Best known as the singer/songwriter/guitarist of the Philadelphia-based blues-rock band CINDERELLA, Tom Keifer is making his debut as a solo artist with the release of his long-awaited and highly anticipated solo album, "The Way Life Goes", on April 30 via Merovee Records (through Warner Music Group's Independent Label Group).

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."

"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

Audio samples of the songs "Solid Ground", "Cold Day In Hell", "Ask Me Yesterday", "A Different Light" and "Ain't That A Bitch" are available for streaming at TomKeifer.com.

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

"To me, ['The Flower Song'] is about how unbelievable it is that you're able to find that one person that's perfect for you," Keifer, 52, tells USA Today. "Obviously, it's told from the perspective of a guy, but I think it's true for both men and women: When you find that one person, it's a miracle."

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

"'The Flower Song' is one aspect of the record," Keifer says. "The record ranges from that more acoustic side to hard-driving, high-energy rock songs, and everything in between. It's a pretty diverse album."

"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.

In touring news, Keifer will launch his first-ever solo tour on February 9 in Winston-Salem, North Carolina at Ziggy's. The 14-city trek of small, intimate rooms is an up-close and personal preview of songs from "The Way Life Goes" along with some CINDERELLA classics. Dates beyond February 28 are currently in the works.

Keifer recently spoke with HuffingtonPost.com about "The Way Life Goes". "The idea for a solo record started in the Nineties when the band parted ways and we left Universal," he said. "There was just a changing of the guard in the industry at that time and I started thinking about a solo record. I wrote for it for many years and the songs just kept going on the pile and I never got around to actually making a record... We started cutting tracks for this record in 2003 and I went to the pile of songs that had been building up and picked some that I liked and I've just been working on it ever since. It was produced independently of a label, because the idea from the beginning was to just work and record until I was happy with it. I wrote with a lot of different people — my wife, Savannah, who's a great writer, co-wrote a lot of the songs on the record and also co-produced the record with me, and a good friend of ours, Chuck Turner, who's a great engineer and producer. So from the beginning, the attitude was, 'Let's have fun and just make a great record and it'll be done when it's done.' Little did we know it'd be nine years later… it's done and we went through some crazy stuff and mixed and remixed and reworked things over and over and probably made a lot of mistakes along the way, but finally got it where we were all happy with it, so here it is."

ADRENALINE MOB — the band featuring drummer Mike Portnoy (DREAM THEATER, AVENGED SEVENFOLD), SYMPHONY X frontman Russell Allen, guitar virtuoso Mike Orlando (SONIC STOMP) and DISTURBED bassist John Moyer — will release "Covertá", an eight-track EP featuring cover versions of some of the group's favorite songs, on March 12. Longtime fans of Portnoy are aware of the multiple cover CDs he has released with DREAM THEATER and with Neal Morse. "Covertá" is the first CD of covers recorded by ADRENALINE MOB.

"Covertá" track listing:

01. High Wire (BADLANDS)
02. Stand Up And Shout (DIO)
03. Break on Through (THE DOORS)
04. Romeo Delight (VAN HALEN)
05. Barracuda (HEART)
06. Kill The King (RAINBOW)
07. The Lemon Song (LED ZEPPELIN)
08. The Mob Rules (BLACK SABBATH)

In support of their album, "Omertá", and "Covertá", ADRENALINE MOB will embark on a U.S. tour on March 12. The trek will consist of two legs this spring. The dates for the first leg are as follows:

Mar. 12 - New Haven CT @ Toads Place
Mar. 13 - New York NY @ Marlin @ Webster Hall
Mar. 14 - Pittsburgh PA @ Altar Bar
Mar. 15 - Allentown PA @ Crocodile Rock
Mar. 16 - West Springfield VA @ Empire
Mar. 18 - Jacksonville FL @ Brewster’s Roc Bar
Mar. 19 - Tampa FL @ Orpheum
Mar. 20 - Orlando FL @ The Haven
Mar. 22 - Houston TX @ Scout Bar
Mar. 23 - San Antonio TX @ Backstage Live
Mar. 24 - Dallas TX @ Trees
Mar. 26 - Albuquerque NM @ Launch Pad
Mar. 27 - Phoenix AZ @ Joe's Grotto
Mar. 28 - San Diego CA @ Brick By Brick
Mar. 29 - Las Vegas NV @ Cheyenne Saloon
Mar. 30 - Los Angeles CA @ Roxy
Apr. 01 - Colorado Springs CO @ Black Sheep
Apr. 02 - Kansas City KS @ The Voodoo Lounge
Apr. 04 - St Louis MO @ Fubar
Apr. 05 - Nashville TN @ Exit IN
Apr. 06 - Atlanta GA @ Masquerade
Apr. 07 - Richmond VA @ Kingdom

Tickets for all shows go on sale this weekend.

NOTHING MORE will be the support act on the first leg.

"Omertá" sold around 6,600 copies in the United States in its first week of release to land at position No. 70 on The Billboard 200 chart. The CD was released in Europe on March 19, 2012 in Europe via Century Media Records and in the U.S. on March 13, 2012 through the newly formed Elm City Music in conjunction with EMI Label Services.

The 11-song effort — which was produced by ADRENALINE MOB and mixed by Jay Ruston, who has previously worked on ANTHRAX's "Worship Music" and STEEL PANTHER's "Balls Out" — includes a blistering reinterpretation of DURAN DURAN's classic "Come Undone" featuring guest vocals by Lzzy Hale of HALESTORM.

ADRENALINE MOB's "Indifferent" video (see below) was filmed in March 2012 in the desert in California and throughout Los Angeles with director Scott Hansen, who has previously worked with A DAY TO REMEMBER, UNEARTH and WILLIE NELSON, among others.

NIGHTWISH's long-awaited "Imaginaerum" film — based on the band's album of the same name — will receive its German premiere on February 11 at Kino In Der KulturBrauerei in Berlin. Screening in German cinemas will start on March 18.

The "Imaginaerum" film was released theatrically in Finland on November 23, 2012.

The movie had its premiere on November 10, 2012 at Hartwall Arena in Helsinki, Finland, where the audience was treated to both a full-scale NIGHTWISH concert and the first-ever public screening of the movie.

The "Imaginaerum" screening at Hartwall Arena waspreceded by a show by the musicians in NIGHTWISH themselves in what was their final concert in Finland last year.

The official soundtrack of the movie, "Imaginaerum By Nightwish: The Score", was released on the day before the premiere — Friday, November 9. The album features 13 grandiose, unreleased re-interpretations of "Imaginaerum" tracks by Petri Alanko.

Eagerly anticipated around the world, "Imaginaerum" creates a musical fantasy world in the vein of David Lynch, Neil Gaiman, and Cirque du Soleil. The movie is an innovative mixture of story-telling and music, an extraordinary tale of the power of imagination… and what's ultimately important in life.

Shot and post-produced in Canada, the movie was directed by Stobe Harju and produced by Solar Films, and features appearances by all NIGHTWISH members. The screenplay is based on a wild vision that Tuomas Holopainen, the mastermind of the band, devised after the album "Dark Passion Play" came out in 2007.

The "Imaginaerum" theatrical trailer can be seen below.

"Imaginaerum" is one of the projects which received grants from the Finnish government institution called the Finnish Film Foundation. The movie, directed by Stobe Harju, about an old man on his deathbed who glimpses a childhood dream in which he refuses to grow old, and fights aging with his imagination, reportedly got $575,000 toward its $3.7 million budget.

During a September 2011 interview with Petri Silas of Finland's Soundi magazine, NIGHTWISH mainman/keyboardist Tuomas Holopainen explained that all the filming for the "Imaginaerum" movie was done in Canada with mostly Canadian actors/actresses. Post-production took place in Canada and Finland. He aso revealed the names of the actors who have two of the main roles in the film: Marianne Farley and Quinn Lord.

Speaking to Loudwire, Holopainen stated about the plot of the "Imaginaerum" film, "Basically it's about this old guy who used to be a composer and he's really sick; he's lying on his death bed in a hospital and he's going through his life, through his dreams — that's the basic storyline. It's all about praising life and life's beauty, imagination and all the strife and the bad stuff we have to face.

"[The storyline] came from the director; I just had the twelve ideas, the twelve visions. He basically wrote the script and storyline around those originally visions and the only one we had to leave out was the 'Ghost River' part, because we didn't have the finance to realize that vision."

Asked if the band appears in the film at all, Tuomas said, "A little bit, we are seen in two different scenes as a band, playing in the background. That's something that I really emphasized to the director, 'Please don't put the band into the movie,' because we want to do a believable story and we have no idea how to act. We are not actors so if your give us some lines and we tried to act, it would look goofy. He insisted to put us into the movie because it's our brainchild, so we're just playing in there as a band; it's a good compromise."

"Imaginaerum" film cast:

* Francis X. McCarthy
* Quinn Lord
* Marianne Farley
* Joanna Noyes
* Ilkka Villi
* Keyanna Fielding
* Ron Lea
* Victoria Jung
* Hélène Robitaille
* Stefan Demers
* Anette Olzon
* Marco Hietala
* Tuomas Holopainen
* Emppu Vuorinen
* Jukka Nevalainen

"Transcendent Absorbtion", the new Nikko DeLuna-directed video from San Francisco Bay Area technical death metallers INANIMATE EXISTENCE, can be seen below. The song comes off the band's debut CD, "Liberation Through Hearing", which was released last July via Unique Leader Records. Recorded in March 2012 at Castle Ultimate Studios with producer Zack Ohren (DECREPIT BIRTH, SUFFOCATION, ALL SHALL PERISH), the CD featured a guest solo by Matt Sotelo of DECREPIT BIRTH.

According to a press release, INANIMATE EXISTENCE "brings an onslaught of crushing, true death metal, while pushing the musical envelope with their other-wordly compositions and painstaking writing."

INANIMATE EXISTENCE has shared the stage with such bands as DISGORGE, SEVERED SAVIOR, DYING FETUS, ARKAIK, FALLUJAH, SON OF AURELIUS, CATTLE DECAPITATION, PUTRID PILE and VEHEMENCE.

INANIMATE EXISTENCE is:

Cameron Porras - Vocals
Joel Guernsey - Guitar
Ian Rittmaster - Guitar
Mitch Yoesle - Bass
Ron Casey - Drums

CLIVE NOLAN's Alchemy album will be released on March 4th in Europe and April 9th in North America (via MVD). This release will, however, be preceded by the world premiere of the Alchemy show at the famous Wyspianski Theatre in Katowice, Poland on February 22nd, where it will be recorded for the purposes of a DVD to be released by Metal Mind Productions later this year. The double album will be available for purchase at the theatre prior to the official release date.

Recordings for Clive Nolan's second musical, Alchemy have been completed in December. For the cast of Alchemy, consisting of eleven principal singers, seven instrumentalists and the chorus, summer and autumn of 2012 was an extremely busy time. Due to the complexity of the musical as well as a large number of artists involved, the recording process turned out to be more than a multilevel experience, and the one that had to be realised in several stages and different locations.

The major bulk of work was done at the London-based Thin Ice Studios where, under the rigid eye of Clive Nolan himself, numerous vocal and orchestral sessions were completed and a desired sound was achieved. However, some of the recordings - Mark Westwood's guitars and Claudio Momberg's piano parts, were brought to life at Birmingham studio, Nomad 51, and Tauridstudios in Santiago, Chile respectively.

Scott Higham: "Working with Clive Nolan again on his second musical Alchemy has been another fantastic journey. As a drummer it is very interesting to play with lots of twists and turns... just like the story! The recording process is always great fun. Clive and I work together on every track in the studio, making sure every part is perfect for the musical... Nothing is overlooked! We have worked together this way on many projects over the years, so I have a very good understanding of what he requires for his musicals. We have a great team on Alchemy and I hope everyone enjoys the show in Poland!"

Apart from the previously announced principal cast, including such giants of progressive rock as Damian Wilson, Tracy Hitchings, Paul Menel and more, Alchemy team was joined by a horn player, Ian Stott and a violinist, Penny Gee. Moreover, as a special treat, the CD album will feature short guest appearances from John Mitchell and a man behind Alchemy artwork, a graphic designer Graeme Bell. Many others joined the chorus or performed some vocal lines adding up to the grandeur of the project's scale.

Paul Menel: “When Lord Nolan offered me the part of Benjamin Greaves, I jumped at the chance. To fulfil a lifelong ambition to play a baddie and finally lay to rest my goody two shoes image as 'the Peter Pan of prog'! With Clive's blessing I rubbed a bit of grit into the character and gargled some gravel into his voice, but he's retained the 'just following orders' innocence that he started with. Me, lackey to Andy Sears' Jagman! I think there may be sparks onstage and that's before the pyrotechnics start!”
Alchemy artists are very busy these days getting ready for the international premiere of the musical, scheduled for February 22nd, which will be filmed for the DVD at Wyspianski Theatre in Katowice. A concert version of the musical will feature mostly unvaried cast. The only alteration will be the part of Jessamine performed on a CD by a Uruguayan stage and TV artist, Noel Calcaterra. In Katowice, this role will be sung by a London musical theatre actress, Soheila Clifford.

Clive Nolan: “For me, the creation of Alchemy has been a three year journey so far. I have lived with the growing story and the developing music almost on a daily basis. It has become an integral part of my life. Recording the CD, in many ways, helps to provide an official stamp on the project! It has been a very positive process, and now that the finished recordings are being mixed, I am finally hearing the songs as they were intended... this is a wonderful feeling.”

You can now listen to the first promo track taken from the Alchemy album. 'Street Fight' is available to stream below:
This special evening at the Theatre will be enriched by two additional concerts. One of the Artists performing that night will be Paul Menel, who, along with his band, will perform songs from one of the best albums in the career of his previous formation IQ - "Nomzamo". The other one is a German band RPWL and as they announce, it will be the last complete performance of Beyond Man and Time album in Europe. All shows will be recorded and released on DVD by Metal Mind Productions later this year.

Tickets at this location.

Swedish bastard-rock quartet EGONAUT has released the video for the track ‘Crawl’ for streaming below:
‘Crawl’ comes off the band’s forthcoming album Mount Egonaut which will be released on February 27th via Transubstans Records.

According to a press release: “The album-opener ‘Crawl’ sets the mood for the rest of the album; heavy, fast well-arranged hard rock! The band smoothly blends the sleazy/melodic elements with a slight touch of stoner rock. Add a swirling 70's organ and in-your-face vocals and voilà: you've got yourself some Bastard Rock.”
Tracklisting is as follows:

‘Crawl’
‘Kneel Or Bleed’
‘Wasted Days’
‘Awake’
‘Something/Nothing’
‘Cursed And Damned’
‘The Fight’
‘Loser’
‘Careless Awareless’
‘Palliation’

Hells Headbangers announces April 16th as the international release date for IMPIOUS BAPTISM's Wrath Of The Apex Predator.
Once again, Hells Headbangers unearths filthy black gems from Down Under. Wrath Of The Apex Predator is Australians Impious Baptism's debut album, after a couple well-received EPs, including the Hells Headbangers-issued 'Path Of The Inverted Trinity' 7".

The sole creation of longtime scene veteran J. (NOCTURNAL GRAVES, ex-DESTRUKTOR, ex-DESTROYER 666), Impious Baptism bellow forth desecrating black metal in the ancient tradition of the early South American and Finnish masters. Flowing from choking doom to grinding, black filth and imbued with a powerful, full-bodied production that amplifies every abyssal note, Impious Baptism drag you down into the depths and then deeper - feel the Wrath Of The Apex Predator.

Wrath Of The Apex Predator tracklisting:

'Revelation To Annihilate'
'The Age Of Firelords'
'Axis Of Lucifer'
'Arcane Funeral Rites'
'Release The Titans Pt I'
'Release The Titans Pt II'
'Wrath Of The Apex Predator'
'Rites Of Illuminated Death'
'Temple Of Necromancy'

More on Impious Baptism at this location.

Oslo, Norway’s DØDSFALL have announced that their new EP Kronet i Svart Eld will be released on January 31st via Unexploded Records.

The EP was mastered by Magnus Devo Andersson at Endarker Studio (RAGNAROK, MARDUK, OFERMOD, THE LEGION).

Guests on the album include; Magnus Devo Andersson (MARDUK), Necrosadist (SORCERY, PATRONYMICON) and Fauk (HORDAGAARD).
Tracklisting is as follows:

‘I Skuggans Famn’
‘Av Død Skal Du Herske’
‘Mørkrets Sirkel’
‘Inn I Fjellets Dypeste Dyp’
‘Gal Tjener’

The track ‘Inn I Fjellets Dypeste Dyp’ can be heard below:

In March 2012, UNISONIC's Kai Hansen (GAMMA RAY, ex-HELLOWEEN) and Michael Kiske (ex-Helloween) travelled to Japan for a promo tour supporting the band's self-titled debut. They have posted footage from the trip - shot by Kiske - with the suggestion that fans "don't take it too serious."
Unisonic recently issued the following update:

"Hello out there, we wish you all a healthy and happy year 2013!!!

2012 was an event- and successful year for Unisonic: We released our debut CD and did the first tour, leading us to many countries in Latin America, Asia and Europe. The feedback on the CD and the live shows was phenomenal and we want to thank you all from the deepest of our hearts for your support!

2013 will be a more silent year for Unisonic. Besides working with our other bands and projects, be sure that we will use the time to write and record a new Unisonic album! Touring together for the first time and your overwhelming reactions glued us together as a band, and we can´t wait to canalize all these impressions into a powerful and melodic metal album to be released in early 2014!"
Unisonic lineup:

Michael Kiske (vocals - ex-HELLOWEEN)
Mandy Meyer (guitars - ex-GOTTHARD, ex-KROKUS)
Kai Hansen (guitars - GAMMA RAY, ex Helloween)
Dennis Ward (bass - PINK CREAM 69)
Kosta Zafiriou (drums - Pink Cream 69)

Unisonic performed at the Hellfest in Clisson, France on June 15th, 2012. Quality fan-filmed video from the show is available below:
The band's complete setlist was as follows:

'Unisonic'
'Never Too Late'
'King For A Day'
'My Sanctuary'
'March Of Time'
'Over The Rainbow'
'Star Rider'
'We Rise'
'I Want Out'

More on Unisonic at this location.

Blackened thrash assailants SATAN'S WRATH have released their new video, for the Galloping Blasphemy album track, 'Slaves Of The Inverted Cross'. The video finds the unholy collective methodically and unapologetically leveling the stage at The Underworld in London. Watch the clip below:
Formed in 2011 by multi-instrumentalist Tas Danazoglou (vocals, drums & bass) and Stamos K (guitars), Satan's Wrath deal in a style of heavy metal music which harks back to the times when the death, black and thrash genres were all considered one in the same, and only leather, spikes and bullets were real.

Galloping Blasphemy was released last September through Metal Blade Records, and contains nine tracks of unholy terror.
Galloping Blasphemy tracklisting:

'Leonard Rising - Night Of The Whip'
'Between Belial And Satan'
'One Thousand Goats In Sodom'
'Hail Tritone, Hail Lucifer'
'Galloping Blasphemy'
'Death Possessed'
'Death To Life'
'Slaves Of The Inverted Cross'
'Satan's Wrath'

More on Satan's Wrath at this location.

Finnish traditional doom rock/metal outfit CHURCH OF VOID, featuring members of BATTLELORE and ex-HORNA, are offering up their debut EP called Winter Is Coming for free at their official Bandcamp page.

Winter Is Coming features the following tracks:
'Winter Is Coming'
'Strongholds Of Karak Varn'
'The Hour Is Getting Late'
'Summerland'
Check out the track ''Strongholds Of Karak Varn'' below:
Church Of Void are:
Magus Corvus - Moaning
Georgios Funeral - Lead Spear
Adolf Darkschneider - Lead Axe
Harley Warlock - Low Frequences
Byron Vortex - Sonic Drum Attack

Finland's DAMNATION PLAN will release their new album, The Wakening, on March 12th via Coroner Records. The album, mixed and masterered by Dan Swanö (ex-EDGE OF SANITY, BLOODBATH, NIGHTINGALE) at Unisound Studio, combines clean and theatrical vocals (Asim Searah - former KIUAS) and harsh vocals (Tommy Tuovinen - MYGRAIN) in a massive and uncompromised progressive melodic death metal masterpiece.
The Wakening tracklisting:

'Intro'
'The Unknown Presence'
'Blindsighted'
'The Wakening'
'Edge Of Machinery'
'Crimson Skies'
'Walk Of Illusion'
'Ashes'
'Resurrected (Within Ourselves)'
'Grand World Anthem'

The making of The Wakening video can be seen below:
You can listen to a full preview of the song 'The Wakening' at this location.

The album trailer for The Wakening can be seen below:
Damnation Plan lineup:

Antti Lauri - Lead Guitars
Jarkko Lunnas - Drums
Asim Searah - Clean Vocals
Tommy Tuovinen - Harsh & Clean Vocals
Jukka Vehkamaa - Bass
Kalle Niininen - Rhythm Guitars
More on Damnation Plan at this location.

Montreal-based death metal act DEPTHS OF HATRED will release a new single, 'Secluded Redemption', on February 15th, prior to entering the studio to track their sophomore album. A teaser video for the song is below:
The band’s debut album, Aversionist, was released in March 2012 through Galy Records. The album was mixed and mastered by Christian Donaldson (CRYPTOPSY, NEURAXIS, THE LAST FELONY).
Depths Of Hatred's music video for 'Revocation', which features a guest appearance from Elliot Desgagnes (BENEATH THE MASSACRE), can be seen below:
Depths Of Hatred lineup:

Dominic D.D. - Vocals
Martin Trottier - Guitar
Christian Mongrain Theriault - Guitar
Karl Desjardins - Drums
Antoine Millette - Bass

More on Depths Of Hatred at this location.

Swedish black metal veterans BLODSRIT have announced they will release their sixth full-length album Diktat Deliberi later this year.

The new album was recorded in Necromorbus Studio (WATAIN, FUNERAL MIST, ARMAGEDDA) by Sverker Widgren.

The cover art was created by Lorenzo Mariani (DARKTHRONE, MARDUK, MAYHEM, THYRFING) and can be seen below:
Tracklist is as follows:

‘Livsbesmittad’
‘Skapelseförfall’
‘Blod Och Aska’
‘Vit Skit’
‘Ulvens Tid’
‘Evangeli’
‘I Evighet’
‘Ritual’

Making of the new album videos can be seen below:

Bilbao, Spain-based prog/metal band QUAOAR have released their sophomore album, The River & The Soul - the follow-up to the band's 2007 debut, Man't - via Noma Records.
The River & The Soul shows a band with no fear of the hardest or softest sounds; of catchy choruses, of classical or innovative structures, of melodies, of whispering or yelling. This record has been designed both for people who have a sharp hearing and people who don’t, and can be played on any radio station, no matter if it’s underground or a major. Two concepts, the river and the soul, inspire the lyrics of the songs on this album. Lyrics related to the human being, his internal life, his muses and, of course, society and the suppositions he lives together with.
Tracklisting:

'Intro'
'Memento Mori'
'Enslaved'
'Love The Muse'
'My Anger Runs'
'Hicks Are Kings'
'Get Rid Of Them'
'Absolutely'
'Hear The Void'
'The River & The Soul'

Listen to the track, 'Hear The Void', below:
More on Quaoar at this location.

"Tides Of War", the new video from Ottawa, Ontario, Canada-based melodic death thrashers CHARIOTS OF THE GODS, can be seen below. The song is the title track of the band's full-length album, which was released on January 29. Produced by award-winning producer/engineer/mixer Glen Robinson, who has worked with RAMONES, AC/DC, GWAR, ANNIHILATOR and VOIVOD, the CD delivers 14 epic, crushing tracks to follow up their well received 2010 debut EP, "Reverence", which the band promoted by performing extensively in Quebec and Ontario, sharing the stage with such bands as MISFITS, VOIVOD, DESPISED ICON, KATAKLYSM and MISERY INDEX.

"We can't begin to describe how proud we are to finally share our musical creations with the world. So much has gone into it and we were lucky enough to work with incredible people such as our producer Glen Robinson and Aleksi Sihvonen (NORTHER)," comments vocalist Renaud Jobin. "Our sweat and manly tears gave this full-length album a more authentic and mature sound that will hopefully, rip your face off and leave you breathless."

"Tides Of War" track listing:

01. Overture
02. Seventh Weapon
03. Blind Assassin
04. Ambrosian Wings
05. Tides of War
06. Revillusion (1905)
07. Snow Falls On The White River (1914)
08. Severing The Bloodline (1917)
09. Collapse of An Empire
10. Red Skies
11. Nebula
12. Starborn
13. Unbound (feat. Aleksi Sihvonen)
14. Annihilation of The Gods

The cover artwork for the second part of STONE SOUR's "House Of Gold & Bones" double album can be seen below. The effort, which is expected to be released in April, will also be made available as a four-issue comic book.

Like the story, the "House Of Gold & Bones" album package comes in two parts. When the two pieces meet, they combine to create the "House Of Gold & Bones".

When asked by ThisIsNotAScene what fans can expect from the second part of "House Of Gold & Bones", singer Corey Taylor said: "Part 2 is much darker [than the first part], if I'm honest. Aside from it being a completely different album, it feels more like a soundtrack to a movie in a lot of ways, man. It's really thematic. There are themes from part 1 that reveal themselves and that come again, musically. There's actually stuff from part 2 that you'll hear that's on part 1 and you'll be like, 'Fucking hell!'"

He continued: "We essentially recorded these, and this is where technology is now, so you could have these in a playlist on your iTunes and play them top to fucking bottom and really get that experience while you read both parts. So it's some of our darkest music, our most intricate and complex music, some of the best fucking lyrics I've ever written, to be honest. Even writing from a narrative like that, it was so challenging. Plus, it's got some of our best songs on it.

"You guys think part one's good? Fuck off. 'Do Me A Favor' alone is going to kick the shit out of people and that's going to be the first single, which comes out in January, that's going to be the first taste that people get of part 2, and people aren't going to know what to do."

STONE SOUR will send its new single, "Do Me A Favor", to rock radio stations on February 12. A video is already in the planning stages, with director Phil Mucci tapped to film the clip. Taylor gave The Pulse Of Radio a preview of what to expect from the song. "It's quite aggressive, and actually the label asked me if I would go in and tame stuff down and I was like, 'No.' I'm not doing that," he said. "This is going out the way it is and I'm not gonna touch it up. I'm not gonna have people looking for a song that doesn't exist. This is the way it is on the album, that's the way it's going to be when we put it out to radio."

"House Of Gold & Bones - Part 1" came out last fall.

Taylor recently told Billboard.com recently that the group is planning a world tour in 2014 during which they will spend two nights in each city and perform both halves of its "House Of Gold & Bones" double album in their entirety.

STONE SOUR and PAPA ROACH have teamed up for a co-headlining U.S. tour that kicked off on January 20 in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.

UK doom tyrants RAMESSES are official on hiatus. A message from the band follows:

"After a decade of doom , Ramesses are now in hibernation for the foreseeable future. Sadly this means we have to cancel our appearance at Desertfest 2013.

A massive blackened heartfelt thanks to all who have helped and supported us over the last 10 years… you will not be forgotten. We are all 3 continuing with new musical projects… stay tuned… the trip continues."

Ramesses lineup:

Mark Greening - Drums
Adam Richardson - Bass, vocals
Tim Bagshaw - Guitar
More on the band here.

British grind-core legends NAPALM DEATH will have their ninth album, Enemy Of The Music Business, released on vinyl for the first time - available on February 11th via Secret Records.
Few extreme British metal bands have made as much of an impact as Napalm Death. Since the release of their debut album, Scum, the band has consistently upped their game with each new album to produce some of the heaviest and most brutal music in the metal genre.

Although their lineup changed almost completely since their debut, by the time of Enemy Of The Music Business’ 2000 release the band had their most stable lineup with Mark "Barney" Greenway on vocals, Shane Embury on bass, Mitch Harris on guitar and backing vocals, Jesse Pintado on guitar and Danny Herrera playing drums.

At this point Napalm Death were hitting a creatively angry peak with many of the songs on the album and the album name heatedly aimed at their former label, Earache. This disagreement only added more attitude and aggression fuel to their lyrical and musical fire highlighted on tracks such as ‘Vermin’ and ‘Thanks For Nothing’. Enemy Of The Music Business is an important recording for any Napalm Death and grind-core fans as it is the last release to feature late legendary guitarist Jesse Pintado.

Now available for the first time ever on 180g vinyl for maximum audio quality this is not a grind-core release to be missed. Prepare your ears for annihilation.
Tracklisting:

'Taste The Poison'
'Next On The List'
'Constitutional Hell'
'Vermin'
'Volume Of Neglect'
'Thanks For Nothing'
'Can’t Play Won’t Play'
'Blunt Against The Cutting Edge'
'Cure For The Common Complaint'
'Necessary Evil'
'C.S. (Conservative Shithead) Part 2'
'Mechanics Of Deceit'
'(The Public Get) What The Public Doesn’t Want'
'Fracture In The Equation'

Slovenian occult act VIGILANCE will release its new album, "Queen Of The Midnight Fire", later in the year via Metal Tank Records. The band's follow-up to 2011's "Steeds Of Time" "will crush everything in [its path] with its excellent mixture of genuine traditional speed heavy metal filled with profound devotion for primordial and ritualistic occultism," according to a press release.

"Queen Of The Midnight Fire" track listing:

01. Queen Of The Midnight Fire
02. Behind The Cellar Door
03. Speedwave
04. What Lies Beyond…
05. Night Terrors
06. Four Crowns Of Hell
07. Poetry And The Gods
08. Under Sulphurous Skies
09. Ritual Of Death

Cape Cora, Florida-based hard rockers MODERN SUPERSTAR have released a video sampler for the new single ‘Dirty Girl’. Check it out below:
‘Dirty Girl’ comes off the band’s yet-to-be-titled new EP which his currently being recorded at Stet Howland's Warehouse Studio in Ft. Myers, FL with Stet Howland (WHERE ANGELS SUFFER, W.A.S.P.).

The band released a studio update earlier in the month. Check it out below:
Modern Superstar recently announced the following live dates for 2013:

March
8 - House Of Rock - White Marsh, MD
10 - Dingbatz - Clifton, NJ
15 - The Back Bar - Janesville, WI
22 - Changes Nightclub - New Castle, PA

April
27 - Spring Stampede - House Of Rock - White Marsh, MD

November
7 - Rock Harvest II - House Of Rock - White Marsh, MD
8 - Rock Harvest II - House Of Rock - White Marsh, MD
9 - Rock Harvest II - House Of Rock - White Marsh, MD

More dates to be announced soon.

The band recently confirmed their new touring and recording lineup. The lineup consists of Mike Hatfield on guitars, Mike Mackey on bass, Lorenzo 'Zo' DelVecchio on guitars, Ryche Green on drums and Tommy Milan on vocals.

Gâst, the fourth full-length album from veteran Danish black metallers BLODARV, was released on December 12th, 2012 via Self Mutilation Services in both a regular CD format and a limited edition A5 format with different artwork.

The band have released a video for 'A Snowy Night In November', a track from Gâst. The video was filmed during January of this year in the Northland region of Bornholm, the island home of founder and frontman Hugin, and features appearances from Blodarv members Satinae Ma (clean vocals) and Pestilens (lead guitars), as well as Hugin himself.

Watch the new video below:
Gâst tracklisting:

'Indelukket'
'A Snowy Night In November'
'I Blaek Og Blod'
'Korset Paa Baalet'
'The Heart Of Art'
'Lonely Journey'
'Surrounded By Dust'
'Into The Halls Of Orion'
Special edition cover:
According to a press release, Gâst contains a mix of tracks in both Danish and English, and allows a glimpse into the mind of Hugin through his music and his poetry. Influenced by the rich history and traditions of Bornholm, an island filled with myths and legends and beautiful, eerily evocative landscapes, Hugin leads the listeners through a world filled with powerful demons, haunted souls, tragic destinies and chilling dreams. The title itself, in the island dialect of Bornholmsk (Burgundian), refers to a Gâst - a type of a ghost demon or energy with the ability to possess mortals and inspire them in much the same way as a muse, with visions, stories, smells, sounds, emotions and pictures.
Two tracks from Gâst - 'Surrounded By Dust' and 'I Blaek Og Blod', together with tracks spanning Blodarv’s 14-year career can be heard on the band’s SoundCloud below:

BLODARV by BLODARV

A promo video for Gâst can be viewed below:
The official video for the 'I Blaek Og Blod' track from Gâst, can be seen below:

THRESHOLD has premiered the new video for 'Staring At The Sun'. The promo was conceived by Achim Bieler, who won a fan contest run by the band. After he submitted his original concept and was voted the winner, Threshold worked with him to shoot additional footage, aiming to create an even more impressive edition of his work.

Keyboardist Richard West comments: “Congratulations to Achim and his team! They created a great movie with beautiful cinematography and a storyline that was both abstract and engaging. We really enjoyed this video!”
'Staring At The Sun' is taken from the band’s latest album, March Of Progress – their first with returned vocalist Damian Wilson since 1997?s Extinct Instinct.

"A Road Of Gravel And Skulls", a brand new song from the Swedish experimental/progressive band THE MOTH GATHERER, can be streamed using the SoundCloud player below. The massive, eight-minute track full of progressive emotions and melodic slower sections comes off the group's upcoming debut album, "A Bright Celestial Light", which will be released on April 16 in Europe and April 30 in North America via Agonia Records.

"A Bright Celestial Light" will consist of five original compositions with a total playing time of 44 minutes. The album was mastered by Karl Daniel Liden and will feature a guest appearance from Member 001 of THE KONSORTIUM fame.

"A Bright Celestial Light" track listing:

01. The Water That We All Come To Need
02. Intervention
03. A Road of Gravel and Skulls
04. The Womb, The Woe, The Woman
05. A Falling Deity

THE MOTH GATHERER's music is hard to label due to band's non-one-dimensional approach towards the songs they create; the experimental/progressive etiquette seems almost too laconic to fully do justice to the spirit of the compositions. The debut offers up long and complex tracks, but still surprisingly simple and compelling. Abundance of tempo changes and variations that surround the album bask in emotionally charged, progressive yet utterly melodic slower sections, addictive enough to stimulate the imagination.

"We just want our music to be an emotional explosion," comments Alex Stjernfeldt, THE MOTH GATHERER co-founder. "A lot of the songs are about death, missing people you loved who have passed away, and losing hope in mankind. We want the music to make you feel like you can move mountains with it. I wish for that when people hear our music, they start to dream away."

THE MOTH GATHERER is recommended for fans of NEUROSIS, BREACH and CULT OF LUNA.

The band is: Alex Stjernfeldt and Victor Wegeborn, who both handle guitars, bass, electronics, vocals, and drums.

Las Vegas-based doomsters DEMON LUNG have completed recording their debut album at Sharkbite Studios in Oakland, California. The CD is currently being mixed by Billy Anderson at his studio in Portland, Oregon for a late spring release via Candlelight Records.

Las Vegas Weekly recently included DEMON LUNG on their Top 10 Local Bands To Watch In 2013. Drummer Jeremy Brenton confirmed to the newspaper that the album will be a concept about "the long-begotten son of Satan, who's been sent to earth to assemble the three parts of the devil's bible so that we can speak the name of god in reverse and undo creation." He added: "When you say it out loud, it's pretty funny, but it's some pretty epic shit."

DEMON LUNG features guitarist Phil Burns, bassist Patrick Warren and vocalist Shanda Fredrick with Brenton. The band has been called "earthy yet horror-themed doom metal a la CANDLEMASS," by Metal Hammer. Ave Noctum noted, "DEMON LUNG has a deft touch and solid sound. Their music is clearly from the soul."

DEMON LUNG has performed alongside PENTAGRAM, HIGH ON FIRE, JUCIFER, WITCH MOUNTAIN and CASTLE, among others.

Long-running Spanish death metal act AVULSED recently performed two rare shows in Turkey this past December.
During the band's visit, Istanbul-based Rock Vault spoke with singer Dave Rotten about a number of topics. A few excerpts from the chat follow:

Rock Vault: What do you think about your performance, Turkish audiences, venue?

Rotten: "Thanx, I’m glad you enjoyed the show. Both in Ankara and Istanbul were cool shows!! We enjoyed both, but perhaps the one in Istanbul was more crazy!!"
Rock Vault: How would you describe the sound of next album compared to Nullo (The Pleasure Of Self-Mutilation)?

Rotten: "On Nullo we wanted to add some thrashy feel in many of the songs, just to do something fresh and different than the other albums, while still retaining our typical sound, of course, but on this one we’re trying to get some riffings we haven’t been using for many years and we want to do a more purely death metal album here. Will be 100% Avulsed, 100% death metal."

Rock Vault: What are your expectations for your next release?

Rotten: "Our expectations are to wake up our fans and any death metal lover in general. We won’t get famous, haha, but our aim is to keep playing this music we love and being able to play in more and more new places, like we did in Turkey for example!!"

Avulsed debuted the new song called 'Cult Of The Living Dead' in Ankara. Check it out below:

Former NEVERMORE guitarist Jeff Loomis took part in a clinic at the Schecter booth at this year's NAMM (National Association Of Music Merchants) show, a massive music-products convention that took place January 24-27 at the Anaheim Convention Center in Anaheim, California. Video footage of his performance can be seen below.

Loomis last year released a brand-new song, "A Liar's Chain", recorded with his touring band consisting of Joe Nurre (guitar and vocals), Anup Sastry (drums) and Greg Macklin (bass).

Loomis's second solo album, "Plains Of Oblivion", sold 2,900 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 179 on The Billboard 200 chart. The effort landed at No. 2 on the Top New Artist Albums (Heatseekers) chart, which lists the best-selling albums by new and developing artists, defined as those who have never appeared in the Top 100 of The Billboard 200.

"Plains Of Oblivion" was released on April 10, 2012 in North America (one day earlier in Europe) via Century Media Records. The CD was produced by Aaron Smith (7 HORNS 7 EYES) and features cover artwork by Colin Marks of Rain Song Design, who has previously worked with ALL SHALL PERISH, THE END and XERATH.

Chicago thrashers DIAMOND PLATE have begun recording their new studio album, due later in the year via Earache Records. The as-yet untitled follow-up to DIAMOND PLATE's 2011 debut, "Generation Why?", is being recorded with producer Neil Kernon (JUDAS PRIEST, NEVERMORE, DEICIDE, 3 INCHES OF BLOOD) at Studio Chicago in the band's hometown.

DIAMOND PLATE lead guitarist Konrad Kupiec comments: "We are beyond excited to announce that we are in the studio recording our second album! The legendary Neil Kernon is helping us capture the new songs and the new energy of the band in the traditional way that classic records were made. We decided to step away from the modern approach to albums by recording the band playing live in the same room together and keeping everything real. Everybody can expect this record to be faster and heavier than ever, but most of all they can expect the unexpected."

DIAMOND PLATE last year recruited Matt Ares as their new vocalist and bassist following the departure of Jon Macak.

HALESTORM were the musical guests on last night's (Tuesday, January 29) edition ABC-TV's "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" The band performed two songs — "Love Bites (So Do I)" and "Freak Like Me" — on the show's indoor stage in front of a standing-room-only crowd. You can now watch video footage of the group's appearance below.

HALESTORM was nominated for a Grammy Award on December 5, 2012 for "Best Hard Rock/Metal Performance," for the song "Love Bites (So Do I)".

HALESTORM is up against ANTHRAX, IRON MAIDEN, LAMB OF GOD, MARILYN MANSON and MEGADETH in the category.

"Love Bites" is taken from HALESTORM's second album, "The Strange Case Of…"

The song hit No. 1, making HALESTORM the first female-fronted act in history to top the Active Rock chart.

The band recently headlined the Jägermeister Presents tour and closed out a very successful 2012 with three special holiday performances billed as "An Evening With" the band. The shows took place on December 27 at Philadelphia's Electric Factory, December 29 at Montclair, New Jersey's Wellmont Theater and December 31 at Soundstage in Baltimore.

Dutch extreme metallers THE MONOLITH DEATHCULT will release their fourth full-length album, "Tetragrammaton", on May 14 (one day earlier internationally) via Season Of Mist.

The track listing for the CD is as follows:

01. Gods Amongst Insects
02. H.W.A. (Human Wave Attack)
03. Drugs, Thugs & Machetes
04. Todesnacht von Stammheim
05. S.A.D.M. (Svpreme Avantgarde Death Metal)
06. Qasr Al-Nihaya
07. Aslimu!!! - All Slain Those Who Bring Down Our Highly Respected Symbols To The Lower Status Of The Barren Earth

Says the band: "This vile assault on the fundamental canons of human decency, progress and civilization will take no fewer than 59 minutes and 40 seconds of the precious life you have left on this wretched clump of rock."

According to THE MONOLITH DEATHCULT, the CD's overall lyrical theme will be roughly the same as on "Trivmvirate" and "The White Crematorium" (2005). "But then again," said guitarist/vocalist Michiel Dekker, "who cares about lyrical themes in death metal?"

As on "Trivmvirate", producing duties and Pro Tools wizardry was done by Pascal Altena. Mixing duties were handled by Guido Aalbers.

A video clip featuring behind-the-scenes footage from the "Tetragrammaton" mixing sessions can be seen below.