Glenn Danzig was the latest guest on Full Metal Jackie’s weekend radio program. Among the topics discussed was Danzig’s plethora of unreleased material gathered up over the years.

Danzig reveals, “There’s a lot of stuff left over from lost tracks that didn’t make it. There’s a lot of unfinished stuff. Then, of course, since that time, there’s tracks that didn’t make it to Deth Red Sabaoth. There’s cover songs that didn’t’ make it onto the cover record. I did a cover of Iggy Pop’s ‘Fun Time’. Me and Tommy (Victor, guitar) did a really good job. The guitars are very heavy. And stuff like that. I think I did another track with Cherie (Currie) because they wouldn’t let us use the track with Cherie, the publishers, which is a drag. It came out really good too. She did it onstage with us, though, at Universal.”

This year marks the first Blackest Of The Black Destination Festival. The brainchild of Glenn Danzig, the event not only serves as a music festival, but as a cultural experience: an escape. A video trailer for the event can be seen below:

Coming to Oak Canyon Park in Silverado, CA in Orange County on Memorial Day Weekend, Friday, May 26th and Saturday, May 27th, Blackest Of The Black will host two music stages, curated by Danzig, with performances by some of the heaviest acts around including Danzig, Ministry, Suicidal Tendencies, Atreyu, Vamps, and many more. The festival will be hosted by Full Metal Jackie and will feature camping, along with a number of sinister attractions including Castle Danzig - a fully immersive walkthrough experience of agony, ecstasy and more, all based on the music and graphic novels of Glenn Danzig.

Glenn Danzig says, “I first started Blackest in the early 2000s and finally my full vision is being realized. Get ready for sensory overload, from films to comics to Castle Danzig. This is going to be the real Blackest Of The Black."

The music lineup for Blackest Of The Black is as follows:

Friday, May 26th: Suicidal Tendencies, Corrosion of Conformity, Suicide Silence, Discharge, Belphegor, Butcher Babies, 3 Teeth, and more to be announced.

Saturday, May 27th: Danzig, Ministry, Vamps, Atreyu, Venom Inc, DevilDriver, Fear Factory, Marduk, Combichrist, Ghoul, Ritual, and more to be announced.

In addition to the outstanding musical lineup, Blackest Of The Black will feature a slew of attractions including a Verotik/Comic Con area, a roaming freak show filled with contortionists, demons, and more, thrill rides, and a Sugar Skull Contest. The main attraction, Castle Danzig, is an interactive walk through with a number of activations. Within the vicinity of the eerie castle and courtyard, attendees will find a sacrifice altar, bondage stage, suspension stage, electro stage, blood bath, a padded cell, stocks, cage dancers, and more.

Information on tickets, VIP packages, camping and more can be found at BlackestFest.com. Discounted 2-day Early Bird Tickets start at $66.66 plus parking and fees, while supplies last. Early Bird Single-day Friday tickets start at $39.00, and single-day Saturday tickets start at $49.00. Tent, Tent and Car, and RV camping spaces are available.

Camping is the easiest and most relaxing way for fans to immerse themselves at the Blackest Of The Black Festival. They can wake up just a short distance from the festival gates and stumble “home” after the show.

The campground check-in will begin at 2 PM on Friday, May 26th. The proximity of the campground to the venue  will allow campers to walk to and from the festival grounds freely while event doors are open.

Camping spots are very limited, offering Tent only, Tent and Car, and dry RV camping spaces. Campground amenities include complimentary showers and restrooms, general store, food and beverage for sale, as well as games and activities.

Prices are $125 for Tent camping and $199 for Tent and Car camping.  Up to four festivalgoers can stay in one camping spot. Prices for dry hook up RV are $249 and up to six festivalgoers can stay in one RV.

*Festival admission is not included with camping spots.

A limited number of Friday/Saturday VIP packages will also be available for purchase for those over 21 years of age.

VIP Lounge packages for each day are $129 for Friday and $149 for Saturday, plus parking and fees. This includes admission for 1 to the selected day of the festival; a commemorative laminate; and access to the VIP Lounge, which will feature a VIP cash bar, access to a VIP viewing area near the front of the stage, VIP restrooms, cash food trucks, and comfortable areas to sit and relax.

Friday Meet & Greet VIP packages are $199 for Friday only and include admission for 1 to the Friday date of the festival; a meet & greet with the Friday artists; a commemorative laminate; access to a VIP viewing area near the main stage; and access to the VIP Lounge, which will feature a VIP cash bar, VIP restrooms, cash food trucks, and comfortable areas to sit and relax.

Saturday “Not Of This World” Ultimate VIP packages are available for Saturday only for $399. This includes admission for 1 to the Saturday date of the festival; an exclusive meet & greet with Glenn Danzig; a limited edition Blackest Of The Black poster; a commemorative laminate; a merchandise voucher good for one Blackest Of The Black festival t-shirt; access to a VIP viewing area near the main stage; and access to the VIP Lounge, which will feature a VIP cash bar, VIP restrooms, cash food trucks, and comfortable areas to sit and relax.

In the new video below, Leif Edling (The Doomsday Kingdom, Candlemass, Avatarium) plays through some of his favourite bass riffs:

The Doomsday Kingdom released their self-titled debut album on March 31st via Nuclear Blast. With this first studio masterpiece, including eight epic doom metal tracks and a pinch of NWOBHM, Leif Edling and his bringers of darkness invoke the spirits of the catacombs and prove that doom has never been so alive.

The Doomsday Kingdom tracklisting:

“Silent Kingdom”
“Never Machine”
“A Spoonful Of Darkness”
“See You Tomorrow”
“The Sceptre”
“Hand Of Hell”
“The Silence”
“The God Particle”

Track-by-track Part 1:

Track-by-track Part 2:

“Hand Of Hell” lyric video:

“A Spoonful Of Darkness” lyric video:

“The Sceptre” lyric video:

Brisbane prog-metallers The Stranger are dropping a new cut from their forthcoming self-titled album, due for release on April 21st. 

“Solomon's Son” is the latest taste from the record, an epic prog-metal track from this, their debut album. The band's latest music has drawn comparisons to bands such as Protest the Hero and Devin Townsend.

Both singles, “The Whip” and “Solomon's Son”, will be available in Spotify from this Friday, April 14th. Previous single “Divine Intervention” is available in Spotify now to stream.

Adam Merker (Aversions Crown, Lagerstein, Disentomb) from Anderz Debeerz Studio recorded the album with David Castillo (Katatonia, Bloodbath, Opeth) from Ghost Ward Studios on mix duties and Jens Bogren (Opeth, Devin Townsend, Caligula’s Horse) from Fascination Street Studios doing final master on the polished, sharp and epic album. 

Of the record, Kalen Austin said, "We are absolutely proud of our work on the album and what we are about to embark on, the release of our self-titled debut LP - and ‘The Whip’, we feel, is the epitome of what the record is about - heavy, fun and it's a favourite to play live."

Since its inception, The Stranger has been captivating audiences with their energetic live performances which display the interplay of instrumental virtuosity and lyrical story telling – for which the band has become known. The Stranger has been fortunate enough to share the stage with Australian progressive metal powerhouses Caligula’s Horse and German power metal legends Helloween.

Ravage, the traditional heavy metal and thrash act from Boston which formed in the mid 90's and released the full-length album, The End Of Tomorrow in 2009, have released a lyric video for the new track “Turn The Screw”, featured on Return Of The Spectral Rider - a full length offering which will be released on May 26th through the band's own label, Society For World Wide Ravage Recordings. Watch the new clip below.

The cover art was completed by artist Tim Jacobus, known mostly for his work on the Goosebumps series of horror novels.

The album was recorded and mixed by Ravage at their own Hellbent For Accoustics Studios in Malden, MA and was mastered by Peter Rutcho, who had previously mixed and mastered the band's The End Of Tomorrow album and is known for his work with such bands as Revocation, Bury Your Dead, Armory, and Vomitron.

Return Of The Spectral Rider is a complete re-recording of the band's first album, Spectral Rider, which was given limited release on Germany's Karthago Records in 2005.

Singer Al Ravage commented, "This is a collection of a lot of our favourite songs... they are the songs we end up playing most often live because they are just a lot of really fun songs that we have been playing forever. It is great to finally have a definitive recording of these tunes and we're really grateful to the guest musicians who came in and gave the recordings a lot of new life. We got a really cool artwork from Tim Jacobus and we're excited to finally be able to share this stuff with everyone after having had to endure the usual delays."

The album will be available in physical form exclusively as an extremely limited collector's edition numbered 12" vinyl. A deluxe digital download format with bonus tracks will be available different platforms across the web. More information on the coming pre-order will be available at the band's website and Facebook page.

A preliminary mix of one of the tracks is streaming below.

Tracklisting:

“Dies Irae”
“Spectral Rider”
“Turn The Screw”
“The Wicked Way”
“Masque Of Black Death”
“Ravage Part 1: Damage”
“Whyvern”
“Wake The Dead”
“The Wasteland”
“Curse Of Heaven”
“Bring Down The Hellhammer”
“The King Forgotten”
“Father Of The Atom” (Bonus Track)

“Turn The Screw” lyric video:

“Curse Of Heaven”

Ravage live:

April
27 - Worcester MA - Ralph's Diner

(Photo - Stephen Schmidt Photography)

Finnish progressive melodic death metal band, Damnation Plan, have released a video for “Rise Of The Messenger”, a track from their new album, Reality Illusion, released on March 10th via Inverse Records.

Songwriter-lyricist-drummer Jarkko Lunnas comments: "The new album Reality Illusion deals lyrically with some of the most current and controversial topics of our modern world. This song is an integral part of it and in particular is dedicated to all the unsung heroes sacrificing themselves for the greater good."

Reality Illusion was mixed by Dan Swanö (Edge Of Sanity, Nightingale, Bloodbath) at Unisound Studios. The cover art and tracklisting are as follows:

 

 

"Intro"
"Beyond These Walls"
"Rulers Of Truth"
"Rise Of The Messenger"
"Blinded Faith"
"The Empowerment"
"Maze Of Despair"
"Iron Curtain Falls"
"Reality Illusion"
"A Chapter In Greed"
"The Final Destination"
"Don't Talk To Strangers" (Bonus Track)

"Don't Talk To Strangers”:

"Reality Illusion”:

Bloodclot - featuring true hardcore pioneers John Joseph (Cro-Mags), Todd Youth (Warzone, Murphy's Law), Joey Castillo (ex-Queens of the Stone Age, Blast!), Nick Oliveri (ex-Queens of the Stone Age, Dwarves) - has announced USA tour dates with Negative Approach, in support of their upcoming album, Up In Arms. Due out July 14th via Metal Blade Records, Up In Arms lives up to the rallying cry of the album's title - the bursts of high energy hardcore act as the perfect accompaniment to John Joseph setting his sights on injustice and the seemingly endless flaws of the contemporary world.

Dates:

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

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

At its purest, there is little that can match the visceral thrill and empowering spirit of hardcore. As front-man of New York City hardcore kings Cro-Mags, this is something John Joseph knows very well, and with Up In Arms, he and his Bloodclot compatriots deliver a furious collection that hits hard on every level. From the moment the opening title track explodes to life, it's clear that everyone involved is having a blast and playing from the heart, and that this is no frills / no bullshit music at its most passionate. "In this band we're doing what each of us have always done: give it our all,"John Joseph states plainly. "We work hard, and we have a lot to say. Look around the planet - people are fed up with the corrupt ruling class. They destroy the planet and kill millions for profit, and the formula for our response is simple: Anger + applied knowledge = results. Don't just bitch. Change it." 

“Up In Arms” lyric video:

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

Frank Bello says that ANTHRAX "would love" to play more shows featuring the so-called "Big Four" of 1980s thrash metal — METALLICA, MEGADETH, SLAYER and ANTHRAX.

The four influential acts played together for the first time in history on June 16, 2010 in front of 81,000 fans at the Sonisphere festival at Bemowo Airport in Warsaw, Poland and shared a bill again for six more shows as part of the Sonisphere series that same year. They reunited again for several dates in 2011, including the last "Big Four" concert, which was held on September 14, 2011 at Yankee Stadium in New York City. Since then, METALLICA, SLAYER and ANTHRAX have played a number of shows together, including the 2013 Soundwave festival in Australia. They also performed at the 2014 Heavy MTL festival in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.

Speaking to KNAC.COM, the ANTHRAX bassist said about the possibility of more "Big Four" shows in the future: "Talk to METALLICA. We're ready. All the other bands that were involved will tell you it was one of the best things that ever happened for them. Just the camaraderie, and for the fans, that was a good value for your buck to see the four bands that grew up together in the scene. I think that was a great idea by METALLICA. We're all friends and we all get along really well, I think METALLICA knows that we would all be in on it again because it was such a great experience. So many people are asking for it and every interview asks about it. They want to see it and we'd love to be part of it.

METALLICA guitarist Kirk Hammett recently said that he believes that the "Big Four" idea will be revisited in the not-too-distant future. He explained: "I see those shows as kind of like a celebration — a real celebration of each other, and a real celebration of the music that we all make, and a real celebration of the audience embracing [what] we've done. And why not have more of that?"

In a 2016 interview with TeamRock, MEGADETH mainman Dave Mustaine said he would be open to a repeat of the "Big Four" tour in 2017. He said: "We've got a lot of great stuff going on and we've got some stuff we're setting up for Asia and the United States for next year, but if 'Big Four' stuff presented itself, we'd probably yield to that, because it's a lot more fun and it's such an event that it takes precedence over just another tour, so to speak."

He continued: "When fans get to have four of the greatest heavy metal bands of all time on the same stage, that's something you can tell your grandkids about."

Four years ago, SLAYER frontman Tom Araya said that the only thing that was standing in the way of further "Big Four" shows was "the politics of character in one particular band," with some fans speculating that he was talking about Mustaine and MEGADETH.

In his autobiography, "Mustaine: A Heavy Metal Memoir", Mustaine addressed the issue of where his band fit in the "Big Four" order. According to The New York Times, he assured the reader that he was not offended by being put behind SLAYER. But he added an interior monologue: "O.K., we'll play ahead of you guys on this trip, and God willing we'll do it again sometime in the near future and we can flip things around."

Official Metallica TV video footage of METALLICA performing the song "Moth Into Flame" on April 1 at Lollapalooza Chile in Santiago can be seen below.

The band's setlist was as follows:

01. Hardwired02. Atlas, Rise!03. For Whom The Bell Tolls04. Fuel05. One06. Now That We're Dead07. Moth Into Flame08. Harvester Of Sorrow09. Halo On Fire10. Motorbreath11. Sad But True12. Wherever I May Roam13. Master Of Puppets14. Fade To Black15. Seek & Destroy

Encore:

16. Fight Fire With Fire17. Nothing Else Matters18. Enter Sandman

METALLICA drummer Lars Ulrich said in a new interview with Chilean outlet Sonar FM that his relationship with frontman James Hetfield is "the best it's been" in their 36-year partnership. Ulrich explained: "I think it's the best it's been now. I think we know where each of us are, we know much more about who each other is, and we know how far we can push each other, and I think there's much more of a partnership going on than there used to be. Now we're not fighting to win an argument. We rarely argue over anything, and we try to see each other's point of view much more. It's called growing up."

The drummer added, "So it's in a very good place — much more mature than it's been forever, basically."

METALLICA nearly broke up in 2001 when bassist Jason Newsted left and Hetfield went into an extended rehab program amidst band infighting. The period was chronicled in the 2004 documentary "Some Kind Of Monster".

Ulrich was also asked by Sonar FM about METALLICA now self-funding its own record label, albums and other ventures. Ulrich replied, "Being autonomous and independent is a great position to be in because you never feel like you owe anybody anything."

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.

According to The Pulse Of Radio, ART OF ANARCHY frontman Scott Stapp has revealed in a new interview with GQ that he felt the presence of late STONE TEMPLE PILOTS and brief ART OF ANARCHY singer Scott Weiland on the tour bus on which Weiland died, which Stapp later used for his own solo tour. Stapp explained: "All of a sudden, it was almost like Weiland speaking to me from the grave, man. It was a very weird feeling that I felt. I remember being in the bathroom, looking in the mirror, on the bus, and really feeling like I could hear or feel him saying, 'Dude, this could have been you. And this could be you if you continue that path. Don't do what I did. Don't go down that road.'"

Asked if he actually saw Weiland's spirit on the bus, Stapp replied: "No. God rest his soul, and my family has prayed for his family and his children, but, really, it was a crazy, mystical experience. It was just in my face, man. I had my moment of, like, dude, he's speaking to me, man. Almost as if, from my standpoint, in my life and in my recovery, his death was not in vain. Not only could that have been me, that should have been me."

Weiland sang on the first ART OF ANARCHY album, but never performed live with the group and distanced himself from the project before his death from an overdose of drugs and alcohol in December 2015 while on the road.

Stapp, sober after a well-publicized meltdown over two years ago that was partially the result of heavy drug use, was recruited last year to sing for the group.

The band, which also features DISTURBED bassist John Moyer, ex-GUNS N' ROSES guitarist Ron "Bumblefoot" Thal and brothers Jon and Vince Votta on guitar and drums, issued its sophomore album, "The Madness", on March 24.

According to Tampabay.com, Trans-Siberian Orchestra visionary Paul O'Neill was found dead last 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."

Vocalist Zak Stevens, who worked with O'Neill as a member of Savatage and the Trans-Siberian Orchestra, has posted the following message:

"Sometimes words can't describe what is felt with the heart. I've included this picture that is a one-and-only from the Edge Of Thorns album. This picture is special, I'm the only one who has it...and it captures the spirit of what was happening 25 years ago. Paul didn't like to have his picture taken back then. He preferred to be the driver of all things behind the scenes. He was meticulous, and did that to perfection. 1992 was the beginning of it all, the magic had just begun, and to have that magic taken away in one fell swoop again had just left my soul empty and my heart in disbelief. Paul wasn't only a boss, he was my friend who gave me the best opportunities of my life. He went out at the highest point that someone could leave. He left us on top of the world. 

I want to thank everyone for the comments, texts, and calls. I read them all. It's a tough time right now, but one thing I've learned from this man is to pay forward all of the good things in your life (and I am so blessed to have many)... so I'm going to honor his legacy by paying it forward every day, and I ask you all to do the same. One kind thing can change the world. Let's do it for Paul."

 

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 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.

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. Guitarist Chris Caffersy has posted the following tribute to O'Neill:

"When I was a teenager I used to hang out in the rock 'n' roll club scene of New York City. There was a club called L'Amour East that used to have a lot of national acts and I would pretty much go see every one! There was always this one guy there. I didn't know who he was but he was always there. He had long hair and would wander around in a leather jacket with a white shirt. He seemed pretty important, he wasn't in the bands but he was always with the bands. Later in the year when I was 17, I was hanging out at a club called Nirvana in New York City. I had met a couple different people that were managed by a company called Contemporary Communications. This company was formerly known as Leber & Krebs.They had managed just about every major rock 'n' roll band on the planet at the time. One of the people I ran into was the late great Allan Fryer from the band Heaven. I wound up getting an audition with the band and eventually got the gig. I remember walking into the offices of Contemporary Communications for the first time. All of a sudden I see that guy from the club! It was Mr. Paul Oneill. Paul managed and produced Heaven and my very first professional paycheck came from him when I was a 17-year-old kid.

33 years later I look back on my career and think of how lucky I am. How lucky I was to live just about every single dream I ever had as a kid about being a rock 'n' roll musician and a rockstar. The man who created that magic has passed away from us and the emptiness that I'm feeling cannot be described in words.

They always say they are moments in your life in which from that moment on things will never be the same. Meeting Paul was one of those moments and losing Paul is definitely one of those moments as well.

There are one million different things that I want to say right now. I can't really put them into words. I'm praying for his family, his daughter especially. I'm praying for all of us in the TSO and Savatage family we lost our big brother, a mentor...our hero...our leader.

All Paul ever wanted to do was change the world through his music he did that and so much more.

Rest In Peace Paul. It's time to catch up on that sleep you have been missing for the past 20 years...

I love you and I'm gonna miss u."

O’Neill passed away on April 5th at age 61.

The TSO debut album, Christmas Eve And Other Stories was released in 1996 with "Christmas Eve/Sarajevo 12/24" as its cornerstone; the album was certified triple platinum in 2011. It also launched TSO as the touring juggernaut it is today, featuring two companies that tour North America every year leading into and during the Christmas holiday season.

"I've always believed that music has the power to transport and transform," O'Neill said in an interview. "The original concept of Trans-Siberian Orchestra was how to make music have the most emotional impact. We always try to write melodies that are so infectious they don't need lyrics and lyrics so poetic that they don’t need a melody, but when you combine the two together they create an alloy where the sum of the parts is greater than the whole. Once those songs are woven together into a tapestry they create a story which gives each song a third dimension."

"That was so much in the spirit of Trans-Siberian Orchestra. This is a group -- a constantly morphing group -- of extremely creative and talented individuals who are always trying to raise the bar of where a band can take its audience sonically, visually and emotionally. With that as our core ideal, the possibilities are endless."

 

 

Read Metal Tim Henderson's tribute to O'Neill here.

Eisregen's new album Fleischfilm will be released on May 5th via Massacre Records. The album is an homage to the wild Italian cinema of the ’70s and ‘80s.

Eisregen's 12th album will be available as jewel case CD, limited digipak with bonus track, limited and numbered vinyl LP with gatefold cover, digital download as well as a limited box set, including the album as a digipak w/ bonus track, a patch, 3D glasses and 3D art cards.

Fleischfilm was mixed and mastered by Markus Stock at Klangschmiede Studio E. Adrian Keindorf is responsible for the cover- and booklet artwork.

The band is going to present their new album over the course of four record release shows in Germany in early May with the support of their label mates Hardholz.

Tracklisting:

“Drei Mütter”
“Hauch des Todes”
“Jenseits der Dunkelheit”
“Die letzte Reise des Alan Yates (Metamorphose 2)”
“Auf den Spuren der Säge”
“Tiefrot”
“Nahe der Friedhofsmauer”
“Menschenfresser”
“Syndikat des Schreckens”
“Im Blutrausch”
“Satan der Rache”
“Nachts kommt das Delirium” (Digipak Bonus)

This June, Oakland, California-based classic death dealers Necrot will unleash the fetid fruits of their Blood Offerings full-length. Set for release on June 9th on CD, LP, and digitally via Tankcrimes and on cassette in partnership with Sentient Ruin Laboratories, the eight-tracks comprising Blood Offerings were captured by Greg Wilkinson at Earhammer (Vastum, Graves At Sea), mastered by Brad Boatright at Audiosiege (Nails, Gatecreeper), and will come sheathed in the unholy cover craftings of Marald Van Haasteren (Bolt Thrower, Baroness).
 
"Blood Offerings is the result of six years of hard work and is our first full-length record to be released by Tankcrimes," relays drummer Chad Gailey. "The songwriting and performance on these eight songs is a step up from what people have heard previously. We feel that with this album, we have accomplished what we intended to create many years ago. It is always a great experience working with Greg Wilkinson at Earhammer and Scotty Heath at Tankcrimes because of the hard work and care they both put into each project they are a part of. We are thankful to everyone who has supported Necrot to get to this point."
 
Guitarist Sonny Reinhardt agrees, "We made the best album ever made and can't wait to hit the road and kill you all." Adds guitarist Luca Indrio, "This is a death metal classic and you should fucking have it!"

Blood Offerings preorders are currently available here. The limited vinyl edition comes as a foil-stamped, gatefold deluxe LP available in four color variants: 150 in purple splatter, 350 in gold splatter, 500 in black, and 1000 in gold. Wax preorders include an instant digital download of the band's first single, "Empty Hands."

For digital preorders, visit the Tankcrimes Bandcamp page where you can nab the record for $6.66 and sample the menacing sounds of "Empty Hands."

Tracklisting:

“The Blade”
“Rather Be Dead”
“Shadow And Light”
“Blood Offerings”
“Empty Hands”
“Beneath”
“Breathing Machine”
“Layers Of Darkness”

“Empty Hands”:

California-based technical death metal unit Inanimate Existence have long since established themselves as one of the most gifted and ambitious bands in the genre. To date, the band has released three full-length albums, and continue to tour relentlessly as well. Today the band is happy to announce that they've signed with growing extreme metal label The Artisan Era. Currently, the group is hard at work crafting their fourth album which is planned for release this summer. In mid-June, Inanimate Existence will hit the road for a lengthy tour with fellow rising stars Reaping Asmodeia and Cyborg Octopus. Dates for The Unseen Self Tour follow below.

The band comments: 

"We are very excited to be a part of The Artisan Era roster for the release of our upcoming album. This is by far our most focused material, and in our opinion, hands down our best album to date. We couldn’t ask for a better label to work with for this release. Keep an eye out for us on tour."

Dates with Reaping Asmodeia and Cyborg Octopus:

June
16 – Sacramento, CA – Starlite Lounge
17 – Bend, OR – 3rd Street Pub
18 – Portland, OR – The Analog Café
19 – Seattle, WA – Studio Seven
20 – Vancouver, BC – Astoria Pub
21 – Nelson, BC – The Royal
22 – Spokane, WA – The Pin!
23 – Boise, ID – The Shredder
24 – South Lake Tahoe, CA – American Legion
25 – Las Vegas, NV – The Dive Bar
26 – Mesa, AZ – Club Red
27 – Santa Ana, CA – TBA
28 – Los Angeles, CA – Whisky A Go Go
29 – San Diego, CA – The Merrow
30 – Fresno, CA – Full Circle Brewery

July
1 – Monterey, CA – Planet Gemini 

"Forces Of The Northern Night", the highly anticipated double DVD from Norwegian symphonic black metallers DIMMU BORGIR, will be released on April 14 via Nuclear Blast. The set will contain two of the band's live performances: their legendary show in Oslo, presenting DIMMU BORGIR on stage with the Norwegian Radio Orchestra and a bombastic choir, as well as their entire performance at Wacken Open Air festival in 2012 in Wacken, Germany with almost a hundred musicians on stage. Both concerts present a spectacular sound scenario of raging black metal in front of an epic orchestral landscape plus the band's unique visuals.

The third trailer for "Forces Of The Northern Night" can be seen below.

DIMMU BORGIR's remarkable and atramentous stage show has long seemed like a natural evolution for fans, but much time, arrangements and commitment were necessary to put this gigantic production into reality and fill the stage with 90 minutes of mindblowing aural delight per night. The shows guide the fans through classics from the band's discography — from the majestic finisher "Mourning Palace" — which can be seen below (footage from the Wacken show) — to the stomping manifesto "Puritania" and the haunting "Gateways". "For us, this is the pinnacle of our career so far," says DIMMU BORGIR frontman Stian Thoresen (a.k.a. Shagrath). "As a band, we've always used a lot of symphonic elements in our music. But we haven't been able to use a real orchestra. We've had to use samples, synthesizers and so on, so this was a huge, awesome experience for us." In addition to the two concerts, "Forces Of The Northern Night" will include a bonus documentary feature.

DIMMU BORGIR's May 28, 2011 concert at the Oslo Spektrum in Norway, which is included on "Forces Of The Northern Night", featured a special setlist with 53 members of KORK (the Norwegian Radio Orchestra) and 30 members of the Schola Cantorum choir, who were musical guests on the band's ninth studio album, 2010's "Abrahadabra". The show was professionally filmed and was broadcast as part of a one-hour documentary in June 2011 on NRK (Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation), the Norwegian government-owned radio and television public broadcasting company and the largest media organization in Norway.

In an interview with Scuzz TV, DIMMU BORGIR guitarist Sven Atle Kopperud (a.k.a. Silenoz) stated about the experience of performing with an orchestra: "It was, of course, really special, especially since it was in Oslo, and a lot of people traveled in for the show from all over the world. And everything went great on stage for once. When you have a hundred people on stage, the percentage of something going wrong is definitely there, but it was really, really good."

He added: "You think your band is professional, then you play with an orchestra, and then you know, 'Oh, we're not so professional after all.'"

DIMMU BORGIR last year extended its partnership with Nuclear Blast.

The band's tenth album is tentatively due before the end of 2017.

DIMMU BORGIR's most recent touring lineup included Geir Bratland (APOPTYGMA BERZERK, THE KOVENANT) on keyboards and Terje Andersen (a.k.a. Cyrus; SUSPERIA) on bass.

"Curse Of Darkness", a brand new song from the multinational metal band DRAGONFORCE, can be streamed below. The track is taken from the band's new album, "Reaching Into Infinity", which will be released on May 19 via earMUSIC on CD, LP and a special-edition CD and DVD. The follow-up to 2014's "Maximum Overload" marks the band's third full-length studio release with singer Marc Hudson, who joined the group in 2011 following the departure of original frontman ZP Theart (now in SKID ROW). The bulk of the recording sessions for "Reaching Into Infinity" took place at Fascination Street studios in Örebro, Sweden with producer Jens Bogren, who has previously worked with OPETH, THE DEVIN TOWNSEND PROJECT, AMON AMARTH, KATATONIA, SOILWORK and SYMPHONY X, to name a few. The band also laid down tracks while touring their "Killer Elite" best-of album, utilizing Lamerluser Studios in London, U.K.; Dark Lane Studios in Witney, U.K.; as well as the band's own Evil1 Studios in Charleville-Mézières, France and Shredforce One Studios in California. "We were flying out, playing a festival, then back into the studio, then back out again," explains DRAGONFORCE bassist Frédéric Leclercq, who also handled the majority of songwriting on this album. "It was very intense and very tiring. I obviously played bass but also a lot of rhythm guitar, electric and acoustic, and lost my temper a few times. I think we all did at some point, because we wanted to deliver nothing but the best." For their seventh studio album, DRAGONFORCE have opened up their sound like never before, capturing the fierce, forlorn and fun with both menace and melody. "I think we have proven that playing fast was something we were good at, so this time I wanted to bring even more diversity into our music," Frédéric continues. "It's great to challenge ourselves instead of staying in a comfort zone, and I really wanted to experiment with Marc's vocals. I think people are going to be surprised at his brutality."

"Reaching Into Infinity" is DRAGONFORCE's first album to feature Gee Anzalone, the Italian drummer who has laid down an insanely impressive performance to provide the perfect backbone to the DRAGONFORCE sound, which, of course, still boasts the bands trademark crazy-fast solos, courtesy of guitarists Herman Li and Sam Totman.

"The title of the album explains pretty much what we are trying to do with our music," Frédéric concludes. "Today's world is really crazy — there is fear of the future, uncertainty. But the power of music is infinite, and it can give strength and hope to people." The band will give fans their first taste of the new songs in a live setting at a very exclusive one-off show at Camden Town, London's Black Heart venue, on April 12.

Totman says: "This is going to be insane! We always like to kick things off with some intimate shows and this will be the smallest London show we've done since doing three consecutive weeks at The Barfly back in 2005. It's going to be a wild sweaty party!" "Reaching Into Infinity" will be available on the following formats:

Standard Edition 01. Reaching Into Infinity02. Ashes Of The Dawn03. Judgement Day04. Astral Empire05. Curse Of Darkness06. Silence07. Midnight Madness08. WAR!09. Land Of Shattered Dreams10. The eDGE OF THE wORLD11. Our Final Stand Special Edition with multi-angle Bonus DVD: Disc 1 - CD 01. Reaching Into Infinity02. Ashes Of The Dawn03. Judgement Day04. Astral Empire05. Curse Of Darkness06. Silence07. Midnight Madness08. WAR!09. Land Of Shattered Dreams10. The Edge Of The World11. Our Final Stand Bonus Tracks 12. Hatred And Revenge13. Evil Dead Disc 2 - Bonus DVDDRAGONFORCE Live at Woodstock Festival Poland 2016 01. Holding On02. Heroes Of Our Time03. Operation Ground And Pound04. Holding On (Multi-angles)05. Heroes Of Our Time (Multi-angeles)06. Operation Ground And Pound (Multi-Angles)

Metallica performed at Lollapalooza Argentina in Buenos Aires, Argentina on March 31st. Pro-shot video of the band’s performance of “One” can be seen below, while footage from the Buenos Aires tuning room can be found at this location.

On March 5th at Foro Sol in Mexico City, Mexico, Metallica performed "Dream No More" from Hardwired... To Self-Destruct live for the very first time; professionally filmed video of the debut can be seen below.

That same night, Iggy Pop joined Metallica on stage for a performance of The Stooges classic, “T.V. Eye”. Pro-shot video of the performance is available for streaming below; Iggy Pop opened for Metallica at all three of their shows at Mexico City’s Foro Sol venue.

Metallica’s next concert is scheduled for May 10th a M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore, Maryland. The band’s complete live schedule can be found at this location.

Swedish classic/progressive rock supergroup THE NIGHT FLIGHT ORCHESTRA — featuring members of metal frontrunners SOILWORK and ARCH ENEMY — will release its third studio album, "Amber Galactic", on May 19 via Nuclear Blast. The disc was recorded at Handsome Hard Studio in Lund, Sweden. The album follows THE NIGHT FLIGHT ORCHESTRA's two previous releases, 2012's "Internal Affairs" and 2015's "Skyline Whispers".

The third trailer for "Amber Galactic" is available below.

Singer Björn Strid states: "'Amber Galactic' is a relationship drama set in space, the first classic rock space opera on double vinyl.

"As seasoned musicians, we're taking this project seriously, although we might come across as slightly retrofuturistic at times, there's no irony involved. It's just us trying to shape our future into a place where our race is led by female space commanders with pearl necklaces and a quasar sense of gravity.

"'Amber Galactic' is about setting free from genre boundaries and expectations that are put on people like us. We just want to create music that we would like to hear ourselves, but that isn't only for us.

"THE NIGHT FLIGHT ORCHESTRA is here to set you free, to invite you to enjoy music in whatever form it is presented.

"For this particular journey, we'd like you to follow us into space, but who knows where we'll go next! After entering the NFO universe, you won't ever be the same!" "Amber Galactic" will be available as a limited edition digipak CD featuring an alternate cover art (see below), 2LP vinyl (black and violet sparkle) and as digital download and stream via all known platforms. "Amber Galactic" track listing:

01. Midnight Flyer02. Star Of Rio03. Gemini04. Sad State Of Affairs05. Jennie06. Domino07. Josephine08. Space Whisperer09. Something Mysterious10. Saturn In Velvet11. Just Another Night (bonus track, limited-edition digipak, vinyl)12. Fly Tonight (Never Rewind) (bonus track, Japan only)

Strid previousy stated about the album: "'Amber Galactic' was made during late nights and way too early mornings, when sometimes, in the corner of your eye, you can catch a glimpse of another dimension, where all the women are heartbroken space commanders in evening gowns, the champagne is always free and the drugs won't hurt you.

"We wanted to create more than just a listening experience; instead we want it to be an alternative reality.

"We hope that after listening to 'Amber Galactic', you'll be wide-eyed, horny and slightly drunk."

Guitarist David Andersson added: "Musicianship in itself is not interesting, neither are the technical aspects of creating music. The ideas and visions behind the music are the only things really worthy of in-depth discussions.

"We've all reached a point where we can all pretty much play and sing whatever we want.

"We didn't talk much about chord changes or amplifiers during the recording sessions. But we spent a lot of time discussing Kierkegaard's concept of anxiety, different vintages of sparkling wine, the psychoacoustic aspects of modulation, the innate superiority of women and why a pearl necklace always look better when whoever wears it has a bored expression on her face."

When asked about the direction of THE NIGHT FLIGHT ORCHESTRA within the realm of classic rock, Strid explained with a chuckle: "Most other classic rock bands sound like weed or LSD — we sound like cocaine."

THE NIGHT FLIGHT ORCHESTRA is:

Björn Strid - VocalsSharlee D'Angelo - BassDavid Andersson - GuitarRichard Larsson - KeyboardsJonas Källsbäck - DrumsSebastian Forslund - Guitar, Percussion







Alternate cover art for limited-edition digipak CD:

New York death metal veterans SUFFOCATION will release their new album, "…Of The Dark Light", on June 9 via Nuclear Blast. The follow-up to 2013's "Pinnacle Of Bedlam" will mark the band's first release with new guitarist Charlie Errigo (formerly of PYREXIA) and drummer Eric Morotti (KILLITOROUS, BLIND WITNESS).

The track listing for the effort is as follows:

01. Clarity Through Deprivation02. The Warmth Within The Dark03. Your Last Breaths04. Return To The Abyss05. The Violation06. Of The Dark Light07. Some Things Should Be Left Alone08. Caught Between Two Worlds09. Epitaph Of The Credulous

SUFFOCATION will embark on a U.S. tour with MORBID ANGEL and REVOCATION in late May.

SUFFOCATION bassist Derek Boyer told Metal Wani about how much room for experimentation there is in the band's music: "It's funny, because for the most part… For us, for example, we wanna stick to the tried-and-true format of SUFFOCATION. And we dabble a little bit with a couple of new elements, but it'd be really a shame if you reached too far and then lost your main audience that you've been working for so long. So I don't think there's a lot — maybe five percent, ten percent experiment. If you do any more than that… You can't just go put clean vocals and stuff like that. People are just gonna go, 'What the fuck?' Thirty years' worth of fans are, like, 'Fuck that!' So you can stray from the path a bit, but I think sticking to the main formula is probably most important and then just dabble a little bit."

"Pinnacle Of Bedlam" entered the German Media Control chart at position No. 58. The CD was released on February 19, 2013 via Nuclear Blast Records. The artwork was handled by Raymond Swanland.

"Pinnacle Of Bedlam"sold 3,200 copies in the United States during its first week of release to enter The Billboard 200 chart at position No. 152. The effort landed at No. 2 on the Top New Artist Albums (Heatseekers) chart, which lists the best-selling albums by new and developing artists, defined as those who have never appeared in the Top 100 of The Billboard 200.

"Pinnacle Of Bedlam" was produced by the band at Full Force Studios in New York with longtime collaborator Joe Cincotta. The mixing and mastering of the effort was handled by Chris "Zeuss" Harris (HATEBREED, ARSIS, SUICIDE SILENCE).

Photo courtesy of SUFFOCATION Facebook page

Having recently announced their signing to Prosthetic Records, Maryland-based technical death metal outfit Exist has announced their label debut, So True, So Bound, is scheduled for worldwide release on June 9th.  The self-produced album was mixed by Nolly Getgood (Periphery) and features eight forward-thinking tracks clocking in at just over 60 minutes. The album's artwork, featured above, was completed by Sebastian Jerke (Ahab, Zodiac). 

Guitarist/vocalist Max Phelps commented, "We were fortunate enough to work with a really great team throughout the entire process. Nolly crushed the mix, as expected, and we were fortunate enough to find an amazing visual artist, Sebastian Jerke, who wasn't afraid to jump down the rabbit hole with us, illustrating and adding some very specific concepts in his own beautiful style of painting". 

Formed in the late '00s by Phelps, who has cut his teeth as a touring member of Cynic and Defeated Sanity, in addition to acting as frontman for Death To All (touring tribute band to Chuck Shuldiner), the band is rounded out with bassist Alex Weber (Jeff Loomis), and guitarist Mathew Rossa. Drummer Hannes Grossman (Necrophagist, Obscura) lent his hand on the So True, So Bound recording, stating "Exist is hands down one of the most talented and musically interesting young bands out there. Deciding to record with them was a no-brainer."

Phelps added, "In absence of a drummer, Hannes Grossman stepped in as our session guy and fully delivered.”

Tracklisting:

“Take My Picture”
“Happily Ever After (For A Week Or So…)”
“So True: Imitation’s Flattery”
“So Bound: One Of The Herd”
“Peer Prejudice”
“To Sever The Strings”

One week prior to the album's release, Exist with kickstart a North American tour with Montreal-based progressive metal giants, Gorguts. Phelps will pull double duty on the run, as he will also be fronting for tourmates Defeated Sanity. No small feat for two such hard-hitting bands. 

On Tuesday, April 25th, We Are X, the transcendent and captivating rock 'n' roll documentary about one of the most successful bands in history, X Japan, arrives on Blu-Ray, DVD and Digital HD from Magnolia Home Entertainment under the Magnet Label.

From director and acclaimed documentarian Stephen Kijak (Stones in Exile, Scott Walker: 30 Century Man), and produced by the Oscar-winning production team  behind  Searching for Sugar Man, We Are X profiles the blockbuster Japanese rock band X Japan and its enigmatic frontman Yoshiki - composer, classically trained pianist, drummer and the creative force behind the band's wild success.

Featuring interviews with Gene Simmons, Marilyn Manson, Stan Lee and more, We Are X dives into Yoshiki's life and X Japan's attempt to break into the American music industry. Supported by concert footage, band interviews and fan photos, the compelling film takes a look at X Japan's hardships and conflicts including suicide and cultism. Also spotlighting the band's triumphs, We Are X explores the group's phenomenal success, boasting more than 30 million albums and singles sold, countless sold-out concerts around the world, and fans in North America, Europe, Latin America and South East Asia.

Special features for We Are X include deleted scenes featuring Hello Kitty designer Yuko Yamaguchi and clips from Kitty Con, the New Economy Summit, Tateyama and the X Museum, as well as deleted interviews with members of X Japan. Extras also include seven interview vignettes with Yoshiki about We Are X, and two live performances, "Forever Love" and "Kurenai”, from X Japan's 1997 The Last Live concert at the Tokyo Dome. A tribute to the band with the "Born To Be Free" fan video featuring concert footage and global fan interviews is also included. The documentary will be available on Blu-ray and DVD for the suggested retail price of $29.98 and $26.98, and on Digital HD via iTunes, Google Play, Amazon Video and additional digital retailers on April 25th.

Synopsis - From the producers of the Oscar-winning film Searching for Sugar Man, comes We Are X, a transcendent rock and roll story about one of the biggest and most successful bands the world's never heard of... yet. Under the enigmatic direction of drummer, pianist, composer, and producer Yoshiki, X Japan has sold over 30 million singles and albums combined - captivating such a wide range of admirers as Sir George Martin, KISS, Stan Lee, and even the Japanese Emperor. An astonishingly intimate portrait of a deeply haunted - but truly unstoppable - virtuoso and the music that has enthralled legions of the world's most devoted fans.

Bonus Features:

- Deleted Scenes
- Deleted Interviews: Yoshiki, Toshl, Pata, Heath, Sugizo
- Yoshiki on We Are X
- “Forever Love" (From 1997's The Last Live Concert at Tokyo Dome)
- “Kurenai" (From 1997's The Last Live Concert at Tokyo Dome)
- “Born To Be Free" Fan Video

Bobby Kimball, the original singer of Toto, returns with a very special new studio album, We’re Not In Kansas Anymore. The new album will be released via Purple Pyramid Records on April 21st.

Says Bobby, “As artists and musicians we live our lives chasing a dream… the dream of expressing ourselves through the songs we create and sing. I surrounded myself with some of the best session players and songwriters in the business, and I feel you can hear and sense that when you listen to the music. To my fans… I hope that I delivered an album that can be part of a songbook for your life, as it is for mine. God Speed.”

Kimball's music remains unmistakable - melodious rock with polyphonic arrangements and a great sound, and his distinctive voice is simply inimitable. Re-teaming with producer John Zaika, WNIKA features stellar performances by drummer Joel Taylor, keyboardist Derek Sherinian (Dream Theater, Black Country), Mitchel Forman and more.

Says John Zaika, “I produced and co-wrote a project with Bobby Kimball in 1999, All I Ever Needed. We've stayed in touch ever since. When the opportunity to write and produce a second project for this incredible singer and artist came along, I was excited to be involved. I knew it needed to have great songs, sound fresh, and stand out in today's music world. So, as a team, we pushed hard to create a project that crosses over genres without sounding disconnected. I sought out some of the best musicians in the industry, worked with top engineers to help fulfill the experience, and we created a wonderful team with myself, Bobby Kimball and Dave Barnett here at Future Memories Music.”

Tracklisting:

“Too Far Behind”
“On My Feet”
“Hey It’s Me”
“One Day”
“Flatline”
“Met Her For”
“Hold On”
“Scam”
“You’ll Be With Me”
“Some They Do”
“Your Not Alone”

Buy the CD here, or the digital edition here.

Italian folk/power metal band, Wind Rose, will release their new album, Stonehymn, on May 26th in Europe and North America via Inner Wound Recordings. A lyric video for the album track, “The Wolves’ Call”, is available for streaming below.

Having toured with bands like Wintersun, Eluveitie and Ensiferum, and with two successful albums under their belt, Wind Rose are ready to take things to the next level with the release of their third album Stonehymn, an album filled by the epic, powerful and folk inspired brand of power metal the band is known for.

Stonehymn was mixed and mastered by Simone Mularoni (DGM, Ancient Bards, Secret Sphere) and the artwork was created by Jan Yrlund (Apocalyptica, Korpiklaani, Tyr).

Stonehymn tracklisting:

“Distant Battlefields”
“Dance Of Fire”
“Under The Stone”
“To Erebor”
“The Returning Race”
“The Animist”
“The Wolves’ Call”
“Fallen Timbers”
“The Eyes Of The Mountain”

“The Wolves’ Call” lyric video:

Wind Rose are confirmed for Masters of Rock 2017, that takes place in Vizovice, Czech Republic July 13th - 16th. Other bands confirmed for the festival are Sabaton, Running Wild, Kreator, Edguy, Epica and more.

Cult Of Luna have released a video for “Owlwood” from their upcoming CD/DVD package of live recordings, entitled Years In A Day, and due for release on April 21st. Watch the new clip below.

The band states: “A few years ago we took the decision to keep touring to a minimum. The sole reason was to prevent us from burning out, to keep the flame and the passion burning. But the experiences on the road that we've shared for almost 20 years has been life changing for all of us. It has boned us together like brothers and we have been given the privilege to interact with incredible people all around the globe. So we thought it was time to release a special object related to the live aspect of Cult Of Luna and how we have progressed since the release of Fire Was Born eight years ago.”

Years In A Day will contain:

• A 2-hour DVD captured in Paris last year at La Gaîté Lyrique
• 2 live CD set from Roadburn Festival 2013 and 2016
• A 20-page booklet
• Download-code for HD video of the entire Paris show + audio files
• All combined in a stunning 10-inch vinyl sized trifold package
• Strictly limited to 7,000 copies only

Pre-orders at cultofluna.com.

Tracklisting:

DVD: Live at La Gaîté Lyrique, Paris
“The Sweep”
“Light Chaser”
“Owlwood”
“Echoes”
“I: The Weapon”
“Waiting For You”
“Marching To The Heartbeats”
“Finland”
“Back To Chapel Town”
“And With Her Came The Birds”
“Thirtyfour”
“Dim”
“Dark City Dead Man”

CD: Live At Roatburn 2013
“The One”
“I: The Weapon”
“Ghost Trail”
“Finland”
“Vicarious Redemption”
“Owlwood”
“In Awe Of”

CD: Somewhere Along The Highway Live At Roadburn 2016
“Marching To The Heartbeats”
“Finland”
“Back To Chapel Town”
“And With Her Came The Birds”
“Thirtyfour”
“Dim”
“Dark City Dead Man”

“Owlwood”:

“The Sweep” / “Light Chaser”:

Trailer:

On June 16th, Igorrr - the brainchild of French musician and eclectic composer Gautier Serre - will release their new album, Savage Sinusoid, via Metal Blade Records. On this record, electronic manipulations, accordion, saxophone, sitar, harpsichord, mandolin and strings sit comfortably alongside ruthless blastbeats, chunky riffs, death grunts and soaring operatic vocals - and as chaotic as this might sometimes seem, there is no lack of heart behind everything thundering from the speakers.

For a preview of Savage Sinusoid, a video for the first single, "ieuD", is available for streaming below. The album can be pre-ordered here in the following formats:

- Digipak CD
- pale skin clear vinyl (limited to 500 copies)
- cream/white splatter (limited to 200 copies - EU exclusive)
- golden yellow vinyl (limited to 100 copies - Bandcamp exclusive)
- tan-marbled vinyl (limited to 200 copies - US exclusive)

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

Savage Sinusoid tracklisting:

“Viande”
“ieuD”
“Houmous”
“Opus Brain”
“Probleme d'emotion”
“Spaghetti Forever”
“Cheval”
“Apopathodiaphulatophobie”
“Va te foutre”
“Robert”
“Au Revoir”

“ieuD” video:

To realize Savage Sinusoid as a completely sample-free record, Serre reunited with vocalists Laurent Lunoir and Laure Le Prunenec, along with drummer Sylvain Bouvier, and collaborated with more musicians than on any of his previous releases - one of those guests being Cattle Decapitation's Travis Ryan, who lends his vocals on "Cheval", "Apopathodiaphulatophobie" and "Robert".

While Savage Sinusoid draws from a plethora of genres, Serre has no intention of baffling or alienating potential listeners. As he explains: "I just want to make the music I love, without asking myself if it's gonna be too complex or too far from what people like. I want to make the music which has sense to me, with no restrictions, like a big party with metalheads, electronics nerds, classical and baroque-heads and gypsy violinists getting drunk and joining together to bring the best of every genre."

Igorrr will give European fans their first taste of new songs this spring/summer, with more shows to be announced soon.

Igorrr tour dates:

April
29 - Opera National Du Rhin - Strasbourg, France

May
5 - Circasismic Festival - Besancon, France

June
17 - Hellfest Open Air - Clisson, France

July
7 - What The Fest?!#2 - Vendargues, France
9 - UK Tech Fest - Winthorpe, United Kingdom
15 - Dour Festival - Dour, Belgium

August
11 - Brutal Assault - Jaromer, Czech Republic

October
17 - l'Aeronef - Lille, France

November
15 - La Maroquinerie - Paris, France

Belgian/Dutch modern metal outfit, Spoil Engine, have released a video for “Doomed To Die”, a track from the band’s new album, Stormsleeper, out on May 5th via Arising Empire/Nuclear Blast. Watch the new clip below.

Stormsleeper contains 10 songs (mixed and mastered at Fredman Studios). The cover artwork was created by Heilemania (Nightwish, Kreator, Legion of the Damned).

Tracklisting:

“Disconnect”
“Silence Will Fall”
“Doomed to Die”
“Weightless”
“Stormsleeper”
“Hollow Crown”
“Black Sails”
“The Verdict”
“Singing Sirens”
“Wastelands”

“Doomed To Die” video:

“Stormsleeper” video:

Spoil Engine have announced dates in Germany and the UK supporting Prong. Their schedule is as follows:

July
13 - Hamburg, Germany - Hafenklang
14 - Münster, Germany - Sputnikhalle
15 - Neukirchen-Vluyn, Germany - Dong Open Air
18 - Glasgow, Scotland - Audio
19 - Belfast, Northern Ireland - Voodoo
20 - Dublin, Ireland - Voodoo Lounge
21 - Manchester, UK - Rebellion
22 - London, UK - Underworld
26 - München, Germany - Free & Easy Festival
27 - Stuttgart, Germany - Keller Klub
28 - Weinheim, Germany - Café Central

Spoil Engine is:

Iris Goessens - Vocals
Steven 'Gaze' Sanders - Guitar
Kristof Taveirne - Bass
Matthijs Quaars - Drums
Bart Vandeportaele - Guitar

Death horde Cocyte turned heads with their Suffocate Now demo in 2011, quickly followed by the New Breath EP in 2012 and follow up Asylum 2013. The Belgian band is one that can be hard to pigeonhole, cited as too death metal to be a deathcore but too deathcore to be death metal... but whatever they may be labelled, the end result is always the same and is nothing short of devastation. With a steady release history augmented with regular appearances across a multidude of venues in major European cities, today’s incarnation of Cocyte is a well-focused outfit, polished and oiled an inch from its death. Testament to that is the band’s latest release and first full-length The Human Disease, mixed by Christian Carvin and mastered by Alan Douches (Carnifex, Suicide Silence, Cannibal Corpse, Nile). 

Guitarist Jimmy Maes comments on the theme running throughout the album. "We were leaning towards the story of humankind, the spirit of man, behaviour, etc. and this album turned into an absolute statement of the situation on earth. The Human Disease is what the man has in its core, a disease. During the album you can find a common thread, it's a story following the life of a man who describes many sides of humanity such as the relation between God and himself, the impact of religions on earth, the mental problems and darkest behaviours such as sexual assault, destruction of the land and our own kind, war, consumer society... Finally the story turns to a more positive note as our man finds a refuge in his spirit because our world is no longer worth it, he builds a sanctuary where he is completely satisfied and full of joy. But he is human after all, and slowly starts to destroy his sanctuary, like everyone else, he is infected by The Human Disease. This album is dark vision of the world but the conclusion is not a dead cause, we have hope in humanity, we can change, but it can't be done alone, people must wake up and become better."

Tracklisting:

“Ominous”
“We Are Divided”
“The Oppressed”
“Malevolent Urge”
“Hollow Cause”
“Mechanical Refuge”
“Behind The Mess Of The Soul”
“Shadows & Illusions”
“The Human Disease”
“Last Requiem” 

“The Human Disease” video:

“Malevolent Urge” lyric video:

At long last, Blood Feast is reborn into the metal underground with their third full-length album, The Future State Of Wicked, set for international release this Friday, April 14th, via by longtime fans Hells Headbangers. A full album stream is available below.

Blood Feast fans old and new will not be disappointed by The Future State Of Wicked, as the "holy trinity" of releases from the band’s early days – Kill For Pleasure (1987), the Face Fate EP (1988) and Chopping Block Blues (1990) – inform much of the new album. All the speed, brutality, and twists ‘n’ turns Blood Feast is known for are intact and in your face (nine of the ten songs being written by original guitarist Adam Tranquilli), yet updated with modern production. Joining Adam are vocalist Chris Natalini and bassist Tom Lorenzo, along with some new blood in Joe Moore (drums) and CJ Scioscia (guitar).

Blood Feast was formed by Adam Tranquilli, Gary Markowich (vocals), Kevin Kuzma (drums), and Lou Starita (bass) in 1985 as Blood Lust.  They quickly wrote and recorded their classic four-song demo, The Suicidal Missions. Shortly after, they became a five-piece with the addition of Michael Basden on guitar. The band was then approached by New Renaissance Records to contribute songs to their Thrash Metal Attack (“Menacing Thunder”) and Speed Metal Hell 3 (“The Suicidal Missions”). This prompted the name change to Blood Feast. New Renaissance then offered a record deal, which led to the recording of the classic Kill For Pleasure album and a US tour with Death Angel. The Face Fate EP quickly followed.

Shortly after writing and recording their proposed second album, Adam left the band. The remaining four members then re-recorded these songs, which became the album Chopping Block Blues. The band broke up shortly after the album's release in early 1990.

The five-man Blood Feast reunited for an appearance at the NJ March Metal Meltdown in 1999, but further activity was not to be. A second reunion began in 2007, albeit only with original members Tranquilli and Kuzma. Both Lorenzo and Natalini came on board in 2010, just in time for the band’s first appearance at Headbangers Open Air in Germany (they were invited back in 2013). During this stretch, Adam began writing new material, with the band even playing an early version of "INRI" at select shows.

The Blood Feast retaking its place in the metal ranks today began to take shape in March of 2014, with the addition of guitarist CJ Scioscia. When drummer Joe Moore joined a few months later, the unit was complete and immediately set to work on Adam’s stockpile of new material. Two of these songs (“Off With Their Heads” and “The Burn”) have become staples of the current live set. Such performances have become more frequent, culminating with an appearance at the True Thrash Fest 2015 in Osaka, Japan with Exciter, Hobb's Angel of Death, and Game Over and, most recently, Hells Headbangers' own festival Hells Headbash Part 2 in Cleveland, Ohio.

Now with a new generation of thrashers and metalheads holding records like Kill For Pleasure as their cherished cult classics, Blood Feast's return with The Future State Of Wicked could not be any more momentous and better timed. Exploding right out of the gates with the aforementioned evil-as-fuck thrashfest "INRI," The Future State of Wicked racks up one breathless, bloody attack after the next. In one sense, the spirit of '87 is alive and well in Blood Feast; their frenzied thrust is as rabid and red-eyed as ever, sounding like the crazed mania of men half their age. In another, perhaps more accurate sense, The Future State Of Wicked is suffused with the wisdom of the ages, the whole span of thrash and speed metal history since Blood Feast's original days on the frontlines, and it results in ten angry-yet-finessed slices of audial terror buttressed by well-rounded but never too-polished production.

Tracklisting:

“INRI”
“Off With Their Heads”
“Brethren”
“By The Slice”
“The Underling”
“Last Rites”
“Who Prays For The Devil”
“Nein”
“Remnants II”
“The Burn”

Album stream:

The Future State Of Wicked by BLOOD FEAST

Prosthetic Records has announced the newest addition to their ever-growing lineup, blackened crust punkers, Funeral Chic.

Hailing from the bustles of Charlotte, North Carolina, Funeral Chic were established in 2014 with the release of their self-titled EP in 2014. The quintet shortly thereafter recorded their debut full-length album, Hatred Swarm, with Rick Contes (Young And In The Way) at Birthwave Studio, while being mastered by Brad Boatright (Converge, Full Of Hell) at Audiosiege.

Hatred Swarm received critical acclaim amongst the underground metal/punk scene and saw Funeral Chic perform with acts including Joy, Of Feather & Bone, Young And In The Way, Nails, Power Trip, Oathbreaker, Full Of Hell, Homewrecker, Harms Way, Twitching Tongues and more.

Funeral Chic will begin recording their Prosthetic Records debut towards the end of 2017 and are currently plotting an early fall tour. Stay tuned in the coming weeks for more details on their new release and tour plans.