RED DRAGON CARTEL, the band led by former OZZY OSBOURNE and BADLANDS guitarist Jake E. Lee, has been rejoined by singer Darren James Smith. Darren's first shows back with the group will take place on September 6 and September 10 in California, followed by a tour of Japan that begins on September 15. RED DRAGON CARTEL will take the rest of 2015 off from touring to hit the studio and start recording. The second album from RED DRAGON CARTEL will be ready for release in the first few months of 2016.

Earlier in the year, Smith told "The Shoe With Miles Schuman" Internet radio show about RED DRAGON CARTEL's infamous debut live show in December 2013 at West Hollywood, California's Whisky A Go Go, which was widely panned due to Darren's out-of-tune vocal delivery and seemingly inebriated state: "None of us were ready for that show. We all met in Vegas, we had, maybe, four days rehearsal, we rehearsed the night before until about 4 a.m., got up at 7, drove to the desert, got to L.A. around 4 in the afternoon, or sometime early in the afternoon, and there was fans there and paparazzi from the minute we got there. So it was overwhelming. And the amount of time I had — us being the headliner — until we were on, and just the lack of sleep, and really not knowing what my job really was. Nobody in the band, not even Jake, nobody told me what my job was. It was just, 'Go and do it.' So… I don't know what people want. I just thought they wanted kind of Ozzy and stuff like that, and they wanted a party, they wanted to have fun, but that's not what they want. And at the end of the day, man, on my own terms… I mean, I just said, 'Okay, if they don't want that, I'll do it the other way.' I didn't realize that people would think I'm trying to upstage Jake. I was not; I was just doing what I do. But I got a handle on it. And there was no feeling between me and the band. The next day, I just came back to the drawing board, and then that was that. The very next night, I changed the rules a bit and everything was fine. But, I mean, we just played there [again in November], we'll call it the 'scene of the crime,' and we had a great show, like a phenomenal show. [And there was] not word about it. So we were talking about it afterwards, and it's, like, it was probably the best thing that ever happened to us, was that I set myself up to fail. Because it was nonstop talk. And we do a perfect show, [and there's] not a word about it."

Regarding the negative Internet criticism he received about the first Whisky show, Darren said: "Everybody's a warrior or a soldier when they're sitting on their couch, scratching their balls. I mean, people are so tough and brave when they're in the comfort of their own home, but half these people making comments have never stood on a stage. And the ones that have stood on a stage… A real musician wouldn't shit on a fellow musician. So the way I look at it is, if you've got something to say about a fellow musician, well, you're just a douchebag. [Laughs]"

He continued: "I'll be honest with you, I don't read or any of that shit. I never go online and read about it… I mean, in the beginning I did and it was very hurtful stuff, and it did affect me, but at the end of the day, I know what I'm capable of, Jake knows what I'm capable of, and things have changed. And I get no complaints now. But at the end of the day, I'm still doing this for me. [There are] people out there that still don't like me, but you can't be liked by everybody. You can't go through life trying to please everyone. It's futile."

Asked if thought he "redeemed himself" in the eyes of Jake's fans since the first Whisky show, Darren said: "Less than 24 hours later I did. And I really don't care. And as far as redeeming myself, I'm more comfortable on stage now than I've ever been, and I just had to figure it out for myself. And, like I said, as a band, we were not prepared to play the Whisky. I wish we had done some warm-up shows here and there and figured it all out. I hadn't been on stage fronting a band for that long, for the length of a show, which is also exhausting, I found out [laughs], thus the treadmill before I go on tour. But I had to figure things out for myself. And I'm human, and I'm fallible, and I'm capable of making mistakes, just like every human being is. And the people that were really cruel about it, I could give a flying rat's fuck about it — I just don't care — but the people that like it? You know, cool. Cool. That's great. I'm gonna do it regardless if people like it or not. This is what I'm born to do. This is what I do."

RED DRAGON CARTEL recently played several shows with former JONES STREET singer Shawn Crosby. Rounding out RED DRAGON CARTEL's touring lineup were bassist Anthony Esposito (LYNCH MOB, ACE FREHLEY) and drummer Jonas Fairley.

Crosby made his live debut with RED DRAGON CARTEL on July 9 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Prior to hooking up with Crosby, RED DRAGON CARTEL was fronted by Canadian singer Paul D'Eath (CITIZENS UNITE, MUSHROOM TRAIL), Chas West (Jason Bonham, LYNCH MOB, 3 LEGGED DOGG) and Michael Beck.

Beck made headlines in April when he sang the lyrics to Osbourne's "Now You See It (Now You Don't)" while the rest of RED DRAGON CARTEL played "The Ultimate Sin" at their first show together in Miami, Florida. Beck later blamed the mixup on the fact that he "had no monitors at all" and he "couldn't hear anything."

RED DRAGON CARTEL in March announced the departure of bassist Greg Chaisson, who exited the group because he could "no longer take any more time away from [his] regular job."

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).

Video footage of RED DRAGON CARTEL with Darren James Smith performing in Dayton, Ohio:


RED DRAGON CARTEL (featuring Darren James Smith) 2014 promotional photo:

Former Megadeth guitarist Jeff Young and vocalist Sherri Klein, working together under the official moniker of Jeff Young & Sherri, have posted live performance footage of a new original song entitled "Go Funk Yo Self". Check it out below.

They have also issued the following update:

"Alright Las Vegas! We need you all to come out and sing along and dance with us!! This Friday night, August 7 at The Lounge at the Palms! Think James Brown meets 'Crosstown Traffic' on this one... and it goes a little sumthin' like this right hee-ya! We're looking' around at each other like crazy cuz it's the first time we ever played this live!" 

For information and updates on Jeff Young & Sherri go to this location.

Set to kick off their headlining North American tour this week, Finnish melodic death metallers Insomnium have announced a live replacement for vocalist/bassist Niilo Sevanen. 

The band comments: "Last Saturday we got unexpected phone call while driving to Gothoom Festival in Slovakia. Unfortunately, serious illness had taken place in Niilo's close family. We all felt devastated but somehow we were still able to pull through the show. However, due to these unpredicted circumstances, there was no way Niilo could have been able to leave his family behind and attend the upcoming US tour. Family is the most important thing and always comes first. We were left with two equally bad options. To cancel the tour altogether or to go and try to find replacement for Niilo in couple of days notice. We had already invested considerable amount of money on this tour and whole tour personnel had made commitments to take time off from other work to do this tour. At the same time we felt really bad about thinking about financial side of things while one of our best friends was going through terrible family tragedy. After series of emergency meetings we decided to go and look if there would be anyone that could help us out. All things considered, 50% original line up would be better than no line up at all. We also did not want to let down all the people who had already bought the tickets. Most importantly, we did not want to give up. So we went and wrote to all our friends on the state side and asked if anybody knew anyone. The response and the number of people who wanted to help us out overwhelmed us. Several talented individuals were ready to step in with short notice. We are eternally grateful and humbled by this response and it only shows how dedicated and compassionate people in US metal scene are. After numerous encounters we came across Mike Bear (Artisan, Prototype) who will be handling growling and bass duties on this tour. Mike Bear comments 'It's a huge honor to be able to help out Insomnium as they embark on their first headline tour of North America. I've been to their shows each time they've visited the U.S. over the years, and the performances and energy are something I hold in my mind as a benchmark to bring to this coming tour. All agree these are unfortunate circumstances. Though I am excited to play with the band, I will keep Niilo and his family in my thoughts and I hope all of you will as well. As a fan of the band I can tell you, the set lists that have been put together are amazing. I hope to see everyone out there in support of this tour. See you all soon!' It does break our hearts to go out on tour like this. Insomnium has always been about solidarity and unity. However, we are left with no other choices. Otherwise you would not be reading this statement. We hope that you will welcome Mike Bear and Nick Cordle (stand-in guitarist for Ville) with open arms. Moreover, I hope you give thumbs-up for both Markuses for their headstrong attitude to go out and make this tour happen no matter what. It goes without saying that these guys will put on a hell of a show every night. We can only hope that you will do the same and support us during these difficult times. We will make up this in the future and will come back only stronger.”

Ready to embark on their first US headlining tour, Insomnium have announced a split 7" with Omnium Gatherum, who will be direct support on the trek.

This release is double A-sided (meaning, each band has their own front-cover side) and contains one track from Insomnium, "Out To The Sea" (which previously appeared on the now sold-out Shadows Of The Dying Sun deluxe CD box-set edition), and one track from Omnium Gatherum, "Skyline" (which will appear on the band's new album due out February 2016).

Featuring artwork by Olli-Pekka Lappalainen (who previously created designs for both bands), this tour exclusive 7" is limited to 500 copies and available at all shows while supplies last.

Tracklisting:

Side A
“Out To The Sea” (Insomnium)

Side A
“Skyline” (Omnium Gatherum)

 

 

Tour dates:

August
9 - Montreal, QC - Heavy MTL Festival
11 - New York, NY - The Gramercy Theatre
12 - West Springfield, VA - Empire
13 - Worcester, MA - The Palladium
14 - Albany, NY - Bogie's
15 - Pittsburgh, PA - Altar Bar
16 - Westland, MI - Token Lounge
17 - Joliet, IL - Mojoes
18 - Minneapolis, MN - 7th Street Entry
19 - Winnipeg, MB - Zoo Cabaret
21 - Edmonton, AL - Pawn Shop
22 - Calgary, AL - Nite Owl
23 - Vancouver, BC - Red Room
24 - Seattle, WA - El Corazon
25 - Portland, OR - Hawthorne Theatre
26 - San Francisco, CA - Thee Parkside
27 - Los Angeles, CA - Whiskey a Go Go
28 - San Diego, CA - Brick By Brick
29 - Las Vegas, NV - LVCS
30 - Tempe, AZ - Club Red

September
1 - Denver, CO - Bluebird Theater
3 - Louisville, KY - Expo Five
4 - Cleveland, OH - Agora Ballroom
5 - Toronto, ON - Garrison
6 - Ottawa, ON - Ritual
7 - Quebec, QC - Le Cercle

Insomnium return to headline in eastern and southern Europe in October. The band are bringing fellow countrymen Wolfheart along as special guests. The tour kicks off from the Baltics and consists of 18 shows.

Tour dates:

October
6 - Tallinn, Estonia - Tapper Club
7 - Riga, Latvia - Melna Piektdiena
8 - Vilnius, Lithuania - New York
9 - Warsaw, Poland - Progresja
10 - Budapest, Hungary - Club 202
11 - Cracow, Poland - Fabryka
13 - Bucharest, Romania - Colectiv
14 - Sofia, Bulgaria - Mixtape 5 Club
15 - Istanbul, Turkey - Garajistabul
16 - Thessaloniki, Greece - Eightball
17 - Athens, Greece - Kyttaro Live
19 - Pescara, Italy - Tipografia
20 - Milan, Italy - Legend Club
21 - Ljublijana, Slovenia - Gala Hala
22 - Zagreb, Croatia - Mochvara
23 - Trencin, Slovakia - Piano
24 - Prague, Czech Republic - Futurum
25 - Rostock, Germany - Mau

 

Victoria Purcell of RAMzine.co.uk conducted an interview with vocalist James LaBrie of progressive metallers DREAM THEATER before the band's July 21 performance at MetalDays festival in Tolmin, Slovenia. You can now watch the chat below. A couple of excerpts follow (transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET).

On the shorter songs that were included on DREAM THEATER's 2003 self-titled album:

"Each and every time we go out and we do an album, we just feel that there's something that, necessarily, as any artist would want to achieve, is to be saying something slightly different, but at the same time maintaining, or retaining, your identity musically. With the shorter songs, we just thought… it's always something that we've always experimented in throughout our entire career. With each and every release, there's always some songs that are, evidently, quite shorter than what we've come to be known for, which is slightly longer songs, or epic pieces put together. But with the self-titled album, yeah, there were a few [shorter songs] in there, and as well, there are some absolutely very lengthy songs — 'Illumination Theory' being one of them, [at] over twenty minutes. But that's been what's really been the hallmark of DREAM THEATER — is that we like to incorporate… we like to be very diverse in the way that we compose the music."

On the fact that DREAM THEATER fans still buy physical product from the band:

"We've been very, very fortunate in that [regard], because our fans do [still buy our releases]. And it's almost like a collector's item — they do still buy the albums, whether it's CD format, whether it's getting it from the various sites legally through digital downloading, or whether they wanna wait for when we do our box set, like our releases in the big jewel-cased LPs, or just the LP release. We're very fortunate in that sense, because that's the kind of relationship we've always had with our fan base, and so they continue to want to buy into it. But, by any stretch of the imagination, it's not what it used to be. We still are affected by the current events, as to people being able to download music for free, which I am totally not in agreement with. I'm absolutely not. Because, at the end of the day, it's licensed material and it's stuff that we put a lot of time into. And it's no different than somebody walking into a grocery store and feeling like they don't have to buy the groceries that they need. But what about all the people that went into making that available to the point where you can access it. We all work for what we feel is naturally to be paid for."

On DREAM THEATER's plans for the rest of 2015:

"We finish up this tour August 3, and we go home. Three days later, I'm in the studio recording vocals for the new album. And then the other guys will be finishing off all the other little pieces and layering the tracks and stuff like that. But, yeah, so that will be what I'm doing. And then, come September, I do the Arjen Lucassen thing, 'The Theater Equation', in Rotterdam [The Netherlands]. There's four shows being played, and it's to bring to stage 'The Human Equation' album that I did with him [as AYREON] in 2004. Pretty much all the shows are sold out; there's, like, a hundred tickets left for the one matinee on a Sunday. And it's amazing, all the production and the process is quite detailed and entailing a lot of rehearsal, so it's gonna be an amazing production. So I'm doing that in September — the 18th, 19th and 20th in Rotterdam. And then… The other guys, I'm not sure exactly. I think Jordan [Rudess, keyboards] is doing some orchestral thing. But, basically, then we're gonna be promoting the album that will be coming out, and then we'll be supporting that. So there will be, probably, from October to January, we'll be starting to focus on the new album and then, at the same time, it'll be a little quiet and [we'll be] kind of chilling out and getting geared up and ready to hit the stage again for another year or so after that."

Hot on the heels of the announcement of Grace Jones, Iggy Pop, Henry Rollins and Jesse Hughes comes the next round of stars for the forthcoming epic loud and dark fairytale "Gutterdämmerung".

First up to face the hounds of hell is Ian Fraser Kilmister, better known as the legendary MOTÖRHEAD frontman Lemmy, whose comment about the film is: "If you don't like it…fuck off!"

Joining Lemmy will be the leader of the most beautifully brutal and punishingly precise band on the planet, SLAYER's Tom Araya.

Lemmy will play a crazed general leading the "Armour Cavalry" during a dark explosive moment for the two heroines of "Gutterdämmerung".

As a mysterious messenger of darkness, Tom Araya will be "bringing the light" by setting the silver screen on fire with a truly primal performance.

Even more stars are to be announced in the coming weeks leading up to the big reveal of "Gutterdämmerung"'s earth-shaking cinema trailer.

"Gutterdämmerung" is a new rock 'n' roll / film / gig concept from the mind of Belgian-Swedish visual artist Björn Tagemose. "Gutterdämmerung" is part rock show part immersive cinema experience featuring some of the biggest rock names on the planet.

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

Tagemose has assembled the greatest cast in the history of rock movies; Grace Jones, Iggy Pop, Henry Rollins (who co-wrote "Gutterdämmerung"'s script) and EAGLES OF DEATH METAL's Jesse Hughes are just the first names to be announced with more truly legendary rock 'n' roll names to be revealed in the coming weeks.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Thomas Jensen (pictured), founder of Germany's Wacken Open Air festival, tells Billboard.com in a new interview that the event is continuing to survive despite its 26 mostly money-losing years.

Known as the largest heavy metal festival in the world, Wacken boasts attendance of 75,000 with minimal corporate sponsorship. In addition, the festival doesn't sell VIP access or upgrades and all purchases are for the three days without a single-day ticket option, something the organizers did away with a decade ago.

Even though this year's edition of Wacken Open Air sold out within 12 hours and tickets to the 2016 event are already long gone, Jensen says that the money will be used "to pay last year's debt," including salaries to the festival's paid crew of 2,500.

Jensen tells Billboard.com: "We're surviving. Every year is a challenge and this one will be hard — I don't think we'll lose money, but the profit will be eaten. But we have to get the best experience for the fan. If we're not doing that, we're not successful. It's as simple as that."

Wacken Open Air is held in Wacken, a farming village with 1,800 residents that sits 50 miles northwest of Hamburg.

Read more at Billboard.com.

Former MEGADETH guitarist Marty Friedman was interviewed for a recent episode of the "Metal Brainiac" podcast. You can now listen to the chat using the SoundCloud widget below. A couple of excerpts follow (transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET).

On whether his disillusionment with the American rock scene and his appreciation of the Japanese pop sounds coincided with his desire to leave MEGADETH:

Marty: "[They] absolutely [coincided], and it was definitely a big catalyst to leaving MEGADETH. Not that I disliked MEGADETH — I absolutely loved every second of it. We had done some great things, especially, I would say, in the first half of my ten years of being in the band. Then, after that, our popularity was still really good, but I found the music that we were making wasn't exciting me as much as the stuff I was listening to. And that's kind of dangerous, as an artist — you find yourself not excited about what you're doing, but excited about what you're listening to and what you're going out and buying. You feel like you're lying — you're going on stage and you're making money playing this stuff, but meanwhile, you're really excited about the stuff that these other artists are doing and these other artists are playing, and kind of wishing that you were in these other situations, regardless of whether you're gonna make more money or less money, or whatever — more fame or less fame. Just strictly on a basis of what you like. And you have to be honest with yourself as an artist and take risks. And so, I just thought, I'd rather be playing music I really, really enjoy than just collecting a paycheck."

On whether he had conversations with MEGADETH mainman Dave Mustaine about this before he left the band:

Marty: "Well, sadly, I didn't really talk about it much until I had already decided that I'm gonna go. Not that I was gonna go to Japan. I decided that I was gonna quit the band and, all of a sudden, I'm, like, 'I can't take it anymore,' and I politely explained that 'I'm just not being used here of my potential,' and, 'I really need to leave the band and reconsider what it is I wanna do musically.' Possibly had I explained things to them prior… No, I don't think it would have changed anything, come to think of it."

On whether he ever really considered returning to MEGADETH:

Marty: "Well, you know, for the longest time, it was just the farthest thing from my mind ever. Ever since I did [my latest solo album] 'Inferno', I've done so much stuff in America than I'd never done before, and then I started to really get a grip on what people think of MEGADETH's stuff that I did. And I hadn't forgotten about it, but I really had no idea the kind of impact and the enthusiasm that the fans of that era actually have. I'd never really seen it with my eyes, because I kind of got sidetracked so deeply in Japan… I was kind of oblivious about the long-lasting effect, and the record company [Prosthetic Records] definitely told me… Of course, it sounds like they're blowing sunshine up my skirt. But they really said, 'Look, some of the stuff that you did with them is really legendary, and people really have embraced it.' So doing promotion for 'Inferno', when that came out, I got to kind of feel firsthand that people really, really love it. And as much as I don't really like to think nostalgically and go back and redo something that I've already done, I considered it, and I would still consider something — like an event with MEGADETH — because the fans would love it; for no other reason than that. But the main 'but' is it has to be done absolutely right. It has to be done really cool, really special, really well, well organized. Everybody has to be on their shit. They have to look great, play great. The thing has to be conceptually great, the staff has to be really fantastic, and management, and it has to be done a thousand percent proper in every possible way, or it just is not gonna be done. When that day happens, I'll be happy to listen to an offer. And I'm still in great friendship with everybody in the band. So it could happen. But it's certainly not at the top of the list of anything that I would do. I would never consider it before, but I would consider it now, only because I'm hearing firsthand what people think in America of it."

Friedman has announced his first tour of North America since 2003 — a 21-date headlining run that will kick off September 9. The trek marks the latest leg of Friedman's ongoing world tour in support of "Inferno", his solo album that so far has seen him complete a record-breaking tour across South America; perform extensively in Europe with acts such as Gus G. (FIREWIND, OZZY OSBOURNE), ARCH ENEMY and KREATOR; and play multiple high-profile gigs in his current home country of Japan, including a set at the country's largest heavy metal festival, Loud Park.

The upcoming North American leg of the "Inferno" tour will start in Friedman's former hometown of Baltimore and wrap up on the West Coast on October 3. Support will be provided by the Los Angeles-based extreme shred outfit EXMORTUS.

KISS frontman Paul Stanley has announced the first-ever SOUL STATION concert at The Roxy in West Hollywood, California on September 11.

SOUL STATION is a ten-piece coalition of some of today's leading musicians paying tribute to an era of great soul music.

"We're living in a time of being fed canned pre-programmed backing tracks and lip syncing in place of the electricity and passion of real live R&B," says Stanley. "When I was a boy, before I ever saw THE WHO or LED ZEPPELIN, I saw Solomon Burke and Otis Redding. I saw THE TEMPTATIONS and all that music is part of the foundation of the music I've made. SOUL STATION is my chance to celebrate it for a night that's real, live and faithfully recreates the sound with the respect it deserves. Whether it's THE STYLISTICS, THE DRAMATICS, THE TEMPTATIONS, SMOKEY AND THE MIRACLES, BLUE MAGIC and on, these songs, arrangements and sound just blow you away." To clarify further, he adds: "I don't play guitar in the band and we don't do a single KISS song. That's not what this is about," Stanley continues. "It's magical to hear those songs played right and we're making magic."

Tickets for the show will go on sale beginning 3 p.m. ET/2 p.m. CT/noon PT today, August 4 at Ticketfly.com.

Stanley's legendary band members will include: Rafael "Hoffa" Moreira (guitar, backing vocals), Sean Hurley (bass), Alex Alessandroni (keyboards), Ely Rise (keyboards), Eric Singer (drums, backing vocals), Ramon Yslas (percussion), Nelson Beato (backing vocals), Crystal Starr (backing vocals) and Ayana Layli (backing vocals).

Video footage of a SLAYER fan from State Of The Fart performing a "hand-fart" version of the band's classic song "Raining Blood" at last weekend's Wacken Open Air in Wacken, Germany can be seen below.

Written by Jeff Hanneman and Kerry King for SLAYER's 1986 studio album "Reign In Blood", "Raining Blood" is one of only three tracks on the LP that is longer than three minutes, having a running time of four minutes and seventeen seconds. The song closes out "Reign In Blood" with a minute of rain sound effects.

Eccentric singer, songwriter and pianist Tori Amos covered "Raining Blood" on her 2001 album "Strange Little Girls". SLAYER guitarist Kerry King later admitted that he thought the singer's version of the track was odd. "It took me a minute and a half to find a spot in the song where I knew where she was," he said. "It's so weird. If she had never told us, we would have never known. You could have played it for us and we'd have been like, 'What's that?' Like a minute and a half through I heard a line and was like, 'I know where she's at!'"

Revocation continue their series of lyric videos with fellow guitarist and director/animator Nick Hipa. The latest, "The Blackest Reaches", is streaming below:

Revocation will hit the road for a headlining tour this September and October. The tour features support from Cannabis Corpse, Archspire, and Black Fast.

This is Revocation's first headlining tour following the release of their latest album, Deathless. The tour is scheduled to kick off on September 3rd in Providence, RI, with the opening acts joining the package the following day in New York, NY at the Studio at Webster Hall. On October 3rd, Boston fans will be treated to a huge hometown show to bring the run to a close.

Tour dates:

September
3 - Providence, RI - Dusk (Revocation only)
4 - New York, NY - Studio - Webster
5 - Lancaster, PA - Chameleon Club
6 - Baltimore, MD - Ottobar
8 - Cleveland, OH - Now That's Class
9 - Chicago, IL - Reggie's
10 - Columbus, OH - Ace Of Cups
11 - Cave In Rock, IL - Full Terror Assault Fest (no Archspire)
12 - Fort Worth, TX - Rail Club
13 - Houston, TX - Walter's On Washington
14 - Austin, TX - Dirty Dog
16 - Albuquerque, NM - Launchpad
17 - Phoenix, AZ - Club Red
18 - Los Angeles, CA - Mystery Box
19 - Oakland, CA - Oakland Metro
20 - Portland, OR - Analog Cafe
21 - Seattle, WA - Studio Seven
22 - Vancouver, BC - Red Room
24 - Edmonton, AB - Pawn Shop
25 - Regina, SK - Riddell Center
26 - Winnipeg, MB - Windsor Hotel
27 - Minneapolis, MN - Skyway Theater Studio B
29 - Detroit, MI - Shelter
30 - Toronto, ON - Hard Luck (no Cannabis Corpse)

October
1 - Ottawa, ON - Maverick's (no Cannabis Corpse)
2 - Quebec City, QC - La Source (no Cannabis Corpse)
3 - Boston, MA - Great Scott (no Cannabis Corpse)

 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The first taste of  Laurestine can now be experienced via the clip below. Hear a short excerpt of album closer "A Faint Whisper”, along with views of the artwork by Italian illustrator Daniele Serra (Shining SW).

(Photo: Dean Chooch Landry)

Phoenix, Arizona-based death metal quintet, Vehemence, is preparing to return to full-time deployment this year, with new tour dates coming together around their anxiously awaited first new album in over a decade, Forward Without Motion, confirmed for release through Battleground Records in October.

The outfit's first new album since Metal Blade Records' 2004-released Helping The World To See, Vehemence comes storming back to the death metal circuit with a crushing new album which will surely see the band regaining their traction within the scene after their time off the grid. Forward Without Motion is the culmination of years of hard work and the collective desire to write the best songs and capture the best performances.

Working on the songs off and on for several years between 2007 and 2011, Vehemence began a methodical, painstaking tracking process for the new record between 2012 and 2014, the album's guitars, bass, and vocals being recorded at the home studios of guitarists Bjorn Dannov and Kyle Moeller, with the drums being recorded at Villain Studios in Phoenix. When listening to Forward Without Motion, one will discover the refreshing sounds of a band creatively reborn and seasoned by experience. The album flows with a relentless, throat grabbing energy that never flags and begs for repeated spins. This cohesive power is nowhere more apparent than in the strength of the instrumental and vocal performances, which slash and hammer their way out of the speakers with a passion rarely found in the cold, mostly lifeless corpses that are most modern death metal recordings.

With the underground death metal scene now extremely primed for the re-arrival of Vehemence, Forward Without Motion will be released through Battleground records on October 23rd. The record will be issued on 180-gram black vinyl 2xLP in a gatefold package with a free download, limited to 300 copies, as well as a digipak CD version and all digital platforms. The band and label have proudly issued Forward Without Motion's tracklisting and cover art by Hal Rotter/Rotting Graphics (Atriarch, Inherit Disease, Barghest).

An official video for the LP's opening track, "I Don't Want To Look Inside," will be issued alongside CD, LP and digital pre-orders on August 23rd.

Forward Without Motion tracklisting:

“I Don't Want To Look Inside”
“Imagining The Loss”
“Murdered By The Earth”
“Jim The Prophet”
“In The Shadows We Dwell”
“A Dark Figure In The Distance”
“It's All My Fault”
“She Fucks Like She's Alive”
“There Are So Many Reasons To Give Up On Religion”

Vehemence has also announced a home-area record release show for Forward Without Motion, set to take place Saturday, October 24th, one day after the record's official release. The free gig will see the band headlining Yucca Tap Room in Tempe, Arizona, with support from labelmates Lago, as well as Sorrower and Through The Earth. Additional regional and widespread tour actions from the band will continue to be announced through the coming months.

Quebec metalcore band Cardinals Prid has announced that they will release their second EP, Those People Will Never Die, on September 4th via New Damage Records worldwide. Recorded by Carson Slovak and Grant McFarland at Atrium Audio in Lancaster, PA (August Burns Red, Texas in July), Those People Will Never Die follows Cardinals Pride’s 2012 breakout EP, Priorities. In anticipation of their latest EP, the band has just unveiled a lyric video for the single “Refracted” (see below).
 
Those People Will Never Die will be available to pre-order via New Damage Records on Friday August 7th. Fans who take advantage of the pre-order will receive “Refracted” as an instant grat track.

Established in 2010 in Quebec City, QC, Cardinals Pride is comprised of Paré, Mathieu Guay (vocals), Didier Archambault (guitar), Nicolas Doiron (guitar), Antoine McNulty-LaSalle (bass) and Nicolas Sénéchal (drums). Since the release of their EP Priorities in 2012, the 6-piece have played over 140 shows and along the way have built a name for themselves as one of Canada’s best new metalcore acts. Their latest EP, Those People Will Never Die will be the bands first release with New Damage Records.
 
“We are beyond excited to join the New Damage Records family,” Paré adds. “They are incredibly hardworking people and it feels good to have the support of such a great team. Also, their roster is filled with amazing bands and it's a nice feeling to see our name next to theirs. We are looking forward to seeing where this partnership will lead us.”

Those People Will Never Die tracklisting:

“I’m Alright”
“Bearers”
“Boundaries”
“Refracted”
“Centuries Apart”
 
“Refracted” lyric video:

 
In support of their latest EP, Cardinals Pride has just announced a mini-tour for Ontario and Quebec with Hamilton’s Prophets, which kicks off on September 3rd. Cardinals Pride will also appear at this year’s Envol et Macadam and KOI Festivals.  
 
Canadian tour dates with Prophets:

September
3 - Hamilton, ON - Doors Pub *
4 - Toronto, ON - Sneaky Dee’s (Homesick)
5 - St. Catharines, ON - Detour Music Hall
7 - London, ON - The APK
8 - Ottawa, ON - Café Dekcuf
9 - Montreal, QC - TBA
11 - Quebec City, QC - Envol et Macadam Festival
23 - Saint-Hyacinthe, QC - L’Anti *
24 - Kingston, ON - Overtime *
25 - Sarnia, ON - Trinity Lounge *
26 - Kitchener, ON - KOI Music Festival

* - no Prophets

(Photo: Kurt Cuffy)

Cinematic progressive metal/film nerds Opensight have revealed the final details for the launch gig for their upcoming EP, Ulterior Motives.

The concert, in conjunction with Chaos Theory Music, will take place on September 4th at The Black Heart in Camden, London. Headliners are the post-metal soundscapes of Tacoma Narrows Bridge Disaster (who are launching their third album), and opening the show are the hotly-tipped progressive metal act Sumer.

More details here. Tickets are available here.

Ulterior Motives tracklisting:

“Alibi”
“The Chase”
“Vanishing Point”
“Ulterior Motif”
“Antagonist”

Trailer:

The release date for physical and digital versions is set for September 4.

Opensight are:

Ivan David Amaya - vocals/guitars
Genia Penksik - guitars
Danni Stanner - bass
Redd Reddington - drums

 

In the second of a three-part playthrough video series of fan requested singles from their latest album, Eye Of Providence, The Agonist guitarists Paco Jobin and Chris Kells play "I Endeavor”.

In the first clip from GuitarWorld.com, guitarists Danny Marino and Paco Jobin take listeners through "A Necessary Evil”:

The Agonist is gearing up for their heavily anticipated performance at the Heavy Montreal Festival in Montreal this weekend just before joining Epica and Eluveitie on September 8th.

The Agonist released Eye Of Providence back in February via Century Media Records.

 

 

Eye of Providence tracklisting:

"Gates Of Horn And Ivory"
"My Witness, Your Victim"
"Danse Macabre"
"I Endeavor"
"Faceless Messenger"
"Perpetual Notion"
"A Necessary Evil"
"Architects Hallucinate"
"Disconnect Me"
"The Perfect Embodiment"
"A Gentle Disease"
"Follow The Crossed Line"
"As Above, So Below"

"A Gentle Disease” video:

"My Witness, Your Victim” video:

"Gates Of Horn And Ivory" video:

Trailer:

(Photo: Pazit Perez)

After months of silence, Swedish death metal tyrants Vampire strike with the release the 4-track mini LP entitled Cimmerian Shade.

Out September 25th, Cimmerian Shade will be released digitally as well as on 10" vinyl via Century Media Records. Offering ghoulish, horror-ridden Nordic death metal, Vampire gets sinister with South American thrash metal parts and an omnipresent eldritch atmosphere. Cimmerian Shade also reveals their departure into unconquered shores by adding an epic touch to the music, a new facet in the essential Vampire sound.

Pre-orders for Cimmerian Shade begin August 28th, and limited edition silver and gold vinyl versions will also be available. Both are limited to 100 copies only and available at CM Distro Europe (golden vinyl) and CM Distro US (silver vinyl) exclusively.

The beautifully detailed cover artwork was done by the very talented Dilek Baykara.

Cimmerian Shade tracklisting:

Side A
“Pyre Of The Harvest Queen” *
“Sleeper In The Deep” (instrumental)

Side B
“Night Hunter”
“Hexahedron”

*from the Whispers Through The Black Veil LP-only compilation (Wyrd War, 2014)

Vampire lineup:

Hand of Doom: Vocals
Black String: Guitars
Command: Electric Bass
Sepulchral Condor: Guitars
Abysmal Condor: Battery

Davey Suicide has released the music video for “The Hole Is Where The Heart Is”, from the sophomore album World Wide Suicide, which is available now on iTunes. The video was directed and edited by Drayven Davidson.

“We all have to die a few times inside to realize what it is to live... Until you've felt the sting of the loss, you can't appreciate the glory of winning or having what you love again.” - Davey Suicide

Catch Davey Suicide in August on The Dirty Rotten Road To Dirt Fest:

August
5 - Club X - Salt Lake City, UT
6 - Roxy Theater - Denver, CO
7 - Vaudeville Mews - Des Moines, IA
8 - Dirt Fest - Birch Run, MI (with Hellyeah, Coal Chamber, Fear Factory, and more)

"World Wide Suicide" video:

Conceived in 2013, Stahlsarg immediately took to the road to travel through the UK and Europe sharing their blackened death metal sound. Inspired by the world wars, their lyrics boldly and non-politically storify poignant moments of military history against a theatrical backdrop and infectious noise. Air time includes Bloodstock Radio, Total Rock Radio, ICR, BRFM and Top Rock Radio amongst others.

 
2014 saw such milestones as supporting pioneers of Norwegian black metal, Mayhem, on their sole UK date in London, storming Belgium with Italian black metallers Handful Of Hate and joining black metal band Excruciate 666 in France. Stahlsarg were also honoured to grace the Sophie Lancaster stage at Bloodstock 2014, warming up the crowd for Satan. No strangers to the festival scene, Stahlsarg also enjoyed Beermageddon Festival in Birmingham and Belgium’s No Compromise Metal Festival alongside headliner Crystal Viper.
 
Early 2015 Stahlsarg proudly created Stahlsarg Beer – handcrafted in association with The Dove Brewery, Ipswich and this was followed by a headline show in Camden, London. The band played a roaring set in Germany at Wonnemond Festival in May, sharing the stage with the German black metal legends Endstille. Stahlsarg attracted the attention of Randall amplification and are now proud to be a part of their artist roster.
 
Stahlsarg's debut album, Comrades In Death, was recorded with Danny B. Takoma (Criminal, Napalm Death) of HVR studios, due for release internationally via the Danish label Mighty Music on October 23rd. The release will coincide with their five date Halloween tour of the UK supporting Endstille.
 
With such a busy year ahead, including gigs, beers and the album, Stahlsarg are dead set on continuing to rise from the trenches and cross the parapet where ever it may lead. Release party in Copenhagen at Zeppelin Bar on October 23rd where Stahlsarg will be hosting the evening.

Tracklisting:

“Razed To The Ground”
“Seelow Heights”
“From Factory To Fortress Of Rubble And Iron”
“Damocles XIII”
“Wolves Of The Sea”
“Under The Shadow Of The Silver Runes”
“Castle Wewelsburg”
“Frostbite Division”
“In The City Of Trapped Souls”

“Frostbite Division” video:

Stahlsarg are :
 
Vocals & Guitars – Eissturm
Guitars – Krieg
Bass – Destruction
Drums – Eisenfaust

Belgium's epic black metallers Saille have released a new video for “Aklo”, a track taken from their acclaimed and most recent album Eldritch, which was released via Code666 Records in November 2014. The video itself was shot under the auspices of Sam Velghe and recorded last May.

Sam Velghe comments, "As always I try to visualise the atmosphere and feel of a certain song in my videos. A song like “Aklo” wants to be recorded and edited in a basic, raw way without the use of tripods, sliders or steadycam. The song dynamics are reflected in the energetic movement of the band members and the backlight enhances the dark and emphasises the song. The additional slow motion parts contribute to the mystery of “Aklo” and the story behind the lyrics. This video is all about performance, but in different way than Saille is usually seen, with light show and bigger stages. This is pure, raw and dark, as the song, as it should be."

Eldritch is the third full length album the band have released via Code666 Records and undoubtedly their most successful. Saille have been touring all across Europe over this last six months and show no signs of stopping having scheduled several festival appearances lined up over the coming months which can be seen below.

August
9 - Bloodstock Open Air - UK
22 - Tattoofest - Netherlands
29 - Headbangers Desaster Fest - Austria

September
5 - Occultfest - Netherlands
12 - Solarfall Fest - Netherlands

March
27 - Dark Easter Metal Meeting - Germany

Saille's increasing number of international shows brought them to Deserfest London last year. Steve Tefis of Old Empire Booking & Management was impressed by their performance and offered a collaboration deal.

Steve Tefis comments, "Saille is one of the bands that know how to deliver. They're hard-working, modest and nice to have some beers with. But most of all their music and performance are noteworthy and impeccable. This quality and attitude matches the ideals we have here at Old Empire, so it was more than logical to do business with this band".

Saille founder Dries Gaerdelen adds, "Collaborating with Old Empire Management is the next step for Saille, and it feels like the right thing to do. Steve and Josh are a great team and their advice and knowledge should help us develop and spread our epic black metal!"

Chasta of the San Francisco, California radio station 107.7 The Bone spoke with METALLICA bassist Robert Trujillo at this past weekend's Lollapalooza festival in Chicago. You can now watch the chat below.

Asked where his his infamous "crab walk" came from, Trujillo said: "That came from [playing with BLACK SABBATH singer] Ozzy [Osbourne]. I was on tour… It was, like, the first or second show… I think it was actually the second show that I ever did with him, in Las Vegas, I remember… And we were playing [BLACK SABBATH's] 'Sweet Leaf', and he was going up to everybody and getting in our faces — in a good way — and challenging us in different ways, with stage movements and stuff. So I just started doing this weird sumo [kind of thing]… People started calling it the 'crab walk,' so I guess we'll roll with that… I threw that at [Ozzy], and he did it with me, and I started laughing; it was so much fun. And we've been doing it ever since… but not together anymore. Hopefully he's still doing it. I don't know."

Regarding what it was like playing with Ozzy, Trujillo said: "[Playing with] Ozzy was a dream come true. We all grew up with BLACK SABBATH. I mean, there's no secret there. Any of us, any of the members of any band I've ever been in, or anyone I've ever worked with. I still play BLACK SABBATH songs. I jam with my buddies in MASS MENTAL and we play 'War Pigs', we play… 'Fairies Wear Boots'… and we love it, man, I'll tell you… 'till this day. So, SABBATH is always some of the best music ever. And the reason is because it grooves, it's funky, it's heavy, it's got lots of great changes, twists and turns. It can be fast, it can [have] just nice, slow, powerful riffs. And the melodies are really, really important, too — they're beautiful. So playing with him was a dream come true. I was in a party band in the early '80s and we played SABBATH and Ozzy songs, as well as RUSH and VAN HALEN… all that kinds of stuff. So playing with him, again, was, like, 'Wow! Is this reality?' And that's part of why I was laughing — because I'm doing this 'crab walk,' and I've got Ozzy, the guy that I didn't think was a reality… He's godlike to me; he's untouchable. There he is doing the 'crab walk.'"

Guitarist Andreas Kisser of Brazilian/American metallers SEPULTURA 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 some of the well-known singers who tried out for SEPULTURA after Max Cavalera left the band in December 1996:

"[TESTAMENT's] Chuck Billy, he [laid down his vocals over] the [demo version of a then-new SEPULTURA song called] 'Choke' … Because we sent the instrumental [version] of a new song [to prospective singers to record their vocals over]. We didn't want anyone to sing 'Roots [Bloody Roots]' or 'Refuse/Resist', because we didn't want a clone. We wanted somebody to bring new ideas, to bring SEPULTURA to a different path, to a different level. And Chuck Billy, he did… He used more of the guttural [vocal style on his audition tape]. And it works. Because, recently, we did a 'Metal Allegiance' jam at NAMM in Los Angeles, and we played some SEPULTURA stuff with Chuck Billy singing, and it was great, man — it was great. So he did a great job. But, you know, he's Chuck Billy; he's TESTAMENT. We wanted somebody new."

[A two-minute snippet of Chuck Billy's SEPULTURA audition tape can be streamed in the YouTube clip below.]

On how close SEPULTURA came to hiring MERAUDER's Jorge Rosado as Max Cavalera's replacement:

"Dude, that was close, but… [Jorge] came down to Brazil. It was great. I mean, he's really a great singer [with] a great voice. But it's not only technical [things that you have to keep in mind], when you're looking for somebody to be in the band. I mean, you have to look for the whole package. You have to survive with this guy on the road, on the same bus, airports. I mean, [somebody who is] professional. You know — that kind of stuff. I'm not saying he was unprofessional, but he was very hyper. And we in SEPULTURA, we're very calm. It was insane, 'cause he was showing us his videos, and we were in the small room in the studio where we were practicing, and he was jumping from place to place; he couldn't stay in one place sitting down. And for us, it was a little bit [overwhelming]. [We were, like], 'Calm down, man.' [Laughs]"

On the hardships SEPULTURA faced immediately after the split with Max Cavalera:

"It is a propaganda type of feeling, because when Max left, I mean, I remember [the U.K. edition of] 'Headbanger's Ball' with [host] Vanessa [Warwick]. It happened at the same time where 'Headbanger's Ball' was playing, and then she read Max's letter [which he wrote from] a very victimized position, [claiming] that we were really the bad boys, and we had this conspiracy [against him]… that kind of stuff. We chose not to go and respond to everything he was saying, because time proved that every different interview [Max gave after that] was a different story, and it was very confusing, very chaotic. And we gave our version: we fired our manager, and our manager contracts were [about the expire]. We didn't have the choice to continue, like any other professional, with the contract that we had, and Max chose to leave. I mean, I think he didn't have any choice. I mean, he had a family and everything, and he had the proposition, really, to go ahead and do a solo career and everything. But that's what really happened. And we suffered a lot of the bombardment, from the press, from our own label that didn't believe in [current SEPULTURA singer] Derrick [Green]. They wanted another Max there — to continue the same type of… I mean, that's so stupid. That doesn't exist for SEPULTURA."

Audio snippets of two new METAL CHURCH demo tracks, "Find Your Way" and "Killing Your Time", are available in the YouTube clip below. Both songs will be included on METAL CHURCH's forthcoming album, to be released in the fall via Rat Pak Records. The tracks feature the lineup of Mike Howe (vocals), Kurdt Vanderhoof (guitar), Jeff Plate (drums), Steve Unger (bass) and Rick Van Zandt (lead guitar).

Howe, who fronted METAL CHURCH from 1988 until 1994, officially rejoined the band in April.

In the summer of 2014, METAL CHURCH suddenly found themselves in need of a new singer. As fate would have it, guitarist Kurdt Vanderhoof was already in talks with Mike for another project that he was working on with SAXON drummer Nigel Glockler, so he decided to ask Mike to rejoin METAL CHURCH. Mike agreed, but true to form, didn't want to make it official until he knew for sure that the integrity of the new material was there.

Said Mike: "I didn't want to come back to METAL CHURCH just for nostalgia. It had to be for the right reasons. It had to be the best stuff we've ever written together or it just wouldn't be worth it to anyone, especially the fans."

Soon after, Kurdt and Mike began exchanging ideas and writing new material with the band. The end result sounds like "classic Mike Howe-era METAL CHURCH," according to Vanderhoof. "It's both heavy and melodic. Mike sounds the same as he did 20 years ago.

He addws: "This is going to be truly epic!!"

Drummer Jeff Plate commentws: "Mike Howe is the ONLY singer for METAL CHURCH. He has a reputation of complete honor and respect. We can now take METAL CHURCH to the next level!"

Howe originally joined METAL CHURCH in the late '80s and released three albums with the band: "Blessing In Disguise" (1989), "The Human Factor" (1991) and "Hanging In The Balance" (1994). Mike was also the face of popular music videos "Date With Poverty" and "Badlands" that aired during MTV's heyday.

METAL CHURCH 2015 is:

Mike Howe (vocals)Kurdt Vanderhoof (guitar)Jeff Plate (drums)Steve Unger (bass)Rick VanZandt (guitar)

Finnish metallers CHILDREN OF BODOM will release their ninth studio album, "I Worship Chaos", worldwide on October 2 via Nuclear Blast. The artwork for the CD was created by Finnish artist Tuomas Korpi and can be seen below.

The third trailer for "I Worship Chaos", in which the CHILDREN OF BODOM members talk about the concept behind the lyrics for the new album, 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. Comments CHILDREN OF BODOM guitarist/vocalist Alexi Laiho: "As much fun (but most importantly raw, literally bloody knuckled hard work) it has been making it, I'm more than happy and even more anxious to share this chaos with the rest of the world. So people, put your shades and helmets on, it will get very dark and it might hurt, in a perfect CHILDREN OF BODOM fashion, of course!" "I Worship Chaos" track listing:

01. IHurt02. My Bodom (I Am The Only One)03. Morrigan04. Horns05. Prayer For The Afflicted06. I Worship Chaos07. Hold Your Tongue08. Suicide Bomber09. All for Nothing10. Widdershins

Bonus tracks (digibook only):

11. Mistress Of Taboo (PLASMATICS cover)12. Danger Zone (KENNY LOGGINS cover)13. Black Winter Day (AMORPHIS cover)

The song "Morrigan" can be streamed below.

CHILDREN OF BODOM has recruited Antti Wirman, the younger brother of the band's keyboardist Janne Wirman, to handle second-guitar duties for their upcoming shows.

Antti, who has been a member of Janne's band WARMEN since 2001, made his live debut with CHILDREN OF BODOM on May 30 when the group played a surprise six-song set at Nosturi in Helsinki, Finland.

"We wanted to go with someone close to the band we can count on and who can nail these songs. Antti was the obvious choice," said Janne.

Antti played with CHILDREN OF BODOM through the band's appearance at the Kuopio RockCock festival on August 1. The group will then decide what to do about the second-guitarist position on a more permanent basis.

CHILDREN OF BODOM's first official concert with Antti took place on June 4 at the Sweden Rock Festival in Sölvesborg, Sweden.

CHILDREN OF BODOM in May announced the departure of the band's guitarist of the past decade, Roope Latvala.

Poznań, Poland-based death metallers, In Twilight’s Embrace, are streaming their new track “Dystopian”, the first song from The Grim Muse and a harbinger of the coming storm. Hear the track below.

By far, being one of the most intense hymns in the entire lifespan of In Twilight's Embrace, “Dystopian” offers an accurate representation of what the new album stands for both music and lyrics-wise. It's three minutes of pure death metal earthquake, untamed yet haunting with outbursts of dismal melody. As all the other songs on The Grim Muse, this one manifests the overall feeling of disillusion, doubt and departure from modern paradigm of life.

A follow-up to 2011's Slaves To Martyrdom, The Grim Muse will be released as a classic jewelcase CD on September 15th via Arachnophobia Records. If you're into Dissection or early At The Gates, you should definitely check this one out.

“Dystopian”:

(Photo: Erik Witsoe Photography)

Czech Republic-based metallers, Sebastien, will release their new studio album, Dark Chambers Of Deja Vu, on September 25th via Pride & Joy Music, distributed worldwide via Edel. This album is the second release from the band and features guest performances by Tony Martin, Zak Stevens, Aylin Giménez and Roland Grapow amongst others.

An instrumental version of the track “Crucifixion Of The Heart” is currently being used as background music for the official Wacken 2016 trailer (see below).

The limited edition first pressing of the album includes two live bonus tracks: “Dorian” (feat. Roland Grapow) and the Black Sabbath classic “Headless Cross” (feat. Tony Martin on vocals).

Dark Chambers Of Deja Vu was produced by Roland Grapow (Masterplan, ex-Helloween) and recorded in Grapow Studios, Slovakia.

On September 18, Frontiers Music Srl will release "All Our Yesterdays", the tenth studio album from BLACKMORE'S NIGHT, the renaissance-inspired rock band formed by Ritchie Blackmore and his wife Candice Night.

The "All Our Yesterdays" track "Moonlight Shadow" — a cover of the Mike Oldfield song — can be streamed below.

"All Our Yesterdays" will be released on a variety of formats: CD, CD/DVD and digital versions on September 18 and in LP and box set configurations on October 16. Pre-orders for the CD and CD/DVD versions are available on Amazon.com.

* CD/DVD Deluxe edition includes the full album plus a DVD with music videos for "All Our Yesterdays" and "Will O' The Wisp", plus an extensive interview with Ritchie Blackmore and Candice Night on the making of the new album

* 2LP vinyl edition with a gatefold sleeve

* Box Set Limited Collector's edition includes CD/DVD deluxe edition, 2LP, tshirt (L size ONLY), poster, lithograph BLACKMORE'S NIGHT vocalist and multi-instrumentalist Candice Night says: "There's a theme to 'All Our Yesterdays'' chosen songs that focuses on the attitude of living in the present, and looking toward the future, because we are, indeed, enriched by our past. My main theme and inspiration has always been nature and folklore from around the world."

Candice Night and Ritchie Blackmore's lives and creative journeys have taken them through different characters and songs from a variety of times in history. That is part of the attitude in the song "Where Are We Going from Here", about a traveling minstrel's journey through life and age.

The title track (and also the first single and video), "All Our Yesterdays", echoes the sounds of Candice's Russian roots, while a new song written by Germany's George Hesse is an old-style, fiddle-driven instrumental with the Welsh title "Allan yn y Fan" (meaning "Out There"). Ritchie's heritage includes family from Wales.

The album also includes stunning instrumentals: the acoustic guitar piece "Queen's Lament" and the dramatic "The Darker Shade of Black" that spotlights violin and guitar.

Elsewhere on the recording, "Earth Wind and Sky" is a delicate ode to nature. "The Other Side", a latter-day folk dance joins two jigs that Candice sings: "Coming Home" and the supernatural-themed "Will o' the Wisp".

"All Our Yesterdays" gets further inspiration from Candice and Ritchie's home town, where they take part in community folk nights during which the neighbours share guitars and songs, and sing melodies that have come from a variety of times in their own history. That's how they fell in love with songs of various radio formats of years gone by. The album includes the Linda Ronstadt hit "Long Long Time" (penned by Gary White); the Mike Oldfield song "Moonlight Shadow"; and an inspiring Maypole Dance treatment of Sonny & Cher's "I Got You Babe".

BLACKMORE'S NIGHT is a true musical and spiritual collaboration between vocalist/multi-instrumentalist Candice Night and her husband, legendary guitarist Ritchie Blackmore. The two met in 1989 when DEEP PURPLE challenged Candice's then-radio station to a charity soccer match. In 1993 she sang on RAINBOW's "Difficult To Cure" tour. They co-wrote four songs for RAINBOW's "Stranger In Us All" and in 1997 they formed BLACKMORE'S NIGHT; they continue to play Faire Festivals all over the world.

BLACKMORE'S NIGHT is:

* Ritchie Blackmore - electric/acoustic guitars, mandola, hurdy gurdy, nickelharpe* Candice Night - vocals, chanter, cornamuse, shawms, rauschpfeife* Bard David of Larchmont - keyboards* Earl Grey of Chimay - Bass and rhythm guitar* Lady Lynn - harmony vocals, shawm, flute, recorder* Troubadour of Aberdeen - drums