American death metal stalwarts Cardiac Arrest have premiered their new track "Professional Victim". The song hails from the band's sixth album, A Parallel Dimension Of Despair, set for international release on April 23rd via Memento Mori. 

Formed in the bowels of Chicago way back in 1997, Cardiac Arrest should need no introduction to the ardent fans of rotting and blood-drenched death metal, for these grave-dwellers have been carving out aural nightmares of perishing and grime for decades now. Consisting of four individuals with an unearthly interest in all that's absurd, morbid, gruesome, and unhealthy, the band's been consistently getting heavier and more vile with every album they spat out via previous labels such as Razorback Recordings and Ibex Moon Records, honoring timeless death metal of the most grinding and putrid ilk with genuineness and a no-nonsense approach, yet adding enough personality to be in a forever-rotting league of their very own.

Now, half a dozen albums deep into their 20-plus-year career Cardiac Arrest have delivered a masterstroke that bands a third of their age would be jealous to release: A Parallel Dimension Of Despair. Time moves on and tastes change, but these American diehards stay true to the iron-clad ethos of true and timeless death metal. Put on A Parallel Dimension Of Despair and you'd be forgiven for thinking the year was 1991, so authentic and ingrained is that ethos. For those were days of true songwriting, and Cardiac Arrest have never forgotten that.

Not for them the speed-for-its-own-sake stakes nor unnecessary gore that doesn't serve the heart of horror; instead, the quartet churn forth streamlined yet shit-heavy DEATH that puts emphasis on hooks and groove as well as well-timed bouts of speed. References to be made include: Grave, Master, Benediction, Obituary, Cianide, Malevolent Creation, and of course the Floridian masters Death and Massacre, but here delivered with a class and clarity that's entirely their own. If anything, this is Cardiac Arrest at their outright catchiest, addictingly navigating between gallop and blast.
 
With suitably haunting cover art courtesy of Juanjo Castellano and mastering by Javier Felez at Moontower Studios, A Parallel Dimension Of Despair proves old age doesn't soften the diehard one bit - it just kicks them into Cardiac Arrest! 

A Parallel Dimension Of Despair tracklisting:

"Immoral And Absurd"
"Become The Pain"
"Unforgiving... Unrelenting"
"When The Teeth Sink In"
"When Murder Is Justified"
"Drudge Demon"
"Rotting Creator"
"It Takes Form"
"This Dark Domain"
"Professional Victim"
"Voices From The Tomb"

"It Takes Form":

Southern California blackened death metal outfit Witch Casket have announced an April 27th release of their debut EP, entitled Hatred Index. The album was produced, engineered and mixed by the band's guitarist, Colin "Nylock" Cameron, and mastered by Maor Appelbaum of Maor Appelbaum Mastering.

The band plans to release a music video for their new single "The True Knot" in the coming weeks. "The True Knot" will be the third video released by the band, following the release of a lyric video for the song "That Damn Devil", and a music video for the title track "Hatred Index". Watch both videos below.

The formation of Witch Casket began in 2013 when ex-Sothis guitarist Colin "Nylock" Cameron and guitarist Neal Tiemann started working on writing songs together in Nylock's Los Angeles studio. Once a majority of the songs had been written, ex-Sothis vocalist Adam "Drogoth" McCarthy was brought on to handle writing lyrics and recording vocals. Originally formed simply as a studio project, all musical instrumentation was composed and executed by both Nylock and Tiemann.

Witch Casket are poised to explode on the metal scene with a crushing brutality, a high-energy live show, and are ready to deliver to the masses their unique brand of melodic blackened death metal.

Tracklisting:

"Hatred Index"
"That Damn Devil"
"Dawn Everlasting"
"History Of Violence"
"The True Knot"

"That Damn Devil" lyric video:

"Hatred Index" video:

Album recording:

Nylock - Guitar, Bass, Drums, Piano Keyboards and Orchestral Arrangements
Drogoth - Vocals
Neal Tiemann - Guitar

Live lineup:

Nylock - Guitar
Drogoth - Vocals
Scathe - Guitar
Aramis Arredondo - Bass
Kaspars Lucey-Grinbergs - Drums

Influential American black metal supergroup Twilight have announced the impending release of its final recording, Trident Death Rattle, due out May 1st via Ascension Monuments Media.

Featuring three unreleased tracks from the 2012 III: Beneath Trident's Tomb LP sessions, the extended play is much more an experimental output than its predecessors. It's a dark, uncomfortable listen - much like the history of the band during that particular time period.

Listen to the cathartic first single "This Road South" below, and pre-order the title on vinyl, cassette and digipak MCD here.

Recorded by Sanford Parker and mastered by Collin Jordan, Trident Death Rattle is the 18-and-a-half-minute heretic swan song from masterminds Jef “Wrest” Whitehead (Leviathan), Blake Judd (Nachtmystium) and Neill “N. Imperial” Jameson (Krieg). Indie rock legend Thurston Moore (Sonic Youth) is also featured on this recording, as well as engineer/producer Sanford Parker (Buried At Sea, Corrections House, Minsk) on synths / electronics. Chicago bluegrass veteran Scott Judd performs as a guest, playing electric banjo on “No Consequence”.

In addition, look for further Twilight news later this year via Prophecy Productions.

Says guitarist/vocalist Thurston Moore: "When I got the call to play guitar with Twilight, I knew right away that all other considerations were to be incinerated. Twilight is US black metal at its most impenetrable, corrosive core. Each member a visionary of lunacy and demented desire. I listened to the rough sketches and composed sinister-sonik six string blood cries. In the studio, I marvelled at the work ethic and the satanic succubation of deliverance. Listening to these "lost tracks" brings me back to the sick head of trolling around Chicago, killing beers and smokes, and making wasted high energy noise pollution. We fucking nailed it, cross smashing to the grave."

Says vocalist Neill Jameson: "Twilight III was a strange transitional time in everyone involved's lives, and unlike most people undergoing these things, we were all very aware of it. It was one of those moments where everything was falling apart and coming together, setting up our futures for us without stripping us out of the moment. There was nothing easy or fluid about it, nothing comfortable. It didn't represent black metal as a scene or a genre, it didn't represent anything that we had build with previous work or stand as a beacon for work to come. It was just one long scream into each of our own abyss, a shared yet solitary void. It was the last time I was truly nervous about creating anything."

Says guitarist Blake Judd: "I'm extremely excited for these three missing tracks to finally be seeing the light of day as an official cassette / vinyl / digital release! After having a few rocky years with my ex-Twilight co-conspirators, we've all patched up our differences and have a good relationship today. After numerous conversations about the subject of these three tracks with Jef Whitehead (Wrest) and Neill Jameson (N. Imperial), we've all decided it's time for the final existing Twilight audio to be presented and released unto the world.

"These songs are special to me also because they're the three tracks which were authored by myself and Thurston Moore of Sonic Youth fame. To have had the chance to work with such a legendary musician was an amazing and very satisfying experience for me. I grew up in the 90s when Nirvana was king, so, like most people my age, I was a huge fan. Through Nirvana, I discovered Sonic Youth and have been a massive fan ever since. So, to have had the opportunity later to work alongside the most well-known member of that band, it was like a dream come true and truly brought things full circle, connecting the music I was making during the Twilight era with the music that inspired me to pick up a guitar when I first started playing at 12-13 years old. With that being said, it is with great honour that I'm able to oversee the release and be a part of these missing Twilight tracks, released by Ascension Monuments Media under the title Trident Death Rattle."

Tracklisting:
 
"This Road South"
"Weathered Flames"
"No Consequence" (ft. Scott Judd)

"This Road South":

Trident Death Rattle by Twilight

 Twilight at the time of recording:

N. Imperial - Vocals
Blake Judd - Guitars
Wrest - Bass & Drums
Thurston Moore - Guitars
Sanford Parker - Synths / Electronics

Syteria, the Yorkshire, UK-based rock band featuring Girlschool guitarist Jackie Chambers, have released a video for "Revolution", the opening track from the band's debut full-length album, Rant-O-Bot, released last May. Watch the clip below.

The album is available from TuneCore, iTunes, Spotify, Amazon Music and a variety of online music stores. You can also order a CD featuring a booklet containing lyrics and photos directly from the band's official website here.

Rant-O-Bot tracklisting:

“Revolution”
“When I Get Out Of High School”
“Complication”
“Sheeple”
“I'm All Woman”
“Get A Life”
“Stupid Girl”
“Loner”
“Hypocrite”
“Kamikaze”
“If”
“New World Order”

“Revolution” video:

“When I Get Out Of High School” video:

“I”m All Woman” video:

Syteria lineup:

Julia Calvo - Vocals
Jackie Chambers - Guitars/Vocals
Keira Kenworthy - Bass Guitar/Vocals
Pablo Calvo - Drums/Vocals

TRIVIUM's John Deed-directed music video for the song "Endless Night" can be seen below. The track is taken from the band's eighth album, "The Sin And The Sentence", which arrived last October via Roadrunner.

TRIVIUM frontman Matt Heafy told TeamRock about the song: "I have a friend who owns a personal training company, and he asked me to score their yearly video for their trainers. I was, like, 'Oh yeah, sure. Piece of cake.' I had been doing scoring stuff for local businesses, local real estate companies, food trucks, these little things in Orlando. So I said, 'What do you want?' And he said, 'Something like 'Dying In Your Arms'.' 'All right. That's easy.' I did this thing, sent it to him, he loved it. I showed the guys, and they were like, 'This is really good. We should use it for TRIVIUM.' So, again, we all reworked it together, and Paolo [Gregoletto, bass] did all the lyrics."

Recorded with producer Josh Wilbur (LAMB OF GOD, GOJIRA) at Santa Ana, California's Hybrid Studios, "The Sin And The Sentence" finds TRIVIUM — Heafy, Corey Beaulieu (guitar), Gregoletto and Alex Bent (drums) — returning with its first new music since its celebrated 2015 LP "Silence In The Snow". The new LP also features the band's first recordings with new drummer Bent, who joined the band in 2016.

Heafy told Germany's Pitcam.tv about TRIVIUM's decision to include more screaming vocals on "The Sin And The Sentence": "'Silence [In The Snow]' didn't have it because we felt like it didn't quite need it. We could have put it on there from Corey or something because at the time, I hadn't been able to scream again. I blew my voice out two and a half, three years ago at the end of the 'Vengeance Falls' cycle. I had to rebuild it, and re-work at it, but thankfully it's back. It's a piece of cake [now]. It's great. It sounds great on the record — we're happy about it.

"The thing with TRIVIUM is we've always done the kind of music we felt like we needed to do at that time," he continued. "We never are trying to write to a quota or to a person or to a fan base of any kind of specific thing; we're always trying to make what we want to hear as fans of music and fans of metal, and that's what we did with 'The Sin And The Sentence'. I think 'The Sin And The Sentence' has ingredients of everything that TRIVIUM is and everything that's great about TRIVIUM, while 'Silence...' I think has some of the biggest and best hooks and some of the best singing we've ever had. We have done records like that before. 'The Crusade' had pretty much no screaming whatsoever — I think maybe two words were screamed on that record. With 'The Sin and The Sentence', we just made what we felt like we wanted to make."

Added Gregoletto: "There's really not that much screaming. I think it's a little deceptive just because we had an album that didn't have any, and then it kind of made a return on this record, but we made a conscious effort not to just overdo it. I think just to throw screaming into parts would have been, kind of, I don't know... it would have made it feel very forced. We can put it into our music again and use it when we need to. 'The Heart From Your Hate' has no screaming; one of the other singles that will come out eventually has no screaming. I think we've really accomplished being able to do both and we can kind of pick and choose which tools we want to use."

New York's Glassjaw recently released Material Control, their first album in over 15 years. Today they’ve premiered a video for lead single "Shira", also their first video in 15 years.

The storyline of the video is threaded through actual live footage of the band's Saint Vitus album release party late last year. Check it out below:

Material Control was released in December 2017 and as of now the album is also available on vinyl. Order all physical and digital formats here.

Glassjaw live:

April
18 - London, England - O2 Academy Brixton

After having released their Top 20 charting record One More For The Road last year, The New Roses have released a brand new music video for the title track.

The band states: "We picked this song as the title track of the album, because it represents our life on tour with all its ups and downs. The video 'One More For The Road' completes this feeling visually. This is who we are!"

The Wiesbaden, Germany-based 4-piece will play 30 festivals this year: Hellfest France, Hard Rock Hell UK, Sweden Rock, Masters Of Rock - to name just a few. Before the hot summer weather takes over, the band will hit the road supporting The Dead Daisies throughout Europe. On top of all of that there’s a full UK headlining tour run. The New Roses will also be a part of the KISS Kruise in the US. Find the band’s tour schedule here.

One More For The Road can be ordered here.

One More For The Road tracklisting:

“Quarter To Twelve”
“My Own Worst Enemy”
“Forever Never Comes”
“Dancing On A Razor Blade”
“Consider Me Gone”
“Life Ain't Easy (For A Boy With Long Hair)”
“Every Wild Heart”
“Fight You Leaving Me”
“The Same Moon”
“Piece By Peace Of Mind”
“One More For The Road”
“Do I Look Scared To You (Bonus Track)
“The Storm” (Bonus Track)”
“Nitro Nights” (Bonus Track)

"Life Ain't Easy (For A Boy With A Long Hair)" video:

"Every Wild Heart" video:

"Line Of Dissent", a brand new song from U.S. death metal veterans SKINLESS, can be streamed below. The track is taken from the band's sixth studio offering, fittingly titled "Savagery", which is due out May 11 on CD, LP, and digital formats via Relapse Records. Physical packages are available via Relapse.com and all digital download/streaming services.

Recorded by Tom Case at Doomsday Bunker Studio in New York and by Dave Otero (PRIMITIVE MAN, CATTLE DECAPITATION, CEPHALIC CARNAGE) at Flatline Audio in Colorado, "Savagery" embodies ten slabs of rotting, aural remains across 37 minutes of titanic slams, untouchable grooves, mauling riffs and blood-thirsty, bestial growls. "Savagery" sees SKINLESS at the top of the band's game, more than 25 years into an untouchable reign of terror and comes swathed in the stunningly sick cover art of renowned tattoo artist Jesse Levitt.

"Savagery" track listing:

01. Savagery

02. Siege Engine

03. Skull Session

04. Reversal Of Fortune

05. Exacting Revenge

06. Medieval

07. Line Of Dissent

08. Cruel Blade Of The Guillotine

09. The Hordes

10. High Rate Extinction (Bonus Track)

Formed in 1992 in Albany, New York, SKINLESS released several full-length albums and numerous EPs throughout its 25-plus-year career. After disbanding in 2011, the group is now back together with the classic "Progression Towards Evil" lineup (Sherwood Webber on vocals, Noah Carpenter on guitar, Joe Keyser on bass, Bob Beaulac on drums) plus the recent addition of Dave Matthews on second guitar.

SKINLESS's first new studio offering in nearly a decade, "Only The Ruthless Remain", arrived in 2015.

The long-awaited new studio album from German metal queen Doro Pesch will be released on August 17 via Nuclear Blast.


Doro's 20th LP, "Forever Warriors, Forever United" will be a huge milestone as her first-ever double album, so fans can expect 24 brand new songs, including some stunning surprises.

The album cover artwork was once again created by Doro's favorite artist Geoffrey Gillespie. It portrays Doro in the middle of a swarm of wild metal heads exuding attitude, power and a lot of positive vibes.

"The cover and the title form a perfect unit," Doro explains, "Just as it should be. It all fits perfectly in line with the songs, which also deal with some political themes."

"There are some big anthems on the album, countless heavy songs, as well as heart-warming melodies! The album is supposed to give you power and thus contains a lot of energy!"


Doro continues: "On 'Forever Warriors, Forever United', there will be a lot of big rock heroes. Fans might be curious about the many awesome guest musicians involved."


Fans can note that the first single, "All For Metal", will feature several metal heroes, who can also be seen in the upcoming music video which will be released in May. "It's a great anthem — I think it could even top [WARLOCK's classic track] 'All We Are' — and everybody's singing on it," Doro said. "And this could be really, really good. It's hooky like hell."

Guitarist Doug Aldrich (WHITESNAKE, DIO, THE DEAD DAISIES) and former WARLOCK guitarist Tommy Bolan, who also contributed to the highly acclaimed LP "Triumph & Agony" in 1987, will be part of the new album.

According to Doro, the first song she wrote for the new album is a track dedicated to iconic MOTÖRHEAD frontman and Doro's longtime friend Ian "Lemmy" Kilmister. "It's called 'Living Life To The Fullest'," she says.

In the usual Doro tradition, there will also be another German-language song on the album — a midtempo track tackling the topic of a deep friendship, just as in "Für Immer".

The long-awaited follow-up to 2012's "Raise Your Fist" will be the German singer's first release since 2016's "Love's Gone To Hell" single.

Last year, Pesch celebrated the 30th anniversary of WARLOCK's "Triumph And Agony" album by performing the LP in its entirety at select shows around the globe.

Doro was joined on the "Triumph And Agony" 30th-anniversary tour by Bolan alongside bassist Nick Douglas, drummer Johnny Dee, guitarist Bas Maas and guitarist/keyboardist Luca Princiotta.

STRYPER's new song "Lost" can be streamed below. The track is taken from the band's new album, "God Damn Evil", which will be released on April 20 via Frontiers Music Srl. Produced by frontman Michael Sweet, it is STRYPER's most powerful album to date, doubling down on the hard rock/heavy metal sound that earned the group a worldwide fan base.

Asked by All That Shreds what made STRYPER choose such a seemingly provocative title for its follow-up to 2015's "Fallen", Sweet said: "We didn't do it just to shake things up. We have a point to prove in a statement. A few years back we thought about using this title. We didn't go with it because we felt it was a little too much at that time. Now in 2018, with everything that we've seen on the news, the evil we're faced with on a daily basis to new levels and new degrees, it made perfect sense for us to have an album called 'God Damn Evil'. It's a prayer request. It is what it is. It's not a swear, it's not just the shock statement, it's a prayer request, and we're asking God to damn the evil that we see. It should be a prayer for everybody. Some people are freaking out thinking you're taking the Lord's name in vain, and it's not that at all."

In a press release announcing the release of "God Damn Evil", Sweet explained that he and his bandmates "thought long and hard about this title. It was actually considered quite a few years ago and it just didn't feel like the right time. Now, with all the evil in the world that we see around us on a daily basis, it made perfect sense. It's a very bold statement yet a prayer asking God to damn/condemn evil. Nothing more, nothing less.

"We all see and hear the darkness that surrounds us in our society, but with faith and love, we'll always have hope," he continues. "That's what STRYPER is all about: powerful music and a message that builds foundations, not walls. We couldn't be more excited about 'God Damn Evil', as it showcases our undying love for what we do and why we do it."

The follow-up to 2015's "Fallen" marks STRYPER's first effort since the addition of former FIREHOUSE bassist Perry Richardson. Perry joined the band as the replacement for STRYPER's longtime bassist Tim Gaines, who was fired from the group last year.

Perry did not play bass on STRYPER's new album due to scheduling constraints. The bass tracks on "God Damn Evil" were laid down by John O'Boyle, who played bass on Sweet's last two solo albums.

"God Damn Evil" track listing:

01. Take It To The Cross

02. Sorry

03. Lost

04. God Damn Evil

05. You Don't Even Know Me

06. The Valley

07. Sea Of Thieves

08. Beautiful

09. Can't Live Without Your Love

10. Own Up

11. The Devil Doesn't Live Here

STRYPER will return to the road this year, kicking off the "God Damn Evil" world tour in Milan, Italy on April 28 at the Frontiers Rock Festival.

Fan-filmed video footage of RAINBOW's April 8 concert at Olimpiisky Arena in Moscow, Russia can be seen below.

The band's setlist was as follows:

01. Spotlight Kid

02. I Surrender (Russ Ballard cover)

03. Mistreated (DEEP PURPLE)

04. Since You Been Gone (Russ Ballard cover)

05. Man On The Silver Mountain (with snippet of DEEP PURPLE's "Woman From Tokyo")

06. Perfect Strangers (DEEP PURPLE)

07. Difficult To Cure (Beethoven's 9th)

08. Child In Time (DEEP PURPLE)

09. All Night Long

10. Stargazer

11. Long Live Rock 'n' Roll

12. Still I'm Sad (THE YARDBIRDS cover)

13. Burn (DEEP PURPLE cover)

Encore:

14. Black Night (DEEP PURPLE)

15. Smoke On The Water (DEEP PURPLE)

The first new RAINBOW single since 1996, "Waiting For A Sign", was released in March. The song was penned by Ritchie Blackmore, with lyrics by his wife Candice Night and vocals from RAINBOW's current singer, Ronnie Romero, who is originally from Chile but is now settled in Madrid.

The latest incarnation of RAINBOW released two new studio recordings last year, but they weren't original compositions; one was an instrumental song called "Land Of Hope And Glory", which was a reworking of the 1902 British patriotic song of the same name from Edward Elgar's "Pomp And Circumstance March No. 1", while the other was a re-recording of the RAINBOW classic "I Surrender", which was written by Russ Ballard and was first released by RAINBOW in 1981.

"Waiting For A Sign" is included on "Memories in Rock II", which was released on April 6 via Minstrel Hall/Soulfood. The set also contains a double CD of the June 2017 U.K. RAINBOW concerts, a DVD containing over 80 minutes of interview footage with the band and crew, an additional backstage clip and a video for the 2017 studio version of "I Surrender".

Blackmore stepped away from his Renaissance-inspired brand of music with BLACKMORE'S NIGHT in 2016 to perform a handful of shows with a brand-new lineup of the band he had formed after quitting DEEP PURPLE.

Although Ritchie initially said that he had no plans to make a new RAINBOW album — explaining in early 2016 that he wanted to "just get back to playing the old songs one more time" — he revealed to Japan's Burrn! magazine that he changed his mind.

In addition to Blackmore and Romero, the current incarnation of RAINBOW includes STRATOVARIUS keyboardist Jens Johansson, BLACKMORE'S NIGHT drummer David Keith, bassist Bob Nouveau (a.k.a. Robert "Bob" Curiano, ex-BLACKMORE'S NIGHT), and backing singers Candice Night and Lady Lynn.

The two shows RAINBOW played in Germany in June 2016 were caught on camera to produce "Memories In Rock - Live In Germany", which was released in November 2016 via Eagle Rock Entertainment on DVD+2CD, Blu-ray+2CD, and digital formats.

After Ritchie left DEEP PURPLE for the final time in 1993, he reformed RAINBOW for one album (1995's "Stranger In Us All") and one tour, ending things in Denmark in 1997.

Seasoned psychedelic / atmospheric tinged progressive death metal outfit Burial In The Sky recently announced their forthcoming sophomore full-length, Creatio et Hominus. The album is set for release on June 1st.

The Mount Carmel, Pennsylvania based group established a name for themselves with the release of their 2016 debut, Persistence Of Thought, which was enhanced by the advanced session drumming of Decrepit Birth member Samus Paulicelli.

For their new album, Burial In The Sky picked up drummer Sam Stewart who also plays piano on the group's upcoming album. At the same time, the band added bassist and saxophonist Zach Strouse who contributed all of the highly praised saxophone playing found on River Of Nihil's new album, Where Owls Know My Name. The recent last-minute addition of longtime Cognitive vocalist Jorel Hart rounds out the new album's lineup which begins with founding member, guitarist and multi-instrumentalist James Tomedi. Like his multi-talented bandmates, James contributes much outside of his main guitar role, adding slide guitar, keys, mandolin, and kalimba to the new album's sonic arsenal. 

Today, Burial In The Sky launch "The Pivotal Flame", the first single to drop from Creatio et Hominus. The song prominently features Zach Strouse's smooth saxophone playing alongside a litany of progressive focused twists and turns outside of the roaring technically inclined death metal focus at the heart of "The Pivotal Flame". 

Pre-orders for Creatio et Hominus are available now via Bandcamp.

​Tracklisting:

"Nexus"
"Tesla"  (all vocals by ex-vocalist Jimmy Murphy)
"Nautilus' Cage"
"The Pivotal Flame"
"Psalms Of The Deviant"
"5 Years"
"Creatio et Hominus" (featuring guest solo from Brody Uttley of Rivers Of Nihil)

Burial In The Sky - Creatio et Hominus lineup:

James Tomedi - guitars, slide, keys, mandolin, kalimba
Zach Strouse - bass guitar, sax (all sax playing on the new Rivers Of Nihil)
Sam Stewart - drums, piano
Jorel Hart - vocals (ex-Cognitive, live bass for Wormhole)
Jimmy Murphy - vocals on "Tesla" only
 

Opeth's full concert that aired on German music television show Rockpalast is available for streaming below. The performance was recorded on June 4th, 2017 in Gelsenkirchen, Germany.

Setlist:

"Sorceress"
"Ghost Of Perdition"
"Demon Of The Fall"
"The Wilde Flowers"
"In My Time Of Need"
"Cusp Of Eternity"
"Heir Apparent"
"Era"
"Deliverance"
Interview

Queen have uploaded the video below, featuring a selection of the band's ballads, containing a mix of live performances, official videos and lyric videos.

Tracklisting:

"A Winter's Tale"
"All Dead All Dead"
"Heaven For Everyone"
"Let Me In Your Heart Again"
"Love Of My Life My"
"Melancholy Blues"
"No-One But You"
"Save Me"
"Somebody To Love"
"These Are The Days Of Our Lives"
"Too Much Love Will Kill You"
"White Queen (As It Began)"
"Who Wants To Live Forever"
"You Take My Breath Away"
"You're My Best Friend"

To promote the upcoming reissue of the band's first Jason Newsted release, The $5.98 EP - Garage Days Re-Revisited, the band have posted a live version of their cover of Holocaust's "The Small Hours", filmed at Leipzig Arena in Leipzig, Germany on May 7, 2009.

Metallica's The $5.98 EP - Garage Days Re-Revisited, is available for pre-order now and in stores on April 13th in time to celebrate Record Store Day. The long out of print EP included five songs that were later released as a part of the Garage, Inc. double album, but Metallica thought it would be fun to bring them back now in the original format straight from 1987.

Keeping with the '80s theme, the remastered EP will not only be released as a CD and download, but also as several vinyl versions including a picture disc, as a cassette, and in a longbox (you youngsters can search the web for that term!). All Metallica.com pre-orders will receive an instant grat single of the remastered version of "The Wait", which can be heard below.

Tracklisting:

"Helpless" - originally released by Diamond Head
"The Small Hours" - originally released by Holocaust
"The Wait" - originally released by Killing Joke
"Crash Course In Brain Surgery" - originally released by Budgie
"Last Caress / Green Hell" - originally released by The Misfits

Remastered by Chris Bellman at Bernie Grundman Mastering, Hollywood, CA.

The $5.98 EP - Garage Days Re-Revisited will be available in the following formats:

- CD
- Limited Edition CD with a Lenticular Longbox
- LP (180g black vinyl)
- Limited Edition Colored LP (180g red-orange vinyl - only available at Metallica.com and at Indie Retail)
- Limited Edition LP Picture Disc (Metallica.com Exclusive)
- Limited Edition Cassette (with the entire EP on both sides, just like the original)
- Streaming & Download

Chicago's The Outfit have released an official music video for their single "Wire". The song comes from the band's self-titled debut album, out now via Pavement Entertainment, distributed by MRI/Sony-Orchard.

"Wire" possesses a high-energy sound and goes all out with its riveting riffs, solid rhythms, and punchy vocals. The video showcases The Outfit performing in a warehouse, which successfully captures the spirit of pure, raw, unfiltered rock.

Ultimately, the band wants to bring the rock scene back to basics with an edge. "Wire" will surely follow the success of the album's lead single "Soldier Boy", which currently has over 16,000 streams on Spotify and has been receiving airplay all over Rock Radio stations. The single is currently number 45 on Mediabase's Active Rock Chart, closing in on a top 40 position.

Watch the new video below.

Tracklisting:

“Wire”
“Lucky One”
“TKO”
“Soldier Boy”
“Unfolds”
“Just As One”
“Miracle”
“No Lights On”
“Hot Love”

“Wire” video:

“Soldier Boy” video:

French black metal veterans Glorior Belli have released their seventh album The Apostates, and a full album stream can be found below.

The Apostates is the latest and greatest in Glorior Belli's canon of disparate black metal. Glorior Belli smashes orthodox black metal rules; honing their pitch-black extremity with sinewy and serpentine heavy rock riffs. The resulting new album proves once again that their left-hand path always travels forward.

Orders for are available across various CD and LP formats at the Season Of Mist E-Shop.

Tracklisting:

"Sui Generis"
"Deserters Of Eden"
"The Apostates"
"Bedlam Bedamned"
"Hangin' Crepe"
"Jerkwater Redemption"
"Split Tongues Won't Atone"
"Runaway Charley"
"Rebel Reveries"

Album stream:

(Photo - Neurotica Photography)

UK melodic rockers Vega will release their fifth studio album, Only Human, on May 11th on CD, LP and digital formats. Pre-order the album here, and listen to the album track "All Over Now" below.

The band self-produced the record but teamed up with legendary Canadian musician and producer Harry Hess (Harem Scarem) for the mixing and mastering to bring their fans another gem of a release.

If you're very lucky, there may be occasions in your life when you find a band and you realize you’ve discovered something a bit special. We've all heard groups who release 'great' albums, but Vega certainly make the hairs on the back of your neck stand up and provide butterflies in the stomach excitement when all fans of modern melodic rock listen to their new records for the first time. The 12 songs that comprise Only Human truly see Vega take their songwriting and musicianship to the next level.

Tracklisting:

"Let’s Have Fun Tonight"
"Worth Dying For"
"Last Man Standing"
"Come Back Again"
"All Over Now"
"Mess You Made"
"Only Human"
"Standing Still"
"Gravity"
"Turning Pages"
"Fade Away"
"Go To War"

"All Over Now":

"Worth Dying For" video:

"Last Man Standing":

"We wear our love of 80's rock music on our sleeves, but we also have injected our love of modern rock music to it. We aren't trying to rehash anything: the sound we have achieved is 100% Vega. We didn't want to try and guess what people expect and get it wrong," says singer Nick Workman.

Lineup:

Nick Workman: lead vocals, backing vocals, acoustic guitar
Tom Martin: bass guitar
Marcus Thurston: lead guitar
James Martin: keyboards
Mikey Kew: guitar, backing vocals
Martin ‘Hutch' Hutchinson: drums

Occultaclysmic, the ferocious new album from USDM stalwarts Lecherous Nocturne, was released today on Willowtip Records. Stream the album in its entirety via the Bandcamp player below:

Occultaclysmic by Lecherous Nocturne

Comments guitar player Krieshloff:

"Occultaclysmic is darker, more chaotic, and much more brutal, drawing more influence from blackened and atmospheric masterpieces than previous releases. The structured evolution of our musicianship is at an all-time high, resulting in a torturous opus that will leave death metal fans craving more!”

Tracklisting:

“By Conquest Or Consent”
“Quantum Mysticism”
“Occultaclysmic”
“Tower Of Silence”
“Remembrance”
“Unidimensional Eclipse”
“Psionics”
“Time’s Ceaseless Onslaught”
“Planet Of The Crossing”

“Quantum Mysticism”:

Norwegian melodic heavy rock/metal band, Big City, have released a new lyric video for “From This Day”, the song is taken from their second album Big City Life, which will be released as a double CD digipack including their 2013 never released debut album Wintersleep, on June 22nd via ROAR! Rock Of Angels Records. Big City features members of Scariot, Blood Red Throne, Withem, Maraton and Memoria Avenue.

The video was made by Mitsos Tsou at Brutus Studios. Mixing, mastering and keys on both albums by Martin Berger (Screams Of Scarlet, Blood Red Throne, Zerozonic) at Skar Production. The album artwork was made by by Tim Eckhorst (Scorpions, Ektomorf, UDO, Wacken Open Air).

Tracklisting:

“Big City Life”
“Cryin’ In The Night”
“Daemon In The Dark”
“Rocket Man”
“Stars Surrounding”
“From This Day”
“Running For Your Life”
“Forgive Me Now”
“Tower Of Babylon”
“Home Again”

"From This Day" lyric video:

Big City is:

Jan Le Brandt – Vocals (Memoria Avenue, Northquake)
Daniel Olaisen – Guitars (Scariot, Blood Red Throne, ex-Satyricon)
Frank Ørland – Guitars (ex-Scariot)
Miguel Pereira – Bass (Withem)
Frank Nordeng Røe – Drums (Withem, Maraton)

Long-Running Copenhagen-based power metallers Iron Fire have announced the May 4th release of double-CD Dawn Of Creation: Twentieth Anniversary on Crime Records. The album, which includes a special collection of demos, live tracks, covers, and three new songs, will be available on double-CD Digipack CD and digital formats. The lyric video for "Dawn Of Creation" is streaming below. The digital single is now available on Spotify and will soon be on other digital outlets.

The label released the following statement concerning the forthcoming historical metal document:

"So now it's been twenty years since five young guys from the Danish country side decided that power metal should be the first step on their quest to glory. The name Iron Fire came up and carved in stone that these Danes meant to be real, and despite their young age, forge catchy power metal rooted in the classics of Helloween and Running Wild. As the journey continued, ups and downs turned and reformed the band into the trio of today. And now that trio is looking back, and in their wish to celebrate 20 years of power metal, a selection of demo songs has found its way to a double album. Along with three brand new songs Iron Fire provides old songs in the original pre-album versions as well as previously unreleased material. This is the raw and pure, from the heart of Iron Fire. Enjoy!"

Tracklist:

Disc 1

‘Dawn Of Creation’
‘Redux (Coming Home)’
‘The Other Side’
‘A Token Of My Hatred’ (Cover)
‘King At Any Cost’ (Demo)
‘This Kids’ (Cover)
‘Kill For Metal’ (Live)
‘Slaughter Of Souls’ (Live)
‘Final Odyssey’ (Live)
‘Among The Dead’ (Demo)
‘Tornado Of Sickness’ (Demo)
‘Still Alive’ (Demo)
‘My Awakening’ (Demo)
‘Enter Oblivion’ (Demo)

Disc 2

‘Thunderstorm’ (Demo)
‘Glory To The King’ (Demo)
‘Defender Of The Ring’ (Demo)
‘Prophecy Of Pain’ (Demo)
‘Flames Of Revenge’ (Demo)
‘Millennium Warriors’ (Demo)
‘Black Heart’ (Demo)
‘Vengeance From Hell’ (Demo)
‘Days Of Tragedy’ (Demo)
‘Fire God’ (Demo)
‘From The North’ (Demo)
‘Hall Of Heroes’ (Demo)
‘Brothers United’ (Demo)
‘Jerusalem’ (Demo)

Pre-orders for Dawn of Creation: Twentieth Anniversary will be available April 6, along with the release of a lyric video and digital single. Those pre-ordering the album will be rewarded with an official bootleg live recording of Iron Fire’s 2007 Stuttgart show. Digital Download will be available for pre-order at iTunes on the same day here.

Pre-order Bonus CD tracklisting:

‘Intro - Blade of Triumph’
‘Bridges Will Burn’
‘Prince of Agony’
‘Steel Invaders’
‘Thunderstorm’
‘Outro - Odins Call’

The Connecticut-based prog-metal outfit Soundscape have announced the release of their first new recordings since 2009’s Grave New World. Rob Thorne (vocals), Todd Rose (guitar), Scott Waite (bass) and Lou Caldarola (drums) reactivated the band and began recording brand new songs last year. The first single “Insatiable” breaks this Friday on Thorne’s Angel Thorne Music label (SRGILS/Caroline/Universal) and will be available on all online digital formats including Spotify, YouTube, and Apple Music.

“The band has never sounded better,” says Thorne, whose primary gig is fronting the metal band Sacred Oath. “We all had some downtime over the winter months to really buckle down and get these songs on tape. I think the first single is inspiring and will definitely give fans a good idea of what’s brewing.” Soundscape plans to release either an EP or LP later in 2018.

The band’s guitarist Todd Rose put the cover design together after much discussion with Thorne and Caldarola. “We all feel pretty strongly that this is a unique time in human history. The artwork and the lyric video may be disturbing, but look around you. More people are plugged into their own virtual realities than the living, breathing world in front of them.”

A lyric video for “Insatiable” will be released on April 11th.

Christchurch City, New Zealand-based slamming death metal act Organectomy have released a video for "Terror Form" (see below). The band recently signed with Unique Leader Records, and will re-issue their debut full length Domain Of The Wretched through the label.

Self-recorded by the band and featuring incredible artwork by Pedro Sena (Lordigan) Domain of the Wretched, which will see a May 11th street date, is a crushing mix of slam, tech death, sickening atmospherics, and a ferocious brutality unmatched by most bands today. It is immediately apparent why Organectomy have found themselves on top of the New Zealand extreme metal scene.

Physical pre-order bundles for the reissue of Domain Of The Wretched are available here. Digital bundles here.

Tracklisting:

“Eons Of Unyielding Darkness”
“Sanctum Of Deceit”
“Beckoning The Horrors Of The Depths”
“Intracranial Incubation”
“Carnal Bloodlust”
“Terror Form”
“Inherent Revulsion”
“Cascading Into Despair”
“Domain Of The Wretched”
“Entropic Decay”

“Terror Form” video:

L.A.-based rockers Smile Empty Soul return with news of their first full-length album of new music in five years. Oblivion will be released on May 25th (15 years almost to the day after their Gold selling debut). A new single "Sides" is available for streaming below. Pre-order bundles are available here.

Originating out of Los Angeles in the late 1990's, the band has stayed true to their brand of "no bullshit", "real as it gets" hard rock to this day.

Smile Empty Soul signed a major label record deal in 2003 to release their self-titled debut album in May of that year, going on to achieve massive success at alternative/rock radio, and MTV with three hugely successful singles/videos, including “Bottom Of The Bottle".

Smile Empty Soul has become known for their constant touring and never wavering, honest sound and lyrics. Now, with their new album Oblivion set to release next month, and a calendar full of tour dates, the band seem to have established themselves as one of the defining underground rock groups of their generation.

Tracklisting:

"Sides"
"Small Incision"
"The One"
"Dopamine"
"Built Into The Breed"
"Stars"
"My Name"
"Noose"
"Free Oblivion"
"Oblivious"

"Sides":

Smile Empty Soul will co-headline the Flawless Smile Tour with Flaw in support of the new record. Dates kick off May 30th in St. Louis, MO. Tickets available here. Find the band's tour schedule here.

Unleashing their debut album Badder Than Brooklyn  produced by Joe Duplantier of Gojira during October 2017 along with a lengthy tour across Canada, Toronto-based metal messiahs Decatur are kicking off 2018 with the premiere of their new video "Worst Enemy" on BraveWords. The video is a message from the band to conquer the fight against depression and follows the album's songs of power and empowerment, a clarion call for strength in life’s battles…healing through headbanging.

Vocalist / guitarist Jay Sarrazin comments:

“‘Worst Enemy’ was actually the first song I wrote for this album. I was at a pretty dark place in my life at the time. I was struggling with depression and anxiety and was constantly berating myself with negativity. I felt trapped in a box so to speak and I became my own worst enemy. That’s what the song is about and the music video we made emphasizes that emotion of being trapped in that box or in your own head saying all these things to yourself. Throughout the years I have learned to find more coping methods and I am always learning more about myself. Hopefully this song helps other knows they are not alone and to seek help if they need it.”

Listen to the album in full below and find purchase information on Bandcamp.

(Photo by: Brandon Allen)

April 21st is Record Store Day 2018. To mark the occasion, Roadrunner Records presents Stone Sour - Hydrograd Acoustic Sessions. This will be a 12" vinyl EP of acoustic versions of selected songs from the band's 2017 album Hydrograd, on solid silver vinyl with digital download. This release will be limited to 2700 pieces; further details can be found here.

Stone Sour will hit the road this spring for a US headline run featuring support from The Bronx, Palaye Royale and 68 on select dates. The trek will also include festival stops at Welcome To Rockville, Fort Rock, Carolina Rebellion and Lunatic Luau before wrapping up at Columbus, Ohio’s Rock On The Range.

Later this fall, Stone Sour will join Ozzy Osbourne as special guests on Ozzy’s No More Tours 2 headline run, which will get underway August 30th and run through mid-October. Tickets for all dates are on sale now. For complete details and ticket availability, visit this location.

SEPTIC TANK, the long-running project featuring vocalist Lee Dorrian (CATHEDRAL), guitarist Gary Jennings (CATHEDRAL) and bassist Scott Carlson (REPULSION), will release its debut album, "Rotting Civilisation", on April 13 via Rise Above Records.

The song "Death Vase", taken from "Rotting Civilisation", can be streamed below.

If ever there were a point in history that demanded angry, scathing, explosive music, then this is it. With eerie-but-exhilarating echoes of Reagan's '80s and the bilious, hyper-aggressive hardcore punk scene that erupted in response, the world of 2018 is more than ready for the blistering return of SEPTIC TANK. This band of weather-beaten underground veterans have existed since the early '90s, more as a whispered enigma than a full-time band, but the decisive moment of deafening reality has arrived with the unveiling of "Rotting Civilisation", the first full-length SEPTIC TANK record and the ugly, rampaging rebirth of the subversive hardcore spirit.


Originally formed in 1994 as a low-key outlet for doom metal standard bearers CATHEDRAL's love for DISCHARGE, SIEGE and other pioneering hardcore luminaries, SEPTIC TANK's original lineup featured Dorrian, Jennings and drummer Barry Stern (ex-TROUBLE) alongside Carlson. A handful of jaw-shattering, snot-spraying anthems were swiftly thrown together and the impromptu crew jammed together on a few occasions, but thanks to a combination of logistics, geography and life getting in the way, SEPTIC TANK lay dormant for nearly two decades.


"We talked about doing it again many times, but it took us 20 years to make a record," Dorrian explains. "BLACK SABBATH were doing their so-called last-ever show in Birmingham and Scott wanted to come over for that, so I suggested we got together and did an album while he was here," Lee recalls. "He stayed over for five days. 14 of the songs were already roughly written but not rehearsed, another eight or so came up on the spot and were recorded straight away, and that was it. It took us over 20 years but I'm really happy we did it."


With all the vitality and venom we demand from the best hardcore, "Rotting Civilisation" is an obscenely thrilling rollercoaster ride that takes in everything from numerous bursts of flagrant DISCHARGE worship ("Walking Asylum", "Victimised") to MOTÖRHEAD-style snot'n'roll ragers ("Divide And Conk Out", "Digging Your Own Grave"), FROST-fuelled doomcore ("Death Vase", "Living Death") and even a skewed homage to Japanese punk legends G.I.S.M. ("You Want Some?"). Musically diverse but unrelenting in its belligerence, it's also an album full of brutally direct declarations on the state of the world today, the idiocy of the social media age and the general stupidness and selfishness of humanity in the 21st century. With his incensed worldview vividly reflected in artist Stewart Easton's idiosyncratic cover art, Dorrian has never written with such sledgehammer accuracy or righteous fury.


No longer a shadowy side-project that existed more in the minds of its participants than in the ears of the masses, SEPTIC TANK has blossomed — or, perhaps, mutated — into one of the most invigorating musical fists to the face of our times. The perfect soundtrack to the collapse of society, "Rotting Civilisation" proves that legends never die, the best ideas are always worth another go and, above all, we the people will not go fucking quietly.


"Rotting Civilisation" track listing:

01. Septic Tank

02. Who

03. Victimised

04. Social Media Whore

05. Divide And Conk Out

06. Treasurers Of Disease

07. Fucked

08. Whitewash

09. Death Vase

10. You Want Some

11. Digging Your Own Grave

12. Danger Signs

13. Walking Asylum

14. Lost Humanity

15. Never Never Land

16. Self-Obsessed

17. Living Death

18. Rotten Empire

Derek Smalls, the bass force formerly of the fabled heavy metal band formerly known as SPINAL TAP, returns with the release of his first full-length solo venture, "Smalls Change (Meditations Upon Ageing)", out globally April 13 via Twanky Records/BMG on digital, CD and vinyl.

The entire album can now be streamed at NPR.org.

Smalls launches his U.S. tour, "Lukewarm Water Live: An Adventure In Loud Music", on April 14 in concert with the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra at the Saenger Theater, New Orleans. Subsequent dates include June 29 in Atlanta at the Atlanta Symphony Hall with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra and a special appearance with the National Symphony Orchestra at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. (additional details to be announced soon).

"Smalls Change" is a poignant and oftentimes furious contemplation on aging that explores the passing of time and all things loud. With styles that cross the gamut of musical genres, the album possesses the edgy rawness and rock god sensibility that was always shared by Derek and his fellow former bandmembers Nigel Tufnel and David St. Hubbins. The album also features some of the greatest talents of rock and roll music and beyond, including Peter Frampton, Donald Fagen, Dweezil Zappa, Rick Wakeman, Richard Thompson, Steve Lukather, Joe Satriani, Waddy Wachtel, Michael League, Jeff "Skunk" Baxter, Paul Shaffer, Steve Vai, Larry Carlton, Judith Owen, Jane Lynch and The Hungarian Studio Orchestra. "Smalls Change" is produced by CJ Vanston (SPINAL TAP, RODNEY CROWELL).

Smalls describes "Smalls Change" as "halfway between 'rage against the dying of the light' and trying to find the light." When asked how he managed to round up so many world-class rockers to join the project, Derek's terse response is "Pity fuck."

"Smalls Change" track listing:

01. Openture - Derek with The Hungarian Studio Orchestra

02. Rock 'N' Roll Transplant - Derek with Steve Lukather (guitar, TOTO), drum legends Jim Keltner (George Harrison) and Chad Smith (RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS)

03. Butt Call - Derek with Phil X (guitar, BON JOVI) and Taylor Hawkins (drums, FOO FIGHTERS)

04. Smalls Change - Derek with The Hungarian Studio Orchestra, Judith Owen (vocals) Danny Kortchmar (guitar, Don Henley) and Russ Kunkel (drums, James Taylor)

05. Memo To Willie - Derek with Donald Fagen (vocals), Jeff "Skunk" Baxter and Larry Carlton (guitars, STEELY DAN) and The Snarky Puppy Horns

06. It Don't Get Old - Derek with Peter Frampton (guitar, vocals) and Waddy Wachtel (guitar Keith Richards).

07. Complete Faith - Derek with The Hungarian Studio Orchestra

08. Faith No More - Derek with The Hungarian Studio Orchestra and Todd Sucherman (drums, STYX)

09. Gimme Some (More) Money - Derek with Paul Shaffer (piano and organ), Waddy Wachtel (guitar) and David Crosby (vocals)

10. MRI - Derek with Dweezil Zappa (guitars)

11. Hell Toupee - Derek with The Hungarian Studio Orchestra

12. Gummin the Gash - Derek with Steve Vai (guitar), Gregg Bisonnette (drums, Ringo Starr) and Jane Lynch (vocals)

13. She Puts The Bitch In Obituary - Derek with Richard Thompson (guitar) and Jane Lynch (vocals)

14. When Men Did Rock - Derek with Michael League (bass), Joe Satriani (guitar), Rick Wakeman (keyboards) and The Hungarian Studio Orchestra

Photo credit: Rob Shanahan

Century Media and Legacy Recordings have announced the 2018 deluxe reissue of MEGADETH's classic debut album, "Killing Is My Business... And Business Is Good!", due on June 8.

"Killing Is My Business... And Business Is Good - The Final Kill" has been completely restored to Dave Mustaine's intended vision. Remixed by veteran metal mixer Mark Lewis (WHITECHAPEL) and remastered by Ted Jensen for an optimal listening experience, the 2018 version reveals unheard parts and performances throughout the record.

This rare gem includes the full album along with seven live audio tracks from VHS tapes found in Dave Mustaine's own attic. In addition to the bonus live tracks, the 2018 reissue also features MEGADETH's 1984 three-track demo and the once-removed cover of Lee Hazlewood's "These Boots Are Made for Walkin'" that has been added back to the record with recut vocals intended to maintain the integrity of both the original song and MEGADETH's own snarling rendition. The package is further enhanced by a new album cover featuring a fully executed sculpture of the iconic skull that has been lost over the many years since the album's initial release. The packaging also includes classic flyers and band photos pulled from their archive of timeless metal moments from MEGADETH's storied 35-year history.

"The Final Kill" is the complete vision of Mustaine, who has contributed liner notes delving into the struggles during that time period as well as some of the surprising moments during the remixing sessions.

"I am just as much amazed at the music we made as I am at the pure fact that we survived it all," Mustaine said.

Track listing:

01. Last Rites / Loved To Deth (Remastered)

02. Killing Is My Business... And Business Is Good! (Remastered)

03. The Skull Beneath The Skin (Remastered)

04. Rattlehead (Remastered)

05. Chosen Ones (Remastered)

06. Looking Down The Cross (Remastered)

07. Mechanix (Remastered)

08. These Boots (Remastered)

09. Last Rites / Loved To Deth (live) (1987 London, UK)

10. Killing Is My Business... And Business Is Good! (live) (1986 Denver, CO)

11. The Skull Beneath The Skin (live) (1990 London, UK)

12. Rattlehead (live) (1987 Bochum, Germany)

13. Chosen Ones (live) (1986 Denver, CO)

14. Looking Down The Cross (live) (1986 Denver, CO)

15. Mechanix (live) (1986 Denver, CO)

16. Last Rites / Loved To Deth (demo) (Remastered)

17. The Skull Beneath The Skin (demo) (Remastered)

18. Mechanix (demo) (Remastered)