On September 15th, Metal Blade Records will release Whitechapel's The Somatic Defilement for the first time ever on vinyl. Remastered for vinyl, this special reissue will be available in following versions:
--black vinyl
--pale violet-marbled vinyl (EU exclusive - limited to 300 copies)
--dim gray-marbled vinyl (EU exclusive - limited to 200 copies)
--cool gray-marbled vinyl (U.S. exclusive - limited to 500 copies)

Preorders are available here.

Tracklisting:

Side A
“Necrotizing”
“The Somatic Defilement”
“Devirgination Studies”
“Prostatic Fluid Asphyxiation”
“Fairy Fay”

Side B
“Ear To Ear”
“Alone In The Morgue”
“Festering Fiesta”
“Vicer Exciser”
“Articulo Mortis”

Traditional heavy metal titans Corners Of Sanctuary (COS) have released a brand new digital single via Exquisite Noise Records. Their latest effort, titled "Dreams”, features guest artist Kayla Marie, singer of Powerless Rise, sitting front and center as lead vocalist for this unique and stylish Metal sonata.

"We wanted to try something different," said Mick Michaels, the band's founder and guitarist. "I had the opportunity to work with Kayla last year while producing Powerless Rise's first album. I knew she would make a great fit for the direction this song was meant to go in," he continued.

The song is a strong departure from the band's usual delivery of the modern classic heavy metal sound. "I think we managed to maintain our signature traditional style. It's definitely COS. We just tweaked the formula a bit to create another layer of the band's personality. You can't be afraid to take chances," Michaels added. “This is a sweet track! It actually strikes a nice balance between catchy hooks and the usual heavy metal sound. I think people will love it,” said Jason McGathey, President of Exquisite Noise Records regarding the new single.

Inspired by a friend as a challenge to do something different, Michaels wrote the music but co-penned the song's lyrics with drummer Mad T. "After the music was demoed, I asked T what he thought and if he had any ideas for the arrangement. He said he really liked it and handed me some lyrics he had already written. They fit. We did some rewrites and adjusted the arrangement... T wrote the bulk of the lyrics, I just COSified them," Michaels explained. “The lyrics were actually written a few years back,” states COS drummer Mad T. “When I heard the song, I knew immediately they would work. I’m absolutely blown away with how this song turned out. The combination of Kayla and the music. The song literally feels like a dream!” he added with a smile.

"Dreams" comes on the heels of the band's recent completion of their "yet-to-be-released" fifth studio album, The Galloping Hordes. The album, which began recording in late 2016, was being worked on in between the band’s hefty live date schedule and is slated to release this fall.

"We are hoping to get the album out later this year. But there's no rush," said bassist James Pera. "We have a lot of stuff going on at the moment and when the time is right, it will be released," he added.

When asked how he felt about having another singer take the lead for this single, current front man Frankie Cross quickly responded, "This band has done so much for me both personally and professionally. I am beyond grateful. For this song, we talked about doing a duet. I know that's what Mick originally had in mind for the song. But after hearing Kayla's recorded tracks, we knew immediately that having her voice as the lead was the right way to go. As a band we couldn't be happier with the way the song turned out."

“Dreams” is available on multiple online platforms such as iTunes, Amazon, and Spotify among others as well as on the COS website.

Look for Corners Of Sanctuary this November as they make their way to California for The American Metal Mayhem Tour, November 3rd - 12th.

Tour dates:

September
22 - Coal Mine Taproom- St. Clair, PA (with Threatpoint)
23 - The New Penny - Scranton, PA (with Threatpoint)

November
6 - The Rainbow Bar & Grill - West Hollywood, CA (with Kantation & Taipan)
11 - The House of Metal at Malones - Santa Ana, CA (with Resistance)
12 - C4CORadio.net - Santa Ana, CA (In studio performance & interview)

Prosthetic Records welcome Minnesota's Ashbringer to the family. Specializing in equal parts brutality, melody and the ethereal, their black metal metamorphosis began in 2013 as the brainchild of multi-instrumentalist Nick Stanger. Several releases and several tours later, they have perfected their craft, which will be unveiled in early 2018.

Stanger comments on the signing: "We are thrilled to announce that we have signed with Prosthetic Records, and I couldn't be more excited for the future of the band. For as long as I've been interested in music, I've always had a strange obsession with reading the credits and liner notes to every album I purchase in detail, and Prosthetic is a name that I grew up with. They released many albums that were absolutely integral to my development both as a listener and as a musician, and it's so exciting to now become a part of that."

The band is heading out for a short North American run, where they will be playing songs from their previous two full lengths, 2015's Vacant and last year's Yugen

Tour dates:

August
18 - Minneapolis, MN - Club Underground
24 - London, ON - The Richmond Tavern
26 - Toronto, ON - Sneaky Dee's
27 - Toledo, OH - Culture Clash Records
29 - Madison, WI - The Frequency
30 - Moline, IL - The Island

Ashbringer lineup:

Nick Stanger - Guitar, Vocals
Nathan Wallestad - Bass
Ian Sutherland - Drums
Cormac Piper - Keyboards

Following their third album, The Grim Muse, In Twilight's Embrace have announced that their fourth full-length, Vanitas, will be released on September 22nd via Arachnophobia Records. The opening track, “The Hell Of Mediocrity”, is available for streaming below. CD pre-orders are now available through Arachnophobia Records. LP pre-orders will be available shortly.

Vanitas sees In Twilight's Embrace evolve into their own entity; taking a deathly and personal direction. Vanitas is the band's darkest material to date, both lyrically and musically.

“Having confronted several deaths of family members and friends, made me realize the true weight of mortality,” confesses vocalist, Cyprian Łakomy. “The realization paved the way for reflections which would later become the backbone of the lyrics and atmosphere on Vanitas.”

This is not just another gimmick to create a death worshipping album. There's far more to it. Cyprian adds: “Death is an opportunity to ask questions about the here and now, and what kind of legacy - if any at all - we are possibly leaving.”

Vanitas, a 33-minute long portion of black death metal, was recorded, mixed and mastered in 2017 by Marcin Rybicki at Vintage Records and Left Hand Sounds.

Vanitas tracklisting:

“The Hell Of Mediocrity”
“Fan The Flame”
“As Future Evaporates”
“Trembling”
“Flesh Falls, No Ghost Lifts”
“Futility”
“The Rift”
“The Great Leveller”

“The Hell Of Mediocrity”:

Don't miss In Twilight's Embrace opening for the legendary Immolation during their Polish tour (with more to be announced for 2017-18).

In Twilight's Embrace lineup on Vanitas:

Cyprian Łakomy - Vocals
Leszek Szlenk - Guitars, Bass
Marcin Rybicki - Guitars
Dawid Bytnar - Drums

The final concert of the North American leg of METALLICA's "WorldWired" tour — which will take place Wednesday night, August 16 at Commonwealth Stadium in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada — will be streamed live on the webcast.livemetallica.com web site.

Says the band: "What a summer!! Thank you to some of the craziest, most passionate, intense avid fans on the planet!! This has been another memorable and special summer run for us seeing so many new faces along with lots of old friends as you welcomed us back for our first tour of North America in over eight years. As we near the end, we want to share one more evening with all of you by streaming the final night of the 'WorldWired' North American stadium tour live, this Wednesday, August 16th, from Edmonton.

"Grab a seat and a beverage as we'll come live to your computer, tablet, mobile device or any other way you reach the Internet on Wednesday at approximately 8:45 p.m. Mountain Time (10:45 p.m. ET / 9:45 p.m. CT / 7:45 p.m. PT).

"Tune in as we say farewell to North America... for now (!)."

The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame band is touring in support of its tenth studio album, "Hardwired... To Self-Destruct", which came out last November.

METALLICA's current show is the band's largest production ever. Using 48 trucks, the stage takes three days to set up, equipped with lasers, balloons, more than 350,000 total watts of audio and a circular catwalk with a mini stage that the band plays "Seek And Destroy" on, aiming to recreate the garage atmosphere where it was written. According to Rolling Stone, the whole stage features 83 laser fixtures, which took 640 hours to program, and nearly 40,000 speakers for each production. Each night, they generate 2.5 megawatts of power — enough to power 1,800 homes for a month.

METALLICA frontman James Hetfield told the Nerdist podcast that the band would cap its live schedule starting in 2017 at around fifty shows a year. He explained: "My body has told me to tell these guys that fifty shows a year is kind of what we can do, so make the best of those. And I think we all kind of agree in that. But fifty shows a year, that's pretty good. My body can handle that. Body, mind and spirit all need to kind of revitalize themselves at home, and days off for voices — things like that — so fifty shows a year, it goes pretty quick, I'm sure."

Polish extreme metallers BEHEMOTH are planning to enter the studio by the end of the year to begin recording their new album for a tentative fall 2018 release. The follow-up to 2014's "The Satanist" will mark the band's first effort since frontman Adam "Nergal" Darski completed an LP and a short tour with ME AND THAT MAN, his blues, country and folk side project with British/Polish rock musician John Porter.

Asked by Terry "Beez" Bezer of BlackCraft cult clothing at last month's Chicago Open Air festival how doing ME AND THAT MAN affected the making of BEHEMOTH's next disc, Nergal said (see video below): "It's all about just leveling out my energies and balancing it. And it worked out great for the creative process for the next BEHEMOTH album, because when I came back from [doing] ME AND THAT MAN, I was literally bursting out with ideas every second day — I just had another song ready."

According to Nergal, BEHEMOTH has "a shitload of stuff written" for its next album. "I've never been that creative in years," he explained. "We've got ten or twelve songs nailed, pretty much, and there's a lot of [other] stuff written and I'm going through lyrics now. And, actually, [for the] first time ever in our history, in our career, we are working on tour. So we've got this mobile studio and we just fuck around with ideas, with the songs, we go through leads, we practice, we revisit old demos, we try to perfect it and just make it as supreme as we can."

Nergal said that BEHEMOTH never attempted to write music on the road before because "it never came from here," pointing to his chest. "And now I have the pleasure to just… Like midday, we just sit together, there's no stress, no tension — we just [say], 'Hey, guys, how about these ideas?' 'Let's try to play it that way.' 'Let's record it.' 'Let's go back to it tomorrow and see if we're right or maybe we're wrong.' You know what I mean? Just play with the formula… and just make this trip joyful [in] all the ways possible."

Nergal also spoke about "The Satanist"'s critical and commercial success, which evident in the fact that BEHEMOTH is still touring in support of it more than three years after the record's release.

"My plan for 'The Satanist' was to keep its life as long as we can and just keep it alive, so people can feed on it for not just one or two or three tours," he explained. "I really wanted to extend the touring cycle. I really wanted to do what bands used to do in '90s, like METALLICA or AC/DC or whoever. Big bands, when they released a record, they just hardly ever stopped touring for that, because they had that comfort. For most of extreme metal bands, they just bang, bang, bang, they need to produce records — fabricate records in most cases — just to stay alive, because they need to pay their bills. Where we are now as a band is that we don't need to do another record, because we can afford not doing another record. So the plan is to make a record that's gonna be significant to the genre and a record that people will remember twenty or thirty or fifty years down the road.

"I know it may sound arrogant of me saying that, but me, as a fanboy, I truly believe, as much as I worship [SLAYER's] 'Reign In Blood' or [AC/DC's] 'Back In Black' or… you name it… the classics — they're timeless — I really wanna make all the effort, I just wanna do everything that is humanly possible to make our albums monuments — not just another product in the market that we need to sell by doing three or five tours, get some cash, pay the bills and run to the studio again, because there's bills coming and there's contracts saying, 'And now you've gotta deliver the master,'" he continued. "Fuck that! We create our own history and we dictate it, basically. So there's no label, no managers, no mastermind behind BEHEMOTH other than ourselves that plan things out. And the fact that 'The Satanist' [is] so successful, I think that a huge part of that is that people see that it's all real, there is a hundred percent sincerity and honesty there, and there's no bullshit, no gimmicks, no pretending — it's all us and our heart and our passion and our love on that album, and you can't fucking fake it. It's there."

Asked if BEHEMOTH approaches the songwriting process with the intent to push the boundaries further after setting the bar higher with each album, Nergal said: "Yes. I mean, you've gotta do it. But I don't really see BEHEMOTH trying to race with itself. The thing is not really to jump over that bar now, it's just to set it somewhere else, in a different spot. It's like imagine eight-thousand-meter peaks, because there's no nine thousand meters; you've got like a few that are tops of the world, right? So imagine these few eight-thousand-meter tops. We climbed one of them and there's a few more left. So we won't be just trying to find another way to go the same way; we're gonna climb another one. We did Mount Everest; with the next album, we're gonna do K2, and so on and so on. But it's a whole new, different approach, it's a different mountain, it's a different challenge. So I don't wanna go back there, because I've already been there, I've already conquered that mountain. But there's a few more to conquer, so let the challenge begin, and let's fight for it. That's it."

Before the release of BEHEMOTH's next studio effort, fans will receive a "massive" concert DVD and album recorded during "The Satanist" tour, according to Nergal. There will also be a video for another track off "The Satanist", to be included with the DVD.

BEHEMOTH has tapped former JOB FOR A COWBOY and SCORPION CHILD drummer Jon Rice for its current North American tour with SLAYER and LAMB OF GOD. Rice is filling in for longtime BEHEMOTH drummer Inferno (real name: Zbigniew Robert Promiński), who stayed home in Poland in order to await the birth of his second child.

SLAYER's six-week expedition with LAMB OF GOD and BEHEMOTH kicked off on July 12 in Bemidji, Minnesota, and will conclude on August 20 in Phoenix, Arizona.

Last year, BEHEMOTH completed a North American tour where they played "The Satanist" in its entirety.

Adam Lambert spoke to ET Canada about having mighty big platform shoes to fill as the lead singer in QUEEN. The 35-year-old began touring with QUEEN co-founders Brian May and Roger Taylor in 2012, three years after they first performed together during a 2009 episode of "American Idol", the hit TV show that propelled Lambert to stardom.

Speaking about stepping in for one of the greatest rock singers to ever live, Freddie Mercury — who died in 1991 of AIDS at the age of 45 — Lambert said: "The first time, the first couple of months, actually, were terrifying — because I thought, 'There's no way I should be doing this.' And I had the confidence of the band and they were really lovely about it. And they were, like, 'No, no, no. You're great. We love it. Do what you want.' But in my head, I kept going, 'No, I don't know.' And the audience was the final judge. And the first audience we had was very supportive, and each audience afterwards was supportive, so slowly, little by little, I was, like, 'Okay, all right, okay, I can do this, kind of.' But there's no comparing to Freddie."

Lambert said that his goal from the get-go was to make sure that his execution of QUEEN's classic material was more of a tribute to the music of the iconic theatrical rock group than an attempt at imitation. He accomplished this by "asking a lot of questions, checking in with the guys, and sort of focusing more on the song itself as opposed to the recording of it, if that makes sense," he explained. "The intention of the lyrics, the mood of the song, if I kept those things in the forefront of my mind as opposed to, 'How did Freddie do it?', I usually would find my way there."

According to Adam, he was "a little older" when he "really, really fell in love" with QUEEN's music. "I was late to the game; I think I was in my early 20s when I really discovered their full power and majesty, if you will," he said. "And I was, like, 'This guy [Freddie] is the coolest guy I've ever seen,' 'cause he's running around on stage doing whatever he wants, he's wearing whatever he wants… I mean, he was so free and didn't care, and that's 'rock star' to me. So he's definitely top three rock stars of all time, in my mind."

Asked how performing the songs of QUEEN changed him as an artist, Lambert said: "I think that working with the band has taught me a lot. I think that I've learned a lot about songcraft and about how a song can connect with a mass crowd. I think Brian and Roger, individually, are… they're, like, wealths of information and experience and artistry, and so just being around them, through osmosis, I think I've learned a lot — I've expanded my mind. It's a family now, so, yeah. It's great."

When QUEEN + ADAM LAMBERT played their first North American tour in 2014, they were crowned "Band Of The Year" at the tenth annual Classic Rock Roll Of Honor awards and "Best Live Band Of The Year" in Ultimate Classic Rock's reader's poll. This year, QUEEN + ADAM LAMBERT are playing two gigantic tours, first across North America from June through August, and later in the year they sweep across Europe with twenty-six dates beginning in Prague and winding up in Birmingham mid-December.

Sweden’s Corroded have released a video trailer for their upcoming EP, entitled The Nevo Sessions. A message from the band follows:

“Earlier this summer we hit the Nevo Studios in Sundsvall to record three songs in a stripped down setting; “A Note To Me”, “Day Of Judgement” and “Carry Me My Bones”, which will all be released as The Nevo Sessions.

“The EP will be released August 25th, but we will offer everyone who have ordered from our Pledge campaign a free download and an exclusive first look at a live video from the studio.

“If you haven't pledged yet, go do it here (new limited offers added along the campaign!)”

Gibson Brands, the world’s leading music lifestyle company, announces it has appointed guitar superstar Slash as Global Brand Ambassador, the first such designation in the company’s history. As part of the new role with Gibson, Slash is developing new products with three of its celebrated guitar brands, Gibson Custom, Gibson and Epiphone. Details of new products and exclusive content will be announced beginning later this month. Throughout his career, Slash has embodied Gibson’s values of quality, prestige and innovation and has brought the indelible sound and style of Gibson guitars to new heights of popularity and recognition over the last 30 years.

“We are thrilled to recognize Slash as Gibson’s first Global Brand Ambassador,” said Henry Juszkiewicz, chairman and CEO of Gibson Brands. “Slash embodies the characteristics of creativity, passion and excellence that are so closely aligned with Gibson and we are very proud of the friendship and mutual success we have shared together for over 30 years. We are also very excited about the future products we will be announcing soon.”

"It's an honor to be Gibson's first Global Brand Ambassador,” said Slash. “I've been working with Gibson since the early days of my professional career and playing Gibson guitars since before that. I'm proud of the creative relationship we've developed over the years."

Slash joined Guns N’ Roses in 1985 in Los Angeles and quickly rose to international fame by the summer of 1987 with the release of the band’s debut LP Appetite For Destruction, which has sold over 30 million albums and became one of the best-selling rock albums of all time. Slash’s signature sound and epic solos were recorded with several of his favorite Gibson guitars, which introduced an entirely new generation to the power and passion of music delivered through those instruments. Over the past three decades, Slash has collaborated closely with Gibson and the company’s CEO, Henry Juszkiewicz on several projects including product development, marketing, live events and supporting charitable initiatives with the Gibson Foundation.

Slash is currently on the Guns N’ Roses “Not In This Lifetime” world tour extending through November, 2017. Details around the new products and exclusive content born from this relationship will follow throughout the year.

Australia’s premiere incendiary musical export, Thy Art Is Murder, have released a third official trailer for their upcoming Dear Desolation album, out on August 18th via Nuclear Blast Entertainment. Watch all three below.

Trailer #1:

Trailer #2:

Trailer #3:

Dear Desolation was produced, engineered, mixed and mastered by Will Putney at Graphic Nature Audio in Belleville, NJ. Artwork was created by Eliran Kantor (Testament, Iced Earth).

Comments vocalist C.J. McMahon: "I feel the strongest I've ever felt going into a record. Coming back to the fold of our band has reinvigorated me. I missed my brothers, touring, and of course all our dedicated fans around the world who have always given us their all.

"This new record is going to shape our future; we gave it everything we could and then some. In the past, I was the weakest link and now that I have re-built myself, we are stronger than ever and nothing can stand in our way."

Adds guitarist Andy Marsh: "Hate, War, Desolation; the trilogy series of the path mankind has laid out before himself. We are prouder than ever of our efforts on this record. A lot of time, planning, creativity and teamwork has culminated in what we think is our most completed vision yet: Dear Desolation."

Pre-order Dear Desolation in various formats and bundles from around the world here. Pre-order the album digitally now from iTunes and Amazon and receive the song "Slaves Beyond Death" instantly.

Tracklisting:

“Slaves Beyond Death”
“The Son Of Misery”
“Puppet Master”
“Dear Desolation”
“Death Dealer”
“Man Is The Enemy”
“The Skin Of The Serpent”
“Fire In The Sky”
“Into Chaos We Climb”
“The Final Curtain”

“Dear Desolation” video trailer:

“Slaves Beyond Death” video:

Thy Art Is Murder and Polish metal extremists Decapitated, will co-headline a North American tour together this August/September. Joining them are progressive death metal masters Fallujah and depressive black metal sensations Ghost Bath.

Tour dates:

August
20 - Pittsburgh, PA - Rex Theater
21 - Richmond, VA - Canal Club
22 - Greensboro, NC - Blind Tiger
23 - Atlanta, GA - The New Masquerade
25 - Houston, TX - Scout Bar
26 - Austin, TX - Come and Take It Live
27 - Dallas, TX - Gas Monkey Bar 'N Grill
29 - Denver, CO - The Summit Music Hall
30 - Salt Lake City, UT - The Complex
31 - Spokane, WA - The Pin

September
1 - Portland, OR - Hawthorne Theater
2 - Vancouver, BC - Rickshaw Theater
3 - Seattle, WA - Studio Seven
5 - Reno, NV - Jub Jub’s
6 - San Francisco, CA - DNA Lounge
7 - West Hollywood, CA - The Roxy Theatre
8 - Santa Ana, CA - The Observatory
9 - Mesa, AZ - Club Red
10 - El Paso, TX - Tricky Falls
11 - Albuquerque, NM - Sunshine Theater
13 - Lawrence, KS - Granada Theater
14 - Joliet, IL - The Forge
15 - Grand Rapids, MI - The Intersection
16 - Toronto, ON - The Opera House
17 - Montreal, QC - Corona Theatre
18 - Ottawa, ON - Brass Monkey
19 - Boston, MA - Brighton Music Hall
20 - Syracuse, NY - The Lost Horizon
21 - New York, NY - Gramercy Theatre
22 - Philadelphia, PA - Theatre of Living Arts
23 - Baltimore, MD - Baltimore Soundstage
24 - Columbus, OH - Park Street

In celebration of Volbeat's return to Europe next week, the band has shared the official bootleg video of “For Evigt", recorded at the Malmö Arena in Sweden in October 2016 (filmed by Mads Mikkelsen and Britt Bowmann).

Catch Volbeat live in concert:

August
23 - Open Air am Volkspark - Hamburg, Germany
24 - Waldbühne - Berlin, Germany
26 - Telia Parken - København Ø, Denmark
28 - SparkassenPark - Mönchengladbach, Germany
30 - Stockhorn Arena - Thun, Switzerland
 
September
1 - Messe Graz - Graz, Austria
3 - Willy-Sachs-Stadion - Schweinfurt, Germany
5 - Strijp-S - Eindhoven, The Netherlands
7 - Telenor Arena - Oslo, Norway
9 - Friends Arena - Stockholm, Sweden

 

Established in 1989 and sharing the scene with UK thrash counterparts Onslaught, Acid Reign, and Lawnmower Deth, Nightlord return with a statement of pure old school thrash intent with this complex slab of nine unrelenting, fist shaking tracks. 

Available today, August 14th, Reborn In Darkness was mixed and mastered by legendary producer Chris Tsangarides (Judas Priest, Ozzy Osbourne, Bruce Dickinson) and boasts an exceptional analogue recording approach by the band that is purposefully steeped in the underground traditions, sounds and attitude of the original wave of thrash metal which Nightlord helped spearhead in the late '80s.  

The first single from the album, "Sin Eater", has been released via Evil EyE Records; see the official video for the track below.

In 2017, Nightlord are back with a renewed sense of purpose, energy and determination to showcase the very spirit, intensity and crushing heaviness that made the First Wave Of Thrash Metal so dangerous, volatile and unpredictable. 

Evil EyE Records founder Andy Pringle adds: “We are delighted to release 'Sin Eater' and help spread the Nightlord brand. This band is firmly rooted in the genealogy of the thrash metal genre and we are excited to work with such a mammoth name in UK Thrash. The music video for the single was produced by the extremely talented Andy Pilkington at Very Metal Art." 

Nightlord founder Ferenc Collins adds: "This is not an album of 100 takes-per-song with guitars edited so tight it sounds ridiculously clinical. The finished result is glorious. In the process of preserving the old-school sound we have managed to make an album that really sounds organic and human. The passion and intensity shines through to give it such a powerful and natural analogue old-school sound which is exactly what we aimed for and why we aimed high and targeted Chris Tsangarides especially for this project."

Tracklisting:

"Bedlam"                                       
"Omens In Entrails"                        
"Butcher's Bill"                               
"Ghosts From The Machines"       
"Black, Red And Green"                
"Last Rise Of Our Dying Sun"        
"Gaze Of Gorgons"                       
"Sin Eater"                                   
"Turn Of The Tide"

Order your copy of Reborn In Darkness at this location.

 

On August 9th, Metallica played CenturyLink Field in Seattle, Washington. The band has just uploaded professionally filmed footage of "Master Of Puppets" from that night's show. The previously posted, "Thank You, Seattle!" clip, can also be seen below. 

Remaining dates on Metallica's 2017 WorldWired Tour are as listed:

August
14 - Vancouver, BC - BC Place
16 - Edmonton, AB - Commonwealth Stadium

September
2 - Copenhagen, Denmark - Royal Arena - SOLD OUT
4 - Amsterdam, Netherlands - Ziggo Dome - SOLD OUT
6 - Amsterdam, Netherlands - Ziggo Dome - SOLD OUT
8 - Paris, France - AccorHotels Arena - SOLD OUT
10 - Paris, France - AccorHotels Arena - SOLD OUT 
12 - Lyon, France - Halle Tony Garnier - SOLD OUT
14 - Cologne, Germany - Lanxess Arena - SOLD OUT
16 - Cologne, Germany - Lanxess Arena - SOLD OUT

October
22 - London, England - The O2 Arena - SOLD OUT 
24 - London, England - The O2 Arena - SOLD OUT
26 - Glasgow, Scotland - The SSE Hydro - SOLD OUT
28 - Manchester, England - Manchester Arena - SOLD OUT
30 - Birmingham, England - Genting Arena - SOLD OUT

November
1 - Antwerp, Belgium - Sportpaleis - SOLD OUT 
3 - Antwerp, Belgium - Sportpaleis - SOLD OUT

Boston-based heavy-music innovators CONVERGE will release their first album in five years, "The Dusk In Us", on November 3 via Epitaph and Deathwish. As the ninth full-length from CONVERGE — vocalist Jacob Bannon, guitarist Kurt Ballou, bassist Nate Newton, and drummer Ben Koller — "The Dusk In Us" follows 2012's acclaimed "All We Love We Leave Behind". CONVERGE's new single, "Under Duress", can be streamed below. Delivering what Bannon describes as "my emotional reaction to the complex world in which we live," the track merges his tortured howl with pounding rhythms and abrasive guitar riffs. Produced by CONVERGE and mixed by Ballou at his renowned Godcity Studios, "The Dusk In Us" shows the band's artistic evolution and avant-garde sensibilities while still capturing their classic sound.

After forming in Massachusetts in 1990, CONVERGE made their debut with 1994's "Halo In A Haystack". Quickly regarded as pioneers within the aggressive music arena, the band had a major breakthrough with their landmark album "Jane Doe" — a 2001 release praised as "iconic" by the A.V. Club. "The Dusk In Us" track listing: 01. A Single Tear02. Eye Of The Quarrel03. Under Duress04. Arkhipov Calm05. I Can Tell You About Pain06. The Dusk In Us07. Wildlife08. Murk & Marrow09. Trigger10. Broken By Light11. Cannibals12. Thousands Of Miles Between Us13. Reptilian CONVERGE is currently touring Europe with GORGUTS, REVOCATION and HAVOK as support.

Photo credit: Reid Haithcock

Cult U.K. doom/sludge outfit IRON MONKEY returns with "9-13", its first new full-length in almost two decades, on October 20 via Relapse Records.

After disbanding in 1999 due to the death of their original singer J.P. Morrow, the group has reformed for phase two of their mission.

Recorded in IRON MONKEY's hometown of Nottingham in spring 2017 with producer Johnny A. Carter, "9-13" is nine songs and forty-eight minutes of total nihilism. Now older, more cynical and more isolationist, the band is back to usurp the scene, then crush its skull.

Without question IRON MONKEY's most focused, aggressive and direct material to date, "9-13" is an all-out assault of violent hatred and nightmarish negativity — recommended listening for fans of pain, suffering, and misanthropy.

A new IRON MONKEY song called "OmegaMangler" can be streamed below.

"9-13" track listing:

01. Crown Of Electrodes02. OmegaMangler03. 9-1304. Toadcrucifier - R.I.P.P.E.R.05. Destroyer06. Mortarhex07. The Rope08. Doomsday Impulse Multiplier09. Moreland St. Hammervortex

Heavily influenced by the nihilistic sound of groups like EYEHATEGOD, BUZZOV*EN, FLOOR and GRIEF, IRON MONKEY originally formed in Nottingham, England in 1994 and released two full-lengths (1997's self-titled debut and 1998's "Our Problem"), a live album and a split with CHURCH OF MISERY before splitting in 1999. Now, almost two decades later, the band has decided to reform as a trio with co-founding members S. Watson on bass and J. Rushby on guitar/vocals. They're rounded out by new member S. Briggs (CHAOS U.K.,) who also played with original IRON MONKEY vocalist J.P. Morrow in the short-lived sludge supergroup MY WAR.

Morrow died of a heart attack in June 2002.

Photo credit: Ralph Barklam

In a brand new interview with Phoenix New Times, SLAYER guitarist Kerry King was asked when the first time was that he heard JUDAS PRIEST or saw them perform. "First time I saw [them] would've been… 'Point Of Entry' tour, um ... I follow it chronologically by album. Not the dates of the album… but I think that was '80, maybe '81? When 'British Steel' came around, I was a little too young to go to it by myself. And that's why I found them on the radio. We didn't have the Internet, obviously, so the stuff I would've heard on the radio would've been 'Breaking The Law' or 'Living After Midnight', which are basically rock and roll songs. But you get 'British Steel', and you find 'Rapid Fire', then you do your backwards homework which you had to do for a lot of bands, and you find 'Hell Bent For Leather' (1978), 'Sad Wings of Destiny' (1976), and all the original classic stuff, and you realize that there’s way more to this band than 'Living After Midnight'."

He continued: "Rob [Halford] is what I call a vocal ninja. The stuff he does in the '70s, '80s, even '90s, and even today, he can't hit the notes from his heyday, but he goes out and puts on a hell of a show. But the thing he does, the shrill crazy Rob Halford scream is I think what got me. It wasn't about wearing leather and chains, but, of course, PRIEST are idols of me, and I think you spend the early part of your career emulating your idols, and we were definitely guilty of that."

King recently told Rolling Stone that "Stained Class" is "the most complete JUDAS PRIEST album." He said: "I love the intro to 'Stained Class'. And Rob Halford is my favorite singer of all time, closely followed by Ronnie James Dio, closely followed by Bruce Dickinson. There's riffs on all of the early records, as well as a lot of the later ones, but it was on 'Stained Class' where they really found what the 'PRIEST sound' was gonna be. It kept evolving a little bit, but to me, it was more defined than 'Sin After Sin' and 'Sad Wings Of Destiny'. It seemed like it came together more. We'd covered ['Sin After Sin''s] 'Dissident Aggressor' because it was super heavy but very obscure. And after we did, a lot of people still thought it was our own song. But on this one, they had the two-guitar thing and it was a little more cleaned up, maybe how 'Reign In Blood' became SLAYER's sound of the future. We've sounded the same basically ever since."

SLAYER's six-week North American tour with LAMB OF GOD and BEHEMOTH kicked off on July 12 in Bemidji, Minnesota and will run through August 20 in Phoenix, Arizona.

PAPA ROACH pulls no punches when it comes to politics. Earlier this year, the California rockers made headlines for taking on Paul Ryan in defense of the Affordable Care Act, but it's "American Dreams", the latest single off the band's ninth LP, "Crooked Teeth", where PAPA ROACH goes all in on the current state of America's political affairs. "America is struggling, America is divided, America is hurting right now," explains PAPA ROACH frontman Jacoby Shaddix. "We're at a fever pitch of confusion, smoke and mirrors, blatant lies. The American Dream is on the chopping block." "Have you ever thought that war was a sickness?" asks the lifelong pacifist in the lyrics for the track. "My father is a Vietnam veteran. Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and the disintegration of the American family are things I've dealt with personally. I know other people relate." The official video for "American Dreams" can be seen below. Shot in Shaddix's rural Northern California hometown of Sacramento, the clip was produced and directed by Bryson Roatch, and features a cast of real-life Americans fighting to create their own version of the elusive American Dream and addresses many of the issues preventing them from attaining that dream.

PAPA ROACH has spent the last few months touring in support of "Crooked Teeth", which was released on May 19 via Eleven Seven Music.

Music Theories Recordings/Mascot Label Group has announced the signing of '90s progressive metal adventurers GALACTIC COWBOYS. The band's reunited original lineup is working on its first album in seventeen years, to be released before the end of the year.

Dane Sonnier (guitar), Ben C. Huggins (vocals), Alan Doss (drums, keyboards) and Monty Colvin (bass) are strapped in, heading back to the Ranch on Mars and are recording together for the first time since 1993's "Space In Your Face".

The Houston, Texas quartet caught the attention of Geffen with its eclectic blend of melodic vocals, thrashing riffery and progressive explorations to release their self-titled debut in 1991, the same year labelmates NIRVANA issued "Nevermind". Though the antithesis of grunge, the COWBOYS nonetheless chalked up videos in heavy MTV rotation and a memorable appearance in 1994's "Airheads". Tours followed with DREAM THEATER, KING'S X, ANTHRAX and OVERKILL. Going on to release an additional five albums, the group disbanded after 2000's "Let It Go". Their music left a lasting mark on many musicians, including fans Mike Portnoy, Kerry Livgren (KANSAS) and Eric Singer (KISS).

Talking about joining Music Theories Recordings (AYREON, FLYING COLORS, Don Airey, Neal Schon, Paul Gilbert), Monty Colvin shares: "I am very excited to restart the artistic engine of GALACTIC COWBOYS and bring the universe new music! We're looking forward to a great working relationship with Mascot!"

"We said we'd only come back if the world needed us. When Mascot sent out the distress call we knew it was time to return. Get ready world. Here come GALACTIC COWBOYS!" adds Ben C Huggins.

Talking about the addition to the label, Mascot CEO Ed Van Zijl went on to say: "Every music enthusiast has a favorite band that they dream would reunite one day. Fans worldwide will be stoked to see GALACTIC COWBOYS back in their original lineup, and so are we. We're excited to have them be part of our growing Mascot family!"

The official "live" video for the song "Selfish Age" from AS LIONS, the British rock outfit fronted by Austin Dickinson — the son of IRON MAIDEN singer Bruce Dickinson — can be seen below. The track is the title cut of the band's debut full-length album, which was released on January 20 via Better Noise Records.

"Selfish Age" is the follow-up to AS LIONS' debut EP, "Aftermath", released last year. Helmed by award-winning producer David Bendeth (OF MICE & MEN, PARAMORE, BRING ME THE HORIZON) and Kane Churko (FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH, DISTURBED, IN THIS MOMENT), "Selfish Age" is an illustration of the band's mission to create "the biggest, baddest hard rock we could, and on an almost cinematic scale." The album's eleven dynamic tracks are a study in contrasts, with the epic and evocative "Aftermath", the crushing "Deathless", which targets the Internet culture's obsession with image, "Bury My Dead", a hard-hitting personal statement complemented by stately piano tinklings, and the electro-tinged title track, "Selfish Age".

Comprised of Dickinson, guitarist and keyboardist Conor O'Keefe, guitarist Will Homer, bassist Stefan Whiting and drummer Dave Fee, AS LIONS is the evolution of British rock.

"Selfish Age" track listing:

01. Aftermath02. The Suffering03. Bury My Dead04. Deathless 05. Selfish Age06. White Flags07. Pieces08. World On Fire09. One By One10. The Fall11. The Great Escape

AS LIONS was formed after the breakup of Austin's previous band, RISE TO REMAIN, which released one album, "City Of Vultures", in 2011.

Winnipeg, Manitoba-based progressive death metal/technical death metal outfit, Inverted Serenity, have announced their third full-length, As Spectres Wither. Active since 2009, Inverted Serenity has carefully cultivated a memorable and difficult to pigeonhole death metal style all their own across two well-received albums released to date. Now in 2017, their collective experience and desire to evolve with each release have birthed their finest and most eclectic musical offering yet on, As Spectres Wither, set for release on Friday, October 6th. An extended album teaser can be found below.

Inverted Serenity had this to say about As Spectres Wither: “For us, this album represents a great leap forward both in terms of production quality and song writing. We were more familiar with the process of writing and recording this time around and that experience went a long way in making this album better sonically and musically. With that said, we don’t really have a consistent formula for writing songs nor do we really limit ourselves to a specific genre or style. This translates into a varied album that pulls a little something from our diverse influences. It’s eclectic but cohesive, at least we hope so!”

As Spectres Wither tracklisting:

“Dead Dialectics”
“Mitral Genesis”
“We Who Wander”
“Cornerstones”
“Paragon”
“Mechanical Gods”
“Grave”
“Lunar Cradle”
“Mountains Of Stoke” (Hidden Track)

Teaser:

Stay tuned for more Inverted Serenity news, early singles, and pre-orders coming soon.

Inverted Serenity is:

Benjamin Deveau (Moira) - Drums
Drew Peacock (Parasitism) - Guitars, Vocals
Marc-André Simard - Guitars, Vocals
Tomas Ingham (Madeira, Deterrent) - Bass, Vocals

Finnish progressive metal quartet, Oddland, have released a fresh video for "Penumbra”, available for streaming below.

The video for "Penumbra”, which is pulled from the band's 2016-released Origin album, was filmed while Oddland was out on tour with Sensory/Laser's Edge labelmates Wolverine and Until Rain across Europe earlier this year. Combining live footage, off-stage antics, and more, the video gives listeners a personal, inside look at the members of the band.

Offers Oddland vocalist/guitarist Sakari Ojanen, "The video was shot during the triple headlining tour Progressive Aspects Tour 2017 with Wolverine and Until Rain across Europe. The tour was a shitload of fun so the craziness naturally transferred into the video as well. The song 'Penumbra' touches on the theme of the human need of belonging, so with all the friends we made along the tour especially the guys on the other bands the song was the perfect fit for the video. The video was shot and edited completely by the band's drummer Ville Viitanen."

Milwaukee's Khazaddum will release their sophomore effort, Plagues Upon Arda, on August 19th. Following the 2015 In Dwarven Halls EP, the album offers a deeper glimpse into the tragic world of J.R.R. Tolkien. The new single, “The Black Hand Of Gorthaur”, is available for streaming below.

Returning with their signature Dwarven death metal assault, Khazaddum has taken the Tolkien concept to another level. Incorporating symphonic orchestration throughout the album in order to illuminate the epic scale of the story told within, the nine-track opus delivers a barrage of crushing death metal that bears witness to the harrowing tales of the denizens of Middle-Earth.

Plagues Upon Arda was recorded at No Passenger Studio by Spencer Fox and Trae Titus. The album cover art is by Kosta Djordjevic, and digitally painted by Matt Zeilinger. Pre-order your copy at this location.

Tracklisting:

"The Halls Of Khazad-Dum"
"The Deathless Crown"
"Lord Of Isengard"
"Legion Of The White Hand"
"The Fell Rider's Scourge"
"The Black Hand Of Gorthaur"
"Masters Of The Plains"
"Shelob The Great"
"Oathbreaker's Curse"

“The Black Hand Of Gorthaur”:

"The Deathless Crown" video:

"Masters Of The Plains":

Khazaddum is:

Luka Djordjevic - vocals / lyrics
Alex Rausa - guitars
Tony Cannizzaro - bass
Peter Kissane - drums

For further details, visit the official Khazaddum Facebook page.

(Photo - Dylon Schroeder)

Northwest Indiana’s Cloakroom have released a video for “Concrete Gallery”, a track from their upcoming second album, Time Well. The new clip is available for streaming below.

Grandiose and deeply insular, Time Well is a work that transcends simple genre descriptors as the trio prove dually capable of conjuring lumbering walls of sound as well as forlorn Americana (as predicted by a recent Songs: Ohia cover the band posted to Bandcamp). Cloakroom occupies a space between worlds, crafting its unique brand of thoughtfully heavy music, something Relapse has long specialized in.

Time Well will be released worldwide August 18th on CD/2xLP/Digital via Relapse Records. Physical pre-orders and exclusive bundles are currently available via Relapse.com at this location and digital pre-orders are available via Bandcamp here.

For the new album, the trio (consisting of vocalist-guitarist Doyle Martin, bassist Robert Markos, and drummer Brian Busch) opted to explore their shared creative space by building their own studio, transforming their practice space into a sonic laboratory in which they could immerse themselves in every aspect of the creative process. Once the studio had completed its transition it became a workspace that was essential to the creation of Time Well, sheltering the band from the outside world as they immersed themselves in the songs and pushed sounds to their furthest limits.

“We could work at all hours of the night and pick up where we left off days later,“ said Doyle Martin. “We vaulted the ceiling, amassed some gear with a little help from Relapse, and, after laying a rat's nest of cables through the place, we started to record.”

Cloakroom first materialized back in 2012 with a couple songs that appeared on a Bandcamp page with the succinct description: “Cloakroom consists of three factory workers from the Region.” As far as biographies go it’s about as terse as they come, but it conveys simple facts that speak to greater truths. Cloakroom is still a trio and still resides in the Region, a unique amalgam of cities and towns in Northwest Indiana that’s equal parts industrial and rural, a sense of space that leaves a distinctive sonic imprint across all the band’s recorded works. With Time Well, Cloakroom shows itself untethered from the present moment. It’s a record that’s flanked by contradictory ideas that are always running parallel; growth begets destruction begets death. It’s an unending cycle, and Time Well is the soundtrack to that unending, awe-inspiring momentum.

Time Well tracklisting:

“Gone But Not Entirely”
“Big World”
“Concrete Gallery”
“Seedless Star”
“Sickle Moon Blues”
“Hymnal”
“The Sun Won’t Let Us Go”
“Time Well”
“52Hz Whale”
“The Passenger”

“Concrete Gallery” video:

“The Sun Won’t Let Us Go” video:

“Seedless Star” video:

Additionally, Cloakroom have announced a run of fall tour dates throughout North America. The band will kick off the fall with a record release show in Chicago before venturing east in October.

September
1 - Chicago, IL - Schuba’s *Record Release Show*
29 - Kalamazoo, MI - Bell’s Brewery
30 - Toronto, ON - The Garrison

October
1 - Montreal, QC - La Vitrola
3 - Boston, MA - Middle East
4 - Brooklyn, NY - St. Vitus
6 - Philadelphia, PA - Philamoca
7 - Washington, DC - Comet Ping Pong
8 - Cleveland, OH - Mahall’s

(Photo: Colin May)

Alcohol-soaked thrash metal act, Tankard, returned to Germany’s Wacken Open Air festival this summer for the first time in 16 years. Professionally filmed video of the band’s performance can be seen below.

Setlist:

Intro
“Zombie Attack”
“The Morning After”
“Chemical Invasion”
“Rules for Fools”
“A Girl Called Cerveza”
“(Empty) Tankard”

Tankard’s 17th studio album, One Foot In The Grave, is available now via Nuclear Blast.

Tracklisting:

“Pay To Pray”
“Arena Of The True Lies”
“Don’t Bullshit Us!”
“One Foot In The Grave”
“Syrian Nightmare”
“Northern Crown (Lament Of The Undead King)”
“Lock ‘Em Up!”
“The Evil That Men Display”
“Secret Order 1516”
“Sole Grinder”

“Syrian Nightmare” lyric video:

“One Foot In The Grave” video:

“Arena Of The True Lies” lyric video:

Sweden’s The Quill will release their new album, Born From Fire, on August 25th via Metalville. A video for the album’s opening track, “Stone Believer”, is available for streaming below.

The classic lineup who created the albums Silver Haze, Voodoo Caravan and Hooray! It's A Deathtrip has reunited. Lead singer Magnus Ekwall (Ayreon) is back behind the mic, together with the dynamic power of drummer Jolle Atlagic (Hanoi Rocks, Electric Boys, Firebird), guitarist Christian Carlsson and bassist Roger Nilsson (Spiritual Beggars, Firebird).

The new album will be released on digital, CD and double vinyl in gatefold sleeve.

Tracklisting:

“Stone Believer”
“Snake Charmer Woman”
“Ghosthorse”
“Keep It Together”
“The Spirit And The Spark”
“Skull & Bones”
“Set Free Black Crow”
“Electrical Sons”
“Hollow Of Your Hand”
“Unchain Yourself”
“Revelation”
“Metamorphosis”

“Stone Believer” video:

Texan one-man slam, Slamophiliac, is back with a brand new sampler platter of gore, torture, violence, anti-religious, and cosmological slams, entitled Slam Rehab.

This stuff is deep - think Alien meets Dostoyevsky meets Texas Chain Saw Massacre meets Extermination Dismemberment meets Nietzsche. Yep. This is a thing. One must immerse themselves to believe. Even then, it will require a PHD level thesis in slam to truly comprehend.

Listen to the new track “Intermediate Manual Uncoiling” below. Slam Rehab is out August 18th vis CDN Records. Pre-order here.

Tracklisting:

“Punched with a Forklift” (ft. I Am Destruction)
“Anally Invaded” (ft. Gape)
“Fecal Infection”
“Gross Mass of Genital Malformity”
“Intermediate Manual Uncoiling” (ft. Decimated Humans)
“Crushed”
“Feasting on Decomposing Cadavers”
“Resonation of a Crackling Ribcage”
“Special Leather” (feat. Necroexophilia)
“Creepy Crawly Booty Party” (feat. Goremonger)

“Intermediate Manual Uncoiling”:

Credits:

All songs written, arranged and performed by Slamophiliac
Recorded, mixed and mastered by Dazz
Cover artwork by Mark Cooper
Logo by Brutal Disorder Designs
Layout by Dazz

Guest vocals by:

Stephen Mashburn
Rick Ring
Lennon O'Donnell
Tommy Rouse
Joey Cashman

Primitive Race, the hard rock/industrial hybrid helmed by Chris Kniker with core members Mark Gemini Thwaite (The Mission UK, Peter Murphy) and Erie Loch (Wiccid, Luxt), release their sophomore album, Soul Pretender, on November 3rd via Metropolis Records.

As was the case with the band’s debut, Kniker brought an impressive group of guest musicians into the Primitive Race fold, with the full album featuring vocals by former Faith No More singer Chuck Mosley (pictured above) and drums by the Melvins’ Dale Crover. The album was produced by the band’s core trio, with Kniker recruiting Maor Appelbaum (Faith No More, Sepultura) for mastering, Toshi Kasai (Melvins, Helmet) for engineering and Joe Haze (tweaker, PIG) for mixing.

“Musically, Soul Pretender was a natural progression from the first album,” explains Kniker. “To have Chuck and Dale involved was perfect! They really brought a new vision to the project. Their style is a perfect match with Mark, Erie and myself. This record is more focused and organic. I wanted more of an alternative rock record. Stripped down. Live real drums. There’s space in the record. I didn’t want some overly polished ‘perfect’ record.”

Soul Pretender tracklisting:

“Row House”
“Cry Out”
“Cranial Matter”
“Take It All”
“Bed Six”
“Stepping Stone”
“Turn It Up”
“Soul Pretender”
“Nothing To Behold”
“Dancing On The Sun”

(Chuck Mosley photo: Andy Watson)

Washington's American Wrecking Company are streaming the title track for their forthcoming Pavement Entertainment album, Everything And Nothing, out on August 18th. Listen to the track below, and pre-order the new album here.

American Wrecking Company is a fusion of many influences from metal, punk, rock and everything in between. The camaraderie and mutual love for making music, AWC lays down infectious rhythms, choruses and face-pounding verses. The music combined with a stage presence seldom matched, American Wrecking Company leaves fans with an insatiable appetite for more.

The band is comprised of founder Jeff Bloomfield, who is endorsed by Spector and considered one of the "heaviest bassists" around. Randy Bebich (rhythm guitar) and Ben Reynard (rhythm & lead) are both endorsed by DBZ Guitars and Diamond Amps. The duo is known for their highly creative approach and excellent twin-guitar attack. Drummer Dylan Hickey brings an intense and positive energy to the mix. Vocalist T.J. Cornelius rounds out the lineup with a voice that calls upon the legends of metal who came before him.

Tracklisting:

“Everything And Nothing”
“From Grace”
“I Won't Listen”
“Health For Wealth”
“The Burning”
“Purge”
“Enemy”
“Beautiful Lie”
“Mad By Design”
“Day Of Shame”

“Everything And Nothing”:

Napalm Records have announced the return of Austria-based epic/atmospheric black metallers, Summoning. The band will release a new album in January 2018, and although no further details are currently available, the label has issued a video trailer (see below) with the following quote:

“And in the glade a light was seen...

“The past years have been a time of troubles, setbacks, disputes - and of resulting frustration. And then, the summonings faded and silence arose... Yet, it hasn’t been the end that was dawning.

“But in the ashes still a dim light was gleaming. The dying embers were set ablaze by ongoing dedication and new inspiration. And from the ashes fire was flaring to heat the forges again…”