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

The vlog below offers a behind the scenes look at how the band filmed the Rebels Of Our Time short film.

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

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

Tracklisting:

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

“Die Like Kings” lyric video:

Studio Diary 1 – Backing Vocals:

Studio Diary 2 – Vocal Recordings:

Studio Diary 3 – Album Title Announcement:

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

Bringer Of Pain Over Europe 2017 dates:

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

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

Trailer:

Video footage of Ringworm performing the Snake Church album track, “The Razor And The Knife”, live at Brooklyn, NY’s Saint Vitus Bar can be seen below. The footage was shot by Frank Huang.

Ringworm dates with Darkest Hour are listed below:

February
23 - Reggie's - Chicago, IL
24 - The Metal Grill - Milwaukee, WI
25 - The Cabooze - Minneapolis, MN
26 - The Riot Room - Kansas City, MO
28 - Marquis Theater - Denver, CO

March
1 - Metro Bar - Salt Lake City, UT
2 - Beauty Bar - Las Vegas, NV
3 - Sweet Springs Saloon - Los Osos, CA
4 - Jub Jub's - Reno, NV
5 - Portland, OR - Analog Theater
6 - Seattle, WA - Studio Seven
8 - San Francisco, CA - DNA Lounge
9 - Sacramento, CA - Colonial Theater
10 - Los Angeles, CA - The Regent
11 - San Diego, CA - Brick By Brick
12 - Phoenix, AZ - Club Red
13 - Tucson, AZ - Club XS
14 - Albuquerque, NM - Blu Phoenix Venue
15 - Lubbock, TX - Backstage Lubbock
16 - Austin, TX - Grizzly Hall
17 - Houston, TX - White Oak
18 - San Antonio, TX - The Korova
19 - Dallas, TX - Gas Monkey Bar and Grill
21 - Cincinnati, OH - Northside Yacht Club

Hells Headbangers has set June 9th as the international release date for Cemetery Urn's long-awaited third album, Cemetery Urn, on vinyl, CD, and cassette tape formats. Hells Headbangers previously worked with Cemetery Urn in releasing the band's first two albums - 2008's Urn Of Blood and 2010's The Conquered Are Burned, both originally self-released on CD - on vinyl in 2011.

Formed in 2006 in Melbourne, Cemetery Urn specialize in a vicious, martial form of death metal they've branded "Australian Barbaric Death Metal." The band itself has a deep history in extreme metal: founding guitarist and songwriter Andrew Gillon also hails from reactivated Aussie barbarians Abominator, and previously played in the final lineup of Bestial Warlust; original vocalist Damon Bloodstorm was renowned as the frontman for Bestial Warlust and for Abominator from 1996-2001; new vocalist Chris Volcano is the founding drummer of Abominator - and more recently their vocalist - and concurrently plays drums in Ignivomous, and previously played drums on a handful of Denouncement Pyre's EPs, Urgrund's Unchangeable Fate album, and Destroyer 666's Six Songs With the Devil demo; and new drummer Matt Crossingham has played with such bands as Belligerent Intent, Scars of Sodom, and Draconis Infernum.

Cemetery Urn are a study in staunch self-reliance. Their first two albums were released on Gillon's own label, Cemetery Recordings, and the band self-booked two highly successful tours across the United States: the Blood of the Damned U.S. Tour in June 2008, which encompassed 17 shows alongside Angelcorpse and Gospel of the Horns, and the Western U.S. Torment Tour in October 2010, where they headlined 10 shows through Texas, California, Oregon, and Washington State. Now, armed with the support of Hells Headbangers, Cemetery Urn are prepared to unleash their most decisive and devastating attack yet in Cemetery Urn. A ten-track nuclear warhead, Cemetery Urn's third album takes the unremitting savagery of their first two full-lengths to its furthest extreme yet, exhibiting both power and poise in the middle of an incendiary maelstrom, and further solidifying the band's reputation for upholding Australia's rich tradition of extreme metal barbarity.

A statement from the band reads: "After aeons of primal chaos, Cemetery Urn return with our long-awaited third, self-titled album of super-heavy Australian death metal. Returning with a new lineup, now including Chris Volcano on vocals and human drum-machine Matt Crossingham, and also featuring our tightest and heaviest production ever, it will shred everything in its path like the steamroller of Armageddon! Prepare to be crushed!"

Indeed, feel that first fist of crush with the track "A Requiem For Servants Aflame”, streaming below. Pre-order the new album here.

Tracklisting:

“The Deepest of Graves”
“A Requiem For Servants Aflame”
“Weakened Mortals Bleed”
“Petrified Existence”
“The Sickening Sect”
“Misshapen Affliction”
“Doomed in Conterminous Decay”
“Dredge The Pit of Burial”
“Hemlock Transfusion”
“A Hex Upon Elitist Dynasties”

“A Requiem For Servants Aflame”:

Cemetery Urn by CEMETERY URN

Lineup:

Andrew Gillon  guitarist, songwriter
Chris Volcano  vocals, lyrics
Dan Macconni  guitar
Themmy Rentos  bass
Matt Crossingham  drums

Australian melodic progressive metal act, Damnations Day, will release their second album, A World Awakens, through Sensory Records in March. A lyric video for the album track, “A World Awakens”, is available for streaming below.

Recorded and mixed by Dean Wells at Wells Productions and mastered by Jacob Hansen (Volbeat, Kamelot, Wolverine), A World Awakens maintains the raw energy, power, and integrity of Invisible The Dead, while showcasing the bands growth in maturity, honesty and depth of both their musicianship and songwriting. Showcasing top-tier performances by vocalist/guitarist Mark Kennedy, brother and drummer Dean Kennedy, and lead guitarist Jon King, with additional strings and bass by Dean Wells, while not leaning to just one genre or direction, A World Awakens is an album that will have your undivided attention on first listen, only to pull you in further and further more on repeat.

A World Awakens will be the first 2017 title for Sensory Records, the album set for release on March 24th.

A World Awakens tracklisting:

“The Witness”
“Dissecting The Soul”
“Colours Of Darkness”
“I Pray”
“Into Black”
“To Begin Again”
“The Idol Counterfeit”
“A World Awakens”
“Diagnose”

“A World Awakens” lyric video:

"Colours Of Darkness":

Damnations Day lineup:

Mark Kennedy - Vocals, Rhythm Guitar
Jon King - Lead Guitar
Dean Kennedy - Drums

Nervochaos has returned! Nyctophilia is the seventh studio album by the Brazilian extreme metal kings and will be released on April 7th via Cogumelo Records in Brazil, and Greyhaze Records in North America and Europe. A lyric video for new song "Moloch Rise" is available for streaming below.

Nyctophilia is an eclectic mix of all that characterizes the band, 13 new tracks of 80s-fueled blackened extreme music, executed in Nervochaos' trademark raw, aggressive and organic style of Metal. Nyctophilia has a new intensity and is a step forward compared to their older releases.

For the first time, the band recorded the album outside Brazil, spending a month in Como/Italy at Alpha Omega Studio along with producer Alex Azzali, who also did mixing and mastering of the new album. It's also the first album composed and recorded with the new line-up which features Lauro 'Nightrealm' on vocal/guitar, Cherry on guitar, Thiago 'Anduscias' on bass and the only remaining original member Edu Lane on drums.

The album artwork was created by Alcides Burn, a talented Brazilian artist that worked with acts such as Blood Red Throne, Acheron, Iconoclasm, Headhunter DC and many more. Nyctophilia also features special guest vocals appearance by Sebastian L. of Into Darkness and Leandro P. of R.N.S. plus one track, "Vampiric Cannibal Goddess”, that features the riffs of Bolverk (Ragnarok).

Nyctophilia surely is the best album up-to-date from Nervochaos, which managed to evolve musically without losing its trademark sound.

Tracklisting:

“Moloch Rise”
“Ritualistic”
“Ad Majorem Satanae Gloriam”
“Season Of The Witchv
“Waters Of Chaos”
“The Midnight Hunter”
“Rites Of The 13 Cemeteries”
“Vampiric Cannibal Goddess”
“Stained With Blood”
“Lord Death”
“Dead End”
“World Aborted”
“Live Like Suicide”

“Moloch Rise” lyric video:

The new video below features Thomas Zwijsen and Ben Woods performing an acoustic version of Europe’s “The Final Countdown”. The clip was shot all over Europe during the Master Guitar Tour 2016. This fingerstyle/acoustic/flamenco/classical guitar arrangement was made by Thomas Zwijsen and Ben Woods especially for the tour.

In another video, 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.

Canadian death metallers, Kataklysm, performed at Germany’s Wacken Open Air festival in 2015. Footage of the band’s full performance can be seen below.

Setlist:

“To Reign Again”
“If I Was God”
“As I Slither”
“At The Edge Of The World”
“The Black Sheep”
“Push The Venom”
“Like Animals”
“Taking The World By Storm”
“Like Angels”
“Ambassador Of Pain”
“Serpent And Tongue”
“In Shadow And Dust”
“Crippled And Broken”

In celebration of their 25th anniversary in 2017, Kataklysm will perform their albums Shadows & Dust and Serenity In Fire on a string of European dates in October.

A Moment In Time tour dates:

October
5 - Hannover, Germany - Capitol
6 - Leipzig, Germany - Hellraiser
7 - Antwerpen, Belgium - Trix
8 - Hambrug, Germany - Grunspan
10 - London, England - 02 Academy Islington
12 - Stuttgart, Germany - LKA
13 - Luzern, Switzerland - Schuur
14 - Bochum, Germany - Matrix
15 - Nurnberg, Germany - Hirsch
17 - Prag, Czech Republic - Roxy
18 - Vienna, Austria - Simmcity
19 - Lindau, Germany - Vaudeville
20 - Lausanne, Switzerland - Les Docks
21 - Munich, Germany - Backstage

Metal Blade Records has announced the worldwide signing of French musician and eclectic composer Igorrr - the main musical project by Gautier Serre. Known for combining genres such as black metal, death metal, baroque music, breakcore, and trip hop, Igorrr completed their third album this past December, after spending four years writing and recording the material. This upcoming record, entitled Savage Sinusoid, will be released in spring 2017 via Metal Blade Records.

Igorrr comments: "We are super excited to release this album with Metal Blade - such a high quality music place, with great artistic freedoms! This label is the home we want for our music...Throughout the years, Metal Blade has had really great taste in music, and a real capacity to promote extreme music - only a label like this could have been brave enough to release music like ours."

From an early age, Gautier Serre listened to Domenico Scarlatti, Cannibal Corpse, Chopin, Meshuggah, Jean-Sebastien Bach, Aphex Twin, Taraf de Haidouks, and Jean-Philippe Rameau, which inspired him to join several death metal, experimental and electronic bands in the early 2000s, before launching Igorrr. During that time, Gautier waited for an artist to bring together different musical genres and influences, to create one new sound - but he was disappointed with what he heard in the scene.

Gautier began to create his own music - naming his project Igorrr - and self-released two demos: Poisson Soluble (2006) and Moisissure (2008). Following the underground success of these demos, Igorrr signed with an electronic record label and released two full-length albums to critical acclaim: Nostril (2010) and Hallelujah (2012) - the latter of which includes guest appearances by Mayhem's Teloch (guitars), Secret Chiefs 3's Adam Stacey (accordion), as well as the original musicians Igorrr had been working with for years: Laurent Lunoir and Laure Le Prunenec as vocalists.

In a live setting, Gautier Serre, Laurent Lunoir and Laure Le Prunenec are joined by Sylvain Bouvier, who also recorded the drum parts of Savage Sinusoid in the studio with them. Together, this group of artists has already performed in France, all over Europe, the Middle East and North America.

For Igorrr's third album, Savage Sinusoid - and Metal Blade Records debut - fans can expect another experimental record featuring multiple guest musicians, with worldwide touring to follow. Stay tuned for more news coming soon.

(Photo: Svarta Photography)

Abreaction, the new studio album from Svart Crown, will be released on March 3rd in Europe, and March 17th in North America via Century Media. A video for the album track, “Orgasmic Spiritual Ecstasy”, is available for streaming below.

Abreaction will be available as a limited deluxe digipak that folds out to a cross (EU version), limited digipak (US version), limited gatefold LP+CD with a 12-page LP-booklet and as digital download/stream. Pre-order here.

The cover artwork for Abreaction was created by Stefan Thanneur and perfectly captures the vibe of Abreaction with its voodoo-like atmosphere and eldritch inscrutability.

Abreaction tracklisting:

“Golden Sacrament”
“Carcosa”
“The Pact: To The Devil His Due”
“Upon This Intimate Madness”
“Khimba Rites”
“Tentacion”
“Orgasmic Spiritual Ecstasy”
“Transsubstantiation”
“Emphatic Illusion”
“Lwas”
“Nganda”

“Orgasmic Spiritual Ecstasy” video:

“Khimba Rites” lyric video:

“Transsubstantiation”:

Tour dates:

February
23 - Le Petit Bain - Paris, France
25 - Le 106 - Rouen, France

March
3 - Le Metronum - Toulouse, France

Svart Crown lineup:

JB Le Bail - vocals, guitars
Ludovic Veyssière - bass
Kévin Paradis - drums
Kevin Verlay - guitars

The official video for the song "No Surrender" from ART OF ANARCHY, the band featuring CREED singer Scott Stapp alongside DISTURBED bassist John Moyer and ex-GUNS N' ROSES guitarist Ron "Bumblefoot" Thal, can be seen below. The track is taken from ART OF ANARCHY's sophomore album, "The Madness", which will be released on March 24.

Stapp states: "In 'No Surrender', I addressed those moments in life where you've reached a personal crossroads or crisis. That place where your back is against the wall and your left with two choices: cave in and crumble, allowing whatever circumstance to break you forever, or to rise up and fight through holding on to that never give up spirit that lies deep within. I detail in the verses personal experiences, as I lived them, that have taken me to that critical place of choice. Am I to give up, stay down and fade away, or get up, fight on and never surrender?"

The track listing for the CD is as follows:

01. Echo Of A Scream02. 1,000 Degrees03. No Surrender04. The Madness05. Won't Let You Down06. Changed Man07. A Light In Me08. Somber09. Dancing With The Devil10. Afterburn

Thal said in a recent interview with TeamRock that Stapp is thriving as ART OF ANARCHY's new lead singer, adding that the band is providing a healthy environment for Stapp as he continues his fight to stay sober. Thal explained: "The band, ART OF ANARCHY, is drug free. Me and the Votta brothers [guitarist Jon and drummer Vince] have never even smoked a cigarette, none of us drink, have never done drugs, never smoked pot or anything like that."

Thal continued: "So that's good, because the last thing you need on the road if you're trying to stay clean is a bunch of people doing that around you. Scott is doing well... It's great that he has a strong family and a lot of people that care and support and that were there to help him get out of that situation. Now he's better than ever."

The CREED frontman joined the band last year, following a highly publicized, drug-enhanced meltdown in late 2014, after which he entered rehab program and was diagnosed with bipolar disorder.

Stapp told The Pulse Of Radio he was touring as a solo artist again when he was approached about joining. "I really wasn't looking for a band, but I was definitely curious," he said. "I wanted to see what it was all about. I love writing with talented people and I think that's really what made the decision for me, was to sit in a room with Ron, Jon and Vince and throw out ideas, trade ideas and realize, 'Hey, there's something that could come of this.'"

ART OF ANARCHY made its live debut on October 27, 2016 at the Gramercy Theatre in New York City.

ART OF ANARCHY released a self-titled debut album in 2015 that featured former STONE TEMPLE PILOTS singer Scott Weiland.

Weiland, whom STP parted ways with in 2002 and again in 2013, died in December 2015.

Thal joined GUNS N' ROSES in 2006 and stayed in the band for eight years, playing on the 2008 album "Chinese Democracy". He has also released a number of solo CDs.

Photo: Annie Atlasman

German power metal outfit Stormhammer's new album Welcome To The End is set to be released on March 24th via Massacre Records. Graced with artwork created by Jan Yrlund, mixed by Mario Lochert and mastered by Jan Vacik, Welcome To The End features the following 14 tracks:

"The Beginning Of The End"
"Northman"
"Welcome To The End"
"The Heritage"
"Secret"
"The Law"
"Watchmen"
"Road To Heaven"
"My Dark Side"
"Into The Night"
"Spirit Of The Night"
"Soul Temptation"
"The Awakening"
"Black Dragon"

"Northman" lyric video:

Visit the official Stormhammer Facebook page for further details.

On February 20, former QUEENSRŸCHE and current OPERATION: MINDCRIME frontman Geoff Tate took part in a "One On One" session at City Winery in New York City during his "The Whole Story 'Rÿche' Acoustic Tour". Professionally filmed video footage of the two-song performance ("Out Of Mind" and "Chasing Blue Sky") can be seen below (video by Ehud Lazin).

Tate's current acoustic tour sees him performing songs from all 17 albums he has done throughout his illustrious 35-year career. Geoff is backed during the show by a seven-piece acoustic band of musicians from the United States and Ireland and features three guitar players, mandolin, cello, saxophone, violin and multiple percussion instruments to produce high-energy acoustic versions of some of the Tate's former band's most recognized songs, including "Silent Lucidity", "Jet City Woman", "Empire", "I Don't Believe In Love" and "Eyes Of A Stranger".

Tate told Centre Daily Times about his acoustic tour: "I've done acoustic tours before, but nothing quite like this. This is a storytelling tour and I've got 35 years of music, touring and stories to accompany all of that. I thought that it would be kind of interesting to tell stories about the songs and what was going on at the time when they came out, either with me personally, with the band or what was going on in the news at the time and how they influenced the albums."

According to Tate, stripping down songs involves so much more than just replacing the electric guitar with an acoustic.

"An acoustic presentation goes back to the roots of the song," he explained. "Every song I've ever written has either started on an acoustic guitar or a piano and with this tour, I am just reverse engineering the song back to where it started. I think that a song is a song, and you can take just about any song and reformat it with different instrumentation. As long as you have a vocalist, it's going to be identifiable to the audience.

"It's been really fun reworking the music to fit acoustically," he continued. "You have to approach it differently and figure out what the song's strength is. Is it the melody? The rhythm? And then, how do you showcase those things? It really is a different way of thinking and presenting the music."

"Resurrection", the second album from OPERATION: MINDCRIME, was released last September via Frontiers Music Srl. The album is the second part of Tate's musical trilogy.

Currently on the road in the US with Withered, Immortal Bird have checked in with the following update:

"This is a post we never wanted to make. This afternoon when we headed to our van we discovered it was missing. No broken glass, great neighborhood, everything was locked up and hidden away. We hoped it had been towed, but that wasn't the case. The NYPD found a video of our van blowing through the Verrazano Narrows Bridge toll at 6 AM. We parked at 3 AM. It has been stolen, and we think we were probably targeted and followed from Saint Vitus. We have filed a report and will regrettably have to miss our Boston show tonight. We are determined to keep the tour with Withered going but we have to figure out how. All of our gear and every bit of our merch was in the van. This is absolutely devastating and completely shocking. As we have no merch, all we have is our digital music on Bandcamp. Our PayPal is amitaydrums@gmail.com as well.

In the meantime, NY/NJ area please keep an eye out for a black 2006 Ford E350 with Illinois plates. 

Right now our plan is to make our show tomorrow in Portland (Maine) unless the NYPD or unforeseen circumstances intervene. We are also overwhelmed by the love and support we've seen today, and we can't wait to see our brothers in Withered again."

 

A GoFundMe page has been launched here to assist Immortal Bird in getting back on their feet.

* van pictured is not the actual van, but the same color/model

An acoustic cover version of an ARCH ENEMY song has earned praise from the band's lead singer, who called it a "beautiful tribute."

After Rabin Miguel's rendition of the ARCH ENEMY track "War Eternal" was posted on YouTube, it was shared on Facebook by frontwoman Alissa White-Gluz. She wrote: "Wow! This is great! I LOVE the arrangement! I sing our songs in clean vocals sometimes just to fuck around at soundcheck, but this is next level! Thank you for this beautiful fan art/tribute! We appreciate all the attention to detail and effort and talent required here!"

"War Eternal" was the title track of ARCH ENEMY's 2014 album, which marked Alissa's recorded debut with the band.

ARCH ENEMY guitarist Michael Amott told Rock Hard magazine earlier in the month that the band's new album is completely "written" and already "partially recorded." A September 2017 release is expected. He also confirmed that ARCH ENEMY's new guitarist, Jeff Loomis (ex-NEVERMORE), has not contributed to the songwriting on the group's new disc but "he's gonna be playing on the album, of course."

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. This performance marks the pinnacle of a highly successful album campaign in support of "War Eternal".

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.

Richard Patrick is working on an "ambient"-based FILTER album that he will make available through all the streaming music services later in the year.

The FILTER leader revealed his plans for the disc — tentatively titled "Sounds For Sloan And Other Restless Children" — via a video message posted on the band's Facebook page. He explained: "There was a few songs that I've done at the end of records — like 'Anthems For The Damned', 'The Amalgamut' and 'Crazy Eyes' — they're at the very end of the record and they're just these weird, ambient things. I've been doing 'em since, like, 1988 or whatever, but I've never made a record fully dedicated to just ambient, kind of Brian Eno-esque… just gorgeous music. And I think one of the reasons why I did it was because my daughter loves to hear the Spa channel [on SiriusXM], and I just hear so many freaking pan flutes and just goofy… There's a lot of piano, there's a lot of… And I just think that there should be an ambient record with more guitar and more weird, FILTER-sounding guitars and strange stuff that puts you in a dreamlike state."

Patrick added that some of the inspiration for the new FILTER album came from the movie-scoring work he recently did for "True Crime", the 2016 thriller starring Jim Carrey and Charlotte Gainsbourg, and "Last Rampage: The Escape Of Gary Tison", which starts Richard's brother, Robert Patrick, and is based on the true story of murderer Gary Tison's attempted escape from prison to Mexico.

Regarding the musical direction of "Sounds For Sloan And Other Restless Children", Richard said: "It's the opposite of what you've heard with 'Crazy Eyes', but you know me — I like to keep changing everything, I like to keep developing new ideas. And I've gotta be honest with you — I've gotta keep the creativity flowing like none other, because I break at the seams, I bust if I don't constantly put out new music."

FILTER's seventh album, "Crazy Eyes", was released in April 2016 via Wind-Up Records.




New Ambient FILTER LP In the works!!

-Sounds For Sloan And Other Restless Children-

It's an Ambient Record that sounds like "I like the world today/the 4Th/Can't she see/only you/can stop this". -Richard Patrick

Posted by Filter on Wednesday, February 22, 2017

New England-based hard rock/metal act, Mammothor, are preparing their new album, Devotion Lost, for an April 28th release. Recorded at New Alliance Audio in Cambridge, MA (Godsmack, Powerman 5000), mixed and engineered by Kyle Paradis (I Was Awake), and slated to be mastered by Jay Frigoletto (Alice in Chains, Shinedown, Tesla, Nonpoint) at Mastersuite, Devotion Lost is 12 tracks of full-on East Coast rock fury, including the first single “Faith Healer”, being released in April.

Devotion Lost sees Mammothor, long a staple in the New England Rock scene who have shared stages with the likes of Living Colour, Saving Abel, Fuel, Powerman 5000, Orgy, Eve 6, Hinder, Ted Nugent and more, vocalist Travis Lowell, Josh Johnson (guitar), Dana Sharpton (guitar), Dusty Mulholland (bass – studio only), and Nick Raby (drums) straying drastically at times from their blues rock roots and delving into bold, progressive new territory.

Opener "Howling Baying Jackal" recalls classic heavy metal in the vein of Iron Maiden, followed up by "Skin" an edgy alt-metal burner, with a dark, chanting core. The lyrics to “Skin” additionally provided inspiration for the eye catching album art on Devotion Lost, created by Italian graphic designer Maurizio Piccinelli.

First single “Faith Healer” sees the band settling into a more classic hard-rock style with a tune that’s radio-ready while still maintaining a dark, progressive metal edge. The back-to-back duo of “Shadows Of Oblivion” and “Elusive Engineer” sees Devotion Lost making perhaps the most stark stylistic shift; from screaming vocals and guitar driven heavy metal on “Shadows” to a melodic, moody ballad in the form of “Engineer”.

The album is rounded out by “Blood-Soaked Candy Heart”, “a twisted love story,” according to vocalist Travis Lowell, followed by the band’s re-imagining of their previous track “Tyrannicide”, and the crushing, “Pillar Of Simeon”.

Tracklisting:

“Howling Baying Jackal”
“Skin”
“Anatma”
“Faith Healer”
“Shadows Of Oblivion”
“Elusive Engineer”
“This Is Not An Exit”
“Generation Thief”
“Blood-Soaked Candy Heart 10 Launch Pad”
“Tyrannicide”
“Pillar Of Simeon”

The new Nitrogods album, Roadkill BBQ, will be released worldwide via Steamhammer / SPV on May 26th.

The German rock n’ roll three-piece recorded 14 brand new Nitrogods songs for album number three and on top of that... four great cover versions which will be pressed on an exclusive EP, only available in the Limited Edition box set.

This is the first time that SPV release a box set for the band and they put some real cool and worthy extras together for the fans. All details and the complete tracklistings will be announced soon.

Roadkill BBQ will come in these physical configurations:

1. CD digipak
2. Ltd. Vinyl Edition incl. CD
3. Lmited Edition Fan Box containing the album, the exclusive bonus EP and some more great extras

Dark Horizon have released a video for “Sea Sirens Voices” (Hollywood Version), featured on the recently released digital version of Metalhead, the limited edition EP pressed in 300 copies in March 2016. Find the video below.

This release, published by Tanzan Music, contains the unreleased track "I Wanna Be A Metalhead”, "Sea Sirens Voices” (Hollywood Edition) taken from the forthcoming new album Aenigma (Underground Symphony) and the covers "Lucifer's Hammer" (Warlord) and "Free" (Heavy Load).

Tracklisting:

“I Wanna Be A Metalhead”
“Lucifer’s Hammer”
“Sea Sirens Voices” (Hollywood Version)
“Free”

“Sea Sirens Voices” (Hollywood Version) video:

Lineup:

Roberto Quassolo - vocals
Daniele Mandelli - guitar
Alessandro Battini - keyboards
Luca Capelli - drums
Paolo Veluti - bass

Brazilian female-fronted progressive power metallers VANDROYA will release their new album, "Beyond The Human Mind", on April 28 via rough Inner Wound Recordings.

With a more evident progressive influence but without giving up the weight and virtuosity of power metal, the new album brings a more mature band, a more balanced sound and reflects the musicians technical and artistic evolution since the debut album, "One".

The "Beyond The Human Mind" album concept revolves around the journey we all go through in search of fullness and inner peace.

The cover artwork was created by Felipe Machado Franco (BLIND GUARDIAN, RHAPSODY OF FIRE, ICED EARTH).

Led by vocalist Daísa Munhoz, VANDROYA is ready to take the next step and make a mark in the metal scene with "Beyond The Human Mind".

"Beyond The Human Mind" track listing:

01. Columns Of Illusion 02. The Path To The Endless Fall 03. Maya 04. Time After Time 05. Last Breath 06. I'm Alive 07. You'll Know My Name 08. If I Forgive Myself 09. Beyond The Human Mind

VAMPS, the visually arresting Japanese rock band featuring Hyde (L'Arc-en-Ciel) and K.A.Z. (Oblivion Dust), will return to the U.S. this spring to join I PREVAIL and STARSET on their upcoming May U.S. tour. U.K. newcomers AS LIONS will also join select dates, with opener COVER YOUR TRACKS rounding out the tour lineup.

VAMPS vocalist Hyde states: "Playing with some of the most exciting rock bands out there, I PREVAIL and STARSET, is an honor and we're very much looking forward to this tour. We had a great North American tour last fall, but time was limited so we're thrilled to come back this spring and hit more cities."

Adds VAMPS guitarist K.A.Z.: "We can't wait to see all of our loyal U.S. fans and make new ones. Every time we've come to the United States, we've received a tremendously warm welcome so we're stoked to play some brand new songs from our forthcoming album to all of you for the first time. See you at the shows!"

Tickets go on sale this Friday, February 24 at 12 p.m. EST.

VAMPS has just completed recording its next full-length album, "Underworld", with writer/producer Kane Churko (IN THIS MOMENT, FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH, OZZY OSBOURNE, PAPA ROACH) for an April 26 release. Check out an exclusive music preview below.

Says the band:" 'Underworld' is not a place that we can see with our eyes, 'the physical world,' but the dark side that's hidden beneath the surface, 'the shadow world,' where VAMPS' true nature lies — a concept that brought this album to life."

Last fall, VAMPS crashed North American soil for select headline dates which included stops in Los Angeles, New York, Chicago, Toronto and Mexico City in support of two new songs: "Inside of Me" featuring Chris Motionless from MOTIONLESS IN WHITE, and "Rise Or Die" which was co-written with EMIGRATE/RAMMSTEIN guitarist Richard Z. Kruspe.

"Inside Of Me" was the first VAMPS track to ever receive airplay on SiriusXM Octane and impressively won the weekly Octane Twitter poll by a landslide. The song has since become the band's biggest streaming success to date.

"Underworld" track listing:

01. Underworld02. Calling03. Break Free04. Don’t Hold Back05. Bleed For Me06. In This Hell07. Inside Of Me (feat. Chris Motionless08. Rise Or Die (feat. Richard Z. Kruspe)09. Sin In Justice10. B.Y.O.B. (Bring Your Own Blood)11. Rise Up






We’re excited to tour the U.S. with I Prevail and Starset this May! Tickets on sale Friday. Check out this exclusive preview for some newmusic from our forthcoming album - out this Spring! More info: http://bit.ly/2m9d9dN

Posted by VAMPS on Wednesday, February 22, 2017

SEETHER, one of hard rock's most successful and enduring outfits, returns on May 12 with its seventh full-length studio album, titled "Poison The Parish". The first release via frontman Shaun Morgan's new label imprint Canine Riot Records, "Poison The Parish" is among the heaviest and emotionally pure efforts of the band's illustrious career. The album's epic lead single "Let You Down", premiered yesterday. The track's beautifully shot, horror-inspired video was unveiled today via VEVO; watch it below.

Recorded at Blackbird Studio in Nashville, Tennessee, "Poison The Parish" marks the first album produced in its entirety by the band's lead singer and songwriter, Shaun Morgan. Playing with a newfound ferocity and purpose, the new material gelled quickly, providing Morgan's dense, melodic grooves and brooding subject matter a gritty luster and room to breathe. Fifteen years deep into an incredibly consistent and rewarding career, SEETHER continues to thrive, pushing its creative boundaries while remaining true to its fiercely loyal, worldwide fan base. "Poison The Parish" is SEETHER at its very best, a gripping and self-assured affirmation of a quintessential hard rock band in peak form. SEETHER also just announced the fifth annual Rise Above Fest, the largest suicide awareness event in the world, which will be held Saturday, July 22 and Sunday, July 23 at Darling's Waterfront Park in Bangor, Maine. This year's performers include KORN, SHINEDOWN, STONE SOUR, SKILLET, HALESTORM, FALLING IN REVERSE, and more.

Morgan, Rise Above Fest's founder, was honored last year with the "Artistic Expression" award from the National Council for Behavioral Health at the Awards Of Excellence in Las Vegas. "Poison The Parish" track listing: 01. Stoke The Fire02. Betray And Degrade03. Something Else04. I'll Survive05. Let You Down06. Against the Wall07. Let Me Heal08. Saviours09. Nothing Left10. Count Me Out11. Emotionless12. Sell My Soul

Photo credit: Marina Chavez

"The Cell", the new video from French progressive metallers GOJIRA, can be seen below. The clip, directed by Drew Cox, sees GOJIRA delivering a pummelling and dynamic performance captured by a thermal-imaging camera.

GOJIRA was nominated in two categories at this year's Grammy Awards: "Best Metal Performance" for the song "Silvera", and "Best Rock Album" for "Magma".

GOJIRA frontman Joseph Duplantier told the AFP news agency about being nominated for a Grammy: "We started playing pretty intense thrash and death metal and I've been mostly growling for the last twenty years, so I wasn't expecting any kind of award. I never even thought of the concept of being nominated for the Grammys."

He added that the Grammy nods would not affect GOJIRA's musical and lyrical approach on the eventual follow-up to "Magma", which was a more commercially viable effort than the band's previous releases.

"We're super excited and surprised, but it's not like God telling you you're good and the others are not good," he said. "It's the Grammys."

METALLICA guitarist Kirk Hammett recently praised GOJIRA, saying that they were "the best thing I've heard in a long time. I love their new album," he said. "I think it's an incredible piece of art. It's heavy, it's vibey, it's moody. It has all the things you want to hear — great complex rhythms, great drumming, great riffs, great songs."

"Magma" was released last June via Roadrunner Records. The follow-up to 2012's "L'Enfant Sauvage" was recorded at Joseph's Silver Cord Studio in Queens, New York.

Asked what the title of GOJIRA's new album, "Magma", means to him, Joseph told Kerrang!: "To me, 'magma' is the primal energy. It's the blood of the earth. It's hot. It's dangerous. It is the guts. It's this music. It's the music we play. It's fusion. It's fire. It's electricity. It's… everything that we're trying to express with this music. That's what it means to me, 'magma.'"

AYREON, the highly acclaimed project from singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and record producer Arjen Lucassen, has released the official lyric video for the song "Everybody Dies", taken from the upcoming album "The Source". Check it out below.

"The Source" is an exciting new chapter in the AYREON saga, with contributions from renowned vocalists like James LaBrie (DREAM THEATER), Simone Simons (EPICA), Floor Jansen (NIGHTWISH), Hansi Kürsch (BLIND GUARDIAN), Tobias Sammet (EDGUY, AVANTASIA), and Russell Allen (SYMPHONY X). "The Source" will be released on April 28 through AYREON's new label Mascot Label Group/Music Theories Recordings.

While AYREON's "Forever/Planet Y" saga seemed to have reached its conclusion with the album "01011001", it's clear that Lucassen's creative muses had other plans. The new AYREON album "The Source" revisits the "Forever" saga, adding a whole new chapter to Lucassen's impressive body of work. With its top-flight cast of singers and musicians, compelling songs, overwhelming sound, and intriguing story, "The Source" offers everything that has gained Lucassen dedicated fans worldwide since he laid the foundations of AYREON back in the mid-'90s.

The story of "The Source" is set six billion years in the past relative to Earth. It begins on Planet Alpha, a world in the Andromeda system where computer intelligence has far surpassed that of humanity. Alpha is facing a massive global crisis, with ecological and political catastrophes threatening all human life. The Alphans (our human ancestors) try to save their planet by entrusting the global computer mainframe — The 'Frame — to find a solution. Given total control of the planet, the 'Frame reaches the logical conclusion that its creators are the cause of all the trouble. The only way to solve Alpha's problems is to exterminate humanity. This leaves the Alphans no other option than to try and escape their horrific fate. But their escape comes at a terrible price. It's the beginning of a story that contains everything that has made the Ayreon epics so endlessly fascinating all these years.

The international status of AYREON enables Arjen Lucassen to write his characters with some of the most respected singers in rock in mind: James LaBrie (DREAM THEATER), Tommy Giles Rogers (BETWEEN THE BURIED AND ME), Simone Simons (EPICA), Mike Mills (TOEHIDER), Floor Jansen (NIGHTWISH), Hansi Kürsch (BLIND GUARDIAN), Michael Eriksen (CIRCUS MAXIMUS), Tobias Sammet (EDGUY, AVANTASIA), Nils K. Rue (PAGAN'S MIND), Zaher Zorgati (MYRATH), Tommy Karevik (KAMELOT) and Russell Allen (SYMPHONY X). Special contributions were offered by guitarists Paul Gilbert (MR. BIG), Guthrie Govan (THE ARISTOCRATS, ASIA, STEVEN WILSON), Marcel Coenen and keyboard player Mark Kelly (MARILLION).

Watch the epic 12-minute video for album opener "The Day That The World Breaks Down" below.

Just as on his previous albums, "The Source" has Arjen Lucassen playing a wide variety of instruments, while the inimitable Ed Warby (ELEGY, GOREFEST, HAIL OF BULLETS) once again masterfully handles the drums.

2017 will be a particularly exciting year for AYREON fans thanks to a unique chance to actually see AYREON live. Limited to three exclusive performances, "The Ayreon Universe" will take place in September in the prestigious 013 venue in Tilburg, Holland. This unprecedented live event features the best of twenty years of AYREON music, brought to life by a top cast of musicians such as Floor Jansen (NIGHTWISH), Russell Allen (SYMPHONY X), Damian Wilson (THRESHOLD), Hansi Kürsch (BLIND GUARDIAN), Tommy Karevik (KAMELOT), Jonas Renkse (KATATONIA), Anneke van Giersbergen, and various others. The reclusive Arjen Lucassen himself is also expected to make a rare appearance on stage. The tickets for all concerts — 9000 in total — sold out within a day, proving once again that the AYREON magic is still very much alive and kicking.

"The Source" track listing:

CD1

Chronicle 1: The 'Frame

01. The Day That The World Breaks Down02. Sea Of Machines 03. Everybody Dies

Chronicle 2: The Aligning Of The Ten

04. Star Of Sirrah 05. All That Was 06. Run! Apocalypse! Run! 07. Condemned To Live

CD2

Chronicle 3: The Transmigration

08. Aquatic Race 09. The Dream Dissolves 10. Deathcry Of A Race 11. Into The Ocean

Chronicle 4: The Rebirth

12. Bay Of Dreams 13. Planet Y Is Alive! 14. The Source Will Flow 15. Journey To Forever 16. The Human Compulsion 17. March Of The Machines

Rob Zombie has has lent his voice to "Guardians Of The Galaxy 2".

Rob confirmed his involvement in the sequel to the 2014 comedic superhero flick via his Instagram account.

Zombie posted a picture of him with the film's director, James Gunn, and wrote: "With James Gunn at Disney recording a voice for 'Guardians Of The Galaxy 2'."

Gunn later tweeted: "It isn't a James Gunn film without Rob Zombie's voice!"

In the first "Guardians" film, Zombie voiced the Ravager's own navigation system. Zombie also lent his voice to other characters in Gunn's films: he voiced a doctor in "Slither" and even sounded off as God in "Super".

Last July, Jimmy Urine of electro-punks MINDLESS SELF INDULGENCE revealed that he will have a part in the upcoming "Guardians Of The Galaxy" sequel. Urine was cast in the role of Half-Nut, a member of the Ravagers.

AEROSMITH frontman Steven Tyler last year publicly expressed an interest in being a part of "Guardians Of The Galaxy 3" — even though a third instalment wouldn't arrive before 2020 at the earliest.

Gunn responded: "Yes, I did hear that Steven Tyler wants to be in 'Guardians Of The Galaxy'. The answer is, Steven, yes I am listening. And I'm a big fan of Steven Tyler's. I had the pleasure of directing his daughter Liv in 'Super' in 2010 in which she was fantastic, and I met him for a few seconds at a screening of that movie. He's a cool guy. And, of course, I would love to work with Steven Tyler sometime."

"Guardians Of The Galaxy 2" is due in theaters on May 5.

A video for Black Sabbath's "Killing Yourself To Live" has been created using the album track and footage from the Santa Monica Civic show in 1975. Check it out below.

Rare Black Sabbath live audio was recently posted on YouTube. The clip below features the band performing at Rugman’s Youth Club in Dumfries, Scotland on November 16th, 1969. The setlist was as follows:

"Black Sabbath"
"Let Me Love You Baby"
"Song For Jim" - Drum Solo - Reprise
"The Warning" (Aynsley Dunbar Retaliation Cover)
"Wicked World"
"Behind The Wall Of Sleep"
"Early One Morning" (Elmore James Cover)
"N.I.B."
"Blue Blooded Man"

Ozzy Osbourne - vocals
Tony Iommi - guitar, flute
Geezer Butler - bass
Bill Ward - drums

Bobby Blotzer will undergo lumbar spine surgery at the end of March.

The original RATT drummer revealed the news in a Facebook post, explaining that one of the spine's five intervertebral segments has collapsed, with another one soon to follow.

According to Blotzer, he has been getting epidural spine injections for six years and had a nerve-burning procedure done, neither one of which has successfully ended his chronic pain problems.

Blotzer, who had a spinal fusion surgery for the C6-C7 vertebrae in his neck four years ago, said that he will go under the knife two days after his version of RATT performs at the Prairie Knights Casino & Resort in Fort Yates, North Dakota on March 18.

Blotzer did not disclose who will front his version of RATT at the North Dakota concert, having recently parted ways with singer Joshua Alan, who had been with the group since its late 2015 inception.

The drummer also promised that he would "mop up [the] litigation" he is currently embroiled in with his former bandmate over the rights to the RATT name and that he would return to the road "with RATT around late June."

Blotzer has spent the last year and a half battling the other three members of RATT's classic lineup in court. At the same time, he has been hitting the road with his version of RATT, which, in addition to Alan, most recently included guitarists Mitch Perry (TALAS, HEAVEN, STEELER, MSG, LITA FORD) and Stacey Blades (L.A. GUNS) and bassist Brad Lang (Y&T).

Back in November, a California judge ruled against Blotzer with respect to whether bassist Juan Croucier had committed trademark infringement by using the RATT name and logo to advertise his band RATT'S JUAN CROUCIER in the fall of 2015. The judge furthermore decided that the corporation WBS, Inc. — of which Blotzer and guitarist Warren DeMartini were thought to be the sole shareholders — did not have ownership interest in the RATT marks and that the name and brand was still owned by the members who were part of the original RATT partnership agreement.

In addition to claiming to have expelled Blotzer from the partnership following the November court ruling, DeMartini, Croucier and singer Stephen Pearcy said that Blotzer could now only refer to himself as a "former member of RATT," as per the partnership agreement.

Blotzer's attorney later filed a request for reconsideration, and a hearing was held on January 23 in a downtown Los Angeles federal courtroom at which point the judge took the matter under submission. Less than two weeks later — on February 3 — U.S. District Judge Dean D. Pregerson issued an order denying Blotzer's request.

The RATT version featuring Pearcy, DeMartini, Croucier and later-period RATT guitarist Carlos Cavazo (ex-QUIET RIOT) made its first official return to the stage on February 11 at the Treasure Island Resort Casino in Welch, Minnesota.




Hey all : I got this MRI last week. Having some bad shite coming to the roads end on my back.

Alot of people that...

Posted by RATT on Tuesday, February 21, 2017

Sólstafir will release their new album Berdreyminn on May 26th via Season Of Mist. More information coming soon.

Tracklisting:

“Silfur-Refur”
“Ísafold”
“Hula”
“Nárós”
“Hvít Sæng”
“Dýrafjörður”
“Ambátt”
“Bláfjall”

(Photo by: Falk-Hagen_Bernshausen)

A playthrough video for the song "Schizomaniac" from death metal veterans SIX FEET UNDER can be seen below. The track is taken from the band's twelfth studio album, "Torment", which will be released on February 24 via Metal Blade.

There's plenty of classic SIX FEET UNDER groove to be had on "Torment", but fans will note a much more aggressive approach, and even more modern blast beats throughout. This is a cantankerous SIX FEET UNDER with absolutely nothing to prove. This is SIX FEET UNDER at its most deadly.

"Torment" was brought to life by Chris Barnes with bassist/guitarist Jeff Hughell (BRAIN DRILL) shouldering the load of writing the music, along with heralded drummer Marco Pitruzzella (BRAIN DRILL, ANOMALOUS, SLEEP TERROR). The combination of Barnes's multi-decade death metal experience and the speed and precision of Hughell and Pitruzzella's relative youth go a long way to cementing this as a solid foundation for high-level death metal. This is immediately apparent in the first track "Sacrificial Kill" and expanded further right away in the second track "Exploratory Homicide". Both Hughell and Pitruzzella are allowed to play their style of metal with a unique SIX FEET UNDER flair. That's what makes "Torment" a unique and welcome addition to the band's stories catalog.

Barnes states about "Torment": "I've been lucky to have a lot of standout albums in my career. That's only because I've had a great many talented writing partners and musicians to collaborate with. Our new album, 'Torment', to me, is one of those albums. Jeff Hughell has provided the flammable material for me to write some explosive lyrics and vocal parts to.

"I know people always say, 'This is my best album ever,' and I won't say that, because everyone has their own favorites, but I do enjoy creating new music, and I feel as though with this one we expressed concisely and to the fullest the duality of our music. I have also found it important over the years, going back to the start of my career, that the artwork for our albums gets to express, on some level, what the experience is within. To do that this time around, we were able to incorporate an amazing new artist, Septian Devenum, to take on the task of visually bringing this album to life.

"Every song on the album is depicted with a piece of artwork that explores the lyrical content of each song, similar to what we did for the packaging for our album 'Bringer Of Blood'.

"'Torment' has been a great album to work on and help create, we hope all of our fans appreciate it."

"Torment" track listing:

01. Sacrificial Kill02. Exploratory Homicide03. The Separation Of Flesh From Bone04. Schizomaniac05. Skeleton06. Knife Through The Skull07. Slaughtered As They Slept08. In The Process Of Decomposing09. Funeral Mask10. Obsidian11. Bloody Underwear12. Roots Of Evil

SIX FEET UNDER's new album was mixed by Chris "Zeuss" Harris and was previously described by Barnes as "the most brutally intense, groove-laden masterpiece we've ever put together!"

SIX FEET UNDER in December completed the "X-Mas in Hell Tour 2016" in Germany where the band celebrated the 21st anniversary of its debut album, "Haunted", by performing the LP in its entirety.