METALLICA's latest album, "Hardwired… To Self-Destruct", has jumped from No. 19 to No. 5 on The Billboard 200 chart this week, with 50,000 units (up 110 percent) and 48,000 in traditional album sales (up 120 percent). The gain is owed mostly to a concert ticket/album bundle sale redemption promotion with the band's stadium tour that went on sale on February 17. Redemptions of albums included with the purchase of a concert ticket register as a sale in the week the customer redeems/receives the album.

The Billboard 200 chart ranks the week's most popular albums based on their overall consumption. That overall unit figure combines pure album sales, track equivalent albums (TEA) and streaming equivalent albums (SEA).

"Hardwired… To Self-Destruct" debuted as expected at No. 1 on The Billboard 200 album chart last November, selling 291,000 copies in its first week of release. Both of the band's previous outings, 2008's "Death Magnetic" and 2003's "St. Anger", sold more copies in shortened sales weeks. "Death Magnetic" moved 490,000 copies in a three-day window, while "St. Anger" shifted 418,000 copies in a similar frame.

"Hardwired... To Self-Destruct" consists of two discs, containing a dozen songs and nearly 80 minutes of music.

The North American leg of METALLICA's "WorldWired" 2017 tour kicks off on May 10 in Baltimore, Maryland 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.

To commemorate the 30th anniversary of ANTHRAX's "State Of Euphoria" album, the band is planning to release an expanded reissue of the LP in 2018, featuring a bonus disc of demos and rehearsal recordings that were made during the pre-production stage of the "State Of Euphoria" studio process. Drummer Charlie Benante tells HardrockHaven.net in a new interview (see video below): "Yeah, it's gonna be a great package. I'm actually almost done putting it together. The only thing I don't have is good live stuff to go on it, but what can I do? But the bonus disc is gonna have… it has demos, actually, just guitar riffs that go into a rehearsal that go into basic tracks that go into the real songs. So it's the evolution of most of the songs."

He continued: "It's just funny, because that's the record that we really don't like that much, but after revisiting it, I started to pick out songs, and I'm, like, 'Oh, yeah, this is a good song.' 'Out Of Sight, Out Of Mind', I like that one. 'Schism' was another one. I think my least favorite one was probably 'Make Me Laugh'. But 'Now It's Dark' is on there. It's good."

In his 2014 autobiography, "I'm The Man: The Story Of That Guy From Anthrax", ANTHRAX guitarist Scott Ian was extremely critical of "State Of Euphoria", calling it "ANTHRAX slumming on autopilot." He explained: "The only songs we still play from that record are 'Be All, End All' and 'Antisocial', and that's not even our song. It's by the French band TRUST. 'Now It's Dark' was a cool song and I loved the lyrics about Frank Booth, the character Dennis Hopper played in David Lynch's brilliant movie 'Blue Velvet'. 'Finale' was good, too, and featured some of Charlie's fastest double-bass playing ever, but four songs don't make a great album. There was no consistency in the writing because the rest of the record was rushed. To me, 'State Of Euphoria' simply didn't hold up compared to the previous three ANTHRAX records."

He continued: "It really fucked with my equilibrium. I can't even listen to it, and when I think back about some of those songs, I feel sick. It felt like the first time we made a mistake as a band. Instead of following our creative instincts, we let the music business dictate what we were doing. I was sure it was only a matter of time until people started realizing how shitty 'State Of Euphoria' was.

"I actually got paranoid and neurotic and started to think we were becoming a joke because I had lost confidence in myself. I had always felt like I was in charge of making the right decisions for ANTHRAX, and I began to question my judgment in a big way. We were on a tour cycle for an album I hated, and we had to play soings from the album every night. That made me angry."

Ian added: "I think I was so thrown and self-conscious because we totally could have put our feet down and told the label we needed more time to finish the record. We even could have dropped off the IRON MAIDEN tour if we had to. We had said no to offers and demands many times before. We got greedy. That's all there was to it. The brass ring was hanging in front of us — a stadium tour with IRON MAIDEN — and we grabbed it."

ANTHRAX and KILLSWITCH ENGAGE kicked off "The Killthrax Tour" on March 29 at the Wellmont Theater in Montclair, New Jersey.

With ANTHRAX and KILLSWITCH ENGAGE rotating the closing slot over the course of the dates, the tour will criss-cross the continent, wrapping up in Boston on May 7. THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA is providing direct support on all dates.

DISTURBED' forthcoming acoustic record will include brand new material as well as reworked versions of songs from the band's catalog.

Singer David Draiman revealed in February that DISTURBED is planning to return to the studio later this year to record an acoustic EP before beginning work on the follow-up to 2015's "Immortalized" album.

Prior to the arrival of "Immortalized", DISTURBED had been on hiatus since the fall of 2011, after completing the touring cycle for its previous studio effort, "Asylum", and issuing a rarities collection called "The Lost Children".

During a press conference before DISTURBED's March 16 concert in Moscow, Russia, Draiman was asked if the band's forthcoming EP will include any freshly written compositions. He responded (see video below): "Well, we're still working on it. We haven't really set a timeframe in stone. We'd like to kind of have as much time as we need to get it to the point that we're as confident in it as we can possibly be, that we see the songs through to their fruition. And the answer to your question, yes, there will be new original material — original acoustic pieces — as well as acoustic versions of existing songs within the catalog."

The idea of DISTURBED doing an acoustic EP is not a foreign concept for the band. Draiman spoke a while back, saying DISTURBED has always wanted to put melody in its music. "There's a huge contingency of kids that want stuff that they can just bash their head open to, you know, and that's great," he said. "We provide that as well. But to us, when we make our music, it has to be fused with melody. The aggression and the power needs to be harnessed with hooks that stay with you."

An acoustic EP now could also capitalize on the success DISTURBED has had with its cover of SIMON & GARFUNKEL's "The Sound Of Silence", which has been a massive hit that has introduced the band to new audiences.

"Immortalized" became DISTURBED's fifth album to enter The Billboard 200 chart at No. 1 — a feat shared only with METALLICA and DAVE MATTHEWS BAND.

Professionally filmed video footage of METALLICA's April 1 concert 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.

"The Great Tribulation", a brand new song from Chicago deathcore titans OCEANO, can be streamed below. The track is taken from the band's upcoming full-length album, "Revelation", which will be released on May 19 via Sumerian Records.

"Revelation" track listing:

01. Dark Prophecy02. Lucid Reality03. Path To Extiction04. The Great Tribulation05. Illusions Unravel06. Majestic 1207. Final Form08. The Event09. Human Harvest10. Revelation

Part of the first wave of American deathcore, OCEANO burst forth onto the scene with the release of 2009's "Depths", a pure and pummeling deathcore debut from the quintet. OCEANO established themselves as a force to be reckoned with in the heavy metal scene by way of constant touring and the release of three more bone shattering full-length albums via their former label Earache Records. OCEANO fans can expect a devastating display of heaviness blended with vast atmospherics for the group’s upcoming, currently untitled record that sees the band continuing to take strides forward with their writing and involved lyrical message.

OCEANO will hit the road this spring to headline "The Revelation" tour that kicks off on April 5 in Valparaiso, Indiana and wraps up on May 20 in Indianapolis, Indiana. Joining OCEANO on "The Revelation" tour are SLAUGHTER TO PREVAIL, AVERSIONS CROWN, SPITE and NO ZODIAC.

KILLSWITCH ENGAGE guitarist Adam Dutkiewicz has demoed more than a dozen tracks for the long-awaited new release from TIMES OF GRACE, his collaboration with KILLSWITCH ENGAGE singer Jesse Leach. Speaking to Australia's Maniacs TV, Adam said: "We're in the middle of getting some ideas together. I've demoed thirteen songs, [and we've] done vocals for two. So I think [Jesse's] gotta write a bit more, and we need some time to sit down and actually go over some stuff and I think we'll have a record."

Leach, who said he had "a lot of sad lyrics" prepared for the next TIMES OF GRACE album, added that "we need to not tour for a little while so we can gather our creative energies" and complete work on the band's sophomore disc.

Jesse previously described the new TIMES OF GRACE material as "quite different than the first record."

TIMES OF GRACE's debut album, "The Hymn Of A Broken Man", was released in January 2011 via Roadrunner Records. The CD sold around 10,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to land at position No. 44 on The Billboard 200 chart.

Leach told Lithium Magazine last summer that "the cool thing about TIMES OF GRACE is that it's another outlet for us, and moving forward with that project, it's gonna be even more different from KILLSWITCH. There's gonna be no quote-unquote metalcore sound going on. As a matter of fact, I'm planning on not doing much aggressive vocals at all."

Dutkiewicz and Leach originally worked together on KILLSWITCH ENGAGE's benchmark album, 2002's "Alive Or Just Breathing". That record has become definitive for an entire generation of American metal, with Leach's voice and uplifting lyrics serving as one of the key elements that propelled the album to "modern classic" status. Leach left KILLSWITCH ENGAGE shortly after "Alive Or Just Breathing"'s release but rejoined the group in early 2012 following the departure of his replacement, Howard Jones.

GOJIRA concluded the French leg of its "Magma" tour at the sold-out L'Olympia in Paris on April 1 and April 2. Fan-filmed video footage of the first concert can be seen below.

GOJIRA's latest album, "Magma" was released last June via Roadrunner Records. The follow-up to 2012's "L'Enfant Sauvage" was recorded at frontman Joseph Duplantier's Silver Cord Studio in Queens, New York.

Asked if GOJIRA is happy with the fan response "Magma" so far, drummer Mario Duplantier told Distorted Sound: "Yeah, we are all really happy with it. The most important thing is that we are all happy with the album. We have no frustration, no regrets. We just feel that we needed to make this album. Maybe the next one will be different. We don't know yet, but this moment in our life was really special and this album is a perfect representation of that, and we love it. The reaction was amazing."

Mario also talked about Joseph's decision to incorporate more clean vocals into GOJIRA's songwriting, saying: "On one hand, we want to go deeper with this atmosphere, and Joe really needed to experiment with new things. He's 40 years old and he won't want to scream forever, and he is talented as an artist, so he needed to express this in his vocals. But with the next album, we have no idea — probably we will use clean vocals again, but it's too soon to tell."

THE FERRYMEN, the new project featuring guitarist Magnus Karlsson (MAGNUS KARLSSON'S FREE FALL, PRIMAL FEAR), vocalist Ronnie Romero (LORDS OF BLACK, RAINBOW) and drummer Mike Terrana (TARJA, RAGE, AXEL RUDI PELL, VISION DIVINE) will release its self-titled debut album on June 2 via Frontiers Music Srl.

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

On June 9, Eagle Rock Entertainment will release the "Live In Birmingham 2016" 2CD by RITCHIE BLACKMORE'S RAINBOW. This is the first release for the audio of the 2016 British show which features performances of "Soldier Of Fortune" and "Burn" that weren't in the German shows. The amazing setlist also includes "Catch The Rainbow", "Mistreated", "Since You Been Gone", "Long Live Rock 'N' Roll", "Black Night", "Spotlight Kid", "Smoke On The Water", "Stargazer", "Perfect Strangers" and more! In June 2016, legendary guitarist Ritchie Blackmore made his much-anticipated return to rock music as RITCHIE BLACKMORE'S RAINBOW played three concerts in Europe, two in Germany and one in England. The two German shows at Loreley and Bietigheim were caught on camera to produce the concert film "Memories In Rock", which was released by Eagle Vision and Eagle Records in November 2016. This new 2CD set captures the full audio from the British show at the Genting Arena at the NEC, Birmingham. "Live In Birmingham 2016" track listing:

Disc One

01. Over The Rainbow / Highway Star02. Spotlight Kid03. Mistreated04. Since You Been Gone05. Man On The Silver Mountain06. Soldier Of Fortune07. Medley: Difficult To Cure (Beethoven's Ninth) / Drum Solo / Bass Solo / Band Jam / Keyboard Solo (inc Toccata & Fugue in Dm) / Difficult To Cure (Beethoven's Ninth)08. Catch The Rainbow Disc Two

01. Perfect Strangers02. Long Live Rock 'N' Roll03. Child In Time04. Stargazer05. Medley: Black Night / Woman From Tokyo / Black Night06. Burn07. Smoke On The Water

The band lineup for this incredible show featured Ritchie Blackmore (guitar); Ronnie Romero (vocals); David Keith (drums); Bob Nouveau (bass); Jens Johansson (keyboards); Candice Night (backing vocals); Lady Lynn (backing vocals).

Blackmore spoke to the Dutch radio station Radio Veronica about what made him decide to play the recent RAINBOW comeback shows. He said: "Besides money, I heard the [new RAINBOW] singer, Ronnie [Romero, who is originally from Chile but now settled in Madrid, Spain], singing on YouTube. Candy [Ritchie's wife, Candice Night] had played it to me. She said, 'What to do you think of this guy?' And I don't go on the computer very much; I'm too old for that stuff. And Candy is often going on YouTube or whatever, and she said, 'He's singing some of your old songs, the RAINBOW songs.' And I heard them, and I went, 'Wow! This guy is really good. He's exciting.' And there had been some talk about reforming RAINBOW with David Coverdale and a few others — Glenn Hughes… Although they are friends of mine, I wasn't urgently involved in it. I was hesitating for probably a good part of a year before I kind of decided I wasn't gonna do it — until I heard this singer. As soon as I heard the singer, he had such a good voice, so much vitality, and that excited me. I thought, 'Wow! He's singing all the old songs, but he's doing it so well — old hard rock.' It was exciting to hear."

Asked if he enjoyed the three RAINBOW comeback shows so far, Ritchie said: "I enjoyed especially the last one in England. The first two were a little bit intense, because we hadn't played together… we hadn't done a lot of rehearsing, so the first two shows were a bit hectic and chaotic. But the last one in Birmingham was… obviously, we'd played two shows at that point, and that seemed to work, to me. And it was great to see all the old people… I mean, it was so weird how… I think it was twenty thousand people… It sold out in fifteen minutes. And I kind of wondered who they thought was playing, 'cause when I got to the auditorium, it was so vast that I thought, 'Maybe somebody else is playing this show tonight.'"

Regarding whether it was difficult for him to put together a setlist for the first three RAINBOW comeback shows, Ritchie said: "No. [It was] very easy, in a way. We had about fifteen songs that were very obvious songs to play, like 'Catch The Rainbow'. And we incorporated a few DEEP PURPLE songs — 'Black Night', 'Smoke [On The Water]', 'Highway Star' — of which some of the fans said, 'Why did you do those DEEP PURPLE songs?' And I would say, 'Why not?' And they said, 'Well, we thought it was just gonna be RAINBOW. We would prefer to hear [more] RAINBOW songs.' Which I thought was kind of ironic again. I'm thinking, 'Wow! We just threw three songs in by DEEP PURPLE when they wanted more [RAINBOW].' And I noticed when they clapped, they weren't clapping so hard for DEEP PURPLE [songs]. They said, 'We hear that every year,' 'cause [the current lineup of] PURPLE goes around [on tour]. So the next time, if we go out and we do anything, I would do probably ninety-five percent RAINBOW songs; that's what they seem to want to hear. And it didn't occur to me. I just naturally assumed they wanted to hear everything."

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 first two trailers for "Amber Galactic" are 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:

"Roadburn Live" is ENSLAVED's first official live album, a split release between Roadburn Records and By Norse Music. The album was recorded during one of band's headlining shows at the renowned Roadburn festival 2015, an edition curated by ENSLAVED's guitar player Ivar Bjørnson.

Walter Hoeijmakers, Roadburn's artistic director, comments on the release: "It's no secret that there's a strong friendship between Roadburn and ENSLAVED. One of the most hard-hitting and progressive bands to come out of Norway, ENSLAVED has played a significant part in the festival's history — both musically and antically. Not only has ENSLAVED been our artist in residence, bringing side-projects such as The Armageddon Concerto (the ENSLAVED/SHINING collaboration), Dream Of An Opium Eater, and Trinacria To Roadburn, Ivar Bjørnson has also been our 2015 co-curator, along with WARDRUNA's Einar Kvitrafn Selvik, resulting in SKUGGSJÁ's first-ever performance outside of Norway. ENSLAVED's 2015 performances were the pinnacle of this enduring and artistic friendship, and showcased the massive influence the band has had on both Roadburn and the (underground) metal scene for the past two decades. To have these shows captured on vinyl is a dream come true for me, and I truly hope it's the same for anyone who was in attendance, or those who want to indulge themselves in the Northern magic of ENSLAVED."

"Roadburn Live" will be available as limited and exclusive Record Store Day color editions and as Roadburn/ENSLAVED-webshop gold edition including the original A3 Roadburn poster and color stickers.

An unpacking video of the exclusive Record Store Day clear edition of "Roadburn Live" (Europe only) can be seen below.

To celebrate the release, what better way than to hold a playback session with the members of ENSLAVED at the Roadburn festival 2017. Becky Laverty of Roadburn festival comments: "ENSLAVED and Roadburn share a history that is entwined and their 2015 performance on the main stage was such a fantastic milestone for both parties, that it makes perfect sense for the show to be released as a live album. As the album will be released during Roadburn 2017, it seemed fitting to invite attendees and the band alike to join us for a playback session at the festival as part of our popular side program."

"Roadburn Live" also features a brilliant layout created by highly respected artist and Roadburn's regular graphic designer Costin Chioreanu. The album was mixed by Iver Sandøy at Solslottet Studio and mastered by Jens Bogren (KREATOR, OPETH, SEPULTURA) in Fascination Studios. It is also the last official release with Herbrand Larsen on keys and vocals.

After celebrating their twenty-five year anniversary in 2016 showcasing a majority of older material, "Roadburn Live" displays songs mainly from the "newer" and more progressive era of ENSLAVED's career, with songs from "In Times", "Riitiir", "Isa", "Below The Lights" and "Monumension". Featuring guest appearances of Einar Selvik (WARDRUNA), Aðalbjörn Tryggvason (SÓLSTAFIR), Per Wiberg (OPETH, CANDLEMASS), and Menno Gootjes (FOCUS) on "Immigrant Song", the first cover song by ENSLAVED to appear on any record ever.

Grutle Kjellson comments on the album: "I'm generally not a huge fan of live albums. I like to be present at a show, to grasp the energy of the band, and to witness the sometimes magical symbiosis that occurs between the band and the audience. I am, however, a huge fan of the Roadburn festival! I consider this to be my all-time favorite, both as a musician and as a guest. Therefore, if ever ENSLAVED were to release a live album, it had to be from a Roadburn show! I hope you will enjoy listening to this piece of wax as much as we did recording it!"

"Roadburn Live" track listing:

01. Building With Fire02. Death In The Eyes Of Dawn 03. In Times 04. Daylight 05. Convoys To Nothingness 06. As Fire Swept Clean The Earth 07. Isa 08. Immigrant Song * * "Roadburn Live" exclusive song originally by LED ZEPPELIN

"Roadburn Live" lineup:

Ivar Bjørnson - guitars, keysGrutle Kjellson - vocals, bassArve Isdal - guitarsCato Bekkevold - drumsHerbrand Larsen - keyboard, keys

Legendary Canadian rockers Headstones are gearing up for the release of their new album Little Army, which will be issued this spring through Cadence Music. A preview is available below.

 

Headstones are posting an ongoing series of clips to promote the album dubbed Navigating The Music Industry. Enjoy...

 

 

 

Headstones are bringing everyone into the fold and giving them an exclusive behind the scenes look at the making of Little Army, produced by Hugh Dillon and Chris Osti. The band will be live streaming and posting through their social media accounts, from The Tragically Hip's Bathouse Studio in Kingston, Revolution Studio in Toronto, and Engine Room Audio in New York City.

"In true Canadian fashion, we trekked through a huge snow storm last year to meet the guys and hear the new songs. The enthusiasm in the room was incredible and the deal was cemented on the spot!" says Cadence Music Group President and CEO Iain Taylor.

Headstones frontman Hugh Dillon, also thrilled about this partnership says, "It's outstanding to see people in the music business who still give a shit about music, I haven't felt this way since Picture Of Health. It's exciting."

Check out some new behind-the-scenes footage below.

 

Headstones are one of Canada's most enduring and hardest rocking bands. Formed in 1987, the band's debut release Picture Of Health (1993) met with not just critical acclaim but was certified Platinum, selling in excess of 100,000 copies and spawning the singles "When Something Stands For Nothing", "Cemetery", "Tweeter And The Monkey Man" and "Three Angels". Kicking off a recording career that spans three decades, the band has since gone on to release seven studio albums and countless chart topping singles. Known for their intense and authentic performance style, Headstones remain true to their DIY aesthetic. At a time when style is often valued over substance, they craft hard hitting tunes with brutally honest lyrics and Little Army is no exception.

With Little Army, Headstones are again inclusive of their fans, sharing exclusive behind the scenes footage and real-time content. Using an old school approach while employing new school technology, Hugh and company recruit their army of fans to be a fly-on-the-wall of the recording and launch of Little Army.

Visit Headstones on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube for more.

Junkyard’s new album, High Water, will be released April 21st via Acetate Records. Eleven songs mark a triumphant return for Junkyard on their first official album in 26 years. To whet your appetite, the boys in the band have shared the song "Wallet", enjoy it now via the Soundcloud audio player below.

Vocalist and lyricist David Roach confesses all in "Wallet". "That song was inspired by a night I spent with a stranger on the eve of a tour," says the singer. "I met her at [Hollywood bar] Boardners and we went to her place. The next day I snuck off like a rat to go home and pack for the tour. After I left I realized I left my wallet and had to do the walk of shame to retrieve it. Similar incidents have occurred - before and since to me - and I'm sure, countless others."

While odds and sods have been released over the decades, High Water is a firm statement of the band's 2017, and onward, intent. As singer and founding member David Roach explains, in recent years, Junkyard had a blast playing "reunion" shows, which quickly turned into mini-tours through Spain and packed gigs across America. New songs began percolating, and Junkyard began writing.

"I had no grand illusions of a magnum opus, or that we'd try and recreate what we were 25 years ago," Roach states. "This album is not a departure; it's a rock 'n' roll record from Junkyard with songs about life, love, regret, addiction and memories."

Junkyard, who hit MTV and radio hard with their self-titled 1989 Geffen Records debut and singles "Hollywood" and "Simple Man”, cement the authenticity their first two records on High Water, such blunt songs as the soul-searching of "Cut From The Same Cloth," to "We Fuck Like We Fight" (politely abbreviated as "WFLWF" for the politically correct) going down as easy as an aged Kentucky bourbon.

The band members are straight ahead guys, but High Water has a few shades of meaning. Guitarist Tim Mosher explains: "It could be interpreted more than one way - like a "high water mark" or the old phrase come "hell or high water," or with the image of the bottle on our CD cover, the actual "high water," aka booze!" High Water also boasts writing and lead guitar credits from Brian Baker, a Junkyard founding member who played with the band more than 25 years, but now plays his trade full time with Bad Religion. On the road, Junkyard are joined by Jimmy James (The Hangmen), with founding member Pat Muzingo and bassist Todd Muscat, who joined the band in 1991, rounding out the lineup.

"The Junkyard sound is a pretty classic one: big guitars and drums with David spilling his guts on top," says Mosher, who produced the album. We wanted High Water to sound loose and live, so as far as production goes we weren't trying to re-invent the wheel, just deliver the songs in the best light we could, then mix in some big riffs and throaty vocals and that's 'Yard." Junkyard's classic sound got some help from a fan and friend on High Water: Charlie Starr from the band Blackberry Smoke wrote the dramatic, forthright statement "Till the Wheels Fall Off" specifically for Junkyard.

As for a theme running through High Water, Roach jokes "we're not that clever," but describes the album as "a rock 'n' roll record with a nod to punk rock and outlaw country rock." It's a sound that's both timeless and timely.

As always, Junkyard steer clear of politics: "I personally prefer to keep politics out of my rock. I understand it's a great platform, and maybe some feel it's your duty to use it to a purpose, but I just feel our music is just for escape."

The band-and it's legion of longtime fans-is excited that High Water brings back Junkyard as an ongoing concern. As one of the great guttersnipe L.A. bands of the late 80s - a storied crew that includes Guns N' Roses, Little Caesar, The Hangmen - Junkyard were proud to be part of "one of the last great rock n roll scenes" as they term it.

"I don't think we dated ourselves too badly in the beginning so a lot of our songs still have some relevance," said Roach. "Also, we were in hibernation a while, we weren't playing while a lot of our contemporaries were. It's not so much longevity as it was people who missed us 20 years ago finally have a chance to see us."

Mosher, who was a fan of the group before joining Junkyard in 2000, sees all angles of the Junkyard saga...

"Although it's been 17 years since I joined, I'm still 'the new guy,' so with High I wanted to give the fans something I would've wanted as a Junkyard fan--a proper 3rd album," said Mosher. "It was important to all of us that the record be a statement of intent that could connect with fans from back in the day as well as hopefully find new ones for whom this might be their first 'Yard record. It's a tall order, but we're up for it."

Tracklisting:

“Walk Away”
“Faded”
“Cut From The Same Cloth”
“Styrofoam Cup”
“Hellbound”
“W.F.L.W.F.”
“Don't Give A Damn”
“Hell Or High Water”
“Wallet”
“'Til The Wheels Fall Off”
“Kindness To The Dead”

Bonus tracks:

“The River”
“Rome Is Burning”
“Don't Give A Damn” (acoustic)
“Styrofoam Cup” (acoustic)
“Wallet” (live)

“Cut From The Same Cloth”:

Order the new album here. 2017 tour dates can be found at this location.

Junkyard lineup:

David Roach - Vocals
Tim Mosher - Guitar
Todd Muscat - Bass
Patrick Muzingo - Drums
Jimmy James - Guitar

Experimental death-noise band Full Of Hell have premiered another new track off of their forthcoming LP Trumpeting Ecstasy.  Today, you can stream the song “Crawling Back To God” which features guest vocals from Aaron Turner. Preorder the album at this location.

Full Of Hell have embarked on quite the journey leading up to the impending release of Trumpeting Ecstasy, an album which will see the band deliver their most punishing, virulent, and dynamic album to date.

With Trumpeting Ecstasy, Full Of Hell build upon their progression since Full Of Hell & Merzbow and the releases succeeding it (collaborative album with The Body and several EPs, one being the split 7" with Nails). This time the band decided to go into GodCity Studios with Kurt Ballou at the production helm to help achieve the intended vision of Trumpeting Ecstasy. The result being the best and strongest sounding Full Of Hell album, their most towering release to date.

Sky tearing and sonically cataclysmic, the aural deluge that is Trumpeting Ecstasy also features guest appearances by Aaron Turner (Sumac, Old Man Gloom, Mamiffer, Isis), Nate Newton (Converge, Old Man Gloom), Andrew Nolan (Column Of Heaven, The Endless Blockade), and Canadian singer/songwriter Nicole Dollanganger.

Artwork for Trumpeting Ecstasy was created by Mark McCoy.

Tracklisting:

“Deluminate”
“Branches Of Yew”
“Bound Sphinx”
“The Cosmic Vein”
“Digital Prison”
“Crawling Back To God”
“Fractured Quartz”
“Gnawed Flesh”
“Ashen Mesh”
“Trumpeting Ecstasy”
“At The Cauldron's Bottom”

"Crawling Back To God":

“Deluminate”:

Philadelphia's heavy psych quartet Ecstatic Vision has shared a full stream of their 2nd LP Raw Rock Fury before release this Friday via Relapse. Stream the album on Soundcloud.

 Additionally, Ecstatic Vision will perform two exclusive concerts with Eyehategod on April 15th and 16th. The band then heads to Europe at the end of the month on April 21st till May 20th. 

April 7th will see the worldwide release of Raw Rock Fury via Relapse Records on CD/LP/Digital. Physical pre-order and bundles are available via Relapse.com here and digital downloads can be pre-ordered by Bandcamp at this location.

Raw Rock Fury exhibits the band locking in on primordial, troglodyte Detroit rock grooves, krautian motorik sounds that recall the obscure one-time collaboration between NEU and the MC5, grimy harmonica flourishes that evoke Beefheart at his most savage, and the Hawkwindian, primal world heavy psych their debut expertly showcased. All of this is captured on four songs and 35+ minutes of the dirtiest sounding recordings since Kick Out The Jams. Do you miss the days when rock recordings were dangerous? If so, you must crave Raw Rock Fury.

Raw Rock Fury tracklisting:

“You Got It (Or You Don’t)”
“Electric Step”
“Keep it Loose”
“The Twinkling Eye”

“Electric Step”:

“You Got It (Or You Don’t)”:

Ecstatic Vision is:

Doug Sabolik
Michael Field Connor
Jordan Crouse
Kevin Nickles

(Photo - Michael Connor)

Lebanon’s leading heavy metal band Blaakyum have released a new lyric video for “Freedom Denied”, taken from their latest album Line Of Fear. Line Of Fear was released on CD (with one bonus track) and digital in June 2016.

The album theme emerged from the band's experiences with social and political oppression in Lebanon, from being jailed just for being into heavy metal to being ruled by a corrupt and violent government. All songs are about freedom of thought and artistic expression.

Blaakyum's sound is a unique blend of thrash, heavy and groove metal infused with Middle Eastern and Levantine folk music vibes. The band are the pioneers of "Middle Eastern Thrash" and they not only make thrash metal sound oriental but also make Middle Eastern musical elements sound Thrashy. The song "Freedom Denied" samples Middle Eastern folklore music and uses oriental percussions (tabla) as another thrash metal instrument. This unique thrashy tabla sound is also in the title track “The Line Of Fear” as well as on the genre-defying “Baal-Adon”.

Brian May + Kerry Ellis, featuring Queen guitar legend Brian May, have released a video for “Roll With You”, a track from the duo’s new album, Golden Days, to be released this Friday, April 7th via Duck Productions Ltd. The new video, directed by Ethan Forde & Kris Fredriksson, is available for streaming below.

Golden Days tracklisting:

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

“Roll With You” video:

 

 

On June 2nd, Canadian five-piece Obey The Brave will release their third full-length, Mad Season. With its raw passion and furious determination, the album affirms Obey The Brave as a major heavyweight in the metalcore genre. Pre-orders for Mad Season are available here.

Today also marks the premiere of Obey The Brave’s new video for the track “On Our Own”. Delivering massive power chords and uncompromising emotion, “On Our Own” exemplifies the heart of Mad Season. The video is available for streaming below.

The follow-up to 2014’s Salvation, Mad Season came to life during an especially tumultuous period for Obey The Brave (vocalist Alex Erian, guitarists John Campbell and Terrence McAuley, bassist Cory Wilson, and drummer Stevie Morotti). But after a lineup change and a series of false starts in the studio, the band emerged with their most ambitious yet viscerally potent album so far.

Co-produced by McAuley - who worked alongside engineer/mixer Dean Hadjichristou (Protest The Hero, Parkway Drive) - Mad Season also proves to be Obey The Brave’s most stylistically diverse work to date. In addition to featuring a collaboration with French Canadian rap group Loud Lary Ajust (on the beat-heavy “RIP”), Mad Season finds Erian expanding his vocal approach and introducing a singing style inspired by old-school punk.

“There’s still a lot of screaming on the album, but it was really important for me artistically to try something different and give it my all,” says Erian. “It’s very exciting to try to reinvent yourself.”

Mad Season tracklisting:

“On Thin Ice”
“Drama”
“On Our Own”
“Mad Season”
“97 Again”
“Les Temps Sont Durs”
“Low Key”
“Feed The Fire”
“The Distance”
“Way It Goes”
“RIP”
“This Is It”

“On Our Own” video:

Obey The Brave formed in January 2012, with its members hailing from Montreal and Ottawa. Fueled by a strong DIY ethic, the band released its debut album Young Blood that same year, and quickly adopted a relentless touring schedule. Obey The Brave have now toured the world with many fellow metalcore standard-bearers (including The Amity Affliction, Stick To Your Guns, Emmure, Attila, Terror, Carnifex, We Came As Romans), forging meaningful relationships with each audience at show after show.

Canadian tour dates with Miss May I and Auras:

May
11 - Club Absinthe - Hamilton, ON
12 - The Back Stage - Windsor, ON
13 - Mavericks - Ottawa, ON
14 - Salle Multi - Quebec City, QC
16 - La Tulipe - Montreal, QC
17 - London Music Hall - London, ON

(Photo - Charlie Baron)

Rage Against The Machine bassist and founding member Tim Commerford’s new band, Wakrat, have released a video for “Sober Addiction”, the lead track from the band’s self-titled debut, released last November via Earache Records.

Commerford courageously confronts American authority head on. The video, shot in multiple locations across the US, shows the notorious activist fearlessly mocking the perceived evils of America face to face… all whilst dressed in a middle finger costume. Religious establishments, pharmaceutical corporations, the military, law enforcement, Trump supporters and major banks all get the finger from Commerford - often provoking outrage and angry responses. This video is not for the easily offended.

Order options for the album are available at this location.

Wakrat tracklisting:

"Sober Addiction”
"The Number”
"Generation Fucked”
"Nail In The Snail”
"La Liberté ou la Mort”
"The Thing”
"Knucklehead”
"New Clear”
"Pigs in a Blanket”

"Generation Fucked” lyric video:

"Knucklehead” video:

Spanish melodic death metal outfit, Jotnar, have released a video for “Starved Of Guidance”, a track from the band’s Connected/Condemned album, to be released worldwide on April 21st via Massacre Records. The new video, directed by Andrew Fernandes, is available for streaming below.

Jotnar offers a redesigned and modern sound with strong and aggressive rhythms, smooth melodies, catchy choruses and insane growls. The band made it’s live debut in late 2008, and underwent several lineup changes, which led to today's lineup, consisting of vocalist Mario Infantes, guitarists Ben Melero and Elhadji N’Diaye, bassist Octavio Santana and Jose Rodriguez. The quintet has already played with bands such as Korn, Amon Amarth, Sabaton and Machine Head, and played at festivals like MetalDays, Rock Bitch Boat and Villa De Bilbao.

The Connected/Condemned cover art was created by British artist Russ Mills.

Connected/Condemned tracklisting:

“Connected/Condemned”
“Remaining Still”
“Missing Shadows”
“Broken Esteem” (feat. Björn “Speed” Strid - Soilwork)
“Suicidal Angel”
“Live Together Die Alone”
“Starved Of Guidance”
“I, The Paradox”
“The Sentence”
“Invisible Trace”
“The Loneliness' Legacy”
“Say It Right” (Nelly Furtado cover)
“Envy World”
“The Portrait” (feat. Jennie Nord - Ultimate Fate, Santi Suarez - Sphinx, Bruno Pardini)

“Starved Of Guidance” video:

“Broken Esteem” video:

“Connected/Condemned” video:

Album teaser:

METALLICA drummer Lars Ulrich was interviewed by Sonar FM before the band's April 1 concert at Lollapalooza Chile in Santiago. You can now watch the chat below.

Speaking about what it has been like for METALLICA to self-fund its projects, having launched their independent record label, Blackened Recordings, Ulrich said: "Well, I think being autonomous and being independent has always been in the METALLICA spirit. We've never felt like we really belonged to anything specific. We've never felt like we were part of a movement or part of a wave; we've always kind of felt like loners. I've always felt like a loner, and I think that James [Hetfield, METALLICA frontman] and I, when we found each other, we connected over music, but we always felt disenfranchised and a little ostracized. And so being in a band, it gives you a sense of belonging to something. And so we love what we have, and I think we always feel like we never really fit in anywhere. And, obviously, whenever I say that, people [are like], 'Oh, you're in the biggest band in the world,' or whatever, but that doesn't mean very much. I still never quite feel like we really fit into anything; we're always kind of in our own little world. But, obviously, we have a lot of friends and fans with us, which makes it worthwhile. But being autonomous and independent is a great position to be in because you never feel like you owe anybody anything."

Ulrich also spoke about how his relationship with Hetfield has evolved since the release of METALLICA's 2004 documentary, "Metallica: Some Kind Of Monster", which followed the band through the three most turbulent years of their long career, during which they battled through addiction, lineup changes, fan backlash, personal turmoil and the near-disintegration of the group while making their "St. Anger" album. He said: "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. [Laughs] So it's in a very good place — much more mature than it's been forever, basically."

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.




¿Quién es el mejor amigo de Lars Ulrich en el mundo de la música? ¿Cuánto más estarán de gira? Todo eso y más en esta entrevista de Francisco Reinoso.

Posted by Sonar FM Chile on Saturday, April 1, 2017

Frontiers Music Srl will release "The Nature Of Time", SECRET SPHERE's ninth studio album, on June 2. The new recording celebrates 20 years of hard work that started back in 1997 with the release of the band's widely praised debut album, "Mistress Of The Shadowlight". Since then, SECRET SPHERE has evolved and developed its unique style into what has become a trademark sound, making it one of an elite group of bands putting the Italian metal scene on the global map. The addition of extraordinary singer Michele Luppi (also currently serving as keyboardist and background vocalist for the legendary hard rock act WHITESNAKE) in 2012 brought the band to the next level. This was evidenced by his first release with the band, "Portrait Of A Dying Heart", receiving wide fan and critical acclaim and landing on many metal journalists best releases of 2012 lists. "The Nature Of Time" proves to be the ultimate showcase of the band's skill in composing highly orchestrated songs and introducing their foray into a new age of heavy rock and metal music. High-class songs with amazing choruses, big vocals, majestic orchestral arrangements, and amazing, mind-blowing, guitar heroics are the order of the day. "The Nature Of Time" explores the "back-to-life" concept, an inward looking search of the self that can positively impact everyone's everyday life. States guitarist Aldo Lonobile: "The long writing process of this album has been a constant 're-living' of memories and feelings that started with only instrumental pieces that were put together only in order to vent my then current state of mind: a way to express emotions purely, without any kind of 'holding back,' so to speak. I then talked to Michele and we decided these were the perfect basis for a new SECRET SPHERE record" Adds Luppi: "What can I say about this album? We spent a few months writing songs in a way that opened the doors to our new age of heavy rock... definitely a new beginning for each member of the band, a new approach that got inspired by the concept of the album itself.

"It's not easy to open and talk about love and kindness. We chose the most direct way, no masks, only passion, energy and light guided each note leaving any kind of fear behind. Eventually, with time, we became US, not individuals... THIS IS US. Some of these songs earned a very special place in my heart." "The Nature Of Time" track listing:

The Nature Of Time Chapter I - Genesis

- Intermission- The Calling Chapter II - The Seven Virtues

- Love- Courage- Kindness- Honesty- Faith- Reliance- Commitment Chapter III - The New Dawn

- The Awakening Chapter IV - The Way

- The New Beginning

SECRET SPHERE is:

Michele Luppi - VocalsAldo Lonobile - GuitarsAndrea Buratto - BassGabriele Ciaccia - KeyboardsMarco Lazzarini - Drums

Frontiers Music Srl will release RADIATION ROMEOS' self-titled debut album on June 2. RADIATION ROMEOS is a new band formed by Parramore "Perry" McCarty, best known for being the frontman of legendary U.S. metal act WARRIOR and famed BILLY IDOL guitarist Steve Stevens's solo project ATOMIC PLAYBOYS (in fact, the inspiration for the name RADIATION ROMEOS came from a line in the song "Atomic Playboys"). Musically, the band moves in a melodic hard rock direction with solid, metallic edges thanks to the production of Michael Voss (PHANTOM 5, CASANOVA, MICHAEL SCHENKER), who also contributed to the songwriting. In the studio, Parramore sang all vocals with Dag Heyne handling guitars, Jogi Spittka on bass, and Gereon Homann laying down the drum work with gusto! Perry says: "RADIATION ROMEOS started when producer Michael Voss contacted me in San Diego through Facebook. A few days later, we had the record agreement with Frontiers, so the RADIATION ROMEOS album was soon under way.

"Our goal was to write great melodic rock songs. The album 'spans the globe' from the title track, power-rockin' 'Radiation Romeos', to some songs with a bit more grit like 'Castaways'. All the way to a beautiful ballad, 'Like An Arrow'. Something for everyone, if you will…

"The recording was so much fun and exciting for me. I couldn't wait to get up the following day to work on the next song!

"Michael is a wonderfully professional person with endless talent and the musicians super-cool guys and top players!" Parramore McCarty's career in music started when Robbin Crosby of RATT gave him his start singing in cover bands. His first major label album was "Fighting For The Earth" on Virgin Records in 1985 for the legendary heavy metal band WARRIOR. Steve Stevens's ATOMIC PLAYBOYS followed in 1989 on Warner Bros. Records. Then he returned to WARRIOR and also started gigging in the L.A. area with METAL FREQS and MONSTER TRAXX. "Radiation Romeos" track listing:

01. Radiation Romeos02. Ocean Drive03. Bad Bad Company04. Mystic Mountain05. Like An Arrow06. Promised Land07. Castaways08. Ghost Town09. Til The End Of Time10. On The Tight Rope11. Monstertraxx RADIATION ROMEOS is:

Parramore McCarty - vocalsDag Heyne - guitarsJogi Spittka - bassGereon Homann - drums

California extreme metal veterans EXHUMED have entered the studio to record their highly anticipated sixth studio album and follow-up to 2013's "Necrocracy". Titled "Death Revenge", the new disc will see a late 2017 release via Relapse Records. Said EXHUMED's founding guitarist/vocalist Matt Harvey: "We entered the studio April 1st with our buddy Jarrett Pritchard (GRUESOME, GOATWHORE) to start the process, and no, this is not an elaborate April Fool's joke...

"'All Guts, No Glory' was more of a straight-up speeding attack, 'Necrocracy' had a bit more focus on groove and incorporating some mid-paced stuff in there, and this one is gonna be a lot darker. It's a concept album, which is a first for us, so expect some new twists on our tried-and-true formula: one part late '80s death metal, half a cup of German/Canadian/Bay Area thrash, a dash of grindcore, crossover, and crust, and the occasional, well-concealed, HALL & OATES rip-off." In related news, EXHUMED has confirmed a string of European tour dates this June which include a performance at Hellfest and follow their North American appearances at Modified Ghost Festival II in Vancouver and the Maryland Deathfest in Baltimore in May.

Dutch death metallers GOD DETHRONED will release their new album, "The World Ablaze", on May 5 via Metal Blade Records. The band's first disc since 2010's "Under The Sign Of The Iron Cross" is the third (and final) part of the World War I trilogy.

The official video for the disc's first single, "On The Wrong Side Of The Wire", can be seen below.

GOD DETHRONED comments: "'The World Ablaze' is our final album in the WWI trilogy. We aimed to create an album that is very dynamic and diverse. It contains typical GOD DETHRONED riffing with loads of melodies and catchy hooks. The songs are perfect for our live shows as they contain many mid-tempo parts combined with faster and more brutal parts. Diversity to the max! [Swedish producer and multi-instrumentalist] Dan Swanö mixed the album in his typical fashion but without robbing the band of its own identity. Mastering was handled at the Wisseloord Studios where they also mastered albums for bands like RAMMSTEIN, among many others, and they put the icing on the cake. The album sounds crystal clear and heavy as fuck at the same time. We are very proud to present this album during our upcoming Serpent Fest album release shows early May!"

"The World Ablaze" track listing:

01. A Call To Arms02. Annihilation Crusade03. The World Ablaze04. On The Wrong Side Of The Wire05. Close To Victory06. Konigsberg07. Escape Across The Ice (The White Army)08. Breathing Through Blood09. Messina Ridge10. The 11th Hour

GOD DETHRONED 2017 is:

Henri Sattler - vocals/guitarsMike Ferguson - guitarsJeroen Pomper - bassMichiel Van Der Plicht - drums

GOD DETHRONED made a comeback at the January 2015 edition of 70000 Tons Of Metal — three years after playing a "farewell" show at the same cruise.

GOD DETHRONED will play two German release shows on the weekend of release, plus one Belgium and two Dutch shows on the following weekend.

FALLING IN REVERSE has dropped the celestial video for "Coming Home", the title track from their upcoming fourth album, due out April 7 on Epitaph Records. "This video is an analogy of the dichotomies between my personal life and my public life — a lonely traveler content on fulfilling the dreams he set out on, but missing out on everything he has at home. A bittersweet duality," said frontman Ronnie Radke. The band also released the tracks "Loser" and "Broken" ahead of the album's release. "Coming Home" is the follow up to 2015's "Just Like You" and the album finds the band exploring its sound, all the while retaining the signature ethos and aesthetic that has won the love and loyalty of its incredibly invested fans and followers. Outburn described "Coming Home" as "sonically gripping from start to finish and impressive every step of the way, with neither Radke nor the band losing their edge" in its 10-out-of-10 review. Alternative Press raved in its four-star review that "the album maintains a brilliant balance between uplifting and confessional, playful and serious. It's the most real, honest, and self-aware record FIR have released to date." FALLING IN REVERSE will perform at several festivals this spring and summer. "Coming Home" track listing: 01. Coming Home02. Broken03. Loser04. Fuck You and All Your Friends05. I Hate Everyone06. I'm Bad At Life07. Hanging On08. Superhero09. Straight to Hell10. I Don't Mind11. The Departure12. Right Now (bonus)13. Paparazzi (bonus)

Radke previously told Alternative Press that the album is "a huge left turn. It sounds like nothing we've ever done. Every song is very vibey. There's more feeling in it."

He continued: "We're challenging ourselves now more than we ever have in the weirdest ways possible, because you would think writing the craziest solo or riffs would be the challenging part. But the challenging part is trying to stick to a theme and not go all over the place like we would normally do."

FOREIGNER will celebrate 40 years as one of rock's most popular and enduring acts with a new career-spanning compilation titled "40" that features 40 hits from 40 years. This summer, the band will also launch an extensive 40th-anniversary U.S. tour with CHEAP TRICK and JASON BONHAM'S LED ZEPPELIN EXPERIENCE. Rhino will release "40" on May 19 as a double-CD set for $19.98 that includes 40 songs recorded between 1977 and 2017. A double-vinyl version that features 23 songs will be released on June 2 for 31.98. Following its self-titled debut in 1977, FOREIGNER went on to record some of rock's most enduring anthems — "Juke Box Hero" and "Hot Blooded" — as well as the #1 smash "I Want To Know What Love Is". The group has 10 multi-platinum albums to its credit and is one of the best-selling bands of all time, with worldwide sales in excess of 75 million. "40" brings together the best songs from FOREIGNER's nine studio albums, including all 16 of its Top 30 hits: "Feels Like The First Time", "Cold As Ice", "Waiting For A Girl Like You" and more. The collection features "Too Late" from the group's 2008 retrospective "No End In Sight" and "The Flame Still Burns", the title track from a vinyl EP released just last year, making its debut on CD in this collection. All prior recordings have been remastered and the album features two new tracks recorded especially for this release, "Give My Life For Love" and a new version of "I Don't Want To Live Without You". The first disc covers FOREIGNER's first five albums: "Foreigner" (1977), "Double Vision" (1978), "Head Games" (1979), "4" (1981) and "Agent Provocateur" (1984). The 21 tracks include some the group's biggest hits ("Urgent" and "Feels Like The First Time") as well as deeper cuts like "Luanne" and "Women". The second disc features songs from "Inside Information" (1987), "Unusual Heat" (1991), "Mr. Moonlight" (1994) and "Can't Slow Down" (2009), and features "Rain", "When It Comes to Love" and "Heart Turns To Stone". FOREIGNER — Mick Jones (lead guitar), Kelly Hansen (lead vocals), Jeff Pilson (bass, vocals), Tom Gimbel (rhythm guitar, sax, vocals), Michael Bluestein (keyboards), Bruce Watson (guitar) and Chris Frazier (drums) — will hit the road this summer for their 40th-anniversary tour with CHEAP TRICK and JASON BONHAM'S LED ZEPPELIN EXPERIENCE. The tour kicks off on July 11 in Syracuse, New York. "40" CD track listing: Disc One

01. Feels Like The First Time (radio edit)02. Starrider03. Cold As Ice04. Long, Long Way From Home05. Headknocker06. Hot Blooded (radio edit)07. Double Vision (radio edit)08. Blue Morning, Blue Day09. Dirty White Boy (radio edit)10. Head Games11. Women12. Urgent (radio edit)13. Juke Box Hero14. Waiting For A Girl Like You15. Night Life16. Luanne17. I Want To Know What Love Is18. That Was Yesterday19. Tooth And Nail20. Reaction To Action (radio edit)21. Down On Love Disc Two

01. Heart Turns To Stone02. Can't Wait03. Lowdown And Dirty04. Soul Doctor05. White Lie06. Rain07. All I Need To Know08. Too Late09. When It Comes To Love10. Can't Slow Down11. In Pieces12. Fool For You Anyway13. Say You Will14. Save Me15. Girl On The Moon (Live)16. Break It Up (Live)17. I Don't Want To Live Without You (new recording)18. Give My Life For Love (new recording)19. The Flame Still Burns (available on CD for the first time)

Echo of The Metal Authority conducted an interview with guitarist/vocalist Mille Petrozza of German thrash metal veterans KREATOR before the band's March 19 concert in Tampa, Florida. You can now watch the chat below.

Asked about the lyrical message on KREATOR's latest album, "Gods Of Violence", Mille said: "It's hard to explain. If you already got the glimpe and got the idea that the lyrics are in a way… Of course, I use graphic words and very strong and heavy vocabulary, but the message is a positive one, of course. That is because a lot of the lyrics are very metaphoric and very much deal with issues that I… When I think about certain events and certain things… Like, for example, 'Satan Is Real', of course I don't think Satan is real. I don't think any of these religious icons are real. To me, it's just an expression, an example for Satan, God, Allah… whoever you want him to be. And I think this shouldn't be real in this day and age. That's why the song 'Satan Is Real' reflects on the fact that a lot of the problems that we have in this day and age are based on religion and the way people interpret religion and how they make religion a tool to manipulate people and make them do very evil things."

KREATOR is headlining this year's edition of the annual Decibel Magazine Tour. Support on the trek is coming from Florida death metal legends OBITUARY, old-school Ohio brutalizers MIDNIGHT and progressive death prodigies HORRENDOUS.

"Gods Of Violence" entered the official chart in Germany at position No. 1. The cover artwork for the album was created by renowned artist Jan Meininghaus, who also made the limited-edition artwork for KREATOR's previous effort, 2012's "Phantom Antichrist", and has lent his talents to bands like BOLT THROWER, ACCEPT and OVERKILL in the past.

The exclusive North American cover for "Gods Of Violence" was created by renowned artist Marcelo Vasco, who has previously worked with SLAYER, MACHINE HEAD, SOULFLY and HATEBREED.

German alcohol-soaked thrash metal act TANKARD will release its seventeenth studio album, "One Foot In The Grave", on June 2 via Nuclear Blast. The follow-up to 2014's "R.I.B. (Rest In Beer)" was recorded at Gernhart Studios in Troisdorf with producer Martin Buchwalter (DESTRUCTION, ACCUSER, PERZONAL WAR, SUIDAKRA).

A trailer for "One Foot In The Grave" is available below. The clip was filmed at a listening session for the new album which took place on February 17 at the Alte Liebe pub in Frankfurt, Germany.

"One Foot In The Grave" track listing:

01. Pay To Pray02. Arena Of The True Lies03. Don`t Bullshit Us!04. One Foot In The Grave05. Syrian Nightmare06. Northern Crown (Lament Of The Undead King)07. Lock`Em Up!08. The Evil That Men Display09. Secret Order 151610. Sole Grinder

This time, the album is going to have a serious streak, not only filled with humor but criticizing today's society. Even the traditional beer song "Secret Order 1516" displays some critical elements. But don't worry: fans of the typical TANKARD humor won't be disappointed! With songs like "Sole Grinder", the band hasn't forgotten their raison d'être. This song pays tribute to the band’s manager Buffo (Gerre: "The funniest choleric person in Germany") in an ironic way.

The cover artwork for "One Foot In The Grave" was created by Patrick Strogulski, who is a student of Sebastian Krüger, the recent artwork designer of TANKARD. He also created the cover artwork for the "A Girl Called Cerveza" and "R.I.B." albums. With this, the iconic band mascot, the TANKARD Alien, celebrates his return after about 13 years of absence. The alien was born in 1989 with the "Alien" EP and has already graced five album covers. The TANKARD fan club "Maniac Aliens" is also named after it.

States TANKARD vocalist Andreas "Gerre" Geremia: "Mister Strogulski has once again created a real masterpiece and surpassed himself. Our first plan was that I would be on the cover instead of the alien... but, lucky me, it ended up being the alien..."

The clip below offers a look behind the scenes of the "One Foot In The Grave" album production, as well the very first song snippets.