"Refrain And Re-Fracture", a brand new song from ACT OF DEFIANCE, the band featuring former MEGADETH members Shawn Drover (drums) and Chris Broderick (guitar), alongside ex-SCAR THE MARTYR singer Henry Derek Bonner, and SHADOWS FALL's Matt Bachand (bass), can be streamed using the SoundCloud widget below. The track is taken from ACT OF DEFIANCE's debut album, "Birth And The Burial", which will be released on August 21 via Metal Blade Records. The clip was shot by renowned director Corey Soria (DANZIG).

"Birth And The Burial" track listing:

01. Throwback02. Legion Of Lies03. Thy Lord Belial04. Refrain And Re-Fracture05. Dead Stare06. Disastrophe (A New Reality)07. Poison Dream08. Obey The Fallen09. Crimson Psalm10. Birth And The Burial

Pre-order the album at MetalBlade.com.

In a time of endless sub-genre classifications being thrown at bands, ACT OF DEFIANCE cut to the quick, offering 100-percent in-your-face, uncompromising metal. "If you invited fans of all kinds of metal — from thrash to Scandinavian metal to modern American metal — and had them all in a mosh pit, ACT OF DEFIANCE would be their soundtrack," asserts Broderick.

Having a deep-seated respect for each other, Broderick and Drover share a very complementary writing style, instinctively getting where the other is coming from.

"Shawn knows metal inside and out," says Broderick. "He's always been a metalhead, so we come from the same musical background, and we get that world. We didn't really talk about what we might do next until after we had both left MEGADETH, and we were like, well, we came up with all of these great riffs for MEGADETH that were never used, so we decided to use some of those for the basis of what we were going to do with ACT OF DEFIANCE. Out of that spawned a burst of creativity and a lot of newer material, and it was all really exciting and what we really wanted this band to be."

Drover is very much on the same page, believing the two have a special chemistry that goes beyond their musical collaborations. "Having the same vision of what we want to do musically, from a business perspective, and in terms of what we want to achieve with this band, is a really important factor," he says. "It means we can concentrate on making the best music and we can and look at the overall picture, instead of squabbling about who should get more songwriting credit and unimportant crap, which often leads to the demise of so many bands. As far as we are concerned, the body of music we create is what matters."

While Bachand is better known for his work on six rather than four strings, coming into the band he stepped up straight away, impressing Broderick and Drover with his adaptability and playing style. "I'd met Matt many times before and he's a great guy and an all-around great musician," Chris says. "He plays bass like a bass player, which was awesome for me, because when I demoed the songs it was pretty much laying down the bass just so it had some lower notes and then moving on! But he came in and he spent the time and made them into really nice bass lines that added an extra dimension to the songs, which not all guitarists can do, and he really gets what we're trying to achieve with this band."

The final piece of the puzzle fell into place with Henry Derek Bonner, who was recruited following an extensive search. Determined that the band needed to be fronted by a vocalist who was not limited to the standard practice of screamed vocals or clean vocals, they demanded versatility, and Derek delivered. "We started from a list of I'd say 30 vocalists, and we worked that down to a shortlist, and we sent everyone on that a demo to lay some vocal tracks over, and when they all came back we knew Henry was our guy," Drover enthuses. "He can do the super-heavy, growling vocals, he can do the really melodic clean vocals, but he can also do everything in between, and he has the ability to really build and shift within that range," adds Broderick. "The other really cool thing I really like is that his really heavy singing still has pitch to it. There are these really melodic lines even in his heaviest vocals."

It takes only one exposure to "Birth And The Burial" to become abundantly aware that this is not the sound of a bunch of guys screwing around. Kicking things off with first single "Throwback" they throw down the gauntlet, the track erupting in a cascading lead before launching into a breakneck thrash attack, sounding very much like four guys ready to fight, its massive chorus only upping the ante. The merciless intensity displayed is a mode they return to often, "Thy Lord Belial", "Dead Stare" and "Disastrophe" particularly upping the adrenaline and sure to cause mosh pit carnage. However, groove and dark melody are as important as flat out riffing, kicking up plenty to inspire mass headbanging and fist-in-the-air excitement, and they also have their more brooding, atmospheric moments, "Poison Dream" and "Obey The Fallen" possessing a somberness alongside their compelling sonic violence. Fans of Broderick's previous work are aware of his incredible talent when it comes to shredding, and on "Birth And The Burial" he unleashes some of his most breathless and compelling soloing to date, finding the perfect marriage between technicality and melody.

"I really loved the luxury of being able to look at the rhythm behind the solo and have it support the kind of soloing I wanted to do," he says. "What I really like to do is listen to the rhythm and imagine what I want to hear, whether it's a harmonic, rhythmic kind of sixteenth note kind of thing, or a melody that is really haunting and eerie. After I flesh some of that out I let my inspiration take me as I'm creating the solo. I've never been one to typically improv a solo and say that's it, and I wanted every one on this record to really have a life of its own."

Thematically, the band explore their own personal experiences, focusing on some of the harder truths, the aggression of the music the perfect vehicle for expressing such sentiments. "'Poison Dream' is about somebody being consumed by a dream of fame or power or money, and how they will sacrifice anything to get that, while 'Legion Of Lies' is about a person who is constantly casting out negativity and betrayal and trying to deceive those around him, but we hope that fans will take these lyrics and put their own personal meaning to them," Chris says. "You never want to make them so specific to any particular situation, and I think a lot of these experiences are really relatable."

The album title is lifted from the anthemic closing track of the same name, focusing on a person burning their bridges with friends and those they have worked with in past, and asking them to look for forgiveness before it's too late. "The line 'you reap what you sow, the birth and the burial' — to me, that really sums it up, because what you do in life will reflect in the time that you die, and I thought that was really cool in the way it tied into the record," Broderick says.

With recording split between three studios in three different states, Broderick handled vocal and guitar production at his own Ill-Fated Studio in Los Angeles, Chris "Zeuss" Harris (ROB ZOMBIE, REVOCATION, MUNICIPAL WASTE) worked with Drover tracking the drums in Dexter's Lab in Milford, Connecticut, while Bachand laid down his bass at ManShark, in Southampton, Massachusetts. While the band had a lot of work to do, when they headed into the studio things ran very smoothly.

"We had pretty much everything demoed by the time we started recording," Chris says. 'We would change things as we were doing the final takes, but for the most part we knew exactly what we were playing, and from there it was a case of making sure we got really good takes." With artwork courtesy of Travis Smith (AVENGED SEVENFOLD, STRAPPING YOUNG LAD) and their logo and emblem the work of Van Williams (formerly of NEVERMORE and currently of GHOST SHIP OCTAVIUS) the band focused on ensuring every element of their presentation had meaning to it, wanting to offer fans the proverbial full package, and they have every intention of being around a while.

"I want ACT OF DEFIANCE to be a hard working, heavy metal road-dog band, and we really do have what's almost a blue collar sensibility and perspective," Drover states plainly. "We know we are going to have to earn this and that we can't rest on what any of us have done previously, and that is something we are more than willing to do. Believe me."

Band photo credit: Stephanie Cabral

New Jersey thrash metal veterans OVERKILL recently inked a new worldwide deal with Nuclear Blast Records. Previously signed to the label for Europe only, OVERKILL's first worldwide release on Nuclear Blast will be a special box set comprised of the band's entire back catalog, due out on September 18. Titled "Historikill: 1995 - 2007", it will contain 11 OVERKILL albums on 13 CDs and a bonus CD (containing demos, remixes and an unreleased cover song) in digi sleeves.

"Historikill: 1995 - 2007" will include the following albums:

* "Wrecking Your Neck"* "The Killing Kind"* "From The Underground And Below"* "Necroshine"* "Coverkill"* "Bloodletting"* "Hello From The Gutter"* "Wrecking Everything"* "Killbox 13"* "ReliXIV"* "Immortalis"

The bonus CD will include the following songs:

01. Blood Money (Demo)02. Horrorscope (Demo)03. Soulitude (Demo)04. Killogy (Demo)05. Old School (Remix)06. Skull And Bones (Remix)07. Under One (Tracking Mix)08. Man In Black (JOHNNY CASH cover)

The complete track listing can be found at NuclearBlast.de.



In a behind-the-scenes interview with VH1 Classic's "That Metal Show", OVERKILL singer Bobby "Blitz" Ellsworth stated about the band's upcoming retrospective package: "The OVERKILL box set is remasters from that center section; it's not the Atlantic and the major-label stuff. It's everything that followed it up until 2007. So let's say, pre-'Immortalis' [2007], pre-'Ironbound' [2010], and after the Atlantic years. So '96 through 2007 — 11 years. I think there's nine records, including live records, in there."

He continued: "[There are] some interesting things [in there], because it wasn't the most healthy time for heavy metal. And the cool thing about it was that there was great music out there that, to some degree, was being bypassed by other genres and subgenres in heavy metal. But this thrash metal was pure [and] straight ahead. It's what we're all about. And we made it sound better with the box set. So you can get, let's say, a whole slice of a decade, or history, and understand what we were doing if you weren't there to experience it the first time."

OVERKILL and SYMPHONY X will join forces for a North American tour in September/October. The 24-date co-headlining trek launches at The Palladium in Worcester, Massachusetts on September 18, hits four Canadian cities, then wraps up with a very special night at Terminal 5 in New York City on October 17 — the first time in the bands’ combined histories that they'll play a show together in their own backyard.

OVERKILL's latest album, "White Devil Armory", sold around 8,400 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 31 on The Billboard 200 chart. The CD was released on July 22, 2014 in North America via eOne Music and on July 18, 2014 in Europe through Nuclear Blast Records. The effort was tracked at Gear Recording and was mixed by Greg Reely, who also worked on 2012's "The Electric Age".

OVERKILL filmed videos for the songs "Bitter Pill" and "Armorist" with veteran director Kevin J. Custer (HATEBREED, TESTAMENT, SUFFOCATION). Custer previously worked with OVERKILL on the "Electric Rattlesnake" and "Bring Me The Night" clips.

The official video for the song "Fury Of My Love" from FLYING COLORS, the band featuring Mike Portnoy (drums, vocals), Dave LaRue (bass), Neal Morse (keyboards, vocals), Casey McPherson (vocals, guitars) and Steve Morse (guitar), can be seen below. The track is taken from the band's sophomore album, "Second Nature", which was released in Europe on September 29, 2014 via Mascot Label Group's Music Theories label.

The music press acknowledged the eponymously titled debut album from FLYING COLORS among the most compelling releases of 2012. Executive producer Bill Evans assembled a team of virtuoso players, a pop singer/songwriter, and the right producer to create sophisticated music that was accessible. Over 100 singer/songwriters were considered for the role. Portnoy pitched the idea of approaching McPherson, a member of the group ALPHA REV, whose 2010 album called "New Morning" dominated the Billboard Top Ten for 17 weeks.

After an hour-long phone call with Evans, the band found their man. As Mike had quite rightly hoped, McPherson went on to prove the "X Factor" that elevated FLYING COLORS above the norm. "The idea of having an actual singer as opposed to a musician that also sang, really opened up a whole other world," Portnoy told Prog magazine.

Classic Rock magazine hailed the band's debut as "fearless", praising its "JOURNEY-sized choruses" and referencing artists as diverse as THE BEATLES, RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS, THE DOORS, MUSE, and even Frank Sinatra. In late 2012, the band toured America and Europe, dazzling fans with FLYING COLORS originals and selections from the catalogues of the five members.

Schedules allowing, the protagonists had always viewed FLYING COLORS as a genuine band as opposed to a side project, hence they began writing a second studio album. From the first writing session to final delivery of the masters in July 2014, the process took almost a year and half, in four distinct stages: writing sessions via Skype in January/February 2013, another burst of writing and recording at Neal Morse's house in Nashville, a trip to Portnoy's home that spawned five additional songs, and finally individual recording/arrangement over the Internet throughout the spring of 2014.

This time the band opted to self-produce, with Evans, the man responsible for the concept of FLYING COLORS, reprising his role as executive producer and co-engineer. Besides offering a finely tuned set of ears, Evans would remix a track each time an amendment was made, before sending it onto each band member, allowing closer collaboration by the band. "There was no repudiation of producer Peter Collins," clarifies Evans, "but the guys had become a family and they wanted to try something different."

Sporting stunning artwork from the legendary designer Hugh Syme (RUSH, AEROSMITH, DEF LEPPARD, WHITESNAKE) and bookended by two tracks of truly epic stature — "Open Up Your Eyes" and the multiple-part "Cosmic Symphony" — the album is every bit as breathtaking as the debut. Portnoy stresses that the music’s proggier path was "not conscious at all."

"Direction was never even discussed," continues Portnoy. "We just did what we do. I think perhaps not having a producer to ‘trim the fat’ possibly led to the songs breathing and expanding a bit more."

"This is an album full of many layers," concludes guitarist Steve Morse. "The more you listen, the more you can hear. It’s an album to keep listening to."

"Second Nature" showcases a compelling and thought-provoking collection of songs written and performed by musicians at the top of their game.

"Second Nature" track listing:

01. Open Up Your Eyes02. Mask Machine03. Bombs Away04. Fury Of My Love05. A Place In Your World06. Lost Without You07. One Lost Forever08. Peaceful Harbor09. Cosmic SymphonyI. Still Life Of The WorldII. Searching For The AirIII. Pound For Pound

ABBATH, the new band led by IMMORTAL frontman Olve Eikemo (a.k.a. Abbath), made its live debut last month at the Tuska open-air metal festival in Helsinki, Finland.

Abbath announced that he was moving forward under his own name earlier this year. The IMMORTAL frontman and songwriter will enter the studio this summer to record ABBATH's debut album, which will be released in early 2016 via Season Of Mist.

Abbath last year claimed that he rightfully attempted to secure exclusive rights to the IMMORTAL name and logo after lyricist/guitarist Demonaz (real name Harald Nævdal) and drummer Horgh (real name Reidar Horghagen) effectively quit the legendary Norwegian black metal group.

"I didn't want to go solo in the first place," Abbath tells U.K.'s Metal Hammer magazine. "I wanted the best for IMMORTAL. I didn't want it to end this way. First of all, I just wanted my music out. I wanted to record the [next] album [because] it's been so many years since 'All Shall Fall'. And both Demonaz and Horgh, they have kids and families now, and it just hit that point where I couldn't work the way they wanted to work any more. I wanted things on my terms and they wanted things on their terms, and it was very difficult."

He continued: "I wanted to rehearse at least three times a week, but often it was only once a week and things went so slow. I sat there with all this material, I kept the rehearsal space and recorded the stuff on click track, but it was a very strained atmosphere and the Last time we worked together was in early June last year."

Asked if the decision to part ways and seek out new band members was inevitable, Abbath said: "I was forced to do it this way. I wanted IMMORTAL to continue, but not the way it was. The dialogue has not been there and it's also my mistake. I should have brought up this shit a long time ago, but IMMORTAL, after Demonaz's problems with his arms, it never became a band after that."

He continued: "IMMORTAL is a very special situation. [Demonaz] hasn't been in the band, but then I always wanted to do the best for everybody, to have the band spirit, and that's why when we decided to start IMMORTAL again, we tried to get the spirit back, and bring him on tour, and just share our thing and be a band and have a kick-ass time. But it never worked out. The chemistry wasn't there with the IMMORTAL guys and hadn't been for a while."

Abbath added: "I believe in my music and I believe in my expression, but time flies and we grow apart. Maybe in the future we can go back again, I don't know, but right now I just want to do my thing and just be ABBATH and have people around me who support that."

Bass duties for ABBATH are being handled by a man familiar to metal fans across the world — Tom Cato Visnes, more widely known as King Ov Hell and main composer for several GORGOROTH albums as well as his own bands OV HELL, with singer Shagrath from DIMMU BORGIR, and GOD SEED, with exceptional black metal vocalist Gaahl. His fellow GOD SEED member and BORKNAGAR percussionist, Baard Kolstad, has also joined ABBATH on drums.

At Tuska, ABBATH premiered a brand new song titled "Fenrir Hunts" alongside classic IMMORTAL material, including "One By One". A handful of songs from Abbath and King's 2006 project I were performed live for the first time.

IMMORTAL's core trio consisting of Abbath, Demonaz and Horgh had been together since 1996 and has been responsible for crafting the band's last five albums: "Blizzard Beasts" (1997), "At The Heart Of Winter" (1999), "Damned In Black" (2000), "Sons Of Northern Darkness" (2002) and the 2009 reunion album "All Shall Fall".

According to The Pulse Of Radio, FOO FIGHTERS frontman Dave Grohl told Rolling Stone that he's making progress in his recovery from the broken leg he sustained last month when he fell from a stage in Sweden, saying, "I'm starting to do a little bit of rehab exercise and the cast is off. The swelling's down. The pain's gone. It's just a matter of getting those kick-drum muscles back, man. I can't fuckin' lose those. That's important to me. So I'm sitting here, moving it around, doing my exercise as we speak."

Grohl is now using a removable boot and added that in the grand scheme of things, his accident could have ended much worse. He explained, "I could have done some real damage. This is pretty gnarly, but it could have been a lot worse. I'm just blessed to still be talking to fuckin' Rolling Stone." He revealed that one physical therapist told him, "It was basically like my ankle got into a 40-mile-per-hour car crash."

The FOO FIGHTERS were forced to cancel the last seven dates of its European tour but have launched its current North American trek on schedule. Grohl is playing the shows while seated on a large throne, his leg raised in front of him on a chair.

Grohl added that the shows are the "easiest part of my whole day," explaining, "The rest of the time, I'm hobbling around trying to brush my teeth and pack my bags and walk down the street and get a cup of coffee. The challenge is the other 21 hours of the day."

FOO FIGHTERS currently have North American dates scheduled through late October. The band will take a short break and then head to Europe in November.

The Los Angeles/New York City-based rock band OWL — Chris Wyse (vocals/bass), Jason Achilles Mezilis (guitar), Dan Dinsmore (drums) — will release its third album, the propulsive and powerful "Things You Can't See", on July 28 via Overit Records.

OWL frontman, bassist and producer Chris Wyse started writing "Things You Can't See" between his tenure as a band member in seminal rock outfit THE CULT and his new position as bass player for former lead guitarist and founding member of KISS, Ace Frehley. Chris played on Frehley's 2014 solo album "Space Invader", which led to him joining the band full time. Chris explains: "THE CULT will always be my brothers in rock, and it was an honor to play with such brilliant musicians during our decade together. I now look forward to scorching the earth in the Ace Frehley band. We're currently working on an all-covers album due out on eOne Music, which has been a blast. Ace has always been a hero of mine and a big influence — playing with him, Scot Coogan and Richie Scarlet is awesome!"

Frehley praises: "Chris is fun to work with and is a great talent. He is by far the best bassist I have worked with."

Creatively on fire and armed with song ideas for OWL, Chris and the band holed up at Overit Studios in Upstate New York in early 2014 to record the six-track collection. For the first time, the band didn't work off of completed songs — instead they jammed in the studio, honing and cultivating the music in the moment. This new approach on "Things You Can't See" inspired OWL to be bold, experimental, and even more musically ambitious than on their previous two releases.

"We've evolved to a place where we completely trust each other musically," shares Chris. "And it really shows in the character and attitude on this record."

First single, "Who's Gonna Save You Now", blares a wall of distortion as Chris delivers an urgently searing and sharp hook, while the title track poses ponderous questions via raw thunderous rhythms and poetic lyricism. "Lake Ego" follows with an immersive soundscape stomper, and "Star Up" offers a strong, hyper-charged sonic catharsis. "Witch's Familiar" is progressive and heavy through a haze of psychedelia, and "Alive (Acoustic)" closes out the set with lush, soaring melodies amidst a booming bass line.

"We've really come into our own as a band with 'Things You Can't See'," concludes Dan.

"This record is a great, formidable showcase of everything we do best, and we're very proud of it," adds Jason. Chris leaves off: "The style we've developed is unbridled and unfiltered, as is our message. We stand behind every single note front to back."

Fan-filmed video footage of SLAYER's July 12 performance at First Midwest Bank Amphitheatre in Tinley Park, Illinois as part of this year's Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival can be seen below.

SLAYER's eleventh studio album, "Repentless", will be released on September 11 via Nuclear Blast. The CD's title track is now on sale digitally virtually everywhere, including on Amazon, iTunes and Google.

"Repentless" will be made available in a wide array of formats, as detailed below:

* Limited CD + Blu-ray digipak (includes Blu-ray of "Slayer Live at Wacken 2014" and the "Making of Repentless" documentary)* Limited CD + DVD digipak (includes DVD of "Slayer Live at Wacken 2014" and the "Making of Repentless" documentary)* Strictly limited 12-inch sized Box (includes CD + Blu-ray digipak, DVD, exclusive Repentless 12-inch picture vinyl, "Slayer Live at Wacken 2014" CD, 12-inch photo card, 12-inch fold-out poster)* CD jewel case* Vinyl in gatefold (audio mastered for vinyl)* Digital (all digital platforms)* Limited edition "Metal Eagle Edition"

The artwork was created by Brazilian artist Marcelo Vasco in collaboration with the band's Tom Araya and Kerry King.

The Metal Eagle Edition of "Repentless", is made of aluminum alloy, measuring 15" x 17" x 3" and weighing in at a hefty 7.8 pounds (yes, the final version is heavier than previously announced), the Metal Eagle Edition will house a deluxe digipak of the "Repentless" CD plus bonus material detailed below. The limited (only 3,000 copies worldwide) and numbered Metal Eagle Edition will be a direct-to-consumer item and available exclusively via the Nuclear Blast mailorder online store. The Metal Eagle will include the following exclusive items: * Deluxe digipak (folds out into "inverted cross")* Bonus Blu-Ray and DVD including "Slayer Live At Wacken 2014" and "Making Of Repentless Documentary"* Bonus live CD "Slayer Live At Wacken 2014"* Fold-out poster* Album sticker* Numbered certificate The highly anticipated "Repentless" is SLAYER's eleventh studio album, the first since 2009's critically acclaimed, Grammy-nominated "World Painted Blood" and the first with producer Terry Date (PANTERA, SLIPKNOT, SOUNDGARDEN). The band — Tom Araya (bass, vocals), Kerry King (guitar), Paul Bostaph (drums), and Gary Holt (guitar), who recorded lead guitar parts for about a half-dozen of the album's new tracks — started recording "Repentless" in March 2014, and made the track "Implode" available as a free download in April of that year. The band and Date continued to record between September 2014 and mid-January 2015 at Henson Studios in Los Angeles. For the album, "Implode" was completely re-recorded from the ground up, and "When The Stillness Comes", used as an instrumental track in a Scion commercial, got a revamped intro and all new vocals.

Italian thrashers, Ultra-Violence, have released their cover of "Don't Burn The Witch" by Venom. The song is included in their new album, Deflect The Flow, released on April 29th via Candlelight Records.

Listen to their Venom cover below:

Deflect The Flow was recorded in December 2014 by Simone Mularoni at Domination Recording Studio in San Marino. The album was issued on April 27th (Europe)/May 5th (North America) via Candlelight Records.

 

 

Tracklisting:

“Burning Through The Scars”
“Why So Serious?”
“Gavel's Bang”
“Lost In Decay”
“In The Name Of Your God”
“A Second Birth”
“The Checkered Sun”
“Don't Burn The Witch” (Venom cover)
“The Way I'll Stay”
“Fractal Dimension”

“The Way I’ll Stay” video:

Studio video:

 

It's a wrap for The Arcane Order’s upcoming album, Cult Of None. Jacob Hansen recently finished the mix of the band's upcoming album at the Hansen studios.
 
He stated: "Finished producing, mixing and mastering the new The Arcane Order album, and it slays. Needless to say. Congrats, guys!"
 
The Arcane Order added: "Standing with the end result in our hands, we can honestly say that what we feel this is our best record to date!"
 
The band now reveal the album artwork, created by Lars Christensen from their label mates Raunchy. And it looks like the band is more than satisfied with his work: "Lars has created some awesome artwork with a lot of atmosphere that suits the music really well! Hope you'll all like it as much as we do!"

Cult Of None is set to be released on September 25th via Massacre Records.

Rockbar Theater in San Jose, California will host the wedding reception of former SKID ROW singer Sebastian Bach and his fiancée Suzanne Le on Saturday, August 22.

A posting on the Rockbar web site reads as follows: "Rockbar will be hosting the wedding of Sebastian Bach to Suzanne Le and would like to cordially invite you to attend the reception of this exciting event. Sebastian will be bringing friends along from the film and music world. Stay tuned for more details as they unravel."

Limited tickets are on sale now for $300.

Suzanne has since taken to Twitter to respond to criticism over the fact that Bach and his wife-to-be are "charging fans to get into a wedding." She wrote: "We are not charging fans. The venue is. Sorry we don't tell people how to run their business! Know the facts!" She also explained the symbol at the bottom of the wedding advertisement: "The two S's make a heart and the bottom half makes an infinity sign."

Le is model who is reportedly the mother of two children, including one fathered by Brett Harrelson, actor Woody Harrelson's brother.

Asked what kind of wedding he and Le will have, Bach told "In The Vault With Shanda Golden" in April "Probably like a rock and roll wedding. I think we might have even decided on a location. I can't divulge that. But I think we know where we're gonna do it."

Sebastian went on to say that he and Le are "inseparable" and that she makes him "very happy." He then added: "You know what word I think is bullshit? I think the word 'codependent' is a bullshit word. Because I have been called that in relationships. 'You're codependent. We're codependent.' What the fuck does that mean?! Okay, I love you, and I depend on you, and you're mine, and I'm yours, and I always wanna be with you. Yes! Is there something wrong with that? [Laughs] I wanna be codependent with her. And she's, like, 'Me too, dude.' I don't buy that word. I think it's a stupid, bullshit word."

Bach then offered some practical dating advice to couples who are just getting to know each other. He said: "I think that it's a red flag in your relationship if you have a partner whose phone is locked all the time and you're not allowed to fucking look at their phone. I'm just saying, I have [my fiancée's] password, she has my password, and you wanna why? 'Cause there's no fucking reason why not to? And that's the first girl I've ever even met like that. I've never met another girl like that. She's, like, 'I don't give a fuck. Here's my phone.' And I think that if you're in a relationship right now with somebody who won't let you look at their phone — red flag. Okay? I will say that. Because I have a relationship that is fully trusting, fully whole. We're best friends. There's no secrets, because we're totally… I can't tell you what that means to me. And for her too. We both… I'm, like, 'I can't fucking believe that we met each other.'"

Bach proposed to Le on December 28, 2014, which also happened to be Suzanne's 42nd birthday.

Bach last fall broke off his engagement to model Minnie Gupta, who appeared on the cover of his "Kicking & Screaming" album and in videos for the singles "Kicking & Screaming" and "I'm Alive".

Sebastian was previously married for 18 years to Maria Bierk, with whom he had been coupled since before joining his former band. They split up in April 2010.

Bach and Maria Bierk have three children: sons Paris and London and daughter Sebastiana.

@Lisa_Neil We are not charging fans. The venue is. Sorry we don't tell people how to run their business! Know the facts!

— Suzanne Le (@Suzanne_Le) July 10, 2015

The official video recap of FEAR FACTORY's July 7 performance in Lille, France can be seen below.

FEAR FACTORY's new album "Genexus", will be released on August 7 via Nuclear Blast Entertainment. The follow-up to 2012's "The Industrialist" was co-produced by longtime collaborator Rhys Fulber, along with guitarist Dino Cazares and vocalist Burton C. Bell and mixed by Andy Sneap (ARCH ENEMY, TESTAMENT, EXODUS, MACHINE HEAD). Artwork was once again handled by Anthony Clarkson. Drums on "Genexus" were performed by Mike Heller (MALIGNANCY).

"The word 'genexus' is a hybrid of two words: 'genesis' and 'nexus,'" explained Burton C. Bell. "This word describes the next transition in human evolution as man moves forward to a 'mechanical' state of being. Ray Kurzweil predicts that the singularity will occur around 2045. 'Genexus' is the term for that next evolutionary process. Where humans are machines, machines are human, and the differences are oblivious to the naked eye."

He continued: "This album is a record of thought patterns, psychology and struggles of the Genexus generation. The cognitive machine has arrived, and it wants autonomy from the industry that created it. This machine struggles, like every other human has throughout the course of history. This is the story of every one of us."

Cazares previously stated about he making of "Genexus": "We really feel this is a very special FEAR FACTORY album. While being careful not to replicate ourselves, this album still has a very classic FEAR FACTORY vibe that we feel will appease both old and new fans. The aggressive, melodic and industrial elements are all intact and shine more than ever."

FEAR FACTORY recently parted ways with bassist Matt DeVries (previously of CHIMAIRA, where he played guitar, and SIX FEET UNDER and replaced him with Tony Campos (ex-SOULFLY, STATIC-X, PRONG, MINISTRY).

FEAR FACTORY will hit the road later this month with COAL CHAMBER.

Austria’s Loud At Least! have revealed more details for their upcoming album, Dirty, due on July 24th via Massacre Records. As well, the album’s lead track, “Kill The Dragon”, can be heard streaming below.

The album was recorded by Oswald Theisl at Prima-Vista-Studio and Franz Pöhn at Sunproject Studio. Ernst Gottschmann mixed the album at Living Room Productions and Horst Pfaffelmayer mastered it at Goldchamber Studio. Ingo Pichler (Paktone-Design) is responsible for the artwork.

Tracklisting:

“Kill The Dragon”
“I Am”
“Burning My Heart”
“Ride On Me”
“Fire And Ice”
“Dirty”
“Anything”
“Warm Rain”
“Love At First Bite”
“Heaven Is Calling”
“Hell To Fuck”
“The Island I Know”
“Up On Stage”

“Kill The Dragon”:

The band was formed in 2008 by bassist Gernot Reisner, vocalist/guitarist Gernot Schilcher and studio owner Oswald Theisl. They mostly play classic/hard rock in the vein of Whitesnake, Scorpions and Gotthard, and released their debut album Painful Exploration in 2009. Oswald left the band due to time reasons and the guitarists Robert Einwallner and Andreas Döringer joined the band.

Jürgen Kulmer, with whom the band has already played numerous gigs in Austria, is the band's live drummer. The upcoming Dirty album features the superb voice of vocalist Gernot, as well as virtuosic guitar sounds and an intoxicating rhythm section.

 

A year after the release of their debut Ethereal EP, dark metal outfit Deathwhite has returned with the Solitary Martyr EP.
 
The product of increased focus on vocal melodies and hooks, Solitary Martyr displays a keener sense of depth and versatility than its predecessor. Recorded by Brette Ciammara at Studio 344, the production is more robust, as are the riffs, retaining a feel and flare akin to the bands that were so crucial inspiring Deathwhite in the first place.

Solitary Martyr will be self-released by the band on August 14th. A special, limited edition (200 copies) version of the album will be made available on CD, with the aforementioned Ethereal EP tacked on as bonus tracks.

Tracklisting:

“Pressure”
“Suffer Abandonment”
“Vain”
“Solitary Martyr”
“Only Imagined”

“Suffer Abandonment”:

Solitary Martyr EP by Deathwhite

 

The debut album of blackened hymns by The Clearing Path, entitled Watershed Between Earth And Firmament, is out now via Avantgarde Music. A full album stream can be found below.

A dense, thirty-minute release, Watershed Between Earth And Firmament is the recorded maiden voyage for The Clearing Path - the solo project of one Gabriele Gramaglia - conceived following the demise of the artist's former outfit, ThySolace. Comprised of six widely conceptual yet crisply-recorded movements, the album draws energetic production and energetic qualities from the scathing punk/hardcore persuasion of Converge, Tragedy and His Hero Is Gone, yet wholly envelops them into a modernized, blackened delivery fans of Blut Aus Nord, Enslaved and Deathspell Omega alike can attach to.

Mastered by Marco Gervasio and fitted with custom artwork painted by Luca Devinu/Blessend, the record was initially set for an independent digital release, yet upon recent announcements on the incoming record, underground heavyweight Avantgarde Music - responsible for releases from Mayhem, Taake, Abigor, Carpathian Forest, Evoken, Darkspace, Thaw and more - has picked up the album for a fully distributed CD version of the album.

Fully written, executed, recorded and mixed by Gabriele Gramaglia, The Clearing Path's Watershed Between Earth And Firmament is a concept album about spiritual renaissance inspired by the beauty of mountainous landscapes of the Italian Alps north of his homeland, conceived in reflection about one of the darkest periods in his life. The record stands as a turning point, in the search for the light to find the path back to normalcy, metaphorically describing a trek from the slopes of a majestic mountain to its summit in which, after many efforts and obstacles, some semblance of solace is found.

Watershed between Earth and Firmament by The Clearing Path

(Photo - Virginia Sarediy)

Athens, Georgia-based melodic metal band, Theocracy, is happy to announce that original drummer Shawn Benson will record the drums on their fourth album. Benson played drums on 2011's As The World Bleeds and 2008's Mirror Of Souls, as well as the 2013 re-release of Theocracy's self-titled debut album.

The band are in the early stages of recording, and are excited to showcase Benson's unique style on their upcoming release, which will be their third on Swedish label Ulterium Records. Below is studio footage of Benson playing one of the new songs.

Theocracy recently returned from a brief tour in Scandinavia, including their first performance in Sweden, with Halcyon Way drummer Ernie Topran filling in on the drums.

Former drummer Patrick Nickell quit Theocracy last November after recording the Christmas single "Night Of Silence”, and the band wishes him well in his future endeavors. No decision has been made regarding a permanent replacement.

Emerging south west UK metal outfit, End Of Daze, have announced the release date for debut album, Ascension, on September 14th, and have also released a taste of what's to come, a lyric video for track “The Tables Have Turned” (see below).

Hailing from Weymouth, End Of Daze are a passionate young quintet who combine elements of their collective favourite genres. From the melodic guitar work of bands such as Iron Maiden to the pure hate spouted from Australia’s Thy Art Is Murder, from the ever-evolving sounds of Slipknot to that of metalcore kings Parkway Drive. The result is a high energy and melodic sound driven by powerful verses, hard hitting breakdowns and blistering lead guitar work.

Recorded at SVM Studio in Poole with producer Pash Stratton, Ascension tells stories of personal experiences and incites strength in the face of adversity; big choruses and huge guitar driven passages is the end result.

Vocalist Harry Shooter comments, "We had an amazing time in the studio and we're all so glad to finally have something to show for all our work. 'The Tables Have Turned' was probably the most fun to record because we wrote it in the studio... We each had as much input as the other which was different for us because for most of the songs, our guitarist Jack [Wood] would have written all the musical elements alone before bringing a first draft of a song to the practise room for us to refine."

Ascension tracklisting:

“Intro”
“Waiting”
“My Awakening” (Featuring Elona Holt)
“On Your Knees”
“The Tables Have Turned”
“The Skies Above” (Featuring David Seymour)
“With Bloodied Hands”
“Whispers”
“Renegade”

“The Tables Have Turned” lyric video:

 

Norwegian progressive death metal band, Defect Designer, are streaming their second full-length, Ageing Accelerator, out now via Sleaszy Rider Records. Order at Bandcamp.

Born out the darkness of Siberia and re-located on the shores of Oslo, Norway in 2012, Defect Designer returns in 2015 with their new album Ageing Accelerator features a brutal recording lineup that includes drummer Flo Mounier (Cryptopsy), guitarist Stelios Mavromitis (SepticFlesh live guitarist),  Martin Storm-Olsen (ex-Trollfest) on guitars and clean vocals, Christos Antoniou (SepticFlesh) for sampling and orchestration along with Dmitry Sukhinin on vocals, bass and guitars.

"After the first lineup dissolved I was so desperate that I wrote to few people and got the recording lineup," explains Dmitry Sukhinin. "SepticFlesh's Seth proposed his brother Christos to help with orchestration, Christos proposed SepticFlesh's live guitar player Stelios to do guitars, Flo from Cryptopsy did the drums, cause actually he was my main drum inspiration. I did bass, and during the recording I met Martin who was in Trollfest before, he did clean vocals and some solos along with my solos. Then the real line up started to build up and we have Anders from Blood Red Throne. As for me, I also play in Oslo jazz death metal Diskord."

 

 

Defect Designer tracklisting:

“Corpsewatcher”
“Yellow Grimace”
“The Terrible”
“I Remember You Dead”
“Flies On Your Lips”
“Crusaders”
“Berenice”
“Communist Architectonics”
“Temple Of Artemis”
“StarDust”

Album stream:

Ageing Accelerator by Defect Designer

"Crusaders" video:

“Yellow Grimace” lyric video:

(Photo - Polina Helvete Kulikovskikh)

Legendary hardcore/thrash/crossover act, the Crumbsuckers, has teamed up with Dead City Records to release three albums of early rare recordings, Demos, Basement Tapes and Live at CBGB 1984-1985, on July 24th. Compiled by original singer, Dave Brady, this will be the first time these recordings will be available digitally.

All recorded before Brady's departure from the band, Demos features early versions of songs which later appeared on the band's debut album Life Of Dreams. Basement Tapes includes early and alternate versions of songs recorded in their rawest form, originally meant for the band's ears only and recorded at various early practice sessions. And finally, Live at CBGB 1984-1985 contains great quality early live recordings from the CBGB's soundboard. Dead City Records is proud to make the tracks available digitally worldwide for the first time.

"Direct from my personal archive of recordings comes the early days of Crumbsuckers material," commented Brady. "These are some of the earliest surviving recordings of the band, and you can hear the progress from our punk rock roots to what would be called the 'crossover' days of the mid-80s. This is the whole enchilada - from basement tapes, to pro demos and some choice early CBGB board recordings."  

The Crumbsuckers formed in 1982 in Long Island, N.Y. as a party band covering songs by bands such as Minor Threat, Bad Brains and Kraut. The band was best known for the release of the classic and highly influential albums Life Of Dreams in 1986 and Beast on my Back in 1998 before disbanding soon after.

Stay tuned for more information on the Crumbsuckers and Demos, Basement Tapes and Live at CBGB 1984-1985, available digitally for the first time ever this month on Dead City Records. 

Legendary guitarist Joe Satriani will release his 15th solo studio album, "Shockwave Supernova", on July 24, making him one of the first to utilize the new "Friday, Global Release Day" for music.

The "Shockwave Supernova" title track can now be streamed in the YouTube clip below.

It would be easy to call "Shockwave Supernova" a "masterpiece" or "the last word on guitar" from the world's most commercially successful solo guitar performer. Satch, however, sees it much more personally. He has consistently advanced the artistry of the instrument; an effort he dedicated himself to on September 18, 1970, the day his idol Jimi Hendrix died. Recorded late last year at Skywalker Sound in Lucas Valley, California, "Shockwave Supernova" features the dynamic trio of world-class musicians who had recently been part of Satriani's global tour; renowned keyboardist and guitarist Mike Keneally, a veteran of several Satch outings and recordings; along with drumming whiz Marco Minnemann and bass extraordinaire Bryan Beller. "I couldn't have asked for a better band to help bring these songs to life," says Satriani. The album also sees Satriani once again joining forces co-producer and engineer John Cuniberti. Satch and Cuniberti share production on "Shockwave Supernova", as they have on numerous albums — their shared history dates back to the guitar star's 1986 debut album, "Not Of This Earth" and its follow- up, the platinum-selling, critically acclaimed "Surfing With The Alien". Minnemann and Beller handle the bulk of "Shockwave Supernova"'s rhythmic duties, with the exception of four cuts — the driving "Keep On Movin'", full of wondrous Satch guitar wizardry and Keneally's playful piano; "In My Pocket", a deliciously greasy, souped-up take on Swing; along with "Crazy Joey" (a deliriously effervescent romp); and "Scarborough Stomp" (a relentless upbeat rocker) — find Satriani joined by another powerhouse rhythm section: the esteemed drummer Vinnie Colaiuta (whose work includes the likes of Frank Zappa, Sting, Paul Simon, among others) and JANE'S ADDICTION bassist Chris Chaney (whose resume includes Alanis Morrisette, Celine Dion and Rob Zombie, to name a few). Recently, during the final performance of his two-year "Unstoppable Momentum" tour, Satriani had an epiphany; he found himself, "playing the guitar with my teeth an awful lot. I thought, 'Why are you doing this?' It's as if something else, or somebody else, was driving me to do it." Satriani seized upon this moment of self-realization as the springboard and creative center for his alter ego "Shockwave Supernova", the outlandish and extroverted "performance side" of the normally shy and reserved guitar virtuoso. With this new persona as partner, Satriani launched "Shockwave Supernova". In a creative and engaging alternative venture, Satriani, a lifelong science fiction fan, has reached out to the future, through the medium of animation. Finally recognizing the on-stage symmetry with his alter ego allowed Satriani to also take a risk on this particular style of storytelling. He says, "Guitarist Ned Evett and I have created an animated series called 'Crystal Planet'. The actual Crystal Planet is our very own Earth, set billions of years in the future. The hero of the show uses music generated by a unique electric guitar to travel through time while the show's characters struggle to preserve the future and past of humankind." More information on "Crystal Planet" and how and where fans will view the series will be coming shortly. Fans are now able to pre-order the new album with an exclusive signed poster only at Satriani.com. Joe will be selecting art for the poster from fan submitted art — check Joe's Facebook page for more details. The album is available for pre-order on Amazon and iTunes and will also be available to order as 2-LP 120-gram vinyl.

"Shockwave Supernova" track listing: 01. Shockwave Supernova02. Lost In A Memory03. Crazy Joey04. In My Pocket05. On Peregrine Wings06. Cataclysmic07. San Francisco Blue08. Keep On Movin'09. All Of My Life10. A Phase I'm Going Through11. Scarborough Stomp12. Butterfly And Zebra13. If There Is No Heaven14. Stars Race Across The Sky15. Goodbye Supernova

Photo credit: Chapman Baehler

Former PANTERA and current SUPERJOINT and DOWN frontman Philip Anselmo says that he "wouldn't want anything to do" with the Confederate flag since the South embarked on an emotional debate over the flag's symbolism in the aftermath of the massacre of nine blacks by a white gunman in a Charleston, South Carolina church last month.

White supremacist and suspected killer Dylann Roof had been pictured holding the Confederate flag before he allegedly carried out the murders.

While some people see the flag as a divisive symbol of the South's proslavery legacy, supporters insist the flag is a honorable symbol of regional pride, a mark of respect for Southern soldiers who died in the American Civil War.

In light of the fact that the cover artwork of SUPERJOINT RITUAL's "Use Once And Destroy" album and a lot of PANTERA's merchandise incorporated the Confederate flag, Anselmo was asked by HardrockHaven.net for his opinion on the current backlash against the flag. He responded: "Uh, I think there's some legitimacy to it, man. If it's something that… you know, I guess… At my age… It is a symbol… It'd be, like, you know, would we be flying the Nazi flag? I don't think so, because flags are looked at as… whether it be nationalism or symbols of something, you know? And, truthfully, you know, it's like… I wish fucking everyone would get along. I wish that more than anything, but we all know, as logical human beings, that that's pretty much impossible. You know, everybody has different ideas about stuff."

He continued: "I think, really, where the use of the rebel flag or Confederate flag with us really came from was our love of bands like LYNYRD SKYNYRD and whatnot and shit like that, you know. There was never a time when it was okay to promote hate without a little bit of the tongue in the cheek, you know? It was never this blatant thing, unless I was completely out of my mind, which I was at points in time. And I'll own that for damn sure, but that was a long-ass time ago. I'm coming up on 47 years old… and I think that if it's upsetting enough to people in general, you know, I guess… This is tough to say without taking any side… Like I said, I can see where if people see it as a symbol of hate, then…"

Anselmo added: "These days, I wouldn't want anything to fucking do with it, because, truthfully… I wouldn't. I wouldn't want much to fucking do with it at all, and personally, you know I would never… The way I feel, and the group of people I've had to work with my whole life, you know… You see a Confederate flag out there that says 'Heritage, not hate.' I'm not so sure I'm buying into that, you know? But I can look at any… People can point out flaws in any social group, any ethnic group, any ideology and anything like that, and being that's, once again, because everybody has different ideas about things…

"At this point in time, I just wish everybody would chill the fuck out man and realize, you know, maybe a good dose of love, for lack of a better word, would do us all friggin' a lot better instead of pulling sides, taking sides. You know, everybody wants to have a firm stance on things, but maybe sometimes we should sit back and listen for a change, you know?"

SUPERJOINT RITUAL — now known simply as SUPERJOINT for legal reasons — played its first-ever European show at this year's Hellfest on June 21 in Clisson, France.

SUPERJOINT has just embarked on its first tour in over a decade. Presented by Anselmo's own Housecore Records, "The It Takes Guts Tour" commenced on July 10 in Oklahoma City and will ravage its way through more than a dozen cities.

SUPERJOINT's current lineup includes Anselmo alongside guitarists Kevin Bond (CHRIST INVERSION, ARTIMUS PYLEDRIVER) and Jimmy Bower (DOWN, EYEHATEGOD), drummer José Manuel Gonzalez (WARBEAST, PHILIP H. ANSELMO & THE ILLEGALS) and bassist Stephen Taylor (PHILIP H. ANSELMO & THE ILLEGALS, WOVEN HAND, 16 HORSE POWER).

SLIPKNOT and STONE SOUR frontman Corey Taylor says that the Confederate flag shouldn't be flying over government buildings because it symbolizes the fact that the South fought for the ability to own people of color as items to be bought and sold.

The Confederate flag's symbolism is the subject of an emotional debate in the South in the aftermath of the massacre of nine blacks by a white gunman in a Charleston, South Carolina church last month.

White supremacist and suspected killer Dylann Roof had been pictured holding the Confederate flag before he allegedly carried out the murders.

While some people see the flag as a divisive symbol of the South's proslavery legacy, supporters insist the flag is a honorable symbol of regional pride, a mark of respect for Southern soldiers who died in the American Civil War.

During an appearance on the July 9 edition of the "Opie Radio" talk show, Taylor weighed in on the Confederate flag controversy, saying: "It's interesting, 'cause everybody talks about heritage versus hate and everything. And it's just, like, history kind of teaches us it is about hate. I mean, you can talk about the General Lee [Robert E. Lee, the leading Confederate General during the U.S. Civil War who has been venerated as a heroic figure in the South] all you want, but it still stands for the fact that you were trying to keep the right to own people."

He continued: "I don't get it. It's 2015. It's not like it's fucking 1901. It's 2015. If you can't figure out why it's wrong to put a Confederate flag in front of a place where you're supposed to have fucking equal justice, then you need to go back to fucking sleep, man, 'cause you're never gonna figure it out."

Taylor also talked about the fact that Amazon and Walmart have both announced that they will no longer sell Confederate flag merchandise in the wake of the Charleston massacre. He said: "Everybody has the right to free speech, but when you're flying that outside of a government building, it's not right. I'm not taking anyway from anybody's right to wear it — it's fine; you can believe what you believe. You can actually superimpose your beliefs and what you think it stands for. 'Cause a lot of people don't understand what it stands for — they think it's General Lee, it just represents the South and we're good old boys and whatever, and that's fine, but you don't understand that there's a whole other level that that represents, you know?!"

He continued: "So, yeah, on the one hand, Walmart shouldn't have done that, and it's just another fucking overreaction to something that made sense here, but then people just completely overdid it and made it fucking contrite and stupid."

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

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

"I lost my mentor, producer, co-writer, and my friend Dick Wagner last year, which led to a lot of personal and emotional distractions for me," says Danish / American rock singer Maryann Cotton. 

"I was most honored to perform at the Dick Wagner - Remember The Child Memorial Concert at the Fillmore in Detroit this year, where we celebrated his beautiful friendship and majestic legacy. I was enveloped in the warm welcome of so many great musicians and Dick Wagner fans. This has helped me to move forward, as my Maestro would so encourage.

Dick and I managed to finish all the songs and pre-production for our announced album Chester Rose - The Legend Begins - but we never reached the studio process. When he died, we were in negotiations with one of the world’s biggest record companies, and future plans were falling into place.

My manager Susan Michelson, Dick Wagner’s business partner and personal manager, has continued moving ahead with the project and is currently working on contracts and related details. The record company remains very enthusiastic about the Chester Rose concept. They are dedicated to recording the Maestro’s final album, but the many details of this substantial project and its offshoots take some time to fall into place. I cannot wait till our album is ready to share with you.

With all that said, I’m proud to let you know that I secretly, over four months, have been in a writing, studio recording, and mixing / mastering process, and completed a full new album - to please my fans.

I have together with my manager decided to release the album this summer, which also means new upcoming shows and tour this year. The release date, album cover and tracklist, will be announced shortly."

 

 

 

 

DISTURBED has come roaring back with a new single called "The Vengeful One", to be followed by a new album, "Immortalized", on August 21. The band ended its four-year hiatus on June 23 with the release of the single and video and the news about the record.

"Immortalized" is available for pre-order everywhere and follows 2010's gold-certified "Asylum", DISTURBED's fourth consecutive No. 1 on The Billboard 200 album chart.

The album process got underway back in January 2014 when singer David Draiman, guitarist Dan Donegan and drummer Mike Wengren got together for dinner in their hometown of Chicago.

Soon after, without notifying friends, families, or their label, the three began to fly back and forth to each other's respective home studios for writing sessions, marking the first time they collectively wrote together since 2001.

Speaking about the veil of secrecy that surrounded the making of "Immortalized", Draiman told Seattle's KISW radio station (hear audio below): "Isn't there something amazing about getting a really nice surprise? There's something… even the built-in momentum of surprising someone. There definitely was method to that madness. We wanted people to be caught off guard, we wanted people to be shocked. We wanted people to be pleasantly surprised, and for that surprise to fuel fervor, hopefully, and hopefully it's building to that."

According to the singer, keeping DISTURBED's comeback plans a secret for more than a year was no easy task. "It took a lot of effort to do that — a lot of white lies, and NDAs [non-disclosure agreements] and story telling… a lot of family and friends getting pissed off at you because you won't really tell 'em everything that's going on," he said. "So it was a burden that I'm glad I no longer have to carry. And the surprise factor has definitely seemed to work. It was part of our plan all along to, kind of, come out of nowhere. We didn't know whether or not we would be able to accomplish it, because it was one hell of a challenge, but we were able to pull it off somehow, and I think that the results are speaking for themselves."

Draiman also shot down rumors that DISTURBED's 2011 decision to take a break was fueled by internal strife. He said: "The one beautiful thing about our camp is that we've always stayed family, we've always been on good terms with each other. And that was the beautiful thing about recording ['Immortalized'] in [Las] Vegas. People [would be], like, 'There are so many people coming through Las Vegas. Why there? You shouldn't be seen there.' Yeah, but you know what?! How unusual is it to see a member from the band DISTURBED partying in Vegas? It's not something completely out of left field, and we're actually friends with one another, so seeing us together in Vegas is also not completely out of left field. So it kind of gave us what we like to refer to as 'plausible deniability.'"

In addition to 15 new songs — including 12 on the album and three more on the deluxe edition — "Immortalized" contains a cover of SIMON & GARFUNKEL's "The Sound Of Silence".

DISTURBED has yet to announce tour plans behind the new record.

Photo credit: Travis Shinn

Arrival Of Autumn will be performing Alberta show dates this July in Edmonton for MuleFest, Calgary for Catalyst Event's Kick Off Show and Red Deer for Leave The Living CD release show all in support of their latest album, Shadows, released last year and available on Bandcamp (below).

Show dates:

July
12 - Edmonton, AB - YEG Event Centre / Flow Lounge @ Mule Fest
18 - Calgary, AB - Catalyst Event's Kick Off
30 - Red Deer, AB - The Vat Pub

Shadows tracklisting:

“DanmnedNation”
“Selfish Sanity”
“Labryinth”
“Forget Me Now”
“Endless Nights”
“Like Fire”
“The Court Of Owls”
“Shadows”
“There’s No Angels Here”
“Fall In Ashes”

“Like Fire” lyric video:

Album stream:

Shadows by Arrival Of Autumn

In additional news, AOA's drummer Ty Fox has posted a new drum playthrough for their track “Labyrinth”:

Ted Nugent and Kid Rock have joined forces to record a song in support of the Confederate flag.

The track, titled "Kiss My Rebel Ass", will reportedly be available as an instant download from both musicians' web sites on July 17. All proceeds from the song will be donated to the American Freedom Party.

Nugent, 66, and Rock, 44, announced the collaboration during a joint appearance the two made on WWJ Newsradio 950.

"Kiss My Rebel Ass" was written and recorded after Nugent contacted Rock to express his support after Kid Rock invited anyone protesting his use of the flag at his concerts to "kiss my ass."

"When you get a text from the Nuge, you know you've done something right," laughed Rock. Nugent added: "Rock 'n' roll ain't supposed to be nice — it's supposed to hit you upside the head with a tire iron, and that is exactly what this song does."

Kid Rock described "Kiss My Rebel Ass" as "a love letter to the South and a middle finger to the PC establishment."

The Confederate flag's symbolism has been the subject of an emotional debate in the South in the aftermath of the massacre of nine blacks by a white gunman in a Charleston, South Carolina church last month.

White supremacist and suspected killer Dylann Roof had been pictured holding the Confederate flag before he allegedly carried out the murders.

While some people see the flag as a divisive symbol of the South's proslavery legacy, supporters insist the flag is a honorable symbol of regional pride, a mark of respect for Southern soldiers who died in the American Civil War.

Nugent defended the Confederate flag on July 8 during an appearance on the Blog Talk Radio show "World Positive Thinkers". He said: "I believe that we always have to look at substance over symbolism, and I think we have to be honest. If we burned every Confederate flag today, would they stop shooting each other in Chicago? If we burned every Confederate flag today, would we stop sanctuary cities from accommodating murderers and rapists and savage people?"

While the state of South Carolina and major retailers across the country are officially withdrawing any connection between themselves and the Confederate Flag, Kid Rock appears to want to continue to associate himself with the controversial symbol.

Last week, the National Action Network's chapter in Michigan protested outside of the Detroit Historical Museum, which houses a Kid Rock exhibit. The Network demanded that Kid Rock stop displaying the Confederate flag at his concerts.

Kid Rock responded in a statement to Fox News: "Please tell the people who are protesting to kiss my ass."

The rocker, a native of Michigan (which was on the Union side during the Civil War), adopted the Confederate flag when his 2012 album "Rebel Soul" was released.

Reactivated Canadian metallers, Varga, have checked in with the following update:

"We regret to say that after many years, and many, many miles, Adam Alex and Varga have parted ways.

Big A would be too hard to replace, and so, despite the musical challenges it presents, the band has decided to continue on as a three-piece."

Adam has issued the following statement regarding his departure:

"Hello Varga Fans!

Thank you for all of your support since our reunion. It's been a total blast re-recording and performing our material to our heavy metal fanatics. Unfortunately I will no longer be performing with the band due to a set of unfortunate circumstances. Joe, Dan and Sean will continue to perform our songs as a 3-piece outfit and will no doubt jam them hard. I'd like to thank our crew Ed, Al and Todd. You guys are truly hardcore !!

This is my last Varga related post. It's been a pleasure performing for you and I wish the rest of the band the best in their future endeavors."

Varga released a new music video earlier this year for the track “Beginning Of The End”, featured on their 2013 album, Enter The Metal. The video was produced and directed by Joe Varga and can be seen below.

Enter The Metal tracklisting:

“Beginning Of The End”
“Gamera”
“Mad Scientist”
“Plane Crash”
“No More Clean Air”
“Shark Attack”

Early last week, Eden’s Curse original lead vocalist Michael Eden learned that the past (biography, press and photos) can be erased at the push of a button. Eden’s existence along with other former members and their contributions from the past had been erased by his former partner Paul Logue on Logue’s Eden’s Curse website overseas.

Comments Eden: “There are two bands with the same name Eden’s Curse and it’s time for the best band to stay and the loser to go home. This ego driven behavior can no longer be ignored. I consider these actions by Logue to be the straw that breaks the camel’s back. This kind of thing is a slap in the face to all of us who helped build the music of Eden’s Curse and make it what it was. Other former members might not care what the fans see and believe, but I do. You've got bands like Mötley Crüe signing legal agreements that claim they won’t tour again. Well, I decided I like that. This challenge I now formally present to Paul Logue and his band is no game, no gimmick, and there will be no back pedaling on our part. It’s Eden's Curse vs. the overseas band who still use my name and my voice on tape! The terms could not be simpler. It’s one band vs. the other band on stage in front of an audience in the USA where the bands core fans exist. This decision of the winner will be decided by industry professionals with enough balls to not take sides or payoffs. Winner takes all.

The rules are pretty simple. Bring the best you got. Leave your backing tapes with my voice, James LaBrie (Dream Theater), Andi Derris (Helloween) and Tony Harnell (TNT/Skid Row) at home. That cute trick might work for your clueless fans overseas, but not for this. The live show for this event will be announced at a later date should the overseas band choose to put their money where their mouth has been for years. My band will NOT be using tracks/samples of any kind. Everything will be 100% LIVE! Logue’s band must play by the same rules. We must compare apples to apples! Not apples to oranges!!! That means both bands play ONLY the ORIGINAL Curse songs off the first three albums and the exact same set list! I’m sure that can be decided between myself and Logue.  

What does the winner get? They get Eden's Curse! 

If Logue’s band are the better band (including their singer) my guys go off into the sunset. That means the loser of this contest in front of a live audience will sign a legal document on stage with attorneys present saying that they forfeit all rights to the Eden’s Curse name, logo and can’t release any future releases using that name anywhere in the world. We go big or we go home.”

Eden’s Curse (Michael Eden’s band) is currently mixing their debut live CD The Devil In Disguise...Live!, which was recorded at Rock N' Skull 2014 and is scheduled for a late fall 2015 release.

San Francisco Bay Area thrash veterans DEATH ANGEL will release "A Thrashumentary" on July 24 via Nuclear Blast. The DVD was directed, shot and edited by Tommy Jones (KATAKLYSM, SOILWORK, LAMB OF GOD, CARCASS, TESTAMENT) of Videohammer Studios. The release will also include a full live album titled "The Bay Calls For Blood".

The second of two trailers for "A Thrashumentary" is available below.

"It is with great excitement that I finally get to share this DEATH ANGEL news," comments vocalist Mark Osegueda. "'A Thrashumentary' is finally complete and ready for release this summer! The film tells the story of DEATH ANGEL from our inception to the present day. With many guest appearances by some of our peers and contemporaries who happen to be some of the most respected players in the genre, it covers the highs, lows and highs again of the band and the thrash metal movement. A must-have for any metal fan!

"The even better news is 'A Thrashumentary' will be accompanied by an official live album called 'The Bay Calls For Blood', which was recorded in our hometown of San Francisco! We are so proud of this recording and performance that we decided to release it as a live DEATH ANGEL record! Did I say record? Damn right, I did! Because it will also be available separately on limited-edition vinyl for all the true metal fans! Bleed for it!"

Adds director Tommy Jones: "What originally started out as a live music video for 'River Of Rapture' in 2010 has evolved into a full-scale historical documentary on the band and the thrash scene. This is the first time the band in its current lineup has been able to collectively sit down, and tell the story of how DEATH ANGEL came to be Mark, Rob, Ted, Will and Damien. Mixed with live footage I shot in the Philippines, Asia, Germany, Europe and North America, this project was a blast to produce. It became a true evolution from what we originally set out to do, while solidifying a lifelong friendship.

"I can't wait for the DEATH ANGEL fans worldwide to be able to sit back and throw on 'A Thrashumentary' and hear/see the band's story straight from their mouths. It's a project I'm very proud of. It's also something I would have never envisioned doing when I was a kid taking my guitar to my teacher to learn the solo of 'Bored'! Thrash on!"

"A Thrashumentary" DVD chapter list:

01. Start02. We Grew Up In The Bay Area Thrash Scene03. The Original Lineup Of Death Angel04. Kill As One05. The Ultra Violence06. Frolic In The Park07. Act III08. The Accident09. The O10. Swarm11. Thrash Of The Titans12. I Like Everything About Ted13. The Art Of Dying14. Killing Season15. Relentless Revolution16. I'm Looking For Will Carroll17. And Then Damien Came In18. Relentless Retribution19. Impressions Of Suecof20. Relentless Touring21. Thrashers22. Death Angel Is23. The Last Song Of The Evening24. Credits

Extra:

25. Mistress Of Pain Live "The Bay Calls For Blood" bonus live album and individual LP track listing:

01. Left For Dead02. Fallen03. Buried Alive04. The Dream Calls For Blood05. Execution/Don't Save Me06. Truce07. Detonate08. Bored09. Caster Of Shame10. Territorial Instinct/Bloodlust

As previously reported, DEATH ANGEL will enter the studio on October 1 to begin recording its new album for an April 2016 release via Nuclear Blast.

Asked by Groovey of Groovey.TV what fans can expect from the follow-up to 2013's "The Dream Calls For Blood", DEATH ANGEL guitarist Ted Aguilar said: "It's gonna be DEATH ANGEL. In my personal opinion, I don't think we're gonna try to top ['The Dream Calls For Blood']. You can't recreate that moment in time. 'The Dream Calls For Blood' is 'The Dream Calls For Blood'. This next album we're writing… I mean, we've got some songs; [we're] four songs in. No lyrics yet, but… It's always gonna be heavy. The foundation of DEATH ANGEL is still there, but it's kind of hard to describe what direction we're going in until it's recorded, mixed and mastered. 'Cause the way DEATH ANGEL writes, we write a song, but it's always evolving — up until the point of recording. Even when it comes down to the mixing. It's just, like, 'Ah, let's change that up.'"

He continued: "'The Dream Calls For Blood', it's a great record. We're proud of it. And the next album, it's just gonna be DEATH ANGEL in our mindset today. I'm not gonna say, 'It's gonna be this,' and it ends up being a little different. Who knows what this album is gonna sound like? [But] it's gonna be good."

Asked if DEATH ANGEL has been writing any new material on the road, Ted said: "We've written some stuff on the road, and when we get back [home from the current tour], we're gonna write some more. Then we've got Europe in July and August, and we're gonna continue writing in Europe, on downtime and whatnot. 'Cause there's a lot of time on the road; plenty of hours go by, like right now. And then when we get home after Europe, in August, we're gonna spend a couple of weeks off, then all of September is honing in and doing pre-production, writing a little more and just fixing the loose ends."

DEATH ANGEL's seventh album, "The Dream Calls For Blood", sold 5,400 copies in the United States in its first week of release to land at position No. 72 on The Billboard 200 chart.

Video footage of the reunited seminal Swedish hardcore band REFUSED performing a brand new song, "War On The Palaces", at Vacation Vinyl in Los Angeles, California can be seen below. The track is taken from the group's new album, "Freedom", which was released on June 30 via Epitaph. The CD was produced by Nick Launay (ARCADE FIRE, Kate Bush, Nick Cave) except for the songs "Elektra" and "366", which were helmed and co-written by Shellback, the Swedish pop superproducer who has worked with pop superstars Taylor Swift, Britney Spears and Pink, among others.

"It's not a reunion anymore," said REFUSED frontman Dennis Lyxzén in a statement. "This is one of the most radical things we've ever done, both musically and lyrically."

"Nobody wanted us to fuck with the image of the band who makes a great album and splits up," added drummer David Sandström. "Nobody wanted us to dilute it. That actually provoked us."

"Freedom" got a limited-edition CD release featuring a 28-page hardbound book with a poster and gold foil stamping on the album cover.

"Freedom" track listing:

01. Elektra02. Old Friends / New War03. Dawkins Christ04. Françafrique05. Thought Is Blood06. War On The Palaces07. Destroy The Man08. 36609. Servants Of Death10. Useless Europeans

REFUSED last year parted ways with guitarist Jon Brännström. He revealed his exit from the group in an October 31, 2014 posting on REFUSED's Facebook page, where he wrote: "I was fired from REFUSED a while ago. I wasn't given a reasonable explanation and wasn't even invited to sit down and talk about it, so I'm not completely sure why they decided to go on without me."

Back in 2012, REFUSED embarked on a reunion tour where the band performed tracks from its classic 1998 album, "The Shape of Punk To Come", at festivals around the world. The final show of the trek took place on December 15, 2012 in REFUSED's hometown of Umeå, Sweden.

REFUSED's legacy was chronicled via the "Refused Are Fucking Dead" collection, which featured never-before-seen material and videos. In addition, REFUSED's landmark 1998 album, "The Shape Of Punk To Come", was remixed and remastered in 5.1 surround DVD audio format, and was re-released through Epitaph Records. Also re-released were remastered editions of REFUSED's "Songs To Fan The Flames Of Discontent" and "The EP Compilation" CDs.

"Boneyard", the new Marco De Molina-directed video from DEVIL CITY ANGELS, the band originally formed by Rikki Rockett (POISON), Tracii Guns (L.A GUNS), Eric Brittingham (CINDERELLA), and vocalist Brandon Gibbs, can be seen below. The song is taken from DEVIL CITY ANGELS' self-titled debut album, which was produced by the DEVIL CITY ANGELS bandmembers themselves in Los Angeles and was mixed in Nashville by Anthony Focx. A September 11 release is expected.

Following the recording of "Devil City Angels", Brittingham decided not to continue with the project and his spot has been taken by Rudy Sarzo (QUIET RIOT, OZZY OSBOURNE, WHITESNAKE). "It was kind of by accident how it came together, it really was," Tracii told Lithium Magazine about DEVIL CITY ANGELS' formation. "Rikki and I had done a John Entwistle/Keith Moon tribute show together. We went backstage after playing our songs and the guys backstage were all kind of chanting, 'Guns and Rocketts, Guns and Rocketts' as a joke. And we kind of laughed it off but then Rikki suddenly turned around and said, 'Guns and Rocketts' actually has a pretty nice ring to it, don't you think. So we decided right there to start a band."

Guns, who has a solo project called LEAGUE OF GENTLEMEN, continued: "[LEAGUE OF GENTLEMEN is] more of a vanity project. I wanted something that I could go and tour with and be in a real band. We thought of a few different players and Rikki said he knew Brandon. He said he knew this guy who was younger than us, but should have been born decades earlier. He had a real bluesy sound and played with Eric. We decided to check him out so I called him and he was a really cool dude. And before you knew it, we had him ask Eric if he was interested. He said absolutely and they flew out here a couple weeks later and we recorded [our] first song [called 'All My People']."

Regarding "All My People", Tracii said: "The song was written by Rikki and Brandon a couple of years before. They each did their parts separately and then we did the vocal tracking. They went home and I spent the rest of the time doing the lead guitar stuff. And we sent it to Anthony Focx, who is an amazing engineer and mixer who has worked with [former] METALLICA [bassist Jason Newsted] and AEROSMITH and a bunch of other bands. He is a good friend of ours and he mixed it really good and we put it out."

He added: "It was eight days from recording to releasing it. It was beautiful the way it came together, kind of old school."

Tracii also spoke about DEVIL CITY ANGELS' musical direction, saying "It's basic. It's simple. We might groove out a little more on some things and we might have a ballad or two. But other than that, we're going to keep it pretty straightforward 1977 rock. Since we have a winner with 'All My People', we are just going to stay in that framework. We feel that kind of music and Brandon surely delivers it."