Tony Carey (Rainbow, Planet P Project) has recorded keyboards on A Sound Of Thunder's cover of the Rainbow classic "Death Alley Driver". The track is exclusively available via A Sound Of Thunder's current Kickstarter campaign which runs through August 17th.  A preview of the track is streaming below:

Despite an imposing catalog as a solo artist and with his own Planet P Project, among metalheads Tony Carey is best known as part of the definitive lineup of Rainbow. Along with Ritchie Blackmore, Ronnie James Dio, Cozy Powell, and Jimmy Bain, Carey performed on the seminal Rising and On Stage albums. Carey's hair-raising synthesizer notes on "Tarot Woman" and haunting Mellotron chords on "Stargazer" are just some of his highlights on Rising, an archetypal cornerstone album of melodic and power metal.

"This is a very cool cover of a very cool song, by a very cool band. So that's all cool..." said Carey.  "As far as my part goes, I threw down some old-school Hammond and played a much-too-fast solo bit on a Minimoog (remember those?) and woke up on the Sunset Strip in pre-Apocalypse 1976... lots of fun, and not something I do very often. Hollywood Swingin'! Thanks for having me."

A Sound Of Thunder guitarist Josh Schwartz added: "Tony is an immensely accomplished musician and producer and I can't overstate how honoured I am to have him on our recording. His work with Rainbow only scratches the surface of his many talents. Fans will know that Tony didn't play on the original version of “Death Alley”. By adding wall-to-wall Hammond organ and his own personal style, Tony has warmed up the song and given it a kick in the pants and a very cool '70s vibe not present on the original."

A Sound Of Thunder, recently announced their new album, Tales From The Deadside, with a Kickstarter campaign that reached full funding in under 24 hours. The new album is a full-length concept album based on Valiant Entertainment's Shadowman comic book series.

The band recently announced the first exclusive KickStarter-only bonus track in their campaign - a cover of Dio’s "Last in Line" featuring Benedictum’s Veronica Freeman. Details on how to get the track can be found here. A sample of the song can be found below:

Tales From The Deadside was recorded at Assembly Line Studios with RIAA-platinum awarded producer Kevin '131' Gutierrez (Shinedown, While Heaven Wept, Raven). Tales From The Deadside is set for release on September 25th and will be available on CD, limited colored vinyl, and in a number of exclusive pre-order packages only on Kickstarter. The standard CD edition of Tales From The Deadside will feature all-new Shadowman cover artwork, while select backers of the Kickstarter campaign can obtain an exclusive cover featuring Shadowman’s arch-nemesis Master Darque.

"The story of Shadowman, his alter-ego Jack Boniface, and the many characters in his world inspired us to create what we believe is our best album to date," said A Sound Of Thunder guitarist Josh Schwartz. "We let the story lead us to places our music has never been before, combining all the elements of supernatural horror, drama, action and adventure found in the comics. Of course everything has gone through our own unique Thunderous filter, and all the familiar ASOT elements will be there, Shadowman's harrowing journey demanded no less!"

A Sound Of Thunder was formed in Washington, DC in 2009. Their most recent album The Lesser Key of Solomon was released on September 9th, 2014 via Mad Neptune Records and debuted at #43 on the Billboard Heatseeker’s Albums chart.

A Sound Of Thunder:

Nina Osegueda- vocals
Josh Schwartz- guitars/ keyboards
Jesse Keen- guitars/ keyboards
Chris Haren- drums/ percussion

 

Purtenance is gearing up to release third album through Xtreem Music.

2015 sees the band returning to their most classic ‘90s sound, with a neat and powerful production and memorable songs that will for sure please every Purtenance fan.

 ...To Spread The Flame Of Ancients will be released right before the band's appearance at the Finnish Death Metal Maniacs Festival where they'll do a special show not only presenting this new album, but also playing old classics featuring original vocalist Timo Häyrinen as guest.

…To Spread The Flame Of Ancients tracklisting:

“Invocatio”
“Perventio”
“Waiting To Be Free”
“I, The Sacrificed”
“On The Far Side Of Knowledge’
“Destroyed Human Mind”
“Blood Oath”
“Cornerstone Of Insanity”
“Disseminated Death”
“The Unseen”
“Kaaos On Kanssamme (Chaos Is With Us)”

“Invocatio”:

Release date for …To Spread The Flame Of Ancients is set for September 1 through Xtreem Music.

(Photo by: Jonna Malmberg)

Canadian thrash-speed metallers Warsenal signed a new record deal with Italian label Punishment Records for their new full-length album Barn Burner, set to be released on September 28.

Barn Burner tracklisting:

“Dying On Stage”
“Let Me Out”
“Hit ‘N’ Run”
“Conquer”
“Stab You One By One”
“Unstoppable”
“Wars”
“NightStalker”
“Minefield Game”

Deluxe editions of Led Zeppelin’s final three studio albums: Presence, In Through The Out Door, and Coda will be released on July 31st. The reaction to the first six Led Zepplin album reissues has been extraordinary, with albums charting in the Top 10 around the globe whilst also garnering 5-star reviews and other critical accolades along the way.

Take a glimpse of the forthcoming Super Deluxe Edition of Coda with the video below:

Rolling Stone and The Guardian (due to territory restrictions) are premiering an early version of the classic/John Bonham-dominated “When The Levee Breaks” from Led Zeppelin IV called “If It Keeps On Raining”, one of the extra tracks from the reissue of Coda.

The Gaurdian says “If It Keeps On Raining” (three minutes shorter than the official version) “presents the track in a markedly stripped down form: John Paul Jones’s bassline is right to the fore, while the army of guitars from the finished version is pared down to the basics. It doesn’t have the grandeur of the finished version, but you can’t help but suspect that scores of early ‘70s bands would have killed even to be able to manage this.”

As with the previous deluxe editions, Presence, In Through The Out Door, and Coda have been newly remastered by guitarist and producer Jimmy Page and are accompanied by companion audio comprised of previously unreleased music related to the original release selected and compiled by Page.

An unboxing video for the forthcoming Super Deluxe Edition of Coda can be seen below:

Check out the contents of the Super Deluxe Edition of In Through The Out Door below:

Contents of the Super Deluxe Edition of Presence can be seen below:

Included as part of the Presence bonus disc, there's a "reference mix" of the track "Hots On For Nowhere”. The song by Robert Plant and Jimmy Page grew out of the sessions for 1975′s Physical Graffiti.

Presence, In Through The Out Door, and Coda will each be available July 31st from Atlantic/Swan Song in the following formats:

* Single CD – Remastered original album. Presence and Coda will be packaged in a gatefold card wallet. All CD and LP versions of In Through The Out Door will be wrapped in a brown paper page replicating its initial release.

* Deluxe Edition (2CD and 3CD) – Remastered album, plus a second disc of unreleased companion audio. Coda will feature two companion audio discs.

* Single LP – Remastered album on 180-gram vinyl, packaged in a sleeve that replicates the LP’s first pressing in exacting detail. All vinyl versions of In Through The Out Door will also include the water-sensitive insert that replicates the inner sleeve from the album’s initial release.  

* Deluxe Edition Vinyl – Remastered album and unreleased companion audio on 180-gram vinyl. Coda will feature two companion LPs.

* Digital Download – Remastered album and companion audio will both be available.

* Super Deluxe Boxed Set – This collection includes:          

- Remastered album on CD in vinyl replica sleeve.
- Companion audio on CD in card wallet.
- Remastered album on 180-gram vinyl in a sleeve replicating first pressing.
- Companion audio on 180-gram vinyl.
- High-def audio download card of all content at 96kHz/24 bit.
- Hard bound, 72+ page book filled with rare and previously unseen photos and memorabilia.
- High quality print of the original album cover, the first 30,000 of which will be individually numbered.

Originally released in 1976, Presence was recorded during a whirlwind 18-day session at Musicland Studios in Munich, Germany. The album—which peaked at #1 in both the U.S. and UK and was certified triple platinum—crackles with energy on Zeppelin classics like “Nobody’s Fault But Mine” and  “Achilles Last Stand” and delivers powerful jolts of the group at its visceral best.

The companion audio disc that accompanies Presence has five unreleased reference mixes from the sessions, which reveal works in progress. Along with alternate incarnations of “For Your Life” “Achilles Last Stand” and “Royal Orleans,” there is also the previously unheard instrumental curiously titled “10 Ribs & All/Carrot Pod Pod (Pod).”

On its release in the summer of 1979, In Through The Out Door topped the U.S. and UK album charts and has since been certified six-times platinum. Sadly, it would be the last album that Led Zeppelin recorded prior to drummer John Bonham’s passing the following year. Among the seven album tracks are “Fool In The Rain” and “All My Love,” two songs that remain rock radio staples to this day.   

The album’s companion audio disc features an unreleased rough mix of every track from the original album, including early versions with working titles such as “The Hook” (“All My Love”),  “The Epic” (“Carouselambra”), and “Blot” (“I’m Gonna Crawl”).

The appropriately titled Coda was Led Zeppelin’s final album of studio recordings. Released in 1982, it was comprised of eight unreleased tracks recorded between 1970 and 1978. It peaked at #6 on the album charts and has been certified platinum in the U.S.  

The reissue campaign ends with a double-barrel blast of Led. Coda will be the only Led Zeppelin deluxe edition to include two companion discs, featuring 15 tracks recorded between 1968 and 1974. “Baby Come On Home” from the same session is also included in the set. Also included is the previously unreleased “St. Tristan’s Sword,” a rollicking instrumental recorded during the Led Zeppelin III sessions in 1970.

In 1972, Robert Plant and Jimmy Page took a fabled trip to India to perform with the Bombay Orchestra and now, for the first time, recordings from these sessions will be officially released with dynamic takes on “Friends” and “Four Hands” (“Four Sticks” from Led Zeppelin IV). Among the many other highlights featured here is an early version of “When The Levee Breaks” from 1970 titled “If It Keeps On Raining”; rough mixes of “The Wanton Song” and “In The Light,” from the Physical Graffiti sessions at Headley Grange, the latter a different alternate version than the one included in the Physical Graffiti deluxe edition; and an instrumental mix of “Poor Tom” from 1970.

In 1968, Jimmy Page formed Led Zeppelin, one of the most influential, innovative and successful groups in modern music, having sold more than 300 million albums worldwide. The band rose from the ashes of The Yardbirds, when Page brought in Robert Plant, John Bonham and John Paul Jones. In 1969, Led Zeppelin released its self-titled debut. It marked the beginning of a 12-year reign, during which the group was widely considered to be the biggest and most innovative rock band in the world.

Led Zeppelin continues to be honored for its pivotal role in music history. The band was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1995, received a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2005, and a year later was awarded with the Polar Music Prize in Stockholm. Founding members Page, Plant, and Jones, and along with Jason Bonham, the son of John Bonham – took the stage at London’s O2 Arena in 2007 to headline a tribute concert for Ahmet Ertegun, a dear friend and Atlantic Records’ founder. The band was honored for its lifetime contribution to American culture at the Kennedy Center Honors in 2012. In January of 2014, the band won their first ever Grammy award as Celebration Day, which captured their live performance at the Ertegun tribute concert, was named Best Rock Album.

Presence tracklisting:

“Achilles Last Stand”
“For Your Life”
“Royal Orleans”
“Nobody’s Fault But Mine”
“Candy Store Rock”
“Hots On For Nowhere”
“Tea For One”

Companion Audio:
“Two Ones Are Won”  (Achilles Last Stand – Reference Mix)
“For Your Life”  (Reference Mix)
“10 Ribs & All/Carrot Pod Pod (Pod)” (Reference Mix)
“Royal Orleans” (Reference Mix)
“Hots On For Nowhere” (Reference Mix)

In Through The Out Door tracklisting:

“In The Evening”
“South Bound Saurez”
“Fool In The Rain”
“Hot Dog”
“Carouselambra”
“All My Love”
“I’m Gonna Crawl”

Companion Audio:

“In The Evening” (Rough Mix)
“Southbound Piano” (South Bound Saurez - Rough Mix)
“Fool In The Rain” (Rough Mix)
“Hot Dog” (Rough Mix)
“The Epic” (Carouselambra - Rough Mix)
“The Hook” (All My Love - Rough Mix)
“Blot”  (I’m Gonna Crawl - Rough Mix)

Coda tracklisting:

“We’re Gonna Groove”
“Poor Tom”
“I Can’t Quit You Baby”
“Walter’s Walk”
“Ozone Baby”
“Darlene”
“Bonzo’s Montreux”
“Wearing And Tearing”

Companion Audio:

Disc One
“We’re Gonna Groove”  (Alternate Mix)
“If It Keeps On Raining” (When The Levee  Breaks - Rough Mix)     
“Bonzo’s Montreux” (Mix Construction In Progress)
“Baby Come On Home”
“Sugar Mama” ( Mix)
“Poor Tom” (Instrumental Mix)
“Travelling Riverside Blues” (BBC Session)
“Hey, Hey, What Can I Do”

Disc Two
“Four Hands“ (Four Sticks - Bombay Orchestra)
“Friends” (Bombay Orchestra)
“St. Tristan’s Sword” (Rough Mix)
“Desire” (The Wanton Song - Rough Mix)
“Bring It On Home” (Rough Mix)
“Walter’s Walk” (Rough Mix)
“Everybody Makes It Through” (In The Light - Rough Mix)

The oldest song in the collection is perhaps the most interesting. The frenetic blues jam “Sugar Mama” was recorded in 1968 at Olympic Studios during sessions for the band’s eponymous debut. The song was completed but never officially released. Check it out below:

Pre-order links for all formats can be found at this location.

Tenebrosum is the forthcoming new full-length from Garden State folkloric black metal alchemists, Windfaerer. Named after the archaic term for the Atlantic Ocean ("Mare Tenebrosum"), meaning "sea of darkness," with Tenebrosum Windfaerer casts off the edge of black metal and takes the listener on a spiritual journey of discovery, embarking into unknown, treacherous seas.

The followup to 2012's Solar EP is adorned in commanding violins immersed in a tidal wave of dynamic metal riffing. The sounds on Tenebrosum can be used as a soundtrack to venerate Gaia or as a rousing heavy metal battle cry. Tracked at Frightbox Recording throughout 2014 and mixed and mastered by Rob Torres, with their latest manifestation, Windfaerer have truly forged "a monument to the iron within our veins."

In advance of its official release this fall, today the New Jersey natives unveil the official new lyric video for second movement, "Finisterra" (see below).

Elaborates the band of the dramatic track, "The lyrics to “Finisterra” are about discovery and seclusion. What we learn about history is only the recorded account, but the truth is eventually unearthed through the passing of centuries. The lyrics are inspired by legends of medieval Basque fishermen who sailed across the Atlantic Ocean to North America, always returning with cod and never revealing the secret origin of their bounty."

Tracklisting:

“Celestial Supremacy”
“Finisterra”
“Tales Told In Oblivion”
“Santería”
“The Everlasting”
“Morir en el Olvido”
“The Outer Darkness”

“Finisterra” lyric video:

“Celestial Supremacy”:

Tenebrosum by Windfaerer

Fuzzorama Records has announced the release of Living Ghosts, the brand new album from Canadian psychedelic fuzz rockers We Hunt Buffalo.
 
Formed in the suburbs of Vancouver in 2010, with their debut EP the trio introduced the underground to a new band that in the words of Georgia Straight were, "dedicated to tracking down and capturing a dying breed of rock and roll.”
 
In hardly no time at all the band went on to generate a local buzz around the city’s rock scene where they soon crossed paths with Tanis Gibbons, apprentice to Colin Steward at local recording studio The Hive. Cutting their first full-length with Gibbons in 2011 – the self-titled We Hunt Buffalo – the album packed hard hitting, fuzz rock grooves and psychedelic metal in the spirit of Queens Of The Stone Age and Soundgarden. Fuelled by local acclaim, the band continued to play dirty rock and roll in and around Vancouver to a mounting fan base and in 2013 went on to release the EP Blood From A Stone, recorded at Nimbus School of Recording Arts by Alex 'Condor' Aligizakis.
 
Throughout 2013 the band toured and performed with the likes of Sleepy Sun, Band of Skulls and Biblical and was added as main support to Monster Truck on their cross Canada tour later that same year. Fast-forward to today and the band has racked up notable support slots with Red Fang, Cancer Bats, Chevelle, Danko Jones, Electric Six and Steel Panther, along with an unforgettable appearance at Victoria's Rifflandia Festival.

 
Recorded by Jesse Gander (Bison, Japandroids, Anciients) at Raincity Recorders Living Ghosts will get an official release on Swedish record label Fuzzorama on September 25th. Listen to the new track “Back To The River”, below:

We Hunt Buffalo are:
 
Ryan Forsythe – Vocals/Guitar
Brendan Simpson – Bass/Vocals
Brandon Carter – Drums/Vocals

 

There's a new female hard rock band in town and if you don't watch your back, the Swedish based quintet, Thundermother, are going to be on you like roadkill as they place their smelly stamp on the rock n roll landscape everywhere they go.
 
Road Fever, the sophomore effort from Thundermother will hit the streets on September 4th through Despotz Records. The follow-up to Rock N' Roll Disaster sees the outfit treading familiar waters with their tried and true classic influenced hard rock.

Frontwoman, Clare Cunningman says, "We stuck with a sound that we all love and know will work as we have gained so many fans worldwide with this winning formula. But we hope to reach out now to a wider audience as our sound drifts towards the classic Motorhead era."

Guitarist, Flippa Nassil adds pointedly, "If you like 70's rock you will appreciate what we do - I guarantee you won't be disappointed. Rock and roll is not dead."
 
Formed in 2010 when guitarists, Flippa Nassil and Italian born Giorgia Carteri met with the same goals and passions - to put together and play in the ultimate rock and roll band. Several meetings and a few lineup changes later the duo hooked up with three others that share that same vision in the form of Irish singer, Clare Cunningham, bassist, Linda Strom and drummer, Tilda Stenqvist.
 
Releasing Rcck N' Roll Disaster in 2014 and hitting the Swedish national charts at #2, the band made their mark quickly. "I remember getting the call!" exclaims Cunningman. "It was a moment none of us will ever forget. To be received so warmly on our first record was an incredible feeling and showed that this was the beginning of something big for us."
 
With Road Fever, Thundermother hit back even harder than before with tracks such as "Deal With The Devil" (the album's second single and the band's tribute to Lemmy), "Thunder Machine" (the band being major supporters of feminism, Cunningham got a feminist tattoo while on tour in Spain and it was performed with the Hawk Thunder Machine, hence the song title) and the album's first single, "It's Just a Tease" ("We're female, proud of playing rock and roll and being sexy at the same time," laughs Nassil.)

The quintet headed into the studio this past May to finalize work of Road Fever, after having completed five songs in Lemon Recording Studio in Klippan (South Sweden) with Martin Ekelund. This final batch of songs were recorded at Cobra Studios in Stockholm with main engineer Martin Ehrencrona and with the band's guitarist and founder, Filippa Nässil at the helm. The vibe of the studio suited the ladies perfectly with it's pure 70s rock'n'roll analog sound and original gear.

Road Fever tracklisting:
 
“It's Just A Tease”
“FFWF”
“Alright Alright”
“Deal With The Devil”
“Give Me Some Lights”
“Roadkill”
“Enemy”
“Vagabond”
“Thunder Machine”
“Rock N Roll Sisterhood”

“It's Just A Tease”:

Rodney Holder of Australia's Music Business Facts recently conducted an interview with guitarist/vocalist Mikael Åkerfeldt of Swedish progressive metallers OPETH. You can now listen to the chat using the audio player below. A few excerpts follow (transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET).

On the importance of having the business side in order when running a band like OPETH:

Mikael: "Yeah. I mean, obviously, music comes first, and I've never been too interested in the business side of things. I don't want it to have the upper hand on me, because I feel like friends of mine who got too much into the business side of things, they seem to lose a little bit of creativity, which I'm afraid of that happening to me. But it does… I mean, especially nowadays, it's a completely different scene from what it was just ten or fifteen years ago. I mean, when we started out, there were people still selling records, there was more streams of income… there were more set streams — like, secure streams — of income then, even if we didn't really make much the first ten… we didn't make a living the first ten years or so. But definitely now, I think you have to be on top of things. We are in this position where we can employ people, so we have a management, we have an agency, etc., so we don't really have to take care of a lot of the business side ourselves — luckily. Because if we would have, we would have been fucked, basically."

On whether OPETH could achieve the same success if the band was just starting out under the current market conditions:

Mikael: "I don't think so. I'm not business minded, really. Like, for me, these days, I don't know how you promote bands these days. I mean, you have things like pledge [campaigns] happening, where you kind of involve the fans and those kinds of things, but I'm old school — I like the idea of signing to a record label and doing it the old-fashioned way: selling records and touring. That's the bread and butter for us."

On whether OPETH still sells physical product:

Mikael: "Yeah, we still sell physical CDs, and we also… we've always done vinyl copies, and that's escalated with a few hundred percent the last couple of years, but it's nowhere near like it was the '70s and '80s, and, to a certain extent, '90s. But we still sell CDs. We also sell… You know, now you generate some income from services like Spotify and, obviously, iTunes and that kind of stuff. I mean, we don't sell a lot of CDs, but enough to end up in the charts, because nobody really sells lots of CDs, so in the perspective of things, we do still do quite well. I mean, we end up in the Billboard charts, we get a good position there, but when you see it, like, okay, you ended up at [position] 19 on the Billboard chart, [you think], 'Oh, that must be, like, a hundred thousand, a million copies,' but no — it's fifteen thousand, or something like that."

On whether music downloads are a good source of income for OPETH:

Mikael: "Well, for many years, I don't think it was an income stream at all, really. It kind of took off with streaming services, I think. Like, before, it was kind of unregulated — we didn't get anything from the likes of Spotify. But now, when I get a rundown of income streams for publishing royalties and stuff like that, there's a little not that says 'Spotify paid out this and that amount to you.' So it's a little bit — not a lot. I mean, you couldn't make a living from streaming or downloads. I mean, downloading… Buying a record on iTunes is a similar price to buying a physical CD, at least for us in Sweden. But I don't really know. I still want it to go back to what it was before, because that's who I am — I like the physical product."

On not having to work a day job while continuing to keep OPETH alive:

Mikael: "It's so hard being an artist and a creative person. You put out a product and people easily throw the whole 'sellout' thing at you, because you depend on some type of income for doing this. It's, like, 'Oh, you're lucky to be in this position. You shouldn't complain. Get a proper job, just like the rest of us.' Which, I guess, is fair enough, but I think people underestimate how much they need music, and once it's gone… I mean, it's really difficult for new bands starting out today to get their names out there. I think the filter that was provided by a record label back in the day was ultimately good… I mean, it sounds crass, but I think, to a certain extent, somebody had the good taste of signing LED ZEPPELIN and DEEP PURPLE and KISS, and whatever have you. So I think it was, like I said, a good filter. And today, you don't really… Bands today, they put something out… They start their own YouTube channel and put out their record on YouTube, but they're fighting, they're rubbing elbows with millions of bands, and, quite frankly, many of them [are] shit. Not everybody is cut out to write great music. I'm not saying I'm the greatest at all, but, I mean, we have something, obviously, that people like. And for a starting band who also have something, starting out today, it would be very difficult to make themselves heard, because they would be caught in that stream of just shitloads of bands."

On whether he ever thinks about the possibility of OPETH one day not being able to make a living from recording and touring anymore:

Mikael: "Yeah, that's a very valid question, because I'm not yet in that position. I can say, like, we do whatever we want and fuck you — we put out the records that we wanna hear — but if the sales would go down completely and if we wouldn't have an income, maybe I would actually sell out — who knows?! But I'm hoping that's never gonna happen. I think that people will see right through me anyway, if I try to cater to the needs and the wishes of the fans, which we don't really do now — we just do music that we wanna hear, and we're fortunate enough to have people around who are also interested in our music. But if we would end up in that position, I think I would have to reconsider my life and maybe change it around completely. I would not want something that I love so much, as I love music, I wouldn't want that to become a way for me to put food on the table without having the passion and love in the music that I put out. That would be disastrous for me. So I would probably move away from music if that happened. I'd still write music, of course, but I wouldn't want OPETH to end up in that position where we just put out music to pay the bills."

On how the members of OPETH share music publishing royalties:

Mikael: "Publishing, I take the publishing, because I write the songs. But there's a dripdown from the publishing money, so [the other members of OPETH] get a certain percentage for being in the band, you know. So even if I take the publishing, they do get a certain percentage from that. And the rest, all of other income, we share."

On whether OPETH is a partnership or a corporation, and whether they are governed under Swedish law:

Mikael: "Yes, we have a limited company in England, we have a partnership in England, and we also have a merchandise company in England. We have an Inc. in the U.S., but that's purely for tax reasons there on tour, and then we have our own companies in Sweden, which we take out a wage from the partnership, basically — a monthly wage. But that's not really… I had to change, because I got a massive tax bill, so I had to change, and I'm starting the equivalent of a limited company in Sweden now as well. We call it 'AB,' so I'm just in the process of starting that now. And I'm hoping it's gonna be better for me, purely on a tax level."

On handling money withing the band:

Mikael: "When money comes in, that's when problems comes in, really. So I think it's better to keep it… for us, at least, to keep it… like, have an outside person take care of the business side of things. We never had money fights in this band. We had only had money fights whenever someone has been kicked out of the band, or left the band, and they want to get the money, if you know what I mean, that they feel that they have earned. But as it is now, we never, or rarely, have money fights."

On whether the members of OPETH have a partnership agreement or if it's all verbal:

Mikael: "We own different shares in the partnership, and that's based on how long you've been in the band, basically. So I have the biggest cut in that. So I have more credit in the partnership than the other guys. But I think that's fair enough. We've done more work; we worked for longer. So when we go out playing… Like tonight, for instance, we're playing songs from ten records, and I've been on all of them, but there's some guys in the band that have only been on, say, two records, or three records, or something like that. So I think that's fair enough. You have to work your way up, basically. People might [say] that's greed, but I don't think it's got anything to do with that. You have to work your way up. In this band, once you join, you can't expect to have, like, 'Okay, I'm gonna buy myself a penthouse suite and an Aston Martin [car].' You have to work."

On whether record labels still have a role in 2015:

Mikael: "Well, I think so. But that's going downhill too. I mean, we're signed to Roadrunner Records, which now is not really Roadrunner Records anymore; it's Warner Brothers. Roadrunner was an independent label who were run by Warner back in the day, but then the owner sold his shares, so it became Warner Brothers. And when that happened, a lot of people got fired and laid off work. They used to be a Roadrunner office in every country, Australia included, and that's all gone now. So there is no main office, really… There's no main office. I mean, there's usually one guy taking care of the Roadrunner releases; it's still an imprint, you know. But, generally, it's a major label now. I mean, record labels are suffering. The idea of a fat guy in a pinstriped suit and a cigar just swimming in cash, that's gone. That's gone. And I always thought that people who are not in the music business, it's always been unfair, because a record label is similar to evil to a lot of music consumers. But that's not the case; it's just regular people working there — regular people with a monthly wage. And maybe they're working with something that they love, which is almost seen as an ugly thing; you're supposed to suffer at work. But those people are, like I said, just normal people. But I don't know… We signed for… The contract remains the same… We signed to Roadrunner in 2003, or 2004, whatever it was, it's still the same contract. So we signed for one record, and then the record label has options to release another five, or whatever it might be. So once you put out a record… In our case, we put out a record, and then we wait for them to pick up the option. It's not our choice — it's the record label's choice whether they wanna release a new record. So if you're successful, they're likely to pick up the option. If you're not selling records, they're likely to throw you to the sharks. But in these days… I'm not sure. I mean, you can do it yourself, I think. You can put your own record out these days, have your own record label, which, again, probably generates more income, but also generates a lot more work, to get the distributions and everything out there. I don't really know how it would work for OPETH. We're an established band now. We have one more record with Roadrunner. I'm sure that there's gonna be offers coming in from other record labels, so maybe they'll wanna renew the contract or something like that; I don't know. They had a chance to drop us several times, but, for some reason, they have always picked up the option. So I think we might even live through the whole contract with them. And after that, we'll see what happens. Maybe we'll start our own label, or maybe we'll sign to a different label."

Interview (audio):

Everett "Vic" Firth, founder of leading drumstick manufacturing company Vic Firth Company, has died. He was 85.

A statement on the Vic Firth Facebook page reads: "To our dear friends around the world: We are heartbroken to share the news with you that Vic has passed away.

"Vic was an inspiration to all of us. He was a visionary, a mentor, a leader and a friend. He always said he surrounded himself with the best people, but the truth is he brought out the best in all of us. His boundless passion for music and musicians drove every decision he made.

"Vic's spirit and legacy will continue to live at the core of the Vic Firth Company. He will be missed beyond words."

Firth founded his company in 1963 after performing with the Boston Symphony Orchestra and deciding that sticks were being overlooked.

"It was not only the quality of drumsticks, it was the lack of variety of drumsticks that were being offered," he said in an interview.

"A drumstick has a configuration that gives it a response on the cymbals and on the drums.

"Its shape has an effect on the quality of the sound and even slight variations in the manufacturing process can greatly influence the result."

Among those who have endorsed Firth's products over the years are HELLYEAH's Vinnie Paul Abbott, RAMMSTEIN's Christoph Schneider, ANIMALS AS LEADERS' Matt Garstka, QUEEN's Roger Taylor and VANILLA FUDGE's Carmine Appice.

In an unprecedented event in extreme metal, Canadian powerhouse Kataklysm will release ten music videos in the ten days leading up to the release of their new album, Of Ghosts And Gods. Today, the band has released a video for “Carrying Crosses”.

Mastermind Maurizio states: ““Carrying Crosses” is about giving everything you are to someone, accepting their defects, being taken advantage of and sacrificing everything for someone you love just to have them bleed you dry in return.”

Kataklysm will release Of Ghosts And Gods on July 31st worldwide via Nuclear Blast. Guitarist J- F Dagenais tracked drums, guitars and bass for the album, while vocals were recorded by producer Mark Lewis (Whitechapel, DevilDriver, Cannibal Corpse). The entire process was mixed and mastered in the UK by legendary producer Andy Sneap (Megadeth, Testament, Exodus, Amon Amarth)

The new album artwork was done by up and coming dark and macabre artist Art by Surtsey. The new Kataklysm cover art echoes a sinister artwork depicting the reality of humanity’s beautifully disturbing existence and its impending death through the Mortal and the Everlasting, the background shows an ancient Incantation written in Aramaic.

Of Ghosts And Gods track listing:

“Breaching The Asylum”
“The Black Sheep”
“Thy Serpents Tongue”
“Soul Destroyer”
“Vindication”
“Marching Through Graveyards”
“Shattered”
“Hate Spirit”
“Carrying Crosses”
“The World Is A Dying Insect”

“Soul Destroyer” video:

“Thy Serpents Tongue” video:

“Vindication” video:

“Marching Through Graveyards” video:

“The Black Sheep” video:

“Breaching The Asylum” video:

“Soul Destroyer”:

Preview:

About the album, the band previously stated: “It has all the elements that make Kataklysm the force that it is with unrelenting power, melodic hooks, extreme passages and the head stomping grooves Kataklysm is well known for, plus it jumps into new territory in the true nature of the band’s adventurous exploits to push the limit. The end result will be our fans head banging with their horns in the air and shouting the hymns - and that’s our satisfaction right there. We will be hitting the road this summer with a string of festivals in support of the album. This is a determined Kataklysm like you’ve never seen before. Be ready."

Kataklysm have announced dates for their Of Ghosts And Gods European tour 2016

Mastermind Maurizio states: “It’s been a little awhile since we have visited the clubs and theaters of Europe , the last run was incredible as we remember it well, this time we come stronger then ever supporting the bombastic Of Ghosts And Gods with an unprecedented 44 shows across the old continent as we will be visiting new cities and also countries such as Norway, Finland, Estonia and Latvia for the very first time… excitement is an understatement! We will be bringing a full Kataklysm show so you can feel the real experience our way and we are bring with us our brothers:  the Greek titan kings of SepticFlesh and Belgian gore masters Aborted to bring the power and the blood, in true Kataklysm tradition the tour will be in January / February, so come start the year the right way and experience this sonic assault when it comes to destroy your town.”

Tour dates:

January
7 - Berlin, Germany - C-Club
8 - Hamburg, Germany - Markthalle
9 - Leipzig, Germany - Hellraiser
10 - Aarhus, Denmark - Voxhall
11 - Copenhagen, Denmark - Vega
12 - Göteburg, Sweden - Sticky Fingers
13 - Oslo, Norway - Blå
14 - Stockholm, Sweden - Debaser Strand
16 - Helsinki, Finland - Nosturi
17 - Tallin, Estonia - Tapper
18 - Riga, Latvia - Melna Piektdiena
19 - Vilnius, Lithuania - New York
20 - Warschau, Poland - Progresja
21 - Cracov, Poland - Fabryka
22 - Prag, Czech Republic - Meet Factory
23 - Vienna, Austria - Arena
24 - Budapest, Hungary - Dürer Kert
25 - Lubljana, Slovenia - Kino Siska
26 - Wörgl, Austria - Komma
27 - Bratislava, Slovakia - Majestic
28 - Stuttgart, Germany - LKA
29 - Geiselwind, Germany - Musichall
30 - Pratteln, Switzerland - Z 7
31 - München, Germany - Backstage

February
1 - Genf, Switzerland - Lùsine
2 - Montepellier, France - Rockstore
3 - Barcelona, Spain - Razzmatazz 2
4 - Madrid, Spain - Caracol
5 - Limoges, France - CC John Lennon
6 - Vannes, France - Echonova
7 - Rouen, France - Le 106
9 - Strasbourg, France - La Laiterie
10 - St. Etienne, France - Le Fil
11 - Frankfurt, Germany - Batschkapp
12 - Vosselaar, Belgium - Biebob
13 - Bochum, Germany - Matrix
14 - Paris, France - La Machine
15 - Bristol, UK - Fleece
16 - Glasgow, UK - Audio
17 - Dublin, Ireland - Voodoo Lounge
18 - Manchester, UK - Sound Control
19 - Nuneaton, UK - Queens Hall
20 - London, UK - Underworld
21 - Tilburg, Netherlands - O13

Kataklysm and diabolical death / black metal giants Belphegor will co-headline an uncompromising raid on North American shores this fall

“We've had a very busy year preparing for the world campaign for our new album, Of Ghosts and Gods, that is currently underway in Europe for the festival season,” commented vocalist Maurizio Iacono. “This fall, we will return to the US and Canada with our crazy brothers in Belphegor, to destroy your souls and cities one by one. We hope to see you guys there joining in on the madness!"

Adds Belphegor guitarist/vocalist and mastermind Helmuth Lehner: "Ave! Belphegor are looking forward to returning to US shores and celebrating our 9th North American raid to promote the latest offering, Conjuring The Dead. Revel in brutal musick and join the pit with us!“

Confirmed dates are as follows:

October
24 - San Bernardino, CA KnotFest 2015
25 - Las Vegas, NV - LVCS
26 - Oakland, CA - Metro Opera House
27 - Portland, OR - Panic Room
28 - Seattle, WA - Studio Seven
30 - Minneapolis, MN - Triple Rock
31 - Chicago, IL - Reggies

November
1 - Kansas City, MO - The Riot Room
2 - Denver, CO - Marquis Theater
3 - Amarillo, TX - Yellow City Bomb Shelter
4 - Dallas, TX - Gas Monkey
6 - Orlando, FL - The Haven
7 - Charlotte, NC - The Casbah @ Tremont
8 - Baltimore, MD - Soundstage
9 - New York, NY - Gramercy Theater
10 - Rochester, NY - Montage Music Hall
11 - Columbus, OH - Al Rosa Villa
12 - Toronto, ON - Mod Club
13 - Montreal, QC - Corona Theatre
14 - Quebec City, QC - Complexe Meduse *
15 - Sherbrooke, QC - Theatre Granada *
16 - Ottawa, ON - Maverick's *

* - no Belphegor

US power metallers, Power Theory, have released a new video for "Cut And Run". The song will be featured on the upcoming album, Driven by Fear. Check out the new clip below, and stay tuned for new album details, coming soon.

Power Theory lineup:

Bob "BB" Ballinger - guitars, backing vocals
Nick Bunzck - studio & live drums
Alan D'Angelo - bass, backing vocals
Nygil Hoch - guitars
Jeff Rose - vocals

 

OPERATION: MINDCRIME, the new band led by former QUEENSRŸCHE singer Geoff Tate, will release its debut album, "The Key", on September 18 via Frontiers Music Srl.

The official video for the CD's first single, "Re-Inventing The Future", can be seen below. The clip is one of two OPERATION: MINDCRIME videos which are being produced and directed by Seattle filmmaker and documentarian Jamie Burton Chamberlin (of Black Dahlia Films), who previously worked with DUFF MACKAGAN'S LOADED on "The Taking" series.

Perhaps one of Tate's most ambitious recordings to date, "The Key" examines what one might do if they discovered "the key" to changing the way we view the world, the way we look at time, the way we travel, and could essentially change the human condition... for better or for worse. Fresh from the creative mind of Geoff Tate, "The Key" features a dozen songs (see entire track listing below) and marks part one of an epic musical trilogy that initiates that very question within a web of international politics, the world economy and social ethos. A trailer featuring snippets of four songs from the album ("Burn", "Re-Inventing the Future", "Life Or Death?" and "The Fall") is available below. OPERATION: MINDCRIME is described as a creative platform that continues in the spirit of the historic album of the same name, spawning concepts as grand as the music, and intertwining the intensity of the former QUEENSRŸCHE vocalist's iconic past with the provocative, progressive mindset that has made him one of music's most resolute forces and frontmen. "Musically, this album is quite adventurous," says Tate of "The Key". "Of course there are key elements in the music, melody and phrasings that are really identifiable, but throughout my career I've opened my eyes and ears to new standards and arrangements, and that's what keeps things fresh and exciting as an artist — we've thrown out the rules for this record, and it's been really liberating. I'm a fan of old prog, and that music didn't stick to rules. It's inspiring and enjoyable to be able to explore, and it's great being in a position to write without constraints." The results are a series of albums that don't languish in nostalgia, instead offering listeners an opportunity to delve into a world of ideas and inspiration that Tate has been nurturing for the better portion of the last decade. Instead of asking, "Who killed Mary?", OPERATION: MINDCRIME now asks, "What are the implications of changing the world?" "Like every album I've ever done, people will hear and experience it differently, and that is something that I look forward to," continues Tate. "Music is an intimate experience — your inspirations are unique to you, and will be heard differently through every set of ears and experiences - but isn't that really what makes art exciting? It inspires us all in different ways and for different reasons, and this album is no different. There are quite a few sections of this album that help propel the story with segues and dialogue, but the lyrics don't lay out a breadcrumb trail and tell the story in a linear fashion, there's a puzzle. We have several characters, and three other people singing lead vocals on the first album. That made it even more fun for me and helps give the album its own special character. "Musically, there's quite a smorgasbord, we've played with sound and established a sound palate — heavy guitar, obviously, cool drumming... all the music is very sophisticated, and there are interesting time changes, the band is playing with different countings and we switch throughout each piece. We can perform the verse in one feel, the bridge in another, and transition to a new chorus, very challenging stuff and lots of different sounds that people probably haven't heard on one of my albums before - new and different guitar sounds and vocal treatments, very dynamic stuff." Joining Tate on "The Key" are a hard-hitting cast of familiar faces and new collaborators: bass players David Ellefson (MEGADETH) and John Moyer (DISTURBED, ADRENALINE MOB), drummers Simon Wright (AC/DC), Scott Mercado (CANDLEBOX) and Brian Tichy (BILLY IDOL, OZZY OSBOURNE), guitarists Kelly Gray (QUEENSRŸCHE) and Scott Moughton (Geoff Tate's solo band), keyboardist Randy Gane (MYTH) and vocalist Mark Daly (THE VOODOOS). Tate makes one point exceptionally clear — OPERATION: MINDCRIME isn't a band, it is a musical project of like-minded people uniting to achieve a common goal. While the songwriting rests predominantly on the shoulders of Tate, Gray and Gane, it's up to every contributor to add their influence and help color the landscape. "The songs on these records tell a story, and each song is a scene or chapter — every scene is different," Tate says. "The words tell the story, the musical bed, the chord progressions and melodies, they set the pace. That's how I envisioned this album in total, very theatrical and definitely cinematic. "How do we describe passion?" Tate asks in conclusion, cautiously answering his own question: "Music is a personal journey, and all you can do is write what moves you. That's what passion is - it's so difficult, yet it's such an important human emotion. There are moments on this record that really impact me, the questions raised and the music those questions are set to... I don't know if it will have that same effect on everyone else, but that's where my passion and their passion meet. I do this because I love doing it. I love touring and I love playing live, performing with like-minded people in front of like-minded audiences, and being there in the moment together when all of our passions collide." "The Key" track listing:

01. Choices02. Burn03. Re-Inventing The Future04. Ready To Fly05. Discussions In A Smoke Filled Room06. Life or Death?07. The Stranger08. Hearing Voice09. On Queue10. An Ambush Of Sadness11. Kicking In The Door12. The Fall

British heavy metal veterans SATAN will release their new studio album, "Atom By Atom", in October via Listenable Records. The follow-up to 2013's "Life Sentence" was recorded at Newcastle's First Avenue Studios and was once again mixed and mastered by Dario Mollo in Italy. The cover artwork, which can be seen below, was created by artist Eliran Kantor, who has previously worked with TESTAMENT, ICED EARTH, SODOM and SOULFLY, among others. The CD features ten songs, including a collaboration with ANGEL WITCH's Kevin Heybourne.

"Atom By Atom" track listing:

01. Farewell Evolution02. Fallen Saviour03. Ruination04. The Devil's Infantry05. Atom By Atom06. In Contempt07. My Own God08. Ahriman09. Bound In Enmity10. The Fall Of Persephone

The song "The Devil's Infantry" can be streamed using the SoundCloud widget below.

SATAN guitarist Steve Ramsey stated about "Atom By Atom": "We wanted to keep some continuity going with both the look and sound of this album.

"We've been working on the music for nearly two years now and I think people will definitely hear a progression from 'Life Sentence'. I can't really describe it, but I promise you, these songs will speak for themselves."

SATAN released a live album, "Trail Of Fire - Live In North America", in October 2014 to celebrate its debut live appearances last year on the North American soil in support of "Life Sentence".

Originating from Newcastle, England in 1980, SATAN is known as part of the New Wave Of British Heavy Metal movement. Though generally obscure throughout their career, the band is considered influential for playing a form of proto-thrash metal that was fairly advanced by the standards of the early 1980s, influencing major acts like METALLICA, EXODUS and DEATH ANGEL.

"Life Sentence" was released on April 29, 2013 in Europe and May 21, 2013 in the U.S. via Listenable Records. The CD was the culmination of a process that began when the original "Court In The Act" lineup got together for an exclusive "one-off" reunion show at Germany's Keep It True festival in 2011 in what marked their first performance together in 28 years.

The recording lineup for "Life Sentence" was the same as that on "Court In The Act":

Brian Ross (vocals) Steve Ramsey (guitar) Russ Tippins (guitar) Graeme English (bass) Sean Taylor (drums)

SATAN is one of the most important groups that emerged in the early NWOBHM era. Their unique mixture of heavy and power metal spirit with thrash riffage brought a handful of unforgettable tunes and revolutionized heavy music as we know it.

"Court in the Act" was SATAN's debut release and was considered a true milestone at the time of its release (1983). The songs were melodic, but at the same time very aggressive. The band's two guitarists, Russ Tippins and Steve Ramsey, delivered a truly amazing performance; although their styles were completely different, they managed to perfectly complement each other's playing and introduced a handful of timeless riffs and solos.

Fan-filmed video footage of QUEENSRŸCHE performing a brand new song, "Arrow Of Time", on July 27 at Colos-Saal in Aschaffenburg, Germany can be seen below. The track is taken from the band's new album, "Condition Hüman", which will be released 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.

In a recent interview with "Hard Time Radio" on KNON 89.3 FM in Dallas, Texas, QUEENSRŸCHE vocalist Todd La Torre stated about the band'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.

PUSCIFER, the Arizona-based electro-rock band fronted by TOOL's Maynard James Keenan, will release its third full-length album, "Money Shot", on October 30 via Puscifer Entertainment.

The video for the "Money Shot" track "Grand Canyon" can be seen below.

"It's extremely satisfying to witness simple conversations and ideas transform into completed sonic landscapes. And to have these stories go above and beyond the initial ideas makes my grumpy heart swell three sizes," said Keenan. PUSCIFER celebrates the concept of creativity, invoking the audience "to create something with every breath drawn." That sentiment takes center stage as "Money Shot" unfolds over its 10 songs.

"Money Shot" was produced by guitar player, programmer Mat Mitchell and Keenan, with some additional awesome sauce coming from the one-of-a-kind badass Carina Round.

"It's such a pleasure to work on music with so many creative individuals. The intermix of influences and ideas made for an album I'm really proud of," said Mitchell. Additional participants include Carina Round, Juliette Commagere, Devo Keenan, Tim Alexander, Jon Theodore, Jeff Friedl and Matt McJunkins, with Adam Rothlein directing the "Grand Canyon" video.

PUSCIFER has existed in some form since 1995 but only began making records in 2007. Keenan told The Pulse Of Radio a while back that the project was not just another band. "This is much more of just a collaborative, creative outlet on all levels with various people, free from label contracts and just kind of express to express, and not really worry about taking over the world with it," he said.

Megadeth leader Dave Mustaine took part in a special online chat at the Megadeth Cyber Army chat room last night, Monday, July 27th. During the chat, Mustaine revealed the tracklisting for the band’s upcoming 15th studio album.

Tentatively due in late-2015 or early-2016, the yet-to-be-titled album was produced by Mustaine and Toby Wright (Alice In Chains, Korn). Tracks on the release will include:

“Death From Within”
“Fatal Illusion”
“Conquer... Or Die!”
“Lying In State”
“Me Hate You”
“The Emperor's New Clothes”
“Dystopia”
“Bullet To The Brain”
“Last Dying Wish”
“Post American World”
“Look Who's Talking”
“The Threat Is Real”
“Poisonous Shadows”
“Melt The Ice Away” (Budgie cover)
“Foreign Policy” (Fear cover)

Megadeth recently confirmed producer Josh Wilbur (Lamb Of God, Gojira) as the man behind the mixing board for the new album. On July 24th Mustaine posted the following update on Twitter:

Megadeth hit the stage with their new line-up for the first time at the Festival D'été De Québec in Quebec City on July 18th, featuring mainstays Dave Mustaine (vocals, guitars) and David Ellefson (bass), and now including Kiko Loureiro (guitars/Angra) and Chris Alder (drums/Lamb Of God). New fan-filmed video from the show has been posted online and can be viewed below:

Megadeth and Lamb Of God are joining forces for a full UK & Eire co-headline tour in November 2015. The tour will coincide with the release, later this year, of Megadeth’s 15th Studio album through Tradecraft / Universal. Lamb of God’s new album VII: Sturm und Drang will be released July 24th via Epic Records in North America and Nuclear Blast Entertainment throughout the rest of the world. Check out a new tour trailer video, streaming below.

Dave Mustaine says: “Having just finished an amazing record full of high-energy heavy metal with Chris Adler, Kiko Loureiro and David Ellefson, I am excited to announce this tour and see all of the metal fans come out for this one. I literally can’t wait to hit the stage again!”

Mark Morton from Lamb Of God adds: “I have to say that it’s definitely exciting to be announcing this one! I’m more than pleased to let the world know that Lamb Of God will be sharing the bill with thrash metal legends, Megadeth, for five shows in the UK and Ireland, from November 9th-15th! It’s been almost a decade since we’ve had the opportunity to tour with Megadeth, and we’re absolutely thrilled to be teaming up with them once again for these very special UK dates. Also appearing will be our good friends and long time co-conspirators Children Of Bodom and Sylosis. This lineup is unstoppable! If you’re not stoked about this bill, then you very simply do not like heavy metal! Take a plane, take a boat, hitch a ride, take the tube, bring your Wellies…see you there!”

Support comes from Children Of Bodom and Sylosis.

 

Leeds based riffers Gentlemans Pistols have been causing a stir on the underground for a while now with their “debauched lyrics, melodic groove and general Yorkshire rock 'n' roll swagger,” according to a press release.
 
Formed as a three-piece back in 2003, the band has gone through a variety of line-up changes throughout their career and has now stabilized as a four-piece and is prepared to unleash their magnum opus through Nuclear Blast this autumn.

 
The band comments: “Gentlemans Pistols are very pleased to announce the upcoming release of their third album, »Hustler‘s Row«, on Nuclear Blast. The album was recorded by singer/guitarist James Atkinson at Mutiny Studios in Bradford and reflects nearly five years of experience for the band: good times, bad times, boredom, exhilaration, heartache, frustration and wonder. With this album, we tried to make a record that we would want to listen to; one that was heavy but melodic, intense but catchy, thoughtful but unruly. A record for reprobates and romantics, for gentlemen and hustlers.ˮ
 
Gentlemans Pistols are:
James Atkinson - vocals/guitars
Bill Steer - guitars
Stuart Dobbins - drums
Robert Threapleton - bass

 

The clip below features the entire White Empress set at Mill City Nights for Minnesota Takedown, which took place on July 25th. Footage is courtesy of Midwest Metal:

White Empress mastermind and former Cradle Of Filth guitarist Paul Allender is featured in a  new interview with Roppongi Rocks discussing the birth and development of his new band. An excerpt from the story is available below:

The band White Empress is based around the concept of the female figure of the White Empress, something which has been built around singer Mary Zimmer.

"I came up with the concept. I like being in bands which are theatrical, obviously coming from Cradle. I like doing that sort of stuff. I wanted a figure, I wanted someone which fans could look up to, this really strong figure. This time I said I wanted a female singer involved. I want someone that can do the harsh vocals, punk-rock vocals, normal singing, opera vocals, everything. I want to find someone who does all of that in one person. Mary – she is a fucking God send for this band, it’s as simple as that. I wanted someone to do that so I could have vocals – if it’s a heavy part of the riff it goes extreme, if it is a softer part she sings normally. The vocals are actually arranged specifically on parts of the music on purpose. It catches the atmosphere,” explains a very excited Allender. “I wanted to come up with a figure, someone the fans could look up to. I was thinking ‘What can we do?’ I think we can go for a real bad old fucking warrior – strong, hard female presence figure, someone who doesn’t take any fucking shit, who cut your throat without thinking about it. This is before I thought of the name."

"I didn’t want to do anything in black again or that type of thing because of Cradle. I wanted to go the complete opposite way. Hence the reason I got Mary dressed up in white and the solid black eyes which adds some sinister edges to it. Then it kind of built from there. Then the artwork and everything, it kind of expanded. I wanted a strong female presence that when you look at her you’re gonna be scared. She’s gonna kick the shit out of you. That’s what I was after. We’re still working on it. Because we’re a new band, we’re still working on it and refining it and stuff. The image is slightly changing, I’m making the image a lot darker as time goes on. When the next album comes out, the image will be a lot darker, a lot more sinister, a lot scarier."

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On May 1st, White Empress kicked off a short string of live dates at the High Noon Saloon in Madison, WI. Fan-filmed video from the show is available below:

Allender recently issued the following update: "As a band we have a ton of stuff planned for 2015. Firstly we are going overseas to play for our Japanese fans in May as well, as some warm up shows in the US prior to the Japanese dates. The shows are being recorded, so watch this space for future releases. We are extremely excited to get out on the road for you all and play. We will be meeting anyone who wishes to 'meet and greet' before or after the shows, or both. We have a European booking agent on board now who is working very hard to filling up 2015 dates. White Empress is all about the live experience, so come see us."

Formed by guitarist Paul Allender and with a full band lineup, this new venture into the metal landscape under the moniker of White Empress exudes the depth and ferocity of his prior work whilst pushing new boundaries. Allender's signature razor-sharp riffing and epic, melodic twists and turns compliment the sumptuously alluring and often demonic voice of Mary Zimmer (Luna Mortis) to create a master class in savage, yet uplifting metallic darkness.

The album was recorded in White Empress' studio and has been mixed and mastered by veteran producer, Kit Woolven (Thin Lizzy, Cradle Of Filth). With Allender's relentless guitar and Zimmer's diverse vocals, ranging from operatic to death metal screams, White Empress is exploring new areas of metal.

Tracklisting:

"Rise Of The Empress"
"The Congregation"
"A Prisoner Unleashed"
"Darkness Encroaching"
"Sven's Tower"
"Erased And Rewritten"
"The Ecstatic And The Sorrow"
"Dethroned"
"Obsession With The Empress (Human To Divine)"
"Ours To Burn"
"Exile (The Empress Returns)"
"Fall Of The Old Guard"

Hungarian neo-thrash masters Ektomorf will release their new studio album, which was again produced by Tue Madsen at Antfarm Studios in Denmark, soon. This new effort will feature a famous guest vocalist: George "Corpsegrinder" Fisher from death metal legends Cannibal Corpse, who contributed vocals to a track called "Evil By Nature".

Ektomork leader Zoli comments: “We are friends with the Cannibal Corpse guys since a long time. Last year in November I spoke to George (Fisher) about doing a song together. The recent Budapest show of Cannibal Corpse then was the perfect opportunity to meet and record his parts. So I took small home recording studio gear with me and recorded vocals with George in the dressing room before their show. It was fun and turned out killer! The song's title is 'Evil By Nature' and it will appear on our upcoming album. Be sure, it will smash your face 100%! Prepare!”

 

Rifftera's debut album, Pitch Black, will be released on August 28th by Inverse Records. It contains eight songs and 54 minutes of angry, tight, and crushing yet beautiful riff-oriented metal. Excluding drum recordings and mastering, which were done by a professional, the album is completely homemade. Drums on the album have been played by a session drummer, Thomas Tunkkari. Soilwork singer, Björn “Speed” Strid, is featured on a song called "Rotten To The Core". A lyric video for the aforementioned track can be viewed below.

Pitch Black tracklisting:

"Back To Life"
"One Step Closer"
"Lightbringer"
"Ashes Fall"
"Rotten To The Core"
"Open Wounds"
"The Ruins Of The Empire"
"Pitch Black"

Enjoy some highlights from the recordings of Pitch Black in the following "Making Of" video.

Rifftera is:

Janne Hietala  - guitar, harsh vocals
Mikko Kuoppamaa - guitar, clean vocals
Antti Pöntinen - keyboards
Jupe Karhu - bass

 

 

 

 

 

Canadian grindcore band Fuck The Facts has premiered a song called "Prey", from their upcoming album Desire Will Rot, due out on August 25th via their indie label Noise Salvation. Pre-orders are available at this location. 

Desire Will Rot was recorded and mixed by FTF guitarist Topon Das at his Apartment 2 recording studio in Ottawa, Ontario and is the band's first full length since 2011's Die Miserable and follows the band's recent split EP with Fistfuck along with 2014's Abandoned and 2013's Amer EPs.

Desire Will Rot tracklisting:

"Everywhere Yet Nowhere"
"Shadows Collide"
"The Path Of Most Resistance"
"La Mort I"
"La Mort II"
"Prey"
"Storm Of Silence"
"Solitude"
"False Hope"
"Circle"
"Nothing Changes"

In live news, Fuck The Facts will be hitting the road at the end of August until mid-October for dates in Canada and USA to promote Desire Will Rot.

August
20 - Kingston, ON - The Mansion
21 - Montreal, QC - Obscene Extreme Fest

September
1 - Binghamton, NY - Fitzie’s Irish Pub
2 - Cleveland, OH - Now That’s Class
3 - Chicago, IL - Livewire
4 - Appleton, WI - The Poison Estate
5 - Minneapolis, MN - The Triple Rock
6 - Fargo, ND - The New Direction
7 - Billings, MT - Railyard
8 - Great Falls, MT - Machinery Row
9 - Spokane, WA - Pinnacle Northwest
10 - Seattle, WA - Highline
11 - Victoria, BC - Logans Pub
12 - Vancouver, BC - Hindenburg
13 - Kamloops, BC - TBA
14 - Calgary, AB - Tubby Dog
15 - Edmonton, AB - The Armoury
16 - Saskatoon, SK - Amigos Cantina
17 - Regina, SK - The German Club
18 - Winnipeg, MB - Ozzy’s
19 - Thunder Bay, ON - Black Pirates Pub
20 - Sault Ste Marie, ON - Oddfellows

October
2 - Peterborough, ON - The Spill
3 - Ottawa, ON - House Of Targ
14 - Quebec City, QC - Scanner Bistro
15 - Fredericton, NB - The Capital
16 - Halifax, NS - Gus’ Pub
17 - Charlottetown, PE - The Sportsman
18 - Moncton, NB - Esquire Tavern
19 - Rimouski, QC - Cactus Show Bar

 

 

Las Vegas rockers Sin City Sinners - currently comprised of vocalist Joshua Alan, bassist Scotty Griffin, and guitarist Michael Ellis - entered the studio earlier today to begin recording brand new original music with Blas Elias of Slaughter fame on drums. Stay tuned for further details.

In live news, the Sinners will be joined by special guest guitarist Jeff Watson, formerly of Night Ranger on July 30th at Count's Vamp'd in Vegas.

 

 

Switzerland's The Erkonauts just signed a multi-album deal with Kaotoxin. Founded in 2014 by ex-Sybreed, Djizoes and 7-tone members, The Erkonauts are one of the most dynamic and hardworking bands out of Switzerland today. The band will be in the studio in August recording new tracks for its Kaotoxin debut, which is targeted for release during the second half of 2016.

The Erkonauts play a high octane style of their very own. The band strives to pack kick-ass modern power, execution and production with subtle vintage tones and a musical taste that encompasses genres as diverse as progressive metal, fusion, rock, thrash metal, crossover metal, punk, power metal, and alternative metal.

Get their awesome debut I Did Something Bad now at erkonauts.com/shop and catch them live while they're rocking a city near you. A new edition will soon been released and will surely be sold out after the band's forthcoming September 2015 Europe Tour.

The Erkonauts are back from the first part of the world tour that drove them from Europe to the USA, Japan, China and Taiwan and will embark on the European leg this September.

On September 18th, Christian Mistress will release their new 8-song excursion in pure American heavy metal - their LP titled To Your Death. The second single to premiere off of the album, "Stronger Than Blood", can be heard below.
 
Marked by the powerful vocals of Christine Davis and the rich harmonies of guitar duo Oscar Sparbel and Tim Diedrich, Christian Mistress is simultaneously relevant and anachronistic. Formed in Olympia, Washington in 2008, the band quickly distinguished themselves through their tasteful treatment of the grit and style pioneered by early 80’s NWOBHM as well as through the unique, raspy vocal presence of Christine Davis. After releasing a demo and a single in 2009, the following year saw Christian Mistress partner with Olympia label 20 Buck Spin to release their debut full-length Agony & Opium.
 
Agony & Opium eventually caught the attention of Relapse Records, who signed Christian Mistress in 2011. Shortly thereafter, the band recorded their second full-length album, Possession; a 41-minute slab of traditional heavy metal mixed with classic rock sensibilities. Released in February 2012, Possession netted the band widespread recognition.
 
After relocating to Portland, OR, Christian Mistress has now returned with their new full-length To Your Death, an album that serves the song, the art, and the listener, while ignoring the line drawn between past, present and future. By now, it’s clear that Christian Mistress are deeply passionate about what they do, and aren’t simply following the latest trends.
 
To Your Death will be available on CD, LP and Digital formats September 18th from Relapse. More track premieres, video, and info coming soon.

Tracklisting:

“Neon”
“Stronger Than Blood”
“No Place”
“Walkin’ Around”
“Open Road”
“Ultimate Freedom”
“Lone Wild”
“Ill”

“Stronger Than Blood”:

“Open Road”:

Christian Mistress is:

Oscar Sparbel - Guitar
Jonny Wulf - Bass
Christine Davis - Vocals
Reuben Storey - Drums
Tim Diedrich - Guitar

On the heels of well-received reissues of their 2006 debut Siberia and 2014 EP Metanoia, the Tucson-based sludge trio North will soon unveil their first new material to be released with Prosthetic Records – the two-track digital 7-inch "Through Raven's Eyes”.

The new single, the cover art for which can be seen above, is scheduled for release on August 14th, the night before the band kicks off a 26-date headlining trek across the US that includes a series of shows with post-instrumentallists Set And Setting. Further details will be revealed in the coming weeks on "Through Raven's Eyes," but for now, listen to a brief sample of the new material below:

GoetiaMedia.com conducted an interview with former SEPULTURA and current CAVALERA CONSPIRACY drummer Igor Cavalera at this year's Hellfest, which was held June 19-21 in Clisson, France. You can now watch the chat below. A couple of excerpts follow (transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET).

On the fact that he carried on with SEPULTURA for ten years after his brother Max left the band:

Igor: "I was trying… That was the thing… I was trying to continue playing, and then, at one point, I didn't really feel anymore to do that, so I stopped. And then, when Max called me to do CAVALERA [CONSPIRACY], I was, like, 'This is really cool.' Because it's a new project. We can do new music — not just live from the past, but from the future. Write new music, tour, and play with different music, so that's what attracted me to do SEPULTURA."

On whether he sees CAVALERA CONSPIRACY as a continuation of SEPULTURA:

Igor: "It's different. It's a whole different thing. Of course, a big part of SEPULTURA is still with me and Max, but it's not SEPULTURA. It's a whole new different, you know… Of course, we do love what we did in the past, but we also love what we're doing now and in the future, so it's a combination."

On what made SEPULTURA an unlikely international success story after coming out of Brazil in the mid-1980s:

Igor: "It's very hard to say, 'cause there is a lot of really, really good bands in Brazil, always — back in the day, now… a lot of new bands. It's hard to say what makes a band [become a success] in Europe or in the U.S. I don't know… Like, for us, we worked a lot. I remember when we did [SEPULTURA's] 'Arise' [album], we did two hundred and something shows in one year; it's almost like the whole year playing. And some people, they don't remember that. They think, 'Oh, it just happened for SEPULTURA.' We worked like a horse, man, we worked like crazy to get to where we got. So I think it's about working. Every band has to really work really hard. Otherwise, you can't just sit down and wait for things to happen to you. You need to go after it."

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

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

Alpha Tiger have announced that Benjamin Jaino is the band’s new singer. Watch his introduction below:

Guitarist Peter Langforth remarks: “We had to accept Stephan’s decision to leave the band to focus more on his job and family, even it was at the worst imaginable time, at least in our view, as we just had released our third album iDentity and were in full zest for action! We took the search for our new vocalist very, very serious, because we would have rather split up, then to work with an emergency solution! A step backwards never was an option. And we definitely didn’t want to have a pure copy of our old singer Stephan. We wanted someone with his own character, with whom we could start a new chapter. After a long search, we finally found Benji, one of the very few, who fulfilled our high requirements! And, as a bonus, he's a very cool, down-to-the-ground kinda guy! We're absolutely thrilled that we're able to give full throttle again, especially in the live sector and, when the time comes, to record a new album! We really hope, that Benji will be a part of the Tiger-family for a long, long time! Welcome!”

Benjamin adds: “On the hunt after the only dream, I’ve met another group of hunters and they’re called Alpha Tiger! It's a great honour, to be included as brotherly by the four Tigers, as they did, because we're all heavy metal blood-related! This means a lot to me and I'm very excited to seize this opportunity! I'm curious about the future and looking forward to play with these guys at every single corner of the world!”
 
The first shows with Benjamin will take place on August 22nd in Loket (Czech Republic) at the Metal Loket Festival and on September 25th at the Scheune club in Dresden (Germany). From November 11th to December 12th of the band will embark on a European trek with Battle Beast, the exact dates are to follow shortly.

Chicago death metallers BROKEN HOPE will release their first-ever concert DVD and Blu-ray, "Live Disease At Brutal Assault", on September 18 via Century Media.

"Live Disease At Brutal Assault" was filmed and recorded at the 19th annual Brutal Assault festival in Josefov, Czech Republic on August 8, 2014, where BROKEN HOPE shared the stage with DEVIN TOWNSEND, AMON AMARTH and other metal titans in front of 20,000 fans. This live concert Blu-ray and live album are historic firsts as BROKEN HOPE has never before released a live concert DVD or live album. The concert was filmed by a multi-camera crew on a dozen pro cameras and pieced together and edited by video-directing god Tommy Jones (SLAYER, TESTAMENT, LAMB OF GOD) while the audio was recorded by Thilo Fehlinger (EXODUS, DEATH ANGEL). Moreover, metal-art master Mark Rudolph (Decibel, Metal Hammer, CELTIC FROST) was commissioned to create all of the exterior and interior packaging and cover artwork. The end result of this collaboration is one of the most visually and sonically stellar death metal DVD concert and live album packages ever released. Comments BROKEN HOPE guitarist Jeremy Wagner: "Playing Brutal Assault in 2014 was a dream come true. Being one of the main stage acts at the fest in front of those thousands of insane fans was also a huge dream come true. And then... above all that... we had this epic moment captured by a pro video crew and also recorded by the best soundman in the biz, and it made for a perfect storm that enabled us to put it together to share with metal fans the world over to enjoy forever.

"We couldn't have done all this without the mega talent of Tommy Jones... Tommy took a million pieces of footage and numerous audio files, pieced them all together, aligned everything, edited it all, and made for us (and the world), an absolutely stunning concert DVD! We even added the BROKEN HOPE documentary film '25 Years Of Sickness - The History Of Broken Hope' to this Blu-ray. This film was released only in North America with 'Omen Of Disease'...now the entire world will have this amazing film — and in a hi-def Blu-ray format!

"Last thing I wanna say is: the skills of Thilo Fehlinger, Scott Creekmore and Chris Wisco made our first-ever live album a loud, clear, and sonically bombarding tour de force! This entire DVD/CD package is a monumental feather in our cap!" "Live Disease" video director Tommy Jones adds: "This BROKEN HOPE project has come out so sick! It has the quality and look of a high-end and polished commercial piece, but as a completely brutal, death metal concert experience. Definitely one of the coolest-looking live pieces I have been able to work on in the death metal genre. Really happy with how it all came together." "Live Disease At Brutal Assault" Blu-ray/DVD chapter listing:

* Intro* The Docking Dead* Dilation & Extraction* Into The Necrosphere* Gore Hog* Swamped In Gore* The Dead Half* I Am God* He Was Raped* The Flesh Mechanic* Incinerated* Felching Vampires* End Credits

Blu-ray/DVD bonus features:

* Behind The Scenes At Brutal Assault - The Interviews (with Jeremy, Damian, and Mike)* "The Flesh Mechanic" official video* "25 Years Of Sickness - The History Of Broken Hope"

"Live Disease At Brutal Assault" live album/CD track listing:

* Intro* The Docking Dead* Dilation & Extraction* Into The Necrosphere* Gore Hog* Swamped In Gore* The Dead Half* I Am God* He Was Raped* The Flesh Mechanic* Incinerated* Felching Vampires

BROKEN HOPE is:

Damian Leski - VocalsJeremy Wagner - GuitarsDiego Soria - BassMatt Szlachta - Lead GuitarsMike Miczek - Drums

Vocalist Dave Matrise of Wisconsin death metallers JUNGLE ROT has slammed Kerry King over the SLAYER guitarist's controversial comments about the Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival, saying that Kerry "could've waited until he was done after the tour to open his mouth."

In a recent interview with Metal Insider, King criticized this year's edition of Mayhem, saying: "Do I know this tour wasn't booked correctly? Absolutely I know this tour wasn't booked correctly. Gary Holt [SLAYER guitarist] made the comment that usually there's the Main Stage, a second stage, a third stage, and then that piece-of-shit record stage… Now what they're calling a second stage is at best a fourth stage and they're wondering why people aren't showing up."

He continued: "I think they waited too long and think all the talent that could have been on this took gigs in Europe. Because there's nobody here touring.

"It's easy to fill these stages, but I guess they wanted a different price point, take away the second and third stage which I think had a lot of value. To me, a second-stage headliner is ANTHRAX, MACHINE HEAD…"

King added: "Whoever booked this made a gigantic error."

JUNGLE ROT is one of the bands performing on the Victory Records Stage each night on Mayhem, and Matrise told Live Metal that he was not happy to read Kerry's comments about the lesser-known talent on this year's travelling festival.

"I'm gonna be truthful — I take it very personal," Matrise said. "I'm a longtime SLAYER fan, and I hate to say it, but now I'm gonna change my thoughts about SLAYER over this. It's because of the simple fact that there's a lot of people, including myself, and a lot of bands here that have a lot of money invested in this tour, and we're trying to make our money back, and we're trying to keep this thing rolling. And here's this guy, and he opens his mouth and sabotages the tour, in my opinion. And then he talks shit about Victory and that's our label as well, and calls it a 'shit stage.' Well, if it wasn't for Victory probably getting this stage, this tour would've never even happened."

He continued: "That's just my opinion, and if he would get off the bus once in a while instead of charging $20 for a picture or a signing or whatever the hell he does, he'd probably see that there's some really good talent out there, man. So yeah, I take it very personal. I think he stuck his foot in his mouth and I hope this turns on him and I hope for the worst. I have had enough — the guy's been runnin' his mouth enough and this is the final straw."

Asked if an altercation was possible given his strong stance on the issue, Matrise responded: "No, nothin' like that. Everyone's over it already, now we're just seein' what happens. All the band are sticking together, the crew's workin' hard — they're here at 6 a.m. in the morning. He just has to think before he talks."

He continued: "This stuff ain't easy, man. In livin' this lifestyle, touring is touring and he should know. He's been doing this for however many years.

"You take the punches when they roll, man, on every tour. Every tour is up and down like a roller coaster — they're all not gonna just be glamorous."

Matrise added: "It just don't make sense to me. He could've waited until he was done after the tour to open his mouth. It would've been much better. No one would've cared then."

This year's Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival — which features SLAYER in the headlining slot — kicked off on June 26 in Chula Vista, California and will wrap on August 2 in Dallas, Texas.

Mayhem co-founder Kevin Lyman told the Detroit Free Press about the festival's 2015 lineup, which also includes KING DIAMOND, HELLYEAH and THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA: "It was the best available for what we had to work with. We had pressure to keep the package at a certain price and make that work, and we had pressure on headliner expenses." In addition, there are fewer acts on the bill and only two stages this time around because "we had to condense it," Lyman said. "The expenses of putting on those shows had gotten high, so we had to push it all into the concourses. They [venues] don't want to build a fence outside [for third and fourth stages] anymore. Those things cost money."