SOUNDGARDEN singer Chris Cornell has released the official video for his new song "Nearly Forgot My Broken Heart", the debut single from his forthcoming solo album, "Higher Truth". The clip — envisioned by Cornell and directed by Jessie Hill — features a cameo by acclaimed Hollywood actors Eric Roberts ("Runaway Train", "Heroes", "The Expendables"), W. Earl Brown ("Deadwood"), as well as Chris Cornell making his acting debut. It tells a love story in a quintessential Wild West setting with an unexpected ending. The video demonstrates Cornell's instinctive ability to incorporate fascinating stories into his music. "Nearly Forgot My Broken Heart" is quickly climbing the Active Rock, Mainstream Rock, and Triple A charts. It was the most added song for two consecutive weeks at Triple A and Mainstream Rock and the most added at Active Rock for four weeks in a row - well on its way to entering the Top 10 at all three formats. "Higher Truth" will be released on Friday, September 18 via Universal Music Enterprises (UMe), and fans can pre-order the deluxe version of the album, which contains four bonus tracks. Produced by Brendan O'Brien (BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN, PEARL JAM, NEIL YOUNG), "Higher Truth" showcases Cornell's constant evolution as a master songwriter, lyricist and musical craftsman — telling human stories which transcend musical genres. Inspired by the stark arrangements of musicians like Nick Drake, Daniel Johnston and White Album-era BEATLES, Cornell creates a musical universe unlike anything he has done before. In celebration of the album's release, on Thursday September 17, Cornell will perform "Nearly Forgot My Broken Heart" live on "The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon". To watch the performance, tune in to NBC at 11:35/10:35c (check local listings).

Cornell will kick off the Higher Truth acoustic tour on September 18 in San Diego, California at the Balboa Theatre, stopping at famed North American venues like the Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles, the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, Massey Hall in Toronto and more before winding down on November 4 in Phoenix, AZ at the Orpheum Theatre.

The deluxe version of "Higher Truth" will contain four bonus tracks.

"Higher Truth" track listing: 01. Nearly Forgot My Broken Heart02. Dead Wishes03. Worried Moon04. Before We Disappear05. Through The Window06. Josephine07. Murderer Of Blue Skies08. Higher Truth09. Let Your Eyes Wander10. Only These Words11. Circling12. Our Time In The Universe Bonus tracks: 13. Bend In The Road14. Wrong Side15. Misery Chain16. Our Time In The Universe (Remix)

The new disc follows up Cornell's last solo studio effort, 2009's urban pop-tinged "Scream". The Timbaland-produced set sharply divided fans.

The singer has also started working on material for the next SOUNDGARDEN album, which will follow up 2012's "King Animal".

SHINEDOWN's much-anticipated new album. "Threat To Survival" — the rock band's first new album in three years — arrives everywhere on September 18 via Atlantic. "Threat To Survival" follows 2012's RIAA gold-certified "Amaryllis".

The "Threat To Survival" song "Outcast" can now be streamed below.

"'Threat To Survival' refers to that primal instinct in all of us that determines how we respond to crisis and conflict — the idea of 'fight or flight' and the choices we make in any given situation," explains SHINEDOWN frontman Brent Smith. "This album represents those deciding moments for us as a band. It's a collection of scenarios that made us who we are, and is, by far, the most autobiographical album we've created to date."

"Cut The Cord" — produced by SHINEDOWN's own Eric Bass — arrived last month and fast ascended to #1 at Active Rock radio outlets across the country. The single's immediate success continues a record-setting streak in which every one of the 19 singles released over SHINEDOWN's decade-plus career has ascended to the upper regions of the radio charts — a feat that no other rock band has achieved.

In addition, the "Cut The Cord" companion video recently had its world premiere on Billboard.com. The powerful clip — directed by the band's longtime collaborator Darren Doane ("Devour", "Sound Of Madness", "Bully") — has already earned over 1.5 million individual views and can now be viewed at SHINEDOWN's official YouTube channel.

SHINEDOWN is currently traveling the U.S. on a very special summer tour, their first major trek in more than two years. The dates see SHINEDOWN visiting theatres and other intimate venues across the country, performing a unique set that includes classic hits, deep cuts, and best of all, new songs from the upcoming "Threat To Survival". Support on most dates comes from special guests NOTHING MORE.

SHINEDOWN will then return to the road in October to headline a string of festivals: Mobile, Alabama's Bayfest (October 2), Louisville, Kentucky's Louder Than Life (October 4) and Sacramento, California's Monster Energy Aftershock (October 24). The band is already set to kick off 2016 by crossing the Atlantic for the inaugural United Kingdom version of the "Carnival Of Madness Tour", joining fellow hard rock icons BLACK STONE CHERRY, Atlantic Records labelmates HALESTORM, and newcomers HIGHLY SUSPECT for arena dates slated through mid-February. More fall touring plans in support of "Threat To Survival" will be announced soon.

"Threat To Survival" track listing:

01. Asking For It02. Cut The Cord03. State Of My Head04. Outcast05. How Did You Love?06. It All Adds Up07. Oblivion08. Dangerous09. Thick As Thieves10. Black Cadillac11. Misfits

SHINEDOWN singer Brent Smith told The Pulse Of Radio what we can expect from the record. "A lot of bands and a lot of artists take the initiative to say — if they're lucky enough to get to a fifth album — 'Yeah, it's such a different record' and all these things," he said. "And you listen to it and you go, 'That's cool, it sounds exactly the same as your last records.' That's really not the case with this. It's a devastating record. It's a heartbreaking record. It's a beautiful record, but it's ferocious."

Smith said in a statement about "Cut The Cord": "In your truest moment of weakness… When everyone and everything has betrayed you, and evil and hatred has wrapped itself around your mind, body and soul… this is the song that you play. This is the statement to the world that you will not give up, you will not give in, and you refuse to fail!!! Now is your time… to 'cut the cord.'"

"The Ride Majestic", the tenth studio album from Sweden-based melodic death metal experts SOILWORK, has registered the following first-week chart positions:

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

"The Ride Majestic" was released worldwide on August 28 via Nuclear Blast.

"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.

"Valley Of Tears", the new album from British power metal mercenaries TANK, will be released on September 25.

"Valley Of Tears" track listing: 01. War Dance02. Valley03. Of Tears04. Eye Of A Hurricane05. Hold On06. Make A Little Time07. Heading For08. Eternity09. Living A Fantasy10. World On Fire11. Hold Your Fire

The official lyric video for the song "Make A Little Time" can be seen below.

Joining guitarists Mick Tucker and Cliff Evans on the group's's new album are former DRAGONFORCE frontman ZP Theart, who has been a member of TANK's touring lineup for the past two years. Also featured are new recruits Bobby Schottkowski, formerly of SODOM, on drums, and current BLIND GUARDIAN member Barend Courbois on bass.

Regarding the recording process, TANK guitarist Cliff Evans stated: "Bobby recorded the drum tracks in Germany with his producer, Waldemar Sorychta, whose previous work includes albums for LACUNA COIL, TIAMAT and SODOM, to name but a few. The drums are the backbone of the album and they seriously kick ass! Barend laid down the bass guitar in Holland a couple of days before heading out on a sold-out world tour with German metal legends BLIND GUARDIAN. He'll be back with us for our festival shows later this summer. The guitars were recorded in London under the guidance of producer Phil Kinman who is the master at capturing the sound of a Les Paul through a Marshall amp. No frills. Just awesome power! The album will be mastered by Ade Emsley, who recently undertook the task of remastering the entire IRON MAIDEN catalogue for 24-bit iTunes release. There'll be some teasers coming up over the summer, including a video for the title track, 'Valley Of Tears', and more tour dates will be announced soon."

Commented Evans: "The title comes from the famous tank battle during the 1973 Yom Kippur War where one side was massively outnumbered but fought on regardless and against all odds secured a heroic victory.

"We feel that our style of metal is slowly disappearing and now we must also fight against the odds to keep it alive.

"We hope 'Valley Of Tears' will inspire other bands and fans alike to never forget what real metal is all about."

SLAYER's video for "Repentless" — the title track of the band's new album — can be seen below. The clip was filmed on August 26 at the Sybil Brand Institute, the women's prison in East Los Angeles. While SLAYER performed the track under that punishing sun over an eight-hour period, the "prisoners" had to stage a riot for somewhere north of twelve takes before director BJ McDonnell finally called it a wrap. But that was all pretty much in keeping with McDonnell's brutal vision for the clip, a vision that many in the veteran cast and crew referred to as "more like something for a feature film than a rock band's music video."

This is McDonnell's first stint directing a music video. He directed the 2013 horror film "Hatchet III", and his rich resume as a motion picture cameraman includes "Avengers: Age Of Ultron", "Ant-Man" and "The Interview". For SLAYER's "Repentless", he and the video's producer Felissa Rose pulled together a gang of actors and crew who have been part of some of the most iconic horror films ever made: Derek Mears ("Predators", "Friday The 13th"), Tyler Mane ("Halloween"), Jason Trost ("Hatchet III"), Danny Trejo ("Machete", "From Dusk Till Dawn"), Tony Moran ("Halloween"'s Michael Myers, "American Poltergeist"), Sean Whalen ("Men In Black", "Halloween II"), and Vernon Wells ("Mad Max 2", "Commando", "Weird Science") all are featured inmates in the video. And if that wasn't enough, McDonnell and Rose brought in stunt coordinator Nils Allen Stewart who is known for his work on films like "Planet of The Apes", "Anger Management" and "Daredevil".

SLAYER's prison yard performance is just one facet of what promises to be a grizzly video.

While McDonnell and Rose are keeping full details about the video tightly under wraps until its premiere, it's safe to say that there was a lot of blood spilled within those prison walls.

The date for the premiere of SLAYER's "Repentless" music video will be announced shortly.

SLAYER's eleventh studio album, "Repentless", will be released on September 11 via Nuclear Blast. The highly anticipated follow-up to 2009's critically acclaimed, Grammy-nominated "World Painted Blood" was produced by Terry Date, who has previously worked with PANTERA, DEFTONES and SOUNDGARDEN.

The "Repentless" title track is an ode to SLAYER's late guitarist, Jeff Hanneman, who passed away in 2013. "I call it the Hannemanthem!" King said of the song. "I wrote that for Jeff. Oh, dude, it's fast as fuck. You don't know what the fuck's coming!"

He added: "It's my perspective of Jeff's perspective. It's what I think... If Jeff wrote a song for himself, 'Repentless' would be it."

Photo credit: Stephanie Cabral

Fan-filmed video footage of PHILM's September 7 concert at Klub 007 Strahov in Prague, Czech Republic can be seen below.

PHILM features former SLAYER drummer Dave Lombardo alongside guitarist/vocalist Gerry Paul Nestler (CIVIL DEFIANCE) and bassist Francisco "Pancho" Eduardo Tomaselli (WAR).

Asked what prompted the decision to forgo the improvisational aspect of the first PHILM album in favor of a more structured, creative approach on the group's follow-up effort, "Fire From The Evening Sun", Dave told Full Metal Jackie: "Well, I heard the reviews and read the reviews and took in consideration what journalists and fans were feeling and saying, and I felt it was time us to make an album like this. We showed them what we could do in the avant grade world and the improvisational style of writing, but that was something for that album. And on this one, we just wanted to make it a little more concise and complete with some solid structures and songs that would appeal more to, let's say, the metal fan base rather than to a more avant garde or jazz style. Which makes total sense, 'cause that's where my fans are, so I need to give them what they want."

Regarding what the most unusual thing is for him about being in a more creative role in PHILM than he was in some of his previous projects, Dave said: "I think it's how fluid the creative process is. We are all in a room together and we press 'record' and we start playing, and whatever it is that happens at that moment is captured. And what we do is listen back to those recordings. They can be, like, 20 minutes to a half-an-hour improvisation session. Then what we do is listen for the… I call them little gems that you cut out of these session. And then we take that music and then we'll structure a complete song around that improvisation. So that's unique and it's unusual for me, because I've worked in the past with musicians that give you a set idea on what they want. And it leaves no room for creativity. It's just from one person; it's not like a fusion or a collective effort."

"Fire From The Evening Sun" was released on September 16, 2014 (one day earlier internationally) via UDR.

As the album nears release via Laser's Edge this October, the entire tracklisting and guest musician track-by-track breakdown for Melted Space's The Great Lie has been released. The debut album from the metal opera project created by French composer Pierre le Pape features a wide cast of internationally-revered vocalists and musicians including members of Morbid Angel, Mayhem, Sunn O))), Dark Tranquillity, Orphaned Land, Shining, Ayreon, Sirenia and many more, in addition to the work of The City of Prague Philarmonic Orchestra.
 
Here, Pierre le Papa, who bears a master degree in classical music and movie scores, creates a modern opera that takes over the classical codes, including numerous characters, scenario, powerful orchestral arrangements and varied ambiances, all set to skilled and catchy songwriting and amazing casting. The new Melted Space album, The Great Lie, features fourteen prestigious and unexpected singers, joined by seven talented guest musicians and The City of Prague Philarmonic Orchestra. Together, this cast has created an epic saga as powerful as moving, and by mixing the tradition of the classic opera with infectious heavy metal, The Great Lie promises to set a new milestone in the genre.
 
On The Great Lie, Le Pape, who handles piano, keyboards and all orchestration of the album, is joined by guitarist Adrien Grousset, bassist, Brice Guillon and drummer Michael Saccoman as the prime backline. Co-produced by François-Maxime Boutault and Pierre Le Pape, the main tracks were recorded by François-Maxime Boutault for Les Liens du Son and the orchestra recorded by Jan Hotzner at Smecky Music Studio in Prague, conducted by James Fitzpatrick, while several of the guest musicians' portions were recorded at various locations in Europe, the Middle East and the US. Mixed by Axel Wursthorn at Walnut Groove Studio and mastered by Alan Douches at West West Side Music, artwork design and layout were handled by Hicham Haddaji of Strychneen Studio (Hacride, Klone, Trepalium, Shining).
 
The entire track listing for Melted Space's The Great Lie is listed below with all of the guest vocalists and musicians attached to each movement, the album including special performances by David Vincent (Morbid Angel), Attila Csihar (Sunn O))), Mayhem), Mikael Stanne (Dark Tranquillity), Arjen Lucassen (Ayreon), Ailyn Gimenéz (Sirenia), Kobi Fahri (Orphaned Land), Mariangela Demurtas (Tristania), Guillaume Bideau (Mnemic), Niklas Kvarforth (Shining), Sylvain Coudret (Soilwork), Adrien Grousset (Hacride), Christine Rhoades (Jeff Loomis), Manuel Munoz (The Old Dead Tree), Arnaud Strobl (Carnival In Coal), Clémentine Delauney (Visions Of Atlantis), Virginie Goncalves (Kells),
 
Laser's Edge division, Sensory Records, will release The Great Lie on October 16th. Stand by for audio samples from the album, an official lyric video and more to be issued in the weeks ahead. View the trailer for The Great Lie below.

Tracklisting:
 
"Listen To The Song Of Despair" (featuring vocalists Ailyn Giménez, Arno Strobl, Clémentine Delauney, Virginie Goncalves, Lucie Blatrier)
"Called By The Queen" (featuring vocalists Guillaume Bideau, Christine Rhoades)
"No Need To Fear" (featuring vocalists Mariangela Demurtas, Guillaume Bideau, Christine Rhoades, David Vincent, Attila Csihar, Mikael Stanne, Arno Strobl, Clémentine Delauney, Virginie Goncalves, Lucie Blatrier)
"Terrible Fight" (featuring vocalists David Vincent, Guillaume Bideau, Manuel Munoz, Clémentine Delauney, Virginie Goncalves, Lucie Blatrier, and guitar solo by Adrian Martinot)
"A God Is Dead" (featuring vocalist Manuel Munoz)
"Trust And Betrayal" (featuring vocalists Mikael Stanne, Guillaume Bideau)
"Glass Castle's Beast" (featuring vocalists Kobi Farhi, Niklas Kvarforth, Guillaume Bideau, Clémentine Delauney, Virginie Goncalves, Lucie Blatrier)
"Hopeless Crime" (featuring vocalists Christine Rhoades, Mikael Stanne, Niklas Kvarforth, Clémentine Delauney, Virginie Goncalves, Lucie Blatrier, and guitar solo by Adrian Martinot)
"The One Who Lost The Faith" (featuring vocalists Niklas Kvarforth, Arno Strobl and guitar, synth and dulcimer solos by Arjen A Lucassen)
"Titania" (featuring vocalists Ailyn Giménez, Guillaume Bideau, Mikael Stanne and guitar solo by Sylvain Coudret)
"Lost Souls From The Other Side" (featuring vocalists Attila Csihar, David Vincent, Mikael Stanne, Ailyn Giménez, Guillaume Bideau, Mariatea Demurtas, Manuel Munoz, Christine Rhoades, Clémentine Delauney, Virginie Goncalves, Lucie Blatrier)

Trailer:

Messiah's Kiss have released a music video for the acoustic version of their track “Only Murderers Kill Time”. The song is taken from the limited digipak edition of the album, Get Your Bulls Out, released in 2014.

Get Your Bulls Out tracklisting:

“Livin In Paradise”
“Immortal Memory”
“Rescue Anyone? Rescue Me!”
“Survivor (Take A Ride On MY Heels)”
“Time To Say Goodbye”
“Only Murderers Kill Time”
“Fuel For Life”
“Mission To Kill”
“Symphony Of Sin”
“Nobody Knows Your Name”
“Who’s The First To Die”
“Whisper A Prayer”
“Without Forgiveness”
“Buried Alive”

“Only Murderers Kill Time” (acoustic) video:

The UK’s spiritually irreverent death metal export Abhorrent Decimation have released a lyric video for “Glaciate The Servants” (see below), a track from their upcoming album, Miasmic Mutation. Mixed and mastered by Ronnie Björnström (Aeon, Apostasy, Bodyfarm, Krow), Miasmic Mutation is the band’s debut album and will be released in various formats worldwide on September 25th.

Miasmic Mutation tracklisting:

“Glaciate The Servants”
“The Icon Of Loss”
“Eternal Repusion”
“Souls Of Sedation”
“…For The Desperately Lost”
“Miasmic Mutation”
“Echoes Of The Vortex”
“Terminal Reality”
“Odious”

“Glaciate The Servants” lyric video:

Vocalist Ashley Scott comments, “We actually finished the music for this one quite early into the process and I knew from way back then that it had to be the opening track to the album. It comes out at you in such a way, with that ripping drum fill… we felt it set a great tone for the album. No nonsense and heavy. We tried a few different things on this track riff wise and I think the main success in structure is the juxtapose of the complex verse riff and the simplicity of the chorus riff.
 
“Lyrically, because I had it marked as the opener, it needed to be a scene setter. So from a concept point of view, this song is the soundtrack to a holy cull. The message is simple, ‘eradicate faith’ and ‘obliterate belief’. Bring forward the death of the billions who are still worshipping the ancient prophecies. Of all the things we could channel our energy, focus and love towards people still revere doctrine? It also explores the widely quoted statement that ‘God is dead’. You cannot kill that which has not lived, however you can terminate an ideology by opposing it.”

Abhorrent Decimation will tour through the UK in October in support of Miasmic Mutation, dates to follow.

 

Portland, OR hard rockers Red Fang have premiered a cover of the Fraggle Rock song "Why" in preparation for their upcoming headlining fall US tour with Whores and Wild Throne. The song can be streamed below.
 
Originally recorded in 2013 and now appearing on the Fraggle Rock tribute album Shine On, the track will appear alongside a cover of Elvis Presley’s "Can't Help Falling In Love" on a limited edition 7" to be released by Volcom in conjunction with the tour.

Volcom 7" tracklisting:

“Why” (Fraggle Rock cover)
“Can't Help Falling In Love” (Elvis Presley cover)

“Why”:

Red Fang’s tour comes on the heels of the band's recent European and Australian tours, and includes appearances at Slipknot's Knotfest and Monster Energy's Aftershock Festivals. This tour marks the last shows the band will perform in 2015 before heading into the studio to begin recording its new full-length next year.

 

 

 

Finnish sci-fi death metal band, Coraxo, have released a music video for “Symbiosis”, a track from their debut album, Neptune, mastered by Dan Swanö and available November 20th via Massacre Records.

“Symbiosis” video:

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

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

“The Bastion” lyric video:

Album teaser:

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

Band lineup:

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

Hammerheart Records presents the cover art for Cirith Gorgor's upcoming opus, Visions Of Exalted Lucifer. Says the band: "Elegant and sophisticated, yet vile as fuck! Completely consistent with our coming opus"

The artwork is created by Metastazis (Watain, Behemoth, Amorphis) and reflects the lyrics and mood on Visions Of Exalted Lucifer perfectly. The album will be released in February, 2016.

Hammerheart Records recently stated: “After hearing Cirith Gorgor's new material in a raw mix (like “Storm Of The Light’s Bane” was mixed with “De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas”) form we had no choice, the band is entering a new level and is a force to be reckoned with on an international level: stronger, blacker and more majestic than ever before! Kneel before the new Masters of melodic blackness! We are aware their past recordings were good, well, their new album is like a new born entity for sure.”

Cirith Gorgor represent one of the longest existing and most well-known black metal bands from the Netherlands. Holding high the banner of the Horned One since 1993, the band have built up a solid reputation by delivering furious and uncompromising yet powerful and melodic black metal. Apart from their widely acclaimed and high-quality studio releases, the band have executed close to 150 live rituals throughout Europe. These occult performances are characterized by an intense and ominous atmosphere as the band deliver their refined black metal with ice-cold precision.

Now, after more than 20 years of existence, Cirith Gorgor are more determined than ever to spread their black art through the desecration of stages and by conquering the allegiance of extreme metal fans worldwide. The release of Visions Of Exalted Lucifer on Hammerheart Records, a sophisticated yet blatantly brutal opus, is a further triumph on their path to spiritual glory.

The release will be followed by a European tour. More details to follow.

 

Metal Wani's editor in chief Owais "Vitek" Nabi recently conducted an interview with vocalist Biff Byford of British heavy metal legends SAXON. You can now listen to the chat in the YouTube clip below. A couple of excerpts follow (transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET).

On SAXON surviving all the lineup changes over the last four decades and still going strong:

"Well, we haven't changed members for 23 years, so we've been farly stable for quite a long time. I tell you, we just take it a day at a time. We've been touring consistently for 35 yers and making albums. And we haven't changed massively, I think. I think it's still the same root to SAXON that there always was. It's not as if we changed everybody. I mean, Paul Quinn [guitar] has been around since the early [days] and so has Nigel Glockler [drums], so I think some of the essence of SAXON still remained."

On SAXON's new album, "Battering Ram" being a mixture of heavy metal and rock and roll:

"The new album is probably less rock and roll than the one before [2013's 'Sacrifice']. And by 'rock and roll,'I mean sort of midtempo, riffy things. The bonus track is like that, 'Three Sheets To The Wind'. But, yeah, it's a great mix of traditional heavy rock and heavy metal. Maybe this album is more focused."

On maintaining a balance between the classic-rock essence and a heavy metal sound:

"We wrote about… I don't know… 15, 16 songs, and we chose the ones that are more focused, really — that could make the album more focused, stylistically. Although 'Queen of Hearts' is quite proggy, it's probably a bit heavier, this album, than the last one. Not in the sound, [but] in the songs."

On the importance of experimentation within the context of a SAXON album:

"Yeah, I mean, you can experiment. 'Queen Of Hearts' is quite prog-rocky; it's a great track. It brings you in, you know. 'Kingdom Of The Cross' is totally off the wall — really unpredictable. So we try to entertain our fans and we try to entertain ourselves as well, and I think that's what an album has to do — it has to entertain people and make you think a little bit, and make you headbang as well. I think this album does all those things."

On working with producer Andy Sneap on "Battering Ram":

"Andy loves all the '80s stuff anyway, so he's the perfect guy to keep the SAXON sound and the essence of SAXON, but still make it modern, give a modern edge to it. So he's the perfect choice for SAXON, really. Because he does a lot of modern acts like KILLSWITCH ENGAGE, and he [also works with] a lot of retroactive [bands] like ACCEPT. I think particularly SAXON, we don't want to recreate the '80s thing — we like to keep the '80s essence there, but we like to sound modern as well."

"Battering Ram" will be released in North America on October 16 via UDR Music.

The set is available for pre-order now via iTunes, with the title cut, "Battering Ram", as the instant grat track.

In a brand new interview with Spin.com, SLAYER guitarist Kerry King spoke about how the band manages to survive at a tume when the old-fashioned way of making money in the music business — selling recorded albums — has dropped off a cliff.

"We're still recording great albums, sure we are, but nobody's buying 'em," he said. "But we're very lucky to have a fanbase that has to have every shirt we've ever made. So that's pretty much how you gauge your popularity these days. It's people coming to shows and people of all ages wearing our stuff. When we came out and we'd play clubs, before the Internet age, we would go to high schools and stuff lockers with flyers because we knew who we wanted to come see us. Metal was new, old people didn't get it yet. Now, you could just throw away those flyers."

King also talked about how SLAYER is dealing with the fact that the Internet has given rise to a whole new type of hater – one that hides behind phony usernames, blank profile images, and unwarranted jabs and comments.

"I'm preparing for that gigantically on the new [SLAYER] record ['Repentless'], because people online are ten feet tall and bulletproof," Kerry said. "They just say what's on their mind without having to have any ramifications. But I know people are gonna just hate this record because [fellow original SLAYER members] Jeff [Hanneman] and Dave [Lombardo] aren't on it. And that's fine because I know — just by people I've played this for in the industry — that it's gonna be great.And there's gonna be people that say it sucks, period. There are gonna be people that say it sucks without listening to it. That's just part of society."

He continued: "It's a little bit different now than it was [a couple of decades ago]. When we first came out, magazines hated us. But by 'Reign In Blood', they were all on the SLAYER bandwagon. I mean, at the end of the day it's about having thick skin and not letting one opinion get you down. It's not like your girlfriend or wife just told you your record sucked. It's some faceless idiot — just dipshits on the Internet."

SLAYER's eleventh album, "Repentless", will be released on September 11 via Nuclear Blast. The highly anticipated follow-up to 2009's critically acclaimed, Grammy-nominated "World Painted Blood" was produced by Terry Date, who has previously worked with PANTERA, DEFTONES and SOUNDGARDEN.

Metal Mark of SkullsNBones.com recently conducted an interview with guitarist/vocalist Alexi Laiho of Finnish metallers CHILDREN OF BODOM. You can now watch the chat below. A couple of excerpts follow (transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET).

On playing all guitars on CHILDREN OF BODOM's upcoming ninth studio album, "I Worship Chaos", following the departure of Roope Latvala:

"It actually ended up being pretty cool. The only difference, really, is that I ended up working double shift. Other than that, it wasn't really that different. 'Cause, I mean, I already had written all the riffs beforehand anyway, so I knew what was going on, so I didn't really have to go out of my way and learn that much new stuff. But the thing is that when I record, I'm the type of dude who comes up with a lot of small things here and there, just kind of on the spot, so I could get to do that without having to explain it to anybody. And that's a timesaver too. Plus, I think the results… I think they actually ended up sounding a lot tighter, the guitars, so at least something good came out of a bad situation."

On what the signature CHILDREN OF BODOM sound is:

"Well, there's, obviously, the guitars and the keyboards… The keys have a certain '80s kind of vibe that we always did. Even though it's extreme metal — some call it death metal, some call it thrash metal — we do have kind of a special sound in the extreme metal scene. 'Cause the way I play riffs… Some of the riffs are very '80s-oriented. And the keyboards… I mean, half of them could be straight from a disco song. But it does work. When you mix that up with that level of brutality that we build around it and the vocals and so forth, that's sort of the CHILDREN OF BODOM sound. And then, other than that, I really actually go out of my way to not think about anything. When I'm writing, I try not to think about, 'Hmm, I'm wondering how people are gonna react to this or if the fans are gonna like that.' Most certainly, we never sit down and talk about, like, 'So what do you think? Should we sound hardcore now?' You know what I mean? I think it's important that you just kind of block all that out of your mind and do what comes naturally and keep it very spontaneous and hope for the best — hope for the fact that people are gonna like it."

"I Worship Chaos" will be released on October 2 via Nuclear Blast. The artwork for the CD was created by Finnish artist Tuomas Korpi and can be seen below.

"I Worship Chaos" was once again recorded at Helsinki, Finland's Danger Johnny Studios and was produced by CHILDREN OF BODOM and Mikko Karmila, who worked with the band on their earlier albums "Halo Of Blood", "Hatebreeder", "Follow The Reaper" and "Hate Crew Deathroll". The CD was mixed and mastered at Finnvox Studios in Helsinki, Finland.

"I Worship Chaos" will be available in following formats:

* CD + DVD digibook (incl. bonus DVD and three bonustracks!)* CD* 2LP (black, clear, silver, yellow, picture)* digibook + canvas (Nuclear Blast mailorder edition)

The album can be pre-ordered at this location.

Napalm Records has announced the signing of PHANTASMA, the new symphonic rock musical of Charlotte Wessels (DELAIN), Georg Neuhauser (SERENITY) and Oliver Philipps (EVERON).

PHANTASMA was born from the longstanding ambition to create a story-driven concept record of Georg Neuhauser, vocal force behind Tyrolean symphonic metal outfit SERENITY. He found his partner in crime with multi-instrumentalist composer, producer and vocalist Oliver Philipps (EVERON) who gladly embarked on this new mission that allowed him to reconnect with being a musician in the first place, as a welcome change from working for other bands, which he has done extensively over the years, providing the rich sound connoisseurs of the genre have come to expect from him.

As Oliver worked with DELAIN since their debuting record, a request at Charlotte Wessels's address was made to complete the dynamic trio of PHANTASMA. To introduce Charlotte Wessels to any connoisseur of symphonic metal would be like carrying coals to Newcastle — she is, after all, since 2005 the vocal figurehead of Dutch grandees DELAIN. It is therefore not only surprising, but also gratifying that Charlotte now even found some leisure time, to lend not only her voice to PHANTASMA but also her debut novella "The Deviant Hearts" —- which was written specially for the project.

Thomas Caser, Napalm Records vice president, comments: "We are thrilled to announce the signing of PHANTASMA which is one of the most exciting projects of the genre. Charlotte, Georg and Oliver have created a magical album and a fantastic concept and story to come with it. This is a must-have for all fans of this music!"

PHANTASMA states: "We have truly enjoyed giving a shape, face and sound to 'The Deviant Hearts'. It was an inspiring and exciting process and we can not wait to share the result of our efforts with you through the upcoming release with Napalm Records."

With PHANTASMA, Charlotte can let her beautiful and variable voice run free like the wind — sometimes tender like on "Runaway Grey", plaintive on "Let It Die", and the duet "The Lotus And The Willow" — makes Charlotte's passion for Nick Cave abundantly clear, matching even the intensity of "Where The Wild Roses Grow". Meanwhile, Georg's dedication to classic rock acts like QUEEN and MEAT LOAF shine through in tracks like "Crimson Course" and "Novaturient".

Giving a face to several characters in the story are noted guest vocalists Tom Englund (EVERGREY), who performs on tracks such as "Enter Dreamscape" and "The Deviant Hearts". Cloe Lowery (TRANS-SIBERIAN ORCHESTRA) shines on the heart-wrenching ballad "Try" alongside Dennis Schunke (VAN CANTO) who can be heard also on "Carry Me Home". Georg, Oliver, and Charlotte themselves finish the vocal palette while the sound is completed by Jason Gianni (DAREDEVIL SQUADRON, NEAL MORSE BAND, TRANS-SIBERIAN ORCHESTRA) on drums, Randy George (NEAL MORSE BAND, AJALON) on bass and Tom Buchberger (ex-SERENITY) guesting two songs on guitar. Milan-based artist Marco Mazzoni provides the haunting cover art and illustrations to the story, creating an eerie visual world with his elaborate style.

"The Deviant Hearts" will hit the stores on November 20 and will be available in the formats listed below:

- Limited-edition earbook, bonus track, 48-page booklet including novel "The Deviant Hearts" + 2 bonus CDs including "The Deviant Hearts" audiobook read by Charlotte Wessels- Limited-edition 6-page digipack and bonus track — 100-page booklet including novel "The Deviant Hearts" and digipack sleeve- Regular jewel case edition- Digital download

"The Deviant Hearts" track listing: 01. Incomplete02. The Deviant Hearts (Give Us A Story)03. Runaway Grey04. Try05. Enter Dreamscape06. Miserable Me07. The Lotus And The Willow08. Crimson Course09. Carry Me Home10. The Sound Of Fear11. Novaturient12. Let It Die13. Symphony Of Light (bonus track)

PHANTASMA lineup:

Charlotte Wessels - VocalsGeorg Neuhauser - VocalsOliver Philipps - Guitars/Keys/Vocals

Album guests:

Tom S. Englund (EVERGREY) - VocalsDennis Schunke (VAN CANTO) - VocalsChloe Lowery (TRANS-SIBERIAN ORCHESTRA, CHAMELEON) - VocalsJason Gianni (DAREDEVIL SQUADRON/ NEAL MORSE BAND/ TRANS-SIBERIAN ORCHESTRA) - DrumsRandy George (NEAL MORSE BAND, AJALON) - BassTom Buchberger (ex-SERENITY) - Guitar

Photo by Fabio Interra

It's being reported that on September 8th during the Butcher Babies show at Ziggy’s in Winston-Salem, N.C., security booted a female attendee for making a threat of physical violence against the band. Vocalist Heidi Sheperd (the redhead) later addressed the situation via her official Instagram page. Her post reads as follows:

"In lieu of recent situations, this must be said. Regardless of if at a show or online, if someone threatens me or my band with physical violence, they will be ejected from a show or banned from the venue the night we are there. It doesn’t matter what your opinion is of me or any of us, physical violence is not the answer, will be taken very seriously and not be tolerated. I commend the security guards at Ziggy’s who heard the threats last night at our merch booth and immediately reacted.

This particular person blames her ejection from the show on stating her opinion, which is bogus. No one gets kicked out of a show for stating an opinion. Almost all artists have dealt with these sort of actions from show-goers and unfortunately will continue to deal with. Whether or not you are joking, or think you’re being tough, there are a million reasons why everyone will take your threats seriously. Which if you can’t understand, then start over in life and figure it out.

I couldn’t care less about the people who don’t like my band, there are plenty of bands I don’t like. However, I would NEVER threaten physical harm to any of them. Neither would 90% of the world. If you don’t have a flavor for a band that’s on the bill for a show you paid to get into, go to the bar, sit in your car, go outside, etc during their set and wait for the band you came to see. Be an adult. Then maybe you might be able to watch the band you paid to see! And if you wait for us by our bus after you’ve been kicked out… Expect the have security all over your asses!!!

In other news, Swedish pop metallers Amaranthe will make their return to North America this fall for a headline tour with Butcher Babies as direct support. Tour dates are as follows:

October
29 - Atlanta, GA - The Masquerade
30 - Jacksonville, NC - Hooligans

November
1 - Charlotte, NC - Amos Southend
4 - New York, - Webster Hall (Marlin Room)
5 - Stafford Springs, CT - Palace Theater
6 - Manchester, NH - Jewel Nightclub
7 - Montreal, QC - Theatre Fairmount
8 - Toronto, ON - Phoenix Concert Theatre
10 - Pittsburgh, PA - Altar Bar
11 - Cleveland, OH - The Odeon
13 - Flint, MI - Machine Shop
14 - Green Bay, WI - The Sandlot Entertainment Complex
15 - Arlington Heights, IL - HOME Bar
17 - Sauget, IL - Pop's
18 - Little Rock, AR - Juanita's
19 - Houston, TX - Scout Bar
20 - McAllen, TX - Cine El Rey
21 - Dallas, TX - Gas Monkey Bar N' Grill
24 - Santa Ana, CA - The Yost Theater
27 - Sacramento, CA - Ace of Spades
28 - Reno, NV - Knitting Factory
29 - San Jose, CA - Rockbar Theater

According to The Pulse Of Radio, LINKIN PARK MC Mike Shinoda said in a new interview with NME that even though the band got categorized as a nu metal act, they never actually identified with the genre. Shinoda explained: "We never held the flag for nu-metal — it was associated with frat rock. Arrogant, misogynistic, and full of testosterone; we were reacting against that."

Even though the band's 10-million-selling debut album, 2000's "Hybrid Theory", was widely credited with helping make nu-metal mainstream, guitarist Brad Delson told The Pulse Of Radio a while back that the band never wanted to stay locked into one sound. "We've tried to stay mindful that there doesn't have to be a box around the band," he said. "In other words, whatever it is in the studio that we're inspired to create, that can become the identity of the band, and that sonic identity definitely went through a number of twists and turns."

Shinoda added to NME: "As big as the band got, we always felt we had something to prove. Even now, that whole nu-metal tag is still there."

LINKIN PARK experimented with electronic music on 2010's "A Thousand Suns" and 2012's "Living Things", drawing a sharply negative response from fans, before getting back to a harder-edged sound on 2014's "The Hunting Party".

Shinoda revealed that he is already working on some ideas for the next LINKIN PARK album, adding: "I have no idea what it'll sound like yet. It won't sound like 'The Hunting Party'. We like to surprise people."

LINKIN PARK next plays at the Monster Mash Music Fest in Tempe, Arizona on November 1.

AEROSMITH singer Steven Tyler has told ABC News Radio that his much-anticipated country-influenced solo album won't be released until next "February or so." He explained: "I don't even know who I'm producing it with. It's gonna be what it is. There's a couple of songs I've written and they're like rock, and I said, 'Oh, geez.' And I'm not gonna put a banjo on it just to make it country… I don't know what it's gonna be, but my heart leans [toward] the country feeling and the vibe."

Tyler also once again expressed his appreciation for modern country music, saying, "I think country music is the new rock 'n' roll. I mean, you can listen to the lyrics, you can really get into it, just as you could get into 'Stairway To Heaven'. Country's not just about porches, dogs and kicking my boots up. It's a whole lot more, but it's about being real. You know, the world's gone so far away from that. I hope it comes back."

Steven released his debut country single, "Love Is Your Name", in May. The accompanying music video was filmed just outside Nashville and was previewed on ABC's "Good Morning America" before it went live online. The track was written by Lindsey Lee and Eric Paslay.

Tyler recently signed to Dot Records underneath the Big Machine Label Group umbrella (Taylor Swift, Tim McGraw).

According to The Pulse Of Radio, DISTURBED frontman David Draiman reflected in a new interview with Revolver about his side project DEVICE, with whom he recorded one album and toured in 2013 while DISTURBED was on hiatus. Draiman said: "[It] felt alien. It was good in certain ways and bad in others. It was maybe a hundred-fold more challenging. Because here you are starting from scratch again. So it was a big reality check for all us — for me with DEVICE, for Danny and Mike with FIGHT OR FLIGHT… We enjoyed those things, but at the end of the day, it's always nice to come home."

DISTURBED guitarist Dan Donegan and drummer Mike Wengren also played with a side project called FIGHT OR FLIGHT, which released an album called "A Life By Design?"

Draiman told The Pulse Of Radio at the time that DEVICE was a showcase for musical and vocal styles he couldn't do with DISTURBED. "This was just kind of experimentation of other things that I've always been able to do but never really tried in any effective way," he said. "But, you know, I love going in these different directions and trying these different textures and taking songs to have a little bit more of an ambient feel to them — things that don't go hand in hand with DISTURBED."

DEVICE scored a No. 1 rock hit with the song "Vilify" and toured for several months in 2013.

DISTURBED recently returned with its sixth studio album and fifth consecutive No. 1 record on the Billboard album chart, "Immortalized".

According to The Pulse Of Radio, AC/DC fans have succeeded in raising the equivalent of $69,000 needed to complete the funding for the installation of a statue of late singer Bon Scott in his Scottish hometown. A local organization called DD8 Music in Scott's hometown of Kirriemuir, Scotland spearheaded the effort, working for several years to raise the money and finish the job.

The campaign still has 16 days to go, so any additional donations will pay for an "extra-special" garden to be built round the statue.

DD8 Music said in a statement: "Kirriemuir already has a few things honoring Bon — a street named after him, a memorial plaque, an AC/DC section in the local museum, and our annual Bonfest. However, we believe Bon's memory deserves a lasting memorial. Renowned sculptor John McKenna will capture three things — his personality, his stage presence, and his Scottish roots."

Scott died 35 years ago and AC/DC guitarist Angus Young told The Pulse Of Radio a while back that the band almost didn't get past his death. "Bon was the big… He was a full-on frontman, plus he had this great character, you know. I mean, he just lived that rock 'n' roll life. With Bon, what you saw was what you got, and, yeah, it was pretty, pretty tough."

According to KTVU, a limousine carrying RED DRAGON CARTEL, the band led by former OZZY OSBOURNE and BADLANDS guitarist Jake E. Lee, caught fire Wednesday evening (September 9) in San Jose, California.

The fire, which was first reported just after 5:45 p.m., temporarily shut down two lanes and there were some traffic delays.

According to the California Highway Patrol, all passengers managed to escape unscathed from the car, which was reportedly operated by the Rockbar Theater, a nightclub in San Jose where RED DRAGON CARTEL is scheduled to play Thursday (September 10).

CHP says six or seven members of RED DRAGON CARTEL and their road crew were in the back of the limo when the fire broke out.

San Jose police say the fire happened after the electrical system began to short out.

Fire units and a tow truck responded to the scene. By 7:15 p.m., the vehicle had been loaded onto a flatbed truck to be removed from the freeway.

RED DRAGON CARTEL was recently rejoined by singer Darren James Smith. Darren's first show back with the group took place this past Sunday, September 6 at Rainbow Bar & Grill's Backyard Bash in West Hollywood, California.

RED DRAGON CARTEL's debut CD sold around 5,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 69 on The Billboard 200 chart.

RED DRAGON CARTEL's setlist includes new material like the singles "Feeder" and "Deceived", as well as major hits from Jake E. Lee's glorious past: "Bark At The Moon", "The Ultimate Sin" and "Rock 'N' Roll Rebel" (all originally recorded by OZZY OSBOURNE), as well as "Shine On" and "High Wire" (BADLANDS).

DEVIL YOU KNOW — the creative union of Howard Jones (ex-KILLSWITCH ENGAGE), Francesco Artusato (ALL SHALL PERISH) and John Sankey (DEVOLVED) — will release its sophomore album, "They Bleed Red", on November 6 via Nuclear Blast.

A song from the CD, "Stay Of Execution", can be streamed below.

Artusato (guitar) states: "This one was definitely a song that happened unexpectedly. The point was to make a 'heavy' song (of course, haha) that would have a lot of hooks and cool parts, but not fallowing a typical structure so we had fun trying different things. We have the black metal part, the groovy part, an epic chorus, cool bridge section, gang vocals at the end, etc. It's literally a bit of everything.

"I wrote the main riff while walking in a mall somewhere while on tour. I was humming it into my phone so I would remember it for later. It was a weird day, haha.

"I'm just so excited for this new record. It's a beast! I can't wait to start playing the new material and the next tour with FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH and PAPA ROACH in Europe this November is going to be massive!"

Sankey (drums) says: "The track 'Stay Of Execution' was the last song that was written for our new album. I wanted us to have a track that was fast, brutal and really slamming with an unconventional song structure. Francesco and I had some demos that we hadn't used yet, so I tore a few of those unfinished tracks apart and pieced together the coolest sections to create this song. It is definitely one of my favorite tunes from the album because, for me personally, this feels more like the death metal style that I'm used to playing. There's blast beats, lots of double bass and some really cool busy drum fills. It's a fun song to jam, that's for sure! Fran wrote an awesome riff for the first verse that sounds like a straight-up black metal part to me. It rules! The 'one choice, one life, I'm running out of time' chant that Hojo wrote for the end of the song is a monster anthem. It's a killer hook that will have all the kids singing along and puts the icing on this 'metal cake'! Even though this is a blazing track and easily one of the heaviest we have written, it still has the groove and melodic elements of DEVIL YOU KNOW, so crank it up and enjoy."

Produced by Josh Wilbur (AVENGED SEVENFOLD, LAMB OF GOD, KILLER BE KILLED), "They Bleed Red" is a breakneck paced trip through DEVIL YOU KNOW's broken psyche, struggles with anxiety, and ultimate triumph against adversity, all laid upon a foundation of high-level artistic achievement and vitriolic full throttle heavy metal fury.

"They Bleed Red" track listing:

01. Consume The Damned02. The Way We Die03. Your Last Breath04. Stay of Execution05. Break The Ties06. Shattered Silence07. Let The Pain Take Hold08. Master of None09. Searching For The Sun10. How The End Shall Be11. Broken By The Cold

Bonus tracks

12. Eye of The Tiger (cover)13. I Am Alive14. We Live

DEVIL YOU KNOW's debut album, "The Beauty Of Destruction", sold around 6,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 45 on The Billboard 200 chart. The CD was produced by Logan Mader (FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH, GOJIRA, DEVILDRIVER, SOULFLY) and mixed by Chris "Zeuss" Harris (HATEBREED, SOULFLY). Artwork for the album was created by noted painter and illustrator Travis Smith (OPETH, DEVIN TOWNSEND).

DEVIL YOU KNOW's lineup is completed by BLEEDING THROUGH bassist Ryan Wombacher.

San Francisco Bay Area thrashers HATCHET will release their third studio album, "Fear Beyond Lunacy", on October 30 via The End Records. The follow-up to 2013's "Dawn Of The End" marks the recording debut of the new HATCHET lineup behind founding member, vocalist and lead guitarist Julz Ramos: Clayton Cagle on guitar, Kody Barba on bass, and Ben Smith on drums. The new members have injected the band with a surge of raw energy, and fans of HATCHET will be satisfied with this revived enthusiasm laid into the recordings. Ramos said: "The faster, thrashier tracks hit harder than ever before, while the melodic stuff is catchier and we've even experimented with some heavier, slower tempos."

The official lyric video for the "Fear Beyond Lunacy" song "Living In Extinction" can be seen below.

Regarding the "Fear Beyond Lunacy" cover, Ramos said: "The artwork was done by Andrej Bartulovic from All Things Rotten, who also did our previous album cover for 'Dawn Of The End'. The artwork depicts what I see us becoming as a modern society. A society of fear-engrossed, media-addicted slaves. We are constantly hooked on what our media and TVs are feeding us to believe to be true and what we should be afraid of today, tomorrow, next month/year etc. I feel this is particularly true with Americans. There is always some big conspiracy happening or natural disaster predicted by someone hundreds of years ago that everyone in some form or another seems to live their lives in fear of. It's getting out of hand, and that's what this picture represents; someone who is ultimately driven insane by this and where we can all be heading if we are not careful."

"Fear Beyond Lunacy" track listing:

01. Where Time Cannot Exist02. Living In Extinction03. Lethal Injustice04. In Fear We Trust05. Killing Indulgence06. Dead And Gone07. Tearing Into Hell08. Prophet Of Delusion09. The World Beyond10. Frozen Hell (bonus track)11. Awaiting Evil (bonus track) **

** Available only with purchase of vinyl edition

"Fear Beyond Lunacy" can be pre-ordered at www.theomegaorder.com/hatchet.

After releasing two demos, HATCHET's debut album, "Awaiting Evil", was made available in mid-2008 via Metal Blade Records. The CD was well received by thrash enthusiasts around the globe and proved a great beginning for the band. Since the release of the debut, HATCHET has completed three full DIY U.S. tours and has shared the stage with SOILWORK, JEFF LOOMIS, THREAT SIGNAL, BLACK TIDE, CELLADOR, EXMORTUS and FLOTSAM AND JETSAM.

Florida-based metallers BLACK TIDE will release their third full-length album, titled "Chasing Shadows", on October 16 through Pavement Entertainment. The follow-up to 2011's "Post Mortem" has the classic BLACK TIDE vibe that critics and fans alike have hailed as "old-school metal with a new-school sound."

A teaser for "Chasing Shadows" can be found below.

"Chasing Shadows" is currently available as a special pre-order bundle pack that includes an autographed CD, limited edition album cover shirt, and a VIP meet-and-greet laminate for the show of the purchaser's choosing for the upcoming touring cycle. The bundle will be available for a limited time. "Chasing Shadows" track listing: 01. Intro02. Guidelines03. Angel In The Dark04. Predator (Animal)05. Burn06. Chasing Shadows07. Before We Form08. Sex Is Angry09. Welcome To Misery10. Heaven11. Promised Land

The first single, "Angel In The Dark", will be unleashed in September, along with a heavy touring cycle to be announced.

Nev Pearce of Australia's "Rabid Noise" podcast recently conducted an interview with guitarist/vocalist Adam "Nergal" Darski of Polish extreme metallers BEHEMOTH. You can now listen to the chat in the YouTube clip below. A couple of excerpts follow (transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET).

On BEHEMOTH's latest album, 2014's "The Satanist":

"I think we definitely came out of the box with this one. We left our comfort zone, trying to… I mean, don't get me wrong — [2009's] 'Evangelion' was a great record, but if we followed that direction and tried to sound even more perfect… To me, 'Evangelion' sounds super proper — it's very modern production, and it's a well-played, well-crafted record. And I'd say, most of the bands would just try to perfect that and go even further, and sound maybe heavier or try to sound faster and this and that. And we just took a completely different alley, we just took a different direction [with 'The Satanist']. It was pretty unexpected, I guess, and it was kind of risky for us, and it was very challenging. Right after the record was done, I was immediately in love with record, and I still am — I'm very happy with the album — but I was honest with everyone I talked to. I [said], 'I honestly don't know what the people's reaction is going to be to this record,' because it's pretty different. It's mostly midtempo, the production is maybe not what people expected. And I really had doubts. But one thing that I was a hundred percent sure was that this a hundred percent me, and I still stood behind the record all the way. And then, all of a sudden, people — both media and fans; pretty much everyone — [who] listened to the album, they loved it right away. I mean, it's unheard of… artistic-wise, people consider this the best BEHEMOTH album and yet the record was successful commercially as well, and the media loved it. So I have no reason to complain whatsoever."

On BEHEMOTH's plans for the follow-up to "The Satanist":

"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."

"The Satanist" 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.

The definitive BEHEMOTH biography, "Behemoth: Devil's Conquistadors" by Lukasz Dunaj, was released in February via Metal Blade. The 490-page, hardcover tome includes quotes and anecdotes from current and former members that provide context and details in addition to the author's narrative, plus interviews with Tomas Krajewski, Rob Darken, Graal, Havok, and more. The artistically presented pages are splattered with old photos of the band, flyers, lyric sheets, etc.