U.S. black metal horde Vesterian have announced the re-release collection of Vesterian songs, written from 1995 to 1999, now released together on one cassette limited to 100 copies through Kassiel Distribution.

This re-release includes two versions of "Violent Hateful Black Metal", "Black Metal Terror", and one song from the long out of circulation Vesterian's "Let It Begin". The cassettes are now available in South America. Cassettes comes with two post cards and slip case. Copies will be available in the United States soon.

Vesterian recently unleashed a new track “Unseen Hordes Behind The Deafening Storms” for streaming. The song comes from the four way split Infirmos Vocat Deus Fidei with Wormreich, alongside Gravespawn and Diabolus Amator, released on May 28th, through Satanath Records sub-label Symbol Of Domination (Belarus), and Black Plague Records (North America).

Denver, Colorado-based powerful doom metal quartet Khemmis has completed their second full-length album, and is preparing the mighty Hunted for autumn release through 20 Buck Spin, this week unveiling the cover art, tracklisting, and other details. The news comes as the band prepares to tour the Western half of the country in transit to their performance at the first annual Migration Festival the second weekend of August.
 
Using the same team as their lauded debut, Hunted was recorded at Flatline Audio with Dave Otero (Cobalt, Nightbringer, Cephalic Carnage) and features artwork by Sam Turner (3 Inches Of Blood, Black Breath, TRVE Brewing). Hunted is undoubtedly an album that will solidify Khemmis' place at the vanguard of doom's most notable modern manifestations, in large part because they transcend the label itself. They've seamlessly blended their influences into an extraordinarily listenable album worthy of countless spins. With such a glut of music released nowadays, Hunted stands apart, rewarding repeat listens with songs seared straight into the heart.
 
20 Buck Spin will issue Hunted on CD and digital formats on Friday, October 21st, with the vinyl to follow in November. Audio samples and further info will be announced shortly.

Tracklisting:

“Above The Water”
“Candlelight”
“Three Gates”
“Beyond The Door”
“Hunted”

Khemmis' upcoming West Coast tour will begin in their hometown of Denver on August 4th, with Salt Lake City, Las Vegas, Phoenix, Los Angeles, Oakland, Sacramento, and Portland on the itinerary leading up to the band's performance on August 12th at Migration Fest in Olympia. The festival also features the slated first live collaborative performance by The Body and Krieg, the first live public performance by Panopticon, a set by Australian funeral doom behemoths Mournful Congregation, and sets by Auroch, Christian Mistress, Full Of Hell, Krallice, Magic Circle, Nightfell, Obsequiae, Vastum, Vhol, and others.

(Photo by: Travis Heacock)

Planet Rock's Wyatt conducted an interview with EUROPE singer Joey Tempest and drummer Ian Haugland backstage at Ramblin' Man Fair on July 23 at Mote Park, Maidstone, England. You can now watch the chat below. A couple of excerpts follow (transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET).

On EUROPE's plans for the coming months:

Joey: "We're looking forward to recording the next album. We'll probably go into the studio the beginning of next year and release it next year. And we'll be touring in between as well."

On how EUROPE managed to survive the the rise of grunge in the early '90s when so many other '80s hard rock acts didn't:

Joey: "You have to take the long way around. The first meeting [about a reunion] we had at Mic's [Michaeli, keyboards] apartment in 2003, we said, 'We have so much baggage, so much stigma. C'mon. We have to take the long way around. It's gonna take four albums, perhaps, before maybe some journalists are even listening to the records.' So we knew that; we knew it from the beginning. But this is what we wanna do. We wanna do it long haul, like DEEP PURPLE or whatever; we wanna do it. So that's one way of doing it. But also being curious about writing and about getting better at your instrument and not get caught up in trying to get hit singles; that's kind of dangerous. And just make great records. I thnk it started with [2009's] 'Last Look At Eden'; we started to get a grip on things. And then [2012's] 'Bag Of Bones' did really well, and now [2015's] 'War Of Kings'."

Ian: "I think also one of the reasons why we managed to come back was that we actually took a break in the '90s; we said, 'Okay, enough's enough.' So we never grinded the band down to…"

Joey: "We did solo albums. I did three solo albums. Ian played on loads of albums. John Norum moved to L.A. and did albums with DOKKEN and himself. So we learned stuff in other ways about music. And then we came back, and it felt like we'd just been away for lunch. We did 'Start From The Dark' in 2004."

On celebrating the 30th anniversary of the "The Final Countdown" album with a short tour at the end of 2016:

Joey: "We wanna mark it. It's gonna be fun to play songs like 'Time Has Come' and play the whole 'The Final Countdown' album. It's gonna be kind of different."

"War Of Kings" was released in March 2015 via UDR Music.

Swedish rockers Suicide By Tigers will release their self-titled debut album as CD, Vinyl and digital on September 2nd via Smilodon Records/Sound Pollution. The album was recorded, mixed and mastered by Berno Paulsson (The Haunted, Amon Amarth, Spiritual Beggars) at Berno Studio, Malmö. The video for the song “Vicious Malicious” can be seen below.

The soil of southern Sweden has for a long time been a great breeding ground for rock ‘n’ roll. This trend continues manifested by Suicide By Tigers focusing on dynamic, blues based rock, with heavy guitars and strong melodies just like the British bands Free, Taste and Led Zeppelin they move from light and shade to tight and loose. 

Tracklisting:

“Death On Your Trail”
“Beautiful Nights”
“Pack Of Wolves”
“Vicious Malicious”
“Fox In A Hole”
“True Believers”
“Ball Of Fire”
“Keep You Smiling”
“Karma” (CD bonus track)

“Vicious Malicious” video:

Fan-filmed video footage of SLIPKNOT's July 21 performance at Centre Vidéotron in Quebec City, Quebec, Canada can be seen below. The concert once again saw SLIPKNOT singer Corey Taylor performing with a neck brace after undergoing surgery last month.

Taylor was ordered by doctors to refrain from headbanging and jumping when the band kicked off its summer tour on June 28 in Nashville, Tennessee. The group was forced to postpone its North American trek with MARILYN MANSON by three weeks after Taylor underwent what he described as "an unplanned spinal surgery."

Taylor told Billboard magazine: "I've had to kind of reassess what I do live. Up to this point, I didn't realize how physical I am when I sing — even more than just headbanging or jumping or running or any of that stuff. I punctuate physically when I sing, and I never realized that before. Even the first few shows, I was finding I had to hold myself back from more than just the headbanging, y'know? I would do something and it would be, like, 'Okay, that hurts. Okay, we can't do that for awhile.' I've had to reassess what I do live. But the positive for me is I love the challenge of it. I love the fact that it's like, 'Well, okay, maybe I've relied on those things for too long. Let's see if I can get through a show or a tour without having to go to these kind of mainstays,' and the shows have been great, so it's working."

Taylor added that the silver lining is that he has been a better vocalist during the tour. "I've been damn near on, pitchwise," he said. "My stamina's a lot better. It's like I'm really kind of filling in all these weird blanks in [the music] I never even realized were there. I love the challenge of it. It's being able to tune in even more to the music, really kind of being in it, more than I ever was before."

The summer trek is likely to be SLIPKNOT's last U.S. tour in support of its latest album, ".5: The Gray Chapter", which was released in October 2014.

Following the tour, SLIPKNOT and BLACK SABBATH will co-headline the combined Ozzfest Meets Knotfest, a two-day festival scheduled for September 24-25 in San Bernardino, California.

The Quireboys are streaming the title track from their forthcoming new album, Twisted Love; give it a listen below.

Twisted Love is scheduled for a September 2nd release via Off Yer Rocka Recordings.

Catch The Quireboys live:

August
4 - Skogsröjet Festival - Rejmyre, Sweden      
6 - Skogsrojet Festival - Rejmyre, Sweden    

September
2 - Flytten - Haugesund, Norway      
3 - Kulturpuben - Lillestrom, Norway      
5 - Full Metal Cruise - Oslo, Norway        
15 - The Craufurd Arms - Milton Keynes, United Kingdom  
16 - The Scene - Swansea, United Kingdom  
17 - Ku Bar - Stockton On Tees, United Kingdom    
18 - The Bungalow - Paisley, United Kingdom       
22 - Intiman (Unplugged) - Vasteras, Sweden       
23 - Hugos (Unplugged) - Finspang, Sweden       
24 - Backstage Rockbar (Unplugged) - Trollhättan, Sweden      
25 - Debaser Ballroom Medis (Unplugged) - Stockholm, Sweden     

October
14 - Harvest - Kvinesdal, Norway       
15 - Folken - Stavanger, Norway        
28 - Katalin - Uppsala, Sweden    
29 - The Tivoli - Helsingborg, Sweden      

November
4 - Olson pa Bryn - Oslo, Norway      
9 - Legend Club (Unplugged) - Milan, Italy        
10 - Officina Degli Angeli (Unplugged) - Arbizzano, Italy      
11 - Sidro Club (Unplugged) - Savignano Sul Rubicone, Italy      
12 - Borderline (Unplugged) - Pisa, Italy       
17 - Keller Klub - Stuttgart, Germany    
18 - Airport - Regensberg, Germany   
19 - Paunchy Cats - Lichtenfels, Germany   
20 - Garage Deluxe - Munchen, Germany   
21 - Z7 Konzertfabrik - Pratteln, Switzerland     
23 - Turock - Essen, Germany    
24 - Rautenkranz - Barby (Elbe), Germany        
25 - Logo - Hamburg, Germany    
26 - Das Bett - Frankfurt, Germany    

December
7 - The Zephyr Lounge - Leamington Spa, United Kingdom    
8 - The Live Rooms - Chester, United Kingdom     
9 - The Station - Cannock, United Kingdom    
10 - Corporation - Sheffield, United Kingdom      
11 - Borderline (Unplugged) - London, United Kingdom    
13 - The Musician - Leicester, United Kingdom    
14 - Toolbooth (Unplugged) - Stirling, United Kingdom        
15 - Bannermans (Unplugged) - Edinburgh, United Kingdom      
16 - Think Tank - Newcastle Upon Tyne, United Kingdom    
17 - Athletic Club (Unplugged) - Rushden, United Kingdom

 

British heavy metal legends IRON MAIDEN have posted a 13-minute video feature in which they "look back at the fun" they had with Ed Force One, their customized jumbo jet, captained by the band's lead singer, Bruce Dickinson. Check it out below.

Toward the end of last year, Air Charter Service received the interesting charter request: the client required a customized B747-400 for four months, to fly 48 sectors, covering six continents and carrying 22 tons of cargo on each leg and with IRON MAIDEN's singer flying it. The request was the first step towards creating the latest incarnation of IRON MAIDEN's Ed Force One — nicknamed after the band's mascot Eddie, whose manic image proudly adorns the tail.

IRON MAIDEN had experience and expertise with circumnavigation tours on the previous incarnations of Ed Force One, but these tours used a smaller B757 aircraft and were nowhere near the scale and reach of this latest project. Through Bruce Dickinson's relationships within the aviation industry, IRON MAIDEN had already picked out the ideal aircraft, but the operator, Air Atlanta, decided they needed more capacity to deliver such a massively complex undertaking. So they invited Air Charter Service to join them to deal with mountain of logistics required.

This tour presented particular challenges for all involved. After closely engaging with the band's management team, the first thing ACS did was to assemble an experienced team to work with the aircraft's operator, Air Atlanta, to make the thousands of necessary arrangements for the 48 legs in the 21 countries that the tour was visiting. ACS was responsible for arranging flight permissions outside of Europe and fuel as well as handling agents. Arranging such things on an ad-hoc basis is very different to a scheduled carrier who lands at the same airport at the same time every day. And at most airports, ACS had to deal with three separate companies — the cargo handlers for the 22 tons of stage equipment, VIP handling agents for the band and their "Killer Krew," as well as regular check-in desks for anyone else that was on board. Group commercial director Matt Purton said: "We must have dealt with more than 100 different handling agents and 300 other suppliers over the course of the four months that we were involved in the tour."

While ACS was making the initial necessary arrangements, preparation of the aircraft was under way in Sharjah, UAE. IRON MAIDEN's management had arranged for the aircraft to have its livery drastically modified with extra special decals along the length of the fuselage and the tail and the cabin seating was reconfigured to accommodate the band. The newly created Ed Force One then arrived at Cardiff Airport on February 17. On arrival, the aircraft interior was completely empty of supplies, so the next major job for ACS staff was a three day shopping expedition to stock the aircraft up with almost ten tonnes of day-to-day items to cover the needs of the passengers for the next four months.

The band's aviation-mad frontman, Bruce Dickinson, took up flying in 1993 and so was keen to take the controls on most of the flight sectors. He was formerly captain of the (now-defunct) U.K. charter airline Astraeus and launched Cardiff Aviation Ltd. in 2012.

It was not all plane sailing though, as in Santiago, Chile, when the plane had been closed up and everyone had settled in to their hotels for the night, airport workers moving the aircraft were involved in an incident involving a loose steering pin and an airport tug, which saw damage occur to two engines and the undercarriage as well as injury to two workers present as the tug was crushed. Suddenly Ed Force One was grounded but of course the show must go on, one way or another. Within hours, IRON MAIDEN's management, Air Atlanta, Rock-It Cargo and ACS all pulled together to make the necessary arrangements including alternative charters to take the band to the next show in Argentina, a charter and some scheduled seats were found for IRON MAIDEN's "Killer Krew" and the 20-plus tons of stage equipment and production was trucked successfully over a difficult pass through the Andes Mountains over the border into Cordoba. Alternative transport had to be rapidly arranged for the Argentine and Brazilian shows. Two massive new engines, engineers, parts, cowlings and tools were flown in from Europe, and within ten days, Ed Force One was once again ready to take to the skies. And we were all very happy to hear that the two airport workers made a full recovery.

To take a band, road crew and production equipment in a B747 around the world and into territories not previously visited by the band was ground-breaking: nothing like this had ever been attempted by anybody before. ACS worked seamlessly with IRON MAIDEN's tour management throughout, in order to meet the exacting needs of the tour logistics, concert schedule and the band and crew requirements.

Bruce and the rest of IRON MAIDEN continue to tour Europe, finishing up in Germany on August 4.

The official video for "Cerebral Voting Machine", a new song from MONSTRANCE, the band featuring former CARCASS guitarist Carlo Regadas alongside vocalist Tony Glover (ex-DEVOID) and drummer Nicholas Barker (BENEDICTION, CRADLE OF FILTH, DIMMU BORGIR, TESTAMENT), can be seen below.

MONSTRANCE has plans to record two new songs — "Timeslaves" and "Injustice for All" — to be released on a seven-inch vinyl single and four-track CD. The CD, which is expected before the end of the year, will also feature demo versions of "Karma After The Storm" and "A World On Its Knees".

MONSTRANCE is the brainchild of Regadas, former lead guitar player with grind gods CARCASS, post-CARCASS outfit BLACKSTAR and DEVOID. Following his tenures with CARCASS and BLACKSTAR, Carlo continued to write and record music, mainly for his own enjoyment.

In 2013, after a stint living in the Canary Islands, Carlo returned to the U.K. and met up with old friend and former DEVOID bandmate Tony Glover. Tony had recently unearthed some never-released material of Carlo's, some of which was penned during his tenure with CARCASS. Upon hearing this material again and realizing the strength of the songs, Carlo sent the material to some trusted, musically minded friends for their opinion, and the response was nothing short of astounding!

On the back of this enthusiasm, although reluctant at first, Carlo was urged to send the material to several established record labels, who also responded extremely positively and were very keen to hear more.

Carlo decided to approach some old friends and fellow musicians from the original death metal scene and decided to put together a full lineup, although at first, the intention was just to record an album as a studio project. Such was the friendship, camaraderie and enthusiasm for the project, the decision was quickly made to become a full-time band.Carlo's focus in recruiting band members was not to look for big-name musicians from the genre with previous credentials but rather to source like-minded individuals who were also very accomplished musicians.

The vocal position was immediately filled by Tony, building on their long-standing friendship, previous experience with DEVOID and long-held ambition to do a further project together. Tony has honed his vocal delivery since the DEVOID era, now projecting a unique blend of power, clear diction and articulation. Such is the power of Tony's delivery, the mic level during the vocal demo sessions had to be backed off by -20db!

Belgrade-born Aleksandar Kokai, from Liverpool band CRUSH DEPTH EXPERIMENT, was recruited on bass. A supremely talented and technically gifted bass player who will provide energy and heaviness to a rhythm section of dynamism and power.

The lineup is bolstered further with the addition of yet another old friend, and former ORNAMENT guitar player, Steven Hargraves, who completes the band's live lineup on second guitar. Carlo and Steven have worked closely together to forge a tight, melodic and crushing guitar duo, guaranteed to turn heads in the live setting.

Music-wise, MONSTRANCE cannot be easily pigeon-holed. As far as the band is concerned, it's just metal, albeit with downtuned guitars and extreme vocals. The music is as crushingly heavy as it is melodic and catchy. Carlo's original demos have now finally been completed with the addition of Tony's savage vocal attack, perfectly showcasing the quality and originality of the material.

MONSTRANCE is:

Tony Glover - VocalsNicholas Barker - DrumsAleksandar Kokai - BassCarlo Regadas- Lead, Rhythm GuitarSteven Hargraves - Rhythm Guitar

For more information on MONSTRANCE, click here.

The second trailer for "Coming Home", the new album from PAIN, the Swedish metal band led by multi-instrumentalist and producer Peter Tägtgren, is available below. The follow-up to 2011's "You Only Live Twice" is due on September 9 through Nuclear Blast and features cover artwork by Stefan Heilemann.

Tägtgren, who last year collaborated with vocalist Till Lindemann of German industrial metallers RAMMSTEIN on the debut album from their LINDEMANN project, stated about "Coming Home": "Musically, the album is a development of where PAIN and LINDEMANN ended at — more experimental than what I've ever done before. Acoustic guitars and a helping hand again from Clemens of CARACH ANGREN with the orchestra arrangements, and some guest vocals. And Sebastian Tägtgren did a great job on the drums."

The official lyric video for the song "Black Knight Satellite" can be seen below.

Commented Peter: "'Black Knight Satellite' is based around a story that circulates on the net, both interesting and confusing.

"The song is an up-tempo song, with orchestra parts and chugging guitars — it will be great live. A typical PAIN song. Didn't wanna start off with a surprise this time."

PAIN will hit the road for a full European headline tour this autumn. The band will join forces with the German gothic metal outfit THE VISION BLEAK.

PAIN's seventh album, "You Only Live Twice", was released in June 2011 via Nuclear Blast Records.

After touring for a year and a half throughout almost every corner of the world and leaving fans of all nationalities breathless, the time has come for NIGHTWISH to immortalize their "Endless Forms Most Beautiful" tour on DVD. Therefore, the symphonic metal visionaries are set to release their new live milestone, "Vehicle Of Spirit" on November 4, featuring not only two full concerts, but also plenty of bonus material.

"The title 'Vehicle Of Spirit' came from a friend of Troy's [Donockley, multi-instrumentalist], who after seeing our show a few years ago defined NIGHTWISH as 'a vehicle of spirit that defies category.' That beautiful description has followed us ever since, and felt like a perfect match as the DVD title," states NIGHTWISH keyboardist and songwriter Tuomas Holopainen.

Sold-out arenas and spectacular shows with never before seen pyro effects, wind machines, video screens and of course NIGHTWISH's incomparable melodies are the elements that made their latest tour so unique. Special highlights for the band have been two particular shows though: The one in London, where they not only played their hymns such as "Élan" and the majestic "The Greatest Show On Earth" to more than 12,000 fans, but also welcomed the world famous scientist Richard Dawkins live on stage with them. Richard Dawkins's works had a massive impact on the thematical orientation of their latest studio album ”Endless Forms Most Beautiful". Finland's Tampere show however was a home run for the band and never before NIGHTWISH had such an immense stage production with them:

"I would say the main part of the DVD are those two shows, both Wembley and Tampere," says Tuomas. "Wembley is mentioned first due to its recognizability and legendary status. I remember the show being very special, both a goal achieved, and a starting point. The crowd was heartwarming. The presence of Richard Dawkins on stage was just mind-blowing. The overall experience was a once-in-a-lifetime thrill ride! The show in Ratina Stadion, Tampere, was a home crowd specialty (for four-sixths of the band) with the biggest stage production we've ever had. A lovely atmosphere throughout the concert, with many same faces in the front row as there were 15 years ago. Heartfelt."

When it comes to the fine artwork of the DVD, NIGHTWISH decided to walk different paths this time and come up with a little alternative idea, as Tuomas explains. "We didn't want to include a traditional band shot for the cover, as on the previous DVD release 'Showtime, Storytime'," he says. "So we started brainstorming on different options and the idea of a classic silent movie era Hollywood visuals quickly came up. With those classic slogans the cover has a little tongue-in-cheek-touch to it, but it's still classy and eye catching in its simplicity and originality."

Extreme metallers BRUJERIA will release their fourth full-length album, titled "Pocho Aztlan", on September 16 via Nuclear Blast Entertainment. The release will be followed by a U.S. tour this October alongside CATTLE DECAPITATION and PIÑATA PROTEST.

"Pocho Aztlan" is the band's first release since "Brujerizmo" was released in 2000 via Roadrunner. It was recorded over the course of many years and at several studios around the globe. The end result was mixed by Russ Russell (NAPALM DEATH, THE EXPLOITED).

"Pocho Aztlan" is now available for pre-order in various formats and bundles from the Nuclear Blast webshop. Fans can also pre-order the album digitally via iTunes, Amazon and Google Play and receive the song "No Aceptan Imitaciones" instantly.

The official lyric video for "No Aceptan Imitaciones" can be seen below.

"Pocho Aztlan" track listing:

01. Pocho Aztlan02. No Aceptan Imitaciones03. Profecia Del Anticristo04. Angel De La Frontera05. Plato O Plomo06. Satongo07. Isla De La Fantasia08. Bruja09. Mexico Campeon10. Codigos11. Debilador12. California Über Aztlan (DEAD KENNEDYS cover)

BRUJERIA's legend has proliferated for nearly three decades. When the band first emerged from the sunbaked hellscape of Los Angeles in 1989, the city was on the brink of chaos. Daryl Gates ruled the LAPD with an iron fist, overseeing a legion of blue-suited stormtroopers who cracked brown and black skulls at every opportunity. Rodney King, the '92 riots, and California governor Pete "Pito" Wilson's anti-immigrant Prop 187 were all on the bleak horizon. The Mexican-American agitators of BRUJERIA captured the mood of the city's minorities with the band's infamous and widely banned 1993 debut, "Matando Güeros" ("Killing White People"), quickly becoming the Spanish-language counterparts to early grindcore masters TERRORIZER and NAPALM DEATH. Led by lyricist and mastermind Juan Brujo, BRUJERIA were alternately rumored to be satanic drug lords and members of well-established metal bands. The truth, as always, lay somewhere in between. Fast forward to right about now: "Pocho Aztlan" is BRUJERIA's first new album in 16 years. The title translates to "Wasted Promised Land", a combination of Aztlán, the fabled ancestral home of the Aztecs, and the term pocho, which native Mexicans use to refer — not always kindly — to their counterparts born in the States. Brujo himself is pocho, a man caught between two worlds. Many pochos are not exactly accepted with open arms in Mexico. Meanwhile, they're too often regarded as second-class citizens in their adopted U.S. home. Brujo has transcended both scenarios through the power of BRUJERIA's uncompromising grindcore and death metal. His all-Spanish lyrics are as vivid as they are effective: Bona fide tales from the frontlines of the drug war, the racial divide, and the battle for the border. "A lot of BRUJERIA songs are true stories," Brujo says. "And if they haven't happened yet, they will happen."

BRUJERIA's current touring lineup includes CARCASS frontman Jeff Walker (a.k.a. El Cynico) on bass, NAPALM DEATH bassist Shane Embury (a.k.a. Hongo) on guitar and drummer Nicholas Barker (BENEDICTION, CRADLE OF FILTH, DIMMU BORGIR, TESTAMENT).

BRUJERIA is:

Juan Brujo - VocalsFantasma - Vocals, BassHongo - Guitar, Drum ProgrammingEl Cynico - Bass, Guitar, VocalsHongo Jr. - DrumsPinche Peach - Vocals, SamplesPititis - Female VocalsA Kuerno - GuitarSangron - Backup VocalsGuero III - Backup Vocals

According to an ad in the latest issue of Revolver magazine, THE DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN will release its new album, "Dissociation", on October 14 via Party Smasher Inc., the multi-faceted collective founded by the band's guitarist, Ben Weinman, and the label's global partnership with Cooking Vinyl.

Weinman spoke about THE DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN's upcoming album in an interview with The Void. He said: "It's heavy, man. It's super-heavy, it's definitely dark, but I think it's actually weirder than maybe our last record. There's, like, ideas and riffs that just are so weird. I have to say when I hear it, I'm proud to say nobody sounds like DILLINGER, really. We may be the worst band in the world, but when I listen to it, I really don't think anybody would ever write a riff like this. And that's, I guess, what I'm most proud of. And that's what you gotta do, that's what we try to be, you know? A band that stands out."

In preparation for a busy year of new music and worldwide touring, THE DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN has announced a short run of intimate shows throughout North America. Starting in Toronto on August 5, the band will be playing at Hard Luck, making their way down the East Coast through Boston, New York, Philadelphia, and Washington D.C. Soon after, they will be continuing the tour towards the West Coast for shows throughout California.

THE DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN's fifth full-length album, "One Of Us Is The Killer", sold around 15,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 25 on The Billboard 200 chart. The CD was released on May 14, 2013 through Party Smasher Inc., in partnership with Sumerian Records in North America.





Posted by The Dillinger Escape Plan on Friday, July 29, 2016

Rolling Stone has posted a clip of Ozzy and Sharon Osbourne recording their voiceovers for an upcoming episode of Disney XD's "The 7D". The Osbournes voiced Hildy Gloom's parents, the Duke and Duchess of Drear, in the "Snow White" offshoot cartoon. Hildy is voiced by their daughter, Kelly Osbourne.

The episode, dubbed "Bummer Vacation", premieres Saturday, July 30 at 9:30 a.m. ET.

"The 7D" follows brave little heroes — Happy, Bashful, Sleepy, Sneezy, Dopey, Grumpy and Doc — as they work together to help the quirky Queen Delightful keep her kingdom in order. Standing in their way are comically inept villains Grim and Hildy Gloom, a novice warlock and witch couple, whose plots to overthrow the queen and rule Jollywood are continually foiled by the 7D.

The series is a production of Disney Television Animation and carries a TV-Y parental guideline. Sherri Stoner and Deanna Oliver are co-story editors, and Alfred Gimeno and Charles Visser are the directors (all from "Tiny Toon Adventures"). Meme master Parry Gripp ("Do You Like Waffles?") is the songwriter and composer for the series and also performs the theme song. Keith Horn ("Too Cool For Cupcakes") is co-composer.

Since its July 2014 launch on Disney XD, "The 7D" has consistently ranked among the network’s top animated original series among Kids 2-11 and Kids 6-11 and as a Top 5 show on WATCHDisneyXD.

Brazilian bashers Angra have released a new tour recap video. Check it out below:

Angra recently relesaed a video for their cover of The Police classic "Synchronicity II", which originally appeared on the band's 2014 album Secret Garden as a bonus track. The original cut is taken from The Police's #1 album Sychronicity, released in 1983.

Angra - featuring Megadeth guitarist Kiko Loureiro - recently released a video for "Silent Call", which is the final song on their Secret Garden album; sung by guitarist Rafael Bittencourt.

"Recording this video in Japan for me was very emotional and rewarding," said Bittencourt. "This song, in particular, was a major challenge in my career and even more touched my will to compose with these influences and also singing. We use elements of Japanese culture to portray what we wanted to spend image in the video and I think all the fans will like it very much."

Catch Angra live in concert:

August
12 - Net Live - Brasilia, Brazil  

October
7 - Capitol - Hanover, Germany    
10 - Huxley's Neue Welt - Berlin, Germany

 

 

Brazillian black metal onslaught Patria are gearing up for their newest effort, entitled Magna Adversia.  

Here’s what the band has to say about the upcoming album: "We’re really excited about this new album and how the things are turning out, so we decided to post some simple ”Making Of" videos, showing a little of how it's sounding so far. This first footage shows the mixing stage at Crosound Studio in Garnes/Norway, that’s being done by the brilliant Øystein G. Brun (Borknagar). By the way, this time the drums were made by Asgeir Mickelson (Ihsahn, Borknagar, Sarke, Spiral Architect) and recorded at Toproom Studio/Norway (Mayhem, Enslaved, Ulver, Arcturus). We also had our friend Fabiano Penna (Rebaelliun) as special guest, in charge of the album orchestrations. Everything sounds killer!"

The band continue: “While the album is being mixed we’re already back to the rehearsals, preparing the following shows here in Brazil.”

September 9th will see Cacophonous resurrect two monumental releases from its dingy, abyssal vaults; Dimmu Borgir’s Stormblåst and Bal-Sagoth’s Battle Magic.

Initially released in CD and digital formats, LP versions will come soon. With remastered audio courtesy of Danny B of HVR Studios, new life has been breathed into the reissues, which are a must have for extreme metal fans.

The third and final release under the Cacophonous mark from extreme metallers Bal-Sagoth came in the form of 1998s Battle Magic - a brilliantly ambitious 10-track epic. The band allocated a full month for studio time, with the keyboards alone taking six days to record.

2016’s Battle Magic reissue features new artwork from Martin Hanford and expanded lyrics in the album sleeve.

“We recorded our third album Battle Magic during the late autumn and early winter of 1997, once again at Academy Music Studio in Yorkshire, England. We had just returned from a successful European tour with Emperor and were ready to conclude our First Trilogy in style. This album was so artistically elaborate that it pushed the analogue facilities at Academy to their absolute limit, and by his own admission almost gave engineer Mags a nervous breakdown! If nothing else, this album proved that we were a band not afraid to take risks... a band who prized art and originality above all else. Now, almost twenty years after it was originally recorded, this glorious third chapter in our epic hexalogy has once again been unleashed upon the world as a special remastered edition to commemorate two tumultuous decades of Bal-Sagoth’s immortal crusade. So, steel yourselves as you venture once more into the darkling pulp fantasy world of Bal-Sagoth, and experience anew the sublimely baroque bombast of Battle Magic!” - Byron Roberts (Bal-Sagoth vocalist/lyricist)

Battle Magic tracklisting:

“Battle Magic”
“Naked Steel”
“Tale From Deep Woods”
“Return To The Praesdium Of Woods”
“Crystal Shards”
“The Dark Liege Of Chaos Is Unleashed At The Ensorcelled Shrine Of A'zura-Kai (The Splendour Of A Thousand Swords Gleaming Beneath The Blazon Of The Hyperborean Empire Part II) When Rides The Scion Of Storms”
“Blood Slakes The Sand At Circus Maximus”
“Thwarted By The Dark (Blade Of The Vampire Hunter)”
“Atlantis Falls”

September 9th will see Cacophonous resurrect two monumental releases from its dingy, abyssal vaults; Dimmu Borgir’s Stormblåst and Bal-Sagoth’s Battle Magic.

Initially released in CD and digital formats, LP versions will come soon. With remastered audio courtesy of Danny B of HVR Studios, new life has been breathed into the reissues, which are a must have for extreme metal fans.

The third and final release under the Cacophonous mark from extreme metallers Bal-Sagoth came in the form of 1998s Battle Magic - a brilliantly ambitious 10-track epic. The band allocated a full month for studio time, with the keyboards alone taking six days to record.

2016’s Battle Magic reissue features new artwork from Martin Hanford and expanded lyrics in the album sleeve.

“We recorded our third album Battle Magic during the late autumn and early winter of 1997, once again at Academy Music Studio in Yorkshire, England. We had just returned from a successful European tour with Emperor and were ready to conclude our First Trilogy in style. This album was so artistically elaborate that it pushed the analogue facilities at Academy to their absolute limit, and by his own admission almost gave engineer Mags a nervous breakdown! If nothing else, this album proved that we were a band not afraid to take risks... a band who prized art and originality above all else. Now, almost twenty years after it was originally recorded, this glorious third chapter in our epic hexalogy has once again been unleashed upon the world as a special remastered edition to commemorate two tumultuous decades of Bal-Sagoth’s immortal crusade. So, steel yourselves as you venture once more into the darkling pulp fantasy world of Bal-Sagoth, and experience anew the sublimely baroque bombast of Battle Magic!” - Byron Roberts (Bal-Sagoth vocalist/lyricist)

Battle Magic tracklisting:

“Battle Magic”
“Naked Steel”
“Tale From Deep Woods”
“Return To The Praesdium Of Woods”
“Crystal Shards”
“The Dark Liege Of Chaos Is Unleashed At The Ensorcelled Shrine Of A'zura-Kai (The Splendour Of A Thousand Swords Gleaming Beneath The Blazon Of The Hyperborean Empire Part II) When Rides The Scion Of Storms”
“Blood Slakes The Sand At Circus Maximus”
“Thwarted By The Dark (Blade Of The Vampire Hunter)”
“Atlantis Falls”

Stormblåst is the 1996 second studio album from Norwegian Black metal masters Dimmu Borgir. This was the last album with lyrics in their native Norwegian, and the first where keyboards were heavily used and introduced as part of their trademark sound. 2016’s reissue contains additional new photos of the band alongside extended lyrics.

“Stormblåst is heralded as one of the classics of Norwegian black metal. As we only had the DAT recording of the album we were limited in what we could do to enhance the original recording, but I think it's improved enough that fans will welcome the remastered version. I'd been told about Dimmu Borgir by Samoth in mid '94 when Emperor visited the label offices. Aldrahn of Dødheimsgard put me in touch with them, as he'd just recorded vocals for a song on their debut album For All Tid. I asked Dimmu Borgir if they wanted to work with Cacophonous on their follow-up album they should contact me in the future. I didn't hear from them for a while, until after the recording of Stormblåst, they wrote and said that the label who were going to release the second album couldn't pay for the studio costs and as they only had a verbal agreement, if we paid for the recordings the band would let us release the one album. It seemed a good idea, if only for a single release, and so we secured the rights and put out the record.” - Neil Harding, Cacophonous Label Founder

Stormblåst tracklisting:

“Alt lys er svunnet hen”
“Broderskapets ring”
“Vinder fra en ensom grav”
“Da den kristne satte livet til”
“Antikrist”
“Stormblåst”
“Når sjelen hentes til helvete”
“Dødsferd”
“Guds fortapelse - åpenbaring av dommedag”

Both reissues will be available to pre-order in August. Stay tuned for more info.

Toronto metallers Diemonds are continuing their support of their new album Never Wanna Die, released worldwide last September via Napalm Records and eOne. The band has a “Secret” to tell the world and BraveWords is the outlet to deliver the message as we’re premiering the band’s new video for the album track. 

Says engaging singer Priya Panda: “‘Secret’ is a song for anyone who's kept something deep inside. Everyone can relate to the idea of having that one thing they'll take with them to the grave. We wanted the atmosphere in the 'Secret' video to capture what it's like to live within that darkness. With everything that's going on in the world today it's also a reminder to take a second look at things, because when you do, you'll come to realize that nothing is ever quite as it seems…”

Diemonds have some Canadian shows setup for the weekend.

Dates:

July
29 – Quebec City, QC – L’Anti Bar & Spectacles
30 – Montreal, QC – Turbo Haus

UK power metallers, Power Quest, have revealed the first details for their forthcoming new EP, entitled Face The Raven. The EP will be available for the first time at their Derby and London shows in September 2016.

The artwork for the EP was created by Felipe Machado Franco.

Face The Raven EP tracklisting

“Face the Raven”
“Coming Home (Sacred Land II)”
“Blood Alliance” (2016 mix)

You can view an exclusive tour of artist Felipe Machado Franco’s studio below:

Power Quest has been one of the most prominent power metal acts worldwide; their upcoming works will continue proving that notion. The band has been around since early 2000 and has been constantly  recording and setting up tremendous live stage acts.

With five studio albums under their belt including the stellar Neverworld and the most recent Blood Alliance, Face The Rave" is highly anticipated by PQ fans following their comeback from a hiatus in 2013. Hungry for metal and ready to take on the world, the quest continues.

This coming September, Power Quest will be headlining a special show at Camden Underworld club in London, UK. This show will be featuring special guests and of course their fresh new lineup. Their latest show announcement is for Hammerfest 2017.

Power Quest lineup:

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

Belgium thrashers, Evil Invaders, are ready to unleash the beast on their upcoming 4-track EP, entitled In For The Kill. Two brand new tracks as well as two live versions of songs from of their debut album Pulses Of Pleasure make for audible madness. A new video trailer for the EP can be found below.

In For The Kill EP tracklisting:

“As Life Slowly Fades”
“Raising Hell”
“Pulses Of Pleasure” (live version)
“Victim Of Sacrifice” (live version)

Trailer:

In For The Kill will be released on September 30th via Napalm Records and will be exclusively available via Napalm Records online store. Prepare for high velocity, skull crushing riffs and solos that will melt your face off. This one is going to be brutal.

Pre-order at this location.

In the new video below, Dutch classical guitarist Thomas Zwijsen performs the original song, “Estuary”. Estuary" is composed by Zwijsen for classical/acoustic/Spanish/Flamenco/fingerstyle solo guitar.

In the official music video below, Blaze Bayley, Thomas Zwijsen and Anne Bakker perform “What Will Come”, a track from Bayley’s Infinite Entanglement album.

Blaze Bayley, Thomas Zwijsen and Anne Bakker recently released a video performing an acoustic version of Iron Maiden’s X Factor album track, “Judgement Of Heaven”. In the interview below, Blaze and Thomas talk about how the video was made.

Watch the “Judgement Of Heaven” video below:

This version of “Judgement Of Heaven” is on the new Nylon Maiden double CD, available at ThomasZwijsen.com and iTunes.

Nylon Maiden’s Preserved In Time is Zwijsen’s ultimate Iron Maiden tribute album. It makes the classical guitar world a bit more metal by adding 16 Iron Maiden songs (and two Bruce Dickinson songs) to its repertoire.

Zwijsen’s long-time collaborator Blaze Bayley is one of the returning guest musicians on this album, performing two tracks from his Iron Maiden days, as well as a unique version of “Blood Brothers” off the Brave New World album! This is the first time Blaze performs an Iron Maiden song from the post-Blaze era. It gives Iron Maiden fans an idea of what it would have sounded like if Blaze had stayed with the band.

Tracklisting:

Disc 1
“If Eternity Should Fail”
“Stranger In A Strange Land”
“Judgement Of Heaven” (with Blaze Bayley & Anne Bakker)
“Ghost Of The Navigator”
“Powerslave” (Thomas & band)
“Burning Ambition”
“Tears Of The Dragon” (Bruce Dickinson song)
“Blood Brothers” (with Blaze Bayley)
“When The Wild Wind Blows” (Thomas & band)

Disc 2
“Afraid To Shoot Strangers”
“Como Estais Amigos” (with Blaze Bayley & Anne Bakker)
“Wrathchild”
“Tears Of A Clown”
“Jerusalem” (Bruce Dickinson song)
“For The Greater Good Of God”
“Reach Out”
“Fear Of The Dark”
“Rime Of The Ancient Mariner” (Thomas & band)

Zwijsen comments: “In our attempt to choose the best tracklisting for the most fulfilling, surprising and complete Iron Maiden tribute album, we simply couldn't fit all the songs on a single CD, so we decided to make it a double CD this time. Many of the songs were requests from people on YouTube. If this were to be the setlist at an Iron Maiden concert, I’d be very happy!”

“Rime Of The Ancient Mariner”:

“When The Wild Wind Blows”:

“Powerslave”:

“If Eternity Should Fail”:

"Afraid To Shoot Strangers”:

“Tears Of The Dragon”:

“Ghost Of The Navigator”:

Following six successful studio albums, Powerwolf will finally release their first DVD, The Metal Mass - Live, tomorrow, July 29th. It contains almost seven hours of material and features plenty of songs, old and new. A fourth video teaser can be found below.

In anticipation of the release, the band have launched #TheMetalMass contest. Make a short video of yourself celebrating YOUR perfect metal mass. Spin some Powerwolf, bang your head, get yourself in the mood for a concert, invite some friends, play that airguitar, anything is possible. How do YOU like to enjoy Powerwolf?

Tag your video #TheMetalMass and don’t forget to tag Powerwolf and Napalm Records in the posting, too.

Main prize: One person can win a day at Reeveland Festival with Powerwolf including a visit at Framus (travel, accommodation, catering won’t be covered)

2nd – 4th place will win a surprise package by the band
5th – 10th place will win a signed goodie

You can participate until August 3rd. More details in the video below:

Powerwolf's history of success truly is a metal fairytale: Thanks to lifeblood, passion and talent the band has gathered an enormous amount of followers with until now six albums and uncountable captivating live gigs. Two albums in the Top 3 of the German album charts, sold-out headliner shows, frenetically celebrated festival gigs all over Europe – there is just one thing missing… a DVD / Blu-Ray which brings the glorious metal mass on your TV.

Powerwolf do it again in style and have assembled a truly opulent package for their loyal fans. The Metal Mass Live contains three complete live shows with which you can enjoy the irresistible hook lines and great metal hymns of Powerwolf with live recordings from the Masters Of Rock, the Summer Breeze and the Oberhausen gig from the Wolfsnächte tour.

Apart from that all the previous videoclips and two documentaries are included – fans will surely appreciate to witness the hilariously maverick sense of humour of the band members.

The Metal Mass Live will be presented in a beautiful valuable packaging that will make collectors' hearts beat faster: With about 7 hours material, the first DVD / Blu-Ray release of one of the most successful German metal bands will be coming out on Mediabook with 2-DVD / Blu-ray + Live-CD, Earbook with 2-DVD and 2 Live-CDs, a live CD and as Gatefold-Double-Vinyl.

It's about time to finally enjoy the inimitable live feeling of a Powerwolf gig on your couch. Pre-order The Metal Mass Live here.

Teaser #1:

Teaser #2:

Teaser #3:

Teaser #4:

Earbook edition unboxing video:

Powerwolf  and Dutch symphonic metal stars Epica are teaming up for an European tour in early 2017. This impressive co-headline tour comes in support of the highly awaited new Epica album Holographic Principle, which is scheduled for a September 30th release and Powerwolfs The Metal Mass Live.

Comments Matthew Greywolf of Powerwolf: “In early 2017 we will embark on a special tour, sharing stages throughout Europe with the amazing Epica. Those shows will become Powerwolf’s biggest indoor metal masses to date. Be prepared for an amazing stage set and crazy nights full of metal madness!”

“Woohoow, this fall we're releasing our seventh studio album and the band has exciting times coming up! A new album means a new Epica chapter and obviously a new world tour. Early 2017 we'll join forces with our German friends in Powerwolf and together we'll storm stages allover Europe. If you want to hear our brand new songs come to live, if you want to see our brand new visuals and if you simply want to have a good time with us, we expect you on our biggest tour to date! I really can't wait to be back on the road again and to see the music, the energy and our lovely fans become one. Until then!,” commented Epica frontwoman Simone Simons.

Tour dates:

January
12 - Wiesbaden, Germany - Schlachthof
13 - Cologne, Germany - Palladium
14 - Ludwigsburg, Germany - MHP Arena
16. - Geneve, Switzerland - Salle des Fetes de Thonex
17 - Zurich, Switzerland - Volkshaus
20 - Munich, Germany - Tonhalle
21 - Vienna, Austria - Gasometer
24 - Warsaw, Poland - Progresja
25 - Berlin, Germany - Huxleys
27 - Oberhausen, Germany - Turbinenhalle
28 - Prague, Czech Republic - Forum Karlin

February
3 - London, England - Shepherds Bush Empire
4 - Paris, France - Zenith

Further dates of this tour to be announced at a later date. Tickets for all shows can be purchased on the bands’ websites: Powerwolf, Epica.

Montreal's Slaves On Dope have unveiled the cover for their upcoming album Horse, due out via the ILS Group (ILS) through its partnership with the Universal Music Group, on September 9th. Check out the art by Montreal-based Marvel Entertainment artist Marco Rudy below:

Horse tracklisting:
“Electric Kool-Aid”
“Health Food & Heroin’
‘Freebasing”
“K-Hole”
“Script Writer” (with DMC )
‘Interplanetary Mission” (with Mastodon's Bill Kelliher)
“Liquid Sunshine ‘(with HR)
‘Codependency” (with The Damn Truth's Lee-la Baum)
‘P&P”
‘Disco Biscuit”

Formed in 1993 by Jason Rockman, Kevin Jardine, Slaves On Dope somewhat eschewed the grunge music explosion for a new and heavier metal sound. The band relocated from their native Montreal to Los Angeles eventually signing with Ozzy and Sharon Osbourne’s Divine Recordings. The subsequent release, Inches From The Mainline, helped the band reach a much larger audience through radio airplay, retail sales, and touring including Ozzfest and the SnoCore Tour. The group recorded another album in 2003, and shortly after took an extended hiatus, returning with their 2012 independent release Over The Influence.

Horse was recorded in Montreal at Uplift Studio and features several high profile guest musicians. ILS will be undertaking major radio and press campaigns to reintroduce the band to fans new and old. The band will also be playing shows throughout North America starting in September and well into 2017.

 

(Photo - Lana Nimmons)

 

SLAYER's Kerry King has weighed in on the 2016 presidential election, saying that controversial Republican candidate Donald Trump is "the biggest liar I've ever seen in politics."

The outspoken guitarist told Rolling Stone: "I'm certainly not a political analyst, but I think that Hillary Clinton is the safe, correct choice. Trump is just a sideshow. I'm not even going to apologize to all the Trump followers. I think the reason he's so popular is because he's like the politics version of WWE. He's sensational like wrestling and that's why middle America loves him. He's the biggest liar I've ever seen in politics. I mean, most of them are liars, but he just outright in-your-face lies."

When Rolling Stone mentioned that King might offend some of his more conservative fans, he responded that his opinion shouldn't be seen as encouraging anyone to vote for a particular candidate. He explained: "People just have to make up their minds and not be into things because their friends are into it or because their girlfriend or their spouse or whoever is into it. People have to be individuals." He then added: "Sounds like I'm talking about religion, doesn't it?"

King's words were recently echoed by his SLAYER bandmate Gary Holt who described Donald Trump as a "serial liar" who refused to disavow former Ku Klux Klan grand wizard David Duke. He said: "People might think some of the things he says, but you can't have a president calling Rosie O'Donnell a 'fat bitch.' [Laughs] It's, like, dude, do you even hear yourself? He won't even condemn David Duke's support. He pretended he doesn't know who he is. I'm a fucking headbanger who's done more drugs before getting sober than most people have ever seen on TV, and I've been drinking since I was 17, although in recent years much less, and I know who the fuck he is. Donald Trump is running for president and he [doesn't] know who the former grandmaster of the KKK is. That was your moment, Donald Trump, to say… you know, to condemn the man, basically, but you pretended you were just ignorant of who he was, 'cause you don't wanna fuck with that vote. There are some fucking hillbillies out there who you want voting for you."

Holt went on to say that he is "in many ways a Republican" but that he hasn't been able to find "a candidate up there who wasn't walked around on a leash by the Christian evangelicals, because they're the death of the conservative movement anyway. And if they just stay out of women's wombs and just actually concentrate on running a country and not being beholden to those people, I would vote Republican in a second."

In a brand new interview with the SiriusXM satellite radio show "Eddie Trunk Live", outspoken conservative rocker Ted Nugent was asked if he likes presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump. He responded: "I like Donald Trump a lot. He's not perfect, but compared to this lying scam artist… I've gotta tell you, that's not Ted Nugent's opinion. This Hillary Clinton, she is a criminal. She is a liar. She is so corrupt. She is not just corrupt in abusing power to a criminal level, she is destroying America with her so-called 'foundation' slush fund and all the evidence that the media will not report accurately. Donald Trump's not perfect, but compared to her, he's almost Michael The Archangel. And this is a culture war. It's a culture war, not a culture argument."

He continued: "Hillary Clinton doesn't believe in the Constitution or the Bill Of Rights, and when she claims she does, her actions prove she's a liar.

"I believe that the record turnout for Donald Trump is an inescapable indicator that real, working-hard-playing-hard Americans, people who are in the asset column — not those who have given up looking for work, not those who have a list of jobs they're not willing to do, which isn't American, by the way; that's French. The real producers of this country are coming out for Donald Trump because they know that what the Democrats represent today is clearly anti-American, it's anti-excellence, it's anti-independence, it's anti-rugged individualism. The Democrats literally think you should be able to sleep in and get some of Eddie Trunk's earnings, and it's tragic. And that's not America."

Nugent went on to say: "The battlecry for America, to be strong, should be 'earn your own way.' And when you earn your own way, you make America strong, you benefit your family and your neighbors, and you can hold your head proudly. Because earning your own way is the essence of the Declaration Of Independence, not the declaration of dependency.

"When it comes to generosity, those of us that work hard give and give and give. I know you give, I give, everybody I know gives to needy Americans and to charities. But those who don't earn their own way don't give anything."

Nugent in 2014 apologized for referring to President Barack Obama as a "subhuman mongrel," calling that word grouping "street-fighter terminology" and saying he wished he used "more understandable language," such as "violator of his oath to the Constitution."

Nugent was investigated by the Secret Service in April 2012 after saying that he would be "dead or in jail by this time next year" if Obama was re-elected.

Former DARK ANGEL frontman Don Doty says that he has been given a "clean bill of health" after a brief battle with cancer.

The singer, who made a return to the metal scene last year with a new band called ELIMINATE, says that his colon cancer was caught in the early stages of the disease and that he has already received treatment for it. "I went in last week and they were able to remove the cancer," he wrote on his Facebook page. "They gave me a clean bill of health for the next two years. At that point, I will need to be checked again."

He continued: "Recovery is not bad; I am able to do most everything as I usually do. Good news is it has settled me down enough to finish the songs I have been working on for some time; 'Time Has No Measure' [and] 'Pounding From The Grave' are a couple of them."

Doty is not involved in DARK ANGEL's current reunion, which includes Gene Hoglan (drums), Eric Meyer (guitar), Jim Durkin (guitar), Ron Rinehart (vocals) and Michael Gonzalez (bass).

DARK ANGEL released two albums with Doty on vocals — 1984's "We Have Arrived" and 1986's "Darkness Descends" — before he exited the group and was replaced by Ron Rinehart (after a brief stint with Jim Drabos in 1987).

ELIMINATE will embark on a short West Coast tour in August. Joining Doty in the band are guitarists Scott Owen (HIRAX, SUBVERSION) and Henry Elizondo (DEVASTATION), bassist John Signorelli (SUBVERSION) and drummer Joe Cangelosi (WHIPLASH, KREATOR, MASSACRE). The group will perform material from the first two DARK ANGEL albums, "We Have Arrived" and "Darkness Descends", along with some surprises and new originals.

Montreal, Quebec, Canada-based melodic death metallers THE AGONIST will release their new album, "Five", on September 30 via and Napalm Records. The CD was recorded with producer Mike Plotnikoff, who has previously worked with BUCKCHERRY, OTEP, HALESTORM, DROWNING POOL, THEORY OF A DEADMAN, 3 DOORS DOWN, FEAR FACTORY, FLYLEAF and SKILLET, among others.

Says THE AGONIST guitarist Danny Marino: "We are so anxious to release this record to our fans and the rest of the world!

"This album represents another shift in the evolution of THE AGONIST!

"Vicky [Psarkis, vocals] and I went even deeper into what makes a song really connect.

"I'm very proud of everyone's hard work making this the most diverse and interesting record for us to date!

"It was a great learning experience working with Mike Plotnikoff and fully immersing ourselves in the recording process 24/7.

"Just as much as we are excited to release this album, we are psyched to get back out on the road and connect directly with our fans! Europe gets the first taste before we unleash on North America this November with EPICA." Psarkis adds: "Being in THE AGONIST for over two years now and after releasing my debut album with the band and numerous tours, I can say that 'Five' is the record where I believe that we finally found our sound!

"There's a certain confidence that comes with experience and there's something about being fully comfortable that can take your approach towards songwriting to a whole other level.

"Working on the lyrics and vocals on this album was an incredibly natural process.

"Halfway into the pre-production, we realized that a lot of our songs seemed to be telling a story and hearing the album in its entirety is like escaping into our world." "Five" track listing:

01. The Moment02. The Chain03. The Anchor and The Sail04. The Game05. The Ocean06. The Hunt07. The Raven Eyes08. The Wake09. The Resurrection10. The Villain11. The Pursuit of Emptiness12. The Man Who Fell to Earth13. The Trial14. Take Me to Church (HOZIER cover) (bonus edition only)

The official lyric video for the song "The Chain" can be seen below.

INVIDIA, the new band featuring former and current members of FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH, IN THIS MOMENT and SKINLAB, has announced the addition of drummer Darren Badorine and guitarist Marcos Medina (SKINLAB, THE MEDINA GROOVES) to the group's ranks. INVIDIA has also signed a management deal with Music Gallery International. World-renowned producer and former MACHINE HEAD/SOULFLY guitarist Logan Mader has been pulling the producing, co-managing and co-writing duties.

Logan said: "Brian and Travis came to me with the idea to start this band on January 1, 2016. They had a few tunes in the works already, but it was just two guys and an idea. Brian was ready to pull the trigger on a full album so we jumped in the studio on the first week of January and started putting the record together. We all wrote the record together. I connected really well with Brian and Travis on a creative level. It was a very cool, fun and spontaneous way to make a record."

Shawn Barusch, the commander in-chief at Music Gallery International, stated about signing INVIDIA: "Edgy, raw and aggressive! Loved them from the first song I heard. I have history with the guys in different ways so it's about time we are all working together. I'm very excited! Even more so that we we are working with producer and co-manager Logan 'Darth' Mader. It's time to get this freight train-a-rollin'!!!"

"It's very exciting," said INVIDIA bassist Matt Snell about the MGI deal. "I've known Shawn back from the 'Family Values' tour I was on in '07. We've kept in touch ever since. He's a great guy. He's an 'always picks up the phone kinda guy' and he's a friend outside of the business. So naturally I was excited when the opportunity presented itself to work with him."

Regarding the vibe and feel of the upcoming INVIDIA album, Mader said: "I would call it hard rock/metal with big balls. It's got big choruses. It's got big hooks. It also has a serious 'metal energy,' which is where we all come from in our musical backgrounds. There are some songs that fit the American active rock radio format. There are some songs with a modern-industrial-type feel mixed with a kind of a pop sensibility and big chorus. The other end of the spectrum is more of a groove metal which draws a little bit from that classic PANTERA vibe. It gives it that sort of heavy testosterone metal feel."

In a recent interview with Rich Inzinna and Paula Noto from "The S.I.R.E.N." radio show on iRadioUSA.com, Travis stated about how INVIDIA was formed: "This all came together super fast and super flawless. I guess stars kind of aligned, really. I put something up online and Brian hit me up. He said, 'Dude, I'd be totally down t do some work together,' and that kind of thing. And I was, like, 'You know what? I totally miss singing. And I'm totally down for that.'"

He continued: "The funny thing is, everybody that's involved in this project as of now has worked together at different times except for me and Brian. So it's almost funny. It was like this circle that was just missing a piece for it all to connect. So once me and Brian got together, the whole circle came together, and within six weeks, this whole record's done, completely recorded, everybody's in place. And it's almost super ironic the way it all came together."

Travis, who still plays bass in IN THIS MOMENT, added: "We're all super excited about this project. I'm stoked to be singing again. I love playing bass, obviously, but I've been a singer for a long fucking time. I just took a huge break, so it's good to be able to kind of get back into it and kind of have my cake and eat it too, and be on both sides."

INVIDIA is:

* Matt Snell (FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH) - Bass* Travis Johnson (IN THIS MOMENT) - Vocals* Brian Jackson (SKINLAB) - Guitar* Darren Badorine - Drums* Marcos Medina (SKINLAB) - Guitar* Logan Mader (MACHINE HEAD, SOULFLY, ONCE HUMAN) - Producer/Co-writer/Co- Manager




Posted by INVIDIA Band on Tuesday, July 19, 2016


Posted by INVIDIA Band on Monday, July 18, 2016

The organizers of the Wacken Open Air festival plan to implement increased security at this year's event following recent terrorist attacks at various locations across Europe.

According to Billboard.com, 85,000 attendees are expected at the 2016 edition of Wacken Open Air, which takes place in Wacken, a farming village with 1,800 residents that sits 50 miles northwest of Hamburg and has hosted the three-day event since 1990.

"We update our security plan constantly, counting in recent events such as bad weather or the security situation in Germany. Because of that our staff knows what to do and is well prepared," founder Thomas Jensen said of the festival which runs August 4-6 this year. "Due to the recent events we decided that backpacks and all kind of bags are no longer allowed on the festival grounds."

Wacken, which has a paid crew of 2,500, does not announce the names of its headliners before tickets go on sale. Still, the first 45,000 tickets to Wacken Open Air 2016 were sold within two hours after the pre-sale started. It didn't take long for the remaining tickets to be snapped up — marking the eleventh time in a row that all tickets to the event have been sold.

After the recent spate of violent attacks in Germany, Jensen told Deutsche Welle about the security measures which are being put in place at this year's Wacken: "Security is always an issue for us. After the attack in Paris at the Bataclan concert venue, we analyzed the scenario with the police and gained some important insights. The police told us what we need to look out for. They have the most experience and best training in these matters."

Jensen also offered more information on the decision to ban backpacks and all kinds of bags from the festival grounds at this year's event. He said: "The main reason for this is to simplify the individual searches at the entrance. Searching backpacks takes up a lot of time."

Jon Oliva, the American composer, multi-instrumentalist and singer who is best known as the founder of and keyboardist and lead vocalist for SAVATAGE, has revealed that he suffered a stroke back in April. He writes on his Facebook page: "It was not as serious as it could have been, but it did leave me with some physical recovery challenges often associated with strokes. Physical therapy and rehab sessions are getting me back to normal, and I am once again feeling confident about recording new music. Needless to say, such a traumatic health issue was a real epiphany for me....oh yeah!"

Despite his latest health issues, Jon says that he doesn't regret the way he has lived his life. He writes: "I lived the rock 'n' roll lifestyle since I was 18. It's all I knew and I enjoyed the ride very much. But there comes a time in everyone's life where you have to step back and make some life-changing decisions...which I have! So with a fresh and energized approach to my life, I can now focus on the release of a double-album of new Oliva music to be recorded and released very soon."

Oliva says that he has been putting together a collection of songs for the past year which he is "very proud of." He writes: "I think all SAVATAGE / JON OLIVA'S PAIN / TRANS-SIBERIAN ORCHESTRA and DR. BUTCHER fans will really enjoy it. I believe it will be my finest effort yet and will feature all the different flavors of my musical influences and history. I promise not to let you down!"

Jon concludes by thanking his fans "from the bottom of my heart for your love and support over these many years together. Your desire for my music helps to fuel my soul and my love to create that music."

Shortly after SAVATAGE's reunion performance at last year's Wacken Open Air festival in Wacken, Germany, Oliva revealed that felt better than he had in twenty years because he had "stopped drinking and eating" in preparation for the concert. He explained: "It's my voice that's freaking me out, because, even when I was in my late 20s, early 30s, doing songs like '24 Hours Ago' were always really hard to do. And, of course, I didn't realize that it was all the drugs and alcohol I was doing. But, after doing that, getting my act together and stuff, singing '24 Hours Ago', it's actually easy now. [Laughs]"