On the back of such highly rated albums Albion and Isla De Muerta, released a mere six months apart, the UK’s esteemed melodic hard rock band Ten release their first EP for many years, The Dragon And Saint George, along with the latest stunning lyric video produced by Transistor Pictures. Check out the lyric video for the title track below.

 
Featuring exclusive artwork from Gaetano Di Falco, the EP also boats three previously unreleased tracks. These are no mere leftovers but potential bonafide classics, with "Musketeers – Soldiers of the King" being right up there with the best historical Ten epics, while "Is There Anyone With Sense?" and "The Prodigal Saviour" return to the more melodic AOR of the debut. The booklet also contains extensive written note from vocalist Gary Hughes on every song from Isla De Muerta as well as the unreleased tracks from the EP, making this a totally indispensable package for all fans of classic melodic hard rock.
 
The EP is out now and available in all good record shops across the UK, as well as online at RocktopiaRecords.com
 
The EP will also be released as a stunning 12” picture disk featuring the additional bonus track "Good God In Heaven What Hell Is This", originally found on the Japanese release of Albion. This picture disc will be released early December and is strictly limited to 350 copies, although pre-orders are now being taken at Rocktopia Records.

Singer Patrick Mulock - who once fronted Eidolon with former Megadeth drummer Shawn Drover and ex-Megadeth/King Diamond guitarist Glen Drover - along with two of his former bandmates in Rampage (guitarist Tyson Emanuel and drummer Chris Lewis) make up the Mississauga-based Phear. The band is rounded off by guitarist Graham Stirrett (A Sin For A Prayer) and bassist Lucas "Ghost" Di Mascio. Phear released their debut album, Insanitarium on May 22 via Amazon, iTunes, and CD Baby.

Check out their new performance video for the song "Heaven" below:

Insanitarium consists of 12 songs (+1 bonus instrumental track) and features the following guest musicans - Glen Drover (Megadeth, King Diamond, Eidolon), Bjorn "Speed" Strid (Soilwork), Stan Miczek (Harem Scarem, Honeymoon Suite, Sass Jordan), Jon Howard (Threat Signal), Travis Montgomery (Threat Signal), Kelly Kereliuk (Prismind), Rick Reid (Eclipse Eternal, Rampage), Omar Ales (Harem Scarem), Mark Ferreira, and Basia Lyjak.

Check out the artwork and tracklisting below:

Insanitarium tracklisting:

“Regan’s Dream”
“Don’t Scream”
“Fallen”
“Heaven”
“Delusions”
“Proud”
“The Drowning Man”
“Until You Die”
“Motive’s Unknown”
“Bloodline”
“In The Name Of"
“Sea of Lies”
“Snap”

Phear have also debuted the video for “Don’t Scream” below:

"Reagan's Dream"featuring Jon Howard from Threat Signal:

Visit Phear on Facebook here.

San Diego-based metallists Cage are set to return on October 30th, with the release of their latest metallic tour de force, Ancient Evil, which has been prefaced by a lyric video for "The Procedure".

"We really love how creepy the video came out, it's like a mini movie almost," explains singer Sean "The Hell Destroyer" Peck. "This song will give people a good idea of what they are in for on this massive, heavy metal, horror story thrill ride!" Rounding out the band are Dave "Conan" Garcia (guitars), Casey "The Sentinel" Trask (guitars), Alex Pickard (bass guitar), and Sean "The Thrash Machine" Elg (drums).

Based on a horror novel written by lead singer Sean Peck, 'Ancient Evil' continues the legacy of Cage as a heavy metal innovator. This nearly 80-minute monstrosity has 19 tracks that combine songs and narrated interludes to forge a unique musical journey that rocks! 

However, according to Sean, making a concept record work is never an easy task - "With this being our 7th release, we wanted to try our hand at another concept album. We had great success with 'Hell Destroyer,' but doing a scary story type of thing and making the songs catchy and memorable while keeping the listener captivated by the content, is a real challenge." 

The story's main character, Elliot Worthington, is played by none other than ex-Iron Maiden frontman Blaze Bayley. "I did not want to do any of the character voices this time, so we got some really great talent to act out the scenes. Blaze did an incredible job. His acting chops were freaking great, I have to say," says Peck. "The writing for this record came together effortlessly even though it was a concept record. It is pretty much just blazing fast the whole way through which is just how I like it!"

Ancient Evil tracklisting:

"There Were Others"
"Ancient Evil"
"Behind The Walls Of Newgate"
"The Procedure"
"The Appetite"
"Cassandra"
"Blinded By Rage"
"Tell Me Everything"
"The Expedition"
"Beholder"
"I Have Awakened"
"Across The Sea Of Madness"
"To Save Love"
"Christ Protect Me"
"Sinister Six"
"Symphony Of Sin"
"The Antidote"
"Tomorrow Never Came"
"It Can't Be"

 

 

 

 

 

Italian progressive occult metal visionaries, Void Of Sleep, will release their sophomore full-length next month via Aural Music. Titled, New World Order, the seven track concept album and follow-up to 2013's Tales Between Reality And Madness, was captured by bassist Riccardo Pasini (Ephel Duath, The Secret) at Studio73 in Ravenna, Italy and mastered by Collin Jordan (Eyehategod, Voivod) at The Boiler Room in Chicago, Illinois.

"New World Order represents to us a new culmination of our sound," says the band of their latest compositions. "Now more than ever you can call it visionary, sludgy and progressive. It's an occult, esoteric and wicked metaphor to the modern society as we consider it: with no positive expectations of the future of this world. This album embraces the concept of evil in its purest form. Since the beginning, man has been doomed to consume and enslave and destroy his own kind in an absurd discord to the final extinction."

New World Order comes shrouded in the arcane cover creation of Simone Bertozzi who relays of the work, "while doing it I experienced the breath of Lucifer on my back, the Illuminati around the corner and reptilians getting ready for my abduction. Coincidence? I think not."

New World Order tracklisting:

"The Devil's Conjuration"
"Hidden Revelations"
"Slaves Shall Serve"
"Ordo Ab Chao"
"Lords Of Conspiracy"
"New World Order"
"Ending Theme (l. Mourn ll. Triumphant lll. Void)"

Void Of Sleep's New World Order will be available via Aural Music on CD in Europe on October 16th and in North America on November 13th. The record will be available digitally worldwide on October 18th, with vinyl available in the New Year. Pre-orders to be available soon.

 

 

 

Longtime GUNS N' ROSES bassist Tommy Stinson, who has been with the band since 1998, has told The Current that he doesn't know the Axl Rose-fronted group's status at the moment.

Stinson, a founding member of the seminal Minneapolis-based rock group THE REPLACEMENTS, last played with GUNS N' ROSES at an April 2014 show in Las Vegas. "The back story on that, I don't really want to talk about on air. 'Cause what happened with it, it has nothing to do with Axl or any of that stuff; it had more to do with my personal situation," he said. "Basically, I played my last gig in Las Vegas with them and had to come home and tend to that the best I could while REPLACEMENTS [reunion shows] were kinda being offered up. And I, you know, I sort of… I don't know. I think that… My guess is...that, at some point, someone's gonna call me and tell me what's up with that. 'Cause we all left… We've left on friendly terms— it wasn't like a bad thing. But another guitar player, DJ Ashba, I think he 'officially' quit to do something but, you know, I just… I had to walk away and take care of my stuff so. Taking care of my stuff; whatever my stuff is."

Recent rumors are pointing to a possible reunion of GUNS N' ROSES' classic 1987 lineup, which would mean Duff McKagan taking over bass duties, along with Steven Adler, Izzy Stradlin and Slash rejoining the ranks. The rumors are centered around Slash's recent revelation that he and Rose had repaired their estranged relationship after nearly 20 years,

Asked about the reports of a possible classic GN'R reunion, Stinson told The Current: "I'll be perfectly honest with you, man. I hope they do because, you know, when you go back to where you started from and just check that out, and feel that for a moment after you've gone on and done all these other things, you know, there's a reward that comes with that, and I had that with the 'MATS [short for PLACEMATS, which itself is a nickname for THE REPLACEMENTS] stuff... It's a good thing; it's a good thing to do once in a while. And I hope it works out for 'em — if it actually happens."

Rose is the only original member of GUNS N' ROSES still in the current lineup, which has toured intermittently since 2006 and played its second Las Vegas residency last year.

Australian tour promoter AJ Maddah last month shot down rumors that a reunited GUNS N' ROSES lineup was being courted to headline that country's Soundwave festival next year.

The rumor got started when the owner of Cherry Bar in Melbourne appeared on Triple M radio Down Under and said sources had told him that the original lineup would play the Soundwave festival next year.

The fest's promoter, AJ Maddah, told Music Feeds, "It's been nice for me personally to share this fantasy for a few days along with the fans, but it is not happening."

Maddah added, "If a reunion does happen, it is going to take longer than six months for the band to be ready to tour. I think it'll take a hundred lawyers six months just to get the five of them into a rehearsal room together."

Amy Lee (EVANESCENCE) and Grammy nominees Dave Eggar and Chuck Palmer, in collaboration with former "Riverdance" stars and fellow Brooklyn artists Hammerstep, have composed an original song for a brand new short film that combines sci-fi, martial arts and neo-Irish dance. "Indigo Grey: The Passage" is a seven-minute audio-visual experience that recently premiered at the 2015 Los Angeles International Short Film Festival and has so far been officially selected to screen at 14 international film festivals.

Written and produced by Hammerstep founders Garrett Coleman and Jason Oremus, "Indigo Grey: The Passage" was directed by award-winning, Brooklyn-based filmmaker Sean Robinson — who describes the short film as being about "taking risks and exploring the lines between fantasy and reality."

"Indigo Grey: The Passage" was officially released online September 13 and can be seen below. The film is based on Hammerstep's "Indigo Grey" — a live, immersive show experience, set to open in New York City in 2016. Stay tuned to www.hammerstep.com for more details.

EVANESCENCE recently parted ways with guitarist Terry Balsamo and replaced him with Germany's Jen Majura.

EVANESCENCE will re-emerge after a three-year hiatus with select, intimate shows scheduled this fall in Nashville, Dallas and Los Angeles. The influential, Grammy-winning band last performed live in November of 2012.

RAMMSTEIN made a triumphant return to the U.S. stage for the first time in 10 years, to headline one sold-out concert at New York City's Madison Square Garden. The venue's more than 18,000 seats were snatched up for the special appearance within less than 30 minutes of going on sale, heralding RAMMSTEIN's return with a frenzied fanfare on par with the German band's elaborate stage presentation. On September 25, Island/UMe will release "Rammstein In Amerika" in 2DVD and 2Blu-ray packages, pairing the incendiary Madison Square Garden concert, expertly filmed and recorded in 5.1 surround, with a feature-length documentary film directed by Hannes Rossacher. A 20-minute film about the making of RAMMSTEIN's sixth album, "Liebe Ist Für Alle Da", is also included.

The two-hour "Rammstein In Amerika" documentary throws open the band's private archives spanning more than 20 years, including a trove of never-before-seen footage. Originated and personally overseen by RAMMSTEIN, the film is a fascinating chronological exploration of the band's history, from the members' shared experience of limited touring and other creative business opportunities behind the Iron Curtain in their native East Germany to bursting onto the world's stage as metal/rock heroes after Germany's reunification. The film follows RAMMSTEIN's first forays into U.S. touring and American music business dealings in the 1990s, their work with David Lynch for the "Lost Highway" soundtrack, global radio and music television success, and international touring, which included the 1999 arrest of two of the band's members in Massachusetts for elements of their stage presentation deemed by local police to be "lewd and lascivious behavior." The film also goes behind the scenes with RAMMSTEIN's retreat from America in the wake of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, before concluding with the band's eventual return to perform in America on November 12, 2010 at Madison Square Garden. In addition to RAMMSTEIN's Till Lindemann (vocals), Richard Z. Kruspe (guitar), Paul Landers (guitar), Oliver Riedel (bass), Flake Lorenz (keyboard), and Christoph Schneider (drums, percussion), several well-known American artists, including Iggy Pop, Chad Smith (RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS), Moby, Melissa Auf der Maur, Marilyn Manson, Kiefer Sutherland, Steven Tyler (AEROSMITH), Jonathan Davis (KORN), CJ Ramone, Scott Ian (ANTHRAX), SLIPKNOT, SYSTEM OF A DOWN, KISS and Taylor Momsen, are among the documentary's diverse and insightful participants. Shot in high definition with 14 cameras and 5.1 surround audio, RAMMSTEIN's "Live From Madison Square Garden" concert film shows the band in full creative stride as they command the stage for their roof-raising return to New York. RAMMSTEIN's complete performance of 18 songs is captured in the film, clocking in for one hour and 41 minutes of visual and sonic annihilation. Also included is Paul Landers's 20-minute "Making Of Liebe Ist Für Alle Da" documentary, which takes viewers into the studio during RAMMSTEIN's November/December 2008 sessions for the band's sixth album in Sonoma, California. "Live From Madison Square Garden" track listing:

01. Rammlied02. B********03. Waidmanns Heil04. Keine Lust05. Weisses Fleisch 06. Feuer Frei! 07. Wiener Blut 08. Frühling In Paris 09. Ich Tu Dir Weh10. Du Riechst So Gut11. Benzin12. Links 2 3 413. Du Hast14. Pussy15. Sonne16. Haifisch17. Ich Will18. Engel

A trailer for the feature-length documentary film directed by Hannes Rossacher can be seen below.

"Love And Scars", the long-awaited sophomore album from legendary KING'S X drummer Jerry Gaskill, will be released on Friday, October 30 via Rat Pak Records.

Featuring Billy Sheehan, Phil Keaggy, Earl Slick, DA Karkos, Andee Blacksugar and a host of other notable musicians, "Love And Scars" marks the completion of a long musical journey that started almost a decade ago. Enduring a series of personal tragedies along the way, including two heart attacks, and losing all his possessions in Hurricane Sandy, Jerry remained steadfast and true in his belief that music heals all. "It's been a long time coming and I've had some heavy obstacles to deal with, but the record is finally ready and I couldn't be more proud of what we've accomplished!" says Jerry. "Love And Scars" also spotlights Jerry's vocal and songwriting talents as he passionately pours his heart out into each and every song, putting to music all of his triumphs and tragedies of the last decade. "The lyrical content of this album is simply about everyday life the way I see it and I hope that people will be able to relate to it on some kind of personal level," says Jerry. It quickly becomes evident within the first few seconds of this album that Jerry is highly influenced by his own band KING'S X, as well as some of his earlier influences like THE BEATLES, LED ZEPPELIN, Bob Dylan and GRAND FUNK RAILROAD. "Drummers don't always get the opportunity to showcase their full songwriting capabilities, but Jerry raises the bar and delivers a very solid offering with 'Love And Scars'," says Rat Pak Records owner Joe O'Brien.

"Love And Scars" track listing:

01. Far Away02. This Picture03. No More Yesterday04. Hypothetical05. Waking Up06. Never Ever Know07. Sandy08. Patty's Song09. Paradise10. Sad11. Girl In The Warehouse12. Goodbye Song "Love And Scars" was produced and mixed by DA Karkos. It was mastered by Kurdt Vanderhoof of METAL CHURCH.

"Enemies In Fidelity", the new video from Sweden-based melodic death metal experts SOILWORK, can be seen below. The song is taken from the band's tenth studio album, "The Ride Majestic", which was released worldwide on August 28 via Nuclear Blast.

Comments SOILWORK vocalist Björn "Speed" Strid: "The video for 'Enemies In Fidelity' captures the hardship of maintaining friendships between friends or lovers and how the struggle sometimes gets addictive, very often to a point where you lose yourself and hatred takes over."

"The Ride Majestic" has registered the following first-week chart positions:

Finland: #12Sweden #22Germany: #30Austria: #37Australia: #45Switzerland: #49Canada: #55France: #107

"The Ride Majestic" track listing:

01. The Ride Majestic02. Alight In The Aftermath03. Death In General04. Enemies In Fidelity05. Petrichor By Sulphur06. The Phantom07. The Ride Majestic (Aspire Angelic)08. Whirl Of Pain09. All Along Echoing Paths10. Shining Lights11. Father And Son, Watching The World Go Down12. Of Hollow Dreams (bonus track)13. Ghosts And Thunder (bonus track)

Asked how "The Ride Majestic" celebrates 20th anniversary of the band’s existence, Strid told Bloody Disgusting: "It is kinda hard to grasp. I think both 'The Living Infinite' and our new album sums up our career very well, both musically and lyrically. There's a certain existential feel running through those albums and especially 'The Ride Majestic', brings up the darker existential aspects. As pretentious as it may sound, I also feel that we've left certain things behind and have entered a new era, where we let us be driven by spontaneity and emotion."

Regarding whether there are any tracks that stand out to him as being deeply important on a personal level, Strid said: "I think they all gradually become more important with age. However, some of the early more primal teenage angst oriented lyrics are harder to relate to today. One of the best lyrics I've ever written comes from the new album, 'Death In General', that captures the feeling of the very last moments with somebody close, who's on their death bed. Father and son, watching the world go down is from a very realistic dream that I had about the last moments on earth with my dad and the realization of the end."

Joining SOILWORK on tour in support of the effort will be new bassist Markus Wibom, formerly of Helsingborg hardcore group HEARTS ALIVE. Wibom replaces longtime bandmember Ola Flink, who has amicably left the group to focus on other endeavors. Wibom has been a personal friend of the band for many years and has previously toured with SOILWORK as a guitar tech and lighting designer. Wibom made his live debut with SOILWORK in Stockholm on April 30. Catch Wibom out on tour with SOILWORK on the band's upcoming European headline tour, dubbed "The Tour Majestic", with support from HATESPHERE. The European dates will follow SOILWORK's upcoming U.S. tour with SOULFLY, DECAPITATED and SHATTERED SUN.

"The Satanist", the new video from Polish extreme metallers BEHEMOTH, can be seen below. Directed by Andrzej Dragan, the clip is another ambitious and visually striking piece of art from the band that's known for videos that remain a cut above standard metal music videos.

BEHEMOTH frontman Nergal comments: "BEHEMOTH has always been about breaking boundaries, taboos, leaving its comfort zone and thinking out of the box! Here we go again with the brand new video from us. It's already a fourth official clip off 'The Satanist'. The concept came from the director, Andrzej Dragan. It's situated in modern Warsaw in the present times. It's where the carnal world meets the unknown… it's where the ZOS meets KIA… It's where SACRUM is raped by PROFANUM…"

Dragan adds: "This is a picture of alienation and ultimate rejection of an oversensitive character by an anonymous city."

"The Satanist" is the title track of BEHEMOTH's latest album, which sold around 10,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 34 on The Billboard 200 chart.

Asked about BEHEMOTH's plans to follow up "The Satanist", Nergal told Australia's "Rabid Noise" podcast: "Well, I don't really think about following it up yet. I have to change my way of thinking. I focus on the present moment — on here and now — and just make we squeeze the fuck out of this album, all the juices, and make sure all the touring [is completed successfully]. We have this attitude that we want people to have this impression that it's the last time we play on stage. When you see us live, it's now or never, if you know what I mean. So I'm not like… I used to be like that… I'd go into the studio and spit out the record, and the record… Name any record, it's been every time I did that. And I was already thinking of the next one, because I knew that I'm gonna top myself, and I really attempted that every time. But I was never satisfied. And this time, it's quite the opposite. So this is it — this is the ultimate BEHEMOTH album — and there's no plans to record the next one yet. So what we focus on, we focus on the quality of the touring for 'The Satanist', and let's see what the future brings after that."

Multi-instrumentalist and composer Vittorio Sabelli of Italian extreme avant-garde black metallers, Dawn Of A Dark Age, has announced the band's new lineup, with the new vocalist Lys (Enisum) and the drummer Diego Aeternus Tasciotti (Handful Of Hate, Lord Vampyr, Massemord).

Comments Sabelli: "I'm really happy to have two great musicians like Lys and Aeternus for the new album. Actually Dawn Of A Dark Age is recording the chapter IV (Air) of the saga The Six Elements, and they will bring a great contribution to grow further this ambitious project. Very special thanks to Raato for his great work in the latest album Fire, we’ll collaborate in the future again, but actually I want to have a real band to start a new experience on the road.”

Dawn Of A Dark Age released their new album, Fire, the third chapter of the saga The Six Elements, on July 1st. A new lyric video for the album track “Enonga’s Bells 1566 A.D.” can be found below.

Tracklisting:

“Awakening Of The Old Flame”
“Enonga’s Bells 1566 A.D.”
“Pompei (Vesuvio’s Waltz)”
“Winter Solstice”
“Homecoming”
“Outro (Kvlt Of The Fire)”

“Enonga’s Bells 1566 A.D.” lyric video:

Fire was recorded at 3rd Bloody Floor Studio and the American artist Nino R.Mejia created the cover artwork.

British rock 'n' rollers The Temperance Movement announce their brand new studio album, White Bear. Due to be released on January 15th, 2016, the follow-up to their 2013 self-titled debut was recorded with producer Sam Miller in London, Northamptonshire and Monmouth and features 10 stomping new blues-rock anthems. The band will support White Bear with a UK tour which kicks off the day after the album's release.

The Temperance Movement guitarist, Paul Sayer confides, "White Bear is a real step on for us sonically and artistically. Playing so many shows together over the last 3 years allowed us to develop a really clear idea of where we wanted to go with our next record. When it came to making this album we had a bit more time and space to let our creativity go, and I'm incredibly proud of what we achieved."

Whilst on the album title, White Bear, singer Phil Campbell notes, "Nick called me with the title which inspired the lyric to the song. It refers to a study by Daniel Wenger on mindfulness and the controlling of unwanted thoughts, testing a quote from Dostoevsky's 'Winter Notes on Summer Impressions': 'Try to pose for yourself this task: not to think of a polar bear, and you will see that the cursed thing will come to mind every minute.”

White Bear tracklisting:

“Three Bulleits”
“Get Yourself Free”
“A Pleasant Peace I Feel”
“Modern Massacre”
“Battle Lines”
“White Bear”
“Oh Lorraine”
“Magnify”
“The Sun and Moon Roll Around Too Soon”
“I Hope I'm Not Losing My Mind”

White Bear is available to pre-order now on CD, signed CD, vinyl and limited edition signed white vinyl, and is also available in a number of t-shirt bundles. Reserve your copy now at this location. The album is also available to pre-order now on iTunes, including an exclusive bonus track.

Don't miss The Temperance Movement on tour in the UK in support of White Bear:

January
16 - Portsmouth, UK - Pyramid Centre
17 - Norwich, UK - UEA
19 - Aberdeen, UK - Beach Ballroom
20 - Glasgow, UK - Barrowland
21 - Newcastle, UK - University
22 - Leeds, UK - Becket University
24 - Manchester, UK - Academy 2
25 - Birmingham, UK - Institute
26 - Cardiff, UK - Y Plas
27 - London, UK - Shepherd's Bush Empire

All tickets and bundles are available at this location.

 

HoaxBane is a German extreme metal duo from Berlin formed in 2013. HoaxBane take a socially critical position, hostile towards all manipulative ideologies which seek to achieve a superficial, conformist, consumer society. As the name HoaxBane suggests, their lyrics deal with the great lies of mankind’s history. Today the conspiracy of the mass media is fast replacing the influence and functions of religion.

Their ideology rejects generally proclaimed values but promotes individual thought and encourages not following like lemmings but instead to question social norms and indeed much of mankind ́s past. HoaxBane ́S expression is inevitably a roar of contempt. Through intensive studio work the apocalyptic visions are hammered out until they represent the author ́s concept 100%. In doing so HoaxBane value clear musical structures aswell as a powerful, transparent sound in which the vocals are the central element.
 
For both of these exceptional artists the music is their purpose and their passion. The philosophy that they express is carried into their everyday life.
 
Misanthrop (vocals): His heart lives and beats for the savage, raw and unbroken power of black metal which in it´s time was created by the wild norwegian hordes. Since the start of this fascination Misanthrop has been almost solely responsible for the blackest parts of the genre and has enriched many bands through his versatile delivery. Because of irrevocable differences with established bands (Block Hoggins, Amok Vedar) he decided to activate his own projects (Douleur Atroce, Hassessenz). He also shared the stage with scene greats such as Belphegor, Eminenz, Endstille and Debauchery. His unrelenting dedication to the music reached new heights as his path crossed that of Tantrum Mezcalar.
 
Tantrum Mezcalar (guitar/bass/programming): Meaning: Fit of rage under the influence of mescalin. In ancient cultures mescalin intoxication was used in order to achieve liberating and redeeming visions in which the warrior could learn his secret warrior name and the magical name of his guardian spirit. He grew up in the former walled city of Berlin and decided early on to go to the dark side of music. After the usual experiences wandering about the Berliner metal bands he went off to London. Through various connections to Motörhead´s management Doug Smith, he had many opportunities to prove his musical abilities. Meanwhile he made a name for himself as a guitarist and producer. After returning to Berlin he worked on his own studio projects. In a typical WW II Berlin bunker in which many bands have practice rooms he met singer Misanthrop. After just one rehearsal together it was immediately clear that a new kind of pure energy had assaulted the two meter thick concrete walls.

HoaxBane’s debut, Messengers Of Change, will be released on November 27th via Mighty Music/Target.

Tracklisting:

“Messengers Of Change”
“Bloodshed”
“Diagnose: Wahnsinn”
“The Element Of Truth”
“Erotic Asphyxiation”
“Asylum Of Faith”
“Welcoming Pain”
“Secrets Of My Cravings”
“Versager Der Evolution”

“Asylum Of Faith” video:

“Bloodshed” video:

Spanish hard rockers ‘77 present you the first track from the forthcoming new album and Century Media debut, Nothing's Gonna Stop Us, out on October 30th, 2015. Check out the kick-ass boogie rocker “It’s Alright” below.
 
‘77 comments: ““It's Alright” is a straight forward '77 song based on a heavy, rocking riff and perfectly represents us and our sound. The music somewhat disguises that its lyrics are actually dealing with a lot of anger and frustration and the song can be understood as our personal call to action: Don’t just go the easy way, don’t just say “It’s Alright” and remain ignorant to what is happening around you.”

Artistically and aesthetically deeply rooted in the Seventies, the Valeta brothers Armand Valeta (vocals and rhythm guitar) and LG Valeta (lead guitar) founded ’77 (pronounced Seventy Seven) as a direct reflection of the concept of the era they love. Over the past years ’77, who are hailing from Spain, didn’t just make a name for themselves with their studio recordings, but particularly with their high energy live shows that secured them countless European tours with the likes of diverse bands such as Bullet or Audrey Horne.

Nothing’s Gonna Stop Us, was produced by Jaime Gomez Arellano who has worked with diverse artists such as Paradise Lost, Ghost, Ulver or Cathedral. You figure this might sound too heavy for fans of real rock’n’roll? Wait until you get to hear the first track and you’ll be turned into a real believer that this was a match made in rock’n’roll heaven!

Gomez on the recording: "Working with '77 was a brilliant journey back to... well... sort of 1977!  We decided to take our trip back in time very seriously and didn't compromise on anything. First, we worked very hard on a pre-production, then went to record the album on an all-original 1976 Neve desk at Music Lan Studios in Spain. It was all recorded live using vintage drums, guitars, amplifiers, microphones and classic analog outboard units - all to analogue 2 inch tape. In most cases we kept the first take and we did no more than two takes per song. We then mixed in my Orgone Studios on my SSL desk and mastered it to 1/4 inch analogue tape. The result: an exciting, energetic record where I think we managed to capture the spirit of '77."

Nothing’s Gonna Stop Us tracklisting:

“It's Alright”
“Tonight”
“Come & Join Us”
“Street Dogs”
“Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now”
“GMDF”
“Tightrope”
“Still Waiting”
“No One Like You”
“She Makes Me”
“Too Young To Go”
“We Want More Rock And Roll”

‘77 tour dates:

October (with Michael Schenker’s Temple Of Rock)
30 - Zoetermeer, Netherlands - Boerderij
31 - Rijssen, Netherlands - Lucky

November (with Michael Schenker’s Temple Of Rock)
3 - Paris, France - Bataclan
5 - Esch-sur-Alzette, Luxembourg - Rockhal
6 - Bourg En Bresse, France - La Tannerie
7 - Les Pennes-Mirabeau, France - Jas'Rod

November
27 - Dortmund, Germany - Leafmeal

‘77 are:

Armand Valeta - Vocals & Rhythm Guitar
LG Valeta - Lead Guitar
Guillem Martinez - Bass
Andy Cobo - Drums

 

The new collection of rotting anthems by Putrevore is ready to be unleashed upon mankind. Tentacles Of Horror is the title of this third opus, which shows the band heavier and more putrid than ever before (if that's possible).

This time, Tentacles Of Horror was completely mixed and mastered by Dave Rotten at his own Sanctuary Studios, achieving a truly heavy, thick and putrefact sound. Cover artwork was done once again by artist Juanjo Castellano.

Tentacles Of Horror tracklisting:

“These Caverns Breed Filth”
“Unspeakable Madness Beckons”
“Gable Window Portal Pt. I”
“Gable Window Portal Pt. II”
“Through the Vortex to Aeons Past”
“The Rotten Crawls On”
“Hyperborean Dreams”
“A Maw Surrounded By Tentacles”

Release date for Tentacles Of Horror is set for October 10th through Xtreem Music. You can listen to an exclusive advance track from the album below:

Brazilian metallers Eminence have released a video for “Veins Of Memories”, from the band's fourth full-length album, The Stalker.

For the album recordings, Eminence reunited with Danish producer Tue Madsen (Moonspell, The Haunted, Sick Of It All), who also produced their well-received 2008 album The God Of All Mistakes. Recording took place at Minerio de Ferro Studios in Belo Horizonte, Brazil.

 

 

The Stalker tracklisting:

"Self Rejection"
"Unfold"
"3 Times 6"
"Atmosphere" (intro)
"Veins Of Memories"
"The Stalker"
"Eyetricity"
"Satellite" (intro)
"Critical Path"
"No Code"
"Visions Of Hate"

"The Stalker" video:

"Unfold" video:

Eminence is:

Alan Wallace (guitars)
Bruno Paraguay (vocals)
Andre Marcio (drums)
Thiago Correa (bass)

 

Leslie West and Provogue Records, a division of Mascot Label Group, have announced a November 20th release date for Soundcheck. The title is West's sixteenth solo album, following 2011’s Unusual Suspects, which featured contributions from such accomplished guitarists and close friends as Billy Gibbons, Slash, Zakk Wylde, Steve Lukather and Joe Bonamassa, and 2013’s Still Climbing, which included blistering duets with the late, great Johnny Winter, Jonny Lang and Mark Tremonti.

For this new release, West lays down some of his most inspired musical magic to date with the assistance of true rock royalty: the renown British guitarists Peter Frampton and Brian May, ex-Jeff Beck keyboard virtuoso Max Middleton, vocalist extraordinaire Bonnie Bramlett and the late great Cream bassist and longtime friend of Leslie’s, Jack Bruce.

Back in 1972, Leslie made musical history with Jack when they joined forces to form the super group West, Bruce and Laing. Soundcheck is co-produced and engineered by West's collaborator Mike "Metal" Goldberg, who he shared, "helped me get my sound down on 'Tape' as they used to say, and did an amazing job as he always does."

Leslie West (born Leslie Weinstein, October 22nd, 1945) first gained worldwide recognition in 1969 as the guitarist and singer in the groundbreaking rock band Mountain. West’s wholly unique sound, distinguished by beautifully melodic phrasing, his slow, wide vibrato, and a crushing guitar tone set the standard in the late sixties and early seventies for blues/rock guitar playing of the highest order. Along with the hugely influential Top Ten hit “Mississippi Queen,” his brilliant guitar work serves as the driving force behind the Mountain classics, “Nantucket Sleighride,” “Never In My Life,” “Don’t Look Around,” “Blood of the Sun,” “Dreams of Milk and Honey,” and the incredible Jack Bruce composition, “Theme For an Imaginary Western.” That one-of-a-kind signature guitar sound propels Soundcheck throughout, evidenced by such powerful tracks as, “Left By The Roadside to Die,” “Here For the Party,” “Empty Promises--Nothing Sacred,” “Going Down,” “Spoonful,” “A Stern Warning” and five other stellar songs.
 
Included among Leslie’s many fans and disciples are six-string luminaries such as Eddie Van Halen, Randy Rhoads, John McLaughlin, Jethro Tull’s Martin Barre, Warren Haynes, and Richie Blackmore of Deep Purple. Blackmore has stated that Leslie’s phenomenal playing on “Mississippi Queen” served to redirect the course of Deep Purple’s music in an instant, ultimately resulting in the brutal hard rock intensity displayed on Deep Purple In Rock.

"I’ve always really loved Leslie West’s playing,” says Blackmore. “I remember being in a place in Germany, and Ian [Paice, DP drummer] and I were out drinking together. In those days, you could go to a club and listen to the new records in their entirety that had just come out. Paice and I heard, ‘Mississippi Queen,’ and we both went white! We were thinking, ‘Who the hell is that?!’ It had such a big sound! For three guys, it was incredibly heavy. And Leslie’s vibrato is just great. Hearing Mountain directly influenced the direction of the Purple, and you can hear that influence on what was to become our next record, [1970’s], In Rock. At the time, we were trying to find our way as a band, some sort of ‘category.’ Jon [Lord, the late DP keyboardist] was into the classical stuff, and, although I love classical music, I wanted to follow up the Deep Purple album, the last one with the original line-up, with something much heavier, out-and-out rock. And that’s how In Rock came about.”
 
For Martin Barre, meeting Leslie in 1970 served to inspire the writing and playing on Jethro Tull’s most successful album in the band’s history, Aqualung. “Prior to going into the studio to record [1971’s] Aqualung, I met Leslie, whose playing I absolutely loved,” Barre reveals. “Leslie is well known for his association with Les Paul Juniors, and just after meeting him, I picked up a 1958 Junior because his sound was so incredible. I would say that he's the only guitarist who has ever influenced me directly.”
 
Leslie was also influential in the development of the music for The Who’s masterpiece, Who’s Next. In early 1971, he was invited to record with the Who for the band’s initial NYC Record Plant sessions for the album, which sparked a close friendship with The Who’s leader, Pete Townshend. Says Pete, “Leslie gave me a really great Les Paul Junior with one pickup on it for me to use on Who’s Next, and Eric Clapton gave me an old Strat. They both gave me really good instruments and I still have those instruments today. Along with my Gretsch Chet Atkins, those three guitars were the only ones I used on Who’s Next.”
 
Another fan of Leslie’s was none other than Jimi Hendrix, with whom Leslie jammed at famed NYC clubs like Ungano’s and elsewhere. “I first met Jimi while I was recording Climbing! at the Record Plant and he was in another room mixing Band of Gypsys,” West recalls. “Jimi came in and after hearing the first track, ‘Never in My Life’ he looked over at me and said, ‘That’s a great riff, man.’ I started shaking! There’s a great picture of us playing together at Ungano’s, and Jimi’s playing Felix [Pappalardi’s] bass. Getting to know and play with Hendrix is one of my greatest life experiences.”

 
As a soloist, Leslie always displays a solid melodic sense combined with an effortless but equally aggressive rhythmic drive. He leans into the beat using a heavy fret- and pick-hand attack, and along with his heavily distorted guitar tone, generates tremendous power in all of his solos. A great example of this approach is heard on the album’s second track, the aptly titled, “Here For the Party.” “When I’m playing a guitar solo, I’m listening for a ‘song within a song,’” he explains. “Some guys will take a solo and it may be technically amazing, but I’ll think, ‘What does this have to do with the song?’ And I defy anyone to sing back to me the melody of a solo like that! I can’t really play that fast, and I like the solo to be like a little ride that takes you away to another place, and then brings you back. That’s what I look for in a solo.”
 
And then there’s that legendary vibrato. “The guitar should sound like a voice, and having a good vibrato is essential to me,” West states. “When a first-chair violinist in an orchestra stands up to take a solo, I listen specifically for the vibrato. [Consummate classical violinist] Itzhak Perlman has a fantastic vibrato! That’s what I try to emulate. I worked so hard on getting my vibrato to sound the way I wanted it to. I still work on it, to this day. I don’t work on playing fast, but I sure work on the tone, and I sure work on the vibrato.”
 
A standout track from this new release is “Going Down,” which features guest appearances from Queen guitarist Brian May, along with contributions from Bonnie Bramlett and Max Middleton along with legendary session players David Hood on bass and Bobby Whitlock on organ. “We did that track about 10, 11 years ago,” Leslie details, “and we had Max reprise his amazing intro from the version he’d done with Jeff Beck on The Jeff Beck Group album. I play the first guitar solo [up to 2:48] and Brian May plays from there on out. And vocal harmonizing with Bonnie was fantastic. Everything in the track came together and worked out really well.” West's old friend Jon Tiven, who produced Wilson Pickett and Don Nix, provided the original master tapes for West to track vocals on. West shares, "When all your ducks are in a row, things get magical."
 
Another inspired track is the very unusual minor-key rendition of “You Are My Sunshine”. “First of all, I’ve got Peter Frampton playing guitar with me on this one. I watch the television show, Sons of Anarchy, and during one episode, a minor-key version of this song was playing in the background. I thought, Whoa…that sounds so different! I recorded it and sent it to Peter, and we trade solos and then play harmony lines together at the end. Also, I’m playing slide while he’s playing conventionally. His tone is phenomenal on this, with a warm sound and a really nice vibrato, and he loved the arrangement. To take a song you’ve heard all of your life and change it around like this is very cool.”
 
Soundcheck also includes a cover of the Tracy Chapman hit, “Give Me Just One Reason.” “I wanted to cover a blues song on this record,” says Leslie, “and I liked the tune and wanted to try to do something with it. I like the words, and the groove of the track is a great one to solo over.”
 
The solo acoustic virtuoso piece, “A Stern Warning,” demonstrates Leslie’s ability to move seamlessly between blues and classical influences; the track also has a connotation that is unexpected. “It’s a reference to Howard Stern,” Leslie reveals. “He called me one day to ask what the meaning was behind the Mountain song, ‘To My Friend.’ I said, ‘It’s about Felix—he gave me a 12-string guitar to play and record a solo piece with.’ So I thought it would be cool to do a new track in a similar way as a tribute to Howard, who has always been a great friend, and this is it.”
 
In putting the songs together for this record, Leslie also chose to cover the Curtis Mayfield soul classic, “People Get Ready.” “I’ve been playing this song onstage for a long time, slow and quiet, and then I build up the volume and use the volume knob to create violin-like swells. I love the way my bass player Rev [Jones] plays it with me, so I wanted to get it on the album. Incredible words. Also, Jeff Beck had done such a great version of the song, so I took the opportunity to play some different melodies over the chord progression. The song is dedicated Bobby Pace, who was one of my closest friends from way back who had recently passed. He was the first road manager for my first band, The Vagrants, and he was just a great guy.”
 
Leslie’s previous album, Still Climbing, featured a solo spot for his virtuoso bassist Rev Jones on the track, “Rev Jones Time (Somewhere Over the Rainbow),” and Rev gets another solo spot on Soundcheck with “Eleanor Rigby.” “Rev plays this song live on stage just like this—there are no overdubs at all. It’s his solo spot live, and it’s so great, I wanted to include it on this record. One take!”
 
Closing out the album is a treasure for all longtime fans of Leslie West: a live version of Willie Dixon’s, “Spoonful,” recorded with Jack Bruce on bass and vocals and Joe Franco on drums, played in the classic Cream style as captured on 1968’s Wheels of Fire. “Back in 1988, I recorded an album called, Theme, which featured Jack on bass. We recorded at Millbrook in upstate New York, and the owner of The Chance in Poughkeepsie called and asked if we wanted to come over and do a set there, with no advertising, no nothing. Jack was into it, and the engineer at Millbrook, Paul Orofino, came with us and recorded the gig with a small portable stereo machine. “After hearing of Jack’s passing, we edited it down from its original length and decided it would be great to include on the record. As you can hear, I was trying to reincarnate myself into Eric Clapton! The first time I listened to Jack’s voice and the tone of his bass on the recording, I had tears in my eyes. I loved Jack so much.”
 
Two more great tracks complete the album: “Empty Promises--Nothing Sacred,” which Leslie refers to as, “My tribute to AC/DC!,” is another tune in an unusual “modal” tuning that omits thirds. “On my tombstone, it should read, ‘Leslie West: It’s Neither Major Nor Minor,’” Leslie says with a laugh. There’s also a cover of the Ben E. King classic, “Stand By Me.” Leslie wanted to commemorate King, who had just recently passed on April 30th, 2015. “Ben E. lived in Teaneck, NJ, not far from me, and I’ve always loved the words to this song. Dave came in and played acoustic guitar on it, and the girl that sings with me on it, Ariela Pizza, is only 16 years old. Her dad, Joe, is an old high school friend of mine, and had written some songs with me for my last album. I thought, I’ll play acoustic and sing along with my big, fat-ass ballsy voice, and I think it would work! And it did—and it’s totally different from everything else on the record.”
 
West has been performing since 1965, when he fronted the soul-fired Vagrants in his native New York City. Rolling Stone placed him at #66 on their list of the “100 Greatest Guitarists.” His repertoire continues to be relevant with enduring appeal to this day as top selling rap recordings are built around samples from “Long Red,” which appeared on the Mountain album. Jay-Z tapped the tune for his 2004 mega-smash “99 Problems.” So did Kanye West, for "Barry Bonds" and “The Glory," and Common’s “The People,” along with others. Lana Del Rey sampled West's voice and features it in the beginning, middle and end of the worldwide smash "Born To Die." His repertoire continues to be amongst the most sampled amongst all songwriters.
 
“You know, when it comes to talent, we don’t all move at the same rate of speed,” West muses. “Some people start at the top of their game and after 10 or 20 years you wonder what the hell happened to them. I like to joke that the older I get the better I used to be, but after giving up drugs and smoking, my voice can hit notes that I never could reach before. I’m thankful for that.”

EPK:

(Photos - Justin Borucki)

Legendary NWOBHM (New Wave Of British Heavy Metal) act Mythra will release the Warriors Of Time: The Anthology"compilation via Skol Records. The limited edition album will include all classic Mythra tracks from 1979 through to the early '80s, plus five brand new songs written and recorded in 2015. The album will be remastered by Bart Gabriel (Satan's Host, Crystal Viper, Sacred Steel), and will feature the original song titles for the first time, as the famous Death And Destiny LP, released back in 1998, had incorrect titles on several of the songs.

Warriors Of Time: The Anthology will hit the streets on November 30th. The booklet accompanying the album will include lyrics to all songs, as well as tons of previously unseen photographs from the '70s and early '80s. The album's artwork was painted by Italian artist Roberto Toderico, who has worked previously with other NWOBHM acts including Tygers Of Pan Tang and Quartz.

In other news, after taking Brofest UK by storm earlier this year, recently reformed Mythra have been confirmed for the legendary Keep It True festival, which will take place in Germany on April 29th and 30th, 2016. The band will share the stage with other legendary acts including Fates Warning, Razor, Rock Goddess, Heir Apparent, Praying Mantis, as well as Skol Records label mates Savage Master.

On October 16th, Eagle Rock Entertainment will issue the simultaneous release of Nazareth’s No Means Of Escape on DVD and Blu-ray.
 
No Means Of Escape combines two films: a live set and a documentary. Live At Metropolis was filmed before a select audience at London’s famous Metropolis Studios. The documentary Made In Scotland tells the full story of Nazareth’s remarkable career from their formation in 1968, to their breakthrough in the 1970s and their ongoing career in the present day. Celebrating the band’s history, the cover art on No Means Of Escape features a new version of the classic character created for Nazareth’s 1979 album No Mean City by fantasy artist Rodney Matthews. Digitally, this material will be made available as two separate elements: Live At Metropolis and Made In Scotland
 
The concert itself features hit tracks and album favorites including “Love Hurts,” “Hair Of The Dog,” “Razamanaz,” “May The Sun Shine,” “Bad Bad Boy,” “This Flight Tonight,” “Expect No Mercy,” and many more. The documentary contains classic footage and new interviews with past and present members of the band including now retired lead singer Dan McCafferty.
 
In addition to the concert film and documentary, No Means Of Escape includes an acoustic session track “This Flight Tonight,” and additional interviews with Dan McCafferty and Pete Agnew as bonus features.
 
Between the incredible live set and the story of the band presented by the men themselves, No Means Of Escape is a double-dose of Nazareth that fans won’t want to miss.

Tracklisting:
 
“Silver Dollar Forger”
“Sleeptalker”
“Rock ‘N’ Roll Telephone”
“Razamanaz”
“May The Sun Shine”
“See You See Me”
“Turn On Your Receiver”
“Bad Bad Boy”
“One Set Of Bones”
“This Flight Tonight”
“Hair Of The Dog”
“Love Hurts”
“Expect No Mercy”

Band lineup:

Linton Osborne - lead vocals
Pete Agnew - bass
Jimmy Murrison - guitar
Lee Agnew - drums

On October 30th, the new album by Polish death metal institution Lost Soul entitled Atlantis: The New Beginning will be released. Fans can now get a first glimpse on their new material by listening to “Aqueous Ammonia”.

Lost Soul mastermind Jacek Grecki on the song:

"It is my great pleasure to announce that we will finally share the first song off the upcoming album Atlantis: The New Beginning with you! 'Aqueous Ammonia' is the second track on the album. I can’t say it is one of my favorites, because I love all the songs on Atlantis. However, this song seems to be the best piece to start interacting with our fans; totally uncompromising, fast, dark, angry and expressively built. The lyrical layer is set in the orbital sphere of one of the outer planets within the solar system. The underlying message refers to the story of the Kingdom of Poseidon while it constitutes the denial of the second commandment of the decalogue at the same time. The piece is complemented by a fantastic lead by our guitarist Marek Gołaś, embellished with choir and delicate keyboards in the background. Atlantis is approaching fast! Enjoy!”
 

Atlantis – The New Beginning will be released worldwide via Apostasy Records. It will be made available as a limited deluxe edition, as a jewel case edition and as a download. A vinyl version of the album will be released in February 2016 via Supreme Chaos Records.

Tracklisting:

“Hypothelemus”
“Aqueous Ammonia”
“Ravines Of Rapture”
“Unicornis”
“The Next Generation”
“Vastitas Borealis”
“Perihelion”
“False Testimony”
“Frozen Volcano”
“Atlantis”

Bonus tracks (deluxe edition):
“Red Giant”
“Sonidos Del Apocalipsis”
“Supernovae”

In January, Avantasia's seventh studio album, Ghostlights, will be released via Nuclear Blast. After Jorn Lande and Geoff Tate, another guest star can be announced: Unisonic / ex-Helloween vocalist Michael Kiske

Tobias comments: "I have been friends with Micha for more than 15 years now. We recently joked when he asked me why he always gets to sing those high range Speed Metal anthems. My answer was quite simple: 'Because I can hardly think of anyone who could possibly do that any better!' The first time I heard Micha on one of my songs was 1999. I was blown away by what he did to stuff like 'Reach Out For The Light' or 'The Seven Angels'. You can convince yourself when we're gonna kick off the world tour in March, Micha will join Avantasia once again to do the old classics, but also some of the new material which sounds really fantastic; as Avantasia-esque as it gets. I am really suprised we found another time frame to do this tour together, I don't take it for granted as this may be the last tour in a long time. It's so difficult to align all those schedules, you can't imagine. We managed to find a time frame in spring 2016, and we wanna enjoy it to the fullest. I can promise you that we will play more than three hours every night! Old stuff, new stuff, everything! Be there! It may be your only chance to see this particular line up we're putting together, for sure it will be the last Avantasia tour in quite some time at least."

Avantasia - Ghostlights World Tour 2016:

March
4 - Berlin, Germany - Huxley’s
5 - Hamburg, Germany - Große Freihei
6 - Bremen, Germany - Aladin
8 - London, England - The Forum
9 - Paris, France - Le Trianon
11 - Barcelona, Spain - Razzmatazz 1
12 - Madrid, Spain - La Riviera
15 - Frankfurt-Langen, Germany - Stadthalle
16 - Prague, Czech Republic - Forum Karlin
18 - Kaufbeuren, Germany - All-Karthalle
19 - Bamberg, Germany - Brose-Arena
20 - Oberhausen, Germany - Turbinenhalle
22 - Milan, Italy - Alcatraz
24 - Pratteln, Switzerland - Z7
25 - Partteln, Switzerland - Z7
27 - Banska Bystrica, Slovakia - Ice Stadium
28 - Bratislava, Slovakia - Sportshall
29 - Tropolach, Austria - Full Metal Mountain Festival
31 - Saarbruken, Germany - Saarlandhalle

April
1 - Ludwigsburg, Germany - Arena
2 - Fulda, Germany - Esperantohalle

*No further bands, Avantasia plays 3 hours

According to Amazon U.K., the vinyl version of DEF LEPPARD's new self-titled album will arrive on October 30 via earMUSIC. The site lists a November 30 release date for the CD version of "Def Leppard", which was written and recorded in three separate sessions over the course of the past year and a half.

"Def Leppard" track listing:

01. Let's Go (5:01)02. Dangerous (3:26)03. Man Enough (3:54)04. We Belong (5:06)05. Invincible (3:46)06. Sea Of Love (4:04)07. Energized (3:23)08. All Time High (4:19)09. Battle Of My Own (2:42)10. Broke 'N' Brokenhearted (3:17)11. Forever Young (2:21)12. Last Dance (3:09)13. Wings Of An Angel (4:23)14. Blind Faith (5:33)

Total running time: 54:24

The cover artwork can be seen below.

DEF LEPPARD singer Joe Elliott told North Dakota's Grand Forks Herald that the band's new album is a self-titled affair "because that's what it sounds like. It doesn't sound like any one specific era of DEF LEPPARD. It's got everything. You'll listen and you go, 'Oh, that sounds like DEF LEPPARD,' or you'll go, 'That is LEPPARD, but it sounds a bit like LED ZEPPELIN or QUEEN but you can hear the AC/DC or the CROSBY, STILLS & NASH coming through.' We have not shied away from anything that's influenced us in our growing up periods of our life. Just because we've made the kind of music we've made doesn't mean to say we don't like all of this other stuff."

The album is the band's first studio effort since "Songs From the Sparkle Lounge" in 2008.

DEF LEPPARD guitarist Phil Collen recently told Mike Hsu of the Worcester/Boston, Massachusetts radio station WAAF about the band's upcoming CD: "It's probably the most diverse thing we've done. And I think it's the best thing we've done since 'Hysteria'; I really do. I've said that, and I've heard that come back as a quote, and I sincerely believe it. It's the loudest rock guitars we've ever had on some tracks. Some of the stuff we've done as a band in the studio — we all played along live and then added to it — and then other tracks were pure studio stuff.'

Asked about the word "experimental" being used in connection with the new DEF LEPPARD album, Collen said: "I don't think that's the right word. I think 'Hysteria' was experimental, because we were using all this new technology. This is more just expressive, is the right word. Instead of pandering to anyone — whether it be fans, a record company or whatever — we actually have just done our own thing. There was a purity to it that we haven't had before. There wasn't one time when someone said, 'Oh, I don't think it's gonna work.' Everyone tried it. And I don't know whether that's experience or what. It's certainly not age, 'cause most people, they get a little more uptight as they get older, but this is… It's the opposite; there's a more relaxed feel, and, because of that, it kind of flows. So I don't think 'experimental' is the right word. I think it's more liberating and expressive, is the way I would go with it."

Los Angeles-based, occult-themed traditional heavy metal band HUNTRESSwill release its third studio album, titled "Static", on September 25 via Napalm Records. The CD was produced by Paul Fig (Grammy-nominated engineer who has previously worked with ALICE IN CHAINS, DEFTONES, TRIVIUM, GHOST) and Jim Rota (FIREBALL MINISTRY, executive producer for "Sonic Highways" series and producer of "Sound City" movie), and was engineered and mixed by Fig.

Vance Kelly (SLAYER, ALICE IN CHAINS, EVANESCENCE, GHOST) has once again delivered stunning album artwork for HUNTRESS. The band's creative unity with Kelly remains strong, with Vance having also created album covers for HUNTRESS's previous CDs "Spell Eater" and "Starbound Beast".

"Static" track listing:

01. Sorrow02. Flesh03. Brian04. I Want To Wanna Wake Up05. Mania06. Four Blood Moons07. Static08. Harsh Times On Planet Stoked09. Noble Savage10. Fire In My Heart

Bonus tracks:

11. Black Tongue12. Vultures Can Wait (7" vinyl exclusive)

Audio samples all the tracks that are set to appear on "Static" can be streamed in the YouTube clip below.

HUNTRESS was recently forced to cancel its previously announced participation in the U.S. tour featuring AVATAR, GEMINI SYNDROME and FIRST DECREE so that HUNTRESS lead singer Jill Janus could recover after undergoing "major surgery" for uterine cancer.

HUNTRESS is:

Jill Janus - VocalsBlake Meahl - GuitarsEli Santana - GuitarsTyler Meahl - Drums

A fan jumped on stage during STONE TEMPLE PILOTS' set at the Weenie Roast in Charlotte, North Carolina on September 12 while the band was performing the track "Interstate Love Song". The fan attempted to sing the song with STP frontman Chester Bennington and briefly danced, and then collapsed. He quickly picked himself back up before Bennington addressed the crowd.

"This is a crazy motherfucker right here," the singer said. "I've never seen a motherfucker jump on stage and hang out, sing, fall backwards, and still be standing here. Congratulations, brother."

Bennington revealed in a recent interview with A-Sides that STONE TEMPLE PILOTS considered changing its name after it dismissed singer Scott Weiland and began working with Chester in early 2013. Bennington explained: "We did talk about maybe changing the name of the band, and just doing something new. Honestly, my thing was like, why give up what you guys have worked so hard on? This is your legacy, you don't have to give it up just because one person didn't do things the way that everybody wanted them to go, didn't do things everybody planned. We should be able to move forward."

Bennington continued, "I mean, where is the music coming from in the first place? There's no question when you hear the new music that it's STONE TEMPLE PILOTS. Why? Because it's coming from the guys who write the music. It's coming from the source. So, when the source is there, then it's still pure."

Bassist Robert DeLeo told The Pulse Of Radio not long ago that keeping STP going after changing frontmen was never in question. "From the beginning, it wasn't 'Hey, let's together and write a song' or 'Hey, let's get together and do this show.' It was 'Hey, let's get together and continue STONE TEMPLE PILOTS with a lot of integrity,'" he said. "That's really what the intent was. It's something that Eric [Kretz, drummer] and Dean [DeLeo, guitar] and myself have worked at for a long time, and we've been trying to hold up the whole integrity of this band for a long time."

STP dismissed Weiland in February 2013, claiming that his erratic behavior held back the band's career. The two parties exchanged lawsuits which have since been settled.

STP recruited Bennington that spring and have so far cut one EP, "High Rise", with the LINKIN PARK singer. A new album is due out in early 2016.

BraveWords is hosting the North American premier of “Out Of Subconscious”, the new music video from Melbourne, Australia’s progressive metal ensemble, Teramaze. The track is featured on the band’s new album, Her Halo. An EPK for the album can also be found below.

Directed by Matthew Smith and edited by JD Lakhiani of Stagewolf productions, the story for the “Out Of Subconscious” video revolves around a janitor who falls in love with a dancer at the theater he works at. The dancer is choked to death by the theater’s owner, which sends the janitor into a rampage to avenge her death. Watch the clip below:

Teramaze has signed to Music Theories Recordings, which is a part of the Mascot Label Group. The band’s first release for the label, Her Halo, will hit stores on October 30th. Pre-orders are available at Mascot Label Group.

Teramaze was originally formed during lead guitarist/producer Dean Well’s teenage years. The band put out a couple albums in the early years, but it wasn’t until the release of Anhedonia in 2012 that Wells felt the modern version of Teramaze actually began. That third album was met with critical acclaim, as was the follow up of 2014’s Esoteric Symbolism, which saw the quartet making a bolder statement and taking no prisoners to flex their musical muscle even further. Now with new vocalist Nathan Peachey and a new record deal with Mascot Label Group, Teramaze have arrived with their cinematic Her Halo. These new beginnings not only brings about more potential, but promise as well.

A press release states: “Wells will tell you himself that the Teramaze sound is assembled within the framework of the songwriting. Regardless of that focus, there is certainly a lot more than simply a faint slither of technicality due to the intricate musical bravado brushing up against the melodies, tunefully brandishing a smoothly executed soundscape while retaining the sheer loudness minus the belligerent anxiety. No wasting time trying to figure out where a solo should be, what type of insane time signature can be put in, and so on. The music shines, not blinds. Even with that melodic sensibility in tow, these guys don't limit themselves to the confines of what stereotypical prog-metal is, as their catchy sonatas emphasize both the precision minded musicianship and melodies with divine harmonious vigor.”

"It was very much a conscious decision to focus on the songs," elaborates Wells, "Our music is all about the song as a whole. If a melody only needs a slow guitar solo with only three notes, then so be it. There's no need to add anything else that might take away from the track itself. If we focus on the songwriting, we can appeal to musicians or anybody who loves good music."  

Her Halo tracklisting:

“An Ordinary Dream”
“To Love A Tyrant”
“Her Halo”
“Out Of Subconscious”
“For The Innocent”
“Trapeze”
“Broken”
“Delusions Of Grandeur”

Album trailer:

High Fighter, the new stoner metal / sludge outfit born in summer 2014 by former members of A Million Miles, Pyogenesis and Buffalo Hump, have checked in with a new update:

"Rumor has it, and yep it's true: We are stoked to announce, that The Goat Ritual is currently getting pressed for a limited vinyl edition! Thanks to Jürgen Tschamler of Vinyl Got Soul Records who has been so awesome and crazy enough to get our debut EP on Vinyl.

We just heard that a first part, the insert sleeves, have been already delivered to the label. The Goat Ritual will be available as a limited, hand-numbered 12'' edition of 300 copies on October 9th, and we will bring them on our tour with Ahab as well! Our very first Vinyl, it's finally happening!"

Go to this location to order your copy.

High Fighter's tour schedule with Ahab is as follows:

October
29 - Frankfurt, Germany - Elfer
30 - Jena, Germany - Kassablanca
31 - Hamburg, Germany - Bambi Galore

November
1 - Köln, Germany - Underground
6 - Stuttgart, Germany - Club Cann
7 - Pratteln, Switzerlan - Z7
8 - Heidelberg, Germany - Schwimmbad Club

Canadian conspiracy theorist Mario Emery-Paul Brisson, known on YouTube as "The Vigilant Christian", has uploaded a 12-minute clip in which he dissects SLAYER's new video for "Repentless", the title track of the band's newly released eleventh album, and discusses the "satanic" influence in hard rock and heavy metal music. Check it out below.

Regarding the "Repentless" clip, The Vigilant Christian said: "This is pure Satanic, evil filth. There is no other way to put it.

"Those of you who know SLAYER, it's no surprise that they would put out a video like this. They're a Satanic death metal band, and they're constantly using Satanic symbols.

"Now, the majority of their fans are brainwashed to think that this is just fun, it's nothing more than art, making Satanism cool. 'Oh, it's so cool.' They're clueless to the fact that there is a spiritual reality.

"The fallen angels are in a battle right now against God and are working on this Earth to establish an antichrist kingdom, a New World Order, a Satanic, Luciferian kingdom. But to the average fan of death metal, 'Oh, this is just entertainment, man. You're taking it too far.' No, you are clueless and have no idea that there is a spiritual reality, and this stuff is, in fact, invoking demonic principalities in your life."

With over 260,000 YouTube subscribers, The Vigilant Christian's videos are usually analyses of popular culture through an evangelical Christian perspective. Mario routinely labels media and non-Christian practices as "satanic" based on a very nitpicky criteria.

Even though SLAYER's lyrical themes often ran afoul of his family's devout Catholicism, the band's frontman, Tom Araya, told NBC Latino that it didn't create much of a conflict between them. "My parents, like my bandmates' parents, were all very supportive since the beginning, they all knew their sons; as a kid I did my first Communion," he explained. "They didn't like it but they understood it. I found out later in life after my father passed away that he did face some negativity from the church community, but he never told me, I wish he would've, but he didn't and that made me very sad."

Iron Maiden frontman Bruce Dickinson recently spoke with Australia's News.com about the band's new album, The Book Of Souls, as well as his careers as a singer and airplane pilot. An excerpt from the interview is available below:

The band start touring The Book of Souls in February, a jaunt that will include their first shows in China and El Salvador. They’ll return to Australia in May. At the Paris listening party, fans wonder out loud how the band will accommodate the lengthy new songs when touring a 92 minute double album.

Dickinson says they’re in the midst of trying to work out those logistics themselves, but there’ll be one absentee.

“Three songs off the new album is not enough. There’ll maybe be four or five. But we won’t be playing 'Empire Of The Clouds'. It’s too ambitious and it’d dominate the set too much. That makes life a little bit easier. Some of the classics that we haven’t played for a couple of tours, we can bring some of those back. There’s a few songs people have been demanding for a couple of years, we might make a few people happy, they might get what they want. But you can’t do all of the tunes. Some songs we’ve been playing repeatedly over the past few tours so we can put those ones into mothballs for a while, make way for some other ones. We haven’t done the setlist in stone yet, we’ll put that out closer to the tour.”

Dickinson says the band take note of online feedback from fans.

“You get a feel of what the fans what, but you also have to go with what feels right for us and the effect we want to create as well. It’s important we’re not just a karaoke band. With the reaction to the new album, the excitement over it, and the last few albums, we’ve pretty much dismissed the idea of Iron Maiden being a nostalgia band; it’s just not the case.”

Go to this location for the complete story.

According to Billboard, Iron Maiden have achieved their best sales week in the US since Nielsen Music started tracking sales in 1991. The Book of Souls (75,000 units) debuted at No. 4 on the Billboard 200, equalling their highest rank ever, first achieved in 2010 with The Final Frontier’s debut and peak at No. 4.

Billboard adds that The Book Of Souls is the sixth straight Iron Maiden studio album to show debut week sales growth. Their steady climb started with 1998’s Virtual XI (10,000 sales debut, up from the 6,000 of 1995’s X Factor) and then continued on with 2000’s Brave New World (38,000), 2003’s Dance of Death (40,000), 2006’s A Matter of Life and Death (56,000), 2010’s The Final Frontier (63,000) and now its new album.

The Book Of Souls landed straight in at #1 in the UK with combined sales of just over 60,000. The Book Of Souls also topped the UK's Official Vinyl Albums Chart.

The FOO FIGHTERS' HBO documentary series "Sonic Highways" took awards in two categories at the Creative Arts ceremony of the 67th Emmy Awards, which were given out Saturday night (September 12) in Los Angeles at the Microsoft Theater. "Sonic Highways" was honored for "Outstanding Sound Editing For Nonfiction Programming (Single Or Multi-Camera)" and "Outstanding Sound Mixing For Nonfiction Programming (Single Or Multi-Camera)."

"Sonic Highways" was also nominated for "Outstanding Informational Series" and "Outstanding Directing".

It competed in all those categories except "Informational Series" against "Kurt Cobain: Montage Of Heck", the documentary on FOO FIGHTERS mainman Dave Grohl's late NIRVANA bandmate.

Grohl confirmed in a recentinterview with NME that there will be a second season of "Sonic Highways". Grohl revealed, "There is gonna be another 'Sonic Highways' season. It might or might not be international. It might someday be international. It might only be England, or England and other places. Or maybe it's places in America, and people from other countries that are inspired by these places in America."

Drummer Taylor Hawkins told The Pulse Of Radio that the original idea for "Sonic Highways" possibly had the band visiting recording studios in other countries. "I mean, at first we talked about doing it at famous studios across the world, so like you know, obviously things like Abbey Road and Strawberry Studios or the Honky Chateau and seeing if any of these places were open and it all sounded like a good, fun trip down classic rock memory lane," he explained. "That was the first, initial idea."

The first season of "Sonic Highways", which aired last fall, followed the band to eight different iconic recording studios in eight different American cities, with each episode exploring the history of the studio and local scene.

The FOO FIGHTERS recorded one song in each studio, resulting in the "Sonic Highways" album.

Grohl told NME that the great thing about the "Sonic Highways" concept is that "it can be anywhere, because any city has some sort of musical history," citing the U.K. as one especially rich region in rock history.

The 11-time Grammy-winning band's first two Emmy victory/victories arrive on the eve of a four-night run of sold-out shows in the Southern California area. FOO FIGHTERS will play to some 60,000 fans over the course of the shows that kick off September 19 at the Honda Center in Anaheim and proceed through the band's latest capacity crowd doubleheader at L.A.'s Forum September 21 and 22, ultimately concluding with a second show at Anaheim's Honda Center on October 17 (which was moved from its original date of September 18).

ELIMINATE, the new band featuring former DARK ANGEL singer Don Doty, has parted ways with drummer Sasha Horn and has replaced him with Joe Cangelosi (WHIPLASH, KREATOR).

Says ELIMINATE in a statement: "It is with heavy hearts that we announce the departure of our brother Sasha Horn.

"Unfortunately, Sasha has other commitments to attend to and will not be able to join the band in the upcoming show and other ventures. We would like to thank our brother for all the hard work and dedication and wish him nothing but the best in his future ventures he will be sorely missed.

"With that, we would like to divulge the upside to this tragedy. Although we knew it would be difficult to replace Sasha, we think we have found a fantastic replacement.

"Ladies and gentlemen — drum roll, please — ELIMINATE would like to introduce our new skinbasher Mr. Joe Cangelosi. We are proud to welcome our new brother into the realm of the insane.

"In case you don't know him, Joe is no stranger to the thrash world. This East Coast veteran has played in such acts as WHIPLASH, KREATOR and Florida's MASSACRE, so everyone say hello and give him a warm thrashing welcome.

"This is the beginning of a new chapter and we are excited to embrace it."

ELIMINATE will make its live debut at Grindcore 2015 on Saturday, November 7 at Ukranian Cultural Center in Los Angeles, California.

ELIMINATE's lineup is as follows:

Don Doty (ex-DARK ANGEL) - VocalsJoe Cangelosi (WHIPLASH, KREATOR) - DrumsScott Owen (ex-HIRAX) - GuitarsHenry Elizondo (DEVASTATION) - GuitarJohn Signorelli (SUBVERSION) - Bass

Doty is not involved in DARK ANGEL's current reunion, which includes Gene Hoglan (drums), Eric Meyer (guitar), Jim Durkin (guitar), Ron Rinehart (vocals) and Michael Gonzalez (bass).

DARK ANGEL released two albums with Doty on vocals — 1984's "We Have Arrived" and 1986's "Darkness Descends" — before he exited the group and was replaced by Ron Rinehart (after a brief stint with Jim Drabos in 1987).

For more information on ELIMINATE, visit the band's Facebook page.