Multi-camera fan-filmed video footage of Swedish occult rockers GHOST performing their new song "Square Hammer" on October 20 at the Wiltern in Los Angeles, California can be seen below.

"Square Hammer" is taken from GHOST's latest EP, "Popestar", which debuted at the No. 1 position on Billboard's Top Rock Albums and Hard Rock Albums charts and sold over 21,000 copies in its first week. The release is also the first EP to top the Top Rock Albums chart in its 10-year history. "Popestar" was released on September 16 by Loma Vista Recordings and is available online and in record stores on CD, vinyl, and digital. The surprise five-track offering also contains covers of selections by ECHO & THE BUNNYMEN, SIMIAN MOBILE DISCO, EURYTHMICS and IMPERIET. "Popestar" was recorded by Papa Emeritus III and his Nameless Ghouls in Linköping, Sweden and produced by Tom Dalgety (PIXIES, ROYAL BLOOD, OPETH). Additionally, GHOST released a deluxe version of "Meliora", their acclaimed 2015 Grammy Award-winning album. "Meliora Deluxe" contains the "Popestar" EP as a bonus disc (CD or LP or digital). The arrival of the "Popestar" EP coincided with the launch of the band's 41-city U.S. headlining "Popestar" tour, which kicked off on September 16.

GHOST is known for its eccentric performances and is composed of six members easily recognized for their satanic attires. Five men who call themselves as Nameless Ghouls play the instruments while the lead vocalist is known as Papa Emeritus. The Nameless Ghouls who are wearing identical devil masks and costumes represent the five instrumentalities or elements (fire, water, air, earth and aether or quintessence) while their leader Papa Emeritus represents the group's anti-pope symbol.

A trailer for EUROPE guitarist John Norum's forthcoming instructional DVD is available below. The DVD will be sold exclusively through John's official web site.

Says Norum: "A while back, I decided to make an instructional DVD for guitar fans, so I started planning it and everything was going fine, but after a while, I felt that it was just getting way too technical for my personal taste. I'm more into 'If a solo has feeling and fits the song and sounds good, then it is good!' So I decided to start over and do more of a song-oriented thing instead, where I play solos from some of my favorite songs, talk about my gear and so on. And I think it came out great! It's loose and fun which is what guitar playing is all about!"

He continued: "In the meanwhile, I had a daughter and decided to put the DVD 'on ice' for a while and focus on my family and EUROPE, who has been very busy the last couple of years with albums and touring. But now I feel that the time is right to put this DVD out so you can see what it's like in my crazy guitar world ...ha."

EUROPE is scheduled to enter the studio in early 2017 to begin recording the follow-up to 2015's "War Of Kings" album.

Ozzy Osbourne has revealed what music he’d like to have played at his funeral, and his choice might surprise you.

According to Birmingham Mail, when asked what song he'd like played at his funeral, he said: "I really need a few more years to think this over, but probably something from Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band or Revolver.

He told NME: "I definitely don't want my f***ing greatest hits album - I never ever play that thing, I'm f***ing embarrassed about it. And I definitely don't want a f***ing happy song - I'm dead."

Read the full story at BirminghamMail.co.uk.

BMG has announced an extensive reissue program commencing in 2016 and continuing through 2017, of the seminal albums by British hard rock legends Uriah Heep, who are one of the big four along with Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple and Black Sabbath.

Created with the full collaboration of Heep themselves and curated by guitarist and founding member Mick Box, the reissues come as 2CD expanded packages, with the original LPs on CD1 re-mastered by renowned engineer Andy Pearce of Lou Reed and Black Sabbath fame and complete with liner notes by the bestselling rock author Joel McIver. Box and Heep’s sometime member Ken Hensley, composer of many of the band’s best-known songs, contribute to each album’s notes.

The reissue program kicks off with a new Uriah Heep anthology, Your Turn To Remember: The Definitive Anthology 1970-1990. Evoking an era when prog, hard rock and heavy metal co-existed in an era of glorious, boundary-breaking music, the songs on this 2CD collection trace the evolution of Heep from inexperienced studio musicians with everything to prove to bona fide, limo inhabiting rock stars. The Anthology cherry picks tracks from some of Heep’s most celebrated albums including Demons And Wizards, Look At Yourself, Return To Fantasy, Equator, Conquest and The Magicians Birthday.

As Mick Box explains: “We were very green! If the engineer had said, ‘Stand in a fire bucket and plug your guitar into that radiator’, we probably would have done it. We had no experience of the studio at all. Two years later we were in America, playing to between 10,000 and 20,000 people a night. We were in a big bubble, with all the private Learjets and so on: I don’t think I went through an airport for 10 years! We were picked up by limos on the tarmac, and all that stuff. We’d take whole floors of hotels, with bodyguards outside each room. It got to those heady, silly heights, but I was personally always up for the fun of it. I never believed it was going to continue, but some did, which was a bit unfortunate...”

Additionally released in 2016 is Heep’s 1970 debut album ...’Very ’Eavy ...Very ’Umble - a must-buy for many fans. Originally released on the magnificent Vertigo spiral label with original mint condition first pressings now commanding a price of $600+, it is bursting at the seams with creativity and a desire to make a mark in the most fertile era that rock music has ever known, the album was a powerful statement of intent, showcasing the incredible vocals of the late David Byron. Witness the opening cut “Gypsy”, the musicians stop and start on a dime in a classic opening sequence before Byron’s soaring vocals introduce the ever-lovin’ subject matter. Hensley’s immense organ solo, which not only occupies most of the song’s midsection, but also restarts the entire song towards its back end, is a showcase of a young, hot musician with everything to prove. The musicianship shines bright throughout the album; from the Hendrix inspired blues rocker “Real Turned On”, and the Mellotron soaked “Come Away Melinda”, to the bombastic “Dreammare” and majestic closer “Wake Up (Set Your Sights)”, Heep’s debut showcased a very promising new rock band flexing some serious musical muscle.

This new issue of ‘Eavy brings together the newly re-mastered original album with a second disc of never before issued alternate mixes. Three tracks on CD2 are from the late period Spice (pre Heep) sessions (just prior to Ken Hensley joining the fold) and the rest are all from the Very ‘Eavy sessions, recorded over a period of several months in late 1969 and early 1970. These bonus tracks were recently discovered by Heep uber fan, Robert Corich who has a library of unreleased music used across these re-issues.

Box adds: “Creativity in Uriah Heep was at a peak at the time. Nobody was breathing down our necks, so we moved into a more progressive field after ‘Very ’Eavy... Very ’Umble’. We were getting into a period where we would just write things and let them go where they wanted to go, rather than writing to a format. Not that there had been a format before, but this time we really let our hair down, if you like! We decided that there would be no restrictions whatsoever.”

Organist Ken Hensley looks back at this era fondly, saying: “It was beginning to sink in that we were onto something. The management company, the record company, the publishing company and everyone else were all on board, and we had made a bit of an impact with the first album, especially in Europe, so we had some momentum. I took most of the tracks in their rawest forms to the band, and together we turned them into full songs.”

The Uriah Heep reissue program continues with 1970’s Salisbury featuring the huge international hit, “Lady In Black”.

Your Turn To Remember: The Definitive Anthology 1970-1990 tracklisting:

Disc 1

“Gypsy”                                                                                                                          
“Come Away Melinda”
“Bird Of Prey”
“Lady In Black”
“Look At Yourself”
“July Morning” – Japanese Single Edit
“Easy Livin’”
“The Wizard”
“Sunrise”
“Sweet Lorraine”
“Stealin’”
“Sweet Freedom”
“The Shadows And The Wind”
“Suicidal Man”
“Return To Fantasy”
“Devil’s Daughter”
 
Disc 2

“Weep In Silence”
“Can’t Keep A Good Band Down”
“Sympathy”
“Firefly”
“Free N’ Easy”
“Free Me”
“Woman Of The Night”
“Come Back To Me”
“It Ain’t Easy”
“No Return”
“Too Scared To Run”
“Chasing Shadows”
“Straight Through The Heart”
“The Other Side Of Midnight”
“Rockarama”
“Poor Little Rich Girl”
“Voice On My TV”

Kittie drummer Mercedes Lander has launched a new band called The White Swan, which sees her singing as well as playing drums. After weeks of teasing the band has finally released their first official promo photo featuring (from left to right) Kira Longeuay (bass), Shane Jeffers (guitars), and Mercedes Lander (drums, vocals, keyboards, guitars)

The White Swan's three song EP, entitled Anubis, has beeen released digitally ahead of the originally planned November 1st release date. The band has now confirmed a string of shows; they will make their live debut this weekend in London, Ontario. Their schedule is as follows:

October
29 - London, Ontario - Call The Office (with Public Animal, Traumahawk)

December
2 - Toronto, ON - Cherry Cola's
3 - Windsor, ON - Villains

January
13 - London, ON - 765 Old East Bar (with Hammerhands)

Stream the songs from Anubis below, click on the player or go to this location to purchase the EP.

Anubis by The White Swan

Lander recently offered a track-by-track overview of The White Swan's three song debut EP featuring the songs "Illuminate", "Blood", and a cover of the Wings classic "Jet".

"'Illuminate'  is more or less about the feeling of profound loss, says Lander. "I felt like I wanted to ask all of the questions you would want to ask, or things you would want to tell someone if you've been separate from  each other for a long period of time. 'Blood' originally started as a song I wrote for a friend for her solo album. Gradually I changed the key and wanted to keep it for myself.  The song is about all of the different emotions you cycle through with any relationship, platonic or not."

"In March 2016 we started compiling riffs, songs, and demoing ideas. One night I was driving home from the yoga studio I teach at and 'Jet' came on the radio. Instantly I was like 'Damn, this song is heavy' and asked Kira and Shane if they would be cool with a cover version of the song. From there we started working on a version that would fit The White Swan."

Stay tuned for more. Check out The White Swan Facebook page here. Check out a snippet of "Illuminate" below.

Atmospheric doom metallers, Trees Of Eternity, featuring Fredrik Norrman and Mattias Norrman (ex-Katatonia, October Tide) and Kai Hahto (Wintersun, Swallow The Sun), have released a sampler for their forthcoming album, Hour Of The Nightingale, which will be released November 11th via Svart Records.

Hour Of The Nightingale tracklisting:

“My Requiem”
“Eye Of Night”
“Condemned To Silence” (feat. Mick Moss of Antimatter)
“A Million Tears”
“Hour Of The Nightingale”
“The Passage”
“Broken Mirror”
“Black Ocean”
“Sinking Ships”
“Gallows Bird” (feat. Nick Holmes of Paradise Lost)

Sampler:

“A Million Tears” lyric video:

“Broken Mirror” lyric video:

Pioneering progressive label Basick Records have announced the signing of new band Riviẽre. The French post-prog metal band are set to release their debut LP Heal on January 20th, 2017. First single “Golden Wounds” below.

The Toulouse four-piece are an impressive cross-genre blend. Their roots firmly in progressive metal and post-rock, the band also display strong elements of post-hardcore, alternative metal and - staggeringly – ‘80 electro. For fans of Karnivool, Deftones, Tool, Thrice and more, Riviẽre's material makes for an immensely interesting and satisfying listen. 

A completely new act on the scene, Riviẽre have spent the last two years working tirelessly on their debut release. In their own words:

"We are very honoured that Basick Records have chosen to work with Riviẽre. So much time, work and energy has been put into this album and it means a lot to all of us. We've had the chance to work with many talented people and there have been lots of unexpected developments. It’s been greatly rewarding to have the support of such a label, and we’re very grateful to have the opportunity to share our debut album Heal to such an extent!"

Currently working on new music for 2017, Season Of Ghosts and Zombie Sam took time out from their respective schedules to work on something special for Halloween inspired by the Tim Burton movie, The Nightmare Before Christmas. Season Of Ghosts vocalist Sophia has checked in with the following update:

"You asked, we delivered! Season of Ghosts' version of 'Sally's Song' will be released on Halloween! Orchestrated and arranged by Zombie Sam. I'm under the impression that we made the song a liiiittle spookier..." 

Zombie Sam: "The song I covered from The Nightmare Before Christmas is 'This Is Halloween! The song features Ryan Howell on vocals. I produced 'Sally's Song' as well for Season of Ghosts! So, this Halloween you'll get two songs produced by me! Be ready!" 

Zombie Sam recently issued the following update on his new album:

"I'm here in the IM studio and I'm listening to my new album with few vocal lines. I can tell you it's like falling into a Tim Burton's movie.. very moving album. You won't be disappointed. I wrote the new story for the new official video and it's crazy!

Before getting into the new world let's remember about my 1st album and the video 'A Hallow Tale'. Do you remember? Many things changed since then, in a better way of course. The new album is a huge level up! Curious?"

Zombie Sam released his previous album Self Conscious Insanity on June 4th, 2013 via Coroner Records.

Zombie Sam also collaborated on the Season Of Ghosts debut, The Human Paradox, released on December 8th, 2014 via Coroner Records. Mastermind/vocalist Sophia posted a behind-the-scenes clip from the recording sessions of her debut album, The Human Paradox, featuring Zombie Sam. Check it out below:

A full length audio clip of the third song on the album, "Time Travellers", can be heard below:

Season Of Ghosts is a groundbreaking music project, dedicated to the love for the unseen and film soundtracks, combining extreme rock and metal sounds, harsh electronics and powerful, compelling vocals, through the eerie spectrum of a Sci-Fi and horror movie.

Tracklisting:

"Nothing Disappears Without A Trace"
"Genesis - The Phoenix Syndrome"
"Time Travellers"
"Dream; Paralysis"
"The Human Paradox"

"[NE]: MESIS - The Kiss Of Justice"
"Beautiful Eternal Things"
"Dreaming In The Gray Lands"
"The Road To Acheron"
"Quantum - Through The Looking Glass"
"Reincarnation"
"There And Back Again"

Preview:

Italian ‘70s hard rockers Witchwood released the "Handful Of Stars" official video. The song is the title track of their new album to be released by Jolly Roger Records on November 18th.
 
“We are very happy to introduce you this piece of art, made by our friend Dimitri Corradini, renowned artist and bass player of the Italian death metal band Distruzione. He created an amazing mix between music and images. We are astonished and we hope you like it. Have a nice journey!” states the band.

“‘Handful Of Stars’ represents an hypothetical band’s cycle as it contains also music based on ideas developed during the recording sessions of ‘Litanies From The Woods’, but left behind because that album was already almost 80 minutes length”, comments Ricky Dal Pane.
“There are three unreleased songs and a tribute to two of our favourite bands of all time: ‘Flaming Telepaths’ from Blue Öyster Cult and ‘Rainbow Demon’ from Uriah Heep. We also added an extended version of the song ‘Handful Of Stars’. This is a very well curated album and it’s full of interesting material. It’s not just a filler between two full-length albums as its length is 45 minutes. We are very happy about it and we hope our fans won’t be disappointed.”
 
“Handful Of Stars" is the right way to celebrate the appreciations received for the debut album and to introduce the new guitar player Antonino Stella, appreciated session man and longtime Ricky's friend. The new video clip for the title track, made by the artist Dimitri Corradini, will be available soon. 
 
The album will be available as yellow LP limited to 100 copies, LP, CD, and boxset CD + tshirt + sticker limited to 100.

Tracklisting:

“Presentation: Under The Willow”
“Like A Giant In A Cage”
“A Grave Is The River”
“Mother”
“Flaming Telepaths”
“Rainbow Demon”
“Handful Of Stars” (New Version)

“Handful Of Stars video:

Peaceville Records will release The Wind Of 666 Black Hearts on November 25th.

The Wind Of 666 Black Hearts contains tracks which would go on to feature on the classic A Blaze In The Northern Sky and Under A Funeral Moon albums. The A Blaze... rehearsal tracks feature the line-up of Nocturno Culto, Fenriz, Zephyrous and Dag Nilsen, while the Under A Funeral Moon rehearsal tracks saw Darkthrone narrowed to a 3-piece act, with Nocturno moving to bass and Zephyrous handling all guitars. 

The Wind Of 666 Black Hearts is presented on double white 180g vinyl. Packaged in a gatefold cover, the release includes rare photos, lyrics, and liner notes from Fenriz.

Tracklisting:

Side A
“A Blaze In The Northern Sky”
“Kathaarian Life Code”
“The Pagan Winter”

Side B
“Where Cold Winds Blow”
“In The Shadow Of The Horns”

Side C
“Summer Of The Diabolical Holocaust”
“Crossing The Triangle Of Flames”

Side D
“Under A Funeral Moon”
“The Dance Of Eternal Shadows”
“Unholy Black Metal”

A two-minute video "wrap-up" of this year's Knotfest, which was held last month at San Manuel Amphitheater And Festival Grounds in San Bernardino, California, can be seen below.

SLIPKNOT performed its 2001 album "Iowa" in its entirety at the two-day Ozzfest Meets Knotfest event, which took place September 24-25.

According to the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department, about 37,000 people attended the event on September 24 (Ozzfest), and around 25,600 people attended the event on September 25 (Knotfest), with 3,470 campers on the festival grounds.

Saturday's Ozzfest lineup was headlined by BLACK SABBATH, while SLIPKNOT closed out Sunday's Knotfest bill.

Also on the Ozzfest portion of the weekend were DISTURBED, OPETH, BLACK LABEL SOCIETY and others, while the Knotfest lineup included SLAYER, TRIVIUM, ANTHRAX, SUICIDE SILENCE and many more.

Both days featured three stages, with one of them named after late MOTÖRHEAD frontman Lemmy Kilmister.

"Iowa" came out in August 2001 and followed up SLIPKNOT's double-platinum 1999 major label debut.

SLIPKNOT is playing the final shows of the world tour in support of its latest album, ".5: The Gray Chapter", which was released in October 2014.

The music video for the debut single of A Sun Traverse, the 8+ minute opus "Dance Darkness Dance", was filmed and edited by Kennie Ørsted (The Vision Ablaze, Sea) and is streaming below:

After departing with Saturnus, Peter E. Poulsen (guitars), Tais Pedersen (guitars), Nikolai Borg (drums) and Anders R. Nielsen (keyboards) formed A Sun Traverse and was later joined by bassist player Lennart Jacobsen (also ex-Saturnus). Recently vocalist Michael H. Andersen (Thorium, ex-Withering Surface) completed the line-up.

 A Sun Traverse is proud to present the first official release. A Journey into classic, melancholic yet beautiful doom/death metal with haunting melodies and deep, roaring vocals. Produced and mixed by KB Larsen (Volbeat, The Kandidate) and mastered by Henrik West/Medley Studio (Artillery, Glenn Hughes).Y

The self-titled minialbum will be released on January 13th, 2017 via Mighty Music on LP format and all digital platforms and the same day the band will play their first ever concert at Beta (Copenhagen) with fellow Danish doomsters Altar Of Oblivion.

Austin rock band Funeralizer will release its self-titled debut album on October 28th via Crayo KC. The group, a trio featuring drummer Trivett Wingo (ex-The Sword), guitarist David DiDonato (Ultimate Dragons) and bassist Clarke Wilson (Bangaar, Those Peabodys), play music that is at once, eclectic, electric and loud. The full album is streaming below.

"The idea behind Funeralizer is that everything is super concentrated. No fluff," Wingo continues. "It seems like the best parts of most songs can be summed up in about a minute and a half. The goal is to keep things dense. Boredom is the enemy."  He adds, "I'm excited to get this record out 'cuz I feel like, for the most part, it doesn't sound like anything anyone else is doing."

Tracklisting:

“RIC”
“Single Entendre (The Cigar Song)”
“Vexed And Perplexed”
“Koo Stark’s Big Break (Pt. III)”
“Kallista”
“The Real Tragedy Would Have Been If Romeo And Juliet Had Lived”
“The Monster That Lives In My Garage”
“Rotting On The Vine”
“One-Dimensional Chess”
“Gary’s Lament”
“Huck Fin”
“Game Over Man, Game Over”

Full album stream:

"Rotting On The Vine":

“RIC”:

Two years after their last opus, Chaos.Ice.Fire, the mythical Polish horde Arkona return with an brand new offering entitled Lunaris. This grandiose and emphatic sixth full length album, in a 23-year career, is probably the most fully realized expression of their singular vision.

The sepulchral artwork was crafted by renowned Artist Qras from MentalPorn Design Agency (Behemoth, Incantation).

Lunaris tracklisting:

“Droga do ocalenia”
“Ziemia”
“Śmierć i odrodzenie”
“Nie dla mnie litość”
“Lśnienie”
“Lunaris”

"Śmierć I Odrodzenie":

Lunaris by ARKONA

Recorded at No Solace Studio with M. (MGŁA), Lunaris will be available on November 4th on CD, LP and Digital via Debemur Morti Productions.

German melodic progressive death metal band, Words Of Farewell, will release their third album, A Quiet World, on November 18th through AFM Records. A lyric video for the album track “Gallows Frame” can be found below.

Tracklisting:

“My Share of Loneliness”
“Gaia Demise”
“Gallows Frame”
“Limit Cycle”
“Zero Temperance”
“Momentary Life”
“Oversoul”
“The Farthest Reach”
“This Shadow My Likeness”

“Gallows Frame” lyric video:

    

“My Share of Loneliness”:

Horror Pain Gore Death Productions have released the new album from Baltimore Maryland's punishing Black Metal act Unendlich entitled Scales Of Existence on CD and Digital formats. The albums is streaming in full below.

A description reads: "Horror Pain Gore Death Productions welcome Unendlich to the roster with the malevolent new album Scales Of Existence. Hailing from the wasteland that is Baltimore, Maryland, Unendlich is the sole creation of of multi-instrumentalist Michael Connors Jr., whose writing style retains the chaotic aggression of black metal balanced by injecting melody throughout his works.

"Scales Of Existence is a journey seen through a nihilistic existence, the vices used to cope, and the resulting aftermath. Unendlich appropriately means "infinite / without end" in German, and is a brutal barrage of black metal full of memorable riffs and precise drumming. Scales Of Existence is also charged with a palpable, raw anger due to a sudden and unexpected death occurring during the album's creation."

Tracklisting:

“When It's Too Late”
“Parasadistic”
“Transparent Man”
“I Despair”
“Way Of All Flesh”
“Dethroned”
“Exsanguination”
“Destroyer”
“Rearranged To Be Broken”
“Pillars Of Decay”

Full album stream:

Scales Of Existence by UNENDLICH

“Way Of All Flesh”:

Order the CD for only $10 with free shipping at this location. Order the Digital Download for only $6.66 here.

The Neal Morse Band - singer/guitarist/keyboardist Neal Morse, drummer Mike Portnoy, bassist Randy George, keyboardist Bill Hubauer and guitarist Eric Gillette - are gearing up for the release of their new album The Similitude Of A Dream. Portnoy issued the following update:

"Coming this Friday! Another world premiere video from the Neal Morse Band's The Similitude Of A Dream (out on 11/11). In fact, we will have new music videos for you every Friday up until the album's release! Stay tuned...."

Check out the official video for "So Far Gone" below.

The Neal Morse Band are also preparing to kick off their North American tour schedule in support of the new album. According to an update from Portnoy while answering a fan question via Facebook, "we will be performing The Similitude Of A Dreamentirely in its entirety as well as other material from the NM/NMB catalog."

Tracklisting:

Disc 1
“Long Day”    
“Overture”     
“The Dream”  
“City Of Destruction”     
“We Have Got To Go”  
“Makes No Sense”   
“Draw The Line”   
“The Slough”     
“Back To The City”   
“The Ways Of A Fool”     
“So Far Gone”
“Breath Of Angels”              

Disc 2
“Slave To Your Mind”              
“Shortcut To Salvation”          
“The Man In The Iron Cage”          
“The Road Called Home”               
“Sloth”                                            
“Freedom Song”                            
“I'm Running”                                  
“The Mask”                                      
“Confrontation”                                 
“The Battle”                                      
“Broken Sky/Long Day Reprise”      

The band recently released the video for “City of Destruction” from their highly anticipated The Similitude Of A Dream album, which is due out November 11th on Radiant Records. This will be the eighth studio album with Morse, Portnoy and George, and the second as a true collaboration with this current lineup. You can check out the video below.

The journey of Neal Morse has seen three decades of musical accomplishments, the latest being the inception of The Neal Morse Band. Morse has forged many relationships over the years with his other bands, Spock’s Beard, Flying Colors, and Transatlantic. However, the most compelling and fruitful efforts have been those with drummer Mike Portnoy (The Winery Dogs, Twisted Sister, ex-Dream Theater).

Now the current lineup of The Neal Morse Band - Morse, Portnoy, bassist Randy George, keyboardist Bill Hubauer and guitarist Eric Gillette - brings forth The Similitude Of A Dream, a concept album to be released November 11th on Radiant Records via Metal Blade Records/SONY. Pre-orders for The Similitude Of A Dream are live at Radiant Records’ website.

This will be the eighth studio album with Morse, Portnoy and George, and the second as a true collaboration with this current lineup. A lyric video for the song, “Overture” is streaming below.

Clocking in at over 100 minutes, this amazing piece of prog storytelling will leave you breathless, exhilarated, amused and fulfilled in a way that only inspired music can. It will be available in various formats: a two CD package, a Special Edition with the two CDs and The Making Of A Dream DVD, or as three vinyl records along with two CDs.

Together, Morse and Portnoy have launched four bands, but the one that has endured the longest and thus with the most musical output has been The Neal Morse Band. Over the years, Morse, along with Portnoy and George, always assembled musicians as needed to support Neal’s solo music. In 2012, they held auditions to find the musicians needed to fill out the band as a permanent lineup that would write music collectively. Hubauer and Gillette joined the band after three days of auditions. The fivesome went on to release The Grand Experiment in 2014 followed by the Alive Again live DVD/2 CD package in 2015.

As Neal Morse explains, “The Similitude Of A Dream is loosely and sometimes directly based on the book, Pilgrim’s Progress by John Bunyan. The book’s original title was The Pilgrim’s Progress from this world to the that which is to come, delivered under The Similitude Of A Dream, and it was originally published in 1678. The book chronicles the spiritual journey of a man from the City of Destruction to the place of Deliverance. Someone had suggested to me that I do a concept album based on this book, but I kind of forgot about it. Then when I began writing new songs last December, the suggestion came to my mind. I had never read the book, so I Googled the SparkNotes story outline and began to write some little song bits and instrumentals based on what I had read. Those bits combined with the ideas that the other guys brought to the table then miraculously exploded into this double concept album. Funny thing is, this album only really covers about the first 75 or 80 pages. Maybe we should've made a five disc collection! Well, we'll save that for later. Ha.”

He continues, “At the conclusion of the grueling recording sessions, I remember Mike saying rather prophetically, ‘Boys, I think we just made the album of our careers.’”

"I honestly think this is THE album of my career,” declares Portnoy. “Neal and I have now made 18 studio albums together, and I consider The Similitude Of A Dream the absolute creative pinnacle of our collaborations together. I've always had a soft spot for double concept albums such as Pink Floyd's The Wall and The Who's Tommy, and I can bravely say that I think we've created an album here that can sit side by side with those masterpieces. Bold words, I know, but after a career of almost 50 albums, I honestly consider this to be one of the defining works of my career.”

“We weren’t sure we had enough music to make a double CD, and yet it seemed as though the concept and the music wanted to go there,” bassist Randy George continues. “Ultimately, we created so much great music in the sessions that it just had to be a double album! To cap that off, we worked with a pre-imminent classic album cover artist to create painted illustrations of our concept which will grace the booklet!”

The Neal Morse Band tours worldwide almost yearly and continues to grow in popularity, attracting new listeners everywhere they go. The band has toured in North America, Central America, Europe, Israel, Mexico and India. The shows are filled with excited and extremely loyal fans, some which have regularly traveled very long distances to see the band. The band has an extensive catalog of live shows on Blu-Ray and DVD as well.

Tour dates:

January
14 - Nashville, TN – venue tba
17 - Seattle, WA – Triple Door
18 - San Francisco, CA – Regency Ballroom
21 - Whittier, CA - Center Theater www.calprog.com
22 - Phoenix, AZ – Nesbitt-Elliott Playhouse Theater
24 - Denver, CO – Oriental Theater
25 - Dallas, TX – Curtain Club
26 - St Louis, MO – Delmar Hall
27 - St Charles, IL – Arcada Theater
28 - Cleveland, OH – Beachland Ballroom
30 - Toronto, ON – Mod Room
31 - Montreal, QC – Club Soda

February
1 - Quebec City, QC - Salle Jean Paul Tardif
2 - New York, NY – Highline Ballroom
3 - Washington DC – State Theater
4 - Atlanta, GA - City Winery

“Long Day” / “Overture” lyric video:

(Photo - John Zocco)

The new lineup of Swedish metal veterans ENTOMBED made its live debut on the Close-Up Båten cruise, which left Stockholm on board M/S Silija Galaxy on October 27. Joining original ENTOMBED members Alex Hellid (guitar), Uffe Cederlund (guitar) and Nicke Andersson (drums) in the group's latest incarnation are Robert Andersson (vocals) and Nicke's half brother Edvin Aftonfalk (bass), both formerly of the Swedish death metal band MORBUS CHRON. Also appearing with the band for two songs was Orvar Säfström, who sang on ENTOMBED's 1990 "Crawl" EP.

ENTOMBED will next play its groundbreaking 1991 album, "Clandestine", in its entirety at Malmö Live in Malmö, Sweden on November 12. Sitting in first with conductor Josef Rhedin and the 100-plus member Malmö Symphony Orchestra for Thomas Von Wachenfeldt's arrangement of "Clandestine", the band will perform "Clandestine" from front to back for the very first time. Hellid said: "'Clandestine' is a complex beast. Revisiting it 25 years later is definitely something special."

Decibel magazine inducted the album into its Hall Of Fame series in their December issue. Editor Albert Mudrian said "Clandestine" is "one of the greatest death metal records — Swedish or otherwise — of all time."

BLABBERMOUTH.NET first announced the trio's assemblage earlier this year. Since then, fans have questioned the possibility of new material from the death metal pioneers. Cederlund asserted: "We're not going to do big world tours. Right now we have these two shows booked and we're taking it from there. We have been re-recording old stuff to see how we sound today — and we like it. Time is flying faster as I get older and I would love to be part of a new ENTOMBED album. I'm open for it." Andersson noted: "We realized it's been 25 years since 'Clandestine' first came out and we never properly performed it live. It's about damn time! I wanted to be part of the earlier orchestra shows but schedules clashed. This time the stars aligned such that we can do both the eerie cinematic Christopher Young-style ('Hellraiser') set, where we sit in with the orchestra, and then the full-on original performance as a band. It's an awesome way to celebrate." "Just getting into a room with Nicke and Uffe is exciting," noted Hellid. "Getting back on stage will be amazing. We find profound joy in looking for, creating, and shaping ENTOMBED. It is an immense rush making all the bumps along the way well worth it. The ENTOMBED band that performed on the Close-Up Båten cruise is not to be confused with ENTOMBED A.D., which features ENTOMBED vocalist Lars Göran Petrov alongside Olle Dahlstedt (drums), Nico Elgstrand (guitar) and Victor Brandt (bass).

Hellid and Petrov have been embroiled in a legal battle over the ENTOMBED name for several years. In 2014, Petrov was awarded the right to use the band name in connection with future recording and touring activities, a decision which Hellid appealed without success. The guitarist then went on to register a trademark for beverage production under the "Entombed" name. This move did not sit well with Hellid's former bandmate, who filed a letter of protest against Alex's registration of the name, claiming that it could be confused with band activities. He also said that Hellid acted in "bad faith" when he registered name and that there was a desire to "deceive the public." Petrov's protest, however, found no favor with the Swedish Patent And Registration Office, which rejected his claims on the issue in a March 2016 ruling.

ENTOMBED A.D.'s second album, "Dead Dawn", was released in February 2016 via Century Media.

Pictured left to right in band photo below: Robert Andersson (vocals), Uffe Cederlund (guitar), Edvin Aftonfalk (bass), Nicke Andersson (drums), Alex Hellid (guitar)

Fan-filmed video footage of L.A. GUNS singer Phil Lewis and the band's co-founding guitarist Tracii Guns performing on October 27 at the Rock N Skull festival pre-party at The Tree Of Joliet in Joliet, Illinois can be seen below.

As previously reported, Lewis and Guns have inked a deal with Frontiers Music Srl for the release of a new L.A. GUNS album, tentatively due in June 2017.

After a nearly 15-year break, Lewis and Guns are back together for another chapter in their partnership that began in 1986, four years after Tracii formed L.A. GUNS in 1982. Their writing partnership spawned classic L.A. GUNS songs such as "Sex Action", "Never Enough", "Electric Gypsy", "The Ballad Of Jayne" and countless more in an impressive catalog of fan favorites.

The last time Lewis and Guns joined forces was back in 2000 with legendary producer Andy Johns for the making of what would become "Waking The Dead" — an album that went on to receive tremendous critical acclaim and proved that their musical partnership was every bit as strong as the early days with all-killer-no-filler songs, including "Don't Look At Me That Way", "Hellraisers Ball" and "The Ballad". "I think we owe it to our fans who have stuck with us during the many ups and downs of the band's long and checkered career," said Lewis. "Tracii and I have written the songs to the soundtrack of many people's lives, and I think it's definitely worth investigating to see if the magic is still there." As for Guns, he's been compiling song ideas over the last year and promises this one will be one of the band's heaviest records, simply stating, "It's good to be home."

Guns and Lewis began working on new music together again after playing periodic dates together — billed as "L.A. GUNS' Phil Lewis and Tracii Guns" — around the tour schedule of the other long-running incarnation of L.A. GUNS, which Lewis continues to front. The band has already confirmed a bunch of U.K. dates in early 2017 and two shows at the legendary Whisky A Go Go in West Hollywood, California, with more surprises to be announced soon. Regarding the decision to use the L.A. GUNS moniker for the new album, Guns told LA Weekly: "When you put Phil and I together, that's the sound of L.A. GUNS. There's no way around that. As much as I love certain other [former] members of the band, it's hard to say what their contribution to the overall sound of the band was — but Phil Lewis and Tracii Guns, the band's gotta be L.A. GUNS. It can't be anything else."

Tracii told radio personality Eddie Trunk last month that he has no intention of ever again playing with drummer Steve Riley, who continues to sit behind the kit for Phil's other version of L.A. GUNS.

"Without going into details, it's just…You're supposed to be brothers in a band like that, and we were in that last crew of… A band of brothers; you fight it out together. You've got each other's back. And when the trust is broken, that's it, man," he said. "Later, dude."

Guns did not elaborate on what caused the relationship between him and the drummer to break down, but added: "Phil and I are like Cain and Abel; we can go at each other day in and day out and still be able to function as brothers and still have each other's back. We're that close. Steve Riley is a hired drummer. And since the awe of him being in W.A.S.P. has worn off, I've played with drummers that are just like so much… a billion times better musicians and more interested in being musicians that I have no reason to ever [play with him again]. He's not a defining factor in a musical unit; he's just a solid drummer. And he would argue that point, but I know. I've played with Brian Tichy and Shane Fitzgibbon and Vinny Appice, and they're in a different league."

Tracii said that the only way he would be willing to reunite with Riley is if he was offered enough money. He explained: "Believe me, I'd love someone to come up to me and say, 'Hey, we can set your kid up and your great grandchildren up for the rest of their lives by getting Steve Riley back with all the original guys of L.A. GUNS, I'm not stupid; I'd be, like, 'Yeah, okay.' But that's in no way a reality in any universe."

Guns also spoke about the musical direction of the next L.A. GUNS album. He said: "We are nostalgia. The fact that we're making a record is killer, and I know that L.A. GUNS fans and people that like our kind of heavier music are gonna love it."

Tracii reiterated his desire to make the strongest L.A. GUNS album possible, explaining: "L.A. GUNS I never looked at as a hobby, so I'm certainly not going to now. If I'm gonna write music with Phil Lewis with the L.A. GUNS name on it, it's gonna be taken very seriously by me personally, and I will strive to make those shows and this record and whatever the future is, you know, what I feel is the best thing for the band and the audience. And this is really the only band I've ever felt that way about — that I've gotta take care of it; I've gotta do what I think is right for it. Especially at this point, because if this is the last record that Phil and I ever do, well, that would be pretty damn good, because it would suck to leave it on a mediocre note."

Witch County nefarious frights Devilment – led by vehement frontman Dani Filth, will release their forthcoming masterpiece Devilment II: The Mephisto Waltzes on November 18th via  Nuclear Blast Entertainment. Today, the band have released the first official music video for “Hitchcock Blonde”, streaming below.

The video was directed by Sam Scott Hunter with a skeleton crew of academic students, with thanks to Film Suffolk. It features actress Leanne Joyce as the Hitchcock Blonde, who has appeared on Britain's Next Top Model, Call The Midwife and The Royals to name a few.

Dani comments: "This is all about the legendary film director Alfred Hitchcock's infatuation with his on-screen heroines; cool, controlled, aloof and sophisticated blondes. The song even name-checks ten of his favourite actresses. As ever there is a psychotic bend to the lyrics and the accompanying video, which was shot in a derelict, haunted hotel in the middle of Ipswich (the band’s home town) where Lord Nelson was said to have stayed on numerable occasions. The various hideous frights throughout the video were past denizens of the hotel captured on camera."

Dani had this to say on the subject of the new record: “Everybody in Devilment is very excited about the prospect of releasing our latest album, II - The Mephisto Waltzes, which we have worked extremely hard on. The album is definitely a step-up from our debut, featuring a more mature, dissonant presence coupled with a darker edge, yet at the same time utilizing our better musical assets to deliver a unique metal hybrid. I don't even know what to classify it!”

Dani’s crew have meticulously pieced together a second blood-spattered batch of deranged anthems that brings vastly more color, intensity and lyrical versatility to this band’s spectral palate. The second Devilmenet record makes no splintered bones about its nefarious intent, offering a bewildering torrent of disparate and demented ideas and delivering them with refined, ultra-gothic panache and several jolting doses of Dani’s trademark verbal subterfuge. Assisted by long-time collaborators Lauren Francis (keys and vocals), Colin Parks (guitar), Nick Johnson (bass) and new drummer Matt Alston, Dani has arrived at the telling moment where Devilment become a genuine force to be reckoned with.

Regarding the album’s artwork, Dani revealed: “Winner of many international awards, the artist for the new Devilment album is Elena Vizerskayaaka Kassandra, whose photography and photo-manipulation perfectly complements the mysterious and magical world of Devilment. Elena's work is sometimes compared to Dali and Magritte due to the complexity of artistic figures and the perceptible amount of layers, something to be felt and not necessarily understood, exotic dreams filled with reflections and allusion. I have been a fan of Elena's work for a long while now and had originally wanted to utilize it for the Cradle Of Filth album, The Manticore And Other Horrors as far back as 2011, which only fell through when band politics intervened and an in-house label artist was used instead.”

“In conjunction with Elena, the booklet was compiled and further augmented with illustration by Dan Goldsworthy, who has also undertaken album artwork for the likes of Accept, Hell, and Sylosis, amongst others. His contribution to the album has provided it with a minimalist dark uniformity, punctuated by slick and classically macabre imagery, the perfect balance to Elena's gorgeously vibrant photography.”

The album was produced, recorded, mixed and mastered at Grindstone Studios by close friend and long term collaborator Scott Atkins (Cradle Of Filth, Behemoth, Savage Messiah), between March and July of this year.

Dani added: “Scott has worked very closely with the band to share our vision and we are very proud of the finished result, especially the megalithic production values and the hammered-home emphasis on song writing.”

Tracklisting:

“JudasStein”
“Hitchcock Blonde”
“Under The Thunder”
“Full Dark, No Stars”
“Shine On Sophie Moone”
“Life Is What You Keep From The Reaper”
“Dea Della Morte”
“Entangled In Our Pride”
“Hell At My Back”
“The Seductive Poison” (bonus track)
“Father Dali” (bonus track)

"Hitchcock Blonde" video:

Trailer #1:

“Under The Thunder” lyric video:

Devilment recently announced an extensive UK tour which will commence this December. The run will kick off on December 6th in Colchester, taking the band through 11 UK cities - before wrapping up at eminent Southampton venue, the Engine Rooms on December 19th.

French retro-influenced metallers, BlackRain, released their full-length UDR Music offering, Released, earlier this year. Today, BlackRain is revealing an animal activism music video for the album track "Run Tiger Run", which voices the band's concerns about the poaching industry and animal rights as a whole.

Joining them in the music video is famed French comedian Remi Gaillard, who rose to superstardom as a viral YouTube personality (nearly six million subscribers). Also an outspoken animal activist, Gaillard portrays a tiger being hunted in the woods, running for his life. He is eventually rescued by fellow guest star Gilles Lartigot.

Bassist Matthieu De La Roche states, "The idea behind this video was to collaborate with Remi Gaillard and Gilles Lartigot as we've recently discovered we share the same concerns in animal welfare. It was great fun to create a video that sees the mutual collaboration of an internet sensation, a writer and musicians. Activists have much more to tell about the subject and possibly in a much better way we could ever do. We just wanted to express in our own way our feelings about the drama that appears every day in this world: 150,000,000,000 animals are killed just for food each year. Can you imagine that?"

The "Run Tiger Run" video was directed by Enguerran Prieu and based on an original idea from De La Roche.

Formed during 2006 in the French Alps and with four self-produced albums under their belts (not to mention numerous gigs in France, Europe and Japan) BlackRain know for a fact that 2016 is undoubtedly the most important year of their career to date. Free from past commitments, they now feel it's time to "escape" to new horizons.

While remaining faithful to their roots and influences, BlackRain are a band in a state of perpetual evolution: never ceasing in their quest to climb each and every step of the long Rock 'n' Roll stairway. Their latest album Released is proof that the journey is well and truly under way, and the meticulous craft work behind Released reflects the stamina and capacity of BlackRain to create something never really achieved by a rock act from France.

Released was recorded at Spitfire Studios in the Hollywood Hills with Aerosmith sound engineer Warren Huart and producer Jack Douglas (Aerosmith, Cheap Trick, Alice Cooper, The New York Dolls, John Lennon).

“Killing Me” video:

“Back In Town” lyric video:

“Rock My Funeral” lyric video:

EPK:

Monte Pittman has release a video for “Guilty Pleasures”, a track from his fourth full-length, Inverted Grasp Of Balance, out now. Head here, where the album can be ordered in various formats.

The new video was filmed on location at Beauty & Essex in Las Vegas, NV stars Leanna Decker, model and Playboy's cybergirl of the year 2012.  The video was directed by Vince Edwards.

To assert that Pittman has had a storied career is something of an understatement. His resume includes an ongoing and fruitful collaboration with multi-platinum selling artist Madonna, having recorded and toured with her extensively over a period of more than fifteen years. Then there's his first band, Myra Mains, his stint in the metallic behemoth that is Prong, and collaborations with a broad spectrum of international artists. If his time with Prong did not fully communicate just how much metal flowed through his veins, with 2014's Flemming Rasmussen-produced The Power Of Three - his first release with Metal Blade Records - he compellingly blended killer riffs, blistering leads and gigantic hooks to deliver an album that was equal parts anthemic grandeur and in-your-face attitude, making metalheads around the world sit up and take note.

Now, for his latest offering, Inverted Grasp Of Balance, Pittman teamed up with powerhouse drummer Richard Christy of Charred Walls Of The Damned/Iced Earth/Death fame and virtuoso bassist Billy Sheehan, famous for his work with a plethora of talented artists - including David Lee Roth, Mr. Big and, more recently, Winery Dogs - the skill of all concerned explodes from the speakers. With such passionate professionals and Jay Ruston (Anthrax, Steel Panther) handling production duties, the record came together quickly and smoothly. This really is the proverbial "whole package": an album that has been lovingly crafted in all aspects, that Pittman hopes reaches as many ears as possible.

"I had a true vision for this record from the start, and I couldn't imagine a better team to help me realize it," Pittman comments. "We're going to make some real noise with 'Inverted Grasp Of Balance' - so get ready!"

Inverted Grasp Of Balance tracklisting:

“Panic Attack”
“Arisen In Broad Daylight”
“Guilty Pleasure”
“The Times Are Changing”
“Double Edged Sword”
“Cadabra”
“Pride Comes Before The Fall”
“California”
“Be Very Afraid”
“Obliterated”
“Skeleton Key”
“New Blood Keeps Us Alive”

“Be Very Afraid”:

"Pride Comes Before The Fall”:

(Photo - Kevin Wilson)

New York City’s Tower are streaming more tracks from the band’s self-titled album, out now via The End Records.

Featuring members Sarabeth Linden (lead vocals), James Danzo (guitar), Zak Penley (guitar), and Philippe Arman (bass, backup vocals), the band delivers riffs like a newly discovered bolt of old cloth hidden away since the days of Scorpions and Priest, topped with Linden’s vocals which soar through the realm of banshees and angels.

Tracklisting:

“Tower”
“I've Never Been More Alive”
“Raceway Rock”
“Party (Ready To Roll)”
“Flames”
“Mountains”
“Hold On To Me”
“Elegy”

“Tower”:

“Elegy”:

“Raceway Rock”: “Flames”: “Mountains”:

“Hold On To Me”:

 

(Photo - Eddie Malluk)

Southern Ohio thrash quintet, Feverwar, has released a music video for their politically driven track "Bullshit”. The stand alone single from the filth rockers is their first release since their EP Bible & Sword.

"With this song, our idea behind putting it out was little different this time," says vocalist Nicholous Thomas. "We're not worried about writing a catchy melody, or hopefully 'charting' or something silly. We just wanted to write a quick and angry jam based on how we feel about the world and it's current state. That's nothing new, nothing original, but it's something we wanted to express. The current state of politics are a joke, amongst many other things. So I felt the need to yell about it, tell em' to fuck off and call out the bullshit for the moment."

(Photo - Ross Theisen)

Monster Magnet will enter the studio in November to begin work on their new album, due for release in summer 2017.

On the upcoming record, band leader Dave Wyndorf tells Ivaylo Alexandrov from the Bulgarian cultural/lifestyle portal Sofia Live, “Just about to go into the studio in November, this is full ahead rock. It's a little bit shorter album, 10 songs, full-ahead Detroit style, early 70’s, MC5/Stooges type of rock. I wanna see if that makes any difference to the fans at all. It still sounds like Monster Magnet, of course, but it's a little less on the psychedelic side and little more on the power rock side."

Read the full interview at SofiaLive.bg.

Roth Brock Project have released an EPK (Electronic Press Kit) their self-titled debut album, scheduled for release on November 4th. The EPK is streaming below.

The Roth Brock Project is the exciting artistic union between guitarist John Roth (Winger, Starship, Giant) and singer Terry Brock (Strangeways, Giant, Leroux). The pair first met in 2009 while working on Giant's Promise Land record. They soon developed a unique songwriting chemistry and musical bond which all these years later has led to their debut release. Powerhouse vocals and thundering guitars are at the forefront of this stellar collaboration from two of rock's most seasoned and underrated veterans.

John Roth landed his first gig at the age of 19, with Southern boogie rock legends Black Oak Arkansas in 1986, and soon found himself in demand for recording and touring with the likes of Jimi Jamison (R.I.P.) of Survivor, and '80s rock legends, Winger. Terry Brock's first job in the music business was as a vocalist on the Kansas album Drastic Measures in 1983, which was soon followed by a tour with the Steve Morse Band and two albums with Strangeways (who were signed to BMG/RCA Records). Terry is currently on tour with Louisiana's Leroux, while John is on tour with Starship featuring Mickey Thomas.

"The Roth Brock Project is the kind of record I've been wanting to make for a long time!” says John Roth. “Guitar-driven high energy rock with stellar vocals is the first thing you'll hear when you put this album on, so get ready to crank it up!”

Roth Brock Project tracklisting:

“Young Gun”
“What's It To Ya”
“Young Again”
“If That's What It Takes”
“I Don’t Know Why”
“Distant Voices”
“We Are”
“Fighter”
“My City”
“Never Givin' Up”
“Reason To Believe”

EPK:

“Young Gun” video:

“If That's What It Takes”:

“Young Again”:

"We Are":

Lineup:

Terry Brock: Lead and Background Vocals
John Roth: Guitars, Bass, Keys, Lead and Background Vocals
Scott Trammell: Drums, Percussion

Sweden's Civil War will release their new album, The Last Full Measure, on November 4th via Napalm Records. The quintet featuring former Sabaton members present twin guitars, keyboard-fanfares and double bassmarches. The band have released two teasers for the album, which can be found below.

Astral Doors singer Nils Patrik Johansson proves that his powerful voice was marked by destiny. It offers guts for more. It's the call of duty. "Heaven can wait 'cause we have so many more battles to win", shouts the opening track “Road To Victory”. Their debut album The Killer Angels was purified with gold already - their triumph is inevitable. If you hear the bloodcurdling barking of the dogs from Civil War you will pray that you are not standing on the other side of the battlefield.

Comment of Nils Patrik Johannson: “After The Killer Angels and Gods & Generals, we are extremely proud and can't wait to share the last part of the trilogy! This is our best work so far, at least this is what we think, but I'm sure you won't be disappointed!”

Check out album artwork and track listing below.

Tracklisting:

“Road To Victory”
“Deliverance”
“Savannah”
“Tombstone”
“America”
“A Tale That Never Should Be Told”
“Gangs Of New York”
“Gladiator”
“People Of The Abyss”
“The Last Full Measure”
“Strike Hard Strike Sure”
“Aftermath”

Teaser #1:

Teaser #2:

"Road To Victory" lyric video:

Announcement video:

Order The Last Full Measure in various formats at this location.

Vader have released a lyric video for “Angels Of Steel”, the lead track from their new studio album, The Empire, to be released on November 4th via Nuclear Blast. The follow-up to their 2014 album, Tibi Et Igni, was recorded at Hertz Studios in Bialystok, Poland and produced by Wojtek and Slawek Wiesawski.

The album artwork was created by artist Joe Petagno (Led Zeppelin, Motörhead, Sodom).

Says Vader leader Piotr "Peter" Wiwczarek: "Here is the cover art for The Empire, created by Joe Petagno himself! The whole design includes many details connected to the main theme influencing me before and during the process of recording: war and the "cold crisis" around us today. There are also links to couple of famous movie series, which influence the generations and erupt with violence, hate and "imperial tendencies". Is this just a fantasy or maybe a sign of the 21st century generation? You have to answer that on your own... and the future will show us, how real that feeling is? Enjoy The Empire and join us on tour soon.”

The Empire tracklisting:

“Angels Of Steel”
“Tempest”
“Prayer To The God Of War” (album version)
“Iron Reign”
“No Gravity”
“Genocidius”
“The Army-Geddon”
“Feel My Pain”
“Parabellum” (album version)
“Send Me Back To Hell”

“Angels Of Steel” lyric video:

“Parabellum”:

Track By Track #1:

“Prayer To The God Of War” lyric video:

This November, Vader will be touring Europe with Hate Eternal, Threat Signal, Apophys and Lord Of War.

Tour dates:

November
4 - Bad Oeynhausen, Germany - Druckerei
5 - Andernach, Germany - Juz
6 - Arlon, Belgium - L'Entrepot
7 - Jena, Germany - F-Haus
8 - Weinheim, Germany - Cafe Central
9 - Zurich, Switzerland - Dynamo
10 - Puget, France - Le Rat's
11 - Brescia, Italy - Circolo Colony
12 - Munchen, Germany - Backstage
13 - Rotterdam, Netherlands - Baroeg
14 - London, UK - The Dome
15 - Birmingham, UK - The Courtyard
16 - Bremen, Germany - Tivoli
17 - Haarlem, Netherlands - Patronaat
18 - Berlin, Germany - Nuke Club
19 - Essen, Germany - Turock
20 - Rostock, Germany - Alte Zuckerfabrik

British progressive rockers Maschine have released a lyric video (see below) for “Megacyma”, a track from their second studio album, Naturalis, out on November 18th via InsideOutMusic. The follow-up to the band's debut Rubidium is the first to feature drummer James Stewart (Vader) and keyboardist/vocalist Marie-Eve de Gaultier.

Lead guitarist and vocalist Luke Machin had this to say: "I'm very proud of what we've done in the studio this time, we were very aware that the songs had to be the best we could do. After all, it does represent us at this point in time, and we were determined that everything about it should be the best that could be done."

The six tracks that make up the main album fit into a loose concept. Machin continues: "This is basically about natural events. It's something I've been thinking about and working on for some time. My interest really began with the Japanese tsunami in 2011. It had such a far reaching effect on so many people. Once I had the idea for the album fixed in my head, the whole thing just snowballed. But what I didn't want this to be was a record about natural disasters. That can be such a dark subject. What I wanted to emphasize was that there is light at the end of the tunnel. There is hope for mankind. And that's the vibe I wanted to come through."

The album will be released as a special edition Digipak CD and digital download, both featuring two bonus tracks recorded live in 2015 at Veruno Prog Festival in Italy.

Tracklisting:

“Resistance”
“Night And Day”
“Make Believe”
“Hidden In Plain Sight”
“A New Reality”
“Megacyma”

Bonus tracks:
“Eyes Pt.2” (Live In Veruno)
“Rubidium” (Live In Veruno)

“Megacyma” lyric video:

Trailer #1:

“Night And Day” lyric video:

Teaser: