Buckle up for a fast, no frills debut from Vancouver old-school death metal act Assimilation. BraveWords is streaming the debut album The Laws Of Power, set for release this Friday, March 17th. Prepare to be pummeled by relentless riffs and punishing rhythms!

Like a force of nature, the voice of singer and founding member Jesse Jardine’s vocal attack leaves the listener penetrated by high shrieks, and pummeled by mids and lows. Lead guitarist Matt Chanway brings his neo-classical shred style into the fold to melt off any remnants of what used to be your face. Shiloh Anderson holds the low end down with his finger/slap hybrid style, and Stephen Shaw brings his experience and ferocity as the entity that keeps this   juggernaut from flying off the rails.   

With The Laws Of Power, the four Canadians make it clear: there are still bands well versed in the art of original uncompromising death metal, something that is hard to find these days.

Tracklisting:

"Sigil Of The False God" 
"Decapitated By Beasts" 
"Laws Of Power"
"Karmic Future" 
"Mastery" 
"Apotheosis"  
"Remotion Of The Succubus" 
"Personal Vendetta" 
"S.L.D." 
"Massive Liquidation" 
Apotheosis EP – Bonus Tracks – 2015 
"Apotheosis"    
"Decapitated By Beasts"    
"Idle No More" 
"Personal Vendetta" 

Iconic drummer and former member of DREAM THEATER, Mike Portnoy performed the band's "12 Step Suite" in its entirety for the first time ever on the Cruise To The Edge, which sailed out of Tampa, Florida on February 7. The music documents the musician's battle with alcoholism, and is an ensemble of five songs recorded by DREAM THEATER from 2002 to 2009, with titles that reflect his struggles: "The Glass Prison", "This Dying Soul", "The Root Of All Evil", "Repentance" and "The Shattered Fortress".

Portnoy, who also celebrated his 50th birthday on Cruise To The Edge, said that it was always part of his master plan to perform "12 Step Suite" in its entirety live on stage with DREAM THEATER. However, his 2010 exit from the band made that impossible, until now.

"I would love nothing more than to perform it with [DREAM THEATER]," he told The National Student. "But they've made it clear that they have no intention in reuniting at any point. So, life is short; this [was] my 50th birthday and it just felt like the right time and place to finally play this music."

He continued: "I wrote all five of these songs with the intention of them being performed from start to finish, and I would have loved nothing more than to be doing it with DREAM THEATER. But it's obviously not on the cards for them. I can't sit around waiting for a reunion that may not happen."

Video footage of Portnoy's two appearances at this year's Cruise To The Edge — which also saw his performing music from several of his other projects — can be seen below.

Featured songs:

FLYING COLORS

01. Infinite Fire02. A Place In Your World03. Kayla04. Mask Machine

TRANSATLANTIC

05. Into The Blue (with Daniel Gildenlöw)06. We All Need Some Light07. Stranger In Your Soul

LIQUID TENSION EXPERIMENT

01. Paradigm Shift (Tony Levin, Eric Gillette and Diego Tejeida)02. Acid Rain (Tony Levin, Eric Gillette and Diego Tejeida)03. Universal Mind (Tony Levin, Eric Gillette and Diego Tejeida)

MIKE PORTNOY'S THE SHATTERED FORTRESS

04. The Glass Prison (Ross Jennings on lead vocals)05. This Dying Soul (Daniel Gildenlöw & Ross Jennings on lead vocals)06. The Root Of All Evil (Ted Leonard on lead vocals)07. Repentance (Mike Portnoy on lead vocals)08. The Shattered Fortress (Ross Jennings on lead vocals)

SHATTERED FORTRESS is:

Mike Portnoy - DrumsEric Gillette, Richard Henshall, Charlie Griffiths - Guitars Connor Green - BassDiego Tejeida - Keyboards

During a recent interview with the "Eddie, Jason & Chris Show", RATT singer Stephen Pearcy spoke about the legal battle the band has been embroiled in with drummer Bobby Blotzer over the rights to the group's name.

Last November, a California judge ruled against Blotzer with respect to whether bassist Juan Croucier had committed trademark infringement by using the RATT name and logo to advertise his band RATT'S JUAN CROUCIER back in the fall 2015. The judge furthermore decided that the corporation WBS, Inc. — of which Blotzer and guitarist Warren DeMartini were thought to be the sole shareholders — did not have ownership interest in the RATT marks and that the name and brand was still owned by the members who were part of the original RATT partnership agreement.

In addition to claiming to have expelled Blotzer from the partnership following the latest court ruling, DeMartini, Croucier and Pearcy said that Blotzer could now only refer to himself as a "former member of RATT," as per the partnership agreement.

Asked for an update on the court dispute over the rights to the RATT name, Pearcy told the "Eddie, Jason & Chris Show" (hear audio below): "A person decided, through another entity, which no longer exists, that he had control and rights when, in fact, he didn't, and it was proven in court that the partnership does — and that's the four of us, including him. But we fired him up from the partnership. So pretty much the dust has settled. It's just finalities now, legally. It was not a good thing."

He continued: "The thing is, with the band, this guy never wrote a note, and he just decided, 'Well, I'm king of the jungle, and I'm gonna rewrite history,' and we said, 'No, you're not.' And the fact that he was suing us made it even worse. It's, like, okay. How many fights do you wanna get into? One big gangfight, or you wanna take each one of us on by yourself?' And he decided to do it by himself, which is even worse. So we're happy with the outcome, and we are the only version that is out there and will continue to be out there."

Pearcy went on to express his outrage that Blotzer would even contemplate carrying on as RATT without any of the other members of the band's classic lineup. He said: "When you have somebody, like I say, try to rewrite history, and they're doing it with a cover band… And, look, I wrote a lot of, if not all of the songs I had something to do with, so it had more to do with our integrity. It's, like, we work all these years, and people still wanna see us. We don't go and play out there all the time anyway — we take a year or two off, or maybe six years between records — but that gives nobody else permission to just decide one day, 'Well, guess what? I'm going to do everything. And I had nothing to do with nothing but play drums.' So it was kind of insulting and damaging to the integrity of the group and our legacy. I mean, I'm sure Robbin [Crosby, late RATT guitarist] is quite pissed somewhere. The band will never be the same without him, but I'm sure he's not lying peacefully right now. Or he is now, but when this was going on.'

He added: "The dust has settled, and that's pretty much how we'll leave it. We're not into mudslinging and this adolescent name calling and stuff, which we found very humiliating to our audience. You know, our audience is much smarter than somebody gave them credit for."

According to Stephen, the newly reactivated RATT has already commenced the songwriting process for the long-awaited follow-up to the band's 2010 album "Infestation", although fans shouldn't expect to hear any new material for at least another year. "Now that [my new solo album] 'Smash' is done and out there, Warren and I have actually demoed up a couple of songs [for RATT]. We would like — as we're taking things very meticulously this time around… Hopefully by the end of the year we'll start work on the record. That's the plan, so that we can have a nice 2018 with a new record."

He continued: "We like making records. The one thing that keeps this band together all the time — in particular Warren and myself, and even Carlos [Cavazo, former QUIET RIOT and current RATT guitarist], who wrote on the last record — is the music. I mean, this is what we do. I do it 24-7. I'm always writing for something. But, yes, we'd like to start work, at the end of the year, on a record."

Pearcy, Croucier and DeMartini played their first official show as the reunited RATT on February 11 at Treasure Island in Welch, Minnesota. They were joined on stage by Cavazo and drummer Jimmy DeGrasso, who previously played with Y&T, WHITE LION and MEGADETH, among others.

A completely different version of RATT — led by Blotzer and featuring a revolving door of members — has been hitting stages across the country since the fall of 2015.

DEAD CROSS, the Southern California outfit featuring drummer Dave Lombardo (ex-SLAYER, SUICIDAL TENDENCIES, MISFITS), and singer Mike Patton (FAITH NO MORE), has finished mastering its debut album at Golden Mastering in Ventura, California, to be released later in the year via via Ipecac Recordings. The effort was helmed by producer Ross Robinson, who has previously worked with KORN, DEFTONES, SEPULTURA and LIMP BIZKIT, among others.

DEAD CROSS, which is rounded out by Justin Pearson (THE LOCUST, RETOX, HEAD WOUND CITY) and Michael Crain (RETOX, FESTIVAL OF DEAD DEER), last year parted ways with singer Gabe Serbian.

Lombardo recently told Madcap Music Review about the source of the searing anger and rage that is fueling the aggression of his new band. He said: "Ever since the tragedy in Paris [that took place in November 2015]; that's why I'm fucking pissed. Because everything hit really close to home. I could have been on that stage [at the Bataclan venue in Paris where EAGLES OF DEATH METAL performed]. I could have been at a festival and some fucking son of a bitch comes in with a shotgun or whatever and starts [blowing] people's heads off. So I'm just… I'm angry. I'm over it, but, you know, with the new releasing some aggressive music, [we're able to] get all the feelings out, get all the shit that we wanna say out in this music. It's not gonna come out playing alternative music, it's not gonna come out playing soft. And my name and my drumming is synonymous with thrash and hardcore music, so I'm really excited about this."

Divine filth. @_Dead_Cross_ @IpecacRec #threeoneg @pearson_justin @TheDaveLombardo #MikePatton #MichaelCrain #piday2017 #justinpearson31g pic.twitter.com/2cjPZqJbfy

— Three One G (@ThreeOneG) March 15, 2017

Swedish classic/progressive rock supergroup THE NIGHT FLIGHT ORCHESTRA — featuring members of metal frontrunners SOILWORK and ARCH ENEMY — will release its third studio album, "Amber Galactic", on May 19 via Nuclear Blast. The disc was recorded at Handsome Hard Studio in Lund, Sweden. The album follows THE NIGHT FLIGHT ORCHESTRA's two previous releases, 2012's "Internal Affairs" and 2015's "Skyline Whispers".

Singer Björn Strid states: "'Amber Galactic' is a relationship drama set in space, the first classic rock space opera on double vinyl.

"As seasoned musicians, we're taking this project seriously, although we might come across as slightly retrofuturistic at times, there's no irony involved. It's just us trying to shape our future into a place where our race is led by female space commanders with pearl necklaces and a quasar sense of gravity.

"'Amber Galactic' is about setting free from genre boundaries and expectations that are put on people like us. We just want to create music that we would like to hear ourselves, but that isn't only for us.

"THE NIGHT FLIGHT ORCHESTRA is here to set you free, to invite you to enjoy music in whatever form it is presented.

"For this particular journey, we'd like you to follow us into space, but who knows where we'll go next! After entering the NFO universe, you won't ever be the same!" "Amber Galactic" will be available as a limited edition digipak CD featuring an alternate cover art (see below), 2LP vinyl (black and violet sparkle) and as digital download and stream via all known platforms. "Amber Galactic" track listing:

01. Midnight Flyer02. Star Of Rio03. Gemini04. Sad State Of Affairs05. Jennie06. Domino07. Josephine08. Space Whisperer09. Something Mysterious10. Saturn In Velvet11. Just Another Night (bonus track, limited-edition digipak, vinyl)12. Fly Tonight (Never Rewind) (bonus track, Japan only)

Strid previousy stated about the album: "'Amber Galactic' was made during late nights and way too early mornings, when sometimes, in the corner of your eye, you can catch a glimpse of another dimension, where all the women are heartbroken space commanders in evening gowns, the champagne is always free and the drugs won't hurt you.

"We wanted to create more than just a listening experience; instead we want it to be an alternative reality.

"We hope that after listening to 'Amber Galactic', you'll be wide-eyed, horny and slightly drunk."

Guitarist David Andersson added: "Musicianship in itself is not interesting, neither are the technical aspects of creating music. The ideas and visions behind the music are the only things really worthy of in-depth discussions.

"We've all reached a point where we can all pretty much play and sing whatever we want.

"We didn't talk much about chord changes or amplifiers during the recording sessions. But we spent a lot of time discussing Kierkegaard's concept of anxiety, different vintages of sparkling wine, the psychoacoustic aspects of modulation, the innate superiority of women and why a pearl necklace always look better when whoever wears it has a bored expression on her face."

When asked about the direction of THE NIGHT FLIGHT ORCHESTRA within the realm of classic rock, Strid explained with a chuckle: "Most other classic rock bands sound like weed or LSD — we sound like cocaine."

THE NIGHT FLIGHT ORCHESTRA is:

Björn Strid - VocalsSharlee D'Angelo - BassDavid Andersson - GuitarRichard Larsson - KeyboardsJonas Källsbäck - DrumsSebastian Forslund - Guitar, Percussion



Alternate cover art for limited-edition digipak CD:

The second trailer for "Forces Of The Northern Night", the highly anticipated double DVD from Norwegian symphonic black metallers DIMMU BORGIR, is available below. Due on April 14 via Nuclear Blast, the set will contain two of the band's live performances: their legendary show in Oslo, presenting DIMMU BORGIR on stage with the Norwegian Radio Orchestra and a bombastic choir, as well as their entire performance at Wacken Open Air festival in 2012 in Wacken, Germany with almost a hundred musicians on stage. Both concerts present a spectacular sound scenario of raging black metal in front of an epic orchestral landscape plus the band's unique visuals.

DIMMU BORGIR's remarkable and atramentous stage show has long seemed like a natural evolution for fans, but much time, arrangements and commitment were necessary to put this gigantic production into reality and fill the stage with 90 minutes of mindblowing aural delight per night. The shows guide the fans through classics from the band's discography — from the majestic finisher "Mourning Palace" — which can be seen below (footage from the Wacken show) — to the stomping manifesto "Puritania" and the haunting "Gateways". "For us, this is the pinnacle of our career so far," says DIMMU BORGIR frontman Stian Thoresen (a.k.a. Shagrath). "As a band, we've always used a lot of symphonic elements in our music. But we haven't been able to use a real orchestra. We've had to use samples, synthesizers and so on, so this was a huge, awesome experience for us." In addition to the two concerts, "Forces Of The Northern Night" will include a bonus documentary feature.

DIMMU BORGIR's May 28, 2011 concert at the Oslo Spektrum in Norway, which is included on "Forces Of The Northern Night", featured a special setlist with 53 members of KORK (the Norwegian Radio Orchestra) and 30 members of the Schola Cantorum choir, who were musical guests on the band's ninth studio album, 2010's "Abrahadabra". The show was professionally filmed and was broadcast as part of a one-hour documentary in June 2011 on NRK (Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation), the Norwegian government-owned radio and television public broadcasting company and the largest media organization in Norway.

In an interview with Scuzz TV, DIMMU BORGIR guitarist Sven Atle Kopperud (a.k.a. Silenoz) stated about the experience of performing with an orchestra: "It was, of course, really special, especially since it was in Oslo, and a lot of people traveled in for the show from all over the world. And everything went great on stage for once. When you have a hundred people on stage, the percentage of something going wrong is definitely there, but it was really, really good."

He added: "You think your band is professional, then you play with an orchestra, and then you know, 'Oh, we're not so professional after all.'"

DIMMU BORGIR last year extended its partnership with Nuclear Blast.

The band's tenth album is tentatively due before the end of 2017.

DIMMU BORGIR's most recent touring lineup included Geir Bratland (APOPTYGMA BERZERK, THE KOVENANT) on keyboards and Terje Andersen (a.k.a. Cyrus; SUSPERIA) on bass.

Robert Plant joined renowned violinist Nigel Kennedy on stage Tuesday night (March 14) at London's Royal Albert Hall to perform two songs: a cover of "Hey Joe", made famous by THE JIMI HENDRIX EXPERIENCE, and LED ZEPPELIN's 1975 classic "Kashmir". This marked the first time Plant sang "Kashmir" live since LED ZEPPELIN's historic O2 Arena reunion show in December 2007 and his first full performance of the seminal track without ZEPPELIN guitarist Jimmy Page.

A 38-second video clip of the "Kashmir" rendition can be seen below. Also available are audio recordings of both songs.

Kennedy said of the ZEPPELIN singer: "Planty is a genuine rock legend and a true musical trailblazer. He's always pushing and challenging himself and immersing himself in music. When we work together it's a combination of power and creativity."

The "Nigel Kennedy And Friends: Gala Celebration" was part of the inaugural Love Classical festival at the world-famous London venue where Plant made memorable appearances with LED ZEPPELIN in 1969 and 1970. He later returned as a solo headliner.

Plant first worked with Kennedy on his album "Fate Of Nations" in 1993.

The singer has arguably been the lone holdout for another LED ZEPPELIN reunion. Despite promoter-led attempts to get the band to reform for a series of concerts, Plant remains committed to his new musical direction in the roots and blues-based "Americana" field.

Frontiers Music Srl will release "Don't Let Up", the new studio album from NIGHT RANGER, on March 24. The disc will be available in both a standard edition and a deluxe edition (featuring bonus track and bonus DVD — physical format only).

The song "Truth", taken from "Don't Let Up", can now be streamed below.

NIGHT RANGER truly epitomizes the sound of the '80s, while at the same time transcending it. Since their reunion in 1996, they have brought their guitar heavy, melodic brand of hard rock into the 21st century with their unparalleled talent, energy, and creativity.

"Don't Let Up" was produced by the band.

"The 'Don't Let Up' album is the result of five musicians living and breathing rock 'n roll 24 hours a day. 35 years on and NIGHT RANGER is once again ready to let the fans know 'it's only rock and roll, but I like it,'" says NIGHT RANGER bassist and vocalist Jack Blades of the new album.

NIGHT RANGER drummer and vocalist Kelly Keagy adds: "Working on the material for the new album "Don't Let Up" was a great experience once again. I always look forward to creating music with Brad, Eric, Keri, and Jack. I'm really looking forward to playing some of this material for the fans. It rocks!"

States NIGHT RANGER guitarist Brad Gillis: "I'm looking forward to the new NIGHT RANGER studio effort 'Don't Let Up' as it's always a pleasure releasing new material to keep the bands creative flow. As typical for NIGHT RANGER, we have all the elements that made us popular in the first place, including twin-lead-vocal tradeoffs with Jack and Kelly and dual guitar harmonies and solos with my new partner in crime, Keri Kelli. We've stacked the deck again with up tempo driving rock songs, mid tempo tunes and a few acoustic ballad tracks. We're hoping this new album will be added to your existing NIGHT RANGER catalog!!!"

With more than 17 million albums sold worldwide, over 3000 live shows performed, and more than 1 billion in radio audience, NIGHT RANGER has both epitomized and transcended the arena rock sound and style of that era and beyond. With songs that have significantly impacted popular culture and continue to expand their ever-growing fan-base, NIGHT RANGER is proof that powerful songs, plus accomplished musicians is the perfect formula for continued success.

NIGHT RANGER has earned widespread acclaim, multi-platinum and gold album status while leaving their indelible mark on the music charts with a string of best-selling albums ("Dawn Patrol", "Midnight Madness", "7 Wishes", "Big Life" and "Man In Motion"), its popularity fueled by an impressive string of instantly recognizable hit singles and signature album tracks.

NIGHT RANGER is Jack Blades (bass, vocals), Kelly Keagy (drums, vocals), Brad Gillis (lead and rhythm guitars), Eric Levy (keyboards), and Keri Kelli (lead and rhythm guitars).

"Don't Let Up" track listing:

01. Somehow Someway02. Running Out Of Time03. Truth04. Day And Night*05. Don't Let Up 06. Won't Be Your Fool Again07. Say What You Want08. We Can Work It Out09. Comfort Me10. Jamie11. Nothing Left Of Yesterday

* Bonus audio track on deluxe edition

* Bonus DVD: Band Interviews; "Running Out Of Time" (video); "Day And Night" (Video)

Japanese pop-metal sensation BABYMETAL will release "Live At Tokyo Dome", on April 1. The 2 Blu-ray + 4 CD set captures the band's two September 2016 concerts at Tokyo Dome which saw BABYMETAL perform in front of 110,000 people.

"Live At Tokyo Dome" track listing: Red Night (September 19, 2016) [Blu-ray Disc 1 / CD Disc 1 & 2] 01. Road of Resistance02. Yava!03. Iine!04. Syncopation05. Amore06. GJ!07. Akumu No Rondo08. Song 409. Catch Me If You Can10. Gimme Chocolate11. Karate12. Tales of The Destinies13. The One (English version) Black Night (September 20, 2016) [Blu-ray Disc 2 / CD Disc 3 & 4] 01. Babymetal Death02. Awadama Fever03. Uki Uki Midnight04. Meta! Taro05. Sis. Anger06. Akatsuki07. Onedari Daisakusen08. No Rain, No Rainbow09. Doki Doki Morning10. Meigitsune11. Head Bangya12. Ijime, Dame, Zettai BABYMETAL will support the RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS on select dates of their U.S. tour in April. They will also hit the road with KORN and STONE SOUR in June.

BABYMETAL appeared as special guests to METALLICA at the Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul, Korea on January 11 as part of the latter band's "Worldwired" world tour. They also supported GUNS N' ROSES in Japan in January.

BABYMETAL released a new 13-track live album, "Live At Wembley", on December 9 via earMUSIC/Edel. A digital version will was available on December 30. With a carefully selected track listing, the CD captures the spectacular performance recorded at BABYMETAL's first-ever U.K. arena show, "Babymetal World Tour 2016 Kicks Off At The SSE Arena, Wembley", which took place in London on April 2, 2016. The show saw BABYMETAL become the first Japanese artist in history to perform a headline show at The SSE Arena, Wembley. This concert garnered an attendance of 12,000 people, where BABYMETAL also broke the merchandise sales record of the venue, creating history once again.

BABYMETAL made its U.S. late-night TV debut on "The Late Show With Stephen Colbert" in April 2016, performing "Gimme Chocolate" off their debut album.

After a five-year hiatus, Finnish rock band THE RASMUS will release a new single, "Paradise", on March 31. The track was recorded and mixed in Stockholm, and produced by the Swedish team The Family.

One of Finland's biggest music exports, THE RASMUS has had a remarkable career to date, with the band's big international breakthrough coming with their fifth album, when single "In The Shadows" became a worldwide hit.

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

"Paradise is a relative thing," Ylönen says on the upcoming single. "One man's hell can be another man's paradise."

German heavy rockers SpiteFuel have published a new video for the track "Purified".

 Taken off the band's upcoming album Second To None, which will be released on April 7th via MDD Records, the footage from "Purified" video is from the recording sessions in the Troisdorf-based Gernhart Studio (Tankard, Destruction, SuidAkra), where the band recorded their new full-length with producer Martin Buchwalter. Cover artwork is from Travis Smith (Nevermore, Iced Earth, Opeth).

Tracklisting:

“On Burning Wings”
“Purified”
“By My Hand”
“Whorehouse Symphony”
“Regrets”
“Sleeping With Wolves”
“Adamah’s Tribes”
“Triad Of Faith”
“Fly”
“Devil’s Darling”
“It Remains Empty Forever”

“Purified” video:

The album will contain 11 songs of high-class heavy rock with a total playing time of over 45 minutes and will be available in a noble DigiPak edition. The album was recorded and produced in the Troisdorf-based Gernhart Studio (Tankard, Destruction, SuidAkra) under the direction of Martin Buchwalter.

A first pre-taste for the album is already available with the single "Sleeping With Wolves" released in December, which is available with some bonus content as download for only 2 Euro on the Bandcamp page of the quintet (widget below).

Sleeping With Wolves by SpiteFuel

(Photo - Hobbit Hauser, 2016)

"Cognitive Contortions", the new video from instrumental modern progressive pioneers ANIMALS AS LEADERS, can be seen below. The track is taken from the band's fourth album, "The Madness Of Many", which was released last November via Sumerian Records. The CD was produced by the bandmembers themselves, with guitarist Javier Reyes handling the final mix.

Following the stunning "The Joy Of Motion", which cemented the band as one of the most innovative musical forces of this generation, "The Madness Of Many" sees the band raise their creative and technical game even further.

Said ANIMALS AS LEADERS guitarist Tosin Abasi: "This album feels like total synergy between the three of us. None of this music would have turned out the same way without the equal inclusion of all of our musical ideas and that feel special. We're beyond thrilled with the result."

Added drummer Matt Garstka: "'The Madness Of Many' is an explorative and ambitious journey of harmony, rhythm, musical expression and emotion. It has been the most collaborative effort for the band and an evolution in each of the members' musical path. Although conceptually dense, it is the most natural sounding ANIMALS AS LEADERS album yet."

Reyes commented on the symbiotic nature of the new album, saying: "'The Madness Of Many' is an explorative and ambitious journey of harmony, rhythm, musical expression and emotion. It has been the most collaborative effort for the band and an evolution in each of the members' musical path."

"The Madness Of Many" track listing:

01. Arithmophobia02. Ectogenesis03. Cognitive Contortions04. Inner Assassins05. Private Visions Of The World06. Backpfeifengesicht07. Transcentience08. The Glass Bridge09. The Brain Dance10. Aepirophobia

Crucial Blast confirms the early May release of the debut EP by Snares Of Sixes - a volatile and exploratory new entity created by Jason Walton, founding member of now defunct Agalloch - with Yeast Mother: An Electroacoustic Mass.
 
Fusing an intense and eclectic range of extreme and experimental approaches into a disjointed and somehow simultaneously seamless hybrid of sounds, Yeast Mother: An Electroacoustic Mass features contributions from members of Lawnmower Deth, Winds, Sculptured, Blekspetl, Hollow Branches, Self Spiller, Barrowlands, Age Of Silence, Dolven, Musk Ox, The Night Watch, Maestus, and more.
 
While renowned for his work as bassist for Agalloch and Sculptured, Jason Walton has also frequently ventured into other, stranger and more experimental regions over the past two decades, offering a range of baffling and captivatingly weird sounds with bands like Self Spiller, Especially Likely Sloth, and Nothing. And it's in that latter territory that we find the debut EP from Snares Of Sixes, his latest creation. On the band's debut EP Yeast Mother: An Electroacoustic Mass, Snares Of Sixes makes a bold and confounding introduction, tangling the listener in confusing, highly aggressive avant-prog. The genre-shredding sound taps into a warped confluence of frenzied King Crimson-esque progressive rock, faint traces of frayed, heavily mutated black metal, haunting atmospheric touches, and abrasive electronics, and the result leaves us deliriously disoriented. 
 
Often difficult, frequently nightmarish, Snares Of Sixes' output easily ranks as one of Walton's more challenging and oblique offerings, and for the listeners, one of his most fascinating. Features Marius Sjøli and Robert Hunter (Hollow Branches), Andy Winter (Winds), Pete Lee (Lawnmower Deth), Nathanaël Larochette (Musk Ox), and Don Anderson (Agalloch, Sculptured), among others. Recorded all over the world, the record was mixed at Earth in Sound Studios by Jason Walton, mastered by James Plotkin, and features graphics by Marius Sjoli and artwork by Aesop Dekker.

 
Crucial Blast will issue Yeast Mother: An Electroacoustic Mass on digital and six-panel digipak CD on May 5th. Stand by for audio previews, preorder info, and more in the weeks ahead. Snares Of Sixes is currently working on a live lineup in order to start performing live in the months ahead.

Five years ago, in a period of downtime from the band Agalloch, Jason Walton wanted to write a strange and abrasive record; the aim was to record an album that pushed on the paradigms within metal. The result is a cohesive and challenging album that draws from seemingly disparate ideas and styles. Initially slated be a full-length album, Walton realized that he complexity and density of the material encourages listening in small dosage, and Snares Of Sixes' Yeast Mother: An Electroacoustic Mass EP was finalized.
 
With tracks like "Urine Hive", "Lions To Leeches", "The Mother's Throat", Walton and company lurch through an escalating, ever-shifting frenzy of creepy, labyrinthine melody and pummeling percussive chaos, over-modulated riffage and schizophrenic time signatures, where android mutterings give way to hideous blackened shrieks and bouts of bizarre crooning, the sound stitched with veins of crushing metallic heaviness, fragments of fractured electronica, and an overall surreal animated alternate reality vibe as it reaches towards the menacing glitched-out tech-metal hallucination of "Retroperistalsis" that closes the EP.

Tracklisting:

“Urine Hive”
“Lions To Leeches”
“The Mother’s Throat”
“Retroperistalsis” 

Yeast Mother: An Electroacoustic Mass Lineup:

Jason Walton - MIDI mangler, Synths, Vocals, Bass, Guitar, Melodica, Oscillators
Marius Sjoli - Vocals, Guitars, Synths
Robert Hunter - Vocals, Guitars
Martti Hill - Vocals
Andy Winter - Guitars
Nick Wusz - Vocals
Nick Loiacano - Vocals
Lawnmower Pete Lee - Vocals
Nathanael Larochette - Guitars
Stephen Parker - Guitars
Don Anderson - Guitars (on "Retroperistalsis")

(Photo by: Cody Keto)

Toronto's Sludgehammer have unleashed their new video for “Demons From The Woodwork”, one of 11 tracks on their debut album The Fallen Sun released during June of last year.  The video is a band playthrough demonstrating their mind bending guitar solos, devastating heavy riffs, blistering drum fury and dynamic vocal performances from lead vocalist Chris Szarota plus bassist Dan Ayers.

Their latest album The Fallen Sun is the follow up their 2014 EP Organ Harvester and was self-produced by the band plus mixed by guitarist Tyler Williams along with mastering done by world renowned producer & engineer Lasse Lammert (Gloryhammer, Alestorm, Teramaze) at LSD Studio in Germany.

Honeymoon Disease has released the “Electric Eel” 7” single and has joined The Sign Records. The band is currently on tour with Horisont in Sweden and will return to the studio this summer, to record the follow up album to their debut The Transcendence (Napalm Records). The “Electric Eel” 7" will be released May 2nd on physical format. A tease of “Electric Eel” will be out March 27th with the digital release of the B-side of the single, a cover of American soul legend Eddie Floyd’s track “Big Bird”. Preorders available here.

Honeymoon Disease is a speedy rock ‘n’ roll quartet from Gothenburg, Sweden. With burning guitar riffs and some sweaty ‘70s grooves, this band’s high voltage stage performance will give you a colorful punch right in the face – A glowing black eye with a taste of bands like Thin Lizzy, The Hellacopters and KISS.

Isolation has most certainly bred inspiration in the shape of Slagduster. Hailing from Grand Forks, B.C, the band is name after a slang term local to their area for a piece of machinery that was used in the mines over a hundred years ago. 

“We are the only four musicians in our small town driven to form a progressive metal band.” says vocalist Shane Sherman.

Inspired by such giants as Goijira. Sikth, Meshuggah, Dillinger Escape Plan, Between The Buried And Me, Slagduster offer a progressive, groovy, creative, unique and heavy sound.
It's been a few years since their debut album Nature.Humanity.Machine and Slagduster is ready to unleash their follow up Deadweight due out on May 5th.

“Naturally our sound has come a long way since our debut release in 2010. The music is more complex, and much more developed, still heavy, but even more groove based. Listeners can expect to be challenged by focusing on the compositions, or lost in the musical landscape.” says vocalist Shane Sherman.

Slagduster is giving fans a taste of what's to come off Deadweight with the premiere of their first single “Peeping Ron”.

The band comments:

"'Peeping Ron' encompasses many aspects of our upcoming album Deadweight. Grooved rhythm, technical riffing, odd time signatures and pummeling vocals are layered over complex drum work seems to be constant theme on this record. Enjoy!"

Like the ancient machine they are named after, Slagduster work hard to draw art from base material, they're sound is meticulous and lengthy. All nine of tracks on 'Deadweight' have been very slowly and carefully crafted over the years. No songs were scrapped; all were completely revamped continuously for years. Slagduster put way more effort into collaborative song writing, which has significantly advanced their original sound. Each track contains a variety of things, ranging from ripping riffs and tremolo melodies to soft transitional parts and psychedelic interludes on top of constant heaviness and groove.

Of course, these songs are transformed in Slagduster’s live show, which vocalist Shane Sherman describes as "high energy, bordering on ridiculous, with offensive banter and annoying antics from an attention hungry front man. Well executed yet fun and light-hearted performances perfected over years of touring."

Tracklisting:

“Soldiers Of Meth”
“Peeping Ron”
“Profane Puppet”
“Mother’s Milk”
“Mushroom Stomp”
“On All Fours”
“Cheer Up Clown”
“Ivory Into Coal”
“Untouchable”

“Peeping Ron”:

St. Louis thrash metal act, Final Drive, have released a video for “Six Feet Down, featured on their new album, Dig Deeper, released back on February 3rd. The video is available for streaming below.

Order Dig Deeper at the following digital locations: FinalDriveDigDeeper.com, Bandcamp. CD/vinyl at this location.

Artwork for the album cover was created by Final Drive’s own Jordan Gaw.

Dig Deeper tracklisting:

“This Is How”
“Built To Break”
“The Last Time”
“Six Feet Down”
“Want It All”
“Life Decided”
“Follow The Curse”
“Beneath Us”
“Of A Killer”
“Black Out”

“Six Feet Down” video:

“This Is How” lyric video:

Album stream:

Modern purveyors of old-school death metal, Gruesome, have shared a cover of Death’s “Choke On It”, off their legendary Leprosy album. The song, available for streaming below, is featured on Gruesome’s new EP, entitled Fragments Of Psyche. The EP further continues the band’s homage to the legendary band Death and offers a glimpse into the next era of Gruesome.

Fragments Of Psyche is due out March 31st on CD/7”EP/Digital via Relapse Records and features a two-song slab of Death Human-era worship including a brand new studio track with special guest drums from Sean Reinert (Death, Cynic) along with a "Humanized” reworking of Death’s classic track “Choke On It”. The CD and digital versions include five deliciously raw, bonus demo tracks of the band's first ever recordings.

Physical pre-order and bundles are available via Relapse.com here and digital downloads can be pre-ordered at Bandcamp here.

Vocalist/Guitarist Matt Harvey commented on the new EP: “We are super psyched about this EP as it features a very, very special guest: Mr. Sean Reinert who did an incredible job on the tune we wrote for him. I can't even express how humbled I am to have such an incredible musician and equally great dude as Sean playing on one of our songs. Having Sean do this with us really makes it feel like we are honouring the legacy of Death in the best way that we collectively know how.

“This EP is all about connecting the different eras of the Death discography and also bridging the Gruesome sound into new areas moving forward. It's only fitting that we pay homage to the Leprosy record with this “Humanized” reimagined version that Gus and Dan did a fantastic job arranging.

We are really excited to continue paying tribute to Chuck's work in all the different eras of Death as we move forward with Gruesome. We hope that you enjoy going along with us, thanks for checking out our tunes and let the death metal flow.”

Fragments Of Psyche tracklisting:

“Fragments Of Psyche”
“Choke On It '91”
“Closed Casket” (Demo Version)
“Gangrene” (Demo Version)  
“Gruesome” (Demo Version)  
“Psychic Twin” (Demo Version)
“Savage Lands” (Demo Version)

“Choke On It '91”:

“Psychic Twin” (Demo Version):

“Fragments Of Psyche”:

Obituary has announced US headline tour dates with labelmates Gruesome, from May 11th - May 21st. Dates are listed below.

May (with Gruesome)
11 - Pensacola, FL - Vinyl Music Hall
12 - Memphis, TN - Hi-Tone
13 - Birmingham, AL - Syndicate Lounge
14 - Nashville, TN - Exit/In
16 - Louisville, KY - Trixie’s
17 - Pittsburgh, PA - Rex Theater
18 - Washington, DC - Rock and Roll Hotel
19 - Amityville, NY - Amityville Music Hall
20 - Hartford, CT - Webster Theatre
21 - Richmond, VA - Broadberry

Gruesome is:

Daniel Gonzalez - Guitar
Matt Harvey - Guitar, vocals
Robin Mazen - Bass
Gus Rios - Drums

Italy’s Sawthis have released a 360º music video for the track “Start A New Game”, featured on the band’s new album, Babhell, out on March 24th via Mighty Music. The new clip is available for streaming below. Order the new album via Bandcamp.

The relentlessly fast-paced Babhell combines melodic and progressive influences with thrash, groove and atmospheric soundscapes, making the record an engrossing listen for any metal fan. Babhell was produced by Sawthis with mixing and mastering by Sickboy Studios.

Sawthis regard Babhell as their best work to date. Bassist Gaetano Ettorre states, "Babhell, in general, touches upon themes of poor human communication and its negative result. Everyone is talking, and no one is listening or looking at what's happening right in front of them. Ultimately, in a world where everyone is talking and no one is listening, honest dialogue becomes impossible and thoughts become just noise like a Babel, a hellish Babel, hence the name Babhell. If I had to choose a term to describe the sound of the record, it would be 'multi-emotional chaos'. Our music is a balance of rage and happiness, resignation and reaction, love and hate-Babhell represents a perfect mix of everything."

Babhell tracklisting:

“The Burning Place”
“My Return”
“Start A New Game”
“Through Hell”
“This String Is For Your Neck”
“The End”
“Seabed”
“Waiting For Love”
“Empty Wall”
“Never Alone” (feat. Nico Andrea Di Benedetto on keys)
“No Time To Die”

“Start A New Game” video:

“This String Is For Your Neck” video:

Sawthis lineup:

Alessandro Falà (vox)
Marco Di Carlo (guitar)
Adriano Quaranta (guitar)
Gaetano Ettorre (bass)
Michele Melchiorre (drums)

Relapse Records has announced the official signing of one-man industrial metal force Author & Punisher, formed in 2005 by Tristan Shone, creator and sole artist behind the project. Author & Punisher has released five full-lengths in a little over a decade.

Author & Punisher begins a new chapter this year with a self-released EP, Pressure Mine, which Shone describes as, “dark and heavy, yet harnessed and restrained, with a focus on rhythm and deep full bass textures from all analog sound machines”. The EP is currently available for purchase via Bandcamp here.

In addition, Shone has just finished a new arsenal of sound machines called Gridiron which he will tour with and begin writing his next full-length for Relapse Records, due out in early 2018.

Author & Punisher will tour North America and Europe this spring with the new Gridiron creation including a performance at the prestigious Roadburn Festival. All confirmed tour dates are listed below.

Tristan elaborated on the signing and his new machines: “It's an honour to join the the label that has been providing the soundtrack to most of my adult life. With a new gear arsenal and the backing of one of the kings of the underground, something special awaits.

“2016 and 2017 have been very unique for Author & Punisher retooling mechanically and sonically. In the pipeline for years but only now coming to life, the latest machines, Gridiron, are made up of a number of reconfigurable manual/physical units, each intended to couple with a separate piece of analog gear, and give unique control over it. The force feedback from the interaction of machine components and materials, coupled with the integrity and quality of scrutinized analog sounds, is meaningful and powerful. Whether harshly rhythmic or dissonant, these are relatable in ways that programmed sequences often aren't. This new exploration is an attempt to work with one foot within rhythmic framework of existing analog drum sequencing, while dragging a tire iron on the railroad spikes.”

Stay tuned for more news and info from Author & Punisher.

Tour dates:

March
24 - Vancouver, BC - The Astoria
25 - Portland, OR - Ash Street Saloon
27 - Seattle, WA - Barboza
30 - San Francisco, CA - Thee Parkside (with Sanford Parker and Bruce Lamont)
31 - Oxnard, CA - Oxnard Club Fallout

April
1 - Los Angeles, CA - The Complex (with Sanford Parker and Bruce Lamont)

April
7 - Brussels, Belgium - AB
8 - Antwerp, Belgium - Het Bos
9 - Utrecht, Netherlands - dB’s
11 - Cologne, Germany - Underground
12 - Dresden, Germany - Chemiefabrik
13 - Berlin, Germany - Droneburg
14 - Hamburg, Germany - Droneburg
15 - Manchester, UK - Fat Out
17 - London, UK - Underworld
23 - Tilburg, Netherlands - Roadburn Festival
24 - Paris, France - Espace B
25 - Clermont-Ferrand, France - Raymound Club
27 - Bologna, Italy - Freakout Club
28 - Milano, Italy - Ligera
29 - Rome, Italy - Acrobax

 

Sliptrick Records has announced the signing of three dark melodic atmospheric bands, ready for album releases later in the year - Switzerland’s Xaon, Italy’s Distant Landscape, and Italy’s Dyonisian.

Swiss group Xaon (pictured above) were formed in their home town Sion and their mythology reflects the surrounding mountainous region. The bands core of Rob, Vinc and Flo create a symbiotic melodic dark metal sound influenced by bands such as Soilwork, Paradise Lost and Type O Negative. For their live shows they are augmented by extra musicians to faithfully re-produce the bands style and substance. In 2016, the band recorded the album The Drift, ready for release on Sliptrick Records in May and we’ll have more news on that very soon. The Drift will be released worldwide via Sliptrick Records on May 15th.

The Distant Landscape project was created as the brainchild of Marco Spiridigliozzi, to express with total honesty, his (and our) inner most hidden feelings. The band play a type of post-rock metal that is always evolving and is often characterized by radical atmosphere changes present within the same song. The members hail from Rome, Italy and have been busy finishing their debut album Insights. The finished sound is the result of many years of stylistic and musical research. Insights will be released soon via Sliptrick Records.

In the spring of 2010, Tregor Russo decided to give life to a new musical project with the intent to create music and lyrics from the deep feelings, pathos, dark emotions and melancholic atmospheres and immerse them in complex gloomy arrangements. And so Dyonisian were born, with Tregor as guitarist, composer, arranger and lyricist. Dyonisian deliver symphonic doom and progressive death metal mixed with other sub genres such as classical baroque music and traditional Arabian music. They are currently working on their second full length album to be released on Sliptrick Records.

Legendary metal masters Sacred Oath have announced that they will release their 10th album, Twelve Bells, on May 12th. The quartet wrote and recorded 10 brand new songs in a few short months this past summer. Twelve Bells will be distributed in the US through Caroline; in Canada through Universal; and in Europe through eOne. It will be available as a CD digipack with lyric booklet, deluxe vinyl LP, and digital download. It will also be available on all of the streaming services on day of release.

The band tracked and mixed all 60-minutes of music at the studio owned and operated by singer/guitarist Rob Thorne. “This is the sixth album we’ve done entirely at my place, and I always strive for something different in the production each time,” says Thorne. “The album is a 180 from Ravensong (2015) – it hits a lot harder up front. Lots of drums and raw guitars dominating our usual layered vocal/instrumental arrangements.”

Stylistically, fans can expect more traditional, old-school metal from Sacred Oath on this release. “I’m always looking to add new elements to the sound of an album, but at the end of the day Sacred Oath is always Sacred Oath,” according to Thorne, who traces his roots with the band all the way back to 1985. “We’ve never had any reason to be anything other than true to ourselves. Some people call us power metal, some traditional metal. We don’t think much about any of that.”

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”

“I have been working with Rob and Sacred Oath on and off for almost 8 years, and I am always amazed how they keep raising the bar,” says Michael Cusanelli, president of Sales and Marketing for the ILS Group and who handles distribution for the band’s record label Angel Thorne Music. “Twelve Bells sounds fresh and new while still adhering to their 30 year history.”

Cover art for the album was conceived by the band and created to spec by designer Jack Walker. The concept behind the music and the artwork is one of endings; though the band has declined to comment on what that means for the future. Several tour dates are on the calendar beginning in May and the band has plans to do at least 20 shows to promote Twelve Bells.

A 50th Anniversary deluxe edition (3CD & LP) of The Doors self-titled debut album will be released on March 31st. Pre-order via the Amazon widgets below, or via iTunes. Check out an unboxing video below.

Packaged in a 12 x 12 hardcover book, The Doors: 50th Anniversary Deluxe Edition includes a remastered version of the album’s original stereo mix, available on CD for the first time in a decade and remastered for the first time in nearly 30 years. The album’s original mono mix was also remastered for this set and is making its CD debut here. An LP-version of the mono mix is also included. The third disc features live performance from The Matrix in San Francisco recorded just weeks after The Doors was released. Music journalist David Fricke provides detailed liner notes for the set, which includes a selection of rare and previously unseen photographs.

Tracklisting:

Disc 1
“Break On Through (To The Other Side)” [Original Stereo Mix]
“Soul Kitchen” [Original Stereo Mix]
“The Crystal Ship” [Original Stereo Mix]
“Twentieth Century Fox” [Original Stereo Mix]
“Alabama Song (Whisky Bar)” [Original Stereo Mix]
“Light My Fire” [Original Stereo Mix]
“Back Door Man” [Original Stereo Mix]
“I Looked At You” [Original Stereo Mix]
“End Of The Night” [Original Stereo Mix]
“Take It As It Comes” [Original Stereo Mix]
“The End” [Original Stereo Mix]

Disc 2
“Break On Through (To The Other Side)” [Original Mono Mix]
“Soul Kitchen” [Original Mono Mix]
“The Crystal Ship” [Original Mono Mix]
“Twentieth Century Fox” [Original Mono Mix]
“Alabama Song (Whisky Bar)” [Original Mono Mix]
“Light My Fire” [Original Mono Mix]
“Back Door Man” [Original Mono Mix]
“I Looked At You” [Original Mono Mix]
“End Of The Night” [Original Mono Mix]
“Take It As It Comes” [Original Mono Mix]
“The End” [Original Mono Mix]

Disc 3
“Break On Through (To The Other Side)” [Live]
“Soul Kitchen” [Live]
“The Crystal Ship” [Live]
“Twentieth Century Fox” [Live]
“Alabama Song (Whisky Bar)” [Live]
“Light My Fire” [Live]
“Back Door Man” [Live]
“The End” [Live]

Disc 4
“Break On Through (To The Other Side)” [Original Mono Mix LP]
“Soul Kitchen” [Original Mono Mix LP]
“The Crystal Ship” [Original Mono Mix LP]
“Twentieth Century Fox” [Original Mono Mix LP]
“Alabama Song (Whisky Bar)” [Original Mono Mix LP]
“Light My Fire” [Original Mono Mix LP]
“Back Door Man” [Original Mono Mix LP]
“I Looked At You” [Original Mono Mix LP]
“End Of The Night” [Original Mono Mix LP]
“Take It As It Comes” [Original Mono Mix LP]
“The End” [Original Mono Mix LP]

 

 

 

 

Available for the very first time on April 30th, Chris Farlowe & The Thunderbirds - The Beginning…, a 12-song demo recording produced by legendary guitarist and producer Jimmy Page. Recorded in 1961 at RG Jones Sound Studio in Morden, London, this historic session marks the launch of a highly successful career for Chris Farlowe.

It was also the very first official turn in the producer’s chair for Jimmy Page who went on to capture the timeless studio and live performances of Led Zeppelin that today serve as a blueprint for all modern rock recordings that followed in their formidable wake.

“Jimmy suggested that he wanted to record a demo album of the band, so he booked the RG Jones studio in Morden, London, and now after 56 years, it is to see the light of day.”

Chris Farlowe & The Thunderbirds - The Beginning… is now available for pre-order in advance of its April 30th release date. The release is available in two editions: Standard and Deluxe. The 1LP, 1CD set is also available signed and numbered by Chris Farlowe and Jimmy Page in a limited edition release bringing the signatures of two music legends together for the very first time.

For more details and to pre-order this release, head here. Listen to the track “Money”, available for streaming below.

Tracklisting:

“Entry Of The Slaves”
“Spring Is Near”
“What’d I Say”
“Let The Good Times Roll”
“Sticks And Stones”
“Kansas City”
“I’m Moving On”
“Just A Dream”
“Matchbox”
“Money”
“Hurtin’ Inside”
“Watch Your Step”

“Money”:

According to Billboard, NICKELBACK's "All The Right Reasons" album has been certified diamond by the Recording Industry Association Of America (RIAA), for sales and streams of ten million units in the United States.

"We're very thankful to have an album that so many people have appreciated," said guitarist Ryan Peake in a statement. "We never imagined this would be possible and for that we are humbled and so grateful 10 million times over. We are honored to have reached this milestone with 'All The Right Reasons', none of which would be possible without all the amazing people that have supported us."

Frontman Chad Kroeger added: "When we started this band, never in our wildest imagination did we ever think we would get a label deal and put a record out, get a song on the radio, tour outside of our home territory and be gifted with the opportunity to meet so many amazing friends, supporters and talented musicians the world over along the way. These were all just dreams that three guys from Hanna, Alberta never could have fathomed. Thank you to everyone that has embraced 'All The Right Reasons' in their own way. To this day, it remains a very special album to us and we are truly humbled to all of you for making every dream we could have hoped for come true."

The RIAA diamond certification blends traditional album sales (one album sale equals one unit), tracks sold from an album (10 tracks sold equals one unit) and on-demand audio and/or video streams (1,500 streams equals one unit).

"All The Right Reasons" has sold 7.96 million copies in the U.S., according to Nielsen Music.

NICKELBACK recently announced that its new single and album are both called "Feed The Machine", with the band heading out on a lengthy North American tour this summer to support them.

The trek kicks off on June 23 in Noblesville, Indiana and hits 44 cities before winding down on October 1 in Vancouver.

Dutch old-school death metallers HAIL OF BULLETS have officially called it quits.

The band wrote in a statement on Facebook: "With sadness in our hearts, we hereby inform you that we have decided to pull the plug on HAIL OF BULLETS. The patient had been suffering from illness for a few years already. We thought we had cut out the disease a few years ago, but apparently the tumor was more widespread than we had expected. There are no immediate plans to resurrect the corpse…"

The group added in a postscript: "Personal messages/questions about this situation will not be answered. This is it, and both you and us will have to deal with that..."

Martin Van Drunen (PESTILENCE, ASPHYX) last fall broke his silence about his departure from HAIL OF BULLETS, saying that he was "absolutely not happy anymore in the band."

Van Drunen's exit from HAIL OF BULLETS was announced in November 2015. The remaining members of the group stated at the time that it was "no longer possible for us to continue the cooperation with Martin." They added that "the main reason for starting this band eight years ago was our mutual love for real death metal and to have fun playing our favorite kind of music and we did not want to lose this 'fun' part."

In an October 2016 interview with GoetiaMedia.com, Van Drunen said about his split with HAIL OF BULLETS: "The thing is just that there was some tension about certain things that I disliked. And, well, they… it seemed that they didn't care what I had on my mind, and so one night, I had a few beers and I just sent a mail that was not very nice with the words that I was using. It was really insulting. And it was not the first time that it happened, but it was just because I was completely frustrated about certain bandmembers who were not listening to what I had to say. And they'd been doing that for years, so I was, like, 'Okay, now I'm just fed up with it,' and, yeah, an angry mail came from my side, which they didn't like. And then, of course, because Paul [Baayens, guitar] is with me in ASPHYX, he contacted me and said, 'Hey, Martin, it's really serious. Are you sure you're gonna do something about it so that the band can stay together?' And I said, 'No. I'm not going to. What do you want me to do? You want me to say I'm sorry? I said, no, I'm not going to. Okay. So if it's going to be this way, it's going to be this way, but I'm not gonna give in.' So, yeah, in the end, they said, 'Okay, we'll continue and we decided not to continue with you anymore.' And I go, 'Okay. So be it.'"

He added: "Normally, that's absolutely against my nature. If I feel that I'm regarded [in a] disrespectful [way], which it was that way too, then I fight the decision. But this time, I was, like, 'Okay, it's all right.' I couldn't be bothered anymore. So that means also, unconsciously, I was absolutely not happy anymore in the band, for myself. But I think they absolutely didn't see it coming, so for them it was a surprise too that I just said, 'Okay. Then leave it be. I'm busy with ASPHYX anyway.' And during the years, I also realized that I felt really a lot better in ASPHYX; it was way more a band, really, than HAIL OF BULLETS was."

Asked if it's fair to say that HAIL OF BULLETS was more of a project than a real band, Martin said: "In the beginning, no, but after reconsidering this, yes, it was more a project than a band; it always has been. I mean, ASPHYX is way more a unit, way more working as a family, I think, compared to HAIL OF BULLETS. But that's just the thing that you see and realize after these things have happened that have happened."

Martin's replacement in HAIL OF BULLETS was David Ingram, who was previously in BOLT THROWER and BENEDICTION.

In addition to Ingram and Baayens, the most recent lineup of HAIL OF BULLETS included GOREFEST drummer Ed Warby, THANATOS guitarist Stephan Gebédi and former HOUWITSER bass player Theo van Eekelen.

HAIL OF BULLETS' third album, "III: The Rommel Chronicles", was released in October 2013 via Metal Blade Records.

British heavy metal legends JUDAS PRIEST have entered the studio to begin recording their long-awaited follow-up to 2014's "Redeemer Of Souls" album. Helming the sessions for the new disc are the band's longtime producer Tom Allom, acclaimed British knob-twiddler Andy Sneap (MEGADETH, EXODUS, TESTAMENT, ACCEPT) and engineer Mike Exeter (BLACK SABBATH).

Allom produced every PRIEST release from "Unleashed In The East" (1979) through "Ram It Down" (1988), along with several live records since then. As a young engineer, he also worked on the first three BLACK SABBATH records under producer Rodger Bain.

During a January 2017 appearance on "Trunk Nation", Eddie Trunk's show on SiriusXM channel Volume (106), PRIEST singer Rob Halford said about the songwriting process for the band's new disc: "Yeah, everything's coming together great. We're excited to be making new material.

"As you know, whenever we go out to play, we like to say that we're there for not only the reason to see our wonderful fans again but to show off what we're doing. And that's what we're doing right now — we're hard at work, and it's all coming together great."

Halford also confirmed that there is no set-in-stone timetable for the release of PRIEST's next album. "You know, there is no rush," he said. "There is no rush. We feel great. We're very happy, we're very confident, we're very excited. And so, yeah, we're working with our label and with promoters, and there's a lot of stuff going on behind the scenes."

He continued: "When we go out, we want it to be good — we want it to be good, we want it to be well planned, we wanna make sure that everybody's happy."

Halford said last year that JUDAS PRIEST wasn't interested in making "a 'Redeemer Of Souls Part Two'." He explained: "I think it's very important that we make another stand-alone record again, a heavy metal record that's going to have its own legs and just be as different as all of them have been so far."

"Redeemer Of Souls" was released in July 2014. The follow-up to 2008's double-disc concept album "Nostradamus" was billed as a return to JUDAS PRIEST's heavy-metal roots.

"Redeemer Of Souls" sold around 32,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to land at position No. 6 on The Billboard 200 chart.

JUDAS PRIEST's tenth studio album, "Turbo", was recently remastered and will be released via Sony Music on February 3 on three CDs (the original album and two bonus discs) as well as one-LP 150-gram vinyl. Included on disc 2 and 3 of the CD reissue is, previously unreleased, "Live in Kansas City", a live recording from the band's 1986 "Fuel For Life" tour in support of "Turbo".




Great night last night with lords Tipton, Allom and Sneap. Myself and @andysneap were like a couple of fanboys listening...

Posted by Richie Faulkner on Saturday, October 8, 2016

During a brand new interview with Jack Antonio of the "Do You Know Jack?" radio show, DEF LEPPARD guitarist Phil Collen was asked if the band has any plans to celebrate the fortieth anniversary of its formation this year. Collen responded (hear audio below): "No. It's 'Hysteria''s thirty-year anniversary, so we're probably gonna do something to kind of celebrate that. It's our biggest-selling album, and so we're grateful for that. So, yeah, maybe that one, I think."

He continued: "The fortieth thing is a bit… It's not exactly tangible. It's kind of… You know, the guys met on a certain date — Sav [DEF LEPPARD bassist Rick Savage] and Joe [Elliott, DEF LEPPARD singer] did. But the first album came out in 1980, so that's really… If we were gonna be [inducted into the] Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame, they actually take it from your first album. So 1980 is the actual date, I think."

Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame rules state that artists become eligible for induction 25 years after their first records were released.

DEF LEPPARD's co-headlining tour with POISON and special guest TESLA will kick off on April 8 in Manchester, New Hampshire and will wrap on June 25 in Indianapolis, Indiana.

In October 2015, DEF LEPPARD released its eleventh album, titled "Def Leppard", which peaked at No. 10 on The Billboard 200 album chart.