On March 31st, three of the finest French black/death metal acts - VI, Temple Of Baal and The Order Of Apollyon - will find their way onto the winter-chilled turntables, thanks to a new split release. Divided into three chapters, the recording will feature one brand new song from each of the bands, with a playing time nearing 25 minutes. The split will be available via Agonia Records.

BST (Aosoth, ex-Aborted, The Order Of Apollyon and VI) can be thought as a link between all three band's. Apart from being an active musician, he served as the producer of the upcoming split. With the exception of drums, all instruments were recorded, mixed and mastered at his own BST Studios. Drums were recorded at Hybreed Studios and Studio Vallet, respectively.

Tracklisting:

- Chapter One: "Trident Of Flesh" (The Order Of Apollyon),
- Caput Secundum: "Non Sum Dignus" (Temple Of Baal),
- Troisème Chapitre: "Aucun d'entre vous ne sera sauvé. Car c'est impossible aux hommes et tout est possible à dieu. Il ne va rien rester de vous, rien de votre nombre, de votre grandeur" (VI).

The split will be available in the following formats:

- regular black LP (with laser etching on side B)
- limited to 200 copies red LP (with similar laser etching)
- limited to 100 copies gold LP (with a patch and similar laser etching)

Pre-orders here.

The new material will see all three bands plunge into their creative potential and will shed some light on what to expect from them in the future. In the words of the band's themselves:

"Being a part of this split along with Temple Of Baal and The Order Of Apollyon was an opportunity for us to release a new single track. We thought we were done for a while with creating new music since the release of De Praestigiis Angelorum, but it appeared that we still had more to do. Expect something slightly different from what we're known for. Expect something unique.” - VI

"Split releases have paved Temple Of Baal’s history through the years as special items in the band’s discography, done with special bands strictly chosen for their common views on Black and Death Metal as sacred works of Left Hand Path dedication. Once more, Temple Of Baal teams up with bearers of the Black Flame to bring a three-fold testimony of Faith.” - Temple Of Baal

"Joining forces with Agonia for a fresh new start for The Order, we deemed appropriate to release something special. We chose to share this one with artists that we respect not only as musicians, but also as genuinely devoted human beings. The song we wrote for this EP is also meant to give you a taste of what's to come on our side in the near future.” - The Order Of Apollyon

A judge has denied drummer Bobby Blotzer's request for reconsideration in connection with his legal dispute with the other three members of RATT's classic lineup over the rights to the band's name.

Back in November, a California judge ruled against Blotzer with respect to whether bassist Juan Croucier had committed trademark infringement by using the RATT name and logo to advertise his band RATT'S JUAN CROUCIER in the fall of 2015. The judge furthermore decided that the corporation WBS, Inc. — of which Blotzer and guitarist Warren DeMartini were thought to be the sole shareholders — did not have ownership interest in the RATT marks and that the name and brand was still owned by the members who were part of the original RATT partnership agreement.

In addition to claiming to have expelled Blotzer from the partnership following the November court ruling, DeMartini, Croucier and singer Stephen Pearcy said that Blotzer could now only refer to himself as a "former member of RATT," as per the partnership agreement.

Blotzer's attorney later filed a request for reconsideration, and a hearing was held on January 23 in a downtown Los Angeles federal courtroom at which point the judge took the matter under submission. Less than two weeks later — on Friday, February 3 — U.S. District Judge Dean D. Pregerson issued an order denying Blotzer's request, writing in part: " Although WBS relied upon a letter purportedly expelling Croucier from the Partnership in early 1997, prior to the assignment, that letter was signed by, and referred to the unanimous vote and consent of, only Blotzer and Pearcy. The Partnership Agreement, however, required the unanimous consent of all partners, other than the partner being expelled. By [Blotzer's] own admission, DeMartini remained a member of the Partnership at all times. Blotzer and Pearcy could not, therefore, have expelled Croucier without DeMartini's consent, of which there was no evidence.

"In addition, Pearcy submitted a declaration stating that he never discussed Croucier's expulsion from the RATT Partnership with Blotzer, never understood Croucier to have been expelled, and had no recollection of seeing the 1997 expulsion letter prior to this litigation. Pearcy's declaration stated that the letter 'is not the product of any agreement I reached with Robert Blotzer or anyone else.'

"[Blotzer] did not file any written objection to the Pearcy declaration. Although [Blotzer's] counsel did, at oral argument, suggest that Pearcy lacked credibility, [Blotzer] submitted no evidence that conflicted with or contradicted Pearcy's statement. Indeed, as the court also noted, Blotzer himself took a position different than that advanced by WBS, stating in a deposition that Croucier voluntarily withdrew from the Partnership, not that the other members of the Partnership unanimously expelled Croucier. Now, on this motion for reconsideration, WBS argues that Croucier submitted evidence in bad faith and committed a fraud on this Court by intentionally ignoring proceedings in an earlier, 2002 state court action between Pearcy and WBS. WBS contends that this Court should have considered documents submitted in those proceedings, which, [Blotzer] asserts, establish that Croucier is collaterally estopped from challenging the validity of the assignment of the RATT marks to WBS.

"[Blotzer's] theory of fraud is not clear to the court. The 2002 judgment [Blotzer] submitted to the court does not discuss the composition of the RATT partnership and makes no mention of the 1997 assignment of the marks to WBS. [Blotzer] nevertheless argues that '[e]ven if the 2002 judgment did not specifically express that the transfer in 1997 was valid, the 2002 Judgment did reference and incorporated (sic) in the state court's ruling. As part of their Rule 11 obligations, Croucier's counsel had a duty . . . to investigate what the ruling and (sic) not present bad law to this Court.' It is not apparent, however, what 'bad law' [Croucier] is alleged to have presented."

The RATT version featuring Pearcy, DeMartini, Croucier and later-period RATT guitarist Carlos Cavazo (ex-QUIET RIOT) is scheduled to make its first official return to the stage on February 11 at the Treasure Island Resort Casino in Welch, Minnesota.

A completely different version of RATT — led by Blotzer and featuring a revolving door of members — has been hitting stages across the country since the fall of 2015.

Blotzer's most recent lineup of RATT included singer Josh Alan alongside guitarists Mitch Perry (TALAS, HEAVEN, STEELER, MSG, LITA FORD) and Stacey Blades (L.A. GUNS) and bassist Brad Lang (Y&T).

Before Blotzer began playing shows with his new version of RATT, he was touring with a project called BOBBY BLOTZER'S RATT EXPERIENCE which performed RATT songs. Stephen Doniger, the attorney representing Pearcy, Croucier and DeMartini in their dispute with Blotzer, told LA Weekly Blotzer changed the name of his project after he realized he could make ten times as much money touring as RATT — $2,500 to $4,900 a night as BOBBY BLOTZER'S RATT EXPERIENCE, versus $25,000 to $45,000 as RATT. The attorney also shot down as untrue the drummer's claim that the trio had no plans to tour again until Bobby resurrected the band with all new members and started playing shows in late 2015. "The guys [Pearcy, Croucier, DeMartini and Blotzer] toured together between 2012 and 2014," Doniger told LA Weekly. "They stopped because Stephen Pearcy's twin sister died and he had to take time off. At that point, DeMartini and Croucier decided not to tour without all partners for the integrity of the band. But within a year, Blotzer was taking steps to usurp control of the trademarks so that he could tour by himself as RATT."

He added: "There's a court order saying WBS has no trademark rights in the name. Thus, WBS has no right to authorize anyone to tour as RATT.

"Blotzer tried to pull a fast one and has now ended up with nothing."

The upcoming SpiteFuel album, Second To None, will be released via MDD Records on April 7th. The band has unveiled the cover art, for which Travis Smith (Nevermore, Iced Earth, Opeth) is responsible.

The album will contain 11 songs of high-class heavy rock with a total playing time of over 45 minutes and will be available in a noble DigiPak edition. The album was recorded and produced in the Troisdorf-based Gernhart Studio (Tankard, Destruction, SuidAkra) under the direction of Martin Buchwalter.

A first pre-taste for the album is already available with the single "Sleeping With Wolves" released in December, which is available with some bonus content as download for only 2 Euro on the Bandcamp page of the quintet (widget below).

Sleeping With Wolves by SpiteFuel

(Photo - Hobbit Hauser, 2016)

Finnish progressive death metal outfit, Barren Earth, is currently preparing to record the follow-up to 2015’s On Lonely Towers at Woodshed Studios in March with producer V. Santura.

Vocalist Jón comments, "We are working towards a darker and more aggressive feel, which we attempt to express both experimentally and with a good dose of blunt force!"

Bassist Oppu adds, “The melodic and melancholic side is naturally still there, but spiced with a touch of anger and groove. I’m also looking forward of working with Victor, since we all appreciate his previous work. It also is the first time Barren Earth works with a proper producer, and are very excited about the idea of bringing somebody else into the mix and seeing where that takes us."

This is how V. Santura comments on the cooperation: “I am really excited about working with Barren Earth! The guys are fantastic musicians and the demo material I’ve heard so far sounds very promising."

Barren Earth recently returned to Finland following a hugely successful European tour with Insomnium to begin finalizing the arrangements for the yet-untitled fourth album.

Barren Earth lineup:

Marko Tarvonen - Drums
Olli-Pekka Laine - Bass
Antti Myllynen - Keyboards
Jón Aldará - Vocals
Sami Yli-Sirniö - Lead guitars
Janne Perttilä - Rhythm guitars

On January 31st, the Devin Townsend Project brought their Transcendence tour to Paris, France and performed at Le Bataclan. Quality fan-filmed video is available below. The setlist on the night was as follows.

"Rejoice"
"Night"
"Stormbending"
"Failure"
"Hyperdrive!"
"Where We Belong"
"Planet of the Apes"
"Ziltoid Goes Home"
"Suicide"
"March of the Poozers"
"Kingdom"
"Grace"

Encore:
"Ih-Ah!"
"Higher"

Remaining tour dates are as follows.

February
5 - Le Moulin - Marseille, France
7 - Live Club - Trezzo Sull'adda, Italy
8 - Z7 - Pratteln, Switzerland
9 - LKA Longhorn - Stuttgart, Germany
10 - Backstage - Munich, Germany
12 - Tvornica Club - Zagreb, Croatia
13 - Barba Negra Music Club - Budapest, Hungary
14 - Arena - Vienna, Austria
16 - The Roxy - Prague, Czech Republic
17 - Täubchenthal - Leipzig, Germany
18 - Kwadrat - Kraków, Poland
19 - Stodola - Warsaw, Poland
21 - Grünspan - Hamburg, Germany
22 - Voxhall - Aarhus, Denmark
23 - Pustervik - Göteborg, Sweden
25 - BlastFest - Bergen, Norway
26 - Sentrum Scene - Oslo, Norway
28 - The Circus - Helsinki, Finland

March
1 - Rytmikorjaamo - Seinajoki, Finland
3 - Berns - Stockholm, Sweden
4 - KB - Malmö, Sweden
5 - Amager Bio - Copenhagen, Denmark
7 - Columbia Theater - Berlin, Germany
8 - FZW - Dortmund, Germany
9 - 013 - Tilburg, Netherlands
10 - De Melkweg - Amsterdam, Netherlands
12 - Colston Hall - Bristol, United Kingdom
13 - Academy - Manchester, United Kingdom
14 - Barrowlands - Glasgow, United Kingdom    
16 - Institute - Birmingham, United Kingdom
17 - Hammersmith Eventim Apollo - London, United Kingdom    
18 - Rock City - Nottingham, United Kingdom

Progressive metalcore quartet, Aerial, has released their new music video, "Foreign Coast”, off their 2016 EP Foresight. Watch below.

After spending six months in the UK writing and recording., the band reached out to Keaton Goldwire, of Invent, Animate and Jesse Cash of Erra to produce the five track EP. Mixed and mastered by Brian Hood (Memphis May Fire, Erra), the group came away with their debut EP which reached over 250,000 streams in a short couple months.

"We've put a lot of work into this EP, and being an independent band makes everything so much more expensive and time consuming," says vocalist, Markus Johnsen. "Getting all this positive feedback means everything!"

Foresight is available to purchase on iTunes and all other online music retailers. Watch "Foreign Coast" below:

Norway’s Dunderbeist will release their new EP, titled Tvilja, on March 10th via Indie Recordings. A video teaser can be seen below.

"We all have our doubts about most things, something the lyrics on this release describes. But there is no doubt about that Tvilja might be the very best stuff we have created with this band ever. I think. Probably." - Dunderbeist

Pre-order the Tvilja EP + CD here.

(Photo - Stian Froysang)

US power/thrash metal act, Wretch, will release their new album, The Hunt, on limited edition vinyl on March 10th via Pure Steel Records. The pre-order phase will start on February 24th.

Wretch are pioneers of their local Cleveland metal scene and have since forged ahead to become an internationally recognized force of powerful melodic metal with festival performances in Germany and Greece. The Hunt is a shredding masterpiece that will appeal to fans of Primal Fear, Iced Earth, Helloween and Iron Maiden.

The first album to feature new singer Juan Ricardo who has a voice reminiscent of the mighty Bruce Dickinson, the new album is 40-minutes of exceptional power/thrash that marks the bands long journey since its 2006 debut, Reborn.

The vinyl version of The Hunt will be limited to 200 black copies with insert.

Tracklisting:

Side A
“Sturmbringer”
“The Hunt”
“Throne Of Poseidon”
“Twilight´s End”
“The Final Stand”
“Fortune’s Fool”
“The King In Red”

Side B
“Straight To Hell”
“Pierce The Veil”
“Once In A Lifetime”
“She Waits”

"The Final Stand" video:

Lineup:

Juan Ricardo – vocals
Nick Giannakos – lead- and rhythm guitar
Michael “Mjölnir” Stephenson – lead- and rhythm guitar
Tim Frederick – bass
Jeff Curenton – drums

After a recording and touring career spanning five decades, heavy metal pioneers BLACK SABBATH brought it to a close in the city where it all began — Birmingham, England — with the final show of "The End" tour having taken place earlier tonight (Saturday, February 4) at the Genting Arena.

Prior to the concert, SABBATH singer Ozzy Osbourne said: "Since I've got to this building, I've been happy, I've been tearful. Let's see what happens."

The band's setlist for tonight's gig was as follows:

01. Black Sabbath02. Fairies Wear Boots03. Under The Sun / Every Day Comes And Goes04. After Forever05. Into The Void06. Snowblind07. War Pigs08. N.I.B.09. Hand Of Doom10. Supernaut / Sabbath Bloody Sabbath / Megalomania (medley)11. Rat Salad12. Iron Man13. Dirty Women14. Children Of The Grave

Encore:

15. Paranoid

Ozzy last week called his life with BLACK SABBATH "the most incredible adventure" and said the band had "run its course."

"One of the proudest things I have in my heart is the fact that BLACK SABBATH wasn't a band that was created by some big mogul," he said. "It was four guys who said, 'Let's have a dream,' and it came true beyond our wildest expectations."

SABBATH guitarist Tony Iommi said that he wouldn't rule out the possibility of doing one-off shows. He explained: "I wouldn't write that off, if one day that came about. That's possible. Or even doing an album, 'cause then, again, you're in one place. But I don't know if that would happen."

SABBATH's "The End" tour was its last because Iommi, who was diagnosed with cancer in 2012 and is currently in remission, can no longer travel for extended amounts of time. He admitted: "It was only when I got ill, that's when I stated getting vulnerable. Before that, I could do anything… And they're going, 'You shouldn't be flying, really.' And, 'You shouldn't be doing this, you shouldn't be doing that.' So that's what brought that about — the end of this, really, because the constant touring does eventually get to you."

SABBATH wrote and recorded its 2013 reunion album, "13", and toured it all over the world while Iommi was going through treatment for his illness, with the guitarist having to fly back to England every six weeks.

Asked what he'll do after SABBATH, Iommi replied, "I'm wondering, because it's gonna be such a weird thing, because BLACK SABBATH's always been my life, ever since day one, and everything's fell by the wayside to BLACK SABBATH — all the marriages and everything — over the band, basically, because I'm always out working and always doing this, always in the studio. So it's gonna be pretty weird, that last show."

The original lineup of SABBATH came together in 1969 with Osbourne on vocals, Iommi on guitar, Geezer Butler on bass and Bill Ward on drums. That lineup recorded and toured through 1978, and periodically reformed through the '90s and 2000s for live work.

They regrouped again in late 2011 for a new album and tour, although Ward dropped out after just a few months. SABBATH has used singer Ozzy Osbourne's regular touring drummer Tommy Clufetos since then for live work. RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE's Brad Wilk laid down the drum tracks on "13", which came out in June 2013.

METALLICA has been forced to reschedule its February 5 concert in Copenhagen, Denmark.

The show has been postponed until September 2 after the band's frontman, James Hetfield, was given "strict doctor's orders to not sing one single note."

Tickets for the original date will be honored for the rescheduled performance.

METALLICA was forced to play an abbreviated set Friday night (February 3) at the first of four scheduled shows at the Royal Arena after Hetfield complained times during the show about being ill, even asking the audience at one point whether they thought METALLICA should continue with the performance.

Earlier today, METALLICA released the following statement regarding Hetfield's condition and status of the remaining Copenhagen shows:

"We're very disappointed to have to share with you that, unfortunately, as Saturday has progressed, James's health, and specifically his throat, is not improving and he is under strict doctor's orders to not sing one single note. So sadly we have to report that we will be postponing tomorrow's show at the Royal Arena until September 2, 2017.

"Our week here in Copenhagen is something we have had circled on the calendar for a very long time as a special event not only for our friends in Denmark but also for us and we were really looking forward to celebrating the new arena with you.

"To those of you who were there yesterday, we appreciate you encouraging us to carry on . . . That meant the world to us! We all felt really bummed that we were unable to give you the maximum METALLICA experience; it was one of the most challenging shows we've ever played, but your love and support got us through.

"We know that many of you made travel plans to spend the weekend with us and we are very sorry for any inconvenience this will cause. We hope that you will be able to come back to Copenhagen in September and we'll do our best to make it up to everyone with something unique for you at the make-up gig, along with a kick-ass show, of course! And to APHYXION, the band who won your votes to be Sunday's opening act, we hope you're available in September.

"Thank you again for all the support and care you've always shown us in Denmark. We will be back!

"The technicalities: If you have already traveled to Denmark and are able to attend either of the shows on February 7th or 9th, please contact Ticketmaster Denmark, who will do their best to help with replacement tickets for one of these shows although they are very limited.

"If you are not able to attend the rescheduled date on September 2nd, please contact them before March 1st for a refund of your tickets. Phone: + 45 7015 6565 or by email servicecenter@ticketmaster.dk. A refund will only apply to the original buyer of the tickets, and you will need to verify your ownership of the tickets by providing Ticketmaster with the last four digits of your credit card number. Face value will be refunded but not service fees.

"P.S.: We are monitoring James's voice on a day-to-day basis so watch this space for updates."

Assuming that Hetfield regains his voice in the next couple of days, METALLICA will play two more shows at the Royal Arena this month — on February 5, February 7 and February 9 — before performing at the 59th annual Grammy Awards on February 12, at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California. The ceremony will be televised at 8:00 p.m. on CBS.

The band is nominated this year in the "Best Rock Song" category for the track "Hardwired".

The group has plans to hit the rest of Europe, South America and North America in the months ahead, including its first proper U.S. trek in eight years.

Gene Simmons attended Ace Frehley's concert Friday night (February 3) at The Saban in Beverly Hills, California, marking the first time the KISS legends were photographed together since their 2014 induction into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame.

A picture of Simmons and Frehley was posted on the former KISS guitarist's Facebook page, along with the following caption: "MEANWHILE ~ some guy name 'Eugene' crashed Ace's VIP meet-n-greet last nite in Beverly Hills without rendering payment. If any of you Rock Soldiers can identify this man of mystery, let us know!"

Rumors about Frehley's return to KISS gained strength last year after he teamed up with KISS lead singer Paul Stanley on a cover of FREE's "Fire And Water" in what was their first collaboration since 1998's "Psycho Circus".

Frehley's version of "Fire And Water" appears on his covers collection "Origins, Vol 1", which received great reviews and landed in the Top 25 on the Billboard album chart.

Asked if there is a chance that he will re-team with KISS, Frehley told "Talking Metal" at the Revolver Music Awards in December: "I haven't heard anything from Paul and Gene — although I did get a text from Gene the other day. He wanted to come see me perform this January. So, you know, maybe he'll pop the big question. Who knows? [Laughs]

He added: "Whatever happens, we're all good. It's all good."

Ace's "Talking Metal" comments echoed those he made in November when he told Eddie Trunk of the "Trunk Nation" radio show: "I haven't been contacted [about a reunion]. I'm not ruling it out. It's a possibility, I guess. But the ball's in Paul and Gene's court. If that's something that they would like to do to end off the career of KISS, I think it could be… if it was handled correctly, it could be great. But those guys pretty much run the show these days. And I'm doing my thing, and they're doing their thing. And if it happens, it'd be great, and if it doesn't, I'll be fine and they'll be fine."

Ace told "Trunk Nation" that his relationship with his former bandmates was never bad as it was portrayed by the media. "However the press colors the fact that we don't get along, in reality we do," he said. "You know, we have disagreements and things are said sometimes, taken out of context. But I've always been friends with those guys and they've been friends with me. We may not have agreed about certain things over the years and maybe there were times we didn't talk. I mean, we created something amazing that withstood the test of time."

Asked why Simmons ended up not appearing on "Origins Vol. 1", Ace told the WPDH 101.5 FM radio station: "Well, I tried calling Gene a couple of times and I got his answering machine. So I shot him a few different texts. I even went as far as to get ahold of Doc McGhee [KISS's manager] and tell Doc to let Gene know I wanted to get ahold of him. And I guess either he didn't get the message or he was just too busy. So I said, 'Well, let me reach to Paul.' I had Paul's cell phone [number] in my phone. I gave him a buzz, and he picked up immediately. And from the outset, he thought it was a great idea and would be a lot of fun. It took a while to choose which song we wanted to do. We were originally thinking about DEREK AND THE DOMINOS' [version of Jimi Hendrix's] 'Little Wing', then we were kicking around maybe 'My Generation' [by THE WHO]. But towards the end of the elimination process, I came up with the idea for [FREE's] 'Fire And Water', and he loved it."

Fan-filmed video footage of GUNS N' ROSES' February 4 concert at Western Springs in Auckland, New Zealand can be seen below.

As previously reported, thirteen concerts on the South American leg of GUNS N' ROSES' "Not In This Lifetime" tour yielded a total box office gross of $56.5 million, according to Billboard Boxscore. More than 565,000 tickets were sold for the shows, including 105,000 tickets for the November 4 and November 5 gigs in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and another 93,600 for the November 11 and November 12 dates in São Paulo, Brazil.

The trek's total gross now stands at a whopping $192 million, according to Billboard.

Last summer's North American leg, which consisted of 25 shows in 21 stadiums, grossed $116.8 million with over one million tickets sold.

The band's appearances at MetLife Stadium in the metropolitan New York City market brought in $11.6 million from shows on July 23 and 24.

The tour features classic lineup members Slash on guitar, Duff McKagan on bass and Axl Rose on vocals, backed by drummer Frank Ferrer, guitarist Richard Fortus, and keyboardists Dizzy Reed and Melissa Reese.

GUNS N' ROSES is coming back to North America this summer for at least another 15 stadium dates starting on July 27 in St. Louis.

The band kicked off its reunion trek last April with a club show in Hollywood and appearances in Las Vegas and at California's Coachella festival.

VENOM INC., the new band featuring original VENOM members Jeff "Mantas" Dunn (guitar) and Anthony "Abaddon" Bray (drums) alongside ex-VENOM bassist/vocalist Tony "Demolition Man" Dolan, has inked a deal with Nuclear Blast. The band's debut album is tentatively due later in the year.

VENOM INC. is not to be confused with the Conrad "Cronos" Lant-fronted version of VENOM, which is continuing to tour and make albums under the VENOM moniker. Joining Cronos in that group are Rage (a.k.a. Stuart Dixon) on guitar and Danté (a.k.a. Danny Needham) on drums.

Asked by the Steel Mill web site how the formation of VENOM INC. came about, Dolan said: "Cronos has been doing shows and recording for the last ten years as VENOM. Why does he need to stop? VENOM INC., the name was our old European agent's idea and using the original logo included in the name, which is not owned by Cronos. Oliver Weinsheimer, my friend and producer of the Keep It True festival, invited MPIRE OF EVIL to play [in 2015] and asked if I could fix it to have us play with Abaddon for fans doing a bunch of VENOM classic songs. We did play, and the fans' reaction to it as well as promoters across the planet told us to continue by wanting to book us and see us. So following Keep It True, we kind of had a choice: do we just go and do it or not? We decided yes, why not?"

Regarding what the fan response to VENOM INC. has been like so far, Dolan said: "[The fans have been] more [receptive] than we even thought about. There will always be those who prefer the original lineup of VENOM because that is where they came in and it has meaning for them. Same as those who prefer the VENOM lineup now over others. Some liked when Anton was there best and many love when it was us three. More is always better, so as long as the beast is alive, I think, who cares? We need it to be alive, and good music is good music, full stop. Choice is a great thing, and people prefer what they prefer. Could be coffee, could be tea or they could hate both. But that's the beauty of life: choice. You don't have to, you can want to, it's simple."

He continued: "VENOM INC. has had amazing fans and support from Asia through Europe, South America, North America… everywhere we have played, it has been breathtaking, and the places we have not yet want us bad to go. So [I] can't say anything but good. It's very humbling, and I am totally honored to be received so warmly. Best thing is everyone gets it — what we do, they get it!"

Dunn, Bray and Dolan released three albums as VENOM between 1989 and 1992 — "Prime Evil" (1989), "Temples Of Ice" (1991) and "The Waste Lands" (1992).

The classic lineup of VENOM — Lant, Dunn and Bray — is often credited with kickstarting the whole black metal movement, but is more accurately seen an early example of extreme metal.

VENOM's second album, 1982's "Black Metal", was a major influence on on the early Norwegian black metal scene.

On February 14, MVD Entertainment will release the feature film debut of Geoff Tate, former lead vocalist of the legendary metal band QUEENSRŸCHE. Titled "The Burningmoore Deaths" (formerly "The Burningmoore Incident"), the horror film — written and directed by Jonathan Williams — is inspired by true events surrounding unsolved murders captured on security cameras during a production shoot of a home improvement TV show pilot.

Tate takes on the role of James Parrish, a man who allegedly killed his own wife and three children before disappearing without a trace. With the home now vacated and boarded up, a home-improvement company gets permission to film the renovation process for a test pilot for a TV network, not knowing that Parrish had returned to take up residence once again in the derelict building. Bloody chaos ensues — and it's all captured on camera!

"The Burningmoore Deaths" features an original score by Andrew Kadin with additional music by DAWN OF SOLACE and Geoff Tate.

"I think I've always done it... In our own shows and with the way I present music," said Tate. "It all has a bit of a stage acting bend to it. So this wasn't really a stretch for me. It was just playing to a different audience, to a camera rather than a room full of people, but it's the same thing. You play-act and you make stuff up and you present that like you would in a stage show. "

Filmed in 2010, "The Burningmoore Deaths" will be available on all digital stores for download and also available on DVD in retail stores, the MVD Shop, and on Amazon.

Spinefarm Records has announced the signing of North Carolina's HE IS LEGEND. The band will release its new album on April 28. "We're very excited to start a new relationship with people who truly understand this band as a whole," said HE IS LEGEND frontman Schuylar Croom. "It was really important for us to find the proper home for this record after seeing the tremendous response from our fans during the crowdfunding campaign. We truly believe Spinefarm Records is the best possible partner to help us keep that momentum trending in the right direction. "In our eyes, this is the most important HE IS LEGEND record to date and we're happy that our friends at Spinefarm are going to help us get this album out to the masses." HE IS LEGEND will embark on a slate of headline tour dates in March and will also support NORMA JEAN.

Japanese electro-metal heroes CROSSFAITH have dropped a video stream for "Revolution - The Bloody Beetroots Remix", the first single to be taken from the band's "New Age Warriors Remix" EP, which will be released on February 10. The EP contains remixes from The Bloody Beetroots, Shikari Soundsystem, KSUKE, The Qemists and more. CROSSFAITH vocalist Kenta Koie says: "We believe there's no border between rock and dance music, and so our new singles on 'New Age Warriors' have been reconstructed by amazing artists who share this understanding with us. You guys will find new possibilities through these remixes. This is another side of New Age Warriors. Don't miss it!" "New Age Warriors Remix" EP track listing: 01. Rx Overdrive (Zardonic Remix)02. Rx Overdrive (TeddyLoid Remix)03. Kill 'Em All (The Qemists Remix)04. Kill 'Em All (Shikari Sound System Remix)05. Revolution (The Bloody Beetroots Remix)06. Revolution (Ksuke Remix) CROSSFAITH's latest album, "Xeno", was released in September 2015 in North America via Razor & Tie. The album has a story of hope, failure, love, betrayal and death woven into its fabric so skillfully it's impossible to tell where truth ends and fiction begins. It's both an escape from and examination of reality that reveals more and more truths the further it delves. Produced by Josh Wilbur (AVENGED SEVENFOLD, LAMB OF GOD, HATEBREED) and mastered by Ted Jensen, "Xeno" takes the groundwork laid by 2013's "Apocalyze" and 2012's "Zion" EP as well as the band's vast touring history and catapults them into a whole new league.

METALLICA was forced to play an abbreviated set Friday night (February 3) at Royal Arena in Copenhagen, Denmark.

The band's frontman, James Hetfield, complained times during the show about being ill and even asked the audience at one point whether they thought METALLICA should continue with the performance.

"It's not fair to you guys, man," Hetfield told the crowd (see video below). "You paid a lot of good money to come and see your favorite band, and we don't sound good.

"I'm gonna leave it up to you, man. Would you rather hear us sound better another time?

"I wanna stop. What do you say?"

After the 15,500-strong audience responded with a resounding "No!", Hetfield added: "Okay. You asked for it. All right. I'll keep doing my best, all right? I appreciate you guys so much, man. Thank you for your support."

METALLICA was reportedly planning on including the songs "Halo On Fire" and "Sad But True" in setlist for the Copenhagen concert, but decided to drop them at the last minute as a result of Hetfield's illness. The band still managed to play sixteen tracks at the show — including no less than five cuts from their latest album, "Hardwired… To Self-Destruct": "Hardwired", "Atlas, Rise!" , "Now That We're Dead", "Moth Into Flame" and "Confusion" — before calling it a night.

METALLICA has three more shows scheduled for the Royal Arena — on February 5, February 7 and February 9 — before performing at the 59th annual Grammy Awards on February 12, at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California. The ceremony will be televised at 8:00 p.m. on CBS.

The band is nominated this year in the "Best Rock Song" category for the track "Hardwired".

The group has plans to hit the rest of Europe, South America and North America in the months ahead, including its first proper U.S. trek in eight years.

The Jamie Brown-directed video for "Breakout", a brand new song from KXM, the project featuring drummer Ray Luzier (KORN), bassist/vocalist Doug Pinnick (KING'S X) and guitarist George Lynch (LYNCH MOB, DOKKEN), can be seen below. The track is taken from the band's sophomore album, "Scatterbrain", which will be released on March 17 via Rat Pak Records.

The follow-up to KXM's 2014 self-titled debut is currently available for pre-order via the Rat Pak web site in various bundles, including signed CDs and t-shirts. "Scatterbrain" was recorded at the Steakhouse studio in North Hollywood, California. The 13-track effort was helmed by Chris "The Wizard" Collier (FLOTSAM AND JETSAM, PRONG, LAST IN LINE), who also produced KXM's debut. From the infectious riff of the album opener "Scatterbrain" to the outro of "Angel", KXM has created something truly special and musically diverse. Songs like "Breakout", "Calypso" and "True Deceivers" are sonically different from each other, taking the listener on a musical journey.

"Scatterbrain" is thematically a darker record than the debut. The album builds upon the developed KXM rock sound but this time includes some different dynamics drawing inspiration from prog, ska, punk and metal. Through it all, it remains undeniably KXM. Recorded over the span of ten days, every song on "Scatterbrain" was the result of a musical jam from all three members playing together in the same room. Luzier explains: "We wanted to use the same formula as the first KXM record: book studio time, come in fresh every day with a new idea and run with it and not overthink anything." Lynch describes the sessions as record-topia: "We showed up in the studio, camped out with a bunch of gear and let the tape roll! Just like the first album — no pre-production, no rehearsal, no pre-written songs." Pinnick adds: "The vibe was like a bunch of old friends having fun creating music like the previous record — nothing but fun!" "Scatterbrain" track listing: 01. Scatterbrain02. Breakout03. Big Sky Country04. Calypso05. Not A Single Word06. Obsession07. Noises In The Sky08. Panic Attack09. It's Never Enough10. True Deceivers11. Stand12. Together13. Angel KXM takes its name from the combination of the members' other projects: K from KORN, X from KING'S X and M from LYNCH MOB.

In an interview with Revolver magazine, Luzier, Lynch and Pinnick spoke about how KXM came together.

"I had a birthday party for my son and invited a bunch of friends and musicians," Ray said. "Doug and George ended up in my home studio picking up my guitars and jamming around a bit. George said, 'We should all do a record together sometime,' and I said, 'That would be a dream come true!'

"I've been a huge KING'S X fan for decades and have been following George and had respected his playing for decades. We just tried to figure out everyone's schedules to make it happen. I give it up for George for being so persistent in getting this going. KORN tours all year, every year, and with Doug and George's crazy schedules, it's just awesome that we made it happen. I'm very pleased with the result."

Pinnick added: "George was the instigator. Ray and I have known each other for quite a while and always talked about doing something together, but George brought it up at Ray's party and we agreed. George got after it and Ray did the same! Before I knew it, we were in a studio in the mountains, got a record deal, a video and a CD. As they say in Texas, 'You gotta get after it!' George has an incredible amount of energy and humor, and he gets things done. I've learned a lot from him. He's a true genius with the heart of a saint — and he comes up with some crazy guitar parts."

Lynch said: "When you're working as a pro musician in L.A., you're frequently running into other players who you know and respect. A lot of times, the 'dream band' conversation comes up. It's fun to talk about. A lot of times, it's the alcohol talking. But the reality for most of us is that we're locked into other commitments and obligations that in the cold light of day don't really afford us the time or flexibility to pull off these projects that look great on paper.

"I'm not trying to take credit here, but I gotta honestly say I was determined to follow through and at least push hard enough to see if we could get any momentum going. Ray jumped right in and was obviously really excited about making it happen, despite his insanely busy schedule with KORN. I think for Doug, it was sort of like, 'Well, yeah, sure, I'll invest some time and energy into this,' but I don't think he realized how profound and potentially musically rewarding and even important KXM could become. But as the writing and recording started to happen and evolve, he became like a little kid in a candy store!"

INVIDIA, the new band featuring former and current members of FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH, IN THIS MOMENT and SKINLAB, will release its debut album, "As The Sun Sleeps", on March 31 via SPV.

The official video for the song "Feed The Fire" can be seen below.

Fans may recognize vocalist Travis Johnson as the bassist from in IN THIS MOMENT as well as bassist Matt Snell as ex-member of FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH. Guitarists Brian Jackson and and Marcos Medina have worked together in SKINLAB. Since forming at the start of 2016, INVIDIA has had one purpose — to create good rock music with no rules and an open mind, leading them to immerse in everything from "radio rock" to "Bay Area thrash" and all that lies in between. INVIDIA has allowed each of the members of the band to produce music in their purest form.

When asked about "Feed The Fire", Snell asserted: "This video will blow you away! Brian Cox and everyone at Flare Light Films really knocked this one out of the park." Jackson added: "It was a fantastic experience being a part of this video and bringing the song to life. It was a pleasure working with such a talented cast and crew. We hope you all enjoy it as much as we do."

"As The Sun Sleeps" track listing:

01. Now Or Never02. Making My Amends03. Feed The Fire04. Rotten05. Marching Dead06. Smell The Kill07. Til Death08. Step Up09. Truth In The Sky10. The Other Side11. As The Sun Sleeps

"As The Sun Sleeps" was produced and co-written by Logan Mader (ONCE HUMAN, MACHINE HEAD). "I loved working on this album!" he said. "INVIDIA's sound has huge balls while maintaining a great sense of mass appeal with big hooks and heavy grooves. The guys are dead serious about making it all happen and very self-sufficient. Producing records like this makes my job fun and inspiring."

Regarding the vibe and feel of "As The Sun Sleeps", Mader said: "I would call it hard rock/metal with big balls. It's got big choruses. It's got big hooks. It also has a serious 'metal energy,' which is where we all come from in our musical backgrounds. There are some songs that fit the American active rock radio format. There are some songs with a modern-industrial-type feel mixed with a kind of a pop sensibility and big chorus. The other end of the spectrum is more of a groove metal which draws a little bit from that classic PANTERA vibe. It gives it that sort of heavy testosterone metal feel."

In an interview with Rich Inzinna and Paula Noto from "The S.I.R.E.N." radio show on iRadioUSA.com, Travis stated about how INVIDIA was formed: "This all came together super fast and super flawless. I guess stars kind of aligned, really. I put something up online and Brian hit me up. He said, 'Dude, I'd be totally down t do some work together,' and that kind of thing. And I was, like, 'You know what? I totally miss singing. And I'm totally down for that.'"

He continued: "The funny thing is, everybody that's involved in this project as of now has worked together at different times except for me and Brian. So it's almost funny. It was like this circle that was just missing a piece for it all to connect. So once me and Brian got together, the whole circle came together, and within six weeks, this whole record's done, completely recorded, everybody's in place. And it's almost super ironic the way it all came together."

Travis, who still plays bass in IN THIS MOMENT, added: "We're all super excited about this project. I'm stoked to be singing again. I love playing bass, obviously, but I've been a singer for a long fucking time. I just took a huge break, so it's good to be able to kind of get back into it and kind of have my cake and eat it too, and be on both sides."

INVIDIA is:

* Matt Snell (FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH) - Bass* Travis Johnson (IN THIS MOMENT) - Vocals* Brian Jackson (SKINLAB) - Guitar* Darren Badorine - Drums* Marcos Medina (SKINLAB) - Guitar

Photo credit: Fred Morledge / PhotoFM.com

Reactivated Brooklyn hard rock veterans LIFE OF AGONY will release their new album, "A Place Where There's No More Pain", on April 28 via Napalm. The band's fifth studio LP will mark LIFE OF AGONY's first release since singer Mina Caputo (formerly known as Keith Caputo) came out as transgender in 2011.

The "A Place Where There's No More Pain" title track can now be streamed below.

"We have a long history of connecting to our fans on an emotional level through our words and music," says LIFE OF AGONY bassist/lyricist Alan Robert. "And that's why I think there's something really relevant and timeless about the message behind the title track, 'A Place Where There's No More Pain'. It's about facing your problems head-on in order to find peace within yourself. A topic that really hits home for a lot of our fans struggling with their own demons. The opening line, 'running away only makes it worse,' couldn't be more true, because sooner or later those problems will catch up with you, and when they do, you gotta be strong enough to deal with them."

"A Place Where There's No More Pain" track listing:

01. Meet My Maker 02. Right This Wrong 03. A Place Where There’s No More Pain 04. Dead Speak Kindly 05. A New Low 06. World Gone Mad 07. Bag Of Bones 08. Walking Catastrophe09. Song For The Abused 10. Little Spots Of You

In support of "A Place Where There's No More Pain", LIFE OF AGONY will hit the road this spring in the Northeast United States. The first short run of dates kicks off April 27 in Allston, Massachusetts and runs through April 29 in Poughkeepsie, New York. The second jaunt begins May 12 in Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania and runs through May 20 in Sayreville, New Jersey. LIFE OF AGONY returned to the stage and performed on multiple festival dates in Europe over the summer of 2014. The band's famed "River Runs Red" lineup, consisting of vocalist Mina Caputo, guitarist Joseph Zampella (a.k.a. Joey Z), bassist Alan Robert and drummer Sal Abruscato, was excited to take the stage together once again after a three-year hiatus.

Robert previously stated about "A Place Where There's No More Pain": "This record is a monster and we're so psyched to finally share it come April. It's got such an energy to it. Raging guitar riffs, heartfelt lyrics and killer grooves.

"We definitely turned things up a few notches in 2017, and it feels great. And I gotta say, we've never been so focused as a band. Before we even wrote the first note, we all knew what kind of record we wanted to make. You can hear that drive and intensity in the tracks and you can feel the momentum building."

"Goddamn Trouble", the new video from New Jersey thrash metal veterans OVERKILL, can be seen below. The clip was directed by Kevin Custer and edited by Denise Korycki at Wild Wind Productions (CANNIBAL CORPSE, KILLSWITCH ENGAGE).

Commented OVERKILL frontman Bobby "Blitz" Ellsworth: "We hooked up again with Kevin Custer, the director behind the videos 'Armorist', 'Bitter Pill', 'Rattlesnake' and 'Bring Me The Night'. It was an 'all-day' event in the great state of New Jersey and Kevin shot two vids for us on that cold January day, 'Goddamn Trouble' and 'Shine On'. A long day but well worth it as he captured the metal chaos and energy. So hit 'Play' and get some 'Trouble'."

"Goddamn Trouble" is taken from OVERKILL's new album, "The Grinding Wheel", which will be released on February 10 via Nuclear Blast. The disc was produced by OVERKILL and mixed by Andy Sneap (MEGADETH, EXODUS, ACCEPT). The artwork was created again by Travis Smith (NEVERMORE, OPETH, SOILWORK, DEATH).

"The Grinding Wheel" track listing:

01. Mean, Green, Killing Machine02. Goddamn Trouble03. Our Finest Hour04. Shine On05. The Long Road06. Let's All Go To Hades07. Come Heavy08. Red White And Blue09. The Wheel10. The Grinding Wheel

Pre-order "The Grinding Wheel" digitally and receive "Mean, Green Killing Machine" and "Our Finest Hour" as instant-grat tracks.

Ellsworth recently told the Croatian metal portal NoiseEyes.com about the delay in getting "The Grinding Wheel" released: "It was simplicity. It was a matter of internal mix-ups. We thought we had the entire month of August to mix, when we really had none of the month of August to mix. When Nuclear Blast [OVERKILL's record label] called us, and said, 'Where's the music?' We said, 'Fifteen more days.' We were really close with the mix, but this was our first time working with [producer/mixer] Andy Sneap and he told us, 'Hey, man, it's close, it's 90 percent, but let's do another twelve days when I get back from a business trip. D.D. [Verni, bass], Dave [Linsk, guitars] and I discussed it, and asked: Do you take the great product? Or do you take the money? That's the way we thought about it. We took the dignity over the money with regard to pushing the release back. I always think of every record as your best opportunity to prove yourselves. If you go out pushing that record out, thinking it's 90 percent, then it fucking is 90 percent. It was a real simple mix-up with regard to time. We blame ourselves for 50 percent and Nuclear for the other 50 percent. No, 51 percent for them, 49 percent for us. [Laughs]"

Regarding the musical direction of the new album, Bobby said: "First and foremost, production. Andy has done some great work with different bands in the genre from ACCEPT to ARCH ENEMY. He's really the metal go-to guy. But we wanted to use his abilities, but we wanted to use them with regard to how we saw the record being. One of the things we saw in modern metal is a guitar tone that doesn't have a cohesive relationship with the drums. We wanted more organic drums to start with, and we wanted a guitar tone that came somewhere out of the high technology of the '90s. So it's really kind of a throwback with regard to our thinking, so if you're thinking a drum sounding like a drum and the guitars sounding more in the vein of 'Horrorscope' for us, where it wasn't just top end, but top end and low end with a little bit of mids carved out of them. I think that's the thing I noticed the most about it. "

He continued: "With regard to songwriting, we had done three records, 'Ironbound', 'The Electric Age' and 'White Devil Armory', that were for us, the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. [Laughs] Or sisters! There's something about them where there was a formula that we were, I think in our opinion, neglecting some of the other tools that we've accumulated over the years. 'The Grinding Wheel' is much more diverse. There's an epic feel to some of the songs. There's a sludgy, slower feel. There is 'Our Finest Hour', which has been released, which could fit on one of those other three records but everything else doesn't seem like it would fit on these records. I think it's a wider OVERKILL, but press play when you get it. I think that's the best way for people to decide. Everybody has got to be a critic. That's the idea of being a music fan. I'm a music fan, but I'm also a critic. I love or I hate, or it's okay. It'd rather be loved or hated, not 'Ah, it's okay, whatever.'"

OVERKILL and NILE will join forces for a U.S. tour in February/March 2017.

Band photo credit: Mark Weiss

A hologram of the late Ronnie James Dio made its U.S. debut last night (Thursday, February 2) at the 28th annual Pollstar Awards at the The Novo (formerly Club Nokia) in Los Angeles, California. Created by Eyellusion, the appearance of the heavy metal icon took place during a performance by DIO DISCIPLES, which pays tribute to Ronnie and is fully supported by his widow/manager, Wendy.

Pollstar Awards honors the best of the worldwide concert industry as the concluding event of Pollstar Live!, which will be held January 31 to February 2 at the J.W. Marriott hotel.

"We were thrilled to give this audience just a taste of the experience that we will start to tour globally later this year," said Jeff Pezzuti, CEO of Eyellusion. "This 'We Rock' performance is now being retired and production is underway on a full show. We are pulling out all the stops to create a live experience that is unlike anything Ronnie's fans have seen before." The day before the performance, as part of the Pollstar Live! conference program, Pezzuti led an Eyellusion-organized panel of music industry veterans in a discussion about the touring hologram opportunity. The session featured Wendy Dio, digital effects pioneer Scott Ross, McGhee Entertainment senior vice president Mark Stroman, Rhino Entertainment president Mark Pinkus, TKO president Andrew Goodfriend, and Singerman Entertainment owner Todd Singerman.

DIO DISCIPLES features former DIO members Simon Wright (drums), Craig Goldy (guitar) and Scott Warren (keyboards) alongside vocalist Tim "Ripper" Owens (JUDAS PRIEST, ICED EARTH, YNGWIE MALMSTEEN) and bassist Bjorn Englen (YNGWIE MALMSTEEN). They are joined by singers Oni Logan (LYNCH MOB) and Joe Retta (SWEET, HEAVEN & EARTH).

The Dio hologram was first introduced at last year's Wacken Open Air festival in Germany.

Pezzuti recently spoke about plans for a 2017 tour featuring the hologram, which will showcase various eras of the legendary metal singer's career.

"For the tour, he's going to have different looks," Pezzuti told the "Talking Metal" podcast. At Wacken, the hologram was built around Dio's image from "somewhere around '88, the 'Dream Evil' era. For this next tour, we're going to be somewhere later than that for certain songs and maybe earlier than that for other songs."

Pezzuti went on to promise "an over-the-top, mind-blowing experience. We are going to have both live singers with Ripper Owens and Oni Logan as part of the show, as well as Ronnie appearing throughout the show at different parts, some duets. It's going to be mind blowing from the fans' perspective. We are going to bring album covers to life. We are going to bring things that are known to Ronnie to life onstage."

The concerts will include several classic tracks from Ronnie, Pezzuti revealed. "Ronnie will be involved in each show from probably six to seven songs a night that he will be singing on," Jeff said. "Some of the ones we can expect are 'We Rock', 'Holy Diver' and 'Rainbow In The Dark'."

Wendy, who manages DIO DISCIPLES and is affiliated with the Eyellusion team, said last year that she was blown away by the initial public appearance of the Ronnie James Dio hologram. "When I first experienced the full production of Ronnie performing with his band as a hologram, I couldn't believe my eyes and ears," she said. "We have been able to get Ronnie back up on stage where he belongs, ensuring that his music and memory live on."

Goldy defended DIO DISCIPLES' decision to perform with the Dio hologram, saying: "We know how much the fans miss Ronnie and the special and unequaled element that he brought to his live performances. Being able to recreate that same kind of magic for his fans at Wacken was incredible. For so many years, Ronnie always invested big in his live shows as his way to give back to the fans, and that is exactly what we aimed to do with this latest performance. We can't wait to bring this experience to even more of his fans and perhaps even a newer generation when we bring this incredible live experience on the road."

Twinkle Twinkle Little Rock Star, the company which creates "beautiful lullaby versions of your favorite artists," has just released "Lullaby Versions Of Avenged Sevenfold V2" via Roma Music Group.

"Lullaby Versions Of Avenged Sevenfold V2" track listing:

01. Hail To The King02. Not Ready To Die03. God Damn04. Roman Sky05. The Stage06. This Means War07. Shepherd Of Fire08. Scream

The song "Hail To The King" can be streamed in the YouTube clip below.

Twinkle Twinkle Little Rock Star was born for the parent that wants to pass along their biggest passion to their child, music. Twinkle Twinkle Little Rock Star transforms popular music into instrumental lullabies perfect for babies, yoga or just relaxation. Now, parents can enjoy the music from LADY GAGA to METALLICA in soothing lullaby style. With over 135 titles to choose from, Twinkle Twinkle Little Rock Star is the largest line of pop, rock, metal and jamband music lullabies in the world. These aren't novelty recordings. They are cute, they are soft but these are serious recordings. Roma Music Group, which releases Twinkle Twinkle Little Rock Star, is run by two music industry veterans who put the fidelity of these recording at the top of the priority list. Let's face it, much like the brand name clothes you buy for your infant, this music is really for you. Whether you are raising a metal baby, rocker or hippie baby, Twinkle Twinkle Little Rock Star has your music transformed from arena anthems into nursery classics.

German hard'n'heavy legends SINNER will release their highly anticipated new studio album "Tequila Suicide" on March 31st.
Meanwhile, have a listen to the brand new song "Battle Hill"!

Produced by Mat Sinner
co-produced, engineered & mixed by Dennis Ward
Written by Mat Sinner & Magnus Karlsson

Mat Sinner - Bass & Vocals
Tom Naumann - Guitars
Alex Scholpp - Guitars
Francesco Jovino - Drums
Sasch Krebs - Vocals

"Gods Of Violence", the new album from German thrash titans KREATOR, has entered the official chart in the band's home country at position No. 1.

Commented singer, guitarist and main songwriter Mille Petrozza: "Wow! Number One in Germany! What a great day in the history of KREATOR. Words can not describe how we feel about this, so we just want to say thanks to all the fans who have made this possible. See you on the 'Gods Of Violence' tour!"

The cover artwork for "Gods Of Violence" was created by renowned artist Jan Meininghaus, who also made the limited-edition artwork for KREATOR's last album, 2012's "Phantom Antichrist", and has lent his talents to bands like BOLT THROWER, ACCEPT and OVERKILL in the past.

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

KREATOR is currently touring Europe in support of the new CD. Petrozza and his crew are accompanied by a varied as well as iconic billing. Brazilian-American extreme metal pioneers SEPULTURA are direct support to the headliners, followed by visionary Swedish melodic death metallers SOILWORK and Belgium's finest death/grind outfit ABORTED.

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





North American cover (by Marcelo Vasco):



International cover (by Jan Meininghaus):

"Salem's Fate", the new video from THE RAVEN AGE, the U.K.-based band led by IRON MAIDEN bassist Steve Harris's son George Harris, can be seen below. The song is taken from THE RAVEN AGE's debut album, "Darkness Will Rise", which will be released on March 17 via BMG.

George told The Moshville Times about THE RAVEN AGE's musical direction: "We label ourselves as melodic metal. Pretty broad, I know, but it describes us perfectly. We're a modern metal band, which you could say sounds metalcore musically, but we use clean vocals only on top of the low-tuned heavy music, which makes it a different thing. We're also influenced by film score and epic music, which I think is apparent in our songs."

Regarding THE RAVEN AGE's influences, George said: "Luckily, we're generally into similar music. We all have our favorites, but are definitely on the same wavelength when it comes to bands. I think metalcore and modern styles of metal were breaking through at the time when we started getting into rock music, so, naturally, we fell in love with bands such as BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE, TRIVIUM, KILLSWITCH ENGAGE, AS I LAY DYING, AVENGED SEVENFOLD, PARKWAY DRIVE, etc. These are the bands, I think, we take most influence from musically, even though we're slightly different."

"Darkness Will Rise" track listing:

01. Darkness Will Rise02. Promised Land03. Age Of The Raven04. The Death March05. Salem's Fate06. The Merciful One07. Eye Among The Blind08. Winds Of Change09. Trapped Within The Shadows10. My Revenge11. The Dying Embers Of Life12. Angel In Disgrace13. Behind The Mask

THE RAVEN AGE is a melodic metal band from London, United Kingdom consisting of five individuals who very quickly became friends through sharing a love for heavy music and a passion for songwriting.

In 2009, guitarists Dan Wright and George Harris began establishing their vision of a band that combines contemporary heavy music with powerful melodic vocals to create an epic and unique sound.

After writing their first album, they began searching for likeminded musicians to join the band and make their vision a reality.

Taking on bass player Matt Cox in 2012, with vocalist Michael Burrough and drummer Jai Patel joining in early 2013, the lineup was complete and ready to take their music to the stage.

THE RAVEN AGE is:

Michael Burrough - VocalsMatt Cox - BassDan Wright - GuitarGeorge Harris - GuitarJai Patel - Drums

The third trailer for "Bringer Of Pain", the fourth album from Finnish metallers BATTLE BEAST, is available below. Due on February 17 via Nuclear Blast Records, the ten-track disc was recorded and produced at JKB Studios by keyboardist Janne Björkroth, was mixed by Björkroth alongside Viktor Gullichsen and Mikko Karmila, and was mastered by Mika Jussila at Finnvox Studios. The cover artwork was crafted by Jan Yrlund.

"Bringer Of Pain" is BATTLE BEAST's first album to feature guitarist Joona Björkroth, who joined the band in 2015.

BATTLE BEAST in February 2015 parted ways with lead guitarist and main songwriter Anton Kabanen due to "insurmountable disagreements" with the other members of the band.

Speaking to Metalholic, BATTLE BEAST vocalist Noora Louhimo stated about the writing process for "Bringer Of Pain": "You always have the pressure on to write good music and do a good album, but now we had extra pressure because people had their suspicions. People were already judging us that, 'They're not going to make it. They're not going to make as good music.' But as you can hear, yes we can! [Laughs] So, yes, it was a nerve-breaking, but still a very rewarding process to do this new album. For me personally, this was such a great experience. I learned so much about the other guys; the other band members. We got Joona to be part of this BATTLE BEAST family and now I'm just full of excitement. I can't wait to get on the road and bring the pain!"

Asked how she thinks having six songwriters instead of one impacts the sound and dynamic of the band, Noora said: "We all learned a lot from each other, how we want to work together. There are so many different ways to write songs. For example, Janne likes to write songs by himself and bring them to the table when they are almost final. I like to do solo also, but I like co-writing also. With Joona, we have a similar wave we are on, and we have a really good work ethic, and a good friendship also. So it's very easy to work with him. I did write some demos with Eero, our bass player, and our other guitar player Jusso, and it was fun also. I think through these next years, we are going to find new ways, and the best ways, for BATTLE BEAST to produce music."

"Bringer Of Pain" track listing:

Digi / CD

01. Straight To The Heart02. Bringer Of Pain03. King For A Day04. Beyond The Burning Skies05. Familiar Hell06. Lost In Wars07. Bastard Son Of Odin08. We Will Fight09. Dancing With The Beast10. Far From Heaven

Bonus (digi only)

11. God Of War12. The Eclipse13. Rock Trash

2LP

Side A

01. Straight To The Heart02. Bringer Of Pain03. King For A Day04. Beyond The Burning Skies

Side B

01. Familiar Hell02. Lost In Wars03. Bastard Son Of Odin

Side C

01. We Will Fight02. Dancing With The Beast03. Far From Heaven

Side D (Bonus)

01. God Of War02. The Eclipse03. Rock Trash

BATTLE BEAST's third studio album, "Unholy Savior", entered the Finnish chart at position No. 1. The CD was released in January 2015 via Nuclear Blast.

Louhimo joined the band in 2012 as the replacement for Nitte Vänskä.

MEMORIAM, the new 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, will release its debut album, "For The Fallen", on March 24 through Nuclear Blast Records. It will contain eight tracks, including "War Rages On", "Resistance" (both featured on "The Hellfire Demos I") and "Surrounded (By Death)" (featured on "The Hellfire Demos II"). The album's impressive artwork was created by Dan Seagrave (BENEDICTION, DISMEMBER, HYPOCRISY, SUFFOCATION).

The third trailer for "For The Fallen", in which the members of MEMORIAM talk about the lyrics and inspirations of the album, is available below.

Seagrave stated about the "For The Fallen" artwork: "Starting from the band's thoughts on visualizing a kind of funeral procession with a theme of combat, war and in conjunction with the title 'For The Fallen', as with all my works, I then attempt to make the information evolve in my mind's eye, and allow imagination to take over those elements but retaining the core concept. The painting thus depicts a funeral procession moving through a long-wartorn cityscape. Twisted shards of towers and buildings. A cathedral facade stands defiantly, yet riddled with destruction and decay. At closer insp,ection the structures all seem to be infected with an element of natural decomposition, as if organically inclined to fade with the demise of the season, the season itself lost in a timeless void. The figures appear as remnants of once soldiers, now strange in their gathered mass, drawn forwards by the drifting momentum of the procession. Unaware of their emaciated state they follow the commander. The commander's elongated appearance is tattered and almost creature-like, with the combat-style elements and gasmask falsely presenting as a costume. The procession appears almost ghost-like, ancient and serene, slowly moving through this eerie place as if forever. Far in the background there might still be a war happening, but perhaps in another time. As we view a sublevel of reality, lost in the present, captured in light, where the war had passed through and we are left in a ghost biology, where chemicals and history meet to create an inescapable surrealism."

To give a first taster of what to expect from this highly-anticipated record, the first single from "For The Fallen", "Reduced To Zero", can be streamed below.

Willetts stated about the track: "'Reduced To Zero' is a comment on the times that we live in. In a world that is dominated by fear, hatred and intolerance, the song is a direct result of Brexit and Trump and the general rise of right wing nationalistic xenophobia."

Pre-order "For The Fallen" now digitally and receive "Reduced To Zero" instantly.

"For The Fallen" track listing:

Digi

01. Memoriam02. War Rages On03. Reduced To Zero04. Corrupted System05. Flatline06. Surrounded (By Death)07. Resistance08. Last Words

LP

Side A

01. Memoriam02. War Rages On03. Reduced To Zero04. Corrupted System

Side B

01. Flatline02. Surrounded (By Death)03. Resistance04. Last Words

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.

Photo credit: Gobinder Jhitta