Follow Lacuna Coil as they take the stage in Chile, Brazil, Argentina, Peru and Mexico during their Delirium World Tour 2017 in this behind-the-scenes and live documentary directed by bassist Marco Coti Zelati. 

Rezophonic is a musical project organized by Mario Riso, who is also co-founder of Rock TV in Italy. They have released a new single entitled "Mayday" featuring Lacuna Coil. Check it out below.

Profits from the music goes to the African Medical And Research Foundation (AMREF). For information on Rezophonic go to this location.

Check out video below of Lacuna Coil vocalist Cristina Scabbia performing the Dead Or Alive hit "You Spin Me Round" with Rezophonic in London back in 2010.

Queen Of Time (Nuclear Blast), the latest offering of melancholic progressive metallers Amorphis entered the charts worldwide, including #1 in Finland. In Germany, Finland, France, Switzerland, UK and USA they even improved their chart result of the precursor Under The Red Cloud and in almost every country they had the best ever Amorphis chart entry.

Comments Esa Holopainen:

"Unbelievable to have such an amazing chart entries. Despite the fact that most critics love Queen Of Time, it‘s not obvious that the album is going to sell well, especially at year 2018. Like we‘ve told before, we have the most lovable and loyal fans in the whole universe. Humble THANK YOU to every single person who has bought, streamed or otherwise grabbed Queen Of Time. We put all our sweat and tears into this album so you better believe that the great success of Queen Of Time feels amazing!"

Queen Of Time can be ordered in various formats here.

Queen Of Time tracklisting:

"The Bee"
"Message In The Amber"
"Daughter Of Hate"
"The Golden Elk"
"Wrong Direction"
"Heart Of The Giant"
"We Accursed"
"Grain Of Sand"
"Amongst Stars"
"Pyres On The Coast"

Bonus Tracks (Digi, 2LP, and Mailorder Edition only)
"As Mountains Crumble"
"Brother And Sister"

"Amongst Stars" video:

"Wrong Direction" video:

"The Bee" lyric video:

Amorphis will return to North America for a co-headlining trek with Dark Tranquillity this September/October. Joining them are Portugal's premiere gothic-metallic-force Moonspell, and Finnish melo-death contingent Omnium Gadtherum.

Guitarist Esa Holopainen commented: "We are extremely excited to start the world tour with new album from North America. There’s been lot of requests to hit the States again after our last tour spring 2017. This time we come over with a killer package. Touring with Dark Tranquillity, Moonspell and Omnium Gatherum is almost like having a road trip with best mates around. Every band has a strong fanbase so there will be something for everyone."

September
7 - New York, NY - Gramercy Theater
8 - Montreal, QC - Cafe Campus
9 - Quebec City, QC - Imperial de Quebec
10 - Toronto, ON - Opera House
11 - Ft Wayne, IN - Pierre's
12 - Detroit, MI - Harpo’s
13 - Joliet, Il - The Forge
14 - Minneapolis, MN - The Cabooze
15 - Winnipeg, MB - Park Theatre
17 - Edmonton, AB - The Starlite Room
18 - Calgary, AB - Dickens
19 - Vancouver, BC - Rickshaw Theater
20 - Seattle, WA - El Corazon
22 - Berkeley, CA - The UC Theatre
23 - Anaheim, CA - City National Grove
24 - West Hollywood, CA - Whiskey A Go Go
25 - San Diego, CA - Brick By Brick
26 - Tempe, AZ - Marquee Theatre
27 - Las Vegas, NV - House Of Blues
28 - Salt Lake City, UT - Liquid joe's
29 - Denver, CO - Herman’s Hideaway

October
1 - Dallas, TX - Trees
2 - San Antonio, TX - Rock Box
3 -  Houston, TX - Scout Bar
5 - Tampa, FL - Orpheum
6 - West Palm Beach, FL - Kelsey Theater
7 - Atlanta, GA - The Masquerade
9 - Louisville, KY - Diamond Pub and Billiards
10 - Durham, NC - Motorco
11 - Baltimore, MD - Soundstage
12 - Philadelphia, PA - The Trocadero
14 - Clifton Park, NY - Upstate Concert Hall

(Photo - Lars Johnson Photography)

Danish thrash/power metallers, Manticora, have signed with the world-famous Japanese label Marquee/Avalon for the release of the upcoming album To Kill To Live To Kill in Japan and Korea.

The album, which is the first of two, is a part of a grandiose concept, based on the thriller/horror novel that lead singer, Lars F. Larsen has written, will be released as two separate albums, one year apart. The novel itself has already seen its release, followed by the first album, on July 25th in Japan/Korea and 10 days later for the rest of the world.

Manticora are celebrating their 21st anniversary by unveiling a new band logo, and they have launched preorders for their new album To Kill To Live To Kill.

The album's cover art is a stunning picture, painted by the extremely talented Danish painter/tattoo artist David Troest. As the new album To Kill To Live To Kill is another Manticora concept double-album, based on the thriller/horror novel that lead singer, Lars F. Larsen has written, the artwork resembles the stories of the novel.

Larsen explains:

“We have always tried out new cover artwork artists for each album, so when looking for the perfect person to give justice to the novel and the two albums, we wanted someone who'd be able to grasp the essence of the stories within the book, and when looking at David's pictures in general, it's evident for even the feeble-minded that he's that exact guy. He also lives less than an hour away from us, so it was a win-win situation for everyone to be able to meet up and do corrections on the front cover and all the other pictures that'll appear in the booklet. We're already beginning the work for the second album as well, so we can follow the release schedule of having the albums out 12 months apart.”

The two concept albums, which are a part of a grandiose concept, based on the thriller/horror novel that leadsinger, Lars F. Larsen has written, will be released as two separate albums, one year apart.

The novel itself is scheduled for a release this month, followed by the first album, which will see the light of day on August 3rd, 2018, released by ViciSolum Records, worldwide.

The music was recorded and mixed in Hansen Studios, with world-famous producer, Jacob Hansen (Volbeat, Destruction) who also produced the first two Manticora albums back in the last millennium, and vocals were recorded with Tommy Hansen at Jailhouse studios (Helloween, Beyond Twilight, Jorn). Tommy has previously produced five albums for the band.

Tracklisting:

“Piano Concerto 1 – B Flat Minor”
“Echoes Of A Silent Scream”
“Through The Eyes Of The Killer – Towering Over You”
“Katana – Awakening The Lunacy”
“The Farmer’s Tale Pt. 1 – The Aftermath Of Indifference”
“The Devil In Lisbon”
“Growth”
“Humiliation Supreme”
“Nothing Lasts Forever”
“Katana – Opium”
“Through The Eyes Of The Killer – Revival Of The Muse That Is Violence”
“The Farmer’s Tale Pt. 2 – Annihilation At The Graves”

A true spectacle to be witnessed, Lords of the Trident is a daring adventure metal quintet that has been delighting their audiences and fans all over the world for ten years. To continue on their epic quest of bringing spectacular and entertaining metal to global fans their current aim is to release their 7th album Shadows From The Past later in 2018 with the support of a Kickstarter Campaign that goes live today June 1st. Rewards include merch, video games, lessons from band members, festival tickets, and private concerts.

With a lengthy history of enchanting fans with outrageous theatrical events with plenty of crowd participation, Lords of the Trident have donned their cloaks and armor to lay the groundwork for their most enthusiastic sojourn yet.

Fang VonWrathenstein shares his excitement:

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

The band has partnered with the video game Coffee Crisis in which they will be featured in as NPCs (non-playable characters) and will provide a song for one of the levels. The Kickstarter goes live June 1 and will run for the period of a month with a financial goal of $6000 USD. In return the band offers supporters a wide variety of band merch, copies of Coffee Crisis, private music lessons with band members, private concerts, and tickets to Mad With Power festival in Madison, Wisconsin. The album will be released digitally and on physical CD on Friday, August 24th along with it being performed for the first time ever the following day at Mad With Power festival on Saturday, August 25th. Fans that support Lords of the Trident through Patreon will have access to exclusive rewards tiers.

(Photo by: Mary Sweeney)

7th is the new album by Brazilian heavy/thrash/death metal band Drowned and will be released on June 15th via Greyhaze Records, under license from Brazil's Cogumelo Records. Two new singles from the album are now available.

The band's almost 20-year career is synthesized on the album's 11 tracks, which showcase a varied and unique style of heavy metal that recalls the different styles of bands like Amorphis, Nevermore, Anthrax and Bolt Thrower.

On 7th, which as the title implies is the band's seventh release, Drowned seeks new horizons, while preserving and refining the band's most treasured musical essence of traditional heavy metal songs built into a death/thrash metal twin-guitar attack. The musical onslaught serves as backdrop to lyrics that lay bare thoughts of sickened and deranged visions, injustice and gratuitous violence. In other words: notions that are unfortunately a reality of life in South America's biggest nation.

Tracklisting:

“The Bitter Art Of Detestation”
“Rage Before Some Hope”
“Toothless Messiah”
“Murder, Sex, Hate, And More…”
“Violent March Of Chaos”
“Damaged Wood Coffin”
“Elitist Heaven Ruled By Devil”
“Epidemic And God Selfishness”
“Timebomb Conscience”
“KRH317”
“Ministry Of National Inquisition” 

“Rage Before Some Hope”:

“Murder, Sex, Hate, And More…”:

Less than four short years into their career, Gruesome (featuring current and former members of Exhumed, Possessed, Malevolent Creation, etc.) return with their second full-length sermon, Twisted Prayers. Twisted Prayers follows Death's paradigm shift during the Spiritual Healing era, incorporating more cerebral, melodic instrumentation with elements of thrash and thought-provoking, socially conscious lyrics. The album is out today (June 1st) and a full album stream can be found via the Bandcamp player below:

Twisted Prayers by Gruesome

Physical packages are available via Relapse.com here and Digital Downloads / Streaming Services here.

An official NSFW video for "Fatal Illusions" off the impending full-length can be seen below.

Issues vocalist/guitarist Matt Harvey, "'Fatal Illusions' is a track that was truly co-written by Dan, Gus and myself musically and it was a lot of fun to arrange everyone's riffs while we put the song together. One of the coolest things about this new record, for me personally, is that the writing has become more and more of a team effort, which is invigorating and keeps things interesting for us. When looking at Spiritual Healing for inspiration, one of the more depressing realizations that I came to as far as the lyrics, was that many of the topics that Death were addressing back in 1990 are still major issues today. As everyone knows, mass shootings have reached epidemic proportions in this country and we felt that it was a very 'death metal' appropriate topic to tackle. This tune is more about the delusions that lead someone to commit this kind of violence; the mindset that would make someone take such a drastic and tragic course of action. Before anyone starts projecting their own politics on the song, this is not an anti or pro-gun song. This is an anti-mass shooting song. And if you think that there's anything controversial about that, you can fuck right off."

Recorded with producer Jarrett Pritchard (Exhumed, 1349, Goatwhore) at New Constellation Studios in Orlando, FL, Twisted Prayers features Gruesome doing what they do best across eight songs and 40+ minutes of unholy hymns with lurid melodies and vulgar atmospheres. The band has once again teamed up with the legendary Ed Repka (Death, Atheist, Massacre) for the album’s blasphemous cover art in addition to legendary Death guitarist James Murphy (Death, Obituary, Testament) for a pair of special guest guitar solos. Bow your heads and worship at the altar of Gruesome.

Twisted Prayers tracklisting:

"Inhumane”
"A Waste Of Life”
"Fate”
"Lethal Legacy”
"Fatal Illusions”
"Crusade Of Brutality”
"At Death’s Door”
"Twisted Prayers”

"Inhumane” video:

“A Waste Of Life” lyric video:

The band has announced two exclusive shows in Florida with label mates Exhumed before kicking off a European headlining tour this summer. Beginning July 19th, the trek will travel through two dozen cities and includes appearances at Obscene Extreme 2018, Wacken Open Air, Partysan Open Air and more. See all confirmed dates below.

July
14 - Tampa, FL - Crowbar (with Exhumed)
15 - Orlando, FL - Will's Pub (with Exhumed)
19 - Trutnov, Czech Republic - Obscene Extreme 2018
20 - Warzawa, Poland - Hydrozagadka
21 - Chorzow, Poland - Red & Black
22 - Prague, Czech Republic - Modra Vopice
23 - Munich, Germany - Free & Easy Festival
24 - Budapest, Hungary - Durer Kert
25 - Tolmin, Slovenia - Metaldays
26 - Wien, Austria - Viper Room
27 - Ernsthausen, Germany - Master of the Unicorn
28 - Steenwijk, Netherlands - Stonehenge Festival
29 - Osnabruck, Germany - Bastard Club
30 - Wurzburg, Germany - Immerhin
31 - Volmerange-les-mines, France - Nomansland

August
1 - Mannheim, Germany - 7er Club
2 - Wacken, Germany - Wacken Open Air
3 - Jonkoping, Sweden - Klubb Dissonans
4 - Linkoping, Sweden - The Crypt
5 - Valby/Copenhagen, Denmark - Underwerket
7 - Desden, Germany - Chemiefabrik
8 - Berlin, Germany - Musik und Frieden
9 - Schlotheim, Germany - Partysan Open Air
10 - Frankfurt, Germany - Das Bett
11 - Oberhausen, Germany - Helvete
12 - Kortrijk, Belgium - Alcatraz Open Air

Gruesome are:

Matt Harvey ­- Guitar, Vocals
Daniel Gonzalez ­- Guitar
Robin Mazen ­- Bass
Gus Rios ­- Drums

(Band photo - Ryan Tamm, Cover art - Ed Repka)

Greek heavy/stoner rock band, Beggars, have signed with ROAR! Rock Of Angels Records. The fifth studio album The Day I Lost My Head includes nine tracks, will be available as a digipack CD and black Vinyl, to be out on August 10th.

The album was produced by Nikos (Lizard) Chalkousis & Yannis Passas. Recorded and mixed by Nikos (Lizard) Chalkousis at Prova Music Studios, Athens Greece. Engineered by Nikos (Lizard) Chalkousis and mastered by Bill Lagos. Artwork design by SUGAHTANK. Photos by Danai Fokiou.

Tracklisting:

“Book Of Days”
“The Day I Lost My Head”
“Intersolar Traveller”
“Game”
“Medusa”
“Blind”
“You Break Me”
“Chief Commander (1945 – 2015)”
“Genesis”

THE SKULL, the band featuring vocalist Eric Wagner and bassist Ron Holzner, formerly of metal legends TROUBLE, will release its sophomore album, "The Endless Road Turns Dark", on September 7 via Tee Pee Records. The LP was recorded in Chicago's Decade Music Studios with engineer Sanford Parker (YOB, TOMBS) and builds on the foundation laid by THE SKULL's debut album, "For Those Which Are Asleep", a recording that landed at or near the top of a host of 2014 year-end best of lists.

The lyric video for "The Endless Road Turns Dark" title track can be seen below.

THE SKULL, which also features longtime CATHEDRAL drummer Brian Dixon, guitarist Lothar Keller (SACRED DAWN), and guitarist Rob Wrong (WITCH MOUNTAIN), creates classic SABBATH-ian doom with a psych-tinged metal vision. "The Endless Road Turns Dark" benefits greatly from the pedigree and experience of the band's members and pushes authentic, old-school metal to heavier and more foreboding places, fueled by burly riffing, metallic groove and a crushing punch. Ethereal and wonderfully moody with a heart of heavy metal beating at its center, the record delivers definitive doom metal full of powerful builds and mesmerizing dynamic range. More than a mere throwback, "The Endless Road Turns Dark" is the work of a band that respects their fans, understands their own history, and still has their ears open to the current doom metal landscape. A wicked exercise in heavy metal majesty, "The Endless Road Turns Dark" plays like a natural extension of the musicians exemplary work during their 20-plus years with TROUBLE and cements THE SKULL as modern-day doom metal royalty.

"The Endless Road Turns Dark" track listing:

01. The Endless Road Turns Dark

02. Ravenswood

03. Breathing Underwater

04. The Longing

05. From Myself Depart

06. As the Sun Draws Near

07. All That Remains (Is True)

08. Thy Will Be Done

To celebrate the completion of the new album, THE SKULL has announced a U.S. headlining tour that will launch on June 2 in in Chicago where the band will headline the third annual Doomed & Stoned Fest. The 14-city jaunt will run through June 19 in Kansas City, Missouri. On the spring tour, THE SKULL will be joined by guest drummer Henry Vasquez of SAINT VITUS who will fill in for Dixon. Opening acts include EARTHRIDE and HYBORIAN.

Finnish groove outfit Profane Omen have released the song "War Boy" from their forthcoming album, Ooka, featuring guest vocals by Markus "Mahi" Toivonen (Ensiferum), Mathias "Vreth" Lillmåns (Finntroll), Jonne Järvelä (Korpiklaani) and Ville Sorvali (Moonsorrow). Check out the official video below.

Ooka is now available for pre-order via Levykauppa Äx here. Worldwide delivery is available.

The tracklist is as follows:

"They Came For Us"
"Make It Count"
"One Man Show"
"Terminal Dysfunction"
"War Boy"
"White Noise"
"Aftersound"
"The Wave"
"The Tide"

Fan-filmed video footage of OPETH's June 2 performance at the FortaRock festival at Goffertpark in Nijmegen, the Netherlands can be seen below.

OPETH is expected to spend much of 2018 working on material for the follow-up to 2016's "Sorceress" album for a tentative 2019 release.

Asked by Ireland's Overdrive last November if fans can expect to hear more experimentation and evolution from OPETH in the future, guitarist/vocalist Mikael Åkerfeldt said: "I'm not one of those guys that sits there with calendar thinking, 'Okay, I need to do this kind of album now and then I have to do that kind of album later.' I really like not knowing what is happening or where the direction of the music is taking us.

"When I was starting out, I was just really happy to be in a band and playing music," he continued. "I was more inclined to look forward with things instead of enjoying the present, which is what I tend to do now, with my music career as well as my private life.

"Musically, I love being in a position of when people ask me, 'What do you think the next album is going to be like?' and I'm there thinking, 'I really don't know.' In fact, sometimes I still don't know until the whole thing is finished. When I write one song a certain way, the next song might be completely different, which I love."

Mikael also talked about OPETH's musical evolution over the years, saying that he is "very happy with where we are at the moment. What happened with the change in style was not really a big thing for us, especially for me, because I've been consuming music that's different to death metal for a very long time," he explained. "I'm sure it was a little drastic for the fans.

"When we released 'Heritage' [2011], it really was intended to open up a few more doors for us, and now as a result of that, I feel freer when I write. I could technically write another 'death metal' record, but I'm elsewhere right now. So, I'm not really sure if we have discarded the shackles, but I know that there are fans out there that are not with us anymore. But I want to play music that makes me happy, and right now I'm feeling very free with everything.

"As a band, we got really tight after the tour cycle for 'Heritage', which was a very long tour, which we actually started doing before the album was released. We had a considerable portion of the album in the live sets and that was just a trial by fire as we were evolving and playing something different to audiences before the album was released. It really showed a different sensibility to this band that's been there before but we never really showcased it. That was a huge learning curve for us."

"Bloodshed And Triumph", a brand new song from German gothic death pioneers ATROCITY, can be streamed below. The track is taken from the band's new album, "Okkult II", which will be released on July 6 via Massacre Records. The production was once again handled by ATROCITY mainman Alex Krull (Mastersound Studio), who made sure that the songs are as heavy as possible, while the atmosphere and energy of the songs let the listener immediately dive into the occult lyrical concept. The fantastic artwork was created by Stefan Heilemann of Heilemania (LINDEMANN, PAIN, KAMELOT, EPICA).

"Okkult II" features guest vocals from L.G. Petrov of ENTOMBED A.D. and Marc Grewe, formerly of MORGOTH. The effort will also be made available as a limited-edition vinyl LP as well as a limited-edition mediabook with a different artwork as well as a bonus CD that includes all songs as an instrumental version.

"Okkult II" track listing:

01. Masters Of Darkness

02. Shadowtaker

03. Bloodshed And Triumph

04. Spell Of Blood

05. Menschenschlachthaus

06. Gates To Oblivion (feat. Marc Grewe)

07. Infernal Sabbath

08. All Men Must Die

09. Phantom Ghost

10. Devil's Covenant (feat. L.G. Petrov)

11. The Golden Dawn

A very special record release show is set to take place at the Sunstorm Open Air in Nordheim, Germany, on July 6.

Part one of ATROCITY's album trilogy, "Okkult", was released in May 2013 via Napalm Records.

"Outsider", the new video from Montréal, Quebec, Canada-based melodic death metallers KATAKLYSM, can be seen below. The song is taken from the band's latest album, "Meditations", which was released on June 1 via Nuclear Blast. The 10-song disc was produced by the band's guitarist Jean-François Dagenais and drummer Oli Beaudoin, and was mixed by Jay Ruston (ANTHRAX, STONE SOUR). Mastering duties were handled by Paul Logus (PANTERA).

The "Meditations" cover artwork was created for Ocvlta Designs by Surtsey, who also crafted the artwork for KATAKLYSM's previous record, "Of Ghosts And Gods".

Singer Maurizio Iacono said: "This is a very personal album to me with old wounds being revisited — I felt a big urge to pour my soul into this release. The boys and I were isolated under the same roof during the writing process, just like we did in the early days... with no worries except having fun, being honest and delivering a serious album that represents us today but respects our past. Our new story is coming and we are eager to share it with you!"

"Meditations" track listing:

01. Guillotine

02. Outsider

03. The Last Breath I'll Take Is Yours

04. Narcissist

05. Born To Kill And Destined To Die

06. In Limbic Resonance

07. And Then I Saw Blood

08. What Doesn't Break Doesn't Heal

09. Bend The Arc, Cut The Cord

10. Achilles Heel

Dagenais told That Drummer Guy about KATAKLYSM's decision to work with Ruston: "It was kind of a gamble for us because you never know because our music is so extreme and needs a certain type of process to it, to be able to be delivered right and we weren't sure if going with a guy like Jay Ruston, who is more of a traditional heavy metal/rock producer, that it could work. We all knew that, 'Okay, if this works, it's going to be really awesome. If it doesn't, it could be such a mistake.' No, it wasn't. We got our mixes and we were, like, 'Fuck yeah!' All of us together. We made the right call there and it was perfect. But, we worked really hard on the tracking, me and Oli. We spent months on recording the drums and guitars and the bass tracks and making sure Maurizio delivers the right energy with the vocals. We really polished the thing and we sent it to Jay Ruston and he totally brought it up to another level. So, that's really exciting."

The ninth studio album from US power/thrash veterans Meliah Rage called Idol Hands is out now and BraveWords has partnered up with the Boston legends for a series of in-studio video interviews discussing the band's past, present and future.

In this new clip, guitarist and driving force Anthony Nichols talk about sustaining an injury that could have ended his days as a guitar player, pain and recovery, and what the future holds for the band.

In the clip below, singer Paul Sousa discusses his battle with depression and how he overcame his demons to write the newest Meliah Rage masterpiece.

Anthony Nichols discusses the return of singer Paul Sousa below:

Nichols discusses 30 years of killing to survive:

Idol Hands marks the return of Paul Souza (the vocal powerhouse that replaced original singer Mike Munro and can be heard on 2004's Barely Human, 2006's The Deep And Dreamless Sleep and 2011's Dead To The World. The album is a veritable feast for power metal fans, complete with Nichols' unmatched rhythmic mastery and Souza’s versatile voice. Still killing to survive... 30 years strong!

And yes, the album title is quite significant, given the fact that Nichols broke his wrist in late 2013 and  was uncertain if he’d play guitar again after three serious surgeries. Meliah Rage is rounded off by original guitarist Jim Koury, drummer Stuart Dowie and bassist Darren Lourie.

About reuniting with singer Paul Souza, Nichols says: “We’ve always been in touch. Paul and I will be friends until death. Of course we will bicker about this and that, but that’s what singers and guitar players do. Joe Perry and Steven Tyler will die in the same coffin, but they will spat with each other. That’s what you do.”

“We are always texting about the Celtics, the Patriots or how are the kids doing,” Souza adds. “We are big time sports junkies. We go back and forth about all kinds of different things. We are going to be friends forever.”

Check out a glowing BraveWords review of Idol Hands at this location and watch for a major BraveWords feature on Meliah Rage in the coming weeks.

BraveWords flew to Boston in Frebruary to witness the filming of two videos from the album; “Dark As Your Thoughts” (which can be viewed below) and “Idol Hands”, produced by Brad Pichi and Brandon Maxham from Omnidawn Productions. Photos by Sephora Hosein from the journey can be viewed in the gallery here.

Idol Hands is available to order on CD and  as digital download (in lossless formats) from their Bandcamp page. The album will be distributed digitally soon by CD Baby and made available also from iTunes, Amazon MP3, eMusic and other retailers.

Idol Hands tracklisting:

“The Kill-All Rule”
“Dark As Your Thoughts”
“Idol Hands”
“Crushed Beneath My Heel”
“Sentenced To Life”
“Absolute Power”
“Infernal Bleeding”
“Where Darkness Lies”

“Dark As Your Thoughts” video:

“Infernal Bleeding”:

Production credits:

Produced, mixed and mastered by: Peter Rutcho
Rhythym guitars: recorded by John Bean Cats Liar Studios
Drums: recorded by Joel Hopkins at Red Devil Studios
Lead guitar and bass: recorded by Peter Rutcho
Vocals: recorded and produced by Rich Spillberg at Solstice Studios

The Heretic Order have released a video for "Evil Rising", the title track of the band's new album, out on June 22nd via Massacre Records. Order the album here, and watch the video below.

Evil Rising was recorded by Will Maya (The Answer, Breed 77), who already worked with the band on the debut album All Hail The Order. The cover artwork was once again created by Five Miligrams Artworks (Napalm Death, Shadows Fall, etc.).

Tracklisting:

"Prelude"
"Evil Rising"
"Unholy War"
"Hate Is Born"
"Omens"
"Mortification Of The Flesh"
"Under The Cross"
"Straight Down (To Hell)"
"The Mask"
"The Forest Of The Impaled"
"The Scourge Of God"
"Visions"

"Evil Rising" video:

Armortura have released a video for "Hellbound", a track from the band's self-titled album released earlier this year via Mighty Music. Watch the clip below.

Tracklisting:

“Zodiac”
“Insidious”
“Hellbound”
“Cursed”
“Shadow Underworld”
“Flight 19”
“11th Hour”
“Wanted Dead Or Alive”
“The Keep”
“Requiem For The Damned”
“11th Hour” (feat. Jeff Waters) (Bonus Track)

"Hellbound" video:

Adimiron have released a video for “Zero-Sum Game”, a track from their new album Et Liber Eris, available via Indie Recordings. Watch below.

The band's self-awareness has pushed them to create a work purely uninhibited by any outside influences and literally in its own sphere. Fuelled by primitive emotions, the eight tracks on the new album lead the listener into the darkest depths of the human consciousness, evoking memories, unspoken thoughts that connect us inextricably with the intangible.

Tracklisting:

“The Sentinel”
“Zero-Sum Game”
“Joshua Tree 37”
“The Coldwalker”
“As Long As It Takes”
“The Unsaid”
“Stainless”
“Zona Del Silencio”

“Zero-Sum Game” video:

“As Long As It Takes” drum playthrough:

“Stainless” video:

“Zona Del Silencio”:

“The Sentinel”:

Psychedelic doom rockers, Motorowl, have launched a video for their upcoming album “Atlas”, which will be released on July 27th through Century Media Records. The fully animated video was directed and created by Costin Chioreanu.

The band comments on the lyrical concept of the song and video:

“‘Atlas’ is based on the myth of the Greek Titan who was condemned to carry the earth on his shoulders. When you are out to get something done, there will always be someone who‘ll miss you. We wrote a song about that. With a lot of heavy riffing.”

“The art of our friend Costin Chioreanu combines the lyrics from the perspective of Atlas’ mother Asia and the mythological story in one masterpiece of a music video.”

The single “Atlas” will be offered as an Instant Grat Track with all digital album preorders.

The band comments on the songwriting and recording process:

“We started writing Atlas right after the release of Om Generator to stay in the flow. Also we played a lot of concerts during the process of writing, so we were constantly playing the old songs live while we were writing the new material at the same time. We realized that the live feeling is an essential part of our music, so we decided to record the whole album live altogether as a full band in the studio.

“And when you do such live recordings, you need the perfect partner, engineer and a place where you feel comfy. We found all that at Off The Road Studios in Leipzig. It’s a marvelous place with a big library in the main studio, a fireplace and a lot of room. We met there with our friend Charlie Paschen (who works with bands like Coogans Bluff or Rotor) to record the album within ten days. The decision to let Mr. Dan Swanö do the mix and mastering again was easy. He simply knows how we have to sound like.

“Atlas combines the pain in our chests with the indestructible force that we have as a band to make this music together. We wanted to mash the power of synth driven ‘80s rock hymns with the deep crushing slowness of a doom riff.  Atlas was written by the whole band and that’s the deep essence of our music: Five very different guys who work together like a clockwork.”

The artwork was created by Pol Abram (Branca Studio).

Tracklisting:

“Infinite Logbook”
“The Man Who Rules The World”
“Atlas”
“To Give”
“To Take”
“Cargo”
“Norma Jean”

"Atlas" video:

Motorowl is: 
Max Hemmann - Guitar/Vocals
Vinzenz Steiniger - Guitar
Martin Scheibe - Drums
Tim Camin - Bass
Daniel Dettlev - Keys

Hip Hop/metal outfit, Powerflo, has just released their EP Bring That Shit Back! digitally via New Damage Records worldwide. Mastered by Maor Appelbaum at Maor Appelbaum Mastering in California, the 8-track EP features a cover of Bob Marley’s 1973 classic “Get Up Stand Up” and a brand new title track, plus remixes of their first and most recent single, “Where I Stay” and “The Grind,” from their debut full-length. 

The EP hits digital retailers just a week before the band embarks on their first ever European tour. They kick off in the UK to play the Download Festival and make their way to Germany, Austria, France, Spain and more before wrapped things back up in the UK on July 11th.

Tracklisting:

“Get Up Stand Up” (Bob Marley cover)
“Bring That Shit Back!”
“Where I Stay” (DLow Remix)
“Where I Stay” (Hallucinator Remix)
“Where I Stay” (Vigilante Remix)
“The Grind” (Niveau Zero Remix)
“The Grind” (Big Brother 84 Remix)
“The Grind” (Viral Remix)

“The Grind” video:

Upcoming tour dates:

June
9 – Donington Park, UK – Download Festival
12 – Hamburg, Germany – Headcrash Festival
14 – Graefenhainichen, Germany – With Full Force Festival
15 – Nicklesdorf, Austria – Nova Rock
16 – Budapest, Hungary – Budapest Park Open Air w/Body Count
17 – Prague, Czech Republic – Futurum
19 – Amsterdam, Netherlands – Melkweg Oz
21 – Cologne, Germany – Luxor
23 – Clisson, France – Hellfast
24 – Dessel, Belgium – Graspop Festival

July
11 – Viviero, Spain – Resurrection Festival
13 – London, UK – Dome 

(Photo by: Jason Cakebread)

The official lyric video for the song "Tomorrow's No Concern" fromTWISTED SISTER frontman Dee Snider can be seen below. The track is taken from Snider's upcoming solo album, titled "For The Love Of Metal", which will be released on July 27 via Napalm Records. The disc, which was produced by HATEBREED vocalist Jamey Jasta, will feature contributions from Howard Jones (ex-KILLSWITCH ENGAGE), Mark Morton (LAMB OF GOD), Alissa White-Gluz (ARCH ENEMY), Joel Grind and Nick Bellmore (TOXIC HOLOCAUST), and Charlie Bellmore (KINGDOM OF SORROW).

Snider comments on his new single: "'Tomorrow's No Concern' is the perfect first single off of my new album, 'For The Love Of Metal'. Lyrically, it's about me living for today, not in the past. So many people waste their lives away remembering the 'glory days.' While I am proud of all that I've done, I'm more interested and excited about what is happening now. In the song, I urge the listener to do the same; live in the moment and don't let the past — good, bad or indifferent — or what might or might not happen in the future ever slow you down!"

"For The Love Of Metal" track listing:

01. Lies Are A Business

02. Tomorrow's No Concern

03. I am The Hurricane

04. American Made

05. Roll Over You

06. I'm Ready

07. Running Mazes

08. Mask

09. Become The Storm

10. The Hardest Way

11. Dead Hearts (Love Thy Enemy)

12. For The Love of Metal

Speaking to Chris Annunziata of the New Jersey radio station 90.3 WMSC-FM, Snider stated about "For The Love Of Metal": "This is a really exciting album I did not expect to make, especially at this point in my life. I was doing Jamey Jasta's podcast, and he challenged me to make a contemporary rock record. And I was, like, 'Who's producing?' He said, 'I am.' And so we went in the studio [with] no record deal, and people started flocking [to appear on the LP]. It just amazed me, the enthusiasm and excitement that these younger musicians — younger than me, at least — had for working with Dee Snider and being a part of this project."

Dee went on to say that "the album turned out phenomenal," so much so that "we had a bidding war from all the major metal labels," he said. "As Jamey would say, it is hard. It harkens back to my earliest work with TWISTED SISTER, but it's very contemporary sounding with my voice. And people are astounded, actually, that I still have a very strong, very powerful, and as Jamey says, an important, iconic rock voice. So I'm very excited about this album."


Jasta previously described the LP as a "full-on metal album," adding that "people are gonna lose their minds when they hear this." He also called Dee "one of the best vocalists of our time" whose "voice is up there with Ozzy [Osbourne], [Ronnie James] Dio, [Bruce] Dickinson and [Rob] Halford to me. "And it's as powerful as ever!" he said.

"Although this album will be very heavy, the songs are anthemic and will fit well in his solo set with 'We're Not Gonna Take It', 'I Wanna Rock', 'Burn In Hell', 'We Are The Ones', 'So What' and others," Jamey promised.

Snider's last solo album, "We Are The Ones", was released in October 2016 via Red River Records. Produced by Damon Ranger, the disc was described by Dee as "an album that is think part FOO FIGHTERS, part IMAGINE DRAGONS, part THIRTY SECONDS TO MARS."

TWISTED SISTER called it quits in 2016 after completing a farewell 40th-anniversary tour.

Photo by Tim Tronckoe

"Atomic Highway", the new album from Los Angeles-based rock band DC4 — featuring Jeff Duncan (ARMORED SAINT, ODIN), Rowan Robertson (DIO, BANG TANGO), Shawn Duncan (ODIN, KILLER BEE), and Matt Duncan — will be released on September 14 via HighVolMusic.

"Atomic Highway" contains 10 tracks of epic hard rock and also features John Bush (ARMORED SAINT) and Dizzy Reed (GUNS N' ROSES, HOOKERS N' BLOW) on a cover of THE WHO's "Baba O'Riley". The disc was recorded, engineered, and mixed by Bill Metoyer at Skull Seven Productions.

"Atomic Highway" track listing:

01. Progeny

02. Queen Of Angels

03. Atomic Highway

04. Something In My Head

05. Dominique

06. Castaway

07. One And Only

08. Baba O'Riley

09. 21st Century Love

10. Seize The Day

DC4 came to be when Jeff Duncan got to know Robertson through a mutual acquaintance.

"Jeff and I met when a local promoter named Happenin' Harry asked us both to be in his backing band for a few shows in the L.A. area and in Chicago," Robertson recalled. "When we got back to L.A., he just flat-out asked if I wanted to join DC4, and we got along so well and played so great together that I just had to do it."

Jeff recalls that "I wasn't into the whole idea of auditioning guitarists. We would know the right one when he came along, and that's exactly what happened. [Rowan] was looking for the sort of situation we had to offer, and as it turned out, we were looking for him."

DC4 is:

Jeff Duncan - Lead vocals, Guitar

Rowan Robertson - Guitar

Matt Duncan - Bass

Shawn Duncan - Drums, Percussion

HOLLYWOOD UNDEAD has released a new single, "Gotta Let Go". The summery tune exposes a more melodic side of the band and showcases its impressive songwriting chops. By stripping things down to their core, the quintet unveils a new side of themselves, while still remaining uniquely UNDEAD.

"At times when we look at the past, we only see the struggles and the hardships," says Johnny 3 Tears, HOLLYWOOD UNDEAD's vocalist and bass guitarist. "We too often forget about the good moments because we are blinded by the pain we all go through. This song is about letting go of that pain, so we can see that life can be a beautiful experience."

Since the release of HOLLYWOOD UNDEAD's latest album, "Five" (October 2017 via Dove & Grenade Media/BMG), the band has crossed an impressive one billion U.S. streams across its catalog, as well as 1.7 million total Shazams. In addition to debuting at No. 7 on the Billboard 200 chart, "Five" has racked up 56 million total global streams, and the six music videos from the record have garnered 30 million views cumulatively.

After touring tirelessly worldwide throughout the past year, HOLLYWOOD UNDEAD will head back out on the road this weekend, playing Rock Am Ring and Rock Im Park festivals in Germany, followed by a run of headline dates and festival performances across Europe and the U.S. In August, the band will also return to Europe for the Reading and Leeds festivals in the U.K.

British rockers THE DARKNESS have released a new live version of their hit "Solid Gold", taken from their upcoming live album, "Live At Hammersmith", out on June 15th via Cooking Vinyl.


In traditional DARKNESS fashion, the new live rendition of "Solid Gold" is a non-stop, breakneck sonic journey of huge riffs, thunderous bass, seismic drums and colossal choruses. It follows the release of "Buccaneers Of Hispaniola" and "I Believe In A Thing Called Love", all of which were recorded at the band's monumental Hammersmith Apollo show last year. The tracks are all available as instant grats with pre-orders of the upcoming live album.


"Live At Hammersmith" is THE DARKNESS's first live album to be released on all formats (including CD, gatefold double vinyl, cassette, download and stream) and spans their spectacular back catalogue of five albums across 19 incendiary tracks.


THE DARKNESS headlined Hammersmith as part of the extensive "Tour De Prance", in support of their latest critically acclaimed album "Pinewood Smile". The tour saw the band sell out shows across Europe last year.


THE DARKNESS is hitting the road again in June and will be playing arenas across Europe in support of the HOLLYWOOD VAMPIRES supergroup featuring Johnny Depp, Alice Cooper and Joe Perry. Following this, they will be supporting QUEEN at TRNSMT festival in Glasgow on July 6 and at Dublin's Marlay Park on July 8.


"Live At Hammersmith" track listing:

01. Open Fire

02. Love Is Only A Feeling

03. Southern Trains

04. Black Shuck

05. One Way Ticket

06. Givin' Up

07. All The Pretty Girls

08. Barbarian

09. Buccaneers Of Hispaniola

10. Friday Night

11. Makin' Out

12. Every Inch Of You

13. Solid Gold

14. Stuck In A Rut

15. Get Your Hands Off My Woman

16. Growing On Me

17. Japanese Prisoner Of Love

18. Christmas Time (Don't Let The Bells End)

19. I Believe In A Thing Called Love

"Hewed With The Brand", the new Brian Cox/Flarelight Films-directed video from noise metal veterans WILL HAVEN, can be seen below. The song is taken from the band's sixth full-length album, "Muerte", which was released on March 23 via Minus Head Records.

Guitarist Jeff Irwin comments: "We love this new video. Brian Cox did an amazing job of capturing the band live as well as tying in the new record really well. It was a fun video to shoot. And a little side note — it was filmed on my birthday..."

The origins of WILL HAVEN can be traced back to 1995, when they first emerged as a staple in Sacramento, California's storied underground. For over two decades, they've existed on the fringe of extreme music — championing an apocalyptic amalgam of metal, noise, hardcore, and alternative all their own.


WILL HAVEN breathes entirely new life into its sound with "Muerte" (Spanish for "death"), taking notes from the past but incorporating modern tones to create a chaotic, haunting auditory attack.

"All said and done, we spent two years on this record," said Irwin. "We had more time than ever to fine tune the music. We really benefitted from that. We're also more in tune with who we are. It's the first time I walked away going, 'There's nothing else I could've done to make this better.'"


Throughout 2017, the members of WILL HAVEN secretly recorded "Muerte" at Pus Cavern Studios in Sacramento with Joe Johnston engineering and co-producing alongside Irwin. They pieced together a corrosive, chaotic, and cohesive vision that never relents over its 11 tracks. Mastering was handled by Logan Mader (DEVIL YOU KNOW, FEAR FACTORY, PERIPHERY).


Irwin added about recording "Muerte": "It felt like a rebirth. It sounds like a whole new band. There's a chemistry that only the four of us can achieve. Who knows what's next, but this is everything we were always meant to be on a record."

Asked how Stephen Carpenter of DEFTONES ended up making a guest appearance on the last song of the album, "El Sol", Irwin told Metal Temple: "I have been friends with Stephen for a very long time. He was one of my close friends before WILL HAVEN was even thought of, so before I really played music, I watched Stephen play guitar. He was a huge influence on me, not just musically, but personally. He is just a super-awesome guy and I was always blown away by his talent. He didn't play guitar like other people — no solos, no silly riffs; he was all about the song, making it sound big and giving it emotion. I loved that about his playing. So when I started WILL HAVEN, everything I had learned from Stephen I put into my playing and songwriting. I have always wanted to collaborate with him but just never did it. I have no idea why, so when I started working on this record, I called him up and I was, like, 'Hey, would you like to write a song with me for our new record?' And he said, 'I would love to. I'll send you something in a few days.' and 'm thinking it would take a while to get something because he is a super busy guy. Three days later, he sent me an eight-minute song full of riffs. I was so stoked when I listened to it because he captured that WILL HAVEN vibe but put his spin on it — it was perfect. After I got it, I just went in and kind of chopped it up a bit and added my guitar parts to it. It actually came really easy. I think we have a lot in common songwriting-wise and in some ways, we still influence each other, so we just gelled really easy. I had a blast working on it, and we talked about doing more stuff in the future. I'm excited to see what we can come up with. For me, it was time to do something with him. He and the DEFTONES have been a huge part of my and WILL HAVEN's development, so for me, this had to happen at some point. We have a family vibe between our two bands, and that's how it felt when working on this song."


"Muerte" track listing:

01. Hewed With The Brand

02. Winds Of Change

03. Kinney

04. The Son

05. 43

06. No Escape (feat. Mike Scheidt of YOB)

07. Unit K

08. Ladwig No. 949

09. Bootstraps

10. Now In The Ashes

11. El Sol (feat. Stephen Carpenter)


WILL HAVEN is:

Grady Avenell - Vocals

Jeff Irwin - Guitar

Adrien Contreras - Bass

Mitch Wheeler - Drums

Photo credit: Rockin Ryan Richardson

VENOM INC., the band featuring original VENOM members Jeff "Mantas" Dunn (guitar) and Anthony "Abaddon" Bray (drums) alongside ex-VENOM bassist/vocalist Tony "Demolition Man" Dolan, will release a three-song 10-inch single, "War", on August 10 through Nuclear Blast. The single's artwork was created by Marcelo Vasco (SLAYER, HATEBREED, MACHINE HEAD, BORKNAGAR) and can be seen below.

Dolan stated, "In a world of uncertainty, where we are back to measuring the size of one nuclear arsenal against another (sic. Cold War) while other parts of the globe battle their perverse leanings and terror reigns down...we present 'War'...and our very own live 'Warhead'! Enjoy the destruction of all you thought you knew as indestructible."

"War" single track listing:

Side A

01. War (Armageddon Edit)

02. War (live)

Side B

01. Warhead (live)

The single can be pre-ordered in the following formats:

* red vinyl (limited to 300 copies; mailorder only!)

* black vinyl (limited to 500 copies)

VENOM INC. was born during an impromptu live set at 2015's Keep it True festival in Lauda-Königshofen, Germany. The onstage reunion was a rousing success amongst VENOM fans and music industry personnel alike, and although it was originally only set up for fun, Dolan began receiving numerous show offers for VENOM INC. from booking agents around the world. What started as a live set to celebrate VENOM's legacy immediately turned into a serious reunion discussion.

VENOM INC. is not to be confused with the Conrad "Cronos" Lant-fronted version of VENOM, which is continuing to tour and make albums under the VENOM moniker. Joining Cronos in that group are Rage (a.k.a. Stuart Dixon) on guitar and Danté (a.k.a. Danny Needham) on drums.

VENOM INC.'s debut album, "Avé", was released last August via Nuclear Blast.

SYSTEM OF A DOWN guitarist Daron Malakian's long-dormant side project, SCARS ON BROADWAY, has released a brand new single and video. "Dictator" is the title track of the band's new album, which will be released on July 20. The band itself, now rebranded DARON MALAKIAN AND SCARS ON BROADWAY, has undergone a complete overhaul, with none of the members from the group's 2008 debut — including SYSTEM drummer John Dolmayan — appearing on the new songs.

Malakian explained the personnel changes in an online post, saying: "Nobody quit. When I first started SCARS, I always said that it would be different lineups from album to album. Depends on the type of direction I want to take. Different musicians work for different styles. That is partly why I added my name in front of the band's."

"Dictator" follows the release of the album's first track/video, "Lives", which was directed by Hayk Matevosian. The clip, about celebrating life in the face of tragedy, is already closing in on two million YouTube views.

Both "Lives" and "Dictator" are available as instant downloads when pre-ordering "Dictator" ahead of its release on iTunes or Amazon.

"Dictator" saw Malakian write, produce and play every instrument — including all vocals — over the course of a 10-day recording session. The album's cover art was created by Daron's father, Vartan Malakian, who also designed the artwork for SYSTEM OF A DOWN's twin 2005 releases, "Mezmerize" and "Hypnotize".

"I told my Dad that the album was going to be titled 'Dictator'," recalls Daron. "I didn't go into any other details. I went to my parents' house a week later and he already had the album cover done."

"Dictator" was recorded in 2012 but has remained unreleased — until now.

"I recorded the album, and then around that time, SYSTEM started playing live again," Daron told Rolling Stone. "So every time we'd play live, there'd be conversations like, 'Maybe we'll do an album.' So being the guy who wrote the majority of almost all the SYSTEM songs in the past, I was, like, 'All right, let me see what's happening with it. Let me hold on to these songs and let me see how this develops.' We talked about it and we weren't all on the same page. Not everybody was into the idea. But every time we played live, it kept coming up.

"I just got to the point now where a lot of people were asking about the SCARS album — I hear it all the time — so I was. like, 'I'm gonna put this album out.' Not knowing what's happening with SYSTEM has kept me from putting my own stuff out. Too much time has passed, and I'm really excited to finally get some music out finally."

Daron also confirmed that everything on the album is from 2012. "Yeah," he said. "I played everything on it. I went into the studio and recorded an album in less than 10 days. I played all the instruments — the drums, everything — and I've just been sitting on it for six years. [Laughs]"

SCARS ON BROADWAY has just the one LP to its credit so far and last performed in 2012 as the opening act for DEFTONES in Los Angeles.

The group has only played live sporadically over the years: a headlining trek in 2008 was canceled, with Malakian citing his lack of enthusiasm and "his heart not being into touring" as the chief reasons behind the decision.

The guitarist later explained that he thought it was "almost too soon" for him to go on the road after SYSTEM OF A DOWN went on hiatus in 2006, also citing issues in his personal life that "made it impossible" for him to tour.

SYSTEM OF A DOWN, which has toured intermittently since ending its hiatus in 2011, has some shows coming up this year but has not released new music in 12 years.

Former NIGHTWISH singer Tarja Turunen has revealed the first song from her brand new live-art-album and video "Act II".

The bombastic live version of "Love To Hate" was recorded at renowned Metropolis Studios in London, U.K., and showcases Tarja's impressive vocal range and talent for compositions.

In London, Tarja and her band performed an intimate-yet-rocking version of the fan favorite in front of 20 lucky winners from all over Europe. The song, originally from her worldwide chart success "The Shadow Self", gives a powerful taste of the forthcoming live release and can be found on the video version of "Act II" only.

Filmed during Tarja's world tour "The Shadow Shows", during which the influential heavy rock singer circled the world 7.5 times with over 300,000 km travelled and played over 200 shows in 40 countries in front of 1 million people, "Act II" consists of the singer's very intimate 75-minute set filmed and recorded live at the Metropolis Studio and the breathtaking live performance of one of her shows in Milan, Italy, and previously unreleased interviews and photo galleries.

The theatrical rock adventure "Act II" combines two incredible-yet-slightly-different live performances on video: The first chapter, "Metropolis Alive", has been filmed two months prior to the release of Tarja's 2016 success "The Shadow Self". Twenty winners from all over Europe were lucky to witness Tarja's set at Metropolis Studios in London, where the singer performed songs from her then unreleased album — for the first time in front of an audience.


"Act II" is the second chapter and was recorded on November 29, 2016 at the magnificent Teatro della Luna Allago in Milan, Italy and includes numerous hits from all four Tarja albums such as "Innocence", "Die Alive", "Until My Last Breath", as well as an incredible cover of MUSE's classic "Supremacy". That night's setlist also enchants the soprano's long-time fans with a medley consisting of the distinctive NIGHTWISH evergreens: "Ever Dream", "Slaying The Dreamer" and "The Riddler". It was all topped off with a remarkable acoustic set, which presented Tarja classics in a brand new way.


Even though the shows deliberately differ in look, sound, approach to the music and adrenaline, both have one thing in common: from the very first to the very last tune, the state of the art production displays Tarja's energetic performance and her graceful, charming presence.


"Act II" will be released on July 27 on earMUSIC as 2CD digipak, 3LP gatefold (180g, black), DVD, Blu-ray, limited mediabook 2CD+2BD (including two full live shows filmed at Hellfest in France and Woodstock Festival in Poland as bonus) and digital.

"Act I", Tarja's first-ever live release, charted Top 10 all over Europe as well as almost all over the world, with a sensational No. 5 in Germany. The video version even remained for over two months at the peak of the Finnish music video charts.

British heavy metal legends SAXON have released the official music video for the song "The Secret Of Flight". According to Classic Rock magazine, the track, which appears on the band's latest album, "Thunderbolt", retells the story of flight via the medium of heavy metal thunder, taking in all points from Icarus's disastrous approach to the sun, via the Wright Brothers, to the dropping of the bomb.

"2018 is turning out to be another monumental year for SAXON," says frontman Biff Byford. "After storming across the North America with the 'Thunderbolt' tour, we are releasing 'The Secret Of Flight' from the album as the new single and video.

"Being in a touring band, we fly a lot. So I was sat on a plane one day, thinking that — in the big scheme of things — we didn't discover how to fly until quite recently in man's history, in 1903. That's only 115 years ago.

"I thought it would make a good subject, so there you go…. the secret of flight!

"The track has already proven to be a live monster song so as we are half way through the year's tour schedule," adds Biff. "It's apt that we release it now. With that in mind, we would also like to share the following up-to-date stats with you all."

Miles travelled: 37,000 miles

People played to: 200,000

Bottles of Wine: 184

Bottles of Beer: 2228

Bottles of water: 4350

Cocktails: 560

Tea bags: 14

Pizzas: 19

Curries: 12

Burgers: 150

Steaks: 86

Breakfasts: 49

Guitar strings: 300

Drum sticks: 150

Bass strings: 140

Guitar picks: 1000

Hours asleep: Minimal!

"Thunderbolt" was released on February 2 via Militia Guard (Silver Lining Music). The follow-up to 2015's "Battering Ram" was once again helmed by producer Andy Sneap, who has previously worked with JUDAS PRIEST, MEGADETH, ACCEPT and TESTAMENT, among others. The disc features original artwork by longtime SAXON collaborator Paul Raymond Gregory.

SAXON supported JUDAS PRIEST on the North American leg of the "Firepower" tour, which kicked off on March 13 in Wilkes Barre, Pennsylvania and wrapped on May 1 in San Antonio, Texas.

Oakland's Extremity will issue their proper debut full-length, Coffin Birth, via 20 Buck Spin on July 20th, the label dispatching the album's maiden single, "Grave Mistake", alongside pre-orders and details on the record.

Founded by members / ex-members of: Vastum, Ludicra, Agalloch, Repulsion and Cretin, Extremity burst like a pustule onto the death metal scene in 2017 with their Extremely Fucking Dead mini-LP. Its five ferocious tracks gave the first taste of what was to come, and now the band returns with its debut full length album, Coffin Birth, a hideous ode to the genre's past and present.

As with its predecessor, Coffin Birth was recorded at Oakland's Earhammer Studios -- the birthplace for so many of today's standout death metal releases - the album boasting both surgical clarity and pummeling raw aggression. In combination with the attention to detail in both song and lyric writing, Extremity exhumes a debut album born straight from a coffin.

Stream "Grave Mistake" via Bandcamp or the YouTube clip below.

Right from the start of the menacing opening intro track "Coffin Birth / A Million Witches," Extremity brutalizes with a hammer of pulverizing devastation and a defined melodic sensibility. Memorable and outright catchy songs that seamlessly veer from grinding speed to crushingly mid-paced unfold via a sordid concept that may reveal itself with careful attention.

Featuring vividly grim cover artwork by Andrei Bouzikov (Municipal Waste, Autopsy, Toxic Holocaust), and a guest appearance by Antti Bowman of Demilich, Extremity's Coffin Birth is a prime acquisition for those who feast upon the works of: Exhumed, Repulsion, Autopsy, Carcass, Death, Bolt Thrower, Impaled, Vastum, and Entombed.

Tracklisting:

"Coffin Birth / A Million Witches"
"Where Evil Dwells"
"Grave Mistake"
"Umbilicus"
"For Want Of A Nail"
"Occision"
"Like Father Like Son"
"Misbegotten / Coffin Death"

Coffin Birth will be available on CD, LP, cassette, and digital formats; find pre-orders here.

Extremity is:

Shelby Lermo - vocals, guitars, bass
Marissa Martinez-Hoadley - vocals, guitars
Aesop Dekker - drums

(Band photo by Aloysius V. Cummings)

 

Berlin, Germany-based rock overlords Kadavar performed at Germany's Wacken Open Air festival in the summer of 2017. Professionally filmed video of the band's full set can be seen below.

Setlist:

"Come Back Life"
"Pale Blue Eyes"
"Doomsday Machine"
"Living In Your Head"
"Black Sun"
"Goddess Of Dawn"
"Thousand Miles Away From Home"
"Helter Skelter" (The Beatles cover)