Amaranthe vocalist Jake E., who is currently on hiatus, has checked in with the following update:

"In the beginning of 2017 the young and up and coming Finnish band Ember Falls will release their debut album through Spinefarm/Universal Music. I had the honor and the great privilege to produce the album as well co-write a lot of the songs. The album was mixed by no other then the Danish master producer Jacob Hansen (Volbeat, Amaranthe, Epica), and it was fun to work side by side with him once again, but in a completely different role this time.

February 17th is a very important date. That´s the day when Ember Falls debut album will be released worldwide!" 

The album tracklist is as follows:

"The Cost of Doing Business"
"Falling Rain"
"Of Letting Go"
"The Enemy You Need"
"Freedom"
"COE"
"Rising Tide"
"Open Your Eyes"
"One More Time"
"Shut Down with Me"
"The Lamb Lies Down in Sacrifice"

Comatose Music welcomes Posthuman Abomination to the growing ranks of the death metal elite. The band has marked the occasion with the release of its first-ever track, "Crafting Life".

This accomplished Italian trio was formed in 2014, comprised of musicians from Devangelic, Natrium and Xenomorphic Contamination. Originally founded as a studio project only, Posthuman Abomination has now focused their attention to becoming a band that is active and performing live. 

The group is currently hard at work composing its debut full length, Transcending Embodiment, which is planned for release in early 2018. Inspired by the likes of Suffocation, Disavowed and Deeds Of Flesh; expect a hard hitting bombardment of supreme brutal death metal. 

Posthuman Abomination lineup:

Lorenzo Orrù - vocals
Max Santarelli - guitars
Marco Coghe - drums

 

Svart Records has announced March 10th as the international release date for Lubricant's Swallow This collection. Lubricant were one of the forerunners of the rock-influenced strain of old-school death metal, along with such bands as Xysma and Wolverine Blues-era Entombed. Their brief lifespan consisted of one demo and and one mini-album originally, which are now compiled together on this release.

The demo, Swallow The Symmetric Swab, was recorded in 10 hours by enthusiastic death-obsessed teenagers and distributed via the tape-trading scene worldwide. The tape proved an underground hit, with over 2000 copies manufactured. Cult German label Morbid Records grabbed the band, and the deal resulted in the Nookleptia mini-album, released on CD and vinyl in 1993.

Lubricant have recently reactivated themselves with the original lineup, but back in the day, they existed for a mere few years. Their original approach to death metal and grind won over many fans, and they soon became a cult act, with many shows around Europe.

Entitled Swallow This, this compilation of Lubricant's vintage material has been remastered according to the band's original vision. It restores much of the dirt and venom not entirely present on version which ended up on the original Nookleptia vinyl. Hear the first evidence of this restoration at Svart's Soundcloud audio player with the track "Semistarvation". The cover and tracklisting follow.

"Telesyphilis Of Exfetation"
"Paralysis Bulbaris"
"Imperious Radiopraxis (Tabidus Scatter)"
"Inflammatorius Pulmonectomia"
"Pulpectomy"
"Monohemerous Joy"
"Thrombose"
"Declaration Of Gallopping Consumption"
"Laceration Of Vasoconstrictive Emotion"
"Expulsive Gastroscopia"
"Semistarvation"

 

 

Maryland doom legends THE OBSESSED will release their first studio album in over twenty years, "Sacred", on April 7 via Relapse Records. The song "Razor Wire", taken from "Sacred", can be streamed below. Comments THE OBSESSED guitarist/vocalist Scott "Wino" Weinrich: "I can honestly say I think this is the best-sounding recording of my career, and I am excited to release it on Relapse.

"This song 'Razor Wire', I have been carrying around the title concept and main riff in my pocket for a couple years. The full song was born after applying real life experiences, with a little wishful thinking! Fuck control." "Sacred" will be made available on CD, LP, deluxe double LP, and digital formats. Physical preorders and bundles are available via Relapse.com here and digital downloads can be preordered by Bandcamp at this location. The deluxe 2xLP bundle includes an enamel logo pin, signed art print, and two bonus tracks. "Sacred" track listing:

01. Sodden Jackal02. Punk Crusher03. Sacred04. Haywire05. Perseverance Of Futility06. It's Only Money07. Cold Blood08. Stranger Things09. Razor Wire10. My Daughter My Son11. Be The Night12. Interlude13. On So Long (bonus)14. Crossroader Blues (bonus)

Weinrich, who has also played with SAINT VITUS, SPIRIT CARAVAN, THE HIDDEN HAND and SHRINEBUILDER, was joined in THE OBSESSED's most recent touring lineup by Bruce Falkinburg on bass and vocals, Brian Constantino on drums and Sara "Seraphim" Claudius (ex-ARMAGEDDON) on guitar.

Weinrich announced THE OBSESSED's return in March 2016 on social media, explaining in a statement: "All over the world I've listened to friends tell me, 'We want you to bring back THE OBSESSED,' so I have decided to resurrect THE OBSESSED." He added that he was "waiting for the right combination of ability, attitude and personality to accomplish this goal."

Forged in 1976 in Maryland, THE OBSESSED weathered various lineup shifts and an on-again-off-again status over the course of a winding, forty-year history. The band released three now-legendary full-lengths — 1990's "The Obsessed", 1991's "Lunar Womb" and 1994's "The Church Within" — as well as a gaggle of seven-inch singles and compilation appearances.

"The Church Within" was Wino's most critically hailed album. Despite being co-released by Hellhound Records and the major label Columbia Records, the music-buying masses were not ready to embrace doom in 1994 and instead fixated on buying records by rehashed pop-punk bands. Several factors led to "The Church Within" becoming THE OBSESSED's last full-length album. Despite not becoming a top-seller, the album remains hugely influential.

RATT singer Stephen Pearcy was interviewed by rock journalist Mitch Lafon for a recent edition of the "One On One With Mitch Lafon" podcast (Facebook page). You can listen to the chat below. A couple of excerpts follow (transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET).

On RATT's plans to record the follow-up to 2010's "Infestation" album:

Stephen: "'Infestation' wasn't brilliant. It was good. We didn't hit our mark, and Warren [DeMartini, guitar] and I know that — because Juan [Croucier, bass] wasn't involved. This next thing we do, it's gonna be the same schematic I used with [my new solo album] 'Smash': time and effort. Something that we really didn't have a lot of back in the day, because it was, like, go on the road for two hundred dates, and then you have a few months off, and you're in the studio for three months, and then you've got a month off, and then you're on the road. And this time it's gonna be different. We wanna do something special. We want it to be brilliant, and we're gonna take the time and effort to do it. We just don't wanna go out there and… I mean, of course, we're gonna go out there and play the hits and do what we do, but at the end of the year, we wanna start on the record. It's part of the plan of us getting together in the first place — the three of us [me, Warren and Juan] — and going through the mess that we did to protect this entity, and to step up and finally say, 'Okay, this is big-rock time. This is 'stop the bullshit,' all this nonsense that's going on.' So, you know, expect the best… I mean, expect hopefully more than the best when it comes down to a new RATT record, because it'd better be a hundred times better than 'Smash'."

On the motivation for RATT to make new music instead of just touring the world and playing the hits:

Stephen: "Well, number one, the thing that keeps getting us back together is the music. I mean, we don't really always hang out. It's a business. Back in the day, we forgot about the music business — which some people did — and this time around, we want to make music. That's what we do, that's what I do, and that's what always pulls us back together. Of course, we go through this and that and all these complications that dysfunctional bands do to be successful. I mean, it's almost like if you're not dysfunctional when you have success, you've never really made it, unfortunately. You've gotta earn those stripes. But no, we want to write a record because we wanna prove to ourselves that we can bust some ass. And it's not about just going out and playing the hits. We know we're classic rock. We've been there, we've done it many times over. There's no point to make. But when it comes down to music, it's very important still. And to go out and even play performances now that we're gonna do — these festivals, the Rocklahomas and the Rock Fests and the M3s — the handful we have right now just to step up, we're gonna be playing the best you've ever heard us. I mean, it's a totally different sober environment for all of us. And it's gonna be a whole another world."

On the songwriting chemistry between him, Warren and Juan:

Stephen: "Well, first off, without Robbin [Crosby, late RATT guitarist], we're not really complete. All I can do is make sure he's channeled in there somewhere and his legacy lives on and he's not forgotten. I mean, even when I write my own music, I think about Robbin… So when it comes to the three of us now, we want the best… I don't know… It's like adding these strange chemicals and you get this something that only you can do together. Juan writes, I write, Warren writes… you put us all together — bingo. But without Robbin, it's not really the same, but all we can do is do our best and keep his spirit and his… or me, keep him in that mix, as I'm doing what I'm doing, 'cause he was a big part of what we did. So we're gonna do the best we can as far as putting something out."

On who will play drums for RATT at the upcoming shows and beyond:

Stephen: "As far as I'm concerned, that is yet to be seen or announced. I think Jimmy [DeGrasso] will be in on the first show, and then we'll see what happens. We're talking about something to where I think, and hopefully we all believe, that we want the best for what we're going to do for the next couple of years. And no disrespect to anybody, that's what's gonna happen, and we haven't decided, I haven't decided, and we'll see what happens. But I know who we pull in for the long term is gonna be special."

On RATT's future plans now that the band has regained the rights the name from drummer Bobby Blotzer:

Stephen: "The solo stuff is just… that turns me on, that fulfills my own trip, and that's not going anywhere. I'll do that for as long as I feel like doing it. RATT, like I said, is a whole different machine. I don't even wanna get into the whole thing of it… It was never lost; it was returned. I do write for TV and other things, and so, for RATT, all of us, I believe, would like to see a good two, three years… I don't wann do this… You know, I've got other things I wanna do. I wanna sponsor my race cars, I wanna, you know… Who knows? Walk my dog for a year. I don't know… [Laughs] But we do want to have a good few years out there. And nothing disturbs anything. The solo shows for 'Smash', they start next month and they wind down the Second of July. I just got a new agent, which is brilliant, for my solo [band]. And RATT's still structuring itself business-wise. Unless all the components are complete, we'll have to see how long we want to… It's up to us, you know. We'll do it as long as we can. But I know we wanna do a record. That's one thing. We do wanna accomplish a record. It'll be our tenth. If we can accomplish that, we've really done a lot for ourselves, believe me. So we'll see what happens."

Stephen's fourth solo album, "Smash", was released on January 27 via Frontiers Music Srl.


Listen to "RATT (Stephen Pearcy) - Ep. 300 One On One With Mitch Lafon" on Spreaker.

MEGADETH mainman Dave Mustaine says that he is "really excited" about the opportunity to support an as-yet-undisclosed band on at least one show in the U.S. later in 2017.

MEGADETH has spent most of the past year on the road promoting the band's latest album, "Dystopia", which arrived in January 2016. The group is currently scheduled to head back out on tour at the end of April, with three U.S. festival appearances penciled in for July.

Speaking to Meltdown of the WRIF radio station in Detroit, Michigan, Mustaine stated about MEGADETH's touring plans for the coming months: "Believe it or not, we've got some cool things going on for the States. We've got two really great things we're gonna be doing. We'll be heading out some part of the spring or summer, and then we just were told about an opportunity at the end of the year that really, really excited me. It's somebody I've never played with before that we're actually gonna be supporting. They were so cool that we would step down from being a headliner to support this group."

Mustaine also spoke about MEGADETH's nomination for a 2017 Grammy Award for "Best Metal Performance" for the title track of "Dystopia". This marks the band's 12th Grammy nomination in this category (including nominations in the discontinued "Best Hard Rock/Metal Performance" category). The band is hoping to win its first Grammy at the 59th annual event, which will be held on February 12 at Staples Center in Los Angeles and broadcast on CBS at 8 p.m. ET.

"I'm really, really excited," Mustaine said. "You know, it's hard, after getting nominated several times, to not become a little bit jaded, 'cause this is our twelfth nomination. It's great to be nominated — don't get me wrong; I love it — but it's also very bittersweet.

"A lot of people would question, 'Do I wanna go there again and not get chosen to win?'," he continued.

"I think it's great to be nominated, even if you don't win, because you get that recognition from all of your peers, and people get to see it that may not know who you are."

Mustaine added: "I do think that it's kind of a drag sometimes when people win that are so obvious that they weren't supposed to win. There have been some times over the years — not just the ones that I was in, but some other ones — where the bands won and they had nothing to do with metal. I think the most famous one was the JETHRO TULL one," referring to the time in 1989 when METALLICA lost the "Best Hard Rock/Heavy Metal Recording" Grammy to flute-driven progressive rockers JETHRO TULL.

MEGADETH recently completed a month-long U.S. tour with AMON AMARTH, SUICIDAL TENDENCIES, METAL CHURCH and BUTCHER BABIES.

Interview (audio):

Veteran rockers STRYPER will enter the studio in October to begin recording the follow to their 2015 album "Fallen" for a tentative March/April 2018 release.

During an interview with David "Gus" Griesinger of Backstage Axxess at last month's NAMM show in Anaheim, California, guitarist/vocalist Michael Sweet spoke about how he balances recording and performing with STRYPER with his other activities, which include a solo career and a side project with ex-DOKKEN guitarist George Lynch. He said: "I've been diagnosed with a couple of different conditions, and I joke about that. And then some people say, 'Hey, dude, that's not funny. You shouldn't joke about that.' And it's, like, well, you've gotta laugh about it, or you're screwed, basically."

He continued: "I do have ADHD, and I am OCD and all that stuff, and I think a combination of those two really help to drive me and focus on what I need to get done. Unfortunately, the downside to it is that's all I'm thinking about — music. I'm so hyper-focused on music that I tend to neglect my family and friends sometimes. But that's what drives me. That's why I'm able to put out two or three albums a year."

Sweet added: "It's interesting to me. I'm not meaning to mock anybody that does this, but these bands that say, 'Oh, yeah, man, we've got twenty songs, and we've been working on it for four years,' and I'm just thinking, 'Wow! That's just sad. That is sad! I don't know. I don't get it. And, again, it's not disrespect. What I mean by that, 'sad,' is four years of your life… I don't know, man. To me, you should know instantly… Like when I start to write a song, if I don't like it, I throw it away, and then I get another idea, and then I start on that, if I feel it's good. I don't waste time demoing stuff that I know is just mediocre. I'm able to determine that right upfront, out of the box."

STRYPER guitarist Oz Fox recently revealed that Tim Gaines was going through a divorce, forcing the band to take a hiatus and possibly consider a future without the bassist. "As far as I know, [Tim is] looking like he's on his way to making all of that stuff in his life correct and fixed, and then we'll see where he stands after he's all done with that, and I know he wants to keep touring," Fox told The Vinyl Mishappenings.

Michael told the WSOU radio station that STRYPER has "no plans of stopping," despite the latest setback. He explained: "I mean, we had considered it and thought, well, maybe we should, but then we realized, well, that's just fair to us, that's not fair to the fans. So we're gonna continue on for sure."

Sweet also said that it was "probable" that STRYPER would carry on without Gaines, explaining that "if we were to disband or dissolve or stop, it really wouldn't be fair to the fans, it wouldn't be fair to the other guys, and it's important to keep that in mind as well."

"Fallen" entered The Billboard 200 chart at position No. 43 with first-week sales of just over 10,000 units — nearly all from pure album sales. The set followed the No. 35-peaking "No More Hell To Pay", which was released in 2013.

Spectre Sound Studios conducted an interview with JUDAS PRIEST guitarist Richie Faulkner at last month's NAMM show in Anaheim, California. You can now watch the chat below.

Speaking about his first-ever performance with PRIEST, which took place in 2011 as part of the Season 10 finale of the Fox singing competition "American Idol", Faulkner said: "No pressure, right? I think it was about thirty million viewers in the States alone. But you know what it means to fly the flag for metal on that sort of scale."

He continued: "I've heard people say before, 'It's a pop show. What are you doing, doing a pop show?' To us, it was, 'How can we get into thirty million people's homes, flying the flag for British metal?' And that was a great way to do it. We announced a new guitar player, a new tour, so it was perfect — a great experience."

Faulkner went on to give credit to his bandmates for PRIEST's successful appearance on "American Idol", explaining: "They've been knocking it out of the park for forty years. I was just there for the ride, you know what I mean? But, yeah, man, it's just great to be a part of it. And from a production side of things, there's no better band to learn from."

JUDAS PRIEST is preparing to enter the studio to begin recording its long-awaited follow-up to the "Redeemer Of Souls" album.

Billed as a return to JUDAS PRIEST's heavy-metal roots, "Redeemer Of Souls" sold around 32,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to land at position No. 6 on The Billboard 200 chart.

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

Supergroup CHICKENFOOT will release "Divine Termination", its first new tune in five years on "Best + Live", the band's first-ever best-of collection, on March 10. CHICKENFOOT features legendary guitarist Joe Satriani, former VAN HALEN singer Sammy Hagar, ex-VAN HALEN bassist Michael Anthony and RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS drummer Chad Smith.

You can now listen to "Divine Termination" using the SoundCloud widget below.

In addition to "Divine Termination", "Best + Live" includes over 90 minutes of live music "Best + Live" for the first time released on CD. Hagar says: "Listening to this collection of songs from the 'FOOT brings back memories of some of the most fun I've ever had in a band. The chemistry between Chad, Joe, Mike and me is very special. It's almost like visual music — you can see us having fun when you listen to these songs."

In May 2016, CHICKENFOOT reunited for two highly-anticipated one-time shows at Harrah's Lake Tahoe, and played their first complete set in more than six years, along with a special unveiling of the new tune "Divine Termination". Satriani describes the track as "bone-crunching, hell-raising rock, dripping with attitude and vibe. Just the way CHICKENFOOT likes it!" Both the extra CD "Live" and the bonus tracks on the best of feature a 13-song strong setlist, including almost every song from CHICKENFOOT's debut album as well as Hagar's old MONTROSE classic "Bad Motor Scooter", THE WHO's "My Generation" and Satriani's interpretation of "The Star-Spangled Banner" — all recorded live in Phoenix 2009 and available for the first time on CD (previously only available as video on the DVD/Blu-ray "Get Your Buzz On"). "Best + Live" track listing:

CD1 – Best Of

01. Divine Termination (brand new song)02. Soap On A Rope03. Sexy Little Thing04. Oh Yeah05. Get It Up06. Future In The Past07. Big Foot08. Different Devil09. Lighten Up10. Dubai Blues11. Something Going Wrong Bonus Live Tracks:

12. Highway Star13. Bad Motor Scooter14. My Generation CD2 - Live

01. Avenida Revolution02. Sexy Little Thing03. Soap On A Rope04. My Kinda Girl05. Down The Drain06. Bitten By The Wolf07. Oh Yeah08. Learning To Fall09. Get It Up10. Turnin' Left11. Future In The Past

CHICKENFOOT has not made a new CD in five years but returned to the studio to record "Divine Termination".

"I wrote the lyrics while on an airplane to Cabo," Hagar told Rolling Stone about the song. "It's a dark tune, but it's fucking cool. It's a really raw production and a giant step for the 'FOOT."

Satriani told The Oakland Press that he is not holding his breath for a new album from CHICKENFOOT. "It'll always be upsetting to me, the fact [the band] is under-realized," Satriani said. "That befuddles me still. However, the other guys do have plenty of things to do, and I suppose maybe I get it. But when I think about it from an artistic point of view, it just seems ridiculous that we didn't do more. It just seems completely wrong."

CHICKENFOOT reissued its gold-selling 2009 self-titled debut as a double-disc set. The new version features bonus live tracks recorded on the group's tour behind its sophomore studio effort, "III".

CHICKENFOOT's most recent touring lineup included legendary drummer/musician Kenny Aronoff, who was filling in for Smith while Chad was on the road with RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS.

"III" sold 42,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to land at position No. 9 on The Billboard 200 chart. The band's self-titled debut opened with 49,000 units back in June 2009 to debut at No. 6.

"Bloodlust", the new album from BODY COUNT, the metal band fronted by hip-hop legend, actor and director Ice-T, will be released on March 31 via Century Media.

The first single from "Bloodlust", a song called "No Lives Matter", will make its online debut on February 17.

"Bloodlust" was recorded with producer Will Putney (MISS MAY I, UPON A BURNING BODY), who also helmed 2014's "Manslaughter".

The new CD will feature guest appearances by Max Cavalera (SOULFLY, SEPULTURA), MEGADETH mainman Dave Mustaine and LAMB OF GOD frontman Randy Blythe. The effort will also contain BODY COUNT's medley of the SLAYER songs "Postmortem" and "Raining Blood".

"Bloodlust" track listing:

01. Civil War (feat. Dave Mustaine)02. The Ski Mask Way03. This Is Why We Ride04. All Love Is Lost (feat. Max Cavalera)05. Raining Blood / Postmortem (SLAYER medley)06. God, Please Believe Me07. Walk With Me… (feat. Randy Blythe)08. Here I Go Again09. No Lives Matter10. Bloodlust11. Black Hoodie

A preview of the song "The Ski Mask Way" is available below.

Ice-T recently told Revolver magazine about "Bloodlust": "Making records is a very interesting process. You work really hard on something and finish it and then you'll be, like, 'Yo, that sounds like somebody else's record.' Or, 'Hey, didn't we just make that record three days ago?'

"One time we did two songs in a row and afterwards I looked at them and said, 'That's the same riff in each song.' So we had to pick one. But in the end, we came up with some very aggressive and cool music."

He added: "I like to start with hot metal tracks that you can listen to without a word on them and go, 'Wow, that was just like fire!’ The music tells me what the song is about, and that's when the words start coming to me. Then it's up to me not to fuck it up."

As for the choice of album title, Ice-T said: "Bloodlust is part of the human makeup. Murder is about as normal as love. It's in our nature to want to get violent and kill, but we know there are consequences. That's why we like violent movies, video games and combat sports. It's in our DNA. It's what we are."

"Manslaughter" sold around 3,600 copies in the United States in its first week of release to land at position No. 102 on The Billboard 200 chart. The record arrived in stores on June 10, 2014 via Sumerian.

BODY COUNT's current lineup includes guitarist Juan Garcia (a.k.a. Juan Of The Dead; AGENT STEEL, EVILDEAD), who made his live debut with the group in November 2013 at the Fun Fun Fun Fest in Austin, Texas.

Ice-T previously collaborated with SLAYER on a medley of three THE EXPLOITED songs for the 1993 "Judgment Night" soundtrack.

SUNDAY EXCLUSIVE!!! From Bloodlust.. 'The Ski Mask Way' BC March 17th. pic.twitter.com/zrnWFkukUC

— ICE T (@FINALLEVEL) February 5, 2017

British epic power metallers DRAGONFORCE have set "Reaching Into Infinity" as the title of their new album, tentatively due this spring.

The cover artwork of the follow-up to 2014's "Maximum Overload" has just been unveiled and can be seen below.

DRAGONFORCE's forthcoming effort will mark the band's third full-length studio release with singer Marc Hudson, who joined the group in 2011 following the departure of original frontman ZP Theart (now in SKID ROW).

Asked if it was difficult to find a new vocalist who could help DRAGONFORCE retain its core sound while enabling the band to move forward, guitarist Herman Li told Alto Music at last month's NAMM show in Anaheim, California: "To be honest, yeah, it is really difficult to find a singer that can sing old stuff and new stuff at the same time. So it took quite a while for us to find Marc. And he had never been in a band before professionally; he was just, like, in a band of friends, like starting out. It took a while to get into the groove of the thing, but now he's completely, you know, doing it. He's really awesome now."

Li also talked about DRAGONFORCE's more varied musical approach on the last couple of albums compared to the band's earlier efforts. He said: "The first few albums, they were fast all the way through, and we really kind of tried to show that, yeah, we can do really melodic, really fast high-speed songs. And now we actually branched out and added more elements. And it actually made it easier for the solo sections — to not just play over fast beats all the time. We held back for so many years — concentrated on the speed and all that — [and] now adding the other elements is actually kind of refreshing, to combine the two together."

DRAGONFORCE's new album was once again recorded primarily at Fascination Street studios in Örebro, Sweden with producer Jens Bogren, who has previously worked with OPETH, THE DEVIN TOWNSEND PROJECT, AMON AMARTH, KATATONIA, SOILWORK and SYMPHONY X, to name a few.

DRAGONFORCE released a comprehensive career-spanning "best-of", "Killer Elite - The Hits, The Highs, The Vids", last July through Spinefarm. The 22-track set contains two hours and 30 minutes of music, featuring both studio and live material, with promo clips added to the deluxe set.

Former PANTERA and current SUPERJOINT and DOWN frontman Philip Anselmo joined BATTLECROSS on stage on February 3 at Vinyl Music Hall in Pensacola, Florida to perform the PANTERA classic "Fucking Hostile". Fan-filmed video footage of his appearance can be seen below.

BATTLECROSS had performed "Fucking Hostile" a number of times in the past and even released a studio version of its rendition of the song as a bonus track on its 2013 album "War Of Will".

The original version of "Fucking Hostile" is featured on PANTERA's classic 1992 record "Vulgar Display Of Power", a landmark album widely acknowledged as one of metal's most enduring and influential masterworks. Recorded by Anselmo, guitarist "Dimebag" Darrell Abbott, bassist Rex Brown and drummer Vinnie Paul Abbott, the album has been certified double platinum by the RIAA and features several of the group's most iconic songs including "Walk", "Mouth For War" and "This Love".

In a 2013 interview with Vanyaland, Anselmo stated about PANTERA: "The legacy of PANTERA stands pretty firmly on its own. I don't really dwell on the negative things within PANTERA. To me, PANTERA is about a whole lot more than the breakup; when I think of PANTERA I think of really, really awesome times and great, great, great things and fantastic brotherhood and camaraderie. If you take a look around, there are a lot of bands out there that have experienced similar tragedy and breakup and all the things that happen. We are not the first band to have troubles or tragedy."

Polish female fronted Heavy Metallers CRYSTAL VIPER released a brand new video clip entitled "When The Sun Goes Down", which can be seen on the following location:

CRYSTAL VIPER are returning after a 4 year absence, with a brand new concept album entitled "Queen Of The Witches", which will be released on February 17, 2017, on AFM RECORDS. The album has been produced by Bart Gabriel (CIRITH UNGOL, HEXX, MYTHRA). The album's cover artwork has been created by the legendary German artist, Andreas Marschall (RUNNING WILD, BLIND GUARDIAN, OBITUARY). "Queen Of The Witches" also features three special guests: the MANOWAR co-founder and guitar hero Ross The Boss, and no less legendary Jeff Dunn aka Mantas of VENOM / VENOM INC., will appear with guitar solos in two of the songs. Except that, in one of the songs fans will hear a duet of Marta Gabriel and Steve Bettney, vocalist of the NWoBHM cult heroes SARACEN.

OneGodLess has just released a lyric video for the song "From The Ashes", which appears on their upcoming debut album, set for release in early 2017.

Although OneGodLess is still in the middle of their crowdfunding campaign; you can pre-order the upcoming album through the band's official website.

In late 2013, OneGodLess decided to bring nothing new. Since everything already had been done before, and everything else wouldn't be worth making, these brave young men decided to do something entirely different: to acknowledge their total lack of cutting edge. Trying not to copy other bands, this band makes a mixture of metal, rock and blues like a lot of other bands before them. Bands you of course have heard of, going from Pantera and Down to Black Sabbath and Black Label Society. 

Founding member Robin Zielhorst (ex-Cynic, Exivious), found like minded forces in Pieter Verpaalen (ex-Textures), Yordi Lopez (Red Eyes) and Yuma van Eekelen (Exivious, ex-Pestilence) to walk this beaten path of metal. The result is a grooving metal machine that does not stop until you're beating your head to the sound of the riffs. You could describe its genre as "Heavy Stoner Blues Groove Rock Sludge Metal." OneGodLess' heavily riff oriented music trades technical prowess and speed for groove and feel boldly going where many bands have gone before. 

Around the summer of 2014 OneGodLess recorded their first EP The Beaten Path (released under their previous name Mourn) to start their road to world domination. This EP brought three of their most powerful songs to give you a little taste of their music.

In November 2016, OneGodLess started recording their debut album. Stay tuned for the groove!

Dave Prewitt of DaveTV.org has uploaded video footage of former PANTERA and current DOWN frontman Philip Anselmo's SUPERJOINT RITUAL project — now known simply as SUPERJOINT for legal reasons — performing on January 12 at Grizzly Hall in Austin, Texas. You can now watch the full concert in the YouTube playlist below.

Support on SUPERJOINT's recent U.S. tour came from BATTLECROSS and CHILD BITE.

Anselmo told Decibel magazine that SUPERJOINT was forced to drop the "RITUAL" from its name was "because there's a bloodsucking leech out there who took advantage of a situation. But we're all at fault as well for signing a document that basically has a zero sunset clause, meaning that this person is privy to a cut of any money a 'SUPERJOINT RITUAL' would make. Hence getting rid of the 'RITUAL,' coming back as SUPERJOINT, and cutting out that cancer."

SUPERJOINT's new album, "Caught Up In The Gears Of Application", was released on November 11 via Anselmo's Housecore record label. The disc was recorded at Philip's New Orleans-area studio, Nodferatu's Lair and was produced by Anselmo and Stephen Berrigan. The effort was mastered by Scott Hull (AGORAPHOBIC NOSEBLEED, PIG DESTROYER) at Visceral Sounds.

Anselmo stated about "Caught Up In The Gears Of Application": "The overall theme [of the album] means many things, or no things, but there is an underlying message regardless, about how modern technology — computers and all that comes with them, mainly — has affected our lives. As a musician, it has affected my life both negatively (music being stolen) and positively (being in touch with fellow musicians around the world and staying visible). But when looking at the broader spectrum, computer-land has given everyday people a platform in which to bellow like carnival barkers about anything and everything, humdrum or political, whether qualified or not, some with good intentions, some with disingenuous intentions, and some with ideas that lay somewhere in the middle, creating a mishmash of results."

SUPERJOINT's current lineup includes guitarists Kevin Bond (CHRIST INVERSION, ARTIMUS PYLEDRIVER) and Jimmy Bower (DOWN, EYEHATEGOD), drummer José Manuel Gonzalez (WARBEAST, PHILIP H. ANSELMO & THE ILLEGALS) and bassist Stephen Taylor (PHILIP H. ANSELMO & THE ILLEGALS, WOVEN HAND, 16 HORSE POWER).

Pop superstar Lady Gaga will perform with METALLICA at this year's Grammy Awards.

News about the collaboration was broken last night (Monday, February 6) via a TV commercial, which was then tweeted by a Gaga fan site and can be seen below.

"It has been my dream for so long to hear Gaga sing metal with a legendary band. I have never been so excited for a Gaga performance," a fan on the Gaga Daily forums wrote in response to the news, while another added: "She is the only pop star who could duet with METALLICA."

It's unclear which song METALLICA will play at the event, which will air live from the Staples Center in Los Angeles on Sunday, February 12 at 8:00 p.m. ET on CBS.

METALLICA previously promised "something very unique and special" for its performance at this year's Grammy Awards, where the band is up for a Grammy in the "Best Rock Song" category for the track "Hardwired", from METALLICA's latest album, "Hardwired… To Self-Destruct".

METALLICA's nomination for "Best Rock Song" was a surprise since the band is not included in the "Best Metal Performance" category.

Lady Gaga spoke about her love for IRON MAIDEN and BLACK SABBATH in various interviews over the years, calling the experience of seeing MAIDEN for the first time a "life-changing" event. The singer also appeared in photos with Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame inductee Alice Cooper and ANTHRAX drummer Charlie Benante.

JUDAS PRIEST singer Rob Halford has spoken several times about his interest in a possible collaboration with Lady Gaga, explaining: "I got to see her show in San Diego, and she's a metalhead. That's the most important part of this conversation. She's a metalhead. She was wearing a PRIEST 'Ram It Down' t-shirt the other day in New York. So we met, and we only talked briefly. But if there's a chance to do a track or something, I would love it. Because collaborations can be very, very exciting and very spontaneous."

Halford first met Lady Gaga in June 2014 after her show in San Diego. He attended the concert with Lady Starlight, Gaga's longtime friend and collaborator who supported JUDAS PRIEST on tour in 2011.

Lady Gaga is set to perform with Metallica at the #GRAMMYs this Sunday, February 12th! pic.twitter.com/SqPDLqclBV

— Lady Gaga (@gagamonster96) February 7, 2017

Australia’s award winning powercore-metal pioneers A Breach Of Silence have premiered yet another music video, this time for "Broken". This is the second video clip from their upcoming third studio album entitled Secrets. "Broken" was written about depression, spawned from a very dark time in the band’s recent past.

“'Broken' was written about depression, what it feels like at your lowest,” states guitarist Mat Cosgrove. “While we were writing this album, our bassist Blair broke up with his girlfriend and it really tore him apart.” Bassist Blair Layt continues, "It reflects a time in my life when I was the most depressed I've ever been. I just broke off an emotionally abusive relationship and my thick skin had been worn thin over its duration. I was suicidal, depressed and defeated. For a short time, I turned to drugs to numb the pain. I shut people out, and I almost forgot what it was like to be happy. Luckily, through the amazing support of friends and family, I managed to pull myself together, and take steps to better my state of mind, and return to the positive place I like to revel in. Looking back now, this song is a reminder for me of how far I've come since then. I hope that any of our fans feel those vibes when listening, and hopefully they may learn through my experience... that no matter how low you are, life can always get better if you allow it to... even if you think it can't.”

Secrets was produced by Fredrik Nordstrom (Bring Me The Horizon, Arch Enemy, In Flames) and mixed by Henrik Udd at Studio Fredman. It will be released worldwide via Eclipse Records on February 24th. The first music video from the new album "Falling Away" has already topped 100,000 views, and may be watched below.

Tracklisting:

"Falling Away"
"Ride Or Die"
"Undefeated"
"Secrets"
"Nightcrawler"
"Fair Weather Friends"
"Buzz Killington"
"The Revelator"
"A Better Place"
"Broken"
"Shameless" (The Weeknd cover)
"Dethroned"
"Sugar And Spice"

Secrets is available for pre-order via iTunes and Amazon. Either option comes with the songs “Falling Away”, “Secrets”, and “Nightcrawler” as instant grat tracks.

For further details, visit A Breach Of Silence on Facebook.

 

Texas death metal outfit Desecrate The Faith are streaming “Sacrilege Reborn”, a track from forthcoming Comatose Music release, Unholy Infestation, out March 3rd via Comatose Music. The track can be found below.

Tracklisting:

“Daemones Nos Ave Satanas”
“Predatory Impalement”
“Malignant Divinity”
“Shrine Of Enmity”
“Unholy Infestation”
“Magna Daemonia”
“Ceremonial Invocation”
“Sacrilege Reborn”
“Angel Eater”
“Septic Womb”
“Ascension Of Belial”
“Let Us Burn (The Father, The Son, And The Holy Spirit)”

“Sacrilege Reborn”:

“Angel Eater”:

“Shrine Of Enmity” video:

Danish black metal mistress Amalie Bruun appeared with her project Myrkur at Wacken Open Air 2016. Video of the full performance is available for streaming below.

Setlist:

“Den Lille Piges Død”
“Hævnen”
“Onde Børn”
“Vølvens Spådom”
“Jeg Er Guden, I Er Tjenerne”
“Mordet”
“Dybt I Skoven”
“Skøgen Skulle Dø”
“Skaði”
“Bathory”

Perth, Australia-based metalcore act, Havoc, have unleashed their new track, ‘Improvidence”, a second brutal offering from their currently untitled debut album, due for release this year.

Featuring guest vocals from fellow West Coaster Sean Harmanis (Make Them Suffer), “Improvidence” follows on from first taster “Extinction”, showing a cause and effect themed scenario.

The song and video revolve around a man realizing the effect corporate greed and mass consumption is having on the Earth. Following his moves to raise awareness of the current environmental state, the protagonist's efforts for change fall on deaf ears, causing him to lose all hope and subsequently spiral out of control.

Forming in 2014, Havoc already have two shattering EP's under their belt, multiple tours (including a seven date run of Indonesia) and have notched up support slots with Confession, Make Them Suffer, Buried In Verona, Feed Her To The Sharks and more. 2017 is set to be a rewarding year as Havoc continue to pummel audiences while putting the finishing touches on their debut long player.

“Improvidence” is out now through all digital retailers via Firestarter Distribution.

Alpha Omega Management has announced the signing of Gothenburg, Sweden-based atmospheric death/black metallers Nox Vorago. Formed in 2006, Nox Vorago's goal has always been, and always will be to create something inspired by the entire width of the metal scene, thus incorporating the elements they like into their music and creating a well-written chaos without confines.

Nox Vorago's statement on the signing: "We look forward to working with Alpha Omega and to the future with anticipation as to what will be achieved under united banners!"

Alpha Omega Management adds: "We're excited to welcome these chaos makers in Nox Vorago to our Family! Their music is like a dark jewel from the underworld, which captures your attention right from the first tunes!"

A great example of Nox Vorago's "well-written chaos without confines" is their new single, "At The Feet Of Ereshkigal", which the band released at midnight on February 4th, and is now available on Spotify / iTunes. The single cover was created by Uduun Art. The track is taken from their upcoming album, entitled Al Chem.

Furthermore, Nox Vorago reveal the release date for Al Chem, due on February 26th. The album features seven songs that, all in their own way, represent some part of the inspirational dark philosophy and mystic phenomena that continues to challenge mankinds' perception of reality.

Al Chem was recorded at Top Floor Studios under the very talented Jakob Herrmann. It was mixed by the well known Roberto Laghi and mastered at Bohus Sound Recording by the legend Dragan Tanaskovic. More details to be unleashed soon.

Newly formed technical death metal supergroup, Virulent Depravity, have completed work on their debut full-length, Fruit Of The Poisoned Tree, set for release on April 7th via The Artisan Era Records. The album will appeal to fans of Spawn Of Possession, First Fragment, Archspire, and Origin.

Virulent Depravity is the brainchild of guitarist, bassist, and vocalist Colin Butler. While he may be a new name to many, his impressive playing attracted the attention of well-known guitarist Malcolm Pugh (Inferi, ex-Entheos) who joined the band in 2016 on rhythm guitar and additional solos. The lineup is rounded out by Svart Crown (and ex-Benighted) drummer Kevin Paradis, whose incredible playing is the perfect foil to Colin and Malcolm's dazzling performances.

An early teaser video for the album can be seen below:

Pre-order the album here.

According to Amazon, "Bloodlust", the new album from BODY COUNT, the metal band fronted by hip-hop legend, actor and director Ice-T, will be released on March 31 via Century Media.

The first single from "Bloodlust", a song called "No Lives Matter", will make its online debut on February 17.

"Bloodlust" was recorded with producer Will Putney (MISS MAY I, UPON A BURNING BODY), who also helmed 2014's "Manslaughter".

The new CD will feature guest appearances by Max Cavalera (SOULFLY, SEPULTURA; on the track "All Love Is Lost"), MEGADETH mainman Dave Mustaine and LAMB OF GOD frontman Randy Blythe. Other titles set to appear on the effort include "This Is Why We Ride" and "The Purge".

Ice-T recently told Revolver magazine about "Bloodlust": "Making records is a very interesting process. You work really hard on something and finish it and then you'll be, like, 'Yo, that sounds like somebody else's record.' Or, 'Hey, didn't we just make that record three days ago?'

"One time we did two songs in a row and afterwards I looked at them and said, 'That's the same riff in each song.' So we had to pick one. But in the end, we came up with some very aggressive and cool music."

He added: "I like to start with hot metal tracks that you can listen to without a word on them and go, 'Wow, that was just like fire!’ The music tells me what the song is about, and that's when the words start coming to me. Then it's up to me not to fuck it up."

As for the choice of album title, Ice-T said: "Bloodlust is part of the human makeup. Murder is about as normal as love. It's in our nature to want to get violent and kill, but we know there are consequences. That's why we like violent movies, video games and combat sports. It's in our DNA. It's what we are."

"Manslaughter" sold around 3,600 copies in the United States in its first week of release to land at position No. 102 on The Billboard 200 chart. The record arrived in stores on June 10, 2014 via Sumerian.

BODY COUNT's current lineup includes guitarist Juan Garcia (a.k.a. Juan Of The Dead; AGENT STEEL, EVILDEAD), who made his live debut with the group in November 2013 at the Fun Fun Fun Fest in Austin, Texas.

France’s nihilistic black metal act, The Negation, have released a video for “A Prayer For The Ones I Will Have To Kill”, featured on their sophomore album, Memento Mori, released last year via Kaotoxin Records. The video is available for streaming below.

Produced at the Hybreed Studio (Temple Of Baal, Glorior Belli) and with artwork by Metastazis (Morbid Angel, Behemoth, Watain), Memento Mori features ten tracks of powerful, heavy, intense and extremely dark black metal. But don't expect straightforward Satan-praise here: there's far more than meets the eye with The Negation. Their lyrical conceptual is a call to resistance against the so-called élite who are making this world a living Hell. It's about a stand for liberty, free speech, and free will! Folks that got the chance to witness The Negation on stage during their recent tour with Marduk and Belphegor will testify their live performance is as extreme as their lyrical content is dark. You've been warned.

Tracklisting:

“Intro”
“The True Enemy”
“Sacrifice The Weak”
“Parasite Fall”
“A Prayer For The Ones I Will Have To Kill”
“Faith In God's Corpse”
“End Of Cycle”
“Visions Of Doom”
“Résistance”
“Outro”

“A Prayer For The Ones I Will Have To Kill” video:

Album stream:

Atmospheric black metallers, Fen, are streaming “I (Pathway)”, the lead track from their fifth full-length album, to be released via Code666 on March 10th. Listen to the new song below.

Titled Winter, and produced by of Jaime Gomez Arellano at the Orgone Studios in London (Ulver, Altar Of Plagues, Grave Miasma, Primordial, Solstafir), the six-track album promises to be a colossal piece of work for the English three-piece, at once rich in sound, beguilingly delicate, and yet laced with darkness.

Consisting of six songs that are thematically and compositionally linked, each piece on Winter flows into the next, and, ideally, the whole record is intended to be listened to in one sitting to allow the full journey to be absorbed. Musically, the band have sought to push themselves further than ever before and Fen’s trademark use of atmospheric black metal and delicate, spacious cleans,has been married with aspects of ‘70s progressive rock, shoegaze and doom metal, with the intention of rendering Winter as involving and as immersive a listen as possible.

Winter will be available in Standard CD, Double Black Vinyl limited to 300 copies, and Digital formats.In addition there will also be available a Special Collectors Box limited to 199 copies which will include the standard CD, an additional bonus CD, the DLP with Side A/Side B in a smashed splatter effect of transparent aquamarine and opaque cream, an exclusive T-shirt and poster, and a certificate of authenticity signed by the band.

Frontman The Watcher has summarized the album thus:  “With Winter we wanted to ‘return to the roots’ of the band so to speak but not in the clichéd, nostalgic way many bands do – instead, we wanted this record to represent the ‘essence’ of Fen in terms of tone, atmosphere and above all concept. This album therefore very much describes a journey towards sanctity and redemption across a landscape steeped in mystery, hints of forgotten darkness and sorrows long since drowned in the distant past. It represents the culmination of over 18 months of writing and rehearsing, pushing ourselves harder and harder as musicians – it is a lengthy and self-indulgent record for which we make no apology for. Indeed, it is a fitting tribute to mark ten years of the existence of Fen.”

Artwork by Grungyn.

Tracklisting:

“I (Pathway)”
“II (Penance)”
“III (Fear)”
“IV (Interment)”
“V (Death)”
“VI (Sight)”

Bonus (available on all limited formats)

“The Keening Soils”
“Sight (Reprise)”
“Penumbral Whispers”
“Temples Beyond The Shoreline”

“I (Pathway)”:

Steve Lang, former bassist for Canadian rock legends April Wine, has passed away at the age of 67. April Wine guitarist/vocalist Brian Greenway pays tribute to his former bandmate with the following message:

“It is with great sadness that I let you know that Steve Lang passed away last Saturday. I was in many bands with Steve. Steve was the bassist of April Wine 1975 to 1984. All the big hits. Steve also did very well as a Financial Investor with his own company. He was a friend of 50 years. Steve was 67. My sincere condolences to his family.”

Further details are currently unavailable.

Wolfheart has released a new video for “The Flood”, the new single from Tyhjyys, the band’s third full-length, out March 3rd via Spinefarm Records. Watch the new video below.

Tracklisting:

“Shores Of The Lake Simpele”
“Boneyard”
“World On Fire”
“The Flood”
“The Rift”
“Call Of The Winter”
“Dead White”
“Tyhjyys”

“The Flood” video:

“Boneyard” video:

(Photo - Valtteri Väyrynen)

Progressive rock band, Pendragon, return with their brand new live release, entitled Masquerade 20. Celebrating the 20th anniversary of one of the most successful albums in their career - an album that won them near-overwhelming acclaim and made them one of the highest-selling bands unsigned to a major label at that time - the band returned to the Wyspianski Theatre in Katowice, Poland in May 2016 to record a special show, consisting of all the classics from The Masquerade Overture as well as a number of fan-favourites from their other releases.

Nick Barrett, guitarist and vocalist comments: "This DVD is probably the most cohesive performance from the band so far captured on film. Just as we have been together for so many years as musicians it shows us as friends as well, even with new boy, Vinnie our drummer and Verity and Tina on backing vocals who appear for the first time with us on DVD. The overall feel of the music and performance is fantastic and the sound is amazing."

The cover artwork was done by Björn Gooßes – Killustrations, know also for the band’s previous artworks: Pure, Passion, Men Who Climb Mountains and Out Of Order Comes Chaos DVD.

The DVD will also include an interview with Peter Gee and Jan-Vincent Velazco, photo gallery and other extras. Masquerade 20 DVD is scheduled for release on April 7th via Metal Mind Productions (May 5th in North America). Also available as a double CD.

Tracklisting:
 
“The Masquerade Overture”
“As Good As Gold”
“Paintbox”
“The Pursuit Of Excellence”
“Guardian Of My Soul”
“The Shadow”
“Masters Of Illusion”
“King Of The Castle”
“Schizo”
“Beautiful Soul”
“Faces Of Light”
“Nostradamus”
“Explorers Of The Infinite”
“Come Home Jack”
“This Green And Pleasant Land”
“Breaking The Spell”
“Indigo”

Extras:

Interview with Peter Gee and Jan-Vincent Velazco
In Bardo in Sri Lanka
Photo gallery
Discography
Desktop images

Spanish sludge doomers MotherSloth have revealed the cover artwork and first single from their forthcoming new album. The song, “Once Human”, is available for streaming below.

Formed in Madrid during 2008, MotherSloth are authors of a huge and quite original doom sludge that will easily suit all fans of sonorities like Pallbearer, Alice In Chains and Danzig. The album, Moon Omen, will be released via Argonauta Records and will be available from March 3rd. Pre-orders here.

Tracklisting:

“Shadow Witch”
“Once Human”
“The Firemill”
“Doomsday Cyborg”
“Wish For Dawn”
“Moon Omen”

“Once Human”: