Richmond, VA's Inter Arma have announced plans for their third full-length record. The as-yet-to-be-titled album follow-up to 2013's Sky Burial will again be recorded and produced at Dark Art Audio with Mikey Allred (Yautja, Hivelords), where the band has produced its last two releases. The record is due out early next year via Relapse.

The band commented on the new album: “On September 19th we’ll return to Dark Art Audio in Madison, TN to begin recording our third full length record. The sonic alchemist Mikey Allred will once again sit in the captain’s seat for this journey. Album title, etc. are TBA. As always, expect the unexpected."

After having completed a US tour this past May with pessimistic Nashville sludge crew Yautja that also included an appearance at Maryland Deathfest, Inter Arma have also announced new touring plans. The band will be embarking on a series of US shows this October directly supporting Kylesa. Further support will come from Indian Handcrafts and Irata.

Tour dates (with Kylesa, Indian Handcrafts and Irata):

October
6 - St. Petersburg, FL - State Theatre
7 - Miami, FL - Churchills Pub
8 - Orlando, FL - The Social
9 - Savannah, GA - Jinx
10 - Asheville, NC - New Mountain
11 - Nashville, TN - The Basement East
13 - Columbus, OH - The Basement
14 - Grand Rapids, MI - Pyramid Scheme
15 - Chicago, IL - Empty Bottle
16 - Cleveland, OH - Grog Shop
17 - Pittsburgh, PA - Altar Bar
19 - Boston, MA - Brighton Music Hall
20 - Philadelphia, PA - Black Box at Underground Arts
21 - Brooklyn, NY - Saint Vitus
22 - Jersey City, NJ - Monty Hall
23 - Richmond, VA - The Broadberry
24 - Washington, DC - Rock & Roll Hotel

New York, NY-based rock/metal band, Thrilldriver, have released a new video for the track “Vicious”, featured on the band's recently released EP, Sacha.

Sacha EP tracklisting:

“Set This Thing Alight”
“Vicious”
“Madeline”
“Radwagon”
“When It Rains”
“Shadowman IV”
    
“Vicious” video:

French death metallers Antropofago have just released a brand new digital single for "Helter Skelter”, taken from the band's latest full-length, Æra Dementiæ. The single includes a bonus cover version of Sepultura's classic "Arise”, which has been part of the Antropofago's live set for quite some time now. "Helter Skelter" is available for free download at this location.

Four years after their debut full-length, Beyond Phobia, Antropofago further explore the depths of human psychosis with Æra Dementiæ, a dementia-based concept album that continues the chilling look into phobia that was its predecessor. The album sees Antropofago reach new levels of technical prowess, production and artistic maturity.

 Still as diverse in its approach of technical death metal, the new material is marked with well-placed doses of brutality and addictive choruses to make Æra Dementiæ the breakthrough album for Antropofago. Featuring a special guest solo by Nicolas Alberny (Gorod) and guest vocals by label-mates Laurent Chambe (Nephren-Ka), Aara (ex-Savage Annihilation), Benoit Jean (ex-Insain) and other surprise contributors, the album is full of hidden little gems and the over-the-top musicianship.

With the first pressing limited to 500 copies, Kaotoxin Records released the album on August 14th as a deluxe DigiSleeve double CD featuring an expanded version of the band's 2012 Between Fear And Madness EP. Further physical and digital editions were released on the same day as two separate releases, with Æra Dementiæ and Between Fear and Madness [Redux] sold individually.

 

 

Æra Dementiæ tracklisting:

“Intro”
“Encounter With The Doppelganger”
“Body Cell”
“Helter Skelter”
“Æra Dementiæ”
“Paranoid Visions (Pt. 2)”
“The Other Me”
“God Ov Fire”
“Voices”
“Insania Lupina”

Between Fear And Madness [redux] tracklisting:

“Cannibal Way Of Life”
“Paranoid Visions (Pt. 2) (2012 version)
“Bloodred Honeymoon”
“Psychopathia Sexualis”
“Safer In My Head”
“The Butcher”

"Helter Skelter":

A play-through video of guest guitarist Nicolas Alberny (Gorod) laying down the solo for the track "Insania Lupina":

HALESTORM singer Lzzy Hale has posted a lengthy blog entry online at Tumblr in which she reveals that she's become more "monk-like" on the road in order to preserve her health and her voice. Hale wrote, "In my efforts to better my stamina and career, I find myself becoming more monk-like. And I'm not talking about the holy, praying, create awesome Trappist beer type monk. I'm talking about the 'go to bed early, no drinking, no talking and no having any fun'-type monk. Luckily, sex is actually good for you on all levels (safe sex, of course), so at least I have something to hold on to! Ha!"

Hale told The Pulse Of Radio that she hit a wall earlier this year when touring with THE PRETTY RECKLESS and their singer, Taylor Momsen. "Um, she's 21 and I will never again go toe to toe with her with a bottle of whiskey, because these little 21-year-olds, they can do that [laughs] and I can't anymore," she said.

Asked if she has ever had any issues with being voted Revolver magazine's "Hottest Chick In Rock" — which some people feel encourages the objectification of women in music — Lzzy told the El Paso, Texas radio station KLAQ: "You know, I think it's a personal preference. For me, personally, I've never… obviously, I've never really had a problem with the sex-and-rock-and-roll thing; it's been going on forever, and I think that they kind of go hand in hand. So it really doesn't bother me. But, to me, it is kind of funny how, I think… What's it been? Like, three times in a row, I'm probably the only one that's fully clothed in that article. So I think that's kind of funny — that I've been on the cover of that a couple of times, and I don't necessarily have double Ds to whip out whenever I want to. So, to me, I don't know… To me, it's cool. And just for my own mind, as long as you've got something to back it up and you're actually doing some stuff with your life besides taking off your clothes for magazines, I think that's cool. I do know a lot of girls that are very, very against that. Again, I think it's a balance, and that's, you know, your personal thing."

HALESTORM's third album, "Into The Wild Life", was released on April 14. The CD follows up HALESTORM's Grammy-winning 2012 sophomore effort, "The Strange Case Of…"

Shredload.com conducted an interview with former SEPULTURA and current CAVALERA CONSPIRACY drummer Igor Cavalera on May 3 in San Francisco, California. You can now listen to the chat using the SoundCloud widget below.

Speaking about how he looks back on his time in SEPULTURA during the ten years after his brother Max left the band, Igor said: "Yeah, I mean, it was cool. I was trying to continue something. And it got to the point that I felt that it wasn't really going the way I wanted. And that's the reason I left the band. But, I mean, we were the kind of people that, we really take pride on everything we did. We're not… I don't know… We don't hide anything from our past, like, 'Oh, no. That record, no, we don't play anything off that record, because it's this or that,' or the way we dressed. None of that stuff. So I'm really proud of pretty much everything I've done. It's something that I really look back… I think it's positive… everything."

Asked if he still keeps up with what SEPULTURA is doing musically even though he is no longer a member of the band, Igor said: "I have to say that it's hard to keep up with whatever I'm doing, so for me to stop and go after something that I don't really have any connection [to] anymore, it doesn't make sense. So I let them do what they do. And as far as me stopping part of my day that I could be researching music or listening or practicing to do that, I don't think it's… I wouldn't do it."

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

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

Dutch symphonic metallers EPICA, who kicked off their North American headlining tour on September 8 in Baltimore, Maryland, have issued the following statement:

"Dear North American fans,

"Luck has not been on our side as of late and it is with heavy hearts we share some unfortunate news.

"A couple of days ago, something dramatic happened in Simone's [Simons, vocals] close family. After serious consideration and as things aren't looking good, the only option for her is to fly back home to be there with and for her family, resulting in us canceling the four upcoming shows (Quebec City, Toronto, Chicago, Minneapolis).

"Respect to Simone for carrying on and rocking out with us for the past couple of days.

"VIP sessions will still take place without Simone. People who don’t show up these sessions will automatically receive a refund. We will also be hanging out at the merchandise stand in support of the tour.

"At this time, the Revolver tour will carry on as scheduled with ELUVEITIE and THE AGONIST, and we’ll keep you updated on resuming the tour.

"We want to thank you in advance for your understanding.

"For details on refunding your tickets, please contact your local venue.

"We're sending all our positive energy to Simone, her family and friends." EPICA's current run was supposed to mark the band's long-awaited return to North America after their tour with MACHINE HEAD in late 2014 got canceled. It was also to be the group's first North American trek in support of their latest album, "The Quantum Enigma", which hit the charts all over Europe and beyond.

Simons and her husband, KAMELOT keyboardist Oliver Palotai, welcomed their first child, Vincent G. Palotai, in October 2013.

Swedish hard rock veterans EUROPE are seen performing their timeless hit "The Final Countdown" in a funny Geico advertisement where an everyday office worker's burrito is almost done in the microwave. Check out the commercial and behind-the-scenes footage from the making of the ad below.

It was late 1981, early 1982. Joey Tempest was a college student in his native Sweden when he used a borrowed keyboard to compose the haunting minor-key refrain that would one day make him a star.

"I wrote it late one night when I was just trying the keyboard out, and I saved it," Tempest tells Geico.com about the instantly recognizable introduction to "The Final Countdown", the iconic title track of the band's third album and a number one hit in 25 countries in 1986.

It was while preparing to record EUROPE's third album that his bandmates convinced him to write a song around the intro.

With its catchy synthesizers and gloriously bombastic sound, "The Final Countdown" is as much a throwback to the 1980s as leg warmers and designer jeans, despite being originally conceived as homage to David Bowie's 1969 song "Space Oddity".

In the 29 years since its debut, it has become a last-minute fixture in NBA and NHL arenas across the country, as well as a popular ringtone.

It has been featured in many TV shows and movies like "Pitch Perfect" and named the 66th best hard rock song ever by VH1.

On one memorable occasion, New Year's Eve 1999, EUROPE — reunited for the first time in seven years — played the song before 500,000 people in Stockholm as part of Sweden's Millennium celebration.

Geico is bringing the song back in the spotlight again, following other pop culture icons, including Dora The Explorer and SALT-N-PEPA, in Geico's popular "It's What You Do" campaign.

Currently touring in support of their 10th studio album, the punchy, hard-hitting "War Of Kings" — their fifth album since formally reuniting in 2004 — EUROPE is far from being portrayed as a nostalgia act, merely trading on past glories.

"We usually turn most of these things down, but this one was interesting," says Tempest. "It's going to be good for us—people can get reacquainted with us before we come on tour."

EUROPE already trekked through the U.S. East Coast in the spring — its first time playing before American audiences in nearly a decade — and plans to return for a series of more dates early next year.

The old joke among concertgoers is that it's usually time to head to the bathroom or the concession stand when bands announce, "We'd like to play you something from our new album." EUROPE is playing four or five new songs on the current tour, but Tempest says they're being greeted enthusiastically, even inspiring sing-alongs in some venues, as "War Of Kings" has garnered largely positive reviews in the rock press.

Tempest says there are no immediate plans to stop recording or touring. "We have talked about doing five or 10 more years and then we'll talk about it again, [but] we don't have a stop in mind," he says. "We just want to be on the journey as long as we can. We're enjoying it at the moment."

Columbus, Ohio metalcore giants LIKE MOTHS TO FLAMES have premiered a new song called "Thrown To The Wind" from the band's highly anticipated record "The Dying Things We Live For", which is due on October 23 via Rise Records.

Fans can now pre-order the new record at iTunes and will receive an instant download of "Thrown To The Wind". "'Thrown To The Wind' is a great introduction to the record," says LIKE MOTHS TO FLAMES vocalist Chris Roetter. "A quick aggressive track that showcases what we were trying to accomplish with the new album without giving away too much." LIKE MOTHS TO FLAMES accomplish a lot on its upcoming third full-length record. On 10 massive tracks, the band brandishes its signature style of furious metal and torrential hardcore and take its music to new heights, beyond the spectrum of their previous releases. "The Dying Things We Live For" track listing:

01. No King02. Thrown to the Wind03. The Art of Losing04. Fighting Fire with Fire05. Never Repent06. The Give and Take07. History Repeats08. Wasted Days09. Destined for Dirt10. Wither

KISS frontman Paul Stanley's latest solo project, an R&B band called SOUL STATION, made its live debut last night (Friday, September 11) at West Hollywood, California's Roxy Theatre. The ten-piece band also features KISS drummer Eric Singer.

Fan-filmed video footage of last night's gig can be seen below.

Stanley shared the mission statement for the new band, which he wants it to be known is as far away from KISS and you could imagine. "We're living in a time of being fed canned pre-programmed backing tracks and lipsyncing in place of the electricity and passion of real live R&B," he said.

"When I was a boy, before I ever saw THE WHO or LED ZEPPELIN, I saw Solomon Burke and Otis Redding. I saw THE TEMPTATIONS. It's tragic to think that so many people are missing out on experiencing the power of so many great bands, artists and that incredible music."

Stanley went on to explain: "That music is part of the foundation of all the music I've made and SOUL STATION is my chance to celebrate it for a night that's real and live. I don't play guitar in the band and we don't do a single KISS song. That's not what this is about. It's magical to hear those songs played right and we're making magic."

Stanley told LA Weekly about his reasons for startion SOUL STATION: "I just find myself thinking that people go to live shows paying for Kobe beef and getting dog food. You get computerized music with fake vocals, and it had me thinking about all of the great Motown and Philly soul acts that did these great songs and delivered the goods. I thought it was a great thing to celebrate, so I called some of the top people who I knew and when I told them what I wanted to do, [and] everybody without hesitation said they were in."

In addition to his many talents — including fronting KISS — Paul Stanley is known as a painter, an author and now a "lifestyle designer." Stanley has joined forces with social media marketing company Epic Rights to the launch the "all-new lifestyle brand" called Paul Stanley: Royals & Rebel, which debuted in Las Vegas at the Licensing Expo this past June.

Back from awesome Paul Stanley show, his Motown influenced, Soul Station! Crowd loved it. Great vibes and cool gig! pic.twitter.com/PqtyOPEY4u

— Bruce Kulick (@brucekulick) September 12, 2015

Legendary guitarist Ritchie Blackmore spoke to Billboard.com about his plans to perform RAINBOW and DEEP PURPLE material at what will probably be four shows next year in Europe.

"I'm now 70, so I just felt like playing some rock 'n' roll for a few days," he said. "We're going to do four or five dates" — most likely in England, Germany and Sweden — "of just playing the old rock stuff, PURPLE stuff and RAINBOW. I'm doing it for the fans, for nostalgia, and the singer I found is very exciting; he's a cross between [Ronnie James] Dio meets Freddie Mercury. So this will mean exposing a new singer to the masses, and I'm sure he'll become pretty famous because of his voice."

Blackmore declined to reveal the other musicians that will participate in the shows because contracts are still being negotiated, but said that none will be known names from his previous groups. He plans to film and record the performances for future release.

Blackmore quit rock and roll in 1997 to form a medieval folk band called BLACKMORE'S NIGHT with then-girlfriend and now-wife Candice Night. Since then, BLACKMORE'S NIGHT has released nine studio albums, with a new CD, "All Our Yesterdays", due on September 18.

Over the past few months, RAINBOW has been the frequent subject of reunion rumors, with singer Joe Lynn Turner — who fronted RAINBOW from 1980 until 1984 and was a member of PURPLE from 1989 until 1992 — repeatedly claiming that Ritchie was "intching" to play rock music and insisting that he was in talks with the guitarist about a renewed collaboration.

Professionally filmed video footage of SOEN — the Swedish progressive rock band featuring drummer Martin Lopez (ex-OPETH, AMON AMARTH), vocalist Joel Ekelöf (WILLOWTREE), guitarist Joakim Platbarzdis and bassist Stefan Stenberg — performing the song "Tabula Rasa" live in Graz, Austria during the group's last tour can be seen below. The song is taken from the group's sophomore studio album, "Tellurian", which was released on November 4, 2014 via Spinefarm Records.

As "Tellurian" makes plain, SOEN is not concerned with the simple or the shallow; their musical journey takes an altogether more ambitious path, and the result is an expansive body of work, wrapped up in the stunning art of Mexican painter José Luis López Galván, that consistently challenges without being "clever-clever" or tough to enjoy.

The melodies are intricate, the playing muscular and the choruses soaring; overall, the feel is one of a band whose intent is very much in synch with the sort of core values — skilled musicianship, emotion over precision, importance of album artwork — that seem to be back in vogue.

Produced by Platbarzdis, mixed by the legendary Grammy Award-winning David Bottrill (TOOL, SMASHING PUMPKINS, MUSE, KING CRIMSON) and mastered at Bob Ludwig's Gateway setup in the U.S. by Adam Ayan, also a Grammy winner, "Tellurian" sees SOEN taking the approach of their "Cognitive" debut (2012, Spinefarm) and pushing the boundaries in terms of musical scope, the whole thing shot through with the confidence of a band who have found their voice.

Rhythmic, experimental and flowing, and with the "muso" side never taking precedence over a good song and a telling chorus, "Tellurian" ("relating to, or inhabiting the earth") will appeal to anyone with an ear for quality playing, and there's further reward to be had below the surface, with the lyrics taking a more direct route than on "Cognitive", and the construction of the material — including first single/video "Tabula Rasa" ("Clean Slate") — allowing room for the raw emotion to shine through.

SOEN will embark on a European tour in early October with support from LIZZARD and SHIVERBURN.

The dates are as follows: Oct. 01 - Euroblast Festival 2015 - Cologne, Germany Oct. 02 - P60 - Amstelveen, Netherlands Oct. 03 - Progpower Europe 2015 - Baarlo, Netherlands Oct. 04 - Cafe Central - Weinheim, Germany Oct. 05 - Arena Wien - Bezirk-Landstrasse, Austria Oct. 06 -Rock Café - Prague, Czech Republic Oct. 07 - Firlej - Wroclaw, Poland Oct. 08 - Rockhouse Salzburg - Salzburg, Austria Oct. 09 - Kiff - Aarau, Switzerland Oct. 10 - Rock n roll Arena - Romagnano Sesia, ItalyOct. 12 - Glazart Paris, France Oct. 13 - Le Ferrailleur - Nantes, FranceOct. 14 - Sonora - Erandio, Spain Oct. 15 - RCA Club - Lisbon, PortugalOct. 16 - Hard Club - Porto, Portugal Oct. 17 - Lopez - Zaragoza, Spain Oct. 18 - Le Poste à Galène - Marseille, France Oct. 20 - Borderline - London, United Kingdom Oct. 21 - Baroeg - Rotterdam, Netherlands

In a brand new interview with Ronan McGreevy of The Irish Times, IRON MAIDEN drummer Nicko McBrain spoke about the making of the band's new album, "The Book Of Souls".

"We talked about doing an album three years ago when we were all at the bar drinking," he said. "We were all looking at each other and we were saying to each other, 'Will we do another record? [2010's] 'The Final Frontier' was a cracker.

"We knew we were going to do another album. It has taken five years since the last one, or has it? The years seem to get shorter as you get older. It's in our DNA. Our fans still support IRON MAIDEN. I suppose, you know, we could go fart in a paper bag and most people would go, 'Cor, that's a bit alright. It's not bad, is it?' [Laughs] But we don't. We go and make these great albums and this is the best one yet."

He continued: "Steve [Harris, IRON MAIDEN bassist] formed the band back in December 1975. Professionally, the first album ['Iron Maiden'] was 1979. That's still an amazing time for making music the way we do.

"This is our 16th studio album. I look it and I go, 'Wow, this is the culmination of everything.' This is early MAIDEN, this is progressive MAIDEN. The end of 'Eternity Should Fail' has all this weird stuff on it. It takes me back to the 1970s to bands that were psychedelic."

Asked if he really believes this is the best IRON MAIDEN album ever — better than even "The Number Of The Beast", for instance — he responded: "I think this is the new millennium 'Number Of The Beast'. That was one of our best albums, and the follow up to that ['Piece Of Mind'] was probably the best of the lot of them. [2000's] 'Brave New World' was phenomenal, I loved 'A Matter Of Life And Death' (2006), but, having said that, this album is the culmination. It has something for everybody. Take 'Speed Of Light', for instance. It is the old MAIDEN. That intro is a testimony to DEEP PURPLE and the title track, 'The Book Of Souls', is fucking immense — if you'll excuse my French — but I think this is the best album we've ever made. It's a fantastic piece of work. There's not one bad song on it."

He added: "I spoke to Steve the other week and I asked what we might do live, and I said to him, 'Why don't we do the freaking lot?' He laughed. Can you imagine IRON MAIDEN playing 'The Book Of Souls'? It would end with 'Empire Of The Clouds' and then it would be 'thank you' and 'good night.' There is no 'Iron Maiden', no 'Run To The Hills' and none of the classics.

"I'm so proud of all the guys. Kevin Shirley [producer] has done an immense job on the best-sounding album we ever had.

"I'm extremely excited. I can't get wait to get out on the road."

Read the entire interview at The Irish Times.

Released globally on September 4 through Parlophone Records (Sanctuary Copyrights/BMG in the U.S.), "The Book Of Souls" was recorded in Paris, France with producer Kevin "Caveman" Shirley in late 2014, with the finishing touches added earlier this year.

"The Book Of Souls" includes "Empire Of The Clouds", an 18-minute track penned by MAIDEN frontman Bruce Dickinson, who was recently given the all-clear after being diagnosed with a tumor on his tongue late last year.

Ash Hudson, brother of former GUNS N' ROSES guitarist Slash (pictured), has apologized to the band's lead singer Axl Rose for calling him a "fat bastard."

In a lengthy rant at his Facebook page, Ash slammed the idea of a classic GUNS N' ROSES reunion, writing in part, "You obsessed fans of GUNS N' ROSES. Fuck a reunion. If you love GUNS, enjoy what they made and move on."

Hudson also wrote: "It's all so dumb to me. Not sure if I'm making myself clear. But grow up. Get a life. If I get one more fucker asking me, 'Will GUNS do a reunion tour?', I'm blocking them. Axl is a fat bastard and the reunion would only be a disappointment and an action that would result in criticism. Just sayin'."

Hudson later posted another comment in which he said, "They [GUNS] were the best of all time, nowhere to go from there. They captured lightning in a bottle. Nothing left to prove. It's done. Are THE [ROLLING] STONES you grew to love in the '70s? Fuck no! Now a circus act. You loved Axl when he was beautiful, now he's Fat Elvis. So move on people. Buy Slash's ['World On Fire'] album."

After his words were picked up by the media, Hudson once again took to his Facebook page and posted the following message:

"I apologize to Axl and his legions of fans who were offended by my post of yesterday.

"I am sorry I shot my mouth off. I know, or should know, better than to get involved in GN'R business.

"It has come to me attention that Axl is on a strict diet and losing weight.

"Unfortunately, my post was very offensive and upsetting to my brother, for which I apologize.

"To the rest of the world, I had one of these days when people kept asking me about a possible reunion and I had had enough... Again, my apologies."

Slash recently revealed that he and Rose had repaired their estranged relationship after nearly 20 years, immediately leading to a storm of speculation about a possible reunion of the classic GUNS lineup.

AMON AMARTH frontman Johan Hegg has slammed Kim Davis, the woman who refused to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples in Kentucky, saying that she should "go live in a cave somewhere."

Rowan County, Kentucky clerk Davis is an Apostolic Christian who has said her faith prevents her from issuing the licenses. She spent six days in jail last week for refusing to comply with a federal judge's order to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples.

Davis has become a lightning rod for the same-sex marriage debate, her case prompting supporters to tie her defiance to follow the law to the passive resistance at the center of the Civil Rights Movement.

Hegg, like thousands of others, says that Davis her mind isn't actually the problem; it is her refusal to do her job as county clerk — specifically: issue marriage licenses to all couples, gay and heterosexual.

Writing on his Facebook page, the Swedish metal musician says: "It's okay to have whatever superstitious belief you wish, but you have no right to break the law because of it.

"If your job or a job you are applying for dictates that you perform a duty that goes against your 'religious belief,' feel free to hand in your resignation, or feel free to NOT apply for that particular job in the first place.

"Your beliefs [do] not entitle you to oppress or disrespect women. Not even if they hold the same beliefs as you do.

"A religious congregation is a business. They should pay taxes just like everybody else.

"If your moral code comes from a book written by some desert-dwelling, goat-herding nomads between 1400 and 2000 years ago, you have no authority on what is morally acceptable in the 21st century. Go live in a cave somewhere."

Paul Masvidal of legendary progressive rock innovators CYNIC says that the band will continue despite drummer Sean Reinert's announcement that CYNIC was breaking up.

Reinert released a statement earlier today claiming that CYNIC was disbanding "due to artistic and personal differences." He added that his "longstanding creative partnership" with Paul "has simply endured so much friction that there is no way, from my perspective, that CYNIC can be salvaged, repaired or kept afloat by any means."

Earlier tonight, Masvidal posted the following message on his personal Facebook page:

"Dear fans and friends, this is all news to me. I just landed from Japan and my inbox was exploding.

"Sean didn't confer with myself or Malone about CYNIC's official breakup or the tour being cancelled.

"I'm honestly somewhat relieved it's finally over since it's been quite challenging over the years but I'm also trying to figure out how to possibly salvage this tour (with a new drummer) since the damage he's causing by pulling out at this last minute is inconceivable for me at the moment.

"Please share this message with friends or fans as Sean has taken me off our Facebook page so I can't access it at the moment.

"Love to you all. I apologize for the drama...but sometimes life gets messy.

"P.S. CYNIC will continue one way or another."

CYNIC's latest album, "Kindly Bent To Free Us", was released in February 2014 via Season Of Mist. The CD was produced by CYNIC at L.A.'s Perfect Sound Studios. The effort was engineered by Jason Donaghy (BAND OF HORSES, FEIST, ROB ZOMBIE, RYAN ADAMS), mixed by R. Walt Vincent (PETE YORN, LIZ PHAIR, TOMMY KEENE) and mastered by Maor Appelbaum (FATES WARNING, SEPULTURA, CATHEDRAL, INQUISITION, HALFORD).

Former QUEENSRŸCHE and current OPERATION: MINDCRIME vocalist Geoff Tate will guest on the forthcoming seventh studio album from EDGUY frontman Tobias Sammet's AVANTASIA project, "Ghostlights", which is due in early 2016 via Nuclear Blast. An EP/single will precede the full-length effort in the fall.

Says Sammet: "I have been fortunate enough to meet many amazing classic metal vocalists. Whenever we've talked about our influence as vocalists, the name Geoff Tate was brought up.

"Throughout his incredible career of more than 30 years, Geoff has constantly explored new territory as an artist and vocalist, while he has always managed to maintain this distinctive signature vocal sound that makes him stand out.

"His contribution [to 'Ghostlights'] sounds nothing but amazing, and you will immediately know why the man had such a huge impact on vocalists and fans around the globe! Enchanting, unique, amazing, progressive in the purest sense of the word!

"Thank you for joing the AVANTASIA family, Geoff Tate!"

Also scheduled to appear on "Ghostlights" is ex-MASTERPLAN singer Jorn Lande.

AVANTASIA's all-star lineup will embark on the "Ghostlights" world tour next year. The trek will kick off in Berlin on March 4, 2016.

Commented Tobias Sammet: "In the past months, I've spent a lot of time in the studio, an odd recluse in the basement, secretly working obsessively on something that reads and feels and sounds like a new — very strong — chapter in the story of AVANTASIA.

"I must say AVANTASIA is a fantastic outlet for creativity, and it's truly inspiring to create a piece of music for so many great vocalists and instrumentalists.

"The new material is very bombastic and dynamic, and even though it's extremely diverse, every minute of it sounds like AVANTASIA.

"I'm really proud of what we're creating right now. And as if that wasn't enough: I'm anxiously looking forward to hitting the road again.

"I didn't necessarily expect this to happen, as in the past, it has always been difficult to align the individual schedules of the guest stars, but things have worked out, and we're ready to make it happen one more time! We'll put on a big show, we're gonna play over three hours, and we'll take the fans to a magical world all its own — to AVANTASIA. The live setlist is going to embrace the entire history of AVANTASIA, from 'The Metal Opera' to 'Ghostlights' and, of course, everything in between!"

AVANTASIA's latest album, "The Mystery Of Time", was released in March 2013.

AVANTASIA made its North American debut on July 7, 2013 at the Quebec City Summer Festival (Festival D'été De Québec) in Quebec City, Quebec, Canada.

LINDEMANN, the new project featuring vocalist Till Lindemann of German industrial metallers RAMMSTEIN and Swedish producer and multi-instrumentalist Peter Tägtgren (HYPOCRISY, PAIN), will release a new single, "Fish On", on October 9. It will include the previously unreleased track "G-Spot Michael" as well as the Drago Baotic Smooth Version of "Praise Abort".

Tägtgren recently told Kaaos TV about the response to LINDEMANN's debut album, "Skills In Pills": "It's been really good. I mean, some people are, 'Ah, the lyrics are so immature.' [But] I think it's funny lyrics. me and Till are immature people. So, you know, we're just having fun with… He's discovering the English words; he's always been writing in German [with RAMMSTEIN]. And now, his crazy ideas and all the English stuff, it's like plucking the tree, he always tells me, from fruit, because the German tree is already empty for him, he said. So it's really refreshing for him to do all these things in English. I mean, so far it really went very well — Number One in a lot of countries, including Finland. So it was surprising. Some [reviews] are more, like, 'Yeah, immature guys going crazy.' But, hey, it's a party album. It's like, you know, Billy Idol in 2015 on… I don't know… speed. It's a party album. We want people to get a good feeling when we do it. It's great party music, I think. It's an album that you can get in a mood before you go to a festival, or before you go out to the bar or something, to get a good feeling."

Regarding LINDEMANN's plans to perform live, Peter said: "Mainly, it is that we have to see if the promoters are interested in it, and how should we do it? Should we do it huge, or should we do it very small club punk rock? We don't know anything yet. So we're still collecting info from our promoter. He's throwing out some lines here and there to see who is interested and what can we expect, and where will we be on the bill? Will we play in the bar, or in the tent or on the main stage? We need to know these things before we start planning: 'Okay, are we gonna go crazy with the stage, or should we go very small?' It's still a little bit too early to know."

He continued: "I think if it's gonna happen, it's gonna be festivals. That's what I think right now. Everything changes constantly between me and [Till]. So you never know. Maybe tomorrow we're gonna play on the moon. So, we never know. We'll find out… It's better not to say too much until we know for sure. But I hope that we're gonna go out and play."

"Skills In Pills" was released on June 23 via Warner Bros..

The album was made available in the following formats:

* Standard Edition (2-panel digipack, 28-page booklet)* Special Edition (Blu-ray-packaging, 28-page booklet, bonus track "That's My Heart")* Super Deluxe Edition (large-size book, hardcover, 80 pages, telescope-carton, CD+bonus track "That's My Heart")* Vinyl (gatefold sleeve, 28-page booklet, bonus track, includes album-download code)* Digital

Photo courtesy of Warner Music / Tomaso Baldesarini

What do you suppose these two are plotting?

Perhaps it has something to do with this announcement...

Jeff Lynne's ELO has signed a global deal with Columbia Records and is set to release a new ELO album! The first new ELO music in over a decade!

More news coming soon!

“Reaping Flesh”, a track from the mighty third album from Seattle's Black Breath, Slaves Beyond Death, has just been released. Check it out below. The album will be released through Southern Lord late in September.

Slaves Beyond Death arrives three years after Black Breath's 2012-released Sentenced To Life, a revered album of morbid metal anthems laced with a deadly allure that few could resist. A foul den of thrashing potency, reanimated hardcore muscle and icy death metal, it's a record that partly sets the tone for this nefarious third chapter of the band, but it's safe to say that Slaves Beyond Death represents a harder, bleaker Black Breath than ever before.

Recorded in the Winter months of 2014 at GodCity studio in Salem, Massachusetts with Kurt Ballou (Converge),Slaves Beyond Death delivers the best part of an hour of stern, unforgiving death metal that resonates with the absolute classics of the genre. The Seattle five-piece is entirely relentless in their intensity, presenting innumerable ferocious riffs across the eight songs, with wicked inventiveness at the heart of its might. Galloping, triumphant melodies reminiscent of Sweden lead in to grueling slammers that unravel at a torturer's pace, while the rasping death-rattles from vocalist Neil McAdams paint a vivid picture of unending suffering in life and beyond the grave. Devoid of self-serving technicality and bombast, Slaves Beyond Death works torrents of scorn in to lively, undeniably entertaining songwriting, an enviable quality that has been present in all of Black Breath's material, and is certainly still the case now. With all of the tracks breaching the five-minute mark at least, and a storming crusade of an instrumental closer, Black Breath is taking big strides forward with this album, and it is sure to be one of the highlights of the musical underworld in 2015.

Slaves Beyond Death's artwork was painted by Italy's Paolo Girardi, who most recently created stunning covers for Inquisition, Manilla Road and Bell Witch, and Southern Lord is once again the proud record label behind this monumental release, which will be available on September 25th on digital, CD and LP formats.

Tracklisting:

“Pleasure, Pain, Disease”
“Slaves Beyond Death”
“Reaping Flesh”
“Seed Of Cain”
“Arc Of Violence”
“A Place Of Insane Brutality”
“Burning Hate”
“Chains Of The Afterlife”

“Slaves Beyond Death”:

Following their triumphant North American tour with Ringworm, Goatwhore and Theories, Black Breath will return to the road heavily in support of Slaves Beyond Death beginning with a Southern Lord West Coast tour package also including Goatsnake, Battalion of Saints and Obliterations next week.

Additionally, Black Breath is one of the latest bands to have been announced to perform at this year's installment of the Housecore Horror Festival in San Antonio. The fest, run by Phillip H. Anselmo, will draw a massive load of bands to the state of Texas including King Diamond, Goblin, Exodus, Superjoint, Agoraphobic Nosebleed, Autopsy, Suffocation, Incantation, Corrosion Of Conformity, Eyehategod, Negative Approach, Yob, DropDead, labelmates Poison Idea and countless more November 12th through 15th.

Tour dates:

September
16 - Mystery Box - Los Angeles, CA
17 - Alexs' Bar - Long Beach, CA
19 - Brick By Brick - San Diego, CA
20 - Club Red - Mesa, AZ
22 - Elbo Room - San Francisco, CA
23 - Boardwalk - Sacramento, CA
24 - Catalyst Atrium - Santa Cruz, CA
26 - Highline - Seattle, WA (Black Breath Slaves Beyond Death record release show)
27 - Hawthorne Theater - Portland, OR

November
12 - The Korova - San Antonio, TX (Housecore Horror Fest kickoff show)

(photo: Invisible Hour)

Professionally filmed video footage of BIOHAZARD performing the song "Vengeance Is Mine" at last month's Wacken Open Air festival in Wacken, Germany can be seen below.

Asked when fans can expect the follow-up to BIOHAZARD's 2012 album "Reborn In Defiance", guitarist/vocalist Billy Graziadei told "The Metalist": "Early next year; that's the plan, yeah."

He continued: "It's not even like making wine. It's not like you can sit here and say, 'Oh…' 'Cause when you make wine or you make vodka, or whatever, alcohol, there's a finite end to the process. For us, it's, like, when it's ready, it's ready, and I think if we rushed… I'd rather have a kick-ass record that stands the test of time and that we can play live every night at a show that works rather than rushing an album just to get it out because everybody wants it. So when it's ready, it's ready. But we have a whole slew of songs that are kick-ass."

Graziadei also talked in more details about BIOHAZARD's musical approach on the next album. He said: "We focused, and are focusing, on having songs that we could play live. it was always… I love everything that we've done — no apologies, no regrets — but every record… Not solely being into punk or punk rock, which are huge influences, especially for myself. I started playing piano when I was six. Bobby [Hambel] is a phenomenal guitar and musician. We all have musical tastes that vary from songs that we play live, but the energy on stage with BIOHAZARD is what we love the most, and the songs on each record that we play live work well live, 'cause we like that energy; it's a big part of BIOHAZARD. But the musical side is another big part, but that stuff doesn't transcend so much into the live environment.'

He continued: "The new record, for the first time, [we all] kind of just said, 'You know what? We're all in agreement that we don't want a record that doesn't have anything but just full-on, in-your-face, live-style BIOHAZARD. It's all the songs that are just high energy, stuff that will work well live. It's, like, twelve 'Punishment's — that's what we're looking for… It's definitely along the lines of songs like 'Vengeance Is Mine' — more of the high-energy side of BIOHAZARD. I think we infuse our influences unintentionally, but it just comes out naturally. And it's a weird way of having this punk energy and looseness to the tightness of metal and thrash and hardcore."

Billy added: "It's funny, 'cause if I write something and I double the guitars, it doesn't sound like BIOHAZARD until the other guys put their parts into it. Then it has that kind of BIOHAZARD flavor. We've always called it the meatgrinder. It's kind of, like, you take all the elements, you throw them together and you mix it all up and it spits out this pink slop of BIOHAZARD. We're not the type of band that can surgically take apart our music. It's better when it's left raw and in your face."

BIOHAZARD last year inked a new worldwide deal with Nuclear Blast. The band was previously signed to Nuclear Blast for Europe only. "Reborn In Defiance" was released in Europe on January 20, 2012 via Nuclear Blast.

Not only was "Reborn In Defiance" BIOHAZARD's first original lineup album in 18 years, it also marked the last LP recorded by the band before the departure of bassist and co-vocalist Evan Seinfeld. The effort remains a testament to the four founding members (Billy Graziadei, Bobby Hambel, Evan Seinfeld and Danny Schuler) and their unique chemistry.

Seinfeld left the band in June 2011 after the band's new CD was completed and was replaced by Scott Roberts, who played on the band's 2005 "Means To An End" album and has been part of the BIOHAZARD extended family since.

Locrian have released a new video, for the Infinite Dissolution album track “Heavy Water”. Check it out below.

Infinite Dissolution tracklisting:

“Arc Of Extinction”
“Dark Shales”
“KXL I”
“The Future Of Death”
“An Index Of Air”
i. Divinations”
ii. Air Structures”
iii. Watcher Of The Clouds”
“KXL II”
“The Great Dying”
“Heavy Water”
“KXL II”

“Heavy Water” video:

"Arc Of Extinction" video:

Teaser:

 

 

 

Swedish epic doom metal legends, Sorcere, released their new album, In The Shadow Of The Inverted Cross, back on March 20th via Metal Blade. Today the and premier their new video for the album track, “Prayers For A King”.

The band comments on the video: "Making this video was the brainchild of Daniel Nyqvist, he did a great job! We tried to reflect the story from the lyrics and Daniel made a fantastic job on this video. “Prayers For A King” is one of the more epic and gloomy songs on the album, enjoy!"

In The Shadow Of The Inverted Cross album details follow.

 

 

In The Shadow Of The Inverted Cross tracklisting:

“The Dark Tower Of The Sorcerer”
“Sumerian Script”
“Lake Of The Lost Souls”
“Exorcise The Demon”
“In The Shadow Of The Inverted Cross”
“Prayers For A King”
“The Gates Of Hell”
“Pagans Dance”

“The Gates Of Hell”:

“Sumerian Script”:

"The Dark Tower Of The Sorcerer” video:

Sorcerer is:

Anders Engberg - vocals
Kristian Niemann - guitars
Peter Hallgren - guitars
Johnny Hagel - bass
Robert Iversen - drums

Japanese melodic death metallers, Gyze, released their new album, Black Bride, on June 9th via Coroner Records. The album was mixed and mastered by Ettore Rigotti at The Metal House Studio (Disarmonia Mundi, Blood Stain Child, Destrage, etc.). Check out the new music video for the album’s title track below.

 

 

Black Bride tracklisting:

“Black Bride”
“In Grief”
“Honesty”
“Insane Brain”
“Black Shadow”
“Winter Breath”
“Twilight”
“Satanic Loop”
“Nanohana”
“Julius”
“Asuhenohikari”
“Surface Tears” (Exclusive Coroner Records Bonus Track)

“Black Bride” video:

“Julius” video:

 

On October 16th, progressive French tech death faction, Gorod, will unleash their A Maze Of Recycled Creeds full-length in North America via Unique Leader Records, and in Europe via Listenable Records.

Now three-years in the waiting, the near-fifty-minute-long work of diabolic genius is based on unfathomable fantasies created by various secret societies and mystical orders, and spews forth eleven tracks of arthritis-inducing riffs, spiraling, harmony-rich fret decompositions, surgically-precise time shifts, blasts, brawn and an incessant barrage of malicious vocal onslaughts. Elaborates the band of the record's concept, "A Maze Of Recycled Creeds speaks of the fraternity of the Rose-Croix, specifically via the works of Sâr Merodack Joséphin Péladan (1858 -1918), a peculiar 'guru' claiming to have divine origins from Assyria..."

In celebration of the album release, Gorod presents the official lyric video for "Temple Of The Art God".

A Maze Of Recycled Creeds tracklisting:

“Air de l'Ordre”
“Temple To The Art-God”
“Celestial Nature”
“Inner Alchemy”
“The Mystic Triad Of Artistry”
“An Order To Reclaim”
“From Passion To Holiness”
“Dig Into Yourself”
“Rejoice Your Soul”
“Syncretic Delirium”
“Celestial Nature” (Alt Version)

 

 

 

IRON MAIDEN's new album, "The Book Of Souls", has topped the official chart in the United Kingdom with with combined sales of just over 60,000. The band last had a No. 1 CD in 2010 with "The Final Frontier".

Released globally on September 4 through Parlophone Records (Sanctuary Copyrights/BMG in the U.S.), "The Book Of Souls" was recorded in Paris, France with producer Kevin "Caveman" Shirley in late 2014, with the finishing touches added earlier this year.

"The Book Of Souls" includes "Empire Of The Clouds", an 18-minute track penned by MAIDEN frontman Bruce Dickinson, who was recently given the all-clear after being diagnosed with a tumor on his tongue late last year.

IRON MAIDEN bassist Steve Harris told Kerrang! magazine about the song: "I think it's a masterpiece, actually. I think I can say that because I didn't write it! It sounds like MAIDEN, but it's totally different from what we've done before."

He continued: "Eighteen minutes sounds like a long time, but it's actually such a journey that… Well, it's best just to leave people to listen to it and see what they think. But it's very interesting. It's certainly not boring."

"I think you'll see on this album that there's lots going on. There's a hell of a lot to take in. I think there'll be bits and pieces that will hit people initially, but I think they're going to need a few listens. It's a long album. I think it's a really interesting album. Hopefully other people will think it's interesting as well."

The band announced in May that touring plans to support the album wouldn't happen until 2016 to allow Dickinson time to fully recuperate after his successful cancer treatment.

"Whenever we do a new album, we always go out with a new stage show; that's exciting in itself," Harris said. "We always feel like every show is sacred these days anyway, and I suppose even more so now after the scare with what's happened with Bruce. It makes everything more important to us."

He continued: "'The Book Of Souls' is a really powerful album, we're really proud of it and we can't wait to come out and play new songs on the tour. We're really looking forward to it."

Queensrÿche have launched a new music video for a track from the highly anticipated new, full-length offering, Condition Hüman, set for a release via Century Media Records on October 2nd. The epic album opening track, “Arrow Of Time”, performed at Wacken Open Air 2015 in front of over 50K fans can be viewed below.

Condition Hüman tracklisting:

“Arrow of Time”
“Guardian”
“Hellfire”
“Toxic Remedy”
“Selfish Lives”
“Eye9”
“Bulletproof”
“Hourglass”
“Just Us”
“All There Was”
“The Aftermath”
“Condition Hüman”

“Arrow Of Time” video:

“Guardian” video:

Against the formidable obstacles of an ever-changing cultural landscape, the rise and fall of various musical trends, and the near collapse of the record industry itself, Queensrÿche secured a triumphant legacy as one of hard rock’s most respected and celebrated acts, selling 30 million albums around the world across a 30-plus-year career.

The much-anticipated new offering, Condition Hüman, sees LaTorre deliver the performance of a lifetime on what is now his sophomore recording effort with the band. Produced by Zeuss (Rob Zombie, Hatebreed, Sanctuary) in the band’s native Washington, Condition Hüman is a new mountain towering over many of the peaks and valleys of the hard rock landscape.
 
Don't miss Queensrÿche on tour as direct support to the legendary Scoprions across North America from September 10th to October 9th. For all dates head over to Queensrycheofficial.com.
 

"Never Giving Up", the new video from the California-based rock quintet OF MICE & MEN, can be seen below.

OF MICE & MEN's "Restoring Force: Full Circle" deluxe double-disc, foil-stamped digipack that includes three brand-new songs and an acoustic version of the band's hit single "Feels Like Forever" was released in February.

The new songs — "Broken Generation", "Something To Hide", "Never Giving Up" and the acoustic version of "Feels Like Forever" — were recorded last fall with producer David Bendeth (PARAMORE, BRING ME THE HORIZON) in Southern California.

The two-CD set is a special reissue of the album "Restoring Force", which hit No. 4 on The Billboard 200 chart and No. 1 on both the Billboard Top Independent and Top Rock Albums charts.

OF MICE & MEN frontman Austin Carlile told The Pulse Of Radio that the band has come a long way from its very first concert. "Our first show we ever played, we had to play a full set, but we only had one song that anyone knew — we had a song on MySpace," he said. "We played a whole set and literally no one knew a word of any of the song, 'cause we had just written it. That was our first show, and that was in Bakersfield, California. So it's cool just to see where the band's gone, and it's really humbling to see where we are now, 'cause I know where we've been."

MOTÖRHEAD's 22nd studio album, "Bad Magic", has registered the following first-week chart positions: Germany: #1Finland: #1Austria: #1Switzerland: #2Sweden: #4Czech Republic: #4Netherlands: #7Norway: #7Belgium: #9UK: #10Canada: #10Spain: #10France: #12Italy: #12Hungary: #13Japan: #15USA: #17New Zealand: #25Australia: #29Poland: #32Denmark: #66

"Bad Magic" was released on August 28. Bristling with thunderous attitude, pioneering spirit and some of the fiercest rhythms and riffs that'll beat your ears into submission this year, "Bad Magic" is a massive kick in the teeth for anyone who dared believe it might be otherwise. Indeed, if those people still remain, they would do well to grab some big fat earplugs, fall to their knees and pray like buggery, because big-rig head crushers like "Thunder & Lightning" and the especially l-o-u-d "Teach 'Em How To Bleed" show that MOTÖRHEAD are as strong, mean, loud, relentless, uncompromising and goddam heavy as ever. Drawing on their own vast catalogue of road-warrior freewheeling rock'n'roll spirit, "Bad Magic" also strides confidently into some of the earlier attitudes of Motörmusic. Written and recorded in the studio together, for the first time in the Kilmister/Campbell/Dee era, the more "live" approach to creating "Bad Magic" has obviously paid dividends in this regard. There is the driving malevolence of "Choking On Your Screams", with Lemmy in magnificently omnipotent vocal mood, "Electricity" carries a hefty chunk of punk attitude married with some of Phil Campbell's best lead work in years, while "Shoot Out All Of Your Lights" is all devilish, greasy biker-borne-screw-you-and yours, Mikkey Dee's tribal drums pounding out a great path for more Kilmister proclamations. The boys even enjoyed a guest appearance from QUEEN's Brian May on "The Devil", adding a scintillating solo on this thunderous Motörstomper. Produced at NRG Studios with long-time producer Cameron Webb, "Bad Magic" came together after a couple of years which saw MOTÖRHEAD enjoy their most successful international era in over two decades off the back of their last release "Aftershock". Lemmy also finally decided to face the fact he is flesh, blood and mortal like all of us, adjusting his lifestyle to kick the ass of health issues and re-emerging stronger, leaner and meaner than ever. His own personal performances on "Bad Magic" rank as some of the most wide-ranging and unique he has delivered in years, and on the ballad "Until The End", Lemmy opens up with equal levels explanation and intent on the simple but important matters which life conjures for us all.

"Bad Magic" track listing: 01. Victory Or Die02. Thunder & Lightning03. Fire Storm Hotel04. Shoot Out All Of Your Lights05. The Devil06. Electricity07. Evil Eye08. Teach Them How To Bleed09. Till The End10. Tell Me Who To Kill11. Choking On Your Screams12. When The Sky Comes Looking For You13. Sympathy For The Devil (THE ROLLING STONES cover)