With song titles like "You're A Fucking Dick”, "Busted, Broke & American" and "All Out Of Bubblegum" you would think that M.O.D. - shorthand for Method Of Destruction - and their founder and fearless leader (the artist formerly known as the legendary Billy Milano), aren't masking their intentions on their new album. In fact, it would be a logical assumption that Milano and co. are putting their unabashed and unedited thoughts and feelings out there for all to see and hear with their new album Busted, Broke & American - self-righteous and politically correct social justice warriors be damned!

Busted, Broke & American will be released July 7th via Megaforce Records. "You're A Fucking Dick” is available for streaming below.

As to be expected, Busted, Broke & American is fast, it's furious, and it makes no apologies. It also mixes hardcore, punk rock, and thrash and the end result is a thoroughly combustible collection of songs. The words "I'm sorry" are not a part of the album's vocabulary. At the center of the sonic storm remains Milano, who has never been known to shy away from speaking his mind.

Billy Milano, a voracious reader, avid cook and a Proud and Loud Republican, inadvertently resurrected his hardcore punk rock band in a time when he needed it most. You'd be mistaken to assume anything when it comes to Billy Milano. For M.O.D. and their new album, which finds the band returning to original label home Megaforce Records after two decades, there was no pre-determined mission. At all. It was born of love.

"I had taken off time with M.O.D. in 2009," Milano recalls. "We had done 100 shows for [2007's] Red, White & Screwed. I needed a break. My dog Buster, an American bulldog, got sick with cancer and I started to play guitar again while staying home with him. I started jamming again, anticipating something quick, but it wasn't."

Buster was a huge part of Milano's life, having toured with the frontman. As anyone that truly has forged a deep bond with a canine can relate to, Milano turned to his trusted instrument to help him endure the pain of watching his friend wind down his life. "I just started playing guitar, while sitting there, looking at him, giving him medicine," he says. "I wanted to run and play with my dog, and I couldn't. The only way to be with him was to sit there and play guitar. I had no goal to do a record. I just wrote all the material."

While Milano may be older and wiser these days, he's not any softer. He's admittedly still cynical, but has learned to temper it by being more caring and forgiving. Still, music remains something he loves doing and he still operates off the zero fucks given principle. "I don't give a fuck, but I like playing," he reasons. "I like making records. It's like cooking - it's an extension of me."

Busted, Broke, & American tracklisting:

“Eisenhower Was Right”
“The Final Declaration”
“You're A Fucking Dick”
“Busted, Broke & American”
“Fight”
“Hooligan”
“Billy Be Damned”
“Shattered Dreams & Broken Glass”
“They”
“All Out Of Bubblegum”
“Go Go Revolution”
“Kennedy Speaks”

"You're A Fucking Dick”:

“Busted, Broke & American”:

Fan-filmed video footage of Maryland rockers CLUTCH performing two new songs — "How To Shake Hands" and "We Love A Good Fire" — on June 14 at The Limelight 1 in Belfast, Northern Ireland can be seen below.

As previously reported, CLUTCH have written "handful of tunes" for the follow-up to 2015's "Psychic Warfare", with plans to enter the studio later in the year. CLUTCH drummer Jean-Paul Gaster told Metal Wani at last weekend's Download festival in the U.K.: "We took a good bit of time off [from touring]. We were off [the road] for nearly four months, and so for us, that's quite a long time; we hadn't taken that much time off in… I don't remember how long. So we spent a good portion of that writing new songs, working out in the jam room, working on new arrangements, working on concepts. And at this point, we have a handful of tunes that have vocal ideas. We've been putting them into the set."

Gaster added that it is "super important" for CLUTCH to test out some of the new material in a live setting, because it "really gives us the opportunity to hear the song for what it is." He explained: "As a drummer, I'm always trying to find the pulse of that tune. And most recently, I'm really making an effort not to just superimpose what I think the pulse should be of that tune; the tune will tell you what to play. It's a matter of actually playing the song and listening to the way the guys interact with the music, watching the crowd and seeing what the crowd reacts to — all this stuff goes into it. So it's an exciting time for us right now; it's very sort of… [We're] in a very creative mindspace right now."

Asked if it gets easier to write new CLUTCH music as the years pass, the drummer said: "Yeah, I think it does, actually. In a lot of ways, we get together and there's very little vocal communication sometimes. We might be in the room for a half hour or forty-five minutes playing the whole time and creating this thing, but no one ever actually says anything… It's like we've gotten to the point where we sort of share a brain, you know. And there's a lot of beer and stuff in that brain, but there's a brain; it's a collective brain."

Gaster also talked about CLUTCH's longevity despite the band's refusal to follow musical trends. "I think part of that has to do with the fact that when we got the band together, the intention was not to make a million dollars and it wasn't to be a huge band and it wasn't to be on the radio," he said. "It was really just to… We just wanted to play some cool shows and make some records that we were proud of, and that was really the beginning and the end of it. And I think because of that, even in the times that were tough, whether it was financial times or dealing with the label, we always went back to that. It was really about the music, and it's still about the music. And so that makes it easy as well."

He added: "It's amazing. I still enjoy doing what we do, I enjoy being with the guys, I enjoy making music with them, being creative and challenging ourselves."

As previously reported, CLUTCH and PRIMUS will join forces for "An Evening With Primus And Clutch" tour this summer.

The 24-date trek will launch on July 17 in Charlotte, North Carolina and wrap on August 18 in Berkeley, California.

Both bands will play full sets during the tour, which will feature no support acts.

"Psychic Warfare" debuted at No. 11 on The Billboard 200 chart after shifting 26,000 equivalent album units in the week ending October 8, 2015. The disc was released via CLUTCH's own label Weathermaker Music.

Calgary, AB progressive death metal band Divinity have posted a new lyric video for their track "Hallowed Earth", which features their second vocalist Jeff "Beast” Waite and is off their new album The Immortalist that was unleashed on May 26th. 

The band comments on track:

"It's a poetic take on the idea that some civilization could possibly exist underground with far superior technology and history. Other dimensions may exist inside the earth. Hallowed is a way to infer that we should revere our planet instead of destroying it. Also the hidden race in the Earth is pissed at us and knows that humans really don't care about the planet or each other."

Orders of the album are at Divinity.ca, iTunes, and Amazon plus an exclusive digipak CD available on their website for those who want to support the band directly.

The Immortalist is a culmination of 5 years of hard work and dedication to their craft.  The album features 12 tracks that include their two previous EP releases The Immortalist, Pt. 1 – Awestruck and The Immortalist, Pt. 2 –Momentum with their 3rd EP The Immortalist Pt. 3 - Conqueror now finished completing the trilogy series for one huge full length album. All the tracks on the album are remixed and remastered by the talented Chris Donaldson (Cryptopsy, The Grid Productions) to make the songs more cohesive and work as a full-length album experience. This album also features Bjorn ‘Speed’ Strid of Soilwork on vocals for the song “D.M.T.”. Divinity is also offering fans an exclusive digipak CD available on their website for those who want to support the band directly.

The bands comments on release:

"Closure is such great thing! We’ve finished our third EP for The Immortalist trilogy concept and have decided to take all three EP’s and turn it into a full-length album."

Tracklisting:

“Manhunt”
“Atlas”
“Hallowed Earth”
“D.M.T.”
“PsyWar”
“Distorted Mesh”
“The Dead Speak From Behind”
“Lucid Creator”
“The Reckoning”
“All Seeing Eyes”
“Momentum”
“Conqueror”

"Atlas" video:

“Manhunt” video:

Album teaser:

Melted Space has announced a new album for November 2017. Recording sessions have started this week with François-Maxime Boutault in Bordeaux (France), with additional recording sessions planned in the Czech Republic, Sweden, United States, Norway, and more.
 
The outfit's founder PierreLe Pape comments, "I can't wait to share the nine new songs with you guys and go back on the road with all the crew! This album should bring some new sides of the Melted Space universe; different sounds, different voices... I'm very proud of it and I can't wait to start to production process!"
 
Melted Space is a France-based metal opera project featuring a huge roster of guest musicians and vocalists. The outfit's first album, The Great Lie, was released in October 2015 through Sensory Records, the record including internationally-revered vocalists and musicians including members of Morbid Angel, Mayhem, Sunn O))), Dark Tranquillity, Orphaned Land, Shining, Ayreon, Sirenia, and the entire cast of The City of Prague Philarmonic Orchestra. Founding creator and composer Pierre le Pape, who bears a master degree in classical music and movie scores, creates a modern opera that takes over the classical codes, including numerous characters, scenario, powerful orchestral arrangements and varied ambiances, all set to skilled and catchy songwriting and amazing casting.
 
After the outfit's European tour with Symphony X and Myrath, the live lineup of Melted Space decided to reconstruct and remix several songs with vocal contributions from the live crew from the venture. These three new versions were collected in Remix Remodel, with new track versions as remixed by Beau Hill (producer, Europe, Alice Cooper, Ratt), After Forever's Joost Van Den Broeck, and François-Maxime Boutault (producer, Dagoba, others), with mastering handled at Fascination Street Studio by Tony Lindgren.
 
Additional details on the new Melted Space opus will be issued during the summer months.

 

"Mercy", the new video from STONE SOUR, can be seen below. The track is taken from the band's upcoming album, "Hydrograd", which will be released on June 30 via Roadrunner Records.

"Hydrograd" track listing:

01. YSIF02. Taipei Person/Allah Tea03. Knievel Has Landed04. Hydrograd05. Song #306. Fabuless07. The Witness Trees08. Rose Red Violent Blue (This Song Is Dumb & So Am I)09. Thank God It's Over10. St. Marie11. Mercy12. Whiplash Pants13. Friday Knights14. Somebody Stole My Eyes15. When The Fever Broke

"Hydrograd" was recorded at Sphere Studios in North Hollywood, California with producer Jay Ruston, who has previously worked with ANTHRAX and STEEL PANTHER.

The band tracked the album live in the studio, cutting a total of 18 songs from which 15 will make the CD.

STONE SOUR singer Corey Taylor previously stated about "Hydrograd": "We have six singles on this album. I'm really excited. This album is great because it's got elements of everything. It's got the heavy energy of the '80s, there's punk moments, there's hard rock moments — all the great amalgam of music. There's even jazz and hip-hop moments; it's really, really cool. It's probably the coolest album I've made since the first SLIPKNOT album. I feel very confident making that statement because it's so good."

Bassist Johnny Chow described the disc as "a straight rock and roll album" in an interview with Detroit radio station WRIF, adding, "It's just very groove-oriented, very melodic (with) big choruses. We've got some mellower songs on there too, which are equally just as amazing and have a lot of groove to them."

Chow called the record a "bit of a departure" from previous STONE SOUR albums.

Regarding the "Hydrograd" title, Taylor told told Detroit radio station WRIF that he was running through an "antiquated" airport in Eastern Europe a few years ago where the gate info was "on those old-school '80s block-letter, number, digital horrible Timex watch kind of readers" and scrolling between different languages. As he ran past, Taylor thought he saw the word "Hydrograd."

Taylor said: "So my brain is trying to do geometry while also at a sprint because I don't wanna miss my plane. I pass one and I look up and I could have swore it said 'Hydrograd.' And I kept running for a second and I was, like, 'Hydrograd? Where the hell is Hydrograd? What?'"

Taylor eventually realized that the word wasn't "Hydrograd," recalling, "It didn’t even start with an 'H.' It wasn’t even close." But he still remembered the word, saying, "It’s a cool name. It was what I saw but didn’t really see."

STONE SOUR will be special guests of KORN on the latter act's "Serenity Of Summer" trek, which starts on June 16 in Salt Lake City and wraps on August 2 in Cleveland.

Antarctic alien overlords GWAR will release their new album, "The Blood Of Gods", in the fall via Metal Blade Records. The album is a hard rock masterpiece, a new milestone for GWAR's music that will be totally unexpected, and is going to blow people away. Speaking of blowing people, this is the first album to feature the Berserker Blothar on lead vocals!

For those of you human scum that are attending the Vans Warped Tour, you will have your chance to pre-order the album before anyone else. That's right, Bohabs, just head over to the GWAR merchandise tent to pre-order your copy of "The Blood Of Gods". When you give the hateful slave working the GWAR merchandise booth your hard earned cash, they will give you a special laminate that will guarantee you a copy of the CD upon release date. So act now, and spare yourself the wrath of the most violent band in universe... And don't lose your special laminate, it's your ticket to a guaranteed lifetime of eternal suffering! Guitarist Pustulus Maximus did his best to explain the pre-order process in the clip below.

Following their run on Vans Warped Tour, the band will make an appearance at Chicago's Riot Fest, as well as two other headline dates, before they return home for a brief Antarctic slumber. Expect a full fall tour in support of "The Blood of Gods". More details on the new album, including artwork, full track listing and your first taste of new music will be made available over the coming weeks.

Video footage of Canadian rockers NICKELBACK performing their new song "Song On Fire" at the studios of the Swedish radio station Rockklassiker can be seen below. The track is taken from the band's ninth album, "Feed The Machine", which will be released on Friday, June 16 via BMG.

"As we were working on this song, a very personal one for me, we all instantly connected to it on different levels through our own experiences," said the band's lead singer, Chad Kroeger. "Everyone has a need to love or be loved and we've all been hurt or felt loss. It's about your heart yearning for something that your rational mind knows is impossible to hold on to. There is a universally, haunting finality to losing love and we found 'our protagonist' (in this song) trying to reclaim it; but not knowing where to begin or that it might ultimately be in vain." The video for "Song On Fire" explores these concepts further by telling a heartwarming tale of love prevailing. Interspersed throughout footage of the band performing, the video follows the story of a woman lost in the woods. The woods serve as a metaphor for the woman's struggle to find herself as well as her way back home. Phantoms from the woman's life try to point her in the right direction as an unknown man struggles to find and reach out to her. Unfortunately, the woman continuously slips through his fingers, driven in the opposite direction by an ominous hooded figure dressed in black. When all hope seems to be lost, a final act of love and devotion is able to break her free. As the woman comes back to reality it is revealed that the she was fighting for her life in the hospital — the phantoms her family and the unknown man her devoted husband.

"Feed The Machine" track listing:

01. Feed The Machine02. Coin For The Ferryman03. Song On Fire04. Must Be Nice05. After The Rain06. For The River07. Home08. The Betrayal (Act III)09. Silent Majority10. Every Time We're Together11. The Betrayal (Act I)

Set in a dystopian, post-apocalyptic future where machines have imprisoned humans (think "The Matrix" and "The Terminator"), the video for the "Feed The Machine" title track sees Kroeger and his bandmates depicted as freedom-fighting revolutionaries who free the enslaved humans from their machine captors.

NICKELBACK is set to hit the road this summer on the colossal headlining "Feed The Machine" tour. Produced exclusively by Live Nation, the "Feed The Machine" trek will begin on June 23 in Noblesville, Indiana, with 44 dates across North America including stops in Detroit, Los Angeles, Chicago, Toronto, Vancouver, and more. DAUGHTRY will join NICKELBACK as their special guest for all of the U.S. dates, as well as Toronto and Montreal, while SHAMAN'S HARVEST will be seen on all dates. Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame icons CHEAP TRICK will be special guests for the western Canadian leg of the tour.

In June 2015, NICKELBACK canceled the majority of its tour dates in support of the band's eighth album, "No Fixed Address", so that Kroeger could recover from surgery to remove a cyst on his vocal cords.

"No Fixed Address" debuted at No. 4 on The Billboard 200 album chart in November 2014.

British heavy metal legends SAXON have set "Thunderbolt as the title of their new album, tentatively due in January 2018. The follow-up to 2015's "Battering Ram" is once again being recorded with British producer Andy Sneap, who has previously worked with MEGADETH, EXODUS and TESTAMENT, among others.

SAXON singer Biff Byford last year revealed that the band's forthcoming disc would include a song dedicated to MOTÖRHEAD. "[It's] called 'They Played Rock And Roll', 'cause that's what Lemmy [late MOTÖRHEAD frontman] used to say every night [from the stage]," Byford told Sonic Shocks. "It's basically about early MOTÖRHEAD — '79/'80 MOTÖRHEAD, like around 'No Sleep 'Til Hammersmith', 'cause that's the tour we were on, that one. So, yeah, it's about the band, really, and their music."

According to Biff, "They Played Rock And Roll" will be musically similar to Lemmy and Co. He explained: "I asked Nibbs [Carter, SAXON bassist] to write me some music that was like MOTÖRHEAD, and he did. So it sounds very MOTÖRHEAD-ish, but not MOTÖRHEAD, if you know what I mean."

"Battering Ram" was released in North America via UDR Music. The effort featured Byford alongside Paul Quinn and Doug Scarratt on guitar, Nibbs Carter on bass and Nigel Glockler on drums.

Gary Holt says that he is ready to contribute to the songwriting on SLAYER's next album.

Holt, who is still a member of San Francisco Bay Area thrash icons EXODUS, has been the touring guitarist for SLAYER since January 2011 when the band's co-founding guitarist, Jeff Hanneman, contracted necrotizing fasciitis, also known as flesh-eating disease, from a spider bite in his backyard. The infection ravaged the flesh and tissues of Hanneman's arm, leading to numerous surgeries, skin grafts and intense periods of rehab that forced him into semi-retirement and left him near death at several points.

Holt did not write any of the music on SLAYER's last album, 2015's "Repentless", although he did lay down guitar solos on most of the record's twelve tracks.

In a brand new interview with Ultimate Guitar, Holt stated about the possibility of composing material for SLAYER's next effort: "I'm certainly well prepared to do it.

"I get a lot of people saying, 'Oh, yeah, he plays for EXODUS, but can he write a SLAYER song?'

"You know, quite often the difference between an EXODUS song and a SLAYER song is just note selection. It's all thrash metal.

"You can differentiate the subtleties like KREATOR is more melodic than EXODUS and SLAYER is more chromatic.

"I've played in the band long enough to where I think I have a good enough insight into how a SLAYER song goes versus an EXODUS song.

"So I'm ready to go if and when the time arrives."

In a recent interview with Brazil's Wikimetal, SLAYER guitarist Kerry King confirmed that there is a chance that Holt will be more involved with the creative process next time around. "It's a possibility, for sure," he said. "We haven't really talked about that. I mean, the ideas have come up, but then I know Gary's still full-heartedly into making EXODUS records. I think if the opportunity arises, I'm definitely open to it, but I also understand that we've got a band to write music for as well. So I'm not against it. It's just something that we haven't come to that bridge yet."

Hanneman eventually died in May 2013 from alcohol-related cirrhosis of the liver. He is credited for writing many of SLAYER's classic songs, including "Angel Of Death" and "South Of Heaven".

Kerry previously told LA Weekly that part of the reason Holt wasn't invited to write any material for "Repentless" was the fact that not enough time had passed since Hanneman's death. "I thought a long time about this, but I didn't think SLAYER fans were ready for that yet," he said. "Even though Gary's a household name in thrash, I didn't feel that the first SLAYER record without Jeff should have Gary Holt contributing as a writer."

Hanneman's last appearance with SLAYER was in April 2011, when he played an encore with the band at the "Big Four" concert in Indio, California.

FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH announced today that they will finish out their remaining European dates with BAD WOLVES vocalist Tommy Vext filling in for FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH frontman Ivan Moody, whose struggles with substance abuse are widely known. Moody said: "I am embarrassed and ashamed to admit that I have fallen off the wagon again. I was on shaky ground prior to our performance in Tilburg, and although a lot of the events of that show were out of my control, the shame of not delivering pushed me over the edge. It would not be fair to my bandmates or my fans to continue to perform in my current condition. One of the worst parts of addiction is the loneliness you feel, so having the support of my band and all the knuckleheads is what drives me. I am committed to getting better so I can get back out on stage as soon as possible." Zoltan Bathory, guitarist of FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH, said: "As a band, we are committed to supporting Ivan's road to recovery. We are as baffled and saddened as anyone to watch our brother continue to struggle. Almost everyone in the world knows someone who struggles with addiction, and can relate to how the self-destruction of someone they care about is very difficult to watch. FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH has every intention of playing the dates we're committed to and beyond. The band is bigger than any one member." Tommy Vext, the vocalist of up-and-coming metal band BAD WOLVES, said: "It is a tremendous honor to share the stage with FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH on these remaining dates. Today I am blessed with over eight years of sobriety, so I can certainly empathize with Ivan's struggles. Not only do I feel a responsibility to deliver for the fans of FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH on these remaining dates, but also to deliver for Ivan so he can get back to work as soon as he is healthy."

Vext, who has been traveling with FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH on their current European tour, sang the first song of the band's set on Monday, June 12 in Tilburg, The Netherlands because Moody arrived on stage several minutes late. This is not the first time Ivan has been forced to miss FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH shows due to various issues. Moody previously sat our eight concerts during the band's fall 2016 U.S. co-headlining arena tour with SHINEDOWN after he "fell ill" and stepped away from the road to receive treatment. He was replaced at those dates by ALL THAT REMAINS vocalist Phil Labonte.

Prior to that, Moody had an onstage meltdown during a May 2015 show in Memphis. The incident was blamed on his abuse of alcohol and drugs. He entered rehab after that.

As previously reported, FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH and IN FLAMES will join forces for a European co-headlining tour in November and December.

Demon Eye are back with their third offering of heavy classic rock, proto metal, and traditional doom. Prophecies And Lies will be released August 11th via Soulseller Records on CD, vinyl, and digital. 

The new album was recorded by Mike Dean of Corrosion Of Conformity in the band's hometown of Raleigh, North Carolina, and displays a strong musical progression with mighty riffs, haunting melodies and fist-raising anthems. Demon Eye are bringing vintage heavy darkness for modern times and current day evils. New track “The Waters And The Wild” is streaming below.

Tracklisting:

“The Waters And The Wild”
“In The Spider’s Eye”
“The Redeemer”
“Kismet”
“Infinite Regress”
“Dying For It”
“Politic Devine”
“Power Of One”
“Vagabond”
“Prophecies And Lies”
“Morning’s Son”

“The Waters And The Wild”:

Prophecies and Lies by Demon Eye

GHOST lead singer and founder Tobias Forge — who performs as Papa Emeritus — will publicly unmask himself for the first time since the band's formation for an upcoming appearance on "Sommar i P1", Swedish radio channel P1's daily one-man show which has aired every summer since 1959.

Each ninety-minute episode of "Sommar i P1" features a well-known Swede talking without interruption about whatever he or she likes, as well as choosing all the music for the program.

Forge stated about his August 17 appearance on "Sommar i P1": "I'm going to talk about my background and about how things never quite turn out the way you think they will."

Forge recently officially revealed his identity while responding to a lawsuit filed by four former members of GHOST, who accused him of cheating them out of their rightful share of the profits from the group's album releases and world tours.

In his court documents, Forge — who had previously played in several other rock bands, including REPUGNANT, CRASHDIET, SUBVISION, MAGNA CARTA CARTEL and SUPERIOR — took credit for developing GHOST's image and stage show and blamed his ex-bandmates for "destroying the mystery" surrounding the group by lifting the lid on GHOST's business dealings. GHOST is known for its eccentric performances and is composed of six members easily recognized for their satanic attires. Five men who call themselves as Nameless Ghouls play the instruments while the lead vocalist is known as Papa Emeritus. The Nameless Ghouls who are wearing identical devil masks and costumes represent the five instrumentalities or elements (fire, water, air, earth and aether or quintessence) while their leader Papa Emeritus represents the group's anti-pope symbol.

Forge admitted in a 2016 interview with "Big Smash Radio" that the mystery surrounding GHOST has helped make the band more successful. "I think it definitely plays a part," he said. "The thing everybody keeps ranting about is the anonymity, which I have a comment on on the side, but I also think that you don't have to be anonymous or masked in order to have somewhat of a clandestine image. I mean, there are many artists that I know exactly where they are born and what their names are and where they live, which are still very, sort of, hidden. Even Nick Cave, who has a film about himself nowadays, is still someone who I would claim to be utterly enigmatic."

He continued: "Even if people would know who we are, or you could click on a Wikipedia page saying my date of birth, it does not necessarily mean that I have to go out on social media and tell you where I'm eating. So, yeah, I think even in the future, when it might not be as hidden, or as secret, I think that you can still uphold some sort of… level of fog around you."

Nashville's finest technical black/death outfit Enfold Darkness are back. With Adversary Omnipotent on the horizon, the band has released "Terror Of A Perilous Quest". The first single to be released from Adversary Omnipotent thus far, the track goes straight for the jugular and never relents. The album is set for release on Friday, July 14th through The Artisan Era.

Tracklisting:

“Awaken, Brak’tal O’Minn”
“Lairs Of The Ascended Masters”
“Liberator Of Mages”
“The Sacred Daemonic”
“Invocation Of Na’ak Ba’ran”
“Banishment”
“Arise, Morning Star, Into The Netherworld”
“The Adversary, Omnipotent”
“Terror Of A Perilous Quest”
“The Test Of Wisdom”
“The Dirge Of The Surrogate Invictus”
“Summoning The Archons”
“Vanish Into Damnation” 

“Terror Of A Perilous Quest”:

Poizon Records will reissue 1993’s Invincible Enemy from Canadian thrash metal band Disciples Of Power. The Ukrainian label, a division of Eclectic Productions, will reissue the album as a 6-line digipak format. 

Disciples Of Power have released five full-length albums, the last one being 2002’s In Dust We Trust.

Tracklisting:

“Afterbirth”
“Invincible Enemy”
“Infected By Science”
“Born Unto Death”
“Injecticide”
“Lords Of Creation”
“Return From The Gates”
“Before The End”

 

Blackberry Smoke have released a new music video for the title track of their Like An Arrow album. The clip can be found below.

Like An Arrow is now available in a limited edition Six Puzzle Piece 45 RPM set. Get it here.

Tracklisting:

“Waiting For The Thunder”
“Let It Burn”
“The Good Life”
“What Comes Naturally”
“Running Through Time”
“Like An Arrow”
“Ought To Know”
“Sunrise In Texas”
“Ain’t Gonna Wait”
“Workin’ For A Workin’ Man”
“Believe You Me”
“Free On The Wing” (Featuring Gregg Allman)

“Like An Arrow” video:

Riverdogs, featuring Rob Lamothe (vocals, guitars), Nick Brophy (bass, vocals) and Vivian Campbell (lead guitar), along with long time drummer Marc Danzeisen, are streaming the acoustic version of the new song “Something Inside”, featured on their fifth album, California, to be released on July 7th. 

Mixing the soulful vocals of Lamothe with the edgy guitarwork of Campbell and solid rhythmic lines from Brophy and Danzeisen, the California album marks a definitive return to the sound of their critically acclaimed 1990 self-titled debut album.

On the making of the album, lead guitarist Vivian Campbell says, “When my friends at Frontiers suggested a Riverdogs album in the spirit of the original debut record, I jumped at the chance to make it. In my opinion, "Riverdogs" was a highlight of my career with some of my best guitar playing and definitely a record that flew under the radar. Having a clear direction of exactly what kind of record to make really helped the four of us create the music and there was an intense collective focus throughout the entire process that never wavered. I really think that we hit the target in creating a record that has all the hallmarks, the integrity and the emotional strength of the original debut. The fact that we've all remained such close friends throughout all the years only added to the joyous experience that was the making of this record."

"Going in to this project, my goal was to enjoy the opportunity of making music with some of my best friends, to share this incredible experience with my family...and to create something that Riverdogs fans will probably think is pretty bloody awesome. Big guitars! Beautiful melodies! Words about crazy, complicated, real stuff! I feel like Nick, Viv, Marc and I all brought our 'A-Games' to the writing and recording sessions. That's way more important than money and awards and fame to me," adds vocalist and guitarist Rob Lamothe.

Bassist Nick Brophy sums up the writing process for the album: "In summer of 2016, I found myself in Los Angeles, reunited with 3 of my closest friends, about to begin a new Riverdogs album. Marc had arranged a rehearsal environment at a friend's house, which was to provide the creative atmosphere for writing new material. I stood there with bass in hand thinking "OK, now what?" Little did I know that a few days later we would have six new Riverdogs songs and the album 'California' was born. The remaining six songs came, surprisingly, just as easily, a testament to the amazing talents of Vivian, Rob, Marc and the effortless way in which we work as a group. Our clear goal for this album was to remain true to the original Riverdogs sound and provide fans with a new set of songs which carry on the legacy of a truly remarkable band."

Riverdogs formed in Los Angeles at the end of the 80's, when flashy, glitzy hard rock ruled the day, but they were determined to avoid clichés and adopted an original sounding blues-rock style. Vivian Campbell of Sweet Savage, Dio, and Whitesnake fame at the time (soon to join and become a long-standing member of Def Leppard and later, founding member of Last In Line as well) was initially brought on board to produce the band's first demo, but was so impressed with the band that he actually became a member and played on the debut album. Soon after the release, Marc Danzeisen joined Rob, Nick and Vivian to complete the line-up.

Though fans and critics gave the album a warm reception and high regard, the unfortunate and age old story of change of personnel at their record label came about and eventually led the band members to go their own ways, with Campbell settling into the Def Leppard lineup and Nick Brophy becoming a respected engineer and producer. Riverdogs, with a reformed lineup, released two more records in 1993, Bone and Absolutely Live, before going on an extended hiatus. They reconvened, with the original lineup, in 2003 to record new material and play a few reunion shows. Those new songs were recorded as demos, but only completed in the studio in 2011 when their last album, World Gone Mad was released.

Now, six years after their last studio album, Riverdogs have crafted California, a record that truly recreates the magical sounds of their early days and that will surely be welcomed with open arms by fans both old and new.

Tracklisting:

“American Dream”
“The Revolution Starts Tonight”
“Something Inside”
“Golden Glow”
“You're Too Rock And Roll”
“The Heart Is A Mindless Birdv
“Searching For A Signal”
“Welcome To The New Disaster”
“Ten Thousand Reasons”
“Catalina”
“I Don't Know Anything”

“Something Inside”:

“Welcome To The New Disaster”:

“Welcome To The New Disaster” live acoustic video:

EPK:

Riverdogs lineup:

Nick Brophy: Bass, keys, vocals
Vivian Campbell: Guitars, vocals
Marc Danzeisen: Drums, vocals
Rob Lamothe: Vocals, guitar

Newly formed black metal duo, Poison Blood, has signed to Relapse Records and announced the release of their debut, self-titled EP.

Poison Blood is a collaboration between Jenks Miller (Horseback) and Neill Jameson (Krieg) born out of Miller’s desire to write music that was an outlet for a more straightforward kind of aggression. The two musicians came together as fans of each other's work and a mutual appreciation for Beherit's classic Drawing Down the Moon LP and the experimental deathrock of cult UK act Rudimentary Peni.

Although they have yet to meet in person, the project was crystallized with the contribution of Jameson's vocals. Across eight songs and 19+ minutes with explorations into deathrock, dungeon synth and the occult, Poison Blood's eponymous debut EP is a short but furious chronicle of cold, reptilian sonic terror. The result is a dark and low-fi exercise in mystic, minimalistic black metal exploring elements of deathrock, dungeon synth and the occult.

Hear the EP’s opening track “The Scourge And The Gestalt”, streaming below.

Poison Blood is out worldwide on August 11th on CD/LP/Digital via Relapse Records. Physical pre-orders and exclusive bundles are currently available via Relapse.com at this location and digital pre-orders are available via Bandcamp here.

The album artwork was created by Viral Graphics.

Poison Blood tracklisting:

“The Scourge And The Gestalt”
“Deformed Lights”
“Myths From The Desert”
“A Cracked And Desolate Sky”
“The Flower Of Serpents”
“Shelter Beneath The Sea”
“From The Lash”
“Circles Of Salt”

“The Scourge And The Gestalt”:

Seether stopped by the SiriusXM studios on the Octane channel to perform to tracks acoustically, “Let You Down” and Thrice’s “Black Honey”. Octane is pure, high-powered hard rock that's loud, uncensored and in your face. “Let You Down” is featured on Seether’s new album Poison The Pariah, which was released May 12th via Canine Riot Records.

 “Let You Down”:

“Black Honey”:

 Poison The Parish has blasted out of the gate, landing at #14 on Billboard’s Top 200 albums chart after selling more than 31,000 copies in The US this past week. 

Poison The Parish, the multi-platinum selling band's seventh studio LP, was released on May 12th through frontman Shaun Morgan's newly launched Canine Riot Records via Fantasy Records.

Recorded at Blackbird Studio in Nashville, Tennessee, Poison The Parish marks the first album produced entirely by Morgan. Perhaps the heaviest and most expressive collection they've ever released, check out BraveWords scribe Greg Prato's chat with Shaun Morgan at this location.

“Nothing Left”:

“Stoke The Fire”:

“Let You Down” video:

Catch Seether live in concert:

July
15 — Bridgeview, IL — Chicago Open Air at Toyota Park
16 — Indianapolis, IN  — Egyptian Room at Old National Centre
18 — Cincinnati, OH — Bogart's
19 — Cleveland, OH — House Of Blues
22 — Bangor, ME — Rise Above Fest at Darling's Waterfront Pavilion
24 — Baltimore, MD — Baltimore Soundstage
25 — Baltimore, MD — Baltimore Soundstage
27 — Philadelphia, PA — The Fillmore
29 — Myrtle Beach, SC — House Of Blues
30 — Cherokee, NC — Harrah's Cherokee Event Center

August
1 — Oklahoma City, OK — Diamond Ballroom
2 — Springfield, MO — Gillioz Theatre
4 — Saint Paul, MN — The Myth
5 — Milwaukee, WI — The Eagles Ballroom
6 — Peoria, IL — Limelight
8 — Kansas City, MO — Uptown Theatre
9 — Sioux Falls, SD — The District
11 — Glendive MT — Dawson County Fairgrounds
14 — Boulder, CO — Boulder Theatre
16 — Wichita, KS — The Cotillion
17 — Dallas, TX — House Of Blues
19 — San Antonio, TX — The Aztec Theatre
20 — Houston, TX — House Of Blues

 

On July 28th, Byzantine will release their new album, The Cicada Tree, via Metal Blade Records. Heralded as the most underrated band from the New Wave of American Heavy Metal Movement, Byzantine has slowly gained a cult-like following after releasing five genre-bending albums. 16 years underground, it's finally time for the world to hear Byzantine.

A lyric video for the album track “Trapjaw” is available for streaming below.

The new album can be pre-ordered here in the following formats:

- CD
- 180g black 2LP + etching (limited to 150 copies - USA exclusive)
- peach orange marbled 2LP + etching (limited to 350 copies - USA exclusive)
- clear pastel rose 2LP + etching (limited to 100 copies - EU exclusive)

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

In conjunction with PledgeMusic, The Cicada Tree can also be pre-ordered here, where you can reserve your copy of the album, signed material from the band, apparel, and more.

To state that The Cicada Tree is "classic Byzantine" in no way implies that this is an album solely rooted in the band's past. Certainly, all of the hallmarks that have made their sound so compelling for close to two decades are present and correct: muscular yet lithe riffs and fluid leads play against gripping, dynamic and at times unpredictable rhythms, while rich melodies and lyrics that are both involved and intelligent wind their way through every track. But, once more, the groove metal unit has continued their steady evolution - the interplay between their members organic and natural, imbuing the record's sixty-two-minute running time with a freshness and urgency.

Founding member Chris "OJ" Ojeda states, "The first few albums, you're trying to find your sound, and sometimes you tend to not see the forest for the trees. Now, on album number six, it seems a calmness took hold during the songwriting process, possibly from just having more confidence in our sound. At this point, our fans expect us to experiment and push our boundaries, which is an extremely liberating feeling."

The Cicada Tree tracklisting:

“New Ways To Bear Witness”
“Vile Maxim”
“Map Of The Creator”
“Dead As Autumn Leaves”
“Trapjaw”
“The Subjugated”
“Incremental”
“The Cicada Tree”
“Verses Of Violence”
“Moving In Stereo” (The Cars cover)
“Servitude” (Fishbone cover)

“Trapjaw” lyric video:

“New Ways To Bear Witness” video:

German dark rockers, End Of Green, have released a video for “The Door”, a track from the band’s upcoming effort, Void Estate. The new clip can be found below.

End Of Green come from a world of their own; no other band is able to visualize isolation in the midst of beauty with such ear-piercing power and after 25 years of agony they release opus number nine - out on August 18th via Napalm Records.

So what should one expect from Void Estate? Inside of a maze of goth, doom, metal, doleful alternative and deep-rooted pain, they are desperate to find hope. Michelle Darkness sings touching and intimate dirges about aging, loss and loneliness. Every note is clutched by wistfulness and somewhere in these lofty melodies glimmers a spark of optimism; A redeeming ray of hope sheltered in melodic hook lines.

The album artwork was created by Oliver Merkle.

Void Estate tracklisting:

“Send In The Clowns”
“Dark Side Of The Sun”
“The Door”
“Head Down”
“Crossroads”
“The Unseen”
“Dressed In Black Again”
“Mollodrome”
“Worn And Torn”
“City Of Broken Thoughts”
“Like A Stranger”
“Leave This Town” (Bonus Track)

Void Estate available formats:

- 2CD Digipak (CD+DVD)
- 2LP Gatefold
- Digital Album

The 2CD digipak comes with a DVD and very special End Of Green acoustic show at PBHF Club in Berlin 2016. Get your hands on these exclusive End Of Green pre-orders here.

The DVD tracklisting reads as follows:

“Demons”
“Hurter”
“Under The Sway”
“Let Sleeping Dogs Lie”
“Slaves”
“Goodnight Insomnia”
“Final Resistance”
“Pain Hates Me”
“Crossroads” (Calvin Russel Cover)
“Dying In Moments”
“Ghostdance”
“Weakness”
“Head Down”
“Death In Veins”
“Tragedy Insane”
“Sunday Mourning”
“Nice Day To Die”

“The Door” video:

Teaser:

End Of Green will be busy touring Germany in October and November. Don't miss this chance to see this five-piece live on the road:

October
20 - Berlin, Germany - Columbia Theater
21 - Leipzig, Germany - Werk 2

November
3 - Aschaffenburg, Germany - Colos Saal
4 - München, Germany - Backstage
9 - Nürnberg, Germany - Hirsch
10 - Bochum, Germany - Matrix
11 - Hamburg, Germany - Knust
18 - Stuttgart, Germany - LKA Longhorn

End Of Green lineup:

Michelle Darkness (Vocals, Guitar)
Kirk Kerker (Guitar)
Lou Siffer (Drums)
Sad Sir (Guitar)
Rainier Sicone Di Hampez (Bass)

On his recent visit to EMGtv, Zakk Wylde performed of a track from his new record, Book Of Shadows II. In this version of "Lost Prayer”, Zakk shows off the versatility and wide range of tone variations you get from the EMG Zakk Wylde Set (81/85). From rhythm to lead, the tone is harmonically rich, complex, and provides amazing sustain.

For the first time in more than a decade, Ozzy Osbourne and Zakk Wylde are together again.

Known as one of rock's most lethal singer and guitarist pairings, the two will hit the road for a series of Ozzy headlining shows in the US this summer and fall, beginning July 14th (see dates below).  While they've performed together over the years, these shows are the first collaboration for the duo for a full tour since 2006. These dates also mark Ozzy’s first solo tour in the US in years beyond one Ozzy & Friends performance at the Voodoo Music + Arts Experience in New Orleans, LA in October 2015.

On June 3rd, Zakk guested on 98.9 The Rock radio station at Rockfest in Kansas City at the Kansas Speedway and talked about the reunion. Check out the interview below.

Ozzy and Zakk first teamed up 30 years ago when Zakk (who Ozzy describes as "a f***ing absolutely amazing guitar player") joined Ozzy’s band in 1987; they last recorded in 2007 on Ozzy’s acclaimed Black Rain album.

In addition to reuniting with Zakk Wylde on guitar, Ozzy’s band will include longtime collaborators Blasko (bass), Tommy Clufetos (drums) and Adam Wakeman (keyboards). Ozzy’s tour dates kick off in July at the Rock USA Festival in Oshkosh, WI with additional dates to be announced in the coming weeks.

"I'm so happy to be getting back on the road with Zakk, Blasko, Tommy and Adam," says Ozzy. "This is what I do. This is where I belong, on the road."

"I'm really looking forward to The hardcore powahlifting training sessions with Ozzy as well as playing music in between sets of heavy squats, benching and deadlifts," Zakk Wylde adds.

Next up for Ozzy: prepping for a new solo album for 2018 on Epic.

Ozzy’s initial 2017 tour dates are as follows:

July
14 - Oshkosh, WI - Rock USA Festival
16 - Chicago, IL - Chicago Open Air Festival

August
9 - Sturgis, SD - Buffalo Chip
21 - Cartersville, IL - Moonstock Festival

Middle East extreme metal pioneers, Nervecell, have set August 25th as the release date for their forthcoming third album, Past, Present...Torture. The album will be released through Lifeforce Records in most part of the world, while Metal East Records is handling the release in the Middle East region. Check out a new lyric video for the album track “Abyssviand”, available for streaming below.

It is a fine line to combine brutality, technical requirements and harsh accessibility in such a way, that the result leads to extreme songs, which listeners like to hear and which they can remember. Nervecell master that impressively. The addition of Middle-Eastern folklore accents contributes a decisive part to this.

The Dubai-based band is, above all, an uncompromising death metal band, but the charm of the “special ingredients” always resonates. And this is how Nervecell find to musical differentiation. Past, Present…Torture marks the group’s third full-length and is the successor of Psychogenocide from 2011.
 
“Past, Present…Torture” was mixed and mastered by Wojtek and Slawek Wiesawski at Hertz Studios (Behemoth, Decapitated, Vader) in Poland, the cover artwork was created by Colin Marks of Rain Song Design (Origin, Exodus).

The album consists of 13 tracks and is the most extreme and versatile Nervecell record to date. The title speaks for itself, focusing on the state of the world and where we are all headed as a civilization. Past, Present…Torture serves as a concise summary for both, the lyrical message and the musical direction. Offering unpleasant truths and a rigorous death metal sound. Just as you know and expect from the beast from the Middle East... Nervecell.

Past, Present...Torture tracklisting:

“Intro”
“Aadvent”
“Proxy War”
“D.N.A. (Diruo Nocens Acervus)”
“Abyssviand”
“Hypnosis”
“Malice Within”
“Dawn Of Decimation”
“Habitual Deceit”
“Maqabre”
“Tree Of Lies”
“Treading Beneath”
“Past, Present... Torture”

“Abyssviand” lyric video:

“Proxy War”:

Nervecell have been confirmed to support Nile when the band play Dubai, UAE on August 5th at The Music Room. Go to this location for ticket information.

Composed of some of L.A.'s most recognized studio and songwriting talents - Billy Sherwood, Guy Allison, and Bruce Gowdy - World Trade will release their third album, Unify, on August 4th. The album’s opening track, “The New Norm”, is available for streaming below.

Lead vocalist and main songwriter, Billy Sherwood has been a fixture of the L.A. studio and recording scene since the mid-80's. Billy's talents range from producing a Grammy nominated album for Paul Rodgers to being the current bass player of YES, handpicked by Chris Squire to replace him before his untimely death. He also recently joined up with Asia as a replacement for John Wetton after his passing for the band's current US tour with Journey.

"World Trade was always a very special band, with a unique sound. It's amazing all these years later to be able to make another record and have it feel just as special as the first," says Sherwood.

Guy Allison and Bruce Gowdy, a pair of musicians also known for being behind the awesome melodic rock band Unruly Child, and drummer Mark T. Williams (son of famed composer John Williams and brother of Toto singer Joseph) round out the lineup.

"World Trade was always one of my favourite bands that I had the pleasure to be involved in. We are a real bunch of creative souls. Our debut record had such a great vibe and our new CD Unity does as well!  To our fans, we hope we can come out and play for you soon," says Bruce Gowdy.

"If I had heard World Trade back when I was an impressionable young man (one who fell in love with the band U.K. on the very first listen), they would have made a lifelong impression on me. I'm very proud to have been a part of that musical journey with some of my very best friends," adds Guy Alliison.

No doubt that World Trade is a world-class band in every sense. Unify is a mature sounding recording reflective of the years of experience within the band. With great songwriting, excellent vocals, and immense production values, this album will appeal to fans of Toto 's most recent releases and 90125/Big Generator-era Yes, as well as fans of other progressive rock bands who value musicianship and songwriting craft.

Unify tracklisting:

“The New Norm”
“Where We're Going”
“Pandora's Box”
“On Target On Time”
“Gone All The Way”
“Unify”
“For The Fallen”
“Lifeforce”
“Same Old Song”
“Again”

“The New Norm”:

World Trade lineup:

Billy Sherwood - bass and lead vocals
Bruce Gowdy - guitars
Guy Allison - keyboards
Mark T. Williams - drums

Grindcore/death metal outfit, Implore, have finished the recordings for their new album, Subjugate, which is penned for a September 22nd release through Century Media Records. The band has documented the recording and prepared three studio reports. The first one can be viewed below:

Subjugate, the follow-up album to the band’s debut, Depopulation, is going to be released on CD, LP and digitally. The LP is co-released with Implore’s former label, Pelagic Records.

In late October the band will team up with Sweden’s legendary grind/crust outfit Gadget to spread the gospel of grind upon Europe.

Tour dates:

October
26 - Zürich, Switzerland - Werk21/Dynamo
27 - Eindhoven, Netherlands - Bloodshed Fest
28 - Leipzig, Germany - Westwerk
29 - Ruzemberok, Slovakia - Nove Korzo
31 - Karlsruhe, Germany - Dudefest Halloween Edt.

November
1 - Brussels, Belgium - Magasin 4
2 - Hamburg, Germany - Hafenklang
3 - Berlin, Germany - Tommyhaus, Grindcore Fachtagung

Implore lineup:

Gabriel Dubko - Bass & Vocals
Eduard Petrolillo - Guitars
Guido Montanarini - Drums

Toto has announced the first set of shows in support of the band’s 40th Anniversary, beginning in 2018. The 40 Trips Around The Sun tour will begin in February 2018 in Europe. The tour will be the band’s most extensive run in years and will be a worldwide tour to celebrate the band’s enduring career. More shows will be announced shortly, Tickets on sale Tuesday, June 20th at 9 AM from LiveNation.co.uk.

Alongside the launch of the tour, Toto along with Legacy Recordings have created a brand new Greatest Hits package. The album will feature brand new previously unreleased music along side newly remastered classic tracks worked on by Elliot Scheiner & Gavin Lurssen and his team. The core Toto members, Steve Lukather, David Paich, Steve Porcaro, Joseph Williams re-entered the studio this past year to work on the material. Full details on that album along side many other projects the band has in the works with Legacy Recordings will be announced at a later date.

“Myself, David, Steve and Joseph are humbled and thrilled at the long lasting success of the band,” Steve Lukather remarked. “This 40th Anniversary tour is going to be a special one for us and all of the fans that come out. On top of all that, it’s really exciting to be working with Sony Music again. We’ve spent a lot of time this year working on new music and re-mastering the older tracks.”

Few ensembles in the history of recorded music have individually or collectively had a larger imprint on pop culture than the members of Toto. As individuals, the band members can be heard on an astonishing 5000 albums that together amass a sales history of a half a billion albums. Amongst these recordings, NARAS applauded the performances with more than 200 Grammy nominations.

With close to 40 years together and literally thousands of credits, including the biggest selling album of all time: Michael Jackson’s Thriller, and accolades to their names, Toto remains one of the top selling touring and recording acts in the world. They are the benchmark by which many artists base their sound and production, and they continue to transcend the standards set by the entire music community, being simply synonymous with musical credibility. Their repertoire continues to be current via high profile usage on broadcast television. They are pop culture, and are one of the few 70’s bands that have endured the changing trends and styles to a career enjoy a multi-generational worldwide fan base.

Tour dates:

February
19 - Hamburg, Germany - Mehr! Theater
21 - Dusseldorf, Germany - Mitsubishi-Electric Hall
22 - Munich, Germany - Olympiahalle
24 - Berlin, Germany - C-Halle
25 - Leipzig, Germany - Haus Auensee
28 - Krakow, Poland - Tauron Arena

March
2 - Vienna, Austria - Gasometer
10 - Milan, Italy - Mediolanum Forum
13 - Stuttgart, Germany - Porsche Arena
15 - Lille, France - Zenith
17 - Amsterdam, Netherlands - Ziggo Dome
18 - Brussels, Belgium - Forest National
20 - Offenbach, Germany - Stadthalle
23 - Bologna, Italy - Unipol Arena
25 - Marseille, France - Dome
26 - Toulouse, France - Zenith
27 - Lyon, France - Halle Tony Garnier
30 - Paris, France - La Seine Musicale

April
1 - London, UK - Royal Albert Hall
2 - Manchester, UK - Bridgewater Hall
4 - Dublin, Ireland - Vicar Street
7 - Belfast, UK - Waterfront Auditorium
8 - Glasgow, UK - SEC Armadillo

Akercocke, the celebrated masters of dark and twisted British extreme metal, make a triumphant return with their new studio album, Renaissance In Extremis, due for release via Peaceville on August 25th. Pre-order the new album in various formats at this location.

The album’s opening track, “Disappear”, is available for streaming below. Jason Mendonca introduces the song saying, “”Disappear” gives a summary insight of all that follows on Renaissance In Extremis. It contains all of the classic Akercocke hallmarks, yet aptly represents the bands development in intent, style and delivery.”

Towering above the vast majority of nefarious contemporary noisemakers, London’s Akercocke erupted across the consciousness of the UK metal scene in the late ‘90s, wielding a fiendishly inventive blend of death, black and progressive metal. Their distinctive, smartly-dressed demeanour and eloquent preoccupation with all things dark and Satanic marked them out both as ferociously individual artists and enlightened students of the pitch-black sonic code. Immediately embraced by the British faithful upon the release of debut album Rape Of The Bastard Nazarene, Akercocke spent the following decade leading the creative charge for their entire native scene.

Collectively buoyed by a renewed sense of purpose, the band reunited with former home Peaceville Records, to unleash their sixth full-length release - Renaissance In Extremis. Mixed by legendary studio guru Neil Kernon (Nile, Deicide, Thin Lizzy) and mastered in NYC by Alan Douches (Death, Misfits, Cro-Mags) at West West Side Music, Renaissance In Extremis is nothing short of a new dawn for these most eccentric of extremists.

On returning to the Peaceville family, founding member and drummer David Gray comments, “Akercocke are proud and privileged to be returning to Peaceville Records this year for our new album, our first release for ten years. Peaceville unleashed the band on the wider metal community and were responsible for laying the foundations of our two-decade history. Therefore, it is wholly appropriate that they assist us once again in our mission to pursue quality progressive death metal to the masses!”

A comprehensive reinvention and expansion of the band’s multifarious sound, Renaissance In Extremis delivers euphoric force and mind-boggling weirdness. There are scything thrash and death metal riffs in abundance, plus warped but elegant melodies and clouds of ugly dissonance; moments of unsettling calm and quiet. Renaissance In Extremis is a bold, bullish and belligerent statement of creative intent: metal’s dark spirit reborn in an explosion of bright ideas and inspirational fury.

Standard CD tracklisting:

“Disappear”
“Unbound By Sin”
“Insentience”
“First To Leave The Funeral”
“Familiar Ghosts”
“A Final Glance Back Before Departing”
“One Chapter Closing For Another To Begin”
“Inner Sanctum”
“A Particularly Cold September”

“Disappear”:

Akercocke have confirmed they will be heading out on a headline tour of the UK in support of the release of Renaissance In Extremis. Hecate Enthroned will be in support.

Inner Sanctum tour:

October
13 - Glasgow, Scotland - Audio
14 - Sheffield, England - Corporation
15 - Milton Keynes, England - The Crauford Arms
20 - Belfast, Ireland - Voodoo
21 - Dublin, Ireland - Voodoo lounge
22 - Nuneaton, England - Queens Hall
27 - Manchester, England - Rebellion
28 - London, England - Underworld
29 - Colchester, England - The Arts Centre

Ticket details at this location.

Former NIGHTWISH singer Tarja Turunen was joined by Sharon Den Adel (WITHIN TEMPTATION) for a special performance at the 2017 edition of the Metalfest Open Air on June 3 in Pilsen, Czech Republic. Video footage of their collaboration, along with a pre-show interview conducted by Spark TV, can be seen below.

Turunen originally collaborated with Den Adel on the WITHIN TEMPTATION song "Paradise (What About Us?)" which can be found on the band's sixth studio album, "Hydra", released in January 2014.

Den Adel previously stated about the band's collaboration with Turunen: "When we had written the first version of 'Paradise' and listened back to the demo we'd recorded and the epic power of the song, we thought of Tarja instantly. How well this track would fit her classical voice and how extra special it would be if we sang it together. The more we thought about this wild idea, the more excited we got about it!"

Following several video trailers teasing the track, fans speculated on the band's Facebook page who the duet would be with, some guessing it couldn't possibly be a "competing" artist like Tarja. However, the two singers had no hesitation joining forces, having never thought of themselves as competitors. Sharon continued: "Of course I didn't know what to expect from Tarja, as we'd never actually met in person 'till June [of 2013]. Our first encounter was via a Skype call we'd set-up to discuss the collaboration and we immediately clicked, not only creatively but personally. After we'd spoken, it felt completely natural that we would do this together!"

Las Vegas band THE FAT DUKES OF FUCK has released the music video for the songs "Kodiak Arrest" and "Promise Keepers". Both tracks are taken from the group's upcoming album, titled "A Compendium Of Desperation, Morality And Dick Jokes", which will be released on August 25.

MELVINS, THE JESUS LIZARD, QUI and DEMON LUNG members all perform on, and participated in the making of "A Compendium Of Desperation, Morality And Dick Jokes", which was recorded by production team the Deaf Nephews, a.k.a. Dale Crover of the MELVINS and Toshi Kasai (QUI, MELVINS, BIG BUSINESS), at Sound Of Sirens Studios in Los Angeles.

THE FAT DUKES OF FUCK vocalist and band co-founder Brent Lynch states about the clip: "This video is actually two songs but we liked the way they sounded together, so we made the video for both of them with some fun noise in between.

"The 'Kodiak Arrest' part features Dale Crover and Jeremy [Brenton, THE FAT DUKES OF FUCK drummer] simultaneously on drums. Isn't that fun? The 'Promise Keepers' part also features Dale along with David Yow and the boys from QUI all doing a bit of vocals. The demo version of this tune has Brent doing the middle talking part, but from the beginning we all thought the part needed David Yow. Imagine our surprise when he agreed to do it.

"The video was shot in Sound Of Sirens Studios while recording and features all the fellas mentioned above.

"The song is very loosely based on…you guessed it, The Promise Keepers.

"The Promise Keepers' mission has been to ignite and unite men to become warriors who will change their world through living out the Seven Promises. It's God Shit."

Formed in 2005, THE FAT DUKES OF FUCK has released 2012's "Honey From The Lips Of An Angel" plus two splits and a handful of EPs and has played hundreds of shows in and around Las Vegas with acts like CROWBAR, WHORES, EARLYMAN, HELMS ALEE, MOS GENERATOR and THE MENTORS.

Lynch stated about the making of "A Compendium Of Desperation, Morality And Dick Jokes": "This album was written in a small sweaty room a few years back. We enlisted the help of the Deaf Nephews to record and help tweak the weirdness of it. It's a bit darker than our previous records.

"Toshi and Dale both make appearances by way of voice or instrument on almost every track. We were able to convince David Yow to lend his voice to one track. He also did all the artwork and drank a few of our beers. Our friends Matt and Paul from QUI help out with a ton of the backup vocals as well. When those two sing together, it almost makes us cry, but then we remember we are big strong men and push down our emotions like our fathers taught us.

"Making this album made a lot of our teenage dreams (and adult dreams) come true. We had a lot of fun making it and we hope there are at least a few assholes out there who will enjoy listening to it."

THE FAT DUKES OF FUCK is Brent Lynch on vocals, Jarrod Miller on guitar, Jason Lamb on bass and Jeremy Brenton on drums.

"A Compendium Of Desperation, Morality And Dick Jokes" track listing:

01. A Compendium Of Desperation, Morality And Dick Jokes02. Whiskey And Bath Water03. Mother Of Rhea Pearlman04. Full Metal Jack Off05. Side By Side06. Where Assholes Come To Die07. Tasteful Ray08. No Single Men09. Laughlin Longhorn Suicide Fuck10. Kodiak Arrest11. The Monotonous Adventures Of A Hopeaholic12. Promise Keepers13. I'll Tell You When It Hurts

"A Compendium Of Desperation, Morality And Dick Jokes" is available for preorder from THE FAT DUKES OF FUCK Bandcamp page.

Photo by Red Flame Photo

On May 14, following Alice Cooper's customary execution via guillotine on stage at his Nashville concert, fans were treated to something rarely seen since 1973. The stage went dark and original band members, bassist Dennis Dunaway, guitarist Michael Bruce and drummer Neal Smith reunited to perform a five song mini-set of their classic hits with Alice. This followed the recent announcement that his forthcoming album — "Paranormal", out July 28 on earMUSIC — will include two new recordings written and recorded by the original lineup ("Genuine American Girl" and "You And All Of Your Friends").

Now, Alice announces that the three members of the original ALICE COOPER band will join him on tour in the U.K., returning to these shores 46 years after they first shocked and enthralled us on their historic 1971 tour.

In Nashville, they were joined by current band member Ryan Roxie filling in for the late Glen Buxton on guitar. The band ripped through "I'm 18", "No More Mr. Nice Guy", "Muscle Of Love", "Billion Dollar Babies" and then closed with "School's Out", bringing back current band members — drummer Glen Sobel, bassist Chuck Garric, and guitarists Nita Strauss and Tommy Henriksen — for a grand finale.

And they enjoyed it so much that they decided to bring the show to the U.K.

Alice says: "When the original band broke up in 1975, there was no bad blood, there were no lawsuits — we had just burned out the creative process. We had gone to high school together and had recorded something like five platinum albums in a row. We were never out of sight of each other for ten years. Everybody just went their own way. Neal, Dennis and I always stayed in touch. Mike disappeared for a while and Glen Buxton passed away in 1997, which was a big blow. But last year Neal called me up and said, 'I have a couple of songs.' I said, 'Great. Bring 'em over.' Then he said Mike was stopping by, so I had them come to my house and we just worked on a few things for a week. Then Dennis called up and said, 'I got a couple songs.' So, I thought, 'Hey, let's do this!' When you listen to the record, it just fits right in."

The next logical step is to rekindle their friendship, doing what they do best — performing as one the greatest live rock bands in history.

Alice Cooper U.K. tour dates:

Nov. 11 - Leeds - First Direct ArenaNov. 12 - Glasgow - The SSE HydroNov. 14 - Birmingham - Barclaycard ArenaNov. 15 - Manchester - Manchester ArenaNov. 16 - London - The SSE Arena, Wembley

Brian May + Kerry Ellis, featuring Queen guitar legend Brian May, have released a lyric video for “It’s Gonna Be All Right (The Panic Attack Song)”, featured on their new album, Golden Days, out now via Duck Productions Ltd. The new clip is available for streaming below.

Golden Days tracklisting:

“Love In A Rainbow”
“Roll With You”
“Golden Days”
“It’s Gonna Be All Right (The Panic Attack Song)”
“Amazing Grace”
“One Voice”
“If I Loved You”
“Born Free”
“Parisienne Walkways”
“I Who Have Nothing”
“The Kissing Me Song”
“Story Of A Heart”
“Can’t Help Falling In Love”

“It’s Gonna Be All Right (The Panic Attack Song)” lyric video:

Brian’s unboxing video:

“Roll With You” video: