On March 16th, Rivers of Nihil will release their third full-length, Where Owls Know My Name, via Metal Blade Records. Whereas The Conscious Seed of Light (2013) and Monarchy (2015) were thematically centered on spring and summer, respectively, Where Owls Know My Name represents the fall. And although that season is usually associated with death, for Rivers of Nihil, the autumn serves as a rebirth. New track “A Home” is streaming below.

The album can be ordered at MetalBlade.com in the following formats:

-CD
-Swamp green vinyl + download card (limited to 400 copies - USA exclusive) 
-Olive green w/ black splatter vinyl + download card (limited to 300 copies - USA exclusive) 
-Doublemint inside swamp green vinyl + download card (limited to 300 copies - USA exclusive) 
* exclusive bundles with a shirt, plus digital options are also available!

Where Owls Know My Name reunites Rivers Of Nihil with Monarchy producer Carson Slovak (August Burns Red, The Last Ten Seconds of Life) and Dan Seagrave, the storied artist behind such celebrated album covers as Entombed's Left Hand Path and Suffocation's Effigy of the Forgotten. The result is the Reading, PA quintet's most visceral, accomplished, and satisfying offering to-date. 

Guitarist Brody Uttley comments: 

"This record is Rivers Of Nihil being exactly who we want to be. Many bands get stuck in a comfortable routine of releasing the same album over and over again. Constantly relying on the same familiar formula may work for some bands, but it does not work for us. Music is art, and art is ever-changing. Without change, there is no progress. Without progress, the very fire that powers art and expression will die. This record is the sound of where we come from, where we are, and where we are going." 

Adds bassist/vocalist Adam Biggs: 

"This time around, the lyrics feel a little more personal than on previous albums. The story picks up several millennia after the events of 'Monarchy', where one person still remains alive, chosen by the planet to be the sole intelligent witness of its ultimate fate. But 'Where Owls Know My Name' is less about overarching narrative than our previous albums. The scenario is just a backdrop for the more emotional material we tried to put forth this time around. Ultimately, this is an album about loss, getting older, and reaching a point where death becomes a much more present part of your life."

Tracklisting:

“Cancer / Moonspeak”
“The Silent Life”
“A Home”
“Old Nothing”
“Subtle Change (Including The Forest Of Transition)”
“Terrestria III: Wither”
“Hollow”
“Death Is Real”
“Where Owls Know My Name”
“Capricorn / Agoratopia”

"A Home":

“The Silent Life”:

To kick-off the album's release, Rivers of Nihil will embark on a North American tour this March/April with Dying Fetus, Thy Art Is Murder, Enterprise Earth, and Sanction.

March 
15 - Poughkeepsie, NY - The Chance
16 - Rochester, NY - Montage Music Hall
17 - Cleveland, OH - Agora
18 - Toronto, ON - Opera House
20 - Pontiac, MI - Crofoot
21 - Joilet, IL - The Forge
22 - Minneapolis, MN - Skyway
23 - Merriam, KS - Aftershock
24 - Denver, CO - Summit
27 - Portland, OR - Bossanova
28 - Seattle, WA - Studio Seven
30 - San Jose, CA - The Ritz
31 - Pomona, CA - Glasshouse

April 
1 - Phoenix, AZ - Club Red
3 - Tulsa, OK - The Vanguard
4 - Springfield, MO - The Riff
6 - Knoxville, TN - International
7 - Miami, FL - The Ground
8 - Tampa, FL - Orpheum
9 - Birmingham, AL - Zydeco
10 - Atlanta, GA - Masquerade
11 - Jacksonville, FL - 1904
13 - Houston, TX - Come and Take It Live
14 - Austin, TX - Texas Independence Fest 2018
15 - Dallas, TX - Gas Monkey Live
17 - St. Louis, MO - Ready Room
18 - Columbus, OH - Skully's Music Diner
19 - Allentown, PA - One Centre Square
20 - Worcester, MA - New England Metal & Hardcore Fest 2019
21 - Asbury Park, NJ - House of Independence
22 - Amityville, NY - Revolution

Chicago/Minneapolis-based quintet Wolvhammer has completed their fourth album, The Monuments Of Ash & Bone, for release in early May through Blood Music. The album's artwork, tracklisting, and more has been revealed.
 
While things have seemed quiet for Wolvhammer in recent years, the band has been hard at work behind the scenes and are now set to strike. Four years since the Profound Lore release of Clawing Into Black Sun -- which was supported by tours with the likes of Shining, 1349, Origin, Taake, Revenge, and Young And In The Way - 2018 looms heavy with the vengeful return of Wolvhammer. Brandishing a revamped lineup, the imminent release of their fourth full length album, The Monuments Of Ash & Bone, is on the horizon with new label partner, Blood Music.
 
With the current rapid rise in quality USBM, Wolvhammer races to the forefront with their upcoming fourth album which sees them merging the black metal tendencies of Enslaved with the mid-tempo sludge of Celtic Frost. Far removed from the methodical riffing and trudging pace of their previous record, and eschewing any frills, The Monuments Of Ash & Bone delivers nearly forty-two minutes of savagery through seven new songs. The album kicks the tempo into high gear and goes straight for the throat on tracks such as "Eternal Rotting Misery" and "Law Of The Rope." No experimental bullshit, just the sound of rotten flesh and slow decay.
 
The Monuments Of Ash & Bone was recorded and mixed by Jarrett Pritchard (Goatwhore, Exhumed) at his own New Constellation Studios in Orlando, Florida, and mastered by Ken Sorceron (Abigail Williams, The Faceless) - both of whom provide additional guitar tracks to the album - and completed with artwork by Brian Sheehan.
 
Blood Music will release The Monuments Of Ash & Bone on CD, LP, and digital formats on May 4th. Stand by for audio premieres, preorder options, tour dates, and much more to be issued in the bleak days ahead.

Although there has been a four-year break between full lengths, the musical core of Wolvhammer has remained active, with guitarist Jeff Wilson writing and recording various projects, as well as being one half of the atmospheric black metal band Abigail Williams, and vocalist Adam Clemans being tapped as the new front man for Skeletonwitch. Adding John Porada (Terminate) on guitar in 2016, the new line up was filled out with Garry Naples (Novembers Doom) and Andrew Gerrity (Doomsday) before hitting the studio in the summer of 2017.

Tracklisting:

“Eternal Rotting Misery”
“Call Me Death”
“Law Of The Rope”
“Bathed In Moonblood And Wolflight”
“The Failure King”
“Dead Rat Rotting Raven”
“Solace Eclipsed”

(Photo by: Margaret Lord)

Power metal band Crystal Tears is the latest addition to Pride & Joy Music’s roster. The Greek band’s new album Decadence Deluxe will be released on May 18th.

"The world's a stage, we plug and play"! With a steady evolution from the band's first demos to its latest instalments, Crystal Tears have managed to leave their mark as one of the most qualitative heavy metal acts, proven to be a persistent, innovative and unstoppable force. Their previous testimony Hellmade, with music videos involving Ron "Bumblefoot" Thal (ex-Guns N' Roses, Sons Of Apollo) & actors Lew Temple (of The Walking Dead fame) & Lou Taylor Pucci (Evil Dead) - initiated their first European tour (with Mystic Prophecy), followed by their own headline Greek tour & a few more extended shows with Firewind/ ex-Ozzy Osbourne's Gus G.

Having gained a formidable reputation for delivering the goods on stage and via their honest and sing-along anthems, Crystal Tears strike back with the new album Decadence Deluxe. With producer R. D. Liapakis (Mystic Prophecy, Devil's Train, Suicidal Angels) on the front again, the quintet delivers high quality heavy metal dedicating heart and soul, managing to sound constantly inspired and fresh. Crystal Tears have always been original. And this unique blend of dynamics in aggressiveness and harmony has been introducing them continually to new audiences all over the world. 

The artwork for Decadence Deluxe was designed by Caio Caldas (Dragonforce) and guest musicians include Ryan Roxie (Alice Cooper, Slash's Snakepit), Karis Charisma (Deadsquad), Julien Nutz Deyres (Gorod) and Fidel De Jesus (Xeno Devata Project).

Legendary Florida death metallers Killing Addiction are about to see their classic debut album Omega Factor reissued March 9th through Xtreem Music. It was also on March 9th, but from 1993, when this masterpiece was originally released. The reissue comes with the original artwork revamped, enhanced sound, and as bonus, their Legacies Of Terror [Demo '90] and Necrosphere [7" EP '91].  Omega Factor will be released on CD format with a vinyl version to arrive later.

Originating in Florida at the end of ‘80s, Killing Addiction developed their heavy and crushing brand of death metal, different from any other band from Florida, through their debut demo and 7 " EP until their first album came out in '93 and another EP in '94.The band then split up, then reformed 10 years later, after which they released three new EPs during the period 2010 - 2015. Blending influences from bands like Carcass, Rottrevore, Morbid Angel, Death, Possessed, Napalm Death, this classic debut album is a must-have in every self-respecting death metal fan's collection.

Tracklisting:

“Omega Factor”
“Equating The Trinity”
“Nothing Remains”
“Dehumanized”
“Altered At Birth”
“Necrosphere”
“Global Freezing”
“Impaled”
“Necrosphere” (7” EP)
“Covenant Of Pain” (7” EP)
“Impaled” (7” EP)
“Nothing Remains” (Demo)
“Well Of Souls” (Demo)
“Condemned” (Demo)
“Necrosphere” (Demo)

“Omega Factor”:

Dutch death thrash ragers Izegrim are releasing a brand new EP entitled Beheaded By Trust on March 23rd. The four stunning tracks were recorded, mixed and mastered at Kohlekeller Studio (Aborted, Benighted) in December 2017. The cover artwork came courtesy of Kirill Semenov.

Izegrim's Jeroen comments: "A different studio, concept and a fresh approach on songwriting; this Digipak EP marks a new beginning for us! It will be launched as an old-school DIY-release: straight from us to the fans! However, this absolutely doesn’t mean that we have ended the collaboration with Listenable Records. On the contrary, it is just a taste of great things to come."

Beheaded By Trust is the follow-up to 2016’s The Ferryman’s End, which saw the band touring and sharing stages with the likes of Flotsam & Jetsam, Kreator, Annihilator, Onslaught and more.

Tracklisting:

“Beheaded By Trust”
“Stain In The Bloodline”
“Retraumatized”
“Warmonger II”

Having formed in 2013, From Sorrow To Serenity released their roaring debut EP Antithesis to acclaim from the UK tech-metal scene. Garnering support slots with the likes of Chelsea Grin, Veil Of Maya, Monuments, and playing both Techabilition and UK Tech-fest.

In 2016 the band self-released their first full length album, Remnant Of Humanity, and toured with Fit For An Autopsy and again played Tech-fest as a main stage slot.

Having recruited new vocalist Gaz King (formerly of Nexilva) the band released their new single, "Golden Age", in 2017 to showcase a step away from their deathcore roots, and a surge towards a modern tech-metalcore sound. With the release of the new single they toured the UK as support Jinjer as part of their sold out UK tour in November 2017.

Now the band has signed to Long Branch Records to release a new single called "Supremacy" on February 22nd. For late 2018 a new album is planned.

The band will also open for Betraying The Martyrs and Modern Day Babylon on their March 2018 tour of Europe and the UK.

Lineup:

Gaz King - Vocals
Steven Jones - Guitars
Andrew Simpson - Bass
Ian Baird - Drums

AMORPHIS have finally finished recording their upcoming new studio album, entitled »Queen Of Time«. The record is scheduled for a May 18th release, via Nuclear Blast. In comparison to its predecessor, »Under The Red Cloud« (2015), the album 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.

Today, the band unveils some more details on the production, the album title, the album cover and on working with their new/old bassist Olli-Pekka Laine.

The album was once again produced by the famous Jens Bogren (OPETH, AMON AMARTH, KREATOR, and many others), who is well-known for challenging, and motivating, the artists during the recording process. He isn’t afraid to push them to their limits!

Esa 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."

The 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 album with their old/new bass player Olli-Pekka 'Oppu' Laine following the departure of Niclas Etelävuori in 2017. Oppu was one of the founding members in 1990 and recorded the first seven records with AMORPHIS (»The Karelian Isthmus« LP, 1992; »Privilege Of Evil« EP, 1993; »Tales From The Thousand Lakes« LP, 1994; »Black Winter Day« EP, 1995; »Elegy« LP, 1996; »My Kantele« EP, 1997 and the »Tuonela« LP, 1999) before he parted ways with the band in spring 2000.

"To be honest, 'Oppu' was the only guy we could imagine being in AMORPHIS. 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!" says Esa. And 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 lenghty odyssey. After eighteen 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..."

The band will soon kick off pre-orders for »Queen Of Time« and release their first single, so stay tuned!

In a recent interview with Polar Music Prize, METALLICA's Lars Ulrich was asked to describe his "totally unique way of playing drums." He responded (see video below): "To me, it's always about the song and the band first. And the drums, or the guitars, or whatever else is going on, is just part of the big picture. So what you always have to do is you have to check your ego at the door and do what's best for the song, for the music, for the overall sound.

"What's always the most interesting to me about drumming is how do you fit the drums into what else is going on?" he continued. "How does it work [with] accents and special hits and kind of things that make it more rhythmic or more dynamic or just add a kind of a physicality to it?

"I've never been very interested in ability. 'Oh, wow! This guy is so great!' Yeah, he's so great, but it doesn't mean that he can make it swing, or it doesn't mean that he can make it work within a group or a collective.

"As much as I grew up on people like Ian Paice from DEEP PURPLE, who obviously has a lot of ability, I also love people like Phil Rudd [AC/DC] and Charlie Watts [THE ROLLING STONES], who [have] certainly ability, but, I think, to a lot of purists, maybe not so much, because they're not as technical," Lars added. "But they have a different kind of ability that, to me, is as valuable and as precious and as important in that they make it swing, they make it move, it gives it that physicality that it needs.

"I've always just looked at drums as more of a group instrument. I've never been very interested in playing drums by myself — you know, sitting down in a basement, practicing drum solos for hours at a time, that's not my thing. So being in a band, writing songs, making records, being part of a gang, being part of a band, that's always fascinated me."

As previously reported, METALLICA will receive the Polar Music Prize, a musical equivalent to the Nobel Prize, this spring. The award, which recognizes international excellence in music, will bestow the metal legends with a cash prize of one million Swedish kronor, roughly equivalent to $126,000. The band will donate the money to its own All Within My Hands organization, which aids communities in need with workforce education, food-bank donations and other local services.

METALLICA's February 1 show in Lisbon, Portugal kicked off the 2018 European leg of the group's "WorldWired" tour, which will run through May 11 in Helsinki, Finland.

The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame band is touring in support of its tenth studio album, "Hardwired... To Self-Destruct", which came out in November 2016.

The low, rumbling frequencies of death metal mimic the sounds of struggling fish.

A documentary film crew hit upon a novel technique to attract great white sharks - blasting death metal through an underwater speaker.

The Discovery Channel crew, filming for the Shark Week show Bride of Jaws, were on the hunt for a large great white, wonderfully nicknamed 'Joan of Shark'.

Desperate to feature the 16-foot, 1.6 tonne shark in their documentary, they submerged a speaker to see if the shark would react. Unfortunately they didn't manage to attract Joan, but did catch the attention of two others, one of which was 12 feet long.

Sharks 'hear' by picking up vibrations from receptors on their bodies, meaning they can be attracted to the low-frequency vibrations of heavy music, which apparently sounds like struggling fish.

It's an odd tactic, but one that's apparently well-known by shark hunters. Matt Walller, a shark tour operator in Australia, found out that AC/DC records caused sharks to change their behaviour.

When he played the tunes from underwater speakers, the sharks swam straight up to his boat, brushing their heads against the submerged diving cage.

Other than being a boon for metal fans on shark tours, using music, instead of bait, could be more environmentally friendly.

In anticipation of Judas Priest's upcoming Firepower album, Lords Of Metal caught up with guitarist Richie Faulkner to discuss the new release. An excerpt follows:

Q: The first single is the title track ‘Lightning Strike’ for which also a video was created. Why did you choose for this particular track as the first single and how important is a video nowadays for a band like Judas Priest?

Richie Faulkner: "I think it one of the most straightforward, classic sounding songs on the record. It’s not a progressive rock track, it’s a short and sharp song and it’s classic Priest. It’s got the screaming vocals, the melody, the thunderous drums and bass, the harmonies, which make it a great song to put out there. It’s really meant to alert everyone that Priest has got a new record coming out and if we would have used one of the more progressive songs of the album, it wouldn’t have had so much impact. I think videos are still very important nowadays as everybody is very visual and streaming moving content all the time. I think it’s a great way to put the emotion of a song across and with that in mind there was no better statement in this than Priest playing live. It’s an intense and strong experience, which comes together nicely with the musical content, so that’s why we chose for that."

Read the full interview at lordsofmetal.nl.

The buzz surrounding Firepower is undeniably growing louder - on the strength of the video clip for the track “Lightning Strike”, as well as many of the attractive/limited edition purchasing options made available for fans via PledgeMusic already being sold out. Fans can now hear a snippet of the song "Traitor's Gate" below.

You can pre-order Firepower here.

Set for release on Friday, March 9th via Epic Records - the album is comprised of fourteen tracks of pure and highly inspired metal.  And to mark the occasion Priest (singer Rob Halford, guitarists Glenn Tipton and Richie Faulkner, bassist Ian Hill, and drummer Scott Travis) has reunited with producer Tom Allom (the man behind the board for all of the band’s releases from 1979-1988, including such stellar classics as Unleashed In The East, British Steel, Screaming For Vengeance and Defenders Of The Faith) and with Grammy Award-winning producer Andy Sneap also helping to raise the sonic bar even higher.

“Tom Allom has got this classic metal thing,” explains Halford. “And Andy is a bit more of a ‘modern metal producer’ but his thinking is a little bit different to Tom’s. And I think to get this balance between that classic old school metal to what Andy’s world is was just a remarkable coalescence.”

“Tom Allom has been with us since 1979, so his knowledge of ourselves and our music in general is immense,” adds Hill.

And according to Travis, Priest returned back to a recording method that worked incredibly well on the band’s earlier classics - “We went back to the organic way of recording where it’s all of us in a room and we got to play together.”

Firepower tracklisting:

"Firepower"
"Lightning Strike"
"Evil Never Dies"
"Never The Heroes"
"Necromancer"
"Children Of The Sun"
"Guardians"
"Rising From Ruins"
"Flame Thrower"
"Spectre"
"Traitors Gate"
"No Surrender"
"Lone Wolf"
"Sea Of Red"

"Firepower":

"Lightning Strike" video:

Ten years ago, Judas Priest guitarist Glenn Tipton was diagnosed to have the onset of the early stages of Parkinson’s - from then until recently Glenn has lived his life as the great heavy metal guitar player he has always been, maintaining by his own definition a standard of quality and performance that is incredibly important.

In a new interview with The Quietus, Rob Halford discussed the possibility guitarist Glenn Tipton could still perform with Judas Priest on the Firepower tour.

"The great positive side of this for us and for Glenn particularly is that he's not let this challenge change his life that much," Rob explained. "Glenn is still Glenn — Glenn can still play the guitar," he said. "Same guy — a wonderful, great heavy metal guitar player. His role is a little bit different now. And I can't wait for those moments when he's gonna show up unexpectedly anywhere around the world on the Firepower tour and come and jam out 'Living After Midnight', 'Breaking The Law', those kinds of songs. It's gonna be a really special moment. It could be the first show, it could be the last show — we don't know. But the joy is that Glenn is still playing and he's still with us, and he's as excited as we are to celebrate the release of Firepower."

Halford continued, "Glenn made the decision about not being able to full commit to the tour only last Thursday (February 8th). So we're still very much processing all of the possibilities. The other thing is, much like some of the other areas in these kinds of challenges, daily, there are incredible advances in medicines, in drugs and such things that can help to alleviate the condition. So that's all part of the ongoing story for Glenn. Who knows? Next year or the year after that, things could be dramatically different. But in the meantime, yeah, Glenn can show up, as we've said in the statement, anytime anywhere."

Confirmed tour dates:

March
13 - Wilkes Barre, PA - Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza
15 - Youngstown, OH - Covelli Centre
17 - Uniondale, NY - Nassau Coliseum
18 - Washington, DC - The Anthem
20 - Newark, NJ - Prudential Center
22 - Uncasville, CT - Mohegan Sun Arena
25 - Ottawa, ON - The Arena at TD Place
27 - London, ON - Budweiser Gardens
28 - Oshawa, ON - Tribute Communities Centre
30 - Orillia, ON - Casino Rama
31 - Detroit, MI - Detroit Masonic Temple

April
3 - Milwaukee, WI - Riverside Theater
5 - Green Bay, WI - Resch Center
8 - Bloomington, IL - Grossinger Motors Arena
10 - Casper, WY - Casper Events Center
11 - Loveland, CO - Budweiser Events Center
15 - Kent, WA - ShoWare Center
17 - Portland, OR - Veterans Memorial Coliseum
19 - San Francisco - The Warfield
22 - Los Angeles, CA - Microsoft Theater
24 - Phoenix, AZ - Comerica Theatre
26 - Tulsa, OK - BOK Center
28 - Dallas, TX - The Bomb Factory
29 - Sugarland, TX - Smart Financial Centre

May
1 - San Antonio, TX - Freeman Coliseum

(Rob Halford photo - Mark Weiss, band photo - Justin Borucki)

Ex-ACCEPT singer David Reece says that "horns were flying" when he went to see his former band perform in Italy last month.

The current SAINTED SINNERS vocalist was recruited for ACCEPT's "Eat The Heat" album in 1989 following the departure of Udo Dirkschneider. Reece's higher-pitched delivery was in sharp contrast to Dirkschneider's distinctive style, and overall, the LP was a critical and commercial disappointment. Midway through the "Eat The Heat" tour, differences between the band and Reece had come to a head, leading to the altercation between the singer and bassist Peter Baltes in Chicago. By the end of 1989, ACCEPT had hung it up.

During a recent interview with "The Classic Metal Show", Reece, who has also played with BONFIRE and BANGALORE CHOIR, said that he attended ACCEPT's January 23 concert in Milan at the invitation of Nuclear Blast publicist Markus Wosgien, who is also doing promotion for SAINTED SINNERS.

"[Markus] wrote me a couple of weeks [before the show] and said, 'Hey, would you like to see ACCEPT?'" David recalled. "And I'm, like, 'Uhhh… I don't know. [Laughs] I don't know what's gonna happen?' Of course, [I had] that weird feeling, like, what's gonna happen? And the more I got to thinking about it, I said, 'You know what? I'm going.' And to be honest, I was scared shitless to go shake the hands of the guys, so I didn't do it. But I went right upfront and threw my horns in the air with my wife. Peter Baltes leaned over and gave me a big smile and threw a pick at me and winked his eyes. And I just looked at him and said, 'Hey, man.' I mean, that was 30 years ago. This is the reason I'm [doing this interview] — because of that opportunity [the ACCEPT guys gave me in 1989]."

The American-born Reece, who moved to Italy after marrying an Italian woman, said that he walked away from the show impressed with what he saw. "One thing that's just ingrained in my head… They've got Mark Tornillo singing for 'em, and he's pulling it off well," he said. "Those guys are a machine, and they have that nostalgic history to where everybody knows every word, but [at the Milan show] they focused on the new material, and it still worked. I was, like, 'Wow! They're playing a lot of the new album.' And, of course, at the end, they did 'Princess [Of The Dawn]' and 'Balls [To The Wall]', but the crowd was up in arms; the horns were flying."

David went on to say that he didn't know if he was going to get bottles thrown at him or if people would welcome him while he was standing in the audience, "but it was overwhelming. People would turn around and go, 'Oh, that's Reece. He did the ACCEPT album 'Eat The Heat',' and they would turn around and hug me or take a picture," he said. "So it was cool."

Surprisingly, Reece chose not to go backstage after the Milan concert and exchange pleasantries with his former bandmates. "I was asked by Markus, 'Did you go back and hang out with the guys?' And I said, 'Regretfully, no,'" he said. "I didn't wanna push my luck, so to speak. I respected my space and I respected the opportunity, and I thank them right now for reaching out the olive branch and saying, 'C'mon in.'"

Despite his reluctance to talk to his former band at the Milan gig, Reece insists that he "would love nothing more than to sit down and talk to Wolf [Hoffmann, guitar] and Peter and just… not go over what happened and [say], 'Oh, I apologize.' [I would just like to] say, 'Hey, man. Respect. Thank you for what happened. I'm sorry it ended the way it did. You guys are killing it. Respect,'" he explained.

Reece will embark on European tour this year on which he will perform "Eat The Heat" in its entirety.

"Back With A Vengeance", the second album from SAINTED SINNERS, was released on February 16 via El Puerto Records.

Reece is working on a new solo album, to be released in late 2018 through Mighty Music.

German rockers Double Crush Syndrome have checked in with the following update:

"With a heavy heart we have to announce that our drummerboy Julian Fischer (pictured left) is leaving the band. Personal circumstances, therefore resulting structural problems, are the reason for that decision which was ultimately mutual. It's tough for all of us, but we do this in brotherly friendship and understanding. Our album Die For Rock N' Roll and each and every second of the shows we played together were true statements of rock, and will forever be part of the DNA of DCS. We will carry on, Julian will continue to kick your ass with Snakebite, and it's all love! Thank you, Julian Fischer!"

Skid Row - now fronted by former DragonForce vocalist ZP Theart - recently announced a string of live dates for Germany in the spring of 2018 featuring Double Crush Syndrome as support. Dates are as follows:

April 
29 -  Wiesbaden, Germany - Schlachthof
30 - Freiburg, Germany - Crash

May
1 - Bochum, Germany - Zeche
2 - Munich, Germany - Backstage
4 - Regensburg, Germany - Eventhall Airport
7 - Saarbrücken, Germany - Garage

The melodic metal band Kilmara has revealed their new line up definitively incorporating the Argentinian Miguel Laise as the new guitarist of the Catalonian band. The new studio work of the band is in the mixing phase at the Grapow Studios by the great producer and guitarist Roland Grapow (Masterplan, Helloween).

Ten tracks will comprise their exciting new work Across The Realm Of Time after their previous and successful Love Songs And Other Nightmares published by Sony / Legacy in 2014.

For this new album Kilmara has renewed 60% of the line up being this one a new punch of renewed energy.

Tracklisting:

“Into The Darkness”
“Purging Flames”
“The Silent Guide”
“The Forge”
“My Haven”
“Principles Of Hatred”
“Disciples”
“I Shall Rise Again”
“The End Of The World”
“Out Of The Darkness”

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania based heavy metal rockers Corners of Sanctuary(COS) have signed a new deal with German label Killer Metal Records for the release of their new album The Galloping Hordes.

The album is set to release this year and will be the band’s sixth album following 2015’s Metal Machine and the holiday album Driven Snow.

Corners of Sanctuary guitarist Mick Michaels has checked in with the following comment: “We are excited to get this album out through our new label Killer Metal Records. A lot of work has gone into this new material and we are very fortunate to have the opportunity to make its release official".

Killer Metal Records label owner Jens Häfner has provided the following comment: “We are very happy to be working with COS for the release of their new album and have been extremely impressed by their work. We welcome COS to the KMR family and look forward to a bright future working together”.

Signing a five-year deal with the German label, the band plans to forge a long term relationship and looks to the future with renewed optimism. “This gives us a lot of room to grow for sure and gives our music a home,” Michaels stated. "There’s actually an opportunity for both label and artist to be invested plus it ensures future releases will have a voice to be heard”.

The Galloping Hordes, which has been mastered by legendary producer Bill Metoyer (Slayer, W.A.S.P., Fates Warning), will initially see a digital release to begin building momentum followed by a physical release later in the year which will coincide with the band’s upcoming summer tour of Germany this August.

“We are beyond stoked to be heading to Germany for a number of shows", stated COS bassist James Pera. “The support has been phenomenal to say the least. We are looking forward to putting on a good show and making new friends with our Metal German brothers and sisters in arms,” Pera added.

The mini tour will have them performing in Hanover, Hamburg, Lingen, and Oldenburg among other areas. “There is a lot of work ahead of us to make it all come together, and we are definitely up for this without a doubt,” said drummer Mad T.

With a string of shows, including recently appearing with That Metal Show co-host and comedian Don Jamieson and being upcoming support for 80’s rockers Roughhouse (formerly Teeze) and Anthrax singer Joey Belladonna along with playing the Dead of Winter Storm Fest, COS has been in and out of the studio working on old and new music. “We are revamping a handful of older set favorites and laying down some new music that’s been floating around,” offered Pera. “The music is always evolving and that’s what it’s all about, the music… without that, there isn’t much else to offer,” he said with a smile.

Along with time in the studio and shows, the band plans to launch a crowdfunding campaign in late spring lead by MBM Music Inc., as well as host an album release party which will have them perform.

British rock and rollers The Temperance Movement released their new record, A Deeper Cut, on February 16th via Earache. In the new video below, the band perform the album track "Backwater Zoo" live at YouTube Space, London:

A Deeper Cut features 12 brand new songs, which draw on the band's recent experiences and showcase their songwriting evolution towards a defining sound, which blends lyrical intensity and flawless music performance into a continuum of exciting rock. The album is available to order on limited edition signed digipak CD, regular digipak CD, regular vinyl, and limited edition signed coloured vinyl. Head to the Earache webstore to reserve your copy.

Tracklisting:

“Caught In The Middle”
“Built-In Forgetter”
“Love And Devotion”
“A Deeper Cut”
“Backwater Zoo”
“Another Spiral”
“Beast Nation”
“The Way It Was And The Way It Is Now”
“Higher Than The Sun”
“Children”
“There's Still Time”
“The Wonders We've Seen”

“Love And Devotion”:

“Another Spiral”:

“A Deeper Cut”:

“Built-In Forgetter”:

“Caught In The Middle”:

Find the band’s tour itinerary here.

San Diego-based trio Earthless return with the full-length album Black Heaven on March 16th via Nuclear Blast. A seventh album trailer can be seen below:

Black Heaven was recorded at Rancho de la Luna in Joshua Tree, CA with Dave Catching (Eagles Of Death Metal) handling production. Pre-order bundles, with digital releases offering an instant download of "Gifted By The Wind", are available here.

Black Heaven tracklisting:

"Gifted By The Wind"
"End To End"
"Electric Flame"
"Volt Rush"
"Black Heaven"
"Sudden End"

"Gifted By The Wind" visualizer:

(Photo: Ed Dominick)

Light The Torch (formerly known as Devil You Know) will release their new album, Revival, via Nuclear Blast Entertainment on March 30th. The band has released a new trailer, in which they discuss the album recording. Watch below.

Revival is available for pre-order here. The album artwork, pictured below, was designed by Artusato.

Revival tracklisting:

"Die Alone"
"The God I Deserve"
"Calm Before The Storm"
"Raise The Dead"
"The Safety Of Disbelief"
"Virus"
"The Great Divide"
"The Bitter End"
"Lost In The Fire"
"The Sound Of Violence"
"Pull My Heart Out"
"Judas Convention"

Trailers:

"Die Alone" video:

SEPTIC TANK, the long-running project featuring vocalist Lee Dorrian (CATHEDRAL), guitarist Gary Jennings (CATHEDRAL) and bassist Scott Carlson (REPULSION), will release its debut album, "Rotting Civilisation", on April 13 via Rise Above Records.

If ever there were a point in history that demanded angry, scathing, explosive music, then this is it. With eerie-but-exhilarating echoes of Reagan's '80s and the bilious, hyper-aggressive hardcore punk scene that erupted in response, the world of 2018 is more than ready for the blistering return of SEPTIC TANK. This band of weather-beaten underground veterans have existed since the early '90s, more as a whispered enigma than a full-time band, but the decisive moment of deafening reality has arrived with the unveiling of "Rotting Civilisation", the first full-length SEPTIC TANK record and the ugly, rampaging rebirth of the subversive hardcore spirit.

Originally formed in 1994 as a low-key outlet for doom metal standard bearers CATHEDRAL's love for DISCHARGE, SIEGE and other pioneering hardcore luminaries, SEPTIC TANK's original lineup featured Dorrian, Jennings and drummer Barry Stern (ex-TROUBLE) alongside Carlson. A handful of jaw-shattering, snot-spraying anthems were swiftly thrown together and the impromptu crew jammed together on a few occasions, but thanks to a combination of logistics, geography and life getting in the way, SEPTIC TANK lay dormant for nearly two decades.

"We talked about doing it again many times, but it took us 20 years to make a record," Dorrian explains. "BLACK SABBATH were doing their so-called last-ever show in Birmingham and Scott wanted to come over for that, so I suggested we got together and did an album while he was here," Lee recalls. "He stayed over for five days. 14 of the songs were already roughly written but not rehearsed, another eight or so came up on the spot and were recorded straight away, and that was it. It took us over 20 years but I'm really happy we did it."

With all the vitality and venom we demand from the best hardcore, "Rotting Civilisation" is an obscenely thrilling rollercoaster ride that takes in everything from numerous bursts of flagrant DISCHARGE worship ("Walking Asylum", "Victimised") to MOTÖRHEAD-style snot'n'roll ragers ("Divide And Conk Out", "Digging Your Own Grave"), FROST-fuelled doomcore ("Death Vase", "Living Death") and even a skewed homage to Japanese punk legends G.I.S.M. ("You Want Some?"). Musically diverse but unrelenting in its belligerence, it's also an album full of brutally direct declarations on the state of the world today, the idiocy of the social media age and the general stupidness and selfishness of humanity in the 21st century. With his incensed worldview vividly reflected in artist Stewart Easton's idiosyncratic cover art, Dorrian has never written with such sledgehammer accuracy or righteous fury.

No longer a shadowy side-project that existed more in the minds of its participants than in the ears of the masses, SEPTIC TANK has blossomed — or, perhaps, mutated — into one of the most invigorating musical fists to the face of our times. The perfect soundtrack to the collapse of society, "Rotting Civilisation" proves that legends never die, the best ideas are always worth another go and, above all, we the people will not go fucking quietly.

"Rotting Civilisation" track listing:

01. Septic Tank
02. Who
03. Victimised
04. Social Media Whore
05. Divide and Conk Out
06. Treasurers of Disease
07. Fucked
08. Whitewash
09. Death Vase
10. You Want Some
11. Digging Your Own Grave
12. Danger Signs
13. Walking Asylum
14. Lost Humanity
15. Never Never Land
16. Self-Obsessed
17. Living Death
18. Rotten Empire

On November 9, 2016, MINISTRY's Al Jourgensen woke up feeling a little bit nauseous. "Disgusted and depressed/we know the world is just a mess/Distortion of reality/The truth is under arrest"..."This is the twilight zone." These are the words that begin "Twilight Zone", the lead-off track from MINISTRY's upcoming album, "AmeriKKKant", due out March 9 (Nuclear Blast).

But, as far as the man in the White House goes, Uncle Al's holding on to his own glimmer of hope. "I predict he's going down this year," Jourgensen said, "impeachment... this year. Resignation and shame. I don't think it'll be through Congress which is too spineless, I really think it will be a resignation on his part."

However, there is now a new, bright ray of light that has cropped up in the past several days. It's become apparent to Jourgensen that whatever happens to Trump, the kids from Parkland, Florida's Marjory Stoneman Douglas High are paving the way to putthing our country back on a course of sanity and true democracy.

"Voters do count and what these young students have done is to stimulate the survival mode of our spinless politicians at hyper speed with the one thing they understand — money," said Jourgensen. "The money that they accept quid pro quo for their silence and inaction when it comes to gun control, that same money that will dry up from party donors' bottom line losses that will now occur with the klieg lights fully on their corporate shareholders. I fully support the tactics taken by these kids because THEY are the ones who will REALLY make America great again."

MINISTRY's North American tour in support of "AmeriKKKant" kicks off March 22.

According to Variety, QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE's Troy Van Leeuwen has put his Glendale, California house on the market for nearly $1.8 million. The guitarist purchased the Spanish Revival-style home in 2014 for a bit less than $1.4 million.

The 2,921-square-foot, multi-level residence has three bedrooms and four bathrooms, with many of its original architectural details preserved by the owners.

Check out pictures of the property at this location

Van Leeuwen, 48, was a guitarist for A PERFECT CIRCLE before joining QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE. The Los Angeles native is also a member of the band SWEETHEAD, which he formed in 2008.

Van Leeuwen is currently touring North America with QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE in support of the band's latest album, 2017's "Villains".

Last year, Van Leeuwen released "Echolocation", the debut album from GONE IS GONE, his project with MASTODON's Troy Sanders, AT THE DRIVE-IN's Tony Hajjar and guitarist-keyboardist Mike Zarin.

ANTHRAX bassist Frank Bello says that SLAYER will never die, despite the fact that the Tom Araya-fronted outfit is retiring from the road.

Last month, SLAYER, one of metal's most popular and influential bands of the past four decades, announced its "final world tour" via a 30-second video. The group also confirmed that its last-ever North American run of dates would feature support from LAMB OF GOD, ANTHRAX, BEHEMOTH and TESTAMENT.

In an interview with Sofa King Cool, Bello was asked if SLAYER and other veteran heavy metal artists calling it quits is an indication that the hard music genre is coming to an end. "No. Why would that be end to heavy metal?" he responded (hear audio below). "ANTHRAX is going stronger than ever. You've got METALLICA going stronger than ever. MEGADETH… All the bands are doing what they're doing, it's just certain bands…

"Look, I don't think SLAYER will ever die, quite honestly," he continued. "[Even though] this is the last tour, you'll always see a SLAYER… I mean, I'll always have my records; that's the way I look at it. They're all really good friends of mine, so just because they stop touring… Maybe there'll be one-off shows and stuff like that — I don't know. But I don't consider SLAYER… There'll always be a SLAYER. I don't consider them retiring. It's weird for me to even hear that. I'm hoping that they'll do one-off shows and we'll get to play with them [beyond the final tour], 'cause I truly enjoy playing with them."

Bello added that ANTHRAX has no intention of pulling the plug anytime soon. "I wanna play for as long as I can play," he said. "I genuinely enjoy doing this. I've been very, very fortunate. I know how lucky I am to be able to do this and make a living at it. So I don't look at that and take it lightly. I've been very lucky. And I truly enjoy playing with the band, and we love writing songs. Our last couple of records have been the biggest records we've had. So we're on a good path.

"Look, I'm a musician, I'm a songwriter," he said. "This is what we do. And I don't see a reason to stop, quite honestly."

SLAYER will kick off the first leg of its farewell world tour with a May 10 concert at San Diego's Valley View Casino Center, with dates running through June 20 at Austin's 360 Amphitheatre.

ANTHRAX will release its long-awaited live-in-concert DVD, "Kings Among Scotland", on April 27 via Megaforce. The DVD is preceded by ANTHRAX's North American co-headline tour with KILLSWITCH ENGAGE — "KillThrax 2018" — which kicked off January 25 in Montreal.

Who Came First is the debut solo record by Pete Townshend, first released in 1972. The album collected together tracks from Townshend’s private pressings of his tributes to Meher Baba, Happy Birthday and I Am, as well as demos from the unrealized concept album Lifehouse, part of which became The Who’s classic Who's Next album.

To celebrate the 45th Anniversary, the album will be released as a 2CD expanded version, featuring eight previously unreleased tracks, new edits, alternative versions and live performances. Also included in the eight panel digipak are new sleeve notes provided by Townshend himself, the original poster from the 1972 release and a 24-page booklet which contains rare images of Meher Baba and Townshend in his recording studio. The cover photo of Townshend, taken by Graham Hughes (who also shot the cover of The Who’s Quadrophenia), has been updated for this release.

Who Came First has been remastered by long-term Pete Townshend and The Who collaborator Jon Astley using the original master tapes. CD1 consists of a remastered version of the original album and CD2 includes unreleased tracks, alternative versions and live performances.

Available on April 20th, the tracklisting can be found below.

Tracklisting:

CD1
"Pure And Easy"
"Evolution"
"Forever’s No Time At All"
"Let's See Action"
"Time Is Passing"
"There’s A Heartache Following Me"
"Sheraton Gibson"
"Content"
"Parvardigar"

CD2
"His Hands"
"The Seeker" (2017 edit)
"Day Of Silence"
"Sleeping Dog"
"Mary Jane" (Stage A Version)
"I Always Say" (2017 Edit)
"Begin The Beguine" (2017 edit)
"Baba O’Reilly" (Instrumental)
"The Love Man" (Stage C) *
"Content" (Stage A) *
"Day Of Silence" (Alternate Version) *
"Parvardigar" (Alternate take) *
"Nothing Is Everything" *
"There’s A Fortune In Those Hills" *
"Meher Baba In Italy" *
"Drowned" (live in India) *
"Evolution" (live at Ronnie Lane Memorial)

* - previously unreleased

The Who were in New York to conclude a gruelling tour on April 4th, 1968, the day that Dr Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated. America was already a country divided; Anti-Vietnam demonstrations, civil rights disturbances and militant student activism. With this turmoil as a backdrop on Friday and Saturday, April 5th & 6th, 1968, The Who performed two incendiary live sets at Bill Graham’s legendary Fillmore East on the lower East Side of Manhattan.

The venue had only just re-opened in March by Graham from its previous incarnation as the Village Theatre where the band had played on a couple of occasions the year before. The Who was the first British rock act to headline the Fillmore East and were booked to play four shows over the two nights. However, because of feared social unrest in the wake of Dr King’s assassination, it was decided to compact the shows into one per night.

The Who’s time in New York City in 1968 can best be described as ‘lively.’ Keith Moon’s antics with cherry bomb explosives had meant that the band had to move hotels. When installed in at the plush Waldorf Astoria he then somehow managed to a blow a door off its hinges and, the band had to move once more.

On the morning of the Fillmore rehearsal, the band was photographed for Life magazine and legend has it that the band was so tired from Moon’s antics that they nodded out under the large Union Jack draped over them at the base of the Carl Schurz Monument in Morningside Park. This iconic image was later used as the cover and poster for The Who’s classic film The Kids Are Alright.

Both nights were recorded by Who manager Kit Lambert with the intention of releasing the results as The Who’s fourth album after The Who Sell Out and before Tommy. Disaster struck when it was discovered that due to faulty equipment or human error only part of the first night was captured. Thankfully the second night was recorded and has now been fully restored and mixed by long time Who sound engineer Bob Pridden (who was responsible the band’s sound on those nights in 1968) from the original four-track tapes. For the 50th anniversary of these legendary shows, the unreleased recordings are to be issued on double CD and triple vinyl.

Thanks to an acetate reaching the bootleg market in the early ‘70s, The Who’s reputation as rock’s most dynamic live act quickly grew. The show is regarded by fans as something of the ‘holy grail’ of Who live shows equalling the legendary Live At Leeds album. The tapes have been meticulously remastered for optimum sound quality and will only serve to enhance The Who’s reputation as the best live act of the time.

The 2CD and 3LP sets include three Eddie Cochran numbers; “My Way,” “Summertime Blues” and the never before released Who version of “C’mon Everybody.”

Also featured is a rare cover version of “Fortune Teller” written by Allen Toussaint, originally recorded by Benny Spellman but made famous by The Rolling Stones. These shows also showcased “Tattoo” and “Relax” from The Who Sell Out as well as stunning extended versions of “A Quick One” and “My Generation” which becomes a 30-minute jam with a the climax of guitar-smashing and drum demolishment!

* CD - 2xCD deluxe edition 6-panel digipak 12-page booklet including new liner notes and rare photos.

* Vinyl - Deluxe 3 x LP heavyweight vinyl, gatefold sleeve, three printed inner bags & new liner notes and rare photos.

CD tracklisting:
 
Disc One:
"Summertime Blues"
"Fortune Teller"
"Tattoo"
"Little Billy"
"I Can’t Explain"
"Happy Jack"
"Relax"
"I’m A Boy"
"A Quick One"
"My Way"
"C’mon Everybody"
"Shakin’ All Over"
"Boris The Spider"

Disc Two:
"My Generation"

Vinyl tracklisting:

Disc One:

Side One
"Summertime Blues"
"Fortune Teller"
"Tattoo"
"Little Billy"

Side Two
"I Can’t Explain"
"Happy Jack"
"Relax"

Disc Two:

Side One
"I’m A Boy"
"A Quick One"

Side Two:
"My Way"
"C’mon Everybody"
"Shakin’ All Over"
"Boris The Spider"

Disc Three:

Side One
"My Generation" (Pt 1)

Side Two
"My Generation" (Pt 2)

Pre-order via the Amazon widgets below:

 

 

 

MIDNATTSOL will release its new album, "The Aftermath", on May 25 via Napalm Records. The band's current lineup includes former LEAVES' EYES and THEATRE OF TRAGEDY frontwoman Liv Kristine alongside Liv's younger sister, Carmen Elise Espenaes.

A teaser for "The Aftermath" is available below.

MIDNATTSOL announced Liv's addition to the band last December. The group said in a statement: "Some time ago, we discussed with Liv that she would support us on our upcoming album as a special guest. Working together, we found out that not only the result is awesome — we also have a lot of fun together. The logical consequence was that we pick up Liv as a permanent member of the band. So she is now the official second singer in MIDNATTSOL.

"We have already recorded Liv as the second voice on some songs for the next album. Liv will also have her own parts in some songs, so these songs will be more like a duet of the two sisters. We think the results will blow you away.

"As Liv is now a permanent band member, we plan to play upcoming concerts together with her. We are very happy and it means a lot to us to have such an amazing singer and fantastic person in our MIDNATTSOL family."

A snippet of a new MIDNATTSOL song called "Purple Sky" is available below.

MIDNATTSOL's upcoming album will be the band's first since 2011's "The Metamorphosis Melody".

More recently, Carmen was involved in a project called SAVN, also featuring two members of THE SINS OF THY BELOVED.

Liv was fired from LEAVES' EYES in early 2016 and was replaced by Elina Siirala. Liv was previously married to LEAVES' EYES' co-vocalist Alexander Krull.

The third trailer for "The Silent Vigil", the second album from MEMORIAM, the Birmingham, United Kingdom-based death/grind metal band featuring Karl Willets (BOLT THROWER) on vocals, Frank Healy (BENEDICTION, CEREBRAL FIX) on bass, Scott Fairfax (CEREBRAL FIX) on guitar and Andy Whale (BOLT THROWER) on drums, can be seen below. Due on March 23 via Nuclear Blast, the disc's impressive artwork was once again created again by Dan Seagrave (BENEDICTION, DISMEMBER, HYPOCRISY, SUFFOCATION) and can be seen below.

"The Silent Vigil" track listing:

01. Soulless Parasite
02. Nothing Remains
03. From the Flames
04. The Silent Vigil
05. Bleed The Same
06. As Bridges Burn
07. The New Dark Ages
08. No Known Grave
09. Weaponised Fear

The song "Bleed The Same" can be streamed below.

MEMORIAM stated about the track: "'Bleed The Same' is a response to the fear and hatred that exists in the world that we live in today. The lyrics are predominately about freedom, equality and justice. This is a theme that is explored throughout the new album, 'The Silent Vigil'. The lyrical content of the song is a comment on the the rise of nationalistic xenophobic ideologies that proliferate on a global scale right now. The song was ironically inspired by a speech given by Donald Trump in his inauguration ceremony in 2017."

MEMORIAM previously stated about "The Silent Vigil" cover artwork: "Following the success of working with Dan Seagrave for our debut album 'For The Fallen', we decided that we had to get Dan involved for the next album cover.

"Initially, we used Dan as we were all very impressed with the art that he has created for bands over the decades, and Scott in particular wanted to have an album cover designed by Dan Seagrave as part of the things he wanted to achieve with MEMORIAM.

"Dan really encapsulates the old-school death metal feel to the album covers that he creates; they are full of detail and very atmospheric. We gave him a brief for the 'For The Fallen' debut cover and he did a great job.

"We briefed Dan and asked him to create an image which followed on from the first album. The first album features a funeral procession, the coffin of the fallen leader paraded across an ethereal battle-scarred landscape. 'The Silent Vigil' represents the next phase of the journey, where the coffin is lying in state with the followers standing in silence almost like terracotta soldiers. The cover has an overall solemn feel to it, with the ravaged landscape in the background and burnt out wrecks of military hardware in the foreground. The tree in the centre of the album cover is symbolic of life — that continues on.

"We are really pleased with what Dan Seagrave has created for us once again and we are proud to have his artwork on our album cover.

"We already have an idea for the next album cover and we hope that Dan will be able to do this for us too."

MEMORIAM was primarily developed to fill the void that was left following the tragic death of Martin "Kiddie" Kearns, the drummer from BOLT THROWER, back in September 2015. BOLT THROWER subsequently placed all activity on hold for the foreseeable future which gave Karl Willetts an opportunity to develop a new project with friends that had expressed interest in forming a band for some time.

MEMORIAM is an old-school death metal band, maintaining the standards set by their previous bands, focusing on the themes of death, loss and war. Initially, the bandmembers got together to play covers of songs that had influenced them throughout their careers within the death metal scene. However, it soon became apparent that the new songs that they created were of a superior standard.

STEEL PANTHER's video for the song "Wrong Side Of The Tracks (Out In Beverly Hills)" can be seen below. The track is taken from the band's latest album, "Lower The Bar", which was released in March 2017 via Kobalt Music Recordings. The disc was co-produced with regular collaborator Jay Ruston, and includes eleven songs recorded at studios in north Hollywood and Sherman Oaks, with an additional two tracks on a Best Buy deluxe edition.

STEEL PANTHER frontman Michael Starr told Billboard that the band's sound has "expanded" on "Lower The Bar". "Our style is still the same formula, I guess, but we've changed it up a bit," he said. "I could say that we used to sing about pussy and partying; now we're singing about partying and pussy, but the reality is we did switch up a few things. It's a really solid, fun, intelligent party record. We're just maturing as a band after being on the road for years together and living together. It shows."

He continued: "It's hard to put into words without sounding like a typical review, but it feels different to me. It feels like we're doing some melody lines we normally wouldn't do on a couple of sings, different kinds of moods and not necessary just 'Dr. Feelgood'. There's some different stuff in there, but everything's open for interpretation. Hopefully we connect with it."

When asked by A Music Blog, Yea? whether the members of STEEL PANTHER apply the "Lower The Bar" title to their relationships or if they have certain "stipulations", guitarist Satchel said: "I tend to feel — and this is my own personal belief — 'lowering the bar' is really the best thing you could do in order to have a happy life. It doesn't matter what you're talking about. Let's say, you just want a sandwich. If you're expectations of having a really great sandwich, if you go in with that expectation [you'll be let down]. It's just like having sex with a Tinder date. But, let's say you're on a Tinder date, and you, lucky guy, are able to convince her [the interviewer] by using your cousin's picture to go on a Tinder date with this hot young chick. You get to the date, you're at Taco Bell and you see that this dude doesn't look anything like his cousin. You're disappointed, aren't you? You should go in expecting to date a drummer and if you get a guitar player or bass player, you're happy."

Germany’s Jaded Heart will release their new album, Devil's Gift, on March 30th via Massacre Records. A video for the track "Wasteland" is available for streaming below. Pre-order the album here.

Tracklisting:

"Wasteland"
"The Enemy"
"Set Free"
"Scream Of Anger"
"Tears Of Our World"
"Phoenix"
"One World"
"Story Of My Life"
"Coming Home"
"Conspiracy Of Science"
"Final Moment"
"Black Days" (Digipak Bonus)
"Flying High" (Digipak Bonus)

"Wasteland" video:

Brazilian power metallers Hibria have issued the video below, introducing their new guitarist, Guga Munhoz. He replaces Renato Osorio.

Says guitarist Abel Camargo: “I had already seen Guga playing many times on the city’s stages (Porto Alegre, Brazil), and there was something that always called my attention, and made me confident to choose him: The stage is really his home. Playing with friends, jamming with Paul Gilbert, playing classic songs, improvising on his videos, or even opening a concert for Dream Theater playing his own instrumental songs, he has always mastered what he wanted from his guitar and showed gratitude for that moment. Besides being a versatile and shredding guitarist, he is also a born composer.

"Guga’s entrance to the band not only marks the transition from two excellent guitar players, but also the beginning of a new and exciting age in Hibria's career. Take a look at this video he has recorded to celebrate this very special moment! Welcome to Hibria!"

Hailing from Örnsköldsvik in the cold northern section of Sweden, Perfect Plan is a new AOR combo founded in late 2014. Since their inception, the guys have had the vision to come up an with exciting musical blend of classic Scandinavian AOR (think Work of Art, Treat, early Europe) with nods to genre (and rock 'n roll) legends like Giant, Foreigner, and Journey.

All Rise, due for release on April 20th, is an incredibly skilled and mature release for being a debut album. Truly, and simply, a magnificent example of what “classic” AOR Music is.

Singer Kent Hilli says, “We're really thrilled and excited to release our debut album All Rise together with Frontiers. We have strived for a dynamic variation and I think all the songs on the album are unique with a strong identity that you can hear. Every song sounds like us, Perfect Plan. We hope you have bought tickets to Frontiers Rock Festival cause we're gonna rock hard and kick some ass April 29th in Milano! See you there!"

The band features the extraordinary singer Kent Hilli together with the equally talented Rolf Nordström on guitar, P-O Sedin on bass, Fredrik Forsberg on drums, and Leif Ehlin on keyboards.

All Rise tracklisting:

"Bad City Woman"
"In And Out Of Love"
"Stone Cold Lover"
"Gone Too Far"
"What Goes Around"
"Too Late"
"Can't Turn Back"
"Never Surrender"
"1985"
"What Can I Do"

"In And Out Of Love" video:

The video for the new single by blues-rock quartet Dirty Thrills is available for streaming below. The classy promo was shot by director Keir Siewert and features actor Christopher Kouros.

Says the band: "'The Brave' began as a song that honours the memory of a man who passed away due to alcohol abuse. We think of it as a message of hope for all those struggling with their inner demons and without the support they need. Alcoholism, mental health problems and homelessness can all be fought against with help and kindness. We are trying to raise awareness with this song, while wishing for a brighter future for all those brave people who suffer.”  

An extended version of the clip will be available on the band’s social media pages shortly.

"The Brave" is included on the current Dirty Thrills album, Heavy Living, the promotion of which continues with the following upcoming dates :

February
27 - Norwich, UK - Waterfront Studio
28 - London, UK - Underworld

March
2 - Birmingham, UK - O2 Institute 3

The group play another London show in April when they participate in the first New Breed Night event. This takes place at The Black Heart in Camden on April 26th and will also feature sets by Doomsday Outlaw and The Brink.

Dirty Thrills then head out to mainland Europe as special guests of Skid Row on a month long tour, before their next confirmed UK show at the Stone Free Festival on June 16th at The O2 in London.