An unreleased live version of “What Is And What Should Never Be” recorded at the Paris Theatre, London on April 1st, 1971 is featured on the upcoming BBC Sessions release. The song is now available for streaming below (restricted to certain territories).

Nearly 20 years ago, Led Zeppelin introduced BBC Sessions, an acclaimed two-disc set of live recordings selected from the band’s appearances on BBC radio between 1969 and 1971. On September 16th the band will unveil The Complete BBC Session, an updated version of the collection that’s been newly remastered with supervision by Jimmy Page and expanded with eight unreleased BBC recordings, including three rescued from a previously “lost” session from 1969.

A video trailer for the Super Deluxe edition of The Complete BBC Sessions can be seen below:

The Guardian recently premiered an unreleased version of “Communication Breakdown” which was recorded on April 1st, 1971 at the BBC’s Paris theatre in central London, and broadcast on the BBC’s In Concert programme on April 4th, 1971. This version is two minutes longer than any of the versions that appeared on the original BBC Sessions album. Check it out here (restricted to some territories).

The Complete BBC Session will be available in multiple formats from Atlantic/Swan Song on September 16th:

* Deluxe Edition (3CD) – Remastered original album plus a third disc of unreleased audio.
* Deluxe Edition Vinyl (5LP) – Remastered original album, plus a fifth LP of unreleased audio, on 180-gram vinyl
* Digital Download – Remastered album and unreleased audio will both be available.
* Super Deluxe Boxed Set (3CD/5LP)– This collection includes:        

- Remastered album. 2 CDs, each in a replica sleeve.
- Unreleased audio on CD in a separate card sleeve.
- Remastered album on 180-gram vinyl.
- Unreleased audio on 180-gram vinyl.
- High-def audio download card of all content at 96kHz/24 bit.
- 48-page book filled with photos of the band, the recording locations, BBC memorabilia, and session information.
- High-quality print of the original album cover, the first 30,000 of which will be individually numbered.

BBC Sessions was originally released in 1997 and has been certified double platinum by the RIAA. The Complete BBC Session builds on that collection with a third disc that boasts eight unreleased performances. In addition, the set includes extensive session-by-session liner notes written by Dave Lewis. For the first time ever, it provides accurate details and notes about all of the band’s BBC sessions.

Musical highlights on this new collection include the debut of a long-lost radio session that has achieved near-mythic status among fans. Originally broadcast in April 1969, the session included three songs: “I Can’t Quit You Baby,” “You Shook Me,” and the only recorded performance of “Sunshine Woman.”

Also included are two unreleased versions of both “Communication Breakdown” and “What Is And What Should Never Be.” Separated by two years, the performances vividly demonstrate the young band’s rapid evolution over a short period of time.

Jimmy Page spoke about the band’s growth in an interview with Guitar World: “The BBC Sessions show in graphic detail just how organic the group was. Led Zeppelin was a band that would change things around substantially each time it played…We were becoming tighter and tighter, to the point of telepathy.”

Speaking with Wall of Sound, John Paul Jones added: “We’d been on the road a lot by the time those sessions were recorded. The albums were always the starting point of the music, and then we’d take it out and expand it on the road. Then we’d come straight off the road into those BBC studios.”

Recalling the BBC experience in an interview with Mojo, Robert Plant said: “The whole thing was very quaint: the politeness of the audience, the technicians fumbling about, proper hallowed low-key introductions. Like there was some sort of holy moment about to occur.”

In 1968, Jimmy Page formed Led Zeppelin, one of the most influential, innovative and successful groups in modern music, having sold more than 300 million albums worldwide. The band rose from the ashes of The Yardbirds, when Page brought in Robert Plant, John Bonham and John Paul Jones. In 1969, Led Zeppelin released its self-titled debut which was produced by Jimmy Page, as were all the subsequent albums. It marked the beginning of a 12-year reign, during which the group was widely considered to be the biggest and most innovative rock band in the world.

Led Zeppelin continues to be honored for its pivotal role in music history. The band was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1995, received a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2005, and a year later was awarded the Polar Music Prize in Stockholm. Founding members Page, Plant, and Jones, and along with Jason Bonham, the son of John Bonham – took the stage at London’s O2 Arena in 2007 to headline a tribute concert for Ahmet Ertegun, a dear friend and Atlantic Records’ founder. The band was honored for its lifetime contribution to American culture at the Kennedy Center Honors in 2012. In January of 2014, the band won their first ever Grammy award as Celebration Day, which captured their live performance at the Ertegun tribute concert, was named Best Rock Album. The last two years saw an unprecedented reissue campaign of all nine of the band’s studio albums, which achieved Top 10 chart status around the globe whilst also garnering 5-star reviews and other critical accolades along the way.

The Complete BBC Session CD tracklisting:

Disc One
“You Shook Me”
“I Can’t Quit You Baby”
“Communication Breakdown”
“Dazed And Confused”
“The Girl I Love She Got Long Black Wavy Hair”
“What Is And What Should Never Be”
“Communication Breakdown”
“Travelling Riverside Blues”
“Whole Lotta Love”
“Somethin’ Else”
“Communication Breakdown”
“I Can’t Quit You Baby”
“You Shook Me”
“How Many More Times”

Disc Two
“Immigrant Song”
“Heartbreaker”
“Since I’ve Been Loving You”
“Black Dog”
“Dazed And Confused”
“Stairway To Heaven”
“Going To California”
“That’s The Way”
“Whole Lotta Love” (Medley: Boogie Chillun/Fixin’ To Die/That’s Alright Mama/A Mess of Blues)
“Thank You”

Disc Three
“Communication Breakdown” *
“What Is And What Should Never Be” *
“Dazed And Confused” *
“White Summer”
“What Is And What Should Never Be” *
“Communication Breakdown” *
“I Can’t Quit You Baby” *
“You Shook Me” *
“Sunshine Woman” *

* Previously Unreleased

“Sunshine Woman”:

 

 

 

 

(Photo - Ron Rafaelli)

THE CIRCLE, the combo consisting of legendary rocker Sammy Hagar alongside Michael Anthony, Jason Bonham and Vic Johnson, performed at Red Rocks Amphitheatrein Morrison, Colorado on September 5. Fan-filmed video footage of the concert can be seen below.

THE CIRCLE released a concert album, "At Your Service", in May 2015. Recorded live on tour in 2014, this release documents the blistering performance of a band on fire performing hits from Sammy's four decades of rock (MONTROSE, solo, VAN HALEN, THE WABORITAS, CHICKENFOOT) as well as classic tracks from the LED ZEPPELIN catalog.

Speaking to Ultimate Classic Rock, Hagar stated about THE CIRCLE: "I think THE CIRCLE is the band that I want to play with right now. It's the band that I choose to play with over any band. Even CHICKENFOOT is hard, because we only play CHICKENFOOT. So I miss playing 'When It's Love' and 'Right Now' and 'I Can't Drive 55' and 'One Way To Rock' and 'Heavy Metal' and 'Rock Candy'. I miss doing that, as much as I love CHICKENFOOT."

He continued: "THE CIRCLE is so satisfying that I don't even see a reason to make a record. We have so many great hits that we can choose from our catalog, all of those VAN HALEN hits, all of the Sammy solo, all of those MONTROSE hits, CHICKENFOOT hits, LED ZEPPELIN songs — we have that catalog to choose from for our shows, so to make a record would just be kind of a waste of time. I wouldn't say never, but first I'd like to put together the greatest set list that ever existed in rock 'n' roll, and I think we're pretty close to it right now with the one that we have, but it can even get better. There's a frikkin' goldmine to choose from of songs that I've written and sang in my life."

After his stint as lead singer of MONTROSE, Hagar launched a successful solo career before joining VAN HALEN in 1985. During his time with the band, they notched four consecutive No. 1 albums before breaking up in the mid-'90s.

Legendary bay area thrash metal giants Testament will release their 12th album, Brotherhood Of The Snake, on October 28th via Nuclear Blast. The band have released the first of several trailers for the upcoming album.

Watch vocalist Chuck Billy and guitarist Eric Peterson speak about the touring that lead up to recording and how that affected their song writing process:

The album is now available for pre-order in various physical formats (Digibook, Limited Box Set, Limited Mailorder Box Set, Vinyl) from Nuclear Blast here, as well as digitally here.

Berlin-based artist Eliran Kantor, who created the images that adorn Testament's previous two albums - Dark Roots Of Earth (2012), and The Formation Of Damnation (2008) - talks about the cover art he created for Brotherhood Of The Snake, which can be seen below.

"Eric (Peterson, guitarist) told me of the title, referring to a secret society group - and I wanted to focus on the occult aspect of it without leaning on the already available myths.I pictured a ritual involving blindfolded figures coming out of chalices of black oil, holding scythes forming the teeth of a three-headed snake.

Looking for ways to incorporate the masonic pyramid felt like a great opportunity to use the classic logo while adding something new to it, and also give it an active part in the plot. There are many tiny details adding to the atmosphere: red tongue bookmarks in the books, two more ancient-looking figures in the shadows hinting at the brotherhood's lineage, two serpent-shaped fountain tubes pouring the black oil etc etc. The latter two were suggested by the band."

Tracklisting:

“Brotherhood Of The Snake”
“The Pale King”
“Stronghold”
“Seven Seals”
“Born In A Rut”
“Centuries Of Suffering”
“Neptune's Spear”
“Black Jack”
“Canna-Business”
“The Number Game”

“Brotherhood Of The Snake” lyric video:

The Brotherhood Of The Snake was recorded under the watchful eyes of producer Juan Urteaga (Exodus, Machine Head), guitarist Eric Peterson and singer Chuck Billy; it was mixed and mastered by well-known metal producer Andy Sneap (Accept, Megadeth).

Commented Peterson in another interview: "It's very diverse, but it's very epic. There's nothing on there that breeds commercial. And I think for thirty years of recording music and trying different formulas and stuff, I think we've found a formula that is very metal. I think for the metal fan that is looking for something for the nook and crannies… not just your normal, 'Oh, it's got a thrash beat and a riff.' There's a lot going on here."

In another interview, the songwriter stated: "It's different. This one is more thrash. I mean, this has got some of the fastest stuff that we have ever played. Usually, we have one or two thrash songs, and then we have some mid-tempo, and then we have a slow, heavy one, and then up-tempo kind of stuff. Half of the new record is thrash, which we've never done before."

He continued: "It's kind of like Demonic and The Gathering, but a little bit wiser, I think. Chuck's not singing so death. I mean, he does some death stuff but he's singing more like he did on the last record and then with the craziness of The Gathering or even heavy stuff like Demonic."

Testament will support The Brotherhood Of The Snake on a European tour with Amon Amarth this fall; a complete listing of dates can be found here.

(Photo - Gene Ambo)

Spanish masters of symphonic metal, Diabulus In Musica, will release their next masterpiece, entitled Dirge For The Archons, on November 18th via Napalm Records. The album track “Earthly Illusions” is available for streaming below.

The fantastic female vocalist Zuberoa Aznárez and her band members masterfully combine heavy metal riffs, a pounding rhythm section with passionate and symphonic elements. The compositions are crowned by wonderful refrains, which will grab the listener’s attention at the first spin of the record.

Dirge For The Archons tracklisting:

“Battle Of Atlantis”
“Earthly Illusions”
“Marble Embrace”
“Invisible”
“Crimson Gale”
“Ring Around Dark Fairies’ Carousel”
“A Speck In The Universe”
“Hiding From You”
“The Voice Of Your Dreams”
“The Hawk’s Lament”
“Bane”
“The River Of Loss”
“Zauria”
“Lies In Your Eyes” (Live - Bonus Track)
“St.Michael's Nightmare” (Live - Bonus Track)

“Earthly Illusions”:

Dirge For The Archons available as limited 4-page digipack and 2 bonus track edition. Pre-order info coming soon.

Incantations Of Vengeance is the forthcoming new full-length from Oakland-based sludge thrashers Serpent Crown. Set for self-release this Friday on limited-edition cassette, the record's six punishing tracks were captured at Green Dot Studios by Snake Green and feature Tommy Anderson on bass and Rob Ruiz (Psychosomatic) on drums. The band has since recruited Chris "Woz" Wozniak from Lair Of The Minotaur as their full-time drummer.

In advance of its release, the band is streaming the album in full. Issues guitarist/vocalist Dara Santhai of the release, "Incantations Of Vengeance takes you on a passage into the frailty and elemental depravity of the humanity condition, sorcery, and journeys beyond the realm of death... Offering a dynamic array of songs that volley between dark, doom laden material, and vigorous thrash, with the occasional homage to traditional heavy metal, Incantations Of Vengeance creates a diverse musical landscape."

Incantations Of Vengeance will be self-released on September 9th and available at shows and via the band's official Bandcamp.

Tracklisting:

“Uncertain Life Certain Death”
“Conjuring Of The Damned”
“Vengeance Of The Witch”
“Martyr”
“Bloodmoon”
“Wings Of Retribution”

Album stream:

In conjunction with the release of the record, Serpent Crown will bring their odes of enmity to the stage on a mini northwest live takeover with additional performances to be announced in the weeks to come.

Frontiers Music Srl will release the new Glenn Hughes solo album, "Resonate", on Friday, November 4.

From album opener "Heavy" to the very last chords of the closer "Long Time Gone", it promises to be a contender for "Album Of The Year" on many a list. It features his live solo band members, Søren Andersen (guitars and co-producer), Pontus Engborg (drums) and newcomer to his band, Lachy Doley (keyboards), in addition to long-time friend and drummer, Chad Smith (of RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS), who joined them in the studio for the opening and closing numbers.

An EPK (Electronic Press Kit) for the album is available below.

"Resonate" will be available in two configurations: regular CD and deluxe edition including one bonus track, "Nothing's The Same", and a DVD featuring a "making of" album documentary, "Heavy" (music video), and "Long Time Gone" (music video). Vinyl release will be made available via Frontiers's label partners Soulfood Music.

"Resonate" track listing:

01. Heavy02. My Town03. Flow04. Let It Shine05. Steady06. God Of Money07. How Long08. When I Fall09. Landmines10. Stumble & Go11. Long Time Gone12. Nothing's The Same (deluxe edition bonus track)

Glenn told Billboard.com about "Resonate": "It's possibly the heaviest record I've ever made. I don't want to confuse it with horns-up heavy; it's not metal. But it's definitely fucking heavy. It's dense. It's dark. There's some aggression on this record. Every bloody track is begging to be played live."

While he was in the studio recording his new album, Hughes talked to Denmark's Metalized magazine about the musical diversity that has been his trademark throughout his four-decade-plus career.

"I never make the same album twice," he said. "Go back to the first TRAPEZE album. The second was different and the third one was different. And then you go to 'Burn', and 'Stormbringer' was different from that, and then 'Come Taste The Band'. You got HUGHES/THRALL and that was different from DEEP PURPLE. And then you go to 'Seventh Star' with Tony Iommi. That was different from HUGHES/THRALL. And then the blues album and then the Glenn solo albums."

He continued: "Although some of [my albums] have been very, very soulful and very, very funky, the key for me — as I am an Englishman that grew up in the West Midlands — is rock. But when I moved to America in the early seventies, I started to listen to what came out of Detroit. And I met Stevie Wonder. He became a very, very close friend and still is. He became my mentor.

"I need people to know that my success has come from the foundation of rock music. As much as I love THE BEATLES, Otis Redding and Stevie Wonder, when you think of Glenn Hughes, you think of the guy who plays bass and sings in any register."

Hughes added: "I am friends with a lot of famous rock stars and they are one genre. I wouldn't say who, but they have a one-genre-dimensional sound. You know it's them. And you know it's me because of my voice.

"I have been cursed and blessed with the ability to switch very quickly from rock to soul to funk to acoustic and almost into jazz — without scaring people. When you mix those ingredients, that's Glenn Hughes.

"This will be an album that is entirely Glenn Hughes music. For that reason, it is an important album."

"Don't Miss You Much", a brand new song from Kee Marcello, can be streamed below. The track is taken from his new studio album, "Scaling Up", which will be released on October 14 via Frontiers Music Srl.

With "Scaling Up", the former EUROPE guitarist is using his past as a springboard to take a giant leap into the future. With the new music firmly grounded in the songwriting tradition that made him a multi-platinum rock star in the first place, Kee explores the boundaries of melodic hard rock with a contemporary performance that nods to his past and employs sizzling production. This is an album all his fans will have to pick their jaws up off the floor after hearing!

Kee Marcello is a unique artist in the hard rock genre. He has never stopped evolving and growing as both a writer and a guitarist and the new album illustrates how much he has managed to raise the bar yet again with both his guitar playing, singing and writing.

Conceived and recorded in the winter and spring of 2016, "Scaling Up" encompasses all the influences and genres in which the Swedish musician has been involved in since the start of his career. Besides the obvious resemblances to EUROPE's classic sound, Kee also gives a nod to his past in EASY ACTION. Speaking of EUROPE (particularly the "Prisoners In Paradise" era), Kee took two officially unreleased songs, "Wild Child" and "Don't Know How To Love No More", and rearranged and re-recorded them from scratch. Beyond those two tracks, you can hear a touch of sleaze and more classic hard rock on songs like "Fix Me", "Blow By Blow" and "Soldier Down".

Marcello says: "The whole idea of 'Scaling Up' is to, very respectfully, use the music of my past as a canvas to paint a picture of where I stand today and what I aim for in the future as a guitarist/singer/writer. I think we've got the balance of now and then just right, and it's performed by the best group of musicians I've ever had the honor of playing with!"

Kee Marcello is one of the most renowned guitarists from Scandinavia and has an amazing history to his name. He's best known as the guitarist — from 1986 to 1992 — of one Sweden's biggest musical exports, EUROPE. In the late '80s and early '90s, EUROPE were one of the biggest rock bands in the world. They sold over 30 million albums, landed at No. 1 on sales charts in 26 countries and shared the biggest stages with acts like METALLICA, DEF LEPPARD and BON JOVI. Kee is now also enjoying a new wave of success as a TV persona in Sweden, as well as being involved in other musical projects.

"Scaling Up" track listing:

01. Black Hole Star02. On The Radio03. Don't Miss You Much04. Fix Me05. Wild Child06. Finger On The Trigger07. Soldier Down08. Scandinavia09. Good Men Gone Bad10. Scaling Up11. Don't Know How To Love No More12. Blow By Blow

Recording lineup:

Kee Marcello: Guitars/Vocals/KeysKen Sandin: BassDarby Todd: Drums

Special guests:

Mattias Eklundh – guitar solo on "Good Men Gone Bad"Michele Luppi – keyboards on "Wild Child"

Produced and arranged by Kee MarcelloMixed by Tobias Lindell

RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE frontman Zack De La Rocha has released his debut solo single, "Digging For Windows", featuring rapper El-P.

The lyrics to the new track appear to be De La Rocha's commentary on the forthcoming elections.

"I stare at a future so toxic, no trust in the dust of a promise, won't mark the name on a ballot, so they can be free to devour our options, and just like you I'm a target," he raps in the song.

The instrumental members of RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE recently joined forces with PUBLIC ENEMY's Chuck D and CYPRESS HILL's B-Real to form a new supergroup called PROPHETS OF RAGE.

RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE has not played live since headlining its own L.A. Rising festival show in Los Angeles in the summer of 2011.

The band recorded three original studio albums and one set of covers before breaking up in 2000. The group reformed in 2007 but only played sporadic gigs and never a full tour. Guitarist Tom Morello said in 2012, "We'd have to agree to go on one. Once a year, the band meets and very seriously discusses and turns down awesome offers to tour the world."

Drummer Brad Wilk played on BLACK SABBATH's 2013 reunion album, "13", and joined a new rock outfit called THE LAST INTERNATIONALE.

Zack de la Rocha and bassist Tim Commerford have been less visible, although de la Rocha showed up at the recording sessions for rap duo RUN THE JEWELS' second album.

Photo credit: Juan Luis Garcia

With the release of Nosound's new studio album, Scintilla, the band is pleased to be able to premiere its new video for the song "In Celebration Of Life," taken from the album, featuring guest vocals from Anathema's Vincent Cavanagh.

Giancarlo Erra explains how the song is a collaboration with and tribute to music fan Alec Wildey: "The track was probably among the first tracks written for Scintilla, it was inspired by an artist and well known member of the fellow prog community, Alec Wildey. Those who knew Alec know what happened and I'm not going to delve into details, but it really was a tragedy that shook everyone. 

“He was a big fan of Nosound and our Kscope label mates, in the past Alec contacted me to see if we could work together, but I was always too busy, this time I felt particularly hit by the situation, for personal and musical reasons, so I wrote the track and recorded it all quickly in my studio as I wanted Alec to be able to hear it. His lyrics fitted perfectly the music and the message we wanted to send. His reaction to the song was, and I suspect will always be the highest point in my personal career, with my music I felt part of something bigger and beyond me.

“Although it was a very difficult time when we decided to collaborate, paradoxically we created a celebration of life song. As I always say the beauty of music is to transform something negative into something positive, transform pain in beauty, anger in happiness, desperation in hope."

Erra continues on how Anathema's Vincent Cavanagh became involved: "This uplifting anthem to life immediately struck a chord with Vincent. I played him the song without saying anything about all this, and he liked it immediately. When I told him about Alec, his emotional and moving reaction told me that he too was somehow linked to that situation, and we instantly knew that we were going to work together on this track. Anathema and Nosound were two of Alec's favorite bands and we know now that wherever he is, he's enjoying the track he worked on with me and Vincent.

For the video we wanted to tell a story, but one that everyone can interpret in their own way: there was a lot of thought put in as to how to leave it open. So, while I'm not going to reveal my personal story, I encourage you to look at the details and enjoy the song we wrote in celebration of life, something we should all remember to do every day."

Inspired by personal upheaval and a desire for change, Scintilla is an emotionally complex and musically direct work, presenting a stripped-down set of compositions that mark a major departure from Nosound's trademark symphonic lushness and production precision. Taking in influences from post rock, shoegaze and alt-singer-songwriters, the album imaginatively utilizes a mostly organic and acoustic sound palette.

David T. Chastain and Leather Leone will perform together live for the first time in over 25 years on October 8 at Bogart's in Cincinnati, Ohio. This special performance will be part of the CJSS "Last Show On Planet Earth 2" concert.

Leather says: "To be on stage with David T. at Bogarts where it all began for me ... There are no words... just incredible anticipation. It will be like coming home. To share music with all of those fans again is of the utmost importance to me"

David adds: "Last year was supposed to be CJSS's 'Last Show on Planet Earth' but the fans and Bogart's convinced us to do one more 'Last Show'. As far as I know, this will be the last CJSS show.

"Once the date was confirmed, I asked Leather to come and play a set as I wanted her to experience the Bogart's environment one more time.

"Leather will be singing all of the CHASTAIN 'hits' such as 'Ruler Of The Wasteland', 'Angel Of Mercy', 'For Those Who Dare' and 'The Voice Of The Cult', just to name a few. We will also play at least one of the newer songs off the recent CHASTAIN albums 'Surrender To No One' and 'We Bleed Metal'. Our last cross-country tour together was in support for the 'For Those Who Dare' album. That tour seems like centuries ago, but then again it feels like it was just last year. The passage of time is quite perplexing!"

For fans of Leather Leone, CHASTAIN and CJSS, this will be the last time you can ever see them in concert together on one stage. Solo guitarist Chris Dunnett will open the show.

CHASTAIN's latest album, "We Bleed Metal", was released last November. It is the follow-up to the band's 2013 reunion CD "Surrender To No One".

Leone has long been considered one of the originators of the female power metal vocal style. She was the vocalist on the classic CHASTAIN albums: "Mystery Of Illusion", "Ruler Of The Wasteland", "The 7th Of Never", "The Voice Of The Cult" and "For Those Who Dare".

Swedish metallers IN FLAMES will release their twelfth studio album, "Battles", on November 11 via Nuclear Blast in all territories excluding North America and Scandinavia and Eleven Seven Music Group in the U.S. The CD was recorded in Los Angeles with Grammy-nominated producer Howard Benson, who has previously worked with MOTÖRHEAD, BODY COUNT and SEPULTURA, among others.

The third "Battles" making-of webisode — in which Benson talks about working with IN FLAMES at his studio in California — can be seen below.

Said Howard: "I'd never worked with IN FLAMES before. I'd heard about them. A lot of the bands I worked with really respect that band, so I heard about them from all the bands I worked with, actually. When they came to me, through the management, I was pretty intrigued. I had a phone call with them, and I produced them, basically, 'cause they were Swedish. They seemed like some nice guys, so I was, like, 'All right. I'll do the record.'"

He continued: "They spent a lot of time writing this record. And we decided that we were gonna focus mostly on the songwriting and then the studio stuff would be pretty easy to do once the writing was done. So they were really open-minded to really, really putting the time in. But they were working literally the entire weekend, 24-7, writing material. So when they'd come back. I would always be, 'Wow! There's three more songs,' or 'two more new songs.' That was really… I've gotta give the band a lot of credit for that."

Benson added: "First of all, Björn [Gelotte] is an amazing guitar player, and I think he was also a drummer at one point, so his drum programming and drum ideas were great. So it was just so much fun to watch him layer stuff and put stuff down. And I probably worked more with Anders [Fridén, vocals], because the vocals are something I do myself with the singer. And I just really got to understand his point of view, about what he was talking about, and I liked them so much, I actually went to Sweden to visit them a couple of months ago, or a month ago."

Gelotte talked about how the recording process for "Battles" compared to that of its predecessor, 2014's "Siren Charms".

"'Siren Charms' had a very dark vibe to it," he explained. "We recorded it at a cold, damp and dark time during the year in Berlin so it gave it a certain melancholy to the record. Now recording in L.A. with the sunshine, it's a different energy. The writing process was different this time, too — that I would like for us to continue to explore. Also, working with Howard and his team was great. I got stressed taking a break for even five minutes because they were always ready to go for the next take and kept my energy up."

"I think being in California really affected this album in the sense that we had a studio in the house that we were staying at and the vibe was really relaxed which lent itself to productivity," added vocalist Anders Fridén. "It really helped having a producer who could make us focus on what we needed to accomplish and keep us on track."

"This was a very new approach for us because we've never let anyone else in the way we did with Howard," said Gelotte.

"Battles" sees the band making the hooks sharper, the riffs tighter and honing the overall attack in a way that parallels their legendary live shows in an unparalleled fashion.

"When people hear this album I think they're going to instantly know that it's the new IN FLAMES without us repeating the same song over and over, and that's something I'm incredibly proud of," Fridén said. He went on to downplay the changes in the band's sound, calling "Battles" "guitar driven, melodic… it's like they know what to expect. It's not like we're coming out with something completely different, but at the same time it's still new. If they already like IN FLAMES, they will like it — and if they don't like IN FLAMES already, they still might like it."

Video footage of ALTER BRIDGE frontman Myles Kennedy performing an acoustic version of the band's song "Watch Over You" on September 6 at the Bandit Rock radio studio in Stockholm, Sweden can be seen below.

ALTER BRIDGE's fifth studio album, "The Last Hero", will be released on October 7 via Caroline Records in the United States/Canada and Napalm Records throughout the rest of the globe. "The Last Hero" is now available for pre-order via iTunes, Amazon and Google Play. Fans who order the album will receive an instant download of the first single, "Show Me A Leader". The album is also available in various fan bundles at www.Alterbridge.com/store. In addition, a new shirt design has been made available to mark the occasion of the video release.

"The Last Hero" was produced by longtime friend and collaborator Michael "Elvis" Baskette (SLASH, TREMONTI, TRIVIUM) and mastered by Grammy Award winner Ted Jensen. ALTER BRIDGE is heading out on select U.S. headline dates in support of "The Last Hero" and select ticket purchases will come with a digital album. The headline run kicks off September 22 in Destin, Florida. The band will also perform at a few festival dates this fall, including the inaugural Houston Open Air, Sonic Boom, Louder Than Life and the Tulsa State Fair. ALTER BRIDGE is Myles Kennedy on vocals/guitars, Mark Tremonti on guitars/vocals, Brian Marshall on bass and Scott Phillips on drums.

Norwegian progressive extreme metal icons ENSLAVED will release "The Sleeping Gods - Thorn" compilation this November via ByNorse Music. A full-length album comprised of rare material from 2010-2011, "The Sleeping Gods - Thorn" is a unique collection of experimental material connecting with the band's early roots.

The seven tracks comprising "The Sleeping Gods - Thorn" originally appeared on extremely limited EPs between ENSLAVED's "Axioma Ethica Odini" and "Riitiir" full-lengths and were recorded both in Solslottet Studio in Bergen, as well as the band members' own studios and partly in the deep woods of Valevaag on the South Western Coast of Norway. Like the songs themselves, the production is a mix of old and new; high tech and no-tech — a mix of concepts that have been essential in achieving the signature sound ENSLAVED has become notorious for today. Members Ivar Bjørnson and Grutle Kjellson co-produced the material together with longtime collaborator Iver Sandøy. The album includes lyrics sung in Norwegian, English, and Old Norse, with themes centered on mythology and the esoteric side of the runes, as well as contrasting the Norse Ways as a polytheistic belief system to the monotheistic plague of the Big World Religions. The music nods respectfully to the wildly varying deities that make up the pantheon of inspiration for ENSLAVED, both "then" and "now." There are traces of the proto black metal of BATHORY, the classic rock and heavy metal of the '70s and '80s, the synthesized and sequenced masters of the '70s, prog-rock, world/Norse folk music, Norwegian black metal of the '90s, modern classical music, goth rock a la FIELDS OF THE NEPHILIM, and much more.

Tying he package together are the extensive liner notes Kjellson and a beautiful new layout by Costin Chioreanu of Twilight 13 Media (Roadburn festival, OPETH, DARKTHRONE, AT THE GATES) whose mesmerizing new illustrations display a unique symbiosis between two of our times' most exciting visual and sonic artists.

"The Sleeping Gods - Thorn" will see release on November 11 on limited-edition blue vinyl (webshop edition), black vinyl, digipak CD, and digitally via ByNorse Music. Preorders will start on September 30.

"The Sleeping Gods - Thorn" lineup:

Ivar Bjørnson - guitar, synthGrutle Kjellson - vocals, bassCato Bekkevold - drumsIce Dale - lead guitar

HELMET's new studio album, "Dead To The World", will be released on October 28 via earMUSIC.

The long-anticipated disc — the band's first in six years — comes with heavy guitar riffs, blasting drums and the distinctive voice of frontman Page Hamilton. The album is energy at its purest form. Every track adds its unique flavor to mix of hard rock, alternative, metal and punk, showing the world again how versatile a rock album can be.

Produced by Page Hamilton himself and mixed by award-winning record producer, engineer and mixer Jay Baumgardner, "Dead To The World" will be released as a CD digipak, on transparent vinyl and as a digital download.

HELMET will be heading out on a 36-city tour of the U.S. this fall in support of the new album. The band will be joined by special guest LOCAL H. The tour kicks off on November 3, with further dates for a European tour to be announced soon. Hamilton offered these thoughts: "Catch phrases, punchlines, guns, bluster, ammo, incivility, impatience, murder. You, me, us, them, life, liberty and the pursuit of property. "We disagree, we disrespect, discourse disappears in the age of access. When in doubt GET LOUD! It's my way or the highway, thank you Lawrence Tierney! "Religious tchotchkes nailed to the walls of homes above razor-scarred mirrors. Do you meditate, levitate, pray? Live in L.A.! I'm a huge fan, got a perfume line, smell nice, plan my next move. Threats loom, the bad news network blooms, fear sells. Just get em out, the spying neighbors, suspects, terrorists our forefathers intent. 'If you don't like it, leave' and call it democracy." "Dead To The World" track listing:

01. Life or Death02. I ♥ My Guru03. Bad News04. Red Scare05. Dead To The World06. Green Shirt07. Expect The World08. Die Alone09. Drunk In The Afternoon10. Look Alive11. Life or Death (Slow) The gold-certified and Grammy-nominated band HELMET has released eight widely acclaimed albums since originally forming in 1989 in New York City.

Bands such as the DEFTONES, RISE AGAINST, PANTERA and TOOL have all cited HELMET as an influence, and not just for HELMET's blistering, aggro approach but for the band's sheer musicality and brains.

On October 21, WOVENWAR, the band featuring the talents of Jordan Mancino (drums), Nick Hipa (guitar), Phil Sgrosso (guitar) and Josh Gilbert (bass) of San Diego, California based metal act AS I LAY DYING, and Shane Blay (vocals) of OH, SLEEPER, will release its sophomore album, "Honor Is Dead", via Metal Blade Records. More aggressive and fluid than its self-titled predecessor, "Honor Is Dead" was written with contributions from all members, while the music for "Wovenwar" was mostly written before Blay joined the band. The results speak for themselves, capturing a group that sounds truly unified, and hungry.

For a first preview of "Honor Is Dead", a concept video — created by Hipa — for the first single, "Censorship", can be viewed below.

For "Honor Is Dead", WOVENWAR chose not to converge at the same studio to lay down the record, taking advantage of modern technology instead by recording their individual parts in convenient locales across California, Alabama and Texas — which was not without its downsides.

"Recording separately across multiple states at different times with a mixing engineer bouncing between multiple countries made things very tricky," Hipa admits. "Luckily we've all made records before and everything ended up working out."

Expanding upon the ruthlessly catchy melodies and hooks of their debut, "Honor Is Dead" makes for a listening experience with real depth, and a broad emotional range. Driven by a darker lyrical theme, the album's eleven tracks hit with devastating force.

"Honor Is Dead" track listing

01. Confession02. Censorship03. Honor Is Dead04. Lines in the Sand05. World on Fire06. Compass07. Stones Thrown08. Cascade09. Silhouette10. Bloodletter11. 130

Before "Honor Is Dead"'s release, WOVENWAR will embark on a North American tour with SOILWORK, UNEARTH, BATTLECROSS and DARKNESS DIVIDED this October/November.

Two-time Grammy-nominated act HIGHLY SUSPECT will release its sophomore album, "The Boy Who Died Wolf", on November 18 via 300 Entertainment. The first single from the LP, "My Name is Human", can be streamed below. Album pre-orders for "The Boy Who Died Wolf" are also available on iTunes in North America beginning today.

In an exclusive interview with Entertainment Weekly, HIGHLY SUSPECT frontman Johnny Stevens said: "I was the boy, and was a wolf," referencing a hard upbringing in Cape Cod and the last eight years as a band desperate for a break in Brooklyn. "Everything was a fight and a struggle. I killed that part of me, and now the man is left."

"The Boy Who Died Wolf" was recorded in Bogota, Colombia and Brooklyn, New York with Joel Hamilton (THE BLACK KEYS, TOM WAITS, ELVIS COSTELLO), who also worked with the band on their 2015 debut breakthrough record, "Mister Asylum", which was nominated for "Best Rock Album" and "Best Rock Song" (for the single "Lydia") at the Grammy Awards.

The 300 Entertainment recording act is one of the music industry's most exciting artist development stories. "Mister Asylum" was released in July 2015 to critical praise. The album's first single, "Lydia", continues to be a staple at Rock and Alternative Radio, and has also garnered millions of streams for the groundbreaking video which premiered on MTV. HIGHLY SUSPECT also made their network television debut on "Late Night With Seth Meyers" last September, and performed on "Conan" this past January.

Since the release of "Mister Asylum", the band has been on the road tirelessly as a headliner and also opening for acts like CATFISH AND THE BOTTLEMEN and THE STRUTS while playing various festivals around the globe, including Lollapalooza, Bonnaroo, the Ride festival as well as Reading and Leeds in the U.K. They are about to embark on a headlining tour this week which also includes festival stops at Riot Fest and Life Is Beautiful, alongside sold-out shows in major markets like Los Angeles.

Photo credit: Bob Good

Spanish heavy metallers Iron Curtain will release their new album Guilty As Charged on October 14th by Pure Steel Records. The single “Wild And Rebel” is streaming below.

Already with the two predecessors Road To Hell (2012) and Jaguar Spirit (2013) the quartet from Iberia took care of getting a good reputation. Also with their third album Guilty As Charged they offer eight new songs and one exclusive bonus track for the CD release, where you can feel the spirit of old Motörhead, Tank and Exciter with some touches of Accept, Riot or Def Leppard every single second.

Simple, beer dipped double bass tracks about all the good things in life, rough yet melodic vocals and flawless twin guitar leads go hand in hand with an authenticity, which is out of competition.

Tracklisting:

“Into The Fire”
“Lion’s Breath”
“Take It Back”
“Relentless”
“Iron Price”
“Outlaw”
“Wild And Rebel”
“Guilty As Charged”
“Turn The Hell On”

“Wild And Rebel”:

Swiss thrash band Poltergeist from Liestal recently signed a worldwide deal with Pure Steel Records. The band formed in 1985  and released three albums (Depression, Behind My Mask, Nothing Lasts Forever), will release the new album Back To Haunt via Pure Steel Records after 22 years on October 21st. The single for the title track is streaming below:

With albums such as Depression (1989) and Nothing Lasts Forever (1993) the guys around mainman V.O. Pulver (guitar) and André Grieder (vocals) presented evergreen albums of the genre, which still count as references for many. 22 years after the split they return with their fourth studio album, which is released through Pure Steel Records. Technical thrash metal with melodic vocals, sophisticated songwriting and a good, powerful production are the main strengths of the ten new tracks (plus bonus song on the limited Edition).

Poltergeist reunited in 2013 followed by powerful shows at the 70000 Tons Of Metal Cruise, the Metal Assault and Headbangers Open Air Festivals, Poltergeist has come full circle for its new and fourth album.

Having recently announced the release of a brand new single “21st Century Fascism”, out October 1st via Grindscene Records, one man extreme metal wrecking machine Foul Body Autopsy has unleashed a killer new music video.

Just six months since the release of Perpetuated By Greed, Tom Reynolds, under his pseudonym Foul Body Autopsy is back with this new single which he states is a continuation from Perpetuated By Greed, the single is "about the rise of the extreme right wing within modern mainstream politics."

“21st Century Fascism” was produced by Russ Russell (Napalm Death, Dimmu Borgir) and features artwork by Alan O'Neill of Zonument.

Preorder the single at this location.

(Photo by: Alex Benyon)

Finnish thrash metal band Soulwound will release their second album No Peace via Inverse Records on October 21st. No Peace picks up where the debut left off, offering fast, brutal, heavy and aggressive metal with both old-school and more contemporary influences forming the basis of the sound and nihilistic lyrics topping things off. 

Hit potential of any kind or radio-friendly choruses were definitely not on the agenda. Instead, the music is hammered out with no pretense or pandering in the spirit of, say, classic Sepultura or the Finnish thrash legends Stone. The attraction lies more in the arrangements of the different elements with how the guitars complement the bass and drums. The songs are brought to life by shouted vocals that are more aggressive than ever, and the album manages to be simultaneously more varied and more focused than its predecessor.

Composer/lyricist Janne Huusari comments: "The song and the video deal with superficiality and pathological attention-seeking on social media. The video was shot with a DIY mentality and a zero budget by the band itself at its rehearsal place and its surroundings. The editing was carried out by Tino-Viljami Vanhala, who also edited the band's previous videos.”

Tracklisting:

“Intro: Impulsive Aggression”
“Hurt Me Plenty”
“Altars Of Skin”
“Alone Against All”
“Wasteland”
“Crime And Punishment”
“Misery Index”
“Hate Speech”
“Damned”

“Altars Of Skin” video:

Australian death metal quintet In Death has completed its full-length debut album The Devil Speaks.  The band has just released a new lyric video for the song "Malignancy Eradicated."

Vigorously honing their craft as a live act since August 2008, two crucial elements have developed within the band that now form part of the unofficial band ethos: Tight performances packaged with energetic delivery. The result can only be described as a whirlwind of energy punctuated by an intensely accurate technical punch.

In Death combine overwhelming power and groove with subtle technicality and some unexpected twists to deliver a package that can not only cause frenzy among seasoned metal-heads, but also bring new fans to the metal genre with horns held high and banging heads.

Tracklisting:

“Malignancy Eradicated”
“The Pitfalls Of Immortality”
“Bow To Your Master”
“Every Burial”
“Godzilla”
“Fuck Your Kind”
“The Devil Speaks”
“King Of The Deadpool”

“Malignancy Eradicated” lyric video:

"Dream Too Much", the new animated video from Amy Lee, the Grammy Award-winning co-founder and lead vocalist of the rock band EVANESCENCE, can be seen below. The song is the title track of Lee's children's album, "Dream Too Much", which will be released via Amazon. The LP, which features 12 newly recorded songs, including seven originals and five popular covers, will be available for Prime members in the U.S., U.K., Germany, Austria and Japan starting on September 30 to exclusively stream and enjoy on Prime Music, at no additional cost to their membership. In addition, the album will be available for all customers to purchase and download in MP3 format in the U.S., U.K., Germany, Austria, Switzerland, France, Italy, Spain and Japan. Pre-order for the digital album is available starting today at www.amazon.com/dreamtoomuch.

Joining Amazon's growing library of original children's and family music exclusively streaming on Prime Music, "Dream Too Much" is a collection of 12 songs that encourage children and families to sing along together. Inspired by Lee's son and her own musical upbringing, the album features guest appearances by several family members, including backing vocals by her siblings, and instrumentals by both her father and uncle. The album's title track, "Dream Too Much", is available today for all Amazon customers to enjoy in advance of the album's release. Customers who pre-order the digital album will automatically receive an MP3 download of the first single to enjoy.

"Our focus when developing originals is to provide unique collections that Prime members can't find anywhere else," said Steve Boom, VP of Digital Music for Amazon. "Amy Lee's versatility as an award-winning rock vocalist gave us an opportunity to rethink traditional children's music and create an album that can be enjoyed by every member of the family. We can't wait for Prime members to listen."

"This album is very personal to me," said Amy Lee. "My husband and I had our first baby in 2014 and he has been the center of the inspiration for this children's album. Every song on this album has a story — whether it's an original for our son based on his favorite things or a song my dad used to sing to me when I was a little girl. I can't begin to tell you how fulfilling this project has been and how proud I am to unveil it to listeners on Prime Music."

"Dream Too Much" track listing:

01. Stand By Me02. Dream Too Much03. Bee And Duck04. I'm Not Tired05. Little Bird06. Alice07. Rubber Duckie08. Hello, Goodbye09. Donkey And Chicken10. The End Of The Book11. If You're A Star12. Goodnight My Love

Fan-filmed video footage of former W.A.S.P. guitarist Chris Holmes performing on September 4 at Backstage Rockbar in Trollhättan, Sweden can be seen below.

The setlist for the show was as follows:

01. Shitting Bricks02. Get With It03. Let It Roar04. L.O.V.E. Machine (W.A.S.P. song)05. Loser06. Sleeping (In The Fire) (W.A.S.P. song)07. TFMF08. They All Lie And Cheat09. 5.0.210. Don't Care11. Nothing To Lose12. Born Work Die13. Wild Child (W.A.S.P. song)14. Animal (Fuck Like a Beast) (W.A.S.P. song)15. Way To Be16. Rockin' In The Free World (Neil Young cover)

Holmes's latest album, "Shitting Bricks", was released last year via M & O Music.

In an interview with Noisey, Holmes talked about his decision to move to France back in 2014. He said: "My wife is from France. But since I left W.A.S.P. I dangled around in L.A., trying to find musicians to play with, but it just didn't work out. The change of culture in the last ten years… My kind of music isn't played that much — not like it was in the '80s."

He continued: "[A few] years ago, I pulled into a 7-11, and this kid got out of his car. He wasn't listening to rock. When I was his age, that's all I listened to. That made me realize the kind of music I do here anymore… [He was listening to] hip-hop. And I just don't play that kind of music."

Holmes added: "I was talking to one of my friend's kids — he's in high school — and I asked him, 'Why don't you listen to rock, like DEEP PURPLE or something?' And he said, 'Man, that's pussy music.' This is a white kid. So I thought, if people don't listen to this kind of music anymore, why should I even be here? I'm in my 50s, but I want to still keep on going, kind of. So I talked to my wife and we decided to move. They listen to rock more over here. There's lots more concerts and stuff."

Holmes joined W.A.S.P. in 1982 and remained with the group until 1990. In 1996, Holmes rejoined W.A.S.P. and stayed with the band until 2001. Holmes has not played with W.A.S.P. since.

Holmes in 2013 released a solo album called "Nothing To Lose". Chris composed, performed, and produced the music and vocals, and teamed up with former MOTÖRHEAD drummer Phil "Philthy Animal" Taylor to perform on and engineer the effort.

Sacred Steel is streaming the title track of their upcoming new album, Heavy Metal Sacrifice, due out on October 14th.

This sensational art was provided by Polish artist Lukasz Jaszak who has worked in the past with acts such as Blood Red Throne, Decapitated, Dornenreich, The Vision Bleak among others.

Heavy Metal Sacrifice will be released on CD (digipack edition), LP (featuring Sacred Steel’s embossed logo) and digital via Cruz Del Sur Music.

Tracklisting:

“Intro (Glory Ride)”
“Heavy Metal Sacrifice”
“The Sign Of The Skull”
“Hail The Godz Of War”
“Vulture Priest”
“Children Of The Sky”
“Let There Be Steel”
“Chaos Unleashed”
“The Dead Walk The Earth”

The band has announced a round of shows to accompany the release of the album. Confirmed dates are as follows:

October
10 - Ludwigsburg, Germany - Scala (20 Years Of Sacred Steel Festival / Heavy Metal Sacrifice Record Release Party with Tankard, Stallion, Tradedy Divine, Septagon)
21 - Vienna, Austria - Escape
22 - Pilsen, Czech Republic - Phantoms of Pilsen

November
12 - Rome, Italy - Traffic Club (Burn This Town Festival with Rosae Crucis, Hammer King, Battle Ram, Graal)

January
13 - Hamburg, Germany - Bambi Galore

Singaporean grindcore trio Wormrot have released a video trailer for the red vinyl edition of their new album, Voices. Check it out below.

Due to be released worldwide on October 14th, Voices features 20 brand new songs and is available to preorder now on limited edition signed CD and vinyl, as well as regular CD, vinyl, and digital formats.

The new album is the first to feature Wormrot’s new drummer, Vijesh, who brings a fresh and fitting sound to one of the most original bands in the grindcore scene. Combined with Rasyid's godlike grind riffage and Arif's distinct vocals switching effortlessly between deep guttural growls and rasping screams, the band's third full-length goes far beyond expectations from a band that already can seemingly do no wrong.

Tracklisting:

“Blockhead Fuck Off”
“Hollow Roots”
“Exit Fear”
“God’s In His Heaven”
“Oblivious Mess”
“Descending Into The Unknown”
“Dead Wrong”
“Fallen Into Disuse”
“The 1st Syndrome”
“Shallow Standards”
“Fake Moral Machine”
“Forced Siege”
“Take Aim”
“Still Irrelevant”
“Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Grind”
“Compassion Is Dead”
“Buried The Sun”
“Defaced”
“The Face Of Disgrace”
“Outworn”

“Fallen Into Disuse” video:

Studio video:

West Yorkshire, UK-based prog-rock three-piece, Zeitgeist, are getting ready to unleash their unique "terrorjazz" all over the place. The band’s debut single, “Thantos” is an absolute juggernaut of sound and belting fury, taking in the most electrifying textural parts of Tool and smashing them against the sheer, spine-tingling power and energy of Meshuggah.

The band's keyboardist, Aleks Podraza comments on the track's inspirations: “This is probably the heaviest track we’ve ever played. I remember hearing a track called “The Reptilian Brain” by the American band Intronaut, and fell in love with the whole riff-over-a-tampura drone thing, and I really just wanted to create my own version of that sound. Things just took off from there. There are a tonne of other little mathematical influences that I fleshed out in “Thantos”.”

Zeitgeist are:

Aleks Podraza (keyboards)
Sam Quintana (electric bass)
Tom Higham (drums)