KORN drummer Ray Luzier, THE WINERY DOGS/MR. BIG bassist Billy Sheehan and former ANTHRAX singer Neil Turbin performed a cover version of the DEEP PURPLE classic "Highway Star" last night (Wednesday, July 1) at Lucky Strike in Hollywood, California. The trio was accompanied during the performance — which was part of the weekly "Jam Night" at the venue — by guitarist Mayuko Okai. Check out video footage below.

Neil co-wrote and sang on ANTHRAX's debut album, "Fistful Of Metal", and co-authored most songs on "Armed And Dangerous", and a couple songs on "Spreading The Disease", which he performed live with ANTHRAX on their first North American tour in 1984.

First-call touring and session drummer, Luzier is known for his high-profile gigs with David Lee Roth, Jake E. Lee and ARMY OF ANYONE, and has been a member of KORN since 2007. From movie soundtracks to rock and metal albums, Luzier's playing can currently be found on over 70 recordings. As an educator, he was a Musicians Institute instructor for over 10 years and author of a well-regarded, self-titled instructional DVD.

Billy Sheehan rose to cult hero status in the '80s with his Buffalo-based band TALAS, and he was recruited by David Lee Roth to record two platinum-selling albums, "Eat 'Em & Smile" and "Skyscraper". He then launched the band MR. BIG in 1989 with guitarist Paul Gilbert and singer Eric Martin.

Montreal-based death metallers KATAKLYSM will release new album, "Of Ghosts And Gods", on July 31 via Nuclear Blast. The cover artwork for the follow-up to "Waiting For The End To Come" was created by up-and-coming dark and macabre artist Art By Surtsey and can be seen below.

The song "The Black Sheep", which appears on "Of Ghosts And Gods", can be streamed below.

Says KATAKLYSM frontman Maurizio Iacono: "The time has come once again, KATAKLYSM on our twelfth studio album and still going strong. We are very proud of this record. It holds the best elements of the band's career and a completely new vibe and fresh outlook on death metal in 2015."

According to KATAKYSM, the "cover art echoes a sinister artwork depicting the reality of humanity's beautifully disturbing existence and its impending death through the mortal and the everlasting. The background shows an ancient Incantation written in Aramaic."

"Of Ghosts And Gods" track listing:

01. Breaching The Asylum02. The Black Sheep03. Thy Serpents Tongue04. Soul Destroyer 05. Vindication06. Marching Through Graveyards 07. Shattered 08. Hate Spirit09. Carrying Crosses 10. The World Is A Dying Insect

Guitarist Jean-François "JF" Dagenais tracked drums, guitars and bass for the album, while vocals were recorded by producer Mark Lewis (WHITECHAPEL, DEVILDRIVER, CANNIBAL CORPSE). The effort was mixed and mastered in the U.K. by British producer Andy Sneap (MEGADETH, TESTAMENT, EXODUS, AMON AMARTH).

Says the band: "KATAKLYSM has been full of inspiration and are in full determination mode lately; a rejuvenated band that is out to conquer the world with no sign of stopping!

"This promises to be the album that will once and for all establish KATAKLYSM as one of the top pioneers of the genre!

"The latest material will be touching on some new ground while maintaining the aggressive edge the band has always been known for.

"The chemistry with new drummer Oli Beaudoin is incredible, and the four horsemen promise some crushing new material coming your way. Death metal hymns are arriving!"

KATAKLYSM had one of the busiest year in its entire career supporting "Waiting For The End To Come". The band launched a successful run in Australia and Japan and made its way to many other countries, including some first-time stops in places like Brazil and South Africa, among others.

"Waiting For The End To Come" was released in October 2013 via Nuclear Blast.

Band photo credit: Stephanie Cabral

A snippet of "The Ride Majestic", the title track of the tenth studio album from Sweden-based melodic death metal experts SOILWORK, is available in the YouTube clip below. The CD will be released worldwide on August 28 via Nuclear Blast. Joining the band on tour in support of the effort will be new bassist Markus Wibom, formerly of Helsingborg hardcore group HEARTS ALIVE. Wibom replaces longtime bandmember Ola Flink, who has amicably left the group to focus on other endeavors. Wibom has been a personal friend of the band for many years and has previously toured with SOILWORK as a guitar tech and lighting designer. Wibom made his live debut with SOILWORK in Stockholm on April 30. SOILWORK vocalist Björn "Speed" Strid states: "We all, sooner or later, come to a crossroad in our lives when our focus of being fueled by the past is just as strong as our visions of the future and we have to make that incredibly hard decision. Where do I go now?

"Flink will forever be a symbol for SOILWORK and of all we were and still are about. That being said, we all could sense that he eventually would come to the above mentioned crossroad. He understandably and respectfully chose to step down. "So, where do WE go now? Let me introduce you to one of the finest and most stand-up people I know: Markus Wibom. He's been a longtime friend and is an overall multi-instrumental amazing musician. He's been with us before, on past world tours. He's also an amazing character and I couldn't think of a better person to fill Flink's shoes, which indeed are very big… literally. (Markus's shoe size is actually even bigger, if anybody wants to know)

"Anyway, as much as I will miss Flink, I'm just as excited to tour the world with one of my absolute best friends.

"Thank you, Flink; you will forever rule. Thank you, Markus, for taking this on. I know you will blow people's minds, once the world tour of 'The Ride Majestic' commences.

"Please give Markus a very warm welcome, everyone!" Wibom adds: "It's a great honor and a true pleasure to play with such skilled musicians and amazing people! It's going to be awesome to share the stage with those guys after all these years on the road together, and with the new record coming up — it absolutely kills!" Catch Wibom out on tour with SOILWORK on the band's upcoming European headline tour, dubbed "The Tour Majestic", with support from HATESPHERE. The European dates will follow SOILWORK's upcoming U.S. tour with SOULFLY, DECAPITATED and SHATTERED SUN, in addition to several European summer festival dates coming up soon.

"Into Mosh Pit", the new video from NERVOSA — the all-female thrash metal act from São Paulo, Brazil — can be seen below. The song is taken from the band's debut album, "Victim Of Yourself", which was released in March 2014 in North America via Napalm Records. The production, recording, mixing and mastering were taken care of by Heros Trench and Pompeu, both of the veteran Brazilian metal band KORZUS. The recordings took place at the studio Mr. Som, where NERVOSA recorded its first EP, entitled "Time Of Death", in 2012.

According to a press release, "the all-female thrash metal combo pushes the pedal to the metal and offers the listener high-speed riffs, furious drumming and raging leads. The songs have a brutal and raw energy and are crowned by murderous hooks and the aggressive vocals by bassist Fernanda Lira."

"Victim Of Yourself" track listing:

01. Intro02. Twisted Values03. Justice Be Done04. Wake Up and Fight05. Nasty Injury06. Envious07. Morbid Courage08. Death09. Into Mosh Pit10. Deep Misery11. Victim of Yourself12. Uranio Em Nos

NERVOSA is:

Fernanda Lira - Vocals, BassPrika Amaral - Guitar, Backing VocalsPitchu Ferraz - Drums

Austrian power metallers Dragony have announced the title of their second album, and revealed its front cover artwork. Follow up to their debut album Legends from 2011, will be titled Shadowplay, and will be released in September via Limb Music. Album's cover artwork was designed by the Hungarian artist Péter Sallai, known from cooperation with acts such as Sabaton, Crematory or Satyricon:

 
"We have been working very hard on this new album for the better part of one year in the studio now, and we feel that all the hard work has finally paid off. We love the new material, and we are very much looking forward to share more details like collaborations, guest performances, and of course also the first audio snippets with you in the weeks to come!" says the band.

In other news, Dragony has confirmed the following live dates:

July
13 – Wien, Austria - Szene (supporting Sonata Arctica)

November
14 – Graz, Austria – Explosiv (Metal For Breathing charity show)

December
4 – Wien, Austria – Szene (album release party)

Norwegian melodic black metal band has announced their new and seventh full-length album will be released in Ocotboer.

The band states: “For more than a year we have been working on our 7th album. The work is now complete, and we will release it on Indie Recordings in October. More info on the album, title, artwork, samples etc. will follow during the summer and autumn, but we can reveal that for the first time since the I Krig album all the lyrics will be in Norwegian.

Indie Recordings is renowned for quality releases of Norwegian metal. For a decade they have fronted the Norwegian metal scene will lots of classic albums, and now it’s time for celebration. This fall, Indie Recordings will celebrate their anniversary with a 10 year anniversary tour with three of their most spectacular bands in Keep Of Kalessin, Vreid, and Vredhammer.

 

Children Of Bodom frontman Alexi Laiho is turning the Senate Square in Helsinki, Finland into a metal arena. He is composing a commissioned song for the Helsinki Festival, and invited 100 electric guitarists to join him in performing it on the big stage. The guitarists have now been chosen, and you can watch their auditions (as well as the auditions that didn’t make the cut) at this location .

The guitarists have been divided into five groups, and each group will have to learn their own parts during July. Check out the five demo clips below:

According to an update, there will be a core band backing up Laiho for the August 14th performance featuring the following musicians:

Kie Von Hertzen (guitars - Von Hertzen Brothers, Don Huonot)
Archie Cruz (guitars - Santa Cruz)
Samy Elbanna (guitars - Lost Society)
Timo Kämäräinen (guitars - Toot Toot)
Tommy Armstrong-Leavitt (guitars)
Jyri Helko (bass - For The Imperium)
Janne Wirman (keyboards - Children Of Bodom)
Jaska Raatikainen (drums - Children Of Bodom)

For updates check out the 100 Guitars From Hel Facebook page here.

Despite a successful 2014 album and top 20 chart debut, last year Buried In Verona found themselves staring oblivion in the face. The core of the band regrouped, recruited fresh blood and collectively refused to let the world get the better of them. From the wreckage comes their best songs yet, fueled as much by rage as they were by defiance. Vultures Above, Lions Below is the sound of a band who has decided that nothing less than revenge on the world that spat them out will do. It's sometimes easy to forget their pedigree – Notorious and Faceless hit #20 and #15 on the ARIA chart in 2012 and 2014 respectively – but events of the past year conspired to push them to their limits. Vultures Above, Lions Below is out August 7 via Rise Records.
 
Vultures Above, Lions Below was mixed and mastered by world renowned engineers Fredrik Nordström and Henrik Udd (Bring Me The Horizon, Architects, Soilwork) at Studio Fredman in Sweden, and was written, produced and recorded entirely by the band - Brett Anderson (vocals), Richie Newman (guitar), and new additions to the lineup - Mark Harris (guitar), Brandon Martel (bass) and James Swanson (drums). It's the most powerful, honest and subsequently exciting album to ever wear the Buried In Verona name.
 
"This whole album is the album we have always wanted to write," says Newman. "It's the most honest representation of who we are as people - we've been through hell and back in a lot of aspects of our lives, and this is the end result."
 
The first single from the forthcoming album was premiered last night on triple j's The Racket. “Can't Be Unsaid” is a powerful ode to moving on despite a brutal past which is a fitting first offering from Buried In Verona.
 
"'Can’t Be Unsaid' is about letting go of all the negativity surrounding myself and Buried In Verona," says vocalist Brett Anderson. "I wrote it when I was at my lowest point as a way to get me past everything that had happened. Ever since then, I've been focusing on the positives and using music as my escape again. After years of anguish I'm so happy to have regained my passion for music.
 
“The idea we would like to encourage everyone to get behind is this: write down whatever in your life is painful, hurting you, bringing you down - basically whatever is stopping you from being truly happy with yourself and your life. Write it as down as honestly as you can and project the negativity on to the page, into the ink and let go of it. Take it to a calm place that you love, read it one last time, set it alight and watch it burn. Don’t live in the negative space with negative people. Life is short, don’t waste it."

Vultures Above, Lions Below tracklisting:

“Vultures Above”
“Extraction”
“Dig Me Out”
“Hurricane”
“Separation”
“Can’t Be Unsaid”
“Reflection”
“Done For Good”
“Pathways”
“Unbroken”
“Bring Me Home”
“Lions Below”

Video “Can’t Be Unsaid”:

Dutch gothic metal act Seventh Sin have announced they are disbanding after doing four shows in The Netherlands and Belgium.

A band statement reads:

“After 12 years Seventh Sin have decided to call it a day. The band will split up after doing another four shows in The Netherlands and Belgium in July and September. After that, all band members will go their own way.

We feel sad about splitting up, but we are looking back on great times and awesome memories, things we will be talking to our grandchildren about. About having the nerve to talk to a promotor about wanting to get on stage and ending up with a support show for Kamelot, about sharing stage with awesome bands like Epica, Delain, Leaves' Eyes, Revamp, Xandria and Stream Of Passion, about touring the UK with Edenbridge, about meeting people, making new friends, sharing a passion, enjoying every single minute of a gig…..etc.

“We want to thank all fans, promotors, DJ's, reviewers, editors of magazines, sound and light crews, all bands we had the privilege to share the stage with, all stagehands and everyone else who made it possible for us to live our dream. We will be thankful forever.

“Please know that we are saying goodbye with pain in our hearts and we will not leave you without a proper farewell show. We will keep you posted on everything that is to come.”

Upcoming shows:

July
18 – Maasmechelen, Belgium – Babes Of Metal
25 – Maaseik, Belgium – Chopperclub Run

September
5 – Eindhoven, Netherlands – Uitmarkt

A Seventh Sin farewell show will be announced soon.

UK glam rockers Tigertailz has announced their new bass player from Nottingham Berty Burton.

Berty says: “Couldn't be happier to have been asked, hell, even considered, to join such a great band! Looking forward to sharing a stage with my new band-mates, and playing for all the Tailz fans! I know I have some big shoes to fill, but I’ll try and do you all proud. The new line up sounds absolutely monstrous! See you in July Maniacz!!”

Says guitarist Jay Pepper, ''As soon as we rehearsed with Berty we immediately knew he was the right guy for the job, he's such a solid player, great to work with, and ticks all the boxes of exactly what we need in Tigertailz going forward. He's played with New Generation Superstars and Drugdealer Cheerleader in Europe/UK, so we knew where his high standard of playing was at.

“So at last we now have a fully functioning, stable, UK based band, and cannot wait for the July shows to show how fantastic it's all sounding right now! See you there Maniacz!!''

(Photo: Sharon Harvey)

Swedish melodic death metal band Eyes Wide Open has signed a record deal with Into The LimeLight Records and are busy with a new album. They have launched a Kickstarter campaign with benefits and fans can taste a bite of their new work.

The Swedes are also writing a song for one of the World Wrestling Entertainment superstars. The contracts will be signed at the headquarters of WWE.

2011 marked the birth of the Karlstad act and solidified a reputation within the metal scene with their fast and heavy riffs and melodic and powerful arrangements. They released their debut EP Revelations in 2012 and their debut full-length album Aftermath in 2013.

Philadelphia black metallers I Am The Trireme have released Gnosis: Never Follow The Light today on Horror Pain Gore Death Productions. The album is streaming in its entirety at Bandcamp.

Few bands can match the ferocity and sheer brutal combination of melodic death and vile symphonic black metal that I Am The Trireme (pronounced "tri' reem") has conjured. IATT bring forth a relentless, fast paced, crushing wall of blackened brutality and haunting melodies. Listeners can expect to hear a searing, dark, aggressive blend of brutality and purely sinister blackened metal that is sure to leave them foaming at the mouth.

Gnosis: Never Follow The Light is a poignant passage through the stages of Enlightenment and Ascension. Each song has its own symbol and is comparable to the metamorphic phases of a Butterfly, or in a more morbid sense the five stages of grief. The album leaves room for the listener to use perception as a tool while reaching a common result. Sonically, Gnosis: Never Follow The Light cannot just be lumped into a generic collective genre, attesting to I Am The Trireme's struggle to avoid blending into a scene or live line-up. For IATT the album holds the symbol of constant suffocation and deprivation of carrying out a normal life. Indeed, the band has been completely consumed for two years in the creation of this masterpiece.

 

Tracklisting:

“Mettre Fin A Cette”
“Trusty Noose”
“Basking In The Essence Of My Sorrow”
“Grey Fields Of Ash”
“Thy Sombering Light”
“Ascending Into Oblivion”
“A Sullen Reflection Of Purity”
“Tamerlane (Chapter 1)”
“Tamerlane (Chapter 2)”

Video "Thy Sombering Light":

"A Sullen Reflection Of Purity”:

“Tamerlane (Chapter 1)”:

Pure Steel Records has announced the signing of As Darkness Dies (formerly Graven Image). The new album, Life Incomplete, will be released later this year and was produced by Mike Vescera (Obsession, ex-Yngwie Malmsteen)

Band statement:

“As Darkness Dies (ADD) are pleased to too have signed with Pure Steele Records from Germany. This culminates a lot of hard work and effort by the band and our producer Michael Vescera (Obsession, Loudness, Yngwie Malmsteen, Animetal USA) guiding us every step along the way.  To go from local band to being a signed band is something every musician dreams of; we have been given that chance, and opportunity. Art is art regardless of the medium, and to have the chance to get it onto a world stage is something every artist hopes and dreams about. We are looking forward to the future, and looking back on the past, and how and where it all started, a couple of guys playing music just hoping they were good enough for people to like what it is that they are putting together.

“Here’s to all the possibilities, aspirations and dreams, and to giving people something they can hold on too. Music is more powerful than any other force in life because it sums up everything in life. And we all love that one song. Here’s to music, here’s to all it can bring out in each and every one of us.”

Sweden's Methane has released a two song single today featuring title track “Spit on Your Grave” and the song “Blood, Sweat And Beer” for streaming and download. The songs were recorded in the fall of 2014, and are alternative versions of the album versions which the band is currently in the studio finishing up the recording of.

“Spit On Your Grave”:

“Blood, Sweat And Beer”:

Methane spent 2014 touring for its Southern Metal EP single. Playing in Sweden, Norway and the US including The Rage Of Armageddon thrash festival in Brooklyn NY and headlining Metal Inferno festival in Kramfors, Sweden.

Following the release of the single this summer the Swedish based southern metal band will be returning on tour in the US then setting its sights on Europe later this fall.

(Photo by: Patrik Niemi)

Italy's Code666 is now just days from officially releasing Ia Pazuzu (The Abyss Of The Shadows), the third full-length album from Swedish industrial black metal architects, Diabolicum, and another phase of the shock campaign surrounding its release comes to fruition today with the full album stream.

Initially spawed in 1994 by Sasrof and Thorne under the Imperial moniker, Diabolicum stand among the prime instigators of the industrial black metal scene. The collective's first demo appeared under the title Mori Voluntaria. The tape was recorded in just two days at a mental hospital and included the session vocals of Blackblood (Tommy Dahlström now of Aeon). Following various personnel shifts, Imperial unleashed The Imperial Darkness demo with vocals and lead guitar handled by Thyrfing (Stefan Dhalberg) with third demo, De FÆrdÆmdas Legion, unveiled by Arte De Occulta shortly thereafter. By 1997, members of Imperial formed black metal collective, Helvete, together with Mysteriis and Kraath of Setherial. The project was put on hold when guitarist Sasrof took over bass responsibilities for Setherial.  

Two years later, Imperial changed their name to Diabolicum. Nathzion (AKA Zeb Nilsson now of Aeon) joined the ranks as lead guitarist and Diabolicum's debut, the annihilating The Grandeur Of Hell, dropped in 1999 via Napalm Records. In the summer of 2000, Diabolicum fled Napalm to explore new opportunities and forged a union with Italian imprint, Code666. Brandishing a flawless meld of Swedish black metal and industrial ambient noise, 2001's resulting The Dark Blood Rising full-length is now considered a cult classic among the industrial black metal scene. In the years to follow, the band published a collection of early demos (The Killing Spree 1.5) and two split 7" EP - one with Watain; the other with Angst - before penning their third diabolic opus with new vocalist Niklas Kvarforth (Shining) and lead guitarist Likstrand. After several setbacks and delays, the band is finally ready to undrape Ia Pazuzu (The Abyss Of The Shadows). Spewing forth nine merciless tracks of sonic scorn, and featuring guest appearances by Malfeitor Fabban (Aborym) and Vargher (Naglfar, Bewitched, Ancient Wisdom), with cryptic artwork by Maxime Taccardi, Ia Pazuzu (The Abyss Of The Shadows) is anguished, devouring and destined to become a new milestone within the industrial black metal community.

 

Ia Pazuzu (The Abyss Of The Shadows) tracklisting:  

“Baxxar Ehl Uhza”
“The Void Of Astaroth”
“The Silent Spring”
“Genocide Bliss”
“Salvation Through Vengeance”
“The Abyss Of The Shadows”
“One Mans War”
“Angelmaker”
“Ia Pazuzu”

"Salvation Through Vengeance":

Diabolicum's Ia Pazuzu (The Abyss Of The Shadows) will be available via Italy's Code666 in special digipack CD format as well as a limited edition, double gatefold LP and deluxe limited leather box on July 7 via Code666. Preorders are available at this location.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Swedish grandmasters of classic rock, Graveyard, have revealed the tracklisting of their fourth full-length album, Innocence & Decadence on September 25 worldwide via Nuclear Blast.

Innocence & Decadence will be released in various formats (vinyl look digipak, digital download, black/clear/splatter/orange/green/bi-coloured vinyl as well as a T-Shirt/CD bundle). Preorder your copy here.

Innocence & Decadence was recorded in Stockholm, Sweden at Atlantis Studios with Janne Hansson (Opeth, The Hives) and Johan Lindström (Tonbruket).

Commented the band: "Got a new album coming your way in September called Innocence & Decadence. It's gonna be an album filled to the rim with a little bit of this - and for all of those who might wonder or worry - there will be quite a lot of that on it as well. We've had a great time recording the album at the "gemytliga" Atlantis Studios in Stockholm together with Janne Hansson and Johan Lindström. And after kinda being away from our daily routine as a touring band and the thrill of a new album on its way... we wanna leave you with. Good to be gone, great to be back and let there be September!”

Limited edition digipak tracklisting:

“Magnetic Shunk”
“The Apple And The Tree”
“Exit 97”
“Never Theirs To Sell”
“Can’t Walk Out”
“Too Much Is Not Enough”
“From A Hole In The Wall”
“Cause & Defect”
“Hard-Headed”
“Far Too Close”
“Stay For A Song”
“The Hatch” (bonus track)

Vinyl:

Side A
“Magnetic Shunk”
“The Apple And The Tree”
“Exit 97”
“Never Theirs To Sell”
“Can’t Walk Out”
“Too Much Is Not Enough”

Side B
“From A Hole In The Wall”
“Cause & Defect”
“Hard-Headed”
“Far Too Close”
“Stay For A Song”
“The Hatch” (bonus track)

CD/Digital/Streaming:

“Magnetic Shunk”
“The Apple And The Tree”
“Exit 97”
“Never Theirs To Sell”
“Can’t Walk Out”
“Too Much Is Not Enough”
“From A Hole In The Wall”
“Cause & Defect”
“Hard-Headed”
“Far Too Close”
“Stay For A Song”

A European headlining tour will be announced shortly.
 

The Ragged Saints (Finland) are currently working on a follow up to hard rock album The Sound Of Breaking Free. New song “Pretending Diamond” can be streamed below:

”Second album is on the way, we’ve been writing and recording lots of songs already. Not sure about the release date yet but be patient folks, it’s shaping up nicely and will be worth the wait," says guitarist Tomi Julkunen. 

The debut album was released via German record label Power Prog in 2013. Record was mixed at Sonic Pump Studios by Nino Laurenne (Amorphis, Lordi, Finntroll, Kotipelto) and mastered at Chartmakers by Svante Forsbäck (Volbeat, Rammstein, Amorphis, Sonata Arctica).

Lineup: Markku Kuikka: vocals, Toni Bite: guitars, Tomi Julkunen: guitars, Jukka Hoffrén: bass, Miikki Kunttu: drums

Kansas City, Missouri rockers Red Line Chemistry will be releasing the long awaited official and special edition release of their 2006 album Chemical High & A Hand Grenade via Pavement Entertainment on July 24. The band has also added bonus tracks from their self-released 2007 follow up Escape Plan to this special edition. Preorder the album at this location. 

Originally recorded as the band’s debut album, Chemical High & A Hand Grenade was shelved and the band moved forward with new material in the form of Dying For A Living (2011), and Tug Of War (2013). This remixed, remastered, and reinvented album represents an unforgettable and long overdue part of the band's career.

"We are stoked kick off 2015 announcing our signing and new found home with Pavement Entertainment, affording us the extraordinary opportunity to continue bringing our music to all of our amazing fans who have stood by us through every endeavor.  Huge thanks to Mark, Tim, and the Pavement team for bringing us into the family!" says Brett Ditgen.

Chemical High & A High Hand Grenade tracklisting:

“Bullets And Armor”
“Chemical High And A Hand Grenade”
“Heavy”
“Meds For The Hypocrite”
“The Empty”
“Penny Drama”
“The Soldier”
“Thinking Retro Kills”
“Becoming Of Saints”
“Apology”
“Home”
“Bloodlust (Dead In Santa Clara)”

The Anthropocene Extinction is the forthcoming new full-length from San Diego deathgrind icons, Cattle Decapitation. Set for world wide release August 7 via Metal Blade Records, the follow-up to 2012's Monolith Of Inhumanity was again captured by producer Dave Otero (Allegaeon, Cephalic Carnage) at Flatline Audio in Denver, Colorado, and includes guest appearances from the legendary Philip H. Anselmo, Tristan Shone/Author & Punisher and Bethlehem's Mr. Jurgen Bartsch.  

 Thematically, with The Anthropocene Extinction we are transported forward to man's last gasps, reminiscent of what is currently going on with the Laysan Albatrosses on the island of Midway Atoll. The birds and aquatic wildlife of the Pacific Ocean are mistaking the vast amounts of man-made plastic items for food, ingesting it and are dying in large numbers, rotting where they fall and exposing to the world what is happening to the ecosystems of the earth's oceans - the most unknown and unexplored part of our planet. The breakdown of the earth's ecosystems has begun long ago due to human interaction as well as the domino effect that will surely seal the fate for our species: The Anthropocene Extinction.

As a precursor to its release the band is offering up seventh track and second single “Mammals In Babylon”.

Offers guitarist Josh Elmore, "'Mammals In Babylon' was one of the earliest songs written for the new album. At that time we had completed several other tunes that fell more on the epic side of our writing style. As a foil to that strategy, 'Mammals' came about based upon a desire to concoct a no-BS, straight-forward ripper. Blending a brutal death metal assault with groovier passages that leads into a bleak, yet triumphant chorus, 'Mammals' has a pounding quality that gives way to a buzz-sawing completion. All the while [vocalist] Travis' [Ryan] lyrics frame humanity's infancy in paradise and our evolution to 'maturity' which now finds us dwelling in a wasteland of our own creation. We invite you to take a listen to the next track from The Anthropocene Extinction."  

The Anthropocene Extinction tracklisting:

“Manufactured Extinct”
“The Prophets Of Loss”
“Plagueborne”
“Clandestine Ways (Krokodil Rot)”
“Circo Inhumanitas”
“The Burden Of Seven Billion”
“Mammals In Babylon”
“Mutual Assured Destruction”
“Not Suitable For Life”
“Apex Blasphemy”
“Ave Exitium”
“Pacific Grim”

"Mammals In Babylon":

“Manufactured Extinct”:

In related news, on Friday, July 11th, fans can join Cattle Decapitation at the Brick By Brick in San Diego, California where the band will be playing a special, advanced CD release show in honour of The Anthropocene Extinction. Joining Cattle Decapitation for this special occasion will be Author & Punisher, Noctuary, and Mortuus Terror.

Those in attendance will have a chance to win some killer prizes courtesy of Metal Blade Records and the band making this a show not to be missed. So if you are a local or just in town for the infamous San Diego Comic-Con, make your way down to the Brick By Brick - just short ride away from the SD Convention Center - and prepare to meet your doom! Tickets are available for purchase here.

The Anthropocene Extinction will be released August 7 via Metal Blade Records. For pre-order bundles visit this location.

Cattle Decapitation:

Travis Ryan - vocals
Josh Elmore - guitar
Derek Engemann - bass
Dave McGraw - drums

Multi-national, award winning progressive metal outfit Skyharbor have checked in with yet another line-up change, having recently parted ways with drummer Anup Sastry:

"Hello everyone,

After months of deliberation, Dan (Tompkins) has decided to step down as our frontman and singer. This has been the hardest decision we have ever had to make in our history as a group, and it comes after months of discussion about the future of Skyharbor. We owe you an explanation, and we hope this following makes it clear as to why we reached this decision.

In a nutshell, things have developed with this group far quicker than any of us expected, and we have been getting some amazing opportunities to take our music around the world. We have been lucky enough to be able to play sporadically in India, Europe and the UK, but we have always wanted to take our music further afield to territories such as North America and Australia, and for longer periods than Dan could commit to. As many of you will know, Dan is a husband and a father, and touring for long periods of time with little financial security made it very difficult for the band to be active, and Dan felt strongly that he was holding us back from good opportunities.

Keeping this in mind and the fact that Dan rejoined TesseracT last year, we realised we had to make a choice - we could continue with Dan but as a studio project only, or we could move forward with a dedicated and focused lineup to help Skyharbor grow freely and achieve what we all hope to achieve with it. All 5 of us have collectively and amicably decided that the latter option was the best for the band.

We love Dan as a brother, and are incredibly proud of the two albums we've created with him and the times we have shared on the road. Words cannot describe how grateful we are for all he’s done for this band, and the passion and dedication he put into each show. He will be sorely missed, but will always remain close to us.

Which brings us to the good news:

We are very happy to welcome Eric Emery to Skyharbor as our new full time singer. Eric is a fantastic talent and we are all very excited to write and play music with him. When we reached out to Eric in the hopes of finding someone to fill Dan's shoes, we were all delighted by the quality of his audition and his enthusiasm to fill the spot. As a Grammy nominated engineer, Eric brings to the band not just his voice but his music production experience and knowledge, and we look forward to performing live with him, starting with our first US and Canada tour later this year, details of which we will announce shortly.
As tricky as the last few months have been, we truly believe that everything has worked out for the best. We couldn't be more confident in our new lineup and our future.

We'd like to thank you all for the constant messages of support and requests to see us perform all over the world. You inspire us to continue taking this band forward. We hope for your continued support and understanding through this transitional period and hope that you enjoy the exciting new phase of music that we will be sharing with you very soon. See you on the road!

Following is Tompkins' statement regarding his departure:

“I’m incredibly sad to be parting ways with my amazing friends Keshav, Devesh, Krishna and Aditya. We have collectively come to the decision that it is in the best interest of the group that I step down as the frontman of Skyharbor. From the very start I have put my heart and soul into the project but circumstances have made it clear that I am holding the band back from opportunities too good to miss. We all agree this is the best thing for everyone. We will always be close friends and I wish them only the best for the future.”

And finally, a video message from new Skyharbor frontman Eric Emery:

Skyharbor released their sophomore album, Guiding Lights, on November 10th, 2014 via Basick Records.

Guiding Lights offers 10 tracks of exhilarating and heady progressive music, weaving a sonic tapestry of technically beautiful and imaginative melodies around crunchy metal riffs and sweeping, atmospheric vocals. The album was funded by fans after a fast paced and successful PledgeMusic campaign and has been mixed and mastered by legendary Australian producer Forrester Savell (Karnivool, Animals As Leaders, Dead Letter Circus).  

Comments guitarist and songwriter Keshav Dhar: "We are thrilled to announce that our second record is officially complete, and it is titled Guiding Lights. We have worked incredibly hard over the last two years on making this album the most spectacular effort we could create, and we thank our AMAZING fans for helping bring it to life and take it to the next level! We can't wait for you to sink your teeth into it!"

The album release rounds out a fantastic year for Skyharbor, which has seen appearances at Download Festival, Graspop and a European tour, as well as a nomination for Global Metal Band at the Metal Hammer Golden Gods. On top of this the band released their first single/video for "Evolution" in June 2014 which can be viewed below.

Guiding Lights follows on from the 2011 debut, Blinding White Noise: Illusion & Chaos, which won the band fans worldwide, including Lamb Of God who handpicked the band to support them in India and saw the band picked to play at festivals across the globe whilst also resulting in awards for Best Song, Best Album and Best Band at the Rolling Stone India Metal Awards.

Tracklisting:
"Allure"
"Evolution"
"Idle Minds"
"Miracle"
"Halogen"
"New Devil"
"Patience"
"Guiding Lights"
"Kaikoma"
"The Constant"

"Evolution" lyric video:

Founded in 1999, veteran Brazilian heavy/power metal group Dark Witch finds itself in great ascendance. They have resumed activity after a few breaks – due to singer Bil Martins touring for the European Hellish War tour, and recorded the Hellish War album Keep It Hellish. 

Dark Witch recently released in digital form their long expected debut album The Circle Of Blood. The group has now announced they have signed with Arthorium Records, and the partnerships main aim is to press on CD, release and promoting the album. The physical format promises much care, presenting a 16-page booklet and 13 tracks, one being the cover of the song "Voz Da Consciência", from legendary Brazilian heavy metal group Harppia.

Circle Of Blood tracklisting:

“Circle Of Blood”
“Wild Heart”
“Master Of Fate”
“Cauldron”
“Firestorm”
“Stronghold”
“Blood Sentence”
“Liberty Is Death”
“Lighthouse Reaper”
“Death Rain”
“Siegfried”
“To Valhalla We Ride”
“Voz De Consciencia” (Harppia cover)

Ektomorf brings their mix of thrash, hardcore, and traditional Gypsy music to the EMGtv stage. This performance of "Outcast" showcases the band’s aggressive music and lyrical content. Lead singer, Zoltán Farkas, is using the EMG 81X and EMG 85X to keep a tight low end on his rhythm eight string guitar sounds. Tamás Schrottner rounds out the guitar tones with the EMG 808X. Keeping it all together is Szabi Murvai on bass using the EMG 35DC bass pickups.

Band members:
Zoltán Farkas - guitar/vocals
Szabi Murvai - bass
Róbert Jaksa - drums
Tamás Schrottner - guitars

A year after releasing the all-star project My Kind O' Lovin' producer and composer Milen Vrabevski returns to fulfill, as earlier claimed, his promise and ambition with Intelligent Music Project III - Touching The Divine. The new album features session legends Simon Phillips and Tim Pierce, and Nathan East courtesy of Yeg. Тhe production concept relies again on two project launchers - guest stars John Payne (ex-Asia) and Toto's Joseph Williams. 

Says Joseph, “It's wonderful to explore working with Milen. The project has a wonderful message, accompanied with some beautiful music and some great rock 'n' roll – the musicians in this project are top-notch.”

Musically Touching the Divine delivers a thrilling example of straightforward songwriting combined with rich and layered sound and gently executed dynamic spins. The first single “Mind Projection” is a melodic and energetic slice of AOR, scored with John Payne's powerful vocal arrangement and virtuoso instrumental charge that lets you in deeper to the magic ingredient of this sophisticated project. Bass great Nathan East and fabulous Simon Phillips stamp their own authority in this piece, as well on the record throughout.

Recording sessions took place at Simon Phillips' Phantom recordings (Williams, Pierce, Phillips and East) and at Intelligent Music Studios in Sofia (Payne, Pierce and vocals from Carl Sentance, recently appointed as Nazareth's lead singer). Says Simon, “Music is a universal language. It's really a blessing to have the opportunity to work with musicians from around the world.”

“Mind Projection” brings together once again the positive idea of the producer and composer Milen Vrabevski, that following the true excitement of our hearts and souls will give us the key to living a conscious live and to spiritual satisfaction, we often call happiness.

 

Says Nathan, “This project is very special to me, because of the nature of the message of the project. I was very inspired and happy with the idea, because the message has value and meaning and I am about that. The word 'inspirational' is what I use to describe this project.”

John Payne, who continues his 14 year legacy as Asia Featuring John Payne says, “Doing this project with Milen - it has been great, really - these songs have a lot of structure and melody. It's a very mature project, it's a very intelligent project for the mind.”

Says Milen Vrabevski, “I believe we managed to deliver an astonishing sound once again and it will delight the ears and sound systems of hardcore rockers all around the world. Bearing in mind the top-notch level of our guest stars, I allowed myself mainly to record the acoustic guitar of the first single ‘Mind Projection’. The video was shot in Bulgaria by Vasil Stefanov, a very prolific and talented video director. The explicit idea was to show the level of collaboration and collective effort of all featuring musicians, which I believe, would be one of the most intriguing aspects for the music fans.”

Says Tim Pierce, “My DNA is 'a rock player'. Musically, this project is fun, because it travels a lot of different places.”

“I really enjoyed working with Milen in his studio. There is a great sense of depth in his songs. We tried to get the best of my voice.” (Carl Sentance)

Intelligent Music Project III – Touching the Divine is coming out in late September.

“The coming album is to bring us to the subject of the essence of life. It directs to searching for this special place within our souls that brings the spiritual satisfaction we often call happiness. It is our source of love and creation, balance and harmony. This place is the Divine in us all…” (Milen Vrabevski, MD)

Intelligent Music Project III - Touching The Divine:
Author and producer - Milen Vrabevski, MD

Featuring:
Simon Phillips - drums and percussion
Nathan East (appears courtesy of Yamaha Entertainment Group) - bass 
John Payne - lead and backing vocals 
Joseph Williams - lead and backing vocals 
Carl Sentance - backing vocals & ad-lib, lead vocal part on 7
Tim Pierce - guitars

San Diego heavy metal stalwarts Cage has put out a new free song based on the Daybreak games horror survival game H1Z1. This is a one off track that will not be included on their upcoming album Ancient Evil. Download the track at Soundcloud.

 

In February Cage announced the addition of new bassist Alex “The Captain” Pickard to the permanent lineup. “When we learned that Dwight Magic could not commit to the heavy upcoming touring schedule we had built up, we went on a local search for the right guy," says vocalist Sean "The Hell Destroyer" Peck. "No disrespect to any of the past bass players we have had over the last 23 years, but Alex is quickly becoming my favorite. He really has it all with the chops, song-writing ability, and just wild rocking stage antics! It is great he was able to join us for all the great stuff we have coming up.” Alex also plays with Cage guitarist Casey Trask in the band Monarch, also based in San Diego, California.

Cage would like to thank departing bass player Dwight Magic for all of his great work. He continues to play in his band Detonated.

Cage is preparing for their 7th studio release Ancient Evil, a horror concept album based on the novel written by Sean Peck, on their new record label. A formal announcement and release date will be forthcoming soon.

 

 

 

 

Legendary progressive-rockers Spock's Beard recently announced that their brand new 12th studio album The Oblivion Particle is set for release on August 21and now they have revealed the first track to be taken from the record with “Tides Of Time”.

Dave Meros previously said of the track: "I think the opening track 'Tides Of Time' is classic Spock's in terms of arrangement and style, but everything else is fairly different. That said, the whole album is still within the parameters of what people expect to hear from us."

Spock's Beard's forthcoming new studio album The Oblivion Particle is the follow-up to 2013's Brief Nocturnes And Dreamless Sleep. The album finds the band answering the needs of their creations by utilizing the considerable versatility of each member. In addition to Ted Leonard's soaring vocals and Dave Meros' distinctive bass, Alan Morse adds autoharp, banjolele, electric sitar and mandolin to his array of instruments, drummer Jimmy Keegan takes over lead vocals on "Bennett Built A Time Machine" and Ryo expands his arsenal of keyboard sounds throughout the album. In addition, virtuoso Kansas violinist David Ragsdale lends his touch to the album's majestic closer, "Disappear”.

As with the previous album Brief Nocturnes And Dreamless Sleep, The Oblivion Particle was recorded at The Mouse House and produced by Rich Mouser, Alan Morse and John Boegehold, a band collaborator of many years.

The band also recently announced European tour dates in support of the album. The band will be joined by young UK act Synaesthesia and Hungarian band Special Providence.

The full list of dates are as follows:

September
16 - Spirit of 66 - Verviers, Belgium
17 - De Boerderij - Zoetermeer, Netherlands
18 - Framus & Warwick Music Hall - Markneukirchen, Germany
19 - Progresja - Warschau, Poland
20 - Metro Club - Brno, Czech Republic
21 - Ship A38 - Budapest, Hungary
23 - Legend - Milan, Italy
24 - Kantine - Augsburg, Germany
25 - Sudhaus - Tübingen, Germany
26 - Alte Seilerei - Mannheim, Germany
27 - Essigfabrik - Köln, Germany
29 - Rescue Rooms - Nottingham, UK
30 - Assembly - Leamington Spa, UK

October
1 - The Classic Grand - Glasgow, UK
2 - O2 Academy Islington - London, UK
3 - Club Academy - Manchester, UK

New Jersey's own Windfaerer forges a soundscape that entwines folkloric elegance with black metal ferocity. A portmanteau meaning, "one who travels with the wind," like a vessel lost at sea, the name Windfaerer sets a melancholic atmosphere of longing for a return to a homeland, yet with hopeful eyes set toward the unknown. It is the animus of guitarist and frontman, M. Gonçalves as an epic black metal paean to his ancestral homeland of the Iberian Peninsula (Spain and Portugal).

On their most recent effort, Tenebrosum, Windfaerer casts off the edge of black metal and takes the listener on a spiritual journey of discovery, embarking into the unknown, treacherous seas. The album is named after the archaic term for the Atlantic Ocean ("Mare Tenebrosum"), meaning "sea of darkness."

Tenebrosum finds Windfaerer building upon their previous release, Solar. Powerful violins are immersed in a battering ram of dynamic metal riffing, painting a scene with every passage. The sounds on Tenebrosum can be used as a soundtrack to venerate Gaia or as a rousing heavy metal battle cry. Tenebrosum was recorded at Frightbox Recording throughout 2014 and mixed and mastered by Rob Torres.

A new track, “Celestial Supremacy” is now streaming.

Tenebrosum tracklisting:

“Celestial Supremacy”
“Finisterra”
“Tales Told In Oblivion”
“Santeria”
“The Everlasting”
“Morir En El Olvido”
“The Outer Darkness”

Windfaerer will bring these sonic rituals to the stage on a short bout of east coast performances beginning tomorrow at Saint Vitus Bar in Brooklyn, New York. Later in the month the band will raze Trenton, New Jersey and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania followed by a performance at the Pocono Folk Metal Fest in Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania in August with additional live actions to be announced in the coming weeks.

Live dates:

July
1 – Brooklyn, NY – Saint Vitus Bar
17 – Trenton, NJ – Championship Bar
24 – Philadelphia, PA – Kung Fu Necktie

August
1 – Stroudsburg, PA – Pocono Folk Metal Fest

Tenebrosum will be released independently on September 22.

Seattle, WA thrashers, Fallen Angels, return in 2015 with their third studio release, World In Decay, produced by Grammy award winning metal producer/engineer Michael Rosen (Forbidden, Testament, Death Angel, Flotsam And Jetsam). The album is set to be released on August 4th via their indie label Cyberdyne Records. The band also plans to tour extensively this summer, bringing their explosive live show full of thrash and shred, which they are known for as a local favourite in the Pacific Northwest.

Fallen Angels want you to remember not to forget the nuclear chaos brought upon Japan's Hiroshima and Nagasaki during WWII in their new lyric video, “Nightmare” (streaming below), which demonstrates with historical visuals the aftermath caused by the Atomic bombs being dropped on those cities. To learn more about Hiroshima and Nagasaki, please visit this location.

“We want to thank everyone who has supported us, and we hope you're as excited as we are about the release of our upcoming album World In Decay. We know you've been waiting a long time for this third release and we can't wait for you to hear it. We hope this album will quench your thirst for new Fallen Angels music. See you on the road thrash fans!”, comments drummer Steve Spitzbart.

World In Decay tracklisting:

“The Hammer's Blow”
“Nightmare”
“Forsaken Existence”
“Leading The Blind”
“Fire At Eden's Gate”
“Into The Abyss”
“The Hour Of The Time”
“Mortis Ex Machina”

“Nightmare” lyric video: