Australia's Maniacs TV last year conducted an interview with IRON MAIDEN drummer Nicko McBrain. The chat, which has just been posted on YouTube, can be viewed in two parts below.

Speaking about MAIDEN's devoted following, Nicko said: "Seeing so many of our fans out there… It is the MAIDEN army.

"I mean, every band in the world says their fans are the best, but I know for a fact that ours are truly the best fans in the world. And there's a passion and a love, and it's one big family."

He continued, addressing the fans directly: "I hope that you continue to love what we do as much as we love what we do. And this tour, I've gotta say thank you to you all, because without doubt, we're having the best time that I think we've ever had as a band touring, and playing these songs — these six songs that you probably know by now off the new record — and some old stuff… Old stuff… There's some old shit — thirty-five years old, some of these songs. And we really love this tour and what we do, and you make it all very, very special for us to get up there every night and play these songs for you."

IRON MAIDEN's hugely successful "The Book Of Souls" world tour will return to North America for an extensive series of arena and amphitheater shows in summer 2017. The mammoth tour opened in Florida in February 2016, playing fourteen sold-out shows in the U.S.A and Canada along with a further 58 concerts in 34 other countries around the globe.

Support on the trek will come from GHOST. There will also be some further bands added to the show at San Bernardino.

"The Book Of Souls" is MAIDEN's first ever double studio album and their most successful chart-wise to date, debuting at the No. 1 spot in over 40 countries around the world and No. 4 in the U.S.A.

John Petrucci says that there are "no plans" for DREAM THEATER to reunite with drummer Mike Portnoy for a show or a tour.

Portnoy, who co-founded DREAM THEATER more than thirty years ago, abruptly quit the band in September 2010 while on tour with AVENGED SEVENFOLD. He has since been replaced by Mike Mangini (ANNIHILATOR, EXTREME, JAMES LABRIE, STEVE VAI). Portnoy later revealed that he tried to rejoin DREAM THEATER, only to be rebuffed.

During a February 8 question-and-answer session in Tilburg, The Netherlands, Petrucci and DREAM THEATER keyboardist Jordan Rudess were asked by a fan if they would be willing to play with Portnoy again, possibly at a show celebrating a band anniversary. The guitarist responded (see video below): "There's no plans to do anything like that. Mike's great, and he's doing many, many projects right now."

Rudess jokingly added: "He's too busy for us."

Continued Petrucci: "Yeah, he's in twenty bands. I don't think he has time. But, yeah, this tour celebrating 'Images [And Words]', we won't be having any past member guests."

DREAM THEATER is celebrating the 25th anniversary of its milestone RIAA-gold-certified album "Images And Words" on a European tour, which kicked off on January 30 in Rome, Italy. Each performance sees the iconic progressive rock band delivering an unparalleled live set of "Images And Words" in its entirety along with fan favorites from their renowned catalogue.

In a 2016 interview with Metal Rules, Portnoy stated about his time with DREAM THEATER: "I'm proud of everything I did for those 25 years. That was my life for a quarter of a century, my half of lifetime. DREAM THEATER was my baby. I formed it from the beginning, out of college and I lived a lifetime with them. So I'm proud of every one of those albums and every one of the shows. I left behind a legacy and there is a lot of people that still talk about seeing me with them. I don't count on that happening. I wouldn't count on it. I wouldn't bet money on it. If it happens, then, sure, I'm up for it. Because I'm a very sentimental person and I still love the guys and I love the fans. But I surely don't count on it and I don't plan on it, and I'm happier than ever with everything I'm doing now."

Pain mainman Peter Tägtgren has posted a new message regarding any possibility of Hypocrisy recording any new material. The band’s last album was 2013’s End Of Disclosure. Tägtgren says he has a “hard time being motivated of writing new songs for that band.”

He says, “I feel that after 26 years of building up the band to its status today in the world, then I think...where do we go from here?

“I'm really happy to see Horgh is busy with new Immortal and that will buy some time to figure out what to do in the best of interest of Hypocrisy and what is respectful to our loving fans all over the globe…

“Do we have to release a new album? Can we just do some tours or festivals til/if the motivation is back? I don't know…I just don't wanna be a part of a half lame & stressed album…”

Svart Records has announced the signing of HALLATAR. The first fruit of this union shall be the band's debut album, "No Stars Upon the Bridge", which is based on the lyrics and poems of Aleah Starbridge, and is tentatively slated for release this autumn. Although a brand-new name, HALLATAR features in its ranks SWALLOW THE SUN and TREES OF ETERNITY guitarist Juha Raivio, AMORPHIS vocalist Tomi Joutsen and former HIM drummer Gas Lipstick. In fact, one could see HALLATAR as an extension of TREES OF ETERNITY, whose acclaimed debut for Svart, "Hour Of The Nightingale", served as the swansong of vocalist Aleah Starbridge.

Juha Raivio explains the genesis of HALLATAR: "After the death of my beloved and my life partner Aleah Starbridge last April, I have been gathering writings, lyrics, and the poems of Aleah to keep them safe and close to my heart.

"About one month after the world came down on the blackest day of my life on April 18th, I knew I needed to pick up the guitar and try to create something or I would be truly destroyed. And something did arrive out of the darkness, and I wrote the music for the HALLATAR album in a week's time.

"I don't have much memory of this week, not a memory of a single day of writing the music. But all I remember when going into this abyss of the writing process was a promise to myself that whatever music would come out, I would not touch or change anything of it afterwards. What mattered was that the music would stay forever as an absolute truth of those moments as they came out.

"I asked my good friends — and amazing musicians — Tomi Joutsen and Gas Lipstick if they would want to record this music with me, and both of them said yes without even hearing a note of it. I am forever grateful to both of them for sharing this road with me; even the weight of the process has not been easy to carry, or will be."

Says Gas Lipstick: "I am grateful and very honored to be asked to join this band. Juha is a dear friend of mine since many years ago, and when he told me about his vision for HALLATAR and asked me to join, I said yes instantly — I just had to be part of this amazing journey. I had never heard a single note of the music before I gave my 'yes' because I didn't need to. Juha has been one of my favorite songwriters already for years, and I knew that HALLATAR will be a very deep, personal, and one-of-a-kind story which I wanted to help him to bring alive."

Adds Tomi Joutsen: "I have known Juha from the year 2007, when we worked together for the first time. A couple years ago, I had the privilege to meet Juha's life partner, Aleah Starbridge, who was such a beautiful person, inside and outside, and had an angelic voice out of this world. Aleah lent her voice on the latest AMORPHIS album, and we called her 'the whispering ghost.' When I heard about Aleah's passing last spring, it came as a total shock and heartbreaking news out of the blue. When Juha asked me if I would want to be part of this album and carry Aleah's flame with him, I didn't have to think twice. When everything has been taken, all that is left is the music. The sorrow strips us naked and leave us humble — this is how it sounds like."

Concluded Raivio: "What we recorded was a raw moment in time honoring the memory, lyrics, and poems of Aleah Starbridge with all its pain, beauty and darkness. There are no stars left upon the bridge to light the way anymore, but the music will always be a dim light, even in the darkest of the night."

HALLATAR is:

Tomi Joutsen - VocalsGas Lipstick - DrumsJuha Raivio - Guitar, Bass, Keys

Danish composer and classically trained multi-instrumentalist, Myrkur, has entered the studio to record the follow-up to her masterful debut M, released in 2015 on Relapse. She's revealed Randall Dunn as the producer, who is known for his work with Marissa Nadler, Earth, Sunn O))), Boris, Wolves In The Throne Room and more. They began work last week in Copenhagen's Black Tornado studio and round things off the coming weeks in Dunn's own Seattle studio.

Myrkur discloses "I have spent the last year writing songs for this record and choosing which ones should make it. It has been a very different approach as well as process, compared to my debut album. I am mixing Kulning into the melodies, an ancient Scandinavian herding call and the lyrics are in different languages. I am very happy to have Randall Dunn produce the album here in Copenhagen, even though he is American, he seems to have Nordic blood and music running in his veins. It's a very exciting juxtaposition for me."

The album will include special guests (to be announced shortly) and an array of special instruments including Nyckelharpa, violin, mandola, folk drums and Kulning as previously mentioned. The album is slated for release this fall on Relapse Records. Stay tuned for more details.

Video footage of Myrkur’s performance at Wacken Open Air 2016  is available for streaming below.

Setlist:

“Den Lille Piges Død”
“Hævnen”
“Onde Børn”
“Vølvens Spådom”
“Jeg Er Guden, I Er Tjenerne”
“Mordet”
“Dybt I Skoven”
“Skøgen Skulle Dø”
“Skaði”
“Bathory”

Maryland/Pennsylvania experimental death-noise band FULL OF HELL will release its new full-length album, "Trumpeting Ecstasy", on May 5 via Profound Lore.

Punishing, virulent, and dynamic beyond expectation, "Trumpeting Ecstasy" was recorded at GodCity Studios with Kurt Ballou. The aural deluge also features guest appearances by Aaron Turner (SUMAC, OLD MAN GLOOM, MAMIFFER, ISIS), Nate Newton (CONVERGE, OLD MAN GLOOM), Andrew Nolan (COLUMN OF HEAVEN, THE ENDLESS BLOCKADE), and Canadian singer/songwriter Nicole Dollanganger.

"Trumpeting Ecstasy" track listing: 01. Deluminate02. Branches Of Yew03. Bound Sphinx04. The Cosmic Vein05. Digital Prison06. Crawling Back To God07. Fractured Quartz08. Gnawed Flesh09. Ashen Mesh10. Trumpeting Ecstasy11. At The Cauldron's Bottom

FULL OF HELL has had quite the journey leading up to the release of this third full-length album; the band's embryonic beginnings displayed their palette at its most primitive, d-beat and blast-ridden hardcore punk with spats of noise and caustic rhythm, and within a few short years, they have bloomed into a true force to be reckoned with within the punk and metal communities.

Since the release of their Profound Lore Records debut album, "Full Of Hell & Merzbow", in late 2014, the band began to truly come into their own, combining elements of grindcore, death/black metal, punk and hardcore with a smattering of sonically laden power electronics and industrial pounding. It would also signal the band being at their most active and prolific ever since their inception in 2009.

Swedish doom metallers AVATARIUM will release their third studio album, "Hurricanes And Halos", on May 26 via Nuclear Blast. Once again, singer Jennie-Ann Smith and her gentlemen cast a spell over you with a truly magical sound experience.

As was the case with the band's first two efforts, AVATARIUM relies on beauty and darkness, heavy guitars and fragile sounds, unique female vocals and the mystic vintage blues sound from the '60s, while still staying on modern ground and trusting into the haunting soul of doom rock. Six out of the eight new tracks were forged by CANDLEMASS wizard Leif Edling, but guitar master Marcus Jidell and Jennie-Ann Smith also contributed to the songwriting and formed a worthy successor to "The Girl With The Raven Mask" — an album that landed the band the "Up And Coming" award from Germany's Metal Hammer magazine.

"Hurricanes And Halos" was produced by Jidell himself, while David Castillo (KATATONIA, BLOODBATH, OPETH) recorded and mixed it in the famous Ghost Ward Studios and the mastering was done by Jens Bogren (SOILWORK, SEPULTURA). Together they created an organic and warm sound that sets "Hurricanes And Halos" apart from the overbred, electronically optimized mass.

"Recording 'Hurricanes And Halos' has truly been an emotional roller coaster for me and I do think that has contributed to a pure and vibrating energy on the album. I am deeply proud of what we have achieved together," states Jennie-Ann Smith. Jidell adds: "It feels like the two previous albums and the EPs lead us to this one. It's been a natural flow to where we are today, musical- and emotional-wise."

SCOUR, the new extreme metal "supergroup" featuring Philip Anselmo (PANTERA, DOWN, SUPERJOINT) alongside members of CATTLE DECAPITATION and PIG DESTROYER, made its live debut this past Sunday night (February 19) at One Eyed Jacks in New Orleans, Louisiana.

Professionally filmed video footage of SCOUR performing the song "Crooked" at the One Eyed Jacks concert can be seen below (clip shot by Mike Holderbeast).

The self-titled debut EP from SCOUR was released last July via Anselmo's Housecore label. The six-track effort was mixed by Dave Otero (CEPHALIC CARNAGE, CATTLE DECAPITATION, COBALT, KHEMMIS) and was made available on CD and vinyl formats.

Anselmo previously stated about his involvement with from SCOUR: "Doing the SCOUR project was a blast. The track 'Dispatched' was the first one I attacked, as it was the first one sent to me. Lyrically, I leave it to the listener to evaluate, as usual. The way I saw it, the songs were short, and extremely straight-forward, so I didn't want to clutter 'em up with too much. Therefore, I had to pick particular lyrics that seemed provocatively absurd enough, and to perform them as raw as deemed fit."

SCOUR is:

* Phillip H. Anselmo (PANTERA, DOWN, SUPERJOINT) - Vocals* Derek Engemann (CATTLE DECAPITATION) - Guitar* Chase Fraser (ANIMOSITY) - Guitar* John Jarvis (PIG DESTROYER) - Bass* Jesse Schobel (STRONG INTENTION) - Drums

Veteran Dutch extreme metallers PESTILENCE have set "Hadeon" as the title of their new album, due later in the year.

Joining vocalist/guitarist Patrick Mameli in the band's current lineup are Santiago Dobles (AGHORA) on lead guitar, Alan Goldstein on bass and Septimiu Hărşan (DISAVOWED) on drums.

Asked by a fan on Facebook why bassist Tony Choy — whose return to PESTILENCE was announced last October — is not involved with the band anymore, Mameli responded: "Choy's out. I only work with professional people."

In July 2014, Mameli announced that PESTILENCE was "on a permanent hold" while he concentrated fully on his new NEUROMORPH project, which he said would be "more brutal, more crazy, more tech, more futuristic and more death" than his longtime outfit.

PESTILENCE's seventh album, "Obsideo", was released in November 2013 via Candlelight Records. The CD was produced by Mameli and featured ten new songs. According to Mameli, the album's overall lyrical theme was "the journey of the human soul."

In a 2013 interview with Live Reviewer, Mameli said that it was his "passion" that motivated him to keep PESTILENCE alive after all these years. He explained at the time: "I think we can still contribute to the death metal community. PESTILENCE has always been my passion since I formed the band. It feels like a child that's grown up now. If I would run out of ideas, that would be the end."

Mameli also dismissed constant calls for a reunion with early PESTILENCE bassist/vocalist Martin Van Drunen, who sang on the band's classic albums "Malleus Maleficarum" (1988) and "Consuming Impulse" (1989). He said: "It's been 25 years. We try to become better musicians all the time. I think we deserve some credit for always looking ahead and trying to be innovative."

AT THE DRIVE IN will release its first album in seven years, "Inter Alia" (Latin for "among other things"), on May 5 via Rise Records.

The official lyric video for "Incurably Innocent", the second track to be released in advance of the record, can be seen below.

Pitting spacey phaser and thrash-y riffing against a sidewinder hook and siren wail, "Incurably Innocent", described by vocalist Cedric Bixler-Zavala as "a song about sexual abuse and being able to finally speak out," reveals additional facets of the kaleidoscopic "Inter Alia". Produced by Omar Rodriguez-Lopez and Rich Costey at Hollywood's Sound Factory, the 11-song 41-minute effort a picks up where 2000's "Relationship Of Command" left off… and rockets off into myriad other trajectories as unpredictable as they are intense. "Inter Alia"'s release will be immediately followed by a new series of live dates beginning in AT THE DRIVE IN's native El Paso, Texas and including headline dates at the likes of the Bill Graham Civic Center in San Francisco, the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles and more. LE BUTCHERETTES will support on the new dates. "Inter Alia" track listing:

01. No Wolf Like The Present02. Continuum 03. Tilting At The Univendor04. Governed By Contagions05. Pendulum In A Peasant Dress06. Incurably Innocent 07. Call Broken Arrow 08. Holtzclaw 09. Torrentially Cutshaw10. Ghost-Tape No. 911. Hostage Stamps AT THE DRIVE IN is Cedric Bixler-Zavala, Omar Rodriguez-Lopez, Paul Hinojos, Tony Hajjar and Keeley Davis.

German thrash metal band Destruction has joined forces with PledgeMusic to launch a pre-order campaign in support of their upcoming album Thrash Anthems II, an exclusive self-supported release from the band.
 
Fans can pre-order the album in digital and CD form now on Destruction’s campaign page. The leaders in direct-to-fan platforms, PledgeMusic allows artists to get more personal with their fans, offering pledgers updates straight from the band and items not available anywhere else.
 
A follow-up to 2007's Thrash Anthems, the new album will re-animate another batch of classics including: “United By Hatred”, “Confused Mind”, and “The Ritual”. For Thrash Anthems II, Destruction is calling on their loyal fans through PledgeMusic to help them create the record and contribute to the band's epic history.
 
Pledgers who pre-order the album will receive an AccessPass which will give them early access to a digital download of the full album before anyone else; plus exclusive updates, behind-the-scenes content, and sneak peeks into the recording process available only through PledgeMusic. Fans will also be able to pledge on special merchandise and one-of-a-kind experiences. These include: a signed set list; handwritten lyric sheet; a signed pressing of the original vinyl; dinner with the band; the opportunity to attend a live rehearsal or stop by the studio for a day; an original stage backdrop; a signed Ibanez Destroyer Bass from 1985; and many more.

In late 2016, Destruction released a lyric video for “Generation Nevermore” from their Under Attack album. The clip can be found below.

The Under Attack artwork was created by acclaimed artist Gyula from Hungary, who has also created artwork for Annihlator, Grave Digger, Stratovarius, Tankard and many more.

Tracklisting:

“Under Attack”
“Generation Nevermore”
“Dethroned”
“Getting Used To The Evil”
“Pathogenic”
“Elegant Pigs”
“Second To None”
“Stand Up For What You Deliver”
“Conductor Of The Void”
“Stigmatized”

Bonus tracks:
“Black Metal” (feat. Alex [Krisiun])
“Thrash Attack”

“Generation Nevermore” lyric video:

"Under Attack" video:

“Second To None” lyric video:

BraveWords’ Under Attack review can be found here.

(Photo - Destruction Facebook)

"Opal", the new video from SOEN, the progressive heavy rock group featuring world-renowned drummer Martin Lopez (formerly of AMON AMARTH and OPETH) and the dynamic voice of Joel Ekelöf (WILLOWTREE), can be seen below. The song is taken from SOEN's new full-length opus, "Lykaia", which was released on February 3 via UDR Music.

"Lykaia" is a journey into earthier places — SOEN's most cohesive, powerful and congruent creative quest yet. For those who have followed SOEN's career thus far, the new album's concepts of journey and exploration are not new. 2012's "Cognitive" beat a firmly heavy, progressive metal path. 2014's "Tellurian" — with its PINK FLOYD explorative spirit and OPETH-like forceful power — saw SOEN start to stride freely into their own control and unique visions. The new album sees SOEN remain fascinated with the shadows and the darker edges of our world, with a particular focus on the various thoughts and concepts behind religion and ritualistic, belief-based behaviour in society. Recorded at Ghost Ward, StudioGröndal and Deep Well in Stockholm, Sweden, with production duties handled by guitarist Marcus Jidell and the mix made by Stefan Boman, SOEN kept things as far away from the digital age as possible on "Lykaia", embracing warmth and organic recordings as the drive behind the technical working process. If the first two albums were harder, more technical, angular and perhaps cerebral pieces which demanded sharp focus, "Lykaia" presents a warmer, rounder, flesh and blood on the bones approach that allows listeners a dual entry to the eight tracks presented. The journey is no less dynamic, continuing the underscore of complex melodies with crushing power and no fear of walking proudly into more ambient spaces to explore the temperature. With "Lykaia", however, it is clear that SOEN have never felt more congruent or sure of themselves. "Lykaia" track listing:

01. Sectarian 02. Orison 03. Lucidity 04. Opal 05. Jinn 06. Sister 07. Stray 08. Paragon SOEN is:

Joel Ekelöf - VocalsMartin Lopez - Drums, PercussionStefan Stenberg - BassLars Åhlund - Organ, RhodesMarcus Jidell - Guitar

German guitar wizard Axel Rudi Pell will release his next offering, "The Ballads V", on April 21 via Steamhammer/SPV. In true Pell tradition, part five of his successful ballad compilation series features a smooth balance between the past six years and some brand-new songs.

For the first time ever in his almost thirty-year career as a solo artist, Axel Rudi Pell welcomes a special guest star on one of his albums: rock legend Bonnie Tyler has recorded a stunning duet with Axel's longtime singer Johnny Gioeli. Axel Rudi Pell is justly proud of his new single, "Love's Holding On" (street date: March 31), saying: "Bonnie Tyler only records songs she personally likes. So I wrote this tune just for her and she really loved it. She came to the studio and we recorded it within a couple of hours. The result is amazing — another soon-to-be Pell classic in the making. If I hadn't been a fan already, I would have turned into one instantly."

Apart from another brand-new track called "On The Edge Of Our Time", Pell has again risen to new challenges with his rocking version of the Ed Sheeran hit "I See Fire" (known from the motion picture blockbuster "The Hobbit"), which is an interesting take on one the best ballads in recent years. It shows that even hard rockers like Pell can have a sensitive side, and quite successfully at that.

The other seven tracks on "The Ballads V" (among them a new take on Neil Young's "Hey Hey My My", a live version of the DEEP PURPLE classic "Mistreated" and a previously unreleased live recording of his own fine ballad "The Line"), present Axel Rudi Pell at his best. Pell has established himself as an outstanding rock star, having sold up to 1.5 million records worldwide. Since leaving the influential German metal outfit STEELER in 1989, he's been out there on his own, recording and touring with some of the finest vocalists from the world of rock music: Charlie Huhn (TED NUGENT, GARY MOORE, VICTORY, HUMBLE PIE, FOGHAT), Rob Rock (IMPELLITERI, DRIVER, JOSHUA, AVANTASIA), Jeff Scott Soto (YNGWIE MALMSTEEN, SOUL SIRKUS, TALISMAN, JOURNEY, TRANS-SIBERIAN ORCHESTRA) and last but not least the mighty Johnny Gioeli, who has been working with Axel since 1997 (having been in HARDLINE before that, a project started by JOURNEY guitar legend Neal Schon in 1991).

"The Ballads V" will be released as a CD digipack (including a poster), double gatefold purple vinyl, limited boxset (including a CD digipack, powerbank, CD slim case single, sticker, photocard — Europe only), download and stream.

"The Ballads V" track listing

01. Love's Holding On (5:06) (new song feat. Bonnie Tyler)02. I See Fire (6:02) (new cover version, Ed Sheeran song)03. On The Edge Of Our Time (7:42) (new song)04. Hey Hey My My (5:02)05. Lived Our Lives Before (6:31)06. When Truth Hurts (6:46)07. Forever Free (8:27)08. Lost In Love (6:05)09. The Line (live) (7:31) (previously unreleased)10. Mistreated (live) (14:12)

A PERFECT CIRCLE has released its first 2017 group photo, confirming that the band's lineup remains unchanged from the last time they toured four years ago. Joining vocalist Maynard James Keenan and guitarist Billy Howerdel once again are James Iha on rhythm guitar, Matt McJunkins on bass and Jeff Friedl on drums.

A PERFECT CIRCLE is starting work on its first new studio album since 2004's "eMOTIVe" and Howerdel recently said that the band has "every intention" of making new music available to fans in 2017 as it heads out on tour. Speaking with Billboard, Howerdel said: "We're not promising anything, but I have every intention of doing my best to have us playing some new tracks during this run — with the idea that new music is coming very soon after."

The band's tour — its first full-fledged trek since 2011 — kicks off in Las Vegas on April 7 and April 8. The schedule will include appearances at the Welcome To Rockville, Fort Rock and Carolina Rebellion festivals in late April and early May, along with a closing night stop at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles on May 7.

A PERFECT CIRCLE has been largely inactive on the recording front for the past 13 years, with only a new song titled "By And Down" surfacing on a hits collection in 2013.

The group was an instant success when it first came on the scene in 2000 with its debut album, "Mer De Noms", and Howerdel explained a while back how he felt about the band's early success. "I was appreciative then, I'm certainly appreciative now of how everything came together — how all the forces came together and made it happen, and all the timing worked out, with the NINE INCH NAILS tour, opening for them, and, you know, having key people at Virgin Records believe in us and ferociously campaign to market the band in the right way, and Maynard's reputation with TOOL in place... everything just came together."

During the time that the band has been mostly on hiatus, Howerdel launched an act called ASHES DIVIDE, while Maynard James Keenan toured and recorded with TOOL and PUSCIFER while also running a winery.

Howerdel said: "To be honest, I thought [a comeback] would be a few years earlier... It felt like a few years ago it was going to happen, but this is just the way the schedules lined up. But I'm always excited to get the machine back up and going."

Canadian thrash metal masters INFERNAL MAJESTY — who are celebrating their 30th anniversary in 2017 — will release their long-awaited new full-length album, "No God", on April 14 via High Roller Records.

Singer Chris Bailey is more than excited about the release. "We are seriously feeling awesome," he said. "When your hard work, thoughts and ideas finally come together into reality, it's a great feeling."

Once again, INFERNAL MAJESTY went through some lineup changes before the new album was recorded: Eric Dubreuil (bass) and Kris DeBoer (drums) left and were replaced with two new members. Some may know new drummer Kiel Wilson from his time with Canadian melodic death metal outfit SEVERED SERENITY, while new bassist Daniel Nargang is actually the singer of the classic heavy metal outfit KICK AXE. They are joined by Bailey and guitarists Steve Terror and Ken Hallman.

"This is without a doubt the strongest we have been," Chris said. "We have no missing pieces now. No weak links."

It took the band a year to capture the amazing, heavy and dark, crisp and powerful sound of "No God". "We really worked on it day and night," Bailey explained. "Tweaking and modifying and receiving 3 a.m. phone calls saying, 'You got to hear this!' Steve, Ken and I wrote and produced the album. We believe that it's the ultimate way to express the band."

The beautiful sombre cover artwork, originally titled "Death Angel" or "Fallen Angel", was contributed by the exquisite and incredibly gifted artists Safir & Rifas.

What development does Chris see when he looks at "No God", both compared to the last effort, "One Who Points To Death", and when looking at it as the last link in a chain that runs from INFERNAL MAJESTY's legendary debut, "None Shall Defy", to "No God"? "It feels like we have come full circle and are now about to break free into orbit," Chris said. "I personally believe 'No God' to be our greatest works since 'None Shall Defy' was created."

METALLICA frontman James Hetfield was recently interviewed on "The Rubber Room" radio show, which airs on Australia's Triple M. You can now listen to the chat using the audio player below. A couple of excerpts follow (transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET).

On METALLICA continuing to play with the same intensity as it did more than thirty years ago:

James: "This is what we do. This is what we're good at. There's no other way to do it. We're not interested in phoning anything in, and that's kind of obvious. We're explorers and we love being an artist and doing what we want. And we are writing music that we like to hear. That kind of simplifies it tight there."

On METALLICA's honesty:

James: "We're not afraid to show our dorky side, our funny sides, our non-serious… our mistakes sides. Everyone makes mistakes, and we fuck up — we make bad investments or we do the wrong thing, but it's all in the name of trying to do our best. So you can fault people for that all you want, but at the end of the day, hey, we're out here at least trying to do something. And I agree — this world is really polluted with a lot of B.S. and crap that people don't need to see or hear, 'cause it's fake. People just want your clicks and your hits, and it's all about the money. We're out here doing this, because if we don't — I don't know — we wither away. I mean, this is breathing for us. I think everyone thinks that they know the truth, and at the end of the day, my truth, what I believe in passionately, if I just imagine or even make up that you have the same view about what you believe in, then we can get along. I mean, yes, it's a difference of opinion — okay — but we're trying to do the next best right thing. Everyone's trying to tear each other down instead of join together and make some good decisions."

On not wanting to play more than fifty shows a year:

James: "I have plenty of friends that say, 'Fifty? Are you crazy?' It's, like, well, no. We were doing a lot more than that. But we love the touring, we just want to be able to survive it — mind, body and spirit. We're pretty wise guys; we know what our body can and can't do. Why punish ourselves out here? This should be fun. And if we're not playing a hundred ten percent for every show, then it's not fun."

On singer Amy Winehouse being the inspiration for the METALLICA song "Moth Into Flame" after he watched the 2015 documentary "Amy":

James: "The word 'sad' definitely comes to mind. Obviously, I can relate to a lot of that, where the fame portion of that is such a drug that draws you in, and then it's not what it seems to be, so you start maybe doing drugs or drink to make it what you want it to be. And then you're surrounded with people that are just saying 'yes' to everything and you lose touch with reality and all of a sudden you're gone — you're not you anymore. And I can relate to that. It was sad to see that in the movie, and, obviously, she's not the first or the last to have gone that pathway. In the heavy metal world, there has been people that have disappeared, so it doesn't have to be the pop world. Fame is something not to take lightly."

METALLICA's latest album, "Hardwired... To Self-Destruct", came out in November. The effort consists of two discs, containing a dozen songs and nearly 80 minutes of music.

METALLICA has shows booked in Denmark, Mexico and South America over the next three months, but has yet to unveil its full 2017 tour plans, including its first North American tour in eight years.

The band's sole North American date so far is May 21 at the Rock On The Range festival in Columbus, Ohio.

British metal band, Architects (UK), have released a video for “Gravity”, a track from the band’s latest album, All Our Gods Have Abandoned Us. The video comes in advance of the band’s headlining tour kicking off March 7th in Detroit throughout April 6th in Toronto. This will be the Architects’ first time playing the North America in over two years.

As Architects’ heaviest and darkest work to date, All Our Gods Have Abandoned Us examines a world increasingly consumed by fear, anger, and confusion - and ultimately emerges with a semblance of hope.

“If you let yourself go to the darkness, and discuss these things, you do realize how much light there is in life as well,” says Architects vocalist Sam Carter. “Life is a wonderful, incredible thing. And the most beautiful thing of all about life is the wonder and the questions and the discussions.”

Tickets for all Architects tour dates are on sale now.

March
7 - Detroit, MI - Shelter
8 - Chicago, IL - Bottom Lounge
9 - Minneapolis, MN - Cabooze
10 - Merriam, KS - Aftershock
11 - Denver, CO - Summit
13 - Portland, OR - Hawthorne Theater
14 - Seattle, WA - Studio Seven
16 - San Francisco, CA – Slim’s
17 - Pomona, CA - Glass House
18 - Los Angeles, CA - The Roxy
19 - Phoenix, AZ - Joe’s Grotto
21 - Dallas, TX - Gas Monkey
22 - San Antonio, TX - Paper Tiger
23 - Houston, TX - Scout Bar
25 - Atlanta, GA - Masquerade (Hell)
27 - Philadelphia, PA - Underground Arts
28 - Baltimore, MD - Ottobar
29 - Pittsburgh, PA - Mr Smalls

April
1 - New York, NY - Gramercy Theater
2 - Worcester, MA - Palladium (Upstairs)
4 - Montreal, QC - Le National
5 - London, ON - London Music Hall
6 - Toronto, ON - Danforth Music Hall

Minneapolis, MN-based technical death metallists, Reaping Asmodeia, are streaming their new album,  Impuritize, ahead of the official release this Friday, February 24th via Prosthetic Records. Listen below.

The album tracks “Irreversible Evolution”, ”Defenestration" and "Of Talons And Teeth" can be instantly downloaded with any digital pre-order of Impuritize from Bandcamp, iTunes, Amazon or Google Play. CD pre-orders can also be purchased at this location.

Mixed and mastered by Zach Ohren (Fallujah, First Fragment), Impuritize combines sheer brutality with meticulous technicality to craft one of the finest extreme death metal albums of the year.

The album's artwork was created by Eddie Danger of Unlimited Visual (Born Of Osiris) and can be viewed below.

Tracklisting:

“The Clemency Guise”
“Defenestration”
“Of Talons And Teeth”
“Hidebound”
“Carnal Declivity”
“Irreversible Evolution”
“Virulent Exposure”
“Collage Of Toxins”
“Ritual Of Ignorance”

Album stream:

“Defenestration” lyric video:

“Of Talons And Teeth” video:

Teaser:

R.A. Confidential Part 1:

R.A. Confidential Part 2:

R.A. Confidential Part 3:

Coinciding with the new album release on February 24th, the band will play a hometown record release show at Beaners in Duluth, Minn. before venturing across the US on a headlining jaunt throughout March. Full dates can be found in the below admat:

Reaping Asmodeia linup:

Steven Lane -Vocals
Alex Kelly - Guitar
Daniel Koppy - Drums
Roman Pinter - Bass

East coast shock rockers, American Grim, are streaming “Concrete Jungle”, the lead track from their first full length album, Freakshow, out this Friday, February 24th worldwide via Entertainment One (eOne Music) / Rocktagon Worldwide Music. Listen to the song below.

“I can't begin to express how excited we are to debut this project at eOne,” says vocalist Ryan Healy. “We've worked relentlessly among ourselves, as well as with our producer Zardonic, to build an album we're confident has a great shot at striking a nerve in rock.”

Healy continues, “There's an astounding problem in America with political correctness and all these taboo issues that are far more real than people think, all being swept under the rug.  We have an entire generation of kids overly medicated and under educated that no longer know the difference between their own opinions and the manipulation of mass media. Freakshow isn't just an album, it's the current state of America, and we're looking forward to taking it on across the country.”

For the album artwork, the band commissioned artist Tyler Reitan.

Tracklisting:

“Concrete Jungle”
“Freakshow”
“Only One”
“Burn Hollywood”
“Drugs Like Candy”
“The Guns”
“I Want Out”
“Fight Night”
“Doctor Doc”
“Idols”
“Get Loud”
“Bodies All Around”

“Concrete Jungle”:

“Idols”:

“Freakshow” video:

US progressive power metal band, MindMaze, will release their new album, Resolve, on April 28th in Europe and North America through Inner Wound Recordings.

Over the span of 68-minutes of melodic and powerful music ripe with recurring themes, the band takes the listener on a whirlwind journey through the scope of human emotion in hopes they will be able to project their own experiences into these intensely personal lyrics inspired by an amalgam of real-life events.

Resolve reprises the band's ever-present influences from bands like Queensrÿche, Dream Theater, Iron Maiden, Savatage, and a mixture of contemporary power metal and melodic rock hooks and songwriting while moving the band further into progressive and theatrical territory with more atypical song structures used to best serve the concept of the album.

The band continues to forge their footprint as one of the most promising and unique female-fronted bands to come along in recent times.

Resolve tracklisting:

“Reverie” (Instrumental)
“Fight The Future”
“In This Void” (Instrumental)
“Drown Me”
“Sign Of Life”
“Abandon”
“Sanity's Collapse” (Instrumental)
“One More Moment”
“Twisted Dream”
“True Reflection”
“Shattered Self”
“Release”
“The Path To Perseverance”

Upcoming MindMaze tour dates:

April
25 - Baltimore Soundstage - Baltimore, MD (Supporting Y&T)
27 - Ralph's - Worcester, MA
28 - Dingbatz - Clifton, NJ
29 - Funhouse - Bethlehem, PA

May (supporting Arkona and Sirenia)
13 - Webster Hall - New York, NY
14 - Firehouse 13 - Providence, RI
15 - L'Anti - Quebec City, QB
16 - L'Astral - Montreal, QB
17 - Mod Club - Toronto, ON
18 - Subterranean - Chicago, IL
19 - Cabooze - Minneapolis, MN
20 - Riot Room - Kansas City, KN
21 - Marquis Theater - Denver, CO
23 - Studio Seven - Seattle, WA
24 - Bossanova Ballroom - Portland, OR
25 - Metro Opera House - Oakland, CA
26 - Echoplex - Los Angeles, CA
27 - Pranksters - Scottsdale, AZ
28 - Rockhouse - El Paso, TX
29 - Curtain Club - Dallas, TX
30 - Grizzly Hall - Austin, TX

June
1 - TBA - Atlanta, GA
2 - The Milestone - Charlotte, NC

Through The Eyes Of The Dead have signed a worldwide record deal with Entertainment One Music (eOne) / Good Fight Music, with plans to release an all new record later this year.

“We are all really excited to be working with eOne / Good Fight and are ready to drop this record to the masses," says bassist Jake Ososkie. “We have put  a lot of time into this record and I think the songs are easily the best material we have ever written.”  

The new, yet to be titled LP will be the follow up to Skepsis that came out in 2010. Before Skepsis, the band has released two records with Prosthetic Records: Bloodlust in 2005, Malice in 2007. Fans can find song snippets of new music on the band’s Instagram account.

"Since forming this band fresh out of high school in 2003, I never would have imagined we would have taken it this far," says guitarist Justin Longshore. "We've just written the record I've always envisioned and I look forward to the next chapter with Good Fight and eOne."

Through The Eyes Of The Dead are revered as one of the groups that pioneered the aggressive and abrasive mixture of death metal and hardcore that permeates the modern heavy music landscape today.

Finnish theatrical metal newcomers, Lost In Grey, have released a lyric video for “New Horizon”, a track from their new album, The Grey Realms, due for release on March 3rd via NoiseArt Records. The new clip can be found below. Pre-order the album here.

Tracklisting:

“Waltz Of Lillian”
“Road To Styx”
“Dark Skies”
“Revelation”
“The Order”
“New Horizon”
“The Grey Realms”
“Silence Falls”

“New Horizon” lyric video:

“Dark Skies” video:

Interview Trailer #1:

Interview Trailer #2:

Interview Trailer #3:

Interview Trailer #4:

Trailer #1:

Trailer #2:

In the new video below, guitarist Thomas Zwijsen performs a cover of the Judas Priest classic, “A Touch Of Evil”, alongside vocalist Laura Guldemond. Laura is the singer of Shadowrise, but you may also know her from Idols, or from performing with Dutch metal opera Ayreon.

Zwijsen performs a fingerstyle acoustic classical guitar cover of Judas Priest’s “Living After Midnight” in the video below. Go to KingOfTheStrings.com for free tabs and a tutorial video lesson, showing you exactly how to play this arrangement.

ALTER BRIDGE guitarist Mark Tremonti has told All That Shreds that he is preparing to begin work on the fourth album from his TREMONTI solo project. "After this [ALTER BRIDGE] tour is over, I'm going to have the [other] guys [from the solo band] come to town and start writing and just kind of pick our moments to keep writing and probably get a record out next year," he said.

Asked if he had any kind of sound or direction in mind for the next TREMONTI album, Mark said: "In a perfect world, I want to kind of split it up. You know, I don't want to get trapped into having to do heavy records all the time, because it's something I really wanted to get out with the solo project — the heavier side of my writing — but I don't want to completely abandon some of the melodic atmospheres of stuff, so I might want to do just like I did the last time, do two albums and have two different sounds. Have one be more atmospheric in music, acoustic, real melodic and have the other one be straight-up heavy."

Mark also said that it was unlikely VAN HALEN bassist Wolfgang Van Halen would return to TREMONTI for the new album sessions. "I don't believe so," Tremonti said. "He's doing his own project right now. It's either he's playing bass in somebody else's band or he's singing and playing bass and drums and everything in his own project right now, and I'm sure he's going to want to put all his efforts into promoting that."

TREMONTI's third album, "Dust", was released in April 2016 via Fret 12.

"Dust", which was recorded during same sessions as 2015's "Cauterize", features Tremonti on vocals/guitars, Eric Friedman on guitars, Wolfgang Van Halen on bass and Garrett Whitlock on drums. Longtime friend and collaborator Michael "Elvis" Baskette produced "Dust".

Although Wolfgang Van Halen was part of TREMONTI's touring band in 2013 and played on "Dust" and "Cauterize", he sat out TREMONTI's tour schedule because of commitments with VAN HALEN.

TREMONTI recruited Tanner Keegan to play bass on its most recent tour.

Metallica performed in Beijing, China on January 18th. The band have released this recap video, including footage with world-renowned Chinese concert pianist, Lang Lang:

Check out new footage of Metallica performing “Creeping Death” at LeSports Center in Beijing, China on January 18th:

Lang Lang, who performed “One” with Metallica at the Grammy Awards in 2014, once again joined the band for a performance of the song during their Beijing concert. Pro-shot video of the performance can be seen below:

Metallica perform next on March 1st at Foro Sol in Mexico City, Mexico. Find the band’s complete live itinerary at this location.

A video recap of the first day of Ozzfest Meets Knotfest, which was held on September 24-25, 2016 at San Manuel Amphitheater in Devore, California, can be seen below.

About 37,000 people attended the first day of the event, with 3,400 campers on the festival grounds.

The Ozzfest lineup was headlined by BLACK SABBATH, while SLIPKNOT closed out the Knotfest bill.

Prior to the concert, SABBATH singer Ozzy Osbourne and bassist Geezer Butler were asked what they thought such a massive show said about the state of rock music. "I don't know about the state of rock music, but I'm just gonna go up there and have some fun, you know," Ozzy said. "We're not trying to make a statement to the industry, we're just gonna have some fun." Geezer added: "It's good that we're still going and this kind of music's still going. To do something this big proves that it's still as popular as ever."

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

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

The San Manuel Amphitheater and Festival Grounds is where Ozzfest began in 1996 and where Knotfest was staged last year.

The Ozzfest show was the last ever for BLACK SABBATH in California. The band played three more U.S. shows in Texas last November before visiting South America and ending its run with a series of U.K. gigs in January and February.

Ozzfest started 20 years ago and was the first national music festival of its kind dedicated to hard rock music.

Ozzfest has not been a traveling festival in the U.S. since 2007's "free" edition. The show morphed into a one-off event in Dallas in 2008, took 2009 off and played just six cities in 2010.

VIP AFTERSHOW, an project founded by and featuring the powerhouse sister team Roxy Petrucci (drums) and Maxine Petrucci (guitar), has released a lyric video for its debut song, "Kilmister", a tribute to iconic MOTÖRHEAD frontman Lemmy Kilmister, who passed away on December 28, 2015 at the age of 70. The track, which was released through Afterlife Music Publishing, features a guest appearance by Mark Slaughter (SLAUGHTER) on vocals and Michael Pisculli on bass.

Afterlife Music Publishing was formed to release "one-off" music collaborations with various artists, solely dedicated to creating no-rules, bare-bones rock and roll.

Asked in a 2014 interview what the pros and cons of working with her sister were, Roxy said: "The pros of working with Maxine is obviously her talent, she's my sister, and we're Italian. The cons of working with her... she's my sister, and we're Italian."

In a separate interview, Roxy — who is a member of the all-female rock band VIXEN — was asked what it is like being a woman in a man's world. She responded: "Being a woman in the music industry can get you noticed (especially if you have big tom toms)… but once you get that attention, you better deliver the goods. As a musician, I never relied on the fact that I'm a woman, but I certainly wanted to look as good as possible. The most important [thing], to me, is to be as good a drummer as I can be. Like the military slogan, 'be the best you can be,' or suck, and if you're lucky, you might get your fifteen minutes. That goes for the guys too. Getting a record deal was a different story back in the day. As a female rock band, no matter how good we were, some execs had a hard time taking the band seriously. The band had to play, play and play some more in order to get the word out that VIXEN was a credible band. The fans loved us and we had a massive following. It didn't take long to attract management and eventually sign a record deal. There were record industry pussies who were afraid to take a chance and sign us, but EMI came through."

Fan-filmed video footage of Glenn Hughes's (DEEP PURPLE, BLACK SABBATH, BLACK COUNTRY COMMUNION) February 20 performance at Conrad Sohm in Dornbirn, Austria can be seen below.

Hughes's new solo album, "Resonate", was released in November via Frontiers Music Srl. It features his live solo band members, Søren Andersen (guitars and co-producer), Pontus Engborg (drums) and newcomer to his band, Lachy Doley (keyboards), in addition to longtime friend Chad Smith (RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS), who joined them in the studio for the opening and closing numbers.

"Resonate" was made available in two configurations: regular CD and deluxe edition including one bonus track, "Nothing's The Same", and a DVD featuring a "making-of" album documentary, "Heavy" (music video), and "Long Time Gone" (music video). Vinyl release was made available via Frontiers's label partners Soulfood Music.

Glenn told Billboard.com about "Resonate": "It's possibly the heaviest record I've ever made. I don't want to confuse it with horns-up heavy; it's not metal. But it's definitely fucking heavy. It's dense. It's dark. There's some aggression on this record. Every bloody track is begging to be played live."

While he was in the studio recording his new album, Hughes talked to Denmark's Metalized magazine about the musical diversity that has been his trademark throughout his four-decade-plus career.

"I never make the same album twice," he said. "Go back to the first TRAPEZE album. The second was different and the third one was different. And then you go to 'Burn', and 'Stormbringer' was different from that, and then 'Come Taste The Band'. You got HUGHES/THRALL and that was different from DEEP PURPLE. And then you go to 'Seventh Star' with Tony Iommi. That was different from HUGHES/THRALL. And then the blues album and then the Glenn solo albums."

He continued: "Although some of [my albums] have been very, very soulful and very, very funky, the key for me — as I am an Englishman that grew up in the West Midlands — is rock. But when I moved to America in the early seventies, I started to listen to what came out of Detroit. And I met Stevie Wonder. He became a very, very close friend and still is. He became my mentor.

"I need people to know that my success has come from the foundation of rock music. As much as I love THE BEATLES, Otis Redding and Stevie Wonder, when you think of Glenn Hughes, you think of the guy who plays bass and sings in any register."

Hughes added: "I am friends with a lot of famous rock stars and they are one genre. I wouldn't say who, but they have a one-genre-dimensional sound. You know it's them. And you know it's me because of my voice.

"I have been cursed and blessed with the ability to switch very quickly from rock to soul to funk to acoustic and almost into jazz — without scaring people. When you mix those ingredients, that's Glenn Hughes."

Iconic drummer and former member of DREAM THEATER, Mike Portnoy performed the band's "12 Step Suite" in its entirety for the first time ever on the Cruise To The Edge, which sailed out of Tampa, Florida on February 7. The music documents the musician's battle with alcoholism, and is an ensemble of five songs recorded by DREAM THEATER from 2002 to 2009, with titles that reflect his struggles: "The Glass Prison", "This Dying Soul", "The Root Of All Evil", "Repentance" and "The Shattered Fortress".

Video footage of the pre-show acoustic rehearsal can be seen below.

The February 10 concert, which was staged under the MIKE PORTNOY'S SHATTERED FORTRESS banner, featured the following setlist:

First set: LIQUID TENSION EXPERIMENT material

Drums: Mike PortnoyBass, chapman stick: Tony Levin Keyboards: Diego Tejeida Guitar: Eric Gillette

01.Paradigm Shift 02. Acid Rain 03. Universal Mind Second set: "12 Step Suite"

Drums: Mike Portnoy Bass: Conner Green Keys: Diego Tejeida Guitars: Richard Henshall, Charlie Griffiths, Eric Gillette Lead vocals on "The Glass Prison": Ross Jennings Lead vocals on "This Dying Soul": Daniel GildenlöwLead vocals on "The Root Of All Evil": Ted Leonard Lead vocals on "Repentence": Mike Portnoy Lead vocals on "The Shattered Fortress": Ross Jennings Backing vocals: all of the above vocalists, plus Eric Gillette and Charlie Griffiths

Portnoy, who also celebrated his 50th birthday on Cruise To The Edge, said that it was always part of his master plan to perform "12 Step Suite" in its entirety live on stage with DREAM THEATER. However, his 2010 exit from the band made that impossible, until now.

"I would love nothing more than to perform it with [DREAM THEATER]," he told The National Student. "But they've made it clear that they have no intention in reuniting at any point. So, life is short; this is going to be my 50th birthday and it just felt like the right time and place to finally play this music."

He continued: "I wrote all five of these songs with the intention of them being performed from start to finish, and I would have loved nothing more than to be doing it with DREAM THEATER. But it's obviously not on the cards for them. I can't sit around waiting for a reunion that may not happen."

Portnoy, who co-founded DREAM THEATER more than thirty years ago, abruptly quit the band in September 2010 while on tour with AVENGED SEVENFOLD. He has since been replaced by Mike Mangini (ANNIHILATOR, EXTREME, JAMES LABRIE, STEVE VAI). Portnoy later revealed that he tried to rejoin DREAM THEATER, only to be rebuffed.