New Jersey noisemakers Toothgrinder have released their cover of Fleetwood Mac's "The Chain." Listen via one of the services here, or with the YouTube clip below.

"As a child, my father's three favorite groups were Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, Fleetwood Mac, and The Allman Brothers," said singer Justin Matthews. "I grew accustomed to southern rock from an early age. As a lyricist, I subconsciously write in that frame of mind. I LOVE a good story written through song. Fleetwood Mac in particular has always held a special place in my heart."

The singer put things in perspective and further revealed how Fleetwood Mac impacted his process as a lyricist, saying, "During the making of Phantom Amour, I needed a break from the recording process to go clear my head. I cruised down to Luray, Virginia through the skyline drive to get some perspective on what I was doing. I parked myself on a stool at an Irish pub somewhere in town. Half in the bag, I listened to Fleetwood Mac's 'The Chain.' I then began writing the lyrics to our ballad 'Jubilee.' There is something about associating music with my surroundings that has always captivated me. Music to me has always seemed like a fantastical theme song to a particular point in time. I wanted to pay homage to the legends that helped me write my favorite and most personal song yet."

He finished, "Considering the impact Fleetwood Mac had on the Phantom Amour writing process, 'The Chain' was the obvious choice. It has this beautiful twang that is so far from anything we have ever done, that I wanted to capture that as well as we could. I hope we did it justice, and without a doubt I am extremely grateful we had an opportunity to do something like this. Gratitude is everything."

With Metallica set to reissue their classic album ...And Justice For All (available everywhere on November 2nd), the band are posting live versions of each song from the album from over the years. In the video below, Metallica performs "The Shortest Straw" at RFK Stadium in Washington, D.C. on July 17th, 1992.

More rare live videos can be found at the bottom of this article.

"We’re guessing that this one is coming as absolutely no surprise to anyone," says Metallica; "next up in our line of reissues is …And Justice For All! As many of you know, we’ve been rereleasing our albums remastered for the most advanced sound quality possible along with special deluxe editions including previously unreleased audio and video recordings. Next up is …Justice, coming to your favourite music retailer, Metallica.com and the Probity Merch UK/EU Metallica Shop on November 2nd with pre-orders beginning today.

"Available in both physical and digital versions, there will be multiple options to suit your taste... double LP on 180-gram vinyl, CD, cassette, 3-CD expanded edition and deluxe box set, all remastered as overseen by Greg Fidelman. The 3-CD set includes the remastered album, two discs including never before released rough mixes, demos and live tracks, and an expanded booklet including unseen photos taken by the master, Ross Halfin. The limited edition, one-pressing-only deluxe box set includes the remastered CD and double LP versions of the album, “One” 10” vinyl picture disc, triple live LP set featuring a newly mixed version of the band's iconic show from Seattle ‘89 by Greg Fidelman, 4 DVDs, 11 CDs of unreleased demos, rough mixes, interviews and live tracks, many of which have never been available and were pulled from our personal collections. There’s also a 120-page hardcover book with rare and never-before-seen photos from Ross Halfin’s vaults and friends and family, along with essays by those who were with us for the madness. Still not enough? The box also includes a set of four patches, a Pushead print, a tour laminate, lyric sheets and a download card for all the audio goodies included.

"Pre-order your copy now and we’ll send you a digital remastered version of “Dyers Eve” (streaming below), while pre-orders of the expanded and deluxe editions will receive an additional instant download of “Eye Of The Beholder" (Live at Hammersmith Odeon, London, England – October 10, 1988) (streaming below). Several additional instant grats will be sent to all pre-orders between now and November 2nd.

"Deluxe box sets are limited edition collectors’ items, so get yours before they are gone! You may pre-order all the configurations in the Met Store now and also our store serving European fans and beyond, and of course …And Justice For All will be available at your local record stores around the world on Friday, November 2nd."

Tracklistings:

...And Justice For All (Remastered) - Available on Vinyl, CD, Cassette and Digitally

"Blackened"
"...And Justice For All"
"Eye Of The Beholder"
"One"
"The Shortest Straw"
"Harvester Of Sorrow"
"The Frayed Ends Of Sanity"
"To Live Is To Die"
"Dyers Eve"

Remastered by Reuben Cohen at Lurssen Mastering, Los Angeles, CA

...And Justice For All (Remastered): 3-CD Expanded Edition

Disc One: ...And Justice For All (Remastered)

"Blackened"
"...And Justice For All"
"Eye Of The Beholder"
"One"
"The Shortest Straw"
"Harvester Of Sorrow"
"The Frayed Ends Of Sanity"
"To Live Is To Die"
"Dyers Eve"

Remastered by Reuben Cohen at Lurssen Mastering, Los Angeles, CA.

Disc Two: Demos & Rough Mixes - Previously Unreleased

"Blackened" (November 1987 Demo)
"...And Justice For All" (November 1987, Writing in Progress)
"Eye Of The Beholder" (November 1987, Writing in Progress)
"One" (Work in Progress Rough Mix)
"The Shortest Straw" (December 1987, Writing in Progress)
"Harvester Of Sorrow" (Work in Progress Rough Mix)
"The Frayed Ends Of Sanity" (November 1987 Demo)
"To Live Is To Die" (Work in Progress Rough Mix)
"Dyers Eve" (January 1988 Demo)

Disc Three: Live from the Damaged Justice Tour - Previously Unreleased except where noted

"Blackened" (Live – Seattle ’89) - Previously released on Live Shit: Binge & Purge. Newly mixed by Greg Fidelman.
"For Whom The Bell Tolls" (Live at Long Beach Arena, Long Beach, CA – December 7th, 1988)
"Welcome Home (Sanitarium)" (Live at Hammersmith Odeon, London, England – October 10th, 1988)
"Leper Messiah" (Live at Long Beach Arena, Long Beach, CA – December 7th, 1988)
"Harvester Of Sorrow" (Live at Hammersmith Odeon, London, England – October 10th, 1988)
"Eye Of The Beholder" (Live at Hammersmith Odeon, London, England – October 10th, 1988)
"Seek & Destroy" (Live at the Troubadour, West Hollywood, CA – May 24th, 1988)
"Creeping Death" (Live at Reunion Arena, Dallas, TX – February 5th, 1989) - Previously released as a b-side to one of the many singles for One. Newly remastered.
"One" (Live – Seattle ’89) - Previously released on Live Shit: Binge & Purge. Newly mixed by Greg Fidelman.
"…And Justice For All" (Live at Long Beach Arena, Long Beach, CA – December 7th, 1988)
"Whiplash" (Live at the Troubadour, West Hollywood, CA – May 24th, 1988)
"Breadfan" (Live at Seattle Coliseum, Seattle, WA – August 30th, 1989) - Previously released on The 6 1/2 Year Anniversary EP as part of The Good, The Bad & The Live box set. Newly remastered.

...And Justice For All (Remastered): Deluxe Box Set

LP 1 & 2: ...And Justice For All (Remastered)

Side One
"Blackened"
"...And Justice For All"

Side Two
"Eye Of The Beholder"
"One"

Side Three
"The Shortest Straw"
"Harvester Of Sorrow"
"The Frayed Ends Of Sanity"

Side Four
"To Live Is To Die"
"Dyers Eve"

Remastered by Reuben Cohen at Lurssen Mastering, Los Angeles, CA
Vinyl lacquers by Chris Bellman at Bernie Grundman Mastering, Hollywood, CA

LP 3: "One" 10" Picture Disc

Side One
"One"

Side Two
"Seek & Destroy" (Live at Reunion Arena, Dallas, TX – February 5th, 1989)

Artwork by Pushead
Remastered by Reuben Cohen at Lurssen Mastering, Los Angeles, CA

LP 4, 5 & 6: Seattle ‘89

Side One
"The Ecstasy of Gold"
"Blackened" (Live)
"For Whom The Bell Tolls" (Live)
"Welcome Home (Sanitarium)" (Live)

Side Two
"Harvester Of Sorrow" (Live)
"The Four Horsemen" (Live)
"The Thing That Should Not Be" (Live)

Side Three
Bass Solo (Live)
"Master of Puppets" (Live)
"Fade to Black" (Live)

Side Four
"Seek & Destroy" (Live)
"...And Justice For All" (Live)
"One" (Live)

Side Five
"Creeping Death" (Live)
Guitar Solo (Live)
"Battery" (Live)

Side Six
Encore Jam (Live)
"Last Caress" (Live)
"Am I Evil?" (Live)
"Whiplash" (Live)
"Breadfan" (Live)

Recorded live on August 29th and August 30th, 1989 at Seattle Coliseum in Seattle, WA
Mixed by Greg Fidelman
Mastered by Reuben Cohen at Lurssen Mastering, Los Angeles, CA
Vinyl lacquers by Chris Bellman at Bernie Grundman Mastering, Hollywood, CA

CD 1: ...And Justice For All (Remastered)

"Blackened"
"...And Justice For All"
"Eye Of The Beholder"
"One"
"The Shortest Straw"
"Harvester Of Sorrow"
"The Frayed Ends Of Sanity"
"To Live Is To Die"
"Dyers Eve"

CD 2: Interviews

KSDT Interview with Jason
Circus Magazine Interview with James
KNAC Report from LA Monsters of Rock
KHDX Interview with Kirk
Metal Forces Magazine Interview with Lars

CD 3 & 4: Riffs, Jams & Demos

Disc One

"Blackened" (1987, From James’ Riff Tapes)
"Blackened" (1987, From James’ Riff Tapes II)
"…And Justice For All" (1987, From James’ Riff Tapes)
"…And Justice For All" (1988, From James’ Riff Tapes)
"Eye Of The Beholder" (1987, From James’ Riff Tapes)
"Eye Of The Beholder" (1987, From James’ Riff Tapes II)
"One" (1987, From James’ Riff Tapes)
"The Shortest Straw" (1986, From James’ Riff Tapes)
"The Shortest Straw" (1986, from James’ Riff Tapes II)
"Harvester Of Sorrow" (1987, From James’ Riff Tapes)
"The Frayed Ends Of Sanity" (1987, From James’ Riff Tapes)
"To Live Is To Die" (1986, From James’ Riff Tapes)
"To Live Is To Die" (1988, From James’ Riff Tapes)
"Dyers Eve" (1986, From James’ Riff Tapes)
"Dyers Eve" (1987, From James’ Riff Tapes)
"Blackened" (October 1987, Writing in Progress)
"…And Justice For All" (October 1987, Writing in Progress)
"…And Justice For All" (October 1987, Writing in Progress II)
"One" (October 1987, Writing in Progress)
"The Shortest Straw" (October 1987, Writing in Progress)
"…And Justice For All" (November 1987, Writing in Progress)
"The Frayed Ends Of Sanity" (November 1987, Writing in Progress)
"One" (November 1987, Writing in Progress)
"Dyers Eve" (November 1987, Writing in Progress)
"Eye Of The Beholder" (November 1987, Writing in Progress)
"To Live Is To Die" (November 1987, Writing in Progress)
"The Shortest Straw" (December 1987, Writing in Progress)
"Harvester Of Sorrow" (December 1987, Writing in Progress)

Disc Two

"Blackened" (November 1987 Demo)
"…And Justice For All" (November 1987 Demo)
"Eye Of The Beholder" (November 1987 Demo)
"One" (November 1987 Demo)
"The Frayed Ends Of Sanity" (November 1987 Demo)
"Eye Of The Beholder" (January 1988 Demo)
"The Shortest Straw" (January 1988 Demo)
"Harvester Of Sorrow" (January 1988 Demo)
"Dyers Eve" (January 1988 Demo)
"To Live Is To Die" (January 1988 Demo)

CD 5: Rough Mixes from the Vault

"Blackened" (Work in Progress Rough Mix)
"…And Justice For All" (Work in Progress Rough Mix)
"Eye Of The Beholder" (Work in Progress Rough Mix)
"One" (Work in Progress Rough Mix)
"The Shortest Straw" (Work in Progress Rough Mix)
"Harvester Of Sorrow" (Work in Progress Rough Mix)
"The Frayed Ends Of Sanity" (Work in Progress Rough Mix)
"To Live Is To Die" (Acoustic Intro) (Work in Progress Rough Mix)
"To Live Is To Die" (Work in Progress Rough Mix)
"Dyers Eve" (Work in Progress Rough Mix)
"Breadfan" (Work in Progress Rough Mix)
"The Prince" (Work in Progress Rough Mix)

CD 6 & 7: Live at the Troubadour, West Hollywood, CA - May 24th, 1988 + B-Sides

Disc One

"Creeping Death" (Live)
"For Whom The Bell Tolls" (Live)
"Welcome Home (Sanitarium)" (Live)
"The Four Horsemen" (Live)
"Whiplash" (Live)
"Fade to Black" (Live)
"Seek & Destroy" (Live)
"Master of Puppets" (Live)
"Encore Jam (Live)
"Last Caress" (Live)
"Am I Evil?" (Live)
"Battery" (Live)

Disc Two

Encore Jam #2 (Live)
"Harvester Of Sorrow" (Live)
"Leper Messiah" (Live)
"Blitzkrieg" (Live)

B-Sides
"Breadfan" (Remastered)
"The Prince" (Remastered)
"For Whom The Bell Tolls" (Live) *
"Welcome Home (Sanitarium)" (Live) *
"Seek & Destroy" (Live) *
"Creeping Death" (Live) *
"Harvester Of Sorrow" (Live) **
"One" (Live) **
"Breadfan" (Live) ***
"Last Caress" (Live) ***

* Recorded live at Reunion Arena, Dallas, TX on February 5th, 1989
** Recorded live at Seattle Coliseum, Seattle, WA on August 29th, 1989
*** Recorded live at Seattle Coliseum, Seattle, WA on August 30th, 1989

CD 8 & 9: Live at the Hammersmith Odeon, London, England - October 10th, 1988 + Radio Edits

Disc One

"Welcome Home (Sanitarium)" (Live)
"The Four Horsemen" (Live)
"Harvester Of Sorrow" (Live)
"Eye Of The Beholder" (Live)
Bass Solo (Live)
"Master of Puppets" (Live)
"Damage, Inc." (Live)
"One" (Live)
"Seek & Destroy" (Live)
"…And Justice For All" (Live) * Note: there is a tape cut on this track

Disc Two

"Encore Jam (Live)
"Creeping Death" (Live)
"Fade to Black" (Live)
Guitar Solo (Live)
"Battery" (Live)
Encore Jam #2 (Live)
"Last Caress" (Live)
"Am I Evil?" (Live)
"Whiplash" (Live)

Radio Edits
"Eye Of The Beholder" (Radio Edit)
"One" (Radio Edit)
"...And Justice For All" (Radio Edit)

CD 10 & 11: Live at Long Beach Arena, Long Beach, CA - December 7, 1988 + More

Disc One

"Blackened" (Live) *Note: there is a tape cut on this track
"For Whom The Bell Tolls" (Live)
"Welcome Home (Sanitarium)" (Live)
"Leper Messiah" (Live)
"Harvester Of Sorrow" (Live)
"Eye Of The Beholder" (Live)
Bass Solo (Live)
"Master of Puppets" (Live)
"One" (Live)
"Seek & Destroy" (Live)

Disc Two

"…And Justice For All" (Live)
Encore Jam (Live)
"Creeping Death" (Live)
"Fade to Black" (Live)
Guitar Solo (Live)
"Battery" (Live)

Live at UIC Pavilion, Chicago, IL - November 18th, 1988
"Last Caress" (Live)
"Am I Evil?" (Live)
"Whiplash" (Live)

DVD 1: ...And Camcorder for All & "One"

...And Camcorders For All - Featuring previously unreleased footage shot on Lars' camcorder

Intro
Barcelona
Leiden
San Francisco
San Antonio
Dallas
Philadelphia
Buffalo
Auckland
Osaka
Hoffman Estates
Richfield
Thornville
Greenville
Atlanta
Biloxi
Concord
Irvine (Night #2)
Irvine (Night #3)
São Paulo (Night #1)
São Paulo (Night #2)

"One"

2 of One Introduction with Lars
"One"
"One" (Jammin’ Version)
"One" (Live at the 31st Annual GRAMMY® Awards)

"One" B-Roll - Previously Unreleased

Intro
Band
Lars
Kirk
James
Jason
More Band

DVD 2: Live at Shoreline Amphitheatre, Mountain View, CA - September 15th, 1989 - Previously Unreleased

"The Ecstasy of Gold"
"Blackened"
"For Whom The Bell Tolls"
"Welcome Home (Sanitarium)"
"Harvester Of Sorrow"
"The Four Horsemen"
"The Thing That Should Not Be"
Bass Solo
"Master of Puppets"
"Fade to Black"
"Seek & Destroy"
"…And Justice For All"
"One"
"Creeping Death"
Guitar Solo
"Battery"
Encore Jam
"Last Caress"
"Am I Evil?"
"Damage, Inc."
"Blitzkrieg"
"Breadfan"

DVD 3: Live at the Stone Balloon, Newark, DE - August 7th, 1989 - Previously Unreleased Fan-Shot Footage

Backstage Shit
"The Ecstasy of Gold"
"Creeping Death"
"For Whom The Bell Tolls"
"Welcome Home (Sanitarium)"
"The Four Horsemen"
"Harvester Of Sorrow"
"Phantom Lord"
Bass Solo
"Master of Puppets"
"Fade to Black"
"No Remorse"
"Seek & Destroy"
"Last Caress"
"Am I Evil?"
"Motorbreath"
"Hit the Lights"
"Blitzkrieg"
"Damage, Inc."
"Breadfan"

DVD 4: Justice On Wheels, Masa Ito Interviews, Raw Live Footage

Justice On Wheels - A MuchMusic Documentary

Intro
The Road Crew
The Fans
The Band
The Video

Masa Ito Interviews - Previously Unreleased

Lars
James
Jason
Kirk

Raw Live Footage (Live at JFK Stadium, Philadelphia, PA – June 11th, 1988) - Previously Unreleased

"Whiplash"
"Fade to Black"
"Seek & Destroy"

Raw Live Footage (Live at RPI Field House, Troy, NY – March 15th, 1989) - Previously Unreleased

"Master of Puppets"
"One"

Raw Live Footage (Live at Copps Coliseum, Hamilton, Ontario – April 8th, 1989) -Previously Unreleased

"Master of Puppets"
"One"
"Seek & Destroy"

Unboxing video:

"Eye Of The Beholder" (Live at Hammersmith Odeon, London, England - October 10th, 1988):

"Dyers Eve" (Remastered):

Rare live videos:

"Harvester Of Sorrow at the Monsters of Rock Festival in Donington, England on August 17th, 1991:

"Blackened" in Mountain View, California on September 15th, 1989:

"Eye Of The Beholder", filmed live on a camcorder at the Cow Palace in San Francisco, CA on December 10, 1988:

Australian, progressive metal outfit, Divine Ascension, have returned, unleashing their brand-new album, The Uncovering, upon the world. This is the band’s third album and is set for global release on November 16th.

The Uncovering screams modern, fast-paced and powerful. It synthesizes heavy, pounding rhythms, passionate, memorable vocals and eerie, cinematic layers with simply brilliant songwriting. All enveloped within clever arrangements that listeners and supporters will instantly recognize as Divine Ascension’s unique sound. You will also find the brilliant Tom S. Englund (Evergrey) putting some vocals on the song “Pursuit Of Desire”.

The song “Evermore” will be the first single out from the album and will be released on all digital platforms on October 12th.

Divine Ascension’s second release, Liberator launched them on a 30+ date tour of Europe supporting Stratovarius with Gloryhammer. They conquered their own shores nationally, supporting Blind Guardian on their full national tour and then went on to complete a lengthy headline tour of Australia. The band showcased their unique and energetic performance to a swathe of passionate and expressive fans across the globe while refining and further enhancing their product.

Tracklisting:

"Evermore"
"Prisoner"
"The Fallen"
"Pursuit Of Desire"
"New World"
"Revolution Phase"
"Beyond The Line"
"One Step From Here"
"Bittersweet Divide"
"Vultures"

For further details, visit Divine Ascension on Facebook.

 

SAGA's performance video for the song "Humble Stance" can be seen below. The track is taken from "So Good So Far - Live At Rock Of Ages", which will be released as a 2CD digipak, 2LP gatefold+download code, DVD, Blu-ray and digital on September 28 via earMUSIC.

2017 marked SAGA's 40th anniversary. The band that has combined hard rock, progressive rock and pop like no other celebrated their anniversary with a tour around the globe, saying thank you and farewell to the fans… for now. Now, one year later, the exciting live recording "So Good So Far - Live At Rock Of Ages" sees its release.

Featuring the most iconic of songs that SAGA has been known and loved for by fans for more than 40 years, "So Good So Far" delivers the epitome of the band's long and proud history — all recorded at the Rock Of Ages festival in Seebronn, Germany in 2017 on both audio and video. SAGA, the headliner of the evening played, an energetic one-and-a-half-hour set in front of thousands of festival goers, featuring the best of 21 SAGA studio albums with classics such as "On The Loose", "Humble Stance", "Wind Him Up" and "Don't Be Late".

Says Michael Sadler: "SAGA has a very special history with the legendary Rock Of Ages festival in Seebronn, Germany. Founder Horst Franz invited us to perform for the very first one in 2006! Fast forward to 2017 — SAGA returns to the coveted Saturday night stage by special request, celebrating the band's 40th anniversary with our 'Final Chapter' tour.

This release captures the sound and atmosphere of that spectacular night with our musical family and friends that will never be repeated... or will it?"

Adds Ian Crichton: "Over the years, it's been a privilege to play to audiences in Europe; it all started in Germany!"

Track listing:

CD1

01. Take A Chance

02. On The Loose

03. Help Me Out

04. Keep It Reel

05. Time's Up

06. Will It Be You? (Chapter Four)

07. Careful Where You Step

08. Frog Bite (Drum Solo)

09. What's It Gonna Be?

CD2

01. Someone Should

02. Humble Stance

03. Scratching The Surface

04. You're Not Alone

05. Don't Be Late

06. The Flyer

07. Wind Him Up

DVD/Blu-ray

01. Take A Chance

02. On The Loose

03. Help Me Out

04. Keep It Reel

05. Time's Up

06. Will It Be You? (Chapter Four)

07. Careful Where You Step

08. Frog Bite (Drum Solo)

09. What's It Gonna Be?

10. Someone Should

11. Humble Stance

12. Scratching The Surface

13. You're Not Alone

14. Don't Be Late

15. The Flyer

16. Wind Him Up

2LP

Side A

01. Take A Chance

02. On The Loose

03. Help Me Out

04. Keep It Reel

Side B

01. Time's Up

02. Will It Be You? (Chapter Four)

03. Careful Where You Step

04. Frog Bite (Drum Solo)

Side C

01. What's It Gonna Be?

02. Someone Should

03. Humble Stance

04. Scratching The Surface

Side D

01. You're Not Alone

02. Don't Be Late

03. The Flyer

04. Wind Him Up

Beyond Celestial Echoes, the new album from Greek speedsters Sacral Rage, is scheduled for release on October 19th via Cruz Del Sur Music. The album track “Samsara (L.C.E.)” can be streamed below, and CD and limited edition vinyl pre-orders are now available at this location.

Tracklisting:

“Progenitor”
“Eternal Solstice”
“Vaguely Decoded”
“Suspended Privilege”
“Samsara (L.C.E.)”
“Necropia”
“Onward To Nucleus”
“The Glass”

“Samsara (L.C.E.)”:

"Necropia":

Beyond Celestial Echoes by Sacral Rage

Finland's Arion will release their new album, Life Is Not Beautiful, on October 19th via AFM Records. Pre-order the album here.

The band has released a video for the song "At The Break Of Dawn" featuring Amaranthe vocalist Elize Ryd. Check it out below.

"It was an absolute honor, pleasure and a dream come true to write this song for two great singers, one of them being a world renown super star and one of my favorite voices in metal. Elize did one hell of a job singing her part. I could easily say that this song is something to feel proud of for a very long time and represents the very best a collaboration like this can become", Iivo Kaipainen (songwriter) states.

Vocalist Lassi adds: "Amaranthe has been one of my favorite bands for a long time, so it was a huge honor to sing a duet with Elize. Her voice is so unique and makes the song more powerful. Now finally having Elize on the music video makes the song complete."

The idea for symphonic metal band Arion was hatched in the fall of 2011 in the famed music school Sibelius Lukio in Helsinki, where drummer Topias Kupiainen and keyboardist Arttu Vauhkonen got together with guitar whiz kid Iivo Kaipainen. In short order, the threesome found bass player Georgi Velinov and vocalist Viljami Holopainen to round out the band.

Musically astonishingly accomplished, the newcomers raised some serious waves right off the bat in January 2013 when they debuted their debut song “Lost”, a symphonic metal gem in its own right, on television, participating in Finnish television’s UMK song contest.

Soon enough the 17–18 year old teen prodigies’ exceptionally impressive musical chops caught the attention of Mr. Riku Pääkkönen, the owner of Ranka Kustannus and the mastermind behind the overnight success stories of Children Of Bodom, Nightwish, Sonata Arctica and several others. In May 2013 Arion signed a recording deal with Ranka and entered the studio to record their debut EP New Dawn. New Dawn was released in November 2013 the same year to critical acclaim, while the band was already forging one of the most jaw-dropping metal debuts in Finland ever, Last Of Us.

There’s probably no other nation as vigilant for melodic metal music as Japan, where the love for beauty and aesthetics has blanketed all sorts of art for millennia. The Japanese are famous for their appetite for power metal, so, as crazy as it might sound, it shouldn’t even surprise anyone that Arion played their first concerts in Tokyo and Nagoya already before releasing their debut album. Ergo, it’s only fitting that Arion became one of those ultra-rare European artists whose debut album was released in Japan before its domestic release. Grandiose yet heartfelt, Last Of Us still stands as a one of a kind jewel in its genre, an album that hasn’t lost one iota of its splendour since the day of its release in July 2014.

A year later, in August 2015, singer Viljami Holopainen amicably left the band stating that his heart lies in other kind of music, and the band announced their new singer, Lassi Vääränen. In March 2016 Vääränen’s mettle was tested and proven worthy with his recording debut as a member of Arion on the explosive duet “At The Break Of Dawn” with Elize Ryd of Amaranthe fame. To date “At The Break Of Dawn” still is in heavy radio rotation in the nationwide Finnish Radio Rock and stands as the most streamed Arion song across all digital platforms.

After three more powerhouse singles; the thought-provoking "Unforgivable”, the heartrending ballad “Through Your Falling Tears” and the clarion call “No One Stands In My Way”, scattered through the next 2.5 years bring us now to the brink of release of Arion’s sophomore album Life Is Not Beautiful. And as potent the singles quadrilogy is, Life Is Not Beautiful is much more than a hit singles compilation. No, we would venture to claim that songs such as the in-your-face “Punish You” and the bombastic, melodic bullet train of “The Last Sacrifice”, lest we forget the album’s closing statement “Life Is Not Beautiful”, will squish some rivalling songwriters’ self-confidence for years to come.

Crafted every bit as meticulously as its predecessor, Life Is Not Beautiful is Arion’s declaration of independence. On their debut largely guided by their kind colleagues Matias Kupiainen (Stratovarius) and Jani Liimatainen (The Dark Element, Cain’s Offering), Arion now proudly demonstrate the next level in their musical progress and band leader Iivo Kaipainen’s newly found lyrical prowess.

World of metal beware! Arion are not the curiosity of a band of green-horned teenager prodigies anymore. Having faced just the right amount of adversity to gel as a band and improved in leaps and bounds, Arion are not just able - they’re ready and raring to go.

Tracklisting:

"The End Of The Fall"
"No One Stands In My Way"
"At The Break Of Dawn" (Feat. Elize Ryd)
"The Last Sacrifice"
"Through Your Falling Tears"
"Unforgivable"
"Punish You"
"Life Is Not Beautiful"
"Last One Falls"

"Unforgivable" video:

Lineup:

Lassi Vääränen (Vocals)
Iivo Kaipainen (Guitars)
Arttu Vauhkonen (Keyboards)
Georgi Velinov (Bass)
Topias Kupianen (Drums)

Legendary band King Kobra, led by legendary drummer Carmine Appice, is releasing its first ever live album, Sweden Rock Live, available now for preview and download across all streaming platforms here.

Recorded in 2016 at the Sweden Rock Festival, the album features original members Appice, Johnny Rod, David Michael Phillips, and vocalist Paul Shortino (who has been in King Kobra since 2010).  Filling in for Mick Sweda who could not make the festival gig due to prior commitments is Jordan Ziff on lead guitar.

Carmine Appice: "King Kobra always did well in Europe and being able to play 30 years later with the band at one of the best festivals in Europe was a thrill. I put this band together in the '80s; it was great to see that it lasted the test of time."

Johnny Rod: "We played and rocked the house with the audience singing and having a great time. It felt great playing the festival and to know that the fans remembered us. True rock will never die!”

The tracklist is as follows:

 

"Ready to Strike"
"Tear Down the Walls"
"Knock 'em Dead"
"Shadow Rider"
"Live Forever"
"The Ballad of Johnny Rod"
"Wild Child"
"Hunger"
"Highway Star"
"Heaven and Hell"
- drum solo -
"Raise Your Hands to Rock"
"Turn up the Good Times"

 

King Kobra was formed in 1984 and led by seasoned drummer Carmine Appice (Vanilla Fudge, Cactus, Bogart & Appice, Rod Stewart) after he left Ozzy Osbourne’s band.  With Mark Free on vocals, he secured a recording contract with Capitol Records. Appice recruited Keel's guitarist David Michael Phillips, wild-man bassist Johnny Rod, and guitarist Mick Sweda (Bulletboys). King Kobra recorded two acclaimed albums and toured the world supporting formidable headliners KISS, Iron Maiden and Queensryche. 

In 1988, Appice received a call from John Sykes and Tony Franklin to join Blue Murder, and after four years King Kobra was solemnly laid to rest. The group, however, returned in 2010 with a new King Kobra line up that featured Carmine Appice on drums, Paul Shortino taking over vocal duties, Mick Sweda on guitar, David Michael Phillips on guitar, and Johnny Rod on bass. Since then they have made two new albums - King Kobra (2011) and King Kobra II (2013) - and have toured in the United States and Europe.

Check out a behind-the-scenes look at Trappist's brewing collaboration process with Wayfinder Beer. Watch as Wayfinder master brewer Kevin dives head-first into the most ancient brewing tactic of all time, steinbier, a method involving super hot, flame-heated rocks to facilitate the brewing process.

Los Angeles craft beer connoisseurs Trappist brew forth their debut full-length Ancient Brewing Tactics, out now via Relapse Records. The video for the track "No Soldier Left Behind" can be found below.

Trappist comments on the debut album: "Starting a beer-centric band came naturally, considering the many parallels between the hardcore and independent beer scenes. Both foster collaboration, community, and support of grass-roots efforts. It made sense to team up with our old pals at Relapse for this release since they've always supported our previous bands. But enough about us... your pint is getting warm!"

Physical packages are available via Relapse Records at this location, and digital downloads / streaming services here.

Formed in 2014 and consisting of scene legends Chris Dodge (Spazz, ex-Infest, ex-Despise You, etc.), Phil Vera (Crom, Despise You, ex-(16)-) and Ryan Harkins (co-owner of popular heavy metal-themed burger joint Grill Em’ All), Trappist have one clear mission, to annihilate the listener with a storm of d-beat, crust punk, powerviolence, and hardcore all in the name of BEER. Picture Discharge style punk and Xeroxed WWII photos with bombs replaced by casks, cans, and kegs.

Ancient Brewing Tactics is 21 tracks and 33 minutes of booze-induced chaos, bound to knock you on your ass faster than shotgunning a 15% Russian Imperial Stout. Trappist round out their alcohol-fueled blasts with special guest appearances by Tony Foresta (Municipal Waste, Iron Reagan), Steve Brooks (Torche), and Blake Harrison (Pig Destroyer). NO CORPORATE BEER.

For the ultimate sensory experience, Trappist have recommended a specific beer pairing for listeners to drink along to each song on the album! “Wolves in the Taproom” is paired with Sierra Nevada Barrel Aged Narwhal Imperial Stout and “No Corporate Beer” with Eagle Rock Brewery Amwolf Pilsner. The full tracklisting and beer pairing are available below. True aficionados only!

Ancient Brewing Tactics tracklisting and beer pairings:

"No Soldier Left Behind" (3 Floyds Zombie Dust Pale Ale)
"This Means Wort" (FiftyFifty Brewing Eclipse Imperial Stout)
"Tesguino" (Cerveza Fauna Penelope Coffee Porter)
"The Patron Saints" (Orval Belgian Pale Ale)
"Hymn To Ninkasi" (Beachwood Brewing Citraholic IPA)
"Waiting In Line - First Stanza" (Jackie O’s BBA Oil Of Aphrodite with Coffee Imperial Stout)
"Giving The Boot To Reinheitsgebot" (Schneider Weisse Aventinus Weizen Bock)
"Swignorant" (The Bruery Mash Barleywine)
"Nihamanchnihamnchii" (Insurgente La Lupolsa IPA)
"Frank The Tank" (Cigar City Hunahpu’s Imperial Stout)
"No Corporate Beer" (Eagle Rock Brewery Amwolf Pilsner)
"Victims Of A Bomber Raid" (Surly Brewing Darkness Russian Imperial Stout)
"99 Problems" (But A Beer Ain’t One) (TRVE Possession Saison)
"Proost-Op" (De Struise Black Albert Russian Imperial Stout)
"Waiting In Line - Second Stanza" (The Veil Brewing Daddy’s Home Triple IPA)
"To The Pint" (Thrash Zone Chris Dodge’s Ham Slappin’ Aru-Chu Ale Barley Wine)
"You’re The Reason" (Sante Adairius Saison Bernice Farmhouse Ale)
"Garbage Human" (Mikkeller Beer Geek Brunch Imperial Oatmeal Stout with Vietnamese Coffee)
"Waiting In Life - Third Stanza" (Lawson’s Finest Liquids Double IPA)
"Wolves In The Taproom" (Sierra Nevada Barrel Aged Narwhal Imperial Stout)
"Trappist-1: Final Gravity" (Zundert Trappist Abbey Tripel)

"No Soldier Left Behind" video:

"Hymn To Ninkasi":

"Victims Of A Bomber Raid" video:

"Wolves In The Taproom":

"No Corporate Beer":

Trappist is:

Brother Dodge - Bass, Vocals, Brewing
Brother Vera - Guitars, Vocals, Fermentation
Brother Harkins - Drums, Vocals, Bottling

Aborted’s new album TerrorVision was released on September 21st. An unboxing video for the vinyl and CD editions of the album can be found below.

TerrorVision is available in the following formats:

- Standard CD Jewelcase
- Gatefold LP+CD
- Ltd. Box set (with Digipak CD, bonus CD with the tracks of the “Bathos” EP, black belt with metal belt buckle, sticker set and button set)
- Digital

The LP is available in the following vinyl colours:

- Black: unlimited
- Pink: 200 copies, exclusively sold in Belgium
- Lilac: 100 copies, exclusively available at CM Distro Europe
- Transparent-blue: 200 copies, available at various online stores
- Transparent-green: 200 copies, exclusively available at EMP
- Yellow: 200 copies, exclusively available at Season Of Mist
- Transparent-magenta: 100 copies, exclusively available at Aborted's webstore
- Glow-in-the-Dark: 700 copies

Get the album in the format of your choice here.

Vinyl/CD unboxing:

Limited edition box set unboxing:

Album artwork by Par Olofsson (Exodus, Immolation, Immortal).

TerrorVision tracklisting:

"Lasciate Ogne Speranza"
"TerrorVision"
"Farewell To The Flesh"
"Vespertine Decay"
"Squalor Opera"
"Visceral Despondency"
"Deep Red"
"Exquisite Covinous Drama"
"Altro Inferno"
"A Whore D’oeuvre Macabre"
"The Final Absolution"

"Vespertine Decay" video:

"TerrorVision" lyric video:

"Squalor Opera" video:

Aborted lineup:

Sven De Caluwe: Gurgloroth
Mendel Bij De Leij: Flesh Upon The Razor Wire
Stefano Francescini: Nocturnal Pulse
Ken Bedene: Hymen Blaster
Ian Jelekis: Immaculate Resection

The Brew will release their new album Art Of Persuasion on October 5th via Napalm Records. With their second single, and the official video for it, the band present a fuzzy killer tune named "Gin Soaked Loving Queen". While the whole seventh studio album is a masterpiece, this song stands apart from the rest of the album and foreshadows why this trio is regarded as one of Europes hottest live acts.

So, be curious about stepping out of your normal everyday life at one of their shows and reveal your own "Gin Soaked Loving Queen"! Or as The Brew would say: "We‘ve all got a gin soaked Queen inside us, it’s just a matter of finding the key to let her out!"

After six fine and varied studio albums and zero lineup changes, the trio presents Art Of Persuasion, their seventh masterpiece. While proudly displaying the band’s influences - from Led Zeppelin to Wolfmother - the record easily avoids schlocky retro clichés.

The Brew says about the recordings: “While making this record, we fell into the grooves of the tunes and we’re still trying to climb our way out.”

Art Of Persuasion will be available in the following formats:

- 1 CD Digipack
- 1 LP Vinyl (Black)
- 1 LP Vinyl (Gold) (Napalm Mailorder exclusive)
- 1 LP Vinyl (Purple) (Napalm Mailorder exclusive)
- Digital Album

Pre-order here.

Art Of Persuasion tracklisting:

"Seven Days Too Long"
"One Line Crimes"
"Boomerang Fool"
"Gin Soaked Loving Queen"
"Naked As I Stand"
"Shaking The Room"
"Pointless Pain"
"Excess"
"Carry The News"
"Ghost Of The Nation"
"Pink Noise King"

"Seven Days Too Long" lyric video:

Tour dates:

October
19 - Trier, Germany - Exhaus *
20 - Köln, Germany - Kantine *
21 - Middelburg, Netherlands - De Spot
24 - Bern, Switzerland - Reitschule-Rössli Bar
25 - Basel, Switzerland - Atlantis *
26 - Karlsruhe, Germany - Substage *
27 - Freiburg, Germany - Jazzhaus *
29 - Nürnberg, Germany - Hirsch *
30 - Dessau, Germany - Marienkirche

November
1 - Frankfurt, Germany - Das Bett *
2 - Münster, Germany - Jovel *
3 - Hannover, Germany - Musikzentrum *
4 - Huissen, Netherlands - De Buitenpoort
6 - München, Germany - Backstage *
7 - Stuttgart, Germany - Universum *
8 - Bochum, Germany - Zeche *
9 - Hamburg, Germany - Markthalle *
10 - Berlin, Germany - Columbia Theater *

* The Hydden support

Lineup:

Jason Barwick: Vocals, Guitar
Tim Smith: Bass, Vocals
Kurtis Smith: Drums

(Photo - Sarah Aylward)

8th Sin, the classic eighth album from the Swedish melodic metal masters Nocturnal Rites, will be released on vinyl for the first time on November 9th via Inner Wound Recordings.

The vinyl edition is strictly limited to 500 copies (300 copies with black disc and 200 copies with white disc) worldwide.

8th Sin vinyl tracklisting:

Side A
"Call Out To The World"
"Never Again"
"Not The Only"
"Tell Me"
"Not Like You"

Side B
"Leave Me Alone"
"Till I Come Alive"
"Strong Enough"
"Me"
"Pain & Pleasure"
"Fool's Parade" (outro)

Transcending Obscurity has set December 7th as the release date for Nattravnen's new album, Kult Of The Raven.

Original Death and Massacre vocalist Kam Lee gives one of his best performances here. Nattravnen is about the legend of Night Raven, for which Kam has written an actual story, in addition to complete lyrics of the album. Jonny Petterson of Heads For The Dead, Wombbath has created sublime music that is death metal laced with black metal and atmospheric doom elements, while being devastatingly heavy in his trademark style. Together the duo has concocted not only one of the most interesting death metal albums of this era, but also one with rare lasting value and superior musicianship.

This is essentially dark death metal with better expression and scope. Juanjo Castellano of Revel In Flesh and Carnation fame is responsible for the magnificent album artwork and even the label owner Kunal Choksi chipped in with the band logo. All in all, this is one of the most important releases to come out which sets new standards for the style altogether.

Tracklisting:

"The Night Of The Raven"
"Suicidium, The Seductress Of Death"
"Corvus Corax Crown"
"Upon The Sound Of Her Wings"
"Return To Nevermore"
"From The Haunted Sea"
"The Anger Of Despair When Coping With Your Death"
"Kingdom Of The Nattravnen"
"Kult Av Ravnen"

"Suicidium, The Seductress Of Death":

Label Sampler 2018 by Transcending Obscurity Records

Lineup:

Kam Lee - Vocals and lyrics (ex-Death, ex-Massacre, The Grotesquery)
Jonny Pettersson - All instruments (Heads For The Dead, Wombbath, Henry Kane)

Founding father and current member of renowned death metal band Broken Hope and author of Barnes & Noble Top 10 Paperback Bestseller The Armageddon Chord, Jeremy Wagner, will release his new horror novel, Rabid Heart - a novel about the depth of undying love in the midst of a zombie apocalypse - available internationally in Hardcover, Trade Paperback, Digital, and Audio formats on October 3rd via the Afraid Horror Imprint of Riverdale Avenue Books. An official book trailer can be found below.

The trailer was directed by horror writer John Palisano and features a musical score by Jeremy Wagner. The trailer's imagery and music capture the eerie and nightmarish vibe and setting of Rabid Heart while also planting an ominous seed with the viewer which will leave readers asking:

"What is this creepy road are these characters have wound up on?"
"Who are these characters afraid of?"
"What horrors await them?"

These questions and the visual representation in this trailer for Rabid Heart will no doubt compel readers to pick up the book and find out for themselves what epicness lies in wait within the pages of a novel that Publishers Weekly says, "Aside from the nonstop action, the book wins over the reader because of the warmth and determination Rhonda embodies as she battles these evil forces on her own terms, especially after she rescues two children."

Synopsis:

How far would you go for love when all you love is DEAD?

Six months after the Necro Rabies pandemic turned the world into hordes of rabid undead known as "Cujos," 21-year-old Rhonda Driscoll discovers her zombified fiancé, Brad, in her old hometown. Fearing that her Marine Colonel father will kill undead Brad, Rhonda flees, taking a road-trip with Brad in tow in hopes of starting a new life in a frightening and uncertain world complicated by numerous perils, pure horror, and unconditional love.

Rabid Heart author Jeremy Wagner says, "I had a solid draft of Rabid Heart cooling for a while as I worked on some other projects for a couple years. Once I came back to revise and polish Rabid Heart, I fell hard for it all over again and knew I had something special. I love f-ed up stories... I write f-ed up things. My style of fiction and my personal tastes in what I read all leans towards really dark fiction and usually has protagonists who go through hell - there's a lot of that in Rabid Heart. The things that my main character Rhonda Driscoll goes through might fit in nicely with say, McCarthy's The Road pairing with 28 Days Later or Romero's Day of the Dead. I hope you all enjoy the ride.

"Thanks to Lori Perkins and Afraid/Riverdale Avenue Books for really getting behind this novel and making me an offer I couldn't refuse. Watch for Afraid/Riverdale Avenue Books to also re-release my first novel, The Armageddon Chord, in December. Thanks for reading! Support horror fiction!"

Pre-order Rabid Heart now:

Paperback

- Amazon
- Barnes & Noble

Hardcover

- Amazon
- Barnes & Noble

Digital

- Amazon
- Kobo
- Barnes & Noble
- iTunes
- Google Play
- Smashwords
- Riverdale Avenue Books

(Rabid Heart cover design by Claudio Bergamin (Judas Priest, Nocturnal Rites, Rata Blanca), Jeremy Wagner photo by Gene Ambo)

A new trailer for death metal compilation, Death ...Is Just The Beginning, featuring a snippet of "Beloved By Artemis" by Bleeding Gods, can be seen below:

Nuclear Blast’s involvement with death metal harkens back to the late ‘80s and early ‘90s explosion of this heavy and deadly genre. The Death ...Is Just The Beginning compilations paved the way to the introduction of many soon to become legendary acts such as Pungent Stench, Dismember, Hypocrisy, Kataklysm. While the scene suffered a bit of stagnation somewhere in the mid-to-late ‘90s, the genre as a whole never went away and Nuclear Blast continued to release quality death metal in the form of bands such as Hypocrisy, Kataklysm, Decapitated, etc.

…And just like the undead, they always come back! Nuclear Blast is proud to announce the unearthing of this legendary series simply titled MMXVIII. Brace yourselves as death metal has never been this deadly. And remember, Death ...Is Just the Beginning.

Highlights for this latest instalment include some re-recordings of classic tracks, Nuclear Blast bands performing covers of classic songs from other Nuclear Blast artists, demos and rarities of previously released and unreleased songs, original cover artwork by Blake Armstrong and layout by Marcelo Vasco (Slayer, Kreator).

Out on October 19th, Death …Is Just The Beginning MMXVII will be available as a CD jewel, limited cassette, colored vinyl, long sleeve shirt, T-shirt + CD bundle & mail-order edition boxset. Pre-order the compilation here.

Death ...Is Just The Beginning MMXVII tracklisting:

Benediction - "Tear Off These Fucking Wings" (unreleased demo of new song)
Kataklysm - "The Awakener" (re-recorded)
Hypocrisy - "They Lie" (The Exploited cover)
The Spirit - "Illuminate The Night Sky"
Memoriam - "The War Rages On" (demo)
Insidious Disease - "Soul Excavation" (unreleased new song)
Possessed - "Abandoned" (unreleased demo of new song)
Thy Art Is Murder - "The Son Of Misery"
Immolation - "Morbid Visions" (feat. Max Cavalera) (Sepultura cover)
Nailed To Obscurity - "King Delusion" (unreleased new song)
Bleeding Gods - "Beloved By Artemis"
Decapitated - "Sane" (Meshuggah cover)
Aenimus - "Before The Eons" (unreleased new song)
Paradise Lost - "Frozen Illusion" (previously released Japanese only b-side)
Carcass - "A Wraith In The Apparatus"
Brujeria - "Viva Presidente Trump!" (previously only available digitally and on vinyl)

(Bleeding Gods photo and editing by Cristel Brouwer and Dimitris Tzortzis of Immensa Artis)

Two-time Grammy-nominated rock band DISTURBED has hit No. 1 at rock radio with new single "Are You Ready", the band's 12th No. 1 single and the fastest chart-climber of its career, reaching the top spot in only six short weeks.

"Are You Ready", which has close to 4 million Spotify streams and a companion video with over 4.5 million YouTube views, appears on the band’s upcoming album, "Evolution", which is set for an October 19 release via Reprise.

DISTURBED guitarist Dan Donegan revealed in a recent interview with Redlands, California radio station KCAL that the music for "Are You Ready" was first composed 14 years ago. Donegan explained: "We just never finished it 'cause we had other material that was more complete back then. So I always just kind of put it in the vault; it was on the backburner. And this time around, as we were bringing up new ideas, I kind of just looked back at the archives of a few things that I never got around to finishing, and I just brought it back into the mix."

Donegan continued: "David [Draiman, vocals] gravitated towards it right away and just said, 'Oh, dude, this is awesome. I've got something great for this.' And he started just kind of scatting a melody on top of it. And after it was coming together, I reminded him. I go, 'Do you realize it's something I kind of wrote in 2004?' I'm glad we were able to finally finish it now, 14 years later."

he guitarist added that "Are You Ready" is probably the "closest" of the songs on the upcoming DISTURBED LP "Evolution" to the band's classic sound, adding that the rest of the material has "a lot of directions in here that's gonna turn some heads."

The "Are You Ready" video was directed by Roboshobo (a.k.a. Robert Schober), who has previously worked with METALLICA, ALICE IN CHAINS, MASTODON and GREEN DAY, among others.

Like 2015's "Immortalized", DISTURBED's new album was recorded at The Hideout Recording Studio in Las Vegas, Nevada with producer Kevin Churko.

DISTURBED will play a special intimate show at the 1,000-capacity Vic Theatre in Chicago, Illinois on October 10, presented by SiriusXM.

The group 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.

Photo by Travis Shinn

Taiwanese metallers CHTHONIC have released a music video for a delicate acoustic version of "Millennia's Faith Undone", taken from their latest album "Battlefields Of Asura".

CHTHONIC usually leaves the audience a ferocious impression; however, the release of the acoustic album "Timeless Sentence" four years ago and the music video of "Defenders Of Bú-Tik Palace" (acoustic version) and "Kaoru" (acoustic version) not only made a splash but also led the audience to a different world created by CHTHONIC.

After the release of the music video of their new track "Millennia's Faith Undone" at the beginning of the month, CHTHONIC has now dropped the official music video of the "Aeon's Wraith" version (acoustic version), featuring Denise Ho, on the evening of Mid-Autumn Festival. The original crew, including director Birdy, lead actor and actress Finn and Chia-Yu Chang, created the finale of the series of stories. Being executed during the White Terror, the protagonist dies without a place to rest in peace, either is his last will sent to his wife and children. Starting its first page from "Kaoru" (acoustic version), the story finally comes to a sorrowful end which is also a traumatic moment in Taiwanese history.

To faithfully present the period setting in the new album, Birdy had the production of the music video take place at the historical architecture Yilan Literature Museum. Set in the antique traditional Japanese style house, the music video gives CHTHONIC a delicate vibe different from their onstage look; Denise Ho, who gladly agreed to be featured in CHTHONIC's latest album, first time setting foot in Yilan Literature Museum, also didn't hesitate to show her fondness of the location.

sually, in the acoustic version of CHTHONIC music videos, the costume designing tend to be more "low key." However, bassist Doris's glacial style added a crucial touch that left all the crew impressed. Doris noted that she's thankful for the hard work by the hair and makeup artists. Besides, compared to the past metal version music videos which require more dramatic expression and gesture than live performance, she prefers the shoot for the acoustic version as it allows more natural body movement of everyday life. Moreover, frontman Freddy stated that to prepare for the music video, he had to refresh his slightly rusty erhu playing. After a busy day in parliament, he still had to practice late at night. He also joked: "Luckily I'm not in the shot too much as I didn't play it right in a couple spots!"


CHTHONIC will release its first album in five years on October 12. Although the "Aeon's Wraith" version of "Millennia's Faith Undone" is not included in the album, it will be released as a single on vinyl. Worth mentioning, this will be the first CHTHONIC vinyl. As an avid vinyl collector, Jesse Liu, the guitarist in CHTHONIC, excitedly announces that he must be the first one to have the vinyl once it's done as he can't wait to have it in his collection.

On October 5, Metalville Records will reissue a physical digitally remastered CD edition of American progressive metal band CRIMSON GLORY's self-titled album, licensed from the Roadrunner Records archive.

CRIMSON GLORY formed as early as 1982, but it took until 1986 for their self-titled debut album to be released. The band initially drew much media attention because of their mysterious silver masks, but they had an astoundingly powerful vocalist in the enigmatic Midnight and in guitarists Jon Drenning and Ben Jackson, a team capable of supplying excellent harmonies and truly beautiful melodic lines. These talents were made evident on classic metal anthems like "Angels Of War" and the epic "Heart Of Steel".

CRIMSON GLORY is as good as American metal gets — witness the driving "Dragon Lady" and the absolute classic "Azrael" for proof. Ultimately, "Crimson Glory" is a very fine album that has withstood the test of time much better than you'd expect.

"When we, CRIMSON GLORY, were recording our debut album we knew we were creating something very unique and special," says Jackson. "There was a magic that was very present there. I still view this record with fascination and much pride. We were young, very passionate and quite obsessed with presenting our music and our craft."

inger Todd La Torre quit CRIMSON GLORY in February 2013, explaining in a statement that "the main reason" for his "resignation" was "primarily due to [the band's] inertia status."

La Torre, who joined QUEENSRŸCHE in June 2012 as the replacement for Geoff Tate, became an official member of CRIMSON GLORY in April 2010 and played a number of shows with the band during the subsequent two years.

A "raw" version of a new CRIMSON GLORY demo track entitled "Garden Of Shadows" was released in September 2012 and was supposed to appear on the band's new concept record.

La Torre made his first public appearance with CRIMSON GLORY at ProgPower USA X as one of seventeen guest performers paying tribute to John Patrick Jr. "Midnight" McDonald, the band's original singer.

Midnight passed away in 2009 due to long-term health complications.

SLASH FEATURING MYLES KENNEDY AND THE CONSPIRATORS have released the new video for "Driving Rain", featuring hilarious live-action, animated adventure with ragdoll puppets. The song is the first single from SLASH FEATURING MYLES KENNEDY AND THE CONSPIRATORS' new album, "Living The Dream", which was released on September 21 via Slash's own label Snakepit Records, in partnership with Roadrunner Records.

"Living The Dream" is Slash's fourth solo album, and third with Slash and his bandmates Myles Kennedy (vocals), Brent Fitz (drums), Todd Kerns (bass and vocals) and Frank Sidoris (guitar and vocals).


Slash describes creating the fun clip: "The idea behind doing an animated video for 'Driving Rain' is mostly due to the dark subject matter of the song influencing directors to come up with very dramatic, dark and sullen regular live action treatments that weren't any fun at all (no offense to those guys). So, I wanted to create something that could be tongue-in-cheek and yet still be dark with live-action animation. We're all big fans of Stoopid Buddy and they came up with a great concept and treatment. We love the video and it came out effin' brilliant. FYI, no puppets were harmed during the making of this video."


"Our whole team at Stoopid Buddy Stoodios was beyond excited to work with Slash, Myles and those hard rocking CONSPIRATORS," explains John Harvatine IV, creative director and co-founder. "We had a blast creating a dramatic heart-pounding music video with rag-doll-like rod puppets and adrenaline-filled RC Jeeps. From this moment forward, 'Driving Rain' is now the 'Citizen Kane' of music videos!"

b>Slash described the creation of "Driving Rain": "This is a riff I specifically remember playing with the guys for the first time at a venue in New Hampshire on the 'World On Fire' tour. It's a cool guitar part we ran though, and from that point forward the rest of the song started to come together in my mind while on the road. We put it all together this year and Myles came up with a great melody for it." Myles Kennedy adds: "The riff is very reminiscent of vintage AEROSMITH. It's got a certain funk to it that's compelling. Lyrically, it's a story about somebody who works on the road — it could be a musician, and it could be a traveling salesman. What makes it interesting is this guy has an addict girlfriend or spouse who continues to relapse, and she ends up getting him to come home. She's miserable and falls back into bad old habits, and that compels him to head back to her to save the day."

Myles added: "It's another idea that had been around for years. To me, the riff is very reminiscent of vintage AEROSMITH. It's got a certain funk to it that is really compelling."

SLASH FEATURING MYLES KENNEDY AND THE CONSPIRATORS just launched their North American headlining tour and will visit 20 major cities before ending October 16 back in Los Angeles at the Hollywood Palladium.

The official lyric video for the song "When The Last Scream Fades" from THE THREE TREMORS, the new project featuring acclaimed heavy metal singers Tim "The Ripper" Owens (JUDAS PRIEST, ICED EARTH, YNGWIE MALMSTEEN), Harry "The Tyrant" Conklin (JAG PANZER) and Sean "The Hell Destroyer" Peck (CAGE, DEATH DEALER, DENNER/SHERMANN), can be seen below.

THE THREE TREMORS' self-titled debut LP is due later this year. Check out additional audio samples on THE THREE TREMORS' PledgeMusic page.

"Sean's band, CAGE, opened for JUDAS PRIEST on the 'Jugulator' tour in San Diego — that is where I first met him," recalls Ripper. "He hit me up about resurrecting the idea and actually doing a record, and then a band, to put this out in the live setting also, and I thought it sounded really cool. The record came out really strong and I think the fans deserved to have a thing like this actually exist. We performed two of the songs live already when I was out in San Diego shooting the video for the first single, and it was a blast."

"It was about five years ago, I was camping and thinking about the whole THREE TREMORS urban legend from long ago and what a shame it was that it never happened," says Sean. "Then I started thinking about if there was a resurrected 2018 version of it, who would I get, and Tim and Harry were at the top of my list. I immediately reached out to Tim, who agreed to embark on this adventure and Harry quickly joined next. It took a long time to put it together, create the right songs, and get it properly arranged, but the results are beyond my wildest expectations. I think the fans are really going to freak out on what we have done with this record, and live it's going to be almighty I assure you!"

Sean and I ended up at a party together in Germany, where we were both playing the same festival, and he told me about the THREE TREMORS album he was putting together and asked if I would be into it," adds Harry. "He described the concept and how he wanted to bring this old idea to actual life and I said I was in. Once I started hearing the songs that were being sent over for me to record, I knew this thing was going to be really powerful. Then when I got sent the final mixes with all three of us on it, my jaw hit the floor on how well it all came together. For heavy metal fans, this is the ultimate."

THE THREE TREMORS nourish in heavy metal anthems, and feature the illustrious chops of guitarist Dave Garcia, whose tenacity fuels the fire, allowing the music to naturally flow in complimentary tone. Second guitarist Casey Trask picks up the pace and pushes the boundaries alongside bassist Alex Pickard, who highlights a melodic sensibility giving character to the overall tonality. On drums, the thrash machine Sean Elg adds in his perfectly placed fills and signature double bass patterns.

THE THREE TREMORS' self-titled debut highlights artwork ingeniously created by renowned artist Marc Sasso (DIO, HALFORD, ADRENALINE MOB, DEATH DEALER), to showcase an apocalyptic battle between demonic hyper-wolves and the Three Tremors, who marched into an underworld overshadowed by evil forces only armed with bullets powered by heavy metal sorcery to reclaim the dystopian lands.

THE THREE TREMORS' self-titled debut album will feature 12 new songs that depict monumental stories of time honored heavy metal themes as written by Peck, focusing on original concepts to highlight three of the most revered and relentless voices in heavy metal.

"The Three Tremors" track listing:

01. Invaders From The Sky

02. Bullets For The Damned

03. When The Last Scream Fades

04. Wrath Of Asgard

05. The Cause

06. King Of The Monsters

07. The Pit Shows No Mercy

08. Sonic Suicide

09. Fly Or Die

10. Lust Of The Blade

11. Speed To Burn

12. The Three Tremors (bonus track)

THE THREE TREMORS was the provisional name given to a proposed project featuring Bruce Dickinson (IRON MAIDEN), Geoff Tate (QUEENSRŸCHE) and Rob Halford (JUDAS PRIEST).

It was announced in 2000 that Tate would be joining Dickinson and Halford in the all-star group, which was slated to record an album's worth of material with Dickinson's solo guitarist and Roy "Z" Ramirez.

Dickinson said that he and Roy wrote "about three songs" for THE THREE TREMORS during a session in Los Angeles before he "realized it was going to take us a lot longer than three weeks to write a project with three singers that would work."

Before Dickinson's proposed collaboration with Halford and Tate was officially scrapped, the name THE THREE TREMORS was changed to TRINITY because "we figured they would sue our ass if we called it THE THREE TREMORS," Bruce explained in an interview several years ago.

Back in late 2016, Owens, Tate and ex-IRON MAIDEN singer Blaze Bayley played a number of U.S. shows under the "Trinity" banner. Owens later said that while the tour "was a lot of fun," he would not be working with Tate again.

"Kill The Flame", a brand new song from Viking metal veterans EINHERJER, can be streamed below. The tack is taken from the band's ninth full-length album, titled "Norrøne Spor", which will be released on November 9.

EINHERJER has carried out its vision for more than two decades. The band was there when Norwegian extreme metal grew forth and took shape as an enormous cultural export.

EINHERJER's Norse heritage is a phenomenon that reaches far beyond what one can hear alone. It is an amalgamation of the mystique and sagas of old, of songs and poems, of woodcutting and sword grinding and the vikings merciless way of life. It's a cultural patchwork that fills the consciousness with the brutal majesty of the Nordic nature, the elemental strain, of mighty longships plowing the black seas to reach unknown shores. The wisdom of the gods and their Valhalla. Of cultural encounters and trade. Of violence and brutality. Of tough men in a tough time. Their hometown Haugesund also rings with historic sound, and from their own shores on the west coast of Norway the influence of the Vikings stretched towards the sea and the world beyond. The adventurers, pioneers, poets and craftsmen have inspired EINHERJER to go their own way. The Vikings' courage and boldness have inspired us to never compromise EINHERJER's vision, a vision that is a unique, self-made, original and modern interpretation of our mighty Nordic heritage.

EINHERJER vocalist and bassist Frode Glesnes commented: "Classic EINHERJER meets the future and the past. No, we have not returned to our roots. That's a way overused cliché and it always calls for bullshit. We have simply written and arranged more stuff together.

On our last few albums we have written songs separately; this time we've looked at what happens when Gerhard and me are in a room together.

"We still have a firm grip on what EINHERJER is all about. That will never change.

"Here is 10 new songs that any heathen metalhead should be able to love and appreciate. No bullshit, just 10 great metal songs."

Track listing:

01. The Spirit OF A Thousand Years

02. Mine Våpen Mine Ord

03. Fra Konge Te Narr

04. Kill The Flame

05. Mot Vest

06. Spre Vingene

07. The Blood Song

08. Døden Tar Ingen Fangar

09. Tapt Uskyld

10. Av Djupare Røtter

EINHERJER is:

Frode Glesnes - guitar, bass, vocals

Gerhard Storesund - drums, samples

Aksel Herløe - guitar, backing vocals

Ole Sønstabø - lead guitar

REVOCATION will release its new album, "The Outer Ones", on September 28 via Metal Blade Records. The follow-up to 2016's "Great Is Our Sin" sees the band pushing both the death metal and progressive elements of its signature sound harder than ever.

The song "Blood Atonement", taken from "The Outer Ones", can be streamed below.

"The Outer Ones" track listing:

01. Of Unworldly Origin

02. That Which Consumes All Things

03. Blood Atonement

04. Fathomless Catacombs

05. The Outer Ones

06. Vanitas

07. Ex Nihilo

08. Luciferous

09. A Starless Darkness

I knew that I wanted to go in a darker direction, and this is our most death metal album to date," states vocalist/guitarist Dave Davidson.

"Sometimes when death metal bands go down the prog route, they lose some of that edge, but we wanted to keep the aggression at the forefront of what we do while still pushing our boundaries."

Moving away from the societal and historical themes that informed "Great Is Our Sin", this time Davidson has immersed himself in the fantastic, evoking one of the great writers of the sci-fi/horror genre.

"The title is my ode to H.P. Lovecraft and the entities of pure cosmic horror that rule that universe he created," Davidson says. "Since the new music we were writing was so evil and spacey in sections, it seemed to be the right title to fit the overall vibe. But while the lyrical content is largely influenced by such writings, in every allegory there is, of course, some reflection of the real world, so I enjoy writing in a way that could have one overlaying meaning and then another deeper, symbolic meaning as well."

REVOCATION is currently taking part in its first North American headlining tour in several years, with EXHUMED, RIVERS OF NIHIL and YAUTJA as support.

REVOCATION is:

David Davidson - Guitars / Vocals

Dan Gargiulo - Guitars / Vocals

Brett Bamberger - Bass / Vocals

Ash Pearson - Drums

Finnish metallers STRATOVARIUS are back with a new album — with some fresh and some very rare material. Due on September 28 via earMUSIC, "Enigma: Intermission 2" features three brand new songs as well as, for the first time in the band's history, four beautifully arranged orchestral versions of popular STRATOVARIUS songs.

The album is similar in concept to "Intermission", released 17 years ago between "Infinite" and "Elements", in the sense that these seven tracks made in 2018 are completed by nine very rare, very-hard-to-find power metal gems.

With over 30 minutes of brand new material and 50 minutes of previously rare metal, "Enigma: Intermission 2" is definitely more killer than filler!

Take "Enigma" and "Oblivion", for example, fresh from the studio in 2018. Both combine an epic melody with a bombastic chorus and heavy riffs for STRATOVARIUS's trademark sound and remind of "Unbreakable" from their 2013 album "Nemesis", the most streamed song in the band's history. Or "Kill It With Fire" and "Castaway", two epic and full-blown power metal tracks that were previously only heard by Japanese fans.

he official lyric video for the newly recorded orchestral version of the song "Unbreakable" can be seen below.

The sweeping melodic power metal grandeur of STRATOVARIUS, together with Timo Kotipelto's powerful yet emotional voice, is very much present on all of the 80 minutes of this release. This spirit truly makes "Enigma: Intermission 2" closer to a full new studio album than to a mere compilation.

"Enigma: Intermission 2" track listing:


01. Enigma (brand new studio song; recorded 2018)

02. Hunter†

03. Hallowed††

04. Burn Me Down (brand new studio song; recorded 2018)

05. Last Shore††

06. Kill It With Fire*

07. Oblivion (brand new studio song; recorded 2018)

08. Second Sight*

09. Fireborn†

10. Giants*

11. Castaway*

12. Old Man And The Sea††

Brand new orchestral versions (all recorded 2018)

13. Fantasy

14. Shine In The Dark

15. Unbreakable

16. Winter Skies

* previously unreleased in Europe

† rare bonus track

†† rare bonus track; first time on CD

This autumn, STRATOVARIUS will hit the road in Europe with Tarja Turunen on the "A Nordic Symphony '18" tour.

Maryland hard rock icons KIX will release "Fuse 30 Reblown" on September 21, exactly 30 years after "Blow My Fuse"'s original September 19, 1988 release date. KIX announced the release from the stage of this year's M3 Rock Festival where the band performed "Blow My Fuse" in its entirety to their hometown crowd.

A short video clip in which the KIX members discuss transferring "Blow My Fuse" original analog tapes to digital and remixing/remastering them for "Fuse 30 Reblown" can be seen below.

"Fuse 30 Reblown" features a stunning Beau Hill (ALICE COOPER, RATT, WARRANT, KIX) remixed and remastered version of KIX's Atlantic Records "Blow My Fuse" album, as well as special never-before-released demos of all 10 tracks, recorded in the early-to-mid-1980s. "Blow My Fuse" features the group's biggest hit, the power ballad "Don't Close Your Eyes", which reached No. 11 on the Billboard Hot 100 in early 1989. The album achieved platinum sales and peaked at No. 46 on the Billboard Top 200, making it the most successful of the band's 35-year career.

"We are proud to be celebrating the 30-year anniversary of the biggest album of our lives," says singer Steve Whiteman. "We went from clubs to arenas, a van to a tour bus, and from the U.S. to Japan and Europe. And 30 years later, our fans are still right here with us."

b>"Fuse 30 Reblown" will be available for pre-order in July through the band's PledgeMusic store, where fans can also purchase special commemorative merchandise.

KIX gracefully eased back into the public consciousness in 2008. After sold-out hometown gigs, the quintet hit the stage at Rocklahoma in front of over 20,000 people, venturing out of the Mid-Atlantic for the first time in 13 years. Delivering a triumphant set alongside Sammy Hagar and Alice Cooper, they left their mark on old and new fans alike. After capturing their fiery reunion on 2012's "Live In Baltimore" CD and DVD, the members agreed to enter the studio once again.

In 2014, KIX released its seventh full-length album, "Rock Your Face Off" (Loud & Proud Records) their first studio effort since 1995's "Show Business".

KIX last released "Can't Stop The Show: The Return Of Kix" on October 21, 2016, a two-disc DVD/CD set that entered the Billboard Top Music Video Sales chart at No. 3. The 71-minute film offered an in-depth look into KIX's decision to record "Rock Your Face Off".

"Fuse 30 Reblown" track listing:

Disc 1 - "Blow My Fuse" remixed and remastered By Beau Hill:

01. Red Lite, Green Lite, TNT

02. Get It While It's Hot

03. No Ring Around Rosie

04. Don't Close Your Eyes

05. She Dropped Me The Bomb

06. Cold Blood

07. Piece Of The Pie

08. Boomerang

09. Blow My Fuse

10. Dirty Boys


Disc 2 - Demos:

01. Red Lite, Green Lite, TNT (Demo recording, 6/20/86)

02. Get It While It's Hot (Demo recording, 11/10/86)

03. No Ring Around Rosie (Demo recording, 1987)

04. Don't Close Your Eyes (Demo recording, 11/25/86)

05. She Dropped Me The Bomb (Demo recording, 6/20/86

06. Cold Blood (Demo recording, 3/21/87

07. Piece Of The Pie (Demo recording, 6/20/86)

08. Boomerang (Demo recording, 3/4/84)

09. Blow My Fuse (Demo recording, 9/5/86)

10. Dirty Boys (Demo recording, 11/10/86)

Photo credit: Mike Morgan

Former JUDAS PRIEST guitarist K.K. Downing has once again dismissed bassist Ian Hill's explanation for why he wasn't invited to rejoin the band following Glenn Tipton's decision to retire from the road due to his battle with Parkinson's disease.

In a recent interview with Backstage Axxess, Hill said that the idea of bringing Downing back to PRIEST was never entertained. "When he retired, we took on Richie [Faulkner], you know, so he's playing all Ken's parts," Ian said. "So, it's not Ken's [parts] that are missing, it's going to be Glenn's parts that he would be playing. Really, Ken, what's he going to do? Come over to my side of the stage and play Glenn's parts? It wasn't his job, if you know what I mean, that had become vacant. It was Glenn's. Glenn and Ken are two excellent guitarists, [but] both are completely different in styles and sounds, and for Ken to be playing Glenn's parts anyway, it really wouldn't have sounded right anyway. We never thought about Ken for that reason."

Asked by Please Kill Me what he thought of Hill's justification for why K.K. wasn't contacted about coming back to PRIEST, Downing said: "I'm a guitar player. Richie's a guitar player. We know exactly what's gonna happen. I resume my normal position and Richie takes over on Glenn's side of the stage, and we just become JUDAS PRIEST again. And Richie doesn't have to play 'Sinner', because I can do it better than him… because I'm the originator. Richie does a great job, but I can play it and perform it better than him. It would be better for the people, because they remember me doing it all of their lives, for God's sakes, which is decades. It would just be better for them to see me do it than Richie doing it."

He continued: "You can see me and Richie up there working and playing and performing pretty damn good together because I would make sure that we were ripping across that stage like there was no tomorrow. It is what it is, though. The guys are on tour [in the U.S.] now with DEEP PURPLE and they're gonna be out there with Ozzy [Osbourne] in the U.K. next year. So it is what it is. But that was the severest thing I've heard Ian say. Would I be interested in going back there and having Richie play my parts while I play Glenn's? I'm sorry, but the answer is no. Andy [Sneap, who is replacing Tipton on the current tour] is great. I consider him a mate, and I've been up to his studio, and he's great. But even if that happened, do the people want to see Andy playing Glenn's parts or do they want to see me?"

b>Downing went on to say: "People want to relive. I'm exactly the same. When I go see a band now, whether it's UFO or SCORPIONS, I want to see the original bandmembers. I want to see them out there for as long as I possibly can, if there's an option. Because we all go back remembering the days when we first saw the band, and that's what we paid the ticket for. But one of the reasons I wrote the book" — referring to his just-released autobiography, "Heavy Duty: Days And Nights In Judas Priest" — "is I'm just sick of those guys trying to kind of bury me through the Internet. I really don't know what the deal is. It's stemming from somewhere. It's heartbreaking to see that going on, ya know. It's unfair, really. It's unfair."

"Heavy Duty: Days And Nights In Judas Priest" was released on September 18 via Da Capo Press. The book was co-written by the Scottish author and journalist Mark Eglinton, whose previous collaborations include "Official Truth, 101 Proof" with Rex Brown of PANTERA and "Confessions Of A Heretic" with BEHEMOTH's Adam "Nergal" Darski.

Matt Barlow says that he is "not offended at all" by Jon Schaffer's recent announcement that he is planning to re-record some of ICED EARTH's early albums with the band's current lineup.

Speaking to The Metal Voice in an interview conducted earlier today (Saturday, September 22), the singer, who fronted ICED EARTH from 1994 to 2003 and again from 2007 to 2011, said: "As far as my cut, whatever I contributed to the writing of the songs I'll still get. So from that aspect, from the financial aspect, if people wanna buy the records again, that's great for me, financially, 'cause I still get writing credit for it.

"Basically, I signed away my performance rights — I got paid for my performance, but the writing is where I would get paid [if the albums were to get re-recorded]," he continued. "And I don't have a problem with it. If those guys are getting paid for redoing the records, it doesn't hurt my feelings at all. And those other records will always be out there — there will be versions of it, hopefully, that people can buy, if they so choose; if they want both copies or whatever, then that's fantastic."

Barlow went on to reiterate that there are "no hard feelings" between him and the ICED EARTH guitarist on the issue of re-recording the band's earlier catalog, explaining: "That would just be an ego thing, if anything. I can't really say that I've got that — that's not part of who I am.

It's so hard for musicians to make a living, and if these guys are musicians that are trying to make a living doing it — and they are; Jon is, and Jon has made his living with music," he said. "If he can make some more money to keep ICED EARTH going, then more power to him, man. That's just the way I see it. It is his livelihood, and it's his company, above all things. He's had to use record companies to keep that going, but at the end of the day, it is his company, and he's gotta keep it going, man. And if everybody wants him to keep it going, then they've gotta understand that that's what he's gotta do.

"So, no, I'm not offended at all — as I hope that Gene [Adam, original ICED EARTH singer] wasn't offended when I redid the vocals on ['Days Of Purgatory', 1997 collection of remixes and re-recordings of songs from previous ICED EARTH albums]," Barlow added. "At that particular time, we all thought that I was gonna go on and be with ICED EARTH forever, and we were basically trying to redo the songs in my style, so then when we do 'em live, that's the way that people were gonna hear 'em. But there are still people that are going back and buying the Gene [versions of the songs]. There's a lot of ICED EARTH fans that still love the first record above all others — and with good reason, 'cause it's really cool stuff, and it's different; it's just different. So there's nothing wrong with that."

Late last year, Schaffer spoke about his reasons for wanting to re-record some of ICED EARTH's earlier albums with his current bandmates: Stu Block (lead vocals), Luke Appleton (bass), Brent Smedley (drums) and Jake Dreyer (lead guitar). He said: "We are going to be re-recording [our older] records over the course of, probably, the next 10 years. We're going to be doing a lot of the ICED EARTH catalog because I don't own the master rights and there's no real income coming from that. If we redo those records, then everybody in the band will be able to get a royalty in the future moving forward. It's going to be a big project and it's going to be a lot of fun to do, to really dig back into those records — especially, like, the first six. That's what we're gonna focus on. I don't know which one we're gonna start with yet. I have a pretty good idea which one, but the guys and I will talk over that in the next few months. Not to take away, because I think those albums are great, but the fact is that it was a bad business deal for ICED EARTH, and for us going forward, we want to be able to have control of our catalog and of our destiny."

Schaffer went on to say that he will "never" own the master rights to ICED EARTH's early recordings released through Century Media "unless, all of a sudden, they develop a conscience and say, 'Jon should own his masters.' [Laughs] And believe me, Sony Records did not buy Century Media to start giving artists their rights back. So it's pretty unlikely. And, you know, it's business, and dude, hey, I signed, we all signed it — the original five guys from the first album, we all signed a very horrible contract. I just finished it. I went and pushed through to the bitter end."

ICED EARTH played its final show with Barlow at the 2011 edition of the Wacken Open Air festival in Wacken, Germany.

Barlow announced his departure from ICED EARTH in March 2011. In a heartfelt statement, he cited his commitment to his family and the need for ICED EARTH to tour more as the reasons for his retirement; however, he committed to performing with ICED EARTH on all 2011 European festival dates, including Wacken Open Air.

Current ICED EARTH singer Stu Block (formerly of INTO ETERNITY) made his live debut with the band in November 2011.

ICED EARTH is continuing to tour in support of its latest album, "Incorruptible", which came out in June 2017 via Century Media.

EXODUS singer Steve "Zetro" Souza has bemoaned the lack of new bands who can take over as festival headliners once all of heavy metal and hard rock's current top draws have retired.

Speaking to France's Duke TV, Souza said (see video below): "There's no more Ozzy Osbournes anymore; there's no more BLACK SABBATHs anymore — they're gone. Where's the iconic bands that initially came out with the sounds that you love?

"A lot of fans come up to me, and since SLAYER has announced that this is their last tour and they won't be continuing on… Glenn Tipton isn't playing with JUDAS PRIEST anymore — he actually does; he plays three songs in the set. And look, we lost Lemmy a couple of years ago, so MOTÖRHEAD's done. A lot of things can happen.

"I've never really seen any band that really impresses me that looks like they're gonna be a JUDAS PRIEST or an IRON MAIDEN — that size of band — and be able to carry on for 40 years with that same push and all the same people and building more fans," he added. "[I'll] be curious to see what happens."

b>Souza is now on his third stint with EXODUS, having previously fronted the band from 1986 to 1993 and 2002 to 2004. A decade following his second departure, Souza returned to the fold in 2014, just in time to appear on the group's latest album, "Blood In Blood Out".

Souza has said in recent interviews that EXODUS will wait for guitarist Gary Holt to complete his touring activities with SLAYER before they officially begin work on the follow-up to "Blood In Blood Out".

Season Of Mist announced the signing of the Norwegian extreme metal band GAAHLS WYRD.

Over the past months, the five-piece, fronted by Gaahl, has been recording its debut album at the Solslottet Studios with producer Iver Sandøy (ENSLAVED). The record is set for an early 2019 release.


The band comments: "It's always been of outmost importance for us to work with people that we can relate to, trust, and will understand our creative and professional vision. Season Of Mist feels like home to us and we can't wait to start what hopefully will be a long and rewarding relationship for both parties."


GAAHLS WYRD has announced a European tour with TRIBULATION and UADA in 2019. The Norwegians add: "We have a lot of respect for our travel partners, TRIBULATION and UADA, and can't wait to join forces for what we believe will be a thoroughly enjoyably and diverse package, that we are confident will hit home in the metal community. We're also massively eager to present songs from our brand new album that will be released next year. 2019 can't come soon enough."

ince rising to prominence with his first band TRELLDOM, singer, frontman, artist and composer Gaahl has been one of Norway's most-talked-about and respected extreme metal musicians. His work with TRELLDOM, GORGOROTH, WARDRUNA and GOD SEED has been widely regarded as some of the best the black metal scene has had to offer.


Gaahl's passion and dedication to his art has earned him followers far and beyond the realms of the metal community, becoming a household name in the art scene and a he has become a well-respected alternative thinker.


The charismatic singer has assembled some of Norway's finest metal musicians under the new moniker GAAHLS WYRD. The band consist of Ole Walaunet (THE BATALLION, GOD SEED, GRIMFIST), Frode Kilvik (KRAKOW, AETERNUS) and Kevin Kvåle (HORIZON ABLAZE). This highly qualified bunch recently toured a finely selected, career spanning repertoire from Gaahl's time in TRELLDOM, GORGOROTH and GOD SEED to great acclaim.

GAAHLS WYRD lineup:


Gaahl (Kristian Espedal) - Vocals

Lust Killman (Ole Walaunet) - Guitar

Eld (Frode Kilvik) - Bass

Spektre (Kevin Kvåle) - Drums

Vocalist Aaron Stainthorpe of U.K. doom metal veterans MY DYING BRIDE has opened up about the circumstances that led to the cancelation of the band's four festival appearances in late 2017. At the time, Aaron said the reason for the concerts being called off was "a severe and fearful illness that has struck a family member of my immediate family for which I have now dedicated all my time until signs of improvement." He also shot down rumors that the group was splitting up and assured fans that he and his bandmates were working on the follow-up to 2015's "Feel The Misery" album.

Earlier today (Tuesday, September 18), Stainthorpe released the following statement via MY DYING BRIDE's Facebook page:

"Many of you have been wondering what has happened to the band since we cancelled all our shows back in late 2017. Well, here is the answer.

"In September 2017, my beautiful little daughter, just five years old, was diagnosed with cancer. This event devastated the whole family as well as close friends and of course all of MY DYING BRIDE and related colleagues. A black hole of worry and panic opened up before me and I was fearful of what was to come. The horror that surrounds this terrible disease is real and brutal and relentless.

The highly destructive but very necessary poison that is chemotherapy was started and, after a time, surgery removed the main tumour but it had spread. Early 2018, a second major operation was needed to finally get rid of the visible mass but cells were still in her body, so radiotherapy took place to destroy these. The side effects of both chemo and radio therapies left her a broken and sorry little thing and my heart was aching like never before. As the father of a deeply sick child, I was on the brink of total implosion.

"After the worst year of our lives, and stress beyond belief, we were gifted the news that so many other people never get; she is clear. She has beaten one of the cruellest of God's bitter and loveless creations.

"Despite this positive outcome, there will be years of tests and potential complications which may result in many returns to hospital. I will fear for her every day for the rest of my life and hope that when I finally go to my grave, she will be a strong and forthright woman.

"We really need to thank the wonderful people at the NHS Children's Hospital in Leeds for everything they have done and also the wonderful Candlelighters, children's cancer charity for their endless and loving support.

"The band took a small hiatus at the devastating news but gradually began to muster forces and start work on the next LP which we can happily tell you all, is well under way and, in fact, is almost complete. I have not taken part in any writing as yet, but will return to the fold this week, pen in hand and a new focus and eagerness to fulfil my role as wordsmith and vocalist for this remarkable band. We have returned!"

For 28 years, MY DYING BRIDE from West Yorkshire has been the voice of the hopeless and broken, combining haunting sounds with crushing misery and melancholy. With their signature sound, they've shaped the doom metal scene like barely any other act and integrated both soft violin melodies and violent death metal growls into their music, while always staying strictly loyal to themselves. And since the early '90s, the band's masterminds and founding members Andrew Craighan and Aaron Stainthorpe forged beautiful grief into 12 studio albums with songs of epic length.

Peaceville Records celebrated the 25th anniversary of MY DYING BRIDE with a deluxe 92-page 12-inch hardback book on the rise of the U.K. doom metal legends. The book contains five discs of rarities, early works, newly unearthed and never-before-heard pre-production demos, band track favorites, and live audio.


A message from Aaron.

“Many of you have been wondering what has happened to the band since we cancelled all our shows...Posted by My Dying Bride on Tuesday, September 18, 2018

SACROSANCT, the German-Dutch progressive thrash metal outfit founded by former PESTILENCE guitarist Randy Meinhard, has signed a multi-album deal with ROAR! Rock Of Angels Records. SACROSANCT returns reformed to the scene after a 25-year hiatus.

Kees Harrison (formerly of Dutch prog-metal act SPHERE OF SOULS) recently joined SACROSANCT on bass: "Having been a fan of SACROSANCT for many years, I'm both honored and excited to be working with Randy on the band's new album," he says.

SACROSANCT is:

Richard F. Hesselink - vocals

Randy Meinhard (ex-PESTILENCE) - guitars

Christian Göwert - guitars

Kees Harrison (ex-SPHERE OF SOULS) - bass

Jonas Schütz - drums

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

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

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