For 10 months, the northern German band Mob Rules ensconced themselves in their studio, now they are set to present the results of their hard work: Tales From Beyond, the eighth studio recording by the group, impresses with a deeply melodic mix of progressive and power metal. Check out a new video trailer below:



When it comes to their lyrics, Mob Rules continue to go their own unmistakable path, influenced by historic events and inspired by literature. The album will be available on March 18th on Steamhammer/SPV as Digipak (including one bonus track + poster), double colored vinyl LP and digital download. In addition, there will be an extra iTunes version including an additional exclusive bonus track called “Ghost Town”, which has also been newly recorded.

Their powerful songs and haunting chorus parts have earned Mob Rules an excellent reputation over the past two decades both in their native country and abroad. Their anniversary boxed set Timekeeper, which arrived at the stores in October 2014, has been incontestable proof of the complexity and uniqueness of their material. Tales From Beyond sees an evolution of the band’s earthy and multi-faceted sound while the Celtic/British influences of their music have been honed even more finely. The current album is marked by a “new directness” which not only goes down well with Mob Rules’ own fans but will also win the group many a new metal fan. This applies all the more as Mob Rules entrusted the production of Tales From Beyond again to the tried and tested hands of sound engineer Markus Teske (Vanden Plas, Firewind, among others).

April will see Mob Rules join Axel Rudi Pell as special guests on his extensive tour, presenting the songs from Tales From Beyond live for the first time.

Finnish modern metallers, Volymian, have inked a deal with Canadian label Maple Metal Records to release their debut album, Maze Of Madness, worldwide on April 15th.

Volymian was founded in 2008, and the band went through various member changes before settling down with the sextet that recorded Maze Of Madness. Most recently, vocalist Markku Kuikka (Status Minor, The Ragged Saints, Kenziner) joined the band in 2015 for the new album. Previously the band had recorded three EPs with a different vocalist. Maze Of Madness was recorded at Artlab Studio, Helsinki, and produced by Volymian. The album was mastered by Jacob Hansen (Volbeat, Primal Fear, Epica, Amaranthe) in Denmark.

Jacob Hansen shares his comments on the album: "Volymian is great! I’m very impressed with the performances and song writing. Excellent stuff they’ve got going."

The album cover artwork was designed by Satu Velasco. An album teaser video can be found below.

UK metallers, Haken, announce the release of Affinity'their fourth full-length studio album and the follow-up to their 2013 album The Mountain, on April 29th. Head over to the band's website to discover a teaser for the album.

Since releasing their Restoration EP in 2014, Haken have been making waves on the live circuit, including appearances at high-profile festivals such as Hellfest, Ramblin' Man Fair, Be Prog! My Friend and Cruise to the Edge as well as supporting the likes of Between The Buried & Me and The Neal Morse Band, a double headline UK tour with Leprous, and their first North American headline tour.

Recorded during the winter months of 2015, Affinity marks a new approach to the song-writing process for Haken, as vocalist Ross Jennings explains; "It is the most collaborative we have ever been on an album. We wanted to develop and expand our sound by having every member contribute initial ideas from the very beginning of the process. It naturally takes longer to filter through the mass of material and fit it all together coherently, but this approach has helped to create something completely fresh whilst maintaining the core elements of Haken's sound."

The band once again called upon Jens Bogren at Fascination Street Studios (Opeth, Devin Townsend, Between The Buried And Me) for mixing and mastering duties. "He is a wizard in this department! We are always confident his mix will bring out the best from our performance and this is no exception," remarks keyboardist Diego Tejeida.

Like much of Haken's previous music, Affinity is full of surprises and “The Architect”, the album's centrepiece, is no exception. Blasting through a dizzying array of instrumental insanity coupled with down-tempo atmospheric tenuity, Haken welcomes friend and Leprous frontman Einar Solberg mid-song for a spot of guest vocals! Just one of many twists and turns throughout this 60-minute musical lobotomy, Haken's Affinity will open up a new dimension in this UK sextet's trajectory.

Affinity will arrive as a Limited Edition Digipak (incl. bonus disc with instrumentals), 180g Gatefold 2 LP Edition (incl. album on CD), Standard CD Jewel Case, Digital Download and Deluxe Digital Download (incl. instrumental version of the album as bonus).



Tracklisting:

“affinity.exe”
“Initiate”
“1985”
“Lapse”
“The Architect”
“Earthrise”
“Red Giant”
“The Endless Knot”
“Bound By Gravity”

Earlier in the week it was revealed that the annual ‘Hellfest Open Air‘ festival in Clisson, France had lost a €20,000 grant from the French government for refusing to eject Down from the lineup. That standoff of course emerged following Down frontman Phil Anselmo‘s racist outbursts at the ‘Dimebash‘ event last month and the band’s inclusion on this year’s edition of the ‘Hellfest Open Air‘ festival. Anselmo has since apologized numerous times for his actions.

Hellfest Productions president Ben Barbaud has now issued an open letter on his side of the matter, stating that he feels the withdrawl of funding was not so much due to Anselmo‘s presence, but a power move done by a politician intolerant and ignorant of heavy metal culture.

“Dear Mme Garnier, Mr Retailleau, President of the Cultural Commission and President of the Regional Council of Pays de la Loire respectively.

It has taken you barely more than two months to elaborate your famous pretext used to cancel the 10 year long, historical partnership between the Pays de la Loire region and the HELLFEST festival; the biggest modern music festival in France, which I represent.

No, Madame Garnier you have had no intention of meeting with me, despite my many requests since your appointment, in December 2015, to the regional council. An appointment had indeed been arranged, but only with your “assistant.” I consider this proof of your lack of consideration for our festival, just recently voted best French festival for the second year in a row. Today we were informed of a sudden change to this appointment; finally you will be present. To what do we owe this honour of your presence so suddenly? Is it out of necessity to defend your stance, given your recent media outpourings.
I have read with great interest your recent communiqués to date. Statements published on social media networks to your 5000 followers. I would hasten to reply under the same form but before the scrutiny of our 300 000 followers.

I would glady have given you answers had you had the courtesy to contact me before throwing opprobrium onto an event which has never had the slightest incident to mention. An event for which the majority of the Loire’s inhabitants, national media and Prefecture have nothing but praise for its organisation and harmonious atmosphere. For I have learned of your “demand to exclude the group DOWN from our festival” via the press – a strange way to communicate with an organisation that is a so-called partner.

I will endeavour to give you my version of events, and by beginning with the facts your real intentions against our festival will come to light. Unlike you, I have no reason to hide my intentions, and I have no reason to lie to the electorate since I am not standing for office. To be honest, I am disgusted by politics, like many of my fellow citizens. It is my passion for my work and music that obliges me to write to you; regrettably, as I would have greatly preferred it were otherwise.

You received on February 2, an email from the collective “Provocs Hellfest ça suffit” (a collective renowned for their fierce opposition to our festival) informing you of an incident in the USA. You would see the artist Philip Anselmo, whom you had never heard of 72h previous, giving a Hitler salute and shouting “White power.”

We, like you, and I speak on behalf of the heavy metal music community, denounce this inexcusable effusion. Nevertheless, you deliberately omit to mention that this man has made multiple, public apologies, and has sworn that he is not anti-Semitic nor does he have hateful feelings towards any creed or kin. Moreover, we know this person and consider ourselves responsible and able enough to justify his presence among the many guests at our festival. This is in no way an act of complacency with regard to inappropriateness, as you have insinuated, for the festival that I head is, and never will be, a platform for racist or hateful rhetoric.

This person committed a grave error that he regrets sincerely, it would be fallacious to consider him as someone he is not. I could send you a long list of artists known for pushing the boundaries of provocation under the influence of alcohol and drugs. Rock ‘n’ roll has always had its excesses that only its fans and connoisseurs can understand and forgive. David Bowie in his time, Sid Vicious, I could go on… Philip Anselmo has acted, I grant you, on this occasion as an imbecile. He is a provocative and fiery artist like many born out of Rock ‘n’ roll, but an artist that I would defend because I am certain that he does not belong among those who are hate-filled and spread nauseating ideas…

Admit it, though, this does not interest you, only the pretext by which to please your electorate through cutting your ties to our event. Must I remind you that you have continually voted against supporting our cause (financially and morally) for the past 10 years in the opposition government? To hear you say that since your election, your regional council has never “withdrawn support for the festival nor even threatened to,” is but another of many political machinations designed to beguile the electorate in the Loire of your real intentions.

This festival has been such a successful adventure and example of human success. It has eradicated much prejudice against a stigmatised and caricatured public, too often wrongly judged as violent, occultist, even satanic. You must doubtlessly belong to those few remaining persons to realise this fact. This is as much a pity as it is worrying as the people in the Loire have put their trust in you to deliver a policy of cultural diversity in the Pays de la Loire region.

This dynamic region should rejoice and be proud to see a group of passionate youngsters succeed in creating such a successful venture in rural France! We have created 15 full-time jobs, 500 part-time and temporary contracts in an unpredictable cultural sector! We have generated more than €5m of revenue for the Nantais wine industry and have been a formidable communication tool for tourism in a lesser known area!

I dare to hope that as a taxpayer in the Loire and Vendée, that my colleagues and cultural peers will not have to face the same wrath of your moralising convictions which, to me, are a barrier to freedom and cultural creativity. It is one of the few remaining cultural jewels in our economic crown that France can be proud of.

Throughout its existence, the festival has remained apolitical, yet we are not and have never been fooled by your intentions. An interview in December 2015 on the television channel France 3 confirmed our concerns. You replied in the interview: “Hellfest? I don’t like it…” “Have you ever been to Hellfest?” “No, because I don’t like it.”

Easy to see that you would have a hard time convincing many inhabitants that your main priority was to strengthen the partnership with our event, which you see as satanic and violent.

So, allow me to reiterate: keep your grant. We who love extreme music have no moral lessons to learn from politicians who have never taken the time to come, see and understand our event for themselves and then try to impose a code of conduct. Wouldn’t you agree that it is the organisers and festival-goers to decide what is good and proper for our event of which you know nothing? Wouldn’t it be better as elected officials to concentrate on the real problems that eat away at our society rather than to vent your anger on a festival and community of music lovers who, for 3 days, celebrate their passion in peace and harmony; and that almost the entire population of Clisson praises for their respect, politeness and kindness?

Madame Garnier, Monsieur Retailleau, you are going the wrong way and I am sad to have to say it, but your political tactics cannot mask the reality of the situation: you simply had to find a pretext with which to put an end to our partnership. One matter of concern on our side, we have been prepared for this since your election. HELLFEST is, and will always remain apolitical, pacifistic, and independent. A festival organised BY fans FOR fans that will never cease to make heard the music you deem so diabolical and unsavoury, contrary to all those who have the chance to come and hear it.

I challenge you to find but one person who has attended our event who is able to prove that our festival incites racial or religious hatred. You would not find a single one, Madame and Monsieur elected officials, once again you are fighting the wrong fight.

Madame Garnier, I am aware of your candidacy for the mandate to the city of Nantes; a place dear to my heart, a town of cultural richness I am so proud. I urge you to rethink your position for I would find it hard to bear living (and many Nantais too) in a Nantes with “selective culture.”

May our extinguished grant go to help other dynamic, innovative and creative cultural associations that dare to dream and know when to push the limits of political correctness… BORN TO LOSE, LIVE TO WIN, LONG LIVE ROCK’N’ROLL!

Ben Barbaud
President of the association HELLFEST PRODUCTIONS

Ps. Forgiveness and understanding are not only Christian virtues. Those of us passionate about HELLFEST and extreme music are also people capable of debating and accepting differences of opinion. The doors of our “festival of hell” are always open to you, and I remain convinced that our hundreds of thousands of fans would be delighted to show you to what extent our event is just love and fraternity!”

New York hardcore unit Manipulate is streaming their Becoming Madness EP in its entirety below:

Manipulate's aptly-titled Becoming Madness EP, set for release via Flatspot Records on February 12th, presents an explicit look at the human condition divided into equal parts anger, cynicism and concern yet labeling Manipulate as "positive hardcore" would be grossly inappropriate. There is very little positivity to be found when those around you are dying as a result of their own actions. Nor is there an ounce of honor amongst those who choose to waste their own time on earth, as well as the time of others. Equally disenchanting are the ones whose disregard for friends and family overpowers that of love and loyalty.
 
Becoming Madness was tracked during the summer of 2015 by Jeff "Stress" Davis at Chopshop Studios with vocals recorded by John Grant at Madhouse NYC, mixed by Taylor Young at The Pit Studios, and mastered by Brad Boatright at Audiosiege. The band’s namesake track is streaming below.

Tracklisting:

“Becoming Madness”
“Beaten Path”
“Sin Upon Sin”
“Slip Away”
“Time Marches On”
“Manipulate”

“Manipulate”:

Becoming Madness will be released in a limited run of 500 7” vinyl in two color variations; 350 black and 150 gold/black. Physical preorders are available at this location. Digital preorders can be found on iTunes.



window._taboola = window._taboola || [];
_taboola.push({
mode: 'thumbnails-a',
container: 'taboola-below-article-thumbnails',
placement: 'Below Article Thumbnails',
target_type: 'mix'
});

Vancouver, BC-based heavy metal / stoner rock band, Black Wizard, released their new album, New Waste, on January 29th via Listenable Records. The full album is now available for streaming:

Black Wizard formed in 2009 between four high school friends. Founding members Adam Grant and Eugene Parkomenko, still in the original lineup, were both working a shitty construction job at the time, cranking the likes of Thin Lizzy, Deep Purple, Witch, Electric Wizard as loud as possible to get through the day on site.

Black Wizard is now releasing their brand new record, New Waste, and will be touring the US and Europe again in the next six months.

Tracklisting:

“Revival”
“Harsh Time”
“Laughing and Lost”
“Vivian Girls”
“Eliminator”
“Unnecessary Evil”
“Waiting For”
“The Priest”
“Final Ripper”

"Harsh Time":

(Photo - Milton Stille)



window._taboola = window._taboola || [];
_taboola.push({
mode: 'thumbnails-a',
container: 'taboola-below-article-thumbnails',
placement: 'Below Article Thumbnails',
target_type: 'mix'
});

Swedish melodic doom/death metallers, October Tide, have announced details regarding their forthcoming fifth studio album, Winged Waltz. Set to be released on April 22nd via Agonia Records, the record will feature eight brand new tracks and cover artwork prepared by Albin Högbom.



Tracklisting:

“Swarm”
“Sleepless Sun”
“Reckless Abandon”
“A Questioin Ignite”
“Nursed By The Cold”
“Lost In Rapture”
“Perilous”
“Coffins Of November”

Studio video:



Alexander Högbom (vocals) commented on Winged Waltz: "This is undoubtedly the best and most emotionally charged material October Tide has created, in my opinion. I know how much hard work Fredrik (guitars) has put into making this album and you can really feel the thought behind it all. I almost injured myself physically and was close to pass out a couple of times during the recording of the vocals. I gave it all to match the intense music and those powerful lyrics and I'm very happy with the result".

The successor to Tunnel Of No Light (2013) has been recorded, mixed and mastered in Wing Studios (Demonical, Centinex, Diabolical) in Sweden and produced by Sverker Widgren.

Winged Waltz will be available in the following formats:

- Digipack CD
- Regular Black Gatefold LP
- Gold LP with Gold Logo Patch (limited to 113 hand-numbered copies)
- Black T-shirt with white and silver print
- Grey T-shirt with gold print
- Digital formats

Playboy.com teamed up with VRLIVE and producer Dann Saxton last May to listen in on some new MOTÖRHEAD tracks, soak up some of frontman Ian "Lemmy" Kilmister's caustic wisdom and capture the whole thing in 360-degree virtual reality. In the just-released clip, which was filmed in Lemmy's North Hollywood studio, he was asked: What would you tell your 20-year-old self about life? Lemmy responded: "Well, you know, I don't know about life; nobody does. We know about death. [Laughs] But life is, like, more complicated. And certain things jump in at you. Just when you've taken a forward, confident step, they blow your fucking candle out. [Laughs] And that's it."

He continued: "It really weird. When I got sick last year, all in one year… I already had diabetes, and then I got fucking kidney failure and all kinds of shit. I was in the hospital twice, you know. I never planned for this shit. I have no frame of reference for being in bed all day with the thing that goes up and down behind me… It's unbelievable. It's like being in a La-Z-Boy [furniture store] with, like, nurses around. [Laughs] I didn't like it much, and I don't plan on going back, if I can help it."

Asked what he thinks about death, Lemmy said: "The thing about death is it's so final, isn't it, really? As far as we know… Nobody has ever come back and told us about it… "

Lemmy, who celebrated his 70th birthday on Christmas Eve (December 24), learned two days later that he was afflicted with an aggressive form of cancer. He died two days later, on December 28, at his home in Los Angeles.

Asked if his illness has made him more aware of his own mortality, Lemmy previously told Classic Rock magazine: "Death is an inevitability, isn't it? You become more aware of that when you get to my age. I don't worry about it. I'm ready for it. When I go, I want to go doing what I do best. If I died tomorrow, I couldn't complain. It's been good."

With their raw, uncompromising sound, MOTÖRHEAD never became a major commercial success, but Lemmy and his cohorts remained a popular live attraction for the next several decades while winning a Grammy in 2005 and recording a total of 22 studio albums. The most edition of the band, featuring guitarist Phil Campbell and drummer Mikkey Dee, spent 22 years together, releasing its now-final album, "Bad Magic", last year.

Brazil's StrikeCanal recently conducted an interview with former JUDAS PRIEST and ICED EARTH singer Tim "Ripper" Owens. You can now watch the chat below. A couple of excerpts follow (transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET).

On whether the songs for JUDAS PRIEST's "Jugulator" album were already written prior to him joining the band:

Owens: "I joined in '96, and a lot of the songs were written throughout those years, not knowing if Rob [Halford, JUDAS PRIEST singer] was coming back or what was going on. So the songs were kind of written just about how they always wrote songs. Glenn [Tipton, JUDAS PRIEST guitarist] said, 'This is how we've always written them.' And it was a fantastic… It was a great run. I felt like family right from the start, and it was really nice, the relationship we had and still have. It was a great relationship. We got along great, and my time [with the band] was fantastic."

On being accused by some JUDAS PRIEST fans of changing the band's sound to a more brutal, modern direction on "Jugulator":

Owens: "Listen, if it's my fault that JUDAS PRIEST changed, then whose fault is it….? Every record JUDAS PRIEST puts out is different. I mean, 'Nostradamus' sounds nothing like JUDAS PRIEST ever wrote, ever. 'Turbo' sounded nothing like JUDAS PRIEST. You know, JUDAS PRIEST changes. They wrote 'Painkiller', and 'Jugulator' was a transition; it was kind of following what was going on. You've gotta remember, JUDAS PRIEST always went with the times a little bit. Glenn started playing arpeggios. PANTERA was really big [at the time]. [On the] 'Painkiller' [tour], they toured with PANTERA; PANTERA opened for JUDAS PRIEST. 'Painkiller' was a heavy record, and this was a natural progression. The difference is I probably had a few more different layers to my voice that they could tap into — some deeper, death metal kind of undertones to do backups and some different types of voices that they might be able to try. But it was JUDAS PRIEST. You've gotta remember: I'm a big fan of JUDAS PRIEST — still am and always was — so me listening to 'Jugulator' and 'Demolition', as a fan, I would be, 'This is great. This is great JUDAS PRIEST stuff.' And as JUDAS PRIEST continued without me, as a fan, I would really look back on the 'Jugulator' record and [go], 'Man, that was some great stuff.' It was JUDAS PRIEST, you know. I mean, not everybody liked 'Turbo'. Some fans did; some didn't. I love JUDAS PRIEST, because they change."

On plans to release original music with PROJECT ROCK (formerly ROCKSTAR), his band with guitarist Keri Kelli (SLASH'S SNAKEPIT, ALICE COOPER, RATT), drummer James Kottak (SCORPIONS, KINGDOM COME), bassist Rudy Sarzo (OZZY OSBOURNE, QUIET RIOT, WHITESNAKE, DIO) and keyboardist Teddy "Zig Zag" Andreadis (GUNS N' ROSES):

Owens: "We actually have an album done. Cleopatra is getting ready to release it. It's a lot different for me. It's a little more straightforward kind of rock. I think it's like hard rock with catchy choruses and just straightforward. Really good stuff. I absolutely love it. It's really good. We started off just going out and doing our music — JUDAS PRIEST and OZZY and whatever — in Russia. And Keri said, 'Man, this is great. Let's write music.' So it should be out within months. I would think either January, maybe February — somewhere in there. And then I'm also doing my third CHARRED WALLS OF THE DAMNED record with Richard Christy. I'll do the vocals for that in January. So I'll have two records coming out within a year — two new records."

Ex-MEGADETH guitarist Marty Friedman has told FoxSanAntonio.com in a new interview that he has nothing but respect for his former band, despite the widespread belief that his split with the Dave Mustaine-led group was acrimonious.

"My years with MEGADETH was a great period of my life," he said. "We were able to create a unique sound and it was a fantastic partnership. I wouldn't want to trade any of my time with MEGADETH for anything. It helped me grow as a musician. It really taught me so much about showmanship and working well with others."

He continued: "What I liked most is that we were all together with one goal. We didn't compromise when it came to making music. And we put out some great albums during my time in the band."

Asked about the status of metal as a genre, Friedman pointed to METALLICA's self-titled 1991 album as a defining release which helped introduce this brand of music to a whole new audience.

"In my opinion, [METALLICA's 'Black' album] is the single most important album in metal," he said. "The sound of metal could have been long gone, but that album helped metal find its place in the mainstream."

He added: "Metal is not the easiest music to play, and its even more difficult to make sound good. METALLICA was able to combine all that was good about metal without compromising who they were. There are some of the best metal songs on that album like 'Enter Sandman', and it really opened the door for so many bands."

Mustaine said in a recent interview that a planned reunion of MEGADETH's "Rust In Peace" lineup — featuring Friedman and drummer Nick Menza — in early 2015 failed to materialize for a number of reasons, including a difference in vision for the band's new music. He said: "Marty had sent some e-mails saying, 'Oh, man, you know, the fans have this self-inflated importance of 'Rust In Peace' beyond what it really is. And I was, like, 'Huh?' So I didn't know if that was a backhand to the face of the fans or not, but he had basically said that if we were gonna do anything, it had to be better than 'Rust In Peace'. And he sent me over some links to some songs that he thought should be the direction that we were going in, and one of it was this J-Pop band with some Japanese girl singing, and I was, like, 'Uh-uh. This ain't gonna work.' More power to [Marty for being into that stuff]. Do what you want, Marty. He's a great guitar player. But I'm not gonna sing like a Japanese girl."

Metal Wani writer William Richards recently conducted an interview with vocalist Chuck Billy of San Francisco Bay Area metallers TESTAMENT. You can now listen to the chat below. A couple of excerpts follow (transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET).

On whether TESTAMENT will perform its recently recorded single, "The Brotherhood Of The Snake", on the upcoming U.S. tour with SLAYER and CARCASS:

"No way! We only have eight songs [to play] on this tour, so… And you don't want… [Before] the single comes out, the last thing you want is people to keep recording it on their phone to pass around; it's the worst awful-sounding recordings of your new stuff. Plus we've gotta hit 'em hard and fast with stuff they know. We've got, like I said, eight songs. I probably won't be talking too much. I'll probably just say 'hello' and 'goodbye' at the end, and just slam through the set, because there's no time."

On the musical direction of the upcoming TESTAMENT album, which will also likely be titled "The Brotherhood Of The Snake":

"Eric [Peterson, TESTAMENT guitarist and main songwriter] just kind of writes as he feels, so, yeah, there is a little bit of everything, but definitely he's got his foot to the pedal a little more on this record. The tempos are a lot faster and there's more blast beats going on all over the place. But, again, there is some other stuff. There's no ballad; I mean, there's nothing that slow, like we did on the last record. But there is some mid… I think one mid-tempo tune. But it ends up thrashing anyhow. Like I said, he has his foot on the gas a little more on this record."

On how the new TESTAMENT material compares to 2012's "Dark Roots Of Earth" album:

"Well, it's definitely not 'Dark Roots'. It's a little more chunkier, but, like I said, it has a lot of blast beats stuff in there, where it gets thrashier. So that's why it's kind of been more of a challenge for me too, 'cause it's something that Eric's doing different that's… It's just not the norm for me to go, 'Oh, okay, that's like this song over here. I'll write this.' It's a challenge, so I enjoy the challenge, and I enjoy the reward once I find the right melody to fit his stuff, 'cause he's all over it."

TESTAMENT's U.S. tour with SLAYER and CARCASS is scheduled to kick off on February 19 in Chicago, Illinois and end on March 26 in Las Vegas, Nevada.

SLIPKNOT and STONE SOUR frontman Corey Taylor has commented on last month's incident when ex-PANTERA singer Philip Anselmo said "white power" and made the Nazi salute on stage. Anselmo later claimed he was referring to drinking white wine as part of an "inside joke" but has since released a video message, saying that he "deserves completely" the "heat" that he has been getting over his actions and claiming to be "a thousand percent apologetic to anyone that took offense to what [he] said."

Asked by U.K.'s The Guardian what his response is to Anselmo's Nazi salute, and how we can work to eradicate racism from metal, Taylor said: "I've been watching this all and I've kept mum for the most part, because I wasn't there. So I don't know the background on what happened, I haven't seen the video of it — though I've been told by many people that it's blatant, and there's no way to misrepresent what was done."

He continued: "I will say this. This is a bigger problem than what happened that night.

"SLIPKNOT has dedicated itself to bringing people together, to fighting racism, to fighting hate in general since the day we were started. I don't have time for people who judge other people by the color of their skin. If that in itself offends some of my fans, then I'm sorry, you're wrong. I don't ever want our fans to feel like we're judging them because of color, religion, culture, upbringing, etc. We welcome everyone, we always have and we always will.

"I know there is a problem in metal, and it all comes down to, at least in America, where you grow up and what that culture is passed on from: parents, family members, friends, adults. It's a generational thing. I thought we were close to phasing it out, but unfortunately I was proven wrong. So I just dedicate myself to fighting it. It's across the board in music, though — it's not a specifically metal thing. But it has come up in the metal community. It's risen its ugly head because of the incident we're talking about."

Taylor added: "But I've not only played a lot of metal shows, I've been to a lot of metal shows, and I know for a fact they are quite diverse and they always have been. We welcome the tribe of misfits — we're the island of misfit toys, and we always have been. It will take very little to eradicate racism from metal because the majority of it isn't racist."

Corey also revealed that he is working on his fourth book, tentatively titled "America 51". He said: "[It's] kind of a nod towards Area 51: basically about how wonderfully fucked and irresponsibly abnormal my country is. It's going to deal with everything from politics to social commentary — it's going to piss off a lot of people in my country, but everyone else will love it."

He continued: "The current election cycle is a fucking mess. The only thing I can really compare it with was when the whole governor fiasco was going on in California, when Arnold Schwarzenegger won, and when everyone and his mother announced themselves as candidates. The fact that Donald Trump is still is viable candidate makes me want to eat my fucking shoes. There are too many candidates focused on dividing us, and not enough talking about bringing us together. And that's one of the reasons why I support Bernie Sanders. And I will never support anyone who uses racism as a passive-aggressive way to win votes."

Zakk Wylde has commented on last month's incident when ex-PANTERA singer Philip Anselmo said "white power" and made the Nazi salute on stage. Anselmo later claimed he was referring to drinking white wine as part of an "inside joke" but has since released a video message, saying that he "deserves completely" the "heat" that he has been getting over his actions and claiming to be "a thousand percent apologetic to anyone that took offense to what [he] said."

Asked by Fuse for his reaction to Anselmo's gesture, Zakk — who performed at the Dimebash event alongside the DOWN frontman — said (see video below): "Phil, what are you doing, man? 'Cause the Phil I know, Phil's always a sweetheart and always hugs and kisses and he is nice to everybody, man. So then I'm watching this, and when I saw the video [of the incident], I'm, like, 'What are you doing, man?' But he apologized, and he knows he's wrong, man. And it just got canceled, that one [DOWN] tour or whatever, and the promoters are gonna be, like, 'Uh-uh. This ain't good.' So we'll just hit back and see what happens now. I'm pretty much… like everybody else, just as bummed out and upset and saddened by the whole thing, man."

Several notable musicians have come out and criticized Anselmo for his actions, including MACHINE HEAD frontman Robb Flynn, who uploaded an eleven-minute video response to the incident in which he called Anselmo a "big bully" and described Philip's behavior as "fucking wrong."

One musician who stuck up for Anselmo was Adam Crosier of the Arkansas band HYMNS, which is signed to Anselmo's Housecore label.

"This slanderous attack against Phil Anselmo in the metal media right now is reaching a despicable level of ugly, inept judgment," he wrote on his Facebook page. "There are no words that can accurately describe how false the racism claims truly are … I know, without a doubt, that Phil Anselmo is NOT racist. This accusation could not be further from the truth."

Crosier told BLABBERMOUTH.NET: "I think he has just made some mistakes in the past and obviously at the Dimebash — which, added together, may paint an ugly picture of his personality. It's very unfortunate, because he truly is a very compassionate and loving person."

For over two decades, SOURVEIN frontman T-Roy has managed to keep the roving pirate ship that is his band afloat through sheer will alone. Pushing through poverty, the deaths of friends and family, bouts of severe depression, periods of alcohol abuse, and an absence of the stability provided by a consistent record label, T-Roy has over the course of two decades managed to build the band into a highly respected force in the metal, doom, sludge, and crust underground.

Over twenty long dues-paying years later, SOURVEIN has at long last found a proper home for their doom-laden Southern noise with Metal Blade Records. The band's upcoming full-length and Metal Blade debut, "Aquatic Occult", will reveal itself to the masses on April 8.

Pre-orders for the album begin today at MetalBlade.com/sourvein. While there, stream track three from "Aquatic Occult", "Ocypuss", featuring guest vocals from longtime supporter, LAMB OF GOD vocalist Randy Blythe, and a guest performance by Mike Dean (bass) and Reed Mullin (drums) of CORROSION OF CONFORMITY.

Aside from Blythe, Dean and Mullin, the album features guest performances from musicians Stig Miller (AMEBIX), Keith Kirkum (ex-WEEDEATER), Dean Berry (IRON MONKEY), Dave Capps (ALL TORE UP), Chris Holcombe and Joel Martin (SUBRIG DESTROYER), and Kevin Rochelle (SEA OF TYRANTS). Reed Mullin performs drums on all but four album tracks.

"Aquatic Occult" was produced by Mike Dean and mastered by Brad Boatright (SLEEP, YOB).

"Aquatic Occult" track listing:

01. Tempest (Of Desire) (feat. Stig Miller)* 02. Avian Dawn*03. Ocypuss (feat. Randy Blythe, Mike Dean)* 04. Aquanaut (feat. Dean Berry) 05. Hymn To Poseidon*06. Mermaids*07. Urchins08. In The Wind*09. Cape Fearian*10. Capsized (feat. Dave Capps)* 11. High Tide12. Bermuda Sundown (feat. Keith Kirkum) 13. Coral Bones*14. Oceanic Procession (feat. Stig Miller, Randy Blythe on organ)*

* Reed Mullin on drums

"'Aquatic Occult' promises to be heavier than a two-ton anchor dropped into an antique porcelain bathtub — it's going to break things," comments Randy Blythe. "This record sees SOURVEIN at their most musical and focused of any recording to date."

"Finally man, finally, my years of hard work have paid off," says T-Roy, reflecting on the lengthy, gruelling trek that brought his band to Metal Blade's roster. He adds, "'Aquatic Occult' is going to bring the truth. The lyrics are reality to me; I don't write about cars or chicks or horror movies, I write about the sacrifice and struggle, all the stuff I saw growing up and what I see now. But I want it to be positive, to let people know that there is a way out of bad times and tough situations."

Photo credit: D. Randall Blythe

Capital Chaos TV has uploaded multi-camera video footage of BLACK SABBATH performing the song "Into The Void" on February 9 at SAP Center in San Jose,, California. Check out the clip below.

BLACK SABBATH resumed its "The End" tour on February 6 in Tacoma, Washington after canceling three shows because singer Ozzy Osbourne was battling severe sinusitis.

The scrapped concerts were due to take place in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada; Edmonton, Alberta, Canada; and Calgary, Alberta, Canada.

The first U.S. leg of "The End" tour will end on February 27 in New York City. Dates in Australia and New Zealand have been confirmed for April, with European festival shows taking place during the summer.

BLACK SABBATH recently revealed that it is selling a new limited-edition CD titled "The End" at the shows on its farewell tour. The disc features four previously unheard studio tracks left off the band's 2013 reunion album, "13", as well as live versions of four songs from the world tour the band did in support of that disc.

The four studio cuts are "Season Of The Dead", "Cry All Night", "Take Me Home" and "Isolated Man". They feature drums by Brad Wilk.

The live tracks, with drumming from Tommy Clufetos, are "God Is Dead?", "Under The Sun", "End Of The Beginning" and "Age Of Reason". The live cuts were recorded in Sydney, Australia, Auckland, New Zealand and Hamilton, Ontario.

Wilk and Clufetos had to get involved after founding SABBATH drummer Bill Ward withdrew from the reunion after initially agreeing to participate in it.

"13", the first SABBATH full-length studio album in 35 years to feature original members Geezer Butler (bass), Tony Iommi (guitar) and Osbourne, also became SABBATH's first No. 1 album in the U.S. when it was released in June 2013. The band abandoned plans for a follow-up after deciding that the current trek would be its last.

The members of A LEAGUE say that they had a "positive" encounter with Philip Anselmo at last week's Days Of The Dead horror convention in Atlanta, Georgia — two weeks after the controversial incident where the ex-PANTERA frontman said "white power" and made the Nazi salute on stage.

Anselmo was "serenaded" at the convention by four members of A LEAGUE — Van Stokes, Joseph Spivey, Damaris Wright and Trent Lyman — who sang a karaoke-style version of the BOYZ II MEN song "End Of The Road".

The A LEAGUE manager Robin McLean told BLABBERMOUTH.NET: "The team had a lot of fun with Philip on stage. He hung out, encouraged the crowd to applaud, and even did a 'flip' with the guys at the end."

McLean added: "We had no idea about any of the controversy surrounding Philip until we posted the video on our YouTube channel and started reading some of the comments.

"The guys' encounter with him was a positive one and it was an overall awesome experience."

Van Stokes, the A LEAGUE team leader and the main contact with Philip on stage, told BLABBERMOUTH.NET: "Philip was the karaoke act before us and we were, like, 'Man, we don't wanna go on after him.' So we were surprised when he joined us on stage a few minutes later."

A LEAGUE is based in Lafayette, Indiana and is a group of dancers, stunt fighters, actors, models, and is involved in fitness-related activities including teaching dance classes and a kids' warrior parkour class. They are rolling out a new program for school-aged kids using dance, parkour and stunt fighting to teach anti-bullying, anti-drugs, and staying out of trouble to achieve their dreams.

"Goin' Down With The Ship", the new video from former HANOI ROCKS frontman Michael Monroe, can be seen below. The song is taken from Monroe's latest studio album, "Blackout States", which was released in October 2015 via Spinefarm Records. The 13-track follow-up to 2013's "Horns And Halos" was produced by Chips Kiesbye (HELLACOPTERS, NOMADS) in Gothenburg, Sweden, and mixed by Petri Majuri in Helsinki, Finland.

Comments Monroe: "The song is not necessarily about sailing or seamanship as such. It's basically about us getting on the tour bus and hitting the road with our band.

"Ville Juurikkala, who shot the videos for 'Ballad Of The Lower East Side', 'Stained Glass Heart' and 'Old King's Road', has done this new one too. It was pretty easy to make, and includes some footage shot by us, the band, while we were on tour. I think the video has a good vibe and we're all happy with the way it turned out."

With "Blackout States", Monroe's current touring and recording outfit — comprised of bassist Sami Yaffa (ex-HANOI ROCKS, NEW YORK DOLLS), guitarist Steve Conte (ex-NEW YORK DOLLS, COMPANY OF WOLVES), guitarist Rich Jones (ex-BLACK HALOS, AMEN), and drummer Karl Rockfist (ex-CHELSEA SMILES, DANZIG) — provided strong creative support for a groundbreaking artist whose reputation continues to flourish. Many of rock's most noted performers, including Dave Grohl and Slash, have cited Monroe's unwavering drive and three-decade-plus career as a genuine source of inspiration. As with "Horns And Halos", the new recordings see Monroe both toasting the future and honoring the past, occasionally giving the nod to glam punk pioneers HANOI ROCKS, the group with which he forged his name in the early-to mid-'80s. Said Monroe: "I'm extremely excited about our new album, 'Blackout States'. It has all the ingredients of a perfect rock 'n' roll record: strong melodic songs with great meaningful lyrics that defy all clichés, delivered with a punky, ballsy attitude by a killer band. I highly recommend 'Blackout States' to anyone who's even a little bit interested in what real, authentic, high-energy rock 'n' roll at its best sounds like today."

In a brand new interview with Daily Bulletin, former VAN HALEN singer Sammy Hagar was asked what he would do if the group called him to come back. He responded: "My favorite thing to say without biting my own tongue is 'no comment.' Every time I turned around, it was a no-win situation. If I say what I feel... I would always get 50 percent of the VAN HALEN fans saying, 'Right on, you rule.' Then the haters would dog me like, 'You're always dogging VAN HALEN.' I'm going to shut up. They get their wish. We'll see what happens when it happens — if it happens."

Hagar and VAN HALEN guitarist Eddie Van Halen recently exchanged tweets on Eddie's 61st birthday, leading to speculation that the longtime war of words between the two may finally be coming to an end.

Hagar last year blasted his former bandmates in an interview with RollingStone.com, saying there is "no chemistry" between the members of the group's current lineup, which includes singer David Lee Roth. Hagar explained: "I can only speculate on what I've seen on YouTube, things people send me now and then… There's just no chemistry up there. They don't like each other. I mean, it's obvious. It's like a backup band with a guy out there in front. I bet they don't say five words to each other offstage.'

Hagar added: "VAN HALEN was always about chemistry in the early days. Early, that band was all about fucking chemistry, man. They were on fire. When I joined the band, they had great musical chemistry. We were friends, and we were on fire. We had so much fun, it should have been illegal. Now all that's gone."

Asked if he thinks he will ever speak to guitarist Eddie Van Halen again, Sammy said: "I would hope so. Because that would be really sad if any one of us — I'll put myself in the same category — took this to our graves. But who knows. Whatever. It's not my decision because I was the one they pushed out and tried to fuck over. To me, it's up to them to come back and say they're sorry."

Hagar said he was "not sorry for anything" he did while in VAN HALEN, but added, "I wouldn't want to be in a band like that right now. I'd feel like a hypocrite for joining that band. How about that? There's a good quote for you. If I joined VAN HALEN right now, I'd feel like the biggest hypocrite in the world. And I'm not a hypocrite."

New Haven, CT’s metal titans, Dead By Wednesday, have signed a distribution and marketing deal with David Ellefson of Megadeth's EMP Label Group, who will release their new guest vocalist LP, Darkest Of Angels, on May 20th, in conjunction with Mindsnap Music and THC: Music, distributed by eOne Entertainment.

The album features 11 killer tracks with 11 heavyweight guest vocalists including, Brian Fair (Shadows Fall), AK (Flotsam and Jetsam), John Arch (Fates Warning), Rob Dukes (Generation Kill, ex-Exodus), Carley Coma (Candiria), Waylon Reavis (ex-Mushroomhead), Sean Danielson (Smile Empty Soul),  Paul Stoddard (Diecast), Kris Keyes (formerly Gargauntua Soul), Antony Linesmen (Armageddon) and Ceschi Ramos (Fake Four, Inc.).The album was produced at Dexter's Lab by Nick Bellmore.

Prior to the recording of Darkest Of Angels, the band parted ways with long-time singer Joe Morbidelli due to his ongoing battle with substance abuse. Despite the heartache and disappointment of his departure, the band continued to write, pouring their grief into their music.

And instead of rushing into a replacement, the band decided to create an entire album featuring tracks sang, and co-written, with guest vocalists, friends from prominent metal bands, each of who has had an impact on their lives, each vocalist keeping the themes of addiction and substance abuse, as an ode to their former singer and his struggle. The result is an eclectic and emotional concept album that showcases the raw talent of DBW's writing combined with the unique style of each guest vocalist.

After months of auditions, DBW finally found their replacement, 6'5 powerhouse Rob Roy, who makes his debut on emotional DOA standout track “The Surgeon”. Together with Joey Concepcion on guitar (who also plays in Armageddon with Arch Enemy's Chris Amott), Opus on drums (who also plays with Marc Rizzo of Soulfly) and Mike Modeste on bass, the band has morphed into an unstoppable international act. Throughout over a decade as a band, DBW have toured relentlessly, and along the way developed their own sound and style, creating a fierce loyal fan base along the way. And now with an undeniable new lineup, Dead By Wednesday is here to stay, a “Phoenix rising from the fire.”

“It's an honour to be involved with a metal icon like David Ellefson. I mean, more than 30 years after their first album was released, Megadeth's newest album is currently #3 on the Billboard charts, knocking out all the mega pop stars. David almost managed my previous band, Gargantua Soul years ago, so I am excited to finally get the chance to work with him. I am also stoked to be working with his partner in EMP, Thom Hazaert, who has worked with damn near everybody. It's pretty amazing to even have our name associated with both of theirs,” says DBW drummer Opus.

EMP has made two tracks available for streaming - “Darkest Of Angels (D.O.A.)” featuring John Arch of Fates Warning, and “The Surgeon” featuring Dead By Wednesday vocalist Rob Roy. You can stream them below:

 



window._taboola = window._taboola || [];
_taboola.push({
mode: 'thumbnails-a',
container: 'taboola-below-article-thumbnails',
placement: 'Below Article Thumbnails',
target_type: 'mix'
});

Former QUEENSRŸCHE and current OPERATION: MINDCRIME singer Geoff Tate was interviewed by rock journalist Mitch Lafon for a recent edition of the "One On One With Mitch Lafon" podcast (Facebook page). You can now listen to the chat using the Spreaker widget below. A couple of excerpts follow (transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET).

On the next OPERATION: MINDCRIME release, which will be the second album of an ambitious trilogy:

Tate: "'The Key' is the first album of a trilogy. The second album, I just finished it now, and I turn it in in June, to be released in September. [Musically we're] going off the deep end, man. Really. Kind of pushing envelope as much as possible. It's not actually pushing the envelope; it's just where my head's at. It's really no constraints, no holds barred, just going for what I feel the story that I'm working on needs."

On whether there is anything else left he would like to do musically that he hasn't had a chance to do so far:

Tate: "I'd like to make a jazz album. [Laughs] In fact, I have one in the works. It's songs that I've composed, and they include all the kind of traditional jazz instrumentation — piano, drums, saxophone, bass, a little guitar and vocal."

On whether he would put out the jazz album under his name or call it something else:

Tate: "Oh, God. I don't know. That stuff just bores the crap out of me. You know, trying to figure out how to sell stuff. Honestly, I'm just not into that. I'm not into trying to figure out how to sell myself. I'm just a musician, man. I write music. That's something I live and breathe, and I put stuff out. And there you go."

On being classified as a certain kind of band while he was a member of QUEENSRŸCHE:

Tate: "All that stuff is just other people's perspective, and it doesn't mean anything. It's like, what's truth? There is no one truth. There is a billion truths. And what people think of you, what they call you, how they try to classify you, all that stuff doesn't mean anything. It's the effect that music has on the individual that's important to me. And you never even know what that is. You just have to write what it is you're interested in, and not worry about all the other stuff. All the, 'Well, has it got enough kickdrum? Does it have enough guitar? Is it heavy enough?' I hate that question. 'Is it heavy?' What is that? What does that mean to anybody? It's a billion different stories."

"The Key" sold around 2,500 copies in the United States in its first week of release. The CD was made available on September 18, 2015 via Frontiers Music Srl.

Joining Tate on "The Key" are a hard-hitting cast of familiar faces and new collaborators: bass players David Ellefson (MEGADETH) and John Moyer (DISTURBED, ADRENALINE MOB), drummers Simon Wright (AC/DC), Scott Mercado (CANDLEBOX) and Brian Tichy (BILLY IDOL, OZZY OSBOURNE), guitarists Kelly Gray (QUEENSRŸCHE) and Scott Moughton (Geoff Tate's solo band), keyboardist Randy Gane (MYTH) and vocalist Mark Daly (THE VOODOOS).

Guitarist/vocalist Adam "Nergal" Darski of Polish extreme metallers BEHEMOTH is putting the finishing touches on the debut album from his new project. He told Spark TV, which is part of the Czech monthly magazine Spark: "I got this other band going now, and I wanna wrap up the record in March and maybe have it out in September this year. But it's not metal. It's blues, country and folk. And I'm singing."

Nergal added that he "needed to get [the music] out of [his] system" and describes the album's lyrical direction as "a different approach" but still "very dark."

BEHEMOTH has announced its return to North America this spring with a special tour, featuring MYRKUR as support. BEHEMOTH will play its latest album, "The Satanist", in its entirety. In addition to the concert, fans will also have the chance to view "The Congregation" exhibition at each venue. Dubbed "a symbiosis of BEHEMOTH and Toxic Vision," the display showcases the collaboration between the two parties.

Darski recently told the video question-and-answer site asQme that he has been inspired by the "avant-garde" when writing BEHEMOTH's upcoming album. He also revealed that he listens to classic rock bands and artists from other genres, admitting that he is "really keen on the primitive, primal kind of tempos."

Nergal said: "There's some rigid strength in the punk scene in general. The classics, they have this thing that makes you come back to the origins like a boomerang. That's how I work. I just drift somewhere and then, eventually, I come back and listen to classics, like heavy metal, punk, goth. I'm not really a big gothic fan, a fan of goth music, but FIELDS OF THE NEPHILIM is a classic."

He continued: "Once in a while, I just come back and rediscover them for myself. Same goes for BAUHAUS and SIEKIERA… Plenty of bands… It can be whatever…. [BLACK] SABBATH… You name it… David Bowie just coming back with a new record. It is very inspirational, even for radical music that we make, it's still very inspirational. Sometimes it's not really direct inspiration, that you will hear me singing some avant-garde stuff… Not necessarily; I'm not that kind of singer. But I wouldn't be surprised if on the next BEHEMOTH album, you will hear some post-punk influences, the beats especially. I'm really keen on the primitive, primal kind of tempos lately. So you never know."

Ohio-based blackened metallers SKELETONWITCH have announced the addition of singer Adam Clemans (WOLVHAMMER) to the group's ranks. A new EP featuring Clemans was completed last month at Baltimore's Developing Nations studio with producer Kevin Bernsten (MAGRUDERGRIND, NOISEM, MUTILATION RITES) for a summer release via Prosthetic Records.

SKELETONWITCH's new music can be previewed in a brief teaser clip below, in which Clemans discusses how he came to join the band. "I'm very proud to be a part of the SKELETONWITCH camp, and I'm very excited about how the new EP turned out," says Clemans. "Working with like-minded musicians is always a pleasure, and I'm confident that the new chapter of this band will carry the SKELETONWITCH banner properly and proudly."

Adds guitarist Scott Hedrick: "We are extremely excited to announce Adam as the new singer for SKELETONWITCH. He's a killer vocalist, lyricist, and all-around creative force. Please welcome him to the SKELETONWITCH family as we begin this new chapter. As always, thanks to everyone who has, and continues to, support us."

SKELETONWITCH will join ABBATH, HIGH ON FIRE and TRIBULATION on this year's Decibel Magazine Tour, which kicks off March 17.

Clemans appears alongside Abbath, HIGH ON FIRE's Matt Pike and TRIBULATION's Johannes Andersson on the cover of the new issue of Decibel magazine, which hits newsstands on March 2.

Fan-filmed video footage of GHOST's December 8, 2015 performance at Trix in Antwerp, Belgium can be seen below.

GHOST is among the nominees for the 58th annual Grammy Awards, which will be held on February 15 at Staples Center in Los Angeles and broadcast on CBS at 8 p.m. ET. GHOST is nominated for the song "Cirice", from the band's third album, "Meliora".

"Meliora" entered The Billboard 200 chart at position No. 8 with first-week sales of just over 29,000 units — nearly all from pure album sales. The set follows the No. 28-peaking "Infestissumam", which was released in 2013 and has sold almost 70,000 copes in the U.S. to date.

The Billboard 200 chart ranks the most popular albums of the week based on multi-metric consumption, which includes traditional album sales, track equivalent albums (TEA) and streaming equivalent albums (SEA).

"Meliora" was released on August 21, 2015 via Loma Vista Recordings. The CD was helmed by Klas Åhlund, a prolific songwriter, producer and guitarist who is also a member of the Swedish rock band TEDDYBEARS, and was mixed by Andy Wallace (SLAYER, NIRVANA, SEPULTURA, LINKIN PARK, GUNS N' ROSES).

Swedish/British modern metallers SONIC SYNDICATE have inked a recording and publishing deal with Despotz Records & Music. The band's sixth album will be released later this year.

Comments SONIC SYNDICATE vocalist Nathan J Biggs: "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

According to The Pulse Of Radio, the latest rumor emanating from MyGNRForum.com regarding the GUNS N' ROSES reunion says that founding guitarist Izzy Stradlin will participate "for sure" in what has been described as a "limited" capacity. Stradlin seems like he will at least perform with the group at its two early April shows in Las Vegas, although whether he will appear at other gigs remains to be seen.

The same sources at the fan forum also said that there was "still discussion" about original drummer Steven Adler participating in the reunion at some level, while the name of his replacement, Matt Sorum, did not come up in the conversation.

GUNS N' ROSES has so far announced five headlining performances in April, including two in Las Vegas and two at California's Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, with original members Axl Rose, Slash and Duff McKagan slated to perform together again for the first time in 22 years.

The rest of the band's lineup for the shows — and a potential tour later in the year — remains unclear, although keyboardist Dizzy Reed, guitarist Richard Fortus, keyboard player Chris Pitman and drummer Frank Ferrer are all believed to be involved.

According to Alternative Nation, there is an "oversight management committee" handling GN'R's affair, with Slash, Axl and Duff each having a representative and a fourth person representing the other members.

Fan speculation around the involvement of original members Stradlin and Adler has been heavy, with Stradlin reportedly not interested in doing extensive touring and the band members not sure whether Adler, who has a longer history of drug problems than any of the other members, can hold it together on the road.

Swedish thrashers THE HAUNTED are continuing work on music for the follow-up to 2014's "Exit Wounds" album, to be recorded later in 2016 for release through Century Media. The band states: "The material we are currently looking at is both super-heavy and dynamic, so we are excited to be recording the new tracks later in the year!"

THE HAUNTED is finally returning to North American ground in support of "Exit Wounds". In addition to a run of tour dates starting today supporting AT THE GATES together with DECAPITATED and HARMS WAY, THE HAUNTED has announced a number of festival appearances across Europe.

Asked if going back to the old-school THE HAUNTED sound on "Exit Wounds" was a conscious decision, guitarist Patrik Jensen told EMP Rock Invasion: "The thing with THE HAUNTED is that we have always been five guys that have written music together; we were all like five generals. I mean, Marco's [Aro, vocals] from FACE DOWN, I had SÉANCE, the [Björler] twins had AT THE GATES, and so on. Every album has been written without us knowing what will happen. So we put our riffs in, and then everyone contributes, and we discover what the outcome will be. This is the same with 'Unseen'; we didn't know it was gonna sound like this. It was what happened. Same with 'Exit Wounds'. We didn't know what was gonna happen. We have never sat down and said that we have to make this kind of album. It's kind of logical that this album sounds the way it does, because we have the drummer from the first album, we have the singer from albums two and three, and me and Jonas have been in the band forever."

"Exit Wounds" was once again recorded with the group's longtime producer Tue Madsen at Denmark's Antfarm Studio (DARK TRANQUILLITY, HEAVEN SHALL BURN, SICK OF IT ALL) and features THE HAUNTED's revamped lineup: founding members Jonas Björler (bass) and Patrik Jensen (guitar) along with with returning members Adrian Erlandsson (drums) and Marco Aro (vocals), and the band's latest addition, guitarist Ola Englund.

"Exit Wounds" features two special guests appearing on the song "Trend Killer": Jed Simon (SCAR THE MARTYR, STRAPPING YOUNG LAD) on lead guitar and Chuck Billy (TESTAMENT) on vocals.

In the clip below, 12-year-old drummer and lifelong KISS fan Logan "Robot" Gladden performs 'Nothin' To Lose' at the KISS Meet & Greet Acoustic Show on January 29th at the Choctaw Casino in Durant, Oklahoma.

The KISS Kruise VI will be sailing out of Miami to Cozumel and Grand Cayman from November 4th to 9th, 2016. More details have been revealed.

“The time has come KISS Navy! You are being called into action for another head-banging, fist-pumping mission at sea on The KISS Kruise VI. What exactly is lurking in the shadows during this adventure of the deep? All manner of creatures from the depths of the sea - that’s what. This year will be a seaworthy exploration of KISS’ iconic 1982 Creatures Tour!

“So save the date, KISS Kruisers! Join us on a rockin’ vacation of a lifetime with your leaders, KISS and all of your favorite sea creatures. We’ll be setting sail from Miami November 4 - 9, 2016 aboard Norwegian Pearl headed to Cozumel and Grand Cayman!

“If you’re ready to go from “living in a whisper until you start to shout,” sign up for the pre-sale now, KISS Navy! Those who book during the pre-sale will receive a one of kind, limited edition KISS Navy Enlistment Pack before we even step on the ship. Get ready for five days of fascination filled with mythical creatures, mysteries of the deep, and enough rock & roll to blow this 6th mission out of the water!”

Join the pre-sale for the chance to book before the event goes on sale to the public. Booking during the pre-sale will give you the best selection of cabins and receive a limited edition KISS Navy Enlistment Pack. Once you join, you’ll be emailed booking details and an Earliest Booking Time in late February.

Stay tuned to thekisskruise.com for the latest news.



window._taboola = window._taboola || [];
_taboola.push({
mode: 'thumbnails-a',
container: 'taboola-below-article-thumbnails',
placement: 'Below Article Thumbnails',
target_type: 'mix'
});