The English midlands extreme metal quintet Gehtika recently revealed details about their forthcoming release, A Monster In Mourning, slated for release on August 17. Now Gehtika have unveiled the album artwork which can be seen below.

"The artwork was created by an insanely talented friend of ours, Scott Davidson," states vocalist Anthony Knight. "We worked with him on our Impossible Question EP and the 'Stack The Pyres' single so, as with the Owen Davies, our album producer, we had to go back to him for this."

"Infinitely talented and a true gent to work with; Scott is amazing at creating fantasy artwork so we knew this would be a project he'd really get stuck into. Myself and our guitarist Scott [Allen] met up with him to go through the story, lyrics and overall concept and he went away and created a bunch of sketches which we really struggled to choose from! We eventually/reluctantly managed to narrow it down though and he's produced the album artwork depicting the Prince character (aka the 'Monster In Mourning') plus two other pieces which are only available in the limited edition version of the album."

Tracklisting:

“Apollyon”
“One Night Seven Sins”
“Step Forth From The Darkness”
“Stack The Pyres”
“Empire In Decay”
“A Monster In Mourning”
“Reckoning”
“The Massaquerade”
“Shepherd Of Erebus”
“The Fiend Staring Back At Me”
“A Halo Of Crows”

A Monster In Mourning follows a concept the band had initially explored on previous single release ‘Stack The Pyres’ (which has been re-recorded for the album).

"As a band, this album is a big deal!" exclaims Anthony. "We've wanted to get another album under our belts for some time; we had a relatively quiet 2014, except for being given the opportunity to play the Sophie Lancaster Stage at Bloodstock (which was amazing!) so although we've been desperate to put out a new release we certainly didn't want to rush it! We put in a ton of time at the studio writing (some may say too much time...) and dissected every bit of every track until we were confident they were perfect. A massive amount of time and effort has gone into making this; we wanted to create something special that we and our fans can all be really proud of."

"Personally, this album has been huge amount of fun to write and has allowed me to try a few things, both lyrically and creatively, that I've always wanted to try! Not only have I had the opportunity to make every track part of the story, but I've been able to flesh out all of the characters in the book, something I've really enjoyed and am extremely proud of - I can't wait for people to hear what we've created musically and also get immersed in the story... hopefully everyone enjoys reading the lyrics and story as much as we did writing it all!"

“Stack The Pyres”:

SLIPKNOT singer Corey Taylor says that his band's refusal to officially reveal the identities of its new drummer and bassist for the last few months was partly done out of respect to SLIPKNOT's original drummer, Joey Jordison, who was fired from the group in 2013.

Although fans had more or less deduced the musicians' identities from clues last year, SLIPKNOT had been trying to keep their names off the record until earlier month when he openly spoke about them during an appearance on the "Talk Is Jericho" podcast.

In a brand new interview with Eddie Trunk for the SiriusXM satellite radio show "Eddie Trunk Live", Taylor was asked if SLIPKNOT was still keeping the identities of its newest members — drummer Jay Weinberg (pictured) and bassist Alessandro "Vman" Venturella — a secret.

"Everybody knows, but we've just kind of let it be," Taylor responded. "'Cause everybody was so up our ass to say who [our new drummer] was, and it was, like, you're missing the point. You're missing the point. Listen to us. It's not about him. it's about us. It's not about any individual person. That's why we kept it such arm's length for the longest time. But people know that it's Jay, people know that [our new bassist is] Alex. It's out there. But because we let the music do the talking, it stopped being an issue. So it was kind of cool to see that reaction and see how it kind of turned on itself. People just stopped caring. It was just, like, who cares [who they are], individually? It's SLIPKNOT again. And that was the whole point… And plus, a lot of it was out of respect for Joe. We parted ways for our reasons, and it was reasons that people really didn't need to know about. So, for us, out of respect to him, out of respect to Jay, at the time, we were, like, 'Look, we're continuing on, and this is how we're doing it. It doesn't matter why. This is what we're doing.'"

Weinberg is the son of Bruce Springsteen drummer Max Weinberg, who has already "come to a couple" of SLIPKNOT shows since Jay joined the band, according to Corey. The vocalist added: "[Max] was bringing Jay to shows when [Jay] was 10 years old. [Jay] grew up a huge SLIPKNOT fan. I have a picture of he and I in the same rig from… I wanna say it was the Hammerstein Ballroom, and it was Halloween 2001, I think. And he's been coming to shows since we played 'Conan' [the talk show hosted by Conan O'Brien], because Max was the bandleader on 'Conan'. So he's been a huge fan since then. He's almost twenty years younger than us. It's crazy."

Venturella is a former guitar tech who has played with CRY FOR SILENCE and KROKODIL.

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

SLIPKNOT announced its split with Jordison in December 2013 but did not disclose the reasons for his exit. The drummer subsequently issued a statement saying that he did not quit the group.

Weinberg was previously in the punk band AGAINST ME! and left under less-than-friendly circumstances. AGAINST ME! singer Laura Jane Grace tweeted last fall, "Dear SLIPKNOT, good luck with that. #shitbag."

Singer Jill Janus of the Los Angeles-based, occult-themed traditional heavy metal band HUNTRESS has revealed to Revolver magazine that she was recently diagnosed with uterine cancer. She said: "During the process of writing and recording our third album, I began to feel like something bad was growing within me. When we were on tour with AMON AMARTH, I started to bleed heavily between my periods. I had a procedure, and my doctor found early stages of cancer in my uterus. I will have a hysterectomy in June. I know I'll survive. I've survived much worse."

Janus also spoke about her lifelong battle with mental illness. She said: "I was diagnosed with bipolar disorder first, when I was 20. I started to show signs of it when I was 13, though, and I struggled with it through high school. But it started to get dangerous in my early teens. By the time I was 20 and living in Manhattan, it was very, very difficult for me. That's when I was admitted into a mental health facility and was diagnosed bipolar with schizoaffective disorder, which progressed into schizophrenia and dissociative identity disorder."

She added: "I was suicidal constantly. I was very suicidal early on in my life. Then in my mid-20s, it shifted to full-blown mania, where I can't really remember much of my 20s. I can't remember anybody from high school, either. I lost my long-term memory and can't remember names, faces, or even places. We'll be at a venue on tour and Blake [Meahl, HUNTRESS guitarist] will be like, 'We've played here two times before,' but I'll have no recollection."

HUNTRESS's third studio album, titled "Static", will be released on September 25 via Napalm Records. The CD was produced by Paul Fig (Grammy-nominated engineer who has previously worked with ALICE IN CHAINS, DEFTONES, TRIVIUM, GHOST) and Jim Rota (FIREBALL MINISTRY, executive producer for "Sonic Highways" series and producer of "Sound City" movie), and was engineered and mixed by Fig.

A snippet of a new HUNTRESS song, "Flesh", can be streamed using the SoundCloud widget below.

Vance Kelly (SLAYER, ALICE IN CHAINS, EVANESCENCE, GHOST) has once again delivered stunning album artwork for HUNTRESS. The band's creative unity with Kelly remains strong, with Vance having also created album covers for HUNTRESS's previous CDs "Spell Eater" and "Starbound Beast".

HALESTORM singer Lzzy Hale has laid down guest vocals on STONE SOUR's version of THE ROLLING STONES classic "Gimme Shelter", to be included on the Corey Taylor-fronted band's next covers EP, "Straight Outta Burbank", tentatively due before the end of the year. STONE SOUR guitarist Josh Rand wrote: "A big thank you to Lzzy Hale for killing it [on Friday, July 17] on this track. It sounds amazing!"

During an appearance on a recent installment of the "Talk Is Jericho" podcast, STONE SOUR singer Corey Taylor said that the band's next two covers EPs — titled "Straight Out Of Burbank" and "No Sleep 'Till Burbank" — will feature five songs each, and will include new versions of tracks from the following artists:

"Straight Outta Burbank"

* BAD BRAINS* THE ROLLING STONES* SLAYER* MÖTLEY CRÜE* IRON MAIDEN

"No Sleep 'Till Burbank"

* VAN HALEN* VIOLENT FEMMES* BUZZCOCKS* RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE* AC/DC

Released this past April as a Record Store Day exclusive , STONE SOUR's first covers EP, "Meanwhile In Burbank…", contained songs originally done by BLACK SABBATH, JUDAS PRIEST, METALLICA, KISS and ALICE IN CHAINS.

Asked why STONE SOUR decided to release three separate EPs of covers, Taylor said: "This is something we've been talking about for years. And we decided, instead of putting it all on one, and trying to make that work, we were, like, 'Let's have fun with it.' It was kind of the same spirit of why we wanted to do 'em in the first place — is 'cause we wanted to have fun, just to kind of take the edge off, take the pressure off and just go in and have fun and kind of show the world what got us into making music in the first place. So we broke it up into three. That way, we could kind of play with the artwork, make it fun for the fans, and just have a good time with it. 'Cause we're making our nut on covers. But at the same time, when you do something like that, you wanna represent to the best of your ability. And by spacing it out and letting the fans get into five at a time, nothing gets lost in the shuffle. It just felt like by doing it that way, people would have time to digest each five before the next one comes on."

In a 2014 interview with Ultimate Guitar, Taylor stated about Hale: "As modern rock as [HALESTORM] are, her voice is so gnarly and they are by far one of the best live bands I've seen. They do it for real and every note of it is for real. There's a great blend between like AC/DC and DIO with that band, and I mean that. That's just from an outside standpoint. That band is gonna change a lot of attitudes about things, and she's an incredible singer. The more she gets out there and the more she does, the more it becomes painfully obvious she's not just a woman singer. She is just a badass singer. I'd put her up against any of these chumps that are in the bigger bands, to be honest."

Hale in 2011 admitted to having a "crush" on Taylor. She told Loudwire, "I'm gonna totally ruin his hard-ass reputation right now, but, you know, there's something that I've always liked about the scary-looking guy that will, you know, in the morning call me 'darling' . . . I don't think that anyone has really ever given him the recognition for what an incredibly handsome smile he has. He never gets recognized for that."

Rockpages TV recently conducted an interview with JUDAS PRIEST guitarists Glenn Tipton and Richie Faulkner. You can now watch the chat below. A couple of excerpts follow (transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET).

On Faulkner's contributions to PRIEST's 2014 album "Redeemer Of Souls":

Glenn: "If you call yourself a guitar player, you must never forget image and exciting playing. You've gotta be a lead player, you've gotta be a rhythm player, you've gotta have showmanship, but you've also gotta be able to write, I think. Then you can call yourself a complete guitar player. There are great guitar player, but not complete guitar players. When Richie walked through the door, the important thing is that we got on. It's no good having somebody in the band that you don't get along with, or you argue with, or you don't like. And then it's how Richie dealt with the live aspect of things, which couldn't be any better; it was a miracle, really. So with those two obstacles over and done with, I had already got confidence that Richie would bring things to the table on the writing level that were appropriate and exciting, and that's exactly what he did. So I was never nervous in that aspect, because he had already proved himself on stage and we already knew each other."

Richie: "And I think by the time, as Glenn said, we got in the studio, there wasn't really any nerves, as such, as to if it's gonna work. You're ingesting that music every night, and every night's slightly different. We might play something slightly different or come up with something slightly different in the live scenario. And then we were playing the twin lead parts every night and we just seemed to lock in. So when we got into the studio, we'd built up those relationships, we were friends, we were buddies. If you've got an opinion, we had asked for it, or you got asked for it, and it'll get valued. You might not agree all the time — that's just the way it is — but you know that your opinion is gonna be valued. And if there's something that could be better, I could say it to you. I could say, 'I think it could better,' and it gets trusted and you work with it and it gets better, you know what I mean?! Rather than being afraid and [thinking], 'I'm not gonna say anything.' And then you come up with something that might be not as good as it could be."

On the possibility of PRIEST making a follow-up to "Redeemer Of Souls":

Glenn: "I think there's a chance a good we will do another album. You can never say what's around the corner — nobody's sure what's gonna happen — but I think it's pretty safe to say we'd like to do another album. Of course, the thing is we've gotta better 'Redeemer'. If you don't better it, people will say it's a crap album, if we don't better 'Redeemer'. So there's a bit of a challenge there, but we've always risen to challenges, and I don't think anybody would shy away from this. I think there's another album in us."

"Redeemer Of Souls" was released in July 2014. The follow-up to 2008's double-disc concept album "Nostradamus" was billed as a return to JUDAS PRIEST's heavy-metal roots.

"Redeemer Of Souls" sold around 32,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to land at position No. 6 on The Billboard 200 chart.

Guitar legend Steve Vai has checked in with the following announcement:

"Hey Folks, Steve here. We are thrilled to be posting The Space Between The Notes one leg at a time (nine in total) once a week over the next nine weeks, in full resolution! This bonus footage was culled from multiple sources including pics and vids from fans, band, crew, family, and myself. It’s a chronological video diary that has bits from each of the 253 engagements and 52 countries we visited on the last tour, The Story Of Light tour. It was a glorious life experience for us and we are stoked that we can present it here for you. Enjoy!"

Story of Light Tour: The Space Between the Notes (Tour Mischief) runs down as follows:

Leg 1 (Rehearsals/USA)
Leg 2 (Europe/Eastern Europe)
Leg 3 (Vegas/Netherlands/Russia/Ukraine/Europe)
Leg 4 (Australia/NZ/Indonesia/China/S. Korea/Japan/Taiwan/Thailand)
Leg 5 (Europe...again)
Leg 6 (USA...again)
Leg 7 (Mexico/South America/China)
Leg 8 (Vegas/Singapore/Malaysia/Israel/Europe/Russia/Ukraine)
Leg 9 (USA/St. Barths/Japan/France/Poland)

Back in April, Vai released  a video for the song “The Story Of Light” from the Stillness In Motion DVD. This selection opens The Space Between The Notes – a fascinating tour diary and video montage of life on the road with Vai and the band.

Vai states: “This is the piece that took the most time and the one I’m most happy with.”

An exclusive full performance of guitar legend Steve Vai's "Weeping China Doll" from the 2DVD release, Stillness In Motion: Vai Live In L.A. can be viewed below:

The double album and DVD, was released April 7 through Sony Music Entertainment and Legacy Recordings, were recorded October 12, 2012, at L.A.’s Club Nokia. It was the 49th show from Vai’s Story of Light World Tour.

Vancouver, BC based Test Your Metal Records is proud to announce its next signing of Mexican blackened death metallers Evilheart for the re-release of their 2014 breakthrough Quinquaginta. Test Your Metal will be making the release available for digital download and physical CD purchase as of September 15th with pre-order available at this location.. Evilheart will also be supporting the release with a cross Canada tour that will kick off in Montreal, QC on September 15 and go West to wrap up in Vancouver, BC on September 26.

"I am very stoked to announce another band added to the Test Your Metal roster!  Mexico's Evilheart will be tearing across Canada in September with their most recent album Quinquaginta!  These guys are one of the finest death metal bands Mexico has to offer and I am honored to help spread their craft across the land!" comments Test Your Metal Records owner Grant Truesdell.

The new album was mixed and mastered by Elliott at Mana Studios and features cover artwork by Niklas Sundin at Cabin Fever Media.

Tracklisting:

"Perfection Collapsed"
"Misanthropic Decree"
"Selective Extermination"
"Rebellion"
"Decimated Opposition"
"Supremacy And Holocaust"
"Postmortal Corruption"

“Selective Extermination” video:

Album sampler:

 

A new QUEENSRŸCHE song titled "Arrow Of Time" can be previewed in the YouTube clip below. The track, which was first made available to those fans who took part in the PledgeMusic campaign for QUEENSRŸCHE's new album, can be streamed in its entirety at SoundCloud.com.

The new QUEENSRŸCHE CD is tentatively due in October. The album 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.

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.

Fan-filmed video footage of VAN HALEN's July 14 performance at Irvine Meadows Amphitheatre (formerly Verizon Wireless Amphitheater) in Irvine, California can be seen below.

VAN HALEN kicked off its summer North American tour on July 5 in Seattle with a set featuring a number of rarities from the band's catalog that have not been heard live in decades. The show opened with "Light Up The Sky" from 1979's "Van Halen II" and also featured deep tracks like "Feel Your Love Tonight" from its self-titled 1978 debut, "Drop Dead Legs" from "1984", "Dirty Movies" from 1981's "Fair Warning" and "In A Simple Rhyme" from 1980's "Women And Children First".

Two days before the tour started, bassist Wolfgang Van Halen wrote on Twitter: "This is by far the best setlist I've made for us. Can't wait for everyone to hear it. Ya'll are gonna flip."

According to The Pulse Of Radio, "Light Up The Sky" has not been played live in 35 years until now, while "Drop Dead Legs" and "Dirty Movies" had never been performed in concert until the Seattle show.

Other album cuts aired during the concert included "Women In Love" and "Romeo Delight" in addition to hits and fan favorites such as "Runnin' With The Devil", "Unchained", "Panama", "Jump", "Hot For Teacher", "Everybody Wants Some!!" and "Ain't Talkin' 'Bout Love".

The tour is VAN HALEN's first since an aborted North American run three years ago in support of its then-new studio album, "A Different Kind Of Truth".

VAN HALEN plays in Morrison, Colorado on Monday (July 20) and will spend the whole summer on the road, winding down on October 4 in Los Angeles.

MEGADETH's new lineup made its live debut Saturday night (July 18) at the Festival D'été De Québec (also known as by its acronym FEQ, or Quebec City Summer Festival in English), in Quebec City, Quebec, Canada.

The band's setlist was as follows:

01. Hangar 18 02. Wake Up Dead 03. In My Darkest Hour 04. Skin O' My Teeth 05. Sweating Bullets 06. Tornado Of Souls 07. Dawn Patrol 08. Poison Was The Cure 09. Trust 10. Kingmaker 11. A Tout Le Monde 12. She-Wolf 13. Symphony Of Destruction 14. Peace Sells 15. Cold Sweat (THIN LIZZY cover)16. Holy Wars... The Punishment Due

Fan-filmed video footage can be seen below.

LAMB OF GOD drummer Adler, who recenty laid down the drums on MEGADETH's upcoming studio album, is expected to play as many shows with the Dave Mustaine-led band as his LAMB OF GOD schedule will allow.

MEGADETH's next album will also be the band's first to feature Brazilian guitarist Kiko Loureiro, best known for his work with ANGRA.

During a question-and-answer session at the Comicpalooza international comic convention in Houston, Texas, MEGADETH bassist David Ellefson stated about Adler: "Chris is such a fan of MEGADETH. Chris playing with MEGADETH would be like me joining KISS. We're, like, his favorite band ever and the band that got him into music. I mean, he's so humbly appreciative of the opportunity and being part of this. And so, anyway, we've talked about shows coming up, [and] Chris was, like, 'Dude, I'll move anything I can anywhere to try to make it happen; I just wanna play with MEGADETH.' He may play one show with us and go, 'That's it. I'm done. I don't ever wanna do that again.' So we'll find out as it's coming up. But the goal is Chris would like to play with us as much as possible. And we are still looking to where is the best time to release this new [MEGADETH] record, so as we're looking at some dates coming up, they're not necessarily predicated on the new album being out. And I guess it's kind of cool thing with MEGADETH — we can play shows and not necessarily have to have a new album to go play those [dates]."

Mustaine recently talked to Rolling Stone about his decision to enlist Adler to play on the new MEGADETH album, which was recorded in Nashville, Tennessee. He said: "Our hopes were to have a permanent drummer, but the option to do a record with Chris was really exciting to me. So I thought, 'Well, we'll cross that bridge when we get to it. We'll figure out what we're gonna do about live shows, who's gonna take the drum throne.' And we've looked at a lot of people. I talked with my friend [ex-DREAM THEATER drummer] Mike Portnoy, who I think is an amazing talent. I talked to [ex-SLAYER drummer] Dave Lombardo. [Current DREAM THEATER drummer] Mike Mangini's name has come up. But there was just something telling me to pause, saying, 'Really think about who you're gonna play with, Mustaine. Make sure you're going to do something that's really going to excite people and that is not predictable.'"

He continued: "But one of the things that was great about having Chris come in was he's been a fan for 30 years and he was able to say, 'Well, this is the stuff I like about my MEGADETH.' And it was 'OK, cool.' Because, you know, when we started we were a thrash and speed metal outfit, and as we got more successful and got more critical acclaim melody seeped in. I've always had a melodic content to my songs — it's kind of an innate thing from being brought up with three sisters who listened to Motown. But I think that being forced toward the end of our tenure with Capitol to try and become an alternative band, it muddied the water. And we did turn ourselves inside out a lot during the later Nineties and early part of the 2000s."

According to Stuff.co.nz, estranged AC/DC drummer Phil Rudd was arrested again Saturday night (July 18) at his home in Tauranga, New Zealand. It is understood prostitutes were at his house at the time of the arrest.

Rudd's lawyer Craig Tuck told Fairfax Media: "All I can say is he has been arrested and will be appearing on Monday at 10 a.m. in the Tauranga District Court. That's all I can say for now and that's all I am telling everyone who is calling."

Rudd was sentenced to eight months of home detention earlier in the month in New Zealand's Tauranga District Court after pleading guilty to charges of attempting to "procure a murder" and drug possession. He faced up to seven years behind bars.

Rudd's son submitted an affidavit to the court which said in part that his father "has a heart of gold and wouldn't hurt a fly. It's just when the drugs take over, he behaves how he taught me not to." Rudd has reportedly been struggling with a meth addiction.

When his first solo effort, "Head Job", flopped, Rudd reportedly threatened a former employee. A month later, Rudd told an associate that he wanted him to "take out" his personal assistant, whom he then called and verbally threatened, allegedly saying: "I'm going to come over and kill you."

Rudd offered $200,000 and a choice of vehicles and house as payment to kill the assistant, according to reports. When police raided his home in Tauranga, New Zealand, they found methamphetamine and other drugs.

"I was pretty stressed at the time," Rudd told Australia's "A Current Affair".

Prior the ruling, the court was told that Rudd's actions were the result of psychosis, brought on by drugs. While he initially denied the allegations, he submitted a guilty plea in April. Under the sentencing, he will be monitored for eight months and required to complete a rehabilitation program.

Judge Thomas Ingram told Rudd that there "was nowhere to hide" and that if drugs or alcohol were found in his system, he would face jail time.

Ingram continued: "QUEEN replaced Freddie Mercury, and your band is touring without you now."

Rudd played with AC/DC for 30 years and performed on AC/DC's new album, "Rock Or Bust". Chris Slade, who played with AC/DC from 1990 to 1993, was announced in February as the group's drummer for its current world tour.

BLOOD EAGLE, the Danish death metal band featuring members of ex-VOLBEAT, MNEMIC, HATESPHERE, ILLDISPOSED and RAUNCHY, has parted ways with bassist Mikeal "Gammelfar" Ehlert and replaced him with ex-THE PSYKE PROJECT bass player Jeppe "Panzer" Skouv.

Commented BLOOD EAGLE: "Unfortunately, we have to announce that Mikeal 'Gammelfar' Ehlert will be leaving BLOOD EAGLE to focus full time on his stoner rock project IAMFIRE with Peter Dolving. There are absolutely no hard feelings at all, as we remain good friends, and wish him best of luck for the future.

"On a more postive note, we are excited to welcome Jeppe 'Panzer' Skouv taking over the subwoofer spot. We've known Panzer for many years, he is a great bass player and friend, with roots from the hardcore/metal environment, as he has been handling the bass duties in now extinct Danish hardcore act THE PSYKE PROJECT."

BLOOD EAGLE's new lineup:

Michael Olsson: Vocals Mircea Gabriel Eftemie (MNEMIC) - GuitarFranz Hellboss (ex-VOLBEAT, ILLDISPOSED) - GuitarJeppe "Panzer" Skouv (ex-THE PSYKE PROJECT) - BassMorten Tåsk Hansen (ex-HATESPHERE, RAUNCHY) - Drums

BLOOD EAGLE will enter Antfarm Studios in Aarhus, Denmark in September with producer Tue Madsen (BEHEMOTH, THE HAUNTED, HALFORD) to begin recording its debut album for a 2016 release.

BLOOD EAGLE's debut EP, "Kill Your Tyrants", is available for free download at site.bloodeagle.info.

BLOOD EAGLE's name — which represents the method of torture and execution in Nordic mythology, performed by cutting the ribs of the victim by the spine, breaking the ribs so they resembled blood-stained wings — was chosen due to the members' Scandinavian roots,.

STONE SOUR singer Corey Taylor has revealed more details about the next two EPs of cover songs the band is planning to release following the arrival of its first one, "Meanwhile In Burbank…" this past April as a Record Store Day exclusive. During an appearance on a recent installment of the "Talk Is Jericho" podcast, Taylor said that the next two — titled "Straight Out Of Burbank" and "No Sleep 'Till Burbank" — will feature five songs each, and will include new versions of tracks from the following artists:

"Straight Outta Burbank"

* BAD BRAINS* THE ROLLING STONES* SLAYER* MÖTLEY CRÜE* IRON MAIDEN

"No Sleep 'Till Burbank"

* VAN HALEN* VIOLENT FEMMES* BUZZCOCKS* RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE* AC/DC

"Meanwhile In Burbank…" contained songs originally done by BLACK SABBATH, JUDAS PRIEST, METALLICA, KISS and ALICE IN CHAINS.

Asked why STONE SOUR decided to release three separate EPs of covers, Taylor said: "This is something we've been talking about for years. And we decided, instead of putting it all on one, and trying to make that work, we were, like, 'Let's have fun with it.' It was kind of the same spirit of why we wanted to do 'em in the first place — is 'cause we wanted to have fun, just to kind of take the edge off, take the pressure off and just go in and have fun and kind of show the world what got us into making music in the first place. So we broke it up into three. That way, we could kind of play with the artwork, make it fun for the fans, and just have a good time with it. 'Cause we're making our nut on covers. But at the same time, when you do something like that, you wanna represent to the best of your ability. And by spacing it out and letting the fans get into five at a time, nothing gets lost in the shuffle. It just felt like by doing it that way, people would have time to digest each five before the next one comes on."

Regarding the "Burbank" tie-in in the titles of the three EPs, Taylor explained: "[Burbank, California is] where [STONE SOUR drummer] Roy [Mayorga] lives, and we did all the music in his home studio. So I was just, like, 'Dude, the title's gotta be, 'Meanwhile In Burbank…' And then it just became, like, 'How can we play on that?' 'No Sleep 'Till Burbank'… 'Straight Outta Burbank'… It was just hilarious. At one point, I wanted us to dress like a black metal band in his front yard and play volleyball. Because there's this giant palm tree in the front, and there's always sun and people walking their kids, or whatever, and we're dressed like MAYHEM. And we didn't have time, 'cause [STONE SOUR bassist Johny] Chow is out with CAVALERA [CONSPIRACY], and Roy's been doing some stuff. So we just didn't have that time where we were all in the same state. But I was, like, 'We've gotta remember that one, 'cause that could be rad.'"

Taylor told The Pulse Of Radio why he enjoys covering other artists' songs. "The thing I love about playing covers is that it's a chance to walk in the footsteps of your heroes," he said. "It's a chance to have fun. There's a certain amount of relaxation that comes when you don't have to worry about your song. This is someone else's song, you know. This is where you can relax and just remember why you're a music fan in the first place."

On its last North American tour, STONE SOUR played a different cover every night, including songs that made the EP such as METALLICA's "Creeping Death", KISS's "Love Gun" and JUDAS PRIEST's "Heading Out To The Highway".

Taylor is currently on tour with his other band, SLIPKNOT, and did not indicate when the next two covers EPs will see the light of day.

Guitarist Christian Martucci joined STONE SOUR in late 2013 as the replacement for Jim Root, who was fired from the group after deciding he wanted to sit out the band's last tour in order to start work on the next album from SLIPKNOT, of which he is also a member.

Swedish metallers SABATON will film their performance at the Sabaton Open Air in their hometown of Falun in August for an upcoming DVD/Blu-ray, to be made available in early 2016.

Says the band: "[Sabaton Open Air] is happening for the eighth year in a row, and this unique event has, over the years, brought people from around the world to this special show. Fans who have travelled there know what is so special about it, and now our plan is to share that with the rest of the world, so we decided to record the 2015 year's show in full! [The DVD/Blu-ray] will also contain more SABATON stuff, including more live shows that we will explain more about later.

"We feel that the time is right for another live release. A lot has happened with SABATON since the last release which was recorded 2012 in Poland. We have a new album and Hannes [Van Dahl, drums] is now in the band. But not only that... we now have two new members on the stage. [Tanks] Audie and Walther! And, all together, we now make a show which is better then ever before. This is something we would love to record so it stays forever!

"If you wanna be part of a totally unique thing, come to Falun and join in the worlds biggest SABATON party."

SABATON released a special, three-disc limited-edition deluxe version of its 2014 album, "Heroes", in the U.S. and Canada on April 7 via Nuclear Blast. Limited to 5,000 copies, this deluxe edition includes two discs of live audio recorded on the 2014 Sabaton Cruise in addition to the original ten "Heroes" album tracks. "Heroes" was certified gold in the group's home country for sales in excess of 20,000 copies.

Note: The International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI) in Sweden has revised the sales requirements for albums to reach gold status in the country twice in the last seven years — from the pre-2002 level of 40,000 to the current 20,000.

"Heroes" sold around 3,100 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 99 on The Billboard 200 chart.

Released on May 16, 2014 via Nuclear Blast Records, the "Heroes" cover artwork was created by Péter Sallai. A number of bonus tracks were made available, including cover versions of songs originally written and recorded by METALLICA, BATTLE BEAST and RAUBTIER.

"Heroes" was tracked at The Abyss, the recording studio in Pärlby outside Ludvika, Sweden owned and operated by record producer and musician Peter Tägtgren (HYPOCRISY, PAIN).

The Loud & Proud Records team and Lynyrd Skynyrd have enjoyed success together for over 15 years and they will continue the tradition with the release of the 2CD/DVD Lynyrd Skynyrd - One More For The Fans, a celebration of the band s incredible musical legacy for release on July 24. Check out Gregg Allman performing the classic "Tuesday's Gone" and Jason Isbell performing "I Know A Little" below:

On one special night last November 12, 2014, at a live event headlined by Lynyrd Skynyrd, an extraordinary collection of artists came together at the Fox Theatre in Atlanta, GA to perform the music of Skynyrd, one of the most influential bands of our time. The unique concert featured incredible performances by Lynyrd Skynyrd, including an unforgettable rendition of “Travelin Man”, performed as a duet between Johnny Van Zant and his late brother Ronnie, who appeared via archival video.

Special guests who took the stage that night include Gregg Allman who performed his bluesy version of the classic “Tuesday’s Gone”, Cheap Trick doing “Gimme Back My Bullets”, Peter Frampton rocking out to “Call Me The Breeze”, Alabama doing “Gimme Three Steps” as well as appearances by Trace Adkins, Blackberry Smoke, Charlie Daniels, Gov’t Mule, Warren Haynes, John Hiatt, Randy Houser, Jason Isbell, Jamey Johnson, Aaron Lewis, moe., O.A.R., Robert Randolph, Donnie Van Zant and an all-star band led by Don Was, performing songs from Lynyrd Skynyrd’s extensive catalog of music.

As part of the campaign to save the Fox Theatre from demolition in 1976, Lynyrd Skynyrd recorded their live album, One More From The Road, at the landmark theatre. The title Lynyrd Skynyrd - One More For The Fans, was inspired by that legendary album’s title.

With a catalog of over 60 albums and sales beyond 30 million worldwide, Rock & Roll Hall Of Famers Lynyrd Skynyrd remains a cultural icon that appeals to multiple generations. Lynyrd Skynyrd continues to build on the legacy that began over 40 years ago in Jacksonville, Florida. Their last album, Last of a Dyin’ Breed, debuted at #14 on the Billboard Top 200, making it their highest charting album since 1977.

Led by core members Gary Rossington (guitar), Johnny Van Zant (vocals) and Rickey Medlocke (guitar), along with longtime drummer Michael Cartellone, the band also includes Mark "Sparky" Matejka (guitar), Johnny Colt (bass), Peter Keys (keyboards), Dale Krantz Rossington (Honkettes backing vocals) and Carol Chase (Honkettes backing vocals).

One More For The Fans tracklisting:

“Whiskey Rock-A-Roller” (performed by Randy Houser)
“You Got That Right” (performed by Robert Randolph and Jimmy Hall)
“Saturday Night Special” (performed by Aaron Lewis)
“Workin’ For MCA” (performed by Blackberry Smoke)
“Don’t Ask Me No Questions” (performed by O.A.R.)
“Gimme Back My Bullets” (performed by Cheap Trick)
“Simple Man” (performed by Gov’t Mule)
“That Smell” (performed by Warren Haynes)
“Four Walls Of Raiford” (performed by Jamey Johnson)
“I Know A Little” (performed by Jason Isbell)
“Call Me The Breeze” (performed by Peter Frampton)
“What’s Your Name” (performed by Trace Adkins)
“Down South Jukin’ (performed by Charlie Daniels and Donnie Van Zant)
“Gimme Three Steps” (performed by Alabama)
“Tuesday’s Gone” (performed by Gregg Allman)
“Travelin’ Man” (performed by Lynyrd Skynyrd with Jonny and Ronnie on big screen)
“Free Bird” (performed by Lynyrd Skynyrd)
“Sweet Home Alabama” (performed by Lynyrd Skynyrd and the entire cast)

"Freebird":

Trailer:

 

 

 

After their debut album Scratchin' The Surface in 2014, Power Prog will again take care of the second album of Danish melodic hard rockers Raspberry Park. At Second Glance will be released worldwide at September 18t on Audio-CD, download card, as digital download and as stream.

With their second long player At Second Glance, Raspberry Park remains their chosen path faithfully and are able to beat the already high level of their debut. Adult harder rock music with classic rock and AOR influences is written on their banners again, and they master all sophisticated challenges and expectations with flying colors. Ten straight, memorable, catchy and skillfully implemented songs are brought to the ears of the audience, once again without ifs and buts and with hitting exactly the nerve of the tilted fans. The mastering, done by none other than Mats "Limpan" Lindfors (Scorpions, H.E.A.T, The Poodles, Crashdïet, Katatonia ...) ensures the icing on this pearl and makes this album to a rock highlight of the year.

At Second Glance tracklisting:

“Take It Back”
“Spinning Wheel”
“Alive”
“Sleep With The Lights On”
“Depending On A Miracle”
“Getaway”
“Madeleine”
“I Won’t Back Down”
“Free Birds”
“Look My Way”

Single “I Won’t Back Down”:

Album details:

- All songs written by Bryde, Kirstein & Thomassen,
  except "Madeleine" written by Bryde, Maltesen & Thomassen
- Produced by Raspberry Park
- Engineered by Morten Maltesen, Jes Kirstein, Mikkel Bryde (add. engineering by Jan Parber)
- Mixed by Morten Maltesen
- Mastered by Mats "Limpan" Lindfors at The Cutting Room, Sweden
- Recorded in Lundgaard Studios, Vejen, Denmark
- Concept, artwork, typography & layout: Götz Morgenschweis

Los Angeles stoner/doom metal band Behold! The Monolith will release new album Architects of the Void September 29 on CD, digital, and vinyl. Preorder the album at Bandcamp.

Legendary producer Billy Anderson has expertly harnessed the band's smoke-belching locomotive style, while the songwriting is the most captivating of the quartet's career. 

Guitarist Matt Price had this to say about the results: "It's a relatively dark album, which is probably fitting. A few of the riffs and ideas had pretty much coagulated right before Kevin's accident, and most of the others were colored by it, so yeah it feels kinda heavy and dark to me. I hope I don't sound like a high falootin' artisté, but it felt personal for me and Chase, so it wound up being more than just stringing riffs together, ya know? That being said Cas and Jordan came in and kicked ass and brought their own stamp to the sound. So it's a bit different, but I think it captures the essence what Behold! The Monolith is all about!"

Architects of the Void follows 2012 release Defender, Redeemist marks the debut of vocalist Jordan Nalley who took the reins following the tragic 2013 death of Kevin McDade in a car accident. The album will also be the first for new bassist Jason "Cas" Casanova (Sasquatch). The album artwork was created by Dusty Peterson (Bloodbath, Six Feet Under, Oceano).

Architects Of The Void tracklisting:

“Umbral Vale”
“Philosopher’s Blade”
“The Mithridist”
“Lord Of Bones”
“Black Days Of…”
“Between Oder And The Vistula”
“Architects Of The Void”

French fast rock 'n' roll power trio Iron Bastards has announced the release of their debut full-length album called Boogie Woogie Violence and will be out on September 11 via Black N’ Purple Records. The album will contain 15 songs plus three live recordings of hi-energy rock vibes with ‘70s influences on CD and digital formats.

Old school rock with a modern view : The Iron Bastards play a fast and dirty rock 'n 'roll. Energetic, aggressive, motivated, the Bastards give heavy and powerful shows that will make your ears bleed. Founded in 2013, the band played fast from its beginning but also works fast and released its two first records in 2014 (Boogie Woogie Sessions and Wasteland).

Boogie Woogie Violence tracklisting:

“Jungle Speed”
“Dr. Reason”
“Pancho Villa”
“Daily Cycle”
“Rock This Place”
“I Am The Lizard”
“Live With The Change”
“Reverse Mirror”
“Empty Promises”
“Animals”
“Breaking The Past”
“Fast & On Time”
“Bastards Are The Future Of The World”
“Burning On The Giant Chair”
“Boogie Woogie Violence”

“Boogie Woogie Violence” live:

Danko Jones has uploaded a live video of “The Twisting Knife” live from Graspop 2015. The video was made by Panda Productions and taken from their latest album Fire Music.

Canadian rockers Danko Jones recently announced a 10 date tour of Sweden for September/October 2015. Their schedule is as follows:

September 
29 - Borlänge, Sweden - Liljan
30 - Uppsala, Sweden - Katalin

October 
1 - Stockholm, Sweden - Debaser Medis
2 - Karlstad, Sweden - Nöjesfabriken
3 - Norrköping, Sweden - Flygeln
13 - Huskvarna, Sweden - Folkets Park
14 - Göteborg, Sweden - Pustervik
15 - Trollhättan, Sweden - N3
16 - Helsingborg, Sweden - Tivoli
17 - Malmö, Sweden - KB

Tickets went on sale July 1st. Click here for details.

Danko Jones recently confirmed nine long awaited UK headline shows this September. Earlier this month, the band launched the brand new album Fire Music with a special one-off show in London, playing a phenomenal 21-song set of both old and new tunes. It was the first London show in five years.

The September headline tour marks the first time Danko Jones returns to play across the UK, since previous jaunt seven years back with the almighty Motörhead. Support is yet to be confirmed.

September
18 - Dublin, Ireland - Whelans
19 - Belfast, Ireland - Limelight
20 - Glasgow, Scotland - King Tuts
22 - Wolverhampton, England - Slade Rooms
23 - Nottingham, England - Bodega Social Club
24 - Manchester, England - Sound Control
25 - London, England - Underworld
26 - Leeds, England - The Key Club
27 - Bristol, England - Exchange

Check out the scorching new track “Gonna Be A Fight Tonight”. Danko Jones are taking no prisoners nor sparing any survivors! The accompanying video includes footage from the 2014 Motörhead cruise, a show at Stockholm’s Gröna Lund amusement park, and the recording of the new album.

Canadian underlords of nihilistic warrior cult death metal Adversarial have crawled up from the depths to unleash Death, Endless Nothing And The Black Knife Of Nihilism. The band's first full-length since 2010's All Idols Fall Before the Hammer offers nine tracks of hellishly twisted aural blasphemy.

Dark Descent Records has announced an August 21st release date for Death, Endless Nothing and the Black Knife of Nihilism on CD, vinyl and digital formats. The track “Cursed Blades Cast Upon The Slavescum” is streaming now below.

Tracklisting:

“Dissenting The Waking Shell”
“Intro”
“Immersion Void Paragon”
“Eonik Spiritual Warfare”
“Interlude”
“Cursed Blades Cast Upon The Slavescum”
“Old Ruins Slumber In A Crushing Hatred Of Man”
“Lone Wresting Hymns To The Warmoon Of Chaos”
“Death, Endless Nothing And The Black Knife Of Nihilism”

“Cursed Blades Cast Upon The Slavescum”:

"Eonik Spiritual Warfare"

New Release Sampler #3 by Dark Descent Records

 

After nearly a decade as a band, Hamilton, Ontario melodic-hardcore group Counterparts is gearing up for what could well be one of their greatest releases yet. The band’s upcoming fourth studio album, Tragedy Will Find Us, is scheduled for release on July 24 via Pure Noise Records and finds them at their most creative as they start their next chapter. A full album stream can be found below. Pre-order the album here.

Tragedy Will Find Us is a record of redemption that marks a turning point for the band. Singer Brendan Murphy recently said the album represented him at rock bottom with nowhere to go but up. The intensity of that sentiment can be found throughout the record’s eleven songs, including hard-hitting new tracks “Burn” and “Collapse.”

Tragedy Will Find Us tracklisting:

“Stillborn”
“Thread”
“Resonate”
“Stranger”
“Burn”
“Tragedy”
“Withdrawal”
“Choke”
“Collapse”
“Down”
“Solace”  

Album stream:

“Burn” video:

Counterparts will embark on a month long tour with Every Time I Die, Real Friends, Gnarwolves, Brigades and Gatherers later this month.

Tour dates:

July
23 - Richmond, VA - The National
24 - Greensboro, NC - Greene Street
25 - Wilmington, NC - Ziggy’s By The Sea
26 - Atlanta, GA - Centerstage
27 - Orlando, FL - Venue 578
29 - Houston, TX - Scout Bar
30 - San Antonio, TX - Alamo City Music Hall
31 - El Paso, TX - Tricky Falls

August
1 - Tucson, AZ - Rialto Theatre
2 - Riverside, CA - Riverside Municipal Auditorium
3 - Santa Cruz, CA - The Catalyst
4 - Reno, NV - Knitting Factory
7 - Colorado Springs, CO - The Black Sheep
8 - Lincoln, NE - Bourbon Theatre
9 - St. Louis, MO - The Ready Room
10 - Bloomington, IL - The Castle Theatre
11 - Louisville, KY - Mercury Ballroom
12 - Grand Rapids, MI - The Intersection
13 - Pontiac, MI - The Crofoot Ballroom
14 - London, ON - London Music Hall
15 - Syracuse, NY - Lost Horizon
16 - Patchogue, NY - The Emporium (Today’s Mixtape Festival)
18 - Burlington, VT - Higher Ground
19 - New Haven, CT - College Street Music Hall
20 - Sayreville, NJ - Starland Ballroom
21 - Philadelphia, PA - Theatre of Living Arts
22 - Poughkeepsie, NY - The Chance Theater

Chilean / Belgian band King Heavy are streaming “La Gárgola”, the lead track from the band’s self-titled debut album, out via Cruz Del Sur Music on September 4th in Europe and September 19th in North America.

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

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

Tracklisting:

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

Shortly after the release of the album, the band will engage an European tour which will bring them to Malta's Doom Fest, Dutch Doom Days,  and Biebob. Other tour dates will be published and confirmed very soon.

California rock act, 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:

One Machine, the brainchild of acclaimed guitarist/songwriter Steve Smyth (Testament, Nevermore, Forbidden, Dragonlord, Vicious Rumors), have set The Final Cull as the title of their second album, due out on September 18th worldwide via Scarlet Records. The Final Cull was tracked at Death Island Studios, with Marco Angioni and Tue Madsen helming. Recording lasted for nine days solid, as the band put in 15-18 hour days on this record.

One Machine are launching a crowdfunding campaign today, Friday, July 17th to help offset the costs incurred during the recording, with many great perks soon to be on offer, in addition to regular pre-orders of the album, which will be available in Digital Download, CD, Digipak, and special edition vinyl formats. For more information, head here.

Smyth comments, “We are very excited to release The Final Cull to you all on September 18th! This is the album I’ve personally wanted to write for years, and we’ve done it now, with One Machine. The perfect storm of a bit of careful planning, A LOT of spontaneity in the songwriting department, and jamming as a band together with Jamie (Hunt, guitar), Chris (Hawkins, vocals), Stefano (Selvatico, bass), and Michi (Sanna, drums) live in the studio, we have come out the other side of this with what I feel is a really heavy, living, breathing, LIVE metal album! Did I mention it’s HEAVY, and it’s METAL?! “

Tue Madsen mixed, mastered and produced Chris’ vocals (I leaned in a little), and I produced the music. It was so refreshing to work in this way again! Music is meant to be heard live, especially metal, that’s why I wanted to do it this way, and we couldn’t be happier with this album. I hope you’ll join us down the dark futuristic path that is The Final Cull!”

Stay tuned for more The Final Cull details and exclusive media coming soon from One Machine.

One Machine is:

Steve Smyth (guitar)
Jamie Hunt (guitar)
Chris Hawkins (vocals)
Stefano Selvatico (bass)

 

 

Century Media Records recently started a collaboration with Anders Fridén (In Flames) and his label, Razzia Notes Records. Black Temple from Helsingborg, Sweden, will be the first release Razzia Notes licensed to Century Media for all territories outside of Scandinavia and North America.

Black Temple’s album debut, It All Ends, is an intense story with impressive dynamics. With Magnus Lindberg (Cult Of Luna) in the producer's seat the band, that has been called the country's most violent live act, explores new territory in their musical landscapes: A primitive primordial drive fights it out with immediate melodies, performed with an ever present sense that each note can be the last. The end may be near, but It All Ends is just the beginning.

It All Ends will be released on August 28th via Century Media Records (World excl. North America, Scandinavia) and Razzia Notes (Scandinavia). The album will be available as Ltd. Edition Digipak, LP+CD (including bonus track “Skullfucker”) and as digital album.

Tracklisting:

“Unlikely Event”
“Acid Rain”
“Great Things”
“Difficult Journey”
“Oncoming Fire”
“Lowpoints”
“Sleep With The Stars”
“100 Years”
“Sleepy River”

Anders Fridén comments: ”First time I heard Black Temple I freaked and I said to myself, I gotta work with these guys somehow. The whole expression of their music is a perfect introduction to Razzia notes and our new collaboration with Century media. Do yourself a favor and get a copy of It All Ends, it’s a monster of an album.”

Jonas, singer and bass player comments: "To become label mates with three of my favourite bands at the same time is a bit like a wet dream... I mean, c'mon - Dark Funeral, Marduk and Watain... And this is just the top layer, in my opinion, of what this behemoth of a label has released thru the years. Simply - such a great honour!"

Black Temple will also be supporting In Flames on their European tour this fall and will soon kick off their Scandinavian tour with The Sword. See below for the exact dates.

August (with The Sword)
22 - Parkteatret - Oslo, Norway                    
23 - Sticky Fingers - Göteborg, Sweden                                
25 - Tavastia - Helsinki, Finland                     
27 - Debaser Strand - Stockholm, Sweden    
28 - KB - Malmö, Sweden                 
29 - Lille Vega - Copenhagen, Denmark                     

October (with In Flames)
13 - Pakkahoune - Tampere, Finland  
14 - Logo - Turku, Finland
15 - Lutakko - Jyväskylä, Finland       
16 - Rytmikorjaamo - Seinäjoki, Finland         
17 - Jäähalli - Oulo, Finland       
19 - Flygeln - Norrköping, Sweden    
20 - Garden - Linköping, Sweden      
21 - Appollon Folkets Hus - Trollhättan, Sweden       
22 - KB - Malmö, Sweden
23 - KB - Malmö, Sweden     
24 - Conventum Congress - Örebro, Sweden
25 - Katalin - Uppsala, Sweden         
27 - Luleå Enegri Arena - Luleå, Sweden        
28 - Idun Teatern - Umeå, Sweden     
30 - Nöjesfabriken - Karlstad, Sweden          
31 - Scandic Hallen - Hammar, Norway         

November
1 - Konserthus Ztlitz - Stavanger, Norway   
3 - Maritim Hall - Haugesund, Norway         
4 - USF Verftet - Bergen, Norway   
5 - Studentersamfundet - Trondheim, Norway         
6 - Gasklockorna - Gävle, Sweden  
7 - Folkets Park / Teaterladan - Huskvarna, Sweden
8 - Train - Aarhus, Sweden  
10 - Effenaar - Eindhoven, Netherlands   
11 - Zeche - Bochum, Germany          
12 - Le Splendid - Lille, France        
13 - Le 106 - Rouen, France
14 - L' Autre Canal - Nancy, France  
15 - Z7 - Pratteln, Switzerland     
17 - L'Usine - Geneva, Switzerland
18 - Posthof - Linz, Austria  
19 - Batschkapp - Frankfurt, Germany
20 - Hellraiser - Leipzig, Germany       

Black Temple is:

Witold - guitars
Jesper - drums and electronics
Jonas - bass and vocals

(Photo: Kristoffer Granath)

Bon Jovi are set to release a new album, Burning Bridges, on August 21st. A new single, “Saturday Night Gave Me Sunday Morning”, will be released on July 31st. Complete details in the coming days.

Bon Jovi is hitting the road later this year. Visit BonJovi.com/Tour for all the of the details and ticketing information.

Jon Bon Jovi tour packages for Vancouver, BC are on sale now.

Trip packages include:

- Photo op with Jon Bon Jovi (grouped by room)
- Pre-show Q & A with Jon Bon Jovi
- Ticket to see Jon Bon Jovi & The Kings of Suburbia at Brockton Field, Stanley Park
- Welcome party cruise with cocktails & appetizers
- Three days, two nights (Friday, August 21st - Sunday, August 23rd) hotel accommodations at The Westin Bayshore in Vancouver
- All events outside of the concert are private for Runaway Tours trip package buyers only

More info here.

Swedish heavy metal foursome Enforcer have announced a European headliner tour this fall. On it, they will present their current record From Beyond, which was released early this year via Nuclear Blast. Their fellow-countrymen of Wolf will play as direct support and opening support will come from also Sweden-based rock’n’rollers Dynamite.

Enforcer vocalist/guitarist Olof Wikstrand comments: “Feels awesome to finally announce a proper European tour and to be back on the road spreading the disease of From Beyond to all maniacs throughout the continent. Let the war begin once again!“

In addition to their tour announcement, the band releases the brand-new music video for the track “Undying Evil”. Watch the clip below:

Tour dates:

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

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

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

Confirmed dates:

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

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

Now just a week from official release on July 24th, is the colossal Infinite Dissolution LP from black metal/industrial alchemists, Locran, and the band has premiered the record's second bruising movement with a stream of "Dark Shales".

As the band hits its tenth anniversary this year, Infinite Dissolution marks the newest in the nearly two-dozen recordings Locrian has released since their inception, and delivers the trio's most conceptual and environmentalist visions to date. Produced by Greg Norman (Pelican, Russian Circles) at Steve Albini-owned/operated Electrical Audio in Chicago, mastered by Brad Boatright (Yob, Author & Punisher, Sleep) at Audiosiege in Portland, and bearing artwork based on an immense physical sculpture installation by David Altmejd, the band's second album for Relapse Records brings to light some of the most detrimental tribulations mankind has visited upon our planet, unleashing nearly fifty minutes of tortured yet stunning experimental blackened/noise-soaked industrial originality.

Also available for streaming are the new tracks “Arc Of Extinction” and "Heavy Water".

Infinite Dissolution tracklisting:

“Arc Of Extinction”
“Dark Shales”
“KXL I”
“The Future Of Death”
“An Index Of Air”
i. Divinations”
ii. Air Structures”
iii. Watcher Of The Clouds”
“KXL II”
“The Great Dying”
“Heavy Water”
“KXL II”

In addition to Locrian's Midwestern shows in Detroit and Chicago on July 17th and 18th, the band has just confirmed a leg of West Coast US tour dates in August in support of Infinite Dissolution. From August 13th through the 21st the band will flood the western half of the country with their demoralizing auditory fabrications. Special tenth anniversary performance plans are coming together for this Fall, which will be followed by a European tour in early 2016.

Locrian live dates:

July
17 - Small's Bar - Detroit, MI
18 - Empty Bottle - Chicago, IL

August
13 - High Water Mark - Portland, OR
14 - The Shakedown - Bellingham, WA  
15 - Highline - Seattle, WA
16 - Crazy Horse - Boise, ID
17 - Urban Lounge - Salt Lake City, UT
19 - Complex - Los Angeles, CA
20 - Elbo Room - San Francisco, CA
21 - Starlite Lounge - Sacramento, CA

 

 

 

 

 

 

"Long Live", the new music video from reactivated Southern California metallers ATREYU, can be seen below. The song is the title track of the band's comeback album, which will be released on September 18 through the Search And Destroy imprint as part of the newly announced joint venture between Raw Power Management and Spinefarm.

Pre-orders for "Long Live" include a variety of lifestyle items, many of which reflect the interests of the band members themselves. These items include a bike, a surfboard, a skate deck, a Dan Jacobs guitar, a studio-used drumhead, canvas prints, and muay thai gloves.

The "Long Live" clip was directed by ATREYU bassist Porter McKnight.

Drummer Brandon Saller said: "This is my favorite video we've ever created. We were fortunate to have our own Porter McKnight at the helm with the art direction and video.

"We wanted to make the pre-order options interesting and have items for the true collector. Grab your pre-order and get the title track instantly. Then, I recommend going to your car, cranking it up and driving fast while screaming your f**ing head off."

"I'm so pumped to show this video to the world," said guitarist Dan Jacobs. "We've worked very hard on this record and video, especially our own Porter McKnight, who directed it, so words can't express how excited we are to share it with everyone. It's by far the most epic video we have ever made and the face-melting level is on 11. Warning: Uncontrollable headbanging will occur."

"'Long Live' is by far my favorite ATREYU video, which is fitting because our new record, titled 'Long Live', is the strongest atreyu record to date," said frontman Alex Varkatzas.

McKnight weighed in on pulling double duty as director for the video, stating: "Writing/directing the music video for 'Long Live' has easily been one of the most exhilarating and fruitful artistic endeavors I've been a part of. This was my first attempt at either role and I have to say it was an absolute pleasure.

"The album 'Long Live' (and the title track!) is without a doubt the best music we've ever written and I can't wait to share it with everyone."

McKnight has provided the art direction for the entire project, from album artwork to promo photos, making the project truly of the band and by the band. "To be at the helm of a project that holds so much love and joy for provides an indescribable sense of excitement and pleasure," McKnight said. "It is truly a fantastic experience and an honor unlike any I've ever known." "Long Live" track listing:

01. Long Live02. Live To Labor03. I Would Kill/Lie/Die (For You)04. Cut Off The Head05. A Bitter Broken Memory06. Do You Know Who You Are07. Revival (Interlude)08. Heartbeats And Flatlines09. Brass Balls10. Moments Before Dawn11. Start To Break12. Reckless