After an electrifying live performance of CARNIVORE material at this year's Black N Blue Bowl pre-party, guitarist Marc Piovanetti is thrilled to announce that the band will officially reform as CARNIVORE A.D., with fellow original member Louie Beato and Joe Branciforte (DARKSIDE NYC, MERAUDER) sharing drumming duties, and introducing Baron Misuraca (VASARIA) on bass, lead vocals and blood curdling screams! Baron's debut will take place at the band's recently announced Halloween show, "A Halloween SteeleTacular", at Bowery Electric in New York City on Halloween night (October 31). Additional monstrous support will be supplied by New Jersey's BLOODFEAST, the mesmerizing and magical BLACK SABBATH tribute band SABBRA CADABRA, legendary L'Amour DJ Alex Kayne, and other special guests. The Bowery Electric bash will mark this year's final, official celebration of the thirtieth anniversary of Peter Steele's thrash-core masterpiece "Retaliation", with provocative tracks, "Jesus Hitler" and "Race War" coming to life to join today's headlines, just as fresh and topical as the day they were first released in 1987. Official event DJ and longtime friend of CARNIVORE, Alex Kayne, will create an atmospheric audio-visual tribute to Peter Steele, the early beginnings of CARNIVORE at L'amour, and of the band's second rise to prominence during TYPE O NEGATIVE's golden run. The show will include an after party with a VIP meet-and-greet available ($40), and feature Kayne spinning danceable heavy tracks by the likes of NINE INCH NAILS, ROB ZOMBIE, THE CULT, RAMMSTEIN, MINISTRY and more. A "Carnivorous Halloween Costume Contest" will take place, with meaty prizes like real live blood from each band member. Rare photographs and "Carnivorous artifacts" (such as Peter Steele's original handwritten CARNIVORE lyrics) will be displayed. The classic "Retaliation" lineup of CARNIVORE is reforming as CARNIVORE A.D., out of great respect to Peter Steele's legacy while simultaneously distinguishing themselves from past incarnations of the band. Marc Piovanetti states: "Last May, I was very fortunate to perform CARNIVORE music live again for the very first time in over twenty years. The jubilant and humbling reception I received confirmed to me that Peter Steele is gone, but his epic legacy is not forgotten. So this Halloween the two remaining original members of CARNIVORE, myself and Louie Beato, will open up the next chapter in the band's ever evolving history. We will introduce the mighty Baron Misuraca, who's stature and beastly growls have already awakened Peter Steele fans across the globe. A new official lineup of CARNIVORE will be introduced: CARNIVORE A.D., a CARNIVORE for the 21st century. Everyone is invited to join us in this celebration, and to mark the thirtieth anniversary of CARNIVORE's final LP, 'Retaliation'. I am also very pleased to have the honor of presenting this distinguished performance of Peter and Keith's music to their own friends and family members here in the greatest city in the world, at New York's Bowery Electric club. The 'Carnivorous Negative family scene' is finally whole once again, and I can't wait to see what the future brings." Right now, Marc Piovanetti is also personally auctioning his legendary CARNIVORE guitar, hand-painted by Peter Steele for the band's infamous 1995 "Soviet Invasion" show at NYC's Limelight club. This guitar was used to record every single guitar track on "Retaliation" and was a mainstay at classic CARNIVORE shows between 1986-1996. Any bid above $10,000 will additionally garner Steele's original, handwritten lyrics to "Inner Conflict", and a private guitar lesson.

To make a bid, contact [email protected] Otherwise, Marc is currently busy with his new band, CIRCUS OF STEELE — an all-original group formed in tribute to his fallen ex-bandmate and lifelong mentor, Lord Petrus Steele. CIRCUS OF STEELE are currently promoting their new single, "The Downfall", which cracked the "Metal Contraband" Top 50 radio charts. The single can be found on the band's upcoming six-track EP, titled "The Zombies Rise", which will hit iTunes this fall, after the band's first-ever mainstage appearance, opening up for SACRED REICH at New York City's premier metal venue, the Gramercy Theater. The band is current negotiating a record deal.

INNER CONFLICT
CARNIVORE A.D. put me out of my misery!!! ;-)

Posted by Carnivore A.D. on Wednesday, August 16, 2017

BUTCHER BABIES will release their third album, "Lilith", in the fall via Century Media. The follow-up to 2015's "Take It Like A Man" was produced by Steve Evetts (THE DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN, SEPULTURA, SUICIDE SILENCE) and marks the band's recording debut with new drummer, Chase Brickenden, who replaced Chris Warner last year.

BUTCHER BABIES co-vocalist Heidi Shepherd stated about the "Lilith" title and cover artwork, which can be seen below: "Historically, Lilith has become demonized as a representation of promiscuity and disobedience. We, however, see her as a positive figure. A symbol of autonomy, sexual equality, and full control over your own destiny.

"Lilith is the supreme representation of the left-hand path woman: independent, having discarded the patriarchal yoke, and not afraid to use all the tools available to her, including her sexuality, to gain the most out of existence. The eels in the cover art represent sleek symbolism of new beginnings and adventure.

"With this album, we have musically taken a leap through old boundaries and landed in new oceans. It is said that a the dream or visions of eels is confirmation that the path we currently lead is the right one.

"In this new chapter of BUTCHER BABIES, we welcome evolution as we bare ourselves with 'Lilith'."

Added co-vocalist Carla Harvey: "When we were thinking of titles for our album, we wanted to find something that embodied sensuality, lust, danger and power. We kept going back to Lilith. We researched Lilith and her origins in different cultures and forms and knew that this figure, once feared but now a beautiful, symbolic middle finger to repression, would be a perfect representation of our album.

"The cover art we created with our graphic artist perfectly pulls together the last year we've spent working on 'Lilith'.

"I've always loved water themes and there is something terrifying yet calming about the deep sea; submersing yourself in it could be the death of you, yet at the same time it's cleansing and renewing.

"With this album we dove in fully and drowned ourselves in emotion, sexuality and even turmoil, and let the two-headed beast we created has emerged even stronger."

The disc's release date and the video for the first single will be unveiled next week.

Harvey told Meltdown Of Detroit's WRIF radio station that the music on BUTCHER BABIES' upcoming disc "runs the gamut" from "great thrash metal" to "a little bit of '90s influence." She said: "We're singing, we're screaming and it's just a great, great album. I couldn't be prouder of it. I think there's four songs where we do predominantly singing on it. And normally that would scare even me, 'cause I'm, like, 'I'm a metal girl! I don't wanna be singing.' But it's so beautiful — it really is. So it's kind of ballady, but not too ballady. It's very dark, sensual — the lyrics are very sensual on this album."

She continued: "I think we're bringing a little bit of the sexy back on this album that we kind of steered away from for a while. When we were building up our career, we wanted to be taken so seriously as metal chicks, so I think we kind of let those hindrances go a little bit and said, 'Let's just be us in all aspects of us' — from the metal to the sexy to everything else."

Although there is a lot of variety on BUTCHER BABIES' upcoming effort, Carla is quick to point out that "I couldn't do an album with no thrash on it, 'cause that's my passion. I think my favorite song on the album is a completely ridiculous thrash metal song that you'll hear," she said. "It's just amazing. In fact, one line in the song is about my Corvette that is always broken down. I have a '75 Corvette, 'cause I'm a real Detroit girl with a real American car. The song has completely ridiculous lyrics, but it's so cool — total thrash."

Carla said that BUTCHER BABIES next album will contain eleven songs, with an extra track for Japan. The disc's first single has "got a super-sexy rhythm to it," according to Harvey. "But everything is still… When you hear the album, you say, 'That's definitely BUTCHER BABIES.'"

Regarding BUTCHER BABIES' collaboration with Evetts, Carla said: "He doesn't do any Auto-Tuning or any pitching or anything like that, so every note on this album is a hundred percent authentic. And it's really cool to be able to say that about an album nowadays, I think, because people are so used to hearing everything Auto-Tuned and touched up and fixed up. This album is exactly what we've always wanted to do — it's something passionate and raw — and we're all just over the moon for it."

She added: "That's the one thing that we've always wanted to capture, because I think that we're a great live band, and when you're a good live band, you wanna capture that energy, and we finally found a producer that can help harness that live energy, actually, into the album."

According to Carla, Chase's addition to BUTCHER BABIES contributed to the upcoming album being "just on another level." She explained: "He's just a great, great, great drummer with all kinds of new ideas, and we blend really well together. And we actually toured with Chase on our very first tour with OTEP years and years ago, so we're all old friends already and he just fit in seamlessly."

"Take It Like A Man" was produced by Logan Mader, who has previously worked with FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH, DEVILDRIVER, CAVALERA CONSPIRACY and GOJIRA.

BUTCHER BABIES will support HOLLYWOOD UNDEAD on a U.S. tour which will kick off on October 1 in Atlanta, Georgia.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, the lawsuit brought against AVENGED SEVENFOLD by its former label, Warner Bros. Records, could set a new legal precedent if it actually comes to trial in December. Warner Bros. sued AVENGED SEVENFOLD in late 2015 after the band left the label by citing the California Labor Code's "seven-year rule." The rule allows for parties to exit contracts after seven years if certain unfavorable conditions exist. Nearly every, if not all, similar cases in California have been settled out of court before trial.

But a provision in the rule allows labels to collect money that would have been made on undelivered albums. Warner Bros. is seeking damages based on the fact that AVENGED SEVENFOLD had one album left on its contract, while the band has argued that extensive turnover in the label's staff led to an unsatisfactory working relationship. If it loses, AVENGED SEVENFOLD could face a verdict between $5 million and $10 million. Warner Bros. is also being allowed to seek its attorney fees — already amounting to more than $1.5 million.

"We've realized this battle is bigger than just us," AVENGED SEVENFOLD singer M. Shadows said. "We're fighting so that all musical artists have the same rights everyone else has. It's not like we wanted to be here, but we are down for the fight."

If there is no settlement before the case goes to trial, Warner Bros. will have to present evidence in court of how much the label could have earned if the band's new album, "The Stage", had come out through Warner Bros. instead of the group's new label, Capitol Records. The figures could set the standard for future cases.

Complicating matters is that the surprise release of "The Stage" — it came out with almost no promotion beforehand, save for the arrival of a new song one week earlier — has backfired on the group, with the record selling considerably less in its first weeks on sale that the last three AVENGED SEVENFOLD albums.

AVENGED SEVENFOLD's attorney, Howard King, is arguing that there would not have been much — if any — profit for Warner to lose on the band's fifth album. "We believe a jury will conclude they can't prove any damages," he said. He added that "The Stage" "has been a commercial disappointment. WBR would have lost money had that been delivered to them for marketing."

"The Stage" debuted at No. 4 on The Billboard 200 album chart last November. The surprise release of the disc earned the lowest sales of an AVENGED SEVENFOLD album in eleven years. It sold 76,000 copies in its first week, less than half the tally of its previous two efforts.

M. Shadows told The Pulse Of Radio that AVENGED SEVENFOLD was aware of the risks in such an unusual release. "One thing that we knew, you know, all the analytics proved that, you know, we shouldn't do this because of the way that rock fans consume music," he said. "You know, it's very physical-heavy, and one thing we knew is that we had to get records in stores, but we were gonna be basically setting ourselves up for a leak, which would have been a huge disaster. But Capitol Records did an amazing job of being able to get these records into stores, so we were able to be the first band to actually have a physical and digital release that was a surprise."

JOSH TODD & THE CONFLICT, the new band featuring singer Josh Todd and guitarist Stevie Dacanay (a.k.a. Stevie D.) of BUCKCHERRY, recently took part in an interview and acoustic performance at the studios of the Rock 100.5 The KATT radio station. Check out video footage of the group's appearance below.

JOSH TODD & THE CONFLICT's debut album, "Year Of The Tiger", will be released on September 15 via Century Media. The disc was co-produced by Dacanay and STONE TEMPLE PILOTS drummer Eric Kretz.

Regarding the motivation to start this new project, Josh said: "I have a lot of story telling in me and I always wanted to start another band. Something more reckless and off-the-beaten rock path.

"A lot of changes had taken place in BUCKCHERRY and I didn't want to go another year without making new music.

"BUCKCHERRY is in a great place; we have a great new lineup and we have a handful of dates to complete this year. However, my full attention is on JOSH TODD & THE CONFLICT and the record dropping on September 15th. We're gonna do a worldwide tour behind this. My goal is to give each band a break, so I can stay consistently making music without over touring and build both situations into something really cool."

He continued: "It was time for me to make a record. It has been two years since I put out new music and that's a long time for me. I am a student of the game and this was an opportunity to not just make a traditional-sounding rock record like I have been doing in the past. THE CONFLICT stuff is heavy, melodic and honest, with a lot of risk taking, and these are the records that bring out the best in me."

JOSH TODD & THE CONFLICT is:

Josh Todd - VocalsStevie D - Guitars/Back-Up VocalsSean Winchester - DrumsGreg Cash - Bass

Chicago-based heavy rock outfit SOIL will release "Scream: The Essentials" on September 15 via Pavement Entertainment and AFM Records. Celebrating the band's twenty-year career, this release will feature tracks from their humble beginnings, rise to fame, and also include alternate versions and mixes.

A brand-new track, "Gimme Some Lovin'", will be featured on the compilation and has just been released as a single and video. "Gimme Some Lovin'" originally made its onscreen debut in the cult classic motion picture "The Blues Brothers" in 1980. Being primarily a rhythm-and-blues-based song, SOIL took it upon themselves to add their own personal touch and bring the song into a modern 2017 hard rock element.

"Vocally, I really had a good time with the song," states vocalist Ryan McCombs. "It was a bit left field to what I’m accustomed to singing, but with the added touches we put on it, the song fell right into place."

Contributing to those "added touches" were guest backing vocalists Lindy Gabriel (GABRIEL AND THE APOCALYPSE) and Cristina Feliciano (OBLIVIOUS SIGNAL), along with guest keyboardist Jake LaCore (GABRIEL AND THE APOCALYPSE).

"I consider Lindy and Cristina two of the absolute best up-and-coming female vocalists out there," says bassist Tim King. "And with being all from the same USA record label (Pavement Entertainment), it was a great way to keep everything in the family." The result is a perfect nod to the band's Chicago heritage, with a classic blues-based song that mixes a whole lotta rock, metal, and female fury pumped into the mix.

Other songs exclusive to this release include an acoustic version of the song "Can You Heal Me" from the album "Re.de.fine". This version was recorded at Dimebag Darrell's home studio in 2004 after SOIL had completed a European tour with DAMAGEPLAN. At the helm were Sterling Whitfield engineering and Vinnie Paul Abbott producing the track. "Those sessions are such a blur, as it was mandatory to record while drinking lots of booze at Dime's studio," says King. "But somehow we got through them. Great times and memories (from what we can still recall!) came from that session. A lot of drunken love on those tracks."

Another special track on the album is a version of the song "Give It Up" that features the late Wayne Static from STATIC-X singing verses, choruses, and a bridge section in the song. This version leaked out to radio and met with some great underground success but was never properly released until now.

With the recent passing of Chris Cornell (an early influence on SOIL), the band decided to pay homage and add their version of the classic SOUNDGARDEN song "Rusty Cage" to the compilation. "Rusty Cage" was recorded in 2007 and previously only available on the band's MySpace page.

SOIL will embark on a world tour in support of the new release throughout 2017 and 2018.

Inner Wound Recordings has announced the signing of Swedish female fronted melodic metal band, Metalite. The band's debut album, Heroes In Time, will be released on October 27th in Europe and North America.

Metalite was formed in Stockholm, Sweden in 2015 when Edwin Premberg (guitar) met Emma Bensing (vocals). The goal was to write and record melodic and memorable metal songs with a modern and fresh sound.

Edwin and Emma started to co-operate with the Danish producer Jacob Hansen (Volbeat, Evergrey, Amaranthe) and songs started to take shape. During 2016, Metalite found three experienced musicians that agreed to join the band: Lea Larsson (drums), Robert Örnesved (guitar) and Robert Majd (bass).

Heroes In Time is an impressive debut album filled with melodic and memorable songs, crowned with the strong and emotional vocals by vocalist Emma Bensing as well as a powerful production by Jacob Hansen. The album should be perfect for fans of bands like Beyond The Black, Dynazty and Amaranthe.

The artwork was created by Jan Yrlund (Apocalyptica, Leah, Korpiklaani) and guest appearances on the album includes Fraser Edwards (Ascension) and Jakob Svensson (Wigelius).

Heroes In Time tracklisting:

“Afterlife”
“Purpose Of Life”
“Nightmare”
“The Hunter”
“Heroes In Time”
“Power Of Metal”
“Over And Done”
“The Light Of Orion”
“In The Middle Of The Night”
“Black Horse Rider”
“The Great Force Within Us”

"Immortal Melancholy", the new video from Dutch symphonic metallers EPICA, can be seen below. The song is taken from the band's forthcoming EP, "The Solace System", which will be released on September 1 via Nuclear Blast.

With their latest masterpiece, EPICA set new standards. 2016's "The Holographic Principle" is the most epochal, multi-layered, courageous and successful record of the band, reaching top 10 chart position entries in the German, Dutch and Swiss album charts. Accordingly, all the tracks written for the album process are high quality, but not all songs have been put on the album. "This is only based on the fact that the record should not exceed 76 minutes," explains guitarist/vocalist Mark Jansen. Since the band didn't like the idea of a double CD, they finally decided to release an EP with six brand-new numbers, which were created during the creative phase of "The Holographic Principle". "The Solace System" track listing:

01. The Solace System02. Fight Your Demons03. Architect Of Light04. Wheel Of Destiny05. Immortal Melancholy06. Decoded Poetry

Mark states about the songs: "The listeners can expect a high-quality EP — with songs that are far too good to use them only as bonus tracks. We wanted to publish these songs together in a context. It is always hard to decide at the end of a recording process which songs will be on the album, because this means that you have to miss some songs with best quality, just because they do not fit quite well into the overall flow of the record or because there are other songs that are more suited to the lyrics." "The Solace System" was recorded, mixed and mastered by Joost van den Broek and Jacob Hansen.

EPICA vocalist Simone Simons comments on the EP: "During the early writing process of 'The Holographic Principle', we found out that we were blessed with a huge amount of songs. The songs that didn't fit on our album are now available for you on this special EP! I hope you guys will enjoy these songs as much as we do!"

And if that wasn't enough, you'll be also able to purchase the new EP, "The Solace System", together with the CD of their recent studio album, "The Holographic Principle" as a box set. It will be called "The Holographic Principle - The Ultimate Edition".

In other news, Nuclear Blast re-released two ancient albums of EPICA, "Design Your Universe" and "The Divine Conspiracy", on vinyl on August 18. Each album is available in two different colors.

Photo credit: Tim Tronckoe

Finnish alt-rockers THE RASMUS have released a lyric video for their new single, "Silver Night". The chilling track is the latest song to be made available from the band's long-awaited new album, "Dark Matters", which will be released October 6 via Playground Music Scandinavia. The disc was produced by the Swedish team The Family (Iggy Azalea, FIFTH HARMONY). "The thinking behind our new songs was to create the kind of music we would like to listen to," THE RASMUS singer Lauri Ylönen explains. "We haven't abandoned our signature northern melancholy, but you can hear a wide range of influences in our new compositions.

"The new album is like a roller coaster with many different emotions and personal feelings. Our music is at times dark, speculative, melodic and sometimes even sad."

THE RASMUS released its previous single, "Paradise", in March after a five-year hiatus. The band also announced a PledgeMusic campaign, allowing access to an exclusive fan-only area, featuring album pre-order deals, updates from the band, behind-the-scenes footage and a variety of bonus content.

In 2012, after releasing three more albums, and multiple world tours, THE RASMUS members Ylönen, Pauli Rantasalmi, Eero Heinonen and Aki Hakala, took a break from their busy band schedule. During this period, Ylönen moved to Los Angeles, a change that resonates in many of the songs he has written since.

Canadian cult metal act ANVIL has completed recording its new album, "Pounding The Pavement". Drummer Robb Reiner states: "The birth of the tracks has yielded much classic ANVIL gold!! Without doubt, all pounders will find songs emerge as their favorites. Mixes of tracks to flow soon for us. [We're] very excited to hear the polished rawness encased in smashing metal!! Big, big thanks to the pledge campaign pounders in supporting the project!"

ANVIL frontman Steve "Lips" Kudlow previously said that the band was planning to record "thirteen songs which are diverse in subject and tempo, as all ANVIL albums."

Regarding the new album title, Lips said: "It is a description of what ANVIL has been doing for forty years — endlessly working and making a living. We love what we do so it's not complaining; it's celebrating our long, amazing history."

"Pounding The Pavement" is slated for release in early 2018.

Pledgers can pre-order the album now on ANVIL's campaign page. The leaders in direct-to-fan platforms, PledgeMusic allows artists to get more personal with their fans, offering pledgers updates straight from the band and items not available anywhere else.

ANVIL's seventeenth studio album, "Pounding The Pavement" marks forty years of the band's illustrious career. The group is also celebrating its history with the Netflix release of the ANVIL movie "Anvil! The Story of Anvil".

Swedish modern melodic metallers AMARANTHE have released a video for "Maximize", the opening track of the band's "Maximalism" album, released in October 2016.

A stylistically different choice from previous AMARANTHE clip, this video shows a more intimate and raw side to the band, letting the band and its performance speak for itself without any effects or extras. Shot in Helsinki by director Ville Juurikkala (BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE, HIM, SONATA ARCTICA), "Maximize" demonstrates a band oozing with confidence after nearly a thousand shows in just a few years, and puts a tasteful touch of minimalism to "Maximalism".

The video was shot before AMARANTHE recruited their latest singer, Nils Molin. However, Nils will be featured in all the band's upcoming releases.

AMARANTHE guitarist Olof Mörck comments on the video: "'Understated' is not what you usually associate AMARANTHE with — but seeing the raw emotion and personalities combined with 'Maximize', I was convinced that we captured part of the essence of the AMARANTHE live machine. Ladies and gentlemen, this is AMARANTHE at its rawest and most distilled form! See you all on the road this fall, as the 'Maximalism' world invades a city near you!"

In other news, AMARANTHE's "1.000.000 Lightyears" single has reached gold status in Sweden and "Hunger" and "Amaranthine" have both been certified gold in Finland.

DYNAZTY's Nils Molin last month officially joined AMARANTHE as the replacement for the recently departed singer Joacim "Jake E" Lundberg.

Having previously used Chris Adam Hedman Sörbye from the band SMASH INTO PIECES as a stand-in for Jake on some of the shows in 2016 and earlier this year, AMARANTHE recruited Molin for three Swedish concerts in March and he has been part of the group's live appearances ever since.

Jake E announced his departure from AMARANTHE in February, explaining at the time that he began to feel that "my place both on the albums and live was reduced; I felt like I was superfluous… I started to feel more like a backing singer." He has since launched a new band called CYHRA with former IN FLAMES members Peter Iwers (bass) and Jesper Strömblad (guitar) alongside LUCA TURILLI'S RHAPSODY drummer Alex Landenburg,

"Maximalism" was produced once again by Jacob Hansen (VOLBEAT, EPICA, DELAIN) and mastered by Svante Forsbäck (RAMMSTEIN, APOCALYPTICA, DRAGONFORCE).

Catch AMARANTHE on tour in Europe, Scandinavia, Russia, Brazil and South America this fall as well as playing a one-off show in the U.S. as part of the ProgPower USA festival in early September.

THE DARK ELEMENT, the new musical project featuring former NIGHTWISH vocalist Anette Olzon and Finnish guitarist and songwriter Jani Liimatainen, will release its self-titled debut album on November 10 via Frontiers Music Srl.

Since word of this project got out, fans have been frothing at the mouth with anticipation for its arrival. And no wonder considering the talent involved! Anette is widely known for being the immaculate voice on the hit albums from NIGHTWISH, "Dark Passion Play" and "Imaginareum". Jani has recently been busy in CAIN'S OFFERING alongside STRATOVARIUS singer Timo Kotipelto, but left a deep mark on the minds of all power metal fans thanks to his time in SONATA ARCTICA.

Said Liimatainen: "I have always been a big fan of Anette's voice and when the opportunity to work with her arose, writing and producing an album, it was something I just couldn't say no! It has been a blast working on the songs and I can't wait for everyone to hear the final result. This will be epic! The songs are extremely melodic and to the point. My goal has been to write catchy songs with hooks that will haunt your dreams, and I think it's pretty much 'mission accomplished.' Stay tuned for something special!"

Added Olzon: "I am so looking forward to this album and I believe our collaboration worked like a perfect match and I am really happy that Jani and Frontiers asked me to do this with them!"

"The Dark Element" track listing:

01. The Dark Element02. My Sweet Mystery03. Last Good Day04. Here's To You05. Someone You Used To Know06. Dead To Me07. Halo08. I Cannot Raise The Dead09. The Ghost And The Reaper10. Heaven Of Your Heart11. Only One Who Knows Me

Musicians:

Anette Olzon - Lead VocalsJani Liimatainen - Guitars, Keyboards, ProgrammingJonas Kuhlberg - BassJani "Hurtsi" Hurula - Drums

* Piano on "Someone You Used to Know" and "Heaven of Your Heart" by Jarkko Lahti* Backing vocals by Anette Olzon, Petri Aho, Anssi Stenberg and Jani Liimatainen* Growls on "Dead To Me" by Niilo Sevänen

ARCH ENEMY has released an unboxing video for the deluxe edition of its new album, "Will To Power", due out on September 8. Co-produced by guitarist and band leader Michael Amott and drummer Daniel Erlandsson, "Will To Power" was mixed and mastered by longtime collaborator and friend Jens Bogren (OPETH, AT THE GATES, DIMMU BORGIR). The album's captivating cover artwork was designed by Alex Reisfar. "Will To Power" marks the second ARCH ENEMY album since the departure of longtime singer Angela Gossow and addition of singer Alissa White-Gluz. It will also be the first ARCH ENEMY disc to feature former NEVERMORE guitarist Jeff Loomis, who joined the band in late 2014.

Speaking about the songwriting process for "Will To Power", Michael told TotalRock: "The writing never really stops; I'm always fiddling around on the guitar. I come up with a little idea, record it and save it. And then piece it all together later on.

"The actual real writing of the new album, 'Will To Power', started about a year and a half ago," he continued. "We started seriously putting together demos and so forth. So it was a fun process. When you've not recorded an album for two and a half [or] three years, it's really fun to get into that creative mindset again and enter the studio.

"People always ask us: 'Do you prefer being onstage playing shows, or do you prefer being in the studio?' But we're greedy — we want to do both, for the balance. We need to write new songs, and then it's a pleasure to go out and play them live onstage as well, of course."

Asked if White-Gluz and Loomis, were involved in the writing for "Will To Power", Amott said: "Yeah, especially Alissa. She was heavily involved in writing lyrics for the album. Of course, singing on the album. [Laughs] Also, Daniel, our drummer, is a big collaborator in the music as well."

Berlin, Germany-based rock overlords KADAVAR have released the official video for their new track, "Into The Wormhole". The clip was shot at Sphaèros Art Cave in Paris and was directed by Luizo Vega (Studio V). The video concept was developed by drummer Tiger and features AQUA NEBULA OSCILLATOR vocalist David Sphaèros.

Tiger commented: "The darkness that surrounds us when reality seems like a big black hole, those times when we try to turn around trying to escape the gravity of modern life looking for the shortcut to a more pleasant one, our biggest wish is that wormholes do exist and can take us to another dimension. A place where our thoughts are not poisoned and our souls can resonate freely. Playing music together has always been an attempt to enter this rare state of mind where everything is fine for just a second.

"While 'Into The Wormhole' is rather slow and possibly the heaviest song we have ever written, it philosophies about the shortcuts to enter the state of bliss at speed of light, the wormhole.

"Our history with our french buddies in AQUA NEBULA OSCILLATOR goes far behind and each of us has tried in their own way to find salvation through music. This is why I've had the idea to ask singer and main brain David Sphaèros to open the doors to his infamous caves in the Parisian underground for us to collaborate for this video. Being able to get Luizo Vega on board as a director, who has just worked on 'Dracula's Not Dead', pushed the whole thing just in the right direction."

"Into The Wormhole" is taken from KADAVAR's new album, "Rough Times", which will be released on September 29 via Nuclear Blast.

POWER QUEST, the renowned melodic power metal band based in the U.K., has released a lyric video for "Kings And Glory", the first single from its long-awaited sixth album, "Sixth Dimension". The disc will be released on October 13 via Inner Wound Recordings in Europe and USA and on October 11 in Japan via Marquee/Avalon.

"Sixth Dimension" was mastered by Jens Bogren (DRAGONFORCE, SYMPHONY X, ARCH ENEMY) and the artwork was created by Felipe Machado Franco (BLIND GUARDIAN, RHAPSODY OF FIRE, ICED EARTH). The album includes guest appearances by Anette Olzon (ex-NIGHTWISH), Andrea Martongelli (ARTHEMIS, ex-POWER QUEST) and Lars Rettkowitz (FREEDOM CALL).

"Sixth Dimension" track listing:

01. Lords Of Tomorrow 02. Starlight City 03. Kings And Glory04. Face The Raven05. No More Heroes06. Revolution Fighters07. Pray For The Day08. Coming Home09. The Sixth Dimension

POWER QUEST 2017 is:

Ashley Edison - VocalsSteve Williams - KeyboardsDan Owen - GuitarGav Owen - GuitarPaul Finnie - BassRich Smith – Drums

Bergen, Norway-based progressive metal band, Vulture Industries, will release their new album, Stranger Times, via Season Of Mist on September 22nd. Pre-order the album here, and check out a video for the track “Something Vile” below.

The follow-up to 2013's The Tower sees the quintet hone their unique and foreboding blend of dark and heavy rock by mining the outermost fringes of the progressive and the avant-garde. Stand out tracks "As The World Burns", "Strangers", "Something Vile" and "Tales Of Woe" are bold windows to their offbeat world, and serve as crucial landmarks in the albums baroque musical journey.

Stranger Times is a thoroughly captivating and enveloping listen, and proves Vulture Industries to be one of modern metals most fearless and peerless bands.

Tracklisting:

“Tales Of Woe”
“As The World Burns”
“Strangers”
“The Beacon”
“Something Vile”
“My Body, My Blood”
“Gentle Touch Of A Killer”
“Screaming Reflections”
“Midnight Draws Near”

“Something Vile” video:

“Strangers” video:

Babylon A.D. are one of the few hard rock bands from the late '80s/early '90s that are still operating with all of their original members: Derek Davis, vocalist/songwriter, guitarists and songwriters, John Matthews and Ron Freschi, drummer Jamey Pacheco and bassist Robb Reid. The band formed in 1987 and to celebrate their 30th anniversary, will release their new album, Revelation Highway, on November 10th. A video for the first song from the album, "Crash And Burn”, is available for streaming below.

Vocalist Derek Davis on the new album: "This record kicks ass, from the opening track 'Crash And Burn' to the last track 'Saturday Night'. The band had a blast making the album and a lot had to do with original founding member lead-guitarist John Matthews rejoining the band. He really lit the fire that got the bands blood pumping to make a new record. For me it was awesome to produce and mix such a cool record. It's very hard hitting yet melodic, with some great lyrical story telling and great stand out tracks like, 'One Million Miles', 'Tears', 'Rags To Riches, and 'She Likes To Give It'. The songs are so catchy and memorable on the first listen I know our fans are gonna love it! And of course there are some burning guitar leads to keep the metal heads happy. The band is very grateful that Frontiers Music Srl listened to the tracks and felt the same way about them as we do and offered us the opportunity to get this record out. We can't wait to hit the road and play the material live."

Featuring 10 tracks of the energetic classic hard rock the band is known for, Revelation Highway is sure to please fans of the band's classic early material. The band will play shows in the UK and Germany this August/September to kick off promotion for the album with more touring planned both in the US and UK/Europe.

Tracklisting:

“Crash And Burn”
“Fool On Fire”
“One Million Miles”
“Tears”
“She Likes To Give It”
“Rags To Riches”
“Last Time For Love”
“I'm No Good For You”
“Saturday Night”
“Don't Tell Me Tonight”

“Crash And Burn” video:

Babylon A.D. lineup:

Derek Davis - Lead Vocals, Keyboards, Acoustic Guitar
Ron Freschi - Guitars & Vocals
John Mathews - Guitars & Keyboards
Robb Reid - Bass & Vocals
James Pacheco - Drums & Percussion

American/Italian hard rockers, Not Over Yet, have announced the release of their debut album, Axioms Of Life, out on October 27th. Not Over Yet is an international studio project that brings together world-renowned artists to create the ultimate hard rock album. Check out a trailer video below.

Featuring as guests on Axioms Of Life: Luca Princiotta - lead guitars (Doro Pesch), Chris Poland - lead guitars (OHM, Megadeth), Blaze Bayley - vocals (Blaze, Iron Maiden, Wolfsbane), Zak Stevens - vocals (TSO, Savatage, Circle II Circle), Dylan Rose - vocals (Archer Nation), Charlie Huhn - vocals (Foghat, Gary Moore, Ted Nugent, Victory) and Greg Izor - vocals.

Tracklisting:

“Will Power” (feat. Dylan Rose, Luca Princiotta)
“Crazy Tide” (feat. Zak Stevens, Chris Poland, Luca Princiotta)
“Boomshake” (feat. Charlie Huhn, Luca Princiotta)
“You And I” (feat. Zak Stevens, Chris Poland)
“Back to Square One” (feat. Blaze Bayley, Luca Princiotta)
“Some Blues” (feat. Greg Izor, Luca Princiotta)
“No Compromise” (feat. Charlie Huhn, Luca Princiotta)
“Breathe” (feat. Dylan Rose, Luca Princiotta)
“Let's Stay Together” (feat. Greg Izor)

Trailer:

Not Over Yet is:

Giulia Cerardi - Rhythm guitars
Luigi Stefanini - Bass guitar
Luca Cerardi - Drums

Not Over Yet was formed in fall 2014 by the siblings Giulia Cerardi and Luca Cerardi (Merendine Atomiche / Merendine). Axioms Of Life has been recorded in many different locations around the world. Drums, bass, vocals and rhythm guitars were recorded between June 2015 and March 2017 at New Sin Studios, Loria (Treviso, Italy). Blaze Bayley and Greg Izor both recorded their vocals at the same studio, in June 2015 and June 2016, respectively. Charlie Huhn recorded his vocals in January 2017 at North Avenue Studios in DeLand, Florida (USA). Chris Poland recorded his leadguitar parts during the same month, at Glass House Studios in Los Angeles, California (USA). Dylan Rose recorded his vocal parts in October 2016 in Santa Cruz, California (USA), while Zak Stevens recorded his during the same month at MG Studios in Columbia, South Carolina (USA).

US occult rockers, Ancient Vvisdom, have inked a deal with Argonauta Records to release their new album, 33, following their previous paths A Godlike Inferno (2011), Deathlike (2013) and Sacrificial (2014).

From the band, Nathan Opposition says: “Forging ahead, I have kept the all seeing eye on the fallen angel to keep my faith in his works. This album is a work made of worship songs to our Lord and Master Satan. The collective efforts of our unholy Trinity Lucifer, Satan and The Devil. In light of darker times, I find it necessary to express myself in a way that teaches on a higher level.”

On the record deal: “I’m very excited to release Ancient Vvisdom's fourth album, 33, with three different amazing record labels! Argonauta Records in Italy for CD version, Magic Bullet Records out of Oceanside California doing our digital release, and DHU Records from the Netherlands is going to be doing some sick vinyl colors. It’s a collective. All excellent people, working hard to release underground and independent music. I'm a fan of many different artists and musicians, it's quite rewarding to see everyone in an underground culture take the initiative and make things fucking happen for all of us, as fans of music and for the ones making music as well.”

About the new album: “33 is a master number. It is also the age Christ was crucified. 33 is the age of the peak of existence. It is the age I am. 33 is the answer. I've been fortunate enough to do the devils work and continue to spread the message to the masses. This album is very important to us. It has symbolic meaning and melody that serves the words purposefully. My brother Michael and I are grateful and are pleased to give you 33. This is our favourite offering to date and we hope you all enjoy it.”

The first single “Light Of Lucifer” is out today and is available for streaming below. Pre-order the new album here.

33 tracklisting:

“Ascending Eternally”
“Light Of Lucifer”
“In The Name Of Satan”
“True Will”
“The Infernal One”
“Summoning Eternal Light”
“Rise Fallen Angel”
“33”
“The Great Beast”
“Lux”
“Dispelling Darkness”

“Light Of Lucifer”:

Paradise Lost will release their new studio album, Medusa, on September 1st via Nuclear Blast. The video below takes a look inside the limited mail-order edition:

The pre-order for Medusa is underway and you can purchase the full-length release in several formats:

- Standard jewelcase CD
- Digibook including 2 bonus tracks
- Various coloured 180g LP (black / clear / copper / grey+red bi-coloured / gold / NB anniversary green)
- Collector’s box including the digibook, gatefold picture disc, an exclusive 7'', a candle, poster, band photo card and poster flag.
- Mailorder edition Collector’s box including the digibook, gatefold picture disc, a 7'' featuring the tracks 'Shrines' and 'Symbolic Virtue', a candle, poster, band photo card, poster flag and exclusive cover artwork

Pre-order the physical editions of the new album, including special merchandise here, or get the digital versions here and receive “The Longest Winter” as instant grat, or in the band shop, here.

Tracklisting:

“Fearless Sky”
“Gods Of Ancient”
“From The Gallows”
“The Longest Winter”
“Medusa”
“No Passage For The Dead”
“Blood And Chaos”
“Until The Grave”

Bonus tracks:
“Frozen Illusion”
“Shrines”
“Symbolic Virtue”

“Blood And Chaos” video:

“The Longest Winter” lyric video:

Trailer #1:

Trailer #2:

Trailer #3:

Trailer #4:

Trailer #5:

On September 1st, Paradise Lost return to Stuttgart, Germany to present Medusa in its entirety. Check out a video trailer below, and get you tickets here.

Shortly after the release, Paradise Lost will embark on an extensive European tour and with label mates and US doomsters Pallbearer, as well as Sinistro from Portugal.

Tour dates:
 
September
1 - Stuttgart, Germany - LKA Longhorn (Album release show)
8 - Dubai, UAE - The Music Room (Majestic Hotel)

September (with Pallbearer, Sinistro)
27 - Esch-Sur-Alzette, Luxembourg - Kulturfabrik
28 - Herford, Germany - X
29 - Copenhagen, Denmark - Pumpehuset

October (with Pallbearer, Sinistro)
1 - Oslo, Norway - John Dee
3 - Helsinki, Finland - Nosturi
7 - Aarhus, Denmark - Voxhall
10 - Brno, Czech Republic - Fleda
11 - Bratislava, Slovakia - Randal
13 - Belgrade, Serbia - Dom Omladine
14 - Zagreb, Croatia - Boogaloo
15 - Budapest, Hungary - Dürer Kert
18 - Nuremberg, Germany - Hirsch
19 - Frankfurt, Germany - Batschkapp
20 - Saarbrücken, Germany - Garage
21 - Geneva, Switzerland - L‘Usine
28 - Fontaneto D'Agogna, Italy - Phenomenon
29 - Munich, Germany - Theaterfabrik
30 - Pratteln, Switzerland - Z7

November (with Pallbearer, Sinistro)
3 - London, UK - Electric Ballroom
4 - Leeds, UK - Damnation Festival
6 - Utrecht, Netherlands - Pandora
7 - Tilburg, Netherlands - 013
8 - Cologne, Germany - Live Music Hall
9 - Berlin, Germany - Columbia Theater
10 - Weissenhäuser Strand / Ostsee, Germany - Metal Hammer Paradise (Paradise Lost only)

December
14 - Brisbane, Australia - The Triffid
15 - Sydney, Australia - The Metro Theatre
16 - Melbourne, Australia - Corner Hotel
17 - Adelaide, Australia - The Gov
18 - Perth, Australia - Capitol

Belgium-based heavy/speed metal band, Drakkar, will release their new album, Diabolical Empathy, on September 29th via Spinal Records. Watch a video for “Hitchhiking Of Pain” below.

13 tracks, 13 destinies. Only one mistake: the human being. Start an incredible travel through the Jeffrey Dahmer's brain, the Padre Pio's stigmata, the corridors of the Rose Hall Great house with Annie Palmer's entity... Will you dare? Who really knows what happened between Christ and his Holy Mother after the cross? Choose between God or a son... Enter the Nine Circles of Hell and experiment.

Tracklisting:

“The Arrival”
“Rose Hall Great House”
“Stigmata”
“The Witchies Dance”
“Plague Or Cholera”
“Stay With Me”
“Lucifero Moderno”
“The Nine Circles To Hell”
“Evil Below”
“The Endless Way”
“West Allis”
“Hitchhiking Of Pain”
“Opening Towards The End”

“Hitchhiking Of Pain” video:

Swedish power/heavy metal band, Manimal, have released a video for “Invincible”, a track from their second album, Trapped In The Shadows, released in 2015 via AFM Records. Watch the video below.

Tracklisting:

“Irresistible”
“March Of Madness”
“The Dark”
“Trapped In The Shadows”
“Invincible”
“Man-Made Devil”
“Silent Messiah”
“The Journey”
“Screaming Out”
“Psychopomp”

“Invincible” video:

“Trapped In The Shadows” video:

“The Dark” video:

Belgium-based death metal/grindcore act, Leng Tch’e, released their new album, Razorgrind, on August 25th via Season Of Mist. Order the album at this location. Listen to the album track “Indomitable”, available for streaming below.

Named after their self-styled take on grindcore, the album deploys all the classic genre hallmarks; light-speed drumming, rabid vocal barking, and a swarming guitar attack packed into ferocious bursts of aggression. This is easily some of the finest work by the band, and nothing short of a ripping rush of sonic violence.

Razorgrind tracklisting:

“Gundog Allegiance”
“Indomitable”
“Cibus”
“Spore”
“AnarChristic”
“Stentor Of Doom”
“Redundant”
“Commitment Fail”
“The Red Pill”
“Species. Path. Extinction.”
“Guinea Swine”
“Cirrhosis”
“I Am The Vulture”
“Magellanic Shrine”

“Indomitable”:

“Stentor Of Doom” video:

“Gundog Allegiance”:

“Cirrhosis”:

(Photo - Serch Carriere)

Svart Records have set October 13th as the release date for No Stars Upon The Bridge, the debut album from Hallatar. A fourth official album teaser is now available for streaming below. Pre-order the new album here.

Although a brand-new name, Hallatar features among its ranks Swallow The Sun and Trees Of Eternity guitarist Juha Raivio, Amorphis vocalist Tomi Joutsen, and former HIM drummer Gas Lipstick. In fact, one could see Hallatar as an extension of Trees Of Eternity, whose massively acclaimed debut for Svart, Hour Of The Nightingale, served as the swansong of vocalist Aleah Starbridge.

Juha Raivio explains the genesis of Hallatar: "After the death of my beloved and my life partner Aleah Starbridge last April, I have been gathering writings, lyrics, and the poems of Aleah to keep them safe and close to my heart. About one month after the world came down on the blackest day of my life on April 18th, I knew I needed to pick up the guitar and try to create something or I would be truly destroyed. And something did arrive out of the darkness, and I wrote the music for the Hallatar album in a week's time. I don’t have much memory of this week, not a memory of a single day of writing the music. But all I remember when going into this abyss of the writing process was a promise to myself that whatever music would come out, I would not touch or change anything of it afterwards. What mattered was that the music would stay forever as an absolute truth of those moments as they came out. I asked my good friends - and amazing musicians - Tomi Joutsen and Gas Lipstick if they would want to record this music with me, and both of them said yes without even hearing a note of it. I am forever grateful to both of them for sharing this road with me; even the weight of the process has not been easy to carry, or will be."

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

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

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

Tracklisting:

“Mirrors”
“Raven’s Song”
“Melt”
“My Mistake” (feat. Heike Langhans)
“Pieces”
“Severed Eyes”
“The Maze”
“Spiral Gate”
“Dreams Burn Down” (feat. Aleah Starbridge)

Teaser #4:

Teaser #3:

Teaser #2:

“My Mistake” video teaser:

“Mirrors” video:

Fan-filmed video footage of Ozzy Osbourne's entire August 11 performance at Treasure Island Resort & Casino in Welch, Minnesota can be seen below.

The setlist was as follows:

01. Bark At The Moon02. Mr. Crowley03. I Don't Know04. Fairies Wear Boots (BLACK SABBATH)05. Suicide Solution06. No More Tears07. War Pigs (BLACK SABBATH)08. Drum Solo09. Iron Man (BLACK SABBATH)10. Shot In The Dark11. I Don't Want To Change The World12. Crazy Train

Encore:

13. Mama, I'm Coming Home14. Paranoid (BLACK SABBATH)

Ozzy is joined on the current run of dates by guitarist Zakk Wylde, who was the SABBATH frontman's regular axeman from 1988 to 2007, although they've often performed together since then. Osbourne's touring lineup also includes Rob "Blasko" Nicholson on bass, Tommy Clufetos on drums and Adam Wakeman on keyboards.

More Ozzy shows will follow in September and October, with the final date take place at this year's edition of the Ozzfest Meets Knotfest on November 4 in San Bernadino, California.

Speaking to the Chicago Tribune about the possibility of collaborating with Ozzy on a new studio album, Zakk said: "My relationship with Ozzy and Mrs. O [Ozzy's wife and manager, Sharon Osbourne] is if they call me up and say, 'Bring eggs and milk over and clean the dog run,' I do it. If Oz wants to do another record, then we knock it out. We haven't spoken yet about a record. Basically, right now it's about the shows."

Wylde originally joined Osbourne's band three decades ago and backed the legendary frontman from 1987 to 1995, then again in 1998, from 2001 to 2004 and also from 2006 to 2009. His guitar playing can be heard on Osbourne's studio albums "No Rest For The Wicked", "No More Tears", "Ozzmosis", "Down To Earth", "Under Cover" and "Black Rain". The first album with Wylde went double platinum and "No More Tears" remains Ozzy's most successful album, going four times platinum in the United States with four Top 10 songs on the U.S. Billboard chart. Wylde also appeared with Ozzy on three live albums.

Gone In April, the symphonic melodic death metal ensemble from Canada and the USA, has release a WW2 inspired music video for “As Hope Welcomes Death", filmed and edited by Norwegian artist Thomas Mortveit. The song “As Hope Welcomes Death” is taken from the band's sophomore album Threads of Existence, recorded at WaveTransform Studio, USA.

The video features the gripping story of a soldier injured at war. At the infirmary, a new battle takes place, where he lies between life and death, both represented by aerial acrobats.

Gone In April features musicians from Testament, Death, Quo Vadis, Märchenbilder and Vivaldi Metal Project and combines elements of symphonic, death, speed and folk metal in a compelling and aggressive blend sure to please a wide audience.

Threads Of Existence tracklist:
“Dawn of Time”
“The Curtain Will Rise”
“Our Future Line”
“Remember the Days”
“As Hope Welcomes Death”
“Embracing the Light”
“A Million Souls Gather”
“Relentless”
“The Great Contemplation”
“The Will to End a Life”

For further details, visit Gone In April on Facebook.

(Photo by Jacques Gautreau)

 

According to The Pulse Of Radio, METALLICA guitarist Kirk Hammett opened up about being bullied in high school during an interview with San Francisco radio station 107.7 The Bone. Hammett recalled "local neighborhood hoodlums" who "picked anyone who was an easy target who looked different from them... They were people with very low IQs that had nothing better to do with their time, except on picking and bullying on other people."

He continued: "They used to terrify us all the time! And then we go to the other side of town, and there were the Mexican gangs we had to constantly worry about as well… We [would] just try and not to go anywhere near those guys."

Hammett added that he started playing guitar around that time because "it was one of the only things I found that could calm me down when I was a kid, and give me some sort of… I was able to use it to ground myself and be more in the moment."

He added that music "saved my life," saying, "If I didn't have music I would have just.... Who knows? I was on a pretty bad path when I discovered music, and music kept me going from further down that path."

METALLICA has been on the road in support of its latest studio album, "Hardwired... To Self-Destruct".

The band just completed its first North American trek in eight years and will next begin a European tour on September 2 in Copenhagen, Denmark.

MYCHILDREN MYBRIDE has released a brand new single titled "Thorns". The track is taken from the band's new LP, "Vicious World", due on October 13 via Entertainment One Music / Good Fight Music.

"Much like our last record, we really tried to be diverse and establish a different mood for each song," says vocalist Matthew Hasting. "You'll see that same ideology is very present with 'Vicious World'.

"'Thorns' is the love child of MARILYN MANSON and ADVENT, a song you can move and bang your head to, and just a small taste of how far we pushed ourselves on this new record.

"It's been quite some time since MYCHILDREN MYBRIDE has released music, and we're extremely proud and excited for you all to bounce along with us to this song."

MYCHILDREN MYBRIDE guitarist/songwriter Robert Bloomfield adds: "'Thorns' represents the innovation and inspiration on this album. Most importantly, there's feel. There's ups, there's downs. There's melody and there's chaos. Musically, fans can expect an MYCHILDREN MYBRIDE experience they've never had before."

"Vicious World" is the follow-up to MYCHILDREN MYBRIDE's self-titled LP, which came out in 2012.

Hasting continues: "For the artwork, I collaborated with the amazing artist Sam Wolfe Connelly to capture the eeriness and darkness of the record in one image.

"This record has taken us down a long and very winding road. But we're very thankful for eOne Music and Good Fight Music for believing in us and our passion for creating music. We can't wait for you all to hear 'Vicious World'!"

For "Vicious World", MYCHILDREN MYBRIDE worked closely with producer Travis Richter, best known as longtime guitarist of FROM FIRST TO LAST, the band that launched the career of Sonny Moore (a.k.a. Skrillex) and sold a half million albums over the years.

"Thorns" is available on all streaming services and will serve as an iTunes instant-gratification track, meaning, fans who pre-order the LP via iTunes receive "Thorns" as an instant download. "Vicious World" is equally energetic, driving, dramatic, and cinematic. Each song takes listeners on a moving journey from start to finish, with special care and attention to structure and meaning.

The core duo of Hasting and Bloomfield, who appear together on every MYCHILDREN MYBRIDE album, now usher in a brand new era of the band forged in ambitious artistry and deliberate focus. They've combined elements of extreme metal and the punk-and-pop-infused mash-ups present on the Warped Tour and Mayhem stages with their own signature flavor, a product of their disparate geographical locations, unique background, and point of view.

Since the band's formation over a decade ago in Madison, Alabama, MYCHILDREN MYBRIDE has worked with nearly ever A-list metal/metalcore/hardcore producer in the game.

MYCHILDREN MYBRIDE dabbles in everything grunge, EDM, hip-hop, mainstream metal, and hard rock, cannibalizing the brightest spots of the seemingly contrasting genres, warping them, twisting them, and creating something inventive and fresh within its sound. Simply put, MYCHILDREN MYBRIDE has created the band its members wanted to hear. "Vicious World" is the sound of a creative entity in full command of its ambitions and experimentation, alternately catchy and inviting yet dense and thought provoking.

"Vicious World" track listing:

01. XeN002. Act I: Elysium 7703. Thorns04. Act II: Sonar05. The Acrobat06. Act III: Wither07. The Fountain08. CICVDVS09. Act IV: The Laughing Coffin10. KevlAr11. I.O.U.N.12. Guardian XIII

Atlanta progressive metallers MASTODON will release a new EP featuring four previously unreleased tracks. "Cold Dark Place" will be made available digitally and on CD on September 22 via Reprise Records, followed by the release of a limited-edition ten-inch vinyl picture disc on October 27.

Three of the songs on "Cold Dark Place" — "North Side Star", "Blue Walsh" and "Cold Dark Place" — were recorded during the sessions for MASTODON's 2014 album "Once More 'Round The Sun" and were produced by Nick Raskulinecz. A fourth track, "Toe to Toes", was recorded during the sessions for the band's most recent album, 2017's "Emperor Of Sand", and was produced by Brendan O'Brien.

Those who pre-order "Cold Dark Place" will receive an instant download of the track "Toe to Toes" on September 1.

Also, next month MASTODON will appear on the cover of the newly relaunched Revolver magazine. The issue, which hits newsstands on September 12, will be available withfour different covers, each featuring a member of MASTODON. When all four covers are placed together side by side, a single image of the full band, which is Brann Dailor, Brent Hinds, Bill Kelliher and Troy Sanders, is created. As an added bonus, Revolver subscribers will receive an exclusive and very limited-edition seven-inch vinyl single with their paid order. The A-side is the version of "Toe To Toes" that appears on "Cold Dark Place", and the B-side is a previously unreleased instrumental version of the track. The single will be housed in a picture sleeve featuring exclusive artwork by Richey Beckett, who also created the cover image of the "Cold Dark Place" EP.

A behind-the-scenes mini-doc on Beckett and the making of the "Cold Dark Place" cover art can be seen below.

"Cold Dark Place" track listing:

01. North Side Star02. Blue Walsh03. Toe to Toes04. Cold Dark Place

MASTODON will spend the remainder of 2017 on the road in North America and Europe in support of "Emperor Of Sand", which debuted at No. 7 on the Billboard 200 album chart. The follow-up to 2014's "Once More 'Round The Sun" was recorded at The Quarry Recording Studio in Kennesaw, just outside MASTODON's hometown, with producer Brendan O'Brien (PEARL JAM, NEIL YOUNG, AC/DC, RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE), who first worked with MASTODON on their seminal 2009 album "Crack The Skye".

New York hardcore veterans MADBALL have teamed up with Fast Break Records for a forthcoming split seven-inch single. The "Family Biz" single sees the Freddy Cricien-fronted outfit joining forces with Pennsylvania's blue-collar-core heroes WISDOM IN CHAINS. To be released on September 25, the split will feature one new song from each group.

"For The Cause" from MADBALL will be the title of the group's forthcoming album on which the band is working heavily at the moment. This version of the title track was recorded just for the single and is a precursor of what to expect. Cricien stated about the song: "It's about staying the course and fighting for what you love and are passionate about. It's a theme that you'll hear a lot throughout our next album. Utilizing negativity and the obstacles you face as inspiration. 'Say I can't, say I won't again... Give me the fuel that I need to ascend!"

Speaking about the long-standing camaraderie with WISDOM IN CHAINS, Cricien said: "We're cut from a similar cloth and there's a genuine respect and friendship amongst us. WISDOM IN CHAINS is one of my favorite hardcore bands!"

"Someday" is WISDOM IN CHAINS contribution to the split. Vocalist Mad Joe Black says that the track is "about not living in the past and not fixating on the future. Look at what you have in your life and appreciate the good things and work hard to improve what needs improving. It kind of represents that hardcore work ethic that bands like MADBALL are known for."

Regarding the bond between the two bands, Black added: "MADBALL means the world to us. They have helped WISDOM IN CHAINS out countless times. This is a very special release for us and I can't wait for people to hear both songs! Hardcore lives!"

These tracks will not be previewed or premiered before street date so make sure to pre-order your copy via the link below. European fans can order a limited and Europe-exclusive green version of the seven-inch as well as an exclusive t-shirt via the Nuclear Blast webstore in that region.

Be on the lookout for news in the near future regarding MADBALL's next full-length album (to drop via Nuclear Blast in 2018).