Scotland-based metal/doom rockers King Witch will release their debut full-length, Under The Mountain, via Listenable Records early this February.
 
Under The Mountain was recorded and produced by guitarist Jamie Gilchrist at their underground studio in their home city of Edinburgh, mixed and mastered by Tom Dring at Vagrant Recordings (Dragged Into Sunlight, Acolyte) in Southport and comes swathed in artwork created by vocalist Laura Donnelly. The record serves as King Witch's follow-up to their debut EP, Shoulders Of Giants, and boasts nine riff-laden tracks offset by the powerful yet bewitching vocals of Donnelly. Influenced by everything from Black Sabbath and Led Zeppelin to Mastodon and High On Fire, Under The Mountain is as melodic as it is monolithic, taking its listener on a journey from soulful doom to full-tilt metal mayhem.
 
Formed in early 2015 in a dark cavern beneath the streets of old Edinburgh, King Witch manifests a potent and heavy brew of old school metal and the meatiest of '70s classic rock. In a time where many seek to stick rigidly within the confines of their chosen genre, King Witch simply writes the songs they want to play.
 
Under The Mountain is scheduled for a February 9th, 2018 release via Listenable Records. Preorders can be found at Listenable.net.

Tracklisting:

“Beneath The Waves”
“Carnal Sacrifice”
“Solitary”
“Under The Mountain”
“Approaching The End”
“Ancients”
“Hunger”
“Possession”
“Black Dog Blues”

(Photo by: Alan Swan)

Extreme metal outfit GRAVEN — formed in the ashes of SWARM OF THE LOTUS — makes its destructive return, ending a four-year hiatus with the construction of a new EP titled "Heirs Of Discord" for release in 2018. With its members currently located in Arizona, Maryland, New Jersey, and Florida, GRAVEN initiated the recording sessions for "Heirs Of Discord" last week, having traveled from their various current residences around the country to lay down tracks at Pristine Audio And Video in St. Petersburg, Florida with engineer Dee Blume, who will also mix and master the record. Teddy Patterson (BURNT BY THE SUN, HUMAN REMAINS, GRIDLINK) has joined the lineup, and in addition, original HUMAN REMAINS guitarist Stephen Procopio will appear on a cover of "Human" from HUMAN REMAINS's ageless "Using Sickness As A Hero". Said GRAVEN: "The time has come to officially announce what we've been working on for a while. Talks started earlier this year about reuniting to get this done and it hasn't been easy, as all of us live in a different part of the country now. Pre-production has been lengthy, involving passing demos back and forth via e-mail, until we felt confident we were ready.

"Our longtime friend Teddy Patterson will be joining us for the album and lending his talent in the bass department. His tracking will be done at Backroom Studios with engineer Kevin Antreassian of THE DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN.

"We are beyond stoked on everything and after a four-year hiatus, we are happy to be back and making music again!" Following the disbanding of SWARM OF THE LOTUS in 2010, three of its members established GRAVEN, reworking the lineup and moving forward with a more extreme approach, bridging the crushing sludge/metallic hardcore explosiveness of the former act with more guttural death, grind, and doom devastation. GRAVEN began to play live in various lineup incarnations in 2011, and released its first EP, "The Filth Will Cleanse", in November 2012. They recorded two songs for a three-way split release with BURN EVERYTHING and RECKONER for Dullest Records which was released in May of 2014, however, GRAVEN went on hiatus in late 2013, leaving at least five songs on the table which were never recorded. Some of this material has been resurrected and reworked, and will finally see the light of day as part of "Heirs Of Discord". The "Heirs Of Discord" sessions will continue at various studios over the next several months, completed with artwork by Unexpected Specter, and released digitally and on vinyl sometime mid-2018, with select live appearances also being scouted out for late next year, following the release. "Heirs Of Discord" track listing:

01. I Dreamt You Were Dead 02. To Ravage And Absolve03. A Failed Mask04. Thieves Of Rotted Ilk05. Backwards To Oblivion06. Human (HUMAN REMAINS cover) GRAVEN is:

Peter Maturi - guitar/vocalsChris Csar - drumsJason Borowy - vocalsTeddy Patterson - bass

British hard rock band MAGNUM will release its new album, "Lost On The Road To Eternity", on January 19, 2018 via Steamhammer/SPV. It will be the 20th studio recording by the group led by founding members Bob Catley (vocals) and Tony Clarkin (guitar) since its 1978 debut, "Kingdom Of Madness". At the same time, Clarkin, Catley and bassist Al Barrow are set to introduce their current lineup, featuring new additions Rick Benton (keyboards) and Lee Morris (ex-PARADISE LOST; drums). Benton joined the MAGNUM camp in December 2016 to replace longstanding member Mark Stanway, while Morris took over from Harry James only a few months ago.

"Lost On The Road To Eternity" contains eleven new songs, among them the first single "Without Love" — the lyric video for which can be seen below — and a duet by Catley and Tobias Sammet on the title track, a kind of artistic thank you by the EDGUY and AVANTASIA frontman in appreciation of Catley's guest stint on a number of Sammet's releases.

The release will once again be complemented by Rodney Matthews's atmospheric cover artwork as well as a total of four live bonus tracks on the CD digipak version ("Sacred Blood - Divine Lies", "Crazy Old Mothers", "Your Dreams Won't Die" and "Twelve Men Wise And Just") recorded at MAGNUM's 2017 performance at the Leyendas Del Rock festival in Alicante, Spain.

"Lost On The Road To Eternity" will be made available as a digipak version including a bonus live disc, 2LP colored version, download and stream.

The track listing for the effort is as follows:

CD 1

01. Peaches And Cream (4:54)
02. Show Me Your Hands (5:45)
03. Storm Baby (6:13)
04. Welcome To The Cosmic Cabaret (8:08)
05. Lost On The Road To Eternity (5:54)
06. Without Love (5:55)
07. Tell Me What You've Got to Say (6:27)
08. Ya Wanna Be Someone (5:56)
09. Forbidden Masquerade (5:02)
10. Glory To Ashes (5:35)
11. King Of The World (7:04)

CD 2 (Bonus Live Disc)

01. Sacred Blood – Divine Lies (6:48)
02. Crazy Old Mothers (5:35)
03. Your Dreams Won't Die (5:56)
04. Twelve Men Wise And Just (6:21)

MAGNUM will embark on a major European tour from January to April 2018.

Devilment, led by Cradle Of Filth frontman Dani Filth, were scheduled to play The Underworld in London, England on December 10th - this show has now been cancelled. Refunds available at point of purchase. The press release reads:

"Dani has been struggling with a torn shoulder muscle since the previous Cradle Of Filth tour, and on advice from his doctors and not wanting to make the injury worse or perform a sub-standard show, we have had to make the decision to cancel the show. Devilment are already in the process of writing the third album, and are looking to return to playing live in summer 2018 festival season.

The band all wish to thank those of you that have been out to see Devilment, and humbly apologise to those of you who have got tickets to the London show. We are all gutted and again would like to thank all of you for your continued support."

The video for “JudasStein”, from Devilment II - The Mephisto Waltzes, can be seen below.

Visionary and highly influential writer Michael Moorcock, who worked with the bands Hawkwind and Blue Öyster Cult, memorably stated that ‘it is the business of the future to be dangerous’.

Ottawa three-piece The Dead Centuries are both futuristic and dangerous… which is as it should be. Influenced by Protest The Hero, Periphery, Paul Gilbert, Sithu Aye and Intervals, The Dead Centuries can easily hold their heads up in such exalted company.

Composing and performing technically precise instrumental progressive metal, The Dead Centuries are rich in virtuosity, melody, compositional skills, and most importantly... they create superb music to listen to. This isn’t the sound of three musicians showing off their undoubted skills, rather they are serving their songs above all else, with every fibre of their beings, every neuron firing in their minds, every tendon in their bodies. In a sense it is as if the three musicians that make up The Dead Centuries have become one mind in their own music.

Set to unleash their debut album, Race Against Time, on January 26th, the full length features ten tracks of melodic, high energy and refreshing material. Full of hook and sinker tracks, shining guitar riffs and overall escapades through their instrumental progressive metal has to offer.

Guitarist Adam Tremblett comments: "The album title Race Against Time is loosely representative of the experience writing, recording, and preparing the collection of songs. Throughout the process there have been band member changes, last minute rewrites, and several other testing circumstances. These have only served to further determine The Dead Centuries to release a high quality release that truly represents the band as a whole."

The first single, "Overdrive", which features a guest guitar solo from Mandroid Echostar's James Krul is available for streaming below.

Tremblett adds: "'Overdrive' is a very melodic, upbeat song, with the focus being on fun singable melodies. Starting with a half tempo clean theme, the song then picks up, keeping the melody, but adding heavier rhythm and more energy. There are several guitar harmonies throughout, a staple of the album. The song also features the album's second guest, James Krul (Mandroid Echostar), again by way of a guitar solo trade off."

Pre-order "Race Against Time" at the band's Bandcamp page, or at iTunes and Google Play.

Tracklisting:

"Freddy Lounds"
"Gotham"
"Reboot"
"Tree Fort"
"Blood Dragon"
"Attack of The Mutant" ft. guest solo Jeff Tremblett
"Venus Gospel"
"Overdrive" ft. guest guitar solo James Krul (Mandroid Echostar)
"Attack of The Mutant Pt. II"
"Souvenir"

"Overdrive":

Album band lineup:

Adam Tremblett – Guitar, Bass, Programming
Bryant McNamara – Drums

Live band lineup:

Adam Tremblett – Guitar
Bryant McNamara – Drums
Jacob McSheffrey - Guitar

(Photo - Adrienne Row-Smith)

EMP Label Group, the U.S.-based label of MEGADETH bassist David Ellefson has announced the relaunch of Combat Records, the seminal punk/thrash label that started MEGADETH's career.

Most will remember Combat as one of the seminal thrash labels of the 1980s, their most prominent artist being, of course, MEGADETH. Combat was also home to HELSTAR, CIRCLE JERKS, EXODUS, NUCLEAR ASSAULT and many of the most influential metal and punk bands of all time.

After a handful of ownership changes and attempted reboots, Combat went dormant in the mid-2000s, the catalog got absorbed by Sony, and the label itself ceased to exist. In 2016, Ellefson, with his partner Thom Hazaert from EMP Label Group, did the due diligence to research and acquire the intellectual property for the Combat Records brand, and bring it home to the EMP family.

With the utmost respect to the legacy of the past, Combat will relaunch in 2018 as an imprint of EMP Label Group, releasing not only new records from classic thrash and metal artists, but as a home for new and up-and-coming artists as well. The first tentative Combat releases in 2018 will be the North American release of the upcoming studio album from legendary NWOBHM titans RAVEN, a limited-edition classic B-sides release from HELSTAR (both original Combat artists) and new releases from Connecticut hardcore/metal staples DEAD BY WEDNESDAY and '80s progressive thrash favorites WRATH.

Says Ellefson: "Today is a really exciting day, as after over a year, it was finally announced the we will be relaunching the legendary Combat Records as a new label through EMP Label Group.

"So excited and honored to be able to revive such an iconic brand that was so instrumental to my history.

"Even though we signed to Capitol after 'Killing Is My Business', Combat's logo was on all the MEGADETH releases through 'Countdown To Extinction', and it truly was/is one of the most iconic metal labels of all time, even being home to some of the other artists who would end up on the EMP roster, like HELSTAR. The same independent spirit that drove Combat in those early days is truly the same spirit that drives what we do with EMP, and we are honored to launch another amazing conduit to support new and established metal artists, with great respect to the legacy of the past.

"And to clarify, we do not own any rights to the Combat back catalog. That is owned, and controlled by Sony, and they have done a great job of curating it through other imprints. Combat Records will solely focus on NEW releases under the Combat banner. As always, thank you for your support, and stay tuned for more details!"

Combat will be distributed through EMP Label Group, via Amped Distribution in North America, and SPV in Europe.

Artwork by: Melody Myers

Zimmers Hole (featuring 3/4 of Strapping Young Lad) - Jed Simon aka "El Smooche" (Strapping Young Lad, Scar The Martyr, Tenet, Vimic) and bassist Byron Stroud aka "Sickie Moochmaster" (Strapping Young Lad, Fear Factory, City Of Fire, 3 Inches Of Blood) alongside legendary drummer Gene Hoglan aka "The Atomic Clock" (Strapping Young Lad, Testament, Dethklok, Death, Dark Angel) and front-devil Chris Valagao aka "Lorde Heathen" (West Of Hell) - have just inked a fresh worldwide deal with Scrape Records.

Scrape Records will be reissuing the entire Zimmers Hole catalogue (Bound By Fire, 1997, Legion Of Flames, 2002 and When You Were Shouting At The Devil... We Were In League With Satan, 2008) on special edition CD and for the very first time on 180 gram vinyl in 2018. All hand-numbered including a small amount of CDs and vinyl autographed by the band and more. Not available in stores.

Additional liner notes from Devin Townsend and new artwork from Travis Smith (Opeth, Strapping Young Lad, Death, Devin Townsend).

Pre-orders / bundles available now at scraperecords.com/zimmers-hole/.

Scrape Records have also set up an Indiegogo pre-order campaign featuring rare and one-of-a-kind Zimmers Hole / SYL / Devin Townsend related items at this location.

Watch out for a brand new Zimmers Hole studio album on Scrape Records in late 2018.

Three members of the classic DOKKEN lineup have reunited in a new project called SUPER STROKE. The band, which is rounded out by former LYNCH MOB and current WARRANT singer Robert Mason, is working on material for its debut album, to be released in late 2018.

In a brand new interview with Glide Magazine, former DOKKEN bassist Jeff Pilson, who has been a member of FOREIGNER for the past 13 years, said: "I have a project that we'll be announcing soon that is George Lynch, Mick Brown and I, from DOKKEN. We have a project with Robert Mason called SUPER STROKE. It won't be coming out until well into next year but we've already written a lot of songs for that and it's absolutely stupendous. I am really proud of that and real excited."

Asked what the SUPER STROKE music sounds like, Pilson said: "There's definitely some DOKKEN in there. There is a little bit of the straight-ahead LYNCH MOB-ness in certain aspects but then another aspect we get quite musical. It's not progressive but very musical. Some of the songs are pretty epic in their musicality. George is playing his ass off. I mean, the whole band is playing great, I got to say. And Robert is just an amazing singer and it's so much fun. Robert is in WARRANT right now, and he was the second singer for LYNCH MOB. There's a lot of connections in there. So I'm doing that."

DOKKEN's classic lineup reunited for a short Japanese tour in the fall of 2016. The trek marked the first time in twenty-one years DOKKEN's classic lineup had hit the road.

A CD and DVD of DOKKEN's Japanese tour will tentatively arrive in March 2018. It will feature footage from two of the Japanese shows — including Tokyo — plus a brand new song, for which DOKKEN plans to film a video in December.

Singer Don Dokken told "The Classic Metal Show" that the main reason he doesn't want to continue with the classic DOKKEN lineup is that he "loves" the band he has now — which features Brown, alongside guitarist Jon Levin and bassist Chris McCarvill.

German power metallers IRON SAVIOR will release "Reforged - Riding On Fire" on December 8 via AFM Records. The disc contains re-recorded versions of the best and most popular songs IRON SAVIOR has released so far. These 2017 re-recordings come with a much more powerful sound, of course, but the band managed to keep the songs' original character and feel.

IRON SAVIOR decided to re-record the material because the band's early albums was not available anymore but a reissue was not possible due to legal reasons.

"We can't re-release our albums from the Noise Records years in their initial form," IRON SAVIOR leader Piet Sielck says, "but we are free to re-record songs from these albums. We've approached this challenge with a lot of enthusiasm."

"Reforged - Riding On Fire" will be made available as a two-CD digipak and double vinyl.

"Reforged - Riding On Fire" track listing:

01. Riding On Fire
02. Battering Ram
03. Brave New World
04. Prisoner Of The Void
05. Titans Of Our Time
06. Eye To Eye
07. For The World
08. Mindfeeder
09. Watcher In The Skye
10. Mind Over Matter
11. Warrior
12. Iron Savior
13. Tales Of The Bold
14. No Heroes
15. Break The Curse
16. Condition Red
17. Protector
18. I've Been To Hell
19. Atlantis Falling

The new version of "Battering Ram", taken from "Reforged - Riding On Fire", can be streamed below.

After a long five-year wait, New Jersey's Spider Rockets are at long last rolling out the lyric video to support their new single, "Sick". The single is from the group's upcoming full album release, Along Came a Spider, due out early 2018. Watch the clip below.

The new lyric video is a bit of a departure from the typical After Effects, graphics-driven lyric video flooding the current scene.

"We wanted to keep it organic, flowing, and to reflect the theme of the actual song," reveals lead singer, Helena Cos.

The video frames a scene set on a bar top where an unwilling female hand is passing handwritten notes (the song's lyrics) to a captive audience of one - a male hand on the receiving end. Suffice it to say the evening doesn't go very well for the bar fly looking for a hookup.

"It was all shot in a single take with no edits," adds guitarist, John Nap. "This made the shoot really fun, but we definitely have new respect for bands that do this kind of stuff. It's really hard to get all the action just right without screwing something up and then fixing it in post!"

The band's new album is the long-awaited follow up to 2012's, Bitten, which spawned the single "Going Down", adopted by Charlotte Flair of the WWE (daughter to wrestling icon, Ric Flair) as her introduction and victory theme song for much of 2014.

"Sick", as well as the rest of the new material, follows in the footsteps of Spider Rockets' previous album - delivering their brand of lean and mean, straight-ahead rock that has earned them their no-nonsense reputation.

When asked why "Sick" was chosen to mark their return, Helena confessed, "Keeping angry feelings bottled up inside rarely works for us. So, instead, we share them in a song. Unicorns and rainbows? Hell no!  We're here to kick your ass and make you sick."

The group is currently planning some live dates for the New Year, so keep your eyes open, especially in the northeastern United States. Spider Rockets' "Sick" will be available for download via most online music sites tomorrow, Friday, December 8th.

Black Sabbath recently issued their new multi-format release, The End, which captures the final destination of the band's touring adventure - an unforgettable farewell show at the Genting Arena in Black Sabbath’s hometown of Birmingham. Filmed on February 4th, 2017, The End captures the legendary lineup celebrating their storied career, marking the closure of a monumental chapter in rock history. Watch "Iron Man" from the new release below.

The End can be ordered at both Eagle Rock and Music Vaultz.

With a hit packed set list including "Iron Man", "Paranoid", "War Pigs" and many more, the high production values, visual effects and pyrotechnics wowed fans, as the band delivered the most emotionally charged show of their lives. “Because it was Birmingham, it was a special night for us,” said Tony Iommi. “It was great to look out and know that all these people have come to see us. What a great feeling. There’s nothing like it”.

All visual formats feature special bonus material of the band playing a selection of their favorite songs not played on tour. These intimate live sessions at Angelic Studios were recorded in the days after their final live performance, and mark the band’s final studio recordings. Geezer Butler said, “It will never be ‘The End’ for me. I’ll always be a part of Sabbath, and Sabbath will always be a part of me”.

Formats and tracklistings:

DVD+CD and Blu-ray+CD

DVD and Blu-ray tracklisting:

"Black Sabbath"
"Fairies Wear Boots"
"Under The Sun" / "Every Day Comes And Goes"
"After Forever"
"Into The Void"
"Snowblind"
Band Intros
"War Pigs"
"Behind The Wall Of Sleep"
"Bassically / N.I.B."
"Hand Of Doom"
"Supernaut" / "Sabbath Bloody Sabbath" / "Megalomania"
"Rat Salad" / Drum Solo
"Iron Man"
"Dirty Women"
"Children Of The Grave"
"Paranoid"

Extras - The Angelic Sessions:

"The Wizard"
"Wicked World"
"Sweet Leaf"
"Tomorrow's Dream"
"Changes"

CD tracklisting - The Angelic Sessions:

"The Wizard"
"Wicked World"
"Sweet Leaf"
"Tomorrow's Dream"
"Changes"

Double CD and Triple Vinyl tracklisting:

"Black Sabbath"
"Fairies Wear Boots"
"Under The Sun" / "Every Day Comes And Goes"
"After Forever"
"Into The Void"
"Snowblind"
Band Intros
"War Pigs"
"Behind The Wall Of Sleep"
"Bassically / N.I.B."
"Hand Of Doom"
"Supernaut" / "Sabbath Bloody Sabbath" / "Megalomania"
"Rat Salad" / Drum Solo
"Iron Man"
"Dirty Women"
"Children Of The Grave"
"Paranoid"

Limited Deluxe Collector’s Edition

The End on DVD and Blu-ray:

- The End on double CD
- The Angelic Sessions on CD (all housed in gatefold card sleeves)
- A 32-page perfect bound book on heavyweight stock
- A metal Winged Demon pin badge
- A replica The End tour laminate
- 3 Plectrums (all housed in a DVD-height two piece rigid mirror board box)

"Iron Man" video:

"War Pigs" video:

"N.I.B." video:

"Paranoid" video:

Legendary Swedish black metal group Domgård have released new track "Kynjagaldr," a song from forthcoming album Ödelagt. 

Domgård are set to release their third album Ödelagt on Carnal Records. Five long years since the release of sophomore album Myrkviðr, the Gothenburg band has returned with 12 tracks of fierce black metal in the finest Swedish tradition with a thematic focus on the dark and enlightening aspects of Germanic mythology, magic and custom.

Tracklisting:

“Niþanvarþa”
“Svartdjupets Lockelse”
“Töckenhöljt”
“I Geirröds Hall”
“Aldar Røkkr”
“Kynjagaldr”
“Ödelagt”
“Lögr Óðreris - Urblodets Trollmakt”
“Grottkvinnans Hemlighet”
“Sejdmannens Förbannelse”
“Förgånget”
“Ødhe Vi”

“Kynjagaldr”:

Featuring the powerhouse rhythm section from legendary space lords Monster Magnet, The Atomic Bitchwax plays balls-to-the-wall rock 'n' roll that smashes space rock and proto-metal into a towering celebration of the riff. The New Jersey power trio (aka TAB) will release its seventh full length LP, Force Field, on December 8th via Tee Pee Records. A new video for "Houndstooth" is streaming below.

Recorded at the Freakshop in Keyport, NJ , mixed at The Panic Room in Ocean, NJ and mastered by Alan Douches (Chelsea Wolfe, Tombs, The Obsessed), The Atomic Bitchwax's high energy, scale-based guitar mangling hits astronomical levels on Force Field, with full stack amps pushing out dangerous levels of blown-out metallic mayhem. An awe-inducing tumult of head-down forward drive and top tier hard rock, Force Field mashes Sci-Fi and Hi-Fi, rocketing The Atomic Bitchwax into the outer reaches of the modern day heavy music universe.

Tracklisting:

“Hippie Speedball”
“Earth Shaker (Which Doobie U Be)”
“Alaskan Thunder F*ck”
“Shocker”
“Crazy”
“Fried Dyed And Layin To The Side”
“Shell Of A Man”
“Houndstooth”
“Tits And Bones”
“Humble Brag”
“Super Highway”
“Liv A Little”

"Houndstooth" video:

Pre-order Force Field at this location.

STONE SOUR has released a 360-degree performance video of the song "Taipei Person/Allah Tea", filmed live on June 29 at The Troubadour in Hollywood, California. Check it out below.

"Taipei Person/Allah Tea" is taken from STONE SOUR's latest album, "Hydrograd", which was released on June 30 via Roadrunner Records. The disc was recorded at Sphere Studios in North Hollywood, California with producer Jay Ruston, who has previously worked with ANTHRAX and STEEL PANTHER. The band tracked the album live in the studio, cutting a total of eighteen songs from which fifteen made the CD.

STONE SOUR singe Corey Taylor confirmed in a recent interview that the band has begun working on material for the follow-up to "Hydrograd". "We've already been writing some stuff, and it's actually kind of… It looks like it's darker — [there are] some really cool, darker ideas," he said.

During the same chat, Taylor said that he was still overjoyed at how "Hydrograd" turned out, less than six months following the LP's release.

"We were so stoked about this album that we put our money where our mouth is — we wanted to go for it with everything that we had," he said. "We knew we had the songs, we knew we had the talent, we knew we had the attention. So let's go for it.

"To me, not only do I think it's the best work that we've ever done, but I also feel like we could put this album up against anybody, and not only would we stand our own, we would beat a lot of the shit that's out there, just because of talent, content, quality, everything — everything," he continued. "Even if this album hadn't sold well, which it did, I would still put this up against anything because of how proud I am of it."

STONE SOUR recently announced a new North American tour for early 2018. The new dates include a co-headline tour with HALESTORM and special guests THE DEAD DEADS, set to commence on January 27 in Abbotsford, British Columbia, followed by a string of headline shows with support from RED SUN RISING and THE DEAD DEADS, which get underway February 16 in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

Joe Perry — legendary guitarist, co-founding member, principal songwriter and co-producer of AEROSMITH — will release his new solo album, "Sweetzerland Manifesto", on January 19.

A song from the album, "Aye, Aye, Aye", which Joe co-wrote with the track's vocalist Robin Zander (CHEAP TRICK), can be streamed below.

Due out on his own Roman Records imprint (distributed worldwide by Amped Distribution), "Sweetzerland Manifesto" marks Joe's sixth solo album and is comprised of 10 new tracks. They were all written or co-written by Joe (many with the album's guest vocalists), except for a cover of "Eve Of Destruction" with Joe on lead vocals and Johnny Depp on drums. The album features guest appearances from a long list of Joe's friends, colleagues and rock and roll icons. Highlights include three collaborations with David Johansen, who sings "I Wanna Roll", "Haberdasher Blues" and "I'm Going Crazy", plus as many co-writes with Terry Reid whose lead vocals light up "I'll Do Happiness" (with Zak Starkey on drums), "Sick & Tired" and "Won't Let Me Go".

"Sweetzerland Manifesto" was recorded at Studio 1480 in Los Angeles and produced by Joe Perry and Bruce Witkin, with Johnny Depp serving as executive producer and additional help from Jack Douglas, who co-wrote and co-produced a number of tracks. It was engineered by Witkin and Tony Perry. The album was mixed by Tony Perry with Ari Blitz serving as assistant mix engineer at After Master in Los Angeles. On the album, Joe also teams up with sons Tony and Roman on "Spanish Sushi", which was produced and arranged by The Perry Boys with Joe on guitars and bass, Roman adding synthesizer programming and Tony handling drum programming.

"It's going to be interesting to see what songs people gravitate to because there's such a wide variety of tunes," Joe notes.

"Sweetzerland Manifesto" track listing:

01. Rumble In The Jungle (instrumental)
02. I'll Do Happiness (featuring Terry Reid)
03. Aye, Aye, Aye (featuring Robin Zander)
04. I Wanna Roll (featuring David Johansen)
05. Sick & Tired (featuring Terry Reid)
06. Haberdasher Blues (featuring David Johansen)
07. Spanish Sushi (instrumental)
08. Eve Of Destruction (featuring Joe Perry)
09. I'm Going Crazy (featuring David Johansen)
10. Won't Let Me Go (featuring Terry Reid)

JOURNEY guitarist Neal Schon has released his first-ever holiday EP that includes "Ave Maria", "Can't Help Falling In Love" and instrumental renditions of JOURNEY hits "Open Arms" and "Faithfully".

Schon founded JOURNEY in 1972 and has been the only consistent member, having participated in every album and tour to date. He is a Grammy-nominated guitarist, songwriter and vocalist who was a member of SANTANA and has performed with a variety of other acts, such as BAD ENGLISH, Jan Hammer, HSAS and has released 10 solo albums, including his latest "Vortex". His guitar style has been described as soulful and melodic, admired by such fellow legends as Eric Clapton and Prince, who reportedly asked for Schon's blessing to release "Purple Rain", which echoed a similar sound to JOURNEY's "Faithfully".

JOURNEY's worldwide sales have reached over 100 million records, making them one of the world's best-selling bands of all time, with a wide selection of chart-topping hits like "Don't Stop Believin'", "Open Arms", "Lights", "Faithfully" and "When You Love A Woman", among others.

SnakeyeS, the band started by José Pineda, Justi Bala, and Carlos Delgado (from the former Spanish band Sphinx) together with Romanian singer Cosmin Aionita (9.7 Richter) releases its second album, Metal Monster, on November 25th.

Metal Monster will be available on both CD and digital formats, and will be available for download and streaming through all major music distribution platforms. The album's cover artwork, pictured below, was designed by Spanish artist Francisco Garcés. The album will feature 11 brand new songs, recorded and produced by bassist José Pineda in his own studio.

"Into The Unknown"
"Evolution"
"(Point Of) No Return"
"Cyberkiller"
"Metal Monster"
"Edge Of The World"
"Sign Of Death"
"Facing The Darkness"
"Your Own Shadow"
"Circus Of Fools"
"Rise Up (The Red Plague)"

The band comments on new the album: "Metal Monster is our 'creature', our most ambitious project yet, a true heavy metal burst of energy, a declaration of intent which aims to seal the band's own style and consolidate SnakeyeS both nationally and internationally."

A very special limited edition of the new album, titled the Monster Pack can be ordered exclusively from the band's website.

The first single off the new album, "Sign Of Death", is already available on digital platforms, as well as on a very limited physical CD edition. The lyric video for "Sign Of Death" can be seen below.

 

Gutter goth rockers, Davey Suicide have released their brand new music video for "Torture Me". The song is from their third full-length album Made From Fire, which was released independently in late March.

"A lot of what fuels my life is also the downfall of it. That dynamic brings out the worst and best in me." - Davey Suicide

Hailing from Unholywood Killafornia, the band consists of Davey Suicide on vocals, Niko Gemini on guitar, Derek Obscura on bass, Drayven Davidson on drums and Needlz as the keyboardist / audio terrorist..

The "Torture Me" video was directed and edited by Vicente Cordero, with additional direction and concept by Drayven Davidson.

Davey Suicide begin their U.S. headlining Made From Fire tour next week. The tour features VIP and Tattoo packages, where Davey himself, will tattoo one person at each stop on the tour, along with a mini acoustic set for the VIPs.

"This tour will mark our longest set and biggest stage production to date. I can't wait for our fans to experience this next chapter in Suicide history." - Davey Suicide

 

Northwest Indiana’s Cloakroom recently released their second album, Time Well, via Relapse Records. In the video below, filmed by Maximum Volume Silence with audio mix by Zac Montez, the band perform the album track "The Passenger" at Saint Vitus Bar in Brooklyn, NY.

Time Well is available on CD/2xLP/Digital. Physical orders and exclusive bundles are available via Relapse.com at this location and digital orders are available via Bandcamp here.

Time Well tracklisting:

“Gone But Not Entirely”
“Big World”
“Concrete Gallery”
“Seedless Star”
“Sickle Moon Blues”
“Hymnal”
“The Sun Won’t Let Us Go”
“Time Well”
“52Hz Whale”
“The Passenger”

“Big World” video:

“Concrete Gallery” video:

“The Sun Won’t Let Us Go” video:

“Seedless Star” video:

WHITESNAKE revisited the music that singer David Coverdale recorded with DEEP PURPLE with the release of "The Purple Album" two years ago. The LP, and the tour that followed, offered fans new modern interpretations of PURPLE classics like "Burn" and "Mistreated". Highlights from the historic tour will be featured in a new live collection, including double-disc versions that feature audio, video and a selection of bonus material.

"The Purple Tour (Live)" will be available on January 19 as CD/DVD and CD/Blu-ray sets. Additional formats include a double-LP, single CD, and digital version. The second video trailer can be found below.

On "The Purple Tour (Live)", WHITESNAKE puts its distinctive spin on several songs from Coverdale's studio albums with DEEP PURPLE: "Burn" (1974), "Stormbringer" (1974) and "Come Taste The Band" (1975). Highlights include "You Fool No One", "The Gypsy" and "Soldier Of Fortune". The double-disc collection also includes video footage of the concert mixed to 5.1 Surround Sound, plus a new music video for "Burn", band interviews, and a number of bonus performances not available on the CD or vinyl versions.

The WHITESNAKE lineup that appears on "The Purple Tour (Live)" includes Coverdale, guitarists Reb Beach and Joel Hoekstra, bassist Michael Devin, drummer Tommy Aldridge and keyboardist Michele Luppi.

Coverdale says there was never any intention to compete against the original recordings. "We just wanted to play the damn songs," he says. "Each member of the band brought their incredible individual talents and a real band identity to this music. We've all done the best we can with this project with respect to the music, and the legacy of DEEP PURPLE Mk3 and Mk4."

In addition to songs originally recorded by DEEP PURPLE, "The Purple Tour (Live)" features performances of killer WHITESNAKE tracks like "Fool For Your Loving" from "Slip Of The Tongue" (1990), "Love Ain't No Stranger" from "Slide It In" (1984), plus "Still Of The Night", "Bad Boys", "Is This Love" and the #1 smash "Here I Go Again" from "Whitesnake" (1987).

CD/DVD and CD/Blu-ray track listing:

01. Burn
02. Bad Boys
03. Love Ain't No Stranger
04. The Gypsy
05. Give Me All Your Love
06. Ain't No Love In The Heart Of The City
07. Mistreated
08. You Fool No One
09. Soldier Of Fortune
10. Is This Love
11. Fool For Your Loving
12. Here I Go Again
13. Still Of The Night

DVD/Blu-ray Contents:

Concert Video in 5.1 and Stereo

* "Burn" - Music Video
* Band Interviews

Bonus 5.1 High Resolution Live Audio:

* You Keep On Moving
* Lay Down Stay Down
* Lotsanotes
* Stormbringer

CD track listing:

01. Burn
02. Bad Boys
03. Love Ain't No Stranger
04. The Gypsy
05. Give Me All Your Love
06. Ain't No Love In The Heart Of The City
07. Mistreated
08. You Fool No One
09. Soldier Of Fortune
10. Is This Love
11. Fool For Your Loving
12. Here I Go Again
13. Still Of The Night

LP track listing:

Side One

01. Burn
02. Bad Boys
03. Love Ain't No Stranger
04. The Gypsy

Side Two

01. Give Me All Your Love
02. Ain't No Love In The Heart Of The City
03. Mistreated

Side Three

01. You Fool No One
02. Soldier Of Fortune
03. Is This Love
04. Fool For Your Loving

Side Four

01. Here I Go Again
02. Still Of The Night
03. You Keep On Moving - LP Bonus Track

Myles Kennedy has released the official video for the title track of his debut solo album, "Year Of The Tiger". Directed by Dan Sturgess, the clip is based on a concept created from a discussion between Kennedy and his manager. The video follows a reflective Kennedy as he travels through the memory of the loss of his father in 1974 — the year of the tiger.

"Year Of The Tiger" will be released on March 9, 2018 via Napalm Records. The effort was helmed by ALTER BRIDGE's longtime producer Michael "Elvis" Baskette.

The acclaimed singer/songwriter known for his work with ALTER BRIDGE as well as SLASH FEATURING MYLES KENNEDY & THE CONSPIRATORS recently completed the highly anticipated record, which is available for pre-order in various bundle configurations at this location.

On "Year Of The Tiger", Kennedy embarks on his first venture as a solo artist by embracing musical elements and influences he hasn't explored until this point in his career. His appreciation for the blues and acoustic based music can be heard throughout the 12-song concept record inspired by the loss of his father when he was a child.

The multi-instrumentalist played lap steel, mandolin, banjo and bass in addition to the guitar on the record. This shift in instrumentation helped create a new sonic canvas that some might consider a departure from the high gain wall of sound Kennedy has been associated with. Examples of this can be heard throughout the record, from the hypnotic drone of the title track, to the intricate finger style approach of "Haunted By Design" and "Ghost Of Shangri La".

"Year Of The Tiger" is a personal story framed in a new context from an artist willing to take chances. It's also a story that took decades to summon up the courage to tell.

"Year Of The Tiger" track listing:

01. Year Of The Tiger
02. The Great Beyond
03. Blind Faith
04. Devil On The Wall
05. Ghost of Shangri La
06. Turning Stones
07. Haunted By Design
08. Mother
09. Nothing But A Name
10. Love Can Only Heal
11. Songbird
12. One Fine Day

"Year Of The Tiger" was described by Kennedy in a recent interview with Metal Wani as "probably the closest thing to a full-on concept record that I've ever written. I mean, the story is congruent throughout the entire... It basically tells a story from start to finish, and it documents when my father passed away when I was a kid and basically what happened after that with my mom, my brother and I — it tells that story," he said. "So it's a full-on concept from start to finish."

"Year Of The Tiger" is actually the second solo album Kennedy recorded, having previously completed a full-length record's worth of material over a several-year period beginning in 2009. Although that album was mixed in early 2016, Myles "decided not to move forward" with the project because "I'm kind of a firm believer that songs can have a shelf life with an artist," he told Metal Wani. "And what happened was I'd been chipping away at the solo record for quite a while when I had time. Obviously, I was very busy playing with ALTER BRIDGE and touring with that, but in my spare time, I was chipping away at this record, so when I actually documented it and finished it, I had to step back and look at it with a fresh perspective and say, 'You know what? You've gotta be honest with yourself as a writer. Is this where you are now? No. And is this what you want to represent where you are now? No.' That was a hard decision for me to make, because there was a lot of work that went into it. Not just work, but time and money, and I just felt like, regardless of that, I had to scrap and start over. So I started writing again late last year, early this year, and, fortunately, I had plenty of ideas to draw from."

Kennedy eventually wrote a fresh batch of music for "Year Of The Tiger" but ended up "totally re-recording" one song from his scrapped first solo album. "I basically just used the demo [version of the track] and rebuilt around it," he said. "So a few people [close to me] were happy to hear that, 'cause it was one of their favorites from that record. The content suited the record that I just completed, the 'Year Of The Tiger' record, perfectly, so it definitely will see the light of day this time."

Asked how "Year Of The Tiger" compares to the musical direction of Kennedy's abandoned first solo disc, he said: "'Year Of The Tiger' definitely has much more of a blues-based vibe. Though I started the first record wanting to keep it more acoustically based… Sometimes you get in a studio and you have all these… With multi-tracking, with Pro Tools and all the toys available, it's kind of like the sky is the limit as far as what you do from a production standpoint. So songs that started out very acoustic-based and very stripped down then grew into something different. So what I tried to be very aware of on 'Year Of The Tiger', and Elvis as well, my producer, was to kind of tie our hands and keep things limited as far as how many tracks we could use. We went straight to tape for the majority of the record. So it was really just the idea of 'less is more' and trying to take that approach to making the album."

Saying that "Year Of The Tiger" sounds like "Myles Kennedy," the ALTER BRIDGE frontman went on to reiterate that people "who've heard it have commented that there's definitely more of a blues-based vibe on it. The instrumentation is certainly somewhat of a departure. I tried to veer away from any sort of high-gain wall of sound. There's plenty of resonator guitar, mandolin… there's even banjo, a lot of lap steel. So it's definitely different from what I've done."

"Year Of The Tiger" will feature a guest appearance by drummer Zia Uddin of THE MAYFIELD FOUR, a group Myles descries as his "first real national touring band" back in the late 1990s and early 2000s.

ALTER BRIDGE is expected to take most of 2018 off from the road while the bandmembers focus on other projects.

Writing for the follow-up to 2016's "The Last Hero" will begin next year, with tentative plans to release the effort in 2019.

ALTITUDES & ATTITUDE, the project featuring ANTHRAX bassist Frank Bello and MEGADETH bassist David Ellefson, will release its debut album next year.

ALTITUDES & ATTITUDE spent time last year in a California studio recording material for the follow-up to its 2014 self-titled EP. Helming the sessions once again was producer Jay Ruston (ANTHRAX, STEEL PANTHER, STONE SOUR), with Jeff Friedl (A PERFECT CIRCLE, ASHES DIVIDE) returning behind the kit.

In a brand new interview with Brazil's Kazagastão (KZG), Bello stated about ALTITUDES & ATTITUDE: "We did an EP a couple of years ago, and now, next year, we're coming out with a new record — a whole record we're coming out with next year we're very excited about."

Describing ALTITUDES & ATTITUDE's musical direction as "just rock," Frank said that it's been "hard" for him and Ellefson to find the time to work on music for the project. "That's why we had to wait to put it out," he said. "We had to wait a long time, 'cause both of our bands are so busy — which is good. But there is downtime… When we start writing a record, there'll be downtime, and then it's that time for that."

The two bassists began writing music together while traveling the world during clinics now known as "Metal Masters".

"What started out as simple bass ideas quickly developed into some really great songs together," Ellefson said back in 2013.

"Our fans would probably never suspect that a couple of metal bass players would have songs like these inside of us. It's exciting to write melody with diversity while still pushing the limits of lead-bass playing. Frank's singing, and both of us playing guitars and other instruments, gave us a whole new dimension for creative opportunities."

"We thought it would be cool to let fans hear something they wouldn't expect from us — which is what ALTITUDES & ATTITUDE is," added Bello.

Regarding how ALTITUDES & ATTITUDE came together, Ellefson told Guitar World: "We were doing bass clinics for our endorsement of Hartke bass amplification a few years back when the 'Big Four' were playing shows together. I just said to Frank, 'We should really write some of our own material we can play for these clinics. Something unique just for us.' So at Bass Player Live! at the Key Club in Hollywood, Frank got us talking to ANTHRAX producer Jay Ruston, who is also a bass player, and he got excited to get on board to record some songs for us. We agreed to do just a few songs we could release in EP format. This would make the workload easier with all of our schedules and even allow us to continue releasing more songs moving forward as well. Jay brought in Jeff Friedl on drums and even suggested Gus G. to play the solos I wanted to have on the track 'Here Again'."

Italian label Frontiers Records has announced the signing of Memphis’ very own Tora Tora. The band will commence recording a new studio album in 2018, for a tentative release in early 2019.

Tora Tora’s mixture of hard rock with their hometown’s legendary blues style put them in a class of their own, and Frontiers were thrilled to find the band was open to creating new music. "We can’t wait to hear what they have in the works for their new studio album."

Says vocalist Anthony Corder, “Tora Tora is proud to announce we have signed with Frontiers! With a rich musical heritage and focus on quality content, we feel their company culture is the perfect fit for our project. We are excited to join some of our favorite artists and friends on their international roster. Thank you to Serafino Perugino, Mario De Riso, Nick Tieder and our entire Frontiers’ family for this opportunity. We are looking forward to creating some great music and many good memories with all of you!”

Comments guitarist Keith Douglas, “When we first started talking about a new Tora Tora project, the biggest question for us was, what it would sound like after so much time had passed since we'd written together? After just one day of collaborating, it was clear we were going to pick up right where we left off so many years ago. We have some really good songs already written, as well as a ton of other cool ideas to get sorted out. Having creative freedom is a huge bonus for us. As far as the direction, it's just going to be whatever comes out. But I can tell you what has come out so far rocks as hard as anything we've ever done and lets our Memphis roots shine through. We are very excited to be working on what we feel like is going to be a very special record, and just as excited to be working with Frontiers Records. Stay tuned!"

Catch Tora Tora live in concert at the following shows:

December
9 - Bowery Electric - New York, NY
10 - Cancun Cantina - Hanover, MD

January
20 - BFE Rock Club - Houston, TX

Visit the official Tora Tora Facebook page for further details.

 

Today sees the release of AVENGED SEVENFOLD "Live At The Grammy Museum" (Capitol), a special acoustic album recorded during the band’s recent sold-out event at the famed Grammy Museum in downtown Los Angeles.

AVENGED SEVENFOLD's Grammy Museum performance of "Roman Sky", directed by Rafa Alcantara, can be seen below.

Produced by Joe Barresi (QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE, TOOL, NINE INCH NAILS) and the band, the digital-only release features unique renditions of new songs and classic tracks captured during the first-ever acoustic performance by Grammy nominees AVENGED SEVENFOLD. A portion of the album's proceeds will benefit the education initiatives of the Grammy Museum, which seek to inspire youth to the enduring qualities and cultural significance of music.

Presented as "An Evening with Avenged Sevenfold," the October 19 event was held at the Museum's Clive Davis Theater and featured an intimate conversation about the band's career and new music, moderated by Los Angeles Times pop music critic Mikael Wood. The interview followed a stunning acoustic performance from the band (backed by a string section) and saw the quintet (vocalist M. Shadows, guitarists Synyster Gates and Zacky Vengeance, bassist Johnny Christ and drummer Brooks Wackerman) discussing their latest release, "The Stage". Last week, AVENGED SEVENFOLD received a Grammy nomination (its first ever) for "Best Rock Song" for that album's title track, "The Stage".

"Live At The Grammy Museum" track listing:

01. Opening
02. Introduction To 'As Tears Go By'
03. As Tears Go By
04. Introduction To 'Hail To The King'
05. Hail To The King
06. Introduction To 'Roman Sky'
07. Roman Sky
08. Introduction To 'Exist'
09. Exist
10. Introduction To 'So Far Away'
11. So Far Away

"The Stage" will be re-released as a "deluxe edition" on December 15.

The band's 2018 North American arena headlining tour will kick off January 12 at the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville with special guests BREAKING BENJAMIN and BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE.

Former QUEENSRŸCHE singer Geoff Tate has recorded a brand new song in support of charity.

All proceeds from the track, which will be released next month, will benefit MercyWatch, a nonprofit focused on outreach to the homeless community in Snohomish County, located in the U.S. state of Washington, where Tate lives with his family.

During an interview with Canada's The Metal Voice, Tate said (hear audio below): "I just finished a song that I'm planning to release for my charity that I support, which is called MercyWatch, which is a homeless support charity that funds doctors and social workers and drug counselors and helps them place homeless people in programs where they can get better and get on to a more productive life. And so that's going to be going up for sale on iTunes, I believe, around Christmas."

The release of Tate's new song will come just weeks after the arrival of "A New Reality", the third and final of a concept album trilogy from his OPERATION: MINDCRIME project.

Asked what his next recording project will be once OPERATION: MINDCRIME releases its final album next month, Tate told The Metal Voice: "I don't know yet, really. I'm kind of in an introspective mode right now, just sort of enjoying my family time. I've been doing some collaborative live performances with different people over the last few months — I played with AVANTASIA in Europe and then with ANGRA the other night [in São Paulo, Brazil]. And I really like doing that — that's very fun — doing some guest appearances here and there with different people and collaborating with different people and projects."

Tate will spend at least part of 2018 touring in celebration of the 30th anniversary of his former band's "Operation: Mindcrime" album. "Operation: Mindcrime" is the third studio album of eleven that Geoff recorded with the progressive heavy metal band QUEENSRŸCHE. The concept album and rock opera is a story following Nikki, a recovering drug addict, who becomes disillusioned with the corrupt society of his time and becomes involved in a revolutionary group, acting as an assassin of political leaders. The certified platinum album was rated by Kerrang! as one of heavy metal’s top hundred albums of all time.

"I'm gonna be beginning my touring cycle in January in Ireland and then into the U.K. and then into Europe," Tate told The Metal Voice. "We finish up in Europe around April, and right now my plans are to take the summer off and then begin touring in North America in the fall."

British grindcore pioneers NAPALM DEATH will release a special 2CD, 2LP and digital download compilation titled "Coded Smears And More Uncommon Slurs" in March 2018 via Century Media Records. This special collection will include a total of 31 songs with a playing time of over 90 minutes, compiling rarities and exclusive earworms spanning 2004-2016 from the whirling gene pool of noise that is NAPALM DEATH. The release's cover artwork, created by longtime visual partner Frode Sylthe, can be seen below.

NAPALM DEATH bassist Shane Embury recently took the time to check in with a status report while currently on the road in Spain: "Today we start our 13-date tour of the North Peninsula! It's been a busy, busy year as ever, but great to wind it all up here with some of our craziest and most passionate fans.

We can't believe how much we have achieved in support of the 'Apex Predator - Easy Meat' album over the past couple of years. It's very inspiring for me and something I was very conscious of as we compiled the tracks for the upcoming compilation album of rarities and covers which encompass 'Coded Smears And More Uncommon Slurs'.

"I hope that everyone will enjoy what we have put together! There are some hidden gems, for sure, on this double album release and it was a lot of fun going through the songs.

"The new year will be bringing more shows and some more new songs recorded in the studio towards album 16, so it's systems go! As some of my best buddies say: grindcore is for life, kids... not just for Christmas!"

NAPALM DEATH vocalist Mark "Barney" Greenway recently told Metal Wani that guitarist Mitch Harris, who has been taking a leave of absence from the band since late 2014 to focus on his family life, will "most likely" play on the group's next album.

Harris took an indefinite break in the fall of 2014 to tend to a family situation and Wikipedia initially wrongly scrubbed him from the band roster. He has since been temporarily replaced by John Cooke (CORRUPT MORAL ALTAR).

"Apex Predator - Easy Meat" was released in January 2015 via Century Media Records.

Montreal-based extremists, Kataklysm, recently announced their next offering, Meditations, slated for an April 2018 release via Nuclear Blast Records. Today, the band reveals they have enlisted acclaimed Los Angeles based producer Jay Ruston (Anthrax, Stone Sour) to mix and master their upcoming album.

Guitarist JF Dagenais: “This album has so much to offer that we decided to search for someone outside the box for it. Someone who comes with a fresh outlook and hasn’t work with extreme or death metal bands. We wanted someone with a more organic feel but at the same time can pound a mix into your chest with the power and definition it deserves. When Jay accepted to work with us, we knew he would bring just that! So far, the first mixes coming in are incredible. We will be turning some heads on this album folks. That's all I can say for now, cant wait!"

Kataklysm have spent the last 25 years cementing their legacy in the extreme metal genre. 2016 marked a whirlwind of excitement as the band added a Juno Award to their collection as well as landing their highest Billboard charting. They are one of a handful of bands that have the title of "Longest Standing Artist" on the Nuclear Blast roster.

Born in 1992 from the cold winds of Montreal, Québec, Canada comes one of the country’s top extreme musical exports to date: Kataklysm. With a career spanning 25 years, Kataklysm is a leading force in the most brutal & powerful genre in heavy metal and has conquered territories such as Europe, North & South America, Australia, and Asia while recently becoming the first Canadian metal band to ever play South Africa.

Watch the trailer for Meditations below. Stay tuned for more information.

Kataklysm is:

Maurizio Iacono - Vocals
Jean-Francois Dagenais - Guitar
Stephane Barbe - Bass
Oli Beaudoin - Drums

Rumahoy the latest piratic addition to the Napalm Records roster, recently unveiled the first details of their upcoming album The Triumph Of Piracy. Now it's time to get your first swig of Rumahoy in form of a rum barrel and very first track release. Classy and super catchy, the new track is entitled "AHOY".

Captain Yarrface and his crew state: "Ahoy! I am Captain Yarrface, welcome to the sea, and welcome to the first single from the new Rumahoy album, titled 'AHOY!'. It is an epic anthem of heritage and Yarr, so raise up your rum and drink your ale while signing along in the ocean!"

Load all of your gun barrels and light them up! Watch the lyric video for "AHOY" below.

Rumahoy's first full-length studio album and Napalm Records debut, The Triumph Of Piracy, will be released on February 9th. The album will be available as 1 CD jewel case and digital album. Pre-orders available here.

Tracklisting:

“AHOY!”
“Quest For Heritage”
“Forest Party”
“The Haitian Slam”
“Huffman, The Pirate King”
“Kill The Trolls”
“Netflix And Yarr”
“Pirateship”
“The Triumph Of Piracy”

“AHOY!” lyric video:

Load all of your gun barrels and light them up as Rumahoy have teamed up with their label mates and pirates in Alestorm to hit the seven seas for a stormy tour in the UK early 2018.

Rock your Holidays with the full track premiere of "The Night Before Christmas" from Northern Light Orchestra, featuring Mark Slaughter.

From the album Star Of The East, featuring Mark Slaughter, Bruce Kulick (KISS, Grand Funk Railroad), John Elefante (Kansas), David Ellefson (Megadeth), Chuck Wright (Quiet Riot), Doug Aldrich (Whitesnake, Dio, House Of Lords), Kane Roberts (Alice Cooper), Kip Winger, Bill Leverty (Firehouse), Robin McAuley (MSG), Tony Franklin The Fretless Monster (The Firm, Jimmy Page, Blue Murder), Kendall Bechtel, Ken Mary (House of Lords, Alice Cooper), Steve Conley (Flotsam And Jetsam), and introducing Anna Hiltbrand and Laura Walsh. With brand new art from Mister-Sam

Available now on all digital outlets, and in select retail tomorrow. Order direct from empmerch.com.

The Sea Within - a new progressive rock super-group formed by Roine Stolt (Transatlantic, The Flower Kings), Daniel Gildenlöw (Pain of Salvation), Jonas Reingold (The Flower Kings, Karmakanic, The Tangent), Tom Brislin (Yes Symphonic, Camel) & Marco Minnemann (Steven Wilson, The Aristocrats, UK, Joe Satriani) - have announced they will release their as-yet-untitled debut album in spring 2018 via InsideOutMusic.

Roine Stolt comments on how the band came together: "I think it all started as a suggestion from the record company - putting together a new band, starting fresh, seeing if collective writing could spawn a unique style. We also wanted to make sure that the band was a unit that could deliver as well onstage, as on album. Call it a supergroup if you want - I think we can handle that."

The band recently entered Livingston Studios in London to begin recording the basic tracks, and found an instant chemistry in the way they worked together. "Going into the studio in London was taking a great risk as we had not been in the same room together beforehand." Roine continues: "We had just sent demos around and didn't really know if we could make great music together, but we managed to track almost 2 hours of new music, a mix of collective ideas from the whole band. We also had a lot of great 'off-time', sharing laughs and stories in local pubs - that part is important."

The band are putting the finishing touches on their debut album, and of the music's direction Roine says: "There are elements of prog, but also pop, art-rock and many cinematic elements. I suppose the music comes from within our collective memories of all that we love as far as sounds, visions and poetry. We hope that discovering this band will be a journey for the open-minded prog fan - something as fresh and uncertain and unfolding as it is for us."

The band have also announced their first confirmed live date, taking to the stage at Night of the Prog Festival 2018 at Loreley, Germany on the weekend of 13-15th July 2018 alongside Camel, Big Big Train, Riverside & more. Tickets are available here.

Drawing on their collective experience from across the rock and prog spectrum, The Sea Within sees them coming together to craft new music that sees them all leaving their respective comfort zones and challenging themselves.

(Photo - Will Ireland)