Finnish sci-fi death metal band, Coraxo, have released the tracklisting from their debut album, Neptune, mastered by Dan Swanö and available November 20th via Massacre Records.

Neptune takes a scifi journey into the unknown terrain, mixing together elements from bands like Tangerine Dream, ELP, Pink Floyd and Vangelis to old school death metal. The band creates a wall of 70's synthesizer experimentation and harmonized multiple guitars and of classic death metal, blend it with the warm melodies of classic bands like Edge Of Sanity, as well as epic, soundtrack-like soundscapes and progressive song structures. Neptune is being released by Massacre Records, distributed by Soulfood/Sony Music, November 20th.

Neptune features a guest appearance of Musungu's Ilkka Ferm (saxophone on ”In Adoration”). The album was recorded and mixed at Coraxo's home studio Raivio Sound, Finland, and mastered by Dan Swanö at Unisound Sweden. The epic cover artwork is the product of American artist Chris Panatier.

Tracklisting:

“Sol Oriens Sum”
“Lanterns”
“Tangier”
“The Bastion”
“The Citadel”
“In Adoration”
“Symbiosis”
“Signal Detected”
“Ghosts”
“Ending Credits”

“Symbiosis” video:

“The Bastion” lyric video:

Album teaser:

The album title Neptune gives you a glimpse of the idea for its sound; vast ocean that envelops you in the world that it hides within, and sometimes you need to go very deep to shine a light on the esoteric mysteries it holds. On the surface, it tells the science fiction story of future mankind that has come in contact with a hostile race, called Starlit Flame, that has aeons ago shed it's corporeal form and now only interacts with the mundane through the nanomachines that still bind it to the physical universe. Violently it yearns for release from this form that it views as a prison, and it sees the existence of mankind as a hindrance to that progress.

Band lineup:

Tomi  Toivonen - Vocals, Guitars, Programming
Ville Kokko - Bass
Ville Vistbacka - Drums

Drummer Mike Portnoy (THE WINERY DOGS, DREAM THEATER, AVENGED SEVENFOLD) was interviewed on this week's edition of the "Noize In The Attic - Where Your Past Comes Back To Haunt You" (web site) on 88.7 FM in New Haven Connecticut. You can now listen to the chat using the PodOmatic widget below. A few excerpts follow (transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET).

On touring with TWISTED SISTER as the replacement for the band's late drummer A.J. Pero:

Portnoy: "I've been doing this a couple of years [laughs], and I know how to be a professional and do what's called for, depending on the gig that I'm doing. I'm currently in six different bands and I wear very different hats in all of them and I play very different styles in all of them. So I know when I'm supposed to be a leader, when I'm supposed to be a collaborator, when I'm supposed to be a hired gun, like I am with TWISTED. I know how to play those different roles and I always respect what is called for. Not to mention the fact that I also had a similar scenario when I filled in with AVENGED SEVENFOLD — you know, coming in with a drummer that had passed away and honoring and respecting what laid before me. You know, so, as sad as it is to say, this is actually my second time filling in for a deceased drummer. So I kind of know how to handle the situation… At the same time, I wanna be me. I wanna pay respect to A.J. — with The Rev, like I did with AVENGED — but I also wanna be me. But be me very respectfully. Like, at first, I had to… Normally, my stage presence is very acrobatic and, hey, trying to steal the spotlight… That's my natural stage presence. But, like I said, I know when to pull it back and what hat to wear, depending on the gig, and with TWISTED, I had to be very respectful [of the fact that] I'm there to serve a purpose and do a job."

On whether he will play more shows with TWISTED SISTER in the future:

Portnoy: "Well, they're done for the year, and next year is gonna mark their fortieth anniversary with Dee [Snider, vocals] in the band, and it's also gonna be their farewell tour. They said they want me to stay on board, and I would love to stay on board. It's all gonna be schedule permitting. I'm gonna be out with THE WINERY DOGS all through next year as well. But if there's a way that we could make it work and I could do both, I would love to see out the TWISTED gig to the end, if I can."

On his history with TWISTED SISTER:

Portnoy: "I love those guys. They're great, great guys, and I grew up listening to them, so I respect where they come from. I didn't discover them with 'I Wanna Rock' and 'We're Not Gonna Take It' in the '80s; I was seeing them on the club circuit on Long Island when I was a teenager, so my history with them goes way back to the beginning. I used to go see them in Island Park, which was the town over from where I grew up. I grew up with them being local Long Island legends, so I get their legacy and their history and, for me, it's an honor to play with them."

On TWISTED SISTER singer Dee Snider's recent war of words with KISS frontman Paul Stanley:

Portnoy: "I love being in a band with somebody that's getting in more trouble with Blabbermouth than I am. It's awesome. [Laughs] It makes me look good. Well, look, the thing between Paul and Dee is between Paul and Dee, but the funny thing is that the fight stemmed from each of them being on shows with two of my best friends. Dee was with Eddie Trunk and Paul was with Chris Jericho, and Chris and Eddie are two of my best friends on Earth. So I actually had some very funny inside texts with those guys when all that shit was going down. What's my opinion? Look, I don't wanna get involved with this. Dee is… I love Dee, and he's now a bandmate of mine, so, obviously, I've got his back, but, honestly, I had his back in the subject anyway, because I'm an old-school KISS fan. I love KISS. One of my first concerts ever was seeing them at Madison Square Garden in 1977. And Ace was always my hero. Even though I was a drummer, Ace was my hero. So I understand and Dee and Eddie Trunk's frustration. However, that being said, I'm staying out of it."

The guys in DEF LEPPARD have always had a close camaraderie with TESLA since they met in Amsterdam back in 1987, and now for the first time ever, TESLA is collaborating with DEF LEPPARD guitarist Phil Collen on a new single.

Tentatively titled "Save That Goodness", the new song has an upbeat catchy melody with positive lyrics that sound like classic TESLA despite being penned by Phil himself.

The TESLA members have been working on the new song by jamming in the dressing room and working out all their guitar parts and lyrics while on the road with DEF LEPPARD.

TESLA will enter the studio at the end of the month to record "Save That Goodness" and other material that will be released in time for a February 2016 tour.

Says TESLA: "A man with tremendous energy and love for TESLA, Phil Collen has been hanging out and working with TESLA on new music! A great friend and mentor to the band!

"We love Phil and our bros in DEF LEPPARD!"

TESLA's latest album, "Simplicity", sold around 14,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to land at position No. 24 on The Billboard 200 chart. The record arrived in stores on June 10, 2014 via Tesla Electric Company Recording's arrangement with Entertainment One Music and distribution.

Trailight mastermind Omer Cordell has checked in with the following update:

"Still early in the pre production stages, Cory McBain (guitars) and I have been working diligently on the new material and things are sounding amazing! 

Cory has been quite involved in the production and arrangements of the new tracks, and it has been quite an enlightening experience to be working with him on the new material. We will soon have Dave Padden (ex-Annihilator/vocals) bring his share of ideas to the table. It feels great to have a more collaborative effort on this album and even in these early stages, I am quite excited for what is to come!

Here's a short video of some bass tracking on one of the new tracks..."

Still early in the pre production stages, Cory McBain (guitars) and I have been working diligently on the new material and things are sounding amazing! Cory has been quite involved in the production and arrangements of the new tracks and it has been quite an enlightening experience to be working with him on the new material. We will soon have Dave Padden (vocals) bring his share of ideas to the table.It feels great to have a more collaborative effort on this album and even in these early stages, I am quite excited for what is to come!Here's a short video of some bass tracking on one of the new tracks.
Posted by Trailight on Sunday, October 11, 2015

The complete tracklist for the Trailight debut, The Primitive Mountain, is as follows:

"Open Doors"
"Sentient Beings Pt. 1 - The Dim Future Of Our Distant Past"
"Sentient Beings Pt. 2 - All That We Are" 
"We Are The Ocean"
"Frail Human Form"
"The Primitive Mountain"
"Passer By"
"A Thousand Years"
"Navarino"
"Beyond The Rubicon"

Cordell recently issued the following announcement:

"I've been very busy as of late, writing material for a new album. There are a few ideas which I'm quite happy with but still, I'm at very early stages of demoing.

Looks like the usual suspects are going to be playing on the next one; Dave (Padden/vocals), Cory McBain (guitars), Ryan van Poederooyen (drums), and a few guest appearances I've yet to confirm but there's plenty of time still.

Here's a short sample of a track entitled 'Train Of Thought'. Excuse the vocals, this is me singing and I'm no Dave by any stretch of imagination. Again, this is just a demo.

Once again, thank you for everyone's support, I hope that you're all sharing the music with your friends who will hopefully support the album as well!"

 
I've been very busy as of late, writing material for a new album.There are a few ideas which I'm quite happy with but still, I'm at very early stages of demoing.Looks like the usual suspects are going to be playing on the next one, Dave, Cory, Ryan and a few guest appearances I've yet to confirm but there's plenty of time still.Here's a short sample of a track in titled 'Train Of Thought'. Excuse the vocals :) this is me singing and I'm no Dave by any stretch of imagination :P Again, this is just a demo.Once again, thank you for everyone's support, I hope that you're all sharing the music with your friends who will hopefully support the album as well! :)Spector Darkglass Electronics

Posted by Trailight on Tuesday, July 14, 2015

Cordell released a 30 minute behind-the-scenes look at the production for The Primitive Mountain earlier this year, which can be viewed below. For information on Trailight go to this location.

Check out BraveWords scribe Carl Begai's new interview with Cordell here.

Metal Blade Records has announced the signing of NECROMANCING THE STONE. The band will release its debut album in early 2016.

Featuring former and current members of ARSIS, THE ABSENCE, THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER and BRIMSTONE COVEN, NECROMANCING THE STONE may be considered a "supergroup" or "studio project" by some, but that is not the intent of this quintet.

NECROMANCING THE STONE's Jeramie Kling (drums) comments: "It's an honor to be a part of the Metal Blade family. Together, we have crafted a release that will not only destroy an entire seaboard village by way of force, but also soothe that very hoard into a capricious trance. We have finalized the recording process and have sent our offering to the mighty James Murphy. Cannot wait to get this released and see all of you maniacs out there on the road!"

Justin Wood (guitars) adds: "NECROMANCING THE STONE is something that we are all excited to be a part of as it gives us a creative outlet to create the kind of hook laden, riff-centric heavy metal that we want to hear more of in the world. Justin Wood and John Williams (BRIMSTONE COVEN), along with James Malone (ARSIS), Ryan Williams (ex-THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER), and Jeramie Kling (THE ABSENCE, 456 other bands) swore their solemn allegiance to the cause with a blood sacrifice upon the peak of Ogre's Rock in a secret ritual veiled in danger and mystery in the summer of 2014 and came together for the recording of an online EP 'Before The Devil Knows You Are Dead'. The time has now come to batten down the hatches and set forth into the world with a purpose in our hearts and a sword in our hands. We aim to leave no stone unturned and hope to see you all out there with us blazing a path of blood and riffs."

For a preview of what's to come, fans can stream and purchase NECROMANCING THE STONE's three-track EP, "Before The Devil Knows You Are Dead", now on Bandcamp. Released in summer 2014 and mixed by Peter Tägtgren (HYPOCRISY, PAIN), "Before The Devil Knows You Are Dead" will be re-recorded and included on the band's currently untitled album.

NECROMANCING THE STONE lineup:

"Big" John Williams - vocalsJames Malone - guitarsJustin Wood - guitarsRyan Williams - bassJeramie Kling - drums


Before The Devil Knows You're Dead by Necromancing The Stone

Metal Wani editor in chief Owais "Vitek" Nabi recently conducted an interview with TESTAMENT and METAL ALLEGIANCE guitarist Alex Skolnick. You can now listen to the chat below. A couple of excerpts follow (transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET).

On the progress of the recording sessions for TESTAMENT's follow-up to 2012's "Dark Roots Of Earth" album:

"I think, at this point, there's no need to do a record every year, like we used to. The records, they come out when they come out, and when they're ready. At this point, we're looking at the first half of next year. But we've started on some material and it sounds good; it sounds good so far. It's just that… it works at its own pace… But in the meantime, we've been very active with shows. We're about to play in Japan. We just played the Riot Fest in September and Heavy Montreal — all these really great shows — and we did a whole five weeks in Europe, did some festivals, played with METALLICA for the first time, did a whole tour with EXODUS in the U.S. So even though there hasn't been a new album, we've been very active. I think we need for the live shows to die down a bit to make the record happen; that's usually how the band works."

On whether TESTAMENT's next album will include any death metal-style guttural vocals from Chuck Billy:

"Yeah, I think we'll do that… He doesn't like to do it all the time, and I don't blame him, but that does show up in some of the recent records. Like 'The Formation Of Damnation' [2008], that has a part in the middle where there's definitely death metal[-style vocals]. But then, the rest of it he sings in his classic style. I like it; I like it for certain parts. I'm not as much of a fan of the songs where he did that through the whole tune, and I think he feels the same. We'll put it to use, but it'll be used as a tool."

On what other TESTAMENT album the upcoming record will be closest to, stylistically:

"I'd say probably the recent one. 'Cause 'Dark Roots Of Earth' was the first one with Gene [Hoglan back] on drums. And I think he has more of an imprint now, 'cause we've done all the touring since then with him, and I think that's gonna definitely affect the outcome of the writing."

SLIPKNOT and STONE SOUR frontman Corey Taylor was tapped by the producers of "Doctor Who" to lend his "deep and terrifying roar to the alien warlord known as Fisher King" in the October 10 episode of the BBC television series.

Behind-the-scenes footage of Taylor on the set of the show can be seen below.

Asked how his involvement with the program came about, Taylor told U.K.'s Kerrang! magazine: "Dude... So, what happened was, while we were on tour with KORN [earlier this year], we were approached about doing the tour of the Doctor Who Experience [the BBC's thrilling family attraction in Cardiff], and I was asked whether I would be interested in doing something for the show. And I freaked the fuck out."

He continued: "I've been a 'Doctor Who' fan since I was a kid. It's been a part of my life forever. So, of course, the answer [to their offer] was,'Fuck yeah!' We went down, I took a million pictures, and then we went to BBC Wales. They described the character that I was going to be vocalizing, and I screamed into a mic for about an hour. [Laughs]"

Speaking about his first early memories of "Doctor Who", Taylor told Kerrang!: "The beautiful thing about 'Doctor Who' is that everyone has their Doctor, and mine was Tom Baker. I can remember this crazy show where this guy in a beautifully long scarf was running around and saving the world and shit. It was so quirky, and yet so sci-fi and so good that you just couldn't help but get into it. A lot of people talk about the older stuff and how it doesn't age well — but that's kind of the point. It was a shoestring budget, but a huge world that you could sink your teeth into."

Fisher King was previously described as a massive green alien that has tons of horns protruding from his body.

Fisher King is played by Neil Fingleton, the tallest British-born man and the tallest man in the European Union at 7 ft 7.56 in (232.6 cm) in height, and his speaking voice is "Shaun Of The Dead"'s Peter Serafinowicz.

Members of Detroit-based bands WE CAME AS ROMANS, ASSASSINS, and TAPROOT have joined forces in side-project called CRUCIBLE. The new band consists of Dave Stephens (WE CAME AS ROMANS) on vocals, Andrew Glass (WE CAME AS ROMANS) on bass, Lou Cotton (WE CAME AS ROMANS) and Todd Jansen (ASSASSINS) on guitars, and Nick Freddell (TAPROOT) on drums. Each member was longing to play something heavier than his primary band could offer, so they created this side project.

CRUCIBLE entered the studio with Nick Sampson to record a six-song EP that will be released on November 7 on iTunes, Spotify, and various other outlets. To accompany the EP release, they will play their first show at the Crofoot in Pontiac, Michigan on November 14. Online merchandise will be available soon at Merchnow.com as well as at the band's upcoming shows.

CRUCIBLE is currently booking a tour in January and will be announcing the dates shortly.

According to The Pulse Of Radio, Brett Morgen, director of the acclaimed documentary "Kurt Cobain: Montage Of Heck", has defended his decision to release a companion album that solely consists of previously unreleased material recorded by Kurt Cobain alone and not NIRVANA. Morgen explained to Rolling Stone: "'Montage of Heck: The Home Recordings' furthers not just our understanding of his process but represents yet another angle, another side of Kurt — an artistic outlet that he was not necessarily able to work with in the context of a three-piece band."

Morgen added: "It's not scraps and discarded, insignificant material. It really is furthering our understanding of one of the most significant artists of our time."

The director decided against using unfinished NIRVANA material recorded with Dave Grohl and Krist Novoselic, although solo versions of NIRVANA tracks such as "Been A Son" and "Frances Farmer Will Have Her Revenge On Seattle" are included.

Morgen's comments echo what he told The Pulse Of Radio when asked about the focus of his movie. "It's not a film about Courtney [Love] and it's not a film about Dave Grohl and it's not a film about NIRVANA or Seattle or grunge," he said. "It's a film about Kurt, and it's important to keep that front and center in the conversation."

Morgen has released the track list and artwork for the album, which arrives on November 13. The filmmaker compiled the recordings after he discovered them while going through Cobain's personal archives for his Emmy-nominated documentary. The film, which premiered on HBO last May and also had a limited theatrical run, will also come out on November 13 on Blu-ray and DVD.

The album will arrive on CD, cassette and digital, with a two-LP vinyl package arriving on December 7. There will be both a 13-track standard edition and a 31-track deluxe version, along with a "Super Deluxe" bundle of goodies.

The "Home Recordings" will include never-heard snippets, demos, "musical experiments" that would make it on to later NIRVANA albums, comedy, and a cover of THE BEATLES' "And I Love Her".

Vocalist Amanda Somerville (Trillium, Kiske/Somerville, Avantasia) has checked in with the following message:

"Boobies!

Now that I've got your attention: many of you know October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month and it's something dear to my heart because my Mom is a breast cancer survivor. I've donated this bra shown to be auctioned off this Sunday, October 11th by MZ & Emmers Sports Bra Auction for Breast Cancer to benefit the Keep A Breast Foundation. This sports bra of mine was well-loved and well-worn by me, as you can see! It's got a Swarovski crystal on it and I've autographed the band. 

So be sure to catch the auction, get a Somerville boob-holder and benefit a great cause!"

The Age Of metal recently spoke with Somerville and Michael Kiske (Unisonic, ex-Helloween) about the possibility of Kiske/Somerville hitting the road in support of their new album, City Of Heroes.

Michael Kiske: "At the moment there are some kind of disagreements between Frontiers Records and some of the members of Kiske/Somerville, because they would like to bring it further and I can’t without pissing off my own Unisonic bandmates. That’s the thing, I’m not a solo artist anymore. I have to arrange everything. If my bandmates don’t like what I’m doing there I can’t ignore that. I don’t want to overdo things. I don’t see that happening at the moment. Maybe when Unisonic takes a longer break."

Amanda Somerville: "Probably not anytime soon, you know never say never, but it is increasingly difficult with things we are involved in and me becoming a mom. But maybe doing a special concert, you never know. Previously there is nothing planned on the horizon, but I wouldn’t say it would never happen. I would love to present the songs live at some point."

Check out the complete interview below.

 

"Hot Streak", the sophomore album from THE WINERY DOGS, the power trio featuring drummer Mike Portnoy (DREAM THEATER, AVENGED SEVENFOLD, ADRENALINE MOB), legendary bassist Billy Sheehan (MR. BIG, TALAS, DAVID LEE ROTH) and guitarist/vocalist Richie Kotzen (MR. BIG, POISON), debuted at No. 30 on The Billboard 200 chart, having shifted 13,000 equivalent album units in the week ending October 8.

The Billboard 200 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).

"Hot Streak" was released on October 2 in North America on Loud & Proud Records via RED (a division of Sony Music Entertainment) and in the rest of the world via earMUSIC. It was preceded by the first single, "Oblivion", which was made available on August 25 at radio. A double vinyl edition of the new album is also in the works and is due out in early November.

"Hot Streak" shows the powerfully pedigreed trio's initial burst of collective chemistry was no accident, from the strum and headbang of "Captain Love" to the propulsive uplifting vibe of "The Bridge" to the introspective acoustic harmonic convergence of "Fire". If these three DOGS thought they captured lightning in a supper dish the first time around, "Hot Streak" barks ups the aural ante into exciting new territory. "I feel we've taken the band to another level," explains Kotzen. "The compositions are stronger on this album. I feel more connected lyrically and musically to what I did on this record than on the last one. We've widened the musical scope of the band on this record and moved it forward." Portnoy adds: "Everything on this album was more of a collaboration than on the first album. There's just a natural chemistry. The three of us really mesh very, very well, both musically and personally. The mission of this band is to write catchy songs, and not have the musicianship overpower that." "I'm glad we're not playing it safe and just doing songs that automatically fit in the category of what we did on the first record," Sheehan concludes. "Some of them are a little different, and we definitely took chances. And you have to do that — otherwise, you don't grow." "Hot Streak" track listing: 01. Oblivion02. Captain Love03. Hot Streak04. How Long05. Empire06. Fire07. Ghost Town08. The Bridge09. War Machine10. Spiral11. Devil You Know12. Think It Over13. The Lamb

On October 21, Grammy Award-winning band SYSTEM OF A DOWN will receive the 2015 Parajanov-Vartanov Institute Award for the virtuous commitment to justice exemplified by their historic "Wake Up The Souls" tour. The event will take place on October 21 at the Chateau Marmont in Hollywood.

The institute studies, preserves and promotes the work of the brothers-in-arts Sergei Parajanov and Mikhail Vartanov, who, like SYSTEM OF A DOWN, dedicated their lives to the righteous fight against the injustices of totalitarian regimes. Parajanov (1924-1990) and Vartanov (1937-2009) were admired by some of the most important figures in cinema, literature and art.

Proceeds from the October 21 event will benefit the restoration of Vartanov's "Parajanov: The Last Spring" film trilogy at UCLA.

Earlier this year, SYSTEM OF A DOWN made international headlines with their "Wake Up The Souls" tour, a global trek that commemorated April's 100th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide, an attempted extermination of the Armenian people by the Ottoman Empire. From 1915 through 1923, 1.5 million men, women and children were starved, shot and banished to die in the desert during one of history's greatest crimes. Though considered by many to be the first genocide of the 20th century, the Turkish government denies it ever happened.The arena tour was the band’s first since 2013 and included their first-ever performance in Armenia at Yerevan's Republic Square.

The October 21 event follows the institute's successful collaboration last year with Martin Scorsese's World Cinema Project on the restoration of Parajanov's "The Color Of Pomegranates" (1969), which was funded by George Harrison's widow Olivia Harrison through their Material World Charitable Foundation and The Film Foundation.According to the institute's founder Martiros Vartanov, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences unearthed in their archive last year Mikhail Vartanov's suppressed 1969 film, "The Color Of Armenian Land". Vartanov was blacklisted for making the 15-minute short, which portrayed dissidents Sergei Parajanov (imprisoned in 1973) and Minas Avetisian (assassinated in 1975).

When Vartanov's artistic freedom was restored, he responded with "Minas: A Requiem" (1989) and "Parajanov: The Last Spring" (1992), which, much like SYSTEM OF A DOWN's oeuvre, condemns political persecution and imprisonment in an unconventional artistic language.

"Parajanov: The Last Spring" was created during the one hour daily quotas of electricity, in a war-torn and blockaded winter Armenia, after the country gained its independence shortly after the collapse of the Soviet Union. Though edited under the candlelight, it earned praise from some of cinema's greatest luminaries, including 2014 honoree Martin Scorsese. With half of American films made before 1950 (and 80% made before 1929) forever lost, movies created in developing countries are in catastrophic danger of disappearing. The institute hopes to save this highly regarded masterwork, an indelible document of the country's 5000-year history.

QUEENSRŸCHE's new album, "Condition Hüman", debuted at No. 27 on The Billboard 200 chart, having shifted 14,000 equivalent album units in the week ending October 8.

The Billboard 200 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).

"Condition Hüman" was released on October 2 via Century Media. The CD was recorded in part at at Uberbeatz Studio in Washington with producer Chris "Zeuss" Harris, who has previously worked with ROB ZOMBIE, HATEBREED, SOULFLY and SHADOWS FALL.

"Condition Hüman" track listing:

01. Arrow Of Time02. Guardian03. Hellfire04. Toxic Remedy05. Selfish Lives06. Eye907. Bulletproof08. Hourglass09. Just Us10. All There Was11. The Aftermath12. Condition Hüman

Singer Todd La Torre told Billboard.com: "Each song individually is its own story, which does not have to directly relate to the next song. However, each song is harmonious to a larger picture, which is the human experience, mortality and how each of us perceives the world around us based on our own observations and experiences, thus shaping human behavior."

Added drummer Scott Rockenfield: "This record [is], 'Wow, OK, now we know what we can do together.' We know we have chemistry with Todd, and we wanted to take the band even one step further, which was really dig into everything that we know that we're doing and that we have fun doing, and pull out all the stops, I guess, in a way of things we didn't really visit on the first record [with La Torre]. We wanted to dig deeper more into the elements of QUEENSRŸCHE."

Regarding the more aggressive musical direction of "Condition Hüman" compared to that of 2013's "Queensrÿche", Rockenfield said: "Our fans love metal, and we've been pretty good at doing metal in our past, so [we thought], 'Let's have fun with some of that again. Let's do it and see what it means for us.' We definitely had conscious discussions about it, and now that we have Todd, Todd loves metal, so it was easy to have that conversation about pushing the band in a little bit of that direction."

He added: "I think we wanted to show our fans that we can be a metal band and a rock band, and that we can also write songs that have writer dynamics. I still think we're doing everything within all the realms of what QUEENSRŸCHE is known to be doing. This record is just another extension of that for us."

METALLICA frontman James Hetfield has revealed in a new interview that the band is currently in the studio recording what is presumably the band's long-awaited follow-up to 2008's "Death Magnetic" album.

Speaking to EMGtv about his inspiration for the EMG Het Set and his three signature ESP guitars — Truckster, Snakebite, and Iron Cross — Hetfield said (see video below): "I tell ya, we're recording right now, and there's the number one guitar, there's the number two guitar, there's the number three. And here's the third-track guitars that just sound different. They all sound different."

METALLICA drummer Lars Ulrich recently told RollingStone.com that the band has written close to 20 new songs for its long-awaited tenth studio album, although he declined to offer a possible release date for the new CD. Ulrich said: "In our world, there's been a distinct difference between the creative phase and the recording phase. With this project, we're trying to bridge the two a little more organically and not have there be such a great divide between the processes. We want to see if we can bring some of the creative curiosity, the impulsive stuff that happens when you're first playing a song into the studio."

Ulrich added that the band doesn't want to record in a way that feels "labored over and overthought."

Bassist Robert Trujillo told The Pulse Of Radio that there's always a surplus of new song ideas coming out of James Hetfield. "James usually comes up with a lot of stuff," he said. "He's the kind of guy where he plugs in his guitar, turns a volume knob or a, you know, a tone knob, and he comes up with, you know, the greatest riff that you can imagine. So in that case, there's no shortage of riffs and ideas."

Aside from touring, METALLICA has spent much of the seven years since the release of "Death Magnetic" on several other projects, including launching a music festival, collaborating on an album with the late Lou Reed and making a feature film.

Ulrich told The Pulse Of Radio not long ago that spending all its time making an album is no longer a priority for METALLICA. "If we had to sit there and, 'Okay, boys, now you write for the rest of the year and then you spend the next year after that recording' — I would pull what seven hairs I have left, I'd pull those out and rather just stab myself in the eye with nails or whatever," he said. "I just, I couldn't do it. I mean, we love the position that we're in to be able to come and go between all these different projects. That's what keeps us alive."

Joel Hoekstra will release "Dying To Live", the new melodic hard rock studio album from his electrifying new side project JOEL HOEKSTRA'S 13, on October 16 via Frontiers Srl. The currrent guitarist for WHITESNAKE, Hoekstra is best known for his work with NIGHT RANGER, TRANS-SIBERIAN ORCHESTRA and the show "Rock Of Ages".

"Dying To Live" can now be streamed in its entirety below.

Hoekstra took charge of the creative process by handling the production, songwriting and arranging (music and lyrics). The end result could best be described as hard, melodic, classic rock that is DIO-ish at its heaviest and FOREIGNER-ish at its lightest. "Years ago, I released three solo albums that were mainly instrumental guitar music. I wanted to put something out that showcased my production, writing and playing in the genre that I'm known for, which is melodic, hard rock," explains Hoekstra. "That's when I decided to start what I consider to be my rock side project, JOEL HOEKSTRA'S 13."

"Dying To Live" focuses on struggles, potential pitfalls and the art of overcoming obstacles in life to finally arrive where we are meant to be. The CD was conceived before Hoekstra joined WHITESNAKE, whose lead singer, David Coverdale, gave the album his full blessing.

"David wants his players to spread their wings and fly, and, of course, be ready to rock when WHITESNAKE needs them, which obviously won't be an issue," says Hoekstra. Excited how the new album turned out, Hoekstra is looking forward to the overall reaction from fans and media. "I hope everyone will give it a listen," he says. "I feel it showcases my production, writing and playing in essentially the same genre. The lineup of musicians is stellar! I want to thank everyone for any support in advance. Life is good!" "Dying To Live" track listing: 01. Say Goodbye To The Sun02. Anymore03. Until I Left You04. Long For The Days05. Scream06. Never Say Never07. Changes08. The Only Way To Go09. Dying To Live10. Start Again11. What We Believe12. Kill or Be Killed (bonus track digital download)

The musicians:

* Joel Hoekstra (WHITESNAKE) - Guitar, Backing Vocals* Jeff Scott Soto (JOURNEY, YNGWIE MALMSTEEN) - Lead Vocals, Backing Vocals* Russell Allen (ADRENALINE MOB, SYMPHONY X) - Lead Vocals, Backing Vocals* Vinny Appice (Black SABBATH, DIO) - Drums* Tony Franklin (THE FIRM, BLUE MURDER) - Bass Special Guest Musicians:

* Derek Sherinian (DREAM THEATER, BLACK COUNTRY COMMUNION) - Keyboards* Chloe Lowery (TRANS SIBERIAN ORCHESTRA) - Vocals* Toby Hitchcock (PRIDE OF LIONS) - Additional Backing Vocals* Charlie Zeleny (JOE LYNN TURNER) - Percussion* Dave Eggar (AMY LEE, COLDPLAY) – Cello

The official trailer for the forthcoming epic loud and dark fairytale "Gutterdämmerung" can be seen below.

"Gutterdämmerung" is a new rock 'n' roll / film / gig concept from the mind of Belgian-Swedish visual artist Björn Tagemose. It is described as "part rock show part immersive cinema experience featuring some of the biggest rock names on the planet," including Iggy Pop as the Devil, legendary MOTÖRHEAD frontman Lemmy Kilmister as a general, Slash on a search for the "phallic tool of eternal torment," Henry Rollins as an evil priest, and SLAYER's Tom Araya as a messenger of darkness.

Much in the tradition of classic movies of 1920s Hollywood, the film is mostly silent but instead of a lone piano a live rock band of rock express the emotions and action whilst special effects from the film explode to life all around the audience. Think of a deafening rock 'n' roll version of Secret Cinema taking place in hell and you might just begin to have an idea of what "Gutterdämmerung" is.

This spectacular film will tour with its live band and a live narrator at the end of 2015/early 2016.

The visual artists whom have worked on "Gutterdämmerung" boast clients from Vogue to Louis Vuitton to Vanity Fair, giving the film a look and feel of the classic arts, beauty and high-end fashion.

The film is set in a world where God has saved the world from sin by taking from mankind the Devil's "Grail of Sin"… the Evil Guitar. The Earth has now turned into a puritan world where there is no room for sex, drugs or rock 'n' roll.

From up on high in heaven a "punk-angel," Vicious (portrayed by Iggy Pop), looks upon the world with weary bored eyes. Behind God's back, Vicious sends the Devil's guitar back to earth and sin in all its forms returns to mankind.

An evil puritan priest (Henry Rollins) manipulates a naive girl to retrieve the guitar and destroy it. On her quest to find the Devil's Grail Of Sin, the girl is forced to face the world's most evil rock and roll bastards. Throughout her journey, she has a rival in the form of a rock chick determined to stop her from destroying the instrument.

Björn Tagemose is a Belgian-Swedish director and visual artist. He is mainly active in the arts and the rock and fashion industry. He is also the founder of the artist collective "shoottheartist."

Björn Tagemose's artwork is part of the permanent collection of the famous Groeninghe Museum in Bruges and has been on show in the Paris Louvre, FOMU Antwerp and Stockholm Kulturhuset. Shamelessly playing loud rock music even when working for posh fashionistas, Björn Tagemose has throughout Europe earned the nickname "the rock and roll director."

Arch Enemy recently checked in with the following surprise announcement:

"We're very excited about returning to Japan next month for a performance at the 10th anniversary of the Loud Park festival! We will be bringing two very special guests...original Arch Enemy members Johan Liiva and Christopher Amott!"

Fan-filmed video of Liiva and Amott performing "Bury Me An Angel" and "The Immortal" with Arch Enemy at Loud Park on October 10th can be viewed below:

The band posted the following message after the show:

"What a night!!! Thank you Japan! That was a one hell of a show!!! Great to have special guests Johan Liiva and Christopher Amott on stage with us!!"

BraveWords scribe Carl Begai recently spoke with Liiva, currently fronting Nonexist, shortly after the announcement that he would be making a guest appearance was made. Following is an excerpt from the interview:

One has to remember that reunions of any kind aren’t simply a matter of band members burying whatever hatchets had been previously sharpened. There’s management and contracts to deal with, and Arch Enemy is no different. It’s a unique situation, however, in that former Arch Enemy vocalist Angela Gossow is now the band’s manager, meaning Liiva has had to work with his vocal successor putting the Loud Park details together.

“It’s totally comfortable, not strange at all,” Liiva reveals. “I’ve been in contact with Angela since the spring about the arrangements for Loud Park, the visa, and she helped me through it, sent me the forms I needed, and guided me. She spent 14 years in the band I have total respect for that. I told her at one point, because I felt that I had to bring it up, that I never had any problems with her replacing me. Of course, in the beginning I felt really awkward and shocked, but I never really had any problem with it. That’s how I am. I don’t hold old grudges. Angela is a good person and a total professional.”

Go to this location for the complete story.

Guitar lord Joe Stump (HolyHell, Exorcism) recently spoke with BraveWords scribe Carl Begai and revealed some details of his forthcoming album:

"I've got a new solo record coming out on Lion Music next month entitled The Dark Lord Rises," Stump reveals. " It's a killer with some very heavy stuff; thrash, speed, power, and even a black metal-tinged track, along with of course the badass Blackmore rocking shit and Yngwie induced neo-classical  fret frying. Also, a beautiful ballad dedicated and inspired by Gary Moore that's one of the best things I`ve ever recorded as far as that emotional side of my playing goes."

The cover art for The Dark Lord Rises can be viewed below.

The tracklist is as follows:

"Hostile Takeover"
"Stratomaster"
"Out For Blood"
"The Black Knight Returns"
"Tortured Soul"
"The Dark Lord's Allegro"
"Staring Into The Abyss"
"Concerto No. 2 In B-Minor"
"Neo Classical Sgredfest No. 4"
"Battle Tested"
"Brothers In Shred" (bonus)

Stump will be a part of the inaugural Axes & Anchors music cruise, the most-rocking boat at sea continues to add to the already impressive lineup. Demon Hunter has just been confirmed to join the previously announced performers that include Zakk Wylde, Yngwie Malmsteen, Michael Schenker, Motionless In White, Flyleaf, Thousand Foot Krutch, Alex Skolnick, Tony MacAlpine, Adelitas Way, Randy Rhoads Remembered, Tracii Guns, Gilby Clarke, Mike Orlando and A Beautiful Disaster, Dario Lorina, Aranda, Black Knight’s Castle featuring Joe Stump, Pamela Moore, Falling Through April, Gabriel Ayala and Headstrum. Cabins can be reserved at AxesAndAnchors.com.

The cruise guarantees fans plenty of opportunities for meeting and hanging with their favorite bands on board, including free workshops on topics ranging from guitar and vocals to concert photography to stage clothing construction. Newly confirmed workshops include a drum clinic offered by Shaun Foist, the drummer for Breaking Benjamin. In addition, bass legend Rudy Sarzo will be moderating a clinic for bassists and Johnny Monaco of Enuff Z’nuff will be giving guitar clinics for players of all skill levels. Passengers are encouraged to bring their guitars on board for workshops and jam sessions. 28 workshops are already confirmed and currently listed online with more to be added before Axes & Anchors sets sail in February.

The five days and four nights cruise to Key West and Nassau, Bahamas will take place on the Carnival Victory. The ship offers free gourmet food and 24-hour room service, live comedy shows daily, and 40 live concerts on multiple stages. It also has three large swimming pools: King of the Seas, Triton, and Sirens, all including whirlpools in the immediate area. There is also a 214-foot-long (65 m) Twister waterslide that ends next to the King of the Seas pool. The cruise ship also has 13 bars, a salon/spa, a fitness center, and more amenities available.

All reservations include 4-nights lodging and taxes, all meals, all concerts, all open workshops, a professional photo opportunity with every artist, and more. Current promotions include a $150 per person rebate by paying in full, and the recently announced Stowaway Package, which allows 3rd and 4th passengers in a cabin who are under 21 to cruise for free when accompanied by two passengers over 25 years old.

Fan-filmed video footage of former HANOI ROCKS frontman Michael Monroe's October 10 performance at Corporation in Sheffield, England can be seen below.

Monroe released his new studio album, "Blackout States", on October 9 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.

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. Says 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."

On October 10, QUEENSRŸCHE played a special "Condition Hüman" record-release show at Studio Seven in Seattle, Washington. The private event was attended by PledgeMusic contributors, family and friends.

Video footage of the performance — shot by "Iron" Mike Savoia of Savoia Concert & Event Photography on an iPhone 6 — can be seen below.

"Condition Hüman" was released on October 2 via Century Media. The CD was recorded in part at at Uberbeatz Studio in Washington with producer Chris "Zeuss" Harris, who has previously worked with ROB ZOMBIE, HATEBREED, SOULFLY and SHADOWS FALL.

QUEENSRŸCHE singer Todd La Torre told Billboard.com about "Condition Hüman": "Each song individually is its own story, which does not have to directly relate to the next song. However, each song is harmonious to a larger picture, which is the human experience, mortality and how each of us perceives the world around us based on our own observations and experiences, thus shaping human behavior."

Added drummer Scott Rockenfield: "This record [is], 'Wow, OK, now we know what we can do together.' We know we have chemistry with Todd, and we wanted to take the band even one step further, which was really dig into everything that we know that we're doing and that we have fun doing, and pull out all the stops, I guess, in a way of things we didn't really visit on the first record [with La Torre]. We wanted to dig deeper more into the elements of QUEENSRŸCHE."

Regarding the more aggressive musical direction of "Condition Hüman" compared to that of 2013's "Queensrÿche", Rockenfield said: "Our fans love metal, and we've been pretty good at doing metal in our past, so [we thought], 'Let's have fun with some of that again. Let's do it and see what it means for us.' We definitely had conscious discussions about it, and now that we have Todd, Todd loves metal, so it was easy to have that conversation about pushing the band in a little bit of that direction."

He added: "I think we wanted to show our fans that we can be a metal band and a rock band, and that we can also write songs that have writer dynamics. I still think we're doing everything within all the realms of what QUEENSRŸCHE is known to be doing. This record is just another extension of that for us."

"Silence In The Snow", the new album from Florida metallers TRIVIUM, debuted at No. 19 on The Billboard 200 chart, having shifted 18,000 equivalent album units in the week ending October 8.

The Billboard 200 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).

"Silence In The Snow" was released on October 2 via Roadrunner. The follow-up to 2013's "Vengeance Falls" was produced by Michael "Elvis" Baskette (SLASH, ALTER BRIDGE, THE AMITY AFFLICTION) and was mixed by Josh Wilbur (GOJIRA, LAMB OF GOD).

A track-by-track breakdown of "Silence In The Snow", courtesy of TRIVIUM guitarist Corey Beaulieu and guitarist/vocalist Matt Heafy, can be seen below.

TRIVIUM is celebrating "Silence In The Snow" with an epic worldwide schedule highlighted by the 2015 HardDrive Live Tour. The dates — which see TRIVIUM co-headlining alongside TREMONTI — got underway September 9 at Fort Lauderdale, Florida's Culture Room and then continue through mid-October. The band will then head straight to San Bernardino, California for an October 24 main-stage performance at the upcoming Knotfest, headlined and curated by TRIVIUM's labelmates SLIPKNOT. TRIVIUM's seventh studio album, "Silence In The Snow" stands as a long gestating creative milestone for the acclaimed band. The collection had its genesis moment back in 2007 and was directly influenced by the time TRIVIUM spent touring alongside the legendary HEAVEN & HELL that year. Ultimately, it would take eight years before they felt equipped to tackle the challenging work of weaving their classic influences into a modern record. Fueled by the inspiration of true classic metal — spanning BLACK SABBATH and RAINBOW, IRON MAIDEN and JUDAS PRIEST, PANTERA and SLAYER, MEGADETH and METALLICA — TRIVIUM challenged themselves to attain similar levels of greatness, taking on vocal coaches and guitar lessons to further their creative evolution. The result is extraordinary, bridging the history of hard rock and metal while simultaneously powering it forward into the future on tracks like the epic "Blind Leading The Blind" and the upcoming first single "Until The World Goes Cold". "Silence In The Snow" track listing:

01. Snøfall02. Silence In The Snow03. Blind Leading The Blind04. Dead And Gone05. The Ghost That's Haunting You06. Pull Me From The Void07. Until The World Goes Cold08. Rise Above The Tides09. The Thing That's Killing Me10. Beneath The Sun11. Breathe In The Flames

TRIVIUM in May 2014 parted ways with drummer Nick Augusto due to personal differences. Stepping in for him on TRIVIUM's most recent dates and on the new album was the band's drum tech, Mat Madiro.

TRIVIUM's last album, "Vengeance Falls", sold 17,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release. The record — which was produced by David Draiman (DISTURBED, DEVICE) — arrived in stores on October 15, 2013 via Roadrunner.

SEVENDUST's eleventh studio album, "Kill The Flaw", debuted at No. 18 on The Billboard 200 chart, having shifted 18,000 equivalent album units in the week ending October 8.

The Billboard 200 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).

"Kill The Flaw" was released on October 2 via 7Bros. Records with ADA/Warner Brothers distribution. The CD was produced by SEVENDUST and recorded at Architekt Music in Butler, New Jersey with engineer/mixer Mike Ferretti.

SEVENDUST singerLajon Witherspoon recently told The Aquarian Weekly about the making of "Kill The Flaw": "The whole thing, to me, was such an experience and fun because we were able to take a break and unplug and to get that creative process within us when we went into the studio to do this album."

He continued: "We went in with this live effect. There wasn’t anything really written for this album, so what we did was we set up on the live stage and everything was mic'd, from guitars to drums, so we were able to record while we were rehearsing pieces of songs. Then we would go in from 12 noon until 12 midnight and during the day, we would just get up there as the band SEVENDUST like when we started, which we loved to do, and just jam. Things came out and that’s the way this album, 'Kill The Flaw', came together, man. It was just like the beginning of our career when we sat down and jammed together like a band and it's what I think made this album flow so easily and come out with so many cool songs."

Asked if he and his bandmates like the freedom of producing their own records, Witherspoon said: "Sometimes we have in our minds that sometimes it's cool to have someone come in and 'police' the album. I like to say that… police' it and really tell us what to do, because we kind of know what to do, even though I say 'police' too, because we can do stuff illegally and maybe not go to jail for it. [Laughs] Only kidding! We're on the right side of the law!"

He continued: "This time, we just wanted to go in and give it our all. Every once in a while, we'll bring a producer in and see how it goes, but more than likely, we have so many that are so talented in the band and singers and players and it's always so much fun for us to go in and pick each other's brains as producers ourselves. It was really cool to get down that way, and I'm sure in the future we'll bring other producers in, but for this time around, it was really fun to do it as this band that started from day one." "Kill The Flaw" track listing: 01. Thank You 02. Death Dance 03. Forget 04. Letters05. Cease And Desist06. Not Today07. Chop08. Kill The Flaw09. Silly Beast10. Peace And Destruction11. Torched

SEVENDUST is comprised of vocalist Lajon Witherspoon, guitarists John Connolly and Clint Lowery, bassist Vince Hornsby and drummer Morgan Rose.

CLUTCH's new album, "Psychic Warfare", debuted at No. 11 on The Billboard 200 chart, having shifted 26,000 equivalent album units in the week ending October 8.

The Billboard 200 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).

"Psychic Warfare" was released on October 2 via CLUTCH's own label Weathermaker Music. The CD consists of 12 new tracks.

"The title 'Psychic Warfare' is taken from the track 'X-Ray Visions'," states singer Neil Fallon. "It's a tale about an unnamed protagonist who is forced to seek refuge in a flop house motel. He is hiding from several nefarious psychic forces, the worst of which is his own sleep-deprived paranoia."

According to Fallon, the "X-Ray Visions" lyrical concept was influenced by Philip K. Dick, the science fiction author whose 1968 novel"Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?" was the basis for "Blade Runner". Neil said: "[Dick's] general philosophy and questions have always crept into my lyrics, because I share an interest in it. On [2013's] 'Earth Rocker', 'Crucial Velocity' was definitely a Philip K. Dick song for me. On this record, 'X-Ray Visions' certainly is."

Fallon added that the secluded studio location was the inspiration for the song "A Quick Death In Texas". He explained: "I was staying in a kind of unique, maybe 100-year-old property, by myself. I got spooked out because I come from the East Coast and the suburbs and I was out in the woods. That was the environment that brought out 'A Quick Death In Texas' — and the locals."

"Psychic Warfare" track listing:

01. The Affidavit02. X-Ray Visions03. Firebirds 04. A Quick Death in Texas 05. Sucker For The Witch06. Your Love is Incarceration07. Doom Saloon 08. Our Lady of Electric Light 09. Noble Savages 10. Behold the Colossus 11. Decapitation Blues 12. Son Of Virginia

Regarding the musical direction of "Psychic Warfare", Fallon said: "It's probably faster than 'Earth Rocker'. We wrote it pretty quickly after 'Earth Rocker', so we were, kind of, still in that headspace."

CLUTCH drummer Jean-Paul Gaster told The Aquarian Weekly: "There are some similarities in regards to 'Earth Rocker', and there are some songs on it that are sort of familiar, but we did some different stuff, too. There's stuff that is a little funkier, and there's other stuff that's a little more bluesy. So there's more diversity, I think."

If multi-instrumentalist Tommy Henriksen is not playing the six strings for Alice Cooper and The Hollywood Vampires or jetting back and forth between his adopted country Switzerland and his many destinations such as Los Angeles, Nashville, Japan and New York, to work with a variety of artists, he likes to compose movie trailers and take the time to work on his own song material. 

In March he released his latest solo album called Tommy Tommy Tommy via Blue Martin Records. Audio samples from the album can be heard here. He's released two videos from the album called “Let It Rock” - which features Satchel from Steel Panther - along with "Ima Alien". Check them both out below:

According to a press release, Tommy Tommy Tommy is a unique and versatile conglomeration of all conceivable influences that Tommy collected over the past years. With a mixture of punk, rock, electronica, country, pop and a hint world Music, this album represents all career stages of an exceptional talent and reflects the pure pleasure of music and lyrics... an album that couldn’t be more authentic.

Later this month, Profound Lore Records will unveil the sophomore full-length from psychedelic thrash unit, Vhöl. Titled Deeper Than Sky, the record finds the band - vocalist Mike Scheidt (Yob), guitarist John Cobbett (Hammers Of Misfortune, ex-Ludicra), bassist Sigrid Sheie (Hammers Of Misfortune, ex-Amber Asylum) and drummer Aesop Dekker (Agalloch, Worm Ouroboros, ex-Ludicra) - at their most absorbing. Check out the new track “Red Chaos”, streaming below.

The seven-track follow up to 2013's self-titled debut was captured at Light Rail Studios and mastered at Trakworx Studio, both in San Francisco, and boasts the cosmic cover creation of Brandon Duncan which unites some of Cobbett's sketches and concepts with Duncan's original art, the results of which accurately encapsulate the mind-altering vibe of the music contained within.

"We recorded this album at Light Rail Studios, in a huge room on a beautiful 1970 Trident console onto Jerry Garcia's 2" tape deck. One cannot escape the Grateful Dead in San Francisco recording studios - their gear is all over town," elaborates the band of the recording process. "The mixing was rather primitive with no plug-ins and all effects were done by old pedals, tape echo, and large reverb plates. Another thing that was large and huge during recording was our bass player who was eight-and-a-half months pregnant at the time."

Deeper Than Sky tracklisting:

“The Desolate Damned”
“3AM”
“Deeper Than Sky”
“Paino”
“Red Chaos”
“Lightless Sun”
“The Tomb”
 
“Red Chaos”:

Vhöl was forged from the ashes of Pentagram cover band, Parallelogram, which featured Mr. Hate of Noothgrush on vocals, Cobbett on guitar, Sheie on bass, and Dekker on drums. They disbanded when the real Pentagram arose from the grave. Finding themselves unable to keep the tempos under control anyway, they took to thrash and started penning originals. Eventually, Scheidt came on board to take over vocals. When their self-titled debut album was released in 2013, the effort was a surprise to many who didn't expect what Vhöl would initially sound like from their pedigree alone.

With Deeper Than Sky, Vhöl picks up from their debut crafting something totally next level, pushing their already-singular sound to the outer-realms of sonic exploration within the paradigm of old school speed metal. Vhöl’s Deeper Than Sky will be released via Profound Lore on October 23rd, with pre-orders and teaser tracks to be revealed in the weeks to come.

(Photo - Craig McGillivray)

 

Finland’s Hooded Menace has returned with Darkness Drips Forth, their fourth full-length and most gruesome work to date. Recorded and mixed by Chris Fielding (Electric Wizard, Primordial) and the band´s usual sound engineer Mikko Saastamoinen, and graced by decrepit artwork from Justin Bartlett, the band employ a new approach on their latest effort, expanding their writing across four cataclysmically dense tracks, nearly all of which exceed ten minutes apiece. Cavernous vocals preside over mastermind Lasse Pyykko's rumbling riffs; while the rest of the band’s unshakable rhythmic core provides a grim backbone for the record.

Listen to the album track “The Burning Oath / Dungeons Of The Disembodied”, streaming below:

A press release states: “The hint of melody Hooded Menace sought back in their earliest days has fully blossomed into an essential element of the band’s music; Darkness Drips Forth is as melodic as it is devastating and as emotionally disquieting as it is thematically stirring. Funereal, deliberate, and methodical, Darkness Drips Forth is sure to be an essential acquisition for fans of winter's crushing doom, the old-school death metal of Bolt Thrower and Asphyx, and the cruel, apocalyptic atmospheres of Dead Congregation and Coffins alike. Just in time for Halloween, Hooded Menace delivers a gruesome treat to chill your bones and crack open your coffin.”

The record is slated for an October 30th release via Relapse Records, and will be available on digital, CD, and vinyl formats. Pre-order the album on CD or special edition vinyl at Relapse Records.

Darkness Drips Forth tracklisting:

“The Burning Oath / Dungeons Of The Disembodied”
“Elysium Of Dripping Death”
“Ashen With Solemn Decay”
“Beyond Deserted Flesh”

Album trailer:

Prosthetic Records presents Laurestine, the second full-length album by So Hideous. Out October 16th, Laurestine is a masterpiece of sound and feeling that delivers on past promises and confirms the New York City band to be a true leader in its field. A full album stream can be found below.

Before Laurestine there was the debut album Last Poem/First Light, a 2013 self-release which wowed the underground with its balance of blackened angst and rich musicality, and with its use of an actual orchestra an choir in the recording process. Comparisons to Envy, Celeste, and composers like Arvo Part and Ennio Morricone abounded, the term "post-metal" appeared to be the only phrase broad enough to encompass the band's unique mix of black metal, post-hardcore, and orchestral elements.

Laurestine now shows the quartet - guitarist and main composer Brandon Cruz, bassist and vocalist Chris Cruz, guitarist Etienne Vazquez, and drummer Danny Moncada - building upon what it began and outshining expectations yet again.

Like it's predecessor, Laurestine was recorded at The Wild Artic Recording Studio in Portsmouth, New Hampshire with producer Dean Baltulonis (Lucero, Sick Of It All, Modern Life is War) and, like its predecessor, it features actual orchestral and choral tracks recorded by The First Light Orchestra, consisting now of thirty members - brass, strings, and vocalists, recorded at Little Field Performance and Art Space in Brooklyn, New York, by Chris Montgomery (Mumford And Sons, Lily Allen).

Tracklisting:

“Yesteryear”
“Here After”
“Relinquish”
“The Keepsake”
“Falling Cedars”
“The True Pierce”
“A Faint Whisper”

Album stream:

An absolute feast for the ears, "cinematic" is the word for Laurestine. The album plays like a score to an unseen film - one continuous ebb and flow of intensity,  swelling and receding, from fragile interludes to raging storms. Sonically dense yet crystalline, each musical layer contributes to the emotionally scorching whole.

Brandon Cruz - by day a music teacher at a New York City school - names Max Richter, Hans Zimmer and Mono as three of the inspirations fueling Laurestine. Cruz reveals that the album is based on a story of one man's post-mortem experience, an  interior journey in the seven minutes after dying during which the brain is said to be still active. Ascending toward an afterlife, the man is guided through this limbo state by a woman named Laurestine, made to reflect on the past and prepare for the unknown to come.

On various levels, Laurestine's lyrics and music connect to tell this story. In reference to the seven-minute space between life and death, the number seven dominates - the seven tracks are riddled with 7/4 and 7/8 time signatures. The songs' lyrics are written in the voices of both the protagonist and his guide - these two narrators lead the listener on an unforgettable tour through anguish, melancholy, and ultimate triumph.

(Photo: Dean Chooch Landry)

 

After a year of honing their malefic craft, North Carolina blackened thrashers, All Hell, will release a volatile offering entitled The Red Sect on October 16th via Horror Pain Gore Death Productions. The album is streaming below in full.

The Red Sect marks a crossroads for the band; the straightforward aggression of their debut blends with a seething, menacing atmosphere-further enhanced by the mixing and mastering skills of Toxic Holocaust main man Joel Grind, creating an album that is dark, vicious, and compelling. The record's ten tracks weave a frightful narrative of ritual possession, vengeance, and revolt. The band has further explored and defined their sound, once again drawing influences from a wide array of genres such as thrash, black metal, deathrock, and punk.

 
“Crossroads”
“Mass Possession”
“Venomous”
“Blood For The Baron”
“Graveyard Dust”
“In My Command”
“Blackshape”
“The Unseen”
“Funeral Feast”
“The Red Sect”

Album stream:

Formed in Asheville, North Carolina in 2013, blackened thrash fiends All Hell began carving a name for themselves through their early performances and released their debut record, The Devil's Work, in 2014.

Since their 2014 debut release, All Hell have been busy sowing chaos through live performances while crafting their sophomore record. Playing and touring throughout the Southeast, the band has quickly developed a following and earned a reputation as one of the most intense and lethal live acts in the region, having shared the stage with bands like 1349, Black Tusk, Ghoul, Skeletonwitch, and Toxic Holocaust.
 
With their relentless drive, growing support, and two albums under their belt, All Hell pushes forward, intent on spreading their hellish music and intense live experience to as many people as possible

All Hell is currently booking dates for winter and spring tours in support of The Red Sect.

All Hell is:

Jacob Curwen - Guitar and Vocals
Kurt Henderson - Drums
Erik Ballantyne - Bass Guitar