Featuring an all-star cast of heavy metal veterans, North Carolina's Walpyrgus has announced the forthcoming Cruz Del Sur Music release of full-length debut album Walpyrgus Nights. The album will be released on compact disc, vinyl (featuring a 56-page comic book with lyrics!) and digital formats on June 9th. New song "Somewhere Under Summerwind" is streaming below. Preorders are available at this location .

Walpyrgus Nights represents the full realization of the potential of this dangerous meeting of Metal minds. Hook after hook, cascading guitar harmonies, anthemic soaring vocals, and epic unexpected twists and turns abound on this eight-song opus. It is a genuinely inspired, wild, fun ride through the annals of classic Hard Rock and early Metal with a distinct personality. The album, which features the artwork of Gustavo Sazes (Morbid Angel, Arch Enemy, Firewind), was recorded in a variety of locations over the course of two intense years under the guidance of Tom Phillips, mixed by longtime collaborator Kevin "131" Gutierrez (Raven, Deceased, Believer) and mastered by Bill Wolf (Raven, While Heaven Wept).

Tracklisting:

“The Dead Of Night”
“Somewhere Under Summerwind”
“Dead Girls”
“Lauralone”
“Palmystry”
“She Lives”
“Light Of A Torch” (Witch Cross cover)
“Walpyrgus Nights”

“Somewhere Under Summerwind”:

Eclipse Records has announced the signing of Australian metallers, As Paradise Falls, to an exclusive worldwide deal.

While recording their album in 2015, the unexpected passing of their guitarist put everything on hold. Now, after clawing their way back from immense tragedy, As Paradise Falls have returned with a new album produced by Shane Edwards (Northlane, Trophy Eyes, Hellions) entitled Digital Ritual, which will be released this summer. To underestimate this band, would clearly be a mistake.

Just before signing with Eclipse, the band independently released “Starblind”, the first single from their upcoming new album. Watch the “Starblind” video below.

“On the day the single was released, I got an email from Chris at Eclipse,” stated guitarist Danny Kenneally. “Chris had previously followed us on Spotify, and we came up in his Release Radar. When he asked if we had any more material, I told him about the new album and he immediately offered to put it out via Eclipse.”

Within a few weeks, the band signed to Eclipse Records, and began preparing for the album’s release. Digital Ritual is currently slated for a summer release, with details available soon.

AVENGED SEVENFOLD's video for the song "God Damn" can be seen below. The clip was filmed in February with director Anders Rostad before a crowd of fan volunteers.

"There's a bunch of ideas that were thrown into the mixing bowl there," AVENGED SEVENFOLD singer M. Shadows told Billboard, which premiered the video, "but the main idea was to get fans involved and make sure the kids knew this is a song full of energy first and foremost — 'hey, this is a record we can wrap our heads around. It's cool live stuff. It's a rockin' song' — but at the same time, we wanted the technological hint in there, so as the video progresses you start seeing things glitching out and all of a sudden the world turns digital. And by the end, there's a little nod to the lyrics; you see an eyeball kind of in there as an Easter egg, which is kind of big brother watching what we do the whole time as the humans turn into a digital world."

AVENGED SEVENFOLD will join METALLICA for the latter's "WorldWired" 2017 North American tour. Produced by Live Nation, the summer's hottest ticket kicks off May 10 at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore, Maryland with openers VOLBEAT.

AVENGED SEVENFOLD is touring in support of its seventh album, "The Stage", which was given a surprise release at the end of October with almost no promotion beforehand.

"The Stage" debuted at No. 4 on The Billboard 200 album chart back in November following its surprise release. Co-produced by the band and Joe Barresi, the disc features eleven panoramic tracks tied together by an Artificial Intelligence theme. Inspired by the writings of Carl Sagan and Elon Musk, the album is the band's first thematic release. While the term "AI" conjures up images of robots and fantasy films, the band steers clear of a science fiction storyline. Instead, the album sees them taking a futurist's look at the accelerated rate at which technology's intelligence is expanding and what that means — good and bad — for the future.

The album's epic 15-minute-plus closing track, "Exist", features a guest appearance by award-winning astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson giving a spoken-word performance he penned specifically for the album.

"Infinite End", a brand song from ARCADEA, can be streamed below.

Hailing from the fringes of the cosmos, ARCADEA will make its arrival known with the release of its self-titled debut album on June 16 via Relapse Records.

ARCADEA was born when drummer-vocalist Brann Dailor of MASTODON teamed up with guitarist and keyboardist Core Atoms (ZRUDA) to create a synth-laden progressive, heavy psych band. Adding guitarist Raheem Amlani (WITHERED) on synth, the three recorded their visionary, ten-song synth odyssey at Orange Peel Studios in Atlanta, Georgia.

Unlike their other bands, ARCADEA uses only keyboards in a unique blend of crushing, organic drums and psychedelic synthesizers. The music is at once electronic but not electronica, synthetic but not processed, heavy but not metal.

The album envisions a future five billion years from now, where the impending collision of galaxies creates a new order of planets. Where cold, distant moons pledge alliance to new suns and expanding gas giants implode into black holes. Ancient drones, forever adrift, record toxic tales of love between dying stars. Where lifeforms in suspended animation, dream among the ice rings of Saturn and cosmic war wages among gods and planets. It is in this universe that ARCADEA reign supreme as the last surviving space wizards since the final extinction.

"Arcadea" track listing:

01. Army Of Electrons02. Gas Giant03. Rings Of Saturn04. Neptune Moons05. Infinite End06. Electromagnetic07. Motion Of Planets08. The Pull Of Invisible Strings09. Through The Eye Of Pisces10. Worlds Can Go On11. Magnificent Facade

Photo credit: Core Atoms

San Antonio-based metallers, Upon A Burning Body, have released a video for “The Outcast”, a track from their new album, Straight From The Barrio, released last year via Sumerian Records. The new clip can be found below.

Tracklisting:

“’Til The Break Of Dawn”
“ Already Broken”
“You Don’t Own Me”
“Media Blackout”
“B.M.F.”
“Straight From The Barrio”
“Leave The Pain Behind”
“Walk Alone Again”
“Fake Plastic Smile”
“D.T.A. (Don’t Trust Anyone)”
“The Outcast”
“My Distorted Reflection”

“The Outcast” video:

“Already Broken” video:

Melodic metal act, All But One, will release their debut album, Square One, this Friday, April 28th, via Lifeforce Records. A full album stream is available via the YouTube playlist below. Pre-order the album at this location.

Tracklisting:

“Square One”
“Persistence”
“For The Waiting Good”
“Coloured in Vivid”
“Hope Fuel”
“Little White Lies”
“The Reaper, The Sower”
“Fire Sale”
“Serenity”

Album stream:

“Coloured In Vivid” lyric video:

“Little White Lies” video:

With members of Alestorm, Heaven Shall Burn and Lifeforce Records' very own When Our Time Comes, All But One have a brand new message to deliver. Their powerhouse debut album tastefully fuses the worlds of pop and metal music, combining accomplished melody with masterful guitar and fearsome breakdowns.

All But One was born as a passion project of Alestorm guitarist Máté Bodor. After catching the attention of an elite group of likeminded musicians, what began as a side project evolved into what will undoubtably become a formidable force in the rock music industry.

All But One are a product of professionalism, uncompromising passion and an unstoppable hunger to succeed.

(Photo - Kornél Györgyei)

Epic Death drummer Reece Stanley has joined up with Texas-based power metal band Omen, and will be touring with them beginning the end of April.

As you know, Reece plays in Phantom X with Kevin Goocher as well, so when it came to pass that Omen needed a drummer, Kevin made the call to Reece to fill the position.

"We can't be happier for our brother in arms,” stated vocalist/lead guitar player Vamp (aka Dennis Dorsett).

Catch Reece with Omen on the dates listed on the flyer below.

(Photo - The Houston Metal Project)

GHOST frontman and founder Tobias Forge, better known as Papa Emeritus, joined German thrashers KREATOR last night (Tuesday, April 25) to perform the song "Satan Is Real" on the German late-night talk show "Circus HalliGalli", which airs on ProSieben. Also appearing on them was DRANGSAL singer/guitarist Max Gruber. Video footage of the performance can be seen below.

"Satan Is Real" is taken from KREATOR's latest album, "Gods Of Violence", which was released in January via Nuclear Blast. KREATOR guitarist/vocalist Mille Petrozza told Metal Blast about the track: "When I was growing up as a kid, I was imagining the world would be a better place in the year 2000, because for most of the people that I knew, religion didn't mean anything. It was something from the past, something that only their parents, or even their grandparents, would think was relevant. In the '80s and '90s, I pictured the future as a time when religion would lose its relevance, and yet now we're in the year 2017, and religion is stronger than ever. It's so strong that even though not many people follow religions, the ones that do can be very extreme. 'Satan Is Real' talks about that, about the blind leading the blind."

The cover artwork for "Gods Of Violence" was created by renowned artist Jan Meininghaus, who also made the limited-edition artwork for KREATOR's last disc, 2012's "Phantom Antichrist", and has lent his talents to bands like BOLT THROWER, ACCEPT and OVERKILL in the past. The exclusive North American cover was created by renowned artist Marcelo Vasco, who has previously worked with SLAYER, MACHINE HEAD, SOULFLY and HATEBREED.

Royal Hunt are celebrating their 25th anniversary with the release of a brand new live 2CD/DVD, Blu-Ray, and Digital set, entitled 2016, on May 12th. An official live video for “A Life To Die For” can be seen below.

Following a tradition established after two successful anniversary long form video releases - 1996 and 2006 - it is time for a third one: 2016. Recorded with 9 HD cameras and top-notch audio equipment in Moscow's Izvestiya Hall during last year's world tour, the video shows “all-fab-things-Royal”: a high energy show in front of a large and enthusiastic crowd, an excellent set list, the band in top form, and a stunning stage production. Add a stellar audio recording and this package, celebrating Royal Hunt's 25th anniversary, is any hard rock fan's delight.

In keyboardist André Andersen’s own words: “25 years later Royal Hunt's still going strong… who could have imagined that? Not me, that's for sure… a quarter of a century?! Absolutely unreal. 13 studio albums, lots of special EPs and compilations, 5 live albums, literally countless shows/tours, and now the 4th DVD release. Lots of ups and downs along the way, yet we're still around, still able to do what we love doing the most - making music. I always felt that if you do it from your heart, if you stay true to yourself and work hard you'll be granted this sort of staying power…and yes, we're all extremely grateful to our fans for giving us an opportunity to create, to improve and to continue our musical journey. So, once again, push that “play” button, enjoy this video and rest assured, the best is yet to come!”

2016 tracklisting:

CD1:

Medley: “So Right So Wrong” / “Martial Arts”
“River Of Pain”
“One Minute Left To Live”
“Army Of Slaves”
“Lies”
“Wasted Time”
“Heart On A Platter”
“Flight”

CD2:

“May You Never (Walk Alone)”
“Until The Day”
“Half Past Loneliness”
“Message To God”
“Stranded”
Medley: “A Life To Die For” / “Epilogue”

DVD / Blu-Ray:

Medley: “So Right So Wrong” / “Martial Arts”
“River Of Pain”
“One Minute Left To Live”
“Army Of Slaves”
“Lies”
“Wasted Time”
“Heart On A Platter”
“Flight”
“May You Never (Walk Alone)”
“Until The Day”
“Half Past Loneliness”
“Message To God”
“Stranded”
Medley: “A Life To Die For” / “Epilogue”

“A Life To Die For” video:

“Wasted Time” video:

Trailer:

Lineup:

André Andersen - keyboards
DC Cooper - vocals
Andreas Passmark - bass
Jonas Larsen - guitar
Andreas Johansson - drums

Swedish doom metallers, Avatarium, are back with their third studio album and once again, singer Jennie-Ann Smith and her gentlemen cast a spell over you with a truly magical sound experience. Hurricanes And Halos will be available via Nuclear Blast on May 26th, and today, the band has released the second official trailer for the album, available for streaming below.

The album artwork was once again created by Erik Rovanpera, who already designed the cover art of the band's debut album, and shows a mystical creature inspired by the epic track “Medusa Child”.

"To be asked to do the artwork for the new Avatarium album was an honor," states artist Erik Rovanpera. "And without knowing the lyrics to the title song “Hurricanes And Halos” this is my interpretation of the title. Inspired by art nouveau, comic books and many other things in the current art movement this is my take on the good, the bad, the beauty and the beast. And using a broader color palette than usual and thereby pushing my own borders was great fun to do.”

Hurricanes And Halos tracklisting:

“Into The Fire / Into The Storm”
“The Starless Sleep”
“Road To Jerusalem”
“Medusa Child”
“The Sky At The Bottom Of The Sea”
“When Breath Turns To Air”
“A Kiss (From The End Of The World)”
“Hurricanes And Halos”

Trailer #1:

Trailer #2:

“Into The Fire / Into The Storm” lyric video:

Once again, Avatarium rely on beauty and darkness, heavy guitars and fragile sounds, unique female vocals and the mystic vintage blues sound from the 60s, while still staying on modern ground and trusting into the haunting soul of doom rock. Six out of the eight new tracks were forged by Candlemass wizard Leif Edling, but guitar master Marcus Jidell and singer Jennie-Ann Smith also contributed to the songwriting and formed a worthy successor to The Girl With The Raven Mask.

The new album was produced by Marcus Jidell himself, while David Castillo (Katatonia, Bloodbath, Opeth) recorded and mixed it in the famous Ghost Ward Studios and the mastering was done by Jens Bogren (Soilwork, Sepultura). Together they created an organic and warm sound that sets Hurricanes And Halos apart from the overbred, electronically optimized mass.

"Recording Hurricanes And Halos has truly been an emotional roller coaster for me and I do think that has contributed to a pure and vibrating energy on the album. I am deeply proud of what we have achieved together," states lead singer Jennie-Ann Smith.

Guitar wizard Marcus Jidell adds: "It feels like the two previous albums and the EPs lead us to this one, it's been a natural flow to where we are today, musical and emotional wise.”

The Bride Said No, the new album from Steve Hackett and Agents Of Mercy vocalist Nad Sylvan, will be released on May 26th via InsideOut Music. A video for the album track “The Quartermaster” is available for streaming below.

In 2015, Nad Sylvan impressed everyone with his fine conceptual solo album Courting The Widow. A vampiric tale wrapped in a 17th century atmosphere, this definitively marked out the talented Swede as a surging star in the progressive rock world. Now, Sylvan is back with The Bride Said No, an album that continues the fascinating plot, albeit with a far more extravagant musical palette.

“Musically, the previous record was very much located in the 1970s, and you can still hear a little of that here”, comments Sylvan. “But this one is a lot more modern sounding and diverse. In fact, I would say it is closer to musical theatre than anything else.”

Sylvan plays the keyboards and much of the guitar on the album. He recorded in his home studio from September 2016 to January 2017, having spent the previous few months collating the material. But the album does have some special guests appearing throughout including Steve Hackett, Tony Levin (King Crimson, Peter Gabriel), Jonas Reingold (The Flower Kings, Kaipa, Karmakanic), drummer Nick D'Virgilio (Spock’s Beard)! Sylvan is especially proud of collaborating with female vocalists Jade Ell, Tania Doko and Sheona Urquhart. You can hear how this works on both the title track and also “What Have You Done”.

While traces of classic Genesis are partially present in the playful and highly variable arrangements of “The White Crown” or the emotional depth of the magnificent ballad “When The Music Dies”, references to Marillion, Fish solo, and even a bit of funk (“The Quartermaster”) can also be discovered on this versatile sophomore album. The double vinyl includes an etching on Side D as well as the CD as extra.

Tracklisting:

“Bridesmaids”
“The Quartermaster”
“When The Music Dies”
“The White Crown”
“What Have You Done”
“Crime Of Passion”
“A French Kiss In An Italian Cafe”
“The Bride Said No”

“The Quartermaster” video:

Pre-order the album at this location.

Ye Banished Privateers, who recently signed a worldwide record deal with Napalm Records, will released third studio album, First Night Back In Port, on June 30th. An official 360° video for the album’s title track is available for streaming below.

Ye Banished Privateers takes you 300 years back in time for an imaginary journey through the harsh life at sea during the early 18th century. With songs inspired by traditional Irish and Scandinavian folk music, acting and elaborate historical clothing the privateers tell a story about the rough sailor's life, lived on the other side of the law - and the fight against oppression and nationalism.

Together, the nearly 30 crew members take turns to go on tour and plunder, and with around a dozen sailors on stage no two shows are ever the same. The mix of rude folk and punk music invites you to dance and sing along, while the gripping ballads will make the toughest pirate heart soft.

Says the band about their recent signing with Napalm Records: "Spring has finally come to the Gulf of Botnia, and with the rotting ice we are now able to set sail with some extraordinary good news onboard. We are immensely proud to announce that our chaotic band of Pirates will be joining forces with Napalm Records, to release our next album First Night Back In Port. Lock up the taverns and hide away the Rum, June 30th in the year of our lord 1717 (2017), this Pandora's box of ear worms goes worldwide! Putting our pen and ink to the chart of Napalm Records means procuring the fire power to bring the forces of Europe to a total blockade. And by trading our royalties for rum and cherry beer, we estimate that we will save a fortune and a half in the years to come."

Tracklisting:

“Annabel”
“A Night At The Schwarzer Kater”
“First Night Back In Port”
“All The Way To Galway”
“Cooper's Rum”
“Skippy Aye Yo”
“I Dream Of You”
“A Declaration Of Independence”
“For A Fragile Moment's Ease”
“We Are Ye Banished Privateers”
“Bosun's Verses”
“Eastindiamen”
“Devil's Bellows”
“Ringaroo At Cooper's Inn”
“Mermaid's Kiss”

“First Night Back In Port” video:

BraveWords is premiering “Twelve Bells”,the title track from Sacred Oath's new album being released worldwide on May 12th. It is the tenth full-length album from the Connecticut-based underground metal legends. Distribution is being handled by Caroline (US0, Universal (Canada), and eOne (Europe).

“I don’t think we’ve ever been so excited about an album release,” says lead guitarist Bill Smith. “We’re so happy with how the record turned out and the way the tour is coming together. I’m excited. ‘Twelve Bells’ could be our finest hour.”

The band’s label Angel Thorne Music released the video this week in anticipation of preorder sales beginning April 28th on iTunes, Bandcamp, Amazon, and the band’s official website SacredOath.net.

Tracklisting:

“New Religion”
“Twelve Bells”
“Fighter’s Heart”
“Bionic”
“Never And Forevermore”
“Demon Ize”
“Well Of Souls”
“Eat The Young”
“No Man’s Land”
“The Last Word”

ArmyOfOneTV conducted an interview with bassist Pär Sundström of Swedish metallers SABATON on April 21 at Playstation Theater in New York City. You can now watch the chat below.

Speaking about the evolution of the SABATON sound since the band's inception nearly twenty years ago, Pär said: "The idea of songwriting hasn't really changed since the beginning, but since we've had new members coming in, they are adding a lot into it. Of course, it's still me and Joakim [Brodén, vocals] writing most of the stuff, and Joakim is the main music composer of the band, but as we get more and more experienced people into the band, and we have gotten over the years from the original lineup, I think now you can clearly hear the evolvement of, for example, guitar playing on the latest releases where more and more people are involved in how the instruments are being performed on the actual album. So that is what I see the evolvement of the band, mostly, from one album to another; I can hear those details. But when it comes to songwriting, I think we are kind of… we haven't evolved that much — which I'm happy with. I think SABATON should be consistent and something that fans can pick up a new album and understand, 'Okay, I'm getting a SABATON album. I won't be surprised, but hopefully satisfied.'"

SABATON began the North American leg of their "The Last Tour" headlining trek on April 20 at The Trocadero in Philadelphia. The tour will hit seven Canadian cities plus Chicago, Anaheim, Dallas, and conclude at the The Fillmore in Silver Springs, Maryland on May 22.

SABATON's eighth album, "The Last Stand", was released last August via Nuclear Blast. The follow-up to 2014's "Heroes" was once again produced by Peter Tägtgren (PAIN, LINDEMANN, HYPOCRISY) and it "marks a brand new chapter in SABATON history," according to a press release.

The artwork for "The Last Stand" was created by Peter Sallaí, who has worked with SABATON since "Carolus Rex".

SABATON last year parted ways with guitarist Thobbe Englund and replaced him with Tommy Johansson (GOLDEN RESURRECTION, REINXEED).

Frontiers Music Srl will release RADIATION ROMEOS' self-titled debut album on June 2. RADIATION ROMEOS is a new band formed by Parramore "Perry" McCarty, best known for being the frontman of legendary U.S. metal act WARRIOR and famed BILLY IDOL guitarist Steve Stevens's solo project ATOMIC PLAYBOYS (in fact, the inspiration for the name RADIATION ROMEOS came from a line in the song "Atomic Playboys").

The official video for the song "Ocean Drive", taken from "Radiation Romeos", can be seen below. Musically, the band moves in a melodic hard rock direction with solid, metallic edges thanks to the production of Michael Voss (PHANTOM 5, CASANOVA, MICHAEL SCHENKER), who also contributed to the songwriting. In the studio, Parramore sang all vocals with Dag Heyne handling guitars, Jogi Spittka on bass, and Gereon Homann laying down the drum work with gusto! Perry says: "RADIATION ROMEOS started when producer Michael Voss contacted me in San Diego through Facebook. A few days later, we had the record agreement with Frontiers, so the RADIATION ROMEOS album was soon under way.

"Our goal was to write great melodic rock songs. The album 'spans the globe' from the title track, power-rockin' 'Radiation Romeos', to some songs with a bit more grit like 'Castaways'. All the way to a beautiful ballad, 'Like An Arrow'. Something for everyone, if you will…

"The recording was so much fun and exciting for me. I couldn't wait to get up the following day to work on the next song!

"Michael is a wonderfully professional person with endless talent and the musicians super-cool guys and top players!" Parramore McCarty's career in music started when Robbin Crosby of RATT gave him his start singing in cover bands. His first major label album was "Fighting For The Earth" on Virgin Records in 1985 for the legendary heavy metal band WARRIOR. Steve Stevens's ATOMIC PLAYBOYS followed in 1989 on Warner Bros. Records. Then he returned to WARRIOR and also started gigging in the L.A. area with METAL FREQS and MONSTER TRAXX. "Radiation Romeos" track listing:

01. Radiation Romeos02. Ocean Drive03. Bad Bad Company04. Mystic Mountain05. Like An Arrow06. Promised Land07. Castaways08. Ghost Town09. Til The End Of Time10. On The Tight Rope11. Monstertraxx RADIATION ROMEOS is:

Parramore McCarty - vocalsDag Heyne - guitarsJogi Spittka - bassGereon Homann - drums

The self-titled debut album from the Swiss all-girl heavy metal outfit BURNING WITCHES can be ordered on PledgeMusic. The disc was recorded at the Little Creek Studios in Switzerland with producers V.O. Pulver and Schmier (DESTRUCTION).

Says the band: "If you are a real heavy metal fan, this kick-ass result will hopefully also blow YOUR mind!

"We had the dream to form an all-women's traditional heavy metal band — now here we are with our first record and we hope that you gonna help us with your pledge to climb up the first steps of the ladder of our career!

"We have put together a nice collection of items for you, including signed CDs, posters, shirts, hoodies, girly shirts and opportunities to spend time with us at rehearsal and hang and party with us!"

Schmier previously stated about BURNING WITCHES: "Those ladies sound original, fresh and heavy! I love the classical heavy metal influence and the [Rob] Halford-inspired vocals!

He continued: "The BURNING WITCHES will sure get their fans. Their sound, in between classical [JUDAS] PRIEST and U.S. power metal like ICED EARTH, caught my attention right away."

BURNING WITCHES was founded during spring 2015 in Brugg, Switzerland, by guitar player Romana Kalkuhl. It has always been her big dream to perform with a women's heavy metal band on stage. During the music university studies, she already started her first group together with Kevin Schaffer, with whom she has recorded two albums and played several concerts.

In 2015, Romana started to look for talented ladies for the new combo. Jeanine Grob (bass), a longtime friend, became the first official member. At a party at a festival, Romana met Seraina Telli (singer) for the first time. It clicked right away betweens the two girls, on a musical and on a personal level. Seraina brought in many ideas and a lot of experience because of her studies at the Music Academy and her band SURRILIUM. The guitarist and the singer became a great songwriting team right away.

Romana wrote Schmier from DESTRUCTION about her new project, and the ladies brought him onboard as a producer/consultant.

After an intensive search and different auditions, BURNING WITCHES found Lala Frischknecht the perfect drummer for the all-girl metal band.

BURNING WITCHES' latest addition is guitarist Alea Wyss, who joined the band in December.

For more information, visit www.facebook.com/burningwitches666.

Dutch black metallers CARACH ANGREN will release their new album, "Dance And Laugh Amongst The Rotten", on June 16 via Season Of Mist. The CD's cover art was created by renowned Romanian artist Costin Chioreanu.

"Dance And Laugh Amongst The Rotten" track listing:

01. Opening (2:17)02. Charlie (4:10)03. Bloodqueen (4:55)04. Charles Francis Coghlan (6:07)05. Song For The Dead (4:16)06. In De Naam Van De Duivel (6:29)07. Pitch Black Box (3:17)08. The Possession Process (4:27)09. Three Times Thunder Strikes (5:19)

The song "Charlie" can be streamed below.

On "Dance And Laugh Amongst The Rotten", CARACH ANGREN are painting musical pictures that easily combine the grandiose depth of a Rembrandt with Van Gogh's maelstrom of whirling colours and the utter madness of Bosch. This lusciously seductive danse macabre will drag you in and never let go.

CARACH ANGREN have employed all the sonic colours on their palette to dazzling effect. Their trademark whipping guitars are weaving harsh melodies and sinister soundscapes, which are beautifully contrasted by opulent keyboards and majestic orchestrations. That Till Lindemann (RAMMSTEIN) and Peter Tägtgren (PAIN) have called upon the composition talent of Clemens "Ardek" Wijers is a telling sign of his outstanding mastery of the craft. Another signatory counterpoint is provided by Seregor's fierce rasping and shrieking vocals. Adding to the impact, Namtar has become a relentless driving force with his hard-hitting-yet-intricate drumming. Each track on this album is a highlight on its own, while combined "Dance And Laugh Amongst The Rotten" simply shines.

With "Dance And Laugh Amongst The Rotten", CARACH ANGREN are returning to "pure" storytelling with episodes that are centered on a girl playing a little too long with her Ouija board. The Dutch have pushed their unashamedly theatric style to a new intense height.

Status Quo have announced the release of deluxe expanded 2CD / 3CD versions of a trio of classic albums that were released on the revered Vertigo label, namely Blue For You, Just Supposin’ and Never Too Late. These special editions are to be issued by UMe, on May 26th.

Offering 36 previously unreleased tracks/versions between them, these carefully curated special releases come with an enhanced booklet containing new notes by Classic Rock’s Dave Ling and also feature rare photos and memorabilia from the band’s personal collection.

Blue For You was originally released in 1976 and is one of Status Quo’s definitive albums. It was the last to feature the band’s classic 4-piece lineup and reached #1 in the UK album charts. It contains the classic “Rain” as well as live favorite “Is There A Better Way”. This Deluxe version is released as a 2CD and has been remastered by Andy Pearce with the assistance of ‘unofficial 5th band member’ Bob Young from the original tapes and has a bonus disc of demos and live material from the band’s vault.

Just Supposin’ is another of Quo’s finest albums - released in 1980 it reached #4 in the UK album charts and spawned the singles “What You’re Proposing” and “Rock N Roll”. Again remastered by Andy Pearce with Bob Young from original tapes, this 2CD release has a bonus disc of B-Sides and Live recordings.

Released in 1981, Never Too Late was the last album to feature drummer John Coghlan and reached #2 in the UK LP charts. This 3CD Deluxe edition has been remastered by Andy Pearce and Bob Young from the original tapes and has a bonus disc of archive recordings as well as a concert from 1981.

These releases are fully supported and endorsed by the band members, past and present - and represent a triumphant revisiting one of the monumental periods of one of the world’s most important rock acts, Status Quo.

Blue For You tracklisting:

Disc One
“Is There A Better Way?”
“Mad About The Boy”
“Ring Of A Change”
“Blue For You”
“Rain”
“Rolling Home”
“That's A Fact”
“Ease Your Mind”
“Mystery Song”

Disc Two
“You Lost The Love” - B-Side
“Mystery Song” - Single Version
“Wild Side Of Life” - B-Side
“All Through The Night” - B-Side
“Wild Side Of Life” - Demo
“Bye Bye Johnny” - Osaka *
“Caroline” - Osaka *
“Don't Waste My Time” - Osaka *
“In My Chair” - Osaka *
“Roll Over Lay Down” - Osaka *
“Is There A Better Way” - Osaka *
“Rain” - Osaka *
“Honky Tonk Angel” - Demo

Just Supposin’ tracklisting:

Disc One
“What You're Proposing”
“Run To Mummy”
“Don't Drive My Car”
“Lies”
“Over The Edge”
“The Wild Ones”
“Name Of The Game”
“Coming And Going”
“Rock 'N' Roll”

Disc Two
“AB Blues” - B-Side
“Coming And Going” - Writing 1980
“Don't Drive My Car” - Live - Le Mans 1981 *
“Over The Edge” - Live - Le Mans 1981 *
“Rock ’N’ Roll” - Live - Le Mans 1981 *
“Something ‘Bout You Baby I Like” - Live - Le Mans 1981 *
“What You’rE Proposing” - Live - Le Mans 1981 *

Never Too Late tracklisting:

Disc One
“Never Too Late”
“Something 'Bout You Baby I Like”
“Take Me Away”
“Falling In Falling Out”
“Carol”
“Long Ago”
“Mountain Lady”
“Don't Stop Me Now”
“Enough Is Enough”
“Riverside”

Disc Two
“Rock 'N' Roll” - Single Version
“Don't Stop Me Now” - Austrian Flexi Disc *
“What You're Proposing” - Austrian Flexi Disc *
LP Overview - Austrian Flexi Disc *
“Something 'Bout You Baby I Like” - Austrian Flexi Disc *
“Something 'Bout You Baby I Like” - demo acoustic instrumental
“Caroline” - St Austell 1981 *
“Roll Over Lay Down” - St Austell 1981*
“Backwater” - St Austell 1981*
“Little Lady” - St Austell 1981 *
“Don't Drive My Car” - St Austell 1981*
“Whatever You Want” - St Austell 1981*
“Hold You Back” - St Austell 1981*
“Something 'Bout You Baby I Like” - St Austell 1981*
“Rockin All Over The World” - St Austell 1981*
“Over The Edge” - St Austell 1981*

Disc Three
“Rock ’N’ Roll” - St Austell 1981*
“Dirty Water” - St Austell 1981*
“4500 Times” - St Austell 1981*
“Big Fat Mama” - St Austell 1981*
“Don't Waste My Time” - St Austell 1981*
“Roadhouse Blues” - St Austell 1981*
“Rain” - St Austell 1981*
“Down Down” - St Austell 1981*
Drum Solo - St Austell 1981*
“Bye Bye Johnny” - St Austell 1981*

* Previously unreleased

Fan-filmed video footage of former AC/DC drummer Phil Rudd and his solo band performing on April 17 at Belvedere in Namur, Belgium can be seen in the YouTube playlist below (consisting of nine clips).

Rudd was ousted from AC/DC when he was sentenced to eight months of home detention by a New Zealand court in 2015 after pleading guilty to charges of threatening to kill and drug possession.

Rudd appeared to take responsibility for his dismissal from AC/DC, saying: "I was just being a fucking dickhead. I shot myself in the foot. You make your own bed, mate. You make your own mistakes and you have to deal with them and that is what I have done. Hindsight is 20/20."

Rudd, who has appeared on all but three of AC/DC's 18 studio albums, has just kicked off his first solo tour in support of his 2014 solo debut, "Head Job". It was the release of that album that led indirectly to Rudd's arrest, with the drummer allegedly so angry at a personal assistant over the way the record was promoted that he threatened to have the man and his daughter killed.

Rudd's replacement in AC/DC is Chris Slade, who also did a three-year stint with the group from 1990 to 1993.

In a recent interview with Kaaos TV, Rudd stated about the AC/DC songs he is performing with his solo band on the group's current European tour: "[Those are] the ones I like, that I feel I contributed a lot to, with just the way I played them. We don't wanna be a covers band, so we just brought in two or three [AC/DC tracks]. Because we're playing the Bonfest [the annual celebration of the life and music of AC/DC legend Bon Scott, who died in 1980 at the age of 33] on the 28th of April in Scotland, so we've got three of Bon's songs that we're playing, and hopefully we'll do them well for the fans in Scotland."

Asked if he would like to play with AC/DC again in the future, Phil said: "I'd like to be involved with Angus [Young, AC/DC guitarist] again, maybe on the next album or something. But I still have some traveling restrictions, and I'm not sure if I can go to America or not. I've got some lawyers doing some work so I can go back to America, but I'm not too sure. So I have some limitations on what I can do, and I'm just making the best of my situation at the moment."

Rudd played with AC/DC from 1975 until 1983, and then again from 1994 through 2014. He first appeared on the band's second album, 1975's "T.N.T."

Fan-filmed video footage of QUEENSRŸCHE's April 21 performance at Northern Lights Casino in Walker, Minnesota can be seen below.

KAMELOT's Casey Grillo made his live debut with with QUEENSRŸCHE on April 1 at Sycuan Casino in El Cajon, California. He is filling in for regular QUEENSRŸCHE drummer Scott Rockenfield, who is taking time off from the band's touring activities to spend time with his newborn son, appropriately named Rockson.

QUEENSRŸCHE is preparing to enter the studio to begin work on the follow-up to 2015's "Condition Hüman" album, to be released later in the year via Century Media.

"Condition Hüman" debuted at No. 27 on The Billboard 200 chart, having shifted 14,000 equivalent album units in the week ending October 8, 2015.

QUEENSRŸCHE last fall completed a month-long headlining tour of the United States. Support on the trek came from ARMORED SAINT and MIDNIGHT ETERNAL.

Cleopatra Entertainment LLC, the movie division of famed indie record label Cleopatra Records, has acquired all domestic rights to Starlight, a feature film by French film maker Sophie Blondy, coming to Blu-ray and VOD on May 9th.

Set in the dunes near the North Sea, a small circus company is suffering from a serious lack of audience for their shows. Spectators are rare but the magic of the circus still thrives. Each performer rehearses and performs new numbers, but this fragile balance will quickly shatter to unveil their real nature and their most obscure feelings. The circus will then become a place of romantic lust where each will use their powers to satisfy their desires.

Angele, the diaphanous ballerina, her clown lover Elliot and the circus ringmaster, full of cruelty and disturbed by fits of schizophrenia on one side. Zohra in love with Elliot, haunted by an uncanny conscience on the other side. Secrets, jealousy, envy will progressively take hold of them and trigger some irreversible acts. The life of the circus will then take a whole new turn. Iggy Pop appears throughout the film as an "angel" type character.

Starlight was selected and screened at Tallinn - Black Nights Film Festival (Estonia, 2013), Montreal World Film Festival (Canada, 2013), Moscow - International Film Festival (Russia, 2013), Rendez-vous with New French Cinema in Rome (2013), and at Rotterdam International Film Festival (Netherlands, 2013).

Starlight is available at the MVD Shop and on Amazon, as well as other retailers.

Blondy has worked on several films and with talent such as Andrzej Zulawski, Bruno Nuytten, and Tran Anh Hung. In 2000, she directed her first short film Her & Him At the 14th Floor filmed in Amiens with Guillaume Depardieu.

After a career spanning five years, two studio albums, one EP, a number of singles and videos, plus live shows and festivals in both Europe and America, including a full U.S. run guesting with Ghost, the acclaimed, award-winning, ever-flamboyant UK outfit have decided to call a halt to proceedings.
 
Singer and guitarist Rosalie Cunningham, the creative force behind the project and the one who provided both the songs and the vision while playing most of the instruments in the studio, had this to say about Purson's split.
 
"The past five years have been an unforgettable whirlwind, for which I have to thank our wonderful fans around the world, the band, and all the people who have contributed to Purson's success over the years. Their support has been overwhelming, but the Purson framework has gone as far as it could go, and now it's simply time to move on. I feel strongly drawn to a more DIY approach to my career in music, and look forward to the freedom to explore many avenues as a solo artist."
 
As a way of going out with a (glam rock) bang, Spinefarm Records has released a farewell Purson single.

 
”Chocolate Money” was and produced and mixed by Cunningham and John Mitchell (Steven Wilson, It Bites). The song features guest contributions from Jon Seagroatt (Comus) on saxophone and Vodun frontwoman Chantelle Brown on backing vocals. It also boasts wickedly tongue-in-cheek lyrics, taking in "cocoa casanova," "raison d'etre cake," and more. The song joyfully celebrates an era when bands like Slade and Wizard ruled the charts, Top of the Pops was essential viewing and vinyl was king.
 
"'Chocolate Money' is a snapshot of the ostentatious decadence of the '70s," said Cunningham. "The mythical rock star character with his double-entendre and self-centred hedonism. The industry has become a very different world since then, which is something I will expand on lyrically with my next album. It has inspired my desire to go back to basics and remember what music is supposed to be about."
 
"Chocolate Money" does not live on Purson's last album Desire's MagicTheatre, which is out now.

Arizona-based metallers, Goya, have released a video for their track “Blackfire”. The song is featured on the soundtrack for Sean Byrne’s new heavy-metal charged horror film, The Devil’s Candy. The video, which features footage from the film, can be seen below.

The Devil’s Candy soundtrack (J2 Music / INgrooves) was released on March 17th in tandem with a limited theatrical and VOD release of the film. The soundtrack, produced by Jonathan McHugh and Jonathan Platt, features an all-star metal lineup that includes such notable bands as experimental metal legends Sunn O))) and thrash titans Slayer. Machine Head, Ghost, PJ Harvey and others round out this brutal soundtrack. Fans can pick up the soundtrack on iTunes.

Tracklisting:

Sunn O))) - “Belürol Pusztít”
The Wanton Bishops - “Shake”
Spiderbait - “Conjunctivitis”
PJ Harvey - “The Devil”
Ghost - “From The Pinnacle To The Pit”
Goya - “Blackfire”
Slayer - “You Against You”
Machine Head - “Sail Into The Black”
Aurora Surgit - “Dies Irae (Sequentia)”
Sunn O))) - “Decay 2 (Nihils’ Maw)”

“Blackfire” video:

The film’s director Sean Byrne had this to say about the soundtrack: “The Devil’s Candy Soundtrack takes the listener on a gradual descent from foot-stomping joy to the deepest darkness. Please play it LOUD.”

The Devil’s Candy (Snoot Entertainment) saw a limited theatrical and VOD release via IFC Films’ horror and sci-fi imprint, IFC Midnight. Directed by Sean Byrne, the film chronicles diehard metalhead and struggling artist Jesse, as he relocates with his wife and child into a house in Texas that has a particularly grisly past. Disturbing demonic goings-on culminate with the appearance of Ray (The Walking Dead’s Pruitt Taylor Vince). He’s the home’s former resident, and he’s here to do the Devil’s bidding.

Film trailer:

On May 19th, Swedish epic doom metallers, Below, will release their new album, Upon A Pale Horse, worldwide via Metal Blade Records. A new video for the album track “Disappearing Into Nothing”, shot and edited by TD Producer, is available for streaming below.

Says the band: “”Disappearing Into Nothing” is one of the first songs we started writing for this album. Straight away when we played that ferocious, really heavy main riff we said to each other "this must be the opener for the next album"! The song also has some very dynamic and vocally driven verses along with a melodic chorus. In short it's slow, heavy, melodic and it features lyrics about slowly dying. Enjoy!"

Pre-order the album in the following formats at this location:

- Digipak CD
- 180g black vinyl
- silk gray-marbled vinyl (limited to 300 copies - EU exclusive)
- dim gray-marbled vinyl (limited to 200 copies - EU exclusive)
- transparent vinyl (limited to 100 copies - USA exclusive)

* digital options are also available.

Below comments: "With Upon A Pale Horse we feel that we have found our sound. We have grown as songwriters and this album contains our fastest and slowest, shortest and longest, heaviest and most melodic songs to date. Making this album more diverse yet still staying true to the core of heavy riffs and melodies that is Below. We recorded 'Upon a Pale Horse' in Deep Blue Studios, the studio where we recorded our first EP, so in some sense it felt like we were returning to our roots."

Upon A Pale Horse tracklisting:

“The Plague Within”
“Disappearing Into Nothing”
“The Coven”
“Upon A Pale Horse”
“Suffer In Silence”
“Hours Of Darkness”
“1000 Broken Bones”
“We Are All Slaves”

“1000 Broken Bones”:

Below lineup:

Zeb - Vox
Hedman - Bass
Paud - Guitar
Berg - Guitar
Doc - Drums

(Photo - Below Facebook)

Argentina-based heavy/power metal band, Helker, have released a video for “Empty Room”, a track from their new album, Firesoul, out on May 5th via AFM Records. The new clip is available for streaming below.

Helker is widely considered as the leading South American heavy metal band to emerge from Argentina. Since their start, Helker released three highly respected albums in their native language, Legado Secreto in 2001, Resistir in 2008 and A.D.N. in 2010; these albums helped a lot to built up a loyal fan-base not only by Argentina’s metal fans. Since their beginning, Helker was one of the most active live bands in South America and toured with Primal Fear, Hammerfall, Stratovarius, Gamma Ray, Shaman, Sinner, Masterplan and many more across Argentina and its neighbouring countries.

Firesoul will also be released in a Spanish version, Alma de fuego, which will be available digital only, also on May 5th.

Tracklisting:

“Genesis” (Intro)
“Fight”
“For All The Eternity”
“Playing With Fire”
“The One”
“Where You Belong”
“You Are In My Heart”
“Empty Room”
“Leaving Out The Ashes”
“Stay Away”
“Break Your Chains”
“Firesoul”

Bonus tracks:

“Rise Or Fall”
“Neon Knights”

“Empty Room” video:

“Fight” lyric video:

Brazil’s Wikimetal has released a new podcast featuring Slayer guitarist Kerry King, as welll as Bryan Giles from Red Fang.

Discussing the lack of new bands, Kerry King comments: “It's difficult for new bands to establish themselves. That being said, I still go see Judas Priest, you know, bands like Judas Priest, Sabbath, Slayer, Metallica, Megadeth, Anthrax, Exodus, Testament, I'm sure a million others would go see them forever. But as far as new people, I haven't seen very much of that happening. And luckily we're not ready to hang it up yet so we can hold the fort until somebody else comes around, but I think the metal fanbase is so into it, they're not going anywhere. They're just waiting for the next handful of bands so they can get excited again.”

Listen to the new podcast at Wikimetal.

Slayer. Lamb Of God. Behemoth. This is the cannot-miss tour of the summer. The six-week expedition will rage across North America beginning July 12th in Bemidji, MN, winding up in Phoenix, AZ on August 20th. Slayer and Lamb Of God will also play Wisconsin's Rock Fest 2017 (7/13) and Rock USA 2017 (7/15), and then meet up with Behemoth at the Chicago Open Air Festival on July 16th. A tour trailer video can be found below.

Tickets are now on sale; log on to slayer.net/tour for all purchasing details, VIP packages and VIP ticket upgrades.

Says Slayer’s Kerry King: “As metal tours go, this is the one that your fellow metal heads will be bragging about if you miss it! Not very often I get to go on tour where we are all friends to start. That being said, the potential for greatness at these events is mind blowing. I look forward to being a part of it, and hanging with old friends- bands as well as fanatical fans! Let the festivities begin!!"

Lamb Of God’s Randy Blythe states: "It's been a while since we've toured with the almighty Slayer, and even longer since we've hit the road with our friends in Behemoth - I can't wait! This tour is gonna be the feel-good event of the summer - the gigs are gonna be like the Haight-Ashbury during the Summer of Love in '67! Ok, so that's complete bullshit, it's gonna be absolutely nothing like that, so don't show up with flowers in your hair looking for free hugs or anything stupid like that. It will definitely be a good fucking time though (as long as your definition of a good time means brutal, caustic, and hideously loud music) - see ya there!"

Adam "Nergal" Darski' of Behemoth says: "It is with the utmost pride we are announcing the Slayer, Lamb Of God and Behemoth Summer tour! We are beyond excited to be joining this bill with these living legends and... our friends one more time! We are also stoked about coming back to North American shores for the last time before kicking off the next album cycle. Come and join this EXTREME metal feast with us!"

July
12 - Sanford Center - Bemidji, MN
13 - Rock Fest 2017 - Cadott, WI (Slayer and Lamb Of God on this bill)
15 - Rock USA 2017, Ford Festival Park - Oshkosh, WI (Slayer and Lamb Of God on this bll)
16 - Chicago Open Air Festival, Toyota Park - Chicago, IL (Slayer, Lamb Of God and Behemoth on this bill)
18 - Express Live! - Columbus, OH
20 - Red Hat Amphitheater - Raleigh, NC
21 - St. Augustine Amphitheater - St. Augustine, FL
23 - Electric Factory Outdoors - Philadelphia, PA
25 - Blue Hills Bank Pavilion - Boston, MA
27 - Theater at Madison Square Garden - New York, NY
28 - Pier Six Pavilion - Baltimore, MD
30 - Municipal Auditorium - Nashville, TN

August
1 - Providence Medical Center Amphitheater - Bonner Springs, KS
2 - 1stBank Center - Denver, CO
4 - The Joint - Las Vegas, NV
5 - The Forum - Los Angeles, CA
9 - Bill Graham Civic Auditorium - San Francisco, CA
11 - The Cuthbert Amphitheater - Eugene, OR
12 - WaMu Theatre - Seattle, WA
14 - Encana Events Center - Dawson Creek, BC
15 - SMS Equipment Stadium - Fort McMurray, AB
17 - KettleHouse Amphitheater - Missoula, MT
19 - Isleta Amphitheater - Albuquerque, NM
20 - Comerica Theater - Phoenix, AZ

(Photos: Slayer - Gene Ambo, Lamb Of God - Travis Shinn, Behemoth - Maciej Boryna Grupa)


======


Kerry King has once again said that he is "definitely open" to having fellow SLAYER guitarist Gary Holt contribute to the songwriting on the band's next album.

Holt, who is still a member of San Francisco Bay Area thrash icons EXODUS, has been the touring guitarist for SLAYER since January 2011 when the band's co-founding guitarist, Jeff Hanneman, contracted necrotizing fasciitis, also known as flesh-eating disease, from a spider bite in his backyard. The infection ravaged the flesh and tissues of Hanneman's arm, leading to numerous surgeries, skin grafts and intense periods of rehab that forced him into semi-retirement and left him near death at several points.

Holt did not write any of the music on SLAYER's last album, 2015's "Repentless", although he did lay down guitar solos on most of the record's twelve tracks.

In a brand new interview with Brazil's Wikimetal, King confirmed that there is a chance that Holt will be more involved with the creative process next time around. "It's a possibility, for sure," he said (hear audio below). "We haven't really talked about that. I mean, the ideas have come up, but then I know Gary's still full-heartedly into making EXODUS records. I think if the opportunity arises, I'm definitely open to it, but I also understand that we've got a band to write music for as well. So I'm not against it. It's just something that we haven't come to that bridge yet."

Hanneman eventually died in May 2013 from alcohol-related cirrhosis of the liver. He is credited for writing many of SLAYER's classic songs, including "Angel Of Death" and "South Of Heaven".

Holt told In The Loop magazine last year that he would be ready to contribute song ideas to SLAYER's next album, if he is asked to do so. He said: "I've certainly never been one to have a shortage of material, so yeah, it's a bit premature, but down the line, if Kerry and Tom [Araya, bass/vocals] want me to, I have about as good of an insight into SLAYER's writing style by now as just about anybody. I think I could write some things that fit right in, sure. But right now, of course, we're focused on the tour [in support of 'Repentless']."

Kerry previously told LA Weekly that part of the reason Holt wasn't invited to write any material for "Repentless" was the fact that not enough time had passed since Hanneman's death. "I thought a long time about this, but I didn't think SLAYER fans were ready for that yet," he said. "Even though Gary's a household name in thrash, I didn't feel that the first SLAYER record without Jeff should have Gary Holt contributing as a writer."

Hanneman's last appearance with SLAYER was in April 2011, when he played an encore with the band at the "Big Four" concert in Indio, California.

Interview (audio):

GuitarMania recently conducted an interview with guitarists Olavi Mikkonen and Johan Söderberg of Swedish death metallers AMON AMARTH in Vienna, Austria. You can now watch the chat below.

Asked what piece of advice they would give to young bands that are just starting out, Olavi said: "Well, first of all, these days, it's gonna be fucking impossible to try to make a living out of it. Especially when you're a new band, that should not be their goal or whatever, because it's really difficult these days. I mean, it's easier for us that we've been around and we already have a name. For a young band, without a record label putting a lot of money and tour support into the band, it's gonna be very difficult. But, of course, you're gonna play as hard as you wanna play, but you should never think that's gonna be your career. But, yeah, do your thing and don't listen too much to other people. Trust yourself and listen to your own… go by your gut feeling."

Added Johan: "When I started to play, it was my biggest passion; I only wanted to play music all the time. That's the way it has to be. If you wanna play in a band, [it should be] because it's the best thing you know to do. And the, eventually, if that leads to a career, that's awesome. But you have to have [enough] passion [so] that playing is the main goal."

After touring the world this past year in support of their latest album, "Jomsviking", AMON AMARTH will head back out on the road this spring for a U.S. tour with Metal Blade labelmates GOATWHORE. Starting April 30 and running through May 21, the journey will also see AMON AMARTH making appearances at some of the country's premier music festivals, including Welcome To Rockville, Carolina Rebellion, Dark Lord Day, Northern Invasion and Rock On The Range.

AMON AMARTH's tenth studio album, "Jomsviking", debuted at No. 19 on The Billboard 200, having shifted 21,000 equivalent album units in the week ending March 31, 2016.

"Jomsviking" was released on March 25, 2016 via Metal Blade in North America and Sony Music internationally. The first concept record in AMON AMARTH's storied career tells a tragic tale of love and revenge, backed by the Swedes' trademark melodic, anthemic metal, which was produced and mixed once again by Andy Sneap (MEGADETH, TESTAMENT, ACCEPT). The epic original story is set in the world of the Jomsvikings, the legendary order of mercenary Vikings.

Jocke Wallgren was named AMON AMARTH's new permanent drummer in September. Jocke had been sitting behind the kit for all shows on the group's current "Jomsviking" world tour.

Life Of Agony singer Mina Caputo (formerly Keith Caputo) publicly announced she is transgender back in 2011. In a new interview with Greg Prato for Long Island Pulse, she reveals what made her decide to make that very personal announcement.

Says Mina: “Depression, anxiety, half-hearted suicide attempts… Overabundance of the worst drugs possible, self-destruction, self-hatred, shame, not loving thyself, wanting to be dead. You name it, I went through it. It was either that or I was probably going to OD or put a bullet in my head. I felt or saw no other option to carry on in life. It was a matter of life and death. What a lot of people don’t understand about folks like me is going through what we go through on a 24/7 basis, from society, from politicians, from all these bullshit institutions that are set into place for humanity to roll against people like me.”

Read the full interview at Long Island Pulse.

Life Of Agony, will release their new album, A Place Where There's No More Pain, on April 28th via Napalm Records. A music video for album track, “World Gone Mad”, can be seen below.

"The message behind “World Gone Mad” could not be more relevant to what's going on all over this planet right now. People are more divided than ever, and if we continue to ignore the fact that this world is busting at its seams and just continue to "stick our heads underground," like the lyrics suggest, we will see a madness in our lifetime like we've never experienced before,” explains bassist Alan Robert. “With the “World Gone Mad” video, we were really looking to break out of the typical performance video approach to capture a high concept visual. There is clearly a strong homage to horror movies such as Hellraiser and The Ring, and UK director Leigh Brooks of Firebelly Films went above and beyond to bring our ideas to life. It's definitely the darkest and scariest looking video we've done to date."

A Place Where There's No More Pain can be pre-ordered in various bundles here.

Tracklisting:

“Meet My Maker”
“Right This Wrong”
“A Place Where There’s No More Pain”
“Dead Speak Kindly”
“A New Low”
“World Gone Mad”
“Bag Of Bones”
“Walking Catastrophe”
“Song For The Abused”
“Little Spots Of You”

“A Place Where There’s No More Pain” video:

A History Of Agony video series:

Part 1:

Part 2:

Part 3:

Life Of Agony live dates are listed below.

April
27 - Allston, MA - Brighton Music Hall
28 - New York, NY - Irving Plaza
29 - Poughkeepsie, NY - The Chance

May
12 - Stroudsburg, PA - Sherman Theatre
13 - Wantagh, NY - Mulcahy's
19 - Lancaster, PA - Chameleon
20 - Sayreville, NJ - Starland Ballroom
29 - Frankfurt, Germany - Batschkapp
30 - Zurich, Switzerland - Dynamo
31 - Lyon, France - CCO

June
2 - Barcelona, Spain - Razzmatazz 2
3 - Bilbao, Spain - Santana 27
4 - Madrid, Spain - Sala Penelope

August
9-12 - Josefov, Czech Republic - Brutal Assault Festival
12 - Leeuwarden, Netherlands - Into The Grave Festival
17 - Dinkelsbuehl, Germany - Summer Breeze Festival

(Photo - Tim Tronckoe)


==============================

On whether she feels better than ever after coming out as transgender in 2011:

Mina: "Absolutely. I'm living my life the way I always intended it to be, but didn't have the strength or the courage to let the lady out. Now that I have and I'm transitioning almost ten years now, I became an old lady real fast. [Laughs] It's a cruel world. I'm not going to let the cruel world stop me from being me. I don't give a fuck who likes it, who doesn't, I'm not here to please people. If you don't understand, then fuck off. I don't care if you don't like people like me or whatever, you don't understand it because you can't look deeply within your own self. Those are usually the people that dislike people that follow their dreams. I'm just going after my dreams. One dream after the other, I'm living it. That's the purpose of my life. I live my dreams and one of my dreams was to honor the feminine. I'm just a woman born without a uterus. I don't have the tools. I don't have the physical 'down there' to give birth, that's all. I'm no different than any other girl on the street. In my personal view, if you really knew who I was intimately, I think people would say the same."

On how long ago she started feeling like a girl:

Mina: "Since I was six, seven years-old, maybe. I always knew. I was just afraid. I grew up in the '70s and the '80s, so back then, it was very, very different than it is now. That's part of the point. I'm not like everybody. The more you walk into your fear, the easier life becomes because then you realize fear doesn't even exist. It's a charade, it's a game. The institutions play with us, all the institutions set into place for humanity creates fear and that's why they got everybody running around like sheep and slaves because everyone is afraid. I'm not afraid anymore. I don't give a fuck. I don't care what you think, what you say, just don't touch me because then I'll get Brooklyn on you and I might have to, I don't know, stab you in the fucking neck because if someone tries to harm my life, I'm going to do whatever I have to do to protect my life, or protect one of my friends. I'm still an angry, violent person. I'm fucking very angry. From society. 'You can be yourself, but not like that!' That's society. Very hypocritical, very fear-based and very counterproductive. The institutions set into place for humanity, the school system, the healthcare system, the food systems, the political systems, they should all be ashamed of themselves. They all should be ashamed of themselves. They're all big fuck-ups. It's fucking humanity, man. Humanity's taking some weird fucking turn. But I don't know if that's the way it's supposed to be. Are we supposed to destroy ourselves? I don't know. No one knows nothing. I don't care who you are. You're the fucking pope or [British physicist] Stephen Hawking, no one knows shit. No one knows the origin of life. No one knows why we're here, but you need to create why you're here. We're here to have fun, to feel good, we're here to give each other unconditional love and encouragement, we're here to protect one another. But the way the institutions are, unfortunately, they don't teach that."

Lunatic Soul, the solo project of Riverside leader Mariusz Duda, will release their fifth album, Fractured, in September via Kscope. A teaser video can be found below.

Mariusz Duda, the architect behind Lunatic Soul, comments: “Lunatic Soul has changed and if I were to describe this music, I’d call it dark melancholic trance with more electronics and more powerful sounds. But there will also be some lyrical fragments, and a couple of tracks will feature a symphonic orchestra I have worked with for the first time in my career. The new Lunatic Soul album will be brave, rich and musically very intense, a beginning of a new style rather than a continuation of the previous releases. I am under the impression that all my music experiences have led me to this place and that it will be one of the best albums I have ever made.

“Although I’m still a conscious prisoner of my own aesthetic, this time you can really hear some differences. My soul and body demanded that I settle accounts with the recent past, piece together what had been scattered, glue up the broken bits, stitch up the tears. Tell a story of how it felt when everything shattered into smithereens.”

Fractured will be released worldwide on Kscope and on Mystic Production in Poland. More details soon.

(Photo - Radek Zawadzki)

 

By way of Quebec comes a unique blend of Eastern European-inspired black metal and Bulgarian folk music, presented in the form of Цар Стангра (Tsar Stangra). Driven by complex songs, exotic rhythms, and multiple orchestrations, the music is as diverse and refined as the culture in which it represents.

With the impending release of their debut album Небесният ковач (Celestial Forger), set to drop on May 26th, the band has taken great care to deliver a mosaic of melodic music that blends mysticism with uncommon elements found in today's pagan/folk black metal scene. Inspired by the expertise of such legends as Negură Bunget, Drudkh, Rotting Christ, and Nokturnal Mortum, each and every song is then localized utilizing typical Bulgarian rhythms and harmonies.

In an effort to traverse the realms of extremity, Небесният ковач (Celestial Forger) ends with an epic 14-minute song where only terrestrial confines are the limit. In this composition, a canon of real pipe organ and lead guitar blends with blast beats and an Emperor-type of riffing. As the journey continues, the song evolves into epic death metal riffing, ending with a classic Bulgarian melody arranged as a military march. Each and every song is an exposition of ancient poetries from Bulgarian literature.

Tracklisting:

“Небесният ковач” (Celestial Forger)
“Обесването на Васил Левски” (The Hanging Of Vasil Levski)
“Сънят на героя” (The Dream Of The Hero)
“На прощаване” (At Farewell)
“Да, близък е краят” (Yes, The End Is Near)
“Опълченците на Шипка” (The Volunteers Of Shipka)

“Сънят на героя” (The Dream Of The Hero) lyric video:

Album teaser:

Credits:

Antoine Baril - Balalaika, additional keyboards/orchestrations, additional bass, additional guitars
Karina Charbonnier - Female vocal
Maxime Mlynarczyk (Morgue) - Male vocal
Louis-Olivier Brassard Gélinas (Endless Horizon, Dépérir, Hak-Ed-Damm) - Male vocal
Quentin Barry-Marcheterre - Male vocal

Band members:

Stanislav Stefanovski - Vocal, bass, balalaika (The Lightbringer, ex-Phosphorus)
Dobrin Stoyanov - Lead guitar
Raphaël Raymond - Rhythm guitar
Mike Raymond - Drums
Marc-André Houle - Keyboards, back vocals, pipe organ