San Francisco Bay Area thrashers HATCHET have released a video for "Desire For Oppression", the first single from their upcoming album, "Dying To Exist", The disc will be released on June 22 via Combat Records, the relaunched imprint now run and operated by EMP Label Group, the U.S.-based label of MEGADETH bassist David Ellefson.

"Desire For Oppression" is also the leadoff track on the upcoming two-disc "Combat Bullets Vol 1.0" compilation, due in stores on April 6. In addition to the HATCHET cut, the collection features tracks from other Combat artists, including SWORD (Canada) , HELSTAR, DEAD BY WEDNESDAY, Marc Rizzo, WRATH, GREEN DEATH and THROW THE GOAT, plus over 25 of the best underground metal bands, as voted by fans, including CASKET ROBBERY, THE VENTING MACHINE, WHITE THRASH, ANIALATOR TX, JUDGEMENTAL, MIDNITE HELLION, AT HOME IN HELL, MYNAS, DIABOLOGY, A HANGING and FATAL MALADY.

HATCHET has launched the pre-order for "Dying To Exist" via CombatMerch.com, available on CD and LP, and in several bundle configurations.

Fueled by the twin guitar attack of vocalist Julz Ramos and Clayton Cagle, bassist Devin Reiche, and drummer Ben Smith, the HATCHET members have built a name and reputation for themselves carrying the torch of classic Bay Area metal, through three prior full-length releases of high-energy, intense thrash and countless tours supporting names like METAL CHURCH, FLOTSAM AND JETSAM, SOILWORK, WARBRINGER, ACT OF DEFIANCE, EXMORTUS, DOYLE, D.R.I. and more.

The follow-up to 2015's "Fear Beyond Lunacy", "Dying To Exist" promises to be the band’s heaviest and most focused release to date.

Combat was relaunched in 2017 by Ellefson and partner Thom Hazaert, with all releases manufactured and distributed by EMP Label Group via Amped in North America and SPV in Europe.

THE SKULL, the band featuring vocalist Eric Wagner and bassist Ron Holzner, formerly of metal legends TROUBLE, has completed work on its sophomore album. Titled "The Endless Road Turns Dark", 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. A fall release date is projected for the new LP.

To celebrate the completion of the new album, THE SKULL, which also features longtime CATHEDRAL drummer Brian Dixon, guitarist Lothar Keller (SACRED DAWN), and guitarist Rob Wrong (WITCH MOUNTAIN), has announced a spring U.S. headlining tour that will launch on April 18 in Rochester, New York. The 16-city jaunt will run through May 5 in Lombard, Illinois.

THE SKULL tour dates:

Apr. 18 - Rochester, NY - Montage Music Hall

Apr. 19 - Worcester, MA - Ralph's Rock Diner

Apr. 20 - Jewett City, CT - Altone's

Apr. 21 - Lancaster, PA - Chameleon Club

Apr. 22 - Baltimore, MD - Metro Gallery

Apr. 23 - Harrisonburg, VA - Golden Pony

Apr. 24 - Raleigh, NC - Pour House Music Hall

Apr. 25 - Atlanta, GA - Drunken Unicorn

Apr. 26 - New Orleans, LA - Santos Bar

Apr. 27 - Houston, TX - White Oak Music Hall

Apr. 28 - San Antonio, TX - The Limelight

Apr. 30 - Dallas, TX - Reno's Chop Shop

May 01 - Austin, TX - Hotel Vegas

May 03 - Newport, KY - Southgate House Revival

May 04 - Detroit, MI - Harpos

May 05 - Lombard, IL - Brauerhouse Live


In a 2017 interview with Columbus Calling, Wagner stated about how advancements in technology have affected the way he makes new music.

"I like getting in a room together," he said. "I think it's important. The last SKULL record, we did the same thing. Everybody's got their riffs and their songs and when we get together. I used to go to rehearsals with a boombox and a cassette to tape it. Now I'm so spoiled, because it sounds almost like a record in a way. Obviously, we would never put one out like that, but it sounds so good to me, it sounds like I'm listening to a song instead of hurting my ears with a boombox tape. I think it's great, I can talk to the guy and say, 'Try this, try this and move shit around and edit,' and he'll send them back to me.

"Technology is definitely on our side in the studio," he added. "The trick is to make it sound human and not be totally reliant on those technology tricks. It's just like with anything — you use it as a tool, you use it to your advantage and you don't abuse it."

Kaaos TV conducted an interview with vocalist Chuck Billy of San Francisco Bay Area metallers TESTAMENT prior to the band's March 21 concert at Pakkahuone in Tampere, Finland. You can now watch the chat below.

Asked for his thoughts on SLAYER's decision to retire after completing one "final" world tour, Billy said: "We've toured with SLAYER. And I think anybody… If you're not into it… I don't know what their reason is [for calling it quits], but you have to have your heart and soul in whatever you do. Maybe they just felt it was time; I don't know. But SLAYER will be a big part of history and a big part of what metal is today. And to choose to go out on a high note is always a good thing. And especially if you can afford to go out on a high note and enjoy life and do other things than being on the road and touring. Especially if you do it for 30, 40 years, at some point, you might go, 'Well, now I have a family, and maybe I wanna be home with my kids or see my kids grow up.' It's hard to make that decision, and sometimes it probably gets harder to leave home, the older you get and when you have family involved. At some point, you have to think about your family too, and make it work for everybody."

Speaking about how long he can see TESTAMENT carrying on, Chuck said: "We've never really thought about an endgame or an end plan. Over the years, it was always tougher before we had our reunion [in 2005]. Maybe thoughts in the back of our mind said, 'Maybe this is not working out. Maybe we should stop.' But once we had the reunion and everybody was back, we've had a solid lineup, and we've been on tour like a real working band again. So right now, things are good and everybody's surviving and fans seem to be enjoying the shows and there is no goal like that. But we have two more records with Nuclear Blast, and we'll see, at that point, if we get another record deal, we'll keep carrying on. And if we don't, then maybe we'll just write music and put it on the Internet, since that's [how] people get music these days. 'Cause maybe it isn't all just about the touring too."

TESTAMENT will support SLAYER on the first two legs of the Tom Araya-fronted outfit's last-ever North American run of dates. Also scheduled appear on the bill are LAMB OF GOD, ANTHRAX and BEHEMOTH (with NAPALM DEATH replacing BEHEMOTH for the second leg).

TESTAMENT is continuing to tour in support of its latest album, "Brotherhood Of The Snake", which was released in October 2016 via Nuclear Blast. The cover was once again created by renowned artist Eliran Kantor, who also handled the art for TESTAMENT's previous album, 2012's "Dark Roots Of Earth", and worked with bands like HATEBREED, SOULFLY and KATAKLYSM in the past.

Charlie Benante says that he has around "seven or eight ideas" demoed for ANTHRAX's next album.

The band's upcoming 12th studio disc will be the follow-up to 2016's "For All Kings", which was widely hailed as one of the strongest efforts of ANTHRAX's career.

Asked in a new Metal Wani if he has commenced the songwriting process for ANTHRAX's next LP, the drummer said (hear audio below): "I'm happy to say that I've demoed lots of songs. And I'm already pretty much on our way to the start of making another record. It's just gonna take a little time to all get together and start to arrange and start really crafting the tunes. But, yes, I have started writing songs, and it sounds really good. [I have] probably around seven or eight ideas [demoed right now]. It's probably gonna be another goal of mine to have 20 songs to choose from, like with the last album. I just wanna have as much as possible so we can say, 'Those are great. Okay, we need to work on those a little more.' Just have a variety."

Benante, who is ANTHRAX's main songwriter, also confirmed that there are several tracks left over from the "For All Kings" sessions which did not make the final cut. However, it's unlikely that any of that material will surface on the upcoming record.

"I always say that [some of the unused ideas could serve as a starting point for the next album], and then I always scrap it," Charlie said. "It's, like, 'Nah. The newer stuff is better than that stuff.' But sometimes a little piece of a song will come into play, so I wouldn't rule that out."

"For All Kings"' arrival followed a five-year period during which ANTHRAX experienced a rebirth of sorts, beginning with the band's inclusion on the 2010 "Big Four" tour with METALLICA, SLAYER and MEGADETH, and continuing with the 2011 release of comeback LP "Worship Music".

In December, ANTHRAX guitarist Scott Ian said that he had heard "some killer riffs" that Benante had sent over, "and, in my opinion, they're awesome, and that makes it very exciting moving forward." He added that he was confident that the next ANTHRAX record would "be fucking amazing.'"

Benante told "Rock Talk With Mitch Lafon" last year that the new ANTHRAX music he has been writing is "sounding very pissed off and angry again. I think maybe it's just a reflection of the world and everything in general in this so-called business," he said. "I don't know why it's coming out like that, but it's coming out very — like I said — angry and pissed off and just very aggressive."

ANTHRAX's upcoming disc will be the band's third full-length release since the return of singer Joey Belladonna, who came back into the fold for the "Big Four" shows, in the process helping inspire a new wave of creativity.

ANTHRAX will release its long-awaited live-in-concert DVD, "Kings Among Scotland", on April 27 via Megaforce.

ANTHRAX will support SLAYER on the first two legs of the Tom Araya-fronted outfit's last-ever North American run of dates. Also scheduled appear on the bill are LAMB OF GOD, TESTAMENT and BEHEMOTH (with NAPALM DEATH replacing BEHEMOTH for the second leg).

MASTODON drummer Brann Dailor spoke to Australia's Heavy about finally winning a Grammy in the "Best Metal Performance" category at the 60th annual Grammy Awards in January at Madison Square Garden in New York City. MASTODON got the nod for the song "Sultan's Curse" from its 2017 album "Emperor Of Sand", with the latter also being nominated for "Best Rock Album."

"It felt great," Brann said. "It was an emotion that I couldn't have predicted, to be honest with you. I kind of went out of my body a little bit, I think, which was really awesome."

Acknowleding that "the Grammys mean something different to each person that gets one," Brann said that for him, "it was a hundred years of family members that played music and had always wanted to stand up there and the metal scene. Just a band that's four dudes that started off, humble beginnings or what have you, playing in basements and VFW halls in the U.S., slugging it out, clawing our way through, eating baloney sandwiches and sleeping in our van and sleeping on catpiss-infested floors of the kindness of strangers. So building something from the ground up and then standing on a stage and accepting an award that Stevie Wonder and Michael Jackson have both accepted was mindblowing."

Dailor went on to give credit to all the other nominees in the "Best Metal Performance" category, explaining that "any heavy metal band that's nominated for a Grammy definitely deserves one, because I think that heavy metal as a genre is probably one of the most healthy genres, with thousands of subgenres that sprout off it in its 30-, 40-year existence. And all the nominees that were up definitely deserve one — CODE ORANGE and AUGUST BURNS RED… MESHUGGAH especially, [for being] innovators, and BODY COUNT being an incredible band."

It was the fourth and fifth time MASTODON had received Grammy nominations, having missed out on the three previous occasions — "Colony Of Birchmen" (2007), "Curl Of The Burl" (2012) and "High Road" (2015) — it had been up for the "Best Metal Performance" award.

Brann said that he "was really expecting BODY COUNT to win" the "Metal" Grammy this year. "When I found out that they were playing and then they were gonna announce the award, I was, in my head, saying to myself, 'Just say BODY COUNT. Just say BODY COUNT,'" he recalled. "Because being nominated a bunch of times, which is amazing in itself and an amazing feeling to go there, and it's also a great date night — I get dressed up in my finest duds, my wife gets all dressed up — we go out and party and it's a great time. But you wanna get past when they read who won, 'cause then you can just get on with your night, and just say, 'Okay. We lost. Whatever. It doesn't matter. We're here. Let's party. Let's have fun.' But winning was a completely different experience. And I didn't have anything prepared to say, because I didn't wanna have hope in my pocket. But anyways, it was awesome and it was an amazing feeling and our family and friends and fans and everybody that we work with couldn't have been prouder and it was fucking amazing."

The Grammys are voted on by approximately 13,000 Recording Academy members, who are comprised of artists, songwriters, producers and engineers. More than 22,000 recordings were submitted for Grammys consideration this year. For 2018 awards, music must have been released between October 1, 2016 and September 30, 2017 in order to be eligible.





We won! #GRAMMYs pic.twitter.com/q0cowXpjxW— Mastodon (@mastodonmusic) January 29, 2018

SLAYER and EXODUS guitarist Gary Holt was recently interviewed on "Whiplash", the KLOS radio show hosted by Full Metal Jackie. You can listen to the entire chat below. A few excerpts follow (transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET).

Full Metal Jackie: SLAYER are going on the road for the last time on a final world tour. Tom Araya had hinted about retirement a couple of years ago, but people are still surprised. Was it always the plan to end in 2018?

Gary: "I can't really comment on anything other than what the press release put out there. There'll be more info to follow. All I can say is that the band's gonna go out swinging and we're gonna go out hard. And it's gonna be epic. And from there, we'll see wherever the avenues, roads take me."

Full Metal Jackie: Seeing SLAYER has always been a metal "rite of passage," who do you think will be the must-see band for kids getting into metal after SLAYER ends?

Gary: "That's a really hard question to answer. I mean, there's so many just amazing bands now, but it's also so much harder to build a three-decade-long career in the music industry. Bands like SLAYER and EXODUS and MEGADETH and all of us, we are fortunate to be old. [Laughs] We started before downloading. Back then, it was called tape trading. We were able to build a fanbase, and now it's much harder. There are so many killer bands, like MUNICIPAL WASTE, who you can hardly call a new band — they're veterans now; they've been around forever. And POWER TRIP, and so many more. But as far as filling the big venues, it's gonna be hard for another one to come up, an extreme metal band to get to that level, just because the business model has changed so much. But I hope so. Rap is the number one music form in America for the first time ever. It's not rock 'n' roll, and that pisses me off — angers me to no end."

Full Metal Jackie: EXODUS has long been regarded as a pioneering band right alongside METALLICA, MEGADETH, ANTHRAX and SLAYER. Do you feel any greater sense of responsibility to continue that thrash lineage with EXODUS once there's an absence of SLAYER?

Gary: "Well, EXODUS, that's my life — it's like my childhood friends I'm playing music with there. And they've been super supportive in my absence, and nobody more so than the EXODUS fans themselves. But I've been writing for the last several months. Tom Hunting [drums] and I are both the like-minded in wanting to take as long as it takes to make the next record. We want to make the most badass thing anybody has ever heard. And the new material is simply just devastating — it's just so crushing. The only responsibility I feel is to the band's fans and our own legacy. I don't ever wanna hit the stage and appear to be way past my prime. I feel I'm in my prime now. I'll be 54 in May, and I feel as confident in my abilities as a player and onstage as I ever have. I have to take better care of myself to do it. When I was young, I didn't take care of myself at all. But we're just gonna keep waving the flag of thrash metal. I've always been proud to be a standard bearer and I always will. It's the music form we helped invent, and I love it. It's done very well for me in my life, and I'll never take it for granted."

Full Metal Jackie: You've been playing in SLAYER for seven years. What is going to be the biggest adjustment for you when it's done?

Gary: "There won't be. I'm fortunate in that I won't have to, like someone else in a similar circumstance, start over. I'm sure there are a lot of fans who… I see some of the funny memes out there on Instagram. There are a lot of fans who are, like, 'Come back.' But I have two musical families. Yeah, seven years — that's crazy. It's something that I thought was gonna be a few months long, and, unfortunately, tragedy struck, and I'm still here. I'm not taking that for granted either, but I wish Jeff [Hanneman] was here. I'm just gonna enjoy it while I can and move on to other chapters — EXODUS and other projects I've wanted to do and haven't had time. Time is something in short supply sometimes. I'm just [gonna] stay busy."

Full Metal Jackie: People will speculate what Tom Araya will do next, what Kerry King will do next? What will you do after SLAYER with EXODUS and otherwise?

Gary: "I'll probably be on the road a few weeks later. [Laughs] I'm just gonna keep writing music, writing riffs and playing guitar. That's what I love to do. And as far as what anybody else is gonna do, that's a question only they can answer. But for myself, I'll do what I've been doing — headbang. [Laughs] I fear if I stop, I'll never be able to start up again."

Full Metal Jackie: EXODUS were expected to be already started to record a new album but you've been taking more time with the songwriting. What will be different about the next EXODUS album?

Gary: "That's always a hard question to define for me. I mean, sometimes what's different to me isn't different to other people. Am I trying to retread the same thing? I never do. I think all of our last five albums are different in their own way yet 100 percent EXODUS. Maybe in some ways, some of the riffs are a little more dissonant and bone-crushingly brutal, yet some of the stuff I'm writing is really melodic. Everything seems to be jumping out with really big, badass choruses. It's heavy, it's fast, crushing. No one's gonna be disappointed, that's for sure — no one's gonna say we watered anything down. They're gonna say they turned it up fucking 10 notches. I just challenge myself to see where I can take this thing called thrash metal and this band EXODUS — see where we as five guys, how far we can push the boundaries."

Full Metal Jackie: The last "Big Four" show — [featuring] METALLICA, MEGADETH, ANTHRAX and SLAYER — was almost seven years ago. Do you think SLAYER announcing its farewell might motivate one more "Big Four" show?

Gary: "I have no idea. [Laughs] I know Dave Mustaine [MEGADETH] would like to see it; he said so much publicly. I can't comment on any of that stuff. All I can comment on is we've got some dates coming up, and it's the tour of the summer. It's gonna be epic."

Americano kick ass rock band, Cattail Brew, have released their new album It's A Bit Difficult Really on March 23rd via Capital City Music Factory/Cargo Records. The album contains ten tracks and featuring members of American Dog, Waysted and Snowblynd.

Tracklisting:

“Cry Baby”
“Side By Side”
“Fishbowl Blues”
“Liar”
“Jump Back”
“Get Back The Spark”
“Glitter”
“Fool’s Gold”
“Rock & Roll”
“The Time’s Come”

Cattail Brew is:
Fin Muir - Vocals (American Dog, Waysted)
Steve Theado - Guitars (Amercian Dog, Blackjack, Jade)
Joe Viers - Bass (Snowblynd)
Ryan Smith - Guitars (Snowblynd)
Keith Pickens - Drums (American Dog)

(Photo by: Missie Tong)

Legendary L.A. hard rockers Odin have signed with EMP Label Group, who will reissue much of their classic catalog including upcoming reissues of Don't Take No For An Answer and Fight For Your Life. The limited edition (300 pcs) vinyl reissue of Don't Take No For An Answer, in stores April 20th with a limited quantity available for pre-order now from empmerch.com, includes remastered versions of the original 1985 recording, in an astonishingly faithful recreation of the original LP, reworked by artist Melody Myers.

Says EMP Label Group's Thom Hazaert, “We really wanted the reissue of Don't Take No For An Answer to be painfully faithful to the original release, but with a few modern upgrades, and we pored over every detail. As a HUGE fan of Odin, I wanted to create a really special reissue that fans could celebrate, and would really be a nod to this seminal, criminally overlooked release.”

Says vocalist Randy “O” Roberg, “I was introduced to Thom from EMP by my cousin, Jerry Dixon from Warrant. We started talking about my solo release and some things I was working on, and he told me what a huge Odin fan he was, and we started discussing ideas for reissuing some of the Odin catalog. We’re all really excited about the reissues and the way they are coming out. It’s awesome to be able to really bring these releases to light in a way that the fans are excited about.”

Formed in 1982, Odin were one of the original pioneers of the LA progressive power metal/hard rock scene, playing to sold out crowds with the likes of W.A.S.P. (Odin performed during the band’s legendary Blood Drive), Armored Saint, Steeler (featuring EMP labelmate Ron Keel), Dokken, Alcatrazz, The Plasmatics, Helix, Malice, and more, building a massive following before disbanding in the late 80’s. Guitarist Jeff Duncan went on to join Armored Saint, of which he is still a member, as well as DC4 alongside his brother, and Odin drummer, Shawn Duncan, brother Matt Duncan, and guitarist Rowan Robertson (ex-Dio). Singer Randy O, who released the fan favorite post-Odin Lostboys LP via Atlantic Records in 1990, is putting the finishing touches on his roots-rock heavy debut solo LP Coming Home, also to be released via EMP in 2018.

Also on the slate is a reissue of Odin's 1988 Japan only LP Fight For Your Life, being released with bonus tracks including a brand new 2018 recording of “Little Gypsy”, made infamous by the bands notorious appearance in the recently re-released Penelope Spheeris documentary Decline of Western Civilization Part 2, The Metal Years, (the album also features “12 O’ Clock High”, the other song featured in the film) being the subject of recent press features, which strayed sharply from the band’s metal roots to focus heavily on the band’s more “Sunset Strip-friendly” aspects.

Says drummer Shawn Duncan, “We were always playing with metal bands. We had a lot of the more mainstream bands open for us, Warrant opened for us, Tesla, Bang Tango. But really our hearts were metal. We listened to a lot of Judas Priest, Black Sabbath, Maiden, Scorpions, and Ozzy. That stuff was huge to us. We were more of a power metal band than a glam band, which was sort of the perception because of Decline.”

He adds, “You figure, from the movie, that was the only exposure most people had to Odin. But you listen to the Fight For Your Life album, you listen to a song like “Fight For Your Life”, “Modern Day King”, those are heavy songs. I think ultimately what happened with Odin, me and Jeff have always had a heavier heart, but Jeff writes really good catchy things. Like, DC4 is just a progression of Odin, and It still has the edge but there’s some commercial aspects to it. And we had a flashier style than some of the other Metal bands around. It’s its own anomaly, I guess.”

“But she (Decline director Penelope Spheeris) did what a director does, she picked out the stuff that is gonna stick out the most and get the most attention. Now down the road I look at it, if you didn’t have that attitude in LA at that particular moment, you weren’t gonna do shit. Everybody had that attitude, it wasn’t just Odin. And that’s why so much shit came out of there. It was an incredible, competitive talent pool that was alive and thriving because everybody came there. If you didn’t think you were gonna be huge, you weren’t gonna be shit. Just like Jeff says, we weren’t doing anything everybody else wasn’t doing at the time. We just got it on film.”

Odin, who reunited for a one-off show in 2003 with their classic lineup featuring vocalist Randy O, guitarist Jeff Duncan, Bassist Aaron Samson, and drummer Shawn Duncan, still play several shows a year, and will headline the Whisky on April 21st for an album release show.

Says Randy O, “We would get asked to do shows constantly, and eventually, I think in 2003, we did our first reunion show at the Troubadour. Since then we’ve done a few shows a year, we did Rocklahoma, Monsters of Rock. It’s been great. Everyone is busy doing their own things, Jeff is in Armored Saint, Shawn and Jeff in DC4, Aaron tours with Bulletboys and a bunch of other bands, and I’ve been working on my solo record for like, 15 years. Haha. But we have so much fun doing Odin, it’s like a high school reunion every time. The place is packed, all of our friends show up, and we all have a great time.”

Rob Halford says that there are no plans for JUDAS PRIEST to retire, even though guitarist Glenn Tipton announced that he was stepping away from the road due to his battle with Parkinson's disease.

Tipton found out he had Parkinson's four years ago — after being stricken by the degenerative condition at least half a decade earlier — but only recently announced he was going to sit out touring activities in support of PRIEST's latest album, "Firepower". The guitarist, who is now 70 and has performed on every PRIEST LP since the band's 1974 debut set, "Rocka Rolla", is not quitting the band, but simply cannot handle the rigorous challenges of performing live. He is being replaced on the road by "Firepower" producer Andy Sneap, who is also known as the guitar player in NWOBHM revivalists HELL and cult thrashers SABBAT.

"We know what Glenn has been up against, and he has showed us the absolute proof that there is no such thing as retirement in the PRIEST plan," Rob tells Maximum Ink. "Glenn has been forging ahead for the last 10 years with Parkinson's disease and he never once mentioned retiring or quitting. This is really a strong signal from Glenn and the rest of us. Why should we even consider retiring now? We still feel that there is another song to do, another show to do, and always our beautiful fans to see again and again. You retire when things get too shaky and a bit of sadness. That's not the case with PRIEST. We're probably stronger now than we have been, and I think Glenn would agree with that."

Halford and PRIEST bassist Ian Hill previously spoke about a potential end to the band on the "Metal Hammer Podcast".

"I cannot conceive of us ever saying, in 2022, at 3 o'clock, on a Wednesday afternoon, July, we're gonna end," Rob said. "I think more than ever now, we're so joyed and grateful that we've been able to get this far from the support of our fans that you don't say a farewell tour, you don't say retire. I think slowly but surely we'll just play less and less and less, but I can't see that for the foreseeable future.”

Ian explained that it's virtually impossible for PRIEST to ever stop considering the large number of tour offers the band receives.

"Where don't you play?" he said. "New album, tour coming up, all of these offers are coming from all over the world… so you're right back into touring again."

"You've got to go where your fans want you," added Rob. "You can arrange the touring in a different way, but you can't just got to A, then to C, and miss B out, because those people have supported you for 30, 40 years. You try to explain to them that you're not coming to B so they have to travel a thousand miles to A or C. We can't be that as a band, as people. So we're just going to keep going and going and the end will come when it chooses to show its face."

In 2011, PRIEST embarked on its world run of "Epitaph" shows, at the time billed as a farewell tour. It wasn't long, however, before the members of PRIEST changed their minds, with Halford crediting the addition of guitarist Richie Faulkner, who replaced original member K.K. Downing just prior to the "Epitaph" tour, with rejuvenating the band and causing everyone to reconsider.

"Firepower" was released on March 9 via Epic.

The North American leg of the "Firepower" tour will wrap on May 1 in San Antonio, Texas.

Greek guitar virtuoso Gus G., who joined Ozzy Osbourne's band just under a decade ago, says that he is "totally cool" with the BLACK SABBATH singer getting back together with his longtime axeman Zakk Wylde.

It was announced last April that Wylde would be rejoining Ozzy's backing group for all his upcoming solo show dates. Osbourne's touring lineup also includes Rob "Blasko" Nicholson on bass, Tommy Clufetos on drums and Adam Wakeman on keyboards.

Gus, who played on Ozzy's latest studio album, 2010's "Scream", confirmed in a new interview with All That Shreds that he was told in advance that Ozzy would be working with Zakk again. "Sharon [Osbourne, Ozzy's wife and manager] gave me a call last year," he said. "She told me what's going to happen. I got a heads up, and I am totally cool with it. It's your band, and you do what you have to do. I was happy that I was there in the first place and [that] it lasted for [as long as it did]. My original deal with the Osbournes was for an album and a tour that was going to continue for 18 months and that 18 months became seven years. Technically, they didn't even have to call me after that [first] tour, so they kept calling me back. So it was all good, man. I'm lucky, and I'm blessed that I got to spend all the time with them and play all these shows and be a part of his band for all this time. I have terrific memories."

Gus reiterated that there are no hard feelings between him and Ozzy. "There's a lot of history there with Zakk, and I understand that," Gus said. " Coming out of the BLACK SABBATH thing, which was huge, of course, he needed a big boost. Given the fact that it's a farewell-tour thing, it's cool that he's bringing Zakk back to the band. You cannot take those kinds of things for granted, honestly."

According to Gus, he "wrote a couple of songs" for a possible new Ozzy studio album before his departure from Osbourne's band. "One of those songs, after they let me go from the band, I decided to use it for this record," referring to his upcoming solo album, "Fearless". "It's a song called 'Don't Tread On Me'."

"Fearless" will arrive on April 20 via AFM Records. The follow-up to 2015's "Brand New Revolution" marks Gus's first release since exiting Osbourne's band in 2017.

Wylde originally joined Osbourne's band three decades ago and backed the legendary frontman from 1987 to 1995, then again in 1998, from 2001 to 2004 and also from 2006 to 2009. His guitar playing can be heard on Osbourne's studio albums "No Rest For The Wicked", "No More Tears", "Ozzmosis", "Down To Earth", "Under Cover" and "Black Rain". The first album with Wylde went double platinum and "No More Tears" remains Ozzy's most successful album, going four times platinum in the United States with four Top 10 songs on the U.S. Billboard chart. Wylde also appeared with Ozzy on three live albums.

Last year, Gus released a new studio album with his long-running band FIREWIND, "Immortals", after issuing two discs as a solo artist.

"Victim Of Pain", a new song from DEEP PURPLE keyboardist Don Airey, can be streamed below. The track is taken from Airey's upcoming solo album, "One Of A Kind", which will be released on May 25 via earMUSIC as 2CD (including a bonus live CD) as well as on vinyl and digitally.

It is hard to find a name amongst all those that over the last 30 years have left their mark in the history of rock that has not utilized Don's keyboard skills at some point. The list includes OZZY OSBOURNE, RAINBOW, WHITESNAKE, JUDAS PRIEST, Gary Moore, Brian May, JETHRO TULL, BLACK SABBATH and, obviously, DEEP PURPLE, the band of which Airey has been a full-time member for over 15 years.

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

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

"One Of A Kind" is one song after the other for the delight of every hard rock fan, who would be making a big mistake were they to overlook this album.

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

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

"One Of A Kind" track listing:

01. Respect

02. All Out Of Line

03. One Of A Kind

04. Everytime I See Your Face

05. Victim Of Pain

06. Running Free

07. Lost Boys

08. Need You So Bad

09. Children Of The Sun

10. Remember To Call

11. Stay The Night

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

01. Pictures Of Home (originally by DEEP PURPLE)

02. Since You've Been Gone (originally by RAINBOW)

03. I Surrender (originally by RAINBOW)

04. Still Got The Blues (originally by GARY MOORE)

From multi-Emmy award-winning composer/producer Brian Tarquin comes Guitar Masters Collection, an extraordinary compilation of hard-to-find rarities, including tracks from the late great Allan Holdsworth, plus a rare, unheard recording by the recently departed guitar icon Larry Coryell. The album also contains cover songs “Hair” by Joe Satriani & Stanley Clarke and “I Wish” featuring Ozzy axeman Zakk Wylde as well as Steve Vai, Chris Poland (of Megadeth), Leslie West & Hal Lindes (of Dire Straits) alongside bass masters Randy Coven and Billy Sheehan.

Guitar Player magazine editor & chief, Mike Molenda, who wrote the liner notes for this collection, states “For fearless explorers of the musical unknown, a perfect compilation of artistry is a collection of performances that pummels your unsuspecting little ass with shock waves of awe and wonder. Rather than document the obvious - or sate the expectations of the casual enthusiast - every track challenges, puzzles, thrills, inspires, and, ultimately, delights the listener.”

Don’t miss this fantastic album, available on CD and digital from Purple Pyramid Records. Purchases are available at this location.

Tracklisting:

Allan Holdsworth & David Hines – “Skippy”
Larry Coryell & Brian Tarquin – “Tocar Modera”
Steve Vai & Randy Coven – “Funk Me Tender”
Zakk Wylde & Randy Coven – “I Wish”
Stanley Clarke & Joe Satriani – “Hair”
Chris Poland & Brian Tarquin – “Tarquinius Maximus”
Leslie West & Randy Coven – “Mother Load”
Hal Lindes – “Ricarda”
Allan Holdsworth & David Hines – “Antilla”
Billy Sheehan, Doug Doppler & Brian Tarquin – “Blue Wind”

The reunited original lineup of ROCK GODDESS — the female power trio from the days of NWOBHM (New Wave Of British Heavy Metal) featuring sisters Jody and Julie Turner along with bassist Tracey Lamb — will enter a London studio on May 14 with producer Wes Maebe (UB40, Robert Plant, NEW MODEL ARMY, PRAYING MANTIS) to begin recording its comeback album, "This Time". The disc will be released on October 5 via the band's own label, Bite You To Death Records, in conjunction with partners worldwide and digitally via Cargo Records.

"This Time" can be exclusively pre-ordered now on Pledge Music.

Jody states: "It's been a long time coming, and thanks for your loyalty, love and patience. We can't put into words how excited we are about making this album. Here we go."

ROCK GODDESS's last release was a three-song EP, "It's More Than Rock And Roll", which arrived last May.

The official video for the "It's More Than Rock And Roll" title track can be seen below.

ROCK GODDESS was formed in 1977 in Wandsworth South London by Jody Turner (guitar and vocals) and Julie Turner (drums) when they were thirteen and nine years old, respectively. They recruited school friend Tracey Lamb on bass guitar.

ROCK GODDESS first rose to the nation's awareness when they were first featured in Kerrang! No. 5 in 1981 in the "Armed And Ready" section as one of the bands to watch out for. After recording a four-track demo tape and an appearance at the Reading Festival in 1982, sharing a bill with IRON MAIDEN, plus regular shows at the Marquee club, the band landed a contract with the A&M label. They recorded their eponymous debut album with producer Vic Maile in 1983 and hit the lower end of the charts. A follow-up album, "Hell Hath No Fury", arrived a year later, by which time Lamb had left the band to form SHE and later to join GIRLSCHOOL.

After their contract with A&M expired in 1987, ROCK GODDESS' already recorded (in 1985) third album, titled "Young And Free", was released only in France. The effort saw the band taking on a more commercial sound.

ROCK GODDESS' career was cut short by financial and contractual problems, which forced them to disband shortly thereafter.

ROCK GODDESS did briefly reform in 2009 and was due to play Hard Rock Hell festival in Prestatyn, and was also booked to perform at the Headbangers Open Air festival in Germany the following summer, but split before they had a chance to appear at either event.

In March 2013, it was announced that the original ROCK GODDESS lineup had reunited and would start recording a new album.

Rufus Stone Publications will release a special 50th-anniversary edition of "Led Zeppelin - Five Glorious Nights" showcasing LED ZEPPELIN's legendary appearance at Earls Court in 1975.

Originally released in 2015, "Five Glorious Nights" captures the visual magnificence of the band though the photographic images of some of the finest rock photographers of the era — who were right there on the spot to capture rock history.

Drawing from the archives of a variety of photographers — including Barry Plummer, Dick Barnatt, Ian Dickson, Michael Putland, Mick Gold and Gus Stewart — the book chronicles the sheer visual splendor of these historic concerts though an extensive collection of color and black-and-white photos, many of them rarely seen. The photos are complemented by rare memorabilia and a written commentary that puts into perspective exactly why these concerts were some of the finest LED ZEPPELIN ever performed.

The book is compiled and written by Dave Lewis — the highly respected LED ZEPPELIN archivist and author and editor of the long running LED ZEPPELIN magazine Tight But Loose. Dave was in attendance at all five of the Earls Court concerts.

This special, limited edition of the book is available in a run of just 50 copies, celebrating the band's gold anniversary. The book is a 300mm square, 288-page hardback book with leather quarterbind and foiled, embossed cover. Each book is signed by the author Dave Lewis and lead photographers Barry Plummer and Dick Barnatt and numbered 1-50. The book comes with a folder featuring a 3D lenticular cover housing four prints selected by Barry Plummer and Dick Barnatt. The whole package comes in a gold metal slipcase with laser cut logo and a unique "Five Nights" t-shirt (small, large or extra-large).

"Five Glorious Nights" has been acclaimed by fans and critics, with Chris Charlesworth remarking: "It is a fine tribute to a legendary group, conceived and assembled with loving care and attention to detail by Lewis, now their foremost archivist. Bearing in mind the prices of these upper-end editions, it's a bit of a bargain, at least compared to Genesis editions. The photo budget must have been colossal as there are over 250 included here."

For more information, click here.

German psychedelic, hard rock trio Black Salvation have released a visualizer for “Leair”, off the impending full-length album Uncertainty Is Bliss. Watch below.

Uncertainty Is Bliss is due out April 6th on CD/LP/Digital via Relapse Records. Physical packages are available here, and digital downloads / streaming services here.

Black Salvation - featuring Uno Bruniusson formerly of In Solitude and Grave Pleasures and currently of Death Alley - challenges the listener to open wide the doors of perception and slowly drift away among their transcendental compositions and deeply hypnotic tales of magic and mysticism. Across eight tracks and over forty minutes, Black Salvation exquisitely blends hard rock, doom, and psychedelia into an intoxicating synthesis of rock 'n' roll alchemy. Uncertainty Is Bliss is surely one of the most captivating rock debuts in years.

Tracklisting:

“In A Casket’s Ride”
“Floating Torpid”
“Breathing Hands”
“The Eye That Breathes”
“Leair”
“A Direction Is Futile”
“Grey River”
“Getting Slowly Lost”
“The Chapel” (Bonus track)
“Follow Me Down” (Bonus track)

“Leair” visualizer:

"Breathing Hands" video:

“In A Casket’s Ride”:

Century Media Records has announced the worldwide signing of Danish death metal act Baest, whose moniker translates to ‘beast’ or ‘brute’ in the band’s native language and fits just perfectly to the group’s vicious sound. Highly influenced by bands such as Bloodbath, Grave, Entombed and Dismember, who are renowned for their savage Boss HM-2 pedal abusing guitar tone, Baest have a deadly old school backbone and combine with their own creative edge and incredible, ferocious live energy.

Having formed just three years ago in 2015, the quintet played over 40 shows just in their first year of existence and meanwhile has performed at festivals such as Copenhell, Roskilde, Royal Metal Fest, Eurosonic and supported bands like Hatebreed, Dying Fetus, Entombed A.D. and Illdisposed. After the independently released Marie Magdalene EP in 2016 and last year’s "Crosswhore” single, the Aarhus based band is now gearing up for the release of their first full-length, which will be released in summer 2018.

Baest comment: “Signing with Century Media is more than a dream come true. Hailing from the greatest period of heavy music ever, signing legendary acts such as Demolition Hammer, Grave, Unleashed and of course Bloodbath early on, CM is the perfect label for Baest. The guys have an awesome taste and balls as big as the HM-2 tone. Our debut Danse Macabre deserves the best possible launch, and CM makes that possible. The CM followers can expect an old school death metal album, honouring the genre’s forefathers, perfectors and legends, but with a brutal and conceptually true aura to it. This is death metal with a timeless appeal. We want to also thank Toke Holt (Wannarock) and Jesper Mardahl from Promus, for their enormous amount of help and guidance!”

Jens Prüter, Head of A&R, Century Media Records Europe: “This January I visited Copenhell Freezes Over where the Copenhell Festival is presenting Danish talent to fans and international business partners (it’s like South By Southwest - just more metal and much colder, ha ha). I had already heard some good things about Baest and Jeppe from Copenhell made sure that I didn’t miss them at the sold-out Vega club. It rarely happens that a bunch of business farts is immediately blown away by a band’s sheer force, but we all were and I couldn’t hold back signing them for CM. We are very proud to unleash this Nordic death metal beast upon mankind and hope you will like this bunch as much as we do! Thanks again to Jeppe Nissen from Copenhell and Anders Meisner from Music Export Denmark - and of course to Baest!”

To get a first impression of Baest, check out the video for “Crosswhore”, the opening track of Danse Macabre:

Furthermore, the band has just been confirmed for this year’s Summer Breeze festival and is working hard on additional live shows in support of Danse Macabre. Find their current tour schedule here.

Lineup (above, from left to right):

Mattias Melchiorsen - bass
Svend Karlsson - guitar
Sebastian Abildsten - drums
Simon Olsen - vocals
Lasse Revsbech - guitar

(Live photo - EHB Fotografia / ehbfotografia.com, Band photo - Jens Karlsson)

Blackberry Smoke performed “Pretty Little Lie”, a track from their 2012 album The Whippoorwill, at YouTube HQ in London. Watch the performance below:

The band's new album, Find A Light, will be available on April 6th. Order your copy here.

Trackisting:

"Flesh And Bone"
"Run Away From It All"
"The Crooked Kind"
"Medicate My Mind"
"I've Got This Song"
"Best Seat In The House"
"I'll Keep Ramblin'"
"Seems So Far"
"Lord Strike Me Dead"
"Let Me Down Easy"
"Nobody Gives A Damn"
"Till The Wheels Fall Off"
"Mother Mountain"

"Let Me Down Easy":

Fat&Holy Records introduce Glanville, a brand new heavy metal band mostly from Darmstadt, Germany. The introduction comes by way of a video for the song "God Is Dead", which can be found below. "God Is Dead" dives, in a holy fashion, straight into twin lead guitar harmonies which immediately sets the tone for the rest of song.

Glanville was formed by childhood friends Philipp Michel (Jack Daniels) and René Hofmann (Marijuana) who wrote five great heavy metal songs and decided they needed to be played by a real band.

Hofmann, who previously played guitar, had this to say about the experience: "As an unsuccessful guitarist screaming and complaining all the time about my playing, I found out that my my tongue works better than my fingers so I became a singer. Finding the right musicians for the band was hard. It took over a year... like diggin' in the bargain bin and only finding the leftover bruised apples."

The lineup is completed by bass player Peter-Philipp Schierhorn (Cocaine), rhythm guitar player Chris West (Cheeseburgers) and Thomas Hoffmann (Heroin) on drums.

Bass player extraordinaire Schierhorn describes joining the fast-paced band: "Having grown up on a strict diet of Judas Priest, I just had to hop on board. But now my right hand constantly hurts.”

"God Is Dead" is taken from the band's upcoming First Blood EP that is due to be released May 4th via Fat&Holy Records on CD, LP and digital. First Blood was recorded live in a Darmstadt studio with most members never having played together and some only meeting for the first time during the two days pre-production and rehearsing before recording.

The band play an EP launch gig at the Oetinger Villa in Darmstadt, Germany on April 14th. First Blood can be pre-ordered here.

Norwegian melodic heavy rock/metal band, Big City, have announced the release of their second album Big City Life as a double CD digipack including their 2013 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 album artwork was made by Tim Eckhorst (Scorpions, Ektomorf, UDO, Wacken Open Air). Mixing, mastering and keys on both albums by Martin Berger (Screams Of Scarlet, Blood Red Throne, Zerozonic) at Skar Production.

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”

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)

Professionally filmed video of Testament's full performance at Germany's Wacken Open Air festival, shot in the summer of 2012, is available for streaming below.

Setlist:

Intro
"Rise Up For War"
"The New Order"
"The Preacher"
"Native Blood"
"True American Hate"
"More Than Meets The Eye"
"Dark Roots Of Earth"
"Into The Pit"
"Practice What You Preach"
"Over The Wall"
"DNR (Do Not Resuscitate)"
"Three Days Of Darkness"

Testament are currently on the road with Canadian thrashers Annihilator as well as Polish death metal tank and labelmates Vader.

Tour dates:

March
29 - Bristol, UK - Motion
30 - Manchester, UK - Ritz
31 - Birmingham, UK - Institute

April
1 - Dublin, Ireland - Vicar Street
2 - Glasgow, Scotland - QMU
4 - London, England - Koko

Finnish female Vermilia, who mixes black metal with sweet and raw vocals with melancholic melodies, has posted a new mystic video trailer.

Her debut album is still being worked on, but the music has been recorded will include eight tracks.

A new update reads: "Good evening. Small update. Album is still under work, but basically all music is done and recorded. It will include eight tracks and all the small details just needs to get finished.

“I want to thank you all of you for caring and following my art. Thank you."

Swedish death metal legends The Crown have released their new album, Cobra Speed Venom, via Metal Blade Records. A full album stream can be found below. Order the album here. BraveWords' review of the album can be found here.

The album has entered the international charts, as follows:

#34 Official German Album Charts (Germany) 
#99 Official Swiss Album Charts (Switzerland) 
#26 Current Hard Music Albums (USA) 
#41 Top New Artist Albums (USA) 
#97 Record Label Independent Current Albums (USA) 
#83 Top Hard Music Charts (Canada) 

The Crown comments: "Really?? 34th most selling album in Germany last week? Entering Top 100 in Switzerland? Our raw untamed punkish styled Death/Thrash Metal?? I guess there's hope for humanity after all! Or maybe this proves the opposite ;-) A.M.A.Z.I.N.G!!" 

With their motivation at an all-time high, The Crown spent most of 2017 intensely rehearsing 13 new songs. They eventually entered the classic Studio Fredman with Fredrik Nordstrom to record what would become their new album, Cobra Speed Venom. The sound is massive, brutal and a real punch in the face. Extreme speed and aggression mixed with classic heavy metal and rock n' roll, which really shows that The Crown has no boundaries. The apocalyptic theme of the lyrics and music also fits perfectly with the outstanding artwork of Christian Sloan Hall.

Cobra Speed Venom tracklisting:

"Destroyed By Madness"
"Iron Crown"
"In The Name Of Death"
"We Avenge!"
"Cobra Speed Venom"
"World War Machine"
"Necrohammer"
"Rise In Blood"
"Where My Grave Shall Stand"
"The Sign Of The Scythe"
"Nemesis Diamond" (bonus track)
"The Great Dying" (bonus track)

Album stream:

"Cobra Speed Venom" video:

"Iron Crown" video:

The Crown lineup:

Johan Lindstrand - Vocals
Magnus Olsfelt - Bass
Marko Tervonen - Guitar
Robin Sorqvist - Lead guitar and backing vocals
Henrik Axelsson - Drums

Snowy Shaw has released a video for the new song "My Religion (I Sold My Soul To Rock N' Roll, That Is)", taken from his upcoming debut solo studio album, White Is The New Black. Watch the clip below.

White Is The New Black will be released on May 23rd in Europe and Japan, and digitally worldwide. You can get it a full month earlier by pre-ordering the album straight from Snowy's store, here.

Says Snowy: "Check out the super-duper deluxe fan-pack, an exclusive limited edition of 333 (half evil) incl. gatefold double LP (white vinyl) + Snowy signature drumsticks + special Snowy shirt + stickers + 2 big posters + Snowy guitar picks + special gift - all numbered and autographed."

Bay Area blackened hardcore outfit, Wolf King, Wolf King have released a lyric video for “Loyal To The Soil”, the title track off their new album.

On the theme behind the gripping single, Wolf King comments: "‘Loyal to The Soil’ is about how every being on this planet has the same destiny, which is to be forced to accept the embrace of death. There are no wagers with the reaper. We are also very excited about touring with Church Tongue, who really caught our ears when we were looking at bands to tour back home with. Also, their guitarist apparently sets himself on fire, so that sounds pretty cool too."

The band's debut, Loyal To The Soil, was recorded at Rapture Recordings in Hayward, CA with producer Cody Fuentes. It will be available on all digital platforms, CD and a limited edition black with gold and white splatter LP on April 27th. Pre-order the album here.

Loyal To The Soil tracklisting:

"Hail The Ash"
"Further"
"Loyal To The Soil I"
"Loyal To The Soil II"
"Sorrow's Reach"
"Worthy Of The Dead"
"Greater Power"
"Betrayer"
"Mortals I"
"Mortals II"
"Shepherd Of The Flock"

"Loyal To The Soil I" lyric video:

"Greater Power" video:

"Loyal To The Soil Pt. 1" live, in-studio video:

Upcoming Wolf King dates:

April
12 - Mesa, AZ - The Underground
13 - Albuquerque, NM - Burts Tiki Lounge (with Distinguisher)
14 - Big Spring, TX - Flower Art Bar (with Distinguisher)
16 - Little Rock, AR - The Building (with Bodysnatcher & Distinguisher)
17 - Nashville, TN - The End (with Bodysnatcher & Distinguisher)
18 - Fayetteville, NC - Drunk Horse Pub (with Bodysnatcher & Distinguisher)
19 - Trenton, NJ - Championship Bar (with Bodysnatcher & Distinguisher)
21 - Worchester, MA - New England Metal and Hardcore Festival at The Palladium  

Wolf King is:

Timothy Wilson - vocals
Jacob Broughton - guitar & vocals
Brian Mojica - bass
Connor White - drums

Northern Ireland-based power metal band Ravenlight have just released their debut single “Where The Stars Grow” ahead of their upcoming EP.

John Connor says “‘Where The Stars Grow’ seemed like the obvious choice for a debut single, while its lighter and slower than most of the other material we are working on, the mix of the darker tone with the uplifting anthemic chorus gave it something pretty special, I think it will appeal to those whose musical tastes fall in the middle of a Venn Diagram featuring both Metallica and The Greatest Showman Soundtrack.”

Ravenlight was formed in January 2018 with members Rebecca Feeney on vocals and John Connor (ex-Selene) handling all instruments, however they plan to complete this line up in 2018 in order to perform live shows.

The single is available as a free download on Bandcamp until April 11th. 

It took Subsignal a good two years, but now they are finally back and ready to release their new album, La Muerta. On it, as to be expected with the former Sieges Even duo Markus Steffen and Arno Menses, the German band sends the listener on a proper voyage of discovery that is as complex as it is eventful. Subsignal have consciously designed the path to La Muerta a tad more accessible than was the case with the predecessor. Watch an album trailer below.

It is the fundamental rule in Subsignal: the band always resets the focus and overhauls the pressure points from album to album. That is why in the run-up to La Muerta the German outfit did not only sign a new record deal with Gentle Art Of Music, but the five-piece also made a decision in favour of a modified approach in terms of the project's artistic priorities. While on earlier releases the band still lit up the literal torch to lead the audience's way through the tricky pathways of the delicately tangled progressive rock-undergrowth, this time, despite several hints of assistance here and there, Subsignal indeed put their trust in the power of the songwriting as well as the intuition of the listener. The band's signature energy is no less essential than ever before, but its unique presence has transformed and taken on a significantly more subtle role. The same goes for the technical sophistication of the musical implementation: it is still a driving force but it no longer lunges right into the listener's face. Much more it clandestinely sneaks up from the - only seemingly! - diffuse atmosphere to ultimately spread with all the force that fans and critics alike have praised.

The current lineup, consisting of Markus Steffen (guitar), Arno Menses (vocals), Ralf Schwager (bass), Markus Maichel (keyboards) and Dirk Brand (drums), has remained unchanged for quite some time and thus become a precisely harmonized team of perfection. It is obvious: the micro-adjustments of musical and mechanical aspects no longer required tending to. Much more, La Muerta showcases a well-oiled fellowship that passionately puts every last bit of energy into the macro-process of painting the big picture. A new album might always start out as a journey into the unknown, but there is not a shadow of a doubt: right from the beginning the minds behind Subsignal had a very clear idea of where La Muerta would take them and how they would get there.

Production duties were put into the hands of RPWL's Yogi Lang and Kalle Wallner. The duo has demonstrated great intuition and provided the songs with enough air to breathe and unfold - without restraining the fascinating density that adds another dimension to that multilayered voyage of discovery that is La Muerta.

The paths have been marked, the supplies are packed. This is where the adventure starts - enjoy the ride!

Tracklisting:

"271 Days"
"La Muerta"
"The Bells Of Lyonesse"
"Every Able Hand"
"Teardrops Will Dry In Source Of Origin"
"The Approaches"
"Even Though The Stars Don't Shine"
"The Passage"
"When All The Trains Are Sleeping"
"As Birds On Pinions Free"
"Some Kind Of Drowning"

Trailer:

Lineup:

Markus Steffen, guitars
Arno Menses, vocals
Ralf Schwager, bass
Markus Maichel, keyboards
Dirk Brand, drums
 
Guest Musicians:

Marjana Semkina (I Am The Morning), vocals (Track 11)
Markus Jehle (RPWL), piano (Track 11)
Kalle Wallner (RPWL, Blind Ego), additional guitars
Yogi Lang (RPWL), additional keyboards
 
Tour dates:

October
10 - München, Germany - Backstage Club
12 - Mannheim, Germany - 7er Club
13 - Arnsberg, Germany - Breaking The Silence Festival 2018
14 - Frankfurt, Germany - Nachtleben
17 - Hamburg, Germany - Logo
18 - Oberhausen, Germany - Zentrum Altenberg

Legendary rocker Alice Cooper has spoken out about his recent car accident, saying that he "got banged up a litte bit" but that "nobody was hurt."

"Right after my birthday, I got in a head-on car collision," Cooper told the NBC affiliate KPNX 12 News (see video below). "But nobody was hurt — both cars were demolished, but nobody was hurt. And I told the kid that ran into me, I told him, I said, 'Look, as long as you're walking away and I'm walking away, cars could be replaced.' We got banged up a litte bit, but nothing really special."

Cooper revealed that he was involved in the road incident on February 1, tweeting: "Had a car accident this afternoon in Phoenix, but luckily everyone walked away UNHURT. Very thankful for that and also to @Dodge for building such a sturdy Challenger!!"

The Dodge Challenger is the name of three different generations of automobiles produced by Dodge.

Like many rock stars, Alice is an avid car enthusiast, with a fantastic collection of American muscle in his garage.

Cooper was born in Detroit and moved to Phoenix at a young age with his family.

In July 2017, Alice Cooper released "Paranormal", his first studio album in six years. Produced by Bob Ezrin, it was immediately saluted as a classic album, strong of the collaboration with iconic guests such as ZZ TOP's Billy Gibbons, U2's Larry Mullen and DEEP PURPLE's Roger Glover.



Had a car accident this afternoon in Phoenix, but luckily everyone walked away UNHURT. Very thankful for that and also to @Dodge for building such a sturdy Challenger!!— Alice Cooper (@alicecooper) February 2, 2018

Rockshots Records has announced the signing of Italian folk metal Kanseil. Formed in 2010, the band are a 21st century version of their land’s rich-story telling tapestry, they are bards with instruments, musical archaeologists, excavating the sounds and stories of their country’s past to create something new, beguiling and beautiful. 

Inspired by Eluveitie, Skyforger, Arkona, Agalloch and Alcest plus having performed with the likes of Korpiklaani, At The Gates, Enslaved, Folkstone, Manegarm, Arkona, and Omnia, Kanseil will be releasing their second full-length Fulìsche in 2018 on May 25th for Europe and June 8th for North America. The album follows their 2015 debut Doin Earde released on Nemeton Records.

The band comments:

“'Fulische' are the sparks of a fire moving away from the element they were born from, they shine in their own glow and you can watch them for a few instants before they disappear forever in the dark…In the same way mankind’s stories live in the collective memory until they take flight and you have a limited time to look at them and catch their beauty before they’re lost.”

Preorders can be found at this location.

Tracklisting:

“Ah, Canseja!”
“La Battaglia Del Solstizio”
“Ander De La Mate”
“Pojat”
“Orcolat”
“Serravalle”
“Vallòrch”
“Il Lungo Viaggio”
“Densilòc”

Kanseil is:
Andrea Facchin (Lead Vocals)
Federico Grillo (Guitars)
Davide Mazzucco (Guitars, Bouzouki)
Dimitri De Poli (Bass)
Luca Rover (Drums)
Luca Zanchettin (Bagpipes, Kantele)
Stefano (Herian) Da Re (Whistles, Rauschpfeife)

KORN frontman Jonathan Davis has released the official music video for his song "Everyone". The clip was directed and edited by Stephen Steelman and was produced by Brigantine Films / Renaissance Man Productions.

"Everyone" is taken from Davis's highly anticipated debut solo album, "Black Labyrinth", which will be released on May 25 via Sumerian Records.

Diverse and progressive, "Black Labyrinth" represents a natural evolution for Jonathan, whose previous musical contributions have yielded two Grammy Award wins, eight Grammy Award nominations, worldwide sales of more than 40 million, and countless sold-out shows in nearly every corner of the globe. In addition to the album's well-received first single, "What It Is", which debuted as the No. 1 most added single on rock radio, the new album includes "Final Days", a melodic and atmospheric track, accentuated by subtle hints of sitar and tabla, the straightforward arena-rock anthem "Underneath My Skin", and 10 other tracks primarily recorded live to tape, a departure from KORN's heavily calculated, meticulous, studio approach to creation. Longtime fans of KORN will still find the familiarity of the band's unique and unforgettable vocals, synths and commanding guitars in key tracks like "What You Believe" and "Everyone".

Inspired in part by the Ganzfeld Experiment, and the out-of-body experiments and hallucinations that often accompany it, Davis focused on religion, consumerism and apathy throughout the album. "There's a level of enlightenment I want to achieve," he confesses regarding "Black Labyrinth". "With all of the bullshit going, everyone is stuck on their fucking cell phones. This takes us way out of that. No matter how hard you try to fight bad things in your life, life will be what it is. It's up to you to accept that, combat it, and move forward, or it's up to you to be in denial. Then it becomes a thorn in your side until you finally deal with it. This is it. Just deal with it."

"Black Labyrinth" track listing:

01. Underneath My Skin

02. Final Days

03. Everyone

04. Happiness

05. Your God

06. Walk On By

07. The Secret

08. Basic Needs

09. Medicate

10. Please Tell Me

11. What You Believe

12. Gender

13. What It Is

Listen to 30-second clips of the entire album below.

Asked in a recent interview about the sound of the project, Davis explained: "It's completely different. It's a different thing. It's something I've been working on for 10 years. It's just a crazy, different world music hybrid of all kinds of things, and there are all kinds of different players who play on the record. And I'm really proud of it."

Regarding why it took so long to complete the solo album, Davis said: "I did most of it back in… I started it in '07 and '08. I was signed to another record label, and, unfortunately, the people that signed me left. Some other people came in, they wanted to do it, and they ended up not doing it, so I got the record back. And then, [I went through] a few different managers and stuff, so it's just the same thing — they want the KORN machine moving. [Laughs] So finally I've got a break now, and I'm, like, ' I wanna do this now, guys. Let's do this.' So we're doing it."

Davis also talked about why he chose to make a solo record instead of using the material for KORN. "'Cause it's completely different — it's not for KORN," he said. "You've heard 'What It Is' — that's not a KORN song. So this is stuff that's completely different. There's stuff I've brought to KORN before, like from these sessions, the song 'Take Me', on our last record [2016's 'The Serenity Of Suffering'], was one of these songs, but we took it and the guys — [KORN guitarists] Head and Munky — got it, they tore it apart and made it their own. It's totally different. Sometimes it works. But the majority of the stuff wouldn't have worked for KORN."

The singer will kick off a solo North American tour on April 6 in Portland, Oregon, ending on May 18 in Boston. KORN drummer Ray Luzier will be part of the backing band.

"What It Is" is included on the soundtrack to a film called "American Satan", which came out on January 26.


Davis has recorded and toured on his own intermittently over the years. He has composed music for soundtracks, most notably "Queen Of The Damned", and has toured and DJed frequently over the years as his alter ego JDevil.