American sci-fi power metal duo Dire Peril featuring Jason Ashcraft (Helion Prime) and vocalist John Yelland (Judicator) are premiering their latest lyric video "Queen Of The Galaxy" featuring Unleash The Archers vocalist Brittney Slayes whom reprise's her role as Barbarella for a re-recorded version of the track. The song is their second single off their upcoming album "The Extraterrestrial Compendium" due out November 9th, 2018 via Divebomb Records to follow their three previous EP releases Astronomical Minds (2013), Queen of The Galaxy (2014) and Through Time and Space (2015).

The band comments:

"Telling the story of Barbarella the Queen of the Galaxy, we are joined by the first guest musician on the album Brittney Slayes (Unleash The Archers). This is actually a re-recording of an older Dire Peril track and the lyrics were written by original vocalist Norman Skinner.

The album will consist of twelve full length tracks each inspired from a different science fiction movie. It will feature guest performances from Arjen Anthony Lucassen (Ayreon) and Brittney Slayes (Unleash The Archers).

The album was mixed by Carlos Alvarez at Dirty Viking Audio Productions and mastered by Brett Caldas-Lima at Tower Studio. Cover art for the album was done by Gwen Vibancos. Cover art for the single was done by Jill Colbert at Manfish Inc.

The single "Heart Of The Furyan" is based on the character Riddick from the The Chronicles Of Riddick series that started in 2000 with the film Pitch Black.

Ashcraft comments, “I have been biting my tongue, mostly, for about three years now that we got Arjen to perform on one of our tracks. Those who know me understand that this is a dream come true for me. Arjen is a huge inspiration to myself and my music, and to have had the honor to work with him is something that will be a main highlight throughout my career. He is very humble and great to work with. I hope everyone is as pleased with the outcome as I am.”

Each of The Extraterrestrial Compendium’s 12 tracks is based on a sci-fi film. “I always loved the idea behind Iced Earth’s Horror Show - making each song based on a famous monster film. If it isn’t obvious from the music, I’m somewhat of an Iced Earth fan,” states Jason, “so when coming up with ideas for this debut, I thought it would be cool to take a similar direction, but with something that I’m passionate about. As you can see by the final result, we get an album based on some of my all-time favorite sci-fi films. It was certainly hard to choose, as I could probably make Dire Peril’s entire career on favorite films alone.”

Together, the duo - through many obstacles - is prepared to present The Extraterrestrial Compendium to the world, as well as the friends and fans who have waited so patiently.

Yelland notes, “Working on this album was a joy. I had always admired Jason’s material, so the opportunity to collaborate with him was irresistible. I am so proud of what we have accomplished, and can’t wait to share this - and more - with the world...”

Stay tuned for further announcements from the band which will include pre-orders of the album.

The Extraterretrial Compendium tracklisting:

"Yautja (Hunter Culture)"
"Planet Preservation"
"Enemy Mine"
"The Visitor"
"Total Recall"
"Queen Of The Galaxy" +
"Roughnecks"
"Blood In The Ice"
"Heart Of The Furyan"
"Altair IV: The Forbidden Planet"
"Always Right Here"
"Journey Beyond The Stars" ++

+ Features Brittney Slayes
++ Features Arjen Anthony Lucassen

"Queen Of The Galaxy":

"Heart Of The Furyan":

Inner Wound Recordings has announced the signing of the Italian melodic power metal band Kalidia to the label. The band's new album The Frozen Throne will be released on November 23rd.

Inspired by classic power metal bands like Rhapsody Of Fire, Hammerfall and Stratovarius as well as new bands like Beast In Black, Kalidia have created an uplifting melodic power metal album with the roots in classic power metal with a modern and fresh touch.

The Frozen Throne was produced, recorded and mixed by Lars Rettkowitz (Freedom Call), mastered by Achim Köhler (Primal Fear, Amon Amarth, Brainstorm) and the cover artwork was created by Stan W. Decker (Vanden Plas, Primal Fear).

Led by the charismatic vocalist Nicoletta Rosellini and with a really strong album behind them, Kalidia are ready to show the metal scene that they are a force to be reckoned with.

Tracklisting:

“Frozen Throne”
“Circe’s Spell”
“Black Sails”
“Orpheus”
“To The Darkness I Belong”
“Myth Of Masada”
“Midnight’s Chant”
“Go Beyond”
“Amethyst”
“Lotus”
“Queen Of The Forsaken”

..... and then there was silence.

Virgin Black stamped itself as one of metal's true aberrations by having the audacity to record—with a full orchestra—its incredibly ambitious, sprawling three-part requiem mass; releasing two of those parts, then disappearing at the peak of its powers for a full decade.

Though, in truth, Virgin Black was a work unto itself from its 1995 inception through to that unexplained departure in 2008. Whether it was playing one-band word-of-mouth-promoted shows in hidden Adelaide city basements in the 90s, or mystifyingly managing to successfully mesh orchestral, industrial, opera and black metal with the band's doom base—on the defining 2001 debut album Sombre Romantic—Virgin Black forever unapologetically treads its own path.

A key figure in the marked era of legendary label The End Records, it was Virgin Black, alongside equally unique and self-assured acts such as Antimatter and Agalloch that were emblematic of the label's strong vanguard ethos. Pioneers in a time when musical categories were far more rigidly adhered to.

Requiem - Pianissimo
As the years ticked by, even the most ardent fans had their hopes for the missing album's release evaporate. The online world is littered with comments and editorials signifying a final sigh of dismay as people let go of the belief that Pianissimo would ever actually come to bear.

In August 2018 the Virgin Black Facebook page suddenly had all of its content deleted, with a single ambiguous image left instead. That, and the series of chronologically dated images that followed, left fans divided on whether or not they were witnessing a return to life after ten years, or a final memorial. 

Fans feverishly debated, but when the date jumped to 2018 with a new image of Sesca Scaarba (formerly Samantha Escarbe) and Rowan London, followed by a shock posting of the first 13 minutes of the fabled album, it was essentially unanimous that Requiem - Pianissimo was real, and imminent.

Requiem Series
In describing Virgin Black's Requiem, there is a tendency to want to match its grand scale with equally grandiose language. However, the project is outlandish and intriguing on such a level that an unadorned, and plainly factual description is paradoxically apt.

It is a requiem mass composed as one unfolding piece, progressing from the all-orchestral first stage, through to a balanced, collaborative orchestra/band middle section, concluding with the band coming to the fore in the final and heaviest section. Total duration at 2 hours 33 minutes.

Befitting "a mass for the dead", the sounds, whether represented by orchestral or metal instrumentation, are ever-presently dirgeful and heartrending. On display is both an adherence to and an outright betrayal of the long-established tradition of requiem masses in classical music. Typifying that betrayal is the semi-atonal vocal barrage referred to as the "death choir" - a chorus of extreme voices employing a resonant undertone technique found most commonly in death metal. Musical elements such as a full string ensemble (with specifically requested low C-tuned basses), woodwinds, horns, brass, timpani, heavy A#-tuned guitars, drums, tenor/baritone and soprano solo voices, death solo voice, and full choir are at times dexterously interwoven and at other times deliberately thrust together for chaotic effect. Many passages for the words were reproduced from traditional religious mass texts and lend a ceremonial component offset by the far more personal and emotional words penned specifically for the project which interject throughout.

Six individual audio engineers were engaged to realise production, the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra enlisted to perform the scores, and the Adelaide Stamford Academy Choir for performance of choral arrangements. 

With an unerring artistic commitment, bordering on folly, composers Sesca Scaarba and Rowan London financially backed the project entirely themselves and notably - these many years later - still remain tens of thousands of dollars in debt to "incredibly generous and understanding people" as London put it. Yet despite the difficult and protracted birth, Requiem - Pianissimo and the series it completes will be marked down in history as a unique and shining achievement.

Tracklisting:

“Requiem Aeternum”
“Dies Irae”
“Until Death”
“Kyrie Elesion”
“Libera Eis Domine”
“Lacrimosa (I Tread Alone)”
“Pie Jesu”
“Rememberance”

Black Lion Records has issued the following announcement:

"Kull was forged by four members of Bal-Sagoth (all except for Byron), together with Dyscaphia’s guitarist and composer Tarkan (vocals in Kull). The band's debut was recorded at Wayland’s Forge Studio. Everything is composed by Jonny and Chris Maudling, so fans of Bal-Sagoth will not be disappointed. Building on the musical tradition already established in Maudling's back-catalogue, their debut album, Exile, will be released on CD/LP/Digital in 2019 vi Black Lion Records."

Line-up:

Tarkan Alp – Vocals
Chris Maudling – Guitars
Jonny Maudling – Keyboards/synths
Alistair MacLatchy – Bass
Paul “Wak” Jackson – Drums

Follow Kull online via Facebook.

The forthcoming self-titled album from Texas Metal Outlaws is now streaming in its entirety. Listen below via the Bandcamp player:

Texas Metal Outlaws by TEXAS METAL OUTLAWS

The heat, the attitude, the metal! Texas doesn't do subtly and it sure as hell doesn't do mellow, as evidenced by the forthcoming self-titled album of molten Lone Star metal from Texas Metal Outlaws. Scheduled for release on CD (Heaven And Hell Records) and vinyl (Texas Metal Underground Records) on October 26th, each of the album's nine tracks features a unique lineup of players from the deep well of Texas metal talent. The official video for the album's eponymous opening track is available below.

The track features Jason McMaster (Watchtower, Dangerous Toys, Broken Teeth, Ignitor, Evil United), Stuart Laurence (Agony Column, Ignitor), Robert Williams (Ignitor, Witches Mark), Donnie Van Stavern (S.A. Slayer, Riot, Pitbull Daycare), and Felix Griffin (D.R.I., Bat).

Though barely scratching the surface of the magic on offer, some particularly interesting aspects of the album include:

- The appearance of every member of Witches Mark on "Malt Liquor Maniac".
- Bonus track "Black And Green" features every member of Agony Column, plus guitarist Robert Williams (Ignitor, Witches Mark) and is the first thing Agony Column has recorded since 1995's Way Back In The Woods album.
- The Burt Bacharach/Carole Bayer Sager-penned cover of "That's What Friends Are For" features a complete previous lineup of Ignitor plus Logan Orlando Perez (Against The Plagues, Vex, Whore Of Babylon).
- The cover song "Running From The Law" from Riot's Born In America album was recorded as a tribute to Mark Reale and Rhett Forrester and even features Donnie Van Stavern (Riot) on bass.

The complete list of players on Texas Metal Outlaws is as follows:

- Jason McMaster (Watchtower, Dangerous Toys, Broken Teeth, Ignitor, Evil United)
- Stuart Laurence (Agony Column, Ignitor)
- Donnie Van Stavern (S.A. Slayer, Riot, Pitbull Daycare)
- Felix Griffin (D.R.I., Bat)
- Robb Bockman (Witches Mark, UADA)
- Scott Palmer (Witches Mark, Byfist, Demontuary)
- Carlos Zema (Immortal Guardian, Vougan, Heaven's Guardian, Outworld, David Shankle Group)
- Billy Dansfiell (Agony Column, Ignitor, E.K.U., Zero Percent)
- Ross The Boss Friedman (Manowar, Death Dealer, Ross The Boss band, The Dictators)
- Cody Gilliland (Immortal Guardian)
- Richie Turner (Agony Column)
- Chris Alaniz (Agony Column, Cheetah Chrome)
- Mike Soliz (Militia, Assalant, Oblivion Knight)
 - Mark Zammaron (Odometer, Las Cruces, Wicked Angel, Passage Temple)
- Pat Doyle (IGNITOR, The Offenders)
- Michael Paul Toupin (Raging Saint, Force of Rage)
- Al Berlanga (Syrus)
- Stan Martinez (Target 7, Social Slut)
- James Rivera (Helstar, Distant Thunder, Destiny's End, Seven Witches, Malice, Flotsam and Jetsam, Agent Steel, Shadowkeep)
- Larry Barragan (Helstar, Eternity Black, Santa Oscuridad)
- Stony Grantham (Shadowkeep, Byfist)
- Brendon Bigelow (Ignitor, Death of Millions)
- Logan Orlando Perez (Against The Plagues, Vex, Whore of Babylon)
- Robert Williams (Ignitor, Witches Mark)

Texas Metal Outlaws tracklisting:

"Texas Metal Outlaws"

Jason McMaster - Vocals
Robert Williams - Guitar
Stuart Laurence - Guitar
Donnie Van Stavern - Bass
Felix Griffin - Drums

"Malt Liquor Maniac"

Robert Williams - Guitar, Bass, Vocals
Robb Bockman - Guitar
Scott Palmer - Drums

"Rebel Years"

Carlos Zema - Vocals
Robert Williams - Guitar
Stuart Laurence - Guitar
Ross The Boss Friedman - Guitar solo
Billy Dansfiell - Bass
Cody Gilliland - Drums

"Black And Green"

Richie Turner - Vocals
Stuart Laurence - Guitar
Robert Williams - Guitar
Billy Dansfiell- Bass
Chris Alaniz - Drums

"Running From The Law" (Riot cover)

Jason McMaster - Vocals
Mike Soliz - Vocals
Robert Williams - Guitar
Stuart Laurence - Guitar
Donnie Van Stavern - Bass
Felix Griffin - Drums

"Sound Of Scorn"

Mark Zammaron - Vocals
Robert Williams - Guitar, Bass
Stuart Laurence - Guitar
Pat Doyle - Drums

"Within The Spell"

Michael Paul Toupin - Vocals
Robert Williams - Guitar
Stuart Laurence - Guitar
Al Berlanga - Guitar solo
Stan Martinez - Bass
Scott Palmer - Drums

"Echoes Of Memory"

James Rivera - Vocals
Robert Williams - Guitar
Stuart Laurence - Guitar
Larry Barragan - Guitar solo
Stony Grantham - Bass
Cody Gilliland - Drums

"That's What Friends are For"
(Original recording by Dionne Warwick  / Reworked by Williams/Laurence of Texas Metal Outlaws with lyrics by Williams)

Logan Orlando Perez - Vocals
Jason McMaster - Vocals
Robert Williams - Guitar, Vocals
Stuart Laurence - Guitar
Brendon Bigelow - Bass
Pat Doyle - Drums

"Texas Metal Outlaws" video:

KORN has launched its new coffee brand, Korn Koffee. Created in partnership with J. Gursey Coffee Roasters, Korn Koffee is available now.

Made entirely with certified fair trade whole beans, Korn Koffee is a distinctive blend of Ethiopian Yirgacheffe, Guatemalan Huehuetenago and Organic Peru beans mixed with J. Gursey Coffee's popular Vintage Black Diamond blend. KORN personally curated the creation of Korn Koffee, a process that saw the bandmembers tasting multiple variations before ultimately selecting the perfect roast and blend.

Indeed, each bag of Korn Koffee will feature a special message from KORN: "After almost 25 years of touring, making records and playing in front of all of our amazing fans (you), one thing has remained a constant in our daily routine: coffee. The ritual, the brew, the aroma and most importantly, that very first cup every morning that sets the tone, is something we look forward to every day. Because of our passion, we've gotten together with a roaster and handcrafted our very own blend of Koffee. We hope you enjoy, share, and join us in savoring many cups of Koffee for years to come."

Earlier in the month, KORN played three very special shows in celebration of the 20th anniversary of the band's "Follow The Leader" album.

b>"Follow The Leader" was a massive commercial breakthrough for KORN, debuting at No. 1 on the Billboard album chart, selling five million copies in the U.S. and yielding two hits singles in "Got The Life" and "Freak On A Leash".

KORN recently began recording its new album in Tennessee. Drummer Ray Luzier posted an Instagram photo from his session at producer Nick Raskulinecz's Rock Falcon Studio inside the Nashville complex owned by the music and entertainment company Black River Entertainment.

Korn special announcement
We are excited to announce Korn Koffee. Korn has collaborated with J. Gursey Coffee to bring you a unique blend of beans worthy of the most die-hard coffee fans. Available Now: http://smarturl.it/KornKoffeePosted by Korn on Friday, September 28, 2018

SONS OF APOLLO — the progressive metal supergroup featuring former DREAM THEATER bandmates Mike Portnoy and Derek Sherinian, as well as guitarist Ron "Bumblefoot" Thal (ex-GUNS N' ROSES), bassist Billy Sheehan (MR. BIG, THE WINERY DOGS) and vocalist Jeff Scott Soto (W.E.T., TALISMAN) — professionally recorded its September 22 concert at the Ancient Theatre in Plovdiv, Bulgaria for an upcoming CD, DVD and Blu-ray.

During the show, in which the band played all of the material from its 2017 debut album "Psychotic Symphony" and a number of notable covers, the group performed two sets separated by an intermission — one "regular" set, and another that featured an orchestra and choir.

The band's setlist was as follows:

01. God Of The Sun

02. Signs Of The Time

03. Divine Addiction

04. Just Let Me Breathe (DREAM THEATER cover)

05. Bass Solo

06. Lost In Oblivion

07. The Prophet's Song/Save Me (QUEEN cover)

08. Alive

09. The Pink Panther Theme (Henry Mancini cover)

10. Opus Maximus

11. Kashmir (LED ZEPPELIN cover)

12. Gates Of Babylon (RAINBOW cover)

13. Labyrinth

14. Dream On (AEROSMITH cover)

15. Diary Of A Madman (Ozzy Osbourne cover)

16. Comfortably Numb (PINK FLOYD cover)

17. The Show Must Go On (QUEEN cover)

18. Hell's Kitchen (DREAM THEATER cover)

19. Figaro's Whore

20. Keyboard Solo

21. Lines In The Sand (DREAM THEATER cover)

22. Guitar Solo

23. And The Cradle Will Rock... (VAN HALEN cover)

24. Coming Home

b>SONS OF APOLLO's Plovdiv concert fell one year to the day that Devin Townsend — who, like SONS OF APOLLO, is managed by Andy Farrow of Northern Music — performed with an orchestra at the same venue to commemorate the 20th anniversary of his landmark album "Ocean Machine". OPETH and PARADISE LOST, two other clients of Farrow's, have also performed orchestra-accompanied shows there the past, as have ASIA and APOCALYPTICA.

According to Wikipedia, the Roman theatre of Plovdiv — the second-largest city in Bulgaria — is one of the world's best-preserved ancient theatres. Constructed in the 1st Century, the venue has a capacity of between 5,000 and 7,000.

Soto recently told Midlands Metalheads Radio that SONS OF APOLLO will record its second album in 2019, but that it likely won't be released until the following year due to the busy schedules of the group's members. "I presume if the album is done even by summertime next year, it's probably not going to see the light of day until early 2020 just so we can actually once again commit the entire year to touring it out, and giving the album cycle the promotion it deserves," he said.

SONS OF APOLLO will wrap up their current European tour in support of "Psychotic Symphony", which was released last October via InsideOut Music, on October 20 in Cologne, Germany.

Nothing are streaming their new album, Dance On The Blacktop, in it's entirety. The album is out now via Relapse Records. Order your copy here, and hear the full album below.

Tracklisting:

“Zero Day”
“Blue Line Baby”
“Plastic Migraine”
“Us/We/Are”
“Hail On Palace Pier”
“I Hate The Flowers”
“The Carpenter's Son”
“(HOPE) Is Just Another Word With A Hole In It”

Album stream:

“I Hate The Flowers” video:

(Photo - Ryan Lowry|)

According to Variety, a federal appeals court decided unanimously Friday to overturn a jury's decision that LED ZEPPELIN's 1971 classic "Stairway To Heaven" was not a rip-off of the 1968 instrumental song "Taurus".

Michael Skidmore, the trustee of "Taurus" songwriter Randy "California" Wolfe's estate, had brought the claims more than four decades after "Stairway To Heaven" appeared on LED ZEPPELIN's untitled album, better known as "Led Zeppelin IV".

In June 2016, a Los Angeles jury deliberated for about five hours before deciding unanimously in favor of LED ZEPPELIN.

The verdict in the LED ZEPPELIN case came down within 15 minutes of the jury's request to re-listen to both SPIRIT's "Taurus" and "Stairway To Heaven". They wanted to hear a section of each song twice, alternating from one to the other. They decided that what they heard wasn't substantially similar enough to call it copyright infringement.

b>Skidmore appealed, and on Friday, a three-judge panel of the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals decided a new trial was needed because the judge who presided over a 2016 trial had given erroneous and prejudicial instructions to the jury.

The court said the judge erred by telling the jury that common musical elements, such as "descending chromatic scales, arpeggios or short sequences of three notes," were not protected by copyright. The court also said the jury should have been permitted to hear the album recording of "Taurus".

"Without a selection and arrangement instruction, the jury instructions severely undermined Skidmore's argument for extrinsic similarity, which is exactly what the jury found lacking,” wrote Circuit Judge Richard A. Paez, for the court.

Immediately following the June 2016 verdict, LED ZEPPELIN's Jimmy Page and Robert Plant released a statement saying that they were glad to see the issue resolved.

"We are grateful for the jury's conscientious service and pleased that it has ruled in our favor, putting to rest questions about the origins of 'Stairway To Heaven' and confirming what we have known for 45 years," they said. "We appreciate our fans' support, and look forward to putting this legal matter behind us."

Plaintiff's attorney Francis Malofiy later claimed he lost his case on a technicality, insisting that it was unfair the jury was unable to listen to the sound recording of "Taurus" and instead was limited to hearing an expert performance of the registered sheet music.

Malofiy received over a hundred sustained objections and "multiple admonishments" during the ZEPPELIN trial, with the band's publishing company Warner/Chappell Music filing documents asking the judge to order the plaintiffs to pay over $613,000 in costs for defending against the lawsuit.

Bonfire will release Legends, an outstanding tribute album to all the rock legends that take part in the Bonfire & Friends tour in November 2018. The album will be available via AFM Records on October 19th.

Tracklisting:

CD 1:

"Africa"
"Hold The Line"
"Rosanna"
"Man On The Silver Mountain"
"I Surrender"
"Stone Cold"
"Death Alley Driver"
"Black Masquerade"
"Burning Heart"
"Eye Of The Tiger"
"Caught In The Game"
"Doctor Doctor"
"Lights Out"
"Rock Bottom"
"Child In Time"

CD 2:

"Jet City Woman"
"Silent Lucidity"
"Eyes Of A Stranger"
"Tears In The Rain"
"The First Time"
"Save Up All Your Tears"
"Hot Cherie"
"Dr. Love"
"Hallelujah"
"Rebellion"
"Heavy Metal Breakdown"
"Love Don't Lie"
"I Wanna Be Loved"
"King Of Dreams"
"Frei wie die Geier"
"Erinnerung"
"Alt wie ein Baum"

Find out more about their upcoming Bonfire & Friends tour here.

Lineup:

Alexx Stahl (Vocals)
Hans Ziller (Guitar)
Frank Pané (Guitar)
Ronnie Parkes (Bass)
Tim Breideband (Drums)

Norwegian black metal band Vreid (Norwegian for Wrath) have released their new album, Lifehunger, via Season Of Mist. Order here, and listen to the album in full, below.

The spiritual successor to the legendary Windir, Vreid have since championed the majesty and tradition of melodic black metal, and given it a unique rock edge. Tracks such as "One Hundred Years", "Dead White" and "Black Rites In The Black Nights" sees the band blend triumphant lead guitars with sombre melodies and ferocious blast beats. Lifehunger is truly extreme metal devoid of genre convention, and redefines darkness within its metallic grandeur.

Tracklisting:

"Flowers & Blood"
"One Hundred Years"
"Lifehunger"
"The Dead White"
"Hello Darkness"
"Black Rites In The Black Nights"
"Sokrates Must Die"
"Heimatt"

Album stream:

"Black Rites In The Black Nights" lyric video:

Lynyrd Skynyrd's Live In Atlantic City is out now on CD + Blu-ray Digipak (limited first print run in fake leather), 2LP Gatefold+download, DVD, Blu-ray, and digital via  earMUSIC. Order here, and watch a video for "Free Bird" from the release below.

There is no other true American rock band quite like Lynyrd Skynyrd. The iconic Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame inductees are some of the most influential legends of our time. Live In Atlantic City, the band's brand new live release, pays tribute to and celebrates its legacy with the help of three incredible artists.

In the Decades Rock Arena in Atlantic City, Lynyrd Skynyrd were joined by incredibly talented guest performers to create one uniquely magical night: 3 Doors Down, who rose to international fame with their first single "Kryptonite"; Hank Williams Jr. (yes, the son of the country music singer Hank Williams); and the American singer and songwriter Bo Bice, who was a runner-up to Carrie Underwood in the fourth season of American Idol.

Newly mixed and mastered, Live In Atlantic City celebrates the legend that is Lynyrd Skynyrd in an energetic, 70-minute show. Each guest artist performs with Lynyrd Skynyrd - there of 3 Doors Down's hit "Kryptonite" and Bo Bice's "The Real Thing," the title track to his album. The show peaks with a performance of the Lynyrd Skynyrd originals - "Call Me The Breeze" and of course "Sweet Home Alabama" – performed by Lynyrd Skynyrd together with all of the special guests.

Tracklisting:

"Workin' For MCA"
"Red White and Blue (Love It Or Leave)"
"Gimme Three Steps"
"The Real Thing" (featuring Bo Bice)
"Gimme Back My Bullets" (featuring Bo Bice)
"Down South Jukin’"(featuring Hank Williams Jr.)
"Born To Boogie" (featuring Hank Williams Jr.)
"That Smell" (featuring 3 Doors Down)
"Kryptonite" (featuring 3 Doors Down)
"Saturday Night Special" (featuring 3 Doors Down)
"Call Me the Breeze"
"Sweet Home Alabama"
"Free Bird"

DVD and Blu-ray also include: Bonus: Lynyrd Skynyrd Confidential

"Free Bird":

"Sweet Home Alabama":

Amoriello's tribute to metal legand Ronnie James Dio is “Battle Song” (featuring Vinny Appice) includes a thunderous drum solo for 16 bars that the former Sabbath/Dio drummer grooves with an emotional vocal delivery from Nick Z. Marino from the current Malmsteen lineup. Impelliterri bassist James Amelio Pulli and ex-Yngwie keysman Michael Troy provide excellent work.

Lineup:

Guitar: Tom Amoriello
Drums: Vinny Appice
Vocals: Nick Z. Marino
Bass: James Amelio Pulli
Keys: Michael Troy

Swedish melodic metallers AMARANTHE have released the official music video for the song "Countdown". The track is taken from the band's upcoming fifth album "Helix", due out October 19 through Spinefarm Records. The disc was recorded at Hansen Studios in Ribe, Denmark with producer Jacob Hansen (VOLBEAT, EPICA, DELAIN). The follow-up to 2016's "Maximalism" marks the band's first release with DYNAZTY's Nils Molin, who officially joined AMARANTHE in July 2017 as the replacement for Jake E.

The "Countdown" video was once again directed by Patric Ullaeus of Revolver Film Company, who has previously worked with DIMMU BORGIR, LACUNA COIL, IN FLAMES and KAMELOT, among others.

Four albums into its career, AMARANTHE has racked up north of 118 million YouTube views and half a billion song streams, has landed at No. 1 on the Billboard Heatseekers chart three times, and possesses a panoply of gold and platinum discs for albums and singles alike. With "Helix", AMARANTHE takes another leap forward in its sonic evolution.


"Helix" proves the band has refined its melodic sensibilities ever further while retaining a cutting-edge metal assault. The band is as massively aggressive as ever and the first single "365" is the perfect example of such — its seductively velvety mix of contemporary pop and modern metal will take up residence in your brain for days.


uitarist Olof Mörck comments: "The 'Helix' album itself is a statement, a declaration and an assertion that we are here to stay, and that the songwriting and musicianship has been honed and maximized to the highest level yet on an AMARANTHE record. The process of composing this album with Elize [Ryd] was as inspiring as it was smooth, and from a composer's and arranger's perspective, a dream collaboration. The time is nigh, the die is cast, and all the stars are right: the 'Helix' will steamroll across the globe, and in its wake, the touring machine that is AMARANTHE will conquer all!"


Vocalist and composer Elize Ryd offered her take, saying: "'Helix' describes the concept of how the past forms us and how life makes us become. No excuses, no regrets. We express the challenges and the uplifting moments in time, and all that in between with the sounds that we love. We want to dedicate this album to all the fighters and friends out there."


"Helix" track listing:

01. The Score

02. 365

03. Inferno

04. Countdown

05. Helix

06. Dream

07. GG6

08. Breakthrough Stardust

09. My Haven

10. Iconic

11. Unified

12. Momentum

Ryd told Radio Q that "Helix" was completed in under five months. "I know we're crazy, but that's what we like," she said. "We like people to be crazy. Just go there, do your shit — do things you wouldn't expect yourself to be able to do. When the [record] label asked, 'Are you guys sure you can have enough time to write a new album?' And we do not like to say 'no,' so we said, 'Of course. Yes.' And we did it."

Added Mörck: "And we figured it was also a good thing for us, to actually push ourselves a little bit. If we sit down to write music — me and Elize together have been writing this whole album — it's never happened even once that we haven't composed something. So when the label asked, I was, at first, like, 'Okay, this could really be pushing it.' So in the back of my head, I was thinking initially that, 'Okay, if this goes south somehow, then maybe we'll have to push [back] the recording — worst-, worst-case scenario.' But it just turned out the other way around. Because it was only two months, and we were constantly in the zone — day and night, every single day, composing all the time — so you never lost the focus of it. And I think it really, really helped the album, because it's a very focused album… So we just took a break from touring for two months to write it. and then another two and a half [months] to record it, and, poof, there was an album. Which is, at least in our opinion, the best album that we've ever composed."

In support of the new album, AMARANTHE will embark on a European tour with POWERWOLF in October and November.


AMARANTHE is:

Elize Ryd - Vocals

Henrik Englund Wilhelmsson - Screams

Nils Molin - Vocals

Olof Mörck - Guitar, Keys

Johan Andreassen - Bass

Morten Løve Sørensen - Drums

Bon Jovi have released another official live video, shot in Philadelphia, PA on the 2018 This House Is Not For Sale tour. Watch the band perform "Lay Your Hands On Me" below:

More footage from the Philadelphia show can be seen below:

A series of videos recapping the North American tour leg of Bon Jovi's This House Is Not For Sale can be seen below:

Episode #1:

Episode #2:

Episode #3:

Episode #4:

Episode #5:

"Caustic Attack", a new song from American grindcore icons TERRORIZER, can be streamed below. The track is the title cut of band's long-anticipated new full-length, which will be released on October 12 via The End Records. Produced by Jason Suecof (DEICIDE, ALL THAT REMAINS, KATAKLYSM, BATTLECROSS) at Audiohammer Studios in Sanford, Florida and featuring the apocalyptic cover art of Timbul Cahyono (ROTTING CORPSE, PYREXIA), the record serves as the band's first studio offering in six years.

TERRORIZER guitarist Lee Harrison commented: "We are proud to finally unveil the new track from 'Caustic Attack'. We made sure this album is unrelenting and 'Invasion' is a good start on the journey. This album is a punisher so be warned. A short and fast blasting dose of Pete Sandoval in his element. We look forward to playing this one live."


"Caustic Attack" track listing:

01. Turbulence

02. Invasion

03. Conflict And Despair

04. Devastate

05. Crisis

06. Infiltration

07. The Downtrodden

08. Trench Of Corruption

09. Sharp Knives

10. Failed Assassin

11. Caustic Attack

12. Poison Gas Tsunami

13. Terror Cycles

14. Wasteland


efore drummer 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 only minor hitch in the process was deciding whether or not to include guitar solos.


"The original TERRORIZER didn't have solos, so we took the same approach," Harrison says. "It was just riff after killer riff. That was an interesting challenge for me — to keep the music fresh without relying on solos. But the great thing about not having solos is it allows us to keep a dense sound as a three-piece. When you put leads in there, you need a second guitar or else the bottom falls out. Staying a three-piece makes it easier to travel and tour, and we didn't want to mess with that formula."


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."


TERRORIZER is:

Pete Sandoval - drums

Lee Harrison - guitar

Sam Molina - bass/vocals

"Shockwave City", a brand new song from UNCLE ACID & THE DEADBEATS, can be streamed below. The track is taken from the band's upcoming album, "Wasteland", which is due to be released on October 12 via Rise Above Records.

The brainchild of mercurial Cambridgeshire mystic Kevin Starrs, UNCLE ACID & THE DEADBEATS have been making extraordinary music since 2009. Now they return with their fifth full-length album. 47 minutes of vital, audacious and frequently bewildering heavy psychedelia, it is instantly recognizable as Starrs's most immersive and evocative body of work yet.

Always too bold and idiosyncratic to be easily pigeonholed, they emerged from an obscure corner of the labyrinthine English underground as shadowy purveyors of a new and overwhelmingly psychedelic take on the gruff and gritty rudiments of hard rock and turbo-blues, powered by the dark, lysergic heart of the late '60s and early '70s and drenched in woozily macabre imagery. Steeped in both the wayward melodies and mischievous arrangements of psychedelic pop and the dissonant thunder of proto-metal and doom, Starrs's greatest feat has been to create an entirely fresh sonic world from these most familiar of ingredients.

"There's not enough melody or harmony in new music for my liking," says Starrs. "I wanted to go even further with all of that this time, and really force it down people's throats! It's important to me that someone keeps it going, especially in heavy music. I always write to my own tastes, so as long as it appeals to me, I don't really think about it. But I would say that it's all been an instinctive progression."

disorientating journey through Starrs's wonkiest dreams, "Wasteland" glides majestically from punchy and direct psych-rock anthems like "I See Through You" and "Shockwave City" to the vicious, somnambulant ooze of the eight-minute "No Return" and the twinkly-eyed bad trip of the album's mesmerizing title track. Recorded at the legendary Sunset Sound studio in Los Angeles, "Wasteland" boasts the kind on irresistibly raw and exuberant sound that only the greatest bands can generate.

"We recorded the basic tracks the way we always do," says Starrs. "Everyone in one room, live and straight to tape. We worked with a great engineer called Geoff Neal (NINE INCH NAILS, MOTÖRHEAD), who really understood what we were going for and how to capture it. Playing in the same room where so many classic albums were made definitely inspired us. Even small things like running the guitars through the same echo chamber that VAN HALEN used in the '70s, it all added to the overall experience."

While most musicians seem content to chase their own (or other people's tails), UNCLE ACID & THE DEADBEATS remain proud and resolute individualists and "Wasteland" is simply their most powerful and memorable spurge of creativity to date. Masterfully echoing the magical atmospheres of heavy music's turbulent past while sounding entirely unlike anything else available to human ears, this is what happens when the shadows come to life and suffocating darkness, UNCLE ACID & THE DEADBEATS style, is the only show in town.


The band will only play one North American show in 2018, at the Desert Days festival in Lake Perris, California, the weekend of October 12-14.


"Wasteland" track listing:

01. I See Through You

02. Shockwave City

03. No Return

04. Blood Runner

05. Stranger Tonight

06. Wasteland

07. Bedouin

08. Exodus

German metallers PRIMAL FEAR have released the official lyric video for the song "Crucify Me". The track is featured on a new seven-inch vinyl single — limited to just 1,000 copies — made available to celebrate the band's return to Nuclear Blast Records. Also featured on the single is a live version of the classic "Nuclear Fire".

The relationship between the German metal commandos and the label from southern Germany goes back over 20 years, since PRIMAL FEAR released its self-titled debut in February 1998 via Nuclear Blast. The record hit the Top 50 in the German Media Control chart, where it stayed for a sensational three weeks. They later released classics such as "Jaws Of Death" (1999), "Nuclear Fire" (2001), "Black Sun" (2002), "Devil's Ground" (2004) and "Seven Seals" (2005) before parting ways with Nuclear Blast for a while and releasing another six very successful albums, including their recent Top 10 record "Apocalypse".


Founding member of the band Mat Sinner commented: "We are coming home to the No. 1 metal label and we‘re really looking forward to working with Markus Staiger and his team. All the incredibly positive reactions to the most recent PRIMAL FEAR album 'Apocalypse' from fans and the press have been a great motivation for us to get started with songwriting for another amazing new album, in collaboration with Nuclear Blast."


Markus Staiger, owner of Nuclear Blast, is just as pleased and stated: "We had a perfect start back then; all the metal fans were hungry for some traditional heavy metal. Together we realised six excellent albums and had a really exciting time. Even during the time after 'Seven Seals', the contact and amity between us and the band never ended. In the end, it was the last few PRIMAL FEAR albums that really convinced me, so we started discussing a new contract and I‘m happy that we reached an agreement quite fast and without complications. I think that PRIMAL FEAR are one of the most powerful and innovative metal bands in Europe and I love their unique, massive and heavy sound. Also, it's really impressive how PRIMAL FEAR have never lost any of their quality and have never stopped being an awesome live act over the last 20 years."

ocalist Ralf Scheepers proudly comments: "It's time to release the beast once more with the combined strength of a record company which is motivated to the max and us musicians of PRIMAL FEAR, who stand like a wall of unity and loyalty. Back to the roots with Nuclear Blast and a heavy tune — 'Crucify Me'!"


PRIMAL FEAR is about to launch the "Apocalypse Over Europe" tour, with labelmates RIOT V as very special guests. The trek, which will include stops in 12 European countries, will kick off on September 28 in Mannheim and end on January 27 in Geiselwind.

German bashers Blind Guardian recently released the first two chapters of their historical documentary series, in which they talk about the band's origins. Today they release part #3. Check it out below along with the previous two installments.

Frontman Hansi Kürsch comments: "Watch and listen! These four tongues may stumble and mumble, but they certainly won‘t stand still. Be prepared! After you've watched part III, the world as you know it will never be the same again."

Part 1:

Part 2:

Part 3

Blind Guardian recently re-released their first four studio albums. Today they start the pre-order for the next reissues, Imaginations From The Other Side, Nightfall In Middle-Earth and A Night At The Opera, which will be released on November 30th via Nuclear Blast. The back-catalogue has been remixed and remastered, and is available in 2CD-digi and 2LP gatefold vinyl format with individual colors.

More reissues are due to follow, in total there will be 10 Blind Guardian re-releases.

Singer Hansi Kürsch comments: "All these albums will not only be available as beautiful 2CD-digipak versions but can also be purchased as gatefold vinyl. Since the vinyl versions of our back catalogue have become so rare over the years, people have kept on asking us about re-issues. Now your wish is granted. The CD version will contain two CDs. One will feature an up to date sounding re-mix and the other will contain the original mix. Both sound great! In comparison to the original mixes, our input on the re-mix versions has been far greater, and therefore have been used for the vinyl versions. They sound fresher, richer and more exciting than the original ones and still pay tribute to the original recordings. It is 100% old school Blind Guardian with a modern twist. What more can you ask for?."

The reissues can now be pre-ordered in the following formats:

Imaginations From The Other Side (1995), remixed 2011/2012,  remastered 2012

- 2 CD-DIGI (remixed/remastered CD+original CD)
- LP in gatefold

Tracklisting:

"Imaginations From The Other Side"
"I’m Alive"
"A Past And Future Secret"
"The Script For My Requiem"
"Mordred’s Song"
"Born In A Mourning Hall"
"Bright Eyes"
"Another Holy War"
"And The Story Ends"

Bonus:
"The Wizard"
"System’s Failing"

Nightfall In Middle-Earth (1998), remixed 2011/2012,  remastered 2012

- 2 CD-DIGI (remixed/remastered CD + original CD)
- LP in gatefold

Tracklisting:

"War Of Wrath"
"Into The Storm"
"Lammoth"
"Nightfall"
"The Minstrel"
"The Curse Of Feanor"
"Captured"
"Blood Tears"
"Mirror Mirror"
"Face The Truth"
"Noldor (Dead Winter Reigns)"
"Battle Of Sudden Flames"
"Time Stands Still (At The Iron Hill)"
"The Dark Elf"
"Thorn"
"The Eldar"
"Nom The Wise"
"When Sorrow Sang"
"Out On The Water"
"The Steadfast"
"A Dark Passage"
"Final Chapter (Thus Ends…)"

Bonus:
"Doom"
"The Tides Of War"

A Night At The Opera (2002), remixed 2011/2012,  remastered 2012

- 2CD-DIGI (remixed/remastered CD+original CD)
- LP in gatefold

Tracklisting:

"Precious Jerusalem"
"Battlefield"
"Under The Ice"
"Sadly Sings Destiny"
"The Maiden And The Minstrel Knight"
"Wait For An Answer"
"The Soulforged"
"Age Of False Innocence"
"Punishment Divine"
"And Then There Was Silence"

Bonus:
"Age Of False Innocence" (demo)
"Under The Ice" (demo)

In the new video below, The Vintage Caravan vocalist/guitarist Óskar Logi performs an acoustic cover of "Hey Hey", originally by American blues singer, songwriter and guitarist, Big Bill Broonzy.

The Vintage Caravan's fourth studio album, Gateways, is out now via Nuclear Blast, and can be ordered in various formats here.

Gateways tracklisting:

"Set Your Sights"
"The Way"
"Reflections"
"On The Run"
"All This Time"
"Hidden Streams"
"Reset"
"Nebula"
"Farewell"
"Tune Out"

Bonus Track (Digi and 2LP only)
"The Chain" (Fleetwood Mac cover)

"Reset" video:

"Set Your Sights" visualizer:

"Reflections":

Epic metal quintet, Rising, will release their fourth album, Sword And Scythe, on October 26th via Indisciplinarian. Today, the band releases a brand-new music video for the album's first single, "Salted Earth", created by the band's visual mastermind, vocalist Morten Grønnegaard.

"Salted Earth" features guest musicians Anders Hjort Straarup on trombone and renowned Danish rock musician Tim Christensen (Dizzy Mizz Lizzy, Tim Christensen) overseeing the grandiose mellotron parts, and backup vocals from Simon Stenbæk of labelmates Piss Vortex. "Salted Earth" will see its single release on digital platforms tomorrow Friday, September 28th.

"Salted Earth" comes off the forthcoming Rising record Sword And Scythe - a concept album which examines the progression and recession of mankind throughout the movements of history. As the sword and the scythe can be tools for fighting evil oppression and feeding hungry mouths, they are equal symbols of destruction and the greedy exploitation of our planet's resources. Since the dawn of man, the strive for power, wealth and growth has pushed many overambitious civilizations over the brink into the endless oblivion of forgotten history.

Vocalist Morten Grønnegård comments on the song, "The main riff for what became 'Salted Earth' was the first thing we wrote for the new album. We wanted to write a concept album as a poetic comment to the miserable state of affairs, and this song really sets the tone for the whole album. Conceptually, 'Salted Earth' is about the end of the world. To salt the earth is the ancient custom of purifying or consecrating a destroyed city with salt and cursing anyone who dare to rebuild it.  It is he cleansing of the old, making space for something new, once the salt has decayed. With our present technology at hand, the question is, if there will be anything to rebuilt for us, once we're done tearing down."

Rising takes an ambitious leap with the band's fourth album Sword And Scythe, a concept album on the history of mankind seen from the perspective of cosmic circularity, where the full potential of the band's musical vision unfolds in a collection of songs of both progressive outlook, melodic mastery and fierce aggression. Sword And Scythe consists of ten songs and two short instrumentals produced by Jacob Bredahl and Rising, while the album's artwork is once again created by singer Morten Grønnegaard.

Sword And Scythe will be released on October 26th on black virgin vinyl 12" LP with a beautifully illustrated gatefold cover, as well as all digital formats via Indisciplinarian.Watch for new singles and more from the album to be released over the coming days.

(Photo - Naya Buch)

Author & Punisher delivers his sixth full-length recording and Relapse debut, Beastland, on October 5th. Listen to the song "Ode To Bedlam" below.

Author & Punisher’s sixth studio album Beastland is due out on CD/LP/Digital via Relapse Records. Physical packages are available for pre-order here and Digital Downloads / Streaming here.

Beastland was recorded at K Street in San Diego, CA and engineered by Tristan Shone & John Cota (Death Eyes). Additional recording was done in Las Cruces, NM with Jason Begin (vytear). The album was co-produced with Braden Diotte (Faust, EXO//ENDO, Neurosis, Pinback, Tarantula Hawk), mixed by Kurt Ballou at God City and mastered by Brad Boatright at Audiosiege.

Drawing inspiration from his career as a mechanical engineer, Tristan Shone (the creator and sole artist behind Author & Punisher) forged a relationship with design, sound, and fabrication that ultimately yielded his hand-built “Drone Machines” which mapped the journey away from traditional instrumentation towards custom made "precision machinery." A robotic experimentation in industrial metal, noise, doom and drone, Author & Punisher recalls Nine Inch Nails channeling Godflesh, traversing through dark, uncompromising, and often disturbing soundscapes with occasional detours into rich melodies and splinters of light. Armed with newly built “Drone Machines” and a new label, Beastland is Author & Punisher’s career-defining statement and a powerful listening experience that further blurs the line between man and machine.

Beastland tracklisting:

"Pharmacide"
"Nihil Strength"
"Ode To Bedlam"
"The Speaker Is Systematically Blown"
"Nazarene"
"Apparition"
"Night Terror"
"Beastland"

"Ode To Bedlam":

"Nihil Strength" video:

Tour dates:

September
27 - Los Angeles, CA - Cold Waves LA @ 1720

October
12 - Rotterdam, Netherlands - RVLT Festival
13 - Helsinki, Finland - Blowup Vol. 4
14 - Tallinn, Estonia - Sveta Baar
15 - St. Petersburg, Russia - LES
16 - Moscow, Russia - Model T
17 - Malmo, Sweden - Plan B (w/ Conan)
18 - Copenhagen, Denmark - Pumpehuset (w/ Godflesh)
19 - Oslo, Norway - Bla
20 - Gothenburg, Sweden - Sticky Fingers (w/ Godflesh)
24 - Lisbon, Portugal - MusicBox
25 - Porto, Portugal - Maus Habitos

November (with The Body, Uniform)
8 - Cambridge, MA - Sonia
9 - Montreal, QC - La Sala Rossa
10 - Toronto, ON - Baby G
11 - Detroit, MI - El Club
12 - Oberlin, OH - Dionysus Disco
13 - Chicago, IL - Empty Bottle
15 - Pittsburgh, PA - Spirit Hall
16 - Philadelphia, PA - PhilaMOCA
17 - Brooklyn, NY - Market Hotel

(Photo - Auge Arredondo)

A revamped version of KINGDOM COME — comprised of guitarists Danny Stag and Rick Steier, bassist Johnny B. Frank, drummer James Kottak, along with singer Keith St. John (formerly of MONTROSE and LYNCH MOB) — is celebrating the 30th anniversary of the release of the band's self-titled debut album by embarking on a U.S. tour. Original singer Lenny Wolf declined to participate in the trek, which kicked off on September 27 at Club Sur Rocks in Seattle, Washington.

Fan-filmed video footage of KINGDOM COME performing the song "Shout It Out" at the Seattle concert can be seen below.

Kottak, who played on KINGDOM COME's first two albums, 1988's "Kingdom Come" and 1989's "In Your Face" before leaving, spoke to "Rock Talk With Mitch Lafon" about his decision to resurrect the group. "I've been itching at this," he said. "We tried to launch it back in 2012-13; it just didn't happen because my duties with SCORPIONS took over. And here we are now. We've got the original four — me, myself, Danny Stag on guitar; Johnny B. Frank on bass; Rick Steier on guitar — and then introducing Keith St. John, the vocalist who sang for MONTROSE, LYNCH MOB, etc. And I'm so excited. It's gonna be so awesome."

Regarding Lenny's decision to sit out the tour, James said: "Lenny is just kind of Lenny. To know him is to love him, and I love him and respect his wishes. We've gone back and forth over the last five, six years about this KINGDOM COME reboot, but recently, back in November [or] December, I approached him and I gave him everything on a silver platter, but he said, 'You know what? I just don't wanna do it.' He's just kind of done. He wants to retire. He's got his life. He's up in Hamburg, Germany, and he just doesn't wanna deal with it. And I can understand that and I respect that.

I had this desire to do this for so long, and he knew that — he knew this going into it, that I wanted to do it, and I'm not gonna let anything stop me," he continued. "So I'm taking it out — KINGDOM COME; it's my name — 'cause it was my band too. So we're out there, and Lenny gave us [his] blessing. I really wish he was onboard, [but] he's just not, and it is what it is. And you do what you have to do, and that's it. It's rock and roll, man."

Asked if the new KINGDOM COME will perform only cuts from the self-titled debut or if it will include other material in its set, Kottak said: "We're gonna play the entire first album, but also we're gonna include songs from the second album, and then also what we thought we would do is add in some MONTROSE, because me and Keith were both with MONTROSE. We're gonna add in some… a little bit of this, and maybe a WARRANT song, and maybe this song and that song, and a little bit of everything to keep it interesting. I mean, we're gonna play some LED ZEPPELIN. Are you kidding? GRETA VAN FLEET is killing it. And we wanna include everything, because we don't wanna be a one-dimensional band, like, 'Oh, it's KINGDOM COME, KINGDOM COME. We're playing the first album.' We wanna include everything, we wanna involve everybody and we wanna make it interesting, because, face it or not, people's attention spans have gotten very short. And we want to entertain everyone — in an hour and 15 minutes, we want to provide you with 24, 28 songs. Maybe it's not the complete songs, but you know what you're gonna get? You're gonna get a rock and roll extravaganza, [and] you're gonna get entertainment."

Kottak, who joined the SCORPIONS in 1996 and played with the band for 20 years, went on to say that he hopes KINGDOM COME can continue well beyond the U.S. tour. "For me, this is something I wanted to reboot years ago, but SCORPIONS didn't end," he said, referring to the German group's aborted farewell tour. "What I would like to see happen is we do this to reboot it and we get it up and running at the end of September through October, and then we keep going and going. And I would like to tour on it and I would create some new music, or some new singles — something. But I want it to continue on, because I love rock and roll, and I love KINGDOM COME. And maybe Lenny will contribute some music towards it… I just want things to go forward — I want things to be big. Because if the music isn't there, I'm not there, man."

He continued: "I've been offered so many situations, to play with this one and that one and whatever, and do this and that, whatever, and, honestly, I just don't wanna do it. I wanna do what I wanna do. I've worked my ass off for 35 years, and I wanna do what I wanna do. I wanna be creative and I wanna be involved in what I wanna do. And that's selfish, but…

"I love rock and roll and I like good rock and roll, and KINGDOM COME, to me, is the best of the best. So let's see what happens, man."

Keith St. John also made an appearance on "Rock Talk With Mitch Lafon" to address his involvement with the revamped KINGDOM COME. The singer, who has known Kottak for more than two decades, said that he decided to front the project after careful consideration over a year-long period.

"As a vocalist, when you're gonna go out and either sub in or become the new guy in a band that's been seen and is kind of iconic and especially that had a lot of video exposure, it's a big decision for me, as a singer, because the vocalist is hard to miss, and especially for the fans — it's hard to miss that there's a different vocalist when people come out to see a band," he explained. "So I'm really careful about picking and choosing what I'll do. And suffice it to say, living in L.A. and being a guy that most of the, let's say, '80s, hair-band kind of genre knows about, I get called to do this kind of thing. And for me, my basic philosophy, as I've been getting middle-aged, or whatever you wanna call it — a little older — has been, if I can't be me and just do my thing and have it just fit in with the style of the band, then I really have to pass these days.

"The KINGDOM COME thing came about out of the blue, when James and I were talking, probably close to a year ago," he continued. "And I listened to the material and I thought about it, and I was, like, 'Man, this stuff really could be done in a way… I mean, I can sing this my way and it'll still sound authentic, like it's supposed to sound, and I can have a lot of fun with this stuff.' And as also part of my due diligence, I said to myself, 'Well, you guys [have] really gotta make sure that you wanna do this, because, by and large, for me' — I always tell this to bands, and I'm sure everybody else feels the same way — 'if the original guys are alive and you can get together, get together, man. Do it. Because there's only so much time.' But, for whatever reason, this is something that probably has to remain the way it is, as far as Lenny doing his own thing and the band doing its own thing. And that's cool — they spent a lot of time working it out. So I waited until they did their diligence and they were really sure. A bunch of months went by — like a half a year — and we said, 'Are you sure? Are you sure? Okay.' And we said, 'Okay, let's go for it, man. [We've] got a month or more worth of dates in the fall. Let's try it out. Let's start it there, see how it goes.' And we're either gonna have a really big super-win or we're gonna have a whole bunch of angry fans going, 'Thumbs down.' [Laughs]"

This past June, Wolf issued a statement via his official web site in which he said that "the KINGDOM COME ship has reached its final destination, at least during my visit on our planet earth." He added that his decision was "mainly caused by experiences I made throughout the last three years, during which the fun factor disappeared more and more, and our energy and hopes have repeatedly been crushed by people and circumstances beyond our control. Some folks out there may not believe it, but it's NOT all about money," he said. "I realized that chasing something which seems is not meant to be, trying to force things, would never lead to something good. Therefore it's time to let go.

"It's been a fantastic 30-year-long musical ride, for which I can only be VERY grateful," the singer added. "Having gone through good and bad times, in the end it was an exceptional way to explore our planet, having met countless wonderful people around the globe and building up memories that can not be taken away from me, or you.

"I'm not saying that I will never write a song again, or never again enter a stage, but the chapter called 'KINGDOM COME' is now closed. One day I may revisit the music scene with a new band called 'IRON BANANA', but until then, it is what it is.

"I hope the KINGDOM COME songs have given many of you energy, joy and strength, as they did for me," Lenny said. "The KINGDOM COME songs will live on, long after we all have turned to dust, and will hopefully do the same for many generations to come, unless of course, we have blown up our planet before then."

After its early run of success in the '80s, KINGDOM COME released several albums, with Wolf remaining the only constant member of the band. The group's most recent effort was 2013's "Outlier".

Posted by Chad Binford on Friday, September 28, 2018

SABATON's 2012 album, "Carolus Rex", has been certified quadruple platinum in the band's home country of Sweden. The concept effort — which is the group's biggest success to date — charts the rise and fall of the Swedish Empire, in particular the life of Charles XII ("Carolus Rex") who ruled it for 21 years. In an amazing coincidence, the album's quadruple platinum certification comes exactly 300 years after the king's death in 1718.

The members of SABATON will be presented with their quadruple platinum discs later this year.

Bass player Pär Sundström said: "Over the past few years, we've been traveling around the world to perform, while expanding SABATON's empire into new countries and meeting incredible new fans along the way. There's no place like home though, and it's humbling to know that people in our native Sweden are still so amazingly supportive of us after all these years. Thank you to everyone who played a role in making 'Carolus Rex' one of the most successful Swedish rock albums ever!"

To celebrate the album's success, and to commemorate the Swedish king who inspired it, SABATON will release a special 300th-anniversary edition of "Carolus Rex" on November 30, which is the date Carolus Rex was killed in Norway.

b>"Carolus Rex (Platinum Edition)" track listing:

CD1 (English Version)

01. Dominium Maris Baltici

02. The Lion From The North

03. Gott Mit Uns

04. A Lifetime Of War

05. 1 6 4 8

06. The Carolean's Prayer

07. Carolus Rex

08. Killing Ground

09. Poltava

10. Long Live The King

11. Ruina Imperii

Bonus Tracks

12. Twilight Of The Thunder God

13. In The Army Now

14. Feuer Frei

15. Harley From Hell

CD2 (Swedish Version)

01. Dominium Maris Baltici

02. Lejonet Från Norden

03. Gott Mit Uns

04. En Livstid I Krig

05. 1 6 4 8

06. Karolinens Bön

07. Carolus Rex

08. Ett Slag Färgat Rött

09. Poltava

10. Konungens Likfärd

11. Ruina Imperii

CD3 (Swedish Empire Live) - Earbook Only!

Live @ Woodstock Festival (Poland)

01. The March To War

02. Ghost Division

03. Uprising

04. Gott Mit Uns

05. Cliffs Of Gallipoli

06. The Lion From The North

07. The Price Of A Mile

08. Into The Fire

09. Carolus Rex

10. Midway

11. White Death

12. Attero Dominatus

13. The Art Of War

14. Primo Victoria

15. 40:1

16. Metal Crüe

Alice Cooper guitarist Ryan Roxie has released a lyric video for "God Put A Smile Upon Your Face", a track from his solo album, Imagine Your Reality, out now via Lenata/Bellyache/Cargo Records. Watch below.

A Coldplay song would not be the obvious tune to cover on a guitar-driven rock record like Imagine Your Reality. Not the obvious choice, but the correct one. Roxie takes the melancholy mood of the Coldplay classic and injects a punkish energy to it with layer upon layer of raw guitar tracks while still staying true to the song's dark timbre.

Complimented by a new enigmatic video shot on location in the Las Vegas Desert by director/cinematographer Denise Truscello with graphic lyric overlay by Gustav Kronfelt and additional editing by Jonny Vegas, "God Put A Smile On Your Face" will do to you just what the title suggests.

Imagine Your Reality continues Roxie’s legacy of creating infectiously melodic songs and straight ahead no nonsense rock riffs, and this time with more guitar than ever before! Ten tracks, all underlined by ten gleaming guitar solos. From the punk rock undertones of "Never Mind Me" to the un-sugarcoated tale of life in La La Land ('To Live And Die In LA') to the superb Beatle-y/Oasis nod, "Look Me In The Eye" - it’s a uplifting big rock sound. Robin Zander transforms "California Man" into the ultimate vintage-vibed, top down, drive in the sunshine, rock n' roll anthem.

Tracklisting:

"Big Rock Show"
"Over And Done"
"California Man"
"To Live And Die In LA"
"Uh Oh Song"
"Me Generation"
"Look Me In The Eye"
"Hearts In Trouble"
"Nevermind Me"
"God Put A Smile Upon Your Face"

"Me Generation" lyric video:

"To Live And Die In LA" lyric video:

"Over And Done" lyric video:

"California Man" lyric video:

The album was produced by Kristoffer 'Folle' Folin, Tommy Henriksen and Jon Bordon. Recorded and mixed at Purple Skull Studios, Stockholm Sweden.

Lineup:

Ryan Roxie - Guitars, Vocals
Tommy Henriksen Bass on tracks 1, 6, 9
Kristoffer 'Folle' Folin - Bass on tracks 2, 3, 4, 5, 7
Jon Bordon - Badd on track 8
Kristoffer 'Folle' Folin - Drums on tracks 2, 3, 4, 5, 7
Glen Sobel - Drums on tracks 1, 6, 9
Anton Korberg - Drums on track 8
Seven Anapolis - Drums on track 3
Teddy 'Zig-Zag' Andriatis - Keyboards/Piano on track 3
John Bordon - Keyboards/Piano on track 8

Backing Vocals - Johan Becker, Kristoffer 'Folle' Folin, Tommy Henriksen
Special guest vocals on track 3 - Robin Zander

Ryan Roxie is touring with Alice Cooper. Tour dates and info here.

Irish thrashers Gama Bomb have released a video for "Give Me Leather", featured on the band’s sixth album Speed Between The Lines, out October 12th via AFM Records. Watch below.

Bassist Joe McGuigan on Speed Between The Lines: “Our aim with this record was keep refining the Gama Bomb thrash formula. It’s got faster and more punky riffing, battling axes and catchy, memorable choruses from Philly, who’s back with the Halford / Belladona notes after injuring his voice a few years back.”

Speed Between The Lines was produced by longtime Gama Bomb collaborator Scott Atkins (Cradle of Filth, Sylosis). The album will be available as CD, clear yellow gatefold vinyl (ltd. to 250 units), turquoise gatefold vinyl (ltd. to 250 units), clear/red gatefold and vinyl red/black splatter (ltd. to 100 units) which is exclusively available in the AFM webshop.

Tracklisting:

"Give Me Leather"
"A Hanging"
"666teen"
"Bring Out The Monster"
"R.I.P. U"
"Motorgeist"
"Alt-Reich"
"Stay Rotten"
"We R Going 2 Eat U"
"Kurt Russell"
"World Gone To Hell"
"Faceblaster"

"Bring Out The Monster" video:

"666teen" lyric video:

Faster Pussycat guitarist Ace Von Johnson has quite simply stated, "I’ll be on tour with L.A. Guns starting next week."

LAG lead guitarist Tracii Guns has corroborated this on Twitter, writing: "I’d like to welcome @acevonjohnson into the @laguns family . He will be joining us on tour starting next week." Tracii also posted the following photo:

Von Johnson will be filling in for rhythm guitarist Adam Hamilton, who needs to be at home due to family matters.

Catch L.A. Guns live at the following shows:

October
4 - The Eclectic Room - Angola, IN
5 - The Machine Shop - Flint, MI
6 - Ground Zero - Traverse City, MI
8 - Shank Hall - Milwaukee, WI
9 - The Cabooze - Minneapolis, MN
11 - The Forge - Joliet, IL
12 - Riverside Ballroom - Green Bay, WI
15 - 37 Main Buford - Buford, GA
17 - The Basement East - Nashville, TN
18 - The International - Knoxville, TN
19 - Mulcahy's Pub And Concert Hall - Wantagh, NY
21 - Fish Head Cantina - Halethorpe, MD

November
23 - Coach House Concert Hall - San Juan Capistrano, CA
24 - Marquee Theatre - Tempe, AZ
29 - Proof Rooftop Lounge - Houston, TX

December
6 - The Royal Grove - Lincoln, NE
7 - The State Theatre - Harrah, OK
8 - IDL Ballroom - Tulsa, OK
28 - Count's Vamp'd - Las Vegas, NV
29 - Count's Vamp'd - Las Vegas, NV

Check out the lyric video for "A Drop Of Bleach" from The Missing Peace.

Prior to headlining The Rockpile in Toronto, Ontario, L.A. Guns guitarist Tracii Guns - who recently reunited with vocalist Phil Lewis - invited BraveWords scribe Aaron Small on board the band’s tour bus for an exclusive chat about all things LAG.

First matter of discussion was the recent L.A. Guns lineup change. In March of 2018, guitarist Michael Grant (who had been with the group since 2013) and LAG parted ways. Then Johnny Monaco (Enuff Z’nuff) joined the band for a very brief stint, and now Adam Hamilton - who played bass on LAG albums Waking The Dead, and Tales From The Strip - is the new rhythm guitarist. “We had (guitar) pics made that just say Stage Right on them; we never know who’s coming or going on that side of the stage,” jokes Tracii. “Adam’s been in the band forever (from 2001 - 2007). I just thought it would be really cool to have this kind of shredder guitar player on the other side; make a spectacle of it. But I guess in the end, that’s not really what L.A. Guns is. Having Adam, even at rehearsal before the shows, it was like, ‘oh, that’s solid!’ I’m always trying to improve things that don’t need to be improved. Right now, it’s nice.”

Last month Tracii took to Instagram saying he was about to record “what has to be the best guitar work I have ever done.” Reflecting upon that posting, Tracii admits, “That’s where the stress lies. People are paying attention to me all of a sudden, which they really didn’t for years. It’s got to be good, it’s got to be something. I think we managed to raise the bar a little bit with the one that’s going to be out next.”

That next album is nearly complete, with all the music in the can. “Just waiting for Phil to finish (his vocals). Everything’s done. All the lyrics are written, all the melodies. The songs are done, he’s got five in the bag, so he’s got to do seven more.” We’re looking at a twelve-track album then? “I think it’s going to be eleven with a bonus track. Wait, no, no, it’s 13 songs; all original, no covers. No ballads. There’s something close to a ballad; it’s a murder ballad, ‘One More Season In Hell’. We have a song that is like The Cult - Sonic Temple, it’s called ‘Gone Honey’ - that’s a really cool, different kind of thing. A lot of the album’s really heavy. There’s ‘The Devil You Know’, ‘Loaded Bomb’, ‘Boom’, ‘Rage’ - we have some with one-word titles and some with all these words in the title. The album’s going to be called Wasn’t Tomorrow Great.”

When it comes to artwork, that title lends itself to so many different possibilities. “Yeah, we were thinking about calling the album Gravity’s In Control. But, last minute change. Phil’s wife was coming up with this concept for the globe hanging in space, but it was the L.A. Guns logo. I think that’s still in order, cause you’re looking at the world - Wasn’t Tomorrow Great - when you dream, it’s always about something that’s going to happen. The dreams are usually great.”

Tracii handles all of the guitar parts on Wasn’t Tomorrow Great; lead and rhythm. “It was recorded just me, Johnny (Martin - bass), and Shane (Fitzgibbon - drums),” confirms the six-stringer. Wasn’t Tomorrow Great is coming out really quickly as the previous studio album, The Missing Peace, was released in October 2017, and the live album, Made In Milan, was just released in March 2018. New material is always welcome, but why such a rush? Why not tour on The Missing Peace more? “Because we toured so much before The Missing Peace,” answers Tracii. “And, people have a short attention span. It’s nice to hear now - today - how much people are still listening to The Missing Peace. We weren’t going to do one this quick, we were going to wait about another six months from this point, but we had a break and I was home, and I wrote all the music really quickly; not intentionally. I didn’t sit down and say, ‘ok, got to write an album now.’ It was like, ‘we’re supposed to start writing soon…’ Then all this really, really cool stuff came out. Me and Phil, we have a co-writer, this guy Mitch Davis. I just started sending him demos and he was like, ‘Holy Shit!’ I was like, ‘Jesus Christ, let’s just do this.’” And the potential release date? “We’re looking at March through Frontiers Music.”

Once again, Tracii is producing the album. “I did the last one, I did this one. I don’t wanna fuck with the system; the system works. We did do an upgrade on this. We went to a really nice studio - Big Bad Sound LA - to record drums, to record all the instruments. Where on the last album, we went to pretty nice studios to do the drums, and then everything was done in my studio after that. But I managed to get 95% of the guitar done in the same room where we recorded drums, which adds a certain kind of togetherness. I used the same room mics for the guitars that we used for the drums. It’s like, wow! You just pull the faders up and it doesn’t need to be mixed, everything fits. It was like a Godsend.”

All counted, there’s seven L.A. Guns albums of original material featuring both Tracii and Phil. Does that mean the songs found on Tales From The Strip (2005) and Hollywood Forever (2012) - which featured guitarist Stacey Blades in place of Tracii Guns - are dead and buried, never to be played live again? “Fuck those songs man. That’s not L.A. Guns, I’m not on those records.” To be fair, the unexpected does happen occasionally. Case in point, Guns N’ Roses performing “Slither” by Velvet Revolver live. Of course, Velvet Revolver featured GN’R members Slash and Duff McKagan, along with Stone Temple Pilots vocalist Scott Weiland. No one ever thought Axl Rose would sing that song, but he is. “I think Axl’s being nice,” offers Tracii. “It is a good song, it was massive on radio. But nobody knows shit off those fucking L.A. Guns records; it’s the truth. Nobody knows shit off half the records I did with L.A. Guns either. The first three, maybe a glimpse of Vicious Circle, a glimpse of Waking The Dead. Those are records we love, and there’s certain songs from those that the audience knows, but overall, to be realistic, the first two records and ‘Kiss My Love Goodbye’ and ‘Over The Edge’ off Hollywood Vampires - that is by far and away the most popular stuff. Then there’s The Missing Peace - it came out of nowhere.”

(L.A. Guns photo by Amy Maglieri, Tracii Guns photo by Aaron Small)

Nita Strauss, the incredibly talented guitarist who has rocked out on stage with ALICE COOPER, FEMME FATALE, Jermaine Jackson, THE IRON MAIDENS and more, will release her debut solo album, "Controlled Chaos", on November 16 via Sumerian Records.

The electric and fiery music video for "Our Most Desperate Hour" is the first look into what's to come from this new chapter of Nita's career. You can check out the clip below.

On the upcoming album, Nita shares: "From bright and fun to aggressive and dark, from peaceful to chaotic, this album is a way for me to give the listener a glimpse into my personality and what goes on inside my mind."

"Controlled Chaos" is available for pre-order at NitaStrauss.com.


b>Strauss has been fighting to make a name for herself in the guitar world for years. She is one of the most sought-after clinicians in the industry and has done extensive clinic tours across multiple continents. Her consistent touring schedule has shown her to play in front of over a million audience members per year consistently for the past several years. 2018 has already proven to be a banner year for Nita with her being named as the first-ever female Ibanez signature artist in the company's 60-year history. She played WWE suprstar Shinsuke Nakamura's entrance music at "WrestleMania" in New Orleans in front of an audience of 78,000 fans and millions streaming worldwide just before surpassing her Kickstarter campaign eight times over, allowing her to self-produce and record "Controlled Chaos".


The 11-track album was a challenge to Strauss and an opportunity for her to reconnect with what inspired her to pick up a guitar in the first place. She says: "I started playing guitar because of instrumental guitar music. All my real heroes made instrumental albums. All my own career has been spent playing in bands, but I never forgot that dream of what inspired me to pick up the guitar in the first place."


"Controlled Chaos" track listing:

01. Prepare For War

02. Alegria

03. Our Most Desperate Hour

04. Mariana Trench

05. Here With You

06. The Stillness At The End

07. The Quest

08. Hope Grows

09. Lion Among Wolves

10. Pandemonium 2.0

11. The Show Must Go On

Earlier this year, Strauss said that she always intended to keep the production costs for her solo disc relatively low. "I'm not planning on making a 'Chinese Democracy' here," she said, referring to GUNS N' ROSES' last studio effort, which reportedly took more than a decade and cost in excess of ten million dollars to record. "It's an instrumental guitar record. I can make it on a good budget. I have a home studio, so the only thing I'll really need to spend the money on, as far as recording, is some equipment and, of course, drums, 'cause I don't wanna do drums at my house, and mixing and mastering. So the budget for the actual recording is fairly modest. And the rest of it already was planned to go towards a tour and towards publicity for the record and making it as cool as it could be. So now that we've reached the goal and then some, there will definitely be a tour. And there will definitely be quite a few tours to support it."

Asked if she has given any thought as to whether she might use the same musicians that are playing on the album as her backing band on tour, Nita said: "I'll definitely use the same drummer; yeah, it my boyfriend [Josh Villalta]. He played drums on my single, 'Pandemonium', which came out last year. And besides it being really great to work with somebody that you have such great chemistry with, he's also the best drummer that I know, so it's a match made in heaven right there. And then as far as bass and second guitar, it really just depends who else is on the tour. I'm not gonna be putting really a band together for this project; it's really just gonna be me and the backing musicians, aside from the consistent drummer, of course, Josh. So I'll either be sharing a backing band with some of the other musicians on the tour or hiring people on a need-to-hire basis."


Strauss will perform at this year's U.K. Guitar Show on Sunday, September 30.

Nita's skill, exuberant stage presence and love for all things about her instrument have earned her a stellar reputation in the music industry and endorsements including Ibanez Guitars, Marshall Amplification, DiMarzio pickups, Monster Energy and more.


Photo credit: Larry Dimarzio

Japanese avant garde metal veterans SIGH will release their 11th studio album, "Heir To Despair", on November 16 via Candlelight Records.

While the previous album, "Graveward" (2015), was rather symphonic orchestral stuff, "Heir To Despair" is pointing at the completely opposite direction. Heavily inspired by old crazy progressive bands like BRAINTICKET, EMBRYO, AGITATION FREE, BETWEEN, GENTLE GIANT, OS MUTANTES, MODULO 1000, BLACK WIDOW, etc., "Heir to Despair" turned out to be a heavy, psychedelic and exotic album filled with vintage keyboards and flute.

"Homo Homini Lupus" is the first track to be shared from the record featuring guest vocals from Philip Anselmo (PANTERA, DOWN, SUPERJOINT).

Vocalist Mirai Kawashima comments: "'Homo Homini Lupus' is one of the fastest and the simplest tracks on 'Heir To Despair'. Don't expect other songs to sound like this.

'Homo Homini Lupus' means 'man is wolf to man' in Latin. Thomas Hobbes referred to this verb to describe how men would act in the state of nature before we were civilized. The world shown in 'The Walking Dead' series should be the best example of what we truly are. Men become wolves, or should I say men are wolves in their real nature. Look what our ancestors did during the wartime! Look what our ancestors did during famine! We have own wolves inside."


Mirai met Philip 20 years ago when they were both in U.S. death metal band NECROPHAGIA. Mirai said: "It is a great honor for us to finally have him on our album! He added a great atmosphere to the song with his very deep voices! It should be VERY easy for you to tell which parts were sung by Phil."

What the band describes with this album is the world through the eyes of madness. Yes, the album is about insanity. Music on the album is varied as a mad man's thoughts. It starts with psychedelic and exotic "Aletheia" but the following "Homo Homini Lupus" is rather a straightforward thrashy song with the typical SIGH twist. "In Memories Delusional" is a brutal tune with heavy Asian touches, which must be an new experience for everybody, while "Heresy Trilogy" is the representation of pure madness and insanity with lots of crazy stuff going on, which has nothing to do with metal at all. The album ends with the title track, which is a 10-minute-long progressive epic song.

It should be nothing surprising for SIGH fans, but the album got everything from extreme metal, '60s/'70s rock, jazz, classical, world music, dub, and noise. The music styles it covers are as wide as the world through the eyes of madness. Also "Heir to Despair" can be taken as SIGH's first attempt to intentionally take in Japanese/Asian musical feel. Mirai used some Japanese traditional singing techniques and the ex-Estradasphere Shamisen (the Japanese traditional instrument) master Kevin Kmetz is featured on several songs. Moreover, 90% of the lyrics are in Japanese, which never happened on the past SIGH albums.

The album was mixed by a Canadian engineer, Phil Anderson and mastered by Maor Appelbaum, who has worked with a lot of great artists such as FAITH NO MORE, YES and Yngwie Malmsteen, to name a few. Phil and Maor have a perfect combination and they have worked together on many projects. Thanks to them, "Heir To Despair" turned out the heaviest SIGH album.

The cover artwork, which exactly fits the concept of the album, was again drawn by Eliran Kantor. Eliran did the artworks for the past SIGH albums such as "Scenes From Hell" (2010) and "In Somniphobia" (2012).

Mirai adds: "I just suggested to Eliran that the album is about insanity and gave him some Japanese psychotropic drug advertisement from the '60s / '70s, which I love, to show him what kind of artwork I wanted. The result was perfect. The woman on the artwork looks ostensibly happy but the plant she's watering is withering, and her room looks like a mess. This is what true insanity is about. This is what true horror is about. These days people are trying to pretend to be as happy as possible on SNS, but what kind of darkness do they have in their mind? You cannot draw the line between sanity and insanity any more."

SIGH is:

Mirai Kawashima: Vocals, Flute, Piccolo, Keyboards, Guitar, Taishogoto

Dr. Mikannibal: Vocals, Alto Saxophone

You Oshima: Guitar

Satoshi Fujinami: Bass

Junichi Harashima: Drums

"Heir To Despair" track listing:

01. Aletheia

02. Homo Homini Lupus

03. Hunters Not Horned

04. In Memories Delusional

Heresy Trilogy

05. Heresy I: Oblivium

06. Heresy II: Acosmism

07. Heresy III: Sub Specie Aeternitatis

08. Hands Of The String-Puller

09. Heir To Despair