Due to his commitments with AT THE GATES and THE HAUNTED, drummer Adrian Erlandsson (pictured) will not be able to participate in the PARADISE LOST European tour or upcoming festival dates this year. However, British gothic metal pionners are "pleased to announce" that drumming duties have been left in the young capable hands of Finnish sticksman Waltteri Väyrynen, who is kindly stepping in to cover.

Says Waltteri: "No words can explain how excited, grateful and honoured I am to do all these shows with PARADISE LOST this year. The band has been one of my first and biggest influences ever since I was a little kid. Really looking forward to see all of you on the road! It's gonna be one hell of a year!"

PARADISE LOST's new album, "The Plague Within", will be released on June 2 (one day earlier internationally) via Century Media. The CD was recorded at Orgone Studios (GHOST, ULVER, CATHEDRAL, ANGEL WITCH) in London with producer Jaime Gomez Arellano.

The official lyric video for the PARADISE LOST track "No Hope In Sight", taken from "The Plague Within", can be seen below. The band comments: "'No Hope In Sight' was one of the first tracks we wrote and it reflects a blend of styles. From death metal to gothic to classic rock. It's like all eras of PARADISE LOST wrapped up into one track. We hope you all like it!"

Regarding the musical direction of "The Plague Within", PARADISE LOST guitarist Greg Mackintosh told U.K.'s Total Guitar magazine: "It could be a bit of a Marmite album. Sometimes it's nice to do albums that are expected, in a way, but for a career like ours, it's important to do certain records and songs where you try something else.

"A certain track, like 'Flesh From Bone', is probably the fastest song we've done tempo-wise," he revealed, "while 'Beneath Broken Earth' is quite possibly the slowest.

"We weren't shying away from any period," he continued. "But it also had to be cohesive."

Greg added: "As it came together, the death metal elements became more prevalent, so the album ended up with more of those elements than we'd first anticipated. But it's got a good ebb and flow to it.

"We deliberately went down a different route, where we want it to sound like no one else in metal. Whether we've achieved that, I have no idea until everyone hears it."

The cover for "The Plague Within" was created by Polish artist, illustrator and architect Zbigniew M. Bielak, best known in the musical realm for his record cover illustrations, which, among others, include meticulously handcrafted artworks of WATAIN, GHOST and ENTOMBED A.D. albums.

"Fallen", the new album from STRYPER, will be released worldwide on Friday, October 23. The CD was tracked at SpiritHouse Recording Studios in Northampton, Massachusetts and will include a cover version of the BLACK SABBATH classic "After Forever".

STRYPER guitarist/vocalist Michael Sweet recently stated about the musical direction of "Fallen": "It's gonna be… I don't wanna scare any fans away or anything, but it's gonna be the heaviest album we've done. Not in the sense that it's gonna be thrash metal or anything like that. It's definitely got a little bit of a darker vibe to it lyrically and musically. Some of the songs are tuned down — not like the modern Drop B stuff; I'm talking like the E dropped to D, 'Unchained' VAN HALEN kind of stuff. And it's just got a heavy sound to it. And I think when people hear it, in a good way, they're gonna go, 'That's STRYPER? What?' I think they're gonna be shocked."

Songtitles set to appear on "Fallen" include "Let There Be Light", 'Big Screen Lies" and the title track.

The new STRYPER CD will include a song that was co-written by SEVENDUST guitarist Clint Lowery.

All-female metal sextet CONQUER DIVIDE will release their self-titled debut on July 24 via Artery Recordings. The CD was produced by Joey Sturgis (ASKING ALEXANDRIA, THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA, WE CAME AS ROMANS) and will feature the song "At War", which was made available last November.

"This record is the culmination of many years of hard work. It's a representation of where we've been and where we are headed musically. It's something we are all proud of," said CONQUER DIVIDE guitarist Kristen.

"Conquer Divide" track listing:

01. Sink Your Teeth Into This02. Self Destruct03. Eyes Wide Shut04. Nightmares05. Lost06. What's Left Inside 07. At War 08. Despicable You 09. Heavy Lies The Crown10. Broken

Since its formation in late 2012, CONQUER DIVIDE has managed to create a unique, modern and ever-apparent dichotomy of beautiful elegance and intense aggression that intertwines seamlessly with one another. The music certainly doesn't spare any dynamics, with the album taking the listener on a roller coaster ride of divergent stylistic qualities representing each of their musical tastes.

It's not exactly a secret that the group is comprised of all girls, but you wouldn't know simply by listening to one of their songs. However, don't let their image fool you. "We are all girls, and you cant hide that, but we want people to focus more on the quality of the music," drummer Tamara reveals.

"It wasn't an easy thing finding girls who not only were passionate about this type of music, but could play it well." So after years of looking in the States, they were forced to look all over the world, auditioning over 200 girls. They are subsequently based in two countries, the United States and England, but this hasn't slowed them down any.

"Well, these girls have been spending time, you know, a year, maybe two years writing some of these songs, and when you have that much time invested into a project, it's definitely passionate," says Sturgis. "So I knew I had to be involved in some way, because I really like to work with passionate musicians who really care about what they're doing

"Joey has really helped bring our songs to life," says vocalist Kiarely. "He has pushed us to the limit and made us think outside the box. He is an amazing producer and we are lucky to have the opportunity to work with him. He definitely brought out the best in all of us."

"I'm heavily influenced by bands such as PARKWAY DRIVE and AUGUST BURNS RED," Izzy says, "so melodies and heaviness were essential when I was looking to join a band."

"We wanted to stay true to our roots," explains guitarist Kristen. "Everything we've written comes from a real life experience. Music, like any art medium, has always been a form of catharsis for us, it's all about trying to take something negative that happened in your life and turn it into something positive. And we've had a lot of pent up anger to get out on this record. But we did our best to move past those issues and turn them into something for the greater good, because, I think, the whole idea is, if I can't heal from my art, how can you heal from it?" "Yeah, we've poured our hearts into this record and we really hope people can connect with it on some level," Sarah adds.

Continues Kristen: "We really wanted to take our time on our first album, and because of that, we've grown tremendously as songwriters. So this album really reflects where we've been, where we are and where we are headed."

In the second part of a recent interview with the "White Line Fever" podcast (hear audio below), MEGADETH bassist David Ellefson spoke about the musical direction of the band's forthcoming studio album, which is tentatively due in late 2015 or early 2016.

"Well, I'd like to think it's not gonna be a stinker, that's for sure," he said. "I'd like to think it's gonna be a pretty kick-ass record. Yeah, I'll tell you, there's a couple of things on there that are certainly heavy, but they're very forward-thinking for MEGADETH — in a good way; not some pop right turn or anything like that. So I'd like to think when the record says 'MEGADETH' on it, you're gonna get MEGADETH inside of it."

In a recent interview with RollingStone.com, MEGADETH mainman Dave Mustaine stated about the progress of the recording sessions for the band's next CD: "We have 15 tracks — 13 originals and two cover songs. We did 'Melt The Ice Away' by BUDGIE and 'Foreign Policy' by FEAR… There's a song called 'The Emperor Has No Clothes', and another called 'Tyranocide'. Several have working titles but I don't want to say what they are. After we write the lyrics, they'll come."

Regarding the sound of the new MEGADETH material, Mustaine said: "Over the years we've always said, 'We're going back to our roots.' But the naysayers, they just want 'Rust In Peace' 20 times, which is never gonna happen. Because I've never written the same song twice. Unlike a lot of other rock and metal bands that, you know, they rely on a set formula, I try and make the songs all different. The funny thing, though, was that when Ellefson was doing the bass tracks, I was telling him, 'This is the 'Tornado' ['Tornado Of Souls'] part,' 'This is the 'Bad Omen' part,' 'This is the 'Black Friday' part,' 'This is the 'Holy Wars' part.' Because a lot of the things were in that kind of vein. Now, is it going back in time? Hell, I don't know. But I like what I'm hearing."

MEGADETH's next album will be the band's first to feature LAMB OF GOD drummer Chris Adler and Brazilian guitarist Kiko Loureiro, best known for his work with ANGRA.

Rikard Zander, the keyboard player of the Swedish metal band EVERGREY, has released his solo debut under the name RIKARD Z. First up is the single "The World Makes Sure You'll Die", where Rikard Z also introduces himself as a singer.

"After doing backing vocals for over ten years, I guess I've gathered courage to take over the lead and tell the others to shut up," Rikard says with a laugh.

RIKARD Z's solo album features guest appearances by members of both EVERGREY and AVATARIUM and is far cry, musically, from the metal Rikard usually plays. "It's obviously more keys and less guitars, but I guess people who are familiar with my work will recognize it," Rikard says.

According to Rikard, his solo project will not interfere with EVERGREY, whose latest album, "Hymns For The Broken", has been praised by fans and critics worldwide.

"EVERGREY is my home, but sometimes you have to take a chance and do something different, and this was too good to keep for myself," Rikard explains.

"The World Makes Sure You'll Die" was released as a digital single on May 27 via Spinnup.

Photo by Patric Ullaeus of Revolver.se

Italian horror metallers, Cadaveria, have a new bassist. The band introduce their new member with the following message:

“We are very pleased to announce Peter Dayton as Cadaveria’s new bass player. Peter‘s musical tastes and artistic roots come from Swedish death metal and symphonic black metal. He has a long experience in the extreme music panorama as bassist of Enough To Kill and Necrodeath, where he is known as GL.

Besides his talent and his maturity as musician, the main reason that led us to let him join our group is the fact he is really into Cadaveria mood and he is truly motivated to enter our shadows’ realm as a steady member of the band.

As Cadaveria tradition wants, the band members names deal with the characters of David Lynch’s filmography. Peter Dayton comes from the Lost Highways to join Cadaveria’s path. Welcome Peter!”

In other news, Cadaveria are working on a music video for "Strangled Idols”, from their latest album Silence. Stay tuned for updates.

Cadaveria released Silence on November 18th, 2014 via Scarlet Records.

 

 

Tracklisting:

"Velo (The Other Side Of Hate)"
"Carnival Of Doom"
"Free Spirit"
"The Soul That Doesn't Sleep"
"Existence"
"Out Loud"
"Death, Again"
"Exercise1"
"Almost Ghostly"
"Loneliness"
"Strangled Idols"

Trailer:

Upon returning from their successful European Tour which consumed the past several weeks, Poison Idea has returned home and announced that the band is going on hiatus for an undetermined amount of time. The band has issued that they need to address some health issues and personal matters, and all upcoming shows for the undeterminable future have been cancelled or postponed. Additional details on the band's future plans will be announced at a later date.

Portland, Oregon's kings of punk, Poison Idea released their Confuse & Conquer LP through Southern Lord Recordings in April of this year. Setting everything in its path ablaze with the energetic pummeling assault the band has assaulted the planet with for three-and-a-half decades, and by incorporating the use of epic piano segues, the album is an instant classic for all Poison Idea fans. The band's first new album since 2006's Latest Will And Testament, and first since the passing of their great friend and guitarist, the iconic Tom "Pig Champion" Roberts, Confuse & Conquer boasts 35 minutes of thundering, infectious rage recorded in the band's hometown by Joel Grind (Toxic Holocaust) and mastered by Brad Boatright (From Ashes Rise) at Audiosiege.

(Photo by Jason Charles)

 

 

According to The Pulse Of Radio, SAINT ASONIA, the new act featuring ex-THREE DAYS GRACE frontman Adam Gontier and STAIND guitarist Mike Mushok, started out as just Gontier and Mushok writing music together with no plans beyond that. But Gontier told The Pulse Of Radio that the moment arrived when they knew SAINT ASONIA could be a band. "When we got into the studio to record a couple of songs, we recorded three songs, and when they were done, I think that was probably the moment where we were like, 'Okay, so we've just recorded three songs, they turned out really good, we have another 10, let's do this,'" he said. "Obviously, Mike being basically on hiatus from STAIND for who knows how long, it just seemed to make sense."

SAINT ASONIA also includes STUCK MOJO and DARK NEW DAY bassist Corey Lowery and FINGER ELEVEN drummer Rich Beddoe. The band recently released its first single, "Better Place", and will issue its debut album this summer.

Asked about calling the band a "supergroup," Gontier said, "We're more like refugees that just really hit it off creatively."

The group played its first live show at Rock On The Range in Columbus, Ohio two weeks ago.

Mushok told the Boise, Idaho radio station 100.3 The X Rocks about SAINT ASONIA's forthcoming debut album: "I'm super proud of the way the record came out. I think it definitely exceeded what we were trying to accomplish; we definitely did it. I mean, the record kind of runs the gamut — there's some pretty heavy stuff, and there's a couple of songs on there that are just beautiful songs."

SAINT ASONIA's CD was helmed by acclaimed rock producer Johnny K, who has previously worked with DISTURBED, MEGADETH, STAIND and SEVENDUST, among others.

Gontier has kept a low profile since leaving THREE DAYS GRACE in December 2012. The band replaced him with Matt Walst and recently released a new album called "Human".

Mushok's band, STAIND, has not released new music since 2011 and as of last December had no plans to return to the studio. Mushok played briefly in 2013 with ex-METALLICA bassist Jason Newsted in his self-named band.

Beddoe exited FINGER ELEVEN in late 2013. The Canadian act recorded a new album late last year but release details are yet to be announced.

Lowery's resume includes stints with STUCK MOJO, SWITCHED, STEREOMUD, DARK NEW DAY and most recently EYE EMPIRE.

Photo credit: Travis Shinn

Atlanta progressive metallers MASTODON were featured on the latest episode of HBO's smash TV phenomenon "Game Of Thrones". Band members Brann Dailor, Bill Kelliher and Brent Hinds portrayed wildlings in the episode "Hardhome" that premiered Sunday, May 31 at 9 p.m. with multiple repeat showings during the week. The band was personally invited to participate the show's creator and executive producer, Dan Weiss, as well as the other executive producers, who are all fans of the band. The scenes were filmed on location in Belfast, Northern Ireland, and the band also got to visit the sets at Titanic Studios.

Dailor describes MASTODON's time Beyond The Wall: "It was such an incredible experience to be on set as extras for our collective favorite show, 'Game Of Thrones', and to be wildlings murdered and then brought back to life by White Walkers was beyond amazing. I watched my best friends Brent and Bill murdered right in front of me as I myself was stabbed in the stomach and had my throat slit multiple times, and I didn't mind at all. It made me love being in MASTODON even more.

"We are more than privileged and honored to have been a part of one of the greatest stories ever told on film, and the catering wasn't bad either."

MASTODON is featured on the "Game Of Thrones" mixtape "Catch the Throne: The Mixtape Vol. 2" with a new original song, "White Walker".

The band will spend its summer overseas, performing at all the major European and South American festivals, including Belgium's Pukkelpop, the prestigious Reading and Leeds in England, as well as the massive Rock In Rio festival in Brazil. They will also support METALLICA for two shows in Russia.

Photo credit: Helen Sloan/HBO

According to The Pulse Of Radio, STONE TEMPLE PILOTS vocalist Chester Bennington revealed in a new interview with A-Sides that the band considered changing its name after it dismissed original singer Scott Weiland and began working with Bennington in early 2013. Bennington explained (see video below): "We did talk about maybe changing the name of the band, and just doing something new. Honestly, my thing was like, why give up what you guys have worked so hard on? This is your legacy, you don't have to give it up just because one person didn't do things the way that everybody wanted them to go, didn't do things everybody planned. We should be able to move forward."

Bennington continued, "I mean, where is the music coming from in the first place? There's no question when you hear the new music that it's STONE TEMPLE PILOTS. Why? Because it's coming from the guys who write the music. It's coming from the source. So, when the source is there, then it's still pure."

Bassist Robert DeLeo told The Pulse Of Radio not long ago that keeping STP going after changing frontmen was never in question. "From the beginning, it wasn't 'Hey, let's together and write a song' or 'Hey, let's get together and do this show.' It was 'Hey, let's get together and continue STONE TEMPLE PILOTS with a lot of integrity,'" he said. "That's really what the intent was. It's something that Eric [Kretz, drummer] and Dean [DeLeo, guitar] and myself have worked at for a long time, and we've been trying to hold up the whole integrity of this band for a long time."

STP dismissed Weiland in February 2013, claiming that his erratic behavior held back the band's career. The two parties exchanged lawsuits which have since been settled.

STP recruited Bennington that spring and have so far cut one EP, "High Rise", with the LINKIN PARK singer. A new album is due out later this year.

STONE TEMPLE PILOTS' next round of tour dates will begin on September 15 in Cleveland.

SLAYER guitarist Kerry King was interviewed on a recent episode of "In The Van" by skateboarding punk rockers the LOUD ONES as they motored through the country and temporarily kidnapped interesting characters in their renovated touring machine while sedating them with beers and questions. You can now watch the chat below.

Asked what the best thing is about being in a band, Kerry responded: "It's probably the best and the worst thing: the travel. 'Cause I get paid to go all over the world — places I would never in a million years go on my own — and that's really cool, but the travel part of it is what sucks. I mean, it sounds great. It sounds like, 'Oh, you get to go business class, you get to go first class.' And, yeah, I do. And I still get delayed and I still get thrown into lounges. And it's the waiting game. And the waiting game is what sucks."

SLAYER has set "Repentless" as the title of its new album, due worldwide on Friday, September 11 via Nuclear Blast. The long-awaited follow-up to 2009's "World Painted Blood" marks the first time SLAYER has worked with producer Terry Date (PANTERA, SOUNDGARDEN, DEFTONES). It is also SLAYER's first CD since drummer Paul Bostaph's return to the band in 2013 and guitarist Gary Holt's addition to the SLAYER touring lineup in 2011.

SLAYER will tour extensively to support the new album, headlining this summer's Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival as well as playing other major outdoor festivals and several "An Evening With..." SLAYER-only concerts.

Philadelphia black metallers I Am The Trireme have released the official video for new track "Thy Sombering Light" The song comes from upcoming album Gnosis: Never Follow the Light, scheduled for release on June 30th via Horror Pain Gore Death Productions. Watch below:

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)”

"A Sullen Reflection Of Purity”:

“Tamerlane (Chapter 1)”:

Pop Evil will release their new album, UP, on Friday, August 21st via eOne Music. The album’s artwork and tracklisting, as well as a lyric video for the track “Footsteps”, can be found below.

Purposefully assembled at Studio Litho, Robert Lang Studios and London Bridge Studios with producer Adam Kasper (Pearl Jam, Soundgarden, Foo Fighters), UP is the sound of a rock band cementing a powerful identity that’s steadily materialized over the course of three prior full-length slabs. The inspirational soon to be live (June 1st) staple “Footsteps” - Pop Evil prove their burgeoning success is no accident.

“People ask me all the time, ‘What it's like to hear your song on the radio?’ It never gets old!”, frontman Leigh Kakaty declares. “It's a reminder of hard work, and of having that dream sitting in your garage, trying to write a song that someone would love one day. That dream happened for our band and it's something that we don't want to take lightly.”

“Now it's time to step up our game and let people know we can back it all up,” he adds. “We want to prove we aren’t a one hit wonder. We didn’t just get lucky.”

UP is a bold reintroduction and step forward, with guitarists Nick Fuelling and Davey Grahs, bassist Matt Dirito, drummer Chachi Riot and Kakaty at the top of their game. It’s always a bit cliché, not to mention questionable, when a band says their new album is the best one yet. But in the case of Pop Evil, it’s an absolute fact.

Pop Evil smashes through the odds like a battering ram, weathering the trials and tribulations of paying dues with a steadfast resilience owing much to their blue collar and middle class backgrounds, and building a worldwide audience one fan at a time. As the moniker promises when emblazoned on a CD or radio dial, Pop Evil conjures aggressive riffs and hard charging sing-a-longs with emotional heft and melodic power in equal measure. It’s music by the people, for the people.

Tracklisting:

“Footsteps”
“Core”
“In Disarray”
“Take It All”
“Ghost Of Muskegon”
“If Only For Now”
“...”
“Ways to Get High”
“Lux”
“Vendetta”
“Dead In The Water”
“Seattle Rain”
“Til Kingdom Come”

“Footsteps” lyric video:

Pop Evil have released the third of seven in the studio / making of documentary videos surrounding the fast approaching LP. See all three episodes below:

Episode #1:

Episode #2:

Episode #3:

The band is gearing up for a truck load of European and Canadian tour dates including illustrious festivals such as Download and Graspop. Click here for all tour dates.

Helsinki, Finland-based trio, At The Hollow, have released a music video (see below) for the track “Numb”, featured on their debut album, What I Hold Most Dear, available via Spinefarm Records. The album was recorded at Sound Supreme Studio in Finland with producer Janne Saksa (Mokoma, Turisas, Stamina and Rotten Sound).

 

 

Tracklisting:

"Was It Worth It"
"Otherside"
"Paleface"
"Dead Memories"
"Withered Speech"
"Second Time"
"Numbed"
"Last Hour"
"Watch & Learn"
"Echoes"

“Numb” video:

"Was It Worth It" video:

Teaser video:

As much as people like to pigeonhole music, the genre tool doesn't apply with At The Hollow. It's next to impossible to attach any genre names to this Helsinki-based trio's music. The band, comprise of a guitar, percussion and a contrabass played with a bow, At The Hollow has found a unique niche of their own; possessing some qualities from post-rock and others from the grungier side of rock, What I Hold Most Dear is a potpourri of paradoxes.

The tunes are darkly melancholic yet light as air, the lyrics are introverted and gloomy yet strangely uplifting at the same time. This music is stripped, organic and honest-to-goodness all the way to the point of rawness. Subtle yet in-your-face, fragile yet brimming with inner strength. Balanced by juxtapositions.

Bare. Haunting. Sublime. Humane.

 

 

When At The Hollow recorded What I Hold Most Dear, “It was springtime and there was so much light everywhere,” recalls the band about entering the studio, “but we still found the right mood and the right sound, somewhere between purity and death. We had a clear vision of what we wanted to capture on tape, and in the process of making the record, we felt that all of the members got stronger – everyone really found their place in the band. Everything kind of… clicked. Along with our audio engineer, our aim was to focus on keeping things new and fresh, hopefully achieving something that has never been heard before..."

Separating themselves from the noise overkill of mere rock music, this collection of songs is like an exhibition of emotions frozen in time - still images of everyday things in striking black and white. Freshly found avenues to tap straight into the well of feelings. Open doors to show the listener there are miracles in the mundane to be found, if you just can find the time stop in your tracks and silence the noise for a fleeting moment.

The visually striking cover features 12 separate images laid out in storyboard-like form. The images may seem disconnected upon a cursory look, but if you keep your eyes fixed on them while listening to the music, you may start to put together your own interpretation.  

Kalle Koo: "To me the album and artwork shows what At The Hollow really is right now. It`s very honest. And as an musician I’m very proud of what kind of feelings and atmosphere we created with only a trio."

At present, At the Hollow's music is the product of plain life, death, burn out, recovery, rehearsing, recording, more rehearsing, playing live and a shared passion for playing this type of music. That dedication ripples through every note and every chord of What I Hold Most Dear.

At The Hollow's genre-bending debut What I Hold Most Dear redefines the ways emotive rock music is done.

Finland-based rockers, Von Hertzen Brothers, have released a video for “Hold Me Up”, the track from their new album, New Day Rising, out now via Spinefarm Records.

This time, the brothers - Mikko, Kie & Jonne Von Hertzen - entered the studio, The Farm in Vancouver, with Grammy-nominated Canadian producer Garth "GGGarth" Richardson (Biffy Clyro, Rage Against The Machine, etc.), plus regular drummer Mikko Kaakkuriniemi and keyboard player Juha Kuoppala, and the result is their most ambitious release to date.

VHB frontman Mikko Von Hertzen said, "Working with GGGarth and Randy felt like we finally got to operate with true maestros-the crème de la crème of Canadian know-how. All bullshit aside, the end result is all that matters, and quite frankly, I've never been prouder of anything we've done. Together, we raised the bar to a whole new level, and only time will tell if we'll ever be able to beat that or raise the bar even more. I mean, we are talking some serious Sergey Bubka heights here!"

GGGarth himself concurred, "It's been a while since I've been so taken aback by a band. VHB did this to me. The brothers' drive, passion and musicality are like no other. The bar has been raised."

Mixed by Juno Awards winner Randy Staub (Metallica, Alice In Chains, etc.), New Day Rising blends the key elements of VHB's music-atmosphere, intelligence, epic feel, progressive leanings-with an even greater focus on melody and hooks. A New Day, indeed.

 

 

Tracklisting:

"New Day Rising"
"You Don't Know My Name"
"Trouble"
"Black Rain"
"Hold Me Up"
"Love Burns"
"Dreams"
"Sunday Child"
"The Destitute"
"Hibernating Heart"

“New Day Rising” video:

Philadelphia's Nothing have announced a special vinyl repress of their debut album, Guilty Of Everything in honour of LGBT Pride Month. The new edition, features the original black and white album cover with a rainbow flag in place of the white flag. The special repress will be available in select indie stores on June 2nd while a limited rainbow colored version is available exclusively via Relapse.com at this location..
 
The band and Relapse Records will donate a portion of the proceeds from each sale will be donated to the LGBT awareness non-profits, the It Gets Better Project and New Alternatives.

Frontman Nicky Palermo commented on the LGBT version of the album: "We had just finished the fourth pressing of GOE on pink vinyl in collaboration with Insound/Gilda's Club NYC to support the fight against breast cancer. We were able to donate a portion of the sale and I thought that was a really great idea. Relapse and myself discussed options for the fifth pressing when we noticed the release date would end up falling in the middle of LGBT pride month, so we searched for a suitable non profit that we could do the same. We decided to split the proceeds among two charities and decided upon the It Gets Better Project and New Alternatives. It Get's Better focus on the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and trans youth's struggle of growing up in a society where many do not understand them and in many cases turn to tormenting and torture. In that they show these teens that there is a bright side coming and that they are far from alone. New Alternatives provide support services for homeless LGBT youth."
 
Nothing released Guilty Of Everything last spring and have been touring North America and Europe relentlessly ever since including tours and shows with Ceremony, Torche, Body Count, Whirr, Weekend, Antwon and many more.
 
Nothing tour dates:

June (with Merchandise, Cloakroom)
6 - Brooklyn, NY - Palisades
7 - Philadelphia, PA - Johnny Brenda's

On June 30th, legendary US heavy metallers Jag Panzer will reissue their 4th full length studio album The Age Of Mastery, via Skol Records. The expanded edition CD reissue - which is the first official CD reissue of this album since 1998 - will be limited to 1000 copies, and will include thick booklet with all lyrics, lot of previously unseen pictures and new liner notes written by Mark Briody and Harry Conklin. 

The Age Of Mastery has been produced by Jim Morris (Iced Earth, Death, Savatage), and feature original singer Harry "The Tyrant" Conklin, and guitarist Chris Broderick, who joined Megadeth in 2008. The album is often listed as one of the best classic heavy metal albums of the '90s, and includes ultimate classics of the band such as "Iron Eagle" or "Chain Of Command".

The Age Of Mastery tracklisting:
“Iron Eagle”
“Lustfull and Free”
“Twilight Years”
“Sworn to Silence”
“False Messiah” (Jack Starr cover)
“The Age of Mastery”
“Viper”
“Displacement”
“Chain of Command”
“Take This Pain Away”
“Burning Heart”
“The Moors”
 

The clip below features one of Kamelot's first shows with former vocalist Roy Khan, who joined the band in 1998 - replacing founding singer Mark Vanderbilt - and left in 2011. This is one of the band's first shows with Khan, from '98, at The Brass Mug in Tampa, FL. The songs include "Parting Visions", "Expedition" and part of "Providence".

Kamelot have massively hit the worldwide charts with their brand new album, Haven, out now via Napalm Records. A stunning release of a monumental record - going straight up to the #1 position on Billboard Hard Rock Album Charts as well as #1 CMJ Loud Rock Charts, selling 7,900 units in the first week in the US.

According to an update from the band, Haven charted #1 again this week on the CMJ Loud Rock Charts. The album debuted on CMJ at #14 as #1 Most Added, going straight to the #1 position in only one week. It has now maintained its #1 position for 3 weeks in a row."

Official CMJ Loud Rock Chart:

Week of 5/12: #1 Kamelot - Haven Week of 5/19: #1 Kamelot - Haven Week of 5/26: #1 Kamelot - Haven

Guitarist Thomas Youngblood recently issued the following statement:

“This is a first in Kamelot’s history and we’re obviously very proud and happy about it. I’d like to thank all the fans for your amazing support, thanks for your great feedback on Haven and the Insomnia video as well – stay tuned as we have more of these coming up in the next months! See you somewhere on tour in 2015!”

All chart entries read as follows:

#1 - US Top Hard Rock Albums*
#3 - US Top Hard Music Albums
#3 - Sweden Rock / Metal
#4 - Canada Hard Music Charts
#4 - Finland Indie Charts
#5 - UK Rock & Metal Album
#12 - Finland*
#14 - Germany*
#18 - UK Indie Album
#23 - Netherlands*
#24 - Switzerland
#28 - Japan*
#41 - Austria*
#43 - Norway
#44 - Sweden
#68 - Canada*
#73 - Spain
#73 - Belgium
#75 - US Top 200 Billboard (7900 units)
#119 - UK Official*
#150 - France

*highest ever

Tracklisting:

“Fallen Star”
“Insomnia”
“Citizen Zero”
“Veil Of Elysium”
“Under Grey Skies"
“My Therapy”
“Ecclesia”
“End Of Innocence”
“Beautiful Apocalypse”
“Liar Liar (Wasteland Monarchy)”
“Here's To The Fall”
“Revolution"
“Haven”

Kamelot recently wrapped up the first leg of their North American tour in support of their new album, Haven. The band has posted the following update:

"North America ROCKED!! Now home after the last show of the Haven North American Tour 2015 Part 1. It was a cinematic, epic wonderment of a tour! Some of our biggest Kamelot Nation crowds ever and such a great welcome in every city, wow. Also great to play some new songs from the Haven and get such an amazing reaction already. Thank you for rocking with us every night!

Special thanks to Dragonforce for joining us on this journey, great people and super fun. Our amazing crew: Rich, Achim, Chris, Tommy, Linda and TM Beau. Our driver Jason for keeping us safe on the road. Linnéa Vikström for crushing it every night. All the promoters in every city for bringing this circus to your town. And of course our amazing, fantastic, inspiring fans!! You are the reason for the season! Thank you and get ready for round 2, the ride just gets wilder!"

Check out footage from the North American tour below:

Kill Ritual have finished their new album, Karma Machine. Encompassing 10 tracks the CD finds the band going from the heavy to melodic while retaining their thrash roots. It was once again produced by guitarist Steven D. Rice and mixed/mastered by King Diamond guitarist Andy LaRocque. Artwork was completed by longtime Kill Ritual artist Jobert Mello. The CD also marks the debut of new vocalist David Reed Watson and drummer Koryun Bobikyan.  

Tracklisting:

"Just A Cut"
"Rise"
"The Enemy Inside" 
"The Key"
"Karma Machine"
"My Green Room" 
"Kundalini" 
"Feel The Cycle"
"Land Of The Dead"
"The Camera’s Eye"

The band expects a summer/fall 2015 release by a yet to be determined label.

Check out "The Enemy Inside" below:

For information and updates on Kill Ritual go to their official website here.

SKID ROW members Rachel Bolan (bass) and Tony Harnell (vocals) have hit back at the band's "haters," telling them to "fuck off" and stay away from their respective Facebook pages.

Harnell officially joined SKID ROW last month as the replacement for Johnny Solinger, who was the band's frontman for the past fifteen years.

The new SKID ROW lineup made its live debut on May 22 on May 22 at Living Sky Casino in Swift Current, Saskatchewan, Canada and performed this past Saturday, May 30 as part of the "Metal Meltdown", an all-new rockin' series in The Joint at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada.

In a post on his Facebook page, Rachel wrote: "To all the haters, trolls and keyboard-banging dipshits, if you don't like me or SKID ROW, stay off the fucking page. I'm sure there's something more constructive you can do with your time, like Pornhub or something. There you can satisfy yourself without being face to face with someone. That's what you do best, right?"

Harnell echoed Bolan's sentiments in a separate post on his own Facebook page. He wrote: "If you don't like the videos or other career stuff I post then don't 'like' it or comment on it! At least I'm out there working. What are you doing and what have you ever done? F**k off!"

In a recent interview with Canadian rock journalist Mitch Lafon of the "One On One With Mitch Lafon" podcast, Bolan stated about SKID ROW's split with Solinger: "It was evident [that it was time for us to go our separate ways]. There were certain things going on out on the road that kind of set us thinking… Things had been going on for a little bit."

He continued: "At certain times, you just get the feeling someone isn't putting a hundred percent into things. And SKID ROW is very important to the rest of us. And we wanted to carry on with quality performances and quality songs, so we decided to make a change."

Regarding how Tony Harnell came to be SKID ROW's new singer, Rachel said: "We've known Tony for years — literally, probably since the beginning of our career. And although I wasn't a big TNT fan, I was a Tony Harnell fan, as [were SKID ROW guitarists] Snake [Dave Sabo] and Scott [Scotti Hill]."

He continued: "When we made the decision to ourselves that we were gonna start looking, Tony's name came up. And I was, like, man, it's so funny, 'cause a couple of years ago, I was up in New Jersey for Christmas and I met with Tony in New York and I had dinner with him and another friend. And we just started talking. And he's, like… He goes… We'd known each for a long time, but at that point we hadn't spoken for a while. He's, like, 'I hear you guys are doing good things. How's it going?' I said, 'It's going pretty cool.' He goes, 'Man, you guys should have called me when you got a new singer [back in 1999].' And I guess that kind of popped up in the back of my head when we knew we were gonna make a change. And we immediately got in touch with Tony."

Asked if SKID ROW is working with Harnell on a "trial" basis or if Tony is "the guy" for the long haul, Rachel said: "He's the guy. I mean, that's where we're at in our heads. It's not a temporary thing. But, you know… [laughs] if get gets sick of us and leaves, then that'll be a different situation. But things are going really well now. And we're very excited. We're very excited about our future, very excited about getting on the road."

With the title and release date just announced for SLAYER's "Repentless", due out September 11 (Nuclear Blast), today the thrash icons announce their heaviest release ever - literally — "Repentless", Metal Eagle Edition. Made of aluminum alloy, measuring 15" x 17" x 3" and weighing in at a hefty seven pounds, the Metal Eagle Edition will house a deluxe digipak of the new "Repentless" CD plus exclusive bonus content to be detailed soon. The limited (only 3000 copies worldwide) and numbered Metal Eagle Edition will be a direct-to-consumer item and available exclusively via the Nuclear Blast mail-order online stores.

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.

"Repentless" also includes "Piano Wire", an unfinished song from the "World Painted Blood" sessions written by Hanneman. About the track, Rolling Stone wrote that it "begins with an eerie guitar line before evolving into a full-on-doom (and classic SLAYER) riff onslaught." King put it this way: "When I hear it, I think 'Jeff.' It sounds like a Jeff Hanneman song."

The 12-track "Repentless" is, according to those who have heard it, a sonic assault of brutal, ominous, lightening-fast and heavy-as-hell music with lyrics that unmask what SLAYER knows best — the terror, the corruption and the societal turmoil that dominates our world.

"The new album sounds like SLAYER," said Araya. "In the past, our fans have always known what to expect, this time they don't. But we really like it, and I don't think the fans are going to be disappointed."

As is expected from SLAYER, the band will support the release of "Repentless" with extensive touring across the globe, beginning this summer when the band headlines the Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival. That tour kicks off June 26 at Sleep Train Amphitheater in San Diego, California.

Kataklysm will release Of Ghosts And Gods on July 31st worldwide via Nuclear Blast. With the completion of their twelfth studio album, the band is prepared to unleash an aural assault of the best kind among the masses.

Today, the band release the first song from this upcoming masterpiece, “Thy Serpents Tongue”, streaming below.

Mastermind Maurizio states: “The time has come once again, Kataklysm on our 12th studio album and still going strong , we are very proud of this record, it holds the best elements of the bands career and a completely new vibe and fresh outlook on death metal in 2015, "Thy Serpents Tongue” is the first taste, a sinister dark and groove but melodic track that when it bites you, the  poison will take you in and make you travel to the other side, horns up!”

“Thy Serpents Tongue” will be available this Friday as digital single.

Of Ghosts And Gods will be the first death metal album to release a concept video for each song. The band will premier a new video every day, from July 22nd to July 31st. Stay tuned for further details.

 

 

Guitarist J- F Dagenais tracked drums, guitars and bass for the album, while vocals were recorded by producer Mark Lewis (Whitechapel, DevilDriver, Cannibal Corpse). The entire process was mixed and mastered in the UK by legendary producer Andy Sneap (Megadeth, Testament, Exodus, Amon Amarth).

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

Of Ghosts And Gods track listing:

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

Preview:

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

 

 

Kataklysm vocalist Maurizio Iacono is teasing that the band is planning on releasing their own special "brew" later this year.

Iacono posted the following on his Facebook page: “Something else is ‘brewing’ in the Kataklysm camp and it’s got 7% alcohol content.. Taking the world by storm this year #‎onfire”

In other foodie news, Kataklysm recently announced the release of the new Kataklysm hot sauces, Ghost Fire and God’s Fury.

Mastermind Maurizio states: “What better way to celebrate a great new album with the release of Kataklysm’s own Hot Sauce! We believe that a beer in your hand, metal music for your listening pleasure and a bottle of hot sauce in your pocket to spice up any meal go hand in hand in the metal world.”

To commemorate the release of the band’s new album, Of Ghosts And Gods this summer, Kataklysm will release two powerful hot sauces, Ghost Fire made with ghost peppers to bring the extreme heat, and God’s Fury - a more milder but hard hitting sauce made with garlic and habanero peppers.

These hot sauces will be made available in limited quantities with the new album pre-order on the bands official website and will be available at concerts worldwide.

On September 25th, 2014, shortly after the release of their World On Fire album, Slash with Myles Kennedy & The Conspirators took the stage at the legendary Roxy Theatre on Sunset Strip in West Hollywood.
 
The atmospheric venue, steeped in rock history, gave fans a brilliant opportunity to experience the band up close as they delivered a set packed with more recent solo tracks, including several from the new album, and classics from Slash's earlier career with Guns n' Roses and Velvet Revolver. The intimate setting inspired the band to deliver a scintillating, dynamic performance, due for release on June 16th on 2CD, DVD and Blu-Ray, and on June 30th on 3LP set via the UK Europe. Watch “World On Fire” from the upcoming release below.  

Tracklisting:

“Ghost”
“Nightrain”
“Back From Cali”
“You Could Be Mine”
“Rocket Queen”
“Bent To Fly”
“Starlight”
“You're A Lie”
“World On Fire”
“Anastasia”
“Sweet Child O' Mine”
“Slither”
“Paradise City”
 
Bonus tracks:

“Stone Blind”
“You’re Crazy”
“Wicked Stone”  
“30 Years To Life”

“World On Fire”:

“Nightrain”:

 
“Bent To Fly”:

 



 



 

 

The creators of cinematic metal are finally back with their most outstanding record: Prometheus, Symphonia Ignis Divinus, which is set to be released on June 19th (Europe), June 22nd (UK), June 30th (North America) via Nuclear Blast Records. An excerpt of the track “King Solomon And The 72 Names Of God” can be found streaming below.

The band recently released the second single of the new opus, “Prometheus” (featuring Ralf Scheepers of Primal Fear as part of the choir). A lyric video can be seen below.

Mastermind Luca comments: “With my band I like to dedicate a few songs to well-known myths and legends in every album. But what I really like is to take these subjects and “dig” into them revealing new interpretations often related with deeper spiritual meanings. So I surely start from the tale of Prometheus everybody knows, but soon transposing it in a timeless dimension where the Ignis Divinus, the divine fire given by him to the men, represents nothing else than a quantum gate revealed to a mortal soul on its journey to the immortal cosmic truth.”

“The love for the cinema and the movie soundtracks is something clear and evident in each song of the album. The epic, cinematic impact of the music is something flowing in my blood and carved in my genetics”, commented Luca Turilli.

The album was composed and produced once again by Luca Turilli, responsible as always of all the orchestral and choral arrangements. It was recorded and mixed at the Backyard Studios of Sebastian Roeder (Bonfire a.o.) and mastered by Christoph Stickel (Michael Schenker’s Temple Of Rock) at MSM studios.

Seven months of composition, three months of production, over 50 days of mix, two choirs, several special guests, including Ralf Scheepers (Primal Fear), Dan Lucas (Karo) and David Readman (Pink Cream 69). Including 70 minutes of epic music, sounding cinematic, bombastic and dramatic as never before, the new Rhapsody masterwork will lead the listener to an emotional and memorable journey between quantum gates, parallel dimensions, myths and legends hiding cosmic truths, ancestral secrets and spiritual revelations.

And this time it was not enough for the band to simply sound cinematic. It came the time for Rhapsody to finally “look” cinematic too. Therefore, the new cover artwork and the album booklet, introducing the new cinematic graphic style of the band, were realized by the well-known amazing artist named Stefan “Heile” Heilemann (Epica, Lindemann).

 

 

Prometheus, Symphonia Ignis Divinus tracklisting:

“Nova Genesis (Ad Splendorem Angeli Triumphantis)”
“Il Cigno Nero”
“Rosenkreuz (The Rose And The Cross)”
“Anahata”
“Il Tempo Degli Dei”
“One Ring To Rule Them All”
“Notturno”
“Prometheus”
“King Solomon And The 72 Names Of God”
“Yggdrasil”
“Of Michael The Archangel And Lucifer’s Fall Part II: Codex Nemesis”
I.  “Codex Nemesis Alpha Omega”
II.  “Symphonia Ignis Divinus (The Quantum Gate Revealed)”
III.  “The Astral Convergence”  
IV.  “The Divine Fire Of The Archangel”
V.  “Of Psyche And Archetypes (System Overloaded)”

Digipak Bonus:

“Thundersteel” (cinematic Version)

 

 

The digipak version of the album will include the cinematic version of “Thundersteel”, the famous song from Riot, performed by the Rhapsody singer Alessandro Conti in duet with Ralf Scheepers.

Pre-order your copy here.

“Rosenkreuz (The Rose And The Cross)” lyric video:

Album trailer:

Florida-based Saigon Kick performed at The Social in Orlando on May 30th. Founding members Matt Kramer (vocals) and Jason Bieler (guitars) were backed by Jonathan Mover (drums) and Jason Rosner (bass), who replaced the recently departed Phil Varone and Chris McLernon respectively. Fan-filmed video from the show can be viewed below:

Varone issued the following statement upon his departure:

“To all the great Saigon Kick fans, I have officially left Saigon Kick effective immediately. I would like to thank all the fans for coming out to the shows over the last couple of years, it was fun to play for you. I wish nothing but the best to Saigon Kick."

Following the news Varone had left the band, Saigon Kick bassist Chris McLernon has announced via Facebook he is following Varone's lead:

"To the New World Love Clan of Saigon Kick:

I'm leaving my post on stage right. It's been a humbling honor to see you all, and I can't ever express sufficient gratitude for your undying dedication and your love for what we've done. Take care of yourselves, travel safe, and maybe I'll see you down the road."

Watch Saigon Kick's official Facebook page here for updates.

Former HANOI ROCKS frontman Michael Monroe will release his new studio album, "Blackout States", on Friday, October 16 via Spinefarm Records. The 13-track follow-up to 2013's "Horns And Halos" was produced by Chips Kiesbye (HELLACOPTERS, NOMADS) in Gothenburg, Sweden, and mixed by Petri Majuri in Helsinki, Finland. With "Blackout States", Monroe's current touring and recording outfit — comprised of bassist Sami Yaffa (ex-HANOI ROCKS, NEW YORK DOLLS), guitarist Steve Conte (ex-NEW YORK DOLLS, COMPANY OF WOLVES), guitarist Rich Jones (ex-BLACK HALOS, AMEN), and drummer Karl Rockfist (ex-CHELSEA SMILES, DANZIG) — provided strong creative support for a groundbreaking artist whose reputation continues to flourish. Many of rock's most noted performers, including Dave Grohl and Slash, have cited Monroe's unwavering drive and three-decade-plus career as a genuine source of inspiration. Indeed, when Slash headlines the Ice Hall in Helsinki on May 28, Monroe will be the invited "special guest," opening the show in front of thousands of fans; after that, he heads across to London to play the Camden Rocks festival on May 30. This one-off U.K. appearance at Camden Proud will be filmed by videographer/photographer Ville Juurikkala for inclusion in the video for the first single from "Blackout States". As with "Horns And Halos", the new recordings see Monroe both toasting the future and honoring the past, occasionally giving the nod to glam punk pioneers HANOI ROCKS, the group with which he forged his name in the early-to mid-'80s. Says Monroe: "I'm extremely excited about our new album, 'Blackout States'. It has all the ingredients of a perfect rock 'n' roll record: strong melodic songs with great meaningful lyrics that defy all clichés, delivered with a punky, ballsy attitude by a killer band. I highly recommend 'Blackout States' to anyone who's even a little bit interested in what real, authentic, high-energy rock 'n' roll at its best sounds like today." Monroe has a number of festival appearances locked into place for the spring and summer, with further international touring plans to be announced shortly.

THE DEAD DAISIES have spent the last week in Los Angeles intensively rehearsing for their upcoming European tour which will see them perform at the biggest rock festivals in world, as well as a play big run of arena shows with KISS.

The DAISIES were joined in the rehearsal studio by Tommy Clufetos (OZZY OSBOURNE, BLACK SABBATH, ROB ZOMBIE), who will be sitting behind the kit for the tour. Tommy complements an already-super-impressive DAISIES lineup which includes John Corabi (MÖTLEY CRÜE, RATT) on vocals, Richard Fortus on guitar and Dizzy Reed (GUNS N' ROSES) on keyboards, Marco Mendoza (THIN LIZZY, WHITESNAKE) on bass and David Lowy (MINK) on guitar.

While in Los Angeles, THE DEAD DAISIES took time out of their rehearsals to shoot a video for their upcoming single, "Mexico", with the girls at Jumbo's Clown Room, home to L.A.'s rock and roll and pole dancing. The clip, directed by Paul Boyd, who worked with INXS on the "Baby Don't Cry" video, Kylie Minogue on "Confide In Me" and Sting on "Desert Rose", has put THE DEAD DAISIES video together with the help of a crazy clown bartender, some exotic dancers and the police.

THE DEAD DAISIES are a powerful musical collective created by a rotating lineup that features some of the world's best rock musicians. Influenced by '70s and early '80s hard rock, THE DAISIES' sound is soulful and accessible-equal parts THE FACES, BAD COMPANY and FOREIGNER: muscular vocals, bluesy riffs, big choruses, powerful melodies and strong hooks. Whether it was inspired by Elvis or THE BEATLES, LED ZEPPELIN or Jimi Hendrix, it always started with the music, and that's what THE DEAD DAISIES are all about.

Berlin, Germany-based classic rock overlords KADAVAR have completed work on their third album, "Berlin". The CD was recorded over the last four months and will be released on August 21 via Nuclear Blast.

Commented KADAVAR drummer Tiger: "About ten years ago, when we — independently of one another — moved to Berlin, we just wanted to break free from home and do something new. I thought it was comfortable, to blend in and just live from day to day. A lot of very long nights and so many completely different people at one place. Where there are opposites you can always ground yourself.

"We're all different, come from different places but have managed to create something together we all like.

"I think the Berlin lifestyle has influenced our band very much and therefore fits perfectly as the album’s title."