World-renowned guitar legend Bernie Tormé's new double album Shadowland is now available for pre-order, and you can be a part of the album.

Says Bernie: "I am very pleased to be back here at PledgeMusic to make a new album! This is my fourth time working with PledgeMusic, and at this stage it feels like it’s almost turning into an addiction! But a good one!

"This new PledgeMusic project will be a double album entitled Shadowland. I’ve got some great songs and ideas for it already, and a great band too, I can’t wait to get back in the studio to record them.

"There are lots and lots of special Pledge items and experiences with this project, but the one I am most looking forward to is the fact that YOU GUYS CAN PLAY ON THE ALBUM! Yes, we are looking for about 60 seconds of sonic mayhem from pledgers to make this project really rock! (Have a look at the ‘Play On The Album’ Pledge option).

"So, what else can you get if you pledge? When you pledge/pre-order the new Shadowland album, not only will you get the Shadowland double album as a download or as a physical double CD, but we are also throwing in a free additional album of rare vintage tracks called A’s & B’s 77-81. These vintage tracks have been lovingly restored from the original vinyl and are only available to pledgers on this PledgeMusic campaign. A’s & B’s 77-81 will be available as a download for all, and also as a free CD for those who pledge/pre-order the Shadowland physical CD package. You also get front seat access to the whole process, updates, videos, Q & A’s, & lots more.

"In addition, we’ve got lots of great one-off Pledge items, some very rare Gillan memorabilia (stuff that only the band & crew at the time had including original ‘Glory Road’ tour jacket and tour passes), some of it so rare that I have to thank my old Gillan compadre Colin Towns for donating it to this project because I had lost mine! There is also a Limited Edition Photobook culled from my personal collection of photos and press cuttings, and various other Pledge goodies, including a chance to jam onstage with the band on our upcoming UK tour.

"I am really looking forward to getting going on this, I hope you get on board and support me and the new Shadowland project in the same way as you did on my three earlier PledgeMusic projects, Flowers & Dirt, Blackheart, and Dublin Cowboy. You guys make the whole experience so much more enjoyable, hands on, and fun!

"As I said before, I need your support to make all this happen. By pledging and pre-ordering you guys enable me to do the thing that matters most to me, to record new music. It’s great to go out & play all the old stuff, I really love that too, but writing and recording new music is life blood to me. And PledgeMusic enables me to do that.

I really hope you get involved, and if you do, I honestly cannot thank you enough! Thank you."

Tormé will be heading out on tour for the final time in the UK later this year. The celebrated Irish six-stringer will hit the road for a string of dates in November/December.

A man whose CV is as impressive as his six-string dexterity, Tormé has lent his enviable skills over the years to Gillan, Ozzy Osbourne, Dee Snider, Atomic Rooster and many others whilst maintaining an acclaimed solo career alongside.

"(Bernie) did me a great favour. If it wasn’t for him I wouldn’t be doing it now. I’d have given up." - Ozzy Osbourne, 2018

The Final Fling UK 2018:

November
22 - Facebar - Reading, UK
23 - Queen Vic - South Shields, UK
24 – Winterstorm Festival - Troon, UK
25 – Bannermans - Edinburgh, UK
27 - Robin II - Bilston, Wolverhampton, UK
28 - Craufurd Arms - Milton Keynes, UK
30 - The Lounge - London, UK

December
1 - The Bear - Weston-super-Mare, UK

More on Bernie Tormé...

Guitar legend, blues rock psychedelic shredmeister, glam punk sleaze rock frontman: Bernie Tormé has enjoyed a long and remarkable career. Hit records, world tours and international acclaim came as lead guitarist in Gillan. After which, Bernie stepped in for Ozzy Osbourne in the aftermath of guitar legend Randy Rhoads' tragic death before going on to front Electric Gypsies and Tormé. Teaming up with Twisted Sister frontman Dee Snider and Iron Maiden's drummer Clive Burr, Bernie put together Desperado and later reunited with ex-Gillan colleague, John McCoy and drummer Robin Guy in GMT.

Returning to the stage in 2013, Bernie also began working in his favoured trio format once again, releasing three critically-acclaimed albums; Flowers & Dirt (2014), Blackheart (2015) and the 3CD Dublin Cowboy (2017) package (comprising a live, an acoustic, and a new electric studio album). All three were crowdfunded, connecting Bernie directly with his fans.

Bernie states: “In the past you were pretty distant and separated from your fans with a record label in between. Making these albums with pledge campaigns has been a great experience. I like having the connection with fans and getting the feedback direct on making an album.”

2018 will see the release of Bernie’s latest studio album.  

Bernie Tormé has recorded over 24 albums in his career to date as a solo artist or band member.

Black Mirrors will finally release their full-length debut album Look Into The Black Mirror via Napalm Records on August 31st. It is a prime example of all the wonderful stuff that can happen when you sell your soul to Indie, snotty garage rock, blues and some soner rock.

As a first single the Belgian crew fronted by Marcella Di Troia unveil the crisp Josh-Homme-style stomper "Günther Kimmich" that moves the sound of the band one step further on from their Funky Queen EP from 2017. It's a strong first single for a record which will unveil a stunning variety of all flavors of genuine rock music.

Marcella Di Troia on "Günther Kimmich": "With 'Günther Kimmich' we remain faithful to our musical influences; solid and powerful riffs with strong and catchy vocal lines. It's pretty much the fastest song on the album and it will definitely be among the cooler songs to play live! Making this video clip was such a great and magical experience! I even emotionally interacted with a huge bison haha, which you can also see in the video! The beautiful nature and all the other cool footage were captured by our talented friend Sebastien Van Malleghem!"

Watch the video below.

The beautifully unchained Marcella Di Troia sings, screams, croons and whispers on otherworldly ballads like "Moonstone"or "Inner Reality" and over the danceable grooves of "Lay My Burden Down" - and the band keeps the hypnotic beats and thunderous riff walls coming on their debut album Look Into The Black Mirror. She's literally the new voice of rock n' roll!

Pierre Lateur (guitarist) on the album Look Into The Black Mirror: "Look Into The Black Mirror is the result of all our personal, musical and spiritual experiences we've went through during the past five years. Overall the album is very song-oriented as we believe that 'melody' is the most important element in music. We dug into every aspect of what we enjoy in music; from straightforward heavy rock songs to very intimate, groovy or acoustic tunes. We recorded the album already months ago, and even after all this time we're still getting more proud of what we pulled off. We are so excited to finally share these songs with the world after such a long time! We'll play a lot of them on tour after the summer!"

Available formats:

- LTD Edition 4 page digipack & Bonus Track
- 1LP Gatefold Edition in different colors
- CD & Shirt Bundle

The exclusive pre-order is available here.

 
Tracklisting:

"Shoes For Booze"
"Funky Queen"
"Lay My Burden Down"
"Inner Reality"
"Moonstone"
"Günther Kimmich"
"Cold Midnight Drum"
"Mind Shape"
"Till The Land Wind Blows"
"Burning Warriors"

"Günther Kimmich" video:

 
Tour Dates
 
June
9 - Rotterdam, Netherlands - Harlequin Fest
24 - Braine-Le-Comte, Belgium - La fête de la Musique
30 - Enkirch, Germany - Fallig Open Air

July
27 - Dettenheim, Germany - Sunny Side Open Air
28 - Enghien, Belgium - Rockelingen
 
September
27 - Brussels, Belgium - Ancienne Belgique (Album release show)
 
November (with The Night Flight Orchestra)
23 - Cologne, Germany - Luxor
24 - Osnabrück, Germany - Rosenhof
25 - Zoetermeer, Netherlands - Boerderij
26 - Arnhem, Netherlands - Willemeen
27 - Vosselaar, Belgium - Biebob
28 - Nantes, France - Le Ferrailleur
30 - London, England - Underworld

December (with The Night Flight Orchestra)
1 - Paris, France - Le Petit Bain
2 - Toulouse, France - Le Rex
3 - Madrid, Spain - Caracol
4 - Barcelona, Spain - Bóveda
5 - Lýon, France - Warmaudio
6 - Milano, Italy - Legend Club
8 - Zurich, Switzerland - Dynamo
9 - Mannheim, Germany - MS Connection
10 - Salzburg, Austria - Rockhouse
11 - Budapest, Hungary - A38
12 - Vienna, Austria - Szene
13 - Graz, Austria - Dom im Berg
14 - Munich, Germany - Backstage
15 - Prague, Czech Republic - Nova Chmelnice
16 - Nuremberg, Germany - Hirsch
17 - Saarbrücken, Germany - Garage
18 - Aschaffenburg, Germany - olos-Saal
19 - Berlin, Germany - Bi Nuu
20 - Jena, Germany - F-Haus
21 - Dresden, Germany - Eventwerk Studio
22 - Bochum, Germany - Matrix

Lineup:

Marcella Di Troia: Vocals
Pierre Lateur: Guitar
Loic: Bass
Edouard Cabuy: Drums

(Photo - Mehdy Nasser)

Dutch symphonic metal giants Epica have teamed up with the highly successful Attack On Titan to release a very special EP. With their legion of fans, Attack On Titan have conquered both the print world with over 70 million copies, and anime sector with an adaption that is currently airing worldwide. The EP entitled Epica Vs. Attack On Titan will be released worldwide - outside of Japan - on July 20th via Nuclear Blast Records featuring metal covers of the anime’s theme songs.

Today, the band releases the first trailer for the upcoming EP. Watch as guitarist Isaac Delahaye and keyboardist Coen Janssen discuss the journey of writing and adapting the theme songs to fit the Epica sound:

Epica Vs. Attack On Titan will be available in the following formats:

- CD Jewel case
- Vinyl - Violet, Yellow, Black

Pre-order your copy here.

Epica Vs. Attack On Titan was recorded during the summer of 2017 at Sandlane Recording Facilities by Joost van den Broek. The original songs, which were influenced by the music of Epica, were composed by Revo of popular Japanese band Linked Horizon. For the EP, tracks were adapted by Epica and produced by Joost van den Broek. The choir arrangements and scoring were completed by keyboardist Coen Janssen who also handled the orchestral arrangements with Joost van den Broek.

Tracklisting:

"Crimson Bow And Arrow"
"Wings Of Freedom"
"If Inside These Walls Was A House"
"Dedicate Your Heart!"
"Crimson Bow And Arrow" (Instrumental)
"Wings Of Freedom" (Instrumental)
"If Inside These Walls Was A House" (Instrumental)
"Dedicate Your Heart!" (Instrumental)

"Crimson Bow And Arrow":

After two years of literally non-stop touring worldwide, this summer Epica will perform their last batch of festivals of their current touring cycle. With performances on the legendary Hell & Heaven Festival in Mexico City, Wacken Open Air in Germany or at Slovenia’s magical Metaldays, among other festivals, Epica will give all metal fans one last party before their well-deserved touring break.

Tickets and info here.

Danish death metallers Baest, whose moniker translates to ‘beast’ or ‘brute’ in the band’s native language, are excited to launch the first single taken from their forthcoming debut album Danse Macabre. Set for release on August 17th via Century Media Records, Danse Macabre offers an intense Messe Macabre uniting influences from the likes of Bloodbath, Dismember, Bolt Thrower, Entombed and 90’s Morbid Angel with uttermost savagery.

As first single, "Crosswhore" (the album’s opening track) has now been launched, check out the video below.

Baest comments: “Some of you out there might already know ‘Crosswhore’ since we already put out that track ourselves a while ago. Now, to properly introduce us to Century Media’s audience, we proudly present you the album version and are excited to kick off the presale for our debut Danse Macabre. If you want death metal, Baest will make sure, you’ll get it!”

Danse Macabre will be released as 180 gram vinyl plus CD, as jewelcase CD, and on all digital platforms. Apart from regular black vinyl, the following limited colours are available:

- 200x transparent green – BAEST exclusive
- 100x gold – CMDistro.de exclusive
- 200x silver – also available through CMDistro.de
- 100x transparent red – Headbangr Edition, available alongside an exclusive t-shirt bundle via Headbangr.dk  

All pre-sales can be viewed here.

Danse Macabre, recorded with Andreas Linnemann at Output Lydstudio and mastered by Lawrence Mackrory at Obey Mastering (Firespawn, Decapitated, LIK), offers extremely focused (de)compositions perfectly blending Boss HM-2 pedal abusing buzz saw guitars, vicious blasts, deep growls and infectious hooks.

Danse Macabre tracklisting:

"Crosswhore"
"Hecatomb"
"Danse Macabre"
"Atra Mors"
"Messe Macabre"
"Ritual"
"Vortex"
"Ego Te Absolvo"
    
"Crosswhore" video:

Formed in 2015, Baest played over 40 shows within the quintet’s first year of existence, quickly turning heads due to their windmill headbanging skills and ferocious frontman Simon Olsen. Previously, Baest performed at Copenhell, Roskilde, Royal Metal Fest, Eurosonic and supported bands like Hatebreed, Dying Fetus, Entombed A.D. and Illdisposed, in 2018 they will play at Summer Breeze, do a Denmark headlining tour and selected shows supporting Abbath in Germany.

Tour dates:

June
29 - Tuska - Helsinki, Finland

July
12/07 Devilstone - Anyksciai, Lithuania

August
3 - Grimfest - Aarhus, Denmark
10 - Dirty Days Of Summer - Copenhagen, Denmark
11 - Smukfest - Skanderborg, Denmark
16 - Summer Breeze - Dinkelsbühl, Germany

September (with Abbath)
5 - Leiden, Netherlands - Gebr. De Nobel
6 - Essen, Germany - Turock
7 - Mannheim, Germany - MS Connexion Complex

September (with I’ll Be Damned)
27 - Sønderborg, Denmark - Sonderborg Hus
28 - Randers , Denmark - Turbinen
29 - Aalborg, Denmark - Studenterhuset

October (with I’ll Be Damned)
5 - Vejle, Denmark - Bygningen
18 - Fredericia, Denmark - Tojhuset
19 - Kolding, Denmark - Godset
20 - Odense, Denmark - Kansas City
25 - Roskilde, Denmark - Gimle
26 - Copenhagen, Denmark - Lille Vega
27 - Aarhus, Denmark - Voxhall

Baest is:

Mattias Melchiorsen – bass
Svend Karlsson - guitar
Sebastian Abildsten – drums
Simon Olsen - vocals
Lasse Revsbech – guitar

(Photo - Nikolaj Bransholm / Bransholm Photography)

Metal Blade Records recently announced the signing of Kissin' Dynamite, one of Germany's most promising rock bands. Sony Music label Columbia will handle affairs and releases of the group in Germany, Austria and Switzerland.

First on the agenda is the release of Ecstasy, Kissin' Dynamite's new studio album, on July 6th. It is the follow-up to Generation Goodbye (2016), which reached #14 in the official German album charts.

Produced by Kissin' Dynamite singer Hannes Braun, Ecstasy harks back to the quintet's unpolished, energy-laden early days, while at the same time marking a turning point in their eleven-year history. In autumn, the group will embark on their first concert tour as special guest since changing labels; from October 26th on Kissin' Dynamite will accompany Powerwolf, who are currently breaking all success records, for 16 joint gigs throughout Europe.

Listen to the album track "You're Not Alone" below, and pre-order the album here.

Ecstasy tracklisting:

"I've Got The Fire"
"You're Not Alone"
"Somebody's Gotta Do It"
"Ecstasy"
"Still Around"
"Superhuman"
"Placebo"
"Breaking The Silence"
"Waging War"
"One More Time"
"Heart Of Stone"
"Wild Wind"
"No Time To Wonder"

"You're Not Alone":

"Ecstasy":

"I've Got The Fire" video:

Tour dates with Powerwolf:

October
26 - Wiesbaden, Germany - Schlachthof
27 - Oberhausen, Germany - Turbinenhalle
29 - Hamburg, Germany - Große Freiheit 36
31 - Berlin, Germany - Huxleys

November
1 - Warschau, Poland - Progresja
2 - Leipzig, Germany - Haus Auensee
6 - Wien, Austria - Arena
7 - Milan, Italy - Live Club
9 - München, Germany - Tonhalle
10 - Ludwigsburg, Germany - MHP Arena
11 - Eindhoven, Netherlands - Effenaar
12 - London, UK - Koko
14 - Lausanne, Switzerland - Les Docks
15 - Zürich, Switzerland - Komplex 457
16 - Geiselwind, Germany - Music Hall
17 - Saarbrücken, Germany - Saarlandhalle

Lineup:

Hannes Braun - vocals
Ande Braun - guitars
Jim Müller - guitars
Steffen Haile - bass
Andi Schnitzer - drums

(Photo - Patrick Schneiderwind)

Multi-national band Stone Leaders, co-founded by world renowned drummer John Macaluso (Ark, Yngwie Malmsteen, James LaBrie, TNT, Symphony X and currently with Labyrinth and Mike Romeo) will have their self titled debut album released this autumn via Vanity Music Group.

The band essentially came together when Macaluso was doing a drum clinic in Croatia and he asked the organizer to sort out some musicians in the area to jam with. He was then set up with his future band members. Upon returning to Italy, the New York drummer called guitarist Ivan Mihaljevic, the pair soon found themselves discussing an album, alongside bassist, Marko Karacic and keyboardist / vocalist Dino Jelusic.

Produced by Mihaljevic and Macaluso, the album is 12 songs of “dark groove prog.” As the sticksman explains it, “The songs are more groove oriented than mathematical like most prog metal bands today. We have time changes that are really only there to fit what the lyrics are telling. The music is there to compliment the story that the vocal is relaying. Another thing, the songs aren’t so extended that you don’t remember what the intro of the song was when it ends. They’re medium songs filled with hooks. Lyrically, the songs are both spiritual as well as realistic. There’s some fantasy but not really in a sci-fi sense, more in the way of mind battles, searching, life, death, addiction, religion. We try to touch on everything.”

Stone Leaders tracklisting:

"Box Of Fire"
"DVB4U4ea"
"Fire Up The Oceans"
"Blind Crusade"
"Shot By Lies"
"Toxic Guide"
"Heartless Stereo"
"Unearthly Designs"
"Electric City"
"Ignited"
"Geavity"
"Seeker"

The new faces of heavy metal, Collector, has unleashed their debut album Liberation's Fall featuring the great late Warrel Dane (Nevermore, pictured above), Chris Broderick (Act Of Defiance, ex-Megadeth) and Vicky Psarakis (The Agonist). Order at this location.

The tracks "End This Life" (featuring Dane and Broderick), "Between The Two Demons" (featuring Psarakis), and "A Tale Of Titans" are available for streaming below.

Tracklisting:

"Lullaby Of Eternity"
"Between The Two Demons" (ft. Vicky Psarakis)
"A Tale Of Titans"
"The System Has Failed"
"Liberation's Fall"
"The Undead Kings"
"Vantablack"
"End This Life" (ft. Chris Broderick, Warrel Dane)
"Angels"

"End This Life" featuring Chris Broderick, Warrel Dane:

"Between The Two Demons" (ft. Vicky Psarakis):

"A Tale Of Titans":

The band will be donating 10% of all income towards the education of the children who can not afford a good one, in Warrel Dane's name. This fall they will be hosting a fundraiser in San Francisco, to celebrate the release, and reveal more about the tools they have been developing. In attendance will be founders of Twitter, executives from Tesla, Palantir, Stripe, Genzyme and many other tech oriented companies, as well as familiar faces from movies, heavy metal and the world of fashion. The raised funds will be donated entirety towards the education of the less fortunate.

Hitting the road for show dates across Southern Ontario this summer in support of their new EP The Crucible Of Sin, metal warriors on a holy quest, Toronto's AxMinister have teamed up with BraveWords for the premiere of their new music video "Prey".

The band comments:

"'Prey' was inspired by that whole 50 Shades of Grey phenomenon. This video is a comedic telling meant to be shocking and sexy, as well as a little bit cheesy/cheeky."

The EP was released on May 4th to follow singles “Visceral Speed” (2017), “AXistential Christmas” (2015), “Unborn Warriors: The Cries of Tomorrow” (2015) and full length “Betray Everything” (2015).

Warriors of metal on a holy quest, AxMinister are inspired by Megadeth, Metallica, Slayer, Iron Maiden, Manowar and can be best described with a sound that of a sped up Type O Negative.

The band comments:

“Our EP The Crucible Of Sin sports a sense of humour. It tries to tell a… at times, nihilistic, story about love, lust, oppression, and redemption. Following every recording and show, we try to reflect on our own mistakes, and attempt to improve. We grew to understand our 90s thrash/traditional style of songwriting, and compose accordingly. This EP has that ‘90’s warm thrash sound akin to Megadeth’s Youthanasia album. We hope old and new audiences join us on a journey that is at times fictional, visual and imaginative, while other times introspective and contemplative. We like you to dance, head bang, and mosh to it.”

Show dates:

June
16 – Sudbury, ON – The Asylum

July
7 – Stouffville, ON – Wars Fest
8 – Hamilton, ON – The Doors Pub
13 – St. Catharines – The Detour
14 – St. Catharines – The Detour

August
17 – Hamilton, ON – The Doors Pub
25 – Toronto, ON – Coalition T.O.

EP stream:

Canadian crushers Phear have checked in with the following update:

"Okay Boyz and Girlz, it’s time for Phear to get back to work! Please welcome our new guitarist Pat Rogers (Profaner, Hallows Die) to the Phear Team!! Now it's gonna get really heavy!"

Phear recently released a video for “Motives Unknown”, a track off their 2015 album Insanitarium.

The band previously released a music video for “Dirty Work”, featured on their five-track EP, The Curse Lives On (out now). Watch the video below:

The Curse Lives On follows Phear’s debut full-length, Insanitarium, and the EP is spearheaded by the ultimate cover that ups the irons!! BraveWords recently premiered the video for the band’s daring and axe-cellent cover of the Iron Maiden epic “Rime Of The Ancient Mariner”. The clip can be seen below.

“Rime Of The Ancient Mariner” video:

Order The Curse Lives On EP below:

iTunes

Amazon

For more details visit Phearband.com.

Montréal based melodic death metallers Kataklysm unleashed their new studio album Meditations on June 1st through Nuclear Blast Records. Check out the "Where The Enemy Sleeps" live video from the bonus DVD A Moment In Time:

Thanks to their loyal fan-base, the new album saw the band's highest first week numbers and it debuted at #52 on the Billboard Top Current Charts, #15 on the Billboard Top Current Rock and #3 on Billboards Heatseekers/Top New Artist chart as well as landing #7 on the Current Hard Music chart.

Meditations also reached the following chart positions:

#21 - Germany
#23 - Switzerland

Canada:
#12 - Hard Music Albums
#80 - Top Current Albums

"It's times like these that all the sacrifices and all the pain endured over the years comes to be worth it in this business. When people come together and appreciate a work of art that you have done and they are able to relate and support it. Having our best first week debut ever and even hitting the top 100 Billboard album charts doesn't change anything for us or our work ethic but it sure feels good after 26 years of hard work! Thank you to all our fans - old and new - for the soulful lift. Come and see us rip this album live! m/" - Kataklysm

Order Meditations in various formats at this location.

Produced by the band's own guitarist J-F Dagenais and drummer Oli Beaudoin, the new album was mixed by Jay Ruston (Anthrax, Stone Sour). Mastering duties were handled by Paul Logus (Pantera).

The Meditations cover artwork, which can be seen below, was created by Ocvlta Designs by Surtsey, who also crafted the artwork for Kataklysm's previous record, Of Ghosts And Gods.

Meditations tracklisting:

"Guillotine"
"Outsider"
"The Last Breath I'll Take Is Yours"
"Narcissist"
"Born To Kill And Destined To Die"
"In Limbic Resonance"
"And Then I Saw Blood"
"What Doesn't Break Doesn't Heal"
"Bend The Arc, Cut The Cord"
"Achilles Heel"

"Where The Enemy Sleeps" live video:

"The Resurrected" live video:

"Outsider" video:

"Narcissist" video:

"Guillotine" lyric video:

Kataklysm have announced that they will be teaming up with Swedish death metal legends Hypocrisy for a European co-headline tour.

The tour's special name traces back to Nuclear Blast's popular sampler series and promises nothing but evenings of moshpits and endless devastation. Don't miss out on this outstanding tour and secure your tickets now.

Maurizio Iacono states: "It's been in talks for over two years and finally both Kataklysm and our brothers in Hypocrisy can make the schedule work to join forces once more. It's been almost 15 years since we toured together and the last time we did the tours became instant classics. It‘s that time again folks... Kataklysm & Hypocrisy team up once more for a world tour beginning with Europe this fall. To make things even greater our record label Nuclear Blast has come on board and baptized the tour Death... Is Just The Beginning, a homage to the old classic compilations that made so many fans discover both bands back in the day. This will mark the return of this classic compilation with this tour and maybe give other artists the chance to get discovered like we did. DO NOT MISS THIS TOUR, YOU ONLY GET ONE CHANCE!"

Hypocrisy's Peter Tägtgren adds: "I hope that you are just as excited as we are, because we are very happy to announce that we are finally warming up the Hypocrisy engine again and that we will be back on the road in fall! We will be touring Europe together with our friends in Kataklysm! The tour will be an overview of the chaos and confusion created by Hypocrisy over the years. See you out there!"

Tour dates:

October
18 - Wiesbaden, Germany - Schlachthof
19 - Stuttgart, Germany - LKA Longhorn
20 - Munich, Germany - Backstage
23 - Budapest, Hungary - Barba Negra
24 - Vienna, Austria - Arena
25 - Wrocław, Poland - Zaklęte Rewiry
26 - Geiselwind, Germany - MusicHall
27 - Milan, Italy - Live Music Club
28 - Pratteln, Switzerland - Z7
29 - Lyon, France - Ninkasi Kao
31 - Madrid, Spain - Sala Mon

November
1 - Barcelona, Spain - Razzmatazz 2
2 - Limoges, France - CC John Lennon
3 - Paris, France - La Machine du Moulin Rouge
4 - Antwerp, Belgium - Trix
5 - Hamburg, Germany - Docks
6 - Gothenburg, Sweden - Trädgår'n
7 - Stockholm, Sweden - Fryshuset
9 - Helsinki, Finland - The Circus
10 - Tampere, Finland - Pakkahuone
12 - Copenhagen, Denmark - Pumpehuset
13 - Leeuwarden, Netherlands - Neushoorn
14 - Berlin, Germany - Kesselhaus
15 - Dresden, Germany - Eventwerk
16 - Oberhausen, Germany - Turbinenhalle 2
17 - Leipzig, Germany - Hellraiser

More Kataklysm live dates:

June
14-16 - Gräfenhainichen, Germany - With Full Force
21 - Dessel, Belgium - Graspop Metal Meeting
22 - St. Goarshausen, Germany - Rockfels
23 - Clisson, France - Hellfest

July
6 - Bucarest, Romania - Metalhead Meeting
7 - Barcelona, Spain - Rockfest Barcelona
21 - Bertingen, Germany - R.U.D.E
25 - Tolmin, Slovenia - Metaldays

August
16 - Dinkelsbühl, Germany - Summer Breeze
17 - Moravsky Krumlov, Czech Republic - Rock Heard Festival
18 - Essen, Germany - Turock OA

Kataklysm is:

Maurizio Iacono - Vocals
Jean-Francois Dagenais - Guitar
Stephane Barbe - Bass
Oli Beaudoin - Drums

Lizzy Borden's new full-length album My Midnight Things, is available for streaming below. The album, out now can be ordered here in the following formats:

- limited first edition digipak CD (includes bonus tracks)
- jewelcase CD
- 180g black vinyl
- clear pacific blue marbled vinyl (EU exclusive - limited to 300 copies)
- clear burgundy marbled vinyl (EU exclusive - limited to 200 copies)
- olive/black marbled vinyl (US exclusive - limited to 300 copies)
- opaque cool gray marbled vinyl (US exclusive - limited to 200 copies)

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

Having signed a new contract with Metal Blade on the strength of three demo tracks, Borden opted to produce My Midnight Things himself, with Joey Scott as co-producer, who also handled all the drumming duties. "I knew what I was going for and had doubts that I could find a producer who would understand that," Borden explains. "My approach is very different than what is happening in today's current sound."

The album was also mixed by Greg Fidelman (Metallica, Black Sabbath, Adele, U2) and mastered by Tom Baker (David Bowie, Rob Zombie, Marilyn Manson, Tom Petty).

My Midnight Things tracklisting:

"My Midnight Things"
"Obsessed With You"
"Long May They Haunt Us"
"The Scar Across My Heart"
"A Stranger To Love"
"The Perfect Poison"
"Run Away With Me"
"Our Love Is God"
"My Midnight Things" (Reprise)
"We Belong To The Shadows"

Album stream:

"Long May They Haunt Us" video:

"My Midnight Things" lyric video:

Australia's Greystone Canyon have released a video for "In These Shoes", featured on their debut album, While The Wheels Still Turn, released earlier this year. Watch the clip below. Order the album here.

Tracklisting:

"Keeping Company With The Dead"
"Astral Plane"
"In These Shoes"
"Cinco Cuerda Bandito"
"Take Us All"
"Sombrero Serenade"
"River Of Fire"
"Path We Stray"
"The Sun Sets"

"In These Shoes" video:

"Take Us All" lyric video:

Greystone Canyon is:

Darren Cherry - Vocals / Guitars
Richard Vella - Guitars
Dave Poulter - Bass
Luke Wilson - Drums

Germany's Lord Of The Lost have released a video for "Morgana", a song from their sixth studio album, Thornstar, out on August 3rd via Napalm Records.

The concept album follows the myth of the Pangaeians, an almost forgotten doomed high civilization. The next two singles to be released relate to each other in both theme and music - with "Morgana“ the first part of this symbiosis sees the light of day.

In the Pangaeian mythology, "Morgana“ stands for Mother Nature and symbolizes light, sun and unconditional love. In an act of altruism "Morgana“ cut out her own heart and formed the first human beings from it. According to the legend every human received a piece of her heart from then on, granting them the energy to live. This energy is only borrowed and is returned to her upon death. Therefore, completing "Morgana“ a piece at a time after a long and fulfilling life, without giving in to the temptations of life, is regarded as the highest aim and ultimate honour.

Watch the new video below, and pre-order Thornstar here.

Tracklisting:

CD1
"On This Rock I Will Build My Church"
"Loreley"
"Black Halo"
"In Our Hands"
"Morgana"
"Haythor"
"Naxxar"
"Cut Me Out"
"The Mortarian"
"Under The Sun"
"In Darkness, In Light"
"Forevermore"
"Ruins"

CD2
"Abracadabra" (feat. Dero Goi)
"Voodoo Doll"
"The Art Of Love"
"Lily Of The Vale"
"Penta"
"Free Radicals"
"Live Pray Die Repeat"

"Morgana" video:

"On This Rock I Will Build My Church" video:

Lord Of The Lost tour dates are listed below. Buy tickets here.

October
4 - Frankfurt, Germany - Batschkapp
5 - Hannover, Germany - Musikzentrum
6 - Berlin, Germany - Columbia Theater
11 - Nuremberg, Germany - Hirsch
12 - Cologne, Germany - Essigfabrik
13 - Dresden, Germany - Alter Schlachthof
18 - Pratteln, Switzerland - Z7
19 - Munich, Germany - Backstage
20 - Stuttgart, Germany - Im Wizemann
26 - Leipzig, Germany - Werk 2
27 - Hamburg, Germany - Markthalle
31 - Barcelona, Spain - Salamandra 1

November
1 - Toulouse, France - Rex
2 - Nantes, France - Ferrailleur
3 - Paris, France - Boule Noire
21 - Newcastle Upon Tyne, UK - The Cluny
22 - Glasgow, UK - Ivory Blacks
23 - Manchester, UK - The Ruby Lounge
24 - London, UK - Electrowerkz
25 - Bristol, UK - The Fleece Bristol

(Photo - Franz Schepers)

Fueled by a passion to bring horrific and grotesque sounds to their fans, Ottawa's A Scar For The Wicked have revealed their new lyric video "Born From The Grave", in support of their upcoming third EP The Unholy, set to be unearthed on June 29th. 

Full of face-melting heaviness and a dark and evil atmosphere that offers more sickening death metal to the unsuspecting world, The Unholy follows their 2012 Machiavellian hymn to the dead Scars, and 2014's brutal assault The Necrobutcher.

The band comments: "The Unholy is a step-up from our previous EP The Necrobutcher. It’s heavier, more technical, faster, more melodic and flows very well from front to back. Silverwing Studios did an excellent production. The vocals often alternate from low to high in range and is accompanied by powerful backing-vocals. Every track is hard hitting and overall the EP and lyrical content have a very dark feel to them."

Since 2010, Ottawa's A Scar For The Wicked has been clawing their way through the Eastern Canadian metal scene playing fast, evil and energetic songs inspired by horror shows and films. Their favorite themes encompass zombies, demons and other evil creatures and for them, each song is executed as a short horror story accompanied by heavy music. Like most horror stories this is not for the faint of heart. There is a fair amount of gore, death and of course a very evil atmosphere, which is reflected in the band name as well.  

Guitarist Joe Lyko explains: “A Scar For The Wicked was really a twist on people marking the houses of where witches live, a mark on them so people knew to stay away; a scar as we like to look at it. I always liked the idea of thinking every time we play we leave a mark on the crowd, something to remind them of us.”

A Scar For The Wicked will be hosting an EP release show in their hometown of Ottawa on June 29th at Mavericks with a lineup of the city's most deathly metal bands. To pre-order the EP, click here.

Tracklisting:

"Born From The Grave"
"A Place Where Death Resides"
"The Abyss"
"Darkness Approaches"
"The Unholy"
"Malformed"
"Evil Within"

 

Brazilian thrash commando unit Nervosa have released a guitar playthrough video for "Never Forget, Never Repeat", a track from their new album Downfall Of Mankind, out now via Napalm Records. Watch the clip below, and order your copy of Downfall Of Mankind here.

Downfall Of Mankind tracklisting:

"Intro"
"Horrordome"
"Never Forget, Never Repeat"
"Enslave"
"Bleeding"
"...And Justice For Whom?"
"Vultures"
"Kill The Silence"
"No Mercy"
"Raise Your Fist!"
"Fear, Violence And Massacre"
"Conflict"
"Cultura do Estupro"
"Selfish Battle" (Bonus Track)

"Never Forget, Never Repeat" guitar playthrough:

"Kill The Silence" video:

"Never Forget, Never Repeat" lyric video:

In support of the album, the band will take to the road again in summer 2018 with a series of festival and headline appearances on their Downfall Of Mankind European Tour. The run starts in Germany and finishes in the UK. See the full list of dates below.

July
14 - Torgau, Germany - In Flammen
15 - Vizovice, Czech Republic - Masters Of Rock
18 - Berlin, Germany - Cassiopeia
21 - Hamburg, Germany - Logo
22 - Osnabrück, Germany - Bastard Club
26 - Bochum, Germany - Rockpalast
27 - Köln, Germany - MTC
28 - Eindhoven, Netherlands - The Jack
29 - Paris, France - Le Klub
31 - Bordeaux, France - Salem Le Hallain

August
1 - Vitoria, Spain - Urban Rock Concept
2 - Oviedo, Spain - ir Laurens
3 - Madrid, Spain - Copernico Cavern
4 - Barcelona, Spain - Sala Monasterio
5 - Toulouse, France - L'Usine A Musique
7 - Lyon, France - Rock 'N' Eat
8 - Montpellier, France - Secret Place
10 - Milan, Italy - Circolo Svolta
11 - Cervia, Italy - Rock Planet
14 - Mannheim, Germany - 7er
16 - Dinkelsbühl, Germany - Summer Breeze Open Air
17 - Litomerice, Czech Republic - Death Coffee Party
18 - Erfurt, Germany - From Hell
27 - München, Germany - Backstage Club
25 - Spital am Semmering, Austria - Kaltenbach Open Air
30 - Luzern, Switzerland - Schüür
31 - Hauteville, Switzerland - Abyss Festival

September
1 - Chapelle-Lez Herlaimont, Belgium - Metal Festival
2 - Edinburgh, Scotland - Heavy Scotland

Lineup:

Fernanda Lira - Vocals & Bass
Prika Amaral - Guitars & Backing Vocals
Luana Dametto - Drums

Having returned with a vengeance from an eight-year hiatus via their acclaimed comeback album A Gift For The Obsessed, Tampa, Florida-based melodic death metal powerhouse The Absence has announced its first tour in support of the record, which will see the group join forces with Exmortus and Hatchet for three weeks before headlining another week's worth of shows. A full list of the group's upcoming dates can be seen below.

Says vocalist Jamie Stewart, “We are beyond excited to hit the road with these great bands, and we are very much looking forward to unleashing our new songs live. It’s going to be sick!”

To celebrate their return to the road, the group has unveiled a new lyric video for their crushing song “Thought & Memory”. According to Stewart, the track was inspired by Norse mythology.

“Odin has two ravens - Huginn and Muninn, which loosely translate to thought (or spirit, in some cases) and memory, respectively,” he says. “Each day, these ravens fly, soaring throughout the world, retrieving news from all over to keep Odin informed. It is said that he fears that the two ravens may never return, although he fears more for Muninn (memory/mind) than for Huginn (thought/spirit). There are various interpretations that can be taken - spiritual, magical, poetic - but what I did with the words thought and memory was to take them at their literal definition and apply them to an everyday existence. How can somebody truly use these to guide themselves in a positive direction? We have a million thoughts that run through our heads every single day, and we all have choices to make with them in mind. In these instances, one should uses the memories they have gained to separate what they think is right from what they know is wrong, no matter how hard that choice is. In reference to Odin fearing more the loss of memory over the loss of thought, one could see the possible detriment of a life devoid of memories.

The video, created by Rafael Ortega (Ayreon, Helsott, Sicocis), can be seen below:

A Gift For The Obsessed - which includes includes a cover of Suicidal Tendencies’ “You Can’t Bring Me Down” featuring guest vocals by Bjorn “Speed” Strid (Soilwork, The Night Flight Orchestra) - is The Absence’s first release to feature their current lineup. Led by founding members Stewart (vocals) and Jeramie Kling (drums) along with longtime bass player Mike Leon (Soulfly, Havok, Arsis), the group now features the high-flying guitar work of Joey Concepcion (Jasta, Armageddon) and Taylor Nordberg (Soilwork, Ribspreader), who made their debut on the band's self-released digital single, "Septic Testament", in 2016.

Notably, three of the group's members have kept busy in recent months by touring with a number of high-profile acts - Leon with Soulfly, Kling with Venom Inc. and Concepcion with Sanctuary. Concepcion also appears on Dee Snider's new solo album, For The Love Of Metal.

Tour dates:

July
5 - Tampa, FL - Crowbar *
6 - Atlanta, GA - 529 Bar ^
7 - Spartanburg, SC - Ground Zero ^
8 - Richmond, VA - Canal Club *
9 - Clifton, NJ - Dingbatz *
10 - Brooklyn, NY - Saint Vitus ^
11 - Palladium - Worcester, MA ^
12 - Quebec City, QC - Source de la Martiniere ^
13 - Toronto, ON - Hard Luck Bar ^
15 - Joliet, IL - The Forge %
16 - Minneapolis, MN - Lee’s Liquor Lounge %
17 - Kansas City, MO - Riot Room %
18 - Denver, CO - Roxy Theater ^
19 - Salt Lake City, UT - Club X ^
21 - Boise, ID - The Shredder ^
22 - Seattle, WA - Club SUR ^
23 - Portland, OR - Twilight Cafe & Bar ^
24 - Oakland, CA - Metro Opera House ^
25 - Fullerton, CA - Slidebar #
26 - Mesa, AZ - Club Red +
27 - Albuquerque, NM - Launchpad +
28 - El Paso, TX - Rockhouse Bar +
29 - Dallas, TX - Reno's Chop Shop +
30 - Austin, TX - Come and Take It Live +
31 - Houston, TX - BFE Rock Club +

^ with Exmortus, Hatchet
* with Exmortus, Hatchet, Black Fast
% with Exmortus, Hatchet, Micawber
# with Thrown Into Exile, Goregang
+ with Goregang

FOREIGNER and WHITESNAKE kicked off their "Juke Box Heroes" tour last night (Friday, June 15) at Darling's Waterfront Pavilion in Bangor, Maine.

Joining WHITESNAKE frontman David Coverdale in the band's current lineup are guitarists Reb Beach and Joel Hoekstra, bassist Michael Devin, drummer Tommy Aldridge and keyboardist Michele Luppi.

WHITESNAKE's setlist for the concert was as follows:

01. Bad Boys

02. Give Me All Your Love

03. Love Ain't No Stranger

04. Slow An' Easy

05. Guitar Duel

06. Crying In The Rain

07. Is This Love

08. Slide It In

09. Here I Go Again

10. Still Of The Night

WHITESNAKE announced in April that it was pushing back the projected release date of its new album, "Flesh & Blood", to next year.

The band's record label, Frontiers Music Srl, issued a statement blaming the delay on "technical issues."

Coverdale recently told SiriusXM's "Trunk Nation" that "Flesh & Blood" will "be the best WHITESNAKE album. I know that's clichéd stuff, but I know what I'm talking about. I should do after almost 50 years," he explained.

According to Coverdale, the new disc "has all the necessary WHITESNAKE elements that I need to call it WHITESNAKE, but with a vibrant, fresh coat of paint." The record will mark the first time he has written with WHITESNAKE guitarists Reb Beach and Joel Hoekstra. "The longest-standing member of WHITESNAKE, Reb Beach, [he and I had] never written together until this project," he said. "So it's a family affair. It really is cool. I'm very excited for people to hear it."

Coverdale revealed that recording sessions for the new WHITESNAKE album were halted while he recovered from an illness last year. "I got that horrible H3 flu, which took me out for, I think, about six weeks before I started to feel like myself again," he said. "It was horrifying. It was that strain of flu that the anti-flu vaccination didn't cover. It was just an evil, evil, evil strain of flu."

WHITESNAKE filmed a music video for a new song called "Shut Up & Kiss Me" on March 10. "It's a kick-ass song; you're gonna love it," Coverdale told "Trunk Nation". "But there's gonna some real fun elements paying respect and nod to WHITESNAKE's past, but certainly not as dark and as gritty as [WHITESNAKE's] 'Burn' video [from 'The Purple Album']."

WHITESNAKE's latest studio disc, 2015's "The Purple Album", was billed as "a re-imagination of classic songs from Coverdale's time as the lead singer for DEEP PURPLE's Mark III and Mark IV studio albums." Coverdale was DEEP PURPLE's frontman from late 1973 to early 1976 and sang on the albums "Burn", "Stormbringer" and "Come Taste The Band".







Thank You, Bangor!!! Thanks For Making A [email protected] Great Noise!! & Thank You For Singing With Me!! Helped Me Immensely!!! pic.twitter.com/5y7DZo0qOC— David Coverdale (@davidcoverdale) June 16, 2018

A live recording of the song "Life In Still Water" from progressive metal pioneers FATES WARNING can be streamed below. The track is taken from the band's new live album, "Live Over Europe", which will be released on June 29 via InsideOut Music.

Captured during the most recent European headlining run for FATES WARNING's acclaimed latest studio album, "Theories Of Flight", in January 2018, "Live Over Europe" includes recordings from eight different cities (Aschaffenburg, Germany; Belgrade, Serbia; Thessaloniki and Athens, Greece; Rome and Milan, Italy; Budapest, Hungary and Ljubljana, Slovenia) and a total of 23 songs in over 138 minutes of playing time, spanning 30 years of the group's seminal career.

"Live Over Europe" was mixed by Jens Bogren (OPETH, KREATOR, SYMPHONY X) and mastered by Tony Lindgren at Fascination Street Studios in Sweden and will be available as limited 2CD mediabook, gatefold 3LP + bonus-2CD or as digital album.

FATES WARNING vocalist Ray Alder stated: "We would like to thank each and every one of our fans that helped us make 'Live Over Europe'. We had a great time making this album and we hope that you enjoyed the shows as much as we did playing them."

"Live Over Europe" track listing:

CD 1:

01. From The Rooftops

02. Life In Still Water

03. One

04. Pale Fire

05. Seven Stars

06. SOS

07. Pieces Of Me

08. Firefly

09. The Light And Shade Of Things

10. Wish

11. Another Perfect Day

12. Silent Cries

13. And Yet It Moves

CD 2:

01. Still Remains

02. Nothing Left To Say

03. Acquiescence

04. The Eleventh Hour

05. Point Of View

06. Falling

07. A Pleasant Shade Of Gray, Pt. IX

08. Through Different Eyes

09. Monument

10. Eye To Eye

FATES WARNING 2018 is:

Bobby Jarzombek - Drums

Joey Vera - Bass and Vocals

Ray Alder - Vocals

Jim Matheos - Guitars

Mike Abdow - Guitars and Vocals

Asked how he feels being attached to the "progressive" tag, Matheos told Goldmine in a 2016 interview: "I understand the need for labels. We all use labels. I use them if I have to describe something I'm listening to… I'll use whatever label comes to mind. That's the one that fits in general. It doesn't bother me. I just think that whole term doesn't mean that much anymore. The stuff that people give to me to listen to all the time — 'Oh, this is great prog stuff. You're gonna love it.' But, to me, if I even bother to listen to it, it sounds like something I've heard a hundred times before."


Photo credit: Stephanie Cabral

Japanese metal juggernauts CROSSFAITH will release their new album, "Ex_Machina", on August 3. The disc features lead single "The Perfect Nightmare" as well as cameos from ENTER SHIKARI frontman Rou Reynolds and industrial hip hoppers Ho99o9.


On "Ex_Machina", singer Kenta "Ken" Koie explains: "After we released our last album 'Xeno', we were thinking about what the next theme is for us. We decided on 'awake the individuality,' because we're always trying to make new things and that's a big part of the band's attitude.


"This album is a grave warning for our future. I hope you guys listen to this and think about what the meaning of this album is for you and feel how you feel through this album and start something for your future."


"Ex_Machina" is a concept album set in an alternative near future in which the ruling class, known as Angels, maintain their world through artificial intelligence and other technology, which dehumanises people and effectively turns them into drones — as explained in the opening title track, "Deus Ex Machina".


The other 12 songs featured on the album represent the voice of the resistance — in the form of underdogs known as Demons. Kenta was inspired to include these figures by Devilman Crybaby, particularly on the SLIPKNOT-esque "Catastrophe", the frantic, bloodcurdling "The Perfect Nightmare", and the epic assault of "Daybreak", rather than because they wanted to provide a comment on religion.


"There's no particular religious message," clarifies Ken. "In order to explore the dualism of humans, we decided to include angels and demons, which are opposing elements just like fire and water."


"Angels aren't necessarily good and demons aren't necessarily bad," he explains. "The most important theme is that we should never stop questioning the world around us."


"Ex_Machina" is a relentless album that strives for the listener's attention, and is unquestionably the heaviest that CROSSFAITH have put their name to since forming in their native Osaka in 2006.

Since their inception, CROSSFAITH have been on the edge of a fusion of rock, metal, electronica and big ideas on their albums; and the edge of euphoria with their live shows. "Ex_Machina" is the album on which they walk that fine, fiery line more skillfully and seismically than ever.


"Ex_Machina" track listing:

01. Deus Ex Machina

02. Catastrophe

03. The Perfect Nightmare

04. Destroy (ft. Ho99o9)

05. Freedom (ft. Rou Reynolds from ENTER SHIKARI)

06. Make A Move

07. Lost In You

08. Wipeout

09. Milestone

10. Eden In The Rain

11. Twin Shadows

12. Daybreak

13. Faint (ft. Masato from COLDRAIN)

THE BLACK QUEEN, the unbridled experimental electronic-meets-alternative trio of Greg Puciato (ex-THE DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN), Josh Eustis (TELEFON TEL AVIV) and Steven Alexander Ryan (NINE INCH NAILS, A PERFECT CIRCLE technician), returns with its sophomore album, "Infinite Games", on September 28.

The 10-track album marks the debut release to come from the band's newly formed creative entity, Federal Prisoner, a joint collective between the band members and acclaimed fine artist Jesse Draxler (creator of the artwork for both "Fever Daydream" and "Infinite Games"). While the partners are keeping their plans for Federal Prisoner under wraps, the enterprise will serve as the creative homestead for the foursome, with future releases already in the works. "Federal Prisoner won't function like a typical label," says Puciato. "It's an expression of passion and individualism in a way that opens more doors for us to create and to own what we create with minimal compromise. It's as much an act of refusal as it is a statement of intent. We won't be working within the current industry blueprint of premieres, ‘instant grat tracks' or any of that nonsense. We're concentrating on the music, videography and packaging, an aural and visual experience. It's exciting to create our own path."

"Infinite Games" follows a host of emotional moments for the band members, from Puciato's Polish bus accident, the demise of THE DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN, Eustis's return to TELEFON TEL AVIV, and a robbery of the trio's storage space. It was these events that informed "Infinite Games". Eustis, Puciato and Ryan seized the opportunity to rebuild and create their own studio, giving them a spot to regularly convene, to follow kernels of ideas to fruition (or not) and to re-cement their friendship that's often been sidelined by touring with other outfits.

"This time, we learned how to do everything ourselves," explains Puciato, discussing what's changed since the band's debut, "Fever Daydream". "There's less uncertainty and more confidence. I'm speaking both about the artistic and business aspect of creating and releasing an album. As for what's changed with 'Infinite Games', I think it feels more conceptual as an album. It's less a collection of songs and more about the front to back listen. Probably because it wasn't compiled over a four-year span of time like the last one. This one is actually hookier but more insidious, it's a more delicate record."

"Infinite Games" pre-orders are available now via theblackqueen.bandcamp.com. Vinyl, cassette and CD are highly limited with several variations already sold out.

The "Infinite Games" album cover artwork was created by Jesse Draxler and can be seen below.


"Infinite Games" track listing:

01. Even Still I Want To

02. Thrown Into The Dark

03. No Accusations

04. Your Move

05. Lies About You

06. Impossible Condition

07. Spatial Boundaries

08. 100 To Zero

09. Porcelain Veins

10. One Edge Of Two

Photo credit: J Whitaker

"Angels Or Demons", the new video from NWOBHM (New Wave Of British Heavy Metal) veterans BLITZKRIEG, can be seen below. The song is taken from the band's latest album, "Judge Not!", which was released on April 27 via Mighty Music. The follow-up to 2013's "Back From Hell" was recorded at Downcast Base HQ in Newcastle, U.K. by Phil Davies, but the band elected to use a different studio this time around for mixing. Because the BLITZKRIEG members all admire the work of Denmark's Hansen Studios, most notably the mix of the PRETTY MAIDS' "Pandemonium" album, they enlisted Jonas Haagensen from Hansen to mix "Judge Not!"

"We're all really excited in the band about the release of the new BLITZKRIEG album, especially after how well the 'Reign Of Fire' EP turned out to close out last year; the reviews and response to that has been very good," said guitarist Ken Johnson.

"We all hope everyone enjoys listening to the new material as much as we enjoyed the production and recording of 'Judge Not!'."

BLITZKRIEG's "Reign Of Fire" was released as a seven-inch vinyl EP in December in a limited edition of 500 copies embraced by amazing handdrawn old-school metal artwork by Lee Murphy.

2015 marked the thirty-fifth anniversary of BLITZKRIEG, which came into existence in 1980. Although their debut single, "Buried Alive" b/w "Blitzkrieg" (on Neat Records) was released in 1981, it was not till 1985 that the band recorded its debut album, as singer Brian Ross was involved with his other group, SATAN, recording and touring their debut opus, "Court In The Act".

BLITZKRIEG's "A Time Of Changes" included the band's self-titled song "Blitzkrieg", which was covered by METALLICA on the "Creeping Death" EP. METALLICA's drummer, Lars Ulrich, commented that BLITZKRIEG was one of his band's main musical inspirations, along with DIAMOND HEAD.

Brian, the only remaining founding member of BLITZKRIEG, said: "Lars Ulrich phoned me up and asked if they could cover the song.

"METALLICA were, and still are, big fans of the band. We have met up with them a few times over the years and I am really pleased that they still play 'Blitzkrieg' at gigs."

Brian said that he tried to give the then-unknown METALLICA a helping hand in the early 1980s.

"They sent me their demo when they were still unsigned, asking for my help to get them on our label," he said. "But the label turned them down, saying they'd never go anywhere.

"I met up with the guy who made that call a few years ago and he says it is the biggest mistake of his life."

BLITZKRIEG is:

Brian Ross - Lead vocals

Ken Johnson - Guitars, keyboards, backing vocals

Alan Ross - Guitars, Backing vocals

Matt Graham - Drums

Huw Holding - Bass

Band photo by Geoff Duke

FOO FIGHTERS surprised fans earlier tonight (Thursday, June 14) during their performance at Florence, Italy's legendary Firenze Rocks festival by bringing out GUNS N' ROSES members Axl Rose, Slash and Duff McKagan. The rock legends joined forces to perform a larger-than-life rendition of the GN'R classic "It's So Easy".

GUNS N' ROSES will play a full set at Firenze Rocks tomorrow (Friday, June 15).

After one of the first shows on GUNS N' ROSES' "Not In This Lifetime" tour in April 2016, Rose tweeted his gratitude, crammed full of emoji and exclamation points, at Grohl, who lent the then-injured GN'R singer the throne he had used on a FOO FIGHTERS tour one year earlier.

Grohl joined GUNS N' ROSES on stage last November at the BOK Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma to perform the song "Paradise City".

GUNS N' ROSES is currently on the road playing 27 dates through the end of the year, and will close 2018 in Johannesburg, South Africa on November 29.

The "Not In This Lifetime" tour features classic lineup members Slash, McKagan and Rose backed by guitarist Richard Fortus, drummer Frank Ferrer, keyboardist Dizzy Reed and new second keyboardist Melissa Reese.

Photo credit: Katarina Benzova

BAD WOLVES' video for the song "Remember When" can be seen below. The track is taken from the band's debut album, "Disobey", which bowed at No. 23 on the Billboard 200 chat with 19,000 equivalent album units earned in the week ending May 17.

The "Remember When" clip explores BAD WOLVES frontman Tommy Vext's relationship with his brother.

"My twin brother is currently serving 17 years for attempted murder — [he] tried to kill me during a home invasion when he was high in 2010," Vext said in a recent interview with Kerrang! "[Testifying against him] was definitely one of the more difficult moments of my life."

"'Remember When' kinda goes through a timeline and highlights two people who lived the exact same life and had the exact same hardships and advantages and disadvantages, and who we are ultimately as adults is defined by the choices that we made, and our lives reflect those choices."

"Disobey" also includes BAD WOLVES' massively successful cover of THE CRANBERRIES hit "Zombie". The track hit the Top 15 on the American rock radio chart and was No. 1 on iTunes in multiple countries, including the U.K., Sweden, Canada, New Zealand, Australia and THE CRANBERRIES' home country of Ireland.

Late CRANBERRIES singer Dolores O'Riordan was slated to record vocals for BAD WOLVES' cover of the track on the day that she died in a London hotel this past January. The band decided to release the song in her honor with all proceeds going to her children.

The original single was first released by THE CRANBERRIES in 1994 and became a worldwide No. 1 hit.

BAD WOLVES will spend much of the foreseeable future on the road. Starting mid-July, BAD WOLVES will join FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH, along with BREAKING BENJAMIN and NOTHING MORE, and remain on the road through September.

BAD WOLVES is drummer John Boecklin (ex-DEVILDRIVER) and vocalist Tommy Vext (DIVINE HERESY, SNOT), as well as guitarists Doc Coyle (ex-GOD FORBID), Chris Cain (BURY YOUR DEAD), and bassist Kyle Konkiel (ex-IN THIS MOMENT).

Photo credit: Alysse Gafkjen

"The Fog", the new video from New York hardcore veterans MADBALL, can be seen below. The song is taken from the band's new album, "For The Cause", which is being released today (Friday, June 15) via Nuclear Blast. The follow-up to 2014's "Hardcore Lives" was co-produced by Tim Armstrong (RANCID), who also makes a guest appearance on "The Fog". It was mixed and mastered by renowned producer Tue Madsen (MESHUGGAH, THE HAUNTED, SICK OF IT ALL) at Antfarm Studios in Denmark. Former MADBALL guitarist Matt Henderson laid down the guitar tracks in the studio, but will not join the group on tour.

MADBALL recently revealed that legendary rapper, actor and frontman Ice-T (BODY COUNT) guests on one track on "For The Cause".

Commented Ice-T: "It's an honor to record with the legendary MADBALL. BODY COUNT draws its closest similarities to New York hardcore. This is a natural."

Added singer Freddy Cricien: "It's truly an honor to have Ice-T on our record! I grew up on his music from his early hip-hop stuff till now. He's an iconic figure but also a 'class act'; you don't always get both at once. Ice has a great respect for New York hardcore and MADBALL, means the world. This was meant to happen.... real recognizes real."

Last October, MADBALL parted ways with longtime guitarist Brian "Mitts" Daniels. The New York outfit called the split "a very hard and heartbreaking decision for all involved."

"For The Cause" track listing:

01. Smile Now Pay Later

02. Rev Up (feat. Sick Jacken)

03. Freight Train

04. Tempest

05. Old Fashioned

06. Evil Ways (feat. Ice-T)

07. Lone Wolf

08. Damaged Goods

09. The Fog (feat. Tim Timebomb & Steve Whale)

10. Es Tu Vida

11. For You

12. For The Cause

13. Confessions (bonus track; CD and LP only)

The original version of the "For The Cause" title track was released last September via the "Family Biz" split seven-inch single, which saw the Cricien-fronted outfit joining forces with Pennsylvania's blue-collar-core heroes WISDOM IN CHAINS.

Marilyn Manson's cover version of Gerard McMahon's "Cry Little Sister", which is best known as the theme to the 1987 cult classic "The Lost Boys", has just been released and can be streamed below. The shock rocker recorded the song for the soundtrack of the forthcoming X-Men movie "The New Mutants", which is due in August 2019.

Manson has reportedly already filmed a video for his version of "Cry Little Sister" with director Bill Yukich. The singer teased the clip on Instagram in May, describing it as "a supernatural experience."

Over the years, Manson has released a number of covers, including his versions of the EURYTHMICS' "Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)", SOFT CELL's "Tainted Love" and DEPECHE MODE's "Personal Jesus".

Marilyn Manson and Rob Zombie will join forces for the "Twins of Evil - The Second Coming" tour this sumer. The 29-date North American trek will kick off in Detroit on July 11.

DRAGONLORD, the California-based black metal band led by TESTAMENT guitarist Eric Peterson, has released a lyric video for the title track of its upcoming third album, "Dominion". The disc will be released on September 21 via Spinefarm Records.

The new DRAGONLORD CD features the drumming of Alex Bent from TRIVIUM. Eric said: "[Alex] is from a younger age and different though process, but very much influenced from the classic drummers like Neil Peart. He is breathing new life into DRAGONLORD."

Peterson previously said that the third DRAGONLORD album would feature "some pretty mature-sounding symphonic blackened thrash." He added: "It will have more of a melodic touch to it and memorable song structures. It's still gonna be heavy as hell, but it's gonna be a well-rounded record. New songs 'Kings Frost', 'The Devil's Insight' and 'Battle At Mordor' will surely raise the hairs on your back!"

"Dominion" recording lineup:

Eric Peterson - vocals, guitars, bass

Lyle Livingston - orchestrated keys, pianos

Alex Bent - drums

Leah - female vocals, choirs

DRAGONLORD's sophomore album, "Black Wings of Destiny", was released in the U.S. in October 2005 via Escapi Music. The follow-up to 2001's "Rapture" (Spitfire Records) was recorded and mixed by Fredrik Nordström (HAMMERFALL, DIMMU BORGIR, ARCH ENEMY) at Studio Fredman in Gothenburg, Sweden.

U.D.O., the German metal band led by former ACCEPT frontman Udo Dirkschneider, will release its new album, "Steelfactory", on August 31 via AFM.


The first single, "Rising High", can be streamed below.


According to a press release, "Steelfactory" sees "U.D.O. return to their core competence, clearly influenced by their past shows with DIRKSCHNEIDER, the songs in their rousingly simple straightness have a hymn character, as it is only known from the past."

The press release continues: "'Steelfactory' has become a timeless metal album and thus the impressive statement of a master of his craft. With its earthy, punchy and handmade sound — with the participation of the Danish producer Jacob Hansen (among others, VOLBEAT) — 'Steelfactory' meets the nerve of the time, which may be triggered again since the successful DIRKSCHNEIDER tour worldwide."

"Steelfactory" track listing:

01. Tongue Reaper

02. Make The Move

03. Keeper Of My Soul

04. In The Heat Of The Night

05. Raise The Game

06. Blood On Fire

07. Rising High

08. The Devil Is An Angel (digipack bonus track)

09. Hungry And Angry

10. One Heart One Soul

11. Pictures In My Dreams (digipack bonus track)

12. A Bite Of Evil

13. Eraser

14. Rose In The Desert

15. The Way


Dirkschneider has spent the last two years touring under the DIRKSCHNEIDER banner, performing classic ACCEPT songs for the last time. The trek, which was originally supposed to conclude with the band's North American run in January/February 2017, has now been extended through the fall of 2018.

Guitarist Stefan Kaufmann recently rejoined U.D.O. for the group's summer festival appearances.

Kaufmann left U.D.O. in September 2012 for health reasons.

He was the drummer for ACCEPT on nine albums but was forced to give up drumming towards the end of the band's initial run after sustaining a serious injury to his back.

Stefan joined U.D.O. as a guitar player in 1996, following ACCEPT's second breakup, and recorded nine albums with them, including his most recent release with the group, 2011's "Rev-Raptor".


In addition to Udo and his son Sven (drums), the DIRKSCHNEIDER and U.D.O. bands include bassist Fitty Wienhold and guitarist Andrey Smirnov.

Capital Chaos TV has uploaded video footage of FLOTSAM AND JETSAM's entire June 12 performance at Holy Diver in Sacramento, California. Check it out below.

FLOTSAM AND JETSAM will release its new album, "The End Of Chaos", on November 9 via AFM Records. Vocalist Erik "A.K." Knutson told The Metal Voice about the record: "This actually sounds like a little more up-to-date extension of the last one. There's a little bit of everything on it. A lot of vocals, a lot of vocals. A lot of guitar; there's so much guitar work on this record, it's really kind of nice. It runs in and out of melody after melody."

Added guitarist Michael Gilbert: "Yeah, there's a lot of guitar on it. Me and Steve [Conley, guitar] battle it out. What's kind of cool is that he records his stuff, his solos and guitar work at his house, then I record at my house. It's a little bit of a competition. He'll send me something and be like 'Hey, check out the solo I did.' And I'm like 'Shit! I got to redo mine to match what this guy's doing.' We get that competition going back and forth, so it's kind of fun. We actually push the bar up for each other and this guy [pointing to Erik]. I can't wait to hear what this guy did on the new record coming up. It's pretty badass."

FLOTSAM AND JETSAM recently officially welcomed Ken Mary (ALICE COOPER, ACCEPT) as the band's permanent drummer. Mary began touring with the group last year after Jason Bittner was invited to join OVERKILL.

"It's always awesome to play with the mighty FLOTSAM AND JETSAM," Mary said. "The music is super-challenging and at the same time a great deal of fun to play. With such great musicians in the band that are also great guys, it's going to be a blast!"

"We're excited to announce that Ken will be our new drummer," added the band. "Ken has already tracked all the drums for our upcoming album slated for release later this year, and we're all looking forward to the fans experiencing a new chapter in the history of FLOTSAM AND JETSAM."

FLOTSAM AND JETSAM is currently touring North America alongside Swedish power metal veterans HAMMERFALL.

Cleveland, Ohio-based metallers MUSHROOMHEAD will release their new DVD, titled "Volume III", on August 17 via Megaforce. "Volume III" will feature over 90 minutes of new material, including stunning new music videos, backstage antics, and exclusive never-seen-before content. Pre-orders are available now via Amazon.


The first trailer for "Volume III" is available below.

MUSHROOMHEAD will headline the inaugural edition of the "Summer Of Screams Tour" presented by Scream Factory and Dread Central. Joining MUSHROOMHEAD on the tour will be POWERMAN 5000 (on select dates), THE BROWNING, PSYCHOSTICK (on select dates), KISSING CANDICE, UNSAID FATE, VOODOO TERROR TRIBE (on select dates), and EARTH CALLER (on select dates).

The "Summer Of Screams Tour" will run for 25 shows across North America, beginning on August 17 and running until September 15.

MUSHROOMHEAD's March 17 concert at Music Lynxx in Mentor-on-the-Lake, Ohio marked the band's first appearance with new vocalist Steve Rauckhorst (bassist of PITCH BLACK FORECAST) and guitarist Tommy "Tankx" Shaffner (also of VENTANA).

Guitarist Tommy Church announced his departure from MUSHROOMHEAD on March 9. The musician had been with the band since 2012.

Church made his recording debut with MUSHROOMHEAD on the band's eighth studio album, "The Righteous & The Butterfly", which was released in May 2014 via Megaforce Records.

Church's exit from MUSHROOMHEAD came only a day after co-vocalist Jeffrey Nothing, also known as Jeff Hatrix (born Jeffrey Lewis Hetrick), said he was leaving the Cleveland, Ohio metal band he co-founded in 1993 with Steve "Skinny" Felton.

MUSHROOMHEAD turntablist Richard "Stitch" Thomas said about the band's most recent lineup change: "I know a lot of you are angry and confused on the latest news, but this is not news to us. We were made aware that Jeff and Church were leaving and a plan was in motion to make a proper transition. They both decided to let the cat out of the bag on Facebook before a proper press release was made. This was not part of the plan discussed.

"If I learned anything, it's that MUSHROOMHEAD lives on no matter what and that is what we are doing right now.

"The replacements for both members have been in place for quite awile, the new singer was even endorsed by Mr. Nothing.

"Both of these gentlemen are longtime friends of mine, they are talented musicians and have been in the mosh pits at MUSHROOMHEAD concerts since 1996. They are huge fans of the band and are going to breathe new life into MUSHROOMHEAD, carrying on its legacy into the next chapter. I'm very excited to be sharing the stage with them moving into the future."