Swedish progressive rock/metal innovators Pain Of Salvation have announced a very special reissue version of their classic 2002 album Remedy Lane, entitled Remedy Lane Re:visited (Re:mixed & Re:lived), to be released on July 1st via InsideOutMusic.

With this release, Pain Of Salvation re-visit their ground-breaking and genre-bending Remedy Lane album by teaming up with old companion and mixing engineer wizard Jens Bogren at Fascination Street Studios (Opeth, Symphony X, Devin Townsend, Haken, etc.) for a new sonic take on the original recordings as well as the intense full-album live performance from ProgPower USA Festival from 2014.

Both these Remedy Lane recordings will be made available either together as 2CD Digipak format dubbed Remedy Lane Re:visited (Re:mixed & Re:lived) with a total playing time of 142 minutes or individually as Gatefold 2LP (+ Its corresponding album as bonus CD) or Digital Download versions, respectively called Remedy Lane Re:mixed (Playing time: 68 min.) and Remedy Lane Re:lived (Playing time: 74 min). The releases will come with revised artwork, expanded booklet design and extensive liner-notes by Daniel Gildenlöw.

Pain of Salvation's Daniel Gildenlöw commented as follows about the re-mix project: "Jens Bogren, aka Fascination Street Studios, approached us a few years after the release of Remedy Lane, saying he was a fan of the band and kindly offered his services. He was later involved in "BE" and "Scarsick", but always in the periphery, since we were taking new directions in our sound and production by then. His true strengths lay in that impressive wall-of-sound type production that we had been aiming for with The Perfect Element and Remedy Lane, and I always wondered how those albums would have sounded in the care of his skillful hands. Maybe it was time to find out?"

More details about pre-order start for this release (and its various vinyl options) will be available in the coming weeks.

In the meantime, we can also bring you the great news that Pain Of Salvation are currently working on a new studio album release together with acclaimed producer Daniel Bergstrand (In Flames, Meshuggah, Strapping Young Lad, etc.) at Dug-Out Productions in Sweden.

The album will be entitled In The Passing Light Of Day and is expected to be released later in the year via longtime label-partner InsideOutMusic.

Daniel Gildenlöw checked in with the following status report: "For those who don't already know, we are currently deep into recording the new Pain of Salvation album In The Passing Light Of Day with brilliant producer Daniel Bergstrand. This cooperation feels like a match made in heaven (or rather some other cool place that I actually believe in), and he was as thrilled to be working with us as we with him. The album will see us go back to our heavy roots again, with a vengeance, and we all feel that we are writing a super strong new chapter in the history of the band. Just wait and you'll see. Damn, we just want everyone to hear this stuff already! :)"

Pain Of Salvation live dates:

July
28 - Breitenbach / Herzberg, Germany - Burg Herzberg Festival
30 - Sibiu, Romania - ARTmania Festival

British heavy metal legends IRON MAIDEN played their second-ever concert in China on Tuesday, April 26 at the Mercedes-Benz Arena in Shanghai. The show followed MAIDEN's appearance two days earlier at Beijing LeSports Center, where the band was forced to make several minor changes in its performance — presumably at the reqest of China's Ministry of Culture, which had to approve all of the group's lyrics prior to MAIDEN's Chinese dates being confirmed.

Before launching into the third song of MAIDEN's Shanghai set, singer Bruce Dickinson told the audience: "It's great to be here tonight. It's great to be in China tonight, I tell ya. We ripped it up in Beijing, and we thought, 'Ooh, that was a bit serious,' you know. So they had a few rules, so we kind of stuck by the rules, and we didn't do any swearing. You know what I mean? There's another thing I can't do. See if you can guess what it is later on. But we don't really give a [mouths the word 'shit'] about all that kind of stuff, because, you know what? The most important thing is the music, the most important thing is that we are here, and you are here, and we are gonna have a great [mouths the word 'fucking'] time."

He added: "I was watching on the Chinese TV channel… They've got this really cool thing, interview with Janick [Gers, MAIDEN guitarist]. They've got these great pictures of the show with flames everywhere and dry ice and smoke. And I thought, 'Ah, that's a [mouths the word 'fucking'] shame, because we can't do that, because we just got a little bit restricted. However, next time we'll have a word. Next time we come back to China to see you guys."

According to the Polish IRON MAIDEN fan club SanktuariuM, MAIDEN did not alter "The Book Of Souls" setlist for the Beijing and the Shanghai shows, although the following changes were made:

* There were no pyrotechnics used during the concerts.* During the performance of "The Trooper", Dickinson did not wave a Union Jack flag, but still sported the red coat uniform worn by troops during the battle which inspired the song and waved an "invisible" flag while singing the track. In addition, the Union Jack flag was still prominently displayed on the backdrop during MAIDEN's performance of the song.* Bruce changed the lyrics to the chorus of the song "Powerslave" from "Tell me why I had to be a Powerslave" to "Tell me why I had to be a Wicker Man."* IRON MAIDEN was not allowed to throw stuff (wristbands, drum heads, etc.) into the crowd during the concert.* Bruce didn't swear and had to be careful not to use the "F" word.

IRON MAIDEN's setlist for the Shanghai concert:

01. If Eternity Should Fall02. Speed Of Light03. Children Of The Damned04. Tears Of A Clown05. The Red And The Black06. The Trooper07. Powerslave08. Death Of Glory09. The Book Of Souls10. Hallowed Be Thy Name11. Fear Of The Dark12. Iron Maiden13. The Number Of The Beast14. Blood Brothers15. Wasted Years

Vetting by the Chinese authorities for foreign bands and artists isn't uncommon and has resulted in many big names being refused entry to the country to perform.

THE ROLLING STONES were censored in their China debut in 2006, most likely for their songs' suggestive lyrics. "Brown Sugar", "Honky Tonk Woman", "Beast Of Burden" and "Let's Spend The Night Together" were banned from the concert.

According to The Wall Street Journal, "authorities [in China] require entertainment companies to jump through hoops, submitting minute details of their show, including setlists. The process reflects the control held by China's censors, who try to prevent incidents like one in 2008, in which Icelandic singer Bjork sang at a Shanghai concert about the ever-politically sensitive issue of Tibetan freedom." Speaking about her comments at the time, a spokesperson for the ministry of culture in China stated: "[Her] political show not only broke Chinese laws and regulations and hurt the feeling of Chinese people but also went against the professional code of an artist."

The members of METALLICA revealed in 2013 that they were asked to send the lyrics to their entire discography to the Chinese government for approval before they were given permission to play in the country. "We had to give them a whole set of songs and they went through all the lyrics and okayed which ones we could play, which ones we couldn't play," METALLICA guitarist Kirk Hammett said. "They see a lyric like 'Master Of Puppets' being so subversive that they're not allowing us to play it. It's kind of scary." Added METALLICA frontman James Hetfield: "And that just brings more attention to it, of course. That doesn't work."

The Chinese ministry of culture monitors music for vulgarity, as well as political content. In 2009, it reportedly ordered a cleanup of online music sites to address "poor taste and vulgar content."

Even though MÖTLEY CRÜE called it quits as a touring entity last December after 35 years on the road, the band's bassist, Nikki Sixx, assures fans that there is plenty more material to come from the iconic Los Angeles hard rock outfit. "We have a live DVD of our last performance ever that we've just finished mixing," Sixx told Canadian rock journalist Mitch Lafon (hear audio below). "It looks fantastic. It was a great show. [And] we're gonna put [it] out.

"We have a legacy that needs to be curated," he continued. "We have all kinds of stuff, even from vintage merchandise and stuff. So we plan on, obviously, staying engaged with our fans. It's not like we're just gonna disappear. As a touring band, we decided that that's no more. The MÖTLEY CRÜE movie will come out. We're still working on a few of the bugs there, but that's gonna work out. So there's going to be a MÖTLEY in your life for a long time in one way or another."

According to Billboard.com, MÖTLEY CRÜE's three final shows at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California (on December 28, December 30 and December 31) were seen by 37,000 fans, generating $2.7 million in box office revenue and placing the trek at No. 2 on the weekly "Hot Tours" list of top-grossing tours.

MÖTLEY CRÜE's one-and-a-half-year "The Final Tour" saw the band perform across five continents (North America, South America, Europe, Australia and Asia) for a total of more than 164 shows in 72 markets, grossing $100 million.

To celebrate their mark in rock music's history and in honor of their devoted fans, the band has confirmed the release of a full-length concert film of the final performance, which will also include exclusive interviews and behind-the-scenes footage of the last week of the tour, to be released later in the year. Produced and distributed by Live Alliance, the concert portion of the film was directed by Christian Lamb, while Jeff Tremaine, creator of the "Jackass" series, directed the documentary segment. The film will premiere in theaters worldwide, one night only, followed by pay-per-view in all cable/satellite/digital formats, with a DVD set to be released later on.

In addition to the live-concert film, MÖTLEY CRÜE is planning to release a major box-set of music down the line, as well as "The Dirt" feature film based on the band's best-selling 2001 autobiography, also to be directed by Tremaine, in the near future.

MÖTLEY CRÜE first announced plans for their two-year "Final Tour" by signing a Cessation Of Touring Agreement at a press conference in Los Angeles in January 2014, solidifying the end of their touring career.

BLACK STONE CHERRY bassist Jon Lawhon has apologized to MOTÖRHEAD for claiming in a recent interview that he was offered cocaine by late MOTÖRHEAD frontman Lemmy and other members of the MOTÖRHEAD camp when the two bands toured together more than six years ago.

Asked by Sweden's RockSverige.se if he had any good Lemmy stories from BLACK STONE CHERRY's 2009 tour with MOTÖRHEAD and whether he had a chance to sit down and talk to the iconic MOTÖRHEAD rocker, Jon said: "Not at a length, no. But we did meet him and did speak with him. The funniest thing from the whole tour was [that] all of them — not just Lemmy, [but] all of them — would offer us whisky and coke every day. Not whisky and [Coca-Cola], but whisky and cocaine. They would offer it to us, like, every day, and we were, like, 'Well, we can get down with the whisky, but the cocaine, we're all right.' But it was every day that they would offer it to us, and it was, like, every day we'd tell 'em that no, we didn't [do cocaine], and we got the same speech every day: 'Wow! We can't believe you're in rock and roll and don't do cocaine.' And we were, like, 'We just talked about this yesterday.' They didn't remember. They just didn't realize they had just said the same thing to us the day before."

A day after the above quote was published on BLABBERMOUTH.NET, the administrator of MOTÖRHEAD's Facebook page posted a link to the article and added that Lemmy never took cocaine. The administrator also stressed that MOTÖRHEAD drummer Mikkey Dee didn't do drugs and indicated that "an apology" from BLACK STONE CHERRY "would be the decent thing."

Earlier today, Lawhon released the following statement via the BLACK STONE CHERRY Facebook page:

"To Mikkey Dee, Phil Campbell, the Lemmy Kilmister family and the entire MOTÖRHEAD organization, I am deeply sorry for any harm that I may have caused the MOTÖRHEAD camp in relation to my recent interview.

"Let me make it crystal clear that we were never offered any substances by Lemmy, Mikkey, Phil or their stage crew. We were offered substances by now-former employees of the band while on tour with them and I should have made that distinction in my interview.

"What was intended to be an off-the-cuff, light-hearted road story I now see regrettably hasn't come across that way. For that, I am deeply sorry in a way that words can't properly convey.

"I, along with my brothers in BLACK STONE CHERRY, absolutely love and respect MOTÖRHEAD and couldn't be more thankful to the opportunities they have given us in our career. We will continue to remain loyal to them as people, their music, and their fans!

"My sincerest apologies, Jon Lawhon."

BLACK STONE CHERRY's fifth studio album, "Kentucky", was released on April 1 via Mascot Label Group.

KFMX's Wes Nessman conducted an interview with guitarist/vocalist Michael Poulsen of Danish/American rock 'n' rollers VOLBEAT before the band's April 26 performance at X-Fest 2016 in Lubbock, Texas. You can now watch the chat below. A couple of excerpts follow (transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET).

On the writing process for VOLBEAT's forthcoming sixth full-length album, "Seal The Deal & Let's Boogie":

Michael: "The process, it's great. We're hard workers. If we're not on the road, which we are constantly, we are working at home, or on the road, writing new songs. This time we took the right time at home to finish up the songs. I bought a new house away from the city in the countryside, and it pretty much isolated me for half a year to finish up the songs. And that was the right thing to do. Every details are totally in the right box, and the recording process was really food. We had Jacob Hansen again as the head producer, and me and Rob [Caggiano, guitar] have been co-producing. And yeah, without any doubt, I think it's our strongest work so far. The melodies are really in the front seat. We've got great great guest singers and musicians. We've got Danko Jones, we've got the Harlem Gospel Choir, we've got a girl doing some backing vocals on five tracks. We've got one of my good friends on bagpipes…. It's a very solid album. It's a rock album. We're not flirting too much around with all the different styles that we normally do, but it's underneath the layers. This is more a complete VOLBEAT album. I'm very proud of it."

On the recent death of iconic MOTÖRHEAD frontman Ian "Lemmy" Kilmister:

Michael: "That was one of those really weird wake-up calls. We've all been talking the last thirty years, 'Wow, we think he's going now,' but, you know, he always seemed like that immortal soldier. But when it happened, it definitely… it got to me. And it's still weird that we're not supposed to see him anymore at any festivals or tours. But he will still be a very, very big inspiration for every band [which] continues soldiering on on the road and new bands coming up. He will still be a huge inspiration for a lot of people."

"Seal The Deal & Let's Boogie" will be released on June 3 via Republic Records.

Longtime friend Kaspar Boye Larsen is assisting VOLBEAT as bass player for the band's current U.S. shows. He actually stepped in before to help the band out on bass during their very first European tour in 2006. Recognizable to the fan family, he's supported VOLBEAT as an opening act in previous bands such as THE HITCHCOCKS and THE KANDIDATE.

Fan-filmed video footage of Bobby Blotzer's new RATT performing on April 26 at the Enchanted Rock Fest at Cedar Park Center in Cedar Park, Texas can be seen below.

Blotzer's RATT recently parted ways with bassist Scotty Griffin (ex-L.A. GUNS) and has replaced him with Robbie Crane.

Crane previously played bass for RATT from 1996 to 2012 and appeared on the band's 1999 self-titled album and 2010's "Infestation".

Said Blotzer in a statement: "Adding Robbie Crane back is naturally just like slipping into an old missed pair of spandex."

Blotzer announced last September that he was taking control of the RATT name and hitting the road with a new version of the group, which played shows earlier that year under the name BOBBY BLOTZER'S RATT EXPERIENCE.

RATT guitarist Warren DeMartini later filed a lawsuit against Blotzer, claiming that the drummer was falsely advertising his "tribute band" as the real thing.

Blotzer's revamped RATT is rounded out by vocalist Josh Alan (ex-SIN CITY SINNERS) and guitarists Doc Ellis (Jizzy Pearl's LOVE/HATE) and Nicholas "Blaze" Baum.

WBS, Inc., the company which manages the business and operations related to RATT, was originally formed by Blotzer, DeMartini and singer Stephen Pearcy. Pearcy lost his share of the name in court after splitting with the group in 2000. He returned to the band in 2006 but exited again in 2014. Blotzer has since expressed his desire to keep RATT alive with a new singer, but explained that DeMartini did not want to tour as RATT without Pearcy.

Ottawa, ON-based symphonic black/death metal band, Endemise, has posted a new music video for the title track of their upcoming album, Anathema, due out later this year to follow their 2013 debut album Far From The Light and  their 2012 self-titled EP.

The album was produced by Endemise guitarist Dale Sauve along with Ken Sorceron (Abigail Williams) and features eight blistering tracks to burst your ear drums (album artwork and track listing below). Endemise's live brutality has also lead the band to be a favourite local support on the Ottawa metal scene for touring bands such as Abigail Williams, Cattle Decapitation, Alestorm, Battlecross, Beneath The Massacre, Crimson Shadows and Vesperia.

Endemise vocalist Franky Falsetto comments: "Anathema is fueled by an unquenchable inner hatred, and despair. Blood soaked in occult themes and a nihilistic mindset dripping with a melancholic hopelessness”.

Tracklisting:

“Nocturne”
“Anathema”
“Blackening”
“Procreator”
“Gargoyles: Fragments In Stone”
“Soma”
“Come Serene Dark”
“Fragments in Flame”

“Anathema” video:

Cirith Gorgor released their new album, Visions Of Exalted Lucifer, back in February via Hammerheart Records. Check out a full album stream at this location.

A new lyric video for the album track “A Vision Of Exalted Lucifer” can be seen below:

“Wille zur Macht” video:

Album teaser:

Painted Wives are a perfect enigma of a band. Their Century Media debut, Obsessed With The End is at once dark, inscrutable and simultaneously spirit elevating. These Huntington Beach, CA based doomsayers cast aural allusions from a grotto where Mastodon, Cave In and Alice In Chains cavort and coalesce while orchestrating nightmares in sound as provocative as they come. This album is a re-release of the band’s self-financed debut offering, which has been remixed and remastered by the world renowned producer, Machine (Lamb Of God, Clutch). Check out the new music video for the track “Dig” below.

Helmed by guitarist Justin Suitor (with their line-up rounded out by drummer Derek Eglit, bassist Justin Morales and guitarist Jeff Lyman with collaborator, conspirator and outside lyricist Ryan Williams taking an unconventional, but official role in the band), Painted Wives rose from the ashes of celebrated Orange County ensemble, Railroad To Alaska, to fill a void in the local heavy music scene.

Justin and Ryan state: "We are beyond excited to be a part of the Century Media family! We have a great respect for their history and their influence on the heavy music scene. To be associated with all of these great artists is truly humbling and an honor. We immediately felt a connection with the label and the staff. There is no better feeling than to be able to work with people that want to be creative and work hard to make things the best they can be. We are constantly trying to refine our ideas, and Century Media encourages that.

“We also couldn't be happier with Machine's work on Obsessed with the End. He opened up a whole new realm of sonic possibilities for us. He

definitely made this album come alive. We had lived with these songs in various states for awhile and the dreaded 'demo-itus' had already set in. Hearing his new mixes erased that immediately. Machine truly emboldened the songs and allowed them to communicate the deeper meaning we had attempted to instill in them.

"Machine’s mixes have also brought a new level of confidence to the writing sessions for the next album. Hearing new mixes for the first time is kind of like hearing yourself through someone else's ears. It gives you perspective and a brief abstract of how you might sound to the listener. When the scope of possibility opens up like that, we as a band now have a more lucid understanding of how to speak more directly to our listeners. That influence goes a long way in writing sessions. We try and use that energy to forecast the way future songs can sound.

"All of the new material that has been generated for the next offering is some of the best writing we have done to date. While still encompassing our identity and sound these new songs are expanding our range and testing our focus and ingenuity. Our goal has always been to reconcile the space between sincerity and guttural fanaticism. This stable of songs has potential to do just that.

"Painted Wives is a heavy blue thrash of sound, with a lyrical conscience of bright doom. We spend most of our time attempting to throw a saddle on our ideas and pull them back down to earth in order to share them with people. We are constantly working that way. Instinct, and the untamed nature of things inspires us, but we are also slaves to the calculation. We attempt to ‘couple’ these things with our music. The balance of this, is how we want to be and what we hope to create. Painted Wives refers to this creative mentality."

Having won the title of “Best Live Band” at the 2012 Orange County Music Awards, it was their re-christening as Painted Wives and the light shed upon the original self-released version of the tracks "Hollow Bones" and "Stay with Me" by fans and outlets like Sirius XM’s Liquid Metal that led to the band’s signing to Century Media. Now, armed with a stunning new mix of the record, Painted Wives are now poised to enfold sonic paintings from the deepest reaches of the human psyche with an originality and confidence few can possibly match.

Pre-order the album at this location.

“Dig” video:

“Hollow Bones” lyric video:

Italian alternative/progressive metal group Klogr have released their biggest and most theatrical music video yet, specifically for their single "Breathing Heart", cut from their recent full-length release Make Your Stand (2015). The track "Breathing Heart" features emotive vocals, soaring guitars and prominent string quartet arrangements - all of which perfectly come to life in the video, filmed at the historical Carpi Theatre in Carpi, Italy and featuring Milanese actress Veronica Sogni.

The "Breathing Heart" music video, featuring beautiful moving camera shots and haunting imagery, was produced by Zeta Factory and 21Frames and was directed and edited byRoberto Zampa and Joba.

Klogr frontman Rusty states, "The location for the video is magical and the actress (Veronica Sogni) is amazing in her role. We couldn't have closed the Make Your Stand chapter any better!"

Klogr (pronounced Key-Log-Are) recently announced that their upcoming third full-length album will be produced by none other than three-time Grammy award-winning producer David Bottrill (Tool, Stone Sour, Muse, Rush). The band will enter the studio in September 2016. Stay tuned for more information on the new album coming soon.

Brazilian death metal machine Rebaelliun will release their new album, The Hell’s Decrees, on May 13th via Hammerheart Records. Full of diversity, brutality, technicality, insane speed, and killer solos, each memorable song is a highlight. Pre-orders are available at Hammerheart Records.

A new lyric video for the album’s lead track, “Affronting The Gods”, can be seen below:

The album cover was created by Brazilian artist Marcelo Vasco, known for working with: Slayer, Dimmu Borgir, Vader, Machine Head and more.

Tracklisting:

“Affronting The Gods”
“Legion”
“The Path Of The Wolf”
“Fire And Brimstone”
“Dawn Of Mayhem”
“Rebaelliun”
“Chush The Cross”
“Anarchy (The Hell’s Decrees Manifesto)”

"Legion" lyric video:

Italian thrashers, Braindamage, released their new album, The Downfall, via My Kingdom Music on April 18th. A full album stream can be found below.

Seven years after their last work, Braindamage return with their most futuristic, abrasive and visionary output of their 28-year career. The Downfall is a concept album based on the novel Kahlenberg, The Queen In Red And Other Tales, written by Andrea, bass player, vocalist and leader of the band. The story deals about power agents who fight for the conquest of the world during one thousand years since 1066 in different places of the Earth. The last one of these agents permits to the mysterious Red Empress (or Queen in Red) to start the conquest of the planet, starting from Turin, through a thermonuclear war.

The cover artwork was created by Stefania Didonato.

Tracklisting:

“Substituting Forgiveness With Mass Destruction”
“God Granted Your Prayers Through Nuclear Warheads”
“She Can Smell The Blood Of A Surrendering Race”
“I Owe You A Billion Years Of Terror”
“Subhuman's Towns Merciless Obliteration”
“Queen Acadienne's Floating Mirrors And Tarots”
“Last Of The Kings, First Of The Slaves”
“The Shadow That I Cast Is Yours, Not Mine”
“You Nailed My Soul I Burned Your Flesh”
“The Downfall Is Here To Stay, I Shall Fight Until The End”

Album stream:

Order the album at this location.

Portland-based heavy metal troupe Spellcaster have spent the last year perfecting material for their first offering to Prosthetic Records and third overall full-length release which they are proud to announce will be titled Night Hides The World. Often compared to the lauded forerunners that have paved the path for the classic heavy metal genre, Spellcaster have dug out a new trail with their forthcoming effort which features their most visceral material to date.

The band - which includes vocalist Tyler Loney, guitarists Cory Boyd and Bryce R. VanHoosen, bassist Gabe Franco and drummer Colin Vranzian - split their time tracking the new material between Oakland, CA and their hometown with producer/mixer Zack Ohren (All Shall Perish, Exmortus) amidst consistent appearances in North America and Europe including gigs with Death Angel, Flotsam & Jetsam, Night Demon, Holy Grail, Exmortus and more.

Spellcaster will join Canadian metallists Striker on their North American Spring tour kicking off tomorrow, April 29th, in Victoria, British Columbia along with additions support on select dates provided by Weresquatch and Thrashole. They will also make a featured appearance at the Frost and Fire II Festival (Cirith Ungol, Midnight, Omen) in California later this fall. Full dates can be found listed below.

Night Hides The World is scheduled for worldwide release on July 7th and is now available for physical pre-order via Prosthetic Records web shop at this location. The album will be offered on CD, limited-edition LP (black and opaque purple variants) and limited-edition cassette tape (purple variant). Digital pre-order's will also be available in the coming weeks.  

Tour dates:

April
29 - Victoria, BC - Logans Pub *
30 - Vancouver, BC - The Metro Bar *

May
1 - Vernon, BC - The Green *
2 - Calgary, BC - Dickens Pub
4 - Winnipeg, MB - Windsor Hotel
5 - Minneapolis, MN - The Hexagon
6 - Hortonville, WI - Standard Projects
7 - Chicago, IL - Ragnarokkr Festival
8 - Lincoln, NE - The Spigot
9 - Cheyenne, WY - The Crown Bar
13 - Portland, OR - Bossanova Ballroom #
14 - Boise, ID - The Shredder #
15 - Salt Lake City, UT - The Metro *
16 - Reno, NV - PB & J’s #
17 - Fullerton, CA - Slidebar #
19 - El Paso, TX - Mesa Music Hall #
20 - San Antonio, TX - The Korova #
21 - Houston, TX - Satellite Bar #
22 - New Orleans, LA - TBA
23 - Orlando, FL - Bombshell Tavern #
24 - Atlanta, GA - 529 *
25 - Covington, KY - Backstage Cafe #
26 - Bowling Green, OH - Howards Club #
27 - Chicago, IL - Reggie’s Live #
29 - Des Moines, IA - Vaudeville Mews #
30 - Dubuque, IA - The Venue #
31 - Omaha, NE - Lookout Lounge #

June
1 - Colorado Springs, CO - Sunshine Studio Live #
2 - North Platte, NE - Sculley’s Shooters #
3 - Scottsbluff, NE - Elks Lodge #
4 - Billings, MT - The Railyard #
5 - Missoula, MT - The Palace Lounge

October
8 - Ventura, CA - Frost & Fire II
9 - Oakland, CA - The Golden Bull

* with Striker
# with Striker, Weresquatch, Thrashole

Black Metal: Into The Abyss from black metal writer and photographer, Dayal Patterson, will be released on May 31st and is now available for pre-order. The new book includes 300 pages and 21 chapters of brand new and exclusive material, with long, detailed and definitive interviews; featuring four Pagan Records acts: Sacrilegium, Furia, MasseMord and Mord’A’Stigmata.

The newest full-length book in the Black Metal Cult series follows on the good work in Black Metal: Evolution Of The Cult and Black Metal: The Cult Never Dies Vol. One. Designed to be read as either a separate work or as part of the series and presented with a somewhat more old-school aesthetic to the previous two tomes.

Available as a standalone edition or as a box set, featuring a second (colour/gloss) with over 100 pages of photos, a patch, art prints, a deluxe box and numbered illustrated certificate.

The author, Dayal Patterson, comments about exploring Polish black metal: “Along with the bands coming out of territories such as Greece, Norway and Sweden, Polish black metal was something that we kept an eye on as fans since the 90s. It has been a pleasure to be able to explore the scene in more detail in this book series and conduct in-depth interviews with such diverse groups as Xantotol, Arkona, Behemoth, Mastiphal, Evilfeast, Mgla/Kriegsmaschine, Graveland - and in the new book Black Metal: Into The Abyss - Furia, Massemord, Black Altar, Besatt, Mord ‘A’ Stigmata, Sacrilegium and Blaze Of Perdition.”

Static of Mord’A’Stigmata adds: “I did hundreds of interviews since I started this journey called Mord'A'Stigmata in 2004. If someone asks me which of those conversations touched the real soul of the band, I definitely should point to my talk with Dayal. The work he did preparing his last book, could not be overrated. It was a challenge to answer all these profound questions, but results are amazing."

S. of Blaze of Perdition comments: "The simple, yet not that easy, trick of journalism is to ask the right people the right questions and Dayal does just that.”

Pre-order at this location.

US black metal underground act Wormreich will release a split album, Infirmos Vocat Deus Fidei, with Vesterian, Gravespawn and Diabolus Amator. The album is set to be released on May 28th via via Satanath Records' sub-label Symbol Of Domination (Belarus), and Black Plague Records (North America).

The album will be available in jewel case CD, 500 copies. Today the band has unveiled a sampler for the upcoming album:

Wormreich Frontman Vulk stated: "On our end, you can also expect split vinyl with Kult Ov Azazel and Hod in the coming months, all while work continues on the next full-length!"

Wormreich was formed in 2009 by guitarist/vocalist Vulk and joined by current and former members of Blood Stained Dusk, Ancient (Nor), and Hallows Eve, and despite tragedy and death, Wormreich has returned to unleash Satan’s will upon the Earth. Wormreich is an established touring band, currently signed to Moribund Records, and they have a reputation for putting on air-tight and intense live performances, gaining them great respect and admiration within the extreme metal underground. Currently Wormreich are working on their next full-length album, to be titled Vril: Elixir Of Death And The Void.

About Wormreich’s upcoming albums, Vulk reveals: “As of now, we are currently in the process of writing and recording our next full-length album, to be titled Vril: Elixir Of Death And The Void. We will also be putting out three split releases through various labels this year: a split 12” LP with Florida’s legendary Kult Ov Azazel, a split 7” with Texas black/death titans Hod, and a split CD with North Carolina’s Vesterian and two other artists yet to be announced. More details will be released in due time. We also wish to announce that our first full-length album, 2011’s Edictvm DCLXVI, will be reissued sometime this year through Black Plague Records.”

Wormreich live:

May (with Kult Ov Azazel)
4 - Nashville, TN - The East Room
6 - Sanford, FL - West End Trading
7 - Deerfield Beach, FL - American Rock Bar
8 - Tampa, FL - The Brass Mug

"This album is certainly the darkest album I've ever recorded", states Bloody Hammers mastermind Anders Manga, who stays on the dark path to the nether world and opens the seven gates with Lovely Sort Of Death. Today Bloody Hammers unveils the album artwork, tracklisting and release date of their upcoming album.

Lovely Sort Of Death tracklisting:

“Bloodletting On The Kiss”
“Lights Come Alive”
“The Reaper Comes”
“Messalina”
“Infinite Gaze To The Sun”
“Stoke The Fire”
“Ether”
“Shadow Out Of Time”
“Astral Traveler”
“Catastrophe”
 
Deluxe Edition Bonus CD:
“Altar Of Fear”
“The Shrine”
“Halloween”
“At Dawn They Sleep”

Fomats:

Limited 4 Panel Digipack CD
1LP Gatefold edition
Strictly Limited 4 Page Digipack & Bonus CD - 300 worldwide
Strictly Limited 1LP Gatefold & Bonus CD - 200 worldwide

Lovely Sort Of Death will be released on August 5th via Napalm Records.

Anders Manga on Lovely Sort Of Death: "We live high on a mountain with a steep treacherous driveway so when any snowfall happens, we're stuck for days. Luckily, as a result of all the isolation, my songwriting mood ended up much more on the darker side than previous records. The songs are heavy, but not always heavy. I wanted to create more atmosphere than before. It's a stylistically varied record, which I'm very proud of. I used the Moog more on this album, which blends well with the heavy guitar fuzz tones. It's definitely my favourite album so far in every way."

Bloody Hammers are a duo who hail from the mountains of Transylvania County, NC. The project and first self-titled release was originally formed as a studio only project with vocalist/songwriter, Anders Manga producing and recording all instruments. Soon Anders decided to take the project from the studio to a real band by recruiting his wife Devallia to play keyboards and other local musicians for live shows.

In late 2013 Anders was approached by one of Europe's largest rock and metal labels, Napalm Records. In 2014 Napalm released Bloody Hammers' third official album titled Under Satan's Sun. Through the snowy winter of 2015, Anders began writing again, but this time took a much darker and atmospheric direction. For the first time he added thick Moog sounds along with his normal fuzzed-out guitar, with more atmospheric keys provided by Devallia. They emerged from the winter with Lovely Sort Of Death, their darkest album yet.

Cadaveric Poison, the old school death/thrash metal project featuring members of Master (Paul Speckmann) and Witchburner (Simon Seegel and Felix Darnieder), will release their self-titled debut album on April 29th via Metal On Metal Records. A lyric video for the track “Bombs Away”, as well as a new promo clip, can be found below.

Tracklisting:

“Cadaveric”
“The Few”
“Rollover”
“Fight For Evil”
“Forfeit The Race”
“Never Put All Your Stones In One Basket”
“Face The Whore”
“Bombs Away”
“Violence Breeds Violence”
“Poison”

“Bombs Away” lyric video:

Promo clip:

“The Few”:

Rudra, Singapore's unholy kings and the true pioneers of Vedic metal, have announced details of their upcoming eighth album. The extreme metal veterans are on the verge of celebrating their 25th anniversary as a band. Their upcoming eighth album is said to be the band's most aggressive release so far.

Rudra’s eighth album is now officially titled Enemy Of Duality. Front man Kathir Aryaputra says, "The whole album is based on a Sanskrit text called Mandukya Karikas. The text takes a radical stand on non-duality. So we coupled that philosophy with Extreme Metal. Hence, we thought Enemy Of Duality could be the best suitable title for this album.”

Further more, guitarist Vinod adds, "This is probably the first album where we have introduced numerous instruments such as Digeridoo, Sitar, Tabla etc., for various tracks in this album. A lot of time and thought has been put in each track, hence it took a lot of effort to get the right tone for all the instruments during the recording stage.”

Studio footage of Rudra's drummer recording for the eighth album can be seen below. Stay tuned for more details, coming soon.

 

According to The Hollywood Reporter, MÖTLEY CRÜE drummer Tommy Lee has listed his Calabasas, California home for $5.99 million.

Official description of the house courtesy of Rodeo Realty: "Unique celebrity-owned view property with recording studio in a guard-gated community of Calabasas. This custom estate has panoramic jetliner views of the valley and is perched on its own hilltop in a cul-de-sac enclave w/other custom homes. The main house is almost 10,000 square feet with a subterranean (approximately 3000 square feet) garage, of which approximately 2000 sqft. now houses a state-of-the-art recording studio with control and two live rooms. This property features an Atrium in the middle of the home with retractable roof, and sprawling bamboo that sets the tone for a very serene zen-like feel to the open floor plan. Additional features of the home include indoor koi pond, indoor spa, wood-beamed ceilings, home theater, wine room with secondnd kitchen, separate bar area, five bedrooms, including stunning master retreat with views, six baths, library/office, two fireplaces, piano shaped swimming pool with spa. All this just up the street from Calabasas country club which features a championship golf course."

Check out photos of the property at this location.

Lee sold his last house, in nearby Malibu, in late 2004 for $2,475,000, according to public records. Lee had paid $800,000 in 1995 for that 7,462-square-foot house on 2.49 acres. The house had made the news back in 2001 when a four-year-old boy died after accidentally drowning in the house's swimming pool during a birthday party.

Selling your home may be the most stressful shit EVER! Who wants it?

— T❍mmy L33 (@MrTommyLand) April 13, 2016

"X", a brand new song from HELLYEAH, can be streamed below. The track is taken from the band's fifth album, "Unden!able", which will be released on June 3 via Eleven Seven Music.

The band gave fans the first taste of "Unden!able" with lead single "Human", which was welcomed by fans who are embracing the band's return to form with more than three hundred thousand views on YouTube after two months.

"Unden!able" marks the first time HELLYEAH's current lineup — vocalist Chad Gray, guitarists Tom Maxwell and Christian Brady, drummer Vinnie Paul and bassist Kyle Sanders — has recorded together as a unit, promising a very special return to their true metal roots.

HELLYEAH's official video for "Human", which is due out very soon, was filmed in Los Angeles under the direction of Robert Sexton, who also helmed clips for "Hush" and "Moth", both Top 10 singles from 2014's critically acclaimed "Blood For Blood" album.

"Unden!able" was produced in Las Vegas at The Hideout Recording Studio by Kevin Churko (PAPA ROACH, ROB ZOMBIE), and showcases everything that the band’s fans have come to know and love in a more focused, concise, and powerful sound, with Churko co-writing all songs.

The album art by William Felch and Chad Gray features a predatory, gleaming eye with an exclamation point pupil — the ultimate signifier of what’s inside: anger, pain and a hyper-focused, high octane, heavy metal collection for the ages.

Maxwell offered: "There's a lot of new stuff coming out that we've never tried before, and a lot of heavy shit… It's gonna be moody, it's gonna be dark, it's gonna be crushing, it's gonna be heartbreaking, it's gonna be everything. So it's going to be a proper take-off from our last record, but with a lot of new surprises, musically and lyrically. We are moving forward with the path that we've taken with 'Blood For Blood'. It's a really, really savage album, and we’re really excited for fans to hear it."

"Unden!able" will be available just in time for HELLYEAH's upcoming "Hell Pop Tour" with IN THIS MOMENT, which starts on June 18 in Des Moines, Iowa. This run will follow HELLYEAH's "We're All In This Together" headlining tour which also features ESCAPE THE FATE, NEW YEARS DAY and FROM ASHES TO NEW, kicking off May 2 in Baltimore, Maryland.

Fans who purchase tickets from participating venues for the "We're All In This Together" tour receive a free tour eight-track sampler — comprised of two songs from each band, including "Human".

"Unden!able" track listing:

01. !02. X03. Scratch A Lie04. Be Unden!able05. Human06. Leap of Faith07. Blood Plague08. I Don't Care Anymore09. Live Or Die10. Love Falls11. 10-3412. STARTARIOT13. Grave

Iconic rockers SCORPIONS will hit the road in May for twelve North American headlining dates with Mikkey Dee, formerly of MOTÖRHEAD, sitting in on drums. Dee will be filling in for James Kottak, who is currently on break while he seeks medical attention.

Swedish-born Mikkey Dee joined MOTÖRHEAD in 1992 and is well-respected among the rock and metal community. SCORPIONS singer Klaus Meine states: "We would like to continue our 'Return To Forever' tour with James, but we have to realize that his health is priority. We wish James a speedy recovery and he will be back to rock you later in the fall! We look forward to seeing all our fans this month."

SCORPIONS kick off the 2016 U.S. leg with twelve dates in May beginning at Carolina Rebellion in Charlotte, North Carolina on May 6. The run includes a Las Vegas residency.

Kottak rejoined the SCORPIONS on the road in November 2014, eight months after he spent a month in a Dubai, United Arab Emirates jail in April for insulting Islam.

Kottak, who had been receiving treatment for alcohol abuse, released a statement in June 2014 in which he said "this entire incident caused me to realize that it is time to stop drinking once and for all so that I can become the father, musician, and friend that I know I can be."

For some of SCORPIONS' 2014 concerts, Swedish drummer Johan Franzon filled in for Kottak.

Because of his arrest, Kottak did not perform with his bandmates at the April 5, 2014 show at the Formula One Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix and was replaced at the gig by Mark Cross (TAINTED NATION, FIREWIND, OUTLOUD, HELLOWEEN, METALLIUM).

SCORPIONS vocalist Klaus Meine told the SCORPIONS French fan club Crazyscorps in October 2014 about Kottak: "With James, you know, when he went through this unfortunate incident in Dubai, we said, 'At this point, it's good if you take a break. Not so much for us, but for yourself. And not so much being the drummer of the SCORPIONS, but for yourself being a family man. And you should go into rehab and don't think about anything else but just try to clean out yourself and come back the same James we know for so many years that's been not only our drummer, but also our friend, and a great guy.' So, giving him that time, we played this whole stretch of shows with a great Swedish drummer, Johan Franzon. And now, of course, we want James back, and we said to him, 'The door is open for you to come back. But first, it's up to you, and you have to take care about yourself, take it serious, go through a serious rehab, and then the door will be open for you.'"

Dee was originally scheduled to play drums for THIN LIZZY on the latter band's forthcoming anniversary shows planned for 2016 and 2017 but recently bowed out of the dates. He has since been replaced in that group's touring lineup by JUDAS PRIEST's Scott Travis.

Sweden’s The Order Of Israfel will unleash their second studio album, The Red Robes,  on May 27th via Napalm Records. A music video for the track “Von Sturmer” can be seen below:

The album will be available as 6-page digipack with bonus DVD, as well as 2LP Gatefold edition with bonus DVD.

Tracklisting:

“Staff In The Sand”
“The Red Robes”
“In Thrall To The Sorceress”
“Swords To The Sky”
“Von Sturmer”
“Fallen Children”
“A Shadow In The Hills”
“The Thirst”

Bonus DVD: Live At Sweden Rock Festival 2015

“The Noctuus”
“The Earth Will Deliver What Heaven Desires”
“On Black Wings, A Demon”
“Promises Made To The Earth”
“Wisdom/Morning Sun” (Satanas)

DVD trailer:

After excessively touring with their recent album Berlin in 2015, Kadavar has cooked up a new and exciting project for 2016, to keep them and their followers busy during the winter-break. Together with long-time friend and collaborator Nathini van der Meer , who has created artwork and videos for them in the past, they are working on their first "Visual Album"- 12 short films accompanying each of the albums' songs, to be released once a month throughout the entirety of the year.

Check out a new video for the Berlin album track “Filthy Illusion”, streaming below:

A video for “Pale Blue Eyes” can be seen below:

Kadavar recently teamed up with Scion A/V Metal and Skybound Entertainment (The Walking Dead, Outcast) to release "Words Of Evil," a brand new, unreleased song.

Commented Kadavar singer Lupus: "Originally we had written the song for our album Berlin, but thought it would stick out too much and decided not to put it on the album. Nevertheless I think it is one of the best songs we've ever written. At least it is one of my faves. A lot of NWOHBM and straight to your face!"

Download the track via the Soundcloud player below:

"Screaming Mad" Dee Calhoun, the voice of doom legends Iron Man, will issue his debut solo release, Rotgut, on June 6th via Argonauta Records on CD/DD. A music video for the album’s title track is streaming below.

Rotgut was recorded at Dee's home studio, The Dustbuster, in Frederick Maryland. Mastering was done in nearby Thurmont Maryland, by Doug Benson at Commodore Recording Studio. The album cover is based upon a concept by Dee Calhoun, and photographed by Jaki Cunha.

Rotgut tracklisting:
 
“Unapologetic”
“Rotgut”
“Not Everyone Wins A Prize”
“Little 'Houn, Daddy 'Houn” (featuring Rob Calhoun)
“Babelkowa”
“Backstabbed In Backwater”
“The Train Back Home”
“Sincerely Yours”
“Deifendör”
“Cast Out The Crow”
“Winter: A Dirge”
“At Long Day's End”

“Rotgut” video:

Teaser:

MOTÖRHEAD has dismissed as a "lie" BLACK STONE CHERRY bassist Jon Lahwon's claim that he was offered cocaine by late MOTÖRHEAD frontman Lemmy and other members of the MOTÖRHEAD camp when the two bands toured together more than six years ago.

Asked by Sweden's RockSverige.se if he had any good Lemmy stories from BLACK STONE CHERRY's 2009 tour with MOTÖRHEAD and whether he had a chance to sit down and talk to the iconic MOTÖRHEAD rocker, Jon said: "Not at a length, no. But we did meet him and did speak with him. The funniest thing from the whole tour was [that] all of them — not just Lemmy, [but] all of them — would offer us whisky and coke every day. Not whisky and [Coca-Cola], but whisky and cocaine. They would offer it to us, like, every day, and we were, like, 'Well, we can get down with the whisky, but the cocaine, we're all right.' But it was every day that they would offer it to us, and it was, like, every day we'd tell 'em that no, we didn't [do cocaine], and we got the same speech every day: 'Wow! We can't believe you're in rock and roll and don't do cocaine.' And we were, like, 'We just talked about this yesterday.' They didn't remember. They just didn't realize they had just said the same thing to us the day before."

A day after the above quote was published on BLABBERMOUTH.NET, the administrator of MOTÖRHEAD's Facebook page posted a link to the article and added the following message: "Mikkey [Dee, MOTÖRHEAD drummer] has never done drugs. The only coke Lemmy loved went in his Jack Daniel's.

"Sad to see people the band helped lie.

"An apology would be the decent thing..."

BLACK STONE CHERRY has since taken to Facebook to respond to the criticism the band has received for its bassist's allegedly faulty memory. The group wrote: "For the record, we LOVE and RESPECT MOTÖRHEAD 100%. We have nothing bad to say about them whatsoever. Gotta love how publications take something you say lightly and run with it."

Dee was reluctant to discuss Lemmy's drug use when asked about it by Sweden Rock Magazine during a recent interview. He said: "I don't know if I want to sit here and say what he was and wasn't doing. I can say this: he quit doing everything for quite a long while, because he was actually shocked when he became ill [in 2013]. I just know that he told me: 'The day you try drugs, you're fucking fired.' [Laughs] I've never tried drugs. I drink my beer, but he made sure that I would never try drugs. If I'd done that, the whole thing would've crashed."

BLACK STONE CHERRY's fifth studio album, "Kentucky", was released on April 1 via Mascot Label Group.

In a brand new interview with Syracuse.com, Joe Perry was asked if there will be another album and tour from AEROSMITH at some point in the not-too-distant future. He said: "We go through a cycle. We'll make a record, and then we tour behind it..."

"Everybody wants to do another AEROSMITH record, but I really can't say when it's going to be or when the next big tour will be."

AEROSMITH briefly toured last year but hasn't released a studio album since 2012.

Despite what Steven Tyler hinted at earlier this month, Perry said that AEROSMITH has not yet decided on whether its next major tour will be a farewell trek. While on hiatus, the band members have been keeping busy with solo projects — Perry will be hitting the road with his star-studded side project HOLLYWOOD VAMPIRES, featuring Alice Cooper, Johnny Depp, former GUNS N' ROSES drummer Matt Sorum, and STONE TEMPLE PILOTS bassist Robert DeLeo. AEROSMITH guitarist Brad Whitford has joined forces once again with Derek St. Holmes for 19-date spring and summer run, while Steven Tyler puts the finishing touches on his debut solo album.

Perry spoke frankly about the state of AEROSMITH today, admitting to Rolling Stone: "A farewell tour is something we've talked about doing for years, let's say roughly in the last five years. It's just something the band's talked about at various times. At this point, the five of us have never sat down and said, 'It's time to do it.' So 'considering' is an appropriate word for that statement. A farewell tour is definitely not confirmed."

Perry spoke about the band gravitating towards working on their own in 2016: "It's very rare you get this much time, considering the way we've always been on the road or been in the studio doing whatever, so it's been a good time to do some of these other projects. Steven has been off working really hard on his solo thing. I know it's something he's always wanted to do. He puts so much into AEROSMITH, he's never really given himself the time to do this, so it's worked out really well for him. I don't really hear from him much but I wouldn't expect that I would considering he's working on a record and doing gigs and the whole thing. But when things start gearing up, we start rehearsing for the South American tour, I'm sure we'll start forming a plan for the next year or two or whatever."

Perry said that although AEROSMITH splitting isn't something he's looking forward to, he feels that the band is nearing the end. "It's getting to be about that time, but I'm really looking forward to the VAMPIRES thing," he said. "And I know Brad's doing stuff with Derek and they're buddies from way back. Everybody's got stuff that they're doing, so it's kind of up the middle. It's inevitable that once we get back together I'll be ready to play 'Dream On' again."

Legendary musician Prince was found unresponsive on the morning of Thursday, April 21st at his home at Paisley Park Studios in Chanhassen, a Minneapolis suburb, and later declared dead. The Grammy/Oscar/Golden Globe winning artist was 57.

According to Billboard, Prince’s legendary song "Purple Rain" might not have happened without a little cooperation from the members of Journey.

Singer/songwriter Jonathan Cain tells Billboard that he was notified in early 1984 that Prince wanted to speak with him. Curious, Cain went to Columbia Records' offices in Los Angeles and took a call from Prince, who told Cain, "I want to play something for you, and I want you to check it out. The chord changes are close to “Faithfully”” - a top 20 single from Journey's 1983 album Frontiers - "and I don't want you to sue me." After listening, Cain says, "I thought it was an amazing tune, and I told him, 'Man, I'm just super-flattered that you even called. It shows you're that classy of a guy. Good luck with the song. I know it's gonna be a hit.' And it was “Purple Rain”.”

The two songs definitely share more than just similar chords, including the wordless outer vocals and the tone of the guitar solos. "Prince felt, I guess, it was obvious enough that he was worried we were going to sue him," Journey guitarist Neal Schon recalls. "I think he called our office asking about it and we all talked about it and everybody said, 'Nah, it's the highest form of flattery. Let it go.'"

 But Cain never had a moment's second thought about even asking for a co-writing credit on the anthem. "No, no, that'll just bring bad juju on you, and you don't want to do that," Cain says. "I just thought it seriously showed the kind of caring, classy guy Prince was. He wanted to check in with Jonathan Cain and make sure I wasn't going to say, 'That sounds like "Faithfully”.’ There's so many other things that have come down the pike that were more of a rip-off, that have stolen Journey songs. There was a One Direction song I was upset about and I just let it roll. But that particular phone call [from Prince] was amazing."

Read the full story at Billboard.com.

 

To celebrate Record Store Day on April 16th, Metallica invited members of their Fan Club and some old friends from back in the day to Rasputin Music for a little gig. Videos for all songs that the band performed can be seen below.

The show is available to download from Live Metallica.

Setlist:

“Helpless”
“Hit The Lights”
“The Four Horsemen”
“Ride The Lightning”
Kirk Solo
“Fade To Black”
“Jump In The Fire”
“For Whom The Bell Tolls”
“Creeping Death”
“Metal Militia”

Fly on the wall footage shot by the MetOnTour reporter at Rasputin Music can be see below. Footage includes a loose, unplanned jam on "Helpless”, a ripping performance of "Jump In The Fire" and a bit from the after party at the old El Cerrito Metalli-mansion.

On August 20th, Metallica will headline the first rock concert at US Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, the new home of the NFL's Minnesota Vikings. They are currently in the studio working on a new album.

Swedish riff lords GRAND MAGUS will release their eighth studio album, "Sword Songs", on May 13 through Nuclear Blast. The cover artwork for the CD was created by acclaimed artist Anthony Roberts.

The song "Forged In Iron - Crowned In Steel", taken from "Sword Songs", can be streamed below.

GRAND MAGUS vocalist Janne "J.B." Christofferson commented: "We put all of our sweat, blood and tears into this new album and I think that you can hear that. For me, 'Sword Songs' is the best GRAND MAGUS album ever! The new songs are faster and more aggressive than on 'Triumph And Power', and we have also included some more extreme and harder stuff. I'm convinced that there are some future classics on the disc!"

"Sword Songs" was produced by Nico Elgstrand at Studio Supa in Stockholm, Sweden. Guitars, vocals and bass were recorded at Studio Supa while the drums were laid down with Roberto Laghi at Top Floor Studios in Gothenburg, Sweden. The album was mixed by Roberto Laghi (Oral Majority Records, Gothenburg) and mastered by Svante Forsbäck (Chartmakers, Helsinki).

"Sword Songs" track listing:

01. Freja's Choice02. Varangian03. Forged In Iron - Crowned In Steel04. Born For Battle (Black Dog Of Brocéliande)05. Master Of The Land06. Last One To Fall07. Frost And Fire08. Hugr09. Everyday There's A Battle To Fight

Bonus Tracks (digipak only)

10. In For The Kill11. Stormbringer (DEEP PURPLE cover)