Greek guitar virtuoso Gus G., well known in rock and metal circles for his work as Ozzy Osbourne's guitarist and as leader of his own band FIREWIND, has released the official music video for his new song "Force Majeure". The clip, which can be seen below, features a guest appearance by UFO guitarist Vinnie Moore.

Gus, Vinnie and Richie Kotzen are currently touring the U.S. together and are scheduled to perform in Sacramento Friday night (September 21).

Gus G.'s latest solo album, "Fearless", was released in April via AFM Records. The follow-up to 2015's "Brand New Revolution" marked Gus's first release since exiting Osbourne's band in 2017.

On "Fearless", Gus joined forces with vocalist/bassist Dennis Ward (PINK CREAM 69, UNISONIC) and drummer Will Hunt (EVANESCENCE).

b>Gus told All That Shreds in a 2016 interview about his switch from ESP to Jackson guitars: "I was with [ESP] for 12 years. Sometimes you've just got to change it up. I've been playing Japanese guitars for a long time, and then I fancy playing American guitars and then trying it out. Jackson was very enthusiastic, and they have a right theme. Their team have good ideas and are not afraid to try them out, so to speak, and I like that attitude."

He added: "I've had a terrific run with ESP; I can't complain. They gave me my first signature guitars and stuff, and we did well. Now with Jackson, it feels like the right team to be a part of. Those guys are fans of what I do. They've been bugging me for a few years now. It's, like, 'Hey, man if you ever feel like trying something else out, we're here.' I met up with them, and I went to their factory. They are owned by Fender, so I went to the Fender factory, which is pretty amazing. The whole vibe there was very cool, and everybody was really on it. The guy who builds my guitar is Mike Shannon, who made Randy Rhoads Jackson guitars, and it's very cool."

German/American heavy metal legends ACCEPT will release a live set, "Symphonic Terror - Live At Wacken 2017", on November 23 via Nuclear Blast. Fans can expect a unique ACCEPT show, shot on August 3, 2017 at the legendary Wacken Open Air festival, where the band played the biggest and most extraordinary show of its career in front of 80,000, on top of thousands more fans watching via a live stream.

The two-hour concert was divided into three parts, showing the full creative power of ACCEPT: The first part featured the premiere of new tracks "Die By The Sword" and "Koolaid", as well as some of the band's most popular songs, such as "Restless And Wild" and "Pandemic". The middle part featured guitarist Wolf Hoffmann accompanied by a symphony orchestra, presenting the best tracks from his recent solo album, "Headbangers Symphony", which includes metal versions of some of the world's biggest classical compositions (e.g. from Beethoven, Mozart, Vivaldi). And in the last but not least part, fans were able to bang their heads to ACCEPT anthems (also accompanied by the orchestra), such as "Princess Of The Dawn", "Breaker", "Fast As A Shark" and "Metal Heart", as well as to newer songs like "Stalingrad", "Shadow Soldiers" and "Teutonic Terror". The finale was an eight-minute version of ACCEPT's classic song "Balls To The Walls".

"Symphonic Terror - Live At Wacken 2017" will be available as:

* Blu-ray+2CD digipak

* DVD+2CD digipak

* 2CD digipak

* 3LP box (black) including booklet, poster

* 3LP Box (gold) including booklet, poster (Nuclear Blast mailorder exclusive)

* Blu-ray+DVD+2CD earbook

* BluRay+DVD+2CD earbook + photo card (signed) (Nuclear Blast mailorder exclusive)

re-order here.

DVD/Blu-ray track listing:

Part 1: Accept

01. Die By The Sword

02. Restless And Wild

03. Koolaid

04. Pandemic

05. Final Journey

Part 2: Headbanger's Symphony

06. Night On Bald Mountain

07. Scherzo

08. Romeo And Juliet

09. Pathétique

10. Double Cello Concerto In G Minor

11. Symphony No. 40 IN G Minor

Part 3: Accept with Orchestra

12. Princess Of The Dawn

13. Stalingrad

14. Dark Side Of My Heart

15. Breaker

16. Shadow Soldiers

17. Dying Breed

18. Fast As A Shark

19. Metal Heart

20. Teutonic Terror

21. Balls To The Wall

Bonus:

22. Making Of: Wacken

23. Making Of: Headbanger's Symphony

"This was a mash-up of intensity and precision," Wolf Hoffmann says about the fusion of heavy metal and classical music. "The fans are extremely open-minded, but I was nervous 'till the last minute before the show anyway. After all, it's still a metal festival! But I think that, after many years of ACCEPT combining both worlds, fans have started to really accept this concept."

After the Wacken performance, Hoffmann told TotalRock's Whitney Alyson Ribbins: "It was phenomenal. We didn't really know what to expect. We did some rehearsals and stuff, but that was the first time we were ever on stage with an orchestra. It was totally different to what we normally do, but it sounded fantastic and it felt great. Everybody was smiling, the orchestra people had a lot of fun, the conductor was in a great mood and everybody was, like, 'This is fun.' It all went really, really smooth and it couldn't have gone better."

He continued: "A lot of preparation went into it — months of talking about it and organizing everything and writing the scores and writing all the sheet music for everybody, because playing with an orchestra, you can't just jam."

Asked whether this was something he would like to do again, Wolf responded: "Yeah, I'd love to. For me, classical music... the sound of an orchestra is something that has always fascinated me. My whole life I have wanted to combine the two elements together. I've done it by using classical bits and pieces in my solos over the years, then I made a solo record, then I made a solo record with an orchestra and now finally live on stage with an orchestra like that, fifty people, it was a dream come true."

What started as a world premiere at Wacken will be continued in early 2019. ACCEPT is planning to tour with an orchestra across Europe in the spring of next year. "I really hope we will be able to fulfill our dream — we are working hard on it!" Hoffmann says. "What I can already say now is that there will be lots of optical and musical surprises that fans of ACCEPT have never experienced before. We want to multiply what we have achieved in Wacken and are happy about every bit of support we get. One thing is for sure: 2019 will be exciting!"

Dallas, Texas metalcore band MEMPHIS MAY FIRE will release its new album, "Broken", on November 16 via Rise Records. The disc's first single, "The Old Me", can be streamed below.

"'The Old Me' is about my struggle with anxiety and depression," said singer Matty Mullins about the intensely personal song. "What feels like a war between good and evil, loathing the person I become mentally when it consumes me, and trying to remember what life was like before I lived with the symptoms. Ultimately hoping to one day become that person — 'The Old Me' — again."

"Broken" track listing:

01. The Old Me

02. Watch Out

03. Sell My Soul

04. Who I Am

05. Heavy Is The Weight

06. Over It

07. Fool

08. Mark My Words

09. You And Me

10. Live Another Day

b>MEMPHIS MAY FIRE will hit the road this fall, touring with ATREYU and ICE NINE KILLS.

Guitarist Anthony Sepe exited MEMPHIS MAY FIRE in early 2017 after a five-year stint with the band.

VANDENBERG'S MOONKINGS return with their new record, "Rugged And Unplugged" which will be released on November 23 via Mascot Records/Mascot Label Group.


"Rugged And Unplugged" is a beautifully stripped back acoustic album which features songs from across Adrian Vandenberg's career. From his first band TEASER as a 20-year-old, he has always used an acoustic guitar in his recordings, which along with the electric guitar creates the light and shade dynamic that is the cornerstone to all of his records.


"For me, the sign of whether a song is good or not, is whether it still stands up when it's completely stripped down to the bare essence of it," says Vandenberg. He continues: "What I find with acoustic versions of songs you already know is that they can touch you in a different way than the full band and even orchestral versions. You don't get 'impressed' by big guitars, drums and even orchestras. As a performer, you can't hide behind all that, so what's left is the emotional content of the performance and the actual song."


This project created the opportunity to strip down the big orchestral arrangements on songs such as "What Doesn't Kill You" and "Breathing" to just Vandenberg on acoustic guitar and the voice of Jan Hoving. Adrian's 1983 hit "Burning Heart" gets a stunning reworking.

My favorite singers ever since my teens have always been guys like Paul Rodgers and David Coverdale," Vandenberg says. "Since I wrote this song in 1981, I've always pictured it sung by a singer with such a tone of voice and vocal abilities. Jan is absolutely such a singer as you can hear." "One Step Behind" has a graceful warmth and "Walk Away" feels both intimate and anthemic.


Originally from WHITESNAKE's 1989 album "Slip Of The Tongue", "Sailing Ships" has a delicate beauty to it that makes the hairs on your arm stand up and has become a favourite and regular in the MOONKINGS live shows. "Out Of Reach" is the only song that features drums, bass and violins and has a warm cascading elegance. The album closes with a new song, the instrumental "Sundown". Adrian says: "It was one of those beautiful early evenings in the late summer, the light turning pink, it was quiet and I was doodling away on my acoustic guitar. The melody that pretty much rolled off of my fingers really matched the vibe of that moment so I decided to record it and end the album with it. It felt like a very natural thing to do."


Like the two MOONKINGS albums, "MoonKings" (2014) and "MK II" (2017), "Rugged And Unplugged" was produced by Adrian Vandenberg himself. It was recorded between Vandenberg's home studio and Jan Hoving's farm which gives it the relaxed, intimate and natural feel, away from the clinical studio environment. It is Vandenberg and Hoving doing what they do and love the most, playing music straight from the heart.

"Rugged And Unplugged" track listing:

01. What Doesn’t Kill You

02. Sailing Ships

03. Out Of Reach

04. One Step Behind

05. Burning Heart

06. Walk Away

07. Breathing

08. Sundown

Nordic epic metal masters SIRENIA will release their new album, "Arcane Astral Aeons", at the end of October via Napalm Records. The follow-up to 2016's "Dim Days Of Dolor" marks the band's second LP to feature French vocalist Emmanuelle Zoldan, who replaced Spanish singer Ailyn Giménez García two years ago.

The official lyric video for the song "Love Like Cyanide", featuring a guest appearance by Yannis Papadopoulos from BEAST IN BLACK, can be seen below.

01. In Styx Embrace

02. Into THE Night

03. Love Like Cyanide

04. Desire

05. Asphyxia

06. Queen OF Lies

07. Nos Heures Sombres

08. The Voyage

09. Aerodyne

10. The Twilight Hour

11. Glowing Embers

12. Love Like Cyanide (edit; bonus track)

SIRENIA guitarist Morten Veland commented: "We are very pleased to present the artwork for our new album, 'Arcane Astral Aeons'. Once more we have worked with designer Gyula Havancsák to create an artwork that renders and adorns the heart and soul of our music.

The album was recorded in Audio Avenue Studios (Norway) and Sound Suite Studios (France), while the mixing and mastering took place in Hansen Studios (Denmark) with mixing engineer Jacob Hansen.

"This album is something unique to us as it is the first one we have made together with our fans; everyone who have supported our pledge campaign has directly contributed to the funding of the album and to make it what it has turned out to be.

"We are very proud of what we have achieved together and we're very eager to share it with you, hoping that you all will find it as special as we do."

SIRENIA will embark on a European tour in November with support from fellow Norwegians TRIOSPHERE. SIRENIA will bring its epic melancholic symbiosis of orchestral opuses and raw heavy metal sounds to the U.K., France, Spain, Portugal, Switzerland and Italy.

Prior to the recording of "Dim Days Of Dolor", SIRENIA collaborated with Zoldan on choir vocals on all its albums except its 2002 debut, "At Sixes And Sevens". She also did some lead vocals on SIRENIA's cover version of Leonard Cohen's "First We Take Manhattan" on the 2004 EP "Sirenian Shores".

Emmanuelle told Femme Metal Webzine about her musical background: "I learned the piano when I was child, and I tried drums later, but I had to admit very fast that I was better in singing. So I began to sing in a pop/rock band as the lead singer. We made some really nice shows, and won some competitions. It was a really nice period of creativity and concerts we did in the same time we did our studies at the university. Then I decided to go the conservatory to learn a good vocal technique, and after some years of work and two years of specialization, I began a career… in opera. It was a bit unexpected, but life can be really strange sometimes. But during my operatic career, I never stopped doing a lot of other music projects, in different styles (rock, jazz, R&B), creating music, making concerts and recording metal albums for many bands, choirs parts and also lead vocals."

Photo credit: Béranger Bazin

Former JOURNEY vocalist Steve Perry has released the official music video for his latest solo single, "We're Still Here". The song is taken from "Traces", his first solo album in more than two decades, which will be released on October 5 via Fantasy Records (a division of Concord Records/UMG).

Perry states: "'No More Cryin'' is a love song, but not in the way you would think. It starts in one place, and builds and lands somewhere entirely different. It's got many overtones, and can be applied to so many different kinds of relationships, including my own relationship with past isolation."

"Traces" marks Perry's first solo album since 1994's "For The Love Of Strange Medicine", which was certified gold in the U.S. for sales in excess of half a million copies.

Perry told "Scott Shannon In The Morning" about his decision to step away from music for more than two decades: "The band was really, really fortunate to be successful, and at some point, I got a little bit toasty, a little burned out, and coupled with a serious touring schedule, and, like I said, being crispy, and back in the day, we all had a little bit of what we might call 'extra party behaviors,' maybe — and when you put the 'party behaviors' together with a little bit burned out, I was toast.

It was an unpopular decision I came up with at the time, which was just to stop," he continued. "And I told the band, and they were not happy about it. But the biggest thing I was really concerned with was the fans. Because I knew it was gonna be a painful decision for me to walk away, but sometimes you just have to take care of yourself, even if it hurts to do so — you have to do that."

Asked if he planned on being gone for so long, Perry replied: "I did not plan to be gone so long. But once I stopped, there was something great about just stopping. I went back to my hometown and hung out with friends. I rode my motorcycle on these country roads on the outskirts of Fresno, where I was born and raised, and I've gotta tell you — there was something cathartic about just stopping."

Perry reiterated a previous comment he made about wanting "to be a person again" after his exit from JOURNEY. "I think that's pretty accurate," he said. "I just wanted to step out of the limelight. Being successful in a band like that, it was like… I know it sounds a little bit self-serving, but it really was kind of like circling the earth — you're kind of up there, you've gotta come down, you've gotta land, you've gotta touch down, you've gotta go back to your hometown and just be you, not the guy that was on the stage every night.

"But I must tell you — did I miss it? It was terrible!" he admitted. "It was a detox in its own way, you know? Because the adoration of the fans every night and the applause and being able to live the dream…. 'Cause I came from a small town, and it was a dream to get in the music business to start with, but to be able to be successful like JOURNEY was, it was a dream come true, so walking was tough."

"Traces" track listing:

01. No Erasin' (4:07)

Writers: Steve Perry, David Spreng


02. We're Still Here (4:06)

Writers: Steve Perry, Brian West


03. Most Of All (4:23)

Writers: Steve Perry, Randy Goodrem


04. No More Cryin' (4:29)

Writers: Dan Wilson, Steve Perry


05. In The Rain (4:06)

Writers: Steve Perry, David Spreng


06. Sun Shines Gray (3:57)

Writers: Steve Perry, John 5, Thom Flowers


07. You Belong To Me (4:07)

Writers: Steve Perry, Barry Eastmond


08. Easy To Love (4:03)

Writers: Steve Perry, Thom Flowers


09. I Need You (2:59)

Writers: Steve Perry, George Harrison


10. We Fly (3:56)

Writers: Steve Perry, Jeff Babko

Deluxe edition bonus tracks:

11. October In New York (deluxe edition only)

12. Angel Eyes (deluxe edition only)

13. Call On Me (deluxe edition only)

14. Could We Be Somethin' Again (deluxe edition only)

15. Blue Jays Fly (deluxe edition only)

Perry's final full concert with JOURNEY took place in early 1987. He later rejoined his bandmates for a brief performance in 1991 to honor late concert promoter Bill Graham. He also appeared with JOURNEY when they received a star on the Hollywood Walk Of Fame in 2005.

The singer was inducted, alongside his old band, at the 2017 Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame ceremony in Brooklyn, New York.

The surviving members of WE CAME AS ROMANS have paid tribute to their late singer Kyle Pavone at the first show they played since his death.

Pavone died of an accidental drug overdose in late August. His bandmates said in a statement earlier this month that they would honor the vocalist by going ahead with their previously announced U.S. tour as the support act for BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE.

At WE CAME AS ROMANS' concert Tuesday night (September 18) at The Pageant in St Louis, Missouri, co-vocalist Dave Stephens addressed Pavone's absence while introducing the song "Lost In The Moment". He told the crowd (see video below): "A few weeks ago, we lost our best friend our bandmate our brother our singer/keyboardist Kyle Pavone. And this is our first show that we've done without him. Thank you, guys, for being so accepting tonight.

"This is something I wasn't sure we’d ever get to do again. I think it's what he would have wanted. I think it's the best way to honor his legacy.

One of the things that I admired most about him was his ability to not regret his past, not worry about his future and live in the present and enjoy that moment because he believed things could change so quickly and those great things could be taken from you in a heartbeat."

TMZ originally reported that Kyle was transported to a Michigan hospital on August 19 and pronounced dead six days later, on August 25.

WE CAME AS ROMANS' fifth album, "Cold Like War", was released last October through SharpTone Records.

Pavone joined WE CAME AS ROMANS in 2008 as vocalist and keyboardist and appeared on all five of the band's albums. Their 2013 LP, "Tracing Back Roots", peaked at No. 8 on the Billboard 200 chart.

Eden's Curse has announced the details of their new release Testament - The Best Of Eden's Curse.

Testament – The Best Of Eden’s Curse will be released by the band's long time label AFM Records on November 2nd and is a two disc CD set that features 14 songs, covering all five studio albums, on CD1 and a bonus disc The Best Of The Bonus Tracks on CD2, which includes a brand new song "Forever".

"Forever" will be released as a single / lyric video on October 12th and was written by Paul Logue and Thorsten Koehne, mixed by the band's former drummer Pete Newdeck (Midnite City, Tainted Nation, Steve Grimmett) and mastered by Harry Hess (Harem Scarem).

The full tracklisting for Testament – The Best Of Eden’s Curse is as follows:

CD 1 – The Best Of Eden’s Curse
"Symphony Of Sin"
"Masquerade Ball"
"Black Widow" (Featuring Andi Deris)
"The Great Pretender"
"Fly Away"
"No Holy Man" (Featuring James Labrie)
"Sell Your Soul"
"Jerusalem Sleeps"
"Unconditional" (Featuring Liv Kristine)
"Judgement Day"
"Jericho"
"Unbreakable"
"Evil & Divine"
"Angels & Demons" (Featuring Pamela Moore)

CD2: The Best Of The Bonus Tracks
"Forever" (New Song)
"Man Against The World" (2016)
"Time To Breathe" (2013)
"Fallen From Grace" (Acoustic)
"Unchain The Night"
"Children Of The Tide" (Piano)
"Never The Sinner"
"Guardian Angel" (Acoustic)
"Prisoner Of The Past"
"Sail On" (Acoustic)
"After The Love Is Gone" (Acoustic)
"Fly Away" (Acoustic)
"The Voice Inside" (Acoustic)
"Eden's Curse" (Acoustic)

"We have two very definite periods of the band, with two vocalists, almost like the Old and New Testaments, which was the influence behind the title and the artwork. Working closely with AFM we compiled a one disc collection that flows exactly like a concert setlist and gives the new listener a perfect introduction to our music and the avid fan a collection of the greatest songs in our arsenal," stated bassist / founder Paul Logue.

Logue goes onto add, "We are very much a band that listens to our fans and one thing we have been asked a lot is – can we have all the bonus tracks on one CD? It’s taken a while, but it’s here at last and with the added bonus of a brand new song called 'Forever'. I actually wrote 'Forever' way back in 2005 for Pink Cream 69 singer David Readman’s solo album. His label pushed him in a more AOR direction, so I always kept this one on the back burner - 'Sign Of The Cross' came from the same session. I always knew it would see the light of day and Thorsten and I reworked it and made it more in keeping with where we are today as a band. Back then, I had just read Dan Brown’s brilliant novel Angels & Demons and the lyrics are based around that whole story."

The release of Testament – The Best Of Eden’s Curse will coincide with the band's UK tour supporting Michael Schenker Fest as well as a couple of festival appearances. The full run of Eden's Curse tour dates are as follows:

 

Toronto hard rockers Diemonds have just released the video for "Our Song" from their brand new self-titled album, available now.

Diemonds is the third album from frontwoman Priya Panda and co. The cover art and tracklisting can be found below.

"Breathe"  
"Our Song" 
"Shoulda Listened To Ya"
"Waiting For Something"
"Burn It Down"
"I Miss"
"How Long"
"I See Red"
"Made It Through"
"Warrior"

For further details, visit Diemonds on Facebook.

 

Radio Silence is the sophomore release from the LA based rock band Roxanne and will be available on October 26th via Rat Pak Records. Originally formed in the late '80s, Roxanne garnered commercial success with their 1988 self-titled debut album, which was well received with two songs charting on rock radio; “Cherry Bay” and “Sweet Maria”, as well as a cover of Wild Cherry’s “Play That Funky Music” which hit #63 on the Billboard singles charts and was in full rotation on both dance and rock stations simultaneously.

As with many bands from that era, facing the decline in interest for AOR rock due to the onslaught of the grunge scene, the guys in Roxanne went on hiatus. Now, 30 years later, the band returns with a new offering entitled Radio Silence, which features 11 tracks of pure adrenalized classic rock influenced music, and also features special guest appearances by guitar legend George Lynch, King’s X frontman dUg Pinnick and Korn drummer Ray Luzier.

Regarding the recording process, lead singer Jamie Brown comments, “We wanted to make a rock record that you’d want to crank in your car and drive fast with the windows down and I think we accomplished that!” Drummer Dave Landry adds, “We are all very proud of this album and are ecstatic the way it turned out... the songs, the tones and the performances. Recorded on two-inch analog, it sounds real, it is real, and truly represents the way our band sounds!”

With influences that range from Queen to Bad Company to Thin Lizzy, Radio Silence is best described as a perfect blend of classic rock with a modern-day edge. The album was produced by Rich Mouser and Jamie Brown and recorded, mixed & mastered at The Mousehouse Studio in Los Angeles, CA

Roxanne's Radio Silence is available in various formats and bundle configurations including a limited print Red & Black Splatter vinyl pressing with an alternate track sequence, cassette and hand-autographed CD bundle which you can find at this location.

Tracklisting:

"Someone To Kill"
"Girls Alright"
"Super Bad" (ft: George Lynch)
"Thin Blue Line"
"Broken Chandeliers"
"Man In The Moon" (ft: Ray Luzier & dUg Pinnick) 
"Go Fuck Yourself" (ft: George Lynch & dUg Pinnick)    
"Without Us"
"Quarter To Four"
"I Don’t Want To Live This Way"
"First Mistake"

Professionally-filmed footage of Ensiferum playing one of their most popular songs, "In My Sword I Trust", on the Louder Stage at this year's edition of Germany's Wacken Open Air festival, can be seen below:

After performing several shows in Finland and recording a bonus "Live" DVD, which is available together with the recent Ensiferum album Two Paths, released in September 2017 by Metal Blade Records, Ensiferum Acoustic will present their show for the first time live in Europe.

The tour will run from December 4th through December 22nd of 2018. In addition to playing some songs that have never been played outside of Finland, Ensiferum Acoustic will present the acoustic version of selected songs from the Ensiferum repertoire.

Here’s Ensiferum Acoustic – “Two Of Spades” live in Helsinki:

Bassist Sami Hinkka comments: "Hi folks! As some of you might know, we did a bunch of acoustic gigs in Finland back in 2016 and we even recorded the last gig in Helsinki and included that as a bonus DVD for the Two Paths album.

“We had talked about bringing Ensiferum's acoustic spectacle abroad for years but there was never a proper time for it. This summer airlines lost our gear two times and since we do not want to cancel a show we asked from promoters to arrange us acoustic guitars and we did ex-tempore acoustic gigs on two festivals. We had fun and fans seemed to enjoy them also very much. So, we decided that now the time is right for our first acoustic tour outside of Finland.

“On this upcoming tour, we will have our dear friend Laura Dziadulewicz to sing and to play keyboards. Her own band is called Medeia and you might remember her from our Unsung Heroes album where she sang Celestial Bond. Here is a link to Medeia's last video, check it out:

“Just to tell you guys a bit more about the whole idea of these acoustic gigs. Ensiferum has always had acoustic elements and also whole acoustic songs on the albums but those have been impossible to add to traditional metal gigs. So we decided to create a setlist that would include songs that haven't ever been played outside of Finland. Not just acoustic songs but also some very rare songs that we rearranged a bit to fit the acoustic atmosphere. Most of the setlist will be songs that haven't been heard ever outside of Finland so even if you saw Ensiferum within the last years, this show will blow your mind! Partying, beer, moshpits, singalong, crowd surfing has always been a big part of Ensiferum's metal gigs, how about this time? Fear not, it's not going to be a ballads-only-evening, because we also include some old hit songs that went through an acoustic metamorphosis to keep the party spirit high! So see you all in the acoustic moshpit!"

Ensiferum Acoustic are:

Petri Lindroos
Markus Toivonen
Sami Hinkka
Janne Parviainen
feat. Laura Dziadulewicz on keyboards

Original Human Music, the debut album by Ultraphonix, the new creation of Corey Glover (Living Colour) and George Lynch (Dokken, Lynch Mob), alongside the great rhythm section formed by drummer Chris Moore and Pancho Tomaselli on bass, is out now via earMUSIC. The album track "Soul Control" is available for streaming below.

Original Human Music was co-produced by Bob Daspit (Sammy Hagar) and it displays the magic match between Corey Glover's iconic voice and George Lynch's unique style on the guitar.

The core and value of Ultraphonix lies in the songwriting and the quality of the songs. Original Human Music is an album where Glover's profound and thoughtful lyrics sound loud - together with the warm and heavy wall of sound created by George Lynch. It's all sustained by a rhythm section that can go anywhere musically.

To quote Lynch, "The album sounds like a fusion of early Chili Peppers meets King Crimson meets Judas Priest! It's a super fun band."

Drawing on (very heavy) rock, funk, and jazz influences, the band paints a picture of a band still believing that social consciousness could be celebrated through great rock songs.

Order here.

Tracklisting:

"Baptism"
"Another Day"
"Walk Run Crawl"
"Counter Culture"
"Heart Full Of Rain"
"Free"
"Wasteland"
"Take A Stand"
"Ain't Too Late"
"Soul Control"
"What You Say"
"Power Trip"

"Soul Control":

"Ain't Too Late":

"Take A Stand":

"Wasteland":

"Heart Full Of Rain":

"Counter Culture":

"Baptism":

"Another Day" video:

"Free" lyric video:

"Walk Run Crawl" video:

Video footage of NONPOINT members Elias Soriano, Rasheed Thomas and B.C. Kochmit performing an acoustic version of the band's song "Chaos And Earthquakes" and the HardDrive Radio studio can be seen below.

"Chaos And Earthquakes" is taken from NONPOINT's tenth album, "X", which was released on August 24. The follow-up to 2016's "The Poison Red" was produced by Fred Archambault, who has previously worked with ATREYU and AVENGED SEVENFOLD, among others.

In a recent interview with Bods Mayhem Hour, Soriano stated about working with Archambault: "['The Poison Red' producer] Rob [Ruccia] also worked on this record as well. He not only played bass, but he was mainly the engineer of this record because it's the studio he works out of, the Uptown [Recording], he is their head engineer. He's an amazing friend and dare I say, sixth member of the band.

"We've done a lot of records ourselves and when we get the opportunity to work with somebody with Fred… Originally, it was supposed to be Brian Virtue, which we were really excited about. But, unfortunately, he had a really dire family emergency he couldn't step away from, wholeheartedly knowing he could get a phone call and he'd have to go back home. We understood where he was coming from. The label got on the phone, got people we were speaking to as well as Brian in the beginning. Got them on the phone and had a great conversation with Fred and he jumped right in. It was a great process. He's a real positive dude who loves to work ideas, loves to add layers and really set a mood and add DNA to a song. He just, you know, pretty much, he loves what we were doing with the writing of our music. He just, like he said in the phone call, he just really wanted to make it sound like the most powerful NONPOINT that we've ever put out."

b>Elias added that "X" ended up being "the fastest record that we've ever recorded because we were so prepared going in. It was really just about tracking it, but I would say [it took about] 25, 26 days. Like I said, the music was written. It was just about making it as sound as great as we could. I mean, like I said, the songs were already written. We went in with the pre-production already done. We had already decided what we wanted. After that, it's just performance and making sure you get the right tones. Fred's a professional, Rob Ruccia is a professional. We're on our tenth record, so we went in prepared."

Canadian progressive death metal band Beyond Creation will release their new album, Algorythm, on October 12th via Season Of Mist. Pre-order the album here, and find an official playthrough video for the track "Entre Suffrage Et Mirage" below.

With the new album, Beyond Creation delivers a ferocious blend of technicality, melody, and brutality aided by fang-filled growls, interwoven with beautiful progressive interludes. Feel the onrush of sweeping arpeggios, crushing waves of fretless bass, complex rhythmical patterns and erupting scales peppered with jazzy feeling and masterful execution. With Algorythm, prepare for the lightning evolution of progressive tech death.

Tracklisting:

"Disenthrall"
"Entre Suffrage Et Mirage"
"Surface's Echoes"
"Ethereal Kingdom"
"Algorythm"
"À Travers Le Temps Et L'Oubli"
"In Adversity"
"The Inversion"
"Binomial Structures"
"The Afterlife"

"Entre Suffrage Et Mirage" playthrough video:

"Algorythm" lyric video:

"The Inversion" video:

A new trailer for he legendary death metal compilation Death ...Is Just The Beginning, featuring a snippet of "Frozen Illusion" by Paradise Lost, can be seen below:

Another trailer, featuring a snippet of The Spirit's "Illuminate The Sky", follows:

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).

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)

Frontiers Music Srl announces the signing of Italian metal band, Hollow Haze.

Hollow Haze formed in 2003 and released six studio albums before disbanding in 2015, when founding member Nick Savio left to form Eternal Idol with famed power metal vocalist Fabio Lione (Angra, Rhapsody), Camillo and Giorgia Colleluori, and Andy Buratto (Hell In The Club, Secret Sphere).

Nick wound up resigning from Eternal Idol in the not so distant past and decided to reform Hollow Haze with a new lineup and a fresh, new sound. Along with long time bassist Davide Cestaro, Hollow Haze now also features Fabio Dessi (Arthemis) and Paolo Caridi (MLB) as vocalist and drummer, respectively.

Nick Savio says, “I'm very excited to be back in the studio with new and old brothers in metal under the Frontiers' flag. The new material is melodic, heavy, and symphonic. In my opinion, there is a perfect connection between all the band members. Everyone was involved in the production process and you can hear many special moments on this record. The collaboration with Frontiers will bring the band to a new level and we will support the album with many live shows soon. See you on the road!!"

The band is working on the new album now, which will be called Between Wild Landscapes And Deep Blue Seas. It will include 12 tracks that will lyrically touch on the meaning of life and great adventures, while be delivered with tremendous musical passion.

The album is tentatively scheduled for release in summer 2019.

THE OFFSPRING appears to have resumed work on its long-awaited tenth album. A new photo of the band in the studio has been posted on THE OFFSPRING Facebook page along with the caption: "Back to work."

THE OFFSPRING lead guitarist Kevin "Noodles" Wasserman recently confirmed that the band has been working with producer Bob Rock "on and off" for the last five years on the follow-up to 2012's "Days Go By". "We had a real productive string this year, in the earlier part of the year," he told Australia's Music Feeds last month. "We had probably five or six songs that we did just right then and it started to feel like, 'Maybe this is the direction we should be going with this record.' A little bit more straight-forward OFFSPRING stuff. So we have a whole record or more worth of stuff here. I think we're looking at making two records out of it — you know, like, splitting 'em up and coming out with a pretty straightforward punk and rock record that sounds like us, and then maybe saving some of the crazier stuff for another record."

Elaborating on what the "crazier stuff" might sound like, Noodles said: "There's always a song that we do [on each album] — because it's just fun for us to experiment in the studio where we take different sounds — so sometimes we'll try some piano or keyboard kind of sound… We have a song that has a lot of horns in it, like a full-on horn section in it, and we've been working on that song for a long time. I think that one might be the the one kind of wacky one that we keep on this record — well, at least I hope it is! We love this song — it's such a fun song. It's a risk to put it out there, but at some point you've just gotta say 'screw it, man' and just go with what you're feeling and let the chips fall where they may. So I think we're gonna do that."

THE OFFSPRING debuted a new song called "It Won't Get Better" live in concert this past June and has been performing it ever since. Noodles described the track as "kind of like a straight-forward OFFSPRING song."

b>THE OFFSPRING and 311 recently teamed up for the "Never-Ending Summer Tour" with special guests GYM CLASS HEROES.

THE OFFSPRING's last single, "Coming For You", dropped in 2015.

Photo credit: Sam Jones / MSO PR


Back to work.Posted by The Offspring on Monday, September 17, 2018

On November 23, San Diego-based deathgrind masters CATTLE DECAPITATION will release their new rarities collection, "Medium Rarities", via Metal Blade Records. Featuring six previously unreleased pre-"Human Jerky" (1999) demos with frontman Travis Ryan on guitar (while also handling vocal duties), plus the long-sought-after "To Serve Man" (2002) bonus track "Rotting Children For Remote Viewing" — in addition to other rarities (including the six songs from 2005's split EP with CANINUS) — this compilation spans the band's 22-year-long career and is a must-have for any CATTLE DECAPITATION fan.

Travis Ryan comments: "'Medium Rarities' is a project we started about 10 years ago, and we're thrilled to see it finally happen!

"In 2008, I started compiling unreleased tracks, import bonus tracks and seven-inch releases for a rarities release — and even had the art created by the legendary Wes Benscoter, when we discovered that a key track was missing that we wanted to include on it.

"Our album 'To Serve Man' had a bonus track ready in case there was a Japanese version released, but that never happened — and the bandmembers' copies of the track got lost, seemingly forever! We felt a rarities compilation released without that bonus track would be a weird idea, and so the project got shelved until recently. Heather Parsons of Metal Blade finally was able to unearth the track from an old disc that was tucked away in the Metal Blade vault! The lyrics to the song were unearthed along with it, and so we quickly got to work with compiling and mastering the rest.

This is a nice, concise compilation of unreleased and hard-to-find tracks, complete with lyrics and cheeky vinyl color variant schemes, based on how people like their meat prepared. The European vinyl variants also resemble diseased meats... But my favorite part is the cassette, which was created to look like the vintage cassette releases we grew up on — complete with the old-school Metal Blade axe logo!

"A lot of thought and work went into this release, and we are pleased to finally be able to present to you... 'Medium Rarities'!"

For a preview of "Medium Rarities", "An Exposition Of Insides", a Japanese bonus track from 2012's "Monolith Of Inhumanity", can be streamed now below.

"Medium Rarities" track listing:

01. Birth. Cancer. Death.

02. No Future

03. Chili Dispenser

04. The Recapitation Of Cattle

05. Thrombosis All-In

06. Turn On The Masters

07. Tripas De Pepe

08. Vino De Lo Sanguifero

09. Queso De Cabeza

10. Birth. Cancer. Death. (Unreleased Demo)

11. Diarrhea de Dahmer (Unreleased Demo)

12. Human Jerky (Unreleased Demo)

13. Thrombosis All-In (Unreleased Demo)

14. Colon Blo (Unreleased Demo)

15. Flesh-Eating Disease (Unreleased Demo)

16. Burnt To A Crisp

17. Sonny's Burning

18. Rotting Children For Remote Viewing (Unreleased)

19. You People

20. World Full Of Idiots

21. An Exposition Of Insides

22. No Light And No Life

23. Cannibalistic Invasivorism

CATTLE DECAPITATION will tour in support of "Medium Rarities" this fall with THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER in Japan and with SUFFOCATION, KRISIUN and SOREPTION in the USA.

CATTLE DECAPITATION is currently working on material for its new album, tentatively due in the fall of 2019. The follow-up to 2015's "The Anthropocene Extinction" will mark the recording debut of new guitarist Belisario Dimuzio (EUKARYST) and bassist Olivier Pinard (CRYPTOPSY).

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 "Who Says You Can't Go Home" 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:

The Unguided have released a video for “A Link To The Past”, featured on their upcoming album, And The Battle Royale, out worldwide on November 10th via Napalm Records. Find the video below.

"And The Battle Royale" is not just a catch phrase - it's a challenge! Those Swedes incubate a heavyweight of melodic death metal which would freak out all metalcore forerunners in their greatest era. With a sense for overwhelming hooklines and sweet sentiments, their creamy guitars celebrate themselves. In terms of self-fulfilling songwriting both vocalists, Richard Sjunnesson and new addition Jonathan Thorpenberg, are building up a perfect symbiosis of brutal shouts and huge melodies! Stompy industrial is gilded in heavy-handed synthesizers as a battle trophy. A must-have for all those who value pure harshness with a good portion of sex appeal.

Pre-order the new album here.

Tracklisting:

“Death's Sting”
“The Heartbleed Bug”
“Legendary”
“Dark Metamorphosis”
“A Link To The Past”
“Anchor Stone (Of The World)”
“Manipulate Fear”
“Force Of Nature”
“King's Fall”
“Nighttaker” (Bonus Track)
“Daybreaker” (Bonus Track)
“Nighttaker” (Bonus Track)

“A Link To The Past” video:

“The Heartbleed Bug” video:

“Legendary” lyric video:

The Unguided have decided to deliver a full live DVD with the limited digipak version on top of this new release. The DVD captures Roland Johansson's farewell show in Falkenberg (Sweden) with a unique 6-man strong setting of the band.

And The Battle Royale will be available as digital album download, as well as 6-page digipak including the already mentioned bonus DVD.

The track listing of the DVD reads as follows:

“Becoming Death” (Intro)
“Enraged”
“King Of Clubs”
“Blodbad”
“Heartseeker”
“Green Eyed Demon” (Feat. Christoffer Andersson)
“Unguided Entity”
“Betrayer Of The Code” (Feat. John Bengtsson)
“Operation: E.A.E.”
“Eye Of The Thylacine”
“Inherit The Earth”
“The Worst Day” (Revisited)
“Nighttaker”
“Phoenix Down”
“Hate (And Other Triumphs)”

“Blodbad”:

“King Of Clubs”:

The official video for the new AVENGED SEVENFOLD song "Mad Hatter" can be seen below. The track was recorded for the "Call Of Duty: Black Ops 4" video game and the clip uses game footage to present the song.

"Mad Hatter" will be included on AVENGED SEVENFOLD's upcoming EP, "Black Reign", which will be made available on September 21. The effort will contain all four songs the band has written and recorded for the "Call Of Duty: Black Ops" franchise.

"Mad Hatter" was recorded in Los Angeles this past March and co-produced by the band and Joe Barresi, who helmed AVENGED SEVENFOLD's critically acclaimed album "The Stage", including its Grammy-nominated title track.


"'Black Ops 4' looks insane and is something completely new for fans, so we felt that we should take a similar leap with the music and go for something bigger, darker and more cerebral," says AVENGED SEVENFOLD lead vocalist M. Shadows.

bout the "Mad Hatter" creative process, Shadows says: "Watching the initial trailers and looking at production sketches reminded me of the 'S-Town' podcast and its main protagonist, John B. McLemore, who was rumored to have suffered from mercury poisoning, or Mad Hatter disease. The idea of Mad Hatter and what it does to the brain is as frightening as the images we were shown. So I decided that the lyrics would shadow McLemore's life. The result is a thick-grooved song that's dynamic and has a weightiness to it."

"We have a very deep relationship with the team at Treyarch," he adds. "We're proud to be part of the family and extremely excited for people to enjoy this next chapter and our contribution to it."

"As fans of the game and as world class musicians, AVENGED SEVENFOLD has demonstrated an innate ability to convey the emotion and raw power of the 'Call Of Duty' Zombies experience," said Jason Blundell, director of Zombies at Treyarch. "We're introducing fans to a new cast of characters in 'Black Ops 4' and delivering the biggest Zombies experience to date. With IX, we knew we needed something epic and A7X delivered."

"Call Of Duty: Black Ops 4" is published by Activision and developed by Treyarch with additional development support from Raven Software and PC development with Beenox.

M. Shadows told Kerrang! magazine about "Mad Hatter": "The song is dark and brooding. We wanted to capture a difference feeling than a straight-ahead 'zombie killer' track. These songs are good places for us to experiment with our sound. I would put this in the category of 'dark alternative.'"

Asked how the new song came about and whether it was written with "Call Of Duty" in mind or if it was a leftover cut from "The Stage" sessions, M. Shadows said: "I did a Twitter takeover where a fan asked me about doing music for 'Black Ops 3'. The team at [games developing company] Treyarch saw it and asked us to participate. I went into the studio and saw what they were working on. We only had a month to get them a finished product, because of our European tour. We wrote what we felt would be a departure for not only us, but Treyarch as well."

M. Shadows stated about the decision to make the tracks available on a separate EP: "We just felt these songs needed a place to live, instead of being scattered all over streaming services. We will also be releasing 'Jade Helm', which is the multiplayer score we did for 'Black Ops 3'. Until now, that has only been available on YouTube and in the game."

AVENGED SEVENFOLD bassist Johnny Christ previously told HardDrive Radio about "Mad Hatter": "It's a fun song — it's a little bit of a departure from I think what our fans would expect, but I guess that also makes sense because they expect crazy from us now."

"Call Of Duty: Black Ops 4" is scheduled to come to PS4, Xbox One and PC on October 12.

AVENGED SEVENFOLD contributed music to the previous three installments of the game series, and even appears (virtually) in the second chapter, when they can be seen performing the song "Carry On" in an epilogue after the closing credits.

The "Call Of Duty" song will be the first original material AVENGED SEVENFOLD has released since last year's "Dose", which originally surfaced in the Gameloft mobile game "Dungeon Hunter 5". It later appeared on the "deluxe edition" 2017 reissue of the group's 2016 studio album, "The Stage".

AVENGED SEVENFOLD will probably start working on its eighth studio LP this fall for a 2019 release.

The band recently canceled its summer tour with PROPHETS OF RAGE and THREE DAYS GRACE after M. Shadows was struck by a viral infection that left him "voiceless."

Photo credit: Kameron Pollock

HEART singer Ann Wilson performed her version of Lesley Gore's fearless 1963 hit "You Don't Own Me" on lat night's (Wednesday, September 19) episode of "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" The song is from her new album, "Immortal", that was just released last week (September 14) and has been a highlight of her live shows. The album features 10 musically diverse tracks that pay tribute to some of Ann's influences and friends who've recently passed and whose music poignantly lives on.


Ann recently discussed her reasoning for including the 1960s track on the album, telling Yahoo!: "'You Don't Own Me' first came out at a time when Lesley Gore

was only a teenager… It was a really bold move for a teenage girl to stand up and face her boyfriend and say, 'Hey, I don't belong to you… That was a huge move back then, and it just grew and grew into what they now call a feminist anthem. But when I do it, I think it’s more about respect. It could be about anybody. It's for anybody now. The song has really become a lot more universal than just a feminist anthem. It is one, but it goes a lot farther than that. And that's why I chose it, because in this era of people standing up for their choice of who they are, they can marry who they want. They can say, 'Me too.' They just should have respect, and they can proclaim it."


For "Immortal", which marks her debut for BMG, Ann has teamed with original HEART producer Mike Flicker. "Mike was the first producer to believe in me," Ann says. "He was my first teacher in the studio and knows how to provide that special support needed to bring out my soul in the recording process. It is exciting to work with him for the first time since 1980. I have traveled many, many miles since then but the old feeling is still there and fresh on 'Immortal'. He has fearlessly helped me bring my ideas to life once again and it's been a great collaboration."


Ann has just completed a tour with Jeff Beck and Paul Rodgers where she sang mostly covers, including a few from "Immortal".

hoto credit: Kimberly Adamis

If there is a band that'll break your neck from the sheer force of their music, it must be Legion Of The Damned. Now the Dutch thrash/death/black outfit returns after a hiatus of five years - even more furious than ever!

On January 4th, 2019 the quartet will release Slaves Of The Shadow Realm via Napalm Records. This monster resembles a colossal, smooth and blackened monolith. Five years after the much-praised Ravenous Plague, the shredding legion returns with producer Andy Classen and presents an album that merges the unadulterated fury of the early LOTD years with the sophistication of a veteran band.

Vocalist Maurice Swinkels on the new record: "With our seventh opus, entitled Slaves Of The Shadow Realm, we tried to take it a little further as where Ravenous Plague ended in terms of melody, but we definitely maintain the heavy songwriting and rawness that Legion Of The Damned is known for. Simplicity is the key with Legion Of The Damned and less is more. With Slaves Of The Shadow Realm we go full speed ahead with heaviness, but we took it a bit farther by bringing in melody and atmosphere. I think this is Legion's best album to date: It crushes, it is fast, it has atmosphere and it is raw! In terms of lyrics, this is our darkest album, written by Tony "Skullcrusher" Manero, who was also responsible for the lyrics and concepts of the albums Malevolent Rapture, Cult of the Dead, Feel the Blade, Ravenous Plague, Sons of the Jackal and Descent into Chaos. We are really excited to be back after four years and hope that the true Legion fan digs this album - I am 100% certain that they will love it! THIS IS Legion Of The Damned - without the bells and whistles - the wait is over and we are back!"

Slaves Of The Shadow Realm tracklisting:

"The Widows Breed"
"Nocturnal Commando"
"Charnel Confession"
"Slaves of The Southern Cross"
"Warhounds Of Hades"
"Black Banners In Flames"
"Shadow Realm Of The Demonic Mind"
"Palace Of Sin"
"Priest Hunt"
"Azazels Crown"
"Dark Coronation"

Legion Of The Damned are:

Maurice Swinkels: Vocals
Twan van Geel: Guitar
Harold Gielen: Bass
Erik Fleuren: Drums

(Photo - Tim Tronckoe)

Necrophoic's classic albums will be reissued with upgraded artwork and sound quality. Fully remastered, sounding more powerful than ever before, these are the definitive versions of the classic albums by the legendary Swedish death metal band.

In the Satanic Prophecies boxed set Hammerheart Records have included a re-press of their collection of demo’s and the “The Call” 7". This fifth album will be a box exclusive.

Due in November, the boxed set is limited to 500 copies and will have all of Necrophobic recordings from 1989 up until 2002, in a high quality box, in the best sound possible.

Includes:

The Nocturnal Silence Digi-CD
Darkside Digi-CD
The Third Antichrist Digi-CD
Bloodhymns Digi-CD
Satanic Blasphemies Digi-CD (Boxset exclusive)

Further details to follow.

(Photo - Jens Rydén)

Italian visionary ritual black metallers Darkend have finished the recordings for their long awaited upcoming 4th studio album.

The new opus titled Spiritual Resonance has been produced by the band itself, and recorded at AudioCore Studio with additional drums recordings at Art Distillery Studio.

Spiritual Resonance will feature guest appearance by Lindy-Fay Hella (Wardruna) on the track "With Everburning Sulphur Unconsumed".

Spiritual Resonance represents a new level of darkness, deeper spiritualism lost in a thread of intense melodies and brutal atmospheres.

Frontman Animæ comments: "The inner mirror of darkness and light I always aimed for", while drummer and founding member Valentz adds:  “There has been a completely different feeling and approach recording the new opus.”

More details will follow soon.

In related news today Darkend starts their Italian tour with Polish black mysterious outfit Batushka:

September
19 – Bologna, Italy – Alchemica
20 – Retorbido, Italy – Dagda Live Club 

(Photo by: Roy Bjorge) 

German power thrashers Septagon have released a lyric video for "Home, Sweet Hell," a song from forthcoming sophomore album Apocalyptic Rhymes.

Apocalyptic Rhymes will be released November 9th on Cruz Del Sur Music. Preorders available at  this location.

As if being in Lanfear and Them wasn't enough for German guitarist Markus "Ulle" Ullrich, his power/thrash outfit Septagon provides another canvas for him to color. Formed in 2013 with Atlantean Kodex vocalist Markus Becker, Septagon (who are completed by second guitarist Stef Binnig-Gollub, bassist Alexander Palma and drummer Jürgen "General" Schrank) was created to harness Ullrich's desire to write fast and tight thrash with a vocalist who could carry the songs over the top. Becker, already known for his work in epic metallers and labelmates Atlantean Kodex, was the obvious choice. Born was their 2016 Deadhead Syndicate debut, an album quickly recognized for its knifing blend of Bay Area thrash and classic power metal bravado. Figuring they could better the debut, Septagon soon wrote and recorded ten songs that would become their sophomore album, the appropriately-titled Apocalyptic Rhymes.

Recorded across a variety of studios and produced by the band, Apocalyptic Rhymes is punctuated by a raw, but snappy production job. In turn, the album finds the band offering a variety of styles and flavors both musically and lyrically, from the punchiness of opener "Weight of the World" to the bass-driven "Home, Sweet Hell" up through the churning title track, where fiery guitar solos from Ullrich and Binning-Gollub and Becker's vocal acrobatics take form. Even as the album ascends into the spiraling melodic heights found on "The Unfathomable Evil," it goes on the attack on "P.O.T.U.S.A.," a song inspired by Becker's time in America and is critical of the current presidential regime that has divided the country. Apocalyptic Rhymes eventually crests on the closing "Sunset Blood," a lush, epic construct that allows Septagon to stretch out musically to include acoustic guitars, twin guitar harmonies and carefully-plotted vocal spots.

An album sure to stand out among the dime-a-dozen traditional thrash and power metal entries, Apocalyptic Rhymes is an unapologetic bold step for Septagon, a band unafraid to not only push musical boundaries, but political and social ones as well.

Tracklisting:

“The End”
“The Weight Of The World”
“Home, Sweet Hell”
“Apocalyptic Rhymes”
“Make A Stand”
“The Unfathomable Evil”
“P.O.T.U.S.A.”
“Cosmic Outrage”
“Nothingness Awaits”
“Sunset Blood”

“Home, Sweet Hell” lyric video:

The Italian thrash/death killing machine Methedras has signed with Massacre Records and plans to release a new album next year.

The four band members aren't rookies anymore, they can look back on more than 20 years of experience, and have released several demos and four studio albums so far. They aren't strangers to club and festival stages either, having already played at Wacken Open Air or Metal Camp, for example, and supported bands like Dismember, Destruction or Morbid Angel.

Methedras plays thrash metal spiced with death metal influences and a groove-hardcore approach concerning the vocals.

More album-related info will be released soon.

DISTURBED's new song "A Reason To Fight" can be streamed below. It is the second single from the band's new album, "Evolution", which will be released on October 19.

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

In a recent interview with the 96.7 KCAL-FM radio station, DISTURBED guitarist Dan Donegan was asked what fans can expect to hear on "Evolution". He responded: "You won't know what to expect from us, 'cause we've taken so many turns on this album. [The first single] 'Are You Ready', that is probably the closest and the truest to DISTURBED that a majority of the fans know. Musically, it's something that I wrote back in 2004, so it's from that early-day era. I had the idea there — 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. 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. But it's still very relevant and it still has that old DISTURBED sound with some of the old electronic element to it. But the rest of the material, as the fans see, we've taken a lot of big turns on this — a lot of directions in here that's gonna turn some heads."

"Immortalized" ended a four-year hiatus for the quartet and was its fifth album to enter the Billboard 200 chart at No. 1. It featured the band's massive hit cover of SIMON & GARFUNKEL's "The Sound Of Silence".

b>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.