Jeff Blackburn of "Maximum Threshold" and "In The Pit" recently conducted an interview with DOWN guitarist and CORROSION OF CONFORMITY frontman Pepper Keenan. You can now listen to the chat in the YouTube clip below. A few excerpts follow (transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET).

On the differences between writing music for CORROSION OF CONFORMITY and DOWN:

"The biggest difference with the C.O.C. stuff is that I'm singing, so my brain acts differently towards that writing songs for Phil [Anselmo, DOWN frontman] to sing. It's two different entities. I don't know how I split it in half, but I do it. I just go off the catalyst of what the last C.O.C. record was, which I thought was an extremely strong record. So we're just gonna shoot for that angle. And those guys have got a bunch of great riffs, and it's a different machine."

On the progress of the songwriting sessions for DOWN's next EP:

"We've got a pretty good direction of where we wanna head to and what the overall feel's gonna be of this EP. We've all got our riffs and certain songs that we wanna throw at each other and go from there. It's gonna be kind of an evolutionary part of DOWN on this third EP. So, yeah, we're excited about it."

On the upcoming EP marking the second DOWN release to feature guitarist Bobby Landgraf (HONKY) following the departure of Kirk Windstein:

"We've known Bobby for so long, you know. And another really big ace in the hole for us is Pat Bruders, the bass player. I mean, he was an outsider from the band for a long time that knew the band, but when he joined the band, he started throwing riffs around. Me and clicked off like nobody's business, you know. So he's got a super-deep arsenal of just insanely brilliant riffs and, basically, halves of songs and whatnot. So it's been a super-easy transition for all of us. 'Cause we're all in the same boat here, so we understand what we're supposed to be doing."

On whether DOWN still has plans to release an all-acoustic EP:

"I wouldn't use the word 'acoustic.' I would just say it might not be as bombastic as the other, first two EPs. But we'll see. All bets could be off. Who knows how we're feeling. But that's kind of the idea that we had. We've got some tricky, tripped out stuff heading your way."

On whether releasing EPs as opposed to full-length albums with DOWN has made things easier or "more crazy" for him:

"It's hard to say, man. We're kind of in an uncharted territory. When we came up with the idea of [doing] four EPs, everybody was, like, 'Man, that's crazy.' But then once we started doing it and coming out [with the first couple of releases], other bands [were, like], 'Man, that's a really good idea.' It allows us more freedom to shift gears in between EPs and it allows us more time to be on the road. It opens up a lot of things [that you can't get out of] throwing a [full-length] record against the wall and touring for three and hating each other at the end of a three-year worldwide tour. So it gives us more time to have a little bit of balance and experiment in different styles of music and different directions."

DOWN's latest EP, last year's "Down IV - Part Two", sold around 10,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 23 on The Billboard 200 chart.

The band's previous EP, "Down IV Part I - The Purple EP", opened with around 12,000 units in September 2012 to land at No. 35.

"Down IV - Part Two" was released on May 13, 2014 via Down Records/ADA Music.

Keenan played his first full show with CORROSION OF CONFORMITY since 2006 on March 7 at Manchester Academy 2 in Manchester, England.

CORROSION OF CONFORMITY's first European trek with Keenan back in the fold since 2006 marked the first time the "Deliverance" lineup of the band has played together since 2001.

Keenan joined CORROSION OF CONFORMITY in 1990, but he did not become the band's lead singer until the recording of "Deliverance", which came out in 1994.

CORROSION OF CONFORMITY's most recent studio album with Keenan, "In The Arms Of God", came out in 2005 on Sanctuary Records.

On September 5th, the Foo Fighters performed in Milton Keynes, UK. In the middle of the set they welcomed Led Zeppelin's John Paul Jones and Queen's Roger Taylor on stage for a performance of the Queen with David Bowie classic, "Under Pressure". Check out the video below.

Grohl commented prior to the performance: "Now look, I don’t know if ya’ll ever seen a supergroup, this is a super-duper-group. I don’t even know what to say, because this kind of shit does not happen every day. Let me just tell you that the Foo Fighters right now are living out our rock and roll fantasy with you tonight, wouldn’t you say?"

The setlist on the night was as follows:

"Everlong"
"Monkey Wrench"
"Learn To Fly"
"Something From Nothing"
"The Pretender"
"Big Me" (slow verson)
"Congregation"
"Walk"
"Eruption" (Van Halen cover - snippet during band introduction)
"I’m The One" (Van Halen cover - snippet during band introduction)
"Roundabout" (Yes cover - snippet during band introduction)
- keyboard solo - (during band introduction)
"God Save the Queen (Sex Pistols cover - snippet during band introduction)
"Cold Day in the Sun
"Under Pressure" (Queen with David Bowie cover featuring Roger Taylor and John Paul Jones)
"All My Life"
"Times Like These"
"These Days"
"White Limo"
"Arlandria"
"Breakout"
"Outside"
"This Is a Call"
"DOA"
"For All the Cows"
"Aurora"
"Best of You"

On June 12th, Foo Fighters frontman Dave Grohl fell off stage at Ullevi Stadium shortly into the band's set during "Monkey Wrench" and broke his leg.

Grohl remained on the ground for several minutes before being taken backstage. “Hey, ladies and gentlemen. I love you, but I think I just broke my leg. I really broke my leg,” he told the audience.

While Grohl was attended to backstage, the rest of Foo Fighters played a set of covers sung by drummer Taylor Hawkins. Ultimately, Grohl returned to the stage with his leg wrapped and finished the concert sitting in a chair. “I may not be able to walk or run but I can still play guitar and scream,” he proclaimed.

The band released the following update in the aftermath:

"Due to injuries sustained in Dave Grohl's fall from the stage during Foo Fighters' June 12th show at Ullevi Stadium in Gothenburg, Sweden, doctors have required the cancellation of the remainder of the band's dates in the UK and Europe.

Grohl issued the following recap of events:

"Hey everyone….

Your old pal, Dave here. Been a while, eh? It’s been one hell of a year, that’s for sure. Looks like we’ve got some serious catching up to do! Hmmm, let’s see…..where do I begin?

Drumroll, please….

The funniest thing happened to me the other day in Sweden!

Two songs into our set at Ullevi Stadium in Gothenburg, I made a mad dash to the right of the stage during  'Monkey Wrench' to shred some tasty licks for the kids up front. It was a beautiful night, beautiful stadium, 52,000 screaming people….dream gig! Well….wait for it….I definitely shredded something (ZING!) Wound up feet first over the Edge (pun intended), dropping about 12 feet, dislocating my ankle and snapping my fibula like an old pair of take out chopsticks. Whoopsie daisy. Not good. Without realizing the extent of my injuries, I stood up to get back onstage and crumbled like a sack of Joe Theismanns (look it up, kiddies). That shit was B-R-O-K-E.

As I lay there on my back, I just thought, 'Are you kidding me? We haven’t even gotten to the screamy bit of the song and the gig is fucking OVER?' So, I asked for a microphone and told the audience I’d get fixed up and come right back to finish the show ASAP. Shock? Probably. But, I couldn’t stand the thought of such a perfect night going to waste! I looked at our drummer Taylor and said, 'Bust out some Chevy Metal covers while they fix me up!' So, as the band kicked in to 'Stay With Me' by The Faces, the medics poured me onto a stretcher, took me off to the side, cut my favorite pants off (so bummed) and popped my ankle back into place.

I asked if I could get back onstage to finish the show, but they said I needed a cast (which was 20 minutes away at the hospital) to hold my ankle in place. So I looked my EMT, Johan in the eyes and said 'Well, then you’re coming up there with me right now and holding it in place until they can bring the cast here. Ready?' He stared at me wide-eyed for a second and said, 'OK, lets’ go…' I don’t know who was more scared, me or Johan. 5 minutes later, I don’t know who was having more fun, me or Johan. (I actually looked at him in between songs and said 'This is pretty fun, isn’t it?' He smiled and nodded yes.)

Like clockwork, the cast arrived, I walked offstage for a song or two as they put it on me, and then came back to finish the gig. Let’s just say that singing our song 'Walk' with a straight face was pretty goddamned hard. 'These Days' was a good one, too. (Easy for you to say! Your leg has never been broken!) All in all, it was without a doubt the single most bizarre Foo Fighters show in the entire 20 years of being a band. Hands down. What seemed like a tragedy at first turned into a triumph, and we all walked away with a new sense of appreciation for what we’ve got…"

Click here for more.

Check out the video clips below featuring the actual leg-breaking incident and Grohl announcing that he would return to finish the show after a trip to the hospital. The third clip features Grohl fulfilling that promise:







(Thanks: Alternative Nation)

Impellitteri guitarist and founder Chris Impellitteri has checked in with the following:

"The music from our new song 'Empire Of Lies' was actually written specifically for Ozzy Osbourne. Not many people know that years ago Ozzy and Sharon Osbourne had called me to see if I would be interested in auditioning / playing guitar for Ozzy right before Zakk Wylde was hired. Of course I was already signed to Relativity and Sony so that was not a possibility. However, during that time I remember writting some riffs in my studio to see what I could contribute to Ozzy musically if the stars aligned.This song 'Empire Of Lies' is the answer...."

With the release of Venom, Impellitteri deliver a record filled with addictive and memorable riffs, guitar solos that feature Chris Impellitteri’s blistering shredding technique coupled with strong melody and taste. Rob Rock’s vocals are mesmerizing, melodic, and will make the listener sing along with each song long after the record is over. Lastly, the band boggles the mind with brutal drumming (featuring John Dette, ex-Testament, Slayer, etc) filled with speed and groove and beastly bass playing (courtesy of James Pulli) that supports Impellitteri’s sonic madness. The result is a record that excites and musically satisfy every metal and rock fan, and every musician around the world.  To add to their quest, Impellitteri also wanted to create music that would take the listener on a musical journey thru different time periods of metal and rock.

Chris Impellitteri is heralded as one of the world’s greatest guitar shredders. He has won Best Rock Guitarist Awards on several magazines during the years for his guitar soloing. He is the first guitarist to be branded as the fastest guitarist in the world by the international media. Recently and without any promotion, Impellitteri was officially voted second fastest guitarist in the world by “Guitar One” magazine; and “Guitar World” magazine recently listed Chris Impellitteri within their top 50 fastest guitarists of all time.

Chris Impellitteri formed Impellitteri in 1987, together with Rob Rock as vocalist. That year, they released an EP called the Black Album which was well-received, and Impellitteri went on to release the full-length album Stand In Line in 1988. As of today Impellitteri have released a total of nine acclaimed studio albums and the new record, Venom, follows after 2009’s Wicked Maiden.

During the writing and recording of Venom, the band pushed the limitations of their artistic abilities in both performance and composition. All musical areas and ideas were explored with only the best recorded.

Venom tracklisting:

“Venom”
“Empire Of Lies”
“We Own The Night”
“Nightmare”
“Face The Enemy”
“Dominoe Theory”
“Jehova”
“Rise”
“Time Machine”
“Holding On”
“Rock Through The Night” (bonus track)
“Reach For the Sky” (bonus track)

“Venom” video:

Album trailer:

Former members of Italy's Merendine have regrouped to form Not Over Yet, a unique side project.  The band consists of Merendine drummer Luca Cerardi and original Merendine guitar player Giulia Cerardi. The band entered the studio in July 2015 to start pre-production for their forthcoming album, set for a 2016 release date. Behind the helm is producer engineer Luigi Stefanini at new Sin Studios in Treviso, Italy, who also plays the bass guitar.

The track "Back To Square One" features guest appearances by former Iron Maiden frontman Blaze Bayley and Doro guitarist Luca Princiotta. It is expected to be released in early 2016.

For information and updates on Not Over Yet go to their official Facebook page here.

Philadelphia psychedelic rock trio, Wizard Eye, will release its self-titled new full-length this Fall via Black Monk Records. Recorded in three days at Haddon Heights, New Jersey's Gradwell House Studios with the imminently irascible and talented Steve Poponi behind the board and mastered by Dave Downham, the follow-up to the band's 2010 Orbital Rites debut takes Wizard Eye's signature brand of mind-bending riffs and kaleidoscopic soundscapes to a new level of titanic glory. A fusion of bottom-heavy grooves, fiery fuzz, churning bass, otherworldly effects and raw vocals with roots still planted firmly into the lysergic soil of '70s acts like Hawkwind, Budgie, Blue Cheer, Captain Beyond, Motörhead and Black Sabbath, Wizard Eye shows the band operating at the pinnacle of its creative and musical abilities.

Wizard Eye tracklisting:
 
"Eye Of The Deep"
"Flying Falling"
"Phase Return"
"Graybeard"
"Drowning Daydream"
"My Riposte Is Like Lightning"
"Nullarbor"
"Thunderbird Divine"
"Stoneburner"

Wizard Eye will be released via Black Monk Records on October 10th, digitally and on limited-edition swirled vinyl with pre-orders and teaser tracks to be unveiled shortly.

 

 

Canada's heavy-riffin' four-piece Chron Goblin have announced their signing to the California-based label Ripple Music – home to the likes of Sweat Lodge, Mothership, Mos Generator and JPT Scare Band – along with details of their third, forthcoming album, Backwater.
 
Venturing to Portland to work with Adam Pike at Toadhouse Studios in February 2015, the band’s intention was to explore the heavy sonic principles of the Pacific Northwest and embrace Portland’s music scene. Under the tutelage of Pike, who recorded Red Fang’s debut album and tours with them as their front of house engineer, he served as an integral component in achieving the band’s aspirations in the studio and ensuring their exploits across the city were well advised.
 
Swagger and muscle, charm and wit, Chron Goblin pair melody with aggression and groove for a fresh interpretation of heavy. Following the success of 2013's sophomore album Life For The Living, and having toured the UK, USA and Canada, the band's third full-length album Backwater picks up where the former left off. Holy Grove vocalist, Andrea Vidal, features on the ethereal first half of "The Wailing Sound", a track offering contrasts to brain pummelling heavy rockers such as "Fuller", "Give Way", and the meandering complexities of "The Return".
 
Backwater will be released via Ripple Music worldwide on November 13th, but in the meantime, you can stream and share new track "Fuller" via the SoundCloud audio player below.

 

Former GUNS N' ROSES drummer Steven Adler was interviewed on the latest installment of HATEBREED frontman Jamey Jasta's official podcast, "The Jasta Show". You can now listen to the chat using the SoundCloud widget below. A few excerpts follow (transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET).

On his time with GUNS N' ROSES:

"What I accomplished with those guys is everything in the world to me. My dreams came true. I didn't plan on it ending in five years. You know, I thought we were gonna be like THE [ROLLING] STONES or AEROSMITH and be together for forty, fifty years. I had no idea. But you know what? All that time is in the past."

On the recent news about GUNS N' ROSES singer Axl Rose and former guitarist Slash reconciling after 19 years:

"I think that's great, 'cause it's been too long. The world has missed out on 25 years of great music, because those two weren't together. I mean, Slash and Axl, it's like Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, Steven Tyler and Joe Perry, Robert Plant and Jimmy Page. Imagine if those guys weren't together. It's a shame, and I'm just so glad that they're talking and everything is in the past like it should be. 'Cause I love those guys. Axl doesn't realize that I'm the one who loves him more than anybody. [Laughs]"

On whether Slash and Axl reconciling means that the long-awaited reunion of the classic GUNS N' ROSES lineup will finally happen:

"I don't know if it's gonna happen. I'm just glad that they are talking.

"It's a shame that we haven't played together. Just like when Kennedy got shot, when John Lennon got shot; that was a shame. Us not playing together, Axl and Slash by themselves not playing together is that kind of shame… And if it does happen, I guarantee I will be the last to know about it.

"If we played together, the whole arena would cry with joy. I go all around the world, I travel, and people always ask me, 'When are you gonna do a reunion? When are you gonna do a reunion?' And I want more than anything to be able to say, 'Oh, we're gonna do it on this day. Or this day.' But I have nothing to do with it. I wish I did. If I did, it would happened a long time ago. God wasn't ready for it."

On whether he would have any problems with another former GUNS N' ROSES drummer, Matt Sorum, being involved in the reunion alongside Adler:

"That's fine. I don't care. I love Matt. He's great. It would be cool."

On Matt Sorum's drumming style:

"See, with Matt and me, the difference is… He is the perfect drummer. It's just so amazing. If he went in the studio to record a song, he's gonna do it on the first take, but it's gonna sound like a machine. Me, I might not do it on the first take, but it's gonna have feeling to it and soul to it. It's gonna swing."

On being fired from GUNS N' ROSES in 1990 due to his drug addiction, which caused him to spiral down into depression and more drug use:

"I was no different than the other guys [when it comes to using drugs]. Whatever happened, it took me years to stop the resentment. That's what kept me from getting sober — I resented them. And once I was able to work through it and get it out of my system and realize that today is the only thing that matters… Live for today, prepare for tomorrow, and whatever happened in the past is over. And that's why I love that Slash and Axl are talking. Because whatever happened between those two — I don't know — but whatever it was, I'm just glad it's finally in the freaking past."

On GUNS N' ROSES being inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame in 2012:

"That was awesome. I was so surprised Axl and Izzy [Stradlin, guitar] didn't show up. But Axl and Izzy are like brothers; they're like a team. So if Axl wasn't gonna show up, Izzy wasn't gonna show up. But it was such an honor doing that. I thought for sure that was gonna be our first time playing together [again]. I mean, I never… When they mentioned Axl's name, I never heard an arena boo like that. It was scary. I was, like, 'Wow! These people are really pissed off at Axl."

On the reason for wanting the classic lineup of GUNS N' ROSES to reunite:

"That's why I think it's so important for us to play together — not because I wanna finish what I started with those guys… You know, 'cause we started something great, [and] I wanna end it on a good note. I wanna end it great and be a part of that. But we owe to the fans to do it. It's, like, we owe it to 'em. I mean, we all — the five of us — have accomplished our dreams, [we lead] wonderful, comfortable lives, because people love our music. And I've never heard a band, ever — and like I said, I've been around the world — where people wanted to have that band back together as much as GN'R, the original guys. I never heard it in my life. Maybe THE BEATLES. I mean, not even AEROSMITH, when they broke up; people weren't, 'Oh, we've gotta see it.'"

Video footage of IRON MAIDEN singer Bruce Dickinson playing parts of the band's epic 18-minute song "Empire Of The Clouds" on a piano during a listening session for the group's new album, "The Book Of Souls", on August 26 at Guillaume Tell Studios in Paris, France can be seen below.

In an interview with Noisey, Dickinson stated about the writing process for "Empire Of The Clouds": "I won a piano in a raffle. That's how it all started. I got this little electric piano and took it home and started tinkering around on it. And I am really a kind of one-fingered Rachmaninoff. [Laughs] I'm pretty limited; I mean, I'm a two-fingered typist, and that's as good as I am on piano."

He continued: "Sometimes you just gotta know what you want. You don't necessarily have to be able to play it terribly fluently, but you need to be able to describe how to play it fluently. In my case, I actually had to play on the record, so I played the piano on the record, and so that took a little bit of time. But by the magic of midi and a bit of editing, you know, some of my shitty bits got rearranged, and we could actually move the odd bum note around so that we could get some semblance of a piano track that makes sense. But I have been practicing. I've been trying to get a little bit better at it, and I'm actually doing quite a bit of writing on it now for other stuff as well, other stuff which I don't know where it may lead...you never know.

Asked if MAIDEN will peform "Empire Of The Clouds" live on tour, Dickinson said: "Oh, no, no, no. I don't think we'll play 'Empire', In fact, I'm certain we won't be playing 'Empire' on the new tour. You need strings, you need cellos, you need horns, you need all this stuff to play it properly, and it's such a dominating song. In the format of a regular IRON MAIDEN thunderous stage show, it would be altogether too dominant, I think, so we're definitely not going to be playing it."

IRON MAIDEN guitarist Adrian Smith told Total Guitar magazine about "Empire Of The Clouds": "[Bruce] was working on ['Empire Of The Clouds'] for about a month on his own. Every single day we'd be in the studio blasting out stuff and he'd be in the soundproof glass booth playing piano. Like Beethoven with his ear to the piano, concocting this masterpiece. I think he wrote every single note in it.

"We interpreted it and we did it in sections," Adrian continued. "[Producer] Kevin [Shirley] and Bruce would be in the control room and say, 'That's too bluesy, can you make it a bit more classical sounding?' He recorded all the piano from start to finish and then we played along to that. Then I think they put on all the orchestration afterwards. It's a bit of a story on its own that one."

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."

"The Book Of Souls" was eleased globally on September 4 through Parlophone Records (Sanctuary Copyrights/BMG in the U.S.).

Swedish hard rockers SKINTRADE have released an official video for their cover version of the song "Wide Awake", originally recorded by Katy Perry. Check it out below. The track is taken from SKINTRADE's new album, "Scarred For Life", which was released on July 24 via AOR Heaven. Once again, the CD was recorded, co-produced and mixed by Oscar Ammer.

"We wanted to do something special on this record and I came across this song and instantly liked it," SKINTRADE vocalist Matti Alfonzetti said about "Wide Awake". "It had that quality we were looking for in a cover and we felt we could deliver a version true to what SKINTRADE stands for and still pay our respect to one of Sweden's most outstanding songwriters and producers, Max Martin."

Working with producer Geo Slam was also a highlight. "Geo had a different approach to what we usually go for and the result was awesome," Matti said.

According to SKINTRADE, "Scarred For Life" saw the band concentrate on "songs and musicianship" and it is "a natural follow-up" to 2014's "Refueled".

"Our focus always was and always will be on the songwriting and the ferocious riffs and grooves to match," says Alfonzetti: "This time we started writing almost within a week after the release of 'Refueled'; that's how inspired we were to continue releasing good songs and to show our fans that we are in it.

"We're really proud of the new album and we definitely feel that this is our best effort so far. We can't wait to get out on the road again and meet our old friends and to make new ones."

"Scarred For Life" track listing:

01. Scarred For Life02. Goodbye03. Wide Awake04. Lay With Me05. Find A Way06. Lovehate07. Leave A Scar08. Broken09. Storm Will Come10. 15 Minutes Gone

SKINTRADE was formed in 1992 by Matti Alfonzetti (vocals), George Bravo (guitar, backing vocals), Stefan Bergström (guitar, backing vocals), Hakan Calmroth (bass) and Håkan Persson (drums, backing vocals). The group's self-titled debut was released in 1993 and received overwhelmingly positive respnse from both media and audience. The singles "Sick As A Dog" and "One By One" were played frequently on the radio and their videos spun on MTV's "Headbangers Ball". The same year, SKINTRADE was honored with a Zeppelin award for "Best Hard Rock Album" and was nominated for a Swedish Grammis (Grammy equivalent) in the category of "Best Video." The follow-up CD, "Roach Powder", came out in 1995 with Thomas Skogsberg as a producer (ENTOMBED, DISMEMBER). The videos for the singles "Snap Goes Your Mind" and "Flies" were played regularly on MTV.

Between 1993 and 1995, SKINTRADE embarked on several tours of Europe and played at some of Sweden's and Europe's biggest festivals such as Sweden Rock, Hultsfred, Dala Rock, Dynamo Open Air (Holland) and Rock Am Ring (Germany). SKINTRADE also supported the Danish band D-A-D on their European tour in 1995. One of their last and most memorable gigs took place in late 1995 with the Irish band THERAPY? during a live radio show in Amsterdam, Netherlands. SKINTRADE disbanded shortly thereafter.

The idea for the SKINTRADE members to collaborate again came about as they got more and more requests from fans asking them to make new music. During the first rehearsal in May 2011, it became obvious that the band's chemistry was very much intact.

In the summer and autumn of 2011, SKINTRADE recorded four new songs at Sound Trade Studios with their old friend and partner Ronny Lahti, engineer and producer who previously worked with the band on all the recordings in the '90s.

SKINTRADE's "best-of" album, "Past And Present", was released in March 2012 via Universal Music. The CD includes three new songs and 12 classics.

SKINTRADE 2015 is:

Matti Alfonzetti - Vocals, GuitarStefan Bergström - Guitar, Backing VocalsHåkan Calmroth - BassHåkan Persson - Drums, Backing Vocals

BLACK SABBATH last week announced the first details of a world tour that is being billed as "The End". The North American leg will start on January 20, 2016 in Omaha, Nebraska, ending on February 25 in new York City. Dates in Australia and New Zealand have been confirmed for April, with more shows to be announced next month.

In exclusive interview with the Birmingham Mail, SABBATH guitarist Tony Iommi, who battled has been battling lymphoma since late 2011, stated about the band's decision to call it quits: "I can't actually do this anymore. My body won't take it much more.

"I don't want [the cancer] creeping back again," he continued. "And all the travelling involved in SABBATH tours increasingly takes its toll. That's why we're going out on one last tour, to say our farewells. And then it very definitely is the end. We won't be doing it again."

According to Iommi, his health comes first and he wants to be sure that nothing intrudes on that.

"We've been doing this for getting on for 50 years now," Iommi said. "It's about time we draw the line, don't you think? It's been great but it's time to stop now."

He continued: "Don't get me wrong, I still love gigging. It's all the travelling and the exhaustion that goes with it that's the problem. That side of things has a big impact on me. Yes, we may fly in luxury, stay in the very best hotels, ride in the most comfortable limos, but there's still a physical cost to touring. Even when we build in rest breaks — I have to have blood tests every six weeks — I find it tough going. You take a long haul flight, arrive somewhere at five in the morning and book into a hotel. There's the soundcheck, the promotional work, the gig itself, then you're back at the hotel to collapse into bed. Then next day you get to do it all over again."

Iommi added: "I love being up there onstage, playing with SABBATH. What I don't love is all the other stuff necessary to enable that to happen. None of us are getting any younger, you know."

SABBATH's farewell tour will be "around a year long, including the rest breaks," said Iommi. "Maybe a little longer. It'll be a big production and we'll be putting together a setlist that traces the band's career from our eary days in Birmingham. All the fan favorites will be in there, and we're looking to include some songs we've rarely performed live, too."

Regarding the possibility of original SABBATH drummer Bill Ward returning to the band for its final tour, Iommi said: "That depends on Bill. We met up again six weeks ago and we got on great — but it's down to Bill."

He continued: "Our plans as they stand are to tour with Ozzy, Geezer Butler, myself and Ozzy's drummer Tommy Clufetos, who did so well on the last tour. He can do things with drums that still amaze me. His solos last time out were mind-boggling."

On the topic of a new SABBATH album to follow 2013's "13", Iommi said: "I've been busy writing songs ever since the '13' sessions. At that point, we thought there might be another SABBATH album. But that's up in the air now so I don't know when or where they might appear. The tracks are ready, though."

"13" was the first SABBATH album in 35 years to feature singer Ozzy Osbourne, Iommi and bassist Geezer Butler together, with Bill Ward the only founding member to sit out the record and world tour.

"13" went to No. 1 in both the U.S. and the U.K., a first for the band in America and only their second chart-topper in their native country since 1971.

Ward sat out the recording of "13" and its subsequent tour over what he claimed was a contract dispute, while the other members of SABBATH hinted that he was not physically capable of touring and performing.

The feud flared up again recently with Ward and Ozzy exchanging bitter and sometimes emotional open letters via Facebook.

Ward told Rolling Stone in April that he was "quite capable" of playing a full BLACK SABBATH show and demanded that Ozzy apologize for his remarks.

Ward admitted to past health and weight problems but maintained that he was in shape for recording and touring. He added that his terms for a "signable" contract with SABBATH included "better money" for festival shows along with publishing money.

Ozzy responded to Ward's letter, saying, "Bill, stop this smokescreen about an 'unsignable contract' and let's be honest. Deep down inside, you knew you weren't capable of doing the album and a 16-month tour."

Brad Wilk played drums on "13", while Tommy Clufetos was behind the kit for the group's world tour.

Niclas Müller-Hansen of RockSverige.se recently conducted an interview with SLAYER bassist/vocalist Tom Araya. You can now watch the chat below.

Asked if he has ever felt like calling it quits in the last few years — which have seen the passing of the band's co-founding guitarist Jeff Hanneman and the departure of original drummer Dave Lombardo — Araya said: "There's [been] some times where I've felt like that. Those are usually the moments when I don't wanna be out here on the road and I wanna be home."

He continued: "I think the worst thing we could have done is to not have done anything and stopped. We started the whole process of writing an album, and we had to decide whether we wanted to continue and do the album and finish it. So me and Kerry [King, SLAYER guitarist], we had opportunities to talk. 'Cause we were working on the ideas of the songs, and then we toured, and then we had to have a conversation, just to figure out whether we wanted to continue or not, and whether we wanted to finish the album that we started. So I told [Kerry]. I go, 'Well, let's do that. Let's finish this and see where we go from here.' So we finished it, and now we're on a tour. We tour at the end of this year, and then we tour again… Probably the next two years we'll probably be touring, and we'll see where that takes us. But we figured we owe that much… Because everybody's expecting a record. They knew several years ago that we were gonna start working on our record. And then to kind of just stop and drop the ball, I think a lot of people would have been [disappointed]. But the social media being what it is, a lot of people were telling us that we should hang it up anyways. [Laughs] It amazes me how so-called SLAYER fans are pretty fucking brutal."

Araya also talked about the possibility of one day making a solo album. He said: "You never know. You never know. I'm not much of a music writer, but I do contribute to lyrics, and I try to make things lyrically better. So you never know. I have things that I've thought about, but it wouldn't be what people would expect. You know what I mean? They know me as SLAYER, so if I were to do a solo album, I would like to think that they would be open-minded and not expect something that they think it should be. A solo album is exactly that."

He continued: "My wife keeps telling me: 'You should do something. They're all asking if you're gonna do a solo album. You should do a solo album. You've got some great stuff.' I've got great lyrics. I've got ideas for lyrics. Whether they're great or not, I don't know. But I have ideas — all kinds of ideas for lyrics."

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.

Unboxing videos for the limited-edition deluxe and vinyl versionsw of the new IRON MAIDEN album, "The Book Of Souls", can be seen below, courtesy of Metalovisión and Vinyl-Blog.com, respectively.

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."

Former TNT and current SKID ROW singer Tony Harnell has uploaded a "rough demo" of a song he wrote with his "buddy" Stefan Altzar. Check out the track "Dreamer", which was mastered by Matt Alexander, using the ReverbNation widget below.

Harnell officially joined SKID ROW in April as the replacement for Johnny Solinger, who was the band's frontman for fifteen years.

The new SKID ROW lineup made its live debut on May 22 at Living Sky Casino in Swift Current, Saskatchewan, Canada.

Harnell announced plans in January to re-team with PRIMAL FEAR guitarist Magnus Karlsson for a brand new STARBREAKER album.

STARBREAKER started as Harnell's side project while he was still in TNT. He was initially working on a solo record, but with Karlsson, former TNT drummer John Macaluso, and bassist Fabrizio Grossi, they formed STARBREAKER.

Harnell announced his latest departure from TNT on January 3, 2015, a little over a year after he rejoined the group.

In a brand new interview with Grantland.com, IRON MAIDEN singer Bruce Dickinson revealed that he doesn't pay any attention to social media.

"I understand that in this day and age everybody has to have a big social media presence, and you have to look after your social media, and blah blah blah — okay, that's great," he said. "We've got a great team and they just look after the social media. I just completely ignore it. It's as if I live in another world, devoid of Twitter, devoid of Facebook, devoid of all the bullshit that gets talked about by all of these people. I just live in my own little head world. That's what makes the records. So I have no idea what's going on on Twitter, and I couldn't care less."

Asked if there is anything in particular about social media that bothers him, he said: "No, because I don't let myself get bothered. I pay no attention to it. I don't even know how to access Twitter. I mean, my mobile phone is a Nokia that I can't even take a picture on. It's held together with tape. That is my mobile phone, and people look at it with horror. People say, 'Well, why don't you have an iPhone?' Because it gets polluted by shit."

He continued: "The trendy things that bands do now to maintain their 'pop culture' is sit there obsessing and tweeting away drivel to the unwashed masses. It's just crap. It's self-indulgent, narcissistic bollocks. I have no interest in that whatsoever. If I want to be self-indulgent and narcissistic, I'll put it on a record. Don't sit there tweeting, I don't even know how many words you're not allowed to say in Twitter before you run out of intelligence."

Dickinson does, however, see the value in social media in the way it enhances MAIDEN fans' experience by creating a community that encourages them to cumminicate with each other.

"I guess [the Internet] is a great way for the metal community to interact and to relate without having to tolerate being servile toward the mainstream media," he said. "From that point of view, our own community and the whole IronMaiden.com thing works brilliantly for us. People can just get involved in the portal and talk amongst themselves. So for us, it means that as a band, we just don't get involved with it because our audience involves themselves. We just put music out there and let them run with it. They can have their own opinions. They're gonna make their own statements. They're gonna create their own communities and their own worlds. We put the music out there and we let people run with it. That's what it should be like, really."

IRON MAIDEN's new album, "The Book Of Souls", is being released today (Friday, September 4) through BMG in the U.S.A. (Parlophone Records in the rest of world).

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.

Swedish heavy metal quartet Enforcer are a band who bring their hefty tracks to the stage with immense power and a killer live performance. So why hasn't anyone recorded one of their high-energy shows for our viewing pleasure?

Enforcer have announced that this will be rectified with the release of their very first live DVD/CD package, called Live By Fire. It is set to be released on November 20th via Nuclear Blast. Pre-order it directly here.

Guitarist/vocalist Olof Wikstrand comments on the new output: "I'm extremely satisfied with putting out an official concert video and audio that really captures the band in a way we like instead of seeing tons of crap videos online. Here's the real deal and I hope you enjoy it! Plus that we also took the opportunity to record a three new songs that will be released in a really exclusive way together with this stuff. Watch out!"

Live By Fire tracklistings are as follows:

DVD (recorded at Saitama Super Arena in Tokyo on October 20th, 2013):

“Bells Of Hades”
“Death Rides This Night”
“Mesmerized By Fire”
“Katana”
“On The Loose”
“Scream Of The Savage”
“Take Me Out Of This Nightmare”
“Silent Hour” / “The Conjugation”
“Midnight Vice”

CD (recorded at Kyttaro Club in Athens on January 24th, 2013):

“Bells Of Hades”
“Death Rides This Night”
“Mistress From Hell”
“Mesmerized By Fire”
“Katana”
“Crystal Suite”
“Scream Of The Savage”
“Midnight Vice”
“Take Me Out Of This Nightmare”
“Take Me To Hell
“Silent Hour” / “The Conjugation”
“Satan”
“Black Angel”
“Roll The Dice”
“Into The Night”
“Evil Attacker”
“Speak The Tongue Of Heathen Gods”
“Stellar Plains”
“Tyrants Of Our Generation”

LP:

Side A
“Bells Of Hades”
“Death Rides This Night”
“Mistress From Hell”
“Mesmerized By Fire”
“Katana”
“Crystal Suite”
“Scream Of The Savage”

Side B
“Midnight Vice”
“Take Me Out Of This Nightmare”
“Take Me To Hell”
“Roll The Dice”
“Evil Attacker”

Live By Fire will be available in the following formats:

- DVD/CD edition
- vinyl
- limited boxset (Nuclear Blast mailorder only): CD/DVD, blue vinyl, bonus vinyl EP, poster, photobook

Enforcer’s forthcoming European Tour will serve as further evidence of these Swedes' incredible live energy, beyond the energy that oozes from their current CD/DVD release of course. They will bring Wolf and Dynamite as support acts.

Tour dates:

September (with Wolf, Dynamite)
29 - Luyness-Aix, France - Le Korgian
30 - Barcelona, Spain - Sala Boveda

October (with Wolf, Dynamite)
1 - Zaragoza, Spain - Centro Civico Universidad
2 - Madrid, Spain - Sala Lemon
3 - Lisabon, Portugal - Side B Club
4 - Porto, Portugal - Cave 24
5 - Erandio (Bilbao), Spain - Sonora
6 - Paris, France - TBA
7 0 Hasselt, Belgium - Muziekdroom
8 - Nuneaton, UK - Queens Hall
9 - Dublin, Ireland - Voodoo Lounge
10 - Belfast, Ireland - Limelight 2
11 - Glasgow, Scotland - Audio
12 - Chester, UK - Live Rooms
13 - London, UK - Underworld
14 - Leiden, Netherlands - Gebr De Nobel
15 - Eindhoven, Netherlands - Dynamo
16 - Leipzig, Germany - Hellraiser
17 - Oberentfelden, Switzerland - Börom Pöm Pöm
18 - München, Germany - Backstage Club
20 - Ludwigsburg, Germany - Rockfabrik
21 - Osnabrück, Germany - Bastard Club
22 - Nuernberg, Germany - Z-Bau
23 - Lindau, Germany - Vaudeville
24 - Wuppertal, Germany - Börsencrash Festival
25 - Koeln, Germany - MTC
26 - Kassel, Germany - Kulturzentrum K19
27 - Berlin, Germany - K17
28 - Hamburg, Germany - Rock Cafe St. Pauli

Enforcer previously announced their 2016 North American co-headlining tour with Warbringer. The 43-date Enforcer/Warbringer co-headlining trek launches at The Gramercy Theatre in New York, New York on January 5th,hits nine Canadian cities, West Hollywood, New Orleans, and then wraps up at the Canal Club in Richmond, Virginia on February 20th. Joining the bands as support are Canadian heavy metallers Cauldron and Southern California quartet Exmortus.

Confirmed dates:

January
5 - The Gramercy Theatre - New York, NY
6 - Championship Bar and Grill - Trenton, MJ
7 - Trickshots - Clifton Park, NY
8 - Webster Theater - Hartford, CT
9 - The Palladium - Worcester, MA
10 - FouFounes - Montreal, QC
11 - Salle Multi - Quebec City, QC
12 - Ritual - Ottawa, ON
13 - Hard Luck - Toronto, ON
14 - The APK - London, ON
15 - Montage Music Hall - Rochester, NY
16 - Agora Ballroom - Cleveland, OH
17 - Altar Bar - Pittsburgh, PA
18 - Ace OF Cups - Columbus, OH
20 - Token Lounge - Westland, MI
21 - Fubar - St. Louis, MO
22 - Mojoes - Joliet, IL
23 - The Metal Grill - Cudahy, WI
24 - Triple Rock Social Club - Minneapolis, MN
25 - Zoo Cabaret - Winnipeg, MB
27 - Nite Owl - Calgary, AB
28 - Pawn Shop - Edmonton,  AB
30 - Rickshaw Theater - Vancouver, BC
31 - Studio Seven - Seattle, WA

February
1 - Hawthorne Theatre -Portland, OR
2 - Thee Parkside - San Francisco, CA
3 - Whiskey a Go Go - West Hollywood, CA
4 - Brick by Brick - San Diego, CA
5 - Club Red - Tempe, AZ
6 - LVCS - Las Vegas, NV
8 - In the Venue - Salt Lake City, UT
9 - Bluebird Theater - Denver, CO
10 - Aftershock - Merriam, KS
11 - Red 7 - Austin , TX
12 - 210 Kapones - San Antonio, TX
13 - Scout Bar - Houston, TX
14 - Trees -Dallas, TX
15 - Siberia - New Orleans, LA
16 - Orpheum - Tampa, FL
17 - The Haven - Orlando, FL
18 - The Masquerade - Atlanta, GA
19 - Expo Five - Louisville, KY
20 - Canal Club - Richmond, VA

Canadian brutal tech death outfit, Deformatory, are set to release their second full-length album via CDN Records in December. Entitled Malediction, the eight-track relentless follow-up to In The Wake Of Pestilence was recorded, mixed and engineered by Dan Rogers at From The Frost Audio in Ottawa, Ontario, and takes their hate-filled sound to an entirely new and dark dimension.

Malediction delivers a fresh approach to the band’s sound, and the entire brutal technical death metal genre as a whole.

Malediction is the first instalment in a series of concept albums revolving around Saväel, the creator of Darkness, and the original source of pure evil. In Malediction, the story follows the discovery of the sacred incantation text, his re-awakening, and the subsequent obliteration of the Light, the Heavens, and all remnants of humanity. This is an album that will appeal to the nostalgia of old school death metal, delivered with modern, dark, and technical ferocity.

Malediction will carry listeners on an aphotic expedition through forbidden depths of evil, and into a new awakening of inhumanity.

The cover artwork was designed by Jon Zig.

Malediction tracklisting:

“Infernal Gateway”
“Dimensions Of Malevolence”
“Obsequium”
“Eviscerated Requiem”
“A Hideous Veneration”
“Apotheosis”
“Oracles Of Perdition”
“Aphotic Existence”

Malediction will be released on December 12th worldwide through CDN Records. Pre-orders and new music to defile your soul will be available in the coming weeks.

Scion, whose partnership with iconic thrash metal outfit SLAYER birthed the now legendary SLAYER-inspired tC sports coupe, have joined forces to offer fans a free download of the band's new song "You Against You". The track, which is taken from SLAYER's forthcoming eleventh album, "Repentless", is available as a free download to the first 15,000 fans tomorrow, September 4, at 10 a.m. pacific time via ScionAV.com. "You Against You" is also available as an ongoing streaming track using the SoundCloud widget below. A limited run of seven-inch vinyl records of the single will be available in January. Fans of the band can also view a video Scion offered this fall, featuring behind-the-scenes studio footage, a tour of the ESP factory via Tom Araya, and a visit to Kerry King's Psychotic Exotics reptile house and herpetology nursery. Araya also recently spoke with Scion AV "All Purpose Show"'s Prince Paul for an extensive interview ranging from the band's humble beginnings to the work behind "Repentless".

"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.

Aeons In Tectonic Interment is the new studio offering from Finnish funeral doom duo, Tyranny. Slated for release via Dark Descent Records this month, the band's first proper recording in a decade spews forth five sickly psalms of slow, tortured, epically soul-consuming grimness.

Aeons In Tectonic Interment was penned, performed and tracked by members Matti Mäkelä and Lauri Lindqvist with additional percussion by Jussi-Pekka Manner and mastered by D. Lowndes at Resonance Sound Studio (Absu, Pallbearer, Profetus, Sigh, Wodensthrone). Simultaneously spiritual and ominous, with Aeons In Tectonic Interment, Tyranny manages to manifest a traumatic, fifty-one-minute sound apocalypse where misanthropy, suffering and imminent ruin become one achieving purification through sonic decay. A new track, “A Voice Given Unto Ruin”, is streaming below.

Tracklisting:

“Sunless Deluge”
“A Voice Given Unto Ruin”
“Preparation Of A Vessel”
“The Stygian Enclave”
“Bells Of The Black Basilica”

“A Voice Given Unto Ruin”:

"Sunless Deluge":

Teaser:

 
Aeons In Tectonic Interment will see release via Dark Descent Records on CD, double LP and digitally on September 18th, with pre-orders and track samples to be revealed in the coming weeks.

(Photo - Peter Troest)

Swedish metallers STEELWING will release their new album, "Reset, Reboot, Redeem", on November 20 via NoiseArt Records. The artwork for the CD was created by Swedish artist Sandra Österberg Brolin.

The band states: "For this album, we wanted a cover with a genuine artistic feel. We chose to work with Sandra Österberg Brolin, a talent we know, because of her distinctive eerie style. The cover art is an oil painting depicting a human skull in the burning ruins of a city — the symbolism should be obvious."

Almost four years since their sophomore album, "Zone Of Alienation", was released, STEELWING is ready to return to the scene. Though still rooted in the traditional heavy metal their fans have come to expect, the new CD has more than a few surprises in store.

"With two well-received albums behind us we could have gone the easy way and kept doing the same thing," says vocalist Riley. "However, after the hit-oriented 'Zone Of Alienation', we felt that we wanted to challenge ourselves to create something darker and much more ambitious. So instead we worked really hard for more than three years to redefine our sound and really perfect the new material. We have introduced a wide range of influences to the sound, anything from death metal and technical thrash to punk and hardcore, where previously we wouldn't allow ourselves to stray too far from the classic heavy metal matrix."

"Reset, Reboot, Redeem", was recorded, mixed and co-produced by Swedish death metal legend Fred Estby (NECRONAUT, THE DAGGER, ex-DISMEMBER) at Gutterview Recorders, with additional parts recorded by Nicko DiMarino in Deep Blue Studios where the band's early sound was once formed.

"We envisioned a gritty attitude and more organic drum sound for these songs, so naturally we turned to Fred, who is known for delivering just that," says Riley. "Since we have grown up listening to DISMEMBER, it was truly an honor to work with him. I knew the new material would be very demanding to sing, so we decided to record the vocals with Nicko, an old friend of the band who has been with us from day one. We know we can always trust his ears and skill when the going gets tough."

Conceptually, STEELWING continue to develop on the post-apocalyptic themes of the previous two albums. Where "Lord Of The Wasteland" focused on "Mad Max"-esque highway marauders and "Zone Of Alienation" described mutant-infested havens in outer space, "Reset, Reboot, Redeem" take on a more serious misanthropic note: the current flawed state of mankind must be sacrificed to pave way for a trans-humanistic new breed — or all life on Earth will face extinction. One of many firsts for this album is a song in the band's native tongue: "Och Världen Gav Vika" (translation: "And the World Collapsed").

The first song from "Reset, Reboot, Redeem" released on YouTube is the title-track — an intense speed metal onslaught that will leave listeners gasping for air in its wake.

"This song sums up everything this album is about," says Riley. "Our fans will recognize the trademark STEELWING speed and energy, but we're also introducing the darker vibes, technical breaks and diverse influences — it's an undeniable evolution from anything we've done in the past."

Denmark's Essence have released a music video for the new song “Untouchable”, featured on their upcoming album, Prime, which will be released on October 2nd via Spinefarm Records.

Narrowing the gap between the poppy energy of The Offspring and the youthful vehemence of early Metallica and Slayer, the album, their third overall, is a Prime example of how a riveting combo of melodic and catchy yet wildly thrashing metal is done.

Prime tracklisting:

“Refuse To Exist”
“Thunder Prayer”
“No Sleep 'Till Def”
“Heart Of Gold”
“Modern Heroes”
“Untouchable”
“Flawless”
“Prime”
“Watch It Burn”
“Triumph”

“Untouchable”:

Audio snippets:

 

Next week, METALLICA will release an "incredible" illustration of the almighty monster Cthulhu, who was the subject of the band's classic instrumental "The Call Of Ktulu".

Richey Beckett's epically detailed artwork will go on sale in the Met Store at Metallica.com on September 10 at 1 p.m. Pacific Time. In addition to being available on a black t-shirt, the art will be featured as two screen printed, fine art prints on black paper. The limited-edition prints will be available in two different colored versions.

Met Club members will have exclusive access to "The Call Of Ktulu" for one week. After that, the t-shirt will be released to the public and any remaining prints will be made available.

Written by James Hetfield, Lars Ulrich, Cliff Burton and former METALLICA lead guitarist Dave Mustaine, "The Call Of Ktulu" (original title: "When Hell Freezes Over") was inspired by the story "The Call Of Cthulhu" by H.P. Lovecraft.

Speaking with Guitar World magazine in a 2002 interview, METALLICA guitarist Kirk Hammett explained how he came up with the guitar melody in this track. "I tracked the whole album with Marshall amps and my Gibson Flying V," he said. "For that song, I knew that I wanted to come up with something really melodic at the beginning of the solo. At that point in the song, there's just a lot of riffing, a lot of heavy dynamics. I was thinking, 'Wouldn't it be nice if we had something somewhat melodic to lead into it?' Hence that little melody I played… It was our first instrumental, and it was an incredibly long guitar solo. It was like, 'How can I keep this solo going without making it sound like I'm just playing a bunch of notes?' So I thought that I would break it up into sections rather than play one long spew of notes."

He continued: "I used a modal approach, and there's also arpeggios that I play in the solo — they're actually 'broken arpeggios,' a term that I got from Yngwie Malmsteen. At that time, 1984, Yngwie was big in the guitar world; he influenced me in that he was using all these different scales and different arpeggios, and really got me thinking about that kind of sound. I was also thinking chromatically: there's that one part at the top of the next cycle where I play a chromatic lick that goes all the way down the high E string with the wah pedal."

Hammett added: "I actually wrote out the entire solo on pieces of paper, using my own notes and my own pet names for the individual licks. I would say that 80 percent of it was composed beforehand and 20 percent of it was improvised. When we revisited that song with the symphony on 'S&M', it was a lot of fun; it felt like I was visiting my guitar technique from, like, 15 years ago or something. I just don't play like that now — I'm a lot bluesier — so it was pretty trippy."

Chilean / Belgian band King Heavy are streaming their self-titled debut album, out via Cruz Del Sur Music today, September 4th, in Europe and September 19th in North America.

King Heavy is anything but the typical brand of mono-dimensional, superficial doom metal. Aside from strong elements of Candlemass and of the more traditional doom metal sound, King Heavy offers epic arrangements and a twisted touch that reminds of Black Sabbath's Born Again, Celtic Frost's Into The Pandemonium and the early, darkest side of Danzig.

The album contains seven songs for a total running time of over 47 minutes and was engineered, mixed and mastered by Pablo Clares at DM6 Studio, Chile;  vocals were recorded by Peter Maene at Creative Factory, Belgium.

Tracklisting:

“La Gárgola”
“Life A.D.”
“As Dawn Broke On The Day”
“Thirteen Chosen Ones”
“Wounds”
“The Crowning”
“He Who Spoke In Tongues”

Album stream:

King Heavy by KING HEAVY

Soon after the album's release, King Heavy will embark upon the Chilean Live A.D. 2015 Tour. Dates on the poster below: