"We're happy to say the new Meliah Rage record is getting close to being finished," reads a statement from the band. "Tony's work is done, Stu's work is pretty much done, Darren and Jim will need a few days to finish up and Paul will be flying to Boston from Indianapolis to tackle some vocals next week, and then the tracks are off to the mix maestro Pete Rutcho. Also we'll be releasing song titles and the cover art soon..."

Earlier this year, long-running Boston-based power metallers Meliah Rage announced they had reunited with singer Paul Souza, the vocal powerhouse that can be heard on the their Barely Human (2004), The Deep And Dreamless Sleep (2006) and Dead To The World (2011) albums. The band are currently working on the follow-up to 2014’s Warrior, with an expected release date later this year via Metal On Metal Records. The as-yet-untitled opus will feature nine new songs and is being produced by Pete Rutcho. It's the first record since band leader / guitarist Anthony Nichols broke his wrist and was uncertain if he’d play guitar again after three serious surgeries.

Paul Souza says about rejoining his former bandmates: “I’m really looking forward to getting back to making some loud music and doing some long overdue live dates with the band.”

Meliah Rage cover the Alice Cooper classic “Halo Of Flies”:

For further details, visit the official Meliah Rage Facebook page.

 

Finnish extreme metal band, Locust Year, mixes influences from old school death metal to avant-garde and modern metal, forming a distinctive sound that can't be easily forgotten.

The band, gathered from members of Paganus, Omnium Gatherum, Saastuneet and Forlorn Insanity, released their debut album, The World Became Flesh, on August 25th.

The new album is out in digital format on all music services. However, incase you are wondering where you can get a physical copy of this masterpiece, fear not. You can get your own copy either by attending one (or more) of the band's many gigs or by ordering it via their Bandcamp page.

The album was recorded at Äänilaitos by Juuso Elminen (Domination Black, End Of Aeon) and mastered by Brad Boatright (Beastmilk, High On Fire, Stranger Things soundtrack) at Audiosiege.

Listen album on Spotify. The track “Files Towards The Light” can be streamed below:

(Photo - Ricky Kangasmäki)

With All Their Might is the impending third full-length from UK death metal trio Dyscarnate. Set for release via Unique Leader Records on September 15th, the eight-track offering was captured by Stu McKay (Ingested, Acrania) at Studio 6 in England, and mixed and mastered by Jacob Hansen (Aborted, Volbeat, Evergrey) at Hansen Studios in Denmark. New lyric video for "Traitors In The Palace" is streaming below.

"With All Their Might is the sound of us nailing our colors to the mast in no uncertain terms," says the band of their latest release. "We've always worked on each new album as its own entity, and feel the whole thing needs to flow as one cohesive piece. Every song has its place on the record, but the lyrics and feel of each one reflects a signature theme. We feel that while this record is the most complete thing we've ever done, it's also the most varied, dynamic, and evolved we have ever been. We have written this album for only ourselves, and as a result feel we have something our fans will really connect to." 

With All Their Might tracklisting:

"Of Mice And Mountains"
"This Is Fire!"
"Iron Strengthens Iron"
"Traitors In The Palace"
"To End All Flesh Before Me"
"Backbreaker"
"All The Devils Are Here"
"Nothing Seems Right"

"Traitors In The Palace" lyric video:

"Iron Strengthens Iron" video:

Dyscarnate has long been flying the flag for UK death metal all over the world. Having toured across Australia, Europe, Indonesia, Israel, Russia and more, fans can expect to see the three-piece powerhouse's dominance to spread even further in the coming year. Three men, one purpose, one sound. Always outnumbered, never outgunned.

Recently, Abtsgmünd, Germany based death metal faction Necrotted announced their forthcoming third full-length, Worldwide Warfare. Set for release on October 27th through Rising Nemesis Records, the band has been active since 2008 and their upcoming third record is by far their most accomplished material to be released. The band is now streaming the album’s  first single, "Hunt Down The Crown".

Necrotted has this to say about Worldwide Warfare and the experience it has to offer: "The southern German death metal brigade Necrotted is about to release its third full-length album. Worldwide Warfare is the title of the new record, which contains 10 socio-critical tracks about a global revolution, everlasting threats to society and the last war of mankind. Thrilling guitar riffs, high-speed blast beats and double bass attacks come upon stomping slam parts and catchy refrains, rounded off by deep, scratching vocals. Also for the third time, the songs were recorded and mixed by mastermind Nikita Kamprad (Der Weg Einer Freiheit). The album mastering was done by Benjamin Stelzer (Parasite Inc.) for the first time."

Stay tuned for more Necrotted news, early singles, and preorders to launch soon in the coming weeks.

Worldwide Warfare tracklisting:

“Worldwide”
“No War But Class War”
“Hunt Down The Crown”
“Vile Vermin”
“The Lost Ones”
“My Foray, Your Decay”
“Unity Front”
“Our Dominion”
“Babylon”
“Forlorn Planet”

"Hunt Down The Crown":

(Photo - Kai, BlattKunst - Fotografie)

Spanish goregrind stalwarts, Haemorrhage, have shared a new track “Transporting Cadavers” off the band’s impending seventh studio album, We Are The Gore. Watch the in-studio video recorded at Mpire Studios in January 2017 below.

Guitarist and vocalist Luisma commented on the video: “We decided to record some footage in studio during our recording, but we didn’t know what we would use it for. ‘Transporting Cadavers’ is one of the most intense songs in the album and we thought that it would be cool to make a video out of that studio footage. It perfectly catches the studio ambience during the recording of We Are The Gore.”

Embalmed at Mpire Studio in Madrid by Alfredo and Javi Ustara and mastered by Brad Boatright (Obituary, Nails, Skinless), We Are The Gore embodies 14 tracks and 35 blood-soaked minutes of pathological gore, ideal for listening to in mortuaries and mausoleums.

With numerous guest appearances from current and former members of Carcass, Impaled, Dead Infection, Ghoul and others, Haemorrhage take their nauseating blend of scalpel-sharp riffs, triple threat guttural vocals, and bone-scraping rhythms to a new extreme. One listen to We Are The Gore will leave you soaked in buckets of bile and feeling like a freshly made cadaver.

We Are The Gore is set for release on October 6th on CD/LP/Digital via Relapse Records. Physical packages and digital order are available via Relapse.com here and Bandcamp here.

Tracklisting:

“Nauseating Employments”
“Gore Gourmet”
“We Are The Gore”
“Transporting Cadavers”
“Bathed In Bile”
“The Cremator’s Song”
“Medical Maniacs”
“Forensick Squad”
“Gynecrologist”
“Miss Phlebotomy”
“C.S.C. (Crime Scene Cleaners)”
“Prosector’s Revenge”
“Organ Trader”
“Intravenous Molestation Of The Obstructionist Arteries (O-Pus Vii)”
“Artifacts Of The Autopsy” (Bonus Track)

“Nauseating Employments” lyric video:

Haemorrhage lineup:

Luisma - Guitar/Vocals
Ana - Guitar
Lugubrious - Vocals
Ramon - Bass
Erik - Drums

(Photo - Miguel Angel Galindo)

Finnish folk metal superstars Korpiklaani are streaming their performance of “Lempo”, featured on their first ever live Blu-ray/DVD+2CD package, Live At Masters Of Rock, out now via Nuclear Blast. The clip can be found below.

Order the new release at Nuclear Blast.

Tracklisting:

Blu-ray/DVD
2016
“Intro (Tanhuvaara)”
“A Man With A Plan”
“Journey Man”
“Pilli On Pajusta Tehty”
“Erämaan Ärjyt”
“Lempo”
“Sahti”
“Ruumiinmultaa”
“Vaarinpolkka”
“Viima”
“Metsämies”
“Kultanainen”
“Kipumylly”
“Ämmänhauta”
“Rauta”
“Kylästä Keväinen Kehto”
“Wooden Pints”
“Vodka”
“Beer Beer”

2014
“Intro (Tanhuvaara)”
“Tuonelan Tuvilla”
“Ruumiinmultaa”
“Metsämies”
“Kantaiso”
“Juodaan Viinaa”
“Petoeläimen Kuola”
“Sumussa Hämärän Aamun”
“Vaarinpolkka”
“Kultanainen”
“Uniaika”
“Louhen Yhdeksäs Poika”
“Uni”
“Vodka”
“Ievan Polka”
“Rauta”
“Wooden Pints”
“Pellonpekko”
“Happy Little Boozer”

CD1 (2016)
“Intro (Tanhuvaara)”
“A Man With A Plan”
“Journey Man”
“Pilli On Pajusta Tehty”
“Erämaan Ärjyt”
“Lempo”
“Sahti”
“Ruumiinmultaa”
“Vaarinpolkka”
“Viima”
“Metsämies”
“Kultanainen”
“Kipumylly”
“Ämmänhauta”
“Rauta”
“Kylästä Keväinen Kehto”
“Wooden Pints”
“Vodka”
“Beer Beer”

CD2 (2014)
“Intro (Tanhuvaara)”
“Tuonelan Tuvilla”
“Ruumiinmultaa”
“Metsämies”
“Kantaiso”
“Juodaan Viinaa”
“Petoeläimen Kuola”
“Sumussa Hämärän Aamun”
“Vaarinpolkka”
“Kultanainen”
“Uniaika”
“Louhen Yhdeksäs Poika”
“Uni”
“Vodka”
“Ievan Polka”
“Rauta”
“Wooden Pints”
“Pellonpekko”
“Happy Little Boozer”

“Lempo” video:

“Kultanainen” video:

“Erämaan Ärjyt” video:

“Pilli On Pajusta Tehty” video:

On September 15th, Ensiferum will release their seventh full-length, Two Paths, worldwide via Metal Blade Records. Produced by Anssi Kippo, the master was recorded on tape, for a true analog experience. For a preview of the album, fans can watch the tracking for the closing song on the album, "Unettomaan Aikaan":

Pre-order the new album here in the following formats:

- Deluxe wooden box (limited to 2500 copies worldwide)
- Limited edition Digibook CD+DVD
- CD
- 180g black vinyl
- turquoise blue-green vinyl (EU exclusive - limited to 500 copies)
- clear sky blue-marbled vinyl (EU exclusive - limited to 300 copies)
- blue/orange/yellow-splatter vinyl (Germany exclusive - limited to 200 copies - distributed by Nuclear Blast)
- golden yellow vinyl (Austria exclusive - limited to 200 copies - distributed by Napalm Records)
- olive green-marbled vinyl (Finland exclusive - limited to 100 copies - distributed by Levykauppa)
- clear frost blue-marbled vinyl (China exclusive - limited to 100 copies - distributed by Yamin Records)
- blue-gray-marbled vinyl (USA exclusive - limited to 250 copies)
- forest green-marbled vinyl (USA exclusive - limited to 250 copies)
- picture disc LP (limited to 500 copies worldwide)

* exclusive bundles with a shirt, plus digital options are also available.

To view the vinyl master tape cutting, fans can watch a video by T. Ruotsalainen and A. Kippo below:

You can't talk about the true greats of folk-inspired melodic death metal without reverent mention of Ensiferum, and with Two Paths they once more affirm their place in the pantheons of the genre. Further building upon the thrilling metallic hybrid honed across six full-lengths, Two Paths is simultaneously the Finnish quintet's most epic and far-reaching collection and their most organic, which definitely sets it apart from the pack. Additionally, the album literally takes the concept of Two Paths to heart, with two different versions of standout tracks "Don't You Say" and "God Is Dead".

"Even though Ensiferum has always had clean vocals and choirs, harsh vocals have been the main style, and those songs worked so well with both styles that we decided to include both versions," explains bassist/vocalist Sami Hinkka.

With Mikko P. Mustonen again handling orchestral arrangements and Lassi Logren returning to play nyckelharpa and violin on a few songs, Hinkka is also more than happy that they brought "more bombastic orchestral and down to earth folk aspects" to the record, further fleshing out their vision. This also applies to the contribution of Gyula Havancsak, who provided the artwork for both Two Paths and its predecessor, One Man Army.

"It was really nice to work with him again because he always wants to hear our ideas and then he adds his own magic and improvements to them, and the result is always astonishing."

Two Paths tracklisting:

“Ajattomasta Unesta”
“For Those About To Fight For Metal”
“Way Of The Warrior”
“Two Paths”
“King Of Storms”
“Feast With Valkyries”
“Don't You Say”
“I Will Never Kneel”
“God Is Dead”
“Hail To The Victor”
“Unettomaan Aikaan”
“God Is Dead” (Alternative Version)
“Don't You Say” (Alternative Version)

“Way Of The Warrior” video:

“For Those About To Fight For Metal”:

From September 27th onward, Ensiferum will present Two Paths live on stage, splitting their European tour into two parts. The first part will be in September with six dates in three countries, and then in April 2018 there will be an extended tour through many more European countries. In between that time, Ensiferum will visit all other continents. See below for all confirmed shows, with more to be announced soon.

Tour dates:

September
26 - Bochum, Germany - Zeche
27 - Langen, Germany - Stadthalle
28 - Arnhem, Netherlands - Luxor Live
29 - Berlin, Germany - SO36
30 - Osnabruck, Germany - Hyde Park

October
1 - Paris, France - La Machine

Ensiferum lineup:

Petri Lindroos - Vocals/Guitar
Markus Toivonen - Guitar/Vocals
Sami Hinkka - Bass/Vocals
Janne Parviainen - Drums
Netta Skog - Digital Accordion/Backing vocals

Alter Bridge have released an unboxing video for the 4LP picture vinyl edition of their upcoming Live At The O2 Arena + Rarities album, scheduled for release on September 8th worldwide via Napalm Records. The 30-track collection is available via all digital retailers and can be ordered via iTunes and is also available via Amazon.

Live at the O2 Arena + Rarities that captures one of the biggest moments of the band's career, when they played their monumental show at London's famous O2 Arena on November 24th, 2016.

One of the biggest moments of the band’s career was the monumental show at London's famous O2 Arena on November 26th, 2016. That landmark performance was captured in its entirety. The 2-CD 19-track recording documents what an enormous presence Alter Bridge have become on concert stages around the world. The album can be pre-ordered at this location, and via PledgeMusic.

Myles Kennedy, Mark Tremonti, Brian Marshall, and Scott Phillips tear through hits like "Farther Than The Sun", "Show Me A Leader," "Rise Today", and their masterpiece "Isolation", showcasing a band at the top of their game. Other highlights include the Tremonti sung "Waters Rising," the acoustic-driven “Watch Over You” and their signature anthem "Blackbird”.

In addition, this latest release includes an exclusive full-length Rarities CD sure to excite fans everywhere. This disc features the never-before released tracks "Cruel Sun" and "Solace” that were recorded during the One Day Remains sessions, as well as the song “Breathe” from the same time which has only ever been available as a US retail exclusive via Best Buy. These tracks join seven other songs that have only been released in Japan until this collection.

This incredible selection of Alter Bridge gems will be released in multiple formats. In addition to a standard 3-CD audio version, fans can also pick up one of the limited deluxe editions (including a 4-LP set and a CD/DVD Earbook) which also include an exclusive Alter Bridge documentary featuring extensive interviews with the band, their crew, and family, giving an amazing glimpse behind the scenes of this legendary show at London's O2 Arena! Check out a trailer below.

Tracklisting:

CD1:
“The Writing On The Wall”
“Come To Life”
“Addicted To Pain”
“Ghost Of Days Gone By”
“Cry Of Achilles”
“The Other Side”
“Farther Than The Sun”
“Ties That Blind”
“Water Rising”
“Crows On A Wire”
“Watch Over You” (solo acoustic)

CD2:
“Isolation”
“Blackbird”
“Metalingus”
“Open Your Eyes”
“Show Me A Leader”
“Rise Today”
“Poison In Your Veins”
“My Champion”

CD3:
“Breathe”
“Cruel Sun”
“Solace”
“New Way To Live”
“The Damage Done”
“We Don't Care At All”
“Zero”
“Home”
“Never Borne To Follow”
“Never Say Die (Outright)”
“Symphony Of Agony (The Last of Our Kind)”

Teaser:

“Metalingus”:

“The Other Side” video:

Trailer:

Alter Bridge recently announced their special Royal Albert Hall shows for early October, which sold out extremely fast, followed by additional UK and Ireland shows subsequently. Due to the great demand to get them back to Europe's mainland as well, the band now announce The Last Hero tour all across Europe.

Starting in Paris at the Elysee Montmartre, the tour leads Alter Bridge from France to the Netherlands, from Germany over Austria to Poland, Hungary, Switzerland all the way down to sunny Spain and Portugal, where they also ended their last tour just a couple of days ago. In case you saw Alter Bridge live on this past tour run or somewhere on the summer festivals: don't think they won't add anything new to the set list. Quite the contrary. They will play a totally different set that differs very much to the shows they recently played over the summer. So don't miss out on another amazing live experience with these incredibly talented musicians and get your tickets now.

Sonic Night Music Club, an artist-centric hard rock and metal label, welcomes Nashville-based metal band, Killing Grace. The band with a soul straight out of Nashville hits stores worldwide with their second release, Speak With A Fist, on November 3rd, with download pre-orders starting September 29th.

Killing Grace is not afraid to genre bend with straight-up southern rock like “One Finger Salute” or something more hardcore as ‘Screaming In Silence”. From the slamming and revved-up track “Say My Name” and groove anthem “Living Like A Suicide”, to the melodic and progressive “Take Me With You”, this new release has something for everyone.

After spending the better part of a year touring in support of their self-titled debut, hitting venues all across the Southeast and parts of the Mid-West, Killing Grace returned to the studio to record their second album, Speak With A Fist. This new release has all the bite and grit that fans of the band have come to expect from them along with some new found edge and progressive sounds. A fall US tour will be announced soon.

Kentucky-based occult heavy metallers, Savage Master, are without a doubt one of the most hard working bands of the new generation. Their brand new mini LP, entitled Creature Of The Flames, will hit the streets on Friday, October 13th, and will be available as CD (Skol Records), vinyl LP (High Roller Records) and digital download.

The effort will include four brand new songs, and a cover version of the NWOBHM classic "Death Or Glory" (originally recorded by Holocaust), all recorded, mixed and mastered the analog way. Cover artwork for Creature Of The Flames was painted by Chris Moyen (Beherit, Blasphemy).

The mini album will be promoted on a US tour in September and October, and on a European tour in the spring of 2018.

One of the new songs, "Burning Leather”, can be streamed below:

Savage Master plays pure old school heavy metal, which follows the tradition of acts such as Cirith Ungol, Bitch, early Judas Priest and Mercyful Fate, while their stage image is a tribute to classic horror movies such as Black Sunday (aka "The Mask Of Satan"), and the legendary Hammer Films productions.

Australia’s Ne Obliviscaris will release their new album, Urn, on October 27th via Season Of Mist. The album track “Urn (Part I) - And Within The Void We Are Breathless” is available for streaming below.

Tracklisting:

“Libera (Part I) - Saturnine Spheres”
“Libera (Part II) - Ascent of Burning Moths”
“Intra Venus”
“Eyrie”
“Urn (Part I) - And Within The Void We Are Breathless”
“Urn (Part II) - As Embers Dance In Our Eyes”

“Urn (Part I) - And Within The Void We Are Breathless”:

“Intra Venus” video:

DEEP PURPLE bassist Roger Glover spoke to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette about the group's possible retirement at the end of the current "Long Goodbye Tour". Asked how much longer DEEP PURPLE will be a band, Glover replied: "Hard to say. We just know that we can't go on forever, and there's got to be some line somewhere between playing and not playing. None of us are really keen on that. But certain little medical ailments keep cropping up, and you know sooner or later, it's going to happen, but we can't say, 'Right, it's going to be Los Angeles in 2000-whatever or London or Frankfurt.' To name a date is difficult, so we're just going to keep going and see how long it lasts."

DEEP PURPLE's latest studio album, "InFinite", was released in April via earMUSIC. The disc is the first album for Glover and singer Ian Gillan in their 70s. Gillan, the oldest member of the band, turned 71 last August. Glover became 71 in November. Paice is still several years younger at 68.

The band is rounded out by keyboardist Don Airey and guitarist Steve Morse. Airey joined in 2002, replacing Jon Lord. Morse joined in 1994 as the replacement for Ritchie Blackmore.

"Oh yeah, it's all going according to plan," Glover tells the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette with a laugh. "I don't think a day goes past when I don't marvel at the fact that I'm still in a band, doing what I was doing when I was fifteen. It is a charmed life, a very lucky life.

"Back in the '60s when you joined a band, if you had a hit, you might be around for a couple of years, but you have to follow that hit with another hit and another album and another tour. You never thought about the future, it was always the year ahead. For it to go on this long, albeit with a few peaks and valleys in between, it's just amazing."

Guitarist Doug Aldrich, who was a member of DIO for a short period between 2002 and 2006, has revealed the existence of a previously unreleased Ronnie James Dio demo recording. The track in question was written during the sessions for DIO's "Magica II", a sequel to 2000's "Magica" that was left unfinished when Ronnie died in 2010. A "Magica II" track titled "Electra" made it on to 2012's "The Very Best of Dio Vol 2", but Aldrich says more material may surface from the sessions.

"I have a demo of Ronnie, an unreleased song nobody's ever heard," Aldrich tells Roppongi Rocks. "I offered it to Wendy [Dio, Ronnie's widow and manager who manages his estate] and, I don't know, maybe she forgot about it, but I said 'I have this song. It's really haunting.' It was during [the] time he wrote 'Electra'. I just played on it. We were kind of bouncing around some of his ideas and working on some of them. Before we did 'Electra', he had this other one that he said, 'Can you put a solo on this?' and he gave me the track. I had put a solo on it and then, when I brought it to his house, he goes, 'No, no, no. I've got this new idea called 'Electra'.' We didn't even listen to it. I don't even think he ever heard the solo because we were so focused on trying to get one song done to promote the tour that we were gonna do. I was still a member of WHITESNAKE [at the time], but I said to him, 'If you work it out with David [Coverdale, WHITESNAKE frontman], I would love to go out on the road with you.' Because he had asked me to go. He worked it out and then he got sick. But there is this one track that is haunting, because the lyrics are… And he doubled his voice, it's just really trippy. At some point, it will have to come out. I got it. I got the mix. I actually have the recording session, which has got Ronnie playing bass, Ronnie playing rhythm guitar and vocals. And then a drum machine. One day."

In a 2015 interview with CrypticRock.com, Aldrich said that he was "only really in [DIO] for about a year, but in that year, we did do the 'Killing The Dragon' [2002] record. I got to contribute to that record with a couple of songs also, which was nice," he said. "We did a lot in that first year. We did that record, a bunch of touring, and a live DVD called 'Evil Or Divine - Live In New York City' [2005]. Then I joined WHITESNAKE, but I kept coming back to DIO. There was a couple of tours in 2005. Ronnie said, 'Would you come on tour with me?' I said, 'Absolutely, I just have to speak to David about it.' David said, 'Cool, just make sure you come back,' because we had talked about some new music and he did not want me to split."

Having also played with LION, HOUSE OF LORDS, BAD MOON RISING, HURRICANE and Glenn Hughes, Aldrich joined THE DEAD DAISIES in 2016 and can be heard on that band's latest album, "Make Some Noise".

Ronnie James Dio, best known for his work with BLACK SABBATH, RAINBOW and DIO, died of stomach cancer in May 2010 at the age of 67.

Stella Lost comes from the south end of Texas of bellowing heat, as does their music and stage presence. Formed in 2012, the current lineup consists of Rudy Martinez (rhythm guitar), Mike Angel (vocals), Ram Salas (guitars/leads), Daniel Duran (drums), and Joe Morales (bass).

After performing locally in South Texas, and various lineup changes, they released a mini LP named Everything Is Old Again through Pavement Entertainment in November 2015. This release was embarking on something great. It was a synopsis of a dark wave of melodic overtones with personal lyrical content that the band could embrace as their own.

Through hard work and various regional dates, Stella Lost gained momentum, thus being able to create their second eight-track record, Figures. The songs have come of age since the last LP but remain fresh. Figures is the sound that today's rock has been missing, which is substance and clarity that takes the listener into various moods while still being captivated with strong hooks.

The single, "Figures," depicts anxieties experienced in the modern age. On the single, Rudy Martinez says, "Fear and uncertainty inspired us to write this song, thus creating a brighter future." Check out the music video below.

Tracklisting:

“We The Surrounded”
“Figures”
“D.N.R”
“Evil, Pure & Simple”
“Holes In Homes”
“Destined To Die”
“Unborn Child”
“Break Free”

“Figures” video:

Last week, Rush fan site Cygnus-X1 reported that during a recent broadcast from the House Of Blues in Houston, Texas, radio host Eddie Trunk hinted at the possibility of a Geddy Lee/Alex Lifeson group called LeeLifeson.

Sixx Sense correspondent Sal Cirrincione uncovered the truth by reaching out to the spokeswoman for Rush, Meg Symsyk, who stated: "With all love to Eddie Trunk, who is a friend of the Rush camp, his comments were his own opinion, purely speculative and not based on any fact, that the Internet happily ran without verifying. What I can tell you is that when and if Alex and Geddy decide to work together, that announcement will come from them, not a third party."

Learn more at this location.

An audio recording of Eddie Trunk's misinformed declaration about Rush can be heard below.

 

POISON has released a one-minute video featuring highlights from the band's recently completed first U.S. tour in more than four years. Check it out below.

In an interview with the "Drummer Nation" show, POISON drummer Rikki Rockett spoke about what it has been like reuniting with his bandmates for the trek. "It's been a lot of fun so far," he said. "It's kind of crazy. I mean, I was out there with [my side project] DEVIL CITY ANGELS, doing stuff, but not POISON. We had a few corporate gigs here and there, but not a full-blown tour."

He continued: "It felt great [getting back up on stage with the guys]. I mean, after the first two days, I felt at home. The first day, I was, like, 'Woah! Can I do this?' And now, I get up on stage and it's like home, you know what I mean? It really is. A lot of people say, 'Oh, another day at the office at the drum kit.' It's, like, no — another day at home."

POISON's reunited original lineup — Rockett, Bret Michaels, Bobby Dall and C.C. DeVille — kicked off its North American tour with DEF LEPPARD on April 8 at the SNHU Arena in Manchester, New Hampshire. The trek wrapped on June 25 in Indianapolis, Indiana.

POISON and DEF LEPPARD first hit the road together back in 2009, and then again three years later.

POISON appeared at the 2013 Indy 500 Miller Lite Carb Day, but had otherwise been mostly playing private shows, including one in January 2015.

The band hadn't done any major touring since taking part in the 2012 "Rock Of Ages" trek with DEF LEPPARD and LITA FORD.

Rockett was recently declared cancer free after undergoing an experimental treatment. He was diagnosed with oral cancer back in 2015.

Cradle Of Filth's purveyor of thunderous low end, Daniel Firth, has recorded a bass playthrough of "Heartbreak And Seance", the lead single from the band's upcoming album, Cryptoriana - The Seductiveness Of Decay.

Daniel will also be doing a Q&A session, this Thursday, August 31st from 8-9pm BST on the official Cradle Of Filth Facebook page.

Cradle Of Filth will release their new album, Cryptoriana - The Seductiveness Of Decay, on September 22nd via Nuclear Blast Records.

Cryptoriana - The Seductiveness Of Decay is available for pre-order here. The album was recorded at Grindstone Studios, Suffolk, UK by the very honourable Scott Atkins, esq. who has been the resident go-to producer for Cradle Of Filth for several albums. Dani sat in during the mix, serving up flaming mugs of teas, making the studio couch his own and lending his ears when necessary.

The new album’s cover artwork by Artūrs Bērziņš can be seen below. Bērziņš is the mastermind behind the new record’s artwork, photography and videography – best known for his defiant neo-symbolism raster graphics and oil paintings; postmodern interpretations of classic myths. He has been proclaimed as a “sacred monster of Latvian postmodernism”.

Tracklisting:

“Exquisite Torments Await”
“Heartbreak And Seance”
“Achingly Beautiful”
“Wester Vespertine”
“The Seductiveness Of Decay”
“Vengeful Spirit”
“You Will Know The Lion By His Claw”
“Death And The Maiden”
“The Night At Catafalque Manor”
“Alison Hell”

“You Will Know The Lion By His Claw” lyric video:

“Heartbreak And Seance” video:

The band has also announced their first full scale UK and Ireland tour in years, starting in Belfast, Northern Ireland on October 30th.

Dani Filth: "We, as a band, are incredibly excited about hitting the UK and Ireland for a full run of dates around All Hallows Eve, as playing the band's home country is always great fun and the audiences here are very receptive. And nuts. The dates will be the first in a long line of shows that will extend throughout the rest of the World throughout 2018. We aim to be very prolific on the live front, delivering a show worthy of our fan’s exalted expectations and more.”

Tour dates:

October
30 - Belfast, Ireland - Limelight
31 - Dublin, Ireland - Academy (Halloween Show)

November
2 - Manchester, England - Academy 2
3 - Glasgow, Scotland - Garage
4 - Birmingham, England - O2 Institute 2
5 - Leeds, England - Church
7 - Oxford, England - O2 Academy
8 - Southampton, England - Engine Rooms
9 - Norwich, England - Waterfront
10 - London, England - Electric Ballroom

EXODUS singer Steve "Zetro" Souza spoke to That Drummer Guy (a.k.a. Josh Rundquist) about the progress of the songwriting sessions for the band's follow-up to 2014's "Blood In Blood Out" album. He said (hear audio below): "We're writing right now. We obviously have to pay attention to SLAYER's schedule, because our main guy [EXODUS guitarist Gary Holt also] plays in SLAYER, so we have to pay attention to that. But I think they're coming to a bit of an end [of their touring cycle] where he's gonna have some time. And he's already gotten together with Tom [Hunting, EXODUS drummer] in the early part of this year and put some songs together. So it's definitely there. We're looking, probably, November, December, January — something like that — to get into the studio."

Zetro said that he generally waits for the music to a new EXODUS song to be completed before he begins writing lyrics to it. "I think it's always worked better for me that way," he said. "And this gives Gary a good chance to listen to the song musically and know what direction lyrically he wants to go. So even though I may write the lyrics, he may come up with the idea."

"Blood In Blood Out" was EXODUS's first album since the departure of the group's lead singer of nine years, Rob Dukes, and the return of Souza, who previously fronted EXODUS from 1986 to 1993 and from 2002 to 2004.

Holt spoke in a recent interview about the musical direction of EXODUS's next disc. He said: "Of the stuff I've written so far, I think the songs are shorter, but I think they're also at the same time more progressive than the last album. It's a little outside the box. It's really super crushing, but I think people will be surprised."

He added: "It's an EXODUS album, but as of now, the stuff Tom and I have been putting together is a bit different. It's got those subtle changes that make for a departure, but it will still stay true to the core of the band's sound."

SCOUR — the extreme metal "supergroup" featuring Philip Anselmo (PANTERA, DOWN, SUPERJOINT) alongside members of CATTLE DECAPITATION and PIG DESTROYER — is teasing a new EP called "Red", to be released this fall. Pre-order the EP on iTunes on September 15 and receive an instant download of the title track.

The self-titled debut EP from SCOUR was released in July 2016 via Anselmo's Housecore label. The six-track effort was mixed by Dave Otero (CEPHALIC CARNAGE, CATTLE DECAPITATION, COBALT, KHEMMIS) and was made available on CD and vinyl formats.

SCOUR recently officially recruited Adam Jarvis (MISERY INDEX, PIG DESTROYER) as its drummer.

Anselmo previously stated about his involvement with from SCOUR: "Doing the SCOUR project was a blast. The track 'Dispatched' was the first one I attacked, as it was the first one sent to me. Lyrically, I leave it to the listener to evaluate, as usual. The way I saw it, the songs were short, and extremely straight-forward, so I didn't want to clutter 'em up with too much. Therefore, I had to pick particular lyrics that seemed provocatively absurd enough, and to perform them as raw as deemed fit."

SCOUR is:

* Phillip H. Anselmo (PANTERA, DOWN, SUPERJOINT) - Vocals* Derek Engemann (CATTLE DECAPITATION) - Guitar* Chase Fraser (ANIMOSITY) - Guitar* John Jarvis (PIG DESTROYER) - Bass* Adam Jarvis (MISERY INDEX, PIG DESTROYER) - Drums




Pre-order the "Red EP" on iTunes on 9/15/17, and receive an instant download of the title track "RED" !!!

Album release info coming soon...

Posted by Scour on Tuesday, August 29, 2017

An all-star band featuring Sebastian Bach (SKID ROW), George Lynch (DOKKEN, LYNCH MOB) and Vinny Appice (BLACK SABBATH, DIO) headlined the Hair Metal Heaven festival last night (Sunday, August 27) at the Hull City Hall in Kingston upon Hull, England.

Fan-filmed video of the performance — which consisted of renditions of classic songs by SKID ROW, BLACK SABBATH, AC/DC, LOUDNESS (with a special guest appearance by LOUDNESS guitarist Akira Takasaki), DIO and DOKKEN — can be seen below.

Bach, Appice and Lynch previously toured South America in 2013 under the BIG NOIZE banner. Playing bass during that trek was Phil Soussan (OZZY OSBOURNE, BILLY IDOL, VINCE NEIL).

Bach recently underwent a hernia operation. He revealed that the surgery was needed "because [he] literally screamed [his] guts out."

Sebastian is preparing to make the follow-up to his 2014 album "Give 'Em Hell".

The singer's autobiography, "18 And Life On Skid Row", came out last December via Dey Street Books (formerly It Books), an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers.

Austrian black / thrash metal combo Irdorath has released the official video for the song "In The Name Of Decay", taken from their new album Denial Of Creation, available via Wormholedeath.

Tracklisting:

"Devoured By Greed"
"Trail Of Redemption"
"Sacred Deception"
"The Curse That Haunts The Earth"
"Purification"
"Covenant Of The Unbounded"
"Blessings From Above"
"In The Name Of Decay"
"Denial Of Creation"
"Die Rache Des Baumes" (Bonus Track)

For further details, visit Irdorath on Facebook.

 

After an electrifying live performance of CARNIVORE material at this year's Black N Blue Bowl pre-party, guitarist Marc Piovanetti is thrilled to announce that the band will officially reform as CARNIVORE A.D., with fellow original member Louie Beato and Joe Branciforte (DARKSIDE NYC, MERAUDER) sharing drumming duties, and introducing Baron Misuraca (VASARIA) on bass, lead vocals and blood curdling screams! Baron's debut will take place at the band's recently announced Halloween show, "A Halloween SteeleTacular", at Bowery Electric in New York City on Halloween night (October 31). Additional monstrous support will be supplied by New Jersey's BLOODFEAST, the mesmerizing and magical BLACK SABBATH tribute band SABBRA CADABRA, legendary L'Amour DJ Alex Kayne, and other special guests. The Bowery Electric bash will mark this year's final, official celebration of the thirtieth anniversary of Peter Steele's thrash-core masterpiece "Retaliation", with provocative tracks, "Jesus Hitler" and "Race War" coming to life to join today's headlines, just as fresh and topical as the day they were first released in 1987. Official event DJ and longtime friend of CARNIVORE, Alex Kayne, will create an atmospheric audio-visual tribute to Peter Steele, the early beginnings of CARNIVORE at L'amour, and of the band's second rise to prominence during TYPE O NEGATIVE's golden run. The show will include an after party with a VIP meet-and-greet available ($40), and feature Kayne spinning danceable heavy tracks by the likes of NINE INCH NAILS, ROB ZOMBIE, THE CULT, RAMMSTEIN, MINISTRY and more. A "Carnivorous Halloween Costume Contest" will take place, with meaty prizes like real live blood from each band member. Rare photographs and "Carnivorous artifacts" (such as Peter Steele's original handwritten CARNIVORE lyrics) will be displayed. The classic "Retaliation" lineup of CARNIVORE is reforming as CARNIVORE A.D., out of great respect to Peter Steele's legacy while simultaneously distinguishing themselves from past incarnations of the band. Marc Piovanetti states: "Last May, I was very fortunate to perform CARNIVORE music live again for the very first time in over twenty years. The jubilant and humbling reception I received confirmed to me that Peter Steele is gone, but his epic legacy is not forgotten. So this Halloween the two remaining original members of CARNIVORE, myself and Louie Beato, will open up the next chapter in the band's ever evolving history. We will introduce the mighty Baron Misuraca, who's stature and beastly growls have already awakened Peter Steele fans across the globe. A new official lineup of CARNIVORE will be introduced: CARNIVORE A.D., a CARNIVORE for the 21st century. Everyone is invited to join us in this celebration, and to mark the thirtieth anniversary of CARNIVORE's final LP, 'Retaliation'. I am also very pleased to have the honor of presenting this distinguished performance of Peter and Keith's music to their own friends and family members here in the greatest city in the world, at New York's Bowery Electric club. The 'Carnivorous Negative family scene' is finally whole once again, and I can't wait to see what the future brings." Right now, Marc Piovanetti is also personally auctioning his legendary CARNIVORE guitar, hand-painted by Peter Steele for the band's infamous 1995 "Soviet Invasion" show at NYC's Limelight club. This guitar was used to record every single guitar track on "Retaliation" and was a mainstay at classic CARNIVORE shows between 1986-1996. Any bid above $10,000 will additionally garner Steele's original, handwritten lyrics to "Inner Conflict", and a private guitar lesson.

To make a bid, contact [email protected] Otherwise, Marc is currently busy with his new band, CIRCUS OF STEELE — an all-original group formed in tribute to his fallen ex-bandmate and lifelong mentor, Lord Petrus Steele. CIRCUS OF STEELE are currently promoting their new single, "The Downfall", which cracked the "Metal Contraband" Top 50 radio charts. The single can be found on the band's upcoming six-track EP, titled "The Zombies Rise", which will hit iTunes this fall, after the band's first-ever mainstage appearance, opening up for SACRED REICH at New York City's premier metal venue, the Gramercy Theater. The band is current negotiating a record deal.

INNER CONFLICT
CARNIVORE A.D. put me out of my misery!!! ;-)

Posted by Carnivore A.D. on Wednesday, August 16, 2017

BUTCHER BABIES will release their third album, "Lilith", in the fall via Century Media. The follow-up to 2015's "Take It Like A Man" was produced by Steve Evetts (THE DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN, SEPULTURA, SUICIDE SILENCE) and marks the band's recording debut with new drummer, Chase Brickenden, who replaced Chris Warner last year.

BUTCHER BABIES co-vocalist Heidi Shepherd stated about the "Lilith" title and cover artwork, which can be seen below: "Historically, Lilith has become demonized as a representation of promiscuity and disobedience. We, however, see her as a positive figure. A symbol of autonomy, sexual equality, and full control over your own destiny.

"Lilith is the supreme representation of the left-hand path woman: independent, having discarded the patriarchal yoke, and not afraid to use all the tools available to her, including her sexuality, to gain the most out of existence. The eels in the cover art represent sleek symbolism of new beginnings and adventure.

"With this album, we have musically taken a leap through old boundaries and landed in new oceans. It is said that a the dream or visions of eels is confirmation that the path we currently lead is the right one.

"In this new chapter of BUTCHER BABIES, we welcome evolution as we bare ourselves with 'Lilith'."

Added co-vocalist Carla Harvey: "When we were thinking of titles for our album, we wanted to find something that embodied sensuality, lust, danger and power. We kept going back to Lilith. We researched Lilith and her origins in different cultures and forms and knew that this figure, once feared but now a beautiful, symbolic middle finger to repression, would be a perfect representation of our album.

"The cover art we created with our graphic artist perfectly pulls together the last year we've spent working on 'Lilith'.

"I've always loved water themes and there is something terrifying yet calming about the deep sea; submersing yourself in it could be the death of you, yet at the same time it's cleansing and renewing.

"With this album we dove in fully and drowned ourselves in emotion, sexuality and even turmoil, and let the two-headed beast we created has emerged even stronger."

The disc's release date and the video for the first single will be unveiled next week.

Harvey told Meltdown Of Detroit's WRIF radio station that the music on BUTCHER BABIES' upcoming disc "runs the gamut" from "great thrash metal" to "a little bit of '90s influence." She said: "We're singing, we're screaming and it's just a great, great album. I couldn't be prouder of it. I think there's four songs where we do predominantly singing on it. And normally that would scare even me, 'cause I'm, like, 'I'm a metal girl! I don't wanna be singing.' But it's so beautiful — it really is. So it's kind of ballady, but not too ballady. It's very dark, sensual — the lyrics are very sensual on this album."

She continued: "I think we're bringing a little bit of the sexy back on this album that we kind of steered away from for a while. When we were building up our career, we wanted to be taken so seriously as metal chicks, so I think we kind of let those hindrances go a little bit and said, 'Let's just be us in all aspects of us' — from the metal to the sexy to everything else."

Although there is a lot of variety on BUTCHER BABIES' upcoming effort, Carla is quick to point out that "I couldn't do an album with no thrash on it, 'cause that's my passion. I think my favorite song on the album is a completely ridiculous thrash metal song that you'll hear," she said. "It's just amazing. In fact, one line in the song is about my Corvette that is always broken down. I have a '75 Corvette, 'cause I'm a real Detroit girl with a real American car. The song has completely ridiculous lyrics, but it's so cool — total thrash."

Carla said that BUTCHER BABIES next album will contain eleven songs, with an extra track for Japan. The disc's first single has "got a super-sexy rhythm to it," according to Harvey. "But everything is still… When you hear the album, you say, 'That's definitely BUTCHER BABIES.'"

Regarding BUTCHER BABIES' collaboration with Evetts, Carla said: "He doesn't do any Auto-Tuning or any pitching or anything like that, so every note on this album is a hundred percent authentic. And it's really cool to be able to say that about an album nowadays, I think, because people are so used to hearing everything Auto-Tuned and touched up and fixed up. This album is exactly what we've always wanted to do — it's something passionate and raw — and we're all just over the moon for it."

She added: "That's the one thing that we've always wanted to capture, because I think that we're a great live band, and when you're a good live band, you wanna capture that energy, and we finally found a producer that can help harness that live energy, actually, into the album."

According to Carla, Chase's addition to BUTCHER BABIES contributed to the upcoming album being "just on another level." She explained: "He's just a great, great, great drummer with all kinds of new ideas, and we blend really well together. And we actually toured with Chase on our very first tour with OTEP years and years ago, so we're all old friends already and he just fit in seamlessly."

"Take It Like A Man" was produced by Logan Mader, who has previously worked with FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH, DEVILDRIVER, CAVALERA CONSPIRACY and GOJIRA.

BUTCHER BABIES will support HOLLYWOOD UNDEAD on a U.S. tour which will kick off on October 1 in Atlanta, Georgia.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, the lawsuit brought against AVENGED SEVENFOLD by its former label, Warner Bros. Records, could set a new legal precedent if it actually comes to trial in December. Warner Bros. sued AVENGED SEVENFOLD in late 2015 after the band left the label by citing the California Labor Code's "seven-year rule." The rule allows for parties to exit contracts after seven years if certain unfavorable conditions exist. Nearly every, if not all, similar cases in California have been settled out of court before trial.

But a provision in the rule allows labels to collect money that would have been made on undelivered albums. Warner Bros. is seeking damages based on the fact that AVENGED SEVENFOLD had one album left on its contract, while the band has argued that extensive turnover in the label's staff led to an unsatisfactory working relationship. If it loses, AVENGED SEVENFOLD could face a verdict between $5 million and $10 million. Warner Bros. is also being allowed to seek its attorney fees — already amounting to more than $1.5 million.

"We've realized this battle is bigger than just us," AVENGED SEVENFOLD singer M. Shadows said. "We're fighting so that all musical artists have the same rights everyone else has. It's not like we wanted to be here, but we are down for the fight."

If there is no settlement before the case goes to trial, Warner Bros. will have to present evidence in court of how much the label could have earned if the band's new album, "The Stage", had come out through Warner Bros. instead of the group's new label, Capitol Records. The figures could set the standard for future cases.

Complicating matters is that the surprise release of "The Stage" — it came out with almost no promotion beforehand, save for the arrival of a new song one week earlier — has backfired on the group, with the record selling considerably less in its first weeks on sale that the last three AVENGED SEVENFOLD albums.

AVENGED SEVENFOLD's attorney, Howard King, is arguing that there would not have been much — if any — profit for Warner to lose on the band's fifth album. "We believe a jury will conclude they can't prove any damages," he said. He added that "The Stage" "has been a commercial disappointment. WBR would have lost money had that been delivered to them for marketing."

"The Stage" debuted at No. 4 on The Billboard 200 album chart last November. The surprise release of the disc earned the lowest sales of an AVENGED SEVENFOLD album in eleven years. It sold 76,000 copies in its first week, less than half the tally of its previous two efforts.

M. Shadows told The Pulse Of Radio that AVENGED SEVENFOLD was aware of the risks in such an unusual release. "One thing that we knew, you know, all the analytics proved that, you know, we shouldn't do this because of the way that rock fans consume music," he said. "You know, it's very physical-heavy, and one thing we knew is that we had to get records in stores, but we were gonna be basically setting ourselves up for a leak, which would have been a huge disaster. But Capitol Records did an amazing job of being able to get these records into stores, so we were able to be the first band to actually have a physical and digital release that was a surprise."

JOSH TODD & THE CONFLICT, the new band featuring singer Josh Todd and guitarist Stevie Dacanay (a.k.a. Stevie D.) of BUCKCHERRY, recently took part in an interview and acoustic performance at the studios of the Rock 100.5 The KATT radio station. Check out video footage of the group's appearance below.

JOSH TODD & THE CONFLICT's debut album, "Year Of The Tiger", will be released on September 15 via Century Media. The disc was co-produced by Dacanay and STONE TEMPLE PILOTS drummer Eric Kretz.

Regarding the motivation to start this new project, Josh said: "I have a lot of story telling in me and I always wanted to start another band. Something more reckless and off-the-beaten rock path.

"A lot of changes had taken place in BUCKCHERRY and I didn't want to go another year without making new music.

"BUCKCHERRY is in a great place; we have a great new lineup and we have a handful of dates to complete this year. However, my full attention is on JOSH TODD & THE CONFLICT and the record dropping on September 15th. We're gonna do a worldwide tour behind this. My goal is to give each band a break, so I can stay consistently making music without over touring and build both situations into something really cool."

He continued: "It was time for me to make a record. It has been two years since I put out new music and that's a long time for me. I am a student of the game and this was an opportunity to not just make a traditional-sounding rock record like I have been doing in the past. THE CONFLICT stuff is heavy, melodic and honest, with a lot of risk taking, and these are the records that bring out the best in me."

JOSH TODD & THE CONFLICT is:

Josh Todd - VocalsStevie D - Guitars/Back-Up VocalsSean Winchester - DrumsGreg Cash - Bass

Chicago-based heavy rock outfit SOIL will release "Scream: The Essentials" on September 15 via Pavement Entertainment and AFM Records. Celebrating the band's twenty-year career, this release will feature tracks from their humble beginnings, rise to fame, and also include alternate versions and mixes.

A brand-new track, "Gimme Some Lovin'", will be featured on the compilation and has just been released as a single and video. "Gimme Some Lovin'" originally made its onscreen debut in the cult classic motion picture "The Blues Brothers" in 1980. Being primarily a rhythm-and-blues-based song, SOIL took it upon themselves to add their own personal touch and bring the song into a modern 2017 hard rock element.

"Vocally, I really had a good time with the song," states vocalist Ryan McCombs. "It was a bit left field to what I’m accustomed to singing, but with the added touches we put on it, the song fell right into place."

Contributing to those "added touches" were guest backing vocalists Lindy Gabriel (GABRIEL AND THE APOCALYPSE) and Cristina Feliciano (OBLIVIOUS SIGNAL), along with guest keyboardist Jake LaCore (GABRIEL AND THE APOCALYPSE).

"I consider Lindy and Cristina two of the absolute best up-and-coming female vocalists out there," says bassist Tim King. "And with being all from the same USA record label (Pavement Entertainment), it was a great way to keep everything in the family." The result is a perfect nod to the band's Chicago heritage, with a classic blues-based song that mixes a whole lotta rock, metal, and female fury pumped into the mix.

Other songs exclusive to this release include an acoustic version of the song "Can You Heal Me" from the album "Re.de.fine". This version was recorded at Dimebag Darrell's home studio in 2004 after SOIL had completed a European tour with DAMAGEPLAN. At the helm were Sterling Whitfield engineering and Vinnie Paul Abbott producing the track. "Those sessions are such a blur, as it was mandatory to record while drinking lots of booze at Dime's studio," says King. "But somehow we got through them. Great times and memories (from what we can still recall!) came from that session. A lot of drunken love on those tracks."

Another special track on the album is a version of the song "Give It Up" that features the late Wayne Static from STATIC-X singing verses, choruses, and a bridge section in the song. This version leaked out to radio and met with some great underground success but was never properly released until now.

With the recent passing of Chris Cornell (an early influence on SOIL), the band decided to pay homage and add their version of the classic SOUNDGARDEN song "Rusty Cage" to the compilation. "Rusty Cage" was recorded in 2007 and previously only available on the band's MySpace page.

SOIL will embark on a world tour in support of the new release throughout 2017 and 2018.

Inner Wound Recordings has announced the signing of Swedish female fronted melodic metal band, Metalite. The band's debut album, Heroes In Time, will be released on October 27th in Europe and North America.

Metalite was formed in Stockholm, Sweden in 2015 when Edwin Premberg (guitar) met Emma Bensing (vocals). The goal was to write and record melodic and memorable metal songs with a modern and fresh sound.

Edwin and Emma started to co-operate with the Danish producer Jacob Hansen (Volbeat, Evergrey, Amaranthe) and songs started to take shape. During 2016, Metalite found three experienced musicians that agreed to join the band: Lea Larsson (drums), Robert Örnesved (guitar) and Robert Majd (bass).

Heroes In Time is an impressive debut album filled with melodic and memorable songs, crowned with the strong and emotional vocals by vocalist Emma Bensing as well as a powerful production by Jacob Hansen. The album should be perfect for fans of bands like Beyond The Black, Dynazty and Amaranthe.

The artwork was created by Jan Yrlund (Apocalyptica, Leah, Korpiklaani) and guest appearances on the album includes Fraser Edwards (Ascension) and Jakob Svensson (Wigelius).

Heroes In Time tracklisting:

“Afterlife”
“Purpose Of Life”
“Nightmare”
“The Hunter”
“Heroes In Time”
“Power Of Metal”
“Over And Done”
“The Light Of Orion”
“In The Middle Of The Night”
“Black Horse Rider”
“The Great Force Within Us”

"Immortal Melancholy", the new video from Dutch symphonic metallers EPICA, can be seen below. The song is taken from the band's forthcoming EP, "The Solace System", which will be released on September 1 via Nuclear Blast.

With their latest masterpiece, EPICA set new standards. 2016's "The Holographic Principle" is the most epochal, multi-layered, courageous and successful record of the band, reaching top 10 chart position entries in the German, Dutch and Swiss album charts. Accordingly, all the tracks written for the album process are high quality, but not all songs have been put on the album. "This is only based on the fact that the record should not exceed 76 minutes," explains guitarist/vocalist Mark Jansen. Since the band didn't like the idea of a double CD, they finally decided to release an EP with six brand-new numbers, which were created during the creative phase of "The Holographic Principle". "The Solace System" track listing:

01. The Solace System02. Fight Your Demons03. Architect Of Light04. Wheel Of Destiny05. Immortal Melancholy06. Decoded Poetry

Mark states about the songs: "The listeners can expect a high-quality EP — with songs that are far too good to use them only as bonus tracks. We wanted to publish these songs together in a context. It is always hard to decide at the end of a recording process which songs will be on the album, because this means that you have to miss some songs with best quality, just because they do not fit quite well into the overall flow of the record or because there are other songs that are more suited to the lyrics." "The Solace System" was recorded, mixed and mastered by Joost van den Broek and Jacob Hansen.

EPICA vocalist Simone Simons comments on the EP: "During the early writing process of 'The Holographic Principle', we found out that we were blessed with a huge amount of songs. The songs that didn't fit on our album are now available for you on this special EP! I hope you guys will enjoy these songs as much as we do!"

And if that wasn't enough, you'll be also able to purchase the new EP, "The Solace System", together with the CD of their recent studio album, "The Holographic Principle" as a box set. It will be called "The Holographic Principle - The Ultimate Edition".

In other news, Nuclear Blast re-released two ancient albums of EPICA, "Design Your Universe" and "The Divine Conspiracy", on vinyl on August 18. Each album is available in two different colors.

Photo credit: Tim Tronckoe

Finnish alt-rockers THE RASMUS have released a lyric video for their new single, "Silver Night". The chilling track is the latest song to be made available from the band's long-awaited new album, "Dark Matters", which will be released October 6 via Playground Music Scandinavia. The disc was produced by the Swedish team The Family (Iggy Azalea, FIFTH HARMONY). "The thinking behind our new songs was to create the kind of music we would like to listen to," THE RASMUS singer Lauri Ylönen explains. "We haven't abandoned our signature northern melancholy, but you can hear a wide range of influences in our new compositions.

"The new album is like a roller coaster with many different emotions and personal feelings. Our music is at times dark, speculative, melodic and sometimes even sad."

THE RASMUS released its previous single, "Paradise", in March after a five-year hiatus. The band also announced a PledgeMusic campaign, allowing access to an exclusive fan-only area, featuring album pre-order deals, updates from the band, behind-the-scenes footage and a variety of bonus content.

In 2012, after releasing three more albums, and multiple world tours, THE RASMUS members Ylönen, Pauli Rantasalmi, Eero Heinonen and Aki Hakala, took a break from their busy band schedule. During this period, Ylönen moved to Los Angeles, a change that resonates in many of the songs he has written since.

Canadian cult metal act ANVIL has completed recording its new album, "Pounding The Pavement". Drummer Robb Reiner states: "The birth of the tracks has yielded much classic ANVIL gold!! Without doubt, all pounders will find songs emerge as their favorites. Mixes of tracks to flow soon for us. [We're] very excited to hear the polished rawness encased in smashing metal!! Big, big thanks to the pledge campaign pounders in supporting the project!"

ANVIL frontman Steve "Lips" Kudlow previously said that the band was planning to record "thirteen songs which are diverse in subject and tempo, as all ANVIL albums."

Regarding the new album title, Lips said: "It is a description of what ANVIL has been doing for forty years — endlessly working and making a living. We love what we do so it's not complaining; it's celebrating our long, amazing history."

"Pounding The Pavement" is slated for release in early 2018.

Pledgers can pre-order the album now on ANVIL's campaign page. The leaders in direct-to-fan platforms, PledgeMusic allows artists to get more personal with their fans, offering pledgers updates straight from the band and items not available anywhere else.

ANVIL's seventeenth studio album, "Pounding The Pavement" marks forty years of the band's illustrious career. The group is also celebrating its history with the Netflix release of the ANVIL movie "Anvil! The Story of Anvil".