BRING ME THE HORIZON singer Oli Sykes has fully recovered from the ruptured vocal cord which caused the cancelation of the last two shows of the band's U.S. tour.

Earlier today, Sykes took to his Twitter to write: "Just been to the voice doctors my voice is fully healed woop woop see u all soon !"

BRING ME THE HORIZON's concerts in Phoenix and Las Vegas were called off last month, with Sykes saying he was told that if he didn't rest his voice immediately, he would be "in serious danger of doing permanent damage."

Sykes added at the time: "I've been trying my best to fulfill our commitments as I really hate letting you guys down, not to mention these shows have been literally the most fun ever. But at this point, me singing would be the equivalent of a footballer running on a broken leg. Once again, I'm so sorry. I hope you all understand."

Sykes later went on Twitter to explain the situation further, writing to a fan: "People forget the vocal cords are a muscle, a muscle that can be compromised by not just exertion but the elements/conditions etc... This is just something that happens sometimes... as much as it sucks!"

BRING ME THE HORIZON is touring in support of its latest LP, "Amo", which landed at No. 1 on the U.K. album chart but failed to crack the Top 10 on the Billboard 200 survey when it arrived in January. The pop-oriented sound of the new disc has divided fans of the group's earlier, heavier musical style.

Just been to the voice doctors my voice is fully healed woop woop see u all soon !— Oliver Sykes (@olobersyko) March 1, 2019

Goregӓng play wicked and corpulent death / crust metal that pays homage to the genre's greats, as well as keeps things interesting by mixing it all up. Imagine Autopsy covering early Grave and Wombbath and you're getting close. Listen to the self-titled track via the following promo clip, and stay glued for more coming your way.

Goregӓng will release Neon Graves on May 20th via Transcending Obscurity Records.

Death metal / crust maniacs Goregӓng have worked hard on their first full-length album after causing a bit of a stir with their short debut. With members of reputed bands like Venom Inc., Ribspreader, Soilwork (live), in their lineup, everything is top-notch and well-thought right down to the Mark Riddick logo, the jaw-dropping Juanjo Castellano artwork, not to mention the impeccable production and execution of the music that can be summed up as a perfect amalgamation of death metal with a lethal dose of crust / grind. There's added menace in the vocal delivery, with Kling mixing it all up and pacing it beautifully to the undulating music. There's an undeniable charm to the proceedings as the songs chug along with maniacal glee, breaking into faster punkish parts and rampaging till the end. It's an album littered with so many variations that you'll need to get back to it to keep track of it all. It's a rare album that eschews the standard template and does things its own way to keep it entertaining and yes, brutal.

Tracklisting:

"A Cavity In Reality"
"False Flags"
"Cathedral Of Chemicals"
"Silence Is Consent"
"Spray Of Teeth"
"Feeble-Minded Rash"
"Neon Graves"
"Plague Of Hammers"
"Goregӓng"
"Weightless Sentinels"
"Putrid Judgement"
"This Era Of Human"

Goregӓng is:

Jeramie Kling - vocals, guitars (Venom Inc., Ribspreader, ex-Wombbath)
Taylor Nordberg - drums (Ribspreader, ex-Soilwork [live], ex-Wombbath)

For further details, visit Goregӓng on Facebook.

 




(function() {
var zergnet = document.createElement('script');
zergnet.type = 'text/javascript'; zergnet.async = true;
zergnet.src = (document.location.protocol == "https:" ? "https:" : "http:") + '//www.zergnet.com/zerg.js?id=70729';
var znscr = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0];
znscr.parentNode.insertBefore(zergnet, znscr);
})();

Portland heavy metal unit Lord Dying will release their third studio album, Mysterium Tremendum, worldwide on April 26th via Entertainment One (eOne).

Captured at Los Angeles' West Valley Recording Studios in August of 2018 with engineer Mike Plotnikoff (Fear Factory, In Flames) and mastered by Howie Weinberg (Slayer, Pantera), Mysterium Tremendum is a monolithic, riff-heavy concept album boasting eleven heaving tracks examining the many facets of dying and what may or may not exist in the afterlife.

An emotionally satisfying record, lyrically and musically Mysterium Tremendum's exploration of death goes beyond the mere longing for it in order to see what lies beyond ("Lacerated Psyche" is about the death of guitarist Chris Evans' sister). There are many layers to it - you might even find parallels between the record's concept and life itself. It's a journey. And in their quest to pursue death, Lord Dying has themselves found new life.

Tracklisting:

 "Envy The End"
"Tearing At The Fabric Of Consciousness"
"Nearing The End Of The Curling Worm"
"The End Of Experience"
"Exploring Inward"
"Severed Forever"
"Even The Darkness Went Away"
"Freed From The Pressures Of Time"
"Lacerated Psyche"
"Split From A World Within/Devoid Of Dreams/Death The Final Loneliness"
"Saying Goodbye To Physical Form"

"We set out to write a record about life, and it ended up being about death," says Lord Dying guitarist / vocalist Erik Olson about the band's third studio album Mysterium Tremendum.

While the new record centers around death, it focuses more on what awaits us on the other side while also exploring our culture's fear of dying, and the struggles with our own mortality. The ideas for the concept have been kicking around for some time, but it's fitting that they're only now coming to fruition.

At the core of these Portland, Oregon, heavy metal titans is Olson and guitarist Chris Evans, who've been making music together since fifth grade. They formed Lord Dying before they had a name or a record when another Portland powerhouse Red Fang beckoned them to open some shows for them in 2010. Two records and countless live performances - including tours with Voivod and Crowbar - followed.

Mysterium Tremendum is the record Olson and Evans have wanted to make since the band's inception. It's easily Lord Dying's most musically diverse album, but one that could only be made following the band's jackhammer 2013 debut Summon The Faithless, and 2015's brooding Poisoned Altars. "It's more along the lines of what we wanted to do early on," says Evans.

Lord Dying was already beginning to expand its musical palette - including moodier interludes and Olson's expanded vocal range - but Olson says once the decision was made to make a concept record, he and Evans pushed themselves to match the themes musically and vocally. You'll hear it in songs like "The End Of Experience" and the floating "Severed Forever," which sees Olson melodically doubling his vocals before returning to his trademark growl. Shorter interludes like "Tearing The Fabric Of Consciousness" and "Even The Darkness Went Away" are stunning and fragile, like nothing the band has ever done.

Olson and Evans worked tirelessly on the songs together over the course of a year-and-a-half, using programmed drum parts, and sending ideas back and forth. As Olson puts it, "It was the first time we were really able to put things under a microscope." The songs were all but ready by the time they headed to Los Angeles' West Valley Recording Studios in August of 2018 with engineer Mike Plotnikoff. L.A.-based bassist Matt Price and drummer Chase Manhattan jumped right in to bring these songs of death to life, and the results are huge and seamless.  

"Envy The End":

(Photo credit: Alyssa Herrman)




(function() {
var zergnet = document.createElement('script');
zergnet.type = 'text/javascript'; zergnet.async = true;
zergnet.src = (document.location.protocol == "https:" ? "https:" : "http:") + '//www.zergnet.com/zerg.js?id=70729';
var znscr = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0];
znscr.parentNode.insertBefore(zergnet, znscr);
})();

Philadelphia's Nothing return with Spirit Of The Stairs - B-Sides & Rarities, a collection of tracks spanning the band's career at the forefront of independent rock. Previously unavailable digitally, Spirit Of The Stairs... faithfully captures Nothing's themes of addiction, loss, anxiety, and more, through demos and live recordings of such tracks as their renowned single "Dig", Tired Of Tomorrow's "Fever Queen", a faithful cover of Grouper's "Heavy Water/I'd Rather Be Sleeping", and much more. The full compilation sees its release next Wednesday, March 6th via Relapse Records on all digital platforms.

Spirit Of The Stairs - B-Sides & Rarities artwork and tracklisting:

"Fever Queen" - 2014 Wilkesbarre Demo
"Pattern After Us" - DOTB B Side
"In Metal" - 2013 (Originally by Low)
"Dig" - 2012 Philly Demo
"The Mohegan" - DOTB B Side
"Vapour Trail" - Live WKDU Philly 2011 (Originally By Ride)
"I Hate The Flowers" - NPR World Cafe Live Session
"Heavy Water / I'd Rather Be Sleeping" - DOTB B Side (Originally by Grouper)
"Dirty White Glove" - DOTB B Side
"Leave Me Alone" - 2013 (Originally by New Order)
"Spell" - TOT B-Side
"Joey" - NPR World Cafe Live Session (Originally by Concrete Blonde)
"Us/We/Are" - Live Piano Version Dreamland Studios
"Tic Tac Toe" - 2013 Ave C Demo

"Heavy Water / I'd Rather Be Sleeping":

Nothing Tour Dates:

March
6 - Asbury Park Brewery - Asbury Park, NJ
7 - Brooklyn Bazaar -  Brooklyn, NY
8 - Amityville Music Hall - Amityville, NY
9 - Wind Up Space - Baltimore, MD
10 - Amo's Southend -  Charlotte, NC
11 - Republic NOLA - New Orleans, LA
12 - Stereogum Range Life - Austin, TX
13 - Three Links - Dallas, TX
14 - Official Levitation SXSW Showcase at Hotel Vegas - Austin, TX
15 - Dr. Martens Unofficial at Container Bar - Austin, TX
16 - Thrasher x Vans Deathmatch - Austin, TX

May
11 - The Broadberry - Richmond, VA
14 - Theater of the Living Arts - Philadelphia, PA
16 - Royale - Boston, MA
17 - Rec Room - Buffalo, NY
18 - Mr. Smalls Theatre - Pittsburgh, PA
21 - Hell at The Masquerade - Atlanta, GA
22 - Metro - Chicago, IL
24 - Exit / In - Nashville, TN
25 - The Citadel - Indianapolis, IN
26 - Majestic Theatre - Detroit, MI

(Photo by: Nick Sayers)




(function() {
var zergnet = document.createElement('script');
zergnet.type = 'text/javascript'; zergnet.async = true;
zergnet.src = (document.location.protocol == "https:" ? "https:" : "http:") + '//www.zergnet.com/zerg.js?id=70729';
var znscr = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0];
znscr.parentNode.insertBefore(zergnet, znscr);
})();

According to the Tampa Bay Times, FOZZY singer and WWE wrestling superstar Chris Jericho has purchased a gated lakefront estate in Odessa, Florida for $3.255 million. The 8,569-square-foot house has five bedrooms, six full bathrooms, a six-car garage and tennis court. Amenities include wine storage for 500 bottles.

Acclaimed actor, wrestler, musician, author, podcaster, game show host and television personality, Jericho has established himself as a multi-faceted performer with millions of fans worldwide. Jericho is one of the most popular performers in the history of World Wrestling Entertainment. In 2001 he was crowned the WWE Undisputed Champion and in 2017 become the first ever "Double Grand Slam" champion in WWE history. He has been named one of the top five most charismatic performers of all-time by WWE.com. In January 2019, he officially signed with All Elite Wrestling — a brand new pro wrestling company started by the owners of the NFL's Jacksonville Jaguars, Tony and Shahid Khan.


Jericho hosts the hugely popular "Talk Is Jericho" podcast on Westwood One, that has amassed over 220 million downloads. Topics are diverse and past guests include Dennis Miller, Larry King, William Shatner, Steve Austin, DMC, Paul Stanley, Lars Ulrich, Kiefer Sutherland, Maria Menounos, Mike Tyson, Cheech Marin and Slash. His successful The Jericho Network also produces over a half dozen hit podcasts per week.


Chris is the lead singer of the internationally successful rock band FOZZY, whose seventh album, "Judas", has over 20 million streams on Spotify, while the hit single title track has over 26 million YouTube views, was No. 1 on iTunes charts in eight different countries and spent nine weeks in the top ten on the Active Rock Charts in the USA.


Jericho is also a four-time New York Times bestselling author with his autobiographies 2007's "A Lion's Tale: Around The World In Spandex", 2011's "Undisputed: How To Become The World Champion In 1,372 Easy Steps" and 2014's "The Best In The World: At What I Have No Idea" and "No Is A Four Letter Word" all displaying his witty, self-deprecating writing style.


Chris was a popular contestant on Season 11 of "Dancing With The Stars", hosted the ABC game show "Downfall" and the Syfy reality series "Robot Combat League" and received huge social media coverage for his appearances on "Whose Line Is It Anyway", "The Tonight Show" and AMC's "The Talking Dead".


Jericho's acting credits include featured roles in the upcoming Kevin Smith films "Kilroy Was Here" and "Jay And Silent Bob Reboot", Comedy Central's hilarious digital series "Nothing To Report", Nickelodeon's "The Thundermans", as well as creating, producing and starring in CBC's critically acclaimed original series "But I'm Chris Jericho", with Season 2 released in December 2017.

What's going on? Ex-WWE star Chris Jericho buys Odessa estate for $3.255 million - Tampa Bay Times https://t.co/Dr8UB5s12h Get found -> https://t.co/NueGBdHHfM— Irvine Business News (@IrvineBusiness) February 28, 2019

KING'S X will enter a Los Angeles-area studio in mid-April to begin recording its new album. The follow-up to 2008's "XV" is tentatively due in late 2019 via the Australian independent record label Golden Robot Records and its partners in the U.S., Europe and Japan.

Drummer Jerry Gaskill told SiriusXM's "Trunk Nation" that KING'S X was "still writing" music for its new disc, while bassist/vocalist Doug "dUg" Pinnick added that he has "about 30 songs" written for possible inclusion on the band's upcoming effort.


"XV" was KING'S X's highest-charting album since 1996's "Ear Candy".

In 2005, VH1 included KING'S X in its list of "100 Greatest Artists In Hard Rock."

In a 2016 interview with The Sacramento Bee, Pinnick said that KING'S X wasn't in a hurry to work on new material.

"We have a lot of songs to choose from [for performances], and that's probably why we haven't done a record in so long," he said. "In a way, we've kind of pulled all the tricks out of our bag.

"To this day, we're perceived by our fans and outsiders as some huge thing even though we never had a really big hit," he added. "I just think we weren't considered a good flavor, so we were left on the shelf."

KING'S X was sidelined by several health scares in recent years, including Pinnick's two hernia operations and two near-fatal heart attacks suffered by Gaskill.

Arising Empire Records has announced the worldwide signing of intrepid British metal quintet Heart Of A Coward. Welcome to the family! Heart Of A Coward announced the addition of vocalist Kaan Tasan to their ranks early last year, alongside the release of bruising new track "Collapse". The band have since been busy working on new material, and are planning to release a new album in 2019.

The band stated: “We are incredibly excited to be a part of the Arising Empire family for our 4th release. Album four is always a difficult one and we couldn’t have picked a more supportive label to put this out for us. We look forward to seeing you all in 2019.”

Heart Of A Coward will be playing Download Festival UK on June 16th, and the band will be touring Europe in April as special guests to Any Given Day, alongside Tenside.




(function() {
var zergnet = document.createElement('script');
zergnet.type = 'text/javascript'; zergnet.async = true;
zergnet.src = (document.location.protocol == "https:" ? "https:" : "http:") + '//www.zergnet.com/zerg.js?id=70729';
var znscr = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0];
znscr.parentNode.insertBefore(zergnet, znscr);
})();

Twelve years after the release of DRAGONFORCE's "Through The Fire And Flames", the song's music video reached a new milestone: It surpassed one hundred million views on YouTube — the band's first music video to do so.

According to Billboard, "Through The Fire And Flames", the leadoff track from 2006's "Inhuman Rampage" album, sparked a watershed moment in DRAGONFORCE's career. The song's inclusion in the "Guitar Hero" video game catapulted the band's international profile and inspired multitudes of gamers to try to keep up with guitarists Herman Li and Sam Totman's lighting-fast riffs. In honor of its massive popularity, "Guitar Hero Live" included the song in its "Shred-A-Thon" on GHTV.

"It was a great feeling to see our music was heard by so many people around the world, and people were completely freaking out over it," Li recalled of when "Through The Fire And Flames" was at the height of its popularity. "We definitely do not make three-minute long, commercial music. A seven-minute, fast, melodic metal song with long guitar solos and crazy retro video games sounds became totally cool. We were getting recognized everywhere we went, from Best Buy to airport security. A couple TSA officers once asked to see my fingers. They wanted to see the fingers that recorded 'Through The Fire And Flames'!"

"Inhuman Rampage" was officially certified gold in July 2017 by the RIAA (Recording Industry Association of America) for sales in excess of half a million copies.

DRAGONFORCE's third album, "Inhuman Rampage" sold almost 10,000 copies in its first week of release to land at position No. 103 on the Billboard 200 chart.

"Inhuman Rampage" was the second-to-last album to feature original DRAGONFORCE frontman ZP Theart (now in SKID ROW), who exited the band in 2010 and was replaced by Marc Hudson.

DRAGONFORCE's latest album, "Reaching Into Infinity", was released in May 2017 via earMUSIC.

We did it, 100 million+ views on our TTFAF video!!!
Thank you so much for your support! We couldn't have done it without you. What do you like the most about this song/video? Share with us some memories.??????https://t.co/IWOgDgqQNV— DragonForce (@DragonForce) March 1, 2019

Norwegian progressive rockers LEPROUS have entered the studio to begin recording their sixth album, due later in the year via InsideOut Music.

LEPROUS drummer Baard Kolstad commented: "We entered the studio to record the drums for half of the album last week with David Castillo at Ghostward/Fascination Street Studios, same studio as we recorded the two latest studio albums. As an over-autistic control freak I am when recording myself, this time around I had more time than ever to perfectionise and experiment with my sound almost without compromises, so a big thanks to Einar and David for their patience! We also recorded one song together, drums and bass, something neither LEPROUS or I have ever done before. Feeling very good to leave the drum recording for now, focusing on the last half of the album to be recorded in May. I'm so looking forward to hear the outcome just in a few days when the guitarists have put their touch. Will be a different LEPROUS album for sure, but still LEPROUS!"

In a recent interview with Rolling Stone India, LEPROUS singer and keyboardist Einar Solberg said the band's next record would "take a pretty controversial direction."


After touring restlessly across European and North America, LEPROUS is currently on its debut tour of Latin America as the next step of its touring cycle for the current and much-acclaimed album release "Malina".

With his project Avantasia, he has long been recognized as one of the most accomplished German rock musicians. With releases and chart success in 40 countries all over the world throughout his career, Tobias Sammet has now reached the top of the charts with a sensational  #1 with his album Moonglow. But not only in Germany - the album entered the charts in countries all over the world:

Germany - #1
Sweden Rock/ Metal - #1
UK Rock Top 40 - #1
Switzerland - #3
Austria - #4
Canada Hard Music Albums - #5
Finland Physical - #5
Spain - #5
US Current Hard Music Albums - #5
Sweden - #6
Czech Republik - #8
Scotland - #9
Finland - #13
Japan (Western Music) - #13
Canada Top Current Albums - #17
France Top 150 Physical And Download - #22
Italy - #31
UK - #38
Belgium VL - #38
France Top 150 - #43
US Top Albums - #46
Netherlands - #83
Belgium WA - #121

Moonglow is available in the following formats:

- CD
- Digibook (36 pages)
- 2CD-Artbook (64 pages)
- 2LP (different colours) in gatefold
- BOX * (Digibook + CD in Sleeve + 2LP (ice blue + dark blue marble) in gatefold + bonus 10" (black) im sleeve + signed photo card + certificate + poster)

* NB-Mailorder exclusive

Order the album here.

Comprising 11 tracks, the new opus once again features several guest vocalists. This time round, Tobias worked not only with well-known faces such as Ronnie Atkins, Jørn Lande, Eric Martin, Geoff Tate, Michael Kiske and Bob Catley, but also with new singers like Candice Night, Hansi Kürsch as well as Mille Petrozza who help to vitalize the new Avantasia record. Its cover artwork was created by Alexander Jansson.

Moonglow tracklisting:

"Ghost In The Moon"
"Book Of Shallows"
"Moonglow"
"The Raven Child"
"Starlight"
"Invincible"
"Alchemy"
"The Piper At The Gates Of Dawn"
"Lavender"
"Requiem For A Dream"
"Maniac"

Bonus Track:
"Heart"

"Starlight" lyric video:

"Moonglow" video:

"Moonglow" lyric video:

"The Raven Child" lyric video:

The Moonglow World Tour 2019:

March
30 - Kaufbeuren, Germany - All Karthalle
31 - Mailand, Italy - Alcatraz

April
2 - Prague, Czech Republic - Forum Karlin
3 - Berlin, Germany - Huxley´s
5 - Ludwigsburg, Germany - Arena
6 - Bamberg, Germany - Brose Arena
8 - Fulda, Germany - Esperanto Halle
9 - Saarbrücken, Germany - Saarlandhalle
10 - Paris, France - Olympia
12 - Osnabrueck, Germany - Stadthalle
13 - Hamburg, Germany - Mehr! Theater
14 - Oberhausen, Germany - Koenig Pilsener Arena
16 - London, UK - The Forum
18 - Offenbach, Germany - Stadthalle
19 - Pratteln, Switzerland - Z7
20 - Pratteln, Switzerland - Z7
24 - Bilbao, Spain - Santana 27
26 - Barcelona, Spain - Razzmatazz 1
27 - Madrid, Spain - Palacio Vistalegre

May
2 - Stockholm, Sweden - Arenan
4 - Moscow, Russia - Glav
6 - Budapest, Hungary - Barba Negra




(function() {
var zergnet = document.createElement('script');
zergnet.type = 'text/javascript'; zergnet.async = true;
zergnet.src = (document.location.protocol == "https:" ? "https:" : "http:") + '//www.zergnet.com/zerg.js?id=70729';
var znscr = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0];
znscr.parentNode.insertBefore(zergnet, znscr);
})();

Fan-filmed video footage of RED DRAGON CARTEL, the band led by former OZZY OSBOURNE and BADLANDS guitarist Jake E. Lee, performing on February 28 at the Whisky A Go Go in West Hollywood, California can be seen below.

RED DRAGON CARTEL's sophomore album, "Patina", was released in November via Frontiers Music Srl.

The follow-up to RED DRAGON CARTEL's eponymous 2014 debut, "Patina" marks the group's first release with drummer Phil Varone (SAIGON KICK, SKID ROW) and bassist Anthony Esposito. The band's current lineup is rounded out by singer Darren James Smith.

RED DRAGON CARTEL's new album was recorded at Esposito's Obscenic Arts studio in Dillsburg, Pennsylvania and was mixed by legendary producer Max Norman, who has previously worked with OZZY OSBOURNE, MEGADETH, SAVATAGE and LOUDNESS, among others.

In addition to being the new bassist for RED DRAGON CARTEL, Esposito co-produced the album alongside Lee.

"I think we had a great production partnership," says Jake. "He never discouraged me from trying things that were a bit outside the box; in fact, he encouraged it. His attention to detail in the recording of everything was exceptional. Much more than I alone would have toiled over. He has an incredible work ethic that kept me from lapsing into complacency. If we disagreed on how something should be, we'd find a perfect marriage of the two sides, or completely reimagine it. We didn't settle on anything unless we both agreed it was perfect. If I do another album, I'd love it to be with him again."

Another new member to RED DRAGON CARTEL is drummer Phil Varone, whose style Lee really appreciated. "Phil is a very solid and groove-oriented player, who is not afraid to turn things upside down to give the song a more unique flavor," explains Lee.

"Patina" marks a change of style from the debut RED DRAGON CARTEL album, featuring a more bluesy hard rock direction as opposed to its predecessor's heavier leanings.

Lee says: "The first album was more of a piecemeal production with some of the song ideas being 10 years old and never having more than one player in the room at any time. I wanted to do this one from scratch with all the songs originating and worked on with everyone in the room, on their instruments. It felt much more organic, like the way I used to do it for the first 20 years of my career — more honest to my roots."

When asked about his musical inspirations for the record, Jake says: "My inspirations for 'Patina' are from the artists I loved during my youth. Robin Trower, Santana, BLACK SABBATH, CAPTAIN BEYOND, THIN LIZZY, GRAND FUNK RAILROAD, David Bowie… I could go on and on, but let me also say that there are also hints of SLY & THE FAMILY STONE, Dick Dale, psychedelia and even some George Benson. Don't let any of that scare you — it all makes sense!"

"Patina" is a definitive statement of Jake's unbelievable skills with a monster production from Esposito and a perfect mix, courtesy of Norman, whose relationship with Jake dates back to the guitarist's days with OZZY OSBOURNE.

Back in September 2015, RED DRAGON CARTEL was rejoined by Darren James Smith after a period of several months during which the band played shows with a number of other vocalists, including former JONES STREET frontman Shawn Crosby, Canadian singer Paul D'Eath (CITIZENS UNITE, MUSHROOM TRAIL), Chas West (Jason Bonham, LYNCH MOB, 3 LEGGED DOGG) and Michael Beck.

JOHN 5 AND THE CREATURES — comprised of world-renowned guitarist John 5, bassist Ian Ross and drummer Logan Miles Nix — have released yet another music video in support of their forthcoming full-length album, "Invasion", this time for the track "I Am John 5". The clip acts as a sequel to the album's first music video/single, "Zoinks!", once again featuring an innovative blend of classic 2D hand drawn animation and mindblowing 3D computer generated imagery.


As with "Zoinks!", the "I Am John 5" video was animated, written and directed by Disney animator Brett Boggs ("Frozen", "Wreck-It Ralph") with scoring by Fred Coury and recording/mixing by Barry Pointer.


The mad scientist in the "I Am John 5" video is voice acted by none other than Butch Patrick, a.k.a. the iconic Eddie Munster, himself.


Check out the video below.


John 5 says: "In this video, I am transformed into a mechanical monster and controlled by the mad scientist — performed by Butch Patrick a.k.a. Eddie Munster — to destroy Hollywood! I'm programmed with my laser beam guitar to destroy everything in my path! You'll have to watch to see what happens..."


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


JOHN 5 AND THE CREATURES just kicked off their North American "Invasion" tour in Mesa, Arizona. The show featured a very special encore performance guest — the mighty Alice Cooper. Select dates of the trek — specifically Hollywood, California; Anaheim, California; and Sacramento, California — are scheduled to feature more very special, high-caliber mystery guests. It has already been announced that the Hollywood, California show will 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.

Less than two years since the release of "The Missing Peace" — the first L.A. GUNS album since 2002's "Waking The Dead" to feature founding guitarist Tracii Guns and vocalist Phil Lewis — the group will issue a follow-up effort, "The Devil You Know", on March 29 via Frontiers Music Srl.

The latest single from the disc, "Rage", can be streamed below.

Sonically, "The Devil You Know" covers a lot of ground and incorporates influences from BLACK SABBATH to LED ZEPPELIN to KYUSS to THE HELLICOPTERS, all while distinctly sounding like L.A. GUNS. The band is rejuvenated and inspired after relentless touring and is taking no prisoners.

"After the success of 'The Missing Peace', a lot of people requested that the next record stay on track with the more metal side of the band's music, which is my personal favorite side of the band," says Guns. He continues: "I drew from my typical influences of NWOBHM [New Wave Of British Heavy Metal], while still not forgetting my earlier influences of the late '60s and early '70s."

"It's loaded with attitude and most of it bad," says Lewis of the album's lyrical content. You want a love song — [fuck] off and listen to JOURNEY. They say write about what you know, and lord knows we've all known some evil bitches and dudes that have gone out of their way to make life difficult for us. We say unanimously from the whole band — [fuck] you, we're going places you could only dream about. We know what it's like to be put down, poked, ridiculed... but guess what, looks like we get the last laugh. This band has always been fueled by adrenaline and anger and this record is a glimpse inside the carnival of rage that dwells deep inside our collective souls. Not much sunshine and hold tight to your lollipop... This is gonna be a fast, loud, bumpy ride!"

"The Devil You Know" track listing:

01. Rage

02. Stay Away

03. Loaded Bomb

04. The Devil You Know

05. Needle To The Bone

06. Going High

07. Gone Honey

08. Don't Need To Win

09. Down That Hole

10. Another Season In Hell

11. Boom (bonus track; CD and digital only)

When "The Missing Peace" was released in October of 2017, it added a new and unexpected chapter to the long and often confusing history of L.A. GUNS, who, along with W.A.S.P., are the longest-running, continuously active group of the 1980s Sunset Strip scene.

Since being founded by guitarist Guns and drummer Rob Gardner in 1983, more than 50 musicians have performed under the L.A. GUNS moniker, including Axl Rose (who fronted the group prior to forming HOLLYWOOD ROSE, and then again for a brief period after that band's breakup), Ralph Saenz (better known as Michael Starr of STEEL PANTHER), Jizzy Pearl (LOVE/HATE, QUIET RIOT), Chuck Garric (ALICE COOPER), Chris Holmes (W.A.S.P.) and Keri Kelli (NIGHT RANGER, RATT).

In 1987 — two years after Guns left the original lineup of GUNS N' ROSES to restart L.A. GUNS with a group of musicians, including Mick Cripps — the band 's "classic lineup" was solidified with the additions of vocalist Lewis (GIRL), bassist Kelly Nickels and drummer Steve Riley (W.A.S.P.). Those five members appeared on the group's first three albums — its eponymous 1988 debut, 1989's "Cocked & Loaded" and 1991's "Hollywood Vampires".

When Riley left the band in 1992, it began a rotating door lineup that continues in full force in 2018, a year in which four guitarists have performed alongside Guns. The group's current lineup officially features Guns, Lewis, drummer Shane Fitzgibbon, bassist Johnny Martin and bassist-turned-guitarist Adam Hamilton, who played with the band from 2001 to 2007 and rejoined earlier this year after the departure of Johnny Monaco (ENUFF Z'NUFF). Because Hamilton is unable to tour extensively, however, the group recently announced that FASTER PUSSYCAT guitarist Ace Von Johnson will join them on longer tours.

For a number of years after Guns left the band in 2002 to focus on BRIDES OF DESTRUCTION — a group that also featured MÖTLEY CRÜE bassist Nikki Sixx — there were two competing versions of L.A. GUNS: one featuring Lewis and Riley, and another featuring Guns. After the latter incarnation disbanded in 2012, Guns and Lewis gradually began making amends, performing a full set of L.A. GUNS material together at a Las Vegas concert in 2015 before officially joining forces (while initially being billed as L.A. GUNS' PHIL LEWIS & TRACII GUNS) for a handful of concerts the following year. For the past two years, the group has toured and recorded simply as L.A. GUNS.

In 2019, however, there are once again competing incarnations of L.A. GUNS, as Riley — who was in the group for a total of 27 years and is said to own 50 percent of the band's name — will perform at the M3 Rock Festival in Columbia, Maryland in May under the L.A. GUNS moniker with a lineup that will include Nickels and guitarist Scott Griffin (who played bass for the band from 2007 until 2009, and then again from 2011 to 2014).

Since the M3 performance was announced, Guns and Riley have traded barbs on social media. "Some guys would rather headline a sports bar than play on a great bill like M3," Riley wrote on December 6. "L.A. GUNS is back to being a fantastic band and Steve Riley is still a drummer," Guns responded. He subsequently added, "What would you have done without my name [for] the last 15 years, you ungrateful punk?"

Tim "Ripper" Owens says that the albums he made with JUDAS PRIEST feature some of the most diverse vocals of his career.

The Ohio-based singer created two studio LPs with the British heavy metal legends — 1997's "Jugulator" and 2001's "Demolition" — before the band reunited with Rob Halford.

During a brand new interview with "The Metal Command", Owens reflected on the music he produced with PRIEST, saying: "'Demolition', in time, ended up becoming my favorite one I did with them, because there's some of my favorite songs on it, as a whole. But 'Jugulator' is an amazing record. And what I like about it… It was hard to record, because they were like kids in a candy store. Glenn [Tipton, JUDAS PRIEST guitarist] would just say, 'Can you do this?' 'Can you sound like this?' 'Can you sing like this?' It's got all the way from death metal undertones that I'm singing underneath — death metal to the high notes. It's funny, because people don't realize this — it probably has one of the biggest ranges of vocals on it that I've done on a record, because of that… And ICED EARTH had a wide range as well, but the only one that has never been put as much on a record until maybe BEYOND FEAR was the hard, PANTERA, death metal kind of voice. Glenn loved it, man. He would just always push me and push me and push me: 'Do this.' 'Cause he knew I could do it. I had a different type of range that I had [and] different voices that I could sing."

Owens continued: "It was a great time and great records. One of my favorite songs of all time was 'Blood Stained'. And then to come back and do songs like 'Hell Is Home' and 'One On One'. 'One On One', there's those death metal undertones in. The studio version is fantastic, when I go back and listen to it, 'cause it has that… I always said it needed to be a song that a wrestler or a boxer would be coming into a ring with."

Tim also defended "Jugulator" and "Demolition" against criticism over the albums' commercial performance. No longer on a major label, changing attitudes in the music scene towards heavy metal found PRIEST playing mostly to smaller venues with a scaled-down stage set.

"It was a different singer, different time," Tim said. "First of all, heavy metal was almost nonexistent at that time. No bands — AC/DC; I don't care who you were — you weren't playing arenas, first of all. It was bad. It was a really bad part of metal, that time. But those records, to me, are amazing."

In a 2016 interview with StrikeCanal, Owens defended himself against accusations by some JUDAS PRIEST fans of changing the band's sound to a more brutal, modern direction on "Jugulator". He explained: "Every record JUDAS PRIEST puts out is different. I mean, 'Nostradamus' sounds nothing like JUDAS PRIEST ever wrote, ever. 'Turbo' sounded nothing like JUDAS PRIEST. You know, JUDAS PRIEST changes. They wrote 'Painkiller', and 'Jugulator' was a transition; it was kind of following what was going on."

He continued: "You've gotta remember, JUDAS PRIEST always went with the times a little bit. Glenn started playing arpeggios. PANTERA was really big [at the time]. [On the] 'Painkiller' [tour], they toured with PANTERA; PANTERA opened for JUDAS PRIEST. 'Painkiller' was a heavy record, and this was a natural progression. The difference is I probably had a few more different layers to my voice that they could tap into — some deeper, death metal kind of undertones to do backups and some different types of voices that they might be able to try. But it was JUDAS PRIEST."

Swedish unorthodox black/death metal band Godhead Machinery is set to release their second album, Aligned To The Grid, on April 5th via Inverse Records. The official video for the first single, "Alpha", can be viewed below.

The band has issued the following statement:

“We are very proud and excited to finally pronounce that our second album, Aligned To The Grid, is ready for release and that Inverse Records will stand behind our cause once again. Our new blasphemous production was made in Endarker Studios and is filled with songs and lyrics of a much broader spectrum than ever before. The song 'Alpha' will be our first single and will also take form as our first real music video as a band. It’s very hard to pick one track for the representation of the whole album, but 'Alpha' was chosen since it summaries most of our musical and lyrical strive.”

The Aligned To The Grid tracklist is as follows:

"Tithe II"
"Alpha"
"The Existential Strive"
"Call of the Banner"
"Defiant Silence"
"Hymns of the Wicked"
"Above a Legion of Equals"
"Impassive Atrocity"
"Illusion"
"Aligned To The Grid"




(function() {
var zergnet = document.createElement('script');
zergnet.type = 'text/javascript'; zergnet.async = true;
zergnet.src = (document.location.protocol == "https:" ? "https:" : "http:") + '//www.zergnet.com/zerg.js?id=70729';
var znscr = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0];
znscr.parentNode.insertBefore(zergnet, znscr);
})();

LACUNA COIL frontwoman Cristina Scabbia says that the band's next album will be "heavy and dark."

The Italian heavy rockers' follow-up to 2016's "Delirium" is tentatively due before the end of the year via Century Media.

Earlier today, Scabbia took to her Instagram account to write: "So many great things going to happen but I can’t say anything now, damnit!! Oh, the new record is going to be damn awesome, heavy and dark, just so you know...#staytuned #aaaaahcantwait"

Back in 2017, Cristina told Metal Wani that LACUNA COIL's next disc could see the band pursuing a heavier musical direction, just as was the case with "Delirium". "I believe that it could definitely be even way heavier, because that's what we like to perform on stage," she said. "Of course, we like the ballads and the mellow songs, but we like better to perform songs that are heavier. And we love that music."

2018 marked the 20th anniversary of LACUNA COIL's debut. To celebrate the occasion, they played an exceptional show oinn January 2018 in London at the O2 Forum Kentish Town. The unique, one-time event was filmed and recorded for "The 119 Show - Live In London", which was released last November.

View this post on Instagram So many great things going to happen but I can’t say anything now, damnit!! Oh, the new record is going to be damn’ awesome, heavy and dark, just so you know...#staytuned #aaaaahcantwait A post shared by ???????? ??????? (@cristinascabbia) on Mar 1, 2019 at 10:49am PST

MEAT PUPPETS' original lineup, Curt and Cris Kirkwood and returning drummer Derrick Bostrom, have a released a video for "Warranty" off their upcoming album, "Dusty Notes", due on March 8 via Megaforce.

The MEAT PUPPETS' story begins with three kids, enamored of music and immersed in the psychedelic drug culture of Arizona in the '70s, who find their way to punk rock and painstakingly become one of the most important bands of the American underground. "We began to make such a hellacious racket that we knew we were on to something," says returning drummer Derrick Bostrom. The PUPPETS went on to achieve mainstream rock stardom, with a hiatus and resurrection follow.


At their induction into the Arizona Music & Entertainment Hall Of Fame in 2017, the original lineup of the MEAT PUPPETS — brothers Cris and Curt Kirkwood and Bostrom — joined together onstage for the first time in over two decades.


Throughout a set that included era-defining songs like "Lake Of Fire", "Plateau" and "Backwater", the chemistry was more than promising, as Bostrom isn't shy to point out. "It was so intense that even I couldn't deny it! I remember why we did this. It was magical." "It was the psychedelic fuckin' time machine," adds Chris. "Mind-blowing."


That rekindling has resulted in "Dusty Notes", the first MEAT PUPPETS studio album to feature the original trio since 1995's "No Joke!"


Since the band debuted in the early '80s, Curt Kirkwood has continually proven himself to be among the most brilliant songwriters of his generation. Time after time, album after album, he's demonstrated an extraordinary ability to draw upon various roots and rock styles en route to a unique new vision of what the MEAT PUPPETS can be. His latest contributions, especially songs such as "Warranty", "On", "Nine Pins", "Outflow" could be forgotten gems from Nashville, Bakersfield and Laurel Canyon.


"Dusty Notes" also features keyboardist Ron Stabinsky, a jazz-trained virtuoso adept at any style, and Curt's son Elmo, whose old-school rock-guitar grit ideally complements his father's spacier explorations. Intuitive, inspired and overflowing with genuine musicianship, it's the sort of band that can transform what Curt describes as "simple yet engaging" songs into maiden voyages each night on the road. "I can ignore my vocal and listen to the other four guys play," Kirkwood laughs. "They're all so good."


"The band has been a really, really deep font of creativity," Derrick said. "Love it or hate it, hit or miss, Curt is just prodigious. They are still living the rock lifestyle; they're not doing it by half measures. They stayed on the road. These guys are uncompromising. I consider the MEAT PUPPETS to be a national treasure."

The MEAT PUPPETS' U.S. tour begins April 4 in Mill Valley, California.


April 04 - Mill Valley, CA @ Sweetwater Music Hall +

April 05 - San Francisco, CA @ The Independent +

April 06 - Los Angeles, CA @ Troubadour ^

April 07 - San Diego, CA @ Soda Bar ^

May 08 - New York, NY @ Mercury Lounge #

May 09 - Brooklyn, NY @ Brooklyn Bowl #

May 10 - Philadelphia, PA @ Underground Arts #

May 11 - Asbury Park, NJ @ Asbury Lanes #

May 13 - Woodstock, NY @ Colony #

May 14 - Hamden, CT @ Space Ballroom #

May 15 - Portland, ME @ Port City Music Hall #

May 16 - Boston, MA @ Brighton Music Hall #

May 17 - Portsmouth, NH @ 3S Artspace #

May 18 - Jersey City, NJ @ White Eagle Music Hall #

+ with NEIL HAMBURGER

^ with ALL SOULS

# with SUMO PRINCESS, STEPHEN MAGLIO

Photo courtesy of MEAT PUPPETS' Facebook page

Australian death thrashers, Truth Corroded, have unleashed their second song, "Victims Left Lepers" from the band's upcoming new album Bloodlands, which will be released worldwide on March 22nd. The track is accompanied by a confronting video clip that depicts the desperate plight of asylum seekers in offshore detention facilities and targets Australian political figures who engage in racism and fear baiting for political gain.

Bassist and lyricist Greg Shaw offers the following regarding the songs subject matter and video clip: “'Victims Left Lepers' is a protest against the treatment of asylum seekers in offshore detention and the fear baiting and racist policy pursued by certain politicians for political gain. The clip challenges and ridicules these politicians and provides a historical context and contrast for their deplorable actions to be considered.”

The video was produced by David Hall at Uneasy Sleeper who has worked with acts such as Misery Index, Today Is The Day, The Melvins and KEN Mode.

Bloodlands was mixed by Chris ‘Zeuss’ Harris (Hatebreed, Soulfly, Overkill) and features guest appearances by artists such as Stephen Carpenter of Deftones, Terrance Hobbs of Suffocation, Mark Kloeppel of Misery Index and Ryan Knight (ex-The Black Dahlia Murder).

Find pre-orders at this location.

Tracklisting:

“To The Carnal Earth”
“The Leeches Feed”
“Conquest Of Divide”
“Victims Left Lepers”
“Bloodlands”
“The Storm”
“Of Open Eyes And Willing Hands”
“The End Of He Who Reigns”
“I Once Breathed”

“To The Carnal Earth” lyric video:




(function() {
var zergnet = document.createElement('script');
zergnet.type = 'text/javascript'; zergnet.async = true;
zergnet.src = (document.location.protocol == "https:" ? "https:" : "http:") + '//www.zergnet.com/zerg.js?id=70729';
var znscr = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0];
znscr.parentNode.insertBefore(zergnet, znscr);
})();

From Sorrow To Serenity has released a video for the title track of their upcoming album, Reclaim, which will be released on March 22nd via Long Branch Records. Watch the video below, and pre-order the album here.

Reclaim is the first album to feature new vocalist and frontman, Gaz King (ex-Nexilva). The album artwork was painted by James Banks at his studio, also in Glasgow, Scotland; with packaging and layout handled by Daniel Wagner in Los Angeles, California.

Reclaim tracklisting:

"Denounce"
"We Are Liberty"
"Reclaim"
"Alight"
"Perpetrator"
"Solitude"
"Unity Asunder"
"Inside A Soul"
"Supremacy"
"7"
"Resurgence"

"Reclaim" video:




(function() {
var zergnet = document.createElement('script');
zergnet.type = 'text/javascript'; zergnet.async = true;
zergnet.src = (document.location.protocol == "https:" ? "https:" : "http:") + '//www.zergnet.com/zerg.js?id=70729';
var znscr = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0];
znscr.parentNode.insertBefore(zergnet, znscr);
})();

Last week, Swedish metallers Enforcer unleashed the first single, '"Die For The Devil", from their forthcoming studio album Zenith, which will be released on April 26 through Nuclear Blast.

Today, the band has revealed a big surprise for their Spanish speaking fans: although Zenith was originally written and recorded in English, the band has decided to record a version in Spanish too. Watch and listen to the official lyric video for the album opener, "Muere Por El Diablo", below.

Guitarist/vocalist Olof Wikstrand states, "Here’s something special for you! This is a tribute to our Latin American fans for being the best fans in the world!"

Purchase the song here.

Zenith (Spanish Version) tracklisting:

"Muere Por El Diablo"
"Zenith Del Sol Negro"
"Voy A Encontrarte"
"Ecos"
"El Fin De Un Universo"
"Navego"
"Mil Años En Las Sombras"
"Rendido Al Trueno Infernal"
"Por Siempre Seguimos La Oscuridad"
"Oda A La Muerte"

Zenith can be pre-ordered at this location. Pre-order the album digitally to receive "Die For The Devil"/"Muere Por El Diablo" instantly (Amazon and iTunes only)!

Tracklisting:

“Die For The Devil”
“Zenith Of The Black Sun”
“Searching For You”
“Regrets”
“The End Of A Universe”
“Sail On”
“One Thousand Years Of Darkness”
“Thunder And Hell”
“Forever We Worship The Dark”
“Ode To Death”
“To Another World” (Digipak bonus track)

"Die For The Devil" video:

Enforcer is:

Olof Wikstrand - vocals, guitars
Jonas Wikstrand - drums, piano & keyboards
Tobias Lindqvist - bass
Jonathan Nordwall - guitars

(Photo - Cintia Regueiro)




(function() {
var zergnet = document.createElement('script');
zergnet.type = 'text/javascript'; zergnet.async = true;
zergnet.src = (document.location.protocol == "https:" ? "https:" : "http:") + '//www.zergnet.com/zerg.js?id=70729';
var znscr = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0];
znscr.parentNode.insertBefore(zergnet, znscr);
})();

We all wade through archetypes. We all ARE archetypes. Distant echoes of a life both primeval and noble. To embrace these archetypes, to accept them not only as a part of life but as life itself is what some may call enlightenment, some peace of mind. Eluveitie call it Ategnatos. And by using their longest gap between two metal albums to gather momentum, they just forged their strongest album around it. The new album, Ategnatos, will be released on April 5th via Nuclear Blast. Check out the first official video trailer below, and order the album here.

The band states: "Ategnatos probably became our most organic album by all accounts. It is the result of a thoroughly intuitive process, where we gave creativity full scope. And during this process quite some back-to-the-roots developments emerged in diverse aspects. Many riffs off Ategnatos reminds on the guitar work on Slania. Following our gut feeling we brought the mixing duties back to Jens Bogren's Fascination Street Studios, where our Nuclear Blast debut was produced. And regarding the album artwork it soon became very clear to us, that we'd love to work with the fabulous Travis Smith (www.seempieces.com) again, who already created the front covers of our albums Spirit (14 years ago!) and Everything Remains As It Never Was. And we're honestly excited with the result! The frontcover shows a spectacular scenery in central Switzerland, a so-called 'vulva cave', as it was sought to mark sacred rites of fertility and celebrations of life in ancient times! The artwork mystically and beautifully expresses the Ategnatos very core and essence! Once again it was a pleasure to work with Travis!"

Recordings of Ategnatos took place in their beloved New Sound Studio with their engineer of choice Tommy Vetterli. “Yet it was radically different as we only had four weeks to record this time around - as compared to the eight weeks we had for Origins.” By taking mixing duties to the skilled hand of renowned studio wizard Jens Bogren in his Fascination Street Studios in Örebro, Sweden, Eluveitie returned to the very spot where they mixed their now legendary Slania album more than ten years ago.
 
With Ategnatos, the dedicated nine-piece not only worked with a real string quartet (a premiere!) and granted Fabienne Erni’s sublime mastery of the harp the room it deserved; they also undertook a holistic upgrade resulting in some of the most catchy, most aggressive or most epic tunes the Swiss metal nobility has ever offered.

Tracklisting:

"Ategnatos"
"Ancus"
"Deathwalker"
"Black Water Dawn"
"A Cry in the Wilderness"
"The Raven Hill"
"The Silvern Glow"
"Ambiramus"
"Mine Is the Fury"
"The Slumber"
"Worship"
"Trinoxtion"
"Threefold Death"
"Breathe"
"Rebirth"
"Eclipse"

Trailer #1:

"Ategnatos" video:

The Swiss folk metal leaders also announceD their European tour in support of the new album.

Eluveitie will join forces with Lacuna Coil and Infected Rain. The band states: "Our last few months have been extremely intense, creating Ategnatos. Now we simply cannot wait to bring our new songs to the stages and to share our passion, pure fucking metal and heartfelt Celtic mysticism with you all! And all the more we're excited to bring such great bands with us! We feel honoured to team up with our fellows of the heavyweight institution called Lacuna Coil and also with the amazing wizkid that is Infected Rain, whom we've shared festival stages with a few times already!"

Lacuna Coil adds: "Transformation is a process and as life happens you need tons of new music! That’s why we are really excited to team up with Eluveitie and our buddies in Infected Rain for this fantastic tour package. The bill is pretty diverse and interesting and we can’t wait to bring it around Europe. We will play some of our classic songs and introduce some new tunes! We know this tour is going to be rocking, and we know the fans are going to enjoy this as much as we are!"

November
2 - Bari, Italy - Demode
3 - Rome, Italy - Orion
5 - Bologna, Italy - Estragon
6 - Milan, Italy - Live Club
8 - Stuttgart, Germany - LKA Longhorn
9 - Oberhausen, Germany - Turbinenhalle II
10 - Antwerp, Belgium - Trix
12 - Manchester, England - O2 Ritz
13 - Glasgow, Scotland - Garage
15 - Bristol, England - SWX
16 - London, England - O2 Forum Kentish Town
17 - Nottingham, England - Rock City
19 - Frankfurt, Germany - Batschkapp
20 - Hannover, Germany - Capitol
21 - Berlin, Germany - Huxleys
22 - Leipzig, Germany - Felsenkeller
23 - Munich, Germany - Tonhalle
24 - Dornbirn, Austria - Conrad Sohm
26 - Bordeaux, France - Le Rocher de Palmer
27 - Barcelona, Spain - Razzmatazz II
28 - Madrid, Spain - Mon Live
29 -Toulouse, France - Le Bikini
30 - Rennes, France - L'Etage

December
1 - Paris, France - Elysée-Montmartre
3 - Saarbrücken, Germany - Garage
4 - Nürnberg, Germany - Hirsch
5 - Ljubljana, Slovenia - Kino Siska
8 - Vienna, Austria - Arena
12 - Riga, Latvia - Melna Piektdiena
13 - Helsinki, Finland - Tavastia
14 - Tampere, Finland - Pakkahuone
15 - Tallinn, Estonia - Rock Cafe
17 - Stockholm, Sweden - Klubben Fryshuset
18 - Oslo, Norway - Vulkan Arena
19 - Gothenburg, Sweden - Trädgarn
21 - Hamburg, Germany - Docks

Lineup:

Jonas Wolf - guitars
Matteo Sisti - whistles, bagpipes, mandola, bodhran
Nicole Ansperger - fiddle
Alain Ackermann - drums
Chrigel Glanzmann - vocals, whistles, mandola, bagpipes
Fabienne Erni - vocals, celtic harp
Kay Brem - bass
Michalina Malisz - hurdy gurdy
Rafael Salzmann - guitars




(function() {
var zergnet = document.createElement('script');
zergnet.type = 'text/javascript'; zergnet.async = true;
zergnet.src = (document.location.protocol == "https:" ? "https:" : "http:") + '//www.zergnet.com/zerg.js?id=70729';
var znscr = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0];
znscr.parentNode.insertBefore(zergnet, znscr);
})();

Yngwie Malmsteen's cover version of THE BEATLES classic "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" can be streamed below. The song is taken from his upcoming album, "Blue Lightning", which will be released globally on March 29 via Mascot Records/Mascot Label Group.

Speaking about the choice to cover the classic BEATLES track, Malmsteen says: "There were songs that were immediately clear I wanted to do... But then I also went for something like 'While My Guitar Gently Weeps', which I wasn't sure I could do. In this case, it was about trial and error. I am delighted that I was able to do justice to the original."

To call Malmsteen a "maestro" or "virtuoso" is to state the obvious. But such terms don't do sufficient justice to either his talent or impact. There are innumerable guitarists who have copied a small part of the vast musical spectrum that defines him, but nobody comes close to achieving what he has over a period of nearly four decades.

This man is an undoubted pioneer, someone whose style and creativity has inspired so many others. While he first came to everybody's notice in Los Angeles with STEELER's self-titled album (1983), followed by ALCATRAZZ's "No Parole From Rock 'N' Roll" the same year and "Live Sentence" ('84), it's been what he's done since in a distinguished and far ranging career as a solo performer and band leader that has momentously shown Malmsteen's craft and worth as one of the elite guitarists on the planet. Combining skills that span a vast spectrum of inspirations, he stands as a giant, melding melody, technique and an epic scope in a unique and inclusive fashion.


Now, with "Blue Lightning", the man highlights not only his enduring dexterity and diversity, but also pays homage to those from the blues world who have fueled his artistic spirit for so long.

"I have always played around with old songs, both live and also in the studio," he said. "I did a similar album called 'Inspiration' a while ago (1996), and it was Mascot who came to me and suggested I do a blues record.


"Now, I grew up in a classically trained family, and people know me for playing in what is called a neo-classical style. But when I got a guitar for my fifth birthday, what I would try to emulate were JOHN MAYALL & THE BLUESBREAKERS — I would jam along to what they did on record with Eric Clapton ('Bluesbreakers With Eric Clapton' album). That's something people don't realize about me — I do have a strong interest in the blues. So, when Mascot came to me with the suggestion of doing an album of songs in this style, it didn't faze me at all. In fact, it seemed so natural."


What Malmsteen has done here is combine choices which might seem almost obvious with some that will turn heads. He shares: "There were songs that were immediately clear I wanted to do. These were the likes of 'Purple Haze' and 'Smoke On The Water' which I have been playing since I was a kid. But then I also went for something like 'While My Guitar Gently Weeps' which I wasn't sure I could do. In this case, it was about trial and error. I am delighted that I was able to do justice to the original."


Anyone who is expecting Malmsteen to copy exactly the way the original versions sound is in for a shock. Because that is not what he has done. He reflects: "I have never been one of those people who wants to sit down and mimic the way in which a song sounds on record. I don't see the point in doing that. If all you want to hear is a song the way you remember it, then the originals are there for you. What I have done is add in my own vibe and personality, while paying tribute to what you already know. That way I feel I am being myself, yet also being respectful to those artists."


One thing this album has allowed Malmsteen to do is to challenge himself, which is certainly the case of Eric Clapton's "Forever Man". He offers: "I heard this on the radio, and honestly I didn't know whether I could do it for this album. But I sat down and tried things, and they worked out. I had to rise to the occasion and am delighted to have done exactly that." This track showcases not only Malmsteen's celebrated guitar qualities, but also his maturing individual vocal confidence. He reflects: "On the singing side with 'Forever Man', I did it all in one take. I got the lyrics through, went into the studio, and just got them done. I am not someone who likes to do take after take. I feel you should be able to get it right the first time around. That applies to the vocal parts and also my guitar playing. And for the most part, this is the way I did 'Blue Lightning'."


The man has also paid homage to a particular favorite. He shares: "When I was ten years old, I got DEEP PURPLE's 'Fireball' album, which I have always thought was very undervalued. And the song that really killed me was 'Demon's Eye'. And I was very keen to do it for the album. Thankfully, the key was just right for my voice, and I had so much fun doing it. In fact, I would say that I had a great time doing all the songs here."


Aside from the covers, there are also four original tracks included. And these clearly bring to the fore Malmsteen's abiding love for the blues, as well as his capacity for doing interpretations possessed of emotion and depth. He offers: "I have always featured songs with a blues groove on albums. So, having my own material in this vein was very natural for me."


The album is produced by Yngwie, and Malmsteen has followed a traditional manner in the way this was recorded. He shares: "In the old days, a band would go into the studio, do a couple of songs, then go out on tour, before returning to the studio to do a couple more new tracks. That's the way I did things this time. I have been so busy on the road in recent times that it was the most pragmatic way to do the album. In all, it took me about ten months to get it done, but by going in the studio in between touring commitments, I feel it kept everything fresh."

"Blue Lightning" track listing:

01. Blue Lightning

02. Foxy Lady

03. Demon's Eye

04. 1911 Strut

05. Blue Jeans Blues

06. Purple Haze

07. While My Guitar Gently Weeps

08. Sun's Up Top's Down

09. Peace, Please

10. Paint It Black

11. Smoke On The Water

12. Forever Man

Bonus tracks (vinyl and deluxe CD only)

13. Little Miss Lover

14. Jumping Jack Fish

The official music video for the song "Platitudes And Barren Words" from Finnish melodic metallers CHILDREN OF BODOM can be seen below. The track is the third single from the band's tenth album, "Hexed", which will be released on March 8 via Nuclear Blast Records.

CHILDREN OF BODOM frontman, guitarist and mastermind Alexi Laiho comments: "This one has been a lot of people's favorite song since day one and when you think about it, every single part of it is catchy as hell, so it makes sense. Can't wait to play it live."

"Hexed" saw the return to Finland's Danger Johnny Studios where COB was reunited with Mikko Karmila ("I Worship Chaos", "Halo Of Blood", "Hatebreeder", "Follow The Reaper" and "Hate Crew Deathroll") who recorded everything except keyboards and also produced the album with the band. Janne Wirman recorded keyboards at Beyond Abilities Studios. The album was mixed and mastered at Finnvox Studios in Helsinki, Finland.

"Hexed" track listing:

01. The Road

02. Under Grass And Clover

03. Glass Houses

04. Hecate's Nightmare

05. Kick In The Spleen

06. Platitudes And Barren Words

07. Hexed

08. Relapse (The Nature Of My Crime)

09. Say Never Look Back

10. Soon Departed

11. Knuckleduster

12. I Worship Chaos (live)

13. Morrigan (live)

14. Knuckleduster (remix)

CHILDREN OF BODOM will embark on the "Hexed" 2019 North American tour this spring. The trek will kick off in Quebec City on March 13 and conclude in New York City on April 19. Support on the trek will come from Finnish death-doom melody makers SWALLOW THE SUN and Finnish epic melodic death metal quartet WOLFHEART as well as SUMMONER'S CIRCLE (March 13-16 and April 9-19), HOLLOW CRY (March 18-29) and FRAGMENTUM (March 30 April 7).

Bassist Henkka Seppälä (a.k.a. Henkka T. Blacksmith) stated about "Hexed": "For me, it has always been very hard to describe our new music. In a way, it always feels familiar, but the new stuff also always surprises me. Here we have something that's very BODOM, but somehow we haven't done this kind of stuff, possibly ever. Then again, someone said that there's a somewhat similar vibe to what 'Follow The Reaper' had. I don't know. Anyway, we had a really hard time choosing the songs for the videos. I guess that's a positive problem to have."

For this album, the band enlisted Deins Forkas to create the album artwork. Henkka commented on the cover: "For some years I've wanted to try a different approach with our cover art. We are so used to digital art, so it's really hard to do something else. Doing it completely with a computer is somewhat safe and convenient. This time we all agreed to try going old school. We found this cool dude and gave him simple instructions — the cover has to be purple and the reaper has to be central. Half a year later, we got his work, and with little tweaking, we now have the cover of 'Hexed'. It is very different from what we are used to, even the Reaper looks different, but at the same time very spooky."

NEW YEARS DAY will release its fourth studio album, "Unbreakable", on April 26 via RED Music. The follow-up to 2015's "Malevolence" was produced by Mitchell Marlow (ALL THAT REMAINS, IN THIS MOMENT, BUTCHER BABIES) and Scott Stevens (AMERICAN AUTHORS, HALESTORM, SHINEDOWN).

The latest single from "Unbreakable", a song called "Shut Up", can be streamed below.


"'Shut Up' was written in a day, which just doesn't happen," states frontwoman Ash Costello. "I was going through some heavy personal stuff, and I was just, 'Don't tell me what I want. Shut up and give it to me.'"

"Shut Up" is the second song released from "Unbreakable", following last year's "Skeletons".

Costello spoke about the inspiration for the "Unbreakable" album title last month during an interview with Kevan Kenney of the BUILD Series.

She said: "When I really thought about the year it took to write the record, everything that I've been through, I really felt like came out unbreakable on the other side. As opposed to our record before this one, where I felt almost like I was too breakable. But now with the fans behind us, and our team behind us, and this new music, I really feel like I'm unbreakable."

Costello said her favorite track from "Unbreakable" is "Come For Me", which she described as "a fight song. It's kind of my invitation to the world that if you've got something to say, come say it to my face, "she explained. "I think we can all use a song like that."

According to Costello, she was in a much different headspace while writing "Unbreakable" than she was a few years earlier during the making of "Malevolence".

"There was a breakup, and probably the worst breakup you could possibly imagine," Ash said. "I've never talked about who it was or what the exact circumstances are, and I never will. But when I wrote 'Malevolence' in about 2015, '16, it was the darkest time of my life on this planet. I really didn't think I was gonna make it out on the other side alive, and it shows in the songs, especially the title track, 'Malevolence'. It's not a happy record."

Ash recently told Heavy New York that NEW YEARS DAY's new album was "being described as either the poppiest metal album or the most metal poppy album. Both I'm so stoked on. It's more fun."

Costello went on to say that while it's "all good" to reach a wider audience with NEW YEARS DAY's new music, the change in the band's musical direction "was really more for me. I wanted to have fun with it. I wanted music that was fun for me. And I did that. And hopefully people love it too and it's fun for them."

This past December, Costello told Alternative Press that "Skeletons" was "one of the lightest-sounding" tracks on the upcoming NEW YEARS DAY disc. "The record, actually, is quite heavy. So we figured we'd start at the bottom of the hill and work our way up instead of at the top and work our way down. So, what you can take away from 'Skeletons', though, is that the newer songs are gonna be very catchy. Even though it's gonna be very heavy music, the melodies and the lyrics are still going to be very, very catchy and poppy."

In November, Costello said that NEW YEARS DAY's new LP will be "totally different" from "Malevolence". "'Malevolence' came out three years ago," she said. "Are you the same you were three years ago? I hope I'm not. I feel like I've improved in songwriting; I've improved in singing; I've improved in screaming. Every year that goes by, I learn more about want kind of artist I want to be and what kind of art I want to put out. It's changed quite a bit, so that's why we put out [the EP] 'Diary Of A Creep' to kind of be a little bit of a segue. We wanted to do a lot of what you can expect in the future. We covered everything from PANTERA to NEW ORDER. That's what you can expect. 'Skeletons' is the first taste – a heavy riff with a very catchy chorus... It's not completely left-field — it's still very NEW YEARS DAY — but it's growing up."

Asked how the new album will differ lyrically from "Malevolence", Ash told Heavy New York: "'Malevolence' was mainly very anti-love, spiteful, really-upset-about-relationships album, because when I did that record, I had just found out that I had been cheated on in a five-year relationship. All that anger came out, especially in the title song. That's not a nice song. Now, I don't have a shitty relationship to use as fuel for lyrics, but my whole outlook has changed. Now there's kind of, like, a light at the end of the tunnel, so a lot of songs are going to reflect that."


"Unbreakable" track listing:

01. Come For Me

02. MissUnderstood

03. Skeletons

04. Unbreakable

05. Shut Up

06. Done With You

07. Poltergeist

08. Break My Body

09. Sorry Not Sorry

10. My Monsters

11. Nocturnal

12. I Survived

Album art credit: Marc Liscio

NEW YEARS DAY will hit the road this spring with FALLING IN REVERSE. The U.S. tour will kick off in Las Vegas on April 20 and will wrap on May 24 in Los Angeles.

Photo credit: Hristo Shindov

Swedish melodic death/doom metallers OCTOBER TIDE, featuring ex-KATATONIA members Fredrik and Mattias Norrman, will release their sixth studio album, "In Splendor Below", on May 17 via Agonia Records. The follow-up to 2016's "Winged Waltz" was mixed and mastered by Karl Daniel Lidén at Tri-Lamd studios (BLOODBATH, KATATONIA, BREACH, CRAFT). It was produced by Alexander Backlund from Nailvillage Studio (THENIGHTTIMEPROJECT, LETTERS FROM COLONY) and OCTOBER TIDE. Tomarum av Christine Linde created the cover artwork.

With a history tracing back to the epicenter of melodic death metal in Sweden, OCTOBER TIDE has come a long way and has generated a spark that is strongly felt in the energy of the scene. "In Splendor Below" is the latest addition to the band's vibrant discography of guitar-driven, emotive death/doom metal art. It packs some of the most authentic and unique compositions from the capable hands of founding member and longtime KATATONIA guitarist Fredrik Norrman, his brother and guitarist Mattias Norrman (ex-KATATONIA), vocalist Alexander Högbom (DEMONICAL), bassist Johan Jönsegård (LETTERS FROM THE COLONY) and drummer Jonas Sköld (LETTERS FROM THE COLONY, THENIGHTTIMEPROJECT). While Fredrik prefers for the music to speak for itself, he finds the new album "a bit more aggressive, a bit more death metal, and with an overall colder feeling than previous records."

The band is planning a tour in support of the new album in November and December of 2019. In the meantime, they will perform at In The Grip Of Winter Festival (NL), Exit Festival (SRB) and MetalDays Festival (SI). More dates are on the way.

"In Splendor Below" track listing:

01. I, The Polluter

02. We Died In October

03. Ögoblick Av Nåd

04. Stars Starve Me

05. Our Famine

06. Guide My Pulse

07. Seconds

08. Envy Of The Moon

OCTOBER TIDE is:

Alexander Högbom - vocals

Fredrik Norrman - guitar

Jonas Sköld - drums

Johan Jönsegård - bass

Mattias Norrman - guitar

Composer, musician, futurist and innovator Frank Zappa is facing censorship yet again over so-called "questionable content" in the ad artwork for the upcoming "The Bizarre World Of Frank Zappa" hologram tour which will make its debut this April in the U.S.


The tour artwork was curiously censored by Ticketmaster, which cited the image for so-called "questionable content," according to their Content Governance team, and wouldn't post it online. The censored image pays homage to FRANK ZAPPA & THE MOTHERS' 1974 song "Penguin In Bondage".


Now, in a first look at the Zappa hologram, Frank addresses these claims, saying exactly what he said in 1984: "I'm a person who likes to do what he wants to do... whether people like it or not. And what I do is designed for people who like it, not for people who don't."


Zappa — who always fought against censorship and for all artists' rights — appeared before Congress on September 19, 1985. He later famously, voluntarily labeled his albums with his "Warning Guarantee" in the mid-'80s.


Beyond the images in question, artwork for the tour gives clues to the kinds of fantastical holograms fans who purchase tickets for the tour will experience. Ahmet Zappa says: "If you're someone that can't enjoy the absurdity and humor of bringing Frank's music and lyrics to life via holograms — such as penguins in bondage, talking hot dogs and super natural dental floss — this show might not be your cup of tea. In response to Ticketmaster, I re-submit the poster artwork with our newly updated Warning Guarantee hiding the buttocks of the cartoon penguin. I mean, seriously, Ticketmaster?"


"The Bizarre World Of Frank Zappa" will kick off with nine U.S. shows on Friday, April 19, with seven European performances in May to follow. Produced by Eyellusion, the "Bizarre World Of Frank Zappa" hologram tour band is comprised of former Zappa bandmates for this monumental series of shows. The touring unit boasts guitarists Ray White and Mike Keneally, bassist Scott Thunes, multi-instrumentalist Robert Martin, percussionist Ed Mann, and drummer and Zappa archivist Joe "Vaultmeister" Travers.


For more information, visit www.zappa.com.

"Monolilith", a new song from VLTIMAS, the three-piece extreme metal formation consisting of David Vincent (ex-MORBID ANGEL), Rune "Blasphemer" Eriksen (ex-MAYHEM, AURA NOIR) and Flo Monier (CRYPTOPSY), can be streamed below. The track is taken from the VLTIMAS's debut album, "Something Wicked Marches In", which will be released on March 29 via Season Of Mist.

The cover for "Something Wicked Marches In" was created by renowned Polish artist Zbigniew M. Bielak (GHOST, PARADISE LOST, BÖLZER, ZHRINE) and can be seen below.

The foundation for VLTIMAS was laid when Rune, after collecting a handful of riffs, presented Mounier with the idea of forming a band together. For the two musicians, having composed and recorded numerous songs together in the past, the musical chemistry was already tried and tested. However, one thing was still missing. This extraordinary musical project needed an extraordinary voice and Eriksen got in touch with Vincent, with whom he had been in contact for years, to finalize the lineup.


Vincent had just exited MORBID ANGEL and was ready for a new chapter in his long spanning career. Everything fell into place, and VLTIMAS came into being.


During the Noize Factory sessions (Georgetown, USA), the musicians started writing a substantial amount of music. The sessions proved to be a fruitful endeavor and the first ideas and song skeletons were later fleshed out by Rune at his home studio in Portugal, then finalized when Mounier and Eriksen returned to Texas, in order to put the final touches to the material at David's home studio. In a more controlled surrounding the songs started to unveil themselves and the studio was booked.


The band entered Orgone Studios in Woburn, England in May 2018 with producer Jaime Gomez Arellano. While there, the three-piece recorded nine crushing tracks that will appear on the full-length debut album.


The new record offers a vast array of influences, but most notably the distinguished symbioses of these three respected and talented musicians. A dark and sinister ambiance meets a majestic and a commanding death metal energy.

"Something Wicked Marches In" track listing:

01. Something Wicked Marches In (4:28)

02. Praevalidus (3:39)

03. Total Destroy! (2:57)

04. Monolilith (5:25)

05. Truth And Consequence (3:42)

06. Last Ones Alive Win Nothing (5:29)

07. Everlasting (3:40)

08. Diabolus Est Sanguis (3:27)

09. Marching On (5:34)


Vincent is also involved with I AM MORBID alongside fellow former MORBID ANGEL member Tim Yeung (drums), plus guitarists Bill Hudson (CIRCLE II CIRCLE, TRANS-SIBERIAN ORCHESTRA) and Ira Black (METAL CHURCH, LIZZY BORDEN).

Formed in 2016, I AM MORBID plays material from MORBID ANGEL's "Altars Of Madness" (1989), "Blessed Are The Sick" (1991), "Covenant" (1993) and "Domination" (1995) albums.

Vincent left MORBID ANGEL in 2015.

BLACK STAR RIDERS will release their fourth studio album in September via Nuclear Blast. Titled "Another State Of Grace", the follow-up to 2017's "Heavy Fire" was produced and mixed by Jay Ruston (STONE SOUR, ANTHRAX, URIAH HEEP).

The band will support the record with a full U.K. and Ireland tour in October 2019, with additional dates in other territories to be announced in the near future.

BLACK STAR RIDERS, which consists of Ricky Warwick (lead vocals, guitar), Scott Gorham (lead guitar) and Robert Crane (bass) along with recent additions Chad Szeliga (drums) and Christian Martucci (lead guitar), recorded the album in February at Sphere Studios in Burbank, California.

Says Warwick: "I'm absolutely thrilled to be back with a brand new BLACK STAR RIDERS album. In my honest opinion, this is the best record the band has made. This is Christian and Chad's first album with the band and they have brought a fantastic energy and vibe."

Gorham adds: "It was great to be back in Los Angeles, and recording with Jay Ruston was an absolute pleasure. I am excited to see everyone's reactions to this amazing record… and I can't wait to get back on the road and play you these new songs."

Guitarist Damon Johnson announced his exit from BLACK STAR RIDERS in September, but continued performing with the band until the end of the group's U.K. tour on December 3.

"Heavy Fire" was a worldwide success, reaching position No. 6 on the U.K. chart, No. 11 on the German chart, and No. 91 on U.S. Current Top Albums chart.

Dates for BLACK STAR RIDERS' 2019 U.K. and Ireland tour:

Oct. 10 - O2 Academy, Bristol

Oct. 11 - Corn Exchange, Cambridge

Oct. 12 - O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire

Oct. 13 - William Aston Hall, Wrexham

Oct. 14 - Rock City, Nottingham

Oct. 16 - Academy, Dublin *

Oct. 17 - Limelight, Belfast *

Oct. 18 - Braehead Arena, Glasgow §

Oct. 19 - O2 Academy, Newcastle

Oct. 20 - O2 Ritz, Manchester

Oct. 22 - De La Warr Pavilion, Bexhill

Oct. 23 - O2 Academy, Bournemouth

Oct. 24 - University Great Hall, Cardiff

Oct. 25 - Steel Mill, Wolverhampton

Oct. 26 - O2 Academy, Leeds

* BLACK STAR RIDERS and STONE BROKEN only

§ BLACK STAR RIDERS only as guests to SAXON

Tickets go on sale on Friday, March 8 at 10 a.m.

Photo credit: Robert John

Finnish metallers BATTLE BEAST will release their fifth studio album, "No More Hollywood Endings", in just three weeks, on March 22 via Nuclear Blast Records. Today the band has unleashed the second single from the disc in the form of the tenacious and uplifting track "Eden".

The official music video for the song was directed by Markus Nieminen and produced by Oy Routafilmi AB and Tuotantoyhtiö Legenda and can be seen below.

Guitarist Joona Björkroth states: "'Eden' was born about one year ago when I was going through an extremely bad period in my personal life. I wrote the song as a remembrance to myself that whatever life throws at you, there's light in the end. Many bad things people have in their lives are creations of their own mind and can be mended by letting go. The song is a sincere 'fuck you!' to fear, pain... whatever it is that is holding you down!"

"No More Hollywood Endings" was recorded by keyboardist Janne Björkroth, Viktor Gullichsen and Joona Björkroth at JKB Studio. The production and mixing duties were handled by Janne. The cover artwork was created by Jan Yrlund (KORPIKLAANI, MANOWAR), who previously worked with BATTLE BEAST on 2017's "Bringer Of Pain".

"No More Hollywood Endings" track listing:

01. Unbroken

02. No More Hollywood Endings

03. Eden

04. Unfairy Tales

05. Endless Summer

06. The Hero

07. Piece Of Me

08. I Wish

09. Raise Your Fists

10. The Golden Horde

11. World On Fire

Bonus tracks (digipak and 2LP only!)

12. Bent And Broken

13. My Last Dream

BATTLE BEAST singer Noora Louhimo told Metal Casino about the musical direction of "No More Hollywood Endings": "We're gonna keep the same spirit as on the previous album. With the previous album, we learned a lot what we wanna do with our music, so it's gonna be maybe even more epic [laughs] than the last time."

Noora also talked about how the songwriting process has evolved since the band's split with longtime guitarist and main songwriter Anton Kabanen and addition of Joona Björkroth. "It has changed a lot, or totally," she said. "Of course, different songwriters. The previous album, the whole band wanted to contribute, and now after we had Joona in the songwriting process and kind of changed the whole dynamics in the band, we contributed, the whole band, in the songwriting process. I think it was… Not just because of the songwriting, but also the atmosphere nowadays, I think, it's very healthy and we like each other and I love to work in this band. And I think it's great to have more than just one person doing the songwriting and giving the opinions. Of course, someone has to say, 'Okay, this is the decision,' and not everyone can just decide about everything. But we also have to do compromises, because we are six people, six different opinions. But I think we are already on the way to see everybody's… who can do what in the band. I feel like my priority is to do the good vocals and performance and visual things, and I can happily leave songwriting to our most productive guys, like Janne and Joona — they have been so productive. And also our bass player, Eero [Sipilä], has written a few songs. So we are in a good place."

"Bringer Of Pain" was BATTLE BEAST's first album to feature Björkroth, who joined the band in 2015.

BATTLE BEAST in February 2015 parted ways with Kabanen due to "insurmountable disagreements" with the other members of the band.

The official music video for the song "Call My Name" from Swedish melodic heavyweights IN FLAMES, can be seen below. The track is taken from the band's new album, "I, The Mask", which is being released today (Friday, March 1) via Nuclear Blast (worldwide, excluding North America) and Eleven Seven Music (North America). The 12-track disc reunites IN FLAMES with Grammy-nominated producer Howard Benson (MY CHEMICAL ROMANCE, MOTÖRHEAD) who also produced 2016's "Battles". Additionally, the album was mixed by Grammy Award winner Chris Lord-Alge (CHEAP TRICK, LINKIN PARK) and mastered by Grammy-winning mastering engeneer Ted Jensen (PANTERA, EAGLES, GUNS N' ROSES).

The album artwork was created by artist Blake Armstrong and depicts a unique interpretation of the band's mascot, The Jesterhead.

Guitarist Björn Gelotte told Overdrive about "I, The Mask": "With this album, it was me and Anders [Fridén, vocals] working super-close together in a little studio that we set up in L.A., working on every detail together, including the vocal lines and melodies to the guitar riffs, arrangements and everything in between. That's something that we hadn't done before. In the very beginning, it was more like, someone would have a riff and then we would all get together and jam it out in rehearsals and then we would start to build ideas on top of that and the very last thing we would ever do after we had recorded everything, is around four days of vocals. That system worked for us back then because we didn't know anything else, but we missed out on so much, so many good ideas that could have come from lyrical context, or a lyric vocal melody, so this time we approached things differently and when I look back, it's undeniable how much we've learned along the way. Finally, we've found other ways of working. [Laughs]."

Asked if this was the first time they had tried this writing method, Björn said: "We tried it a little with the last album, 'Battles'. We started working with Howard [Benson, producer], and he really helped us to open up with this approach to writing. We are very protective of what we do, so it was a little strange for us to begin with and we were very stuck in our ways thinking: 'The melodies should be this way, and the riffs should sound like this.' And it was the same with the vocals. Everything was really locked in tight and no room for change. The difference now is amazing. I get inspired by lyrics that Anders writes and we work off each other and this chemistry just happens. We've never done that in the past, and it's just so refreshing."

Björn went on to say that the recording process was much less hectic this time around. "We would work for about five, six hours a day in the studio and then another five to six hours at home to continue writing during the whole recording process, and that was just amazing," he said. "That's exactly why we feel really comfortable and confident about this record. We just had such a great experience doing this album and the transition from 'Battles' to 'I, The Mask' is so natural for us. I have to say the whole process really opened our eyes to many more possibilities going forward. Even though no management or labels have asked us to write another record, we feel that we just want to go back and work with these guys again as it was just such a positive experience where we really learned so much along the way. Normally for me, recording is a very tedious process that is time-consuming and at times very boring. For me, recording is just a means of getting on tour because it's all about touring and playing live. So, for me to want to go back to the studio was a really strange feeling. [Laughs]"

"I, The Mask" track listing:

01. Voices

02. I, The Mask

03. Call My Name

04. I Am Above

05. Follow Me

06. (This is Our) House

07. We Will Remember

08. In This Life

09. Burn

10. Deep Inside

11. All The Pain

12. Stay With Me

IN FLAMES recruited American drummer Tanner Wayne, best known for his work with UNDERMINDED, SCARY KIDS SCARING KIDS and CHIODOS, to sit behind the kit for the band for its 2018 and 2019 live appearances.

Wayne stepped into IN FLAMES following the departure of Joe Rickard, who played on the band's 2016 studio album, "Battles".


Tanner made his live debut with IN FLAMES in July 2018 in Brno, Czech Republic.

Longtime IN FLAMES drummer Daniel Svensson announced in 2015 that he was leaving the band to focus on his family life.

IN FLAMES' current lineup features American bassist Bryce Paul, who has been playing most of the shows with the group since longtime bassist Peter Iwers's November 2016 exit.