Florida-based extreme metallers HATE ETERNAL will release their sixth full-length album, "Infernus", on August 24 via Season Of Mist. The CD was recorded at HATE ETERNAL founder and principal member Erik Rutan's (guitar, vocals) Mana Recording Studio (CANNIBAL CORPSE, MOUNTAIN GOATS, GOATWHORE) in St. Petersburg, Florida. The cover artwork was created by renowned artist Eliran Kantor, who has previously worked with TESTAMENT, ICED EARTH and SODOM, among many others.

The "Infernus" title track can be streamed using the SoundCloud widget below.

"Infernus" track listing:

01. Locust Swarm02. The Stygian Deep03. Pathogenic Apathy04. La Tempestad05. Infernus06. The Chosen One07. Zealot, Crusader Of War08. Order Of The Arcane Scripture09. Chaos Theory10. O' Majestic Being, Hear My Call

"Infernus" can be pre-ordered at this location.

HATE ETERNAL last year announced the addition of drummer Chason Westmoreland to the group's ranks. The native of Las Vegas, Nevada has been playing drums since the tender age of five and has toured with such renowned acts as FALLUJAH, BURNING THE MASSES, ENFOLD DARKNESS and OCEANO.

Rutan commented on Westmoreland joining the band: "Chason is such an amazing talent and a very determined guy. He came down to try out in June [2014] and literally blew us away! We bonded instantly musically and personally, and JJ and I knew he was the right guy and drummer for HATE ETERNAL. Chason has a high motor, hits hard, plays fast and is a very diverse and dynamic player.

"The drums on this album have a very primal and visceral feel to them and I think he did a tremendous job on the recording."

Westmoreland stated about his contribution to the new album: "The new material is very challenging and has a lot going on. I put everything I had into this album and I'm very excited about the results. "

Los Angeles glam-metal jokesters STEEL PANTHER were joined by country singer Billy Ray Cyrus and his pop-superstar daughter Miley Cyrus on stage last night (Monday, August 3) at at the historic House Of Blues in West Hollywood, California to perform a cover version of DEF LEPPARD's "Pour Some Sugar On Me". Check out fan-filmed video footage below.

Miley reportedly didn't plan on performing, but changed her mind when the band prodded her from the stage, encouraging the crowd to chant, "Miley sing!" over and over again.

The House Of Blues on the Sunset Strip will close its doors for good after last night's concert. The venue, which first opened in 1994, will be demolished, and the area will instead house a hotel, condo, rentals and a different entertainment venue.

KNBC spoke to the House of Blues representatives who say they may open another location in Downtown Los Angeles or in Hollywood.

"It's an honor and a privilege to play the final show at a venue with so much rock and roll history!" said STEEL PANTHER lead singer Michael Starr. "When they tear the place down, I hope all our sex toys that have gone missing backstage over the years are found," he added. House Of Blues has become a musical mainstay in Los Angeles, hosting acts such as Prince, Britney Spears, AEROSMITH and Tony Bennett, among many others.

In their early years, STEEL PANTHER performed regularly on Monday nights at House Of Blues, becoming a hit among Hollywood's elite, including Steven Tyler, Vince Vaughn, Tom Morello, Kelly Clarkson, Avril Lavigne, Jessica Simpson and Jeremy Piven, who would join the band on stage to sing, dance, and rock out. STEEL PANTHER recently returned home after sold-out headlining tours in the U.S., U.K., and South America.

Platinum selling metal act Drowning Pool has announced a worldwide deal with eOne Music and plans to release a new LP next year.

"We are truly honored to be part of the eOne family," says the band. "We would like to thank eOne for not only their support, but also for allowing us the autonomy to make the record we envision."

The yet to be titled new record will be the band's follow up to Resilience, released in 2013. The band is currently in the studio with renowned producer Jason Suecof (Deicide, Death Angel) and will wrap production this fall.

"We are excited to welcome Drowning Pool to the growing roster of bands at eOne," says eOne VP of Metal/Rock Scott Givens. "I'm personally looking forward to unleashing the band's new single later this year."

Drowning Pool have beaten the darkness and now they celebrate life on life’s terms. The core trio of C.J. Pierce (guitar), Stevie Benton (bass) and Mike Luce (drums) mine hardship, struggle and disappointment to emerge victorious each time, crafting empowering hard rock anthems. Drowning Pool songs conjure emotions that deeply connect with those who persevere against the odds and sacrifice to survive, and their music transcends boundaries of race, class and lifestyle as well, resonating with people from all walks of life who look to music to get them through life’s challenges.

Jason Moreno’s powerful vocals enabled him to quickly master Drowning Pool’s dense catalog when he became the band’s frontman in 2012. From his reverent delivery of the late Dave Williams mosh-pit ready lyrics in the ubiquitous signature hit “Bodies”, to his powerful take on Top 5 Active Rock hits like “Step Up” from Desensitized (2004), “37 Stitches” from Full Circle (2007), and “Feel Like I Do” (Drowning Pool, 2010).

Underground Symphony has announced a deal with Arca Hadian for their debut album release. The Italian band, founded by guitar player Federico Di Pane and singer Carlo Faraci (ex-Odyssea), plays melodic power metal with symphonic arrangements and prog influecences. The Prophecy was mixed and mastered by Simone Mularoni at Domination Sounds Studio (DGM, Secret Sphere, etc) and is anticipated by the single “Waiting For The Light”. The track is streaming below.

The Arca Hadian debut album is a masterpiece for fans of Masterplan, Avantasia and Allen / Lande project and it will be available on September 15th via Underground Symphony Records in deluxe digipak edition.

The Prophecy tracklisting:

“Intro”
“Waiting For The Light”
“Killing Dreams”
“Remembering The Savage Fury”
“The Lord Of Sacrifice”
“Future In My Mind”
“Resistance”
“The Prophecy Of Victory”
“Words To You”
“A New Beginning”
“Dreamer’s Ride”
“Rising Force” (Malmsteen Cover)

“Waiting For The Light”:

 

Greek death metal quintet Mortal Torment, has recently revealed full details of their forthcoming studio album, Cleaver Redemption.

"The new album is going to sound a lot heavier, groovier and more brutal at the same time when compared to anything we've done before," states vocalist Giannis Nakos. "We've put a lot of work into it and the result is massive!"

Featuring album art by Remedy Art (Keep Of Kalessin, The Crown, Uncleansed), Cleaver Redemption was recorded at Bree Studio in Athens, Greece. The tracklisting is as follows:

"Epileptic Defecation"
"Tender/Dismember" 
"A Million Skulls To Bludgeon"
"Cleaver Redemption"
"Sculpting The Dead"
"Necropitogyron"
"Masturbating The Deranged"
"Whorified"
"Fucked In The Eye Socket And Left To Die"
"Hymn To The Rotten"

Cleaver Redemption is set for release October 16th via Gore House Productions as CD and Digital.

 

Arte conducted an interview with QUEENSRŸCHE drummer Scott Rockenfield and singer Todd La Torre at this year's edition of the Wacken Open Air festival, which is taking place this weekend in Wacken, Germany. You can now watch the chat below. A couple of excerpts follow (transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET).

On QUEENSRŸCHE's current linup:

Scott: "In the last three years, we went through some great changes in the band. We had to make a transition and do some things for the band to get QUEENSRŸCHE up on top and making the music that is important to QUEENSRŸCHE and to the QUEENSRŸCHE. And that transition involved us hooking up with our good buddy Todd. Todd's been in the band now for over three years with us. And we have a chemistry together. We needed to find somebody that could work with us and support the QUEENSRŸCHE legacy and then make new music with us."

Todd: "I've become very close with everyone in the band. And I was a huge fan of QUEENSRŸCHE since I was [in my] early teens. So I understand both sides — one, being in the band now; and two, from a fan's perspective. There's just been kind of a new energy that the band seems to have. That's what a lot of the fans seem to say, and our peers, and even the three original guys in the band. So, you know, we're just having a great time, and I'm just doing the best that I can for the guys in the band and the fans first."

Scott: "QUEENSRŸCHE is back making music that we wanna make, and the fans are enjoying it. And we're just gonna keep doing it. We have a new record that's done right now. It's coming out in the next couple of months. And we're just gonna keep supporting that around the world, playing shows and having fun."

On QUEENSRŸCHE's new album, "Condition Hüman", which will be released on October 2 via Century Media:

"There's a diversity on the album that I think really appeals to the old, the true QUEENSRŸCHE fans from the [first] EP days, even to new, current fans that the band is getting, but it still maintains the continuity of the QUEENSRŸCHE sound, but with a fresh approach today, which is a tricky thing — to have a band like QUEENSRŸCHE, with that many years behind them, to create music that still sounds rooted, with the dynamics and the writing style that the band has, while also sounding current. And I think that this album really does reflect that. And so we're just really excited for the fans to hear the new release coming up."

"Condition Hüman" was recorded in part at at Uberbeatz Studio in Washington with producer Chris "Zeuss" Harris, who has previously worked with ROB ZOMBIE, HATEBREED, SOULFLY and SHADOWS FALL.

BUSH frontman Gavin Rossdale and NO DOUBT singer Gwen Stefani have confirmed that they are heading for divorce after 13 years of marriage. According to TMZ.com, Gwen cites irreconcilable differences in her divorce petition, and is asking for joint custody of the couple's 3 kids — 9-year-old Kingston, 6-year-old Zuma and 1-year-old Apollo.

The couple reportedly did not have a prenuptial agreement, so the 50/50 California community property rule will be used in determining the divorce.

Stefani's is worth an estimated $80 million, while Rossdale's estimated worth is $35 million. Stefani also reportedly sought to deny Rossdale spousal support in her filing.

The couple has since issued a statement to People magazine. It reads as follows: "While the two of us have come to the mutual decision that we will no longer be partners in marriage, we remain partners in parenthood and are committed to jointly raising our three sons in a happy and healthy environment. To that end, we respectfully request privacy from the media during this time."

Rossdale and Stefani tied the knot in 2002 after six years of dating. They met in 1995 when BUSH was headlining a tour in support of the band's debut album, "Sixteen Stone", with NO DOUBT as the support act.

This year's edition of the Wacken Open Air festival in Wacken, Germany was full of extremes: 145 liters of rain per square meter in five days, knee-deep puddles of mud and over 160 hours of live metal from over 30 nations. Now there is another extreme: next year's edition of Wacken Open Air, which will take place August 4-6, 2016, is already sold out — marking the eleventh time in a row that all tickets to the event have been snapped up.

The first 45,000 tickets to Wacken Open Air 2016 were sold within two hours after the pre-sale started.

"It's been a rough week for the whole Wacken family," said Thomas Jensen, one of the promoters of the Wacken Open Air. "Maybe at other festivals people would have left. But everyone — fans, crew, residents — kept strong and moved together, since for all of us Wacken is more than just a music festival. Being sold out once again maybe is the biggest thank you we ever received."

Because of the enormous request and the high number of orders, the promoters assume that there will be some double bookings and cancelations because of missed due dates for payment. There will be an update as soon as all the orders are checked and tickets are still available.

The 75,000 metalheads that already have a ticket can look forward to the following bands performing at Wacken Open Air 2016:

BLIND GUARDIAN
MINISTRY
STEEL PANTHER
ELUVEITIE
DRAGONFORCE
CALLEJON
AXEL RUDI PELL
LEGION OF THE DAMNED
ORDEN OGAN
ORPHANED LAND
BORKNAGAR
ESKIMO CALLBOY
HENRY ROLLINS (spoken word)
THERION
UNISONIC
KYLESA
PYOGENESIS

More acts for the 2016 edition of Wacken Open Air will be announced in September 2015 at the Hamburg Metal Dayz in Hamburger Markthalle.

SLIPKNOT was forced to walk off stage several songs into its show in Hartford, Connecticut on Sunday night (August 2) when bassist Alessandro "Vman" Venturella had to be rushed to the hospital due to a medical emergency. After about a twenty-minute break, SLIPKNOT returned to the stage without Venturella and played the rest of the set as an eight-piece.

In a new statement posted on SLIPKNOT's social media sites, the band offered the following update on Venturella's condition:

"After a medical emergency during last night's show, we are relieved to let everyone know that our bass player, Alex 'Vman' Venturella, is well on the road to recovery. Alex collapsed mid-set after feeling unwell and as a precautionary measure was taken to hospital where he was found to be suffering from severe dehydration. After recuperating overnight, he has now been discharged from hospital and is on his way back to his SLIPKNOT family. All being well, Alex will be back onstage with us tomorrow [Tuesday, August 4] in Mansfield, Massachusetts. We thank everyone who reached out with messages and well wishes for Alex and we look forward to be being back at full tilt for the rest of the 'Summer's Last Stand' tour."

Venturella began working with SLIPKNOT during the recording of its latest album, ".5: The Gray Chapter", contributing bass tracks along with guitarists Jim Root and Mick Thomson and former touring bassist Donnie Steele.

He made his live debut with the band last year at the first annual Knotfest.

SLIPKNOT's original bassist Paul Gray passed away in May 2010 from an accidental overdose of drugs.

The band's "Summer's Last Stand" tour kicked off on July 24 in West Palm Beach, Florida.

DREAM THEATER keyboardist Jordan Rudess has confirmed to Norway's Varden that the band's next album will not be released before early 2016. He says about the follow-up to 2013's "Dream Theater" CD: "The good thing with this band is that we always manage to change the direction a bit. I think the DREAM THEATER fans will find what we have been working on interesting."

Asked where and his bandmates draw their inspiration for the music that they create, Rudess said: "You know, things changes and develops. My relations to DREAM THEATER and the guys in the band have gone through many changes. People have come, and people have gone. Transformations like these keep things a little bit fresh. To get a superstar drummer like Mike Mangini is one of the changes that has been incredible. You learn so much from playing with such skillful people."

He continued: "Music is life for us. We are not a fashion band. We are real musicians with a huge interest in trying new things on our albums. I am just lucky to have found this particular combination of dedicated guys."

Rudess also made it clear that he never drinks alcohol before going on stage with DREAM THEATER.

"That would be impossible," he said. "The music is simply too complex. I have a big responsibility towards my colleagues in the band, and not at least to the audience. If you have a beer before the show, the chance of fucking up increases. It is okay to make a mistake, but mistakes are hard to defend if you have contributed to it beforehand."

"Dream Theater" sold around 34,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 7 on The Billboard 200 chart. The CD, which arrived in stores on September 24, 2013 via Roadrunner, earned DREAM THEATER its second Grammy nomination, for "Best Metal Performance" for the single "The Enemy Inside".

SLIPKNOT and STONE SOUR singer Corey Taylor was interviewed for the latest installment of "Corey Taylor Talks", Las Vegas's only show for teens hosted by actor and radio personality Corey Taylor (no relation). You can now watch the chat below. A couple of excerpts follow (transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET).

On whether there is anyone he would still like to collaborate with:

"I've done a lot of collaborations with a lot of different people. And I think the one person, right now, just off the top of my head, that I would love to work with is Jerry Cantrell from ALICE IN CHAINS. We're really good friends. I've known those guys for quite a while, and ALICE IN CHAINS is one of my favorite bands of all time. I would love to create something cool and dark with him, and just have fun with it. So if I had a chance to, man, I would totally be down with that."

On whether he still enjoys touring or if he would prefer to do a residency of sorts and stay in one place the entire time:

"I'll tell you what… And here's the secret… and a lot of people don't know this. I love touring for the first six months. After that, it's, like… And it's not because I don't love the shows, and I don't love the travel, although the travel can kick the crap out of you. But I'm so into doing new stuff that I would rather tour for six months and go right in and make a new album and just keep writing music. 'Cause that's the one thing that I love to do. But, unfortunately, in this day and age, you have to go out and you have to tour for, like, a year and a half, just to hit all the hot spots and places like that. So I still love to tour, but, at the same time, my mind is always going a million miles an hour thinking about what's next."

Corey Taylor released his third book, "You're Making Me Hate You: A Cantankerous Look At The Common Misconception That Humans Have Any Common Sense Left", on July 7 via Da Capo Press, a member of the Perseus Books Group. The book acts as a commentary on society and pop culture and has been described as "Taylor's take on Peter Griffin's 'You Know What Really Grinds My Gears'."

Taylor promoted the book with a combination of bookstore events and a solo tour which were one-of-a-kind shows featuring readings from the book, acoustic performance, and audience discussion.

MÖTLEY CRÜE drummer Tommy Lee recently spoke to upstart video channel Louder Noise TV about his passion for dance music. The 52-year-old musician, whose current artistic endeavors include touring as an electronic dance music DJ with his METHODS OF MAYHEM DJ/production partner DJ Aero, said: "I get a lot of feedback online. I do read some of it, you know, where a lot of people like it, and then there's other people that are, like, 'What the fuck is this?' You're never gonna win everybody's ears or heart, but the response I've gotten so far with several of these projects has been awesome, for the most part. But, you know, you always have those people online who are just quick to go, like, 'What is this? This isn't MÖTLEY CRÜE.' Well, of course it's fucking not. It's not supposed to be. Am I not allowed to do anything else other than that? So it's a weird internal juggle fest for me."

According to Lee, he is not very concerned about the criticism that has been levelled against him by people on the Internet who can't appreciate the fact that he wants to branch out and explore other styles of music.

"I think the older I get, the more I don't care about what people think or what people say," he said. "I just… I do what moves me. And the track [I did] with [Australian bass music DJ/producer] Nick Thayer, 'Fly Shit', and this other track I wrote for Violet Chachki — she just won the 'RuPaul's Drag Race' — were, really… both of them, really fun projects. And I'll go do that and then I'll play drums with Billy Corgan on the new SMASHING PUMPKINS record, or Courtney Love's record. I'm literally all over the place, and I like it like that. It's never boring. Never boring."

Lee also talked about the similarities between dance music and metal and the differences in the way his dance-related projects have been received by the two communities.

"Maybe dance kids are more open to things, and sometimes rock people are really, like… They're still wearing denim and leather, and it's rock or nothing," he explained. "I mean, if you listen… If you really break down [American electronic music producer, DJ, singer and songwriter] Skrillex, for instance, if you break that down, that is electronic metal. At least his first… his debut record. It's full-on… That is fucking metal music that's been programmed to death, but replaced the guitars with serious amounts of fucking bass and synthesizers and… you know… That is what it is. He comes from a rock background, but somehow nobody sees that. Musicians do, I do… I'm watching you."

MÖTLEY CRÜE's "The Final Tour", which kicked off last year, will end New Year's Eve at the Staples Center in Los Angeles after one more round of North American gigs.

While announcing the first details of "The Final Tour" at a Los Angeles press conference in January 2014, the four members of MÖTLEY CRÜE revealed that they took the unusual step of having their lawyer draw up a formal "cessation of touring" agreement that goes into effect at the end of 2015 and prohibits the members of the group from going on the road again under the MÖTLEY CRÜE banner.

Wrought from the inner circles of Hell and the twisted talent of sculptor Rick Fisher, SikRik Masks announces the release of the official VENOM "Black Metal" latex mask. For the first time ever, you can possess the diabolical incarnation of the iconic VENOM "Black Metal" album cover.

This malevolent mask captures the wicked expression of the Devil's piercing eyes and knowing smirk, topped with gnarly horns and an embossed VENOM logo rocking the back of his head.

Rick Fisher has sculpted officially licensed pieces for MOTÖRHEAD, DEVO, GG Allin, Jeff Clayton of ANTISEEN, and more.

SikRik Masks is making this deviant collectible slice of VENOM merchandise available by mail order worldwide. Order yours here.

"The Anthropocene Extinction", the new album from San Diego-based deathgrind masters CATTLE DECAPITATION, can be streamed in its entirety using the SoundCloud widget below. Due on August 7 via Metal Blade, the CD was once again helmed by Dave Otero (ALLEGAEON, CEPHALIC CARNAGE), who worked on 2012's "Monolith Of Inhumanity".

"Dave is a bonafide producer," says CATTLE DECAPITATION vocalist Travis Ryan. "He's got a lot of great ideas and this time we heard him out pretty religiously because making 'Monolith' had worked out so well. We've always kind of co-produced our records with whoever we brought in, but these last two we did a lot more listening to what he had to say rather than just sticking with what we were saying. Sometimes we shot down his ideas and vice versa, but that discussion was always beneficial. He basically becomes the fifth member of the band at that point, and I think that kind of relationship is the best way to get anything out of anybody."

CATTLE DECAPITATION also enlisted a surprising array of guests to help achieve their vision. The one and only legendary Philip H. Anselmo lends his throat to "The Prophets Of Loss" while recent signee to his Housecore Records label, fellow San Diegan and friend of the band, AUTHOR & PUNISHER, brings forth the industrial damnation as an intro to the track "Plagueborne". Additionally, Germany's dark metal misanthrope, Mr. Jurgen Bartsch of the almighty BETHLEHEM, lends a spoken-word piece in his native tongue to the apocalyptic final track "Pacific Grim".

The record also sees the band extending their collaboration with illustrator Wes Benscoter, who's handled the artwork for every CATTLE DECAPITATION release since 2002's "To Serve Man".

"When we work with Wes, he becomes a member of the band," says Ryan. As always, Benscoter formulated striking imagery that conveyed the record's themes in unflinching style, the cover featuring a bloated and distorted corpse washed up on a beach, its torn abdomen disgorging a mass of waste plastic.

Whereas "Monolith Of Inhumanity" dealt with what could become of the earth and its life forms had humans continued their present course, with "The Anthropocene Extinction" we have been transported forward to man's last gasps, reminiscent of what is currently going on with the Laysan Albatrosses on the island of Midway Atoll. The birds and aquatic wildlife of the Pacific Ocean are mistaking the vast amounts of man-made plastic items for food, ingesting it and are dying in large numbers, rotting where they fall and exposing to the world what is happening to the ecosystems of the earth's oceans — the most unknown and unexplored part of our planet. The Great Pacific Garbage Patch of the North Pacific Gyre is just part of the problem — there are five gyres on planet earth and they're all filling with plastic waste outnumbering the plankton vital for the ocean's ecosystems. The breakdown of the earth's ecosystems has begun long ago due to human interaction as well as the domino effect that will surely seal the fate for our species: The Anthropocene Extinction.

"The Anthropocene Extinction" track listing:

01. Manufactured Extinct02. The Prophets of Loss03. Plagueborne04. Clandestine Ways (Krokodil Rot)05. Circo Inhumanitas06. The Burden Of Seven Billion07. Mammals In Babylon08. Mutual Assured Destruction09. Not Suitable For Life10. Apex Blasphemy11. Ave Exitium12. Pacific Grim

CATTLE DECAPITATION is: Travis Ryan - VocalsJosh Elmore - GuitarDerek Engemann - BassDave McGraw - Drums

KING DIAMOND will perform its classic second album, 1987's concept effort "Abigail", in its entirety on the band's upcoming U.S. tour in the fall. Support on the trek, which will begin on October 29 and run through December 5, will come from legendary San Francisco Bay Area thrash metallers EXODUS.

The dates are as follows:

Oct. 29 - Denver, CO @ The FillmoreOct. 31 - Salt Lake City, UT @ The ComplexNov. 02 - San Francisco, CA @ The WarfieldNov. 05 - Los Angeles, CA @ The WilternNov. 08 - Tucson, AZ @ The Rialto TheatreNov. 09 - Las Vegas, NV @ House of BluesNov. 13 - San Antonio, TX @ The Aztec TheatreNov. 15 - New Orleans, LA @ The Civic AuditoriumNov. 16 - Atlanta, GA @ The TabernacleNov. 21 - New York, NY @ Best Buy TheatreNov. 24 - Boston, MA @ OrpheumNov. 25 - Philadelphia, PA @ The FillmoreNov. 27 - Chicago, IL @ Aragon BallroomNov. 28 - Detroit, MI @ The FillmoreNov. 30 - Minneapolis, MN @ MythDec. 02 - Tulsa, OK @ Club BradyDec. 04 - Houston, TX @ House of BluesDec. 05 - Dallas, TX @ House of Blues

The general on-sale for tickets begins Friday, August 7 at 10 a.m. ET.

KING DIAMOND guitarist Andy La Rocque revealed in a 2008 interview that "Abigail" was his favorite KING DIAMOND album so far. He explained: "The songs and the whole recording session was just surrounded with magical moments, great spirit and a very creative atmosphere. I still remember it as one of the best studio sessions I ever been involved in."

KING DIAMOND in 2002 released an album called "Abigail II: The Revenge", which was said to feature a storyline that was the sequel to the original "Abigail" LP.

La Rocque last month said that KING DIAMOND hasn't officially started working on material for the follow-up to the band's 2007 album "Give Me Your Soul...Please", but he talked about a possible direction for the next CD. He said: "Hopefully the sound of the album is gonna be better. I don't really know about the story or… I've got some riffs and such that I wrote a few years back, actually, but I have to go back and check that to see if that still can be used. I don't know about that, because we get new ideas all the time. So we'll see about that. But I'm sure we're gonna have some fresh, good ideas for the next album, that's for sure. And when that's gonna happen, we don't really know."

QUEENSRŸCHE will release its new album, "Condition Hüman", on October 2 via Century Media. The CD was recorded in part at at Uberbeatz Studio in Washington with producer Chris "Zeuss" Harris, who has previously worked with ROB ZOMBIE, HATEBREED, SOULFLY and SHADOWS FALL. Pre-Orders are available now at PledgeMusic.com.

"Condition Hüman" track listing:

01. Arrow Of Time02. Guardian03. Hellfire04. Toxic Remedy05. Selfish Lives06. Eye907. Bulletproof08. Hourglass09. Just Us10. All There Was11. The Aftermath12. Condition Hüman

The "Condition Hüman" cover artwork can be seen below.

QUEENSRŸCHE vocalist Todd La Torre states: "The artwork depicts a beautiful innocence surrounded by the darkness of a jaded unpredictable world."

The "Condition Hüman" opening track, "Arrow Of Time", can be streamed using the SoundCloud widget below.

In a recent interview with "Hard Time Radio" on KNON 89.3 FM in Dallas, Texas, La Torre stated about QUEENSRŸCHE's follow-up to 2013's "Queensrÿche": "We're really excited about the songs. We put a lot of into it, and hopefully the fans really dig it. You never know. It's so subjective, but there's such a diversity, I think, of material that, surely, there's something for everyone — kind of like on the last record… There's some stuff that sounds like it would be from the 'Mindcrime' era, there is a couple of songs that sound like they could have been from 'Empire'. There's also some tunes that could have been from the 'Rage' and 'Warning'…"

He continued: "Honestly, I know it sounds typical or cliché to say, but I really feel that there's material on this record that spans from the first record that the band did up to 'Empire' and maybe even 'Promised Land'. There's a lot of diversity, but there's a complexity to these songs… It's a different animal to the last record. The last record was awesome and we're very proud of it. This one is a lot more involved, [with] a lot more layers. And I think, vocally speaking, I was able to do some things on this record that I didn't get to do on the last one, just because the material maybe didn't call for it, but this stuff does. There's some really dark and slow and haunting, creepy stuff on here. There's just a lot of… I don't know… It's hard to compare it to anything. So that's why I think that the best thing I can say is I think that there's something for everyone on this album; I really believe that… The drumming on this is so good, the bass… the rhythm section, the bass playing of Eddie [Jackson] locks in with Scottie's [Rockenfield] kick drum. I mean, the guitar work that Parker [Lundgren] and Michael [Wilton] did really shines. And a lot of great harmony guitar work that was so evident in the QUEENSRŸCHE sound is very vibrant on this record in certain places. Everything was microscoped to every single, tiny little detail that… no expense was spared. We didn't wanna overdo everything."

Todd added: "Sometimes you can go a little crazy, and you have to learn when to say 'enough is enough.' And Chris 'Zeuss', our producer, who also engineered the record, he was very mindful of the QUEENSRŸCHE style and sound, and he was a huge fan of the band, so he definitely wanted to capture those pure QUEENSRŸCHE elements, but also make the band sound like it should sound in 2015. It doesn't sound dated, but there's still that QUEENSRŸCHE sound. It is a different lineup, and there's a new energy, and there's a drive that this record has that, I think, is really refreshing. And sonically speaking, it just sounds… it sound killer. It sounds killer. I'm super excited for this record to come out. I think it's definitely a great step."

Regarding QUEENSRŸCHE's collaboration with Chris "Zeuss" Harris, La Torre said: "He was right at the forefront of the metal scene that was happening up in the New England area, with the style of SHADOWS FALL and KILLSWITCH ENGAGE, and that kind of stuff. So he was immersed into that genre of metal for a long, long time. And he did the new SANCTUARY record, which sounds really great. And so he was super excited to get it to the territory of music that QUEENSRŸCHE does, and he handled it with extreme respect and care, but he wasn't afraid to say 'no.' If he didn't think it was the best, he had no problem respectfully saying, 'No. That's too happy.' Or, 'That sounds kind of corny.' Or, 'You can do better'… to all of us. And he really pushed us to do the best that we could respective to each song. So, yeah, he was very eager and enthusiastic and honored to work with QUEENSRŸCHE, and we were equally… felt the same way to have him do this record."

"Queensrÿche" sold around 13,500 copies in the United States in its first week of release to land at position No. 23 on The Billboard 200 chart.

This year's Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival could very well turn out to be the event's last, if the latest couple of social-media posts by Mayhem co-founder John Reese are anything to go by.

The 2015 edition of Mayhem kicked off on June 26 in Chula Vista, California and wrapped last night (Sunday, August 2) in Dallas, Texas.

SLAYER was this year's Mayhem headliner, but the main-stage lineup lacked the second big headliner of previous years. Past lineups have paired the likes of AVENGED SEVENFOLD and KORN, DISTURBED and GODSMACK or ROB ZOMBIE and FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH. This year, SLAYER was joined by KING DIAMOND, HELLYEAH and THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA. In addition, this summer's Mayhem Festival has shrunk from four stages to two, and the overall lineup has been trimmed by about half a dozen bands.

Writing on his Facebook page, Reese said: "After spending eight calendar years of passion and one full year of my life on the road with the festival, tonight is a very emotional night.

"All I know is we have all tried our damned hardest to make Mayhem a home for artists, a platform for bands to increase their fan base and a place where people feel welcomed.

"Thank you to every single band who have performed and the amazing Mayhem crew people who have ever been out with us.

"With every end, there is a new beginning."

Reese also posted a photo of himself with King Diamond along with the caption: "So amazing to have THE KING on the last Mayhem evah. What a class act."

The 2015 Mayhem Festival generated controversy earlier in the summer after festival co-founder Kevin Lyman blamed the event's low ticket sales on the fact that metal has failed to produce new and younger headlining bands, adding that "metal got gray, bald and fat" and "chased girls away."

SLAYER guitarist Kerry King responded by saying that the problem with this summer's event lay not so much with the metal bands themselves but with the way the festival was booked.

"At the end of the day, what I think happened to Mayhem was that they waited too late in the game to get the talent they needed to pull it off correctly," Kerry said. "Because what happens is, people get booked up so early these days that it seems like all the bands that could have made this more of a success are playing in Europe now instead of being on a U.S. festival. It just made the talent pool less than it could be."

American neo-classic riff masters, Black Fast, will release their all new LP, Terms Of Surrender, on August 7th via eOne Music. Check out the newly released video for “I Conspire” below:

Ripping pages from Death's technical death metal guidebook, the St. Louis foursome conjures the spirit of the late, great Chuck Schuldiner while channeling the viciousness of Megadeth's young-and-hungry Dave Mustaine and blistering aggression of Kreator’s Mille Petrozza. The band tapped veteran producer Erik Rutan for the effort on their debut LP for eOne Music. Known for his work with Hate Eternal, Six Feet Under, Goatwhore and Cannibal Corpse, Rutan was an easy choice.

Terms of Surrender will be the band's follow-up to their self-released Starving Out The Light. Black Fast has a short but concentrated history. Started in 2010 by fellow music students Aaron Akin, Trevor Johanson, Ryan Thompson and Ross Burnett, the band has bulldozed on an upward trajectory ever since. Their soundtrack to society’s collapse is relentless. Possessed by unbridled energy and a palpable desperation, the band has a fierce vitality that will not go unnoticed.

Creating a modern twist on the energetic riffs of metal’s glory days, Black Fast harness the spirit of their metal forefathers, whether exploring hand-cramp-inducing riffs or blazing through straightforward thrash. Black Fast songs have a hungry ferocity reminiscent of the Bay Area thrash scene, the likes of which haven’t been this raw or hyper-charged in decades.

Tracklisting:

“The Keep”
“To Propagate The Void”
“The Coming Swarm”
“Tongues Of Silver”
“I Conspire”
“Haunted Vigil”
“The Fall”
“Vacuous Idol”
“Until Dust”

“The Coming Swarm”:

“I Conspire”:

“To Propagate The Void”:

Behind-the-scenes studio video:

Black Fast will support Revocation this fall in support of their all new LP.

"This gang that I'm in, Black Fast, is so grateful to Revocation for this opportunity," says vocalist Aaron Akin. "I think of them as the premier band at what they do. They work so hard and shred their asses completely off and their fans recognize this and are rabid with passion.  We can't wait to go out there every night and give it everything we have. Thanks to everyone who made this possible. We look forward to meeting all you maniacs on the road!"

Tour dates:

September
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)

 

California rock act Burn Halo has debuted an all new music video for their single "F*ck You" off their forthcoming LP due out this fall. The video was directed by Adam VillaSenor.

Burn Halo recently announced the Wolves Of War Tour 2015 in the likeness of their forthcoming LP.

"I've never been more excited to go on tour," says guitarist Joey Roxx. "I cant wait for everyone to hear the new material and see what we're going to bring live!"

The band is enlisting support from Southern California compatriots Heartist and newcomers Courage My Love.

Tour dates:

September
4 - Orangevale, CA - Boardwalk
5 - Anahiem, CA - Chain Reaction
6 - Las Vegas, NV - LVCS
9 - San Diego, CA - Brick By Brick
10 - Scottsdale, AZ - Pubrock
11 - Albuquerque, NM - The Jam Spot
12 - El Paso, TX - Mesa Music Hall
13 - Ft. Worth, TX - Rail Club
14 - Houston, TX - Acadia Bar and Grill
15 - San Antonio, TX - Fitzgerald's
16 - Austin, TX - Dirty Dog
17 - Little Rock, AR - Juanlitas
18 - Louisville, KY - Expo Five
19 - Clarksville, TN - The Warehouse
20 - Atlanta, GA - Masquerade
24 - Stanhope, NJ - Stanhope House
25 - New York, NY - Santos Party House
26 - Gardners, PA - Deer Run Camping
27 - Amityville, NY - Revolution
29 - Hartford, CT - Webster Theater
30 - Clifton Park,NY - Trickshots

October
1 - Buffalo, NY - The Waiting Room
2 - Kent, OH - The Outpost
3 - Dayton, OH - Rockstar Pro Arena
4 - Detroit, MI - The Ritz
5 - Kalkaska, MI - Kalkaska Civic Center
6 - Crest Hill, IL - Bada Brew
7 - St. Louis, MO - Fubar
8 - Kansas City, MO - Aftershock

Burn Halo will release their Wolves Of War album on September 4th worldwide via eOne Music.

Wolves Of War burns with a fire akin to the brutal-but-melodic juxtaposition of New Wave Of American Heavy Metal standard-bearers Killswitch Engage, the neo-Guns N’ Roses attack of Avenged Sevenfold, and the dark ambience of H.I.M.

Burn Halo has built a sizable and strongly devoted following, touring the world with Avenged Sevenfold, Papa Roach, Buckcherry, Escape The Fate, Static-X, Saliva, Puddle Of Mudd, Tantric, Adema and many more trailblazers and rock n’ roll hitmakers.

Wolves Of War tracklisting:

“Wolves Of War”
“Don't Think You Know”
“Fuck You”
“Out Of Faith”
“Dying Without You”
“Home”
“Novocaine”
“Enemy Inside”
“Will To Live”
“Until The End”
“You Are The Damned”

“Wolves Of War” lyric video:

Greek progressive/technical metallers Acid Death’s recently signed a deal with Germany’s 7Hard Records. The 5-year deal starts with the release of their upcoming album, Hall Of Mirrors. The album will be on market worldwideon September 11th.

Check out a new video teaser below:

Guest musicians on Hall Of Mirrors include:

Manthos “ManSter” Stergiou (Tardive Dyskinesia) - backing vocals
Nick Melissourgos (Suicidal Angels) - lead guitar
Jon Soti (Floating Worlds) - melodic vocals
Illiana Tsakiraki (Enemy Of Reality) - female vocals

Hall Of Mirrors tracklisting:

“Hell’s Maw”
“Mental Slime”
“Truth Revealed”
“Life And Death”
“The Unfair Fight”
“Hall Of Mirrors”
“Taste Of The Erratic”
“Ghostship”
“Planes Of The Eternal Dead”
“Supreme Act Of Heroism”

Audio samples:

Hall Of Mirrors Album Sample by ACID DEATH

 

 

England’s Copro Records was the label which released Acid Death’s first full-length album, Pieces Of Mankind, back in 1999. Now, Copro Records will re-releases the band’s first full-length albums, Pieces Of Mankind and Random’s Manifest, in October, recordings that were sold-out for many years. Both albums will be remastered, including extra material.

Says the label: “We are really happy to have again band’s first albums out the same period that Acid Death’s new album Hall Of Mirrors will be released from band’s new label-home, 7Hard Records.”

Eluveitie have announced the departure of their violin player Nicole Ansperger. They have enjoyed a wonderful year of adventures with Nicole, circling the globe and completing the first part of the Origins world tour together - their biggest, longest and most successful one yet.
 
Eluveitie comment: “Unfortunately, it can be extremely difficult to manage personal obligations and take care of a family alongside a life of constant touring, and Nicole’s priorities are with her family - where they should be. We are parting amicably and would like to thank Nicole for the good times and her musical contribution. It’s been an honour to share stage and studio with such a talented musician!“

 
Nicole adds a few words herself:
“Dear fans, as mentioned before, it can become pretty difficult to reconcile personal obligations and the touring life. A lot of things have changed within my family and my personal situation during the last twelve months; and now my familial situation makes it impossible to me to be on the road with my band constantly. After careful consideration and with a heavy and bleeding heart I made the decision to leave Eluveitie. I was a very hard step to me and I will miss Eluveitie - the music, the band, the crew and very much also YOU, the fans! I wanna thank you all - you‘ve been the best fans of the world to me! You rock, you‘ve been wonderful and I won‘t forget you! Also I‘d like to thank my mates in Eluveitie - thank you for the amazing and intense time we had together! Yo‘`ll always be in my remembrance! I wish you all the very best for your future ways and of course I wish you a awesome new fiddle player. :) This certainly doesn‘t mean an end to my musical career. Music will always be a very important part of my life and who knows - maybe we‘ll see each other again one day. Keep on rockin‘ guys and girls!“
 
Now, the show must go on, and as you might know Eluveitie are about to kick off another part of their world tour in early September. Nicole’s last show with the band will take place at the In Extremo Festival on September 5th. Starting right now, they are looking for a talented violin player to step in and complete three months of touring with them, from September 7th to December 15th. This is no easy task, and the band will only consider the best of the best in order to bring you the Eluveitie show they are known for and proud of. If you think, you’ve got what it takes, the band invites you to take this chance and submit your entry in their first ever round of open auditions. Taking part is simple, getting the gig might be the challenge (and chance) of your life! To enter, simply:
 
1. Download this MP3 of their song 'King', if you don’t have it yet: 
2. Record a video of yourself performing the song, making sure that the band can both see you and clearly hear your performance!
3. Upload your video to www.youtube.com and send the link to violin@eluveitie.ch, and don’t forget to include detailed contact info!
 
Deadline for all submissions is Thursday, August 6th, at midnight Central European Time. Ideally, you will be a very talented musician with touring experience, as well as located in or near Switzerland. However, participation in this audition is open to all!
 
Please note that due to the high volume of submissions the band expects, Eluveitie might not be able to reply to everyone personally. They will reply to you with follow-up questions within a few days if you’ve made it into the second round. Either way, the band is looking forward to view your performances and would like to thank you in advance for participating!

(Nicole Ansperger photo by Nicole Volz)