On March 10, Swedish multi-instrumentalist, singer and producer Thobbe Englund (ex-SABATON, WINTERLONG) will release his new solo album, titled "Sold My Soul", via Metalville Records.

Many albums, live DVDs and almost five hundred SABATON shows later all over the world, headlining the biggest festivals such as Wacken Open Air and Sweden Rock Festival, Thobbe is now going back to the roots of heavy metal with all-new material.

For the most part, the album was recorded in Englund's own studio — Big Cat in Falun, Sweden. Some additional recordings have been made in Hungary by Gabor Nagy (WISDOM) at the AXL Studio and in Borlänge in Nils Patrik Johansson's (ASTRAL DOORS, CIVIL WAR) studio. Mastering was done by Jonas Kjellgren (SCAR SYMMETRY, RAUBTIER).

Englund says: "This album was recorded without the in these days so commonly used 'studio cheating' methods. What you hear is what you get, and the album is loaded with one-takes. A brutally honest approach, and pure heavy metal."

"Sold My Soul" track listing:

01. Sold My Soul02. Annihilation03. I Am04. The Glow05. It Burns06. Steel & Thunder07. Trägen Vinner08. The Flame09. Break The Chains10. Wounded Knee11. Farewell12. The Ashes

As a teenager, Englund watched Yngwie Malmsteen shred his socks off in an instructional video, and from that moment, he knew what to do. Eight hours per day of burning passion and dedication well into his twenties led him to gain a hundred control of the instrument, a Stratocaster — and this is where the journey starts. In 2001, Englund got a record deal. The debut album with his band at the time, WINTERLONG, sold splendidly in Japan. He was hungry for something new and in 2008 joined the Swedish band RAUBTIER. As things evolved, he didn't feel bass, which he played in RAUBTIER, was expressive enough so in 2012 when SABATON called, it was a no-brainer to join in.

Englund chose to leave SABATON in 2016, stating: "I have in recent years become more aware of what would make me feel real happiness and content, and that is to expand my own creativeness in combination with a somewhat stiller life, where I will not tour all year round at the speed of light."

Norwegian symphonic black metallers DIMMU BORGIR will release their highly anticipated double DVD, "Forces Of The Northern Night", on April 14 via Nuclear Blast. The set will contain two of the band's live performances: their legendary show in Oslo, presenting DIMMU BORGIR on stage with the Norwegian Radio Orchestra and a bombastic choir, as well as their entire performance at Wacken Open Air festival in 2012 in Wacken, Germany with almost a hundred musicians on stage. Both concerts present a spectacular sound scenario of raging black metal in front of an epic orchestral landscape plus the band's unique visuals.

DIMMU BORGIR's remarkable and atramentous stage show has long seemed like a natural evolution for fans, but much time, arrangements and commitment were necessary to put this gigantic production into reality and fill the stage with 90 minutes of mindblowing aural delight per night. The shows guide the fans through classics from the band's discography — from the majestic finisher "Mourning Palace" — which can be seen below (footage from the Wacken show) — to the stomping manifesto "Puritania" and the haunting "Gateways". "For us, this is the pinnacle of our career so far," says DIMMU BORGIR frontman Stian Thoresen (a.k.a. Shagrath). "As a band, we've always used a lot of symphonic elements in our music. But we haven't been able to use a real orchestra. We've had to use samples, synthesizers and so on, so this was a huge, awesome experience for us." In addition to the two concerts, "Forces Of The Northern Night" will include a bonus documentary feature.

DIMMU BORGIR's May 28, 2011 concert at the Oslo Spektrum in Norway, which is included on "Forces Of The Northern Night", featured a special setlist with 53 members of KORK (the Norwegian Radio Orchestra) and 30 members of the Schola Cantorum choir, who were musical guests on the band's ninth studio album, 2010's "Abrahadabra". The show was professionally filmed and was broadcast as part of a one-hour documentary in June 2011 on NRK (Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation), the Norwegian government-owned radio and television public broadcasting company and the largest media organization in Norway.

In an interview with Scuzz TV, DIMMU BORGIR guitarist Sven Atle Kopperud (a.k.a. Silenoz) stated about the experience of performing with an orchestra: "It was, of course, really special, especially since it was in Oslo, and a lot of people traveled in for the show from all over the world. And everything went great on stage for once. When you have a hundred people on stage, the percentage of something going wrong is definitely there, but it was really, really good."

He added: "You think your band is professional, then you play with an orchestra, and then you know, 'Oh, we're not so professional after all.'"

DIMMU BORGIR last year extended its partnership with Nuclear Blast.

The band's tenth album is tentatively due before the end of 2017.

DIMMU BORGIR's most recent touring lineup included Geir Bratland (APOPTYGMA BERZERK, THE KOVENANT) on keyboards and Terje Andersen (a.k.a. Cyrus; SUSPERIA) on bass.

Continuing the tradition of reinvention and innovation, Grammy Award-winning rock outliers LINKIN PARK enjoyed another career first today by announcing the May 19 release date of their seventh studio album, "One More Light", and debuting their new single, "Heavy", on Facebook Live.

As the biggest band on Facebook — with over 62 million followers — the Los Angeles band delivered a stripped-down live performance and question-and-answer session via the platform. LINKIN PARK invited fans everywhere into the heart of their Hollywood rehearsal space as they performed the signature smash "Crawling" followed by the first-ever performance of "Heavy" accompanied by Kiara Saulters, who is best known for recording stop-motion, hip-hop-inspired electro-R&B under the name Kiiara. The song sees the band team up with pop songwriter Emily Wright who has also worked on Miley Cyrus's "Party In the U.S.A.", Katy Perry's "California Gurls" and Flo Rida's "Good Feeling". Fittingly, the show concluded with one of the band's biggest hits, "Burn It Down".

"Heavy" is available to stream and download on all digital partners. A lyric video for the brand new single can be viewed below.

"One More Light" track listing:

01. Nobody Can Save Me02. Good Goodbye03. Talking to Myself04. Battle Symphony05. Invisible06. Heavy07. Sorry for Now08. Halfway Right09. One More Light10. Sharp Edges

LINKIN PARK recently released new video update from the studio in which members of the band discussed their approach to the upcoming album's lyrical themes. Singer Chester Bennington said: "There are songs that don't specifically talk about situations, they talk about a frame of thinking. Like, 'This is shit that's going on inside my head,' or, 'This is something that I'm dealing with.' To me, also, it tells a story, but it's also revealing as well in another way, and that feels honest to me."

Bennington added in the video update: "We're trying to connect with people. We're trying to make a record that has fucking stellar songs that people wanna listen to all the time."

Co-vocalist Mike Shinoda appeared on a YouTube question-and-answer session recently and told fans about the new album: "I can't tell you what it sounds like. I can tell you you're going to be surprised. You gotta expect the unexpected. Don't expect what you've heard before."

Photo credit: James Minchin



LINKIN PARK - HEAVY - FEB. 16, 2017
Tune in TODAY (February 16th) at 12pm Los Angeles time for a special Live performance.

Download / Stream our new single “HEAVY" FEAT. Kiiara, available everywhere now: http://lprk.co/OneMoreLight

Posted by Linkin Park on Thursday, February 16, 2017

Finnish guitarist Kasperi Heikkinen has left U.D.O. and DIRKSCHNEIDER — the two bands fronted by former ACCEPT singer Udo Dirkschneider — for personal reasons.

Says U.D.O. in a statement: "There is no bad blood or drama in this departure. The band and especially Udo wanna thank Kasperi for his great support and many fantastic shows on this planet. All the best, Kasperi!"

Heikkinen adds: "I want to thank everyone, especially the fans, for these great four years I was in the band. I also wish all the best for the band with their future endeavors. From now on, I will focus on my other music projects and some different outlets of creativity. You will surely hear from me again when the time is right. Stay metal and tsönk all the way!"

Heikkinen just completed a massive North American tour with DIRKSCHNEIDER.

The 36-year-old Kasperi was the founding member and the songwriter of the Finnish heavy metal band MERGING FLARE. The group's debut album, "Reverence", was released in 2011 and was highly praised among the critics. His past activities include four studio albums and international touring with symphonic metal band AMBERIAN DAWN, two studio albums with the progressive death metal outfit ELENIUM, one studio album with traditional hard rock/heavy metal combo CONQUEST, and various smaller releases such as EPs and singles. Besides that, Kasperi has worked with various tribute bands, including GUARDIANS OF MANKIND (GAMMA RAY), VICARS OF HELL (JUDAS PRIEST) and MACDETH (MEGADETH). He has also toured Europe and Russia with German power metallers GAMMA RAY.

He Is Legend have premiered the new song "Sand" from their upcoming Spinefarm Records debut few, out April 28th.

Additionally, singer Schuylar Croom spoke about the song, saying, "This is a track that gets pretty personal for me, lyrically. But all in all, it's a banger that gets in and gets out. I think it has a little taste of everything that He Is Legend does best."

few is the band's label debut and takes its title from Madame Helena Blavatsky's occult treasure The Voice Of The Silence.

The North Carolina band has also revealed the tracklisting and album cover for few. Those are posted below. few will be available for pre-order as of Friday, February 17th.

"Air Raid"
"Sand"
"Beaufort"
"Silent Gold"
"Alley Cat"
"Jordan"
"Gold Dust"
"Call Ins"
"Eastern Locust"
"Fritz The Dog"
"The Vampyre"
"The Garden"

For further details, visit He Is Legend on Facebook.

 

YouTube user AmericanJackassI has returned with rare bootleg video of Cinderella performing in Philadelphia, PA (1985) and Montreal, QC (1986). The Philly show takes place at the Empire Rock Room, where the band was discovered by Jon Bon Jovi. The Montreal show is from the band's support set on the Slippery When Wet tour with Bon Jovi.

Philadelphia, PA (1985)

 

Setlist:

-unknown- 
"Once Around the Ride" 
"Nothing For Nothing" 
"Push, Push" 
"Keep Me In Your Heart" 
"In From the Outside" 
"Talk Is Cheap" 
"King of the Road"
"Flames in the Fire" 
"Nobody's Fool" 
"Shake Me" 
"Night Songs"
"Free Wheeling" 
"Born To Rock & Roll" 
"Save Me"

Montreal, Quebec (1986)

 

Setlist:

"Once Around the Ride" 
"Nothing For Nothing" 
"In From the Outside" 
"Save Me" 
"Night Songs" 
"Push, Push" 
"Blues Thing" 
"Nobody's Fool" 
"Shake Me"

Nuclear Oath is a five-member groovy, heavy, sludgy, intense, and interactive metal wrecking crew from Medicine Hat, Alberta.

Influenced by such bands as: Pantera, Slipknot, Sylosis, Lamb Of God, and Avenged Sevenfold, Nuclear Oath will be releasing their new album Toxic Playground this summer; it will serve as the follow-up to their debut EP Ashes Of The Unborn. The forthcoming album will take listeners on a journey inspired by the band's personal experience and struggles combined with intense energy. They hope each individual who listens takes something different from the band. "We feel it is an aggressive album from start-to-finish, which generates different emotions as the album progresses.”

Check out "Razor Blade Regrets", the first cut from Toxic Playground, via the SoundCloud audio player below.

The band comments: "'Razor Blade Regrets' has a catchy groove that we know you will bang your head to throughout. With a catchy beat and a message based of internal struggle and turmoil, we know each listener will take something unique from the track." 

Visit Nuclear Oath's official BandCamp page to download "Razor Blade Regrets" as well as previous releases.

 

Primitive Race return with a new release this fall, appropriately titled Volume 2. The outfit, helmed by producer/bass player Chris Kniker (RevCo, Lords Of Acid) enlist former Faith No More singer Chuck Mosley (pictured above) for vocals and Melvins’ drummer Dale Crover for the 10-song collection.

“When I listened to the music for Primitive Race, ideas just came pouring out,” said Mosley, “I couldn't say no to doing the record. When we completed the first few tracks, I found myself wishing I had written them, not just the lyrics… just good heavy riffs and grooves really sucked me in. The melodies and words came super easy with this music. Even though it’s a whole different vibe it brought out a side of me I haven’t experienced since writing with FNM."

The band, which had been a free-form collection of Kniker colleagues, including Prong’s Tommy Victor, Dave Ogilvie (Skinny Puppy), Graham Crabb (Pop Will Eat Itself) and others took on an industrial bent simply because of the talent involved. With Volume 2, Kniker approached the release with a more focused eye, bringing in Mosley and Crover who sing/drum (respectively) throughout the release, along with engineer Toshi Kasai (Melvins, Big Business) and mastering by Maor Appelbaum (Faith No More).

"During the recording of the first Primitive Race album there was a natural shift from the industrial sound of our collective histories towards something more fluid and punk,” explained Kniker. “It was something I really wanted to explore with Mark and Erie, knowing we wanted something raw, organic with big, loud live drums as we began working on Volume 2. Chuck and I met when he writing his VUA record. I ran into him last summer at a show and we started talking about making a record. He really got where I was going with the whole concept. I knew he could bring some of that to the record and still put his own stamp on it. I never in a million years thought Dale would do the record. He’s one of my favorite drummers! We run in a similar circle. The Warlock Pinchers were signed to Boner records back when the Melvins were there. Mark from the Pinchers reached out to Dale for me and I was talking to Toshi (Dale’s engineer and production partner). Toshi shared the demos with Dale and the next thing I know Toshi is asking for the multi-tracks. A few years ago the Melvins did a KMFDM remix for a record I was working on so it's cool to have that connection again. This record is completely different from the first one and I think it’s cool that we get a blank canvas to do whatever we want with Primitive Race. “

More information, including the album’s release date, will be announced in the coming months.

(Chuck Mosley photo: Andy Watson)

Legendary Canadian rockers Headstones are back in the studio recording their forthcoming album entitled Little Army, which will be released this spring through Cadence Music. Headstones are bringing everyone into the fold and giving them an exclusive behind the scenes look at the making of this album, produced by Hugh Dillon and Chris Osti. The band will be live streaming and posting through their social media accounts, from The Tragically Hip's Bathouse Studio in Kingston, Revolution Studio in Toronto, and Engine Room Audio in New York City.

"In true Canadian fashion, we trekked through a huge snow storm last year to meet the guys and hear the new songs. The enthusiasm in the room was incredible and the deal was cemented on the spot!" says Cadence Music Group President and CEO Iain Taylor.

Headstones front man Hugh Dillon, also thrilled about this partnership says, "It's outstanding to see people in the music business who still give a shit about music, I haven't felt this way since Picture Of Health. It's exciting."

Headstones are one of Canada's most enduring and hardest rocking bands. Formed in 1987, the band's debut release Picture Of Health (1993) met with not just critical acclaim but was certified Platinum, selling in excess of 100,000 copies and spawning the singles "When Something Stands For Nothing", "Cemetery", "Tweeter And The Monkey Man" and "Three Angels". Kicking off a recording career that spans three decades, the band has since gone on to release seven studio albums and countless chart topping singles. Known for their intense and authentic performance style, Headstones remain true to their DIY aesthetic. At a time when style is often valued over substance, they craft hard hitting tunes with brutally honest lyrics and Little Army is no exception.

With Little Army, Headstones are again inclusive of their fans, sharing exclusive behind the scenes footage and real-time content. Using an old school approach while employing new school technology, Hugh and company recruit their army of fans to be a fly-on-the-wall of the recording and launch of Little Army.

Visit Headstones on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube for more.

 

 

Long Island, New York-based sci-fi death metal quintet, Artificial Brain, will release their second album, Infrared Horizon, through Profound Lore Records in April, the label issuing an early stream of the track "Synthesized Instinct" alongside the album's cover artwork, tracklisting, and pre-orders.

Produced by Colin Marson (Gorguts, Dysrhythmia, Krallice) at The Thousand Caves, Infrared Horizon sees Artificial Brain traveling towards a sonic realm where the music has become more brutal and dissonant, technical, atmospheric, and just overall more otherworldly. Lyrical themes delve into concepts within a dystopian future in which robots and cyborgs have outlived human beings and who believe themselves to be not of creation of the long extinct humans but a more perfect evolution of them. These themes are portrayed in the appropriate cover art crafted by Adam Burke.

With Infrared Horizon, Artificial Brain has created an album far more advanced than their lauded debut album, Labyrinth Constellation. By taking their brand of singular brutal guttural yet technical and ambient sci-fi death metal to a new galaxial plateau, Infrared Horizon sees the sonic architecture laid down by the band go further into the beyond and infinite. The album will see release on CD, LP, and digital formats through Profound Lore Records on April 21st.

Stream Infrared Horizon's second track, "Synthesized Instinct” below, and pre-order the album at this location.

Tracklisting:

“Floating In Delirium”
“Synthesized Instinct”
“Static Shattering”
“Estranged From Orbit”
“Infrared Horizon”
“Anchored To The Inlayed Arc”
“Mist Like Mercury”
“Vacant Explorer”
“Graveyard Of Lightless Planets”
“Ash Eclipse”

“Synthesized Instinct”:

Isis, one of heavy music’s most influential artists of the past 20 years, will release the seventh in their ongoing series of live albums with Live VII (Ipecac Recordings, March 31st).

The collection will see a limited worldwide release of 3,000 CD copies, 2,000 vinyl copies  (vinyl will be available at a later date) with an additional 600 made available exclusively to indie retailers. Pre-orders are available now via Ipecac’s web store and Bandcamp.

The nine-song set was recorded on February 25th, 2010, at The Corner hotel in Melbourne, Australia during the band’s stint on the venerable Soundwave Festival. The band’s own Aaron Harris mixed the album.

Live VII tracklisting:

“Hall Of The Dead”
“Hand Of The Host”
“Holy Tears”
“20 Minutes / 40 Years”
“Ghost Key”
“Wills Dissolve”
“Threshold Of Transformation”
“Carry”
“Celestial (The Tower)”

The members of Isis continue to push the boundaries of modern music with Aaron Harris working as a film and television composer for Methodic Doubt while continuing work with Palms alongside Isis bandmates’ Jeff Caxide and Bryant Clifford Meyer. Meyer also creates music under the Taiga moniker.  Aaron Turner continues recording, releasing records and touring with numerous groups, most prominently SUMAC and Mammifer. Mike Gallagher’s Mustard Gas and Roses released their new album, Becoming, in late 2016.

(Photo: Robin Laananen)

Having been through so many phases and transformations throughout the years, it seems that often, heavy metal music can seem over-complicated - too complex, showy or pretentious. Alternatively, it can be too simple, regurgitated or repetitive. It's easy to forget that putting out an accessible, quality heavy metal recording shouldn't be difficult. Something inspired but direct, razor sharp but heavy. Truly exceptional music shouldn't have to be too conceptually and musically convoluted or dumbed-down to push you face-first into that tingling, meditative journey that it should provide.

With replicated, simulated and easily-absorbed tracks dominating the airwaves and often showy, overly conceptualized prog-dilutions ruling the underground, it seems the ability to achieve any sort of balance of the two in metal is primarily lost. Enter Kansas City metal hybrid Hyborian, who illustrate a perfect equilibrium of rich concept and straightforward songwriting with their debut album, Hyborian: Volume I. The album drops on March 17th via Kansas City-based label The Company, and is available for pre-order now here. iTunes pre-orders will go live on March 3rd, with their first single, "Maelstrom", as an instant grat track. The song is available for streaming below.

Volume I tracklisting:

“As Above, So Below”
“Maelstrom”
“Blood for Blood”
“Dead Lies Dreaming”
“Ajna”
“Dross”

“Maelstrom”:

As many parts stoner rock as it is retro-inspired and deliciously groovy, Hyborian's Hyborian: Volume I takes the listener on a ride that emits wall-shaking-levels of heaviness and lyrical fantasy, remaining engaging for any metal listener. Immense riffage, barrelling verses and piercing leads combine to create a sound that invites the listener to sit back and become fully-absorbed, when it isn't summoning involuntary elbow-throwing. Lyrically, the album's storytelling style is inspired by Robert E. Howard's Conan stories, but based on an interstellar, extra-dimensional cloaked being called The Traveller. Hyborian: Volume I tells his legends from the time before written language.

Lead vocalist Martin Bush discusses the roots of Hyborian's lyrical inspiration, "I grew up reading pretty much anything I could get my hands on, which included me raiding my dad's book collection. He had a ton of classic sci-fi and fantasy, from Asimov and Heinlan to Howard and Cooper. Because of that, this writing style comes very naturally to me."

He further explains, "Basically The Traveller is a being that exists outside of humanity's understanding of space and time. He is the source of all life in the universe, but is not omnipresent. He wanders the cosmos, visiting and recording times of great strife or hardship, great suffering or great triumph.  We are his chosen mouthpiece on Earth, so we relate those stories, whether from far in the past or far in the future. For instance, "Maelstrom" is the story of a mountaintop battle between a being who has just achieved a higher consciousness in the midst of a scuffle with a sentient storm. In order to defeat the creature in the storm, he expends his newfound powers and gives up his life. We are also pretty into cryptography, so there are several hidden messages on the album from The Traveller if the listener is clever enough to find them."

When a band says they built their sound from the ground up, they normally don't mean it literally. Once again, Hyborian prove individuality in this department, as Hyborian: Volume I was recorded at the band's own studio that they built themselves and eventually began also using as a rehearsal space. The album was then mixed by Justin Mantooth at Westend Studios (Radkey, Family, Godmaker) and mastered by Nick Zampiello at New Alliance East (The Red Chord, Torche, Trap Them).

Bush says that recording on the band's own terms, in their own space, really helped them achieve their best product: "We decided to build our own space to record simply because it cost us about what it would have cost to track at a decent studio, but now we have a home base to make record after record after record. The art of crafting an album as opposed to a group of songs is somewhat lost, or at least relegated to the realms of people with incredibly deep pockets, so being able to really play around and do all the extra stuff that makes an album an album was really important to us."

Since forming in 2015, Hyborian has performed as support for the likes of Iron Reagan, Power Trip, Mothership, Acid King, Mutoid Man, Tweak Bird, Vektor, Whores and many others. The band will once again give fans a chance to witness their live assault this March during their Midwestern U.S. tour. The run will feature varying support acts in each city. See below for all confirmed tour dates:

March
6 - Kansas City, MO - Riot Room (with Iron Reagan, Power Trip)
17 - Kansas City, MO - Private Location Release Party (with Keef Mountain, Expo 70, Orphans of Doom, Inner Altar)
18 - Omaha, NE - O'Leavers (with Dirty Talker)
19 - Lincoln, NE - Duffy's Tavern (with High Ruler, Sweats)
20 - Des Moines, IA - Vaudeville Mews
21 - Iowa City, IA - Gabes
22 - Chicago, IL - Township (with Guerilla)
23 - Madison, WI - The Frequency
24 - Minneapolis, MN - Hexagon Bar (with Lungs)
25 - St. Louis, MO - Fubar (with Bastard)

Hyborian is:

Martin Bush - lead vocals, guitar
Ryan Bates - vocals, guitar
Justin Rippeto - drums
Anthony Diale - bass

Sliptrick Records welcome three new bands to their roster, due to release material on the label in the coming months. “All three bands come from the same country, so you could say that today we present “The Italian Job”.”

Bastian (pictured above): In 2014, Italian rock guitarist Sebastiano Conti formed Bastian, a hard rock group with a razor edge. Since then, they have released two full albums featuring such luminary musicians as Vinny Appice (Black Sabbath, Ronnie James Dio, Heaven And Hell), Thomas Lang (Paul Gilbert, Glenn Hughes, Stork) and John Macaluso (ex-Malmsteen, James LaBrie, TNT, Riot, J.Batten). With his new lineup, Bastien are ready to release their third album, Back To The Roots. More info coming soon.

Althea: Althea were formed in Milan by guitarist Dario Bortot and bassist Fabrizio Zilio, with the object to developing a free-form progressive metal rock project. With the addition of the keyboardist Marco Zambardi, Sergio Sampietro on drums and Alessio Accardo on vocals, the Althea line up stabilized and the group began gigging extensively and recorded their first EP in 2014 to an excellent critical response. The band recorded their debut album, Memories Have No Name, throughout 2016 ready for release in the coming months.

Serial Vice: Serial Vice are a heavy metal band based in Salento, Southern Italy. After some lineup changes, the band recorded their first single “Heroin” and after yet more tweaks to the personnel, the band’s sound gelled into a heavy metal blast somewhere between classic and modern but always gritty and melodic. They cite their influences from hard rock to thrash and from doom to power. The bands EP Nightmares Come True, is scheduled for release on Sliptrick Records in 2017.

On April 28th, British heavy metal veterans, Mythra, will release a brand new studio album, entitled Still Burning. Listen to the album’s title track below.

The album will be available as a vinyl LP, CD and digital download, and will be released via High Roller Records.

"It's the first time the band has gone into the studio and recorded a complete album all in one go. We flew out to Poland in October 2016 to work with Bart Gabriel as producer. It was a superb experience and we all had a great time working with him. We were totally blown away when High Roller Records signed us to record the album and cannot thank them enough. Their support has been incredible!" says Mythra vocalist, Vince High.

"We intended to stay true to our NWoBHM roots and achieved our goal. The eleven tracks have tons of power and energy, twin lead guitar breaks, driving bass, thunderous drums and big choruses. Everything fans would expect from a Mythra album", he adds.

The album's cover artwork was painted by Roberto Toderico, Italian artist known for his previous collaboration with Mythra, as well as with other notable NWoBHM acts such as Tygers Of Pan Tang and Quartz.

KISS bassist/vocalist Gene Simmons has once again defended his controversial "rock is dead" comment, blaming the technology and fans for the current state of affairs.

Simmons told Esquire magazine in September 2014 — in an interview conducted by his son Nick — that "rock did not die of old age. It was murdered. Some brilliance, somewhere, was going to be expressed and now it won't because it's that much harder to earn a living playing and writing songs. No one will pay you to do it."

Simmons went on to elaborate that as a result of filesharing and other issues, record label support for rock music was not available like it was when KISS was coming up, concluding, "It's finally dead. Rock is finally dead."

In a brand new interview with Scott of WWL radio, Simmons stood by his comments, explaining (hear audio below): "Rock is dead. It's because of the Internet and Napster and all that stuff. Once you download and fileshare, then you're not making it possible for a new band to be able to do this full time.

"There's every bit as much talent out there as there [was] when we first started, but the new bands have to live in their mother's basement because they can't afford to do this full time, because people are just filesharing and downloading," he continued. "And that's their prerogative — we allowed it and we haven't sued everybody's pants off for doing that. So that's everybody's fault — the record company's fault."

Simmons went on to say: "Try this: 1958 until 1988 is thirty years, right? During that time, with record companies — the big, bad corporate entities called record companies… Well, without them, there wouldn't have been Elvis [Presley], THE BEATLES, THE [ROLLING] STONES, Jimi Hendrix… you know, just a thousand classic bands. Even in disco, you got Madonna, you had Prince, U2, AC/DC, us maybe and a few others. And even in pop, you had Michael Jackson, JACKSON 5… I mean, it's just endless. From 1988 until today, who is the new BEATLES? Name five bands that stand up to THE STONES, THE BEATLES, Elvis, Jimi Hendrix and so on."

After Scoot brings up the American rock band PANIC! AT THE DISCO as an example of a very popular current artist, Simmons responded: "You're missing the point. If you walk down the street and the first person you meet, especially somebody forty, fifty years old, and you say, 'PANIC! AT THE DISCO,' they run. They have no idea what the hell you're talking about."

He continued: "A superstar and an iconic band pervades all and everyone knows what it is.

"There are many popular bands that are popular now. When I was growing up, it was Leif Garrett and THE PARTRIDGE FAMILY and THE MONKEES and the thousand bands that were popular for a few years. That's not what makes iconic."

Despite his pessimistic view of the current rock scene, Simmons wished all the new artists luck, but added: "It's unfortunate that new bands don't have the support of record [companies] to support them with posters and tour support and all that stuff."

A number of hard rock and heavy metal musicians have weighed in on the topic in a variety of interviews over the last couple of years, with some digging a little deeper into Simmons's full remarks and others just glossing over the headline. SLIPKNOT and STONE SOUR singer Corey Taylor told a radio station in October 2014: "Nothing against Gene. I understand what he was trying to say. His way of making albums and making music and getting things out there is dead. But you just kind of have to roll with the technology, you have to rise with the times, you have to learn to use those to your advantage. You can't just sit back and just kind of do album-tour-album-tour — there's so much that goes into it now."

Tony Webster of "The Metal Command" radio show recently conducted an interview with current HELLOWEEN singer Andi Deris about the reunion of the band's classic lineup. Dubbed "Pumpkins United", the band's upcoming tour will feature seven musicians — including former members Michael Kiske (vocals) and Kai Hansen (guitar), alongside Deris and guitarist Sascha Gerstner — performing material spanning HELLOWEEN's entire three-decade-plus history. A few excerpts from the chat follow below (transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET).

On how the HELLOWEEN reunion came about:

Andi: "The whole idea started when GAMMA RAY was supporting HELLOWEEN [in 2008]. It was not scheduled, it was more or less happening accidentally. We met in Hamburg and Kai [Hansen, guitar, also of GAMMA RAY] said, 'We just finished our album.' And Weiki [Michael Weikath, guitar] and I were saying, 'Yeah, we just finished our album. Why don't we tour together for the first time with you supporting HELLOWEEN? That would be great for the fans and they would freak out if you joined HELLOWEEN for the last one or two songs, playing up there like the old days.' That turned out to be such a great spectacle for the people; they really loved it. The next step was quite clear. That would be to ask Michael Kiske if he would like to join and do something like a real reunion, but don't destroy the working band, but bring the people a two-and-a-half- and three-hour show onstage where they have 30 years of metal with the original singer, with me for the next generation, and make a big happening out of it. It worked so nicely with Kai playing the guitar, then the next logical step would be to have the real band onstage as well."

On his relationship with Michael Kiske:

Andi: "I think he doesn't dislike me. [Laughs] I don't dislike him; I think he's a really cool guy. I think he's very laid-back, so he should be a person I can get along with very nicely. Mainly, we were actually thrilled about imagining the fans down there when they finally have the chance to see him sing the old tunes, and then even together with me on one or two tunes from my time. Put it this way, from an ego point of view, I'm so happy not to have to sing all of these high-pitched Michael Kiske songs anymore. I'm so relieved that he's back in the band and I can concentrate on my own shit. That should work really nicely."

On what Hansen's role will be for the live shows:

Andi: "If I go through the songs, I realize there are lots of songs on the studio recordings having more than three guitars, so that should be interesting. We are able to bring onstage even more original CD sounds than possible with two guitars. For all the rest of the songs where there are only two guitars, I think it's great for one of those guys to say 'Goodbye' and have a cigar. [Laughs] It's a five or six-minute break for maybe Sascha [Gerstner, guitar] or maybe Weiki or Kai, then they have a smoke and that's great. That's the way I look at it from my point of view. I'm finally having a break in the show, having some wine, or a good little cigarette, and watching the boys. This is something really interesting. I never had that before. Same goes for Michael [Kiske]. As far as I remember, when we talked about it, he always had a smile on his face and said, 'Yeah, that's cool. After 10 or 15 minutes, I have a break, and you go sing.' It's different, but it could be very interesting, not only for the fans, but also for the band itself. The only guys I'm a bit scared for is Dani [Löble, drums] and Markus [Grosskopf, bass] because they have to play two-and-a-half and three hours without a break. I hope that turns out not to be a problem, and both say 'No, it shouldn't be a problem. It depends on how you design the running order.' You shouldn't play 'Push' and 'Eagle Fly Free' without a song in between in mid-tempo because both of them will probably be dead after these songs. There will be a way. They say it's not a problem, so I believe they are professional enough. Nevertheless, I'm very much looking forward to that. This is unbelievable. Imagine 30 years of metal with one band who was always there and still is here. I personally think it's a great adventure, not only for the fans but myself and ourselves."

On whether the "Pumpkins United" tour will be hitting the U.S.:

Andi: "Yes, absolutely. What you see now with the stuff on Facebook or [by] following our web site, don't worry — these are just the first confirmed dates and there will be dates added nearly every day. When it comes to the United States, we will play at least all the big metropolitan cities, and we're doing Canada. It's just a question of timing, that's all."

On whether HELLOWEEN is writing new songs:

Andi: "Not on purpose. Not consciously. Actually, just sitting on the sofa, collecting ideas, talking for myself, means talking for everybody. I know the guys are the same. At the end of the day, when you are sitting in front of your television and you take 30 minutes, you suddenly have your guitar in your hands again. That's pretty normal. When you have your guitar, you diddle and fiddle around and suddenly there is an idea, but maybe not. Most of the time there is an idea. Just record it to get it off your brain, so to say 'system clearance.' [Laughs] When I don't record it, then it's forever in my head. It's causing me sleepless nights. I have to record it, then I erase it from my hard drive up there in my stupid head. I know that the boys are pretty much the same, everyone is diddling and fiddling around. It's still a hobby. My guitar, that's my life. I was forced to the microphone. I never wanted to be a singer. I wanted to be a guitarist. Now, the only occasion to play guitar is at home writing songs. [Laughs]"

Listen to the entire interview using the audio player below.




Posted by Helloween on Monday, January 2, 2017


Posted by Helloween on Monday, January 2, 2017

Conny Schiffbauer of Germany's Rock Hard magazine conducted an interview with ARCH ENEMY singer Alissa White-Gluz and guitarist Michael Amott during this year's 70000 Tons Of Metal cruise. You can now watch the chat below. A few excerpts follow (transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET).

On the status of the upcoming ARCH ENEMY album:

Michael: "The new album is written. It's partially recorded. Right now, Alissa living in Canada and I'm in Sweden, we've been e-mailing files and stuff to each other. I'd send her a demo, and then she'd put vocals on that in her home studio, sends it back, and I say, 'Great.' You know, it's just been kind of like that — working a bit separately. And after this cruise, we're actually gonna get together in Sweden at some point and… you know, there's a lot of stuff left to do — all the guitars and vocals and bass."

On the musical direction of the new ARCH ENEMY material:

Alissa: "It's hard to say until you hear the final album, I think. 'Cause you're so deeply involved with every detail that it's hard to see the big picture of it until it's actually all complete. I wouldn't even know how to approach that question."

Michael: "It's very diverse, I think, the material. It's got a lot of trademark ARCH ENEMY elements, I guess. I can think a song is really, really different, but then we're gonna play it, it's gonna be us playing it, Alissa singing, it's gonna sound very, very ARCH ENEMY. So it's not like a huge departure, but it's definitely the next… I think we're more relaxed, maybe, than on the last album… 'Cause Alissa's been with us for three years, and it's not as tense, maybe, as it was the last time around. [Before we released 'War Eternal'] we were, like, 'We don't even know if people are gonna like this, if people are gonna accept us, ARCH ENEMY, with a new singer.' We didn't really know, which made the songs maybe more… To me, 'War Eternal' has a very kind of dark and very angry and claustrophobic feel to it, which is really cool. But I think the new one is gonna be more open and probably more powerful, actually."

On whether ARCH ENEMY's new guitarist, Jeff Loomis (ex-NEVERMORE), contributed to the songwriting on the band's new album:

Michael: "Not with the songwriting, but he's gonna be playing on the album, of course."

On Michael's plans for BLACK EARTH, the project featuring former and current members of ARCH ENEMY performing material from ARCH ENEMY's first three albums live on stage:

Michael: "Yeah, I don't wanna confuse people, but what happened was the very first ARCH ENEMY album featured a completely different lineup, with my brother on guitar, and Johan [Liiva], the original male singer that we had on the first three albums. So it was the twentieth anniversary coming up. That album, and the three albums that we did with Johan, were very successful in Japan at the time, in the '90s, so we thought we'd do something to commemorate that and have some fun. So what we did is we went over there and played seven shows, a sold-out tour, that did very well for us. And, yeah, one of the nights was recorded. But I think it's only planned for release in Japan. We're just keeping it very separate. But that was a lot of fun. It's always fun to play with my brother, and, of course, it's great [to play] with Johan as well; it's fun."

On Alissa's upcoming solo album:

Alissa: "Yeah, I'm gonna be releasing a solo album in probably early 2018. And the project is just called ALISSA, because there's no band — it's just me. But I am collaborating with a lot of different musicians that I'm friends with — past and current members of ARCH ENEMY, people from KAMELOT, Doyle [MISFITS]. Basically, the goal with this project is just to do music that I love that's different from what I do with ARCH ENEMY and do it with people that I love. So far, I really like how it's going. And it's just another creative outlet for me. So I'm looking forward to seeing what people think about that."

On what the music on her debut album sounds like:

Alissa: "It's hard to describe, again, because, like I said, it's not finished yet, so I'm not exactly sure. But so far, I would have to say it's like maybe OPETH meets MUSE [laughs], if you can call it that. So I don't know if I would call it metal or if I would call it rock. There's clean singing in there, there's gonna be some interesting covers in there. It's definitely heavy, it's definitely emotional, powerful. That's what I like, that's the kind of music I like. Other than that, I'm not sure how to label it."

ARCH ENEMY will release a new live DVD, "As The Stages Burn!", on March 31 via Century Media. The set contains video footage of the band's largest stage production to date from their performance last summer at the Wacken Open Air festival in Wacken, Germany.

ARCH ENEMY will celebrate the release of "As The Stages Burn!" with a number of European shows with special support from LACUNA COIL and THE HAUNTED.

The producer of the Grammy Awards has apologized to METALLICA for the technical mishap that left frontman James Hetfield without a working microphone for the band's Grammy performance with Lady Gaga.

The "Moth Into Flame" performance on Sunday night's (February 12) awards show was marred by the incident, which was reportedly caused by a stagehand accidentally unplugging Hetfield's mic.

That forced the guitarist/vocalist to share Gaga's mic for almost the rest of the song. A visibly Hetfield knocked down his mic stand at the end of the performance and threw his guitar offstage.

"These kinds of things are horrible when they happen," Ken Ehrlich told the Associated Press on Wednesday. "That's one of the risks of live television."

As to what transpired to cause the glitch, Ehrlich told the Associated Press: "My guys say that the mic cable was connected. My guys' theory was that ... one of the extras [on stage] accidentally kicked out the cable that went to the mic."

METALLICA drummer Lars Ulrich said on Tuesday night's (February 14) edition of "The Late Late Show With James Corden" that Hetfield was "livid" over the technical problems during the Grammy Awards telecast. Ulrich told host James Corden: "We get off stage, we get back there, and I haven't seen [Hetfield] like that in twenty years. I mean, he was livid. He's aged really well and he's a pretty chill guy, but the first five or ten minutes in that dressing room was not a lot of fun."

Ulrich added to Corden: "Like they say, the show must go on, and we fought through it… A lot of people said that at least it made for great television, which is really the point of doing the Grammys to begin with."

"Obviously, we apologize to the band," Ehrlich told the Associated Press, calling the incident "awful."

Prior to the Grammy performance, Ulrich told "Access Hollywood" that METALLICA was "psyched" to get "carte blanche" from Ehrlich to "go heavier and heavier each time" the band performs at the event. He said: "When we were done with our rehearsal [for the Grammy show], my manager came up and said, 'This may be the heaviest song that's ever been played at the Grammys ever' — even heavier than the last four of five times METALLICA were there."

Despite the problems with that performance, Ulrich told Rolling Stone earlier this week that Gaga was the "quintessential perfect fifth member of this band," adding that he would like to work with her again.

Vocalist Hernan "Eddie" Hermida of California deathcore masters SUICIDE SILENCE has defended the band's decision to explore new musical territory on the group's latest, self-titled fifth abum, explaining that "if we didn't do this, it would be doing a disservice to the (band) name."

SUICIDE SILENCE has come under fire in recent weeks following the release of the track "Doris" from the new disc. The controversy over the track's new sound — featuring a more melodic and clean singing style, in the vein of acts like DEFTONES and KORN — even caused one disgruntled fan to launch a petition to stop the record coming out.

"We really stepped outside of ourselves and wrote a record that challenged us," Hermida told The Orange County Register. "It's going to challenge our fan base, too, and people that were used to hearing that certain sound out of us.

"If we didn't do this, it would be doing a disservice to the (band) name," he continued. "By making it self-titled, we're telling fans and we're telling ourselves that this is who we are now."

According to Hermida, "Suicide Silence" solidifies his status as a full-fledged member of SUICIDE SILENCE, four years after the death of his predecessor, Mitch Lucker.

"Nothing can change that Mitch passed away and when he did, he took what the band was and he actually changed it," Hermida said. "He gave us the gift of self-realization in a very volatile time and when you're given that gift and you don't explore it and take it where you need to, you're succumbing to the fear and pain instead of growing from it. We wanted to tell people that it's okay to grow and to step outside of the things that keep you from exploring and expanding your world, your community and yourself."

"Suicide Silence" will be released on February 24 via Nuclear Blast Entertainment. The CD was produced by Ross Robinson, who has previously worked with KORN, SLIPKNOT, LIMP BIZKIT and SEPULTURA, among others, and was mixed by Joe Barresi (KYUSS, MELVINS, TOOL, QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE).

Seattle grunge legends SOUNDGARDEN will release a remixed deluxe edition of "Ultramega OK" on March 10 via Sub Pop. This remixed and expanded reissue is a long-planned "correction" of the legendary band's Grammy-nominated debut full-length.

"Ultramega OK" was originally recorded and released in 1988 on SST Records. While the band enjoyed working with the original producer, Drew Canulette, they soon realized they weren't quite happy with the final mix. Thus, shortly after the album's release, the band decided to remix the album for subsequent pressings. However, success intervened: the band rapidly scored a deal with A&M and began work on their major-label debut, "Louder Than Love", and the "Ultramega OK" remix project fell by the wayside as SOUNDGARDEN climbed their way to (ultra)mega-stardom.

In 2016, after worldwide success, a breakup, a reunion, and many albums and tours, the band finally acquired the original multi-track tapes to "Ultramega OK" and carved out time to dig into the remix. They handed the tapes over to longtime friend and engineer Jack Endino (NIRVANA, MUDHONEY, SCREAMING TREES, SKIN YARD), who worked with the band to create a fresh mix of the album that, for the band, ties up this persistent loose end and remedies the sound of their debut album.

While they were at it, the band dug out six early versions of tracks that wound up on "Ultramega OK". The songs were recorded in 1987 on 8-track tape by Jack Endino and Chris Hanzsek at Reciprocal Recording in Seattle, and mixed by Jack Endino in 2016. These versions feature the band in raw, powerful form — sonically closer to the band's Endino-recorded debut EP "Screaming Life" — and provide a fascinating window into the development of songs that eventually became staples of the band's set. The six songs comprise what the band refers to as "Ultramega" EP, and they are included in this reissue.

Hailed as grunge innovators, SOUNDGARDEN redefined rock music for a generation. In the '80s, the band — singer/guitarist Chris Cornell, guitarist Kim Thayil, bassist Hiro Yamamoto, and drummer Matt Cameron — combined a punk ethos, brutal metal soundscapes, and Cornell's ravenous roar to capture the attention of the masses. Jagged and ferocious, their music was deeply at odds with the synth-pop and hair metal which dominated the '80s airwaves. Early indie releases, including seminal "Screaming Life" and "Ultramega OK", quickly led to a dedicated indie following as the band toured on both sides of the Atlantic. Subsequent albums, including "Badmotorfinger", "Superunknown" and "Down On The Upside", achieved multi-platinum sales and launched the band to international fame.

"Ultramega OK" reissue track listing:

01. Flower02. All Your Lies03. 66504. Beyond The Wheel05. 66706. Mood For Trouble07. Circle Of Power08. He Didn't09. Smokestack Lightning10. Nazi Driver11. Head Injury12. Incessant Mace13. One Minute Of Silence14. Head Injury (Early Version)15. Beyond The Wheel (Early Version)16. Incessant Mace (Short) [Early Version]17. He Didn't (Early Version)18. All Your Lies (Early Version)19. Incessant Mace (Long) [Early Version]

The newly remixed version of "Flower", taken from the "Ultramega OK" reissue, can be streamed below.

KITTIE guitarist/vocalist Morgan Lander has paid tribute to her bandmate Trish Doan (a.k.a. Trisha Jai-Mee Doan), who passed away earlier in the month. The KITTIE bassist was only 31 years old at the time of her death.

Said Morgan in a statement on her Instagram account: "I have been struggling with the right words and having trouble processing the loss of someone who I counted among my best friends.

"Thank you to everyone for reaching out, your kind words, stories and photos. She was truly loved more than we all could ever know.

"From the moment I met Trish, there was an instant bond between us that I could never really explain. Perhaps we saw within each other many of the things that were reflected within ourselves; qualities that made us intrinsically who we are, and we clung to that dearly. I think she also looked up to me a great deal, and I appreciated the responsibility of what that meant as a friend.

"We grew up together to become better people than who we once were and through everything, she and I always remained very close, part of the support system we both needed. I loved her like a sister and she was a part of my family, now forever changed. She with her boundless energy, 10,000 ideas and a fiery, vibrant light that could never be extinguished, even now.

"I love you Trish and I miss you."

Born in Gwangju, South Korea (about 270 kilometers from the capital Seoul), Doan joined KITTIE in 2005 and was in the band for two years before leaving in 2007 and then rejoining in 2012. She can be heard on KITTIE's 2006 EP "Never Again" and the 2007 full-length album "Funeral For Yesterday".

In early 2008, it was reported that Doan originally left KITTIE due to the eating disorder anorexia-athletica-nervosa, which she had been struggling with for almost two years.

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 tells Westword in a new interview. "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 says. "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.

On February 17, EVANESCENCE will release a very special career-spanning vinyl box set encompassing all of the band's studio albums — "Fallen", "The Open Door" and "Evanescence" (with the latter two making their vinyl debut) — and, for the first time ever, the commercial debut for the previously unreleased demo album "Origin". Also included in "The Ultimate Collection" six-LP set is "The Lost Whispers" album, which officially culls the band's legendary bonus tracks and features the studio version of the long sought-after tour intro "Lost Whispers" and the first new EVANESCENCE studio recording in years, "Even In Death (2016)", a song that originally appeared on "Origin". The box set includes a 52-page casebound book featuring art, handwritten lyrics, photos and rarities.

You can now stream "Even In Death (2016)" below.

Publicists for EVANESCENCE singer Amy Lee have confirmed that the band is working on new music. The band's first new recordings since 2011 are expected to arrive sometime later this year, but details on a release date, title, or even the format in which the material will be issued remain unknown. Lee hinted in an interview with AOL last fall that new music from the group might not take the form of a traditional album release, saying: "We have some new little plan in store, but I don't wanna give it away yet."

Lee hinted in interviews last year at some sort of non-traditional release, saying: "There is some new EVANESCENCE stuff that we're starting at, but it's not exactly the most traditional thing . . . there's something else that's a little bit special and different and (that is) gonna take you down a different path that we wanna try."

EVANESCENCE debuted a previously unheard song called "Take Cover" during its North American tour last fall.

The singer has been evasive about when or if the band would record a new album, which would follow up its self-titled third effort that came out six years ago.

Lee released a new solo single, called "Love Exists", on February 10 via iTunes, Amazon, Google Play and all the usual streaming services.

Lee has another new solo song coming out this spring. The single "Speak To Me" will appear on the soundtrack for the forthcoming supernatural thriller "Voice From The Stone", due April 28.

ASHES OF ARES, the band featuring former ICED EARTH members Matt Barlow and Freddie Vidales, has parted ways with drummer Van Williams (ex-NEVERMORE).

Says the band: "This decision was both mutual and amicable, and we wish Van nothing but the best with GHOST SHIP OCTAVIUS and any other future endeavors.

"What does that mean for the future of ASHES OF ARES? It means Matt and Freddie are continuing on. Eight songs are written, and two or three more will be finished up soon (and possibly some bonus tracks on top of that), then we can begin pre-production. So, basically, we will fully record demo versions of all the songs to appear on the album to make sure they are how we want them before recording the final versions."

Adds Van: "Maybe not the best news of the day, but not the worst... I’m writing you all today to let you know that I will be stepping down from drumming duties at ASHES OF ARES. The guys and I have discussed this for a while and we are all good. I think with all that has been going on in my/family's life this past year and juggling the bands, I didn't give my family and bands 110% of time each deserves.

"My GHOST SHIP OCTAVIUS schedule is growing more demanding of time and it’s not fair to give ASHES less than 100%, so I feel it only best that they find someone that can give their all in the current timeframe as both bands are working on new albums and planning shows at the moment.

"On a good note, my wife [who was diagnosed with stage III ovarian cancer in April 2015] has been doing much, much better so we are very happy to be living and taking every day as a blessing! Thank you all for supporting us through some very dark times. So, really, it's not all that bad news... ASHES OF ARES will continue and put out a great record, and you also get another cool GHOST SHIP OCTAVIUS album from me and my fellow ghouls."

ASHES OF ARES's self-titled debut album was released in September 2013 via Nuclear Blast Records. The CD was recorded in part at Morrisound Recording in Tampa, Florida with legendary producer Jim Morris (ICED EARTH, OBITUARY, JON OLIVA'S PAIN, JAG PANZER).

"Dark Matter", the new video from ONCE HUMAN, the band featuring former MACHINE HEAD and SOULFLY guitarist Logan Mader, can be seen below. The song is taken from ONCE HUMAN's second album, "Evolution", which will be released on February 17 via earMUSIC/eOne.

Vocalist Lauren Hart states: "This vicious new track, 'Dark Matter', is about the dark energy in the world that affects us at our core. You can hold on to it and let it destroy you or you can let it flow through you and grow above it. It is there to strengthen you; letting it destroy you is a choice."

Adds Mader: "We worked with director Brian Cox (GEMINI SYNDROME) for this video. We gave him complete creative control over the imagery and he did not disappoint. He read the lyrics and was inspired. We are really happy wirh how it came out and hope you enjoy it."

"Evolution" is not just the title of ONCE HUMAN's sophomore release, it's an armor-plated declaration. Having made waves with their 2015 debut, "The Life I Remember", the band has dramatically progressed beyond the melodic death metal sound of that release into something more complex, emotional, distinct, and devastatingly heavy.

"Having been focused on recording, producing and developing bands, I had not picked up the guitar out of passion for twelve years but as soon as I started writing with Lauren, I fell in love with what we were making, and I wanted to play in the band and get back on stage," states Mader, whose name will be familiar to metalheads not only for his production and/or mixing work on records from the likes of GOJIRA, FEAR FACTORY and DEVILDRIVER, but also as the original guitarist in MACHINE HEAD, and his late-'90s stint in SOULFLY.

"Our first record was getting the ball rolling, but now it's as if we're a totally different band. We really found our sound and our identity, it's quite unique and I think what we're doing is really on fire."

Armed with this track and the eight others comprising "Evolution", ONCE HUMAN intend to build on the groundwork laid down by the two tours they did in support of their debut, and make it damn clear that this is a band to be taken seriously.

"It's only been a little more than a year since we put out our first record, but we were so driven by the new sound that we forged that we needed to get back into the studio and capture it," Mader explains. "It was also important to prove to people that this is a real band. It's not just a project I felt like doing on a whim, this is a band that's going to have a full career, and now we're really getting started."

With the lineup rounded out by drummer Dillon Trollope, bassist Damien Rainaud and guitarists Skyler Howren and recent recruit Max Karon, everything about "Evolution" makes it clear that this is a band pushing itself to deliver something that truly stands apart. "Our first record was getting the ball rolling, but now it's as if we're a totally different band," says Mader. "We really found our sound and our identity — it's quite unique — and I think what we're doing is really on fire."

With the intensity and range of Hart's roar having drastically increased, she unleashes it across complex and constantly shifting time signatures, and thick, contorted riffs that land with sledgehammer force. However, this is not only about bludgeoning the listener into submission, the violence often juxtaposed with eerie atmospherics and dark melodies to create something with great depth.

"Evolution" track listing:

01. Flock Of Flesh02. Eye Of Chaos03. Mass Murder Frenzy04. Gravity05. Dark Matter06. Paragon07. Drain08. Killers For Cure09. Passenger

LINKIN PARK has set "One More Light" as the title of its new album, due on May 19 via Warner Bros.

The group debuted a new song, "Heavy", via Los Angeles radio station KROQ earlier today. The track features guest vocals from Kiara Saulters, who is best known for recording stop-motion, hip-hop-inspired electro-R&B under the name Kiiara. The song sees the band team up with pop songwriter Emily Wright who has also worked on Miley Cyrus's "Party In the U.S.A.", Katy Perry's "California Gurls" and Flo Rida's "Good Feeling".

LINKIN PARK unveiled the cover art for the follow-up to 2014's "The Hunting Party" earlier this week, and the track listing has since been revealed via Amazon.

"One More Light" track listing:

01. Nobody Can Save Me02. Good Goodbye03. Talking to Myself04. Battle Symphony05. Invisible06. Heavy07. Sorry for Now08. Halfway Right09. One More Light10. Sharp Edges

LINKIN PARK is expected to reveal more details about the album during a Facebook Live event today at noon PT / 3 p.m. ET.

LINKIN PARK recently released new video update from the studio in which members of the band discussed their approach to the upcoming album's lyrical themes. Singer Chester Bennington said: "There are songs that don't specifically talk about situations, they talk about a frame of thinking. Like, 'This is shit that's going on inside my head,' or, 'This is something that I'm dealing with.' To me, also, it tells a story, but it's also revealing as well in another way, and that feels honest to me."

Bennington added in the video update: "We're trying to connect with people. We're trying to make a record that has fucking stellar songs that people wanna listen to all the time."

Co-vocalist Mike Shinoda appeared on a YouTube question-and-answer session recently and told fans about the new album: "I can't tell you what it sounds like. I can tell you you're going to be surprised. You gotta expect the unexpected. Don't expect what you've heard before."

Frontiers Music Srl will release "Saint Of The Lost Souls", the tenth studio album from HOUSE OF LORDS, on March 24. The official video for the song "Harlequin", taken from "Saint Of The Lost Souls", can be seen below. Recorded and produced by the band's singer and mastermind James Christian, the follow-up to 2015's "Indestructible" has an incredible flow of up-tempo and mid-tempo rockers mixed with power ballads, which lean a bit more toward keyboards this time around, but without compromising the band's trademark sound which is based around Jimi Bell's guitar. "Saint Of The Lost Souls" is already one of the year's most anticipated melodic rock releases and will not disappoint fans of the band or genre. James Christian's well-crafted and smooth vocals bring the band's songwriting to new heights. Guitarist Jimi Bell is on fire and the melodic riffs throughout the album will leave you breathless. A new addition on bass is Chris Tristram, who is no stranger to the rock community. His solid performance adds another dimension to the sound and BJ Zampa brings a solid and powerful rhythm foundation to HOUSE OF LORDS. The band has toured relentlessly in Europe and the States in support of their releases and has now become a true staple of the hard rock scene on both continents.

HOUSE OF LORDS stands for superb hooks and majestic atmospheres that bring back the memories of their stellar debut album, monumental guitar riffs and a production to die for. All these ingredients you will find on "Saint Of The Lost Souls" which shines from the first second to the last! "Saint Of The Lost Souls" track listing:

01. Harlequin02. Oceans Divide03. Hit the Wall04. Saint of the Lost Souls05. The Sun Will Never Set Again06. New Day Breakin'07. Reign of Fire08. Concussion09. Art of Letting Go10. Grains of Sand11. The Other Option

Swedish thrashers THE HAUNTED will enter Parlour Studios in Kettering, Northamptonshire, England in early March with producer Russ Russell to begin recording their ninth album for a late 2017 release via Century Media.

Comments THE HAUNTED guitarist Ola Englund: "After almost two and a half years since the release of 'Exit Wounds', we're finally hitting the studio again. Telling from the pre-productions, this will be a bit more of a dynamic album than 'Exit Wounds', song-wise. I'm very excited to let the fans hear what we have in store. It's brutality and beauty in perfect disharmony."

In addition to supporting ARCH ENEMY in Central Europe in March/April, THE HAUNTED will embark on a tour of Scandinavia in August/September.

Last year, Englund told Kaaos TV about the upcoming follow-up "Exit Wounds" album: "I think that with 'Exit Wounds', there was a lot that THE HAUNTED needed to prove, because it was some kind of a comeback album, in a way. And I think the pressure of that album, we don't have that with this one, so with this one, we can take more time, we can focus more on maybe quality. And we don't have to do everything super fast or play super-fast songs."

He continued: "I think for the dynamic of the album, it will be a lot better this time than 'Exit Wounds'. 'Exit Wounds' was just a head-on, super-intense album from start to finish, and I think with this one, it's way more dynamic sounding. I mean, from the songs that we've written so far. So it's gonna be interesting."

Asked if they felt they were rushed during the making of "Exit Wounds", Ola said: "Not necessarily rushed, but it was stressful for us [during] the recording. I mean, we had a deadline, and we were basically late on that deadline a couple of times. If we had gotten more time, we could have put a lot more effort into that album. But everyone was waiting for the album, and we had to do something. But we're still happy with the album."

Added vocalist Marco Aro: "[Now] the people understand that we're back and we're around, so we don't have to try to catch a window where we need to fit in there. So, as Ola said, we can keep it a bit more relaxed and more thoughtful."

"Exit Wounds" was recorded with THE HAUNTED's longtime producer Tue Madsen at Denmark's Antfarm Studio (DARK TRANQUILLITY, HEAVEN SHALL BURN, SICK OF IT ALL).