A three-minute video featuring behind-the-scenes footage from the making of "Dhyana", the new album from MAYAN — the band featuring EPICA guitarist/songwriter Mark Jansen alongside Jack Driessen (ex-AFTER FOREVER) and Frank Schiphorst — can be seen below. The disc will be released on September 21 via Nuclear Blast.

"Dhyana" track listing:

01. The Rhythm Of Freedom

02. Tornado Of Thoughts - I Don't Think Therefore I Am

03. Saints Don't Die

04. Dhyana

05. Rebirth From Despair

06. The Power Process

07. The Illusory Self

08. Satori

09. Maya - The Veil Of Delusion

10. The Flaming Rage Of God

11. Set Me Free

Through his musical contributions in EPICA, AFTER FOREVER and MAYAN, Jansen has introduced another piece of knowledge, spirituality and mystery into the Dutch metal scene. For the third time since their inception in 2010, the now 10-piece symphonic death metal band has joined forces for a new album, and "Dhyana" is set to lift them to an entirely new level.

The collective that is MAYAN has always had a profound love for movie scores, so it comes as no surprise that the next step in the band's career was to record a new album with a live symphonic orchestra. Turning their vision into reality, a crowdfunding campaign was started early 2018 to fund the recording of MAYAN's third album with a live orchestra. With the tremendous support of fans across the world, more than €40,000 was raised and the band could finally approach the City Of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra to record their new album with them. Being one of the world's most renowned symphonic orchestras and famous for their work in cinematic features such as the "Star Wars" saga, "Hannibal" (2001) and "Arrival" (2016), as well as the orchestral parts of DIMMU BORGIR's "Death Cult Armageddon", they were the perfect choice to join forces with MAYAN to create the monumental sound landscape for "Dhyana". The crowdfunding campaign packages also included an exclusive EP called "Undercurrent".

Jansen stated: "We have worked with all our energy, efforts and passion to create a remarkable album. 'Dhyana' (which means the moment when the mind gets absorbed by the heart) makes us all very proud and we can't wait for it to be released. With the support of our loyal fans worldwide we were able to record the album with the City Of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra. Because of this and also producer Joost van den Broek's know-how and enormous motivational drive we were able to meet the high standards of the best productions of today. It's needless to say that we are extremely excited!"

The concept of this third full-length release reflects on conceptual themes such as being self-aware of our thoughts and relinquishing our egos and self-conceited tendencies to finding out who we truly are.

MAYAN will celebrate their new offering with a "Dhyana" release party on September 22 at De Helling in Utrecht, Netherlands. They will be supported by ELYOSE and CARTHAGODS on this evening.

SEPULTURA guitarist Andreas Kisser spoke to Germany's Moshpit Passion about the status of the band's official documentary, "Sepultura Endurance". The film, which received its world premiere in May 2017 at the Regent theater in Los Angeles, shows the journey from SEPULTURA's humble rural beginnings to decades spent on the international stage, giving an in-depth look into how the band continues to thrive in a changing metal landscape. Crammed full of rare archival footage, and featuring interviews with legends like Lars Ulrich (METALLICA) and Scott Ian (ANTHRAX), and younger artists influenced by SEPULTURA, like SLIPKNOT's Corey Taylor, "Sepultura Endurance" is the definitive document of the band's myths, struggles and heart.

"The movie came out last year in Brazil, in many movie theaters," Andreas said. "We had the 'Sepultura Day' — it was June 14th, if I'm not mistaken, last year — and the movie was released in many different movie theaters around Brazil. Which was something unthinkable for a heavy metal documentary to have such an opportunity to take the movie. But still, it was very limited. It stayed in movie theaters for a couple of weeks, and then it was a part of many movie festivals around the world — in Europe, in Asia, in South America, in North America. And now in Brazil, on the last July 13th, it's available on these platforms, like iTunes and whatever we have in Brazil, and we're working to have this format in Europe and the States — maybe Netflix and stuff; we're still talking about [it]. And the next step after that, of course, is to put it in a physical format [so] that people [who] didn't have a chance to see, to watch in all those opportunities can buy the stuff."

Asked if there has been any talk of releasing "Sepultura Endurance" with a companion disc containing SEPULTURA concert footage, Andreas said: "Yeah. We have the show that was recorded in São Paulo in 2015, where we celebrated the 30-year anniversary of SEPULTURA. We played all the eras of the band, songs from all the albums and everything — it was a very complete show, historically speaking. That's a possibility, because it was professionally recorded, and many parts of the show [are] a part of the documentary as well. Yeah, we have this plan to put it out all together, but no specific date yet. We've still gotta see how we're gonna deal with the platforms, and then, when we're ready to put it out, we're gonna know the date better."

Former SEPULTURA members Max and Igor Cavalera denied permission to the makers of "Sepultura Endurance" to use the group's early music in the film. Director Otávio Juliano told Brazil's Folha De S. Paulo that he could not even use footage of early SEPULTURA songs being performed by the current version of the band, which includes singer Derrick Green and drummer Eloy Casagrande alongside two members of SEPULTURA's "classic" lineup, Kisser and Paulo Xisto Pinto Jr. (bass).

Juliano said last year that nothing was off limits during the making of the documentary. "The band gave me complete access, every door was open, I was never asked to leave," he explained. He went on to describe the film as "a testament to the endurance required to make a documentary for almost seven years," pointing out that "800 hours of footage" was shot for the movie.

SEPULTURA is continuing to tour in support of its latest album, "Machine Messiah", which was released in January 2017 via Nuclear Blast.

Available for viewing below, "Play" is a two-part mini-documentary, directed by Dave Grohl, celebrating the rewards and challenges of dedicating one's life to playing music. Part one opens with narrated behind the scenes discussion of the love of playing music and the lifelong relationship with an instrument — as well as the process and challenges of recording and filming this unique performance. The "Play" film then segues to the titular 23-minute, one-man-band instrumental recording on which Grohl plays all seven instruments on the track, all live. The entire song was played by Grohl, each time on a different instrument, live all the way through for 23 minutes.

Visit play.roswellfilms.com for an interactive "Play" experience. Explore "Play" by choosing which audio and video you'd like to experience. Hover over "Choose Video" and click to select to view only one instrument. Once you do that, you can also hover over "Choose Audio" to listen to the isolated track of the instrument you are watching or the complete master audio. You can go back to the complete master performance video, or toggle between individual instruments and audio at any time. Download sheet music and find a growing directory of organizations who support music education.

Filmed in classic black and white by Brandon Trost ("The Disaster Artist", "This Is The End"), with lighting modulating to match the dramatic peaks and valleys of this epic instrumental, "Play" was then edited to feature seven Grohl's recordings together. The "Play" online interactive experience offers viewer/listener/participants the options of taking in the mini-doc and Grohl performance as is, focusing on one instrument, and/or downloading "Play" sheet music. The online version of "Play" also includes a list of organizations where time, money and instruments can be donated to the cause — and places where musicians young and old alike can have the opportunity to play live music.

The challenges Grohl created for himself in creating "Play" mirror those taken on by music students every day: The obstacles they face in their daily efforts to elevate and improve their abilities are no different than those faced by a world class stadium rocker — both are striving for the same goals. This shared quest gave "Play" its mission to inspire and promote music education: The film is intercut with young musicians from the Join The Band music school in the San Fernando Valley practicing their craft, working relentlessly to get it right, and always coming back to the conclusion that, in Grohl's words, "'just like any kid, the reward is just to PLAY."

Through partnerships with music and media organizations, schools and charities the world over, "Play" and its portrait of the joy of playing music should be a catalyst for discussion and action to benefit music education on a global level. Keep your eyes on play.roswellfilms.com for information on upcoming auctions with proceeds benefiting local music education organizations.

Photo credit: Andrew Stuart

A husband-and-wife duo of PANTERA fans recently visited Vinnie Paul Abbott's final resting place and posted a 10-minute video of the experience. Check it out below.

The PANTERA and HELLYEAH drummer was buried on June 30 next to his brother, PANTERA guitarist "Dimebag" Darrell Abbott, and their mother, Carolyn, at Moore Memorial Gardens cemetery in Arlington, Texas. He was laid to rest in a custom "Kiss Kasket" provided by KISS members Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley. The casket was offered as a gift at Vinnie's family's request. Vinnie was also buried in some of his trademark clothes, including his hat, shoes and flannel.

Speakers at the service included former GRIM REAPER guitarist Nick Bowcott and SiriusXM DJ Jose Mangin. Also appearing at the event were original KISS guitarist Ace Frehley, DISTURBED's David Draiman, NICKELBACK's Chad Kroeger, ANTHRAX's Charlie Benante, FOZZY's Chris Jericho and ROUGH CUTT's Paul Shortino.

Vinnie's brother was buried in the original Kiss Kasket prototype in 2004 after his untimely death. The coffin featured the faces of the four founding members of KISS, the KISS logo and the words "Kiss Forever." Both Abbotts were huge fans, especially Darrell, who was shot dead by a gunman in December 2004.

A public memorial for Vinnie Paul was held on July 1 at Bomb Factory in Dallas, Texas.

Vinnie passed away on June 22 at his home in Las Vegas at the age of 54. The drummer's death "did not appear suspicious," according to the official report of the event recorded by Metropolitan Police officers. Sources close to Vinnie told the Las Vegas Review-Journal that he suffered a "major heart attack," but that information has not been corroborated yet by an official source.

Vinnie had reportedly finished laying down drum tracks for the next HELLYEAH album, although there is no word yet on when that LP will see the light of day.

"Breakwater", the new video from Finnish metallers WOLFHEART, can be seen below. The song is taken from the band's long-awaited fourth full-length studio album, "Constellation Of The Black Light", which will be released on September 28 via Napalm Records.

WOLFHEART leader Tuomas Saukkonen stated about the clip: "Again it was an adventure in every meaning of word to go through this video process from beginning to the end. It included, for example, swimming in +2-degree glacier water in Iceland and having significant plastic parts in our backline turned into a liquid form. And the adventure will continue since 'Breakwater' is just the first of total amount of three videos carrying a bigger story."

WOLFHEART's music embraces the sheer force and beauty of Finnish nature with fiery passion. After the success of their first three albums that all hit the Top 10 in the Finnish album charts, among them their last album, "Tyhjyys", which charted in Switzerland as well, the time has come to unleash the next masterpiece of raw winter metal! "Constellation Of The Black Light" comes with seven tracks that dive headfirst into black metal, nordic death metal, soaring melodies and complex arrangements.

Commented Saukkonen on the new album: "Determination and perseverance were the key points in the making this album while conquering obstacle after obstacle during the process of recordings while coldness and beauty of winter were the themes where the music was born.

"This is definitely a triumph in WOLFHEART career and one of the biggest battles won in my personal career. I could not be more satisfied with the result, and with new label and management behind us, we are headstrong to stay in the bath of victories."

"Constellation Of The Black Light" track listing:

01. Everlasting Fall

02. Breakwater

03. The Saw

04. Forge With Fire

05. Defender

06. Warfare

07. Valkyrie

WOLFHEART will support CARACH ANGREN on a North American tour beginning in late September.

WOLFHEART is:

Tuomas Saukkonen: Guitar, Vocals

Mika Lammassaari: Lead guitar

Joonas Kauppinen: Drums

Lauri Silvonen: Bass, backing vocals

Photo by Mike Sirèn

According to Amazon, former JOURNEY singer Steve Perry will release a new solo album titled "Traces" on October 5 via Fantasy Records (a division of Concord Records/UMG)

Perry apparently teased his return to activity yesterday by launching what appears to be an official web site and social media accounts. The initial posting on the sites contained a simple message: "I know it's been a long time comin'."

"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

It has been reported that Perry will appear on the October 7 edition of "CBS Sunday Morning", presumably to promote his new solo disc and discuss his plans for the future.

Last year, Perry told ABC Radio that his next solo album was inspired by a personal tragedy. He explained: "I met someone and I feel in love with this person. And I lost this person to breast cancer four years ago. In the midst of that, I had written some songs, and before I met her, I had sketched some. And so about a year ago, I started recording."

He continued: "Basically the record is an emotional expression, and a reason to make one. It's been a real cathartic experience going back to that emotional place that I thought I would never go back to. And we really have been doing our very best to capture what I think are some timeless songs."

Perry last released a solo album in 1994. That effort, "For The Love Of Strange Medicine", was certified gold in the U.S. for sales in excess of half a million copies.

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.

In addition to Perry, Neal Schon, Jonathan Cain, Ross Valory, Gregg Rolie and Aynsley Dunbar were inducted, as well as current drummer Steve Smith, who's on his third run with the group.



Link in bio. . . . . #steveperry A post shared by Steve Perry (@steveperrymusic) on Aug 13, 2018 at 6:02am PDT

Interview with Steve will be on CBS Sunday Morning Oct. 7. Steve went to Hanford for the interview - Pat/Page OwnerPosted by Steve Perry (Journey) on Friday, July 20, 2018

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.

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.

Tour dates:

Nov. 04 - UK - London / The Dome

Nov. 05 - FR - Paris / La Boule Noire

Nov. 06 - FR - Nantes / Ferailleur

Nov. 08 - ES - Barcelona / Razzmatazz 2

Nov. 09 - ES - Madrid / Mon Live

Nov. 10 - PT - Lisbon / RCA Club

Nov. 14 - CH - Musigburg / Aarburg

Nov. 15 - CH - St-Maurice / Le Manoir Pub

Nov. 16 - IT - Bologna / Alchemica Club

Nov. 17 - IT - Milan / Legend Club

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

FROM ASHES TO NEW has released the official music video for "Broken", the follow-up single to the hit "Crazy", which recently reached No. 2 on the U.S. rock radio chart. The track conveys a message of perseverance and believing in yourself when others try to push you down and hold you back in life. It's a recurring theme in FROM ASHES TO NEW's music which is very personal to the band.


FROM ASHES TO NEW's debut album, "Day One", earned the band a Top 10 track at rock radio with the single "Through It All". Following an extensive album cycle, the band's original drummer and co-vocalist both abruptly left the group. Rather than focusing on the setbacks, FROM ASHES TO NEW forged ahead with a new energy and purpose.

The band, now comprised of frontman/rapper/programmer Matt Brandyberry, guitarist Lance Dowdle, vocalist Danny Case and drummer Mat Madiro (TRIVIUM), released its second album, "The Future", earlier this year via Eleven Seven Music.


FROM ASHES TO NEW is touring the U.S. extensively for the rest of the year, with a headline run throughout September and October. They will also be opening for FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH and BREAKING BENJAMIN on their autumn arena tour and will also be performing at several festivals, as well as providing direct support for STONE SOUR and PAPA ROACH on select dates. A European tour will take place in early 2019.

Florida-based death metal extremists HATE ETERNAL will release their new album, "Upon Desolate Sands", on October 26 via Season Of Mist. The spectacular artwork for the disc was created by renowned artist Eliran Kantor (TESTAMENT, ATHEIST, ARCHSPIRE) and can be seen below.

"Upon Desolate Sands" track listing:

01. The Violent Fury (3:55)

02. What Lies Beyond (3:09)

03. Vengeance Striketh (4:39)

04. Nothingness of Being (5:02)

05. All Hope Destroyed (5:45)

06. Portal of Myriad (4:13)

07. Dark Age of Ruin (3:58)

08. Upon Desolate Sands (5:02)

09. For Whom We Have Lost (3:18)

The song "What Lies Beyond" can be streamed below.

Founded in St. Petersburg, Florida in the year 1997, HATE ETERNAL is the brainchild of extreme metal luminary Erik Rutan, who created a charging death metal juggernaut. In the United States this style has been virtually synonymous with Florida and especially the Tampa Bay Area for a long time.


More aggressive and technically complex than its Swedish counterpart, Floridian death metal grew out of thrash during the mid-1980s and was founded by such as the legendary DEATH, OBITUARY and MORBID ANGEL. While many of its early protagonists went on experimental paths, HATE ETERNAL remains true to the original formula, while continuously pushing the boundaries of this extreme style.


HATE ETERNAL's new full-length doubles down on their patented, high-velocity assault of dizzying ferocity combined with wide-range dynamics, outstanding songwriting and skull-crushing brutality. HATE ETERNAL delivers extreme music at the highest level.

HATE ETERNAL is:

Erik Rutan - vocals, guitar

J.J. Hrubovcak - bass, vocals

Hannes Grossmann - drums

KING'S X drummer Jerry Gaskill has confirmed to "The Drum Shuffle" podcast that the band is preparing to enter the studio to begin working on the long-awaited follow-up to 2008's "XV" album. "We are definitely talking about it, and we are actually making plans," he said (hear audio below). "And so, most likely, there will be a new record, possibly even next year."

Adding that KING'S X is "always writing" new music, Gaskill revealed that he and his bandmates have "gone past the pre-discussion stage" and are now "maybe in the full discussion stage." He said: "So I think that's kind of where we're at — maybe a little bit past the discussion stage. But there's no time limit, there's no pressure. It will happen when it happens, but… it's gonna happen, and I think soon."

"XV" was KING'S X's highest-charting album since 1996's "Ear Candy".

In 2005, VH1 included KING'S X in its list of "100 Greatest Artists In Hard Rock."

In addition to Gaskill, KING'S X features frontman Doug "dUg" Pinnick and guitarist Ty Tabor.

In a 2016 interview with The Sacramento Bee, Pinnick said that KING'S X wasn't in a hurry to work on new material.

"We have a lot of songs to choose from [for performances], and that's probably why we haven't done a record in so long," he said. "In a way, we've kind of pulled all the tricks out of our bag.

"To this day, we're perceived by our fans and outsiders as some huge thing even though we never had a really big hit," he added. "I just think we weren't considered a good flavor so we were left on the shelf."

KING'S X was sidelined by several health scares in recent years, including Pinnick's two hernia operations and two near-fatal heart attacks suffered by Jerry.

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Los Angeles-based thrash metallers WARBRINGER will release a brand new single titled "Power Unsurpassed" as a strictly limited seven-inch vinyl single on August 24 and digitally this Friday, August 17. Limited to 300 copies, the vinyl will be available only via WARBRINGER or Napalm Records' online store. It was produced by Mike Plottnikoff (IN FLAMES, FEAR FACTORY) and mastered by Howie Weinberg (SLAYER, METALLICA). The album artwork was created by Hugo Juarez.

WARBRINGER singer John Kevill commented: "We are putting out a single, 'Power Unsurpassed', so we have some new material for you all this summer, as we gear up to write and record our sixth record. It's designed as a total neck-breaker, with hammering riffs and a shredding solo. It is about people who want to take orders from no one, and to make their will reality — at any price.

"We'll be playing this when we return to Europe this month, at festivals and alongside SEPULTURA. It has been a good year since we invaded European shores, and as always we look forward to delivering completely savage live thrash metal to all in attendance. We will play a mix of material from 'Woe To The Vanquished', the previous four albums, as well as the new single 'Power Unsurpassed', which we expect will completely crush in the pit. There's a mixture of club dates and festival appearances, but as fans know, WARBRINGER will bring total aggression to any stage, anytime, anywhere. Europe — you're next!"

WARBRINGER's fifth album, "Woe To The Vanquished", was released in March 2017 via Napalm. The disc was produced and mixed by Mike Plottnikoff, mastered by Howie Weinberg, with cover art by Andreas Marschall (SODOM, BLIND GUARDIAN, OBITUARY).

Hailing from Croatia, Sage have just signed a worldwide record deal with Rockshots Records for the release of their debut album Anno Domini 1573, which is being released on September 21st.

The album is a concept album about the Peasants’ Revolt that took place in England in the 1300s. The album encompasses themes of the battles between good and evil, honesty and greed. Sage delivers a mix of heavy, powerful and progressive metal, which the band blends to forge a unique but recognizable sound.

"The band name Sage means both the plant sage and 'a wise old man'", comments Enio Vučeta, guitarist and backup singer of the band. "We wanted to connect this to ourselves in a way because we are composed of several generations of Croatian musicians and we have great ambitions for our music to make a breakthrough in the world."

Anno Domini 1573 has been co-produced by Casey Grillo (Kamelot), mixed and mastered by Jim Morris at Morrisound Recording Studio. It is available for pre-order in Digipak Deluxe edition CD+DVD at this location.

Tracklisting:

"Rivers Will Be Full Of Blood"
"Rebellion"
"Wolf Priest"
"Dragon Heart"
"Two Souls"
"Blacksmith’s Tale"
"Man Of Sorrow"
"Join Us"
"Treason"
"Battle"
"Heaven Open Your Gates"

The band's first two singles and videos, for "Treason" and "Battle" can be heard on Spotify and enjoyed below:

 

Gus Pynn is the drummer for Canadian thrash legends Sacrifice. He recently took to Facebook asking, "Who wants to hear new Sacrifice?"

Pynn, along with vocalist / guitarist Rob Urbinati, guitarist Joe Rico, and bassist Scott Watts have completed the guitar and drum tracks for an as yet untitled song, which Pynn refers to as "fucking great." He continues, "I can officially say new song is done! Wes MacDonald is my witness and so happy he was present. 10 years in the making. Title coming soon."

Pynn further reveals, "Man this one has to be one of the biggest posts I've put up. Thanks everyone for the unbelievable support. I'm SUPER STOKED to finish the stuff we have. If you all want to know. It's probably be a 3 to 5 song EP. Doing a full record again... man don't know if we have it in us but we are close on writing at least two songs and we have motivation to write at least two or three more songs. This I can say and it will be one of our best efforts. Stay tuned and THANKS to you all."

Although Sacrifice has received several touring offers, the band is taking the rest of the year off to focus on new music. Expect them to return to the stage in 2019.

Along with Voivod, Razor and Annihilator, Sacrifice are considered one of the "Big 4" of Canadian thrash metal. This forthcoming EP will be the band's first new music since The Ones I Condemn, released in 2009 on Brazilian label Marquee Records.

  

 

 

UK-based heavy metal band Negacy will release their new album Escape From Paradise on September 21st via Massacre Records. A lyric video for the track "Born Betrayed" can be found below.

Escape From Paradise was mixed and mastered by Andy Mornar at Red Warlock Studio. All drums on the album were recorded by Raphael Saini (ex-Iced Earth), who stepped in for Negacy's original drummer Claudio Sechi during the album recordings.

The cover artwork was designed by Pierre-Alain D. of 3mmi Design.

Tracklisting:

“Ex Cinere”
“Born Betrayed”
“Dog Among The Wolves”
“Land Of Oblivion”
“Escape From Paradise”
“Under The Sycamore”
“Lies Of Empathy”
“Scattered Life”
“Slave To The Faith”
“Black Messiah”
“Last Will”

“Born Betrayed” lyric video:

Progressive metal stalwarts Jasun and Troy Tipton - known for their work in Zero Hour, Cynthesis, Abnormal Thought Patterns, and more over the past two decades - arise with their newest musical entity, A Dying Planet. An advanced stream of their upcoming debut album Facing The Incurable can be found below.

With six tracks surging with nearly fifty-three minutes of dynamic material, Facing The Incurable was mixed Forrester Savell (Animals As Leaders, Sikth) and mastered by Alan Douches (Between The Buried And Me, Mastodon). The record features guest contributions, including keyboards on "Missing" by Bill Jenkins, vocals on "Resist" by Paul Villarreal, vocals on "Poisoning The Well" by Erik Rosvold, and vocals on "Facing The Incurable" and "Missing' by Luda Arno. The album is completed with photography by Brian Kirksey and cover artwork by Erick Wurm Pollard.

Facing The Incurable will see independent release through the band's own CynNormal Lab Recordings on CD and digital platforms on August 14th; find pre-orders via Bandcamp here and Amazon here.

Tracklisting:

“Resist”
“Facing The Incurable”
“Human Obsolescence”
“Poisoning The Well”
“Missing”
“Separation Anxiety”

Album stream:

“Resist” lyric video:

Trailer:

(Photo by: Brian Kirksey)

The Man Who Loves To Hurt Himself, the powerful documentary film about Today Is The Day's Steve Austin, will see official release through global entertainment distribution operation Gravitas Ventures on August 28th. Pre-orders and official trailers for the film are now available. Today also marks the start of the band's run of tour dates surrounding their performance at Psycho Las Vegas.

Steve Austin, whose noise-laden, experimental and fiercely aggressive musical output over two decades has served as testimony, touched hearts and myriad troubled lives. Not many people can say they have so fully dedicated themselves to what they love and believe as Steve Austin has. To many, he defines the word "legend." The loose but subdued methodical subtlety of the movie stands in sharp contrast to an artist known in the worldwide underground of extreme music for abrasive, loud, chaotic spectacle and neo-violent imagery through a slow, brooding and emotional ninety-three minutes that covers a year of conversations and ride-a-longs with the casual aesthetic of natural conversation supported by raw grainy fan shot footage, old pictures, personal home videos, career spanning amulets, in a self-examination of the psyche of a modern-day "madman" and "master." Ride along as Austin's first-person account brings balance to these opposing forces, reckoning and stretching himself from the drive to create his musical vision, engaging and performing intense shows around the world, to being home with his wife and children. How one near-death experience led him to connect with the love of his life and begin the transition, fulfilling his destiny as a loving family man while completing his mission to bring relief his followers, and overcome being the man who loves to hurt himself.

The Man Who Loves To Hurt Himself is not your typical music documentary, but rather a film that focuses on the story of the artist himself, and what it means to express yourself on an existential level no matter what the cost. The trailer for this film on YouTube had over twenty-thousand hits within three months of being posted and has received a wide array of awards through its screenings at various international film festivals over the past year.

Gravitas Ventures is releasing The Man Who Loves To Hurt Himself on DVD and across all video on demand and digital platforms beginning on August 28th. Pre-orders can be placed at iTunes here. Barnes & Noble DVD pre-orders here and Blu-ray here.

See the trailer for The Man Who Loves To Hurt Himself below:

Today Is The Day kicks off their latest tour today in Erie, Pennsylvania on their way to Las Vegas. Set to take place at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, this year's installment of Psycho Las Vegas runs from August 16th through 19th and will see Today Is The Day joining over seventy artists including Danzig, Dimmu Borgir, The Hellacopters, Witchcraft, Sunn O))), Godflesh, Enslaved, Goblin, Eyehategod, and dozens more. Today Is The Day plays Saturday, August 18th on the Vinyl Stage alongside All Pigs Must Die, Primitive Man, Venomous Maximus, Uada, and more. Following the fest they band will tour their way back to the East Coast.

Canadian metal trio Cauldron are streaming "No Longer", a track from their new album New Gods, out September 7th through The End Records (North America) and Dissonance Productions (Europe). Listen below.

For the follow up to their critically-acclaimed 2016 album In Ruin, Jason Decay (lead vocals/bass), Ian Chains (guitar) and Myles Deck (drums) together with producer Chris Stringer (Timber Timbre, Wooden Sky) honed and recorded the songs at Union Sound in Toronto for what would become New Gods.

New Gods, the group’s fifth full-length studio record, once again promises a strong emphasis on songwriting and melody, complete with high-end organic production to match. “We have always prioritized songwriting above anything else. For me personally, I have always felt more confident writing than as a "musician" and for the first time I think we have found the production that best suits our songs,” says Decay.

"I am very proud of the songwriting, performances and production on this one, and it is definitely the most confident I have been in a finished album of ours.  It is dark, it’s heavy and it has a very melodic sense of AOR. Most importantly, it still sounds very Cauldron. I’m pretty sure people who were into In Ruin will like this one just as much if not more!”

Tracklisting:

“Prisoner Of The Past”
“Letting Go”
“No Longer”
“Save The Truth / Syracuse”
“Never Be Found”
“Drown”
“Together As One”
“Isolation”
“Last Request”

“No Longer”:

“Letting Go”:

Cauldron have announced a set of shows with support act Barrow Wight to celebrate the new album. The band has also confirmed a special record release show in their hometown of Toronto set for September 15th at Junction City Music Hall.

Dates:

September
6 - Boston, MA - The Middle East
7 - Philadelphia, PA - Boot & Saddle
8 - Brooklyn, NY - The Kingsland
15 - Toronto, ON - Junction Music Hall (Record Release Show)

Swedish blackened death metal band Night Crowned will release their debut EP Humanity in CD and digital formats on November 30th. It features the single "No Room For Hope", for which a lyric video can be found below.

In the frozen vasts of Europe's northernmost realms, a new slithering seed is festering at the heart of the Swedish scene - Night Crowned. A spawn formed from an unholy communion between current and previous members of the underground elite such as The Crown, Dark Funeral, Nightrage and Cipher system, this infestation is set to grow from a rumoured disease into a full-scale pandemic.

Night Crowned's musical vision is as clear as it is putrid; a reawakening of sounds dormant from the most influential acts and masterpieces of the Scandinavian 90's, although with all the advantages of a cutting edge, surgically precise production.

With a combined catalogue of over 20 full-length albums, this degenerate infant is procreated from seasoned and battle-hardened veterans, although with all the hunger that only such a gluttonous monster can possess. There will be no warning. No anti dote, and no remedy. At first you will feel nauseous, then your body will be covered in black boils, and finally both your mind and and matter will have been thoroughly infected by the blight that is - Night Crowned.

"No Room For Hope" lyric video:

The Brew will release their new album Art Of Persuasion on October 5th via Napalm Records. A lyric video for the first single "Seven Days Too Long" can be found below.

Says the band: "We had a lot of fun writing and recording this song, love the combination of a funky bass line with a hypnotic chorus vocal, all brought together with an epic, stomping backbeat - If its not being listened to at a high volume, you're doing it wrong!"

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

Over the last 10 years, The Brew - from the North Eastern fishing town of Grimsby, UK - has left crowds in amazement, and this release is exactly in line with their critically acclaimed live show: Hypnotic grooves, raw and in your face.

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

Art Of Persuasion will be available in the following formats:

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

Pre-order here.

Art Of Persuasion tracklisting:

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

Tour dates:

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

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

* The Hydden support

Lineup:

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

(Photo - Sarah Aylward)

Professionally filmed video footage of Metallica performing "Motorbreath" at Outside Lands in San Francisco, CA at Golden Gate Park on August 12, 2017 can be seen below:

Metallica are currently taking a break from the road. The band launch a North American arena tour on September 2nd at Kohl Center in Madison, Wisconsin. Find their live itinerary here.
 
Support Metallica's All Within My Hands Foundation and you could win a Wherever I May Roam Black Ticket - the one ticket that will allow you floor access to as many shows as you want to attend on the 2018/2019 North American tour (festivals and special events excluded from promotion). That's up to 35 gigs! You pick the shows, register no less than 48 hours before the gig, and you're in.

Find complete details and enter now at this location.

AWMH is a non-profit philanthropic organization created by the members and management of Metallica dedicated to creating sustainable communities by supporting workforce education, the fight against hunger, and other critical local services. 100% of donations go to support the organizations that work with the Foundation. Please visit allwithinmyhands.org for more information.

Classical guitar virtuoso Thomas Zwijsen will release his seventh solo album, Nylon Metal, on September 3rd. The double CD contains 26 acoustic arrangements of metal and rock songs by Iron Maiden, KISS, Metallica, Deep Purple, Helloween, Led Zeppelin, Dream Theater, and many more. A new preview video featuring Thomas and Anne Bakker performing an acoustic rendition of the Deep Purple song "Burn" can be found below.

Zwijsen states: “My mission is to bring heavy metal to the classical guitar world and vice versa, combining the greatness of heavy metal compositions with the beautiful tone of the classical guitar. I can’t wait to present this album to guitar fans around the world.”

Guest musicians on the album are (ex)members of KISS and Iron Maiden, respectively Bruce Kulick and Blaze Bayley.

Tracklisting:

CD 1:
"The Good, The Bad, The Ugly" (Ennio Moricone)
"Future World" (Helloween)
"2 Minutes To Midnight" (Iron Maiden)
"Forever" (KISS) ft. Bruce Kulick
"Eye Of The Tiger" (Survivor)
"Seventh Son Of A Seventh Son" (Iron Maiden)
"Hollow Years" (Dream Theater)
"Renegade" (Hammerfall)
"The Unforgiven II" (Metallica)
"Four Lanes Of Chaos" (Original)
"Twisted Mind" (Avantasia)
"Soldier Of Fortune" (Deep Purple)
"The Final Countdown" (Europe)

CD 2:
"Where Eagles Dare" (Iron Maiden)
"Temple Of The King" (Rainbow)
"Lightning Strikes Twice" (Iron Maiden) ft.Blaze Bayley
"Enter Sandman" (Metallica)
"The Wickerman" (Iron Maiden)
"All My Love" (Led Zeppelin)
"Want You Bad" (The Offspring)
"Space Oddity" (David Bowie)
"Living After Midnight" (Judas Priest)
"Definitely Doable" (Original)
"Smoke On The Water" (Deep Purple)
"Eagle Fly Free" (Helloween)
"Detroit Rock City" (KISS)

"Burn" video:

"Lightning Strikes Twice" video:

Preview:

Trailer:

All songs are arranged by Thomas Zwijsen in his characteristic style, playing all essential melodies simultaneously on his Ortega signature guitar.

With his arrangements Zwijsen obtained over 20 million YouTube views and is now close to reaching 100,000 subscribers. He has played over 500 concerts in Europe, South America, Asia and the Middle East.

The release of the Nylon Metal album will be followed by a European tour in September with Anne Bakker, a European tour in November with Blaze Bayley, and three shows in Israel in 2019 followed by an extensive South American solo tour.

The Book Of Tabs - Together with the album, Zwijsen will release his second tab book, The Book Of Tabs. The book includes tabs & standard notation of 11 Iron Maiden songs and includes online video lessons for each song.

Table of contents:

"If Eternity Should Fail"
"The Wickerman"
"Afraid To Shoot Strangers"
"2 Minutes To Midnight"
"Iron Maiden"
"Lightning Strikes Twice"
"Seventh Son Of A Seventh Son"
"Hallowed Be Thy Name"
"Children Of The Damned"
"Where Eagles Dare"
"Alexander The Great"

More info and pre-ordering at here.

Professionally-filmed video footage of Skindred performing the Big Tings album cut "That's My Jam" at this year's edition of Germany's Wacken Open Air festival can be seen below:

Skindred have announced their return to North America in support of Big Tings. The tour kicks off September 26th in Jacksonville, FL and runs through October 12th in Tempe, AZ. Support on the tour will come from Sumo Cyco and Raven Black. A complete list of dates can be found below.

The band are eagerly anticipating their return: "We are blown away by the success 'That's My Jam'is currently having in America. It's heartwarming that our once second home is once again opening its arms to Skindred. This North American tour is so exciting for us, we can't wait to spread Big Tings across the land and so say all of us, Let's Dred into America!"

Dates:

September
26 - Jacksonville, FL - 1904*
27 - Ft. Myers, FL - The Buddha Bar
28 - Tampa, FL - The Orpheum*
29 - Longwood, FL - Shovelhead

October
2 - Baltimore, MD - Fish Head Cantina
3 - Harrisburg, PA - Chameleon Club
4 - Flint, MI - Machine Shop
5 - Grand Rapids, MI - Elevation - Intersection
6 - West Dundee, IL - Rockhaus
7 - Racine, WI - Route 20 Outhouse
8 - Minneapolis, MN - Turf Club
9 - Joliet, IL - The Forge
10 - Madison, WI - The Annex
11 - Ringle, WI - Q & Z Expo Center
12 - Tempe, AZ - Tempe Marketplace*

* support will not appear

Skindred's Big Tings album is out now via Napalm Records. Order the album here.

Tracklisting:

"Big Tings"
"That's My Jam"
"Machine" (Ft. Gary Stringer)
"Last Chance"
"Tell Me"
"Loud And Clear"
"Alive"
"All This Time"
"Broken Glass"
"Saying It Now"

"That's My Jam" video:

"Big Tings" lyric video:

"Machine" video:

The clip below features Soulfly / ex-Sepultura frontman Max Cavalera and Conan performing the Fudge Tunnel classic "Hate Songs In E Minor" at The Earache Factory during the Boomtown Fair in Winchester, UK this weekend. Both Soulfly and Conan were on the festival bill.

Max Cavalera is featured in a new interview with MetalShop, recently conducted in Prague. He discusses the band's forthcoming album, Ritual, and the new song "The Summoning", which the band has been performing live.

Metal Express Radio's Mick Burgess caught up with Soulfly frontman Max Cavalera to chat about the band's live shows, and to get the low down on their new album, Ritual, that hits the stores in October. Following is an excerpt from the interview.

Q: How`s "Summoning" been going down (on tour) seeing as though it`s from an album that`s not out yet?

Max: "The fans have been loving it. It`s a really cool song and starts with a blast beat and has this killer groove, and it has this awesome breakdown ending. When it comes in the fans just love it."

Q: You have a new album, Ritual, due out in a couple of months. How do you feel ahead of its release?

Max: "I`m very excited, it`s a very cool record and done in a very unique way. I worked hard on bringing in some of the early Soulfly influences from the tribal groove element along with the fast thrash death metal stuff that I love right now. There`s a Navajo chant that opens the record. There`s a song called 'Dead Behind The Eyes' that features Randy (Blythe) from Lamb Of God, and 'Under Rapture' has Ross (Dolan) from Immolation; that`s a great song, the ending is full-on death metal. It`ll be great playing those on a proper Ritual World Tour next year."

Q: Seven shows in eight days (in the UK) is quite a hectic schedule.  How do you pace yourself on tour?

Max: "You`ve just got to go for it. Sometimes we do 20-30 without a day off. One of our crew guys used to say 'Stay in your manhole and give `em Hell.' You`ve just got to man up and do it. Don`t complain, just enjoy. There`s a lot of worse jobs out there so we`re really lucky to do this for a living and we`re having fun."

Read the complete interview here.

Acclaimed heavy metal singers Tim "The Ripper" Owens (JUDAS PRIEST, ICED EARTH, YNGWIE MALMSTEEN), Harry "The Tyrant" Conklin (JAG PANZER) and Sean "The Hell Destroyer" Peck (CAGE, DEATH DEALER, DENNER/SHERMANN) have joined forces in a new project called THE THREE TREMORS.

THE THREE TREMORS' self-titled debut LP is due on September 20. Check out audio samples on THE THREE TREMORS' PledgeMusic page.

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

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

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

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

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

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

"The Three Tremors" track listing:

01. Invaders From The Sky

02. Bullets For The Damned

03. When The Last Scream Fades

04. Wrath Of Asgard

05. The Cause

06. King Of The Monsters

07. The Pit Shows No Mercy

08. Sonic Suicide

09. Fly Or Die

10. Lust Of The Blade

11. Speed To Burn

12. The Three Tremors (bonus track)

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

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

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

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

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

VENOM INC. frontman Tony "Demolition Man" Dolan has confirmed to AntiHero Magazine that the band is putting the finishing touches on the songwriting process for its sophomore album. "We've already got it ready," he said at this weekend's Bloodstock Open Air festival (see video below). "It'll be out in March of 2019. We're a machine now."

According to Dolan, VENOM INC. is planning to continue making new music while playing live shows that feature a setlist culled largely from VENOM's early catalog.

"People are going, 'You are always doing stuff.' And I said, 'Yeah, but if you're in a band, you write some new music, record some new music, release the music, you play some shows, then you write some new music, you record some new…' It doesn't take six years to write a fucking record," he explained. "It doesn't take 10 years to go, 'It's 10 years since we did the last show. We might tour.' I just wanna keep doing it.

"Time is running out, and I know it's running out, and this is what I wanna do," he added. "And when I watched my hero Lemmy go out on stage, going, 'This is what I'll do,' knowing that he was going, but he didn't stop. That inspired me to go, 'That's what I wanna do. I wanna go out playing music.' That's why I'm here. So, yeah, the more we can write, the more we can do… brilliant."

Dolan, who replaced Conrad "Cronos" Lant in VENOM almost 30 years ago, formed VENOM INC. with original VENOM members Jeff "Mantas" Dunn (guitar) and Anthony "Abaddon" Bray (drums).

Bray hasn't toured with VENOM INC. for the past few months as he focuses on family life following the birth of his daughter. He has since been replaced by Jeramie Kling of the Tampa-based melodic death metal band THE ABSENCE.

VENOM INC.'s debut album, "Avé", was released in August 2017 via Nuclear Blast.

VENOM INC. is not to be confused with the Cronos-fronted version of VENOM, which is continuing to tour and make albums under the VENOM moniker. Joining Cronos in that group are Rage (a.k.a. Stuart Dixon) on guitar and Danté (a.k.a. Danny Needham) on drums.

Dunn, Bray and Dolan released three albums as VENOM between 1989 and 1992 — "Prime Evil" (1989), "Temples Of Ice" (1991) and "The Waste Lands" (1992).

The classic lineup of VENOM — Lant, Dunn and Bray — is often credited with kickstarting the whole black metal movement, but is more accurately seen an early example of extreme metal.

VENOM's second album, 1982's "Black Metal", was a major influence on on the early Norwegian black metal scene.

Greek melodic power metal masters FIREWIND, the group led by guitar wizard and former OZZY OSBOURNE bandmember Gus G., have uploaded a video recap of their August 3 appearance at the Wacken Open Air festival in Wacken, Germany. The four-and-a-half-minute clip, which was directed and edited by Panagiotis Kountouras, can be seen below.

Gus recently told "The Classic Metal Show" that his decision to join Ozzy's band in 2009 contributed to a loss of momentum for FIREWIND. He said: "FIREWIND did take a backseat, obviously, when I joined Ozzy's band. I mean, I would have never changed that decision for anything in the world; I think it was the right thing to do and that opened up so many doors that probably would have never, ever happened with just sticking with FIREWIND. And that's my own baby, you know? And, of course, it helped me in a lot of ways — I mean, not only money-wise. With Ozzy, like I said, I got a lot more opportunities."

He continued: "I think the problem with FIREWIND was that it wasn't really only the fact that we took a backseat because I was so busy with Ozzy; it was also the fact that we had, actually, problems with the lineups — we couldn't really keep a singer. And when we had that momentum, our singer quit, back in 2013. And maybe we made a couple of records that didn't really resonate with our fanbase much. I think partly it's our own fault, why this band did not become any bigger when it should have. So I would definitely not put that on me joining Ozzy or anything. If nothing else, I think it gave the band a bigger boost in the sense that it made the brand more recognizable on an international level. So I think that was a lot of our own mistakes, which we're kind of trying to catch up on. I think we made the right record, if you like, with [2017's] 'Immortals' — it was the right comeback record — so it seems that there's some momentum going on again. I definitely do not plan on having a five-year break between the next album."

"Immortals" marked the first time FIREWIND used an outside co-producer, having worked with Dennis Ward (UNISONIC, PINK CREAM 69), who not only engineered, mixed and mastered the album, but also co-wrote it together with Gus G. The disc was also FIREWIND's first release with singer Henning Basse (METALIUM, SONS OF SEASONS), who previously toured with the band on various continents in 2007 and was most recently the singer in Gus's solo touring group.

Gus's latest solo album, "Fearless", was released on April 20 via AFM Records. The follow-up to 2015's "Brand New Revolution" was Gus's first release since exiting Osbourne's band in 2017.

Fan-filmed video footage of SEPULTURA's August 11 performance at the Brutal Assault festival in Josefov, Czech Republic can be seen below.

SEPULTURA guitarist Andreas Kisser confirmed to TotalRock Radio that the band has commenced the songwriting process for the follow-up to 2017's "Machine Messiah" album. "Already, me, Eloy [Casagrande, drums], Derrick [Green, vocals] and Paulo [Xisto Pinto Jr., bass], we have a few ideas, so we have where to start from — a few songs in demo version," he said at the Wacken Open Air festival in Wacken, Germany. "And we still have to develop [them] and stuff. We don't still have a kind of a direction or a theme or something, but it's getting there. We still like to enjoy a lot the road, and we don't write that much on the road as a band. Yeah, it's going, but it's still early."

Kisser also talked about SEPULTURA's relationship with Nuclear Blast Records, with whom the band has been for nearly a decade. "It's amazing, man," he said. "They are a metal label, and there are people that are on the scene since the beginning, the early days. It's a label that never sold out. Many other labels sold out to bigger companies and bigger labels, you change personnel, you think more on the business side. I think Nuclear Blast has a perfect balance between believing in music — in metal and hardcore and punk — and having the business able to sustain everything… And you see how many artists now are with the label, which is great. It's a great place to be. We have total freedom and support to do our stuff and to work with the producers we want and the artists for the cover — everything. They're very supportive, and they believe in the band, which is everything we need. It's great."

"Machine Messiah" was released in January 2017. The disc was recorded at Fascination Street Studios in Örebro, Sweden with Swedish producer Jens Bogren. The CD's cover artwork was created by Filipino artist Camille Della Rosa.

SEPULTURA's official documentary, "Sepultura Endurance", will tentatively be released on DVD and Blu-ray this fall.

Years of anticipation are about to come to an end with the September 7 release of their self-titled debut album from DOWNPOUR. The band, which features members of SHADOWS FALL and UNEARTH, has marked this long-awaited announcement with the premiere of album track "Truth In Suffering".

The album is available for pre-order through DOWNPOUR's PledgeMusic campaign, which offers fans a number of incentives and options. Packages include items and collectibles for every level of fan! the digital album, autographed copies, vinyl, a signed and handwritten lyric sheet, a signed drumhead, the band performing your house party anywhere continental U.S., and the Nickel Bag of Funk, in which singer Brian Fair will chop off a nickel bag-sized chunk of his infamous dreadlocks for the first time since 1995!

DOWNPOUR started as a project without any expectations — just an unfettered desire to play music. Their initial instrumental jam nights among the members offered a respite from real life — things like 9-to-5s, crumbling relationships, bills, and beyond. Their sessions were akin to therapy sessions and the music became increasingly heavy.

Soon it morphed into a beast they could no longer hold back. It was becoming its own entity. The music they were creating was so invigorating that it convinced SHADOWS FALL vocalist Brian Fair to change lanes and join the band. It was a no-brainer, as Fair and drummer Derek Kerswill (UNEARTH, SEEMLESS) solidified their musical chemistry when they played together in the aforementioned SHADOWS FALL in the early '00s.


Kerswill says: "We consciously sat on the record for the last few years due to a lot of scheduling issues and we had all talked about the idea that back then. Everything was about content, and we wanted the days of SOUNDGARDEN- and TOOL-style mystery."


"When I was first approached by Derek about getting involved with the DOWNPOUR, ‪SHADOWS FALL was starting to come to an end and I wasn't sure I was ready to start working with another band," Fair admits. "When he sent me the instrumental versions of the songs, I knew immediately that I had to get in! The combination of musicianship, unique songwriting style, and a groove that can't be fucked with just absolutely blew my mind."


Fair adds: "This was not only music I had always wanted to hear — it was music that I thought would allow me to push myself as a vocalist and try totally new things. I tracked some lo-fi, home studio demos and sent them off to the boys, having no idea if they would be feeling what I was laying down but I know I was! Luckily, they got my vision and encouraged me to push it even further."


The band, rounded out by guitarist Matt LeBreton and bassist Pete Gelles, continues to maintain that same vision.


"We wanted to make a unique metal record that represented our varied influences, unrestrained by subgenre or any other restrictions," Fair says. "The vocal lines and lyrics seemed to flow effortlessly. The riffs and grooves really inspired me to find some deep and personal subject matter that I had yet to explore lyrically. Before I knew it, we had enough material for the record and we hadn't even all jammed in the same room yet!"

They eventually did come together and Fair labels those first rehearsals as "electric." Fans will be able to hear and feel that crackle in the finished product.