Strapping Young Lad founder Devin Townsend recently decided to "take a break" from the Devin Townsend Project. Following his announcement that he had put the Devin Townsend Project on indefinite hiatus, two members of DTP teamed up with a couple of members of Townsend's former group, Strapping Young Lad, to form a new band, Imonolith. Joining drummer Ryan Van Poederooyen and guitarist Brian "Beav" Waddell (who played bass in DTP) are bassist Byron Stroud, second guitarist Jed Simon and vocalist Jon Howard.

The band has checked in with the following update:

"As voted by our supporters, here's the public debut of 'The Reign'. Thanks to all of you worldwide who are supporting us in the very early stages of this band.

'The Reign' is about how society can negatively influence the mass majority. Life is all about living it your own way and not trying to be someone you're not. Be yourself. This may be an aggressive and heavy sounding song, but it has a positive underlying message.

This is just ONE side to Imonolith's overall sound. 'The Reign' represents part of the heavier side of our music. On the flip side, you can expect a lot of melody (vocally and instrumentally), with vocal hooks, memorable guitar riffs and creative, plotting rhythms throughout our music. Imonolith was based and built off of being versatile. Stay posted for more music to come soon!

Thanks as always for your awesome support!"

Band lineup:

Jon Howard (Threat Signal) - vocals
Jed Simon (Vimic, Strapping Young Lad, Scar The Martyr) - guitar
Brian "Beav" Waddell (Devin Townsend Project) - guitar
Byron Stroud (Strapping Young Lad) - bass
Ryan Van Poederooyen (Devin Townsend Project) - drums

Groundbreaker, featuring singer Steve Overland of FM and Robert Säll of Work Of Art and W.E.T., will release their self-titled debut album on September 14th. A "making of" video for the album can be found below. Pre-order Groundbreaker here.

The album is simply everything that a melodic rock fan could hope for: soaring hooklines, magnificent melodies, amazing musical performances, and in Overland, a stunning vocalist. Mixing the British and Swedish melodic rock/AOR styles, Groundbreaker is truly the best of both worlds and surely destined to be one of the highlights of the year in an already stellar year for melodic rock.

Groundbreaker came about when a conversation between Frontiers’ President Serafino Perugino and Overland revealed that the latter was eager to collaborate with new and exciting musicians from the European melodic rock scene. The idea was immediately brought up to involve Robert Sall of Work of Art and use Alessandro Del Vecchio’s production abilities. Overland loved the initial material that was submitted and consequently, they all started to work on songs. The process was very smooth and the final result was so good that everyone thought that the name “Groundbreaker” was the right way to describe the power and the vibe of the music.

"I’m the main composer for about half of the songs, but Ale and Steve wrote a lot as well,” tells Robert Sall. “I had to write songs with Steve's voice in mind and that was new, but very inspiring to me. But for any fan of FM or Work of Art, I think they will be very familiar with the sound of this record!"

“The idea for the album was to make a classic AOR album and I think between Robert, Alessandro, Pete Alpenborg and myself, we came up with a great collection of songs,” adds Overland. "I think this is some of the best material I've worked on in a while and all of the musicians on the record are fantastic, not only as players, but to work with. I knew of Robert's writing talents on the Work of Art records, but it really turned out to be a great collaboration and I'm so proud of the results! My personal favourite song on the record is "Will It Make You Love Me”. We’ve shot a video for it and I think it's truly a future classic!"

Tracklisting:

"Over My Shoulder"
"Will It Make You Love Me"
"Eighteen Til I Die"
"Only Time Will Tell"
"Tonight"
"Standing Up For Love"
"Something Worth Fighting For"
"The Sound Of A Broken Heart"
"The First Time"
"The Days Of Our Life"
"The Way It Goes"

"Making of" video:

"Over My Shoulder" video:

Lineup:

Steve Overland - Vocals
Robert Sall - Guitars
Nalley Pahlsson - Bass
Herman Furin - Drums
With Alessandro Del Vecchio - Keyboards

(Photo - Richard Manley)

Exmortus have released a new guitar instruction video for the intro to "Into The Maw Of Hell", a track from their fifth studio album, The Sound Of Steel, out now. Watch below:

A guitar instruction video for "Victory Or Death!" can be seen below:

The Sound Of Steel was released on June 8th via Prosthetic Records. In Japan, the album is overseen by Marquee Inc. The album was produced once again by Zack Ohren (Machine Head, Fallujah, Suffocation) at Sharkbite Studio while the band also enlisted artist, Philip Lawvere (Kreator, Celtic Frost, Helloween), to create the cover art.

Exmortus founder, vocalist and guitarist, Jadren “Conan” Gonzalez comments, "This new record takes the best from both Slave… and Ride… albums and adds a killer twist especially accentuated by Chase Becker and Carlos Cruz of Warbringer. While still paying homage to our classic favorites like Priest, Yngwie, Slayer, etc. We also deliver tastefully the extremities of black/death metal and of course the neo-classical structure/harmony that we are known for. This is what we believe to be The Sound Of Steel!"

The album is available all digital outlets, compact disc and LP, with 1,000 records being pressed initially in the follow colors:

- 250 battle axe blood splatter (Prosthetic webshop and sold by the band on tour)
- 250 blue and black marble (Prosthetic webshop and sold by the band on tour)
- 400 clear with blue and orange Splatter (available in retail stores worldwide)
- 100 white vinyl (Cargo Germany only)

Order here.

The Sound Of Steel tracklisting:

"Make Haste"
"Feast Of Flesh"
"Into The Maw Of Hell"
"To The Ends Of The Earth"
"A Minor Instrumental"
"Strength And Honor"
"Turn The Tide"
"Tempest"
"Riders Of Doom"
"Victory Or Death!"

"Victory Or Death!":

The Sound of Steel by Exmortus (Official)

"Feast Of Flesh" video:

"Make Haste" lyric video:

Exmortus will hit the road this summer headlining The Summer of Steel Tour. Featuring support from The Absence and Hatchet alongside Immortal Guardian, Black Fast and label mates Micawber on select shows; Exmortus will embark on tour dates across North America beginning June 28th in San Diego.

"We are stoked to unleash The Sound of Steel upon North America this summer! This is our first headlining tour and we're honored to have within our ranks: The Absence and Hatchet, as well as special regional guests -- Novareign, Immortal Guardian, Black Fast and Micawber. So, come and have your minds melted by the new tunes as well as old favorites! See you soon!" adds Exmortus founder, vocalist & guitarist Conan.

Dates:

June
28 - San Diego, CA - Brick By Brick
29 - Tucson, AZ - The Rock*
30 Albuquerque, NM - Launchpad*

July
1 - Tulsa, OK - The Shrine**
2 - Fort Worth, TX - Rail Club**
3 - Austin, TX - Come and Take It Live**
5 - Tampa, FL - Crowbar***
7 - Spartanburg, SC - Ground Zero***
8 - Richmond, VA - Canal Club
9 - Clifton, NJ - Dingbatz***
10 - Brooklyn, NY - St. Vitus
12 - Quebec City, QC - Source de le Martinere
13 - Toronto, ON - Hard Luck Bar
15 - Joliet, IL - The Forge****
17 - Kansas City, MO - Riot Room****
18 Denver, CO - Roxy Theater
19 Salt Lake City, UT - Club X
20 Boise, ID - The Shredder
22 Seattle, WA - Club SUR
23 Portland, OR - Twilight Cafe & Bar
24 Oakland, CA - Metro Opera House

* Exmortus only
** with Immortal Guardian
*** with Black Fast
*** *with Micwber

Exmortus is:

Jadran “Conan” Gonzalez - Vocals/Guitar
Chase Becker - Guitar
Phillip Cody Nuñez - Bass
Carlos Cruz - Drums

"One Of A Kind", the title track of Don Airey's new solo album released last month via earMUSIC, is now available for streaming. Listen to the song below.

In these days where everybody seems to want to show off at every given occasion, Don Airey is without a doubt One Of A Kind.

It is hard to find a name amongst all those that over the last 30 years have left their mark in the history of rock that has not utilized Don's keyboard skills at some point. Amongst them Ozzy Osbourne, Rainbow, Whitesnake, Judas Priest, Gary Moore, Brian May, Jethro Tull, Black Sabbath and, obviously, Deep Purple, the band of which Don Airey has been a full time member for over 15 years.

But Don Airey has never been a session player. Bands and artists work with him for his unique musical vision, for the twist he gives to songs. It is with the same passion, the same energy, the same talent that Don Airey approaches his very own songwriting.

One Of A Kind is a true classic hard rock gem with melodies, great riffs and solos and a unique band unity. To top it all, his new solo album has been written and recorded using the spirit of a band featuring the following talented musicians: Carl Sentance (from the current lineup of British legends Nazareth) is a singer that all fans of metal voices like those of Rob Halford and Graham Bonnet will love; Bassist Laurence Cottle, who has played with everyone from Black Sabbath, to Gary Moore, to Chick Corea, forges a great rhythm section with the thunderous talent of Jon Finnigan, apparently as loud on stage as he is at the after show parties. Last but definitely not least, there is the incredible talent of Simon McBride, who has no fear of being compared to the many incredible guitar players Don has worked with before.

One Of A Kind is one song after the other for the delight of every hard rock fan, who would be making a big mistake were they to overlook this album. The title is available on 2CD (including a bonus live CD) as well as on vinyl and digitally.

It is not difficult to see Don Airey playing one day with Deep Purple in front of 15,000 people, and the next day, playing the organ in the church of his beloved local village with the same concentration and respect for the music and the audience.

It is with the same spirit that Don shows no discernible effort moving from the glories of the last two Deep Purple albums (NOW What?! and inFinite both having benefitted from his ever present talent) to playing in clubs with his own band. And always with a big smile on his face as soon as the guitar roars in, waiting to reply with his Hammond.

One Of A Kind tracklisting:

"Respect"
"All Out Of Line"
"One Of A Kind"
"Everytime I See Your Face"
"Victim Of Pain"
"Running Free"
"Lost Boys"
"Need You So Bad"
"Children Of The Sun"
"Remember To Call"
"Stay The Night"

Bonus CD (Recorded live at Fabrik, Hamburg on March 14, 2017):

"Pictures Of Home" (originally by Deep Purple)
"Since You've Been Gone" (originally by Rainbow)
"I Surrender" (originally by Rainbow)
"Still Got The Blues" (originally by Gary Moore)

"One Of A Kind":

"Lost Boys" lyric video:

"Victim Of Pain":

US-based death/black metal act Cast The Stone, comprising original members Mark Kloeppel (Misery Index, Scour), Derek Engemann (ex-Cattle Decapitation, Scour), Jesse Schobel (Legend, ex-Scour) and vocalist Andy Huskey, have teamed up with Sick Drummer Magazine to premiere a drum playthrough video for the recently released single "As The Dead Lie". The track is taken from the band's upcoming six-track EP Empyrean Atrophy, due for release via Agonia Records on August 31st.

Watch Jesse Schobel perform "As The Dead Lie" below, and see his discuss the drumming approach at sickdrummermagazine.com.

The Empyrean Atrophy EO features cover artwork by Gary Ronaldson of Bite Radius Designs (Primordial, Kreator, Napalm Death).

First formations of Cast The Stone began in 2002, long before its protagonists departed for their better known metal-scene mainstays, including death metal bands Misery Index, Cattle Decapitation, and Scour with Phil Anselmo on vocals. While such ties leave a clear mark, Cast The Stone emerge not as some metal supergroup, but as a project of the original and purest intent of its membership.

Each of Cast The Stone members is involved in writing music, and each has varying tastes. But they all seem to have one acquired taste in common: an appetite for American and Swedish death metal. On Empyrean Atrophy, one can distinctly hear sounds similar to Dismember, Grave, At The Gates, and other proponents of the genre. There are also artisan elements one could liken to more dark and progressive Swedish acts such as Opeth, Edge Of Sanity and Dissection. Perhaps this reason alone, Dan Swanö was a clear choice for production (having produced or had been a member of some of the aforementioned bands).

Hybridizing the dark ferocity of Swedish death metal through a lens of American brutality, Cast The Stone hits a creative stride with Empyrean Atrophy. Guitarist Mark Kloeppel commented, "The band's sound is a testament to an enduring spirit that’s driven us to return to our most organic influences, merge them together, incorporate disparate elements, and forge our own sound. Each person has a distinct sound unto themselves, so it's really cool how smooth and cohesive this stuff comes across. You can immediately hear how different this is from the other things we've been involved in, yet it's still very true to our individual styles. Our bassist Derek progressively weaves my guitars and Jesse's uber-creative drumming style together in a way that only he can. This is all crowned off by Andy Huskey's crazy death metal vocals which are... well, just listen."

Tracklisting:

"As The Dead Lie"
"The Burning Horizon"
"Standing In The Shadows"
"A Plague Of Light"
"Empyrean Atrophy"
"Jesusatan"

"As The Dead Lie" lyric video:

Empyrean Atrophy will be available on:

- Digipack CD
- Black LP
- White LP (Bandcamp exclusive)
- Purple Splatter LP (Agonia Records Webshop exclusive)
- Digital files

Pre-order here.

Lineup:

Andrew Huskey - vocals
Mark Kloeppel - guitars
Derek Engemann - bass
Jesse Schobel - drums

The prolific heavy negative wizard metal warlock Rebel Wizard returns with another brew of fuzzed out black metal and classic NWOBHM.

On the forthcoming new album titled Voluptuous Worship Of Rapture And Response, Rebel Wizard masterfully captures fantasy and ferocity, spanning the gamut of artfully selected metal influence while simultaneously bulldozing limits with mind bending guitar virtuosity and adrenalized melodies. Each song is a unique state-altering experience, equal parts terrifying and utterly mesmerizing.

Descend into the underworld of extreme metal sorcery with the first album track, “The prophecy came and it was soaked with the common fools forboding”, streaming below.

Voluptuous Worship Of Rapture And Response will be released on August 17th via Prosthetic Records and will be available on all Digital Platforms, Compact Disc and Limited Unicorn Semen Edition LP. Pre-order here.

Voluptuous Worship Of Rapture And Response tracklisting:

"Persisting as it does"
"The prophecy came and it was soaked with the common fools forboding"
"High mastery of the woeful arts"
"Drunk on the wizdom of unicorn semen"
"The poor and ridiculous alchemy of Christ and Lucifer and us all"
"Mother Nature, oh my sweet mistress, showed me the other worlds and it was just fallacy"
"Majestic mystical burdens"
"Healing the chakras with heavy negative wizard metal"
"Voluptuous Worship Of Rapture And Response"
"Exhaustive glory"

"The prophecy came and it was soaked with the common fools forboding":

Fueled by a passion to bring horrific and grotesque sounds to their fans, Ottawa's A Scar For The Wicked have released a video for "The Unholy", the title track of their upcoming third EP, set to be unearthed on June 29th. Watch the clip below, pre-order the EP here.

Full of face-melting heaviness and a dark and evil atmosphere that offers more sickening death metal to the unsuspecting world, The Unholy follows their 2012 Machiavellian hymn to the dead Scars, and 2014's brutal assault The Necrobutcher.

The band comments: "The Unholy is a step-up from our previous EP The Necrobutcher. It’s heavier, more technical, faster, more melodic and flows very well from front to back. Silverwing Studios did an excellent production. The vocals often alternate from low to high in range and is accompanied by powerful backing-vocals. Every track is hard hitting and overall the EP and lyrical content have a very dark feel to them."

Since 2010, Ottawa's A Scar For The Wicked has been clawing their way through the Eastern Canadian metal scene playing fast, evil and energetic songs inspired by horror shows and films. Their favorite themes encompass zombies, demons and other evil creatures and for them, each song is executed as a short horror story accompanied by heavy music. Like most horror stories this is not for the faint of heart. There is a fair amount of gore, death and of course a very evil atmosphere, which is reflected in the band name as well.  

Guitarist Joe Lyko explains: “A Scar For The Wicked was really a twist on people marking the houses of where witches live, a mark on them so people knew to stay away; a scar as we like to look at it. I always liked the idea of thinking every time we play we leave a mark on the crowd, something to remind them of us.”

A Scar For The Wicked will be hosting an EP release show in their hometown of Ottawa on June 29th at Mavericks with a lineup of the city's most deathly metal bands. To pre-order the EP, click here.

Tracklisting:

"Born From The Grave"
"A Place Where Death Resides"
"The Abyss"
"Darkness Approaches"
"The Unholy"
"Malformed"
"Evil Within"

"The Unholy" video:

"Born From The Grave" lyric video:

German metallers POWERWOLF will release their seventh album, "The Sacrament Of Sin", on July 20 via Napalm Records. The follow-up to 2015's "Blessed & Possessed" was recorded at Fascination Street Studios in Örebro, Sweden with producer Jens Bogren, who has previously worked with KREATOR, DRAGONFORCE, SEPULTURA and PARADISE LOST, among others.

The official video for the song "Fire & Forgive" can be seen below.

POWERWOLF guitarist Matthew Greywolf told Overdrive about "The Sacrament Of Sin": "I would say the approach was to expand the territory a bit. I think 'The Sacrament Of Sin' has become the most diverse POWERWOLF album with the most variation in the music and a lot of new elements in our sound. At the same time, I think it's become a pretty typical POWERWOLF album in terms of atmosphere and power and character."

"The Sacrament Of Sin" also contains POWERWOLF's first ever attempt at a power ballad in the shape of a song called "Where The Wild Wolves Have Gone".

"The idea of writing a proper ballad was growing for a lot of years," Greywolf told Overdrive. "I think it was some years ago that on one of the tours, I was confessing to Attila that I was a big fan of those classic rock and metal ballads and he was confessing the same, so we agreed that one day we would write a ballad, no matter what. But it never worked in the past. The fact that we did as a part of 'Blessed & Possessed' showed us we could go for that, and that we were ready for it. Because, I mean, back then we covered 'Edge Of Thorns' from SAVATAGE, where we had those verses based on piano and vocals; and that was the first time we tried that, and it sounded pretty great! So when we started writing 'The Sacrament Of Sin', I had that in mind and I was quite confident that we could realize that long-planned ballad this time. Luckily, it all came together very well and I think, for me personally, it's one of the highlights of the album, definitely."

"The Sacrament Of Sin" track listing:

01. Fire & Forgive

02. Demons Are A Girl's Best Friend

03. Killers With The Cross

04. Incense And Iron

05. Where The Wild Wolves Have Gone

06. Stossgebet

07. Nightside Of Siberia

08. The Sacrament Of Sin

09. Venom Of Venus

10. Nighttime Rebel

11. Fist By Fist (Sacralize Or Strike)

12. Midnight Madonna (bonus track; only available at EMP and Napalm Records mailorder)

POWERWOLF will embark on the European "Wolfsnächte Tour 2018" in the fall. Swedish melodic metal sensation AMARANTHE and Germany's heavy/glam high flyers KISSIN‘ DYNAMITE will be joining in as special guests.

STONE SOUR has unveiled details of a deluxe release for its acclaimed 2017 LP, "Hydrograd". The two-disc set, "Hydrograd Deluxe Edition", collects unreleased covers, b-sides, live recordings and alternate versions of songs from "Hydrograd". Available for pre-order today along with a new exclusive t-shirt at StoneSour.com, the deluxe edition is highlighted by "Burn One Turn One", a previously unreleased b-side from "Hydrograd", which is streaming now accompanied by an official visual. "Burn One Turn One" is also available as an instant grat download with all pre-orders and available today at all digital service providers. Fans can also pre-order signed physical copies of "Hydrograd Deluxe Edition" via PledgeMusic. "Hydrograd Deluxe Edition" features 13 rare or unreleased songs including an acoustic version of the No. 1 rock song "Song #3", as well as covers of hits from RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE, SOUNDGARDEN and VAN HALEN. "Hydrograd Deluxe Edition" arrives worldwide August 31st.

"Hydrograd Deluxe Edition" track listing:

Disc 1:

01. YSIF

02. Taipei Person /Allah Tea

03. Knievel Has Landed

04. Hydrograd

05. Song #3

06. Fabuless

07. The Witness Trees

08. Rose Red Violent Blue (This Song Is Dumb & So Am I)

09. Thank God It's Over

10. St. Marie

11. Mercy

12. Whiplash Pants

13. Friday Knights

14. Somebody Stole My Eyes

15. When The Fever Broke

Disc 2:

01. Burn One Turn One

02. Bootleg Ginger

03. Live Like You're On Fire

04. Subversive

05. Unchained

06. Bombtrack

07. Outshined (Live at Sphere)

08. Song # 3 (Acoustic)

09. Mercy (Acoustic)

10. Rose Red Violent Blue (This Song Is Dumb & So Am I) (Acoustic)

11. The Witness Trees (Acoustic)

12. Mercy (Live at Sphere)

13. Fabuless (Live at Sphere)

"Hydrograd" was recorded at Sphere Studios in North Hollywood, California with producer Jay Ruston, who has previously worked with ANTHRAX and STEEL PANTHER.

STONE SOUR drummer Roy Mayorga told Topeka's rock station V100 about the making of "Hydrograd": "It came about pretty natural. It's just a collective of everyone. A lot of it was written together, live at my house. We demoed all of it at my studio at my house and just kind of pieced everything together there. We did five or six songs at a time, and every three months we'd get back together and do it that way. Corey [Taylor, vocals] would bring in some songs; Josh [Rand, guitar] would bring in some songs; Christian [Martucci, guitar] brought in a lot of stuff; I would submit some riffs to Christian and he would put 'em together… We wrote about, I'd say, 28 to 30 [songs], and we whittled it down to what you hear. You write as many as you can, you write the best songs you can, and then just pick from there."

STONE SOUR will support Ozzy Osbourne on the initial North American leg of the legendary vocalist's "No More Tours 2" tour, which kicks off August 30 in Allentown, Pennsylvania.

NONPOINT will release its tenth album, "X", on August 24. The follow-up to 2016's "The Poison Red" was produced by Fred Archambault, who has previously woked with ATREYU and AVENGED SEVENFOLD, among others.

Two songs from the effort, "Chaos And Earthquakes" and "Dodge Your Destiny", can be streamed below.

"X" track listing:

01. Empty Batteries

02. Chaos And Earthquakes

03. Fix This

04. Crashing

05. Passive Aggressive

06. Dodge Your Destiny

07. Wheel Against Will

08. Milestone

09. Feel The Way I Feel

10. Position One

11. Paralyzed

12. Fix This (Acoustic)

13. Generation Idiot (Live)

During an appearance on the "SixX Strings" podcast, NONPOINT vocalist Elias Soriano explained why the band took a hiatus after the end of the touring cycle in support of "The Poison Red" before starting work on the new disc.

"We needed a little bit of space to write a record to beat what we had accomplished with 'The Poison Red'," he said. "We made a big hurdle for ourselves, and we wanted this time to give ourselves a little bit of time, give ourselves more perspective, get the right person involved, and even there, luck threw a monkey wrench and changed up stuff for us. But you know what? Call it fate, call it whatever you want to call it — working with Fred Archambault was probably, in all the 10 records... we got to work with Johnny K, we've done records on our own, had some of the best mixers around — Tom Lord-Alge, Bob Clearmountain, huge people — take a stab at our records. Sitting down and working with Fred, for the first time in the recording process, I felt like things weren't being rushed or put to the side or added to a list of stuff that we hope we get to by the end of the recording process. He wanted to entertain the idea not only because it was an idea coming from one of the guys in the band, but he wanted to see what the hell it would sound like, whether or not it was cool. If we even doubted it for a second, he dug in deeper and goes, 'Well, maybe it's not the right tone. Let's try this.' It seemed like we weren't going to have enough time, but we actually finished a day early. It just really felt different this time, and it shows in the final product. I haven't been prouder of a record."

Asked whether NONPOINT was concerned that taking time off would have a detrimental impact on the group's career, Elias said: "That's the wrong reason. If you're grinding, you're grinding. That's one thing, especially with new bands — it's the only way you can really do it. But when you're here — tenth record, almost twenty-year career — you look at things and you go, 'What's more important to us right now? Keeping the train going, or giving them something that they're going to talk about?' For us, that was what we wanted to do, was go, 'Okay, we need a little bit of space to even see if that's the case.' We had never really taken that kind of break before. You want to shake things up a little bit? For us, it was really shaking things down. We needed to get away from it a little bit to go back to it with vigor and perspective that you don't have grinding constantly record to record to record. You're just in that routine. When you give yourself space, you itch. It was more about, like, hitting the reset button and wiping your mind of that constant music cycle that I'm on. I got to take my daughter to school every morning. I got to make breakfast; I got to pack her lunch; I got to pick her up. I got a chance to really step away from it, and it sent me right back in."

Elias said that he believes NONPOINT fans will "be excited" about "X" "because we went heavy. Go big or go home," he said. "Even Fred said when we were on the phone, he's, like, 'I want to make this a kick-in-the-dick record. I want people to feel like they just got clobbered.' I don't want someone to go, [nonchalantly] 'Hey, have you heard the new NONPOINT record?' I want people to go, [excitedly] 'Yo, did you hear the new NONPOINT? Have you heard the new stuff?' I think people are going to be like, 'Wow, I've been waiting for this record from these guys for a long time.'"

Photo by Tammy Vega

HALESTORM will release its fourth album, "Vicious", on July 27 via Atlantic. The second single from the disc, "Black Vultures", can be streamed below.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"Vicious" track listing:

01. Black Vultures

02. Skulls

03. Uncomfortable

04. Buzz

05. Do Not Disturb

06. Conflicted

07. Killing Ourselves To Live

08. Heart of Novocaine

09. Painkiller

10. White Dress

11. Vicious

12. The Silence

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

METAL ALLEGIANCE — with its four core members: David Ellefson (MEGADETH), Alex Skolnick (TESTAMENT), Mike Portnoy (THE WINERY DOGS, ex-DREAM THEATER) and Mark Menghi — began as a celebration of heavy metal, powered by the almost tribal bond shared between the extreme music community's most revered trailblazers, armed with a list of contributors onstage (and off) that read like a Wikipedia entry on the genre itself.

The band will release its sophomore album, "Volume II - Power Drunk Majesty", on September 7 via Nuclear Blast Entertainment. The thrash-worshiping disc merges old-school legends with the modern metallers of the scene to produce groove-driven, adrenaline-soaked anthems while tackling the frustrating state of the world.

Guest musicians on "Volume II - Power Drunk Majesty" include Trevor Strnad (THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER), John Bush (ARMORED SAINT), Bobby "Blitz" Ellsworth (OVERKILL), Mark Tornillo (ACCEPT), Max Cavalera (SOULFLY), Floor Jansen (NIGHTWISH) and Johan Hegg (AMON). The album also marks the return of Mark Oseguesda (DEATH ANGEL) and Troy Sanders (MASTODON).

The official video for the first single from the disc, "Mother Of Sin", featuring Ellsworth, can be seen below.

"Volume II - Power Drunk Majesty" was produced by Menghi and Skolnick while Mark Lewis of MRL Studios handled the mixing and mastering. The cover artwork was created by renowned artist Marcelo Vasco (SLAYER, MACHINE HEAD, SOULFLY, HATEBREED) and Rafael Tavares.

"Volume II - Power Drunk Majesty" track listing:

01. The Accuser (feat. Trevor Strnad)

02. Bound By Silence (feat. John Bush)

03. Mother Of Sin (feat. Bobby Blitz)

04. Terminal Illusion (feat. Mark Tornillo)

05. King With A Paper Crown (feat. Johan Hegg)

06. Voodoo Of The Godsend (feat. Max Cavalera)

07. Liars & Thieves (feat. Troy Sanders)

08. Impulse Control (feat. Mark Osegueda)

09. Power Drunk Majesty (Part I) (feat. Mark Osegueda)

10. Power Drunk Majesty (Part II) (feat. Floor Jansen)

Los Angeles craft beer connoisseurs Trappist brew forth their debut full-length Ancient Brewing Tactics, due out August 17th via Relapse Records. Stream two songs from the album: “Wolves In The Taproom”, and a re-recorded version of the previously released “No Corporate Beer”, below.

Trappist comments on the debut album: "Starting a beer-centric band came naturally, considering the many parallels between the hardcore and independent beer scenes. Both foster collaboration, community, and support of grass-roots efforts. It made sense to team up with our old pals at Relapse for this release since they've always supported our previous bands. But enough about us... your pint is getting warm!"

Physical packages are available via Relapse.com here, and digital downloads / streaming services here.

Formed in 2014 and consisting of scene legends Chris Dodge (Spazz, ex-Infest, ex-Despise You, etc.), Phil Vera (Crom, Despise You, ex-(16)-) and Ryan Harkins (co-owner of popular heavy metal-themed burger joint Grill Em’ All), Trappist have one clear mission, to annihilate the listener with a storm of d-beat, crust punk, powerviolence, and hardcore all in the name of BEER. Picture Discharge style punk and Xeroxed WWII photos with bombs replaced by casks, cans, and kegs.

Ancient Brewing Tactics is 21 tracks and 33 minutes of booze-induced chaos, bound to knock you on your ass faster than shotgunning a 15% Russian Imperial Stout. Trappist round out their alcohol-fueled blasts with special guest appearances by Tony Foresta (Municipal Waste, Iron Reagan), Steve Brooks (Torche), and Blake Harrison (Pig Destroyer). NO CORPORATE BEER.

For the ultimate sensory experience, Trappist have recommended a specific beer pairing for listeners to drink along to each song on the album! “Wolves in the Taproom” is paired with Sierra Nevada Barrel Aged Narwhal Imperial Stout and “No Corporate Beer” with Eagle Rock Brewery Amwolf Pilsner. The full tracklisting and beer pairing are available below. True aficionados only!

Ancient Brewing Tactics tracklisting and beer pairings:

"No Soldier Left Behind" (3 Floyds Zombie Dust Pale Ale)
"This Means Wort" (FiftyFifty Brewing Eclipse Imperial Stout)
"Tesguino" (Cerveza Fauna Penelope Coffee Porter)
"The Patron Saints" (Orval Belgian Pale Ale)
"Hymn To Ninkasi" (Beachwood Brewing Citraholic IPA)
"Waiting In Line - First Stanza" (Jackie O’s BBA Oil Of Aphrodite with Coffee Imperial Stout)
"Giving The Boot To Reinheitsgebot" (Schneider Weisse Aventinus Weizen Bock)
"Swignorant" (The Bruery Mash Barleywine)
"Nihamanchnihamnchii" (Insurgente La Lupolsa IPA)
"Frank The Tank" (Cigar City Hunahpu’s Imperial Stout)
"No Corporate Beer" (Eagle Rock Brewery Amwolf Pilsner)
"Victims Of A Bomber Raid" (Surly Brewing Darkness Russian Imperial Stout)
"99 Problems" (But A Beer Ain’t One) (TRVE Possession Saison)
"Proost-Op" (De Struise Black Albert Russian Imperial Stout)
"Waiting In Line - Second Stanza" (The Veil Brewing Daddy’s Home Triple IPA)
"To The Pint" (Thrash Zone Chris Dodge’s Ham Slappin’ Aru-Chu Ale Barley Wine)
"You’re The Reason" (Sante Adairius Saison Bernice Farmhouse Ale)
"Garbage Human" (Mikkeller Beer Geek Brunch Imperial Oatmeal Stout with Vietnamese Coffee)
"Waiting In Life - Third Stanza" (Lawson’s Finest Liquids Double IPA)
"Wolves In The Taproom" (Sierra Nevada Barrel Aged Narwhal Imperial Stout)
"Trappist-1: Final Gravity" (Zundert Trappist Abbey Tripel)

"Wolves In The Taproom":

"No Corporate Beer":

Trappist is:

Brother Dodge - Bass, Vocals, Brewing
Brother Vera - Guitars, Vocals, Fermentation
Brother Harkins - Drums, Vocals, Bottling

(Photo - Paul Lee)

As Swedish grindcore outfit AXIS OF DESPAIR — formed by current and former members of NASUM, COLDWORKER, INFANTICIDE, VOLTURYON, LIVET SOM INSATS, NERVGIFT, OVERTORTURE, and more — prepares its "Contempt For Man" debut full-length for July release through Southern Lord, two new tracks have been issued alongside preorders for the record.


AXIS OF DESPAIR's "Contempt For Man" propels with twenty super-charged, raging songs, clocking in around the half-hour mark. The album surges with blasting percussion delivered with savage force, yet every hit finding its target with pinpoint accuracy. The blazing, hook-laden riffs leave charred scars in their path, while lyrically the band unloads their noncompliance with humanity's declining ways. "Contempt For Man" was recorded by drummer Anders Jakobson at Soundlab Studios and in the band's rehearsal room summer 2017, mixed at Studio Ülgnor by Johan Berglund, and completed with artwork by Paul Romano (MASTODON, CIRCLE, HATE ETERNAL).


AXIS OF DESPAIR's "The Wolven Law" and "Crush The Empire" are now streaming alongside the previously released "A Life Of Ceaseless Grind".


Southern Lord will release "Contempt For Man" on LP, CD, and digital formats on July 27.


AXIS OF DESPAIR will perform at Obscene Extreme 2018 in Czech Republic on July 19, with more live actions to follow.


AXIS OF DESPAIR was formed in late 2013 by former COLDWORKER members Joel Fornbrant (vocals), Oskar Pålsson (bass) and Anders Jakobson (drums). The lineup was completed by guitarist Kristofer Jankarls (also in LIVET SOM INSATS) a few months later and the quartet focused on songwriting. The first recording took place in the spring of 2015 and the twelve tracks were released on the two seven-inch EPs — "Time And Again", released via Selfmadegod Records, and "Mankind Crawls", a co-release through Give Praise Records and Spela Snabbare Records. Following both EPs and several live shows, AXIS OF DESPAIR set to work on new material, striving to create a striking grindcore album with an aggressive, yet diverse selection of strong songs. The writing process was spread out over a year until the band went into the studio and begun the recordings in the summer of 2017, now set to arrive in the form of their debut album, "Contempt For Man".

Contempt for Man by Axis of Despair

THE DEAD DAISIES have released a new single and music video for "Dead And Gone", one of the crowd favourites off their latest album, "Burn It Down". The clip combines classic performance elements intertwined with appearances from the Undead, which were created, filmed and edited by legendary horror visionary Tony Valenzuela.

During the last run of shows in Europe and when in Berlin, the band filmed the performance sequences at Black Box Music (RAMMSTEIN, 30 SECONDS TO MARS, LINKIN PARK, MARILYN MANSON) with the zombie footage being shot, so to speak, in Los Angeles at the mythical Daisyland studios.

This also marks the official kick-off to the band's new Daisyland platform, which invites everyone from around the world to be a part of the band’s journey. From day one, THE DEAD DAISIES wanted to provide all lovers of rock music with a place to hang out, have a blast and enjoy the vibe without being ripped off for the experience. Daisyland is that place!

Singer John Corabi states about "Dead And Gone": "'Dead And Gone' is one of those tracks that must be played LOUD!!! It's got a great groove, and it's basically about living life, (responsibly) having fun, and not letting ANYBODY judge you for wanting to have a great time!!!!"

THE DEAD DAISIES are about to embark on their second Japanese headline tour followed by a stint of European headline shows and festivals with KISS, Joe Satriani, SCORPIONS and GUNS N' ROSES. August sees the band return to North America for a month-long run with longtime mate and current GN'R keyboard player Dizzy Reed and his HOOKERS & BLOW.

THE DEAD DAISIES are: Doug Aldrich (WHITESNAKE, DIO), John Corabi (MÖTLEY CRÜE, THE SCREAM), Marco Mendoza (WHITESNAKE, THIN LIZZY), Deen Castronovo (BAD ENGLISH, JOURNEY) and David Lowy (RED PHOENIX, MINK).

Maryland rockers CLUTCH have released "How To Shake Hands", the second single from their upcoming album, "Book Of Bad Decisions", as an instant-gratification track at iTunes and Amazon.


In addition, a very limited seven-inch picture disc in a transparent PVC pocket has been made available. "How To Shake Hands" is on the blue side and "Gimme The Keys" on the reverse, green side.


"How To Shake Hands" traces its lineage back to Ry Cooder and John Lee Hooker via the song "John Lee Hooker For President". In that song, Ry Cooder impersonates JLH giving a stump speech on what will happen when he becomes president. CLUTCH's original idea of covering the Ry Cooder song was soon abandoned as vocalist Neil Fallon said he couldn't do the song justice. Instead, Neil put his own lyrics in the style of Ry Cooder/JLH to a new CLUTCH song which ended up becoming the fast-paced "How to Shake Hands".


Each of the single releases from "Book Of Bad Decisions" is accompanied by a Spotify playlist put together by one of the bandmembers. In this instance, guitarist Tim Sult is responsible for surrounding "How To Shake Hands" with other songs to his liking.

"Since Neil mentioned Jimi Hendrix and Bill Hicks in 'How To Shake Hands', I decided to make a playlist including both," said Sult. "Classic guitar playing meets classic comedy. What could go wrong?"

"Book Of Bad Decisions", will be released on September 7 via the group's own Weathermaker Music label. The disc was completed at Sputnik Sound studio in Nashville, Tennessee with producer Vance Powell. The album cover was designed by renowned photographer Dan Winters.

CLUTCH has announced a fall 2018 "Book Of Bad Decisions Tour" with support from SEVENDUST and TYLER BRYANT & THE SHAKEDOWN.

On September 22, 2017, DEVIN TOWNSEND PROJECT played a special show at the Ancient Roman Theatre in Plovdiv, Bulgaria, celebrating the 20th anniversary of Devin's landmark "Ocean Machine" album in full, as well as a set of fan-requested tracks alongside the Orchestra of Plovdiv State Opera. This concert was filmed, and on July 6, 2018, it will see the light of day as "Ocean Machine - Live at the Ancient Roman Theatre Plovdiv".

The second video to be taken from the live release, a performance of the track "Regulator", can be seen below.

Devin comments: "Plovdiv and this live package represents a lot to me, it signifies the end of one era, and the celebration of another. Amidst a gruelling touring year, this show came together with much blood, sweat, and tears, and the result is the culmination of many aspects of my work on one stage.


"'Ocean Machine' was released 20 years ago, and though Marty (drums) is no longer with us, I was able to finally perform the album in its entirety with the original bassist John 'Squid' Harder on this night. On a cold evening in an old city in the ancient theatre, many lifelong milestones came to a conclusion on this night and I'm exceptionally proud of it.


"I am currently writing, writing, and writing some more for the next stage of my life and work, and the team of individuals who contributed to this project, from the musicians in the band and orchestra, to the crews locally and with this, management, artists, filmographers and most importantly, the audience... made this night a powerful and strangely bittersweet moment I am proud to have documented with this work.


"This is a very special live recording of a very special night, and I hope you enjoy it as a monument to the things that inspired it all in the first place."


"Ocean Machine - Live at the Ancient Roman Theatre Plovdiv" will be available as a limited deluxe 3CD/2DVD/Blu-ray artbook (with liner notes from Devin and a special documentary dubbed "Reflecting The Chaos" on the second DVD & Blu-Ray), special edition 3CD/DVD digipak, standalone Blu-ray and as digital audio download.

"Ocean Machine - Live at the Ancient Roman Theatre Plovdiv" track listing:

By Request with Orchestra

01. Truth

02. Stormbending

03. Om

04. Failure

05. By Your Command

06. Gaia

07. Deadhead

08. Canada

09. Bad Devil

10. Higher

11. A Simple Lullaby

12. Deep Peace


Ocean Machine

01. Seventh Wave

02. Life

03. Night

04. Hide Nowhere

05. Sister

06. 3 A.M.

07. Voices In The Fan

08. Greetings

09. Regulator

10. Funeral

11. Bastard

12. The Death Of Music

13. Things Beyond Things


DEVIN TOWNSEND PROJECT released the much-acclaimed "Transcendence" in late 2016, before embarking on one of its biggest world tours ever. This new live release marks the end of an era, as DEVIN TOWNSEND PROJECT was disbanded in early 2018 to pave the way for Devin to focus on numerous other creative, musical endeavors of which he is currently hard at work on.

"Dreamer", the new video from heavy rockers LUCIFER, can be seen below. The song is taken from LUCIFER's second studio album, "Lucifer II", which will be released on July 6 via Century Media Records.

Apart from a new label home, the follow-up to 2015's "Lucifer I" also marks the first studio release of the new LUCIFER incarnation now consisting of vocalist Johanna Sadonis, guitarist Robin Tidebrink, and multi-instrumentalist Nicke Andersson, who plays drums and also took over bass and guitar when recording "Lucifer II". The band's live lineup also features Martin Nordin (DEAD LORD) on guitar and bass player Alexander Mayr.

"'Dreamer' was the first song Nicke and I wrote together," says Sadonis, while Andersson adds: "We got one horse, one cemetary and one band. That makes up for a pretty good video in my eyes."


"Lucifer II" was recorded at the Honk Palace in Stockholm. It was mixed by Ola Ersfjord (DEAD LORD, TRIBULATION, PRIMORDIAL) at Cuervo Recording Service in Madrid.


Originally, LUCIFER formed in Berlin back in 2014 consisting of Sadonis and members of CATHEDRAL, ANGEL WITCH and LADYTRON. The first seven-inch single, "Anubis", and debut album, "Lucifer I", were released by British label Rise Above Records, quickly establishing the group as a promising new act offering excellent 1970s hard rock with a good dose of proto metal and doom added to the mix. Citing BLACK SABBATH, DEEP PURPLE, BLUE ÖYSTER CULT, LUCIFER'S FRIEND, STEPPENWOLF, 70's HEART and FLEETWOOD MAC as inspiration, LUCIFER corrupted the souls of many and achieved international recognition on tours through Europe, USA, Canada and Japan.


With a shift of constellation within the band in 2016 and Sadonis moving from Berlin to Stockholm, LUCIFER is now ready for an exciting new chapter in its career. With Nicke Andersson, Sadonis found a congenial new songwriting partner, and "Lucifer II" turns out to be a strong sonic statement.

Johanna stated about "Lucifer II": "Maybe I could say it's different from the first LUCIFER album, which was because that first album was written with Gaz Jennings of CATHEDRAL. It had a very particular sound. The new album that has been written with Nicke and me is even more so in the vein of what my original vision of LUCIFER was. I'm very stoked. I think this new album digs even deeper into the record crates of the '70s and opens up even more. There's a whole variety of different moods and songs in there. I think it opens up, hopefully, to more people. For me, it certainly was an expansion."

U.D.O., the German metal band led by former ACCEPT frontman Udo Dirkschneider, will release its new album, "Steelfactory", on August 31 via AFM. The official EPK (Electronic Press Kit) for the disc is available below.


According to a press release, "Steelfactory" sees "U.D.O. return to their core competence, clearly influenced by their past shows with DIRKSCHNEIDER, the songs in their rousingly simple straightness have a hymn character, as it is only known from the past."

The press release continues: "'Steelfactory' has become a timeless metal album and thus the impressive statement of a master of his craft. With its earthy, punchy and handmade sound — with the participation of the Danish producer Jacob Hansen (among others, VOLBEAT) — 'Steelfactory' meets the nerve of the time, which may be triggered again since the successful DIRKSCHNEIDER tour worldwide."

"Steelfactory" track listing:

01. Tongue Reaper

02. Make The Move

03. Keeper Of My Soul

04. In The Heat Of The Night

05. Raise The Game

06. Blood On Fire

07. Rising High

08. The Devil Is An Angel (digipack bonus track)

09. Hungry And Angry

10. One Heart One Soul

11. Pictures In My Dreams (digipack bonus track)

12. A Bite Of Evil

13. Eraser

14. Rose In The Desert

15. The Way


Dirkschneider has spent the last two years touring under the DIRKSCHNEIDER banner, performing classic ACCEPT songs for the last time. The trek, which was originally supposed to conclude with the band's North American run in January/February 2017, has now been extended through the fall of 2018.

Guitarist Stefan Kaufmann recently rejoined U.D.O. for the group's summer festival appearances.

Kaufmann left U.D.O. in September 2012 for health reasons.

He was the drummer for ACCEPT on nine albums but was forced to give up drumming towards the end of the band's initial run after sustaining a serious injury to his back.

Stefan joined U.D.O. as a guitar player in 1996, following ACCEPT's second breakup, and recorded nine albums with them, including his most recent release with the group, 2011's "Rev-Raptor".


In addition to Udo and his son Sven (drums), the DIRKSCHNEIDER and U.D.O. bands include bassist Fitty Wienhold and guitarist Andrey Smirnov.

Punky Meadows and Frank Dimino of ANGEL played to a packed house June 15 at Count's Vamp'd in Las Vegas when, unexpectedly, former ANGEL keyboardist Gregg Giuffria walked onto the stage to the roar and cheers of shocked fans and kicked off "The Tower" for the encore. The crowd was in a trance and Gregg sounded great, as if he never stopped playing with the guys. The chemistry and vibe was magical.

This was the first time Gregg, Punky and Frank performed together in over 37 years. You can clearly see in the video footage below that he was really enjoying himself, as did Punky, Frank, and the rest of the band on stage. This was a very special moment for ANGEL fans indeed.

Meadows and DiMino are continuing their joint tour, with stops including Chicago, Detroit, St. Louis and Nashville. They will also play in the U.K. for the first time in October.

The band is rounded out by Danny Farrow (rhythm guitar), Charlie Calv (keyboards), Steve O'Jane (bass) and Billy Orrico (drums) and is delivering a full ANGEL set with select solo material from DiMino's 2015 solo effort "Old Habits Die Hard" and Meadows's 2016 release "Fallen Angel".

DiMino joined Meadows on stage for the first time in over 30 years in March 2017 to perform the ANGEL song "Tower" at the Backstage Bar And Billiards in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Punky and Frank, along with other former members of ANGEL, appeared at the 2016 Vegas Rocks! Hair Metal Awards at the Eastside Cannery Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas. The group received the "Glam Rock Legends" award in honor of their contributions and influence in music. Accepting the award were Meadows, DiMino, Gregg Giuffria, Barry Brandt, and Felix Robinson. This marked the first time all surviving ANGEL bandmembers — bassist Mickie Jones passed away from cancer in 2009 — had been on stage together since 1980.

Formed in 1975 by Meadows and Jones in Washington D.C., ANGEL straddled the fence between the prog-rock pomp of YES and ELP, the orchestral hard pop of QUEEN, BOSTON and ELO, and the riff-heavy raunch-rock of KISS and AEROSMITH. They were discovered by KISS bassist/vocalist Gene Simmons while performing at a nightclub and were eventually signed to the same label as KISS, Casablanca.

Released in the fall of 1975, the band's self-titled debut was promoted with a number of live appearances on the great American arena circuit with the likes of AEROSMITH, BLUE ÖYSTER CULT, JOURNEY and RUSH. The group's gimmick — the members were all dressed in white — got them labeled the "anti-KISS" by rock critics, and their spectacular stage show was so over the top that even Simmons & Co. were said to have been inspired by it.

ANGEL started to fall apart in the early 1980s after Casablanca pulled the plug on the group due in part to disappointing album sales. In 1981, Robinson and DiMino left to pursue other projects. Meadows and Giuffria tried to keep ANGEL going and came close to landing a record deal with CBS. But it didn't pan out, and ANGEL finally disbanded.

Fan-filmed video footage of SLAYER's June 20 performance at Austin360 Amphitheater in Austin, Texas can be seen below.

SLAYER kicked off its farewell tour on May 10 at the Valley View Casino Center in San Diego, California.

This past January, SLAYER announced that it would do one last concert tour around the globe to thank their fans for all of their support over the years, for making the last three and a half decades so packed with good times and unforgettable experiences, and then move on.

SLAYER bassist/vocalist Tom Araya talked about his possible retirement in a 2016 interview with Loudwire. He said: "At 35 years, it's time to collect my pension. [Laughs] This is a career move." He continued: "I'm grateful that we've been around for 35 years; that's a really long time. So, yeah, to me, it is. Because when we started off, everything was great, because you're young and invincible. And then there came a time where I became a family man, and I had a tough time flying back and forth. And now, at this stage, at the level we're at now, I can do that; I can fly home when I want to, on days off, and spend some time with my family, which is something I wasn't able to do when [my kids] were growing up. Now they're both older and mature. So now I take advantage of that." Araya added: "Yeah, it just gets harder and harder to come back out on the road. 35 years is a long time."

Tom also revealed another reason for his diminished enjoyment of the touring life. He said: "There's things that have gone on in my life that have made me change how I play as a bass player. I had neck surgery, so I can't headbang anymore. And that was a big part of what I enjoyed doing what I do — singing and headbanging. I liked knowing that I was one of the fucking badass headbangers. That played a big part. Now I just groove with the music, which is cool, because I'm grooving with the music and the feel of the songs, so that's changed a little for me."

SLAYER has been touring in support of its latest album, "Repentless", which was released in September 2015 via Nuclear Blast. That effort marked the band's first release since the death of SLAYER's co-founding guitarist Jeff Hanneman.

Hanneman contracted necrotizing fasciitis, also known as flesh-eating disease, in January 2011 from a spider bite in his backyard. The infection ravaged the flesh and tissues of Hanneman's arm, leading to numerous surgeries, skin grafts and intense periods of rehab that forced him into semi-retirement and left him near death at several points.

Hanneman eventually died in May 2013 from alcohol-related cirrhosis of the liver. He is credited for writing many of SLAYER's classic songs, including "Angel Of Death" and "South Of Heaven".

Original SLAYER drummer Dave Lombardo was effectively fired from the band after sitting out the group's Australian tour in February/March 2013 due to a contract dispute with the other members of SLAYER. He has since been replaced by Paul Bostaph, who was previously SLAYER's drummer from 1992 until 2001 and recorded four albums with the band.

SLAYER has U.S. dates booked through August 26 at San Jose, California's SAP Center. The band will embark on the European leg of its "farewell" tour in the fall. Support on the trek will come from LAMB OF GOD, ANTHRAX and OBITUARY.

Californian punk rockers BAD RELIGION have released a brand new song called "The Kids Are Alt-Right". A nod to THE WHO's 1965 anthem "The Kids Are Alright", it is a sharp takedown of the alt-right movement, captured in lyrics that cut right to the core (e.g., "Humanity is a nowhere scene/When everybody has an AR-15"). With its lyric video offering an onslaught of unnerving images — girls taking selfies in KKK hoods, chalk body outlines as constellations — "The Kids Are Alt-Right" returns to the powerful and melodic Southern California hardcore sound that BAD RELIGION defined on albums like "Suffer", "No Control" and "Recipe For Hate".

BAD RELIGION's last studio album, "True North", was released in 2013. Singer Greg Graffin promised in early 2017 that another record was "on the horizon." But, he cautioned, "'True North' was such a good album that I don't want to put out something that indicates we're aging. [Laughs] We do plan on getting another record out there, hopefully before our 40th anniversary [in 2020]."

The next BAD RELIGION album will be the band's first full-length studio effort with Mike Dimkich (replacing Greg Hetson) on guitar and Jamie Miller (replacing Brooks Wackerman) on drums. The band last released the EP "Christmas Songs" in 2013.

Los Angeles hard rock trio OWL has just released a new single, "Believe", via Overit Records. The song is available on all digital platforms.

The band, which consists of Chris Wyse (vocals, bass), Eric Bradley (guitar, vocals) and Dan Dinsmore (drums) — taps directly into the unseen on the track, which is the first effort for Bradley after he rejoined OWL since his recording with the group on its self-titled release. Eric met Chris when they both were in the Jerry Cantrell band in 2003. Eric also played guitar on "Owl" in 2007.

"Believe" taps into a very personal and exploritive topic. Chris has long been interested in creating wonder and exploration and wanted no limitations on the creation of the song. The approach to the recording emphasized a live approach with pushing the boundaries on how upright bass and bow can be integrated into the music in innovative ways. The track encompises materializing what a person believes and taking control of destiny.

OWL camped out at Overit Studios in upstate New York to record "Believe" in between Wyse's touring activities with Ace Frehley and the HOLLYWOOD VAMPIRES.

Chris is touring the world with the VAMPIRES this summer and is excited about the future of OWL.

Corey Taylor has said that SLIPKNOT fans should be should be expecting something "fucking dangerous" on the band's next album.

The new SLIPKNOT disc is tentatively due out in 2019 and will follow up 2014's ".5: The Gray Chapter".

"It's only in the demo stages right now," Taylor told Kerrang! magazine. "However, we have very serious, tentative plans — and I say that because the best way to make God laugh is to announce your plans out loud — to go into the studio at the beginning of next year and get this fucker going. We have 16 songs written right now, and they are fucking dangerous.

"I loved '.5', but this album, to me, makes '.5' look like nobody's business," he continued. "This is 'Iowa' levels of heavy. And I have to go out and tour this shit at my age — I can feel those songs in my back! I am really, really excited about it, and I talk to the guys in SLIPKNOT all the time. I talk to Clown either every day, or every other day. I've been talking to Jim, V-man, Jay, Mick, Craig, Chris, Sid. We're all really, really, really excited about this stuff, and it's coming together really fucking well. So be prepared for 2019 — which, weirdly, is the 20th anniversary of our first album. Shit's about to get fucking real again! So take that as you will."

Taylor recently told Full Metal Jackie's nationally syndicated radio program that the lyrics he's writing for the next SLIPKNOT LP are perhaps his most personal yet. The singer, who separated from his wife more than a year ago and has since gone public with a new relationship, said: "It's been a heavy couple of years for me personally. So I'm working out some things, personally for myself, which has been great. I've been able to kind of grab hold of some of the depression that I've been fighting and kind of formulate the way that I want to describe it. So some of these lyrics are, to me, some of the best I've ever written. It's probably the most I've shared in years."

Taylor added that the reaction from the other members of SLIPKNOT to the lyrics has been "fantastic," saying, "I know Clown was, like, just blown away by how open and raw it all felt. It felt like the old days."

Even though he's been on the road with STONE SOUR, Taylor said that "it's been great watching the process and getting involved with the process" of writing new SLIPKNOT songs, continuing, "Hearing the music that... everybody else in the band has been really working on, and being able to listen to it with fresh ears and come at it from different standpoints has been really fulfilling."

".5: The Gray Chapter" was released following a six-year hiatus during which founding SLIPKNOT bassist Paul Gray died and drummer Joey Jordison was dismissed.

".5: The Gray Chapter" sold around 132,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to land at position No. 1 on The Billboard 200 chart. The CD arrived in stores in October 2014 via Roadrunner.

Gray died in 2010 from a drug overdose, while Jordison was let go in December 2013, just before SLIPKNOT began recording the last album.

Female vocalist Pamela Moore, who is best known for her performance as Sister Mary on QUEENSRŸCHE's 1988 epic release "Operation: Mindcrime" and 2006's sequel "Operation: Mindcrime II", has released a video for the song "WiFi Zombie". The track is taken from Moore's new album, "Behind The Veil".

A team of masterful musicians helped bring this masterpiece to life: Rudy Sarzo (QUIET RIOT, OZZY OSBOURNE) on bass, Casey Grillo (KAMELOT, QUEENSRŸCHE) on drums, Michael Posch on guitar and orchestration and newcomer Craig Church on guitar and orchestration. The record also features special guest appearances by Ralf Scheepers (PRIMAL FEAR), Randy Piper (W.A.S.P.) and Elliot Anders.

"I am very grateful and deeply honored to have such amazingly talented friends who agreed to join me on this album," Pamela said.

"'Behind The Veil' is by far my most personal work yet. The sudden loss of my mother really hit home and left me asking some very difficult questions. It was a reality check of sorts and that's what I would say 'Behind The Veil' has become... a reality check.

"Life is short. Don't waste it. Run for your life and always be grateful that you still can run!"

Moore is a proven musical powerhouse and veteran entertainer. A native of Seattle, Washington, Pamela moved to New York City in the late nineties to become the singer for RADAR, recording the band's 2000 release, 'R.P.M." When RADAR dissolved in 2001, Pamela returned to the Pacific Northwest. Pamela continued following her passion, making guest appearances on various albums in the next decade. Pamela also toured with QUEENSRŸCHE between 2003 and 2008 as a featured vocalist and stage actress. That tour reignited Pamela's desire to record her own album, and she began writing songs with former RORSCHACH TEST guitarist Benjamin Anderson. The two found instant chemistry as Pamela's lyrics and melodies brought Anderson's musical ideas to life. "Stories From A Blue Room", released in 2006 under Planet Sweet Records, was the compelling result. The eleven-track album featured guest vocals from Terri Nunn (BERLIN) and contributions from guitarists Michael Wilton (QUEENSRŸCHE) and Jeff Loomis (NEVERMORE).

After touring extensively with QUEENSRŸCHE, Pamela took her time finding the perfect collaborators for her next album, "Resurrect Me". Chicago-based guitarist Michael Posch (RADAKKA) provided potent, addictive metal grooves and soundscapes. Combined with Pamela's stylistic, emotive power vocals and inquisitive lyrics, they created pure metal magic. "Resurrect Me" was released in 2013, with very happy fans across the globe.

"Behind The Veil" track listing:

01. Rise

02. Sickness

03. Beneath The Voodoo Marsh

04. My Eternal

05. Slow Burn

06. WiFi Zombie

07. These Scars

08. Just Breathe

09. Undertow

10. Run

According to Variety, RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS bassist Flea has put his home in the Los Feliz area of Los Angeles, California on the market at $2.997 million.

Flea, whose real name is Michael Balzary, and his wife, Frankie Rayder, bought the house less than four years ago for $2.47 million.

The listing at the real estate firm Compass states about the property: "Prominently sited on a large corner lot, this 1939 traditional is gated and private. The formal entry with Magnasite floors and double foyer create an elegant first impression. Large bay windows in the living room and formal dining room give the home an airy livability."

The listing adds: "The cook's kitchen with high-end appliances serves a charming breakfast room with French doors that lead to a covered patio with built-in bbq. A wood-paneled den with fireplace is both warm and comfortable. A guest suite completes the first floor. The second floor features a master bedroom with walk-in closet, spacious bath, office, and exterior terrace. There are two additional en-suite bedrooms. The swimmers pool and spa are surrounded by lush gardens and mature trees. Close to Griffith Park and all that Los Feliz has to offer."

Flea and Rayder reportedly also own a two-plus-acre compound in Malibu's Encinal Bluffs that was purchased 12 years ago for $10 million.

Canada’s fast-growing independent metal band and Juno Award nominees, Striker, will be back with their sixth studio album Play To Win this fall.

Guitarist Tim Brown has put their newest project into words: "Play To Win is bigger and better than anything we've done before. This is our 6th album, and for this one we have a few new tricks up our sleeve that we picked up while touring around the world with all kinds of amazing artists. This album was an absolute blast to put together and is designed from the ground up to get your party started."

Starting in summer, the pioneers of The New Wave of Traditional Heavy Metal are planning a huge pre-order campaign for anyone who can’t stand helplessly waiting for the release day. In the meantime they’re taking the chance to get back onto the European stages for eight cult club shows and a blast at the best festival there is for this kind of music: Bang Your Head!!!

Live dates:

July
10 - Bambi Galore - Hamburg, Germany
11 - MTS Records - Oldenburg, Germany
12 - Café central - Weinheim, Germany
13 - Bang Your Head - Balingen, Germany
14 - Helvete - Oberhausen, Germany
15 - Little Devil - Tilburg, Netherlands
16 - Elpee - Deinze, Belgium
17 - Colosseum - Genk, Belgium

(Photo - Dana Zuk Photography)

Fan-filmed video footage of ALICE IN CHAINS' June 20 concert at the Gröna Lund amusement park in Stockholm, Sweden can be seen below.

ALICE IN CHAINS guitarist Jerry Cantrell said in a recent interview with SiriusXM that the band's new single, "The One You Know", was inspired by legendary late rock artist David Bowie. Cantrell explained: "It's really aggressive. It's got a super-aggro riff. I was thinking kind of Bowie when I was writing it, a little bit, so it's got kind of a metal 'Fame' shuffle to it, kind of almost. It's a good aggro riff and it's got the classic ALICE IN CHAINS chorus, with a weird kind of trippy middle part."

"The One You Know" is taken from ALICE IN CHAINS' upcoming sixth full-length studio LP, which is due out later this year. The title has not yet been revealed.

Cantrell added about the new disc: "I wouldn't say that the rest of the record sounds like ['The One You Know'], but that's a good indicator of what the rest of the record kind of feels like. There's a lot of edgy stuff there, a lot of rocking stuff, a lot of weird stuff, and some pretty stuff in there too."

The new LP follows up 2013's "The Devil Put Dinosaurs Here". Regarding the five-year gap between records, Cantrell remarked: "We've been really fortunate in most of our career to be able to make music when we feel like it rather than having to be on somebody else's schedule, which is really nice. So we take advantage of that."

ALICE IN CHAINS will start a new North American tour leg on August 22 in Vancouver.

Syracuse.com is reporting that Foreigner fans are furious that the band's original singer Lou Gramm was a no-show at the band's Tuesday night's concert in Syracuse.

Live Nation announced on Friday that Rochester native Lou Gramm, the original voice of Foreigner, would reunite with the classic rock band at the St. Joseph's Health Amphitheater at Lakeview (formerly Lakeview Amphitheater). However, Gramm never showed.

A source had also told Syracuse.com that Gramm would perform a few select songs with Foreigner. But all the estimated crowd of 8,000 heard was Foreigner's current lead singer, Kelly Hansen. Guitarist Mick Jones was the only original member on stage.

The show also included performances by special guests Whitesnake and Jason Bonham's Led Zeppelin Evening.

"Was wondering why lou didn't make it to the concert in Syracuse tonight?" one fan wrote on Lou Gramm's fan club page on Facebook. "They announced that he was gonna come for a couple of songs. If he's still sick I hope he feels better soon."

Live Nation, St. Joseph's Health Amphitheater at Lakeview, Foreigner and Gramm have not commented. Social media posts by Live Nation and the Amp's official accounts still say Gramm was supposed to perform.

Find out what happened at Syracuse.com.

Tour dates:

June
20 - Boston, MA - Blue Hills Bank Pavilion
22 - Wantagh, NY - Northwell Health at Jones Beach
23 - Camden, NJ - BB&T Pavilion
26 - Cincinnati, OH - Riverbend Music Center
27 - Burgettstown, PA - KeyBank Pavilion
29 - Bristow, VA - Jiffy Lube Live
30 - Holmdel, NJ - PNC Bank Arts Center

July
3 - Raleigh, NC - Walnut Creek Amphitheater
4 - Charlotte, NC - PNC Music Pavilion
6 - Nashville, TN - Ascend Amphitheater
7 - Alpharetta, GA - Verizon Amphitheatre
8 - Simpsonville, SC - Heritage Park Amphitheatre
10 - Cuyahoga Falls, OH - Blossom Music Center
11 - Chicago, IL - Huntington Bank Pavilion at Northerly Island
13 - Noblesville, IN - Ruoff Home Mortgage Music Center
15 - Clarkston, MI - DTE Energy Music Theatre
17 - Kansas City, MO - Starlight Theatre
18 - St. Louis, MO - Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre
20 - The Woodlands, TX - Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion
21 - Irving, TX - The Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory
24 - Denver, CO - Pepsi Center
25 - West Valley City, UT - Usana Amphitheater
27 - Auburn, WA - White River Amphitheatre
28 - Ridgefield, WA - Sunlight Supply Amphitheatre
31 - Chula Vista, CA - Mattress Firm Amphitheatre

August
1 - Irvine, CA - Five Point Amphitheater

King Company have released a video for "Living In A Hurricane", featured on the upcoming Queen Of Hearts album. Watch below.

King Company was formed in 2014 by drummer Mirka ‘Leka’ Rantanen (Raskasta Joulua, Warmen, ex-Thunderstone, ex-Kotipelto) together with a number of well known musicians from the Finnish hard rock and metal scene: Antti Wirman (Warmen), Jari Pailamo (Kiuas, Ponies To Kill), Timo Schleifer (Enfarce) and original singer Pasi Rantanen. The band released their debut album, One For The Road, in August 2016.

The band toured their home territory in 2017, but Pasi Rantanen wound up having severe vocal cord problems and eventually could not sing at all. With a tour of Spain already booked, a high pressure search for a replacement singer resulted in the band finding the perfect candidate on….YouTube! Italian-Argentinian Leonard F. Guillan accepted the job and, proving to be a great live performer, ended up joining the band as their permanent lead vocalist.

"He gives 110% for the band and his enthusiasm is easily transmitted to everybody. Also, he’s a great showman. I had never before seen a guy who runs to the top of the bar and sings there for the audience!” says Mirka Rantanen.

Leonard was stoked to join the band and the vocal recordings for the band's new album were finally able to begin.

"I think the most relevant progression on this album is that this time pretty much all the songs were written after the first album came out,“ continues Mirka. “On that record, you can hear a few very old songs, but the new material is really fresh and the new record will give the listener a much better picture of what kind of band we have become. Also, we have grown up a lot as a band, which means that we play better and are more relaxed together - and it of course affected the songs and feelings when we were recording the album."

The new album, Queen Of Hearts, will be released on August 10th, following which King Company will tour to promote it, beginning in Finland, followed by a festival appearance in Spain and further shows in the works for the remainder of the year and well into 2019. Pre-order here.

Tracklisting:

"Queen Of Hearts"
"One Day Of Your Life"
"Stars"
"Living In A Hurricane"
"Under The Spell"
"Never Say Goodbye"
"Learn To Fly"
"Berlin"
"King For Tonight"
"Living The Dream"
"Arrival"
"Good Thing" (Bonus Track, Digital)

"Living In A Hurricane" video:

"One Day Of Your Life" lyric video:

Lineup:

Leonard F. Guillan - vocals
Antti Wirman - guitars
Jari Pailamo - keyboards
Time Schleifer - bass
Mirka Rantanen - drums