Rise Above Records has announced the signing of Los Angeles based lampblack rock quartet, Ides Of Gemini.

Says label boss Lee Dorrian: "Having been a fan of theirs since the beginning and following them through all of their macabre twists and turns, it feels so great to have them joining the Rise Above family. It's going to be a supreme association!"

Ides guitarist J Bennett adds: "We're dying to hit the studio to record with our new lineup. This will absolutely be our best album by leaps and bounds - it's got some of the heaviest tunes we've ever written, some of the least-heavy tunes we've ever written, and definitely some of the catchiest tunes we've ever written. There might even be a theme that links the songs together, but we'll fill you in on all that later. Til then, stay tuned..."

The band will commence recording their third full-length album in LA with Sanford Parker and is scheduled for a spring 2017 release. Ides Of Gemini are also set to appear Psycho Vegas this weekend.

In summary, Bennett concludes: "We couldn't be more thrilled to join Rise Above and their absolutely top-notch stable of artists. Lee obviously has impeccable taste, and our signing proves it!"

On September 23rd, melodic death metal outfit Allegaeon will be releasing their fourth full-length, Proponent For Sentience, via Metal Blade Records. Today, the band has launched a full band playthrough for the new album track, “Subdivisions” - an epic cover version of the Rush classic. Watch below:

Produced by Dave Otero (Cattle Decapitation), Proponent For Sentience is a musically complex, intelligent, and absorbing concept record that can rightfully sit alongside the true greats of the medium. With a lyrical arc rooted in science-fiction yet uncomfortably encroaching upon the reality of the present, it captures the Fort Collins, Colorado natives at their most ambitious and accomplished, pushing the boundaries even further than on their three previous critically acclaimed full-lengths.

Proponent For Sentience can be pre-ordered now at this location. Another playthrough video for the new track, "Proponent For Sentience III - The Extermination", featuring guest appearances by Soilwork's Bjorn "Speed" Strid (vocals) and Scar Symmetry/ex-Bloodshot Dawn's Benjamin Ellis (guitar) can be found below.

Proponent For Sentience tracklisting:

“Proponent For Sentience I - The Conception”
“All Hail Science”
“From Nothing”
“Gray Matter Mechanics - Apassionata Ex Machinea”
“Of Mind And Matrix”
“Proponent For Sentience II - The Algorithm”
“Demons Of An Intricate Design”
“Terrathaw And The Quake”
“Cognitive Computations”
“The Arbiters”
“Proponent For Sentience III - The Extermination”
“Subdivisions”

“Proponent For Sentience III - The Extermination” playthrough video:

"Gray Matter Mechanics - Appassionata Ex Machinea” can be heard via the widget below:

Proponent for Sentience by Allegaeon

"Appassionata Ex Machinea" acoustic:

Format details:

- CD
- 180g Black 2LP
- Marbled Violet 2LP (limited)

* Exclusive t-shirts, plus a special collector's bundle (8-string Legator guitar + CD + 2LP + t-shirt + t-shirt) are also available now

In support of Proponent For Sentience, Allegaeon will join Max & Iggor Cavalera Return To Roots, The Black Dahlia Murder, Combichrist, All Hail The Yeti, and Oni for a North American tour this September/October.

Tour dates:

September
12 - Las Vegas, NV - LVCS
13 - Albuquerque, NM - Sunshine Theater
15 - Nashville, TN - Exit / In
16 - Louisville, KY - Diamond Concert Hall
17 - Rochester, NY - Montage Music Hall
19 - Knoxville, TN - The Concourse
20 - Athens, GA - Georgia Theater
22 - Oklahoma City, OK - Diamond Ballroom
24 - San Bernardino, CA - Ozzfest Meets Knotfest *

October
10 - Ottawa, ON - Mavericks #
11 - Toronto, ON - Opera House #
12 - Montreal, QC - Les Foufounes #

* - Allegaeon only
# - Max & Iggor Cavalera Return To Roots, The Black Dahlia Murder, Allegaeon only

Allegaeon lineup:

Riley McShane - vocals
Greg Burgess - guitar
Michael Stancel - guitar
Corey Archuleta - bass
Brandon Park - drums

Ripple Music has announced the signing of legendary riff-masters, Roadsaw to the label's hard and heavy roster. The veteran Boston motor-stoner act still consists of the decade-long classic line up and will be heading into the illustrious Mad Oak Studios with producer Benny Grotto to lay down a potent new batch of songs, due out early 2017, that are sure to please old fans and turn on new ones.
 
For the unfamiliar Roadsaw invite you to climb inside their jaded jalopy and careen headlong into their amplified analog landscape. From the shores of British electric blues, across the pond to America's sonic ‘70s stomp; down to the Southern swamps, thru the New York groove,  straight into heart of California's psychedelic desert.  Roadsaw's long strange trip is a virtual history of heavy riffs.

Roadsaw's often turbulent career includes seven albums, numerous compilations, and a smattering of hard-to-find singles.  The band has shared stages big and small on both sides of the Atlantic with comrades like Orange Goblin, Fu Manchu, Queens Of The Stone Age, Nebula, Scissorfight, Karma To Burn, Black Label Society and many others. Together with Ripple, the band looks forward to adding a big bold exclamation point to this already impressive resume.  US and European tours are being booked for spring 2017, including an appearance at London's Desert Fest. Spirits are high for the much anticipated return of one of riff rocks most loyal disciples.

Like cockroaches in a post-apocalyptic fall out, Roadsaw rise once again. Having survived every storm, war, trend and taste, Roadsaw simply refuses to die.  Now, they're signed to one of the world's leading heavy rock, stoner, doom and heavy psych label’s Ripple Music, and it's a certainty that mayhem will follow.  Look for limited edition vinyl, CD's and digital to be spread around the world in spring 2017.

A statute of Ian "Lemmy" Kilmister was unveiled Wednesday night, August 24 in front of the late MOTÖRHEAD frontman's favorite haunt, the legendary Rainbow Bar & Grill on Sunset Boulevard in West Hollywood, California.

Video footage and photos of the unveiling are available below.

Los Angeles-based artist Travis Moore was selected to create a realistic depiction of Lemmy for the life-size cast bronze statue, which stands at just over six feet tall and will be permanently housed in a special shrine that was constructed in the patio bar area at the Rainbow.

Travis initially sculpted the likeness as an 18-inch maquette that was then transferred to a life-size sculpture, which was molded in wax and ultimately poured and cast in bronze.

A native of Texas, Travis did his part for free, but there were considerable costs associated with the actual process that ultimately made the statute a reality. A funding campaign was launched by Katon De Pena from classic underground thrash-metal band HIRAX, who raised about $23,000 to support the building of the statue.

Moore told Loudwire that he and the team behind the campaign tried to find an image that typified Lemmy to base the statue on.

"I know they were searching for that hat-coat combo," he said. "Photographer Robert John had taken so many good pictures of him and I think that was about the time that they were at the Grammys and 'Ace Of Spades' was re-charting. There was really a resurgence for him and you can see that it was a happy time and he looks healthy and good.

"We just wanted to stay away from portraying him in a way that wouldn't be proper, and he needed to be rocking, a tough-looking dude with a full face and that was the idea.

"There was initially some debate about would he be with a guitar? Would he be sitting at the bar? Would he have a bottle of booze? There were a lot of different options, and coincidentally, even the photo that Robert took, he's standing there smoking a cigarette. We took that out, more of a liability reason, because someone could break that joker off or get caught on that.

"We don't need lawsuits or anyone injured or definitely have the statue damaged on top of anything else. But there was a lot of consideration that went into this thing and everyone involved, their number one focus was honoring Lemmy."

Katon said in January: "Lemmy was dedicated to us. Now is our chance to say 'thank you.' Travis will create the best Lemmy sculpture on the planet."

MOTÖRHEAD manager Todd Singerman told LA Weekly that he never interfered in Moore's design process. "This is for the fans. Nothing corporate," he said. "Not the label, nothing. This is a fan thing and we tried to stay out of the way." He added that there are plans to expand the tribute with a "Lemmy Lounge," which will temporarily live at the Rainbow and possibly become the actual bar inside a separate "Motörhead Bar & Grille," which Singerman said he's working on, along with a major Lemmy tribute concert and a MOTÖRHEAD museum that will house some of Lemmy's musical and military memorabilia.

Lemmy passed away at his home in Los Angeles on December 28, 2015, only four days after his 70th birthday. A memorial in his honor was held on January 9 at the Rainbow Bar & Grill, and it extended across much of the Sunset Strip.

According to TMZ, GUNS N' ROSES guitarist Slash has dropped another million dollars from the asking price of his mansion in the Mulholland Estates, a guard-gated community in the Beverly Hills area of Los Angeles.

Slash put the house on the market more than a year ago for $10.995 million, but that price came down in April by half a million to $10.495 million. The property now sits at an even lower price of $9.499 million.

The 10,971-square-foot, three-story Tuscan Villa-like home on Clerendon Road offers complete privacy and luxury, and is an entertainer's dream come true. Interior features include a dramatic two-story entry, state-of-the-art theater, massive double center island kitchen, amazingly unique lower level nightclub/entertainment room with an elevated DJ booth and custom LED lighting, and a soundproof recording studio that can be easily converted back to a guest suite. Boasting explosive canyon and city light views, it also provides a private balcony, tremendous walk-in closet and an awesome bathroom with steam shower and a custom over-sized spa tub with special unique lighting. You will also find a huge bonus/game room, library and more. The family room has a large walk-in wet bar, custom beamed ceilings and French doors that open to backyard.

Check out pictures of the property at this location.

Slash and his then-wife Perla bought the home in 2009 for $7.3 million. Their neighbors at the time reportedly included Vanna White, TV judge Greg Mathis, reality TV queen Paris Hilton, British pop star Robbie Williams and actor Charlie Sheen.

Slash filed for divorce from Perla in December 2014 after 13 years of marriage, citing "irreconcilable differences." He asked for joint custody of their two sons, 13-year-old London and 11-year-old Cash.

The reunited GUNS N' ROSES, featuring Slash, singer Axl Rose and bassist Duff McKagan, just completed a North American stadium tour.

Former SKID ROW singer Sebastian Bach is featured in Amoeba Music's "What's In My Bag?" segment in which he talks about some of the records he is into. In the clip below, he can be seen shopping at Amoeba in Hollywood, where he picks up music by RUSH, KISS and VAN HALEN, among others.

Bach's long-awaited autobiography, "18 And Life On Skid Row", which was scheduled to be released in June, will now arrive on December 6 via Dey Street Books (formerly It Books), an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers. Bach told the Rock 100.5 The KATT radio station: "It's been delayed because it's a very big project — six hundred pages with lots of pictures. They asked me for thirty pictures; I gave them a hundred and sixteen. And I'm, like, 'It's my book, dude.' [Laughs] It's got a lot of stories of crazy shit that I did. But there is a beginning and an end to it, like a story arc, because my life was very weird."

Bach revealed that he "wrote the whole thing" himself without the help of a co-writer and mentioned recent books by Keith Richards (THE ROLLING STONES), Paul Stanley (KISS) and Duff McKagan (GUNS N' ROSES) as ones that he found particularly interesting. He said: "I love [punk rock icon] Henry Rollins's writing. If my book had any kind of the power of that, I would be honored. 'Cause the way he writes is very impactful. Every paragraph, you wanna read it over and over."

Asked what was different about branching into the literary world compared to being in the music business for so long, Bach said: "You still have to fight for what you believe in and stick up for what you think is cool. Dave Grohl [NIRVANA, FOO FIGHTERS], he said one of the biggest things in rock and roll is you have to learn how to say 'no,' because there's always people trying to get you to do shit that's not cool."

Swedish metallers SABATON celebrated the release of their new album, "The Last Stand", with a performance at their own festival, Sabaton Open Air. They not only had to say goodbye to their guitarist Thobbe Englund, but they also welcomed their new member Tommy Johansson (GOLDEN RESURRECTION, REINXEED).

The band commented: "Thank you Thobbe, welcome Tommy!

"Our guitar player Thobbe did his final concert with us on last Saturday's very emotional show at the Sabaton Open Air festival.

"Celebrating the release of our new album while saying goodbye to a great friend is lots of mixed feelings. But the future is bright since this was not nearly our last stand. From now on, you will see Tommy Johansson playing guitars with SABATON and we all look forward to see you on the road!"

Tommy added: "For me to be a part of the SABATON family is a huge honor and I couldn't be happier! The guys are awesome and among the nicest people you can meet.

"I've been following SABATON since 2005 when I saw them live for the first time and I have loved the band ever since, so when they asked me to join there was no hesitation. Although they did ask me already back in 2012 but for many personal reasons it was not a good time for me to hit the road and give everything that was needed to the band. So I declined, but we have stayed in touch since then.

"I also wanna say that Thobbe is a great guitarist and such a wonderful guy! My job is not to replace him, it's to contribute to the band with my own style of guitar playing but of course also to keep his fans happy by playing his wonderful solos with pride.

"I look forward to meet you all on tour and to do what I love the most in life — to play heavy metal!"

"The Last Stand" was released on August 19 via Nuclear Blast. The follow-up to 2014's "Heroes" was once again produced by Peter Tägtgren (PAIN, LINDEMANN, HYPOCRISY) and it "marks a brand new chapter in SABATON history," according to a press release.

METALLICA's Lars Ulrich says that the band will embark on its first proper American arena tour since 2009 next year. "It's time to come back, and do some proper penetration of America," the drummer tells Rolling Stone.

"We did 180 shows on the 'Death Magnetic' tour in two-week periods over three years. That's what works for us. We're going to start pretty much full-on touring in January and are looking to figure out what we're doing in North America, but there will definitely be some pretty extensive touring in America."

METALLICA will be touring in support of its long-awaited new album, "Hardwired...To Self-Destruct", which will be released on November 18 via Blackened Recordings.

Ulrich tells Rolling Stone that he is looking forward to performing many of the new songs live. "Some of the stuff on 'Death Magnetic' was pretty cerebral," he says. "You had to really think about what the next crazy part is that was coming up. Some of the songs from the new record are a little more physical. It's gonna be a lot of fun to play this. Also, some of these songs are a little shorter than the ones on 'Death Magnetic'. I think it's gonna be a lot of fun to throw many of these songs in, but we'll change the setlist every night like we always do."

"Hardwired...To Self-Destruct" was produced by Greg Fidelman with Ulrich and METALLICA frontman James Hetfield.

The effort will be issued on double CD, vinyl and digital download. A deluxe version will feature a bonus disc containing the riffs that formed the origins of the album along with "The Lords Of Summer", which the band debuted on tour a couple of years ago.

Asked if the new album's first single, "Hardwired", is representative of the rest of the album, Hetfield told Pioneer Press: "It's representative of METALLICA, for sure. The whole record is not that, though. It's one of many parts. It's not all thrashy, it's not all mid-tempo rockers, it's not all ballads or instrumentals or whatever."

Photo credit: Herring & Herring

MEGADETH played a short acoustic set for the band's fans outside the Four Seasons hotel in Buenos Aires, Argentina earlier today (Tuesday, August 23). Video footage of the performance can be seen below.

MEGADETH fall 2016 North American leg of the "Dystopia" world tour kicks off in Casper, Wyoming on September 20 and takes them across the U.S., visiting 16 states with special guests AMON AMARTH, SUICIDAL TENDENCIES and METAL CHURCH.

MEGADETH recently announced the addition of Dirk Verbeuren as the band's new drummer. Verbeuren, formerly of Swedish metal band SOILWORK, has been performing with the band for months; his first show was Rock On The Range festival in May, to a crowd of 40,000 concertgoers. Most recently, LAMB OF GOD drummer Chris Adler had performed all the drums on the band's latest album, "Dystopia", and had toured with MEGADETH when not otherwise busy with his band.

In addition to Mustaine and Verbeuren, MEGADETH's current lineup includes longtime bassist David Ellefson and Brazilian guitarist Kiko Loureiro, best known for his work with ANGRA.

In a new interview with eonmusic’s Eamon O’Neill, Black Sabbath/Ozzy Osbourne keyboard player Adam Wakeman discusses a number of topics including the link between Rick Wakeman, Sabbath and himself, touring with Black Sabbath, and Ozzy’s plans for the future.

“Well they’re (Black Sabbath) finishing on February 4th, and then we’ll see what happens with Ozzy after that. I mean, he wants to do another tour, he wants to do another album, but there’s going to be a period of time when he needs a rest, so yeah, hopefully we’ll be back out.”

Read the full interview at eonmusic.co.uk.

(Photo - John Selby / bucksphoto.co.uk)

Ultimate Jam Night, the long-running free weekly music program founded by QUIET RIOT's Chuck Wright, held a "Tribute To Lemmy" honoring the famed leader of MOTÖRHEAD on Tuesday, August 23 at the Whisky A Go Go in West Hollywood, California.

Video footage of Rex Brown (PANTERA, KILL DEVIL HILL), Tracii Guns (L.A. GUNS), Carla Harvey (BUTCHER BABIES), Ira Black (WESTFIELD MASSACRE) and Matt Starr (ACE FREHLEY) performing a cover of MOTÖRHEAD's "Ace Of Spades" at last night's event can be seen below.

"Tribute To Lemmy" was scheduled to include appearances by the following musicians:

* Rex Brown (PANTERA, KILL DEVIL HILL)* Carla Harvey (BUTCHER BABIES)* Simon Wright (DIO, AC/DC)* Frankie Banali (QUIET RIOT)* Carmine Appice (ROD STEWART, JEFF BECK)* Phil Varone (SKID ROW)* Daxx Nielsen (CHEAP TRICK) * Dug Pinnick (KING'S X)* Johnny Kelly, Mark Zavon (KILL DEVIL HILL)* THE IRON MAIDENS members Courtney Cox, Kirsten Rosenberg, Nikki Stringfield, Nikki Lane* Quist (BRYAN FERRY)* Sean McNabb (DOKKEN, LYNCH MOB)* Steve Dawson (CJ RAMONE)* Johnny Martin (TRACII GUNS)* Mike Dupke (W.A.S.P.)* Maureen Davis (MAUREEN AND THE MERCURY 5)* Kevin Parker Robinson (PETER FRAMPTON)* Howie Simon (ERIC MARTIN, NELSON)* Michael Martinsson (DILANA)* Debby Holiday (ROD STEWART)* Seann Nichols (ADLER'S APPETITE)* Ira Black (WESTFIELD MASSACRE)* Patrick Stone (BUDDERSIDE)* Stephen Brewer (WESTFIELD MASSACRE)* Stephen Chesney * Gabe Maska (VONLUST)* Erik Tisinger (OTEP)* Chas West (BONHAM)* Mayuko & Tsuzumi Okai (TABITHA)* Jesse Blaze Snider

House band:

* Walter Ino (SURVIVOR)* Matt Starr (ACE FREHLEY)* Ben White (MAGNETICO)* Chuck Wright (QUIET RIOT)* MC Paulie Z (Z02, THE ROYALS, RUBIX CUBE)

Special guest house guitarist: Tracii Guns (L.A. GUNS)

The "Tribute To Lemmy" precedes the unveiling of a permanent Lemmy statue at the nearby Rainbow Bar & Grill. Created by artist Travis Moore, the statue unveiling will be on Wednesday, August 24. Moore will also display his complete collection of Lemmy artwork at the tribute. Lemmy fans from around the world are expected to descend onthe two days of Sunset Strip events. Thousands have already responded that they will be attending. For more information about Ultimate Jam Night, visit UltimateJamNight.com.

Lemmy, who celebrated his 70th birthday last Christmas Eve (December 24), learned two days later that he was afflicted with an aggressive form of cancer. He died two days later, on December 28, at his home in Los Angeles.

The MOTÖRHEAD frontman had dealt with several health issues over the past few years, including heart trouble, forcing him to cut back on his famous smoking and Jack Daniels habits.

The band was forced to cancel a number of shows last year, although they did manage to complete one final European tour on December 11, 2015.

Lacrimas Profundere released their first concept album, Hope Is Here, on August 12th. The band has released a live video of new track “Black Moon” from M’era Luna 2016. The band says, “Last track out of Hope Is Here album, two instruments, two voices, no post-processing, in front of 20,000 people!”

“We’ve never done a concept before and it was quite a challenge, but once Rob (Vitacca - vocalist) started writing the story and got totally buried in it, there was simply no going back,” explains guitarist Oliver Nikolas. “When you’ve got a concept you have to arrange it like a film, you have to follow certain moods and really think about where to put the faster, harder pieces and where the slower and sadder moments best fit in,” continues the band’s founder. “We’ve never worked together so hard and so well as a unit,” explains Oliver.

In the past, Lacrimas Profundere worked separately on the songwriting, practicing in short stints in the rehearsal room. On Hope Is Here they worked intermittently for three months perfecting the pre-production at the Engine Studios, allowing the material to take shape – letting their visions develop and grow. “One of the challenges we set ourselves was that every single note should hit the listener as hard as possible, inescapable,” Oliver Nikolas explains. “We feel we’ve finally reached the next level.”

Indeed: with Hope Is Here the guys drag you out of your comfortable world, deep into a forest – to a boy who lives there. Alienated at home for years. The dangers, the emotions, the sudden twists. Feel his freedom. Taste his dirt in the deep dark woods that our parents warned us from in all those good night stories. Enjoy the trip!

Tracklisting:

“The Worship Of Counting Down”
“My Halo Ground”
“Hope Is Here”
“Aramis”
“A Million Miles”
“No Man's Land”
“Pageant”
“You, My North”
“Awake”
“The Path Of Broken Homes”
“Timbre”
“Black Moon”

"Hope Is Here" video:

Trailer #1:

Trailer #2:

Atlanta power trio Whores. have posted the first 15 seconds of their new LP titled Gold today in a video seen above. Whores. will release Gold on October 28th via Entertainment One (eOne), the first for their new label home. The debut LP was recorded at Parhelion Studios with producer Ryan Boesch (Helmet, Fu Manchu, Melvins). The band is also revealing the artwork for Gold done by Patrick Copeland. 

Gold is the follow up to the LP Clean (2013). Also recorded by Boesch, the record sold out within a month, prompting the band to quickly release a second pressing. Clean is now on its fourth pressing.

"We've spent the ATL summer blasting feedback and pick slides in a sweaty, metal box," says frontman / guitarist Christian Lembach. "This is the result. Solid. Fucking. Gold."

The band will join Torche in supporting Red Fang later this fall. Dates will kick off on November 18th at Slim's in San Francisco, spanning coast to coast before wrapping up at the Showbox in Seattle on December 16th. "Red Fang and Torche are both huge inspirations, and we're flattered to be a part of this amazing tour," says Lembach. "Imminent tacos to follow." 

"The band has also announced its plans to participate in the 2016 Aftershock Festival this October, playing alongside the likes of Slayer, Tool, Primus, Baroness and Deafheaven. Lembach adds, "Beyond flattered to be a part of Aftershock Festival this year. Our life partners in Red Fang played last year, and we're super humbled to be a part of this awesome lineup."

Tour dates:

September
1 – Nashville, TN – The End
3 – Louisville, KY – PRF BBQ at Cure Lounge

October
14 – New Orleans, LA – Gasa Gasa
15 – San Antonio, TX – Paper Tiger
16 – Ft. Worth, TX – Lola’s
17 – Oklahoma City, OK – The Blue Note
19 – Colorado Springs, CO – Flux Capacitor 
22 – Sacramento, CA – Aftershock Festival
23 – Las Vegas, NV – Divebar
25 – Kansas City, MO – Record Bar
27 – Memphis, TN – The Buccaneer Lounge

November (with Red Fang and Torche)
18 – San Francisco, CA – Slim’s
19 - Pomona, CA - Glasshouse
20 - Los Angeles, CA - Teragram Ballroom
22 - San Diego, CA - Casbah
23 - Phoenix, AZ - Rebel Lounge
25 - Austin, TX - Mohawk
26 - Dallas, TX - Three Links
27 - Houston, TX - Warehouse Studio
29 - Atlanta, GA - Masquerade (Hell)
30 - Durham, NC - Motorco

December 
1 - Washington, DC - Rock and Roll Hotel
2 - Philadelphia, PA - Underground Arts
4 - Boston, MA - The Sinclair
5 - New York, NY - Mercury Lounge
7 - Pittsburgh, PA - Spirit Lounge
8 - Cleveland, OH - Beachland Ballroom
9 - Detroit, MI - El Club
10 - Chicago, IL - Metro
11 - Bloomington, IL - Castle Theater
13 - Denver, CO - Bluebird Theater
14 - Salt Lake City, UT - Urban Lounge
15 - Boise, ID - Neurolux
16 - Seattle, WA – Showbox

Swiss thrash band Poltergeist from Liestal 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. More news coming soon.

Band statement: “Swiss thrash metal legends Poltergeist is extremely proud to announce the signing to Pure Steel Records for their upcoming new album‚ Back To Haunt!”

The band originally released three albums between 1989 and 1993 before calling it quits.

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.

UK death metal giants Abhorrent Decimation have announced the addition of long-time friend, Jackson endorsee Ross McLennan (Reign Of Fury) on lead guitars as they begin working on their forthcoming debut release with Prosthetic Records. Sharing his enthusiasm, McLennan commented: "I’m really happy to be joining the band at such an exciting time. I’ve known the guys quite a while and always admired their drive and professionalism. I hope that I can add something to that formula and I look forward to contributing towards making the next record a success."  

Vocalist Ashley Scott continued to comment on the changes and reveal what's in store for the new release, stating "Ross has been a friend of the band for such a long time, it’s great to have him fill this position. As a unit, we are closer than we have ever been, the creative juices are flowing and we are ready to seriously up our game from the Miasmic era. The themes for this new one are all done, we have a considerable amount of demoed material already and we are just extremely excited to collaborate with Prosthetic on this release.” 

Abhorrent Decimation have also announced bassist David Archer will handle all engineering and production duties for the yet-to-be titled album, of which he remarked: "The dynamic of the band has changed recently and that has obviously altered the way that we do things. I really wanted to try to include influences from other genres and styles to make our sound a bit broader and more musical whilst still retaining that aggression of our previous material. The main thing that I want to achieve with this album is to create something that sounds a bit more involved and thought-out. Something dark, brooding and just a bit more reflective, whilst still being something that our fans can appreciate and that we will enjoy playing live.”  

Rhythm guitarist William Cooke added, "We’re bringing a lot more to the table this time around, the demos we have made so far are packed with new influences and I know our fans are going to love the general direction of this sound. It’s an extremely exciting time." 

Hear samples of new music and find out more about McLennan in the below video update from the band, which also includes a listing of Abhorrent Decimation's upcoming appearances throughout the UK.

Dates:

August
27 – London, UK – The Black Heart

October
28 – Reading, UK – The Facebar
30 – York, UK – Fulford Arms

NWOTHM band White Wizzard have brought back frontman Wyatt “Screaming Demon” Anderson and are currently running a Kickstarter campaign to pre-sell their new album titled Infernal Overdrive.
 
The band is offering reasonable packages that can only be obtained through the Kickstarter campaign, and they are depending on the fans to help them reach their production and video goals.

The “hilarious” Kickstarter video commercial can be seen below:

Head to Kickstarter to check out the campaign. 

The band plans to release in early 2017 and tour.

Hundred Suns, the new project featuring Norma Jean's Cory Brandan, ex-Every Time I Die drummer Ryan Leger, and Dead And Divine's Chris LeMasters, and which exists across three different cities and two countries, are in the middle of an exciting an Indie Go-Go campaign for their debut album.

Hundred Suns premiered the song "Fractional" earlier this year. Now the band have released a cool playthrough video for "Fractional”. Watch below:

Additionally, Brandan will appear on the Break It Down Podcast with Matt Carter tonight, Wednesday, August 24th, at 10 PM, ET. Tune in here.

Head to the Indie Go-Go page to check out the band's pledge video, which also reveals a clip of a new track.

French heavy metallers Lonewolf have released a video for “Demon’s Fire”, a track from their new album, The Heathen Dawn, out now via Massacre Records. The new clip can be found below.

The album was recorded with Xavier Sindt at Microclimat Studio, and was mixed and mastered by Charles Greywolf at Studio Greywolf. Péter Sallai of Mortpaintgraphics created the album's cover artwork:

Tracklisting:

“A Call To Wolves”
“Wolfsblut”
“Demon's Fire”
“Keeper Of The Underworld”
“When The Angels Fall”
“Until The End”
“Rise To Victory”
“Heathen Dawn”
“Into The Blizzard”
“The Birth Of A Nation”
“Song For The Fallen”
“I Choose The Dark” (Digipak Bonus)
“Mother Faith” (Digipak Bonus)

“Demon's Fire” video:

“The Heathen Dawn”:

Prosthetic Records announce the signing of Illinois-based symphonic melodeath group Starkill to their evergrowing roster. Formed in 2008, Starkill self-released their debut EP before being discovered by Century Media Records in 2011 where they went on to release two full-length albums, 2013's Fires Of Life and it's follow-up, Virus Of The Mind in 2014.

Starkill are excited to reveal their third album, Shadow Sleep, will be released via Prosthetic Records worldwide on November 4th. Lead guitarist and vocalist, Parker Jameson commented, “We are thrilled to announce not only our signing to new home Prosthetic Records, but also the release of our third studio album, Shadow Sleep. Jameson continued to reveal, "'Gustavo Sazes (Arch Enemy, Kamelot, Firewind) tackled the artwork which perfectly matches the themes of internal struggle and introspective lyrics, and this was the first album in which the four of us tackled a good amount of the actual tracking and production of the album.”

Recorded and mixed at Electrowerks Studio with Chuck Macak (Fall Of Troy, Oceano Letlive) while being sent for mastering by Troy Glessner (August Burns Red, Devin Townsend, Death Cab For Cutie), Shadow Sleep presents 13 tracks of melodic, majestic death metal reinforced by Jameson’s over-the-top shredding paired with one of the tightest rhythm sections in the scene.

"This album was the culmination of many tours, new experiences and knowledge, and in our opinion, marks the starting point of where the true Starkill sound begins" exclaimed Jameson, "We've finally found ourselves, our musical style and finally have access to all the musical tools we've ever wanted: two screamers, two male singers, and newly featured on this record, the addition of a female vocalist. This album marks a critical turning point for Starkill, and we are excited to be with Prosthetic Records for this new chapter."

Shadow Sleep tracklisting:

“Walk Through Fire”
“Burn Your World”
“Through The Darkness”
“Shadow Sleep”
“Cloudless”
“Piece Of Paradise”
“Ruin”
“Into The Grey”
“Razors Edge”
“No Savior”
“Erase Me”
“Farewell”
“Captive Of The Night”

Starkill have created a brief video announcing their new signing while teasing audio clips taken from Shadow Sleep:

Starkill have won fans over throughout the country with their solid live performances on stages alongside bands including Epica, Moonspell, Arch Enemy and Ne Obliviscaris. In addition to the release of Shadow Sleep on November 4th, the band will also kickstart an extensive jaunt across North America with Gothenburg melodic death legends Dark Tranquility, Finland doom metallists' Swallow The Sun and Swedish heavy metal outfit Enforcer. Prior to this, the band will be seen at Illinois' Full Terror Assault with Dying Fetus, Belphegor and more.

A full list of their upcoming appearances can be found here.

Starkill is:

Parker Jameson - lead guitar, vocals, keyboards
Spencer Weidner - drums
Tony Keathley - guitar, backing vocals
Shaun Andruchuk - bass guitar

eonmusic spoke to Paradise Lost founding guitarist Aaron Aedy at Bloodstock 2016. The guitarist revealed that the band are planning to remaster their 1999 album, Host.

Says Aaron: ”We’ve just got the rights back to Host, so we’re thinking about remixing it. It’s got a very pop production as well; it’s very pop on one level. There’s a lot of dynamics in the songs, and when we played them live, they actually had a lot more energy to them, when we did the Host tour.”

Asked if he’s talking about doing a remix, rather than a remaster, Aaron replies: “No, remastering more so, really. I don’t know, if some of the guitar sounds want replacing then maybe, but I don’t know."

Read the full interview at eonmusic.co.uk.   

Paradise Lost recently signed a worldwide deal with German-based metal powerhouse Nuclear Blast. Formed in Halifax, West Yorkshire in 1988 and still boasting four of its five original members, the band are widely-credited with co-founding the gothic metal genre with their sophomore album, Gothic (1991).

Through the years, Paradise Lost have changed their style effectively and reinvented themselves again and again. They elbowed their way from their original doom/death metal on their debut, Lost Paradise (1990) to the classic Icon (1993) and more experimental One Second (1997). Finally they went back to the roots with their current release, The Plague Within (2015) and some of the best reviews of their career.

Vocalist Nick Holmes commented: "Paradise Lost's career has run alongside Nuclear Blast Records since the label began in the late 80's. And as huge fans of original death metal, we still have the majority of the label's first releases from those very early days. It's pretty incredible to see how the label has become a real force in metal music over the years, both in Europe and America and now, nearly 30 years later, in a new chapter for the band, it's exciting for Paradise Lost to be a part of Nuclear Blast in 2017!"

Nuclear Blast owner Markus Staiger adds: "As a fan from day one I've been following Paradise Lost ever since their death metal era but also enjoyed watching them grow into something even bigger and so unique. They defined and later on re-defined the gothic genre and always delivered the most dark and memorable songs. It's with great pleasure to finally welcome the band to the ever-growing Nuclear Blast family! Needless to say that we're very much looking forward to this cooperation!"

Paradise Lost live:

August
27 - Istanbul, Turkey - 100% Metal Fest Headbangers' Weekend

October
15 - Sao Paulo, Brazil - Epic Metal Fest Brazil

Paradise Lost are:

Nick Holmes - vocals
Greg Mackintosh - lead guitars
Aaron Aedy - rhythm guitars
Steve Edmondson - bass
Waltteri Väyrynen - drums

Tommy Skeoch is famous for being half of the original guitar tandem with Frank Hannon in the band Tesla. Ten years ago, due to internal issues, complicated by drug issues and behaviour issues, Tommy left the band.

Since then, he has been living in Florida making his own solo albums, and has now released two new songs via iTunes. He is also giving guitar lessons via Skype. In a new interview with Classic Rock Revisited, Tommy catches us up with what’s going on in his world. An excerpt follows:

CRR: Tell me how you decided to do Skype guitar lessons?

Tommy: “I’ve always been doing lessons, but now I’m trying to do this Skype.”

CRR: Do you teach beginners?

Tommy: “It depends on the person, really. It’s fun. I just show them a few power chords and get them going right off the bat. The lessons are cool. I have a good time doing it. I can get most people playing “Rock You Like a Hurricane” within 15 minutes if they’ve got some rhythm.”

CRR: That’s pretty cool… see I didn’t know if you were like doing master classes for musicians or if you are like just giving intermediate guitar lessons.

Tommy: “I’m just giving guitar lessons. I’ve been doing it locally for 10 years and I’ve had anywhere from 10 students to, like right now locally I only have a couple. I started kind of talking about it on my Facebook page and people were like “oh that would be cool” so, I’m charging like $80 bucks.”

Read the full interview at Classic Rock Revisited.

Crobot have released an official visualizer for “Plague Of The Mammoths”, a track from their forthcoming album, Welcome To Fat City, which is scheduled for released September 23rd via Wind-up Records. Find the clip below.

Welcome To Fat City tracklisting:

“Welcome To Fat City”
“Play It Cool”
“Easy Money”
“Not For Sale”
“Hold On For Dear Life”
“Temple In The Sky”
“Right Between The Eyes”
“Blood On The Snow”
“Steal The Show”
“Moment Of Truth”
“Plague Of The Mammoths”

“Plague Of The Mammoths” visualizer:

“Not For Sale” video:

Catch Crobot on the road:

August
25 - Ringle, WI - Q and Z Expo Center^
28 -  Fargo, ND - The Nestor Tavern^
30 - Billings, MT - Pub Station^
31 -  Jerome, ID - Diamondz Event Center^

September
4 -  Seattle, WA-  Studio 7^
17 - Revolution Rock Festival - Mashantucket, CT
18 - Chester, PA - Rock Allegiance Festival

October
1 - Louisville, KY - Louder Than Life Festival
2 - Louisville, KY - Louder Than Life Festival
28 - Berlin, Germany - Mercedes Benz Arena***
31 - Munich, Germany - Olynphiahalle***

November
1 - Linz, Austria - Tipps Arena***
2 - Vienna, Austria - Stadhalle***
4 - Innsbruk, Austria - Olympiagalle***
5 - Vernier, Switzerland - Arena***
7 - Stuttgart, Germnay - Schleyerhalle***
8 - Zurich, Switzerland - Hallenstadion***
9 - Koln, Germany - LANXESS Arena***
10 - Frankfurt, Germany - Festhalle***
12 - Leipzig, germany - Arena***
13 - Oberhausen, Germany - Koenig-Pilsner Arena***
14 - Forest, Belgium - Forest National***
15 - Amsterdam Zuidoost, Netherlands - Ziggo Dome***

* with The Virginmarys, Aeges
** with Sevendust
*** with Volbeat
^ headline dates with Ape Machine

Guns N’ Roses have released a video trailer for their upcoming Not In This Lifetime DVD. Although details are yet to be revealed, the contents of the DVD are rumored to include the band’s July 23rd tour opener in Detroit, MI, as well as a 15-25 minute documentary. Check out the trailer below, and stay tuned for more details, expected soon.

Following news that Guns N’ Roses will bring their Not In This Lifetime Tour to Australia in February 2017, the band has confirmed two shows for New Zealand. Shows will take place on February 2nd in Wellington and February 4th in Auckland. Ticket pre-sale begin today, August 24th, tickets and VIP packages for Guns N’ Roses Not In This Lifetime tour will go on sale to the general public at 10 AM, local time on August 31st.

The 2017 tour schedule is now as follows:

January
21 - Osaka, Japan - Kyocera Dome
28 - Tokyo, Japan - Saitama Super Arena
29 - Tokyo, Japan - Saitama Super Arena

February
2 - Wellingtone, New Zealand - Westpac Stadium
4 - Auckland, New Tealand - Western Springs
7 - Brisbane, Australia - QSAC Stadium
10 - Sydney, Australia - ANZ Stadium
14 - Melbourne, Australia - MCG
18 - Adelaide, Australia - Adelaide Oval
21 - Perth, Australia - Domain Stadium

Tickets and VIP packages for Guns N’ Roses Not In This Lifetime Tour will go on sale to the general public on Friday, August 26th. For all tour details, go here.

More GN'R dates:

October
27 - Lima, Peru - Estadio Monumental
29 - Santiago, Chile - Estadio Nacional

November
4 - Buenos Aires, Argentina - River Plate Stadium
8 - Porto Alegre, Brazil - Estadio Beira-Rio
11 - Sao Paulo, Brazil - Allianz Parque
15 - Curitiba, Brazil - Pedreira Paulo Leminski
18 - Rio de Janeiro, Brazil - [to be announced]
20 - Brasilia, Brazil - Estadio Nacional
23 - Medellin, Colombia - Estadio Atanasio Girardot
26 - San José, Costa Rica - Estadio Nacional

Canadian rockers NICKELBACK are currently in the studio recording their ninth studio album, tentatively due in early 2017 via Republic Records.

While NICKELBACK was in the studio laying down tracks for the follow-up to 2014's "No Fixed Address", they decided to have some fun and play one of their favorite songs, Don Henley's "Dirty Laundry". Instead of letting the impromptu recording go to waste, they wanted to share it with their fans. Take a listen to their rendition on Spotify.

Released in 1982, the original version of "Dirty Laundry" was written and produced by Henley and Danny Kortchmar.

NICKELBACK frontman Chad Kroeger told The Pulse Of Radio a while back that making each new record different is what keeps things interesting for NICKELBACK. "When we get in the studio to take on the daunting task of making a NICKELBACK record, all the band members have such diverse tastes in music that it's a lot about keeping us happy," he said. "We don't want to get onstage and play the same kind of music for two hours. We like to make sure that everybody in the band is happy and that seems to be keeping the fans happy."

In June 2015, NICKELBACK canceled the majority of its tour dates in support of the band's eighth album, "No Fixed Address", so that Kroeger could recover from surgery to remove a cyst on his vocal cords.

NICKELBACK filed a $13 million insurance claim with Lloyd's of London after scrapping the tour. But Lloyd's sued to cancel the singer's insurance, alleging that Kroeger already had the throat condition and failed to disclose it before taking out the policy.

Earlier this year, NICKELBACK countersued Lloyd's, claiming that the firm is making false allegations about the band so that it doesn't have to pay out the claim.

"No Fixed Address" debuted at No. 4 on The Billboard 200 album chart in November 2014.

Deep Purple legend Ian Gillan’s The Vinyl Collection 1979-1982 has been delayed and will now be released on October 7th via Demon Records. A trailer for the upcoming release can be found below.

Gillan - The Vinyl Collection houses together all five UK studio albums by the legendary rock powerhouse. All have been recreated as first pressing replicas, so Future Shock has the original 12x12 booklet and Glory Road contains the bonus LP, For Gillan Fans Only. All pressed on 180g heavyweight vinyl housed in a rigid slipcase.

Mr Universe - 1979’s Mr Universe was Gillan’s second album and the first issued in the UK. This album cemented the classic line up of former Deep Purple vocalist Ian Gillan, guitarist Bernie Torm?, bassist John McCoy, pianist Colin Towns and drummer Mick Underwood. High energy classic hard rock from beginning to end.

Glory Road - Issued in 1980, at the height of the NWoBHM, Glory Road took Gillan to new levels of energy and success, cementing them as Top Of The Pops regulars. Classic British hard rock at its best.

For Gillan Fans Only - Originally issued as a limited edition bonus disc to 1980’s Glory Road, For Gillan Fans Only features b-sides, studio outtakes and specially recorded material, interspersed with quips and irrelevance, all showcasing the band’s creativity and humour. This also features the side project The Split Knee Loons.

Future Shock - Gillan’s 1981 album Future Shock saw these Reading Festival regulars at their lyrically most personal and diverse, taking on religion and the cold war. Aptly futuristic artwork encompassing a blistering cover of New Orleans, and No Laughing In Heaven an early rock meets rap chart hit.

Double Trouble - Gillan’s third album in 15 months saw this 1981 double album Double Trouble feature new guitarist Janick Gers (later of Iron Maiden), and a slightly more melodic approach. Two chart hits and a bonus disc of live material from the Reading Festival .

Magic - Magic, issued in 1982, was Gillan’s swansong before singer Ian joined Black Sabbath and then a reformed Deep Purple. There most melodic and underrated album, it featured the blistering Demon Driver and a cover of Stevie Wonder’s Living For The City. The catalogue ended on a high.

Order via the Amazon widget below. An Amazon UK Exclusive Edition containing a bonus 7" single for “Spanish Guitar” can be ordered here.

 

 

Dutch symphonic metallers EPICA will release their seventh studio album, "The Holographic Principle" on September 30 via Nuclear Blast. The CD was produced by Joost van der Broek at Sandlane Recording Facilities and was mixed by Jacob Hansen (VOLBEAT, DESTRUCTION). The cover artwork was created by Stefan Heilemann.

"The Holographic Principle" track listing:

01. Eidola02. Edge Of The Blade03. A Phantasmic Parade04. Universal Death Squad05. Divide And Conquer06. Beyond The Matrix07. Once Upon A Nightmare08. The Cosmic Algorithm09. Ascension - Dream State Armageddon10. Dancing In A Hurricane11. Tear Down Your Walls12. The Holographic Principle - A Profound Understanding Of Reality

The third part of a studio documentary on the making of "The Holographic Principle" can be seen below.

"Halfway through 2015, EPICA started a new journey: writing and recording the seventh studio album, 'The Holographic Principle'," explains EPICA guitarist Isaac Delahaye. "In between touring, we spent our time in the Sandlane Recording Facilities with producer Joost van den Broek and here's the first part of our studio documentary! It gives you a little insight into the creation of what we see as our most complete album ever. You'll hear rough snippets of new music, and you'll see how we built things up. Enjoy!"

EPICA previously stated about the lyrical inspiration for "The Holographic Principle": "'The Holographic Principle' deals with the near future wherein virtual reality has taken off and allows people to create their own virtual worlds which can't be distinguished from 'reality as we know it.' This raises the question whether our current reality is a kind of virtual reality on itself, a hologram. This implies the existence of a higher reality which we currently do not have access to. The lyrics challenge you to think out of the box, to reconsider everything you thought to know for sure and to be open-minded towards recent revolutions in science. Fasten your seat belts and get ready for a ride as nothing appears to be what it seems in our holographic universe."

Speaking to Spark TV, which is part of the Czech monthly magazine Spark, EPICA singer Simone Simons stated about the follow-up to 2014's "The Quantum Enigma": "It's a huge amount of songs, it's a lot of information, it's a lot to take in, but we put everything in this record and we hope that it will pay off and that the people will feel what we feel when we listen to it."

She added: "Since 'The Quantum Enigma' was received so well, we set the bar so high, but we accepted the challenge to make an even better record. And we've done everything bigger than before — we had more orchestra, a bigger choir. We had so many different instruments — real, live instruments. Vocally, I put everything in the record that I can possibly do, and I'm very pleased with it."

According to Simone, she has once again experimented a bit with her vocal approach on the new album. "With each record, I try to get the best out," she said. "And Joost [van den Broek], our producer, he's also very good at getting everything out of me. And the songs themselves, they just ask for a lot of variation in the vocal style. And I do opera, rock, pop, and in the ballads you hear the really soft voice. And, yeah, I can belt out some high notes as well."

Even though "The Holographic Principle" is one of EPICA's most ambitious offerings to date, the album doesn't sacrifice any of its instant appeal, something which Simone says was intentional. "I think it needs to be all in balance," she said. "We are, in heart, a metal band going in the symphonic direction. The orchestration, the choir is a little bit like the seventh and eighth bandmember of EPICA, and that's something we'll always keep in there. And the choir parts are often very catchy, the choruses are very catchy. But on this record, besides having catchy melodies, we also wanted to have really groovy vocal lines. And that's something that we worked on as well; we changed up some things to make it less predictable."

One of the aspects of EPICA's sound which has been enhanced on "The Holographic Principle" is the growling vocal style of EPICA guitarist and main songwriter Mark Jansen. "Well, it's Mark and it's actually our drummer as well," Simone said. "Mark is the main grunter, and our drummer, Ariën [van Weesenbeek], has a really nice, thick sound. So I don't know if he sang all the grunt parts as well, if he doubled them with Mark, but them together makes a totally new grunt sound, and I like it. Also, it changes it up a bit. Mark can do also really low grunts, he can do screams, and Ariën really has that deep sound to it."

Simone also praised the contributions of Isaac Delahaye, who came into the band in 2009. "The guitars are definitely more brutal," she said. "Also in the mix, the melodies, the grooves, and I think that ever since Isaac joined the band, not only as a songwriter but also the guitars have been lifted to a different level, and have become more interesting to listen to, I find myself. So I'm a big fan of his guitar work and also his songwriting."

Florida-based death metal veterans OBITUARY have announced "Ten Thousand Ways To Die", a special two-song single containing a pair of brand new studio tracks plus a bonus live set of twelve classics and fan favorites from the band's storied catalog. Recorded in eleven different cities during the band's highly successful 2015 "Inked In Blood" world tour, the live tracks capture the incredible performances of a band that has stood atop the death metal pantheon for almost 30 years.

"Ten Thousand Ways To Die" will be released worldwide on October 21 on CD and digital formats and is sure to satisfy new and die-hard OBITUARY fans and will quench the bloodthirst of listeners until the band's new album drops in spring 2017. Listen to the new single "Loathe" below.

Commented the band: "We are very excited about the live songs that we recorded on this last U.S. tour. Joe Cincotta from Full Force Studio is also our live sound engineer and he had his full recording rig on the road with us so we took advantage of the opportunity and recorded the show every night. The quality was amazing so we decided to include this as part of the 'Ten Thousand Ways to Die' release to give the fans a little OB bonus! We selected songs from different cities so you will hear the sound difference between each song. Nothing was done to the songs after the live performance recording so it gives you the real, true, unedited 'live show' sound and feeling that the fans experienced at each show." OBITUARY will return to Europe as part of the colossal "Battle Of The Bays" European tour in October / November 2016 alongside San Francisco Bay Area thrash metal veterans EXODUS. Support will come from influential groove crossover metallers PRONG and Australian wrecking machine KING PARROT.

OBITUARY's ninth studio album, "Inked In Blood", sold around 5,200 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 75 on The Billboard 200 chart.

The band's first full-length CD in over five years, "Inked In Blood" was recorded by OBITUARY in April 2014 at the group's own RedNeck Studio in Gibsonton, Florida.

Roadrunner Records group KING 810 has released the second gripping track from their forthcoming album, "La Petite Mort Or A Conversation With God". "Alpha & Omega", which made its world premiere today on Sirius XM's Liquid Metal, is available now along with an official music video, which can be seen below. The clip was conceptualized and directed entirely by KING 810 frontman David Gunn and was filmed in an abandoned church located in Detroit, Michigan. "La Petite Mort Or A Conversation With God", KING 810's follow-up to their provocative and acclaimed debut LP, "Memoirs Of A Murderer", is set to arrive on September 16.

Produced by Josh Schroeder, Justyn Pilbrow and KING 810 and recorded in Bay City, Michigan, "La Petite Mort Or A Conversation With God" finds KING 810 taking listeners deep into the dark heart of Flint. Far from a retread of their acclaimed debut, "La Petite Mort" — translating to "The Little Death" — is an inspired, holistic body of work that marks a profound evolutionary leap for the restless and driven souls of KING 810. The title itself is a reference to the duel themes of the records: the real-life violence and despair of Flint that builds the basis of Gunn's narrative and secondly, the steady desensitization and terminal closing down of the human spirit experienced when confronted with those real-life conditions. Entwined around that conceptual core is an omnipresent haze of dark sexuality and desperation that provides "La Petite Mort" with some of its most unnerving moments. "La Petite Mort" kicks down the door and delivers grim realities with powerful album stand outs like the ferocious "Alpha & Omega" and powerful title track, "La Petite Mort". As the album takes listeners on a journey to enlightenment via Gunn's self-reflection, it continually builds upon a diverse musical palette showcasing dark ambient electronica ("Wolves Run Together"), street-level poetry ("War Time" featuring Trick Trick) and grand string arrangements ("Black Swan"). For KING 810, the little deaths of "La Petite Mort" bring a transcendental empowerment which takes hold throughout the album's stark narrative. Earlier this year KING 810 took action as a pillar of the Flint community with the release of new music taking aim at the water crisis devastating their hometown. The band released two new tracks: "We Gotta Help Ourselves", a poignant track supported by a partnership with local Flint outlet Savage Village who created a unique T-shirt design, and "Crow's Feet", which was featured on "Not Safe To Drink: Music For Flint Water Crisis Relief", a charity compilation. All proceeds from both the T-shirt design and compilation will be donated to The Community Foundation Of Greater Flint's Flint Child Health & Development Fund.

"La Petite Mort Or A Conversation With God" track listing:

01. Heavy Lies The Crown02. Alpha & Omega03. Give My People Back04. Vendettas05. Black Swan06. The Trauma Model07. La Petite Mort08. I Ain't Goin Back Again09. War Time (feat. Trick Trick)10. Life's Not Enough11. Me & Maxine12. Wolves Run Together13. A Conversation With God

OF MICE & MEN has premiered "Real", the stunning companion video to the band's recently released single. Check it out below.

"Real" is taken from OF MICE & MEN's much-anticipated new album, "Cold World", set for a September 9 release on Rise Records. The band began giving fans a sneak preview of the album with the release of first track/video "Pain", the video for which has already racked up more than 2.1 million YouTube views. Next came the audio for "Real", which premiered on SiriusXM's Octane.

Fans can get "Pain" and "Real" as instant downloads by pre-ordering the album.

Directed by Max Moore, the "Real" video is dedicated to the memory of 14-year-old Cassy Colunga, who recently passed away after battling brain cancer. The band first met with Cassy through the Living The Dream Foundation and upon hearing that her condition worsened, arranged for a visit while recording the album. They spent the day with Cassy and her family, brought her to the studio for a preview of the record (she was the first person outside of the band, producer and engineer to hear the album) and recorded her handclaps for "The Lie", an epic "Cold World" track that finds Carlile venting his frustrations about the medical system and "calling out the one percent for not taking care of the people they should be," he explains. "Now Cassy's name and the sound of her clapping hands are on the record," says Carlile. "It's something that captures that moment and that relationship forever. When we think about everything we went through to make this record, that's something that we'll never forget."

For the "Real" video, the band worked with The Marfan Foundation, Living The Dream Foundation and St. Jude Children's Research Hospital and asked fans to submit video footage of themselves holding signs that answered the question, "What makes you feel real?"

In an interview with Rolling Stone in which he discusses his daily battle with Marfan syndrome, Carlile also talked about the making of the video. "We shot it in Portland, Oregon, during a day off from tour," he said. "We asked fans to submit footage holding up poster boards that explain what makes them feel real. The images that pop up mention everything from music to foster care to activism to the Marfan community to St. Jude's hospital. We even had some fans in the studio while we were recording, just to include them more in the process."

After wrapping up the remaining dates on their summer arena tour with MARILYN MANSON and SLIPKNOT, OF MICE & MEN will celebrate the release of "Cold World" with a string of special album release shows in Los Angeles, New York, Cincinnati and New Orleans. Those performances will see the band performing "Cold World" live in its entirety for the first time ever. The shows will take place between the band's scheduled performances at a number of major festivals in the U.S. Tickets are available and bundled with a copy of "Cold World". OF MICE & MEN's headlining U.K. tour comes next, kicking off September 30 in Birmingham.

According to BBC News, the world's longest aircraft, the Airlander 10 — which is backed by various celebrities, including IRON MAIDEN frontman Bruce Dickinson — has crashed during its second test flight.

The 302-foot-long aircraft was damaged when it took a nosedive during a flight from Cardington Airfield in Bedfordshire, United Kingdom. The £25 million aircraft appeared to have run into problems as it was making its way back onto the ground.

Hybrid Air Vehicles, the developer, said all the crew were "safe and well".

A spokesman said: "The flight went really well and the only issue was when it landed."

The aircraft had its first test flight from the airfield on August 17.

Airlanders are low noise, low pollution, and are environmentally friendly. They have ultra-long endurance, and a point-to-point cargo-carrying capacity. They can take off and land vertically and operate from a range of remote environments including water, desert, ice and fields.

Dickinson, who has reportedly invested around £250,000 ($360,000) in the Airlander, told The New Yorker magazine earlier this year: "You want to put a hospital into Africa? You put the whole hospital in the inside of this — whoosh. Start the generator. 'Here's your hospital, buddy!' Job done. You know? You can just plunk the vehicle straight down on the farm, load it with fifty tons of green beans or whatever, and twenty-four hours later you land right next door to the processing plant. It's a global conveyor belt. And water! With these vehicles, you could drop off a twenty-ton slab of water that is clean, drinkable, to an African village. It's astonishing what you can do that you just can’t do with anything else. Shit, you can do that with it? Wow, you can do that with it? Seriously fantastic!"

Dickinson said that he hoped to one day take the Airlander to the North Pole and the South Pole, with the entire journey being live-streamed via the Internet. "You just drop right down onto the ice cap," he said. "Or drop right down on the Atacama Desert, and you go up through the rain forest or whatever, just for shits and giggles. You know?"

Dickinson decided to put his cash into the project after meeting the "genius behind it," the late inventor Roger Munk. The singer told The Guardian: "I told my wife: 'I'm about to put £100k into a big bag of helium. It may go up in smoke.' She said: 'People have to dream, and unless you can dream something, it's never going to happen.'"

He added: "I'm not expecting to get my money back anytime soon, I just want to be part of it. Being a rock person, I could put it up my nose, or buy a million Rolls Royces and drive them into swimming pools, or I could do something useful. There are very few times in your life when you're going to be part of something big."

Unlike traditional airships, the Airlander has no internal structure but it becomes rigid through being filled with helium, at just above atmospheric pressure. The super-strong hull material has been specially designed for Hybrid Air Vehicles by Warwick Mills and assembled by ILC Dover, the company who make NASA spacesuits. Its innovative composition includes a woven fabric for strength on the inside, and a Tedlar layer for protection on the outside, sandwiching a mylar film to retain the helium.

For more information, visit www.hybridairvehicles.com.