly ATB. If you listen back through our catalog you can hear us experimenting with different sounds, soundscapes, playing techniques etc. Some of those have stood the test of time and are still used in our music today, and some were left behind because they didn't really fit us. I feel very strongly that this album is OUR sound. Our fans could hear this anywhere, without any reference, and say 'that sounds like an After The Burial riff.' I guess you could say it's a more mature release this time around because we weren't stretching to experiment with stuff that we didn't know would work. It's heavy, it's melodic, it's slow at times and fast at others. It's intense and free-flowing all in the same instance.

"On the KSE/PWD run, just like any tour, we're striving to leave a mark on every person there that has never heard of us. I've always said we've gained more fans by people seeing us live than from them hearing us on record. There are tons of people that can probably attest to this, but my absolute favorite thing to hear from somebody after a show is 'that was my first time seeing you guys!' It's like, fuck yeah! We did it!! Haha. For the folks that already know who we are, it's going to be a party, just like every other time they've seen us. They already know that. No compromise, as we're there to crush! We pride ourselves on being one of the tightest live bands in the game, but not at the cost of being entertaining. Give us a half hour of your evening and we'll show you a good fucking time!"

Tour dates:

April
18 - San Francisco, CA - Warfield Theatre
19 - Los Angeles, CA - Hollywood Palladium
20 - Las Vegas, NV - BBB *ATB ONLY
21 - Grand Junction, CO - Mesa Theater *ATB ONLY
22 - Colorado Springs, CO - City Auditorium
23 - Wichita, KS - The Cotillion
24 - Oklahoma City, OK - Diamond Ballroom
26 - Dallas, TX - South Side Ballroom
27 - Austin, TX - Stubb's
28 - Houston, TX - So What? Festival
30 - Kansas City, MO - Uptown Theater

May
1 - Indianapolis, IN - Egyptian Room at Old National Center
2 - Huntington, WV - V Club *ATB ONLY
3 - Greensboro, NC - Blind Tiger *ATB ONLY
4 - Atlanta, GA - Tabernacle
5 - Nashville, TN - War Memorial Auditorium
7 - Niagara Falls, NY - The Rapids Theatre
9 - New York, NY - Terminal 5
10 - New Haven, CT - College Street Music Hall
11 - Philadelphia, PA - Franklin Music Hall
14 - Silver Spring, MD - The Fillmore Silver Spring
15 - Detroit, MI - Fillmore Detroit
16 - Milwaukee, WI - Eagles Club




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Richmond’s Inter Arma, reigning masters of the slow build, have shared the “Howling Lands” video less than two weeks before the official release of Sulphur English. Watch the full music video, directed by Marcos Morales (Dirt City Studio) below.

Additionally, Inter Arma have announced US headline tour dates throughout May and June with Thantifaxath, and will see additional support by Ken Mode and Wayfarer on select dates. Inter Arma is slated to perform two exclusive shows in April. These include Decibel’s Metal & Beer Fest Pre-Fest and Saint Vitus Bar’s 8th Anniversary concert. A full list of confirmed tour dates are available below.

Tour dates:

April
12 - Philadelphia, PA - Decibel Metal & Beer Fest
13 - Brooklyn, NY - Saint Vitus - 8th Anniversary

May (with Thantifaxath)
14 - Asheville, NC - Mothlight
15 - Nashville, TN - Drkmttr
16 - Memphis, TN  - Hi Tone
17 - Little Rock, AR - Vino's
18 - St Louis, MO - Fubar
21 - Kansas City, MO - Riot Room
22 - Denver, CO - Hi Dive
23 - Albuquerque, NM - Sister Bar
24 - Flagstaff, AZ - Green Room
25 - Phoenix, AZ - Yucca Tap Room
26 - San Diego, CA - Space Bar
28 - Oakland, CA - Oakland Metro #
29 - Eugene, OR - Old Nick's #
30 - Portland, OR - High Water Mark #
31 - Seattle, WA - Northwest Terror Fest

June (with Thantifaxath)
1 - Boise, ID - Bump HQ * + #
2 - Salt Lake City, UT - Kilby Court * + #
4 - Omaha, NE - Slowdown
5 - Minneapolis, MN - 7th Street Entry
6 - Chicago, IL - Reggie's
7 - Lexington, KY - Cosmic Charlie's

* with Ken Mode
# with Wayfarer

Sulphur English is due out April 12th on CD/2xLP/Digital. Physical packages are available for preorder via Relapse.com. Digital Downloads / Streaming Services are available here.

Tracklisting:

“Bumgardner”
“A Waxen Sea”
“Citadel”
“Howling Lands”
“Stillness”
“Observances Of The Path”
“The Atavist’s Meridian”
“Blood On The Lupines”
“Sulphur English”

"Howling Lands" video:

“The Atavist’s Meridian”:

“Citadel”:

(Photo - Joey Wharton)




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California rockers BLACK VEIL BRIDES will celebrate the tenth anniversary of their debut album, "We Stitch These Wounds", next year by releasing a re-recorded version of the LP, along with some new songs.

"We Stitch These Wounds" was issued in July 2010 via StandBy Records and was BLACK VEIL BRIDES' only studio album to feature drummer Sandra Alvarenga before she left the band and joined MODERN DAY ESCAPE.

BLACK VEIL BRIDES singer Andy Biersack revealed the group's plans to revisit its debut disc during a recent interview with Rock Sound.

Speaking about BLACK VEIL BRIDES' activities in the coming months, Biersack said (see video below): "It'll be 10 years since the first record next summer, so we plan to do kind of a reimagining of that record and re-recording some of the stuff, and probably some new songs added to it, and maybe some covers that we wanna do. So that'll come out, and that'll be really fun. I don't know what the plans are outside of that, as far as how we're gonna present that. But that's the plan right now."

As for a possible new album from BLACK VEIL BRIDES, Andy said: "What's great about [2018's] 'Vale' being what it was is that it was kind of the end to a chapter and that style and feeling of the band from the 'Wretched And Divine' era and everything. I think we all kind of feel like whatever is next, it's gonna be something that's totally fresh and new."

"Vale" came out in January 2018 via Lava/Universal Republic. The follow-up to BLACK VEIL BRIDES' 2014 self-titled effort was produced by John Feldmann at his Southern California studio.

Biersack (a.k.a. Andy Black) will release his sophomore album, "The Ghost Of Ohio", on April 12 via Lava/Republic.

On April 19th, Reaching Fall - featuring ex-Amaranthe vocalist Andy Solveström, singer Niclas Bergstrand, and guitarist Martin Haglund (ex-Astral Doors) - will release their long-awaited new single, "Tide". The track features a guest appearance by guitar legend Andy La Rocque (King Diamond). 

Watch this space and the official Reaching Fall Facebook page here for updates.

Check out a Reaching Fall studio outtake video from 2015 and listen to some previously released material below.




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IN FLAMES guitarist Niclas Engelin will sit out the band's spring and summer European tour dates to focus on "personal matters." Filling in for him once again will be former MEGADETH and current ACT OF DEFIANCE guitarist Chris Broderick.

Broderick previously stepped in for Engelin during IN FLAMES' North American shows in February and March.

IN FLAMES singer Anders Fridén recently told Sticks For Stones that Broderick is doing a "great" job filling in for Engelin.

"We've known [Chris] for 17 years," Anders said. "He was in a band called JAG PANZER, and they opened up for us back then, so we've been friends since. And when Niclas called us, like 48 hours before we had to leave, and he went to the hospital — he had to. So we didn't wanna cancel. Our music is made for two guitars, and we didn't wanna have one guitar playing and everything else on a backing track — we wanted to have someone playing it. We happily found out that Chris was free and he came out and we had a couple of days' rehearsal in Austin before the tour started in Houston. And, yeah, it's going great. We've known him, as I said, for a long time, so we knew it would work on a social level. And [his] guitar [playing] is obviously phenomenal."

Earlier this year, IN FLAMES completed separate tours with ALL THAT REMAINS and WITHIN TEMPTATION.

The band's new album, "I, The Mask", was released on March 1 via Nuclear Blast (worldwide, excluding North America) and Eleven Seven Music (North America).


To all of the Jesterheads coming out to our upcoming European and UK dates: Niclas will be extending his hiatus though...Posted by In Flames on Tuesday, April 2, 2019

Vinny Appice has outlined the differences between DIO DISCIPLES and LAST IN LINE.

Launched in 2011, DIO DISCIPLES is made up of former members of DIO, along with a rotating lineup of vocalists, including ex-JUDAS PRIEST singer Tim "Ripper" Owens and LYNCH MOB frontman Oni Logan. LAST IN LINE, on the other hand, was formed in 2012 by Appice, guitarist Vivian Campbell and bassist Jimmy Bain, all of whom were part of DIO's first incarnation.

During a recent interview with Jacky BamBam of Philadelphia's 93.3 WMMR radio station, Appice was asked to specify the things that separate the two projects.

"Well, in a nutshell, they play all the songs, they know the songs; we know all the notes," Vinny said (hear audio below). "That's it in a nutshell. We wrote those songs with Ronnie [James Dio]. As much as Ronnie got credit on certain songs as a sole writer, he didn't write those songs by himself. And if you think about it, how does the song 'We Rock' come up? Ronnie can't play guitar like that. So it was more of a political thing with, 'Okay, I'm taking how many songs by myself, no matter who wrote 'em.' And that's the politics of the business. And when we started the band, it was just Ronnie and I. There was no guitar player; there was nobody else — we were just starting. And we were playing 'Holy Diver'; we were just playing parts of it. And some of the accents and ideas came from me too. He was on bass, I was on drums, and I said, 'Why don't we do some accents?' That song wasn't entirely Ronnie either, but that's the way it works.

"We wrote the songs, we created the [DIO] band," Vinny continued. "We wrote 'Rainbow In The Dark', we wrote all those songs together — we wrote everything… together. Then Craig [Goldy, guitar] joined Ronnie after Viv left; he's the only one that really came in early. Then later on, I left and Simon [Wright, drums] played with Ronnie. The rest of the guys, I don't think any of them really played with Ronnie except for Scott Warren, the keyboardist."

Appice went on to call DIO DISCIPLES "a tribute band. I could hear songs they play and other bands play, and it's great, but it doesn't sound like me and Viv playing it," he explained. "'Cause we're the ones that recorded it and played it and created the songs. So there's always a difference."

DIO DISCIPLES is fully supported by Dio's widow Wendy, who also manages the band. The group includes three former members of the DIO band — Wright, Goldy and Warren — along with bassist Bjorn Englen (YNGWIE MALMSTEEN), Owens and Logan.

When DIO DISCIPLES was first formed, Appice told the "All Hail Hair" show on Fightin' Words Radio that he thought it was "disgusting" that the band was going out on the road and paying tribute to Ronnie James Dio. "I mean, why are they even doing it?" he said. "Plus, [Ronnie has] not even been passed away for a year. And, you know… It's kind of… I don't know. It's kind of weird, man. It's weird."

In a 2016 interview, Vivian slammed DIO DISCIPLES, saying that the band has "zero credibility" as a Ronnie James Dio tribute project.

I AM MORBID has parted ways with guitarist Ira Black (METAL CHURCH, LIZZY BORDEN) and has replaced him with Kelly McLauchlin.

McLauchlin will make his live debut with I AM MORBID on the "Morbidfest 2019" European tour in April. Also appearing on the bill are ATROCITY, VITAL REMAINS and SADIST.

I AM MORBID is the band featuring former MORBID ANGEL members David Vincent (vocals, bass) and Tim Yeung (drums) alongside guitarist Bill Hudson (CIRCLE II CIRCLE, TRANS-SIBERIAN ORCHESTRA).

I AM MORBID's European tour will see the group perform material from MORBID ANGEL's "Altars Of Madness" (1989), "Blessed Are The Sick" (1991), "Covenant" (1993) and "Domination" (1995) albums.

Vincent told Ghost Cult about I AM MORBID's formation: "It's been discussed off and on for a few years now, but, as they say, actions speak louder than words. While it was exciting to discuss, it was held off for a few years until I decided to go through some personal changes in my life, and really absorb the possibility of it happening. I went ahead and focused on my roots music, but this kept lingering, and now it's time for I AM MORBID to finally happen."

Regarding the I AM MORBID setlist, Vincent said: "Like everything I do, I want to make this special. This is very different from MORBID ANGEL. If you want to see a MORBID ANGEL show, you know where to go, but this isn't it. I'm only going to be performing songs that I wrote on this tour. If I didn't write it, we aren't playing it. We are going to throw in things, here or there, to make things more unique, but it's going to be one brutal show. I can promise you that."

MORBID ANGEL's controversial 2011 album, "Illud Divinum Insanus", marked the group's first CD to feature Vincent since "Domination".

Vincent left MORBID ANGEL in 2015. He has since been replaced by a returning Steve Tucker, who previously handled bass and vocals on MORBID ANGEL's "Formulas Fatal To The Flesh", "Gateways To Annihilation" and "Heretic" LPs.


Pleased to welcome guitarist, #KellyMcLauchlin (Pessimist, former Possessed), to the #Morbid family! #KeepingTheMorbidLegacyAlive #IAmMorbid Official David Vincent, Tim Yeung, Bill Hudson.Posted by I Am Morbid on Sunday, March 31, 2019

Japanese pop metal act BABYMETAL has announced that it will release a new album later this year. The band will also perform at Yokohama Arena on June 28-29 as well as at Portmesse Nagoya on July 6-7. These Japanese performances will mark the beginning of BABYMETAL's new chapter.


BABYMETAL's upcoming album will be the follow-up to 2016's "Metal Resistance". Right after the release of this second disc, they performed at London's prominent venue SSE Arena, Wembley and became the first Japanese act to have ever headlined there, breaking the all-time merchandising sales record at the venue. BABYMETAL also had successful back-to-back performances at the massive Tokyo Dome thereafter, playing to 110,000 people over two nights.


"Metal Resistance" debuted at No. 15 on the official U.K. chart, the highest rank for a Japanese artist in recorded history. The album was very well-received in all other territories as well, including another record-breaking position for a Japanese artist in the U.S. with a No. 39 position on the Billboard chart.

Last fall, BABYMETAL digitally released a new song called "Starlight". It marked the rebirth of the band in which Su-Metal and Moametal form the core.

BABYMETAL spent all of 2018 touring without Yuimetal. She later exited the band, explaining in a statement that she would go on to pursue a solo career as Mizuno Yu.

EMP Label Group has released the new Ron Keel Band album, Fight Like A Band, via their EMP Outlaw imprint. The collection features 11 brand-new songs and fresh recordings of Keel classics. Get it here.

In addition to a lyric video for the lead track “Road Ready”, released in January, the band is preparing the release of several singles to Rock radio including “Girls Like Me,” which according to Keel is the “most fun song on the record.”

Says EMP head of A&R/Operations Thom Hazaert, “Ron Keel is one of the greatest Rock vocalists of our time, and a true Heavy Metal visionary. He defines the ‘Gentleman Outlaw’ in the truest sense, and we’re so proud to have him in the EMP family.”

Tracklisting:

"Road Ready"
"Fight Like A Band"
"Rock N Roll Guitar"
"Long Way Down"
"Hearts Gone Wild"
"Good Songs Bad Times"
"Girls Like Me"
"Fire In The Rain"
"Just A Cowboy"
"Old School"
Keel Medley: "Because The Night"/"Somebody’s Waiting"
"Tears Of Fire"
"The Right To Rock"
"Hey Man"

"Road Ready" lyric video:

2019 concert highlights include KeelFest in Columbus, Ohio May 10th, featuring not only Ron Keel Band but the classic Keel lineup (Marc Ferrari, Bryan Jay, Dwain Miller) and a tribute to Steeler that includes bassist Rik Fox and guitar hero Mitch Perry; Hot Harley Nights (one of the biggest bike events in the nation) July 13th with Night Ranger, and the Fight Like A Band album release party which took place at Grand Falls Casino in Larchwood, Iowa this past February. Tour dates in nine states are confirmed with more added weekly.

Find Ron Keel's live itinerary here.




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DEVILDRIVER has completed recording its new album with producer Steve Evetts (EVERY TIME I DIE, THE DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN). The follow-up to 2016's "Trust No One" is tentatively due later in the year via Napalm Records.

Vocalist Dez Fafara told Metal Wani in a 2018 interview that DEVILDRIVER had written 48 songs for what was planned to be a staggered-release double album. He went on to say that the next DEVILDRIVER LP would be "the record of our career. This will be record that other artists judge us, as well as themselves, on once they hear this," he claimed.

Fafara also promised that DEVILDRIVER fans would "get a record a year" from his band. "You're gonna get a record in 2019, and you're gonna get a record in 2020," he said. "And that's the way art should be… We're not gonna rely on this three-to-four-year-plan that bands are doing. It used to be where you had to go away for a year in order to let the fans catch up to you and this and that, and it is not that way anymore — you need to get art out and you need to be out in everyone's face and you need to be touring, and we're getting ready to kick that up in a big way."

Asked if there is a lot of pressure on him and his bandmates to deliver on their self-imposed goal of releasing a new album every year, Dez said: "I don't think so. The pressure is not there. When the songs are there, when the band is firing off, and when it's just coming together, there's really no pressure. And this is why we're doing a double album with a staggered release. I've always wanted to do a double record with kind of a concept feel. And a staggered release makes sense, 'cause people, every 12 to 17 months, can get a record from you. And that's where I'm at, that's where the music business is at, that's par for the course what every other artist is doing."

DEVILDRIVER's full-length collection of outlaw country-gone-metal anthems, "Outlaws 'Til The End", was released last July via Napalm Records. The disc was 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."

View this post on Instagram This is what two years and hard work looks like -20 folders filled from hand written lyrics to typed then finished - @devildriver @napalmrecordsofficial #DealingWithDemons -I’m gonna jump in my pool and fucking swim wash all this aaaaaaway ! I left everything on the table if this was my last I would be proud to go out like this ! @steveevetts produced what is our finest defining moment as a band GET READY ! A post shared by dezfafara (@dezfafara) on Apr 2, 2019 at 11:57am PDT

BLACK EARTH — the project featuring former and current members of ARCH ENEMY performing material from the latter band's first three albums live on stage — has released "Path Of The Immortal", a collection of remastered tracks from those early LPs. The disc, which was made available exclusively in Japan on March 20, includes two brand new songs, "Burn On The Flame" and "Life Infernal", which were recorded at the end of 2018 at Sweden's Studio Fredman with producer Fredrik Nordström. You can now listen to both tracks below.

"Path Of The Immortal" track listing:

01. Burn On The Flame (new song)

02. The Immortal

03. Dead Inside

04. Bury Me An Angel

05. Stigmata

06. Sinister Mephisto

07. Demoniality

08. Transmigration Macabre

09. Angelclaw

10. Bridge Of Destiny

11. Life Infernal (new song)

12. Beast Of Man

13. Dark Insanity

14. Diva Satanica

15. Pilgrim

16. Black Earth

17. Silverwing

18. Time Capsule

19. Fields Of Desolation '99

Speaking to Japan's "Masa Ito's Rock TV" in February, ARCH ENEMY guitarist and main songwriter Michael Amott explained how the new music came about. "Together with Trooper Entertainment, we've put together a compilation of our favorite tracks from the first, second and third album that featured these guys — with Johan [Liiva on vocals] and Chris [Amott on guitar] and everything," he said. "And we've put together a compilation album of that '90s material. It's been remastered here in Japan. I actually attended the mastering session last week, and it sounds incredible. It really brought the old tracks… it gave them a new life. And then we actually recorded two new songs in Sweden. So we've been quite busy with that."

He continued: "It's quite complicated getting everybody together to do that. But we wrote these two new songs. I wrote one with Chris, and then I wrote one myself. They're called 'Burn On The Flame' and 'Life Infernal' — two brand new tracks that are kind of in the style of what we used to do, I think. And they turned out really amazing too. We actually went back to Fredrik Nordström's studio, Fredman, where we made the first three records. So we worked with the original producer. And he mixed it, and it sounds really powerful — very cool."

According to Michael, the BLACK EARTH recording sessions turned out to be a "very, very strange" experience, "because we just picked it up where we left off. After about an hour or so, we were doing the same kind of jokes and the same kind of chemistry," he explained. "And the sounds as well. I was thinking maybe it was gonna sound very different. Also because of us — we all progress and change over the years, and develop. And also Fredrik, of course. He had a new studio now, with some different equipment. But actually, he just managed to get that old-school sound. And it was a lot of fun. Kind of a little bit nostalgia."

ARCH ENEMY recorded three albums with Liiva: "Black Earth" (1996), "Stigmata" (1998) and "Burning Bridges" (1999).

Liiva was replaced by German singer Angela Gossow as ARCH ENEMY's lead vocalist in 2000. Gossow exited the band in 2013 and was succeeded by former THE AGONIST frontwoman Alissa White-Gluz, while remaining as the group's manager.

Christopher Amott first left ARCH ENEMY in 2005, only to return to the group two years later. His second, and apparently final, departure came in March 2012.

BLACK EARTH completed its first Japanese tour in May 2016 and will return this coming May to celebrate the 20th anniversary of "Burning Bridges".

"When we did the tour in 2016, the reaction was incredible — we had so many sold-out shows, and [we got] very, very strong feedback and a lot of love from the Japanese audience," Michael told "Masa Ito's Rock TV". "So that was really an incredible time for us and a wonderful experience — one of the highlights of my career, I think. So we decided to come back and do it again three years later. And now we're doing it in more cities. So we're looking forward to visiting these places and bringing the music to the fans that normally maybe could not travel to Tokyo or to Osaka to see a show."

BLACK EARTH is:

Michael Amott - guitar

Christopher Amott - guitar

Johan Liiva - vocals

Daniel Erlandsson - drums

Sharlee D'Angelo - bass

In a brand new interview with Edmonton, Alberta, Canada's K-97 radio station, JUDAS PRIEST guitarist Richie Faulkner was asked what relationship — if any — the band currently has with the man he replaced, original PRIEST guitarist Kenneth "K.K." Downing. He responded (hear audio below): "I've never spoken to Ken. And I don't really know. I honestly don't know. I don't think anyone's spoken to him. I don't think he's spoken to them. I think he speaks to the management. But I've never spoken to him. Most of the stuff now is online. It seems that there's a lot online and not enough talking with each other. But who knows? But we're just forging forward and doing what we can — new record, new tour, and forging forward with that, really."

Last summer, Downing revealed that he sent two resignation letters to his bandmates when he decided to quit JUDAS PRIEST. The first was described as "a graceful exit note, implying a smooth retirement from music," while the second was "angrier, laying out all of his frustrations with specific parties."

Downing later said that he believed the second letter was "a key reason" he wasn't invited to rejoin PRIEST following Glenn Tipton's decision to retire from touring.

Downing told Landry.Audio in a recent interview that he is not sad or resentful over the fact that the band has carried on recording and touring after his exit nearly eight years ago. "It was bound to happen," he said. "It's just the way it has happened. I think it should have been different, really. I think Richie should have been allowed to be his own person. And if he likes to play Gibson Les Pauls, then he should go on stage and play those and not be encouraged to play Flying Vs and wear clothes like me and look like me and do all of that.

"When Ripper [vocalist Tim Owens] joined [JUDAS PRIEST as the replacement for Rob Halford], we gave him license to be himself — we didn't say, 'You've gotta do this like Rob or that like Rob,'" Downing continued. "So, essentially, my initial reaction was that the guys have cloned me. I thought, well, maybe they think it's a good move because the fans won't miss me and they'll kind of, in a way, from 10 rows back, think I'm still there. And the fact that my image was used in so much of the publicity for the upcoming tour. Maybe that's what went on. I think that Richie is such a good player in his own right that he should have been allowed to be himself. And, of course, when Glenn, I didn't see the same thing happening on that side of the stage."

Asked if he thinks Faulkner is an "adequate successor" to his lineage within JUDAS PRIEST, Downing said: "Well, it's absolutely seriously, seriously difficult to replace anybody that's been there for such a long time, and I understand that. It's so difficult, because it's not the same person. It doesn't matter, even if some people — and some people do think Ripper has got the edge over Rob. And I can see why — his vocals are young, they are strong. When he came into the band, he was tremendous. But the tonality and the texture, there's always gonna be little things here and there that are not gonna be the same. And people prefer to have the same. But I think that Richie is doing lots of things at the moment, really. He's not just filling in for me now — he's also playing Glenn's solos — and it all seems a bit strange to me. I don't really quite understand it."

JUDAS PRIEST will return to the United States this spring for a run with fellow classic heavy rockers URIAH HEEP. The 32-date trek will kick off on May 3 at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Florida and wrap on June 29 at The Joint at Hard Rock Hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada.

KISS has posted footage of Tommy Thayer performing the guitar solo in "Love Gun" during the recent End Of The Road tour stop in Pittsburgh, PA. Watch below:

Find the End Of The Road tour itinerary here, and see more pro-shot footage from the tour below:




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Swedish heavy metal heroes SABATON will release their ninth full-length album, "The Great War", on July 19 via Nuclear Blast Records. The band's 20th-anniversary record will be a concept effort covering stories from the First World War.


SABATON started recording "The Great War" exactly 100 years after the end of the First World War (November 11, 1918) and took three months of intensive work to complete the album with longtime producer and collaborator Jonas Kjellgren at Black Lounge studios. The disc was mastered by Maor Appelbaum and the artwork was once again created by Peter Sallaí.


"This is not the first time we sing about stories from this period in time, but now we felt the timing was right to make a full concept album about this war," the band said.

Side by side with the album, the Swedes have worked hard to make their 20th year anniversary a very exciting year, and also started the SABATON History Channel — a unique collaboration between the band and multimedia historians Indy Neidell and Timeghost, capturing the power of social media to tell stories about the wars, battles and heroes behind SABATON's songs.

"This is the biggest album we have taken on so far. There is so much depth and story around the songs that we never had before," bassist Pär Sundström states. "Expect many surprises as we have tried new things and we also went back in time to a concept we know a lot of you love. 'The Great War' has been created side by side with the SABATON History Channel to make 2019 the most exciting year in our 20-year history.”

SABATON's next disc will be the group's first with guitarist Tommy Johansson (GOLDEN RESURRECTION, REINXEED), who replaced Thobbe Englund in 2016.

SABATON's 2012 album, "Carolus Rex", was recently certified quadruple platinum in the band's home country of Sweden. The concept effort — which is the group's biggest success to date — charts the rise and fall of the Swedish Empire, in particular the life of Charles XII ("Carolus Rex") who ruled it for 21 years. In an amazing coincidence, the album's quadruple platinum certification came exactly 300 years after the king's death in 1718.

To celebrate the album's success, and to commemorate the Swedish king who inspired it, SABATON released a special 300th-anniversary edition of "Carolus Rex" on November 30, which is the date Carolus Rex was killed in Norway.

David Coverdale says that the current lineup of DEEP PURPLE "prevented" Ritchie Blackmore from joining his former bandmates onstage during the 2016 Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame induction ceremony.

Blackmore is a co-founder of DEEP PURPLE and wrote many of their most memorable riffs, including "Smoke On The Water", but he has not played with the group since his 1993 departure.

Steve Morse effectively took over Blackmore's slot in 1994 and has since been in the group longer than Ritchie.

Asked by Tigman of Poughkeepsie, New York's Z93 radio station what the Rock Hall experience was like for him, Coverdale said (hear audio below): "It was a complete and utter honor. But I was only concerned about [former DEEP PURPLE bassist/vocalist] Glenn Hughes; the rest of 'em I haven't got time for. They prevented Ritchie Blackmore from coming in to be honored as a Rock And Roll Hall Of Famer.

"I called Ritchie and I said, 'Come with me. Nobody's gonna do anything,'" Coverdale continued. "The first thing I said [during my acceptance speech] was, 'I'm so sorry that Ritchie Blackmore isn't here, without whom none of us would be on this stage,' which is absolutely true. So, Glenn and I just stuck to ourselves and had fun with CHICAGO, CHEAP TRICK, Steve Miller — everyone was just fabulous.

"So, ex-colleagues, I'm happy they'll remain ex-colleagues. [Laughs] They just don't figure in my life in any way, shape or form," he added. "[They have] an entirely different philosophy, idealogy and you name it — it couldn't be more different."

Coverdale was far more complimentary toward Hughes, whom he called a "beautiful" person. He added: "We call ourselves the Righteous Brothers. We've been the support system for each other for over 40 years… well, 45… coming up on 50… Jesus! Glenn Hughes and I, we're brothers. We got the job with DEEP PURPLE. He got in there before me and then welcomed me… 'Cause Glenn was a lead singer; he's a lead vocalist — he's extraordinary. And he came out of a band called TRAPEZE into DEEP PURPLE, where he was the lead singer. So the generosity that he gave me, being a complete new boy who had never played to larger crowds than a hundred people in clubs… It was an extraordinary time. Ritchie Blackmore and Jon Lord were absolute gentlemen, and for me, it was like I was at the university of DEEP PURPLE and I had the two best professors in the world with Ritchie and Jon. And [I became] friends with Glenn. Glenn and I had similar tastes in music."

Blackmore previously suggested that PURPLE's manager had blocked him from attending the Rock Hall induction ceremony, and he used that as an excuse for not attending the event.

Despite Blackmore being a no-show at Rock Hall, he was given several shoutouts during the induction speeches of the DEEP PURPLE members in attendance. In addition, METALLICA drummer Lars Ulrich, who inducted DEEP PURPLE into the institution, praised "Ritchie fucking Blackmore" for one of the most memorable guitar riffs of all time on "Smoke On The Water".

DEEP PURPLE's first three lineups were inducted into the Rock Hall, including Blackmore, drummer Ian Paice, late keyboardist Jon Lord, and various singers and bassists — Rod Evans; Ian Gillan and Roger Glover; and Coverdale and Hughes.

In 2017, DEEP PURPLE singer Ian Gillan shot down the possibility of a reunion with Blackmore, saying that "the rain stopped and the sun came out" for DEEP PURPLE once the guitarist left the group. He also threw shade at Ritchie's recent RAINBOW performances, saying that Blackmore is "not playing rock and roll like he used to."

SKILLET frontman John Cooper has confirmed to Backstage Entertainment that the band's new album will arrive this summer. "Just listened to mixes today as we speak," John said in an interview that was conducted on March 27 (see video below). "Got a few more… nitpicking, I guess, with the mixes. But they're almost done. The record will be done any day now [and] released this summer. We have a single coming in May, and I hope it's good. [Laughs]"

He continued: "Sometimes, when you work on a record for a long time, you do get kind of, like, 'Okay, I thought this was good a year ago, and I hope it's still good.' But it's unnerving, especially when you wait for three years. The longer you wait, the more epic it has to be — like waiting for a sequel.

"I'm very excited about the record," he added. "Me and Korey [Cooper, rhythm guitar and keyboards] produced the bulk of it this time, which is the first SKILLET record we've produced the bulk of in a long, long time. So that's pretty exciting for us."

At some of its recent concerts, SKILLET has been performed two new songs live, apparently titled "Rise Up" and "Dead Man Walking".

Last fall, John told Consequence Of Sound that SKILLET's next album would "be a bit heavier" than 2016's "Unleashed". But, he added, "We're going to have those arena anthems and also some duets with Jen [Ledger, drummer] and me, which our fans love. I'm excited for it."

"Unleashed" was recently certified gold after accumulating half a million certified units. The distinction follows on the success of lead single "Feel Invincible", which was gold-certified in 2018. "Unleashed" is the fourth consecutive SKILLET record to receive certification of either gold, platinum or double platinum.

Unobstructed View and MVD Entertainment Group announce the release of Lords Of Chaos on Blu-ray / DVD combo and DVD on May 28 in the US and May 21 in Canada. It's a thrilling coming of age horror/drama, weaving together rock'n'roll, youth, love, and death through an incredibly dark story. Renowned Swedish director Jonas Åkerlund (Polar) brings his notorious visual aesthetic to the film, alongside ground-breaking performances from Rory Culkin (Succession, Signs, You Can Count On Me) and Emory Cohen (The Place Beyond The Pines, Brooklyn).

Inspired by a true story, Lords Of Chaos made its debut at the 2018 Sundance Film Festival before going on to impress audiences at Fantastic Fest, Beyond Fest, Fantasia Festival, and more.

Oslo, 1987: Seventeen-year-old Euronymous (Rory Culkin) is determined to escape his idyllic Scandinavian hometown and create "true Norwegian black metal" with his band, Mayhem. He's joined by equally fanatical youths - Dead (Jack Kilmer) and Varg (Emory Cohen). Believing that they're on the cusp of a musical revolution, the group gets even darker, driven by the black metal dogma to spread evil.

They begin burning down churches throughout the countryside and stealing tombstones for their record store. But when the press catches up with them and Euronymous takes more credit than he's earned for the group's violent acts, Varg, fresh out of jail, arranges a dark encounter to settle the score and ultimately determine who the darkest black metal musician is...

The Blu-ray / DVD combo contains the unrated version of the film (118 min) and bonus features (11 directors teasers and trailers). The single DVD includes the rated version (116 min) and no bonus features. Pre-order here.




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Stormlord will release their new album, Far, on May 24 via Scarlet Records. The album includes ten new songs, amongst the fastest and most aggressive ever composed by the band, with epic and solemn atmospheres and the best orchestrations they’ve ever conceived.

The lyrical concept is enriched with new nuances, ranging from the traditions of the peoples of the Mediterranean to the myth and glory of the ancient Rome, without forgetting to pay tribute to immortal icons such as Robert E. Howard (author of Conan The Barbarian), celebrated in the song "Cimmeria".

Far was recorded between the end of 2018 and the beginning of 2019 by Giuseppe Orlando (Novembre) and Riccardo Studer, while Simone Mularoni (DGM) took care of the mastering duties. Notable Hungarian artist Gyula Havancsak (Destruction, Annihilator) is the author of the artwork.

Tracklisting:

"Leviathan"
"Mediterranea"
"Far"
"Sherden"
"Crimson"
"Cimmeria"
"Invictus"
"Romulus"
"Vacuna"
"Levante"




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Venom, the unholy trinity of Cronos, Rage, and Dante, have released a lyric video for "Bring Out Your Dead", the opening track of the band's 2018 studio album, Storm The Gates. Watch below, and order Storm The Gates here.

Tracklisting:

“Bring Out Your Dead”
“Notorious”
“I Dark Lord”
“100 Miles To Hell”
“Dark Night (Of The Soul)”
“Beaten To A Pulp”
“Destroyer”
“The Mighty Have Fallen”
“Over My Dead Body”
“Suffering Dictates”
“We The Loud”
“Immortal”
“Storm The Gates”

“Bring Out Your Dead” lyric video:

Venom formed in 1979 in Newcastle upon Tyne. Coming to prominence towards the end of the new wave of British heavy metal, Venom's first two albums - Welcome To Hell (1981) and Black Metal (1982) - are considered a major influence on thrash metal and extreme metal in general. Venom's second album proved influential enough that its title was used as the name of the extreme metal subgenre of black metal. The band classic line-up trio of Cronos, Mantas and Abaddon recorded two further studio albums - At War With Satan (1984) and Possessed (1985) - and live album Eine Kleine Nachtmusik (1986). Often cited by bands such as Metallica, Behemoth, Celtic Frost and Mayhem as major influences, they are one of the most revered bands of their generation. Venom are still fronted by original singer/bassist Cronos and headline festivals all over the globe and continue to release new music.

This coming May 31st sees the release of In Nomine Satanas via BMG – a deluxe vinyl box set that celebrates Venom’s 40th anniversary and features the original Neat Records recordings from their 1981 debut Welcome To Hell to Eine Kleine Nachtmusik, the live recording of their mythical appearance at the Hammersmith Odeon in 1985. All of the albums are remastered from the original tapes with embossed covers, posters and inserts like their original first editions. They’re all now on colour configured vinyl too. The set also includes a 12“ book detailing the history of the band featuring new interviews with all three members, written by respected journalist Dom Lawson.

Of particular interest to hardcore Venom fans will be the Sons Of Satan double-album included within the set that features a treasure trove of unreleased demos from the bands vaults, some of which are mythical among fans who have known about their existence, but have never heard them as the tracks alluded bootleggers. Among the tracks are the earliest known Venom performances, captured where the band rehearsed in 1979 at Westgate Road Church Hall in Newcastle’s West End and featuring original singer Clive ‘Jesus Christ’ Archer on vocals. Also included are the £50 demos from 1980, captured at Impulse Studios, alongside further demos from 1980 and the ‘At War With Satan’ 1983 Impulse Studio demos.

In Nomine Satanas features in full:

4LPs and 2 x 2LP

- Welcome To Hell (Remastered from original tapes on splatter vinyl. Comes with reproductions of original poster and insert with an embossed cover.)
- Black Metal (Remastered from original tapes on swirl vinyl. Comes with reproductions of original poster and insert with an embossed cover.)
- At War With Satan (Remastered from original tapes on splatter vinyl. Comes with reproduction 6-page roll fold booklet and leather book effect cover.)
- Possessed (Remastered from original tapes on splatter vinyl. Comes with reproductions of original poster, insert and sleeve on mirror board.)
- Eine Kleine Nachtmusik (Pressed on half and half vinyl. Comes with reproductions of original gatefold and inserts.)
- Bloodlust (Planchette shaped 7” picture disc single)
- Sons Of Satan (New album of previously unreleased demos. Pressed on splatter vinyl. Gatefold cover)

Merchandise

- 12” x 12” book of the story of Venom written by renowned Heavy Metal journalist Dom Lawson from new interviews with Cronos, Mantas and Abaddon. Featuring previously unseen and rare photos and memorabilia.
- 90cm x 60cm 2 sided poster of ‘Seven Dates Of Hell’ tour poster.
- Reproduction ‘Seven Dates Of Hell’ tour programme.
- Venom’s legions back patch.

The first 300 orders from the official store will also receive a signed art card by Cronos.

Also available as an introduction piece is the In Nomine Satanas - The Neat Anthology - a 22-track double-vinyl collection of Venom’s most evil songs, remastered and pressed on splatter vinyl, including rare photos and memorabilia from the band’s personal collection, plus interviews with the band.

And for the non-vinyl collectors, there will also be a 43 track 2CD version, housed in a mediabook, that also includes two unreleased tracks.

It’s a good time to be a Venom fan. Welcome to hell.

Pre-order the set here, and watch a video trailer below.

“To me, Venom represent the start of a very important movement that has split into many more important movements. It was a revolution. After that moment, death metal, thrash metal, black metal and all these genres exploded and they all owe something to Venom.” - Michel ‘Away’ Langevin (Voivod)

“I didn’t know it back then because everything was fresh. We didn’t know what we were looking for, but when I heard Venom, that was it.” - Jørn ‘Necrobutcher’ Stubberud (Mayhem)




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In a brand new interview with "The Blairing Out With Eric Blair Show", MEGADETH's Kiko Loureiro was asked how David Ellefson and Dave Mustaine's Christianity is reflected in the way they work in the band. The 46-year-old Brazilian guitarist, who joined MEGADETH in 2015, responded (see video below): "Well, in many ways. The respect… In many ways… We pray just before going on stage every night, which, I've never seen that my whole career. I wouldn't expect that from MEGADETH. When I was a teenager listening to MEGADETH, I wouldn't imagine that before going onstage, we would pray. But it's very good, because sometimes it's tough, to be on the road, different countries and different situations. So it's always good to have this two or three minutes of only the band and saying something important for that night."

Mustaine spoke about "spirituality" during a 2016 interview, telling Honolulu, Hawaii radio host Dave Lawrence: "A lot of people believe that I'm into religion, because I had said that I had become a Christian. So let me just say that religion's for people who are afraid of going to hell, and spirituality's for people like me who've been there. And I say that there's a whole spirit world of stuff that… There's good and bad in everybody and in all things."

Those comments echoed what Mustaine said three years earlier in a chat with the Nashville Scene. He stated at the time: "I don't think that my faith has anything to do with my lyrics. I try and keep religion out of it. Frankly, for me, I don't believe in religion. I have a personal relationship with God and with Christ, and that's it. I don't push that on anybody; it's private. I kind of leave it there. Dave's [Ellefson] real open about it."

In a 2012 interview with Great Falls Tribune, Ellefson talked about how he and Mustaine renewed their interest in Christianity. "It's pretty funny, isn't it? When you fight [God], you have struggles and it's an uphill battle. When you surrender to it and you embrace it, that becomes like a jet engine that rockets you forward with not just great success but ease," he said. "All of a sudden, you're not operating from a place of always being so competitive and fear-based. You start to go downstream instead of always paddling upstream."

Ellefson also shot down speculation that MEGADETH would somehow incorporate its Christianity into its songwriting. He said: "That's the misconception that if you're a metal guy, you only sing about the devil and if you're a church guy you only sing about the Lord. What a lame stereotype that is.

"The only reason we talk about [our faith] is because people ask us about it," he added. "The MEGADETH tour isn't some crusade. We're not on some mission."

Ellefson, who grew up attending Our Savior's Lutheran Church in Jackson, Minnesota, re-embraced his faith at the age of 25, after going through a 12-step recovery program. When Ellefson later settled down in Arizona, he started a contemporary worship service at a church in Scottsdale. He called it MEGA Life, partially a play on MEGADETH. But it's also a reference to a verse from the Gospel of John: "The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly."

Famous Underground / Creeping Beauty guitarist Darren Michael Boyd has released a new solo instrumental single / video entitled "Little Toad". Check out the clip below.

In 2018, Boyd released an acoustic country-flavoured solo single "The Only Thing I Hate Is You". It is available for purchase via Bandcamp. Check it out via the audio player below.

The only thing I hate is you by Darren Michael Boyd

Lead vocals - Mitch Foster 
Guitars, keys - Darren Michael Boyd 
Mastered by Harry Hess at HBomb Mastering

Photo by Momo Lambkin




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"Don't Do It Donnie", a brand new song from American thrash metal veterans SACRED REICH, can be streamed below. The track is taken from the band's first album in 23 years, "Awakening", which will be released this summer via Metal Blade Records.

"Don't Do It Donnie" will be released April 19 as part of a split seven-inch single with IRON REAGAN.

Comments bassist/vocalist Phil Rind: "We are stoked to do a split with IRON REAGAN.

"When we began as a band in 1986, we were influenced lyrically by punk bands and the Reagan era. This is a great way to get back to our roots.

"The song is a heavy and cheeky middle finger to the politics of today. You'd think we'd have learned by now. There is a reason our first record is called 'Ignorance'."


IRON REAGAN is participating with the exclusive song "They Scream". There will be 1,000 black copies avialable of the seven-inch and nothing else.

"Awakening" was produced by Arthur Rizk, who has previously worked with CAVALERA CONSPIRACY, POWER TRIP and CODE ORANGE, among others. The album marks SACRED REICH's first release since the return of drummer Dave McClain.

According to Rind, SACRED REICH "went for a very organic sound" on the effort. "Dave did not want to use any triggers or sound replacement," he said. "We spent a lot of time on the room mics to get a big natural drum sound. Modern recording technology is great for a lot of things but we don't want to rely on it."

Rind went on to say that the "whole recording experience" for "Awakening" has been "incredible." He said: "The Platinum Underground is a fabulous studio. Great gear and vibe. Producer Arthur Rizk has brought new ideas to the songs and a positive energy. Engineer John Aquilino has amazing technical know-how and is the best dude. The songs sound great. The process has been so fun and positive. Everything has been smooth and easy. We can't wait for everyone to hear it."

SACRED REICH guitarist and founding member Jason Rainey recently exited the band for "health reasons" and was replaced by Joey Radziwill.

SACRED REICH has announced tour dates across Europe and the U.S. The "Awakening" European tour will cover all of Europe and begins in November. Additionally, SACRED REICH has announced a string of dates in North America alongside IRON REAGAN, LEEWAY and ENFORCED for May and European visits for festivals in July and August.

McClain was a member of SACRED REICH from 1991 to 1995. He played on the "A Question" EP (1991) and the "Independent" (1993) and "Heal" (1996) albums before leaving to join MACHINE HEAD.

McClain left MACHINE HEAD in November after completing the band's "Freaks & Zeroes Tour".

Video footage of KITTIE's original lineup — guitarist Fallon Bowman, singer/guitarist Morgan Lander, drummer Mercedes Lander and bassist Tanya Candler — performing the song "Charlotte" at the band's October 27, 2017 20th-anniversary hometown show at the London Music Hall in London, Ontario, Canada can be seen below. The track is featured on KITTIE's new concert film titled "Kittie: Live At The London Music Hall", which was released on March 26. It features footage of the Canadian metal band's 20th-anniversary show, which saw KITTIE mainstays Morgan and Mercedes take the stage with a number of their former bandmates to perform songs from the group's entire repertoire.

In addition to Morgan, Mercedes, Fallon and Tanya, the musicans that took the stage that night included:

* Ivy Vujic (bass)

* Jennifer Arroyo (bass)

* Jeff Phillips (guitar/bass)

The final song, "Funeral For Yesterday", was played unplugged and dedicated former KITTIE bassist Trish Doan, who died earlier in 2017.

"I know we have people here from Germany and Australia, and all over," Morgan told the audience at the London show. "Tonight has been so special, and it really means so much to all of us. We have the best fans in the world."

The 20th-anniversary show also served as a screening of the long-in-the-making documentary "Kittie: Origins/Evolutions".

KITTIE was formed in 1996 by Mercedes, Morgan, Fallon and Tanya Candler. Tanya left KITTIE soon after recording of its debut album, "Spit", which has sold more than 1.2 million copies. Bowman exited the group in 2001. Guitarist Tara McLeod and bass player Trish Doan joined the band in 2005. Although Doan left for health reasons in 2008, she returned three years later. Other musicians who have played with KITTIE during the years include Talena Atfield, Lisa Marx, Jennifer Arroyo and Ivana "Ivy" Vujic.

The band has released five albums since "Spit": "Oracle" (2001), "Until The End" (2004), "Funeral For Yesterday" (2007), "In The Black" (2009) and "I've Failed You" (2011).

David Lee Roth joined Dutch trance DJ Armin Van Buuren on stage at the Ultra Music Festival this weekend in Miami to hype up the crowd while the duo performed a remix of Van Halen’s “Jump”.

 

 

 

 



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Our fearless leader @davidleeroth doing it BIG at @ultra this weekend with @arminvanbuuren. Awesome remix and even better show. Hope everyone was keeping their ink protected.

A post shared by INK the original (@inktheoriginal) on Mar 31, 2019 at 8:42pm PDT

Roth and van Buuren spoke with Rolling Stone from an L.A. recording studio about a week before the performance, keeping mum on how it would sound and how they’d present it.

“‘Jump’ is 128 beats a minute, 126 depending on which printing plant did your vinyl back then,” Roth says. “What’s the new track?”

“It’s 130,” van Buuren offers. “I sped it up a little bit so it matches the tempo of the rest of the songs in my set.”

“It matches the general blood pressure and adrenaline, serotonin, alcoholic, indelicate house blend that is happening about 100 meters north of [Ultra’s] tent city,” Roth rejoins.

Read more about how the collaborative effort came together at Rolling Stone, and check out the performance from Ultra Music Festival below:




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QUEEN drummer Roger Taylor has released a new solo single, "Gangsters Are Running This World". The song is said to be a commentary on the current state of the world, featuring the opening lines of "There's blood in the streets / Panic in the air / The markets are trading up / In madness and fear."

This is not the first time Taylor has used music to address the political situation. Back in 2011, Taylor re-released his protest song about media tycoon — and Fox News owner — Rupert Murdoch. The track, titled "Dear Mr Murdoch", was first written in 1994 and was included on Roger's "Happiness" album.

"Everybody's got an opinion and I was just lucky enough to have an outlet for mine," Roger later told Independent. "I prefer to stay out of politics, really. I don't live in a fluffy, badger-saving world."

QUEEN's original members Taylor and guitarist Brian May will team up once more with vocalist Adam Lambert for the "Rhapsody" tour, an epic 25-date run from mid-July through late August. The North American headline tour will be produced by Live Nation.

QUEEN's biopic "Bohemian Rhapsody" has grossed $890 million at the global box office. The award-winning film portrays the life and career of QUEEN frontman Freddie Mercury, who died of AIDS-related illnesses at the age of 45.

Melodic death metal band, Nightrage, have released a lyric video for "Embrace The Nightrage", a track from their eighth album, Wolf To Man, out now via Despotz Records. Watch the clip below.

With the new album, Nightrage invites the listener to a mesmerizing melodic musical journey, telling the truthful story that guides us all the way to the inevitable demise of mankind. The music delivers a delicate and well-balanced blend between brutality and melody, and also an intricate mix of thrashing riffs, airy instrumentals and hooking choruses to bang your fists to.

The creative power trinity of Marios, Ronnie and Magnus started this conceptional dive into the darkest parts of humanity on the previous album, The Venomous, and is now on Wolf To Man taking it to the next level. This relentless story of extinction is told with as much aggression as there is intriguing and mesmerizing melodies. Memorable hooks and some of the catchiest choruses that metal has seen in decades, does nothing to compromise the brutality and honesty that Nightrage is known for.

Tracklisting:

"Starless Night"
"Wolf To Man"
"Embrace The Nightrage"
"Desensitized"
"God Forbid"
"By Darkness Drawn"
"The Damned"
"Arm Aim Kill"
"Gemini"
"Disconnecting The Dots"
"Escape Route Insertion"
"Lytrosis" (Instrumental)

"Embrace The Nightrage" lyric video:

"Wolf To Man" lyric video:

(Photo - Evelina Szczesik / Ever Vision Art)




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UK-based outfit, Tronos, hare released an official video for their recently released second single, "Judas Cradle", from their upcoming Celestial Mechanics album, out on April 12th via Century Media. The intensely atmospheric clip, created by Khaled Lowe, Sam Edwards and Caleb Carney for A-Side Films, can be seen below.

Says Tronos of the song: "‘Judas Cradle‘ is our second single and shows more of the epic side of the album, It‘s a real journey into our musical trip, we really let loose on this one. Although on the surface the story is set in fantasy, lyrically it draws a strong parallel to the struggles of mankind living on this dying planet. It may appear very dark and depressing...but stick with it, there's light and hope for us all!”

And then the group commented on the clip: "The video for ‘Judas Cradle‘ is a tormented and twisted journey through the many levels of hell of a man trapped in his own mind. We had strong visions of the kind of feeling we wanted to convey and the type of mind blowing visual extravaganza we felt such a song required. And film makers Khaled Lowe, Sam Edwards as well as Caleb Carney have done an incredible job of capturing our tortured imaginations."

Tronos marks a true collision between two unstoppably creative heroes of the metal underground: Shane Embury (Napalm Death, Brujeria) and producer Russ Russell (At The Gates, Dimmu Borgir, Napalm Death) team up with drummer Dirk Verbeuren for a rocketing load of dark fractured colossal and apocalyptic metal.

The greatest, most enduring music often emerges from a meeting of mercurial minds. Having worked closely for decades, Embury and Russell have long since established an instinctive creative rapport. After deciding upon the core ideals of their new venture, the task creating the music for what after long years of work is now Tronos’ debut album, Celestial Mechanics, sent these two maverick extremists into mind-altering cosmic realms. With firm roots in avant-garde extremity and psychedelic sludge, Celestial Mechanics is a record with spectral grit and ornate disquiet hidden in its dizzying, deftly-assembled layers. Such is the strength of the material on this wildly eccentric slab of heaviness.

Tronos checked in with the following comment about signing to Century Media Records for the release of their debut album: "We are beyond thrilled that Century Media Records have taken onboard Tronos. It's been a labour of love for us over the past few years now and we are excited to see what the reaction will be out there amongst the Metal Fraternity! We hope that you will find something of a reward deep within the labyrinth…"

Celestial Mechanics also features a string of illustrious guests appearances: Denis ‘Snake’ Belanger (Voivod / vocals), Erica Nockalls (The Wonder Stuff / vocals & violin) as well as no fewer than three legendary bass players, Billy Gould (Faith No More), Troy Sanders and Dan Lilker (Nuclear Assault, S.O.D.). Also featuring the Black Sabbath cover version “Johnny Blade“ as final album track, the album was mixed by Jaime Gomez Arellano (Ghost, Solstafir, Paradise Lost, Ulver) as well as Russ Russell.

Celestial Mechanics will be available as Standard CD Jewelcase, Black 180gr. LP or as Digital album, and you can be pre-order here.

Celestial Mechanics tracklisting:

"Walk Among The Dead Things"
"Judas Cradle"
"The Ancient Deceit"
"The Past Will Wither And Die"
"A Treaty With Reality"
"Voyeurs Of Nature’s Tragedies"
"Birth Womb"
"Premonition"
"Beyond The Stream Of Conciousness"
"Johnny Blade" (Black Sabbath cover)

"Birth Womb" visualizer:

Tronos lineup:

 Shane Embury - Vocals & Guitar
 Russ Russell - Vocals, Guitar & Synths
 Dirk Verbeuren - Drums

(Photo - Gobinder Jhitta)




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JOHN 5 AND THE CREATURES — comprised of world-renowned guitarist John 5 (ROB ZOMBIE, MARILYN MANSON), bassist Ian Ross and drummer Logan Miles Nix — have released yet another visually-stunning music video in support of their forthcoming full-length album, "Invasion".


The new video, this time for the track "Midnight Mass", features exclusive behind-the-scenes tour clips and live performance footage (featuring a few exciting cameos here and there) from the current JOHN 5 AND THE CREATURES "Invasion" headline tour. The video was directed by Chris Huber, and the single cover art was created by Brett Boggs.


John 5 says about the video: "This is what it's like to be on the road with THE CREATURES — fast, crazy, fun and scary — all those good things. We hope you enjoy the video!"


Just like 2017's "Season Of The Witch", "Invasion" — produced and mixed by Barry Pointer and scheduled for release during the summer of 2019 — will be released via a series of music videos.


JOHN 5 AND THE CREATURES are on the road now on their North American "Invasion" tour Special guests have included the likes of the mighty Alice Cooper in Mesa, Arizona, and the Hollywood, California show is scheduled to feature special guests Corey Taylor (SLIPKNOT, STONE SOUR), Shavo Odadjian (SYSTEM OF A DOWN), Fred Coury (composer, CINDERELLA) and Michael Anthony (CHICKENFOOT, ex-VAN HALEN).


The entire tour features support from blues-rock guitarist Jared James Nichols and rock outfit DEAD GIRLS ACADEMY.


John 5 has worked with a varied range of artists, performing as guitarist for some of the biggest headlining rock bands in the world such as ROB ZOMBIE and MARILYN MANSON, as well as playing session with Paul Stanley, Rod Stewart, LYNYRD SKYNYRD and more. Slash has called John 5 "one of the most mind-blowing guitarists around," and Rob Zombie has dubbed him "a fucking shredder." John 5 has released seven solo albums to date, as well as a remix album, and has written music for the likes of Avril Lavigne, GARBAGE, Ricky Martin and others.

German black metallers, Negator, performed at Germany's Wacken Open Air festival in summer 2011. WackenTV has uploaded this footage of the band's full set.

Setlist:

"Science Of Nihil"
"Dignity Of War"
"Panzer Metal"
"Epiclesis"
"Feuersturm"
"Eisen wider Siechtum"




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