Fan-filmed video footage of QUIET RIOT's February 18 performance at the Quaker Steak & Lube in Clearwater, Florida as part of the Florida Motorcycle Expo & Bike Builder Invitational can be seen below.

QUIET RIOT's new studio album, titled "Road Rage", will be released on April 21 via Frontiers Music Srl. Famously known as the first heavy metal band to top the pop charts, the Los Angeles quartet became a global sensation thanks to their monstrous smash hit 1983 album, "Metal Health". The band now continues its historic journey in 2017 with founding member and drummer Frankie Banali who, on this new release, is joined by veteran bassist Chuck Wright (who has been in and out of QUIET RIOT since 1982) and guitarist Alex Grossi (who has been handling his duties since 2004,) together with new vocalist Seann Nicols (a.k.a. Sheldon Tarsha; formerly of ADLER'S APPETITE). "I'm very excited about the release of 'Road Rage' on Frontiers Music Srl which is the first official QUIET RIOT release in eleven years," Banali said. "It contains all newly written and recorded original songs. We stayed true to the great tradition and sound of QUIET RIOT while at the same time always moving musically forward." Banali's history with QUIET RIOT spans over 34 years and he has the distinction of being the only member of QUIET RIOT to have recorded on every single QUIET RIOT release from 1983's "Metal Health" through 2017's "Road Rage". After nearly ten years since the loss of his friend and co-founding member and bandmate Kevin DuBrow, and with careful consideration, soul searching and with the blessings and support of DuBrow's family, Frankie has moved forward with the band to bring the fans "Road Rage". Musically, "Road Rage" offers exactly what you would expect from QUIET RIOT: arena-ready hard rock with strong hooks and infectious riffs, along with maturity in the songwriting that only a band with such a history and pedigree can offer.

Vocalist Jizzy Pearl (LOVE/HATE, L.A. GUNS, ADLER'S APPETITE, RATT) left QUIET RIOT at the end of 2016 to concentrate full time on his solo career.

Banali revived QUIET RIOT in 2010, three years after DuBrow's death, along with Wright and Grossi. The group went through two vocalists — Mark Huff and Scott Vokoun — before settling on Pearl in 2013.

The Pearl-fronted QUIET RIOT recorded six new songs for an album called "10", which was released digitally on iTunes and Amazon.com in June 2014, but Banali pulled the songs from both download stores shortly after putting the effort on sale and hasn't made them available again. He later explained that his decision to remove "10" from iTunes and Amazon.com was motivated in part by the fact that he couldn't find a record label that would properly promote the album. In addition, he said that the system that brought us classic rock music has been forever altered by the times and the promotional and marketing engine that is broken, no longer effectively exposing music from the labels through radio and to the masses.

For their brand-new song "Rebels Of Our Time”, Majesty present the first short film in heavy metal history. The movie tells an exciting story which is set in a post-apocalyptic future and which leads into a cool music video.

Singer Tarek comments on the extraordinary project: "We all are big cinema fans and we had in mind for quite a long time to shoot a short film which exactly shows what the band stands for. Our new album Rebels is a big step forward for us in any way and therefor we simply didn’t want to simply make a boringly normal music video. We are extremely proud of the result but that is not only due to us but because of the whole film team and the actors. All of them supported the project with enormous dedication and with much blood, sweat and tears. We made lots of new friends during the shooting!"

For the short film, Majesty collaborated with the ambitious young film makers Dennis Keller, Oliver Allweyer und Daniel Roschy who passionately and professionally implemented the script written by Tarek.

Dennis Keller states: "44 hours of shooting in 3 days, average temperature of -5°C and a brilliant team. From the make-up across the catering to our actors everything was right - and I think you also see that in the result!"

The “Making-Of” can be seen below:

Majesty will release their new album, Rebels, on March 3rd. In the video below, vocalist Tarek unboxes the limited boxset edition of the album:

More intense, more powerful and more epic - Majesty have reached the next stage of evolution and sound the horn of their new album Rebels to conquer the heavy metal throne. Recorded in the band's own studio and refined by the mixing and mastering of Frederik Nordsträm in the Studio Fredman, Rebels is the fundament for "Majesty 2.0".

Pre-order Rebels at this location or via the Amazon widget below and receive “Die Like Kings” as an instant grat track.

Tracklisting:

“Path To Freedom”
“Die Like Kings”
“Rebels Of Our Time”
“Yolo Hm”
“The Final War”
“Across The Lightning”
“Not Available”
“Iron Hill”
“Heroes In The Night”
“Running For Salvation”
“Fighting Till The End”

“Die Like Kings” lyric video:

Finland’s Battle Beast will launch their Bringer Of Pain Over Europe 2017 tour on March 2nd in Mannheim, Germany. Support on the dates comes from Majesty and Gyze. A video trailer promoting the trek can be found below.

Bringer Of Pain Over Europe 2017 dates:

March
2 - Mannheim, Germany - 7er Club
3 - Essen, Germany - Turock
4 - Leipzig, Germany - Hellraiser
5 - Wroclaw, Poland - Liverpool Club
6 - Vienna, Austria - Chelsea
8 - Brescia, Italy - Circolo Colony
9 - Puget-Sur-Argent, France - Le Rat's
10 - Barcelona, Spain - Bikini
11 - Madrid, Spain - Penelope
12 - Lisbon, Portugal - RCA Club
13 - Porto, Portugal - Hard Club
14 - Pamplona, Spain - Totem
16 - Nantes, France - Ferrailleur
17 - Strasbourg, France - La Laiterie
18 - Marsberg, Germany - Metal Diver Festival (Schützenhalle)
19 - Vosselaar, Belgium - Biebob
20 - Tilburg, Netherlands - Little Devil
22 - Wolverhampton, UK - Slade Rooms
23 - Manchester, UK - Ruby Lounge
24 - London, UK - Underworld
25 - Paris, France - Petit Bain
26 - Saarbrücken, Germany - Garage
27 - Berlin, Germany - Bi Nuu
28 - Hamburg, Germany - Logo
29 - Würzburg, Germany - Posthalle
30 - Siegburg, Germany - Kubana
31 - Stuttgart, Germany - Im Wizemann

April
1 - Wetzikon, Switzerland - Hall Of Fame
2 - Regensburg (Obertraubling), Germany - Eventhall Airport
5 - Budapest, Hungary - Barba Negra
6 - Bratislava, Slovakia - Randal Club
7 - Lindau, Germany - Vaudeville
8 - Munich, Germany - Backstage
9 - Münster, Germany - Sputnikhalle

Trailer:

The official Ministry Facebook and Twitter pages have been updated with photos of mastermind Al Jourgensen back in the studio working on new material....

"Working on some new stuff with John Bechdel..."

pic.twitter.com/R8oAhfiHw9
— Ministry (@WeAreMinistry) 22 February 2017

Los Angeles, California-based metal project 3 Headed Snake, spearheaded by Ministry guitarist Sin Quirin, have released a demo version of the track ‘Wisdom Screams’ through SoundCloud, which can be heard below. A debut EP is slated for issue later in 2017. 3 Headed Snake’s lineup is as follows; Sin Quirin - guitars, bass, keyboards, and drum programming (Ministry), Johnny Ray - vocals (Aionios, Pyaxis).

For further details, visit 3 Headed Snake on Facebook.

ANTHRAX is celebrating the 30th anniversary of its classic album "Among The Living" by performing the LP in its entirety on a European tour.

Fan-filmed video footage of the band's February 25 performance at Backstage in Munich, Germany can be seen below.

ANTHRAX's February 15 concert at the Barrowland in Glasgow, United Kingdom was filmed for a DVD, to be released later this year via Megaforce. Seventeen cameras, including five GoPros and a full-size camera crane, captured more than two hours of ANTHRAX favorites that were voted onto the evening's set list by fans and included "Madhouse", "Be All, End All", "Breathing Lightning" and "A.I.R.", followed by ANTHRAX's classic 1987 album "Among The Living" performed start to finish. In addition to the live footage, the DVD will include "fly-on-the-wall" interviews and other B-roll shot on the band's tour bus, backstage, in hotels and elsewhere. The DVD is being produced and directed by Paul Green of the Manchester, U.K.-based Paul Green Productions who has filmed concerts for OPETH, THE DAMNED, Gary Numan, THE LEVELLERS and many others. Last year's celebration of ANTHRAX's 35th anniversary saw the band getting some of the best live reviews of its career, but the reception from British fans on this tour has been far more than anyone anticipated. "I don't know why it took us so long to come back to the U.K. and headline our own tour," said ANTHRAX singer Joey Belladonna, "but I'm sure glad we did. These shows have been some of the best we've ever done, and that's really due to the interaction with the fans; they've just been crazy. And that's what we wanted to capture for this DVD." The "Among The Kings" show is divided into two parts — one, "Among The Living" performed live start to finish, and then the other half will be a special set that ANTHRAX is inviting its fans to help create. Fans should go to anthrax.com/setlist-vote where the band has posted the titles of 44 of their songs from throughout their career. You can vote for up to 10 songs, and the songs that receive the most votes will make up that portion of the live show. The band plans to keep an eye on the votes over the course of the European dates so as the most voted for songs may change, the band will alter their set lists appropriately.

French metal outfit Born Again is streaming their cover of Motörhead’s “No Class”, featured on their new album, Strike With Power, out now via Massacre Records. Listen to “No Class” below.

Strike With Power was mixed and mastered by Pierre-Emmanuel Pélisson at Studio PE. Stan W Decker is responsible for the cover artwork.

 

 

Tracklisting:

"New Generation"
"Strike With Power"
"Preachers Of The Night"
"Betrayal"
"We Feed The Fire"
"Angel In Black"
"Deal With The Devil"
"Wings Of Hate"
"No Class"
"Dawn Of The Gods"

"No Class”:

"New Generation" video:

"Betrayal" lyric video:

Visit the official Born Again Facebook page for more on the band.

Rage Of Light is a Swiss musical project born from the desire of its creator, Jonathan, to combine two music styles that he has liked for a long time : metal and trance. The idea grew in 2007 when a first song entitled "Chasing A Reflection" was created. Mixing electronic sounds with metal rythms, this track laid the foundation of what will become later Rage Of Light. Playing the keyboard and doing vocals in two bands, Dysrider (ex-Trophallaxy) and Nodafreth, Jonathan put aside his hybrid project for several years.

Between 2011 and 2015, he nevertheless composed four new songs of what could be called trance metal. Inspired by the Swiss trance scene of the early 2000s, and by melodic death metal bands, he finally decided to realize his project, integrating a cover song in an EP named in memory of the first title written. For that purpose, he called on two talented musicians who bring a new energy to the project:

Melissa, singer of the band Evenmore, who will surprise more than one person thanks to the versatility of her beautiful voice, and Noé, a gifted guitarist who plays with Jonathan in Nodafreth.

Rage Of Light have released their cover of the Amon Amarth classic "Twilight Of The Thunder God", complete with an official video. Check it our below.

 

South Florida-based rock/metal band, Daybreak Embrace, has released the official music video for their newest single, "The Moment”. Utilizing footage from their performance at Woodstock Poland 2016, "The Moment" was self-filmed and includes live stage shots as well as behind the scenes moments.

““The Moment” is a tribute to the fans and family gained on a cross-continent journey full of love, life and loud music.” - Kenny Figueroa - Guitar

“We realize that we are living dreams right now because of your love and support.” - Ryan “Fry” Dorries - Bass

Buy "The Moment" on iTunes.

Maryland based rock band, Calisus, have released their newest single, "Six Feet Of Lies". The track was produced, mixed, & mastered by the band's own Patrick Koch.

Says lead singer Zach Constable: “”Six Feet Of Lies” can have a very different meaning to a lot of different people. It all comes down to what the person is going through in their life. The main relation to the song is getting away from and ridding of whatever you're going through, burying it deep down six feet under to move on. I feel the anthem style of the chorus is what makes it so easy for people to catch on and sing along to. By the end, they know every word and are singing them out. Every musician knows that feeling when the crowd sings along to your songs. It makes me that much more amped up for each and every show, to get out there and share your message.” - Zach Constable (Lead Vocalist)

Buy "Six Feet Of Lies online here. Listen to the song below:

Everlasting Spew Records has announced the signing of Canadian sci-fi technical death metallers, Fractal Generator, for the release of their debut album Apotheosynthesis on May 19th. The album will be available on CD and digitally.

Fractal Generator is a 3-piece ensemble from Canada devoted to sci-fi and to the darkest side of the technical death metal realm. Apotheosynthesis is their debut album.

Line-up:

040118180514 - Bass, Vocals
040114090512 - Drums
102119200914 - Guitar, Vocals

More on the band at this location.

Hells Headbangers will release Scumripper’s self-titled EP on 7" vinyl on March 31st. Self-released digitally late last year, Scumripper is the nasty, sewage-drenched debut offering from this trio of vocalist/guitarist Rat Pitt, drummer Son Stalker, and bassist Cliff Hunger.

With an MO like that, it's no surprise that Scumripper charge forward with a short 'n' swift attack of grinding metal/punk rooted in the likes of Repulsion, The Mentors, Abscess, and Autopsy's punkest moments. It's violent and vile, but also immediately memorable and mandatorily headbanging.

Order now at this location. Listen to the EP in full below.

Tracklisting:

“Shit Needle Crown”
“Burning Of The Midnight Tramp”
“Scumripper”
“Cum Killa”
“Run To The Pills”
“Gutter Heights”

Scumripper by SCUMRIPPER

Melbourne, Australia-based thrash metal band, Desecrator, will release their debut studio album, To The Gallows on March 24th. A lyric video for the title track is available for streaming below.

Limited digipack and vinyl bundles can be pre-ordered here. iTunes, Google and Spotify pre-orders are also available.

The outstanding hand painted cover art was created by Melbourne ink wizard Jason Spud Sposito.

Tracklisting:

“To The Gallows”
“Desert For Days”
“Red Steel Nation”
“As I Die”
“Serpents Return”
“Hellhound”
“Thrash Is A Verb”
“Down To Hell”
“Brainscan”
“Balancing On A Blade”

“To The Gallows” lyric video:

"Red Steel Nation" video:

"Balancing On A Blade" video:

Desecrator have announced the first dates for their Australian tour, kicking off on March 31st in Hobart.

Tour dates:

March
31 - Hobart, Australia - Republic Bar

April
1 - Launceston, Australia - Gunners Arms
13 - Adelaide, Australia - Enigma Bar
16 - Alice Springs, Australia - Blacken the Globe
26 - Warrnambool, Australia - The Loft
27 - Balarat, Australia - The Eastern
28 - Geelong, Australia - Barwon Club
29 - Melbourne, Australia - Bendigo Hotel

May
5 - Canberra, Australia - The Basement
6 - Woy Woy, Australia - Leagues Club
7 - Sydney, Australia - Frankies Pizza
12 - Perth, Australia - Amplifier Bar
13 - Bunbury, Australia - Eliot Street Bar

(Photo - LD Photography Inc.)

Hells Headbangers will reissue Tiger Junkies’ Green Tea Or Die EP on 7" vinyl format on March 31st. Pre-orders can be placed at this location.

Originally released in 2013 on a very limited-edition picture disc, Green Tea Or Die was Tiger Junkies' first full recording since their 2008 debut album, D-beat Street Rock N Rollers, which Hells Headbangers reissued on CD and vinyl LP in 2013 along with a couple split-release tracks.

As is well known by now, Tiger Junkies is the unholy team-up between Toxic Holocaust mainman Joel Grind and Abigail/Barbatos mainman Yasuyuki Suzuki. Still deadly committed to the timeless trinity of booze, sex, and nuclear metal/punk, here on Green Tea Or Die, the duo lays bare their base obsessions. It's all the filthy, endlessly headbanging fun of their earlier work, just swiftly bashed forward across a four-song EP - it's Green Tea Or Die!

Tracklisting:

“Raw Sex Til Sperm”
“Green Tea or Die”
“Satanik Metal Punks”
“Sex Sex Sex II”

“Raw Sex Til Sperm”:

Green Tea Or Die by TIGER JUNKIES

French heavy rockers Headcharger will release their new album Hexagram on March 24th. First single “Dirty Like Your Memories” is streaming below.

With Hexagram, their 6th album, Headcharger again offers a biting heavy rock, but who dares venture into new ground. Mixed and mastered by the sorcerer Damien Bolo (C2C, Electro Deluxe, Shake Shake Go), the 11 titles tell complex stories about double personality, separation, manipulation, conflict, etc. The group pushes the concept "Dr Jekyll & Mr Hyde" into form. The pieces, riffs and ultra-catchy chains stamped Headcharger are always enhanced by light guitars, almost aerial. Hexagram is the perfect image of what Headcharger is today: melodic and powerful.

Tracklisting:

“Coming Back To Life”
“Dirty Like Your Memories”
“Gutsy Move”
“A Long Wait”
“Name Your Price”
“The One You Want To Be”
“The Metamorphosis”
“Load The Dice”
“This Is My Crime”
“Necronomicon”
“Feed Our Illusions”

“Dirty Like Your Memories”:

When METALLICA returned to China last month for their first shows in the country after their 2013 Shanghai debut, their censored setlist saw them performing more than an hour with several key hit notably missing: "Master Of Puppets", "One" and "Hardwired".

In an interview with the South China Morning Post, METALLICA frontman James Hetfield stated he didn't resent the Chinese government for its censorship, and it certainly didn't put him off playing in the country. He said: "Why shouldn't you respect their culture when you're there as a guest and you've been invited to play? We want to be respectful, and just because we do things differently, it doesn't mean it should be forced upon [others]. But hopefully we'll keep coming back and they'll realize we're not a threat politically and we have no agenda except to cross boundaries with music and let people enjoy the songs. We're not trying to bring a secret message to anybody."

Vetting by the Chinese authorities for foreign bands and artists isn't uncommon and has resulted in many big names being refused entry to the country to perform.

The members of METALLICA revealed in 2013 that they were asked to send the lyrics to their entire discography to the Chinese government for approval before they were given permission to play in the country. "We had to give them a whole set of songs and they went through all the lyrics and okayed which ones we could play, which ones we couldn't play," METALLICA guitarist Kirk Hammett said. "They see a lyric like 'Master Of Puppets' being so subversive that they're not allowing us to play it. It's kind of scary." Added Hetfield: "And that just brings more attention to it, of course. That doesn't work."

METALLICA drummer Lars Ulrich also explained that the band's Chinese fans were fully aware of the restrictions that were placed upon the group during their appearance in the country. "What we're talking about here is not a secret. They published it on government web sites — what songs we could play and what we couldn't. I mean, it's fine."

The Chinese ministry of culture monitors music for vulgarity, as well as political content. In 2009, it reportedly ordered a cleanup of online music sites to address "poor taste and vulgar content."

VintageRock.com conducted an interview with legendary drummer Vinny Appice (BLACK SABBATH, DIO, HEAVEN & HELL) at last month's Hall Of Heavy Metal History induction ceremony at the Anaheim Expo Center in Anaheim, California. You can now watch the chat below.

Asked why he thinks the heavy metal genre has survived for nearly fifty years, Appice said: "'Cause it's music that touches people's hearts, believe it or not. It's very heavy and very strong. Some of it's not. Some of it's melodic. And it touches people. And it's still going strong. There's a lot of bands that are still out there playing, a lot of people showing up to see them, and it's great music. And a lot of the heavy metal music that was the first beginning of it inspired other genres. BLACK SABBATH inspired everybody. I got to play with them. It was an honor for me to play with them. But that actually… Look how many bands came off of that, you know — got inspired [by SABBATH]."

Appice joined BLACK SABBATH in 1980 during the "Heaven And Hell" tour and appeared on the albums "Live Evil" (1982) and "Mob Rules" (1981) . In late 1982 he left BLACK SABBATH with vocalist Ronnie James Dio and formed the band DIO. They recorded "Holy Diver" (1983), "The Last in Line" (1984), "Sacred Heart" (1985), "Intermission" (1986), and "Dream Evil" (1987). In December 1989, Appice left DIO. In 1992, he returned to BLACK SABBATH for the "Dehumanizer" album and tour. He then rejoined DIO and they recorded "Strange Highways" (1994) and "Angry Machines" (1996).

Appice rejoined his BLACK SABBATH bandmates Ronnie James Dio, Geezer Butler and Tony Iommi in 2006 as HEAVEN & HELL, touring and releasing one studio album, "The Devil You Know", before Dio's death in 2010.

In April 2014, along with former members of DIO (Vivian Campbell and Jimmy Bain), Vinny began recording tracks for his new band LAST IN LINE along with Andrew Freeman on vocals.

LAST IN LINE released its debut album, "Heavy Crown", in February 2016 via Frontiers Music Srl.

SAINTED SINNERS, the band featuring former ACCEPT singer David Reece, celebrated the release of its self-titled debut album by performing last night (Friday, February 24) at Traube in Bellenberg, Germany. Fan-filmed video footage of the concert can be seen below. The group's lineup is rounded out by guitar player Frank Pané, keyboardist Ferdy Doernberg (AXEL RUDI PELL) and the dynamic rhythm section of the two former PURPENDICULAR members Malte Frederik Burkert (bass) and the Hungarian drum maestro Berci Hirleman.

Expressing the "pure essence of rock'n'roll", was the ambition that paired five well-known and experienced musicians together in early 2016, to create and play the music which is deeply inside their hearts and in their blood. The love for rock legends, such as DEEP PURPLE, LED ZEPPELIN, RAINBOW, WHITESNAKE, UFO, BLACK SABBATH, VAN HALEN and many others, built the cornerstone for the music of the new founded five-piece called SAINTED SINNERS.

"The idea first started with me thinking about forming a band where I can follow my natural taste of music without compromises. I was writing music and then basically formed the band around who would fit the direction it was going", remembered Pané, whose first step was to contact his former bandmate Reece. "Being one of my alltime-favourite singers, he was my obvious choice. It just clicked immediately and so we agreed to lead the band together as we trust and respect each other."

The eleven tracks on "Sainted Sinners" were written and produced by Pané and Reece, partly recorded at Sound Design in Germany with Robbie Hochwind during mid-summer 2016, as well as in early fall 2016 by Mario Percudani at the Tanzan Music Studios. The final mastering was done by Daniele Mandelli at Tanzan Music Studios in late fall 2016. "I feel a very strong sense of pride! I feel it's a great representation of who I and we are", summarized Reece, who called the eleven tracks colorful. "Concerning the logistic distance between everybody and the fact that we just started as a band, it's a very promising debut with many albums to follow", rejoiced Pané.

The current SAINTED SINNERS vocalist was recruited for ACCEPT's "Eat The Heat" LP in 1989 following the departure of Udo Dirkschneider. Reece's higher-pitched delivery was in sharp contrast to Dirkschneider's distinctive style, and overall, the album was a critical and commercial disappointment,

Midway through the "Eat The Heat" tour, differences between the band and Reece had come to a head, leading to the altercation between the singer and bassist Peter Baltes in Chicago. By the end of 1989, ACCEPT had hung it up.

Asked by Canadian rock journalist Mitch Lafon of the "One On One With Mitch Lafon" podcast (Facebook page) if he is proud of "Eat The Heat", Reece said: "You know what? It's weird, because the bad blood happened at the end of it, and I hated it — I hated everything about it. I knew it opened a bunch of doors for me, but… I, on a daily basis, get people telling me what that album means to them now. At the beginning, they hated me, but now it's, like, they have this rebirth of how great it is. And I listened to it the other day, and I went, 'That's a pretty dang good album for a first.'"

He continued: "Yeah, I'm proud of it. I mean, that's a… I mean, it's not ACCEPT — okay, let's be honest — but there's some cool stuff on there. And I still get paid royalties for that album. They [re-released] it on vinyl. I get these statements; people buy it from the old crowd and the new crowd. And I'm, like, 'Ooooh…' So it's got legs to this day, and that was '88… 1988, '89. Amazing."

Fan-filmed video footage of PHIL CAMPBELL AND THE BASTARD SONS (formerly PHIL CAMPBELL'S ALL STARR BAND), the band featuring MOTÖRHEAD guitarist Phil Campbell alongside his sons Todd, Dane and Tyla, plus vocalist Neil Starr, performing on February 22 at Klubi in Tampere, Finland can be seen below (video by Nalle Österman).

PHIL CAMPBELL AND THE BASTARD SONS released its self-titled debut five-track EP in November via Motörhead Music. Produced by Todd Campbell at the band's own Stompbox Studios in Wales, U.K., and mixed by MOTÖRHEAD producer Cameron Webb, "Phil Campbell And The Bastard Sons" loudly shoves you head-first into its raw, gritty, classic and instantly accessible rock 'n' roll charms. Whether it's the speedy biker-charged refrain of "No Turning Back", the crunchy catchy jump of "Big Mouth" or the beautiful-yet-bombastic balladry of "Life In Space", "Phil Campbell And The Bastard Sons" brings uniquely organic life and verve to every last riff and stomp, with Starr's sensational vocals ensuring this EP was the surprise of the 2016 rock 'n' roll release calendar.

Neil Starr recently told Kaaos TV about PHIL CAMPBELL AND THE BASTARD SONS' debut EP: "The reason it's an EP is we can get that done quicker. We wanted to give people some music to hear that was our own music, some music of our own that we can play live as well. So the idea was to get something done as quick as possible. It keeps the fans interested in the band, because there's new songs to keep it fresh. And it's great for us, 'cause we get to write more songs all the time. Todd, who's in the band, has his own recording studio, so it's really easy for us to just go in and do what we wanna do whenever we want, which is great."

Regarding the musical direction of PHIL CAMPBELL AND THE BASTARD SONS' original material, Neil said: "You know what you're gonna get, because Phil Campbell is the riff god. So you hear these MOTÖRHEAD riffs; Phil wrote a lot of those songs. So there's elements of that gonna be coming through in the music. Obviously, personally, I wouldn't ever want to try and be like Lemmy and his style that he does, because that's one person who does that, and that's him. You don't try and do that. I bring my own style to the band, but, obviously, yeah, there's lots of really great riffs in the songs, like you would expect from a band that's got Phil Campbell in it. It's just rock and roll music, I guess."

MACHINE HEAD guitarist Phil Demmel joined NONPOINT on stage on February 20 at The Regency Ballroom in San Francisco, California to perform the latter band's song "Bullet With A Name" as well as a snippet of MACHINE HEAD's "Davidian". Video footage of his appearance can be seen below.

NONPOINT's latest album, "The Poison Red", was released last July via Spinefarm Records. The CD was recorded at Uptown Recording Studio in Chicago with producer Rob Ruccia.

"The Poison Red" was the first NONPOINT album to feature lead guitarist BC Kochmit, whom singer Elias Soriano described as "Eddie Van Halen's illegitimate child."

Soriano told New Noise Magazine about "The Poison Red" songwriting process: "Substance is now the only thing I really care the most about. Writing a rockin song is something that hopefully comes naturally to the guys. Having something that has a little more substance is the part that I won't compromise. Take the pre-chorus in 'No Running Allowed', for example. I'm tired of watching the news and seeing murderers or famous people that leave their wife of twenty years because they get famous, jump on 'Dancing With The Stars' and fall in love with a young woman. Then, the next week, they're on a morning show with a smile on their face, apologizing."

He continued: "People aren't being held accountable for being shitty fucking people. As long as they apologize, it's cool. But, if a 21-year-old Latino or black guy runs down the street and no one knows why he's running, he'll be tackled and put in cuffs. You can't run in this society without being shot or arrested, but you can be a piece of shit with no consequence."

Fan-filmed video footage of L.A. GUNS' February 23 performance at the Proof Rooftop Lounge in Houston, Texas can be seen below.

The current version of L.A. GUNS — which includes singer Phil Lewis and the band's co-founding guitarist Tracii Guns — is recording a new album for a tentative summer release through the Italian record label Frontiers Music Srl.

"It sounds amazing — I'm not exaggerating," Lewis told Westword. "It's so slick, and every song is so well crafted. Big choruses. It's really interesting, and I think people are going to be knocked out by it. We're gonna release it on CD and digital, of course, but we're gonna put it put on vinyl. We have enough to put it out on double vinyl gatefold."

L.A. GUNS' present lineup is rounded out by Shane Fitzgibbon on drums and Johnny Martin on bass with Michael Grant on guitar as a touring member.

"We have Tracii's drummer that he's been working with for the last year and a half," Lewis said. "With Johnny Martin on bass, that's just a great rhythm section. Tracii's been going out with those two and another singer doing L.A. GUNS stuff, and it's been perfectly adequate. But now we've got Michael Grant. It's back to two guitars, and it's fierce. They're doing a lot of damage."

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". 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."

Back in December, Phil announced that he was leaving the L.A. GUNS version that included drummer Steve Riley.

Professionally filmed video footage of the reunited original lineup of ROCK GODDESS — the female power trio from the days of NWOBHM (New Wave Of British Heavy Metal) featuring sisters Jody and Julie Turner along with bassist Tracey Lamb — performing on December 2, 2016 at the HRH NWOBHM "Xmas Rocka" festival at the O2 Academy in Sheffield, United Kingdom can be seen below.

ROCK GODDESS's forthcoming comeback album is tentatively due later this year.

Lamb previously said that the new material was "sounding mega and awesome" and added that playing the band's classic songs felt "weird but wonderful."

ROCK GODDESS was formed in 1977 in Wandsworth South London by Jody Turner (guitar and vocals) and Julie Turner (drums) when they were thirteen and nine years old, respectively. They recruited school friend Tracey Lamb on bass guitar.

ROCK GODDESS first rose to the nation's awareness when they were first featured in Kerrang! No. 5 in 1981 in the "Armed And Ready" section as one of the bands to watch out for. After recording a four-track demo tape and an appearance at the Reading Festival in 1982, sharing a bill with IRON MAIDEN, plus regular shows at the Marquee club, the band landed a contract with the A&M label. They recorded their eponymous debut album with producer Vic Maile in 1983 and hit the lower end of the charts. A follow-up album, "Hell Hath No Fury", arrived a year later, by which time Lamb had left the band to form SHE and later to join GIRLSCHOOL.

After their contract with A&M expired in 1987, ROCK GODDESS' already recorded (in 1985) third album, titled "Young And Free", was released only in France. The effort saw the band taking on a more commercial sound.

ROCK GODDESS' career was cut short by financial and contractual problems, which forced them to disband shortly thereafter.

ROCK GODDESS did briefly reform in 2009 and was due to play Hard Rock Hell festival in Prestatyn, and was also booked to perform at the Headbangers Open Air festival in Germany the following summer, but split before they had a chance to appear at either event.

In March 2013, it was announced that the original ROCK GODDESS lineup had reunited and would start recording a new album.

PowerMetal.cl interviewed vocalist Fabio Lione about the anticipation of the 20th Rhapsody Reunion featuring Lione, Luca Turilli, Dominique Leurquin, Patrice Guers, and Alex Holzwarth.

Speaking about the reunion, Lione said, “After this tour the ‘original’ band Rhapsody will not exist anymore. Luca will make some different music with his band. And me and Holzy we will do different things. So that’s why it’s a farewell and a 20th year’s celebration tour! Regarding the set-list we will play the complete Symphony record plus some songs that the band never played live before! Of course we will also have some hits and classic Rhapsody songs during the set.”

Fabio Lione, Luca Turilli, Dominique Leurquin, Patrice Guers and Alex Holzwarth recently announced the reunion of the original members of Rhapsody, and the relevant farewell tour of the band.

The Italian band Rhapsody, one of the greatest icons of symphonic power metal, will gather together to commemorate the 20th Anniversary from their first official release, playing their album Symphony Of Enchanted Lands in full, as well as other classics of the band. It will be an exciting and emotional event no one should ever miss, as this will be the only and last chance to see the band performing on stage together. The Rhapsody’s 20th Anniversary Farewell Tour will be hosted by Top Link Music.

Since its consecration in 1997 with the album Legendary Tales, Rhapsody has become a worldwide awarded band thanks to its unique, epic and orchestral sound. Initially baptized in the “Hollywood Metal” style, because of its movies-related fascination and its characteristic epic soundtrack elements, the Italian band established itself as one of the biggest names in symphonic power metal thanks to their second release, Symphony Of Enchanted Lands, which soon became a classic of that music genre. Rhapsody’s main influences also include classical composers such as Vivaldi, Bach, Beethoven, Paganini and many others (the song “The Wizard's Last Rhymes” from Rain Of A Thousand Flames, for example, is based on Antonín Dvořák’s “New World Symphony”). These elements made the band clearly unique in the whole heavy metal scene and, thanks to its magic, gathered lots of fans all over the world and inspired many bands, giving birth to a brand new musical wave and genre, that established a real and effective Rhapsody imagery. The 20th Anniversary Farewell Tour will represent a last chance for everyone to feel part of that wonderful magic once again. Luca, Fabio, Patrice, Dominique and Alex will celebrate such important and historical event with and for their amazing fans!

Luca Turilli states: “I am really super excited to be part of this unique and special event together with Fabio and my other friends. The fact of playing legendary songs like “Wings Of Destiny”, “Beyond The Gates Of Infinity” and “The Dark Tower Of Abyss”, never played on stage before, will be the best way to celebrate the 20th Anniversary and a great reason to meet together for a very last time. This farewell tour represents for me the closing of one important chapter of my music career, as in the future I will dedicate myself to the cinematic music style of my new Luca Turilli’s Rhapsody band and to other important projects exclusively. Don’t miss such amazing event. It will be the last time you will be able to see me, Fabio and Alex Holzwarth together on stage playing some Rhapsody songs. We wait for all of you to share some wonderful emotions and live together some memorable nights!”

Fabio Lione continues: “‘Magic’… this is what I always wanted to find in music… and when I think about this great and unique opportunity to be again on stage with Luca, Holzy, Dominique, Patrice and celebrate with them the 20th Anniversary of the band… well… I can say this is truly ‘magic’! What an emotional moment remembering our great friend Christopher Lee, our stories, our feelings. After many years and things happened, I feel the time is right now… the time to close this important chapter of my artistic life in the best way, with my old friends, and share such ‘magic’ once again. We will celebrate 20 years of band history with all of you, beloved fans, in an unforgettable and glorious ‘last time party’. Be part of it!”

Stay tuned for updates at this location.

(Photo by: Annalisa Russo)

Explosive Canadian hard rockers, Kobra And The Lotus will release their new album and Napalm Records debut, Prevail I, on May 12th. A teaser for the track “Prevail” is available for streaming below.

BraveWords recently premiered the band’s new single “Gotham”, available for streaming below.

Prevail I is available for pre-order in exclusive bundle packages via the Napalm Records Webstore here.

Frontwoman Kobra Paige on the story of Prevail I, the band’s most ambitious effort to date: “When we are born, we are innocent, pure, and unshaped. This mandala signifies a human at the beginning of it’s journey. Unscathed and beautiful, the mandala is each and every one of us. As this album unfolds, you will notice it’s more than just music. Prevail I is a story of visceral truth and I believe, if we’re really being honest with ourselves, everyone will find their story within it. After all, the battles may differ, but we all started as the same mandala and we are more relatable than we’d like to admit. Our only wish is that you may enjoy the freaking crap out of this album and find comfort in realizing you’re not alone.”

Produced by Jacob Hansen (Volbeat, Amaranthe, Epica) and mastered by Grammy award winning Ted Jensen, and featuring the soon to be classic songs “You Don’t Know” and “Light Me Up” that will undoubtedly usher the band to much deserved elevated hard rock status. Evolution is inevitable and Kobra And The Lotus have delivered their most powerful album to date, Prevail I, with Prevail II to complete the story in the not too distant future.

Tracklisting:

“Gotham”
“TriggerPulse”
“You Don’t Know”
“Specimen X (Mortal Chamber)”
“Light Me Up”
“Manifest Destiny”
“Victim”
“Check The Phyrg”
“Hell On Earth”
“Prevail”

“Prevail” teaser:

“Gotham”:

Kobra And The Lotus have been making a name for themselves worldwide since 2010 with extensive touring and three well-received albums.

Kobra And The Lotus is loaded with exquisite precision, heavy emotion, vocal brilliance and grand-scale dynamics, highlighting the glories of classic heavy metal and rock. Known for their exceptionally strong live shows, they proudly carry the flag for all metal/hard rock fans.

Kobra And The Lotus is:

Kobra Paige (vocals)
Jasio Kulakowski (guitars)
Brad Kennedy (bass)
Marcus Lee (drums)

North Carolina's All Hell returns with their Prosthetic Records debut, The Grave Alchemist, out on April 14th. A video for the track “Vampiric Lust” can be found below.

Produced by Kris Hilbert (The Body), who worked with the band on The Red Sect and mixed and mastered by Joel Grind (Toxic Holocaust), The Grave Alchemist will see a worldwide release on April 14th. Featuring twelve driving, raucous blackened thrash hymns, the album reveals a marked maturity and growth for these Asheville natives who previously wore their punk rock roots on their proverbial sleeves. The album is a narrative-driven horror concept album that weaves a tale of alchemy, necromancy, and vampirism over the span of three centuries. It is a potent blend of violence, mysticism, psychology, and the occult, distilled into an aural elixir of Blood and Gold.
 
Pre-order the album here.

Tracklisting:

“Grave Alchemy”
“Necrosophia”
“Wed The Night”
“Vampiric Lust”
“The Castle”
“Laid To Unrest”
“Memory Tomb”
“The Madness Out Of Time”
“The Thing In The Ground”
“Return Of The Reaper”
“Elixir”
“I Am The Mist”

“Vampiric Lust”:

With the release of The Grave Alchemist, All Hell has expanded their sound while distilling different elements to create a unique blend all their own. Fans of Bathory, Celtic Frost, Samhain, Satyricon, Skeletonwitch, Goatwhore, Toxic Holocaust and the like, pay heed.
 
All Hell will bring their deviousness to the stage for a short run of live dates this spring with additional live incursions in the plotting stages.

Dates:

March
24 - Lexington, KY - Blood Of The Wolf III

April
27 - Birmingham, AL - The Nick
28 - Atlanta, GA - 529
29 - Nashville, TN - drkmttrD
30 - Knoxville, TN - TBA

March
4 - Raleigh, NC - Slim’s Downtown
5 - Gaithersburg, MD - Raw Ink Live
6 - Philadelphia, PA - Kung Fu Necktie
7 - Richmond, VA - Gallery 5

Like a sucker punch to the gut, Abuse storms back onto the death metal landscape after a lengthy 16 year hangover. They eagerly return to do what they undoubtedly do best, shred your face and put women in their place. 

This Canadian outfit recently enlisted the inhuman skills from US skin basher Lord Marco (Neurogenic & Six Feet Under) on drums. Together they have blended the rawest ingredients of death metal, with a hint of tasteless grind, for an unforgiving cocktail of immoral brutality. 

Nothing Is Safe proves that Abuse is now poised to punish those who defy and make all submit to serve their depraved desires.

King Woman have released their debut full-length album, Created In The Image Of Suffering. The full album is available for streaming below.

Created In The Image Of Suffering was recorded with engineer Jack Shirley (Deafheaven, Wreck & Reference, Oathbreaker) at the Atomic Garden in Palo Alto, CA.  Each song evokes rich, gloomy imagery with crumbling washes of blurred, billowing distortion densely layered atop hazy, psychedelic atmospheres that call to mind a surrealistic Black Sabbath fronted by Mazzy Star. Complete with deeply personal, introspective lyrics that serve as a catharsis for years of religious and mental torment, King Woman truly suffer to create their art.

Order the new album at this location.

The band's debut EP Doubt (released on leading SF avant-garde imprint The Flenser in 2014) paired weighty subject matter such as religious abuse with cathartic, brooding, and hypnotic songwriting with a transcendental feel. With Esfandiari's lush and dramatic vocals, King Woman go far beyond mere stoner metal. The band's compositions call to mind rich, detailed imagery and powerful atmospheres that elevate their music beyond classification. King Woman’s mystical sound resonated strongly enough to catch the attention of Relapse Records, who signed King Woman in 2016.

Tracklisting:

“Citios” (Digital Bonus Track)
“Utopia”
“Deny”
“Shame”
“Hierophant”
“Worn”
“Manna”
“Hem”

Album stream:

"Deny" video:

Tour dates:

February
24 - Sacramento, CA - Starlite Lounge
26 - Los Angeles, CA - The Echo

March
14 - Brooklyn, NY - St Vitus
15 - Philadelphia, PA - Underground Arts *
16 - Washington, DC - DC9 *
17 - Asheville, NC - Mothlight *
18 - Nashville, TN - The End *
19 - Orlando, FL - Backbooth *
20 - Atlanta, GA - The Earl *
22 - Dallas, TX - Three Links *
23 - Houston, TX - Walter’s *
24 - Austin, TX - Sidewinder *

April
8 - Linz, AT - Kapu ^
9 - Vienna, AT - Arena ^
10 - Leipzig, DE - Felsenkeller ^
11 - Berlin, DE - Musik & Frieden ^
12 - Dresden, DE - Beatpol ^
14 - Antwerp, BE - Het Bos ^
15 - Leeds, UK - Brudenell Social Club ^
16 - Glasgow, UK - Saint Luke’s &
17 - Manchester, UK - Gorilla &
18 - London, UK - Heaven &
19 - Brighton, UK - The Haunt &
20 - Lille, FR - La Malterie ^
21 - Tilburg, Netherlands - Roadburn ^
23 - Karlsruhe, DE - Dude fest ^
24 - Lyon, FR - Le Periscope ^
25 - Nantes, FR - Le Ferraileur ^
26 - Paris, FR - L’Espace B ^
27 - Brussels, BE - VK ^
28 - Groningen, NL - Vera ^
 
* - with Oathbreaker & Jaye Jayle
^ - with True Widow
& - with True Widow and Chelsea Wolfe

(Photo - Rob Williamson)

UK groove death metallers A Trust Unclean will release their new EP Parturition on Basick Records on June 2nd. In celebration of the news, the band has unveiled their new video “To Encompass And Eclipse”.

Hailing from Oxford, UK, A Trust Unclean have quickly made their mark on the UK death metal scene with their own brand of groovy, technical death metal, performed with sheer precision. A band that brings fun back into live music, via explosive riffs delivered with a smile.
 
The quintet released their EP Reality Relinquished in August 2015 which was received tremendously amongst press and fans alike. Following a successful UK tour with Osiah the band went on to share stages with the likes of Aversions Crown, Rings Of Saturn, Black Tongue, and Ne Obliviscaris as well as performing at UK Tech Metal Fest with bands such as Decapitated, Heart Of A Coward, Monuments and many more.
 
After unfortunately parting ways with their vocalist Joe and drummer Scott in late 2016 during the writing process of their new release Parturition (translates to the act of giving birth), the band have since recruited Kyle Lamb on vocals and Noah Plant on drums. With the line-up now stronger than ever, A Trust Unclean have undergone a fresh start, a re-birth and are ready and determined to take their new music as far and wide as possible.

Catch the band live with heavyweights Frontierer at London's The Black Heart, on March 1st.

Tracklisting:

“Parturition”
“Dominion Over Bone”
“Exonerate”
“Aeon”
“Apex”
“To Encompass And Eclipse”
“Repurposed”
“Aetherius”

“To Encompass And Eclipse” video:

New York City sludge/doom/drone trio, Unearthly Trance, are streaming their new album, Stalking The Ghost, out now via Relapse Records. Listen to the full album below.

An esoteric ritual of seismic doom, Stalking The Ghost taps into the darkest realms of the occult over the course of seven tracks that reek of utter despair. Forming a balance between slow-churning maelstrom and spine-chilling harmony, wrapped beneath a blackened cloud of rumbling feedback, Unearthly Trance sound more powerful and exploratory than ever before.

Recorded at Menegroth/The Thousand Caves Studios by Colin Marston (Krallice, Gorguts, Panopticon) and featuring cover art by Orion Landau (YOB, Red Fang, Graves At Sea), Stalking The Ghost restores misery to a gentrifying city.

Physical orders and bundles are available via Relapse.com while digital downloads can be ordered via Bandcamp.

Tracklisting:

“Into The Spiral”
“Dream State Arsenal”
“Scythe”
“Famine”
“Lion Strength”
“Invisible Butchery”
“The Great Cauldron”
“In The Forest's Keep” (Digital Only Bonus Track)

Album stream:

Tour dates:

April
17 - KB18 - Copenhagen, Denmark
18 - Hafenklang - Hamburg, Germany
19 - Magasin4 - Brussels, Belgium
20 - Roadburn - Tilburg, Netherlands
21 - Doom Over Leipzig - Leipzig, Germany
23 - JAZ - Rostock, Germany

(Photo - Jimmy Hubbard)