Extreme metallers ARCH ENEMY will release a strictly limited, hand-numbered seven-inch single and a digital single for their song "Reason To Believe" on December 7 through Century Media Records. Both formats, physical and digital, feature the cover song "Shout" (TEARS FOR FEARS) as a B-side.

The seven-inch single will be available in the following vinyl colors:

* Black vinyl (limited to 300 copies)

* Clear vinyl (limited to 100 copies, only available at CMDistro EU)

* White vinyl (limited to 200 copies)

* Silver vinyl (limited to 200 copies, only available at Nuclear Blast)

* Red vinyl (limited to 200 copies, only available at EMP)

On January 18, 2019, ARCH ENEMY will release a compilation, "Covered In Blood", of all cover songs the band has recorded throughout its career.


his past summer, ARCH ENEMY guitarist Michael Amott spoke to Hayley Leggs about the band's decision to record a near-ballad, "Reason To Believe" — complete with clean vocals — for its most recent studio album, 2017's "Will To Power".

"I wrote the music for that song with my brother [former ARCH ENEMY guitarist Christopher Amott], and it was obviously a ballad, and we thought, 'Well, if we use it for ARCH ENEMY, it's gonna be weird to just growl and scream on that music,'" he said. "So I talked to [ARCH ENEMY frontwoman] Alissa [White-Gluz] about it, and we came up with the arrangement and everything.

"But it's actually gone down very well with the fans," he continued. "And it's always been my ambition anyway… I've never been a diehard, 'It's gotta be all extreme or nothing.' A lot of my favorite music… I grew up with thrash and death metal, but also I'm a big fan of SCORPIONS and JUDAS PRIEST. All those great bands — SCORPIONS, JUDAS PRIEST, MANOWAR, BLACK SABBATH — they've all got ballads as well. So I think this makes us more of a complete metal band in a way."

According to Michael, White-Gluz's addition to ARCH ENEMY following the 2014 departure of Angela Gossow has "opened up a few doors for me as a songwriter, because she's got more things she can do with her voice. So now we're gonna explore that a bit," he said.

In a 2017 interview with Revolver, Alissa said that some ARCH ENEMY fans were "really surprised" to hear her sing "different ways. But I've been doing that since high school and in my other bands, [such as THE AGONIST], so that's nothing new to me," she explained. "In the ARCH ENEMY world, it seems like there were only a few people who knew that. When I posted the video I did with KAMELOT for 'Liar, Liar', a lot of people were, like, 'Um, what is going on?' And I was like, 'Wait, you don't know about this? [Laughs] From that point on, a lot of people were like, 'Wow, we want to hear clean singing in ARCH ENEMY, too. And actually, Michael had been dying to write sort of like an extreme-metal ballad. So it was perfect."

SLIPKNOT percussionist M. Shawn Crahan (a.k.a. Clown) has revealed to Metal Hammer magazine that he is sitting on an album's worth of music recorded during the "All Hope Is Gone" sessions in 2008.

While making SLIPKNOT's fourth album, Crahan and his bandmates Jim Root, Corey Taylor and Sid Wilson wrote and laid down different music at a separate studio. One of the resulting songs, "Til We Die", is featured on the digipak release of "All Hope Is Gone", but the rest has yet to see the light of day.

Crahan told Metal Hammer: "There's a collection of songs that were recorded, 11 I think, I've held on to them for 10 years because it hasn't been right, and I'm going to let you know now that it's feeling right.

"Is it SLIPKNOT? No, it's not SLIPKNOT. Is it four members of SLIPKNOT? Yes. It's four members of SLIPKNOT. Is it music being written at the same time as 'All Hope Is Gone'? Absolutely.

Jim would write guitar then go down and play guitar on the album, then come up and finish playing guitar on the song. That's how we'd kill time during those four months."

He added: "There's a big collection of music, it's fucking really amazing. It's so amazing it had to be held back to wait for the right time, it's been 10 years. It wasn't going to be one of those things to loosely go out and confuse everyone, and piss everyone off.

"I'm not going to put music out to spite people — we do things the right way in this camp. The right way is that sooner or later, people need to be made aware of it because it's the truth. It happened. We spent time doing it, we worked it every day, we mixed it, we mastered it, there's artwork. It's amazing stuff. But it's all got to be right in the story of SLIPKNOT."

The 10th-anniversary edition of "All Hope Is Gone" will be released on December 7. The package will feature re-imagined artwork and a bonus disc containing an audio recording of the band's 2009 headlining concert at Madison Square Garden.

"All Hope Is Gone" debuted at No. 1 on The Billboard 200 with first-week sales of nearly 240,000 copies in the United States. It marked the first No. 1 for the masked hard rockers, who scored a No. 2 with 2004's "Vol. 3: The Subliminal Verses" and a No. 3 with 2001's "Iowa".

SLIPKNOT also topped the Billboard chart with its latest album, 2014's ".5: The Gray Chapter". That effort sold 132,000 copies in its first week of release.

SYSTEM OF A DOWN singer Serj Tankian has released a new trailer for "Spitak", a new drama about the catastrophic earthquake — also known as the Spitak earthquake — that shook Armenia on December 7, 1988 claiming several thousand lives.

Tankian scored the award-winning film, which was directed by Russian filmaker Alexander Kott.

"Spitak", jointly produced by Armenia and Russia, tells the story of Gor, who left Armenia in search of a better life but now returns back after the earthquake in order to find his home and family. But it is too late. Everything is destroyed by the disaster, and he has to re-learn to love what he destroyed himself.

"It's a really heavy film," Serj told Rolling Stone. "[I wrote] a modern-sounding score with very light pianos and ethereal soundscapes for this one. It's very dreamy, sometimes dark, sometimes bright."

b>"Spitak - Original Motion Picture Soundtrack" will be available on iTunes, Spotify, Apple Music and other global digital platforms on November 30.

In the movie, the director intentionally left scenes of horror behind the camera, focusing on the experience of the characters instead.

According to the Armenian National Committee of America, Kott described "Spitak" as "a requiem film," through which he attempted to convey "the panic, despair, courage and heroism" of those who tried to find their home and family despite the harrowing circumstances immediately following the earthquake.

Prior to shooting, the director had decided that all the characters would speak in their native languages, thus the film is in Armenian, Russian and French.

"Listening For The Silence", the new video from San Diego, California-based rockers P.O.D. (PAYABLE ON DEATH), can be seen below. The song is taken from the band's latest album, "Circles", which was released on November 16 via Mascot Label Group.

On "Circles", P.O.D. collaborated with the Los Angeles-based production duo called the Heavy (Jason Bell and Jordan Miller), who ensured the album is contemporary sounding without losing any of the band's core sonic signifiers. The rap-driven "Rockin' With The Best" has an old-school P.O.D. sound that nods to the BEASTIE BOYS, while "Always Southern California" is a reggae-inflected rocker and the groove-heavy "Soundboy Killa" is a hip-hop/metal hybrid. The dynamic title track even boasts moody electronic flourishes, glassy piano, and laid-back rapping verses.

"On 'Circles', we didn't limit ourselves and say, 'Hey, we need to please the metal crowd, or the hardcore crowd, or the punk crowd,'" says frontman Sonny Sandoval. "We just wanted to play and write songs that we hope are relevant and catchy to a new audience, while, at the same time, still being true to ourselves."

From a lyrical standpoint, P.O.D. kept a similar open mind, while turning to optimism for inspiration. The title track addresses trying to get out of an unhealthy cycle in which someone feels stuck, while "Dreaming" envisions seeking out a brighter future even if the present day is tough. Other songs grapple with how to navigate life's biggest challenges. "Home" emerged after Sandoval suddenly lost a close friend who was more like a brother to him. "Fly Away", meanwhile, acknowledges that all of us sometimes struggle, and need to rely on others for help.

We're looking for answers — and we're going to people to help us get through things — but at the same time, no one's perfect," Sandoval says. "Everybody's going through stuff, and we're all kind of on this same level and the same journey of experience and just trying to figure out our course of life."

The idea of searching for a bright side has been a constant theme for P.O.D. over the years, both on newer songs such as "Lost In Forever" and "Beautiful" and on early hits "Alive", "Youth Of The Nation" and "Boom". Through it all, the members of P.O.D. — Sandoval, lead guitarist Marcos Curiel, bassist Traa Daniels and drummer Wuv Bernardo — have leaned on one another for support and creative inspiration.

"We are touring and making music because it still means something to the people that are coming out to see us, and people that are still listening to our music," Sandoval says. "We're humbled, we're grateful, and we're thankful for people that still enjoy what we're doing."

"Circles" track listing:

01. Rockin' With The Best

02. Always Southern California

03. Circles

04. Panic Attack

05. On The Radio

06. Fly Away

07. Listening For The Silence

08. Dreaming

09. Domino

10. Soundboy Killa

11. Home

Midwest death metal titans JUNGLE ROT have released the official music video for the song "A Burning Cinder". The track is taken from the band's self-titled album, which was released in July via Victory Records.

JUNGLE ROT vocalist/guitarist Dave Matrise states: "I call this a 'Frankenstein' creation; it has all the elements needed for a good metal song — groove, thrash, speed and killer lyrics. It is one of my favorites in our catalog and I wanted to expand about the government trying to control, manipulate and force feed citizens into what we should believe in or not. It goes over really well live and we can't wait to continue playing it on the next tour."

JUNGLE ROT recently announced the "Send Forth Oblivion Tour Part 1", its first European tour in five years. Matrise says: "I'm very excited to get back to Europe and play our style of old-school metal to all the headbangers around. We will also come back in the summer for the 'Send Forth Oblivion Tour Part 2' with more dates, mostly on the festival circuit. 2019 is going to be a hell of a year. Let's get crushing!"

In January 2018, JUNGLE ROT entered Belle City Sound with engineer Chris Djuricic behind the board. Mixing and mastering was done by the legendary Dan Swanö (DARK FUNERAL, MARDUK).

b>"Jungle Rot" blasts off with "Send Forth Oblivion", an audible equivalent to stainless steel medical devices in your eardrum. The album closes with a crushing cover of KREATOR's 1987 classic "Terrible Certainty".

"I love this song and it's one I've always wanted to cover. I remember seeing them for the first time, saying to myself I want to start a band," Matrise confesses.

As the hype surrounding JUNGLE ROT points that this is their most dynamic and diverse release to date, Matrise states the band has never measured their success by tailgating other acts.

"We are JUNGLE ROT," he says. "This is JUNGLE ROT. Bands may want to call it a day, hang up their axes and go to bed, that is their call, but that is of no consequence to us or our plotted course. By the early 1990s, the death metal revolution was ready to overthrow the stagnant metal scene, and 20-plus years later, our job has not changed.”

The cover art for "Jungle Rot" was again helmed by the masterful and brutal mind of artist Gyula Havancsak.

During a recent interview with Full Metal Jackie's nationally syndicated radio show, Glenn Danzig offered an update on the status of his upcoming collection of Elvis Presley covers, appropriately titled "Danzig Sings Elvis". "I'm still looking to put [it] out in 2019, and maybe do a few intimate shows here and there for it," he said (hear audio below). "But I don't know. We'll see. If the record's not out, I'm not gonna do [the shows where I sing nothing but Elvis covers]. So it depends on my schedule and if I can get it together and get the cover and everything together and pick the songs. Because every time I have downtime, or if I was working on soundtrack stuff, I would just record another Elvis track or two, so what started out as an EP, I now have more than enough for a full album; I have extra songs that won't even make it on the record. So I'm really gonna have to sit down and pick the songs that I really want on the record. But it came out really good; I can't wait for everyone to hear it. A lot of people ask me about it all the time when I'm on the road. So it will be nice to get it out in some period in 2019 and do some of those little intimate shows I was talking about."

Danzig previously covered Presley's "Trouble" on his eponymous band's "Thrall-Demonsweatlive" EP in 1993. He also recorded a version of "Let Yourself Go" for 2015's "Skeletons".

"Elvis is actually kind of how I got into music," Glenn told Rolling Stone in 2015 interview. "When I was a kid, I was cutting school pretending I was sick and I would lie at home watching old movies, and 'Jailhouse Rock' came on with Elvis. I was, like, 'I want to do this. This is great.' And that's how I veered to music."

Regarding how he came to cover "Let Yourself Go", Danzig said: "It's a song that a lot of people may or may not be familiar with, but he actually liked it so much he put it on the ''68 Comeback Special'. It's just a cool song I've always liked. I knew I could do something really cool with it. I didn't want to do the obvious Elvis song, you know? You don't have to highlight an Elvis song, everyone's heard them, this is just probably a lesser known song of his thousands of songs that everybody knows. I like his delivery, his voice. He's not just standing there, he's moving around. I like that. I don't like singers who just stand there. It's boring to me. I like singers who are really getting into it and showing you they're getting into it. I think he has all of that."

b>DANZIG was formed in 1987 after Glenn's involvement with horror-punks the MISFITS and gothic hard rockers SAMHAIN.

DANZIG's latest album, "Black Laden Crown", came out in May 2017 via Evilive Records/Nuclear Blast Entertainment.

American hard rockers KILLCODE have released "Put It Off", the second in a trilogy of videos from their latest effort, "The Answer".

Director David Swajeski started a creative relationship with KILLCODE when he heard the song "Breaking Away" and used it as a theme song in his film "Dressed". Since that time, David has collaborated with KILLCODE on several music videos and a documentary project to aid the victims of Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico. The trilogy collection marks a new cinematic and storytelling direction for the band.

Says KILLCODE: "'Put it Off' is a song about reflection and looking back on the past. Realizing that life is short and to hold dear the things that you may not have realized were important and helped shape your existence. To remember the little things that we may have thought were fleeting moments but actually helped shape our lives."

KILLCODE is a five-piece rock band that from New York. Their unique sound and style has been described as southern-infused rock/ metal with modern-day vocals. KILLCODE's songs are hooky, supercharged anthems with big guitars and driving rhythms that pumps a shot of adrenaline into your system the moment you hear them.

b>KILLCODE consists of Tom Morrissey (lead vocals), Chas (guitar, vocals), D.C Gonzales (guitar), Erric Bonesmith (bass/vocals) and Rob Noxious (drums).

"The Answer" track listing:

01. The Answer

03. Shot

02. Show Me

04. Bleed

05. Own It Now

06. Kickin' Screamin'

07. Pick Your Side

08. The Haunting

09. Slave

10. Put It Off

New Orleans-based thrash metal pioneers EXHORDER have signed to Nuclear Blast Records.

EXHORDER now features founding members Vinnie LaBella (guitar) and Kyle Thomas (vocals) along with Jason Viebrooks (HEATHEN) on bass, Marzi Montazeri (ex-SUPERJOINT RITUAL, PHILIP H. ANSELMO & THE ILLEGALS) on guitar and Sasha Horn (FORBIDDEN) on drums.

Comments Thomas: "The excitement level of EXHORDER being in contract negotiations once again is higher for us than we can express. Coming to an agreement with Nuclear Blast has inspired us to bring our writing to new heights. People still want to hear this band, as was evident in the reaction to our performances in 2018. Nuclear Blast strongly wants to help facilitate this venture, and for that we are truly excited and grateful. I am looking forward to seeing what we can make happen together over the next few years. The roster at Nuclear Blast speaks for itself, as well as the presence of Monte Conner and Jaap Wagemaker on the team. Be on the lookout, because EXHORDER is heading your way once again!"

Adds LaBella: "What an incredible honour it is to be added to the Nuclear Blast family! We've had such a great year already, and now this! We are so proud and could not be in better company moving forward. We are excited for the future. We realize we turned in a couple of classics back in the day and it's been 27 years since we released our last record. And while those past successes are notable, we feel in our hearts like this new record will be our first record, and we couldn't have a better partner in NB to bring it to you. New management, new line up, new label, new record, new EXHORDER!"

b>EXHORDER relased two albums in the early 1990s through the Roadrunner label — 1990's "Slaughter in the Vatican" and 1992's "The Law" — before breaking up, with Kyle going on to form FLOODGATE and also briefly appearing live as the vocalist for TROUBLE, which he later joined on a full-time basis (and is still a member of).

EXHORDER is cited by many as the originator of the riff-heavy power-groove approach popularized by PANTERA.

Dutch metal band THE CHARM THE FURY will cease to exist for the time being.

The group explained its decision in a statement, writing: "Some of you will probably have noticed that we have been very quiet lately, and there is a reason for this. Unfortunately, we have collectively decided that, for the time being, THE CHARM THE FURY has come to an end.

"Obviously, this decision was not an easy one, so we do not take it lightly. Sadly, the band could not be sustained in its current lineup for multiple, complicated reasons. With the departure of our old guitarists Mathijs Parent and Rolf Perdok, many things changed. Also, the financial strain that the band was placing on some of us was becoming too hard to bear. Suffice to say, the current situation could not be maintained and a decision eventually had to be made.

"First of all, we want to thank all of the fans that the band has gained over the years from the bottom of our hearts: you guys have given us some of the best times and experiences in our lifetimes, and we can't thank you enough for that. From the Dutch fans that have been with us from the beginning, to the newest fans we've gathered from all over the world: you guys are awesome, and we will always be grateful for the beautiful moments you have given us.

Despite the hard times, we have a lot of great memories to look back on. From our humble beginnings in Rockclub The Cave in Amsterdam, playing a sold-out show for about 50 people destroying the furniture, to winning a Groezrock contest, where we got to play for a crowd of about 500. The biggest crowd most of us had ever seen from a stage. At that time, no one could have dreamed we would end up playing some of the insane shows we did: from Pinkpop and Graspop mainstage to Hell And Heaven festival in Mexico, all in front of thousands and thousands of people.

"We also want to thank everyone that has helped us along in our career. First and foremost, our down-to-earth manager for more than five years Martijn and the team at Nuclear Blast that has helped us so much during our latest release. And, of course, a big thanks to all of the FOH, tour management, and crew members in any shape or form. You guys were the backbone of this band. Also, a warm thank you to Robert and Daniel for teaching us so many new things. Thanks to Mojo, who have helped us with bookings from the start, and of course all the booking agencies that have been with us through the years. There are simply too many people to mention, but you know who you are!

"We know this news may come as sudden to some, but it’s no reason to discard the good times and there certainly were a lot of those. Feel free to share some of your memories with us, we’ll read them with a big smile on our face.

"We will see you all again, perhaps at a metal show, perhaps in some new musical endeavour. Only time will tell. Again: thank you all so much."

THE CHARM THE FURY's latest album, "The Sick, Dumb & Happy", was released last year through Nuclear Blast/Arising Empire.

For thirty years, Cannibal Corpse has sodomized you with meat hooks, mummified you in barbed wire and, of course, smashed your face in with a hammer. This year, Decibel Magazine is here to document every gruesome moment, with a limited-edition special issue dedicated to the band. Read up on how five horror maniacs went from amusing a certain pet detective to standing on top of the proverbial corpse pile of death metal, including: 

-An Exclusive Cannibal Corpse Flexi Disc
-Kill Hall Of Fame 
-The Top 50 Cannibal Corpse Songs Of All Time
-Every Studio Album Ranked
-Interview With Cover Artist Vincent Locke  

This issue is not part of a Decibel subscription and can be only be purchased at this location.

The lineup for the 2019 Decibel Magazine Tour has been announced, with legendary death metallers Cannibal Corpse (pictured above) and Morbid Angel joining forces for the first time ever in America to co-headline the winter tour. Necrot and Blood Incantation round out the bill. Immolation will join the final week of the tour as main support to Morbid Angel, as Cannibal Corpse exit the tour after the New York City date.

“We’re really looking forward to our second appearance on the Decibel Tour; they always put together a killer line up and this time is no exception,” says Cannibal Corpse bassist Alex Webster. “We’re particularly excited to be hitting the road with our friends Morbid Angel. In fact, this will be the first time we’ve toured together in the USA.”

“Everyone here in the Morbid Angel camp are stoked to do this tour with Cannibal Corpse,” says Morbid Angel’s bassist/vocalist Steve Tucker. “To celebrate, Morbid Angel will be performing a mean-ass set of songs that will cover the entirety of our years of kicking ass.”  

“We will be adding some of the older songs back to our set,” assures Morbid Angel founder Trey Azagthoth. “See you all there.”

Tickets for the 2019 Decibel Magazine Tour go on sale Friday, November 16th at 10 AM local time, here.

Dates:

February
17 - San Antonio, TX - Alamo Music Hall
19 - Tucson, AZ - Club Xs
20 - San Diego, CA - The Observatory
21 - Los Angeles, CA  -  Fonda Theater
22 - Santa Ana, CA - The Observatory
23 - San Francisco, CA - The Regency Ballroom
25 - Portland, OR - Roseland Ballroom
26 - Seattle, WA - Showbox Market

March
1 - Denver, CO - The Oriental Theater
2 - Kansas City, MO - The Truman
3 - Minneapolis, MN - Skyway Theater
4 - Chicago, IL - The Concord
7 - New York, NY - Playstation Theater
8 - Philadelphia, PA - TLA
9 - Worcester, MA - Palladium
10 - Baltimore, MD - Baltimore Soundstage
11 - Raleigh, NC - Lincoln Theater
13 - Atlanta, GA - The Masquerade
14 - Tampa, FL - Orpheum

A performance clip of the new song "The Everlasting", taken from VOLBEAT's upcoming live album and concert film, "Let's Boogie! Live From Telia Parken", can be seen below.

On August 26, 2017, VOLBEAT became the first Danish band to headline and sell out its hometown venue, Denmark's Telia Parken, setting the record for the biggest show by a domestic artist in Denmark ever, with over 48,250 people in attendance. To commemorate and immortalize the record-breaking event, the band will release "Let's Boogie! Live From Telia Parken" on December 14 via Republic Records.


Lead singer Michael Poulsen said about the historic show: "Headlining Telia Parken was a dream come true, and we're humbled and honored that so many members of the VOLBEAT family came from far and wide to celebrate with us. We're thrilled to be able to share what was a milestone night for us with everyone."

The 26-track "Let's Boogie! Live From Telia Parken" includes live versions of VOLBEAT's chart-topping hits "Still Counting", "For Evigt", "The Devil's Bleeding Crown" and "A Warrior's Call", as well as a live performance of a new song, "The Everlasting". Special guests on the album (in order of appearance) include Mille Petrozza (KREATOR), Johan Olsen, Mark "Barney" Greenway (NAPALM DEATH), Lars Ulrich (METALLICA), boxer Mikkel Kessler and Danko Jones. The album and concert film will be available in the following configurations: Blu-ray/2CD, DVD/2CD, 2CD, 3LP vinyl and digitally.

b>"Let's Boogie! Live From Telia Parken" track listing:

01. The Devil's Bleeding Crown

02. Heaven Nor Hell

03. Radio Girl

04. Lola Montez

05. Let It Burn (feat. Mia Maja)

06. Doc Holiday

07. Sad Man's Tongue

08. 16 Dollars

09. 7 Shots (feat. Mille Petrozza and Rod Sinclair)

10. Fallen

11. Slaytan

12. Dead But Rising

13. Goodbye Forever

14. Maybellene I Hofteholder

15. The Everlasting

16. For Evigt (feat. Johan Olsen, Mia Maja and Rod Sinclair)

17. Evelyn (feat. Mark "Barney" Greenway)

18. Lonesome Rider

19. Seal The Deal

20. The Garden's Tale (feat. Johan Olsen)

21. Guitar Gangsters And Cadillac Blood (feat. Lars Ulrich)

22. Enter Sandman (feat. Lars Ulrich)

23. A Warrior's Call (feat. Mikkel Kessler)

24. Black Rose (feat. Danko Jones)

25. Pool Of Booze, Booze, Booza

26. Still Counting


Special guests (in order of appearance):

* Mia Maja - Vocals on "Let It Burn", "For Evigt"

* Rod Sinclair - Banjo on "7 Shots" and "For Evigt"

* Mille Petrozza - Vocals on "7 Shots"

* Johan Olsen - Vocals on "For Evigt" and "The Garden's Tale"

* Barney Greenway - Vocals on "Evelyn"

* Lars Ulrich - Drums on "Guitar Gangsters And Cadillac Blood" and "Enter Sandman"

* Mikkel Kessler - Special Appearance on "A Warrior's Call"

* Danko Jones - Vocals on "Black Rose"

Israeli prog-rockers Subterranean Masquerade are confirmed to enter the Fascination Street Studios with Daniel Castillo in January to record mix and master the follow-up to their 2017 masterpiece, Vagabond.

The new album, with the working title Mountain Fever, will see the band exploring fields like Indian ragas, Hasidic music, Middle-eastern arrangements, Goa psychedelics and metal. But these are only the tips of the iceberg - enter the world of these high gained vagabonds, see the world through their sound!

Or as lead singer Vidi Dolev puts it: “World music and metal. Every step is a new sound, and with Subterranean Masquerade, a band that literally never stops moving - new is a norm.”

Subterranean Masquerade is one of the most exciting ethnic-influenced prog-artists to emerge from the underground layer these days. It's prog-rock, but it's also psychedelic ‘70s metal. It's "Jesus Christ Superstar" but it's also Israeli folklore and traditional heavy metal - all wrought through the grinder and delivered perfectly by a bunch of very talented musicians.

Metal Blade Records recently released Skull Pit, the self-titled debut album from the American/Japanese collaboration. A full album stream can be found below.

Skull Pit is a tale of two musicians from opposite sides of the heavy metal spectrum and the planet: Tatsu, hailing from Tokyo/Japan, is the bassist and mastermind behind the internationally acclaimed doom outfit Church Of Misery; Mem, from New York/USA, is the singer and front-man of German thrash pioneers Exumer.

The album can be ordered here in the following formats:

- ltd. Digipak-CD
- 180 g black vinyl
- silver/black marbled vinyl (ltd. 200 - EU-exclusive)
- red/black marbled vinyl (ltd. 200 - EU-exclusive)
- gold/black splattered vinyl (ltd. 100 - EU-exclusive)
- gold/silver splattered vinyl (ltd. 100 - US-exclusive)

Skull Pit vocalist Mem comments: "This album perfectly captures the entire spectrum of what we were passionate about as youths and now as adults: unfiltered, honest and straight-forward heavy metal. The 'Fire Breather' video clip basically combines all the key elements of Skull Pit's global sonic attack in every frame. Shot in and around the desert of Las Vegas/Nevada, the clip was edited by known Japanese director Kazuaki Kimura, who immediately came on board after listening to the Skull Pit album!"

The two veterans endeavoured to combine their favourite elements of bands like Motörhead along with the countless outfits of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal into one blistering and highly energetic nine-track album. The songs on Skull Pit's debut are a clear departure from what Exumer or Church Of Misery usually sound like. Stepping away from Exumer's lighting fast rhythms and Church of Misery's slowed down, Iommi-inspired riffs, Skull Pit creates melodies in the vein of 70s hard rock and 80s NWOBHM with Lemmy's punk attitude.

Mixed in Tokyo by O-mi Kihara, Skull Pit was recorded in New York and Japan during Exumer's and Church of Misery's time off from playing live around the globe. The result is a free-flowing album that switches effortlessly between genres and boundaries, but always with the intent to deliver a razor sharp riff or a memorable hook.

Skull Pit didn't shy away from further expanding their all-inclusive attitude when it came to choosing and recording a cover song as a bonus track: Rose Tattoo's "All The Lessons". The song features Brian "Mitts" Daniels (ex-Madball), who produced Mem's vocal tracks in New York.

Skull Pit tracklisting:

"Double Cross"
"Roller"
"Fire Breather"
"Year Of The Dog"
"Soul Raiders"
"Blood Titan"
"Marauders"
"The Line"
"Wolf Spirit"
"All The Lessons" (bonus track)

Album stream:

"Fire Breather" video:

(Photo - Nikos Mixas)

Germany’s progressive death metal masters, Obscura, have announced vinyl reissues of the band’s first three albums (Retribution, Cosmogenesis, and Omnivium). Obscura’s debut album Retribution is now available on vinyl for the first time ever and the long-out-of-print Omnivium is back in stock on 2xLP for the first time since the original release.

Obscura’s vinyl reissues are due out January 25th, and available for pre-order via Relapse.com here.

Additionally, Obscura returns to Europe in winter 2019 supporting the recently released Diluvium full-length. The tour begins February 1st in Germany and ends February 23rd in Austria. Support will be provided by Fallujah, Allegaeon, and First Fragment. A full list of confirmed tour dates is available below.

February
1 - Munchen, Germany - Backstage
2 - Nurnberg, Germany - Z-Bau
3 - Haarlem, Netherlands - Patronaat
4 - Bristol, UK - The Fleece
5 - Dublin, Ireland - Voodoo Lounge
6 - Glasgow, UK - Cathouse
7 - Manchester, UK - Rebellion
8 - London, UK - 02 Academy Islington
9 - Paris, France - Trabendo
10 - Toulouse, France - Metronum
11 - Bilbao, Spain - Santana 27
12 - Porto, Portugal - Hard Club
13 - Madrid, Spain - Caracol
14 - Barcelona, Spain - Boveda
15 - Lyon, France - CCO
16 - Milan, Italy - Legend
17 - Aarau, Switzerland - Kiff
18 -  Wien, Austria - Arena
19 - Leipzig, Germany - Conne Island
20 - Berlin, Germany - Lido
21 - Hamburg, Germany - Logo
22 - Oberhausen, Germany - Kulttempel
23 - Salzburg, Austria - Rockhouse

(Photo - Christian Martin Weiss)

US metal legends, Virgin Steele, have released a video teaser for their upcoming Seven Devils Moonshine, a special 5 CD boxset in celebration of their 35th anniversary. Watch below:

SPV / Steamhammer will release this boxset on November 23rd. It will include 5 CDs (a total of 88 songs) where 3 CDs contain totally new songs and new versions. The package will also include a sticker and a 24 page booklet with new lyrics and photos by David DeFeis.

Founder and mastermind David DeFeis explains the whole boxset: “Cheers, Greetings & Salutations Dear Ever Faithful Eternal Metal Listeners and Friends of the Musical Realm & Written Word Domain! I am putting pen to paper today to inform you all about what we have been doing over the past year and what this Box-Set you are now holding in your hands is all about, its backstory…how we arrived here at this place, and perhaps a bit more about where we might be heading.  

“As some of you may know we have been re-issuing the Virgin Steele Catalogue bit by bit over the past several years, and in doing so we have consistently been adding copious amounts of Bonus Material to accompany all these various re-issue offerings. The last two albums scheduled as part of the re-issue campaign we began, are the albums: The Book Of Burning & Hymns To Victory. When those two albums first appeared they were released simultaneously, therefore we thought why not once again issue them at the exact same time, but…this time let’s include a brand new album and create a kind of Box Set package. Well…once we began planning and recording for such an endeavor we very soon accumulated far more material than what could possibly fit on one disc…so…we thought OK fine…we’ll plan on releasing two new discs chock full of new material to go along with these last two re-issues…and…shortly after that decision was made, we managed to record even more new material, so now we have in addition to the two re-issues, (which by the way do contain one bonus track each), well Friends we now have actually three brand new discs of VS material included within this special Box Set release!  

“I wish to stress the fact that what we have done here with our Box Set is include 3 brand new albums, not bundle in merely a collection of old bonus tracks we had hanging around for ages and ages… These three new discs contain either brand new original songs written and recorded within just these past few months, or brand new re-written covers of songs that we enjoy and felt could be re-cast in the VS style, or…new recordings of classic VS material done either in a special orchestral type setting or stripped way down and re-imagined in vastly different form. Again at the risk of repetition…these aren’t tracks that have been sitting around in the vaults waiting…these are all newly recorded tracks completed specifically for this particular Box Set release. I don’t know if anyone has ever done this kind of thing before, but we felt that for us it was absolutely necessary to do this, and it makes perfect sense for where we are…at this moment.  

“OK Friends with glass in hand as is only proper as proprietor of the Vineyard, I shall be your guide to this Netherworld and I shall discuss and try to reveal a bit of something about the ‘Spirit’ and ‘Flavor’ of each of the five discs contained within this Epic Box Set we call: Seven Devils Moonshine.”

Tracklisting:

Ghost Harvest (The Spectral Vintage Sessions) Vintage 1 – Black Wine For Mourning (New Album):

“Seven Dead Within”
“Green Dusk Blues”
“Psychic Slaughter”
“Bonedust” (Orchestral Version)
“Hearts On Fire”
“Child Of The Morning Star”
“Murder In High-Gloss Relief”
“Feral”
“Justine”
“Princess Amy”
“Wicked Game”
Clouds Of Oblivion Medley
“Little Wing”
“The Gods Don’t Remember…”

Ghost Harvest (The Spectral Vintage Sessions) Vintage 2 – Red Wine For Warning (New Album):

“The Evil In Her Eyes” (Piano & Vocal Version)
“Feelin’ Alright”
“Sister Moon”
Summertime Darkness Suite
“Sweating Into Dawn”
“Summertime”
“Black Leaves Swirl Down My Street”
“Rip Off”
The Gods Are Hungry Triptych
“The Gods Are Hungry Poem”
“The Poisoned Wound”
“The Birth Of Beauty”
“Profession Of Violence…”
“Rock Steady”
“Nutshell”
“Slow & Easy Intro”
“Jesus Just Left Chicago”
Late Night Hoodoo Medley
“Soul Kitchen”
“When The Music’s Over”
“Crawling King Snake”
“When The Music’s Over (Reprise)”
“Imhullu”
The Drained White Suite
“After The Dark”
“Wake The Dead”
“The Graveyard Dance”
“The Triple Goddess”
“Twilight Of The Gods” (Live Acoustic Rehearsal Version)
“Transfiguration” (Live Acoustic Rehearsal Version)

Gothic Voodoo Anthems (New Album):

“I Will Come For You” (Orchestral Version)
“Queen Of The Dead” (Orchestral Version)
“The Orpheus Taboo” (Orchestral Version)
“Kingdom Of The Fearless (The Destruction Of Troy)” (Orchestral Version)
“The Black Light Bacchanalia” (Orchestral Version)
“Zeus Ascendant”
“By The Hammer Of Zeus (And The Wrecking Ball Of Thor)” (Orchestral Version)
The Gothic Voodoo Suite
“Rumanian Folk Dance No. 3 Pe Loc”
“Delirium” (Excerpt)
“Snakeskin Voodoo Man” (Orchestral Version)
“The Enchanter”
The Fire & Ice Medley
“Bone China”
“No Quarter”
“Bone China (Reprise)”
Passion In The French Quarter Medley
“Chloe Dancer”
“Gentle Groove”
“Darkness-Darkness”
“Death Letter Blues”
“Spoonful”

Hymns To Victory (Rerelease):

“Flames Of Thy Power (From Blood They Rise)”
“Through The Ring Of Fire”
“Invictus”
“Crown Of Glory (Unscarred)” (In Fury Mix)
“Kingdom Of The Fearless (The Destruction Of Troy)”
“The Spirit Of Steele” (Acoustic Version)
“A Symphony Of Steele” (Battle Mix)
“The Burning Of Rome (Cry For Pompeii)”
“I Will Come For You”
“Dust From The Burning & Amaranth” (Orchestral Version)
“Noble Savage” (Long Lost Early Mix)
“Mists Of Avalon”
“Emalaith”

The Book Of Burning (Rerelease):

“Conjuration Of The Watcher”
“Don’t Say Goodbye (Tonight)”
“Rain Of Fire”
“Annihilation”
“Hellfire Woman”
“Children Of The Storm”
“The Chosen Ones”
“The Succubus”
“Minuet In G Minor”
“The Redeemer”
“I Am The One”
“Hot And Wild”
“Birth Through Fire”
“Guardians Of The Flame”
“The Final Days”
“A Cry In The Night”
“Queen Of The Dead” (Nordic Twilight Version) (Bonus Track)

On January 18th, 2019, Rush In Rio will be released on a 4 LP, 180 gram vinyl edition. Pre-order now at Rush Backstage.

Rush In Rio was originally released in 2003 on CD and DVD, but has never appeared on vinyl... until now. This set is presented in a heavyweight gatefold jacket and comes with a code that allows the music to be downloaded digitally.

Tracklisting:

Side A:
"Tom Sawyer"
"Distant Early Warning"
"New World Man"
"Roll The Bones"

Side B:
"Earthshine"
"YYZ"
"The Pass"
"Bravado"

Side C:
"The Big Money"
"The Trees"
"Freewill"
"Closer To The Heart"

Side D:
"Natural Science"
"One Little Victory"
"Driven"
"Ghost"

Side E:
"Secret Touch"
"Dreamline"
"Red Sector A"
"Leave That Thing Alone"

Side F:
"O Baterista"
"Resist"
"2112"

Side G:
"Limelight"
"La Villa Strangiato"
"The Spirit Of Radio"

Side H:
"By-Tor And The Snow Dog"
"Cygnus X -1"
"Working Man"
"Between Sun & Moon"
"Vital Signs"

Frontiers Music Srl has announced the signing of Black Rose Maze, a new project centred around the talents of Canadian singer, Rosa Laricchiuta.

Rosa Laricchiuta is a singer, songwriter, and performer from Montreal, Quebec. After several years cutting her teeth with live shows, she auditioned for the third season (2015) of La Voix, Quebec's version of the popular TV show The Voice. Rosa had an instant connection with the legendary francophone rocker Éric Lapointe and chose him as her coach. Rosa showed a solid stage presence, with remarkable intensity and a voice so powerful, it sent her straight to the Grand Finale where she shared the stage with Def Leppard, Kelly Clarkson, Jean Leloup, and her idol, Melissa Etheridge. She left a lasting impression as she won over millions of viewers who named her the new "it" Quebec female rocker.

She then released one album in the Quebec market before beginning work on her first English language album in 2016. That album, Free, was released the following year and at the end of the year, she joined the popular American band Trans-Siberian Orchestra for their annual mega tour of the United States.

Rosa was then brought to the attention of Frontiers by none other than fellow Trans-Siberian Orchestra bandmates and now labelmates, Dino Jelusic (Animal Drive) and Jeff Scott Soto. Rosa will now front her very own hard rock project and will be working diligently on it over the next few months. Stay tuned for more news as it becomes available.

(Photo - Strange Brew Photography)

Ever since TRANS-SIBERIAN ORCHESTRA embarked on their first tour — a modest seven-show run of theaters in the Northeast and Midwest — in 1999, the group's lineup has featured four members of SAVATAGE, the pioneering metal group from which TSO spawned: bassist Johnny Lee Middleton, drummer Jeff Plate and guitarists Al Pitrelli and Chris Caffery.

Two decades and hundreds of sold-out arena shows later, all four musicians still tour with the band each winter, albeit as members of different touring troupes — Pitrelli and Middleton are the longtime anchors of "TSO West," while Plate and Caffery are stalwarts of "TSO East." In 2015, vocalist Zachary Stevens — who fronted SAVATAGE from 1993 to 1999 and performed with the group that year during their one-off reunion show at Germany's Wacken Open Air festival – began touring with TSO East as well.

This year's TSO tour, which kicked off on November 14, sees the group nod prominently to its SAVATAGE origins. In addition to performing the instrumental "Christmas Eve (Sarajevo 12/24)" — a song originally recorded by SAVATAGE for their 1995 rock opera "Dead Winter Dead" — TSO has also added SAVATAGE's "Chance" to its concert setlists. Fan-filmed footage of both TSO troupes performing the song live can be seen below.

"Chance" originally appeared on SAVATAGE's 1994 album "Handful Of Rain", the group's first album after the death of guitarist Criss Oliva (brother of SAVATAGE co-founder and original vocalist Jon Oliva). It marked the band's first usage of counterpoint vocals, which they later utilized on songs such as "One Child", "Morphine Child" and "The Hourglass" (and which would also become a trademark of TSO albums). The song's lyrics — written by the group's late producer, Paul O'Neill — were inspired by the life of Chiune Sugihara, a Japanese diplomat in Lithuania during World War II who defied government orders by signing exit visas for thousands of Jewish refugees who otherwise would have been sent to concentration camps.

n a 2007 interview with Sea Of Tranquillity, Jon Oliva acknowledged the impact of the song. "I think 'Chance' is a great, great song," he said, "and I think it was the start of what TSO would eventually be doing, so that was our first dabble in symphonic, orchestrated rock."

TRANS-SIBERIAN ORCHESTRA's 20th-anniversary tour continues through December 30.

Fan-filmed video footage of MEGADETH bassist David Ellefson and former GUNS N' ROSES guitarist Ron "Bumblefoot" Thal performing cover versions of classics songs by MEGADETH, IRON MAIDEN and BLACK SABBATH on November 16 at Jewel in Manchester, New Hampshire can be seen below.

The Manchester gig was part of Ellefson's "Basstory" tour, which combines solo bass performance with David's celebrated brand of storytelling, as he recounts intimate details of his struggles and triumphs in the name of rock 'n' roll. "Basstory" also includes special VIP meet-and-greets, exclusive merchandise, and more.

"Basstory" is also the launching pad for Ellefson and partner Thom Hazaert to announce the formation of their new booking agency, ETA — Ellefson Touring Agency — with veteran agent Keith Rowley personally booking the trek.

Joining Ellefson and Thal on stage in Manchester were members of FIRST BOURNE and DEAD BY WEDNESDAY.

rior to the start of the trek, Ellefson said: "I have always done clinics, and a few years ago did an amazing spoken-word tour in Australia to support my book 'My Life With Deth', and have always welcomed the opportunity to be able to meet and connect with fans on a more intimate level. These important parts of my professional life converged to create 'Basstory'. Not only will fans get to hear some of their favorite bass riffs, but the stories behind them. It's not often I get to get into small, intimate rock clubs, the way this all started, and I'm excited for fans to get to experience this show."

Former KORN drummer David Silveria has launched a new band called BIAS. He is joined in the Orange County, California-based group by bassist Chris Dorame, guitarists Joe Taback and Mike Martin and singer Rich Nguyen.

Silveria, Dorame and Taback previously played together in CORE 10, which "imploded" earlier this year after releasing a couple of singles and playing a number of local shows.

Taback said about BIAS: "We received hundreds of submissions from all over the world and heard a lot of amazingly talented people. Rich came in and we just instantly vibed. The songs flowed without a hitch. We were able to get a lot done with him in a very short span of time."

Added Dorame: "I felt that he immediately connected with what we are trying to portray musically; he fit right in. His style is unique, yet familiar enough to be the perfect voice for our music."

b>Silveria concurred. "Rich's work ethic drives us all to work harder in the studio; it's amazing," he said.

As for the name of the band, Silveria said: "We chose BIAS because everyone has their own opinions and preferences that influence their actions in some way or the other. Whether we know it or not, we all have our own version of bias." Nguyen adde: "It's also short and simple."

BIAS is currently in the studio with Chris Collier (KXM, PRONG) writing and recording material for its debut release. "The songs are all a bit different from one another — some are heavy, some melodic and some are both. I think people will be pleasantly surprised," said Nguyen.

BIAS will make its live debut on January 25, 2019 at an as-yet-undisclosed venue in Anaheim, California.

Silveria, who left KORN in late 2006, sued his former bandmates in February 2015, claiming that his exit from the group was merely a hiatus and that he was rebuffed when he tried to return to the band in 2013. Silveria said he still had ownership interest in KORN and was asking a judge to force the band to reveal how much money they've made since he left so that he can get his rightful share.

Silveria was said to be especially upset over the fact that KORN welcomed back guitarist Brian "Head" Welch five years ago but wouldn't do the same for him. Welch left the group in 2005 and continued as a solo artist before rejoining in 2013.

KORN singer Jonathan Davis told The Pulse Of Radio that he believed Silveria had lost his passion for playing music, saying, "The first two albums, I think, he really enjoyed playing drums and then after that he just lost his love for playing drums. It happens."

Silveria told fans in 2013 that KORN was not the same since he left, saying, "Until they have the real 'funky drummer' it's just not gonna groove the way it could. I've made it clear that I would come back and restore the groove."

The second single from the Amoriello release from H42 Records, "Holy Man, The Devil’s Hand", features former members of Yngwie Malmsteen’s Rising Force, Dokken, Impellitteri, and Cacophony.

Mark Boals -  the singer from the classic Yngwie release, Trilogy - lays down an epic 24-track vocal choir delivered with conviction while Cacophony (Becker/Friedman) live drummer Kenny Stavropoulos brings the power to this up tempo modern neoclassical rocker. Impelliterri bassist James Amelio Pulli and ex-Yngwie keysman Michael Troy provide excellent work on the track.

Amoriello is the project of guitarist and lyricist Thomas Amoriello. Check out a lyric video for "Holy Man, The Devil's Hand", below:

Rivers Of Nihil has launched a video for "The Silent Life", taken off the band's latest album, Where Owls Know My Name.

Guitarist Brody Uttley comments: "This live music video for 'The Silent Life' was filmed by the kind folks over at MyGoodEye Visuals in our hometown of Reading, Pennsylvania on the last date of our recent headlining tour. We had our good pal Zach Strouse playing live saxophone with us that night, so it seemed like a great chance to catch some footage. As always, working with David Brodsky and his team was a blast. We hope you enjoy. We will also be embarking on our second European tour late this November with our friends in Revocation, Archspire, and Soreption. We will be playing a nice selection of new tunes as well as some old favorites. Come out and get in the pit!"

Next week, Rivers Of Nihil will join Archspire, Soreption, and labelmates Revocation for a European tour. See below for all dates.

November
28 - Berlin, Germany - Badehaus
29 - Aarhus, Denmark - Voxhall
30 - Hannover, Germany - Chez Heinz

December
1 - Dresden, Germany - Puschkin
2 - Poznan, Poland - U Bazyla
3 - Brno, Czech Republic - Melodka
4 - Vienna, Austria - Viper Room
5 - Ljubljana, Slovenia - Orto Bar
6 - Munchen, Germany - Backstage
7 - Milano, Italy - Circolo Svolta
8 - Aarau, Switzerland - Kiff
9 - Marseille, France - Jas Rod
10 - Barcelona, Spain - Razzmatazz 2
11 - Madrid, Spain - Caracol
12 - Porto, Portugal - Hard Club
13 - Bilbao, Spain - Stage Live
14 - Pau, France - l'Ampli
15 - Paris, France - Petit Bain
16 - London, UK - Underworld
17 - Birmingham, UK - Mama Roux
18 - Bristol, UK - The Fleece
19 - Manchester, UK - Rebellion
20 - Brussels, Belgium - Magasin 4
21 - Nijmegen, Netherlands - Doornroosje
22 - Essen, Germany - Turock

Ohio-based metal band Axemaster unfortunately announces that, due to separate life situations, lead guitarist Damin Bennett and bassist Jim Curtis are no longer with the group. Both parted ways with the remaining band members as good friends and will always remain as important members of the extended Axemaster family. Jim and Damin's contributions to the band have been extremely valuable and will always be remembered; both will definitely be missed, but Axemaster will continue to move forward!

In moving forward, Axemaster is glad to report that they have recently added a new lead player named Shannon Rivera. Originally hailing from Tuscon Arizona, he relocated to the Cleveland, Ohio area in 2001 and has since been the lead guitarist for the bands Drenalin, Blackjack Symphony, and Sociopath; and has shared the stage with the likes of Metal Church, Kings-X, Y&T, Doro Pesche, Michael Schenker, and Jake E. Lee's Red Dragon Cartel. Obviously Shannon is a very experienced and talented player, and the band is very happy to have been able to add him to both the Axemaster lineup and family!

In other news, Axemaster is currently scheduled to play a portion of the upcoming 2019 U.S. tour by Leather Leone's solo band (the voice of Chastain, "the voice of the cult"!). Axemaster is scheduled to play throughout the month of March with the possibility of playing additional selected dates throughout the year. Fans can check for dates / locations as they become available at axemasterofficial.com.

 

This past Saturday, September 17th, Sebastian Bach headlined a sold out concert at The Venue, in his hometown of Peterborough, Ontario.

Marcus Ferguson was in attendance, and has issued the following review:

Bach home! Former Skid Row vocalist and Peterborough native Sebastian Bach returned to his hometown of Peterborough for a sold out show at The Venue on September 17th. 

This was his first live show in nearly 30 years bringing his brand of hard rock and heavy metal to a Peterborough stage. 

He made reference to the last time he visited the community a few years ago that he found himself in jail for an altercation at a nearby bar just up the street (as reported by TMZ).

He reminisced and shared stories of some of his favourite places growing up in Peterborough. 

He made reference to the live venue he was performing in as being the location of his first date back when it was the Odeon Movie Theatre. 

He played a smattering of songs from his solo career as well as many Skid Row classics. 

Several times during the show he paused and smiled as the room applauded and cheered the hometown hero and he soaked in the love, beaming a smile ear to ear. Who says you can never go home.

In attendance were many friends, his wife, his mom, a few of his siblings, and at one point he looked down into the front row and exclaimed "Oh my God! You were my Babysitter! And your (relative) took me to see Van Halen on the Diver Down tour!"

At one point, a fight broke out during the ballad "I Remember You". He told the crowd "If you came here tonight to fight get the (explicit) out of here". He went on to say "How the hell does a fight break out during that song!" 

There were unconfirmed reports of a number of people being ejected from the venue and possibly half a dozen arrests were made. 

From this reviewer's vantage point, I was oblivious to the most of the rough housing and felt he put on an excellent show. 

Ahead of tonight's second Peterborough show, Sebastian Bach took to social media with the following message:

"Peterborough, how fitting is it that we are ending our whole tour right here! #fullcircle Saturday night was so insane we are not going to do the same set again tonight, going to throw in some other tunes for the last night of over 100 cities this year! Geezus! Hard to believe this is the last show of the #homesweethome #HomeAwayFromHome tour that has kept us onstage for a full 4 months of the year for God's sakes! I would like to thank my awesome band @brentwoodsguitar @bobby_jarzombek Rob DeLuca and road crew @showlogisticssound @dizzman66 Jeff Meredith, Clayton, Randy, Mark Clayborne, Lonnie Bowling, Jon Franco for being the most professional coolest guys in the business! And also I have to thank everyone of you for coming out on this tour and supporting the band we couldn't do it without you, and this has been our best tour in a long time! Now it's time to make a new record! But not before we rock Peterborough Ontario Canada one more time people! Check out this killer guitar done by Peterborough artist Tim James thank you very much for the amazing gift man! And thank you to everyone for the amazing tour!!!"

 

 

Ian Gillan says that Steve Morse helped rebuild DEEP PURPLE after the band's disastrous final period with Ritchie Blackmore.

Blackmore is a co-founder of DEEP PURPLE and wrote many of their most memorable riffs, including "Smoke On The Water", but he has not played with the group since his 1993 departure.

Morse effectively took over Blackmore's slot in 1994 and has since been in the group longer than Ritchie.

During a brand new interview with SiriusXM's Eddie Trunk, Gillan praised Morse's contributions to DEEP PURPLE, saying: "When he came onboard, he reignited the band. We were pretty low ebb. I mean, [fill-in guitarist] Joe Satriani saved us from drowning completely and got us out of the hole. But Steve was there to help us rebuild with the 'Purpendicular' album, and from there on, we embarked on a completely different regime with a different way of working and everything else. He's been great."

sked if it was extremely difficult for Morse to replace an iconic guitarist like Blackmore, the singer said: "You must remember a couple of things. DEEP PURPLE was sinking with Ritchie. We were playing to quarter houses in Europe, which is one of our strongest territories — in Germany. Smaller venues, and they weren't even full. So had we continued that way and had Ritchie not walked out, we would have finished; that would have been the end of it. And the other thing was Steve's answer to that question when we did our first press conferences. When somebody asked him, 'How does it feel to fill Ritchie Blackmore's shoes?' And he said, 'As far as I know, Ritchie took his shoes with him when he left the band.'"

Blackmore was recently quoted saying he woud like to play one last show with DEEP PURPLE "for nostalgia reasons." He also previously suggested that the band's manager had blocked him from joining them onstage during the 2016 Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame induction ceremony, and he used that as an excuse for not attending the event.

Despite Blackmore being a no-show at Rock Hall, he was given several shoutouts during the induction speeches of the DEEP PURPLE members in attendance. In addition, METALLICA drummer Lars Ulrich, who inducted DEEP PURPLE into the institution, praised "Ritchie fucking Blackmore" for one of the most memorable guitar riffs of all time on "Smoke On The Water".

Metallica have shared this live video, performing "Battery" at House of Vans in London, England on November 18th, 2016.

Metallica has donated $100,000 toward wildfire relief efforts in California through their successful All Within My Hands non-profit foundation. The following statement has been issued:

"Sadly, once again, communities in California are experiencing historically devastating wild fires in both the Northern and Southern parts of the state. All Within My Hands has made a $50,000 donation each to the North Valley Community Foundation and the Los Angeles Fire Department Foundation; both agencies provide service to victims at evacuation centers and other much needed relief. We would like to encourage you to join us in supporting those in need and our first responders in any way you can by donating money, non-perishable food, clothing and other supplies or by giving your time volunteering or providing temporary housing. Every little bit helps."

Metallica recently released an official live video for "All Within My Hands". The clip was recorded live at the All Within My Hands Foundation Helping Hands Concert & Auction at The Masonic in San Francisco, CA on November 3rd, and features Avi Vinocur on mandolin & background vocals, David Phillips on pedal-steel, Henry Salvia on keyboards, and Cody Rhodes on percussion.

Says Metallica: "The event raised $1.3 million which will be used to work with our partners at Feeding America and the American Association of Community Colleges as All Within My Hands continues to tackle the issues of hunger and workforce education and work to create sustainable communities."

Get the audio recording at Metallica.com and LiveMetallica.com.

The official music video for the song "My Last White Light" from German/Dutch progressive metallers SACROSANCT, founded by former PESTILENCE guitarist Randy Meinhard, can be seen below. The track is taken from SACROSANCT's fourth album, "Necropolis", which will be released on November 30 via ROAR! Rock Of Angels Records. The disc was engineered, mixed and mastered by Max Morton of Morton Studios, who has also remastered the entire SACROSANCT back catalog. A prolific professional with a broad clientele, Max has worked with a wide variety of acts, including prominent Ukranian metalcore combo JINJER. The objective with "Necropolis" was to record a classic, analog-sounding album using modern technologies, and at the same time avoid any modern metal clichés.

The epic cover art for "Necropolis" was designed by Giannis Nakos based on the band's ideas, and perfectly portrays the album's dark subject matter. It prominently features SACROSANCT's new mascot, the Weeping Angel — a guardian and an avenger of injustice.

"Necropolis" track listing:

01. The New Age Of Fear

02. My Last White Light

03. The Grim Sleeper

04. Only One God

05. Melancholy

06. Clouds Obscured The Sun

07. NecroPolice

08. The Pain Still Lasts

hile "Necropolis" bears all of the hallmarks and intricacies that characterize SACROSANCT, it displays a more mature and focused songwriting approach. Songs like "The New Age Of Fear", "My Last White Light" and "Only One God" are lyrically thought-provoking, creating a brand of metal that still makes the band hard to categorize. Like its predecessor, "Tragic Intense", which was released in 1993, "Necropolis" places a strong emphasis on melancholy melodies and clean vocals, but also incorporates many harmony guitar parts, faster tempos and some modern twists that mark the beginning of a new chapter for the band.

SACROSANCT will celebrate the release of "Necropolis" with a special party at Hypothalamus in Rheine, Germany, on Friday, November 30.

SACROSANCT is:

Richard F. Hesselink - vocals

Randy Meinhard (ex-PESTILENCE) - guitars

Christian Göwert - guitars

Kees Harrison (ex-SPHERE OF SOULS) - bass

Jonas Schütz - drums

SACROSANCT was formed in 1988 by guitarist Randy Meinhard and drummer Marco Foddis, who had learned to know each either while joining PESTILENCE. In 1990, SACROSANCT released its debut album, "Truth Is - What Is". The album is characterized by technically sophisticated thrash metal. The dual guitars create a straight as well as spherical and melodious tapestry of sound, interrupted by the tight drumming and the moaning, but angry and rude voice. Creative band head Randy Meinhard considered guitar duos of bands like QUEENSRŸCHE, EXODUS and IRON MAIDEN as a main influence, and Ace Frehley of KISS as initial spark.

SACROSANCT released its second album, "Recesses For The Depraved", in 1991. With a more edgy sound it was little melodious and spheric than the debut. For the album cover, SACROSANCT even managed to secure the rights for H.R. Giger's picture "Das Spiegelbild". When Giger died, 23 years later, Rolling Stone magazine stated "the disturbing Giger cover art accurately conveyed the savage nature of the music."

The third album, "Tragic Intense", was even more melodious and spherical than the debut. On the other hand, staccato parts are rarely on it. In an interview for the music mag Iron Pages, Randy Meinhard stated in 1993 that the dark basic mood is what we intended to do. It just should sound sinister. In that issue Markus Wosgien (Nuclear Blast) described the album as a mixture of thrash, doom and power metal, and classified it as a milestone in this genre.

Infernal hard rockers, Chrome Division, have released their fifth and final studio album, One Last Ride,, which celebrates the band's fifteenth anniversary with heavy riffs, catchy melodies and roaring engines.

For this last trip, the Norwegians led by Dimmu Borgir's Shagrath enticed their original vocalist Eddie Guz back on board and have brewed up a new masterpiece crackling with metallic energy and spinning wheels.

Today, Chrome Division unveil the third album trailer, in which Eddie Guz speaks about the meaning behind two of the band's tracks, "You Are Dead To Me" and the latest single, "I'm On Fire Tonight". Watch below:

Get the new album here.

Tracklisting:

"Return From The Wastelands"
"So Fragile"
"Walk Away In Shame"
"Back In Town"
"You Are Dead To Me"
"The Call"
"I’m On Fire Tonight"
"Staying Until The End"
"This One Is Wild"
"One Last Ride"
"We Drink"
"Towards The Unknown"

Bonus track:
"Esta Noche a A Quemar"

"I'm On Fire Tonight" lyric video:

"Walk Away In Shame" lyric video:

"One Last Ride" lyric video:

Chrome Division will hit the road with their new material and play ten shows around Europe in February 2019. Supported by Crossplane and Virginia Hill, the dates are as follows:

February
8 - Oslo - John Dee*
9 - Hamburg - Headcrash
10 - Osnabruck - Bastard Club
11 - Munchen - Backstage Club
12 - St. Maurice - Manoir
13 - Mannheim - MS Connexion
14 - Eindhoven - Dynamo
15 - Dusseldorf - Pitcher
16 - Oldenburg - Cadillac
17 - Copenhagen - Beta*

Lineup:

Eddie Guz - lead vocals
Shagrath - guitars, bass & backing vocals
Mr Damage - lead guitar, bass & backing vocals
Tony White - drums, cowbell & percussion

(Photo - Eva Rose)