The collaboration between Within Temptation and Q-Music gets a new episode: after the successful broadcast of several covers, which Within Temptation arranged and performed for the radio station by the end of 2012, the band will now release a selection of these covers on an album titled ‘The Q-Music Sessions’ on the 19th of April in the Netherlands and Belgium.

In the run up to the 15th anniversary of Within Temptation in the sold-out Sportpaleis in Antwerp, the band was asked by Q-Music to choose and perform an existing track in a ‘Within Temptation-fashion’ on a weekly basis. The band accepted this challenge enthusiastically that resulted in reworks of hits by David Guetta, Passenger, Lana Del Rey and Bruno Mars amongst others. The feedback on these covers by the fans and listeners of Q-Music was extremely positive, which made the band decide to release a selection of the covers on an album.

Front-lady Sharon Den Adel: “Our approach was to really make the cover a new Within Temptation song. So not going the easy way by using only a piano or an acoustic guitar for example, but really trying to put all the elements of a Within Temptation track in this new version. It was quite a challenge because we had only one week to get it right, while recording an original Within Temptation song can sometimes takes up half a year! But this pressure also gave us an creative boost and it was very rewarding to get it done in time each week. Also, we learned a lot from the in-depth analysis we needed to make on these hits, written by others, in combination with implementing our own sound and style in each new cover. We are glad that we’ve taken up this challenge and are very proud of the result.’’

At this moment, Within Temptation is working on their upcoming studio album that is due in the last quarter of 2013. In January 2014, the band will embark on a worldwide tour, with tickets for shows in the United Kingdom, France and Germany already on sale.

More information on The Q-Music Sessions, the tour as well as the upcoming album: www.within-temptation.com



Album: The Q-music Sessions
Artiest: Within Temptation

1. GRENADE (Originally by Bruno Mars)
2. TITANIUM (Originally by David Guetta ft. Sia)
3. LET HER GO (Originally by Passenger)
4. SUMMERTIME SADNESS (Originally by Lana Del Rey)
5. RADIOACTIVE (Originally by Imagine Dragons’
6. CRAZY (ORIGINALLY BY GNARLS BARKLEY)
7. DIRTY DANCER (Originally by Enrique Iglesias)
8. DON’T YOU WORRY CHILD (Originally by Swedish House Maffia)
9. BEHIND BLUE EYES (Originally by The Who)
10. THE POWER OF LOVE (Originally by Frankie Goes To Hollywood)
11. APOLOGIZE (Originally by One Republic)

The new lineup of reactivated British extreme metal legends CARCASS just completed a three-night residency at the Underworld in London, dubbed "Undertaking The Underworld". Fan-filmed video footage of last night's concert can be seen below. Joining guitarist Bill Steer and bassist/vocalist Jeff Walker at the gigs were new drummer Dan Wilding (ABORTED, TRIGGER THE BLOODSHED) and guitarist Ben Ash (PIG IRON, DESOLATION, LIQUEFIED SKELETON).

CARCASS recently recruited Andy Sneap (MEGADETH, ACCEPT, EXODUS, ARCH ENEMY) to mix their comeback album, "Surgical Steel", after the CD's producer, Colin Richardson (FEAR FACTORY, MACHINE HEAD, NAPALM DEATH, SLIPKNOT, BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE), quit the project two weeks into the mixing process. During this past Monday's night's concert, Walker claimed that Richardson walked away from the mix in order to work on the new TRIVIUM album.

CARCASS' first studio LP in 17 years, "Surgical Steel" is currently being mixed by Andy Sneap (MEGADETH, EXODUS, TESTAMENT, KILLSWITCH ENGAGE) for a late 2013 release via an as-yet-undetermined record label. The band's first studio outing since 1996's "Swansong" will feature guest vocals from original sticksman Ken Owen.

In a brand new interview with Chile's Radio Futuro, Walker stated about the new CARCASS CD: "We think we've made a good album, so it's gonna be very interesting when people get to hear the record. We can't wait to see what people think."

He continued: "It sounds like CARCASS. Even the drumming sounds like CARCASS. Everything about it… I think it's gonna shock people, how good it is. I think it's got all the elements that people like, yet it still sounds fresh. So that's all I can say, really, 'cause we don't really sound like any other band, and the fact that after 17 years, we wrote music and it still sounds like CARCASS, I think it's good."

Regarding how the material for the new CARCASS album came together, the band's guitarist, Bill Steer, told U.K.'s Terrorizer magazine: "I found myself playing riffs that sounded like CARCASS. This was after the band had finished the whole reunion cycle of shows and festivals. So, officially, I would have been playing with other bands and stuff, but for some reason whenever I picked up a guitar at home I was coming up with riffs that sounded like CARCASS. I got on the phone to Jeff and said, 'We could have a crack at writing a couple of tunes and seeing if they're strong enough and take it from there.' We also agreed if it didn't sound like carcass or have that kind of vibe to it, we would just drop it. So that was the thing, we got together and started working on some stuff and just immediately got the excitement back very quickly."

Added Bill: "It definitely sounds like CARCASS. I think we just generally by accident captured the flavor of past music that we have done and you can't help but push it forward. We have really been creative and when you are looking at things like guitar harmonies, it's way more adventurous on this record. It's not just parallel harmony like we did in the past, things branch off in different directions.

"A lot of what is happening now is based on rhythms rather than actual riffs. We were discussing this a lot during record sessions about how the riff is almost dying or dead already. People spend a lot of time chugging on the bottom string [but] that's a rhythm, it's not a riff. We can't write a song, never mind an album, without it being chock-full of riffs."

Stated Jeff Walker: "I'd like to feel like we are giving CARCASS fans what they want again. I'm a realist and I think Bill has realized and Dan know what people like about CARCASS. We're definitely delivering."

Guitarist Michael Amott and drummer Daniel Erlandsson, who have been touring with CARCASS since the band's reunion was announced in 2007, are no longer involved with the group due to scheduling conflicts with their main band, ARCH ENEMY.

European female-fronted metallers FACE OFF are streaming the new track 'War Against War' from their debut album The Colour Of Rain, which was released on February 14th worldwide, via the Canadian Label Maple Metal Records.
'War Against War' is streaming online below:

Another song, the title track from ‘The Colour of Rain’ is streaming below:

Face Off will be touring Europe, and making European Festival appearances this Summer and Fall in support of their new album.

Current Face Off lineup:
Marija Kovacevic - vocals
Stefan Vitasovic - guitars
Aleksandar Djordjic - guitars
Stanislav Stanojevic - bass
Zoltan Simon - drums

More on the band at this location.

METALLICA guitarist Kirk Hammett joined ANTHRAX on stage last night (Thursday, March 28) at the Regency Ballroom in San Francisco, California to perform a cover version of the AC/DC classic "TNT". Fan-filmed video footage of his appearance can be seen below.

Speaking to Music Radar, ANTHRAX drummer Charlie Benante stated about the band's decision to cover "TNT" on its newly released "Anthems" EP: "This was Joey's [Belladonna, vocals] track. We already had 'Whole Lotta Rosie' recorded, but he wanted 'TNT'. I can see why: his voice totally lends itself to this track.

"AC/DC is probably one of the greatest bands ever. The came in with a certain sound, and they'll end with that same exact sound. They never altered it; they just stayed true to what they were. To me, that's an honest-to-goodness rock 'n' roll band.

"It would have been obvious to pick something off of 'Highway To Hell' or 'Back In Black', and so we didn't. [laughs] I studied every Phil Rudd lick, and I did not go overboard with anything. I played exactly what he played on 'TNT'. You can't do a fast drum fill on the song — it'll stand out as being out of place. I laid it down, pulled it back, and that was that."

Slash joined ANTHRAX on stage Wednesday night in Hollywood, California for the TNT" cover. And then, later in the show, Chuck D came out for "Bring The Noise", the song ANTHRAX and PUBLIC ENEMY recorded together in 1991.

Also in the House Wednesday night were SLAYER's Kerry King, John Tempesta from THE CULT, Justin Chandellor from TOOL, DETHKLOK/"Metalocalpyse"'s Brendon Small and actor/musician Brian Posehn.

The "Metal Alliance Tour", which also features EXODUS, HIGH ON FIRE, MUNICIPAL WASTE and HOLY GRAIL, will stay on the road through late April.

"Anthems", ANTHRAX's long-awaited, eight-track EP that pays tribute to the classic songs by some of the band's favorite acts from the 1970s, sold around 8,500 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 52 on The Billboard 200 chart. The CD was released in North America on March 19 (MRI/Megaforce), and on March 22 in Europe (Nuclear Blast).

ANTHRAX's latest full-length album, "Worship Music", sold 28,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to land at No. 12. The band's previous studio CD, 2003's "We've Come For You All", opened with just under 10,000 units to debut at No. 122.

STONE SOUR has also debuted the official trailer for the "House Of Gold & Bones" comic book series, adapted from the same short story that singer Corey Taylor used as the basis for the group's double concept album of the same name. The first record was released last fall, while "House Of Gold & Bones - Part 2" comes out April 9 — just eight days before the comic book's debut issue arrives on April 17.

The official synopsis for the comic book reads: "Trapped in an alternate reality, the Human must make his way to the House of Gold & Bones as he is chased by a crazed mob and taunted by mysterious ally Allen. What the Human discovers on his journey will be his salvation . . . or his destruction."

Asked whether his story ends happily for his hero, the Human, Taylor told The Pulse Of Radio: "That's up to the person. The way I wrote the short story is that, you know, the Human makes his decision, what is yours? That's kind of why I wrote that character as ambiguous as I did, is because, you know, it's essentially, it's the mirror. It's us. It's every one of us, you know. You've got to figure it out for yourself. He's made its decision — do you have the strength to make yours?"

The second issue of the comic will arrive on May 22, with the publication dates of the third and fourth yet to be determined.

The first single from "House Of Gold & Bones - Part 2", called "Do Me A Favor", was released last month. It follows up the chart-topping single from Part 1, "Absolute Zero". A new track from "House Of Gold & Bones - Part 2", "Gravesend", can be streamed below.

STONE SOUR will head out next month with IN THIS MOMENT on the first-ever "Road To The Golden Gods" tour, which will lead up the fifth annual Revolver Golden Gods Awards on May 2 in Los Angeles. The trek kicks off on April 2 in Portland, Maine, wrapping up in Nashville three weeks later.

HALESTORM singer Lzzy Hale is one of many guests appearing on the self-titled debut album from DEVICE, the new industrial rock act led by DISTURBED frontman David Draiman. Hale, who duets with Draiman on a cover of the Ozzy Osbourne/Lita Ford song "Close My Eyes Forever", told Artisan News: "David Draiman has been such an amazing mentor over the years. I've always felt like a little sister in heavy metal to him. And we had talked about doing that song for years, and we just never had any time to do it. And so I kind of thought that he had forgotten all about it. And then I got a call one day and he was, like, 'I know you're on tour, but can we make this happen?' So I literally flew to New York and got into this tiny, little studio and we did it."

She added: "[David is] an amazing man. Talk about a hard-working band. DISTURBED has been around for so long and really got us into new metal."

DEVICE's version of "Close My Eyes Forever" can be streamed in the YouTube clip below.

Draiman stated about his collaboration with Hale on "Close My Eyes Forever": "It's a song I've wanted to cover for many years, and I'm glad we were able to do it with this project, because it definitely took on its own unique identity and its own unique reformation of the song. Having Lzzy Hale be the guest female vocalist on the track is about as true to form as it could have been. There's nobody better in the music field to be the modern day embodiment of Lita Ford. She has got riot girl in her and she is, in my opinion, one of the best voices, if not the best female voice, in modern rock. And I was very very honored to have her sing. I can only hope that Ozzy and Sharon are as happy with it and proud of it as I am. It's definitely part of an homage to the greatness of who I consider to be one of, if not the, most seminal frontmen of all time, the godfather of heavy metal, and a guy I look up to so much, and to a family that's done so much for me and for DISTURBED over the years. I can only hope that it makes them proud."

He added: "I actually gave [Lzzy] even more to sing than the original version. Initially in the original arrangement they each had their own specific choruses instead of trading off. I gave Lzzy a lot more because I love her voice. I think she's amazing and I just thought it would be a cooler dynamic for my version of the song to incorporate more of the female voice in this version of the cover. I'm really glad it ended up happening the way that it did with the DEVICE project as opposed to with DISTURBED, because it enabled me to go to that place with my voice that really wouldn't have been appropriate on a DISTURBED record.

"I loved doing it, it's that classical delivery and technique and that part of me that harkens back to the early cantorial days. I had tracked all of these songs completely beforehand and I had tracked Lzzy's parts ahead of the time and brought them with me to New York when I tracked her so I had given her a guide the whole way through the song. We did everything very efficiently, very effectively to the extent where one of her label guys came in to take a peek at what was going on and he said, 'Oh, man, you're a real taskmaster, you're making her go take after take.' I'm not pushing her beyond her limits — it's only because she knows where she needs to go and there's no experimentation, it's very easy.

"It was great and Lzzy did make a bunch of the parts her own, different emphasis and slight changes of cadence — and she's very talented. She's bulletproof. I've never seen her have a bad night."

In addition to Hale, the lineup of guests on the DEVICE disc includes AVENGED SEVENFOLD singer M. Shadows, SYSTEM OF A DOWN vocalist Serj Tankian, RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE guitarist Tom Morello, BLACK SABBATH bassist Geezer Butler and ex-DEEP PURPLE bassist/vocalist Glenn Hughes.

The set is due out on April 9, with a first single called "Vilify" arrived at radio stations last month.

Lenardo will not be part of the DEVICE touring band due to previous commitments.

Other members of the live lineup include EVANESCENCE drummer Will Hunt and DOPE guitarist Virus.

The Imaginations Through the Looking Glass DVD has gone gold in Germany! The whole band would like to express their sincerest thanks to the over 25,000 German fans who purchased the DVD and made this achievement possible!

A video of the gold album ceremony and a short interview with Hansi (in German only) can be seen HERE and below is a photo of the band together with the EMI team (photo credit: EMI Music Germany).

The new MILKING THE GOATMACHINE album, Stallzeit, will be released on March 29th via NoiseArt Records. A new video, for the album track 'Only Goat Can Judge Me', can be seen below:
The goatginders from Goateborg previously released a preview clip for the album track, 'Goatpainter'. According to the band, this song is dedicated to a friendly artist, who granted the band and their skin some goatastic hours. Check it out below:
The band previously stated: "The album will be, like all other MTG albums, a concept album. The topics are the experiences that we`ve made on your planet and how we narrate everything to our Goatlord on planet GoatEborg... it's effectively a goat diary! The song 'When A Goat Loves A Woman' for example describes the difficulty when you receive a phone number from an earth-doe and you try to dial the number with hooves on your touchscreen smart phone... Musically we stayed true to ourselves and we grind down everything that we are up against.“
Stallzeit tracklisting:

'Only Goat Can Judge Me'
'Goatriders In The Sky'
'Stallzeit'
'3 Room Shed'
'Goatpainter'
'The Day I Lost My Bell'
'Salt Lick City'
'Milk ´Em All'
'Hornbreaker'
'Whoola Hoove Groove'
'Strawless'
'Look @ These'
'When A Goat Loves A Woman'
'Udder Infection'
'In 10 Years We Are Old School'
'Ace Of Spades' (MOTÖRHEAD cover)

Upcoming tour dates include:

April
5 - Magdeburg, Germany - Factory
6 - Weimar, Germany - Schützengasse
20 - Sulzbach an der Murr, Germany - Belinda
27 - Harderwijk, Netherlands - Estrado

May
11 - Malters, Switzerland - Nothing But Metal Festival
23 - Hünxe, Germany - Extremefest
30-June 6 - Geiselwind, Germany - Beastival

June
29 - Gallio, Vicenza, Italy - Sun Valley Metal Festival

July
27 - Bertingen, Germany - Rock unter den Eichen

August
30-31 - Crispendorf, Germany - Wolfszeit Festival

Eden, MD’s THE GABRIEL CONSTRUCT have posted a stream of their entire debut album, Interior City, which is available below:
Drummer Travis Orbin recently posted videos of his tracking session for Interior City. Check out the two clips below:
The Gabriel Construct is the rock solo project of Maryland composer Gabriel Riccio. Inferior City was recorded and edited by Garrett Davis (TRAIN, SHINEDOWN, THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA) and was mixed and mastered by Taylor Larson (SKY EATS AIRPLANE, LIFE ON REPEAT, PERIPHERY). The album features Travis Orbin on drums as well as Tom Murphy (ex-PERIPHERY) on bass.
The album will be released in digital form on April 5th. It can be pre-ordered at this location, and will also be available on iTunes, Amazon MP3, CD Baby, Spotify, and more on the release day.

Physical copies will follow shortly through CD Baby, Amazon.com, Super D Independent record stores, and more.

The band recently released the tracks ‘Retreat Underground’ and ‘Subway Dwellers’ for streaming. Check them out below:

Bulgaria-based modern thrash/melodeath/power metal band WARTIME have released their new video, for the track 'Palette Of Grey', featured on the band's new album, Solar Messiah. Directed and edited by Denitza Kirilova, Silvia Shuleva and Nikola Koparov, the clip can be seen below:
Solar Messiah tracklisting:

'Dreams Of Pale'
'The Deepest Fear'
'Sanity' (Introduction)
'For One Moment In Time'
'Memories'
'Inner Sight'
'Endless Horizon'
'God's Sun Hours'
'Solar Messiah'
'The Day Of No Return'
'Palette Of Grey'
The video for the album track 'For One Moment In Time' can be seen below:
More on Wartime at this location.

Ottawa-based melodic death thrashers CHARIOTS OF THE GODS have posted video from their recent Quebec/ Ontario tour in promotion of their new album, Tides Of War. The footage can be seen below:
Chariots Of The Gods released Tides Of War on January 29th. The band also released a music video for the title track. Check it out below.
Tides Of War was produced by award winning producer/engineer/mixer Glen Robinson (THE RAMONES, AC/DC, GWAR, ANNIHILATOR, VOIVOD).

‘Tides Of War’ and the previously released single ‘Unbound’ are now available for free streaming at this location.
Tides Of War tracklisting:

'Overture'
'Seventh Weapon'
'Blind Assassin'
'Ambrosian Wings'
'Tides of War'
'Revillusion (1905)'
'Snow Falls On The White River (1914)'
'Severing The Bloodline (1917)'
'Collapse of An Empire'
'Red Skies'
'Nebula'
'Starborn'
'Unbound' (feat. Aleksi Sihvonen)
'Annihilation of The Gods'

More on the band at this location.

Following on from their 2010 sophomore album “Til Alle Heimsens Endar” Norwegian Black-Folk Metallers GALAR have signed with DARK ESSENCE RECORDS for the release of a further two albums. Like its predecessor, the band’s third studio album, which will be titled “De Gjenlevende” (The Bereaved), will be concept album written entirely in Norwegian, and will include notes explaining both the overall concept as well as each individual lyric.

“De Gjenlevende” will consist of six songs, one of which will be an instrumental, which promise to be even longer, and more epic, than GALAR’s previous material. As well as the band’s two core members of M. Kristiansen on screams, guitars and bass and A. B. Lauritzen on clean vocals, bassoon and grand piano, the line up on the album will once again include Phobos (GRAVDAL, AETERNUS, MALSAIN) on drums, and will feature a series of session musicians that include both a string quintet and a horn quartet in keeping with the epic material. Plans are in place to enter the Conclave and Earshot studios in the autumn with producer Bjørnar E. Nilsen (VULTURE INDUSTRIES, BLACK HOLE GENERATOR) at the helm.

Jorge Scholz, the band’s lyricist, explains the idea behind the album: “De Gjenlevende” will be, once again, a thoroughly crafted concept album. Its five contemplative texts tell of the utter dreadfulness that haunts both the human mind and body when the season of winter holds every living thing in its grasp. Winter is the time of utter gloom, enfeeblement and inescapable death, which challenges mankind, beasts and plants equally. Yet, as long as there is life, there is hope and eventually a new era of the Sun will bring to an end the seemingly eternal darkness of winter. With the arrival of spring hope and life will flourish once more. In its portrayal of this cyclical process of transformation, which is as old as the history of mankind itself, “De Gjenlevende” draws its ideas and inspiration from Pan-European folklore, ontology, and elegies”.

More information about GALAR can be found on the band’s website at http://www.galar.no/

Fan-filmed footage of GALAR performing the track “Ingen Siger Vart Vunnin” at the Phantoms of Pilsen Festival in 2012 can be seen below or at http://youtu.be/sETwf9PwNlc

IRON MAIDEN's Maiden England ‘88 is out this week as a CD, DVD and Double Picture LP. An excerpt from The History Of Iron Maiden Part 3, featured on Disc 2 of the DVD, can now be seen at this location (restricted in some territories).
Check out a 12-minute album sampler below:
Now available for the very first time on DVD, this live show was filmed across two sold-out nights at Birmingham N.E.C Arena, UK in November 1988 during the band’s Seventh Son Of A Seventh Son World Tour. Disc one contains the concert which has been specially upgraded and extended from the existing 1989 longform VHS release and now includes three previously unreleased encores: 'Running Free', 'Run To The Hills' and 'Sanctuary' thereby completing the full concert with a total running time of 110 minutes.
Maiden’s own Film Producer and Director Andy Matthews went back to the 1988 edit and painstakingly remastered each shot digitally; colour correcting and grading to give the image the best possible look from that time. As well as the VHS stereo sound track by Martin Birch, the band’s producer between 1981 and 1993, the DVD also includes a brand new 5.1 audio surround mix by Maiden’s current producer Kevin Shirley. The concert was meticulously directed and edited by bass player and founder member Steve Harris, so as to capture the performance from a fans-eye view of the stage, focusing fully on the music, the elaborate stage production and the lighting. Add into the mix an electrifying set list and of course Eddie, and Maiden England now offers a snapshot of a bygone era in which the band, as they continue to do today, devote their all in delivering the ultimate live experience for their fans.
Disc two is an extensive bonus disc featuring an exclusive documentary charting Part 3 in the History of Iron Maiden. This 40-minute film comprises recent interviews with the five band members and manager, Rod Smallwood. Picking up the story in the aftermath of the ‘84/85 World Slavery tour, this interesting and insightful documentary sees the band speak candidly about their memories of an exciting and occasionally turbulent period from which would emerge the albums Somewhere In Time and Seventh Son Of A Seventh Son. As the eighties began to draw to a close, so did another chapter in Maiden’s compelling history.

Other special extras on the bonus disc include Twelve Wasted Years. First released as a longform VHS in 1987 and available for the first time on DVD, this documentary runs for 90 minutes and includes archive interviews and dynamic live footage from the band’s beginnings in the now legendary Ruskin Arms pub, via London’s Marquee club and three World Tours. Five promo videos for the singles from the aforementioned albums are also featured and have been carefully restored and improved upon from the original films using the very latest software with the audio remastered in digital stereo.

Manager Rod Smallwood comments “We've been busy upgrading this concert footage for a long time, with our in-house Film Producer and Director Andy Matthews working tirelessly to weave his magic yet again!. The 1989 VHS video has been largely unavailable for many years and we know how eagerly our fans have been awaiting the new version so we wanted to give it the best possible treatment. The current Maiden England World Tour which continues later this year revisits much of the set list and production from the initial 1989 VHS release so it will be interesting to compare just how much has changed in terms of our 2013 live show production, especially with all the advances in modern technology and the improvements we've been able to make to the set.”
The Maiden England ‘88 concert soundtrack is also available on 2CD album, Limited Edition double vinyl picture disc and Digital Download formats. The audio had previously only ever been available before on CD as part of EMI’s 1994 Sound And Vision Series packaged alongside the VHS, but with two tracks fewer than the video contained. 'Can I Play With Madness' and 'Hallowed Be Thy Name' were not featured as there was no space on the 1CD disc. Now with the three encores also included the double disc offers a total of five tracks previously unavailable on CD making this the first full and complete audio recording release of this historic tour.

Check out the Maiden England '88 trailer below:
Maiden England Disc One:

'Moonchild'
'The Evil That Men Do'
'The Prisoner'
'Still Life'
'Die with Your Boots On'
'Infinite Dreams'
'Killers'
'Can I Play with Madness'
'Heaven Can Wait'
'Wasted Years'
'The Clairvoyant'
'Seventh Son of a Seventh Son'
'The Number of the Beast'
'Hallowed Be Thy Name'
'Iron Maiden'
'Run To The Hills'*
'Running Free'*
'Sanctuary'*

* Previously unreleased

Disc Two: The History Of Iron Maiden Part 3:

The History Of Iron Maiden - Part 3
12 Wasted Years
'Wasted Years' Promo Video
'Stranger In A Strange Land' Promo Video
'Can I Play With Madness' Promo Video
'The Evil That Men Do' Promo Video
'The Clairvoyant' Promo Video

Iron Maiden have uploaded an exclusive Maiden England '88 playlist to Spotify, featuring the following tracks recorded live at Birmingham NEC on November 27th and 28th, 1988:

'Moonchild'
'Infinite Dreams'
'Can I Play With Madness'
'The Clairvoyant'
'Seventh Son Of A Seventh Son'
Check it out at this location.

Peaceville's Burning Shed store is reissuing DARKTHRONE's 2006 album, The Cult is Alive, on black 180gm vinyl on April 15th. After their early foray into the world consciousness with Soulside Journey they delivered the unholy trinity of A Blaze In The Northern Sky, Under A Funeral Moon and Transilvanian Hunger. Censorship and heavy handed political correctness forced the band from Peaceville and they made a succession of albums for the fledgling Moonfog label. Something was always missing from this equation though, and soon the band members yearned to go home and made it clear. The only thing that stood between us was a contract, written in Norwegian and signed in blood. As soon as the band became free they re-signed with Peaceville.
The Cult is Alive tracklisting:

Side A
'The Cult Of Goliath'
'Too Old Too Cold'
'Atomic Coming'
'Graveyard Slut'
'Underdogs and Overlords'

Side B
'Whiskey Funeral'
'De Underjordiske'
'Tyster Pa Gud'
'Shut Up'
'Forebyggende Krig'

For more details visit Burningshed.com.

Phoenix, AZ-based dark metal band PSYCHOBLISS has been hard at work recording a new 7-minute track, titled 'The Escape Of The Dead'. The track is lyrically influenced by the 1917 Edgar Rice Burroughs novel, A Princess Of Mars. It also serves as an introduction to Kevin Sheely, their new lead guitarist.
'The Escape Of The Dead' will be officially released in May on the yet-to-be-named upcoming black metal compilation album put together by Tridroid Records. Tridroid Records is an independent metal label based in St. Paul, Minnesota, and also released a limited cassette run of PsychoBliss' debut EP, Dreams Of Dystopia, last December.

A still-video to accompany the new song can be seen below:
PsychoBliss lineup:

Dan Stollings - Guitars, Secondary Vocals
Kyla Pavelski- Lead Vocals
Kevin Sheely - Lead Guitars

More on the band at this location.

Danish thrash metal band ESSENCE has posted a trailer for their new album, Last Night Of Solace, out tomorrow (March 29th) via NoiseArt Records.
The album was recorded at Abyss Studio with legendary Swedish producer and multi-instrumentalist Peter Tägtgren, and will be available as a limited CD in slipcase including bonus track. Watch the album trailer below:
Essence European dates with HYPOCRISY and HATE include:

March
28 - Essen, Germany - Turock
29 - Namur, Belgium - Cinex
30 - Leeuwarden, Netherlands - Romein
31 - Eindhoven, Netherlands - Effenaar

April
1 - Paris, France - Trabendo
2 - Saint Etienne, France - Le Fil
3 - Geneve, Switzerland - L'Usine
4 - Winterthur, Switzerland - Salzhaus
5 - Stuttgart, Germany - LKA
6 - Leipzig, Germany - Hellraiser
7 - Hamburg, Germany - Markthalle
8 - Berlin, Germany - K17
10 - Krakau, Poland - Kwadrat
11 - Prague, Czech Republic - Nova Chmelnice
12 - Dettelbach, Germany - Metal Franconia Festival
13 - München, Germany - Backstage
14 - Wien, Austria - Szene

MEEK IS MURDER will be celebrating the second year anniversary of their Algorithms release with a half price vinyl sale, all week long at this location.
To further commemorate the occasion they teamed up with TIGER FLOWERS to collectively release a split video featuring the Meek Is Murder track 'Algorithms', and Tiger Flowers track 'The Weight'.
You can watch the split music video below:

US thrashers CONQUEST's new album, The War We Rage, is now available as a special pre-order. The band's sophomore album was produced by Derrick Brumley and engineered by Adam Long, who also worked on their debut album, End Of Days.
The War We Rage will be available worldwide on April 30th via Dark Star Records/Sony Music, but you can buy the album right now as a special pre-release that includes a free bonus CD, the never before released First Blood EP. The album also features a remake of the popular CHARLIE DANIELS song, 'Long Haired Country Boy', which you can hear in this 23-minute streaming sample of the entire album:
A promo video for the special pre-release of The War We Rage can be seen below:
Buy The War We Rage with a free bonus CD at this location.
More on Conquest at this location.

Washington state-based metal quintet INTO THE FLOOD has released a lyric video for their track, 'Your Judgment Is What Condemns You'. The track is taken from their forthcoming album, Vices, due out later this summer, and the lyric video can be seen below:
The band is also competing to be the opening band on this year's Summer Slaughter tour. Head to this location to cast your vote for Into The Flood. The contest will end March 31st, at 11:59 PM. The winner will be announced April 1st, at 12 PM, PST / 3 PM, EST.

Into The Flood will head out on the Till Death Tour. The trek will primarily hit the West Coast, and will also feature LORDS OF WAR and THE WRATH OF VESUVIUS.
Tour dates:

May
4 - Sacramento, CA - The Boardwalk
5 - Sparks, NV - The Alley
6 - Eugene, OR - Black Forest
7 - Portland, OR - Hawthorne Theater
8 - Richland, WA - Ray's Golden Lion
9 - Seattle, WA - Studio Seven
10 - Spokane, WA - The Center
11 - La Grande, OR - Ralph
12 - Boise, ID - The Shredder
13 - Salt Lake City, UT - Ralph
15 - Albuquerque, NM - Gasworks
16 - Phoenix, AZ - Rocky Point
18 - San Diego, CA - SOMA
19 - Las Vegas, NV - Cheyenne Saloon
20 - Hollywood, CA - Whisky A Go-Go

Into The Flood recently released a demo of their new song, 'Sufferer'. The song will be featured on the band's debut album, due out this summer via Century Media.

'Sufferer' can be streamed and is available as a free download at this location.

The band recently released a video for their track 'The Destroyer', which will also be re-recorded for the band's debut album. The video can be seen below:
Into The Flood lineup:

Brendan Wilson - Vocals
Jacob Sacquitne - Guitar
Justin Thacker - Guitar
Anthony Taylor - Bass
Kevin Brady - Drums
More on Into The Flood at this location.

"You rock. We did it," say Canada's HEADSTONES in a new update regarding their forthcoming album, Love & Fury. "Make no mistake. You made this record happen! This whole thing has been about motherfucking rock and roll."

The band has now posted audio snippets of all tracks featured on the new record. Go to this location to check them out.
The tracklist is as follows:

'Change My Ways'
'Long Way To Neverland'
'Final Analysis'
'Far Away From Here'
'Don't Follow The Leader'
'Astronaught'
'Go Back The Other Way'
'SOS' (ABBA cover)
'Bin This Way For Years'
'Outta My League'
'Midnight Of This Life'

"Your pledge has not only helped us kickstart the band and make a killer record, it has now created an opportunity for us to have our music heard around the world! Because you guys got us to make this record, Frostbyte/Universal Music heard it, love it and want to release it worldwide. You folks are responsible for this success, and for that we thank you from the bottom of our blackened little hearts.

Now, in order to make this all work and to ensure the best possible results for you and us, the timing of our release date has changed (yes we know, change is hard). On April 16th, the single, 'Long Way To Neverland' will be made available for digital download. The complete album, both physical and digital, will be released May 14th.

'Long Way To Neverland' is going to Canadian radio stations next week. Please call and request.

Thank you for your understanding and dedication, we could not have done this without you."

After a seven-year hiatus, instrumental neo-fusion supergroup NIACIN - featuring legendary bass guitarist Billy Sheehan (MR. BIG, STEVE VAI, DAVID LEE ROTH), keyboardist John Novello (CHICK COREA, EDGAR WINTER) and world-renowned drummer Dennis Chambers (SANTANA, PARLIAMENT/FUNKADELIC), will release their sixth studio album, Krush, on April 2nd in North America via Prosthetic Records.

Krush was recorded at Clear Lake Studios in North Hollywood with engineer Ara Sarkisian (STEEL PANTHER) while being mixed and mastered by Dino Herrmann (SCORPIONS, GUNS N' ROSES, MEAT LOAF). The album artwork was designed by Brian Ames (KING DIAMOND, ARCH/MATHEOS, KING'S X) and coincides impeccably with the band's kinetic 14-track release.
Krush tracklisting:

'Krush'
'Tone Wheels'
'Stormy Sunday'
'Low Art'
'Car Crash Red'
'Electorcity'
'Cold Fusion'
'Majestic Dance'
'Prelude & Funky Opus'
'The Gnarly Shuffle'
'Drifting'
'Sly Voltage'
'That's The One!'
'Triple Strength'

30-second audio samples of all tracks on the album can be heard below:
You can pre-order a copy of the album now through Prosthetic's web store here. The album's title track is streaming below:
The moniker Niacin — the common name of the vitamin B3 – refers to the integral musical role played by the Hammond B-3 organ in shaping the band’s sound. Inspired by the likes of RETURN TO FOREVER and THE MAHAVISHNU ORCHESTRA, the group released their debut album in 1996 on Stretch, the label of jazz legend Chick Corea (who later wrote and performed on a track on Niacin's second album). With each member already firmly established in their respective genres, the band set out to form a new sound combining their jazz and rock roots, mixed with inspiration from B-3 legends such as BLIND FAITH, KEITH EMERSON, JON LORD, and Ken Hensley (URIAH HEEP). As the buzz spread, the group toured the world periodically over the following decade, during which they released four additional albums featuring such notable guests as Glenn Hughes (DEEP PURPLE, BLACK COUNTRY COMMUNION) and TOTO guitarist Steve Lukather.
For the last several years, the individual members of Niacin have worked steadily on various other projects — Chambers, for example, continues to serve as the musical anchor for Carlos Santana’s ongoing Las Vegas residency — but in 2012, the group reconvened for the first time since 2006 to write and record Krush.

More on Niacin at this location.

Polish extreme metallers BEHEMOTH entered Hertz studio in Bialystok, Poland at the end of February to begin recording their next album for a late 2013 release via Nuclear Blast in Europe and Metal Blade in North America.

A new video message from the studio can be seen below.

Speaking to Metal Storm last December, BEHEMOTH bassist Orion (real name: Tomasz Wróblewski) stated about the band's plans for the new CD: "We have scheduled the studio for the end of February. If everything goes as planned, the album will be done in the summer and we plan on releasing it in the fall of 2013."

He added: "The last recording session — I don't even remember how many studios were involved… Like, six or seven, and lots of sound engineers as well; that's just the way we work. This time we will probably do most of the work in Hertz Studio, but we might do some stuff in other places as well. Plus we are still talking about mixing of the album and that's going to be probably somewhere else other than Poland."

In an interview with Rock N Roll Industries conducted aboard Barge To Hell — the world's most extreme metal cruise — which sailed on December 3, 2012 from Miami, Florida to Nassau, Bahamas and returned to the real world on December 7, 2012, BEHEMOTH guitarist/vocalist Adam "Nergal" Darski stated about the progress of the songwriting sessions for BEHEMOTH's next album: "I'm really thinking about my record. I'm dreaming my record, I'm eating my record, I'm shitting my record… I mean, everything just comes to the same thing: this artistic release that's gonna take place in the fall next year. That's the plan. We already made a rough plan. We should be entering the studio in late February. We're demoing stuff now. It's actually a rehearsal studio. So this is a thing we've never done before: we get into the studio, we set up the equipment, and we just play. And we record stuff. So it's very creative. It's new and it's different energy, too. I mean, we still use our rehearsal room, but it's good to change the environment. And then in January and February, we decided to move to Warsaw to work on the record. It should be very stimulating; this change of rooms and change of cities, it can be very stimulating. But we've got plenty of stuff written already; I'm guessing 30 or 40 minutes of music is done. But I keep on writing. I'm so hyped and I'm so into delivering new stuff. I have this thought: every time I come up with a new theme or a new song idea, I think it's actually better than the one before. So I hope that this process stops at a certain point and I'm, like, 'OK, over. This is it. We're working on this bunch of songs and that's it.' Because this way I can go on forever."

In an April 2012 interview with Metal Blast, Nergal offered more information about BEHEMOTH's mindset going into the next album. "We want to take our time and not rush ourselves in any way," he said. "It looks like it might be the most important album in our career. I want to make the most honest record and I won't be bending to anyone's rules or expectations, including [BEHEMOTH's record labels] Metal Blade or Nuclear Blast. Every next BEHEMOTH album is a surprise and is never the same. . . We don't want to stress ourselves because the music business and the direction it takes is not as I would like it to be. That means we will be going against the current again and just do as we will and please. Whatever we do is going to be BEHEMOTH, 100%. It is the state of our will and nobody can deny it. I can tell you that we aren't going to come out with a reggae or country album; it's going to be BEHEMOTH, it's going to be extreme. But don't be surprised if people listened to it and said, 'Fuck, they did it. It's so amazing.' [laughs] That's what I like to say when I listen to my own music. I love to surprise myself. I hate things that are predictable. I want to surprise myself and surprise other people, as well. . . Don't get me wrong, I am a huge AC/DC fan and I expect AC/DC to be AC/DC, but don't expect BEHEMOTH to put out another 'The Apostasy', 'Demigod' or 'Evangelion' album, because that will not happen."

BEHEMOTH's ninth full-length studio album, "Evangelion", sold 8,500 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 56 on The Billboard 200 chart. Released in the U.S. in August 2009 through Metal Blade, the CD was mixed at Miloco Studios in London, England by Colin Richardson, who has previously worked with MACHINE HEAD, SLIPKNOT, NAPALM DEATH and BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE, among many others.

Earlier tonight (Thursday, March 28), Dave Mustaine ran into country legend Willie Nelson at a restaurant in Austin, Texas, where the MEGADETH mainman has been "house hunting." Mustaine tweeted: "Willie Nelson is in the restaurant I am eating at. I just met him! How cool is this???" A short time later, Mustaine took to Twitter again to post a photo of him talking to Willie about a possible guest appearance on the song "The Blackest Crow", which will be featured on MEGADETH's new album, "Super Collider".

In a recent interview with the "Shockwaves"/"HardRadio" podcast, Mustaine stated about "The Blackest Crow": "The slide guitar is something that I played a long time ago when I was in PANIC and I never got a chance to use it in METALLICA, 'cause we just weren't doing that, but I did have Southern influences, and that's 100 percent apparent when you look at what I wrote with [the METALLICA demo song] 'Mechanix', and then when we changed that and it became 'The Four Horsemen', the part that I showed James [Hetfield] and Lars [Ulrich] was 'Sweet Home Alabama'. 'Cause I was a [LYNYRD] SKYNYRD fan. I mean, I wasn't a dyed-in-the-wool, bell-bottom-wearing Southern guy, but I liked their music and I really dug the brawniness of their music. So, yeah, I do like Southern rock. One of my favorite guitar players, when he first came out, was when Zakk Wylde first came on the scene. I thought he was just like the perfect, all-around rock guitar player — the way his image was, the way he dressed, the way he played, the way he looked, the way he acted. And I guess we all kind of change and grow up and grow old and grow apart and grow tired, or this or that, and there's always gonna be a new young gunslinger on the scene that's gonna come in and that's gonna make you forget your heroes. But that's one of the things I liked about Zakk and he made such a great impression on me when he came on the scene. There's not a lot of guitar players like him."

"Super Collider" is scheduled for a June 4 release via Mustaine's new label, Tradecraft, which is distributed by Universal Music Enterprises(UMe). Mustaine sang the very last note on the album on March 13 at his Vic's Garage studio in San Marcos, California. Horn player Bob Findley — who previously appeared on the track "Silent Scorn" from MEGADETH's 2001 CD, "The World Needs A Hero" — is a featured guest on the song "A House Divided" on the new album. Other tracks set to appear on the effort include "Super Collider", "Forget To Remember", "Dance In The Rain", "Burn" and "King Maker".

"Super Collider" is MEGADETH's first release since its recent split with Roadrunner Records.

With the recent acquisition of EMI, UMe now brings together MEGADETH's classic, 14-year, seven-album Capitol catalog, which includes one multi-platinum release ('92's "Countdown To Extinction"), four platinum records ('86's "Peace Sells... But Who's Buying?" ; '88's "So Far, So Good... So What?"; '90's "Rust in Peace"; '94's "Youthanasia"), and one gold ('97's "Cryptic Writings"). In all, the band has scored five U.S. Top 10 albums (including 2007's "United Abominations" and 2009's "Endgame") and two Top 5 releases, with 2011's "TH1RT3EN" debuting at No. 1 on the Billboard Hard Rock Albums chart.

Former NIGHTWISH singer Anette Olzon and her boyfriend, PAIN bassist Johan Husgafvel, welcomed their second child, Mio, on Wednesday, March 27 at 10:19 a.m. He weighed in at 4.115 kilograms and measured 54 centimeters long.

Olzon and Husgafvel had their first child, a baby boy named Nemo, on July 30, 2010. Olzon also has an 11-year-old son, Seth, with her now-ex-husband.

Anette states: "Everything went OK and me and Mio are still at the hospital but Johan went home to be with Nemo tonight. Nemo met Mio tonight and he was so nice to him, giving him his pacifier, so he seem to be happy to meet Mio finally.

"I am aiming to go home tomorrow but let's see how we both feel. I had a big surgery so need to take it a bit easy but I am up and feeling OK."

Check out photos on Anette's Instagram.

Olzon abruptly left NIGHTWISH last September in the middle of the band's North American tour. She has since been replaced on the road by former AFTER FOREVER and current REVAMP singer Floor Jansen.

Anette joined NIGHTWISH in 2007 as the replacement for Tarja Turunen after the latter was fired in 2005.

"The Death Of Me", a brand new song from the British metalcore act ASKING ALEXANDRIA, can be streamed in the YouTube clip below. The track comes off the band's third album, "From Death To Destiny", which will be released this summer via Sumerian Records. The CD was recorded with renowned producer Joey Sturgis (THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA, EMMURE).

In a recent interview with Billboard.com, ASKING ALEXANDRIA guitarist Ben Bruce revealed that the follow-up to 2011's "Reckless & Relentless" will contain 13-15 songs, six of which will be "radio-friendly" while the rest will be "our usual balls-to-the-wall kind of stuff."

"We spent a long time honing in on song structures and writing techniques and stuff like that, but there are still heavy songs on the record," Bruce said. "We're not just going to throw that away and kick our original fan base in the teeth by getting rid of all that. There will still be a lot of riffing and screaming. But we feel like we did find a happy medium between being heavy and then being light enough to be on radio, but still keeping the balls in the song."

Most of the new CD was recorded at Sturgis' studio in Indiana, while the vocals and strings and choir parts were laid down at NRG Recording Studios in North Hollywood, California. "On the last one a lot of that extra stuff was all fake; we did it on computer," Bruce said. "This time we wanted to be more organic, so we got a live orchestra conducted by the brilliant Stevie Black (ALICE IN CHAINS, AVENGED SEVENFOLD) and did all the strings. Then we got a live church gospel choir to come into the studio for a few days to sing over a few tracks. It really sounds special."

ASKING ALEXANDRIA's remix record, "Stepped Up And Scratched", came out in November 2011.

ASKING ALEXANDRIA is:

Danny Worsnop - Vocals
Ben Bruce - Guitar
Cameron Liddell - Guitar
Sam Bettley - Bass
James Cassells - Drums

Welsh "ragga metal" act SKINDRED has entered The Chairworks studio in Leeds, United Kingdom to begin recording its fifth album for a late 2013 release. The CD is being produced by James "LeRock" Loughrey (PAGE & PLANT, FLUX PAVILION), who previously worked with the band on their 2011 album, "Union Black".

A video walkthrough of The Chairworks studio can be seen below.

SKINDRED recently inked a deal with DoubleCross, the rock/metal imprint of Cooking Vinyl, for the release of the upcoming CD. The band spent time in Roni Size's Bristol studio, writing and recording in preparation for the new album.

DoubleCross has stated that it intends to build on SKINDRED's already credible global profile, which will include a worldwide campaign coinciding with their new release.

DoubleCross general manager Phil Hopwood said: "SKINDRED are a genuinely unique band. They sound like no one else, and it's really exciting to be working with them. We feel there is huge potential for SKINDRED internationally whilst continuing to develop their U.K. profile."

SKINDRED's manager, Seven Webster from 7PM Management, added: "I love what Cooking Vinyl have done with acts like THE PRODIGY globally, and I have known Phil since he was one of the best label managers at Vital (now PIAS UK). To be working with this combined tour de force is for me the perfect team to help take SKINDRED to the next level."

DoubleCross was launched in 2012 with Hopwood's mission to sign the world’s hottest rock and metal acts.

SKINDRED's distinctive mix of reggae, metal, punk and electronic has favored them throughout their career, having won Kerrang!'s Devotion Award and Metal Hammer's Golden God for Best Live Act in the past.

"Union Black" came out in April 2011 via BMG/7PM Records. The CD was recorded at Britannia Row Studios in London.

Due to "unforeseen circumstances," singer Tim "Ripper" Owens (JUDAS PRIEST, ICED EARTH, YNGWIE MALMSTEEN) was unable to join his bandmates in DIO DISCIPLES on the Monsters Of Rock cruise, which embarked on its second voyage March 16 and returned four days later. Filling in for Owens in DIO DISCIPLES on the Monsters Of Rock cruise was former YNGWIE MALMSTEEN, ROYAL HUNT and ULI JON ROTH vocalist Mark Boals.

Fan-filmed video footage of DIO DISCIPLES' performance can be seen below.

DIO DISCIPLES is the group which pays tribute to legendary heavy metal singer Ronnie James Dio (BLACK SABBATH, RAINBOW, DIO, HEAVEN & HELL) and is fully supported by Dio's widow/manager, Wendy Dio. In addition to Owens, DIO DISCIPLES' current lineup includes Scott Warren (DIO, HEAVEN & HELL) on keyboards, Oni Logan (LYNCH MOB) on vocals, Craig Goldy (DIO) on guitar, Bjorn Englen (YNGWIE MALMSTEEN) on bass and Simon Wright (AC/DC, DIO, RHINO BUCKET, UFO) on drums.

Says Wendy Dio: "We want to thank Larry Morand, Mike London, Harlan Hendrickson, Joe Wright, Billy Deavers and all the staff and WONDERFUL fans on the Monsters Of Rock cruise! DIO DISCIPLES put on an AMAZING SHOW!"

In addition to a great set by the band, the Ronnie James Dio Stand Up And Shout Cancer Fund raised over $16,500 for cancer research, education and to help find a cure. Some of the events that raised funds for the charity on the ship were a live auction that featured a signed Tony Iommi Gibson guitar, ESP guitar, Schecter guitar, Dio memorabilia, memorial T-shirts and wristbands and a Ronnie James Dio photo book! Rock Star Bingo was a huge success that featured members of DIO DISCIPLES, STRYPER, Y&T, CINDERELLA and Eddie Trunk calling Bingo numbers. 100% of the proceeds raised from these events go directly to the charity.

According to Noisey, industrial metal pioneers MINISTRY will release a new album, "From Beer To Eternity", in September. The CD was written last December over a 19-day period prior to the death of the band's guitarist, Mike Scaccia.

"This was one of the most creative MINISTRY tracking sessions ever. The band was on fire!" MINISTRY mainman Al Jourgensen tells the site. "We were having fun, we were coming up with great ideas and experimenting with everything we've ever wanted to do, from STONES-y blues to dub and, of course, heavy guitar-based rock. It was too easy. No fighting, no problems. Nothing goes that well without the floor eventually falling out."

Jourgensen completed the tracks during the first three months of 2013 at 13th Planet Records in his El Paso compound with co-producer Sammy D'Ambruoso, and engineer/keyboard programmer Aaron Havill.

"It was the most emotionally difficult project I've ever done, but it was the most rewarding," Jourgensen said. "Mikey was amazed with the songs when he was working on them, and I know he's looking down at us now and he's totally stoked with what we came up with."

Jourgensen plans to promote "From Beer To Eternity" along with his authorized biography, "Ministry: The Lost Gospels According To Al Jourgensen", which is due in August through Da Capo Press. "Maybe we'll do one big show with Tommy [Victor, guitar] and Sin [Quirin, guitar] and the guys who made this band possible for the past few years. That would be a nice tribute to Mikey. But I can't do a whole tour without him. MINISTRY was his life almost as much as mine, and I'm afraid it has to die with him. But damn if we didn't go out with a bang!"

"From Beer To Eternity" track listing:

01. Hail To His Majesty
02. Punch In The Face
03. Permawar
04. Perfect Storm
05. Fairly Unbalanced
06. The Horror
07. Side FX Include Mikey's Middle Finger (T.V.4)
08. Lesson Unlearned
09. Thanx But No Thanx
10. Change Of Luck
11. Enjoy The Silence

Drummer Ace Finchum has once again exited U.K. glam metal legends TIGERTAILZ. He said in a statement: "I have decided to leave the band TIGERTAILZ, as it was a bloody mess and being dragged through the mud, and enough was enough for me. My days of answering to tyrants and given ultimatums had to end, so it has."

He added: "There are things that have just come up through court documents I have only just seen for the first time and never realized how many copies the 'Bezerk' album sold! All in my soon-to-be-published book."

Fellow TIGERTAILZ original member Jay Pepper (lead guitar) wrote in a separate statement: "I will continue to release product and merch and try and keep the 'TAILZ name alive and we'll see where that takes us. But one thing's for sure.. There will be NO TIGERTAILZ reunion. I'm old enough to never say never, but I can say with my hand on my heart I will NEVER play in a band with Ace or Kim [Hooker, vocals] ever again. Nope, those relationships are over forever for me. But I'll keep the 'TAILZ site open and see what I can release when I can."

He continued: "So there it is, folks.. One chapter closes and another opens. I'm looking to the future, but won't spend one more second wiping people's arses and pushing water up a hill. Only then to be then punched in the face for all my efforts. And isn't it funny, the people who cause the most grief are the people who contribute the least."

TIGERTAILZ's most recent lineup was completed by singer Jules Millis, guitarist Rob Wylde and bassist Jason Sims.

This month, Germany's Sonic Seducer magazine has a special feature on DEPECHE MODE and the 20th anniversary of their classic album, Songs Of Faith And Devotion. The issue features an exclusive bonus CD, 20 Years Songs Of Faith And Devotion - A Tribute To Depeche Mode. LEAVES' EYES are featured on the sampler doing an exclusive cover of the Depeche Mode ballad 'One Caress'.
For details on Sonic Seducer and order info go to the official website here.

Leaves' Eyes recently posted a new video clip for their track 'Melusine', featuring footage from live shows, tours and festivals like Wacken Open Air in 2012. It can be viewed at the bottom of the page.

A message from the band states: "To start the new year with some good news for you all, we are proud to announce that this year the new Leaves' Eyes album will be released!! The title of the album will be Symphonies Of The Night. We will keep all of you updated on news concerning the album in the upcoming months!"

Updates to follow. More on Leaves' Eyes at this location.