In June 2016, legendary guitarist Ritchie Blackmore made many long-held dreams come true for his fans as RITCHIE BLACKMORE'S RAINBOW played three concerts in Europe, two in Germany and one in England. The two German shows at Loreley and Bietigheim were caught on camera to produce "Memories In Rock - Live In Germany", which was released via Eagle Rock Entertainment on DVD+2CD, Blu-ray+2CD, and digital formats on November 18. A deluxe version (DVD, Blu-ray and 2CD in a 48-page hardback photobook), along with a 3LP version (180-gram vinyl), will be available as an import on December 2.

This film captures the long-awaited return to rock music for Ritchie Blackmore. The setlist, combining classic tracks from both DEEP PURPLE and RAINBOW, was exactly what the fans had wished for. Filmed in high definition, this jaw-dropping set includes "Catch The Rainbow", "Mistreated", "Since You Been Gone", "Black Night", "Spotlight Kid", "Smoke On The Water", "Stargazer", "Perfect Strangers", and more! As a bonus all formats (barring the 3LP) also boast a quartet of tracks recorded on an alternative night: "Spotlight Kid", "Man On The Silver Mountain", "Long Live Rock ‘N' Roll", and "Stargazer".

The band line-up for this incredible show featured Ritchie Blackmore (guitar); Ronnie Romero (vocals); David Keith (drums); Bob Nouveau (bass); Jens Johansson (keyboards); Candice Night (backing vocals); Lady Lynn (backing vocals).

"Memories In Rock - Live In Germany" track listing:

CD Disc 1

01. Highway Star02. Spotlight Kid 03. Mistreated 04. 16th Century Greensleeves 05. Since You Been Gone 06. Man On The Silver Mountain 07. Catch The Rainbow 08. Difficult To Cure (Beethoven's Ninth) 09. Perfect Strangers 10. Stargazer

CD Disc 2

11. Long Live Rock 'N' Roll 12. Child In Time / Woman From Tokyo 13. Black Night 14. Smoke On The Water

Performance clips of "Spotlight Kid" and "Black Night", taken from "Memories In Rock - Live In Germany", can be seen below.

Blackmore spoke to the Dutch radio station Radio Veronica about what made him decide to play the recent RAINBOW comeback shows. He said: "Besides money, I heard the [new RAINBOW] singer, Ronnie [Romero, who is originally from Chile but now settled in Madrid, Spain], singing on YouTube. Candy [Ritchie's wife, Candice Night] had played it to me. She said, 'What to do you think of this guy?' And I don't go on the computer very much; I'm too old for that stuff. And Candy is often going on YouTube or whatever, and she said, 'He's singing some of your old songs, the RAINBOW songs.' And I heard them, and I went, 'Wow! This guy is really good. He's exciting.' And there had been some talk about reforming RAINBOW with David Coverdale and a few others — Glenn Hughes… Although they are friends of mine, I wasn't urgently involved in it. I was hesitating for probably a good part of a year before I kind of decided I wasn't gonna do it — until I heard this singer. As soon as I heard the singer, he had such a good voice, so much vitality, and that excited me. I thought, 'Wow! He's singing all the old songs, but he's doing it so well — old hard rock.' It was exciting to hear."

Asked if he enjoyed the three RAINBOW comeback shows so far, Ritchie said: "I enjoyed especially the last one in England. The first two were a little bit intense, because we hadn't played together… we hadn't done a lot of rehearsing, so the first two shows were a bit hectic and chaotic. But the last one in Birmingham was… obviously, we'd played two shows at that point, and that seemed to work, to me. And it was great to see all the old people… I mean, it was so weird how… I think it was twenty thousand people… It sold out in fifteen minutes. And I kind of wondered who they thought was playing, 'cause when I got to the auditorium, it was so vast that I thought, 'Maybe somebody else is playing this show tonight.'"

Regarding whether it was difficult for him to put together a setlist for the first three RAINBOW comeback shows, Ritchie said: "No. [It was] very easy, in a way. We had about fifteen songs that were very obvious songs to play, like 'Catch The Rainbow'. And we incorporated a few DEEP PURPLE songs — 'Black Night', 'Smoke [On The Water]', 'Highway Star' — of which some of the fans said, 'Why did you do those DEEP PURPLE songs?' And I would say, 'Why not?' And they said, 'Well, we thought it was just gonna be RAINBOW. We would prefer to hear [more] RAINBOW songs.' Which I thought was kind of ironic again. I'm thinking, 'Wow! We just threw three songs in by DEEP PURPLE when they wanted more [RAINBOW].' And I noticed when they clapped, they weren't clapping so hard for DEEP PURPLE [songs]. They said, 'We hear that every year,' 'cause [the current lineup of] PURPLE goes around [on tour]. So the next time, if we go out and we do anything, I would do probably ninety-five percent RAINBOW songs; that's what they seem to want to hear. And it didn't occur to me. I just naturally assumed they wanted to hear everything."

Greek melodic power metal masters FIREWIND, the group led by guitar wizard and OZZY OSBOURNE band member Gus G., will release their eighth studio album, "Immortals", on January 20, 2017 via the band's longtime label partner Century Media Records in Europe.

The song "Hands Of Time", taken from "Immortals", can be streamed below.

Gus G. checked in to comment about "Immortals" and its artwork (which can be seen below): "'Immortals' [is] the first concept album FIREWIND has ever made.

"Since we're from Greece, we thought it would be a cool idea to make a concept of Greek history and heritage. So on this album we focused on the legendary battles of Thermopylae and Salamis during the second Persian invasion of Greece in 480 B.C.

"The artwork was once again created by our longtime collaborator, Gustavo Sazes, and we feel it reflects the vibe we tried to capture on this album — epic, powerful, glorious, everlasting."

"Immortals" marks the first time FIREWIND used an outside co-producer, having worked with Dennis Ward (UNISONIC, PINK CREAM 69), who not only engineered, mixed and mastered the album, but also co-wrote it together with Gus G.

"Immortals" track listing:

01. Hands Of Time02. We Defy03. Ode To Leonidas04. Back On The Throne05. Live And Die By The Sword06. Wars Of Ages07. Lady Of 1000 Sorrows08. Immortals09. Warriors And Saints10. Rise From The Ashes

In addition to the standard jewel case CD and digital download formats, "Immortals" will be released as LP on 180-gram vinyl with a poster as well as the entire album on CD as bonus. Additionally, there will also be a limited-edition mediabook CD with expanded booklet, a bonus track and three stickers.

In order to support the release of "Immortals", FIREWIND is set to hit the road across Europe.

"Immortals" marks FIREWIND's first release with singer Henning Basse (METALIUM, SONS OF SEASONS), who previously toured with the band on various continents in 2007 and was most recently the singer in Gus's solo touring group.

Said FIREWIND in a statement: "Since [2014], [Henning] started playing some shows with Gus G.'s solo band and he delivered amazing performances, stunning the crowds all over Europe! Henning is an amazing frontman and a personality that totally fits with what FIREWIND is all about."

FIREWIND celebrated its 10th anniversary by releasing a live album in June 2013 via Century Media Records in Europe. Titled "Apotheosis - Live 2012", the CD contained 17 songs recorded at special anniversary shows in Greece as well as all over Europe during the band's "Few Against Many" tour in 2012. It marked FIREWIND's final release with singer Apollo Papathanasio, who decided to leave the group at the end of 2012.

FIREWIND toured in 2013 in support of "Apotheosis - Live 2012", with Kelly Sundown Carpenter (ADAGIO, BEYOND TWILIGHT) handling lead vocals on the trek.

ETERNAL IDOL's track "Is The Answer Far From God?" can be streamed below. The tune is taken from the band's debut album, "The Unrevealed Secret", which will be released on December 2 via Frontiers Music Srl.

ETERNAL IDOL is a new band formed in early 2016 and that marks the start of a new musical adventure for RHAPSODY OF FIRE and ANGRA singer Fabio Lione, together with the experienced Italian guitar player Nick Savio (ex-HOLLOW HAZE) and a lineup completed by the young vocal rising star Giorgia Colleluori, Camillo Colleluori (both also from HOLLOW HAZE) on drums and Andrea Buratto (SECRET SPHERE, HELL IN THE CLUB) on bass.

While all the musicians have solid pedigrees and musical history behind them, ETERNAL IDOL have a brand new and original sound which will certainly catch many fans by surprise. Lione says: "After all the experiences with bands such as KAMELOT, RHAPSODY OF FIRE, ANGRA and many more, I think it is time to show the world a new side of myself with this amazing new band.

"Musically, ETERNAL IDOL offer an intriguing mix of classic metal, symphonic rock and a few progressive twists which is truly unique, thanks to the combination of female and male vocals."

Fabio took care of most of the lyrics and vocal melodies, along with three gorgeous tracks he wrote, while Nick Savio worked hard on songwriting and arrangements.

"'The Unrevealed Secret' is the album where all our ideas came to the light," says the axeman from Vicenza. "Heavy classic rock with symphonic elements and the magic atmosphere of two lead vocals, male and female, create a contrast between good and bad as the main subject, as it is possible to see on the impressive and mysterious cover artwork."

The album was recorded in the summer of 2016, produced by Nick Savio and mixed by Simone Mularoni (DGM, SUNSTORM) and promises to be one of the melodic metal releases of the year. Fans of KAMELOT, MAGNUS KARLSSON'S FREE FALL, MASTERPLAN and AVANTASIA should pay attention.

"There is a story to be told with this album, and the secret will be revealed on the next ETERNAL IDOL releases, so please take your time to listen this first chapter and enjoy... A new story has begun," Nick concludes.

"The Unrevealed Secret" track listing:

01. Evil Tears02. Another Night Comes03. Awake in Orion 04. Is The Answer Far From God?05. Blinded 06. Sad Words Unvailed 07. Desidia 08. Hall Of Sins 09. Feels Like I'm Dying 10. A Song In The Wind 11. Stormy Days 12. Beyond

ETERNAL IDOL is:

Fabio Lione - Lead VocalsGiorgia Colleluori - Lead VocalsNick Savio - Guitar, KeyboardsCamillo Colleluori - Drums Andrea Buratto - Bass

Swisss hard rock legends KROKUS will release a new studio album, "Big Rocks", on January 27. The disc sees KROKUS paying tribute to bands and artists like LED ZEPPELIN, QUEEN, THE WHO, STEPPENWOLF, Neil Young, Bob Dylan, THE ROLLING STONES and many more by presenting their very own versions of classic tracks such as "My Generation", "Tie Your Mother Down", "Whole Lotta Love", "Quinn The Eskimo", "Born To Be Wild" and others.

"Big Rocks" offers a total of 14 tracks: 13 cover songs and a re-recorded version of KROKUS's hit "Backseat Rock 'N' Roll", all of them flawlessly executed, brilliantly interpreted and spiced up with the typical KROKUS edge.

As the first single, KROKUS has chosen its very own rendition of folk-rock classic "The House Of The Rising Sun". It is safe to say that the Swiss rockers managed to breathe new life into the track by overhauling it KROKUS-style!

Bassist and producer Chris von Rohr describes his first encounter with the song as follows: "The first time I came across this song was in the wild sixties. I was lying on my bed and all of a sudden I heard the voices of a thousand angels sing." It was this exact feeling the band tried to capture with their own version of the song and the result speaks for itself: "The House Of The Rising Sun" by KROKUS sounds raw and loud yet embodies the soulful sound of the original.

"The House Of The Rising Sun" is available today at the download/streaming platform of your choice.

KROKUS's current lineup:

Mandy Meyer (guitar)Marc Storace (lead vocals)Fernando von Arb (guitar, vocals)Mark Kohler (guitar)Flavio Mezzodi (drums)Chris von Rohr (bass, vocals)

Reunited cult New York thrash metal act DEMOLITION HAMMER played a short unannounced "rehearsal gig" on November 18 in Elmhurst, New York. The band showed up at the Blackthorn 51 venue at around 1:15 a.m. — right after headliners of the evening MALIGNANCY — and performed seven songs. Fan-filmed video footage of the concert can be seen below.

DEMOLITION HAMMER's 2016 lineup consists of original members Steve Reynolds (vocals, bass) and James Reilly (guitar) alongside longtime guitarist Derek Sykes and the group's latest addition, drummer Angel Cotte (EYES LIKE CYANIDE).

Sykes told BLABBERMOUTH.NET about DEMOLITION HAMMER's future plans: "We'll do some limited touring and festivals. We haven't discussed new music yet, but we'll see where all this goes."

DEMOLITION HAMMER was active between 1986 and 1994 and released three full-length albums — "Tortured Existence" (1990), "Epidemic Of Violence" (1992) and "Time Bomb" (1994) — all through Century Media.

A DEMOLITION HAMMER compilation, "Necrology: A Complete Anthology", was issued in 2008, also through Century Media. The set contained the band's entire three-album discography across two discs.

Shortly before the compilation's release, Sykes released a statement taking issue with "the allegations" included in the liner notes which suggested that the band "didn't have time to contribute" to the anthology. He explained: "In fact, DEMOLITION HAMMER was quite involved in the initial realization of the project. But ultimately, due to qualitative differences, we decided to let our past work with Century Media speak for itself."

In March 2015, Century Media reissued "Tortured Existence" and "Epidemic Of Violence" on vinyl.

German/American metallers ACCEPT will release a new live set titled "Restless And Live" on January 13, 2017 via Nuclear Blast. This package will include the entire show ACCEPT played at 2015's Bang Your Head!!! festival in Balingen, Germany on Blu-ray/DVD plus two CDs.

The first official trailer for "Restless And Live" — in which guitarist Wolf Hoffmann and producer Andy Sneap talk about the song selection for the set — is available below.

"Restless And Live" track listing:

Blu-ray / DVD:

01. Stampede02. Stalingrad03. London Leatherboys04. Restless And Wild05. Dying Breed06. Final Journey07. Shadow Soldiers08. Losers And Winners09. 200 Years10. Midnight Mover11. No Shelter12. Princess Of The Dawn13. Dark Side Of My Heart14. Pandemic15. Fast As A Shark16. Metal Heart17. Teutonic Terror18. Balls To The Wall

CD1:

01. Stampede02. Stalingrad03. Hellfire04. London Leatherboys05. Living For Tonite06. 200 Years07. Demon's Night08. Dying Breed09. Final Journey10. From The Ashes We Rise11. Losers And Winners12. No Shelter13. Shadow Soldiers14. Midnight Mover

CD2:

01. Starlight02. Restless And Wild03. Son Of A Bitch04. Pandemic05. Dark Side Of My Heart06. The Curse07. Flash Rockin' Man08. Bulletproof09. Fall Of The Empire10. Fast As A Shark11. Metal Heart12. Teutonic Terror13. Balls To The Wall

To give their fans a taster of what to expect from this forthcoming live release and to make the waiting more tolerable, the live clip for "Restless And Wild" can be seen below.

Commented Hoffmann: "We didn't know exactly what would happen back in 2010, what happens if... But this was six years ago and we've released three records since then. With 'Blind Rage', we had our first No. 1 chart record! There can be nothing nicer!"

The package's title, chosen by the band couldn't be more suitable: "'Restless And Live' simply fits what we experienced at Bang Your Head!!! and for what we stand for until today!" Wolf says. "It goes on and on and on! We're already working on a new production. The thought of being on the road again soon gets our blood flowing: And it is possible to overcome everything that happened before."

Asked why it's so important for ACCEPT to still make new music after all this time, Wolf recently told Canadian rock journalist Mitch Lafon: "For us, it was very important, especially since we got [singer] Mark [Tornillo], and when we had our reunion with Mark, the new singer, we really wanted to show to the fans and to us that we still can write relevant new songs, and so that's why we really did three albums in five or six years — really banged them out, one after the other. And those three albums are, in a lot of fans' views, as strong as most of the stuff we've done in the eighties, if not stronger. So I think it's very important for us to come up with new songs, 'cause, you know, once you stop trying, or you're just living on the past, I think that's no good. We're trying to stay relevant, and the fans really appreciate that."

Regarding what Mark Tornillo has added to ACCEPT's sound, Wolf said: "He very much inspired us to write songs, because all of a sudden, he can pretty much sing anything we want him to do. With Udo [Dirkschneider, former ACCEPT singer], it was much more limited, what worked and what didn't work. And Mark, man, anything Peter [Baltes, bass] and I come up with, he can perform, and so that opened a lot of doors, musically, for us, and that inspired us totally. But, like I said before, we always try to stay close to what ACCEPT fans are wanting to hear from us, 'cause we could write a bunch of stuff that was left and right, genre-wise, but I'm not sure if fans would really appreciate it that much. And that's also where [producer] Andy Sneap came in, especially during the 'Blood Of The Nations' [2010] recording. He really, sort of, forced us more to stay true to the course. 'Cause he grew up being an ACCEPT fan and listening to the old albums, and he came in with an expectation, 'All right, we're gonna make a great new ACCEPT album, but it'd better sound like I want it to sound as an ACCEPT fan.'"

DEEP PURPLE has set "Infinite" as the title of its new studio album, tentatively due in early spring via earMUSIC. A short teaser clip is available below.

The follow-up to 2013's "Now What?!", which was tracked in February at a studio in Nashville, Tennessee, was once again helmed by Bob Ezrin, who has previously worked with KISS, PINK FLOYD, PETER GABRIEL, ALICE COOPER and KANSAS, among others.

DEEP PURPLE singer Ian Gillan recently told Antihero magazine about the PURPLE songwriting process: "DEEP PURPLE was different than any other kind of writing I do with other people. DEEP PURPLE is primarily an instrumental band, and the routine is we book [time] in a studio somewhere, and the [other] guys [in the band] come in at noon. They start jamming and they work 'till six o'clock, take a break at three for a cup of tea and then do that every day. Roger [Glover, bass] and I listen to the music and clock out the occasional bit and think that might be okay for a tune on the album or something. Then we start refocusing on making arrangements and how to develop the song. Then when it is all tucked away, I start thinking about the lyrics and the tunes. There is no point before they get literally torn up every day because everything changes every day. There's no shortage of things to write about lyrically. There is no point trying to create a tune on something that's going to change in a couple of hours. That's how it worked with PURPLE. This is primarily an instrumental band. I just climb on board and write it along."

DEEP PURPLE — which has been eligible for induction into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame for two decades now — finally entered the Rock Hall as part of the class of 2016. The band's first three lineups were inducted, including drummer Ian Paice, guitarist Ritchie Blackmore, late keyboardist Jon Lord, and various singers and bassists — Rod Evans; Ian Gillan and Roger Glover; and David Coverdale and Glenn Hughes.

Indian metal artist Demonstealer, who also fronts Demonic Resurrection, has released a new lyric video for the song "Frail Fallible". The track comes off his latest album, This Burden Is Mine, and features Nile's George Kollias on drums. 

The lyric video was created by Deepesh Goyal; watch below.

This Burden Is Mine was released independently on March 22nd via Demonstealer's Bandcamp page. Artwork was created by Michal 'Xaay' Loranc (Behemoth, Vader, Nile, Demonic Resurrection).

“From Rubble And Ruin” video

Album lineup:

Demonstealer - vocals / guitars / keys
Ashwin Shriyan - bass
George Kollias - drums

New Jersey power metal veterans Attacker are back with their sixth full-length, the follow-up to Giants Of Canaan. Sins Of The World, released by Metal On Metal Records, is a blistering slice of old school, aggressive American metal.

This is the last recording featuring guitarist Pat Marinelli, who co-founded the band with drummer Michael Sabatini and has now decided to step down, after contributing a few solos. There has been a change in bass players (Brian Smith replaced Jon Hanemann), while the main songwriter of "Giants...", guitarist Mike Benetatos, now became the sole songwriter, and Bobby "Leather Lungs" Lucas wrote the lyrics and showed his impressive vocal skills once again. In 2017 the band will head back to Europe to play a few festival dates, including Pounding Metal Fest in Madrid, Up The Hammers in Athens, and Headbangers Open Air in Germany.

Tracklisting:

"A Time Before The Darkness"
"Sins Of Man"
"Carcosa"
"Garuda"
"We Rise"
"World Destroyer"
"Choice Of Weapon"
"Archangel"
"By The Will Of Crom"
"Where The Serpent Lies"

Check out an official promo clip, featuring over two minutes of "Sins Of Man":

And, three new songs, "Carcosa", "World Destroyer" and "Archangel", can be heard via the Bandcamp audio player:

ATTACKER "Sins of the World" by Metal On Metal Records

 

 

Recently reunited Canadian rock band The Age Of Electric - fronted by Todd Kerns (Slash Featuring Myles Kennedy & The Conspirators, Sin City Sinners, Static In Stereo) - has issued a lyric video for the song "Keys", which will appear on their new four-song EP, scheduled for release on February 17th, 2017 via We Are Busy Bodies.

The original lineup of The Age Of Electric - featuring: Todd on vocals and guitar, alongside drummer Kurt Dahle, guitarist Ryan Dahle, and bassist John Kerns - will play Toronto, Ontario for the first time in 18 years on November 25th at Adelaide Hall; get your tickets now at this location.

In other news, The Age Of Electric is "reissuing Make A Pest A Pet on vinyl to celebrate its 20th anniversary. It will be out on February 17th, 2017 as a double LP. The double LP will feature four unreleased songs recorded during the same sessions as the album. We will also be releasing a brand new digital EP (sold separately) on the same date as the reissue. Expect the first single to drop in November. Pre-order the LP here, the new EP pre-order link will be shared in the coming weeks. There are only 1,000 copies of the double LP available and they come in two colour options. There will be more tour dates in 2017 to support both the reissue and new EP."

Swedish melodic black metal entity Wormlight was formed in 2014 under the name Unhallowed. After the recording of the Bloodfields EP, the band changed its name to Wormlight and changed the lyrical themes.

In 2016 Wormlight signed with Black Lion Records for a re-release of Bloodfields, which contains two bonus tracks with vocals by Tiamat Invictuz. The EP will be released on December 3rd. It will take you back to the classic Swedish melodic black metal era when haunted melodic solos, facinorous riffs and ice cold, dark vocals used to wield the sceptre. Wormlight has begun recording their first full-length album set for release in 2017.

The re-recorded version (with new vocal) of the title track of the EP can be streamed below.

Invictuz comments, "'The Bloodfields' is an eerie pilgrimage amidst the putrid, formless undergrowth of formation through shared sepulchral ingress. Centered in the ruinous garden of deathless sighs where the fiery epitaph of the first son is a fulcrum beneath the crimson-stained scepter of life and the sterile walls of silence. It envisions the very end of all things conjured as perfectly still, cold and deathly quiet. A ceaseless dirge that removes the notion of entitled grandeur. Pauper or prince, all is equal before death."

Pre-order the EP now at this location.

Tracklisting:

"Wormlight"
"Pitch Black Hatred"
"Towards Impious Domination"
"The Bloodfields"
"Wormlight" (Invictuz on vocals)
"The Bloodfields" (Invictuz on vocals)

Band Members:

Tiamat Invictuz - vocals, guitars
Lator Mortis - guitars
Lord Arktos - bass
King Antichrist - drums

Italian power/speed metal band, Ancestral, will release their new album, Master Of Fate on January 20th via Iron Shield Records/Pure Steel.

Ancestral was born in January 1999 in Castelvetrano-Selinunte (Sicily), a small town situated in the extreme south of Italy, thanks to the Mendolia twins who had the intention to form a band with an aggressive and melodic sound but without keyboards.

After many concerts, Ancestral recorded their first demo CD, Travel In A Forgotten Time, in January 2000, which received a large success in Italy and abroad, especially in Japan and Germany. After one year, in January 2001, Ancestral came back with a new demo CD called Breed Of Chosens that confirmed the talent of the band thanks to a more mature work than the first, more technical and with a personal sound really different from many Italian metal bands.

In the last years the band was present at many important metal festivals and has played with bands such as Vision Divine, Vader, Extrema, Udo and more. In February 2005, Ancestral released a new promo CD called The Walls Of Troy, and signed a deal with Italian label Underground Symphony. The debut CD, The Ancient Curse, was recorded at Zenith Recordings in Lucca (Italy) and was released in July 2007 with a large success confirmed by audience and critics.

After some years, Ancestral came back again with a new lineup: Carmelo Scozzari - guitars (in 2010) and Jo Lombardo - vocals (in 2013). In October 2015 the band entered the Hertz Studio Recordings (Behemoth, Vader, Decapitated, Hate and more) in Poland to record their second disc, Master Of Fate, with Fabio Lione (Rhapsody Of Fire, Angra, Vision Divine) as special guest on the song “Lust For Supremacy”.

Master Of Fate is an album that displays a personal and interesting mixture between US style thrash metal and Teutonic melodic metal.

Tracklisting:

“Back To Life”
“Wind Of Egadi”
“Seven Months Of Siege”
“Master Of Fate”
“Refuge Of Souls” (instr.)
“Lust For Supremacy”
“No More Regrets”
“On The Route Of Death”
“From Beyond”
“Savage” (Helloween cover)

Including some musicians from Swiss cult bands such as Shovel and Houston Swing Engine, heavy rock/stoner power trio,Hey Satan, have announced the released of their debut full-length album, recorded by Serge Morratel at Rec Studio (Cortez, Knut, Shora, Year Of No Light) and planned for a physical LP / digital release on January 28th through Cold Smoke Records.

In the meantime, the band just unveiled three kick-assed singles from this upcoming effort via Bandcamp.

Hey Satan by Hey Satan

Formed by longtime friends François, Laurent and Frank (formerly from Shovel and Houston Swing Engine), Hey Satan provides heavy beats, groovy riffs and mean lyrics, with some royal influences (Led Zeppelin, RATM, Kyuss, etc.).

(Photo - Pacifique Vuillemin)

Rockstar Frame have released a video for their cover of the Red Hot Chili Peppers song, "Dark Necessities”, which can be seen below.

At the moment the single is only available via the video, but the band has stated it will be part of their forthcoming sophomore album, Bullet For Birthday, due worldwide in March via Musicarchy Media.

The new record will follow up 2015's debut, Rock ‘N’ Roll Mafia. As for the subject matter of Bullet For Birthday, drummer Max Klein hinted: "I feel like this next record is gonna be heavier in sound for sure. I think we had a more mature songwriting overall compared to Rock ‘N’ Roll Mafia, as we’ve grown up both as individuals and musically speaking in the past couple of years together."

Italian melodic death metal act, Black Therapy, have released a video for the title track of their new album, In The Embrace Of Sorrow, I Smile. The album will be released on December 2nd via Apostasy Records. The new video can be found below.

Tracklisting:

“Tears Of Innocence”
“In The Embrace Of Sorrow, I Smile”
“The Foolishness Of Existence”
“Stabbed”
“She, The Weapon”
“Paintings Of A Black Ocean”
“Voices In My Head”
“Theogony”
“The Final Outcome”
“Infected”

“In The Embrace Of Sorrow, I Smile” video:

Black Therapy lineup:

Giuseppe Di Giorgio - Vocals
Lorenzo Carlini - Guitar
Daniele Rizzo - Guitar
Luca Soldati - Drums
Alessandro Finocchiaro - Bass

Valery Records and V-Promotion announce the release of the self-titled album from Italian metallers, Hell’s Crows.

Hell’s Crows have heavy and power/progressive influences, and were founded in 2006 by singer and guitarist Randy Rush.

During its first year of existence, the group acted primarily as a hard rock cover band playing pieces and later, between 2007 and 2008, produced the first studio demo, Quiet Before Tempest. Subsequently the band shifted from a pure hard rock stance, which stood out in its first demo, to follow a heavier sound, heading towards metal influences which brought Hell’s Crows to self-produce a second album, Screaming Dead (2010), containing six tracks. This allowed the group to extend its live performances beyond its surroundings and obtain even more visibility in the Italian and German heavy metal stages.

From 2010 the group's sound further evolved with speed, power and progressive metal influences, drawing inspiration from legendary bands such as Angra, Helloween, Stratovarius and Symphony X.

2016 saw the completion of the newest work's mixing and mastering: Hell's Crows, the band's first full length album, containing 11 tracks of purely heavy/powerprog metal, with gothic and ethereal sounds; a mix of technical focus and sound mood assisted by electronic synths and classical metal riffs.

Hell's Crows struck an important partnership with Polish artist Maciej Wojtala for the album's graphics, concept designer of famous video games such as Epic Games' Gears Of War: Judgment, People Can Fly's Painkiller and EA Games' Bulletstorm.

The new album will be released in 2017 via Valery Records, distributed by Audioglobe. It will be available on iTunes. More details to follow.

Arkadius Antonik (SuidAkra, Fall Of Carthage) and artwork artist Kris Verwimp (Marduk, Manegarm, Thyrfing, Arkona) will release their second album, Second Age, via MDD Records in December. The album tracklisting can now be found below, as well as a studio video for the track “Towering Solitude”.

The album includes 18 tracks with a running time of 44 minutes and tell the story of the second age of Odoric. Due to the study and completion of Arkadius at the Audiocaution Academy, the compositions are much more mature than ever before. For the first time in the history of the project, the recordings were realized with the participation of many guest musicians from all over the world.

Tracklisting:

“Odoric Overture”
“The Lions Oath”
“The Last Embrace”
“Enchained”
“Pyramid Of Skulls”
“Serpent Tower Rising”
“Second Age Outcasts”
“Rogue Planet”
“Towering Solitude”
“The Rise Of Rebellion”
“Alaric Wolfbite”
“Return To Ankrath”
“Rebirth”
“Death Of The Deceived One”
“Decaying Blood”                       
“Broken Bonds”                                   
“Odoric On The Serpent Throne”                                       
“Aenea”

“Towering Solitude” (studio video featuring Eva Brönner, Cello):

"Odoric Overture“, played by the Brandenburg State Orchestra:

Pre-orders for this incredible package will be available until December 24th. In addition to the CD Audio, this contains an 80-page book in A4 with great illustrations by Kris Verwimp. Also in the package: a 28x28cm aluminium plate with high quality print of the cover design, 8 beer coasters with a two-sided design, a notepad with score design and a exclusive online access to additional material such as download content of videos, a making off and more.

An overview of the origin of the recordings, various graphic designs, work sketches and more can be seen on the Facebook page of the project.

Test Your Metal Records will released Vancouver, BC thrashers Terrifier’s next album, Weapons Of Thrash Destruction, on January 20th. The release will be the follow-up to 2013's Metal Or Death EP and 2012's Destroyers Of The Faith. The album track “Reanimator” is streaming below.

Tracklisting:

“Reanimator”
“Deceiver”
“Nuclear Demolisher”
“Skitzoid Embolism”
“Drunk As Fuck”
“Bestial Tyranny”
“Riders Of Doom”
“Sect Of The Serpent”

“Reanimator”:

Teaser:

Fresh from inking a multi-album record deal with Frontiers and signing with fast rising management company, TMR Band Management, Doomsday Outlaw release a new single and lyric video for the track “Walk On Water”. Released on Friday (November 25th), “Walk On Water” is taken from their album, Suffer More.

Bassist, Indy Chanda, said, “’Walk On Water’ is the opening track of our current, self-released album, Suffer More, and is a great way to discover Doomsday Outlaw with its blend of southern, blues and hard hitting rock n roll."

Singer, Phil Poole, said, “’Walk On Water’ is my view on organized religion, those so called churches that are just there to prey on the vulnerable."

Walk On Water will be a digital-only release available from all good online outlets from November 25th. It is accompanied by a lyric video produced by Very Metal Art.

Norwegian Balkan metallers, Trollfest, will release their new album, Helluva, on February 24th via NoiseArt Records.

Their seventh studio album promises to be a helluva album. The Trolls once more bring their mix of extreme metal and balkan influences to a new level with an added brass section, combined with more kaos.

Today, the band reveal the cover art for the upcoming album. Says the band: “Look at our splendid cover people! We have once again allied ourselves with the ever brilliant master pen Jonas Darnell. As you can see the cover has a picture of Professor Otto, Camouflage Clair and Steel Sarah while they are running from something deep in the caves of the earth where they are looking for the mother troll Helluva.”

Tracklisting:

“This Is Just The Intro”
“Professor Otto”
“Spelunking Sisters”
“Gigantic Cave”
“Steel Sarah”
“Trollachen”
“Hen Of Hades”
“Reiten mit ein Fisch”
“Fräulein Helluva”
“Kabaret”
“La Grande Finale”
“What A Good Idea”

Bonus tracks (Digipak)
“Don Gnomo Vega”
“Sputnik”

Helluva will be available in the following formats:

- CD-Digipak incl. Helluva-Patch
- Gold Vinyl incl. Poster
- Mint Vinyl incl. Poster
- Silver Vinyl incl. Poster
- Black Vinyl incl. Poster
- Download and Streaming

Studio Trailer #1:

Studio Trailer #2:

Negură Bunget present the video for “Marea Cea Mare”, a track from the ZI album. The clip can be seen below.

“The first ever track we composed in collaboration with another band, our good friends from Thy Veils,” says Negură Bunget. “The video was created by Thy Veils mastermind Daniel Dorobantu.”

Negură Bunget released ZI on September 30th via Prophecy Productions.

ZI (English for 'Day' or 'Say') is the second part of the group's ambitious Transilvanian Trilogy, released on the heels of 2015's celebrated album, TAU (English for 'Your' or 'Thy'), a record accurately hailed as "earthshaking" as it focused on unique native, natural landscapes and the mystique, legends, lore and meanings behind them.

Tracklisting:

“Tul-ni-că-rînd” (Horn-ing)
“Grădina stelelor” (Garden of Stars)
“Brazdă dă foc” (Furrow of Fire)
“Baciul Moșneag” (The Old Shepherd)
“Stanciu Gruiul” (Stanciu Gruiul)
“Marea Cea Mare” (The Vast Sea)

Bonus CD (only artbook)

“Tul-ni-că-rînd” (remixed version by Daniel Dorobanțu)
“Brazdă dă foc” (remixed version by Silent Strike)
“Schimnicește” (remixed version by Tibor Kati & Ionuț Cârja)
“Baciu moșneag” (remixed version by Adrian “Oq” Neagoe & Tragacanth)

Bonus DVD (only artbook)

ZI - album short film
“Tul-ni-că-rînd” - visual
“Stanciu Gruiul” - visual

ZI album film:

"Stanciu Gruilu" video:

“Tul-ni-ca-rind” video:

Belgium-based folk metal act, Ithilien, have signed a licensing deal with Wormholedeath for the worldwide release of their album, Shaping The Soul. The album will be released digitally on February 17th (Wormholedeath/The Orchard), and physical copies will be released on February 17th in Europe (Aural Music Group) and on March 17th in North America (Wormholedeath USA).

An announcement video can be seen below:

About the new album, the band says: "Our goal with this album is to share our experience of grief with the listener, as we believe that it is through loss and pain that our soul is being shaped. This process of grief then becomes a journey through a series of strong emotional stages such as denial, anger, bargaining and depression before the acceptance of reality."

Shaping The Soul tracklisting:

“Blindfolded”
“Lies After Lies”
“Shaping The Soul”
“Walk Away”
“If Onlyv
“Emma”
“Edelweiss”
“Hopeless”
“The Dive”
“The Bear Dance”

“Edelweiss” lyric video:

Hungarian female fronted metallers, Ann My Guard, have signed a record deal with German based label Rock'N'Growl Records. The band's forthcoming second album, Ourania, will be released worldwide on CD and digital on January 13th.

Singer Eszter Anna Baumann says: "It's a great honor to be a part of Rock'N'Growl Records. Our album couldn't be in better hands than Axel's. I've been following his company/label for many years and I know that he's very professional in managing and promoting his bands. I am sure that our collaboration will help Ann My Guard to reach more fans internationally. This is a huge step for the band and we are really excited about the future."

Axel of Rock'N'Growl adds: "We are proud to welcome Ann My Guard to the Rock'N'Growl family! This band is really dedicated and hard working. That's what it makes to get them on our roster."

Ourania was produced by Gabor Vari at Black Hole Sound Studio.

Tracklisting:

“Novae”
“Asteria”
“Callisto”
“Io”
“Breathe The Sun”
“Obsidian Tears”
“Serpent”
“Hekate”
“The Secret”

Eszter Anna Baumann comments on Ourania: "I wanted to make a record that fully represents what Ann My Guard is: I really like mixing the ethereal feminine vocals with heavy guitar riffs and dark melodies. I like contrasts. Moreover, I love to use mythical metaphors: while on the debut record, Innocence Descent I used the Moon representing the maturing of a woman, by Ourania I expressed more universal themes. As the lyrics of Asteria say: I just want to elevate you, underneath my starlit sky, I'll be set free... The aim of rock music for me is to elevate the listeners into another dimensions, not to pull them down. I think that's what we all need from music nowadays, right?"

Ann My Guard is:

Eszter Anna Baumann (vocals, bass)
Krisztián Varga (guitars)
Benjamin Bárkányi (guitars)
Norbert Tobola (drums)

Denmark-based symphonic metallers, Akoma, have released a video for “Revangels”, the title track of their debut album, Revangels, which will be released on January 13th via Massacre Records. The album was produced, recorded, mixed and mastered by Alexander Krull at Mastersound Entertainment.

The album artwork was created by Stefan Heilemann, and can be seen below.

"Heile did an amazing job with this artwork - I've never had that 'wow!' experience before, until I saw this artwork for the first time!" said guitarist Morten Bell. "I really think that his art matches our music perfectly!"

“Revangels” features a guest vocal appearance from former Leaves' Eyes frontwoman Liv Kristine, who exited the band earlier this year.

The Mute Gods, the new band from the mind of renowned bassist, chapman stick player and vocalist Nick Beggs, alongside drummer Marco Minnemann (Steven Wilson), and long-time Steve Hackett collaborator and keyboardist Roger King, have released a new video (see below) for their track “Nightschool For Idiots”.

“Nightschool For Idiots” is featured on the band’s debut album, Do Nothing Till Your Hear From Me, out now via InsideOut Music.

The enigmatic artwork for the record was created by Lars 'Zeituhr" Tellmann,

Tracklisting:

“Do Nothing Till You Hear From Me”
“Praying To A Mute God”
“Nightschool For Idiots”
“Feed The Troll”
“Your Dark Ideas”
“Last Man On Earth” (bonus track)
“In The Crosshairs”
“Strange Relationship”
“Swimming Horses”
“Mavro Capelo” (bonus track)
“Father, Daughter”

“Nightschool For Idiots” video:

“Praying To A Mute God” video:

“Father, Daughter” video:

“Do Nothing Till You Hear From Me” video:

“Do Nothing Till You Hear From Me” video (4K 360 degree version):

Swedish melodic metal band, Enbound, have released a lyric video for the new song “Get Ready For” (streaming below), featured on their new album, The Blackened Heart, out now via Inner Wound Recordings.

The Blackened Heart contains a nice mix of heavy and up tempo songs, all with their own strong and grasping melodies. Enbound prove with The Blackened Heart that they can handle any angle of melodic metal. Like on their debut album, the characteristic powerful arrangements remain with the fantastic and emotional vocals from Lee Hunter on top.

The album was mastered by Jacob Hansen (Amaranthe, Volbeat, Primal Fear) and guests on the album includes Linnéa Wikström (Kamelot, Therion) and Mike LePond (Symphony X).

The Blackened Heart tracklisting:

“Falling”
“Give Me Light”
“Crossroad”
“Get Ready For”
“Feel My Flame”
“Twelve”
“Holy Grail”
“HIO”
“They Don't Really Know”
“Make You So Unreal”

“Get Ready For” lyric video:

“Give Me Light” video:

Enbound is:

Lee Hunter (Lars Säfsund - Work of Art) - Vocals
Swede - Bass
Marvin Flowberg - Guitars
Mike Cameron Force (ex. Zonata) - Drums

Fan-filmed video footage of LAST IN LINE's November 14 performance at Le Trianon in Paris, France can be seen below.

LAST IN LINE is the band featuring DEF LEPPARD guitarist Vivian Campbell alongside fellow founding DIO member Vinny Appice, plus singer Andrew Freeman, who has previously fronted HURRICANE and LYNCH MOB.

LAST IN LINE's debut album, "Heavy Crown", was released on February 19, 2016 via Frontiers Music Srl. The CD was recorded at a Santa Clarita, California studio with producer Jeff Pilson, a veteran bassist who has played with DIO, FOREIGNER, DOKKEN and T&N, among others.

LAST IN LINE recruited Phil Soussan (OZZY OSBOURNE, BEGGARS & THIEVES, Steve Lukather) to play bass for the group for all dates in support of "Heavy Crown". Also joining them at the shows is virtuoso keyboardist Erik Norlander (Lana Lane).

Soussan made his live debut with LAST IN LINE on April 14 at Count's Vamp'd Rock Bar & Grill in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Freeman previously played with Soussan in the acclaimed Las Vegas rock and roll production "Raiding The Rock Vault".

Appice and Soussan had done a number of shows together as members of the all-star jam band BIG NOIZE.

Original LAST IN LINE bassist Jimmy Bain passed away in late January at the age of 68. He was reportedly suffering from lung cancer at the time of his death.

In a recent interview with Rock Today, Campbell spoke about LAST IN LINE's decision to carry on as a band, with Soussan taking Bain's place. He said: "Jimmy was a great riff writer, and [the band] really meant so much to him, and that's the only reason why I feel we can continue to do this, because when Jimmy passed away, the initial effect on me was, 'Fuck it! That's it. We're done.' We'll put the [first LAST IN LINE] record out and that's the end of it, but on reflection, Jimmy put so much into this record, as indeed we all have, that we owe it to him and we owe it to ourselves and our legacy to work this record."

He continued: "We did have a tour planned for immediately after the record was released, but we obviously canceled that tour. We ended up doing some of the key shows a couple of months later like the Frontiers festival in Milan and we did the Rocklahoma festival at the end of May, but on reflection, it was important to us. It meant too much. The response to the record also helped fuel that decision, because people did genuinely respond to it and say, 'Hey, this is a great record. It's what we've been waiting for years,' so that obviously buoyed us a lot and we licked our wounds and picked it up and we were very fortunate that we got Phil Soussan, who's about as close as you can get to someone who plays in that style that Jimmy does."

Vivian added: "Phil knew Jimmy for years and years. We were all friends. He played for Ozzy for years and years. He gets what it's like to play that kind of aggressive, time-keeping percussive bass guitar like Jimmy did, so it's never going to be quite the same. No two people ever play the same — guitar, bass players, singers — we're all unique like our finger prints and that's what makes great bands and the chemistry as the interaction of these individuals. It's as close as we're going to come playing with someone like Phil Soussan and we owe it to Jimmy and his memory and the musical legacy that we have together. We finally decided we have to continue to do this, but it was a painful decision."

Nuclear Blast will release BLACK STAR RIDERS' third studio album, "Heavy Fire", in February 2017. The band will support the album with a full U.K. and Ireland tour in March 2017.

The first trailer for "Heavy Fire" is available below. BLACK STAR RIDERS' previous album, "The Killer Instinct", was released in 2015 to widespread critical acclaim and went on to score multiple radio playlists. A solid year of worldwide touring culminated in December 2015 in an U.K. arena tour alongside DEF LEPPARD and WHITESNAKE. 2016 saw BLACK STAR RIDERS — Ricky Warwick, Scott Gorham, Damon Johnson, Robert Crane and Jimmy DeGrasso — return to the studio with "The Killer Instinct" producer Nick Raskulinecz (RUSH, FOO FIGHTERS, KORN), at his studio just outside Nashville. The resultant album is BLACK STAR RIDERS' most accomplished work to date. From the immediate riffs of album opener "Heavy Fire" to the instant hooks of first single "When The Night Comes In" (see lyric video below), from the dirty bass groove of "Thinking About You Could Get Me Killed" to the familiar and trademark dual guitars of Gorham and Johnson on "Testify Or Say Goodbye", this is an album that will further cement BLACK STAR RIDERS' reputation as one of the world premiere rock acts. "Angst, passion, power, glory, love, truth, lies, loyalty, questions that begged to be answered. There's a guitar army coming…and it's bringing the 'Heavy Fire'!" says Warwick. "Not many new bands get to record three albums these days," adds Gorham. "Without doubt, this is BSR's best album so far. We had a great time recording it and can't wait to play the new songs live on tour in March." Following on from their critically acclaimed albums "All Hell Breaks Loose" and "The Killer Instinct", which have paved the way for BLACK STAR RIDERS to be recognized as a power force in the modern day of rock and roll, "Heavy Fire" will be once again released by Nuclear Blast Entertainment. The band have also brought in PledgeMusic, one of the most innovative and successful platforms of the modern music world, to give fans extra special product and experiences to go along with the album's release. CD

01. Heavy Fire02. When The Night Comes In03. Dancing With The Wrong Girl04. Who Rides The Tiger05. Cold War Love06. Testify Or Say Goodbye07. Thinking About You Could Get Me Killed08. True Blue Kid09. Ticket To Rise10. Letting Go Of Me The limited-edition digibook CD will have above track listing plus the bonus track "Fade" Limited-edition gatefold vinyl and limited-edition picture disc

Side One

01. Heavy Fire02. When The Night Comes In03. Dancing With The Wrong Girl04. Who Rides The Tiger05. Cold War Love

Side Two

01. Testify Or Say Goodbye02. Thinking About You Could Get Me Killed03. True Blue Kid04. Ticket To Rise05. Letting Go Of Me After a full year off the road, BLACK STAR RIDERS are back with a 16-date U.K. and Ireland run, joined on the first five dates by Scottish rockers GUN and THE AMORETTES and then Sweden's own BACKYARD BABIES with GUN on the remaining 11 shows.

Photo credit: Robert John

Finnish female-fronted metallers BATTLE BEAST will release their fourth album, titled "Bringer Of Pain", on February 17, 2017 via Nuclear Blast Records. Recorded and produced at JKB Studios by keyboardist Janne Björkroth, the ten-track album was mixed by Björkroth alongside Viktor Gullichsen and Mikko Karmila, while mastering was done by Mika Jussila at Finnvox Studios. The cover artwork was crafted by Jan Yrlund.

A video for the album's first single, "King For A Day", was recently filmed and will make its online debut soon.

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

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.

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.

Singer Noora Louhimo joined BATTLE BEAST in 2012 as the replacement for Nitte Vänskä.

In an interview with RockRevoltMagazine.com, Noora stated about "Unholy Savior": "'Unholy Savior' includes various kind of songs: the BATTLE BEAST kind of hard, balls-to-the-wall power metal, soft and sexy pop-ish song, and a couple ballads. And, of course, a couple of bonus tracks that are influenced by '80s music. I think this album is showing different aspects of BATTLE BEAST and give more versatility in heavy metal genre."

Asked how she has been received by the old BATTLE BEAST fans, Noora said: "At first, I was crucified, so to speak. On the other hand, some fans thought I was improvement for the band, but some didn't believe in me at all. It's been very growing experience and made me believe more in myself as a singer than ever before. If you can take bad comments as your fuel to practice more and develop yourself into better, then you are on the right path. Of course, you have to know when take the critic seriously and when it is just someone trying to hurt you. But I really want to thank people who've been supporting me since the beginning but also the people who didn't. What doesn't kill makes stronger and better."