Music Insider TV conducted an interview with Max Cavalera (SOULFLY, SEPULTURA, CAVALERA CONSPIRACY, KILLER BE KILLED) on May 18 at The Boardwalk in Orangevale, California. You can now watch the chat below.

Asked how he manages to split his time between his various projects, Max said: "Right now, after this [SOULFLY] tour is over, I go home for a while, but I think that I'm gonna start writing riffs for KILLER BE KILLED, 'cause I think that might be the next record probably we'll do, which will be next year. The rest of the months, I think, by August, September, October, November and December, it's gonna be all doing the [20th-anniversary tour of SEPULTURA's] 'Roots' [album] with Igor [Max's brother and former SEPULTURA drummer]. So we're gonna be pretty busy with that, so I'm not gonna have time for writing. So right now is the best time to write some riffs. So I'm gonna do that for KILLER BE KILLED right now, and then hit the road for the 'Roots' thing with Igor, which I think has FEAR FACTORY as an opening band, which I'm totally stoked on it; I think that's gonna be great. And I'm stoked to play 'Roots' with Igor too, like, play the whole record. We've never done anything like that before. It's a huge achievement and a big task for us to pull it off. But I think we can do it."

Regarding why he left SEPULTURA in early 1997, Max said: "I think it was just one of those things that just happened that nothing could have changed. It was an accumulation of different ideals. I'm very into integrity and big on loyalty, and half of those guys didn't care much for that kind of stuff, so we kind of butted heads. And it kind of forced me to step up, which I did. 'Cause, honestly, I thought I was gonna be with SEPULTURA forever when I gave the band a name and I was… With Igor, we created [SEPULTURA] in '83. I thought I was gonna be with them forever, but life has different plans, and it comes at you and you have to deal with it. But I think it was kind of a blessing in disguise, because it led me to do other kinds of stuff that I probably could never do if I was still with SEPULTURA. A lot of the SOULFLY stuff, I really dig it. What I was able to accomplish with SOULFLY and CAVALERA CONSPIRACY and KILLER BE KILLED. And I'm proud of my years with SEPULTURA too. I've gotta be proud of those records. They're great records that influenced a whole generation of musicians and bands. So, you know, [there's] nothing wrong with that. So I think it's just one of those things. I'm loyal, and I believe in integrity, and some of the stuff those guys did — I don't wanna get into detail — but some of the stuff they did didn't really click with my ideals, so it was better to split."

In addition to Max, KILLER BE KILLED features Greg Puciato (THE DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN), Troy Sanders (MASTODON) and the band's latest addition, drummer Ben Koller (CONVERGE, ALL PIGS MUST DIE, MUTOID MAN).

"Roots", along with 1993's "Chaos A.D.", is considered SEPULTURA's most commercially successful release, having been certified gold in 2005 by the RIAA (Recording Industry Association of America) for U.S. shipments in excess of 500,000 copies.

In 1996, Max exited SEPULTURA after the rest of the band fired Max's wife Gloria as their manager.

Igor left SEPULTURA in June 2006 due to "artistic differences." His departure from the band came five months after he announced that he was taking a break from SEPULTURA's touring activities to spend time with his second wife and their new son (who was born in January 2006).

"Today we finished up the mastering for our newest CD, a compilation disc spanning the band's career, with one new song," says Helix frontman Brian Vollmer. "Brent Doerner designed the CD cover. Pretty cool eh?"

The tracklisting for Rock It Science is as follows:

"Billy Oxygen"
"You're A Woman Now"
"Heavy Metal Love"
"Rock You"
"Deep Cuts The Knife"
"Wild In The Streets"
"Good To The Last Drop"
"Shock City Psycho Rock"
"Get Up!"
"Make 'Em Dance"
"Even Jesus (Wasn't Loved In His Home Town)"
"Mystery Track"

Guitarist Sean Kelly adds, "Helix is releasing a career-spanning compilation that features a brand new track that I wrote with Brian Vollmer... Aaron Murray's production is killer, watch for a new video and listen for the track to hit radio in the coming weeks."

Catch Helix live in concert:

June
30 - The Brass Monkey - Ottawa, Ontario

July 
22 - Fourth Annual Rock & Roar - Kitchener, Ontario
23 - Mattawa Voyageur Days - Mattawa, Ontario

August 
2 - Canna Fest - Grand Forks, BC
27 - Great Canadian Kayak Challenge & Festival - Timmins, Ontario

November 
4 - Club Regent Event Centre - Winnipeg, Manitoba

 

With the release of Initializing Irreversible Process, the forthcoming new full-length album from Rome, Italy's Deceptionist, now just two weeks away, a lyric video for the track "Final Innovation - Automatic Time" has been released; check it out below.

Unique Leader will release Initializing Irreversible Process on CD, LP, and digital formats worldwide on June 17th, with pre-orders available at this location.

Initializing Irreversible Process was captured with Giuseppe Orlando at Outersound Studios, and finds the devout death metal collective pushing their talents and ingenuity forward in both speed and technicality while simultaneously remaining loyal to our root elements: groove, brutality, and catchiness. Their use of sampling blends seamlessly with harsh guitar riffs, the lyrical content dealing with the relationship between humans and machines in a not-too-distant future world where men and women will live only to serve artificial masters.

Initializing Irreversible Process features the talents of bassist Stefano Franceschini and guest vocalist Enrico H. Di Lorenzo on "Through The Veil", both members of labelmates Hideous Divinity, as well as the striking covering renderings of Pär Olofsson (Abysmal Dawn, Cult Of Luna, Exodus).

Tracklisting:

“It’s Just Begun”
“Through The Veil”
“Quest For Identity”
“When Humans Began To Be Machines”
“Final Innovation – Automatic Time”
“The Confession”
“Irreversible Process”
“Sunshine”
“Industrivolutionaction”
“Operator Nr 3”

THE NIGHT FLIGHT ORCHESTRA has primarily spent their existence as drifters, victims of circumstance. Now, the erstwhile classic rock pariahs of TNFO have finally found a place to call home. The classic progressive rock-influenced supergroup, featuring Björn Strid (SOILWORK), David Andersson (SOILWORK), Sharlee D'Angelo (ARCH ENEMY, SPIRITUAL BEGGARS), Richard Larsson (VON BENZO), Jonas Källsbäck (MEAN STREAK) and Sebastian Forslund (KADWATHA), have officially signed with Nuclear Blast Records. Nuclear Blast will release the band's upcoming album, due out next year and recorded at Handsome Hard Studio in Lund, Sweden. The currently untitled CD follows THE NIGHT FLIGHT ORCHESTRA's two previous releases, 2012's "Internal Affairs" and 2015's "Skyline Whispers". "We have been offered an opportunity; our good friends at Nuclear Blast, the German label famous for spreading the heavy metal gospel, asked us to become a part of their roster. We said yes," the band chimes in a group statement. "We, THE NIGHT FLIGHT ORCHESTRA, will continue to push the boundaries of classic rock; we will continue with the unnecessarily catchy choruses, the abundant amount of solos, the atmospherics that few people will understand but us, and the female voices that seem to stem from your unconscious." Nuclear Blast CEO Markus Staiger adds: "Classic rock is timeless and brilliantly executed music. Music which is the foundation of so many other forms of guitar driven music. With THE NIGHT FLIGHT ORCHESTRA we've found one of the most intense groups in the genre and it's even greater to have our old friend Björn with us who once again proves to be one of the biggest voices — be it extreme metal or classic rock! We're beyond stoked!" THE NIGHT FLIGHT ORCHESTRA is also pleased to announce their new management representation, Breaking Bands LLC, the management team comprised of Adrenaline PR CEO Maria Ferrero, TESTAMENT vocalist and co-manager Chuck Billy, and former Megaforce Records and Crazed Management owners Jon and Marsha Zazula. The Breaking Bands team, also responsible for SOILWORK's representation, endeavours to bring renewed attention and heightened opportunity to THE NIGHT FLIGHT ORCHESTRA. "THE NIGHT FLIGHT ORCHESTRA's music has a true retro feel, harks back the days of yore... classic arena rock, where's my Aquanet? TNFO inspires me to take the top down and drive — this is real music for all ages," states co-manager Maria Ferrero. Fellow co-manager Jon Zazula adds: "I like the way they play with a song and take you on a journey of unexpected craftsmanship... I'm really into them. We're very proud to be working with THE NIGHT FLIGHT ORCHESTRA." With all of this representation from primarily metal-focused firms and labels, THE NIGHT FLIGHT ORCHESTRA wants to be clear — the group will never be a heavy metal band. "But, occasionally, some of us have flirted with that genre," they add. "We are not ashamed of that fact, and will never make any futile attempts to deny it. In fact, the metal genre once stood for all that we appreciate when it comes to music. Defying authorities. Breaking the rules. Doing whatever you want, despite everyone around you proclaiming it a dead end. "These days, when the record industry is not what it used to be, when only a small percentage of our potential audience are buying music as a physical product, sitting in their favorite chairs with trembling hands cradling the album cover, we are extremely proud that Nuclear Blast are willing to give us the opportunity to release more records, and to hopefully give even more people a chance to enjoy us. "We will take that chance; we will fondle our instruments with slightly drunken Swedish hands, we will spend late evenings discussing why we even became musicians in the first place, we will have heated arguments about why Steve Gadd was once considered the greatest drummer alive, how Tommy Bolin's Tele neck affected his Strat sound, why Dave Bickler never sounded as good without his beret, and why music isn't as good as it used to be. We will find the solution to all of this. And we will not disappoint you." THE NIGHT FLIGHT ORCHESTRA is:

Björn Strid - VocalsSharlee D' Angelo - BassDavid Andersson - GuitarRichard Larsson - KeyboardsJonas Källsbäck - DrumsSebastian Forslund - Guitar/Percussion

Castle has released a video for “Hammer And The Cross”, a track from their upcoming fourth full-length, Welcome To The Graveyard, out on July 15th via Ván Records worldwide.

Directed by Jaan Silmberg of Pistoltrixx, "Hammer And The Cross" was shot north of Toronto, Ontario while the band was between recording and mixing sessions for Welcome To The Graveyard.

"The song “Hammer And The Cross” commands a lot of space and we wanted to find a location to match its starkness," elaborates vocalist Elizabeth Blackwell of the clip. "We filmed the video at an old, abandoned dairy farm north of Toronto in the middle of February in Canada. The cold, swirling imagery is a perfect complement to the hypnotic doomy sounds of the song. It was a successful collaboration with our director and a lot of fun to make."

Welcome To The Graveyard, the follow up to 2014's Under Siege, was recorded by Billy Anderson (Sleep, Neurosis, Brothers Of The Sonic Cloth, Eyehategod, Ommadon) at Type Foundry Studios in Portland, Oregon this past winter.

Comprised of eight tracks written over the last year, Welcome To The Graveyard sees Castle merging their doom-powered riffing with soaring 1970s rock. The album features a new level of confident songwriting and is a creepy-crawl through the wastelands of the band's new Los Angeles' ­­home. The perfect soundtrack for a Hollywood cult initiation, the record is a hard-boiled barrage of classic heavy metal riffery tempered with blasts of melodic orchestrated doom.

Elizabeth Blackwell's haunted vocal style draws a sigil of death and madness - envision the Wilson sisters singing hymns from the stygian void, while lyrically Castle adapt the stark and compelling vistas of Aleister Crowley's Amphora for the song "Traitors Rune" and Eliphas Levi's Transcendental Magic, whose mystic rumination inspiresthe lyrical backdrop for the lead-off single "Flash Of The Pentagram," currently streaming below.

Tracklisting:

“Black Widow”
“Hammer And The Cross”
“Welcome To The Graveyard”
“Veil Of Death”
“Flesh Of The Pentagram”
“Traitors Rune”
“Down In The Cauldron Bog”
“Natural Parallel”

“Flash Of The Pentagram”:

Flash of the Pentagram by Castle

Castle’s live takeover includes a three-week run of tour dates around their appearance at the Maryland Doom Fest on June 24th, followed by a month-long headlining trek beginning July 17th and running through August 20th. From there, the band will take a week-long breather before heading to the streets again for a month's worth of Canadian dates through September 29th.

Tour dates:

June
15 - Yucca Tap - Phoenix, AZ
16 - The Sandbox - El Paso, TX
17 - Paper Tiger - San Antonio, TX
18 - Rudyards - Houston, TX
19 - Siberia - New Orleans, LA
20 - New World Brewery - Tampa, FL
21 - Burro Bar - Jacksonville, FL
22 - The Jinx - Savannah, GA
23 - Reggies - Wilmington, NC
24 - Maryland Doom Fest - Frederick, MD
25 - Ace of Cups - Columbus, OH
26 - 5th Quarter - Indianapolis, IN
27 - Skeletunes - Ft. Wayne, IN
28 - Vaudeville - Des Moines, IA
29 - O'Leaver's - Omaha, NE
30 - Flux Capacitor - Colorado Springs, CO

July
1 - Metro Bar - Salt Lake City, UT
2 - Chateau le Punk - Las Vegas, NV
17 - Slidebar - Fullerton, CA #
19 - Mission Tobacco - Riverside, CA  #
20 - Elbo Room - San Francisco, CA #
21 - Hi Water Mark - Portland, OR #
22 - Funhouse - Seattle, WA  #
23 - The Palace Lounge - Missoula, MT #
24 - Railyard - Billings, MT #
26 - Reggies - Chicago, IL *
27 - High Noon Saloon - Madison, WI *
28 - Franks Power Plant - Milwaukee, WI  *
29 - Shakespeare Pub - Kalamazoo, MI *
30 - Corktown Tavern - Detroit, MI *
31 - Howlers - Pittsburgh, PA *^

August
1 - Now That's Class - Cleveland, OH ^
2 - Rockin Buffalo Saloon - Buffalo, NY ^
3 - Geno's - Portland, ME ^ w/ Hessian
4 - Ralph's - Worcester, MA ^ w/ Pilgrim
5 - Acheron - Brooklyn, NY ^ w/ Pilgrim
6 - The Fire - Philadelphia, PA ^ w/ Pilgrim
7 - TBA - Washington, DC
8 - Riffhouse Pub - Chesapeake, VA
9 - Pilot Light - Knoxville, TN
10 - The End - Nashville, TN
11 - Vino's - Little Rock, AR
12 - The Grotto - Ft. Worth, TX
13 - The Lost Well - Austin, TX
14 - The Elbow Room - Wichita, KS
16 - The Underground - Santa Fe, NM
17 - The Launchpad - Albuquerque, NM
18 -  Flycatcher - Tucson, AZ
19 - The Merrow - San Diego, CA
20 - The Complex - Los Angeles, CA
27 - Doom Over T.O. Fest - Toronto, ON

September
7 - Katacombes - Montreal, PQ
8 - Envol at Macadam Fest - Quebec City, PQ
9 - Panic Room - St. John, NB
10 - Gus Pub - Halifax, NS
11 - Baba's - Charlottetown, PEI
12 - Capitol Complex - Fredericton, NB
13 - Ti-Petac - Trois Rivieres, PQ
14 - House Of Targ - Ottawa, ON
16 - Black Pirates Pub - Thunder Bay, ON
17 - King's Hotel - Winnipeg, MB
18 - TBA - Saskatoon, SK
19 - Starlite Room - Edmonton, AB
20 - Fernando's - Kelowna, BC
21 - The Office Pub - Kamloops, BC
22 - Funky Winkerbeans - Vancouver, BC
23 - Logans Pub - Victoria, BC
24 - Palomino - Calgary, AB
26 - The Club - Regina, SK
28 - New American - Sault Ste. Marie, ON
29 - Call The Office - London, ON

# w/ Disenchanter
* w/ Brimstone Coven
^ w/ Blizaro

Canadian prog outfit, Heaven’s Cry, will release their new album, Outcast, on June 3rd via Prosthetic Records. BraveWords are premiering the full album stream, which can be found below.

Continuing where their 2012 full-length Wheels Of Impermanence left off, Outcast is a concept album that examines the corruption of governments around the world and incites humankind to rally up and fight as this will be the key to our survival and growth. Outcast was self-produced by the band along with Yannick St-Amand.

Tracklisting:

“The Human Factor”
“Outcast”
“The Day The System Failed”
“If I Only Knew”
“A Shift In Scenery”
“Symmetry”
“Alive”

Album stream:

“Outcast” lyric video:

“The Human Factor” lyric video:

Teaser:

Outcast will showcased live during three record-release shows in Ottawa, Montreal and Quebec. Additional support will be provided by Borealis and Hillward.

Dates are as follows:

June
3 - Ottawa, ON - Mavericks
4 - Montreal, QC - Piranha Bar
5 - Quebec City, QC - L'Anti

The flagship of the Belgian metal scene, After All, are going to release their new thrash metal hammer, Waves Of Annihilation, on June 10th via NoiseArt Records. A third trailer for the album has been released. Watch all three trailers below:

Trailer #1:

Trailer #2:

Trailer #3:

The band will officially launch Waves Of Annihilation with a live performance at Skullfest in Wervik, Belgium, on June 11th.

Waves Of Annihilation is After All’s ninth full-length album. As on the previous two, Dan Swanö once again delivered a crushingly heavy, yet open production. No loudness war on this one.

High-energy Miami noise rock quartet, Wrong, have released an official video for the track “Entourage”, featured on their self-titled debut full-length, out now via Relapse Records.

After steamrolling onto the scene in 2014 with their promising debut EP and unrelenting live show (and featuring former members of Torche and Kylesa amongst their ranks), Wrong play Helmet / Unsane inspired heavy noise rock for a new millennium. The band signed with Relapse Records in the summer of 2015, after they made waves on their first North American tour with now-labelmates Torche and Nothing.

Tracklisting:

“More Like”
“Turn In”
“Read”
“Entourage”
“Hum Drum”
“Stasis”
“Mucilage”
“Fake Brain”
“Boil”
“Wrong”
“High Chair”

“Mucilage” video:

“Boil”:

“Turn In” video:

Wrong is:

Eric Hernandez - Guitars, Vocals
Brian Hernandez - Drums
Andres Ascanio - Bass
Ryan Haft - Guitars

(Photo - Wrong Facebook)

For the past six years, Ontario-dwelling black metal doom fusionists, Vow Of Thorns, have been conceptualizing albums and pushing the boundary between aggressive and emotional. What once served as an anagram for Kevin Hawthorne’s solo work is now a joint effort with Dustin Richards, where the duo has quickly become one of the most intimidating musical ventures to date.

The duo have been constructing songs unanimously and without interruption in a seamless writing process to craft work fuelled by their musical and environmental influences. Their new album, Farewell To The Sun, is set for release on July 15th to follow the 2013 debut EP Forest Dweller. Constantly shifting between disparaging black metal vocals and triumphant guitar hooks dripping with doom-encrusted bass riffs and theatrical drums. The band pairs the forces of black metal and doom, blending the two styles with ease while maintaining a certain sense of tension and uncertainty in the air.

The first single, and the album’s opening track, “Meeting On The Astral Plane”, is streaming below.

"“Meeting On The Astral Plane” tells the story of one man’s escape from physical reality to a place of infinite possibilities; an existence free of mortal boundaries. The escape, however, is only temporary and he must return to his lowly existence and face himself, which he does in the following track “Great Abomination”. His experience on the astral plane leads him to believe that death may be the ultimate escape. As our protagonist’s experience progresses so does the music. From the triumphant march of the opening riff to the crushing doom encased ending." comments guitarist D. Richards.

Tracklisting:

“Meeting On The Astral Plane”
“Great Abomination”
“Farewell To The Sun Part I”
“Farewell To The Sun Part II”
“Farewell To The Sun Part III”
“Doomed Woods”

“Meeting On The Astral Plane”:

Meeting on the Astral Plane by Vow of Thorns

Suns Of Thyme are streaming the new track “Deep Purple Rain”, from their sophomore album, Cascades, out now via Napalm Records. Listen to the track below.

It’s hard to imagine that something called krautgaze could grow up in any other place than Berlin. In its glittering darkness, the city is a perfect breeding ground for a band like Suns Of Thyme. The five-piece crashes together space rock, shoegaze, psych and Velvet Underground on its sophomore album Cascades.

Cascades was mastered by Brian Lucey, Magic Garden Mastering in Los Angeles (The Black Keys, Marilyn Manson, Arctic Monkeys, Ray LaMontagne, Ghost).

Cascades tracklisting:

“Do Or Die”
“Intuition Unbound”
“Ich Traeum‘ von Dir”
“To Vanish”
“Rush”
“Schweben”
“Deep Purple Rain”
“Val Verde”
“The Field”
“Aphelion”
“Prelude”
“In Dreams Awake”
“Kirwani”
“Kirwani II”

“Deep Purple Rain”:

EPK:

“Intuition Unbound” video:

“Do Or Die” lyric video:

Suns of Thyme is:

Tammo Dehn - Synths, Percussions, Sampler
Tobias Feltes - Vocals, Guitars, Sitar
Tim Hoppe - Guitars
Jascha Kreft - Drums, Vocals
Jens Rosenkranz - Bass

(Photo - Joe Dilworth)

The official "short film" for the new SHINEDOWN song "Asking For It" can be seen below. The track is taken from the band's fifth studio album, "Threat To Survival", which debuted at No. 6 on The Billboard 200 album chart, selling 65,000 copies in its first week of release.

Commented SHINEDOWN singer Brent Smith: "There are many elements that go into making a SHINEDOWN video. So what we decided to do on the latest installment in the SHINEDOWN catalogue was have as much fun as possible.

"The video for 'Asking For It'‬ is more of a skit/short than a music video.

"Working with longtime friend and director Darren Doane is always an adventure.

"We collectively wanted to do something completely original and different for us and our audience. With the help of our management at In De Goot Entertainment and our esteemed record company, Atlantic Records, we feel that we've done just that..."

Brent previously told the WGRD radio station about "Asking For It": "It's a unique track on the record because it was the very first song that was written for what came to be 'Threat To Survival', and normally during the writing process, we'll write a lot of songs before we go in to record what the album is going to be — anywhere from between forty and upwards of sixty songs sometimes. 'Asking For It' just kind of held on through the all of the other sessions. It always felt like the opening song to the record, and it is the opening song to the album.

"As far as subject matter, it's pretty straight forward: be careful of the toes that you step on in life, because they may be the attached to the ass that you have to kiss later on. It just means be careful how you treat people, basically, and don't be a jerk.

"As far as sonically, it's a very classic punk rock style song. I kind of borrowed a little bit from CHEAP TRICK and Billy Joel…"

"Threat To Survival" was the third SHINEDOWN album to enter the chart in the Top 10, following "Amaryllis" and 2008's "The Sound Of Madness", which debuted at No. 8.

SINSAENUM, the new project featuring Frédéric Leclercq, virtuoso bass player of London-based power metallers DRAGONFORCE, and Joey Jordison, formerly of SLIPKNOT and currently of VIMIC, will release a self-titled two-song, ten-inch vinyl EP on June 6. The effort will feature an embossed logo on the album cover and come with an exclusive signed inner sleeve.

"Sinsaenum" track listing:

01. Death Is The Beginning (exclusive EP track)02. The Forgotten One (album track)

Both songs will also be made available digitally on iTunes on June 6.

Having worked on some material that owed more to death metal than the power metal of his day job as far back as 1998, Fred had long been concocting a plan to put together an extreme metal project. Having secured the involvement of Stéphane Buriez, a French scene icon with LOUDBLAST for 30 years, it was only after an unexpected message from the U.S. when things began to really take shape. Fred explains: "Joey Jordison sent me an SMS to ask what I was up to, so I told him about those death metal songs." After the former SLIPKNOT drummer had heard the demos, he wanted to know whom Frédéric had recruited to beat the skins. As there was nobody yet, he eagerly suggested adding his own ferocious style. Joey also had the idea for the name SINSAENUM, a fitting combination of the words "sin" and "insane." When it came to choose a voice for the trio’s godless tunes, it actually ended up with two, the main criterion being "death metal with a clear enunciation." The first was no other than Attila Csihar from Norwegian black metal legends MAYHEM and drone masters SUNNO))), another long-time acquaintance of Leclercq's and Jordison's, notorious for his many registers ranging from tortured screams to throat singing. Sean Zatorsky from NWOAHM titans DÅÅTH and CHIMAIRA became the other vocalist. With another countryman of Frédéric's — Heimoth, the brain of eclectic extremists SETH — completing the picture on bass, the material for SINSAENUM's full-length was rounded off and perpetuated at different places. The end result is titled "Echoes Of The Tortured" and was mixed in Fascination Street Studios in Örebro, Sweden, where Jens Bogren (OPETH, KREATOR, DEVIN TOWNSEND) put the finishing touches to 21 tracks that are — in one word — expansive. For a taste of what to expect, check out the video for first track "Army Of Chaos" below.

"Echoes Of The Tortured" will be released via earMUSIC on July 29.

Jordison's other band called VIMIC will release its debut album, "Open Your Omen", later in the year via Roadrunner Records. Joey is joined in that group by singer Kalen Chase Musmecci, who has toured with KORN as a backing vocalist and percussionist, and Joey's former SCAR THE MARTYR bandmates Jed Simon (guitar), Kyle Konkiel (bass) and Matthew Tarach (keyboards).

German progressive metal band, Dark Suns, will release their fifth studio effort, the double album, Everchild, on June 3rd via Prophecy Productions. Recorded in Berlin's Funkhaus Studios (Europe's largest studio complex) with producer Yensin Jahn (Alice Cooper, Yo La Tengo), the album is the band's fifth full-length effort and follows 2011's Orange, which was hailed as "an album which embraces the sounds of early and vintage progressive, psychedelic, and jazz rock". In celebration of the record's release, the band premieres the new song "Spiders”, now streaming below.

“As well as being the second track on the album, “Spiders” was also the second track we wrote during the songwriting process. It resulted mainly from the idea to combine a teenage pioneering spirit with urban melancholy," says vocalist Niko Knappe. "It tells about a young person’s departure. A group of teenagers in a state of eagerness and wanderlust, waiting for a friend to set out and break away from the parental home. ‘Push the spiders downhill’ is how the lyrics end, and stands for conquering fears and overcoming obstacles. We like the playful ease of the verses and how the song merges into the stomping brass parts and chorus lines, followed by a boisterously outro part.”

A forward-thinking band that wears its influences - such as King Crimson, The Soft Machine and Still Life - proudly on its sleeve, Dark Suns formed in 1997 and, in the time since, has released four celebrated recordings, including Swanlike (2002), Existence (2005), Grave Human Genuine (2008) and 2011's aforementioned Orange, morphing from 'progressive dark metal' through to dreamlike fantastical rock, over the course of its evolution. With Everchild, Dark Suns mine the human experiences of sleep, escapism and nostalgia for subject matter, delving into the depths of these intense emotional states and pairing them with musical movements rife with exploration.

In addition to ten new retro-prog originals, the album contains a creative cover of Tori Amos' "Yes, Anastasia".

Tracklisting:

“The Only Young Ones Left”
“Spiders”
“Escape With The Sun”
“Monster”
“Codes”
“The Fountain Garden”
“Unfinished People”
“Everchild”
“Torn Wings”
“Morning Rain”
“Yes, Anastasia” (Tori Amos cover)

“Spiders”:

“Everchild”:

Pre-order Everchild at this location.

Witherscape, the progressive death metal outfit consisting of Swedish singer, multi-instrumentalist and producer Dan Swanö (ex-Edge Of Sanity/Bloodbath, Nightingale, etc.) as well as fellow Swedish multi-instrumentalist Ragnar Widerberg, present the first track off their upcoming album, The Northern Sanctuary, which will be released on July 22nd via Century Media Records.

You can now listen to the album's opening track, "Wake Of Infinity" below.

Dan Swanö checked in with the following comment about the song: "“Wake Of Infinity” is a good summary of the evolution of the Witherscape sound. Every corner of our sound has been slightly enhanced towards "more is more" and this track shows off the expansion in every part. The fastest we've ever been, the most melodic we've ever been... it's all here in this track, that we believe is the embodiment of Witherscape 2016."

Following up on the refreshing impact of 2013’s debut album The Inheritance and 2014’s The New Tomorrow EP, The Northern Sanctuary is yet another mesmerizingly dense conceptual album, enhanced by breathtakingly powerful artwork courtesy of Hungarian artist Gyula Havancsák (Nightingale, Destruction, Tyr, etc.), which can be seen below.

Tracklisting:

“Wake Of Infinity”
“In The Eyes Of Idols”
“Rapture Ballet”
“The Examiner”
“Marionette”
“Divinity”
“God Of Ruin”
“The Northern Sanctuary”
“Vila I Frid”

Once more lyrically supported by Paul Kuhr (Novembers Doom), Witherscape continue the storyline launched with the debut album, as Swanö explains: “The theme picks up where we left off with the The New Tomorrow EP. There is a 50 year jump in the time line from the 1st album and the main character Mannen i vitt (The man in white) has purchased the house where all the horror initially happened. He's restored it and rents out rooms to people from the big cities, who are aiming for some peaceful northern Swedish silence. But the entity still haunts the house and Mannen i vitt is possessed by it, so consequently he/it does terrible things to the "patients". Since the house is built on one of the gates to hell, there's a ritual taking place, opening the hellish dimension from where the evil entity once came, so it can go back there…”

Musically, The Northern Sanctuary manages to seamlessly blend the best elements of the band’s 70’s/80’s prog/hard rock and even AOR roots with contemporary, yet always atmospheric and subtle extreme metal. Its infectious catchiness will doubtlessly appeal to the passionate followers of Swanö’s diverse artistic catalogue, but also to fans of bands like Opeth, Amorphis or Symphony X.

Swedish/British modern metallers SONIC SYNDICATE have entered Ramtitam Studios in Stockholm to begin recording their sixth album, due later this year via Despotz Records & Music.

The first in a series of video clips from the studio can be seen below.

SONIC SYNDICATE announced its new recording and publishing deal with Despotz in February. The band's vocalist Nathan J Biggs stated at the time: "As you could imagine, we are super excited to be signing to Despotz Records based here in Stockholm, Sweden. We couldn't imagine a better place to call home.

"When the possibility of us working together first came up with this modern, creative and forward-thinking team, we pretty much had our mind set that this was where we belong.

"This is an exciting new chapter for both SONIC SYNDICATE and Despotz."

Despotz is a Swedish metal/rock/pop record label / publishing company which was founded in Stockholm in 2007 with artists such as RAUBTIER, THUNDERMOTHER, CRUCIFIED BARBARA, TAD MOROSE, BESEECH and many more.

Despotz co-founder and managing partner Carl-Marcus Gidlöf comments: "We at Despotz have recently taken the label international and have locked in fresh new exciting opportunities in North America with Sony / RED / Aisa. This signing further proves that our plan to work internationally, based here in Stockholm, directly with our artists combined with a strong PR/marketing and distribution setup is the future of Despotz. SONIC SYNDICATE share our vision, we've already had a number of creative conversations and we're looking towards an exciting future. We're honored to welcome SONIC SYNDICATE to the Despotz family."

SONIC SYNDICATE last year parted ways with longtime bassist Karin Axelsson and replaced her with Michel "Miche" Bärzén (DEGRADEAD).

SONIC SYNDICATE's self-titled fifth album was released on July 4, 2014 via Nuclear Blast.

SONIC SYNDICATE is:

Nathan J Biggs - VocalsRobin Sjunnesson - GuitarsMichel Bärzén BassJohn Bengtsson - Drums

Frontiers Music Srl will release JORN's new album, "Heavy Rock Radio", on June 3.

One of the greatest rock singers of our time, Jorn Lande returns with a unique album of covers of classics from artists and bands that have meant something special to him, and helped forge this talented man's own unique style.

The official video for Jorn's version of "Hotel California", which was originally recorded by the EAGLES, can be seen below.

Through Jorn's extensive career, which includes more than 40 albums of mostly original songs, he has also recorded great versions of several rock classics such as THIN LIZZY's "Are You Ready", UFO's "On And On", DEEP PURPLE's "Perfect Strangers", and many more. Jorn also recorded a successful Ronnie James Dio tribute album, released in 2010. Every song JORN covers is treated with the utmost respect and "Jorn-ized" accordingly. A good example is his heavy sounding version of "I Walk Alone", first released by Tarja Turunen (ex-NIGHTWISH).

"Heavy Rock Radio" is not an ordinary album of cover songs; it is truly a songbook of hits. Featured — among others — are great versions of the EAGLES' "Hotel California" and Kate Bush's "Running Up That Hill", which gets the Jorn style treatment to become very powerful and epic, without losing its commercial touch. More great classics included are John Farnham's "You're The Voice", QUEEN's "Killer Queen", and two absolute melodic rock evergreen gems in JOURNEY's "Don't Stop Believin'" and FOREIGNER's "Rev On The Red Line".

The original concept of the album was to create a sort of jukebox of radio hits, but to avoid leaning too much on the pop side of rock, JORN decided to blend the track listing with a few more up tempo rock tracks as well, such as "The Final Frontier" by IRON MAIDEN ("probably the closest you get to anything commercial with IRON MAIDEN," says Jorn), "Live To Win" by Paul Stanley (a song which was also featured on the popular television series "South Park"), and a few hard rock classics show up as well from DEEP PURPLE ("Stormbringer"), DIO ("Rainbow In The Dark") and BLACK SABBATH ("Die Young") to complete the mix.

Jorn says: "The most important thing was to treat these songs with respect towards the original versions. My goal was always to think that the original artist would be honored and find my version relevant. At the same time, my intention was never to try to compete with the original song and artist, but make it a strong alternative version to enjoy. At the same time, it is a well-deserved homage to these artists and bands who influenced me strongly, and I have wanted to record these songs for quite some time but was always too busy writing and recording my own songs to make it happen. Originally, I had a list of 40-50 songs I wanted to do, but I had to strip it down to about 15 songs before deciding on the final tracklist. This means that there are some unfinished business musically, and I will most likely record more of these songs in the future."

Since releasing the critically acclaimed Dracula "Swing Of Death" album last year, Jorn has also been working on an album of brand new songs, which will be the follow-up to the 2013 JORN album "Traveller", to be released in early 2017.

Jorn's catalogue is getting too long to include in brief press statements, and his innovative and creative skills have led to him selling millions of albums worldwide and being a frequent entry on sales charts around the world, including Billboard. Worth a mention is his years with MASTERPLAN, with whom he recorded three albums. Claimed to be the biggest selling Norwegian musical export, since the pop band A-HA, Jorn continues his rock crusade, and there are no signs of him slowing down yet.

The title "Heavy Rock Radio" came quite naturally, as the sound of this album feels like if it's tailor made for any rock radio station, and while Jorn's voice can be enjoyed on more than 40 albums in different rock and metal styles, this record is a special treat which will tide over all the fans waiting for the new original album which is being worked on at the moment.

"Heavy Rock Radio" track listing includes:

01. I Know There's Something Going On02. Running Up That Hill03. Rev On The Red Line04. You're The Voice05. Live To Win06. Don't Stop Believin'07. Killer Queen08. Hotel California09. Rainbow In The Dark10. The Final Frontier11. Stormbringer12. Die Young

Recording lineup:

Jorn Lande: VocalsTrond Holter: GuitarFrancesco Iovino: DrumsThomas Bekkevold: BassAlessandro Del Vecchio: Keyboards

Except as follows:

"Rainbow in the Dark"

Jimmy Iversen and Tore Moren - guitarNic Angileri - bassWilly Bendiksen - drums

"Stormbringer"

Jorn Viggo Lofstad - guitarSid Ringsby - bassWilly Bendiksen - drums

"The Devil Strikes Again", the new Ivan K. Maras-directed video from German metallers RAGE, can be seen below. The song is the title track of the band's new album, which will be released on June 10 via Nuclear Blast (July 8 in the U.S. through Metalville). The CD was recorded in September/October 2015 at Megafon Studios (Burscheid, Germany) and at Soundchaser Studios (Zandhoven, Belgium). The production was handled by Marcos Rodriguez and Peter "Peavy" Wagner, while Dan Swanö (MARDUK, OPETH, DISSECTION, KATATONIA) took care of the mixing and mastering at Unisound Studios (Grefrath, Germany). The cover artwork was created by Karim König.

Commented RAGE bassist/vocalist Peavy Wagner: "This is actually related to the song 'Sent By The Devil' from the 'Black In Mind' album of ’95. Also the text deals with some evil obsessions that take control over your life more and more to the point when you cannot resist any longer, have a deep look into yourself and you will understand. And of course the composition brings up some reminiscences without just copying."

"The Devil Strikes Again" will be made available as a 3CD digipack (limited to 1,000 copies; Nuclear Blast mailorder exclusive), 2CD digipack, and 2LP (black, white). All editions contain six bonus tracks (including three cover versions: "Bravado" by RUSH, "Slave To The Grind" by SKID ROW and "Open Fire" by Y&T). The 3CD digipack also features a bonus live CD from the latest European tour with HELLOWEEN.

"The Devil Strikes Again" track listing:

3CD digipack

CD1

01. The Devil Strikes Again02. My Way03. Back On Track04. The Final Curtain05. War06. Ocean Full Of Tears07. Deaf, Dumb And Blind08. Spirits Of The Night09. Times Of Darkness10. The Dark Side Of The Sun

Bonus CD

01. Bring Me Down02. Into The Fire03. Requiem04. Bravado (RUSH cover)05. Slave To The Grind (SKID ROW cover)06. Open Fire (Y&T cover)

Bonus Live CD

2CD digipack

CD1

01. The Devil Strikes Again02. My Way03. Back On Track04. The Final Curtain05. War06. Ocean Full Of Tears07. Deaf, Dumb And Blind08. Spirits Of The Night09. Times Of Darkness10. The Dark Side Of The Sun

Bonus CD

01. Bring Me Down02. Into The Fire03. Requiem04. Bravado (RUSH cover)05. Slave To The Grind (SKID ROW cover)06. Open Fire (Y&T cover)

2LP (Bonus Vinyl 45 RPM!)

Side A

01. The Devil Strikes Again02. My Way03. Back On Track04. The Final Curtain05. War

Side B

01. Ocean Full Of Tears02. Deaf, Dumb And Blind03. Spirits Of The Night04. Times Of Darkness05. The Dark Side Of The Sun

Side C (Bonus)

01. Bring Me Down02. Into The Fire03. Requiem

Side D (Bonus)

01. Bravado (RUSH cover)02. Slave To The Grind (SKID ROW cover)03. Open Fire (Y&T cover)

RAGE released a four-track EP on January 22 to coincide with the band's tour with HELLOWEEN.

"My Way" contained four tracks, including two re-recorded versions of songs from RAGE's 1995 album "Black In Mind" and a brand-new song in both English and Spanish.

"My Way" was the first RAGE release to feature the band's latest additions, Marcos Rodriguez (guitar) and Vassilios Maniatopoulos (drums)

Marcos Rodriguez was born in Venezuela and currently resides in Antwerpen, Belgium. The guitarist is a die-hard fan of RAGE who met Peavy on RAGE's 30th-anniversary tour when his band SOUNDCHASER provided support on parts of the trek. Vassilios "Lucky" Maniatopoulos has so far primarily made an appearance as the vocalist of the band TRI STATE CORNER. However, the former drum student and drum technician of former RAGE and current TRI STATE CORNER/REFUGE drummer Christos Efthimiadis is also longtime friend of Peavy's.

Creepsylvania's favorite hooded, cannibal splatterthrashers, Ghoul, will return with their fifth studio album this summer. Fittingly titled Dungeon Bastards, the 11 track audio abduction was recorded and mixed by Scott Evans (Kowloon Walled City) at Antisleep Studios in Oakland, California, mastered by Dan Randall (Impaled, Annihilation Time, Fucked Up, Necrot) at Mammoth Sound in San Francisco, California, and comes adorned in the ghoulightful graphics of Mark W. Richards of Heavy Hand Illustration (Pig Destroyer, The Black Dahlia Murder, Toke, Black Fast). With Dungeon Bastards, the metal punk maniaxe in Ghoul will rip your flesh with speed and riffs... before eating it.  
 
Ghoul's Dungeon Bastards will rear its mutinous head from the subterranean bowls of Creepsylvania on July 29th on CD, vinyl, and digital formats courtesy of the sound assassins at Tankcrimes Records.  

Dungeon Bastards CD preorders are currently available for just $6.66 this week only at this location. The record will also be obtainable as a diehard limited edition gatefold LP (appropriately on splatter vinyl) which opens into the Dungeon Bastardsboard game (full game details to be revealed next week). The diehard edition includes a digital download card (you get "Ghoulunatics," instantly), four two-sided Dungeon Bastards game chips, a screen-printed character sheet and poster! Reserve your copy today before they are no more here. The record will also come in slime green and blood red vinyl options, currently available for preorder at this location.

Tracklisting:

“Ghetto Blasters”
“Bringer Of War”
“Shred The Dead”
“Dungeon Bastards”
“Ghoulunatics”
“Blood And Guts”
“Word Is Law”
“Death Campaign”
“Guitarmageddon”
“Abominox”

“Ghoulunatics”:

Dungeon Bastards by Ghoul

Swedish experimental extreme metallers MESHUGGAH will release the ultimate collectors' piece, the "25 Years Of Musical Deviance" box set, on July 29. 2016 via Nuclear Blast. The set is limited to 1,000 units worldwide; only 585 will be available in the U.S. exclusively via the Nuclear Blast webshop.

The "25 Years Of Musical Deviance" box set will include

* Outer case with 3D cover art* Slipmat with exclusive design* 100-page hardcover book with lyrics and previously unreleased photos* Blu-ray with all music videos and previously unreleased studio footage* (17) ultra-clear, 180-gram 12-inch vinyl featuring brand new artwork Below are the vinyl that are included in the box set:

* "Meshuggah" EP - single, 45rpm vinyl* "Contradictions Collapse" - double, 33 1/3rpm vinyl* "None" EP - single, 33 1/3rpm vinyl* "Destroy Erase Improve" - double vinyl, 45rpm vinyl* "Chaosphere" - double vinyl, 45rpm vinyl* "Nothing" - double vinyl, 45rpm vinyl* "I" EP - single vinyl, 33 1/3rpm vinyl* "Catch 33" - double vinyl, 33 1/3rpm vinyl* "Obzen" - double vinyl, 45rpm vinyl* "Koloss" - double vinyl, 45rpm vinyl

Blu-ray track listing:

Music Videos

* "Abnegating Cecity"* "Terminal Illusions"* "New Millennium Cyanide Christ"* "Rash In All Gays"* "Rational Gaze"* "Shed"* "Breaking Those Bones Who Sinews Gave It Motion"* "Demiurge"* "I Am Colossus"

Studio Videos:

* "Contradictions Collapse"* "None"* "Destroy Erase Improve"* "Chaosphere"* "I"

Check out the teaser video for MESHUGGAH's upcoming release below.

MESHUGGAH will embark on a European tour in the winter. Main support on the trek will come from U.S. metallers HIGH ON FIRE.

The European headlining tour will follow the release of MESHUGGAH's highly anticipated new album, expected this autumn.

HELLYEAH's new album, "Unden!able", arrives on June 3. In addition to current single "Human", the set features a cover of Phil Collins's "I Don't Care Anymore".

The song features a guitar track from late PANTERA guitarist and HELLYEAH drummer Vinnie Paul Abbott's brother "Dimebag" Darrell Abbott, which Vinnie and Dimebag first recorded 14 years ago. Dimebag was shot to death in 2004 in a nightclub.

Vinnie told Rolling Stone about the track: "When Kevin [Churko, producer] got [Dimebag's original] tracks isolated, he synched them up, and when we listened them it totally gave me goosebumps.

"We've always felt like [Dimebag's] been a part of this band since day one. We felt like his energy and his spirit was always with us. And for people to be able to hear him again in 2016 puts a big smile on my face."

Added HELLYEAH singer Chad Gray: "It was like Dime was in an iso-booth tracking in the next room while I was singing my parts. Tracking that song was one of the most magical moments I've felt in my entire career. … After we recorded the first four vocal lines, Kevin called me on the intercom and said, 'I'm just gonna tell you right now. You're gonna be singing this song for the rest of your life. It's going to be amazing."

Gray said about the song, "I needed to make it ours… People are going to love it. What I really hope is that Phil Collins loves it."

Fan-filmed video footage of MEGADETH's entire May 29 performance at the River City Rockfest in San Antonio, Texas can be seen below.

The band's setlist was as follows:

01. Hangar 1802. The Threat Is Real03. Sweating Bullets04. She-Wolf05. Post American World06. Trust07. Fatal Illusion08. Symphony Of Destruction09. Dystopia10. Peace Sells11. Holy Wars... The Punishment Due

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

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

Adler played drums on MEGADETH's latest album, "Dystopia", and has taken part in most of the band's live shows in support of the CD so far. On those shows where Adler was unable to play with MEGADETH, he was temporarily replaced by Tony Laureano (ex-DIMMU BORGIR, NILE, ANGELCORPSE), the veteran extreme-metal skinsman who has worked as MEGADETH's drum tech since 2011. However, going forward, MEGADETH will utilize the services of Verbeuren, the 40-year-old Belgian-born-and-now-Los-Angeles-based drummer who has been playing with SOILWORK since 2005.

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

Inner Wound Recordings released Warsaw, Poland-based prog band Votum’s new album, :KTONIK:, back in February . The album track “Vertical” is now available for streaming below.

Votum combines dark and vibrant atmosphere with metal traditions, bringing both force and ambience to play. The band is no stranger to musical diversity with subtle cinematic frailty and modern electronica. Dealing in powerful guitars and acoustic ballads Votum creates a very specific blend of fresh and unusual approach to progressive rock and metal.

:KTONIK: was recorded and mixed by David Castillo at Ghost Ward (Katatonia, Opeth, Bloodbath).

Tracklisting:

“Satellite”
“Greed”
“Spiral”
“Blackened Tree”
“Simulacra”
“Prometheus”
“Horizontal”
“Vertical”
“Last Word”

“Spiral” lyric video:

“Satellite” video:

Upcoming Votum tour dates:

September
23 - Copenhagen, Denmark - Forbrændingen
26 - London, UK - Garage
27 - Paris, France - La Boule Noire
28 - Pratteln, Switzerland - Z7
29 - Munich, Germany - Backstage

October
14 - Bucharest, Romania - Maximum Rock Festival

Votum is:

Bartosz Sobieraj - vocals, accustic guitar
Piotr Lniany - guitar
Adam Kaczmarek - guitar
Zbigniew Szatkowski - keyboards
Bartek Turkowski - bass
Adam Lukaszek - drums

Emerging Hertfordshire, UK-based melodic death metal quartet, Countless Skies, are streaming a new song from their upcoming debut album, New Dawn. The new track, “Daybreak”, can be found below.

New Dawn was recorded by Danny Biggin at HVR Studios before seeing its mix and master under the scrutiny of Juho Räihä at SoundSpiral Audio. The artwork was crafted once again by the talented Carl Ellis. New Dawn is scheduled for release on June 24th via Kolony Records.

Tracklisting:

“Aubade”
“Heroes”
“Incendium”
“Solace”
“Daybreak”
“Ethereal”
“Wanderer”
“Return”

“Daybreak”:

Pre-order New Dawn here.

Named after the Be'lakor song “Countless Skies”, the English quartet burst onto the modern metal scene with their blend of progressive and darkly intense music influenced by their Scandinavian melodeath heroes, the self-titled EP began a flood of shows up and down the UK. After winning the Bedfordshire “Metal To The Masses” competition, Countless Skies played a triumphant gig on the New Blood stage at the UK’s #1 independent metal festival, Bloodstock Open Air, in ummer 2015. With such a tremendous start, the future looks bright for Countless Skies.

Catch Countless Skies live:

June
3 - The Castle Tavern - Luton, UK

July
2 - The Portland Arms - Cambridge, UK

September
17 - Warhorns Festival 2016 - Selby, UK

American power metal band Sunless Sky have welcomed new drummer, Coltin Rady, to the fold. 

"Coltin comes into Sunless Sky with a level of skill and passion that is going to take the music and live shows to the next level. With this solidified line up Sunless Sky is ready to begin the final stages of writing for their second album. Sunless Sky wishes former drummer Robert Brant all the best in his future endeavor's in life and music. Sunless Sky's critically acclaimed debut album, Firebreather, is available through Pure Steel Records."

Sunless Sky is:
Juan Ricardo - vocals
Harry Hillock - guitars
Curran Murphy - guitars
Kevin Czarnecki - bass
Coltin Rady -  drums

For information on Sunless Sky go to this location.

In 2015, guitarist Curran Murphy's Shatter Messiah signed a worldwide deal with Sleazy Rider Records. They are led by Murphy and drummer Robert Falzano (ex-Annihilator), and have as new bass player Kelly Conlon (ex-Death).

Shatter Messiah's first two albums Never To Play The Servant and God Burns Like Flesh were released by Dockyard 1 and their third album, Hail The New Cross, was released in October 2013 by Mausoleum Records.

Check out Shatter Messiah here.