SOUNDGARDEN singer Chris Cornell has released a new solo track called "The Promise". The song is the title track from the upcoming film starring Oscar Isaac, Christian Bale and French-Canadian actress Charlotte Le Bon, a love triangle drama set against the Armenian genocide.

"The Promise" premiered last fall at the Toronto International Film Festival and opens in theaters April 21.

Chris will donate his proceeds from the song to the International Rescue Committee. The International Rescue Committee responds to the world's worst humanitarian crises, helping to restore health, safety, education, economic well-being, and power to people devastated by conflict and disaster.

Chris's involvement in "The Promise" stemmed from his close friendship with the film's producer, Eric Esrailian. Having married into a Greek family, Chris had been exposed for years to stories about similar treatment suffered by the Greeks at the hands of the Turkish-ruled Ottoman Empire. "If it's something you or your family members went through, it's something you're faced with confronting on a daily basis," he said.

Immersed in these stories and after further research, he was inspired by the strength and perseverance of those who were affected by these tragic events. Chris aimed to help tell the story of the film, but also to connect it to the kind of brutality we still face today.

"The film and plot are your band mates and the song has to be true to the story and the characters in it," he added. "'The Promise', to me, is mainly about paying homage to those we lost in the Armenian Genocide, but it's also about shining a light on more recent atrocities. The same methods used in the Armenian genocide were used to carry out crimes against humanity in Bosnia, Darfur, Rwanda and right now in Syria on multiple fronts, contributing to a massive global refugee crisis. Unfortunately, the words 'never again' seem like just words when we recall these mass executions of the twentieth century, as well as renewed racism and prejudice around the world. Even in the U.S., the warning signs — isolating groups based on race and religion — are evident. We really need to tell these stories and keep telling them in as many different ways as we can. As humans, we have a tremendous capacity to trudge ahead in our lives and not look at the difficult and challenging moments… but I think it's important. Educating ourselves on the past is the best way to understand the present and avoid future atrocities by understanding and intervening. We must educate and stand as one to combat this fear and violence, and as citizens of the world, work to protect each other's human rights."

Directed by Academy Award-winning filmmaker Terry George ("Hotel Rwanda", "Reservation Road", "The Shore"), "The Promise" takes place in 1914. As the Great War looms, the mighty Ottoman Empire is crumbling. Constantinople, the once vibrant, multicultural capital on the shores of the Bosporus, is about to be consumed by chaos. Michael Boghosian (Oscar Isaac), arrives in the cosmopolitan hub as a medial student determined to bring modern medicine back to Siroun, his ancestral village in Southern Turkey where Turkish Muslims and Armenian Christians have lived side by side for centuries. Photojournalist Chris Myers (Christian Bale) has come here only partly to cover geo-politics. He is mesmerized by his love for Ana (Charlotte le Bon), an Armenian artist he has accompanied from Paris after the sudden death of her father. When Michael meets Ana, their shared Armenian heritage sparks an attraction that explodes into a romantic rivalry between the two men. As the Turks form an alliance with Germany and the Empire turns violently against its own ethnic minorities, their conflicting passions must be deferred while they join forces to survive even as events threaten to overwhelm them.

Cornell's most high-profile musical contribution to a movie was "You Know My Name", his theme to the 2006 James Bond film "Casino Royale". Cornell has also contributed songs or title themes to films such as "Great Expectations", "Machine Gun Preacher" and "12 Years A Slave".

The singer told The Pulse Of Radio he prefers to make his solo material sound as different as possible from SOUNDGARDEN. "Writing any of my solo records, there's always this effort to try to make it different than the band that I'm known for," he said. "Mainly just 'cause I've never — as a music fan, never really liked when those two lines get kind of smeared."

SOUNDGARDEN last month announced a North American tour that will kick off on May 3 in Atlanta, winding down on May 27 at the Rocklahoma festival in Pryor, Oklahoma.

Support on selected dates will come from THE PRETTY RECKLESS and THE DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN. This will be SOUNDGARDEN's first trek since a summer 2014 co-headlining run with NINE INCH NAILS.

SOUNDGARDEN has reportedly been working on material for its seventh studio album, which will follow up 2012's "King Animal".

French melodic thrash metal combo, Deficiency, have unveiled another extract from their upcoming album, The Dawn Of Consciousness, the follow-up of The Prodigal Child. Check out the video for “Newborn’s Awakening” below:

The Dawn Of Consciousness was recorded in summer 2016 by David Potvin (Dome Studio - Kronos, T.A.N.K.) and is coming worldwide later this month.

Deficiency musically goes further in melodic, aggressive and technical aspects of its songwriting. Heavy parts, modern patterns, furious leads or catchy chorus are meeting to join a thrash metal basis and to form an efficient alliance for fans of extreme music.

The Dawn Of Consciousness is a new concept-album describing men’s rebirth after chaos and the way they seize this second chance through six primitive emotions shared by every human being on earth : surprise, sadness, joy, anger, fear and disgust. The visual work designed by French artist Ludovic Cordelières (Rusalka Design) is a major piece to complement music and lyrics’ concept.

"Another Fail To Come”:

British doom metallers, My Dying Bride, made Bullhead City Circus theirs at Wacken Open Air 2015 in Germany. Video footage of the band’s full performance is now available for streaming below.

Setlist:

“Your River”
“A Kiss To Remember”
“Catherine Blake”
“Turn Loose The Swans”
“She Is The Dark”
“The Cry Of Mankind”
“The Thrash Of Naked Limbs”
“God Is Alone”

For 27 years, My Dying Bride from West Yorkshire, England have been the voice of the hopeless and broken, combining haunting sounds with crushing misery and melancholy. With their signature sound they've shaped the doom metal scene more than any other act, and integrated both soft violin melodies and violent death metal growls into their music, whilst always staying strictly loyal to themselves. Since the early nineties, the band's masterminds and founding members Andrew Craighan and Aaron Stainthorpe forged beautiful grief into twelve studio albums with songs of epic length.

However for their 13th release, the band is now bound for new horizons and proudly announces their signing to Nuclear Blast Records.

Singer and lyricist Aaron Stainthorpe comments: "It is with great pleasure that My Dying Bride can announce they will be joining forces with the formidable Nuclear Blast Records in early 2017 and have already begun working on material for the next LP and singles. It is no secret that Nuclear Blast have continued to expand greatly over the years, signing epic bands from all corners of the world and giving them the chance they deserve to make something of themselves in the ever expanding metal scene. And it’s time that My Dying Bride came along for the ride. We are hoping that this wedding between a very solid label and a well established act will bear fruit of mighty proportions in the exciting years to come. Cheers!"

Since My Dying Bride rarely leave their damp catacombs to perform live rituals, each show is a highlight in itself and on April 22nd, the Brits will expose their legendary album Turn Loose The Swans in its entire length at Roadburn Festival. Together with Shaun 'Winter' Taylor-Steels on drums and a special backdrop lighting, the band will haunt the Dutch stage and deliver a truly unique experience.

Italian experimental/atmospheric black metallers, Dawn Of A Dark Age, have released “Il Viaggio”, the lead track from the upcoming Spirit/Mystères album, out on March 17th. The track is available for streaming below.

The band recently announced the singer for the upcoming fifth chapter of the The Six Elements saga. For Spirit/Mystères the singer will be Luca Del Re from Selvans.

Band leader VK states: "I am very satisfied for the choice, because Luca Del Re is a complete musician and the amount of work required for Spirit/Mystères needs extremely diverse vocal flexibility. We have worked for over a year to realize this fifth chapter, and the result is are experimental but still close to the black metal tradition.”

VK continues: “The album was inspired by the story of Aleister Crowley, The Spirit Of The Desert, and Campobasso's Corpus Christi.”

Spirit/Mystères can be pre-ordered at this location. Artwork and tracklisting follow.

Tracklisting:

“Il Viaggio”
“Lo Spirito del Deserto”
“Il Cerchio di Fuoco”
“Corpus Domini”
“Il RItorno”
“Epilogo”

“Il Viaggio”:

Chicago-based technical/progressive metal group, Without Waves will release their new album, Lunar, on March 17th via Prosthetic Records. The album track, “Us Against”, is now available for streaming below.

Without Waves effortlessly create a rich fusion of extreme, progressive metal and cascading soundscapes with precision songwriting, showcasing blistering riffs and unorthodox time signatures paired alongside dreamy melodies and poetic chord structures. An important new addition to a new wave of young, progressive and urgent technical metal artists. Lunar will be available on CD, limited edition double LP (Clear Violet Splatter) and all digital platforms.

Tracklisting:

“Sewing Together The Limbs”
“Poetry In Putrid Air”
“Us Against”
“Never Know Quite Why”
“Victorian Punishment”
“EDMS”
“Lost Art”
“Fractals”
“Memento More”

“Us Against”:

“Never Know Quite Why” video:

“Sewing Together The Limbs”:

Without Waves will present their intense live show for the first time ever to Canadian crowds this spring as they venture across the border for a brief weekend jaunt from April 28th - 30th across Ontario. Full dates are as follows:

April
28 - Windsor, ON - The Windsor Beer Exchange
29 - London, ON - 765 Old East Bar & Grill
30 - Toronto, ON - Metal Church @ Coalition (Free Show)

Without Waves is:

Anthony Cwan - Vocals/Guitars
Zac Lombardi - Guitars
John Picillo - Bass
Garry Naples - Drums

Solidifying themselves as the undisputed kings of the grindcore underworld, Phobia return with their sixth full length album, Lifeless God, due on June 2nd via Willowtip Records. The album can be pre-ordered via the label website, or at Bandcamp.

Not straying far from the formula that they have been crafting for over 26 years, this is another chapter in Phobia's legacy of unrelenting speed. Tracked at Trench studios with engineer John Haddad, Lifeless God is 20 tracks of no bullshit, pure fucking grind that is punk as fuck, and never slows down.

This album also sees the return of Danny Walker on drums, Leon Del Muerte on guitar, and original member Bruce Reeves into the fold.

"This record is a true statement of living a self autonomous life… It’s also always awesome to work with this veteran phobia lineup, nothing can be short from brutal,” comments vocalist and founding member Shane “The Pain” Mclachlan.

Tracklisting:

“Out From The Ashes”
“Escalate To Madness”
“Killed It”
“Corpse Slayer”
“Damaged”
“Fuck Power Violence”
“Intimidator”
“Devotion”
“Human Default = Suck At Life”
“Everythings Vicious”
“Coward To Hate”
“Party In Hell”
“Tramatized”
“Outlaw Punks”
“Death To Freedom”
“Last Out”
“Torment Inside”
“New 4th Reich”
“From Where It Came”
“Lifeless God”

"Damaged":

Maryland/Pennsylvania-based grinding death metal band, Full Of Hell, will release their new album, Trumpeting Ecstasy, on May 5th via Profound Lore Records. The album’s opening track, “Deluminate”, is now available for streaming below. Pre-order the album at this location.

Full Of Hell have embarked on quite the journey leading up to the impending release of Trumpeting Ecstasy, an album which will see the band deliver their most punishing, virulent, and dynamic album to date.

With Trumpeting Ecstasy, Full Of Hell build upon their progression since Full Of Hell & Merzbow and the releases succeeding it (collaborative album with The Body and several EPs, one being the split 7" with Nails). This time the band decided to go into GodCity Studios with Kurt Ballou at the production helm to help achieve the intended vision of Trumpeting Ecstasy. The result being the best and strongest sounding Full Of Hell album, their most towering release to date.

Sky tearing and sonically cataclysmic, the aural deluge that is Trumpeting Ecstasy also features guest appearances by Aaron Turner (Sumac, Old Man Gloom, Mamiffer, Isis), Nate Newton (Converge, Old Man Gloom), Andrew Nolan (Column Of Heaven, The Endless Blockade), and Canadian singer/songwriter Nicole Dollanganger.

Artwork for Trumpeting Ecstasy was created by Mark McCoy.

Tracklisting:

“Deluminate”
“Branches Of Yew”
“Bound Sphinx”
“The Cosmic Vein”
“Digital Prison”
“Crawling Back To God”
“Fractured Quartz”
“Gnawed Flesh”
“Ashen Mesh”
“Trumpeting Ecstasy”
“At The Cauldron's Bottom”

“Deluminate”:

(Photo - Reid Haithcock)

Vangough is a three-piece, American progressive metal band. Their eclectic brand of songwriting straddles the line between the familiar and the volatile - a temperamental cocktail that invites both heavy metal fans and those seeking refuge from the beaten path. With an ever-growing catalog of acclaimed releases under their belt, Vangough continue to captivate their fanbase with the unexpected.

And now they will further their legacy with the release of their latest masterpiece, Warpaint, on March 17th. Check out the lyric video for "Knell" below. Pre-order the album here.

Warpaint, ferments their audacious songwriting style across seven formidable yet emotionally vulnerable songs. Spending over a year in production, this album represents the delicate inculcation of restraint, self-doubt and introspection that was afforded as a result of their recent touring efforts. Exposing the nakedness that we struggle to conceal, Warpaint is the story of embattled spirits.

Following on the heels of a raucous performance at the annual ProgPower USA music festival in 2014, Vangough set out on their first North American tour with one of their modern influences, Pain of Salvation. The following year saw Vangough hit the road once again, this time in support of progressive metal pioneers Fates Warning. Even with their limited touring experience, Vangough have been recognized by fans for delivering one of the most aggressive and powerful live performances in the genre.

As a live band first and foremost, Vangough is currently focused on hitting the road for their next American tour, in support of Warpaint, which releases March 17th.

Warpaint tracklisting:

“Morphine”
“Dust”
“The Suffering”
“Gravity”
“Till Nothing's Left”
“Knell”
“Black Rabbit”

“Knell” lyric video:

"Morphine" lyric video:

Teaser:

METALLICA performed its song "Dream No More" live for the first time ever Sunday night (March 5) during the band's concert at Foro Sol in Mexico City in Mexico City. Professionally filmed video footage of the track's live debut can be seen below.

"Dream No More" is taken from METALLICA's new album, "Hardwired… To Self-Destruct", which debuted as expected at No. 1 on The Billboard 200 album chart last November, selling 291,000 copies in its first week of release. Both of the band's previous outings, 2008's "Death Magnetic" and 2003's "St. Anger", sold more copies in shortened sales weeks. "Death Magnetic" moved 490,000 copies in a three-day window, while "St. Anger" shifted 418,000 copies in a similar frame.

Nevertheless, the overall fan reaction to the new disc has inspired the band to release its next record sooner. Frontman James Hetfield told Italy's Linea Rock, "At least for now, we've booked out two years (of touring), at least. So I can't predict the future, but… I would like to make some new music sooner than eight years, for sure. (You get) such a pleasure and a joy of hearing your new music and having other people hear it. So we don't wanna wait that long."

"Hardwired... To Self-Destruct" consists of two discs, containing a dozen songs and nearly 80 minutes of music.

The North American leg of METALLICA's "WorldWired" 2017 tour kicks off on May 10 in Baltimore, Maryland and will hit stadiums in 25 cities before winding down in mid-August. Support on the quartet's first North American trek since 2009 will come mainly from AVENGED SEVENFOLD and VOLBEAT, with GOJIRA taking over for the latter group for the last six shows.

Each ticket purchased for the tour will come with a copy of METALLICA's new album, "Hardwired… To Self-Destruct", available as a physical CD or a digital download. Various VIP packages are up for sale as well.

METALLICA has also announced the formation of its All Within My Hands Foundation, which will raise funds through ticket sales to support national, local and Bay Area charities selected by the band members, while continuing to donate to music education programs and local food banks.

Legendary metal band THE RODS has inked a worldwide deal with Steamhammer/SPV. The group — consisting of original members David "Rock" Feinstein (guitar, vocals), Carl Canedy (drums) and Garry Bordonaro (bass) — has always delivered a classic brand of metal and hard rock with strong influences that date back to 1970s.

Canedy says: "The third time's a charm! After two unsuccessful attempts, to work with Olly Hahn and Steamhammer/SPV, it's finally happening. THE RODS have signed a worldwide deal for their brand new album, 'Louder Than Loud'. This album, in my opinion, has some of the strongest RODS material in years. The title says it all!"

Olly Hahn, A&R and international product manager at Steamhammer/SPV, addds: "I remember when I saw an ad for the album 'Wild Dogs' in a German magazine back in 1982. I immediately had to have the album although I had no idea what I can expect music-wise. The cover was so awesome, and when I put the album on my turntable, I was blown away. Now, thirty-five years later, it's fantastic to say the following sentence: We're proud and happy to welcome THE RODS to our big Steamhammer family!"

THE RODS is a classic heavy metal trio that rocked its way through the '80s with classic albums like "The Rods", "Wild Dogs" and "In The Raw", featuring a powerful, raw energy that led them to share the stages with some of today's greatest metal bands, including JUDAS PRIEST, IRON MAIDEN and METALLICA.

"Louder Than Loud" will be released later in 2017, to be followed by many live shows and festival appearances.

Frontiers Music Srl will release WARRANT's new studio album, "Louder Harder Faster", on May 12. The disc was recorded with producer Jeff Pilson, a veteran bassist who has played with DIO, FOREIGNER, DOKKEN and T&N, among others, and was mixed by Chris "The Wizard" Collier (FLOTSAM AND JETSAM, PRONG, LAST IN LINE).

With a lineup featuring original members Erik Turner (guitar), Jerry Dixon (bass), Joey Allen (guitar) and Steven Sweet (drums) along with singer Robert Mason (LYNCH MOB, CRY OF LOVE), WARRANT is now stronger than ever. Mason's vocals remain a breath of fresh air and his swagger on the songs gives new life and a bright future to the band. "Louder Harder Faster", true to the band's roots, is full of rockers with some classic ballads thrown in and will surely send their faithful fans into a frenzy.

Turner says: "You can hear and feel the emotions of the last twenty-five-plus years of being in this band poured into 'Louder Harder Faster'. The fun and the frustrations, the pleasure and the pain... a whole lot of blood, sweat, tears and beers went into the making of this album. Love it or hate it, it's the real-fuckin'-deal, hundred-percent pure melodic hard rock handcrafted by five musicians who dedicated their lives to music when they were just little kids with big dreams."

Dixon adds: "'Louder Harder Faster' is truly one of our best records to date. It has all the classic WARRANT ingredients that people have come to know, plus a lot of extras that keep it in the modern realm of todays music. It's a perfect mix between balls and ballads.

"When we started this project over two years ago, we wanted to bring the listener back to the days of sitting in the living room and cranking up a record from start to finish.

"Making full records seems to be a lost art, [and] we hope in some small way that this album helps people find that art again."

Regarding how the "Louder Harder Faster" album title came about, Mason told "The Rock Brigade" podcast: "On stage, since probably '09, '10, '11… I don't remember when; maybe it was after our record [was released]. But as a thing to say between… It kind of just came out of my mouth one day — 'louder, harder, faster' — and I screamed it into the microphone and we started the next song. It was kind of one of those dumb things lead singers say to break up the dead air between songs in live shows. And it kind of stuck in my head and I started doing it. It was a thing I kind of started saying. And one day I had a riff in my hands and a guitar in my house, or in a hotel room, and then it turned into, 'Oh, guys, by the way, I wrote this song. It's called 'Louder, Harder, Faster'.' And I think I half-drunkenly said in a hotel bar one night, maybe three or four years ago, 'Oh, by the way, the record should be called 'Louder, Harder, Faster', 'cause I have this fucking song.' And, you know, that's what cocky lead singers say to their guitar players. And I think Joey Allen was, like, 'Yeah, yeah. Blah blah blah. I'll believe it when I hear it.' So there you go. When we came up with the songs for this record, it just kind of became obvious that that was the… If you're gonna name it after one of the songs, there you go."

"Louder Harder Faster" track listing:

01. Louder Harder Faster02. Devil Dancer03. Perfect04. Only Broken Heart05. U In My Life06. Music Man07. Faded08. New Rebellion09. Big Sandy10. Choose Your Fate11. Let It Go12. I Think I'll Just Stay Here and Drink (bonus track available on CD only)

Photo credit: Stephen Jensen / F3 Studios

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".

Commented singer Björn Strid: "'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 adds: "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 explains 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

Earlier in the week, Bobby Blotzer confirmed that former QUIET RIOT and ADLER'S APPETITE singer Seann Nicols (a.k.a. Sheldon Tarsha) will front his version of RATT when the band performs on March 18 at the Prairie Knights Casino & Resort in Fort Yates, North Dakota.

Nicols joined Blotzer's RATT as the replacement for Joshua Alan, who quit the band in January, explaining that he will be working and focusing on his original music this year.

A newly released recording of Nicols singing the RATT song "Shame Shame Shame" — from the band's 1990 album "Detonator" — can be streamed below.

Regarding how Seann landed the singer gig in his version of RATT, Blotzer wrote on Facebook: "In July [2016], when we were on the very successful RATT tour of 2016, and we had a few dropouts, I moved swiftly to a great array of awesome friends and great players — we never skipped a beat. Not a day or a show fell.

"When the other guys dropped, I asked our then-singer, 'Are you going too?', because the road might not be as easy as everyone thought it might be. I was apprised by a great buddy of mine that he knew of a ripping lead singer. I told our then-singer about him out of sheer honesty. And he replied to me as he did at every single show: 'No. You know how much I appreciate being in this, I'm in for THE LONG HAUL.'

"The last time I spoke to him was December 16th, Kentucky show.

"GREAT!

"We continued through the year with 35 more shows, give or take.

"This other lead singer guy sent me his voice singing over our RATT songs with [Stephen] Pearcy's voice pulled out and him singing in place. Well, fucking hell, I was quite astonished, to be honest.

"I stuck it out with the other singer [because] my word is real. But he knew there was someone in the wings. And the guy I met over the phone in July ended up with our fellow touring band guys in QUIET RIOT. Cool, way to go, I thought (also not knowing why our ex-bandmate Mr. Jizzy Pearl was gone from QUIET RIOT). But the music business is an incestuous small world.

"So, there you go.

"There is still a war waging but I'm not going to get into those specifics.I will, though, give you a little taste of what I was sent on the road in July 2016. I wish I had future vision then."

Blotzer, who had a spinal fusion surgery for the C6-C7 vertebrae in his neck four years ago, said that he will undergo lumbar spine surgery two days after his version of RATT performs at the Prairie Knights Casino & Resort.

The drummer also promised that he would "mop up [the] litigation" he is currently embroiled in with his former bandmate over the rights to the RATT name and that he would return to the road "with RATT around late June."

Blotzer has spent the last year and a half battling the other three members of RATT's classic lineup in court. At the same time, he has been hitting the road with his version of RATT, which, in addition to Alan, most recently included guitarists Mitch Perry (TALAS, HEAVEN, STEELER, MSG, LITA FORD) and Stacey Blades (L.A. GUNS) and bassist Brad Lang (Y&T).

According to Billboard, GODMACK's five-year-old cover of THE BEATLES' "Come Together" has landed at position No. 1 on Billboard's Hard Rock Digital Song Sales chart, with 11,000 downloads sold (up from a nominal amount) in the week ending March 2.

As a result of the track's 4,972 percent increase to 1.5 million U.S. streams, "Come Together" also entered the Hot Rock Songs chart at No. 11. In addition, the album that GODSMACK's version of "Come Together" appears on, "Live & Inspired", re-entered multiple charts, including Hard Rock Albums (No. 11) with 4,000 equivalent album units, of which 2,000 were pure sales.

The sharp increase in streams and sales is the result of a post on rock web site SocietyofRock.com spotlighting the song.

GODSMACK's video for "Come Together" was directed by Ian Barrett and features footage of the actual recording sessions for the song.

GODSMACK drummer Shannon Larkin stated about the clip: "We love the ['Come Together'] video! It was actually filmed while we were recording 'Come Together'. Normally, the song will be recorded, and then the band will go back in the studio, put their headphones on, and pretend they're recording for the music video. This was real. It wasn't staged or anything. It's really cool. We were in Boston in January, and there were two feet of snow on the ground. We were totally in that vibe at the studio. It was awesome."

Asked what he liked the most about the music video, Larkin said: "I totally like the fact it was done while we were really recording. That's a big deal to me because most people are faking it. I like that I had a BEATLES shirt on. I had no idea we were doing the video that day. Sully [Erna, GODSMACK frontman] had hooked it all up, and he didn't tell us. [laughs] I went to record the song, and they had video cameras there. He was like, 'We're going to film today!' We didn't know if it was going to be for a music video or a DVD. I just thought we're doing a BEATLES song, I'll wear my BEATLES apple shirt. I'm a huge BEATLES fan, by the way. Obviously, all musicians are. They were one of the first bands my mom had turned me on to at a very young age. I particularly like the later version when they all had beards. I had to be rocking a beard because it was wintertime in Boston. I tend to do that. I thought, 'Wow, man, I'm totally in BEATLES mode here."'

On the topic of what GODSMACK brought to the cover, Larkin said: "In 1978, AEROSMITH, who's obviously a huge influence on us as a Boston band, covered 'Come Together' on the 'Live! Bootleg' album. We listened to that version and the original. We knew AEROSMITH added modernity and more rocking sound to THE BEATLES' version. We wanted to bring it into the 2000s with a heavier guitar tone. Tony [Rombola, guitar] wrote a more chunking riff than the AEROSMITH version. We wanted to make it GODSMACK. We approached it like, 'If we wrote the song, what would it have sounded like today?'"

"Dystopia", a brand new song from BUSH, can be streamed using the SoundCloud widget below. The track is taken from the band's new album, "Black And White Rainbows", which will be released on March 10.

Written, recorded and produced by Gavin Rossdale, "Black And White Rainbows" is the follow-up to 2014's "Man On The Run" and will arrive just prior to BUSH's headlining tour of North America, which kicks off May 4 in Dallas, Texas.

"I wanted to write a record about what it's like coming out of a cannon before you take off through these watershed times," Rossdale, who founded BUSH 25 years ago in London and produced "Black And White Rainbows", told Billboard. "I think it really is important to have the element of hope and repair and sunshine because it's such a divided world now. It's so divided and crazy and unstable and vulnerable. It's fallen at my feet as a lyricist to consider the position that we're in — and unfortunately chaos makes for really fertile ground to write from."

"['Dystopia'] was where the record takes a really interesting turn," according to Rossdale. "It's a real hybrid of stuff I like, using machines and analog stuff — the band plus machines," he explained. "I was just thinking of this dystopian world, this underbelly of frustration and fear and persecution and distrust just everything that's going on around us all the time. You have a president who half the country voted for and suddenly nobody voted for him. Nobody can make their mind up about him. So it's a very strange time, all the way around."

Among "Black And White Rainbows"'s highlights is the sweeping chorus of "Lost In You" and "People At War", which was written last summer in honor of World Refugee Day.

Gavin stated about "People At War": "Having seen the footage of innocent refugees forced to flee their homes and lives, culminating in the picture of the young boy, Aylan Kurdi, lying dead on the shore — the horror of that photograph, as a father, as a human being — was too powerful to avoid. It was the catalyst to write this song and to show empathy with the plight of the refugees."

When asked about the sound of the follow-up to 2014's "Man On The Run", the 51-year-old rocker told Metro: "My whole career I've been trying to make music that's a hybrid of rock and electronic. I'd say it's a textured, approachable and commercial record. People are going to fucking love it."

"Black And White Rainbows" track listing:

01. Mad Love02. Peace-s03. Water04. Lost In You05. Sky Turns Day Glo06. Toma Mi Corazon07. All The Worlds Within You 08. Nurse09. The Beat of Your Heart10. Dystopia11. Ray Of Light12. Ravens13. Nothing But A Car Chase14. The Edge of Love15. People At War

BUSH is comprised of Gavin Rossdale (vocals/guitar), Robin Goodridge (drums), Chris Traynor (guitar) and Corey Britz (bass).

Metal Talk recently conducted an interview with bassist Roger Glover of British hard rock legends DEEP PURPLE. You can now watch the chat below.

Asked about the meaning of the title of DEEP PURPLE's new album, "InFinite", which will be released on April 7 via earMUSIC, Glover said: "Well, it's whatever you think it is, really. We couldn't come up with a title for this album. Not that we were thinking about ending or anything, but we just left it up to the record company. And they came up with the title, mainly because [2013's] 'Now What?!' had a great image on it — a question mark — and it [was] very immediate. And they were looking for something like that. And they sent us an image of the inifinity symbol. And I went, 'That's a pretty good image.' I said, 'What are you gonna call it?' And they said, ''InFinite'.' 'Oh, okay. Decision made.' We don't read anything into it. And I think, actually, the way they made that symbol work, in the ice and stuff, is brilliant. We just thought, 'We give up. We can't do anything better than that.'"

Glover also spoke about the band's upcoming tour, "The Long Goodbye", which starts May 13 in Europe and includes a late-summer North American leg with ALICE COOPER and EDGAR WINTER. He said: "It's gonna be a long goodbye, because none of us can actually face the fact that we're gonna end at some point. The band's been going for a long time, and especially this lineup, and we're happy doing what we do. It's just the realization that... Paicey [drummer Ian Paice] had a little hiccup last year… We're all getting into that age where we're okay at the moment, but… 'Fragile' is not a word I'd like to use, although this morning I feel a little fragile. But, no, it's the realization… it's a wake-up call. The world tour is gonna go beyond this year, as far as we can tell, and it may go on another year. We don't know how long it's gonna be. We're just putting ourselves and our fans on notice that, don't expect us to be doing this when we're a hundred and ten."

In addition to Glover and Paice, DEEP PURPLE's current lineup features singer Ian Gillan, keyboardist Don Airey and guitarist Steve Morse. Airey joined in 2002, replacing Jon Lord on keyboards. Morse joined in 1994 as the replacement for Ritchie Blackmore.

Asked if he thinks this will be the final lineup of DEEP PURPLE, Glover told Metal Talk: "I think the last twenty-three years has been the most consistent period in the band's history. The only one change was [the addition of] Don, and that was a friendly change. Jon left. And so, yeah, I can't envisage… I mean, we don't envisage anything. We don't actually plan much for the future. The future will take care of itself — I kind of like that phrase. Steve said, 'I may not be the first guitarist in PURPLE, but I'd like to be the last.' Which is a lovely thing to say. And I feel the same way. I may not be the first bass player, but I'd like to be the last."

British extreme metal pioneers BOLT THROWER have paid tribute to their drummer Martin "Kiddie" Kearns, who passed away unexpectedly at the age of 38 in September 2015.

In a March 7 post on the band's official web site, the group wrote: "Today would have been Kiddie's 40th birthday. It's a day of sadness, but also of great memories, and we hope you'll join us and raise a glass to an absent friend.

"We take comfort in the knowledge that his bloodline, and legacy as a father, will live on through his sons Leon and Max, his legacy as a man lives on in the hearts and minds of everyone who had the honor and privilege to call him their friend, and his legacy as an amazing drummer will live on through his music.

"But, sadly, due to various circumstances, Kiddie only ever got to release two albums with BOLT THROWER, despite being in the band for twenty years and playing hundreds of shows, and we owe his unswerving loyalty and drumming legacy so much more.

"This is a debt we'll start to pay off soon...

"Here's to you, Kiddie!"

BOLT THROWER confirmed last September that they had officially split up following Kearns's death a year earlier. The band's frontman, Karl Willetts, told Metal Hammer: "Yes, I can confirm that BOLT THROWER are definitely over for good. There will be no reunion tours etc... no compromise."

Prior to Karl's confirmation, BOLT THROWER had issued a statement to pay tribute to Kearns, who died peacefully in his sleep after becoming ill at rehearsal. The statement indicated that BOLT THROWER wouldn't ever replace Kearns, but it didn't make it clear whether that meant BOLT THROWER would disband.

"When we carried his coffin to his final resting place, the BOLT THROWER drummer position was buried with him," the statement read. "He was, and will now forever remain 'the' BOLT THROWER drummer, our powerhouse and friend Martin 'Kiddie' Kearns."

BOLT THROWER released eight albums during its three-decade existence, the most recent being 2005's "Those Once Loyal".

Willets recently formed a new band called MEMORIAM alongside former BOLT THROWER bandmate Andy Whale and BENEDICTION members Frank Healy and Scott Fairfax.

Influential hardcore band TERROR will release a new EP, titled "The Walls Will Fall", on April 28 via Pure Noise Records. In support of the new record, the band will hit the road this spring for a U.S. headline tour with GOD'S HATE and ABUSE OF POWER. "The Walls Will Fall" follows TERROR's most recent full-length, 2015's "The 25th Hour", and features some of the most vicious tracks the band has ever recorded. Additional details about the record will be revealed in the coming weeks. Since forming in 2002, TERROR has become one of the hardcore genre's most notorious and successful acts. Over the years, the band has released six classic albums, their latest being "The 25th Hour", which was issued by Victory in 2015. Their signature sound, a punishing blend of hardcore, punk and thrash, has attracted a legion of diehard fans around the world and anyone who's witnessed the sheer power of TERROR live and lived to tell about it can attest to the band's authenticity and intensity.

LINKIN PARK's video for the song "Heavy" can be seen below. The track is the first single from the band's seventh studio album, "One More Light", which will be released on May 19 through Warner Bros.

LINKIN PARK debuted "Heavy" on Los Angeles radio station KROQ on February 16, followed by a performance of the track later in the day on Facebook Live. The track features guest vocals from Kiara Saulters, who is best known for recording stop-motion, hip-hop-inspired electro-R&B under the name Kiiara and who performed with the band during the Facebook event.

LINKIN PARK singer Chester Bennington told Music Choice about the "Heavy" video: "What's funny is, like, this song is, like, not a heavy song, but I destroyed more stuff making this [clip] than, like, any other song. It was more violent and more intense making this video than any other video. Like, I got into like fistfights with myself, fistfights with other people, breaking a bunch of stuff. I got to take a lamp and throw it through a television set. Like, I've wrecked so much stuff, it was awesome."

"Heavy" sees LINKIN PARK teaming up with pop songwriter Emily Wright, who has worked with artists like Miley Cyrus, Katy Perry and Flo Rida. Vocalist Mike Shinoda told The Pulse Of Radio about the concept behind the song and its very different sound: "The question popped into my head, what would it be like, first of all, to write with people outside the band? What would it be like to really approach things with our arms kind of wide open, wrapped around a larger audience? And still make it a hundred percent LINKIN PARK and a hundred percent true to what we do. Almost a year and a half later, this is the first taste of what that sounds like."

Asked what the rest of "One More Light" is like, Shinoda told Billboard: "One of the reasons why we chose 'Heavy' as the first single is because it is really the core sound of the album. This wasn't a scenario where the whole album sounds one way and the single sounds different. This is how the album sounds. So we wanted to go out with a song like that, where everybody can get a sense of the direction of this body of work."

Shinoda also talked about LINKIN PARK's decision to collaborate with other writers this time around.

"The thing that really drove this album was we kind of flipped our writing process backwards," he said. "Historically for us the (instrumental) track usually comes first, like we'll make a body of music and the music will inspire the lyrics. In this case, we actually flipped that around and the very first thing we'd do each day is we'd get into the studio and say, 'What's on my mind? What do I want to sing about and write about?' and that defined a whole different kind of writing. It builds a wonderful foundation to put everything else on top of. And the soundmaking is actually one of the most fun parts for me, so then it's like icing on the cake. I know I've got a strong song, a strong foundation and then it's just icing to put on top of it."

Other tunes on the new CD include "Nobody Can Save Me", "Good Goodbye", "Talking To Myself", "Battle Symphony", "Invisible", "Sorry For Now", "Halfway Right", "Sharp Edges" and the title track.

LINKIN PARK has already started booking dates in Latin America, Europe and Asia, but has yet to announce North American dates.

Photo credit: James Minchin

Berlin, Germany-based heavy metal blues rockers LUCIFER have parted ways with guitarist Gary "Gaz" Jennings and drummer Andrew Prestige.

Commented the band in a statement: "It is true, the 'Lucifer I' chapter is closed. LUCIFER has parted ways amicably with guitarist Gaz Jennings and drummer Andy Prestidge. It's been quite a miraculous ride.

"The stars have aligned once again: [Lead vocalist/founder] Johanna [Sadonis] has teamed up with Nicke Andersson [IMPERIAL STATE ELECTRIC, THE HELLACOPTERS, ENTOMBED, etc.] to work on the next album, 'Lucifer II'. Nicke, Johanna and Robin [Tiderbrink, guitar] will meet up in Sweden this month to record a few first songs that will hopefully see the light of day very soon. A little taste of what's to come. Nicke is also joining LUCIFER on drums. Stay tuned."

LUCIFER's debut album, "Lucifer I", was released in June 2015 via Rise Above Records.

Back in 2015, Sadonis told Jimmy Cabbs about LUCIFER's musical direction: "The original idea was to kind of take a bow towards the great bands of the '70s that are kind of the forefathers of heavy metal. And, I mean, all of us have been in many bands over many years and explored all the different extreme subgenres of metal. And things get more bottom-endy and heavier and heavier. But, I think, for music to be heavy, it doesn't necessarily have to be defined by the sound — being heavy. And I also think that, once you go through all these phases, and I think every heavy metal or rock fan, or whatever, can say this, you listen to all these different things and go through phases, and so on, but in the end, you always kind of, after filtering through it, realize that there's a reason why these great bands, like [BLACK] SABBATH and DEEP PURPLE and so on, they are timeless because they are just that good. And there's a reason why everything that came after is kind of based on that core, that original spirit of that music. I mean, by now I'm listening to the music my parents have listened to. I never thought that would be the case. I had a phase where I was listening to death metal and black metal for many years. But it always comes back to the classics, right?"

The official video for "Ten Miles Wide", a brand new song from RATT singer Stephen Pearcy, can be seen below. The track is taken from Stephen's fourth solo album, "Smash", which was released on January 27 via Frontiers Music Srl.

Speaking about the songwriting process for his solo material, Pearcy told Music Existence: "RATT's music is its own entity and animal, and it has its own schematics. With my solo stuff, I tend to do whatever I like — an acoustic song, a really heavy song — and go places and talk about things that I want to. It's my freedom of speech. That's one thing I like about it, and I'm always writing, so what else can I do, you know? Just try to get it out and get it heard! I don't care if it sells ten million or nil million; it's just what I do. You do the best that you can."

Pearcy also talked in more detail about the musical inspiration for "Smash", saying: "It's just my guitar player Erik [Ferentinos], who I co-wrote most of the stuff with. We'd just come up with songs and take them through a journey. That's pretty much how it happens. I don't think about anything. If it sounds like something that's an influence, and if it's a good one, that's even better! I don't really think about emulating anybody; it's more of an influential thing that just came out. That's a compliment to both of us, how I respect them. And I'm sure they'd say, 'Woah, that sounds pretty good!' But that's about it — the light and the dark of the things, you know?"

He continued: "I wanted this record to be diverse. The subject matter's very different than what was expected, and what would be expected. And there's some personal stuff in there — a song I wrote for my daughter, 'Rain'. I'm able to do whatever I want with my solo stuff, so this is what you get."

Stephen will be supporting "Smash" with live dates in the U.S. and internationally. "It took long enough to finish the new record 'Smash' and it is well worth the patience taken, giving every song as much attention as the next," said Pearcy. "Erik Ferentinos (lead guitarist and co-writer), Greg D'Angelo (drummer) and Matt Thorne (bassist, keyboardist) and myself didn't settle on any first, second or third takes. We let some songs grow if needed, then go back and complete it. We're very happy with the outcome, that we were able to experiment and grow with the new songs."

"Smash" track listing:

01. I Know I'm Crazy02. Ten Miles Wide03. Lollipop04. Dead Roses05. Shut Down Baby06. Hit Me With A Bullet07. Want Too Much08. What Do Ya Think09. Jamie10. Rain11. Can't Take It (album version)12. Summer's End13. Passion Infinity Credits:

Stephen E. Pearcy - Lead Vocals, Back-up Vocals

Musicians:

Erik Ferentinos - Rhythm & Lead Guitars, Back-up VocalsGreg D'Angelo - Drums, PercussionMatt Thorne - Bass GuitarChris Hager - Guitars, Lead Guitars on track #3

Spanish goregrind stalwarts, Haemorrhage, have completed recordings for their first album in over six years and follow-up to 2011’s Hospital Carnage.

The band’s seventh studio album was recorded at Mpire Studio in Madrid by Alfredo and Javi Ustara and is set to be mastered by Brad Boatright (Obituary, Nails, Skinless). The new album will contain 14 tracks of Haemorrhage’s pathological gore, perfect for listening to in mortuaries and mausoleums everywhere.

The album is entitled We Are The Gore and is set for release in late-2017 via Relapse Records. Additionally, numerous guest musicians and friends have contributed to the record including Carlo Regadas from Monstrance (ex-Carcass), Ross Sewage and Sean McGrath from Impaled, Jaro from Meat Spreader (ex-Dead Infection), Peter Svoboda, Cremator and Digestor from Ghoul, Dany from Dead, and Noel Kemper from Gruesome Stuff Relish.

Guitarist Luisma commented on the new album: “Musically, We Are The Gore is our best (de)composed album yet. The tracks are 100% classic Haemorrhage, but on a new level as we have never worked so hard on an album before. The addition of Erik (drums) has given us the chance to create music we couldn’t do before. He is one of the most talented young drummers out there. We Are The Gore is dedicated to all the people who work in the “dark side of reality”, the people who deal with everyday death and sickness that help us avoid suffering. They are the real “Gore”.”

Stay tuned for additional albums details and more news from Haemorrhage.

Haemorrhage lineup:

Luisma - Guitar/Vocals
Ana - Guitar
Lugubrious - Vocals
Ramon - Bass
Erik - Drums

Hailing from Florida, female fronted power metal five-piece, Seven Kingdoms, has already made its way up since their forming in 2007. After numerous tours around US and Canada, three full length studio albums, it’s now ready to take the next step and join forces with Napalm Records.

A band started for fun, found that hard work and dedication to their craft has major pay offs... Seven Kingdoms is carving its own path in metal history creating something genuinely unique, yet undeniably power metal.

Seven Kingdoms on the signing and their new home at Napalm Records: “We are really happy to announce that we signed a deal with Napalm Records! We were able to pinpoint a deal that will help the band reach many more fans at home and overseas. Along with the newest album Decennium and the In The Walls EP, Napalm will also be repressing our earlier albums, Brothers Of The Night, The Self Titled and The Fire Is Mine. Bands such as HammerFall, Kamelot, Delain, Powerwolf and Devildriver have made this label home and we are again, just very happy to join those ranks. Napalm has been an undeniable tool in many bigger artist's careers. Thomas and the gang have been really receptive to the material and we are looking forward to getting the band on the next level with the help of Napalm Records."

Seven Kingdoms’ new and upcoming album, Decennium, will be released worldwide via Napalm Records and is already scheduled for a 2017 release. Stay tuned for many more exciting news to come.

The band will be out supporting Evergrey in May and June this year on a massive US and Canadian tour. Check all dates listed below:

May
6 - The Haven - Orlando, FL
7 - The Orpheum - Tampa, FL
9 - Scout Bar - Houston, TX
10 - Gas Monkey - Dallas, TX
11 - The Rock Box - San Antonio, TX
13 - Joe's Grotto - Phoenix, AZ
14 - Brick By Brick - San Diego, CA
15 - Adrenaline bar - Las Vegas, NV
17 - The Viper Room - Los Angeles, CA
18 - TBA - San Francisco, CA
19 - TBA - Portland, OR
20 - Studio Seven - Seattle, WA
21 - The Rickshaw Theater - Vancouver, BC
22 - Dickens Pub - Calgary, AB
23 - Exchange - Regina
25 - The Cabooze - Minneapolis, MN
26 - Reggie's - Chicago, IL
27 - The Token Lounge - Detroit, MI
28 - Mod Club - Toronto, ON
30 - L'Anti - Quebec City, QC
31 - TBA - Montreal, QC

TBA - New York, NY
TBA - Philadelphia, PA

More dates will be announced shortly.

Seven Kingdoms lineup:

Sabrina Valentine - Vocals
Camden Cruz - Guitar
Kevin Byrd - Guitar
Keith Byrd - Drums
Aaron Sluss - Bass

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.

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”

Lineup:

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

German power metallers, Thunder And Lightning, have posted a new video, featuring a performance of Amon Amarth’s “Deceiver Of The Gods”. Watch below:

Footage of Thunder And Lightning performing the new track “Welcome To The Darkside” late last year in Berlin, Germany, can be seen below. The track is featured on the band’s new album, The Ages Will Turn, and the video was shot by Jan Henrik Bauer.

Orders for The Ages Will Turn can be placed here.

Tracklisting:

“The Ravaging Overture”
“Welcome To The Darkside”
“Silent Watcher”
“Black Eyed Child”
“Eternally Awake”
“Columbia”
“One Blood”
“The Ages Will Turn”
“Hysteria”
“Mary Celeste”
“The Ravaging Overture” (Extended Orchestral Version) (Pre-order bonus track download)

"One Blood" video:

“Eternally Awake”:

“The Ages Will Turn”:

For more on Thunder And Lightning, visit the band’s website, here.

Canadian melodic metal band, Borealis, will see their Fall From Grace album reissued on April 7th via AFM Records.

Says the band: “We proudly announce the reissue of our 2011 album, Fall From Grace. AFM Records will release it on April 7th. This new edition comes with slightly changed artwork (see our new logo used on the cover, for example) and a bonus track called "The Journey (Prologue)”. You might be familiar with the song as we uploaded it to YouTube (but only there) a while ago.”

The above mentioned bonus track is available for streaming below. Pre-order the album at this location.

Tracklisting:

“Finest Hour”
“Words I Failed To Say”
“Fall From Grace”           
“Where We Started”   
“Breaking The Curse”   
“Regeneration”        
“Watch The World Collapse”
“Take You Over”
“Forgotten Forever”
“The Journey (Prologue)” (Bonus Track)

“The Journey (Prologue)”:

Blacklight Media/Metal Blade Records announce the worldwide signing of Barcelona, Spain’s Syberia. Currently in writing mode, the instrumental rock quartet will release their third album in 2018, as the follow-up to their previous works: 2012's Drawing A Future and 2016's Resiliency.

Syberia comments: "We are very proud to be part of the Metal Blade family. It is a reference record label for all good metal-heads and a dream come true for us. Since we started the band, we have worked very hard to get here. We want to thank everyone in the label for the confidence they've placed in us, and especially to Chef Santos for recommending us. We can't wait to start working on our new album and to put our whole heart in it."

Interspersing influences from across the full spectrum of instrumental rock/metal, dream pop and shoegaze, Syberia juxtaposes order and grace with notions of cathartic freedom ‐ finding liberation in beautiful, uplifting melodies that never lapse into over-sentimentality. For their efforts, Syberia has received much praise from fans and media alike, resulting in European tours with bands such as Caspian, SleepMakeWaves, The Chameleons, Heirs, Constants, among many others. With their signing to Blacklight Media/Metal Blade Records, the group aims to reach new heights and deliver their unique brand of rock to audiences around the world.

Stay tuned for more news coming soon.

Syberia lineup:

Oscar Linares - guitar
Kandro Ruiz - bass
Jordi CE - guitar
Oscar Caselles - drums

(Photo - loveingreen.com)

Spanish atmospheric metal band, Foscor, are streaming the new track, “Ciutat Tràgica”, to be included on the band’s new album, Les Irreals Visions, out on June 9th via Season Of Mist. Listen to the track below, and pre-order the new album at this location.

Tracklisting:

“Instants”
“Ciutat Tràgica”
“Altars”
“Encenalls De Mort”
“Malfiança”
“Espectres Al Cau”
“De Marges I Matinades”
“Les Irreals Visions”

“Ciutat Tràgica”:

(Photo - Raquel Garcia)

The new video below features guitarist Thomas Zwijsen performing “God Gave Rock And Roll To You”, arranged for classical, acoustic, flamenco or fingerstyle guitar. "God Gave Rock And Roll To You" was originally written by Argent and covered by Petra and KISS. The KISS version was titled "God Gave Rock And Roll To You II", and was used for the film Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey, and later included on the KISS album Revenge.

The video below features Thomas Zwijsen and Ben Woods performing an acoustic version of Europe’s “The Final Countdown”. The clip was shot all over Europe during the Master Guitar Tour 2016. This fingerstyle/acoustic/flamenco/classical guitar arrangement was made by Thomas Zwijsen and Ben Woods especially for the tour.

In another video, Zwijsen performs a cover of the Judas Priest classic, “A Touch Of Evil”, alongside vocalist Laura Guldemond. Laura is the singer of Shadowrise, but you may also know her from Idols, or from performing with Dutch metal opera Ayreon.

It was reported back in March 2013 that German/Norwegian folk metallers Midnattsol were working on new material, but the band hasn't been heard from since. They have now broken the silence with an update: 

"Hey Folks,

If you can`t believe what you`re reading right now, we fully understand you, it has been years since the last album. Despite this, we can assure you that it`s true: Midnattsol is alive!

Lots of things have happened in our personal lives. There were new jobs, new loved ones and a lot of little 'sols' have entered in our lives. Still, we always kept on writing songs and just waited for the right moment to shine again. 

We appreciate your everlasting support deep within our hearts – thank you for never stop believing in us! A new era for Midnattsol has started, and we are more than ever eager and excited for the following time. More special news is waiting for you, and we`re pretty sure that at last one will blow you away. Stay tuned!"

Midnattsol's third album, The Metamorphosis Melody, was released in April 2011.

For information and updates on Midnattsol go to this location.