US power metallers, Cellador, have released a video for the song “Break Heresy”, taken from their new album Off The Grid, out now via Scarlet Records.

Meticulously crafted at the helm of founding member, songwriter, and producer Chris Petersen, the long awaited follow up to the critically acclaimed Enter Deception is finally here, setting the bar even higher and faster on its trademark brand of steroid injected, high intensity power metal music.

Spiked with a unique ferocity and infectious melody, this is an album not for the feint hearted. Within its audible depths the band continues the high energy power and speed metal of its previous album, while adding more clarity, more focused vision, and a cohesiveness never before achieved in its songwriting until now.

Off The Grid was mixed and mastered by Peter Rutcho at Damage Studios (Havok, Revocation, Vomitron, Armory) in Southbridge, MA with artwork created by Colin Marks at Rain Song Design.

Bloody Hammers has released the details of their new EP The Horrific Case Of Bloody Hammers.

This very special case is a webstore and band only release strictly limited to 300 copies – out on July 14th. This six-song strong EP descends from the dark mountain peaks of Transylvania. The EP features somber-sacral organ symphonies that slide over cruel hammering staccato riffing. The master of horror Anders Manga, delivers a bombastic, powerful voice over his wife Devallia's sinister synthesizers. The ice-cold nostalgia of ‘70s b-list thrillers and horror flicks shoots through the veins directly into the heart. Preorders are available at this location.

As if there was not already enough horrific news, the band has premiered a music video for the track “Blood” as well.

Anders Manga states:

“Ultimately, the song is about the quest for freedom from oppression in any form. Many people blindly accept oppression simply because they were told to, or out of fear of retaliation from family or eternal damnation. Some never question it, because they don't even realize they are being oppressed. If constant fear and threats prevent one from simply enjoying their life, then something needs to change.

“The budget was a little tight on this EP so we turned to Häxan, one of our favorite movies of all time, for additional footage. I remember ages ago, renting a documentary on Satanism and the occult (on VHS by the way) from a local mom & pop video store. It was just a dumb typical satanic panic ‘80s style documentary, but they had footage from Häxan in it, which fascinated me. It wasn’t credited on the video so it took me a long time to find out what it was from. When I learned it was made in 1922, I was shocked. The visuals were better than some of the effects I was seeing in modern movies."

Tracklisting:

“Gates Of Hell”
“Blood”
“The Beyond”
“Vultures Circle Overland”
“All The Colors Of The Dark”
“The Bloodsucker Leads The Dance”

“Blood” video:

Seared by the Sunflower State of Kansas, The Midnight Ghost Train keeps rollin’ again - and they are about to return with their most diverse album to date.

The band's fourth opus, titled Cypress Ave., is set to be released July 28th via Napalm Records, and will please both old and new fans alike. Never before has The Midnight Ghost Train shown this side of themselves. Their new album proves that they 're not just another rock band, they're explorers, risk takers, and true artists. New video "Red Eyed Junkie Queen" is streaming below.

Says vocalist & guitarist Steve Moss:

"This video is a way to show fans what it's like inside the studio with us, a sort of behind the scenes video. We took some cameras into the studio, and just shot random acts, and different pieces of the process over the course of the two weeks we were in there. Believe it or not, this is by far the heaviest song on the album. The driving heaviness of it just seemed to fit the feel of working in the studio."

“It was time to challenge ourselves, and our fanbase, and do something completely different that hasn't been done before in this genre“, says guitarist & vocalist Steve Moss about the album. “No sense in doing the same thing over and over again, there is no growth in that. We want to learn, create, and leave our true artistic impression on the world.“

He continues: “Not one song on this album sounds the same. Each track has a completely different feel and unique quality to it. Something in this album for everyone in every genre of music out there. Exploring and challenging new grounds is what this album is about.“

Cypress Ave. tracklisting:

“Tonight”
“Red Eyed Junkie Queen”
“Glenn's Promise”
“Bury Me Deep”
“The Watchers Nest”
“Break My Love”
“Lemon Trees”
“The Boogie Down” (feat. Sonny Cheeba)
“Black Wave”
“The Echo”
“I Can't Let You Go” (Bonus Track)

"Red Eyed Junkie Queen" video:

The band's organic and authentic sound lives in the musics throaty vocals, deep lyrics, melancholy melodies and forceful, shaky riffs. Honest, straight-forward and peppered with woefulness.

Cypress Ave. is an absolute must for every blues and rock fan. Be prepared, for the return of The Midnight Ghost Train with their most diverse and uniquely sounding album to date.

Shaman’s Harvest and Mascot Records have announced the global release of Red Hands Black Deeds on July 28th. The album’s title track is available for streaming below.

Produced by Keith Armstrong, the new album pre-meditatively took on a more organic approach, utilizing vintage gear. Singer Nathan Hunt offers, “We used analog effects pedals and vintage amps. It was kind of like trying to find the melting point between Midwest and L.A. It still has the Shaman's Harvest Midwest vibe to it, but it definitely has organic L.A. written all over it."

Guitarist Josh Hamler adds, “Goat toes are the new cowbells. We'd tell Keith we wanted a certain sound, and he'd pull stuff out that we never thought of, like the goat toes we used on “Blood Trophies” and "A Longer View” or sandpaper on ‘Scavengers’.”

The band - singer Nathan Hunt, bassist Matt Fisher, rhythm guitarist Josh Hamler, lead guitarist Derrick Shipp, and drummer Adam Zemanek - simply didn't want to use anything digital, and when a certain effect was needed they approached the process creatively, coming up with solutions to reach a realized vision. As Hamler shares, “We had been so stuck in our way of writing and recording, but Keith had a different, more interesting approach to coming up with that sound. He really helped us find a fresh new creative path."
 
Red Hands Black Deeds is a darker, visceral, and more layered sound than past repertoire offered on the band’s first five studio albums. The album ranges from the ominous, haunting vibes of the title track prelude, "A Longer View," "The Devil In Our Wake," and "Scavengers" - which could fit just as easily on a horror film soundtrack as it does on this rock band's album - to quieter, more vulnerable moments as heard on "Tusk and Bone" and "Long Way Home."

Lyrically, the band also ventured into new territory, taking on the current political, social, and economic struggles we're facing as a nation under the new administration. "Red Hands Black Deeds touches upon the darker nature inside all of us,” says Hunt. “The whole record has a contrast and push and pull tension - a juxtaposition of good and bad or questioning what is right and wrong. The record ended up having a concept, though we weren’t intending it to," says Hunt.
 
The writing of the record began in November 2016 at the time of the presidential election, so it's no wonder there are social and political undertones to many of the songs. "The tension in the record kind of speaks for itself. There's a dark anxiety, tension-filled feeling that reflects what’s going on in the world," says Hamler.
 
"The Come Up," the album’s first single, is an upbeat song that juxtaposes a Motown backbeat with classic Rolling Stones rock and roll swagger, and that delves into depression. "There's so much negativity on social media today ‑ a lot of people struggling with real issues and with where we're at as a nation," says Hunt.
 
But, "The Come Up" is also an acknowledgment of the singer's own battle with depression. "It's therapeutic for myself," he says. "It's just about sometimes when you just can't change shit, you got to realize you can't mold everything in your life and you kind of just have to roll with the punches," says Hunt, who overcame throat cancer in 2014 that could've derailed the band, but didn't.
 
"A Longer View" is a song that touches on civil unrest we face today and global race issues. "When you step back, you see we're all just humans. That's the longer view. It doesn't matter. At the end of the day, we all just want love and to be understood," says Hunt.
 
On a similar note, "The Broken Ones" touches on immigration issues, as well as anyone who feels disenfranchised, such as Hunt's own Native American ancestors. "My father's family is part of the Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina, which is made of a lot of different races and regions, and because of that they don't get all of the benefits that federally recognized tribes have. The song is a cynical look at society today," says Hunt, whose heritage inspired the band's name.
 
"The Devil in Our Wake" tackles the topic of war. "I'd go to bed with CNN on to some bullshit at the White House, or the heartbreaking situation in Syria. I'd see what's going on in the world and think, 'Shit, how did we get so divisive?'" says Hunt.
 
"Soul Crusher," a funky rocker about fighting through tough times, shows off the band's musical versatility. "It mixes a lot of genres musically. You can’t help but want to dance and bob your head. It touches on that old Motown vibe. But it also has some Texas blues to it," says Hunt.
 
Even through the singer's battle with cancer, and other trials and tribulations every band goes through, the band has persevered. Born in Jefferson City, Missouri, Shaman's Harvest released their first album, Last Call for Goose Creek in 1999, followed by Synergy (2002) and March of the Bastards (2006) before having their break-through moment with 2009's Shine. Shine featured the standout track, "Dragonfly," which hit #9 on Billboard's Heritage Rock chart and #15 on the Mainstream Rock Tracks chart. It was also featured on the soundtrack to the major motion picture, Legendary, and the video has garnered more than 4.5 million YouTube views.
 
The band followed that success with their Mascot Records debut, Smokin' Hearts & Broken Guns in 2014, which has garnered more than 31 million streams. The album's "In Chains" peaked at #11 on the Media Base chart after a run of 22 weeks at Active Rock radio. It also spent over four months in the Top 10 of iTunes Metal Songs Chart. The song's video has more than 3 million views on YouTube, while the band has a cumulative 8 million YouTube views.
 
Shaman's Harvest has had equal success on the touring front. They've toured or shared the stage with major artists like AC/DC, Alice In Chains, Godsmack, Breaking Benjamin, Seether, Nickelback, Three Doors Down, In This Moment, Daughtry, Cheap Trick, Theory of a Deadman, Hinder, and others, and played major festivals like Rocklahoma, Rock on the Range, Rock Fest, KRockathon, Rockin' The Rivers, Texas Mutiny, Rock Carnival 2016, High Elevation Rock Festival, and Midwest Rock Fest.
 
The key to the band's longevity is threefold: Staying in Missouri, which gives the band a Midwestern authenticity. "Our music wouldn't be what it is if we weren't from a hillbilly kind of a state," notes Fisher. Second, knowing the gift of distance and being open to change. "It's been 21 years for us," Fisher continues, "so it's a brotherhood and there are fights, but I think over all it's just keeping some distance in between tours when we need it."
 
And, third: "Growing musically as a band each time. I think this record, with how differently we approached it and how we expanded our sonic palette, is a good step toward a new future for us," adds Fisher.

Tracklisting:

“Red Hands Black Deeds” (Prelude)
“Broken Ones”
“The Come Up”
“A Longer View”
“Soul Crusher”
“Off The Tracks”
“Long Way Home”
“The Devil in Our Wake”
“Blood Trophies”
“So Long”
“Tusk and Bone”
“Scavengers”

“Red Hands Black Deeds”:

Trailer:

Scandinavia-based rockers, Electric Guitars, have released a video for “False Flag Operation”, a track from their third album, Rock'n'Roll Radio, out now via Mighty Music/Target Group. The clip can be seen below.

The album was recorded at Medley Studio, Copenhagen (Mike Tramp, Glenn Hughes, Artillery). Jacob "Cobber" Binzer, guitar player from D-A-D, produced the album and his brother and D-A-D frontman Jesper Binzer is screaming his guts out on the first single "Headless Chicken”.

Tracklisting:

“Rock’n’Roll Radio”
“False Flag Operation”
“Headless Chicken”
“Swagman”
“Splinter”
“Bambi On Ice”
“Lucy Glow”
“Homewrecking Woman”
“Stay Under The Radar”
“Back To You”  

“False Flag Operation” video:

“Headless Chicken” video:

Caligula's Horse, one of Australia's most exciting and innovative progressive bands, are set to return to Europe later this month for a string of live dates including support slots with Opeth, Anathema, and Pain Of Salvation, UK headline shows and festival appearances at Midsummer Prog Festival (Valkenburg, Netherlands) and Be Prog! My Friend Festival (Barcelona, Spain). To coincide with that, Inside Out Music will reissue the band's first two albums: Moments From Ephemeral City, and The Tide, The Thief & River's End on June 16th as CD and digital download.

In advance of that, they have launched streams of two tracks taken from the reissues and you can listen to them below.

"The City Has No Empathy" from Moments From Ephemeral City:

"All Is Quiet By The Wall" from The Tide, The Thief & River's End:

Vocalist Jim Grey comments: "We're thrilled that our first two albums will be far easier to get a hold of around the world now through Inside Out Music. Moments and River's End are an integral part of the Caligula's Horse journey - we learned a lot creating them and though it's been some years since their release, we're as proud of them as ever. We're looking forward to sharing fan favorites from our whole back catalogue with our friends in Europe in June!"

Catch Caligula's Horse live in concert:

June
19 - Le Rex - Toulouse, France (with Pain Of Salvation)
20 - Les Docks - Lausanne, Switzerland (with Opeth)
21 - Z7 - Pratteln, Switzerland (with Opeth)
22 - Substage - Karlsruhe, Germany (with Pain Of Salvation)
23 - Doornroosje - Nijmegen, Netherlands (with Anathema)
24 - Midsummer Prog Festival - Valkenburg, Netherlands
25 - The Talking Heads - Southampton, UK
28 - The Black Heart - London, UK
30 - Be Prog! My Friend Festival - Barcelona, Spain

Moments From Ephemeral City was released in 2011, and is the band's debut album. Originally intended as a solo album by Sam Vallen, it quickly became the start of the story for Caligula's Horse once vocalist Jim Grey became involved. Recorded entirely by the duo, it presents a vision that is colourful, eclectic and vivid.

"Vanishing Rites":

The Tide, The Thief & River's End followed in 2013, and was a concept album that explored themes of oppression, exodus, and the inexorable survival of the human spirit. The album saw them perform with the likes of Protest The Hero, Mastodon, and Opeth, as well as garnering the attention of current label Inside Out Music.

"Dark Hair Down":

 

Season Of Mist has announced the signing of cult Finnish death metal band Festerday. The band, featuring ex members of ...And Oceans, will finally release their debut full-length later this year.

Regarding their signing, Festerday comment: "It is now close to 25 years, following our decision to split up. It has taken as many years after writing any songs for this band that we got our shit together again and came up with new material to see where this might take us. Six new songs later, we sent them to various labels and magazines. Much to our surprise, the feedback was overwhelming. After negotiating with different labels and pondering over their offers, we decided to take action and double the excitement by joining a familiar and globally established label: Season Of Mist. It feels like coming full circle to return to the label, where it all started with ...And Oceans over 20 years ago. Like in this old proverb, it goes without saying: the frost will drive a pig back home."

Festerday were formed in Pietarsaari, Finland in 1989. The band originally gained notoriety in the underground through the release of three highly sought-after demos. The band wouldn't resurface again until 2013, with the release of a collection of all their early material, remastered by Sami "Jämy" Jämsen at Studio Perkele (Demilich, Children Of Bodom).

Visit Festerday on Facebook for further details.

 

Dark heavy metal band Venomous Maximus will release its new album, No Warning, on July 28th via Shadow Kingdom Records. Recorded at Portland, Oregon's Falcon Studios and produced by Toxic Holocaust's Joel Grind (Sunn 0))), Midnight), the LP is the follow-up to the band's celebrated sophomore album, Firewalker.

"Our new LP, No Warning points a magnifying glass directly towards this band's biggest strengths," comments Venomous Maximus vocalist/guitarist Gregg Higgins. "The guts of these songs were formed during many weeks on the road with our friends in High On Fire and Pallbearer are a razor-sharp representation of what this band does best. Prepare for riff after riff on top of riffs."

The 2015 release of Firewalker thrust Venomous Maximus into the higher reaches of the international hard-and-heavy music scene. Now, with No Warning, the band delivers an arsenal of the attributes; heaving heaviness, uncanny catchiness, haunting melodicism and red-blooded swagger. While some have looked to tag the band's high-powered sound as "occult rock", the album hosts a clutch of anthems that prove powerful songwriting wins out over stylistic classification every time. Two years in the making, No Warning is a fiery collection of songs that solidifies Venomous Maximus' place as pacesetters of today's heavy music landscape and the embodiment of American style doom rock.

Tracklisting:

“I”
“Spellbound”
“Pray For Me”
“Return Of The Witch”
“All Of My Dreams”
“II”
“No Warning”
“Blood For Blood”
“Endless”
“Sea Of Sleep”

Pre-order No Warning at this location.

In addition to Gregg Higgins, Venomous Maximus features Christian Larson (guitar), Trevi Biles (bass) and Bongo (drums).

Portland doom quartet Usnea have finished recording their third full-length album, entitled Portals Into Futility. The album is set for a September release via Relapse Records.

Inspired by dystopian science-fiction and the painful intersection of today's crushing reality, Portals Into Futility is five songs and 56 minutes of expertly crafted and elegantly depressive doom/sludge. The album was recorded earlier in 2017 at Caravan Recordings and Haywire Studios in Portland, OR with Jared “Fester” See. Complete album details will be announced shortly.

Additionally, Usnea have announced a run of European dates this fall as direct support for Ufomammut. The tour commences on September 30th in Paris and ends October 22nd in Munich while hitting 19 different cities. The tour includes appearances at multiple festivals including Up In Smoke, Doornroosje Festival and Keep It Doom. The band will also perform two exclusive US festival sets at Northwest Terror on June 16th and Psycho Las Vegas on August 18th. A complete listing of dates is available below.

Tour dates:

June
16 - Seattle, WA - Northwest Terror Fest

August
18 - Las Vegas, NV - Psycho Las Vegas

September (with Ufomammut)
30 - Paris, France - La Boule Noire

October (with Ufomammut)
1 - Nantes, France - Le Ferrailleur
3 - London, UK - Borderline
4 - Brussels, Belgium - Magasin 4
5 - Wiesbaden, Germany - Schlachthof
6 - Pratteln, Switzerland - Up In Smoke
7 - Nijmegen, Netherlands - Soulcrusher Festival @ Doornroosje Festival
8 - Bielefed, Germany - Forum
10 - Oslo, Norway - Blitz
11 - Stockholm, Sweden - Klub Undergangen
13 - Helsinki, Finland - Korjaamo Blowup VOL 3
14 - Tampere, Finland - Olympia-Kortelli
16 - Copenhagen, Denmark - KB 18
17 - Berlin, Germany - Lido
18 - Hamburg, Germany - Markthalle
19 - Leipzig, Germany - Werk 2
20 - Wroclaw, Poland - Firley
21 - Prag Checkt, Germany - 007
22 - Munich, Germany - Keep It Doom

(Photo - Orion Landau)

Mortiis will present a live reinterpretation of the 1994 release, Ånden Som Gjorde Opprør, this fall at the Cold Meat Industry 30th Anniversary celebration in Stockholm.

“I don’t just want to do the record as it was back in 1994, but rather excavate it from 1994 and drag it into the new light of the current world, while retaining the atmosphere of the original sound,” said Mortiis.

Presented by Death Disco Productions and Cold Meat Industry present, the two-day event, slated for November 3rd and 4th, will be headlined by Mortiis.

“30 years of madness concentrated in 2 days... everything is wrong, and the chaos continues on all terminal stages,” said CMI founder Roger Karmanik.

Other artists performing at the event are Arcana, Archon, Satani, Brighter Death Now, Coph Nia, Desiderii Marginis, Deutsch Nepal, In Slaughter Natives, Mothhound, MZ.412, Ordo Rosarius Equilibrio, Raison D’Etre, Sanctum, Sephiroth and Sophia.

Go here for tickets.

Death Disco Productions commented: “If you've ever been into genres like Dark Ambient, Neofolk, Power Electronics or Martial Industrial you surely have heard of the legendary label Cold Meat Industry. Together with Roger Karmanik we have gathered more acts signed to the famed label than any other festival has ever managed to. We intend to make this event the ultimate Cold Meat Industry party and celebrate 30 years since the foundation of this pillar for the industrial subgenres. This will be a gathering that will never happen again, anywhere, period!”

In advance of the performance, Mortiis has made Ånden Som Gjorde Opprør available now for the first time as a free digital download at this location.

“I'm sure this album has been available from a million torrent sites, run and supported by self-serving leeches,” Mortiis said. “I’ll be the only leech around here, thank you very much! Here’s the Ånden album as a high-quality download, legally, for free, and with my condolences.”

Hungarian female-fronted metallers, Ann My Guard, have released a video for “Obsidian Tears”, taken from their new album Ourania, out now via Rock'N'Growl Records. Watch the new video below.

Ourania was produced by Gabor Vari at Black Hole Sound Studio.

Tracklisting:

“Novae”
“Asteria”
“Callisto”
“Io”
“Breathe The Sun”
“Obsidian Tears”
“Serpent”
“Hekate”
“The Secret”

“Obsidian Tears” video:

"Hekate" lyric video:

"Callisto":

Ann My Guard is:

Eszter Anna Baumann (vocals, bass)
Krisztián Varga (guitars)
Benjamin Bárkányi (guitars)
Norbert Tobola (drums)

Only a few days after the release of the official video for "The Cabaret of Dreams", the first single off of their debut album Solveig, American symphonic metal force Seven Spires strikes again with a brand new song called "Stay”. The song is available for streaming below.

"Stay" is the first song of the second act of the grim story that is told throughout the album. Frontwoman Adrienne Cowan tells us more about the meaning of the lyrics: "In the storyline of the album, "Stay" is the first time we see the Demon character displaying the ability to care - a first glimpse at a more human side, perhaps. Ironically, this song also marks the first distinct appearance of my extreme vocals in Spires.”

With its new theatrical piece, Solveig, Seven Spires is about to pull off a major coup in the ever-growing symphonic metal scene. This debut album, which is to be released worldwide on August 4th via SAOL, indeed succeeds in establishing as of now the four-piece orchestra as an essential figure of tomorrow's extreme soundscape.

Fans can get their hands on special versions of the album with all sorts of exclusive perks by taking part in the Seven Spires' Go Fund Me campaign.

The wide stylistic range embraced by Seven Spires' art of musical storytelling relentlessly attests of the outstanding abilities of the band's members. Going astray from melancholic power metal to melodic death metal with fierce forays into black metal, the quartet's versatility never fails to make a deep impression on the listener. Their signature blend of melody, theatrics and high-caliber musicianship is tastefully bittersweet, chaotic at times and comforting at others.

Solveig tells the story of a lost soul and his journey through a Demon's sunless neo-victorian underworld. Despite small glimmers of hope, it is a grim tale with a heavy focus on escapism, death and decadence. The love for Romantic composers and epic film scores the four young graduates/students of the prestigious Berklee College of Music have shows in their ambitious and emotionally moving dramatic vision.

Frontwoman Adrienne Cowan leads the band with an iron will and a golden voice. She employs a combination of her classical training and self-taught extreme vocal techniques to "deliver every bit of recorded promise live". Therefore, the strict operatic singing that is often found in the symphonic corner of metal is more of a spice than a staple for Seven Spires.

The band ventured to Gate Studios in Wolfsburg, Germany to put the finishing touches to Solveig in the company of the illustrious Sascha Paeth (Avantasia, Kamelot, Rhapsody), who stated that Seven Spires is "one of the few new real personalities in metal". As a matter of fact, a band that has been sharing the stage with big names such as Arch Enemy, Amaranthe and Apocalyptica - among many others - in its first three years of existence has to be taken seriously in the challenging environment of the current metal scene.

Solveig tracklisting:

“The Siren”
“Encounter”
“The Siren” (Reprise)
“The Cabaret Of Dreams”
“Choices”
“Closure”
“100 Days”
“Stay”
“The Paradox”
“Serenity”
“Depths”
“Distant Lights”
“Burn”
“Ashes”
“Reflections”

“The Cabaret Of Dreams” video:

Norway's Legacy Of Emptiness will release their new full-length album, Over The Past, on June 12th via Black Lion Records in CD and digital formats. Pre-orders can be made here. BraveWords is offering an exclusive stream of the entire album, which can be found below.

The album traverses many emotional peaks and valleys - scaling mountain tops with massive sounding keyboard crescendos, then sudden, blitzkrieg-like plummets to the deepest, darkest caverns of Nordic black metal. Not since Emperor's lengendary second album, Anthems To The Welkin At Dusk, has an album captured the raw-yet-contemporary splendor of true of true Norwegian black metal.

The second wave of Norwegian black metal was the true beginning. Bands such as Emperor, Satyricon, Immortal, Enslaved, and Darkthrone forged a blazing path in the northern, winter skies that could be seen the world over.

Those staring to the sky in those early, formative days were surely entranced by the bands and the otherworldly personas contained within each. If you called Norway home, had a proclivity for the extreme, and played an instrument, you were immediately given a lifetime VIP membership to True Norwegian black metal...  simply by default.

It was during this time, 1995, that the seeds of what would become Legacy Of Emptiness were born. Twenty-seven years later, and we are presented with a bounty of symphonic black metal, in the form of new album Over The Past.

Over The Past was written and recorded at Where There's No Tomorrow Studios in the winters of 2013/14 and 2017. Produced and engineered by Eddie Risdal and Kjell-Ivar Aarli. All arrangements by Eddie Risdal and Kjell-Ivar Aarli.

Tracklisting:

“Reminisce”
“Despair”
“Angelmaker”
“Into The Eternal Pits Of Nightmare”
“Drawn By Nightmares”
“There Was A Man”
“Four Hundred Years”
“Transition”
“Evening Stars”

Album stream:

Additional vocals on “Drawn By Nightmares” performed by Jesse M. Jolly.
Lead guitar on “Evening Star” performed by Dan Swanö.
Banjo on “Despair” performed by Geir Emanuelsen.

Band lineup:

Eddie Risdal - Vocals, Guitars, Programming
Kjell-Ivar Aarli - Bass
Øyvind Rosseland - Keyboards

Ikillya will release their new album, War For An Idea, on June 2nd via Urban Yeti Records. A full album stream is available below.

Of the haunting song, frontman Jason Lekberg explained, "“Every Man For Himself” was written in response to a song from an artist I respect. His admission of god as a guiding force in his life made me sad that he felt he needed that support, or at least needed to share that commonality with others.  Musically this is a very different song for us but writing it inspired further exploration on the album. We doubled all of the guitars with a glisstentar which helps give it that creepy vibe and ended up doing that many other times on the album."

Album pre-orders are available at  this location.

Tracklisting:

“Starve”
“Your God”
“Burnt Bridges”
“Haunted”
“Every Man For Himself”
“Rebel”
“One Life”
“Betray Your Creator”
“Remnants Of A Divided Nation”
“My Hands Your Throat”
“Reflections In The Flames”
“Manifesto”

"Every Man For Himself" lyric video:

“Your God” video:

Tour dates:

May
31 - Revere, MA - Sammy’s Patio

June
1 - Wallingford, CT - Cherry Street Station
2 - Brooklyn, NY - St. Vitus (CD release show)
3 - Philadelphia, PA - Whiskey Tango
4 - Washington, DC - The Pinch
6 - Chesapeake, VA - Riffhouse Pub
7 - Fayetteville, NC - Drunk Horse Pub
8 - Charlotte, NC - The Milestone
10 - Atlanta, GA - The Masquerade
 
June (supporting Product Of Hate)
11 - Huntsville, AL - Copper Top Tavern
13 - Lafayette, LA - Steam Press Cafe
14 - Houston, TX - Acadia
15 - Dallas, TX - Reno's Chop Shop
16 - Austin, TX - Texas Music Ranch
17 - Fort Stockton, TX - The Garage
18 - Gallup, NM - Juggernaut Music
21 - Phoenix, AZ - Joe's Grotto
23 - Glendale, CA - The Complex
24 - Santa Ana, CA - Malones
27 - Oakland, CA - Oakland Metro Operahouse
28 - Sacramento, CA - The Colony
29 - Portland, OR - Rock Hard PDX
30 - Seattle, WA - El Corazon

July (supporting Product Of Hate)
1 - Boise, ID - The Shredder
2 - Salt Late City, UT - The Royal
4 - Denver, CO - Herman's Hideaway
6 - Dubuque, IA - The Venue
8 - Barrington, IL - Penny Road Pub
9 - Lafayette, IN - The Doom Room
11 - Indianapolis, IN - Taps Live
12 - Lansing, MI - The Loft
13 - Columbus, OH - The Shrunken Head
15 - Buffalo, NY - Stamps
16 - Auburn, NY - Jitz

(Photo by: David Jackson)

UK groove death metallers, A Trust Unclean, will release their Parturition EP via Basick Records tomorrow, June 2nd. Pre-order the EP here, and find an advanced stream below.

Hailing from Oxford, UK, A Trust Unclean have quickly made their mark on the UK death metal scene with their own brand of groovy, technical death metal, performed with sheer precision. A band that brings fun back into live music, via explosive riffs delivered with a smile.

The quintet released their EP Reality Relinquished in August 2015 which was received tremendously amongst press and fans alike. Following a successful UK tour with Osiah the band went on to share stages with the likes of Aversions Crown, Rings Of Saturn, Black Tongue, and Ne Obliviscaris as well as performing at UK Tech Metal Fest with bands such as Decapitated, Heart Of A Coward, Monuments and many more.

After unfortunately parting ways with their vocalist Joe and drummer Scott in late 2016 during the writing process of their new release Parturition (translates to the act of giving birth), the band have since recruited Kyle Lamb on vocals and Noah Plant on drums. With the line-up now stronger than ever, A Trust Unclean have undergone a fresh start, a re-birth and are ready and determined to take their new music as far and wide as possible.

Tracklisting:

“Parturition”
“Dominion Over Bone”
“Exonerate”
“Aeon”
“Apex”
“To Encompass And Eclipse”
“Repurposed”
“Aetherius”

EP stream:

“To Encompass And Eclipse” video:

"Taipei Person/Allah Tea", a brand new song from STONE SOUR, can be streamed 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.

"Must Be Nice", a brand new song from NICKELBACK, can be streamed below. The track is taken from the band's ninth album, "Feed The Machine", which will be released on Friday, June 16 via BMG.

NICKELBACK leader Chad Kroeger told Music Choice about "Feed The Machine": "This album is definitely heavier, as a whole, than a lot of our previous records. We've gone back to some pretty crunchy roots, and we're happy about that. I mean, we're always stretching off in different directions and trying different things, but we definitely went with more of an aggressive sound on this record."

"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.

Photo credit: Richard Beland

Bloodclot - featuring true hardcore pioneers John Joseph (Cro-Mags), Todd Youth (Warzone, Murphy's Law), Joey Castillo (ex-Queens of the Stone Age, Blast!), Nick Oliveri (ex-Queens of the Stone Age, Dwarves) - have released a video for the new track “Kali”, featured on the new album, Up In Arms, out on July 14th via Metal Blade. Watch the video below.

Up In Arms lives up to the rallying cry of the album's title - the bursts of high energy hardcore act as the perfect accompaniment to John Joseph setting his sights on injustice and the seemingly endless flaws of the contemporary world.

At its purest, there is little that can match the visceral thrill and empowering spirit of hardcore. As front-man of New York City hardcore kings Cro-Mags, this is something John Joseph knows very well, and with Up In Arms, he and his Bloodclot compatriots deliver a furious collection that hits hard on every level. From the moment the opening title track explodes to life, it's clear that everyone involved is having a blast and playing from the heart, and that this is no frills / no bullshit music at its most passionate.

"In this band we're doing what each of us have always done: give it our all," John Joseph states plainly. "We work hard, and we have a lot to say. Look around the planet - people are fed up with the corrupt ruling class. They destroy the planet and kill millions for profit, and the formula for our response is simple: Anger + applied knowledge = results. Don't just bitch. Change it."

Order the album here.

Tracklisting:

“Up In Arms”
“Fire”
“Manic”
“Kill The Beast”
“Prayer”
“Siva / Rudra”
“Soldiers Of The New Babylon”
“Kali”
“Slow Kill Genocide”
“Slipping Into Darkness”
“Life As One”
“You'll Be The Death Of Me ”

“Kali” video:

“Up In Arms” lyric video:

Tour dates with Negative Approach:

July
14 - Amityville, NY - Revolution Bar and Music Hall
 15 - Philadelphia, PA - Underground Arts
 16 - Washington DC - DC9
 18 - Virginia Beach, VA - Shaka's
 19 - Baltimore, MD - Ottobar
 20 - Belmar, NJ - Paul's Tavern
 21 - Brooklyn, NY - Saint Vitus
 23 - Buffalo, NY - Studio at the Waiting Room
 25 - Pittsburgh, PA - Cattivo
 26 - Cleveland, OH - Now That's Class
 27 - Cincinnati, OH - Northside Yacht Club
 28 - Detroit, MI - The Magic Stick
 29 - Chicago, IL - Cobra Lounge
 30 - St. Louis, MO - Blueberry Hill

August
1 - Denver, CO - Marquis Theater
 3 - San Francisco, CA - Thee Parkside
 4 - Los Angeles, CA - The Echoplex w/ Nails, Final Conflict
 5 - Santa Ana, CA - The Constellation Room w/ Nails, Final Conflict
 6 - San Diego, CA - Brick by Brick w/ Nails, Final Conflict

Bloodclot lineup:

John Joseph (Cro-Mags) - Vocals
Todd Youth (Warzone, Murphy's Law) - Guitars
Nick Oliveri (ex-Queens of the Stone Age, Dwarves) - Bass
Joey Castillo (ex-Queens of the Stone Age, Blast!) - Drums

The cover artwork for Alice Cooper's new album, titled "Paranormal", can be seen below. Due on July 28 via earMUSIC, it will be made available on 2CD digipak, 2LP, limited-edition box set and on digital formats — and will come with a special mini-album. The first single, "Paranoic Personality", will be released Friday, June 9.

A statement from earMUSIC reads: "The 12-track album has been recorded in Nashville with longtime collaborator Bob Ezrin and features a very special bonus CD — a mini-album consisting of three brand new songs written and recorded together with the original ALICE COOPER band members Dennis Dunaway, drummer Neal Smith and guitarist Michael Bruce, alongside carefully selected live recordings. 'Paranormal' also features special guest appearances by U2's Larry Mullen Jr., ZZ TOP's Billy Gibbons and DEEP PURPLE's Roger Glover."

During an appearance on the SiriusXM radio show "Trunk Nation", Cooper said producer Bob Ezrin was responsible for getting Mullen Jr. involved in the sessions.

"Bob Ezrin and I sat there, and Bob says, 'What do you think about Larry Mullen on drums?' And I went, 'That's a great idea. It'll change things up so much on just the basic tracks.'"

Cooper also talked about the U2 drummer's somewhat unusual approach to recording. Alice recalled: "Larry [said], 'I wanna see the lyrics.' I said, 'Really?' He [said], 'Yeah, I play to the lyrics. I don't play to the bass.' And I said, 'That is so cool — just the idea that you're interpreting the lyrics on the drums.' So that totally makes the album another album."

Gibbons, meanwhile, plays guitar on a song called "I've Fallen In Love And I Can't Get Up". "After we cut the record, I went, 'If Billy Gibbons doesn't play on this, we shouldn't put this one out,' 'cause, I mean, it is so much him," Alice said. "And he got the record, and he said, 'I've got the flu, but, man, this song makes me feel better.' He just killed it."

In addition to performing on "Paranormal", original ALICE COOPER bandmembers Neal Smith (drums), Michael Bruce (guitar) and Dennis Dunaway (bass) were involved in the songwriting for the new record. "I wrote three songs [with them] for the new album. Dennis brought in two songs, Mike brought in a song. There's one song called 'I Wanna Be A Genuine American Girl'. It was gonna be 'I Want A Genuine American Girl', and I went, 'No, no, no. I Wanna Be A Genuine American Girl! It's really a tough song, so it's this guy going, 'I've gotta paint my nails, I've gotta do my hair.' [Laughs]"

With regards to the "Paranormal" album title, Cooper said: "I love that title, 'Paranormal', but it's not really a scary record. There's a couple of scary songs on it, but [it is] 'paranormal,' meaning 'other than normal.' This is not a normal Alice record. Bob and I decided, 'No theme this time. We're gonna make a record of things that just get us off, songs that we like. And it might go in a lot of different directions, but these are just songs that get us off."

"Victim Of Circumstance", the new video from POWERFLO — the new band featuring BIOHAZARD's Billy Graziadei and former FEAR FACTORY bassist/guitarist Christian Olde Wolbers alongside Sen Dog from CYPRESS HILL, Rogelio Lozano from DOWNSET, and Brazilian drummer Fernando Schaefer — can be seen below. The song is taken from POWERFLO's self-titled debut album, which will be released on June 23 via New Damage Records. Those who preorder the album digitally will receive "Resistance" and "Victim Of Circumstance" as instant-grat tracks. Both New Damage and PledgeMusic pre-orders include bundle options with various exclusive limited items, including snapback caps, rolling papers, signed vinyl, test presses, exclusive performances and more.

The "Victim Of Circumstance" video was directed by Graziadei, who has described POWERFLO's musical direction as a cross between IRON MAIDEN, BLACK SABBATH and CYPRESS HILL.

Melding hip-hop, metal, punk, and rock into a potent offering, POWERFLO draws on its powerhouse resume to collectively smash boundaries. The album is produced by Josh Lynch and Billy Graziadei, mixed by Jay Baumgardner (GODSMACK, PAPA ROACH, HELMET) and mastered by Maor Applebaum (FAITH NO MORE, HALFORD, ADRENALINE MOB) at Maor Applebaum Mastering. The origins of POWERFLO can be traced back over more than two decades as the members of the band would collaborate on numerous occasions. In addition to both CYPRESS HILL and BIOHAZARD appearing on the landmark platinum-selling "Judgment Night" soundtrack, Sen Dog delivered a cameo on BIOHAZARD's "State Of The World Address" in 1993, while Christian both guested on CYPRESS HILL's chart-topping 2000 double-album "Skulls & Bones", which Roy also guested on, and 2001's "Stone Raiders" in addition to performing with the group countless times. In 2015, longtime friend Roy played demos for Sen on a ride to the airport. The music immediately spoke to the rapper and thus POWERFLO was born.

Regarding how the name for the new project came about, Christian told The New American Media: "Basically, Sen Dog was spitting his game on some of the heavy riffs and shit. And he was, like, 'Do you like this?' And Roy, the other guitar player, said, 'Yeah. A power flow. That's good.' So that's where it kind of came from."

Band photo credit: Travis Shinn

The official video for the song "Eyes On The Sky" from THE FERRYMEN, the new project featuring guitarist Magnus Karlsson (MAGNUS KARLSSON'S FREE FALL, PRIMAL FEAR), vocalist Ronnie Romero (LORDS OF BLACK, RAINBOW) and drummer Mike Terrana (TARJA, RAGE, AXEL RUDI PELL, VISION DIVINE), can be seen below. The track is taken from the band's self-titled debut album, which is being released today (Friday, June 2) via Frontiers Music Srl.

The songs for "The Ferrymen" were written by Karlsson in Sweden during the summer of 2016. Once Romero was sent the music via their main bands' shared label home Frontiers, he immediately wanted to be part of the project. Terrana was the last piece of the puzzle and he recorded his drums in Italy, where he currently resides. The resulting album is a shot of adrenaline for all lovers of melodic metal! Musically, you can expect maximum melodic metal fusing the songwriting and epic structures of the great ALLEN/LANDE records (for which Magnus Karlsson was the main architect of the first three widely praised releases) with the Ronnie James Dio-esque vocal approach of Romero. (Let's not forget that Romero was hand-picked by DEEP PURPLE (1968-1976) and RAINBOW's legendary guitarist Ritchie Blackmore to be the lead vocalist for RAINBOW's recent reunion shows, so the Dio comparison is more than accurate!) Says Magnus: "When I wrote this record, having Ronnie singing, I had no limits in mind with the lyrics. Ronnie could sing everything and I am also very proud of the songs." Adds Romero: "I am used to working with LORDS OF BLACK in a certain straight style, but this record was very different and it was very exciting for me." "Overall, I think it is one of the coolest and grooviest records I've ever done," concludes Terrana, a drummer with more than a hundred records under his belt! With stunning artwork courtesy of Stan W. Decker and an outstanding mix courtesy of Simone Mularoni (of Italian prog metal masters DGM), "The Ferrymen" is an album which will take the metal world by storm in 2017. "The Ferrymen" track listing: 01. End Of The Road02. Ferryman03. Fool You All04. Still Standing Up05. Cry Wolf06. One Heart07. Darkest Hour08. How The Story Ends09. Enter Your Dream10. Eyes On The Sky11. Eternal Night12. Welcome To My Show

Dutch female fronted band, Nemesea, have released a video for their new single, “Dance Into The Fire”. The video features the band’s new lead singer, Mieloo Sanne.

Musical theatre star Sanne Mieloo is the new frontwoman for Nemesea. The verdict was unanimous for this Dutch mega talent, after more than 80 auditions of vocalists from around the world.

Back in 2006, rock band Nemesea was the first band internationally to succeeded in a crowdfunding campaign for their new album. They also broke new ground when they preformed two unique live shows in 2009 in P3, Purmerend, Holland in full 9.2 surround sound. In 2016 they released their most recent effort Uprise, produced by Guido Aalbers. However, that same year, singer Manda Ophuis decided to leave the band to focus on her education job with highly gifted children.

With the album Uprise and first single “Forever” (with more than 320.000 YouTube views) receiving worldwide positive responses, the band members were determined to go on, and started making plans to look for a new singer. Auditions of more than 80 vocalists from all over the globe followed in October and November 2016. Finally the band selected Sanne Mieloo, after she persuaded the band with her great voice, versatility, stage presence as well as her fresh ideas.  

The first result of Nemesea with Sanne as front woman is the bands new single “Dance In The Fire”, once again produced together with Guido Aalbers. In the past weeks the band has worked tirelessly behind the scenes, preparing and producing a stunning video.

Nemesea is:

Sanne Mieloo: vocals
Hendrik Jan de Jong: guitar
Sonny Onderwater: bass
Steven Bouma: drums
Mathijs van Til: keyboards

Former MEGADETH guitarist Marty Friedman will release his new solo album, "Wall Of Sound", on August 4 via Prosthetic Records. Produced by Friedman, engineered by Paul Fig (GHOST, RUSH, ALICE IN CHAINS) and mixed by Jens Bogren (KREATOR, OPETH, SEPULTURA), the disc "expands and destroys any conventional notions of instrumental music," according to a press release. Legendary QUEEN producer Mack came on board to handle the mixing on two tracks, "Streetlight" and "For A Friend", which Friedman proclaimed was "an honor for me, for sure."

"Wall Of Sound" track listing:

01. Self Pollution02. Sorrow And Madness (featuring Jinxx of BLACK VEIL BRIDES)03. Streetlight04. Whiteworm05. For A Friend06. Pussy Ghost (featuring Shiv Mehra of DEAFHEAVEN)07. The Blackest Rose08. Something To Fight (featuring Jørgen Munkeby of SHINING)09. The Soldier10. Miracle11. Last Lament

The song "Self Pollution" can be streamed below.

All "Wall Of Sound" preorders come with a laminate good for one VIP meet-and-greet to Marty's 2017 U.S. tour. **Please note** this is not a ticket to the show.

Friedman said last year about the musical direction of the follow-up to his 2014 album "Inferno": "This time it's even more ambitious than that album was, a bit more dense, and, with any luck, more exciting for those of you who will hear it."

He added: "There will be elevent or twelve songs in total. Sometimes a song you really love doesn't make it to the album because it doesn't fit nicely in the sequencing. Either way, we're pushing sixty minutes, so it won't be a short album."

Marty's new CD was recorded in part at Dave Grohl's Studio 606 in California with engineer Paul Fig (ALICE IN CHAINS, RUSH, DEFTONES) and was previously described by Friedman as "a way more intense version" of its predecessor: "deeper, sadder, happier and more aggressive."

Like "Inferno", Friedman's upcoming album will feature several guests, including prog-thrashers MUTOID MAN, Jørgen Munkeby of the Norwegian avant-garde jazz-metal outfit SHINING and Jinxx of Los Angeles theatrical rockers BLACK VEIL BRIDES.

Regarding how the collaboration with Jinxx came about, Friedman told Guitar World: "I'm a big fan of Jinxx and BLACK VEIL BRIDES. He came to my show in L.A. in 2015. Right after that, I was told that he plays violin. I didn't even know that! Then light bulbs went off. I thought now's the chance to really turn some heads by doing something that's a little bit, well, a lot, unexpected to my fans and his fans."

Bliss Of Flesh have developed a conceptual trilogy of three albums inspired by Dante’s Trilogy: Divine Comedy. Their upcoming album, Empyrean, concludes the trilogy. The album will be released on July 7th via Listenable Records, and the track “Penitent” is available for streaming below.

Tracklisting:

“Ascension”
“Penitent”
“Agnus Dei”
“Empyrean - Last Kingdom”
“Empyrean - Miserere Mei”
“Apostasy”
“Exercitus Caelorum”
“Renunciation”

“Penitent”:

Lineup:

Necurat: Vocals
Sikkardinal: Guitars
Pandemic: Guitars
J.Poizon: Bass
Fleshstigma: Drums

(Photo - Francois Lampin)

"Days Go By - London", a song from VUUR, the new band featuring renowned Dutch vocalist Anneke Van Giersbergen, can be streamed below. The track is taken from the group's as-yet-untitled debut album, due in the fall via InsideOut Music.

Anneke comments: "The lyrical content of the album is inspired by the many cities I have visited while being on the road. The song 'Days Go By - London' is about The Great Fire in 1666. The lyrics are written from the perspective of the element of Fire, threatening Londoners to wipe them out, but the song is also about hope. Even in the darkest of times, the sun will rise."

In December 2016, Anneke announced the formation of a brand new band under the name of VUUR, created as a vehicle for the heavy progressive metal side of her career.

Anneke commented: "For a long time, I've wanted to make a kind of concept album about the cities we've visited, because we tour so much and see so many countries and cities. I often have a strong feeling for a city. It can be anything — sometimes I visualize a city as a man or a character, or sometimes something happened in that city and I want to write about that."

In early 2016, Anneke decided for the sake of clarity to narrow her musical focus, choosing to go in a folk acoustic direction as a solo artist and in a heavy progressive metal direction as a band vocalist. The name VUUR — translated from Dutch as "fire", which can also be interpreted to mean "passion" or "drive" — was chosen as a moniker to represent Anneke's metal side, with the idea that when fans buy a ticket with the VUUR name on it they will be getting her heavy progressive music, while an Anneke Van Giersbergen show will be entirely different. Thus, in order to give VUUR's kick-off the proper fanfare, Anneke has opted to take a break from performing in the first half of 2017.

"It's like I'm searching for contradictions," Anneke said of splitting her focus in two. "I want the heavy to be really heavy, and the soft acoustic stuff that I can do can be almost silent and inward. I'm trying to find those outer limits. I'm still writing and collaborating with different people, so VUUR's style is still kind of different from THE GATHERING and THE GENTLE STORM. You could say VUUR's music has the melancholy of THE GATHERING and lots of elements from THE GENTLE STORM, but it's a bit darker with fewer folk elements. It's still melodic and warm, but heavy."

The band shares some members with THE GENTLE STORM live band, and you can find the full lineup below:

* Anneke Van Giersbergen (ex-THE GATHERING) - lead vocals* Ed Warby (HAIL OF BULLETS, AYREON, ex-GOREFEST) - Drums* Jord Otto (MY PROPANE, ex-REVAMP) - Guitar* Ferry Duijsens - Guitar* Johan Van Stratum (STREAM OF PASSION) - Bass

Anneke commented: "The band has a different name, because the music will be slightly different from THE GENTLE STORM, but most band members are still involved and the music will be heavy too, so in that perspective not a lot will change, especially in the live situation. I think people will really embrace VUUR as a live band because there are nothing but stars in this band. [Laughs] They're some of the best heavy metal players in Holland so I didn't want to let them go."

VUUR will begin playing live this summer and has also been confirmed as main support to EPICA in late 2017.

The Magpie Salute--the new 10-piece band that brings together Rich Robinson, Marc Ford and Sven Pipien of The Black Crowes with other dynamic musicians and co-ed singers have released their new video for “Omission”. The striking video was directed by Matthew Sterling and shot in London. Rich Robinson says: "The overall idea was based on the light and dark aspects of the human psyche and taking a reference from the Magpie which has elements of the light and dark."

 

Their self-titled debut album will be released worldwide on June 9th via Eagle Rock Entertainment.

Produced by Crowes guitarist and co-founder Robinson, the musically tight and expansive album was recorded live in the studio in front of an audience at Applehead Recording in Woodstock, New York, except for the full studio track "Omission”. The album carries special significance as it marks the last recorded work by Eddie Harsch, the late Black Crowes keyboardist whose signature sound and gentle soul are woven into The Magpie Salute. Look for the band to launch a national headline tour starting July 26th in Indianapolis.

The Magpie Salute - driven by the magic of the reunited Robinson and Ford guitar team - features musicians who've played together for decades throughout various projects and share a truly deep musical bond. Joining Robinson, Ford and Pipien in the bandare drummer Joe Magistro and guitarist Nico Bereciartua. The group also boasts a fine cast of vocalists, including Robinson, Ford, lead singer John Hogg (Hookah Brown, Moke), former Crowes singer Charity White and background singers, Adrien Reju and Katrine Ottosen.

There is wide open musical freedom on the band's debut album, with half of the 10 songs coming in over seven minutes in length, and the musicians' wide-ranging roots are reflected in the diverse selections. They offer fresh takes of The Black Crowes' "What Is Home" and "Wiser Time”, and interpret songs by Delaney and Bonnie ("Comin' Home"), Bobby Hutcherson ("Goin' Down South"), War ("War Drums"), Pink Floyd ("Fearless"), the Faces ("Glad and Sorry"), Bob Marley ("Time Will Tell," which The Black Crowes covered on their second album) and the traditional "Ain't No More Cane”.

The Magpie Salute first surfaced this past January with four back-to-back sold-out shows at the Gramercy Theatre in New York. Then came the announcement of their debut in London where the group will perform four concerts at Under The Bridge (April 12th - 15th), with the first show selling out shortly within an hour of the tickets going on pre-sale. This news was followed by the announcement of shows in Chicago (July), San Francisco (September), Boston (August), Atlanta (August) and Los Angeles (September). For more information and to purchase tickets for the band's national headline tour, which will include appearances at festivals worldwide, head to this location.

Tour dates:

June
10 - Grolloo, Netherlands - Holland Int. Blues Festival

July
11 - Frankfurt, Germany - Batschkapp
12 - Munich, Germany - Tollwood Festival
13 - Berlin, Germany - Huxley’s Neue Welt
26 - Indianapolis, IN - Vogue
28 - Chicago, IL - Metro
29 - Chicago, IL - Metro
30 - Detroit, MI - Saint Andrew's

August
1 - Buffalo, NY - Tralf Music Hall
3 - Boston, MA - The Wilbur
4 - Hartford, CT - Infinity Hall
5 - Hampton Beach, NH - Casino Ballroom
6 - Portland, ME - Aura
8 - New Bedford, MA - The Zeiterion Theatre
9 - Red Bank, NJ - Count Basie Theatre
11 - Scranton, PA - The Peach Music Festival
12 - Silver Spring, MD - The Fillmore
13 - Huntington, NY - The Paramount
15 - Charlotte, NC - Neighborhood Theatre
16 - Raleigh, NC - The Ritz
18 - Atlanta, GA - The Buckhead Theatre
19 - Myrtle Beach, SC - Myrtle Beach Speedway
20 - Asheville, NC - Diana Wortham Theatre
22 - Cincinnati, OH - Bogart's
24 - Louisville, KY - Mercury Ballroom

September
7 - San Francisco, CA - The Fillmore
8 - San Francisco, CA - The Fillmore
13 - Los Angeles, CA - The Fonda Theatre
15 - San Diego, CA - Kaaboo Del Mar
15 - Telluride, CO - Telluride Blues & Brews Festival
22 - Morrison, CO - Red Rocks Amphitheatre

(Photo - Shervin Lainez)

Behind-the-scenes footage from the making of "1992", a brand new song from MR. BIG, can be seen below. The track is taken from the band's ninth studio album, "Defying Gravity", which will be released on July 7 via Frontiers Music Srl. The effort will be available at traditional retail and all digital service providers, as will a deluxe edition version with CD and bonus DVD that features music videos and a behind-the-scenes look at the making of the new album. The album will also be made available on vinyl in the coming months.

"Defying Gravity" deftly showcases that patented MR. BIG blend of crunch and melody, from the freight-train ride of opening cut "Open Your Eyes" to the harmony-laden wonderment of "Damn I'm in Love Again" to the grateful/wistful nostalgia of "1992" (recalling the days when the band was flying high atop the singles charts with their international No. 1 smash "To Be With You") to the barnburning slide-blues closer, "Be Kind". Overall, "Defying Gravity" is prime evidence that the only thing MR. BIG remains tethered to is their ongoing pursuit of achieving creative excellence. Original members Eric Martin (lead vocals), Paul Gilbert (guitars), Billy Sheehan (bass) and Pat Torpey (drums) reunited with producer Kevin Elson (who was behind the boards for the band's 1989 self-titled debut, 1991's "Lean Into It" and 1993's "Bump Ahead") for an intensive six-day recording session in Los Angeles. While Torpey was unable to perform some of the songs on "Defying Gravity" due to a recent diagnosis of Parkinson's disease, Matt Starr has been filling in for him on a majority of the album. Starr also been touring with the band for the past couple of years, with Torpey able to play a couple of songs at each stop. "It was great to get back in the studio with our original producer, Kevin Elson," says Gilbert. "Kevin recorded all of our original classic albums from the '80s and '90s, and we immediately felt that magic chemistry with him on 'Defying Gravity'. We basically played live in the studio.

"Over the years, we've all had a chance to experiment with every recording technique possible, but it's still always the best just to play together as a band. Most of my guitar solos were tracked live with the band. I've worked hard on my improvisation in the last few years, and it really paid off on this record… both melodically and on the face-melting stuff." MR. BIG is gearing up for the launch its latest worldwide tour, which starts May 31 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin at the Potowatami Casino. "2017 is filling up quickly with tour dates all around the world," proclaims Gilbert. "I can't wait to play the new songs, and, of course, our favorites from the old days, like 'Daddy, Brother, Lover, Little Boy', 'Just Take My Heart', 'Green Tinted Sixties Mind', 'Wild World' and 'To Be With You'." "Defying Gravity" track listing: 01. Open Your Eyes02. Defying Gravity03. Everybody Needs a Little Trouble04. Damn I'm In Love Again05. Mean To Me06. Nothing Bad (About Feeling Good)07. Forever And Back08. She's All Coming Back To Me Now09. 199210. Nothing At All11. Be Kind

Photo credit: William Hames

Fan-filmed video footage of SYSTEM OF A DOWN's entire June 1 performance at Hallenstadion in Zurich, Switzerland can be seen below.

SYSTEM OF A DOWN drummer John Dolmayan said in a recent interview that it's "very disheartening" that the band hasn't released a new album in nearly twelve years. Speaking to Las Vegas radio station X107.5, Dolmayan said: "In our band, the difficulty really isn't, 'Is one of us gonna fall off the wagon or get into a bad situation?' It's really a matter of, 'Are we gonna come together and make something happen?' It's been about twelve years since we've put out an album."

He continued: "I don't know why we aren't coming out with an album. It's very disheartening, because it seems like we all get along, we all have a great time touring, we still are putting together really good music. I think that we can put out a fantastic album."

Dolmayan revealed in a 2016 interview with Kerrang! magazine that SYSTEM OF A DOWN had written more than a dozen new songs for a possible follow-up to "Mezmerize" and "Hypnotize", which came out in 2005.

The band went on hiatus in the fall of that year, although they have toured most summers since 2011.

Singer Serj Tankian — long speculated to be the holdout on recording — not long ago said that a new album was not on the radar. "As far as a SYSTEM record, there's nothing in the plans right now," he said. "It's something that we'll do down the line when it's the right time. I've got a lot of stuff going on right now on my own, and trying to get all those releases out and work on them. But we've really been enjoying playing together on tour and having a blast, and I think our performance is actually better than it's ever been in our heyday."

Dolmayan maintained that music for a new SYSTEM album does exist, and that he feels it can "match or beat anything we've done in the past... It's a matter of getting together and putting aside whatever differences, or whatever problems people have — which don't seen to surface when we're together, by the way."

The band will spend June and July in Europe playing summer festivals and select headline dates.

DEEP PURPLE has released a video for the song "Johnny's Band", featured on the band's new album, "InFinite". Issued on April 7 via earMUSIC, the disc was tracked in February 2016 at a studio in Nashville, Tennessee and was once again helmed by Bob Ezrin, who has previously worked with KISS, PINK FLOYD, PETER GABRIEL, ALICE COOPER and KANSAS, among others.

"Johnny's Band" is an affectionate portrait of a fictional band that quickly gain success and enjoy every side that comes with it. As often happens, JOHNNY'S BAND can't help but lose it, and break up, only to find out later that the pleasure still to be performing live is all that matters, even when the hype, the success and the glory have long vanished. In their minds, they are still playing the sold out big venues.

The video was scripted and directed by Craig Hooper and Collin Games, known from the DEEP PURPLE movie documentary "From Here To InFinite".

DEEP PURPLE's current lineup features singer Ian Gillan, bassist Roger Glover, drummer Ian Paice, keyboardist Don Airey and guitarist Steve Morse. Airey joined in 2002, replacing Jon Lord on keyboards. Morse joined in 1994 as the replacement for Ritchie Blackmore.

Asked if he thinks this will be the final lineup of DEEP PURPLE, Glover told Metal Talk: "I think the last twenty-three years has been the most consistent period in the band's history. The only one change was [the addition of] Don, and that was a friendly change. Jon left. And so, yeah, I can't envisage… I mean, we don't envisage anything. We don't actually plan much for the future. The future will take care of itself — I kind of like that phrase. Steve said, 'I may not be the first guitarist in PURPLE, but I'd like to be the last.' Which is a lovely thing to say. And I feel the same way. I may not be the first bass player, but I'd like to be the last."

Hearts and minds-and, it goes without saying, eardrums--were blown this morning as the world's biggest exporter of undiluted American stadium rock, FOO FIGHTERS, surprise-released "Run", a monolithic song of the summer shoo-in as melodic as it is monstrously heavy.

An ageless melodic hard rock anthem that showcases everything that's made FOO FIGHTERS an unstoppable road and radio conquering machine, "Run" is the first new FOO FIGHTERS music since the band gifted fans with the free "Saint Cecilia" EP in late 2015.

"Run" is accompanied by a time-traveling mind-warp of a video directed by the band's own Dave Grohl, in which the song's dive-bombing verses and soaring choruses are matched by an insane performance from the band as you've never seen them before, playing for an audience you'd never imagine. All told, the "Run" video is as much a must-see as the song is an instant FF classic, both boldly looking into the band's future while building on the rock-solid FOO FIGHTERS foundation.

Photo credit (below): Brantley Gutierrez