Fan-filmed video footage of EXODUS's August 17 performance at Conrad Sohm in Dornbirn, Austria can be seen below.

EXODUS drummer Tom Hunting recently told Spark TV that the band will begin work on the follow-up to 2014's "Blood In Blood Out" album in January 2017. He stated about the songwriting process: "The formula's always the same: it's just guys getting in a room and, 'Hey, put a drum beat to this. Put a drum beat to that.' 'Okay, that's good. We'll keep that.' It's not rocket science. It's pretty easy."

Tom expressed hope that EXODUS could release the next album "in the middle, or towards the end of 2017," he said. "I wanna take our time, though. It's not really how much material you put out at this point; it's gotta be good. I'm more concerned about it being good than [being released] fast."

As previously reported, EXODUS will return to Europe as part of the colossal "Battle Of The Bays" European tour in October/November, alongside famed Florida death metal squad OBITUARY. Support will come from influential groove crossover metallers PRONG and Australian wrecking machine KING PARROT.

"Blood In Blood Out" was the band's first album since the departure of EXODUS's lead singer of nine years, Rob Dukes, and the return of Steve "Zetro" Souza, who previously fronted EXODUS from 1986 to 1993 and from 2002 to 2004.

EXODUS last fall completed a tour of North America as the support act for KING DIAMOND.

The Dead Daisies played Woodstock Festival Poland, the biggest Open Air Festival in Europe, this July. With an average attendance of over 625,000 people over the last four years, the festival is truly massive and the Daisies were welcomed by the giant crowd with open arms and left to thunderous applause.

“Join Together” connected with the crowd in an explosive fashion and this video showcases some of the energy that was created that day. Vocalist John Corabi stated, “We wanted to do ‘Join Together’ cause it's obviously a classic Who song. I just love the power of the guitar and bass when it kicks in with the heavy riff on the second verse... always have. The vocals are pretty easy to get the audience involved, and it's been a crowd favorite when we play it live. We knew the minute we started jamming, it was going to sound great! It's our tip of the hat to a legendary classic band... you may think of us as 'rockers' but, at the end of the day we're just huge music fans... just like our audience!”

"Join Together" is one of the singles from the The Dead Daisies' new album Make Some Noise, which was released on August 5th. To check it out in all stores and on all streams, click here.

The Dead Daisies are currently on tour, opening for KISS across The United States; remaining shows are as listed:

August
17 - Springfield, IL - Illinois State Fair
19 - Des Moines, IA - Iowa State Fair
20 - Rockford, IL - BMO Harris Bank Center
22 - Dayton, OH - Nutter Center
24 - Toledo, OH - Huntington Center
26 - Youngstown, OH - Covelli Centre
27 - Erie, PA - Erie Insurance Arena
29 - Rochester, NY - Blue Cross Arena
30 - State College, PA - Bryce Jordan Center

September
1 - Allentown, PA - The Great Allentown Fair
3 - Worcester, MA - DCU Center
4 - Portland, ME - Cross Insurance Arena
7 - Bridgeport, CT - Webster Bank Arena
9 - Richmond, VA - Richmond Coliseum
10 - Huntington, WV - Big Sandy Arena

"Long Way To Go” video:

Swedish melodic rock band, Palace, will release their debut album, Master Of The Universe on August 26th. You can pre-order the album at this location. Listen to the album track “Cool Runnin'” below:

The band was founded by lead singer and guitarist Michael Palace. The lineup is rounded out by Rick Digorio on guitar, Marcus Johansson on drums and Soufian Ma’Aoui on bass. Heavily influenced by 80’s imagery and sounds, Palace delivers massive arena rock with a modern touch! AOR fans of all ages will find much to love among the eleven hard rocking tracks on Master Of The Universe. Catchy choruses, heavy guitars, pounding drums, thumping bass, interstellar synths and soaring vocals are the order of the day with Palace. Prepare to go back to the future and beyond, with an album you simply can't miss in 2016.

Despite their young age, all four members have accumulated a wealth of experience both playing live and recording in the studio with several different acts. As individuals and at times crossing paths, they have played and/or currently play with with Adrenaline Rush, Reach, Erika, Houston, Find Me, GutterdÄMerung, Big Time, and Miljenko Matijevic to name a few.

Michael Palace began working with Frontiers as a songwriter and guitar player for First Signal (featuring Harry Hess), Cry Of Dawn (with Goran Edman), Kryptonite (featuring Jakob Samuel), and Toby Hitchcock. The successful collaborations led to a worldwide record deal with Frontiers and the signing of his band and the future is now wide open.

There is no doubt that delivering a great live performance is just as important as sounding top notch in the studio, and Palace delivers in spades. What you hear on the record is what you get live, so prepare for an unforgettable experience when Palace is in town!

"Starting in Sweden and working our way out all around Europe, our goal is to make sure that every single person who enjoys the album gets a chance to see us in their home town or at least at their favorite rock festival,” tells frontman Michael Palace. “We love the music that we play, and we want to share this happiness with all of you music lovers out there for as long as we can. We truly hope that you like the album and that we'll see you very soon!"

Palace will have an exclusive release show in Stockholm on August 26 at Harry B James Club.

Master Of The Universe tracklisting:

“Master Of The Universe”
“Cool Runnin'”
“Man Behind The Gun”
“Part Of Me”
“No Exit”
“Matter In Hand”
“Path To Light”
“Rules Of The Game”
“She Said It's Over”
“Stranger's Eyes”
“Young/Wild/Free”

“Path To Light”:

“Part Of Me”:

“Master Of The Universe” video:

EPK:

Palace is:

Michael Palace - Vocals, guitar
Rick Digorio - Guitar
Marcus Johansson - Drums
Soufian Ma’Aoui - Bass

Singer Kristen May has announced her departure from FLYLEAF after a four-year tenure with the band.

May replaced original vocalist Lacey Sturm when the latter abruptly departed FLYLEAF in October 2012. She recorded one album with the group, 2014's "Between The Stars", and toured with FLYLEAF in support of the effort, including headlining 2015's Revolver trek.

May confirmed her exit from FLYLEAF via a video message on her Facebook page. She explained: "The reasons behind my leaving… One of them right now, obviously, is that I wanna be the best mom I can be, and I wanna be here for my son for everything.

"I've toured in bands and been on the road and away from home for twelve years. And so, for me, to be able to plant some roots for a little bit with my son and with my husband and our dogs here at my home is really, really important to me. I feel like it's something that God has called me to do. I feel like it's a very high calling for me, and a very clear calling for me.

"As far as will I make music later? Absolutely. I know that I will make music again. I already am picking up the guitar again and getting time when I can to make music. But I don't think it will be with FLYLEAF."

She continued: "Though I love the album 'Between The Stars', and I feel like the guys and I really poured our hearts and souls in it, I never truly felt like I was part of the team in a way that I never truly felt like the band was mine. And I'm sure a lot of people feel that way when they come into a band that had a previous lead singer. The story isn't all mine. And so I never truly felt like I fit in. And so I just feel like life is too short to stay where you aren't fully growing.

"Anyway, just to be honest, completely honest with you, I need to grow and move elsewhere. And whether that is with music, I know it will be in some capacity. Or whether it's… I've been really into yoga and essential oils and health and wellness, and that's something I wanna explore as well. I also wanna explore art and try to get better at painting. There's just so many things I want to do right now, and committing myself to one band just isn't what is right for me."

Kristen is married to her former VEDERA bandmate Brian Little.

VEDERA split up in 2011, two years after releasing its Epic debut, "Stages". The effort peaked at No. 2 on Billboard's Heatseekers chart.

"Between The Stars" sold 8,200 copies in the United States in its first week of release to land at position No. 33 on The Billboard 200 chart. The CD was released on September 16, 2014 via Loud & Proud Records.

"Between The Stars" was recorded over a four-week period at a Los Angeles studio with producer Don Gilmore (PEARL JAM, LINKIN PARK, BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE).

Fan-filmed video footage of DOKKEN's July 30 performance at the St. Clair Riverfest in St. Clair, Michigan can be seen below.

The current lineup of DOKKEN features singer Don Dokken alongside fellow member of the band's classic lineup, drummer Mick Brown, and longtime guitarist Jon Levin, plus DOKKEN's latest addition, bassist Chris McCarvil.

As previously reported, the classic lineup of DOKKEN will play its only U.S. reunion show on September 30 at Badlands Pawn Guns Gold And Rock 'N' Roll in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. The concert will be a warm-up gig for the band's six-show Japanese run dubbed "Unleashed In The East".

Dokken, Brown, guitarist George Lynch and bassist Jeff Pilson will launch the Japanese tour on October 5 in Osaka, before heading to Fukuoka, Tokyo for an appearance at the Loud Park festival and continuing on to Hiroshima, Aichi and finally, back to Tokyo for the final show on October 12.

Don Dokken recently spoke to "The Classic Metal Show" about how the long-rumored DOKKEN reunion finally came to fruition. He said: "Years and years ago, I made a comment offhandedly, like, 'You wanna do a reunion tour? I'll do it for this amount of money. "It was like a one and a lot of zeros. And that was my price, and everybody said, 'You're crazy.' And I said, 'Well, that's my price, and I'm not gonna do it [for anything less].' And now, fifteen years later, somebody came up with that price. So I approached George and Jeff, and I said, 'You guys wanna make a shitload of money for about one week of work?' And I told them the price, and I told them how much I wanted and how much they'd make, and, basically, they could make more money in one week than they'd probably make in several years. And so everybody said, 'Okay.' So I said, 'Well, I'll do it on the condition that I don't wanna do it in America or Europe or anywhere else. Just six shows in Japan.' 'Cause we were very big in Japan, and it's just a… It's a reunion tour. So they agreed."

Despite the fact that there is plenty of interest from promoters in other parts of the world to book the DOKKEN reunion, Don claims that the Japanese dates are the only shows the group is committed to doing.

"Of course, everybody came out of the woodwork, and they want us to do Sweden Rock, Wacken festivals, M3… People are throwing money at us to do a DOKKEN reunion in the States and Europe, and my answer to everybody is, 'No. It's not gonna happen,'" he said.

"I feel bad for my agents, 'cause they're getting bombarded from these offers for us to play these big festivals all over the world as a reunion, but I'm just not interested; I'm sorry, I'm just not," he continued. "Jeff's busy. He plays like crazy in FOREIGNER. He's on the road. George is out, you know, playing the bars with LYNCH MOB, so everybody's busy. So I don't see any reason… I can't say, 'We can make all this tons of money…' And we're doing this tour for a lot of money, but I'm doing it to put an exclamation point on a very temporary reunion."

According to Don, part of the reason there are no plans for the reunited DOKKEN to play any other shows after the Japanese run is the fact that the current lineup of DOKKEN is still very much an active entity, with a steady schedule of live shows throughout the year.

"I'm so happy with Jon Levin and Chris," he explained. "I mean, we get along so, so good. We're happy. We get on a plane, we fly to a venue, we hang out together and we go to dinner and we do the show and we hang out in the dressing room. It's very easy; you know, there's no drama. And at my age now, the last thing I need in my life is drama. So I am hopeful everything goes smoothly in Japan [with the reunion shows], but I am ready [laughs] for something to… There was always drama in DOKKEN, so I don't expect anything to change. I'm just gonna kind of keep myself removed from it all. All I'm gonna do is go up there and sing my butt off and play two or three songs on guitar and just make it a fun thing for [the fans]."

Denver, Colorado thrashers HAVOK claim to have been removed from the billing of the upcoming MEGADETH tour with AMON AMARTH, SUICIDAL TENDENCIES and METAL CHURCH after they were "offered an unacceptable management contract" from Mustaine Management, headed up by Justis Mustaine, the 24-year-old son of MEGADETH mainman Dave Mustaine.

HAVOK guitarist/vocalist David Sanchez said in a statement: "It is with deep regret we are forced to inform fans of metal that we will not be on the upcoming MEGADETH tour with AMON AMARTH, SUICIDAL TENDENCIES and METAL CHURCH. We will also not be going to Mexico in August and early September as was planned.

"We were really looking forward to these shows, but, unfortunately, Mr. Mustaine has chosen to remove us from the lineup. The reasons for our absence are directly related to a contract negotiation insisted upon by Mustaine Management — a negotiation that has gone awry. We are authorized to say that we were offered an unacceptable management contract from Mustaine Management, which we declined.

"While working with our lawyer to negotiate the terms of the contract, Mustaine Management threatened to kick us off of the MEGADETH tour, Mustaine Management repeatedly failed to respond to phone calls and e-mails, and eventually told us (through their lawyer) that Mustaine Management is no longer working with HAVOK. We are only releasing this information to give fans an honest account of the reasons we are no longer on the tour.

"We cannot disclose more details at this time (at our attorney's directive), but nonetheless, would like to thank Mustaine Management for the past opportunities that they brought to the table while working with us. We would also like to apologize to the fans that will not be able to see us this fall — we will sorely miss all of you. New tour dates will be announced soon and we look forward to getting back on the road to headbang with the best fans in the world."

HAVOK is working on its fourth studio album, to be released this winter via Century Media Records.

TEMPLE OF THE DOG — the Seattle supergroup featuring SOUNDGARDEN's Chris Cornell, PEARL JAM's Jeff Ament, Stone Gossard and Mike McCready, and drummer Matt Cameron (who plays drums with both SOUNDGARDEN and PEARL JAM) — has released a demo version of a song that didn't make the band's self-titled debut album.

"Black Cat" appears on the deluxe version of "Temple Of The Dog", which is being reissued for its 25th anniversary on September 30 via UMe. The collection, newly mixed by Brendan O'Brien, will be available in four configurations, including a four disc Super Deluxe, a double LP, a two CD Deluxe, and a single CD.

Physical pre-orders are available along with a detailed list of the contents of each configuration here.

As previously reported, TEMPLE OF THE DOG has reunited and will tour for the first time ever since forming in 1990. The band will play five cities, Philadelphia, New York, San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Seattle, in November.

TEMPLE OF THE DOG came together from the ashes of MOTHER LOVE BONE following the death from a drug overdose of its frontman Andrew Wood, Cornell's close friend and roommate. Cornell wrote future TEMPLE OF THE DOG songs "Say Hello 2 Heaven" and "Reach Down" to help process his grief, "but the songs didn't have any destination," he says. "I was compelled to write them and there they were – written in a vacuum as a tribute to Andy. My thought was that maybe I could record these songs with the remaining members of MOTHER LOVE BONE and that maybe we could release them as a tribute."

MOTHER LOVE BONE's Gossard and Ament began playing with McCready, and they brought in SOUNDGARDEN's Cameron to drum on demos. Because this was a collaboration, and a tribute, there was no commercial expectation for the TEMPLE OF THE DOG album. It would be, Gossard would later observe, "the easiest and most beautiful record that we've ever been involved with." Adds Cornell: "TEMPLE was about making an album simply for the joy of doing it. We weren't concerned what anyone outside of our group of friends would think of it. It was the first and maybe only stress-free album that we all made."

Gossard, Ament and McCready were also simultaneously forming a new band, which more than six months later would be known as PEARL JAM. A singer from San Diego named Eddie Vedder, who was vying to lead the project, came into the studio to sing background vocals on three of the TEMPLE songs. When Cornell thought another song, "Hunger Strike", needed a duet, Vedder was enlisted. "Hunger Strike" became a hit single, peaking at No. 4 on Billboard's Mainstream Rock Tracks chart.

TEMPLE OF THE DOG performed live only a handful of times, most notably in Seattle, in November and December of 1990. Those shows have become some of the most legendary Seattle concerts of all-time. Their 2016 shows mark the first time the band has ever toured. (Cornell joined PEARL JAM in 2014 at the Bridge School show and for two nights at PJ20 in Alpine Valley, WI, and the TEMPLE lineup played "Reach Down" and "Call Me A Dog" at Seattle's Benaroya Hall in January 2015.)

"This is something no one has ever seen," Cornell says of the official reunion. "We wanted to stop and recognize that we did this and pay homage."


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Sammy Hagar has apologized to his former VAN HALEN bandmates, explaining that he just wants to be "friends."

In a clip from this week's episode of "Oprah: Where Are They Now?" airing on OWN (Oprah Winfrey Network), Hagar says (see video below): "The whole VAN HALEN issue, I really put that behind me, and I'm proud of what we did. So I've decided, forgive and forget.

"I ain't looking for nothing from nobody. I don't wanna… I ain't asking to be, you know… get back in the band and do all that again; that's work! I don't wanna do that. No, no, no. I just wanna be friends."

He adds: "I wanna say I'm sorry of anything I said bad about you."

The "Oprah: Where Are They Now?" episode featuring Hagar will air this Saturday, August 20 at 10 p.m.

Hagar told Rolling Stone magazine earlier this year that he would be open to rekindling his friendship with the Van Halen brothers, but made it clear that he would not be the first one to reach out.

"It would be misinterpreted," Hagar said. "I know the way those guys think. 'Oh, he wants something! He wants back in the band. He must be broke.' I'm sorry, but unless they've changed drastically, which when I've talked to people that do know them it sounds like they haven't changed at all, it would be misinterpreted. I also don't want to provoke that. That's not what I'm looking for in my life now.'"

Hagar added that he would be receptive to meeting with his former bandmates if they got in contact. "I'd say, 'Fuck yeah, let's get some coffee,'" he said. "If I did it myself, I'd be way too vulnerable. I'd be in a room with the guys like, 'No, no. You don't understand. That's not what I'm talking about. I just want to be friends. And once we're friends, we can do anything. Until that is proven, I can't be in a band with you guys, or whatever.'"

Hagar also insisted that he would never even consider a reunion with VAN HALEN unless Eddie and Alex Van Halen also agreed to bring back original bassist Michael Anthony. "There's no scenario I'd do it without Mikey," Hagar said. "Absolutely not. I would do a solo album with Ed. We can call it the SAM AND ED SHOW or the ED AND SAM SHOW. But there's no such thing as a VAN HALEN reunion without Mikey. I think they just proved that."

Rumors that VAN HALEN's original singer David Lee Roth could possibly once again be succeeded by Hagar have become more persistent during the band's current hiatus.

Hagar sent a tweet to Eddie Van Halen in January wishing him a happy birthday — and got a cordial response — despite the bad blood that has existed between the two of them since 2004. Hagar later said that part of the reason he did it was because of the recent deaths of rock legends Glenn Frey and David Bowie.

VAN HALEN has been quiet since completing a North American tour last fall and putting out a concert set called "Tokyo Dome: Live In Concert".

Dreamtide Music Management has announced the You’ll Never See Finland Tour featuring Grave, Demonical, Author, has been canceled. 

“Work related matters within the Grave camp” is the reason for the cancelation with no further explanation given.

Canceled shows:

September
1 – Tampere – Klubi
2 – Oulu – Hevimesta
3 – Turku – TVO

Dreamtide tried their best to find a band as a suitable replacement for the package, audience, and local promotors, but found it impossible with such short notice. Contact the place of purchase for ticket refunds.

As dissonant extreme death metal unit Coma Cluster Void moves closer to the August 26th release of their full-length, Mind Cemeteries, the band has premiered their second single called "Drowning Into Sorrow". Arguably the most savage and unhinged song on the album, "Drowning Into Sorrow" offers a visceral and emotive take on death metal not found in the music of most of their peers.

Tracklisting:

“Prologue: I Am”
“Iron Empress”
“Drowning Into Sorrow”
“Path Of Lies”
“Mind Cemeteries”
“Interlude: I See Through Your Pain”
“The Hollow Gaze”
“Everything Is Meant To Kill Us”
“Petrified Tears”
“All Bitter Endings”
“Epilogue: As I Walk Amongst The Sick”

“Drowning Into Sorrow”:

“Iron Empress”:

Preorders are available on  Bandcamp.

With the third LP from Vancouver death metal destroyers Auroch nearing release through Profound Lore this October, the band has released the first public preview of Mute Books with a stream of the second track, "He Wreaths The Cross."
 
Offers Auroch's Sebastian Montesi on the new track, "'He Wreaths The Cross' is the second part of the initial movement of Mute Books, titled 'Trefoil Is The Grail Of Perdition.' The first three songs comprise this movement, and borrow from each other thematically and musically. It has quickly become Zack's (drums) favorite song to play live. One listen should indicate why."

Profound Lore Records will release Mute Books on CD, LP, cassette, and download on October 21st; preorders and additional previews of the album, as well as new tour dates, are pending announcement in the near, bleak future.
 
Comprised of vocalist/guitarist Sebastian Montesi (bassist/vocalist of Mitochondrion), vocalist/bassist Shawn Haché (vocalist/guitarist of Mitochondrion), and drummer Zack Chandler, Auroch has slowly but steadily been gaining recognition from the international scene since their release of their 2012-released debut LP, From Forgotten Worlds, but it was their 2014-issued Taman Shud LP and the touring subsequent to its release that really began to showcase the band as one of Canada's most active death metal bands. Since then the death metal power-trio has been active on the live circuit consistently, through playing various shows, tours and festivals in the US and Canada, including a recent US tour and an appearance at this year's Maryland Deathfest, and a European tour under their belt likewise with appearances at such festivals as Killtown and Incubate).

Enveloping shadows of ominous death metal chaos loom with Auroch's third full-length album, Mute Books, which will reveal itself as the band's darkest, most brutal, complex, and musically virulent release to date. Carrying the innovative Canadian death metal tradition laid down by the likes of early-'90s Gorguts, Cryptopsy and Kataklysm, and more recently through the likes of Mitochondrion and Chthe'ilist, the songwriting on Mute Books reaches a new plateau in technicality and over-the-top dynamics along with a new achievement in production and sound. Recorded at Raincity Recorders (Baptists, Japandroids, White Lung), Mute Books was mixed and mastered by Arthur Rizk (Prurient, Inquisition, Pissgrave, Black Twilight Circle, Power Trip), Auroch has cast their most ferocious undertaking yet; one of the darkest, most violent, whirlwind-like bizarre monuments of alchemic death metal of the year. Mute Books features expansive cover art by Cold Poison Design; each format of the album will feature the artwork in different aspects.

Tracklisting:

“Billowing Vervain”
“He Wreaths The Cross”
“Say Nothing”
“Tipharethagirion”
“The Keeping”
“Her Bidding”
“Cup Of Hemlock”

“He Wreaths The Cross”:

(Photo by: Max Montesi)

Indianapolis based doom metal trio, Wretch, will release their self-titled debut album, Wretch, on August 26th via Bad Omen Records. Featuring vocalist / guitarist Karl Simon, formerly of critically acclaimed underground legends The Gates Of Slumber, alongside drummer Chris Gordon and bassist Bryce Clarke, Wretch rises from the ashes of the musician's past project, which ended tragically with the passing of Gates' bassist Jason McCash in 2014. With Wretch, Simon carries on valiantly with the musical mission he began some 18 years ago. Two new tracks, "Running Out Of Days", and "Icebound" are streaming below.

The creation of Wretch's self-titled debut marked both a renaissance and a crucial tonic for Simon himself. In the wake of the death of his close friend, he was forced to make sense of a profound loss, and the creation of this album formed a crucial part of this process. Lest we forget, doom metal stands for much more than merely a collection of Sabbathian riffs, funereal tempos and enormous amp-stacks. It’s a form of music that issues forth from the heart, the soul, and the gut. It can be an alchemical force that functions as a process of catharsis in times of need.

“Making this record has been the hardest thing I've ever done,” says Simon. “Jason and I met just out of school and instantly became best friends. All of my memories as an adult feature him.  All of the songs on this record are about him, about me, about our life and his death. I'm not yet close to getting over the grief. In a lot of ways I've lost my mind. I hope that people are touched by the record. I am often on the verge of tears while playing. It's tough reliving those moments”

In Wretch, the trio has laid down a fearsome salvo of cast-iron riffage and heartfelt traditional metal heraldry, shot through with a steely conviction instilled by the experiences of recent days. Heavy in sincerity and emotion, these gritty yet grandiose songs follow in the lineage and spirit of classic crusaders like Saint Vitus, The Obsessed and Cirith Ungol with songs like the thundering “Running Out Of Days” and the downcast yet groove-laden “Icebound”. Meanwhile, a heroic essaying of Judas Priest's early classic “Winter” sees Wretch connect with heavy metal's most gnarled and vital roots. Defiant against all adversity, this debut stands proud as a fiery testimony to an indomitable spirit, one finding its way with grace and honesty through the trials and travails of the everyday.

“The days of swords and sorcery are pretty much over for me” notes Karl.  “No more giant spiders or Ice Worms. There are real horrors that occupy my mind these days.”

Tracklisting:

“Running Out Of Days”
“Rest In Peace”
“Bloodfinger”
“Winter” (Judas Priest cover)
“Icebound”
“Grey Cast Mourning”
“Drown”

"Running Out Of Days":

"Icebound":

“Rest In Peace”:

Preorders are available at Bad Omen Records.

Spanish melodic death metallers, Jotnar, have released a music video for the title track of their sophomore album, Connected/Condemned, which will be released this fall.

The video was filmed in Canary Islands by director Pablo García Gallego, featuring actor Francisco Vázquez. This is the first of a series of videos that will be published in the following months.

Said Jotnar in a statement: "After a long wait, we are proud of show you the first video of our upcoming album. We are very excited to show you the new Jotnar’s sound. Many things have happened to us since our debut album. The vocalist departure in the middle of the album recording was very hard for us, but at the same time, very challenging, allowing us the chance to think about our music, which path we wanted to take and what kind of vocalist would be the best for us. We found exactly what we were looking for and we are completely blown away with the results. The album is killer !!!
We are back now, new singer, new album, new sound but the same melodic death metal heart.

“About the filming of the video, we wanted to have it filmed completely in our hometown, the Canary Islands, because it offers an infinite different amazing locations. The concept of the song is about people who lives trapped into a life they don't really like or want, but at the same time they feel somehow forced to stay that way. We tried to capture part of this concept in this video, showing a person who is trapped inside, like living in a parallel universe where nobody else exist and he cannot figure out what the hell is happening. It's a very dark concept and deals a lot with desperation and frustration. We had the privilege to work with a great actor, Francisco Vázquez, who was really amazing and was able to capture what we wanted in every moment.

“We are more than proud to present you “Connected/Condemned”. We know you all gonna love it as much as we do!"

As on the previous album, Giant, the mixes for the new album are being done by Sacha Laskow at Perfect Fifth Studio in Canada. Mastering has been done by Jens Bogren (Arch Enemy, Soilwork, Amon Amarth, Opeth) at Fascination Street Studios in Sweden.

This will be the first album with new singer Mario Infantes, and will count on reputed international collaborations including Björn “Speed” Strid (Soilwork), Alessio NeroArgento (Disarmonia Mundi, NeroArgento), Jennie Nord (Ultimate Fate), Santi Suarez (Sphinx) and Bruno Pardini.
 
The cover art was created by British artist Russ Mills.

Connected/Condemned tracklisting:

“Connected/Condemned”
“Remaining Still”
“Missing Shadows”
“Broken Esteem” (feat. Björn “Speed” Strid - Soilwork)
“Suicidal Angel”
“Live Together Die Alone”
“Starved Of Guidance”
“I, The Paradox”
“The Sentence”
“Invisible Trace”
“The Loneliness' Legacy”
“Say It Right” (Nelly Furtado cover)
“Envy World”
“The Portrait” (feat. Jennie Nord - Ultimate Fate, Santi Suarez - Sphinx, Bruno Pardini)

Album teaser:

The self-titled debut album from Swedish AOR band, Cruzh, will be released on August 26th. The album cut “Set Me Free” is streaming below:

Cruzh was put together after the demise of Swedish glam rockers TrashQueen, in which both Anton Joensson and Dennis Butabi Borg played. They shared a love for melodic rock and AOR and joined forces with Tony Andersson, who previously worked as a studio musician on the never released TrashQueen record.

It all started in March 2013 when Cruzh was announced online. The only things shown to the public were an image of the silhouette of the three band members, the debut song "In A Blink Of An Eye”, information that the band was Swedish, and the text "Get ready for the Cruzh". The song quickly spread on the internet and both Swedish and international websites and radio stations played it and speculated about the identities of the band members. In May came the sequel "Stay", which continued in the same melodic rock spirit. Meanwhile, the band spread various clues on social media regarding their whereabouts. In the fall of 2013 Cruzh had reached a point where they chose to “unmask” and take it all to the next level and reach out to the masses together with the release of the Hard To Get EP, the first of two very successful self-produced demos. Hard To Get and its successor, the darker Aim For The Head got great reviews worldwide.

By late spring of 2015, just when Cruzh was about to release a new EP, they were approached by Frontiers Music Srl who wanted to sign the band, so Cruzh started the recording process by the end of summer 2015. The result is truly an awesome debut, in the spirit of Def Leppard, Danger Danger, H.E.A.T, Winger, Firehouse and Bryan Adams.

“We all share the love for Melodic Rock,” says bassist Dennis Butabi Borg, “but in the meantime we all have very different musical background and inspirations. This shows in our songs”. “When we started out, almost immediately I felt this synergy in the band,” adds Tony Andersson, “and despite our musical backgrounds and differences, we all head in the same direction.” “When a piece of music is coming to me and I am developing someone else’s work, I am filled with some sort of emotion that I want to convey,” concludes guitarist Anton Joensson, “it’s easy to do this in a natural way with Cruzh because I could not feel more at home with our band and the music we create. This is also true with Tony and Dennis. This is who we are!”

Tracklisting:

“In N' Out Of Love”
“First Cruzh”
“Aim For The Head”
“Anything For You”
“Survive”
“Stay”
“Hard To Get”
“You”
“Set Me Free”
“Before I Walk Alone”
“Straight From My Heart”

“Hard To Get”:

“Aim For The Head”:

“First Cruzh” video:

EPK:

Cruzh lineup:

Dennis Butabi Borg – bass
Anton Joensson – rhythm, lead and acoustic guitars on all tracks, backing vocals
Tony Andersson – lead vocals on all tracks, keyboards

With:

Erik Wiss – piano on “Anything For You”, intro on “In N’ Out Of Love”
Louisian Boltner – drums on all tracks
Mattias Silfver – backing vocals on all tracks
Martin Johansson – backing vocals on “Anything For You”
Patrik Norén – backing vocals on “Aim For The Head”

UK-based extreme metallers, Anaal Nathrakh, will release their new album, The Whole Of The Law, via Metal Blade Records on October 28th worldwide. Pre-order options can be found here, while the album cut “Depravity Favours The Bold” is available for streaming below.

Since their last album, Desideratum, Anaal Nathrakh have scaled new heights, including their first headline coast-to-coast North American tour and announcing their first headline shows in Japan. And now it's time for their new opus, The Whole Of The Law, to be unleashed upon mankind.

A sandblasting assault similar to the experience of a demented ocular surgeon operating on your head while riding a rollercoaster through hell, The Whole Of The Law marries all of Anaal Nathrakh's trademark ferocity and against-all-reason-catchiness with a reinvigorated sense of focus and insane hatred. Simultaneously fresh and their most mature creation to date, The Whole Of The Law is Anaal Nathrakh at the very height of their twisted powers.

Tracklisting:

“The Nameless Dread”
“Depravity Favours The Bold”
“Hold Your Children Close And Pray For Oblivion”
“We Will Fucking Kill You”
“..So We Can Die Happy”
“In Flagrante Delicto”
“And You Will Beg For Our Secrets”
“Extravaganza!”
“On Being A Slave”
“The Great Spectator”
“Of Horror, And The Black Shawls”
“Powerslave” (Bonus Track)
“Man At C&A” (Bonus Track)

“Depravity Favours The Bold”:

Before The Whole of the Law's release, Anaal Nathrakh will embark on a worldwide tour, which includes their first headlining shows in Japan this weekend (August 19th - 21st). See below for all upcoming dates.

Tour dates:

August
19 - Osaka, Japan - Shinsaibashi SOMA
20 - Shizuoka, Japan - Sunash
21 - Tokyo, Japan - Shinjuku Ruido K4

September
2 - London, UK - Underworld
3 - Manchester, UK - Rebellion
4 - Birmingham, UK - Hare & Hounds
8 - Munich, Germany - Feierwerk
9 - Vienna, Austria - Escape
10 - Prague, Czech Republic - Modra Vopice

October
21 - Rasnov, Romania - Rockstadt Extreme fest

November
1 - Utrecht, Netherlands - De Helling
2 - Hasselt, Belgium - Muziekodroom
3 - Groningen, Netherlands - Simplon
4 - Oberhausen, Germany - Helvete
5 - Selestat, France - Rock Your Brain Festival

Guitarist Rob Scallon, who made a name for himself through his whacko interpretations of some of metal's finest works, has released a new video featuring Sara Longfield, where they perform a ukulele rendition of Slayer’s “Payback”, featured on their 2001 album, God Hates Us All. Watch below:

In 2014, Scallon released a video clip featuring his banjo-charged version of the Slayer classic "Raining Blood". It was his second take on Slayer, having released a ukelele cover of "War Ensemble" previously. Both tracks are available below:

For information and updates on Scallon's work go to his official Facebook page here.

Deathrash cult, Crucified Mortals, have revealed an official trailer for their second album, Psalms Of The Dead Choir, set for international release on October 28th via Hells Headbangers. This special trailer can be heard/viewed in its entirety below.

One of the best-kept secrets of the long-fertile Cleveland metal scene, Crucified Mortals have been quiet-yet-prolifically perfecting their craft since 2001. Under the steely resolve of founder/mastermind Reaper, a handful of demos and splits culminated in Crucified Mortals' debut album. Released in 2011 and simply self-titled, this debut album largely introduced the band to the wider, international metal scene, proving that they're one of the hungriest and most charismatic deathrashing metal bands around. But as much as Crucified Mortals was a highlight for the band, a decade after its formation, it will now be eclipsed by Psalms Of The Dead Choir.

In many ways, Psalms Of The Dead Choir is both a consolidation of Crucified Mortals' considerable strengths and a fresh new start for the band. Whereas Crucified Mortals featured a then-full lineup, here on Psalms Of The Dead Choir, Reaper handles all vocals, guitars, and bass and is once again joined by Ash Thomas (Shed the Skin, Vladimirs, Faithxtractor) on drums, who's manned the Crucified Mortals skins for the last five years. Together, they explode forth with the trademark deathrash for which the band's built a steady name in the metal underground. Immediately memorable but never relying on rote verse/chorus formula, there's a narrative flow to Crucified Mortals that's heightened by Reaper's fierce and clearly enunciated vocals, telling twisted tales of macabre horror and fiendish deeds - and compelling instant headbanging. And yet, for however feverish the attack may be across these Psalms, there's a newfound sense of nuance and dynamics, largely spurred on by the dramatically twisted guest guitar solos of Sauron's Lore Lord. As a whole unit, Crucified Mortals breathe new life into thrash-intensive death metal (or death-intensive thrash?) that hasn't sounded this vital since classic Deceased or even the early days of Carnivore, Rigor Mortis, and Hobbs' Angel of Death. Read these Psalms Of The Dead Choir and weep!

A statement from Reaper reads: "Starting with darker imagery - for this genre - we put a lot of focus on doing unique and/or fresh ideas with Psalms Of The Dead Choir, from different guitar amps on virtually every song, numerous vocal effects to establish a different surrounding, to deeper meanings behind otherwise straightforward lyrics. There's a lot to analyze for the in-depth listener, but it is straightforward and ripping for those looking to jam out."

The first track to be revealed is "Behind The Lurid Mask," which can be heard below. The album can be pre-ordered at this location.

Psalms Of The Dead Choir tracklisting:

“{”
“Traitor”
“Behind The Lurid Mask”
“Dusk Of The Advent”
“Ominous Creatures”
“Into Eternity”
“Kill Upon Command”
“Hideous”
“Bringer Of Death”

“Behind The Lurid Mask”:

Psalms Of The Dead Choir by CRUCIFIED MORTALS

Trailer:

Painted Bass Records has announced the signing of Beneath My Sins. The band is working hard on a new album, which will be released in early 2017.

Beneath My Sins is a French symphonic metal band founded in January 2016. In December 2015, the members of the last lineup of the band Evolvent decided to create a new band closer to their ambitions and their approach to music. Together the four members have crossed Europe playing at festivals and concerts. They also released two albums, Human Instinct in May 2014 and Whatever Happens in March 2015, for which vocalist Emma Elvaston wrote all the lyrics and guitarist Clement Botz brought his own songs.

Thanks to the experience learnt with Evolvent, Beneath My Sins now offers a free symphonic metal, more mature, and exploring all the possibilities of the kind. In April 2016, Beneath My Sins released their first single and music video entitled “From The Flames”.

Stay tuned for updates.

Danish hard rock veterans PRETTY MAIDS will release their new album, "Kingmaker", on November 4 via Frontiers Music Srl.

The track listing for the CD is as follows:

01. When God Took A Day Off02. Kingmaker03. Face The World04. Humanize Me05. Last Beauty On Earth06. Bull's Eye07. King Of The Right Here And Now08. Heavens Little Devil09. Civilized Monsters10. Sickening11. Was That What You Wanted

PRETTY MAIDS' last release was 2014's "Louder Than Ever", a collection of new songs and re-recorded tracks from the band's past albums. The CD included eight re-recorded classic songs from the 1995-2006 era, plus four brand new songs specially written for this record and a special bonus DVD including archive footage from the '80s and brand new interviews.

PRETTY MAIDS is:

Ronnie Atkins: VocalsKen Hammer: GuitarRene Shades: BassAllan Tchicaja: Drums




We finally got a release date for our new album"Kingmaker" which will be on November 4th 2016We're also excited to unveil the artwork and the titles of all the song's ;) Check out the video, and a few words from Ronnie

1. When God Took A Day Off2. Kingmaker3. Face The World4. Humanize Me5. Last Beauty On Earth6. Bull's Eye7. King Of The Right Here And Now8. Heavens Little Devil9. Civilized Monsters10. Sickening11. Was That What You Wanted

Posted by Pretty Maids on Wednesday, August 17, 2016

"Vol III", the third album from DANIEL LIONEYE — the Finnish band featuring HIM members Mikko "Linde" Lindström on guitar and vocals, Janne "Burton" Puurtinen on keyboards and Mikko "Mige" Henrik Julius Paananen on bass, alongside Bolton from ENOCHIAN CRESCENT on drums — can be streamed in its entirety in the YouTube playlist below.

Due on August 19 via The End Records, the CD is described in a press release as "an album that is, in many ways, a combination of their previous two. Basking in magnetic glow of the northern lights, this album deals with an existential crisis- depression, disappointment, being lost, meaninglessness."

When formed in 2001, DANIEL LIONEYE originally consisted of Ville Valo (HIM) on drums, Mige on bass and Linde on guitar and vocals. That year, they released "The King Of Rock 'N' Roll" in Finland and Germany, a "tongue-in-cheek" psychedelic stoner rock album. Performing festival shows in Finland under the name DANIEL LIONEYE AND THE JOINT ROLLERS, their music soon reached international audiences when the title track of the album was selected as the theme song for Bam Margera's MTV show "Viva La Bam". In 2006, "The King Of Rock 'n' Roll" was the most played Finnish song in the world (right after Sibelius, of course).

In 2008, Linde wanted to do a DANIEL LIONEYE album completely different than the last. The follow-up album, simply titled "Vol II" (The End Records), was an extreme rock 'n' roll album much heavier than their first, quite noticeably influenced by black metal. The album represented everyday life- divorce, dealing with difficult situations and people, cannabis psychosis, extreme nightmares, self-realization, sex, moving on, standing up for yourself, anger management and the universe.

DANIEL LIONEYE's video for the new song "Aetherside" can be seen below. The clip was directed by Matti Penttila.

Mige stated about the video: "To prove his controversial aetherspermia thesis once and for all, Dr. Daniel Lioneye and his imaginery crew of tulpas attempted to reach out to the far side of quantum universe, and contact the unspeakable beings who occupy those dark, hallucinatory voids. The ritual succeeded beyond all expectations. Answering Dr. Lioneye's hypnotic call, a messianic alien being travelled across vast oceans of realities/possibilities, and penetrated the one we dwell in. The psychic explosion of his coming is now reverbating within the collective unconscious of our species, signaling the beginning of the age of aquarius. This is the testimony of those events."

Chicago death metallers BROKEN HOPE have set "Mutilated & Assimilated" as the title of their seventh album, to be released before the end of the year.

According to a press release, the follow-up to 2013's "Omen Of Disease" possesses an extra-special touch as "all of Jeremy Wagner's and Damian Leski's rhythm guitar tracks feature the boys using only the original Jeff Hanneman [SLAYER] guitars Wagner acquired from Hanneman's estate last year."

Said Wagner: "These famous axes have already inspired and channeled many of the riffs I wrote for the next full-length.

"I feel a real responsibility to Jeff and to [Hanneman's widow] Kathryn to use these guitars in a way that honors him. As long as I own these guitars, I will use them and carry on Jeff Hanneman's legacy. He remains a huge influence to me, and I probably wouldn't be here as an extreme metal guitarist/lyricist without him."

BROKEN HOPE in 2015 overhauled its lineup by adding bassist Diego Soria (DISGORGE) and guitarist Matt Szlachta (DIRGE WITHIN, CHIMAIRA).

Bassist Shaun Glass and guitarist Chuck Wepfer left BROKEN HOPE in December 2014 to concentrate on their new band, THE BLOODLINE.

"Omen Of Disease" sold around 1,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release.

San Francisco Bay Area metallers DEATH ANGEL recently stopped by EMGtv to play songs from their latest album, "The Evil Divide". A performance of the song "Let The Pieces Fall" can be seen below.

"The Evil Divide" entered The Billboard 200 chart at position No. 98 with first-week sales of just over 6,000 units — nearly all from pure album sales. The set follows the No. 72-peaking "The Dream Calls For Blood", which opened with around 5,400 copies back in 2013.

"The Evil Divide" was released on May 27 via Nuclear Blast. The CD was once again recorded at AudioHammer studios in Sanford, Florida with producer Jason Suecof (TRIVIUM, DEICIDE), who previously worked on 2010's "Relentless Retribution" and 2013's "The Dream Calls For Blood". Mastering duties were handled by Ted Jensen at Sterling Sound in New York City. The cover artwork was created by Tyrrell.

DEATH ANGEL guitarist Rob Cavestany told I Probably Hate Your Band about how "The Evil Divide" compares to "Relentless Retribution" and "The Dream Calls For Blood": "'The Evil Divide' is an evolution and departure from those two albums. Initially, it was going to be a Part 3, but the album went in its own direction, and there was no point in trying to force a connection, so we let it become its own monster, and I'm very happy it became that way."

Cavestany also talked about DEATH ANGEL's continued working relationship with Suecof. He said: "We get along great, both personally and in a working relationship. Our co-producing team seems to be quite a fine match, and we figured we would be able to outdo what we had done before, because we're used to it, and everything about our chemistry is on fire. So, yeah, we set out to outdo what we had done before."

Regarding the songwriting process for "The Evil Divide", Cavestany said: "I [got] the chance to write at home more. But part of it was written on the road, and practically all of it was influenced by the road. I wrote some of it at home after we finished 'The Dream Calls For Blood', then wrote a bit while we were out on tour for that album, and mostly decided to soak up the inspiration from being on tour and travelling. Then in the final six weeks before entering the recording studio, I cranked out the second half of the album."

The fan Instagram lyric video for "Take Me Down", the new single from THE PRETTY RECKLESS, can be seen below. The song is taken from the band's third studio album, "Who You Selling For", which will be released on October 21 via Razor & Tie.

"Who You Selling For" is the band's anticipated follow up to "Going To Hell", which spawned the biggest rock song of 2014 in "Heaven Knows" and a total of three #1 Mainstream and Active Rock hits. "Take Me Down" premiered worldwide July 15 on iHeart Radio and impacted at rock radio four days later on July 19, quickly climbing to #7 on the chart.

Produced by longtime collaborator Kato Khandwala, "Who You Selling For" is an arresting collection of rock tunes that expand the band's sound to encompass soulful, bluesy undertones, written by frontwoman Taylor Momsen and guitarist Ben Phillips. This raucous 12-track collection puts Momsen's dark lyrics and raw, charismatic vocals on full display while the band delivers at full intensity with a level of musicianship that raises the bar. Formed in 2009, THE PRETTY RECKLESS released their debut album, "Light Me Up", in 2010 scoring legions of fans worldwide, but it was their sophomore record "Going To Hell" that positioned the band to become the first new artist to breakout of rock in years, debuting in the Top 5 on Billboard's Top 200. Achieving three #1 Rock hits — "Heaven Knows", "Fucked Up World" and "Follow Me Down" — was a feat that has not been accomplished by a female fronted group since THE PRETENDERS in 1984, nearly a quarter of a century ago. Despite feeling the physical and emotional demands from their epic two-year run supporting "Going To Hell", Momsen and Phillips jumped right into writing the songs for the new album. "We had so much we wanted to say, it was like shaking a can of soda on tour, and then when we started writing we cracked the seal," says Momsen. "The touring life is very isolating. You look at the world through a bus or airplane window. But music is the healing factor. It's the one thing that is grounding and a true companion through the forest. It saved us — again." With "Who You Selling For", the band continues to take bold steps forward, cementing their place at the forefront of rock. The deeply personal album features a diverse set of standout tracks, from the blistering hard rock of "Oh My God" to the classic southern rock of "Back To The River". Lead single "Take Me Down" features Taylor's distinctively smoky voice rolling over '60s-tinged rock guitar. The band will hit the road this fall in support of the album and will run through major U.S. cities such as Chicago, New York and Nashville before wrapping on December 6 in Los Angeles.

In December of 2015, three bands with three different stylistic approaches to aggressive music, but a common outlook on the world, came together to create a collective piece of work — "The Depression Sessions". Those three bands were THY ART IS MURDER, THE ACACIA STRAIN and FIT FOR AN AUTOPSY, and on August 12 Nuclear Blast Entertainment released the results of this experience both digitally and on limited edition vinyl.

Now, a documentary chronicling the recording sessions of all three bands has been released. View the clip directed by Bobby Bates below.

"The Depression Sessions" was produced, engineered, mixed and mastered by Will Putney. All the bands tracked in December 2015 at Graphic Nature Audio in Belleville, New Jersey. Cover art was created by Dan Bradley with a layout by Forefathers.

Check out the lyric video for the first single "They Will Know Another" by THY ART IS MURDER below. The song, as well as their cover of RAMMSTEIN's "Du Hast", are the last pieces of music the band recorded before the departure of vocalist of CJ McMahon.

"The Depression Sessions" track listing:

01. THY ART IS MURDER - They Will Know Another02. THE ACACIA STRAIN - Sensory Deprivation03. FIT FOR AN AUTOPSY - Flatlining04. THY ART IS MURDER - Du Hast (RAMMSTEIN cover)05. THE ACACIA STRAIN - Black Hole Sun (SOUNDGARDEN cover)06. FIT FOR AN AUTOPSY - The Perfect Drug (NINE INCH NAILS cover)

GUNS N' ROSES will bring its "Not In This Lifetime" tour to Australia in February 2017. This will be the first time Axl Rose, Slash and Duff McKagan have been on the road in Australia together since 1993's "Use Your Illusion" trek.

The dates are as follows:

Feb. 07 - Brisbane - QSAC StadiumFeb. 10 - Sydney - ANZ StadiumFeb. 14 - Melbourne - MCGFeb. 18 - Adelaide - Adelaide OvalFeb. 21 - Perth - Domain Stadium

GUNS N' ROSES Nightrain pre-sale will begin on Friday, August 19. Telstra Thanks pre-sale just for Telstra customers starts Tuesday, August 23. More details at this location. Ticket and VIP packages for the "Not In This Lifetime" Australian tour will go on sale to the general public on Friday, August 26.

For more information, visit GunsNRoses.com.

As previously reported, the production manager for the current GUNS N' ROSES tour shed some light on the trek's future and inner workings in an interview with local Atlanta TV station WXIA. Speaking one day before the group's July 27 concert there, Dale "Opie" Skjerseth said that the "Not In This Lifetime" tour has "no end date," and that shows are already booked "far into next year."

Skjerseth said that all members of the band are "getting along just fine" and shot down speculation that they have separate dressing rooms due to tension within the ranks, Skjerseth said, "Just because everybody's older, they carry their families with them. They all have to have their space. Everybody meets before we go on stage. It's a meeting point and that's where the chemistry happens."

The tour features classic lineup members Axl Rose, Slash and Duff McKagan on stage together for the first time in more than 20 years.

Asked if it was money or music that brought the core members back together, Skjerseth said: "I believe it starts with the love of the band. And then of course we all want money."

Regarding the future of the tour, Skjerseth said, "I've been told there's no end date, and I've seen plenty of dates going into next year, far into next year. Everybody's working together to keep a common goal and common direction: keep the machine going."

Skjerseth also discussed how Axl Rose is managing to get onstage on time, as opposed to previous tours when he was notorious for starting shows sometimes hours behind schedule. Skjerseth said, "We're all older and want to get to bed now. It's his maturity and business and how it should be. Everybody feels good about it."

"Metallica: Back To The Front", the definitive story of METALLICA's classic 1986 album "Master Of Puppets" and the tour that followed its release, hits bookstores and online sellers on September 13. A very special Collector's Edition of the book will be available two weeks earlier on August 30 through Metallica.com and MoonriseMedia.net.

A new three-minute clip in which the members of METALLICA discuss how "Metallica: Back To The Front" came together can be seen below.

"Metallica: Back To The Front" includes an extensive interview with Ray Burton, father of late METALLICA bassist Cliff Burton, who tragically died in a September 1986 bus accident during the European leg of the "Damage Inc." trek.

A one-minute video clip in which Ray Burton can be seen flipping through his copy of "Metallica: Back To The Front" can be seen below.

Says METALLICA: "Two years in the making, we're beyond excited to finally share it with you.

"To refresh your memories, we teamed up with acclaimed award-winning author Matt Taylor ('Jaws: Memories From Martha's Vineyard') and you all jumped in to assist us in putting the pieces together by sending your photos, videos, stories and mementos. We hit the storage lockers, attics and basements to fill the book with hundreds of never-before-seen images pulled from our personal archives and have been involved every step of the way to bring you the complete story.

"The deluxe edition comes in a sleek case that includes a hardcover, clothbound, limited edition copy of the 276-page book and a portfolio containing a 1.25" x 1.25" piece of an original roadcase used to ship the band's equipment to Denmark for the recording of the album and on the tour that followed its release.

"Matt sat with us for exclusive, intensive interviews and we dug deep in our memory banks for stories, anecdotes, tidbits and tales from the studio, the road and beyond.

"A huge thanks to the people who were a part of our history at that time who sat with Matt, including record producer Flemming Rasmussen and the man who mixed it, Michael Wagener. Matt also tracked down the entire 'Master Of Puppets' road crew, including John Marshall and members of the bands who toured with us, ANTHRAX and ARMORED SAINT. Our booking agent, tour promoters and managers, Cliff Burnstein and Peter Mensch, all were overly generous with their time and recollections. FAITH NO MORE guitarist Jim Martin and drummer Mike Bordin and DIAMOND HEAD's Brian Tatler spoke with Matt about their memories of those crazy times. Of course, you, the fans who were at those shows gave us an amazing view of your memories and experiences. Finally, we're honored that Cliff Burton's dad Ray sat down for an extensive interview.

"As we continue to celebrate 30 years of 'Master Of Puppets', in honor of the release of the book we've teamed up with ESP Guitars to give Fifth Members [members of the METALLICA fan club] a chance to win a very limited-edition 'Master Of Puppets' guitar. Now you can customize Metallica.com with the new 'Master Of Puppets' skin.

"If you're in the mood to hear some live music all eleven shows from the 2006 summer tour (those of you counting note that was the 20th anniversary of the release of the album!) featuring live performances of the entire album are now available on CD in the Met Store.

"Keep watching [Metallica.com] and on social media for sneak peeks of the book, videos with us chatting about the making of and other fun and games as we'll be celebrating all throughout August.

"Oh, one more thing. We're pretty sure that some of you will wonder about the remastered versions of 'Master Of Puppets' we told you were in the works. They still are! As we keep digging in the vaults, we're finding more and more music and video so that we can bring you an even bigger, more comprehensive, no stone-unturned version of the album. As always, [Metallica.com] is the place for more info as we have it!"

"Master Of Puppets" was released on February 24, 1986 and was the first album METALLICA recorded after signing a major label deal with Elektra Records.

The set only reached No. 29 on the Billboard album chart but has sold over six million copies in the U.S. since.

It is the last record to feature bassist Cliff Burton, who was killed later that year in a tour bus crash.

Several songs from the album are still staples of METALLICA's live set, including "Battery", "Welcome Home (Sanitarium)" and the title track.

Many fans consider it METALLICA's finest album, a fact that the band acknowledged by playing it in its entirety on a European tour in 2006.

German rockers FAIR WARNING will release their new album, "Pimp Your Past", on October 28 through Steamhammer/SPV. The effort features 2016 versions of the most important tracks from the band's first three studio albums, "Fair Warning", "Rainmaker" and "Go!", originally released between 1992 and 1997. Every single note sees FAIR WARNING underline the motto which they have chosen for themselves: a good song will always remain a good song. At the same time, it's an integral part of the "Pimp Your Past" concept that the arrangements of some of the new versions differ significantly from the originals. As bassist Ule Ritgen puts it so aptly: "When our Japanese record company approached us with the request for this kind of album, we were skeptical to start with. But once we had made up our minds to not simply re-record the material but furnish it with a few fresh arrangements, the project gained momentum and we were gripped by a kind of eagerness to explore the possibilities. Especially since the new recording are very energetic and sound excitingly different in parts while their essence has remained the same. You can tell that the originals have a lot of substance and that their quality is extremely robust."

So it comes as no surprise that the unmistakable spiritedness of this band, which has been on the scene for 25 years and is now throwing a new light on the beginning of their career with "Pimp Your Past", is also reflected in the album's unusual cover artwork. "We've run out of dragons. Unfortunately, they're extinct," jokes Helge Engelke and gets to the serious core of the matter: "Of course people may wonder what this 'arty stuff' is all about. In view of the term 'pimp,' a cover featuring old cars would probably have been the logical thing to go for. But honestly: who wants something normal? And after all, monkeys also stand for an early stage of the evolution of man, so the album title and the cover fit together really well. To put it in a nutshell: we played with our origins on 'Pimp Your Past', which was not only a lot of fun but is also expressed in this particularly humorous artwork."

"Pimp Your Past" track listing:

01. Longing For Love (3:50)02 One Step Closer (3:58)03. Out On The Run (3:59)04. When Love Fails (4:37)05. Long Gone (4:39)06. Burning Heart (4:13)07. Picture Of Love (4:44)08. Angels Of Heaven (5:34)09. Rain Song (4:46)10. Save Me (5:34)11. Don´t Give Up (6:43)

"Zero", the new video from OTEP, the band led by singer, poet, illustrator, author and activist Otep Shamaya, can be seen below. The song is taken from OTEP's seventh studio album, "Generation Doom", which was released on April 15 via Napalm. The CD was produced by Howard Benson, who has previously worked with such acts as MOTÖRHEAD, PAPA ROACH, THREE DAYS GRACE, FLYLEAF, P.O.D. and HALESTORM.

Said Otep about the video: "We wanted to capture not only what it looks like during our live shows, but what it feels like. That raw, undulating emotional chaos that permeates every atom of every person who attends. If you haven't been to one of our rituals, this is what it feels like to have your soul explode and your heart catch fire."

OTEP is currently on the road as part of the "Equal Rights, Equal Lefts" tour, which stops tonight in Macon, Georgia and runs through August 29 in Santa Ana, California.

With Shamaya's multifaceted vocal approach, from gut-wrenching roars to soft seductive poetry to singing with a surprisingly magically beautiful voice, to her evolution as a writer and story teller, "Generation Doom" erupts with thunderous, punishing grooves that harmoniously detonate into dark industrial fury with magma flows of hard rock melodies that seamlessly shape shift into a mysterious musical beast we've just discovered.

Speaking about the current lineup of OTEP, Shamaya said, "These are the most talented group of musicians I've ever worked with. We are a family. These are my brothers in arms. My guitarist Aristotle and I have a spiritual connection on an alchemical level that's preternaturally conducive to creativity. Along with my amazing drummer Justin Kier and bassist Corey Wolford, we are a force of nature and resistance fighters. Music is our weapon. They believe in what we're doing, what we stand for, and have the utmost affection and respect for our fans, the OTEP tribe."

OTEP was formed in Los Angeles in 2000 and immediately signed to Capitol Records, an achievement based solely on the strength of its live performance. They were selected to appear at Ozzfest after Sharon Osbourne witnessed one of these incendiary performances. Their debut at Ozzfest was only their ninth live show, a major achievement for any band. It would be the kick-off for a career spanning 15 years.

Finnish melodic deathsters INSOMNIUM will release their new album, "Winter's Gate", on September 23 via Century Media. A concept album made up of one epic 40-minute song, the effort is built around a short story, "Winter's Gate" ("Talven Portti" in Finnish), written by vocalist and bassist Niilo Sevänen, recipient of numerous Finnish awards and nominations. The compelling short story is about a group of Vikings who set out to find a fabled island west of Ireland, despite the treacherous winter drawing near.

The third trailer for "Winter's Gate" is available below.

The cover artwork for the album was created by Teemu Tähkänen.

"Winter's Gate" was mixed by Dan Swanö at Unisound AB studio in Sweden.

The full story will be released together with the record as a book with translations in English, Finnish and German, and illustrated by the artist Teemu Tähkänen.

INSOMNIUM's last album, "Shadows Of The Dying Sun", was released in April 2014 in North America via Century Media.