Declassified Records has announced the newest album from progressive fusion legends BangTower entitled With N With Out is now also available in retail stores in Japan serviced by Marquee Distribution. The 13 track sophomore album, originally released late December, marks the first full-length CD since the internationally acclaimed 2010 debut release, Casting Shadows. 
 
Returning to the project are fretless bass guitar legend Percy Jones of Brand X, Grammy winner Neil Citron, L.A. Drum Guru Walter Garces, and musician/producer Jon Pomplin. In addition, the album also features several guest artists including drummers Frankie Banali of Quiet Riot and Rodger Carter of John 5 as well as fretless bassist Robertino “Pag” Pagliari of Ohm” Joan Fraley of The Rave, Chris Colovus, Josh Greenbaum and Justin Stone.
 
BangTower was designed from the beginning to explore new musical landscapes by bringing together artists from different musical specialties, disciplines and physical locations to create something exciting and exceptional. When numerous unavoidable and unexpected scheduling issues arose with the core members after production of the new record had started, the concept was expanded to include several other friends of the band as guest musicians to complete the record. The result turned out even better than anticipated and remained true to the BangTower ideal. 
 
By combining digital technology and traditional studio recording techniques, musicians from New York, Chicago, Los Angeles and Hawaii were able to collaborate, write and record intricate, soulful music with a distinctive and fresh personality that is can be enjoyed numerous times. Compositions that challenged each player's imagination and style by pushing the edge of their musical “comfort zone”, while remaining familiar and accessible to both the musician and non-musician fan alike. Although each piece of music is an exceptional stand-alone masterpiece, each track remains an integral part of the over-all context and feel of the album, and the BangTower project as a whole. 

Tracklisting:

“Hello I’m Here”
“PCH”
“Chipotle”
“Soul To Sole”
“Roger, Wilco N Out”
“Uncle Floyd”
“Kitty’s Real Groove”
“My Fathers Smile”
“McGown’s Pass”
“This Is My Town”
“6/8 Primate”
“Good Bye N Good Nite”
“Hair Of The Dog” (Digital bonus track)
“I’ll Be Home For Christmas” (CD bonus track)

The new limited edition CD of record With N With Out also contains a “bonus holiday track”. A new interpretation and arrangement of the winter classic “I'll Be Home For Christmas” featuring Percy, Walter and Neil, originally recorded in 2013.

Special “limited edition” autographed CD bundles and merchandise are also available from the official BangTower store located at Bandcamp.

Decibel Casualties, the new album from US titans Destructor, is set for release on June 9th via Pure Steel Records. A video trailer for the upcoming release is available for streaming below.

Dave Overkill (vocals, guitar) and Matt Flammalbe (drums) from the Ohio-based band have returned with sharpened steel. After the 2016 release, Back In Bondage, now the brand new album is ready. High speed and energy like in their early 20s is the one and only basis for the guys. Nick Annihilator (guitar) and Tim Hammer (bass) joined the legends and you can be sure that Destructor sounds fresher than ever before.

Tracklisting:

“Restore Chaos”
“Keep The Faith”
“Metal Spike Deep”
“We Are Ready”
“The Last Days”
“Firey Winds”
“Metal Till Death”
“In Hell”

Trailer:

Lineup:

Dave Overkill - vocals, guitars
Tim Hammer - bass
Matt Flammable - drums
Nick Annihilator - guitars

Norwegian progressive metallers ENSLAVED have finished recording their as-yet-untitled fourteenth album for a fall release via Nuclear Blast. The disc is currently being mixed and mastered by Jens Bogren (SOILWORK, OPETH, KATATONIA, AMON AMARTH) at Fascination Street Studios in Örebro, Sweden.

According to ENSLAVED, they are "putting the final touches to an epic first leg of a European tour that will be announced shortly." The band adds in a Facebook post: "2017 will be the year we move forward with our sound and aim for more progressive and melodic horizons, adding an organic and old school-ish touch — and several courageous experiments. Exciting, right?"

ENSLAVED's new album was recorded at Duper & Solslottet Studios in Bergen.

The eye-catching cover and artwork is once again being created by renowned designer and painter Truls Espedal.

ENSLAVED mastermind Ivar Bjørnson recently stated about the band's new album: "I have never worked this hard to put together music for an album before. We are a tighter unit than ever before, which is obvious sonically. The concept conjured by myself and old war-brother Grutle is the strongest we have worked with. Finally, I am proud that we have taken more risks than ever before, and one in particular — and it is yielding awesome results. What does that mean? Stay tuned to find out!" ENSLAVED's thirteenth studio album, "In Times", came out in 2015.

STONE SOUR has released a Ryan Valdez-directed for the band's new track "Song #3". The clip, which shows the band going through several costume changes, can be seen below.

"Song #3" is taken from STONE SOUR's upcoming album, "Hydrograd", which will be released on June 30 via Roadrunner Records.

In other news, STONE SOUR has announced a 21-date European winter tour. The trek will kick off in Copenhagen, Denmark on November 15 and wrap up in Milan, Italy on December 15. Support on the tour will come from THE PRETTY RECKLESS with the exception of the Paris show on November 24.

STONE SOUR singer Corey Taylor previously stated about "Hydrograd": “We have six singles on this album. I'm really excited. This album is great because it's got elements of everything. It's got the heavy energy of the '80s, there's punk moments, there's hard rock moments — all the great amalgam of music. There's even jazz and hip-hop moments; it's really, really cool. It's probably the coolest album I've made since the first SLIPKNOT album. I feel very confident making that statement because it's so good."

"Hydrograd" was recorded at Sphere Studios in North Hollywood, California with producer Jay Ruston, who has previously worked with ANTHRAX and STEEL PANTHER.

The band tracked the album live in the studio, cutting a total of 18 songs from which 15 will make the CD.

Bassist Johnny Chow described the disc as "a straight rock and roll album" in an interview with Detroit radio station WRIF, adding, "It's just very groove-oriented, very melodic (with) big choruses. We've got some mellower songs on there too, which are equally just as amazing and have a lot of groove to them."

Chow called the record a "bit of a departure" from previous STONE SOUR albums.

STONE SOUR has had eight Top 10 songs on Billboard's Mainstream Rock Songs, dating back to "Bother" in 2002. The band has landed three top 10 albums on the Billboard 200 and has sold 2.1 million albums in the United States to date, according to Nielsen Music.

"Welcome To The New Disaster", a new song from RIVERDOGS, the band featuring DEF LEPPARD and LAST IN LINE guitarist Vivian Campbell, can be streamed below. The track is taken from RIVERDOGS' comeback album, "California", which will be released on July 7 via Frontiers Music Srl.

Featuring original members Campbell, Rob Lamothe (vocals, guitars) and Nick Brophy (bass, vocals), along with drummer Marc Danzeisen, the band's fifth album is RIVERDOGS' first new music since the eight-song mini album, "World Gone Mad", came out in October 2011.

Mixing the soulful vocals of Lamothe with the edgy guitarwork of Campbell and solid rhythmic lines from Brophy and Danzeisen, the album marks a definitive return to the sound of their critically acclaimed 1990 self-titled debut album. On the making of the album, Campbell says: "When my friends at Frontiers suggested a RIVERDOGS album in the spirit of the original debut record, I jumped at the chance to make it. In my opinion, 'Riverdogs' was a highlight of my career with some of my best guitar playing and definitely a record that flew under the radar. Having a clear direction of exactly what kind of record to make really helped the four of us create the music and there was an intense collective focus throughout the entire process that never wavered. I really think that we hit the target in creating a record that has all the hallmarks, the integrity and the emotional strength of the original debut. The fact that we've all remained such close friends throughout all the years only added to the joyous experience that was the making of this record."

Adds Lamothe: "Going into this project, my goal was to enjoy the opportunity of making music with some of my best friends, to share this incredible experience with my family... and to create something that RIVERDOGS fans will probably think is pretty bloody awesome. Big guitars! Beautiful melodies! Words about crazy, complicated, real stuff! I feel like Nick, Viv, Marc and I all brought our 'A' games to the writing and recording sessions. That's way more important than money and awards and fame to me" Brophy sums up the writing process for the album: "In summer of 2016, I found myself in Los Angeles, reunited with three of my closest friends, about to begin a new RIVERDOGS album. Marc had arranged a rehearsal environment at a friend's house, which was to provide the creative atmosphere for writing new material. I stood there with bass in hand thinking, 'Okay, now what?' Little did I know that a few days later we would have six new RIVERDOGS songs and the album 'California' was born. The remaining six songs came, surprisingly, just as easily, a testament to the amazing talents of Vivian, Rob, Marc and the effortless way in which we work as a group. Our clear goal for this album was to remain true to the original RIVERDOGS sound and provide fans with a new set of songs which carry on the legacy of a truly remarkable band." RIVERDOGS formed in Los Angeles at the end of the '80s when flashy, glitzy hard rock ruled the day, but they were determined to avoid clichés and adopted an original sounding blues-rock style. Campbell of SWEET SAVAGE, DIO and WHITESNAKE fame at the time (soon to join and become a long-standing member of DEF LEPPARD and later, founding member of LAST IN LINE as well) was initially brought on board to produce the band's first demo, but was so impressed with the band that he actually became a member and played on the debut album. Soon after the release, Marc Danzeisen joined Rob, Nick and Vivian to complete the lineup. Though fans and critics gave the album a warm reception and high regard, the unfortunate and age old story of change of personnel at their record label came about and eventually led the band members to go their own ways, with Campbell settling into the DEF LEPPARD lineup and Nick Brophy becoming a respected engineer and producer. RIVERDOGS, with a revamped lineup, released two more records in 1993, "Bone" and "Absolutely Live", before going on an extended hiatus. They reconvened, with the original lineup, in 2003 to record new material and play a few reunion shows. Those new songs were recorded as demos, but only completed in the studio in 2011 when their last album, "World Gone Mad", was released.

Now, six years after their last studio album, RIVERDOGS have crafted "California", a record that truly recreates the magical sounds of their early days and that will surely be welcomed with open arms by fans both old and new. "California" track listing:

01. American Dream02. The Revolution Starts Tonight03. Something Inside04. Golden Glow05. You're Too Rock And Roll06. The Heart Is A Mindless Bird07. Searching For A Signal08. Welcome To The New Disaster09. Ten Thousand Reasons10. Catalina11. I Don't Know Anything

POWERFLO — the new band featuring BIOHAZARD's Billy Graziadei and former FEAR FACTORY bassist/guitarist Christian Olde Wolbers alongside Sen Dog from CYPRESS HILL, Rogelio Lozano from DOWNSET, and Brazilian drummer Fernando Schaefer — played its unofficial first live show for family and friends last night (Monday, May 22) at South Bay Customs in El Segundo, California. Fan-filmed video footage of the concert can be seen below (courtesy of Chris Nicholas).

POWERFLO's self-titled debut album will be released on June 23 via New Damage Records. Those who preorder the album digitally will receive "Resistance" as an instant grat track. Both New Damage and PledgeMusic pre-orders include bundle options with various exclusive limited items, including snapback caps, rolling papers, signed vinyl, test presses, exclusive performances and more. Melding hip-hop, metal, punk, and rock into a potent offering, POWERFLO draws on its powerhouse resume to collectively smash boundaries. The album is produced by Josh Lynch and Billy Graziadei, mixed by Jay Baumgardner (GODSMACK, PAPA ROACH, HELMET) and mastered by Maor Applebaum (FAITH NO MORE, HALFORD, ADRENALINE MOB) at Maor Applebaum Mastering. Of the "Resistance" lyric video, Sen Dog commented, "We're here to make honest music. It's not about pleasing anybody or confirming anything. We're creating from a pure place. We worked our asses off. It's not a one-time thing. It's just the first POWERFLO album. There's much more to come..." Graziadei added: "Getting our music out there has been a while in the making but I'm looking forward to finally having POWERFLO in everyone's hands. We dropped a video for 'Resistance' first since it basically sums up how we all roll, living life on our terms! Our lives, our way, rising up against any force that stands against us. Next up, live POWERFLO in your face like a shotgun blast!" The origins of POWERFLO can be traced back over more than two decades as the members of the band would collaborate on numerous occasions. In addition to both CYPRESS HILL and BIOHAZARD appearing on the landmark platinum-selling "Judgment Night" soundtrack, Sen Dog delivered a cameo on BIOHAZARD's "State Of The World Address" in 1993, while Christian both guested on CYPRESS HILL's chart-topping 2000 double-album "Skulls & Bones", which Roy also guested on, and 2001's "Stone Raiders" in addition to performing with the group countless times. In 2015, longtime friend Roy played demos for Sen on a ride to the airport. The music immediately spoke to the rapper and thus POWERFLO was born.

Regarding how the name for the new project came about, Christian told The New American Media: "Basically, Sen Dog was spitting his game on some of the heavy riffs and shit. And he was, like, 'Do you like this?' And Roy, the other guitar player, said, 'Yeah. A power flow. That's good.' So that's where it kind of came from."

Graziadei has described POWERFLO's musical direction as a cross between IRON MAIDEN, BLACK SABBATH and CYPRESS HILL.

Band photo credit: Travis Shinn

TAU CROSS, the multinational punk/heavy metal collective featuring AMEBIX bassist/frontman Rob "The Baron" Miller, VOIVOD drummer Michel "Away" Langevin, and members of cult crust outfits MISERY and WAR//PLAGUE, will release its second full-length album, "Pillar Of Fire", on July 21 on CD, 2xLP, and digital formats via Relapse Records. In advance of the record's release, the band has unveiled a Jakub Moth-directed music video for first single, "Deep State". Comments TAU CROSS on the new album: "'Pillar Of Fire' is the continuation of some of the ideas that were explored on our first album. This time we have managed to share the songwriting more equally and introduce some other textures to the songs. This should help to establish TAU CROSS as less of a one-off phenomenon and more of an ongoing musical collective producing our own distinctive sonic environment." "Pillar Of Fire" was recorded across three different countries and co-produced by "The Baron" in the same manner as their eponymous debut. The drums were tracked in Montreal, guitars in Minneapolis, bass in Seattle and Minneapolis, and vocals on the Isle Of Skye in Scotland. "Pillar Of Fire" further expands the group's unique musical approach ranging from dark folk witchery to industrial punk metal brutalism; a moody melting pot of KILLING JOKE's metallic post-punk and MOTÖRHEAD's anthemic, hard rock with flourishes of traditional instrumentation and an infusion of 16th Century English mysticism. "Pillar Of Fire" is a musical unearthing of TAU CROSS's philosophical preoccupations: mythological motifs, ultra-terrestrial hypotheses, surreal, social political landscapes, and the endless search for meaning in a controlled universe. "Pillar Of Fire" track listing:

01. Raising Golem02. Bread And Circuses03. On The Water04. Deep State05. Pillar Of Fire06. Killing The King07. A White Horse08. The Big House09. RFID10. Seven Wheels11. What Is A Man12. Three Down (Vinyl + Digital Bonus Track)13. We Are The Terror (Vinyl + Digital Bonus Track)14. In Time (Vinyl + Digital Bonus Track) Formed in 2013 across two continents and three countries, TAU CROSS is the natural evolution of Miller's work in AMEBIX. The band's self-titled debut was recorded in 2014 and released via Relapse Records in May 2015 to widespread critical reception, including an inclusion on Rolling Stone's Metal Albums Of The Year list.

TAU CROSS made its live debut in 2016 in North America, followed by a special mainstage performance at the legendary Roadburn festival in the Netherlands. TAU CROSS is:

Rob "The Baron" Miller - bass/vocalsAndy Lefton - guitarJon Misery - guitarMichel "Away" Langevin - drumsTom Radlo - bassJames Adams - keyboards

IRON MAIDEN has condemned the terror attack in Manchester, England last night (Monday, May 22) which left 22 dead and 59 injured.

The British heavy metal legends, who are in the middle of a U.K. headlining tour, said in a statement: "We are shocked by last night's terrible events at the Manchester Arena. Our thoughts go out to everyone affected. We can advise fans that our last three U.K. shows in Cardiff and at London's O2 will proceed as planned. Of course any extra means to ensure fan safety are being examined with the relevant authorities."

The final three dates on the U.K. leg of MAIDEN's "The Book Of Souls" tour are as follows:

May 24 - Motorpoint Arena - Cardiff, UKMay 27 - O2 Arena - London, UKMay 28 - O2 Arena - London, UK

In a December 2015 interview with the Radio Sarajevo show "The Aebyss", IRON MAIDEN singer Bruce Dickinson spoke about what security concerns he might have in an age of terrorism when it comes to deciding which countries to travel to in order to play for the people there. He said: "Personally, yeah, I'll play no matter what. Your concern has to be, actually, for people who don't have a choice in the matter. But those poor people that went for that [EAGLES OF DEATH METAL] concert at the Bataclan [in Paris, France in November 2015] had no choice; they were completely, completely innocent in every possible way. And, of course, nobody knew that the place was gonna get targeted. So, unfortunately, there's a judgment call that people have gotta make, and you have to make it on the best information available — as to whether or not you're suddenly gonna get… If somebody says, 'We're gonna massacre everybody at a rock concert,' you say, 'Well, is it some lunatic, or is it genuinely credible that this might happen?'"

He continued: "You can't take the responsibility for what might be some lunacy, massacring people, just because you wanna be kind of 'macho man' and stand up and say, 'Ah, yeah, yeah, yeah, we did this and people threatened us, but we were like macho men.' And that's great until one day it turns out that somebody does go and do [something like that] and then you have lots and lots of dead women and children, and you go, 'Maybe we shouldn't have done the show, because there was a credible threat.' So, unfortunately, you've gotta be grown up about it. But, at the same time, you still need to be able to offer people that hope and send that message out there. They can't stop… Real life just carries on. I mean, when the Irish Republican Army, years and years ago… when I was a kid, things were getting blown up left, right and center in the U.K., and one lot was blowing things up and horrendous things happened, and nothing stopped — people just got on with it and carried on. You don't stop. You don't back down from living your life. There is light at the end of the tunnel there. So all those kinds of things are acts of defiance, but not involving guns or bombs or bullets and things like that."

IRON MAIDEN's "The Book Of Souls" world tour will return to North America for an extensive series of arena and amphitheater shows in June and July. Support on the trek will come from GHOST.




We are shocked by last night’s terrible events at the Manchester Arena. Our thoughts go out to everyone affected. We...

Posted by Iron Maiden on Tuesday, May 23, 2017

CAVALERA CONSPIRACY, the band led by brothers and founding SEPULTURA members Max (also of SOULFLY) and Igor Cavalera, has entered a studio in Phoenix, Arizona to record its fourth album. The disc, which is being produced by longtime friend Arthur Rizk, will be released in the fall via Napalm Records.

The first in a series of video clips from the studio, titled "The Conspiracy Diaries", can be seen below.

Max told Faygoluvers earlier this year that CAVALERA CONSPIRACY's follow-up to 2014's "Pandemonium" would "be a beast of an album. We're gonna try to make the best one of all, everything we've done. We'll try to clean slate on the whole thing and make just an awesome, in-your-face great record."

"Pandemonium" sold around 2,600 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 177 on The Billboard 200 chart.

CAVALERA CONSPIRACY's previous CD, 2011's "Blunt Force Trauma" opened with around 5,000 units to land at No. 122.

The band's first CD, 2008's "Inflikted", registered a first-week tally of 9,000 copies to enter the chart at No. 72.

"Pandemonium" was produced by John Gray, who has previously worked with SOULFLY.

Max and Igor have spent the last year celebrating the twentieth anniversary of SEPULTURA's classic album "Roots" by performing the LP in its entirety.

Frontiers Music Srl has announced the signing of a new melodic rock combo from Sweden: KRYPTONITE. Sometimes musicians are put together who only know each other from afar via their respective recordings, but something clicks and triggers a magical moment. That's exactly what happened when Jakob Samuel from THE POODLES met up with producer Alessandro Del Vecchio on the heels of a concept created by Frontiers president Serafino Perugino. Together, they set off to work on a new band that could offer lyrical concepts that are deep and intelligent with music that operates within the genres they excel in. And most importantly, has a great energy and impact. Samuel, Del Vecchio and Perugino handpicked each musician to be part of their vision for a strong lineup of young and hungry Swedish musicians that would be ready to go out there and kick some ass. Pontus Egberg, formerly of THE POODLES and now the bass player for KING DIAMOND and TREAT, was the first one to enter the picture, followed shortly thereafter by Robban Back of MUSTASCH (and ex-ECLIPSE). The choice of guitar player fell to the young and immensely gifted Mike Palace. Mike showed his huge talents as a writer and performer on his band Palace's debut album and on several songs he has already written for the label. The recording and writing sessions flowed freely and the songs came naturally. This band will truly set a standard for what fans perceive as melodic hard rock in today's climate. It is classic, but modern at the same time, groovy and cool.

Introducing KRYPTONITE!
Hello, we are Kryptonite! Check out this introductory behind-the scenes video to learn more about us and our upcoming self-titled album, which will be released via Frontiers Music srl. And the best part is you get to hear some snippets of music in the video too!

Our first single and music video will be released VERY SOON, so stay tuned for that, news about the release date, pre-orders, and more!

Kryptonite is: • Jakob Samuel (The Poodles) - Vocals• Pontus Egberg (Treat) - Bass• Robban Back (Mustasch) - Drums• Mike Palace (Palace) - Guitar

Posted by Kryptonite - Sweden on Tuesday, May 23, 2017

Professionally filmed video footage of METALLICA performing the song "Fuel" on May 19 at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts can be seen below.

METALLICA was joined in Foxborough, as they will be on most of the rest of the North American leg of the "WorldWired" tour, by VOLBEAT and AVENGED SEVENFOLD.

The North American run will hit stadiums in 20 more cities before ending in mid-August. METALLICA drummer Lars Ulrich told Rolling Stone that the band was genuinely surprised to learn they could still play stadiums, saying, "It was like, 'Holy fuck, people really still care about this band in ways that you stopped taking for granted literally decades ago. It was very inspiring and kind of eye-opening."

He added: "Full stadium runs can sometimes be a little intimidating. There's all these things to worry about like, 'You should really try to play maybe only on the weekend,' and, 'Where do you play on Tuesday?' and some of those practicalities can get a little bewildering. We just threw caution to the wind. Doing a stadium run seemed like the perfect thing on the back of how well this record has been received and all the good will that's out there in METALLICA's world right now."

The next stop on the tour is St. Louis, Missouri on June 4.

British metal band Kill II This has released a video for their new track, “Sleeper Cell”. Speaking about the new song, guitarist and producer Mark Mynett said, “We’re having a blast in Kill II This at the moment and we’re really proud of 'Sleeper Cell'. Stylistically it’s the result of the four of us each putting our own stamp on things. It still has that Kill II This sound but it feels really fresh.”

Vocalist Simon Gordon said, “With all the new material we're writing, we’ve really tapped into the energy and feel that Kill II This is known for, without simply reproducing what was done back in the day. We’re still using samples and technology in all the new songs and on 'Sleeper Cell' we’ve added pianos and strings. Once it all came together, we knew that was exactly what it needed. We’re working on an album but that’s a little way off yet, so we wanted to give people something to whet their appetites."

Kill II This features original members: Mark Mynett (guitar), Pete Stone (bass) and Jeff Singer (drums) as well as Simon Gordon (vocals) who sang on the City Of God side project with Mynett and Singer in 2005. The release of the new material coincides with the band’s forthcoming appearance at the Uprising Festival, which takes place on May 27th at De Montfort Hall in Leicester, UK.

Kill II This released four albums between 1996 and 2004, most notable were their Deviate and Trinity albums. The band built on this with extensive European tours including support slots for Slipknot, Machine Head, Megadeth and Fear Factory.

 

Cradle Of Filth backing vocalist / keyboardist Lindsay Schoolcraft is a featured guest on the song "Morning Light" from Dubai-based Ascendant's new album, A Thousand Echoes. The track is streaming below, go to this location to check out the album. Lindsay has posted a video message commenting on recording the song with the band.

A Thousand Echoes by ASCENDANT

For information on Ascendant go to this location.

Season Of Ghosts vocalist/mastermind Sophia has checked in with a long overdue update for her fans:

"I’m pretty sure all of you have been wondering about the future of Season of Ghosts, since The Human Paradox is two year old now. Good question.

As it always happens with music stuff, there has been all sorts of delays, the worst of which is my ongoing health issues. I might tell you more about this on another blog, but for sure it’s been the #1 reason why there’s not much new SoG material out there yet. I honestly did not have the mental or physical strength to compose, to sing or to even talk sometimes.

Also life happens and since I’m a person who seeks personal evolution, I’ve been working on new scenarios, exploring new possibilities, working towards several goals and there’s only 24 hours per day, so imagine. My average working time per day is 12 hours,but I can easily go to 15 hours, depending on the workload. Yes, I’m a workaholic, I’m very goal-oriented and never settle. So I freak when people ask me to 'chill' or 'calm down' or 'go have fun.' Balancing out the stress is really important and I’m guilty of openly neglecting this principle for at least eight years.

Achieving certain goals will allow me to nurture, protect and expand my art, therefore I’ve been focusing on said goals at the expense of music. After all, forcing myself to release a quick album just because I 'had to' would certainly end up in disaster. So I chose to take life one day at a time, in order to preserve my sanity and my music quality.

Things have recently taken a slight turn for the better and I have slowly amassed enough ideas, so the second album is finally taking shape, as a new entity. Like last time, I’m gonna let things flow intuitively and let the music in me find its perfect place. Every album I make has a certain dynamic, an identity that I don’t want to disrupt by overthinking about the current musical trends, or the marketability, or genre cliches. I’d lose my creativity plus I never cared about fitting into anything as a person, so I don’t care about fitting into any musical moulds and presets either. If it feels *right* I’ll do it, even if everyone is protesting against it. Because I *see* it in its final form, I see it into the future (and apparently I’m not very democratic when I work :P).

I don’t believe the coming album is gonna have a solid theme like The Human Paradox, but I won’t know until I sit down and let the stories come to me. Until then, please keep supporting me and Season of Ghosts on this creative journey. Your love has kept me alive all these years, even when I felt my existence falling apart. Thank you."

Currently working on new music for 2017, Season Of Ghosts took time out to work on something special for Halloween 2016 inspired by the Tim Burton movie, The Nightmare Before Christmas. Sophia checked in with the following update:

"You asked, we delivered! Season of Ghosts' version of 'Sally's Song'! Orchestrated and arranged by Zombie Sam. I'm under the impression that we made the song a liiiittle spookier..."

Season Of Ghosts is a groundbreaking music project, dedicated to the love for the unseen and film soundtracks, combining extreme rock and metal sounds, harsh electronics and powerful, compelling vocals, through the eerie spectrum of a Sci-Fi and horror movie.

Tracklisting:

"Nothing Disappears Without A Trace"
"Genesis - The Phoenix Syndrome"
"Time Travellers"
"Dream; Paralysis"
"The Human Paradox"
"[NE]: MESIS - The Kiss Of Justice"
"Beautiful Eternal Things"
"Dreaming In The Gray Lands"
"The Road To Acheron"
"Quantum - Through The Looking Glass"
"Reincarnation"
"There And Back Again"

Code Orange have unveiled their official music video for “Bleeding In The Blur”. The clip, directed by Max Moore, can be seen below.

Next month, Code Orange kick-off a run of European dates which will see the Pittsburgh, PA band supporting System Of A Down on their headline tour, and call into the UK's Download Festival. Tickets for all dates on Code Orange’s upcoming run are available here. Code Orange will then return to The States in July for a series of festival performances.

Forever tracklisting:

“Forever”
“Kill The Creator”
“Real”
“Bleeding In The Blur”
“The Mud”
“The New Reality”
“Spy”
“Ugly”
“No One Is Untouchable”
“Hurt Goes On”
“dream2”

“Kill The Creator” visualizer:

“Forever” video:

Helix frontman Brian Vollmer checked in on May 17th with a new update on the making of his forthcoming solo album, Get Yer Hands Dirty:

"Yesterday we finished off Get Yer Hands Dirty at Noble Studios in Toronto. Everyone is blown away by the results and it isn't even mixed yet! Just have to get Danko Jones to sing his part and then we should be away to the races. Cheryl Lescom was fantastic on her parts. She can scream where only dogs and little children with virgin ears don't fear to tread."

Check out some behind-the-scenes footage from the studio below.

Catch Helix live in concert:

July
22 - Rock & Roar - Kitchener, ON
23 - Voyageur Days - Mattawa, ON

August
2 - Canna Fest - Grand Forks, BC
27 - Great Canadian Kayak Challenge & Festival - Timmins, ON

November
4 - Club Regent Event Centre - Winnipeg, MB

After the release of their most recent album You Are Next, Dutch metal band Martyr played successful support slots in front of Saxon and Trivium. Now they have issued a lyric video for the song "Monster", which appears on You Are Next. This clip comes at the same time as the debut of You Are Next on 12" vinyl, which can be purchased here.

Martyr will celebrate their 35th anniversary this year in Amstelveen, Netherlands on September 22nd at Heavy Metal Maniacs Fest. Their complete live schedule is as follows:  

May
27 - Big Ass Metal Fest – Utrecht, Netherlands

July
7 - Dystopia Metalfest – Deventer, Netherlands
16 - Baroeg - Rotterdam, Netherlands (with Diamond Head)

August
18 - Festival T Zeeltje – Deest, Netherlands

September
8 - Olensfest – Olen, Belgium
22 - Heavy Metal Maniacs Fest - Amstelveen, Netherlands

 

 

 

LAMB OF GOD frontman Randy Blythe has reacted in horror at the news that at least 22 people were killed and more than 50 others injured after a reported explosion took place at an Ariana Grande concert at Manchester Arena in England on Monday.

Authorities are still investigating the incident, but it is believed that the attack was carried out by a lone suspect carrying a bomb.

Blythe took to his Instagram account to repost the news headline "Explosion, Panic And Death At Ariana Grande Concert In England", and wrote in an accompanying message: "I am so sick of reading headlines like this. We as a race, THE HUMAN RACE, have to do better than this.

"A music concert is supposed to be a place where people gather to forget their problems for a few hours, not somewhere to roll the dice with your life.

"At times like this, I think the only thing a normal person can do is try to be the best, most moral, human they can be- —in our jaded era, I believe this is more necessary than ever.

"For instance, this evening after I read this headline, I ran into a very loose acquaintance at the grocery store and mentioned the news. This person joked, 'Maybe they did it because it was an Ariana Grande show.' I was too shocked to even say anything — I utterly fail to find the humor in the fact that at least 19 people are dead and many more injured, whatever you may think of someone's music.

"I know nothing about Ariana Grande or any of her songs, but I can guarantee that people of many different races, religions and beliefs were at that show for the same reason — to have a good time. Some of them won't go home tonight. This is not fucking funny to me. This sort of jaded, joking mentality is evidence to me of the continual chipping away of our humanity by the pathetically low standards of our era. We are better than this, people. It's dehumanizing, just like the freakish and twisted beliefs that allowed this asshole terrorist to kill a bunch of people they didn't know.

"Everything you do and say has consequences, even if you don't believe that.

"Make sure you do your best to think and speak with a moral heart — maybe your kindness will prevent someone from going down a dark path. You never know who you may affect positively.

"My thoughts and prayers are with y'all in the U.K. tonight."

The crowd at the Ariana Grande concert was reportedly made up of mainly younger people.

Universal Music Group, parent company for Grande's record label, Republic Records, said in a statement: "We are deeply saddened to learn of tonight's devastating event in Manchester. Our thoughts and prayers are with all those affected by this tragedy."

With last year's triple album opus, Triangle, Swiss avant-garde metal outfit Schammasch gained wide international acclaim and defiantly raised the bar within the extreme metal scene. Doubtlessly one of the most daring, interesting and multidimensional bands of today's black metal oeuvre, their constant striving for artistic freedom makes them an important part of the genre's future, never bound by rules or limits.
 
This summer, Schammasch will extend their body of work by adding a new branch - the first in a line of shorter releases entitled The Maldoror Chants, entirely based on "Les Chants de Maldoror"; one of 19th century's darkest and most fascinating literary works which would later become part of the foundation of the surrealist movement. Having been an important lyrical influence for Schammasch since their second album, Contradiction, they have now decided to give this inspiration the space it deserves and, on the other hand, to give themselves the artistic space it would require.
 
Hermaphrodite, as the first of these releases will be called, shows a different side of the band's artistic repertoire with focus upon spoken word and atmospheric soundscapes rather than the "song by song" formula. A new approach to their visual aesthetic can be found in the artwork design as well, which presents a hand drawn illustration by Mexican artist / surrealist Héctor Pineda, whilst the layout was completely handled by vocalist/guitarist C.S.R's art project Saros Collective, which is also responsible for the audio production.
 
The Maldoror Chants: Hermaphrodite will hit digital and physical retailers on June 9th via Prosthetic Records. The album encompasses seven interlinking tracks over a 31-minute duration, presented as a deluxe CD digipak and strictly limited vinyl LP.

Schammasch, as always, dare to explore foreign grounds on The Maldoror Chants: Hermaphrodite, allowing themselves to drift into unfamiliar territory, which may be due to the fact that the band invested all their creative energy in successfully developing a philosophical manifesto during the last eight years, and is now willing to focus on another side of what art can be - strange.
 
Stay tuned for more material to be revealed leading up to the release of The Maldoror Chants: Hermaphrodite.

Tracklisting:

“Prologue”
“The Weighty Burden Of An Eternal Secret”
“Along The Road That Leads To Bedlam”
“These Tresses Are Sacred”
“May His Illusion Last Until Dawn’s Awakening”
“Chimerical Hope”
“Do Not Open Your Eyes”

(Photo by: Ester Segarra)

The creativity and productivity of German heavy metal trio Rage seems to have no limits. Only 14 months after the successful The Devil Strikes Again neckbreaker, Rage deliver their new, 23rd studio album, entitled Seasons Of The Black, out  on July 28th via Nuclear Blast. New single, "Blackened Karma" will be released on this Friday, May 26th. Listen to a snippet below:

"Our fans are getting Rage metal of the very first grade. We've been able to bring the band's typical trademarks into eleven new songs, and we're sticking to the course that we forged on the last album! This means hard and very catchy compositions that also sound thrash, aggressive and epic", says band leader Peavy.

Since the reorientation of 2015, the three band members have now fully adapted to each other and the lost harmony has been fully restored. "We are even better matched with each other," says Peavy. "We offer new ideas to each other like we’ve never done something else before! It also happened that we created a whole new song within just two hours from start to finish, from scratch! Regarding the production we were also able to prevent some complications, which had been an element of the last album due to a lack of experience. This time, everything worked perfectly."

Guitarist Marcos Rodriguez and drummer Vassilios "Lucky" Maniatopoulos have been long-time Rage fans from the very beginning. Their input also leaves its mark on their second album. "Marcos and Lucky well know the "classic" style-creating spirit of Rage so to speak, and on a personal level we all really like each other as well. This contributed to the possibility of continuing to develop and expanding the band’s spirit," the vocalist adds.

The stylistic connection between The Devil Strikes Again and Seasons Of The Black is also visually reflected in the artwork, once again created by graphic artist Karim König.

"We developed the idea together," says Peavy. “In this way we want to show that both albums belong together in their own way. I modelled the sonically inspired sculpture that dominates the cover on my own. As a basis, I used a very rare skull from my collection, which I poured myself and then re-modelled. Karim created the gloomy landscape with the Golgotha Hill."

The title song “Seasons Of The Black” will be the opener of the 11 track-album. “The song is very personal, it is about a failed life-long dream. Imagine being stamped to the ground and looking at the broken pieces of your existence. This sadly is a destiny that many people have to share. Most of the songs on the album include a very gloomy view of the world, so we thought “Seasons Of The Black” would be suitable for the entire album,” the vocalist, who founded Rage over three decades ago, sums up.

Seasons Of The Black was recorded in February / March 2017 at Megafon Studios (Burscheid, Germany) and at Soundchaser Studios (Zandhoven, Belgium). Its production was handled by Rage, whilst the renowned Dan Swanö (Marduk, Opeth, Katatonia) took care of the mix and mastering at Unisound Studios (Grefrath, Germany).

Studio trailer #1:

Studio trailer #2:

Studio trailer #3:

Rage live dates:

June
3 - Eichstätt, Germany - Open Air am Berg
10 - Starnberg, Germany - Food Rock Festival, Schlossberghalle
17 - Duisburg, Germany - Rage Against Racism (RAGE meets REFUGE)
29 - Gardelegen, Germany - Metal Frenzy

July
2 - Barcelona, Spain - Rock Fest
6 - Ballenstedt, Germany - Rock Harz Open Air
16 - Vizovice, Czech Republic - Masters of Rock
21 - Ternopil, Ukraine - Faine Misto Festival

August
3-5 - Wacken, Germany - Wacken Open Air
10 - Villena, Spain - Leyendas Del Rock
12 - Kortrijk, Belgium - Alcatraz Festival
13 - Königs Wusterhausen, Germany - Zombie Rock Festival

September
2 - Zons, Germany - Zons Rockt (RAGE meets REFUGE)

December
23 - Burglengenfeld, Germany - VAZ, X-Mas Dynamite Night

Rage lineup:

Peter "Peavy" Wagner - lead vocals, bass
Marcos Rodriguez - guitars, vocals
Vassilios "Lucky" Maniatopoulos - drums, vocals

 

On May 17, the Swedish Court of First Instance (Patent and Market Court [PMD] at Stockholm District Court) ruled on the long-running case brought by founding ENTOMBED guitarist Alex Hellid, along with Nicke Andersson and Uffe Cederlund, against original ENTOMBED singer Lars-Göran "LG" Petrov regarding the trademark name "Entombed," finding in their favor on all points.

"Naturally we are delighted with the decision of the courts," Hellid, Andersson and Cederlund said in a statement to BLABBERMOUTH.NET. "It's a great relief that this issue is now finally ruled on and we can return to focusing on giving people more ENTOMBED. We have discussed ideas and plans of what we want to do and look forward to working together on creating the best possible ENTOMBED for the future, both in the recording studio and in a live setting."

Hellid and Petrov have been embroiled in a legal battle over the ENTOMBED name for several years. In 2014, Petrov was reportedly awarded the right to use the band name in connection with future recording and touring activities, a decision which Hellid appealed without success. The guitarist then went on to register a trademark for spirits production under the "Entombed" name. This move did not sit well with Hellid's former bandmate, who filed a letter of protest against Alex's registration of the name, claiming that it could be confused with band activities. He also said that Hellid acted in "bad faith" when he registered name and that there was a desire to "deceive the public." Petrov's protest, however, found no favor with the Swedish Patent And Registration Office, which rejected his claims on the issue in a March 8, 2016 ruling.

In an interview with Revolution-Music.dk, Petrov defended his group's decision to release albums and tour under the name ENTOMBED A.D. in order to avoid a legal battle with Hellid who didn't want his former bandmates to use the ENTOMBED moniker: "It had to be done, because without an album you can't tour," he explained. "I mean, you can tour, but if there's seven years between albums, it's ridiculously long. So we did the right thing, and we did what bands should do, and still do — release an album and go on tour and headbang and have a good time with friends, and that's what it's all about."

He continued: "There was too much bullshit — crying and whining about things. It's just ridiculous.

"Some people are comfortable staying at home, but then just step aside and let us do our thing.

"We added two letters, but it's still the same band — [only] without people that wanna stay at home, or take millions of years [coming up with] a [new] riff."

Asked if he thinks the ENTOMBED name has been damaged as a result of the drama surrounding the split with Hellid and the decision to continue as ENTOMBED A.D., Petrov said: "Nah, not really. A thousand people have a thousand different opinions — good and bad. But we do what we felt was right. And we're out here touring, and that's the most important [thing], I think. And leave the childishness aside and play metal, basically."

ENTOMBED A.D.'s second album, "Dead Dawn", was released in February 2016 via Century Media.

A completely different version of ENTOMBED — featuring Hellid, Cederlund and Andersson — played the band's groundbreaking 1991 album, "Clandestine", in its entirety at Malmö Live in Malmö, Sweden in November 2016. Joining them at the show were Robert Andersson (vocals) and Nicke's half brother Edvin Aftonfalk (bass), both formerly of the Swedish death metal band MORBUS CHRON.

Two weeks earlier, the new Hellid-led lineup of ENTOMBED made its live debut on the Close-Up Båten cruise.

Professionally filmed video footage of SCOUR — the new extreme metal "supergroup" featuring Philip Anselmo (PANTERA, DOWN, SUPERJOINT) alongside members of CATTLE DECAPITATION and PIG DESTROYER — performing the PANTERA classic "Strength Beyond Strength" at SCOUR's first-ever concert, which took place on February 19 at One Eyed Jacks in New Orleans, Louisiana can be seen below. The clip was filmed by Mike Holderbeast, Carolyn Babauta, Ritchi Rooster, Steven W. Richardson and Justin Delong. The audio was recorded and mastered by Steven W. Richardson.

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

SCOUR recently officially recruited Adam Jarvis (MISERY INDEX, PIG DESTROYER) as its drummer.

Adam Jarvis's next gig with SCOUR will take place on June 14 at Saint Vitus in Brooklyn, New York.

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

SCOUR is:

* Phillip H. Anselmo (PANTERA, DOWN, SUPERJOINT) - Vocals* Derek Engemann (CATTLE DECAPITATION) - Guitar* Chase Fraser (ANIMOSITY) - Guitar* John Jarvis (PIG DESTROYER) - Bass* Adam Jarvis (MISERY INDEX, PIG DESTROYER) - Drums

Rob Zombie performed WHITE ZOMBIE's 1994 album "Astro-Creep: 2000 – Songs Of Love, Destruction And Other Synthetic Delusions Of The Electric Head" live in its entirety at Chicago's Riot Fest last September. The set was professionally recorded and is currently being mixed by Rob's longtime collaborator Chris "Zeuss" Harris for a late 2017 release.

Rob posted a short preview of the upcoming album on his Instagram account. You can check it out below.

Zombie said last year that he had "many legit reasons" for not wanting to reform WHITE ZOMBIE, despite some fans' suggestion to the contrary.

The subject of a WHITE ZOMBIE reunion once again came up after Rob performed "Astro-Creep: 2000" live at Riot Fest.

As video footage of the performance made its way online, a WHITE ZOMBIE fan made an impassioned plea for Zombie to reform the group. The fan wrote in the comments section on Instagram: "Please, for the love of God, reunite WHITE ZOMBIE. The reasons you've given in the past for not wanting to do it… honestly make no sense. First you said that reunions are never good, and it's best to let sleeping corpses lie. Hello… GUNS N' ROSES? MISFITS? Reunions are beloved bands are totally welcomed and completely awesome. a white zombie reunion has zero chance of being bad.

"The second reason you have is that your crowds these days 'barely react' to the WHITE ZOMBIE songs. Well, maybe they would react more if those songs weren't abandoned. I can promise you that thousands of people still love and cherish those albums you need in the '80s and '90s. A WHITE ZOMBIE tour would be a huge success.

"I love you, Rob, but I gotta be honest.. I think the truth is that you just think you're too good to pick up the phone, call up Sean [Yseult, former WHITE ZOMBIE bassist and Rob's ex-girlfriend] and the guys… and get that ball rolling again. I don't know if there's some sort of Sean/Sherri [Moon Zombie, Rob's wife] jealousy thing that caused you guys to break up in the first place… I mean, it's kinda funny you broke up WHITE ZOMBIE but took the drummer with you… But either way… just do a WHITE ZOMBIE reunion. [You] have no legit reason not to."

Rob took notice of the fan's comment and personally responded via Instagram, writing: "[I am] always amazed at how people can speak with such authority on subjects they know zero about.

"I have many legit reasons [for not wanting to reform WHITE ZOMBIE]. Just because you don't know them does not mean they don't exist.

"Everything is not everybody's business."

Yseult was recently asked by rock journalist Mitch Lafon what her reaction was when she first found out Rob was pursuing a solo career after WHITE ZOMBIE's 1997 split. She said: "First of all, I knew that we were breaking up — it wasn't a big surprise — but it was a little bit of a slap in the face to me and Jay [Yuenger, former WHITE ZOMBIE guitarist] when we had our… After one year, we were supposed to be taking a break, and then we were gonna have a call and talk about getting back together and making a record. I knew that we weren't getting back together, but literally the next… Jay and I both said, 'We have more riffs. We'd love to write some more music.' And Rob kept saying, 'No, no, no. I think we're done.' And what are you gonna say? You can't tell the singer that he has to sing. [Laughs] Even though our manager told Jay and I that we should go on and continue on with WHITE ZOMBIE and get a new singer, we both refused that. But the slap in the face was that [Rob's] solo record came out, like, the next day, so he spent that year making a record, knowing that [WHITE ZOMBIE wasn't] gonna be a band again. So that was a little… you know… whatever. But, like, who cares? You know, really. I didn't care. I moved to New Orleans. I knew that we'd already broke up anyway."

WHITE ZOMBIE split up in 1997 and Rob Zombie went on to launch a successful solo career in 1998. He told The Pulse Of Radio that nowadays a lot of his audience isn't even familiar with the old WHITE ZOMBIE songs. "The crowds are really, really young and I've been noticing that with the set list too, because, you know, as the time has gone on, we've really worked the WHITE ZOMBIE material more out of the set, because we've been finding that it's not working like it used to," he said. "It seems like that those songs just seem now old to people and it's very strange."

CANDLEBOX paid tribute to Chris Cornell by performing the TEMPLE OF THE DOG song "Say Hello 2 Heaven" in the SOUNDGARDEN frontman's honor during CANDLEBOX's May 20 concert at Ohio Spring Fest in Toledo, Ohio. Fan-filmed video footage of the performance can be seen below (courtesy of YouTube user "Staatsiebuckeyegirl").

In the days since Cornell's tragic death, a number of artists have paid tribute by covering his songs, including MEGADETH, DREAM THEATER, STONE SOUR, QUEENSRŸCHE, LIVE, THE PRETTY RECKLESS and HEART's Ann Wilson.

Cornell apparently committed suicide by hanging on Wednesday night (May 18) after SOUNDGARDEN played a show in Detroit.

Chris's wife Vicky and an attorney representing the Cornell family have questioned the results of a medical examiner's report that said the 52-year-old musician committed suicide.

In addition to SOUNDGARDEN, Cornell sang with AUDIOSLAVE and TEMPLE OF THE DOG, while also recording four solo studio albums and one live set on his own.

FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH was joined by Phil Labonte of ALL THAT REMAINS on stage on May 17 at Concrete Street Amphitheater in Corpus Christi, Texas for a performance of the DEATH PUNCH song "Wash It All Away". Fan-filmed video footage of his appearance can be seen below.

Labonte fronted FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH for eight concerts during the band's fall 2016 U.S. co-headlining arena tour with SHINEDOWN after DEATH PUNCH's regular singer, Ivan Moody, "fell ill" and stepped away from the road to receive treatment.

Prior to the "Wash It All" performance in Corpus Christi, Moody addressed the crowd, telling them: "This is the first show I play with DEATH PUNCH in six months in America. And about six months ago, I had a complete meltdown, and I'm willing to admit it. And luckily for me, my band understood and they told me to take some time to myself. Now here's the best part. They asked me, if there was one person that they would pick to front this band if I was dead, I picked one of my oldest, greatest friends and one of the greatest fucking singers in heavy metal today, Phil from ALL THAT REMAINS. Now while I was taking my vacation, I realized something. DEATH PUNCH isn't just about us — it's about you motherfuckers. So I'm gonna give credit where credit is due. Make some noise for my best friend and one of the greatest of all time. Phil, come on out here."

Labonte recently said that he was surprised by overwhelmingly positive reaction he got from FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH fans when he filled in for Moody. Speaking to Revolver magazine, Labonte explained how he came to be asked to sing for FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH as a temporary replacement for his longtime friend. He said: "[Around the] holidays, [I] usually kind of chill out. But right after Thanksgiving, I got a phone call, [saying], 'Hey, can you get on an airplane?' So I got the opportunity to help those guys out.

"We've known the guys in FIVE FINGER since before they were even a band — I've known Ivan since he was in MOTOGRATER — so the fact that I could jump in and help out my friends, it was really cool. It was a lot of fun — a really good experience."

Labonte went on to say that he was "a little surprised at how well the fans responded" to his addition to FIVE FINGER's touring lineup. He explained: "Especially with a band like FIVE FINGER, with a frontman like Ivan, I kind of expected some people to be, like, 'If it's not Ivan, I don't wanna hear about it,' and I didn't get that at all. It was nothing but love and message of support and messages from people saying, 'Thanks' and 'Good job,' pat-on the-back stuff, which is always really, really nice to hear that you're doing a good job for your friends. So it was a great experience."

KING DIAMOND guitarist Andy La Rocque was interviewed by Metal Jacket Magazine the day after his May 16 performance in Zagreb, Croatia as a guest at a concert of Zele Lipovača, longtime guitarist of the Bosnian heavy metal band DIVLJE JAGODE. You can now watch the chat below. A couple of excerpts follow (transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET).

On the progress of the songwriting sessions for KING DIAMOND's long-awaited follow-up to 2007's "Give Me Your Soul … Please" album:

Andy: "I can't really say that we have started working on it yet, but it's coming. So as soon as we have some time, we're gonna start working on new songs."

On the KING DIAMOND songwriting process:

Andy: "What [KING DIAMOND singer and namesake and I] do is we both have our studios, so we send files [to each other], and if there's something that needs to be changed, we just talk about it and have it changed."

On the status of KING DIAMOND's much-anticipated DVD:

Andy: "We're actually still working on it, because we have a few options — different shows and stuff — so we have to make a decision which one is the best. And it's hard to know that before you start working on it. And you know the picture and the sound — that combination — have to match, of course, and when you see the whole thing, [you go], 'Okay, that show is really good.' So we're still working on it. And I have no release date; I'm sorry about that. We just want it to be really, really good."

KING DIAMOND's November 2015 concerts in Philadelphia and Detroit during the "Abigail In Concert 2015" tour were filmed for the band's forthcoming DVD. The massive, multi-camera shoot was directed by Denise Korycki, who has previously worked with CANNIBAL CORPSE and KILLSWITCH ENGAGE).

KING DIAMOND received a Grammy nomination in the "Best Metal Performance" category for the track "Never Ending Hill" off "Give Me Your Soul … Please".

"Give Me Your Soul ... Please" entered the Swedish national chart at position No. 28. The CD also landed at No. 58 on the Danish chart. The effort sold 4,500 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 174 on The Billboard 200 chart.

Frontiers Music Srl has announced the signing of legendary rockers NAZARETH. The band's brand new studio album will be released in 2018. The current lineup of NAZARETH consists of Jimmy Murrison (longest-serving guitarist in the band's history), Lee Agnew (drummer since Darrel Sweet's death in 1999), Pete Agnew (founding member, on bass) and new singer Carl Sentance (who joined the band in 2015 after Dan McCafferty had to retire due to illness). Pete Agnew says: "With Carl as our brand new singer and Frontiers as our brand new record company, the buzz surrounding us right now is the same as it was when we went in to record our very first album. Can't wait for the sparks to fly!" Originally coming together as THE SHADETTES in 1968 in Dunfermline, Scotland, the entity known as NAZARETH came together in spring 1970 and released their eponymous debut album in 1971. The band came to prominence after the release of the Roger Glover (DEEP PURPLE, RAINBOW) produced "Razamanaz" in 1973. Two more successful releases, "Loud 'N' Proud" and "Rampant", followed before the release of "Hair Of The Dog" in 1975, which was an unqualified success. The title track was a staple of '70s rock radio and the ballad "Love Hurts" is a worldwide hit. NAZARETH mantained a solid sales history during the '80s, particularly in Germany, where "Dream On" became a hit single. A tribute of note to the band came in 1993 when GUNS N' ROSES covered "Hair Of The Dog" on their "The Spaghetti Incident?" album. To date, NAZARETH has recorded 23 studio albums, earning them platinum, gold, and silver awards around the world. Their latest release, "Rock N' Roll Telephone" was released in 2014 and generally hailed by music critics as another masterpiece in a long line of them from the band.