Strike Mortal Soil, the debut album from Vancouver's Wormwitch, is scheduled for worldwide release on May 12th via Prosthetic Records. The album track “Even The Sun Will Die” is available for streaming below.

Strike Mortal Soil is available for pre-order at this location.

"To go from recording a demo over a couple days in a sweaty jam space to putting out an LP on Prosthetic within a year and a half... it's just not something we could have realistically expected," remarks the band, "It's got our fingerprints all over it. If something was possible to do ourselves, we did it, down to mixing and artwork."

Tracklisting:

"As Above"
"Howling From The Grave"
"Weregild"
"Even The Sun Will Die"
"Relentless Death"
"Cerulean Abyss"
"Everlasting Lie"
"...And Smote His Ruin Upon The Mountainside"
"Mantle Of Ignorance"
"So Below"

"Even The Sun Will Die”:

"Everlasting Lie" video;

Thematically, Strike Mortal Soil is about being alive and what that means in today's society. The band elaborated, "We live in a society both obsessed with and terrified of death. We exist in a world constantly seeking immortality through fame or Gods. Strike Mortal Soil means to live with a furious passion. It is to be able to enter one's grave like lightning, in rejection of eternity. It enforces the message that life has worth, not from your nationality, your land, your God or your flesh, but what you do with yourself."

For further details, visit Wormwitch on Facebook.

Dutch black metallers Dystopia will release their second full-length album, Chaos Philosophorum, on April 21st. The band has now unveiled the second track, entitled “Black Death”.

The band had the following to say about the track: “”Black Death” explores the idea of what it means to live in a dystopia. It's about the thought that a dystopic society can't only exist because of a corrupt government, but it can also materialize by the absence of one. What happens when your leaders die because of the black plague? What happens when nobody knows what to do and the structure of civilization falls apart? It is a mixture of doom and fleeting hope and the music reflects that."

The album was recorded at Studio Helvete in Den Helder, mixed by Thomas Cochrane of TC Music Productions and finally mastered by Brad Boatright at Audiosiege (Nails, Hooded Menace, Oathbreaker).

The artwork of the follow-up to 2013's Haat was designed by Adam Burke (Mare Cognitum, Mos Generator, Vektor) from Nightjar Illustration.

Dystopia frontman Dennis Onsia commented: "After years of growing and maturing towards our own sound, 'Chaos Philosophorum' feels like the first serious step in our own direction. This album represents us one hundred percent, both musically and emotionally. It includes influences from a lot of diverse musical genres, but I feel that we succeeded in making this album both original and organic."

Themes on Chaos Philosophorum deal with space, existence and death. "We wanted to combine these concepts in our artwork, so we took the medieval plague doctor as a strong and recognizable symbol of death, and combined it with the almost magical shapes and colors of a galaxy. As if he is casting a spell. The artist Adam Burke did a tremendous job converting our ideas into this artwork."

Tracklisting:

“Intro”
“Through The Vortex”
“Black Death”
“Archon”
“Interlude”
“Bound To Annihilate”

“Through The Vortex”:

The official Chaos Philosophorum release show will take place on April 21st at the renowned Patronaat venue in Haarlem, The Netherlands. More information can be found here.

Rare footage of Black Sabbath performing their classic track, “Paranoid”, at Beglium’s Bilzen Pop Festival on August 21st, 1970, is now available for streaming below.

Black Sabbath guitar legend Tony Iommi recently spoke with NBC News about his recent haunting choral composition, "How Good It Is”, that he wrote specifically for the Birmingham Cathedral in his hometown of Birmingham, England.

"It really wasn't anything to do with religion," Iommi told NBC News. "I don't follow any religious path…religiously. It just seemed like a nice thing to do. It was really nice to work with a choir and to do something for our city."

"It's brilliant," Iommi answered when asked how he feels about being called the inventor of heavy metal. "I'm very proud that I've been able to do something that's become very popular."

Iommi said his touring days may be over, but he still wants to keep making music. "I'm certainly not retiring from playing and doing stuff," he said. "But I think since my illness I've had to look at things differently, think sensibly. I feel fine, but I still go for checkups and tests and at the moment I'm okay."

He's written a piece for the long-running CSI television series and he's in the process of mixing the sound from the final Sabbath shows in Birmingham for a possible live album. "We'll actually be doing a documentary," he said. "My job at the moment is to have a listen to what we've done."

Iommi says he also he says he has "bags" of riffs he came up with for Black Sabbath that might one day wind up on a solo album.

Read more at NBC News.

Athens, Georgia-based melodic metal band, Theocracy, have released a lyric video for “Easter”, a track from their new album, Ghost Ship, available via Ulterium Records on CD, 2LP and digital. The 2LP edition is strictly limited to 1,001 copies worldwide. 750 copies comes with black vinyl discs and 251 copies comes with white vinyl discs. Find the new video below.

Ghost Ship tracklisting:

“Paper Tiger”
“Ghost Ship”
“The Wonder Of It All”
“Wishing Well”
“Around The World And Back”
“Stir The Embers”
“A Call To Arms”
“Currency In A Bankrupt World”
“Castaway”
“Easter”

“Easter” lyric video:

"Ghost Ship" video:

“Wishing Well” lyric video:

Theocracy live dates are listed below:

May
27 - Murray Hill Theatre - Jacksonville, FL

June
24 - Reggies - Chicago, IL

July
28 - BFE Rock Club - Houston, TX
29 - O’Rileys - Dallas, TX

November
11 - The Maywood - Raleigh, NC

“Low”, a track from River Black’s upcoming self-titled debut album is available for streaming below. The album will be released on July 7th via Season Of Mist. Pre-orders are available at this location.

River Black deliver the musical equivalent to a diamond-tipped drill to bore breathing-holes into the crusty rusted armour-plating of the metal-genre in order to let some fresh air into the all too often stale scene. Their powerful self-titled debut album impresses with undiluted aggression, precisely executed and dead on target. Based on an intimate knowledge of thrash metal history, the Americans have found a modern answer to this classic style, incorporating suitable elements of death, hardcore, and other influences. This is boosted by a massive sound that drops the bomb in your face.

The expertise that River Black demonstrate in craft and talent does not come out of the blue. Guitarist John Adubato and drummer David Witte (Municipal Waste) formed their new creative outlet after the dissolution of Burnt By The Sun. The veteran duo felt the need to keep the spirit and energy behind that former collective going, while pushing it a darker and heavier direction. To complete their dream team, Witte and Adubato recruited fellow Revocation bassist Brett Bamberger and former Burnt By The Sun collaborator Mike Olender for vocal duties.

On completion of their line-up, River Black recorded their first album at New Jersey’s Trax East studio with producer Eric Rachel. River Black are now ready to drive a vicious spike into the bubble of metallic complacency. Crank up the volume and let River Black hit home hard. Impact is imminent.

Vocalist Mike Olender comments on behalf of River Black: "Our first track out, “Low” is an expression of horror at how religion can become twisted and manipulated by charlatans and demagogues. It was inspired by a news report, I heard about a journalist, who spent some time with the now-deceased Isis leader 'Johnny Jihad'. It revealed how this man used brutality with the purpose of inspiring others with similarly twisted minds. He used videos of his actions as recruiting tools. I was struck by the thought that there are people out there, who not only wouldn't be repelled by these horrific videos, but actually excited and inspired by the images of this man gleefully sawing off the heads of the orange-clad victims kneeling before him. Faiths have always had these characters throughout history, but it is surreal to realize we are living in such dark historic times."

Tracklisting:

“Jaws”
“Honor”
“Low”
“Shipwreck”
“River Black”
“South by South”
“Boat”
“Move”
“#Victim”
“Haunt”
“Sink”
“Everywhere”

“Low”:

In the video below, Melbourne, Australia's Inverloch, featuring half of the legendary Disembowelment, perform their track “Lucid Delirium” live at Roadburn Festival 2016. The footage was filmed by Frank Huang.

The band’s debut full-length release, Distance | Collapsed, is available via Relapse Records.

Tracklisting:

“Distance Collapsed (In Rubble)”
“From The Eventide Pool”
“Lucid Delirium”
“The Empyrean Torment”
“Cataclysm Of Lacuna”

Italian heavy metallers, Black Phantom, have released a lyric video for “Black Phantom”, a song from their new full-length album, Better Beware!, due for release on May 26th via Punishment 18 Records. The video can be found below.

Tracklisting:

“Light Behind The Armour”
“Black Phantom”
“Up Is Down, Black Is White”
“Less Than Zero”
“Firebase Valley Forge”
“From An Is To A Was”
“The Absence”
“Ninth Ring Of Hell”
“The Invisible Man”
“King Of Bottom Feeders”
“Total Eclipse” (Iron Maiden cover)

“Black Phantom” lyric video:

(Photo - Black Phantom Facebook)

British metal band Def-Con-One check in with the following update from leader Antton Lant (ex-Venom):

“When the band kind of fell to bits back in February I was gutted, I’ve had this band for 20 years now with a lot of lineup changes over the years, the band only really started to work once I left Venom and put my all into getting things rolling.

“I basically looked after every aspect of the band, from booking all our gigs to getting the record deals the band had etc. I was basically left on my own not knowing what to do, I’ve been inundated with messages from people wanting to join the band or wanting me to join their bands, a couple of quite well known bands too, and lots of messages suggesting I carry on with the band with new people, I still wasn’t sure what I wanted to do, one thing I definitely did not want is a parody, I didn’t want anyone wanting to sound or look like past members.

“I want people to be themselves, which I’ve definitely found, since I have written most of the stuff since day one it will definitely still sound like Def-Con-One.

“A good friend of mine that I’ve known over 30 years suggested a singer and I sent him a few backing tracks I had and let him do his thing, I was floored when I got them back, it’s very different and very powerful, he doesn’t sound like any of the singers that have gone before him, and it most definitely still sounds like Def-Con-One.

“I put this short clip together and sent it to a chosen few in the industry to get feedback, people I’ve worked with, promoters and DJs, I am over the moon with all the feedback.

“A few people saying similar things about other bands, you know some people like Paul Di’Anno in Maiden, some prefer Bruce, some prefer Blaze, I know people who prefer Dio over Ozzy in Sabbath, or Bon over Brian in AC/DC, it’s all down to taste and I think fans of Def-Con-One will like what they hear.

“Here is a short clip of an old track called “Brute Force And Ignorance”; it’s the old backing with a new vocal over it. Full 2017 lineup will be announced soon with photos, etc.”

Japanese pop-metal sensation BABYMETAL will stage The Five Fox Festival during July and August.

The festival will take place across Japan at four different venues and some of the shows are for specific audiences only and have strict dress codes.

See the poster below for details of each show.

Says BABYMETAL: "Each show has its own specific conditions which purchasers must abide by. Please make sure that all of the conditions are met before you make the purchase.

"In the case that the purchaser does not meet the specific conditions and wins the ticket, we reserve the right to refuse admittance."

BABYMETAL released "Live At Tokyo Dome" on April 1. The 2 Blu-ray + 4 CD set captures the band's two September 2016 concerts at Tokyo Dome which saw BABYMETAL perform in front of 110,000 people.

BABYMETAL is supporting the RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS on select dates of their U.S. tour in April. They will also hit the road with KORN and STONE SOUR in June.

BABYMETAL appeared as special guests to METALLICA at the Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul, Korea on January 11 as part of the latter band's "Worldwired" world tour. They also supported GUNS N' ROSES in Japan in January.

BABYMETAL made its U.S. late-night TV debut on "The Late Show With Stephen Colbert" in April 2016, performing "Gimme Chocolate" off their debut album.

The official lyric video for "Louder", a brand new song from Massachusetts metallers ALL THAT REMAINS, can be seen below. The track is taken from the band's highly anticipated eighth studio album, "Madness", which will be released on April 28 via Eleven Seven Music.

According to a press release "Louder" "ebbs and flows between moments of melodic, guitar driven riffs and heavy, head-banger bars, swelling to a full on pit-ready breakdown complete with a frenzied guitar solo. Vocalist Phil Labonte follows the flow of the track, perfectly switching from clean vocals to guttural howls and enhancing the songs message of standing your ground. You can feel his conviction in the lyrics, 'The truth is loud no matter where you hide. Sleep walker, fear monger, I make the rules you ain't got nothing on me.'"

When asked about the inspiration behind "Louder", Labonte shared: "The song 'Louder' is about not backing down or self-censoring because people yell about what you think or believe. There will always be people who want to shout you down or say you can't and that's when you have to stand firm.

"There isn't really an overall theme of this record any more than there was for any other ALL THAT REMAINS disc. Lyrically, it's all small parts of my life I put together and laid down. They're all small parts of me."

"Madness" was recorded at West Valley Studios in Woodland Hills, California with producer Howard Benson, who has previously worked with such acts as MOTÖRHEAD, PAPA ROACH, THREE DAYS GRACE, FLYLEAF, P.O.D. and HALESTORM.

Labonte told Revolver magazine about ALL THAT REMAINS's approach on the new disc: "We wanted to mix it up a little bit and write from a vocal perspective this time. So I went to L.A. and came up with vocal ideas and melodies and then sent those chord progressions back to Oli and he wrote riffs in response to that. [Doing it this way] turned the record into a vocal album as opposed to a guitar album. And that affected some things. Like, there might be less intricacy in the riffs because they were written in response to my voice."

Labonte added that the majority of the new ALL THAT REMAINS songs feature "significant programming and electronic sounds. And that's something we wanted to have flowing through the entire record. So you're gonna hear that kind of influence on most of the tracks."

Asked by Ryan Daniels of of Rock 105.5, Carolina's Pure Rock radio station, about the "sellout" accusations that have been leveled at ALL THAT REMAINS for the more radio-friendly sound of the album's first single, "Madness", Labonte said: "If you're doing something — making music — and specifically catering to an audience that you have catered to or that has found something to attach to, is it a sellout to try and change and do something different? Or is it a sellout to be, like, 'Okay, this is the safe play where I know I can make my money?' It's, like, I know I that I can cater to this narrow group of people, and if we don't stray, these people will keep buying our records, these people will keep coming to our shows. Is it a sellout to be, like, 'I'm gonna try something different?'"

He continued: "People have been saying 'sellout' about us since 2006, since we put out 'The Fall Of Ideals'. We started doing clean choruses, and people were, like, 'Oh, sellout!' And it's, like, gimme a fucking break. We've always tried to push [the envelope] and change."

"Madness" track listing:

01. Safe House02. Madness03. Nothing I Can Do04. If I'm Honest05. Halo06. Louder07. River City08. Open Grave09. Far From Home10. Trust And Believe11. Back To You12. Never Sorry13. The Thunder Rolls

Chicago death metallers BROKEN HOPE will release their new full-length album, "Mutilated And Assimilated", on June 23 via Century Media Records.

Regarding the follow-up to 2013's "Omen Of Disease", BROKEN HOPE guitarist, lyricist and founding member Jeremy Wagner says: "BROKEN HOPE studio album number seven?! Un-fucking-believable! I'm floored at how amazing our new album turned out. The songs are relentless and violent and dark and heavy — and all from a fresh and ferocious place we haven't shared before. Moreover, thanks to my new studio and the stellar work of engineering/producing Jedi — Scott Creekmore — the production is on a sonic level like we've never had in our career.

"For me personally, I feel 'Mutilated And Assimilated' is my own finest hour as a guitarist and lyricist since I formed this band as teenager. I've never felt this inspired before. The album has my strongest riffage to date, it also has Leski riffage on a few songs, it has my best friends on it, and in a crazy twist, I used Jeff Hanneman's guitars to write the album with and used them to track with in honor of his influence on myself and the world of metal."

"Mutilated And Assimilated" will be released as a limited edition CD+DVD digipak in North America and in a special edition CD+DVD digipak in Europe, as well as digital and streaming versions available on all the major outlets worldwide.

"Mutilated and Assimilated" track listing:

01. The Meek Shall Inherit Shit (02:48)02. The Bunker (03:28)03. Mutilated And Assimilated (03:31)04. Outback Incest Clan (02:31)05. Malicious Meatholes (03:50)06. Blast Frozen (01:58)07. The Necropants (03:14)08. The Carrion Eaters (03:07)09. Russian Sleep Experiment (03:15)10. Hell's Handpuppets (02:48)11. Beneath Antarctic Ice (01:25)12. Swamped-In Gorehog (06:21)

BROKEN HOPE in 2015 overhauled its lineup by adding bassist Diego Soria (DISGORGE) and guitarist Matt Szlachta (DIRGE WITHIN, CHIMAIRA).

BROKEN HOPE is:

Damian Leski - VocalsJeremy Wagner - GuitarsMike Miczek - DrumsMatt Szlachta - Lead GuitarsDiego Soria – Bass

AVANTASIA and EDGUY mastermind Tobias Sammet says that the reunion of HELLOWEEN's classic lineup is "the best thing that could have happened to all of" the players involved. Dubbed "Pumpkins United", HELLOWEEN's upcoming tour will feature seven musicians — including former members Michael Kiske (vocals) and Kai Hansen (guitar), alongside current singer Andi Deris and guitarist Sascha Gerstner — performing material spanning the band's entire three-decade-plus history.

Sammet, who has previously recorded and toured with Hansen and Kiske in AVANTASIA, told Jovan Ristić of Serbia's Nocturne magazine about HELLOWEEN's renewed collaboration with the two players: "When [Kiske] signed with HELLOWEEN's management back in 2008, I knew it was just a matter of time. Then [Michael] and Kai got along very well on [AVANTASIA's] 'Metal Opera' tour, so Kai joined UNISONIC afterward. Their drummer manages HELLOWEEN. It's an incestuous business. [Laughs] The whole thing was overdue and planned."

He continued: "Yes, I was a bit sad as I knew it would mean that Michael is not allowed to play with AVANTASIA anymore, but I have waited for this moment as much as everyone else. It's the best thing that could have happened to all of them. I wish them nothing but the best for the future."

Back in 2013, Sammet recalled his impression of Michael's vocal abilities when he first heard HELLOWEEN's music more than twenty-five years ago. He said: "I never saw [Kiske] with HELLOWEEN. I saw HELLOWEEN without [Kiske] and I saw [Kiske] without HELLOWEEN and I saw bands without [Kiske] and without HELLOWEEN. All combinations. [Laughs] But I was too young to see [Michael] with HELLOWEEN. By the time I got into HELLOWEEN, I was twelve and three years later, Michael had, ahm, 'left' HELLOWEEN. But I remember that when I first heard 'Eagle Fly Free', I wanted to become a singer myself, because I thought that this guy was amazing. He had the technique of Geoff Tate and the raspiness of Bruce Dickinson. The funny thing is that I got to know [IRON] MAIDEN and QUEENSRŸCHE only after I got into HELLOWEEN, so I thought those two singers were stealing from Michael Kiske. [Laughs] Honestly, Michael changed my point of view on music. It was so powerful and so uplifting at the same time. It was like Beethoven's 'Hymn To Joy'. It was positive music with a lot of energy and I never thought something like that existed. I was used to 'Rock And Roll All Nite' of KISS to AC/DC, which was powerful but angry. HELLOWEEN was not angry. It was powerful and positive."

Earlier this week, Jeremy Baker of the Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada radio station CFOX conducted an interview with METALLICA drummer Lars Ulrich. You can now listen to the chat using the SoundCloud widget below.

Asked if he would agree that METALLICA's new album, "Hardwired… To Self-Destruct", contains musical elements of all of the band's previous efforts, Lars said: "In the last six months, as I've criss-crossed this wonderful planet and done lots of shows and interviews and appearances, I've heard so many analogies and assessments of this record. Thankfully, pretty much all of them have been super positive and very complementary. I've heard everything — you know, 'METALLICA is back to this,' or, back to that', 'or 'doing this again' — and I think that the best thing that I could do is kind of just nod my head and agree with all that."

He continued: 'When we sit down and make a record, our primary goal is to come up with the best collection of songs possible in that moment. And sometimes when we've made records that have been a battlecry or a blueprint or a destination point that's been more obvious or more focused than at other times, on this record, there wasn't really a specific kind of thing that we were going after. We just wanted to, like I said, turn the best songs into the best record possible. I don't think that there's a right or wrong way to look at these songs."

Ulrich added: "A lot of people seem to feel that this certainly has a correlation to previous METALLICA records, and I'm not gonna talk anybody out of that whatsoever. I'm stunned and kind of overwhelmed at the amount of love and appreciation that's coming in the direction of this new record. People have really embraced this record in ways that we did not even think was possible. So I'm happy with that. And all the rest of it's gravy. Like I said, if people think that it's this or that or whatever, I'm not gonna talk anybody out of it. It seems to just connect with people in ways that are very special and I'm, like, very appreciative of that. So it's a good time to be in METALLICA right now."

Lars also talked about the stong sales performance of "Hardwired… To Self-Destruct", which hit No. 1 in a staggering 57 countries, Top 3 in 75 countries and Top 5 in 105 countries upon its release last November.

"This day and age when releasing records is such a crapshoot and you have no idea what's really gonna happen… I mean, it really is the Wild West out there, and the remnants of the once-functioning music business and all this stuff… I mean, who knows what the hell is gonna happen when you put a record out," he said. "So I'm just happy that people to, like I said, really care about this record, embrace it on a worldwide basis. This record has just really connected with people in so many different countries where we've been in the last couple of months, from Latin America to Asia — China, Mexico, Singapore or wherever — all these crazy, crazy, wonderful places we've been. Certainly in this day and age where putting records out is, like I said… you never really what's gonna happen and you never quite know what to expect. Twenty years ago, thirty years ago, there was much more of a… it would fall into an expected path: 'Here's the record. Now this is gonna happen. And that's gonna happen.' It would sort of be by the books. Nowadays, who knows what's up, down and sideways? So the fact that you can put out a record that people care about and that seems to connect and sell and sound somewhat relevant or contemporary, or whatever people say about it, is a pretty awesome thing."

The North American leg of METALLICA's "WorldWired" 2017 tour kicks off in Baltimore and will hit stadiums in 25 cities before winding down in mid-August. Support on the quartet's first North American trek since 2009 will come mainly from AVENGED SEVENFOLD and VOLBEAT, with GOJIRA taking over for the latter group for the last six shows.

The first European leg of "WorldWired" kicks off on September 4 in Amsterdam, The Netherlands and stretches through November. After a break, the trek will pick up again on February 10, 2018 in Bologna, Italy, and continue through May, finishing up in Helsinki, Finland.

Finnish epic metallers WINTERSUN have recruited a new second guitarist, 27-year old Asim Searah. Asim, who was born in Pakistan and moved to Finland at the age of 18 to pursue a career in music, previously played in several bands and projects.

WINTERSUN's Jari Mäenpää commented: "We've known him for a long time and we knew he is a great singer, but we didn't realize how a talented and skillful guitar player he is. Asim was actually the first one who sent us an audition video, which surprised us very positively. After the video auditions and two rounds of live auditions, we realized he was exactly what we were looking for. He is very motivated and passionate with a good heavy metal attitude — a great guitar player and vocalist to improve the live sound of WINTERSUN even further!"

Asim commented: "It's an honour to be a part of a band that I have looked up to for many years. It's definitely a dream come true and I'm super excited to share the stage with WINTERSUN!"

WINTERSUN's third studio album, "The Forest Seasons", will be released in July through Nuclear Blast.

WINTERSUN's "Time I" was nominated in the "Metal Album Of The Year" category at the 2013 Emma Gaala (Finnish Grammy equivalent), which was held at Barona Areena in Espoo, Finland.

"Time I" sold nearly 4,000 copies in its first week of release in the United States to land at position No. 109 on The Billboard 200 chart.

WINTERSUN's debut CD was released in September 2004 through Nuclear Blast Records.

Swedish doom metallers AVATARIUM will release their third studio album, "Hurricanes And Halos", on May 26 via Nuclear Blast. The artwork for the disc was once again created by Erik Rovanpera, who previously designed the cover art of the band's debut album, and shows a mystical creature inspired by the epic track "Medusa Child".

The first trailer for "Hurricanes And Halos", in which singer Jennie-Ann Smith and guitarist Marcus Jidell discuss the songwriting process and the arrangements of their eight new tracks, can be seen below.

"Hurricanes And Halos" track listing:

01. Into The Fire / Into The Storm (4:14)02. The Starless Sleep (4:47)03. Road To Jerusalem (5:48)04. Medusa Child (9:00)05. The Sky At The Bottom Of The Sea (5:25)06. When Breath Turns To Air (4:46)07. A Kiss (From The End Of The World) (7:14)08. Hurricanes And Halos (3:32)

"To be asked to do the artwork for the new AVATARIUM album was an honor," states Rovanpera. "And without knowing the lyrics to the title song 'Hurricanes And Halos', this is my interpretation of the title. Inspired by art nouveau, comic books and many other things in the current art movement this is my take on the good, the bad, the beauty and the beast. And using a broader color palette than usual and thereby pushing my own borders was great fun to do".

As was the case with the band's first two efforts, AVATARIUM relies on beauty and darkness, heavy guitars and fragile sounds, unique female vocals and the mystic vintage blues sound from the '60s, while still staying on modern ground and trusting into the haunting soul of doom rock. Six out of the eight new tracks were forged by CANDLEMASS wizard Leif Edling, but guitar master Marcus Jidell and Jennie-Ann Smith also contributed to the songwriting and formed a worthy successor to "The Girl With The Raven Mask" — an album that landed the band the "Up And Coming" award from Germany's Metal Hammer magazine.

"Hurricanes And Halos" was produced by Jidell himself, while David Castillo (KATATONIA, BLOODBATH, OPETH) recorded and mixed it in the famous Ghost Ward Studios and the mastering was done by Jens Bogren (SOILWORK, SEPULTURA). Together they created an organic and warm sound that sets "Hurricanes And Halos" apart from the overbred, electronically optimized mass.

"Recording 'Hurricanes And Halos' has truly been an emotional roller coaster for me and I do think that has contributed to a pure and vibrating energy on the album. I am deeply proud of what we have achieved together," stated Jennie-Ann Smith. Jidell added: "It feels like the two previous albums and the EPs lead us to this one. It's been a natural flow to where we are today, musical- and emotional-wise."

The reunited original lineup of ROCK GODDESS — the female power trio from the days of NWOBHM (New Wave Of British Heavy Metal) featuring sisters Jody and Julie Turner along with bassist Tracey Lamb — will release a new three-song EP called "It's More Than Rock And Roll" on May 19. The effort will be made available digitally via Cargo Records and as a physical CD, complete with a four-page booklet in a jewel case, through ROCK GODDESS directly. The first 500 copies will be signed and numbered.

Jody Turner wrote and produced all the songs on "It's More Than Rock And Roll", with Wes Maebe mixing and mastering the record.

According to a press release, the "It's More Than Rock And Roll" title track "is a mid-paced roaster that has genuine depth, yet a chant-a-long chorus to get everyone on their feet. The lyrics betray the GODDESS's complete immersion in the passion of this genre. 'Back Off' sees the band locked into an assaulting groove, one full of a spirit born from that essential-yet-so-often-elusive balance between virtuosity and aggression. 'We're All Metal' not only namechecks iconic artists across metal and rock's past and present, but is an anthem for all ages. From six to 96, it'll get everyone pumping out the horn sign!"

The video for the "It's More Than Rock And Roll" title track will premiere on Vintage TV at Nicky Horne's "Friday Rock Show' on April 21.

"It's been a long time coming, but we got there," says Jody. "We are so proud of this, and of each other. We hope people enjoy it as much as we want them to."

ROCK GODDESS was formed in 1977 in Wandsworth South London by Jody Turner (guitar and vocals) and Julie Turner (drums) when they were thirteen and nine years old, respectively. They recruited school friend Tracey Lamb on bass guitar.

ROCK GODDESS first rose to the nation's awareness when they were first featured in Kerrang! No. 5 in 1981 in the "Armed And Ready" section as one of the bands to watch out for. After recording a four-track demo tape and an appearance at the Reading Festival in 1982, sharing a bill with IRON MAIDEN, plus regular shows at the Marquee club, the band landed a contract with the A&M label. They recorded their eponymous debut album with producer Vic Maile in 1983 and hit the lower end of the charts. A follow-up album, "Hell Hath No Fury", arrived a year later, by which time Lamb had left the band to form SHE and later to join GIRLSCHOOL.

After their contract with A&M expired in 1987, ROCK GODDESS' already recorded (in 1985) third album, titled "Young And Free", was released only in France. The effort saw the band taking on a more commercial sound.

ROCK GODDESS' career was cut short by financial and contractual problems, which forced them to disband shortly thereafter.

ROCK GODDESS did briefly reform in 2009 and was due to play Hard Rock Hell festival in Prestatyn, and was also booked to perform at the Headbangers Open Air festival in Germany the following summer, but split before they had a chance to appear at either event.

In March 2013, it was announced that the original ROCK GODDESS lineup had reunited and would start recording a new album.

LINKIN PARK's new song "Good Goodbye" can be streamed below. The track, which is a collaboration with G.O.O.D. Music president Pusha T and U.K. rapper Stormzy, is taken from the band's upcoming album, "One More Light", which is due out May 19. The band previously released two more songs so far from the record, "Heavy" and "Battle Symphony".

LINKIN PARK vocalist Chester Bennington recently defended the band against the backlash caused by the pop direction of "One More Light". Speaking with Rock Sound, Bennington said that the group began writing pop songs even before recording its heavy 2014 album, "The Hunting Party". He explained: "We started down a pretty clear path of writing some pretty serious pop music. Mike [Shinoda, co-vocalist] was giving me litmus tests like, 'Hey, what would you say if I said let's do a collaboration with Katy Perry or Kelly Clarkson?' and I was like, 'Fuck yeah! I actually really like pop music.'"

Bennington continued: "It was just a test to see if I'd go, 'Absolutely not, that makes me want to puke' or if I'd be open to the idea, and I'm pretty much open to anything."

Bennington added that the group started taking risks as far as back as its third CD, "Minutes To Midnight", saying: "If the songs are great, that should be all that matters. We feel like we're pushing ourselves creatively… We like to really play with our palette and expand our abilities as songwriters and performers, and that's what we did on this record."

The singer also revealed that he went through a number of personal and family issues over the last couple of years that inspired the lyrics on the new disc, saying, "I literally hated life... it was a legitimate breakdown of me as a human being and then going through all of the effort and hard work it takes to rebuild it and reaping the rewards."

"Heavy" features guest vocals from Kiara Saulters, and was co-written with pop songwriter Emily Wright, who has worked with artists like Miley Cyrus and Katy Perry.

Photo credit: James Minchin





#GoodGoodbye everywhere tonight. Pusha T Stormzy

Posted by Linkin Park on Thursday, April 13, 2017

"Nothing Left", a brand new song from SEETHER, can be streamed below. The track is taken from the band's seventh full-length studio album, titled "Poison The Parish", which will be released on May 12. The first release via frontman Shaun Morgan's new label imprint Canine Riot Records, "Poison The Parish" is among the heaviest and emotionally pure efforts of the band's illustrious career. The album's epic lead single "Let You Down", premiered in February. The track's beautifully shot, horror-inspired video was unveiled via VEVO; watch it below.

Recorded at Blackbird Studio in Nashville, Tennessee, "Poison The Parish" marks the first album produced in its entirety by the band's lead singer and songwriter, Shaun Morgan. Playing with a newfound ferocity and purpose, the new material gelled quickly, providing Morgan's dense, melodic grooves and brooding subject matter a gritty luster and room to breathe. Fifteen years deep into an incredibly consistent and rewarding career, SEETHER continues to thrive, pushing its creative boundaries while remaining true to its fiercely loyal, worldwide fan base. "Poison The Parish" is SEETHER at its very best, a gripping and self-assured affirmation of a quintessential hard rock band in peak form.

"Poison The Parish" track listing: 01. Stoke The Fire02. Betray And Degrade03. Something Else04. I'll Survive05. Let You Down06. Against the Wall07. Let Me Heal08. Saviours09. Nothing Left10. Count Me Out11. Emotionless12. Sell My Soul

SEETHER's "Poison The Parish" world tour will include headline shows and major festival appearances throughout the spring and summer of 2017.

A portion of all tickets sold for the "Poison The Parish" world tour will benefit the Rise Above Fund, which is a subset of Suicide Awareness Voices Of Education, the largest suicide prevention organization in the country and the band's partner on the Rise Above Fest.

Now in its fifth year, Rise Above Fest has expanded to two days, Saturday, July 22 and Sunday, July 23 at Darling's Waterfront Park in Bangor, Maine. Performers include KORN, SHINEDOWN, STONE SOUR, SKILLET, HALESTORM, FALLING IN REVERSE and more.

Photo credit: Marina Chavez

Brooklyn's TOMBS will release its fourth full-length, "The Grand Annihilation", on June 16 via Metal Blade Records. Produced once again by Erik Rutan (CANNIBAL CORPSE, SOILENT GREEN, BELPHEGOR, HATE ETERNAL), the disc remains rooted in the blackened, post-metallic sound that the band has become known for since 2007's self-titled EP, while also being their most experimental record to date.

TOMBS frontman Mike Hill is not a man interested in appeasing his existing audience or modifying the music he makes in the hope of luring in a broader one. Letting the songs come as and when inspiration hits him is integral to Hill's process, and this accounts in part for "The Grand Annihilation"'s diversity. The blasting-and-scathing-yet-melodic black metal savagery of opener "Black Sun Horizon" and "Way Of The Storm" are very much built to destroy, while wielding a poignancy that is undeniable — both of which stand in strong contrast to the uncomfortable post-punk squall of "Underneath" that showcases Hill's Nick Cave/Ian Curtis-esque singing voice, while the likes of the throbbing "Saturnalian" and unnerving tribal thunder of "Walk With Me In Nightmares" stand in categories all of their own.

While every track on "The Grand Annihilation" stands separate from those around it, it is still a cohesive collection, and at no point do the stylistic twists and turns undermine its coherence.

"If you've been following TOMBS, you probably know to expect the unexpected, and I always strive to present a full range of emotion on everything with the band's name on it," Hill explains. "That said, this is a very dark and introspective record that digs deep into the common ideas of mortality, infinity and cosmic mysteries. The lyrics on the new record are a celebration of freedom through embracing the dark side. Once you realize that you follow the dark path — the path of the individual — there is a certain feeling of liberation that accompanies it."

"The Grand Annihilation" track listing:

01. Black Sun Horizon02. Cold03. Old Wounds04. November Wolves05. Underneath06. Way Of The Storm07. Shadows At The End Of The World08. Walk With Me In Nightmares09. Saturnalian10. Temple Of Mars

The first single, "Cold", can be streamed below.

"Lady Of 1000 Sorrows", the new video from FIREWIND, can be seen below. The clip was filmed, directed and edited by Panagiotis Kountouras.

"Lady Of 1000 Sorrows" is taken from FIREWIND's eighth studio album, "Immortals", which was released on January 20 via the band's longtime label partner Century Media Records in Europe. The disc marks the first time FIREWIND used an outside co-producer, having worked with Dennis Ward (UNISONIC, PINK CREAM 69), who not only engineered, mixed and mastered the album, but also co-wrote it together with guitarist and main songwriter Gus G.

Gus G., who is currently on the road performing solo shows as support to Steve Stevens, checked in with the following comment about the clip: "'Lady Of 1000 Sorrows' is, in my opinion, one of the best tracks on our new album and for sure one of our best power ballads. We were really overwhelmed by how well this song was received at our recent European tour, and we decided to capture some of these moments on camera and make a cool clip for you."

"Immortals" is FIREWIND's first release to feature singer Henning Basse (METALIUM, SONS OF SEASONS), who previously toured with the band on various continents in 2007 and was most recently the singer in Gus's solo touring group.

Gus told Canadian rock journalist Mitch Lafon about the concept behind "Immortals": "Doing a concept record with the guys is something we talked about for years. It's not something new, but you need to have the right kind of material for that. You need to be in the right mindset, and of course, you have to decide what it's going to be about. For us, since most of us are Greek, we thought it would be cool to talk about our heritage, or some part of Greek history."

He continued: "In 2013, we took a break from touring and recording and I went on to do solo stuff. When I started gathering all this material over the years, I realized the character was very epic and more focused, like into power metal, and this epic style, so I thought it would be a good idea to do the concept record we talked about now. I needed a co-writer for this, so I reached out to Dennis Ward. To make a long story short, we decided to do a record about the battles of Thermopylae and Salamis during the second Persian invasion in 480 B.C."

Rob Halford (JUDAS PRIEST) was a guest on last night's (April 12) episode of Comedy Central's new comedy and music series "The Comedy Jam".

The eight-episode season features celebrities dishing on a cherished memory linked to an iconic song and then performing that song with the Comedy Jam Band in front of a live audience.

This week's episode saw Halford join forces with Jim Breuer to perform the PRIEST classic "You've Got Another Thing Coming".

You can now watch the performance below.

Also on the April 12 episode, Mark Duplass and Kevin Cronin performed "Can't Fight This Feeling" by REO SPEEDWAGON, and Big Jay Oakerson and Lukas Rossi performed "Rebel Yell" by BILLY IDOL.

CC.com features preview clips and highlights from each episode, plus a web-exclusive after show, "The After Jam", hosted by show creator Josh Adam Meyers. Full episodes of "The Comedy Jam" will be available the day of premiere on the Comedy Central app and CC.com. Highlights and exclusives from "The Comedy Jam" will also be available in the CC app and the Comedy Central channel on Snapchat Discover. Fans can tweet about the series using the hashtag #ComedyJam.

"The Comedy Jam" was filmed at the Fonda Theatre in Hollywood. The eight-episode weekly series is based on the special that aired in August 2016 and was born from one of the hottest live shows in Los Angeles. Created by Josh Adam Meyers, "The Comedy Jam" is produced by Ugly Brother Studios and Tenth Planet and is executive-produced by Meyers, Mike Duffy, Tim Duffy and Joel Gallen. Gallen directed all eight episodes. Jordan Ellner, Gary Mann and Ryan Moran are the executives in charge of production for Comedy Central.

"Breaking The Chains", a new song from Swedish female-fronted rockers ADRENALINE RUSH, can be streamed below. The track is taken from the band's second album, "Soul Survivor", which will be released on April 21 via Frontiers Music Srl. Following the successful release of the band's 2014 self-titled debut, ADRENALINE RUSH is now ready to unleash its next infectious slice of hard, sleaze, melodic rock on the rock 'n roll masses! This time, blond bombshell vocalist Tåve Wanning mainly collaborated with Fredrik Folkare (FIRESPAWN, UNLEASHED), who brought fresh influences to the table that fit very well with Tåve's ideas. The music has evolved and grown beyond what appeared on the debut. It is still melodic and definitely has an '80s flavor, but also is a bit more complex, darker, and heavier than the previous album. The production is edgier and the guitar work once again pristine. Erik Martensson (ECLIPSE) was once again involved as a sounding board, co-writing a song and mastering the finished tracks. "I didn't want to make another album just like the first one," Tåve says. "I've grown since we recorded the first, I am in a different place. And I feel the album reflects that. The new tracks really complement the old instead of replacing them; they add a new dimension and gives us a broader spectrum of songs to choose from when playing live." The band has also seen some changes. Ludvig and Soufian left the band to focus on other endeavors and have been replaced by Sam Soderlindh (lead guitar) and Joel Fox (bass). Sam is a new face to most, a young guitarist with fast fingers and a lot of potential. Joel, on the other hand, has been around for a while in bands like DYNAZTY and SINIESTRO. Alexander Hagman and Marcus Johansson complete the band's lineup on guitar and drums, respectively. ADRENALINE RUSH is set to perform a few club gigs in Sweden before appearing at the fourth annual Frontiers Rock Festival in Milan, Italy on April 30. "Soul Survivor" track listing:

01. Adrenaline02. Love Like Poison03. Breaking The Chains04. Soul Survivor05. Stand My Ground06. My Life07. Break The Silence08. Sinner09. Shock Me10. Wild Side11. Don't Wake Me Up12. Crash13. Soul Survivor (acoustic version - bonus track digital version) ADRENALINE RUSH is:

Tåve Wanning - lead vocalsSam Soderlindh - lead guitar, vocalsAlexander Hagman - guitar, vocalsJoel Fox - bass, vocalsMarcus Johansson - drums

Jim Matheos, founding guitarist of legendary U.S. progressive metallers FATES WARNING, has announced the release of the debut album from his new ambient instrumental rock project TUESDAY THE SKY. Due on June 30 via InsideOut Music, "Drift" sees Matheos expanding the boundaries of his sound ever further. "Drift" came together in the downtime between FATES WARNING finishing "Theories Of Flight" and the beginning of the touring cycle, enabling Matheos to explore a type of atmospheric and instrumental music you might not expect of him. He comments: "With this kind of music, it's a lot about creating a mood and letting that sink in and develop over long periods of time, as opposed to the more frenetic format of most prog music." Taking cues from artists like Brian Eno, BOARDS OF CANADA, SIGUR ROS and EXPLOSIONS IN THE SKY, he explores expansive textures and ambient electronica, as well as some of the most colossal riffs he has ever produced. The album also features the talents of GOD IS AN ASTRONAUT's drummer Lloyd Hanney, who provides a rhythmic backbone that is at once punchy, precise and restrained when necessary. Other guests include long-time OSI collaborator and former DREAM THEATER member Kevin Moore who plays keys on two songs as well as Anna-Lynne Williams (TRESPASSERS WILLIAM, LOTTE KESTNER), who provides ethereal vocals (of the non-verbal kind) on two other songs. What the future of this project holds and whether it will be taken out on the road is yet to be seen. Matheos comments: "It would be a challenge to bring this project but it is an interesting idea and one I would at least consider if there seems to be enough interest." What is sure, though, is that TUESDAY THE SKY's debut is a bold, brave, creative and ultimately successful album from one of rock's most underrated of musicians.

"Drift" track listing:

01. Today The Sky (04:15)02. Kite (05:10)03. Vortex Street (04:46)04. It Comes In Waves (04:30)05. Dyatlov Pass (07:29)06. Far And Away (04:19)07. Westerlies (05:27)08. Roger, Gordo (04:06)09. The Rowing Endeth (04:31)10. Drift (04:09) The album will be released as special edition CD, black LP + CD and digital download.

Photo by Markus Wiedenmann

This Friday (April 14th), Nuclear Blast will release HammerFall - The Vinyl Collection box set. An unboxing video for the upcoming release can be seen below.

The limited edition box set includes 10 albums. The previously unreleased (on vinyl) Gates Of Dalhalla live album is included in the set. The new release can be pre-ordered on clear and silver vinyl editions at this location.

Tracklistings:

Glory To The Brave

Side A
“The Dragon Lies Bleeding”
“The Metal Age”
“Hammerfall”
“I Believe”
“Child Of The Damned”

Side B
“Steel Meets Steel”
“Stone Cold”
“Unchained”
“Glory To The Brave”

Legacy Of Kings

Side A
“Heeding The Call”
“Legacy Of Kings”
“Let The Hammer Fall”
“Dreamland”
“Remember Yesterday”

Side B
“At The End Of The Rainbow”
“Back To Back”
“Stronger Than All”
“Warriors Of Faith”
“The Fallen One”

Renegade

Side A
“Templars Of Steel”
“Keep The Flame Burning”
“Renegade”
“Living In Victory”
“Always Will Be”

Side B
“The Way Of The Warrior”
“Destined For Glory”
“The Champion”
“Raise The Hammer” (instrumental)
“A Legend Reborn”

Crimson Thunder

Side A
“Riders Of The Storm”
“Hearts On Fire”
“On The Edge Of Honour”
“Crimson Thunder”
“Lore Of The Arcane”
“Trailblazers”

Side B
“Dreams Come True”
“Angel Of Mercy”
“The Unforgiving Blade”
“In Memoriam”
“Hero’s Return”

Chapter V: Unbent, Unbowed, Unbroken

Side A
“Secrets”
“Blood Bound”
“Fury Of The Wild”
“Hammer Of Justice”
“Never, Ever”
“Born To Rule”

Side B
“The Templar Flame”
“Imperial”
“Take The Black”
“Knights Of The 21st Century”

Masterpieces

Side A
“Child Of The Damned”
“Ravenlord”
“Eternal Dark”
“Back To Back”
“I Want Out”

Side B
“Man On The Silver Mountain”
“Head Over Heels”
“Run With The Devil”
“We’re Gonna Make It”
“Breaking The Law”

Side C
“Angel Of Mercy”
“Rising Force”
“Detroit Rock City”
“Crazy Nights”

Side D
“När Vindarna Viskar Mitt Namn”
“Flight Of The Warrior ”
“Youth Gone Wild”
“Aphasia”

No Sacrifice, No Victory

Side A
“Any Means Necessary”
“Life Is Now”
“Punish And Enslave”
“Legion”

Side B
“Between Two Worlds”
“Hollowed Be My Name”
“Something For The Ages”
“No Sacrifice, No Victory”

Side C
“Bring The Hammer Down”
“One Of A Kind”
“My Sharona”

Side D
-etched-

Threshold

Side A
“Threshold”
“The Fire Burns Forever”
“Rebel Inside”
“Natural High”
“Dark Wings, Dark Words”
“Howlin’ With The ‘Pac”

Side B
“Shadow Empire”
“Carved In Stone”
“Reign Of The Hammer”
“Genocide”
“Titan”

Infected

Side A
“Patient Zero”
“B.Y.H.”
“One More Time”

Side B
“The Outlaw”
“Send Me A Sign”
“Dia De Los Muertos”

Side C
“I Refuse”
“666 – The Enemy Within”
“Immortalized”

Side D
“Let’s Get It On”
“Redemption”

(r)Evolution

Side A
“Hector’s Hymn”
“(r)Evolution”
“Bushido”

Side B
“Live Life Loud”
“Ex Inferis”
“We Won’t Back Down”

Side C
“Winter Is Coming”
“Origins”
“Tainted Metal”

Side D
“Evil Incarnate”
“Wildfire”
“Demonized”

Gates Of Dalhalla Part 1

Side A
“Patient Zero”
“Heeding The Call”
“Any Means Necessary”
“B.Y.H.”

Side B
“Riders On The Storm”
“Let’s Get It Out”
“Crimson Thunder”
“Renegade”

Side C
“Blood Bound”
“Last Man Standing”
“Fury Of The Wild”
Drum Solo: Anders Johansson

Side D
“Always Will Be”
“Dia De Los Muertos”
“Steel Meets Steel”

Gates Of Dalhalla Part 2

Side A
“Threshold”
“The Dragon Lies Bleeding”
“Let The Hammer Fall”
“När Vindarna Viskar Mitt Namm”

Side B
“Something For The Ages”
“The Templar Flame”
“Oh Fortuna”
“Glory To The Brave”

Side C
“One More Time”
“Hammerfall”
“Hearts On Fire”

Side D
-etched-

HammerFall and Delain have joined forces for a co-headline North American tour, set for spring. Tickets and VIP packages for all shows are available now at this location.

Founding Autograph guitarist Steve Lynch has revealed via the band's official Twitter account that original drummer Keni Richards has passed away at the age of 60. Cause of death has not been revealed. Lynch posted the following message:

 

R.I.P. Keni Richards. pic.twitter.com/GL3WDbid9j
— Autograph (@AutographBand) 12 April 2017

 

Autograph's breakthrough album from 1984, Sign In Please, yielded the band's biggest hit, "Turn Up The Radio". Richards left the band in 1988 and eventually quit the music business due to chronic back problems.

 

 

On April 5th, the metal world lost another pioneer, Trans-Siberian Orchestra co-founder and creative force Paul O’Neill to a "chronic illness" according to an official statement. Drum legend Mike Portnoy, who made a name for himself with Dream Theater, posted the following message after receiving news of O'Neill's passing: 

"So sad to hear this. I remember sitting on Fates Warning's tour bus about 20 years ago while Paul O'Neill was telling us about this crazy idea he had for some sort of Christmas show with KISS theatrics and we thought he was crazy. Turned out he was a genius and made something bigger than any of us (except for him) could ever possibly foresee! My condolences to all of my friends in the TSO (and Savatage) family: Christopher Caffery, Al Pitrelli, Jeff Scott Soto, David Z. Rock, Russell B. Allen, Jeff Plate and Joel Hoekstra."

According to Tampabay.com, Trans-Siberian Orchestra visionary Paul O'Neill was found dead Wednesday afternoon at an Embassy Suites hotel near the University of South Florida in Tampa, said USF Police spokeswoman Renna Reddick. Staff and O'Neill's daughter broke into his locked room, according to a 911 recording, and found his body. An autopsy will determine cause of death. There were no signs of foul play.

"He was our friend and our leader — a truly creative spirit and an altruistic soul," Trans-Siberian Orchestra said in a statement. "This is a profound and indescribable loss for us all."

Kevin Preast, senior vice president of event management at Amalie Arena, said he and Trans-Siberian Orchestra had already been discussing their return to Tampa in December. While nothing has been decided, he doesn't think TSO will end with O'Neill's death.

"The business of it is such a strong brand, I can't imagine it not going on," he said. "It's become a cultural thing as well, no different than the circus or going out to dinner for Mother's Day. ... If anything, it could be more compelling this year as a tribute. I can't imagine them not wanting to tip their hats — or their bows — to their founder and creator."

Read more at Tampabay.com.

Paul O’Neill passed away yesterday at the age of 61 from “chronic illness”, according to a brief band statement.

O'Neill broke into the scene in the ‘80s when he was hired at Leber-Krebs Inc., the management company that launched the careers of Aerosmith, AC/DC, Def Leppard, Scorpions and Ted Nugent among many others. But it was his collaboration with Floridian metallers Savatage that would set him up for for greatness, particularly albums like Hall Of The Mountain King, Gutter Ballet, Streets: A Rock Opera and Dead Winter Dead.

O'Neill had grandiose visions of a bigger rock opera in line with Pink Floyd, Queen and Emerson, Lake & Palmer, but with a Christmas slant!

The oddly-named Trans-Siberian Orchestra launched their Christmas trilogy in 1996 with Christmas Eve and Other Stories, a daring vision led by the single ”Christmas Eve/Sarajevo 12/24”. 1998’s The Christmas Attic and The Lost Christmas Eve in 2004 followed. TSO released three non-holiday rock operas called Beethoven's Last Night (2000), Night Castle (2009) and 2015’s Letters From The Labyrinth.

And its become a massive success, as 2016 was another record-breaking year for the entity. TSO’s Winter Tour 2016 sold the most tickets per show in the group’s history, with a total in excess of million one million! The tour also set a record gross for TSO with a total of more than $56.9 million.

20 years since the band’s first album, and since its historic touring debut, TSO has played in excess of 1,800 shows for more than 14 million fans, with tour grosses of over $625 million, and sold in excess of 12 million albums and DVDs. In 2009, Billboard magazine placed TSO at #25 on its Top Touring Artists Of The Decade.

BraveWords scribe Martin Popoff spoke to O'Neill in late 2015 when the last TSO album (Letters From The Labyrinth) was launched.

“Getting the band to this point was hard,” reflects Paul, asked about how the team could possibly top the TSO of 2014, who pretty much executed the most extravagant rock concert this writer has ever seen. “Keeping it here and not letting down expectations is harder. We’re lucky because technology keeps advancing. We want to give people the comfort of what they expect, but something new to make it exciting. That’s getting harder and harder every year, as this thing gets larger and larger.”

“The other thing that has actually really come into its own, especially recently, is the fact that we’re seeing so many people in their young 30s, who first saw the band when they were teenagers and they’re now coming back bringing their own kids. The band has survived the two decade mark and kept its original fan base—much to our happy surprise—and has brought in the next generation. People who had originally seen us as teenagers are returning and bringing their own kids with them. Hopefully, those kids will return and bring their kids with them.”

“We always say that music has got the ability to jump a lot of silly walls people put between people, whether it’s nationality or economic class or religion or whatever. When you jump the generational wall, that’s the biggest jump of all. To a certain degree, TSO had an unbelievably lucky break because when we started to tour. It was 1999. In 1949, there was a great schism in music when Les Paul, and Leo Fender, invented the electric guitar. You either grew up pre-electric guitar—with the Dorsey Brothers and Perry Como—or, post-electric guitar: Elvis Presley, Chuck Berry. When we started to tour, it had been half a century, and now it’s been well over 60 years. So even grandma and grandpa—that’s the Woodstock generation. Unless you’re in your late 90s, for the first time, every generation has rock in common. Which makes it a lot easier for us to jump the generational walls than bands that came before us. We’re very aware that we have a very wide audience, and you have to be very careful that there’s something there for everybody, so everybody keeps coming back every year, whether it’s summer or the winter. It can continue to be at least a partial part of the soundtrack of people’s lives.”

As for the future, the band will continue to provoke minds with their non-seasonal existence, but there’s also the call of... Broadway, live theatre.

“Yes, basically these days, our next step is to head towards Broadway, just because I love the coherent story telling of Broadway. I’ve known a lot of bands that have done rock operas that even after they explain it to me, I’m like, huh? I just don’t get it. Broadway never really got the true edge of rock, and whether it’s from a production point-of-view or it’s just rock credibility, they just simply don’t understand it. For me, it’s just a natural marriage. It’s time for rock to enter Broadway. Not that there’s anything wrong with old fashioned Broadway, but how many times can you re-open Oklahoma!? It’s a great musical, but it’s more suitable for the ‘40s than it is for the new millennium.”

Read more at BraveWords.

Stay tuned for an official statement from the TSO camp regarding the tragic death of Paul O’Neill. BraveWords offers up condolences to family, friends and fans.

Psychedelic Witchcraft have just signed a multi album deal with Listenable Records.

Reminiscent of the obscure side of the Italian music scene long ago led by Goblin and the world of haunting soundscapes of Ennio Morricone, Florence’s Psychedelic Witchcraft formed in 2015 led by Italian singer Virginia Monti as a the main songwriter. The band has been honing their instruments on the ancient gods of doom and blues such as Black Sabbath, Led Zeppelin, Jefferson Airplane, Free among others, musically mixing blues/hard rock with an in depth occult lyrical imagery.

Psychedelic Witchcraft have been an efficiently productive band since inception and have benefited from an impressive rise and media attention within their short career so far. The band is now gearing up to record their new album this spring for a release in fall 2017.

BIG KIZZ is the rock band featuring drummer Axel Sjöberg (ex-GRAVEYARD), guitarist John Hoyles (SPIDERS, ex-WITCHCRAFT) on bass and vocalist / guitarist Pontus Westerman from Swedish garage outfit LADY BANANA. The classic power trio, who plays good time rock 'n' roll energized with elements of power pop and punk, has signed to Tee Pee Records and will release its debut EP, "Eye On You", on June 9.

BIG KIZZ's bad-as-hell debut features the swinging originals "Eye On You" and "Baby Boy" and a rousing remake of the Roky Erickson ripper "White Faces". The three-song release is but a precursor to BIG KIZZ's full-length debut, tentatively slated for release this fall.

"I've been doing this too long to quit rocking now," Sjöberg comments. "When I turn a page and wonder what to do in life, I go to country lyrics and in this case Willie Nelson: 'The life I love is makin' music with my friends, and I can't wait the get on the road again.' So that's just what I did; I made music with my friends. We're taking it to Norway first and then we'll just see where it takes us after that. That's the beauty of it: music is fucking magic. I hope you feel it too."

Imploding, abstracting, and distorting the concepts of ceremony, volume, and density since 2006, surrealist, esoteric, and experimental rock band Gravetemple (Oren Ambarchi, Stephen O'Malley and Attila Csihar) return with a new album, Impassable Fears, recorded at Orgone with Jamie Gomez and following the invocation described above in the Netherlands. The album shall be released on June 2nd via Svart Records.
 
On Impassable Fears, Gravetemple have refined and diversified their nuanced form of all-consuming, abstract death metal-inspired heaviness. The essence of their otherworldly vocal exhortations, the maelstrom of frenetic beats and heavy guitar sounds are ever-present, as is the sheer power of their delivery. Yet Impassable Fears is far from unrelenting; there's shifting dynamics, revealing an abundance of unexplored sonic detail, across all intersections, deftly balancing minimalist and maximalist sounds with finesse.
 
The spiritual, existential and metaphysical are also key concerns for Gravetemple to explore sonically. Vocalist Attila, who hails from Budapest, expands on these intentions: "The aim is to break boundaries and to find new horizons via the challenging of our own concepts of existence via the channels of musical trance. To me, it is like a contemporary way of Shamanism. The Shaman in our ancient Hungarian tradition is a person who can see both the material and spiritual worlds and himself or herself is the bridge or the channel between. The connection to our deepest inner self is very primal and, in a way, sometimes infantile. We humans have encoded instinct to survive which ends up in the 'Impassable fear' of Death. We challenge that primal fear by expecting whatever comes in our way on our musical journey. It's about accepting whatever that each moment brings… Gravetemple is very special because here we are seeking trance while playing and recording music together. Almost like a spiritual experience."
 
Gravetemple's latest incantation, Impassable Fears, is a recording of such manifestations, continuing chief concerns laid forth since their inception: ceremony, volume, density. First track to be revealed shortly. Cover art, by Denis Forkas Kostromitin.

Tracklisting:

“A Szarka (The Magpie)”
“Elavult Foldbolygo (World Out Of Date)”
“A Karma Karmai (Karmas Claws)”
“Domino”
“Athatolhatatlan Felemek (Impassable Fears)”
“Az Orok Vegtelen Uresseg (Eternal Endless Void)”

The glittering technological future we were all promised has turned into a dystopian nightmare. If music must reflect the times, the hour has plainly come to reject the mainstream status quo and get down to the roots and rhythms of life's elemental heaviness. And that's where Beastmaker comes in. Purveyors of some of the most ecstatically thunderous and raw doom metal to emerge in decades, this three-man riffing machine from Fresno, California, are manifestly the real deal. Their sound is instantly recognizable and yet thrillingly otherworldly, like all your favorite riffs fed through some perverse malevolent prism and reborn in fresh, overdriven grotesquery. 
 
But while they may superficially appear to servants of a strict Sabbathian code, there is plenty of room for maneuver within the band's titanic sound. The result of this feverish desire to expand their sonic universe is new album Inside The Skull, a bruising tour-de-force of sinister riffs, skewed blues and looming horror, it is simply one of the heaviest and most mesmerizing albums you will hear in 2017, replete with a special cameo or two.  
 
Inside The Skull is set for release May 19th via Rise Above Records.  Today the artwork and track listing have been revealed.  From the old school evangelism of opener “Evil One” and the warped psychedelia of “Now Howls The Beast” through to the twisted fury and fire of “Psychic Visions” and creepy closer “Sick Sick Demon”, Inside The Skull is not just a muscular hymn to the glory days of heavy metal's genesis and early prosperity: this is a vital, virile and venomous slab of wildly creative but spiritually pure doom devastation, designed to rescue us from the drab harshness of present day reality and transport us somewhere cooler, somewhere better and, in the best way possible, somewhere much heavier. Recorded and produced by the band themselves, in their own self-built studio, it's an album with great depths and a macabre heart.
 
While they may be reveling in Hitchcockian disquiet, Beastmaker will not be lurking anonymously in the shadows for long. Once Inside The Skull is released, the band will be hitting the road in the US with Zakk Wylde's Black Sabbath tribute act, Zakk Sabbath, before the band's campaign to draw the world into this unique maelstrom of pitch-black riffs and morbid tales begins in earnest. Erupting from the underground, this beast is alive and ready to howl.

Tracklisting:

“Evil One”
“Heaven To Hell”
“Now Howls The Beast”
“Of God’s Creation”
“Give Me A Sign”
“Nature Of The Damned”
“Psychic Visions”
“Inside The Skull”
“Night Bird”
“Sick Sick Demon”

Beastmaker on tour:

May (with Zakk Sabbath)
17 – Morgantown, WV – 123 Pleasant St*
18 – New York, NY – Gramercy Theatre
19 - New York, NY - The Gramercy Theatre
20 – Philadelphia, PA – Voltage Theatre*
21 – Richmond, VA – Strange Matter*
22 – Durham, NC – Motorco Music Hall*
23 - Asheville, NC - The Orange Peel
24 – New Orleans, LA – Siberia Nola*
25 - Houston, TX - Warehouse Live Studio
26 - Dallas, TX - Gas Monkey Bar N’ Grill
28 - St. Louis, MO - Fubar
30 - Nashville, TN - Exit/In
31 - Atlanta, GA - The Masquerade

June (with Zakk Sabbath)
2 - Chicago, IL - Bottom Lounge
3 – Indianapolis, IN – Black Circle Brewing*
4 - Denver, CO - Marquis Theater
6 - Spokane, WA - The Pin
7 - Seattle, WA - The Crocodile
8 - Portland, OR - Hawthorne Theatre
10 - San Francisco, CA - Slim’s
17 – Los Angeles, CA – El Rey Theater

*Headline show