In their 26 years together, the only thing as steady as Opeth's quality has been their growth. 2011's Heritage signaled the most tectonic shift, with Sweden's premier progressive death metal act suddenly vaporizing the bear-roar vocals and leaning all the way into their prog side. 2014's Pale Communion continued the adventure masterfully, and this Friday's Sorceress, Opeth's 12th studio album, is—spoiler alert—equally stellar.

Fuse spoke with 42-year-old vocalist/guitarist/songwriter Mikael Åkerfeldt about why he's never written lyrics in Swedish, seriousness vs. fun in metal, and exactly how unamused his daughters are with his stardom.

Fuse: Congratulations on Sorceress. Have you felt the need to beckon fans along as your sound has changed, or are you not really fussed with it, just leave them to pick up the trail or leave it?

Mikael Åkerfeldt: I'm not really bothered. I mean, I love our fans, what can I say? We've been around for 26 years and I'm not sure how many fans have been there since the beginning. Overall we have respect for them, but it kind of ends when it comes to what we're gonna do on the creative side. We just do what we want to do, basically. It's been the same since the beginning, and I figure that's our style. We don't necessarily use this band to try to gain popularity or to be successful. That's nice, of course—it's easy for me to say that now that I'm fairly successful, but we've never done music for that reason. I don't really care what fans think, but I love it if they like it.

There a big divide in metal between being serious and being fun. Your albums have always been pretty straight-faced, but at your shows you seem to be having a great time, you're chatty, there's a lighter atmosphere in the room. Is that dichotomy something you've looked at over the years?

I've been exposed to that quite a few times. I've been forced in photo sessions to look serious—and equally I've been forced to look like, "Give us a funny face." And I don't like either. When we're playing live, I want it to be fun, because I get tense. I'm a bit nervous when I walk up onstage, and that type of talk works as a means for me to calm down. And somehow everybody calms down. It feels like if I say something stupid onstage, it kinda brings it from those types of superstar, hero type figures that some people think we are, to just being a couple guys onstage, which makes me much more comfortable.

Besides, if we get rid of that type of rock-star thing, they will forgive us for fucking up onstage too [laughs]. But for sure, to answer your question, yes, I've seen that type of distance between the serious metal people who would never smile because it's not cool enough, and the other side.

Do you see Opeth on one side or the other?

We're somewhere in between, I guess. We don't really think too much about it. The music is always gonna be serious. There's some humor on the records, I guess, musically and in the artwork, at least on the later records. The music is very serious for us. I don't make fun, ha-ha type music. I've never been interested in that type of stuff. But you mix it up a little bit.

Do you ever write lyrics in Swedish and translate them?

I don't think I've written a lyric in Swedish ever, to be honest. I might have tried back in the day at some point, to write something that I fully understood in Swedish, and then translate it into English, but it didn't come out right. My lyrics overall, I guess they're quite pretentious at times, but I don't feel so pretentious when I write in English. If I write in my native tongue, it's like, "Oh my god, who the fuck do I think I am?" So it's very difficult for me. And I might write equally stupid and cringe-worthy lyrics in English, but at least I'm not completely aware of it, because it's not my first language.

But I think most Opeth fans would agree that in this band music comes first and lyrics second. Of course, part of the music is what I'm singing—if I'm having a vocal line, it's helpful if the lyric I'm singing is good. I think our fans who have English as their native tongue are quite forgiving. I might have like grammatical errors or write something superbly pretentious and stupid, and they're like, "Aww, it's fine, he's Swedish, they don't know better."

The Gothenburg bands, you guys and Meshuggah sucked me into metal as a kid. I always wondered how and why you were all writing songs in English in the early '90s.

Swedish...I mean, our language is... you know, the fucking Muppets made fun of Swedish forever, the Swedish Chef and all that stuff. These bands you mentioned, we're all pretty much the same age, born in the '70s and grew up with metal and fell in love with metal. And every single band we listened to, it didn't matter if they came out of Germany or from Switzerland or Sweden, everybody was singing in English. So I don't think anybody really even discussed whether we're gonna sing in Swedish or in English. It was a set decision before anybody even talked about it: The lyrics are gonna be in English. And Swedish people are generally quite known for speaking English quite well. When I went to school, ages ago now, I started learning English in second or third grade—third, I think—and same for everybody from my year. So everybody's quite advanced.

So this one's called Sorceress. Do you have an iconic sorceress in your head?

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

You're playing Radio City Music Hall in New York this weekend, the day after the album drops. That's a prestigious place.

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

Do you have a different feeling when you're backstage there or when the show's getting close? Do you feel out of place at all, is it just another show?

I always feel out of place. But that's a paradox, because those posh, nice venues, they usually have shit dressing rooms. Like, tiny fucking shit dressing rooms you can barely get in with the whole band. And once you step out onstage it's all beautiful, but backstage it's usually quite miserable.

Do you mean you only feel out of place at these fussier venues, or in general?

No, all venues. But I feel out of place on the subway. I'm perhaps not normal that way. But, yeah—I don't feel I belong anywhere, really.

What are some situations people might be surprised to know you find uncomfortable?

Well, the stage is one. Oh, there's one place I feel actually comfortable, in my home, of course. Or in my girlfriend's home, and in the studio. I love being in the studio. But onstage, not comfortable really. Backstage, on the tour bus where there's lots of people, especially if you're on tour and there's lots of people who know who I am, I get uncomfortable. But I also get uncomfortable where there's lots of people who don't know who I am, so I guess...[laughs]. I think I might I have to go to some therapy.

What do your daughters think of your music?

They're indifferent. They don't necessarily like my music—I think my youngest daughter said it bluntly, like, "I don't like your music." Ah, I love you too.

My older daughter I think is secretly proud. She usually checks out which song is the most popular on Spotify, the song that has the most plays, or whatever. But none of them are interested in our music, really. I brought them out to shows, festivals, and I can be onstage and I have them get a seat on the side of the stage so they can watch. And then I start playing, and I feel like, "Okay, we're doing well, it's sounding good, Daddy's cool." And I look over to them and they're just looking down into their cell phones. They don't think I'm cool at all. And they think my music sucks. But I make good pancakes.

Did you ever think about being a parent and a musician at the same time, what it would be like?

No, it was a scary thought. When I was younger and I was a musician, I felt like a kid, or I felt childish, because I didn't have much education to fall back on, I didn't have a good job, I didn't make any money. So I felt like a child for longer than the people in my school. Having kids felt a bit like on the same level as going to Mars, pretty much. But then my best friend had a child, which is my godson, actually, and that set off, as it usually does, it kind of set off a trend. I saw that he was fucking more miserable than I was, and I figured, if he can do it, I can have kids. And lo and behold.

SOUNDGARDEN guitarist Kim Thayil says that the band has "rough demos of a dozen or so songs" for the follow-up to 2012's comeback album, "King Animal". The group started work on a new record last year, but took a break while frontman Chris Cornell toured last fall and earlier this year in support of his latest solo effort, "Higher Truth".

Speaking to "Whiplash", the KLOS radio show hosted by Full Metal Jackie, Thayil said about the progress of the songwriting sessions for the next SOUNDGARDEN record (hear audio below): "Right now, there are some other projects that are taking up bandmembers' time. Matt's [Cameron, drums] got some PEARL JAM touring and projects. Matt and Chris [Cornell, vocals] together, of course, are working on this TEMPLE OF THE DOG [reunion] thing.

"Over the past year, we've had a number of songwriting and jam sessions, SOUNDGARDEN, getting together to simply exchange ideas and document and record them. So we have some rough demos of a dozen or so songs. We'll continue to do this as everyone's schedule lightens up and opens up. And hopefully by next year we'll find ourselves in the studio fleshing out these ideas."

Thayil also talked about how SOUNDGARDEN's creative process for making a new album has changed from when the band first achieved success.

"The most exciting thing was having the new material be as fresh, and to add to the new material with the individual musical experiences we've acquired over the past decade or so," he said. "That kept everything with the same songwriting and personnel dynamic, that's augmented that personal dynamic with these new ideas and new music and new experiences that we've acquired over the past decade or so."

he continued: "With any relationship — with family or loved ones or boyfriend and girlfriend — sometimes after a period of time, you grow apart; you grow apart when you're together, you grow apart when you're away. But after this long period of time, we're still sort of where we're at with each other, and that's been a very positive thing. Probably because over those years when the band was not together, we were all still in touch and all still sharing similar social circles and the same friends, so we were always constantly doing things together and running into each other. It was just a matter of getting the four of us all on the same page and willing to put our nose to the grindstone and do the work that was required to keep the SOUNDGARDEN machine going the way it was when we split in the late '90s. I think the added maturity and growth is probably a bonus as well."

SOUNDGARDEN reunited in 2010 after a 13-year layoff, touring and then eventually writing new material that became the basis for "King Animal", its first new studio album in 16 years.

In addition to "King Animal", SOUNDGARDEN has issued a live CD, a greatest hits compilation and a two-disc collection of B-sides, outtakes and rarities.

"Whiplash" airs every Monday night from 10:00 p.m. to 12:00 a.m. on the Los Angeles radio station 95.5 KLOS. The show can be heard on the KLOS web site at 955klos.com or you can listen in on the KLOS channel on iHeartRadio. Full Metal Jackie also hosts a nationally syndicated radio program, which can be heard all over the country.

To see a full list of stations carrying Full Metal Jackie's show and when it airs, go to FullMetalJackieRadio.com.

X Japan drummer/founder Yoshiki Hayashi recently spoke to South China Morning Post about the band's forthcoming English language - their first - and the award winning We Are X documentary. Following is an excerpt from the story:

Though X Japan have been performing around the world since reuniting in 2007, Hayashi admits they are not widely recognised outside of Asia. That may change now, as the new album will be sung in English – breaking down the language barrier that critics believe has stopped the band reaching a wider audience.

“There are still a lot of challenges ahead. I don’t know how many people in the West are ready for artists such as us, coming from the East. There are still walls between the East and the West, a culture barrier. Being an artist from Asia, to go overseas and to perform in Western countries, it’s not easy.”

He reckons X Japan is helping pave the way for the next generation of Asian artists.
“We want to break that wall for new artists so they can become popular anywhere in the world.”

Go to this location for the complete report.

Drafthouse Films has announced today that they will release Stephen Kijak's We Are X in New York and Los Angeles on October 21st, followed by nationwide expansion. Since its premiere at the 2016 Sundance Film Festival--where it was awarded the Special Jury Prize for editing--the film has continued to garner critical acclaim due to its remarkably candid portrayal of its enigmatic subject, Yoshiki, leader of the Japanese band X Japan.

Since then, We Are X  has played to sold-out audiences on the festival circuit, including at the 2016 SXSW Film Festival and was the most tweeted about topic during the week of SXSW only after the festival's keynote speaker, President Barack Obama. Audiences at both the Sundance and SXSW screenings were treated to exclusive performances by Yoshiki, and similar eventized concert presentations of the film are planned for its theatrical release.

"You will not believe the trials and tribulations that the arena-filling, mega-band X Japan have faced in their 30 year career," says Drafthouse Films founder Tim League. "This documentary will leave you equally breathless and uplifted.  It is the best music doc of the year, and we are honored to bring it to American audiences."

"After spending two years making this film, we are really delighted that the uniquely experienced Tim League, Tom Quinn and Drafthouse Films will be masterminding its theatrical life in the U.S.," says John Battsek of Passion Pictures. "Their passion and commitment to the film mirror ours and we are excited to work with them through the film's release."

From the production team behind the Oscar-winning Searching for Sugar Man comes We Are X, a transcendent rock & roll story about X Japan, the world's biggest and most successful band you've never heard of...yet.

Under the enigmatic direction of drummer, pianist, composer and producer Yoshiki, X Japan has sold over 30 million singles and albums combined--captivating such a wide range of admirers as Sir George Martin, KISS, Stan Lee, and even the Japanese Emperor--and pioneered a spectacle-driven style of visual rock, creating a one-of-a-kind cultural phenomenon.

Chronicling the band's exhilarating, tumultuous and unimaginable history over the past three decades--persevering through personal, physical and spiritual heartache--the film culminates with preparations for their breathtaking reunion concert at New York's legendary Madison Square Garden. Directed by acclaimed documentarian Stephen Kijak (Stones in Exile, Scott Walker: 30 Century Man), We Are X is an astonishingly intimate portrait of a deeply haunted--but truly unstoppable--virtuoso and the music that has enthralled legions of the world's most devoted fans.

The film was produced by John Battsek of Passion Pictures, producer of two Academy Award winning documentaries (Searching For Sugar Man, One Day in September).

Guitarist and composer Steve Vai is among the inductees for this year's class of the Long Island Music Hall Of Fame. This year's class of inductees also includes legendary music executive Charles Koppelman, singer/songwriter Garland Jeffreys, film composer Carter Burwell, hip-hop performer Big Daddy Kane, legendary songwriters/instrumentalists Santo & Johnny, early jazz specialist/bandleader Vince Giordano, and Westbury Music Fair, now the NYCB Theater at Westbury. The LIMHOF will also present the 2016 Harry Chapin Award to Steven Van Zandt for his dedication to music education on Long Island and across the country. Additionally, LIMHOF honors the 2015 and 2016 Music Educators of Note — Long Island public or private school educators who have demonstrated an exceptional and long-term commitment to music education, as well as Long Island music students.

All of the inductees were selected from LIMHOF's evolving and growing list of involved people, artists, groups and entities that were born, raised, were founded, or have resided on Long Island for a significant portion of their career or existence.

On Thursday, November 3, 2016, the sixth induction awards ceremony and fundraising gala with a star-studded red carpet event will take place at The Space at Westbury, 250 Post Avenue, Westbury, New York.

In addition to tributes, performances and introductions by the class of inductees, the induction ceremony will host a variety of celebrity appearances, musical performances and visits from former inductees.

"On behalf of myself and the entire Board of Directors of the Long Island Music Hall Of Fame, we are thrilled to have a new class of inductees join a long list of incredible people who have made their mark on the music industry," said Joe Jankowski, executive director of the Long Island Music Hall Of Fame. "This induction ceremony is set to be one of our best yet and as always, we have quite a few surprises up our sleeves."

"I am very pleased that the Long Island Music Hall Of Fame has chosen The Space at Westbury for its prestigious induction ceremony. We look forward to hosting this extraordinary event," said Cyrus Hakakian, founder and owner of The Space at Westbury.

General seating starts at $95 ($75 presale) and are available through Ticketmaster. Premium VIP table seating and sponsorships are available, which includes an exclusive VIP pre-induction awards dinner party, performances, and awards ceremony.

STONE SOUR frontman Corey Taylor has confirmed to Matt Pinfield in a new interview that the band has written and demoed eighteen songs for its sixth studio album, with plans to hit the studio in January for a likely mid-2017 release.

"I am so stoked," Corey said. "Oh, my god. We're gonna go in in January to record for a couple of months [and] hopefully get it out late spring, early summer of next year. And it'll be the first album that we're doing with [Johny] Chow, our bass player, and Christian Martucci, our new guitar player. And it is fantastic. I mean, we've already got eighteen songs written. And it is some of the best material we've ever written. It is so good, and it is such a great amalgam of all of these different styles that we just absolutely love. It's got a little bit of the heavy, like we like to do, but it's also way more hard rock — way more rock 'n' roll and hard rock than heavy. I mean, there's even a little bit of punk in there. And there's an energy there that is gonna decimate and blow away a lot of stuff that comes out next year. That's how excited I am."

The recording sessions for the next STONE SOUR album will take place at Sphere Studios in Los Angeles. "We're gonna record it the old-fashioned way," Taylor explained. "We're gonna get us all in the room. We're gonna record it together; we're gonna have that energy bouncing off of each other. It's gonna be a modern throwback, let's put it that way, and it's gonna destroy people."

He continued: "We're gonna co-produce ourselves with a good friends of ours named Jay Ruston, who has done a lot of work with a lot of different people. He has produced and mixed STEEL PANTHER, ANTHRAX [and] a bunch of different other people. He also mixed the two 'House Of Gold And Bones' albums that we put out, and he mixed the two covers EPs that STONE SOUR put out as well. So we have a great relationship with him, and he's somebody we really trust and we absolutely love to work with. So we're really looking forward to going in with him and really making a kick-ass rock 'n' roll album."

Corey added: "We're really excited, man. Just the demos alone are so good that it's just, like, 'Dude, this is gonna destroy!'"

STONE SOUR, has released two EPs of cover songs — "Meanwhile In Burbank…" and "Straight Out Of Burbank" — and was slated to issue a third, titled "No Sleep 'Till Burbank", but those plans now appear to have been scrapped.

STONE SOUR last year named Christian Martucci as the permanent replacement for Jim Root, who was dismissed from the band in late 2013 after he decided to sit out the group's last tour in order to begin working on the new SLIPKNOT album. Martucci was recruited to play on that tour and was confirmed as a permanent member in March 2015 in a Facebook post.

Root did not speak kindly of STONE SOUR in interviews after he was fired, saying, "Some of the guys in STONE SOUR, I think they just want to be a radio band and write strictly for radio and try to be more of a poppy rock band. And that's not really what I'm into. There's at least one guy in the band that's only concerned about money. I really have no desire to associate with people like that anymore."

Root played on all five STONE SOUR studio records to date, including 2010's "Audio Secrecy" and the band's last collection of original music, "House Of Gold And Bones", a double concept album which was released in two parts in 2012 and 2013.

Interview (audio):

According to Billboard, "Popestar", the new EP from Swedish occult rockers GHOST, sold 21,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release. The effort landed at position No. 1 on both Billboard's Top Rock Albums and Hard Rock Albums charts.

Meanwhile, the new GHOST original song "Square Hammer", which is featured on "Popestar", has entered multiple Billboard charts, including Hard Rock Digital Song Sales at No. 7 (3,000 downloads sold), No. 33 on the Mainstream Rock Songs airplay chart, No. 36 on Rock Digital Song Sales and No. 41 on Hot Rock Songs.

"Popestar" was released on September 16. The effort includes covers of songs from bands like ECHO & THE BUNNYMEN and EURYTHMICS along with "Square Hammer".

"Popestar" was helmed by English producer Tom Dalgety, who has previously worked with ROYAL BLOOD and KILLING JOKE, among others.

A Nameless Ghoul told myROCK about GHOST's new EP: "The EP will sort of connect with 'Meliora', so it's not [going to feature] a new Papa [Editor's note: In a parody of the Catholic Church's tradition of papal succession, GHOST singer Papa Emeritus is purportedly replaced by a new Papa for each GHOST album.], it's not a new album; it's gonna be like an extension of 'Meliora'. That is gonna prolong the tour. So we're gonna do an American tour in the fall, and then we're gonna come back to Europe in the beginning of next year and do a bigger, sort of final 'Meliora' show. And in between now and then, we will work on the new album, and after the European tour in the beginning of [2017], we're gonna go into the studio and record a new album."

GHOST kicked off the "Popestar" U.S. tour on September 16, with dates scheduled through November 12 in Brooklyn, New York.

Sharon Osbourne says that she and Ozzy have worked out their issues after he had an extramarital affair earlier in the year.

Sharon spoke about the state of her marriage during an appearance on last night's episode of "Conan".

The couple reportedly split up earlier this year after his infidelity, but Ozzy has since been in therapy for sex addiction.

Asked by host Conan O'Brien if she and Ozzy "worked it out and talked about it," Sharon replied: "It wasn't as easy as that, but we worked it out."

"It's tough, you know, when you're an addict," Sharon added. "He likes too much alcohol, he likes too much drugs, he likes too much sex. Everything is too much, so it's tough for somebody that suffers with that."

According to The Pulse Of Radio, Ozzy last month apologized to the women with whom he has had extramarital sexual relationships and admitted to undergoing therapy for sex addiction. Ozzy's statement came out in the wake of the first interview given by Michelle Pugh, the celebrity hairstylist whose four-year affair with the BLACK SABBATH singer was discovered by Sharon and nearly ended their 33-year marriage.

In an interview with People, Pugh revealed: "When I say he gave me the greatest love of my life, I mean it. He made me feel like the most beautiful and worshipped woman in the world." She added that Ozzy was "unhappy" in his marriage and that she connected with the singer on an "emotional level."

The response issued by reps for Ozzy said: "Over the last six years, Ozzy Osbourne has been dealing with a sex addiction. He is sorry if Ms. Pugh took their sexual relationship out of context. He would like to apologize to the other women he has been having sexual relationships with." The statement added: "Ozzy has gone into intense therapy. Ozzy is mortified at what his behavior has done to his family. He thanks God that his incredible wife Sharon is at his side to support him.”

Ozzy reportedly pursued Pugh for a year after she first colored his hair in late 2011.

Sharon reportedly learned of Ozzy's affair by having a private investigator look into his activities. A source told In Touch that Sharon "found out that Ozzy was spending a lot of money. She wanted to know what he was buying and who he was buying it for. The investigator discovered that he was basically living a double life."

Ozzy is in the midst of a year-long farewell tour with SABBATH and has also reportedly been working on a new solo album.

Ozzy's cheating may also have legal ramifications. His four-year affair with Pugh may end up costing his daughter, Kelly Osbourne, a decent chunk of change. Michelle has filed a lawsuit against her for defamation, intentional infliction of emotional distress and public disclosure of public facts. The former "Fashion Police" co-host tweeted Michelle's phone number after news of the fling first broke and wrote, "Anyone looking for cheap chunky LOW-light and blow out and a blow*** call..." Michelle is seeking an unspecified amount in compensatory and punitive damages as well as "other relief."

"The Hunt", the new video from Montreal, Quebec, Canada-based melodic death metallers THE AGONIST, can be seen below. The song is taken from the band's upcoming album, "Five", which will be released on September 30 via and Napalm Records. The CD was recorded with producer Mike Plotnikoff, who has previously worked with BUCKCHERRY, OTEP, HALESTORM, DROWNING POOL, THEORY OF A DEADMAN, 3 DOORS DOWN, FEAR FACTORY, FLYLEAF and SKILLET, among others.

"Five" track listing:

01. The Moment02. The Chain03. The Anchor and The Sail04. The Game05. The Ocean06. The Hunt07. The Raven Eyes08. The Wake09. The Resurrection10. The Villain11. The Pursuit of Emptiness12. The Man Who Fell to Earth13. The Trial14. Take Me to Church (HOZIER cover) (bonus edition only)

Said THE AGONIST guitarist Danny Marino: "We are so anxious to release this record to our fans and the rest of the world!

"This album represents another shift in the evolution of THE AGONIST!

"Vicky [Psarkis, vocals] and I went even deeper into what makes a song really connect.

"I'm very proud of everyone's hard work making this the most diverse and interesting record for us to date!

"It was a great learning experience working with Mike Plotnikoff and fully immersing ourselves in the recording process 24/7.

"Just as much as we are excited to release this album, we are psyched to get back out on the road and connect directly with our fans! Europe gets the first taste before we unleash on North America this November with EPICA." Psarkis added: "Being in THE AGONIST for over two years now and after releasing my debut album with the band and numerous tours, I can say that 'Five' is the record where I believe that we finally found our sound!

"There's a certain confidence that comes with experience and there's something about being fully comfortable that can take your approach towards songwriting to a whole other level.

"Working on the lyrics and vocals on this album was an incredibly natural process.

"Halfway into the pre-production, we realized that a lot of our songs seemed to be telling a story and hearing the album in its entirety is like escaping into our world."

Norwegian rockers KVELERTAK have released the official music video for "Svartmesse", from their celebrated new LP "Nattesferd" which arrived this past May. The clip, which was directed by Torjus Førre Erfjord of Raindog Films, can be seen below.

The band commented on the videos creation, stating: "It's made by our good friend Torjus Førre Erfjord who has previously made the videos for 'Blodtørst' and 'Evig Vandrar'. As well as featuring his own unique style of animation, this video has a darker and more sinister tone that goes hand in hand with the lyrics of the song."

Next month KVELERTAK will embark on a Nordic headline tour which gets under way October 13 in their home country of Norway. Following the Nordic dates, KVELERTAK will then embark on a headline tour of Europe which gets under way November 16 in Berlin and features support from SKELETONWITCH.

Recorded live in Oslo, Norway's Amper Tone Studio, "Nattesferd" was produced by KVELERTAK and mixed/engineered by Nick Terry (LINDSTRØM, TURBONEGRO, THE LIBERTINES). It is the first of KVELERTAK's albums to be recorded in their home country of Norway. "Nattesferd" follows 2013's "Meir" which made a stunning international impact, earning the six-piece numerous "Best of 2013" honors.

KVELERTAK is Erlend Hjelvik (vocals), Vidar Landa (guitar), Bjarte Lund Rolland (guitar), Maciek Ofstad (guitars), Marvin Nygaard (bass) and Kjetil Gjermundrød (drums).

Gary Moat - the man at the back is now at the front. The Heavy Pettin' drummer is now the driving force of Burnt Out Wreck, and very much in control of the fire that's burning.

Gary has just signed to TRHRC through Cherry Red, the paper is inked and the music flowing. He has also signed to Eddie Levy at The Chelsea Publishing Company Ltd. TRHRC, Martin Darvill, Daniel Earnshaw and Gary are very excited at the signing and look forward to the album's release in February 2017.

The remaining members for Burnt Out Wreck are now being finalized, the band as it stands now is Gary Moat on vocals and Adrian Dunn on lead guitars.

The new album is co-produced by Gary Moat and Steve Rispin (Asia, Inglorious) at his  Liscombe Park Studio, mastered by Pete Maher (U2, The Killers, Jack White, Rolling Stones etc) and is set for a February 2017 release.

This new album is going to be a storming slice of classic hard rock and is guaranteed to start 2017 in some serious rock 'n' roll style.

"So today I have signed a new worldwide record contract with The Right Honourable Recording Company Ltd through Cherry Red and a new worldwide publishing contract with Chelsea Music Publishing Company Ltd. I am very very excited and honoured to be working with them. The album is set for release February 2017. Thanks for all your support and kind words, it was worth the wait… It is a crazy experience to be doing this again but I am loving it!" - Gary Moat.

Ripple Music has announced the release of Sabbath Highway, the debut EP from San Francisco Bay rockers, The Watchers.

Gathering together an impressive cast of seasoned players with vocalist Tim Narducci and bassist Cornbread (SpiralArms, White Witch Canyon), Orchid drummer Carter Kennedy and guitarist Jeremy Von Eppic (BlackGates, The Venting Machine) The Watchers is an out-and-out super group of musicians’ musicians and a fitting addition to Ripple Music’s ever growing roster.

"We're very excited to be a part of the Ripple family,” explains Tim. “We love their approach and the fact that they have a true footing in the underground heavy rock, doom and metal scene. Todd and Pope’s passion for their bands and roster is contagious and beautiful. We see a great relationship ahead!"

After peddling some killer and powerful riffs earlier in year on their Evel Knievel-inspired video for “Today”, the band returns with the title track from Sabbath Highway ahead of the EP’s official release on November 4th.

Tracklisting:

“Sabbath Highway”
“Requiem Intro”
“Call The Priest”
“Today”
“Just A Needle”

“Sabbath Highway”:

“Today” video:

For fans along the West Coast you’ll also be able to catch The Watchers live as they take to the road throughout October for a short tour with fellow label mates, Zed.

Tour dates:

October
13 - Ash Street Saloon - Portland, OR
14 - Skylark Café - Seattle, WA
15 - Black Forest - Eugene, OR
20 - The Viper Room - Los Angeles, CA
21 - Til Two Club - Sand Diego, CA
22 - Dive Bar - Las Vegas, NV

The Watchers:
 
Tim Narducci - Vocals
Jeremy Von Eppic - Guitars
Cornbread - Bass
Carter Kennedy - Drums

One of the original pre-second-wave black metal bands, Root (formed in 1987 by iconic vocalist Jiri 'Big Boss' Valter), from the Czech Republic, are going to release a new studio album, Kärgeräs - Return From Oblivion, on November 25th via Agonia Records. Pre-orders are currently available here.

In contrast to Bathory and Venom, Root took the black metal genre in a more refined direction, featuring Big Boss' chartacteristic clean vocals, dark sound and an epic approach altogether. Nowadays, Root is often recognized as an epic heavy/black metal act, or as the band simply puts it - a dark metal band.

The new album, Kärgeräs - Return From Oblivion, will be different from their 2011's offering, Heritage Of Satan, says the band: "As always in our history as a band, we aim to deliver a unique album, something that will stand out and shine its own light in our discography. Expect dark metal at its best, along with some surprising elements. We've recorded one fully acoustic song and one entirely instrumental. Overall, the album will include ten new tracks that will differ from our previous records.”

Kärgeräs - Return From Oblivion will be Root's tenth full-length album. Lyrically, it will be a concept album, and looked at from that perspective, it'll continue the story begun by their 1996 release under a similar yet shorter title, Kärgeräs, that presents a tale of a proud nation.

The album artwork was hand-painted by Thomas Bruno. The painting started off as a portrait at first, but after the band's decision to use it as cover, the mystical tree, ravens and other elemnts where added. Recording, mixing and mastering took place at Shaark Studio in South Moravia. Big Boss produced the album.

Tracklisting:

“Life Of Demons”
“Osculum Infame”
“Moment Of Fright”
“The Book Of Death”
“Black Iris”
“Moment Of Hope”
“The Key To The Empty Room”
“New Empire”
“Up To The Down”
“Do You Think Is It The End?”

Available formats:

- Digipack CD with 28 pages booklet
- Black LP
- Red LP with A2 poster*
- Transparent red/black splatter LP with A2 poster and patch**
- T-shirt (2 versions)

* handnumbered and limited to 222 copies
** handnumbered and limited to 100 copies

Since 1987, Root is led by founder and vocalist Big Boss - a controversial, yet valued musician, producer, writer and lyricist. He's one of the oldest and most characteristic black metal singers; one of the very few, who possesses an operatic range of vocals. Over the years, Root has maintained a strong underground following, while Big Boss rose up to become a cult figure in the black metal genre, guesting on albums by leading metal artists, most notably Moonspell and Behemoth. Root has performed hundreds of shows worldwide, sharing the stage with bands such as Mercyful Fate, King Diamond, Cradle Of Filth, Apocalyptica, Moonspell, Behemoth, Impaled Nazarene, Nifelheim, Anathema, Sodom, Desaster, Pungent Stench, Master, Destroyer 666, Master´s Hammer, Enslaved, Testament, Marduk, Napalm Death, Krabathor, Hypnos and many other.

Rogue Male have just announced a new contract under management company Agentur EAM. The 1983 band are making their return in a big way.

Rogue Male was the brain child of Belfast-boy Jim Lyttle. The first incarnation of the band came into being in late 1983 when Jim decided to put together a band that would mix punk aggression with a rock/metal style, it was ground breaking and original making them one of the first crossover punk/metal bands that later became part of the NWOBHM. After a series of lineups, a stable touring band was produced; Jim Lyttle (guitar/vocals), John Fraser-Binnie (guitar), Kevin Collier (bass) and Steve Kingsley (drums) who was later replaced by Danny Fury. This line-ups’ live performances gained the attention of several record companies.

By the time they released their first album, First Visit, on the Music For Nations label in 1985, Kevin Collier had been recruited as a replacement for Clark on bass. It is this lineup that shook the rock world with its combination of futuristic imagery and blisteringly raw metal with a punk twist. Cover shoots for international magazines soon followed as well as a slot on the ECT (Extra Celestial Transmission) television show on Channel 4 in 1985.

Steve Kingsley was replaced shortly after the end of this strenuous road work and was replaced by Danny Fury on drums. However, this was only after a second album, Animal Man, was recorded in 1986 with session king Charlie Morgan holding the sticks.

Rogue Male began to be described as ‘thinking man’s metal’ and the ‘most dangerous band since the Sex Pistols’. They were attributed in the UK rock and metal press as ‘the next big thing’ and were ‘Album Of The Month’ worldwide in top rock/metal journals.

Sadly it was not to be; during what became six years of expensive legal battles with their management, Rogue Male disbanded in 1987.

In 2007 both Rogue Male albums were re-released by independent Polish label Metal Mind and immediately gained worldwide attention once again.

In 2010 Jim Lyttle and Johnny Fraser-Binnie got back together again. "I have not wavered and never will; it's a way of life for me, music keeps me alive, especially Rogue Male music."

Updates to follow.

The release of Roth Brock Project’s self-titled debut album is scheduled for November 4th via Frontiers Records srl. The track “Young Again” is streaming below.

The Roth Brock Project is the exciting artistic union between guitarist John Roth (Winger, Starship, Giant) and singer Terry Brock (Strangeways, Giant, Leroux). The pair first met in 2009 while working on Giant's Promise Land record. They soon developed a unique songwriting chemistry and musical bond which all these years later has led to their debut release. Powerhouse vocals and thundering guitars are at the forefront of this stellar collaboration from two of rock's most seasoned and underrated veterans.

John Roth landed his first gig at the age of 19, with Southern boogie rock legends Black Oak Arkansas in 1986, and soon found himself in demand for recording and touring with the likes of Jimi Jamison (R.I.P.) of Survivor, and '80s rock legends, Winger. Terry Brock's first job in the music business was as a vocalist on the Kansas album Drastic Measures in 1983, which was soon followed by a tour with the Steve Morse Band and two albums with Strangeways (who were signed to BMG/RCA Records). Terry is currently on tour with Louisiana's Leroux, while John is on tour with Starship featuring Mickey Thomas.

"The Roth Brock Project is the kind of record I've been wanting to make for a long time!” says John Roth. “Guitar-driven high energy rock with stellar vocals is the first thing you'll hear when you put this album on, so get ready to crank it up! Stay tuned for news on the Roth Brock Project debut record release date, as well as the premier of our first single and video, "Young Gun”!”

Roth Brock Project tracklisting:

“Young Gun”
“What's It To Ya”
“Young Again”
“If That's What It Takes”
“I Don’t Know Why”
“Distant Voices”
“We Are”
“Fighter”
“My City”
“Never Givin' Up”
“Reason To Believe”

“Young Again”:

"We Are":

Lineup:

Terry Brock: Lead and Background Vocals
John Roth: Guitars, Bass, Keys, Lead and Background Vocals
Scott Trammell: Drums, Percussion

Indian metal artist Demonstealer, who also fronts Demonic Resurrection, has released a new lyric video for the song “Where Worlds End”. The song is featured on his latest album, This Burden Is Mine, and features George Kollias (Nile) on drums along with Ashwin Shriyan (Demonic Resurrection) playing bass, and ex-Demonic Resurrection guitarist Daniel Kenneth Rego playing a guest solo.

The lyric video was created by Abhishek Goswami of Minimalist Studios. Watch below:

This Burden Is Mine was released independently on March 22nd via Demonstealer's Bandcamp page. Artwork was created by Michal 'Xaay' Loranc (Behemoth, Vader, Nile, Demonic Resurrection).

“From Rubble And Ruin” video

Album lineup:

Demonstealer - Vocals/Guitars/Keys
Ashwin Shriyan - Bass
George Kollias - Drums

Due to overwhelming demand, FM’s Indiscreet 30 album will see a formal commercial release on November 4th. A new video trailer can be found below.

Thirty years after the release of their now classic debut album, FM decided to record a modern-day version of Indiscreet. FM were asked many times to consider re-recording the tracks on the album using today's modern technology and recording techniques to give the songs the "FM sound" of today.

Over the years, Indiscreet has deservedly won the reputation of being an iconic album for the band. FM always steered clear of the idea of re-recording it, but while in the studio recording the follow-up to their most recent release, Heroes & Villains, FM decided to put down a backing track to the song "That Girl" to see how it would feel with the huge sounds they were getting at the time. It gave the song a new dynamic and power that was not possible to achieve with '80s recording technology.

“We played it back the following morning and decided it would be great to hear all these classic songs with this new lease of life,” says bassist Merv Goldsworthy. “We are not trying to recreate the original, but this is our interpretation played by FM as we are today with the sound of FM 2016.”

In addition to the re-recording of the original album, Indiscreet 30 also features seven bonus tracks, including brand new song "Running On Empty" and a new recording of "Let Love Be The Leader".

Indiscreet 30 was produced by FM, recorded at Tremolo Studios and Coal House Studios, Staffordshire and mixed by Jeff Knowler.

Tracklisting:

“That Girl
“Other Side Of Midnight”
“Love Lies Dying”
“I Belong To The Night”
“American Girls”
“Hotwired”
“Face To Face”
“Frozen Heart”
“Heart Of The Matter”

Bonus Tracks:

“Let Love Be The Leader”
“Running On Empty”
“Rainbow's End”
“Shot In The Dark”
“Bad That's Good In You”
“Love & Hate”
“That Girl” (Acoustic Version)

Trailer:

The band will be honoring pre-orders received to date for delivery on October 28th as originally announced. The album will also be on sale during the band’s tour dates commencing October 28th at Wakefield Warehouse 23. For the Warrington Parr Hall show on Saturday October 1st, pre-orders will be taken at the merchandise stand.

Tour dates:

October
1 - Parr Hall - Warrington, United Kingdom
28 - Warehouse 23 - Wakefield, United Kingdom
29 - Rescue Rooms - Nottingham, United Kingdom
30 - River Rooms - Stourbridge, United Kingdom

November
11 - Razzmatazz 3 - Barcelona, Spain
12 - Sala Chango - Madrid, Spain
13 - RCA Club - Lisbon, Portugal
18 - Cardiff University Students' Union - Y Plas - Cardiff, United Kingdom
19 - Islington Assembly Hall - London, United Kingdom
 -  WinterStorm - Troon, United Kingdom

March
10 - HRH AOR - Pwllheli, United Kingdom

FM lineup:

Steve Overland - lead vocals, rhythm guitar
Merv Goldsworthy - bass, backing vocals
Pete Jupp - drums, backing vocals
Jem Davis – keyboards
Jim Kirkpatrick - lead guitar, backing vocals

In June 2016, legendary guitarist Ritchie Blackmore made many long held dreams come true for his fans as RITCHIE BLACKMORE'S RAINBOW played three concerts in Europe, two in Germany and one in England. The two German shows at Loreley and Bietigheim were caught on camera to produce "Memories In Rock - Live In Germany", which will be released via Eagle Rock Entertainment on DVD+2CD, Blu-ray+2CD, and digital formats on November 18. A deluxe version (DVD, Blu-ray and 2CD in a 48-page hardback photobook), along with a 3LP version (180-gram vinyl), will be available as an import on December 2.

This film captures the long-awaited return to rock music for Ritchie Blackmore. The setlist, combining classic tracks from both DEEP PURPLE and RAINBOW, was exactly what the fans had wished for. Filmed in high definition, this jaw-dropping set includes "Catch The Rainbow", "Mistreated", "Since You Been Gone", "Black Night", "Spotlight Kid", "Smoke On The Water", "Stargazer", "Perfect Strangers", and more! As a bonus all formats (barring the 3LP) also boast a quartet of tracks recorded on an alternative night: "Spotlight Kid", "Man On The Silver Mountain", "Long Live Rock ‘N' Roll", and "Stargazer".

The band line-up for this incredible show featured Ritchie Blackmore (guitar); Ronnie Romero (vocals); David Keith (drums); Bob Nouveau (bass); Jens Johansson (keyboards); Candice Night (backing vocals); Lady Lynn (backing vocals).

"Memories In Rock - Live In Germany" track listing:

CD Disc 1

01. Highway Star02. Spotlight Kid 03. Mistreated 04. 16th Century Greensleeves 05. Since You Been Gone 06. Man On The Silver Mountain 07. Catch The Rainbow 08. Difficult To Cure (Beethoven's Ninth) 09. Perfect Strangers 10. Stargazer

CD Disc 2

11. Long Live Rock 'N' Roll 12. Child In Time / Woman From Tokyo 13. Black Night 14. Smoke On The Water

Blackmore spoke to the Dutch radio station Radio Veronica about what made him decide to play the recent RAINBOW comeback shows. He said: "Besides money, I heard the [new RAINBOW] singer, Ronnie [Romero, who is originally from Chile but now settled in Madrid, Spain], singing on YouTube. Candy [Ritchie's wife, Candice Night] had played it to me. She said, 'What to do you think of this guy?' And I don't go on the computer very much; I'm too old for that stuff. And Candy is often going on YouTube or whatever, and she said, 'He's singing some of your old songs, the RAINBOW songs.' And I heard them, and I went, 'Wow! This guy is really good. He's exciting.' And there had been some talk about reforming RAINBOW with David Coverdale and a few others — Glenn Hughes… Although they are friends of mine, I wasn't urgently involved in it. I was hesitating for probably a good part of a year before I kind of decided I wasn't gonna do it — until I heard this singer. As soon as I heard the singer, he had such a good voice, so much vitality, and that excited me. I thought, 'Wow! He's singing all the old songs, but he's doing it so well — old hard rock.' It was exciting to hear."

Asked if he enjoyed the three RAINBOW comeback shows so far, Ritchie said: "I enjoyed especially the last one in England. The first two were a little bit intense, because we hadn't played together… we hadn't done a lot of rehearsing, so the first two shows were a bit hectic and chaotic. But the last one in Birmingham was… obviously, we'd played two shows at that point, and that seemed to work, to me. And it was great to see all the old people… I mean, it was so weird how… I think it was twenty thousand people… It sold out in fifteen minutes. And I kind of wondered who they thought was playing, 'cause when I got to the auditorium, it was so vast that I thought, 'Maybe somebody else is playing this show tonight.'"

Regarding whether it was difficult for him to put together a setlist for the first three RAINBOW comeback shows, Ritchie said: "No. [It was] very easy, in a way. We had about fifteen songs that were very obvious songs to play, like 'Catch The Rainbow'. And we incorporated a few DEEP PURPLE songs — 'Black Night', 'Smoke [On The Water]', 'Highway Star' — of which some of the fans said, 'Why did you do those DEEP PURPLE songs?' And I would say, 'Why not?' And they said, 'Well, we thought it was just gonna be RAINBOW. We would prefer to hear [more] RAINBOW songs.' Which I thought was kind of ironic again. I'm thinking, 'Wow! We just threw three songs in by DEEP PURPLE when they wanted more [RAINBOW].' And I noticed when they clapped, they weren't clapping so hard for DEEP PURPLE [songs]. They said, 'We hear that every year,' 'cause [the current lineup of] PURPLE goes around [on tour]. So the next time, if we go out and we do anything, I would do probably ninety-five percent RAINBOW songs; that's what they seem to want to hear. And it didn't occur to me. I just naturally assumed they wanted to hear everything."

Experience Hendrix L.L.C. and Legacy Recordings, the catalog division of Sony Music Entertainment, are releasing Machine Gun: The Fillmore East First Show 12/31/69, fully documenting the debut performance of Jimi Hendrix’s short-lived but eternally influential Band Of Gypsys, on September 30th. The group played four historic concerts at the Fillmore East in New York City – two on New Year’s Eve 1969, and two on New Year’s Day 1970. Never before has the first of these sets been available in its entirety. The vast majority of the performances have never seen the light of day in any configuration.

Listen to “Ezy Ryder” from the upcoming release, streaming below:

Machine Gun: The Fillmore East First Show 12/31/69 was produced by Janie Hendrix, Eddie Kramer and John McDermott, the same team who have overseen all of Jimi Hendrix’s audio and audio visual releases by Experience Hendrix L.L.C. since 1995. Kramer served Jimi Hendrix as his primary recording engineer throughout his lifetime and the newly mixed Machine Gun: The Fillmore East First Show 12/31/69 from the original 1” 8 track master tapes. The album was mastered by Grammy Award winner Bernie Grundman and will be simultaneously released, on CD, 2 LP 180 gram vinyl, high resolution SACD and digitally.

Machine Gun: The Fillmore East First Show 12/31/69 marks the first ever Jimi Hendrix SACD and high resolution digital release. Additionally, Experience Hendrix is also releasing People, Hell & Angels on the same day. People, Hell & Angels, a collection of previously unreleased studio recordings, peaked at #2 on Billboard’s Top 200 Album chart in March 2013. The album features studio versions of many of the songs featured on Machine Gun: The Fillmore East First Show 12/31/69.

Over the course of four extraordinary years, Jimi Hendrix placed his indelible stamp upon popular music with breathtaking velocity.  Measured alongside his triumphs at Monterey Pop and Woodstock, Hendrix’s legendary Fillmore East concerts illustrated a critical turning point in a radiant career which boasted of indefinite possibilities.

The revolutionary impact Jimi Hendrix, Billy Cox, and Buddy Miles had upon the boundaries and definitions of rock, R&B, and funk can be traced to four concerts over the course of two evenings on New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day. These performances were first celebrated by Band Of Gypsys, which featured six songs from the two January 1, 1970 concerts including “Machine Gun,” the album’s dramatic centerpiece. Issued in April 1970, Band Of Gypsys challenged and surprised the guitarist’s wide following with its extended arrangements and vibrant mix of rock and soul. Nonetheless, the album proved to be a runaway commercial success and sadly, with his death in London in September 1970, would become the last album Jimi Hendrix personally authorized for release.

Machine Gun: The Fillmore East First Show 12/31/69 documents the first of the group’s four legendary Fillmore East concerts. This set presents an assortment of fresh, exciting new songs such as “Earth Blues,” “Ezy Ryder,” “Stepping Stone,” “Burning Desire,” and “Machine Gun”—none of which had ever before been issued on disc. Moreover, nearly all of the group’s material had never been performed before an audience. “We decided that we couldn’t do any songs that had already been released,” explains Billy Cox. “We wanted to give them something different. So we went at the project in a joyous, creative posture and ultimately developed the repertoire of the Band of Gypsys.”

While promoter Bill Graham had advertised the concerts as ‘Jimi Hendrix: A Band Of Gypsys’, few could have anticipated what Hendrix had in store. “We had two shows New Years Eve and two shows New Years Day,” remembered Cox. “We didn’t know what to expect from the audience and the audience didn’t know what to expect from us, but from the time we hit that first note, they were in awe. You had Jimi Hendrix, a drummer who had been with the Electric Flag and Wilson Pickett, and I was the new kid on the block.”

With the anticipation of the sold out Fillmore audience heightened to fever pitch, Hendrix led his trio through a scintillating, seventy-five minute opening performance. None of the eleven songs presented had yet to grace an Experience album. In the place of signature songs like “Purple Haze” and “All Along The Watchtower” were confident renditions of “Power Of Soul” and “Hear My Train A Comin.’”

Jimi generously extended center stage to Buddy Miles, providing a showcase for “Changes” and a charged rendition of the Howard Tate R&B hit “Stop”. “We had rehearsed “Changes” and a few others for Buddy,” explains Cox. “All of the songs we performed had been rehearsed. We didn’t look at it as Buddy’s part of the show. We were all there to give. We were all there to help and material went on whether it was written by Jimi or not.  Former Rolling Stone senior editor David Fricke, who authored this collection’s liner notes, describes “Stop” as being something akin to “a psychedelic power-trio Temptations.” Hendrix’s scalding version of Elmore James’ “Bleeding Heart” is the set’s only other cover, underscoring the new band’s emphasis on the blues.

As the Fillmore audience roared with approval, the Band Of Gypsys left the stage confident that they had validated Jimi’s new music before his loyal followers. “After the gigs were finished, Jimi was quite relieved,” remembers Cox. “We felt the concerts went well. I might add that in previous gigs with the Experience he had used a fuzz face [tone control pedal] and a Wah-Wah pedal, then at Woodstock he used a fuzz face, Wah-Wah pedal and Uni-Vibe, but at the Fillmore East he used a fuzz face, Wah-Wah pedal, Uni-Vibe and Octavia and it was incredible. In fact you could hear all of it kicking in on ‘Machine Gun.’ It was incredible. There were people in the audience with their mouths open.”

“Machine Gun” stands as one of Hendrix’s finest and most influential compositions. Hendrix pushed Delta blues into places its pioneers could not have imagined, fusing his extraordinary instrumental skills within his passionate expression of man’s inhumanity to his fellow man. “Machine Gun” endures as a classic amongst the already classic-drenched Jimi Hendrix canon. Fricke notes of this version, the first that Hendrix and company had ever played in concert, “..Here it is, after 46 years, another revelation – a stunning essay in pain, rage and determined survival, fully formed in its initial outing.”

Long sought after by the guitarist’s worldwide following, Machine Gun: The Fillmore East First Show 12/31/69 presents the complete performance in its original sequence.

Tracklisting:

“Power Of Soul”
“Lover Man”
“Hear My Train A Comin’”
“Changes”
“Izabella”
“Machine Gun”
“Stop”
“Ezy Ryder”
“Bleeding Heart”
“Earth Blues”
“Burning Desire”

Trailers:

“Izabella”:

“Power Of Soul”:

 

 

 

 

 

 

The first video footage of the reunited classic lineup of DOKKEN — singer Don Dokken, guitarist George Lynch, bassist Jeff Pilson and drummer "Wild" Mick Brown — rehearsing for its upcoming live performances can be seen below.

The group will play its only U.S. show on September 30 at Badlands Pawn Guns Gold And Rock 'N' Roll in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. The concert will be a warm-up gig for the band's six-show Japanese run dubbed "Unleashed In The East".

Asked how he feels about the DOKKEN reunion, George told TeamRock: "Well, um, it's a mixed bag. It's complicated. But the overarching feeling I have is I'm glad it's happening for the right reasons. One of which is money. But another of which is putting a nice bow and closure on an important part of our professional and artistic lives, and also for people who care about this kind of music. Because it was important to their lives. And with all the bad things going around it's nice to see that people can come together sometimes. I just think it makes people feel good. I know it's a drop in the bucket, but, you know, I'll take it."

George also addressed the well-publicized tension between him and Don Dokken and how it might affect DOKKEN's current reunion. He said: "You know, I'm trying to stay positive with all this so I don't really want to get into what could go wrong with things. I would just say that we pretty much don't have a relationship at this point. The only time we see each other is when we're on the road and maybe LYNCH MOB is playing the same bill with DOKKEN. Otherwise, there was an hour-long meeting at a management office and a few emails. But beyond that there really hasn't been any communication. So there is no relationship."

Lynch expressed hope that the DOKKEN reunion could last beyond the Japanese tour, despite Don's recent comments to the contrary. "If I were betting, I'd say there's probably a 50/50 chance [that there will be more gigs]," the guitarist said. "And I'd be advocating for that, too. But it gets more complicated when you're talking about more shows because of all our other commitments. Jeff [Pilson, bass] is locked in very seriously with FOREIGNER. It's not easy for him to take a couple weeks off. That's probably our biggest restriction. But it definitely would be something that promoters and the fans would like to see. On a business level, I'm sure it could be done very easily. So, you know, never say never."

DOKKEN will have one new song to play for fans when the group begins performing this fall. It's shaping up to be a full-band collaboration between Dokken, Lynch, Pilson and Brown — the latter of whom still plays in the band's current lineup.

"The people I've played [the new song] for all love it and think it's what they imagine or hope that a new DOKKEN song would be," Lynch told TeamRock. "And that's that it's still true to the old style and sound while also being a little more contemporary. So instead of copying something we did 25, 30 years ago verbatim, it's obvious that it comes from the same people that wrote those songs, but at a different time. And it'll be included on the live album."

Dokken, Pilson, Lynch and Brown will launch the Japanese tour on October 5 in Osaka, before heading to Fukuoka, Tokyo for an appearance at the Loud Park festival and continuing on to Hiroshima, Aichi and finally, back to Tokyo for the final show on October 12.

The first concert in Sioux Falls will be filmed at least "for posterity," Dokken recently told Billboard. "Beginning October 5, a video crew will follow the band through Japan to get some documentary footage that could accompany a subsequent home video release.

Brown told Focus On Metal that there is still tension between Don and George. "Nothing's changed," he said. "I know George and Don, during the conversations to get this going, they're already starting up… I'm tired of the bad-attitude stuff. And you put Don and George together, and it just starts happening again, and then it gets really confusing. I think it's very sad when grown men act that way. And I'm tired of being around it, but here we go. And listen, for that kind of money, I'll shut up and do what we used to do."

Athens, Greece-based melodic power metal band, The Silent Rage, have released a new lyric video for “Between Harmony & Sorrow”, featured on their debut album, The Deadliest Scourge, released on July 1st via Alone Records.

The Deadliest Scourge features eleven modern power metal songs (plus an intro) and also marks the participation of some special guests including Apollo Papathanasio (Spiritual Beggars, ex-Firewind), Yossi Sassi (solo, ex-Orphaned Land), Vladimir Reshetnikov (Arkona, Rossomahaar) and Theophilos Kritikos (Feel).

The production, mixing and mastering was handled by Fotis Benardo (SiXforNinE, Melechesh, Inner Wish) at the Devasoundz Studios in Athens, Greece while the cover art of the album was made by Michal Karcz of Parallel Worlds.

Tracklisting:

“Signal Of War”
“My Race Won't Last”
“The Deadliest Scourge”
“Stormwarrior”
“Between Harmony & Sorrow”
“Sin Of A Pilgrim”
“Leading The Legions”
“Proselytize The Masses”
“The Right To Dream”
“Thoughts Collapse”
“A Piece Of Eden”
“Shadow Spirit”

“Between Harmony And Sorrow” lyric video:

“Proselytize The Masses”:

The Deadliest Scourge is available on digital and a digipack CD through the band’s Bandcamp page.

Multinational melodic metal act, Eden's Curse, have released an EPK (Electronic Press Kit) for their forthcoming fifth studio album, Cardinal. Check it out below.

Cardinal will be released via German metal label AFM Records on October 14th. You can pre-order a Cardinal digipak CD or CD+T-shirt bundle via the links below:

CD
CD+T-shirt bundle

Cardinal is the band’s first studio album to feature John Clelland (drums) and new keyboard player Chrism (Adamantra, Simulacrum).

Tracklisting:

“Prophets Of Doom”
“Sell Your Soul”
“The Great Pretender”
“Messiah Complex”
“Find My Way”
“Kingdom Of Solitude”
“Utopian Dreams”
“This Is Our Moment”
“Rome's On Fire”
“Unconditional” (Feat. Liv Kristine)
“Saints And Sinners”
“Jericho”

Bonus video:
“Sell Your Soul”

EPK:

“The Great Pretender” lyric video:

“Sell Your Soul” video:

Eden's Curse will kick off their World Tour in support of Cardinal in the UK during November.

November
21 - The Cathouse - Glasgow, UK
22 - Academy 3 - Manchester, UK
23 - Corporation - Sheffield, UK
24 - The Asylum - Birmingham, UK
25 - The Scene - Swansea, UK
26 - Waterfront Studio - Norwich, UK
27 - The Underworld - London, UK

Tickets are on sale now at edenscurse.com. Special guests on the tour are Sheffield's C.O.P. UK and Swiss prog metal band Evolve.

Sacred Steel have released a lyric video for “Let There Be Steel”, a track from their upcoming new album, Heavy Metal Sacrifice, due out on October 14th. Heavy Metal Sacrifice will be released on CD (digipack edition), LP (featuring Sacred Steel’s embossed logo) and digital via Cruz Del Sur Music. See the new video below.

This album art was provided by Polish artist Lukasz Jaszak who has worked in the past with acts such as Blood Red Throne, Decapitated, Dornenreich, The Vision Bleak among others.

Tracklisting:

“Intro (Glory Ride)”
“Heavy Metal Sacrifice”
“The Sign Of The Skull”
“Hail The Godz Of War”
“Vulture Priest”
“Children Of The Sky”
“Let There Be Steel”
“Chaos Unleashed”
“The Dead Walk The Earth”

“Let There Be Steel” lyric video:

“Heavy Metal Sacrifice”:

The band has announced a round of shows to accompany the release of the album. Confirmed dates are as follows:

October
10 - Ludwigsburg, Germany - Scala (20 Years Of Sacred Steel Festival / Heavy Metal Sacrifice Record Release Party with Tankard, Stallion, Tradedy Divine, Septagon)
21 - Vienna, Austria - Escape
22 - Pilsen, Czech Republic - Phantoms of Pilsen

November
12 - Rome, Italy - Traffic Club (Burn This Town Festival with Rosae Crucis, Hammer King, Battle Ram, Graal)

January
13 - Hamburg, Germany - Bambi Galore

An ALICE IN CHAINS fan attending the band's show at the Performing Arts Center in North Charleston, South Carolina got the thrill of a lifetime when the band brought him onstage to perform their classic hit "Would?" How'd it happen? The guy wore a t-shirt saying "Let me play drums on 'Would?'!" Check out the video footage below. "Baldy," the band's official blogger, recapped the event: "Today's lesson is about following your dreams. And persistence. And about getting lucky. All of these things were on display in Charleston, South Carolina last night, and it was inspiring (or entertaining at least).

"Just like every other night, the band played a show. And just like every other night, there were a bunch of people in attendance. But unlike every other night, there was a guy out in the crowd holding up a t-shirt that said 'Let me play drums on 'Would?'!'

"To his credit, he kept holding that shirt up throughout the show. And it paid off. The band had played the entire show, taken a break, came back out for the encore, played the first two songs of the encore, and were down to their last song. Which happened to be 'Would?'.

"That's when Sean came out from behind his kit, went up to Jerry's microphone, and told the guy to come up on stage. They threw a set of headphones on him so he could hear Mike & Jerry & William, and after a quick warm-up to prove he could actually play, they were off to the races. Mike stepped up onto the drum riser and began the intro, Jerry joined in, and then it was drum time. He started in at the right time, and although he had a couple of shaky moments, overall he did pretty good.

"Sean stood off to the side watching, while Jerry, Mike, & William all kept looking back at him or going up on the riser to make sure he stayed in time. Then towards the end of the song, for one terrifying moment, it all stopped. It didn't last long, but there was a second there when everyone thought our fill-in drummer had run out of gas, but a split second later he was back at it.

"He made his way to the end of the song, and the crowd went nuts. Back in the old days, it wasn't terribly unusual for Sean to bring people up from out in the crowd to attempt a drum solo or try and play a song. We talked about that on the bus after the show, and as Jerry said, 'No one ever made it all the way through. They'd always get nervous and flame out.' But one brave soul in Charleston, South Carolina made it all the way to the finish line.

"So kudos to you, sir. You're an inspiration to people everywhere that are armed with only a blank white t-shirt, a sharpie, and a dream. But I should mention that this little story is in no way to be taken as an endorsement or encouragement of that kind of request. This dude caught the band in a good mood and got lucky after all. Don't think that just because this guy hit paydirt that the band is suddenly going to start granting every request that's scribbled on a shirt and held up at the show.

"Holding up a sign asking William to contribute to your 401K or for Jerry to come to your house and meet your sister doesn't mean it's going to happen. But I suppose it never hurts to try…"

Australian heavy psych band, Holy Serpent, are streaming their forthcoming sophomore album, Temples, out this Friday, September 30th on RidingEasy Records. The full album is streaming below.

The concept of "skate-rock" has been around for many years, but it has never been embodied as well as on Temples, the new album by Holy Serpent. While the band members are just casual skateboarders themselves, one might be tempted to think that skating has subtly influenced the band's sound. Not only are there the elements of 70s hard rock crossed with punk values and energy. But, the music itself is like riding a skateboard: slow grooving passages can shift on a dime into fast thrill-ride riffs. There's an exhilarating freedom of movement and unpredictability to the sound.

In the short time since their self-titled RidingEasy debut in mid-2015, Melbourne, Australia's Holy Serpent have gained a lot of attention for their rather punk version of heavy psych and metal. Fittingly, there's a strong vibe of early Soundgarden, Saint Vitus and Kyuss to Temples in that it's undeniably heavy, but also clever in its experimentation with subtle tempo shifts, multiple vocal effects and other production techniques. But it's still more Sabotage than Sabbath Bloody Sabbath.

Temples is heavier in tone than the first album, and also more sonically rich and aggressive. The 5-song, 44-minute album finds vocalist/guitarist Scott Penberthy, guitarist Nick Donoughue, bassist Dave Bartlett and drummer Danny Leo (new drummer Lance Leembrugen has replaced Leo since recording to complete the live lineup) expanding the hooks while simultaneously taking listeners on a rigorous ride.

"We've found playing slow all the time got a tad boring so we've mixed it up a bit with tempo changes and added more parts to each song to make them sort of flow like a story," Penberthy says. "The challenge was making sure it still flowed as it should. 'All killer no filler' was a bit of a motto this time around when writing the songs."

Album opener "Purification By Fire" emerges slowly from a primordial swamp of a reversed gong crash, synth swells, guitar feedback and lightly plucked bass notes before it all coalesces into a driving but slow-burn riff that spans the length of the fretboard as the drum patterns also subtly shift and slide underneath. It's a brilliant effect, albeit one you might miss if you're not paying attention. "Bury Me Standing" launches full throttle with a raging guitar solo over a driving riff/rhythm before a quick about-face into a march as Penberthy's effect-soaked vocals wail above the proceedings. The song builds slowly upon its elements until Penberthy howls an impassioned plea, "bury me standing, I will not forgive you." Album centerpiece "Toward The Sands" further pushes the tempo changes and sonic experimentation to great effect as the song effortlessly turns on a dime from fast rager to doom, while all sounding cohesive and melodically infectious. Album closer "Sativan Harvest" is an epic nearly 12-minute multi-part journey, built around a central blues motif that drifts into a massive haze of droning guitars set to fat rhythm pickup tone as it swells then recedes, only to restructure into a mutated version of the original motif that eventually abruptly ends with violin, cello and synths in a slow fade into the ether.

Temples will be available on LP, CD and download on September 30th via RidingEasy Records. Pre-orders are available for physical here and digital here.

Temples tracklisting:

“Purification By Fire”
“Bury Me Standing”
“Toward The Sands”
“The Black Stone”
“Sativan Harvest”

Album stream:

(Photo - Sally Townsend Photography)

The third trailer for "Brotherhood Of The Snake", the twelfth album from San Francisco Bay Area thrash metal veterans TESTAMENT, is available below. The CD will be released on October 28 via Nuclear Blast.

The cover was once again created by renowned artist Eliran Kantor, who also handled the art for the TESTAMENT's last album, 2012's "Dark Roots Of Earth", and also worked with bands like HATEBREED, SOULFLY and KATAKLYSM in the past.

"Brotherhood Of The Snake" track listing:

01. Brotherhood Of The Snake02. The Pale King03. Stronghold04. Seven Seals05. Born In A Rut06. Centuries Of Suffering07. Neptune's Spear08. Black Jack09. Canna-Business10. The Number Game

"Brotherhood Of The Snake" was recorded under the watchful eyes of producer Juan Urteaga (EXODUS, HEATHEN, MACHINE HEAD), guitarist Eric Peterson and singer Chuck Billy and was mixed and mastered by British metal producer Andy Sneap (ACCEPT, ARCH ENEMY, CRADLE OF FILTH, KREATOR, MACHINE HEAD, MEGADETH).

Regarding the lyrical themes covered on "Brotherhood Of The Snake", Chuck told Metal Wani: "Well, it's kind of like a concept record. I know, going into it, the past records, I was writing songs that were more personal and there were topics that were kind of real — losing a family member or anything that's real; that's what we were kind of writing. And Eric really wanted to kind of get back to, 'Let's write some cool stories and cool words and cool lyrics.' And so I was, like, 'Okay, that's cool.' And then, I kind of, at the time, was watching a TV series; it was a show called 'Ancient Aliens' that was on once a week. And it showed a lot of the connection between aliens and religion. And it kind of got my attention, because there was different religions all around the world, different spots in the world, where there was always the same alien being with big heads and strange bodies and flying objects in the sky. And it kind of made me realize, wow, how, that many thousands of years ago, did they communicate and see these same things unless it was real, unless there's something about it. So it really made me think, maybe there is something to these aliens and our existence and religion and everything. And then I stumbled on to the 'brotherhood of the snake' and the story of that. And that was about a secret society over six thousand years ago that were out on a crusade just to dig down religions. And there was an alien king, Anu, who basically created mankind as a slave for them to mine the minerals and gold from our planet earth. So it was kind of, like, 'Wow!' From an 'Ancient Aliens' show to this… There's something there that we can kind of run on and get the lyrics going and tell the storyline about. So that kind of got the ball rolling."

Peterson told Kaaos TV about "Brotherhood Of The Snake": "The only difference on this one is we're trying to be a little bit more organic, and getting away from Andy's perfection sound, and get more of a looser… you know, still keeping the slickness of it, but trying to get a little bit more raw. So it's kind of a hard way to describe it. But we don't want it too perfect. And I didn't record four guitars; I did two this time. So there's a lot more air going on with the rhythms and stuff like that."

Asked whether the musical direction of TESTAMENT's new material is a throwback to the band's early albums or if it's more similar to the recent TESTAMENT records, Eric said: "More like the modern [TESTAMENT sound], but, you know, like I was saying earlier, having that more raw feeling. Of course, our influences have changed a lot. For me, I always get accused of listening to older stuff [and I am told that] I need to listen to more new stuff. But I always like to go back and listen to records from the '70s and the '80s. And I won't name the bands I listen to, but I listen to a lot of different stuff that has nothing to do with metal, because I hear things differently. I don't hear it, like… You know, like if I listen to [American blues rock guitarist] Joe Bonamassa or something, I'm not, like, 'Wow, I wanna sound like that.' I just kind of get ideas of key changes and the way he hits certain notes or whatever and apply it to what we're doing. And that's the same thing with anything."

TESTAMENT will promote "Brotherhood Of The Snake" by teaming up with AMON AMARTH for a European tour this fall.

Former QUARTZ vocalist Mike "Taffy" Taylor died on September 27.

The band issued the following statement: "It is with heavy hearts, much sadness, sorrow and regret that we announce the passing of our very dear dear friend and original founder band member Mike 'Taffy' Taylor. Our thoughts and deepest sympathies and condolences go out to his family and to all who were lucky enough to have met and known him. LEGEND."

Considered one of the leading NWOBHM (New Wave of British Heavy Metal) bands, QUARTZ guitarist Mike Hopkins had previously played with John Bonham's WAY OF LIFE while second guitarist Geoff Nicholls would join BLACK SABBATH in 1979. Drummer Malcolm Cope was involved with pre-production for BLACK SABBATH's "Born Again".

Over their career QUARTZ toured heavily — playing the Reading Festival three times ('76, ''77 and '80) — and touring as support to the likes of UFO, IRON MAIDEN, SAXON, GILLAN and RUSH.

QUARTZ's debut album, originally issued on Jet Records in 1977, was produced by BLACK SABBATH guitarist Tony Iommi and featured guest appearances by Ozzy Osbourne and QUEEN guitarist Brian May.

Taylor's last album with the band was 1980's sophomore effort, "Stand Up And Fight", featuring the singles "Stoking Up The Fires Of Hell" and the title track.

In the summer of 1981, Taylor left QUARTZ to focus on his own project TAFFY TAYLOR’S BIG ROLL BAND.

Reformed without Mike Taylor in 2011, QUARTZ will release its fourth full-length studio album, "Fear No Evil", on October 28 via High Roller Records.

Virginia Beach quintet SUNNDRUG, which includes Chris Raines (former drummer of NORMA JEAN and original drummer of SPITFIRE) and Jimmy Reeves (original bassist for SPITFIRE), will release its debut album, "Exit Wounds", on October 31 via Mind Over Matter Records.

A lyric video for the record's latest single, "Shining", can be seen below.

"We worked with ITAL/C studio to create the album art, and they gave us some great imagery to work with," said Reeves, who is the vocalist for the new project. "Ron Thompson shot the photos and we wanted to edit them together in a way that supported the dark feel of 'Shining'."

When asked about the track itself, Reeves said: "'Shining' was the last song we wrote before starting to record the album. Its working title was 'Bonham Song' because the sonic inspiration for it came from the way LED ZEPPELIN played the blues. It's a jilted love story based around the setting of a well-curated online life being a mirage for a person whose reality doesn’t live up to it. The end of the song is a moment on the record I'm particularly proud of because I think the music evokes something even without lyrics."

SUNNDRUG began as a songwriting outlet for Reeves as he worked his way through a crumbling relationship of over ten years. When Reeves started writing "Exit Wounds", he rekindled a musical partnership with former bandmate Chris Raines, who was the original drummer of SPITFIRE and also spent some time drumming in the metalcore band NORMA JEAN. The album constructs a narrative of a man coming apart at the seams as he attempts to get a fix on a reality that is nothing more than sand in his fist. After they completed the 12 tracks, they enlisted a seasoned crew of musicians to help them take the songs to the stage.

"Exit Wounds" was mixed by Jeremy Simeon Howell Griffith and mastered by Andreas Magnusson.

"Exit Wounds" track listing:

01. White Ladders02. Denial03. Blackout04. Psyvamp05. Shining06. Stilts07. Exit Wounds08. Halo09. Big Data10. Echolalia11. Group Therapy12. Young Blood

The official lyric video for "We Are The Ones", the title track of TWISTED SISTER frontman Dee Snider's new solo album, can be seen below. Due on October 28 via Red River Records (distributed by BFD/RED), the CD was produced by Damon Ranger and is described by Dee as "an album that is think part FOO FIGHTERS, part IMAGINE DRAGONS, part THIRTY SECONDS TO MARS." He added: "Forget anything from the past. Most of my heavy metal fans are gonna hate it; I've abandoned my past to move forward."

Asked if there was one song that shaped the sound of this record, Dee told Billboard: "The first song [Damon] brought me was a song called 'We Are The Ones', which is the title track from the album. Thematically, Damon says it's the message of Dee Snider fighting back and rebellion... it's believing in yourself. The 'We're Not Gonna Take It' message is eternal and that should continue on."

Snider also talked about the track "Rule The World", which he said was "sort of a 'We Are The Champions'; it's a very big studio anthem. When you hear it, it's the kind of thing you can totally see Super Bowl time, the whole stadium lit up and it's an uplifting song about, 'With hands held high, we can rule the world,'" he said. "It's basically about everybody just joining together with love and peace, real positive."

"We Are The Ones" will include a newly re-recorded acoustic version of TWISTED SISTER's "We're Not Gonna Take It" which has also been tapped the official anthem for The Recording Academy's advocacy efforts, including the "Fair Play Fair Pay" act. Also featured is a cover of NINE INCH NAILS' "Head Like A Hole". "I always thought it was a great song, a powerful song," Dee explains, "I can't wait to do that one live. Like 'We're Not Gonna Take It' is iconic, 'Head Like A Hole' is iconic for that era."

Dee is unapologetically energized about where he's going as an artist. "Music inspires that genuine enthusiasm," he said. "I'm not anti the past — I'm just not one of those guys sitting there singing about the glory days. To me, these are the glory days, and the days to come are the glory days. And this new record is the part of my next glory days."

With TWISTED SISTER effectively entering the rearview mirror, Dee now has his sights dead-set on his new musical direction. "You can't expect others to embrace what you do if you don't embrace it yourself," he admits. "I have to believe it first before I can expect anybody else to believe it. When you're creating a new record, you want to make a statement, and you want to have music you can stand behind and feel strongly about. So it was a little unnerving when I started heading down this path. After Damon and I cut the first four tracks, I said, 'Oh yeah, there is a place for me here.' This is music I feel excited about, and I also look forward to playing it live."

"We Are The Ones" track listing: 01. We Are The Ones02. Over Again03. Close To You04. Rule The World05. We're Not Gonna Take It06. Crazy For Nothing07. Believe08. Head Like A Hole09. Superhero10. So What

METALLICA played its new song "Moth Into Flame" live for the first time last night (Tuesday, September 27) at a special intimate show at Webster Hall in New York City. Multi-camera fan-filmed video footage of the performance can be seen below.

"Moth Into Flame" is taken from METALLICA's tenth studio album, "Hardwired...To Self-Destruct", which is scheduled for a November 18 release via Blackened Recordings. The long-awaited follow-up to 2008's "Death Magnetic" consists of two discs, containing a dozen songs and nearly 80 minutes of music.

"Hardwired...To Self-Destruct" was produced by Greg Fidelman with frontman James Hetfield and drummer Lars Ulrich. The band recorded the disc at its own studio.

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

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

Ulrich spoke with Rolling Stone in a recent interview about the lyrical themes on the "Hardwired...To Self-Destruct". He revealed: "There's a lot of dark stuff about relationships. Not just with other people, but the hidden personalities within."

Hetfield told The Pulse Of Radio which songs on the new record contained some of his favorite lyrics. "You know, for me, lyrically some of the favorite, 'Moth Into Flame', I like 'Am I Savage?' and boy, I really like 'Dream No More', which is also kind of another Cthulhu reference but in a very different sense. [Laughs]."

Ulrich also said about the disc's musical style: "Most of the songs are simpler. We introduce a mood and we stick to it, rather than songs we've done where one riff happens and we go over here and then over there and becomes a journey through all these different soundscapes. The songs are more linear."

Hetfield talked about how some fans online are already giving the new record a thumbs-down before hearing it. He said, "Yeah, you get different versions of it now online, with all the haters and the people that have some bone to pick. We don't give a crap. We love what we do, and we're doing it because we love doing it, and we're making music we wanna hear. We're artists, and it's as simple as that. And you can judge it all you want, but we're gonna do what we feel is right for us."

METALLICA will next appear at Neil Young's Bridge School Benefit in Mountain View, California on October 22 and October 23.

Iberian extreme metal act Noctem are streaming their new album, Haeresis, ahead of the official released this Friday, September 30th. The album will be available via Prosthetic Records in North America, UK and Europe, and through Art Gates Records in Spain.

Haeresis consists of ten brutally punishing tracks which conceptually delve into the dark history of Noctem's home country of Spain. Complimenting cover artwork, as seen below, was completed by Seth Siro Anton (Septicflesh, Moonspell, Behemoth) and depicts an epic and grotesque display of obscene torture extracted from the Spanish inquisition (1.500 A.C.).

Haeresis tracklisting:

"Through The Black Temples Of Disaster"
"Auto-Da-Fé"
"The Submission Discipline"
"Blind Devotion"
"The Dark One"
"Haeresis"
"Whispers Of The Ancient Gods"
"Conjuring Degradation And Morbidity"
"The Paths Of The Lustful Abandon"
"Pactum With The Indomitable Darkness"

Album stream:

Trailer:

“The Submission Discipline” video:

Noctem, consisting of Beleth (vocals), Exo (lead guitars), Ethell (rhythm guitars), Varu (bass) and Voor (drums), self-recorded and produced Haerisis earlier this year at Firework Studios in Valencia before sending it to Sweden's Necromorbus Studio for mixing and mastering by Tore Stjerna (Watain, Valkyrja).

The band collectively proclaimed; "This record is proof that a band like us can keep evolving with time. It looks, sounds, smells and tastes different from anything we've ever done while keeping our original essence in every track. We're sure that any fan of extreme metal will be satisfied with this new opus."

Catch Noctem live:

October
27 - Salamanca, Spain - Nave Bunker (with Negura Bunget, Antagonist Zero)
28 - Madrid, Spain - Sala Silikona (with Negura Bunget, Antagonist Zero)
29 - Zaragoza, Spain - CC Vadefierro (with Negura Bunget, Antagonist Zero)
30 - Barcelona, Spain - Sala Monasterio (with Negura Bunget, Antagonist Zero)