Ahead of Tony Iommi's “A Life In Music” events - taking place at Paisley Town Hall in Paisley, Scotland on Friday, October 12th (7 PM), and at Assembly Rooms in Edinburgh, Scotland on Saturday, October 13th (7 PM) - the Black Sabbath guitar legend spoke with The Sunday Post about Sabbath's early days.

“Bill (Ward, Sabbath drummer) and I lived in Carlisle for a year after joining a band there and we used to play lots of gigs around Dumfries, Edinburgh and places around Scotland,” Tony said. "So when Sabbath started, that’s where we went back to play - we got in touch with the agent and said we had a new band.

“She asked if it was pop music we were playing and I said of course. She heard later we were playing different stuff and she’d received a few complaints.

“We weren’t getting many gigs but we were playing in blues clubs and playing that sort of music. But when we wrote our first two songs, 'Wicked World' and 'Black Sabbath', I knew we were on to something really different. We tried them out in those clubs and people came up to us afterwards and said they really liked them. It was great to get that reaction.

“There were also people who didn’t like them, of course, but we were interested in the ones who did.”

Read the full interview at The Sunday Post.

Norwegian/Spanish hard rockers TNT have released the official music video for their new single, "Not Feeling Anything". The trackis taken from their latest studio album, "XIII", which came out on June 8 via Frontiers Music Srl.

The aptly titled "XIII" is the band's thirteenth studio album to date and features founding members Ronni Le Tekrø (guitar) and Diesel Dahl (drums) alongside bassist Ove Husemoen, and new vocalist Baol Bardot Bulsara, who replaced Tony Harnell. Baol is a stunning Spanish vocalist whose debut with the band happened in front of 8,000 rabid fans in November 2017 when the band opened for German hard rock legends the SCORPIONS in Oslo, Norway. Not only did Boal survive this trial by fire, but he did so with flying colors. "We found Baol after receiving more than 30 demos from singers all over the world," says Le Tekrø. "We held an audition and Baol convinced us at an early stage. His range and capacity is unbelievable."


The new TNT record features the melodic rock and excellent playing fans have grown accustomed to from the band over its storied career. Ronni continues: "The process of this album was long, but fun in many ways. Tony Harnell was a gentleman and let us use two of the songs we originally co-wrote. We also recorded four songs that we co-wrote with Tim Scott O'Connell (a.k.a. Ledfoot). The lyrical concept on the album is love and understanding, like in many of TNT's lyrics. Although we have an explosive band name, we wanna try to give people some hope with our music. Musically, the album gives me great feelings. It's been a long time since I've had such sentiment. I'm proud of this whole album. Good analog shit!"

"XIII" track listing:

1. We're Gonna Make It

02. Not Feeling Anything

03. Fair Warning

04. It's Electric

05. Where You Belong

06. Can't Breathe Anymore

07. Get Ready For Some Hard Rock

08. People, Come Together

09. Tears In My Eyes

10. 17th Of May

11. Catch A Wave

12. Sunshine

TNT announced in October 2017 that it was once again parting ways with Tony Harnell.

Harnell rejoined TNT in May 2016, less than a year and a half after his previous departure from the group.

Tony previously quit TNT in January 2015 after a 15-month stint with the band.

British singer Tony Mills appeared on three studio albums from TNT: 2007's "The New Territory", 2008's"Atlantis" and 2010's "A Farewell To Arms".

DISTURBED played a special intimate show last night (Wednesday, October 10) at the 1,000-capacity Vic Theatre in Chicago, Illinois. The concert, which was presented by SiriusXM, saw the live premiere of the first two singles from DISTURBED's upcoming "Evolution" album, "Are You Ready" and "A Reason To Fight", as well as powerful renditions of a dozen or so songs spanning the band's nearly two-decade recording career, including its smash cover of SIMON & GARFUNKEL's "The Sound Of Silence".

The setlist for last night's gig was as follows:

01. Are You Ready (live debut)

02. Prayer

03. The Vengeful One

04. The Game

05. Stupify

06. Liberate

07. Ten Thousand Fists

08. Inside The Fire

09. A Reason To Fight (live debut)

10. The Sound Of Silence (SIMON & GARFUNKEL cover)

11. Indestructible

12. Land Of Confusion (GENESIS cover)

13. Voices

Encore:

4. The Light

15. Stricken

16. Down With The Sickness

DISTURBED has only one other show on its schedule so far for the rest of 2018, at the Austin City Limits music festival on October 13 in Austin, Texas.

"Evolution" will be released on October 19.

2015's "Immortalized" ended a four-year hiatus for the quartet and was its fifth album to enter the Billboard 200 chart at No. 1.

Like "Immortalized", DISTURBED's new album was recorded at The Hideout Recording Studio in Las Vegas, Nevada with producer Kevin Churko.

In a recent interview with United Rock Nations radio station, DISTURBED singer David Draiman stated about "Evolution": " From a stylistic standpoint, songs like 'Are You Ready', 'Hold On To Memories', 'Already Gone' came about because in a post-'Sound Of Silence' world, we feel very comfortable going in any direction we choose at any given point in time. There are no limitations; there's no specific definition to what we are; and it's given us the confidence to really spread our wings quite a bit. The results are on this record."

He also spoke about his growth as a vocalist, explaining: "It's much easier to learn how to sing classically than it is to learn how to learn sing rock, to be perfectly honest. Achieving the proper technique without having to inject the rasp, the grit into the vocal is far easier than still trying to achieve that and inject the rasp or the grit. It's a very, very delicate technique. When I first trained to sing at all, the stylistically different songs on this album were more of what I sang back in the day. It literally hadn't been until we recorded the cover of 'Sound Of Silence' that I had had my recorded voice played back to me like that. I had never recorded anything that sounded like that."

The official lyric video for the song "Fear His Displeasure" from Canadian extreme metal veterans CRYPTOPSY can be seen below. The track is taken from the band's forthcoming EP, "The Book Of Suffering - Tome II", which will be released on October 26. The cover art was created by Remy C. from Headsplit Designs and can be seen below. The effort was produced, mixed and mastered by Donaldson at The Grid studio in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.

CRYPTOPSY is something of an enigma. Having gotten its start way back in '92, only a few short years after the birth of death metal, the band, nearly thirty years later, continues to out-brutalize bands half its age. That is some serious intestinal fortitude.

Much like 2015's critically acclaimed "The Book Of Suffering - Tome I", "Tome II" promises an inhuman musical journey that once again defies the universal laws of gravity, rhythm, vibration, polarity, and chaos. Almost unbelievably, "Tome II" amps up the chaos, delivering an even more ferocious- and superior-sounding experience, thanks in part to the knob-twiddling magic of longtime guitarist Christian Donaldson.

Pre-orders for "The Book Of Suffering - Tome II" are available now via CRYPTOPSY's Bandcamp page as well as on iTunes. Upon pre-order, fans will receive a digital single of "Sire Of Sin".

b>"The Book Of Suffering - Tome II" track listing:


01. The Wretched Living

02. Sire Of Sin

03. Fear His Displeasure

04. The Laws Of The Flesh

Photo by Eric Sanchez

BLESSTHEFALL's video for the song "Wishful Sinking" can be seen below. The clip, which is bathed in purple tones, pulsates with the band's performance energy.

Frontman Beau Bokan said: "'Wishful Sinking' is a particularly special song, because it was the first one we wrote with our producer Tyler Smyth. For us, the song is a perfect blend of our new direction and old BLESSTHEFALL. With the music video, we wanted to incorporate some amazing visuals and keep the aesthetic of the album. I think we nailed it."

"Wishful Sinking" is taken from BLESSTHEFALL's latest album, "Hard Feelings", which was released on March 23 via Rise Records. The disc was produced by Tyler Smyth, with additional production by Matt Good and Howard Benson.

Bokan told Upset magazine about the "Hard Feelings" album title: "Once all the songs started coming together, we realized how much raw emotion was put into every line. My wife was wearing a hoodie that said 'No Hard Feelings' on it. As I was in the middle of writing, I saw that hoodie and said to myself, 'Nah, fuck that. Hard feelings.' It's pretty random, but it all clicked."

he singer said that the new disc "sounds fresh. It doesn't sound like anything we've done before, but we've managed to keep our integrity. Fans will hear something familiar, but they will also be extremely surprised to hear what we created."

Regarding the decision to sign with Rise, Bokan said: "We were speaking to a few different labels, and frankly, we really didn't know what the future held for us as a band. Our last album was completely neglected. So we were in a scary position. Rise has a grassroots approach to the way they run their label. They don't have 25 employees running around. They have their shit together, and they're hard workers, just like we are."

"Sing For The Dead Man", the new video from Henry Derek Elis (a.k.a. Henry Derek Bonner; ACT OF DEFIANCE, SCAR THE MARTYR), can be seen below. The song is taken from Henry's full-length solo debut, "The Devil Is My Friend", which will be released on October 26. Henry Derek Elis sings, plays banjo, mandolin, bass, organ, dobro, classical, baritone, acoustic and electric guitars on the disc, which features contributions from Aubrey Richmond and John Schreffler Jr. (Shooter Jennings), Jarboe (SWANS), Tara Vanflower (LYCIA), Neal Tiemann (DEVILDRIVER) and many more.

In a marked stylistic departure from his persona as frontman for heavier rock acts, Henry has crafted a poetic and deeply personal solo debut, steeped in memories of his childhood in Milledgeville, Georgia, the same place Blind Willie McTell and Flannery O'Connor made their death beds; "the kind of small town with a haunted past that can swallow you up whole if you let it," says Henry.


Dynamic rock arrangements reflect Henry's encyclopedic knowledge of dark folk, classic country, traditional blues and classical music, resulting in an atmospheric, apocalyptic landscape, where lonely sonic highways are littered with the detritus of misfortune and the soft glimmering of something that might be hope.


Henry Derek Elis's origins are about as strange as his career in the music business. Raised by his grandmother, Henry grew up next to Central State Hospital, once known as the largest psychiatric facility in the world. Throughout his childhood, Henry observed the ravages of illness, addiction and suicide first hand.


b>Henry came to prominence upon moving to Atlanta, playing in mostly rock and metal bands before joining THE SWEET MEAT LOVE & HOLY CULT, a folk collective with legendary artist Jarboe (formerly of the influential band SWANS). This inspired him to create acoustic-based folk music under the moniker: TO THE BOY ELIS, a reference from the work of Austrian-born poet Georg Trakl.


Henry moved to Los Angeles and recorded demos with various bands, including members of GORGOROTH, TYPE O NEGATIVE and ANTHRAX. In 2013 he joined the band SCAR THE MARTYR with drummer Joey Jordison of SLIPKNOT fame. After releasing one album on Roadrunner Records, Henry went on to help form the extreme thrash metal band ACT OF DEFIANCE, featuring former members of MEGADETH and SHADOWS FALL.


"The Devil Is My Friend" will be released on October 26. Henry Derek Elis sings, plays banjo, mandolin, bass, organ, dobro, classical, baritone, acoustic and electric guitars.


"The Devil Is My Friend" track listing:

01. No Skin

02. The Devil Is My Friend

03. What's Left of Us

04. Sing For The Dead Man

05. Weeping Willow

06. Corpse Carver

07. If It's Not Too Late

08. Only Bones

09. M.O.M.

10. Graveyard Country Blues

Blood Of The Sun’s new album Blood’s Thicker Than Love will be released October 19th via Listenable Records. Blood ‘s Thicker Than Love is catchy ‘70s hard rock. The album is streaming in full ahead of its release and can be listened by using the Bandcamp player below:

"Blood's thicker than love" by BLOOD OF THE SUN

Tracklisting:

“Keep The Lemmys Comin’”
“My Time”
“Livin’ For The Night”
“Air Rises As You Drown”
“Stained Glass Window”
“Blood Of The Road”

Blood Of The Sun begin a European tour tonight:

October
10 – Bonn, Germany – Harmone
11 – Dortmund, Germany – Junkyard
12 – Antwerp, Belgium – Desertfest 2018
13 – London, UK – The Dome
14 – Munster, Germany – Rare Guitar
16 – Berlin, Germany – SO36
17 – Osnabruck, Germany – Bastard Club
18 – Munich, Germany – Backstage
19 – Leeuwarden, Netherlands – Into The Void 2018

Peaceville will release the long awaited remix of Mayhem's cult classic, Grand Declaration Of War, on December 7th. The release can be pre-ordered on CD digipak + digital, LP gatefold + digital, and Cassette + digital, at this location. An audio sampler can be found below.

Completely reworked from the original master tapes by producer Jaime Gomez at Orgone Studios (Solstafir, Paradise Lost, Primordial, Ghost, Ulver, etc), this experimental black metal milestone sounds like you never heard it before.

Tracklisting:

"A Grand Declaration Of War"
"In The Lies Where Upon You Lay"
"A Time To Die"
"View From Nihil, Pt. 1"
"View From Nihil, Pt. 2"
"A Bloodsword And A Colder Sun, Pt. 1"
"A Bloodsword And A Colder Sun, Pt. 2"
"Crystalized Pain In Deconstruction"
"Completion In Science Of Agony, Pt. 1"
"To Daimonion"
"Untitled I"
"Completion In Science Of Agony, Pt. 2"

Audio samples:

"The Garden Of Emotions", from the 20th anniversary re-release of Ayreon's Into The Electric Castle album, is available for streaming below. Due for release on November 30th via Mascot Label Group, the title can be pre-ordered in various formats, here.

Tracklisting:

Disc 1:

"Welcome To The New Dimension"
"Isis And Osiris"
"Amazing Flight"
"Time Beyond Time"
"The Decision Tree (We're Alive)"
"Tunnel Of Light"
"Across The Rainbow Bridge"

Disc 2:

"The Garden Of Emotions"
"Valley Of The Queens"
"The Castle Hall"
"Tower Of Hope"
"Cosmic Fusion"
"The Mirror Maze"
"Evil Devolution"
"The Two Gates"
"Forever Of The Stars"
"Another Time, Another Space"

"The Garden Of Emotions":

"Across The Rainbow Bridge" lyric video:

Trailer:

Swedish progressive metal legends Opeth will release Garden Of The Titans: Live At Red Rocks Amphitheater on November 2nd via Moderbolaget Records / Nuclear Blast Entertainment. This historic event was captured for the DVD, Blu-Ray and Vinyl formats during their performance May 11th, 2017 at the Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Denver, CO.

Today, the band has released the third of several trailers for the upcoming release, which includes time lapse footage of the stage setup and moments before Opeth hit the stage.

Find more trailers below.

Ahead of the album, Opeth will release the limited 10'' vinyl "Ghost Of Perdition" (Live) on October 19th in the following formats:

- 10" pink sparkle in sleeve (limited to 700)
- 10" violet sparkle in sleeve (NB mailorder exclusive, limited to 300)
- 10" toffee in sleeve (NB mailorder exclusive, limited to 250)
- 10" summer bronze in sleeve (NB mailorder exclusive, limited to 250)

You can pre-order them here, or at the band's shop here.

Side A contains the haunting live version of the band's classic "Ghost Of Perdition" (live), while the previously released "Sorceress" (live) can be found on Side B.

Video footage for Garden Of The Titans was overseen by The Deka Brothers (carpenter Brut, The Prodigy) and audio was mixed by David Castillo (Katatonia, Bloodbath). All versions feature the masterful artwork of revered artist Travis Smith (Nevermore, Testament).

Fans can now pre-order various formats at this location .

The tracklist is as follows:

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

Trailer #1:

Trailer #2:

"Demon Of The Fall" video:

"Sorceress" video:

         

Always an unstoppable force for uniqueness amid a sea of generic swill, Opeth has been setting the rulebook ablaze, and ploughing a uniquely progressive and exploratory furrow for over 25 years now. Neither conforming nor exhibiting any desire to be restricted to a single genre, Opeth, quite simply, has a time honored tradition of blowing our minds with both class and forward thinking. All these years later, nothing and everything has changed once again with their most recent album, Sorceress.

Sorceress was released in September 2016. For the band's first effort for Nuclear Blast via Opeth's imprint label Moderbolaget Records, the group returned to Rockfield Studios in Wales, also home to pivotal releases from Queen, Rush and Judas Priest, where the Swedes had tracked Pale Communion in 2014 with Tom Dalgety.

(Photo - Steve Thrasher)

In May 2018, Anneke van Giersbergen performed two career-spanning concerts with orchestral arrangements together with Residentie Orkest The Hague. Now those special concerts will be available for all to hear when they are released as Symphonized, an 11-track live album due out on November 16th. Watch a new video trailer below:

Taking in material from across her career, she performs stunning versions of songs by VUUR, The Gentle Storm and The Gathering as well as solo material.

Anneke comments: "Symphonized was recorded last May in Dutch venues 013 (Tilburg) and Paard (The Hague), as I performed alongside the wonderful Residentie Orkest The Hague conducted by Arjan Tien. The orchestra is one of the leading Dutch symphony orchestras and regularly initiates cross-over projects. When artistic director Sven Arne Tepl invited me to create new renditions of songs I have previously recorded, I was immediately enthusiastic. I thought it was the perfect prelude to my 25-year anniversary next year, as I made my stage debut with The Gathering in 1994. The compelling arrangements were written by Marijn van Prooijen and Gijs Kramers. Instead of a band with additional symphonic accompaniment we chose to solely use the instruments of the orchestra and I'm very proud of the result!"

The album will be available as CD Digipak, Gatefold 2LP + CD & as digital audio download, and you can find the full tracklisting below.

Tracklisting:

"Feel Alive"
"Amity" (originally released by The Gathering)
"Your Glorious Light Will Shine - Helsinki" (originally released by VUUR)
"Two Souls" (originally released by Lorrainville)
"When I Am Laid In Earth" (aria by Henry Purcell)
"Travel" (originally released by The Gathering)
"Zo Lief" (unreleased song in Dutch)
"You Will Never Change"
"Freedom" - Rio (originally released by VUUR)
"Forgotten" (originally released by The Gathering)
"Shores Of India" (originally released by The Gentle Storm)

Halestorm have premiered a video for “Do Not Disturb”, the second single from their fourth album, Vicious, which debuted at #8 on the US Billboard 200 and main UK Album Chart (as well as #1 US Top Rock Album and Hard Music Album Charts & #1 UK Top Rock & Metal Album Chart). The video was directed by Roboshobo (Ghost’s “Rats” video).

“’Do Not Disturb’ is based off a true story of mine about a very fun night I had overseas that all started with the pickup line, ‘I think we should make out,’” said frontwoman Lzzy Hale. “And since it’s October... the boys and I decided to spooky-up the story with a few…minor exaggerations.”

“Do Not Disturb” follows the first single from Vicious, “Uncomfortable,” which reached #1 on the US Mainstream Rock Chart, Halestorm’s fourth, tying them with The Pretty Reckless for the most #1s by a female or female-led act.

The band recently wrapped up another sold out headline tour of the U.K., including London's O2 Brixton Academy where Live Nation presented the band with commemorative plaques, in honour of selling out every U.K. tour from 2012-2018.

Now on tour across Europe, come November Halestorm will start the third and final leg of their all female-led US tour with In This Moment and New Years Day.

"Worlds On Fire", the opening song of Holter's new album, Vlad The Impaler, is available for streaming below. The album will be released on November 9th, and can be pre-ordered on CD/LP/Digital here. An exclusive limited edition version is available on 180g red vinyl here.

Born as a one-off musical extravaganza between two Norwegian metal and hard rock giants, Trond Holter (ex-Wig Wam) and vocalist Jorn Lande, the Dracula Rock Opera has now morphed into a full-time musical project with guitarist, producer, and songwriter Trond Holter at the helm.

While the original plan was to leave Swing Of Death as a unique one-off recording, the success Trond had staging the album as a musical in front of audiences in Norwegian theaters convinced him that a follow up was not only possible, but maybe even mandatory. He was sitting on plenty of material anyway and felt inspired to tell the stories of Dracula and other vampires that did not find a home on the debut album's storyline.

"The first round of the Dracula Rock Opera was, in terms of live shows, only half the story with about 45 minutes of music. So, I added some additional songs for the live shows in Norway, which completed the story,” tells Trond Holter. "It was my intention all along to make this into a big show, even if it took some years to complete. When I started working on the songs for the new album, I found parts of them were outdated, so I rewrote parts of them and that inspired me to write new songs as well. It's a bit hard for me to say being so close to the material, but it's a few steps up the ladder sound wise. You can easily recognize the spirit of the first album, only with more energy. The "Vlad the Impaler" album was made to fill out the musicals being performed for the first album, so it is in fact pretty much the sophomore album from Dracula."

The result of this new inspiration is Vlad The Impaler. Vlad, also known as Vlad Dracula, was Voivode (or prince) of Wallachia three times and is the historical figure that inspired the famous legends about Dracula.

With an outstanding lineup featuring singers Nils K Rue (Pagan's Mind) and Eva Iselin Erichsen, Bernt Jansen on bass, Per Morten Bergseth on drums, and Erling Henanger on keyboards, Vlad The Impaler starts where Swing Of Death left off. Musically, it is an album that gets straight to the point while simultaneously utilizing diverse musical landscapes and includes catchy and melodic songs in a similar style to it's predecessor. Think Savatage meets Meat Loaf meets Queen meets Alice Cooper with contemporary hard rock in the mix and you'll have a sense of what's in store.

"We all know Nils K Rue's great work with Pagan's Mind. The vocals and theatrics he delivers both live and on record are simply amazing! And the higher he gets, the better he sounds!! I came across Eva Iselin Erichsen in 2016 and later, when I got the chance to have her audition, I was blown away. She's all over the place, live and on record, giving everything that she's got. She is an amazing singer and a real star in the making. We are ready to take the whole Rock Opera live across the European continent!” concludes Trond.

The album will be presented in the live setting in Halden, Norway with a special release show on November 10th. More shows are in the works including an appearance in spring at Karmøygeddon Festival (May 3rd. 2019).

Tracklisting:

"Worlds On Fire"
"Awakened"
"Drums Of Doom"
"The Last Generation"
"I'll Die For You"
"Shadows Of Love"
"Without You"
"Under My Skin"
"Vlad The Impaler"
"Save Me Part II"

"Worlds On Fire":

"I'll Die For You" video:

Lineup:

Nils K. Rue: Male lead vocals
Eva Iselin Erichsen: Female lead vocals
Trond Holter: Guitars
Bernt Jansen: Bass
Per Morten Bergseth: Drums
Erling Henanger: Synth/Keyboards

Caustic Attack, the imminent new full-length from long-running American grindcore unit Terrorizer, is streaming in its inexorable entirety. Slated to drop worldwide via The End Records October 12th, the band's first studio offering in six years was produced by Jason Suecof (Deicide, All That Remains, Kataklysm, Battlecross) at Audiohammer Studios in Sanford, Florida and features the apocalyptic cover art of Timbul Cahyono (Rotting Corpse, Pyrexia).

Before Pete Sandoval recorded Morbid Angel’s first album, 1989’s Altars Of Madness, he performed on two demos and a split album with his original band Terrorizer. Today, the group’s 1989 full-length debut World Downfall is still considered a pinnacle for death metal and grindcore, featuring impossibly fast blast-beats and double-bass drumming along with a blitzkrieg attack by late guitarist Jesse Pintado (Napalm Death), and ex-vocalist Oscar Garcia (Nausea). The 1989 lineup was rounded out by Sandoval and then-fellow Morbid Angel bandmate David Vincent on bass.

Over the next twenty-three years, Sandoval took time between Morbid Angel albums to continue working with Terrorizer, recording two more cataclysmic full-lengths, 2006’s Darker Days Ahead and 2012’s Hordes Of Zombies. And now, another six years down the burning highway, Terrorizer is back with Caustic Attack, their heaviest and most eclectic album to date.

Terrorizer started working on Caustic Attack in 2014, but before they could lay down a single bar of music, Sandoval had to make sure he was healthy enough to work on a new album - which was far from a sure thing. Rewind to 2009 when Sandoval’s suffered a severe back injury caused by decades of Olympic-class death metal drumming. After seeing different doctors and exploring his options, Sandoval opted for invasive surgery to repair the deteriorated discs between interlocking vertebrae in his spine.

By 2013, Sandoval was feeling pretty good, so he got together with multi-instrumentalist Lee Harrison, who played on Malevolent Creation’s 1989 demo a year before giving birth to metal veterans Monstrosity, which have released five full-length albums to date. In 2007, Lee joined up with fabled Crimson Glory singer, Midnight, with whom he worked until the vocalist died in 2009. Lee has also played guitar with Obituary on tour in South America in 2012. Now, he’s deadly serious about his role in Terrorizer, but at first playing with Sandoval was more like a hobby.

“We started playing some songs just for fun,” Sandoval explains. “We did some of the World Downfall songs, and then we learned a few cover songs and we did our first show as a party. That’s how everything started.”

Feeling confident and comfortable again behind the kit, Sandoval invited Sam Molina, who played with Harrison in Monstrosity, to join them on bass, and the trio started working on songs for Caustic Attack. A violently explosive album for increasingly turbulent times, Caustic Attack is the sound of a world nearing apocalypse. The songs conjure images of warplanes on bombing runs, giant tanks obliterating small villages and the endless rattle of machine guns mowing down everyone in sight.

Sandoval has long been known as one of the fastest players in death metal - the pioneer of blast beats - and he doesn’t hold back on Caustic Attack. At the same time, even the fastest songs are tighter and more precise than Terrorizer have ever been thanks to veteran producer Jason Suecof, who’s painstaking method of recording showcases Sandoval and his team at peak capacity.

The proof is in the pummeling. There are flesh-shredding grindfests like "Turbulence," "Caustic Attack," and "Poison Gas Tsunami," each of which swoops down, destroys, and depart in under-two-minutes. Then, there are the nearly five-minute-long tracks, including "Infiltration" - which slows to a thunderous breakdown before ramping back up to hyper-speed - and "Wasteland," a global conflagration with undeniable guitar hooks and a lethal mid-song chug that reveals previously unexplored diversity and depth.

Now that Sandoval is devoting all his time and effort to Terrorizer (he left Morbid Angel in 2013), he plans to tour extensively and then record another album. The six-year curse is officially broken. “It feels so great to be back playing every day,” Sandoval says. “I worked really hard on my recovery and all that work is really paying off now because when I play these songs I feel the same way I did in 1990 or 2000. I feel young again and I can play with no problem. And that’s hard to do because this new album has a lot of changes, double-bass, fast blast beats. You name it.” [words by Jon Wiederhorn]

Tracklisting:

"Turbulence"
"Invasion"
"Conflict And Despair"
"Devastate"
"Crisis"
"Infiltration"
"The Downtrodden"
"Trench Of Corruption"
"Sharp Knives"
"Failed Assassin"
"Caustic Attack"
"Poison Gas Tsunami"
"Terror Cycles"
"Wasteland"

Full album stream:

"Caustic Attack":

"Invasion":

Terrorizer lineup:

Pete Sandoval - drums
Lee Harrison - guitars
Sam Molina - bass/vocals

Martin Barre, best-known as guitarist in Jethro Tull - one of the biggest selling prog bands of all time, releases his new solo album Roads Less Travelled on Cleopatra Records on October 12th, 2018.

Barre has developed his own distinctive style within the framework of Jethro Tull, and his instantly recognizable and original sound form the basis of this album. Roads Less Travelled features 11 original tracks by Barre, which reflect the last 50 years of his esteemed musical career.

Reflecting on the tracks & recording of the album, Barre says “I've concentrated on improving my songwriting over the last few years and as a result, I am really pleased with this new CD. Although my playing has a lot of space in the music, I've worked a lot harder on the arrangements and lyrics. My goal is to have a CD that keeps the listener from beginning to end. Roads Less Travelled reflects my belief in taking music somewhere new.”

Barre's solo on Jethro Tull's 1971 hit “Aqualung” has been repeatedly voted as one of the top guitar solos of all time. Barre has been cited as an important influence by many virtuoso players, including Joe Bonamassa, Steve Vai & Joe Satriani and can count the likes of Mark Knopfler and Geddy Lee amongst his many fans.  

While all the songs showcase his exceptional electric guitar, acoustic guitar and mandolin playing, the Martin Barre Band also shine throughout. A long-time resident of Devon, Barre's band features several local musicians: Dan Crisp (vocals), Alan Thomson (bass/fretless bass), Darby Todd (drums), Becca Langsford (vocals/backing vocals), Josiah J (Percussion/Hammond), Aaron Graham (drums), Alex Hart (vocals/backing vocals,) Buster Cottam (“stand up” bass).

Tracklisting:

“Lone Wolf”
“Out Of Time”
“On My Way”
“Roads Less Travelled”
“Badcore Blues”
“Seattle”
“For No Man”
“(This Is) My Driving Song”
“You Are An Angel”
“Trinity”
“And The Band Played On”

Japanese progressive power metal group Saber Tiger's new album Obscure Diversity is now out as of October 10th via Sliptrick Records. A new video for “Permanent Rage” is streaming below. The video was primarily filmed on Saber Tiger’s recent Baltic Tour and features the band both on stage and backstage at various venues during the tour.

Obscure Diversity demonstrates a band that has no intention of slowing down more than three and a half decades after their formation. If anything, their trademark blend of classy melodicism and fierce intensity is in better balance than ever. Tracks like speed monsters "The Crowbar Case" and "Permanent Rage" feature every aspect that fans have come to expect from Saber Tiger; from the whirlwind guitar work of Akihito Kinoshita and Yasuharu Tanaka to Takenori Shimoyama’s passionate vocals and the intricate rhythms of drummer Yasuhiro Mizuno and bassist hibiki. "Beat Of The War Drums" is heavy and modern, while more atmospheric tracks like "The Shade Of Holy Light" and "The Forever Throne" show a surprisingly introspective side of the band without sacrificing any of the band’s renowned heaviness. "Distant Signals", hibiki’s first songwriting contribution to Saber Tiger’s body of work, even manages to take the band to surprisingly progressive territories. Saber Tiger pulls all of these musical directions off with equal class and conviction, truly accounting for the diversity that they have promised in the album’s title.

Unlike their previous release Bystander Effect, which was mixed and mastered by founder Kinoshita himself, Saber Tiger sought international assistance for the sonic representation of Obscure Diversity. The band was looking for a certain degree of clarity and power and found exactly that when they enlisted the help of Simone Mularoni, guitarist of Italian progressive power metal band DGM and owner of the Domination Studio in San Marino.

Obscure Diversity will be released internationally by Sliptrick Records on October 10th, 2018.

Tracklisting:

“Daguerreotype Of Phineas Gage”
“The Crowbar Case”
“The Worst Enemy”
“Stain”
“Beat Of The War Drums”
“Distant Signals”
“The Shade Of Holy Light”
“Permanent Rage”
“Seize Your Moment”
“Divide To Deny”
“Paradigm And Parody”
“The Forever Throne”
“The Forever Throne” (Acoustic Version) (Bonus Track)

"Permanent Rage" video:

“The Worst Enemy” video:

Pig Destroyer's sixth studio album, Head Cage, is out now on CD/LP/CS/Digital. A full album stream can be found below. Physical order packages of Head Cage are available via Relapse.com here.

A visceral vortex of animalistic rage and extreme sonic brilliance, Head Cage is a true work of extreme metal art, that with the addition of a bass player, is hands down their most dynamic and heaviest recording to date. Across twelve tracks, Pig Destroyer  weave together harrowing tales of philosophical dualities, touching on mortality and depression, fear and violence, and the darkest complexities of the human condition, all told through the distorted lens of delightfully transgressive vocalist/lyricist JR Hayes. Musically, the band continues to push the boundaries of metal, grindcore, noise and punk, ramping up the intensity and leaving you bludgeoned in a state of utter shock, all in less than 33 minutes.

Head Cage was recorded by guitarist Scott Hull at Visceral Sound Studios, mixed and mastered by Will Putney (Exhumed, Every Time I Die, Body Count) and features striking artwork by Mark McCoy (Full of Hell, Nothing) along with guest vocal appearances by Agoraphobic Nosebleed's Richard Johnson and Kat Katz plus Full Of Hell's Dylan Walker.

Album art by Mark McCoy.

Head Cage tracklisting:

"Tunnel Under The Tracks"
"Dark Train"
"Army Of Cops"
"Circle River"
"The Torture Fields"
"Terminal Itch"
"Concrete Beast"
"The Adventures Of Jason And Jr"
"Mt. Skull"
"Trap Door Man"
"The Last Song"
"House Of Snakes"

Album stream:

"Mt. Skull" video:

"The Torture Fields" video:

"Army Of Cops" video:

Tour dates:

November
3 - Sint-Niklaas, Belgium - Masters Of Grind
29 - Portland, OR - Bossanova (with The Black Dahlia Murder)
30 - Berkeley, CA - The UC Theatre (with The Black Dahlia Murder)

December
1-2 - Los Angeles, CA - Decibel Metal & Beer Fest

(Photo - Joey Wharton)

Los Angeles’ All Hail The Yeti are bringing straight fire with their new full-length album, Highway Crosses, out November 16th via Minus Head Records. The first taste of this beast of an album comes from the scathing track “The Nuclear Dust”, and you can view the new music video for the song below.

Highway Crosses was made in collaboration with versatile Grammy-winning producer Warren Riker, best known by metalheads for his work on the second and third albums by New Orleans supergroup Down and heavy slabs from Crowbar, Cynic, and the UK’s Cathedral.

Connor Gerritty (vocals) states: "We are very excited to finally get one of our heaviest songs out there to the masses! 'The Nuclear Dust' is a freight train and we hope you all are are ready for this storm. It comes off our new album Highway Crosses, which will be backed by tons of world touring. Now its time to get out there and feed this beast!

"Our third record, Highway Crosses, has seen the band evolve as artists and individuals. We are still keeping the heavy groovy sound that you are all familiar with, but also stretching our boundaries to try new things. It’s the old school Yeti sound (heavy, fast verses and killer hooks), and we spent a lot of time making sure we picked the right songs hoping not to alienate any of our die-hard fans. The weapons are drawn and we are ready for war!!"

Pre-order the new album here.

Tracklisting:

“Live Everyday“
“See You Never“
“Highway Crosses“
“Slow Season“
“Felo De Se“
“Withdrawal Delirium“
“World Is Cold“
“Seymour Avenue“
“Anti-Social Media“
“Necktie Party“
“Murder Frost“ (interlude)
“The Nuclear Dust“

“The Nuclear Dust” video:

(Photo - Neil Zlozower)

San Francisco Bay Area metal titans Machine Head are currently on the second leg of their North American tour in support of their new album, Catharsis. To celebrate, the band has released an official lyric video for the song "Triple Beam".

The dates will mark the final shows of long time members Dave McClain (drums) and Phil Demmel (guitars), and will include six rescheduled dates from the first leg were vocalist Robb Flynn contracted a severe viral bronchitis lung infection that lasted for seven weeks.

The band once again will be giving fans "an evening with” Machine Head, playing over 2 1/2 hours of classic and new material.

Tickets are on sale now via machinehead.vip and machinehead1.com/tour.

 

DOKKEN is planning to enter the studio in December to begin writing a new studio album for a tentative spring 2019 release. The disc will mark the band's first collection of all-new material since 2012's "Broken Bones" effort.

Speaking with Tigman of the Poughkeepsie, New York radio station Z93, DOKKEN frontman Don Dokken stated about the band's upcoming touring activities (hear audio below): "Actually, we're winding down. We've got four shows on the West Coast [in November] and we're calling it a day for two months so we can write a new record. We're gonna write it in December and January and we'll have it out in the spring. We have a new record company, and we're just gonna put a new record out for the spring for the next tour." Don went on to say that DOKKEN will release "a couple of videos" to promote the new disc.

After "Broken Bones" failed to meet his expectations commercially, Don Dokken publicly questioned whether the band should or would make another record. He was also ruthlessly criticized by fans after radiation treatments from a bout with stomach cancer and eventual vocal-cord surgery hurt his performances.

He told the Bradenton Herald that he took a year or so off after "Broken Bones" to regroup and reassess the band's place in the rock marketplace.

I was getting so bad I had to say, 'Guys, I'm just destroying our brand. I suck,'" Dokken said. "I put on 40 pounds. I couldn't sing. I just didn't look good; I didn't feel good. I just had to get the radiation over with and rehab and come back."

"Broken Bones" sold around 2,600 copies in the United States in its first week of release to land at position No. 173 on The Billboard 200 chart.

Don Dokken, guitarist George Lynch, bassist Jeff Pilson and drummer "Wild" Mick Brown completed a short Japanese tour in October 2016, marking the first time in 21 years the band's classic lineup had hit the road.

A DOKKEN concert DVD focusing on the band's reunion tour, "Return To The East Live (2016)", was made available earlier this year.

Don told "The Classic Metal Show" that the main reason he doesn't want to continue with the classic DOKKEN lineup is that "loves" the band he has now — which features Brown, alongside guitarist Jon Levin and bassist Chris McCarvill.

The official lyric video for the song "Crooked Man" from RED DRAGON CARTEL, the band led by former OZZY OSBOURNE and BADLANDS guitarist Jake E. Lee, can be seen below. The track is taken from RED DRAGON CARTEL's sophomore album, "Patina", which will be released on November 9 via Frontiers Music Srl.

The follow-up to RED DRAGON CARTEL's eponymous 2014 debut, "Patina" marks the group's first release with drummer Phil Varone (SAIGON KICK, SKID ROW) and bassist Anthony Esposito. The band's current lineup is rounded out by singer Darren James Smith.

RED DRAGON CARTEL's new album was recorded at Esposito's Obscenic Arts studio in Dillsburg, Pennsylvania and was reportedly mixed by legendary producer Max Norman, who has previously worked with OZZY OSBOURNE, MEGADETH, SAVATAGE and LOUDNESS, among others.

In addition to being the new bassist for RED DRAGON CARTEL, Esposito co-produced the album alongside Lee.

I think we had a great production partnership," says Jake. "He never discouraged me from trying things that were a bit outside the box; in fact, he encouraged it. His attention to detail in the recording of everything was exceptional. Much more than I alone would have toiled over. He has an incredible work ethic that kept me from lapsing into complacency. If we disagreed on how something should be, we'd find a perfect marriage of the two sides, or completely reimagine it. We didn't settle on anything unless we both agreed it was perfect. If I do another album, I'd love it to be with him again."

Another new member to RED DRAGON CARTEL is drummer Phil Varone, whose style Lee really appreciated. "Phil is a very solid and groove-oriented player, who is not afraid to turn things upside down to give the song a more unique flavor," explains Lee.

"Patina" marks a change of style from the debut RED DRAGON CARTEL album, featuring a more bluesy hard rock direction as opposed to its predecessor's heavier leanings.

Lee says: "The first album was more of a piecemeal production with some of the song ideas being 10 years old and never having more than one player in the room at any time. I wanted to do this one from scratch with all the songs originating and worked on with everyone in the room, on their instruments. It felt much more organic, like the way I used to do it for the first 20 years of my career — more honest to my roots."

When asked about his musical inspirations for the record, Jake says: "My inspirations for 'Patina' are from the artists I loved during my youth. Robin Trower, Santana, BLACK SABBATH, CAPTAIN BEYOND, THIN LIZZY, GRAND FUNK RAILROAD, David Bowie… I could go on and on, but let me also say that there are also hints of SLY & THE FAMILY STONE, Dick Dale, psychedelia and even some George Benson. Don't let any of that scare you — it all makes sense!"

"Patina" is a definitive statement of Jake's unbelievable skills with a monster production from Esposito and a perfect mix, courtesy of Norman, whose relationship with Jake dates back to the guitarist's days with OZZY OSBOURNE.

The track listing for the disc is as follows:

01. Speedbag

02. Havana

03. Crooked Man

04. The Luxury Of Breathing

05. Bitter

06. Chasing Ghosts

07. A Painted Heart

08. Punchclown (bonus track)

09. My Beautiful Mess

10. Ink & Water

The official music video for "Havana" can be seen below.

"I chose 'Havana' as the first song to be released from the new album for a few reasons," Lee told Guitar World. "First off, it begins with a lone guitar playing the riff, promoting the idea that this is a guitar-heavy record. The song's production is about as straightforward and basic as it gets on this album and I wanted it to be apparent that, overall, it's more of an old school approach, as opposed to its predecessor [RED DRAGON CARTEL's self titled, 2014 debut album.] And, it's just a cool riff I couldn't wait to share with anyone interested in what I'm doing!"

Back in September 2015, RED DRAGON CARTEL was rejoined by Darren James Smith after a period of several months during which the band played shows with a number of other vocalists, including former JONES STREET frontman Shawn Crosby, Canadian singer Paul D'Eath (CITIZENS UNITE, MUSHROOM TRAIL), Chas West (Jason Bonham, LYNCH MOB, 3 LEGGED DOGG) and Michael Beck.

Issued in January 2014, RED DRAGON CARTEL's debut CD sold around 5,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 69 on The Billboard 200 chart.

Some of the fans who attended RATT's concert Friday night (October 5) in St. Charles, Illinois say that lead singer Stephen Pearcy was "stumbling" and couldn't "remember the words" to some of the band's most popular songs.

Fan-filmed video footage of RATT's performance at the Arcada Theatre — courtesy of YouTube user JW Stuff — shows the frontman slurring his way through the set and struggling to hit the notes in the group's biggest hits.

Michael Hlavin tweeted: "Went to the @ArcadaTheatre to see RATT. Band was awesome especially Jason on lead guitar as they tried to cover for Stephen Pearcy. Complete Poser - drunk, drugged out, stumbling and can't remember the words. Kept walking off stage or sitting on drum riser. What a joke!! #rehab"

Another fan posted a short video clip of the concert and wrote about Pearcy: "Trashed again on stage 10/5 getting BOOED!"

The Arcada Theatre performance took place just over a week after RATT's disastrous show in Huntington, New York, where Pearcy was also slurring while sitting down and nearly lying down on the drum riser. The 62-year-old singer also appeared to be slouching or leaning on to the bass drum during "Round And Round" and holding on to the tom-tom stand and bass drum to keep from falling over.

Pearcy later apologized to the RATT fans, saying in a statement that he was "dealing with a pain-management issue due to a bad knee that is scheduled to be replaced in January." He added that he "made the critical error of adding alcohol to my pain meds while on stage" at the Huntington concert "and it destroyed my performance."

Croucier and Pearcy are the sole remaining original members in RATT's current incarnation, which also includes drummer Pete Holmes (BLACK 'N BLUE) and guitarists Jordan Ziff (RAZER) and Chris Sanders (BRITNY FOX, KNIGHT FURY).

This past summer, Pearcy said that Warren DeMartini "didn't wanna go out there" and play shows with RATT, leading to the guitarist's departure from the group. "We wanted to clean house, and that's it, and go out and enjoy ourselves for once," he added. 'Enough drama. We've been through enough."

He continued: "It's very simple — you either like what you're doing or you don't," he said. "And we do. But it has to be with the right people. It's not like we need to hire Jimmy Page or somebody. We're gonna work with people that we have a great time with."

Pressed about the specific issues that Warren and other two members of RATT's classic lineup couldn't agree on, Stephen said: "I can't speak for the guy… The guy didn't wanna go out there. I wouldn't even call it work. We're privileged enough, 35 years later, to be able to go out and do what we do. And there's still a lot of great fans out there who'd love to hear the music. That's all that concerns me. So if somebody else doesn't wanna do it in the band, regardless [of whether it's Warren] or somebody else, [they can] take a hike."

RATT's new lineup made its live debut on July 7 in Mulvane, Kansas.











Went to the @ArcadaTheatre to see RATT. Band was awesome especially Jason on lead guitar as they tried to cover for Stephen Pearcy. Complete Poser - drunk, drugged out, stumbling and can’t remember the words. Kept walking off stage or sitting on drum riser. What a joke!! #rehab pic.twitter.com/JYmjW4fobs— Michael Hlavin (@MichaelHlavin) October 6, 2018



#StephenPearcy of #RATT trashed again on stage 10/5 getting BOOED! @MetalSludge @BLABBERMOUTHNET @cmsrocks @GregRenoff @EddieTrunk pic.twitter.com/QqtZtxzGtK— Chris (@NV_ChrisJ) October 6, 2018

STARBREAKER, the project featuring former TNT frontman Tony Harnell and PRIMAL FEAR guitarist Magnus Karlsson, will release its third album on January 25, 2019 via Frontiers Music Srl.

Harnell told "The Jim Chinnici Show" about the new disc (hear audio below): "STARBREAKER has been finished. I'm so proud of it. It was a very deep and difficult album to do, if not for any other reason other than life was happening at the same time and there were a lot of things going on there. But I'm so proud of it."

According to Tony, the first single from the upcoming STARBREAKER disc will be released on October 19. The song in question "is not really indicative of the whole album; it's probably the most metal of any song on the record," he said. As for the rest of the LP, it "kind of goes off into this beautiful textural hard rock-slash-metal-slash… whatever [territory]," he said. "It's a really cool, cool album. It's very emotional and melodic, and musically, Magnus, the guitar player, is incredible."

Joining Karlsson and Harnell on the new STARBREAKER album is bassist Jonni Lightfoot, who previously played on 2008's "Love's Dying Wish".

b>STARBREAKER started as Harnell's side project while he was still in TNT. He was initially working on a solo record, but with Karlsson, former TNT drummer John Macaluso, and bassist Fabrizio Grossi, they formed STARBREAKER.

STARBREAKER recorded its first self-titled studio album in 2005. After the CD's release, Harnell went back to being the lead vocalist of TNT, but left the band in April 2006 to spend some more time with his family. In late 2007, with STARBREAKER as his main musical project, he flew to Sweden to write the bulk of the songs for the new album with Karlsson, and started recording the new songs at the end of that year. The group's second album, "Love's Dying Wish", and was released in August 2008. It featured Lightfoot, who replaced Grossi, and was produced by Harnell and Karlsson, with Tommy Hansen (TNT, PRETTY MAIDS, HELLOWEEN) serving as the CD's mixer.

Harnell told "The Jim Chinnici Show" that he "just finished another project for Frontiers" for a 2019 release and he revealed that he is "in talks" with the Italian label about his first solo album, which he says he's "been wanting to do since the beginning of time."

Photo courtesy of Tony Harnell's Facebook page

Tony Harnell singer song writerPosted by The JIM Chinnici SHOW on Wednesday, October 3, 2018

SYSTEM OF A DOWN bassist Shavo Odadjian spoke to KROQ's "The Kevin & Bean Show" on Tuesday (October 9) about the fact that the band has been stalled in its attempts to record a follow-up to its "Mezmerize" and "Hypnotize" albums, which came out in 2005. Asked if he feels that there is a possibility SYSTEM will release a new record in the next few years, Shavo said: "If it was my way, it would be now. But it's not; it takes four to tango… I'm hoping, because we have so much material. We have material for like the last 10, 12 years; we all write. So I personally have a lot, Daron [Malakian, guitar] has a lot, I know Serj's [Tankian, vocals] got a lot, but I don't know if we're gonna be doing it together… I don't know what's going on. I'm hoping, I'm wishing, you know?"

He continued: "We still love each other. There's nothing… No one's done anything wrong; no one's angry — it's not like someone's done something to someone and they can't take it back. Nothing like that's occurred. I think it's just an artistic thing."

Shavo also addressed the fact that Daron and Serj apparently have diverging visions of what a new SYSTEM OF A DOWN album should be like. "I personally do think about it always, and I can't speak for the rest of the guys, [but] I do think about it," he said. "But I don't hold grudges. I can't do that. But it's hurtful, because I do want to play and I wanna make music and I wanna make a record, and I didn't join a band and I didn't get famous to stop playing music. I wanna play more music. But it is what it is, and we're gonna roll through the punches."

He added: "I can't force anybody on stage. I can't force anybody into a studio. I can't force anyone anywhere. And it won't be good for us either. Nothing is good for us [if it's forced]; everything has to come natural and become what it is."

b>Odadjian went on to say that SYSTEM's inner tension has been building for far longer than fans have been aware. "Anything that you've read in the last two years, it's been around for the last ten years," he explained. "It's just now coming out because social media is out there."

When one of the hosts joked that the members of SYSTEM OF A DOWN should hire the "psychiatrist" from METALLICA's "Some Kind Of Monster" documentary — referring to "performance enhancement coach" Phil Towle — Odadjian replied: "I've had that conversation. That would be cool — like, maybe someone has to sit in the middle and be, like, 'This is what it means,' and, 'This is what he means.' But it's not like someone has done something. There's no, like, where he could be, 'Oh, he did this for that reason.'"

This past summer, Malakian accused Tankian in an interview of not wanting to record, with Tankian responding that creative and financial issues with Malakian led to the stalemate. In a message on Facebook, Tankian wrote that Malakian wanted to control SYSTEM's creative process, take more of the publishing money and be the only band member to speak to the press. Tankian remarked: "As we couldn't see eye to eye on all these points, we decided to put aside the idea of a record altogether for the time being."

Tankian told Forbes that the creative process has to "be organic" and "feel right in every way," adding, "There's no law that says a band should be together for a million years and have a million records. Actually, if you look over the years as a musicologist or a fan of music would, in any way, it's probably regressive thinking."

As for continuing to perform live with the band, which has more shows coming up this fall, Tankian explained: "We really enjoy it. That's the thing, over all these years, maybe we're better friends because we haven't made a record in 12 years... Over the years, touring here and there, a month here, two months, we've become better friends and closer with each other because of it."

Tankian has toured with SYSTEM OF A DOWN over the past few years but has concentrated on solo work, soundtracks and other musical projects. Malakian, meanwhile, issued a new album in July called "Dictator" from his recently revived side project, SCARS ON BROADWAY.

"Moment Of Silence", the new video from WITHERFALL — the U.S. dark melodic metal band featuring Joseph Michael (vocals, SANCTUARY) and Jake Dreyer (guitar, ICED EARTH) — can be seen below. The song is taken from the band's sophomore album, "A Prelude To Sorrow", which will be released on November 2.

Says WITHERFALL: "Like our first single off of 'A Prelude To Sorrow', 'Ode To Despair', 'Moment of Silence' continues on with our dark tale of the last days of WITHERFALL drummer Adam Sagan. This song deals with the anger we felt towards not being able to control what the eventual outcome could be.

"The chorus was the first thing that came during the writing of this song. Joseph had chorus melody and progression written and actually showed it to Adam during the last visit they shared. Though the dark irony was not lost on him, he loved the idea.

"'Moment Of Silence' went through multiple demo iterations before the one that is found on 'A Prelude To Sorrow' was officially arranged and finalized by Jake and Joseph in Florida during the recording of 'The Long Walk Home (December)' in November of 2017.

In our recent poll, you had asked for a track that is 'violent with a big chorus.' Well, here it is."


On "A Prelude To Sorrow", Michael and Dreyer succeeded in perfectly combining the group's technical proficiency with an appropriate eerie and somber atmosphere, manifesting also in Kristian Wåhlin's majestic cover painting. For mix and mastering, WITHERFALL again worked with Chris "Zeuss" Harris (SANCTUARY, QUEENSRŸCHE, ICED EARTH).

Regarding the follow-up to 2017's "Nocturnes And Requiems", WITHERFALL said: "'A Prelude To Sorrow' is a concept record, though not in the sense that most people have come to know the form. Ours is not a story where each song acts as a chapter. The inspiration lays in the supremely dark reality that was the passing of our drummer and one of our best friends, Adam Sagan.

"These songs are raw emotional reflections, composed in the witching hours under the influence of wine and sorrow, while watching and helping our friend fight and ultimately lose his battle with lymphoma. 'Nocturnes And Requiems' was dedicated to Adam after the fact. 'A Prelude To Sorrow' is written specifically about his and our personal tragedy.

"Like 'Nocturnes and Requiems', the songs have been arranged to still have the peaks and valleys that any great record should. With 'Prelude', these peaks just might be a little steeper and the valleys might be a little deeper, alternating between violence and beauty.

"The titles initials are an acronym for 'Adam Paul Sagan.' He came up with 'Nocturnes And Requiems' so we suppose it is kind of fitting that he also inspired this title. Hope he doesn't come knocking on our door for royalties.

"We hope that this will be a fitting requiem for our friend and talented musician."


"A Prelude To Sorrow" track listing:


01. A Prelude To Sorrow

02. We Are Nothing

03. Moment Of Silence

04. Communion Of The Wicked

05. Maridian's Visitation

06. Shadows

07. Ode To Despair

08. The Call

09. Vintage

10. Epilogue


The album will be released as limited-edition digipak, jewelcase CD (U.S. only), gatefold 2LP plus poster and etching on Side D as well as digital album.


WITHERFALL is:

Jake Dreyer - Guitar

Joseph Michael - Vocals/Keyboards

Anthony Crawford - Bass

Fili Bibiano - Guitar

Steve Bolognese - Drums

The official lyric video for the song "Hell Sworn" from melodic tech-death overlords ARSIS can be seen below. The track, which features a guest solo from INFERI guitarist Malcolm Pugh, is taken from ARSIS's new album, "Visitant", due on November 2 via Nuclear Blast (North, Central, South America) and Agonia (rest of world).

Guitarist and vocalist James Malone states: "I think 'Visitant' is ARSIS's most mature album but at the same time, it is also an album that harkens back to our youth.

"We all grew up on horror movies. For me personally, my father would bring me, from a very early age, to the theater to see horror films. He passed his love of science fiction and horror down to me.

"I wanted to do something different for this album and it was just a natural move to incorporate this passion into 'Visitant'.

As I was doing my part of the writing, I tried to capture the tone and atmosphere of some of my favorite films ('Silver Bullet', 'From Beyond', 'Prince Of Darkness'). It was a very satisfying and fun album to write and I think it might be what fans consider a 'worthy follow-up' to 'A Diamond For Disease'."

The video for the first single from the upcoming horror movie-inspired opus, "Tricking The Gods", was directed by Rob Neilson and can be seen below.


"'Tricking the Gods' is inspired by my love of werewolf movies, specifically Stephen King's 'Silver Bullet'," says Malone. I really liked the idea that everyone in the town was looking for this beast and it turned out to be the person they least expected: the minister. That blurred line between good and evil, heaven and hell made perfect songwriting fuel."

"Visitant" was recorded in part and mixed and mastered by producer Mark Lewis (WHITECHAPEL, DEVILDRIVER, DEICIDE, CANNIBAL CORPSE). Artwork was created by longtime collaborator Mark Riddick.

Catch ARSIS on tour this October and November as part of "Bloodletting North America XII" with co-headliners and labelmates DECREPIT BIRTH.

Reel Art Press has published the official illustrated book, Led Zeppelin By Led Zeppelin, in celebration of the 50th anniversary of the band's formation. A new video trailer can be found below, and the book can be ordered here.

Led Zeppelin By Led Zeppelin is the first and only official illustrated book to be produced in collaboration with the members of the band. Celebrating 50 years since their formation, it covers the group’s unparalleled musical career and features photographs of Jimmy Page, Robert Plant, John Paul Jones and John Bonham on and offstage, in candid moments and in the recording studio.

This definitive 400-page volume includes previously unpublished photos, artwork from the Led Zeppelin archives and contributions from photographers around the world.