Underground death metal legends Matti Way (ex-Pathology and Disgorge, Abominable Putridity) and Erik Lindmark (Deeds Of Flesh) have joined forces to form a new band called Submerged.

Well known for raising the standard of heaviness on their pioneering, boundary destroying work the duo will continue their decades long quest to push extreme metal to its limits and continue to set the bar for absolute brutality beyond the reach of any of today's heaviest bands. Submerged promises to be one of the most monumentally heavy, experimental, atmospheric, and ominous projects that the two have been a part of, and will be an absolutely monstrous addition to their already unparalleled bodies of work.

The group will release a full length this year on Unique Leader Records.

Joining Way and Lindmark in Submerged are bassist Eric Little of the upcoming and widely respected slam masters Visceral Disgorge and phenomenal drummer Alex Gal of Foul Deformity. The two provide an extraordinarily tight rhythm section and are further proof of the band's devastating potential.

The band has released a trailer, which you can watch below. More news on Submerged in the coming weeks.

Multi-camera video footage of LYNCH MOB performing on March 23 at the Token Lounge in Westland, Michigan can be seen below (clip edited and produced by George S Pogacich).

LYNCH MOB recently recruited singer Nathan Utz to front the band following the departure of Oni Logan.

The Atlanta, Georgia-based Utz previousy sang for the late 1980s/early 1990s glam metal band BLONZ and is currently the frontman for the AEROSMITH tribute act PANDORA'S BOX, which also features EVANESCENCE's Troy McLawhorn.

Utz made his live debut with LYNCH MOB on March 9 in Medina, Minnesota.

LYNCH MOB was rejoined by singer Robert Mason for several shows in February and March, including appearances on the Monsters Of Rock cruise and at the '80s In The Park festival.

During an interview with Eddie Trunk, LYNCH MOB guitarist George Lynch declined to get into specifics about Oni's decision to exit the band in January, explaining: "We have tremendous respect for each other on the musical level, and I'll just leave it there and wish him well. I'm sure he's going to do fine. He's one of the great ones. Maybe he hasn't been recognized like I feel he should be. To me, he's a modern-day Paul Rodgers. We made a lot of fantastic music together, including the latest record, 'The Brotherhood' — which didn't turn out to be such a brotherhood after all [laughs], but it's a beautiful, beautiful record. I'll have a soft spot in my heart for these guys and wish it had continued on, but it didn't, so..."

LYNCH MOB's current lineup also includes returning drummer Scot Coogan. "I played with Scot off and on in various projects over the years, and he was in LYNCH MOB a number of variations, most recently up to a few years ago," the guitarist told Trunk. "Scot's wonderful. He brings so much to the table. He's one of those multitasking guys. He's a great singer; he's a great songwriter; and he plays everything a little bit. He's very tuned in with drum programming and the recording side of it, so that always helps. He's like a Swiss army knife, plus his drumming, it's got a great R&B feel. LYNCH MOB has that — LYNCH MOB has this blues-based, R&B-based, heavy rock thing. He really brings a lot to the table. He's a great fit, and we're great friends."

Logan first hooked up with LYNCH MOB in 1990, but exited the group after the release of its first album, only to rejoin the George Lynch-led outfit in the late 2000s.

"The Brotherhood" was released last September via Rat Pak Records.

SKILLET drummer Jen Ledger will release her first solo EP, titled "Ledger", on April 13 through Hear It Loud, a label imprint launched by SKILLET frontman John Cooper and his wife, SKILLET keyboardist Korey Cooper.

"Ledger" track listing:

01. Not Dead Yet

02. Warrior

03. Bold

04. Foreigner

05. Ruins

06. Iconic

The song "Not Dead Yet" can be streamed below.

Ledger told Billboard about the project: "I feel I've just been growing and changing over the last few years and I feel the time is now. It just feels like everything is lined up all at once. It's super exciting because it is a little bit of a destiny moment."

Ledger credited the Coopers with mentoring her and helping her develop her own sound, explaining: "Over the last couple of years, the Coopers have really been training me, helping me on my writing and really helping me find my own unique style."

She added: "I'm not just mini-SKILLET. I'm edgy and rocky, but I'm also soft and got a little bit of pop in me too. They've been helping me find out not only who I am musically, but also who I am as a person and what do I want to say."

Over the past decade, Ledger has contributed co-lead vocals to certain SKILLET songs. John Cooper told The Pulse Of Radio a while back how he determines when a song needs a feminine voice. "Some people say, 'You know, that's really cool you do it, you just don't do it enough. You need to do it more,'" he said. "Some people are more thinking of, 'It's really cool, and if you did it all the time, it might get annoying.' I'm kind of more along the lines of, if we're gonna do it, I want to write a song for that purpose, as opposed to we have a song and going, 'Oh, hey, you know what? You can come in and sing that line,' or something like that. That to me seems a little random, so when I do it, it's something that I've written for it."

Ledger is not leaving SKILLET, saying: "We're all on the same team and we're all kind of mixed into everything... I get to do everything I want and have the best of both worlds."

Ledger, together with a full band, will serve as opening act on SKILLET's upcoming tour and then take her usual place behind the drums for SKILLET's headlining set. The trek kicks off on April 12 in Amarillo, Texas.

SKILLET's latest LP, "Unleashed", was released in 2016. The group's 10th studio effort featured the hit singles "Back From The Dead" and "Feel Invincible".

Nikki Sixx (MÖTLEY CRÜE), Scott Ian (ANTHRAX), Rudy Sarzo (OZZY OSBOURNE, QUIET RIOT), and Dave Kushner (VELVET REVOLVER) are among the musicians who took part in "AC/DC Comedy & Rock Show: A Tribute To Bon Scott" on April 3 at the Avalon in Hollywood, California.

The event, which was organized by rock and roll comedian Dean Delray, started off with Delray, Bill Burr, Marc Maron and Joey Diaz doing stand-up comedy before an all-star band performed AC/DC's classic 1978 album "Powerage" in its entirety.

Prior to the event, Ian said: "I'm going to do my best to honor [late AC/DC guitarist] Malcolm's [Young] mastery. And I'm going to bang my fucking head playing songs from my favorite AC/DC record."

Video footage of "AC/DC Comedy & Rock Show: A Tribute To Bon Scott" can be seen below.

Singer Bon Scott died of acute alcohol poisoning on the night of February 19, 1980, after a night of heavy drinking at a club in London, just days after attending a session with AC/DC guitarists Malcolm and Angus Young where they began working on music for what became the "Back In Black" album.

Malcolm, who co-founded AC/DC with brother Angus in 1973, died on November 18 at the age of 64 after suffering from dementia and failing health for several years. His condition forced him to leave the band in 2014, with his nephew Stevie Young stepping into Malcolm's position.

Asked how Malcolm Young influenced his playing and how he was affected by Malcolm's passing, Scott told Full Metal Jackie's nationally syndicated radio show: "I don't want it to sound weird, but it wasn't a shock [to hear that he had died]. I mean, people knew — I knew that he had been sick for a long time with a disease that, generally, you don't come back from. So it was one of these just-a-matter-of-time kind of things, which is just a huge bummer.

"I had actually talked to a friend of mine at the Loudwire [Music] Awards, who's very close with the AC/DC camp, just to ask if he had heard anything. Because there was no information out there — there was never any information on how Malcolm was doing. And he said he had spoken to someone and from what he had heard, [Malcolm] didn't have long, and that was, like, three weeks before he passed. So I wasn't surprised, but at the same time, that doesn't temper how sad it was and what a huge bummer it is that that guy is no longer with us doing what he pretty much was put on this planet to do."

Ian continued: "I'm the type of person that celebrates people when they go. I don't sit around and do the whole mourning thing and all that. I prefer to celebrate it, so we cranked AC/DC — we put 'Let There Be Rock' on and just cranked it. And that's what I've always done; it's never going to change. So we'll have all of those records for… I'll have 'em for the rest of my life, obviously. Anytime I think about Malcolm, I can go put something on.

"As far as my playing goes, [Malcolm] was my guitar teacher. Obviously, I wasn't sitting there taking lessons from him, but playing along to AC/DC records as a kid is really where I learned how to play guitar. And I would just go song by song by song and learn the chords and not take the time to sit there and learn the lead breaks, 'cause learning the leads would take me days whereas I could learn the whole album in a few hours if I was just learning the chords. And Malcolm was the guy playing the chords. I think my whole way of playing, my percussive right hand, it's very, very similar, in a lot of ways, to what he does. Obviously, I play a different style of music, and the metal that ANTHRAX is playing is a completely different style of music than AC/DC. So, yeah, even though my right hand is very percussive like his, it's in a different way, with palm muting and, obviously, playing the guitar to make a sound that works in the context of ANTHRAX. But, for me, it all comes from what he was doing."

A PALE HORSE NAMED DEATH has re-signed with SPV. The band's new music is expected to be released in the fall via the record company's Long Branch Records imprint.


Led by founding TYPE O NEGATIVE and LIFE OF AGONY member Sal Abruscato, A PALE HORSE NAMED DEATH released its debut, "And Hell Will Follow Me", in 2011 and firmly implanted its roots in the metal scene with the sophomore album, "Lay My Soul to Waste", in 2013. Both records were selected as part of the Revolver magazine "Top 20 Albums Of The Year" lists in the years they were issued.


Besides Abruscato on guitars and lead vocals, A PALE HORSE NAMED DEATH's lineup includes Joe Taylor and Eddie Heedges on guitars and Eric Morgan on bass. Johnny Kelly (TYPE O NEGATIVE) is also back in the band on drums.


On the surface, A PALE HORSE NAMED DEATH are impressive. But you'll want to dig deeper and immerse yourself in all the sonic and lyrical layers, because the band isn't afraid to plume the depths of darkness that humanity is capable of. It's murky stuff, but someone has to do it.


A PALE HORSE NAMED DEATH is:


Sal Abruscato - Guitar, Vocals

Joe Taylor - Guitar

Eddie Heedges - Guitar

Eric Morgan - Bass

Johnny Kelly - Drums


Photo credit: Sandi Ryan / GoLightly Photography

HOOBASTANK has premiered "More Beautiful", the first song from the multi-platinum, three-time-Grammy-nominated band's upcoming album, "Push Pull", due out May 25 on Napalm Records.

"Push Pull" finds HOOBASTANK — Doug Robb (lead vocals, rhythm guitar), Dan Estrin (lead guitar, keyboards), Chris Hesse (drums, percussion, backing vocals), Jesse Charland (bass, keyboards, backing vocals) — exploring both rock and pop songwriting with a renewed vigor.


For its sixth studio album and first new music since 2012's "Fight Or Flight", the band partnered with producer Matt Wallace (FAITH NO MORE, DEFTONES, MAROON 5, Andy Grammer). As a result, "Push Pull" nails a bull's-eye to the group's underappreciated sweet spot — the large-scale, muscular '80s-'90s alternative rock of U2, DURAN DURAN, INXS and even TEARS FOR FEARS, whose "Heads Over Heels" gets a brawny, Bowie-esque take on the new collection. HOOBASTANK approached "Push Pull" with the swagger and confidence of a band whose first three albums all went either gold, platinum or multi-platinum.


Album highlights include the go-for-broke "Just Let Go (Who Cares if We Fall)", which sums up HOOBASTANK's attitude. "At least we get to fly," sings Robb. In the title track, "Push Pull", and "More Beautiful", Doug unleashes his falsetto, while the funky R&B feel is a tribute to Dan's early, late-'90s penchant for CHIC and "groove-based" dance music. Songs like "True Believer" and "Buzzkill (Before You Say Goodbye)" show HOOBASTANK maturing from adolescent to adult relationships, often examining the difficulty of keeping alive the sexuality that fuels them. "We Don't Need the World" and "There Will Never Be Another" explore the protective bubble and the memories which bind two people together. Doug's lyrics to the headphones-worthy "Fallen Star" were inspired by a memory of him watching television one night and seeing a military family of a soldier who had died in combat. It made him think of the brave men and women who serve and even more so now the parents of those who serve.

Hailing from the Netherlands, Shylmagoghnar became one of the most spoken of extreme metal duos in underground metal throughout the years. This is not just because of pure heaviness, not because of incredible song structures and not because of fiery emotional music. This is a combination connecting all of these factors and creating a raw and unique soundscape.

With their debut album Emergence, Shylmagoghnar achieved an amazing feat, without having signed to a label, their album reached nearly 1,700,000 views on the bands YouTube channel. Now it's time to bring Shylmagoghnar's music even further... with Napalm Records. Their second strike is entitled Transience, and will be out on June 29th. On this album the band perfected their game and brought it to a whole new level.

Atmospheric black metal and harsh vocals burst into progressive guitar melodies deeply rooted in melodic death metal creating a rather melancholic and yet playful set-up indulging in themes of our existence in all its monumental beauty and horrible chasms. Watch a teaser for "Journey Through The Fog" from Transience below.

The album will be vailable in the following formats:

- Regular Jewel Case
- 2 LP Gatefold & Bonus Track
- Regular Jewel Case & Shirt Bundle
- Digital Full-Length Album

Pre-order here.

Tracklisting:

"Transience"
"The Dawn Of Motion"
"As All Must Come To Pass"
"This Shadow Of The Heart"
"The Chosen Path"
"No Child Of Man Could Follow"
"Journey Through The Fog"
"Life"

Teaser:

Lineup:

Nimblkorg: Guitars, Bass, Drums, Keyboards, Vocals
Skirge: Vocals, Lyrics

(Photo - S.E. Dantchev)

Avantgarde death metal outfit The Antichrist Imperium have announced their sophomore album, which is entitled Volume II Every Tongue Shall Praise Satan. The follow-up to their 2015 self-titled debut, Volume II Every Tongue Shall Praise Satan is set for release on June 29th via Apocalyptic Witchcraft Recordings.

The Antichrist Imperium's second album presents the quartet with a sound that is unique and well established away from any of the groups other projects, all the while bringing musical composition to this album aiding it to be as diverse as it is unrelenting.

Once again, embalmer of the dead, Matt Wilcock (Abramelin, ex-Akercocke, ex-The Berzerker) brings the hyper-thrash death shreds that can only be contained by David Gray's (Akercocke, Voices, ex-The Berzerker) masterful blasts and Sam Bean's (The Senseless, ex-The Berzerker) cutting death metal barks that nail the coffins shut.

Lastly but not least, Samuel Loynes (Akercocke, Shrines, Voices) ties the sound together with vocals atypical to that of the context of the music, delivering the melodic and the emotive to this sonic funeral service.

Vocalist Sam Loynes comments: “Still finding our feet with the first album compositionally, I believe with Volume II Every Tongue Shall Praise Satan we have now arrived in a place of confidence and deep understanding of each others expectations and desires for this band. The trio laid the ground work for me to come in and tie the pieces together. The finishing parts of the puzzle that ultimately complete the expansive sound of this record.”

Information on pre-orders and formats will be announced shortly.

The Antichrist Imperium lineup:

David Gray - drums
Matt Wilcock - guitars, bass
Sam Bean - vocals
Samuel Loynes - vocals

Swedish classic/progressive rock supergroup THE NIGHT FLIGHT ORCHESTRA — featuring members of SOILWORK and ARCH ENEMY — will release its fourth studio album, "Sometimes The World Ain't Enough", on June 29 via Nuclear Blast. The disc was again produced by the bandmembers themselves and was recorded at Handsome Hard Music / Larsson Music Studio as well as Nordic Sound Lab in Skara, Sweden. Mixing duties were taken on by the band's guitarist/percussionist Sebastian Forslund and mastering was done by Thomas "Plec" Johansson at The Panic Room.

Just like 2017's "Amber Galactic", the LP will feature two different covers (see below) — one for the regular and the other for the limited edition.

The limited first-edition digipack CD, as well as the vinyl, will include an exclusive bonus track. The Japanese version will also feature an additional cut.

"Sometimes The World Ain't Enough" track listing:

01. This Time

02. Turn To Miami

03. Paralyzed

04. Sometimes The World Ain't Enough

05. Moments Of Thunder

06. Speedwagon

07. Lovers In The Rain

08. Can't Be That Bad

09. Pretty Thing Closing In

10. Barcelona

11. Winged And Serpentine

12. The Last Of The Independent Romantics

13. Marjorie (limited-edition digipack CD and vinyl bonus track)

14. Pacific Priestess (Japanese bonus track)

THE NIGHT FLIGHT ORCHESTRA said in a statement: "THE NIGHT FLIGHT ORCHESTRA returns with another chapter in their steaming space opera that began with 'Amber Galactic'.

"This time, the female space commanders want even more revenge than they already had, space is even more infinite, and the amount of champagne it takes to keep this navy afloat and adrift in the cosmos is probably illegal on most planets!

"Never looking back, THE NIGHT FLIGHT ORCHESTRA boldly goes where no man or woman has ever gone before, and with this album, they've taken another step in their quest to elevate classic rock from being a music genre to becoming an immersive whole-body transcendental experience!

"It's time to prepare yourself, because the riffs will be riffier, the vocals will be throatier, the synthesizers will envelop you, the AOR will be AOR-ier, the long songs will be longer, the short songs will be shorter, the bass will seduce you, the drums will destroy you, the groove will hypnotize and paralyze you. Can you handle it?"

THE NIGHT FLIGHT ORCHESTRA's third studio album, "Amber Galactic", was released in May 2017 via Nuclear Blast. The disc followed THE NIGHT FLIGHT ORCHESTRA's two previous releases, 2012's "Internal Affairs" and 2015's "Skyline Whispers".

THE NIGHT FLIGHT ORCHESTRA is:

Björn Strid - Vocals

Sharlee D'Angelo - Bass

David Andersson - Guitars

Richard Larsson - Keyboards

Jonas Källsbäck - Drums

Sebastian Forslund - Guitars, Percussion, Special FX

Anna-Mia Bonde - Backing Vocals

Anna Brygård - Backing Vocals

Photo credit: Carlos Del Olmo Holmberg

Main cover:



Limited-edition cover:

Progressive metallers DREAM THEATER are planning to regroup in late spring to begin work on material for the follow-up to 2016's "The Astonishing". "We're gonna start back in the studio in June — just all be together and writing and working on the new album," singer James LaBrie told the "Lead Singer Syndrome" podcast (hear audio below). "We're hoping that the album will be out, let's say, February of 2019. And then we're looking, at this point, that we'd start the next world tour next March."

LaBrie also confirmed that he is working on material for the follow-up to his 2013 "Impermanent Resonance" solo album. In the meantime, he will join the Brazilian band NOTURNALL on stage later this month for four shows in South America, with one of the concerts — on April 24 at Teatro Porto Seguro in São Paulo — set to be recorded for a DVD.

"[NOTURNALL are] a huge [heavy metal] band down in South America," James said. "They've asked me to come in, and I'm gonna sing five songs a night: two DREAM THEATER songs, two solo songs, and then I'm gonna share the vocal duties with their vocalist, Thiago [Bianchi], on one of their songs. So it's just gonna be a fun gig."

DREAM THEATER's next studio album — its 14th — will be the band's first for Sony Music's progressive imprint InsideOut Music. The group spent the past 25 years recording under various labels in the Warner Music Group system, most recently Roadrunner Records, which released five albums by the band between 2007 and 2016.

DREAM THEATER keyboardist Jordan Rudess recently told Metal Wani about a possible musical direction for the band's next disc: "I think that we're interested to just put our heads together and find something that we feel is really representative of who we are. Yeah, I think maybe a little bit on the heavier side. Certainly nothing like a concept album, since we already did 'The Astonishing' and we had a lot of fun, and it was a wonderful, creative project. Now I think maybe [we'll be] returning a little bit more to the roots, and that probably involves a little bit of a harder approach, I guess, to the sound, but never losing sight of the melody. DREAM THEATER is DREAM THEATER — it's always a stylistic blend of a lot of different things. But all I can say about it at this point is we wanna kind of figure out what the core of who we are and what the music is and just kind of present that."

SLIPKNOT is planning to release its next studio album in 2019, Corey Taylor has confirmed. Speaking to Billboard, the singer said: "The guys are writing tons of music and I've written lyrics to almost all of it and we're going to start trying to put together demos here and there with the time off that I have and really try to get ahead of the curve as far as what happens next. I know that we're gonna try and put an album out next year. However, that is all speculation. The best way to make God laugh is to announce your plans out loud. So I'm just going with the flow. The plan right now is next year but that is a huge plan because we still haven’t narrowed anything down, so we will definitely see what happens."

Although he's still on the road with STONE SOUR, Taylor recently said that he has already begun putting together lyrical ideas for SLIPKNOT's follow-up to 2014's ".5: The Gray Chapter", adding that the material will see him at his "most autobiographical" that he has "been in years." Taylor's comments came several months after SLIPKNOT percussionist Shawn "Clown" Crahan revealed that the band had "about 27 pieces of work" written for the band's new disc.

Asked by Musik Universe if he has heard any of the music Crahan has been composing with the other instrumental members of SLIPKNOT, Taylor replied: "Yeah, I have. It's awesome. That's all I'm gonna say about it. It's everything I wanted it to be." As for the lyrics, Taylor explained: "It's really dark. It's probably the most autobiographical I've been in years. Just for the fact that I've been through a lot the last few years and I've been sitting on a lot."

SLIPKNOT's touring cycle in support of its latest disc ended in November 2016, with Taylor returning to his other band STONE SOUR last year.

Taylor and STONE SOUR are preparing to embark on a new string of U.S. tour dates in support of that band's sixth studio effort, "Hydrograd".

KILLER BE KILLED has commenced work on material for its second album, tentatively due next year.

The supergroup, which is comprised of Max Cavalera (SOULFLY, ex-SEPULTURA), Greg Puciato (THE DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN), Troy Sanders (MASTODON) and drummer Ben Koller (CONVERGE, ALL PIGS MUST DIE, MUTOID MAN), released its self-titled debut album in 2014 via Nuclear Blast Entertainment.

Asked in a brand new interview with the "Red Light District Show" if there are any plans for KILLER BE KILLED to record a follow-up effort, Max said (hear audio below): "We're actually practicing tomorrow. The guys are flying here to Phoenix and we're gonna go to our SOULFLY place of practice, which is like this big warehouse that we have [with] all our gear there. So they're flying in, and they rented a house. So, yeah, we're gonna finally, finally get some new stuff. We'll try to write as much as we can. I'm really excited. I think we're gonna definitely have a new KILLER BE KILLED [album] next year, man — I can say that I'm pretty much 99 percent sure it's gonna happen… Hopefully we'll have some stuff done [during this songwriting session], enter the studio sometime… I'm hoping maybe at the end of the year we can actually go in the studio and record some, and continue maybe next year, and have a record out next year. That's the perfect plan for me, at least I think in my mind."

Drummer Dave Elitch (ex-THE MARS VOLTA) played on KILLER BE KILLED's first CD but was unable to continue with the band due to scheduling conflicts with his other group, ANTEMASQUE.

For their live debut at the 2015 Soundwave festival in Australia, Cavalera, Sanders, Puciato and Koller were joined by Juan Montoya (MONSTRO, ex-TORCHE), who also performed on the KILLER BE KILLED debut album.

"Killer Be Killed" sold around 5,500 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 58 on The Billboard 200 chart. Released in May 2014, the CD was produced and mixed by Josh Wilbur, whose credits include work with GOJIRA, LAMB OF GOD, HATEBREED, AVENGED SEVENFOLD, ESCAPE THE FATE, P!NK and STEVE EARLE. Cover art and packaging was executed by Ryan Clark of Invisible Creature Design, the Grammy-nominated design firm whose clients include ALICE IN CHAINS, FOO FIGHTERS, CHRIS CORNELL, DEVILDRIVER, MONSTER MAGNET, WOLFMOTHER and DEMON HUNTER.

Photo credit: TeamRock

ICED EARTH guitarist Jon Schaffer was recently interviewed by Greece's Rockpages. The full conversation can be seen below. A few excerpts follow (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET):

On whether the band's latest album, "Incorruptible", will be judged a "classic":

Jon: "It's very early to tell. A classic record gets decided a few years after it's released, and the fans decide that, not me — but I have a pretty good feeling it will be. The response is very strong."

On the prospect of re-recording the group's early albums:

Jon: "We're talking about it. It just depends on really if it's going to be worth the time for us to do it. It's a lot of work to do. It would be completely different than [the previous re-release of] 'Days Of Purgatory', because the only thing that was was re-recorded vocals. This, we're talking about a ground-up production so that we have it for a set of masters that we actually own and can exploit in our way in the future, and that this band will be able to benefit from financially going forward, because our contracts were terrible back in the old days, so there's very little income from all the years of work. Plus, with my knowledge of production now compared to the very beginning, we can make those records sound amazing. I'm certain of that. But it's not to try to beat them — it's just to create something that we can actually control and have some financial benefit from, instead of a big corporation like Sony. People go, 'Well, you should just focus on new music.' We will do that too. I have my own studio, and we're not in a hurry to do a new record — we just put one out — so if we can take a year and just take the time to spend time in the studio doing re-records, and then work on a new album, and then do more re-records or whatever, we can do whatever the fuck we want. I don't really care if somebody lost their virginity listening to 'I'd Die For You'. It's my fucking song; I'll re-record if it I want to re-record it. That's the way it is."

On the band's early days:

Jon: "There was not promoters all over the world saying, 'Hey, ICED EARTH. We want you to tour.' It was the opposite. We were desperately trying to get tours. I moved the band from Florida to Indiana to be able to go to, like, Cleveland, Chicago and Detroit on the weekends every now and then, to try to spread it to the coasts of the United States, which worked. We did two or three van tours, then we moved into a camper, and after that, we were in a tour bus, so my strategy worked. This is purely about understanding the situation and fighting all the time, and trying to push forward. That's the only thing that's kept this band going forward. Now the band can go... everywhere in the world, but that didn't happen like that [snaps]. That took twenty-five years of work beforehand, laying the groundwork to make it happen."

On his other future projects:

Jon: "SONS OF LIBERTY... people always ask me if there's going to be more, and there will be. I do have the masters back, so when I release it again in the future, I want to do a vinyl version, and I want to put the 'Spirit Of The Times' EP on there and maybe two or three new tracks and probably do a double-vinyl with some cool artwork. But next on my agenda is the DEMONS & WIZARDS stuff. That's this year that I'm focusing on. Hansi [Kürsch] and I have already got three songs going. This year, I would really love to get my parts finished, and to have the master tracking done. We'll see."

On being a KISS fan:

Jon: "KISS 'Alive!' is definitely, I would say, responsible for me pursuing this way of life. It was certainly this record, and then what pushed it over the top was seeing the band live in 1979. That's when I decided that's what I was going to do. ['Alive!'] was the first record I bought. I bought it the day it was released. My sister had the first three KISS records, so I was already familiar with their music and we were listening to it, but I really wanted to impress her and her friends, because they were older than me, by being the first one to get KISS 'Alive!' Whether it's live or not doesn't even matter because it's fucking awesome. It's just got the right vibe, and it's perfect illusion."

ICED EARTH is continuing to tour in support of "Incorruptible", which came out last June via Century Media.

The first trailer for "Queen Of Time", the upcoming studio album from Finnish melancholic progressive metallers AMORPHIS, can be seen below. Due on May 18 via Nuclear Blast, the follow-up to 2015's "Under The Red Cloud" will include the use of real strings, flutes, orchestral arrangements and even choirs. In addition, this will be the first time that people will be able to hear their lyricist Pekka Kainulainen on the album as he contributes a speech in Finnish.

"Queen Of Time" was once again produced by Jens Bogren (OPETH, AMON AMARTH, KREATOR), who is well known for challenging and motivating artists during the recording process. He isn't afraid to push them to their limits.

The disc's opening song, "The Bee", can be streamed below.

Guitarist Esa Holopainen states about the new track: "This song is a very powerful opener and gives a nice picture of what the whole album is all about. You can already hear some new elements like choirs and orchestral arrangements in it."

Adds vocalist Tomi Joutsen: "Of course, the lyrical inspiration is a bee, also in a metaphoric way. The tiniest thing can sometimes be the most important thing. A bee can bring life or if we destroy all the bees, life will stop here. It's a very beautiful animal, that's why you can find it on the album cover too. The track itself is a kind of progressive and I'm sure that it will surprise some fans in a positive way. We love it!"

The "Queen Of Time" cover artwork, which was created once again by French artist Jean "Valnoir" Simoulin from Metastazis, captures the feeling of the lyrics and the music. With Pekka Kainulainen's (lyricist) words, the lyrical theme is universal: "Cultures rise, flourish, and are destroyed. The story of man is the story of searching, finding, and forgetting. A single spark can set the world afire, a single idea can give birth to a new culture. The greatest can stagnate into insignificance, the smallest can hold the power for change. The lyrics on this album are distant echoes of ancient forest peoples, from a time when meaning was proportioned by the cosmic forces that govern birth and death. If the connection was lost, they sought for a strand of knowledge, found a new direction, and a new age began."

"Queen Of Time" will be also the first AMORPHIS album to feature the band's old/new bass player Olli-Pekka "Oppu" Laine following the departure of Niclas Etelävuori in 2017. Oppu was one of the founding members of AMORPHIS in 1990 and recorded the first seven records with the band before he exited the group in spring 2000.

"To be honest, 'Oppu' was the only guy we could imagine being in AMORPHIS," says Esa. "It was funny — when we started to play our first shows together again last summer, it all felt so familiar. He was involved with arranging songs and he also even brought some new songs to the table… really good ones, too!" Oppu adds: "Even though the last year with AMORPHIS has been exciting, nostalgic and fun, it's also been truly comfortable to be with the guys again. As a clichéd expression, it's been like returning home from a lengthy odyssey. After 18 years, it feels like we are picking up where we left off from the good ol' days! I'm really looking forward for the upcoming tour. The new album itself is a really strong package, the only hard thing will be picking which songs to play live! It's safe to say we are set to pull off some killer shows over the next few years. After that, I'm predicting a long and fruitful career for the band in its current form..."

"Queen Of Time" track listing:

01. The Bee

02. Message In The Amber

03. Daughter Of Hate

04. The Golden Elk

05. Wrong Direction

06. Heart Of The Giant

07. We Accursed

08. Grain Of Sand

09. Amongst Stars

10. Pyres On The Coast

Bonus tracks (digi, 2LP, and mail-order edition only)

11. As Mountains Crumble

12. Brother And Sister

Holopainen comments: "I guess 'Queen Of Time' turned out as a massive surprise to all of us. During the rehearsing and pre-production, we didn't have any idea that Jens had this huge picture inside of his head about the landscape of the album. It's a very natural continuation to 'Under The Red Cloud' but with steroids. The songs are more aggressive but there's more dynamics, harmonies and orchestral arrangements present. The result is AMORPHIS as something you've never heard before! Essentially, working with Jens worked really well. As a person, he is very similar to us — we share the same kind of weird humor and we all like to work hard."

Axel Rudi Pell released his Knights Call album on March 23rd. The first week chart entries for the album are listed below.

#6 - Sweden - Hard Rock Charts
#9 - Germany - Album Charts
#10 - Sweden - Physical Charts
#15 - Switzerland - Album Charts
#19 - UK - Indie Album Breaker Charts
#26 - Austria - Album Charts
#32 - US - Hard Music Charts
#39 - UK - Rock & Metal Charts
#68 - UK - Indie Charts
#105 - US - Indie Charts
#149 - Belgium - Album Charts

Tracklisting:

"The Medieval Overture (intro)"
"The Wild And The Young"
"Wildest Dreams"
"Long Live Rock"
"The Crusaders Of Doom"
"Truth And Lies"
"Beyond The Light"
"Slaves On The Run"
"Follow The Sun"
"Tower Of Babylon"

Axel Rudi Pell 2018 tour dates are listed in the poster below.

Lineup:

Johnny Gioeli - lead and backing vocals
Axel Rudi Pell - lead, rhythm and acoustic guitars
Ferdy Doernberg - keyboards
Volker Krawczak - bass
Bobby Rondinelli - drums

Still On The Run: The Jeff Beck Story documents the history of a musical maverick and true innovator, delving below the surface to shed light on the circumstances, inspiration and technicality behind the man and his music. The film features extensive interviews with Jeff both at home and in his workshop, as well as interviews with Jimmy Page, Eric Clapton, Rod Stewart, David Gilmour, Ronnie Wood, Slash, Jan Hammer, Joe Perry, Beth Hart & many more.

Beck’s childhood saw him surrounded by music; from the endlessly playing radio, to his homemade guitar and the countless hours he spent poring over records and playing music with his friend, Jimmy Page. “I didn’t have to think about taking up guitar, I just wanted to pour my feelings into it” said Jeff. Around the same time his love of classic cars was ignited from watching American B-movies featuring hot rods, and his two great passions in life were born.

At that time, visiting America seemed like an impossible dream for the young man from Surrey, but joining the Yardbirds spawned Beck’s first trip Stateside. A paycheck from the 1968 film, Blow Up saw him to splash out on a split window ’68 Corvette - a warm memory that clearly still delights him to this day.

Covering the Jeff Beck Group’s seminal 1968 Truth album featuring Rod Stewart and Ronnie Wood right through to Jeff Beck’s Guitar Shop album (1989) - from experimental rock departures to powerfully dirty, heavy grooves and everything in between, Jeff will always create a singularly unique guitar sound.

Still On The Run: The Jeff Beck Story reveals the true story of the guitar player who builds hot rods and captures the excitement and anecdotes of those who have worked alongside him. Jeff Beck has always been a risk taker, on an endless quest for fresh and challenging new sounds. Bending notes and filtering a myriad of musical inspirations, he will continue to inspire fans and musicians alike by giving voice to his guitar in the most unexpected ways.

Due for release on May 18th, the title is available for pre-order here.

In other Jeff Beck news, his acclaimed Live At The Hollywood Bowl performance, released last year on multiple video and audio formats, will be available for the first time as a standalone 2-CD set and as a 180-gram 2-LP set on April 6 and May 25, respectively, from Rhino.

Additionally, this summer, Jeff Beck will be joined by Paul Rodgers and Ann Wilson of Heart on the Stars Align Tour. The outing kicks off July 18th through August 26th with several Jeff Beck headlining dates as well. Check jeffbeck.com for the full itinerary and ticket information.

Los Angeles based neo-classical shredders, Exmortus, have set a June 8th street date for their new full length album, The Sound Of Steel. The album will be released by Prosthetic Records worldwide except Japan, where it will be overseen by Marquee Inc. A lyric video for the album opener "Make Haste" can be found below.

The Sound of Steel, was produced once again by Zack Ohren (Machine Head, Fallujah, Suffocation) at Sharkbite Studio while the band also enlisted artist, Philip Lawvere (Kreator, Celtic Frost, Helloween), to create the cover art.

Exmortus founder, vocalist and guitarist, Jadren “Conan” Gonzalez comments, "This new record takes the best from both Slave… and Ride… albums and adds a killer twist especially accentuated by Chase Becker and Carlos Cruz of Warbringer. While still paying homage to our classic favorites like Priest, Yngwie, Slayer, etc. We also deliver tastefully the extremities of black/death metal and of course the neo-classical structure/harmony that we are known for. This is what we believe to be The Sound Of Steel!"

The album will be available all digital outlets, compact disc and LP, with 1,000 records being pressed initially in the follow colors:

- 250 battle axe blood splatter (Prosthetic webshop and sold by the band on tour)
- 250 blue and black marble (Prosthetic webshop and sold by the band on tour)
- 400 clear with blue and orange Splatter (available in retail stores worldwide)
- 100 white vinyl (Cargo Germany only)

Pre-order the album here.

The Sound Of Steel tracklisting:

"Make Haste"
"Feast Of Flesh"
"Into The Maw Of Hell"
"To The Ends Of The Earth"
"A Minor Instrumental"
"Strength And Honor"
"Turn The Tide"
"Tempest"
"Riders Of Doom"
"Victory Or Death!"

"Make Haste" lyric video:

Live dates:

April
11 - Fullerton, CA - Slide Bar

May
19 - Lancaster, CA - Anna's Great Horn Bar

Exmortus is:

Jadran “Conan” Gonzalez - Vocals/Guitar
Chase Becker - Guitar
Phillip Cody Nuñez - Bass
Carlos Cruz - Drums

After nearly 25 years upholding and reinvigorating thrash metal’s grimmest traditions for the delight of the international underground, Norway’s reapers of blackened-thrash, Aura Noir, will unleash their sixth full length on April 27th via Indie Recordings. The semi-self-titled, Aura Noire, is released with no overdubs or embellishments, only underscoring the band’s potency as a power-trio and reinforces their primacy among thrash’s primal pantheon. The album track "Shades Ablaze" is available for streaming below.

Says the band: "'Shades Ablaze' is one of the few tracks on the album featuring Apollyon on vocals. One of the faster songs. Watch out for Apollyon’s South American inspired drumming near the end. A homage to old Sarcophago and ancient Sepultura."

With Aura Noire, a title which quite distinctly resembles their band name, Aura Noir churns through some of the most refreshing, yet nostalgic tracks of thrash metal ever to be heard. The album opens with probably one of the most retrospect of riffs, but suddenly summersaults you into the gloriously dissonant and immersive Aura Noir atmosphere. The soaring and burning shouts of Aggressor intensely glues the otherwise quite varied and playful guitar riffs and drums together, culminating into the essence of thrash that is Aura Noir.

Aura Noire tracklisting:

"Dark Lung Of The Storm"
"Grave Dweller"
"Hell’s Lost Chambers"
"The Obscuration"
"Demoniac Flow"
"Shades Ablaze"
"Mordant Wind"
"Cold Bone Grasp"
"Outro"

"Shades Ablaze":

"Dark Lung Of The Storm":

Lineup:

Aggressor - Bass, Vocals
Apollyon - Drums, Vocals
Blasphemer - Guitar

(Photo - Kim Sølve Trine + Kim Design Studio)

Legendary rockers Rose Tattoo have announced the 2018 bonus reissue edition of their classic 2007 album Blood Brothers, set for release on May 18th via Golden Robot Records.

The reissue features killer live versions of some of the albums finest tracks, including "Man About Town", "Black Eyed Bruiser", "Once In A Lifetime", "Sweat Meat", "Standover Man" and "Nothing To Lose" recorded live In all their glory and captured on disc. This is the Tats at their best. Raw, rough and ready for a fight, but also tight as a fist and sounding bigger than ever.

Mixing their trademark riffage with modern rock grooves and lyrical statements of intent, Blood Brothers pays tribute to the many members of the band that are no longer with us. Rose Tattoo’s iconic, street smart blues rock has captured the heart and soul of rock fans all around the world for over 40 years now and shows no signs of stopping.

The Blood Brothers 2018 lineup features some of the finest rock musicians this country has ever produced. Mark Evans of AC/DC on bass, Angels & Skyhooks axeman Bob Spencer, Aussie Crawl’s John ‘Watto' Watson up the back and the Pete Well’s endorsed Dai Pritchard on slide guitar, and of course, Rose Tattoo wouldn’t exist without its quintessential front man, the one and only Angry Anderson.

Blood Brothersis a fine example of what you can expect when Angry and the boys hit the road. Adrenalin fuelled, high octane Aussie rawk at its undiluted best. Order the Blood Brothers reissue here.

Tracklisting:

"Black Eyed Bruiser"
"Slipping Away"
"Once In A Lifetime"
"1854"
"City Blues"
"Sweet Meat"
"Man About Town"
"Creeper"
"Stand Over Man"
"Nothing To Lose"
"Lubricated"
"Man About Town" (live)
"Black Eyed Bruiser" (live)
"Once In A Lifetime" (live)
"Sweet Meat" (live)
"Standover Man" (live)
"Nothing To Lose" (live)

(Photo - Darryl Edwards)

First it was the season of the witch, now Stormwitch declare that they're bound to the witch - and this is going to happen to you too!

Stormwitch's new album Bound To The Witch is going to be released on June 29th via Massacre Records.

The album will be available as a jewel case CD as well as strictly limited vinyl LP with 11 songs each, as a limited edition CD Digipak with exclusive bonus tracks with a total of 14 songs and as digital download and stream.

The cover artwork was created by Michael Vetter, Marc Ayerle took care of the album's mix and mastering at the klangMAnufaktur.

Finland's Lordi will release their ninth studio album, Sexorcism, on May 25th via AFM Records. Possibly their most controversial record to date, the album is a full on and uncensored shot of Lordi's brand of hard rock and roll.

Sexorcism was recorded and mixed at the legendary Finnvox studios by Mikko Karmila, who is no stranger to the band being the producer of their 2014 release Scare Force One.

Sexorcism tracklisting:

"Sexorcism"
"Your Tongue's Got The Cat"
"Romeo Ate Juliet"
"Naked In My Cellar"
"The Beast Is Yet To Cum"
"Polterchrist"
"SCG9: The Documented Phenomenon"
"Slashion Model Girls"
"Rimskin Assassin"
"Hell Has Room"
"Hot & Satanned"
"Sodomesticated Animal"
"Haunting Season"

Finnish bashers Children Of Bodom recently checked in with the following update:

"Attention Hate Crew! We’re excited to inform you that the recording of COB album #10 starts tomorrow with Mikko Karmila at our very own Danger Johnny studios. Frequent updates coming through Instagram and Facebook, so make sure to follow both channels!"

Following is a status report from frontman Alexi Laiho:

Children Of Bodom held a live Facebook chat with the fans on February 18th and discussed the recording of the new album along with answering a wide range of questions. Check out the complete Q&A below.

Virginia's Windhand have entered the studio to record their 4th studio album. The album, entitled Eternal Return, is being recorded and engineered at Soundhouse Studios in Seattle, WA with legendary producer Jack Endino (Nirvana, Soundgarden, High On Fire). Album artwork will once again be handled by Arik Roper (Sleep, High on Fire). The album is expected to be released Fall 2018 via Relapse Records. Stay tuned for more information in the near future.

Additionally, Windhand kick off a short West Coast tour with Ruby The Hatchet on April 19th which includes appearances at Stumpfest and Levitation Fest. Windhand is also confirmed for Maryland Doom Fest on June 23 in Frederick, MD. A complete list of dates is available below.

Windhand live:

April
19 – Seattle, WA – Neumos*
20 – Portland, OR – Stumpfest
22 – San Francisco, CA – Great American Music Hall*
23 – Los Angeles, CA – Roxy Theatre*
26 – Austin, TX – Levitation at Barracuda

June
23 – Frederick, MD – Maryland Doom Fest 2018

*with Ruby The Hatchet

(Photo - Sally Patti)

Wreck-Defy are currently working on their sophomore album, the follow up to 2017's debut Fragments Of Anger.  Former Annihilator frontman Aaron Randall, who sang on 1993's Set The World On Fire, is now the lead singer for Wreck-Defy and guitarist/chief song writer Matt Hanchuck and Aaron have been demoing material since February.  

Ten songs have been selected for the next album which currently has a working title of Remnants Of Pain.  The drums are all completed for the album and were done by Angerhead drummer Dave O'Neal.  The album will be mixed and mastered by legendary metal producer Juan Urteaga from Pacheco California at Trident Studios.  Juan has produced such legendary bands as Machine Head, Testament, Vicious Rumors and Heathen among many others.  Wreck-Defy who are currently signed to Greek label Alone Records are aiming for a late 2018 or early 2019 release date.

Metal Blade Records will reissue the first two album from melodic heavy metal band Fifth Angel.

Fifth Angel released their self-titled debut album in 1986, the successor Time Will Tell was released in 1989. Both albums have been out of print for a while and will get a luxury treatment for these reissues. Expect the following on release date, May 18th.

Fifth Angel formats:
-Digi-CD
-180g black vinyl
-Grey marbled vinyl (EU exclusive – ltd. 300)
-Orange/red splattered vinyl (EU exclusive – ltd. 200)

Time Will Tell formats:
-Digi-CD
-180g black vinyl
-Transparent lime-green vinyl (EU exclusive – ltd. 300)
-White/black splattered vinyl (EU exclusive – ltd. 200)

Preorders available at EMP.

STONE TEMPLE PILOTS, BUSH and THE CULT shared the stage for the first time together last night (Tuesday, April 3) at NeueHouse in Hollywood, California to celebrate the news of the upcoming "The Revolution 3 Tour". The exclusive event, which was livestreamed on Facebook (see below), featured intimate performances from all three bands.

The summer "tri-headlining" "Revolution 3 Tour" begins on July 18 in Nashville and will hit an additional 19 cities over six weeks before concluding in Phoenix, Arizona on September 2. Each group will perform a full set in a different order each night.

STP bassist Robert DeLeo said: "We are thrilled to join our friends this summer to celebrate our music with all of you," while BUSH frontman Gavin Rossdale remarked: "We are looking forward to see everybody in the summer. This is a great tour for rock fans." THE CULT singer Ian Astbury added: "We look forward to celebrating glorious summer nights of responsible (and irresponsible) hedonism with all of you."

STP will be out in support of their self-titled new album, which marks the recording debut of new vocalist Jeff Gutt. Guitarist Dean DeLeo told The Pulse Of Radio that Gutt is raring to go on the road. "You know, Jeff's 41 years old and he's in great shape and he said to me, 'I'll do 300 shows a year, man,'" he said. "I'm like, well, I don't know about 300, but you know, this is just me speaking, I would like to do about 70, 80 shows a year. I would really like that."

Tickets go on on sale on April 6 via Live Nation.

Kamelot are gearing for this week's release of their new album, The Shadow Theory. They have posted an unboxing video, which can be viewed below.

In a new two-part interview with FaceCulture, Kamelot members Thomas Youngblood and Tommy Karevik discuss The Shadow Theory and the concept behind it.

Kamelot's new album, The Shadow Theory, will be released on April 6th via Napalm Records. The band recently released the second single from the album, with a music video for “Phantom Divine (Shadow Empire)” available below.

Thomas Youngblood on “Phantom Divine (Shadow Empire)” featuring Lauren Hart: “In the future our memories and thoughts will be extracted and transferred to synthetic AI. Our carbon based bodies will no longer be needed and eventually discarded. On Phantom Divine we explore this vision of a world where we are replaced by AI. Welcome to The Phantom Divine!”

Download/stream “Phantom Divine (Shadow Empire)” here, and watch the video below:

The Shadow Theory was produced by acclaimed music producer Sascha Paeth and mastered by Jacob Hansen. A massive piece of work that will more than please critics and fans alike. Guests on the album include Lauren Hart (Once Human), Jennifer Haben (Beyond The Black)and Sascha Paeth. The amazing cover and artwork was created by Stefan Heilemann.

The Shadow Theory tracklisting:

"The Mission"
"Phantom Divine (Shadow Empire)"
"RavenLight"
"Amnesiac"
"Burns To Embrace"
"In Twilight Hours"
"Kevlar Skin"
"Static"
"MindFall Remedy"
"Stories Unheard"
"Vespertine (My Crimson Bride)"
"The Proud and The Broken"
"Ministrium (Shadow Key)"

"RavenLight" lyric video:

Teaser #1:

Teaser #2:

Teaser #3:

The Shadow Theory will be available in the following formats:

* Ltd. Deluxe Wooden Box incl.
- CD Digipack
- Flag
- Tri K Logo pendant
- Tri K Key
- Signed autograph card
- Tri K Logo patch

* 2CD Earbook
* 2CD Digipack
* CD Jewelcase
* 2LP Gatefold

Editions:
Ltd. Red - NPR D2C mail-order shop (EU)
Ltd. Gold - NPR D2C mail-order shop (EU/USA)
Ltd. Neon Pink - Universal
Ltd. White - ADA/ Sony CAN
Black (for all outlets)

Pre-order your copy here.

Following the release of The Shadow Theory, Kamelot will embark on a massive World Tour with label-mates Delain plus Battlebeast, starting in North America during April and May, followed by European festivals in Summer 2018. The band will return to Europe in September/October 2018 for their biggest headline tour to date.

Find the band's tour itinerary here.

(Photo - Tim Tronckoe)