A rough audio snippet of returning METAL CHURCH singer Mike Howe working on lyrics for the new song "Suffer Fools" — to be included on the band's forthcoming album — can be streamed using the SoundCloud widget below. The track features the lineup of Howe, Kurdt Vanderhoof (guitar), Jeff Plate (drums), Steve Unger (bass) and Rick Van Zandt (lead guitar). It was mixed by Chris "The Wizard" Collier.

METAL CHURCH's new CD will be released in the fall via Rat Pak Records.

Howe, who fronted METAL CHURCH from 1988 until 1994, officially rejoined the band in April.

In the summer of 2014, METAL CHURCH suddenly found themselves in need of a new singer. As fate would have it, guitarist Kurdt Vanderhoof was already in talks with Mike for another project that he was working on with SAXON drummer Nigel Glockler, so he decided to ask Mike to rejoin METAL CHURCH. Mike agreed, but true to form, didn't want to make it official until he knew for sure that the integrity of the new material was there.

Said Mike: "I didn't want to come back to METAL CHURCH just for nostalgia. It had to be for the right reasons. It had to be the best stuff we've ever written together or it just wouldn't be worth it to anyone, especially the fans."

Soon after, Kurdt and Mike began exchanging ideas and writing new material with the band. The end result sounds like "classic Mike Howe-era METAL CHURCH," according to Vanderhoof. "It's both heavy and melodic. Mike sounds the same as he did 20 years ago.

He addws: "This is going to be truly epic!!"

Drummer Jeff Plate commentws: "Mike Howe is the ONLY singer for METAL CHURCH. He has a reputation of complete honor and respect. We can now take METAL CHURCH to the next level!"

Howe originally joined METAL CHURCH in the late '80s and released three albums with the band: "Blessing In Disguise" (1989), "The Human Factor" (1991) and "Hanging In The Balance" (1994). Mike was also the face of popular music videos "Date With Poverty" and "Badlands" that aired during MTV's heyday.

METAL CHURCH 2015 is:

Mike Howe (vocals)Kurdt Vanderhoof (guitar)Jeff Plate (drums)Steve Unger (bass)Rick VanZandt (guitar)

German rockers Mad Max will release their new album, Thunder, Storm And Passion, via Steamhammer / SPV on August 28th in Europe, and on September 4th in North America.

The album comes as a high class digipak and contains 12 re-recorded classics on CD 1 and a bonus CD, Live at Bang Your Head Festival 2014. The complete tracklisting can be found below.

It all began in 1982 when the New Wave of Britsish Heavy Metal stormed in from Great Britain all over Europe. This was the starting point for the passionate and young German band from Muenster. Heavy Metal music was the rule, and sending the first demos ever to the recently founded company Roadrunner Records made them get one of their first signings. Mad Max were in good company: Bands like Metallica, King Diamond or Lee Aaron were signed to the label as well. The deal ran over three albums, and suddenly the band started touring intensively with bands as Pretty Maids, Yngwie Malmsteen, Uriah Heep or Stryper and playing the legendary Dynamo Open Air Festival in Eindhoven. Then, in the beginning of the new century, Mad Max signed to SPV and played huge international festivals like Rocklahoma, Wacken, Bang Your Head or Rock Of Ages, followed by two European Tours as support for Axel Rudi Pell.

Tracklisting:

CD 1 (Re-Recorded Classics)
“Fly Fly Away”
“Losing You”
“Rollin`Thunder”
“Thoughts Of A Dying Man”
“Never Say Never”
“Lonely Is The Hunter”
“Stormchild”
“Heroes Die Lonely”
“Burning The Stage”
“Wait For The Night”
“Night Of Passion”
“Hearts On Fire”

CD 2 (Bonus CD Live at Bang Your Head Festival 2014)
“Burning The Stage”
“Night Of Passion”
“Rolling Thunder”
“Wait For The Night”
“Lonely Is The Hunter”
“Never Say Never”
“Thoughts Of A Dying Man”
“Fox On The Run”

 

Southern California’s Atreyu have confirmed that their new album, entitled Long Live, will be released in September via the joint venture partnership between Raw Power Management's Search & Destroy label and Spinefarm Records.

 

 

The band have posted the following teaser video:

Atreyu exited a period of self-imposed dormancy in 2014 to the delight of fans. They played several shows. They released a brand new song, "So Others May Live," which became an instant social media trending topic. The song touched on an important topical issue—what veterans who serve our country feel and experience upon returning home from duty. The song's heartfelt subject was matched by its musical heft.

 

 

Atreyu recently premiered the video for the song. In addition to this adrenalized live video, which proves that they have not lost a step since returning to action and that they are as vital and vibrant as they ever were, the took part in the 2015 Record Store Day on Saturday, April 18th. They released a 7" featuring both "So Others May Live" and the brand new track "When The Day Is Done." These are the first new Atreyu songs to surface in years.

 

 

This live footage, which captures the band in its most natural state, was filmed at The Observatory in Ateryu's native California in December of 2014. As for the video? The clip truly captures the electrifying essence and vibe that is always present at an Atreyu concert, due to the exchange of energy between the band and its dedicated fans. It also puts the viewer front and center, as though you were pressed up against the barrier after taking a whirl in the pit.

 

SOULFLY's tenth studio album, "Archangel", will be released on August 14 via Nuclear Blast Entertainment. The CD was produced by Matt Hyde, who has previously worked with SLAYER and CHILDREN OF BODOM. The cover artwork was created by artist Eliran Kantor (TESTAMENT, ICED EARTH, SODOM) and can be seen below.

The lyric video for the song "We Sold Our Souls To Metal", taken from "Archangel", can be seen below.

States SOULFLY mainman Max Cavalera: "This lyric video is a celebration of all forms of metal. This song was written as an anthem for metalhaeds all over the world! We gathered footage and photos from our tribe, showing how free the spirit of metal really is. Respect!"

Max previously told Metal Wani about the mindset that is required to write a track like "We Sold Our Souls To Metal": "It just happens. You can't explain it. It's one of those things… [When] you play it, it has an instant reaction on the listener."

He continued: "I was very curious about that, so I was playing around with the song, playing it for people, to see what kind of reaction it gets. And almost everybody, the reaction was, like, 'This is so crazy. I can't wait 'till you guys play this live.' It's got this kind of New York hardcore chant that we do in the chorus — like, gang vocals. It's really, really fun, and everybody gets to sing together. That's why I was thinking that it's gonna become an anthem — the chorus, all the fans are gonna sing it together, and it's saying something. 'Cause, 'we sold our souls to metal,' I think every metalhead feels like that — that we did kind of a pact and we sold our souls for this music that we love so much. So it's something that I think [they'll] sing that with some kind of pride. I think it's gonna happen when that song comes out, at least. And then it ends [in a] very PINK FLOYD [-like way], which is really strange; I don't know why we did that. I still don't know if it was the right thing, but it came out like that. Marc [Rizzo] just did some really crazy guitars at the end of it that is just, like… It goes from total metal into crazy PINK FLOYD, but it works. I mean, it's really wild. And we like wild stuff. I always was drawn to weird, weird stuff, and that's definitely weird, in a good way."

Pre-order "Archangel" in a bundle or by itself in multiple formats and from this location.

"Archangel" track listing:

01. We Sold Our Souls To Metal02. Archangel03. Sodomites (feat. Todd Jones of NAILS)04. Ishtar Rising05. Live Life Hard! (feat. Matt Young of KING PARROT)06. Shamash07. Bethlehem's Blood08. Titans09. Deceiver10. Mother Of Dragons (feat. Richie Cavalera of INCITE, Igor Cavalera of LODY KONG, Anahid M.O.P.)

Bonus tracks for CD/DVD special edition:

11. You Suffer (NAPALM DEATH cover)12. Acosador Nocturno13. Soulfly X Bonus DVD: "Live At Hellfest 2014" (special edition only)

01. Cannibal Holocaust02. Refuse/Resist03. Bloodshed04. Back To The Primitive05. Seek 'N' Strike06. Tribe07. Rise Of The Fallen08. Revengeance09. Roots Bloody Roots10. Jumpdafuckup/Eye For An Eye

In regards to the band and the album cover, artist Eliran Kantor states: "I've been a fan of Max's music ever since discovering 'Beneath The Remains' in high school. When my wife and I got married, 'Territory' was even played at the dance party part of our wedding.

"Max asked me to do a traditional piece depicting Archangel Michael — and I tried to go beyond the straight-up neo-classical style as that has been perfected centuries ago, so I mixed in SOULFLY's own visual world: hence the wings and spear being shaped like the SOULFLY tribal icon, the cliff with the ocean view just like on the first record, and the Brazilian flag being the core of it's color scheme." Speaking about "Archangel", Max told RockRevoltMagazine.com: "It's a very biblical, very mystic, very exotic kind of a album. This is a totally different vibe [from 2013's 'Savages']. There's songs like 'Sodomites', about the destruction of Sodom; there's songs like 'Shamash', about the Akkadian god of the sun; 'Ishtar' (since retitled 'Ishtar Rising'), which is the Babylonian queen; 'Titanomachy' (since retitled 'Titans'), which is about the war of the titans. So there's really more mystic, exotic sounds and songs and lyrics. So it's really cool. It's really artistic, the new SOULFLY, which I like about it."

Max told Groovey.TV about the new CD's musical direction: "It's very influenced by the stuff I listen to right now — 1349 and BELPHEGOR, BEHEMOTH… I've been listening to a lot of death metal. Don't ask me why. I don't know why. I just fucking love the extremity of it. So, yeah, it's gonna be a really cool record. It's our tenth record. And I'm very excited for this album. And then I will tour for 'Archangel' probably for the next year and a half, two years, non-stop."

In a separate interview with Metal Wani, Max called "Archangel" "an interesting record." He explained: "It's one of those [records] that come out once in a lifetime, an album like that comes out — really crazy sounds and very different dimensions. It's more experimental than the other stuff. It's still heavy as hell, and it's still fast. And Zyon's [Cavalera, Max's son] playing drums on it. He's actually playing really good. He reminds me of a young Dave Lombardo [SLAYER]. The fills that he's doing [are] really amazing; he surprised everybody in the studio. Matt Hyde is producing; he worked with SLAYER before. So it's really cool; a really good team."

SOULFLY will embark on a North American headlining tour at the end of September. Joining them on this epic campaign are Swedish melodic death metal visionaries SOILWORK, Polish technical death metallers DECAPITATED, and hot newcomers SHATTERED SUN.

SLIPKNOT percussionist Shawn "Clown" Crahan says that he would love to see the band record a double concept album in the vein of PINK FLOYD's "The Wall" and THE BEATLES' "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band", with a movie to go along with the project.

SLIPKNOT's latest album, ".5: The Gray Chapter", was released in October 2014 following a six-year hiatus during which founding SLIPKNOT bassist Paul Gray died and original drummer Joey Jordison was dismissed. Since the CD's release, several of the SLIPKNOT band members, including guitarists Jim Root and Mick Thomson, have expressed hope that the group could record the follow-up effort sooner than expected, with Root claiming in recent interviews to have already begin compiling ideas for SLIPKNOT's next release.

In an interview conducted at this month's Download festival in the U.K., Crahan spoke to Daniel P. Carter of BBC Radio 1's "Rock Show" about SLIPKNOT's plans for the next CD. He said (hear audio below): "I've been on Jim [Root], and I'm just, like, 'Man, we've gotta write an art record. We've gotta write our 'Wall'… 'Sgt. Pepper's'… whatever you wanna say. And that's where I'm at. We've got so many records on our record deal. We've done five. I'd love it if we could do a double album, just… interludes… Have a concept, [and] maybe make a movie. I mean, things that have all been done, things that have all been done before, but… you know, our way, our interpretation. That would be a grand slam for the Clown. Don't get me wrong: we'd still do our thing. We're still gonna be SLIPKNOT."

Asked if there is a timeline for SLIPKNOT's next album, Crahan responded: "You know, I'll be honest: we're not… We're talking, but no one's throwing out any [timelines]. Because we've got quite a bunch [of touring] left, on the table, playing. And other things can really mess with the head. You've gotta stay in touch with the body, 'cause there's a lot of this left. But it's gonna happen sooner than later. It's just very exciting to see everybody excited."

As previously reported, SLIPKNOT singer Corey Taylor said in a new interview with RockSverige.se that the band will take a "couple of years off" after completing the tour cycle for ".5: The Gray Chapter". Taylor explained, "We're gonna finish touring and then we're gonna take a couple of years off again to let everything chill. I'm gonna go do my thing, [and] everybody else's gonna go do their thing... then, in a couple of years, we'll get back together and see what happens again."

Taylor's "thing" is STONE SOUR, which has two more covers EPs in the works following this spring's "Meanwhile In Burbank… Taylor told The Pulse Of Radio that his attention next year will turn toward an all-new STONE SOUR set. "2016, I'll probably wrap up touring with SLIPKNOT, you know, around — like somewhere around this summer or whatever, and I'll take five minutes off and we'll start working on a new STONE SOUR album," he said.

Following the "Meanwhile In Burbank…" EP, STONE SOUR plans to release two more EPs of cover songs in the near future, with the first one titled "Straight Out Of Burbank" and the second called "No Sleep 'Till Burbank".

STONE SOUR's last collection of original music, "House Of Gold And Bones", was a double concept album released in two parts in 2012 and 2013.

SLIPKNOT's "Summer's Last Stand" tour kicks off on July 2 in West Palm Beach, Florida, wrapping up six weeks later on September 5 in Dallas.

In a brand new interview with OC Weekly, SLAYER's Kerry King was asked if there has been discussion about solidifying guitarist Gary Holt's presence in the band full-time at some point in the not-too-distant future.

"That's something I definitely want to address sooner than later," Kerry said. "We just got recording [the new SLAYER album 'Repentless'] out of the way and we still had to get [drummer] Paul [Bostaph] situated. Not as if this issue wasn't important to us, we just had other things on our mind. I know we got Paul's deal in — and I don't even know if that's even gotten finalized yet, but I know we got the paperwork through and it's in the process. To us, we had to do that first, because Paul was in the band for ten years prior to this. The next thing to do is make a legit offer to Gary if he's going to stay on board. And that's okay if he's not interested in staying. I certainly wouldn't ask him to quit EXODUS; that's not part of it at all."

Holt, who is still a member of San Francisco Bay Area thrash icons EXODUS, has been the touring guitarist for SLAYER since January 2011 when the band's co-founding guitarist, Jeff Hanneman, contracted necrotizing fasciitis, also known as flesh-eating disease, from a spider bite in his backyard. The infection ravaged the flesh and tissues of Hanneman's arm, leading to numerous surgeries, skin grafts and intense periods of rehab that forced him into semi-retirement and left him near death at several points.

Holt did not contribute to the songwriting process on "Repentless", although he did lay down guitar solos on most of the album's twelve tracks.

"I would have loved for Gary to have been more involved with writing," King explained to LA Weekly. "I thought a long time about this, but I didn't think SLAYER fans were ready for that yet. Even though Gary's a household name in thrash, I didn't feel that the first SLAYER record without Jeff should have Gary Holt contributing as a writer."

Hanneman eventually died in May 2013 from alcohol-related cirrhosis of the liver. He is credited for writing many of SLAYER's classic songs, including "Angel Of Death" and "South Of Heaven".

Hanneman's last appearance with SLAYER was in April 2011, when he played an encore with the band at the "Big Four" concert in Indio, California.

In a recent interview with Fuse.tv, Holt was asked how his status as the touring guitarist in SLAYER is different from his normal duties in EXODUS.

"In EXODUS, I do most of the heavy lifting," he said. "Whereas SLAYER, that would be carried by [bassist/vocalist] Tom [Araya]. [With SLAYER] I just show up, have a couple of drinks, go out and shred, play the set and then relax. We have a good time. My job description is very simple: Just go out and rage. It's easy for me."

Asked if he would consider writing with SLAYER, Holt said: "Kerry wrote the whole [upcoming] album. I just go out and play guitar. It's refreshing to not have to go out and do all the other stuff. I don't have to do the press and all that. I just show up, go straight into my dressing room and get ready to play the show and get off stage and relax. In the future, I've been around four years, down the road if we get to another album and Kerry asks me to contribute, I've got no shortage of riffs."

Regarding how he balances being in both bands, Holt said: "It's hard. There are times when EXODUS has to get someone to fill in for me because I'm locked up with SLAYER. We send out what I like to refer to as my 'stunt double,' whoever that may be! It's hard because I can't do it 12 months straight. I have a wife and children at home. I have to try to balance the three... family and two bands. It can be problematic but there are worse problems to have."

"Repentless" will be released on September 11 via Nuclear Blast.

Photo by Andrew Stuart

DISTURBED guitarist Dan Donegan has commented on this past Friday's (June 26) historic 5-4 ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court that made same-sex marriage legal in all 50 states. Speaking to Planet Radio 105.1, Donegan said: "I think it's great. Who are we to judge what makes other people happy? It doesn't bother me at all. I think it's amazing. I think it's the way it should be. I mean, I don't look for somebody's approval on what I need to make me happy in my life. So I see no problem with it at all. And if people have a problem with it, then they can look the other way. It doesn't affect me at all. I think it's all about being happy. So I'm not here to judge anybody."

The landmark ruling is the most significant change in laws governing matrimony since the court struck down state bans on interracial marriage nearly 50 years ago.

The majority opinion was penned by Justice Anthony Kennedy, who wrote, "No union is more profound than marriage, for it embodies the highest ideals of love, fidelity, devotion, sacrifice and family. In forming a marital union, two people become something greater than once they were. As some of the petitioners in these cases demonstrate, marriage embodies a love that may endure even past death."

DISTURBED's first new album since 2011, "Immortalized", is due out August 21. The CD 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.

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.

According to The Pulse Of Radio, FOO FIGHTERS frontman and former NIRVANA drummer Dave Grohl told the Washington Post in a new interview that he was "terrified" of watching the new documentary on late NIRVANA founder Kurt Cobain, "Montage Of Heck", when he and his wife stumbled upon it on HBO recently. Grohl explained, "All the footage of him as a child, I think that might make me sad, and then the dark stuff at the end I think would bum me out."

Grohl added that he watched for 10 minutes, then rolled over and went to sleep — since he had to be up at six the next morning to take the kids to school.

Although Grohl was interviewed for the film, his footage was not used. Director Brett Morgen told The Pulse Of Radio how he's explained Grohl's absence to fans. "What I've done and started doing is turning on people and going, 'Well, what is it you want him to say? Is there something you feel we're missing about Kurt?'" he said. "And there never is an answer. No, we feel like we've just got to know Kurt better than we ever have, so why in the world do you want Dave? 'Because he's famous.' And that's exactly why he shouldn't be in the movie."

"Montage Of Heck" marks the first time any authorized film about the life of Cobain has been made. Morgen, who serves as writer/director/producer on the doc, had full access to Cobain's personal archives and has dug through countless amounts of home movies, recordings, pages of writing and much more, all of which has never been seen by the public.

"Montage Of Heck" premiered on HBO on May 4.

In a brand new interview with VerdamMnis E-Magazine, GUNS N' ROSES guitarist Richard Fortus and keyboardist Dizzy Reed were asked if they will be involved in the songwriting process for the band's long-awaited follow-up to 2008's "Chinese Democracy".

"[We are] definitely going to be involved," Richard responded. "There's so much stuff that was done [already]. I mean, there's two or three albums' worth of material [that has been recorded — seriously!"

He continued: "We've all been handing files back and forth to one another. We look forward to getting at it seriously and releasing a new album as soon as possible."

Added Reed: "It's good stuff. That will come out awesome. When will it come out? We just don't know yet. Only Axl [Rose, GUNS N' ROSES singer] knows, and he's very secretive. Be patient."

Fortus and Reed are also playing together in THE DEAD DAISIES, a powerful musical collective created by a rotating lineup that also features John Corabi (MÖTLEY CRÜE, RATT) on vocals and Marco Mendoza (THIN LIZZY, WHITESNAKE) on bass.

Fortus said in a recent interview with Austrian fanzine Stormbringer that GUNS N' ROSES is going to release new music and tour behind it in 2016. Fortus revealed, "We're gonna be doing stuff next year… We're not gonna have anything out this year. Next year, it should be out. And we'll be touring."

The last GUNS N' ROSES album, "Chinese Democracy", came out in 2008 and ended a 17-year absence of new material.

Rose, guitarist D.J. Ashba and other members of the current lineup have hinted that more material recorded during the "Chinese Democracy" sessions has yet to surface.

Reed mentioned the existence of unreleased music a while back. "We recorded a lot of material back, you know, when we started working on 'Chinese Democracy', so there's a quite a bit of unreleased stuff, I think, that would be really cool to be finished and put out," he told The Pulse Of Radio. "Eventually something's got to give, you know, and it's gonna come out."

"Chinese Democracy", which featured an all-new lineup of the band built around Rose — the sole original member — sold less than 750,000 copies upon release despite the long hiatus between albums and its near-mythical status.

Every original member of the band left during the 13-year recording sessions, along with several replacements and at least three producers.

The present lineup of the band has toured intermittently since 2006 and played its second Las Vegas residency last year.

Juan Destroyer of MariskalRock.com conducted an interview with KISS guitarist Tommy Thayer on June 22 in Madrid, Spain. You can now watch the chat below.

Asked if there is a chance that KISS will make another studio album in the not-too-distant future, Thayer responded: "I hope so. But I can tell you that nothing's planned. But it doesn't necessarily mean that we won't do one either. I know that you've heard different things from different people. And, hey, people can change their minds and come up with… they have a different outlook next week or another month. So things can change. And if it is decided to do another record, suddenly we can be in the studio within a month doing a record. But [there are] no plans right now. But I wouldn't say it's completely out of the question."

KISS frontman Paul Stanley recently told Classic Rock magazine that it's not "utterly necessary" for the band to release a new album to follow 2009's "Sonic Boom" and 2012's "Monster" and insisted that KISS "can move forward without new music." He said: "There has to be a purpose to us doing an album.

"There was a time when we did albums because the contracts said so. But I only want to work now when it's justified."

He continued: "'Sonic Boom' was an album that very much needed to be done, and 'Monster' just felt like, 'Well, we did 'Sonic Boom' — let's see where we go from here.' Having accomplished that, I feel we can move forward without new music. There are enough things going on in KISS that right now it doesn't feel utterly necessary to make a new album."

Stanley did leave the door open to the possibility that he will change his mind. "Anything is possible," he said. "But at the moment I don't see it on the horizon. I'm not one to ever say 'never.'"

KISS's 20th album, "Monster", sold 56,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to land at position No. 3 on The Billboard 200 chart.

KISS' previous CD, "Sonic Boom", opened with 108,000 units back in October 2009 to enter the chart at No. 2. This marked the band's highest-charting LP ever.

KISS has notched nine Top 10 albums, according to Billboard.com. Its previous highest-charting set was 1998's "Psycho Circus", which debuted and peaked at No. 3 with 110,000 copies in its first week, according to Nielsen SoundScan. The group's other high-charting sets include 1975's "Alive!" (No. 9), 1977's "Love Gun" (No. 4) and 1992's "Revenge" (No. 6).

According to The Pulse Of Radio, Marilyn Manson says he's working on "Southern-sounding" acoustic blues material — and that it will feature KORN's Jonathan Davis. Speaking in a Reddit session with fans, Manson revealed that a "completely unexpected" project he hinted at earlier this month was an unplugged record, explaining, "That's some of the plans of the style of music that I'm working on right now. I don't know what it'll turn into. Some of it will be with Jonathan Davis, I think, because he has plans of doing something similar — something that might even cross over the boundaries of being more Southern-sounding."

Manson added, "I did record [1995 EP] 'Smells Like Children' in Mississippi, which is where the blues came from, so there might be something more acoustic and blues in my future. I like the rawness of it."

Davis recently posted a photo on Instagram showing him working in the studio with country duo BIG & RICH on what was dubbed a "country music project."

Manson and Davis last joined forces in 2002 on a song called "Redeemer" for the soundtrack of the movie "Queen Of The Damned".

The shock rocker also recently said he was working on music with actor Johnny Depp, and added that he wouldn't be surprised if he and SMASHING PUMPKINS frontman Billy Corgan collaborated in the studio as well after their upcoming summer tour together.

The MANSON/PUMPKINS "End Of Times" tour begins on July 7 in Concord, California.

California’s New Years Day offer a first look into their new full-length album, Malevolence, with the new track “Kill Or Be Killed”, which can be streamed via the new music video below. The new effort is set for an October release through Another Century.

Ash Costello (vocals) states: “ “Kill Or Be Killed” is a song we loved making because it's about taking control of your life when others want you to fail. It encompasses the idea that we are all messed up and sometimes we have to make decisions before they are made for us. It also has been so much fun to play on Warped Tour each day because it's jumpy and I love seeing the kids bounce with us."

 

Motor City thrashers, Battlecross, are currently out on the road with Crowbar and Lord Dying on The Summer Of Doom Tour in support of their forthcoming release, Rise To Power. The tour has been a career highlight for the band and the legendary sludge metallers Crowbar have really taken a liking to the band (see below).

On tour, fans can pre-order Rise To Power at the Battlecross merch booth in the form of a limited edition tour laminate, only available at the merch booth. Each laminate will include a code, redeemable online, for a copy of the album! Rise To Power is also available now in special pre-order bundles at metalblade.com/battlecross.

Today the band unleashes another scorching track from Rise To Power. "Spoiled" can be heard below.
 
Guitarist Tony Asta spoke about the track: "'Spoiled' kicks in with a heavy rockin old-school vibe and progresses into a brutal more technical feel. It's also a really fun song to jam. The subject matter and lyrics of "Spoiled" were inspired by the dependency on modern technology, more specifically the cyber world. An entire generation thrives from its use but does not know what it was like before the internet existed. It IS a great tool, although the magnitude of its impact on our everyday lives sometimes gives me the chills. This is the only song I had a hand in writing lyrics for and you can thank the "phone-gazing zombies" for it."

Rise To Power tracklisting:

“Scars”
“Not Your Slave”
“Absence”
“Spoiled”
“The Climb”
“Blood & Lies”
“Bound by Fear”
“Despised”
“Shackles”
“The Path”

“Spoiled”:

“Not Your Slave”:

Find the Battlecross tour itinerary at this location.

 

 

 

 

Dutch thrashers Project Pain have inked a deal with Dead Inside Records and the signing couldn’t have come at a better time as the band follows-up on the success of their 2012 release I Have Sinned with their brand new album, Thrashed To Kill.

Project Pain returns in 2015 faster, harder and heavier with an unapologetic punch in the face comprised of chugging riffs, breakneck solos and a no nonsense attitude. 10 awesome tracks of traditional thrash metal including a guest appearance by Josh Christian of Tokix on the track “Taken By Force”.

Formed in 2011 by guitarist Guido den Hoed and vocalist Bauke Goudbeek, Project Pain have produced two releases: Hated (Demo) (2011) and I Have Sinned (2012). With the new signing to Dead Inside Records the band is poised to unleash their brand of thrash metal to the masses.

Thrashed To Kill tracklisting:

“Betrayal”
“Necrophiliac”
“Piss On Your Grave”
“Zero Tolerance”
“Sent Off To Die”
“Fear The Reaper”
“Flatline Invasion”
“Thrashed To Kill”
“At Dawn We Ride”
“Taken By Force”

Thrashed To Kill was released on April 30th, 2015 worldwide and is available through all major digital distributors as well as through the official Dead Inside Records website. The featured single “Sent Off To Die” can be heard below via the band’s official lyric video:

“Sent Off To Die” lyric video:

Project Pain lineup:

Bauke Goudbeek - vocals
Guido den Hoed - guitar
Niels van Lier - guitar
Kristof Mycka - bass
Frank Ruisch - drums

Montreal black metal extremists Funeste have signed a record deal with Black Element Productions' brand new label imprint of the same name.

The release, the first for both band and label, is a four-song EP entitled Le Triomphe du Charnier. Drawing inspiration from their own personal experiences, Funeste's aim was to create music that is as heartfelt as devastating. Although living in the same city, the duo of Léo F. (guitar and programmation) and Yannis P. (guitar, bass, vocals, production), have yet to compose their music together in person, choosing instead to sculpt the songs independently with their own personal influences, experimenting with styles and textures, and ultimately forging their very own conventional, yet uncompromising, sound.

The EP, mastered by Colin Marston (Gorguts, Krallice, Behold The Arctopus), will be available on CD and digital formats later this summer.

A press release from Black Element Productions reads: "Awakening from the bleak, hyperborean winter of 2015, Montreal black metal duo Funeste converged in the purest expression of artistic copulation; a coition that would later give rise to a chaotic, anguished, mind-fucking trip through a dissonant purgatory. Emerging from the womb in May of the same year, the newly born 'Le Triomphe du Charnier' is a mystical exaltation that draws from inspiration and defined personal experiences, in an effort to create music that is as heartfelt as it is devastating. It's this dichotomy for which they strive... a war between that which is desirable, and that which is abhorrent - with abhorrence constantly one step ahead.

We are incredibly excited to be releasing Funeste's début effort, and we must say we were absolutely hooked from the moment we were first introduced to their music a few months back. Think back to those early days of Leviathan and Xasthur - back to the early to mid-2000s. Now think how awestruck and floored you were by the sheer uniqueness of their music. Well, Funeste has taken that several giant steps further, creating a musical soundscape that is as beautiful as it is sickening. Combining dissonant black metal harmonies with crushing funeral doom-like riffing - add to that the monstrous, blood-curdling roar of vocalist Yannis P. - and you are left with one of the most highly-anticipated and unique bands in a very long time."

Stay tuned for more information soon.

 

Swedish heavy/doom metal outfit, Noctum, has recorded two brand new songs for a 7" release. The 7" features the title track, "Until Then… Until The End" on Side A, and "In Precious Time" on Side B and is set for release on August 7th in a limited run of 500 copies (300 x black/200 x white).

Comments Noctum: “”Until Then… Until The End" is a brand new single and the first recording with our new guitar player, Christoffer Löfgren. This release will be a small, but important, step towards the next album which we're writing at this very moment."

Listen to a preview of the 7”:

Noctum will support Steelwing in August and September. Dates can be seen below:

August
28 - Limerick, Ireland Dolans (Noctum only)
29 - Dublin, Ireland - No Sleep 'Til Dublin (Noctum only)
31 - Newcastle, UK - Head of Steam

September
1 - Birmingham, UK - Rainbow Courtyard
2 - London, UK - Underworld
3 - Tilburg, Netherlands - Little Devil
4 - Utrecht, Netherlands - DB's
5 - Uelsen, Germany - UJK
6 - Kreuztal, Germany - Schloss Junkernhees
7 - Kassel, Germany - Goldgrube
8 - Hamburg, Germany - St. Pauli Rock Café
10 - Wien, Austria - Escape Metalcorner
11 - Leipzig, Germany - Hellraiser
12 - Berlin, Germany - Bei Ruth

For more information go to this location.

On the heels of Myrkur's universally praised debut EP, comes M, the Danish black metal phenom's first full-length album. Recorded in various locations of Oslo, Norway (including renowned artist Emanuel Vigeland's Museum) with co-producer Garm - the mastermind behind black metal legends Ulver - M finds Myrkur achieving the grandiose heights that everyone hoped she would climb to.

The melodies are lush and the brutality devastating. M is a highly developed metal masterpiece that blends second-wave black metal, Nordic folk music, classical instrumentation and haunting choirs. Rounded out on record by members of Mayhem, Dodheimsgard & Nidingr plus a guest appearance from Christopher Amott of Arch Enemy, Myrkur has quickly established herself as one of the best and most intriguing acts in metal today.

M will see its worldwide release August 21st via Relapse alongside her first ever live performance, headlining the black stage at Denmark's Roskilde Festival with Deafheaven and Tombs. Numerous other festival appearances around Europe are planned throughout the year. Physical and digtal pre-orders are now available and include a special deluxe LP package containing an exclusive bonus track of the "Skadi" demo.

Watch the new video for “Onde Børn” below:

Myrkur on the concepts of M: "The album is a story where the songs are connected. It is Nordic folk music, black metal, classical choirs and more. It feels like a soundtrack to some sort of Norse mythology horror movie with blastbeats. I wrote it about many things, as a goddess who wants revenge and to kill off people in my life, perhaps also a side of myself. I feel a strong sense of being divided into two, not one whole. a side of light and a side of shadows battle within me. And sometimes a disassociation to reality. A disconnect to the normal world and to what I am. This album tells my story and the transformation to one is complete in my mind."

Producer Kristoffer Rygg aka Garm of Ulver on M: "In a - for me - short, but efficient time I feel that we managed to sew together a production that will be instantly recognizable in the plethora of "history conscious" metal music, with it's stylistic wavering between classical, folk, rock (shoegaze) and (black) metal traditions. At the same time "M" also sounds strangely contemporary to me. It goes in circles, I guess. Soundwise it's all out classic analogue stuff. No triggered drums, brick walling or all on grid here. It's a really natural sound harkening back to the days of old. That's the feel (or soul) we were after and I think we captured it. It's no secret that Amalie loves Bergtatt (our first album), and there's even a song on the album to prove it! I'm not really a type to gush, but Myrkur is a multi-talent and she knows it. Fortunately for me we really hit it off and were on the same page from the get-go... I think our time of meeting was really auspicious as I've been working a bit with Ulver's old metal back catalogue recently and with that stuff fresh in mind the feeling came natural and was a total trip for me, to summon that epic, sylvan Scandinavian sound, as it were. I am really proud to be involved, to help her make her vision come to life, and also to have her carry the torch, so to speak. I think it's a killer album and I'm anxious to see what people think."

Tracklisting:

“Skøgen Skulle Dø”
“Hævnen”
“Onde Børn”
“Vølvens Spådom”
“Jeg er Guden, I er Tjenerne”
“Nordlys”
“Mordet”
“Byssan Lull”
“Dybt i Skoven”
“Skadi”
“Norn”

“Hævnen”:

Mirkier live dates:

July

4 - Roskilde Festival - Roskilde, Denmark

August

22 - Midgardsblot Metalfestiva - Borre, Norway

 

Croatia-based dark metallers, Tearless, have released their new album, Step Into Darkness, via WormHoleDeath. The album is available on all major digital outlets including iTunes, Amazon, Napster, Spotify, Real Rhapsody, etc

Tracklisting:

“Deathwish”
“Room Of Broken Mirrors”    
“Fallen We Are”
“Step Into Darkness”    
“Dreams Of You”
“Inside Your Raven Eyes”
“Masquerade”    
“As She Leaves Me All Alone”
“World Of Shadows”    
“Heart Of December”

 

"Holy War", the new video from Australia's incendiary extreme musical export THY ART IS MURDER, can be seen below. The song is the title track of the band's third studio album, "Holy War", which will be released on June 30 via Nuclear Blast. Produced and mixed by Will Putney (SUICIDE SILENCE, EXHUMED, THE ACACIA STRAIN), the CD will be made available in various formats: digital; limited digipak + bonus track; assorted color vinyl; exclusive mail-order picture disc.

"Holy War" track listing:

01. Absolute Genocide02. Light Bearer03. Holy War04. Coffin Dragger05. Fur And Claw06. Deliver Us To Evil07. Emptiness08. Violent Reckoning09. Child Of Sorrow10. Naked And Cold11. Vengeance (bonus track; initial CD pressings and vinyl only) Guitarist Andy Marsh shares the following about the origins of the new album and its title: "Late last year, we entered the studio in secret to create our follow up to 'Hate', free of expectation and public pressure. What we came out with was a reaction to things going on around the world that crawl under our skin, that make us feel sick to be alive. Musically, it is darker, faster and more technical than anything we've done in the past and it hits hard lyrically. We wrote about concerns of ours, real issues, hardships that people are facing around the world today. Of course, it wouldn't be a THY ART record if a lot of those affairs weren't rooted in religion somehow, and what better way to sum up the state of all things than by entitling our album 'Holy War'. This is our war on racism, homophobia, child abuse, animal cruelty and all evil born of religious immunity, indoctrination, and ignorance. It is ultimately a push for secularism and humanism. Without it, we will be left in the hands of mad men." Rising from the unhallowed wastes of Western Sydney, THY ART IS MURDER successfully cleaved a trail of blood and mayhem since their inception in 2006. With the acclaimed "Infinite Death" EP (2008) and their debut album, "The Adversary" (2010) firmly establishing their name in the global metal music scene, the band has traversed highways and autobahns all around the world, playing 342 tour dates alone in support of their Nuclear Blast Entertainment debut, "Hate" (2012), which landed at No. 35 on the Top 40 ARIA chart — the highest chart debut of any Australian extreme metal band. Known for their tireless work ethic, THY ART IS MURDER performed at Summer Slaughter 2014 aand 2013, headlined their own "Hate Across America" tour in 2013, and supported EMMURE and BORN OF OSIRIS in 2014, playing throughout the U.S. more times in a two-year period than any other Australian band in any genre of music.

Glenn Danzig's long-awaited covers record, "Skeletons", will be released in Europe this fall via Evilive Music/AFM Records. A new DANZIG album of all-original material will not arrive until early 2016.

Glenn Danzig recently spoke to RollingStone.com about "Skeletons". The CD, which was recorded with PRONG guitarist/vocalist Tommy Victor and former TYPE O NEGATIVE drummer Johnny Kelly, will include the former MISFITS frontman's take on songs by BLACK SABBATH ("N.I.B."), ZZ TOP ("Rough Boy"), THE TROGGS ("A Girl Like You"), THE EVERLY BROTHERS ("Crying In The Rain") and others.

Regarding his decision to wear full skull makeup for the first time since his MISFITS days nearly 40 years ago for the "Skeletons" photo shoot, Glenn said: "I wore makeup only at a couple of live shows and maybe for a photo shoot. I think it was originally for a Halloween show, '79, at [New York City's] Irving Plaza. I also had the skeleton shirt and skeleton clothes on, so I was a full punk skeleton man. I can't remember if it was that show or the next year's Halloween show that we hung dead animal heads and limbs and carcasses all over the place. It smelled like a slaughterhouse. It looked like a slaughterhouse because it actually was."

The singer also said that he is almost done making a new DANZIG album of all-original material. "It's pretty much all recorded, except I keep writing extra songs so I'm gonna go back in the studio probably at the end of June," he said. "Some of it's very swampy and dark, some of it's...I don't know what the right word is. It's pretty heavy though."

Danzig has also been recording cover versions of Elvis songs for a possible EP release. "I'm making it a little different," he said. "Some of the stuff I'm stripping down, bare bones, very old-school fifties echoey slap-back vocals, piano, guitar. It's pretty much done, but every time I go back into the studio to work on a new DANZIG record, if we have time, I'm like, 'Let's do another song.' So we'll see what ends up on the record."

Kanon Madness and Heavy Metal Greg have uploaded video footage of KING DIAMOND's June 27 performance at San Manuel Amphitheater in Devore, California as part of this year's Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival. Check it out below.

"Dreams Of Horror", a 2xCD collection of KING DIAMOND songs, newly enhanced into ultimate editions by King Diamond and Andy La Rocque themselves, sold around 1,200 copies in the United States in its first week of release.

Released last November, "Dreams Of Horror" is the only "best-of" album covering the band's entire career. King Diamond and Andy La Rocque meticulously mastered and enhanced these 23 songs into the ultimate editions, chosen by the band from both the Roadrunner and Metal Blade catalogs.

Swedish bassist Pontus Egberg (THE POODLES, LION'S SHARE, ZAN CLAN) recently joined KING DIAMOND following the departure of Hal Patino.

King, 59, whose real name is Kim Bendix Petersen, underwent open-heart triple-bypass surgery in November 2010. He has since completed his cardiac rehabilitation program and has stopped smoking entirely, changed his diet and is getting regular exercise.

Kanon Madness has uploaded video footage of SLAYER performing the title track of its forthcoming album, "Repentless", on June 27 at San Manuel Amphitheater in Devore, California as part of this year's Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival. Check it out 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 thrash masters, Hyades, will release their new record, The Wolves Are Getting Hungry, via Italian label Punishment 18 Records today, June 29th. A new track promo teaser video can be found below.

Tracklisting:

"The Economist"
"Ignorance Is No Excuse"
"The Decay Of Mankind"
"The Apostles Of War"
"The Great Lie"
"Heavier Than Shit (Hyz IV)"
"Sing This Rhyme"
"Eight Beers After"
"The Wolves Are Getting Hungry"
"Hyades" (2015 version)

Check out Hyades on Facebook.

(Photo - Luca Palmera Colombo)

After having released the single for “Nocturnal Haven” (featuring Tommy Rogers of Between The Buried And Me), California’s Abnormal Thought Patters now reveal the video for “Distortions Of Perception”, off their new album Altered States Of Consciousness.

After their 2013 debut album Manipulation Under Anesthesia, Abnormal Thought Patterns show their creative magic’s with the new album Altered States Of Consciousness. Following the path of bands' debut, the Californians expand the framework of what progressive metal can be with their new album. The participation of well-known guests such as Tommy Rogers (Between The Buried And Me), Jeff Loomis (Arch Enemy, Nevermore), Michael Manring, Tim Roth (Into Eternity), and John Onder (Artension-MSG) confirms the special position Abnormal Thought Patterns have among their peers and expresses the quality-conscious attitude, which underlies all band activities.

 

 

Twin brothers Jasun (guitar) and Troy Tipton (bass) along with Mike Guy (drums) are the collective creative force behind Abnormal Thought Patterns. Prior to forming this group in 2008, the trio was the backbone of prog-metal powerhouse Zero Hour.

Altered State Of Consciousness is released today in Europe and June 30th in North America.

“Nocturnal Haven” video:

PowerPlay has just released their first single, “City Of Love”, from the new album All Those Years, which is set to be released on September 4th via Target Records. An official video for the track can be found below.

After 20 years of silence, the west coast rock group PowerPlay from Copenhagen, Denmark, is together again and returns with a new strong melodic AOR rock album, inspired by the sound and feel of bands like Toto, Journey, Supertramp and Starship

PowerPlay was founded in a basement in Hellerup, Copenhagen, in 1987 by Simon Dalberg (drums), Erik Thomsen (vocals), Kurt Lundgaard (guitar), and Peter Gjedde (keyboards). The music was heavily inspired by Toto, Journey, Starship and other West Coast bands of that time and with a twist from Supertramp, but always with a twist of pure energy and the desire to play and perform with own composed music.

PowerPlay had various bass players in the first years, but after a while the young and talented bass player Philip Stricker joined and brought new dimensions to the music. The band was constantly on the move and played in many underground places around Copenhagen like Umatic and Loppen, and became rather popular in those environments.

In 1991 PowerPlay won the music award ”Let’s Rock” in Trommen as the best performing act and with that title also a contract for a record at Werner Studio in Copenhagen. Unfortunately, due to some very sad circumstances, the band never came to the point of making the record, and as such Powerplay stopped their activities in 1992.

PowerPlay is now back after 20 years, and in the original setup: “We have never been better”, they say and actually PowerPlay is now ready to release a record with all new material – but for the fans from the good old days, there will be one or two oldies in new flashy clothes. So look forward to 10 great and melodic AOR rock songs on the album All Those Years, out in September.