US black metal legends Kult Ov Azazel have released a new official video for the song "Dawn of Luciferian Enlightenment".

Comments Xaphan, Kult Ov Azazel frontman: "The video was something we decided to put together using tour footage and photos from the past year. It was conceptualized between myself and Ricktor (Wolfpack 44/Electric Hellfire Club/Coven) with him creating and editing the video."

On January 1st, 2016 Kult Ov Azazel revealed a new pre-production demo track of “Corpus Edimus, Sanguinem Bibimus” on their Facebook page. The pre-pro demo track featured a guest solo by Phil Fasciana of Malevolent Creation. At this time, the band has half of the album recorded as a pre-production demo and continues to forge forward with the pre-production recordings. Violators Of The Covenant will be the first album recorded with the new line-up and will be the first recording appearances of Hag (vocals), Necrol (guitar), Armanen (bass), along with longtime members Xaphan (guitar/vocals) and Hammer (drums). The album will be recorded and produced by the band at S.B.S. Studio in Fort Lauderdale, FL and will include ten tracks. More information will be revealed shortly.

Hail Mary, featuring Bobby Gustafson (Satans Taint, Overkill), John Gallagher (Raven) and Sid Falck (Infectus 13, Overkill) have released the song “To Hell And Back”, with all of  the proceeds going to The Cheri Pogue Medical Fund.

The band states: “We would like to remind everyone that this is all about charity. We understand that $2.99 is more than the normal song would cost as a download. However, we are counting on the generosity and willingness of the Heavy Metal community to pay a little bit extra in order to help someone in need. Everything has been set up, so that all the income generated from the sales of this song, will be go directly to Cheri Goodale-Pogue. A lot of people have expressed hope, that the song be available from the most popular online Music stores. Initially, we were against that, since those stores dictate their own prices, typically $0.99 per song, and charge very high commissions on each sale (iTunes charge 30%, most others charge 15%-20%). After consulting with Cheri Goodale-Pogue and Steve Pogue, we have agreed to make the song available outside of CD Baby in order to accommodate as many people as possible. However, we would like everyone to consider buying directly from CD Baby as this will generate the most money for Cheri, which is what this is all about.”

A YouTube video can be seen below, featuring Bobby, John and Sid talking about the project, the song and how it came to life. It also features sound bites of the song itself.

“To Hell And Back” was recorded at Blue Halo Studio; the Front Porch Studio and Ravens Nest Studio. It was mixed by Tim Lau at the Front Porch Studio and was mastered by S. A. Adams.

Hail Mary would like to acknowledge the following individuals and facilities for donating all their time, as well as waiving all other fees: Tim Lau and the Front Porch Studio; Shawn Sanders and Blue Halo Studio; S. A. Adams. This would not have been possible without their generous involvement.

For more information and updates visit this location.

 

Newly signed Black Swamp Water with former Illdisposed and Dawn of Demise drummer, releases the first single "World On Fire" from the forthcoming album Chapter One.

Chapter One (including "World On Fire") is produced and mixed by Tue Madsen (Raunchy, Moonspell, Sick Of It All).

According to a press release, Black Swamp Water is old school hard rock and heavy metal with obvious references to bands like Black Sabbath, Ozzy and Corrosion Of Conformity.

 
The long awaited Tue Madsen produced and mixed debut album Chapter One is written with the same energetic approach to rock music - but the band has matured and gathered valuable live experience in the past two years (latest at the Royal Metal Fest 2016).

Check out the ”World On Fire" performance video:

Black Swamp Water:

Vocals: Bjørn Bølling Nyholm
Guitars: Jan Geert & Martin Lykke Hansen
Bass: Jeppe Birch Friis
Drums: Kim Langkjær Jensen

 

FRAGILE MORTALS, the new band that combines hip-hop legend Darryl "DMC" McDaniels (RUN-D.M.C.) with the metal group GENERATION KILL — featuring vocalist Rob Dukes (ex-EXODUS) and bassist Rob Moschetti (ex-PRO-PAIN, M.O.D.) — will release its debut single, "Fired Up", on July 4, followed by another track, "Suicide", on July 5 via Bumblefoot Music, the record label of artist/producer Ron "Bumblefoot" Thal (ART OF ANARCHY, ex-GUNS N' ROSES), who also produced and added additional guitar solos to the tracks.

"Fired Up" is described in a press release as "a foot-stomping, fist-in-your-face anthem, sort of like a Mack truck crashing into a packed football stadium." DMC says: "'Fired Up' is a sports inspired attitude about giving all you got in this 'game of life.' And, like my verse says, you must do it without cheating!"

And while the message of "Fired Up" is pretty straightforward, "Suicide" tackles darker topics, that, according to DMC, hit closer to home.

''Suicide' is really personal to me because I was fighting depression, so I know what individuals, young and old, go through," he said.

"People will always tell you that you shouldn't feel the way you feel. Easier said than done!

"I discovered the first step to healing is be truthful to yourself about how you're feeling, then look at who and what circumstances are causing these feelings, then deal with those to remove those from your life.

"Me and Dukes wrote these lyrics no holds barred because that's how we, and a lot of others, felt."

"Suicide" will also be featured in the audio version of DMC's memoir, "Ten Ways Not To Commit Suicide", also to be released July 5.

Both "Fired Up" and "Suicide" are taken from FRAGILE MORTALS' full-length debut, "The Dark Project", due later in the year.

Stemming from a chance meeting between Dukes and DMC, an initial one-track collaboration for a DMC solo album turned into a full-on force, as FRAGILE MORTALS was born. The band then recruited the ear of Thal as producer, and their combined creative vision has allowed the band to grow further than expected. Lending the occasional guitar riff and solo to the tracks, Ron's contributions earned him the title of unofficial seventh member.

Addressing issues ranging from suicide, drug abuse, prostitution, life and death, and racism, "The Dark Project" also offers a glimmer of hope and light at the end of a gritty tunnel, exposing the darker side of humanity without glorifying it in any way.

FRAGILE MORTALS offers the listener an intellectual look into real-world issues, as the music takes you on a journey, serving as the soundtrack to this all-too-real story.

Former Dream Theater drummer Mike Portnoy (The Winery Dogs, The Neal Morse Band, Flying Colors) has checekd in with the following update:

"When I came up with the idea of writing a multi-part suite that was to span five albums (which ended up taking eight years to complete), it was always part of my masterplan to eventually perform it in it's entirely live on stage. It saddens me that I was not able to do so with Dream Theater after completing the final piece of my conceptual puzzle, but I've decided that I owe it to the fans to finally bring my '12 Step Suite' to life on stage as I always envisioned. 

There's no better time and place than at my 50th Birthday Concert aboard Cruise To The Edge!

Joining me for this very special performance will be some great friends and amazing musicians that I know will kick ass in helping me with my unfinished business of bringing this piece of music to life on stage!"

This is the Full 12 Step Suite by Dream Theater. Each song runs into the next over a series of 5 Albums. The songs are about Mike Portnoy's battle of overcoming his addiction to drinking

Each song is as follows:

"The Glass Prison" - Six Degrees Of Inner Turbulence
I. Reflection 
II. Restoration
III. Revelation

"This Dying Soul" - Train Of Thought
IV. Reflections of Reality (Revisited) 
V. Release

"The Root Of All Evil" - Octavarium
VI. Ready 
VII. Remove

"Repentance" - Systematic Chaos
VIII. Regret 
IX. Restitution

"The Shattered Fortress" - Black Clouds And Silver Linings
X. Restraint
XI. Receive
XII. Responsible

Mike Portnoy's 50th Birthday Bash will be an All-Star career retrospective concert spanning 30 years of music. This will be the ultimate Mike Portnoy concert event, a celebration of life and music. Mark your calendars now and book your trip ASAP before this event sells out.

The cruise will run from February 7th to 11th, 2017, leaving from Tampa, FL. Watch CruiseToTheEdge.com for updates and information.

Bands confirmed so far for Cruise To The Edge 2017 include Yes as headliners, Kansas, Steve Hackett, John Wetton and more. Stay tuned for more bands to be announced soon.

Steven Tyler's claims that Aerosmith will be launching a final tour next year are simply "an option," guitarist Joe Perry tells Kory Grow of Rolling Stone. "I always hold my breath whenever Steven does an interview on his own," he says with a laugh.

Nevertheless, the guitarist – who is indecisive about the prospect of a final tour – says the odds are in favor of a farewell. "It could be the last," Perry says. "But it's really hard for me to imagine a last gig. Sorry."

At this point, though, he cannot come to terms with the notion of a farewell tour. "I don't know how it sits with me yet," he says. "To actually call it a 'final tour' and think I'm not going to look over and see Brad (Whitford, guitarist) and see Steven out there. It's really hard for me to imagine that."

Learn more by clicking here.

Joe Perry is currently on tour as part of Hollywood Vampires - an all-star band that includes Alice Cooper, Johnny Depp, and Matt Sorum, among others.

Hollywood Vampires tour dates:

July
1 - Bethlehem, PA - Sands Bethlehem Event Center
2 - Mashantucket, CT - The Grand Theater at Foxwoods Casino
3 - Atlantic City, NJ - Borgata Resort Spas and Casino Event Center
5 - Milwaukee, WI - Summerfest BMO Harris Pavilion
7 - Aurora, IL - River Edge Park
8 - Orillia, ON - Casino Rama Entertainment Center
9 - Niagara Falls, ON - Stage at Seneca Niagara Resort & Casino
10 - Brooklyn, NY - Coney Island Amphitheater
12 - Kettering, OH - Fraze Pavilion
13 - Mt. Pleasant, MI - Soaring Eagle Casino & Resort
14 - Cadott, WI - Rock Fest
16 - Clarkston, MI - DTE Energy Music Theatre
18 - Fargo, ND - Scheels Arena
22 - Rohnert Park, CA - Weill Hall
23 - Jacksonville, OR - Britt Pavilion
24 - Saratoga, CA - The Mountain Winery
25 - Paso Robles, CA - Mid State Fair

The Wounded Kings, doom metal warriors from the South West of England, are due to release their fifth full-length album, Visions In Bone, on August 26th via Candlelight / Spinefarm Records.

Visions In Bone was jointly produced and engineered by Chris Fielding and the band at Mwnci Studios in Wales and Skyhammer Studios in Cheshire, UK. The album swirls and flows with vintage tones and smoky vibes, with the themes of death, despair and redemption very much to the fore.

Formed in 2004, The Wounded Kings proudly uphold Britain's occult heritage via a unique blend of spectral doom and psychedelic horror, creating a desolate, end-of-the-world vibe filled with suffocating heaviness.

The two-time Roadburn alumni are cherished by attendees and popular festival promoters alike, the latter citing them as "British doom of staggering power."

To date the quartet has released four full-length studio albums, plus a well received split LP with American band, Cough. Visions In Bone is a journey to the void… and beyond! Join in…

Self-proclaimed Godfathers of Finnish metal, Sarcofagus, have released their final album with the original lineup entitled Back From The Valley Of The Kings. The first video from this release is the 2016 version of "Talo" which can be seen below,along with the original "Talo" video, released in 1982.

The first Limited Edition CD pressing of the album is only available to buy from sarcofagus.com. Fans are advised to act quickly as stock is already running low and there are no plans for a second pressing. The album is also available on most of the digital delivery sites such as Apple Music, iTunes, Spotify, and Amazon.

Sarcofagus were founded an eye-rotatingly 38 years ago, way back in 1978. The band originally broke up in 1980 after three albums (Cycle Of Life - 1980, Envoy Of Death - also 1980, and Moottorilinnut - 1981). In 2010, the original lineup reconvened for a reunion tour of Finland and this unique album was the result. 

Sarcofagus frontman, guitarist and film-maker Kimmo Kuusniemi talks about the album: "Back in the '90s, I started to ponder whether it would be a cool idea to re-make the two first Sarcofagus albums, Cycle Of Life and Envoy Of Death. These albums where recorded 36 years ago, so the studio technology was fairly primitive. I have always thought that the songs themselves were good and worthy of an update."

"The Back From The Valley Of The Kings album was recorded during a one-day studio session in 2010. Before this session, Sarcofagus had only played together four times (one rehearsal and three gigs) since reuniting. The idea was to achieve a fresh 'live' and original '80s feel on the recording to both do justice to the songs and stay true to the originals." 

"Although it was recorded in one day, this album proved to be the hardest I ever had to mix and master in my 40 year music producing career. The problem was to get the sounds right, as during the studio session there was no time to work with individual instrument sounds. Also, the drums bled the other instruments and the Hammond Leslie speaker broke down in the middle of the recording. I'm very happy about the end result so this is an appropriate way to end this chapter of the original Sarcofagus; all done, all good, good bye."

The tracklisting for Back From The Valley Of The Kings is as follows:

"Subconsious Penetrating"
"Astral Flyer"
"Here I Am"
"Eternal Silence"
"Stolen Salvation"
"Insane Rebels"
"Wheels Of Destruction"
"Back To Black"
"2nd Coming"
"Talo"
"Metallinen Sateenkaari"
"1000 Megawatin Totuus"
"Go To Hell"
"Envoy Of Death"
"Deadly Game"
"Die To Win"

BMG has announced that it has acquired the recording assets of New York based independent label, The End Records.

The End Records specializes in rock, metal, indie and electronic music. Established in 1998 in Pasadena, California, The End Records has grown under the charge of CEO Andreas Katsambas to represent world-renowned and platinum-selling artists including Better Than Ezra, Billy Talent, Dead Letter Circus, Everclear, HIM, Hinder, Petula Clark, Terrorizer, The Zombies, American Sharks and Trapt. As part of the deal, BMG is acquiring the label’s entire catalogue, as well as its rights to future recordings. Upcoming releases on the label include Billy Talent’s fifth studio album Afraid Of Heights; Billy Talent is opening for Guns N’ Roses next month (July).

The move follows BMG’s acquisition of other established labels during the past two years such as S-Curve Records, Vagrant Records and Rise Records, as BMG continues to ramp up its recording business.

Despite the acquisition of its recorded assets, The End Records will continue relationships with artists while retaining its own offices and staff.

Katsambas commented: "I have been very impressed with BMG and its amazing team. It is clear we share the same vision for artists and label partners. This is the start of a great relationship."

BMG US President Creative & Marketing Laurent Hubert said, “BMG continues to invest in the future of music and build our presence in recordings. Andreas Katsambas has built a strong catalogue at The End Records and we look forward to working with its clients.”

Kaaos TV conducted an interview with MAYHEM and SUNN O))) vocalist Attila Csihar prior to MAYHEM's June 24 concert at the Nummirock festival in Nummijärvi, Finland. You can now watch the chat below. A couple of excerpts follow (transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET).

On MAYHEM's plans for the follow-up to 2014's "Esoteric Warfare" album:

"I heard some vibes already. We have started to shape stuff. It's gonna be different, as it looks like now, of course, but that's our trademark. We don't feel any stress; we just take it very easy. But I heard some tones from Morten [Iversen, guitar] already, I must say, and that was interesting. And we are just figuring out slowly what to do."

On MAYHEM being rejoined by former singer Sven Erik "Maniac" Kristensen during the band's March 26 performance at the Inferno festival in Oslo, Norway and again at this month's Sweden Rock Festival:

"[The Sweden Rock] show was with Maniac [only], because… It's two things. We had some overbooking things. I was on tour with SUNN O))) in the U.S. and there was really important shows in Canada. And the second thing was, we were thinking it was best to do with this thing, instead of canceling, having him play the show. And that's really good for the fans, the new generation, who haven't seen him. And we just had a show with him at the Inferno festival, where we split the set. People really liked it. Sven is a really good friend, not just mine, but the whole band. And I think it shows. We are MAYHEM. We can fucking do this, and it shows how much we are like a brotherhood.

"From my point of view, MAYHEM is MAYHEM. It's like a logo; it's nobody's band. Like, if you think about, I'm the vocalist of MAYHEM, it's been ten years, but it's still in the set, maybe it's like a few songs that actually I wrote and I sing. So I'm used to that, that I perform a lot of other vocalists' stuff and even styles and incorporate their style in my style somehow and kind of move it ahead.

"For me, this band is more than just a band; it's kind of my life. So, Sven, being the singer for ten years, so, of course, he's welcome to play, if the time and the space is right, like this time it was. It has been a plan for a long time; actually, it was my idea for a long time. I wanted to happen. We had this plan even when we had this other show in Oslo [before], but somehow it was not the right time or vibe or space, or we were just on tour, and we could not rehearse the right way, or he was not in the right mindset, maybe. We had this idea for a while now, and he invited me to the stage too, so naturally, I can invite him anytime. I hope it can happen more in the future."

During a recent interview with the KBAT 99.9 radio station in Odessa, Texas, former PANTERA and current HELLYEAH drummer Vinnie Paul Abbott spoke about the possibility of one day retirining from playing music. He said (see video below): "I'm a big kid. I've never been married. I don't have any kids myself. I'm married to music, and I love playing music. I love being on the road, I love traveling, I love interacting with the fans and friends and fans and metal on the way. And until the day comes along that I can't do this anymore, I'm gonna keep doing it. I love it."

While continuing to stay busy with HELLYEAH, Vinnie is involved with several side businesses, including running strip clubs, a sports bar, a music complex and being the owner of three of his own tour buses.

"[I have] several [strip clubs]," Vinnie said. "I have The Clubhouse in Dallas and then I have a chain of Latino[-themed] strip bars, called Chicas Bonitas. We have one in Las Vegas, one in Austin, one in Dallas. And we're looking at other locations. We're thinking about getting into Arizona sooner or later. So I have that. Then I also have a sports bar in Dallas called The Back 9."

In a 2014 interview, Vinnie Paul talked about why he chose to branch off and do other things besides play in a band. He said: "I've always been a down-to-earth business guy. That was the beautiful thing about me and my brother [late PANTERA guitarist 'Dimebag' Darrell Abbott] as we worked together, is that I could be the business guy, and he could be the party-all-night-rock-and-roll-all-day guy, and he would be the life of the party and I would be able to make sure we were all getting paid and things were getting done right."

He added: "I like being able to own things, to not have to depend on music to support myself. Music hadn't supported me since 2000. I mean, it really hasn't. I just do it because I love doing it."

Wednesday 13, who mixes punk rock and metal with kitschy horror imagery and who is formerly one-half of The Murderdolls braintrust, is back on the scene and there is lots of activity taking place in his blood-spattered world.

Wednesday 13 will embark on a tour this fall, traversing North America in September and October. One-Eyed Doll will serve as direct support for the entire tour. The Things They Carried will appear from September 8th through October 8th, while Gabriel And The Apocalypse will join the tour October 9th through October 22nd.

Wednesday 13 will perform two shows in London at the Garage on October 28th and 29th to celebrate the 10-year anniversary for his 2006 album Fang Bang. There is also a special show on Halloween Night at the world-famous Whiskey A Go Go with Michale Graves.

In addition to this heavy duty touring schedule, Wednesday 13 will enter the studio in August with producer Chris "Zeuss" Harris to work on the seventh Wednesday 13 album, Condolences, which is the follow up to 2015's Monsters Of The Universe. Zuess has also worked with Wednesday 13 and guitarist Roman on the 2010 Murderdolls album, Women & Children Last.

Condolences is slated for an April 2017 release.

"I can't tell you how excited we are to work with Zuess again," Wednesday 13 says. "We've been talking about it for years and now we're gonna finally make it happen. We had such a great time working with him on the Murderdolls album a while back. This will be our heaviest album to date and I can't wait to see what we come up with working alongside Zuess."

Wednesday 13 will release a live DVD later this year titled Almost Dead: LIVE. The release will feature live, acoustic, and backstage footage from the past few years' worth of touring in the UK and from the Monsters Of The Universe Tours in Europe.

Tour dates:

September
8 - The Pin - Spokane, WA
9 - El Corazon - Seattle, WA
11 - Falls Venue - Idaho Falls, ID
13 - Pub Station - Billings, MT
14 - Sunshine Studios - Colorado Springs, CO
15 - Marquis Theater - Denver, CO
16 - Gabes - Iowa City, IA
17 - Diesel Lounge - Chesterfield, MI
18 - The Agora Theater - Cleveland, OH
19 - Emerson Theater - Indianapolis, IN
20 - Skully's Music Diner - Columbus, OH
22 - Rockpile - Toronto, ON
23 - Rockpile - Toronto, ON
24 - The Brass Monkey - Ottawa, ON
25 - Harmony House - Webster, NY
27 - Marlin Room at Webster Hall - New York City, NY
29 - Brighton Bar - Long Branch, NJ
30 - Tubby's Nightclub - Duncannon, PA

October
1 - Hard Rock Cafe - Philadelphia, PA
2 - Shock Fest - Sinking Spring, PA
4 - G|Boones - Boonesboro, MD
5 - Amos' Southend - Charlotte , NC
6 - V Club - Huntington, WV
7 - The Concourse at The International - Knoxville, TN
8 - Ground Zero - Spartanburg, SC
9 - Purgatory at The Masquerade - Atlanta, GA
11 - Jack Rabbits - Jacksonville, FL
12 - Sidebar Theater - Tallahassee, FL
13 - The State Theatre - St Petersburg, FL
15 - The Korova - San Antonio, TX
16 -Dirty Dog Bar - Austin, TX
20 - Juggernaut Lounge - Gallup, NM
21 - Club Red - Mesa, AZ
22 - Vampd - Las Vegas, NV
31 - Whisky A Go Go - West Hollywood, CA (with Michale Graves)

Last month, Avulsed announced that recordings for their forthcoming Deathgeneration double album were finished. The band have now released this new video, focusing on the recordings of the guest guitar solos for the album by Alberto Marín, Víctor Blanco and Miguel Bárez.

A previously posted studio report video can be seen below:

Don't forget to support Avulsed during the pre-orders campaign for their new album, learn more at this location.

To celebrate the 25th anniversary of Avulsed, the band decided to commit to a very ambitious project which is no other than recording a double album including 18 of their best songs from all their albums, EPs and demos. Instead of just doing a dull compilation with original songs, the band wants to do a "no fillers, just killers" release showing the evolution that the songs have suffered during all these years where the band's sound has been getting heavier and songs have got slight mutations through the times.

This double album (80 min.) will be released in a deluxe double CD digipack with slipcase and a thick 40 page booklet containing the original versions on disc #2 (just for the freaks who hate re-recordings), double gatefold 12"LP and double cassette with slipcase. But to make this release even more interesting, Avulsed will have very special guests from other bands singing in most of the songs. They are: Peter (Vader), Barney (Napalm Death), Tomas Lindberg (At The Gates), Sven (Aborted), Antti Boman (Demilich), Chris Reifert (Autopsy), Per Böder (God Macabre), Anton Reisenegger (Pentagram Chile), Kam Lee (ex-Massacre), Rogga Johansson (Paganizer), Mike Van Mastrigt (ex-Sinister), Ville Koskela (Purtenance), Will Rahmer (Mortician), Ludo (Supuration), Johan Jansson (Interment) and Paul Zavaleta (Deteriorot).

Title for this album will be Deathgeneration, since 25 years means a whole generation devoted to death metal, and cover artwork will be made, once again, by the awesome Juanjo Castellano who worked on the two latest Avulsed cover arts. Release date is autumn, right before the two very special 25th anniversary shows that Avulsed will offer in Madrid (November 19th) and Barcelona (November 26th). Support bands for the show in Madrid will be another Spanish death metal legend Aposento and newcomers Bizarre who will also open on the Barcelona show accompanied by another band which is confirmed, but can't be announced yet. An official live CD+DVD will be recorded and filmed in Madrid.

Deathgeneration will come on a very limited black boxset with silver foiled logo, of which only 100 copies will be made containing the 2CD, 2LP and 2MC. This special cassette release can only be obtained on this boxset that will come with t-shirt, poster, signed photo card, sticker, patch, badge, guitar pick and other goodies. The 2CD, 2LP and t-shirt can be obtained separately or in bundles too.

Atmospheric blackened metal outfit, Wayfarer, will kick off their West Coast tour tonight with a hometown show at Denver's Hi-Dive, celebrating the release of their sophomore album Old Souls, in addition to the unveiling of their new collaboration with infamous metal brewery, TRVE Brewing.

Inspired by their single "Deathless Tundra", TRVE Brewing formed the "Deathless Tundra" roggenbier which will be available on tap at tonights show.

Vocalist/guitarist Shane McMarthy commented, "TRVE never disappoints, and its an honor to have one of our song titles share a name with such a fine ale from them. Doesn't hurt that it's so infinitely drinkable".

TIckets are available here.

Wayfarer, released their sophomore effort, Old Souls, on June 17th via Prosthetic Records. In the new video below, the band discuss the making of the new album:

Recorded at Flatline Audio with Shane Howard (Martriden, Khemmis) while being mixed and mastered by Dave Otero (Cattle Decapitation, Cobalt), the album features seven tracks clocking in at almost 50 minutes long. The album's cover artwork was created by Colorado artist and knifesmith Adam Gersh.

Wayfarer’s debut album, Children Of An Iron Age was met with worldwide critical acclaim. Asked how Old Souls differs, guitarist and vocalist Shane McCarthy commented: "This record is a darker and much more focused effort from us. Writing the album was a very cohesive and involved process as a whole band this time around. It has moved further and further away from any particular genre trappings and stepped closer into what we feel our sound is; which is always shifting, always evolving. Life is too short to write music that already exists. We can't wait to get this out there."

The band are hitting on the road with Maine’s Falls of Rauros, joining them in Canada is Numenorean. A tour flyer can be found below.

Tracklisting:

“Ever Climbing”
“Frontiers”
“Old Souls’ New Dawn”
“Catcher”
“Deathless Tundra”
“The Dust Lakes”
“All Lost In Aimless Chaos”

Album stream:

(Photo - Alvino Salcedo)

Swedish hair metal outfit Crazy Lixx will release their first live album, Sound Of The LIVE Minority, on July 8th. The track “21' Til I Die” is streaming below. Pre-order the album via the Amazon link at the bottom of this page.

Coming out of the Swedish hard rock scene - with influences from bands like Guns N' Roses, Aerosmith, KISS, Whitesnake/David Coverdale, Alice Cooper, Def Leppard and Mötley Crüe - Sound Of The LIVE Minority is the band’s first live album, coming after four increasingly successful studio albums.

”It’s a milestone for every rock band,” says lead singer Danny Rexon. And a milestone it is, in more than one way. On the one hand, it is the perfect record to sum up four studio albums and more than a decade as a touring band in an hour plus documentation of energetic, live rock n’ roll with the very best songs from their catalogue and most requested fan favourites. On the other hand, it also marks the end of the band’s most successful lineup, with guitarist Andreas Z Eriksson (now with british Hard Rockers Inglorious) as the lead guitar slinger. This live performance was his last show with the band.

“We wanted to release this live album both to mark an end to the old Crazy Lixx, as well as a statement of a new beginning for the current lineup. On this show, Jens Lundgren had already taken over the guitar duties from our former guitarist Edd Liam so in a sense this gig represents both the old and the new,” says Danny.

The album was recorded at Bang Your Head Festival in Balingen, Germany in July 2015 and has been mixed by Chris Laney who has previously been entrusted to mix live albums for Europe, Talisman and CrashDïet, among others.

Tracklisting:

“Intro”
“Rock And A Hard Place”
“Lock Up Your Daughter”
“Blame It On Love”
“Sound Of The Loud Minority”
“Riot Avenue”
“Call To Action”
“Road To Babylon”
“My Medicine (R.O.C.K)”
“Hell Raising Women”
“Girls Of The 80's” (+ intro for “Heroes are Forever”)
“Heroes Are Forever”
“Whiskey Tango Foxtrot”
“21' Til I Die”

“21' Til I Die”:

“Hell Raising Women”:

“Rock And A Hard Place”:

Lineup:

Danny Rexon (vocals)
Andreas Z Eriksson (guitar)
Jens Lundgren (guitar)
Joél Cirera (drums)
Jens Sjöholm (bass)

 

 

Light & Shade is a new, young supergroup whose members have already acquired extensive live and studio experience having being part or shared the stage with renowned acts such as Nightwish, Dream Theater, Amaranthe, Sonata Arctica, Rhapsody, Within Temptation, Arch Enemy, Slipknot, Fleshgod Apocalypse and many more, and having received recognition and awards from the Lollapalooza Festival and the International Portuguese Music Awards among others for their expertise in rock/metal.

Featuring vocalist Adrienne Cowan (US -Seven Spires), guitarist Marco Pastorino (Italy - Temperance, Secret Sphere), bassist Luca Negro (Italy - Temperance) and guest drummer Alex Landenburg (Germany - Luca Turilli’s Rhapsody), their debut full-length, The Essence Of Everything, has been produced by Simone Mularoni (DGM) and is set for release on November 18th (North American) and November 25th (Europe) via Scarlet Records.

More details will be revealed soon.

UK metallers Dark Forest will release their new album, Beyond The Veil, on August 26th via Cruz Del Sur Music. The history of UK heavy metal is a long and rich one, producing some of the world's greatest bands. With Beyond The Veil, Dark Forest carries on a proud tradition with an album of fiery metal and unforgettable songwriting, laced with medieval and folk elements.

Beyond The Veil features original artwork by Duncan Storr, the English artist known for providing amazing paintings for Skyclad and Rage. HellFire Studio mastermind Ajeet Gill is currently mixed and mastered the record. The album is almost 70 minutes long and features 12 tracks of astonishing heavy metal.

Beyond The Veil represents Dark Forest's peak of creativity, the zenith of a process begun in 2009 with the release of their self-titled debut album. If their last album The Awakening was a sort of "rite of passage", then Beyond The Veil is the full realization of potential. The tie between Dark Forest and the lore of their land is authentic and is expressed with mature and poetic lyrical content. A big credit in this process must be given to vocalist Josh Winard (ex-Wytch Hazel) whose performance is dramatic and powerful.

The Beyond The Veil compact disc edition comes with 16-page booklet, including more original artwork from Duncan Storr. The vinyl LP version will be released in a luxurious gatefold edition and comes with an A2 poster.  

Tracklisting:

“On The Edge Of Twilight”
“Where The Arrow Falls”
“Autumn's Crown”
“Blackthorn”
“Lunantishee”
“The Wild Hunt”
“Earthbound”
“The Undying Flame”
“Mên-An-Tol”
“Beyond The Veil”
“Ellylldan”
“The Lore Of The Land”

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania-based classic heavy metal band, Aftershok, have just released their third full-length studio album, Detonate, via Auburn Records.

The album was recorded by Jim Dofka at JK Musicians Workshop in Washington, PA. Mastering was handled by veteran mastering engineer Maor Appelbaum, who has worked with artists such as Halford, Sepultura, Anvil, Dokken, Faith No More and Armored Saint, to name a few. Cover art and layout design was done by Alex Yarborough. Detonate is distributed in North America by Hells Headbangers, Big Cartel, Amazon, CD Baby and iTunes.

For this release, guitarist George Mihalovich and drummer George Borden joined forces with new vocalist Gord Sheffroth from New Brunswick, Canada to create 13 tracks of modern classic metal. Sheffroth replaces vocalist Vic Hix (Shok Paris) who appeared on the band's first two albums, Unfinished Business (2002) and Burning Chrome (2005).

“Although it has been a while since our last disc, we have been far from idle,” says Mihalovich. “I write quite a bit, and George Borden and I rehearse and arrange new material whenever we can. Simply put, it just took time to put the puzzle together and find the right vocalist for Detonate. I never expected the search would take us quite so far into the Great White North, but I believe it was worth the effort. Gord’s performance speaks for itself.”

Canadian vocalist Gord Sheffroth may be a newcomer to many, but he is actually a seasoned professional. “I was excited to do the disc, but there was certain level of anxiety to come in and try to pick up after the likes of vocal powerhouse Vic Hix and deliver at that level of talent and authenticity,” says Sheffroth. “In the final analysis, I am happy with what I brought to the band. I hope the metal community embraces the change – and maybe even requests a follow-up to 'Detonate' with me on it!”

And embrace it they have! Early fan response to Detonate in both North America and overseas in places like Germany, Greece, England and Japan has been overwhelmingly positive. The album was one of the top added at metal radio this week, debuting at #3 on CMJ's (College Music Journal) Loud Rock Chart.

“In my opinion, this is our most powerful and engaging music to date,” says Borden. “I love our other two releases, but this one is a bit special. It‘s the by-product of years of hard work and perseverance. 'Detonate' packs a punch while still maintaining true to our sound.”

“Detonate picks up where Burning Chrome left off and is a logical musical progression that retains strong ties to our past work,” adds Mihalovich. “This disc is probably a bit heavier, but regardless of any minor differences in style, the goal – as always – was to write the best songs possible.”

Detonate is Auburn Records first release of 2016. “I have been working with Aftershok behind the scenes since the very beginning of the band", says Auburn Records president Bill Peters. "This is our second official release together on the label. I am really excited about this album! The songs are catchy and powerful, and the production top notch. New vocalist Gord Sheffroth is an amazing talent! It's great the metal world finally has a chance to hear this guy's incredible voice. He's won me over. Metal fans are going to love this album!”

Detonate tracklisting:

"Prelude To Fear"
"Enter The Dark"
"Hang ‘Em High"
"The World United"
"Forever In Metal"
"When The Shadows Fall"
"Friend Or Foe"
"In The Eye Of The Storm"
"The Hunger"
"Ready To Rock"
"Under The Gun"
"Rise"
"Cities On Fire"

"Friend Or Foe”:

"Hang 'Em High”:

Aftershok is:

George Mihalovich - Guitar
Gord Sheffroth - Vocals
George Borden - Drums

Empire State melodic metalcore quintet, Hollow Bones, self-released their debut album, Lionheart, back on May 27th. The band have now released a video for the album track ““Altruistic Lung” (see below).

Over a year in the making, Lionheart was mixed, mastered and engineered by Randy Pasquarella at Pasquarella Recordings and self-produced by Hollow Bones with Pasquarella's assistance.

Tracklisting:

“Wandering Sparrow”
“The November Diaries”
“Lionheart: Execution”
“Altruistic Lung”
“DRYTOOTH”
“I Watched The Snow Fall, And Bury Your Bones”
“Lionheart: Sonder”
“Wolfcrone”
“A Murder Of Crows”

“Altruistic Lung” video:

“DRYTOOTH” video:

“The November Diaries”:

Hollow Bones is:
 
Patrick Anthony - Vocals
Sharon Malfesi - Guitar/Vocals
Andrew Formale - Guitar
Kyle Cullen - Bass
Connor Warren - Drums

Seven Heads Ten Horns, the fourth full-length by Italian masters of melancholy The Foreshadowing, will be released on July 29th in North America via Metal Blade Records. The album was released in Europe this past April. A stream of the new song, “Fall Of Heroes”, can be found below.

To pre-order the record in various formats, head to this location.

The album was recorded at Outer Sound Studios (Rome) and mixed and mastered in Białystok (Poland) by Wieslawski Bros at Hertz Studio. The cover artwork was created by Seth Siro Anton (Septic Flesh), who has worked for bands like Paradise Lost, Nile, Soilwork, Heaven Shall Burn, Vader and Moonspell.

The new opus contains the typical The Foreshadowing mood as well as some new epic and eerie elements that will guide you through an abyssal journey from the past to the future of mankind.

Tracklisting:

“Ishtar”
“Fall Of Heroes”
“Two Horizons”
“New Babylon”
“Lost Soldiers”
“17”
“Until We Fail”
“Martyrdom”
“Nimrod (I - The Eerie Tower, II - Omelia, III - Collapse, V - Inno al Dolore)”

“Fall Of Heroes”:

“17” lyric video:

“Two Horizons”:

Lineup:

Marco I. Benevento - Vocals
Alessandro Pace - Guitars
Andrea Chiodetti - Guitars
Francesco Sosto - Keyboards & Backing Vocals
Francesco Giulianelli - Bass
Giuseppe Orlando - Drums

(Photo - Erica Fava / Machine Room Design)

Ripple Music has announced the addition of Bay Area, stoner/doom heavyweights, The Watchers, to their growing family.  

Hailing from the great San Francisco Bay Area, The Watchers are a  gathering of international seasoned players, from some of the most massive heavy bands of the last decade. Tim Narducci - Vocals (SpiralArms, White Witch Canyon), Carter Kennedy - Drums (Orchid), Jeremy Epp - Guitar (Black Gates, Venting Machine), and Cornbread - Bass (SpiralArms, White Witch Canyon). The guys have come together to preach and worship all things heavy riff rock n roll with there music.

The Watchers have just joined forces with Ripple Music to release their first offering the Sabbath Highway EP, due out on vinyl, CD and digital worldwide on November 4th. The 5-song EP features, "Sabbath Highway", "Today", "Requiem", "Call The Priest" and "Just A Needle."

"We're very ecstatic to be a part of the Ripple family!" says Tim Narducci. "We love their approach and the fact that they have true footing in the underground heavy rock, doom, metal scene. Todd and Pope's passion for their bands and roster is contagious and beautiful. We see a great relationship ahead!"

The first video "Today" was put together by the band paying homage to the late great 70's dare devil Evel Knievel. All hand picked footage by the band to guide the song along with its statement: No regrets, never look back, and live in the moment. This guitar line driven tune sprinkled with some Travers and Thin Lizzy influence, will draw you in and make you a believer.... rock and roll ain't going away... is alive and here to kick your ass.

The video can be seen below:

Deadlock have released a music video for “Backstory Wound”, a track from the new album, Hybris. Watch below:

Hybris is set to be released on July 8th via Napalm Records and turns out to be a multi-faceted monster in terms of both shape and content. At the same time it painfully digs through the latest events in the Deadlock camp. Despite the tragic death of founder and drummer Tobias Graf (immortalized with a moment of silence on the album) and the departure of singer Sabine Scherer (now replaced by Margie Gerlitz), the megalomaniac creative urge could not be suppressed.

Sebastian Reichl on Hybris: “Hybris is both powerlessness and hope, melancholia and confidence united, accounting for the past in the truest sense. The effort to meet your demons, to forgive and to find salvation with your own history. The release of dammed aggressions and wash away all fears. Put all wrath and anger in music and lyrics to fill with new passion. This is all what Hybris symbolizes and you can feel it every second on the album. It was our longest trip. Giving up was never an option.”

Hybris tracklisting:

“Epitaph”
“Carbonman”
“Berserk”
“Blood Ghost”
“Hybris”
“Wrath / Salvation”
“Backstory Wound”
“Ein Deutsches Requiem”
“Vergebung”
“Welcome Deathrow”
“Uncivil Hands” (Bonus Track)
“Fight Song” (Bonus Track)

“Ein Deutsches Requiem” lyric video:

“Berserk” video:

Hybris finds its inseparable counterpart in a 90 min. DVD documentary, The Longest Road, that translates the album concept to visuals. The DVD tracklisting reads as follows:

Intro
Winter - Restart
Spring - Songwriting
Summer - Demo
Fall - Pre-Production
Winter - Recordings
Spring - Hybris
Credits

The Longest Road trailer #1:

The Longest Road trailer #2:

Deadlock have always been about extremes – and always will be! Fans love these Germans for every emotional force run through the raging depths of death metal, technical prowess, borderline pop-laden melodies, nods to classic metal, and casual flirtation with trance and beats. A gripping and blunt rollercoaster ride that sees light in the blackest night – and that is something only Deadlock can achieve!

See Deadlock live at these upcoming summer festivals:

July
3 - Basinfirefest - Spálené Porící, Czech Republic
7 - Rockharz - Ballenstedt, Germany
8 - Out & Loud - Geiselwind, Germany

August
19 - Summerbreeze - Dinkelsbühl, Germany
20 - Rockin' Rümmerschen - Wenden, Germany
26 - Metalacker Festival - Tennenbronn, Germany

Deadlock lineup:

Margie Gerlitz - Vocals
John Gahlert - Vocals
Werner Riedl - Drums
Ferdinand Rewicki - Guitar
Sebastian Reichel - Guitar
Christian Simmerl - Bass

German extreme metallers, Downfall Of Gaia, have just entered the studio to record their fourth full-length album and follow-up to 2014's Aeon Unveils The Thrones Of Decay.

Downfall Of Gaia comments: "We are happy to announce that we hit Hidden Planet Studio Berlin to record our new full-length record, set to be released in 2016. This album continues directly where Aeon Unveils The Thrones Of Decay stopped. Stay tuned for more details! Can't wait to share some new piece of music with you guys!"

Downfall Of Gaia recently announced a run of shows this summer, where they will be joined by Australia's Hope Drone; this trek also marks the first tour for new guitarist Marco Mazzola. See below for all dates.

August
17 - Dinkelsbuhl, Germany - Summer Breeze*
18 - Munchen, Germany - Backstage*
19 - Zurich, Switzerland - TBA*
21 - Porto, Portugal - Amplifest
23 - Pugent-Sur-Argens, France - Le Rat's
24 - Siegen, Germany - Vortex
25 - Utrecht, Netherlands - dB's
26 - Hannover, Germany - Bei Chez Heinz
27 - Stuttgart, Germany - Juha West
28 - Saarbrucken, Germany - Garage
29 - Frankfurt, Germany - Elfer
30 - Muhlheim, Germany - AZ
31 - Erfurt, Germany - From Hell

September
1 - Berlin, Germany - Tiefgrund**
2 - Hamburg, Germany - Hafenklang**

* - Downfall Of Gaia only
** - Hope Drone only

Former ACCEPT guitarist Herman Frank has inked a deal with AFM Records. His new solo disc will be released later this year. Also planned are reissues of Frank's first two solo albums, 2009's "Loyal To None" and 2012's "Right In The Guts".

Without any doubt, Frank is one of the most prestigious German metal guitarists of the past 30 years. His dynamic compositions with their raging riffs, hooks and intelligent virtuoso solos have graced not only the works of the German cult band VICTORY, which he founded in the mid-Eighties, and MOON'DOC, but also as a member of the legendary ACCEPT in the early Eighties, appearing on a number of important songs on their classic "Balls To the Wall" album before returning to the band in 2005 and staying for another nine years.

Shortly before his exit from ACCEPT was made official in December 2014, Herman gave an interview to Metalholic in which he spoke about his frustrations at being unable to contribute to the band with his songwriting. He said: "[I've been writing] songs [for] 30 years, since I began my music career [in] a school band. And it's a shame that I can't show my talent [by] writing a couple of ACCEPT songs. I really would like to write some songs [for ACCEPT], but Peter [Baltes, ACCEPT bassist] and Wolf [Hoffmann, ACCEPT guitarist] decided, 'We are ACCEPT and we wanna do it [on] our own.' So why should I stop, 'cause I'm playing in ACCEPT, to write songs? I wrote songs for VICTORY, for HAZZARD, for MOON'DOC, for my two solo albums… for so many bands, you know. It's normal that I don't stop [writing songs]. PANZER and all these other bands give me a chance to just put out my music, which is in my head, you know?!"

On "Right In The Guts", Frank was joined in the studio by Swedish singer Rick Altzi, bassist Peter Pichl, guitarist Mamalitsidis Cristos and drummer Michael Wolpers. The effort was recorded at Herman's own Arena 20 studio in Hanover, Germany. Frank himself acted as composer and producer and took care of the mixing and album mastering.

STITCHED UP HEART recently stopped by the Q102 studio in Springfield, Missouri and treated the radio listeners to a very special acoustic version of the band's song "Monster". Check out video footage below.

"Monster" is taken from STITCHED UP HEART's debut full-length offering, "Never Alone", which came out on June 17 via Another Century.

STITCHED UP HEART singer Mixi states: "The track 'Monster' was the very first song we wrote for the new record with Another Century.

"The night before we went in the studio, I was getting tattooed by my artist Mr. Monster and he asked me to write a song for him. That's where the idea started. The next day the producers, Merritt (our lead guitarist) and I met up to start the writing process. The studio was dark with spell books, herbs, spices and other various weird ritual stuff. There was an odd feeling that overcame me, almost like a beast was ready to be set free. I'm not sure if it had anything to do with the environment, our determination to kill this record or the mass amounts of monster energy drinks I had that day, but something came over me and was unleashed into the recording."

She continued: "The same thing happened shooting this video. There was something that just needed to be let out. The director, Robert Graves, and producer, Marco DeMolina (BUCKCHERRY, BUTCHER BABIES), were very good at capturing the crazy energy in each take. It only seemed to take one or two times to get the shots he wanted. Everything ran very smoothly. The location had a lot of history as well. I remember in between takes at one point I really felt possessed or something. There was a scene shot in a chamber I was looking around the room with a feeling like I had been in there forever and would never get out. Maybe it's just something about the song lyrics about releasing this beast inside of me, or maybe I really am a monster."

STITCHED UP HEART is described in a press release as "a band built around the strength that comes from realizing we are the only ones that control our lives, and focused on the hope that reminds us there is always light at the end of the darkest tunnel. It's something heavy and powerful, jarring the album's epic closing track 'I Can't Breathe' from a piano-paced ballad that would do Lady Gaga proud, to a metallic onslaught of drop-tuned guitars that is sure to see the band sharing a stage with the hardest of their hard rock peers. And it is something undeniable, Mixi's voice taking flight amidst anthems of self-awareness that bridge the unrelenting confidence of IN THIS MOMENT's Maria Brink and the soulful transcendence of Adele."

MEGADETH mainman Dave Mustaine answered a number of fan-submitted questions via Periscope on Wednesday, June 29 prior to the band's concert at Batschkapp in Frankfurt, Germany. You can now watch the clip below.

MEGADETH played its first show with drummer Dirk Verbeuren (SOILWORK) on May 20 at the Rock On The Range festival in Columbus, Ohio.

He was recruited to play drums for the band while Chris Adler is busy touring with LAMB OF GOD.

Verbeuren was recommended for the MEGADETH job by Adler, who called Dirk "probably [one of the] top three drummers in the world."

MEGADETH filmed a video for the song "Post American World" late last month. The track is taken from the band's latest album, "Dystopia", which came out in January.