According to Billboard.com, WARRANT has recorded a remake of the classic Merle Haggard song "I Think I'll Just Stay Here And Drink" as the Professional Bull Riders' new "party anthem. The song will also appear on WARRANT's next album, "Louder Harder Faster", which will be released in April via Frontiers Music Srl.

"During the 2016 PBR World Finals, we were fortunate to have WARRANT headline Saturday night in Toshiba Plaza, and they put on an incredible show for our fans, said Sean Gleason, the CEO of PBR in a statement. "When we found out the band are PBR fans, we jumped at the chance to work together on a custom music project and to make them a featured act during the 2017 season."

The official video for "I Think I'll Just Stay Here and Drink" will be premiered at an official kickoff party at PBR St Louis in Ballpark Village on February 25, accompanied by a live performance. The clip was filmed Anaheim, prior to the PBR Built Ford Tough Series at the Honda Center last week.

"Creating a party anthem is what WARRANT loves to do and getting a chance to create one for the 'toughest sport on dirt' is a bonus," said WARRANT guitarist Erik Turner. "We're pumped up to rock PBR Bars and events all year long."

"Louder Harder Faster" was recorded with producer Jeff Pilson, a veteran bassist who has played with DIO, FOREIGNER, DOKKEN and T&N, among others, and is currently being mixed by Chris "The Wizard" Collier (FLOTSAM AND JETSAM, PRONG, LAST IN LINE).

Speaking to "The Rock Brigade" podcast, WARRANT singer Robert Mason stated about the long-awaited follow-up to 2011's "Rockaholic": "Our songs are turning out really cool. I'm pretty freakin' proud of this. I'm about as proud of this, vocally and performance-wise, as I was… I mean, the 'Rockaholic' record I love — still do — but the CRY OF LOVE record that I did a bunch of years ago, I'm still fiercely proud of those vocal performances. And it's not a reflection about the songs or the style or anything like that. It's just… For my two seconds of being selfish, 'cause I'm a lead singer and that's what people expect of me anyway, I'm really proud of the vocal performances on this record. And, obviously, we all do our part."

On the subject of the new WARRANT album title, Mason said: "Here's the way that came about. 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 [WARRANT guitarist] 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."

Regarding the musical direction of WARRANT's new album, Mason said: "I wanted to come out with a record that… And I know it almost sounds pompous to say, so I really hope people take this in the right spirit. True fans maybe will. My initial vision for this was, musically and sonically, between the big-anthem, memorable, hooky kind of stuff of 'Cherry Pie' [1990] and then the little bit darker, little bit harder of 'Dog Eat Dog' [1992]. And it kind of like… Towards the writing of it, [Jerry] Dixon's [WARRANT bassist] got a real pop sense, I just wanna do rock and scream. I talked with Joey early on, and I'm, like, 'Dude, I want this thing to just crush. We're not getting any younger. How many more years can we do a real serious rock record before it's comical because we're 70?' You know, like, really?"

Turner spoke to the "Talking Metal" podcast last fall about how WARRANT's new material was shaping up. He stated at the time: "I would call it a cross between classic '70s hard rock and '80s hard rock that we're known for, from everything that I'm hearing from the demos. It's pretty rocking stuff, but it has that melodic sensibility. We all grew up on pretty much the same bands. Robert's heavily influenced by not only '80s rock bands but guys like BAD COMPANY, Paul Rodgers, Steve Marriott… So a little more grit, a little more blues, rock, I would say, with some good melodies… That's how I would describe it."

At the helm for "Rockaholic" was mega-producer Keith Olsen (OZZY OSBOURNE, WHITESNAKE, SCORPIONS), while the mixing duties were handled by Pat Regan (KISS, DEEP PURPLE, TED NUGENT).

WARRANT solidified its current lineup in 2008 when Mason joined the four original WARRANT members: Turner, Dixon, Allen and drummer Steven Sweet.

Former WARRANT singer Jani Lane suffered from "acute ethanol poisoning" when he died in August 2011 at a Comfort Inn motel room in Woodland Hills, California. The singer had battled alcoholism for years and also had a history of alcohol-related arrests.

"Endure And Survive", the new Rich Pembridge-directed video from British heavy metal vocalist Blaze Bayley (IRON MAIDEN, WOLFSBANE), can be seen below. The song is the title track of his ninth solo album, which will be released on March 3 via Blaze Bayley Recording. The disc was recorded at Birmingham, England's Robannas Studios and said to be "an exciting and enthralling sequel" to his 2016 release "Infinite Entanglement", which was the first of a trilogy of releases following a sci-fi concept and storyline.

"Endure And Survive" will be accompanied by a world tour totalling some 120 shows. The European leg of the tour takes place principally between February and June 2017. After a small number of summer shows, Blaze will then go to the United States and Canada during August-September. It's also planned to take the tour to Latin America in 2018.

Throughout this world tour, Blaze will be backed by his main recording and touring musicians, picked from British metal band ABSOLVA and including Chris Appleton (guitar, backing vocals), Martin McNee (drums), Karl Schramm (bass, backing vocals).

In addition to the established bandmembers as above from ABSOLVA, "Endure And Survive" also contains a talented array of collaborators: Luke Appleton (ICED EARTH, ABSOLVA) on backing vocals; Michelle Sciarrotta on nylon acoustic, backing vocals, voice actor; Jo Robinson on backing vocals; Mel Adams on backing vocals; Liz Owen on backing vocals; Thomas Zwijsen on nylon acoustic, Anne Bakker on violin, backing vocals; Corvin Bahn (Uli Jon Roth) on accordion; Aine Brewer (voice actor); and Rob Toogood (voice actor) on backing vocals.

The spectacular album artwork has been completed by Andreas Sandberg, with additional images from Christopher Steenstrup who is also working on a Blaze Bayley video game.

"Endure And Survive" was recorded between October and December 2016, produced by Blaze Bayley and Chris Appleton, mixed and engineered by Miguel Seco, mastered by Ade Emsley (IRON MAIDEN, TANK, PHIL CAMPBELL). As with the previous record, the songwriting has been a collaboration between Blaze, Chris Appleton and Michelle Sciarrotta.

"Endure And Survive" track listing:

01. Endure And Survive02. Escape Velocity03. Blood04. Eating Lies05. Destroyer06. Dawn Of The Dead Son07. Remember08. Fight Back09. The World Is Turning The Wrong Way10. Together We Can Move The Sun

Pre-orders for the new album are available now at www.blazebayley.net/webshop.

2014-2015 was a period of building momentum for Blaze, partly created by the highly popular release of the fifteenth anniversary edition of his debut solo record, "Silicon Messiah", as well as his "Soundtracks Of My Life" thirty-year compilation celebrating his career since he began singing with his first band WOLFSBANE, before catapulting to worldwide fame with IRON MAIDEN.

2016 saw a significant renaissance with the remarkable plaudits given to the "Infinite Entanglement" album from fans and critics alike. The year was also notable for Blaze's special guest performance with DISTURBED at the U.K.'s premier festival Download when the warmth and recognition from the crowd was as crystal clear as it was predictable given Blaze's reputation for connecting with audiences.

SIKTH, the U.K.'s progressive metal forefathers, will release their brand new studio album on May 26. To coincide with the start of their European tour with TRIVIUM, SIKTH has premiered their first new single and lyric video for "No Wishbones".

SIKTH vocalist Mikee Goodman said: "I think SIKTH fans old and new will love this new tune, it has a lot of intricacy instrumentally and vocally, with a nice blend of extremes and melody." "No Wishbones" is the first track SIKTH has revealed from its new disc, which will be their first full-length since 2006's "Death Of A Dead Day" and follows on from last year's acclaimed "Opacities" EP, recorded after their reunion performance at the U.K.'s legendary Download festival. The digital single will be available to buy and stream from Saturday, February 11. Mikee continued, explaining this thought-provoking song: "'No Wishbones' was inspired by travelling to many places around the world and seeing the extremes of poverty and how some people have to live their lives; whilst also observing the financial wealth of others in those very places. It affected me deeply. Anyway, the song is just a reflection, I say in the lyrics I am just a commentator observing, like many of us." The vocals for SIKTH's new album are primarily being recorded at Mikee's own studio and at Adrian Smith's (IRON MAIDEN) R&R Studios; Mikee and Adrian Smith worked together previously on the PRIMAL ROCK REBELLION project. The guitars and drums were recorded at the renowned Monkey Puzzle House studios. Dan Weller is producing, alongside Adam "Nolly" Getgood (PERIPHERY), handling mixing duties. The new album is to be released via Millennium Night, the newly created imprint from Snapper Music, home of Peaceville Records and Kscope. The label imprint name, chosen by SIKTH, comes from the track taken from their debut 2003 album, "The Trees Are Dead & Dried Out Wait for Something Wild". Mikee explains: "We have signed to Millennium Night, which is a new division of Snapper Music; they decided they would invent a new label just for us, we don't fit in and we never felt the need to."

THE DOOMSDAY KINGDOM, the new solo project from CANDLEMASS bassist and songwriter Leif Edling, will release its self-titled debut album on April 7 via Nuclear Blast. The disc will contain eight epic doom tracks with a pinch of NWOBHM and haunting catchy melodies. Joining Edling on the effort are WOLF singer Niklas Stålvind, guitarist Marcus Jidell (AVATARIUM, SOEN, ex-EVERGREY), drummer Andreas "Habo" Johansson (NARNIA), as well as several guest artists.

The official lyric video for the song "A Spoonful Of Darkness", taken from "The Doomsday Kingdom", can be seen below.

Commented Edling: "I wrote 'A Spoonful Of Darkness' in Miami in May 2014. Me and my wife went there to get married and I was laying by the pool, sipping some drinks and I got this idea in my head for a song. This idea was spinning in my head and drove me totally crazy... it was the chords to 'A Spoonful Of Darkness'! And by the time I got home, I had already finished it in my mind..."

THE DOOMSDAY KINGDOM will make its live debut at the Roadburn festival in April.

"The Doomsday Kingdom" track listing:

01. Silent Kingdom02. Never Machine03. A Spoonful Of Darkness04. See You Tomorrow05. The Sceptre06. Hand Of Hell07. The Silence08. The God Particle

"I'm extremely happy that THE DOOMSDAY KINGDOM album is finally finished and ready to be released!", added Leif. "It's been a long windy road, to say the least, and many things and circumstances have been leading up to it. It is an album that I'm extremely proud of, from the cover artwork to the songs and sound. One of the best things I've done in my life!"

THE DOOMSDAY KINGDOM's debut EP, "Never Machine", was released in November via Nuclear Blast.

Edling stated about THE DOOMSDAY KINGDOM: "THE DOOMSDAY KINGDOM was created two years ago. I was in pretty bad shape. I couldn't go out, I couldn't work, I wasn't allowed to read, I couldn't watch telly and I wasn't allowed to work in front of the computer, so all I had was the music. And I created THE DOOMSDAY KINGDOM, metal from the catacombs."

THE DOOMSDAY KINGDOM is:

Niklas Stålvind - vocalsMarcus Jidell - guitarsLeif Edling - bassAndreas (Habo) Johansson - drums

"The Roman", the new video from EX DEO, the reactivated Ancient Roman-themed arsenal fronted by KATAKLYSM singer Maurizio Iacono, can be seen below. The song is taken from EX DEO's third album, "The Immortal Wars", which will be released on February 24 via Napalm Records. The cover artwork was created by renowned artist Eliran Kantor, who has previously worked with TESTAMENT, HATEBREED, SOULFLY and KATAKLYSM.

The CD's main concept deals with Punic Wars, a series of three wars fought between Rome and Carthage from 264 B.C. to 146 B.C. The epic legendary wars come to life and bring the showdown between two of the greatest generals that ever walked the earth, Hannibal and Scipio Africanus, both of whom rewrote the rules of war and strategies. The album also features other unexplored subjects on Ancient Rome surely to raise the epic level to the maximum. "The Immortal Wars" track listing:

01. The Rise Of Hannibal02. Hispania (The Siege Of Saguntum)03. Crossing Of The Alps 04. Suavetaurilia (Intermezzo)05. Cato Major: Carthago Delenda Est! 06. Ad Victoriam (The Battle Of Zama) 07. The Spoils Of War 08. The Roman KATAKLYSM guitarist Jean-François Dagenais once again took care of production duties, while Jens Bogren fine-tuned the whole affair at his mixing desk in Sweden.

Says EX DEO: "The new EX DEO album, 'The Immortal Wars', [is] a massive wall of sound and it will make our rivals in 'Roman-hating' bands sound like schoolgirls. The artwork is complete and the word 'epic' and 'dramatic' cannot be expressed more. The music will bring your urge to got to war on behalf of Rome to a level 10. People of the eternal city, feel the might, the album you have waiting for so long is here .. ready, strong and WILL destroy everything in it's path. Ave Roma!"

EX DEO's sophomore album, "Caligvla", was released in August 2012 via Napalm.

In 2016, founding ENTOMBED member Alex Hellid teamed up with brewmaster Dr. Andrés Furukawa of Macken Brewery to craft Entombed Sverige in celebration of the ENTOMBED legacy.

Entombed Sverige is what we call a Swedish Helles (a little darker than your typical Helles) with gold ingot color and delicate white foam head. A craft lager with remarkable noble hop aroma and delicious well-balanced taste with lingering dryness. A refreshing beer to enjoy.

Formula:

Malts: Bohemian Pilsner, Vienna, Munich Type I, and Melanoidin.Aroma hops: Magnum and Hallertauer Hersbruker.Dry-hopping: Styrian Goldings Bobek and SaazIBU: 35

For more information, visit SwedBeer.se.

In March 2016, the Swedish Patent And Registration Office rejected ENTOMBED singer Lars-Göran "LG" Petrov's bid to stop Hellid's trademark registration to sell beverages under the "Entombed" moniker.

Hellid and Petrov have been embroiled in a legal battle over the ENTOMBED name for several years. In 2014, Petrov was awarded the right to use the band name in connection with future recording and touring activities, a decision which Hellid appealed without success. The guitarist then went on to register a trademark for spirits production under the "Entombed" name. This move did not sit well with Hellid's former bandmate, who filed a letter of protest against Alex's registration of the name, claiming that it could be confused with band activities. He also said that Hellid acted in "bad faith" when he registered name and that there was a desire to "deceive the public."

Petrov's protest, however, found no favor with the Swedish Patent And Registration Office, which rejected his claims on the issue in a March 8, 2016 ruling.

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

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

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

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

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

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

A completely different version of ENTOMBED — featuring Hellid alongside fellow original ENTOMBED members Ulf "Uffe" Cederlund (guitar) and Nicke Andersson (drums) — played the band's groundbreaking 1991 album, "Clandestine", in its entirety at Malmö Live in Malmö, Sweden on November 12. Joining them at the show were Robert Andersson (vocals) and Nicke's half brother Edvin Aftonfalk (bass), both formerly of the Swedish death metal band MORBUS CHRON.

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

San Diego-based brutal death metal unit Condemned will release their third full-length, His Divine Shadow, on March 10th via Unique Leader.

His Divine Shadow is a vast, horrific tale of a darkened, parallel universe inhabited by an insect humanoid civilization that lives dominated and enslaved by a dark mysterious ruler whom they call "His Divine Shadow." Spread across ten tracks, Condemned carry on their brutal legacy with their signature brand of punishing riffs, fast, chaotic grooves, planet-rupturing breakdowns, Suffocation / Disgorge-ian style blasts, and an overall dark, menacing ambiance.

In advance of His Divine Shadow's official unveiling, the lyric video for "Legion" can be enjoyed below. Issues the band, "'Legion' is about manipulation and control. Being powerless in the midst of something greater than you. When your actions are no longer of your own volition and autonomy is lost. About being reduced to a pawn and used to carry out one's vilest machinations."

Condemned's His Divine Shadow was recorded and edited by producer John Haddad (Abysmal Dawn, Phobia, Intronaut) at Trench Studios in Santa Ana, California, mixed by Art Paiz at Mana Recording in St. Petersburg, Florida and mastered by Alan Douches (Cannibal Corpse, Converge, Mastodon) at West West Side Music in New Windsor, New York. His Divine Shadow comes swathed in the cover art of Swedish artist and designer Par Olofsson (Deeds Of Flesh, Cult Of Luna, Immortal), with album logo art by the lord of logos, Christopher Szpajdel (Emperor, Moonspell, Old Man's Child).

Tracklisting:

"Penumbræ"
"Dawn"
"Omniscient Perturbations"
"Legion"
"Ascending The Spectral Throne"
"Nefarious Sanguine Decree"
"His Divine Shadow"
"Pestilential Reign"
"The Hive Ablaze"
"World-Reaving Terror"

Sample third cut, "Omniscient Perturbations" now streaming at the Unique Leader Bandcamp audio player below.

His Divine Shadow by Condemned

Since the release of 2011's Realms Of The Ungodly, Condemned has weathered a variety of personnel changes leaving only original guitarist Steve Crow. Leading the way on vocals in 2017 is Sam Townsley who appeared as guest vocalist on the band's Desecrate The Vile debut in 2007. His unique vocal style demonstrates absolute pandemonium: low and powerfully deep roars complimented by creative vocal patterns. Manning the drum kit is Tyson Jupin (Vile) whose powerful hits, fast kicks, varied blasts, and solid execution elevates Condemned's inexorable heaviness tenfold. On bass guitar, is Ryan Reidy who shines with an innovative style, heavy dialed bass tones, and killer live performance skills. With the newly added members and a new album, Condemned returns to the death metal scene heavier than ever before. Believe it.

Finnish progressive melodic death metal band Damnation Plan have released a second single from their upcoming new album Reality Illusion, scheduled for release on March 10th. The single is a tribute to heavy metal legend Ronnie James Dio in form of the classic Dio track "Don't Talk To Strangers".

Drummer Jarkko Lunnas comments on the single release:

"For our first album as bonus tracks we had created our versions of the movie themes 'The Terminator' and 'The Running Man', to pay tribute to our childhood inspirations and heroics (and oh yes, we still get kicks out of them!).

So for this new album we wanted to do some cover track as well. We were throwing around some ideas to do some pop songs etc. until the idea to do Dio's 'Don't Talk To Strangers' came up. So, instead of a hologram we came up with our version of one of the late legend's finest tracks to honor his legacy. So here it is - 'Don't Talk To Strangers', in style of Damnation Plan!"

The band is currently running a Pledge Music pre-order campaign for the new album. In addition to the new album, the campaign provides exclusive pro-shot 10+ episodes video documentary about the making of the new album. 

Reality Illusion was mixed by Dan Swanö (Edge Of Sanity, Nightingale, Bloodbath) at Unisound Studios. The cover art and tracklisting are as follows:

"Intro"
"Beyond These Walls"
"Rulers Of Truth"
"Rise Of The Messenger"
"Blinded Faith"
"The Empowerment"
"Maze Of Despair"
"Iron Curtain Falls"
"Reality Illusion"
"A Chapter In Greed"
"The Final Destination"
"Don't Talk To Strangers" (Bonus Track)

Invictus Productions, in conspiracy with Dark Descent Records, have announced March 17th as the international release date for Ascended Dead's debut album, Abhorrent Manifestation. Invictus Productions will handle the album's European release, while Dark Descent will handle its North American release.

Surprisingly born under San Diego's sun, Ascended Dead are nevertheless as ugly as it can be: not by design nor by trying to sound that way, but just because that foul stench they ooze from every pore is their true nature. Frontman JR stresses that "Everything we've attained was built from the ground up, and we’d like to maintain as much of a stand-alone legacy as we can." They’ve had their fair share of struggles and obstacles to overcome - something well-documented in the booklet of last year’s self-released Ritus Mortuus compilation - but this somehow only strengthened their determination and musical idiosyncrasy.
 
Ascended Dead are a rare case of a band who just go for it and whose DNA is naturally carrying that FTW element - that simple idea of not waiting, an instinct to destroy everything in sight. Necrovore, Insanity, or even Sarcofago are just of some of the acts they’ve been compared to, but it doesn’t really matter, because after one raw-as-fuck demo, one EP, and two compilations, Abhorrent Manifestation is the sound of a band who have come to terms with their own bestiality, and instead of trying to tame it, they’ve decided to ride the wave and let it overflow everything.
 
Recorded last spring at Trench Studios in Corona, California, most of the album's ten songs are exclusive to this release, with only three being newer, more focused versions of tracks already presented on side A of The Advent tape and "Ensnared For Eternity" from the Arcane Malevolence EP, which has been given a new lease of life. Hear the first abhorrent manifestation via the Bandcamp audio player below, with the aptly titled track "Subconscious Barbarity." Cover art and tracklisting follow.

Abhorrent Manifestation by Ascended Dead

"The Promised Time"
"Blood Thirst"
"Perdition"
"Ensnared For Eternity"
"Dormant Souls"
"Subconscious Barbarity"
"Fissure of Chaos"
"Dawn Of Armageddon"
"Last Ritual"
"Inexorable Death"

Visit the official Ascended Dead Facebook page for further information.

 

South Wales, UK death metal outfit, Venom Prison, have released a music video for “Corrode The Black Sun” a track from the band’s debut full-length album, Animus, released last year via Prosthetic Records.

The video depicts the band playing in an abandoned house while a woman peels her skin away. "The idea behind the is about tearing away and shedding skin to become a new and better person," explains vocalist Larissa Stupar. "I was always fascinated with the fact that the Nazis were able to kill over six million people with the use of stationary facilities built exclusively for the purpose of mass extermination, while a whole nation categorically denied knowledge of the atrocities that were committed."

"Growing up in Germany, I have learned that people have trouble recognising that every cog and social issue had a part to play to some extent. It is a difficult reconciliation with the concept of collective guilt, but closing our eyes to the hands of psychopaths committing horrific mass crimes makes all of us responsible," says Stupar. "The ideals of fascism have been part of human history throughout. You see the same kind of lunatics marching with torches through German streets, the KKK is still performing their idiotic rituals yet the world still chooses to close its eyes while hate crimes are being committed."

Directed by Daniel Waverley Gray, you can stream the video below:

Recorded by Tom Dring at Vagrant Recordings (Dragged Into Sunlight, Electric Wizard), Animus is 10 tracks of aural assaulting brutality. Venom Prison tackle subjects such as social Darwinism, misogyny, rape culture and the rejection of God and religion. As seen below, the artwork for Animus was created by German based legendary artist, Eliran Kantor (Testament, Sigh) who worked closely with Larissa to capture some of the themes of the album.

Vocalist Larissa Stupar elaborates: “The album's lyrics capture and portray various forms of fighting an oppressive force. One of them struck Eliran's eye as the most livid out of them all. In Perpetrator Emasculation a rapist is being force-fed his own genitalia. It's not a secret that death metal art and lyrical content often involve violence against women and we liked the idea of turning the tables. That lyrical segment depicts the title and theme of the record very well and the visual execution makes your flesh crawl with vengeance."

Tracklisting:

“Syllogism”
“Abysmal Agony”
“Celestial Patricide”
“Desecration of Human Privilege”
“Corrode The Black Sun”
“Immanetize Eschaton”
“The Exquisite Taste of Selfishness”
“Devoid”
“Perpetrator Emasculation”
“Womb Forced Animus”

“Devoid” video:

“Celestial Patricide” video:

“Abysmal Agony”:

Trailer:

German ensemble of dread, Valborg, has signed with Prophecy Productions sub-label Lupus Lounge. The self-described "German metal monster" will release its new full-length LP, Endstrand, on April 7th.

Championed by Celtic Frost / Triptykon architect Tom G. Warrior as "abundantly original and unique" and "a mixture of Bohren und der Club of Gore, early Black Sabbath and Hellhammer", Valborg creates dense, inventive music that escapes categorization. The trio's blunt, forceful songs are at once raw and primitive yet hold a nihilistic sophistication that forges clouds of nightmarish atmosphere, giving them a narcotic, dreamlike feel that very few bands achieve.

Produced by Markus Siegenhort (Lantlôs), Endstrand is a 13 song end-time vision hosting apparitions of empty beaches, bunkers in the dunes, novel biological phenomena, washed up artifacts, noise distorted signals and omnipresent whirring, all of which float above the backdrop of Valborg's utterly barbaric death crunch. Forging brutal and wasted, yet powerful music, Valborg unleashes sound as scorched-earth policy on Endstrand, delivering an immersive mysteriousness and darkness that has earned the group the right to be called one of Europe's most exciting extreme metal bands.

"Working with Prophecy now feels natural and good to us," comments Valborg bass player Jan Buckard. "We're looking forward to a pleasant time together."

King Woman have released the track “Hierophant” from their upcoming debut full-length album, Created In The Image Of Suffering. The track is available for streaming below.

Due out February 24th, Created In The Image Of Suffering was recorded with engineer Jack Shirley (Deafheaven, Wreck & Reference, Oathbreaker) at the Atomic Garden in Palo Alto, CA.  Each song evokes rich, gloomy imagery with crumbling washes of blurred, billowing distortion densely layered atop hazy, psychedelic atmospheres that call to mind a surrealistic Black Sabbath fronted by Mazzy Star. Complete with deeply personal, introspective lyrics that serve as a catharsis for years of religious and mental torment, King Woman truly suffer to create their art.

Pre-order the new album at this location.

The band's debut EP Doubt (released on leading SF avant-garde imprint The Flenser in 2014) paired weighty subject matter such as religious abuse with cathartic, brooding, and hypnotic songwriting with a transcendental feel. With Esfandiari's lush and dramatic vocals, King Woman go far beyond mere stoner metal. The band's compositions call to mind rich, detailed imagery and powerful atmospheres that elevate their music beyond classification. King Woman’s mystical sound resonated strongly enough to catch the attention of Relapse Records, who signed King Woman in 2016.

Tracklisting:

“Citios” (Digital Bonus Track)
“Utopia”
“Deny”
“Shame”
“Hierophant”
“Worn”
“Manna”
“Hem”

“Hierophant”:

"Deny" video:

“Utopia”:

King Woman will tour throughout 2017. They’ll kick off the run with a string of west coast headline dates and have been tapped as support for part of the Oathbreaker US tour in March. Additionally, the band will tour Europe with True Widow and select dates with Chelsea Wolfe. Check out the full tour routing below.

February
17 - Oakland, CA - Starline Social Club  
18 - Olympia, WA - Obsidian
19 - Portland, OR - Bunk Bar
24 - Sacramento, CA - Starlite Lounge
26 - Los Angeles, CA - The Echo

March
14 - Brooklyn, NY - St Vitus
15 - Philadelphia, PA - Underground Arts *
16 - Washington, DC - DC9 *
17 - Asheville, NC - Mothlight *
18 - Nashville, TN - The End *
19 - Orlando, FL - Backbooth *
20 - Atlanta, GA - The Earl *
22 - Dallas, TX - Three Links *
23 - Houston, TX - Walter’s *
24 - Austin, TX - Sidewinder *

April
8 - Linz, AT - Kapu ^
9 - Vienna, AT - Arena ^
10 - Leipzig, DE - Felsenkeller ^
11 - Berlin, DE - Musik & Frieden ^
12 - Dresden, DE - Beatpol ^
14 - Antwerp, BE - Het Bos ^
15 - Leeds, UK - Brudenell Social Club ^
16 - Glasgow, UK - Saint Luke’s &
17 - Manchester, UK - Gorilla &
18 - London, UK - Heaven &
19 - Brighton, UK - The Haunt &
20 - Lille, FR - La Malterie ^
21 - Tilburg, Netherlands - Roadburn ^
23 - Karlsruhe, DE - Dude fest ^
24 - Lyon, FR - Le Periscope ^
25 - Nantes, FR - Le Ferraileur ^
26 - Paris, FR - L’Espace B ^
27 - Brussels, BE - VK ^
28 - Groningen, NL - Vera ^
 
* - with Oathbreaker & Jaye Jayle
^ - with True Widow
& - with True Widow and Chelsea Wolfe

(Photo - Rob Williamson)

Andorran prog/melodeath riff-masters Persefone have released an animated video for “Prison Skin”, a song from their upcoming fifth album, Aathma. The clip is available for streaming below.

Persefone’s own words about the song: "It's been some time since we finished and mixed the album. Although we couldn't wait to share this music with everyone, some steps have to be followed before the release. The wait is almost over. During this time we have had the chance to witness a highly appreciated feedback from media and now we are ready to finally show you the first single from Aathma. The single “Prison Skin” is the first full track of the album and makes a musical statement about how the album will develop musically and sets the mood for the lyrical concept. It was supposed to be a lyric video in the beginning, but the people behind this creation did such a great job that we decided to go with just the animation part. But please, make sure you read the lyrics as you listen to the music, because one part meets the other to bring this concept to live. Thanks for the patience, love and support."

Aathma, set for release on February 24th via ViciSolum Records, features Cynic's Paul Masvidal on the song "Living Waves", as well as on “An Infinitesimal Spark”.

Aathma was mixed and mastered by legendary producer Jens Bogren in his Fascination Street Studios (Sweden). The album includes the epic 20-minute title-track, with guest appearances from vocalist Merethe Soltvedt and Leprous guitarist Øystein Landsverk.

Aathma will be released as double vinyl, digipak, CD and digital. The cover was created by none other than Travis Smith, who shouldn't need further introduction. Smith also did the cover art for Persefone's last album.

Aathma tracklisting:

“An Infinitesimal Spark”
“One Of Many…”
“Prison Skin”
“Spirals Within Thy Being”
“Cosmic Walkers”
“No Faced Mindless”
“Living Waves” (feat. Paul Masvidal)
“Vacuum”
“Stillness Is Timeless”
“Aathma”
Part I. Universal Oneness
Part II. Spiritual Bliss
Part III. One With The Light
Part IV. …Many Of One

Tour dates:

April
7 - Barcelona, Spain - Razzmatazz
8 - Madrid, Spain - Changó
9 - Murcia, Spain - Garaje
11 - Milano, Italy - Barrio's Cafe
12 - München, Germany - Backstage
14 - Paris, France - La Boule Noire
15 - Nantes, France - La Ferrailleur
16 - London, England - Underworld Camden
17 - Essen, Germany - Turock
18 - Hoofddorp, Netherlands - Podium Duycker
19 - Nijmegen, Netherlands - Merleyn
20 - Hamburg, Germany - Markthalle
21 - Copenhagen, Denmark - Forbrændingen
22 - Stockholm, Sweden - Göta Källare

Persefone lineup:

Marc Martins: Vocals
Carlos Lozano: Guitars
Miguel Espinosa: Keyboards, vocals
Tony Mestre: Bass
Sergi Verdeguer: Drums
Filipe Baldaia: Guitars

Before there was technical death metal, there was Cryptopsy. Before there was Cryptopsy, well, there was a never-ending void of nothingness. Just as existence exploded onto the scene some 13.8 billion years ago, the year 1996 saw the birth of technical death metal delivered at bewildering and perplexing-yet-proficient velocities. This was the year of None So Vile. As that now-classic title implies, there had yet to be - and never will be - None. So. Vile.

In celebration of the twentieth anniversary of this venerable album, Cryptopsy will be bringing the entirety of None So Vile to the masses as part of the third annual Devastation On The Nation tour, which kicks off this coming May. From the terrifying roar of opener "Crown Of Horns", to the Army Of Darkness-procured sound clip of closer "Orgiastic Disembowelment", audiences will be pummelled into submission with all 32 minutes of this Northern Hyperblasting slab of extremity.

Joining Cryptopsy is a who's who of brute-tech force, which includes tech-death legends Decrepit Birth, Rivers Of Nihil, The Zenith Passage, The Kennedy Veil, and Visceral Disgorge. Rounding out this cataclysmic assemblage are musical extremists Seeker and Gloom.

Tour dates:

May
19 - Manchester, NH - Bungalow
20 - Hartford, CT - Webster Underground
21 - Brooklyn, NY - Saint Vitus Bar
22 - Clifton Park, NY - Trickshots
23 - Toronto, ON - Hard Luck
24 - Reading, PA - Reverb
25 - Baltimore, MD - Maryland Deathfest (Cryptopsy & Decrepit Birth only)
26 - West Columbia, SC - New Brookland Tavern
27 - Atlanta, GA - The Drunken Unicorn
28 - Fort Worth, TX - The Rail Club
29 - Laredo, TX - The Cold Brew (RON & TZP only)
30 - Houston, TX - Scout Bar
31 - Austin, TX - Grizzly Hall

June
2 - Mesa, AZ - Club Red
3 - Upland, CA - Gideon's Hall
4 - Santa Cruz, CA - The Catalyst
5 - Seattle, WA - Studio Seven
6 - Salt Lake City, UT - Metro Music Hall
7 - Denver, CO - The Roxy Theatre
8 - Kansas City, MO - The Riot Room
9 - Berwyn, IL - The Wire
10 - Dayton, OH - Oddbodys
11 - Montreal, QC - Foufounes Électrique

(Photo - Eric Sanchez)

Chicago-based technical/progressive metal group, Without Waves will release their new album, Lunar, on March 17th via Prosthetic Records. A video for the album track, “Never Know Quite Why”, is 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”

“Never Know Quite Why” video:

“Sewing Together The Limbs”:

Without Waves is:

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

On March 24th, Cut Up will release their sophomore album, Wherever They May Rot, worldwide via Metal Blade Records. Just as brutal as its predecessor, 2015's Forensic Nightmares, Wherever They May Rot offers a rougher edge and is catchier overall.

Pre-order the new album, which features artwork by Lukasz Jaszak, at this location. The first single, "From Ear To Ear", is available for streaming below.

Cut Up guitarist/vocalist Andreas Bjornson comments: "Wherever They May Rot is an utter bloodbath from start to finish. We have managed to push the savagery even further than before, also broadening our sound without compromising one inch of aggression. Everyone has performed at the top of their game and the new songs are without a doubt the strongest we've ever created, reaching new heights in both speed and heaviness. We have sharpened our blades and the thirst for blood is unquenchable. The year of 2017 belongs to Cut Up!"

Wherever They May Rot tracklisting:

“From Ear To Ear”
“Necrophagic Madness”
“Behead The Dead”
“Wherever They May Rot”
“Vermin Funeral”
“By Hatred Bound”
“Psychosurgery”
“In The Aftermath”
“Master Dissector”
“Cranium Crusher”
“Raped By The Blade”

“From Ear To Ear”:

Wherever They May Rot will be available in the following formats:

- Digipak CD (EU)/Jewelcase (US)
- 180g black vinyl (EU exclusive)
- olive green-marbled vinyl (limited to 300 copies - EU exclusive)
- brass colored vinyl (limited to 100 copies - EMP exclusive)
- green/black-marbled vinyl (limited to 100 copies - USA exclusive)
* exclusive bundles with a shirt, plus digital options are also available

Cut Up lineup:

Erik Rundqvist - vocals & bass
Andreas Bjornson - vocals & guitar
Anders Bertilsson - guitar
Tobias Gustafsson - drums

German grindcore goats, Milking The Goatmachine, will release their new album, Milking In Blasphemy, on March 31st via NoiseArt Records. Today the band presents a lyric video for “Farm Of Northern Darkness”, which is available for streaming below.

Tracklisting:

“Farm Of Northern Darkness”
“Nemesis Bettina”
“Straw Bale Apocalypse”
“Milking In Blasphemy”
“Add The Horn Of Winter”
“Freezing Hoof”
“Goats In A Throne Room”
“Where Fat Angels Cry”
“Milk Churn Funeral”
“GoatEborgian Hunger”
“Sliden Christi”
“Wolves Upon The Cross”
“Goat Mans Child”
“Endzitze”
“G.O.A.T.M.A.C.H.I.N.E
“In The Shedside Eclipsen”

“Farm Of Northern Darkness” lyric video:

Trailer #1:

Trailer #2:

Trailer #3:

Swedish hair metal outfit, Crazy Lixx, will release their new studio album, Ruff Justice, on April 21st. The new record celebrates Crazy Lixx’s 15th anniversary as a band and offers 10 hair/sleaze/80s metal gems that harken back to the height of the hard rock era.

The new songs draw inspiration from not only music, but also from 1980’s horror and action flicks and stand as a glowing reminder that pretty much everything was better in the 80s. With its big choruses, memorable hooks and riffs, impressive guitar solos, and a massive production by Danny Rexon and Chris Laney, this album is sure to resonate with old fans and new listeners alike.

“We’ve tried the same ‘all killers-no fillers’ approach that we’ve gone for on our previous albums, but this time, more than ever, I think we’ve come close to that vision,” says lead singer and producer Danny Rexon.

Ruff Justice will be the first Crazy Lixx album to feature the new lineup with Chrisse Olsson and Jens Lundgren handling axe duties.

“It does bring a certain feel to the album that I think we’ve been missing since the days of New Religion (2010). Once again the whole band pulls in the same direction and the end result, I believe, will be very well received among those who hold New Religion in high regards. If I would compare Ruff Justice to any of our previous albums, that would have to be the one,” Danny Rexon concludes.

The album also includes three songs which appear on the Friday The 13th video game soundtrack: “XIII”, “Killer“ and “Live Before I Die”. Friday the 13th: The Game is an upcoming survival horror video game developed by Gun Media and IllFonic, and published by Gun Media. It is scheduled for release in early 2017 for Microsoft Windows, Xbox, and Playstation 4.

Ruff Justice tracklisting:

“Wild Child”
“XIII”
“Walk The Wire”
“Shot With A Needle Of Love”
“Killer”
“Hunter Of The Heart”
“Snakes In Paradise”
“If It's Love”
“Kiss Of Judas”
“Live Before I Die”

Lineup:

Danny Rexon - vocals
Joél Cirera - drums
Jens Sjöholm - bass guitar
Chrisse Olsson - guitar
Jens Lundgren - guitar

Iron Reagan have released an absolutely uproarious claymation music video for the song “Fuck The Neighbors”, off of their recently released album, Crossover Ministry.  

Animation for the video was done by none other than Robot Chicken / Supermansion animator Johnny McHone, and depicts a claymation Iron Reagan dealing with a claymation disgruntled neighbor who is trying to bust up a house show that features a claymation circle pit, claymation destruction, and so much more.  

Released on February 3rd via Relapse Records, Crossover Ministry is comprised of 18 tracks in just thirty minutes. Mixed by Kurt Ballou and recorded by Iron Reagan guitarist Phil “Landphil” Hall, the album is a further continuation of the band’s punchy, thrashy gallops and unique hardcore punk attitude. Hear their vicious sermon at a circle pit near you in February and March (dates below) and stream Crossover Ministry in full below.

Iron Reagan are no strangers to the fine art of crossover thrash. Comprised of veterans Tony Foresta, Phil Hall, Mark Bronzino, Rob Skotis, and Ryan Parrish, between them they fill, or have filled the ranks of Municipal Waste, Cannabis Corpse, Mammoth Grinder, Darkest Hour and numerous other bands. Formed in 2012, the punk-metal quintet quickly released a demo EP followed by their debut full-length, Worse Than Dead via A389 Recordings, and splits with both Exhumed and Toxic Shock. The gang then signed to Relapse Records and released their self-produced sophomore full-length The Tyranny Of Will, mixed by Kurt Ballou (Converge) in 2014.

Since 2014, Iron Reagan have toured the world almost non-stop, with high-caliber acts in the punk, hardcore and metal worlds such as Poison Idea, Napalm Death, Voivod, Skeletonwitch, The Black Dahlia Murder, GWAR, Seven Seconds, Eyehategod, etc. including appearances at Hellfest, Full Terror Assault, Brutal Assault, This is Hardcore, Party San Open Air, and numerous others. Now in February and March 2017, Iron Reagan will tour North America with Power Trip (dates below).

Order the new album at this location.

Tracklisting:

“A Dying World”
“You Never Learn”
“Grim Business”
“Dead With My Friends”
“No Sell”
“Condition Evolution”
“Fuck The Neighbors”
“Power Of The Skull”
“Crossover Ministry”
“More War”
“Blatant Violence”
“Parents Of Tomorrow”
“Bleed The Fifth”
“Megachurch”
“Shame Spiral”
“Dogsnotgods”
“Eat Or Be Eaten”
“Twist Your Fate”

Album stream:

“Bleed The Fifth” video;

Infomercial:

Tour dates:

February (with Power Trip)
22 - Nashville, TN - The End (no Power Trip)
24 - Houston, TX - Walter's
25 - New Orleans, LA - Siberia
26 - Birmingham, AL - Saturn
27 - Raleigh, NC - Kings *
28 - Richmond, VA - Broadberry *+

March (with Power Trip)
1 - Baltimore, MD - Soundstage *+
2 - New York, NY - Marlin Room +&
3 - Pittsburgh, PA - Spirit +$
4 - Cleveland, OH - Now That’s Class +$
7 - Boston, MA - Elk’s Lodge
8 - Montreal, QC - Les Foufounes Electriques
9 - Ottawa, ON - Brass Monkey
10 - Toronto, ON - Velvet Underground
11 - Detroit, MI - Marble Bar
12 - Chicago, IL - Reggie’s
13 - Minneapolis, MN - Triple Rock
14 - Des Moines, IA - Vaudeville Mews
16 - Kansas City, MO - Riot Room
17 - Oklahoma City, OK - 89th Street Collective

* with Genocide Pact
+ withConcealed Blade
& with Krimewatch
$ with Protester

March
22 - Orlando, FL - Will’s Pub (with Wrong)
23 - Miami, FL - Churchill’s (with Wrong)
24 - Tampa, FL - Crowbar (with Wrong)
25 - Greensboro, NC - Blind Tiger

Mighty Music has announced the addition of UK-based old school death metal band, Repulsive Vision.

Says guitarist Matt Davidson: "Repulsive Vision are beyond thrilled to be working with Mighty Music and proud to be a part of their roster. Their support and understanding so far has been an amazing help to us and we are eager to bring our plans to fruition with this union.”

“Look past the gore and see the art”, a mantra that embodies the very soul of Repulsive Vision. The battle cry of anti censorship and open mindedness that influences the very meaning of the band itself. Heavily inspired by video nasties and their controversial history, this vicious four piece is a relentless assault of punk fuelled old school death metal in the vein of Obituary, Carcass, Napalm Death and Entombed.

Formed in 2010, Repulsive Vision has evolved over the years, eventually maintaining a strong current lineup consisting of Dan McEwan (vocals), Mark Kirby (bass), Gary Young (drums) and Matt Davidson (guitars).

Recorded in the depths of Newcastle at First Avenue Studios and mixed/mastered by Dean Thompson, Look Past The Gore And See The Art is a work built on frustration and old school inspirations to bring an honest and unstoppable piece of grinding death metal.

The debut album, Look Past The Gore And See The Art, will be released in stores and on all digital platforms on March 31st. More details to follow.

Inner Wound Recordings has announced the signing of melodic power metal band, Power Quest, to the label. The band will hit the studio in April and their new album is scheduled to be released in October.

Known for their catchy, uplifting sound and superb live shows, PQ are back to deliver their sixth album in conjunction with Inner Wound. Having toured with the likes of Helloween, Angra, Freedom Call and Symphony X to name but a few, the band are ready to take things to the next level.

Steve Williams of Power Quest comments: “I’m really pleased to have sealed the deal with Emil and Inner Wound for the release of the next PQ opus. We were in discussions for a couple of months, during which time the salient points of the deal were already agreed before I recently flew to Gothenburg to sign the agreement in person. In this age of faceless business it was refreshing to do things the old fashioned way. I'm really excited about this collaboration and we have a lot of cool things planned for the next 12 months.”

Emil Westerdahl of Inner Wound Recordings comments: ‘It's a true pleasure to announce the signing of Power Quest to the label. During the past few months that Steve and I have been in contact it's become clear that we share the same vision for the band and that Power Quest and Inner Wound is a perfect fit. I am really excited about the cooperation and also confident that together we'll be able to take Power Quest to the next level.”

Power Quest lineup:

Ashley Edison - Vocals
Steve Williams - Keyboards
Dan Owen - Guitars
Gav Owen - Guitars
Paul Finnie - Bass
Rich Smith - Drums

Upcoming Power Quest shows:

March
23 - Wedgewood Rooms - Portsmouth, United Kingdom
25 - Hammerfest - Pwllheli, United Kingdom

July
2 - Sin City - Swansea, United Kingdom
16 - SOS Festival - Manchester, United Kingdom

August
18 - Sabaton Open Air - Falun, Sweden

September
6 - ProgPower USA - Atlanta, GA

THE STARBREAKERS will debut at The Viper Room in West Hollywood, California on Saturday March 11. The all-star cover band features five of the most talented female musicians today. With unparalleled musicianship and looks that kill, they've mastered the art of the cover song — delivering a mind-blowing live show and unforgettable party. THE STARBREAKERS are professional international touring and recording artists, five blonde superstars who will rock your night and break your heart!

THE STARBREAKERS are:

* Jill Janus (HUNTRESS, CHELSEA GIRLS) - vocals* Nita Strauss (ALICE COOPER, THE IRON MAIDENS) - guitar* Courtney Cox (THE IRON MAIDENS, FEMME FATALE) - Guitar* Lindsay Martin (THE AVIATORS, GLAM SKANKS) - Drums* Emily Ruvidich (MISTY DAY) - Bass

Jill Janus began her musical journey as a child performing opera in Upstate New York. As a teenager, she traveled to Europe taking on coloratura soprano roles and was awarded a scholarship to the American Musical Dramatic Academy in Manhattan. Besides having a wealth of performances as a vocalist, Jill also had a very successful career as an international DJ in her 20s. Her charismatic persona and rare four-octave vocal range have made her one of the most unique performers in heavy metal today. With her band HUNTRESS, she's released three albums and toured the world with heavy hitters LAMB OF GOD, ARCH ENEMY and AMON AMARTH, to name a few. Having previously fronted the all-girl cover band CHELSEA GIRLS, Jill is thrilled to return to the stage once again performing cover songs with THE STARBREAKERS.

Los Angeles-born guitarist Nita Strauss has become a force to be reckoned with in the music world, dazzling audiences across the globe, and sharing the stage with a diverse range of artists, including rock legend Alice Cooper, R&B star Jermaine Jackson, early MTV darlings FEMME FATALE, video game supergroup CRITICAL HIT and popular tribute band THE IRON MAIDENS. Her skill, exuberant stage presence and love for all things about her instrument have earned her a stellar reputation and endorsements from many top companies. Nita has been featured on the covers of worldwide print magazines and on dozens of albums, trailers, and soundtracks, including "Heroes Of The Storm" (Blizzard) and Grammy-nominated "Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance" (Konami/Platinum Games); and is the author of the Premier Guitar column "Drop Dead Shred". Nita was also the official in-house guitarist for the LA Kiss, the arena football team owned by Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons of KISS. She is one of the most sought-after clinicians in the industry and has done extensive clinic tours across multiple continents. Her consistent touring schedule has shown her to play in front of over a million audience members in both 2014 and 2015. Nita is currently playing guitar for Alice Cooper and working on original solo material.

Courtney Cox, originally from Philadelphia, first picked up a guitar at the age of 13. While still in her teens, she received immense practical exposure during her tours and stage acts with established artists such as Adrian Belew, Jon Anderson, Perry Farrell and George Lynch. She co-founded QUEEN DIAMOND, a tribute band to KING DIAMOND. Courtney moved to Los Angeles in 2009, after which she officially became a member of the world-touring tribute band THE IRON MAIDENS. As a member of THE IRON MAIDENS, Cox's stage name is "Adriana Smith", a female version of IRON MAIDEN guitarist Adrian Smith. Courtney has also been a full-time member of FEMME FATALE since 2013.

Lindsay Martin grew up in Upstate New York and started playing drums at the age of ten. Being an accomplished drummer at a young age, she earned a scholarship to USC's Music Program. Lindsay's spent time touring Europe, worked as a respected drum technician and volunteers her skills at music camps for kids. Previously she's played with THE AVIATORS and GLAM SKANKS. She's known for her aggressive rock n' roll style and precision, citing Tommy Lee and John Bonham as influences.

Emily Ruvidich is a multi-faceted musician. In addition to guitar and bass, she's an accomplished classical pianist. Although she's only twenty years old, Emily has toured nationally with several tribute bands and is currently holding down a residency in Las Vegas with all-girl cover group MISTY DAY, playing guitar and keyboard.

Ravage, the traditional heavy metal and thrash act from Boston which formed in the mid 90's and released the full-length album, The End Of Tomorrow in 2009 today unveils the cover artwork and tracklisting for Return Of The Spectral Rider - a full length offering which will be released on May 26th through the band's own label, Society For World Wide Ravage Recordings.

The cover art was completed by artist Tim Jacobus, known mostly for his work on the Goosebumps series of horror novels.

The album was recorded and mixed by Ravage at their own Hellbent For Accoustics Studios in Malden, MA and was mastered by Peter Rutcho, who had previously mixed and mastered the band's The End Of Tomorrow album and is known for his work with such bands as Revocation, Bury Your Dead, Armory, and Vomitron.

Return Of The Spectral Rider is a complete re-recording of the band's first album, Spectral Rider, which was given limited release on Germany's Karthago Records in 2005.

Singer Al Ravage commented, "This is a collection of a lot of our favourite songs... they are the songs we end up playing most often live because they are just a lot of really fun songs that we have been playing forever. It is great to finally have a definitive recording of these tunes and we're really grateful to the guest musicians who came in and gave the recordings a lot of new life. We got a really cool artwork from Tim Jacobus and we're excited to finally be able to share this stuff with everyone after having had to endure the usual delays."

The album will be available in physical form exclusively as an extremely limited collector's edition numbered 12" vinyl. A deluxe digital download format with bonus tracks will be available different platforms across the web. More information on the coming pre-order will be available at the band's website and Facebook page.

A preliminary mix of one of the tracks is streaming below.

Tracklisting:

“Dies Irae”
“Spectral Rider”
“Turn The Screw”
“The Wicked Way”
“Masque Of Black Death”
“Ravage Part 1: Damage”
“Whyvern”
“Wake The Dead”
“The Wasteland”
“Curse Of Heaven”
“Bring Down The Hellhammer”
“The King Forgotten”
“Father Of The Atom” (Bonus Track)

Ravage has scheduled the following live shows to support the upcoming release:

March
21 - Somerville MA - Once Ballroom
25 - Providence RI - Firehouse 13 (with Matthias Steele)

April
27 - Worcester MA - Ralph's Diner

(Photo - Stephen Schmidt Photography)

 

"Poontang Boomerang", the new video from the internationally renowned glam rock band STEEL PANTHER, can be seen below. The song is taken from STEEL PANTHER's upcoming album, "Lower The Bar", which will be released on March 24 via Kobalt Music Recordings. The clip explores the true meaning of "not sticking your dude piston in crazy." STEEL PANTHER recently made headlines when they were hired by Sofia Vergara to perform at her husband Joe Manganiello's 40th-birthday party, and according to sources, "It was the biggest Hollywood rager in years."

"Lower The Bar" is STEEL PANTHER's fourth studio album and is the follow-up to their 2014 chart-topper "All You Can Eat", which debuted at #1 on Billboard's Top Current Comedy chart and #24 on their Top 200 Album chart.

For the uninitiated, STEEL PANTHER was formed in 2000 and is Michael Starr (lead singer), Satchel (guitarist), Lexxi Foxx (bass) and Stix Zadinia (drums). Hailing from Los Angeles, the epicenter for rock n' roll in all its debauchery and glamour, STEEL PANTHER has established themselves as the world's premier party band, melding hard rock virtuosity with parody and criminally good looks. STEEL PANTHER have three full-length albums, toured across the world, enjoy platinum-level YouTube status and have, to their name, high-profile television appearances such as "Jimmy Kimmel Live!", "Larry King Now" and "FOX NFL Sunday".

STEEL PANTHER recently released a video for its sexified" version of the CHEAP TRICK song "She's Tight". Cameos in the video include CHEAP TRICK's Robin Zander, Bobbie Brown, Paris Michael Jackson (the late singer's daughter) and Tony Palermo (PAPA ROACH).

British heavy metal band SKYCLAD will release its thirteenth studio album, "Forward Into The Past", on April 28 via the French label Listenable Records. The follow-up to 2009's "In The… All Together" marks the return of guitarist Dave Pugh to SKYCLAD's lineup as a permanent member.

Since their inception, SKYCLAD have created songs out of a highly original and influential sound mixing heavy metal and traditional folk. Their lyrics have been generally permeated by political, social and environmental matters and the new album seems to be no exception, as vocalist Kevin Ridley comments: "The songs are about politics, the environment and the music business and so on. These are mixed with the standard SKYCLAD fayre of traditional bawdy/drinking type of songs and songs with blues and more 'ethnic' feels."

The cover artwork for "Forward Into The Past" was painted by Duncan Storr, who has previously worked with EDGE OF SANITY, RAGE and HAWKING. The cover displays the mesmerizing face of a man made out of trees and branches. Ridley elaborates: "The 'green man' or 'storyteller' image used here is a traditional image (from Roman times at least in the U.K.) which is usually taken as 'showing the close interdependence between man and nature"

That natural feel is also largely expressed in the album production. "I think the new album sounds, warm, natural and 'real' (i.e. not processed or overproduced)," Ridley says.

"Forward Into The Past" track listing:

01. A Storytellers' Moon (intro)02. State Of The Union Now03. Change Is Coming04. Starstruck05. A Heavy Price To Pay06. Words Fail Me07. Forward Into The Past08. Unresolved (instrumental)09. The Queen Of The Moors10. Last Summer's Rain11. The Measure12. Borderline13. A Storytellers' Moon (outro)

According to Billboard.com, METALLICA earned its ninth No. 1 on Billboard's Mainstream Rock Songs airplay chart with its latest single, "Atlas, Rise!"

The band previously scored chart toppers with "Hardwired" (also from METALLICA's latest album, 2016's "Hardwired… To Self-Destruct"); "The Day That Never Comes" and "Cyanide" (from 2008's "Death Magnetic"); and "Until It Sleeps" and "Hero Of The Day" (from 1996's "Load").

METALLICA's latest accomplishment puts the band in a tie for fifth place among all acts for the most No. 1s since the chart launched in 1981. The new No. 1 ties the quartet with AEROSMITH, while VAN HALEN leads with 13 toppers.

In the song "Atlas, Rise!", METALLICA frontman James Hetfield calls out Atlas, the Greek mythological figure which was responsible for bearing the weight of the heavens on his shoulders, a burden given to him as punishment by Zeus.

Hetfield told Rolling Stone Australia that he had his METALLICA bandmate Lars Ulrich in mind when he wrote the lyrics to the track. "Lars is, 'I have to do everything, or else it's wrong,'" he explained. "He's got the weight of so much on him. And 'Atlas, Rise!' started out as a, 'Here, let me help you with that. You don't need to carry all that, brother.' And then it morphed into more — and this is not specifically him, but I'm plugging him into this — I think he likes that. There's a drama that makes him work, and we all have a bit of that. He wants the control but he doesn't really have control. The illusion of control, and then the ability to complain about how you have to do everything yourself, and then you still do it."

"Hardwired… To Self-Destruct" debuted at No. 1 on The Billboard 200 album chart, selling 291,000 copies in its first week of release. The effort consists of two discs, containing a dozen songs and nearly 80 minutes of music.

According to Alternative Press, AS I LAY DYING frontman Tim Lambesis has been released from prison after serving less than half of his six-year sentence for conspiracy to commit murder.

Lambesis was discharged from a California detention facility on December 17, 2016 and was transferred to the Division of Adult Parole Operations.

The news of Tim's release surfaced earlier today after BLABBERMOUTH.NET posted an interview with former DOKKEN axeman George Lynch from the Monsters Of Rock cruise in which the guitarist, whose daughter was once engaged to AS I LAY DYING's Nick Hipa, discussed his relationship with Lambesis. "He just got out of jail for attempting to kill his wife," George said during the chat. "He's got a mega record deal. He's got a book deal. Everything's lined up for him. I mean he's going to skate through life.

"Everybody else is suffering. His wife is living in fear. His children are living in fear."

Back in May 2014, Lambesis was given a six-year prison sentence without probation for his role in the murder-for-hire plot.

The now-36-year-old musician was arrested in May 2013 after handing the "hitman" — really an undercover police officer — $1,000 in cash, along with his wife's address and gate security codes.

Lambesis spent 24 days in a local jail (and given credit at sentencing for 48) after his initial arrest before he paid $160,000 in fees to the bondsman who posted his $2 million bail. The singer was on house arrest at his parents' home in Del Mar, California, wearing a GPS monitor, from June 2013 until his sentencing in May 2014.

Investigators said the undercover cop operation was staged after Lambesis told a man at his gym at Pure Fitness back in April 2013 that he wanted his wife killed. Lambesis was allegedly complaining that she was making life difficult for him, that it was hard for him to see his children and that it was impossible for them to complete their divorce.

"[Lambesis said that] he wasn't allowed to visit his kids, he wasn't allowed to see his kids, he wasn't allowed to take his kids out of the state to go on tour with him, and that angered him," the undercover officer testified. "And the fact that his wife was gonna get a large portion — up to 60 percent — of his income [as part of a divorce settlement]."

Two weeks before his sentencing, Lambesis gave an interview to a probation officer, who then prepared a report which included the following quotes from Tim:

"There is not a day that goes by that I don't wish I could undo this….

"An apology to Meggan does not seem like enough to make it up to her. I don't have any animosity towards her and I have deep remorse….

"We had a difficult separation…. I was trying to fight for my kids through the courts but was not seeing any results. I felt helpless and I began to feel desperate….

"I was in a different mindset due to the separation and custody experience and my mind was altered due to the steroid use.

"My steroid use was affecting many decisions in my life.

"I am not a risk to her (Meggan) in the slightest way….

"If you look at the majority of my life, this was out of character for me. I don't have a history of violence. I have never been an angry person. Given the potential of my future, I feel that I can be an asset to others if I am allowed to remain in the community."

Lambesis in 2015 filed a lawsuit against a California medical team alleging that he was not given a prescribed medication for nearly two months prior to his incarceration, resulting in him developing gynecomastia (enlarged breasts). Public records show that his lawsuit was dismissed in October 2016 with prejudice, possibly because the parties had reached a settlement agreement.

Metal Mark of Ghost Cult magazine recently conducted an interview with guitarist/vocalist Mille Petrozza of German thrash metal veterans KREATOR. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow below.

Ghost Cult: Throughout the thirty years, you've seen the metal scene go through many trends, yet the band has stayed relevant amongst all of it. How do you best explain how you've accomplished that?

Mille: "That's a good question. I think it simply comes down to us trying to do our best at all times. Plus, we have to live up to our name. If you're in KREATOR, and you stop being creative, what's the point? That may sound kind of cheesy, but it's true. Either we live up to the name, and what it stands for, or there's no point for us to release any new music. Luckily, we've had the right members come in and out over the years to keep the creative juices flowing, and I feel like we are as strong as we've ever been right now. I feel like you can really hear that in the new record, and that makes it very special to me."

Ghost Cult: This new record ["Gods Of Violence"] comes out four years after "Phantom Antichrist" was released, and the response to that album was massive. Did that put any extra pressure on you guys when you began writing the new material?

Mille: "I would say it did, but in a good way. It gave us a healthy push to do our very best. I'll be honest, it was a real challenge to top that record, but I think we've done it. We knew how much fans enjoyed that record, so when we began writing the new music, we really wanted to give the fans something just as exciting, if not more, you know. I know a lot of bands write for themselves, as we do, but we really want to make sure the fans are happy as well. If it has the KREATOR name on it, it has to be something special."

Ghost Cult: As you always have, you guys released the two singles with videos, and they came out amazing. A lot of bands have lost faith in videos, yet you continue to put so much effort and time into each one. Why are they still so important to you?

Mille: "I love videos. I always have, and I always will. I think that it's a great way to support the music, and visually make it come to life. I know there aren't any outlets on television anymore, but YouTube is huge, and people still watch them, and it gets them talking. Some people love them, some don't. Either way, it brings up discussion, which is a good thing. We will continue to release videos for as long as we can. It's an important thing in KREATOR, and the two we've released so far came out spectacular."

Ghost Cult: The lyrics on this record focus a lot on the violence surrounding us, and it seems like every day we hear about another shooting, or terrorist attack. Humans are supposed to evolve, but it seems like we've been going backwards recently, and hate is leading the way.

Mille: "It's interesting and scary to look at the world right now. As you said, we hear about a new tragedy every day, and the ugliness seems to overthrow the beauty of this world. All we can do is stay optimistic and cherish the good times when they happen. I truly believe we will be okay, even in the confusing times we live in now. We just must stay positive and promote the beautiful things. For KREATOR, we promote our music, peace, and the idea of a healthy lifestyle. I think that's as much as we can do in a band. We have a voice, so we should use it for good things, and help people escape what's going on around them. I'm very proud to say that we've done that for over thirty years now."

Read the entire interview at Ghost Cult magazine.



North American cover (by Marcelo Vasco):



International cover (by Jan Meininghaus):

DREAM THEATER guitarist John Petrucci has weighed in on underdog Donald Trump's stunning upset of Hillary Clinton in the U.S. presidential election, saying that everybody should give the real estate mogul a chance to perform and deliver on his promises.

Trump surprised the political establishment and the world by becoming the 45th president in one of the biggest upsets in U.S. political history. He won with 306 electoral votes compared to 232 for Hillary Clinton. 270 were needed to win. Clinton, however, handily won the popular vote, despite losing the overall election.

Acknowledging that it was "a wild period" leading up to Trump's election in November, Petrucci admitted to Spark TV (part of the Czech monthly magazine Spark) that, as an American, he was "very actively interested in the election process," calling it "a forever-changing landscape in so many ways."

Asked for his opinion of Trump as President, Petrucci said (see video below): "I like him. I think that we should give him a chance and see what he can do. He's obviously very different. He's not a politician, but he's a successful man, and let's see what he can do, and I think great things are in store. So hopefully everybody will give him a chance and see what happens."

DREAM THEATER is celebrating the 25th anniversary of its milestone RIAA-gold-certified album "Images And Words" on a European tour, which kicked off on January 30 in Rome, Italy. Each performance sees the iconic progressive rock band delivering an unparalleled live set of "Images And Words" in its entirety along with fan favorites from their renowned catalog.

In a brand new interview with Newsweek, METALLICA frontman James Hetfield spoke about the band's tributes to Ronnie James Dio and MOTÖRHEAD's Lemmy Kilmister on the deluxe edition of METALLICA's new album, "Hardwired… To Self-Destruct", with the songs "Ronnie Rising Medley" and "Murder One", respectively.

"We all have our mentors, and we need them, or at least I do," Hetfield explained. "I need someone who I'm lookin' up to, to either try and chase or learn from. We were asked by Dio's wife, Wendy, to contribute to [2014's 'Ronnie James Dio - This Is Your Life' tribute album]. And that was kind of a no-brainer. We're no strangers to doing covers. So the 'Ronnie Rising Medley' was kind of a combination of all the good stuff we loved from Dio. It's great to challenge myself with singing stuff like that. It helps me grow. And it also helps me push limits that I think I'm stuck in."

He continued: "Lemmy in particular was an icon, sort of a godfather for people who love heavy metal. He was the captain of the ship. And we all felt he was immortal [laughs], doing the hard, hard, hard livin' for such a long time on the road, and just really goin' for it. [Laughs] We knew it would come to an end at some point. But we really didn't expect it. There's certainly no METALLICA without a MOTÖRHEAD."

Hetfield added: "We would get to jam with Lemmy. He was a very friendly guy. We covered quite a few of their songs. You know, MOTÖRHEAD never made it into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame, which is a shame. But he did win a Grammy for a song called 'Whiplash' that we had recorded on 'Kill 'Em All'. We were trying to write a MOTÖRHEAD song. He covered our song [for MOTÖRHEAD's 2006 album, 'Kiss Of Death'] that was kind inspired by him, and he wins a Grammy for it. That is very cool."

During a September 2016 Town Hall event at SiriusXM's New York studios, METALLICA drummer Lars Ulrich stated about the inspiration for "Murder One": "In the summer of 1981, I followed MOTÖRHEAD around on tour. That was what made me want to be in a band. When I came back to Southern California and called up James and said, 'Listen, we've got to give this a shot,' ... MOTÖRHEAD is the catalyst."

Shortly after Lemmy's passing, Ulrich penned a lengthy tribute to the MOTÖRHEAD mainman in which looked back on the influence Lemmy had not just on METALLICA but also on him personally.

"I was down at [Lemmy's] 70th party [on December 13, 2015 at the Whisky A Go Go in West Hollywood], and I got a chance to sit with him for about ten minutes, just him and me. I told him that his obligation to the rock and roll community was to live forever because his birthday party was like a hard-rock class reunion," he wrote in part. "Everybody was there because Lemmy's one of the few people we can all agree on who is just the coolest guy ever. We would all show up. I told him it was his obligation to live forever, because he was the reason we could all get together and celebrate hard rock and celebrate MOTÖRHEAD and see familiar faces because we're all so scattered now. Obviously I could tell that he was in deteriorating health but we had a close bond, one that didn't necessarily need to be reaffirmed or articulated. The less we said the more we knew the connection was there."

Lars added: "Whenever METALLICA played L.A., [Lemmy] would always come and watch us, and whenever MOTÖRHEAD was up here, we'd always go and see them play. We probably crossed paths 50 to 100 times in the last 20 years, and he came and played with us onstage multiple times. It was a bond that deep and it goes back to the crazy summer of 1981.

"I will always appreciate and forever cherish all the great times we had together, but especially those early days. We were so vulnerable, so moldable because a significant part of who we've become, both in the band and as people, is directly due to not just him but all the rest of the people who were inspired and drank from the same bottles and shared the same stories and same space. His spirit will always live in us."

"Hardwired... To Self-Destruct" came out in November. The effort consists of two discs, containing a dozen songs and nearly 80 minutes of music.