After four years since the release of the album Mad(e) In Italy, the death metal band No More Fear is coming out with a brand-new recording. The new album, which will be out on December 2nd, is titled Malamente, a further proof of their dedication and well defined extreme style which will celebrate a career long 20 years!

Recorded last June at the ACME Recording studio by Davide Rosati, it will be available in digital and physical CD via Memorial Records. Pre-orders available here.

About the new album the band says: “An attack to the stagecoach behind the wheel of very Italian car (Alfetta). The tarantella continues… MALAMENTE (Badly)!”

Tracklisting:

“Morte e Orazione”
“Mare Mortum”
“The Boss Letter”
“A Sinister Murder Case”
“Lady 'ndrangheta”
“Tre Cavalieri”
“Conferimento della Santa”

On October 7th, No More Fear will release 1996-2004 First Recordings And Rarities, an album collection that contains 18 songs that covers their 20 years of career, which will be given for free in digital download to those who a pre-order the new album Malamente.

Former Genesis guitarist and prog legend Steve Hackett is returning with an exciting new show for a 15-date UK tour next spring after his outstanding performance at this year’s inaugural Stone Free Festival.

Celebrating the 40th anniversary of the classic Genesis album Wind And Wuthering, Steve and his band will be performing several tracks from the album as well as fan favourites such as “The Musical Box” and other Genesis numbers never performed before by Steve's band such as “Inside & Out” and “Anyway”.

"I'm excited to bring my latest show involving a new set of Genesis and Hackett numbers to the UK in 2017!" - Steve Hackett

With an established solo career spanning over 40 years, Steve will also be performing some of his popular hits such as “The Steppes”, “Serpentine”, “Every Day” and the first ever live performance of “Rise Again” from his 1999 album Darktown. Steve will also be introducing fans to new music from his forthcoming album, which is due out early spring 2017.

Joining Steve on the tour are musicians Roger King (keyboards), Gary O’Toole (drums/percussion), Rob Townsend (saxes/flutes), Nick Beggs (bass, stick & twelve string) and Nad Sylvan on vocals.

Since the 1970’s Steve has had a remarkable musical career, releasing more than 30 solo albums, seven Genesis albums and working alongside Steve Howe of YES with supergroup GTR. Renowned for being one of the most innovative rock musicians of our time, in 2010 he was inducted into the Rock Hall Of Fame.

Continuing to impress with his outstanding live shows Genesis Revisited With Classic Hackett is a tour not to missed in 2017. Tickets for UK shows go on sale on Friday, October 7th at 10 AM from myticket.co.uk and venue box offices. Dublin tickets go on sale on the same day at 9 AM.

Tour dates:

April
26 - Dublin, Ireland - Vicar Street
28 - Cardiff, Wales - St. David’s Hall
30 - Reading, England - Hexagon

May
1 - Birmingham, England - Symphony Hall
3 - Sheffield, England - City Hall
4 - Bristol, England - Colston Hall
5 - Manchester, England - Bridgewater Hall
7 - Liverpool, England - Philharmonic
8 - Portsmouth, England - Guildhall
10 - Southend, England - Cliffs Pavilion
11 - Nottingham, England - Royal Concert Hall
13 - Oxford, England - New Theatre
14 - Cambridge, England - Corn Exchange
16 - Glasgow, Scotland - Royal Concert Hall
17 - Sage, England - Gateshead
19 - London, England - Palladium

Now based in New York, Swedish technical death metal band Armageddon are re-releasing their classic album, Crossing The Rubicon, on October 14th. The track “Astral Adventure” is streaming below.

Produced by Fredrik Nordström at Studio Fredman in Göteborg, Sweden, Armageddon’s debut album was originally released in May 1997. Celebrating its 20th anniversary, Crossing The Rubicon really generated waves when it came out, probably one of the most accomplished Swedish metal debut albums ever released.

Christopher Amott remembers: “The creation of the whole project was a collaboration between me and Michael (Christopher’ brother now playing in Arch Enemy). We are both sci-fi fans. The album is a concept album about the destruction of the planet, and the escape and subsequent adventures of the earth’s survivors. Apart from the obvious metal influences, we were also looking towards bands like YES and Rush for the conceptual progressive rock feel of the 70s - hence our decision to give each member a solo track. Michael and I were less than thrilled when the movie Armageddon came out a year after Armageddon’s debut. It was also a crap movie."

Tracklisting:

“2022” (Intro)
“Godforsaken”
“The Juggernaut Divine”
“Astral Adventure”
“Funeral In Space”
“Asteroid Dominion”
“Galaxies Away”
“Faithless”
“Children Of The New Sun”
“Into The Sun”
“Nothing Is Nothing”

“Astral Adventure”:

After the release of their latest album, Captivity And Devourment, released in 2015, Armageddon played their first show outside the US at the prestigious Loudpark festival in Tokyo last year: “Having played the Loud Park Festival numerous times with Arch Enemy, it was great to be on stage with Armageddon and to present my new band to the Japanese audience. It was a magical moment for all of us - we’d worked hard, with the Captivity And Devourment album, to come to this point. Playing in Japan is always a great experience. The stage crew is always of the highest quality, and everything is well organized. The fans are very kind and receptive to the music. They’re genuine music fans, as I’m sure you’ve heard. This case was no exception. It was amazing to hear the melodies that I wrote in my bedroom being chanted by thousands of people.”

Christopher adds he was very thrilled to play Japan with his buddies in Arch Enemy’s Black Earth album era with the Black Earth project earlier this year as well: “I hadn’t played with Johan (J. Liiva first Arch Enemy vocalist) since 1999, so that was great - to be back on stage with him. His voice sounded better than ever. It was special to bring back the old sound of Arch Enemy once again. I love the old Arch Enemy style, with its 70s rock influence and rawer, old-school death metal touch. The three first albums with Arch Enemy were extremely successful in Japan, and we were expecting an older audience. But the crowd was very mixed, with a lot of younger Arch Enemy fans. It was definitely a unique experience: different from what Arch Enemy evolved into, and different from Armageddon. Also, it’s been a long, long time since I’ve been in a band where everyone speaks Swedish, so it was a pretty hilarious atmosphere. Between the shared language and the 20-plus years of common references, we were joking around 90% of the time, and nobody else could understand us.”

Armageddon lineup 2016:

Antony Hämäläinen - Lead vocals
Christopher Amott - Guitars and clean vocals
Joey Concepcion - Guitars
Andrew Pevny - Bass
Márton Veress - Drums

Former JUDAS PRIEST guitarist K.K Downing makes an appearance in the video for the song "Freedom Act" from the young British heavy metal act HOSTILE.

Downing produced both of HOSTILE's albums so far, 2013's "Eve Of Destruction" and 2016's "New World Disorder", and also co-wrote the song "Addiction" with the band, marking the first time K.K. had ever released anything outside of JUDAS PRIEST.

"New World Disorder" includes HOSTILE's cover version of the PRIEST song "Blood Stained", which originally appeared on the heavy metal legends' 1997 album "Jugulator".

Asked how HOSTILE ended up working with Downing, guitarist A.J. Mills told the Steel Mill web site: "Well, K.K. actually went to school with my uncle Steve, believe it or not. We are all from the same hood, the Black Country, where, as you well know, is the birthplace of heavy metal. So, anyway, Steve convinced K.K. to step out of his metal fortress in Shropshire to come and check out HOSTILE play live at a place called JB's in Dudley. Now the really cool thing about this is that JUDAS PRIEST actually used to play at this venue, when they were just starting out and up and coming. After the show, K.K. told us that he would like to produce our album, so we played it cool whilst he was still there, and after he left to go back home, we all went crazy! Being massive JUDAS PRIEST fans, it was a dream come true!"

Regarding HOSTILE's decision to cover "Blood Stained", Mills said: "Well, when we were all growing up and swapping tapes at school, Ripper Owens was the current singer in JUDAS PRIEST, and 'Jugulator' as well as ''98 Live Meltdown' were the tapes that were doing the rounds in school. Of course, we were well aware of what came before those PRIEST records, as we grew up listening to the likes of 'Painkiller' and 'Stained Class' and all those other great records that came before, but the Ripper era was the era that made us, and most definitely me in particular, want to pick up an instrument and play in a band. I even have a 'Jugulator' tattoo on my arm! Just in case I ever forget why I do what I do! So it only seemed right when we decided to do a PRIEST cover to do one from this era."

HOSTILE's European tour, dubbed "The European Disorder Tour 2016", will kick off on October 6 in Naples, Italy.

Epica played their own Epic Metal Fest at the 013 in Tilburg, Netherlands on Saturday, October 1st to coincide with the release of their new album, The Holographic Principle. Fan-filmed video of the band performing songs from the record live are available below

On Saturday, October 15th the Brazilian edition of Epic Metal Fest will take place in Sao Paulo. Paradise Lost, Finntroll, Xandria and The Ocean will join Epica for this first edition. More info and tickets at this location.

Epica will return this fall for the North American Principle Tour in support of The Holographic Principle. Epica will be joined on this trek by Italian symphonic death metal kings Fleshgod Apocalypse, Russian Pagan warriors Arkona, and their good friends in The Agonist.

The first three dates will see Germany’s Xandria as a replacement for Arkona. Tour kick off will be on November 4th in Quebec City and will conclude December 3rd in Worcester, MA.

Epica’s front woman Simone Simons commented on the tour: “The time has finally come to visit North America again. We are super excited to show you guys our kick-ass new material of which we are extremely proud! We hope to welcome you all to experience The Holographic Principle extravaganza!”

Tour dates:

November (with Fleshgod Apocalypse, Xandria, The Agonist)
4 - Imperial Theater - Quebec City, QC
5 - Corona - Montreal, QC
6 - Phoenix Concert Hall - Toronto, ON

November (with Fleshgod Apocalypse, Arkona, The Agonist)
8 - Concord Music Hall - Chicago, IL
9 - Cabooze - Minneapolis, MN
11 - Saskatoon Event Center - Saskatoon, SK
12 - Marquee - Calgary, AB
13 - The Ranch - Edmonton, AB
15 - Vogue Theatre - Vancouver, BC
16 - Studio 7 - Seattle, WA
18 - Social Hall - San Francisco, CA
19 - The Regent - Los Angeles, CA
20 - Vinyl at Hard Rock Hotel - Las Vegas, NV
22 - Summit Music Hall - Denver, CO
23 - Granada Theater - Lawrence, KS
25 - Gas Monkey Live - Dallas, TX
26 - Empire Control Room - Austin, TX
28 - State Theater - St Petersburg, FL
29 - Masquerade - Atlanta, GA

December (with Fleshgod Apocalypse, Arkona, The Agonist)
1 - Soundstage Baltimore, MD
2 - Webster Hall - New York, NY
3 - Palladium - Worcester, MA

(Photo - Epica Facebook)

Hard rockers Darkh, from The Czech Republic, have released the official music video for their track "My Curse", the second single off of their debut album A Story Yet Untold, which was released in September.

"The story of the song is about that special someone in our lives," says Darkh. "And when we filmed the music video we didn't just want to capture a cliche boy and girl thing, we wanted something obscure and unique. And who doesn't love a bit of Grindhouse vibe."

Darkh has upcoming shows in Czech Republic, Germany, and Finland; their complete tour schedule can be found here.

The video for "Bury Our Bones", the first single from A Story Yet Untold, can be seen below.

"It was pretty obvious before 'Bury Our Bones' was even finished that it would be the first single off the album. Individuals whose interests and lifestyles are different from the vast majority will understand, because B.O.B. underlines how powerful and encouraging it is to be among people who get it," says Darkh.

Rome – a town full of history and also the birthplace of melodic death metal act Black Therapy.

Besides their self-released EP Through This Path, their debut album Symptoms Of A Common Sickness, and numerous live shows (alongside Nile, Ex-Deo, Dark Lunacy, Arch Enemy, and Novembre), Black Therapy's 2014 EP The Final Outcome attracted a lot of attention outside of Italy.

Their new album In The Embrace Of Sorrow, I Smile was once again recorded in 16th Cellar Studios (Fleshgod Apocalypse, Hour Of Penance, Hideous Divinity) and brings the band’s vision to the next level. Apostasy Records will be releasing the final result in December 2016. "There’s no better way to close a year," says the label.

For further details, visit Black Therapy on Facebook.

Multi-camera video footage of OPETH's October 1 performance at Radio City Music Hall in New York City can be seen below.

Regarding how OPETH ended up playing a venue like the Radio City Music Hall, the band's frontman, Mikael Åkerfeldt, told Fuse: "We're doing some of those prestigious places, and we've done some in the past, too. I think it's cool. That's actually a decision from the management — they want to book us into these venues as a promotional tool to a certain extent, but also what happened as we played Royal Albert Hall and stuff like that, it kind of opens the gate for bands like us, if you know what I mean. We have, if I may say so myself, pioneered some of these venues when it comes to more heavy music, and after us there's a shitload of bands coming in. I'm pretty sure we're gonna see that more and more. Not just Radio City Music Hall, but especially Sydney Opera House, which was difficult for us to get. We asked them before and they said no, like, 'Bands of your kind don't play the Opera House.' But now they've somehow said yes."

OPETH's twelfth album, "Sorceress", was released on September 30. For the band's first effort for Nuclear Blast via OPETH's imprint label Moderbolaget Records, the group returned to Rockfield Studios in Wales, also home to pivotal releases from QUEEN, RUSH and JUDAS PRIEST, where the Swedes had tracked "Pale Communion" in 2014 with Tom Dalgety. The band spent twelve days recording at the countryside venue among its serene and inspiring surroundings.

About the new album title, Mikael said: "In the U.S., touring back in the day, I used to pick up '60s [and] '70s horror films from Amoeba Records, especially, in L.A., pick these DVDs up for fairly cheap. So I used to watch those, but it was the whole imagery of that, and that word resonated with me for some reason once I wrote it in a lyric. I figured that's a good title, actually. But I wouldn't say I have a particular sorceress in mind, it's more of a collective word for...I don't want to say evil women, but I'll say evil women anyway."

Fan-filmed video footage of TWISTED SISTER's October 1 performance at the Rock Carnival festival at Lakewood, New Jersey's FirstEnergy Park can be seen below.

The band's setlist was as follows:

01. What You Don't Know (Sure Can Hurt You)02. The Kids Are Back03. Burn In Hell04. Destroyer05. I Believe In Rock 'N' Roll06. You Can't Stop Rock 'N' Roll07. The Fire Still Burns08. Under The Blade09. I Am (I'm Me)10. I Wanna Rock11. Come Back12. Shoot 'Em Down13. We're Not Gonna Take It14. The Price15. Tear It Loose16. S.M.F.

Most of TWISTED SISTER shows in 2016 are featuring the core lineup of Dee Snider (vocals), Jay Jay French (guitar), Mark Mendoza (bass) and Eddie Ojeda (guitar), along with drummer Mike Portnoy (THE WINERY DOGS, ex-DREAM THEATER).

TWISTED SISTER's movie, "We Are Twisted F***ing Sister!", was released on February 23 on DVD, Blu-ray, VOD, and digital formats, with an included two hours of bonus material and director commentary.

During a recent interview with Goldmine magazine, Jay Jay French talked about TWISTED SISTER's decision to call it quits after a final round of dates, dubbed "Forty And Fuck It - The Final Tour". He said: "Whether you like it or not, once you reach a status of 'classic,' you really start to understand people — if you really truly want to understand why people like you. You can make new product, it's all well and good, but when someone spends 200-300 bucks for a ticket, they expect certain songs, they expect the songs played correctly, they expect you to be proficient, on time and professional — that's what an entertainer is. And I will tell you that the club scene taught us an enormous amount of discipline."

He continued: "You know, I can't emphasize it enough. Dee [Snider, TWISTED SISTER singer] became one of the greatest frontmen in the world because he learned how to do it on the club scene. We learned how to be great entertainers in the bars and we followed through. And I think the band just wants to say that we reached a point where we can't do it anymore in the manner that we feel we need to do it and we should probably be respected for that. Because I don't want to takes someone's money that I don't earn. And it's hard for some people to understand that. They want to keep you hermetically sealed in a jar with their memories forever. Which I get. I do get it. But I think at some point this year will be our last show, and I'll turn around to the other guys in the band and that'll be it."

New York City’s Tower recently inked a deal with The End Records. The label will release the band’s self-title album on October 28th. The album track “Elegy” is streaming below.

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”

“Elegy”:

 

(Photo - Eddie Malluk)

METALLICA spoke to BBC 6 Music 's Matt Everitt about the band's forthcoming album, "Hardwired… To Self-Destruct", which is scheduled to arrive on November 18. Asked what is different about this record, drummer Lars Ulrich said: "I'm still kind of tripping on the sonics. It just sounds really good and really rich and really full.

"The last record [2008's 'Death Magnetic'], as it went along, it kept getting bigger and bigger. The songs got longer endings and that type of stuff. This record was quite different. The songs got tighter and leaner and a little more concise. So when I hear this, I feel this is METALLICA at the leanest we've been for a while. Maybe even the leanest we're capable of."

Ulrich also talked about the source of METALLICA's aggression. He said: "The old cliché is 'turn it up to 11.' I guess we turn it up to 12 or 13. But as I get a little older, I realize there's a slight element of getting into character. You're up on stage, you're in the moment, you're with your bandmates — and you turn into a little rock gnome or something. I'm not quite like that at 7:15 in the morning when I'm trying to get kid number three to finish his fruit bowl."

Added frontman James Hetfield: "I've come to terms with it [aggression] being a part of me. I'm able to identify it and use it. Sharpen it at times, use it in the right places and otherwise you just shut the box on it for a while and try to be normal."

James addressed the lyrical themes covered on "Hardwired… To Self-Destruct", explaining: It's dealing with fame — and for everyone's that's their goal: 'I want to be famous!' And there's also the topic of, 'Man, are we really doing this right?' In the timeline of history, man has been around for a nanosecond and [I'm asking]: 'Are we done now? Have we had our time?' There's a lot of polarization going on in the States, and I see it other places as well. But it just seems like you have to get more extreme to balance out the other extreme. We've got to find some balance in the middle here somewhere."

He continued: "We stay away from politics [and] from religion. That just seems to polarize people even more. We all have our own beliefs, but at the end of the day, we're trying to connect with people and it seems like political views don't do that as much as music does."

Instead of a previously announced bonus disc of demos, the deluxe edition of "Hardwired… To Self-Destruct" will now feature a number of cover tunes that the band has recorded over the past few years, including a medley of Ronnie James Dio songs, IRON MAIDEN's "Remember Tomorrow" and DEEP PURPLE's "When A Blind Man Cries".

The deluxe version will also feature a live set recorded at Rasputin's in Berkeley, California on Record Store Day 2016 and a concert version of the song "Hardwired" recorded last month at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis.

The lawsuit filed by Ozzy Osbourne's ex-mistress Michelle Pugh against his daughter Kelly Osbourne has been privately resolved, People confirms.

"The tweets have been removed and the lawsuit has been privately resolved. The resolution statement is mutual," Pugh's lawyer F. Edie Mermelstein exclusively tells People.

The resolution comes shortly after Pugh filed an amended complaint this week in Los Angeles as a follow-up to the initial lawsuit filed by Pugh and her legal team in August.

Read more at People.com.

German death metal outfit My Darkest Hate's upcoming album, Anger Temple, will be released on November 25th via Massacre Records.

Anger Temple was produced by the band as well as Alexander Schoffer at Royal Ace Sounds in Stuttgart, Germany. Schoffer also took care of the album's mix and mastering. Slovenian artist Hans Trasid of Dis-[Art] Design has created the album artwork, which can be seen below.

The band has the following to say about Anger Temple: "The album sounds like a perfect cross-section of our previous works and will please every fan! No compromises, no experiments! The album title refers to everyone's inner struggle; the temple is the human body in which anger, hate and disappointment manifest themselves."

On October 1st, Twisted Sister will perform at The Rock Carnival in Lakewood, New Jersey; this will be the last chance for Tri-State area fans to see the band before they collectively (albeit, not individually) retire.

Speaking to Ethan Sacks of The NY Daily News, Twisted Sister frontman Dee Snider commented, "As a live performer I have fought long and hard to stay in the kind of shape, to deliver the kind of energy and a powerful show that people expect, but nobody beats gravity. The fact that I'm 61 and people look at me on stage and I'm fit and thin and I'll be there shirtless and jumping and rolling and falling and leaping. And people are going, 'Oh my God, are those eight pack abs?' I can't do it forever and we want to leave people with a smile on their face and a good memory."

Read more at this location. Performing alongside Twisted Sister at The Rock Carnival in Lakewood, NJ on October 1st will be: Overkill, Ace Frehley, Monster Magnet, and Jackyl, amongst others.

MASTODON's Troy Sanders spoke to the Atlanta Business Chronicle about the progress of the writing sessions for the follow-up to the band's 2014 album "Once More 'Round The Sun". He said: "We've been working on it for the bulk of this year. We kind of dedicated 2016 to writing a record. We go into the studio in October and plan to have a new record out and on the shelves in early 2017."

He continued: "We're going to record it in the Atlanta area, so we'll get to go home and sleep in our own beds at night. Basically, we are going to play [at the Project Pabst Atlanta festival on] October 1, then the next day we being recording and we will be holed up at an Atlanta studio for the month of October.

"We're excited because we've done lots of touring over the past few years. It's that refreshing cycle of write, record, tour, tour, tour, take a break, write, record, tour, tour, tour. This is one of the many healthy transitions that we do as a band to keep our momentum going. We're excited about recording because we haven't recorded a record in over two years. Positive vibes are in the house."

MASTODON guitarist Bill Kelliher recently told GuitarMania about the band's upcoming album: "I've already come up with eleven songs, which is probably about an hour's worth of music — like, finished, start to end. It'll change as everybody chimes in and takes the things I wrote and maybe changes them a little bit, or we might take parts out and write a new part."

Regarding what fans can expect to hear on MASTODON's next album, Bill said: "It's a little bit of the same as the last album, but I think it goes even deeper in certain areas — a couple of more psychedelic parts, a little more technical parts. There are a couple of new places we haven't gone before. So it's just kind of a continuation of the last record to me, but even deeper."

"Once More 'Round The Sun" sold around 34,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to land at position No. 6 on The Billboard 200 chart. The record arrived in stores on June 24, 2014 via Reprise Records.

According to The Pulse Of Radio, NINE INCH NAILS mainman Trent Reznor and his frequent collaborator Atticus Ross have been tapped to compose the score for "Patriots Day", a film centered on the 2013 Boston Marathon bombings. This will be Reznor and Ross' fourth film score, with their previous three — "The Social Network", "The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo" and "Gone Girl" — all movies directed by David Fincher. The pair won both the Oscar and the Golden Globe Award in 2011 for the score to "The Social Network".

Reznor told The Pulse Of Radio a while back that writing music for films has not been that difficult since he thinks in visual terms when writing songs as well. "That idea of starting in a visual place has made it kind of easy," he said. "I find it hasn't been that much of a struggle to start to think in terms of scoring for picture, because now I have the picture to see instead of me creating it in my head and it's not that far of a stretch in terms of the strategy working here."

"Patriots Day" stars Mark Wahlberg, John Goodman, Kevin Bacon, J.K. Simmons and Michelle Monaghan.

The film is directed by "Lone Survivor" and "Deepwater Horizon" director Peter Berg and opens in limited release on December 21, expanding nationwide on January 13.

Reznor indicated late last year that NINE INCH NAILS would return in 2016. The last NIN effort was 2013's "Hesitation Marks", which followed a four-year hiatus.

Reznor is also chief creative officer for Apple Music and is said to be heavily involved in that platform's redesign and relaunch.

Illinois-based symphonic melodeath group, Starkill, have released a trailer video for the band’s upcoming third album, Shadow Sleep,  to be released via Prosthetic Records worldwide on November 4th. The new clip can be found below.

Recorded and mixed at Electrowerks Studio with Chuck Macak (Fall Of Troy, Oceano Letlive) while being sent for mastering by Troy Glessner (August Burns Red, Devin Townsend, Death Cab For Cutie), Shadow Sleep presents 13 tracks of melodic, majestic death metal reinforced by Jameson’s over-the-top shredding paired with one of the tightest rhythm sections in the scene.

"This album was the culmination of many tours, new experiences and knowledge, and in our opinion, marks the starting point of where the true Starkill sound begins" exclaimed ead guitarist and vocalist, Parker Jameson. "We've finally found ourselves, our musical style and finally have access to all the musical tools we've ever wanted: two screamers, two male singers, and newly featured on this record, the addition of a female vocalist. This album marks a critical turning point for Starkill, and we are excited to be with Prosthetic Records for this new chapter."

Shadow Sleep tracklisting:

“Walk Through Fire”
“Burn Your World”
“Through The Darkness”
“Shadow Sleep”
“Cloudless”
“Piece Of Paradise”
“Ruin”
“Into The Grey”
“Razors Edge”
“No Savior”
“Erase Me”
“Farewell”
“Captive Of The Night”

Album trailer:

“Burn Your World” video:

Signing announcement with audio clips:

Starkill have won fans over throughout the country with their solid live performances on stages alongside bands including Epica, Moonspell, Arch Enemy and Ne Obliviscaris. In addition to the release of Shadow Sleep on November 4th, the band will also kickstart an extensive jaunt across North America with Gothenburg melodic death legends Dark Tranquility, Finland doom metallists' Swallow The Sun and Swedish heavy metal outfit Enforcer. Prior to this, the band will be seen at Illinois' Full Terror Assault with Dying Fetus, Belphegor and more.

A full list of their upcoming appearances can be found here.

Starkill is:

Parker Jameson - lead guitar, vocals, keyboards
Spencer Weidner - drums
Tony Keathley - guitar, backing vocals
Shaun Andruchuk - bass guitar

New Zealand death metal innovators Ulcerate are streaming the track “Shrines Of Paralysis”, from their forthcoming fifth full-length album and follow-up to 2013's Vermis. Shrines Of Paralysis is due out via Relapse on October 28th. Preorders here.

Shrines Of Paralysis tracklisting:

“Abrogation”
“Yield To Naught”
“There Are No Saviours”
“Shrines Of Paralysis”
“Bow To Spite”
“Chasm Of Fire”
“Extinguished Light”
“End The Hope”

“Shrines Of Paralysis”:

"Abrogation":

“Extinguished Light”:

Ulcerate have announced a headlining North American tour with Icelandic dissonance-mongers Zhrine and Montreal death metal quartet Phobocosm. Ulcerate will also be performing two exclusive dates in New Zealand at the end of October before the tour's kickoff. A full list of dates is available below.

October
21 - Auckland, NZ - Kings Arms
22 - Wellington, NZ - San Fran

November (with Zhrine and Phobocosm)
2 - Los Angeles, CA - Complex
3 - San Francisco CA - Elbo Room
4 - Portland, OR - Panic Room
5 - Seattle, WA - Highline
6 - Vancouver, BC - Astoria
8 - Oakland, CA - The Golden Bull
9 - San Diego, CA - Brick By Brick
10 - Tempe, AZ - Yucca Tap Room
11 - El Paso, TX - Mesa Music Hall
12 - San Antonio, TX - Limelight
13 - Houston, TX - Acadia Bar
15 - New Orleans, LA - Siberia
16 - Gainesville, FL - Atlantic
17 - Tampa, FL - The Brass Mug
18 - Atlanta, GA - The Earl
19 - Richmond, VA - Strange Matter
20 - Baltimore, MD - Metro Gallery
22 - Philadelphia, PA - Boot & Saddle
23 - Boston, MA - Great Scott
24 - Montreal, QC - Piranha Bar
25 - Toronto, ON - Coalition
26 - Detroit, MI  - Corktown Tavern
27 - Chicago, IL - Reggies
28 - Pittsburgh, PA - The Smiling Moose
29 - New York City, NY - Saint Vitus

Audio samples of all the songs that are set to appear on THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA's upcoming album, "Transit Blues", can be streamed below. The CD will be released on October 7 via Rise Records.

The band retreated to both Watertown, Wisconsin and Sawyer, Michigan last winter to write "Transit Blues", for the first time living and creating in a shared, full time space. They re-teamed with "Space" producer Dan Korneff (PIERCE THE VEIL, MOTIONLESS IN WHITE) in the spring of 2016 to record the 11-track effort. Overall, the album reflects themes of transition, separation, and mourning.

Speaking about the direction of "Transit Blues", frontman Mike Hranica told Clrvynt: "When I hear older PRADA recordings and such, this super-clean Auto-Tune bullshit kicks in, and I kind of quiver. Like, 'Why is that there? What's the point?'

"With 2009's 'Roots Above And Branches Below' is where I started writing 'choruses' with all screaming because I liked that in heavier music, and then on 'Space', the singing came out of left field.

"Hopefully with 'Transit Blues', it's a bit more where it's this element that's very organic, as opposed to, 'Here's the pop chorus, ta-da.'"

To support the release, THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA — Hranica, Jeremy DePoyster (guitar, vocals), Andy Trick (bass), Kyle Sipress (guitar), joined by Giuseppe Capolupo (drums) and Jonathan Gering (keyboards) — will kick off "The Rise Up Tour" on October 11, co-headlining with MEMPHIS MAY FIRE. SILVERSTEIN and LIKE MOTHS TO FLAMES will open all shows.

Photo credit: Anthony Barlich

"Echolocation", the debut album from GONE IS GONE, the new project featuring MASTODON's Troy Sanders, AT THE DRIVE-IN's Tony Hajjar, QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE's Troy Van Leeuwen and guitarist-keyboardist Mike Zarin, will be released on January 6, 2017 via their imprint label Black Dune Records in partnership with Rise Records/BMG.

Recorded at Sencit Studios in Los Angeles (with additional tracking at Casa De Leones Studios), "Echolation" was produced by the band and mixed by Ken Andrews of FAILURE (BECK, A PERFECT CIRCLE).

Zarin commented on the new album: "We were able to expand on ideas that were explored early on and really build on them. By the time we got to working on the album, everything had clicked and we knew 'this is what this is going to be.' And that made a huge difference."

"Echolocation" track listing:

01. Sentient02. Gift03. Resurge04. Dublin05. Ornament06. Pawns07. Colourfade08. Roads09. Slow Awakening10. Fast Awakening11. Resolve12. Echolocation

The official lyric video for the song "Sentient" can be seen below.

GONE IS GONE's self-titled debut EP was released on July 8 via Black Dune/Rise.

Asked where the band's name came from, Sanders told NME: "We were honing in on things that were very human, relatable, real, and as far away from anything pretentious as possible. We were discussing subject matter of frailty and things that every human can relate to — love, loss, life, experience and opportunity and all things frail and fragile. The phrase 'what's done is done' or 'what's gone is gone' — you need to seize these opportunities now and make the most of it, reward yourself and fulfill yourself while the time is now.

"We think it's relatable and we're not trying to be anything that we're not. The level of pretentiousness is below zero — it's minus eleven, it's out of the fuckin' picture. This band was organically created and it's formed and has got to where it is now very naturally. It's all from the heart and it means the world to us."

Sanders also called GONE IS GONE "therapeutic." He explained: "I've learned it's a very healthy thing to do to jam with other people. Whether it's sitting for 30 minutes in someone else's practice room and just jamming with somebody, or learning a cover song together, or writing something together — any kind of collaboration I think is a healthy thing. You pull different positives from different people.

"For the bulk of the past 16 years, I've been very fortunate and proud to be in a band called MASTODON that followed the traditional cycle of write, record, tour-tour-tour, write, record, tour-tour-tour. It's worked out fantastic for us and I love every minute of it. However, when I get these brief periods away, and I'm doing something else that's creative musically, it just brings a refreshing feeling over me that hits a reset button. Every time I go back into the MASTODON world, I'm in such a great place mentally to dive headfirst in and give it all I've got."

GONE IS GONE made its live debut on April 27 at the Dragonfly in Los Angeles and completed a handful of dates in July.

For more information, visit www.GoneIsGoneOfficial.com.

SLIPKNOT and STONE SOUR frontman Corey Taylor joined KORN on stage this past Sunday, October 2 at the Louder Than Life festival in Louisville, Kentucky to perform the KORN song "A Different World". Fan-filmed video footage of his appearance can be seen below.

"A Different World" is slated to be the next single from KORN's upcoming album, "The Serenity Of Suffering", following the current Top Five track "Rotting In Vain".

KORN singer Jonathan Davis spoke about getting Taylor to appear on the track. "We were trying to figure out who we wanted to collaborate with, and I'm like, 'You know, that's the one, that's the guy,'" he said. "And I texted him, I'm like, 'Do you want to be on a new KORN track?' He's all, 'Hell yeah! When and where, what do I do?' So he did great on the song. I already did my parts, I'm like, 'Do what you do, man.' And I like the way he did it, the approach: he starts creeping in underneath the song, you can start slowly hearing his voice under mine, and it crescendos up into the middle part where he sings, and then it's just full-on at the end, so the song came out great."

Taylor said that he became involved in "A Different World" after receiving "a phone call, like, 'Hey, do you wanna do this?' And I was on the plane the next day. I flew in, and I hadn't even heard the music. I was, like, 'Yeah.' 'Cause as a fan and as a friend, it was just something that we had been talking about for years. And all the stars aligned and I got to do this track. And it is heavy, dude. It is so righteous. People are gonna lose their minds.

"This whole [new KORN] album, and I'm gonna brag now, because I've heard eleven songs of this, it is such a great throwback to the first three KORN albums and mixed with that maturity that they have now. Like, it's, really, really heavy. People are gonna lose their minds. It's that good."

Due on October 21, "The Serenity Of Suffering" marks the band's return to Roadrunner, which previously released 2010's "Korn III - Remember Who You Are" and 2011's "The Path Of Totality".

The cover art for "The Serenity Of Suffering" was created by acclaimed artist Ron English. It depicts a teenage KORN fan at a dystopian acid-nightmare funfair who is clutching a disembowelled and skeletal version of the doll who adorned 1999's "Issues".

KORN has hit the road this fall with co-headliners BREAKING BENJAMIN for the "Nocturnal Underground Tour". The trek kicked off on September 24 in Fargo, North Dakota and will run through late October.

Fathom Events, ole, Anthem and Zoe are excited to bring "Rush: Time Stand Still" to movie theatres nationwide for a raw, intimate and vivid look into RUSH's "R40" tour for a one-night event on Thursday, November 3. Over 460 theaters will take part in the Fathom event, which is accompanied by an exclusive 20-minute short film "Rush: A Salute To Kings".

In 2015, RUSH went out for a 40th-anniversary tour, rumored to be the last tour of its kind and the end of their life on the road. Narrated by Paul Rudd, "Rush: Time Stand Still" is a documentary event which covers the "R40" tour and the unique relationship RUSH have with their devoted fans. Candid interviews with Geddy Lee, Alex Lifeson and Neil Peart bring "Time Stand Still" to an emotional conclusion for a band who built their career the old-fashioned way: one show at a time.

Lee and Lifeson last month spoke about what it has been like spending most of their time at home after the band completed what could turn out to be its final tour in 2015. Lifeson said: "I don't know. It's been an adjustment, this past year. We've been following up on some other interests that we both have, and we've been learning to get used to the idea, and it's taken a while. But I feel very confident about a lot of things, and music is definitely still one of them. And I'm sure that we'll do something in the future. We can't just stop playing and writing music together."

Asked if he is still keeping the bass fingers ready, Lee said: "Oh, yeah. I play almost every day that I'm around the house. I've been travelling a lot with my wife. We're very big into seeing the world and taking advantage of this break in my career, whatever it may be. But I love playing, and I play a lot. And sooner or later, the right thing will happen."

Lee last December shot down reports that RUSH's drummer, Neil Peart, had retired.

Peart admitted to being "of two minds" about another lengthy run of concert dates, pointing out that having a young child at home makes it difficult for him to be gone for weeks at a time. He said: "I've been doing this for 40 years — I know how to compartmentalize, and I can stand missing her, but I can't stand her missing me and it's painful and impossible to understand for her. How can a small child process that? And there's the guilt that comes with that — you feel guilty about it, of course. I'm causing pain."

RUSH released the "R40 Live" concert film last November.

Swedish melodic metallers AMARANTHE have dropped the video for their latest single, "That Song", a track from their epic and gloriously over-the-top new album, "Maximalism". The record is due out October 21 on Spinefarm Records, and finds the band further expanding its pop-metal hybrid style.

The album is full of songs so catchy that they embed themselves in your brain for hours, and "That Song" is easily one of the most memorable AMARANTHE numbers to date.

The clip, directed by longstanding collaborator Patric Ullaeus, mixes a gripping narrative with performance footage, finding the members of the band playing a variety of roles, as musicians in blue-collar gigs at the crossroads in their respective lives.

Says AMARANTHE guitarist Olof Mörck: "What song? 'THAT song'! Our very first single and video from our brand new album, 'Maximalism', is out now! Representing a fresh take on the AMARANTHE approach, it is part of the wide spectrum of sounds that is 'Maximalism'.

"The video represents the struggle that comes from following your dreams no matter what the cost. Even if you are on the downside of life, one day there will be a turning point when it all becomes clear — to the sound of 'That Song'."

"Maximalism" was produced once again by Jacob Hansen (VOLBEAT, EPICA, DELAIN) and mastered by Svante Forsback (RAMMSTEIN, APOCALYPTICA, DRAGONFORCE). Refusing to be pinned down by genre or convention, AMARANTHE have consistently pursued the less travelled path, blending different sounds and styles to create a signature hybrid approach, and "Maximalism" sees their collective wide-angle vision laid out with greater skill and conviction than ever before. From the locomotive power of "Faster" and "Fury" through to the more measured drama of "Limitless" and "Endlessly" (a solo tour de force for singer Elize Ryd), this is AMARANTHE ramping up both the energy and the emotion, and generally pushing everything to the max. In support of "Maximalism", AMARANTHE will embark on a headline European tour in October/November, with SONIC SYNDICATE and SMASH INTO PIECES guesting on all shows.

Fan-filmed video footage of ACT OF DEFIANCE performing a cover version of the METALLICA classic "Seek & Destroy" on September 29 at Hard Rock Hotel & Casino on in Sioux City, Iowa can be seen below.

ACT OF DEFIANCE is the band featuring former MEGADETH members Shawn Drover (drums) and Chris Broderick (guitar), alongside ex-SCAR THE MARTYR singer Henry Derek Bonner, and SHADOWS FALL's Matt Bachand (bass).

Asked how they feel about the term "supergroup" being thrown around in connection with ACT OF DEFIANCE, Matt told Gear Gods: "We're not a supergroup. We're simply a new band with players that happened to be in other bands. That's all it is. When you say the word 'supergroup,' that usually implies that, you know, you get together, make one record and then it will never happen again. But that is not the case with this. So it's technically not a supergroup, 'cause it's not gonna be a one-off thing. It's a new project that we're going a hundred and ten percent with."

Shawn, who joined MEGADETH in 2004 and played on four of the band's albums, including 2013's "Super Collider", added: "This is a real band, man. This wasn't put together… 'Oh, let's get Matt from that great band.' It wasn't like that at all. Chris [Broderick, ACT OF DEFIANCE and ex-MEGADETH guitarist] and I tried to find the best musicians we could that were available, really. Matt had stopped touring with [SHADOWS FALL], and it was just a matter of coincidence. I found out that Matt wasn't touring as hardcore as he was for twenty years, so I'm, like, you know… Actually, Zeuss was one of the guys… Our producer, Chris Harris — we call him Zeuss — was one of the guys [who said], 'You should maybe talk to Matt.' I was, like, 'Wow! What a great idea. And I just hit him up. But this is a full-on band. We're touring for the record. This is not a one-off thing. With respect to what we've done in the past, we're not living in it. This is a new thing and this is something that we're going forward with. We're not dwelling on what we've done in the past at all."

ACT OF DEFIANCE's debut album, "Birth And The Burial", was released on August 21, 2015 via Metal Blade Records. The CD recording was split between three studios in three different states: Broderick handled vocal and guitar production at his own Ill-Fated Studio in Los Angeles, Chris "Zeuss" Harris (ROB ZOMBIE, REVOCATION, MUNICIPAL WASTE) worked with Drover tracking the drums in Dexter's Lab in Milford, Connecticut, while Bachand laid down his bass at ManShark, in Southampton, Massachusetts.

Swedish metallers AVATAR have unleashed another visually stunning music video, with longtime director Johan Carlén at the helm, for their next single, "Night Never Ending". The song is taken from the band's latest concept album titled "Feathers & Flesh", which was released onMay 13 via Another Century in Europe and Entertainment One (eOne) in North America and Canada.

"It's is a special song, being probably the most upbeat and, dare I say, happy piece we've ever released," says AVATAR frontman Johannes Eckerström. "But under the surface of the fragile message of hope and fighting spirit it is little more than a prelude to a tragedy and that is what we set out to capture when we decided to make a video for it."

He continued: "It is very close to my heart for being the one video where there is no 'rocking out' going on and we get to capture a side of AVATAR that is just as integral as the good, headbanging times we love sharing with our supporters all around the world. There are few things in this world as beautiful and fascinating as contrasts and this is what all of 'Feathers & Flesh' is all about. Hope and tragedy."

Eckerström told AXS that the idea of creating a concept album came first and then the journey to find the proper concept became the first leg of that process.

"There was a period of figuring out what would be our story to tell," he said. "I first started with, you know, I'm a clown, and it's horror, and it could be a haunted theme park, and then I fell asleep from my own thoughts because it felt so cliché, boring, lame, stupid. So I moved on and then it was a Swedish novel series, 'The Emigrants' series, and I thought there's some stuff in here that could be turned into something, then I realized that Björn and Benny from ABBA did a musical about it in the '90s, so that one was taken. [Laughs] So I reached the conclusion it needed to be something where we had the same ambition as we do with the music — to do something fresh and original. So I started to soul search for an original story and that led me to researching the concept of fables."

Ipswich, UK-based black metal band, Eastern Front, have released the official video for the song “The Fire Consumes”, taken from third album, EmpirE, which was released on September 30th via Cacophonous. EmpirE focuses on the concept of building an empire through bloodshed and devastation, and is the first record to feature new vocalist Marder.

Guitarist Destroyer: “Signing to the birthplace of UK black metal, and to be a part of this historic relaunch is such an honour. Their mission statement and work ethic really resonates with us and clearly it hasn't changed since the early 90's, their passion to succeed is infectious and with it being such exciting time in the UK extreme music scene the quality of the Cacophonous roster is testament to that. We feel our brand of war torn black metal is a perfect fit and will add to the legacy. Cacophonous has always had a great reputation for pioneering new and established bands, so in our tenth year of existence it’s the perfect place for Eastern Front to launch EmpirE.

EmpirE is our darkest and most conceptual release to date. Its essence is limitless loss, the notion that empires are literally built upon countless sacrifice and slaughter. The bigger the empire the more blood will have been spilt, the more pain endured, the more wounds inflicted. EmpirE is a focused single vision of death as is conveyed throughout the artwork and is our statement of intent as a band redefined. This concept resonates for the members of Eastern Front, pain and loss having been the band’s fifth member for the last few years so this as catalyst certainly affected the writing when research began, that place of introspective honestly is what birthed the album Empire.

We welcome Marder to the vocal parapet, a true ferocious force of nature and now an essential part of our battalion. During the first studio sessions Marder came in as a guest for the record but from the first scream we knew if the job of vocalist for Eastern Front ever became available again she is the one. It did. She is.”

Recorded and produced by Danny B (Lock Up, Pentagram, Criminal) of HVR Studios, Ipswich, EmpirE features guest vocals from black metal titan Dani Filth.

Tracklisting:

“Empire”
“Veiled By Blood”
“The Fire Consumes”
“No Snow Falls For Sorrow”
“Husks Of Kursk”
“Crimson Mourn”
“1000 Winds That Blow”
“Die Reise In Den Tod Pt. II”

French melodic power prog band Eternal Flight have announced that Thibaud Pontet is their new drummer. The band is now rounded off by Gérard Fois (ex-Dream Child) on lead vocals, Jérome Fischer on lead and rhythm guitars, Thibaud Ducrot on lead and rhythm guitars and Arnaud Neri on bass.

Check out an introductory video featuring Thibaud Pontet below:

Eternal Flight are currently recording their fourth album which will feature 12 new songs incuding three with John Macaluso (Ark, TNT, Yngwie Malmsteen). BraveWords recently debuted the new song "Labyrinth" featuring Macaluso. The band remarked: "This could please also more our prog metal fans into bands like Fates Warning, Dream Theater or Evergrey."

 

 

On Tuesday, September 27th Metallica played a special show for their fanclub members at the intimate Webster Hall in New York City. The show marked the 30th anniversary of bassist Cliff Burton's death as well as serving as hype for the band's highly anticipated new album, Hardwired...To Self-Destruct. 

Fan-filmed video from the show is available below. It includes the live debut of Metallica's new song "Moth Into Flame". The setlist on the night was as follows:

"Breadfan"
"Holier Than Thou"
"Battery"
"Harvester Of Sorrow"
"Fade To Black"
"Moth Into Flame"
"Sad But True"
"Orion"
"One"
"Master Of Puppets"
"For Whom The Bell Tolls"
"Enter Sandman"
"Whiskey In The Jar"
"Hardwired"
"Seek & Destroy"

Professionally fulmed video footage of VENOM's entire August 12 performance at this year's edition of the Bloodstock Open Air festival, which was held at Catton Hall in Walton-on-Trent, England, can be seen below.

VENOM is not to be confused with VENOM INC., the new band featuring original VENOM members Jeff "Mantas" Dunn (guitar) and Anthony "Abaddon" Bray (drums) alongside ex-VENOM bassist/vocalist Tony "Demolition Man" Dolan.

Without directly mentioning VENOM INC., VENOM guitarist Rage (a.k.a. Stuart Dixon) told Metal-Rules.com in a November 2015 interview: "Don't be fooled by pale imitations." VENOM bassist/vocalist Conrad "Cronos" Lant added: "Yes, indeed. Check out the real VENOM. We know that there's been some sites who've been putting our photographs and our VENOM logo up for a whole load of dates that don't have anything to do with us. VENOM play one-off shows, and that's the way we've always done it. And we like to have it as big and as best as we can. We don't do little club tours; that's never been the VENOM way. And we're trying to contact some of these sites to say, 'Look, you're misrepresenting the band. We don't know who this band is that you're talking about, but we're not coming to America to play thirty shows. Please get your shit together and sort it out.' But these web sites must just wanna put any shit on their site."

Cronos also talked about VENOM's musical evolution over the last three and a half decades. He said: "The thing is, the way I've always seen VENOM is… VENOM needs to be a band that evolves. You know, I don't wanna play the same songs fucking year after year after year. I wanna evolve this band. I wanna stay with a slightly commercial… Rock and roll has to be something that you remember, and a lot of the death metal stuff that's all based on the same sort of [fast rhythm], to me, it doesn't have a hook. And I've always found that with songs like 'Welcome To Hell', it's something that stays with you. I know people think 'commercial' is a dirty word with metal, and [they] can fuck off, because commercial just means something that stays with you, that you like, that you enjoy. And that's something that we do well. We come up with songs where you're still thinking about them weeks later, months later after you've heard them. They stick with you. They're not throwaway songs. We don't want any throwaway songs. If the song doesn't move you, and if you don't remember it, you don't wanna keep playing it in the car or wherever, then we throw it away; it's goodbye. We want the stuff that stays hardcore and evolving. You know, still being a bit controversial as well. You know, the song 'Smoke', I'm sure people didn't expect that one out of VENOM; it's a little bit different. But we've always done that. We got shit for '7 Gates Of Hell' back in the day. 'What the fuck? That's not like 'Angel Dust'.' But that's what I love about this band. We have the ability to just keep trying out new ideas and retaining that 'Black Metal' stamp. So fucking long may it continue."

VENOM's latest album, "From The Very Depths", was released in January 2015 via Spinefarm.