Finland's inventive, progressive metal quartet, Oddland, has issued the first official single from their upcoming second album, Origin. The follow-up to their Century Media-released 2012 debut The Treachery Of Senses, the impending Origin album will see release in early September through the band's new label home of Sensory Records. As an early preview of the band's latest works, the record's fifth track "Hidden" comes forth through an animated cover art video.

 
Oddland offers of the track, "This song is about self-deprecation and a hidden strength and talent that cannot truly thrive until the person sees and believes it himself. Stylistically, "Hidden" represents a side of Origin where strong dynamics and contrasts interact in fluent dialogue."

Progressive metal heavyweight Sensory Records will release Origin worldwide on September 9th. View an album trailer below:

Oddland stylistically incorporates a broad spectrum of tones and methods into their forward-thinking delivery, melding aggressive tones, spacious textures, and glorious melodies into a seamless and cohesive entity. The band's new Origin was partly recorded by Oddland, the rest captured at Fantom Studio (Insomnium, Korpiklaani, Oranssi Pazuzu) after which it was mixed and mastered by Daniel Bergstrand (Meshuggah, In Flames, Dimmu Borgir). Containing over 45 minutes of music, the album bears a theme which ties deeply into the lyrics and extensive artwork, with a separate piece of art created by Egyptian artist Mohammed Essam for each of the nine songs.
 
This week, Oddland will begin releasing a series of art teasers, issuing a new piece of the intense cover art for the album each week. Stay current as each piece is revealed at the band's Facebook page.

(Photo by: Jarno Terho)

Spain’s death metal squadron Embloodyment has released their debut album, The One Before The Last. The album was produced by the band, recorded, mixed and mastered at Vast Studio (Madrid) and artwork was done by Ricardo Caballero.

The One Before The Last is available digitally and a physical release will be on sale on July 15th and will be available at the band’s concerts and by private message to embloodyment@gmail.com and by private message at the Embloodyment Facebook page.

According to statement by the band itself it is a “fresh and honest album without the aid of electronic elements, highlighting the clarity of guitars and drums and rescuing the essence of early death metal.”

Tracklisting:

“Intro”
“Ssipsseki”
“Of Beast And Men”
“Human Scrapyard”
“Psychotropic Slaughter”
“Periodic Addiction”
“Infernal Rash”
“Nymphobeth”
“Outro”

Former IRON MAIDEN singer Paul Di'Anno is battling cancer but is "doing okay" and "is responding to treatment," it has been revealed.

Back in May, it was announced that Di'Anno was hospitalized for an undisclosed medical issue, forcing him to cancel his previously announced June 2016 tour of Brazil. His ARCHITECTS OF CHAOZ bandmates stated at the time that Paul had "a shadow on his chest and lungs and a problem with his lymph nodes." They added that he had "a total arthritic breakdown with his legs." No further details were given, although Di'Anno himself posted a message on his Facebook page on July 1 in which he revealed that he had just been discharged from the Pitton Ward at Salisbury District Hospital, located in the city of Salisbury in Wiltshire, England. He added in another posting three days later that he would not be appearing at the Rock In Palma festival in Spain this August because he was advised by his doctors to "take it a bit easy since coming out of hospital."

Now in a brand new interview with Sebastián Zumelzu of Chile's HumoNegro web site conducted over the phone last Friday (July 1), Di'Anno's friend and fellow ex-IRON MAIDEN singer Blaze Bayley has revealed more details about Di'Anno's health issues.

Asked when fans could expect to see Bayley and Di'Anno touring South America together, as the two singers had done in other parts of the world, Blaze responded (transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET from original English-language audio, as kindly provided by HumoNegro): "Paul's in the hospital right now. He's got cancer, and also he's got problems with his knees and his hip. So he's gonna be in the hospital for another four months. He's doing okay and he's responding to treatment."

He continued: "We've played together many shows around the world — in Russia, Sweden and Australia — and the only places, really, that we haven't done are South America. So when he gets better — maybe in a year or so — maybe we'll be able to do a tour like that."

Bayley's description of Di'Anno's condition appears to contradict what Paul said over a month ago to a Canadian web site. On May 31, Di'Anno was asked by The Metal Voice's Jimmy Kay in a text conversation if doctors detected signs of cancer in the singer's system. Di'Anno responded at the time (see screenshot below): "Non malignant thank god !"

Paul has not yet released a follow-up statement clarifying his current health status.

Di'Anno has reportedly had several motorcycle accidents over the years, requiring a knee replacement operation on both knees. As a result, Di'Anno was forced to sit down while performing at his recent shows. He told Argentina's CM TV last August: "I think the fans don't give a shit to see me; they just wanna hear me sing. So maybe six months I have to do this before the [knee] operation. I still wanna play, so I sit down and sing."

More than a year ago, Di'Anno spoke in more detail about the condition of his knee which was making it impossible for him to stand up and perform. He said: "I don't wanna swear… [Laughs] but it's fucked. It's actually fucked. Because this has been [going on for] seven years. I should have done this seven years ago. And now all the ligament is gone and all it basically is is bone rubbing against bone. And, oh my God, it's so painful some days, it's unbelievable. And through my mother, I caught osteoporosis [a progressive bone disease in which the bone density reduces over years] as well. When you get to a certain age. And [I can't be] buggered with that. [I'm like], sod this; I can't be dealing with it. So [fixing] the knee will make it a lot better."

Di'Anno added: "I can't take it anymore. And it will be so nice to be pain-free [after] seven years."

Di'Anno recorded two classic albums with IRON MAIDEN before being replaced by Bruce Dickinson. He went on to front a number of other bands, including KILLERS and BATTLEZONE, and released several solo records.

ARCHITECTS OF CHAOZ, the new band featuring Di'Anno alongside members of Paul's longtime German touring backing group THE PHANTOMZ, released its debut album, "The League Of Shadows", in North America in July 2015 via Metalville Records.

According to The Pulse Of Radio, a scientific research vessel that will monitor water quality in Washington state's Puget Sound has been given the name SoundGuardian in honor of local Seattle musical legends SOUNDGARDEN. Drummer Matt Cameron commented: "We've won Grammys and a few awards through the years, but this is a real special one because it's tied into our city and the culture that we have here. So we're very proud to be a part of it. We love the natural resources here and are in tune with keeping our environment safe and this vessel will certainly help out in this endeavor."

Guitarist Kim Thayil added, "And there's a strong sense of pride and honor with the civic mission. These are issues that are obviously of concern, especially if you have kids. There's a strong sense of civic pride in regards to Seattle and the Northwest."

Both Thayil and Cameron were on hand last Wednesday (June 29) for the launch of the vessel, which will answer environmental emergency calls apart from monitoring.

The ship replaces the Liberty, an older vessel that has been used since 1977 to monitor the Puget Sound.

Singer Chris Cornell recently said that SOUNDGARDEN is "in the middle of writing songs" and that the band will record a new album after he finishes his current solo tour.

SOUNDGARDEN reunited in 2010 after a 13-year layoff, touring and then eventually writing new material that became the basis for 2012's "King Animal", its first new studio album in 16 years.

The research vessel SoundGuardian was recently launched with the blessing of the band Soundgarden https://t.co/0HDmS40Ciz

— Atlas Obscura (@atlasobscura) July 2, 2016

Legendary hard rockers AC/DC have uploaded a new two-minute video clip in which bassist Cliff Williams talks about his role in the band.

He says in the clip: "AC/DC has been… you know, just… I don't know what else I would wanna do. I love the music and I love playing in the band, and I'm all filled up.

"My role as part of the rhythm section is to give drive, to give foundation, and engine, if you like, [and] support the guitars.

"My first album with the band was 'Powerage', and that was 1977. It was all new and fresh, and these people, I didn't know them, and Australia, and I'm from London, and there was the whole fitting in thing. They were great — very accepting.

"They were very famous in Australia when I joined them. They'd pretty much gotten to the top of the heap there very quickly. And they'd been to Europe once or twice at that point too. But we were still touring on a modest basis. We were playing small venues with little equipment, with a little van, and we were all driving together in a station wagon and stuff. And that, over the years, has changed. Not to say it wasn't fun; it was a lot of fun."

AC/DC postponed the last ten dates of its recent North American tour after doctors told singer Brian Johnson he faced a total loss of hearing if he did not stop touring immediately. AC/DC has since resumed its tour with GUNS N' ROSES frontman Axl Rose as a "guest vocalist," with Johnson apparently not returning to the group. Cliff said: "Axl is doing extremely well, and God bless him for stepping up to do this."

Johnson had been AC/DC's frontman for 36 years, making his debut on the classic "Back In Black" album.

Ron "Bumblefoot" Thal has spoken out for the first time about his exit from GUNS N' ROSES, explaining that he knew it was "time to move on."

Just days after guitarist DJ Ashba quit GUNS N' ROSES in July 2015, a source confirmed to Detroit music writer Gary Graff that Thal was also no longer a member of the group — and had been out since the end of GN'R's second Las Vegas residency in 2014.

Thal later revealed that he was focusing on his solo career after spending eight years playing in GUNS. The guitarist, however, stopped short of saying that he was no longer a member of GUNS, which has caused some fans to criticize him for not coming clean about where he stood with the group.

Now in a brand new interview with Loudwire, Thal addressed his split with GN'R and talked about his relationship with the group's notoriously volatile singer Axl Rose.

The axeman said (see video below): "Anything I say [about GN'R] will end up [getting] turned into something bad that's gonna hurt people that I don't wanna hurt. And it just happens that way; that's what ends up happening, even if I don't mean it to. I could say, 'The sky is blue,' and somehow it'll get turned into something when it comes to that subject. So I try not to say too much about it. I try not to. I usually put both feet in my mouth.

"All I could say is you reach a time when you just know it's time to move on and you just know that what you've seen for your life, what you see the future of your life and what that is, it's not what you pictured for yourself."

He continued: "When I started playing music, I was six years old, and when I thought about what I wanted and what my goals were, and what makes me alive inside making music, and I just… I was looking at what I was doing, and it didn't match up. And I just needed to… I needed to go."

After revealing that he was fully aware at the time of his departure of Axl's plan to re-team with bassist Duff McKagan and guitarist Slash for a partial reunion of GN'R's classic lineup, Thal talked about his time in the band and the personal connection he felt to Rose during that period. He said: "Everybody [in the band] would hang out. Me, personally, my relationship [with Axl] was just… I don't know if I could compare my relationship to other people's. Sometimes it felt like friends, sometimes it felt like enemies. You know, we felt like bandmates."

Thal joined GUNS N' ROSES in early 2006 as the replacement for Buckethead.

The guitarist expressed frustration in 2013 with the lack of new music from GUNS, saying, "If something came out at this point, it would be very old material that is just being released now… We need to make an album of this band right now." The last new GUNS N' ROSES album, "Chinese Democracy", came out in 2008.

LAMB OF GOD guitarist Mark Morton has weighed in on AC/DC's decision to use Axl Rose as the the lead singer of the band's current tour, calling it "a logical move."

AC/DC postponed the last ten dates of its recent North American trek after doctors told Brian Johnson he faced a total loss of hearing if he did not stop touring immediately. AC/DC has since resumed its tour with the GUNS N' ROSES frontman as a "guest vocalist," with Johnson apparently not returning to the group.

Asked by The Rockpit for his thoughts on the Rose-AC/DC pairing, Morton said: "I always thought it kinda made sense to me. I've only seen a couple of clips of his performances, but the little bit I did see sounded like he was doing a great job. I'm sure it's a big thrill for him because I can't imagine that AC/DC isn't a big influence on him. I don't know Axl Rose, I don't know anyone in AC/DC, but it seems like a logical move to me if Brian Johnson couldn't do it."

Johnson said in an open letter to fans that he intends to solve his hearing problem and continue recording and touring, although he did not say whether he would be rejoining AC/DC.

The vocalist wrote: "My entire focus is to continue medical treatment to improve my hearing. I am hoping that in time my hearing will improve and allow me to return to live concert performances. While the outcome is uncertain, my attitude is optimistic."

Johnson had been AC/DC's frontman for 36 years, making his debut on the classic "Back In Black" album.

METAL ALLEGIANCE, the all-star metal band consisting of a rotating cast of musicians, including members of TESTAMENT and DEATH ANGEL, will release a special EP, titled "Fallen Heroes", on August 12. The band united to pay homage to the three legends — Lemmy Kilmister, David Bowie and Glenn Frey — who impacted not just their lives but the world as well.

"The end of 2015 and most of 2016 has been a brutal year with many of our heroes passing," comments METAL ALLEGIANCE's Mark Menghi. "When [METAL ALLEGIANCE drummer Mike] Portnoy called me in January to alert me that Glenn Frey had passed, I literally broke down. That night after having a few Tequila Sunrises in Glenn's honor, a lightbulb went off… We're going to record a few tunes to honor our fallen heroes. I called back Mike that evening and asked him what he thought and the next day we were in the studio recording. By week's end, all guitars, drums and bass were complete.

"I can't begin to explain the influence that Glenn Frey, Lemmy and David Bowie had on me. Each of their music has helped me immensely during some real dark periods of my life and not to mention their influence on me as a musician and songwriter. Lemmy is God, Glenn is King and David is the Architect."

Adds METAL ALLEGIANCE guitarist Alex Skolnick: "These brilliant artists have an extensive catalogue that is sometimes on the softer side (with the exception of MOTÖRHEAD, of course). So when it came to THE EAGLES and Bowie, we specifically chose tunes of theirs that are riff-based and translatable to high energy arrangements. For Lemmy, we immediately crossed out 'Ace Of Spades' (great tune but the last thing the world needs is yet another cover version) and chose 'Iron Fist', which we already had a good handle on from playing live and to us is every bit as much a signature MOTÖRHEAD tune."

"I'm really excited to be a part of the 'Fallen Heroes' EP," comments ARCH ENEMY's Alissa White-Gluz. "I think we have all felt the weight of losing so many great musicians this year. I think these songs are a cool way to pay tribute to a few people who contributed so much to the world of music and showcase a different side of ourselves."

METAL ALLEGIANCE took the news of Lemmy's passing very hard as the bands very first gig was on MOTÖRHEAD's first Motörboat cruise. It was on that boat where the idea to write a record together and carry the METAL ALLEGIANCE flag as a brand/band rather than a sporadic, special event show.

In late 2015, the band scheduled a West Coast string of intimate club dates with a stop as the world-famous Whisky A Go Go. The year concluded with the band heartbroken saying goodbye to their beloved friend. They later found out that his funeral and memorial services would be held the day of their performance. The band was asked by their tour agent who is also MOTÖRHEAD's agent, Lemmy's management, close friends of his, and the owner of the Rainbow and Whisky to incorporate a tribute which, of course, they obliged. The day of their performance, Sunset Blvd. was shut down and their bus was parked on a street filled with tears, madness, partiers and a sea of mourning metal heads. They said goodbye to their friend that evening with help from MOTÖRHEAD drummer Mikkey Dee amongst a ton of other special guests. The next day they played their final show at the Regency Ballroom in San Francisco. Mid-set, they were informed that David Bowie had passed.

Comments Menghi: "I remember coming off stage to trade bass duties with David Ellefson (we would rotate songs) and he stopped me, looked me and Osegueda in the eyes and said, 'Dude, Bowie just passed away.' Literally in mid-set we got that news. I looked at Mark and he was in tears. Not even a minute later, he was on stage telling the Bay Area crowd of the news he just learned. I turned to the side and looked over at Mike Portnoy and he just had his head down with his hands over his head trying to comprehend what Mark was saying. The next few songs was our Lemmy tribute and tears rolled off all of our eyes while paying tribute to one while learning of the passing of another."

Recorded at Conclave Studios in New York City, "Fallen Heroes" was produced by Mark Menghi and Alex Skolnick. The album was mixed by Jay Ruston in Los Angeles, California and mastered at Sterling Sound in New York City by Ted Jensen. The initial sketch of the artwork was created by Mark Menghi and Stephen Thompson (ANTHRAX) and was later finalized by Marcelo Vasco (SLAYER).

"Fallen Heroes" track listing:

01. Iron Fist (featuring Troy Sanders)02. Suffragette City (featuring Mark Osegueda)03. Life In The Fast Lane (featuring Alissa White-Gluz)

Guitar: Alex SkolnickBass: Mark MenghiDrums: Mike Portnoy

British thrashers ONSLAUGHT return to home soil in November, playing 17 shows across the U.K. and Ireland, celebrating the 30th anniversary of their legendary opus "The Force".

The band will play the album in its entirety along with many other classic tracks that span ONSLAUGHT's 33-year career.

Joining ONSLAUGHT will be joined on this U.K. mega metal feast will be progressive bastions of British metal BEHOLDER and fellow thrash heavyweights ANIHILATED.

ONSLAUGHT guitarist Nige Rockett comments: "We are well and truly stoked to announce our upcoming tour of the U.K. and Ireland this autumn.

"By the time we hit the road in November, it will be well over two and a half years since we did the last run. We feel the time is now right to bring things home once again.

"I'm sure the fans are gonna be real hungry for these shows. The demand for 'The Force' set has been incredible and with this awesome 'best of British' line up that's been put together, it all points to some amazing old-school nights in loud, hot, sweaty clubs up and down the country. Everything is gonna be stripped back and brutal, just as thrash metal should be!"

The dates are as follows:

Nov. 02 - Southampton - Talking HeadsNov. 03 - Grimsby - YardbirdsNov. 04 - Limerick - DolansNov. 05 - Dublin - VoodooNov. 06 - Belfast - Limelight2Nov. 07 - Derby - Hairy DogNov. 09 - Swansea - SceneNov. 10 - Edinburgh - BannermansNov. 11 - Glasgow - AudioNov. 12 - Kettering - Days of Rock FestivalNov. 13 - Manchester - RebellionNov. 14 - Birmingham - RainbowNov. 15 - Banbury - WheatsheafNov. 16 - Chester - Live RoomNov. 17 - Cardiff - GlobeNov. 18 - Bristol - FleeceNov. 19 - London - Titanfest - Tuffnel Park Dome

ONSLAUGHT released a new concert CD/DVD, "Live At The Slaughterhouse", on February 26 via AFM. The 13-song set captures two performances in the U.K. (Bristol and London) featuring the lineup of Sy Keeler (vocals), Nige Rockett (guitar), Leigh Chambers (guitar), Jeff Williams (bass) and Mic Hourihan (drums).

ONSLAUGHT's sixth album, "VI", was released on September 20, 2013 via AFM Records. The follow-up to 2011's "Sounds Of Violence" was mixed by Thomas "Plec" Johansson (TIAMAT, SCAR SYMMETRY) at Panic Room studios in Skara, Sweden.

Just in time for this year's Wacken Open Air festival that will see another 75,000 metalheads having the time of their lives this summer, UDR Music is pleased to announce the release of "Live At Wacken 2015 - 26 Years Louder Than Hell", a double CD/DVD (or Blu-ray) set hitting North American stores on August 26. Transport yourself back to 2015's stellar lineup with "Wacken 2015 - 26 Years Louder Than Hell". Over 120 bands on eight stages — gigantic! With this release, not only do you receive the entire concert on CD, you can also watch 2015's bands again on the double DVD or Blu-ray. You will enjoy video of select performances from JUDAS PRIEST, IN FLAMES, ANNIHILATOR, DANKO JONES, ULI JON ROTH, EUROPE, CRADLE OF FILTH and newcomers like BEYOND THE BLACK and many, many more. This double live CD/DVD is a must have for all fans! Formats:

* 2 DVD/2 CD DVD Digipack* 2 Blu-Ray/2 CD BR-Digipack* Standard Digital Audio (35 tracks)* Longform Video Technical details for DVD and Blu-Ray:

* NTSC/Dolby Digital 5.1/Dolby Digital 2.0/ Stereo PCM/ Region Code 0/FSK 12/ total running time: ca. 261 minutes "Wacken 2015 - 26 Years Louder Than Hell" track listing:

DVD1 / Blu-ray 1:

01. JUDAS PRIEST - Painkiller 02. IN FLAMES - Paralyzed03. IN FLAMES - Everything's Gone04. AMORPHIS - My Kantele05. AMORPHIS - Magic And Mayhem06. RUNNING WILD - Under Jolly Roger07. RUNNING WILD - Riding The Storm08. BEYOND THE BLACK - Rage Before The Storm09. BEYOND THE BLACK - Songs Of Love And Death10. ARCHITECTS OF CHAOZ - Horsemen11. ARMORED SAINT - Left Hook From Right Field12. ANNIHILATOR - Creepin' Again13. ANNIHILATOR - Alison Hell14. DEATH ANGEL - Voracious Soul15. DEATH ANGEL - Buried Alive16. EXUMER - Possessed By Fire17. BURGERKILL - Under The Scars18. SABATON - To Hell And Back19. SABATON - Night Witches20. DANKO JONES - The Twisting Knife21. DANKO JONES - Full Of Regret22. ULI JON ROTH - Dark Lady23. ULI JON ROTH - Virgin Killer24. THE POODLES - Night Of Passion25. EUROPE - War Of Kings26. EUROPE - The Second Day

DVD2 / Blu-ray 2:

01. BIOHAZARD - How It Is02. BIOHAZARD - Punishment03. KATAKLYSM - As I Slither04. KATAKLYSM - To Reign Again05. CANNIBAL CORPSE - Scourge Of Iron06. CANNIBAL CORPSE - Evisceration Plague07. CRADLE OF FILTH - Burn In A Burial Gown08. CRADLE OF FILTH - Cruelty Brought Thee Orchids09. ANAAL NATHRAKH - Idol10. SKINDRED - Kill The Power11. SKINDRED - Proceed With Caution12. OOMPH! - Augen auf13. OOMPH! - Gott ist ein Popstar14. SANTIANO - Gott muss ein Seemann sein15. SANTIANO - Lieder der Freiheit16. IN EXTREMO - Himmel und Hölle17. IN EXTREMO - Feuertaufe18. KÄRBHOLZ - Ich hör mir beim Leben zu19. GODSIZED - Welcome To Hell20. THE ANSWER - Raise A Little Hell21. MY DYING BRIDE - Turn Loose The Swans22. MANTAR - Into The Golden Abyss23. SAVAGE MACHINE - Prisoners Of War (METAL BATTLE)24. BLAAKYUM - Baal Adon (METAL BATTLE)25. METAPRISM - Reload (METAL BATTLE)26. WALKWAYS - Half The Man I Am (METAL BATTLE)27. VESPERIA - Iron Saga (METAL BATTLE)

CD1:

01. JUDAS PRIEST - Painkiller02. IN FLAMES - Paralyzed03. AMORPHIS - My Kantele04. RUNNING WILD - Under Jolly Roger05. BEYOND THE BLACK - Rage Before The Storm06. ARCHITECTS OF CHAOZ - Horsemen07. ARMORED SAINT - Left Hook From Right Field08. ANNIHILATOR - Alison Hell09. DEATH ANGEL - Buried Alive10. EXUMER - Possessed By Fire11. BURGERKILL - Under The Scars12. SABATON - To Hell And Back13. DANKO JONES - Full Of Regret14. ULI JON ROTH - Virgin Killer15. THE POODLES - Night Of Passion16. EUROPE - War Of Kings

CD2:

01. BIOHAZARD - How It Is02. KATAKLYSM - To Reign Again03. CANNIBAL CORPSE - Evisceration Plague04. CRADLE OF FILTH - Burn In A Burial Gown05. ANAAL NATHRAKH - Idol06. SKINDRED - Proceed With Caution07. OOMPH! - Gott ist ein Popstar08. SANTIANO - Gott muss ein Seemann sein09. IN EXTREMO - Himmel und Hölle10. KÄRBHOLZ - Ich hör mir beim Leben zu11. GODSIZED - Welcome To Hell12. THE ANSWER - Raise A Little Hell13. MY DYING BRIDE - Turn Loose The Swans14. MANTAR - Into The Golden Abyss15. SAVAGE MACHINE - Prisoners Of War (Metal Battle)16. BLAAKYUM - Baal Adon (Metal Battle)17. METAPRISM - Reload (Metal Battle)18. WALKWAYS - Half The Man I Am (Metal Battle)19. VESPERIA - Iron Saga (Metal Battle)

Over a decade in the making, the documentary on Killing Joke, The Death And Resurrection Show, is finally coming to DVD, with pre-orders open now for a summer release.

It was almost 40 years ago that the founding members of Killing Joke coalesced staging a fire ritual that burnt down their London flat; an aptly chaotic birth for a band that would spend the next four decades tearing through conventions both musical and spiritual. The mixture of esoteric beliefs, controversial imagery and genre-defining musical experimentation reaching from industrial rock to classical symphonies, psychedelic trance and 80s power pop has bubbled beneath the popular conscience ever since, inspiring bands like Nirvana, Metallica, Ministry, Nine Inch Nails and Soundgarden along the way.

The stories of rituals and worship at sacred mystical sites, recording sessions in the King's Chamber of the Great Pyramid and band members disappearing to ready for the apocalypse in Iceland have continued to pile up over the years, passed like folk tales between the assembled Gatherers at gigs. Now finally, after a mind blowing 12 year production period, music documentary The Death And Resurrection Show casts fresh light on so many of the stories with an epic two and a half hour barrage of intimate interviews, behind the scenes footage and even family holiday videos, driven by what has to be one of the most ear-pounding soundtracks to ever grace a cinema sound system.

Popping up at festivals and a sell-out special invite screening at BFI Southbank over the last two years, the film is finally coming to DVD, with a deluxe 2-disk edition full of extras currently available for pre-orders through producers ILC Productions and Coffee Films (www.killingjokemovie.com).

Making any kind of sense of such a story is no mean feat and director Shaun Pettigrew fortunately brings an intimate understanding of the band and the music to the table, crafting a densely textured tale that's as much of a feast for the eyes as the ears, and drawing some remarkably honest interviews from band members Jaz Coleman, “Big Paul” Ferguson, Martin “Youth” Glover and Geordie Walker, as well as musicans like Jimmy Page, Dave Grohl, Peter Hook and Alex Paterson, music producer Chris Kimsey, journalists Mat Smith and Neil Perry and much of the team behind the band including managers, astrologists and Jaz Coleman's beloved Mum Gloria, who delivers many of the greatest lines in the film.

“It's been an incredible journey that really started back in the 70's when I was living in a squat next door to the squat half the band were living in.” comments Pettigrew, “Years later I got to know Jaz much more closely when we were both living and working in New Zealand and eventually we got to talking about making a film exploring some of Jaz's experiences and thoughts on things like spirituality and the politics of the Western world around us. Pretty quickly though it felt like you couldn't tell that story without telling a lot of the story of Killing Joke as well.”

The story would take Pettigrew and his incredibly game team across six continents in the years that followed, variously in the footsteps of, and alongside, a band that a lot of people in the music industry have suggested should have a health warning attached. Just as the band have continually stretched conventions so the film reaches well beyond the traditional archive footage and interviews approach, weaving thriller-like threads of searches for mysterious islands, comings of age, spiritual journeys, love and redemption and, naturally, the end of the world: it's a much-used cliché, but you really have never seen or heard anything else quite like it.

The two disc deluxe edition DVD is available for pre-orders now via ILC Productions and Coffee Films for £20 including postage and packing at killingjokemovie.com, and features;

- 150 minute film
- DVD booklet
- Alternate ending
- 35 minute deleted sub-plot
- Uncut “Big Paul” Ferguson interview
- Trailers, photos and artwork

=

Kna'an is a project that was born in the head of the Memmingen's Landestheater director - Walter Wayers. Wayers wrote a complete new play with his modern perspective about the familiar biblical story of Abraham in the land of Kna'an and was looking for someone to fit in writing the soundtrack and songs for this purpose. That's how a co-production between Kobi Farhi (Orphaned Land) and Erez Yohanan (Amaseffer) was born.

Kobi and Erez, with the help of Orphaned Land's members, composed this special soundtrack consisting ballads and metal songs about all the characters and inner conflicts of the heroes in this complex episode, a story that still reflects till this day the three Abrahamic religions.

The concept album Kna’an will be released through Century Media Records on August 26th. A sample of the track “The Holy Land Of Kna’an” is streaming below:

Orphaned Land will celebrate their 25th anniversary with an exciting journey into World Metal music which takes you through Russian-Chinese and Middle Eastern metal. All three bands embedded in their own different cultures and yet all brought together in a night of the finest Metal music the world has to offer:

Tour dates (with Voodoo Kungfu, Imperial Age)

November
3 - Matrix - Bochum, Germany
4 - Nieuwe Pul - Uden, Holland
5 - TBA - Bremen, Germany
6 - Loppen - Kobenhavn, Denmark
7 - Marx - Hamburg, Germany
8 - Bi Nuu - Berlin, Germany
9 - Backstage - Munich, Germany
10 - TBA - Prague, Czech Republic
11 - Firlej - Wroclaw, Poland
12 - Randel Club - Bratislava, Slovakia
13 - Midian Live - Cremona, Italy
14 - TBA - Florence, Italy
15 - Z7 - Pratteln, Switzerland
16 - Coo Vileurbainne - Lyon, France
17 - Devan du Monde - Paris, France
18 - Baroeg - Rotterdam, Holland
19 - Biebob - Vosselaar, Belglium
20 - Underworld - London, England

Festival shows:

July
15 - Rock Fest - Barcelona, Spain
25 - Metaldays - Tolmin, Slovenia

August
5 - Wacken Open Air - Wacken, Germany
6 - Gugulan Rock Fest - Caransebes, Romania

In the new video below, Arjen Lucassen announces that Ayreon's first two albums, The Final Experiment and Actual Fantasy: Revisited will be released on vinyl via Mascot on August 26th.

The Final Experiment was Ayreon’s first album, released in the Netherlands in 1995 by start-up label Transmission Records. It set the tone for the project, with intricate sci-fi/fantasy storytelling and timeless progressive rock featuring a lineup of world class vocalists and musicians, including Barry Hay (Golden Earring), an-Chris de Koeijer (Gorefest), and Kingdom Come’s Lenny Wolf.

The follow-up, Actual Fantasy (1996), turned out to be a relatively modest production, but the phenomenal reception of these first Ayreon albums exposed Arjen Lucassen to world-famous singers and instrumentalists like Fish (Marillion), Bruce Dickinson (Iron Maiden), Devin Townsend, James LaBrie (Dream Theater), Neal Morse (Flying Colors, Spock’s Beard), Cristina Scabbia (Lacuna Coil), John Wetton (King Crimson, Asia), Mikael Åkerfeldt (Opeth, Bloodbath), Ty Tabor (King’s X, The Jelly Jam), Floor Jansen (Nightwish), Michael Romeo and Russell Allen (Symphony X), Steve Hackett (Genesis), Derek Sherinian (Dream Theater, Alice Cooper), Keith Emerson (Emerson, Lake & Palmer), and Rick Wakeman (Yes). Besides Lucassen himself, virtuoso drummer Ed Warby (Gorefest, Hail of Bullets, The 11th Hour) is the only other constant member of Ayreon.

The Deluxe Editions are limited to 1,000 copies worldwide and they are exclusively available from ayreon.com and mascotlabelgroup.com/ayreon.

In the new clip below, Thomas Zwijsen and Ingrid Pontes perform an acoustic guitar arrangement of the Iron Maiden song, “Dance Of Death”. The track is featured on the Nylon Maiden album:

The video below features Thomas Zwijsen with Anne Bakker and Anton Zwijsen, performing an acoustic version of “Doctor Doctor”, composed by UFO and also played by Iron Maiden. The track is featured on the Nylon Maiden II album.

Iron Maiden frontman Bruce Dickinson's "Tears Of The Dragon" was performed on acoustic guitar, violin an vocals during the release concert of Thomas Zwijsen's new Nylon Maiden album, Preserved In Time. The video features Zwijsen on acoustic guitar, Ingrid Pontes on vocals and Anne Bakker on violin.

A video for “Rime Of The Ancient Mariner” from Nylon Maiden’s double CD, Preserved In Time, can be seen below. Nylon Maiden is headed up by Dutch classical guitarist Thomas Zwijsen - known for his acoustic renditions of some of metal’s greatest songs and arrangements of Iron Maiden tracks.

Nylon Maiden’s Preserved In Time was released in June. Thomas has gained almost 10 million views on YouTube with his arrangements of Iron Maiden songs for classical guitar, making this his most anticipated album to date.

Preserved In Time promises to be 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 track listing 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!”

“When The Wild Wind Blows” video:

“Powerslave” video:

“Tears Of The Dragon”:

Less than 12 months after unveiling their debut album, Melbourne-based rock n’ roll nomads Palace Of The King have announced the upcoming release of their second full-length album, Valles Marineris. BraveWords is premiering the new video from the Australians. Buckle up and go "Beyond The Valley" with Palace Of The King.

The band comments about “Beyond The Valley”: “We decided we really wanted to do something different and push the boundaries when making our first official film clip from Valles Marineris. Something that didn't necessarily feature the band members but represented the music. I was a fan of Sergio the clip creator so I suggested to the guys that we send him the song to see what he might do. He loved the song and we love what he did visually to capture the feeling behind it.”

 
Set to land on July 15th, Valles Marineris deepens Palace Of The King’s footprint on the international rock music scene by expanding on the qualities of their debut through an all-new ten track collection of blues and psych-infused hard rock. Preorders are available via Listenable Records.
 
Lead by the bruising gospel-tinged riffathon of “Let The Blood Run Free”, Valles Marineris is both eclectic and unrelenting right through to the final eerie piano fadeout of album closer “Into The Black”.
 
Vocalist Tim Henwood comments “I feel like we’re really honing in on our own distinctive sound now. I love our early recordings but after traveling around the world and playing over 300 shows in our first three years as a band, we’re growing and evolving. It’s real, it’s from the heart and we can’t wait to let this one out of the box.”
 
Having always placed equal importance on the visual component of each release, the band once again enlisted award-winning tattoo artist Kristian Kimonides for the album artwork, whose original painting was inspired by the music and lyrics of Valles Marineris.
 
With extensive tour dates already scheduled in Australia, US and Europe, 2016 is set to be Palace Of The King’s best and most prolific year yet.

Tracklisting:

“Let The Blood Run Free”
“Beyond The Valley”
“Black Cloud”
“The Bridge Of The Gods”
“We Are The Vampires”
“Empire Of The Sun”
“Sick As A Dog”
“River Of Fire”
“Throw Me To The Wolves”
“Into The Black”

"We Are The Vampires" lyric video:

On July 22nd, West Coast progressive heavy metallers Hammers Of Misfortune will release their sixth full-length, Dead Revolution, worldwide via Metal Blade Records. The album track “Flying Alone” is streaming below.

Hammers Of Misfortune enlisted Nick Dumitriu (Vhöl, Ritual Chamber) to produce this record, utilizing a vintage Trident board and minimizing digital processing. The result is a warm, sharp sound that harkens back to productions like John Leckie's treatment of Pink Floyd's Meddle or David Hitchcock's master work in Camel's Mirage.

Recorded at Light Rail Studios in San Francisco, CA, Dead Revolution is more varied than its predecessor (2011's 17th Street), by using different tones, and delving into heavier, darker territory. With tracks like the stupendous "The Precipice", the raging "Flying Alone", and the riff-organ fest that is "Dead Revolution", Hammers Of Misfortune have found a way to indulge their progresssive and psychedelic tendencies while remaining decidedly metal.

That's not to say Dead Revolution is without its slow-burners: "Here Comes The Sky" pivots off a Pink Floyd axis (think "A Pillow In The Wind") - with its soft strums, careful vocal interplay, and delicate percussion - before jettisoning into traditional heavy metal motifs.

"Of course, every song stands out to me," says principal songwriter and guitarist John Cobbett. "I've no idea how listeners will react to them. “The Velvet Inquisition” is probably one of the most ambitious compositions we've ever recorded. I was trying some different writing methods and the results are…interesting. “Days Of '49” is an attempt to repurpose an old traditional folk song, which is new for us."

Dead Revolution tracklisting:

“The Velvet Inquisition”
“Dead Revolution”
“Sea Of Heroes”
“The Precipice (Waiting For The Crash…)”
“Here Comes The Sky”
“Flying Alone”
“Days Of '49”

“Flying Alone”:

“Sea Of Heroes”:

“Dead Revolution”:

Pre-order the album in various formats at this location.

Hammers Of Misfortune lineup:

John Cobbett - guitar
Will Carroll - drums, percussion
Sigrid Sheie - organ, piano
Leila Abdul-Rauf - guitar, vocals
Joe Hutton - vocals
Paul Walker - bass

Comatose Music and Neurogenic have teamed up to bring you what will certainly be one of the most devastating releases of 2016. The band's debut, Ouroboric Stagnation, is a brutal overdose of scorching guttural death metal in the vein of Putridity and Disgorge (USA). 

Ahead of the album's September 2nd release, the band has posted a stream of "Spirited Bloody Emesis”, which is streaming below.

Neurogenic is comprised of an elite international line-up formed in early 2012 by guitarist Vlad Melnik (Derogation) of Ukraine. He soon recruited the superior drum skills of Marco Pitruzzella (Six Feet Under) from the United States, and followed by adding Russian bassist Anton Zhikharev (Fleshbomb). While recording their two song demo entitled Subdural Breeding, vocalist Matteo Bazzanella (Indecent Excision) from Italy joined the band to complete the line-up and make Neurogenic an underground death metal juggernaut. In addition to this amazing line-up there are also several respectable guest performers on this album.

Tracklisting:

“Absorption Of Oblivion”
“Subdural Breeding”
“Immersion”
“Warden Domain”
“Endless Outrage”
“Vortex Of Uncreation”
“Allotriophagical Obsession”
“Soul Entralled” 
“Spirited Bloody Emesis”
“Ouroboric Stagnation”
“Eternal Path Of Enslaved”

“Spirited Bloody Emesis”:

In 1986 King Klassic Records in America released Bitches Sin’s second album called Invaders. This ten track LP went on to become a NWOBHM classic so much so that back in their own country British label, G.I. Records also release another version of it in 1988. This version was completely rerecorded and had a different cover, and, moreover, had four tracks discarded and three new songs added for a nine track album.  Now here together for the first time are those full two albums put together as a double CD but with another four different unreleased bonus tracks added onto two full colour picture disc CDs making a 23 track 2CD package. This comes together with a 12 page CD booklet featuring both covers, archive photos and press cuttings, full lyrics and sleeve notes hence the secondary title of Ultimate Invaders.

Bitches sin came together in 1980, formed by the Toomey guitarist brothers, Ian and Pete from Cumbria, England. The band quickly came to the attention of Neat records who included them on that year's iconic NWOBHM compilation, Lead Weight .The track “Down The Road” was so well received by rock critics and fans alike Neat went on to release the band's debut 7" Always Ready For Love/ Sign Of the Times also in 1980. Album wise the band had to wait till 1982 when another major label of the NWOBHM released the band's Predator  opus. 

Lineup changes delayed the band's next offering until 1986 but it was well worth the wait as it was their widely regarded classic Invaders album. 

More lineup changes caused inevitable rifts and the band folded soon after only to return in the 1990's as Flashpoint releasing three albums before also this outfit went into permanent hibernation after the interest in Bitches Sin amongst HM fans dictated they resurrect the name and in the noughties and beyond the band have released numerous new studio album and compilations on their own label.

Lotus Thief is a San Francisco band that merges post-black metal, space rock and ambient music, seamlessly blending the genres into a unique and greater musical whole. Originated by two members of celebrated “green metal” group Botanist – drummer Otrebor and multi-instrumentalist / composer Bezaelith -- Lotus Thief is its own entity; a project with a stated purpose of “lauding knowledge and illuminating ancient words and art through song”. The group has signed to Prophecy Productions and will release its new album, Gramarye, this autumn.

Taking its name from the Lotus-eaters in Homer's epic poem, Odyssey, Lotus Thief song lyrics bloom from age-old texts, intentionally exploring the world of the past while weaving threads to the present. These scripts include “De Rerum Natura", from the Roman poet and philosopher Lucretius (c. 99 BC – c. 55 BC), the ancient Egyptian funerary text The Book Of The Dead, The Book Of Lies, written by English occultist and teacher Aleister Crowley (using the pen name of Frater Perdurabo), and The Merseburg Incantations, medieval magic spells written in Old High German. 

As an English teacher by trade, Bezaelith finds symmetries to the present in the written knowledge of civilizations long gone. Summarizing Lotus Thief's raison d'être, she states, "Lotus Thief exists, because in a world of trivial ephemera, true knowledge is humanity's greatest possession and our only hope for lasting another thousand years".
 
Lotus Thief released its first album, Rervm in 2014. In 2015, Lotus Thief formed a live quintet, adding new composers, Aglon, Leunammi and Iva Toric, and heralding an athenaeum of books in song. Now, two years after the release of Rervm, Lotus Thief is set to release its second album, Gramarye, this fall via Prophecy Productions. The band promises, “Something entirely different and beautiful in its own new way.”

Psychedelic, classically-infused doom metal act, Spirit Adrift, will continue to unveil new material with their debut full-length album, Chained To Oblivion, out on August 12th via Prosthetic Records. A video for the album track “Form And Force” can be found below.

Produced again by Bob Hoag at Arizona's Flying Blanket Studios, Chained To Oblivion show the continuing evolution and growth of the band's creator, Nate Garrett, both as a songwriter and a person.

"The songs on Chained To Oblivion deal with struggle, adversity, suffering, helplessness, hopelessness, but ultimately triumph", commented Garrett, "I believe that the life experiences which fueled these songs, plus the amount of emotion and energy attached to the recording session itself... all that will touch listeners who are open to it. Sonically speaking, expect more vocal harmonies, trippier lyrics, more guitar harmonies, groovier bass, and drumming that's way more solid. It's heavier, prettier, more concise, more focused, and more confident."

Garrett continued to share details on the album's stunning artwork from Revolting Worship's Nate Burns adding, "He nailed it, again. The artwork on Chained To Oblivion continues to follow the trials and tribulations of Spirit Adrift's matriarch, Brenda. Nate Burns and I talked about my ongoing obsession with outer space, old X-Men comics (particularly some of the Phoenix story arcs), and subliminal stimuli within art. This artwork goes hand in hand with the listening experience, so we've made sure the physical versions of the album are well worth the fans' hard-earned money. I can't wait for the world to hear this album"

Chained To Oblivion features five tracks spanning over 45 minutes of music and will be made available on digipack CD and across all digital outlets. A gatefold double LP version of the album will also be offered through Chicago-based War Crime Recordings.

Tracklisting:

“Psychic Tide”
“Marzanna”
“Form and Force”
“Chained To Oblivion”
“The Hum Of Our Existence”

“Form And Force” video:

Spirit Adrift is the result of a lifetime dedicated to music. Both musically and lyrically, the music is punishingly heavy and equally uplifting. Psychedelic currents ebb and flow throughout passages of unrelenting doom and entrancing melody. The focus is on writing memorable, meaningful songs that evoke every sonic influence that shaped the musician channeling them.

Spirit Adrift represents the culmination of every bit of Garrett’s musical experience, from piano lessons at age three, through voice training in school choir, whiskey-soaked Sabbath riffs, the joy of Thin Lizzy guitar harmonies and ZZ Top pinch harmonics, good times, awful times and everything in between. Garrett cut his teeth in the south, in a humid melting pot of doom, sludge, psychedelic rock and hardcore punk. He played, recorded and toured with as many bands as possible and was deeply influenced by the artistic and personal relationships he shared with fellow Arkansans such as Deadbird, Rwake, Seahag and Pallbearer.

Ravage, the traditional heavy metal/ thrash act from Boston, MA, which formed in the mid 90's and whose last full length album The End Of Tomorrow was issued through Metal Blade Records in 2009, have released a lyric video for "Curse Of Heaven", a track from the band's forthcoming full-length album, Return Of The Spectral Rider.

The album is a complete re-recording of their underground cult album Spectral Rider, which was recorded in 2003 and given a limited release through Germany's Karthago Records in 2005.

Singer Al Ravage explains, "Return Of The Spectral Rider is a complete re-recording of our old Spectral Rider album. It is a collection of songs that we loved and have always felt were very strong songs but we never got a proper studio production of them due to lack of budget, producer issues etc. The original recording was done during a very tumultuous time in the band's history and at the time I thought it might be the epitaph for the band. Eleven years later, we are still around and still playing a lot of these songs, so it was fun to revisit them. There is a raw energy to the thing because there are some songs that we wrote the music for when we were thirteen years old... there's lyrics on there that I wrote when I was fifteen. We recorded them in our own studio so we were able to experiment a bit on the production end and tweak the sound to what we originally wanted which is to have a very "real" sounding recording. The drums aren't triggered, they don't sound like a drum machine playing the drums. We didn't use a metronome, and the biggest difference is that we actually tuned up! The whole thing is in standard tuning. This is the way metal was meant to sound."

The album was recorded in Malden, MA at Hellbent For Acoustics Studios and features guest appearances by former members of Ravage, members of Iron Will, Rozamov, Black Mass, Power Glove, and Seax. Cover art has been completed by Tim Jacobus, best known for his work on the Goosebumps and Fear Street series of horror novels. It has yet to be revealed.

The recording is currently in the mastering stage and Ravage is seeking interest from record labels.

The lyric video for "Curse Of Heaven" can be viewed below:

GODSMACK frontman Sully Erna has set "Hometown Life" as the title of his second solo album, to be released later in the year.

The track listing for the effort is as follows:

01. Hometown Life02. Your Own Drum03. Different Kind of Tea04. Take All Of Me05. Don't Comfort Me06. Turn It Up!07. Forever My Infinity08. Blue Skies09. Father Of Time10. Fallin' To Black

The cover artwork is available below.

In a May 2015 interview with iRockRadio.com, Erna stated about his plan to release the follow-up to his solo debut, 2010's "Avalon": "I'm working on stuff now. It's ready when it's ready. It's one of those things that the solo stuff… I take my time with that, because I'm not under the gun with some kind of record label and deadlines and things like that. I think 'Avalon' came out really special, because there was no timelines or restrictions or demands or expectations; it was just write as I write, and when it's done, it's done. And even though I have some stuff built and written, I don't really know where that record's gonna go musically yet. So I'm gonna continue to write, and when I collect enough songs that feel like it's gonna be an album, then I'll put that out."

"Avalon" featured a very different style than what Erna does with GODSMACK, incorporating world music, female vocals, keyboards, cello, hand percussion and other diverse sounds.

He toured behind the album with a large ensemble that incorporated many of the instruments heard on the record.

Erna told The Pulse Of Radio a while back that he enjoys having two distinct sides to his musical output. "You know, GODSMACK, we've done some acoustic things here and there, but we really don't belong in that world so much. I mean, we're really more of a big, hard rock, powerhouse band and that's where we should be. But for me, I really love that acoustic side. I love the piano, I love that — just acoustic instruments. And so, I'm so happy that I have carved out that path now because I need to explore that kind of music."

Erna also told HardDrive that his solo music can extend his career once his heavy rock days with GODSMACK are over, explaining, "With the solo stuff, I don't ever wanna have that kind of limitations, because I think it's the place I'd like to go one day, when this is all said and done, if I still wanna play music, I can sit up on stage with a piano and an acoustic and do one of those 'storytellers' kind of evenings…"

GODSMACK's sixth studio album, "1000hp" (One Thousand Horsepower), was released in August 2014.

HALESTORM singer Lzzy Hale joined THEE ROCK N' ROLL RESIDENCY on stage last night (Tuesday, July 5) at Harp & Fiddle in Nashville, Tennessee to perform a cover version of the Alice Cooper classic "I'm Eighteen". You can watch fan-filmed video footage of her appearance below.

HALESTORM is currently preparing to record a third covers EP to follow 2011's "ReAniMate" and 2013's "ReAniMate 2.0".

The band's first two albums, 2009's "Halestorm" and 2012's "The Strange Case Of…" were both officially certified gold in March by the RIAA (Recording Industry Association of America) for sales of more than 500,000 copies. The certifications came after RIAA started including on-demand audio and video streams and a track sale equivalent in gold and platinum album award.

HALESTORM's third album, "Into The Wild Life", debuted at No. 5 on the Billboard 200 album chart, selling 56,000 copies in its first week of release — more than double the first-week haul of their second CD — but has not reached gold yet.

Sometime early in 2008, Gaggle Of Cocks (GOC) mainstays Pat Harrington (guitar/vocals) and Freddy Villano (bass) teamed up with guitarist Chris Goercke (Kelly Osbourne, Queen V, The X's) and drummer John Macaluso (Ark, TNT, Yngwie) at Threshold Recording Studios in NYC to record a five song EP. Engineered by AJ Maltese (RIP) and produced and mixed by Harrington, these sessions laid the groundwork for what would become GOC's sophomore effort, and Sliptrick Records debut, Low Class Trendsetter (LCT). 

Two tunes from the Threshold sessions, specifically, "Low Class Trendsetter" and "Sexmusic," illuminated the way forward and gave birth to the LCT record. "Low Class Trendsetter" and "Sexmusic" were eventually re-recorded for LCT, but these original versions are equally potent. And so, in an effort to provide audiences with as much Cock as possible, Harrington and Villano, along with Sliptrick's support, decided to open the GOC vaults and unleash this previously unreleased five song EP under the title Married To The Gun. In addition to the aforementioned, earlier versions of "Low Class Trendsetter" and "Sexmusic," Married To The Gun features the songs "Seems to Me," "Wanted" and a cover of Creedence Clearwater Revival's "Born On The Bayou." 

Tracklisting:

“Born On The Bayou (CCR cover)
“Low Class Trendsetter”
“Sexmusic”
“Wanted”
“Seems To Me”

According to Bild, Germany's top-selling daily newspaper, METALLICA's new album could arrive on October 14. This release date, however, has not been confirmed by the band's record label, Universal.

METALLICA drummer Lars Ulrich recently spoke to Citizens Of Humanity magazine about the musical direction of the group's long-awaited follow-up to 2008's "Death Magnetic". He said: "It definitely sounds like METALLICA. It's probably a little less frenetic than the last record. The last one [producer] Rick Rubin really encouraged us to for the first time be inspired by our past. It was the first time we sort of looked in the rearview mirror. This time around it's a little bit of a different thing."

Ulrich continued: "We're not working with Rick, we're working with the engineer from the last record, who's producing, Greg Fidelman. So there's some of the same production elements at play, but we're expanding a little bit on the sonics. It's probably a bit more of a diverse record than the last one. It's exciting, but I don't have quite the perspective yet."

Ulrich also addressed the eight-year gap between studio albums, the longest of the band's career, by saying: "I think what's happened is our families and our domestic responsibilities are so important to us now, so we just have a new model. We're sort of constantly doing something but never to the point of the needle going in the red, but METALLICA really hasn't sort of shut down since around 2005, and it's a model that works for us."

He added: "We never work at 110 percent to the point where we drive ourselves nuts, but are sort of constantly working at two-thirds, you know — when we make the record we're writing and we're recording, but we're doing it incrementally. There's always stuff going on. It's the way we like it. It keeps us engaged."

Ulrich told The Pulse Of Radio not long ago that METALLICA no longer wants to devote large chunks of time to any one project. "You know, METALLICA, in order for it to be true and pure and honest, has to be fun," he said. "And so the days of, you know, writing for a year and then recording for a year and then going on the road for three years — those kind of endlessly long cycles — they're just behind us. I don't think we have the stamina to do anything for those elongated periods of time any longer."

METALLICA worked on the new disc on and off over the past few years, in between other projects that included a series of short tours, a film, the restoration of some of their early albums and other projects.

The band recently completed recording at its headquarters in San Rafael, California and has now begun mixing the new disc.

The wait is over! Metal and RPG gaming fans can now download Iron Maiden: Legacy Of The Beast, the action-packed, free-to-play mobile game where players take on the role of the band's iconic mascot, Eddie. Available from today for iOS and Android devices, the teams at Nodding Frog, 50cc Games and Roadhouse Interactive have created a new and unique gaming experience in close collaboration with the band and its management team, Phantom Music Management. The game is set in a visually stunning universe, comprised of an ever-expanding series of worlds derived from IRON MAIDEN's music and art. Fans of the band and RPG gamers alike will battle and strategize as Eddie and his allies. Inspired by themes from the songs, and set against a powerful and atmospheric MAIDEN soundtrack, players will journey on epic quests to reclaim the shards of Eddie's shattered soul as he faces his most challenging adversaries. James Hursthouse, CEO of Roadhouse Interactive, comments: "As a lifelong MAIDEN fan, I am exceptionally proud of Legacy Of The Beast and excited to launch it globally. It has been a privilege to work so closely with MAIDEN and their management. With this game, I believe that we have created an outstanding, authentic RPG experience to appeal to all mobile gamers, including those discovering the band for the first time.” Steve Harris, bassist and founder member of IRON MAIDEN, comments: "We've always wanted to make a quality MAIDEN mobile game as we think the combination of Eddie and the music is so well suited — and it's a great way to get our music out to a new audience! When the opportunity arose to make a mobile game which our fans, along with hopefully a lot of the gaming community, can play pretty well anywhere in the world, and download for free at that, we jumped at it. The whole band visited Roadhouse while touring through Vancouver back in April and we were so impressed by the creativity, enthusiasm and passion of the team there. Visually, the worlds and character designs do us proud and the music just ties it all together." Llexi Leon, interactive director of Phantom Music Management, adds: "Eddie is constantly evolving; he's a globally recognizable character that resonates with fans of all ages, and has taken on a life of his own beyond the album covers where he first appeared. This game gives players a chance to step into Eddie's world and experience an odyssey across space and time. In this incredible RPG adventure, we're able to explore the origins of Eddie's power and test the limit of his abilities, bringing new mechanics to the mobile RPG genre, and creating a truly unique gaming experience for everyone to enjoy." In Iron Maiden: Legacy Of The Beast, players control Eddie's destiny across a spectacularly diverse array of worlds by traveling through time in captivating 3D environments. Eddie appears in many forms, each a part of IRON MAIDEN's rich history, and each with a set of special powers and abilities. Players will amass an army of powerful allies to battle alongside Eddie and face the onslaught of foes hell-bent on destroying him. Legions of unrelenting enemies are commanded by the Agents of Control, including The Beast, The Wicker Man, Horus and The Axis General, all drawn from the expansive catalog of MAIDEN's albums and artwork. The game offers over 40 different Talisman sets to choose from, which all add to characters' vital abilities. With each battle, players will evolve their armies, take on ever-increasing challenges to reclaim the facets of Eddie's soul, and ultimately defeat the Agents of Control. Gameplay is enhanced by a blistering soundtrack that features songs spanning the band's entire career. Players will hear rare, previously unheard live recordings of IRON MAIDEN classics adapted for the game under the close scrutiny of bassist and founding member Steve Harris. The game is now available for free on Apple's App Store and Google Play.

For more information about Iron Maiden: Legacy Of The Beast, visit www.ironmaidenlegacy.com.

Long-running Oakland, California-based industrial/alternative/metal pioneers NEUROSIS will release their eleventh full-length album, "Fires Within Fires", on September 23 via the band's own Neurot Recordings. The follow-up to 2012's "Honor Found In Decay" was recorded at Electrical Audio Studio with producer Steve Albini.

"Fires Within Fires" track listing:

01. Bending Light02. A Shadow Memory03. Fire Is The End Lesson04. Broken Ground05. Reach

In true Ouroborean style, "Fires Within Fires" gives due to its predecessors while progressing forward into the unfamiliar and formidable. Striking the band's signature balance between light and dark, beauty and repulsion, dense sonic heaviness and reflective space. "Fires Within Fires" is succinct, raw and deeply soulful, an all-encompassing reminder to all that transfiguration in sound remains their most commanding and inimitable strength.

The album features exquisite album artwork from the renowned Thomas Hooper, as seen below.

A year ago, NEUROSIS's Scott Kelly spoke about the band's plans for its next studio CD. He said: "We're going to try to get a new record out quicker than the last one. The last one took five years to get out because of, you know, basically, because of personal shit that came up and interrupted the process. We're hoping to turn one around in a more reasonable time and just keep gigging."

In the meantime, NEUROSIS has announced a dozen new live performances across Europe in August, where they will be joined on select dates by Latvia's fascinating experimental trio TESA. For a list of dates, go to this location.

"Honor Found In Decay" sold around 1,800 copies in the United States in its first week of release. The CD landed at position No. 9 on the Top New Artist Albums (Heatseekers) chart, which lists the best-selling albums by new and developing artists, defined as those who have never appeared in the Top 100 of The Billboard 200.

Fan-filmed video footage of SLIPKNOT's July 2 performance at MidFlorida Credit Union Amphitheatre in Tampa, Florida 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 previously revealed on Twitter that his follow-up appointment with the doctor went "great," but added that "for now," there will be "no headbanging" or "jumping" for him for the foreseeable future. He also offered that he expects to be "back to 90 percent" within the next four to six months, and "100 percent" in a year.

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.

QUEEN's best-of collection "Greatest Hits" has been named the biggest-selling album of all time in Britain, as compiled by the Official Charts Company.

The 1981 compilation stands alone as the first and only record to have passed the six-million sales mark (its tally currently stands at 6.1 million) in the U.K. It dwarfs ABBA's "Gold: Greatest Hits" in second spot, which has sold 5.2 million copies. QUEEN's "Greatest Hits II" also makes it into the Top 10 at No. 10 with almost 4 million albums sold.

"What a great bit of news to wake up to!" QUEEN guitarist Brian May told OfficialCharts.com. "The most popular album? Well, I always thought the band showed promise, but this is beyond our boyhood dreams! Thanks, folks!"

QUEEN drummer Roger Taylor added: "Incredible... marvellous... humbling... Thank you... I feel good!"

Other albums that feature in the 60 biggest sellers countdown to mark the Official Charts' 60th birthday include THE BEATLES' "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" at No. 3 (5.1 million sales), PINK FLOYD's "The Dark Side Of The Moon" at No.7 (4.42 million sales) and DIRE STRAITS' "Brothers In Arms" at No. 8 (4.41 million sales).

Official Charts chief executive Martin Talbot said: "In celebration of 60 years of the U.K.'s Official Album Chart, it is fantastic that we can crown QUEEN as the kings of the Anniversary Top 60. With seven albums by British acts in the all-time Top 10, it is a great list for homegrown talent."