Reactivated Norwegian metal band EXTOL will release its self-titled fifth album on June 25 (one day earlier internationally) via Indie Recordings.

According to a press release, EXTOL's new CD "is a like a complex metallic alloy. The playfulness of the songs and the brutal bonding of genres are transformed into a fusion of atmospheric and harmonic prog rock, merged with the tempered thrash and death metal that EXTOL so uniquely master. This album leads us straight to the core of EXTOL."

Comments EXTOL drummer David Husvik: "'Extol' is the album that was planned all the way, but never materialized. Partly due to changes in the lineup, but also because of the band´s urge to always reach for something new. The album is the recap of 20 years of Extolhistory, both musically and lyrically."

With a long-awaited creative collaboration with Jens Bogren (OPETH, PARADISE LOST, ENSLAVED) and some truly magnificent artwork by Travis Smith (KATATONIA, OPETH, DEATH), EXTOL has managed to create a timeless masterpiece and the vision of the band seems clearer than ever.

Mastermind Ole Børud has returned, and along with Husvik and Peter Espevoll, the trio now constitutes the 2013 lineup of EXTOL.

"Extol" track listing:

01. Betrayal
02. Open The Gates
03. Wastelands
04. A Gift Beyond Human Reach
05. Faltering Moves
06. Behold The Sun
07. Dawn Of Redemption
08. Ministers
09. Extol
10. Unveiling The Obscure

Check out the song "Open The Gates" in the YouTube clip below.

Tom Keifer, best known as the singer/songwriter/guitarist of the Philadelphia-based blues-rock band CINDERELLA, will release his debut solo album, "The Way Life Goes", on April 30 via Merovee Records (through Warner Music Group's Independent Label Group).

Audio samples of all the tracks that are set to appear on the CD can be streamed at TomKeifer.com.

"The Way Life Goes" track listing:

01. Solid Ground
02. A Different Light
03. It's Not Enough
04. Cold Day In Hell
05. Thick And Thin
06. Ask Me Yesterday
07. Fools Paradise
08. The Flower Song
09. Mood Elevator
10. Welcome To My Mind
11. You Showed Me
12. Ain't That A Bitch
13. The Way Life Goes
14. Babylon

The collection of 14 new songs ranges from intimate, organic, acoustic tracks to driving hard rock. It embraces the blues, rock and country roots that have always been present in his unique sound that has generated the sale of over 15 million records worldwide for CINDERELLA. Rolling Stone praised Keifer as "a gritty, bluesy (rocker) with enough genuine swagger to draw comparisons to Mick Jagger."

"This record was a labor of love," Keifer told TriCities.com. "When I started this record, CINDERELLA was in the middle of a lawsuit with Sony Records. This record is not in any way to be taken as me stepping away from CINDERELLA."

"I took a lot of time making this record," he continued. "I made it over 10 years. I wanted to make something I loved. My wife, Savannah (Snow), co-wrote a lot of the songs with me. It was a blessing to me.

"Each song has something to do with life. It's just life, love, love lost, being crazy, going crazy, being lost. The record, there's no change, really, in style. It has the peaks and valleys.

"I've always approached music, played music that I like. I've never chased trends through CINDERELLA and with this album. It reflects what's in me."

"The Flower Song", the album's first single, was serviced to AAA radio stations nationwide on February 4, while "Solid Ground" was serviced to all rock formats on March 11.

Keifer wrote "The Flower Song" with Jim Peterik, formerly of the bands SURVIVOR and the IDES OF MARCH.

"The Way Life Goes" is a raw, introspective look at the roller coaster ride that has been Keifer's life for the past 15 years. From being told that he would never sing again as a result of a partially paralyzed left vocal cord, to the emotional and personal battles that followed, his solo debut is a story of perseverance, a testament to the power of passion and will, when combined with a true love of music.

"It's pretty scary," Keifer said of his vocal paralysis. "I've had six surgeries to deal with the collateral damage. Performing… has been difficult for me because of the vocal issues I've had. I work several hours every day on that. That's a difficult thing for me every day."

Keifer will guest on the nationally syndicated radio show "Rockline" with host Bob Coburn on Wednesday, May 1 at 8:30 p.m. PT / 11:30 p.m. ET. Fans are encouraged to speak with Keifer by calling 1-800-344-ROCK (7625). The show will be streamed on the "Rockline" web site for two weeks beginning the afternoon after the live broadcast.

For more information, visit RocklineRadio.com.

"Dead Messiah", the new video from DENIED, the Swedish metal band featuring vocalist Johan Fahlberg (JADED HEART) and bassist Fredrik Isaksson (formerly of THERION and GRAVE), can be seen below. The song comes off the group's third album, "Let Them Burn", which was released in January via Sliptrick Records. The CD was recorded with producer Fredrik Folkare (UNLEASHED) and was mastered at Dugout Productions. The artwork was created by Alexander Lifbom.

DENIED was formed in Upplands Väsby, Stockholm, Sweden in 2003 by Andreas Carlsson. Devoted to heavy-yet-melodic metal, he wanted to expand his vision beyond a simple dream. The band recorded its first album, "Seven Times Your Sin", in 2005 and supported it with local gigs.

In September 2005, DENIED underwent its first lineup change when bassist Robert Stellmar and drummer Pete Dolls were recruited. The group's second album, "New Army For The Old Revolution", saw the light of day in late 2008.

In 2009, DENIED enlisted longtime friend Fahlberg as their new vocalist and in November of that same year, guitarist Chris Vowden joined the group. In May 2011 the band parted ways with Stellmar and recruited Isaksson.

DENIED has "earned a reputation as a great live act from their performances in various rock clubs in the Stockholm area," according to a press release." Through the years, DENIED has supported such acts as DREAM EVIL, SISTER SIN and ENTOMBED. Their ability to work the crowd and drive them into a frenzy has become a trademark for DENIED."

A two-minute snippet of the song "Lucifer Rising" from Rob Zombie can be streamed using the audio player below. The track comes off his eagerly awaited new album, "Venomous Rat Regeneration Vendor", which will be released on April 23 on Zodiac Swan/T-Boy/Ume. The CD was produced by Bob Marlette, who has previously worked with everyone from BLACK SABBATH and ALICE COOPER to WILSON PHILLIPS and LYNYRD SKYNYRD.

"Venomous Rat Regeneration Vendor" track listing:

01. Teenage Nosferatu Pussy
02. Dead City Radio And The New Gods Of Supertown
03. Revelation Revolution
04. Theme For The Rat Vendor
05. Gong Gang Gong De Do Gong De Laga Raga
06. Rock And Roll (In A Black Hole)
07. Behold! The Pretty Filthy Creatures
08. White Trash Freaks
09. We're An American Band (GRAND FUNK RAILROAD cover)
10. Lucifer Rising
11. The Girl Who Loved The Monsters
12. Trade In Your Guns For A Coffin

Zombie has told Artist Direct in a new interview that "Venomous Rat Regeneration Vendor" could one day make it to the big screen as a Zombie-directed film. The rocker and filmmaker explained, "I think it could. I made it with that in mind. At least in my mind — no one else knows this — I wanted to have a storyline that runs through the record so if someday I wanted to make it into a movie musical like THE WHO's 'Tommy' or 'Quadrophenia', there was a structure to follow. I'm not really talking about what it is because I think it's sort of relevant at this point."

Even if he does make a movie out of the album, it won't be for a while: Zombie's next planned film is "Broad Street Bullies", about the notorious Philadelphia Flyers hockey team of the 1970s. Zombie told The Pulse Of Radio how the film came to him. "Someone came to me who had the rights to the story," he said. "He had gotten the rights from the Flyers and he was a fan of my films. And he saw 'Devil's Rejects', I think it was, and he was like, he said just the feel of the movie and the look of the movie felt so authentically '70s that he thought that — he didn't even know I liked hockey or had any affinity for it, he just took a chance. So it was just a perfect match."

Zombie has finished the script for "Broad Street Bullies" but does not know when production will begin due to his touring commitments.

His latest completed movie, "The Lords Of Salem", is out in limited release.

Zombie and FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH will headline the 2013 Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival, which kicks off on June 29 in San Bernardino, California.

"Lucifer Rising" sample (audio):

San Francisco Bay Area metallers MACHINE HEAD recently began the process of searching for a temporary bassist for this summer's Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival in the U.S.

Commented the band: "Auditions are officially over, and MACHINE HEAD would like to thank each and every person for their YouTube submissions as part of the bass / vocal auditioning process. A lot of hard work and effort went into each and every submission, with many people bravely making them public for the whole world to see and judge both their singing and playing, mostly fairly. It took a lot of brass to do that and we earned an even greater respect for our fans in doing so. There are some incredible musicians out there, fantastic players who unfortunately did not make an attempt to sing, and thus were ineligible, but you should absolutely keep at it! In fact, in the course of these submissions, it looks like many people have earned a lot fans in doing so. Congrats!!

"We will now begin the process of having our top picks come down and jam with us in person, and get a feel for each other, both musically and on a personal level.

"On a final note, many of the men and women who sent in YouTube clips performing, did so with the utmost passion and intensity, but of all the submissions, this man deserves a special mention. He learned and played not only the hardest song of the submission, 'This Is The End', but played it with only ONE HAND. It moved some of us to tears, it took a lot of heart to do this. Cheers, Frank Memolo."

MACHINE HEAD in February parted ways with bassist Adam Duce. The band's guitarist/vocalist Robb Flynn explained in an online posting: "We may have fired Adam on [February 11], but Adam quit MACHINE HEAD well over a decade ago. He just never bothered to tell anyone… but we all knew it."

He added: "Adam hasn't been happy in this band for a long time. But how do you leave? To a guy like Adam, everything is either winning or losing. A stunning victory or the ultimate failure. There was no in between … No matter how unhappy or fed up he got, quitting the band would be seen as 'losing' or a 'failure.' Truth be told, he was sick of it. Sick of touring, sick of recording, sick of practicing, sick of looking at album artwork, sick of being on a team but never getting the ball, sick of yearning for the honeymoon to resume when 20 years deep it never does. Sick of never quite hitting the big time, sick of carving the niche... sick of caring."

"Machine Fucking Head Live", the new live album from MACHINE HEAD, sold 3,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release. It's the band's second live effort; "Hellalive" came out in 2003.

MACHINE HEAD's most recent studio album, "Unto The Locust", sold more than 17,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to land at position No. 22 on The Billboard 200 chart — putting MACHINE HEAD in the Top 25 for the first time in the band's 17-year history.

"Machine Fucking Head Live" was recorded at various tour stops across the globe last year. It features songs from throughout the band's expansive catalog, including crowd favorites like "Imperium", "Aesthetics of Hate", "Locust", "Ten Ton Hammer", "This is the End" and "Halo".

"Machine Fucking Head Live" was mixed and mastered at Trident Studios in Pacheco, California by Juan Urteaga and Robb Flynn.

MACHINE HEAD is currently seeking a new label home following the expiration of the band's contract with longtime record company Roadrunner Records.

Violent Journey Records is releasing the new album from Finnish death/thrash band UNHOPED on May 24th called Nuclear Death. A release party is set to Steelfest Open Air 2013 which is featuring German thrash legends SODOM and DESTRUCTION among others.
Nuclear Death tracklisting:

'Pestilence'
'Modern State Of Sodomy'
'Eternal Infernal'
'Empire Of Lies'
'Nuclear Death'

Check out 'Eternal Infernal' below:

The video for the official Swedish team song for the 2013 World Championships Of Ice Hockey called 'En För Alla För En', performed by THE POODLES together with the Swedish hockey team Tre Kronor, can be viewed below:
'En För Alla För En' is now available at iTunes.

The 2013 Men's World Ice Hockey Championships is the 77th such event hosted by the International Ice Hockey Federation. The championship will take place between sixteen teams from May 3rd to May 19th. Finland and Sweden will host the event with games being played in Helsinki and Stockholm.

React Records has inked a deal with Italian modern metallers NOISEFUL SILENCE and will release the first full length from the band called Shades Of Red in June 2013. The album was recorded, mixed and engineered by Dualized of DysFunction Productions and mastered by Troy Glassner at Spectre Studio in Seattle.
The release date, the tracklist and the new official video of the song 'Spellbound' will be unveiled soon.

For more details visit Facebook.

Lisbon-based symphonic prog metallers FACTORY OF DREAMS - featuring Hugo Flores and Jessica Lehto - have released the first official video clip from their new 12-track album, Some Kind Of Poetic Destruction, due out on May 7th.
Check out the 'Seashore Dreams' video directed by Emil Jonsvik and produced by Hugo Flores below:
According to a press release, the video tells part of the album's storyline: "After a long journey, Kyra sees the seashore ahead. She lays down on the sand, falls deeply asleep and dreams of Earth's invasion and the secrets soon to unfold. Within the dream, Kyra stands inside a strange and eery house close to the seashore. The ocean shows her images of the hidden Star now closing-in on the planet and images of a Metropolis being engulfed by rays of soundwaves. The answer to Earth's fate is being revealed through 'Seashore Dreams'."
Some Kind Of Poetic Destruction features a 12-page book with 12 artworks to depict the full story.

For more details visit Facebook.

On December 31, 1984 Chicago based metal act MASTER signed with US metal label COMBAT (DEATH, POSSESSED) and soon afterwards started recording what should have been the band’s first full length album. Due to inseparable differences over the negotiations with Combat and mainly drummer Schmidt's insecurities, the contract was torn up. The 1985 album recordings were tape-traded in the underground scene, serving as a heavy influence for many (later) important bands from the death, black and thrash metal scene.
Due out on June 10th under the title Unknown Soldier, Vic Records will release the album featuring newly painted cover art by Richard Schouten (ACHROSTICHON, PENTAGRAM, ABOMINATION) and freshly designed booklet and liner notes from Paul Speckmann and rare mid '80’s Master pictures.

Check out a promo video below:

JOHANSSON & SPECKMANN - the pure old school death metal project featuring Rogga Johansson on guitars and bass (PAGANIZER, RIBSPREADER, THE GROTESQUERY) and Paul Speckmann on vocals (MASTER, DEATH STRIKE, ABOMINATION) - have inked a deal with Vic Records. This unique cooperation resulted in 12 pure old school death metal tracks under the album title Sulphur Skies.
The drums and production were by Norwegian drum wizard Brynjar Helgetun (The Grotesquery, Ribspreader).

Due out June 10th, check out a promo video below:
More details will be revealed soon.

German-based metallers METAL INQUISITOR have inked a deal with Massacre Records. According to a press release, "the band's goal is to play music that's influenced by traditional heavy metal, that's why their sound is often referred to as NWOBHM."
In March, the band released the vinyl single 'Trial By Euthanasia' featuring Jess Cox (ex-TYGERS OF PAN TANG) and Brian Ross (SATAN, BLITZKRIEG).

More details about a new studio album from Metal Inquisitor will be revealed soon.

Metal Inquisitor feature:
Blumi - lead guitar
T.P. - guitar
El Rojo - vocals
Havoc - drums
Cliff Bubenheim - bass

For more details visit Metalinquisitor.de.

Spanish TV program Radio 3 has posted 30 minutes of live STRATOVARIUS footage from a studio visit during the band's recently wrapped European tour. Check it out below:

Los conciertos de Radio 3 - StratovariusVer vídeo

• Los conciertos de Radio 3 - Stratovarius

Stratovarius' new Nemesis album was released as a tandard 11-track edition as well as 13-track special edition on February 22nd. The tracklist of the standard edition is as follows:

Abandon'
'Unbreakable'
'Stand My Ground'
'Halcyon Days'
'Fantasy'
'Out Of The Fog'
'Castles In The Air'
'Dragons'
'One Must Fall'
'If The Story Is Over'
'Nemesis'
Check out samples of the first single, 'Unbreakable', and the album's title track below:

The DEVIN TOWNSEND PROJECT recently performed at The Metal Fest 2013 in Santiago, Chile. During the set, the band ripped through the STRAPPING YOUNG LAD track 'Love?'. Check it out below:
It was a move that frontman Devin Townsend, best known as Strapping Young Lad's mastermind, later regretted judging by the message he posted on Twitter after the gig:

“So, just wanted to say: yeah, I played 'Love?' in South America and it was a mistake. I didn’t think it through as I had said I wouldn’t again. I figured it had not been played there before so I’d do it as a ‘cover tune.’ But it just confuses people. It won’t be played again. Thanks for the support – signed: ‘Work in frikkin progress.’ Again, my mistake fully.”

Italian metal band AWAKE FOR DAYS has a released a video for the song ‘Hatred’, taken from their upcoming debut album Magnificent Disorder. The album is due for release in the spring or summer.

Check out the video below:

Awake for Days offers a modern kind of music, a mix of melodies and clean vocals alternated to the heaviest rhythms and screams.

For more info visit Facebook.

Svart Records has confirmed June 7th as the international release date for DARK BUDDHA RISING's Dakhmandal. Due to the nature of the work, the oppressive and circular Dakhmandal will be released primarily as a triple 12" EP, but will also be available on CD and digital download.
Drenched in deep mystery, Dark Buddha Rising are a Finnish occult psychedelic drone-doom metal group with no biographical information available. Described by Roadburn Festival as "sprawling dirge of doom metal and myriad cryptic incantations luring the listener into a trance of doom-induced sensory depravation," the band have released three self-financed full-length albums (Ritual IX, Entheomorphosis, Abyssolute Transfinite) on vinyl only.

The time has come for the fourth Dark Buddha Rising opus, Dakhmandal, for which the band chose to employ the services of the eclectic Finnish label Svart Records
Dakhmandal tracklisting:

'D'
'K'
'H'
'M'
'N'
'L'

More on Dark Buddha Rising at this location.

Chicagoland-based melodic death metal band STARKILL will release their debut album, Fires Of Life, on April 29th in Europe and April 30th in North America via Century Media. Check out a new album trailer below:
The album artwork was done by renowned metal artist, Joshua Belanger, in which he properly portrayed the epic musical styling of the band.

Fires Of Life tracklisting:

'Whispers Of Heresy'
'Fires Of Life'
'Sword, Spear, Blood, Fire'
'Below The Darkest Depths'
'Immortal Hunt'
'New Infernal Rebirth'
'Strength In The Shadow'
'This Is Battle; This Is Our Day'
'Withdrawn From All Humanity'
'Wash Away The Blood With Rain'

The track 'Whispers Of Heresy' is streaming below:
The band's video for 'New Infernal Rebirth' can be seen below:
Another video, for the track 'Fires Of Life', filmed mainly in the studio (but also featuring candid clips of Starkill), can be seen below:
Listen to the track 'Sword, Spear, Blood, Fire' below:
Starkill was formed at the tail end of 2008 by Parker Jameson, Spencer Weidner and Charlie Federici. The band makes no qualms about wearing their influences on their sleeves. They combine what they love - melodic death metal, shredding guitars, blasting drum beats and the epic sounds of modern film scores - and make some of the most promising metal music heard this side of the Atlantic in years.
Starkill lineup:

Parker Jameson: Lead guitar, vocals, keyboards and orchestral programming
Spencer Weidner: Drums
Charlie Federici: Guitar

More on Starkill at this location.

Finland's THE 69 EYES have released the exclusive iTunes single, 'Rosary Blue', featuring L.A. Ink/ex-Miami Ink tattoo artist KAT VON D.
'Rosary Blue' was recording during the studio sessions for the band's most recent album, X, and can be purchased here.

More about this recording session can be seen on the documentary DVD which comes along with the digipak version of X. Check out the documentary trailer on 'Rosary Blue' below:
Commented lead singer Jyrki69: "Kat Von D is a bona fide renaissance woman. I wasn't surprised when she mentioned me some time ago that she's going to spread her wings over music. Strangely enough we happened to have a suitable soung for a female duet ready at the same time, so it was completely natural to ask her to join in. Kat boldly flew over to Stockholm to Anders Bagge's studios to lay down her sweet vocals last spring and the result is pure magic!"

San Francisco-based doom rockers ORCHID have released another video trailer, this time featuring bass player Keith Nickel talking about his musical influences and it's effect on the upcoming album, The Mouths Of Madness, scheduled for a April 26th release via Nuclear Blast. Watch below:
In another trailer, below, guitarist Mark Thomas Baker talks about his musical influences and their effect on the upcoming album:
The Mouths Of Madness tracklisting:

'Mouths Of Madness'
'Marching Dogs Of War'
'Silent One'
'Nomad'
'Mountains Of Steel'
'Leaving It All Behind'
'Loving Hand Of God'
'Wizard Of War'
'See You On The Other Side'
Orchid previously released the title track from The Mouths Of Madness. Check out the viral video below:
A lyric video for 'Wizard Of War' can be seen below:
WITCHCRAFT and Orchid will embark on a tour together this month. Dates include:

April
26 - Lichtenfels, Germany - Paunchy Cats
27 - Berlin, Germany - Desertfest
28 - Warschau, Poland - tbc
29 - Krakau, Poland - Lizard King
30 - Wien, Austria - Szene

May
1 - Darmstadt, Germany - Steinbruch Theater
2 - München, Germany - Backstage Halle
3 - Siegen, Germany - Vortex
4 - Paris, France - Trabendo
6 - Tilburg, Netherlands - O13
7 - Aarau, Switzerland - Kiff
9 - Barcelona, Spain - Razzmatazz 3
10 - Madrid Spain - El Sol
11 - San Sebastian Spain - C.C. Intxaurrondo
12 - Toulouse, France - Le Saint des Sains
13 - Milano, Italy - Lo Fi Club
14 - Rome, Italy - Traffic Live Club
15 - Bologna, Italy - Freak Out Club
16 - Dornbirn, Austria - Schlachthaus
17 - Stuttgart, Germany - Universum
18 - Hamburg, Germany - Markthalle
19 - Gelsenkirchen, Germany - Rock Hard Festival (Orchid only)

Canadian epic folk metallers NORDHEIM announce their second album Refill will be released by Maple Metal Records on May 1st in North America, and May 13th worldwide.

The artwork was created by Nicolas Francoeur of Vorace Art, as was their 2010 debut album Lost In The North. Refill was recorded at Badass Studio, Montreal, QC, Canada in the winter of 2012/13 and produced by Jef Fortin (NEURAXIS, AUGURY, BLACKGUARD, UNEXPECT, KÄLTER).

Norway’s TROLLFEST, who are on the Paganfest America IV Tour, have a guest vocal performance on the track ‘Get Drunk or Die Tryin’. The trailer can be viewed below:



The Refill tracklisting is:

'OV Frost and Ice'
'Mask of the Banned One'
'Get Drunk or Die Tryin’'
'Watch the Raven Die'
'Under a Crying Storm'
'The Grief'
'Winter’s Dawn'
'As Shadows Pass By'
'Soulblood'

‘Soulblood’ off the album Refill is streaming below:

Nordheim will be touring Quebec and Ontario this summer in support of their new album, but the details of which have yet to be announced.

Nordheim is:
Warraxe – lead vocals and guitars
Fred - lead guitars
BenFok - bass and vocals
Thom - keyboards
Lukas – drums (Kälter)

For more info on Nordheim visit here.

LEADING THE BETRAYED - featuring THE AGONIST guitarist Pascal "Paco" Jobin - have checked in with the following update:

"We have been working with a singer, and we can't wait to release the track 'Eradicate' as the first one!

Paco is out on tour with The Agonist at the moment. But, when he gets back we will be working on releasing it asap, along with trying to get our EP done and out before the end of summer.

This track 'In The Dark' will definitely be on there..."
Audio samples of some new material are currently available for streaming here.

OF EARTH, the band fronted by UFO, SPREAD EAGLE bassist Rob De Luca has uploaded the title track off their sophomore Lovember Records album, The Monarch, which is due later this year. Listen to 'The Monarch' via the player below:



The first single from The Monarch, entitled ‘Prototype’, is out now and available for free on CD Baby. Head to this location to download the track. A video for the song can be seen below:
Of Earth is performing live April 20th at Spike Hill in Brooklyn, NY.

Esoteric Recordings has announced the latest release on new front-line label, Esoteric Antenna, dedicated to new releases by both new acts and established artists. LIFESIGNS's eponymous release has the hallmarks of being one of the finest progressive rock albums of 2013. Making the album even more impressive is the guest appearances from such respected figures in progressive music as STEVE HACKETT, Thijs Van Leer (FOCUS), Jakko Jakszyk (KING CRIMSON), and Robin Boult (JOHN YOUNG BAND).
Lifesigns features John Young (keyboards, lead vocals), Nick Beggs (bassist, Chapman Stick player, backing vocals) and Frosty Beedle (drums). The material reflects the excellence of the musicians who perform on the album. John Young is a classically trained composer, keyboardist and vocalist, who has worked with the likes of ASIA, STRAWBS, GREENSLADE, FISH, ULI JON ROTH and his own John Young Band. He also tours with BONNIE TYLER. Bassist/Stick player Nick Beggs was the founding member of 80s group KAJAGOOGOO and has worked with artists like ALPHAVILLE, BELINDA CARLISLE, JOHN PAUL JONES, GARY NUMAN, Steve Hackett, STEVE HOWE, TINA TURNER and many others. He is currently on tour with STEVEN WILSON. Drummer Frosty Beedle has worked with the likes of the CUTTING CREW, SARAH BRIGHTMAN, RUSSELL WATSON and ZUCCHERO.

Working with engineer Steve Rispin (Asia, URIAH HEEP, DAVE KILMINSTER, SHAKECHARMER), Lifesigns is a tuneful, innovative and hugely impressive debut album certain to appeal to those who appreciate the finer aspects of modern progressive rock.
Tracklisting:

'Lighthouse'
'Telephone'
'Fridge Full Of Stars'
'At The End Of The World'
'Carousel'

Purchase the CD here. More on Lifesigns at this location.

German dark metal quintet AGATHODAIMON entered Kohlekeller Studios in February with producer Kristian "Kohle" Kohlmannslehner to begin recording its new album, "In Darkness", for a June 28 release via Massacre Records. The follow-up to 2009's "Phoenix" will feature cover artwork by Hicham Haddaji of Strychneen Studio.

Commented AGATHODAIMON guitarist and vocalist Sathonys: "We're sure 'In Darkness' has a lot of killer songs, and we did step into the right direction — though it's also a step backwards. Back to the roots, to be clear.

"We collectively felt that 'Phoenix' reached a point that's as far as we can go, without denying our roots. So we summoned the spirit of the old times (of course without trying to pretend it's 1995).

"We've put focus on the atmosphere and got rid of elements which did not fit to our vision.

"To summarize, I'd say it's less technical, but more dense, coming rather from the heart than our heads. This sounds strange maybe, but you'll get it once you'll hear the first songs.

"Speaking of new songs, 'In Darkness' also features 'old' material, back from when our Romanian vocalist Vlad was still around. But don't worry, it's a history lesson that won't sound outdated. Actually, there's a re-recording of 'Dusk Of An Infinite Shade', something we actually worked on many years ago, but back then skipped the idea because it didn't seem to match with the other material. It simply did not sound right. But now, it turned out that it was a great preparation to get in the mood and to set the sails to embark on a journey... 'In Darkness'."

Finnish metallers DEAD SHAPE FIGURE will release their third album, "Opus Victoria", at the end of April. The CD was recorded and mixed last summer at D-Studios by Jarno Hänninen and was produced by Alexandre Locher (also known as Xytras or Xy) of Swiss industrial black metallers SAMAEL.

Commented DEAD SHAPE FIGURE guitarist Juhani Flinck: "'Opus Victoria' is presenting a new and more mature sound of DEAD SHAPE FIGURE. As cheesy as it may sound, categorizing this album is impossible nor necessary. I think we have succeeded to make an album that is full of timeless and above all, honest music."

For the first time in DEAD SHAPE FIGURE's history, the band decided to use an outside producer on the album. Xy really managed to take the band's ideas to a new level.

At the end of April 2012, Xy flew to Helsinki to work with DEAD SHAPE FIGURE the new album during the pre-production stage. For one whole week, from early morning until midnight, they worked together in DEAD SHAPE FIGURE's rehearsal room. The band states: "Xy got us to understand that a good song doesn't necessarily need thirty six riffs. He really opened our minds!"

"Opus Victoria" will be released in digital format and will be available in all the biggest online stores. In addition, there will be a limited vinyl version.

"The CD version of the album didn't feel that interesting for the band and neither for the record label," says Flinck. "Instead of a physical CD, we will save our listeners' space in their CD stands and spread our music in easier way even for a wider audience. Personally, I wouldn't be suprised if we didn't release any new music on CD format anymore. The vinyl format is still supported."

A hand-numbered vinyl version of the album will be available at a later date.

The "Opus Victoria" release party will be held on May 4 at On The Rocks in Helsinki.

IRON MAIDEN singer Bruce Dickinson has apparently told the Swedish web site Talarforum (Speakers' Forum) during a brand new interview that there are plans for the band to enter the studio to record a new album for a tentative 2014 release.

MAIDEN's 15th studio CD, 2010's "The Final Frontier", featured 10 tracks that had an average running time of seven minutes and 40 seconds, with the shortest song, "The Alchemist", clocking in at four minutes and 29 seconds, and the longest, "When The Wild Wind Blows", lasting ten minutes and 59 seconds.

"The Final Frontier" sold 63,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to enter The Billboard 200 chart at position No. 4.

IRON MAIDEN's previous album, 2006's "A Matter Of Life And Death", opened with 56,000 units to land at No. 9. This was a notable increase from the 40,000 first-week tally registered by its predecessor, 2003's "Dance of Death" (which debuted at No. 18 on The Billboard 200 chart), and that of "Brave New World", which moved 38,000 copies in June 2000 to land at No. 39 on The Billboard 200 chart.

"The Final Frontier" was IRON MAIDEN's fourth U.K. No. 1 album. The band previously topped the chart in 1982 with "The Number of the Beast", in 1988 with "Seventh Son of a Seventh Son" and in 1992 with "Fear of the Dark".

"The Final Frontier" was released in North America on August 17, 2010 via Universal Music Enterprises (UMe). The effort was made available in a unique limited-edition collectors' "Mission Edition" CD case and features access to extra bonus content, including the director's cut of a video for the edited version of the opening song on the album, entitled "Satellite 15... The Final Frontier"; band "Mission Debrief" interview footage; wallpapers; photos; and the exclusive game "Mission II : Rescue & Revenge". MAIDEN also for the first time made the album available as an iTunes LP with bonus content as well as the traditional digital format. There was also a limited-edition double picture disc.

German melodic death metal band BURIAL VAULT has released a lyric video for ‘Catharsis’. The track comes off the band’s second full-length album Incendium, which will be released on May 24th via Apostasy Records.

Check out the video below:

With Incendium, the quintet is about to release more than an ordinary album. Inspired by Ray Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451 the band developed a concept that embodies a metamorphosis of a human in an inconvenient future both on musical as on textual level. This dynamic and diverse album reaches from acoustic passages to eruptions of black metal blast-beats and slow death metal attacks. Inendium was recorded at Soundlodge Studios by Jorg Uken (GOD DETHRONED, DEW-SCENTED, DEFEATED SANITY) and features artwork from Ben Borucki (AGATHODAIMON, SUICIDE SILENCE).

Incendium tracklisting:

Chapter I:
'The Stench Of Burning Thoughts'
'A Blind Follower And A Watchful Hound'
Chapter II:
'Soil & Green'
'Peculiar'
'The Nightly Horror'
'Prelude To Peripety'
'Fatal Accident'
Chapter III:
'Struggling Doubt'
'Moment Of Truth'
'Awareness'
Chapter IV:
'Surveillance Web'
'Catharsis'
'Black Into White'

For more info visit Facebook.

STAR & DAGGER - blues-rock/metal group made up of good friends Sean Yseult (WHITE ZOMBIE), Dava She Wolf (CYCLE SLUTS FROM HELL), Dave Catching (EAGLES OF DEATH METAL), Gene Trautmann (QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE), and the sublime vocalist Von Hesseling - have released a video,for the Tomorrowland Blues album track, 'Your Mother Was A Grifter'. Check it out below:
The band's debut full-length album, Tomorrowland Blues, was recorded at Rancho de la Luna, produced by Ethan Allen and Dave Catching, and mastered by J. Yuenger (White Zombie). The album will be released via Cauldron 333, distributed by MRI, on July 23rd.
Star & Dagger was formed with auspicious beginnings: Sean and Dava were drinking late one night with the legendary Lenny Kaye (noted rock journalist and founder member of the PATTI SMITH GROUP) and he declared: "You two must start a band, I see it!" They took his word and set to it.

The band layers dense guitars onto a heavy groove, strung together by Von's towering vocals, which have the soul and presence of TINA TURNER crossed with CHERIE CURRIE. The band has recently attracted much attention, selling out their first show in LA and opening for HIGH ON FIRE, HELMET, Eagles Of Death Metal, DOWN and SAINT VITUS. They performed at the 2012 Voodoo Fest and have plans for shows on the West Coast and the UK for spring 2013. Star & Dagger's first recording emerged a few months ago, a 12" vinyl, titled In My Blood.
More on Star & Dagger at this location.

Montreal alternative metallers SLAVES ON DOPE will release "Covers EP Vol. 1" on April 23.

The track listing for the effort is as follows:

01. Working For The Weekend (LOVERBOY cover)
02. Mama (GENESIS cover)
03. Digging The Grave (FAITH NO MORE cover)
04. Sexual Healing (MARVIN GAYE cover)
05. When I'm With You (SHERIFF cover)

SLAVES ON DOPE's cover of GENESIS' "Mama" can be streamed using the SoundCloud widget below.

SLAVES ON DOPE's latest album, "Over The Influence", was released in February 2012 via THC: Music/Rocket Science Ventures. The CD was produced and mixed by Kevin Jardine, features a guest appearance by Jonathan Cabana, lead singer of Quebec deathcore band BLIND WITNESS, on the track "Dear Enemies".
SLAVES ON DOPE's digital-only EP, "Careless Coma", came out on November 1, 2011. The effort featured three new studio tracks, as well as remixes and a radio edit of the title cut.

SLAVES ON DOPE's "Inches from the Mainline" album was released through Ozzy Osbourne's now-defunct Divine Recordings label. After Divine Recordings lost its distribution deal with EMI's Priority Records, the band was left without a label. After a long search, a deal was struck with Bieler Bros. Records. SLAVES ON DOPE's second major album, "Metafour", was released in 2003.

In March 2004, SLAVES ON DOPE announced it was going on hiatus due to Jason Rockman leaving the band. The group officially reformed in 2009.