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 around 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.

Guitarists Jon Topore and Brody Uttley stopped by the Guitar World studio to play along to their new song "A Home". Watch below:

The new 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”

“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

Rebel Wizard has release a new EP, titled Great addictions to blindingly dark, worldly life. Available now at Bandcamp, the extended play is a quadruple slasher that includes the mind-bending single, “There is a game of madness, and it was decided that you must keep on playing video". A video for the track can be see below.

All mastered at the mystifying hands of NKSV; Great addictions to blindingly dark, worldly life was recorded at Mountain Ash Studios and preludes the upcoming Rebel Wizard full length due out later this year.

EP tracklisting:

"The sickness of all knowledge"
"There is a game of madness, and it was decided that you must keep on playing"
"Real happiness in killing enjoyment"
"Great addictions to blindingly dark, worldly life"

"There is a game of madness, and it was decided that you must keep on playing" video:

Get your copy now at Bandcamp. Available on all other digital outlets Friday, February 16th.

Destruction performed the teutonic thrash classic, "Mad Butcher", in front of a enthusiastic audience at Germany's Wacken Open Air festival in the summer of 2007. Check out this rare video footage:

After joining Destruction back in 2010, drummer Wawrzyniec "Vaaver" Dramowicz recently announced that he will be parting ways with the group in March after eight years. His departure from the band is due to family reasons.

Here is his explanation: "It is never easy to make hard decisions. It is time for me to part ways with Destruction - the band that has hosted me for nearly a decade; my brothers, my best buddies. Above all, these guys are great musicians that I have enjoyed countless performances with. 8 years with Destruction means more than words can describe. We shared the stage more than 500 times, travelled to the moon and back at least twice! It is time to drift my career towards more calm waters which surround my family. At the same time, Destruction needs to explore new exciting and challenging stages of their career.

"I would like to thank Schmier and Mike for giving me the opportunity to be a part of Destruction. I tried my best to enhance the band's sound and groove with my skills. I could see the fans' reactions around the world that came to the gigs and the signing sessions with tears in their eyes... just happy to see the band they had listened to since the beginning of the 80's. It has been a truly unforgettable experience! I wish you guys all the best. I know you will find the right replacement with the skills and dedication that you deserve for your incredible band.

"I am not quitting my profession either. It is just a change in life that we all sometimes go through and have to adjust to new circumstances. Hope we meet again one day or night on your rough Destruction seas! Thank you Schmier and Mike!"

To be clear, all shows will still be going ahead with Vaaver playing with Destruction until March. Randy Black, who already replaced him on his baby-break, will step in for the shows after March, until the band has decided who will be Vaaver's worthy successor.

Destruction vocalist Schmier added: "There is not much more to add in this moment of sorrow. We all know it really sucks to separate with people you cherish for reasons beyond control. So 'family first' is something we all have to accept. Vaaver was not just the best drummer we ever had and I don't wanna diminish the dignity of any of our old drummers here, but he also was a killer dude and a great friend. So yes, this really hurts… of course he will stay a part of our clan and the big Destruction family! Cheers for all those fantastic years, our paths will definitely cross again and all the best for your future Vaavski!"

Vaaver's last gig with the band will be on March 24th at the No Playback Festival in Kalsruhe, Germany.

(Photo - Bianca Berger)

According to AltroSpettacolo.it, Robert Trujillo and Kirk Hammett performed a cover of Vasco Rossi's "C'è Chi Dice No" during METALLICA's February 10 concert in Turin, Italy. Fan-filmed video footage of their rendition can be seen below.

Italy's most famous pop-rock singer-songwriter, Rossi in 2017 broke the Italian record for most tickets sold for a single concert, with 220,000 people attending his show in Modena. The singer's roots were in rock in the late seventies, but in recent decades has turned his attention to pop and commercial music, despite keeping a "rocking" backing band, which includes Stef Burns (who has previously worked with Y&T and ALICE COOPER) and Matt Laug (ALICE COOPER and SLASH'S SNAKEPIT). He has no known connections to heavy metal, and the choice of METALLICA's cover left many people scratching their heads.

METALLICA's show in Turin was also notable for the inclusion of the 1986 classic "Orion" as an homage to the band's late bassist Cliff Burton, who would have celebrated his 56th birthday on that day.

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 first European leg of METALLICA's "WorldWired" tour launched in Copenhagen, Denmark on September 2 and ran through November 3.

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.

Professionally filmed video footage of Dee Snider's performance at the Hard Rock Hell XI festival, which was held last November at Camp HRH in Pwllheli, North Wales can be seen below.

The TWISTED SISTER frontman recently finished laying down the final vocal tracks for his upcoming solo album. The as-yet-untitled disc, which is being produced by HATEBREED vocalist Jamey Jasta, will tentatively feature contributions from Howard Jones (ex-KILLSWITCH ENGAGE), Mark Morton (LAMB OF GOD), Joel Grind and Nick Bellmore (TOXIC HOLOCAUST) and Charlie Bellmore (KINGDOM OF SORROW). Songtitles set to appear on the LP include "American Made" and "Lies Are A Business".

In an interview with Poughkeepsie radio station 101.5 WPDH, Snider discussed how his pairing with Jasta came to be. "I decided to do a very aggressive metal record — a true metal record," he said. "Jamey is a fan of mine, and I was on his podcast, and he literally challenged me on the air. He said, 'Dude, you're iconic. I think you need to do a true metal record. Think Rob Halford's 'Resurrection', think in that direction. I go, 'Well, what do you got in mind?' He goes, 'Dude, I will produce it, and I've got songs, and I've got people stumbling over each other to write a song for Dee Snider.' Then he just started sending me music. The new stuff is powerful; it's great."

Snider's last solo album, "We Are The Ones", was released in October 2016 via Red River Records (distributed by BFD/RED). Produced by Damon Ranger, the disc was described by Dee as "an album that is think part FOO FIGHTERS, part IMAGINE DRAGONS, part THIRTY SECONDS TO MARS."

TWISTED SISTER called it quits in 2016 after completing a farewell 40th-anniversary tour.

Grammy Award-winning, acclaimed alternative rock pioneers THE SMASHING PUMPKINS today announced the "Shiny And Oh So Bright Tour", their first tour in nearly 20 years to feature founding members Billy Corgan, Jimmy Chamberlin and James Iha. Produced by Live Nation, the 36-city tour will kick off in Glendale, Arizona on July 12 and visit North American arenas throughout the summer. Tickets for the "Shiny And Oh So Bright Tour" will go on sale to the general public starting next Friday, February 23 at 10:00 a.m. local time and be available at SmashingPumpkins.com, LiveNation.com and via the Live Nation app.

"Some 30 years ago, as THE SMASHING PUMPKINS, James Iha and I began a musical journey in the cramped rear bedroom of my father's house. And so it's magic to me that we're able to coalesce once more around the incredible Jimmy Chamberlin, to celebrate those songs we've made together," shared Corgan.

The band broke news of the tour this morning with a dramatic video featuring original "Siamese Dream" album cover stars Ali Laenger and LySandra Roberts. Watch the clip below.

The monumental "Shiny And Oh So Bright Tour", which coincides with the 30th anniversary of the band's formation, will highlight music from the group's inception through 2000, and will exclusively feature material from their groundbreaking debut "Gish" through "Siamese Dream", "Mellon Collie And The Infinite Sadness", "Adore" and "Machina". Longtime SMASHING PUMPKINS guitarist Jeff Schroeder will also take part, as the band moves to a three-guitar lineup to better emulate the signature tones and textures of their albums.

"This show and staging will be unlike any we've ever done, and will feature a set unlike any we've ever played. For if this is a chance at a new beginning, we plan on ushering it in with a real bang," added Corgan.

Earlier in the week, SMASHING PUMPKINS denied claims by original bassist D'arcy Wretzky that an invite for her to join the reunited band was later rescinded.

D'arcy alleged in an interview with BlastEcho that Corgan sent her a contract that was agreed upon, but a month later, he told her "that wasn't a real offer." She said: "My apologies to all of the SMASHING PUMPKINS fans out there who are excited about this oncoming reunion tour of the original members of the band. I know this is a huge disappointment for me, as well, but it's not going to happen."

SMASHING PUMPKINS later released a statement claiming that Wretzky had "repeatedly been invited out to play with the group, participate in demo sessions, or at the very least, meet face to face, and in each and every instance, she always deferred."

Corgan, Iha and Chamberlin make up three-quarters of the PUMPKINS' charter lineup, with only Wretzky missing.

Although Iha played a handful of shows with the PUMPKINS in 2016, this will mark the first time he's recorded and toured with the band since 2000. Chamberlin has toured with the PUMPKINS for the last couple of years but last recorded with the group in 2007.

THE SMASHING PUMPKINS are represented by Velvet Hammer Music And Management Group.

Tour dates:

Jul. 12 - Glendale, AZ @ Gila River Arena
Jul. 14 - Oklahoma City, OK @ Chesapeake Energy Arena
Jul. 16 - Austin, TX @ Frank Erwin Center
Jul. 17 - Houston, TX @ Toyota Center
Jul. 18 - Dallas, TX @ American Airlines Center
Jul. 20 - Nashville, TN @ Bridgestone Arena
Jul. 21 - Louisville, KY @ KFC Yum! Center
Jul. 22 - Atlanta, GA @ Infinite Energy Arena
Jul. 24 - Miami, FL @ AmericanAirlines Arena
Jul. 25 - Tampa, FL @ Amalie Arena
Jul. 27 - Baltimore, MD @ Royal Farms Arena
Jul. 28 - Philadelphia, PA @ Wells Fargo Center
Jul. 29 - Uncasville, CT @ Mohegan Sun Arena
Jul. 31 - Boston, MA @ TD Garden
Aug. 01 - New York City, NY @ Madison Square Garden
Aug. 04 - Pittsburgh, PA @ PPG Paints Arena
Aug. 05 - Detroit, MI @ Little Caesars Arena
Aug. 07 - Montreal, QC @ Centre Bell
Aug. 08 - Toronto, ON @ Air Canada Centre
Aug. 11 - Columbus, OH @ Schottenstein Center
Aug. 13 - Chicago, IL @ United Center
Aug. 16 - Kansas City, MO @ Sprint Center
Aug. 17 - Indianapolis, IN @ Bankers Life Fieldhouse
Aug. 19 - St. Paul, MN @ Xcel Energy Center
Aug. 20 - Omaha, NE @ CenturyLink Center
Aug. 21 - Sioux Falls, SD @ Denny Sanford Premier Center
Aug. 24 - Seattle, WA @ KeyArena
Aug. 25 - Portland, OR @ Moda Center
Aug. 27 - Oakland, CA @ Oracle Arena
Aug. 28 - Sacramento, CA @ Golden 1 Center
Aug. 30 - Los Angeles, CA @ The Forum
Sep. 01 - San Diego, CA @ Viejas Arena
Sep. 02 - Las Vegas, NV @ T-Mobile Arena
Sep. 04 - Salt Lake City, UT @ Vivint Smart Home Arena
Sep. 05 - Denver, CO @ Pepsi Center
Sep. 07 - Boise, ID @ Ford Idaho Center

Corey Taylor says that Josh Rand will rejoin his STONE SOUR bandmates on the road on April 27 at the Welcome To Rockville festival in Jacksonville, Florida.

The guitarist most recently performed with STONE SOUR on last month's ShipRocked cruise before it was announced that he had entered treatment for unspecified issues. STONE SOUR has enlisted a temporary replacement for the current tour, which started at the end of January in British Columbia. The trek includes dates with HALESTORM, IN THIS MOMENT and RED SUN RISING.

Taylor told Musik Universe earlier this week that he and the rest of STONE SOUR talk to Josh "every day" and that he is "doing great. We actually have a two-month break coming up after this tour, so he's actually been able to work through the things that he's going through right now," Corey said. "And, yeah, he'll be ready to go for the next tour, which is… I think April [27th] is the first show."

Corey told the Regina rock radio station 104.9 The Wolf that Josh "is not just somebody who I've been in a band with for a while; we've been best friends since we were 15 years old — I mean, we go way back. For me, it's not just the worry of my cohort, my partner, my songwriting guy, my lead guitarist, it's about worrying about my friend, my brother, somebody who let me sleep on his floor when I was homeless," he said. "So, for me, that's the biggest thing — worrying about him. But he seems to be doing really, really well. And, like I said, we talk every day, he's letting us know how he's doing. And we just support him as much as we absolutely can. And when it comes to being a friend, that's all you really can do — just be there for them. The best way to be a friend is just to stay right where you are and just let somebody lean against you if they need it, and that's what we're trying to do."

STONE SOUR is touring in support of its sixth studio effort, "Hydrograd", which came out last June and features the chart-topping rock radio hit "Song #3".

STONE SOUR will support Ozzy Osbourne on the initial North American leg of the legendary vocalist's "No More Tours 2" tour, which kicks off August 30 in Allentown, Pennsylvania.

My Ruin vocalist Tairrie B. Murphy, who started her music career as a hip-hop artist before launching Manhole in 1996 - which later became Tura Satana - as her stepping stone into metal, released her Vintage Curses rap album back in August 2015. She has checked in with an update:

"This video is my long overdue homage to Los Angeles after moving to Knoxville TN in 2017. A dark and witchy feminist journey back to my hip hop roots with a classic old school West Coast influence. 'Sky Above, City Below' is the fourth and final offering from my album Vintage Curses."

Download Vintage Curses for free - or pay what you want - via Bandcamp.

Vintage Curses by TAIRRIE B

Edinburgh, Scotland-based blackened grind / metal faction Scumpulse has issued an official video for "Rotten," the title track to their new album.

Rotten will see release through Gore House Productions on CD and digital formats on February 23rd; pre-orders are now available at this location. 

Tracklisting:

"Alba Gu Bràth" 
"Rotten"
"Broken Reflection"
"Gnawed By Pigs"
"King Of Dogshit"
"Pure Jakebawlocaust"
"Wage Decay"
"Sand And Dust"

Scumpulse will devastate audiences across Europe in support of Rotten, having announced several new bursts of live dates for the coming weeks, including an album release show and several dates supporting Ancst. Watch for more live dates to be announced, including a European Summer tour.

Scumpulse Tour Dates:

February
23 - Banshee Labyrinth - Edinburgh, UK - Rotten release show

March
3 - Funeral Fest - Barrow, UK
24 - Opium - Edinburgh, UK
25 - Aatma - Manchester, UK (with Ancst)
26 - The Gryphon - Bristol, UK (with Ancst)
27 - The Black Heart - London, UK (with Ancst)

The band's previously released official video for "Alba Gu Bràth", as well as an introductory promo clip, can be seen below

Founded in 2013, Edinburgh-based Scumpulse follows a previously-released EP and single with one of the most anticipated albums to hail from the Gore House compound. Their debut album, Rotten, delivers eight punishing tracks of perfectly blended crusty, blackened metallic grindcore. Eight tracks align into a savage, thirty-eight-minute assault, bridging influences from Darkthrone and Impaled Nazarene to Carcass and Exhumed. Rotten was recorded between Black Cave Recordings, Chamber Studios, and s9fifty, and mixed / mastered by Andrew Rankine, and completed with artwork by Kasper "Sandullos" Povlsen. Rotten is a debut you do not want to miss.

For further details, visit the official Scumpulse Facebook page.

 

Blood Harvest Records has set April 13th as the international release date for Black Mass Pervertor's new mini-album, Life Beyond The Walls Of Flesh, on CD, 12" vinyl, and cassette tape formats.

Hailing from the infinitely fertile Finnish black metal underground, Black Mass Pervertor is one of that scene's best-kept secrets. Although their discography is sparse so far, the band's history stretches back to 1998; some demo recordings were circulated privately during the mid-2000s until their first public release, the One-Way Pleasure EP, saw release in 2007. Back then, the Black Mass Pervertor sound was crude and grinding; it was their long-awaited debut album, 2016's Phanerosis, where their aesthetic started to shape into being. That recording certainly retain some crudity from the early days, but saw the trio shape their filth into a finely honed war-machine.

Now, with the successive Life Beyond The Walls Of Flesh, filth and finesse reach a fever pitch. Bowing reverentially to their oft-overlooked forebears Belial, Barathrum, and especially early Impaled Nazarene whilst nodding to the early-Noughts work of Horna, Sargeist, and Behexen, Black Mass Pervertor create a veritable time-machine tornado of Finnish black metal history. Across seven deceptively catchy mini-anthems in a compact 20 minutes do the power-trio work their black magick, whipping forth a fury that nevertheless manages to evoke an atmosphere most sulfurous; indeed, not for nothing is a track like "Unorthodox Methods Of Magick" titled the way it is. And yet, there's simultaneously a sense of Satanic glee here - you could call it "fun" - that fortunately manages to sidestep the cornier connotations of such a word.

Want to find Life Beyond The Walls Of Flesh? Then let Black Mass Pervertor strip you bare! Start "Imbibing The Seas Of Darkness" at Blood Harvest's Bandcamp and/or via the audio player below. Pre-order info can be found here. 

Life Beyond The Walls Of Flesh by BLACK MASS PERVERTOR

​Tracklisting:

"Imbibing The Seas Of Darkness"
"The Golden Spears"
"Suffering, Our Everlasting Bliss"
"Unorthodox Methods Of Magick"
"Behind All His Atrocious Deeds"
"Chains Of Guilt"
"The Forbidden Path"

For further details, visit Black Mass Pervertor on Facebook.

 

Guitarist Chris Caffery (Savatage, Trans-Siberian Orchestra) is working on his next official solo album. He checked in with the following update on February 14th:

"Happy Valentine's Day from your beloved metal Elf Pom Pom Head! Nothing but love songs. Practicing my parts to do keeper rhythms for the song 'Upon The Knee'. It will probably lead my new CD off!"

Caffery revealed some details of the new album back in October 2017:

"This is my tracklisting, which includes one of the Jester songs that's like one minute of guitar... will be finishing these songs and will decide if I should use them all after... excited about this material. The record should be out next June. Working title, The Jester's Court. May possibly use The Jester's Heart; that depends on how the artwork develops."

The Jester's Court tracklisting:

"Upon The Knee"
"1989"
"Inside My Heart"
"Lost Tonite"
"Protect My Soul"
"The Jester's Heart"
"Magic Man"
"Baby You And I"
"White Lie"
"Watch"
"Instrumental" (not named yet)
"King Of The Dark"
"The Jester's Court"
"Then She's Gone"

Swedish invincible death/black metal squadron UNANIMATED has signed a three-album worldwide deal with Century Media Records.

Bass player and founding member Richard Cabeza comments on the signing: "We are very pleased to announce that UNANIMATED has signed a deal with Century Media Records. The time is right and the time is now, to once again return to spread darkness and unleash the firestorm upon this earth!

"We are looking forward working with Century Media with the forthcoming new UNANIMATED album. Recordings will start in early 2018 for a release in autumn 2018. Then we will get on the road to start playing shows. Prepare!"

Formed in 1988 in Stockholm, Sweden, UNANIMATED was among the first bands to entwine Nordic death metal with melodic lead guitars and black metal atmosphere. The debut album, "In The Forest Of The Dreaming Dead" (1993), and their second album, "Ancient God Of Evil" (1995), stirred up the international extreme metal scene, the latter one justly considered one of the most influential and best albums of the Swedish melodic death/black until this very day, and made UNANIMATED one of the most promising bands of the entire extreme metal genre.

It took UNANIMATED fifteen years to return with its third opus, "In The Light Of Darkness", showcasing the band in top form. In contrast to the usual reunion album approach of many bands simply trying to revive the sound they were famous for, UNANIMATED further developed their sound towards a more evil and harsh direction by adding additional black metal elements, musically and visually, to the band's style.

Eight years have passed since the release of "In The Light Of Darkness". Eight years in vigilant slumber. Eight years UNANIMTED have whetted the Reaper's scythe to once more herald their triumphant return. Now they are back to punish the world with the wrath of death, the fire of hell and the force of darkness.

UNANIMATED's eagerly awaited fourth studio album is scheduled to be released in the second half of 2018.

UNANIMATED lineup (from left to right in the above photo):

Richard Cabeza - Bass
Anders Schultz - Drums
Johan Bohlin - Guitars
Jonas Derouche - Guitars
Micke Broberg - Vocals

Legends, the debut album from Los Angeles’ Novareign, will officially be in stores and online tomorrow, Februay 16th. But the band has made their stellar recording available for streaming today. Listen below.

Legends by Novareign

In addition, Novareign filmed and edited an insightful and personal 10-minute video allowing the band members to comment on the album’s creation and its nine songs. Prior snippets have been unveiled about specific songs, such as the singles “Beyond the Cold” and “Heavy Heart”, but today the full video is available.

Influenced by bands like Iron Maiden and Dream Theater to Dragonforce and Angra, Novareign are the next generation of progressive power metal telling stories in musical literature speaking to a generation influenced by epic fantasy tales, comic books and video games.  Having made a reputation for themselves through energy-abounding live shows filled with nonstop shredding guitar interplay and powerful traditional metal vocals Novareign are poised to take their craft worldwide and compete on a larger stage.

Novareign will perform their headlining record release show Saturday, Feburay 17th at DiPiazza’s in Long Beach, CA.

Forget everything you thought you knew, because Follow The Cipher are ready to herald in a new musical era and crash through the many dimensions of our universe to steal your breath. Despite their stylistic diversity, the Swedish metal act from Falun creates a very cohesive ambience, mixing a first class sound with magical charisma, an innovative concept, live presence and an incredibly talented singer.

Today, Follow The Cipher reveal the cover artwork for their self-titled debut, which will be out on May 11th via Nuclear Blast.

Guitarist and founder Ken Kängström commented: We were privileged to have the amazingly multi-talented Chris Rörland (Sabaton) doing the artwork. Myself and Chris sat for many hours together with this project, and it was a very easy process getting to where we wanted thanks to Chris‘ ability to exactly read our minds and know what we were going for. We decided to go for a black/red color theme along side a more serious approach towards the 'war zone‘ of a destroyed future world. This fits in with the sorrowful and aggressive themes of the whole album, and also the vocal anger Linda displays in some of the songs. It all melts together in our view, and we are more than pleased with this piece of art."

Follow The Cipher also reveal their first album trailer, which gives an insight on their origins and the past years since their foundation in 2014. Watch below:

Also check out the lyric video for "The Rising":

Let's take a little look into the past: Follow The Cipher‘s story started in May 2014, when Ken Kängström decided to start a band with the intention to be different from everything else in the music scene. The idea itself had been haunting his mind for years, but the catalyst to finally put his thoughts into action was the result of a longtime collaboration with the internationally acclaimed metal giants Sabaton, with whom Follow The Cipher maintain a close friendship.

Ken Kängström is definitely not a newcomer in the Scandinavian music scene, since he co-wrote and co-produced some well-known Sabaton songs with Joakim Brodén, such as the monumental anthem Carolus Rex. It was this track which got the ball rolling for Ken: "I think the song sparked the first inspiration in me - in particular, it was responsible for me starting to trust my own abilities and judgment," Ken reflects. "When me and Joakim wrote this track, I felt deep inside that it was time to put my plans with Follow The Cipher into action." Therefore, the band has also included a version of this important track, Carolus Rex, on their debut album.

Something unique was born, growing to become a mixture between Nightwish, In Flames and Sabaton, yet creating something completely different and innovative. "I consider our music as both visual and cinematic," says Ken. "The sound is large-scaled and multi-layered - each element plays an important role within the overall concept. You can listen to our music in two different ways; either by focusing on the individual, versatile elements like the keyboard melodies or Linda's powerful voice, or you can indulge in the whole package. Both type of listeners will get what they look for in our very own CIPHER METAL!“

The Cipher crew consists of five talented members; Linda Toni Grahn, a fantastic and highly talented singer, with long pinkish red hair and emerald eyes, equipped not only with a powerful and characteristic voice, but also outstanding charisma. When taking to the stage, all it takes are a few seconds for Linda to capture everyone‘s attention. "Linda is unique - she stands out from the crowd, not only as a great singer, but also as a charismatic personality! Immediately after meeting her, I knew she would be the right person for us!” Ken Kängström (guitar) recalls the first meeting with their female captain of the Cipher workforce. Other crew members include Karl Löfgren (drums), Viktor Carlsson (guitar) and Jonas Asplind (bass).

To cut a long story short, the Cipher crew is more than ready to take you on an exciting journey through the darkest galaxies of metal. It's time to open a new chapter of heavy metal history - it's time to Follow The Cipher!

Follow The Cipher live dates:

June
1-3 - Pilsen, Czech Republic - Metalfest Open Air
21 - Dessel, Belgium - Graspop Metal Meeting

(Photo - Georgios Grigoriadis)

Tasmanian tech-death masters Psycroptic are lacing the finishing touches on their new album due out this summer on Prosthetic Records.

“We've been hard at work recording the new album over the past 8 months, in our guitarist Joe Haley's Crawl Space studios. We are getting close to completing it, and it’s turning out really cool. I think it’s our best album by far.  It sounds like a mix of all our albums, plus some newer and darker sounding elements thrown in. Artwork is complete, and looks insane. We'll unveil that in good time...Because we aren’t the smartest people, we've still been scheduling tours and shows around the recording - we head out today in Australia with Cattle Decapitation, and have New Zealand, more Australian shows, Iceland and North America all coming up in the next few months. But we will get the album finished in the next few weeks....”

Psycroptic will bring their signature live assault across Australia alongside Cattle Decapitation on the Australian Extinction Tour with additional support from Hollow World and Aetherial on select shows.

Following their Australian run, Psycroptic will head over the states to join Aborted, Ingested, Disentomb, Arkaik, Venom Prison, Signs Of The Swarm (select dates), and Vale Of Pnath (select dates) on the Devastation On The Nation tour which kicks off May 25th in Brooklyn, NY at The Kingsland.

All tour dates below. Stay tuned for more album updates.

Australian Extinction:

February
15 - The Basement - Canberra, Australia
16 - Bald Faced Stag - Sydney, Australia
17 - Cambridge Hotel - Newcastle, Australia
18 - Woolly Mammoth - Brisbane, Australia

Devastation On The Nation:

May
25 - The Kingsland - Brooklyn, NY
26 - L'Astral - Montreal, QC
27 - Mavericks/Café Dekcuf - Ottawa, ON
29 - The Foundry - Lakewood, OH
30 - Harpos Concert Theatre - Detroit, MI
31 - The Forge - Joliet, IL

June
1 - The Riot Room - Kansas City, MO
2 - The Roxy Theater - Denver, CO
3 - Metro Music Hall - Salt Lake City, UT
5 - Rickshaw Theater - Vancouver, BC
6 - Studio Seven - Seattle, WA
7 - The Analog Theater - Portland, OR
8 - Cornerstone, Bay Area Death Fest - Berkeley, CA
9 - 1720 - Los Angeles, CA
10 - Club Red - Mesa, AZ
11 - The Launchpad - Albuquerque, NM *
13 - Tomcats West - Fort Worth, TX
14 - Come And Take It Live - Austin, TX
15 - Cine El Rey - McAllen, TX
16 - Walters - Houston, TX
17 - The Masquerade - Atlanta, GA
19 - Ground Zero - Spartanburg, SC **
20 - Motorco Music Hall - Durham, NC
21 - Soundstage - Baltimore, MD
22 - Chrome - Waterford, NY
23 - Rex Theater - Pittsburgh, PA

* Ingested, Disentomb, Arkaik, Venom Prison, and Signs of the Swarm only
** Ingested, Disentomb, and Venom Prison only

Sweden's Dark Tranquillity and Finland's Omniium Gatherum will combine their melodic death metal forces as the Century Media Records labelmates join Finnish heavy metallists Amorphis on their upcoming trek across North America later this fall. Also featuring support from Portugese gothic metal outfit Moonspell, the tour will run from September 7th to October 14th.

Omnium Gatherum are currently in the studio working on their next release via Century Media Records due out later this year.

Guitarist Markus Vanhala checked in from the studio commenting, "Greetings from the studio vaults, we're busy here at forging the new Omnium Gatherum album during the Finnish winter madness season, and the stars are aligned and the feelings & hopes are high here, even the outside temperature definitely isn't! Everything's been going really well and easily with producing this successor for the successful Grey Heavens, and I’ll promise this albums gonna beat the previous one for real - the league of angry old men are here for your enjoyment!

“Before we'll announce any facts for the new album as title or release date, we can only suspiciously reveal that the album touring cycle will start this time from North America! Couldn't hope to tour in any better company than this; joining together on a tour trek with our good friends of these three bands and the best acts of the scene  - Amorphis, Dark Tranquillity and Moonspell. This tour will rule the stages and the roads, and be a metal party you and us won't ever forget!"

Dates:

September
7 - New York, NY - Gramercy Theater
8 - Montreal, QC - Cafe Campus
9 - Quebec City, QC - Imperial de Quebec
10 - Toronto, ON - Opera House
11 - Ft Wayne, IN - Pierre's
12 - Detroit, MI - Harpo’s
13 - Joliet, IL - The Forge
14 - Minneapolis, MN - The Cabooze
15 - Winnipeg, MB - Park Theatre
17 - Edmonton, AB - The Starlite Room
18 - Calgary, AB - Dickens
19 - Vancouver, BC - Rickshaw Theater
20 - Seattle, WA - El Corazon
22 - Berkeley, CA - The UC Theatre
23 - Anaheim, CA - City National Grove
24 - West Hollywood, CA - Whiskey A Go Go
25 - San Diego, CA - Brick By Brick
26 - Tempe, AZ - Marquee Theatre
27 - Las Vegas, NV - House Of Blues
28 - Salt Lake City, UT - Liquid Joe’s
29 - Denver, CO - Herman’s Hideaway

October
1 - Dallas, TX - Trees
2 - San Antonio, TX - Rock Box
3 -  Houston, TX - Scout Bar
5 - Tampa, FL - Orpheum
6 - West Palm Beach, FL - Kelsey Theater
7 - Atlanta, GA - The Masquerade
9 - Louisville, KY - Diamond Pub and Billiards
10 - Durham, NC - Motorco
11 - Baltimore, MD - Soundstage
12 - Philadelphia, PA - The Trocadero
14 - Clifton Park, NY - Upstate Concert Hall

Polar Music Prize recently conducted an interview with METALLICA frontman James Hetfield. You can now watch the chat at this location.

Asked where the anger in his lyrics and music comes from, Hetfield said: "I think the anger comes from family of origin, a feeling of not being heard, a feeling of manipulation, probably still a teenager in here somewhere that's still sorting out some past issues — you know, parents, upbringing, things like that. So there is that, but I think a lot of it is a defense mechanism — it is. Even when my kids scare me, or someone tickles me, I get angry. That's my first reaction to most things, so it's my default — I don't know why, I don't know why. Some people laugh 'cause they're nervous; it's just a thing. But I've learned to tap in to that.

"There's a big therapy in playing music and in writing music, and knowing that other people out there feel like me is very comforting," he continued. "And the connection with the crowd is extremely important — they are the 'fifth member,' as we call them. And I enjoy watching them release their whatever it is as well. I get to see that; that is part of the joy I get. They get to see us live, yeah — I get to see them transform and join together and become a family. It's beautiful."

As previously reported, METALLICA will be honored with the prestigious Polar Music Prize in June.

The Polar Music Prize was founded in 1989 by Stig "Stikkan" Anderson, the manager and music publisher of ABBA. A well-known lyricist, he also was the co-writer on many of their early hits. The prize was first presented in 1992.

The Polar Music Prize honors two laureates every year to "celebrate music in all its various forms" and "to break down musical boundaries by bringing together people from all the different worlds of music." It awards each laureate one million kronor (approximately $125,000) at a gala in Stockholm.

Ulrich and Trujillo will accept METALLICA's prize from His Majesty King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden on June 14 at the Grand Hôtel.

METALLICA will donate the prize money to its All Within My Hands Foundation, which is dedicated to assisting and enriching the lives of the members of the communities by supporting workforce education, the fight against hunger, and other critical local services.

Corey Taylor says that he has already begun working on lyrics for SLIPKNOT's next album, which he says will see him at his "most autobiographical" that he has "been in years."

Taylor's latest comments come six months after SLIPKNOT percussionist Shawn "The Clown" Crahan revealed that the band had "about 27 pieces of work" written for follow-up to 2014's ".5: The Gray Chapter".

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.

Asked in a brand new interview with Musik Universe if he has heard any of the music Crahan has been composing with the other instrumental members of SLIPKNOT, Corey said (see video below): "Yeah, I have. It's awesome. That's all I'm gonna say about it. It's everything I wanted it to be. They've been sending me stuff here and there. And it's so funny too, because they're, like, 'We don't wanna send you anything till it's ready.' And I'm, like, 'All right. All right.' I've been very patient. I've gotten about six songs now, and they're really, really good. And just in kind of that demo form. And by 'demo,' I mean really just the fact that it's maybe a little longer than it will end up. Because what you wanna do is you wanna take that idea and extrapolate it to the point where you've exhausted every kind of idea. And then you kind of take it and you shorten it and you break it down and you formulate it and you get it to a little more solid, a little more fluid. And that's where it's at right now."

According to Taylor, he is currently "writing lyrics for three" new SLIPKNOT songs that will appear on the band's next album. "And it's dark — it's really dark," he said. "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. So I'm writing from the standpoint of where I am now instead of where I was. Which is so easy to tap into sometimes and it's so easy to just kind of go there almost on impulse. But now, I'm writing it from the standpoint of a man who's been through a lot — not just a young man, but an older man — and trying to figure things out."

Taylor went on to say that the next SLIPKNOT will "absolutely" arrive next year. "2019, sometime in that year we will definitely be recording it," he said. "We'll finish writing it, record it and be ready to go on the road."

Corey was also asked about Crahan's recent suggestion that the percussionist might be leaving SLIPKNOT after saying in an interview that the band's next album "could be it for me."

"We all kind of say that," Taylor explained. "I've said it in the past. We've always said — and this is not in a negative way — we've always said that when we get to the point where we physically can't do SLIPKNOT the way we want to do it, we'll stop. And for some of us, the years of being in SLIPKNOT have taken [their] toll. Cold mornings kick my ass. My neck, my knees, my hips… [DJ] Sid [Wilson] has broken every damn bone in his body. Clown, he's had his share of health issues and whatnot and physicality. We've all had an injury in this band — from our necks to our retinas. And honestly, if that was his decision, I wouldn't do SLIPKNOT without him — absolutely not."

Admitting that "it's been tough" for him to "continue the way we have," Taylor explained that "we've done it out of necessity, but at the same time, without Clown… There's a certain mentality that goes into SLIPKNOT, and he started it. He's always been the vision for this band, for SLIPKNOT, and without that, it crumbles. So, yeah, if he left, that would be it for me as well. And I say that, honestly, in a very positive way, because none of us would want to continue doing it from a half-assed point of view. Nobody wants to go 50 percent on a SLIPKNOT album."

".5: The Gray Chapter" was released following a six-year hiatus during which founding SLIPKNOT bassist Paul Gray died and drummer Joey Jordison was dismissed.

Crahan told BBC Radio 1's "Rock Show" in 2015 that he would love to see the band record a double concept album in the vein of PINK FLOYD's "The Wall" and THE BEATLES' "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band", with a movie to go along with the project.

In a 2017 interview with Metal Wani, Taylor spoke about a possible musical direction for SLIPKNOT's next album, saying that nothing had yet been decided. "I know I wanna write something violent, to be honest," he said. "I wanna do something that feels uncomfortable. I wanna go somewhere where we haven't been in a long, long time. I don't know what that means, but I think when I hear it, I'll know what it is."

".5: The Gray Chapter" sold around 132,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to land at position No. 1 on The Billboard 200 chart. The CD arrived in stores in October 2014 via Roadrunner.

Gray died in 2010 from a drug overdose, while Jordison was let go in December 2013, just before SLIPKNOT began recording the last album.

Former GUNS N' ROSES guitarist Gilby Clarke has paid tribute to Pat Torpey, calling him "one of the good ones."

A founding member of MR. BIG, Torpey passed away Wednesday, February 7 at the age of 64 from complications of Parkinson's disease.

Last night, Clarke mourned Torpey's loss, writing in an Instagram message: "Damn, I'm very sad to learn Pat Torpey has passed away. He is one of the good ones... always positive, upbeat and fair. I say fair because we played many softball games together and he was always the voice of reason and the ultimate team player. He was so dedicated to his instrument and band. Every time I went to Mates [rehearsal studio], I would run into him in his practice room. I would always joke and ask if he lived there, 'cause he was there so much practicing. He even played drums with my solo band and I remember adding 'Some Kind Of Wonderful' because he sang it so well.

"You are a rare one and you will be missed, Pat. My condolences to your family and bandmates. RIP, brother."

MR. BIG released its ninth original studio album, "Defying Gravity", last July. Formed in 1988, the band produced numerous hit songs that ranged across a wide array of rock genres — be it ballads, heavy metal, or blues rock. Their hits included "Alive And Kicking", "Just Take My Heart" and the chart-topping ballad "To Be With You".

Mr. Big vocalist Eric Martin has posted the following message in the wake of the passing of the band's founding drummer, Pat Torpey, who died due to complications stemming from Parkinson's disease:

"Oh my dear friends from all over the world… I’m sure most of you folks know that my friend, drummer, singing partner and band brother Pat Torpey passed away yesterday. We are all in shock and so sad in the Mr. Big camp. He was the strongest, kindest and sweetest man that I have ever known. I can’t put into words how I feel but just to say I’m absolutely heartbroken, as you can imagine. He loved you fans so much. Let's all say a prayer for his wife Karen and his son Patrick Jr.

I was looking at these pix tonight and wanted to share..."

Torpey passed away Wednesday, February 7th at the age of 64 from complications of Parkinson’s disease. Family, band and management request privacy at this very difficult time. Services are pending.

Mr. Big (Pat Torpey, Eric Martin, Billy Sheehan, and Paul Gilbert) released their ninth original studio album, Defying Gravity, July 21, 2017.

Mr. Big, formed in 1988, produced numerous hit songs that ranged across a wide array of rock genres – be it ballads, heavy metal, or blues rock. Their hits included “Alive and Kicking”, "Just Take My Heart" and the chart-topping ballad, "To Be With You" (Billboard Hot 100 #1 single in 15 countries for weeks in 1991, propelling the band to huge international success and multi-Platinum record sales).

Glenn Hughes has mourned the loss of Dave Holland, calling his former TRAPEZE bandmate "an incredible drummer and a great guy."

In 1969, Holland became a founding member of TRAPEZE alongside Hughes and Mel Galley. Hughes left TRAPEZE in 1973 to join DEEP PURPLE, while Holland ended up hooking up with JUDAS PRIEST in 1979 and staying in the band for a decade.

During a recent interview with the "Music Mania" podcast, Hughes was asked to comment on reports that Holland died on January 16 at a hospital in Spain at the age of 69. He said (hear audio below): "Dave was my first drummer in TRAPEZE. And what an incredible drummer and a great guy.

"I've lost both members of TRAPEZE — I'm the last one standing again," he continued. "Of course, Dave had some difficulties later in life, which we know about. But all I wanna talk about is how great was around me in those early years. TRAPEZE [was] the '70s, before I went on to join PURPLE and Mel went on to join WHITESNAKE and Dave went on to join JUDAS PRIEST. Those were very, very formative years for me, for a young musician from the north of England, to come out to the United States and have a career. Very important."

Hughes, who has described himself as "a very notorious cocaine addict" during the '70s and '80s, went on to express his surprise and sorrow over the fact that he is one the few surviving members of the extended TRAPEZE camp.

"If you know anything about my past, I would be silly if I didn't tell you that all those years ago, I was not in the place I am today," Hughes said. "And I am… And this is quite scary: five road crew, two agents and the whole band are gone except for yours truly. You wouldn't have put money on that all those years ago. It just really, really tears me up to think that those guys are all gone. And don't get me wrong — I love my life and I love what I do and I'm very, very grateful and happy to carry the message. But to lose the final guy, for me, was very, very… very, very shocking."

At the time of his death, Holland had reportedly been residing in Fonsagrada, a town and municipality in the province of Lugo in northwest Spain, after spending several years in a British jail for attempting to rape a teenage boy. The drummer was sentenced in January 2004 of trying to assault the 17-year-old in his cottage in Northamptonshire, England, while giving him drumming lessons. The abuse was revealed in a letter written by the teenager to his parents.

Holland always denied any involvement in the attempted rape of the special-needs student and was at one point said to be planning to write a tell-all biography of his life and career.

During a recent interview with SiriusXM's Eddie Trunk, George Lynch talked about his plans for the upcoming third album from SWEET & LYNCH, his collaboration with guitarist/vocalist Michael Sweet of STRYPER.

"Michael is a Christian, and I'm of a different persuasion, and when we do records together, we always have those discussions," the legendary axeman said. "They're not arguments — just discussions. Next record, we're going to do a concept record, and I'll be advocating for one side of the argument, and he'll be advocating for another. That's what the record is going to be about. We were going to do it on this last record, but it ended up I couldn't go work with him back in Boston. I had to stay in California and work, so we couldn't put our heads together and make that happen. But the next record, if we do a third record, that is the plan. And I would like to see that happen, so it is different."

SWEET & LYNCH's sophomore album, "Unified", was released last November via Frontiers Music Srl.

In addition to Sweet and Lynch, SWEET & LYNCH features bassist James LoMenzo (MEGADETH, WHITE LION, BLACK LABEL SOCIETY) and drummer Brian Tichy (THE DEAD DAISIES, WHITESNAKE).

SWEET & LYNCH's debut album, "Only To Rise", came out in January 2015 via Frontiers Music Srl.

Sweet told That Drummer Guy that "Unified" is "a little bit more focused" and "more raw and in your face" than "Only To Rise". "The first album was a little more slick, had a little bit more production and effects and things going on and more tracks, too," he said. "This album doesn't have as many tracks. It's a little bit more scaled-down and bare bones, but I think it works."

In a brand new interview with Full Metal Jackie's nationally syndicated radio show, MEGADETH bassist David Ellefson was asked when fans can expect to see the band's follow-up to 2016's "Dystopia" album. He responded (hear audio below): "Our goal this year is to be writing. We have these months in the summer where we're gonna be on the road. If I had a guess, we'll be working, really cutting some tracks later this year. I can't really say when it's gonna be done. In my mind, it says 2019, maybe, but at the same time, one of the things we learned with 'Dystopia' is that we just took as much time as it needed to get the record done, and I think that really played well for the quality of record we made and for just how excited the fans were with the record that we made. And ultimately, that is the most important thing. So that's gonna be more important than, sort of, boxing ourselves in with a schedule."

Ellefson'a latest comments echo those made by MEGADETH leader Dave Mustaine, who told the "Trunk Nation" show that he didn't think a new MEGADETH album would arrive this year. "I don't wanna rush it," he said. "I'm being particular, because I figured if I can at least do as good as 'Dystopia', then we're great. And I believe I can do that."

MEGADETH's upcoming effort will mark the group's first release to feature drummer Dirk Verbeuren, who officially joined the band just under two years ago.

In 2018, MEGADETH will celebrate its 35th anniversary all year long, with special releases, exclusive merchandise items, and one-of-a-kind events and opportunities for fans worldwide.

"Dystopia" was MEGADETH's first album with Brazilian guitarist Kiko Loureiro, who was previously best known for his work with ANGRA.

Hollywood Vampires - featuring Aerosmith guitarist Joe Perry, Alice Cooper, and Johnny Depp - will be playing dates in the UK and Europe during the spring and early summer, but the band are particularly anxious to hit the studio to make its second album, and first of all original material.

"Everybody is writing right now," Alice Cooper tells Billboard. "We probably won't get into the album until the summer, and then it'll go quickly because we've all got a lot of songs. Johnny did five movies last year so he could free himself up for this, and the band's really anxious to get together."

Cooper is also interested to see who else becomes a Vampire during the coming months. "I still like the idea that the Vampires is the world's most expensive bar band," he says. "If somebody wants to jump on stage and play with us, if they know the songs and they fit, then come on up. If a Jimmy Page could come up and play with us, or a Jeff Beck or any of those guys and do a couple songs with us, they would fit right into Vampire world, 'cause they lived through that era."

Read more at Billboard.com.

Hollywood Vampires will make their UK debut this June. Four UK dates have been announced with special guests The Darkness and The Damned.

UK dates:

June
16 - Birmingham, UK - Genting Arena
17 - Manchester, UK - Manchester Arena
19 - Glasgow, UK - The SSE Hydro
20 - London, UK - The SSE Arena Wembley

The group previously announced a string of European dates:

June
2 - Hamburg, Germany - Stadtpark
4 - Berlin, Germany - Zitadelle Spandau
12 - Warsaw, Poland - Torwar
14 - Mönchengladbach, Germany - Sparkassenpark
27 - Munich, Germany - Tollwood
29 - Frankfurt, Germany - Jahrhunderthalle

Wymer Publishing has set April 20th as the release date for the new book, Visions Of Motörhead. The title was previously published as Motörhead In Full Flight, a limited edition hardback book in its own flight case with a set of prints.

This soft cover version is a predominantly photographic book of largely unpublished, never before seen images brings together a mixture of concert photos and off stage shots from the late 70s through to the late 80s, covering the classic lineup with Phil Taylor and Eddie Clarke through to the four-man lineup with Phil Campbell, Würzel and Pete Gill.

Photos are from the collections of concert photographer Alan Perry and Tony Mottram who photographed the band on numerous occasions for Sounds and Raw magazines. The never before seen images include shots from recording sessions and video shoots plus back stage at the tenth anniversary gig at Hammersmith, June 1985. There are even some hilarious photos of Lemmy during a beer tasting session and many more of the band's legendary frontman as you have never seen him before!

Order by March 24th and have your name included in the book on a dedicated fan page.

* Editorial note from Wymer Publishing: This book requires total independent editorial control. It has not been authorized or approved by Motörhead or their management. It has not been approved by past or present members or their management.

The official video for "My Darkest Moment", a new song from Norwegian extreme, melodic metallers SUSPERIA, can be seen below. The track is taken from the band's first full-length studio album since 2009, titled "The Lyricist", which will be released on March 16 via Agonia Records.

The origins of SUSPERIA can be traced back to 1998 when Tjodalv, then occupying the drum seat with DIMMU BORGIR, and longtime friend Cyrus (ex-SATYRICON, OLD MAN'S CHILD) got together to share ideas and write songs. Clearly rooted and seasoned in the Norwegian black metal scene, SUSPERIA elevated its sound into more melodic areas of extreme metal, embracing and exploring a variety of musical avenues with ease.

On "The Lyricist", SUSPERIA has gone back to its black origin in many ways, one of which is a grimmer expression. The characteristic melodic twist the band is known for is still present, and an additional layer of variety has been added thanks to new vocalist, Bernt "Dagon" Fjellestad (whose stage debut with the band was made at last year's 70000 Tons Of Metal). From SUSPERIA's pragmatic point of view, the new album is a "good old-fashioned kick in the head, both old and new fans should find enjoyable".

Track listing:

01. I Entered
02. Heretic
03. The Lyricist
04. My Darkest Moment
05. Day I Died
06. Void
07. Feed The Fire
08. Whore Of Man
09. Come Alive

"The Lyricist" was recorded at three different studios in Norway between February 2015 and May 2016. The album was later mixed and mastered at Strand Studio (CHROME DIVISION, THE WRETCHED END, IN VAIN) by Marius Strand. Cover design and artwork was prepared by Vincent Fouquet. New band photos were shot by Espen Bakken.

SUSPERIA lineup:

Dagon - vocals
Tjodalv - drums
Memnock - bass
Cyrus - guitar
Elvorn - guitar

The official lyric video for the song "All Lies" from former EXODUS and current GENERATION KILL and FRAGILE MORTALS singer Rob Dukes can be seen below. The track is taken from Dukes's first solo EP, which was released in October via all digital music retailers. The effort features Scott Reeder (KYUSS, FIREBALL MINISTRY) on bass and special appearances from members of RUN-D.M.C. and SNOT.

Track listing:

01. My Whole Life (feat. Mikey Doling)
02. Hate Me (feat. Darryl "DMC" McDaniels)
03. All Lies
04. Disaster

Vocals: Rob Dukes (EXODUS, GENERATION KILL)
Guitars: Jon "Jonny Rod" Ciorciari (JRod Productions)
Bass: Scott Reeder (KYUSS, FIREBALL MINISTRY)
Drums: Craig Cefola (WHEELHOUSE JUNCTION)

All music was written by Dukes and Ciorciari
Produced and mixed by Ciorciari

Special guests:

Vocals: "Hate Me" - Darryl "DMC" McDaniels (RUN-D.M.C.)
Guitar solo: "My Whole Life" - Mikey Doling (SNOT)

Backing vocals:

"My Whole Life", "Hate Me" - Jon "Jonny Rod" Ciorciari
"Hate Me" - Sean Magaletta (POOIS)

Dukes, who fronted EXODUS for nine years, performed with the band during its July 8, 2017 concert in San Francisco, California. He sang several songs with the group on the second of EXODUS's two-night stint at The Chapel in what marked the band's first headlining Bay Area club shows since late 2013.

Dukes joined EXODUS in January 2005 and appeared on four of the band's studio albums — "Shovel Headed Kill Machine" (2005), "The Atrocity Exhibition... Exhibit A" (2007), "Let There Be Blood" (2008, a re-recording of EXODUS' classic 1985 LP, "Bonded By Blood") and "Exhibit B: The Human Condition" (2010).

EXODUS in June 2014 announced the departure of Dukes and the return of Steve "Zetro" Souza, who previously fronted EXODUS from 1986 to 1993 and from 2002 to 2004.

Ihsahn will release his seventh solo album, "Ámr", on May 4 via Candlelight/Spinefarm.

True living legends are few and far between, but Ihsahn has long since earned the right to be regarded as one of metal's all-time greats. As frontman and chief songwriter with legendary Norwegian black metal pioneers EMPEROR, he swiftly cemented a formidable reputation as one of the underground's most idiosyncratic creative forces. Classic albums like 1995's "In The Nightside Eclipse" and 1997's epoch-shattering "Anthems To The Welkin At Dusk" ensured that the young band were among the most respected the most popular of Norway's many black-hearted exports. Their imperious rise to prominence came to an unexpected end after the release of 2001's wildly intricate and grandiose "Prometheus: The Discipline Of Fire & Demise", but it was an album that suggested that Ihsahn's compositional journey was far from over.

Reincarnated as a solo artist for 2006's "The Adversary", Ihsahn has spent the last 12 years forging a second path through artistry's darkest shadows; one that is making more and deeper connections than any of his past endeavours. With a sound that still retains strong links to his black metal roots while embracing everything from skewed art rock and avant-garde jazz to experimental electronica and dark ambient, each successive album has presented a brand new manifestation of the Norwegian's unique craft: from the muscular and haughty riff sculptures of "Angl" and "After"'s haunting, saxophone-driven mirage to the tech-metal explorations of "Eremita" and on to the wild, avant-metal splurge of "Das Seelenbrechen", Ihsahn's catalogue speaks of a restless creative spirit with ideas to burn.

In keeping with that spirit, 2018 brings the arrival of Ihsahn's seventh solo album, "Ámr". Another immersive and frequently disorientating eruption of refined and absorbing progressive extreme metal, it echoes the meticulous precision and structural simplicity of 2016's widely acclaimed "Arktis". Album while taking Ihsahn's music somewhere entirely new, where the hiss and throb of old school analogue synths dominate and the atmosphere is airless and oppressive. Once again percussively propelled by longtime drummer Tobias Ørnes Andersen and with a blistering guest solo from OPETH's Fredrik Åkesson on "Arcana Imperii", "Ámr" is another evolutionary leap from one of metal's most remorselessly forward-thinking protagonists.

"It's just lovely to work with Tobias," says Ihsahn. "I know that he can technically handle anything I throw at him. But more importantly, when I say like; 'I want this to feel like the vacuum between words in a conversation with Hannibal Lecter,' he will say, 'Yeah, I get that!' [Laughs] So for him, it's not about showing off, it's always about relating to the vibe. With Fredrik, we met first time in Oslo, when I did my debut solo show as support to OPETH and later we've hung out on different festivals when we happen to play the same day. Last time in Japan when we played there with EMPEROR and OPETH. We were talking about guitars and I said, 'Not to kiss up to you or anything, but you're absolutely one of my favourite players, so some day I might call you for a guest solo…' and he says, 'I'm in!' He did a fabulous job."

As with all of Ihsahn's solo albums to date, "Ámr" possesses its own unique atmosphere; a palpable sense of tension and unease that infuses even the album's most melodic moments with heightened drama and otherworldly menace. But despite its often-claustrophobic feel, this is very much an album of beautifully crafted and shrewdly arranged songs. Although as dark and intense as anything he has conjured before, both the depth of sonic texture and the clarity of his overarching vision are more impressive than ever.

"Knowing that the form would be somewhat similar to what I did on the previous album, and given that I write stuff in a certain way, I wanted to change the wrapping this time," Ihsahn notes. "So instead of going with my go-tos of strings and orchestration, I focused on analog synths and more in-your-face sounds. It goes back to the beginning of EMPEROR, when we brought in strings and horns inspired by orchestral movie scores by John Williams and Jerry Goldsmith, but at the same time we loved all those eerie synth soundtracks of, for example, John Carpenter's 'Halloween'. I've also been listening to some contemporary R&B and hip-hop stuff with those deep, deep 808s. It's just somehow darker than a lot of metal or black metal. It has a depth and an energy to it that I find captivating, so I wanted to explore those arrangement styles as well."

Another bold stride into uncharted territory, Ihsahn's seventh solo album is the legendary Norwegian's most eclectic and challenging to date. Morphing fluidly from mellifluous art rock ambience to vicious extreme metal, covering all points in between, the likes of grandiloquent opener "Lend Me The Eyes Of The Millennia" and the wild, melodic melancholy of "Sámr" blend seamlessly with ornate, progressive metal monoliths like "In Rites Of Passage" and the immaculate, climactic "Wake". Drenched in evocative synthesizers and brimming with skewed-but-irresistible riffs, "Ámr" is both Ihsahn's most accessible record to date and his most extreme departure from his black metal roots.

"Every album I intend to make the darkest album ever," Ihsahn says. "I never set out to make anything more melodic or accessible. However, growing up on '80s metal, plus having a rather wide range of musical influences, I often end up with quite contrasting elements. This is my seventh solo album, so in the end it really comes down to methods and perspectives that keep me exited and fired up about what I'm working on. If I'm not excited about it, I can't expect anybody else to be!"

"Ámr" track listing:

01. Lend Me The Eyes Of The Millenia
02. Arcana Imperii
03. Sámr
04. One Less Enemy
05. Where You Are Lost And I Belong
06. In Rites Of Passage
07. Marble Soul
08. Twin Black Angels
09. Wake